A little bit of May, June, and even part of July!

Yikes! I really am trying to update this each month, but I always seem to be running somewhere and doing something! Then, by the end of the night, I am absolutely exhausted! *whew* Here I am now, though. I suppose every 2 months is better than not all, right? Right. =) Well then, on to the current events of the Knobel household . . .

The family that I nanny for took a vacation down to Phoenix to visit family around the end of May, so that gave me about a week and a half off work. It was really nice to relax and be home with my 2 kiddos. I decided to take advantage of the long off-work stretch and started potty-training my little Justin. I was apprehensive at the thought of it all, but I just couldn't ignore the gut-feeling that the timing was right for it. I felt like it had been forever since I went through the whole potty-training thing with Angela. I mean, that WAS almost 4 years ago! So, to help my lingering feeling of apprehension, I did some research and asking around to some of my friends who were also potty-training their little ones. In doing so, I came across a particular method that sounded awesome, and had received raving reviews from potty-training parents everywhere. It's officially titled the "3 Day Method". It claimed you could have your child diaper and accident free in 3 days!! I was VERY intrigued, but also skeptical. Come on, 3 days?? Really??? Hmmm....  I figured, I had nothing to lose other than the cost of diapers and a little extra time doing laundry. So, I read through the e-book that a friend was gracious enough to share with me, bought the necessary supplies, took a DEEP breath and dove right in.

The first day was a little crazy, but amazingly, that very night he stayed dry ALL NIGHT LONG!! And the following day went fantastic! By only day four he was still staying dry all night and was completely accident free all day long. I seriously couldn't believe it! The method had done exactly what it said it would! Now, I'm still unsure if this was all due to the method, or if Justin has been an *easy-to-train* kid. Perhaps both?? Either way, I'm ECSTATIC!

After a little more than a week of PERFECT potty-ing, he went through a bit of a rebellious stage where he acted like he was bored with the whole toilet business. We had as many accidents that day as we did successful trips to the potty. =/  FORTUNATELY, this only lasted the one day and he was back to his awesome potty-ing self the very next day. I also have my strong suspicions that having to go BACK to work after a week and a half at home threw a bit of a wrench in his groove. This is because the day he struggled with it was our first day back at work. And he has been perfect ever since! I will admit he has had a few lingering, minor accidents here and there, but they have been VERY rare and have included instances where we couldn't get to a restroom quick enough, or like the other day, the poor guy had the runs from something. I know, I know...  TMI, right?? Well anyways, he's absolutely fabulous! He just LOVES his "big-boy underwears" and looks sooo cute in them! =) I couldn't be more proud of my little man. He seems to be growing up much too fast. =)

***Big Boy Underwears***

***This is what happens when I take him shopping***

He definitely isn't the ONLY one who's growing up too fast...  June 2nd was little miss Angie Mae's LAST day of Kindergarten! I know, right??!! Seriously... where has the time gone??? They had a little*graduation* program that I was able to attend and I got some super-cute footage on tape to show off to Kaleb later since he wasn't able to get off work. They sat up front and sang songs and recited different little poems and such. Then each kid got a certificate of completion from the teacher. As the teacher handed out each individual child's certificate, she also handed out an award listing something that child could be recognized for. Angela's award was for "Helping the Teacher REMEMBER".  LOL  I know she does an excellent job at never letting me forget ANYTHING! *hee hee*  I just had to giggle quietly to myself when I heard that.

Angie also recently lost her first 2 teeth! She was SO excited to have finally lost a tooth! She could hardly get to sleep she was so anxious for the tooth fairy to come! And she looked absolutely darling with that little window in her front, bottom teeth. The window has almost been completely filled in now by her "grown-up teeth".

Then, she decided she needed "grown-up ears" to match her "grown-up teeth". So she got her ears pierced during a shopping trip to the mall. She picked out rainbow flower earrings and enjoys showing them off to everyone she sees. =) She's getting to be such a little "grown-up" these days.

