Snow storm

Look at this snow!

 

 

Oh and the ice that is on the INSIDE of our windows!

 

 

These are our awesome snow drifts. The snow here really doesn't stick to the ground, it just lands there then the wind blows it around.

 

 It was -10 Yes, -10! when I took Haylee to the bus stop. Its November and its already -10!

 

The kids wanted to have a snowball fight after school. It was so cold though they didn't stay out long.

 

I've heard about all the cool things you can do with water when its freezing cold outside, like throw a pot out the door and it will freeze before it hits the ground. Or blow bubbles and they freeze mid air. I've tried the water trick and it didn't work so the other day we tried the bubbles. It didn't work either. It was fun for a few minutes then everybody was FREEZING cold!

 

 

I wanted to get a picture of the girls wearing their snow pants that Grandma Mary Ann sent them but they would have nothing to do with it, they were so cold.

 

Finally Maycie was happy when she was in bed all warmed up.

Our Future Olympian!

Haylee started gymnastics a few weeks ago and she absolutely loves it! I love that it is a real gymnastics place. Her first week she did the floor, bars, balance beam, vault, tumble track and climbed the rope. There were only two girls in the class, Haylee and one other, who could climb to the top of the rope that was hanging from the ceiling. Haylee was the fastest, she made it to the top in 9 seconds!

 

Here is Haylee on her first week. She is such a natural and was flipping around the bar like it was nothing. She was so excited to show off her moves and by moves I mean she was showing off her ability to pull herself up on the bar without any help. She would hang by one arm twisting in circles like a monkey and I could hear the other girls saying "Whoa look what she can do!" It was so fun to watch her learn new things. She just soaked it all up.

 

When it was time for the vault (its along the right side of the picture) all the girls lined up in a row, ran down the track, bounced on the vault and most flew gracefully through the air and landed on the blue and red pad. No, not Haylee. She ran full speed as fast as she could down the track, bounced on the vault and full body slammed right into the side of the blue and red pad. She looked at the teachers like "Hey did I do it?!" They told her to try again but next time after bouncing on the vault try to land on top of it. She stood in line again and when it was her turn she ran as fast and as hard as she could, bounced on the vault then spread her arms out like wings and belly flopped right on the top of the pad. I love how enthusiastic she is about trying everything. Its so fun to watch!

 

Last week there was a huge snow storm the entire day. It was also the day we finally got her gymnastics uniform. She was SO excited she wanted to wear it even though it was freezing cold. We ran a couple errands before gymnastics and I'm sure everybody thought I was crazy for letting my child wear it out in a snow storm but oh well, she was happy!

 

 

 

Stomach flu

DISCLAIMER: this post is ALL about throw up! If you are going to get sick by reading all about our crazy illness then please, DON'T READ.

When I got back from my trip to Utah, everybody kept telling me about this nasty stomach flu that they were getting over and how it was so awful. I unintentionally stayed away from everybody the first week I was home. I was just busy with the girls, Haylee had to be picked up from school early a couple days and we didn't spend anytime socializing. Bret was out on location and when that happens we just mostly stay inside. Friday when we ventured outside I was talking to one of the girls about how hard it was when her family had the flu. In my head I was thinking "Oh I'm so glad we didn't get that, I hate throwing up and I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with it..." that very evening it started! Haylee started throwing up, not just any throw up, it was the most violent, relentless throw up I've ever seen. Of course she ran out of stuff to throw up after the second time. It was painful to watch. Every ten minutes. For three hours. Then it suddenly went to every half hour... for the next three hours. We were trying to sleep but she would start choking and all I could do was roll her over and keep her head in the bucket. I felt so bad. It was awful. Finally at 5 Saturday morning she was done. We both fell asleep. Saturday we just stayed in bed all day watching tv. Sunday morning I was holding Maycie when she threw up for the first time. It went all over the wall behind me, all over my back then Maycie leaned back in my arms and continued throwing up. It went all over the front of me. She threw up all day Sunday. All day. Not once did she make it in the bucket. I scrubbed the walls, the couch, the floor (several times), washed all my bedding-twice.

