The Adventures of Little A

I've been trying to work on this post for months, but it has proven very difficult. My mind was so foggy when all this went on that I'm having a hard time remembering where she was, when, but this is where Little A went while I was in the hospital for my surgery.

Little A stayed with Grandma and Grandpa the day of the surgery. Grandma had to go out of town for a week to help with a new grandbaby, so Grandpa and Aunt SG had little A over the weekend. I think she had a really good time with them.

Little A spent some time with Aunt H and cousin J when Allan had to take me back to the hospital. Aunt H was awesome and showed up quick when we needed help. They played for a few hours until Grandpa got home and took A for the night.

Allan made sure to be with her during the day as much as possible. They always played outside together and went on walks. A had a lot of fun collecting rocks to put on the stairs.

He also took her on a little date to her favorite restaurant, Panda Express.

She spent two nights at Uncle A1 and Aunt F's, where she had lots of kids to play with. While she was there she got to go with them to get ice cream at McDonald's. She then spent the rest of the time with Aunt C, Uncle B, and their boys. She loved it there! The boys were so sweet to her. They played at the park, went to a museum, watched Daniel Tiger, and A even braved the little roller coaster they have in their back yard!

She really seemed to be very comfortable at B and C's. After I was released from the hospital they came and took her to the zoo as well. She just loves those boys! They were sad to see her go.


We are so grateful that we have such an amazing, caring, helpful family!We couldn't have gotten through the surgery without them. It was so relieving to know that my daughter was safe and happy when I couldn't be with her. But, I hope to never have to do that again!

Some Fair

Allan's brother M got home from serving his two year mission for our church! We went to visit when he got home. It was fun to be with the family. He gave a great talk in church. We went on a hike as a family, an easier one that all the kids could do. Our niece G let me borrow her sunglasses, for which I was very grateful! Little A loved splashing in the water when we got to the top. She was not happy though when a rock shifted and made her foot stuck.

A1 and F watched little A for us while we went to the Temple. She had so much fun at their house throwing toys (and her cousin) down the stairs, chasing the chickens, and swinging on the swing.

We visited my sister K6 and cousin P another day. Those two always have a fun time together. They played with the pig and goats, jumped on the trampoline, and watched pound puppies. Little A thought it was hilarious when the goats jumped on the trampoline with them!

I decided to make some cookies and see if little A would help me. She usually likes to help with whatever I'm making. I got her all settled, and she helped pour a few things in, and then I put the bowl on the mixer. She freaked out. She thought it was going to be really loud. I told her that Daddy would come and take her away from the loud noise, and she said "Yay!" Then when he picked her up she turned to the mixer and said sternly, "Goodbye!" We got a good laugh out of that!

Little A has really gotten into dancing lately! She has a lot of new moves. Hanging upside down, rolling on the floor, down dog, up dog, stomping repeatedly with one foot, and various wavings of the hands. It is soooo fun to watch her! Always makes me smile!

We must have tired little A out. One morning she was being really fussy, so I asked her if she needed a nap. It was two hours before her normal nap time. She said she did. I wasn't sure if she really understood what I asked her, she says "ya" to just about everything, so I went and got in the shower while she played. When I got out I noticed that it was unusually quiet. I went to check on her and found her curled up on the rug in the living room sound asleep. (Also, she picked out that outfit all by herself.)

We started potty training three weeks ago. She is doing so good! The first week I just took her every 30 minutes. She went every time I took her! The second week I put her in panties. She was so excited about her panties, and still is. Every morning she wants to wear all of them, and gives them a lot of hugs! She especially loves the ones K5 gave her, they have bunnies and cupcakes on them.

She has had a few accidents, almost always when we're eating a meal. Otherwise she's doing great! She has started to tell me when she needs to go. She still can't quite say it, but she manages pretty well with gestures. I don't always understand when we're not at home though. She is still working on telling me when she needs to poop.

