Sickie Update

Last night was a long night. Aiden and Mikayla have continued to be sick today. Their fevers are over 103 and then once the Advil hits, it lowers and they seem better. Around the 6 hour mark, they start to become lethargic, extremely upset and the fever starts to spike again. Aiden complains of a sore throat and Mikayla keeps pointing in her mouth and saying that it hurts. We spent lot's of quiet time reading and watching more than our daily allotment of TV. Jello and popsicles have been a staple. Aiden and Caileigh are currently camped out in the living room. Caileigh feels quite disappointed that she can't have medicine so I did give her some extra Vitamin D. This seemed to satisfy her. I hope that the kids fall asleep soon and sleep well. Mikayla has already been up 1/2 dozen times needing comfort so let's hope that tonight is a better night than last night.

4 months

{Jordan} {Alex

A few things......

*Both going down for the night between 6-7, wake up around 7

*1-2 wake ups each at night

*For the most part they put themselves to sleep if I lay them down fed and with soothers and blankies.

*They can usually sleep through anything

*3 short naps or 2 long naps a day

*Very content babies

*They love to hold hands and "chat" with each other although sometimes they end up pinching each other and becoming upset.

*Alex has been trying to roll from back to front for over a week and a few days after he started to attempt, Jordan started trying

*They have both found their voices! They love to squeal and shriek.

*They love to cuddle and be held so they can watch the action.

*They both love sitting in the exersaucer.

*Tummy time is more tolerated and Alex tries to bring his knees up under him.

*They are both incredibly loved and enjoyed

Thank you Lorraine for the gorgeous sweaters!

Jordan 17 lbs 13 oz

Alex 17 lbs 6 oz

Sickies

Aiden and Mikayla have had fevers ranging from 102-104 all day. Advil brings it down but only temporarily and never below 101. Aiden vomited quite substantially but is now sleeping. Mikayla didn't nap today and didn't go down for the night until after 9. Everyone is now sleeping and fevers are hovering around 102. Just waiting to see if they lower before I go to bed. Boys still have little coughs and Caileigh is feeling good. I sure hope everyone wakes up tomorrow morning feeling better!!

Happy 22 Months Mikayla

I can say one thing, she's too busy to photograph.........

What??

{Jordan, compliments of Mikayla}

Making memories

6 days since Sean left. We're hanging in there. 5 out of 6 of us have colds but besides being cranky and tired, we are managing to carry on. One activity that has been keeping us busy is working on our "Powell River Alphabet Memory Book." We are hoping to capture some of our favorite places and people. Here are a few from today........

R is for River City Coffee

This is a favorite place of ours. Chocolate milk mochas are the best! Sean and I met back in 1999 when I was working behind the counter and he was buying coffee. I even went to Maui with the young lady holding Aiden. Hard to believe I was brought along as her babysitter!

V is for viewpoint.

I just realized how awful it is that my 3 sick children are not wearing jackets and Caileigh isn't even wearing shoes. They did just jump out for the picture! Honest! Oh, and yes, Caileigh does dress herself.

S is for Safeway Starbucks. A regular stop of ours. Here are the kids with Kayla, one of the great staff that we call friends.

I just had to include this because these are Caileigh's "boyfriends", Anthony and Matteus. She adores telling them what to do and they love to follow suit. They are identical twins as well. We met through twin group. We will sure miss them!

I'll be sure to share more as they unfold............

It is a wonderfully blustery day. The house feels cozy and warm. There is the soft scent of apples and cinnamon filling the air. The three older kids are sitting at the table, helping to chop apples. I am stirring warm, bubbling applesauce and checking on the baking crisp. The babies are contentedly sleeping with their blankets held close to their faces. I am feeling content and full of thanksgiving.

5 mins later ...........

