I'm Allergic to WHAT?!?

We've had quite the realization with Tyler this week. Last Saturday he came home from camping with Derek and Emmy and was just really rubbing his eyes. I chalked it up to being up too late and didn't think much of it. Then Sunday and Monday he was fine. Tuesday we went on the kindergarten field trip to the zoo, Discovery Center, and had a picnic at the park and his eyes were driving him crazy again. Again, me - not worried about it. Wednesday he was fine and then Thursday morning we go to the park before school and then while he's at school they call me and say, "We've got Tyler in the nurse's office, his eyes are really bugging him and maybe it's pink eye, so come get him." So I go in, pick up my swollen red eye boy and bring him home. At this point I'm putting all of these things together and think, 'ok, he's got allergies' - now I who have no allergies am officially stumped about what comes next. So Friday morning we're at the doctor's office saying, "Now what?" He told me that he's allergic to pollen and we just need give him a bath when he comes in from outside and get him on some Claritin or something to clear this up. So he says, 'keep him inside until we can get this back under control, we'll do medicine for 2 weeks and then use as needed.' That's all great and off we go.
On the way to the car little Tyler's head was just spinning. He kept saying, "I didn't know I was allergic to pollen - that is so surprising - I just didn't know!" He couldn't get his mind around this new realization - it had him totally baffled! It was hilarious how shocked he was!
So we get home and he's just playing and sees the mail get delivered, he runs out to get the mail, gets half way there, runs back in and says, 'I just shouldn't be outside, I'm allergic to pollen.'
We had to talk about how we're going to be able to be outside and still be allergic to pollen.

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Kindergarten Program

Tyler had his kindergarten program and it was just to die for! I knew that he was preparing for in it during music and had heard him sing some of the songs at home. Then he told me that he was going to be a dancer during the program. I just thought everyone was a dancer. So I asked him what kind of dance he was going to do, and he breaks in to this freestyle crazy dance. So I think there's a point in the program where everyone does their own kind of dance for a minute. The night of the program came - and I couldn't have been more surprised! They sang 2 cute little songs and then the music teacher announces all of the dancers names and up they go onto this stage. There's Tyler - getting in a boy-girl-boy circle holding hands! Then the other kids start singing and the dancers start doing this choreographed dance! I was dying - it was the cutest thing ever! I had no idea that was what he meant when he told me he was a dancer - and no crazy dance was involved! Then they finished up with the 1st grade version of New York, New York - if you haven't heard it, here's a sampling:

Start spreading the news,

We're leaving today

We're gonna be a part of it -

First grade First grade!

We've learned our ABC's

and our 1,2,3's

And sounding out words

We've learned very well,

We've got stories to tell

If we can make it here,

We can make it anywhere

So here we come,

First grade, First grade!

It was the cutest thing ever!

This last week he got to eat hot lunch at school to practice being a first grader. We didn't know what they were serving for lunch so I was worried that he'd hate it, but he came home all smiles. When I heard about it he told me they had pizza, "Even better than Pizza Hut Mom - it was the best pizza in the world!" They also had green beans, cookie and strawberry milk - he was all raves about hot lunch!

I can't believe we're already done with kindergarten. Wasn't it just yesterday that I stood bawling on the sidewalk and some stranger lady picked him up on the bus!? He's done so great this year and will do awesome in first grade - here he comes!

Funny Kids

Here are few of the funny things my kids are doing that have to be written down somewhere. For Tyler and Emily it's the grown-up things they're starting to say: Tyler is always saying 'suddenly', and Emily is saying 'otherwise'. It cracks me up to hear such grown-up words coming out of their mouths.
Emily is also still a dog - yes, STILL! Today I dropped her off at preschool and her teacher caught me before I left and she said, "Did you know Emily's a dog at school?" I have talked to Emily about this and told her we have to be girls at school and thought she was doing it, so I was sad to hear that she was indeed a dog at school. Her teacher then went on to tell me how Emily always announces what the dog is doing, "The dog is done with her name. The dog is going to the activity table. The dog wants a snack." The whole nine yards are going on at school too! Then I picked her up after school and I hear that today she was a cat - and got the whole class to start meowing! What am I going to do with her?!
Then there's Bay. She is cracking me up too - she is in love with Brown Bear, Brown Bear. She carries it with her throughout the house so she can find me and have me read it to her. I read that book 500 times a day! And now she's started reading it to me! Now before you think she is a child prodigy or something, let me explain. She'll take the book and open to the first page and then start this sing-song babble - it's really quiet and she shakes her head while she does it, then she turns the page and the babble continues. It's hilarious to see her do it.
These kids are a hoot!