Little A always has a hard time sleeping when there is a change in her schedule, or she's reaching a new developmental milestone. This has been no different. She's had some nights here and there that she couldn't sleep and has started dragging her blanket around the house with her. We've made sure to have some extra snuggles. :)

We went out for a walk one day and found this awesome fairy broom. :)

Right after we found it we needed to get back quick so A could use the potty. As we were hurrying she tripped and skinned her knee a little. After she went potty I washed it, put some triple antibiotic on it, kissed it, and then put a band aid on it. She hated that band aid and stood there with her knee raised up in the air pointing and muttering at it all distressed until I took it off, ha! Since then whenever she notices the scrape she gives it kisses. We went to the store for some groceries a few days ago, and she sat in the cart saying "Oh" and kissing her knee. She also does this in the car wherever we go.

She finally started trying to say words today! She said shoes this morning and then on the way to church she said bird and tree. She is also saying dog, puppy, down, straight, and a few other words pretty regularly now.

We went to the Pioneer Day Parade. We weren't sure if this would be a good idea or not since she was so terrified at the last parade, but I wanted to try so Allan supported me. :)  She made friends with the elderly couple that we were standing by, showing them all the rocks she found on the ground. She did well for a while, lasting longer than the last parade. A nice girl threw a necklace to her, and she loved that! She was excited about the candy and would try to run out and get some, but then get nervous and come back. Eventually she was just done trying and ran away again. The picture is of Allan and A running away from the parade.

We had a barbeque with friends that night. We have been blessed to make some really good friends who have children around the same age as little A. It makes for a lot of fun get togethers!

Allan gave me a work day. He took little A to the park to play in the morning, and then to a nearby city to run some errands that afternoon. While they spent the day together I sewed curtains and sanded our kitchen table. Allan helped me paint it that night for our date. It was in pretty bad shape, now it is white, and I love it!

We went to the county fair. We always love to go and see everything people entered, and the livestock. We usually give little A a ride and see a show, but we weren't able to make a show this year, and she wasn't excited about the rides.

She loved seeing the chickens and bunnies, but was nervous about all the other animals. I love horses, and we got to pet some of them; A didn't want to though. We saw a lot of really fun crafts, beautiful quilts, and other art. They had a little area where the kids could play pretend: collect eggs, pick apples and corn, dig for potatoes, etc. A liked the apples and corn, but wouldn't collect eggs. She was too afraid of the stuffed chickens, lol!

We also got to meet the magicians bunny; we couldn't stay for the show though. We did get to see the horse show practice for a while. The riders were riding bare back with no reins, it was beautiful to watch. That is how I liked to ride growing up.

Little A has found a new fascination with sunglasses. It's very cute! We need to get her a new pair, her old ones are broken. We ate dinner at the fair that night. We got A a corn dog. It was huge! She liked it, but liked the tater tots that came with my meal better. We had coconut cream pie for dessert, yum!

While we were at the fair little A had to go potty. Allan took her. They have automatic toilets that flush as soon as you get off of them. She did so good until the toilet flushed. It took her by surprise, and she freaked out! After that she refused to go to the bathroom. She is still going at home though. She did really good today. I took her during sacrament meeting, and she did great. Then Allan tried to take her before she went to nursery. As soon as he took her into the bathroom she freaked out and refused to go. He came and got me to try to take her, but she wouldn't go for me either. So we bagged it for the rest of church. When we got home I asked her if she needed to go and she freaked out, so we just took the rest of the day off, and she agreed to start again tomorrow.

Little A LOVES grapes and strawberries. Whenever we go to the store and get some (which is pretty frequently) she rides through the whole store pointing at them and saying, "Mom! MMMM!" I put the grapes too close to her once, and she ate some! This week we went one day for strawberries and another day for grapes. Both days when we got home she searched through the grocery bags until she found the fruit, then pulled it out and brought it to the table to eat, lol! The grapes didn't quite make it to the table though.

Little A also got her first sliver. :( She cried buckets when we pulled it out.

We did some babysitting this week. It is always so fun to have some of A's friends over. We got out the walker for one of the babies, she was too short for it still, but A loved climbing in it, and getting stuck, ha!

The Circus Came to Town

The Circus was in town so of course we took Little A. We weren't sure if she'd like it or hate it, but we thought we'd try. We were there for about 5 minutes. We took this picture with the clown.

Then the show began and people started clapping and cheering. Little A literally ran out the door screaming and crying! We watched most of the rest of the show from the entrance way. She could handle the clapping and cheering as long as she was away from it, but every time the clown came out she would burst into tears! They did an act with dogs and that actually got her inside and sitting down, but as soon as it was over the clown came out, and she ran out screaming again.

