allergic reaction

It's been one of those crazy days... it began last night when Trent was up pretty much the whole night crying and unconsolable. I couldn't get him calmed down and was worried about his stomach (since he had the flu the middle of the week) I called my mom over in the middle of the night and we took him to the ER where she was able to look at his ears (one of the benefits of having a mom who works in a small hospital and have friends there!) His one ear was pretty red... he and I got a couple hours of sleep this morning and I was able to get him into the clinic at 10am. Yep, he had an ear infection. He took his first dose of antibiotic in the afternoon... then, this evening I was getting him ready for bed and noticed his belly, tummy and head was covered in a rash.... so, off we went again to the hospital! This time my mom was with me and we took Tys and Katie along. And, Casey got off work for a little while to come down as well. Thankfully, the same doctor that saw him this morning was also on-call tonight and already at the hospital. Trent immediately got shots for the reaction and was observed for a while. Now, he has to take meds every 6 hours for 2 days and we'll try a new antibiotic tomorrow!! I am thankful he's o.k.; makes me wonder if he'll be allergic to other things as well.

sitting up

Trent is sitting up for longer periods of time on his own! I put the boppy around him and he'll play with his toys or watch his siblings as they play around him. He had his helmet off for most of the day due to a fever that began last night (and a bad tummy) Thankfully, he's much better tonight! Note: due to his helmet, Trent now has a permanent mohawk!

I spent today packing books, albums and things that we can live without for a few weeks. I also went through the numerous tubs of kid's clothes... organizing them and seeing what they'll be needing for the fall.

This evening Casey made the kids a "car" out of a large box... they LOVED it and spent the evening "driving" around :)

Construction on our house/property continues.... this week Casey and my dad are busy installing the electrical, sewer and water lines. We were going to hire a contractor to do it however, he was SO expensive and couldn't do it for a few more weeks; my handiman husband said "I'll just do it myself"!! Last Friday and Saturday he began clearing and leveling the ground, this week he is trenching and installing the lines. Thankfully, he's had help from my dad, Jerry and Joe! Yesterday ~ the guys taking a lunch break and cooling off from the intense heat

Today we were happy to have Casey's Aunt Lois & Uncle Pete and Aunt Arlene stop by on their way to SLC from Reno. They stayed for lunch and were able to see our new house.

More green beans from the garden AND now we're starting to get yellow squash and zucchini!!

A bee busy at work in the sunflowers

For some reason the sunflower in our garden grew REALLY high!

Trent 7 months old

Trent turned 7 months old last Saturday and, things have been so busy around here I didn't even realize it was the 29th today! So, I'm a few days late but here are a few pictures of Trent at 6 1/2 months....

My friend, Colleen, took these for me while we were in Boise a couple of weeks ago...

To mark his 7 month milestone Trent rolled over from his back to his tummy then, tummy to back. So, he's officially rolling! He is also sitting up more and more on his own, experimenting with more foods and, his second bottom tooth has arrived. We love to watch the funny faces he makes when playing with his new set of teeth! Trent loves to have his head rubbed, especially when his helmet is off (otherwise I can only rub the very top and his ears!) It is soothing for him and makes those long trips to SLC a little more bearable. What a joy and blessing he is to our family!!

What can I say... she dressed herself :) And, no, she didn't leave the house this way! Katie has been going to VBS all this week and really liking it! She comes home singing new songs and trying to teach them to Tys as well (along with clapping and stomping her feet at the same time... quite hilarious since she has NO coordination whatsoever!) She calls it "Bible school". I was just happy to see her go as she's been going through a shy phase lately.

Trent is having a little break from his helmet as he has a sore on the right side of his head that I can't get healed (the sore is caused from the rubbing of his helmet and the heat combined) Thankfully, he has an appt in SLC on Monday and the specialist can adjust his helmet so that it's not so tight on that certain spot (as his head grows, there'll need to be adjustments made to the helmet)

It's been a particularly busy week... Katie's soccer games (which she refused to play again today! She really doesn't like it so we're not going to make her play anymore this season....) and going to VBS, I'm trying to start packing and going through things to move, I had my friend, Angeli's, 4 kids over this evening and, am getting ready for our friends to arrive from Boise tomorrow. Also, tomorrow Casey will begin working on leveling the ground on our land and, he has decided to do all the installation of the utilitie lines himself (the trenching and construction) The arrival of our new house and getting the land landscaped has added a whole new level of busyness to our lives and, it'll be SO nice when we're moved and settled once again!