The phone is ringing...........both babies are screaming with hunger and in need of urgent attention.........Mikayla is shrieking to be unstrapped from her chair as she needs to use the potty.......Aiden and Caileigh have begun to turn the apple box into a sled and are in need of every art material available to man. They fight in protest of who gets to use the scissors first.........the apple sauce is ready and needs to be removed from the element.........the timer is beeping that the crisp is ready and threatening to burn...........there is the smell of poopy diaper in the air..........I am feeling overwhelmed, yet strangely full of ironic laughter.

Such is my life.

To my Dear Children,

I would like to issue a huge thank you to you! Last night was Mommy's first night alone without Daddy and you all really pulled through. Jordan, you are amazing. I am so happy that you decided to sleep through the night for the first time. Well done my son. Alex, excellent job with only one wake up. You might possibly be my new favorite children. (don't tell the others)

Aiden and Caileigh, only good things seem to be coming from you. It is nearing 7am and you are still in bed! Thank you both for being so incredibly amazing. Let's just keep the noise levels down when you finally do decide to head downstairs.

Mikayla, it really was a delight to be awoken by your singing this morning. You are developing incredible range. I do hate to sound negative, however I believe your timing was slightly off. 5am might be a little too early for most people's taste. Perhaps a lovely 7am concert would be more appropriate. Don't worry though, tomorrow is a new day.

Thank you all and let's hope today is a great day!

Love,

your incredibly thankful mother

Mikayla's first hair cut

It was only two months ago that Caileigh had her first hair cut so it is hard to believe that Mikayla was ready for hers. She has such wild hair that I was hoping Sharon could make some sense of it. Mikayla was to have hers cut and Caileigh was to have her bangs trimmed. The girls were excited all week anticipating a visit to Sharon's shop. They both did fantastic and I can see their eyes again!

{Before}

{After}

The boys often remind me of Aiden. Here is a picture of the boys taken today as well as the other three kids to compare.

(I am not sure why the kids all look so stunned to be in the sink but it makes me smile!)

Aiden

Caileigh

Mikayla

It has been a whirlwind since finding out about Sean's move. There is the daily typical chaos and then trying to get the house ready to sell as well as organize the logistics of the upcoming transition. I took pictures today to get ready for our listing and wanted to include them so I will have the memories of our home. This is our 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home we moved into the day after finding out we were pregnant with Mikayla. This home was beautifully open and spacious, yet two years later feels cramped and crowded. I am looking forward to hopefully finding a home that will fit our growing needs. A playroom would be wonderful as would more than one bathroom and a garage for the snowy winter!

The kids are all doing well.

Alex and Jordan continue to grow. They are awake a lot more during the day and have been testing out the exersaucer. They have been going down for the night by 6:30-7 and have been sleeping until at least 1am! This has been a huge blessing to make the evenings easier. They are cheerful, social boys. Alex has been trying to roll from his back to his stomach and by wiggling continually he can move himself along. I'll have to watch that he isn't left unattended on the bed anymore.

Aiden is doing well with his schooling. So far, math is his favorite subject. Last week we were discussing animals that are nocturnal and Aiden insists that he is "double nocturnal" because apparently he never sleeps. This week we had a field trip to the salmon hatchery. He really enjoyed seeing the salmon moving up river and getting to see the carcasses of fish that the bears leave around. He is also enjoying his swim lessons and is getting very confident and brave in the water.

Caileigh enjoys participating in school work and is working through the same curriculum as Aiden but at a slower, more relaxed pace. Caileigh has highland dance lessons each week and will be taking part in exams in early November. I have been in contact with a dance teacher in 100 Mile and Caileigh is looking forward to being able to continue dance up north. Caileigh also enjoys her swim class each week.

