Lincoln City Kites

On Saturday we ventured an hour and a half away to the gorgeous Oregon coast! There was a kite festival in Lincoln City that we have been excited about going to for the last three weeks. It had been raining all day before, and even on the drive there, but once we arrived there was perfect sunshine.

Talmage got his feet wet in the cold ocean water and sand and he LOVED it. He is a total beach bum. He's already asking when we get to go to the "BEESH" again :D

The kites were AMAZING, and we got to see some really cool kite fliers do their thing. This guy was my favorite- he had a really fast and zippy kite that made a loud noise as it flew by!

More kite fliers

After we left the shore, we walked around the main streets and wandered in and out of shops. Most of them were really tacky...haha...and I had to go into a bar to make a bottle for Charlotte. Good times. We did end up finding some pretty good saltwater taffy though.

Today the kids were finally feeling good enough to go to church and stay the whole 3 hours- how nice!

hippie hair

For the last 6 months or so, I've been trying to grow out my hair. I've held off cutting it short because Jonathan wants to see it long. He really wants to, for some reason or another. And I kinda want my long hair back, too. It hasn't grown past my collarbone since high school. I've had "mommy hair" for the last five years, even though I've only been a mom for two of them.

Growing hair out is SO hard (especially for someone like me who delights in chopping it all off!), and it takes FOREVER. So, after much debate, discussion with the husband, and some encouraging advice from a friend (who just got hers done too) I decided to take a bold step and get hair extensions!

This is right after I put them in myself and it didn't blend at all, so today I got my normal hair layered and blended with the extensions. I also got them glued in for easier care and convenience, so they are *kinda* permanent until I decide to get them taken out, which will probably be when I'm happy enough with the length of my own hair.

I have to say I am loving these long locks! They're really fun to style and swish around :)

gone pickin

The weekend was awesome, yall. I loved every minute of it (okay...slight exaggeration...didn't love wiping snot constantly from two little noses)...but mostly it was lots of fun :)

On Friday morning we headed out into the beautiful Oregon countryside to pick fresh strawberries. I didn't have my camera out there in the fields so let me just create a mental picture...
J:"Okay, you pick through that row and I'll do this one."
me: "um...but those other rows have lots of strawberries...can I pick those?"
J: "I think we should stick to these rows because the lady directed us over here."
me: "Ok..." (as I go over 3 or 4 rows to pick those plump little beauties)
Talmage is standing quietly next to me as he watches fellow pickers with wide eyes.
Charlotte is happily sitting in her car seat in between rows, shaded and cute as a button.

a few minutes later...
Talmage, suddenly realizing he is surrounded by food: "Oooo....berries...oh yes! MMMmmmm (as he eats one) mmmmm (as he squishes one) mmmm (as he smears one across his shirt) haaaaaa ha ha ha (as he stomps on one) hey! more berries!" He runs across the rows, crashing through perfect strawberry vines. People start to stare. I run after him.
me: "NO! Talmage! Get back here! Don't do that!"

and on it went...we had good and somewhat stressful moments. By the end of it, Talmage was covered in strawberry juice from head to toe (literally). Charlotte was perfect the whole time- she loves being outside.

We picked for an hour and a half and got a total of 10 lbs for $10. I also bought some enormous chocolate chip cookies. It was so worth it. I don't think I would have minded if we paid twice that- the experience of going out and picking it ourselves was priceless, despite the mess/stress/anxiety.

Our bounty: we cut these babies up, bagged em, & stuck them in the freezer.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing at home-cleaning, resting, and cooking. We had lemon pepper salmon with veggies and fries for dinner and it was DELICIOUS.

Saturday was crazy. In the morning we went to the local Farmer's Market. There was a live band and LOTS of booths to look at. I felt like I was at the Fair. (I still don't get why people pay for hot fried food in the hot frying sun). We got raspberries and homemade bread, ate lunch in the shade and sipped on lemonade. It was a fabulous time. Oh, and I fed my very first parking meter :)

Afterwards we headed to TRADER JOE'S! It was my first time going, which is a big deal to me because I've always wanted to go. It's just a grocery store really...with lots of organic and yummy stuff. I'm not a super huge health buff but I do like quality foods. I was so happy to bring home two bags full of Trader Joe goodies.

Then we headed home and everyone napped but me. I wanted to nap but there was stuff to get done. *sigh*

We wanted to go to the beach but Talmage is still sick and now has an ear infection too. So instead, Jonathan took Talmage to the pool that night to swim while I cooked dinner. It was a good way to end the day.

Sunday- Father's Day! I told J I wouldn't be crafty this year but I just couldn't help myself. oops. 

I ordered him something online too (manly, not cutesy) but it didn't arrive yet, so this is what he got. Ah well. 

