Oh Where, Oh Where Can I Be?

Well, it's been way too long since I've posted....Here's what's been happenin':

Thanksgiving came and went...and I failed to take a single picture. I just wasn't feeling it. We went to Moccasin for Thanksgiving and all of Billy's family was there. It was fun, but we were ready to get home after spending 4 days there. However, the day after Thanksgiving my cousin, Molly and her husband, were sealed in the St. George Temple. Billy was kind enough to watch the kids while I went to the sealing. It was so beautiful and I was so happy that I was able to go!

We usually cut our own Blue Spruce Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving (near Moccasin), but this year we decided to just go cut one down closer to home. So we got a Pinion Pine this year....and let me tell you....this tree is large and in charge! Seriously, it's HUGE!!! Billy wanted a "foofy" one as he called it...and "foofy" is what he got. It's not the prettiest tree we've gotten, but it makes everyone laugh when they see it...it's THAT BIG!!! (I'll get some pics posted)

I took Brielle to her first movie to see The Princess and the Frog! Way cute movie! We loved it and Brielle had a great time. We went with a friend of mine, Mindy and her daughter Addy, who is Brielle's friend.

My computer crashed...yep, that's right! LAME!!! (But I did get a Suweet Blackberry phone since I was up for renewal with my cellphone) Anyway, I stood in line from 9pm-12am to get a new Toshiba Laptop at Walmart for a killer price. So, now I have a new computer...good in a way, but not so good timing. Not cool to have to spend money on unexpected expenses right before Christmas! (So, that's part of my reasoning for being MIA) But big shout out to our friend and neighbor Jon for transfering all my pics and documents from my crashed computer to my new one! Thanks SO Much!

My parents came to visit! Awesome huh! Well, we decided we couldn't afford to go to Tennessee for Christmas...sniff sniff. My dad had a court case in Salt Lake that he had to be at (in which he won...WOOHOO), so my mom decided to come with him and spend time with us too! So, they have been here for the past week and leave in the morning. We've had such a fun week and I actually did take some pics, so I'll get some posted soon! So glad they were able to come spend some time with us!

As for now...I'm going to bed! :o)

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY BRIELLE!

Yesterday, November 20, was Brielle's 3rd Birthday. To celebrate we headed to McDonald's. We invited a couple of our friends and had a little party. Brielle was so cute opening her presents. She would say, "I wonder what it is?" Then she would be really excited once she opened the present. She wanted me to make her a Cinderella Cake. So after much research, I made her a Cinderella Cake. I think it turned out really cute! She wanted me to do her hair like Cinderella's for her party too, so I tried my best to do that for her. We got her a Princess Barbie, Disney Princess backpack, and the movie Snow White. She got a Strawberry Shortcake Doll, My Little Pony, Hairbow, and Tutu from our friends that came to the party. And my Mom and Dad got her a couple books and many much needed clothes (Thanks so Much)! After we got home, Brielle wanted to watch Snow White. She watched it 2 1/2 times before falling asleep. Then she woke up in the night wanting to watch it again! She watched it several times today too! Needless to say, I think she LOVES her Snow White movie!

Cinderella Cake!








Cinderella Cake with Cupcakes!

I just love Walmart's Triple Chocolate Cake...So we had to get one for the adults!

Brielle wanted me to take a picture of her with a castle she built!

Strawberry Shortcake!

Snow White Movie!

Stetson (almost 9 months) and our friends' baby Torrence (10 months)!

My Little Diva!

Gotta Love The Beach!

We couldn't go to California without going to the beach! So, before we headed home we went to Huntington Beach for a couple hours! I just love the beach and could sit there all day just looking at the ocean and watching the fishermen! We walked down the pier first and saw a few sea lions, some schools of fish, some fish caught, many people playing beach volleyball, and several surfers. The kids were so anxious to go on the sand and hunt for seashells. It was so much fun and we didn't want to leave, but we had to drive all the way home (7 hour drive).

