Medical update

Well, since we have spent some time in the doctors' offices of late, I'll pass on the medical minutia:

HRT (Hormone replacement therapy) is WONDERFUL! The small dose of thyroid medication I am taking is enough to make a WORLD of difference in my life! A few months ago, life was...bleak. It really brings tears to my eyes when I remember how I felt back then. I think, why did I wait so long to go to the doctor?! I don't have an answer for that, I'm just glad I did finally "wake up" and realize that things were wrong. Life is wonderful! Sure it's busy as all get out, but now I have the energy to somewhat keep up with things, my hair is staying on my head, where it belongs, and my skin is no longer like sand paper (to name a few things that are better).

Strep stinks! Especially when all three kids get it. But amoxicillin does work, at least I think it does...Mimi is still coughing and complaining of a sore throat, but that could just be a viral pharyngitis (viral sore throat). Sweetsa appears to have developed a sensitivity to the meds...she spent 2.5 days with hives this weekend, poor thing. Stupid Mom didn't know what they were, thinking she (Sweetsa)sat on an ant hill or something. Poor baby! Oh, and she is less than impressed with the allergy medication. The thing that bugs me most about this bout with sickness is that none of the kids were symptomatic...no fevers, vomiting, lethargy, or anything! They didn't even complain about sore throats, before they tested positive for strep! (I took Mimi in to the Dr. for a cough that she's had for over a month...they swabbed her, it came back positive, so they swabbed the others, too.)How am I supposed to know my kids have a contagious illness if there are no symptoms?! So I am deeply sorry if any of your children caught the strep from my children!

When we were at the Dr's office for the strep, I took the opportunity, and plopped Sweetsa on the scale. She is now 21 lbs! She really is chunking out! That means she's gained almost 2 pounds since her 18 month checkup (7 weeks ago!) and she is now wearing 12 month clothes!

Nostalgic Item Offering

Ok, for you Henn relatives out there, you have the amazing opportunity to have Grandma Henn's old wood/coal burning stove. This is the stove of the twins' birth fame...the Daddies were placed in shoe boxes on the oven door after they were born, in order to keep them warm. This also the stove that Grandma cooked on until the 1950's ....ten to 15 loaves of bread (among other things) a week! What a woman!

Anyway, Uncle Leon has had this stove in his basement for years, and is now trying to find a home for it. If anyone in the family is interested, he would love to pass it on to family. If not, it will go either to an antique dealer or a scrap metal company. I have been trying to upload the pics, but for some reason Blogger won't accept them. If you are interested in seeing what the stove looks like, let me know and I'll email the pics to you. It really is a beautiful stove, I don't have room for it, however!

Easter Exploits

We took a few days and traveled down to Cali for the Easter weekend. We stayed in Castle Town and the kids had a BLAST! I guess it was a blast for us too when we were young and visiting cousins...non-stop play and pretend. Anyway, so here are some pics and anecdotes:



Well, first here are the dresses and hair bows I made for the girls. I left all the finishing (hems etc.) for the drive so I wouldn't get too bored (and to make sure they'd really get finished...I have a horrible time Finishing a project sometimes!)
As I made the dresses and had the girls try them on, Buddy, the total boy that he is, plaintively asked, "Where's my Easter dress?" He wasn't too pleased that boys don't get Easter dresses (or other dresses for that matter). But excitedly said YES! when I asked if he wanted an Easter tie instead. So here's my 1000 SRC points. The fabric for Mimi's dress (both the gingham check and the sheer) and Buddy's tie have been in my "fabric drawer" since before she was born. I got the pattern for free from my fantastic MIL (mother-in-law for you non-chat-room people!) I got the fabric for Sweetsa's dress for $1/yard on the clearance rack at Walmart (and it only took 1 yard!) I did have to buy the zippers, but I FINALLY learned how to put zippers in thanks to my fabulously talented Mother, SPH-1. In the past I've always fudged the back closures, putting in buttons, snaps or hook-n-eyes to avoid the dreaded zipper!
The accent flowers on the girls' dresses have been hanging around my house for who knows how long. I think they came on a birthday present or something.







And here is a pic of five girls in Easter dresses and hair bows. Catherine the amzing creator that she is whipped up four dresses in no time at all, sans patterns, piecing some from scraps! She gets 10 million SRC points in my book!














On Saturday morning, we dyed Easter eggs with seven anxious children (they had been pleading to do the egg-dying since we walked through the door the previous evening.)
Then we had many helpers fill the plastic eggs, and Jessie and I played "Easter Bunny" and hid the eggs on the local playground. We all trooped out after Uncle D (don't they look like ducklings!?)
Sweetsa and Jeff were the first to start hunting eggs and candy. Unfortunately, once Sweetsa discovered that she had picked up C-A-N-D-Y she refused to pick up anything else and worked and worked to get that piece of candy open!

When we let the other kids loose they had a great time!










































Here is how the kids occupied themselves for a while on Sunday evening...they went around, up and down, chanting "Chinese New Year Dra-gon!! Chinese New Year Dra-gon!!"












Buddy LOVED the stairs in Castle Town. The only ones we have at our house are narrow, uneven, and un-carpeted wood or cement. So a few minutes after arriving in Castle Town I heard him singing something while doing this:
Turns out he was singing, "Rollin' down the sand dunes, rollin' down the sand dunes!" Complete with "Ooh! Ahh! EEh!" (Those of you with Wiggles fans in the house will recognise one of their tunes!) I just had to laugh at that bit of association in his mind. I NEVER would have equated the stairs with sand dunes!

We also had a beautiful Sunday, going to Easter services, where Catherine sang a "haunting" rendition ofGethsemane written by Sally Deford. It was also blessing day for little Kiersti Ann. And it was a beautiful blessing by Keith, supported by both Grandpas and some uncles, too!

That evening we had a fantastic dinner, which we shared with a family from the ward...there were fourteen kids gleefully running around, having a grand old time. It was a wonderful way to spend Easter, with family and friends, remembering the tender mercies and great atonement of our Savior, and all that we can enjoy because of HIM. What comfort, peace and joy come through knowledge of him and His gospel!