I'll get pictures of our new home up soon... right now it's in the middle of construction

the big library

Today mom and I took the kids to Elko; we did some shopping, ate lunch at Wingers and took the kids to the library for their storybook/activity time. They enjoyed sitting with all the other kids while the "funny lady" read them books (I wouldn't know this because I spent most of the time in the bathroom cleaning up after one of Trent's dirty diapers... won't go into details!) Then, they got to outline themselves on butcher paper and use colors, markers, glue and yarn to decorate it. Of course they love anything that involves markers or glue! Tys wasn't too sure about lying on the paper and having himself outlined.... but once that was over....

he went to town with the markers!!

Katie did a great job at decorating her body... she put all sorts of flowers on her clothes and had blonde hair :)

The kids had lots of fun and are wanting to go back again soon. I take them to our library in town a lot but, it's quite a bit smaller than Elko's library so they named it the "big library"!

Katie had a soccer game tonight and, sadly, it didn't turn out quite as happily as her last game... Here's the start of the game... her team is running around crazy after the ball... but, where's Katie?

There she is! Standing on the side line... being shy, emotional, pouting and everything else that goes along with being a GIRL!! Everyone was encouraging her to play but, she just stood there.. you can just imagine what her face looks like!

Even Tys went over to his sister and was pointing to the ball saying "Keh-tee, go kick the ball"!!! Nope, she wanted nothing to do with it tonight... which, turned into a meltdown and her daddy had to take her home. (while everyone else got to stay and watch friend's play their games) Sigh... it sure is difficult growing up....

When I got home she was happy once again and very excited in telling me that she would play at her next game :)

Our first harvest from the garden (well, except for those two sweet cherry tomoatoes that I found and ate right away!) Unlike last year, our green beans are doing awesome! Everything else is growing too... just not quite ready to eat yet. Casey was off this weekend so, we had a good time spending it as a family. On Friday evening we went to a bbq at Judy and Ken's and, the kids got to swim in their pool. On Saturday we hung out and did things around the house... I took a meal to my friend who just had a baby and got to meet their new little precious boy. And on Sunday we had my parents and Joe over for lunch then, went to our friends house, the Atens, that evening.
Katie began VBS this morning and, had a great time! At first she was pretty shy and wouldn't let go of my finger. I finally got her to sit with the other kids and was able to sneak away once she looked ok. When I picked her up she was singing, dancing and hanging out with her new found friends! She also has soccer this evening... Trent's second bottom tooth is almost through (this means he's sleeping at night again ~ yay!) and, Tys' new favorite thing is to knock knuckles with you and say "pound it, dude" Thanks to Uncle Jake :)
I'm happy to say we should be in our new house VERY soon!! I'm trying to get the motivation to pack.......

My mom and I took the kids to Boise for a fun-filled 5 day vacation and, although exhausted by the end, we all had a good time! It was so nice to see friends again and, I'm thankful to the Monica and Brian for opening their home to me and my 3 busy kids!
After arriving on Saturday, we met Jake and Marie at Hyde Park for dinner, ice cream at Goodys and to play at the park for a while. The kids were happy to run around after the long drive....
On Sunday afternoon my mom watched the kids while I went to hang out with my good friend, Kristal. As always, its SO good to see her! When arriving back to the Vissers I saw the kids playing outside with Brian. Katie was pretending that Brian was her "dog" and she was giving him commands on what to do!We enjoyed a relaxing evening at Brian and Monica's and, had a few friends/family over for a bbq. Their home backs up next to a golf course and duck pond so, as in the past, we take bread down to the ducks.

the Boise Zoo

On Monday we met friends at the zoo and had fun seeing all the animals. Between myself, Colleen and Suzanne, there were 10 kids! We had my mom there to help too but, really, the kids all got along together and had a blast!

7 of the kids going on an African safari :)

That morning the kids got their pictures done in the Visser's beautiful backyard. Our friend, Colleen K, got some awesome shots and was so patient with the kids.... thanks, Colleen, for "practicing" :)

That evening we enjoyed a bbq in the Vissers backyard and relaxed...

On Tuesday we spent a fun day at the water park, Roaring Springs. We hadn't been there since the summer of '07 so, we were definitely overdue for a day on the water rides! The kids did awesome and had a blast! Although he has a "pained" look, Trent really is smiling :)

Katie went on the kiddie slides over and over... she was a little dare devil and was always trying out different ways to go down. I think her favorite was on her belly, backwards!

