Christmas and New Years

Our Christmas was great! It was so nice to be home with family. This was the only time Austin has been back to Caldwell in over a year. Titan had a much better night but still looked like he felt pretty crummy.

Poor baby's eyes. He is so cute!! 

 Sedona had been asking Santa for Ana and Elsa Barbies for MONTHS!! She had enough "good marks" on her chart and Santa remembered that she was at her Mimi and Jojo's house. She was very excited about these two beauties!!

 Our own Elsa! She was in heaven. 

 We could occasionally get her to take her Elsa dress OFF so she could get some of her "energies" out. She spent A LOT of time riding laps through the sitting room, foyer, living room, and kitchen. Around and around and around. It was great entertainment for her and she got really good at it.

 Titan and Gizmo getting aquainted.
Titan loved his ears and Gizzy is so good to let him just pester him.

 Mimi and Jojo took Sedona to Build-a-Bear in the mall and of course, she chose to build an Elsa bear. She was so excited!! We heard the bear sing "Let It Go!" the rest of our break.

 My Christmas Babies. I know I am biased, but I think they are beyond adorable!

New Year's Eve came and Jojo had purchased a party kit with hats, beads, noise makers, and Sedona's favorite: confetti poppers!! We didn't celebrate New Year's at all last year because we had just moved to Laramie and I was a little depressed about being there. Alone. So it was really fun to go "all out" and celebrate. Jothan and Sadie came and they made us some delicious Chinese food in his new Wok and we ate ourselves silly. It was a great time. Titan and Sedona were both feeling much better by this time, so we really did have fun. We also found the New Year countdown on Netflix and celebrated at 9:00 so we could put the babies to bed :-) Thank you, Netflix.

 My Sister-in-Law said that this picture pretty much sums up Sedona. I would have to agree! She LOVED doing the confetti poppers and here she is making a "confetti angel." 

New Years Day came too fast and we had to head back for Laramie. Thank goodness it was on an airplane and not in a car. We were back in our own beds by the end of the day. 

We came home to a driveway FULL of snow/ice. Basically, a glacier. Austin had work all day and Titan was taking a good nap. It was really warm outside, so Sedona and I went out and I got to work on moving that glacier. It was a good workout. The kind that keeps on giving...aching muscles and all. But I quite enjoyed being outside in the sunshine, appreciating the fresh air and breathing a sigh of relief that my babies were healthy and happy again. I reflected on how it was for me this time last year and I was again flooded with feelings of gratitude for my many many blessings. Glacier and all.

This beautiful girl is finally in Primary!! She turned 3 just after the New Year last year and has been ITCHING to get in Primary with the bigger kids.  Her Uncle Tyson and Aunt Candace are in Primary and she is very excited about that, too. She loves Primary. She loves the music and her teachers. I am so glad she loves it so much. I can't believe she is getting so big.

I wish I could stop time. 

RSV...you STINK!

I had done everything I could think of to be "prepared" for our trip to Caldwell for Christmas. This included taking nearly every precaution to keep my kids from getting sick. (I say NEARLY every, because I couldn't keep Sedona home from school all winter.)  Well, next year I won't bother. Ha! 

I got the kids' flu shots done Tuesday before we got on the plane. 2am that morning, Sedona sounded like a barking seal. No. Not now. Really?! Good thing I had Decadron in the refrigerator. She sounded almost right as rain within 48 hours. Whatever Sedona had that caused her croup was no longer contagious and Titan didn't seem to be suffering from anything, so we left to see our friends in CO on Friday afternoon.

We spent time at a park and I could tell my normally happy baby was not feeling quite like himself. That night was LONG. Poor baby. He had what I thought was a nasty cold. We carried on and got on the plane Saturday morning and landed safely in Boise that afternoon. Sick kiddos and all. 

We suffered through the weekend, but did enjoy some outside time with the kiddos on Monday (a walk outside in the pictures above.) Titan had a pretty good day on Monday and a semi-decent night. I thought we were on the mend! I headed off to Hot Yoga with Mariam. When we got done, both of our phones had missed calls and messages. I called Austin immediately. He was in the ER with our Baby! A few nights prior, while Titan coughed and seemed to be choking at the same time, I expressed to Austin how scared I was. That I thought he had RSV, but I didn't want to be "dramatic" (a label that has plagued me most of my life) so I just kept on keepin' on. Then the great Monday and following night...I thought we really were over it and I was glad I hadn't taken him to the ER. 