 

This is where Maycie would lay while I was making the bed.

It was such a long day but by bedtime she seemed to be done throwing up. I was so excited to get a good nights sleep. I crawled into bed, exhausted. The longer I laid there the more my stomach rumbled. I kept getting up thinking I would throw up but didn't. No sleep that night either because early Monday morning Haylee started throwing up again. Ugh. Nobody said anything about there being 2 rounds of this awful flu! I was ready to cry. Bret was still working out on location and wouldn't be home for another day. Monday evening I started throwing up and it went all through the night and all day Tuesday. I had absolutely no control of my throw up. It was the worst day. My sweet friend picked us up some sprite and saltines Tuesday afternoon, which helped a ton. I slept the entire day. I really don't know what the girls did that whole day. I assume they stayed in my bed watching tv because that's where they were every time I woke up to throw up. Haylee was adorable, she would hold my hair and rub my back when I was throwing up. During one of my throw ups she said "Even though you're sick, you're still the best mom ever" She was taking such good care of me. When I would crawl into bed, Maycie would put a pillow on her lap and have me lay down on the pillow and she would pat my head until I fell asleep. Finally, Wednesday morning Haylee woke up at 6 and said she wanted to go to school. I felt ok enough to get up and get her ready and off to school. Then Mace said she wanted to go to school also. After I had dropped her off at school  I went home and just collapsed on the couch. After a nice long nap I woke up feeling almost human again. I figured we were done with the stomach flu and things would get back to normal. That was until Bret came home Wednesday night and started throwing up. I felt so bad for him. Us girls could just stay in bed but he had to get up and go to work. Awful! What a way to spend our Thanksgiving holiday! Plus Haylee has only been to school 3 days in the last two weeks! She had bronchitis, strep throat and the stomach flu all in one week. Hopefully we're all done getting sick for the next year! Hopefully!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Did you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving? Ours was exhausting! We ended up, last minute, cooking for the entire camp and if that wasn't enough, Bret had the stomach flu. We'll get to the stomach flu in another post, but for this post, he was miserable!

Thursday morning I got up at 6:30, went over to one of the man camps where there were three other ladies and we peeled, cooked, mashed 60 pounds of red potatoes. BAD idea! Red potatoes don't mash. They were awful. Nothing we did made them better, they only got worse. They were so thick and sticky like bread dough that had been soaked in Elmer's glue. We made yams with marshmallows on top, a fruit salad, a couple veggie trays, rolls and deviled eggs. In between helping there I was also making 3 jello salads at home, green bean casserole and clam dip. The company bought 5 turkeys and 3 hams for us to use. Bret was going to fry one for us but when we ended up cooking for everybody here he ended up frying 3 turkeys. Poor Bret was so sick with the stomach flu and he couldn't find anybody to help with the turkeys.

Needless to say, this Thanksgiving was one for the books. It was crazy hectic, very unorganized, thrown together at the last minute and the most stressful meal we've ever cooked but the guys were so grateful. I love how much they enjoy a home cooked meal. They all said how nice it was to have a real thanksgiving dinner and how it made being away from their families a little easier. That's why we cook for the guys all the time. The families can fend for themselves but its nice taking care of the guys. I feel like I'm giving back to all the people that took care of Bret when we were living apart.

That, my friends, was our Thanksgiving 2013. Anything exciting happen at your get-together?

Girls playtime

I love watching the girls play together but I've actually been surprised lately watching Maycie play while Haylee is at school. She pretends half the toys are Haylees and the babies are Haylees and she is just babysitting. She tells them that their mommy will be back from school soon and she tucks them in and watches them all day. Its so cute!

 

What a welcome home gift...

Haylee called me at 9:00 from school Monday morning. Her cough hurt and her throat hurt. I knew when I sent her to school it hurt but I thought I would send her anyway. Her cough wasn't that bad. Lucky for her I had just dropped Maycie off at school so I told her I'd be there in twenty minutes to pick her up. When I got her home I looked in her throat and it was COVERED in white spots! I hurried and got her into the doctor and she has strep throat AND bronchitis! Poor girl!

