Doctor week in the Christensen home!

I think that when it rains "it pours" should be changed to "be ready for a hurricane". Sunday morning started early in our home with my baby throwing up and then coming into my bed to finish. About 30 min. later, my oldest woke up and came downstairs complaining of a tummy ache. Within an hour he was visiting and paying tribute to the porcelain god too! That night, Tanner refused to eat dinner and was acting super cranky. Gary and I figured he was next on the list. He went to bed only to wake up a couple hours later with a fever. I coaxed him into taking some ibuprofen and he spent the night in our bed. Monday came and Kaleb and Evan seemed to be fine- I thought we were out of the woods or at least close. I was wrong. Tanners' fever continued that day and night. we called our friend nate to come help with a blessing. Tanner seemed to be better after that and slept fairly well. The next day, Tuesday in case you weren't sure, Karly complained of a tummy ache. I made her go to her dentist appointment anyway-where she threw a hysterical fit because of the fear of getting her teeth cleaned. Anyway, I convinced/bribed her to do it and it went well. About an hour after, she threw up and we skipped her soccer game that night. That night, Tanners fever reached an all time high and he was so hot that his legs were putting off major heat. I convinced him once again to take some ibuprofen. It was then that I realized that he was not doing well at all. His mouth was full of sores-tongue, lips and cheeks. Of course the after hours had just closed and our only option was the ER-no thank you. We called the after hours nurse and she told us to hold out until morning. GAry took him in this morning and we found out he has Herpangina- a virus related to hand foot and mouth disease. He should be over it by the end of the weekend. So Gary comes home and we proceed to the basement to enter some bills and payments for work. I go into the other room to file some documents and kneel down on the floor. I feel a sharp poke on my leg and move my leg to a different position so I can get away from what ever is poking me. This only made it worse. I was kneeling on a large piece of glass that came from a broken mason jar my kids had failed to clean up. The first poke left a nice and small puncture wound and the second filleted my leg about an inch or less. The cut was bad enough that I had to go to urgent care today and get 4 stitches as well as a tetanus shot. My leg is still numb and my arm hurts more from the shot. The Dr. for Tanner said we were over the worst part with the fevering but he is fevering again tonight. Poor kid won't eat and barely drinks so we are trying to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated. This evening, I came home from costco to a horrendous smell coming from my sons diaper. Evan now has diarrhea. So this is our week and it is so much fun living in our home. If you'd like to join in the action and bring this enjoyment to your own home, stop on by. I am sure we have plenty of germs to go around! Hope you are all fairing well!

We are expecting . . .

So this post is more for those who aren't related to me or don't live close to me. We were surprised this July to find out we are pregnant, again. This will be numero cinco for us. As of right now, I am no longer battling with morning sickness but am having a lovely time with back problems. Other than that things are going well. Supposedly it is a boy but I am waiting for my 20 week ultra for confirmation. This has caused me to have to drop out of the SG marathon this year but I am okay with that. I am due the first part of March but maybe the last part of February-the dr. is still debating due to the size of the baby. The kids are excited except Karly cried when they told her it was another boy. She still has her fingers crossed that they were wrong. We don't have any boy names so suggestions are welcome. We are running low in that area cause we've used all the ones we had. The only one we have come up with so far is Austin Carter or Austin Edward (Carter was my mom's dad's last name and Edward is my Dad's Dad's first name). Currently I am homeschooling my little munchkins and although it is a strain and overwhelming at times, I do enjoy the curriculum and having them in a loving environment. Evan has been teething the last month and so far has broken all 4 molars and 2 canines. I think the other 2 are coming soon. He still drools a ton and is super cranky. Gary started school this fall and will be in school for the next 2 years. He is also soccer coach for Kalebs team. kaleb is no longer playing due to his recent collar bone fracture at practice 3 weeks ago. Thank goodness it is all over next week. Family is getting bigger and crazier every day but I love them all so much! I can't wait to figure out how to post pictures again so I can share the cuties with you all. I am hoping to have my sis in law take some professional photos here soon so I should be able to post those when they are done. That's all for now-chicken pot pie is waiting and my baby won't stop saying my name.

Just in case. . .

