Movie, Sickness

Instead of movie night on Friday, we took the kids to the theater to see the Incredibles 2. They all really enjoyed it. Lewis even did all right and didn't throw too much popcorn on the floor. I don't think we've ever gone to a full-price movie with the kids before (since we don't often ourselves), but it's nice to know that we can afford it even though it's a splurge.

Lewis started getting sick on Monday with a low fever. By Tuesday, his fever was 103, so I took him in to the doctor. James traded with me, so I went home with all the kids. The doctor said it was a virus of some sort and to just wait it out and give medicine when he got miserable.

Tuesday night was the most miserable for the poor little guy. He hadn't had medicine for a while, so his fever spiked to 104. We gave him ibuprofen and James gave him a blessing. He slept well for the rest of the night and for several hours on Wednesday. When we was awake, he wanted to be held by James or me and not near anyone else. He didn't eat but drank lots of milk and had some popsicles.

I managed to squeeze in a big shopping trip last night. Hopefully I won't need to go to Walmart again for 2 weeks! The cart was overflowing thanks to all the extra food we need for guests.

Today, Lewis is doing a lot better. He has no fever while on ibuprofen (so far) and is even playing outside. He's been grumpy but has actually been eating. Here's to hoping the fever doesn't come back. I'm thinking a full recovery by tomorrow.

Our guests start arriving today, starting with James's family around 4. James just told me he took tomorrow off. Hurray! That relieves a lot of my stress. If I can make it through today, I can make it through the weekend because I'll have tons of help. Plus, Joseph is getting baptized!

Paddle Fest, Parties, Baptism Prep

James and I went on a date last Thursday to a nice dinner, then Vernal Excitement. It's an outdoor sort of craft fair with free music. It was really hot, but it was fun to look around.

We had a great time at Paddle Fest on Saturday. Basically, Red Fleet Reservoir lets you use all the kayaks, boats, etc. for free. We got there early, so no crowds, and went out on a pedal boat. Today is the first day my legs don't ache! James even brought popsicles in a Thermos for us to eat as a snack. Otter Pops have really saved me this summer. When I am really really hot, they help cool me off faster than anything. I think the kids enjoyed the boat ride because they didn't have to do any real work.

We went to a birthday party for Alex (James's friend Devin's son) who was turning 3. It was a big party that included dinner, a bounce house, and a pinata. It was especially nice to talk to two other women who have 5/6 kids about the challenges of doing pregnancy so many times.

Sunday, James took some nice pictures of the kids so I'd have one of Joseph for the baptism program. I emailed the Primary president all the details. We are just about ready for this to happen!

Monday, we did a little talent show for family home evening. The kids were SO excited. It was really cute to see what they came up with.

Tuesday, we went to our ward party. There was lots of fun games for the kids, so we hardly saw them. I had fun but got really hot by the end and took a while to recover. I'm so glad my house has central air AND ceiling fans.

Joseph had his baptismal interview on Wednesday night. I still can't believe he gets baptized in less than two weeks!

The rest of the week should be pretty low-key, just the normal fun stuff we do. I need to conserve my energy for next Thursday through the following Thursday when we have tons of guests. Just the thought of it makes me feel even more tired than I already am, and that's saying something!

The Fair, Day Camp

I feel like I need to write more often than once a week. It's hard to remember what happened even last weekend!

The kids really enjoyed the fair on Thursday. We got there a little early and did the candy drop, the Little Red Barn, and then looked around. It was hot, so it took me a few hours under the fan to cool off.

We had pizza and family movie night on Friday. The kids really seemed to like National Treasure. Their reactions are always so funny.

Saturday morning, we went to the fair again. We looked at all the exhibits, the animals from Scales and Tails (not the actual show, because it's way too long), and did the Little Red Barn again. We then stopped at Walgreen's for a giant bag of cough drops. Pretty much everyone has had a cold this past week. I felt especially awful on Friday night and Saturday. Things have gotten better since then, but I'm more exhausted than normal and have an even harder time breathing. Ugh.