Angela gets more and more beautiful each and every day. She is bright and sunny, intelligent and loving, sweet and determined, tender and peaceful. Her laughter is absolutely contagious and she has yet to lose interest in snuggling. I am SO proud of her and each and every one of her many accomplishments she has had this year. She is a MASTER at spelling and reading. She has caught on SO quickly at math and she for sure has an artistic streak a mile wide. I am thrilled at being able to watch her spread her wings and learn to fly. She is the epitome of "blossoming" in every aspect of her life. On top of being proud, I am truly blessed to have the precious opportunity to be her mother. I look forward to watching her grow into the gorgeous, talented woman I KNOW she will be. =)

We had made Memorial Holiday camping plans for the weekend only to later realize the weather was forecasted to be icky. Maybe we're wusses, but I just had NO desire to go sleep in a tent with rain, snow, and freezing temperatures. So, we rearranged plans and were able to enjoy the holiday just hanging around town with family. And it ended up being a good thing too, since I came down with Strep Throat and then Tonsillitis! Yuck! My throat was sooo sore! And then one morning I checked my throat out in the mirror to find a disgusting whitish growth going on at the back. So I spent an hour or so at InstaCare and got me some killer antibiotics and felt significantly better in time for the Monday holiday. I was glad to not miss out on the festivities!

That Memorial Day Monday, we headed up north to Ogden. Kaleb's family has somewhat of a yearly tradition to spend memorial day picnicking and fishing. There's a really cute trout farm up there. The kids love seeing the fish-- there's literally MILLIONS! And we each always catch about 2. Then, if you're real gutsy (excuse the pun), you can stand and watch them clean, slice, and gut your fish right there! I usually opt-out for that experience but I DID catch my fair share and even touched a fish this year! =) Angela was my brave little girl and carried both of her fish from her pole to the collection bucket all by herself! It took some encouragement and she wasn't too excited about grabbing a slimy fish at first, but afterwards she thought it was pretty cool!

***She caught the biggest fish of the day***

Justin even caught his 2 fish, and he did it pretty close to all by himself. He got SO mad anytime anyone tried to help him hold his pole or attract the fish. He sure is an independent little soul and doesn't need NO help from NO body!! =D He quickly tired of standing there with a pole and had more fun running from pond to pond scouting out fish for other people to catch. He also really enjoyed throwing the food pellets into the water with Papa Ken and watching the turbulence that caused on the surface of the water.

***He was so excited that he caught one "all by himself"***

***Trying to catch fish the HARD way***

We finished off the day with a game of bowling at the local Fat Cats, and then a trip to the fabulous Farr's Ice Cream shop there in town. They have DELICIOUS ice cream and it's always packed every time we go. If you're ever in Ogden, look it up!

School has been out for the kids now for a little over a month. We've been able to have a pretty good time so far. I was a little anxious about my job since summer break meant having all 6 kids home all day long. But so far we have been able to keep busy and play and have fun. We make a couple trips to the community pool and a couple trips to the various parks around the neighborhood each week and the kids always have a blast. We're all having lots of fun and getting lots of sun. Even my own pasty-white self is acquiring a more toasty color! ; )

***My cute kids and the Saylor kids***

I have discovered that Justin is quite the little fish and LOVES to go to the pool. He runs and jumps and splashes away! Angela has always been much more timid when it comes to water, but this year even she has gained more confidence with it and floats and splashes all over the pool without any help from me. She still doesn't want much to do with the deep end and has yet to decide if she will jump in the Snake River next week at our annual family river-rafting trip. I guess we'll see. She is my little tender-heart. =)

Speaking of the river trip, we're all getting mighty excited to hit those white rapids! 4 days from now we will be setting up camp as quickly as possible so as to get in that blessed first run of the year. Can't wait! This year will be the first in a couple of years that both my sisters and their families will be there TOGETHER. The past couple years they've traded off due to work schedules or whatnot. It will be really good to have us all there together rafting, camping, and having a grand old time.

***Justin and Angie trying the new boat out for size***

This year we've even invited some good friends of ours to come. They are an awesome couple with two darling boys close to the ages of Angie and Justin. We've come to absolutely love them and try to get together on a weekly basis at the very least. We have even decided on a mutual marriage arrangement between their oldest, Logan, and Angela. They are just so cute when they play together. It will be really fun to share the river experience with them this year!

