Loving the sun

This weekend Clu and Marcus put up our new playground. It took them most of Saturday and the kids only got to go down the slide once. As you can expect, they couldn't wait to play on it today. It is a bummer that both of them (Clu and Marcus) had to work and didn't get to enjoy watching the kids play on it, maybe these pictures will help.

They only have the teeter-totter airplane left (Max is most excited about that) and I am sure that we will have more pictures to share.

Again!?!?!?!

The dr. warned me that Tali could get sick easily and once again....she is sick. In the past 6 weeks she has been sick 3 times and not with just a runny nose or gone in a day sickness. These "bugs" have come with a high fever (at over 105 degrees), vomitting, chills, aches, and shaking that lasts days if not weeks. I love to snuggle her but it sure breaks my heart to see her like that. I took her to the dr. today and found she has a severe infection (thank goodness we caught before it spread). It is treatable with heavy antibiotics, shots and a follow up visit to dr. when we finish the drugs (in two weeks).

Max wanted to snuggle her cause he said it would help her get better.

Out of the tub, trying to get her fever down.

Finally fell asleep, poor thing!

Rosy cheeks thanks to the high fever.

Hopefully we are on the mend for awhile. Tali hates the dr. office (and can you blame her after all the tests).

Tidbits

This is what we have been up to in April:

Daddy Lunch Day at McDonalds: I am sure that if I gave you one guess you could tell me who chose to have lunch here.

Out running errands: Checked out the caps and Max found a favorite...go dodgers

Ridin': I told Max that if he was good at the Mall he could ride on the car. It was $0.25 well spent!

Daddy Time: M&T can't wait for daddy to come home every night. If Clu sits in the chair, Tali will bring him a book to read and if Max sees them reading he comes running to join in.

Sweets: Tali loves a treat (especially ice cream). Not only does she look like me but she eats like me too (and that could be scary). I am really working on getting her to not be so picky but I don't know if it is making any difference. The Dr. said that it might be a good idea to add full cream to her milk since she is so small but she isn't too hip on the flavor (once again just like me).

Golfing: Max is in love with golfing, not sure how that happened?!?! He doesn't care if it is at the golf course or just miniature golfing he wants to go. He is practicing the hole in one and I know someone who loves to join him.

Tubbies: Tali used to hate to bathe with Max, he would splash and get her wet which would make her cry. Now that she is getting older she likes the splashing and loves bathing with him. They ask for a bath daily.

Quiet time: Sadly Max is getting older and not napping everyday. I miss the quietness that naps bring but it has given Max time to learn and mature (quietly). He knows that when Tali naps he has rules aka "quiet time". On this day we played a matching/counting game.

He matched the numbers to the right cards and then arranged them so that some of the cards are in "jail" cause they are the "bad guys".

Sneaky: This little lady is SO sneaky. In this picture she took something of mine and hid in the closet so I would take it away.

"WITCHES" in Heaven...?

Last Sunday (15th of April) we were putting the kids to bed after a long day.  Clu was rocking little Tali and I was tucking Max to bed.  I told him how proud I was when he gave his scripture in Primary and our conversation went like this.
I said: "You did a great job, just like we had practiced. You spoke clearly, talked right into the microphone and didn't play around."
His response: "Yes mom, Matthew chapter 5 verse 48. What is the rest mommy"
I prompted him with the rest of the scripture and then again told him what a good job he did. I told him I loved him and was walking out the door.
He told me he loved me and that he would see me in the morning, but then with a very "quizative" face expression asked, "Mom, why are there "WITCHES IN HEAVEN?"

I didn't understand what he was asking and said "Witches in Heaven?"
His reply: "Yes mom, witches in heaven like the scripture."
It then donned on me what he was talking about.
Matthew 5:48 - Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father WHICH IS IN HEAVEN is perfect.
I explained to him the actual meaning and he said "oh, okay good night mom". 

WE LOVE OUR MAX...

Attempt at Easter pictures

Last years Easter pictures did not go so well and this year was only a little better:

Attempt 1

 Try #2

Me:  "look at mommy"

 "PLEASE, look at mommy"

 "This will do, now let's go to church"

Decorating Eggs

We waited for daddy to have a night off so that we could dye eggs together and we were sure glad we did. It is always fun to do things as a family. Clu and Max both like hard boiled eggs so we made sure we made plenty which meant plenty of decorating.

