Kindergarten

I registered coop for Kindergarten yesterday. What?! Where did all that time go? I can't believe he is big enough to be going to real school. I don't think the reality of it will set in until I actually walk him to class the first day but I can't say that it's something I am looking forward to. I know it will be good but, oh my! What's he going to learn? From the teacher and the other kids. Mostly the other kids. Well, here goes. My babies actually are growing up!

Second cast

Well, due to the bathtub incident, we ended up taking Ava in to get a new cast a few weeks earlier than planned. The cast was dry but just to make sure the Doc had her come in just in case. That was good and bad. We didn't know until Monday afternoon that we would be going in on Tuesday which meant Justin couldn't be there again and we had to find last minute babysitters for Coop but it was comforting to make sure her skin was ok under the cast. But my sweet Grandma Brown let Cooper stay overnight because we had to be there early in the morning which was a huge relief! The initial plan was to take the cast off and put it on the same day at the hospital but that would have meant no break for her and no bath at home either so we opted to take her to the pediatricians office Monday afternoon to get it off so she could have a little break and get a nice long bubble bath. And she loved it! She was bending all over, scooting on her bum, and running around like it was the best day of her life! I think I was just as excited as she was about it. It was nice to be able to see her move without as much struggle for a bit.

So, our day went a little like this: Wake up at 6:15 to get ready, wake Ava up at 7 and put her in the car to head up to the hospital, get there at 8 and get checked in and head to our room, get all the vitals checked and change into her little tiny gown, change 2 very stinky diapers!, play with Ollie the elephant making him do back bends and front bends until about 11:30 when they were ready for her, give her the meds to make her drowsy, talk to the drs, lay her in the little crib and watch them wheel her away, cry because I will never get used to that, wait until abt 2 to get her back, cuddle my baby girl, look at her feet and realize they were poked 11 times to get the i.v. in =(, she finally was able to eat some yogurt and jell-0, get an x-ray at abt 3:45 which looked awesome! She is now at abt a 20 degree curve instead of 54 degrees. Yeah! It's actually working! And they were able to do the cast under her armpits instead of over her shoulders like a tank top so that she is able to use her left finger which is awesome. We got the i.v. out abt 4 and left abt 4:30, got some food since we hadn't eaten anything all day, picked Coop up at my Grandma's and finally made it home abt 6:30. So, it was another long day but not half as stessful as the first time. We knew what to expect this time, I remembered the stroller! (lifesaver), Ava was used to the cast so it wasn't quite a shock when she woke up, she wasn't sick!, Coop was having much more fun at my Grandma's, and we didn't have to be there at 6Am this time. So it went much smoother and she's doing great. They think she will need one more after this to get her back where they want it. We both can't wait until they are done!

AAAhhhhh.....nice warm bath after 2 months!

Getting her oxygen checked in our room before the cast

Happy little nakie!

Cute in her little gown


Mom and Ave. They wouldn't have had to poke my head 11 times to find a vein! yikes

And I was determined to get more pictures this time but my camera froze and wouldn't do anything after this one. Good thing Costco will take anything back!


The doctors and nurses up there are pretty amazing and take really good care of us. We are done until after the baby comes (unless she falls in the tub again!) so we'll see how it goes with new baby in the mix to.



Just some stuff I want to remember: We were watching Utah Gymnastics on Sunday and the kids thought it was pretty cool and kept doing 'back bends' and 'front bends' that's why she thought it was so great when the elephant did it. She was standing on my lap while we were waiting and wanted to do a back bend so I held her and she did. She hasn't done it without the cast on and her back popped like four times. She gave me the cutest scaredest face I have ever seen her make and about cried! I think it shocked her so much! She wanted a love and wouldn't do another one after that!
She was much happier this time when she woke up and hardly cried at all. I was expecting a meltdown like last time but I think she was just used to the cast so it wasn't as big of a deal.
She teases and will say things like milk, juice, milk, juice so you don't know what she wants and she did that when they were asking her what color she wanted. pink, purple, pink, purple so they did purple with a pink stripe around her belly. Little stinker
And she looked so tiny after getting the cast off on Monday. She wasn't a little football player, which actually comes in handy sometimes when you have an older brother. I snuggled her as much as I could because it felt so good to have her be so soft and cuddley. We kept the cast and knew it was heavy but couldn't believe how heavy! It has to weigh about 5lbs and when you only weigh 24lbs that's a lot to carry around!