We set up my husbands work computer and put our personal in a box, so now I have no way of accessing my photos from my camera. I have so many, too! I am working for Gary from home now and it isn't that bad most of the time. Currently I am training for a triathalon-my first. So I decided I should post once more in case I die. Thank you to all of you that actually read my blog and thank you for being, or at least acting like, my friends. Ashly, I bequeath my bosch mixer to you because you really need to trade up from the kitchenaid. I think I will also give you my sewing machine but you have to teach Karly how to sew-that's the deal. Lessley, you can have my bike because I want you to have something that will remind you to never do a triathalon. It's only for riding around leisurely with your family. Amy Beatty, you can have my running shoes. I think I have three pairs, but if I die in one, I don't know if you'll want those particular ones. I don't know how to get anything to anyone else who lives by me and I think you three are the only ones that really read this thing. If I happen to survive, you may get a second chance because I made it into the St. George marathon. We'll see how that goes. Going camping in Moab this weekend with some of my favorite people. So EXCITED!!! My house is for sale once more but I think I will never move from this spot. I don't mind so much because I really like it here. I just need some fruit trees and some more space. I have to get to work now, I don't get paid to blog, actually, I don't get paid at all. Happy Spring!!!!!

I know I need to be better

I have had such a crazy last few months. I started working at Target in January and just quit last week. I was working the graveyard shift on the presentation team and it just got to be too much. But let me go back a bit. I got in a car accident on Valentines day in the jag-Bought for next to nothing off my parents cause it's Gary's dream car. I was driving up to Sundance to go skiing with my hubby and kaleb and was almost to the park where I was going to switch vehicles to make it the rest of the way. Anyway, it was snowing and the roads were covered. I came around a corner and began to fishtail. I was able to correct myself but then started going the opposite way. This time I couldn't get out of it and there just happened to be a car stopped on the side road waiting to cross. Of course he had time to back up because he watched the whole thing happen and his father even suggested to do so- but no he felt I would make it out of it. Nope, I didn't. Anyway, I was going half the speed limit, thank goodness, and only did minor damage to his jeep but my car being lower had a bit more damage. The police officer gave m a ticket for failure to stay in my own lane. Duh! It's snowing, they were about to close the canyon and my car didn't function well in the snow. I am fighting this ticket because it is rediculous! Anyway, a couple weeks after this, Karly was at school and a boy fell on top of her from a rope bridge on the playground. She received a spiral fracture to the Tibia from this incident and my husband was furious! He was already frustrated with all the problems we have been having with Kaleb's first grade teacher and now with this happening, he decided our kids were not learning anything (Kaleb) and they were not safe. So I was now a homeschool parent on top of being a mom and working graveyards. I had to quit. We went to California, the kids and I, after my last day and spent time with Garndma and Aunt Jen and cousins. It was a lot of fun. Karly got to show off her cool camo, full leg cast and her rockin wheelchair. Hopefully she can get it off tuesday. Last night we did an amazing race at our ward building that Nicole Drake and myself put together. It went really well!! The only thing is next time I need to shorten it a bit. It was just too long. Everyone seemed to have fun though! Evan is walking!! He is so much fun and so cute. Tanner is working on potty training but it is not going so well. Hopefully something will click soon for him and all will go smoothly. I am loving having the kids home and they are learning so much!! We've studied whales and ancient egypt and cave men. It's been a lot of fun. Karly is getting better at reading and Kaleb is improving on his writing. They seem to enjoy it a lot as well. Hopefully I will get my printer working well enough soon to be able to download my pictures from my camera!

Oh Crap! (Literally)

