NICU Graduation party

We attended the anual NICU party last week at the hospital. We really enjoy going each year. We get to see the Dr.'s and nurses who cared for the babies and myself, and give them a big hug. It is a wonderful experience, and they will always have such a special place in my heart. We even saw the specialist who took care of them before they were born. We knew that as long as she had a close eye on them, they would be o.k. I am sure it is such a rewarding experience for them to see how far each child has come. We saw a little boy there who was in the NICU with the twins. He was born at 1lb! We enjoy seeing him, and how well he is doing. I am so grateful for the technology these days, it is just so amazing to me. A lot of these kids would not be here if they had been born before it! At the party they ask for the kids to wear their Halloween costumes. They have gifts, and games, and lots of candy for them. Here are some pictures of the party.......

Nurse Amber........our favorite!

Raggedy Andy, building a bridge

Kylie's pumpkin....of course it had to be pink. That's my girl!

Brushing off the sugar bugs

sick kids and caramel apples

Last week was a pretty crazy week for us. We all had a horrible cold, with a cough that lasted forever. I noticed last week that Carson's eyes looked really bad when he woke up from his nap. I called the Dr. and they diagnosed him with pink eye over the phone. I was glad we didn't have to take him in for it. We went to pick up his eye drops, and the problem was taken care of. I was really careful and washed his sheets and pillows, but Kylie still got it. Thankfully we had plenty of drops to take care of her too. A couple days after, it seemed like Carson's cold was getting worse. His cough was keeping him up at night too, so we took him in to the Dr.. Thankfully we did, because he had walking pneumonia and an ear infection. Poor little guy! I almost didn't take him, because I figured she would say that the cold just needed to run it's course. I trusted my motherly instinct, and gave her a call anyways. He is doing much better now and has taken all his medicine.
Since we are all feeling better this week, we decided to do a fun project..........caramel apples! I was inspired by a friend of mine, who is trying to do fun fall/halloween activities with her kids this month. I thought it was a great idea to get the kids involved and help them to enjoy this fun season to the fullest. They had a great time helping, and especially eating their creations.

They first washed them

Then dried them, and threw them around a couple times. They actually did really well! There was only one that was badly bruised.

Carson had to give them a little lick before they went into the oven

Kylie thought that looked like fun, so she licked them too. I guess we won't be sharing these with the neighbors!ha,ha. I would, if we didn't like our neighbors.

Carson found a neat way to eat them, without getting his fingers sticky. I may have to try that next time! Kylie thought it was pretty funny, and encouraged him to keep eating like a piggy.

Our happy news!

Happy Birthday to..........Me!!

I had wonderful birthday this year! Kyle took most of the day off, which was a special treat. I really didn't get to see him at all for the last couple years (on my birthday), so that alone made my day! He, Kylie and Carson took me to the mall and gave me a gift certificate to pick out a few things. The mall is one of my favorite places, so he knows me well! Since I share my birthday with mexican independence day, I thought it would be great to have mexican for dinner. We then had cake and ice cream with friends and family........and presents! What a great way to end a great day!

Carson enjoying the yummy chip thing after dinner. Those are so good!
Kylie was anxious to dig into that cake. So was I!

Homecoming

Saturday was Boise State's homecoming game. Kyle and I were able to go out alone (which is a real treat these days) while my mom babysat for us. We decided to take Carson and Kylie to the parade earlier that day. We all had so much fun. It was so nice outside and it was not crowded at all. We got so much candy. The kids looked so cute in their Bronco gear, so they seemed to get extra candy. It was like Halloween! We didn't have anything to put it in, so Kyle got creative and tied a knot in the shirt that was thrown to us, and created a bag! We were so glad we got that shirt, or we would have had two very disappointed little bronco fans!!Kyle gave us a little tour of the campus before the parade.

We even got a picture with Buster Bronco............oh dang!!

Kyle's dream truck!

Just Peachy

Last night we went out to the church orchard to do our usual volunteer work. When we got there we noticed that the peaches were all finished and given to the cannery. They told us whatever was left on the trees was for us to pick and keep. The trees still had a ton of peaches on them, so we picked a few boxes and took them home to can. They smell so good! Kylie and Carson have a great time going out there and helping us. They do get in trouble sometimes, because they think the peaches are balls and throw them. They do really good for the most part!

Here is a picture of Carson getting attacked by a branch. Instead of going over to help him, I got out the camera. ha.ha.

No mom, that wasn't me that threw the peach like a football!

once again......he was caught on film

Kylie.....very proud of her hard work!

Sneaky Sandra and her Snoopy friend

My friend Sandra and I met at our high school orientation. Thankfully both of our last names started with a G! She was one of my closest friends in high school and remains the same today. I can't believe that we have been friends for 14 years! Her and Kyle had been working together for the past couple of months to surprise me with a visit from her. Thank you both!! Kyle mentioned the word surprise to me a couple of days before her arrival, and I became very curious............and I am sure very annoying too! Sorry Kyle,for all of the thousands of questions. I started investigating and found some clues that led me to believe that she was coming for a visit. I felt bad for ruining my surprise, but I was glad to be able to help plan things. We were in the middle of painting our downstairs, so I was able to help get it finished before she got here. We had a wonderful time and I am so lucky to have such a special friend! I already started missing her and Arielle (Sandra's daughter) within five minutes after dropping them off at the airport. Thank you again Sandra and Arielle. I already look forward to the next time we get to see eachother! We kicked the weekend off with a BSU football game. Kyle was thrilled that she wanted to go!

Since I missed Arielle's birthday, I treated her to a manicure at a cute salon just for kids. It was decorated with lots of pink and sparkles. Really cute place.
Carson was in need of a serious haircut, so he got a little pampering too. He loves to sit in the car while he gets his haircut.

We squeezed in some shopping at the mall too!

On their last day here, we took them for a paddle boat ride at the park. The kids loved feeding the ducks. The weather was great too.