Poor girl. She loved hearing the lion roar though. Allan and I enjoyed what we saw of it. There was a high wire act that was really good, and the wheel of death was really neat too. It was both Allan and A's first circus.

I introduced little A to painting, and she is in love! We have had so much fun! She loves to get it all over her hands and then slam her hands down on the paper. We always have a bubble bath afterward. The first time I gave her a bubble bath she didn't know what to make of it and didn't want to get in. She loves it now though.

One of our friends moved into our neighborhood, and we go on walks nearly every day. Her little girl is a year younger than little A. They have so much fun together pushing the strollers, collecting rocks and pine cones, and splashing in puddles. I have loved having them close!

We finally got to celebrate our anniversary. It got pushed back because of my surgery. We went to Anniversary Inn and did some shopping. It was so wonderful to have some uninterrupted time together. We both really needed it.

Independence Day is a HUGE event where we live. It starts on the 3rd with foam in the park. The fire department sprays foam on the grass, and the kids play in it. It looks like a blast, but little A decided she'd rather swing. They also have their pre-book sale that night. We filled up two bags of books for $10! Yay!

The 4th starts with Lions Club Breakfast. Then there is a craft fair and the book sale (we got another bag of books). Then the parade. Followed by a carnival, and of course fireworks. We went to the parade, but as soon as people started clapping and cheering little A freaked out.

At first she would get up some courage and run out to get candy, but as soon as she grabbed the candy she'd run away screaming. We were by some really nice people who kept gathering candy for her. After the fire engines (they were the first thing), the motorcycles, the water balloon thrown by a cheerleader, and the backfiring truck she had had enough and literally ran away down the hill screaming and crying. Unfortunately the parade turned the corner and she ended up just running to it. The look on her face was so sad. She was so distraught. We packed up and went to check out the craft fair.

As soon as we were done with that she bee-lined it to the swings, and we stayed there for the rest of the time. She was very content (and relieved) to just sit and watch the people.

We made it to the Temple, which was so nice. We brought little A with us that time. We like to bring her every now and then. She had a blast going up and down all the steps and saying "Hi" to all the people.
Allan was amazing this weekend (well, he's always amazing) and fixed the kitchen sink (Little A helped too),

the sprinklers, hung a mirror and hooks for me, removed two metal poles from the middle of our yard, changed some filters, helped me clean the blinds and then hang them back up, set up a bed in the guest room, took us on a family outing to an ice cave, and took me on a date!

Little A also helped me clean the bathrooms. She especially liked cleaning the mirrors.

We'll have to go back another time to the ice caves. We didn't bring big enough flash lights so we didn't go in very far. Afterward we went and played at the park. A had a blast! There were some different teeter totters at this park that she was able to ride by herself, and she was thrilled! She also got really brave and roamed the park by herself while Allan and I were still eating lunch. It made Allan and I kind of nervous, but proud of her at the same time (we were the only people at the park, lol).

Little A is officially potty training again! Yay! She is doing really well.

Little A and I went out to visit my sisters who are taking care of my Mom's shop. Her shop is super cute, and I wish I could buy pretty much everything in it. It had rained so on our walk to get lunch A and I splashed in all the puddles we could find. There were some that were so deep they went up past her galoshes! We got crepes. I got a ham, egg, and cheese one for A and a turkey pesto for me. She ate most of mine, ha! Who knew she'd like pesto.

She also stole my ice cream cone. Good thing I love her so much!

A Full House

The last couple of weeks have been quite the adventure! Our 4 nieces and our nephew came to stay with us for ten days while their parents celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary by going on a cruise. We loved having them! G is the oldest at 8 years old, followed by M who turned 7 recently. Then E who is 5, H who is 3, and B who is 1. With our little A we had six kids under 8. (Which is exactly like my family growing up)

They arrived late Saturday night. We got them all settled and went to bed. Allan and I got up extra early Sunday morning to get ready for church. We had to leave at 7:00am to go to my sister's ward. She and her husband were blessing their baby that day and they live over an hour away. Everyone did great that morning. We hustled along and were miraculously in the car ready to go at 7:00!  Their parents had provided breakfast to eat in the car on the way their which was extremely helpful! That day went so well. The kids made friends with my sister's neighbors after church and played with all of the dogs.