Stetson likes to crawl in the bottom of his play saucer and I think it's so cute, so I had to get a picture!


On the Pier!

Aren't they cute?

When we arrived at our hotel, the kids were begging to go swimming. So we went swimming! The water was a little chilly, so we mostly swam in the jacuzzi!

DISNEYLAND!!!

Well, we made a last minute decision last week to go to Disneyland for my birthday! This year Disney is letting you into Disneyland for FREE on your birthday. So, since Brielle is not yet 3, she gets in free too. And of course Stetson is free too. So, with only needing to buy a ticket for Billy and Chandler, we decided it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. So, we took off Friday morning. We arrived Friday around 3 o'clock at our hotel (courtesy of Mom and Dad...Thanks so Much!). We let the kids go swimming (pics to come) and went to dinner. The next morning we were off to Disneyland just in time for it to open. We all got special pins to wear since it was my birthday! My pin had my name on it, and all the employees wished me Happy Birthday all day long (the most Birthday wishes I've ever had). We were amazed to find that the park wasn't crowded (surprising for a Saturday), but within about 2-3 hours we had already riden about 15 rides. It was great! We had so much fun! The whole park was all decked out for Christmas which was really beautiful. The Haunted Mansion had a whole Christmas theme with much of Nightmare Before Christmas characters...so cool...totally different story than normal. The It's a Small World Ride was also decked out in Christmas and along with singing "It's a Small World", they also sang "Jingle Bells"! It was really cool and exciting to see the park how I'd never seen it before. The kids had so much fun and they were so fun to watch their excitement! Brielle especially loved meeting some of the princesses, and it was priceless to watch her interact with them. I don't know which ride was her favorite, but she did ask to go on Pirates of the Caribbean again! Chandler hated Indiana Jones, but enjoyed Splash Mountain and The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. He was too scared to ride Space Mountain. Stetson was so good the whole time. We lost his pacifier half way through the day, but he was amazingly good. The lines were short and we were very pleased with the day! We had so much fun and are so glad we went. We were in the park from 8am til almost midnight...so we were dead tired. On Sunday we went to the beach for a couple hours (pics to come) and then got a little lost afterward which made for a late start to get home. We got home just before midnight Sunday night. It was a short trip, but we had so much fun!

Chandler and Brielle in front of Tinkerbell's car!


Chandler on Main Street U.S.A.


Draft Horse on Main Street


Brielle and Chandler in front of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse Statue!

Brielle and Chandler in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Inside It's a Small World!

It's a Small World

Brielle and Snow White

Our Family and Snow White!

The kids and Snow White!

Brielle and Cinderella!

The kids and Cinderella!

The Family and Cinderella!

Brielle and Minnie Mouse!

Brielle and Chandler with Goofy!

Sleeping Stetson!

Brielle and Chandler with Mickey Mouse!

The Family with Mickey!

Brielle, Billy, and Chandler on Dumbo!

One of Santa's Reindeer!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Night with Christmas Lights!

On the mend...

Ok just a quick update. We are all feeling quite a bit better. Still not back to normal health, but definitely on the mend. Chandler is back to school, Brielle is still healthy, and Stetson has a runny nose. Billy went to work for a couple days out of town and is feeling better and better each day. I'm feeling better as well. However, I've had this pounding headache for the past few days that keeps coming and going. Also, I'm coughing still and have some head congestion. Anyway, the weather is so nice. It's been in the 60s since Halloween. Wonderful! But it's supposed to change this weekend I think. Bummer we couldn't enjoy it last week while we were so sick! Life is Good...We are So Blessed!

Health update...

