Happy February 29th

For all those people who has ever asked for more time, more days in the year, more hours in the day, - here you go. You get one extra day, 24 bonus hours, 1660 precious minutes to use however you like. They only come every 4 years.

Good for some, not so good for others, like for those babies unlucky enough to be born on this day. Sorry, you only get to celebrate your birthday every 4 years. It won't be much fun when you are younger, but just think how cool will it be when all your friends are turning 40 and you are still young and fun at 10!! Yahoo! (Papa Bear contributed that little statement of fact)

Feb 29th is also a good date for the people in the world who are horrible at remembering important dates, like anniversary's and "when we first meet" moments. Just have them tomorrow and then you won't have to worry about being asked every year for the exact date when you proposed, said "I love you", got married, etc. You'll get lucky and get a reprieve for at least 4 more years before your "date" rolls around.

All in all it seems to be a silly little thing to write about, but it just struck me as a little funny that we have this one day come into our lives every 4 years and Hallmark has yet to market the crap out of it with flowers, gifts, sentimentality and the like. (hey - if they start, I better get a cut. Just send the check addressed to me)

I am not even sure of the actual point or historical reason for getting one extra day in Feb, but I plan on using it to the fullest and not spending any one of those precious minutes doing mundane, domestic things like laundry (although BB1 is out of pants), dishes, vacuuming or dusting (even though I am still cleaning up from the dry wallers who ended their work a WEEK AGO! argggggg - stupid dust particles) My domestic goddess hat will be set aside and I will become light and care free with not a care in the world.

I plan on spending the day playing with my girls, hiding in our most secret and favorite spots. For BB2 that means spending the day climbing onto and standing on the sofa table while "talking" on her Blackberry (really an old calculator) and laughing and giggling and snuggling all day long with my sweeties. (Papa Bear included).

We will spend the day pretending that we are fighter jets, flying through the air and given the Air Forces recent and oh so frequent fly bys over our house, we will have all the necessary sound effect to complete our attempts.

I plan on dancing like no one is watching and if anyone happens to catch me in the groove, then I hope they join me rather than laugh at my white girl hippy shake moves. I had to share this picture of BB2 at Elmo's Dance Off at the Children's Museum in Salt Lake. I could not get her to leave the dance floor as she loves the music and I just love how carefree and open she is. This girl can really shake it.

I plan to immerse myself if fanciful play and help my girls make memories of "the good times" for them to treasure all thier life. Order up!

Also - just so you know - any calories you consume on Feb 29th are totally extra and don't count against you in any negative way. OK, so my last statement wasn't totally true, but I would like to think that everyone should get at least one day, say every 4 years, to eat whatever they want to and not think about or feel guilty about what you put in your belly, so bring on the brownie sundaes for breakfast and peanut butter and ice cream waffles for lunch. If we aren't too sick to our stomachs, it's Mexican food for dinner.

Oh yeah - my stomach is already rumbling in a very good way (and it has nothing to do with the fact that I haven't eaten anything today, besides a smoothie, because I went to the dentist this morning and he drilled into my tooth (almost to my toes from the feel of things) and I still have yet to regain a normal sensation in my mouth. I hate going to the dentist!! But enough on that!

Just get out there and make the most of your extra 24 hours, 1660 minutes. You won't get it for another 4 years!!!

What happens when . . .

. . . mom is upstairs doing laundry and therefore out of sight, sister is down for a nap, your 5 year old is bored, and the camera has been left out???

Say Cheese, BB1!

and of coures, you get your favorite stuffed animals to strike a pose and give you thier best smiles possible.

Spice Bear and Sugar Bear - Cheese!!

Spice Bear, Breanna Bunny and Sugar Bear are ready for thier close-up!

These are just a few of the 30+ pictures (I am not even kidding) that were taken on the camera before the memory card filled up and the battery went dead. I didn't even know she had taken the pictures until I went to use the camera for something else and found the battery dead and the memory card full. I guess it also explains why I found Breanna, Sugar and Spice Bear all proped up and posed on the chair.