Monday we walked to the park to play. By the time we got home everyone was exhausted and either took naps or read books. We had a fun family night, had home made ice cream sandwiches and played outside.

We put B in little A's room since they are on a more similar schedule. It made nap times easier. Little A was SO excited to share her room with B. We could often hear them in there giggling and squealing at each other before they fell asleep.

Tuesday we stayed home, and they played in the kiddie pool and sprinkler. We made fairy crowns and read all about flower fairies. The girls were especially excited to see if they could find any fairy rings in their yard at home.

Wednesday we went to story time. They had a firetruck there to look at. I thought H would be really excited about it, but he just stood back and looked at it in awe. He wouldn't go near it. The other kids had a blast though.

The also got some airplanes and treats to take home. There is a small war memorial at the park as well with this gun. They allow the kids to climb on it, so they enjoyed climbing on that as well. H wouldn't go near this either, just stood back and looked at it in awe.

We ate lunch at the park and then each picked out some books to take home. On the way home we stopped at Arctic Circle for ice cream. The kids loved that!

We did some painting on Thursday. They painted rocks and logs, and they painted with sidewalk chalk paint. They had a lot of fun. Little A and B covered themselves in paint. I wish that I had gotten more paint though, it ran out pretty quickly.

Home made popsicles, yum!

On Friday Allan took the older kids to the mine to see the big trucks while the babies took a nap. The girls really enjoyed seeing the big machines, H was terrified (he liked the picture of the machines in Allan's office, lol!), but Allan said the highlight of the trip was seeing all of the cows in the field nearby. They mooed at the cows until all the cows moved further away. Ha!

Aren't they darling!

Climbing up onto one of the trucks.

We got kids meals for everyone and had dinner at the park that night. The kids loved that! Little A and B pretty much just drank the fry sauce. They were both covered in it.

We took them all out for ice cream again on the way home.

We had a movie night that night as well. They watched Spirit and had popcorn.

We took them all swimming on Saturday. The kids had a blast, but I was stressed out of my mind worrying that one of them would drown. We had originally planned on staying in the kids area, but it was really crowded, so we bought some floaties and headed to the bigger pool. M wasn't quite tall enough so someone loaned us another floatie for her. We were so grateful! The bigger pool was a hit. They had a blast floating around in it, splashing, and doing tricks. They were much easier to keep track of too!

Sunday the kids were done. Everyone was exhausted and wanted their parents. We made a welcome home poster for their mom and dad that day and played in the basement.

H had a ball sliding down the stairs in this box. It was also a tunnel for cars among other things.

Monday little A woke up with a fever. She wouldn't really let me put her down with out breaking into hyperventilating cries, so we watched some Daniel Tiger and Odd Squad. The older kids and I had a lot of fun playing puppies while the babies napped. And then we watched some more movies. Kind of a lame end to the trip, but that's okay. We were planning on having a dance party that night and doing water balloons the next day, but it rained, A was sick, and both babies cried most of the day, so movies it was.

Everyday during the babies' nap we would get out stickers, felt, coloring, stamps, and sewing things, and the girls and H would sit around the table and do some crafts. They made some cute things for their parents.

G made an apron for her bunny.

E made tags and collars for her dogs.

M made a tag for her dog and a witch costume for her doll.

We really loved having the kids here and were so sad to see them go. Little A cried and cried. Partly because she didn't feel good, and partly because they left - she was so confused as to why she wasn't going with them. We said our "I love you's" every night, and every night H said he loved little A, and little A said she loved B.

A and B were something else though. They would either play really good together, or push each other down and occasionally smack each other. H pretty much did his own thing and stayed away from all the girly drama, ha! The older three girls reminded me of my sisters and I. They fight with each other constantly, but love each other fiercely and will do anything to protect and help each other.

Allan and I have wondered if we could take on a large sibling group. It gave us a chance to see what it might be like. Of course there would be some HUGE differences, but it gave us a chance to see how we might respond to that many kids at once. We learned a lot about some things we need to improve upon, but we also learned that we could get through. We really loved having the kids here and have missed them a lot!