More Sickies

So I finally got the bug. I felt horrible all day Sunday and my stomach hurt more than usual so after getting everyone through the throwing up and diarrhea it was my turn. This was enough to tip me over after feeling sick for so long anyway. I was mostly laying down for a couple of days. Peter is trying to be patient with me but I think he is tired of this too. I am feeling better but Dallin is having a hard time. He had a cold sort of thing a couple of weeks ago with a high fever. Since then it has lingered and he keeps getting fevers. For the past three days he has had a terrible cough as well as a fever. So I made an appointment to take him to the doctor this afternoon. It is so frustrating to have him miss school and therapy when he needs it but is just too sick. He already missed two days last week. If you know Dallin you know he rarely even acts sick unless he is really really sick so I can tell it is bad because he is being totally mellow. Right now his fever is 103.2. The other kids have it too, but not nearly as bad. It seems like this is never ending and it is not even winter yet. It is no fun to have sick little ones. No one is eating as much as normal yet either. I feel so bad for them.

Calling

Eden was sitting on my lap today and she started to pat my tummy and said "there's a little baby in there". Ha! I guess she gets it. What a smarty.

I was called to be a Relief Society teacher today. Not a bad calling. It is kind of nice that it is a Sunday calling and I do enjoy teaching. Last time I had this calling I was a BYU and everyone was my age so I am a little nervous about teaching mostly more experienced people in life. That is intimidating. I think it will be fun though and it is only once a month. I should be able to handle that.

Updates

We finally got to start ABA therapy at home this week for Dallin! They will be coming Monday through Friday from 2-5. He comes home from school at 1:30 so this makes for a pretty long day for Dallin. I think he will like it because there is a lot of playing involved with it. They came on Tuesday and Wednesday. Dallin, as any child needs time for adjustment and to get to know his tutors so he has been acting up a lot. Once he gets to know everyone and used to the schedule I think he will do great. I think he will make great strides with all of this in addition to school. I am so relieved that we are finally getting all the help that he needs.

We had a little disruption after Wednesday however. Eden began with the stomach bug and then everyone got it but me. Taking care of sick kids is probably one of the hardest times to be a parent. Especially when I already feel like I have the flu all the time. None of the kids have been eating much for 3 days so it is really weird. They are keeping water down now so that is good. I think today we are kind of through all the bad stuff thank goodness. Of course we had to cancel therapy for Thursday and Friday. That stinks, but hopefully everyone will be healthy next week.

Peter has been home a lot lately which has been so nice. He has helped with kids, and really stepped up around the house since I have been less productive lately. I don't know what I would do without him. Seriously, he does all the dishes and laundry. He really is a sweet guy. Pest control is way slow so he doesn't even bother to go out until the late afternoon. During the day he has been trying to find work to continue his electrical apprenticeship. He has one more year to finish but it is really tricky switching states for that. He has found a couple of people who are willing to hire him but they want him to do a different apprenticeship program that would not transfer back to Oregon. We still plan to go back to Oregon eventually so that won't work. We are hoping that he can find something very soon, but in the meantime we can still get by with pest control. As long as he can make about 5 sales a week that should be fine and he should be able to do that with no problem.

As for me, I am just trying to get through the next couple of weeks so that I can feel better. Morning sickness is the only time in life that I wish I could just fast forward. I have been taking vitamin b6 and it actually really helps. I don't really have a lot going on outside of home so that is good. I have been pretty homesick lately though. I miss having my sisters to do stuff with all the time and having dinner with the Dickinsons every Sunday. I also miss our ward at home. Our ward here is great, but I am just really missing everything Oregon. Life is going so well here in Cali, but having no family is getting to be very lonely. Oh well, it is worth it and I don't regret being here at all. Sorry this is such a whiny post. I really don't have much to complain about when we have so many blessings.

A little Heartbeat

If you haven't heard our news...I went the the doctor on Tuesday and got to see our new little peanut in an ultrasound! That's right, I was so exited to see the little heartbeat. I also saw little arms and legs. It is crazy how much can happen in 10 weeks. The official due date is May 24th. Dallin, Tanner and this new little one will all have birthdays within a couple of weeks from each other. We are so exited about adding to our bunch. Morning sickness has been particularly hard this time with 3 other little ones that need me so much but I am hopefully almost through that part.

The Pumpkin Patch Farm

We went to a pumpkin patch farm with Dallin's class the other day. We had all kinds of adventures: Eden and Dallin got to ride on some ponies. They were very brave.

Lunch break.
The kids enjoyed climbing a mountain of hay bales. Some other kid pushed a bale over on Eden. She cried but was okay, just lots of straw in her hair.

Goats
Chickens

Even Tanner was into the animals.

This is Dallin's class. He is sitting by his best friend Austin. They have our Dallin, a Dillin and a Dillon in their class.
Picking out pumpkins.