"No mom, I can do it all by myself" 

 Daddy has a helper

 Workin' on the eyeball

 Max had a great time coloring and dying but his favorite was eating his daddy's minions. 

Skiing

Back in February Clu, some of his brothers and his dad planned to go skiing. It started that all the brothers were coming but then with family, work and sickness ti quickly changed. Clu had been looking forward to this trip for weeks if not months, but with his luck he came down with a severe cold, ear infection and strep throat. The first ski day he couldn't get out of bed he was so miserable, but the next he just couldn't miss the fun. Up to the resort they all went just in time to find out that it was too windy and the lifts were closed. They were all bummed but spent time together anyway.  My favorite part of Clu getting together with his dad and brothers is the laughing that is NON-STOP and the jokes that are hilarious.

Clu and Steve still got to the slopes just a few weeks later. They weren't going to let a beautiful day pass by without going.

Glad they had fun. Oh and you can hear Clu and his dad laughing (my favorite) in the background.

Randomness

Children are so amazing and fun! Here is some randomness that has been happening:

Tali found her dad's empty soda can and wanted to try it out, thank goodness it was empty. Caffeine wires my kids!

 Mas LOVES to ride his bike and is so glad that we have had sunny days aka "bike riding weather" asMax calls it.

 He is always so good about wearing his helmet and gets lots of comments on it.

 Building with the blocks. Max requested that this picture be taken and sent to Gpa Snow. "He will be so proud of me" was his response.

 I have been making Max have naps to help him get over the cold. We talk about his army guys fighting the bugs in his body while he is asleep. One afternoon he came in to tell me "Mom, I am done with my nap, the army guys want a break". I had to grab a snap of his posture, it is way too much like his bossy mom.

 Now that the kids are feeling better my mom sent him a letter with $5 aka a "fiver" to go and buy a happy meal. He told me that he wanted to buy a toy instead. So to Target we went and this is what he chose.

We didn't get a lot of snow this year and NONE of it stuck. It was a crazy timid winter and this is most likely the last snow of the year. I sent Max out to quickly enjoy it before it all melted. He obviously hated it.

 He was sad that it was melting and told me that he wanted a Snowman all Year like the book (thanks Deb for the book).

 This little lady is quickly learning how to get what she wants....scream. She wanted to play with the tools, the box was closed, she screamed, Max came running, it was stuck, Max went running to get mom, I went and saved the day, the crying stopped. She must have talent or be really spoiled.

House of Sickies, part 2

We obviously had a blast (last post), but then the sickness got worse and worse. My mom loved snuggling both the kids while they were sick, and I was really glad to have her help. When both the kids were up at night she took one and I took the other. As Tali's got worse, I just slept with her on my chest so the congestion wouldn't settle and I could keep an eye on her. Max's last about 4 days but Tali is finally getting over hers (she got it the worst) and back to her little happy self.

Nanny and Tali Snuggling

Poor girl

It breaks my heart but I love the snuggles

I love her deep brown eyes, they were so sad while she was sick

Max finally started to feel better so I had him make a birthday card for Gma Esplin. As he was coloring with "special markers" I was taking care of Tali. After about 10 minutes Max came in to show me, not his card but his hands

He told me that he wanted to be Spider-man and so he needed blue hands. He thought the blue marker would help him have blue hands  and shoot things out of them. How can you get mad at an imagination like that. Way to go Spidey!

Aunt Misty feeding Tali. She can't get enough of Tali and was glad to feed her, (By the way I made the pinafore Tali is wearing late one night).

After a whole week of sickness and being in the house, Max was ready to be outside. He went and helped Papa in the garden. After a while he came in the house and said that he needed a snack of peeps. Nannie and Papa are softies and he got just what he wanted. Not one peep....

not two peeps....

but the WHOLE package!

We were planing on heading home on Friday but the kids were too sick to travel. We waited until Sunday and even then we had trouble with ears. 

The kids were glad to be in their own beds. Max got a full night sleep first time in two weeks!