The doctors visits continue :(

After Papa, Nana, and Maddie headed out on Sunday morning. Monday morning I took Aaron into the doctors office. Yes this would make the 3rd doctors appointment for our family in a week! It was also my birthday! As you can see we celebrated it in style :)

So after visiting with the doctor yet again (this time concerning Aaron) we came home with a strong prescription of amoxicillin and an appointment for the next day with the ENT. Yes, Aaron had yet another double ear infection. He has had consistent ear infections since December. After visiting with the ENT and watching as Aaron failed his hearing test an appointment was quickly made for surgery to put in tubes the following Tuesday.

While we anxiously awaited for Tuesday. Aaron enjoyed watching movies and eating popcorn. Lots of popcorn!

Tuesday finally arrived. Tim took Ian to school while I took Aaron to the hospital. Aaron was showered with tons of love and enjoyed soaking it all in pre-surgery. The nurses had warned me that after surgery he might be a little grumpy. So I patiently waited for a whole 4 minutes until the surgery was complete and they were ready to bring him to me. Let's just say the nurses downplayed how "grumpy" he would be. They brought him to me screaming at the top of his lungs and he continued screaming, thrashing, hitting, and kicking in order to get away from me for the next twenty minutes. As the nurse left him with me she said, "make sure you don't drop him, page me if you need anything." Gee, thanks. I am sure if I tried to page her I would have dropped him. You could tell instantly when the anesthetics wore off because then he cuddled with me and watch a little baby einstein. Just in time for daddy to arrive from dropping Ian off at school -how convenient.

Thankfully the surgery went well. Even after being on the Augmentin for 8 days he still had a horrible double ear infection. The ENT doesn't believe that his ear infections were ever clearing up. Poor little guy :( We still have another hearing test this coming week to see if things have improved or if there is permanent damage. If there is permanent damage I am going to be irritated since I wanted tubes put in a couple months ago. The rules are that they have to have so many ear infections before they will put in tubes. Annoying.

The good news is that same day he took a four hour nap and woke up happy as can be. He enjoyed stealing the drawer organizers out of our dresser and taking off crawling and running around with them on his head. Don't worry I watch him very closely. I wasn't about to tell him no, he had been through enough that day.

As for Ian. He finally finished he amoxicillin for his ear infection that same day. Since having to have eye drops for his pink eye it has been a huge challenge to get him to take medicine. He was excited to have earned a prize that day. Do not be deceived by the picture -he was grumpy that I made him stop to take a picture. He even sleeps with his Thor hammer.

So while the kids are finally feeling much better. Tim and I still seem to have this lingering cold that does not want to go away. Thankfully it is not bad enough to completely knock you down, just enough to be irratating. So between the two of us being sick, the kids having 5 doctors appointments within 2 weeks, plus Aaron's surgery -let me tell you how happy we are that we decided to go with the high deductible insurance plan. Honestly we usually are very healthy and rarely get sick. This year is not panning out very well for us. Hopefully it will end up paying off in the long run. At least we are fortunate enough to have good health insurance. I can't imagine the cost if we did not. On the other hand maybe Obama would just bail us out :)

I know I am crazy far behind on blogging. We have been out of town every week/weekend. While we have had a blast I realize that I am starting to forget all the funny little things the kids have been saying. We are finally home and eager to be home for more than a few days so it is time to play catch up!

Just after Valentine's Day Tim's parents arrived with his niece Maddie! They got in just aftermidnight so thankfully the kids were already fast asleep -or they never would have gone to bed! The second Ian woke up and heard the news that Nana & Papa were here. He was downstairs in a flash! It was only a matter of seconds before everyone was running about the house acting crazy :) Yes if you can't tell Aaron loves to be right in the middle of everything as well.

Aaron's favorite thing to do was to be thrown onto the couch by Papa.

Since Nana & Papa were getting ready to head to South Africa the following month the kids enjoyed many African Safari's around the house. Nan would hide the African animals around the house and then the kids would head out on a safari searching for them with their flashlights.

The next day everyone got their skies and gear all ready to go and then headed up to sundance for some fun! The kids and I headed to Ogden to meet my mom and pick up a few things. Since we were in Ogden we decided to head to one of our favorite places the "Treehouse Museum." Ian loved the magnetic tiles and played with them for just over 30 minutes. While Aaron sat in the box of blocks tossing them from one box to the next.

The next day the rest of the family went skiing (Aaron and I stayed behind). Maddie and Ian enjoyed lessons that afternoon and were completely wiped out. However with the promise of hot chocolate and ice cream after they were good for a couple more runs.

Yes -completely wiped out! Aaron was also very irritated that Ian was using his blanket.