Funny story I thought I would post very quickly. Sunday was a fun day at our house. I stayed at home with the three boys due to runny noses and coughs, while Gary took Karly to church with him. I was exhausted and decided a nap was in order. So I knew Gary would be home in about an hour, and asked Kaleb if he would keep an eye on Tanner and Evan for me. Of course, every mom knows that we pay a price for our "alone time" and I definately did. I woke up many times before Gary got home and at one point noticed tanner streaking across the hall. I asked kaleb to put a diaper on him for me and then went back to sleep. When Gary got home, I was still pretty exhausted so I continued my nap. When I woke up, I hurried through the house cleaning up the disaster the kids left behind. My sister and her man was coming soon and I promised to make them dinner. As I neared the kitchen, I spied a poopy diaper and threw it in the trash. Then I saw my son Tanner streaking once again through the house. I asked him where his diaper was and he said he didn't know. Then I asked if he was poopy and he said yes. I went to get him and smelled something so awful I wanted to puke. I immediately ran upstairs-one of the few places carpeted in my home- and walked into his room to the horror before me. There was squishy poop-remember he had been sick- not in just one place, but several. I think he decided to have a parade through his side of the room and poop along the way. As I was cleaning it, my sister arrived and very chivalrously offered to help. She and I scrubbed and picked up glops of poo for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, I had my husband give Tanner a very cold shower-which he screamed through the whole time-to disuade him from ever taking off his diaper again. Hopefully I haven't screwed up the potty training in the future. Anyway, it gets worse. As we are cleaning Inotice small fragments of poop everywhere like a trail towards the door. Evan was standing against the train table in the room and I asked Kaleb to come get him before he got into the mess. Well, my sister notices he looks a bit strange with the mess around his mouth and inbetween his fingers. I asked Kaleb to smell it-there was no way I would do that-since he's a boy and easy to entice. Yep, my baby had crawled through the poo and wiped it on his face-I am still not able to allow myself to play with the idea that he may have eaten the poo. Anyway, we cleaned him up and he seems to be fine. YUCK!!YUCK!!YUCK!!! What we go through as moms.

Is it really the most wonderful time of the year?

As the song goes,"it's the most wonderful time of the year", I have to wonder if this guy was smoking something when he wrote this. Every year we seem to get sick on the holidays. This year started out the same. I know I said I would post a picture this time but I am still in Cali and not at my home computer. Still, this needs to be told for all to laugh and feel grateful that they are not in my family right now. I know the last post seemed like I was complaining and I hope this one doesn't come across that way. Anyway- The Holiday season started out with Karly cutting off the side tip of her middle finger. Thankfully our Bishop is a Doctor and he pulled it off for me. Her finger is now healing but will always be deformed. Kids-don't try to cut your own apples!! Moms are happy to do it for you. The following week, just before Christmas, Evan decides to push through his top three front teeth. He fevered for a few days and once they pushed through I realized it wasn't just teething that he was suffering from-All together now mom's -he had an ear infection to top it off. Well ain't that dandy!! So we drove to Cali and arrive in time to find out our two nephews had the flu and had been at our parents house the night before. Well, wonderful-oh, and they are coming back tonight-GREAT!!!! Not that it is in anyways they're fault nor do I blame them. I blame my luck. So we decide to just hope they don't get sick. So Tuesday comes and I am still exhausted from the trip but feeling happy. We go to the tide pools and then head to Old Town for Dinner in San Diego. Once there, I am trying to squeeze past a plant and my Bro.in law and Tanner decides to go the opposite way. As he insists that I pick him up over this very large pot to put him in his chair, my diaper bag snags the large, heavy, wooden chair and pulls it down on my foot. Of course I am in flip flops- what else would I wear? As I am leaning over another chair, squeezing my eyes shut to keep the tears and screaming in, a guy taps me on the back cause apparently the fallen chair is in his way and he is not capable of assessing the situation-or picking it up himself. As I hobble around to sit, my husband asks me to move to a different seat-twice and for some reason everyone else wants to ask me questions or talk to me at the same time. You know when you are in a lot of pain and people want to talk to you how you just want to rip off their heads to stop the noise? Anyway, I got some ice, apologized for snapping at my husband and limped through the rest of the week in California. Oh, but this dinner had much more in store for us. My loving and considerate younger brother, Michael (who is only 17) offered to take Tanner to the bathroom because he said he had to go. Now, we aren't really potty training right now but encourage him when he prompts it. Well, he brought him back and neglected to tell us that he no longer was wearing a diaper. We found this out when he pooped. Yes, liquid and smooth poop all over at the restaurant. Unfortunately I was in the bathroom when it happened and Gary had to deal with it; and we all know how well most men deal with poop and public places. So that was Tuesday and we were supposed to go to Disneyland the next day-Did I mention it has been raining most every day we've been here in "Sunny" San Diego? So we decide that since there is a 90% chance of rain on Christmas eve, we should move it to Christmas day cause there is only a 70% chance. Well, it didn't rain on Christmas eve but let me tel you about the rain and wind on Christmas day. None of us were prepared for that downpour. But I am getting ahead of myself. Christmas eve my mom and I make dinner for everyone and right after everyone left and just before Santa come, Evan begins to vomit. He continues through the night. I finally went to bed about 3am when he was only dry heaving every 20 minutes instead of throwing up. At 5am, we got the kids up to open presents and get ready to leave. We get to Disneyland just before 10am and Evan throws up outside the gates. It's cold and rainy and I tell my mom to buy him a hat for his Christmas present instead of the sweatshirt she wanted to get him. I didn't know she told everyone else to go to the Matterhorn. So when we get out we make our way to meet them and just find Gary waiting for us. He informs us that the ride is down and they all took the kids to some kiddy rides in Tomorrowland. When we get there, I look around and realize Tanner is not there. I ask where he is and no one seems to know-all casting blame on the other-"I gave him to you" and so on. So we dart off in different directions looking for him and calling his name. My two year old comes to Disneyland for the first time and gets lost in the first 15 minutes. I will say that Disneyland has an awesome security system and they are on the lookout always!! I think I looked and searched for 15 minutes before I heard that he was found. For the rest of the day he was not allowed to go with anyone else. I was too afraid of losing him. Although he did get lost kind of in the peter pan ride line. He was only 15 ft. from us-making his way to the front. The rest of the day was spent trying to stay dry and warm, dealing with lines and crowds and Evan throwing up. He threw up outside the haunted mansion, in the peter pan ride and once again outside the gates. I smelled awesome by the end of the day. Today is Friday, the day after Christmas. As I write this I am fighting hard to not get any more sick than I am. I got the flu too. My other sisters are suffering from it as well as a couple of nieces and nephews. Hopefully Gary won't get it since we are driving home in about 36 hours. Merry Christmas to all- I hope your holiday season was the "happiest season of all!!" It will be interesting to see if anything else happens in the next 36 hours.