Race for the Cure

A few friends and I did Race for the Cure today. It was a 5K race that required some training on my part to get it done. To train I would take Bailey with me in the jogger stroller and leave the
other kids home with Derek. When I first started going I would ask Bay if she wanted to go running - she would nod 'yes' with a whole body nod - she loved it, but by the end she had had enough. When I'd ask her if she wanted to go running she'd shake her head and totally glare at me! It was so funny! How hard is it to sit in a stroller and have some one push you around for a nice stroll - most of the time it would put her to sleep too! She's more glad than I am that the race is over.

The weather was perfect downtown, though by then end I was looking for some sprinklers to run through. When we got to the race everyone kind of did their own thing - we had one run in it in under 9 minute miles and then 2 groups of 2 ran at our own pace and then we had 2 walkers. I had been training at a slow 12 minute mile, but then today in trying to keep up I finished at 30.15 so right about 10 minute miles. Afterwards we all went out to breakfast and had a great time. Derek had to take 3 kids to Emmy's soccer game - so I'm guessing I had a better morning than him!

part 2 - read next post first

Then there's Emmy - which by the way she's still totally a dog! Just today she was jumping up and pawing my friend! Emily started soccer last Saturday for her first game. They have a 30 minute practice and then a 30 minute game against another team. She did fine - considering we haven't ever played soccer with her before! At one point she did turn into a dog and start barking at me - with me yelling "Be a girl and get the ball!". Derek was the coach and even told her, "Get the ball boy, go get it!" - I tell you, we really are going to have our kids taken away if people hear us talk like this! But she did great - and we feel like all the other millions of parents out on the soccer fields. For the next 2 weeks the kids games overlap so we really do feel like busy, kid-chasing parents.

Our Spring of Sports

Well spring has brought on a lot of sports for our family. Tyler is playing flag football for the first time. He has practice every Wednesday night and a game every Saturday. Derek is the assistant coach. He looks very serious in his mouthgaurd and official looking Redskins jersey, with his number and last name on the back. We're not sure if this is going to translate into a professional career though. Whenever he's the quarterback he snaps the ball to the running back in super slow motion. The kids can't rush the quarterback so he really can take long as wants - but it's hilarious to see the ball move that slowly. He doesn't like being the running back though - 6 kids all chasing him isn't his idea of a good time. For the first few games he just stood there and prayed they'd just take his flag and get it over with - but now we have actual forward motion - up to 15 yards! His favorite position is center - no body cares about the center! He's down to 2 games left and is certainly looking forward to baseball season!

FHE Superhero

A few weeks ago we were waiting for Emily to come to have FHE. We were calling and calling her and she just wasn't coming. After several minutes of waiting for her she finally ran it - and we immediately saw what took her so long!

Dog Days

Two weeks ago while we were in Bear Lake my kids watched Lady and the Tramp for the first time. They liked it well enough and right after the movie was over Emily announced that she was a dog -not just any dog though, she was Tramp. She was barking and panting and the whole thing was cute - here she is, being a little dog. Well, we still have a dog on our hands.
For two weeks she has only been a dog - not a girl, a dog. She wakes up barking - she gets 6 inches from my sleeping face and barks to wake me up. She's a dog all day - and all night. Whenever I call her Emmy - she yells, "I'm not Emmy, I'm Tramp!" Whenever I say, "Come on girls" she says, "You have one girl and one dog". This has led me to more embarrassing stories than I can recall - but I'll try:
We were at the store and she was getting away from me. I say, "Come back Emmy" and she yells, "I'm not Emmy!" so I have to say, in a public place, "Come here little Tramp" - is that going to have my kids taken away or what?!
At our Easter dinner at my parents she was pretending to jump up on my brother, who very seriously said, "Down dog, no jumping".
We were in Sacrament Meeting last Sunday and she starts barking, I say too loudly, "No barking in the chapel" and the lady in front of us turned around and started laughing her head off!
We were in Primary and the chorister asked her if the Easter bunny had come. Emmy says, "The dog found jelly beans and the dog ate the jelly beans." The Primary president, who knows about this dog phase had to clarify for everyone saying, "And you're the dog right?"
She came home from Primary with her lovely colored picture of Jesus with "Tramp" written on it (she's also given herself other dog names, all of which she'd told her teacher and she'd written them on her picture: Dog Boy, Scubber, and Ka-boy (not to be confused with 'cowboy' which she'll quickly correct you on!))
Tonight my friend came over and Emmy greeted her at the door barking - she also knows we're all dog all the time, just says "Hi Tramp!"
I have to tell her before dance and preschool that she has to be a girl there - which I'm pretty sure she does - because as soon as I see her she yells, "The dog is back!"
This has lasted lots longer than I would have guessed, but for right now I'm a very proud pet owner - which I never thought I'd say!