After this things were a blur and not really in a good way :( Ian ended up with pink eye late Sunday night. They should really discover a different way to cure pink eye besides eye drops. He absolutely hated it! The following day he spiked a fever. We did not think to much of it because we had heard that a fever and pink eye tend to go hand in hand. However the rest of the week his fever stayed consitantly around 101 with medication. Which meant a lot of hanging out around the house and relaxing. Plus Aaron was fussy and I happened to catch a cold with a low grade fever. We had all had enough and Ian just continued to get worse. Late friday night I took Ian back to the doctors office and he had a raging ear infection. I never expected him to have an ear infection considering he has never had one before. Not to bad to be 3 1/2 and have your first ear infection. He was finally feeling back to himself by late Saturday which was unfortunately just in time for Nana & Papa to head back home early Sunday morning.

Don't worry we still managed to have fun! Aaron was entertaining as usual. He loved still Nan's nook and playing "games." Mostly he just enjoyed the thrill that someone would chase after him to retrieve it.

We have been getting tons of new books because earlier this month I decided to become and Usborne Books consultant! If you have not heard of their books you are missing out. You can check them out on my website http://www.myubam.com?R3536 We love their books! Since I am a new consultant a lot of books have been arriving in the mail. The boys are in heaven! I will post more about the books later!

As you can see Aaron loves sneaking things. I am sad to say that Ian's brand new puma's are gone. I really don't think they made it in the trash because I always double check lately just incase Aaron tossed something in. I have torn the house apart searching for them and they are no where to be found :( We are also missing two containers of baby wipes! Seriously you would think that I am just missing something or that I haven't checked somewhere. Honestly, I have looked everywhere! I did find a $5 dollar bill in the process to bad that will only buy a fifth of one puma shoe.

Aaron reading a magazine in the rocking chair nana and papa brought him. He loved sitting in this rocking chair everyday while we were in NY for thanksgiving so they brought it out to Utah for him. The boys also enjoyed playing with the trains. Nana and Papa brought a new piece to add to our collection! Thanks

Aaron has become quite the mooch when it comes to food. If you have it he wants it. If you do not have anything he will stand at the pantry door waiting for you to get it. However, I don't think that Papa minded sharing.

Since Ian was not feeling well as I mentioned earlier he was begging to make the penguin ice cream cake from the family fun magazine. Since we were stuck in the house anyway Nana helped the kids put it all together! It looked and tasted great!

While the boys love Nana. This trip they were obsessed with Papa. Yes obsessed is the right word. Just look at this video. I was taking Ian to the doctors office and papa could not come with us. Keep in mind I have spared you, he continued the entire 5 minute car ride.

For doctors appointment #2 Ian was attached to Nana. So much that Nana had no choice but to come with us. I wasn't about to have a repeat of the video above with Nana as well. Papa definitely enjoyed soaking it all up!

The night before they left Ian was beyond excited for a puppet show. Since Ian was just a week old he has always loved Nana's puppet shows. While he still was not feeling a hundred percent he loved helping out! Nana even brought us a couple puppets so we have been doing our own puppet shows. Apparently mommy is not as good and Nana needs to come back :)

As for me I had fun trying all these new hairstyles on Maddie. I am still not sure how she slept with here hair like this...

but she said it would not bother her. In the morning (4 am) we undid all the twists and it was beautiful ringlets just before they headed to the airport. Too bad I did not take a picture -I was still half asleep at that time.

Through the sickness everyone was able to enjoy skiing (don't worry not the boys and I). We have tons of video. Plus Tim even made a movie. Unfortunately the file is to large for me to post. I do have one photo though :)

Yes...Nan got new ski poles this year :)

We had so much fun and are so glad that everyone was able to come and visit. It was extra special because Maddie was able to come as well. Ian loved having a cousin to run around a play with plus sleepovers (for the few days he was feeling well) were even better! Hopefully we will get to see everyone soon (and not be sick)!

These last couple of months Aaron personality is really starting to shine! We had always thought maybe Aaron will be the mellow child, content with everything. Nope! He is a little ball of energy and loves to tease.

While he is only saying a few words his babbling has become nonstop. As usually he always seems so sweet and innocent.

Then he throws a curve ball.

He still loves his cuddle time. I could not figure out where he had gone the other afternoon. He usually will take off for the bathroom to play with the toothbrushes or in the toilet. As far as we know those two things have not been combined for playtime -we hope!!! That particular afternoon I happened to find him in the cupboard resting on the towels. So sweet :)

Ian and Aaron have been having a blast playing together....and fighting with each other. Aaron tries to be just like Ian. If Ian lays down in the bathtub so does Aaron. If Ian sits up in the bath tub so does Aaron. They are continuously making me laugh.

Ian has also loved reading books to Aaron before naptime and bedtime.

Aaron enjoys it for a few minutes and then would prefer to grab his blanket and try to climb into his crib for a nap.