***Logan, Misty, Trevor, Thoren***

Mid-June brought a new addition to our family. Against my better judgement, we went and looked at an adorable kitten and fell in love instantly! We all took turns snuggling him and checking him out, and he began purring from the first moment we held him. He has been a fun addition. He has such a cute personality and loves to cuddle and play. We decided to name him Bagheera, after the black panther in The Jungle Book. He is all black with subtle stripes/markings along his body. He started out with bright baby blue eyes, but they are gradually changing to a striking shade of green. He is such a character! He is really good with the kids and seems to just fit in perfectly.

Bagheera has not only wiggled his way into each of our hearts, but even has made his way onto the bed with Kaleb and I at nights. It's rather entertaining for the first five minutes or so that we turn out the lights, as he will bounce around and pounce at the blanket if we move even an inch. It only lasts a few minutes and then he will find a comfy spot and curl up to sleep. On occasion he even tunnels under the blanket by our legs and curls up to sleep there. Such a funny feline!

Another cute thing he does is suck his *fingers* when he sleeps! No joke! He is currently curled up in my lap as I am typing this, eyes closed, out like a light, sucking away on his paw! LOL! He always comes bounding down the hall to greet us when any of us come home, and even acts excited that we are back. He was housebroken from day one and he has also done really well so far with the other *critters* we've got here (2 birds and 1 guinea pig). He is very interested and will sit and watch them, and walk on the cages, but it never really goes much past that. I even caught one of the birds nipping on his paws the other day as he sat on top of the cage. Too funny! The birds don't act too concerned and neither does the guinea pig.

Angela loves to carry him around and baby him, and Justin enjoys playing with him and the various cat toys we've acquired. Occasionally Justin will lean over and kiss him, it's so cute! Sometimes he will forget we are fragile humans and scratch a little too hard, but he seems to respond fairly well to reprimands over it. In the next couple of months we will be getting him neutered and de-clawed and that should help the situation as well. All in all, a good pick for our little family. =)

All the *dads* seemed to have a wonderful Father's Day. We were slothful sinners and skipped church that day. The kids and I let Kaleb sleep in while we made him breakfast in bed. Angela and Justin played the role of waiter and waitress, complete with aprons and a menu to choose from and I played the role of chef. It was fun to surprise him and pamper him for once.

He works so hard and is such a good man and awesome father and husband. The kids had each made him some crafts and homemade cards and I gave him a much-wanted shopping trip to buy some cool things he's been wanting for the River. He now has a nice wetsuit and some pretty nifty water shoes. He feels all geared up for the approaching trip now.

My dad also got a cool new accessory for the River. He had been eyeing a new, fancy "Captain's" lifejacket to help tell him apart from the rest of the crew. Us and my sisters and their families went in on it together and he was able to get it shipped out by Father's Day in order for him to show it off in pictures. On the back he promptly wrote, "Capt'n Bob". =)

For Kaleb's dad us kids all pitched in to buy him a gas-powered generator. He was surprised and excited and has already begun brainstorming plans for it.

The month of June also blessed our family with a job promotion for Kaleb. Hooray! We were so thrilled to hear the news. He has been wanting to get promoted to this particular department for awhile now and feels extremely grateful to have finally gotten over there. I am super proud of him! The day we found out, the kids and I came home and surprised him with balloons, his favorite candy, and great big hugs and kisses from each of us. This raise will enable us to loosen our pinch-hold on the pennies in our pocket a little bit. It feels good to be able to have some breathing room!

To celebrate the Fourth of July, we spent Saturday the 3rd relaxing and being with family. We went swimming and then had a barbecue. Being in the Mormon capitol of the world, the official city fireworks shows were scheduled for that Saturday as well. We decided to try something a little different and travelled up the mountain to Draper and settled into the new amphitheater they built up there. We were able to see fireworks for every city in the Salt Lake Valley from up there. It was beautiful and we even brought along our own *patriotic* playlist to listen to in the background. It was also really nice since there were only 2 other families there. It can be a nuisance to deal with large crowds sometimes. Although, I was informed by Angela that it's "more fun to see fireworks up close."  =P  So, I suppose next year we will trudge through the crowds to see them "up close". =) Regardless, the kids enjoyed the "pretty lights" and so did Kaleb and I.

Then, on the ACTUAL 4th of July, we had a family dinner up at Kaleb's grandparents, followed by some of our own personal lighting of fireworks....