Looking on the Bright Side

Ok - so now I need to balance out my frustration with the insane amount of snow we have been getting by sharing some of the fun things we have been doing to help us forget about the hand cramping, back breaking, uselessness of snow removal during the middle of winter when there are still 3 more storms on thier way. And that's just with the latest 7 day forecast.

So here's to the fun, the happy, the memory making moments that bring on a much needed smile and a warm fuzzy.

Here's to the dressing up in silly costumes, because seriously, where are we going to go with 5 feet of snow on the roads and not a snow plow anywhere in sight? Better to just stay at home and dress up in your sparkliest, funnest outfit possible. BB2 spent the entire day in this outfit and she only ever wore the one Cindrelle shoe. I guess she was just being true to character. Although the witch hat threw in a little twist.

BB1 was the prettest looking witch, complete with dark eyes and "witchy" lipstick as she called it. Really it was just my eyeliner and a really deep plum lipstick she found in my make-up bag. But on bottem she was all dancer with her princess crown tights and ballet shoes. Guess she just wanted to be prepared for anything. Cast a spell, dance with the prince. She had all her bases covered. The girls stays like this all day long until it was time to put on jammies and get into bed. I almost thought BB2 would want to wear her little skirt over her jammies. I am sure that day will come.

To BB2 dressing up in sister's scarf and gloves and then zooming around the downstairs on our little pink scooter bike, screaming wheeeee and wooooooooo as loud as she can, never once showing fear as she took a corner around the couch or the table going mock-9 with her little piggy tails flapping in the wind behind her.

To venturing forth onto our lawn and sinking down into the snow almost to my hips, BB1's waist, just so we can shoveling the snow into a great big huge mound and then shape it into the world biggest snowman ever. This baby is complete with 3 snow mounds as every decent snowman must have if he is even to be remotely presentable in snow man society.

Ok, in truth, it may not the world biggest snowman, but it is definetly the biggest snow man on the block and that counts for something. This snow man comes complete with hair (twigs) and arms (branches), scarf (courtesy of mom) and carrot nose (thanks to the makers of realistic plastic fruits and vegetables) and eyes and mouth from our rose bush.

BB1 was very exstatic about the results and thought that her snowman was way cooler than the dinosaur the kids across the street where trying to make. (I won't even mention what Papa Bear thought they were originally making when he first saw it - and if you really want to know, you'll have to call and ask.)

To snow drifts that are now so high that the snow can no longer be thrown on top as all you succeed in doing is knocking down more snow than you just shoveled up - but that make for a great high chair for the girls to sit on once mom has thrown then up on top.

Can you see the ground in the picture on the left? Just to give you a little insight in to just how much snow we are dealing with.

BTW - It is very easy to loose sight of your little ones with snow piled up this high, as I learned for myself as BB1 and BB2 were playing (as I was once again shoveling the walkways clear) and I realized I had no idea where they were. They had walked around the corner from where I had left them and since I couldn't even see the tops of thier little snow hats, I had to yell for them to determine their location. Scary for just a moment, but in reality, they would have only been able to circle back to our driveway, so worry for nothing.

For getting to eat the freshes, whitest, sparklingest newely fallen snow, before mom steps in and says to not eat said snow. Sometimes it just pays to be a kid and not think about what is in something and how it might hurt you or make you sick, before putting it in your mouth.

To deciding that your hands aren't getting the snow into your mouth fast enough so you turn to the shovel and the bucket.

The picture on the right was taken just before BB2 decided it would be a good idea to take off her gloves and then her snow boots and finally her socks before mom noticed her undressing herself. To bad it resulted in her being picked up and taken back inside as mom decided she has probably had enough snow and cold for one day.

This is the aftermath - and oh so yearning look - I was given by BB2 from inside the house (sorry for the glare) as BB1 and I stayed outside to finish our snow man and BB2 had to watch our activities from the warmth of the house. Guess next time she won't try and strip naked to go a'frolickin in the snow.

