Snow Update

Once I was out and about a bit yesterday after the snow and during the snow I realized that our yard was not a very good picture of how much snow really fell. We have a very open yard so the wind which was gusting around 45 mph blew much of the snow away from our house. My Mother in-laws house is more sheltered from the wind and the snow stayed where it fell. She lives only about 3 miles or less from our house. Their yard had at least 6-8 inches in it yesterday around 10 am. The roads where completely ice this morning but the sun is out and the snow and roads are melting off quickly. But again we get to welcome back the season of MUD! I really dislike spring just because of the mud and wetness. I am praying that my tulips and irises make it through this as they had started to pop through the ground.

Snow at the end of April

Taken through the patio door on the East side of the house.


Taken out our front door also on the East side of the house.


This is what we woke up to this morning. It started to snow last night. It was predicted that we would have 7.5 inches of snow by this morning as you can see we did not but we did have some snow and plenty of wind to blow that snow around. The News was saying that TRF did get 7 inches or at least some of Pennington county. Thankfully we did not. The further west you go the less snow you will run into but the wind is still there. That is a good thing as we have to travel west to Grand Forks today for Kjerstin's second to last ballet class before her recital on May 10 at the Chester Fritz Auditorium. Everyone is welcome to attend if you feel the need. Kjerstin would certainly love it! We are picking up Sunny and her daughter Karlee who also goes to ballet with Kjerstin. It will be a fun trip as it is Parent's day so we get to watch ballet class today. I love these days they are great photo opt days!

The Latest Three Project Linus Blankets

As most of those who read this blog know I am very active with our local Project Linus chapter based out of Black Duck, MN. Here are the last three blankets I brought in for donation last week at Sjorberg's Cable in Thief River Falls.

Kehan and Ashlyn

Now Kehan is a good big brother and loves his baby sister very much. Ashlyn doesn't always appreciate his enthusiasim in caring and loving her. Mostly she cries almost anytime he gets too close to her because he is in general kind of rough but always has good intentions. Her cry is to warn me that she might really be hurt in just a minute or two! Every once in awhile we get a glimpse of his gentle love and she is willing to sit next to him and sometimes even laugh at him often.

First taste of Corn on the cob

Ashlyn had her first taste of corn on the cob Tuesday. She really liked chewing on it but couldn't quite figure it out. As you can see in the photo she liked to chew on the end the most. I guess that was just a little easier then the way most people eat corn on the cob. Kjerstin and Kehan really enjoyed their cobs and can't wait to plant our own in the garden as soon as it gets a bit warmer.

A Big Bounce of Fun!

On Saturday Quinten took Kjerstin to ballet because he had to pick up somethings in Grand Forks at the "Man Store", aka Menards. While at Menards he finally got the kids the toy he has wanted to get them for the past two years it seems. A trampoline! The kids LOVE this! Quinten put it together Sunday afternoon and they spent two straight hours bouncing around in there. I have to admit that it is really fun. Something you forget as you become the mom I think. After the first couple jumps I was back into the grove. I will say that my hips are certainly feeling the bouncing today though! I guess even at 27 my body just isn't what it used to be!

Kjerstin and her ear

So after we came in from playing outside on Friday Kjerstin starts crying because her ear hurts. This had been happening for a few days but always at times when I asked her to do something like take a rest. So I always thought she was faking it and making up some excuse. I know bad mom but it happened so frequently that it was totally plausible! While she was crying I fine if your ear hurts I am calling the doctor and we will go see him. She cries no I don't want to go to the doctor. Ok does your ear still hurt, yes. Then we are going to the doctor. Still not believing her you know. I gave her some pain medicine and off we went to the doctor. Grandma Lana so nicely came over to watch the other two sleeping children. Kjerstin DID have an EAR INFECTION! So I felt bad as a mom for telling her to stop making excuses! Oh, well her ear is feeling fine now. One more day of medicine left.

Snap shot of Ashlyn

Here is Ashlyn having her cup in the morning. We are down to only one bottle a day at night. Almost off the bottle! What a big girl she is getting to be. Now the next conquest will be walking. Sometimes she needs the thumb and her cup at the same time, but alas she is still sick in this picture. She actually is still sick today. She just cannot get rid of this fever. She woke up with 102.4 again this morning. Medicine brings it down but when that starts to dwindle in her system it goes right back up. We are at 72 hours now so I am going to put a call in to the doctor's office again today and see if he wants to see her or what he recommends.

Kissing Cousins??

This picture of Kehan and Mya was taken the weekend of Ashlyn's birthday party. I would say on Saturday the 12 of April. Can we say kissing cousins?? It is too funny! Oh, the embaressment this will bring in years to come!

The kids have been weighed and measured!

The kids have been weighed and measured all with in a week. Here are the new stats on each child.
Kjerstin 37 pounds 41.5 inches tall 4.5 years old
Kehan 36 pounds 38.25 inches 2 years 10.5 months-almost 3(I just measured him though and he was 39 inches. I was supsecting he was in a growth spurt. I guess I was right!)
Ashlyn as noted before is 18 pounds 3 ounces and 29 inches. 1 year old

More Sickness!

