Snowing Tissues

Well I got slammed with a nasty cold. I have been in bed since Thursday night. My bedroom looks like it snowed tissues. Hunter asked Daddy why there was tissues all over the place. I don't really remember the last couple days I am in a cold coma. I just thought I would tell you why I haven't posted...back to bed... Nyquil here I come...

Pooped

I am so tired. I got to work at 6:30am and cut orders until 8:30pm. 31 orders cut (in one day)...fourteen hours later...I am too pooped to put any cohereant thoughts together. Just gibberish...never again...we may have to hire more people....goodnight.

The More the Merrier...

Jessica, Logan, Bailey, Hayden and Hunter

If you peeked in the windows of the West's home, on most days there are always a few extra. It is pretty rare around here not to have two, three, four and sometimes five more little ones running around. ( this afternoon it was 8) Today I thought it was so cute as they were watching Arthur and eating a popsicle all in a row. Bailey mentioned today that Melannie (his mom) calls me his "other mom". I find it a compliment as I want all children to feel welcomed and loved when they enter our home. I want all visiting children to be able relax, laugh, play, have fun, and even eat (if I have enough) when they are at our home. As we sat down to eat dinner tonight (missing Grandma) it felt so quiet with our family of 5. The more the merrier is so true...

One night while making dinner, Hayden jumps up onto the barstool and says to me, "So, what's for dinner?"

A Big Day!

Today was a big day for me. I have had to run ALL aspects of the business without my second hand man Camilla. When you start a business with someone, you split up the tasks to cover more ground. Camilla runs the main computer and runs the cutter. Well seeing Camilla is still in the hospital (she is doing better today, fever has gone), I took over getting the orders cut and prepared etc. etc. As I bounced around all the different files trying to find the designs I needed to cut I kept saying, "It is like going through someone else's closet and trying to find an earring!" Allison, Melannie, my Mom, all watched with bated breathe as I worked at the computer to see if all would go well. SUCCESS! We were able to stay on track with our order schedule and all went well. Sigh....I am pooped.

My mom goes home tomorrow, I sure enjoyed her here. I hope we didn't tire her out too bad! She came to help me with my business, she was a BIG help. She got all my color cards put together (100) with 32 colors each! Thanks mom! I hope you come back soon!

Tennis Lessons

Jessica started her Tennis lessons this week. She was VERY excited. She is taking them at the Tennis and Raquetball club which is wonderful. They even have a hang out place for "siblings" with fooseball tables, air hockey, ping pong and big couches everywhere and even big t.v.'s. (I think I was more excited than the boys as I wasn't going to here complaining for an hour.) The lessons run all year. Jessica and Logan took a couple lessons last year and really loved it. She did a great job today. Even with all the cool play things, Logan decided he was going to join his sister and take lessons as well. I better find a cozy couch and settle in...

Making Applesauce

My mom asked how she could help me out while she was here, I thought hmmm what has been on my to do list that I just haven't been able to get to. Canning Applesauce! She was all game so this weekend we tackled many many bags of 3 different kind of apples. We had a few disasters and had to dump our first batch, but after figuring it all out we had success!

A Big Scare

Tonight we all had a big scare. My best friend Camilla had surgery a week and a half ago on her foot. She had a bone cyst that needed removed. This meant she has to spend about 8 weeks off of her foot. So this morning she and I were talking on the phone and she casually mentions that her ribs are hurting her. She thought it was from sleeping on the couch all this time. We talked about it for a bit and then went on to other subjects...turned out Camilla had to be rushed to emergency for pain in her chest and not being able to breathe. I was scared to death. Rick (her husband) called me as he waited in the waiting room while she went back. It was either a collapsed lung or blood clot in her lung. Hours later we finally found out she had two blood clots, one in each lung. She was just admitted to the hospital tonight and they gave her blood thinners and she will wait for them to dissolve, watching her carfully. I was terrified but I feel much better that she is in the hospital now. I am so grateful she didn't wait through the night before going in. This event was VERY hard on me. I was beside myself waiting to here how she was.

Friday Movie Night

Last night we had our Friday Movie Night. We watched IGOR and a dog movie I forgot the name of...I just love these cozy nights where we gather all the foamies and blankets up and hunker down with each other. It has become something we all look forward to every week. Grandma joined us this week, I think she was laughing harder than then all of us!

At one point I said "are you guys scared?" Hunter says, "No mom, I only believe nonfiction."

Meet Buddy (the third)

Jessica has BEGGED for another pet, for months and months. Something she could love and hold etc etc... Powder and her two fish just hasn't cut it. Her heart has room for more. Grandma comes in the picture... well game over.... Oh and daddy was thrilled....

The kids were talking about what would happen if they got another bird. Then Hunter said they could have babies, Jessica protests, "No! They have to be married to do that!"

(Buddy is the third generation name. Grandma named her bird Buddy, I named my bird Buddy and Jessica now passed down the name...isn't that just special?)

Amazing Mom

My amazing mom came down to visit for the week. She has only been here one day and has already...

Built a Lego ship with Logan while he is home sick.

Played the Wii with Logan for a couple hours.

Received a silver in tennis and has a Wii age of 40.

(pretty good seeing she is 64!)

Spent a couple hours putting all my business color palatte cards together.

