Mom's can't get sick, right?

I was under the impression that once you entered the ranks of motherhood your sick dues were done. Another one of my misconceptions about entering the exciting world of adulthood....It has proven untrue.

I thought we were sick last weekend. HA! We have left the house maybe twice in the last week only for prescriptions and milk maybe. This illness has spread to all of us - me the worst. I have had to appetite, no voice, no energy, but I still had 3 kids (all sick too) who were needy, needy, and needy. We have all hacked up at least one of our lungs, maybe both depending on when you talk to us. We are still battling the pink eye - the kids hate the eye drops and it's challenging to get them medicated on a daily basis. The worst of it is the violent spells of coughing - keeping us awake at night and our bodies sore from the constant contraction of our bodies.

Luckily, Travis didn't get it as bad and was willing to make hot dogs, order pizza, etc. for dinner. I was useless. But I must admit, during the week I was able to reflect on the wonder of being an independent person with no responsibilities. Here are some of the differences I have come up with from single sick to mom sick:

Dinner: As a single sick person you can choose to eat or not to eat. As a mom sick person you must make dinner or your family will starve - even if you feel like eating NOTHING. (lucky for my my husband pitched in).

Rest/Sleep: As a single sick person you can crash on the couch, bed, floor, who cares, you just want to sleep and nothing will hinder that. As a mom sick person you sill just want to sleep, but you can't because you kids want to lay on you or by you or poke things in every opening they see visible on your body, your kids are sick too and they want you to hold them while they are sleeping.

Humidifiers: As a single sick person the humidifier that keeps the air nice and wet so you don't cough all night, is magically working with water all night so you sleep peacefully. As a mom sick person, you give the humidifier to your kids so they will sleep better and then you suffer through the night and get up (coughing and all) to refill the thing so they continue to sleep like they should.

Aches/Pains: As a single sick person you take whatever meds you need to alter your state of mind into a more blissful rest. As a mom sick person , you help your kids do this, while all the time you intend to take your own, but someone needs help in the bathroom and your head is pounding...you are nauseated at the smells they produce as sick people, but are not allowed to be ill at the thought/sight/smell and you are consumed by the children not adding terrible messes to your already messy home, so you get them to the bathroom in time and eventually forget you were supposed to take something.

Hopefully, we are through the worst. Hunter missed the entire week of school. I have gained a greater appreciation for my mom being a mom and me being the sick child. I don't know she lived through it, and yet she did, so I will too. I can remember one particular instance as a child when both Scottie and I were sick. I thought I was sicker and was hogging my mom's attention....until he came over and puked all over her...I let him reign as king of sick. I just remember my mom not getting upset about it. She held him and helped him and still loved me too....Such patience I have to aspire to.



Enough with that - other things this week:

• Tyler gobbled a sucker and wouldn't give it up for anything....I think he found it in the trash )Gwendalin didn't want hers.
  
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• My mom quilted me a new bedspread - love it....
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• The chest of drawers fell on Gwendalin when she was trying to get clothes to change into. (she was luckily not injured)
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• Hunter got upset with Gwendalin for taking too large of bites and told her she was going to choke and die....her response "At least I'll be with Heavenly Father."
• My house is a disaster.

Coughing, Bed Wetting, Pink Eye, Fighting and a 4 day weekend

Hunter had school off on Friday and again tomorrow for the President's day holiday. Lucky for us, Tyler and Gwendalin have been getting sick and Friday rolled around and Hunter picked it up too. So, needless to say he has been ill the entire weekend and all of us are getting a little bit of cabin fever.



I was supposed to sing in church today with Tricia (which I was actually beginning to look forward to) but ended up staying home, when I caught whatever the kids have, but not as bad. The kids cough so bad in the night that I have had to wash the sheets a lot. And we have been using some previously prescribed pink eye medication to treat all of them for the gooey gunky pink eye epidemic. So far...so good we hope.

On a lighter note, before the sickness overtook our humble home, Hunter was able to help my dad fix Gwendalin's bike that Travis ran over this week. Tyler and Gwennie were able to go on a walk with my dad on the day I went to kindergarten to help with the valentine party. Tyler was not a big fan of the strap part of the stroller.



I can't really complain because we are all still alive and my kids are still stinkin' cute. And Travis is still smiling.....he's the only one who hasn't gotten the brunt of the illness...although he did get pink eye.

My Valentine...

Thought this was a cute way to celebrate Valentine's day. (A day late)

WHAT IS HIS NAME: Travis Fitzgerald Chesley

HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN MARRIED: 8 years (Nov '99)

HOW LONG DID WE DATE: We started dating the 2nd semester of our senior year. He went on his mission. We wrote. We got married 2 months after he returned.

WHO SAID I LOVE YOU FIRST: He did - on the park bench down the street from my house.

WHO IS TALLER: He is. But sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be taller and kiss someone shorter...so he'll lift me up on a chair so I can try. I am glad I am shorter.

WHO SINGS BETTER: Me, but he sings very well even though he doesn't think he can.

WHO'S SMARTER: Definately Travis...books, gospel the whole deal. I might have him beat at the motherhood game.

WHO PAYS THE BILLS: Me

WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED: I do.

WHO MOWS THE LAWN: I do...it's my cup of tea. Love it love it love it. especially when it's mowed diagonally. He mows too, but it's hard for me to let him.

