Under the weather

This little man isn't feeling well

I know it's hard to tell from the picture!

He is so good natured I can't even stand it.

But he is coughing and his O2 sats are up and down, and this mama is a bit discouraged.

It's so hard to know what to do with this little man.

Taking him into the ER almost always results in a admission and a 3-4 day commitment of being at the hospital. 

Now if that is what he needs then yes we will be there. But other times he is fighting a virus and all they do are breathing treatments and o2 and we can do that at home. 

It's always a hard call to make. One that I pray fiercely about and hope I make the right decision. 

Either way this little trooper is a delight. I can learn a lot from his good natured personality. I'm sure that is one of the reasons he is here with me. 

School is in the air

Those lazy days of summer pass by in the blink of an eye. 

And back to the grind we go. There is something so good about routine for these kids of mine, and for that reason we embrace back to school and all hoopla that comes with it!

Here is this years line up:

Maddie: 4th grade

Ava: 3rd grade

Nora: 2nd grade

Jack: pre-k

Henry: mamas boy!

It's going to be a fun year!

It's great to be 8!

4 of our 5 children have birthdays within a three week time span. (I know, I know...what's that all about.)

So back in July we celebrated this sweet one:

She looks real thrilled right.

 Poor Ava wasn't feeling so well on her birthday. She decided to try a price if cake and it didn't stay with her for very long. But her brothers and sisters had no problem enjoying the cake for her.

Why the safety glasses??? I'd like to know that myself...

So Ava had a bit of a rough day but the real treat of turning 8 is that Ava could be baptized. We decided to wait a couple of weeks for the baptism for family to get into town. 

While we waited her Aunt Nikki took some really cute pictures of her:

She so got to go on a baptism date with Mom and Dad. We had dinner at PF Changs. And we got to chat with her about her upcoming baptism. We wanted to make sure that she understood the promises that she was making with Heavenly Father and the promises He was making in return. 

It was a lovely night. And Ava beamed at having both parents to herself. That doesn't happen much in a family with 5 kids. 

Art put her up there to take that picture and she was very nervous about getting in trouble for sitting there.

We topped the night off with shopping for her baptism dress and getting her ears pierced. 

I think the ear piercing pics are on Arts phone and I need to get them but she was pretty upset about the ordeal. She was all smiles until that pain hit and then it was big crocodile tears.  I'd like to say she got over it quickly...

We sure love our Ava girl. She's is growing up fast. Here are 8 great things about Ava.

1. Her smile can light up a room

2. She is the comic relief in the family

3. She is very creative ( one time she played all afternoon with unopened salad dressing bottles) pretending they wee people.

4. She is a mother hen.

5. She is great at technology. I think in time she will teach me a few things.

6. She's a snuggler. She loves to climb up on my lap. Sometimes I have to remind her that she is getting a little big for sitting on laps, but most of the time I enjoy it. 

7. Ava is a foodie just like her mom. She always has turned her nose up at typical kid food....forget Mac and cheese she wants the good stuff!

8. Ava has a dynamic personality. She keeps life exciting. 

Oh how we adore you miss Ava.

Birthday Boy!

Every year I am always so shocked at how my kids have grown. It's hard to believe that this handsome boy is now 5. He is the first boy in our family and he is spoiled rotten by his sisters. 

I asked Jack what he wanted for his birthday dinner. He chose ice cream, very typical of this little boy. 

5 things I love about the birthday Boy:

1. He is a rule follower. He loves being obedient. What mom wouldn't love that.

2. He is a protecter. He guards his baby brother. It's not unusual to find Jack telling our home nurses which toys Henry likes, and what they need to be doing for them. 

3. He love to cook. When it's time to make dinner, He always grabs an apron and joins right in. He won't ever help out in the kitchen without an apron. 

4. He likes likes to be clean. He is much neater then any of my girls!

5. He still climbs into bed with me. And that means He isn't all grown up just yet, so I plan to soak it in for a little while longer. 

We are sure happy we have Jack!!

Happy Birthday buddy.