Now this. My feelings were confirmed and he was in the ER without his Momma. His oxygen level was 86 and it needed to be in the high 90s.  

We hurried to meet Austin and Joe at the ER. The Doctors sent us home with an inhaler and instructions to suction out his nose. RSV is viral so there really isn't any medicine they can give him.

We went about the rest of our day 

 Look at his little eyes. He looks miserable!!

 Sedona is happiest when she has "her" dog. They are quite the pair.

 Markie working her baby magic. Poor Titan wouldn't sleep without being held. This is pretty creative! She just wiggled her legs and he fell asleep and slept for a while like that. 

Austin and I worked on finding some essential oils to help him out a little. A few hours and about $40 later, we had oils in hand.  I ran a bath with some lavendar in it to help calm him and then I rubbed diluted Breathe and Lime oils on his chest to help him breathe.

Within 10 minutes he was coughing like crazy and choking and really really struggling to get a good breath. We were scared. I could see the panic is his little eyes. Mariam called Joe, who listened to Titan over the phone. He said to take him in NOW. Austin and Markie had left to pick up dinner and Sadie and Jothan had just walked through the door. So we left Sedona with them and off we went.

We got there and they immediately put him on oxygen and measured his current level. It was 82!! No wonder his lips were turning grey and his face was pale. 

Within 15 minutes he had his coloring back but with two ER visits in one day, they needed to monitor him overnight. 

We were at an ER facility so they had to take him in an ambulance. A little crazy if you ask me, but that is what they said needed to happen. So, off we went.

 He looks so little on the gurney. 

 The paramedics were so good with him. He cried almost the whole way there and this guy just tried his darndest to get him to stop. They were so sweet.

 Finally resting.

The best part of all of this for Titan, was that he got to be naked! He loves being naked!

Well, we stayed overnight in Jojo's hospital (where Joe works) and around 3am, on Christmas Eve, they took him off oxygen to see if he could keep his levels up on his own. At 8am he was still at 96. They came in and suctioned him at 10am and checked his level again and he was still at 96 so they discharged us. 

I had a really hard time finding things (other than my amazing In-Laws and ever so supportive and concerned husband) to be thankful for during all of this. I was just so angry that all my precautionary actions had totally blown up in my face. But as I was talking to my Mom, she said, "I am just so thankful you are there. You have help. You have resources. You have Joe who can come to your aid when you are at their house. You are just in a better situation there than if you had been here or been alone in Laramie."  

You know what? She was right. I was so tired and so frustrated with all of this that I had not taken time to think about how it COULD have been. I have been so blessed with the best In-Laws a girl could ask for. I never worried about Sedona. Well, I did. But not worried about if she was feeling abandoned or forgotten by me. She had her Mimi!! Her bestest friend! I found comfort when Joe would hear Titan screaming in the night and he would come to our aid. Markie was a huge help to us when she would take Titan and labor to put him to sleep and then hold him the ENTIRE time he slept. This allowed me to shower, help Mariam in the kitchen, spend a few minutes closing my eyes after a night of only 2 hours of sleep, or connect with Sedona for a few minutes.  

Yes, there were many blessings along the way. And in the end, we got to be home with family in a warm house with amazing sea food on Christmas Eve...with our Titan who was finally sleeping and breathing well. I am so thankful for modern medicine and people who study it. Even though he didn't need medicine, they knew what to do to help him and the resources were there at our fingertips. 

We ended up having a very Merry Christmas!

Six Years

This coming Saturday, December 13th, Austin and I will celebrate six years of marriage.  In many ways, it feels like there is no way it has been six years already. And, in some ways, it seems like we have been married a lot longer than that!! In six years, we have lived in more places and driven more miles than a lot of people do in a lifetime. Our adventures have come with a lot of ups and few downs, but all of them are experiences we look back on and are so thankful for. And I am thankful that I have been able to do it all with Austin by my side. 

