Illness Strikes

Right now the entire house is sick. As you know, Kyson was diagnosed with Croup last week and has been on a steroid, but he was getting worse. We talked to the doctor again and he has a sinus infection too. Because he had an allergic reaction to penicillin in the past, at first he was given a medicine without penicillin, but he couldn't take it. Every time I tried, he would start gagging, dry-heaving, and sometimes throw up. I tried putting it in milk, chocolate milk, and strawberry milk, but we had the same effect. Eventually, he was put onto an antibiotic with penicillin and we had to watch for a reaction - we'v e been lucky so far. He's finally starting to improve.

Last night I took Kodi to the InstaCare. Since last week, she's had a terrible cough and then the sinus kicked in. Over the weekend she had a fever, and the last two days she would start coughing so much that she would turn red and sometimes blue. On

Tuesday night, I noticed she was wheezing. She has RSV. They did a breathing treatment on her and gave her some oxygen. I wished I had the camera to take a picture of her with her little mask on. Fortunately, she didn't need to be hospitalized. The doctor said we'd been doing everything correctly to get her through this virus - humidifier, vix, keep her propped up, etc. It's now a matter of time and we will continue to keep both kids in side. Neither one of them have stepped foot outside the house since Saturday. I think Kyson is stir-crazy right now.

Kris is at the end of an antibiotic for a sinus infection, and I'm in denial about being sick. I've had a sore throat since Sunday

and am now getting the sinus stuff. I'm hoping it goes away quickly - Every- body's sicknesses. I've been washing the sheets, washing stuffed animals, and washing toys with Clorox bleech wipes to try and get rid of the germs in the house. It'll be nice when all this passes over.

Never a Dull Moment

Kyson is a fairly good kid. he's going through his terrible twos and he definitely keeps us on our toes. In the morning, Kyson and Kodi sometimes come to work with me until Kris gets off work. This morning was one of those mornings. Kris had arrived and I was doing the final touches on preparing the baby to leave. Suddenly, a loud sound started echoing through the halls of the school and flashing lights were blinding us - Kyson pulled the fire alarm! I ran into the hall to find him, tossed him at Kris, and went searching for a staff member who could turn this off and try to stop the fire department from coming. This was 10 minutes before first period was to begin. A staff and I found the key to turn off the alarm and she immediately called some phone number to stop the fire department. It was amazing how quickly we got everything under control. I don't know if the fire department came or not (I didn't see them), but believe it or not, school started on time. Now I ask you, does this look like the face of a mischevious little boy?

Croupy Kyson

One of the pleasures of being a mom is the sleepless nights with a sick child. Last night I tried to put Kyson to bed at 8:45 but he didn't want to. I told him he could stay up until 9:00. By the time 9:00 came, he was asleep on his chair downstairs so I carried him to bed. Kodi also fell alseep, so at 9:30 I was elated that I'd get to go to bed early. Little did I know what was ahead of me.

Around 9:45 I heard Kyson crying and coughing. When I went in there, he was sitting on his bed and seemed so lost. I handed him his blanket and stuffed kitty, tucked him back in and he rolled over to sleep. "Ahhh," I thought, and off to bed I went. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I hear Kyson crying again. I repeated the process again. Every time I was about to fall asleep, Kyson would start crying. This continued until 2:45 am. In between that time, Kodi also woke up (which is unusual). Finally at 2:45 Kris was leaving for work so I brought Kyson into bed with me. I know that's a no no, but I was desperate for sleep. It worked. Kyson and I slept from 3:00-6:00, but he woke up many times in between coughing.

Kris took him to the doctor today. I thought he had a sinus infection because Kris does, but the verdict said otherwise - Croup. He's now on a steroid to try and help with it, but it's one of those things that just has to run its course. I just pray that I can g3t some sleep tonight. I don't think I have it in me to repeat last night.

The Mayan Adventure

Last weekend, we went to dinner with all of Kris's family to celebrate birthdays. Kris's parents wanted some place where the kids could play to keep them enter- tained. The only place I could think of was Carl's Jr., but Kris suggested the Mayan. That's where we ended up going. I haven't been there is years and only remembered that there were cliff divers and it was a forever long wait. I was pleasantly surprised. The wait wasn't long and the shows were enter- taining. Kyson LOVEd it. In fact, I felt bad because we didn't even get to say goodbye to people. We stayed for one more show so Kyson could see it below and everyone was gone when we got out. I don't blame them, I probably wouldn't wait either. Carol and Errol even bought these cute cake- things for the birthdays - they had firecrackers on them and the kids found it pretty interesting. Thank you Carol and Errol for the wonderful evening. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Happy Birthday Mr. Incredible

Kris was born 33 years ago, and in that time, he's accomplished a lot. He graduated high school, served an LDS mission in Micronesia, was very successful with the language, graduated from college with an associates degree, and of course - found an amazing wife to marry.

I met him 9 years ago and in that time, I've grown to love him more and more, the better I get to know him. Being a husband is not an easy task. In the time that he has been my husband we've experienced some hard times, but he has been there for me every step of the way.

Before we got married, I had a history of health issues. He knew that when he asked for my hand, and after we got married, those problems didn't go away. One night in particular I suddenly had immense pain in my guts. The pain was so intense that it paralyzed me. Kris carried me to the car and took me to the hospital. I had a ruptured complex ovarian cyst and it had caused internal bleeding in my abdomen. Throughout the entire night at the hospital, he was by my side, comforting me, and just there for me. This experience has been repeated through 3 kidney stones, ruptured ovarian cysts, severe dehydration, and two children. His comforting presence has carried me through some intense moments in my life.

Being a husband is no small task, but that respons- ibility multiplies when children are added to the equation. Kris is an amazing father. He wakes up every morning at 2:00am to go to work so he can be home in time to watch our children during the day. He's always tired, but still changes diapers (even poopy ones), cleans up throw-up, enforces rules and expectations, and shows his children that he loves their mother. That is one of the most important things a husband and father can do to teach his children.

Kris has a great relation- ship with Kyson. When Kyson was a baby, Kris was in college and in order to spend time with him, he'd read his textbooks to him. He'd make up songs and sing to him, and from an early age, the two of them became best friends. They play together, mow the lawn together, and get in trouble together. Kyson's favorite movie is The Incredibles and Kyson likes to call Kris "Mr. Incredible." I don't think it's the physique that reminds him of his daddy, but the amazing strength that he sees in Mr. Incredible. I was looking back for pictures to put on this post, and I have so many wonderfully cute pictures of Kyson with his daddy. I didn't know I had so many.

Having a little boy is a lot of fun, and I would have been satisfied having 2 boys and calling it quits, but everyone said, "Kris needs a little girl." Now that we have one, I understand. Kris has a sensitive side to him that most people can see immediately. It's wonderful, and he adores his little girl. From the moment we found out we were having a girl, he's been excited, and since she's been in our lives, his enthusiasm hasn't changed a bit. He's always telling me that she's teasing him, and she looks a lot like him - she's even getting his blue eyes.

This man has affected my life in a way that I cannot describe. He has made me into a more nurturing wife, mother, and person. He has taught me patience and been a great example to me in many aspects of my life. He has loved me unconditionally from the moment we met, not pressuring me into anything, including marriage or children. It is his loving example that has made me into the person I am now, and I'm so thankful for him in my life.

Happy Birthday Mr. Incredible!