To bending over backwards as you can only do when you are five years old and as flexible as a young willow tree. BB1 will soon be delighting us with cartwheels and roundoffs and back flips. That is if her gymnastics teacher has anything to say about it. She goes on Saturdays for about 45 minutes and on her very first day, she kept trying to do this hand-stand-down-into-a-somersualt thing, instead of the cart wheel flips her teacher was trying to get her to do. It was fun to watch, especially as she had NO FEAR. May she never lose that.

And finally to snuggling up in a warm fleecy blanket to "watch a show". JoJo's circus is what is keeping BB2 so captivated and still for just a moment for mom to take this picture. I love how content and calm she is. So unlike the whirl wind of energy and activity that usually surrounds this kid.

And for once she is not eating something or asking in her little voice for "a bite" or "mine". The latest is what she says when ever she sees someone eating something that she then decides she wants. "Mine, Mine". I makes me think of those sea gulls in Finding Nemo that only ever say that word - "Mine" over and over again. Luckily, she also says please and thank you. Little rewards for knowing you are doing things right when your kids use thier manners.

So, while Mother Nature may be kicking our behind, atleast we are having the last laugh. Anyone want to come for a visit??

Lessons in Futility

Futility: The quality of having no useful result, uselessness.

So lately I have been feeling a lot like I do the same thing over and over again only to turn around and find myself doing the exact same thing all over again. Doesn't this sound like a waste of time and effort.

This is exactly how I feel about the following tasks and I thought I would share my frustration with you - aren't you feeling lucky!

1 - Pickup up toys - the same toys that are supposed to be contains in one small basket downstairs, that without any explaination seem to double and triple in size and quantity. I guess the only reasonable explaination is that the playroom is trying to make a break from it's upstairs location, downstairs to my living room.

2 - Shoveling snow - especially while it is still snowing!

3 - Wiping down the counter tops.

4 - Doing any of the following cleaning activities while your basement is being finished and insulationers, dry wallers, plumbers and electricians are running around your house:
*dusting
*sweeping
*mopping
*vacuuming!

5 - Loading/emptying the dishwasher. I really feel like the dishwasher is always open, either to have clean dished taken out and put away or dirty dishes loaded into it.

6 - Laundry - just when I get the last load of clothes folded and finally put away, I have 6 more loads ready to go. Is this really what I am supposed to be spending my day dealing with?Seriously?!

7 - Did I mention shoveling snow, clearing sidewalks and driveways?? If not, then it needs to be mentioned again. Apparently someone really prayed super duper extra hard and long for a really good snow pack this winter and Mother Nature is taking thier request to heart and giving them all she has got. And she is concentrating her efforts in my neighborhood. We are at the breaking point with no more places to push the snow too. I don't even want to think about the mess we will be dealing with once it starts to melt.

Big, Big Sigh! Thanks for listening.

Back to School

So after 10 days "out sick" from school, BB1 finally got to go back. . . And it was time. . . not only for her sake but for my sanity as well. I was right to think that I would run out of ideas for ways to keep her occupied and out of trouble. I ran out of ideas/thing to do yesterday. So timing worked out just about right.

I took her into school and the second she walked into the classroom, 3 little girls jumped up and where like "BB1", "BB1's back", "Oh, we have missed you BB1" It was too cute. One little girl (who lives in the neighborhood and who has been a super close friend) refused to leave her side, until BB1 was done taking off her jacket and hanging up her backpack and went to sit down at her desk. Again, too cute.

I just love how excited kids seemed to get to just see someone who has been gone. I guess I can liken the feeling to when I get to see family and friends whom I haven't seen in a while - you just feel all warm and bubbly inside.

So it's good that she is back at school and back to full health. I am not sure what BB2 will do, since I think she has gotten used to having BB1 around to play with her all day. This has actually been really great for me in terms of giving me some free time to get other, non-kid related things done (like paying bills, cleaning the house, shoveling snow, yelling at the phone company, you know!) And I have to say, they have been playing really well together. I love that right now, they get along and are at just the right age that BB1 can boss BB2 around, and BB2 doesn't seem to mind. I know it won't last, so for now I will enjoy their camaraderie (sp?) and BB2's tolerance of BB1's orders while I can.