Took a belly dancing class...

Uh oh! She lost her bells!

Oh well! Mom will just improvise...

She then did a kickboxing class with the kids.

And finally, I joined her in a hip hop dance class...

I just love watching my mom. She is ball of fire! I am so grateful for her in my life.

A long long night

Well it started with Matt going out of town. Jessica asked if she could sleep with me seeing Daddy was gone. So I we went to bed, all was fine. Until little Logan came to my bed at midnight saying he felt really sick. So I had him get in bed with me, now 3 of us. At around 1:00 it got a little crowded so I headed to Logan's bed to sleep. Once I got situated all of a sudden some alarm off of some toy went off. Of course I kept lying there hoping it would stop, just about after I thought the stupid thing was possessed, it stopped. Then around 1:30 I heard a faint "mommy", and then a run to the bathroom. I leaped out of bed to find Logan puking his little guts out. I then moved a half asleep Jess to the foamie on the floor (to pick my battles at 2:00 am) He proceeded to throw up for the next hour and half. We then all slept until 4:00am then he woke up screaming in pain for another hour saying his throat hurt... Oh boy what a night.

I took him to the pediatrician in the morning and it turned out he has severe strep throat. He threw up all day long, several times an hour. It was a long day too. Anyway, he started to take a turn tonight and was able to keep down his popsicle. Oh how my heart gets torn into pieces when I see him in that much pain.

Update: Logan ended up coming down with a red rash all over his body which was called scarlet fever, children get it as an additional symptom to the strep throat. His tongue also broke out in red bumps. Poor little guy.

Day Off!

Today we were able to run up to Mission Ridge and ski. (Which is only 15 minutes away) We love having ski passes because there is no pressure to stay. Which is important with little kids. Funny though, it is always me that quits early, not the kids. They all have been skiing since they were three or four and now they are really fun to go with. It is work, and it is spendy, but it such a wonderful family activity that we can all enjoy together and that they will hopefully have for life. Hunter will do ANYTHING to get poles. Every year he begs, hoping it is the year he will get them. (In the picture above Hunter is trying to ski backwards.)

I Am a Child of God

The other night at around 3am I awoke to one of the kids crying. Or so I thought. I leaped out of bed and went to turn off the fan that we use for white noise so I could figure out what room it was coming from. Then in the silence I heard Jessica quietly singing the song, I am a Child of God. She had gotten to the part, "lead me guide me..." I said, "Jess? Are you awake?" she then burst into tears, she says, " Mommy, I am so scared!" She told me she was too frightened to come find me and decided to sing,"I am Child of God" to comfort herself. We then said a prayer and I cuddled her back to sleep. That....is one of the many reasons I am so happy we are teaching her the gospel and about her Heavenly Father who loves her as much as I do.

Our Baby

Powder is our big baby...need I say more.

Logan's Night

Jessica and Hunter went to a sleepover with their buddies tonight. Logan for the couple last weeks has had such a hard time. Going to all day kindergarten is just like going to get a root canal every day as far as he is concerned. Let me tell you, it takes everything I have when he cries every morning to not just let him stay home with me. He is very attatched to being at home with his mommy and daddy. When the other kids left tonight we told Logan that we were taking him on a special date with just mommy and daddy. We took him to Pizza Hut and Baskin Robbins and then we came home and had a bowling championship. He creamed us... he is a very good bowler! The night was just what he needed.

I'm Back!!!

Finally! No more hyjacking computers to check email. I now have my new laptop, internet is installed and I can now back blog. I backblogged to Christmas Eve. Oh how I missed you...

Oh Jessica...

Hang around Jess for a bit and you start cracking up, here are a few I can remember...

1. Last Sunday was fast and testimony meeting. Jessica was busy working coloring her picture until she saw one of the older kids in her primary get up bear their testimony. I saw her closely examing this other little girl and then she leaned over and asked me if you had to be baptized in order to bear your testimony. I said no, but you have to be able to do it by yourself. She thought about it for a moment. Then whispered back, "mom, will you type it up for me and if I tell you what to type?" I told her we would talk about it more at family home evening. That seemed to keep her satisfied until dinner when she brought it up again. She asked, "mom, can I bear my testimony anywhere?" I said you bet. So she stood on her chair right then and there and very solemly and serious said she loved her family, she loved Jesus and she was happy she could pray to Heavenly Father. Then she sat down and finished her dinner.

2. We told the kids that when Grandma comes next week daddy and I were going to Seattle to buy their new dressers. We mentioned that we may try to go to the temple while we are there. Jessica asked, "is it your anniversary?" I said no why? she said, "that is where you go when it is your anniversary." (we did that one year) "But people who are in love go there right?"

3. Jessica and I were watching t.v. together and a commericial for gastric bypass surgery came on. The lady went on about how she was 300 pounds before and after she was this little thing. Jessica looked up at me and said, "Hey mom, you should do that." I had no words.

3D Sleepover

Camilla and Rick went to Spokane for the weekend for their anniversary, so we had a slumber party. We couldn't not have Hayden and Bailey come too! They watched Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D style. We managed to rummage enough 3D glasses for all of them. Sometimes I think my house needs a maxium occupancy sign, but then that wouldn't be much fun now would it?