Harper Lee Update

Through breathing treatments, a steroid shot, chest x-rays and careful evaluation, it was determined that Harper has a pretty severe case of Croup. It started early Monday morning, ER visit on Tuesday afternoon, ending with them admitting us Tuesday night. It's been a rough go for our sweet baby. . And really all of us, to watch her struggling for air.
She is a strong trooper and in good hands. If you're not familiar, Croup affects the upper airway/trachea. It causes swelling and can constrict the airway in some patients, like Harper. She responds immediately to the epinephrine breathing treatment that they give her and becomes calm and has easy breathing. There are times between treatments that she's even been upbeat, smiling, crawling on the bed, drinking and eating her baby food. All great and a sense of comfort..but they are short lived. For the most part she has gone about two hours and then the meds wear off and very quickly she goes back into a struggle for air. Her chest and neck concave with every breath, she breaks into a sweat and . . Well, Dave and I, begin to give her reassuring words, which I'm not sure if she needs more or us?.
What a horrible thing to watch your baby suffer. So much goes through your mind and you wish you could do anything to take that pain away. I am indeed thankful for her over all health and my other two children's health. We really are blessed and I know she will fight through this yucky virus. For now it's just been a lot of restless hours in the hospital.
The Doctors want to keep her another night because she is still unable to maintain comfortable breathing on her own. They want her to go at least six hours after an Epi treatment without needing another. All yesterday and last night she would make it about 2 hrs. Since this morning she has gone about 4 hours. We will see how tonight goes..As nights tend to be rough for most sicknesses.
Friends and family are super supportive and great in helping out with Beckham and Roma, food, phone calls, texts, ..etc.
I'll give the updates here on the blog for those that have been asking. Lets hope and pray we're out of that claustrophobic room and back at home by tomorrow!
Here are some pics that my pops and Shell took today while up here spending the night and visiting our sweet little Harper Lee.

"Simple" ideas..?

Good. I finally fixed my blog so that I can once again update via phone. These days I am RARELY at my actual desktop or laptop. Run, Running, around my house and playing with kids. It gets hectic.
I'm coming up with some different ways to help make my life easier and more productive.
Yesterday I called Dave at work to sarcastically, yet with all seriousness, tell him my couple ideas and then to see if he had any to add.
He laughed and said he'd be thinking.
Here are some of mine. Easy, complicated and those that will take some trial and error.
-An accordion file for all my bill stuff. I save the stubs for power, gas, mortgage, hospital bills, etc and I'm not 100% sure why I save them all but I think it's a good idea. So, having them in some sort of order makes me feel less clutter brained and better.
-Sell our Honda civic and get rid of our 295$ car payment. !! Lately I think car payments are such a waste. I'm ready to get a bigger yet "crappier" car that we can save a bit monthly.
-Turn down the water heater
-Plan out a 2 week dinner schedule and shopping list. ---THIS is the tough new one for me. I am excited to see how I do and if I like this idea. I'm using the Food Nanny cookbook and website. This website lets you pick your recipes then it creates a shopping list for you. It's been a couple days is all and I love that I KNOW what's for dinner. Not something that I already did or cared about.
-Buy a gym pass. Not just for me to use but me and the kids LOVE going to burn off energy and practice our sports skills. This rec center even has a golf putting green, drive range area, and batting cages along with the other basic goods. "Getting out" is key to a good day-especially if it's physical. That's my book though:)
SO far that's what I'm working with.

P.S. Harper Lee is crawling full on and eating all and everything. She is a hand full of lovin.

Was anyone else in Razz Ma Tazz ..

..when they were little??
Roma loves dressing up and watching my old vids! Her hair is definitely so long like mine was, just a couple shades darker. That's me with the platinum fluff in the background.

Melt your face off-Oreo balls

Oreo balls

1 package Oreos
1 8oz Cream Cheese
white chocolate
milk chocolate

Crush oreos frosting and all. -I used my food processor
Mix with cream cheese
Form walnut sized balls and place them on a cookie sheet-covered with parchment paper
Place cookie sheet in freezer or fridge until firm
While waiting, melt your chocolate for dipping.
This is what I used and LOVED:
Guittard brand? I bought them bulk.
Vanilla A peel chips-they are about the size of quarters for outside
Milk chocolate maxi chips drizzled on top.
Take balls out of freezer and let warm up a tad. So, chocolate won't crack when dipped.
Use a fork to make dipping easier.
ENJOY!!
*Credit where credit is due-Thanks Alison Memmot for the extra cals!

A small miracle just occurred...

All THREE of my kids are taking a nap, right now, at the same time.! This has NEVER happened and by golly it is a GIFT to me.
Deeep breath.. and thankyou.
I will post a bit of an update and if this silence is still in motion when finished, I will be taking my own little rest. Just because THAT never happens either.

Christmas and 2011 for that matter were absolutely amazing.! What a great year we've had. So many blessings with our "new" (8 months now) baby, Harper Lee. Our "new" (110 year old) house that we went to the depths of stress and back to finally call our own. My parents and family that has had many changes (parents divorce after 29 years) and sister Whit getting married. With all of this everyone is very happy and healthy.

And...I can already here stirring upstairs. Dang! Guess that miracle was short lived. Nonetheless, still a miracle. Beckham is up and the least harmless, or hands on. So, I'll continue on.

