Setting up the Christmas Tree

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. It makes me feel so happy!! I really wanted to get Christmas stuff set up the day after Thanksgiving but I got really sick and didn't move much the past 7 days. :-( It was an awful week with all of the trips to the ER and Urgent Care for Savannah and her mouth problems and then me being so sick and Shaun being so busy with finals coming up. My house is messy and I have loads and loads of laundry to catch up on. Blah to this week.. And now, my kids and Shaun and starting to have the same symptoms I had.. I'm going to load them up with vitamin C and hope and pray they don't get hit as hard as me. Savvy especially; she has definitely been through enough this week. I posted what happened to her on Facebook but I should write it on here too. I'll add it to the bottom of the post, after the pictures.

But, I'm FINALLY feeling better. I still have a cough but I don't feel so lethargic and out of it so I got all the Christmas stuff out and we put it up. In our apartment it seemed like I had a lot of stuff but in the house it just seems like nothing. I'll have to shop after Christmas sales to start bulking up my Christmas collection. :-)

Anyways, it feels so good to have the tree set-up. I'm going to have to start wrapping presents. I have all my shopping done. I just have to wait for a lot of it to come in the mail and wrap it. I'm so excited for Christmas this year.. time is going to fly and then I'll be home with my family.

 

Jake helping me put the beads on. He has been on a hat kick again. It seems like he goes on and off. But I think that he will end up a hat man. Which is fine with me. I love hats on guys!!

 

Savvy playing with the beads!

 

He was so focused and determined to get those beads on the tree and to help me. He kept pulling stuff out of boxes and asking me where to put them. He really is a good little helper when he wants to be. He loves unloading the dishwasher and helping me put clothes into the dryer.

 

 

 

 

This is another new thing.. the hands on the ribs thing. I don't know if he's mimicking me putting my hands on my hips or what  but he's been doing it a lot..

SAVANNAH'S STORY

 

This past Monday, I was really sick and pretty much spent the whole day and week on the couch. Jake watched a lot of Toy Story and ate a lot of sandwiches. I was pretty out of it. I don't get sick very often but when I do, it hits me hard!! Anyways, Jake has been taking the battery cover off of the remote a lot lately so I've had to keep it up. But of course somehow he got it and took the cover off and left it on the floor. Well, Savvy loves to put everything in her mouth.. (especially now since she's teething)... She found the cover thing and put it in her mouth and I'm not sure exactly what happened because I was resting on the couch but she starts crying and I see the battery cover in her mouth and pull it out and start to comfort her. She was in full-out, uncontrollable crying mode. I thought she was going to die.. and then the blood came. It wasn't a lot but it was enough to make me nervous. I tried to look in her mouth to see where it was coming from but I couldn't get her to hold still and I couldn't see very well. I just gave her some cold water to help numb it and then waited until Shaun got home so he could help me look at it. By the time he got home she seemed to be doing better and ate dinner and everything. We tried to look in her throat but we couldn't get a really good view. It looked red back there and you could tell there were some kind of cuts but it was hard to see. I thought maybe I should take her to urgent care just to be safe (they close at 8) but Shaun thought she would be fine. But then bedtime came and she wouldn't stop crying.. Every time we tried to give her the bottle she would drink a little then cry out in pain.. and every time she would hiccup or burp or swallow she would start crying again.. We decided to take her to the ER after getting a better look at her throat.. There were two puncture marks at the back of her throat on either side of that little dangling ball thing.. We wanted to make sure nothing serious got damaged.

Shaun insisted on taking her because I was so sick but I felt bad because he has sooo much homework to do. But he won and took her. However, he couldn't find his phone before he left and Savvy was crying so hard that he just left before he found it. Right after he left I found it in the couch and called my cousin Kyle to come and help me out. He stayed with Jake while he was sleeping and I borrowed their car and ran down to the ER to give Shaun his phone. I was just going to turn around and come home but I wanted to stay with my baby. I tried to get Shaun to go home but he wanted to stay too. We didn't get called back until midnight. Savannah was past exhausted but wouldn't go to sleep because her throat was bothering her so much. The doctor came in and said he couldn't stitch it up because it was so far back there but that there were definitely some pretty big puncture marks back there. He told me just to watch her closely, make sure no food got stuck in the holes, and if she gets a fever of 101 or over then to bring her back. And they gave her antibiotics to stop infection.

The next day, she would eat hardly anything.. even juice and popsicles. I got her to drink a little bit of formula but that's about it. Then around 2 or 3 she started having a fever and being really whiney and cuddly. I took her temp at 4 and it was 101.. at 5 it was 101.5. As soon as Shaun got home, I took her to the urgent care place. They had us checked-in and in the room within a half hour.. That's what I'm talking about!! Her temp had hit 102 by this time and the doctor said that her wound was infected and starting to swell. I could see him debating about what to do but decided on upping the strength of the antibiotics. I had to watch her to make sure she was breathing properly and make sure her fever was controlled. He said if after 2 days she still has a fever then I need to bring her back. Well it's been 2 days now and whenever I give her ibuprofen her fever goes down and she usually sleeps.. but when she wakes up she plays for about 10 minutes and then she starts getting lethargic and cuddly.. and her fever comes back up. She's sleeping right now but if she wakes up with a fever still then I will take her in again.. Poor girl!! She has been eating a little better though and doesn't freak out when I give her the bottle. I just hope that she gets better. On top of that, Jake has a fever too.. I'm not sure what his is from but it's not super high.. More of a low-grade one.

Anyways, that's the crazy happenings going on at our house!! Hope the sickness passes over your houses!!

I snagged an amazing Black Friday deal!!!

So, thanks to freebies2deals.com, I found out about some amazing deals online and got most of my shopping done online. I thought I had it made because then I wouldn't have to go out on Black Friday. I got Savannah a nice baby stroller for $11 on Amazon with free shipping. I got Jake "The Lorax" (which he loves) and "Curious George" for $3 each, free shipping. I got Shaun his headphones that he wanted for $20. And I got some good deals online at Kohl's for my mother-in -laws and my sister. I got all my shopping done and I was feeling really good.. Plus, I spent like under $60 for everything I needed.. Cheapest Christmas ever.. Anyways, I was getting ready to be done but then I saw this deal at Kohl's that would have been amazing.. I would have been able to get 3 kitchen appliances for $3.74 each. I really have been wanting a crockpot and I figured I could buy 2 other ones and give them for wedding gifts or something. But, everyone else found out about that deal the same time I did and I didn't check out fast enough and I lost it. I was kind of upset because it was such a good deal.

 

Well, I got the Black Friday ads and they were still advertised for $19.99 each but after the $10 mail-in rebate they would be $9.99 each. That in itself is an amazing deal. So, I decided to go wait in line. I got there at 10:00 and was like the 20th person in line. I met some nice people in line and chatted with them the whole time. Time flew.. I got in there.. went straight for the back.. Got my 4 qt. crockpot, the 1 1/2 qt party crockpot, and a waffle iron (which we didn't have either). I was the first person in the check-out line. I had a $10 off any purchase of $30 or more. Plus, I got the $10 promotional gift coupon and the 15% off coupon. The beginning price was $59.97 then $20 off plus $6 more from the 15% coupon. $2.75 in tax and I paid $36.72 for 3 appliances.. but then I got 3 $10 mail-in rebates. I will get $30 back, making my grand total $6.72 for all three of those things. I paid $2.24 per appliance.. I got a crockpot for $2.24. I saved $106 after the rebate! I was pretty stoked and excited. It was kind of an exciting adventure. To top it all off, I was the first one out of the store and a bunch of people in line started cheering and clapping. The line was still all the way down at the Home Goods store when I walked out of the store.. I was pretty excited. .. it's been a pretty frugal but amazing Christmas shopping experience. I'm excited to spend time with my family and friends. 20 days until I leave for Cali.... Cali here we come!!

 

 

Just in case you wanted proof!!

Thanksgiving!!!

This year, Thanksgiving was pretty chill. We slept in a little.. Got some doughnuts and the paper... had fun looking through all the ads wishing we had money to go and buy something.. :-)
Then we went to Shaun's Uncle Jack's house in Blue Diamond. It was fun to see everyone and have a little dinner. I'm grateful for a lot of things in my life but most of all.. I'm grateful for the gospel and the knowledge it brings into my life and for my family. My kids are amazing and I love them so much.. And I have an amazing husband who puts up with my craziness and supports us and loves us!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

 In other news, I forgot to post that Jake is now in a "big-boy bed!" I wanted to move Jake into the front room by himself in hopes that Savannah may sleep in a little longer.. Jakey always seemed to wake up first and then wake her up too. So I was trying to move the crib out of the back bedroom and was taking it apart when Savvy snuck up behind me and pushed on the on of the side rails. Well it snapped the plastic in 2 different places off and I couldn't put it back together safely. So we found this bed for a good deal and set it up. I took this shot this morning. He has been sleeping in his bed for 3 days now and he is doing amazing. I thought he might have some trouble at first being in a room by himself and in a new bed but he loves it. He'll go and get in his bed when it's time and I don't really have to fight him.. He cried for like 2 seconds the first night and hasn't had any problems since.. Next step... Potty training!!

 

 

"This is my wake up face!!"

 Jumping on the tramp and Uncle Jack and Aunt Karen's House!!

 

 She wouldn't give me a good face..

 

 

 Savvy sitting in the basket!! Such a cutie!

 

C'mon Son!

So, for those of you who don't know me really well.. I'm obsessed with the USA network show, Psych!! It's hilarious!! When Shaun and I want to watch a movie it almost always ends up being an episode or two of Psych. I think that Gus and Shawn's relationship is so unique and they just play off each other so well. Anyways, this past season they had a couple new catch phrases that were pretty funny.. One of them was C'Mon Son... a catch phrase that they coined from Ed Lover I guess. Anyways.. we were driving to Shaun's friend's house the other day and Shaun and I were talking and he said something silly.. so I said, "C'mon Son!" He chuckled a little and then we hear Jake from the back seat saying "c'mon son" in his cute little voice. Shaun and I busted up laughing. It was funny so when we got home I got it on video.. along with some counting and repeating of the alphabet. I also posted a link to a montage of Shawn and Gus saying C'mon son... along with some of Shawn's names that he uses to introduce Gus, and another phrase they used a lot this season.. prob not the best one.. But still funny!!

 

Shawn and Gus Montage

C'Mon Son/Names/Suck It!

 

 

Jake's version of C'mon Son!

Pictures for fun!

Just some random pics I have on my camera. We went on a walk to other day and Jake helped me push Savannah around the block in his little car. They both had so much fun. I think sometimes they get tired of just playing in the backyard and their playroom. It was fun to watch Jake explore and teach him to stay out of other people's yards. He now knows what a pinecone is and he loves trying to chase the pigeons or as Shaun calls them the rats of the air! :-)

 

 

stomping on leaves

I love when they play together nicely...

 

 

 

Teasing Savvy!

We had fun this morning teasing the kids with this plastic rat we got in the Halloween Clearance stuff at Walmart! Savvy is scared of it but thinks it's funny at the same time.. She is so funny.