The tractor hayride was a highlight for Dallin. He called it a tractor train.
This was a mini hay baler demonstration. His class got to make one and keep it for their classrooom.

Kids Say the Funniest Things

I have been saving all of these cute little things in my head that the kids have been saying so I thought I would write them down. This kind of thing is really new for me. We have waited for so long for talking and now Dallin and Eden are really starting to tell me all about it. It is wonderful.

• First of all, remember the "snake" that the kids saw outside? The kids talk about this still and last week we let Dallin stay up late for the first time in a long time. He kept looking outside because it was so dark, and he isn't usually downstairs when it is dark. Then he came over to me and told me that the snake was sleeping. He added "Snake has a little pillow and a little blanket". This is the most original laguage yet for Dallin. What a sweetie.
• Too Narrow!!! Okay, this one isn't so cute anymore. Dallin really likes this phrase even though he doesn't really know what it means. Whenever he doesn't want something, it is "no, that's too narrow". Eden says it now too and I hear it 20 times a day.
• Prayer time. The other night when Eden was saying her usual thank yous in her prayer she said " thank you for yucky lizzards". I love it!
• Unfortunately Dallin heard someone take the Lords name in vain at school and has been repeating it at home. I didn't really know if he would understand my reasoning, but I told him that when he says that it hurts Heavenly Fathers feelings. So then we kept trying to get him to say "oh dear" instead. I didn't think he was getting it, but then the next time he said it he looked at me and said "that's sad". I think we have pretty much replaced the phrase now.
• We went on a field trip to the pumkin patch yesterday with Dallin's class. He kept hugging on our legs and telling his teacher "this is my mommy/daddy".
• The other day Dallin was sick and he took a nap. When he woke up, I was holding him and he looked up at the wall and said "its in the wall". I asked him what was and he said "boogers".
• Tanner isn't saying a whole lot, but has a lot of early words for a 16 month old. What I am liking though is that he starting to repeat words already. We have not had anyone talk this early but he will repeat things like diaper, pizza, fishies, bananas and yesterday he said goat when we were petting the animals at the pumpkin patch. Maybe this is just the normal age, but it is the earliest for our family. He really seems to know what I am saying to him a lot too. I guess every kid is different.

"Someday is NOT a day of the week." Author Unknown

Ward Halloween Party

We had a great time with the kids at our ward party. Dallin was really cute with his Thomas costume. He loved being Thomas and ran around making train noises a lot. Eden had a blue princess costume that she refused to wear because it wasn't pink. I finally decided to let her wear a pink church dress because I figured after an hour of tantruming that this was really supposed to be a fun thing for her and if she was this upset it wasn't worth it.
Tanner was a cute little pumpkin. He loved running all over the gym. He is becoming quite a independant little guy.
Eden did have a good time except for the spook alley. She made it about 10 steps in and then she got to scared of the "pirates".

After the party there was trunk or treating in the parking lot where the kids stashed up. The next day they ate candy all day (I just wanted to get it over with). I was glad to see the last piece gone for sure, but they really had a great time with it. Eden was a little confused about it because she was starting to think that you only get candy if you go potty in the toilet. All week she was trying to earn 2 candies for going number 2 but she hasn't quite gotten that yet.

The Space Derby

Last weekend the elder's quarum put on a space derby. Peter and Dallin spent hours getting their rocket ready for launching the day before. They decorated it with a bunch of pictures of Dallin's favorite things like monster trucks and even a blanket! Then ALL DAY the next day Dallin kept asking about the rocket. Technically this was supposed to be an activity for adults, but we were like, how could we not take Dallin to the race? So we decided to take all three kids with us. Peter kind of got persmission, but we totally felt like party crashers. Oh well, no one said anything to us. Dallin was just in awe of the whole event. After it was over, Peter gave the rocket to him, and he was so happy to get his hands on it finally (Peter wouldn't let him handle it too much because he kept breaking it). So here is a little video of how the race went down. Good thing Dallin didn't really get that it was a race. Since then he carries what is left of the rocket all over and even tucks it in next to him at night. It has to be covered up with a blanket of course.

Silly Little Boy

The things kids do to entertain themselves...

Its a Boy AND a Girl!

It is a good day to be an aunt. Yesterday, well really in the middle of the night, at 1:30 AM my little sis had her second Child. A sweet little 8 lb baby boy named Max(see picture). Everything went well to speak of so I am very happy. They are about 2 hours away so we will probably go see them on Friday.

Then, last night we got the news of John and Sarah (Peter's brother and wife) had their little girl around 10:30. I feel like a lucky girl to have so many babies in my life right now. I can't wait to meet this little girl at Christmas time. And I am so glad that everyone is healthy and no big complications. Congratulations!!!