And it happened...

When we first got Ava's cast I wondered how we were going to keep the thing dry for 3 months straight. I mean, she's 2. Nothing else really needs to be said. But we have done pretty good. We survived the 3 days of barf without getting too much on the cast, we haven't had food or drink spilled that got it wet, and not too many incidents with poop or pee getting all over it. So, with 2 weeks to go I thought we were pretty much home free. And then I put Coop in the tub. Ava likes to come play in the bathroom while he's in there but we haven't had any problems until yesterday. The little basketball was just a little bit too far away from her and while I was turned the other way washing Coop's hair I suddenly had feet up by my arm where a head used to be. She was in, cast and all! Luckily I pulled her out before the back of it got wet but the whole front side was pretty much soaked. So, needless to say we spent quite awhile last night with the blow dryer and one naked little Ava trying to dry it. We changed the shirt underneath last night and today so we'll see how much it dries out. If not she may get a longer break inbetween casts than we thought. Oh my. Well, at least it didn't happen 2 months ago!

That's why Heavenly Father sent me

During the holidays Cooper was helping me make caramel for turtles while Ava was asleep and we were just talking about stuff. I don't even remember what now. But he started talking about how he is good at fixing things (which he is) and was telling me that if we had a flat tire then he could probably fix it for me since he has helped Dad so many times. And if he had the muscle to do it I have no doubt that he would. He continued about how he was strong and can fix stuff for me and then he said, "That's why Heavenly Father sent you boys Mom. So they could take care of girls. That's why Heavenly Father sends boys." True, true. My four year old knows something lots of boys don't. I remind him about that sometimes when he is bugging Ava. One of the best conversations I've ever had. Now if we can just help him to remember that the rest of his life I think we'll be ok!

2010 ChRisTmaS

Christmas was awesome! December was a busy month. We had 5 Christmas parties 5 nights in a row, the live nativity in Alping which is always so amazing, got all the shopping done (because despite the fact I say I will get it done before December every year, it never happens), and were able to spend some good times with family and friends. I love Christmas. It's even better with little kids. They had fun buying gifts for each other and we had an elf on the shelf that watched them for the month of December. They loved getting up to find him every morning. Cooper helped me make the caramel for some yummy turtles that we took to neighbors. It was a great month!

The kids shoveling the one dusting we got. It didn't matter if they missed a spot, it was all melted in a few hours anyway

A car kit Coop got at our big family party

Ava got Squinkies. She loved them but I don't know where any of them are now. They are about the size of a penny


Mmmm...! Enjoying a red velvet cupcake at Justin's Grandpa's party

Coop and the cousins watching the train at Grandpa's

Grandpa Brent helping Coop with the train

Reindeer food one of my cute neighbors gave us. Oats and sprinkles. They sprinkled it on the lawn Christmas Eve to attract the reindeer

Sprinkling the reindeer food

Ava getting her present from Santa at Grandma Myrna's. She wouldn't sit on his lap but yelled form across the room,'Thanks!" and that she wanted a baby doll for Christmas

Coop getting his present and orange from Santa

Christmas Jams!

Coop's stuff from Santa. He kept asking Santa for a boat. What the? Not just a toy boat, a real boat you can sit in. Santa wasn't going to worry too much about it since he already had a remote control car for him but since that was the ONLY thing he asked for, He figured he should try. So, this is what he came up with. It was a hit! Bear Lake will be even funner this year!