Our dear friend, Monica, and Trent

My mom took Tys down the slides a couple of times. Even though he said he liked them, he wasn't overly zealous to keep going on them ~ he's a little more cautious about life :)

Tys was happy to spend his time in the water, floating on the tubes and splashing his sister!

My good friend, Colleen and I. I was so happy she and her boys were able to spend the day with us at the water park too!

Tys found a water see-saw and spent a huge amount of time on it! He was so patient in waiting to other kids to come join him.. he loved it so much that he'd just sit there.. waiting.. until some other kid came to ride. Then, that kid would leave and Tys would patiently for someone else to come.

The evening finally came when my mom, brother and I headed off to the long awaited Kenny Chesney concert. Meredith and Marie were so gracious to watch the kids that night! Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert opened for Kenny and they were great ~ very entertaining and energetic. I didn't realize Miranda was more rock 'n roll and had a guitarist sporting a mohawk! I have always had a secret love for Kenny (yes, Casey knows about this!) and know the words to every song he's sung... so, of course I loved every minute of the concert. Not only does he have a great voice and great songs but, he's also funny and just a great entertainer! That's a lot of greats - I know :) I've been to alot of concerts (as that is sort of a hobby for my mom and I) and have my top 5 artists that I wanted to see in my lifetime.... Kenny was one of them! What a terrific way to end our vacation!!

After a few errands on Wed. we headed out of the valley around noon for home. The kids were SO tired and slept off and on during the drive... when not sleeping they were whining or crying. And, I didn't have much sleep the night before so, it was a GOOD thing to get home :)

Katie's first soccer game

Trent Rolling

Trent is now rolling from his tummy to back with very little effort!

soccer

Katie had her first soccer game last night! She was so excited and even cried when the game was over and it was time to go home. Watching 3-4 year olds learning how to play the game is very entertaining for us parents... either a child is sitting on the field taking a "break", running in the wrong direction or deciding that picking their nose is a better way to spend their time! With this being Katie's first game ever, she spent much of the game just running around after everyone else. She did kick the ball a few times then, stopped to clap for herself! Running around is SO much easier with your tongue out....

A good action shot of her actually kicking the ball!!

SLC

We had another uneventful, quick trip to Salt Lake Tuesday-Wednesday this week and, Trent's appointment went well Wednesday morning. The helmet specialist, Phil (we call him "Dr Phil") took measurements of his head and we were happy to hear that there is already some improvement! Casey, Trent and I spent a relaxing evening with Don and Arlene (the kids were home with my parents because Katie had her first soccer practice) Even though I miss Katie and Tys, our little "getaway" at Don and Arlene's is SO nice! I enjoy spending one on one time with Trent and, got to observe him actually rolling from his tummy to his back a couple of times! We even got to watch a t.v. show ~ lol
I am now unpacked from that trip (with just one kid it's easy to pack-light) and preparing for our big trip to Boise this Saturday!

Tys eating his first double cheeseburger!

This is what happens when you've had an exciting weekend and mommy is too busy to notice how tired you really are!

The construction on our foundation began last week and should be finished this week

My dad rode his 4-wheeler over to check it out

Casey and I will be gone to SLC Tue-Wed this week then, I'll be gone with my mom and the kids to Boise the 11th-15th. So far this has been a very busy summer and it's flying by fast! Before I know it, we'll be in our new place!!

Fourth of July

We had a fun Fourth of July weekend and, everyone was totally exhausted by last night! It began at 9am on Saturday when the kids and I (Casey had to work all weekend) went downtown to watch the parade... we met up with friends there and the kids all got lots of candy! Then, from there we went to the park for the community celebrations. Katie and Tys got to ride on a few rides and we hung out with our friends at Judy and Sharla's homemade ice cream/ice tea booth. It was pretty hot so, we only lasted until around 1:30 before heading home for naps. That evening we met up with our friends again and had a church picnic at the park... we spent the evening playing games, fishing at the duck pond(Uncle Doug took Katie fishing which, she loved!) and relaxing. I didn't really take a lot of pictures but, here are a few....

The kids waiting for the parade to begin... they're ready with their bags to collect candy!

Tys, pointing out the firetruck

Summer time fun

Yesterday Katie's friend, Marisa, got to come over and play. Casey set up the kid's new pool and they had a great time playing in that! Our little slide was the perfect size to set in the pool and let them slide down it into the water. I think Tys had more fun pouring water onto the slide and watching the water go down!