Hooded Towel...

Dan's sister-in-law Michelle is having a baby in a few weeks so I decided that over Spring Break I would make her one of my most favorite baby/toddler things ever, a hooded towel. I didn't want to make to too small or too big so I went for a mid size. It will be a little big for a newborn but it was perfect for Bailey, and snug on Peyton so she should be able to use it at least till he is 4 or 5 years old. I got a new sewing machine for Christmas so I was really excited to use it since I haven't had time yet. I called Dan's sister Cindy to help me out since she is a master seamstress and I am pretty much a novice. I told her what I had in mind and together (mostly her though) we whipped it up. Here it is on our most perfect model...

Dan picked out the cute towels, don't you just love them! They are decoration towels from Target, we didn't embroider or sew on the penguins (although Cindy could have).

Tour de Cure 2009!

As many of you may know, Dan's family is greatly affected by Diabetes. 5 out of 9 of his siblings have type one diabetes. We see what a struggle it is for them to live with this disease and admire their perseverance, and strength. We know that Dan and our children are at a high risk of also being affected by Diabetes during their life. For these reasons we recently accepted the challenge of cycling in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure fund-raising event.

The Tour de Cure is a series of cycling events held in over 80 cities nationwide. The Tour is a ride, not a race; it features different route lengths from a family-friendly 10-mile course to a challenging 100-mile journey. We have joined thousands of others to pedal in support of the Association's mission: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

We are asking you to help by supporting our fund-raising efforts with a donation. Your tax-deductible gift will make a difference in the lives of more than 23 million Americans who suffer from diabetes and over 57 million people in the United States with pre-diabetes.

It's fast and easy to support this great cause - you can make your donation online by selecting the Support link below. Any amount, great or small, helps in the fight against this deadly disease. We greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on our progress. If you want to do even more to help, please consider joining us in this great event. Our efforts will help set the pace in the fight against diabetes.

Support Laura

Support Dan

We don't care who you donate for, it's not a competition, we just want to raise as much money as we can to help support the fight against Diabetes!

Click here to view our team page- Team BLOOD SUGAR DADDIES

More information on the American Diabetes Association, its programs and diabetes in general can be found at the Association's Web site: http://www.diabetes.org/

For more information on Tour de Cure, please visit www.diabetes.org/tour.

7 More Weeks...

Spring Break has come to an end. Thankfully, Bailey is feeling better after her week long bout of sickness which along with Adenovirus also ended up including Strep (again) and ear infections (again). I'm headed back to school tomorrow to finish out the semester, and the kids are headed back to daycare (probably only to get sick again). I feel a little bit re-energized and I'm excited to be starting my OB clinical rotation on the 24th of March. It will be an interesting addition to my regular school regimen to say the least. A lot will happen in the next 7 weeks, including my final practicum, the ATI exam (the thought of this is a bit stressful), and finals. The end is in sight (not the permanent end, just the temporary one) which includes Summer!

Again...

I am starting to think that Bailey might just be sick for the rest of her life! We spent 3 hours in the Dr's office and and Davis Hospital on Sunday-waiting, seeing the Dr, waiting some more and then finally having a Viral Respiratory Panel done on Bailey, her regular respiratory symptoms had been joined by fevers so we decided we should take her in. The results of the respiratory test showed that she has Adenovirus, again (this is the first time they have done the actual test, the other 3 times they have told us she had it they were just guessing based on her symptoms). We have spent the last 2 nights lying awake due to a fussy, restless baby (I say baby but she is really almost 2!). Last night she did a little better and slept from about 1:30- 6ish when she woke up screaming, then threw up. After throwing up I said "are you okay?" and she said "I spit out". During the day she is in pretty good spirits singing and playing as usual but during the night she does really bad tossing and turning and it seems like she can hardly breathe. Her tonsils are almost touching each other and her temps have ranged from regular to 105.3 deg. I really hate Adenovirus I think it's one of the worse viruses to deal with because basically they have high temps for almost a week (or more) and there is nothing you can do to make them feel better other than Tylenol and Motrin. It's a good thing I am on Spring Break this week so Dan doesn't have to miss work and I don't have to miss school or go exhausted. According to the CDC there are 49 types of Adenovirus, only 45 more to go and we've beat them all!

Little singer

I had to post a video of Bailey's songs that she has been singing lately. She loves singing and walks around the house singing pretty much anything, she even sings things she would normally say. The last few days I have heard her singing "Heavenly Father, thank for this day", so apparently now she is singing her prayers. Notice on the itsy bitsy spider she says "e itsy dipsy spider" I love it. Another song she sings at school is about bubble gum but she says "buggle gum, buggle gum". She probably gets it from her Dad, the last few nights when he has put her to bed I have heard him singing the words to her books as they are reading.

Roomies...

We decided to try something new for the kids' sleeping arrangements. BUNK BEDS!!! We made a trip to IKEA for something simple (gotta love that place!). The kids (especially Peyton- he calls the top bunk his "all superhero bat bunker") are excited to share a room and have bunk beds. Dan and I put them together today and tonight the kids are trying them out for the first time. So far, so good. When we put them to bed they were laughing and playing so we let them go for a few minutes then went in and told them it was time to go to sleep, and we haven't heard a sound since (it's been about 20 minutes). We are planning on turning the other room into a play room so they can play upstairs more while I study. Hope it goes well.

Trying to use the naked method to beat Bailey's fever, didn't work :(

Peyton took this picture of Dan and I putting the beds together.

My True Love...

I have been meaning to confess this for a while now, I admit... I am in love with my Swiffer Vac! My sister Kim gifted this vac to me as a thank you for our hosting her stay in September and I have been in love ever since. I use my Swiffer Vac pretty much every day, usually multiple times a day. Being a mess hater and having kids has been quite the combo, the Swiffer Vac is great for a quick clean up for all those crumbs that are constantly dropped in the kitchen. Peyton even helps sometimes since she is so easy to use! I really think that EVERYONE should have one of these!

I also love my regular Swiffer (can't forget about her) for a quick wet clean up after using the Swiffer Vac. She is great for all those sticky spots (from spilled juice, and who knows what else), when I don't want to pull out the regular mop and do the whole shebang!