It says "A Father is a daughter's first love and a son's first hero. and me? well, I just love you to pieces." (hence the many flavors of PIECES candy) yup, I'm a cheeseball.

Shirt & tie card. This was so much fun to make!

These kids are so lucky to have such a wonderful dad. He not only makes a good father but he is just a really good person, one that I look up to and respect very much. He is the best of both worlds- a strong, silent type of guy with a tremendously childish goofy side, too. Some people think we were crazy for falling in love so fast and getting engaged after two weeks of knowing one another. I tell those people to look at us now. And look at him, is he not the most incredible husband and father? To me, he's that and more.

sickness. blah!

This weekend was very eventful. We had lots of things planned...and got to do none of them because BOTH children were sick :(

It breaks my heart every time to watch my child be sick, whether its a tiny cold or something more serious. It hasn't gotten any easier over the few years I've been a parent. This time, it was slightly more on the serious side.


On Thursday, Talmage's long-lasting fever that he had been running for a few days got really high and wouldn't go away with ibuprofen. He had a horrible sounding cough that wouldn't give up. My initial belief that he had just a cold or was teething suddenly turned into deep concern.

That night it got really bad. He slept with us in our bed (we put C in her crib so she wouldn't wake up to his coughing. She slept the entire night in there....such a blessing!) We probably got a total of 2 hours sleep. He was drenched in sweat, crying/whining/wheezing, and delirious. He would ask me to sing songs to him, and sing them with me. It was kind of funny but mostly very concerning...we didn't know what to do for him. I kept my eyes on him all night as long as I could. He coughed so much and his whole body shook when he breathed, as if it hurt. I sobbed and sobbed....and finally asked for Jonathan to give him a blessing. I don't know what time it was...3 or 4... I felt so much comfort throughout the blessing and I am sure it helped me regain some sanity. We considered taking him to the ER, but the Spirit was strong and we knew he would make it fine with us for the night.

I called the dr.first thing the next morning and made an appointment promptly. When we took him in, the doc looked worried and they tested his oxygen levels (which they never revealed). She told us he had croup, and was worried that he might have pneumonia as well.
So we took him across town to get a chest x-ray. He was such a trooper through the whole thing even though he was exhausted and in pain. The x-ray revealed that he has bronchiolitis- meaning the small air passages in his lungs got inflammed. We were relieved that it wasn't pneumonia but also sad for what he has been enduring.

He got treated for the croup shortly after a visit to the doc, thank goodness. But there's not much we can do for the bronchiolitis since it is a viral infection and antibiotics do nothing. SO...we took home this fancy little machine called a nebulizer that connects to a tube which connects to a mask. We pour some fluid into the mask, it vaporizes, and he breathes it in. It helps open his airways. He hates the mask but has gotten used to it...hopefully he won't have to use it much longer. We give him the "vapor treatment" about every 4 hours.

We love him so much. He has been so sweet and good through everything...

Thankfully, three days later, he is much more his normal self though the bronchiolitis is not completely gone. BUT he's happier and jumping off all the furniture and SLEEPING lots so we are very grateful for that. I have found myself not getting so annoyed and upset with him, and just letting things go because of what he has been through. Its made me realize that the most important thing is that he is HEALTHY, not being a perfectly good and obedient little boy that I so often wish he was. We've been spoiling him these last few days and I will continue to spoil him because he deserves it. He is wonderful and innocent in his own way.

And now I address the next child. It turns out that baby Charlotte is also sick. It's just a cold (I think....I hope....) but because she is so young I have been just as worried about her physical state. Her cough doesn't sound normal, either, and I worried that Talmage spread something to her but the dr said his bronchiolitis is not contagious. So I assume she just a caught a bug from somewhere. Her coughing is the most concerning...we are giving her warm apple juice and it seems to help a little. I just pray that its nothing serious...I can't handle that stress again...

In the meantime, she remains cute :]

 Things calmed down today. I stayed home with the tots while Jonathan went to go teach our Primary class. And it's unbelievable even to me that I got any crafting done this weekend. But it happened, and I love the outcome.

Talmage's side of the bedroom seemed kinda empty compared to the ridiculous amount of cute crap on Charlotte's side. So I made these fun pom-poms and a flag banner with his name. The poms are super fun to make, inexpensive, and so colorful! I love how it brightens up the room.

Of course, I couldn't resist making some pink ones too...it's a bad habit.

Its overkill, I know. But she has so little wall space on her half of the room! Someday, when we have a grand 4 bedroom house (sigh) she will have her own room and it will all be spread out. I don't regret it....I love how the pink & cream poms look!

My other project was this flag frame. I am obsessed with flag banners lately. It's kind of a trend these days and you see them everywhere...eventually they got to me and I had to bust out my Silhouette to make some flags.