Then, the next day, Kaleb and I were both lucky enough to have the day off from work. We slept in and enjoyed being lazy, and then met up with his parents for a late lunch at Applebee's. I LOVE Applebee's!! Good food, and they always seem to have good deals going on. After eating we headed out and did some Geo-Caching. For those of you who are unsure what this is, it's basically treasure hunting with GPS units. You acquire a set of coordinates along with a hint about the *treasure's* whereabouts from an online website community, and then you hunt for it! They come in all shapes and sizes and it's a really fun and cheap family activity! Some are even big enough to hold toys for the kids. The kids are always excited to search for, find, and then actually take home something from the *treasure box*. It's also fun to see who's been there before you, since there is always a logbook to sign. It's a worldwide phenomenon. Look into it! =)

Well I think that finally about sums it up! Maybe this next time I will try to do one month at a time instead of two! There's always so much going on that two months worth of reporting makes for a pretty lengthy blog post! Sheesh!

Hope everyone is doing well and we look forward to seeing some of you in A FEW DAYS!! =D 

Not to worry... We're all still alive!

The last couple months have been like a whirlwind! A lot has happened. Let's see if we can't get y'all up to date! =)

My dad had his surgery for his prostate cancer. Everything went well with the procedure. The Anesthetics made him REALLY sick, and I managed to show up at his hospital bedside while he was at his worst. That was rough. =(  However, he bounced back quickly after some rest. He only spent a couple of days in the hospital, then went home and began recovering well. A few days later, late at night, I get a call from my mom informing me that my dad had been driven to the floor by pain and cramping, had turned sickly white and could barely breathe, and had been taken by ambulance to the ER. I rushed over to the hospital, and was overwhelmed by the feeling of deja-vu as I hurried through the halls to his room--I had just been there a couple weeks back with Justin, twice. Now it was my dad's turn apparently. NOT COOL. The staff there probably knows me by name now! Sheesh!

My mom had tried to tell me I didn't need to come out, that she'd keep me updated and informed, but I wasn't about to buy into any of that nonsense. Plus, since when have I ever listened to my parents??? ; ) I knew the moment I laid eyes on my mother's face that it was a good thing I showed up. I sat by my parents sides, held my mom's hand, and helped to calm the environment the best I could.

After a few grueling hours there, it was determined that a UTI, accompanied by a blood clot which formed post-surgery, had caused all the problems. He was given meds and sent home. Thankfully, my dad has since finished his recovering, problem-free, and has even returned back to work! The other day he did some follow-up blood tests to check on things and he is now CANCER-FREE!!

**Insert HUGE sigh of relief**

That's three times now that I've seen my dad lying poor, helpless, and in pain in a hospital bed. Let me tell you... it sucks big time! He better just knock it off and be as healthy as a horse from now on!

The ugly monster that is Cancer struck again on the other side of the family tree. We found out that Kaleb's mom had some skin cancer on her face. I felt trampled on when I heard this news. I just didn't want to hear any more bad news tied to Cancer. It's just too scary, too real. Luckily, she went in for her surgery and had it removed and, so far, she hasn't had any other problems with it. She also will be having some post-op testing done to be sure it's all gone and I am eager to hear a GOOD report from that.

In other medical news, Kaleb and his doctors believe they have found the cure to his ailments and things have been going smoothly there now for a couple of weeks!

**Insert another sigh of relief**

Hallelujah! Now I need to just bug my mother a little more to follow up on some medical things and all will be well. =)

Since my last post, we added two Guinea Pigs to our house. They were both cute and fluffy and surprisingly calm and gentle with the kids--and vice versa! Sadly, we hadn't had them barely 2 weeks when Justin's small "pig-pig" keeled over and died. I was highly un-enthused. I think it was more tragic for me than anyone else! We took the lifeless tragedy back to PETCO and got a new one to replace him. Things seemed to be going fine until I noticed them itching like crazy. Then Angela's "pig-pig" had a wound-like spot over-take the side of his face. I gathered up both "pig-pigs" (if you haven't figured it out yet, this is what Justin calls them and the name has stuck around here) and headed into the Vet's office. I was not amused. I had just been through the *medical* ringer with my HUMAN family. Now I was doing it with non-human members of the family. UGH. Turned out they had both mites and ringworm! They got started on meds (BIG pain in the butt!) and I started wishing we had just gone with goldfish. Angela and Justin ended up catching the ringworm from the "pig-pigs", so they did 2 weeks on a fungal cream that just didn't seem to be working. We've now switched to a different cream that seems to already be helping only a couple days in. We got the skin infections cleared up on the "pig-pigs" and I'm hoping we've also finally found the answer for my kids' infections.

