Look Mom I made a Circle

I have been working with Bryce on his shapes. He is doing pretty well with them. The other day he came up to me and said "look Mom, I made a circle. Take a picture."

Cooler Weather

We have been experiencing a little bit cooler weather. Some days are in the 80's or 90's versus the 100's. Which means we can actually enjoy the parks and not just the splash pads. Bryce has been loving it and so have I. Fall in St. George is my favorite time of the year.

 

Dixie Round Up Rodeo

Last week was the Dixie Round Up Rodeo. We have gone every year since we first came to St. George about 15 years ago. The kids always look forward to it. This year Bryce was so excited. He really wanted to ride a sheep, but he wasn't quite old enough. He sat through the whole thing enthralled. He also enjoyed the food: hot dogs, snow cones, and cotton candy-what kid wouldn't. I can't believe he stayed awake clear through the bull riding and also for the Motorcycle Entertainment at the very end. I think he might have liked the motorcycles just as much as the rodeo.

 

 Chloe of course made sure she wore her cowboy boots...

 Tanner was at a football game for most of the rodeo, but when the game was over he came over and joined us...

 I tried to take a selfie, but couldn't quite fit us all in it. Guess I needed to bring Chloe's selfie stick along ;)

Late Night-but Fun Night.

A Quick Trip

I'm going to try and catch up my blog a little bit, so the next few posts are about a week old.

Last week my Sister Mandy had surgery. They had found a cantaloupe size hernia that needed to be removed.They also sewed the muscles in her stomach up since they had all completely torn from the birth of the twins and then the hernia It was hard cause she has Hanxton and she isn't supposed to bend down to pick him up for awhile, plus the recovery is long and painful, but will be worth it in the end. So I decided I would go up and try to help her out for a few days.

On Wednesday we dropped the kids off at school and then Bryce and I headed to Mandy's. Bryce made sure we had the essentials packed, which included lots and lots of dinosaurs.

He was such a good traveler and kept himself entertained the whole way there (just over two hours). I was worried cause after getting being at Mandy's for a few hours we then loaded up again to drive her to a doctor appointment in Provo (another two hours). However, he did great. When we got back to Fillmore Cody was home from work so Bryce and I headed down to Flowell to Spend some time. Even though it was getting dark and was pretty cold, compared to St. George, the first thing Bryce wanted to do when we got there was go outside and play. He jumped on the trampoline, went down the slide, and of course spent lots of time on his favorite horse swing. I finally dragged him in and he had fun playing with the toys before bedtime.

The next morning he was able to see Grandma Wendy for a few hours before she went to work (she had been out of town taking Grandpa to a doctor appointment the night before). It took him a few minutes but he warmed up to her.

Then we went down to Mandy's for the day. It was nice getting away and spending a few days with my sister. Even better we also got to spend a few days with Grandma Marshall, who is living in Fillmore for a few months. Bryce was so happy; he has been missing her so much. Plus a little visit to Grandma Wendy's made for a fun trip even though it wasn't necessarily for fun why we went. I was pretty worn out by the time we got home Thursday night, so Bryce and I both had an early bedtime.

Raising a Tough Girl

It makes me so happy when Chloe comes home from school with a story like this for me.

"Mom you know how my friend and I are the only two girls in our grade who play soccer at recess. I get so sick of the boys saying stuff like 'their just girls they can't do this or that'. We work so hard every time and usually we kick their butts. There is this one boy who especially bugs me-he thinks he is the best and only he can do certain moves like score a goal using a header. Well today guess what? I scored a goal using a header! He couldn't believe it he kept saying there is no way she just did that. My coach Seth is always wanting us to do things like that he would be proud of me."

HAHA. Take that boys. She's not afraid to compete with anyone. #raisingatoughgirl #girlsrock #don'tmesswithher

Mom of The Year I am Not

Yesterday I was looking at my email for a few minutes before I got the kids up for school-I noticed an email from one of Chloe's teachers reminding the students to bring back their improved instruments, which they had made, for a final grade. Oh wait you mean the instrument that was now in my dumpster. The instrument I had thrown away since I can't stand clutter. The instrument that I would now go and dig out of the trash and hope for the best. Well I dug it out and cloroxed it off and then I wrote a note to Chloe's teacher explaining the situation. I asked Chloe if she just wanted to leave it home and just take the note since it was unsalvageable. She said with a smile on her face and a little bit of a laugh in her voice that no she wanted to take it in for proof as to what I had done. Well at least she wasn't yelling at me and crying right?!

