Say Cheese

I attempted a few Easter pictures of the kids but didn't have a whole lot of cooperation. The weather was too cold and windy. I will have to be doing them again soon because Mikayla was sick and the cute hair of my girls didn't last until after church. I didn't even attempt taking Ty's pics yet.

Valerie 4 years

Hailey 6 years

Easter Dresses

Ashley 11 years

5th grade

She has become a hair pro! I love having her help with the little girls. She is also wanting high heels. We agreed on the pair below.

Cade
This is such a Dave stance!

Cade 14 years
8th grade
I got him to smile even with his braces on. He is hoping to get them off in 4 more months!

Lots of eggs

I was a little slow buying Easter color this year and therefore could not find any at the stores. We ended up making our own color. I had no idea it was so easy and works just great.

Valerie and Hailey had been counting down the sleeps until Easter. They were so excited so I was surprised when Mikayla came into our room at 2 am wondering if she could go look for her Easter basket. In retrospect, we should have let her because at 4 am she came back to our room SICK and proceded to throw up multiple times. Thank goodness for an awesome husband who can handle cleaning up throw up. I dry heave just knowing its seeping into my carpet!

Lindsey & Ashley

Ty now knows what candy is and what sound candy wrappers make! If he can hear "the sound" he will come a running even if he is wearing a big sisters flip flops!

Little MIss Spunky

Valerie has an attitude, this is true. In fact, sometimes she even moves her neck back and forth when she is talking to me. Occasionally she will shake a finger. She doesn't have a lot of fear and tends to say it how it is.

So I was a little bit surprised when we visited the park the other day and she had a freak out moment. She had just witnessed the cops arresting and cuffing 2 teenagers at the corner of the park. That cop car then drove away. At first I didn't believe her until she came and got me and pointed to the frisking going on. A few minutes later 2 other cop cars pulled up and started climbing on the playground equipment and taking pictures??? I'm still not sure what they were looking for but all of the sudden I hear Valerie screaming and running through the playground. She is bawling hysterically and saying, "the cops are going to get me and take me away!"

I felt so bad. I had to try and calm her down and explain to her that she didn't do anything wrong. I could hear many snickers going on from people around us. I'm sure it seemed funny to an outsider but I felt so bad that she was so scared and could not stop shaking. I guess she will not be one to go to an officer and ask for help if she was ever in trouble. I think I am to blame for this. I have often been caught telling my kids to put their seatbelt on or the cops will pull us over. Hasn't everyone done that? Maybe I even slipped in there that I could go to jail during one of those times as I was passing a cop.



The other day Valerie was sitting at the bar while I was cooking and asked me why dad has to work so much. I told her one of the reasons was to make money so we can buy food to eat.

The next day Dave mentioned to me that Valerie seemed very concerned he was home all evening. She kept asking him, "Dad, why are you home?" Shouldn't you be at work?" "We need to have food to eat!"

We sure love this girl and her spunkiness!

SUN

Finally at the end of April we see and feel the SUN. For the first time this spring the wind was calm and the sun was shinning! We could not waste the chance to head to the park. We must remember it was snowing just 2 weeks ago. Ty loved his new chance at freedom. I know I am going to have a hard time keeping him inside this summer. Luckily, I have changed most of my doorknobs so he can't just open the door and head outside as some of our other kids have done.

Mikayla and Kia

Ty with new found friend Slade.
It is crazy that my friend Melanie and I both have 6 kids with our boys being the oldest and youngest and our 4 girls in the middle. There is a Page for every Shirley to play with!

Kynlie & Valerie

Way too fast!

Ty is growing up way to fast! Even the girls will tell me they wish he wouldn't grow up anymore because he is so cute and fun right now! He is 16 months old and just had his first haircut. Actually, a month ago my friend cut the top of his hair because is was getting too long to spike. I couldn't let her cut off the back because he had the cutest curls ever!


His hair doo had eventually turned into a mullet and because we are not in the 80's anymore I had to take him in to get it cut. He now looks so old....like a little boy and not a baby!

After (no more curls)

You gotta love it!

Queens of the Court!

My friend (Michelle Perry) and I just finished coaching our girls in their first year of volleyball. The team was made up of mostly fifth graders (Ashley), 2 fourth graders, and third grader Mikayla. We played in 4 different tournaments around the Twin falls area. They actually learned a lot and we all had lots of fun.

This age group seems to be very competitive which gave us opportunity to teach other life lessons instead of having to win all the time. We did win one tournament, came in 2nd in another, and the other two were just pool play. Although they liked to win it seemed they were most concerned about what cute long socks they should wear, when and where the whole team could eat lunch, and what cute cheer could they do!

I enjoyed getting to spend time with my girls and their friends. Dave was an awesome support helping out with all the other kids during practices and all day on Saturdays. I hope he realizes there will be lot more of this to come!

Phew!

After a small fortune on labs, a not so happy baby Ty with a suction catheter down his nose, and hours of waiting, we found out Ty had tested negative for RSV but had bronchiolitis with RSV type symptoms. With Ty's record with hospitals, I guess I should have known we would be staying at the hospital. I seriously am considering having a bag packed in my car like pregnant ladies do just in case we end up in the hospital without time to go home and get our belongings.

For once I had no trouble getting back to see the Dr. even though I didn't have an appointment. Really, the secretary at the front office should know me by now and just have my room reserved but she likes to exert her control. Luckily the nurse was walking by at the perfect time when I was pleading my case that he was not breathing very well......

I should have taken him in the night before but instead Dave and I waited out the night not sleeping because we were so nervous Ty would stop breathing. He also managed to keep us awake with the occasional need to clean up throw up. Maybe that is the nurse in me that always tries to wait it out. Guess that can be a good and bad thing.

Anyway after a few days in the hospital Ty has made a speedy recovery and glad to be home in his own bed. I am so thankful for the little things you forget to notice like CRYING and WIGGLING! Poor guy was so sick and lethargic he just laid there limp and moaned occasionally. Again, I felt lucky to have my good friend Mel who came and rescued my other kids and watched over them so I could stay in the hospital and snuggle my fevered little guy. Our Relief Society President brought Mikayla to her house one day because she was home sick. She also brought us dinner and breakfast. Other friends helped drive my kids to school. These past few months I have felt like we have become the wards "project." I am so grateful for everyone who has helped us out a moments notice....and there has been many.

Its crazy how my thinking can change so fast within hours. I wake up Monday morning concerned and a little stressed about how am I going to get everything done. There is always so much to do from laundry to practicing to running my kids around in all directions. I sometimes wonder if I could just clone myself so I could be two places at once. And then BAM something happens and NONE of that matters at all. I could live without all of it and my family could still be happy maybe even happier??? Maybe its time to SIMPLIFY my life and focus on what matters most. These are just some thoughts that ran through my mind as I sat in the hospital, again, holding my dear precious helpless baby Ty. I am still not sure what Heavenly Father thinks I am not quite learning from all of our hospital trips but I do know that he hasn't given up on me yet.