Snow Day anyone?

So just how much snow do you have to get here in order to get it officially termed a snow day? Apparently the 4+ feet that we received in one day was not enough to warrant that status.

My heart went out to the kids that I saw standing on the corner just waiting for their bus to come and take them to school. The smart ones were bundled up to where no ounce of flesh could be seen, but there was one silly boy (Jr. high or high school/freshman age) in a simple black T-shirt and shorts and tennis shoes. He was not so bright and deserves whatever sicknesses come his way.

Here are just a few pictures of our mailbox, the front walkway up to the house, and the walkway around to the garage. I only wish I had a ruler (or a tape measure) to actually see how much was up there.

Papa Bear and I both were outside tackling the white stuff, and the first round definitely went to Mother Nature and her snow attack as I kid you not, just as soon as we would finish clearing a walk way or deck we would turn around and same said path/deck was covered right back up again. Talk about feeling like you were getting no where fast.

At least we were both able to take a moment an appreciate the total silence that seems to be unique to a massive snow fall. I love how everything is so perfect and white. I love watching the big fat snow flakes fall from the sky almost to the point where you feel like you are punching into hyper drive and shooting through space. It was a great moment, ended all to soon, by BB1 and BB1 screaming bloody murder inside the house, because hey, if mom and dad were both outside then that's where they needed to be as well. Never mind the RSV, ear infections and walking pneumonia. BTW - the girls are getting better and doing just fine.

And for those of you in warmer weather that don't have to deal with the snow, I have only one thing to say to you - Lucky!!!

Just a cold . . . yah right!

That's what I thought we were dealing with and like all good mom's I did everything I could think of to provide some relief to my coughing, runny nose, feverish child. Especially since the FDA decided that OTC medicines were ineffective for kids under the age of 6. So commenced the steamy baths to relieve the cough, medicated chest rub for easier breathing, cough drops for relief from the hacking cough. Motrin and Tylenol alternating out every 4 hours to help with the fever and lots and lots of liquids, Popsicles, hugs and kisses.

3 days later came the statement, "my ear hurts" and I knew it was time to call the Dr.'s office. This was on Saturday, so I knew I wasn't going to get in during normal hours, but they have a kids clinic on the weekends (thankfully) so I thought I would be able to get her seen at the clinic. Of course there was a mix up with the clinic hours posted on the web site (it said they were open till 6) and when the office was actually open (they stopped seeing patients at 4), so she couldn't get in on Saturday. (did I mention I made the call to the Clinic at 3:45)

So after talking with the on-call nurse, she tells me to keep doing all the things I am already doing and just call in and get an appointment Sunday morning during Sunday clinic hours. Guess there is no previous scheduling for the clinic. So Sunday morning dawns cold and snowy, but I call in and get the 10:45 slot. Leave BB2 at home with dad and take BB1 through a nasty snow storm to the doctors to find out that her cold is not a cold, it's worse than we thought.

After having the nurse and then the Dr. come in and check all her vitals and ears,and throat and heart rate/pulse, I get the possible diagnosis. It's either Bronchiolitis, RSV or Pneumonia. Oh and on top of that possible diagnosis, her right ear drum has definitely ruptured from the infection that is present in both of her ears and and her oxygen levels are at 87% (normal is 95+). When presented with that huge list of problems, it's easy to be overwhelmed. Luckily the Dr and I were on the same page and our first priority was to fix her oxygen levels, so the Dr. ordered a breathing treatment asap and a full panel to rule out RSV, Influenza and a whole slew of other things that I don't remember, but that didn't sound very good. Of course that involved some deep suctioning of BB1's nasal passages (she was not happy or amused about that one) but as long as she wasn't getting a shot she was able to keep it all in perspective (at least that of a 5 year old) with a little persuasion from mom.