Growing Up

Tyler must be growing up because this last month he got to go on a vacation to his grandparents house all by himself! They have a tradition that when a grandchild starts kindergarten they get to go to their house for a few days all by themselves - and be completely spoiled! Tyler went home with John and Sandy from Bear Lake - just like when he got on the bus for the first time, I was the only one crying! He was so thrilled to be big enough to go home with them - ride in their car - and kiss his parents goodbye! He knew he was bigger than his sisters and this was a really neat thing just he got to do.
He got there on Wednesday, didn't come home until late Saturday night, and couldn't have had a better time. The week certainly revolved around him. All of his favorite things were crammed into 4 days and 3 nights. Here's a recap:
Frosted Flakes and Reeses Puffs for breakfast
Pizza for dinner
Lunches included Dairy Queen with Kotter, eating at Skippers to see Debbie, and having Alphabet Soup at Angey's house
He found 6 geocaches and poor Grandpa found none - which Tyler wouldn't let him forget
He went on bike rides and played at parks
He played with Kotter every day
He went to Great Harvest bread every day
Trip to Sportsmans Warehouse to see animals
Watched lots of movies we haven't seen
Slept in a sleeping bag
Played Bingo every night before bed
He coundn't have crammed more fun into several days - he just felt like he was on top of the world.
My mom was coming home from Utah so she met John in Burley to pick Tyler up and bring him home. When he got home he was bouncing off the walls telling us about his trip. He must be growing up.

Spring Break

We had our first Spring Break this year with Tyler in kindergarten. We wanted to do something to mark our first official Spring Break. We talked about going to Salt Lake and doing Temple Square, Hoagle Zoo, and Thanksgiving Point but got a much better offer from John and Sandy. We met them at their time share in Bear Lake and had a great time. We played games, read books, played outside, rode bikes, flew kites, played at the beach and had a completely kid-centered vacation. I live for those kind of vacations where I can play my 25th game of Bingo because I don't have laundry to do, dinner to cook, house to clean and all the rest. Really when the kids asked to do something - there wasn't any reason why we couldn't. It was so fun to have John and Sandy, and Kotter and Tate for some of it, there. My kids loved playing with them and are all ready asking when we can go back.
The best timing of the vacation was Allyson having her baby the week before and only 45 minutes away. We'd planned on spending one day with her family - Al having the baby before we got there was just a great bonus! One day we got to go to her house for the whole day (isn't that what everyone would want when they have a 5 day old baby - to have a family of 5 come and stay for an entire day!?!). We got to see the baby all day and have Josh's birthday party and have a great time spending time with her family.
All in all it was a great first Spring Break - we got to spend lots of time together with family and we had a great time.

This is us everyday going to the bus stop. Bay rides in the stroller, Emily pushes her stroller, with various toys, and Tyler walks. We must be a sight for the neighborhood!

Bad Mom Confession

I know this will probably win me the worst mom of the year award - but here it is anyway - right now Bailey's watching TV and I couldn't be more happy! She has never watched a full 30 seconds of TV in her life - try as I might she has never had any interest in TV, and out of my 3 kids she's the one who I'd pick to watch if I had to pick one - she's just so busy all the time! A little 20 minute break would be great once in a while. But she's never given it the time of day. Then today, in a moment of desperation (house like a pig-sty + husband out of town = despertation) I put in a Baby Einstein (we've tried them before but with zero luck) and there she was standing at the TV pointing to the baby walking on the beach! I know there are lots of moms who I'd horrify right now - but here I am confessing that this has could be a positive thing in our life! Well, in the time I've sat down to type this she's come upstairs and is trying to climb (successfully too) into a chair. My happy moment was short-lived wasn't it? But that might be a light I see at the end of our no-interest-in-TV tunnel!