Here's the FANTASTIC part... After all this hullabaloo with Vet visits and having to give 2 "pig-pigs" oral medicine everyday, they start beating up on each other! We were told this would be a possibility since they're male and have to act all macho. I threw my hands into the air and said, "That's it!!" I promptly took the newer of the 2 "pig-pigs" back to PETCO and got my money back. The manager tried to give me trouble over it, but after one look of "don't even try it" and a couple of choice words from me and he couldn't get his cash drawer open fast enough. I am SO over this whole *critter* thing. I'm about ready to set this other one loose in the field behind our house because he's acting all mopey and weird. They are such strange little creatures. Fight with each other when together, and then mope when they're separated. A goldfish is sounding really nice right about now...

Mid-March, I ditched Kaleb and the kids and took a trip north to Boise to spend some much-needed quality time with my big sister. I spent the weekend there and we had a lot of fun! Saturday, just my sister and I hit the town and got pedicures, went to lunch, and did some shopping. We stayed up late almost every night and chatted and laughed together. I missed Kaleb and my babies, but it was really nice to be able to focus 100% on me and my sister's time together. Kaleb was such a good sport about me stealing away for the weekend too. He is such a good hubby!

The next weekend, Kaleb and I celebrated our anniversary by running away to a castle in the hills! There's a really neat place here called Castle Creek Inn. Interesting story behind it too. It started out as a house that a husband built for the love of his life so that she could be his "queen" with her very own "castle". =) It was later renovated into a bed and breakfast. Each room is enormous and built with a castle theme. We stayed in a room called The Garden Room. It was green and beautiful with a 3 sided fireplace and it's very own private garden terrace. Off of the main lobby, there is a grand dining hall where they actually SERVE you a 3 course meal as your "complimentary breakfast". There were also complimentary snacks, drinks, boardgames and movies. I joked with Kaleb that I wanted to experience it ALL! So then he made it his duty to see to it that I did! We sipped hot cocoa as we strolled the private gardens, had snacks and drinks while watching a movie by the fire, soaked in the jacuzzi with candles and color-changing light effects, and I got officially hooked on the board game of Mancala. Going to have to buy that one! It was so nice to get away with the love of MY life and celebrate 3 magical years together. I simply can't wait to spend the rest of eternity with him. He is such a good man, father, companion. I would definitely say that I'm lucky to have him, even though he constantly says he's the lucky one. =)

Also during the month of March, Justin decided he was done with the whole crib business. He began climbing OUT of his crib when it was supposed to be bedtime/naptime! Reluctantly we did some rearranging and got him into a big boy bed of his own! He looked so tiny in that big bed! I just couldn't believe he had grown up so quickly! Justin was thrilled and would climb into it and pretend to sleep. But I was worried about the battle that I was sure would ensue when it was actually bedtime. Amazingly, he has done awesome transitioning! We've had a couple of nights where there was a slight struggle of wills, but it's never lasted more than a few minutes! I am so stoked at how well he's done! He really is such a big boy now! He even calls it his "big boy bed" and asks for it when he gets tired. So cute!

**New Big Boy Bed***

***Angela's New Bed***

For Easter, we colored eggs, eggs, and more eggs! We ended up with quite a load! We visited family, ate lots of good food, and did a couple of different easter egg hunts with the kids. Justin was fun with the egg hunt this year. He was pretty good at finding those eggs! Both kids acquired lots of candy and goodies from all around. The easter bunny sure was busy this year! They both also got cute, new Easter outfits. Since conference fell on Easter Sunday, they wore them not only for that day, but also to church the NEXT week. Angela loves to strut around in new duds! She's such a girl! =)