Well, on Wednesday things got worse. My chest and throat (esophagus) were hurting terribly. I couldn't breath well and everything hurt. Billy called my friend (Misty) who is a medical assistant to see what to do. She ordered a chest x-ray in fear that I could have pneumonia. So, off I went to get the x-ray. After the x-ray I just sat in the truck. I had no energy! I had driven myself and was unsure if I could make it home. I felt exhausted. After about 30 minutes I decided to go home. I drove home, praying the whole time that I would make it home safely. I'd never felt so disoriented...besides coming out of surgery or something that would cause that. I made it home! I went straight to my bed and covered up with 5 quilts. I was freezing! I took my temp and it was 102 something. Billy came in and I was so confused and tired and cold and in pain. He talked to me, but I can't even remember what was said. I remember just staring off into space and just feeling so so tired! A while later, I don't know how long exactly, Billy came in and said that he had called our Relief Society President and that she was on her way so that he could take me to the doctor. I told him that I didn't want to go. Of course I couldn't put up much a fight. She showed up and I didn't want to leave...I had finally gotten warm. I didn't want to leave my warmth now...it had taken so long to get warm. But off I went. Billy stayed with the kids and I went to the doctor with my Relief Society Leader. I refused to go to the ER because I didn't know if insurance would cover it and wasn't about to have to worry about that. So, Billy arranged for me to go to the same doctor's office that my friend Misty works at. By the time I was to be seen, I had started sweating so I figured my fever had broken. It was still 1oo.9 when they took my temp, but I told them that it was the best I had felt all day. And it was! I didn't feel great, but I truly felt better than I had just 30 minutes prior. I came out of the office with a prescription of Tamiflu and Prednisone. The doctor said that I was the worst case that she had seen so far. My friend later told me that before the doctor came in she told the doctor to "take care of her, because she is my best friend!" I have the greatest friend ever! Anyway, I went back home and took some meds, but couldn't hold them down. Yep, I threw them up! However, all night long I sweated! I was soaked! It was rather gross, but I think I sweated some toxins out! Today has been a good day. I'm still coughing and have some pain, but I'm pretty sure I'm on my way to recovery! Thank goodness!

As for the rest of the family...

Billy seems to be getting better as well. He totally saved me yesterday by taking care of everything while I was so sick and out of it. His worst day was Monday by far. I feel so loved for his worry and care for me! I Love him so much!

Chandler got a fever on Tuesday night. He has had a fever on and off since then, but only complains of a headache once in a while and coughs a little. I hope that's all he has to go through!

Stetson seems to be doing well. It's so sad that he has to be sick. It's hard to know just what he needs. But he hasn't been coughing and his breathing is good. He hasn't had a fever that I've detected today. His appetite declined and has slept a lot, but I think he's on the recovery.

Brielle has still stayed healthy through it all. I'm glad that she hasn't gotten sick. However, she has had so much energy that we've been challenged to keep up with her. I guess she's been good through it all, but it sure is difficult to keep up with an almost 3 year old when everyone else is so sick!

All in all, we feel so blessed! We've had people from church bring us meals since Tuesday night and many calls of concern have come our way! Thanks to all for the thoughts, prayers, calls, meals, and everything!

The Piggy Flu!

Yep, that's right! Billy went in yesterday and they told him that he has the Swine Flu, or H1N1, or whatever it is! Actually they just test for Influenza A or B, and if it's A then it's the same strain that the Swine Flu is. So, to save money and time (takes 2 days for results from the hospital), they tell ya you have the Swine Flu! So, I guess it's not for sure what it is, but has all the symptoms of it. I started to come down with it yesterday afternoon as well and I think Stetson is getting it as well. It's pretty brutal! The worst part about it is the fever, aches, and chest pain. When I took Stetson in he had a fever of 102.7. They said that his white blood count was still good and that he sounded ok so far. So, to just keep watching him and if he gets worse they'll give him the Tamaflu. All they say to do is alternate between Ibprofen and Tylenol every 3 hours. Anyway, we're alive, but not well. So far Brielle and Chandler seem to be just fine. It has it's ups and downs. When we don't have fevers it's not so bad, but once the fevers hit it's horrible!