Tyler's Wildest Dreams

Well Tyler has decided what he wants to be when he grows up. He's wanted to be a cowboy for a long time, but he's changed his mind - the ultimate career choice - he wants to be a bus driver. He told me this the other day, adding, "Mom, I won't ever change my mind - I promise." He wants to drive his bus at his elementary, but a different bus number than the one he rides - he's already scouted out his bus. I told him a bus driver was a great idea. A few days later we were talking about how after elementary school you go to middle school, high school and then college. I was telling him how in college you get to pick what kind of classes you take based on what you want to be when you grow up. He asked what kind of classes bus drivers take. I told him he'll need to take some driving classes and also classes on what to do if they encounter road closures. It all sounded good to him. Then tonight Derek took him to the high school state basketball tournament (he'd taken Emily this afternoon where she reaffirmed that she wanted to be a cheerleader when she grows up) and Derek was asking if he wanted to play basketball or be in the band and Tyler said, "Dad, I won't have time, I'm going to be a bus driver". Derek told him that these kids were still in school, so he could do these things before he becomes a bus driver, to which Tyler said, "Dad, I just want to be a bus driver."

Bowled Over

Emmy went bowling last week for a preschool fieldtrip. She was hilarious as she would roll the ball and 5 minutes later it would hit the pins. Surprisingly hers never stopped half way there (which another little boy from her class can't claim!). Half way through she realized that she'd rather kick the ball down the lane and didn't seem to mind when I reminded her this was bowling, not soccer. I don't remember her score but it was a little misleading because if the kids fouled (crossed the black line - with either feet, hands, ball, or any other body part) they got a zero for that roll. She did great - she must have tapped into her bowling genes back in the family tree.

Family Home Evening

Tyler was in charge of the song this week for FHE. We'd all expected him to pick one of our family favorites but he surprised with an original song he taught us all and then had us sing (is anyone else thinking he might have gotten some of Derek's 'make up original songs' genes?) There wasn't any tune, it was more of a chant. It was so funny that we had to have a time-out while I wrote down his song - here it is:

We all tickle Mom
We all tickle Dad
We all tickle baby
We all tickle sister

We have a tickle party
With ribbons and fun
We have a tickle party
And tickle everyone

Tickles can get tired
When you tickle too long
Then they go to sleep
And then the tickles are gone

Kindergarten Fieldtrip

Tyler had a fieldtrip today to Planet Kid - a big play place (I know, the educational aspect is missing, but they were selling it as excerise). My kids are great with a lot of things - super outgoing in new situations doesn't happen to be one of them. We'd never been to Planet Kid so I could see this be a little overwhelming for Tyler and Emily. Tyler kept asking me what we should do if kids don't stay with their class - see what I mean about we could have problems? So I'm telling him that we're there to play, not stay with his teacher. I told him that he needs to play, and be brave, and not stay with me the whole time. So we get there today and he did great. He checked in with me a lot, and wanted me to watch him climb, and slide and all the rest, but that's great for us. Even Emily's comfort zone grew and grew while we there. Then there was Bay, in the toddler ball pit loving it too.