WHO COOKS DINNER: depends on the day. he cooks a lot on the weekends....I really don't enjoy it at all...but he eats whatever I make.

WHO DRIVES: him...I hate it.

WHO'S MORE STUBBORN: me

WHO KISSED WHO FIRST: he kissed me first on the park bench down the street from my house. My first and only kisser.

WHO ASKED WHO OUT FIRST: He asked me to see the Easter pagent with he and some of his friends. I don't think we listened or watched any of it...we talked the whole time.

WHO PROPOSED: He did...after my parents made him wait a few weeks - they didn't want it to be the day after his mission. It was on the park bench at the park down the street from my house.

WHO HAS MORE SIBLINGS: he does: 8 and I have 4

WHO WEARS THE PANTS IN THE FAMILY: it's a shared responsibility...although sometimes I'd just like to be told what I need to do rather than make decisions.

Tag you're it: Dianne (Mom), Tricia , Lynn , Aunt Gay , Marie, Brittany

Tired, Tired and Laundry Soap

There are just some weeks where the word tired or fatigue just does not sum up the feeling I have; this has been one of those weeks. Travis was out of town for a fencing convention Tuesday through Thursday so the single parent thing was once again upon me. It wasn't horrible, luckily my kids were well behaved and we managed just fine, even running a few evening errands as we did not have to make dinner and be home to eat together...Something about dad coming home from work and eating as a family....changes when dad is away. Anyway, life went on.

Monday was home evening on ways that Heavenly Father and Jesus love us...we made a list that hangs by the table. We are trying to do "love" things to celebrate valentine's this month. Some of the things on the list were: church buildings, resurrection, prophets, mom and dad, etc. It was fun.

Tuesday was enrichment, and I wasn't going to go, but my dad volunteered to babysit and so I felt obligated. It was okay - nice to socialize I suppose, and free dinner. It was the prep time before I left that killed me, yes, yes, these pictures are of cottage cheese I spilled all over the floor and my pantry cabinets just before I was going to leave. It was even up on the molding of the cabinets. Nice for me Trish was here and helped me clean it up.



I usually purchase my laundry soap solely on smell, and recently changed from what I have been using to a new one (Purex to Gain) - it is the yummiest smellin' stuff ever! Anyway, when Travis got home from his trip, I had just run out of the Purex and switched to the Gain. Today and for the last 2 days he has been having the worst dry itchy skin ever...after consulting the medicinal experts in the family, we concluded it was because I had changed the soap. I am deeply devastated that I cannot continue the use of my new found love of the smell of Gain. But on the sunny side, I get to wash all of Travis' clothes again to make sure the Gain is gone and the itch leaves with it....Also on a positive note...the Purex smells delightful as well, it was the new and exciting smell of the gain that I think I fell in love with....oh well, back to the traditional.



And....this is my almost 2 year old that seems to have a knack for climbing and getting into everything...He's darn cute though. This is him on the table after I came in from talking with my neighbor.

Family Dinner and the Super Bowl

We had my mom and dad and Matthew and Tricia over last night for Sunday dinner. We watched the Super Bowl as well. It was good food and good company. The kids found lots of ways to be creative - and I got some pictures. They had fun and didn't make too bad of a mess. Tyler clung to mom and dad and got lots of loving and food.

The Mr. T Man...

Tyler has had some cute photo opportunities lately, so I thought I'd post a few. He loves wearing this army helmet, but has trouble seeing through it.

Gwendalin had left her baby in his crib and when I went to get him up after his nap, I found him holding her in the bed....he was darling.

Church Leadership

Many people have already paid tribute to our late prophet, however, in not wanting to forget the significant role he has played in my life I decided to write my own, better late than never.

Presient Hinckley passed away on January 27. It's weird only because he is the prophet I will always remember about growing up. I think most of our generation feels that way. I want to leave one quote that I really love by him (although there are many- this is a good one): True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one's companion. I am thrilled that he gets to now be with his sweet wife.

And the church moves forward with another of my favorite apostles taking his position as the prophet: Thomas S. Monson. I look forward to the focus of his leadership and council. Always trying to be better and better with each day.

Funeral and Weather

Travis and I were able to go to his grandfather's funeral last weekend. Luckily, my parents were willing and able to stay and watch all 3 of our kids so we could go. It was enlightening to learn more about his grandfather as he and I both didn't know much about him. (It was Annette's Father).

Anyway, the weather was horrid. We flew into southern Oregon and drove about 50 miles to a city in Northern California. We had to go back to the airport on Sunday for his parents and caught major weather. We decided to eat lunch before heading down the mountain - it was already snowing but not too bad. By the time we were done with lunch we knew it was bad. We kept thinking if we had only gone strait down the mountain we would've been better off. However, after starting down, we realized the Lord's hand in our lunch experience. Had we not stopped we would've likely slid off the road and not seen the patrol people making certain changes mandatory. These pictures don't do it justice, but it was definitely an experience. The highway patrol was making chains down the Siskyou mountains mandatory. Well, we were in a rental, so we had no chains...luckily, there was a little man off the first ramp we got off who had a sign near his vehicle that said I have chains. So, we paid him and he sold us a set and put them on for us. Needless to say the usually 1 hour drive from the airport turned into 3 and we were exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel.