Here's the Story ... So Far

Bradlee has been sick. Since last Tuesday (11/17). You know... typical flu stuff ... or so we thought.

Saturday she wasn't so bad. She ate a little. Sunday her stomach started hurting more and more so I took her to ER. (Kevin left for Albuquerque at 3:30 am after we got home from the ER with Carsten - but that's another story) Still thinking it was the flu she got some medicine for nausea and tests were ordered. Ten hours and many test later she was confirmed with a ruptured appendix. We checked into the hospital later that night.

Since her appendix "done blowed itself up" (exact quote from one doctor) no surgery was needed to remove the remains. Instead a drain was installed to drain the infection left over. Apparently this is a slow, slow, slow process. She will be in the hospital for several more days. When it stops draining there will be more scans to make sure everything is ok.

She still hurts tonight (thanksgiving) but is trying to eat and walk a bit. I'm sure she's going to be bored out of her skull before she gets released but for now its just sleeping mostly. I've been staying overnight with her.

OK, Carstens story ... not as exciting but with a funny ending.
Carsten woke up Saturday night with croup. All of our kids have had it a couple of times. We learned that you can baby them through the first night but then the second night is worse, or you can just take them to the ER the first night and sleep the 2nd. So at midnight Kevin & I packed him up and went to the ER for a breathing treatment.

Since we last took a kid in for croup they've added a few more test to the routine. So he got tested for H1N1, RSV and had a chest x-ray. The x-ray tech came out and asked if he had something stuck in his pjs because there was a spot on the film. We took the pjs off and tried again. Still a spot...from both angles. He had a dime in his tummy! Yes - it did pass.

Billy Elliot

I love the movie Billy Elliot (I know its rated "R" - don't bug me). I'd love to see the stage play also. However, I don't like the new music that they've written for the stage play as much as I like the music from the movie. After looking for the album from the movie (all I can find is the new stage soundtrack) I finally found a list of songs and just downloaded them one by one. Most are by T Rex. Didn't know that. Most of the new songs are by Elton John, who I normally love - but not so much this time. Anyway, I've added a play list for anyone who cares to listen. They are fun songs. At least Carsten thinks so.

Life has been busy

I wanted to get my halloween pictures up before thanksgiving so I didn't type anything to go with them. We had a fun trick or treating. Bradlee went and joined friends and looked super cute in her "Who" costume from Grinch. Her friend Alli was also a Who.

Micah wanted to be a ninja this year. She worked on making a sword and then just fancied up one from Target. She had to be something different at school because you couldn't bring weapons or masks so she would have just been the kid in a black sweater. She wore her Candy Bot 3000 costume from last year. She stored it on the top shelf in her room all last year. I guess that ended up being worth it.

Avarie wanted me to make her a Kyoshi Warrior (from Avatar) costume but I just didn't have the time. She decided to be a ninja also, and then the last day decided to be a vampire ala Twilight. You can't see her make up very well in the picture but her face was white and sparkly.

Carsten just went as a baby in a tie dye romper. He didn't get any candy. He did get a fun stroller ride tho.

Thanks Lauri, Eddy & Morgan for walking around with us. Its always more fun with friends.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I'm now homeschooling Avarie. I know. Because I had so much free time. It seems to be working out pretty well. She gets busy in the morning and gets most of her assignments done by noon. Then she gets to help me with the baby or wash the dishes. Fun for all. At least I can leave the house during nap time once and while now.

Kevin is traveling every week this month. He's in Wash DC this week. I almost decided to take the girls out of school and hang out with him for a week we but didn't have much notice. Also I think of lots of fun things to do and then I remember I have a 1 year old and my back hurts, and maybe it won't be as much fun as I think it will. Then I just go take a nap instead. I still haven't decided what to do for Christmas or Thanksgiving vacations either.

Bradlee is having fun in colorguard. They've had two competitions so far and perform at all the home football games.

Phone Talk & Friends

Carsten loves the phone. We've given him several old phones to try to keep him from taking our working phones. He's even called 911 successfully.

Also, a cute picture of Bradlee & friends just before the Elvis concert in the park last night. She made me stay up late to pick her up.

First Day of School

We had three different first days of school, or actually four because Micah changed schools after 2 days. Micah started the year first at Camarillo Heights. At the end of the week I decided to stick her in the lottery for CAPE, just because. I knew there weren't any openings and didn't think there would be any. A couple hours later we got a surprise call -- there was a new opening, could she start Monday? We said yes and talked about it all weekend and decided to go ahead. I think Micah likes her new class, but misses her friends at Cam Hts. So now I am the bus for two girls and three boys to CAPE everyday.

High School didn't start for another week, but Bradlee had already been going to band camp for two weeks so it seemed like she had already been going forever. At least I got pictures of everyone this year.

