Weekend Getaway

Darren had to go to Vegas for two days so we went with him. I saw many old friends on this trip which is always nice. It is great to travel somewhere- anywhere around the world or just around here.... and be able to call up people and re-visit.

This is the Bellagio- always impressive. It makes me eager for spring.
After two days in Vegas we headed over to St George. We played around in Snow Canyon most of the day on Saturday.

We were all pretty tired after three days of sleeping in the same room. Sleeping in the same room means we all go to sleep at the same time and get up at the same time. And it means mom gets up a half dozen times to try to get Ella to go back to bed without waking up Tyler and Darren who are in the same room. I am grateful she doesn't wake up that many times at home.
Ella got her naps in when she could. I have always been very ...stressed... over making sure my kids get naps and stay on my/their "schedule". This vacation, I tried to let go and not be so stressed about it.

Today is Sunday. We are home. She has already been napping for almost 4 hours. She was exhausted. Beyond exhausted.

kid update

I got this tent when I was a little girl. It doesn't fit me anymore. In fact I remember when it stopped fitting me and I had to lay diagonal to fit in it, and pretty soon my feet just had to hang out the door.

Now we get it out and let the kids play in it for special occasions. Tyler even slept in it one night in his room.

Tyler's eye has mended great.

This was my mom's "birthday party" according to Tyler. I would have called it Sunday dinner to celebrate my moms birthday but Tyler said it was a party! I think it was because he loved the crepe dessert.
Luckily my mom wasn't there to see this part. She had stepped out to talk on the phone. (a daughter calling to wish her happy birthday)
I am trying to take some pictures of our Ella. These are some typical every day shots of her.
I was in the middle of changing her diaper when I got a phone call and came back to this!

- two bow ties

- one head band (around the neck)

- one tipsy hat

- one pink purse

- one "friend"/baby in her hand

- one pink tie

- no pants

She loves those accessories.

An eye update

I cant even tell everyone how grateful I am for Tyler's good recovery.

Yesterday he had two friends over because ...well, we already had them scheduled to come and a distraction from his eye hurting was good. They did all these puzzles!

Here is a picture of Tyler's eye today.

Yesterday it was still extremely red. I was concerned it wasn't healing because it was so red. But this morning we could see white on his eye ball. The membrane that was peeled away is pretty much smoothed over. (as much as I can tell anyway) but the shovel hit the middle of his green and black part and scratched down into the white part.

A friend told me the tongue and the eye are the two fast healing parts on the body. I AM GLAD FOR IT!!! Here's to a good.... continued recovery!

We are grateful for eyes

Today we had some friends over. The little boys were digging in the dirt with shovels. Tyler was standing too close leaning over one boys back, and when the little boys shovel came up... it scratched right down Tyler's eyeball. The shovel was filled with dirt, so my initial reaction was get the dirt out, I noticed the spot right where the shovel had hit his eye but that was all.

My friend looked at Tyler's eye and noticed more.

The shovel had scratched away part of the clear coat on top of the colored part of his eye. Our optometrist wasn't in today, family emergency, the optometrist down the street from them had just relocated, but my pediatrician would squeeze us into his packed day.

He said it was the worst abrasion he had seen on an eye. even showing me it (they put a stain in his eye and used a florescent light to see the scratch). It was big, ugly, and still had dirt under the eye flap. About the size of the top of my pinky in length and width.

So we got some medicine, some tylenol and some love and hopefully things will improve. Today but more so tonight-- was pretty rough!

Lamb-in

Tyler

Definition-

according to Tyler

(who just learned about the phrase ...In like a lion and out like a lamb in school)

Lamb-in : Weather we have in March, not a lamb day, and not a lion day..... a mix of both days.

We all went skiing yesterday at Solitude, taking turns with Tyler. He is getting so much better.

If you want to watch the video Darren took of him click on the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mpPOL5OUxA

Ella:

I wish I could show you all the funny pictures in my mind of Ella.

She loves to accessorize!!!

She was given bows, bracelets, necklaces, purses, etc... for Christmas.

So she wears them all- all at the same time, all the time!

She is into sunglasses too and needs to wear them in the house ... on top of her head.

We also made sugar cookies the other day, It was a fun, messy project.

I love cooking with my kids.

Ella had just got her whole shirt wet so we took it off BUT she had to leave on her pink tie- it was "pretty" she said.