Last month I finished up my college math class. I soared through the whole coarse with brilliant, flying colors! Woo-hoo!! I got a 100% on my final exam and scored an A+ for the class. I am SO excited and relieved! I was really concerned when I took that stinking placement test and didn't recognize hardly anything on there! But it all came back really easily and it was a good class. So that's 2 pre-requisites down, and still like 10 to go! *sigh* I guess baby steps are better than NO steps, right?? I've decided to be a slacker and take the summer off due to the fact that Angie and the kids I nanny are all in a traditional school schedule, giving them almost 3 months off this summer. So, during the summer my job will be A LOT more interesting!! I'm hoping it all runs smoothly. I'm sure it will. They're good kids. But, as for now, the plan is to take the next required math class in the Fall. I am REALLY hoping taking the summer off doesn't turn out to be a huge mistake. I find myself wondering if I will forget the basic concepts I just learned through this last class, which then could hinder my ability to succeed at the next one. =/  Hopefully I won't! 

The month of April also brought about wedding festivities! Kaleb's younger brother was preparing to take a sweet girl to the Temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. I was so excited for them! They are too cute together! On the 10th we were lucky enough to be a part of both of them receiving their endowments. They had picked the Salt Lake Temple to be married in, as well as for their endowments. That Temple is so gorgeous. I am in awe of it's beauty every time I go there. Kaleb was honored to act as his little brother's escort that day. Both of the newlyweds-to-be were so nervous and jittery and excited. It was cute. It brought back memories of the day I received my own endowments and the emotions that ran so strong that day, as well as the day of our sealing. I'm still a spiritual *baby* so to speak when it comes to the Temple. I still have plenty to learn and comprehend yet. But it was special to be there for the two of them and see them experience the spirituality of everything for the very first time. Afterwards we headed down to the Temple Cafeteria and we all had dinner together. It was really nice.

Then, just a short week later, we were also privileged enough to be present for their sealing. This is the first time that I have ever been to the temple to witness someone else partaking of the blessings and ordinances of the Temple. It was really special to see the two of them come together at the altar and become a forever family. It was a beautiful ceremony and I bawled like a baby. =) A funny note, at the end of the ceremony the sealer told Kaleb's brother to "kiss the bride". He was so nervous, he reached across and gave her the quickest *peck* on the lips any of us have ever seen. The sealer paused for a moment, looked at him and said, "Well, okay. If that's the best you've got you can return to your seats."  LOL!! It was sooo funny! Everyone chuckled, including the sealer. =) Later, when asked what the deal was, Kaleb's brother replied, "It's the temple! I didn't wanna totally MAKE-OUT with her across the altar!!"  =D It was a good, good day. They both looked stunning and there were big smiles all around. The luncheon was scrumptious; Fuddruckers, since burgers are his favorite food group. =) The reception was lovely and romantic, and my cute kids ran amuck and charmed everyone. Justin even caught the garder! We SUFFICIENTLY decorated their car-- heard it took 45 minutes and $12 to get it clean!! They spent their honeymoon at Disneyland and we hear they had tons of fun! We saw some cute pictures. I am so happy for them, and I am excited to see them create their very own eternal fairytale.

I am so thankful for the Temples and the blessings that come from taking part in the ordinances and the total peace you can feel when you're within those hallowed halls. I LOVE the Gospel and my Savior and Heavenly Father. I am so very grateful for the opportunity to have an Eternal family. I am so proud of those two newlyweds living righteously and striving for and attaining a temple marriage. It's so very important!! I hope and pray that I can live my life in such a way that my own children will also have that strong desire for the Temple to bless their lives as it has surely blessed mine. There is NOTHING more important than an ETERNAL FAMILY. Everything I do in life is aimed at being worthy of this sweet blessing. There truly is nothing sweeter...

In Sickness and In Health...

This last month or so has been pretty challenging...  My poor family has been dealing with medical issues right and left!

Kaleb has been dealing with a medical concern that, although not really life-threatening, is pretty frustrating for him and the rest of us. We're working with some good doctors and hope to find a solution soon.

My Dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer... finding that out was slightly devastating for me. My Dad has always been larger than life; a Superman figure, if you will. He was invincible and strong and pretty intimidating for most. =) He was a spiritual giant with a heart of gold. And only since the coming of grandkids have we all noticed how much of a teddy bear he really is! Although I very much consider him to still be all of these things, learning that something as serious and troubling as Cancer has slipped in and threatened him was quite hard for me. He's scheduled for surgery this thursday. His doc is positive, saying they caught it early enough that it shouldn't give them much of a fight and that surgery should take care of it. It's the SHOULD that's got me worried. I'm praying and hoping that his surgery and recovery are quick and easy. Any extra prayers are extremely appreciated.

