Random Journaling

In no particular order:

Ashley decided last Wednesday that I am now her best friend. No, I didn't bribe, coerce, or threaten to get her to change her mind. She is insistent, and even though it makes me smile, it makes me a little sad. It was fun to watch her have that special thing with her Papa.

Everett is doing great with his recovery. I kept hearing horror stories about kids waking up in a great deal of pain every 30 minutes at night, and fortunately we have had none of these problems. I got him a sippy cup with a straw so he could always carry around liquids to soothe his throat, and this is working great for him.

Everett's soft food diet is forcing me to be creative. You would think that a diet of yogurt, smoothies, popsicles, jello, and pudding would be interesting for longer than two days, but no such luck--Everett is officially bored with his options. I've been trying to combat this by making as much regular food as possible, but it is tricky. He ate mashed potatoes and gravy yesterday for dinner. We usually make cookies as a family on Sunday nights, so last night we made coffee cake instead because it was something Everett can eat. It was the best recipe I've seen so far. Lucky for Everett, I don't have any squash or he would be eating lots of vegetables as well.

William is just starting to learn how to go down the stairs backwards. I have been working on it with him every day in a sad attempt to get him to figure it out faster.

Yesterday William was watching as I was putting some things away in my pots and pans cupboard. Just as I looked over at him, I saw a light bulb turn on in his little mind. With a look of intense curiosity, he crawled right over and spent the next little while opening the cupboard door. Maybe today he has forgotten all about it.

Everett has discovered his profound distaste for grape-flavored medicine.

Ashley has been grumpy, grumpy, grumpy. I think it is all the extra attention Everett has been getting (although I've tried to tone it down so he is mostly just a regular kid). Well, I thought her grumpiness was purely a cry for attention until she developed a nasty cold this morning. Now I know it's both. Add William, who has developed a cough, to the illness mixture and it means we have three sick kids in this house right now. Yes, we're pretty germy. I am trying to ensure that Everett doesn't get the cold germs but it might very well be a hopeless cause. Depending on how today goes, we might have to schedule a trip to the doctor.

I've been painting the beige trim white in my house. I am paranoid about getting paint on the carpet and I can only do it when the kids are sleeping. This makes for sloooooooow progress. Fortunately I have the living room pretty much done. I would rather just take one or two days and spend the whole day painting so I can get it done faster, but such is life. It will get done eventually, and then, the walls! In the meantime, This American Life has been my entertainment.

I love This American Life.

Yesterday I took only Ashley to church. Let me tell you, it was the most peaceful Sacrament Meeting I've been to in a long time. I brought a pen and paper and a couple of toy horses, and she was set. I crammed for my Sunday School lesson, er, I mean I listened really closely to the speakers, and it was a wonderful break for me!

Well, I think that's it. If I think of anything else, I'll add it later.