After the breathing treatment, her oxygen levels were reassessed and she had only gone up one percentage point to 88 so the Dr. suggested sending her upstairs to the Pediatric Unit to be admitted for oxygen, another breathing treatment, monitoring and a chest x-ray (to help rule out pneumonia) and if none of that came back with any more answers, then we would order blood work and take it from there. Given BB1'a absolute intolerance to anything shot related, I appreciated the Dr's taking her fears into account and going about the diagnosis process in a way that still gave answers without torturing my little girl.

So upstairs we went, and once she was in her room she got the breathing treatment, hooked up to a monitor and given a round of antibiotics for her ear. An hour later, the x-ray tech came and gave her a ride in a wheel chair down to the x-ray room (she thought that was pretty cool) and she did awesome standing very still while the tech took some pictures of her insides. She asked to see what they looked like and she thought it was pretty cool that she could see her ribs and lungs and other insides.

SO back upstairs in the wheelchair and back onto the monitor where her oxygen levels continued to fluctuate between 89 and 91 (are the treatments working?) I still didn't know if she was going to have to be admitted overnight and the nurses, didn't know either. So we spent the afternoon watching movies (4 in total), having a room service delivery of chicken fingers, chicken noodle soup and an Oreo milkshake, followed up with a blue Popsicle, sprite and graham crackers and an apple. BB1 was happy as a clam and kept wanting to order something else from the room service menu, and she really had me questioning just how sick she was. Even the nurses commented that if they didn't know better, they wouldn't think she was sick from outward appearances. I guess she just hasn't learned to milk it yet (should I be grateful for this?)

During the next 5 hours we had plenty of time to wait for updates and her oxygen levels decided to jump up a bit and she got in the 93 - 94 range, which was good news to me, but still no word on the results from the x-ray or what we were going to do next.

By 6:30 the Dr. who first saw her in the clinic earlier that morning came up and finally gave us the news on the x-ray. She didn't have the really bad version of Pneumonia, just more of a walking type pneumonia, which isn't good, just not as bad as it could have been. They were still waiting on the results from the full panel they had requested that morning (guess it takes a day to get info back) for the RSV/Influenza possibilities, but given that her oxygen levels were back up where they should be and given how good she was acting, they didn't' think she needed to stay overnight for observation. But they did want to send her home with oxygen, a monitor and a nebulizer for additional breathing treatments, should her stats take a turn back down.

So armed with what felt like a hundred different prescriptions (in truth - 5) and an order for home health to come and bring us multiple machines (oxygen, nebulizer and a pulsoxomiter(sp?), we set off for the only open, 24-hour pharmacy in Northern Utah on a Sunday evening. we were home by 8:45 and BB1 was in bed by 9:30.

All in all, a very long day, but we were home. I have to admit after the home health guy left and seeing all the equipment and tubing now installed in her room, I almost wonder if staying at the hospital would have been easier?

So how is BB1 doing today - just fine. She's on antibiotics for the ear infection and breathing treatments to help her lungs open and heal up. She gets a week off from school and I am only hoping I can find enough things to do around the house to keep her entertained and me from going stir crazy since we won't be leaving the house and going anywhere anytime soon.

Before I forget - the results from the full panel are back and she tested positive for RSV, which is viral and so antibiotics won't do her any good (dump one prescription down the drain).

Incidentally - BB2 is beginning to get the same cough and stuff that BB1 started out with. And tonight the fever is kicking in. Guess it's a good thing that BB1 has a follow-up appointment tomorrow during regular Dr's hours and I had the foresight to book an appointment for BB2 as well.

All in all I just have to say for all the ups and downs, I am grateful for clinics and Dr's and good health insurance and for pharmacy's that are open on Sundays in a state where everything seems to be closed and especially for kids that no matter how miserable they might be feeling are still the best kids ever.

There is also some humor to be found (isn't there always when you most need it) This afternoon, when asked to come down stairs to eat her lunch - for the 3rd time, mind you -
BB1's reply:"Mom, I didn't hear you. My ears are broken"