My mom has also stumbled upon a couple of medical issues that are also not life-threatening. Even though it's good to know that things are under control and completely manageable, it's still hard to swallow the fact that your parents are getting older. I'm sure that they have many more years to go yet, but the past month or so has been a sobering reminder that this life is so short and fragile. It's extremely humbling...

To top it all off, we spent two separate weekends in Emergency rooms, followed by another week up at Primary Children's Medical Center with our little Justin. The first weekend he was diagnosed with the nasty Swine Flu and sent home with a prescription for Tamiflu. It was a nightmare to get him to take the medicine because it smelled (and probably tasted) HORRIBLE. We ended up wasting/losing an entire day's worth of doses due to the battle that ensued each time we came at him with the syringe. Eventually he got over it enough to take the rest of the medicine (but not without a bit of a struggle between Kaleb, him, and I) and he finally got better throughout the next week or so. He had almost completely recovered, except for a nagging, ugly cough and runny nose, when he again took a turn for the worse. He struggled to breathe and was running temperatures at an average of 104-105 degrees. I recognized all the warning signs from when he had RSV back when he was only 6 weeks old and immediately rushed him back to the ER.

After 12 grueling hours in both the normal hospital ER and then being transferred by ambulance to Primary's ER, we got settled into a hospital room up there and proceeded to spend the rest of the week there. Turned out he had a double diagnosis of Pneumonia and RSV. Poor little boy. The docs suspect he may be asthmatic, but unfortunately there's no real way to test for that until he's older (around 5 years). Although it was under grim circumstances, I was once again extremely impressed with the staff and facilities of Primary Children's Medical Center. Those that work and/or volunteer there are truly Angels in disguise. It is a magical place. Surprisingly enough, we got an unexpected visit from the Doctor who worked with us out at the other hospital's ER. He stopped by to check on us and to ensure that we were being taken care of. What a sweet man! Kaleb promptly sent out a letter to the CEO of Intermountain Healthcare praising that Doctor and all the other staff that took such great care of us.

~~The Ambulance Ride To Primary's~~

~~Playing With Toys The Doc Brought In~~

~~They Have So Many Cool Toys There!~~

~~Recovering Well!~~

~~And Finally We Are Outta Here!!~~

Justin has since recovered well. He is still finishing the last few days of his antibiotic they sent him home on to help clear out his lungs. And just the other day we received a card in the mail from all the nurses that cared for us and him while we were there. Justin definitely broke some young girls' hearts while he was there! ; ) 

I am so very thankful for hospitals and medicine and the advances that have been accomplished in our day and age. As well as the kind, caring nurses and the experienced, gentle doctors. Just when you think that it seems everything is going downhill in society, you have an experience like we did. It was a good reminder that there is still so much good out there... Still so much to be thankful for....

Party, Party, Party!!

The last month has been one giant party. Me and both of my kids had our birthdays in January. We started the celebrating on the 10th at Kaleb's grandmother's house. Grandma Bessie and Grandpa Gary hold special places in our hearts. =) They're wonderful, caring people and there's always a warm togetherness in the air anytime we're there. They always hold birthday dinners on one Sunday for any birthdays that occur during that month. It works perfectly to get everyone together and celebrate. There were *Worms-n-Dirt* cupcakes and all three of us each got a turn to light up the candles and get sung to.

Then the official birthdays began. Mine came along first on the 14th. Kaleb and I went out that following Saturday. We pawned our kidlets off on Grandma Knobel for a sleepover and went to dinner and a movie. We ate at the always-yummy Olive Garden and went to see "Leap Year" at the theater. The food was delish and the movie was cute. It's always strange to watch movies with Amy Adams in them since I tend to feel like I'm looking in the mirror when I look at her. =) We slept in late (which was a TOTAL treat!) and then we went to brunch at a place called MacCool's. It's an authentic Irish Pub with authentic Irish dishes, stone tables, musicians playing Irish tunes, a fireplace, and out back in the bar they have a huge shuffleboard table. After we stuffed ourselves we played a few rounds of shuffleboard. The staff was so friendly and it's a new favorite place of ours to go. We've been there a few more times and have taken the kids there as well. We're thinking of going there for St. Patrick's day. The staff said it's always one big party with music and dancing and the whole works. We enjoyed being able to escape responsibility for a couple days, but we sure missed our little ones! Funny how that works...  You always feel like you'd jump at the chance to *get away*, and you usually do! But then when you ARE away, you realize how much you miss your kids and how your entire world revolves around them. =) All in all... it was a good birthday weekend for me. Here's a pic of our cute kids at MacCool's for their first time...

