Christmas

I love Christmas time!  I want to do all kinds of fun things to get in the spirit and just love the family time, the lights, cooler weather, and celebrating the birth of Jesus.  It is hard to not be happy during all this fun, especially with little kids. 

This December was definately different.  The kids were still sick.  We would get a few days a reprieve and then another sickness would set it.  The stomach flue went through the family quick on Christmas day.  With in 24 hours 8 members of our family went down, 3 at our house alone.  And even more so we had to say goodbye to our sweet nephew Garren who was born and went to be with Jesus on December 8th.  It was an emotional month.  

But we still tried to get out and do a few festive things.  We walked the neighborhood of my parents checking out the lights, went to the Mesa temple to check out lights, decorated Christmas cookies, and went to zoolights after new years.  (Picture overload ahead)

Walking Papa and Gra Gra's neighborhood

Decorating cookies at Nana and Papa De Wit's

Temple with the cousins and Papa and Gra Gra

 Playing together

New Christmas Outfits- 

glad we wore them to church the 23rd, never made it to Christmas Eve Service

 Christmas Eve Day at Papa and Gra Gra's

 Christmas morning at home

 Christmas Night at the De Wit's. 

 Only made it about an hour before B got the stomach flu!

Photo Shoot

As usual we bought the kids matching Christmas PJ's.  But with as sick as my kids have been over the last few months, we never went to get their picture taken.  So Sara and I thought we would attempt to make a cute background with a sheet and some ornaments.  I am really glad that we did not pay to get pictures, it is hard to get 4 little ones to sit still at the same time and smile. The pictures speak for themselves.  Even if we didn't get a great one, they are still cute!

It has been a long month

Behind again.  I haven't even posted about Halloween, the pumpkin patch, Hadley starting to crawl, and our wonderful Thanksgiving trip to NM and CO.  I will, someday, not today.  Today, I vent. 

It has been a LONG month.  I shouldn't be sitting here right now, there is a lot of sanitizing and cleaning of this house and toys that must be done soon.  There are dishes, Christmas cards to address, church work to be done, a baby shower to prepare for,  and all the other daily tasks and things to prepare for Christmas.  (It took me 4 days to decorate me tree)  But that is all pushed aside because my babies are sick.  It has been 24 days since it all started and it hasn't let up much.  24 days ago it started with our first round of croup for the winter.  In 24 days we have not had a good night sleep, 1 trip to urgent care and 4 trips to the pediatrician. Each child has started with a cold that turned into a sinus infections and ear infection for B, bronchitis and and ear infection for Hadley.  Both kids are now on antibiotics 2x a day for 10-12 days B is 3 days ahead, H with her bronchitis must have breathing treatments 3x a day for 4 days then 2x for 3 days and 1x until the cough is gone.  B has to have a breathing treatment at night until his cough is gone.  Getting medicine in B is torture for both of us and he is scared of the breathing machine so that doesn't go well.  Hadley is almost  7 months old and hates me trying to get the mask near her and just tries to eat it.

 I am exhausted, tired, and trying to survive.  I have great family willing to come help out and give me a break and hold a child that doesn't feel well and just wants to cuddle.  Jason is amazing and really helps out when he gets home.  The 4 of us haven't been to church together is a month. Have I mentioned that it has been a long 24 days? I just hope they are better by Christmas.  I might lay on the couch for the few minutes I have left until someone is bound to wake up coughing!

Thanksgiving Trip

This summer Jason's family all ventured to CO to see Grandma and the Smidts.  Since Hadley was just 8 weeks old and I am never a huge fan of road trips we decided to stay home.  But, we have been wanting to to go CO for a while.  After much discussion we decided that we would go Thanksgiving week and Jason would only have to miss 3 days of work and we could make the long trip worth our while.  We left on the 17th and stayed in Albuquerque with Grandma and Grandpa Bolkema until the 19th then finished the trip to Colorado Springs. We then stayed in until Friday and went back to Albuquerque for a night and was back home in the 24th.  It was a GREAT trip.  The kids and I all had terrible colds but everyone to care of us and we had a lot to be thankful for!

Aunt Janet had the guest room so cute.  We even had a welcome basket with snacks!

A bed for Hadley with Pooh to keep her company

And camp Brayden, he still talks about sleeping in a tent for so many days,
he slept so well and had so much fun!  

Every morning B would help Uncle Jay feed to chickens and check for eggs.  

 New outfits from Grandma

 Enjoying the cold weather

 Garden of the gods

 Happy Thanksgiving

 Hadley's First Thanksgiving.  (Holding the bib Aunt Julie gave Brayden)

 Playing basketball with the boys

 With Great Grandma Voss!  We love her!