First Time taking Jake to Urgent Care

We had a fun day. Jake was playing with Shaun's smelly shoes so I took them away and he started throwing a fit. I put the shoes back in our room and he followed me and tried to get them so I got his hand and said come on, let's go play with your toys. He's following me and then decides he doesn't want to and goes boneless on me which I wasn't ready for so it yanks him pretty good, so I pull him up and he doesn't follow still.. so I picked him up and took him with me. Well he starts crying and crying and holding his elbow. I realized after trying to move it and him freaking out and the fact that he didn't stop crying for almost 10 minutes straight that there was something wrong. So, I called Shaun whose boss was nicec enough to let him off for a bit and he came and got us. Luckily, the urgent care close to the hospital was empty and they accepted our insurance and we got in there pretty fast. They call it nursemaid's elbow and it's really easy to fix. The doc just had to pop his elbow back in place. He was right back to normal after he did it. At least now I know how to do it and it can save us a trip to the ER. I was so nervous that we were gonna have to do x-rays and all that stuff. I'm so glad it was an easy fix!! and we were in and out in an hour, including driving time. That was nice!!

Savvy's first steps, some words, and bubbles!!

My cute girl is getting so big. I put together a little video of her first steps, some bubbles, and her 3 words that she knows. So Cute!!

Just some cute pics of Savvy

I did Savannah's hair in pigtails for the first time for church today. I had to get pictures because she is just so cute. She is getting so big and saying so many new words. She is learning so fast and I just want to stop her from growing up. I love my baby girl!!

 

 This is her shy pose!!

 Her model shot!! :-)

My smiley girl

I found my keys!!!

So, a little story for you today. I lost my keys almost a year ago when we were still living in Sacramento. Jake loved playing with them and one day I just couldn't find them anywhere. I tore my whole house apart looking for them and never found them. I kinda figured that he had put them in some cardboard boxes that were waiting to be taken out to the trash. Which Shaun then took out to the dumpster before I realized what I thought might have happened. Well.. I was watching a movie today with Jakey and he put a car in the little front opening of our subwoofer.

I was like Jake, "What are you doing?"  I went to go retrieve the car but I couldn't feel it. So I tipped it forward and I heard what sounded like more than one car. I figured he must have been putting cars in there for the last couple of weeks. (He was missing cars, and I couldn't figure out where they were).  He has put stuff in there before, but I have always been able to reach it. Anyways, I proceeded to try and tip the subwoofer but the cars weren't coming out, so I thought maybe I could unscrew the back and get them out that way.. Well 20 screws later.. there was no way to get to the middle of the speaker without busting through the plywood on the back of the subwoofer. So I decided to try and shimmy and maneuver the sub to get all those cars out.

I screwed everything back together and unplugged it and started shaking it. I started getting the cars out one by one. I had to maneuver it to the opening and then tip it.. 14 cars later.. I thought I got them all but there was still something in there. I shined my flashlight in there and lo and behold it was my keys. I got mad for a second because that was one of the first places I looked when I lost my keys a year ago and I didn't see them or hear them. They must've been wedged in there pretty good..It took me a good 3 minutes to get my keys out because they were a little bigger and a weird shape. The hardest thing to get out was Buzz but after 20 minutes, I finally got everything out.

It's so nice to have my car keys back. It was annoying to always have to switch back and forth. And I'm glad I found a bunch of Jake's cars because I really didn't want to buy him more. He better hold on to those cars this time!! :-)

 

Carving Pumpkins

 

Jakey was scared of scooping the goop out. I did that part for him. I don't know why he was so scared but he was.

He kept pretending like he was going to get some but then he would chicken out.

Jakey's been climbing up on Savannah's high chair a lot lately. I'm surprised he hasn't fallen yet.

Savannah, on the other hand, wasn't scared at all. She wanted to stick her hands right in. She was having a blast.

Jake did like helping me carve.

His pumpkin

Dad concentrating on his!!

Dad's pumpkin!

Mom's pumpkin!

All three together!!

So, I'm sad to say that I forgot my camera and didn't get any pictures of Jake trick-or-treating.. He was cute though! He caught on pretty fast and a lot of times he would stay after getting his candy with his bucket held up, waiting for them to give him even more candy... which they did a lot!! He filled up his whole bucket!! It was fun taking him around. It'll be even more fun next year because Savannah will be ready too!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN again!!