Ava's desk, crayons, and colored pencils from Santa. Perfect! It's just her size. She asks me to color at least 10 times a day so now she has her own little spot. Notice the pink and puple crayons in her hand. They are her favorite. We've got a girly, girl!

We spent Christmas Eve at Justin's Grandma's. Had a yummy ham dinner and Santa came to visit. We all opened the presents from Grandma (ice cream maker-score!) and then the usual wrapping paper fight. Can't go a year without that! The kids woke up about 8:30 Christmas morning (hallelujah!) and we opened gifts. It was so fun to see their reactions. Coop kept saying, "I knew he would bring a boat!" We didn't even need to unwrap anything under the tree. They would have been totally content with what Santa brought. Both our parents and Justin's brother came over for breakfast at 9, we went to our Christmas program at 11, headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Brown's for fondu, Justin's Grandma and Grandpa, and then to his parents for their party. Busy day, but so fun! As usual the kids got too much stuff. Some of Coop's favorites were the boat, legos, and remote control car and a firetruck that really sprays water. Ava's favorites are the desk, and a baby doll she got from Grandma Myrna that she named Emma and she sleeps with her every night and sings her rock a bye. I got the keys to our Tahoe in my stocking (hee, hee) and a Kindle Fire. Another score! and total surprise. And Justin got a Ripstick. If you come by our house you may see Coop on his bike with a rope tied to it pulling Justin around. It's quite a sight! Even though there were lots of gifts and fun it's so good to be reminded of the greatest gift of all-the Atonement. We're so grateful for Christ's birth and sacrifice for us.

At 30 weeks...

So, at 30 weeks I am feeling pretty good. I feel like I did at about 38 weeks with Cooper and I can't believe I still have 2 1/2 more months! Hopefully she won't be a 10 pounder but that's sure what it feels like. I am starting to feel like if something doesn't get done before she comes then it will never happen. I think I've been driving Justin nuts about getting beds for the girls, painting, cleaning out the garage and the basement and getting rid of all the junk in the house. So, I feel totally unprepared at the moment and ready to be done at the same time. So, even though it's not very comfortable and I feel like I weigh 300lbs, I am grateful for the opportunity every time I feel her move. 10 more weeks!

Bye, bye baby bye, bye

Well, we bought our truck 6 years ago this month and now it belongs to somebody else! We put it on KSL and less than 24 hours later it was sold. Is that a clue we should have sold it for more? I guess I should be really excited that we are 'upgrading' to a newer car but I almost cried when I watched the guy drive away in our truck.

Last picture with our truck. And probably the only prego picture that will make it to our blog!

Holy journal entry!

So, guess what?! Thanks to the young women needing pictures from my camera, I finally buckled down and figured out what the deal was. It took a call to customer service (luckily they weren't in India and I could actually understand them), a few minutes online and bam! My pictures are now on my computer! So, even though there is lots to catch up on, I am going to start with the most recent. Life has been a bit crazy the past few weeks. I mentioned in the last post that Ava has scoliosis so after many failed attempts to schedule a cast to help because she kept getting colds, it finally happened.
The hospital scheduled the cast and it ended up being that Justin was out of town that day for work. Yikes, I really didn't want to do it without him seeing as they would have to use general anesthesia but that's just when they could do it. Ava actually ended up getting another cold and me, thinking they would cancel it again because of the cold, didn't get a babysitter for Cooper. Well, the pre-op nurse said to come to the hospital anyway the next morning to have the anesthesiologist check her to see if they would be able to do it. So, the next morning Justin left for the aiport at 4:00 and I had to get the kids up at 5 and drive to Salt Lake to be at the hospital by 6. AM that is. They checked Ava in and took us to her room. We got x-rays, they took pictures of her back so we would be able to see the before and after, we put her in her little tiny gown and then waited for the anesthesiologist. The hospitla is awesome. Ava and Cooper got a stuffed animal with sunglasses, Ava got a princess coloring book and new crayons, Cooper got matchbox cars and a lego car to play with. The anesthesiologist came in to see if Ava's cold was too bad to do the cast. He had her do a breathing treatment and decided her lungs may be clear enough to do it. While they do the cast there is a little while where they can't breathe very well because it is too tight until they cut a hole in it, that's why it is so crucial she can breathe well before. So, they went ahead. Part of me was hoping they would cancel because I really, really wanted Justin there, and it was going to be such a long day for Coop, and I know it needs to be done but really? Who wants to see their baby girl in a cast from shoulders to hip?