Ventura County Fair Parade

Bradlee is in Rio Mesa HS colorguard. This was their first parade this year. I think they looked pretty good. Right after this I went and bought a new video camera so I don't have to take bad video with my camera anymore. Yea!!! I have a really cranky 1 year old crying at me right now also. Not fun.

Bradlee is the middle of the back row.

Baby is One

Happy Birthday Carsten.

We've made it one year. Its been fun, and hard. I think the next year will be more fun and less hard. You are walking, getting into everything, smiling at everyone, laughing at Micah, tearing apart notebooks, eating a lot, sleeping almost through the night, wearing big boy clothes and loving all of us. We love you Carsten!

Carsten had his one year checkup and got 2 shots and 2 pokes. He is 31 inches tall and 25 pounds. That's a wriggly sack of flour.

Summer Time

Wow, summer has been going quickly. We went to Utah for a week and a half and then came home and Ava & Micah went to Creative Arts for another two weeks. Now we are just home all day. I try to give the girls a chore to do everyday, but some days we are just lazy and don't do anything. Everyone is reading a lot. Avarie has read the Twilight & Eragon books probably 5 times each, Micah is reading a lot of Redwall & Bradlee is working her way through Harry Potter again.

Major Sunburn

Hi it's Micah this time. I went kayaking with Bradlee and her friends last Tuesday in the Ventura keys.  One of the teachers at my School, her name is Mrs. Friday, she let us borrow her kayaks.  We went Kayaking for a while.  It was only four people.  When we were done we went to the beach.  I dug a hole about 2 1/2 feet deep, maybe 3.  So at the beach there were thousands of sand crabs all over in the sand.  The hole was originally going to be a sand castle but the tide kept coming and washing it away so I made a huge around it and then I made a huge pit just in case the wall gave away, but the sand kept collapsing around the pit so I kept digging it out and the castle became a hole.  My mom brought us In-&-Out for lunch.  When we got home we discovered that I had a huge sunburn on my back.  I didn't put any sun screen on my back.  So now there is a pretty big circle in the middle of my back and a stripe on the top.  I put aloe vera on it four times now.  And I sprayed sun burn spray on it.  

What's Up

Dang, its been a long time since I posted. Here's some pictures.

Look, they have the same eyes.

In one month Carsten has gone from kind of crawling to climbing up on everything. He doesn't cruise much but he gets into enough trouble anyway.

Everyone is done with school. Avarie skipped her last day because girls camp started. So she and Bradlee are gone to that this week. I bought us all Hurricane Harbor passes for my birthday so Micah & I & a friend went yesterday without the big kids. It was fun.

Water Works

This letter came in the mail a couple of months ago:

From Pleasant Valley Mutual Water Company
To Shareholders/owners of properties having more than one dwelling

"Please be informed the Directors of the Pleasant Valley Mutual Water Company has adopted a policy requiring every dwelling in its service area to have its own water meter. ... equitably distribute the costs... New services and meters will be installed at Company expense [yea!], it will be the responsibility of the owner to connect the dwelling to the new meter [WHAT???]. blah, blah, etc. Very truly yours, "

I've been in denial for a couple of months about what this means. Then today crews came by and started cutting holes in the street in front of my house. So the time for denial is over. What I think this means is that I have to connect two water meters to the duplex behind out house - 300 feet from the road, through our front yard, through our side yard, through our back yard, through the duplex parking and finally to the duplex, which as of now only has connections for one water inlet.

Any idea how much this is going to cost??? Me neither.

Thanks water company. Wouldn't it be easier just to tack a monthly charge onto the bill for extra residences.

(by the way, if you have a rental on your property that shares your mail box and other utilities I'm guessing this won't apply. Unfortunately the duplex already has its own electric & gas meters and their own mailbox numbers.)














Am I going to have to move my fence also so that 2 more meters will fit?

One Nap

I think the baby is only going to have one nap today. He's been steadily shortening his 2 naps from 3 hours down to 1 1/2 each. Its still nice to have 2 though. Last night he slept from 7 to 7 (with a feeding at 3am) and then he didn't take a nap until 11. He's usually done with his first around then. He's still asleep at 2:15 tho so not too bad. I don't mind feeding him during the night if it means he'll sleep longer, but he's gone all night quite a few times without waking up, so I know he can do it. He has until his first birthday to shape up! JK.

We are so ready for school to be over. I talked to Sharon today and her kids are done next Thursday. I'd go for that. We have a month left.

Marjorie, if you see this I sent you some books. Sorry about the chicken book, but it cracked me up.

Does anyone have fun plans for summer?

Bear Hunt

I've been downloading all my video camera tapes to try to get caught up. Remember this one from July 2002.

OK, I was going to make it private, but its too much of a pain, so the whole world gets to watch it... if they can find it.