Today I got the kids up only to realize there was no breakfast food-no cereal, no eggs, no bread. There was no time for pancakes-so I quickly walked to Harmons and grabbed a few items so they could have breakfast. When was the last time I went to the grocery store?! I guess it's time to make a stock up trip. At least the kids were happy with their Star Wars Cereal and no one went to school hungry.

So I definitely won't be winning any Mom of the year awards anytime soon, but at least I am trying and my kids seem happy and healthy so I guess that is what really matters.

Building Blocks

My sister was getting rid of some wooden blocks. Bryce was only too happy to bring them home. He has been loving building with them. He likes to build towers, "Saurusrock", and homes for his dinosaurs.

Chloe's 6th Grade School Picture

Look what Chloe brought home from school today...

She is looking more and more grown up everyday.

Sick Sick Girl

Well it happened again Chloe had another one of her "sick" episodes hit her. It was right after her soccer game-she got to the car and laid down in the back seat and said I'm getting sick again. This is how it happens every time. She starts with extreme body aches-especially in her legs, but her whole body hurts including her stomach and head. She then gets a fever. She usually also gets a sore throat and will sometimes have a rash on her upper chest and cheeks.  She will be sick like this for several days. Then it goes away for about 4-6 weeks then it happens again. When it happens she is so weak and sick-twice we have had to put her in a wheel chair. This is the 4th time this has happened in about the last 5 months. This time I decided to take action and try to figure out what in the world is going on with her. In a three days time she visited three different doctors, had two strep tests, and also had a bunch of blood work done.  

So far what we know.

She does not have Strep-they did a quick test twice and even cultured it and nothing.

Her CBC (complete blood count is good).

Her sugar levels are good.

She does not currently have Mono, but has had probably in the last 6 months or so.

 

The doctor thinks it is possible she has something called PFAPA syndrome. Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis. Which is a syndrome where there are sudden attacks of high fever and many of the other symptoms Chloe has when she has one of her attacks. She also tends to get mouth sores a lot and this is another symptom of this syndrome.

 

So now what? Now we wait for the next episode to happen anywhere from 4-6 weeks. Then when it does we give her a steroid if it helps within a few hours we will know that it is PFAPA. If it doesn't help its back to the drawing board.

Soccer Saturday & a Little Pat on the Back

If you know Chloe then you know that she absolutely loves soccer. A lot lately she has been coming home upset because some team mates are using practice more as a play time than anything else-and by doing so the rest of the team ends up running extra laps and stuff. Well this week at practice Chloe said that the coach was giving a pep talk at the end of practice and this is what he said. "Most of you come here and work hard, a few of you need to improve there is to much goofing off and whining about what you are asked to do. I do however want to point one person out and that person is Chloe. Chloe works hard for us every week. She has gotten better and is learning what she needs to be doing. She never whines or complains and she always hustles back onto the field after a water break." Chloe was a little bit embarrassed, but he told her to put a smile on her face cause she deserved the compliment. WOW! So proud of her; her hard work and determination are paying off and being noticed.

Her team had a game on Saturday. They won 5-0. Chloe had an awesome game. She started both half's and only sat out for a few minutes during each. She made smart plays and passes-several of which ended up as assists for goals. She is really smart at reading the field. The one thing she might need to work on just a little bit is being quicker to take a shot herself instead of passing it off to someone else for the shot. It was such a nice day too as the weather has started to cool off just a few degrees. #soccergirl #number2 #FIREFC-akaUnited

Super Saturday with The Ellison's

This Saturday we didn't have soccer games, due to it being a Holiday Weekend, but we still had lots going on. More importantly though we had lots of fun.

We started out by going to my Sister Tiffanie's house for a bit. While Landon and Brandon worked on wiring some electrical stuff, Tiffanie and I did some freezer cooking. We spent about 3 hours over there and then grabbed some pizza as we headed for our next adventure.

Our next adventure was a Birthday party for Peytan, our friend Fallyn's little girl. It was at the Sandhallow Aquatic Center-my kids favorite place to swim. Bryce wore Chloe and I both out having us take him down the hydro tube. Bryce was didn't understand why we all had to get out of the pool when some kid threw up in it-and yes he cried for a few minutes, but then his balloon and party favor won him over and he was happy for the trip home.

