Video of Aubrey's stubbornness

As we are drawing near to Aubrey's 2nd birthday she is showing signs of independence and... that's right toddler stubbornness.  I took this video of Aubrey refusing my help when she gets herself stuck in her own shirt.

Weekend fun and an Emma tidbit

This weekend we went out to my parents and had a great time together as a family.  On Friday night we got into town and had pizza at my brothers house, got all the kids to bed and then went to go see the Hunger Games.  Dan and I have been waiting for the movie to come out FOREVER.  I read the book first and then got my sisters to read it, then Dan and my brother read it and eventually my parents jumped on the band wagon too!  All of us adults went to the late movie and had a great time hanging out together enjoying a fantastic book come to life.  My sister in law Emily had arranged for her sister to sit with the kids while we went to the movies.  It was such a treat for us and I was so thankful that she was willing to watch all the kiddos.

We spent all day Saturday and Sunday outside soaking up the great weather.  The kids roamed around my parents land (they live on an acreage), rode bike, played on the swings, had a blast playing catch and basketball.  It was awesome and the kids were dirty and tired each night!  I am so thankful that we all live close enough that we can get together like this.  Dawson, Emma and Aubrey love playing with their cousins and I will not lie that there were tears as we drove away back home.  I think that my two favorite memories of the weekend (besides The Hunger Games) were, first, when we ate dinner on Saturday night. We had told the kids while they were sitting at the kiddie table that we needed to pray before we ate.  All the adults were at the big table and my dad was waiting for all of us to settle in before he prayed over the meal.  While he was waiting Dawson took it upon himself to pray for the kids table.  It was just precious to see him praying over the meal while his two sisters and cousin, Abby, listened and prayed along with him. 

My second favorite memory was a little story that Emma told us.  It went a little like this...

Emma: Hey, guess what?  Grandma just showed me a dead armadillo outside!  It was killed by a bald eagle. 

Me and Auntie Meghan: Oh really?

Emma: Yeah, it could kill you!  Bald eagles can kill humans.

Me and Auntie Meghan: Wow!

In walks Grandma.

Me: So Mom, I hear that you showed Emma a dead armadillo?

Grandma:  What?  It was a dead raccoon.

Auntie Meghan: Emma said that it was killed by a bald eagle. (lots of laughter)

Grandma:  Well, she asked me how the raccoon died and I told her that probably a hawk or an owl got it. 

It kind of became a joke the rest of the weekend.  Apparently, a few details got lost in translation between what Grandma told Emma and what Emma shared with us:)  It was a great weekend and I can't wait until summer when we can get together more often!

Day 7 - House Arrest

I am going stir crazy!  We are on day 7 of me only leaving the house to go to the doctor/er or to take Dawson to school.  We are on day 9 of having at least one Westfall sick. 

I remember feeling well. 
I remember the fun I had going to the gym. 

Emma has been doing fine all day.  No fevers, getting into mischief.  Standard Emma stuff.  I am thinking, "score!"  We are done here and I can get out of the house tomorrow.

I hear a cry for Dan.  Dan is in North Platte.  Hopefully he is resting so he won't get this crud.  Emma is crying in her bed.  I go to check on her and she is hot.  NO!  She is running a fever of 102.5. 
WHY!?! 
How is this even possible? 

You know that she is going to be fine in the morning. 

Constant Vigilance

Well, this week I slacked off somehow and caught the worst cold!  Dawson had it first and I must not have washed my hands enough because BAM it hit me hard.  I think that since I have been feeling well in the Lupus and Crohn's department I have not been as vigilant about germs.  My immune system is so repressed though that I had a terrible time fighting off the cold and it turned into a Upper Respiratory Infection quickly.  I will be doing my best to make sure that will NOT be happening again! 

I found this great all purpose cleaner recipe that I can use around the house as a disinfectant. 

2 teaspoon borax
4 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon washing soda
1 teaspoon dish soap
4 cups hot water
Combine all the ingredients into a 32oz. spray bottle.  Shake it up and use it anywhere!


It's strong enough to wipe out germs and viruses. I can use it daily on light switches, door and toliet handles, especially when someone in the house is sick. I am on antibiotics and steroids which have helped a lot but that cough is still hanging around.   So, I am back to wiping down shopping carts and having a never ending supply of hand sanitizer with me at all times.  Constant Vigilance! (Do you like how I threw in the Harry Potter reference?  I just couldn't resist!)

Emma story - Dr Seuss' birthday

Today is Dr Seuss' birthday and both of my older kiddos have been so excited for the day.  Dawson is having green eggs and ham at school and Emma is having a pajama day at her preschool.  If I had been more on the ball I could have found all kinds of great Dr Seuss ideas on pinterest to help celebrate the day.  There were some pretty cute snacks that some of my friends had pinned.  However, I have been napping in my spare time this week recovering from vacation.  So, maybe next year;)

Last night we were talking about what a fun day the kids were going to have at school and here is a little snip of the conversation between Dawson and Emma.  It was pretty darn funny!

Emma: So, who is Dr Seuss anyway?

Dawson:  Remember, he is the one that wrote the book Cat in the Hat and The Grinch.

Emma: Tomorrow is his birthday?  Is he going to come to my class?!?

Dawson: No Emma, he can't come to your class.  He isn't alive anymore.

Emma: He is going to die tomorrow?!?

Dawson : No Emma, he died a long time ago.  We are just celebrating his birthday without him.

Emma: Oh. (long pause) My bad.

There are a few things about this conversation that just crack me up.  First, Emma was all excited about her pajama day at school but she didn't even know what it was for.  Second, she really thought that Dr Seuss was going to come to her class since it was his birthday.  Then, Emma thought that we were celebrating him because he was going to die ON his birthday.  You could see on her face that this was really confusing for her.  Finally, she said, "My bad."  That is hilarious to me because I am pretty sure that Dan and I don't say My Bad .  Where did she hear that from?

Anyway, I leave you with my favorite Dr Seuss quote...

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”

Happy Dr Seuss Day!