Guys, Lochlan Fell Down

Lochlan has been eyeing the front door for a while when it is open, as if crawling out of it would open up a whole new world of curiosities. Except there's a big step down and he won't expect it and he'll fall down on his head.

And that's what happened today when my back was turned making dinner and I'd already asked Aftyn to please close the door so as to prevent the possibility of Lochlan falling to the hard pavement below.

:(  He has slight road rash under his left eye and a little bruise on his left eyebrow. Poor little man.

Pictures to come. This is his first big bump, and I have a feeling, this is only the beginning.

This kid is an animal. He's voraciously energetic and excited to experience it all.

Things to Remember From This Week

Aftyn finished her swimming lessons this week. This year we found semi-private lessons for the same price we were paying for Aftyn to learn in a big group, and this year made ALL the difference. She can swim!!! She can do the elementary backfloat, she can swim on her front, and she can tread water. We were both SO SO SO excited, and now she really loves swimming. :) Happy parents over here!  Bronwyn starts hers in another week and I am hoping for another swimmer after her lessons are done.

Aftyn is having her first piano recital tonight, and is really excited and proud of herself.

Lochlan waved for his very first time last night. To his favorite "Sunday Lady", Sister Arnold who has been taking him while we teach our Sunday School class. He loves her and tonight just proved it as he waved bye to her as she walked back to her car after dropping something off at our door. :) What a sweet memory.

Aftyn learned how to snap. Oh snap. Now she does it all the time.  Bronwyn wants to figure it out REALLY bad so I'm sure she will quickly follow suit.

I bought a used double jogging stroller this week, and so on Friday we took it to the park for the free lunch that they serve there during the summer. My girls rode their scooters that I just got last week at a garage sale all the way there! They were so proud of themselves and in all it was such a fun adventure!!

Lately: In Pictures

      This is one of our toys we've allocated to outside, and so I let Lochlan and Mirren  have a little fun with it one afternoon. She was LOVING taking a real live baby for a walk with it. :)  Lochlan was pretty interested in the whole process and even though his legs were a little squished, he sat there really well!

 Bronwyn put this outfit together and I had to get a picture. 

This girl has some pretty good style! :)

 Upside down boy. 

For a long time, he kept doing this, putting his head upside down and looking around. 

Man, he makes everybody laugh. 

He's so funny!

 Aftyn needed a picture this day. 

She looks pretty cute!

 Part of Bronwyn's birthday celebration. 

Just before, we had had a water gun fight, 

thus the wet hair on Aftyn and Bronwyn.

 He looks like Mario with red hair

 This kid. 

He is SO ticklish! 

This is a ticklish face.

 Aftyn got her own basketball 

and got to participate in a basketball camp for her birthday this year. 

She loved it!

And since she's a girl who loves pink, I got her a pink and purple basketball.

Because.

 Aftyn and Bronwyn playing outside with water guns 

 and what little water remained in our pool

           So so happy    

We sure love his happy spirit in our home

Aftyn got some birthday money and went to a garage sale with it. 

Scored some Lincoln Logs and she's had a blast with them!

Aftyn Was Here

Post bath shot of the bath tub. 

Mirren took the bath, 

Aftyn came by afterward 

to organize the letters to her liking.

The Hand Foot and Mouth Plague

It all started last Monday, the 16th. We had had a fun birthday weekend for Bronwyn and we had an appointment for her to get her kindergarten shots around lunchtime. Because I knew she would worry and panic about it, I didn't tell her until about 2 hours before it was time to go. She was worried, but survived.

Fast forward to Thursday. Mirren had a fever, and wasn't feeling well. I thought it was probably her molars coming in. Friday she had the same fever and I thought nothing of it, except that she had it during the day.

Saturday morning, she woke up with spots ALL around her mouth. They freaked me out, but I linked it to the previous teething, but they didn't seem to be going away like they would once she was awake and her binky was out of her mouth. Mid-afternoon, I looked up her symptoms. And found that yes, she had ALL the symptoms of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Oh boy.

I immediately quarantined her to her room and one chair in our front room, so as not to spread this illness. Sunday was awful. Reed and I took turns going to church and all the kids stayed home so we didn't spread it.
Monday came and mid-afternoon Bronwyn had these 2 strange bumps around her mouth and a LOT of weird bumps on her upper thighs, but all of those disappeared within a few hours. I was still suspicious. I made her and Mirren share the bunkbed room and moved Aftyn in with Lochlan, since they weren't sick. Tuesday afternoon, Bronwyn got a fever. I was glad I had put the two sicko's together.

Wednesday. Today.  Bronwyn still had a fever this morning. By this afternoon, Lochlan had a water blister on his right pointer finger and a fever. I gave him Tylenol and put him down for a nap.

We've used up 10 oz of hand sanitizer, and we're working on bottle number 2. I have an extra bottle by my bed, and one additional full bottle that I'm pretty sure we'll be utilizing. Everything I've read says kids are contagious if they have a fever AND if they have any oozing blisters. I thought Mirren had already emptied all her blisters but just now as I was washing her hands, I found a big one on her finger that hasn't popped yet. So, on her day 5 now, she's still contagious. 3 down, I'm so hopeful that the other 3 of us won't get it. Pictures to come. And by the way, this all came from that fateful trip to the doctor for shots.

Post Edit: Reed came down with the fever yesterday. It's just Aftyn and I, except Mirren may or may not now be not contagious. And I broke my baby toe yesterday. We got this. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Pictures

                                                        Favorite loved fluffy skirt

                                                  Cute. Cute. Cute.

                                                           Superheroes!

                                            Because they do dishes together :)

                                        Angelic sleeping babies. Gotta love them.

Sunday

Amidst the hustle and bustle of choir practice, Sunday School teaching, baby blessing, and all the other various responsibilities I have on any given Sunday, I had this wondrous moment that made all the crazy, horrible, uncomfortable, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g moments of the past year worth it.
       
In pondering my busy day and accomplishments I said to my Self: "Self, what a good day you've had! Look at all you've done, look at how genuinely you have been yourself in the things you have done." And I felt a sense of satisfaction that I was truly needed today. At choir practice, in church, and just in general in my life. And while feeling all the feels, I felt a truly resounding happiness deep to my spirit that whispered "You were needed. You are needed. You are important. YOU matter."


 And so do YOU.