And its not only for the 4th of July; the flags just hang on the string so you can change them out with the season! Yay! I love stuff that's cute all year round. And no, it doesn't sit outside...it hangs by the front door but there wasn't good enough light to take pictures of it there :]

I also made some freaking adorable Father's Day cards that I cannot reveal at this time...more on that later!

Hope everyone had a better weekend than me! (that is, one without sick kids...cause it pretty much sucks!)

two little monkeys

This post is all about our kiddos. Because
1)I just love them to bits!
2)Its all I have to write about. today...

Charly...
*She will be 4 months old in 10 days and already wears some 6 month size clothes. What a chunker!
*She talks and gurgles SO MUCH. And laughs. She thinks its hilarious when we bounce her on our knees and sing "Wheels On The Bus". She also likes it when mommy raps to her, though I'm terrible at rapping.
*She sleeps through the night now, waking up at 7ish for a bottle then sleeps in the bed with me for another hour or two. I love snuggling with her in the morning.
*Every morning Talmage climbs into bed with us, and the two of them poke each other and laugh. It is probably my favorite time of the day!
*She has come to really love bath time. She doesn't say or do much in the water...just smiles to herself.
*She will sleep pretty much anywhere as long as she's swaddled.
*She has a fascination for toys, pulling at them, shaking them, and holding them close to her face. I love that I can lay her on her tummy with a bunch of toys- she just goes to town!
*If she can't see me, she goes into panic mode and cries until her face is purple. It's kinda frustrating that I can't leave the room without toting her along. Sometimes I'll sing or talk to her as I become out of her seeing range- this works about half of the time.  I hope this won't turn into sever separation anxiety when she gets older.

And Talmage? Well he is just up and down. We either have glorious or terrible days with him. He loves spreading his books all over the place and looking at each one for .2 seconds, watching Blue's Clues and movies about dogs/puppies, and rolling his cars & trains around the floor....and coffee table...and our bed...and pretty much everywhere :)

He repeats every single thing we say. I made the mistake of saying "No, let's not watch that...it's a dumb show." He walked around saying "no- dumb show. dumb show. dumb show. its dumb! dumb dumb dumb!" And that is just one example.
NO is his favorite word right now. It's always "No nap!" "No lunch!" "No vege-buls!" "No carseat!" He just likes saying no. I ignore it most of the time, because after a while he gets distracted with something. He ends up sleeping for 3 hours, eating all of his food, and enjoying the car ride anyway. Silly boy :P

He also loves to sing! He sings songs all the time and I love hearing them. My favorite is the ABC song..."ele-mela-P!" haha.  
His favorite is Monkeys Jumping On The Bed. He turns into a ball a giggles when we sing that one.

He's super cuddly, too. Especially with me. He's totally a momma's boy and I LOVE it. He gives me kisses whenever I want and squeezes my neck with his chubby little arms. It is the best ever. I love my sweet boy :)

and that is it for now. It's time for my ME time since they are both asleep. Which basically means some lunch, possibly a shower, and period dramas on Netflix :D

.

Oh how I love weekends! Even if we don't go anywhere and just stay home, its nice to have all that time with Jonathan.

This weekend I felt sort of...BLAH...

yep. It was the dreaded first period.  My first one in a year. I forgot how much it sucks.

One thing is for sure. It was just the way it always is. The first few days before it starts I get super emotional and just sad. We were in the car going to the grocery store and I broke down crying. Not for any reason, just because. A day later I stood in a Walmart dressing room crying again. And again while watching an uber cheesy movie about golden retriever puppies.

And then for the next few days, during the worst of it, I get very moody and snap at just about everyone for every thing. It's like there's no filter from my mind to my mouth. My poor family...

I am so thankful for a husband that puts up with me in these worst of times. He knows that when I'm emotional I'm also really down on myself. But he was patient, gentle, and comforting. He also spoiled me with dark chocolate almonds and perfume, which didn't hurt one bit ;]

Fast Sunday did a lot of good, too. While fasting I remembered that despite my imperfections, Heavenly Father loves me for me. Every day I try to be a better mom and wife...and that counts for something.

In the meantime, these little tots of ours continue to make my life brighter! Words cannot describe how much I love them!

pool time!

There's a pool in our apartment complex. It's maybe 50 yds away, and everytime Talmage sees it as we drive by it to get our mail he yells, "SWIM!"

It finally opened on Memorial Day weekend! Yipee!

The best part is that its free. No one should ever have to pay to go swim. I have always believed that...I was so sick of paying to go to Rigby Lake in Rexburg. I mean lakes are supposed to be free, yall! At least, that's how it is in Louisiana...

It was Charlotte's first time ever :] She was so chill and calm the whole time. I was really surprised because the water was slightly cold since we went in the evening. She loved it! Talmage likes it better during the day when its sunny, though....his teeth were chattering like crazy last night...hehe.

I think we will spending a LOT of time at the pool this summer!