The Big 3O!

dan turned 30 this year!!!

i tried to throw a surprise party but he figured it out in the end. maybe i'll try again in another ten years. i invited some families over for mexican food - dan's favorite.  we had homemade enchiladas and spanish rice, a veggie platter, assorted grapes (first time eating black grapes - yum!), and 7 layer bean dip.  squeezing in and feeding 23 people, adults and kids, was quite an undertaking but i think it turned out ok.  hopefully dan felt loved and appreciated. i took all of five pictures, none of which were very good. but in an attempt to document the night, here are a few:

we ended with candy bar cake and the girls got to blow out the candles.  a big thank you to everyone that came!  we celebrated dan's actual birthday with a low key date the next night.

happy 30th birthday dan!! we love you!!

We've Almost Made It

it's easy to say these last four days have been the longest ones EVER.  that might be a little dramatic, but only slightly.  thankfully the girl's fevers broke yesterday and mine was gone this morning. we survived this RSV thing. now, in a little less than 24 hours, dan's plane should touch the ground, he'll have a two hour commute back to columbia, and then he'll be home.  we've made it this far, weather, please don't get in the way!

the girls and i were pleasantly surprised to find a box with our mail this morning.  it was just what we needed.  aunt lindsay sent an early valentines day package to the girls and we sifted through it, pulling out a few things to help us get through today.  the rest will be taped back up and saved for V day itself.  one of the favorites was a pink cupcake shirt for sadie (notice our fort/tent in the background).  the girls love it.  sadie... will eventually. :)  

grace chose to eat her hearth shaped ring pop and madison wanted the little thingies you put in a bowl of water that turn into animal shaped sponges.  they couldn't get enough of either one and it kept them busy for quite awhile.  the picture above - cracks. me. up.  they really were happy, i promise.

i finally convinced the girls they didn't need a second bath today and they're very excited to try their new farm shaped sponges tomorrow.  thank you lindsay!! this was exactly what we needed to make it through today.

 

** and this just gives you an idea of what to do if you ever run out of kleenex.  dogs are good for something, right? ;)

This and That

 we've had quite the week. last minute trips to stock up on everything imaginable for our first blizzard. record snowfall and hours spent shoveling.  school, the clinic, and mutual canceled for the week. dan leaving for new orleans to attend the AAD convention.  and a diagnosis of RSV for both girls.

i've dreaded RSV ever since madison was born during "the season" almost four years ago, and thankfully we avoided it until this year.  now i have two little girls taking a concoction of drugs every so many hours to keep their fevers down and coughing at a minimum.  poor gracie has hardly slept the last three nights because she's breathing so fast and restless.  madison's eyes look glazed over and both of their little cheeks are flushed bright red. 

i've felt a little exhausted and overwhelmed the last 24 hours.  my solution?  make a list of things to be thankful for.  i'm a huge believer that the small things can make a difference.  as i jotted this list on a scrap piece of paper in the kitchen it made me smile.  i have a lot to be grateful for even when stress and anxiety and exhaustion seem to be dominating my life the last couple days.  so here we go...

i'm grateful for:
- pictures i randomly find on my camera taken at knee level with little fingers across the lens
- a south facing house because our snow melts twice as fast as everyone across the street
- sudafed, tylenol, motrin, robitussen, and vicks vapor rub
- red vines and an unread dan brown novel waiting for me after the girls go to bed
- netflix to make folding the clothes go faster
- dishwashers
- soft rock 101.5 for making the house seem less big and empty and lonely at night
- cell phones, texting, and free long distance
- crayola water color paints ($1.99) and that madison still loves to paint rainbows after going through 3 sets of paints in the last few weeks
- pepsi max to push me through the day after sleepless nights with the girls. sad? yes.
- a house big enough for us not to go stir crazy after 5 long days of being cooped up inside
- the quote "Friends are the family you make for yourself" and how true it is. thank you amy!
- plastic popcorn tubs from the $1 bin at target because they make watching a movie and having popcorn so much more fun
- our dog that drives me crazy 24/7 but can put a smile on grace's face when nothing else makes her feel better or can cheer her up
- girls that love reading books so much i sometimes have to tell them no
- frozen pizza
- little girls who tell me they miss their dad like 20 times a day.  (i secretly hope they'd say the same about me if i were gone.)
- the sun being out on a cold wintery day
- a family that eats bacon and eggs when i serve them, when i can't even stand the thought of taking a bite
- memories of my dad going to AAD meetings and bringing back "souvenirs" labeled with random drug companies (pens, paper, water bottles, bags, key chains).  it was like christmas all over again.
- madison and that the first thing she said in her delerious, half awake, fevery state was, "i really hope gracie is feeling better!"
- when the girls can choose anything they want to do and they pick playing games with mom - hungry hippo, hi ho cherry-o, old maid, and princess memory match
- worthy friends who gave my girls priesthood blessings this afternoon since dan couldn't be here
- a husband who works hard for our family to provide everything we need and more

things aren't always hunky dory over here at our house, that's for sure, but there's always plenty to be grateful for.  i'm feeling better already.