Such a slacker!

So I am just updating without pictures because I am a slacker! It has been crazy! Four kids is not any easier and I don't care what people say. Each child just makes life more "interesting" and stressful. So I will give you the rundown of the past couple of months. We have been sick. Like a horrible game of telephone, we keep passing it along but changing it slightly as it goes down the line. Flu-got it; cold-got it; screwed up shoulder from falling down the stairs (twice I might add)-still have it; Head cold and sinus infection-got it; husband with kidney stone-unfortunately got that one too. On top of that I keep having this fear that someone is missing all the time and since I am still not regular-sorry, I know T.M.I>- but it makes me jumpy and stressed to think that there could possibly be another one coming. Please not one more right now. . . .or ever, if possible. If it's meant to be than I will do it but it will take a lot more spacing and much more convincing. I think when you get to the point in your life that you screw up your kids names on an hourly basis, you know that's the stopping point. Now that the holidays are here, I am getting excited. I am done shopping pretty much, my tree is up and decorated and all the presents are wrapped under the tree. Now I am working on dejunking, organizing and trying to live happily in this tiny home with no storage or closets to put anything in. Gary and I are contemplating putting it back on the market after Christmas. We'll see if it feels like the right timing. We finally ripped up the driveway and fixed the sewer line so we feel like we can leave now. I will be sad to leave but I need some way to keep sane. Love my children, adore and utterly cherish my husband, I have wonderful friends and sisters close by- I am so grateful for my many blessings. Started running today and am feeling great! If I don't post for a while it may be because I am cleaning up yet another mess of glitter and baby powder all over the floor or saving my baby form his oh so "loving" older brother. Hope all have a wonderful holiday season. Love all of you-especially those that leave comments and don't give up on me even when I lapse the blogging for months!

More pictures from Maui

My parents have a time share that they own for a month every year in Maui in South Kihei. We finally got to go this year. We've been invited quite a few times but schedules never meshed or I was pregnant. This time Gary was able to find some time to take off and jet away with me and the babe. It would have been even better sans baby but you do what you gotta do and he was pretty great! Thanks mom and dad for an awesome time!

On the road to Hana we stopped off and went to this peninsula to get some banana bread and use the bathroom. I didn't realise I had a huge palm shadow across my face when Gary took the picture. Oh well!
Shaka Bra! Thanks for getting a great picture of us mom!
Gary is a swinger for all of you who didn't know. I would be to, but I don't believe in such practices. Ha HA HAA! This Banyan tree was at a church where Charles Lindberg's grave is.
So this is my dreamhouse. If I ever build my own home, I will model it after this house right here. There will be some differences but style wise, I love this.
Oh, so beautiful! By the way, the beach is across the street and down the cliff a ways, but you can see it from the porch!!