So yesterday Ashlyn puked during her morning nap. Then was fine slept for a really long time for her afternoon nap I had to go and wake her up finally and her temp was at 101.9. Gave her mortin. I checked her before I went to bed around 11pm. She was at 103.9!! Her breathing was heavy and kind of fast. I gave her more motrin, some juice to drink, and a cool bath. I had her with me for the next 1.5 hours, I was so scared to leave her! Then I put her back in her crib as her temp was going down. Then before 5:30am she was puking again! Although there was nothing in her belly so it was mostly just dry heaves. I gave her more motrin as her temp was going up again. Now she is wake and pretty much normal. Her temp is still flucuating when the medicine wears off but no more puke yet! Kjerstin and Kehan both are running temps but only around 100 degrees or so and no puking from them. It was a long night because the other two were up too! 4 days in a row of not getting sleep is getting old!!

Bad News! Prayers are needed.

Prayers are needed for close friends of ours. Sunny had a kidney transplant last year in April, the kidney is doing fine. She has diabetes and was also getting a pancreas transplant so the diabetes wouldn't attack the new kidney. She got that transplant last week on Thursday. Today a blot clot caused the pancreas to stop working and they had to go in and remove it. She will be about a week in the hospital recovering and then put back on the waiting list for another pancreas. Please keep her family in your prayers as she has a husband and a 4 year old daughter. This is really hard for them when at first the news was so good.

Party Day!

Here are some pictures from Ashlyn's birthday party! She had a blast and I have to say I cooked a pretty good turkey! She recieved really nice gifts and I thank everyone who came to help us celebrate and those who could not come and sent cards and gifts to help us celebrate! It has been an adventurous year with three children. Now the fun will begin...if she ever learns to walk!

GREAT NEWS!!

A close friend of ours, Sunny, had surgery this afternoon for a Pancreas transplant to get rid of her diabetes following the Kidney transplant she had last April. The pancreas appears to be working! She is doing well so far and will be in the hospital for a few more days. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as she recovers!

12 month Well Baby Visit

Today was the day to be weighed and measured! Ashlyn now weighs a whopping 18 pounds 3 ounces compared to the 4 pounds 10.5 ounces she weighed a year ago at 4 days old! Can you imagine her that little anymore? It seems such a distant memory already! She is now at 29 inches and offically in the 12 month range for height in clothing! She is such a little girl, but not the smallest anymore. She came out in the 48% for Height and 12% for weight. I think this little girl wants to be like Auntie LeighAn! That is okay with me, little girls are so much fun. Otherwise everything is just fine with her health. She did not get her 12 month shots because she is still on antibiotics from the tonsilitis so I opted to wait until her 18 month appt for these shots.

We are still cleaning and getting ready for the big party on Saturday! We can't wait to see everyone and celebrate Ashlyn's birth! It is such a blessing to have her and we thank God everyday for our children. Even the days they drive up bonkers!

Ashlyn's First Birthday!

My little girl is no longer a baby! She had a good day and loved her cake. The big party is next Saturday with all of the family. She shares this special day with her Uncle Tyler and her second cousin Amanda. Happy Birthday to the both of you too! Ashlyn will go into the doctor on Tuesday for her 12 month appointment so I will have all the new stats then.

Blanket for the Benefit

Here is the Whacky Nine Baby Quilt finished. I hand quilted stars in the center of each block and then a little star on each of the four corners of the center block. I have donated this blanket to the silent auction at a friend's benefit on Saturday.

A Quiet Moment with Dad

Here Kehan fell asleep on Quinten. It was so sweet and because it is not about to happen very often any more as he is almost three I thought I should make a Kodak Moment out of it. Mind you that this is the night before the trip to the ER so he was probably already not feeling great. Still it is a nice moment to have captured.

Trip to the ER

Well we made it home on Sunday in 6.5 hours including stops. Just thought everyone would like to know that first off.

Last night Kjerstin came up to our room before midnight and had a fever and wanted to sleep with us. She did for a little while then I brought her back to her bed. Sometime after that around 3 am she came up stairs again needing help getting her jammies back on. She had diarrhea. By 4:30 am she puked all over our bedroom floor.

The rest of the day she was fine but had a temp and one bout of diarrhea. Kehan and Ashlyn also had temps. I thought we were going to have around of the flu. Throughout the day I couldn't really get their temps down below 100 degrees. Around 5pm Kehan spiked to 104.1 I gave him more motrin and 15 min later it was up at 104.6! So Kehan and I took a trip to Fosston to the ER. His doctor was also thankfully on call and at the hospital already due to someone else being brought in. It turns out he has tonsilitis! Our doctor said to check the other kids' throats and if they were red too to start them on the antibiotics he gave me for Kehan and call him in the morning to call in the other two prescriptions. Well they all have it! I am not sure where they picked up on our trip to Wisconsin but everyone who saw us beware of the infection! They are all peacefully sleeping now and hopefully their fevers will be controlable tomorrow!