Swine Flu

This is what the swine flu looks like at our house. Alicia was the first to have symptoms, on Wednesday. And it has just passed through all of us in one form or another. Anne, Alicia, and Jared are on the recovering end of it. But Katie and Ray are the sickest right now. All Beate and I have had is a cough and headache. But I am so exhausted from lack of sleep, and the emotional and physical stress of taking care of sick people. I am not very good at it.

Alicia is such a daddy's girl.

Alicia had laid out her pillow and blanket on the floor of her room with stuffed animals and everything. I found her just laying there.

Funnies

For Thanksgiving we had a missionary couple over at our house, Elder and Sister Harris. They brought a dessert with cool-whip. When it was time for dessert I gave the cool-whip to Alicia and asked her to take to the family room. This is how the conversation went:

Mom: Alicia, can you take this into the family room?
Alicia: Yeah, big-Harris ones.

Thanksgiving

This was one of the most low-key Thanksgiving we have ever had. The reason is that we were all suffering from the swine flu. But we had a good time anyway. Some of the guests still came.
I made this sign with the girls a couples weeks before Thanksgiving. They loved it and were so proud of it.

I nominated myself to do the decorations...I love decorating. It was going to be a bit more than what you see here, but with everyone getting sick, my mind just couldn't do it.

We had enough food to feed twice the amount of people we had there.

The pies were wonderful. Each year I forget how much I love pumpkin pie. Beate made apple, pumpkin and peach. She worked so hard on all the food. And it was wonderful.

Here are the sickos. I guess there has to be something unexpected each holiday.

I have so much to be thankful for...my little family especially. I learn so much from my kids each day. My husband, is the most patient, giving and loving man in the world. I don't deserve him. Something I am very grateful for is how much my Heavenly Father loves me. It has been so evident to me lately, in the small things in my life. I am so blessed.

Alicia's Weekend

Anne went to a wedding with Gpa and Gma this weekend, so Alicia had a special weekend with mommy and daddy.
She got to vacuum all by herself.

"Clean" Gpa's immaculatly clean windows with a wet, dirty sponge. He will be soo "happy". She was so proud of herself.

And drive Bert and Ernie around town. She also got a new carseat and lots and lots of fries. Plus going Visiting Teaching with mom...what more could one girl ask for?

Randomly, Random Randomness

This one is just too cute.

Alicia fell onto the coffee table the other day. She hit herself between the eyes. You can see how she bruised and got black eyes. Poor girl!

Sock Mayhem

It all started when I was changing Katie's clothes after church. After I took off her tights, Jared got the crazy idea to put them on her head; and as you can see, her regular socks on her hands. It was all downhill from there.

The Grand Finale went like this. Jared's face is the best!!

Cute

I call her my butterball when she wears this snow outfit.

Leaves, Leaves, and more Leaves

Grandpa spent the afternoon with the girls raking the leaves. They actually stuck with it; I was proud of them. They were the official bag-fillers.

Of course, jumping in the leaves is a requirement. It took them a minute to understand the concept. Then they loved it.

Katie wasn't so sure though.

Aren't they the cutest things!!

Overheard

First some backgroud: Most mornings Gpa goes downstairs into the office around the time I have breakfast with the girls. But Gma stays in bed, reading a little longer. This morning we ate breakfast with Gma but Gpa was sleeping a little longer. When Gma went up to go be with Gpa again, this is the conversation she had with Anne:

Anne: Where is Bahnka, in the office?
Gma: No, he is still in bed sleeping.
Anne: Why are you not still sleeping?

Oh, boy!

Flashback

Ray read a story to the girls before they went to bed. I had to get this picture.
I got this book from my Grandma when I was a little girl. I couldn't getting a picture of my own little girl enjoying it too, and with her Grandpa.

Confession

I am a trekie, and always have been. I have vygue memories of watching the orginal when I was really young. Then we watched The Next Generation as a family. Next came Voyager. Many people say this is the worst one, but it is my favorite. I remember watching it with my sisters. So many good memories.
Well, I found it on youtube and loved watching it all again. I finished it last night and have to admit that I was sad when the adventure was over. But I guess there is always next time. Gotta love youtube.

Jared bought me some of the Next Generation series. I have loved watching that again and showing to my girls. They are becoming trekies too. Jared just rolls his eyes. But it is one of the quirks about me he loves, even if he thinks it is funny.

Wall Art

Another one of our Halloween activities was to clean up some of the girls' art work.
This currently Anne's signature. Well, if she writes anything, this it. I love the "A".

Both girls had to clean it.

Daddy cleaned up Alicia's art. This reminds me of the Christmas video we have my younger sisters in their slips cleaning the wall, just hours after they unwrapped their brand new crayons.

Oh!! Good memories!

Not So Halloweenish!

We didn't get around to dressing up and trick-or-treating this year. We had planned to go to a trunk-or-treat that one of the wards in the stake was doing, but we didn't make it. But we had fun just having a family day.

We went and flew a kite.
All bundled up, ready to go.

The girls took turns throwing it up in the air, trying to get it to fly. When it did get up Alicia would tell me that it was like Mary Poppins.

For some odd reason this picture reminds me of the Sound of Music. We didn't manage to get the kite to stay in the air longer than 10 seconds, but we had fun anyway.