'Tis the Season

Oink Oink

Well 3 out of 5 of us got our Swine/H1N1 vaccination today. Ben did not. And Miles did not. Miles didn't fall into the first class of people to get immunized. You kidding me? The most likely person in my family to catch the bug ? Seriously people. Whatever, I just hope the school gets the vaccines before he gets the H1N1. I overhead a teacher say there are 9 kids out right now in the school due to H1N1.

When the whole scare of swine flu came out, I didn't understand why it was made such a fuss. The death rate was less than a normal seasonal-flu rate. But it was all over the news. Weird. But now, I never hear anything about it; yet, it's effects are worse. The death rate is definitely more than the seasonal-flu. It is affecting healthy, young people pretty bad, too. Yuck. So all of a sudden I got freaked out about it. When calling about the vaccines our pediatric office told me, "Don't come here for your vaccines, we're swimming in the swine flu." Oh gosh. So we went to the community's health center and got the nasal mist. Jonas FREAKED out. Emmy was freaked out watching Jonas freak out. And, truthfully, I wasn't too excited. But it wasn't even bad. I mean, getting salt water up your nose is way worse than the mist. I had even thought the mist was worse than shots for my kids (since they have to do TWO nare-mists). But then I just realized my kids are freaks. And freakishly cute:

(this is how he chose to watch "The Letter Factory."

Like. Totally. Cute. (in an 80's way) :)

Here's hoping none of my cuties or your cuties get sick this season.

Quote of the Week

"Daddy when you are a Grandpa your hair will all be gone except around the sides."

~Miles

smart boy.

Another one gone. . .

Odd 'n End

Remember our grape fort? Well it produced grapes. And lots of them. We had another spot in our yard as well covered in vines. One spot made big grapes. The other spot made little grapes. And they had a slightly different taste. Well at first they were both bitter. But as we left them for a week or two, they suddenly became delicious. Ben did a great job as hunter and gatherer. :) However with all of his hunting and gathering, we netted about 6 quart jars of juice.

Those grapes probably ended up making 1 jar or so. Kind of fun, though?

This is how Ben found Jonas coloring the other day. Cute.

Title: The "Odd" refers to Jonas. In a most loving way. The "End" refers to our grapes. The freezing cold has zapped them. Goodbye.

Ramona

I just finished reading Miles our first "Ramona" book. Ramona the Pest, to be exact. I'm not sure who loved it more - me or Miles? It was such the perfect book: Ramona started kindergarten (like Miles), she's a good girl but also an unintentional pest (like Miles, well not a girl. . .), she lost her first tooth (like Miles), etc. It was delightful.

Quote of the Week

In Miles' breakfast prayer:

"Please bless mom and dad won't talk much because we like to talk to them."

ha.

Our Backyard Pumpkin Patch Got Picked

Oh Emmy. So silly. She is such a beauty, but dang her silly smiles. :)

Jonas sitting on "his" pumpkin.

Miles working on "his" pumpkin.

Miles has told me hundreds of times that this pumpkin is his, because he "spotted it first." Whatever. He claimed it "his" because it's the biggest. I'm not that dumb.

My kids make the goofiest faces. Seriously. I'm mean, not seriously. Look at them! Jonas is cute. Emmy is too darn silly. Miles is. . . Miles.

We got enough to even make a table decoration with. Fun. (I'm not so sure on the ribbon - I found it somewhere. I need to make it more "presentable." I think.)

OH HAPPY OCTOBER INDEED!

and a Sweet Dreams, too (Quote of the Week)

So we were playing lots of pretend today. Miles was a baby and Jonas and Emmy were feeding him. It was then time for bed and so the lights were turned off. Miles, of course, requested a bedtime story be given by Jonas.

Jonas: "Once upon a time there was a man and a woman. They were all killed by the Lamanites."

a bunch of unrelated items

So life has gotten crazy lately. Crazy busy. I am usually gone 3 nights of the week: one night working, one night at cub scouts, and one night at a primary meeting. Ben has EQ visits once a week, too. Then there are the normal routine stuff like school for Miles, preschool for Jonas, mommy 'n me school with Jonas, b-day parties, ward parties, baby showers (oh man are there tons of babies being born in this town!), work, soccer, appointments, outings, errands, etc., etc. I kind of like it and I kind of hate it. I hate that as soon as our activities have picked up I have had a cold. Not horrible, mind you. But definitely enough to make me sleep very poorly and just feel not quite up to it during the day. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. Yes, starting my 12-hour once-a-week night-shift hasn't helped this feeling. Did I mention I got a job? Once a week - Sunday nights? Well if not, I did. And it is such a great, great, great blessing. But one I wish I didn't need. But since we do need it, I guess it is wonderful. Wonderful in the I-hate-it type of way. Make sense?

Today, after we had dropped Miles off at school (he gets to walk home 1/2 way by himself today - we'll see how that goes!), Emmy and Jonas were playing delightfully in the backyard. There was lots of giggling going on. So I decided to get dinner going. Then I made myself some lunch and sat down to eat in front of the computer so I could check my emails. I had not heard them for awhile and so I got a little nervous. I started heading out back and I still could not hear them. I opened the back door and couldn't see them either. I rounded the corner and checked the sand-box and nope not there. Then I spotted them hiding in the playground thing. My heart was beating fast. It is so unlikely that my children would be gone or taken, but dang I get so nervous. This usually happens once a week. I panic in my mind. Then all is well. I'm such a mom.

And, indeed, the tooth fairy came. It was so fun. Look at my cute toothless boy. :) Don't you love his morning hair?

And this is what he bought with some allowance money and tooth fairy money:
A dragonfly. It makes a buzzzzing sound, too. It's pretty neat. But not as neat as my boy. How do you like the house we built for her - the dragonfly is a girl. Lilac is her name, if I remember correctly.

And I think the tooth fairy will be making another visit within the next week. . .

Okay, well I gotta go and meet Miles 1/2 way. :)