At home it was time for a little nap and then to prepare for the grand finale. A Movie Night Under the Stars at The Ellison house. Landon brought home a projector from work and hung a big tarp. Chloe and Brydee made and handed out invitations. We borrowed a popcorn machine from my sister Tiffanie and we had our own little "sit in" movie on the front lawn. We watched the newest Disney/Pixar movie "Home". I think there were about 13 kids and 6 adults in attendance. It was so much fun. Well for everyone but Tanner he didn't think it was cool-he especially didn't like our choice of movie. He watched Star Wars inside instead, but he did at least enjoy some popcorn-haha-teenagers!!! I'm sure this is something we will do again. It was a great way to end our day.

 

Cray Cray

These three kids are crazy and so is their mother for letting them have ice cream in the car. Bryce was a complete disaster and so was his car seat.

(disclaimer Brydee is not my child, but she feels like it cause she is over here so much-haha, and I think Bryce really thinks she is his second sister)

Healing

After about 10 days my finger is slowly but surely healing. Yes it still hurts, but not constantly and not as bad. It is still swollen and really hard to bend, but I am working on it and day by day I am getting more from it. The nerves were affected so it takes time, and if it gets bumped hard it really hurts. Overall though it is doing better. The skin is growing back, the bleeding is tampering off, and I can do more every day. However, I don't see more cutting of quilt squares for at least a few weeks-and for sure not until I invest in a quilting glove and some courage to pick up the blade again.

Lunch at Frostop

Thursday Bryce and I had our Mommy and Bryce Day.

We started out at the DI-I was looking for a picture frame for a project I was attempting. As usual my luck at the DI was zero-I really hate that place. I rarely go there, but every know and then I give it a try and always seem to come out empty handed. While I know friends and family members who go in there and strike gold every time. Bryce on the other hand had different thoughts about the DI-he loved it! Especially since he found a 'little foot' stuffed dinosaur and a Buzz Lightyear Book-both actually in great condition. So I guess the trip wasn't a complete loss.

After our little trip I decided a trip to Frostop for lunch was in order. Frostop is an old fashion type drive in carhop. Bryce really likes it cause when we are there he can get out of his seat and come sit up front to eat. As we were driving down the road he spotted it and quickly told me "oh there it is Mom". He enjoyed his fries and water, but even more so I think he enjoyed his time in the front seat.

Dino-Mite Splash Pad

We went on our weekly outing with cousins and friends on Tuesday. We chose to go to a splash pad that we hadn't been to in literally years. The kids had fun, but the best part was the discovery of the dinosaur footprints found in the cement of the splash pad. Bryce was thrilled! Him, Peyton, and Braxton had a blast running around and finding them all and determining what type of dinosaur they were from.

Beauty and The Beast at Tuacahn

Chloe and I got a nice surprise last week when my Dad and Kathy offered us some free Tuacahn tickets for Disney's Beauty and The Beast. We were so excited! We had really been wanting to see it. It would make for a late school night, since it didn't start until 8:30, but it would be worth it.

In our seats waiting for the show to begin. My Sister Sandi and one of her friends came as well.

 The show literally started with a bang, thanks to some great special effects, and held our attention throughout. The special effects and acting for this play were truly outstanding. The only other one Chloe and I had been to was Mary Poppins and although we liked that one I would have to say we liked Beauty and Beast 10 times more.

We took a cute picture of us at intermission.

 It was a fun night out for us. I hope we can do it again in the future.

Busy Saturdays Back in Session

Well our small break from athletic games ended last Saturday as the fall soccer season began. And our busy Saturdays once again began. To start with Landon took the boys to help clean the church and then they went and took Bryce for a haircut. After that we all went to lunch at Red Robin-Tanner had a free birthday burger he needed to redeem. We made a quick stop at Kohl's while we were nearby to get some shoes for Chloe and Bryce. After that we came home for a few minutes and then it was time for Chloe's soccer game.

This year the girls play with two more players on the field and they have moved to a full size field. They also had to join a club-so they are no longer "United" they are "Fire". Chloe is #2. The game went back and forth for the whole time with neither team quite being able to score a goal. Then with 15 minutes left the game was canceled due to lightning. UGH! Chloe was not happy especially since she had elected to miss the Stake Daddy Daughter Activity to play in her game.

Even though the game was canceled they didn't have time to make it to the activity. Landon had told Chloe if she missed it he would take her to do something else, so once we got home they went bowling.

While they were bowling the boys and I went grocery shopping-Yeah! My second time driving anywhere really much since my little accident.

We all made it home and were ready for bed-except for Chloe she ended up going to a late movie with some of her neighbor friends.

Our Saturdays usually tend to stay pretty busy during sport seasons, but we sure do have lots of fun!