I was so nervous I would have to hold her while they figured out an i.v. but luckily they did it while she was out. About 9 they took her in. They gave her some medication and we took her from her room to the another room where they put on mesh like dress that goes under the cast. She was getting pretty groggy and sleepy from the meds and I was close to tears the whole morning so that pretty much did me in. They let me hold her for a bit and then I handed her over to the PA to take to the operating room. I was crying before I handed her over. Then I watched her drugged up and being carried down the hall by some stranger. More crying. It was good Cooper was there to distract me. He was SO, SO good. No crying, no complaining. They gave me a beeper so when she was done we could go back to the room to talk to the dr to see how it went. So we went to the playroom. It's huge! Children's hospitals are the best! There were tricycles, cars, basketball hoop, pool table, soccer net. He loved it. about 45 min later they beeped me so we went back to talk to the dr. He said it went well and she was in recovery waking up. They wouldn't let me in the recovery room-argh. Not too excited about that. So we hung out for an hour or so until she was up and they gave her 2 more breathing treatments and they finally brought her back. She looked so tiny in her little crib and she started to cry for Mom. The nurse commented that she was a lot happier with me than with them. Huh, complete strangers or Mom? Well, they had her foot wrapped in purple tape to hold her i.v. in. She just kept saying, "Purple, off!" They had to keep the i.v. in for over an hour just in case they needed it they didn't want to poke her again. We also had to give her oxygen because it was a bit low for a little while. Her voice was raspy for a while because they intubated her during the cast but once they took the i.v. out and she got a popsicle she perked up a little. We were able to go eat abt 1:00 and then once they knew she was peeing and eating they let us go home. All of us exhausted we finally got to go home 8 hours later! Holy moly. I still can't believe Cooper did so well! They both crashed on the way home, I wish I could have and was majorly missing Justin. Ava was super cranky and Coop was a little to when we got home because they woke up when we got home. Ava would try to do something and get so frustrated because she can't bend down very well, and the cast is pretty dang tight she would just cry and say, "Brace off" She'd back up to me because that's how we would take her brace off. So, that week was pretty rough. She cried a lot and so did I, and wanted to be held, got really sick on Wednesday -throwing up which made it super fun to try to keep the cast clean and dry. Better Thursday, then the rest of us, minus Justin, got sick again Friday and went to my sister in laws wedding Saturday. Wow
I didn't get any pictures after she came back from recovery. A little busy you know? I will have to take one of what the cast looks like. It's purple of course! So, despite the major inconvenience we are really blessed to have such talented doctors so close to us. Her doctor was one of very few in the country who are willing to do this. They usually go to surgery. Yikes! There was no cutting and i was still a mess! People come from Canada and Japan to get this done by her doctor. Wow! We are blessed

Last bath before the cast, we had to make it special with bubbles and extra long!

In her little gown getting her blood pressure checked with big brother by her side

Playing with the new toys before getting the cast. They made out like bandits!

Filling up the cars with gas in the playroom. I love that smile!

Being sick a few days after. This is pretty much what she did all day. Throw up and sleep. poor kid!

Whew! That was long! We also had an awesome Thanksgiving, Justin and I were able to go to Park City for a night and enjoy a fancy dinner at Ruth's Chris (yummy), a little shopping at the outlets, and some quiet stress free time! Much needed. We are also in the process of selling our beloved Toyota Tacoma because we can't fit 3 in there. Kids that is. Because we are having a baby girl! Due in March in case you didn't know. So, that's what we are up to. What about you?