This year we invited whoever wanted to from my fam to come up and spend the night Christmas Eve. Dad, and Diana came for Eve dinner then Shell drove up later after work. Dave prepped his 1st turkey for dinner and boy did it turn out sooo juicy good. We all had good times delivering goodies, watching Muppets xmas, having the "elves" deliver presents for the kids and watching a buck deer bust our fence while jumping over. IT was crazy.

Beckham(5) and Roma(3) are at such fun ages for christmas! They went NUTS over every little gift. Giggling, running in place and Roma doing her little side glances, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?" We were all entertained watching them tear through the gifts.
Some of the favorites were: Beck-Nerf disc blaster, army dress up gun kit, transformers, and pocket knife.
Romes-4 princess barbies, make up, art kit and boots.
Both of them got a small violin to hopefully start taking lessons on. It's the cutest little thing ever!
WE all got Lagoon passes from in laws.
Dave got some blue Sperry boat shoes, chainsaw, new iphone.
I got great kitchen stuff, Toms, garden and cook books.
OH YES- and Harp Lee got a tooth for xmas and the 2nd one popped up a couple days after.
We were all spoiled as always.
I've LOVED getting the mail to find all the cute updates and xmas cards too! One of my favorite parts!

This year I did our cards in, oh, ONE day. I couldn't find a pic that I really loved so I had my friend come down the street with her nice camera, snap a cute one of us on our porch, I took it to Walgreens and had them printed and posted to send the next day. haha. Just how it worked out this year. I wish I had the actual card scanned in to post because the picture printed on the card was a little ol' house that looked SO identical to ours. Fence around it, tall trees and all. I thought they turned out cute!

We've mostly been full on holiday whirlwind. Xmas parties, decorating, treat making, my first xmas dinner/program for our relief society and now taking down and putting away xmas. What a fun time we've had doing it all in a new house and town.

Hope you are all happy and BRIGHHTTTT. :) Happy NEW YEARRRR. Now we all need to write down those resolutions. .. I seem to never really write mine down. There, that can be my first. 1-Write down some goals for 2012- besides living through the END OF THE WORLD.! ;)

Yo Gabba Gabba! concert.

Frosting cookies at Grams



From our home to yours, Dave, Bre, Beck, Roma,
and Harper Lee





Christmas Day-after church
Grandma Lynne's stockings



1st CHRISTMAS!

Happy reunions.

Two people dear to me have passed over the last month and a half. Dave's Grandpa Carter passed away on November 2nd and my cousin Robin Stevens Davis (Bateman side) on November 30th.
Both deaths were those of bitter sweet, but mostly Sweet. Grandpa was two weeks from 92. Lost his dear Maxine 2 years ago and his health was declining. Robin had been fighting with the complications of Cystic Fibrosis, a Lung disease her entire life. And boy did she fight back amazingly. She was 35 years old, served in many church callings, received a mission call then health interfered, she had a lung transplant and was married for 6 happy years.
Both Grandpa and Robin endured to the end! They will be missed.! We're happy for the time we spent with both and know that they are free of pain and reunited with loved ones. Such a comfort!



Robin's Blog is linked hereif interested.

Thanksgiving Eve.

I have so much to be thankful for at this time! It's been an absolutely amazing year. Having a new baby in May, new house in September and so many blessings weaved in between! I am overwhelmed with gratitude. !
I again have been out of touch with my updates here. It stuns me over and over again at how fast time does fly on by.
I am in a haze of happiness with being a mom and a wife. I'd have to say that the ages of Beckham(5), Roma(3) and Harper(6mths) are so entertaining and FUN. I try and memorize our days, the things they say, how they laugh and smile, the messes they make and things they ask and their new tricks ...because, well these things will pass and we'll be on to the next crazy stage.

I sit here for a bit listening to some early Christmas music in an otherwise quiet house. Dave has the older two at the park and lil' Harper is fast asleep.
This last Sunday was Stake conference for us and it was bit different than I've ever experienced. Since we recently moved into this area, I'm not sure when the members were assigned, but each(LDS) member of our stake was asked to prepare a 10 minute talk on any subject they'd like. Then at Stake Conference the president would randomly call on some to share their talk. SERIOUSLY. And, Dave and I didn't prepare a talk..at least I don't think he did, but I figured I wouldn't be called on, having just moved in and being under the radar a bit. At least thats what I thought, and luckily I was right.
This spirit at this conference was so strong. Everyone was more attentive, a little anxious and I think everyone felt like we were in the same boat/shoes. The talks that were given were from some old and some young. Good planned talks.
Dave sung in the Stake choir and had a nice, peaceful time up on the stand. I on the other hand, had the kids eating suckers and walking the halls. They did great, but sometimes the info I get is limited.

I've been thinking about something that I caught at the end of a man's talk. He was saying that everyone of us has problems or trials in our lives. Some big, some small and some so big that they seem impossible to pull ourselves out of. He told of a friend that was driving his huge CAT tractor or something next to a canal and he drove to close to canal causing the tractor to fall down into the walls of this canal. He said that he now had a 2 1/2 ton problem. They ended up anchoring the tractor to some concrete above and driving the tractor out.
The point was that: it doesn't matter how big or small your trial is...what matters, is how STRONG your anchor is. I loved this.

I know that if we are anchored securely to the gospel of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, that we can pull through and achieve ANYTHING! I'm thankful for that reminder. Happy Thanksgiving. I'm off to bake my 4 dozen rolls. MMM yum.