Saturday morning hike

Trying to entertain two active little girls for a few hours every Saturday morning while D gets a little more sleep from his late night working has M coming up some creative plans outside. Last week we went hiking at a Natural Area just outside of Loveland. At seven in the morning the air was still chilly even though the sun was shining brightly. We were the first ones in the parking lot, although by the time we left there were about 15 cars, most of them runners with their dogs.

Crossing a little ravine...we had to be quiet because the grumpy old troll was still asleep according to C.

The area is called the Devil's Backbone due to the rock formations around the area. It was a pretty hike with a gradual climb to the top. With all the snow on the ground and the chill in the air, I started getting cold before we reached the top.

We made it the half mile to the top and the overlook.

Since it was only 9 am when we got back to the car, we went to the mall and walked for another hour before heading home and waking up D.

Evening fun

M, C and I try to have lots of fun together in the evening. Since C's hair is now long enough, we had a hair braiding party, where I told M to braid my hair and C's hair.

Don't we look cute with our hair all done?

For Valentine's Day, M tried to make heart pancakes. They kind of turned out, but they were really good to eat!

Most nights I sit with a pad of paper and markers and do my "homework". Strange thing is that it was never assigned to me by my teacher. I just love writing, so I practice over and over.

I love writing and drawing so much, I started a book. I drew the pictures and M helped me write the words.

Explaining to M what my story is all about.

C is at that age where she wants to do everything by herself. Below is her attempt to dress herself.....the hard part is trying to walk when both legs got in only one hole.

C playing with Teddy. You can't really hear it in this video (even though M was prompting quite a lot), but her cute saying when holding Teddy in her hands is to say, "Teddy holding me."

Snow fun

Near the beginning of February, we got a good 7 inches of snow. It stayed cold for the rest of the week, so on Saturday we went out to play. Sledding down the small hill in our park.

Getting a ride back home!

C hanging out in the garage watching M shovel the driveway...front row seat!

Super Bowl party

We had people over for Super Bowl Sunday. I helped M make a pan of special cookie bars. I told her what colors I wanted the frosting to be.

Even C helped us.

All ready for the game!C cuddling up with P during the game. For not being a thumb sucker, this was the second time in that weekend that C was caught with her thumb in her mouth!

M & D's girls

The last couple of Sundays C and I have been wearing matching coats. Aren't we cute.

D was so excited that tonight he was home and well enough for his girls to cuddle up with him.

Saturday adventures

The plan for this past Saturday was for M to take C and I out of the house early so D could sleep in and then head to work. With him coming home sick Friday night, M didn't know what to do. But I decided I still wanted to go skiing like M had told me we were going to. This was an adventure (or suicide mission) for M in that she was going to have both of us on the ski hill at the same time. Notice the monkey on my back. That was the harness M was going to use for me so i wouldn't get too far ahead of her and C.

Ready to go up the conveyor belt to the bunny slope.

We did so good the first run down, that M thought we could handle the chair lift and the littler steeper hill. It was a little scary for her to have me in a chair all by myself, but i hung on tight!

C riding up with M.

After 2 runs down (and more than 45 mintues outside) as we got tangled a few times on the steeper slope, we were ready for lunch. We headed back to the van for our peanut butter sandwiches.

M's little ski bums!

After lunch M tried to take us back on the slopes, but it was so windy and getting too close to nap time. Once both C and I started crying, M decided it was time to head home! She still plans to take us out again, just one by one next time!!
We got home shortly after 4 and relaxed for about an hour before M started supper. The water was just starting to boil when the electricity went off. After patiently waiting for 45 minutes for it to come back on, M decided she needed to go find food elsewhere. The lights came back on 10 minutes before we had to turn them off for bedtime!
C and I playing with the flashlights as we waited for the blackout to be over. It was our first extended blackout and was an adventure in itself. C couldn't quite understand why the lights didn't work when she flipped the switches in all the rooms but the flashlights sure were fun to play with and have a picnic by.

House full of sickness

The last few weeks have been one sickness after another. It started Thursday, January 12th when M got a call from my teacher saying I had thrown up in the school driveway on the way over to the cafeteria for lunch. So M and I went home that day and due to school policy were home the next day also, even though I didn't throw up again, although I did have a fever most of the afternoon.
Monday (the 16th) found us back at school with the start of a cold coming on. I swam in the morning and when M came to the cafeteria to eat lunch with me I was fast asleep on my teacher's lap. Since the cough had started that morning and the teacher thought I had a slight fever, I was again sent home with M. This time M tried to get me to continue my nap in her office, while she got another hour or so of work accomplished. By late afternoon my fever was very apparent, so M took me home. The rest of the week M and I fought a cold, but were at school and work.
The next Monday (23) morning found me throwing up in my bed at 4:30 and doing so 3 more times before M got up at 6 for work. Since D was on the afternoon shift, M headed to work a little early with the plan to leave in the afternoon and get D off to his work a few hours late. Since my last episode was early morning, I was allowed to go back to school the next day. So off to another week of school & work. D started complaining Wednesday that the cold M and I had, had been given to him. Friday night he went into work earlier so he could be off by our bedtime. He wasn't even home an hour when he started throwing up. He spent most of the night throwing up. Saturday the flu was mostly gone, but a serious cold had set in, which caused D to miss work Saturday and church Sunday with M, C and I staying as far away from him as we could.
Saturday night my fever came back and by Sunday night I was complaining about my right ear hurting. When M checked on me at 3am Monday morning and I was still burning up, it was decided that she would use a sick day for the 3rd Monday in a row. The first appointment at the Pediatric's office was at 8:20 in the morning with a doctor I had never seen. It was a very productive appointment. Antibiotics were prescribed for an ear infection and then the doctor spent the next 45 minutes explaining Asthma and his official diagnosis of it in me. By the time we left, M had 5 prescriptions to fill for the various aliments. This week I have been on antibiotics for the ear infection, a steroid for the inflammation on my airways, Tylenol with codeine for my cough and an Albuterol inhaler for my wheezing. After 4 days M can say that they have worked. Starting next week (once I am off the steroid) I will start my preventative medicine for asthma. The doctor suggested that I use the inhaler during the school year and during the summer do my regiment of allergy medicines.
Even though I have a long road ahead of me (although hopefully I will outgrow the asthma), it is somewhat of a relief for M. She has long suspected that I had more than just allergies. Even when I am having an allergy attack, it is more asthmatic--in that manifests as a cough (sometime so hard that it causes me to throw up) rather than itching/watery eyes/nose as most hay fever allergies do.
Luckily, other than a few sniffles and a slight cough, C has gone through the last 3 weeks unscathed. M spent most of the day Monday disinfecting the house and cleaning the bathrooms. Hopefully the sickness is out of our house for good!!!