It's been awhile...

So, I'm pretty sure I don't have any followers seeing as I haven't posted in about a year. Wow that has gone by fast! I just want to remind myself about what's going on with the kiddos and us. Coop is now 4!! Holy moly. He still LOVES riding his motorcycle and bike. He goes off a 6" jump with both and has figured out how to jump up the curb with his bike. Which I still am too scared to do. He loves digging in the dirt, fixing things, taking things apart, and playing with/bugging Ave, and playing hide and seek. We had a special trip to d.i. just to find stuff to take apart. My favorite thing to do with him is lay down and talk to him right before he goes to bed. Finding out what his favorite part about the day was, and seeing it through his eyes. There's always something I never even noticed that he thought was hilarious or interesting. And questions, always questions about the world around him. He's either very helpful and kind and willing to share or he's doing everything in his power to drive you nuts. He is shy and daring, interested and funny. We love him a bunch! He's our favorite little guy.
Ava is almost 2 which is so crazy because I swear I was in the hospital and staying up all night yesterday! We call her our sassafrass (even the neighbor kid knows she's sassy) and she is a total girl! She loves to try on shoes and put bows in her hair and will tell you whether or not she likes them, by shaking her head because we're discovering she's a bit stubborn and does things only on her time. We found out her Scoliosis has gotten worse (fyi she has scoliosos) so instead of a brace she will have to have a cast. We got two opinions just to make sure. She is saying Mama, Dad, bubbles, ball, hi, dog, bober (something like that, it means Cooper), Devin, more, no (her favorite), ouch. There are a few more but I can't think of what I'm missing. She signs please, fishy, snake, candy, drink, all done, dog, milk. She's a mama's girl and is pretty particular about who she'll go to. Nursery-not so much. She loves babies and little kids and likes to follow them around and laugh at them. She makes us laugh all the time and has the cutest smile and laugh! She gets really excited and yells every time we play hide and seek and she can hear Cooper coming to get her.
As for us...Not too exciting! Justin is fixing exercise equipment and working some crazy hours. We (Lindy, my friend, and her husband that is) planted our first tree in our yard! Yeah!! I smile every time I see it. And we are getting our garden ready to plant! Sometime in the future is a playground and sandbox. Sometime...
Anyway, that's just for me. They are so much fun! They miss each other when the other one is gone and are best friends. We love them like crazy!

Yeah, we also got a new camera and I'm so tech savvy I can't figure out how to download pictures so those pics are both a few months old but hey, something's better than nothing right?

For Great Grandma Olsen

(This is really long)

Ava can scoot! She learned this about 1 1/2 months ago and it's so cute! This is how she get around now and my suspicions about her being the one that gets into everything have been confirmed! She loves eating paper and playing with doorstops. Time to baby proof again!

Two Wheels BABY!

My 3 year 3month old can ride a two wheeler! He jumped on our neighbors little bike without training wheels, the seat was held for about 2 seconds and he was off! If he were like one inch taller he would be able to start on his own. Soon! (I switched these videos around but it takes too long to change them so just watch the second one first. And they are really bumpy, sorry)

Cooper's 3rd day riding a two-wheeler. Didn't take him long to pick up some tricks. Going off the curb is his favorite! He got a little bit more graceful putting the bike down. Now he keeps asking to take the training wheels off his motorcycle so he can go up big hills. Cooper is our retirement plan, we're banking he's got some mad motocross skills also!


He had been riding for five minutes max. Holy cow I can't believe he's so big. Love this kid! Don't you love Ava's bike? She's ready to go to!
FYI: He's at our neighbor's house. Our house is the white one in the background-for those of you who are wondering. (Andrea that is your lot right behind us. OUR neighbors are really nice, I know you'll love it)

This is how pretty it was when he learned

Ava @ 10 Mos is...