My Bay

My little Bay is full of accomlishments lately. First, and most importantly, she can walk! I know it's shocking, but it's true - she really walks all the time now! She's didn't break any land speed records, though she did break a new family record by making it officially to 18 months to walk! But crawling is a thing of the past - she's a full-fledged upright little girl!
I have to tell you about Bay at Tyler's school party - she was hilarious. I was running the Valentine party and there were 4 stations the kids were rotating through. Emily stayed at my station the whole time and did great just sitting in her chair and watching the kids file through. Bay, however, was out on her own. She walked (really, she walked!) from my table to the table next to me, and climbed up the chair. My friend was running the station and it was a coloring page - she just gave Bay a page and crayons and Bay colored away (surprise, surprise). Then when she was done with that, she walked to the next table - cookie decorating. Climbed up another chair, got a cookie handed to her and started digging in. It was so funny to see her walk from table to table like she owned the place! I had to keep asking Emmy to look around and tell me where Bay was. It was the funniest.
Last Sunday was big for little Bay - her first day in nursery. Our other 2 kids have done reasonably well with nursery, certainly we've stayed for some weeks with them, but we got them to the point of indepence. Then there's Bay. Derek took her and stayed for a while - he left to fill up the pitcher of water, and expected to find Bailey crying when he got back, but she was just fine. So he stayed for a little longer ane then left to go to Young Men's. I went to nursery as soon as singing time in primary was over - looked in and saw my happy little Bay. So I stood there in the hall in complete amazement - I didn't even know what to do! So I went back right before church was over to pick her up and she got rave reviews! I couldn't believe how great she did her first week.
Then just a side note, Bay loves to wear capes. I think it's the funniest thing - what does she know about capes! - but she loves them. She'll go into Tyler's closet where his is hanging, rip it down, and bring it to me. After I put it on she always walks around the house like she's pretty big stuff. I can't post a picture because our camera is having huge problems - but trust me, it's way cute.

Baby Picasso

I have a budding Picasso at my house - Bailey loves to color! My older two kids color, they might even like to color, but certainly not love to color - but Bailey loves to color. She can color all day long - as long as I keep switching her paper and giving her new colors she'll keep coloring (which comes in mighty handy when fixing dinner, doing dishes, etc.). So I've known that she loves to color but yesterday it hit me how much she loves to. While I was emailing yesterday she was trying to type with me, so to get her off the computer I handed her a book to look at. She took the book, then searched the computer desk until she found a pen, sat down with book and pen in hand and was about to be completely entertained until I put an early end to it. Then she goes downstairs - me still at the computer - she opens up our art cupboard, drags out the box of crayons, dumps them out, grabs two, pulls out a coloring book, and takes her two crayons and her coloring book into the family room (crawling, and dragging) and commences to color. This is where I find her yesterday! Now this is a little girl at 17 months who isn't sure walking is for her, but coloring - now that is worth some work and determination!
Just a side note of how busy she is - yesterday while I was in the shower she gets into my makeup - takes my lipstick into the family room and proceeds to get it all over her hands and clothes - now it's all over her hands, and she crawls everywhere -so imagine my joy when I found a trail of lipstick covered hands from my family room to the stairs! It's everywhere! And isn't coming out too well I might add. Then I find her later with my eyeliner - don't worry, I am getting smarter and stopped this when it was only on her hands and clothes! Do you think it's possible I need to keep a closer eye on her?

Happy Birthday Emily

Monday was our little Emily's birthday. It's totally weird to have a four year old in the house! She was so excited to be four and has talked about it for weeks. Several weeks before her birthday we started talking about what kind of cake she wanted - you have to brace yourself before you have this conversation with Emily - she never ceases to surprise you! Remember this is the girl who for the last two Halloween's has been a ghost and a skeleton and for her last birthday cake she had a snake cake - with Emmy it's safe to say, the scarier the better. So I was all ready to do whatever scary thing she'd thought of for this year - bring on the witch or the goblin or whatever - I was going to do it. Then she surprised me again - a princess cake was the request. Princess? Are you sure? Yeah, Disney princess was the official request. I'd started too late to find a princess cake pan so I had to improvise with buying Disney princess cake toppers from the Walmart bakery. And then I let her pick two colors to frost the cake - black, gray, brown? Nope pink and purple! What has happened to my little haunted house loving Emily?! But there she was - with the girliest cake she's had (since she's been able to choose at least!). Her birthday was fun and the next day at preschool she was Star of the Day and that was just tops for her! I'd have pictures to prove the girliness change but I can't get my pictures off the camera - and my resident technical expert is in Phoenix for the week. I'll have pictures later though.
One funny story about Emmy - the other day she and I were butting heads over who should buckle up her stuffed animal in the car (I'm about 10 times faster so I was choosing me - she's quite independent so she's choosing her) and she yells at me, "you're being mean to your sister!", I say "Emmy, you're not my sister, you're my daughter." She comes back with "well, you're being mean to your daughter!" She might be one to call it like she sees it.