I gained so much when we decided to get married. I gained a best friend that I knew would always have my back and stand by my side at the same time. Someone I can laugh with, talk with, and even cry to (since he doesn't really cry, I don't cry WITH him).  I gained an amazing father to our children.  I have someone who wants to experience life with ME by his side, and that means the world to me!

A brief LIVING summary of our last six years:

Rexburg, ID

Indianapolis, IN

Rexburg, ID

Lewisville, TX

Rexburg, ID

Norman, OK

Rexburg, ID

(Austin lived in) San Antonio, TX

Laramie, WY

We have visited/vacationed to:

Cancun, Mexico

Lake Roosevelt, WA

Lake Wolcott, ID

Wallowa Lake, OR

Oregon Coast/Newport, OR

Bear Lake, ID

Cozumel, Mexico

And COUNTLESS other small places within the cities that we have lived, as well as places we stopped and visited on our way TO those cities!!

We drove to each of these places except Cancun and Cozumel.  WHEW!!! Makes me tired just thinking about it.  The best part is, I am certain the list will only get longer and provide even more adventures and experiences that will help us grow closer.

Here is a long list of pictures that kind of sums up our last six years:

Dating

Engaged

Indianapolis

Lewisville

Sedona's birth

A family of THREE

Norman, OK

OKC ZOO...the best ZOO!!! We loved it, and Sedona and I went weekly on our $50 season pass

.

Back in Rexburg. I just love this picture!!

A day on the hill at Pine Creek!

At the Aquarium in Newport, OR

In Cozumel

With our other family, the Jones'. Austin didn't get to come on this trip, and he was really bummed about that. But we love this family and are so thankful to have them in our lives!

In Laramie, WY. Titan's birth.

Father and son. SO precious.

So very thankful for each of these men. Titan's blessing day. We missed my brother Tyson and our Brother-in-Laws Casey, Tony, and Jothan. 

This picture is with our friends, Emilee and Greg Clark.  We have made great friends in all our adventures and I wish I would have been better at taking pictures with all of them when we were closer, geographically. The Yount's, Browning's, Hogg's, Graham's, and the Clark's are some of our closest friends and we miss all of them!! Thank you for being such a huge part of our lives and for being such great friends!

Our family of FOUR!!

I am so thankful for all of the good times, and even the hard times, of the last six years. I look forward to many more years and adventures to come, and I am excited to spend them with you, Austin Clift! I love you, forever.

Family

These three are my world.  I am so blessed to have them in my life forEVER! 

Austin: An amazing Father and a wonderful husband. He works so hard to support our family. I have said in the past that he is like a cockroach: he will do anything to survive. He has been going to school for the last five years and has always had at least one full-time or two part-time, and at one time, THREE jobs. He never ceases to amaze me with the things he can do. I love how much he loves our kids and desires to have great relationships with them. He is my best friend, my companion, and my rock. I love him so much.

 Titan: He is such a sweet boy. He has brought such a spirit into our home that only a sweet baby can. He is quick to smile (except when it is freezing cold outside, like when we were taking these pictures) and he is really a content little boy. He does NOT like to take naps. 15-20 minutes TOPS. But he sleeps pretty well most nights. He loves to suck on his hands and "blow bubbles" with his cute little lips. He is definitely a Momma's boy and always has to make sure I am close by. When he is being held by a "stranger" it doesn't last very long before he shows us how loud he can be.  He loves his big sister! His "nick names" are Titan Boy, Bubba-Do, and Buddy-Ol-Pal.  We sure love him and can't imagine life without his sweet presence.

 Sedona: This picture pretty much sums it all up. She is goofy, happy, super super smart, musical, tender, feisty, and just a really great kid. She is loving pre-school and has lots of friends. She is for sure a Daddy's girl and loves every chance she has to be with him. I am amazed at how much she loves her baby brother and is always eager to be a helper. The other day, she "rawr-ed" and it scared Titan and he started to cry. She did too. She felt so bad for making Titan cry that she started sobbing and it took us quite a while to get the two to settle down and realize that everything was ok.  It was funny and cute.  We love having Sedona in our family.

These photos were taken by my amazing and talented Sister-in-law, Michelle Teichert @ michellephotodesign.com.