go vikings??

I can't believe the Packers lost yesterday after such a comeback. Cal was so mad he stuck his head in a snowbank after the game.

Before you freak out, we really are NOT Minnesota fans. But as y'all know, I like Brett, so who to root for now that our beloved Pack is out?? I guess I'll cheer for Minnesota, or Indianapolis. Arizona doesn't stand a chance against New Orleans anyhow.

playing catch up

December 27-Mike & Elizabeth's anniversary & Sadie smiles for real for the first time : )

December 30-Maddie has a fever of 103.7, urgent care is closed and we really don't want to go to Childrens' Hospital. We avoid that place when and if we can. We kept checking her & her temp. through the night and decided that we'd go to urgent care first thing in the morning.

But look at those cheeks!!! So cute.

December 31-Maddie goes to urgent care, has pneumonia. Kaycey and Maddie had been coughing all week...Cal slept over by my grandparents, a tradition on New Years, something he has done for 4 years (maybe 5??)

January 1-Happy New Year!! Kaycey wipes out on the kitchen floor and cracks her chin open. Off to Children's Hospital for stitches (couldn't avoid Children's...since it was on Kaycey's face we wanted to make sure if she needed to see a specialist we were in the right place.) Of course, as to be expected, Kaycey makes nothing of getting stitches. Doesn't make a peep at the hospital.

Four teeny tiny stitches on her little chin.

Maddie is feeling MUCH better. Amazing what a dose or two of an antibiotic can do.

January 2-my grandpa's birthday. He's 11. Yep, you read that right. (He counts backwards, something he started when he was 40 I think.) Cal and Papa will both be 11 in 2010. Poor Sadie has developed a cough now.

Time to take the tree down...I usually leave it up thru Maddie's birthday, but we decided it's time to take a tree down when it sounds like it is raining (needles) when you walk by it. Thankfully, my Grandma came over to help pack stuff away, or it might still be sitting here. Check out all those needles. It's beginning to look alot like a Charlie Brown tree once we took the lights off.

Here's whats left of the tree after Mike cut off the top and all the branches and threw them out the back door.

January 3-take Sadie to Children's because she is coughing so hard she is throwing up and not keeping anything down. (Now we are not the type to go to the E.R. for just anything. ARGH!! Children's again...have I told you how I can't stand that place?? Trust me, I don't go there unless I absolutely NEED to!!) Her breathing seemed labored, as well. Dx, clear lungs, no fevers, so it's "just" an upper resp. infection. She sounds awful, and must feel so miserable!! But holy cow, she is already 11lbs, 6oz!!!!

January 4-girls stay home from school. get in to see the doctor for Kaycey--turns out she has a double ear infx. And Sadie, too, so the doc could listen to her again to make sure she hasn't gotten worse. Dr. is concerned about RSV but says Sadie is looking and sounding great all things considered--still clear lungs, no fevers. I also have a doc appt. this day (my post-partum appt). Doctor doesn't know what to tell me about my pain near my hip and above my incision. She thinks it could be a hematoma (bad bruise) or neuroma (ball of nerves). I have a feeling I'll be back in a couple weeks to get it checked out again. It hasn't gotten any better in 6 weeks, in fact, it's becoming more tender.

January 5-Maddie has a check up to make sure her lungs are clearing up. Have to come back in 2 weeks for another chest xray.

January 7-Kaycey gets her stitches out at the doctor. Maddie's 5th birthday,

& it snowed quite a bit. Funny, on this day 2 years ago it was 60 degrees.

January 8-Packer Day at school! Wow, no doc appointments. Poor Sadie is not sounding much better, though.

So that is how 2010 is starting out. Sigh. Here's to a better weekend & better rest of the year!

Christmas Day (#3,4,5)

Christmas morning, the kids didn't get up until 8am. Whoa, that's gotta be a record. As I recall, most other years were more like 6 or 7am, since they were so excited. But they were so exhausted, 8am it was. Mike and I didn't get out of bed till 8:30, believe it or not they patiently waited that 1/2 hour for us to drag ourselves out of bed, for another long day ahead.

One of the favorites Cal and Kaycey got were miniature booklights, good for in the car when we are driving at night. Maddie was mad she didn't get one, so perhaps for her birthday, that is what she will get!

While Cal is rather certain there isn't really a Santa, he certainly was excited about the presents "from SANTA" anyhow. He got a 2009 complete baseball card set, a framed 8x10 picture of Cal Ripken, Jr., books, a webkinz Oriole, and a Rodgers jersey. Though the Rodgers jersey had to be exchanged because Santa somehow misjudged the size.

Kaycey got an American Girl snowsuit for Kit (who knew Santa shopped at resale shops and got the set for $14.99!!!), an American Girl book "doll school", a webkinz dog, and a Driver jersey.

Maddie got a shirt with a dog on it, a webkinz dog, rooms for her new Calico Critters, and a house to put them in. The house had Kaycey's name on it, too. And actually, all 3 of the older kids have been playing with it. The house is so cute, I would have fun setting it up and playing, too. It'll be a bit crazy when Sadie is mobile...the pieces are so darn tiny!!

Sadie got a pink & white stuffed dog and two onesies that say "little sister" and "cutest baby sister".

After opening gifts, we got ready and headed out the door to Dad and Maria's. We are supposed to eat brunch there (typically we go around 9:30 or 10). We didn't get there till almost 12. We had a nice "breakfast" and opened more presents! Legos, clothes, an NFL fact/record book (more stats for Cal to memorize...), movies, and more! Then off to Mike's Aunt's house for Christmas with his grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. The biggest excitement of going there besides seeing everyone, and everyone meeting Sadie for the first time, is 1-they have a really cool, finished basement with tons of Packers memorabilia. 2-a house that was built on Extreme Home Makeover is closeby, so we always make sure to drive past it on the way to and from. (Personally my most favorite house the Home Makeover crew has ever built!)

After a long day filled with lots of driving (and lots of presents!!) we made it home (it took twice as long because of a snowy night). Another late night, and likely another long day on the 26th as Mike's Dad's side of the family has their Christmas gathering!! Phew! Lots of gatherings.

2010

A brief intermission from the Christmas postings...I hope 2010 will not be defined by how it began...a 4 year old with pneumonia, a 7 year old needing stitches, and a teeny tiny one starting to cough now, too!! Hoping for a year without mishaps or further health issues!!

Christmas #2, Dec. 24

with flash

no flash

Christmas Eve:

The kids sang in two church services, 4pm & 6pm. Not the usual Christmas songs, but they were beautiful anyhow! It becomes a very late night quickly since the second service ends at 7pm. By the time we get the kids home and we eat, present opening with my side of the family doesn't begin until after 8 or 9pm! Mike and I are trying to come up with something different for next year, because it's just too much too late for us. We got to bed around 1:30or 2am. Not fun with a new baby who woke up a short time after we went to bed. The kids were up very late, too. They kind of just passed out in the middle of the living room floor. The next morning Cal couldn't remember if we had opened presents the night before or if it was a dream. They forgot to leave cookies out for Santa Christmas Eve night (though Mommy remembered to leave some out anyways) and they didn't even wake up until 8am Christmas morning!!

Here is the one picture of me from all of the Christmas gatherings, other than our family shot Someone really needs to start taking some pictures of me with my kids or something, there are so few!!