I know I did an update not too long ago on Ava, this is just for my own remembering because Heaven knows I need all the help I can get!

Nicknames for Ava at the moment: Lil' Ave, A-V-A, baby Ava, Ava Bava, Sweetpea.
Some of your favorite things: FOOD! watching Cooper play, anything small enough to put in your mouth, Mom, sitting in big kid chairs, and oh yea FOOD. It's a wonder you're so small

Ava you are honestly the best baby ever! The only time I hear a peep out of you is if you are hungry-and then it's just grunts or Cooper is being too friendly. Yep, that's pretty much it. Oh, or if my hands are cold when I'm changing your clothes! That is about it. I can't believe how content and happy you are. You give me a smile everytime you see me, yes everytime and I can't get enough of it. I just want to squeeze you and keep you like this forever. I know you're smart because you sit quietly and observe so much. You are saying Mama, Dada, and Hi but without the 'i', and waving.

Some new things that you're learning: You will sit on your bum and move your feet until you've gone in a full 360 degree circle to see what or who is around. You have been so laid back that if a toy was out of reach it was no big deal. Great for temperament, not so much for learning to get around! But you are now wanting to get moving a little more. You are trying to scoot on your bum but it's hard on the carpet. You are also starting to stand for a few seconds on your own! Yeah! You are rolling everywhere and we are working on those abs so you can go from laying to sitting. You have two new teeth and you know how to use them! Food is your favorite! You can eat nearly a whole packet of instant oatmeal. I usually split one between you and Cooper and you eat yours and then finish off half of Coop's because he is 'full' ie wants to play.

Cooper is still your best friend and is pretty much the only one who can make you belly laugh and he thinks that's great. Even though he realizes you are never leaving, he's now realizing you are somebody he can play with to.

I love that you are just happy and have no worries. I wish I could keep you this unaware forever but I fear the day will come when you realize not everything's perfect. So, I will keep you in my arms and kiss you as much as I can so that maybe when that time comes, it won't matter so much. We love you and can't get enough of you!

FYI

I took Ava in for a weight check today and she gained 7oz in 2 weeks! So, maybe she's like the 4th percentile now. Yeah!

GoOD cLeaN fUn

Cooper very proud of his motorcycle jump (the little mound of dirt on the floor)
The motorcycle getting ready to jump

Good 'clean' fun

That's my boy! He's always digging, building,and figuring out how things work. This plant is his usual building ground. I have found him here quite a bit during the day. You never know what they'll come up with!

So, this picture may not be a big deal to anyone else but to me it's huge! The other day there were a few boys around his age playing by our house (our whole block is a field aka playground) and I said, "you can go play if you want" Not thinking he really would. He's usually so shy I didn't think he'd chance it but he ran and got his shoes and put them on, ran out our door, hesitated for a few min at the bottom of the stairs, and then ran right up to them and started playing! What?! Since when is my baby boy big enough to go play outside with the boys and make friends that aren't at a playdate with their mommies? It was one of those make your heart ache because you know they're not your baby anymore kind of moments. I was glued to the window watching. I'm so excited to live in a neighborhood and watch him grow up with all the boys in our neighborhood. We have some great neighbors. Justin is still really good friends with his neighborhood friends so hopefully my kids will have some lasting relationships just like it! I love our house!

I've had many entertaining conversations with Cooper while we were driving in the car but I think this one tops them all!

Coop: Look at those horses!
Me: What horses? (We were on the freeway so it was a quick glance)
M: Oh! (Shock)
C: What was that horse doin Mom?! (Lots of laughing)
M: Maybe it's getting a piggyback (also lots of laughing)
C: Why's it so tired? (laughing) It's gettin' a ride on the other horse! (laughing)

The above repeated until we got home with lots and lots of laughing on both ends. We had to call Justin and tell him about the funny horses getting a piggy back ride. Who needs the discovery channel?