Next came Angela's birthday on the 26th. We took her out to dinner at a restaurant of her choosing. She chose Applebee's and we all enjoyed more yummy food and had the staff come sing to her AND Justin. It was quite entertaining to watch them try and squish both their names into one song. We all enjoyed their giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae. Mmm!! That is a MUST-TRY! Next time you go to Applebee's, try it! Super-yummy! =P After dinner we took Angela out shopping to pick out a Nintendo DSi. She had decided that was what she really wanted for her birthday. A HOT PINK one, no less! She got to pick a game out to go with it and has since added a couple more games to it. She absolutely loves it! All of her cousins have one and she has been wanting one of her one for quite some time. Now she talks constantly about getting all of her cousins together so they can ALL play their DS's together. lol. Such a cutie-girl, she is. I still can't believe she's 6 now...  She's turning into such a wonderful, beautiful young lady. I'm proud to call her my daughter. =)

We had her official birthday party that Friday. She had been begging for a slumber party for forever, and I finally relented. It was fun, but I'm not sure I'll be doing THAT again any time soon!! We had 6 other little girls there, not counting Angie. We had pizza, a pink, rainbow-sprinkle cake (which I baked!), and presents. Each girl brought their favorite game and we took turns playing everyone's games. We had candy and popcorn and danced amidst balloons to Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana music. We watched a movie, "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs", which was pretty cute. Then, at about 2:30am I finally threatened everyone with beatings if they didn't go to sleep. LOL!!  =D We all had a blast, and Daddy was super-awesome and took care of breakfast so I could escape to my Saturday-morning math class down at UVU. Amazingly enough, I was able to stay awake through the entire class and completely ACE my chapter test!! Woo-hoo!! I was totally psyched... I was one of THREE perfect test scores in the entire class! Even MORE amazing was thee fact that when I got home from class, everyone was still alive and the house looked like only a MINOR train-wreck. *hee-hee* I was able to help see everyone off, and then the cleaning ensued. We managed to repair the house by lunchtime and we ALL had naps after lunch! I think all the girls had a great time and Angela got some cool gifts. However, next year I think we'll party somewhere other than at home and leave the aftermath for someone ELSE to worry about!

Justin's birthday was next on the 30th. We figured since he was only turning 2 that he wasn't quite at the age for an official *friend* party yet. But we did celebrate with family and close friends for the special event! Grandma and Grandpa Christesen came over during the week with Donuts bearing candles for both kids. Justin absolutely LOVES getting sung to and being able to blow out candles. You have to negotiate with him to wait to blow the candles out until AFTER the song is over!

Then, on his actual birthday, that Saturday evening, we had close friends and family join us at McDonald's for cake and presents for Justin. He, again, thoroughly enjoyed the singing and candle-blowing. He had a few bites of his yummy, double-chocolate cake with sprinkles, (which I also baked myself!) before he decided it was time to play again. His favorite toy he got was a remote control WallE. It's pretty cute! He also got his very own copy of UP (we had been borrowing Uncle Kassidy's) and some smaller, poseable WallE and EVE action figures. He's an official Pixar Addict. =)




The kids also got cute birthday cards with money in them from Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Clark and also Great-Grandma Christesen. They loved getting their own money to take shopping and promptly put the mula to good use! Angela was also taken to dinner and shopping by both the Knobel grandparents and Grandma Bessie and Grandpa Gary. My kids aren't spoiled in the slightest! ; )

All month long was full of cake, presents, and fun! *whew* BOY am I ready for things to slow down a bit now!! I need time for me AND my bank account to recover! =P I am so thankful for my two beautiful kids and that they continue to grow cuter and more love-able. Each day you think it impossible that you could ever love them more. Then time passes and you realize that couldn't be further from the truth....