Sunday was normal, even down to the fact that I wake up feeling terrible and not wanting to go to church, but once I get there, I feel okay. Getting up and doing the music is probably good for me. Sitting for a long time always makes me feel worse.

Monday, Cherissa and Tayson came for dinner and FHE.

Tuesday, Joseph went to Cub Scout day camp. I think he had a really good time. I took Katie to the dentist, so I think we're in the clear for at least the rest of summer with appointments, except for me, of course.

I had my appointment Wednesday morning. It took 3 tries to get a babysitter, but I finally did! Everything looks good. I am healthy, just fatter than I'd normally be. James volunteered to go shopping for me, so I accepted. He ran out of cart space, so the kids and I will pick up the last 10 things today after the library.

I feel like the summer is going both fast and slow. I feel like we have a good balance of work, fun, and rest, but I'm still so tired no matter what we do. I am really glad for air conditioning. Keeping cool has been much easier than my pregnancy with Katie. (That was miserable!) We  have enough hot days to require AC to be comfortable. It is nice that it gets so cool at night. We always open the windows. The lame thing is that my hips are starting to ache when I sleep on one side for too long, so I have to roll over, and that is a process! I'll live.

I really don't want to go past my due date, especially not into September since our insurance resets, but for now I plan on waiting to go into labor on my own unless I or the doctor feel strongly otherwise. I just hate not knowing. I like to have things planned out!

Head Reunion

We ended up leaving Friday around 1 for the reunion. The trip was mostly smooth, but there was a lot of traffic in Salt Lake due to a wreck, so that slowed us down by at least 40 minutes. Kenny and I both felt pretty carsick with all the stop and go. We finally made it to Albion around 8:30 and got the kids to bed by 9. Not bad for having to lug a bunch of stuff upstairs and make the beds. We hung out by the fire for poetry and eventually went to bed. I slept terrible.

The next day was really fun despite my exhaustion. I did yoga, concrete handprints with the kids, and then had lunch. I took a nap after lunch and missed most of the auction, but we still got a few awesome things. The kids went swimming in the afternoon with James. After dinner, we did a Q&A with Grandma and Grandpa, which was really interesting. We then had a discussion about marriage with the other adults, put the kids to bed, watched a talent show, and had s'mores. We stayed up a bit later talking to people.

Sunday was clean up and leave. We stopped for church in Declo and headed home. The drive seemed longer even though it wasn't. (No traffic this time.) Once home, I unpacked everything, fed everyone dinner, and relaxed the rest of the day. It was worth the trip, but it was just as grueling as I thought it'd be.

Monday, we did a simple FHE.

Tuesday, Joseph had a birthday party for his friend Jackson, his first day of Cub Scouts and I went to a visiting teaching interview. Everything went smoothly even though things overlapped a bit. Sis. Hill came over to talk to Joseph and us about baptism and what we need to do to get him ready. I can't believe that's coming up in just a few weeks!

Wednesday, I went to the hospital for my free 3D ultrasound. It was really cool to see baby girl's cute little face. It looks like she has the same lips as Kenny and Lewis and the same cute button nose as all the other kids. James found a basketball hoop for the kids for free! They love playing with it so far.

Today is the first day of the fair! We're planning on going at least twice over the next 3 days.

I am officially in my 3rd trimester as of Tuesday/Wednesday. I am excited but also just exhausted.

I think I mentioned that the kids have a fun summer schedule, but I don't know if I wrote about it yet. We will do these things every week unless we're out of town.

Mon.: play with the hose in the sandbox, FHE

Tue.: go to the park, date with a kid

Wed.: sidewalk chalk, library and D.I.

Thu.: library activity, date night

Fri.: bubbles, movie night

Sat.: outdoor adventure

Sun.: church, board games