Funny Kids

I was in the shower this morning when I heard Ben come in to the bathroom and pull out the stepstool.  I knew he would be in to things in an instant, so I quickly finished my shower and opened the door.  There was Ben, with Lennard's electric razor, pretending to shave!  It was the cutest thing ever!  I quickly got dressed and ran to get the camera! 

This past week while the kids have been sick we have had a steady stream of medicine going into both kids... Emma loves taking Tylenol, but didn't like the medicine.  So, when I told her it was time for medicine, she looked at me and said, "I really don't like it!".  It was so matter-of-fact that it made me laugh.  Sorry, Emma... you still have to take your medicine even if you really don't like it!  What a funny girl.

I found Emma feeding Ben yesterday morning.  No, he shouldn't be on the table... but that's where I find him almost constantly!  At least they were sharing and happy with each other!  Lately, Emma's favorite thing to say when Ben gets in the same room is, "Don't touch me!"  It's amazing how at 19 months, Ben knows exactly what buttons to push to annoy his sister!

Easter Sunday

I was hoping that the kids would be well enough to go to church this morning, but Emma was so clingy and cranky, that I decided to stay home with both of them. Ben was doing much better, but ended up going down for a nap right at 9:00 (when church started) and sleeping until after 1:00! Emma just wanted to be held the entire time.

I wasn't sure whether or not we would make it to our family Easter dinner out at my parent's, but thankfully by the afternoon they were both doing better. Of course, I didn't get any pictures of the chaos at my parents, but needless to say it was a busy place! With 18 kids running around and parents trying to keep the peace, it was loud! Having said that, I'm glad I didn't miss it. I love being able to be close to my family and have my kids get to know their cousins like I did when I was growing up!

Easter

With both kids sick, we decided to stay home instead of going in to Lethbridge for the family Easter egg hunt that my sister-in-law (Nysha) was putting on.  I had counted on being there, so I hadn't bought a lot of extra stuff for Easter.  I ended up going out last night and scrounging around the stores to get the last little bit of Easter candy.  I made up a bunch of eggs and 'hid' them (in plain sight) around the living room so they could do a bit of a hunt. 

I think the best part of the whole morning was the baskets the kids got from Emma's birthparents!  They were more than a little excited to get them opened and see what was in them.  They got thoroughly spoiled!  (Thanks B & T!)

Emma started to lay out each item from the backet, until she noticed that there were eggs around the room and then she took a break to see how many she could find before Ben clued in!

Ben had Grandpa Nichols help him get his basket opened and promptly dumped the contents! 

I love the bunny ears that came in the basket!  Daddy helped her put them on and amazingly she wore them for quite a while!

They definitely had a lot of fun (even being sick).  This was the carnage after they'd found all the eggs and emptied the Easter baskets!  They've definitely got enough chocolate to last them a while!

The rest of the day we were able to relax and play with the kids.  We didn't get much accomplished, as both kids wanted to be held, but it was okay.  My father-in-law went in to Lethbridge after the Easter egg 'hunt' and bought us a lamb roast for dinner - yum!  It turned out so nice and tender! 

Shower Doors

 We really wanted to at least get one thing accomplished today... and we did!  Hooray!  We now have shower doors installed in our ensuite.  One step closer to having it done.  It was a royal pain to put in and took a lot longer than planned, but at least it is done now.  My parents happened to stop by as we were just running in to problems and they were able to help us get the top and bottom plates cut down to size.  Once that was done, the rest wasn't too hard, though we definitely had a lot of 'help' from Emma and Ben.  Emma was more in and out, but Ben wanted to be right in the middle of the action the entire time.  He loves tools and even though he was sick, he thoroughly enjoyed checking everything out.

Ben - managing the work!

 The 'almost' finished project!  We still have to tile around the shower, put in baseboard and moulding and install a medicine cabinet, but everything else is done.  At least we can use the toilet and sink for now.

Sick Kids

We have had quite the week with sick kids in our house.  Ben has not been himself for well over a week and we thought it was just another cold.  When he started running a fever on Monday we started thinking that it was something more than just the run of the mill common cold though.  I tried to get him in to the doctor on Tuesday, but they couldn't fit him in until Wednesday afternoon.  I was told then that he had strep throat.  We got him on antibiotics immediately.  Of course, by now Emma wasn't feeling well either so she got started on antibiotics too.  I had two very clingy, cranky kids that didn't want anyone except me to hold them... fun times.  Anyways, by Friday, Ben didn't have a fever any more, but he got a rash and was not doing well.  I finally took him in to the ER Friday afternoon and the doctor there said that his strep throat had moved on to 'scarlatina'.  To make sure that the rash wasn't from the antibiotic, we switched to a different medicine and were told to keep giving him Tylenol every 6 hours to help with the pain.  Poor little boy!  Emma is now getting the same treatment and we are really hoping that they get better soon!  The sleepless nights and cranky kids the past week and a half are starting to wear on us. 

Of course, through all this, we had my father-in-law come for a visit!  I feel sorry for the amount of time he spent listening to the kids scream/whine/cry instead of watching them laugh/giggle/play like they normally do.  Hopefully the next visit will go better!

My Life

My life lately has consisted hearing 'The Wheels on the Bus" over, and over, and over!  Ben can't just sit on the chair and watch, but he has to be right up on the desk (usually pushing buttons).  I found him like this this afternoon, though he was totally faking it.  I had to laugh at him!

This is usually how he is when I turn around - pointing at the screen and asking for more before the song is even done the first time!

I was getting ready to head to our 'Webster Gals' retreat this weekend and was making brownies to bring with me.  Emma decided she needed to help taste test them.  I love seeing how excited she was to get a taste of chocolate!

I had such a good time being able to go visit with a bunch of my aunts and cousins.  It is always nice to get a break and relax. We didn't 'do' much, but we were able to watch part of General Conference on Saturday morning after a yummy waffle breakfast.  I'm thankful that Lennard was willing to watch the kids so that I could go. 

I got home in the early afternoon and we headed in to Lethbridge to attend the BYU vs Lethbridge Pronghorns rugby game.  Unfortunately, Emma wasn't feeling too good and we had to stop for her to throw up.  Yuck!  Thankfully, Shauna was still willing to watch the kids during the game.  Lennard had to drive the bus home with the high school team, so I got the kids from Shauna's and headed home.  I got Ben in to bed and then went to get Emma.  As soon as I layed her down she got sick and I raced into the bathroom with her.  She was very sick all over everything.  Once I got her cleaned up and her bed remade, she went right to bed and slept all night.  I'm glad she's hardly ever sick!

Helper

Lennard's been working on getting our ensuite done.  He's got all the mudding, taping, priming and painting done.  He finished laying the sub-floor and putting down the lino.  We now have the vanity installed and though we ran into some plumbing issues, we are hoping to having running water and a working toilet by the end of next week!  So exciting to see progress being made!

Ben LOVES to be right where Lennard is... and if there are tools involved - even better!  Here he is 'helping' daddy put the door handles onto the vanity.  Such a good helper!