 

She got a supply of masks and thinks its so cool to wear them; especially to the store!

My vacation!

Oh I took a much needed vacation last week! I have never taken a trip on my own since Bret and I got married. Its always been me and Bret or me and the girls but never one with just me. I haven't even been away from the girls for more than a night or two after having Maycie or having surgery. I have been wanting to take a little trip with Bret for years now but the busier we get with life and the farther away we get from family the more I came to realize that until our girls are old enough to be left alone over night I wouldn't be getting that trip. It was really hard to talk about because I know Bret and I need time together away from the girls. I also knew it was not the right time. I know it will happen someday and that is why I jumped at the first chance I got to go to Salt Lake. Bret and I were talking one day and I told him, like I have many times, that I just needed a break. I wanted time to relax. He laughed and said I should drive to Salt Lake, take the girls and spend a week with family. I simply said that wasn't funny and I wasn't driving by myself but I would go by myself. I'm pretty sure he didn't think that I would actually leave because he smiled and said ok then, for your birthday. I held him to those words and immediately started looking at tickets to fly down for my birthday. A couple days later I told him I bought my tickets and he was beyond shocked. It just so happen to work out that he had the week of my birthday off so I didn't have to worry about what to do with the girls. From the second I bought my tickets I decided I would make it a surprise. My best friend Sandi knew because we were wishfully planning a trip to St George for my birthday before I even bought my tickets. I told my sister in law Jessica and she acted as my insider to the family.

The first time I talked to Haylee about me leaving I thought she would be so excited but she just cried and cried. I felt so bad for her. Her crying was the saddest thing I've heard. Even with Bret telling her about all the fun things they would do while I was gone she was not going to calm down. I decided to give it a week or two then try talking to her about it again. It didn't help. She cried even harder this time. I've really never heard or seen her cry like this. It was so hard! With her reactions I decided it was probably best to not even tell Maycie.

 As the time got closer I could feel myself going crazy inside. I had been planning it for months and wanted it to be a surprise but at times it was hard not to tell people! I really started avoiding my parents phone calls the whole week before. I didn't want to talk to anybody really because I was so excited I was nervous about spilling the beans.

Finally, Monday, departure day arrived! I packed my bags, cleaned the house and by 10:00 we were off to the airport.

 

We have a really small airport here in Williston. I've heard horror stories of getting flights out of here (coming here also!) but I figured since the sky was clear and blue I wouldn't have a problem. That being said, I haven't had the best of luck when it comes to flying. I have many stories that even a well seasoned traveler couldn't claim as their own. I wasn't entirely shocked when they told me my flight had been cancelled, but I was upset. I had a rush of every emotion. In my head I saw all the plans I'd made for the week going down the drain. All I wanted was to get to Salt Lake... especially for orange chicken that my dad was making for dinner that very night! When the lady behind the counter told me they were able to switch my flight but I'd be leaving from Minot instead I was cautiously excited. I knew Minot had a slightly better reputation for planes being on time but I've also heard about all the cancellations. Plus I would have to drive for two hours to get to Minot! Luckily they arranged for a shuttle to pick us (myself and three others who were on the flight) up from Williston at noon. Waiting for the shuttle was the longest two hours of my life...then I had to sit in a stinky minivan for another two hours. Those last two hours quickly became the longest of my life. Once we made it to Minot and I cleared security (passed with flying colors!) I started to relax. In no time at all I was on the plane waiting for take off.

 

 

These two pictures are North Dakota from above. The picture above shows all the lakes and ponds. This area is spotted with them. In the spring time, many of the roads, even highways, are closed because the water spills over on them. I love in the picture below, if you look at the islands you can see that the farmers are using them just like any other piece of land.

 

 

 

I still had a layover in Denver but it was only long enough to run to the bathroom and back to the gate to board. The flight to Salt Lake was uneventful but I couldn't keep my excitement contained. I was so fidgety and bouncy I'm sure the people sitting next to me thought I was crazy.