Miss Mikayla has been undergoing some huge growth. She seems to be changing overnight into such a big girl! Mikayla would very much like to be potty trained and is well on her way. Both Aiden and Caileigh were potty trained at 21 months so I was feeling as though it was time to start with her. I brought up the potty to prepare for training and she promptly sat on it and had success. I was going to move into intensive training right when we received word about the move. I feel that there is so much else going on that I am waiting until we move before we continue with training. Mikayla is mostly staying dry, however, and will ask to use the potty multiple times a day. When she does ask, I follow through with allowing her. It has always been tradition that the kids get a yogourt covered raisin each time they have success. Last week I found Mikayla sitting on the bathroom sink helping herself to the jar of yogourt covered raisins. She points over to the potty and announces, "pee Mommy." It truly seems as though this child is going to train herself!

{her smile of success}

Well, 2 more sleeps until Sean leaves. I pray that he has a safe trip up north and that he can quickly find us the perfect house. The thought of him actually leaving is enough to put me into a state of panic, so I am trying to stay focused on the positive and look no further than tomorrow...........

Visit

Thank you to Great Auntie Margaret and Ina and Auntie Jean who took the time to come over and visit us today. It was wonderful to see you all and I am glad that we were able to spend some time together.

Great idea to bring cupcakes to decorate Auntie Jean, however, some of us may have engorged ourselves.

Big Boys

Alex 15 lbs 10 oz {left}

Jordan 16 lbs 8 oz. {right}

25 1/2 inches

The post in which I announce our upcoming move....

Short Version:

Sean completes management training.

Sean receives promotion as manager.

New job is located in 100 Mile House.

Sean starts in 2 weeks........

Long Version:

Thursday we received a call that Sean has been promoted to manager and will be starting in 2 weeks in 100 Mile House. This is the moment that Sean has been working towards for 12+ years. When I first met Sean 11 years ago, he made it clear that it was his goal to become a store manager by the age of 35. When I made a commitment to Sean, I was also committing to helping him reach this goal. We have supported him through countless work hours and 2 major moves. I am so proud of him to have met his goal! This is a big moment for our family.

While this big moment brings hard times of having to leave my home town, our family and our friends, I know that this will be an adventure as well. We are moving to a community that is known for outdoor winter activities, close friendships and beautiful, hot summers. There is history in this town that we can explore.

While we know that Sean will start work on the 22nd, we are unsure of when the kids and I will join him. Three years ago, when we were transfered from Prince Rupert to Powell River, Sean went ahead and I stayed behind with nearly two year old Aiden and 6 month old Caileigh. I lasted three weeks without him and then headed south for a visit. I never ended up leaving. We lived in 5 different homes that first year including a 6 week stay in a hotel. I cannot, and will not do this with 5 children. We will join Sean once he has been able to find us a new home. I will stay home and keep the kids in their "normal" routine. We will continue with our swim lessons, dance classes and other activities until we hear otherwise. We are blessed that movers will come and move our belongings for us and that with the "guaranteed home sale" program, we can be assured that our house will sell.

There are many unanswered questions but as time unfolds I am sure we will figure this whole thing out. I am excited/scared/hopeful and overwhelmed, but I know we will take this challenge and make the best out of it we can!!

They can sleep through anything......

We were listening to "The Nutcracker" today when I hear Caileigh pipe up, "I'm getting a little tired of Mr. Tchaikovsky"

My blue eyed girl

right now........

This evening, Caileigh hurt her eye. She went upstairs and a few minutes later came down stairs extremely excited to show me something. It took me a moment to figure out what I was looking at. Aiden had taken his construction cone stickers off the wall and made a patch for Caileigh's eye! Quite creative and she is pretty pleased. I am not sure she will feel quite so pleased when it is time to pull it off though..........

I'm outside with Aiden today and he was playing around on a small bike we have. I casually said, "Aiden, I bet you are almost ready to ride a bike without training wheels. We should give it a try soon." He then proceeded to hop on the bike and ride across the yard! We went into the front yard after I grabbed the camera and video and proceeded to capture his first riding experience!!

A chat among brothers

{Alex on top, Jordan on bottom}

{Jordan on left, Alex on right}

Fun Mess, Quick Clean