Maryland Winter

I know it sounds silly but here in Maryland it feels like the winter just drags on and on. As I said, I know it sounds silly, being from Alaska and all where the winters are months long, but here I have been enjoying cold days that are below freezing and no snow and then it snows and then it is above freezing and makes me think spring is here and then the next week it snows and starts to melt the snow once again and then it freezes into this miserable icy snow that you can't play in and then after a few days of this miserable cold it gets nice and warm and sunny and then all of a sudden the snow melts within a day or two and we have sun and it gets my hopes up again and then the cycle starts all over again. At least in Alaska I know where I stand. I don't get spring till later, March at the earliest and I would have snow for months and it wouldn't always melt and come back 10 times during the course of the winter.

Anyway, on one of the nice times with some snow, we went out sledding with Peggy! She came over and we all went out to go sledding. Tristan stayed inside and slept but Chris, Dallin, Peggy and I went out.


This is Peggy carrying Dallin up the hill. I don't remember sledding being so exhausting when I was a kid but I think it has to do with the fact that I didn't have to carry an extra 25 pounds up the hill!


This is my wonderful husband. He has always been so willing to take Dallin out to play in the snow or just to wander around a few minutes before dinner.


Me and Dallin. I didn't want to go sledding because I don't like being cold and wet when I go back inside we didn't have another pair of snow pants that fit me.


We all had a great time playing outside for a little bit. Dallin would say wheeee every time he went down the hill. Then we made snow angels and we threw snow balls and had a grand ol' time. I do enjoy our times being out like that but I will admit I am itching for spring and warm days and being outside, where both my little boys love to be!

Happiness

Do you want to know what the sound of pure joy is?

It is the sound of my husband and my two adorable boys laughing. I was doing the dishes after dinner and while I was doing them Dallin was climbing into a cabinet and hiding and Chris would say "Where's Dallin?" from the dining room and Tristan thought it was hilarious and so I could hear Dallin laughing in the cabinet, Tristan laughing at Chris and Chris was a little giggly himself. I just stood there doing the dishes thinking how lucky I am. I have the best husband in all the world (in my opinion) and he is such a great father to our kids and then I have two wonderful little boys who can sometimes make me oh-so frustrated but at the end of the day when Dallin gives me kisses good night and Tristan falls asleep in my arms while drinking his last bottle of the night, I know that I am so blessed and couldn't ask for more when it comes to our current life. I do look forward to our next one, whenever that is, but for now I am so very happy with the way life is.

Mean People

Today our trash can was stolen. Its a very sad day. I was putting Dallin down for a nap when the trash guys came by and after I left his room I saw our trash can leaning against the snow bank. I saw it there and thought, man, those guys were rude today, not standing my trash can upright. About 2 hours later I think it was I went upstairs to get Dallin and I noticed that our trash can wasn't there anymore! It was windy today I will admit so I ran outside for a moment to look in the road and it wasn't anywhere! Some jerk came and took our awesome trash can! It makes me sad that there are people like that who would steal someones trash can... I mean, come on! Its where we put poopy diapers and our trash! Why would someone want it? I just can't believe there are people that mean around. It makes me sad for the state of the world.

What a week.

I have been very lax in keeping people updated. I just hope that if you care enough about us and notice that we had fallen off the face of the earth that you would be welcome to call us. We have not been up to much lately, especially this last week. It was a TOUGH week! I learned that there is nothing more miserable, more humbling, and more scary than having a little boy being sick with a high fever who won't eat or drink anything for 2 days. I am talking about Dallin. Poor little boy woke up last Sunday night and was crying, because he didn't feel well I guess. Then when we put him back in his bed, he threw up all over it! Then Monday when we woke up he was hot and we wondered if he had what Tristan had from Saturday and Sunday. Tristan was just fussy and tired and had a high fever but ate his milk just fine and never threw up and didn't have diarrhea. Poor Dallin did though.

From the time he woke up Monday morning to Tuesday night, he did not take a single step. Tuesday night we forced got Dallin to take some Tylenol and he perked up a bit and drank a bit but didn't eat anything. He didn't throw up though, so that was good. Then he all of a sudden got up off the couch, where he had slept, drank and watched tv for 2 days.

Then Wednesday he played a bit more but threw up and wouldn't drink at all really. He would take about 8-10 hours to have a wet diaper so I was starting to get paranoid. Thankfully that evening he drank juice boxes but just one and that was it and then to bed where he slept all night.

Then on Thursday he drank and drank and drank! I think he had 5 juice boxes all day along with water and a very small amount of milk. He also got a slushie, which was his 3rd one of the week. He loves the slushies from Royal Farms and drank a lot of it where as the two previous ones Chris and I had drunk most of them. So I wasn't as worried about him. Dallin was very clingy all day though and in the morning he wouldn't let me go and so I called our friend Kaylene if she would watch Tristan for a few hours. It was nice to not worry about him, especially since about an hour after he got home he slept for 2 hours. He likes his bed a lot and sleeps best when in his own bed.

Friday though I started feeling quite ill. My ear had stayed plugged all night with both Tristan and Dallin waking up during the night crying and my mood was not the best and being cold hurt and I just wanted to sleep. Chris wasn't feeling very good either but he was better than I and took care of the boys while I slept and recouped. Dallin finally ate a real meal and didn't throw it up and drank lots. Unfortunately Tristan started to act up and wouldn't sleep very long and decided he wouldn't eat more than 4 ounces at a time, which is saying something because he will usually eat 10 ounces and still be able to fit more in that belly of his.

Saturday, we were all still sick and Chris was feeling worse off so I did a lot of boy watching as well as going out and finally getting rid of Slick, the cat. I took her back to Peggy's house and I am so happy to be rid of her! Yay! Dallin played a lot more but was still pretty fussy. But we were able to enjoy him more and remember that we do love him. And as I said before, Tristan was not the happiest of babies. He did so great all week, playing by himself and then right around dinner time he had eaten about 8 ounces and was playing on the ground with me when all of a sudden a huge gusher of milk came out of his mouth. Had he been sitting up it would have traveled. But since he was laying down it just poured all over his face and into his nose and eyes and all over his clothes. He quickly went into the bath. But after that he was just fine but didn't seem like he wanted to eat at all for the rest of the night. I wonder why... He did sleep okay, waking up only once during the night though.

Sunday, we stayed home from church. I didn't think we were good company at this time. Dallin was acting better but still has his nose and cough and this evening right before bed he threw up everything in his tummy. It was a lot of food. Tristan seems like his tummy has settled down but he hasn't wanted to eat all day. He has only finished one bottle all day I think. I did get him to eat some banana so I hope he will keep that down. I am feeling better today. My ears will finally pop when I want them to and my nose is drying up a bit I think. I am still really congested though. Chris has felt queasy all day and is very tired of blowing his nose and coughing. He is afraid they will send him home from work again tomorrow if he can't stop coughing magically through the night.

So, as you can see, it was a long week. I am tired and worn out and just want a break from my boys but at night when Tristan falls asleep on me when I am burping him and Dallin gives me a kiss and as I turn out his light and he says night-night and kisses the air back at me, I remember how much I love them. I just hope I can make it through this next week and I hope and pray we all get healthy overnight!