 

When I landed I found out my brother Dallas was picking me up. Since he's notorious for be being late to everything, the rest of my family wouldn't think twice about it. The drive to my parents went by so fast. I was so turned around and didn't know where I was, it didn't really matter how long it took us. I was pretty excited every time I saw a license plate from Utah though...then it dawned on me that I was in Utah. It kinda took all the excitement away. Once we were  sitting in the driveway we decided Dallas would go in first then I would knock on the door after a minute. It was the best surprise I've pulled off in my entire life! I waited a couple of minutes then I knocked on the door, my dad answered the door and just stood there with the most puzzled look on his face. After a minute I finally said "Surprise!" and he gave me a huge hug and my mom came running around the corner. Followed by the rest of the family. My cute little nephew Camden just kept hugging me saying how glad he was that I was there. We had such a fun dinner! Jerome would just start giggling at random and give me another hug. It was so fun talking and laughing all evening. My mom even kept checking the driveway because she didn't believe me when I said the girls were home with Bret.  

 

 

I was very happy to see my cactus, in the white pot is still alive. It was just a little baby cactus when I got it, I can't believe how big it is! The cactus in the blue pot belongs to one of my brothers. They all claim it but nobody really knows who it belongs to or why it ended up at my parents. Maybe I'll just take it when I move my cactus to my house.

 

The next day, Tuesday, was my birthday. I spent the morning shopping with Courtney. It was so fun because it was the first time we've been together without kids following us. I'm sure it will be the last time for a while also since she's due in January (another nephew!!). After shopping we went to Grandma Goodman's house and visited then we went to Grandma B's house. I love surprising people but surprising Grandma B was my favorite. You see, not only was it my birthday but it was her birthday as well. Its a very special bond we've always had. We've always done something for our birthday. Even if it wasn't on the very day, we always celebrate it by going out to lunch or dinner somewhere fancy. I was so excited to surprise her and I had to fight back the tears as we hugged. We sat and visited for a couple of hours.

 

When I left Grandmas house, I went to Robintinoes (one of my favorite restaurants) with Courtney, Jessica, Camden, and B. I couldn't help but notice how fun my niece and nephew were. They seemed so different without my kids around. That could be taken in a bad way but what I mean is that I don't really get a lot of attention from them when my girls are around. It was like I became the super fun, cool aunt instead of Haylee and Maycie's mom. I loved it! It makes me want to spend more alone time with all our nieces and nephews. They are all such amazing kids and I don't think we notice (at least I don't) all the amazing things they are able to do when we are so busy focusing on our kids. That being said, having time away from my own kids has made me realize how amazing, talented, loving...the list goes on and on...caring, smart my own girls are. I have this sort of new, fresh love for them and all that they do.

 

After lunch, I went home and got everything packed up so I could hit the road with Sandi! My dad drove me to her house and from the moment I saw her I couldn't stop talking. We talked the entire time we drove to St George. I didn't realize how much I missed her and missed having a friend I could talk to. I mean really talk to, about anything and everything. Its so much better to talk in person than over the phone! We couldn't even stop talking when we stopped for potty breaks. We walked into the bathroom talking, talked through the stalls and talked as we walked back to the car. We made it to St George safely, checked into our hotel then headed out for dinner.

 

 

After dinner we sat in the hot tub but the weather was so nice we decided to get in the swimming pool as well. Have I mentioned it had been between 10 and 15 degrees in North Dakota the day I left and St George was 76?! AMAZING! I fell in love with all the palm trees! I couldn't stop staring at them. Someday when I grow up I'm going to live where there are palm trees in my yard.



 

We had a spa day and what was planned as a shopping day but we were so exhausted from the spa we pretty much forced ourselves to walk around until it was late enough for bed. Some might call it dinner time but we called it bed time. Spas are not for wimps!

 

Thursday after driving back from St George, Sandi and I met up with my in laws, Jeff and Mary Ann for dinner. It was such a fun dinner! After dinner I was ready to go to bed... in my bed. Which just happens to be at my parents. We left our beds at my parents which you can see here.

 

Friday my mom went to work but ditched school to hang out with me. I hear she's been ditching this class a lot lately...hmmmm maybe she needs a talkin to. Anyway, it was fun running errands with her and getting ready for dinner. I was cooking carbonara for everybody.