Big Week for Toddlers

The last few days we have had some big developments around our house. First of all, Dallin has been sleeping on the couch in the living room since we moved here. He refused to sleep in his room for some reason and I decided not to fight him anymore about it because he was going to bed very easily on the couch anyway. EVERY NIGHT at some point he wakes up and climbs into our bed for the rest of the night. These habits are not good. So lately he has become more afraid of the dark and afraid to be alone which has made bed time a nightmare. So last week, after Mark left (he was sleeping on Dallins bed since it wasn't being used anyway) we made the big move to sharing a room with Eden. We put both beds upstairs where Eden was already sleeping. They were so exited about it. Before, it would just not work, but Dallin has grown up so much in the last few months that we think it will work fine now. The first night was great, as long as I agreed to leave the door open. Since then, it has been a fight again. Dallin will not stay in bed at all even though he is so tired he can hardly keep his eyes open. So I have resigned myself to sitting in the room until he falls asleep. It is funny because I just sit there not even acknowledging them. Dallin gets up at 6am so by 7pm he is very tired and it really only takes 5 minutes to fall asleep, if that. So I guess it is not a big deal, but I wish that he could go to sleep on his own. I am very exited that he is transitioning to the new room though. We still have him in our bed at some point in the night. Putting him back in bed doesn't work unless we stay with him.

So the other big development is that we are FINALLY potty training! Dallin is wearing underwear at school, so I send 3 changes of clothes with him each day. Today, he used the potty 5 times at school. At home I let him use his little potty and he loves the candy rewards and putting stickers on his chart. Eden has been a little tricky. She doesn't feel the wet when she has an accident in her underwear so she has only been wearing a shirt for a couple of days. She goes in the potty most of the time, but has had some accidents. I will be cleaning my carpets for sure. It is such a process to do this. I admit that I am holding it up because I let them wear diapers later in the day after so many hours of it. Eden loves being praised for it. I didn't realize that the hardest part would be getting them to understand the dry/wet concept when they wear underwear. Man, this is overwhelming. I thought doing both at once would be easier, but now I am not sure. I can't even begin with the anxiety I am having about getting them to go #2. It seems like it would just be easier to keep them in diapers, but Dallin is almost 4 1/2 now and I know they can do it. Can I is the real question.

Any input from moms who have dealt with these issues would be so appreciated!

I am a Child of God

There is nothing that will warm a mothers heart more than hearing the song "I am a child of God" around the house from little voices. Dallin and Eden both really love that song and they have been singing it as they play today.

We enjoyed watching conference this weekend and I was sad to see it come to an end. I just feel so uplifted and happy and ready to keep trying to do things right. I think I have several favorite talks this time, but the freshest one in my mind was Dallin Oaks talking about doing good things better things and the best things. I think it is so easy to get caught in the busy things in life that are good but the best thing is to make sure you have enough family time. He makes so much sense. Julie Beck was awesome too. I like how she made the job of motherhood so important. That made me want to be a better homemaker. There were so many other really good ones, but I have to hear them all again to refresh everything. I also love the music and really liked the spoken word this morning right before. If I were to ever live in Utah for any reason, my dream would be to be in the tabernacle choir.

This is just a cute clip of Tanner with a teddy bear. He is really into saying "hi" the last couple of days, along with "uh oh" and "no". Dallin is so funny too. He has been calling Peter by his first name. Usually just when he is looking for him, because that is what I call him when I am looking for him. It cracks me up.

Dallin's Mullet

Dallin has been resisting haircuts for a while now. He hasn't had a cut in over 6 months! So when I realized that picture day was coming up at school, that was it for me. He had fallen asleep on the bus ride home so there was my chance. Dallin has the Dickinson sleeping gene so he didn't even know what hit him. It went really well since he didn't wiggle much. About half way through I couldn't help but laugh at the mullet that I had created. I usually give him regular haircuts so this was the longest he has ever had it.

When he woke up he had no idea what had just happened. I showed him in the mirror but I just don't think he is that self aware. He is still loving school and talking up a storm. I am blown away every day by his progress. The other day, I called Dallin and Eden in for bed when they were playing outside. They were over by the bushes and grassy area and as they came in they kept saying "bye bye snake". I was kinda freaked out but they told me it was a little snake and I told them not to touch snakes. Now when they go out they look for their new friend and tell me he is hungry.

Eden is talking a lot too. She is so cuddly lately. When I am reading or working on the computer she will just come up and sit by me just to be near me. She is becoming quite a big sister type to the boys too. She thinks she is the boss. She got a new Carebear movie the other day and she can't get enough of that.

Tanner is the cutest monkey. On our road trip to Oregon we taught him to make monkey sounds and now he does it all the time. It is hilarious. He also likes to wave and say bye-bye to Daddy when he goes to work.


The fall weather here is so nice. Still very sunny but it is more in the 70s and 80s now. I have been enjoying eating breakfast out on the patio each morning to start my day out fresh. We have been taking advantage of Mark being here at night. When the kids are down, Peter and I have been going out to dinner quite a bit. I guess that makes up for the serious lack of dating that we have done the last couple of years.