As for Ian, he is still my Ian! While I was folding laundry the other day he keep taking all of his underwear. Usually when I fold laundry he always takes his pile of clothes and puts them away. I don't have to ask him it is just something he does although occasionally I give him a penny when he has everything put away correctly. Wonder how long the penny will keep him happy? This time he decided it would be much more fun to put on all of his freshly clean underwear. He has about 7 pairs on in the picture below and that is how he spent his entire day!

This week was also Ian's last week of skiing lessons. I am amazed at the progress he has made and how far he has come. He is amazing! We have also been blow away with the Sundance ski program. Ian asks to go skiing with Regnita (his instructor) every day. She always has something new planned whether it is a treasure hunt through the town, magic snowballs, dinosaur chase (as shown below), or anything else, he is always excited.

While these two have most definitetly kept us on our toes we wouldn't have it any other way!

Valentines

Ian was very excited for Valentines this year! As was everyone. We had fun decorating the house and covering it in valentine's decor. I should have taken a few more pictures. All of the art work was done by Ian and Aaron (until Aaron tried drinking the red paint -then it was done just by Ian).

Ian cut out all of these hearts by himself! I would draw a heart on the paper and then he would cut it out. He made about 30 of them and decorated them with puffy heart glitter stickers. They go all the way up the wall. All of his teachers always comment that he is amazing at using his scissors.

My family came to visit the week before Valentine's and got a bouquet of balloons for the boys! They were amazing balloon (purchased at Pioneer Party in Lehi) with a special high float in them. This picture was taken two weeks later and they are still floating. A few balloons were missing they were floating elsewhere in the house. Even now, 3 weeks later, the McDonald farm balloon is still holding on. Plus that is with kids running around the throwing them in the air (we tie a small weight to the bottom of the string). They are amazing and now I am just going to have to keep getting them for the kids.

The weekend before Valentines my family came down. My mom had a few work conferences in SLC. It is always great when they come and the boys are beyond excited. Friday night they watched the boys while Tim and I attended our ward Valentines Dinner & Dance. The picture below was taken at the dance. They had all of the couples take their pictures when entering. Many people commented on our matching outfits and the fact that I must have dressed Tim :) Ha ha -not so much people, other way around! They really laughed when Tim pulled my pink phone out of his pocket :) He was going for the full affect people!

The Valentines Dinner and Dance was a blast! Words cannot describe how much fun we had. The gym was decorated like we were having a wedding it was beautiful. Tim and I were also involved in the newlywed game. A lot of information was learned about each of us that night which we will just keep between us and those in attendance :) Somehow we even managed to tie for first! After an amazing dinner (steak, chicken, potatoes, salad, veggies, deliciousness) and the newlywed game they cranked up the music and the dance began. This was not your average church dance. In fact it was nothing like it! Everyone was on their feet and dancing whether you were 20 or 80 years old. No need to worry about making a fool of yourself, just look to the left or the right and everyone is making a fool of themselves! It was a blast Tim even broke out some of his breakdancing skills with a windmill included! We are already looking forward to the party next year! Thanks to my family for watching the kids it was so nice to not have to worry about them and know that they were in good hands. Mostly it was nice to have a break from them :) Same time next year?!?

Saturday we headed up to Logan. Ian left early with my dad and brothers and was so excited! He was able to go and watch Hunter at his basketball game and be with grandpa and his uncles. Tim, Aaron, my mom, and I stayed back and ran a few errands around town before heading to Logan. When we got to Logan Ian was beyond excited to inform us that he had a backwards lunch with grandpa. What is a backwards lunch? Ice cream cone first then lunch. We decided to head back to Logan that night since Aaron seemed to have yet another ear infection and was not a happy camper (your own bed is always better when you don't feel good). Maybe Aaron was just sad because he got his first haircut (16 months) while in Logan :( Bye Bye baby mullet. Although he still has a little curl to his hair!

For Valentine's we made heart pancakes for breakfast, and heart shaped pizza for dinner!

Ian finished coloring and signing all of his valentines that weekend! He did an amazing job! I love his signature.

I was able to go and help with the valentine's party at Ian's preschool! Ian made his valentines bag in Art class that week. It is a good thing it was a big bag because it was stuffed to the top even with only 12 kids in his class!

Other than Valentines our week has been pretty normal. We have the trains upstairs this week (I alternate toys each week -cars, trains, animals, legos, etc). The boys have been having a blast "playing" together! It may not look like but Aaron is laughing histarically in both pictures. He thought it was funny to squish his face against the container.

We have been having way to much fun these past few weeks (thus why I have not had a chance to blog). We are looking forward to Tim's family arriving tomorrow (February 15th).

Tim took this picture from the deck the other night and I had to share. So beautiful!