 

Saturday I had to get up bright and early to get to the airport. Ok, maybe not early but I did set my alarm just in case I slept in. When I was checking in the lady helping me kept making funny faces and saying "hmmm, now that's weird" I thought I would make things better by jokingly saying "Oh my flights been cancelled again, that's ok." When she looked at me and said "Not completely, just the second leg, from Denver to Williston." I figured no big deal, they'll just put me on a flight to Minot. Then she proceeded to tell me the soonest she could get me to Williston was Wednesday. WHAT?! It was Saturday! How could they not have any flights for 5 days? Completely shocked and ready to cry because I had to get home Saturday. Sunday morning at the latest because Bret had to work Sunday night. I called Bret to let him know what was going on then went back to the counter to figure it out with the lady there. We talked about Minot, they had a flight Monday but it was full. I started listing random cities in North Dakota and Montana to see what else we could work out. Bismarck? No. Fargo? No. Grand Forks, Dickenson, Sidney MT? No. No. Next Friday. We don't fly there. No. Its full, no. No. Billings? No. Finally Bozeman. Anybody know where Bozeman is? Yes, HOURS away. But I could be there at 7pm that same day. I called Bret because he literally had about 35 minutes before he would have to start heading down there. I booked the flight then ran to catch my flight to Denver. I had a HUGE layover in Denver. I visited all the terminals, rode the subway they have between terminals, went shopping. Finally boarded my flight. When I got to Bozeman poor Bret and the girls had been driving for 8 hours. It was snowy and cold and everybody was tired. I was so happy to see my little family though! We went to dinner and the girls would not stop hugging  me. They wouldn't let go of me. The whole time we sat at dinner they just sat quietly by me randomly looking up and saying how much they love me and missed me. It was so fun! Then we loaded back up in Bret's truck and set of for our nice long 8 hour drive.

 

I had such a nice time with my family. I'm super sad I didn't take more picture though. I forgot my camera and I'm not a huge fan of using my phone. Spending time away from Bret and the girls was hard but at the same time it was exactly what I needed. I am so much more patient with the girls. I'm so thankful Bret took such good care of them and didn't complain about me leaving. I think he's secretly planning his own getaway now though! As much fun as I had, I'm pretty sure I won't be doing it again. At least not flying! Not with my luck anyway!

Bad news...

My computer is going in to get an overhaul tomorrow. I'm super excited to get this thing back up and running like it should! They only bad things about it is that its going to be gone for a little over a week. There isn't anywhere here in Williston that works on computers so we are taking to Minot. I'm WAY excited about all these trips we'll be making to Minot but I wanted to let you know that I won't be posting anything for a while. I'll try and post with my phone when I can but it doesn't work all the time. Have a great week and I will have LOADS to share with you when I'm reunited with my machine!

Trick or Treating!

We had so much fun trick or treating this year! Haylee was so excited and ran from house to house. She didn't stop running the entire three hours we were out! Maycie only lasted about ten minutes then took her costume off, sat on the sidewalk to eat candy and cried that she wanted to go home.

 

 

 

I was the Bride of Frankenstein! I love making my hair stand up like that! I'm not crazy about the dead-ish looking creepy makeup though. I like to stick with the fun makeup.

 

We spent a few minutes of our evening at a carnival then quickly headed out into the somewhat warm weather for real trick or treating. I had to spend a lot of time talking Maycie into wearing her costume again but once she started going door to door she forgot all about her costume and focused on the candy.

 

We went out with Kennedy and Emma which made it a lot of fun for us. Little Emma was always a house behind because she can't fun as fast as the big kids can. Haylee would tell the person at the door not to go inside because a bumble bee was coming and she needed candy too then she'd run off to the next house.

 

After each house the girls had to show me their buckets. They were so excited!

 

 

 

I love this picture because every house that had chairs out front Maycie had to sit in them. She would just make herself at home, eat a piece of candy and talk to the home owners. It was super cute!

 

This was by far the most fun we've had trick or treating. I'm really excited for next Halloween, they're only going to get better!