A Spoonful of Sugar

... helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way.

Um, not true! Whomever wrote that was an idiot. Finley came down with something late last Sun night (a week ago) and on Mon had a slight cough. I figured it would go away, but by Tues night it was all too deep, harsh, and scratchy for my comfort so I called first thing Wed to take him to the Doctor. He didn't have bronchitis like I thought, but a bronchial type cough that really can't by treated with antibiotics, just motrin to treat the fever/achiness and a humidifier. The Dr. thought to check out Berlin "just in case" to make sure she didn't have it too (she wasn't exhibiting any signs at all). But luckily he did because he found that she had the befinnings of an ear infection in her right ear. Lucky for her she got some amoxicillan.

Finley of course HATES taking medicine of any kind, so I thought I would be tricky and mix it with chocolate milk. No sooner than one sip he cried and said, "Mommy, I don't like this." Ok, so I tried adding it to some Juice thinking he'd never know medicine was in it. Again, "Mommy, I don't want this - it's gross." Finally I just laid him down, braced his arms with my legs and opened his mouth. He spit it all out - all over his face, clothes, the floor, myself. So I gave up and let him be miserable. Berlin was next and I thought she would do better. Yeah right. She spit up the sticky orange mess and rubbed it all in her hair, up her nose, across her face, and down her clothes. She had obviously watched Finley. I HATE this part of being mom.

To top it off, late Wednesday night I came down with the stomach flu and spent 1 1/2 hours in the bathroom throwing up, went to bed, woke up and ended back in the same spot. Luckily by Thursday afternoon it had worked it's course.

A week later, we are better, atleast for the most part. Finn's cough is still there, but not as bad. He is still refusing to eat anything (going on day 3 of food strike) and will only consume liquids. But I'm sure he'll make up for it when he feels up to it. We actually had a few moments of fun play this afternoon. Finn's been a major GRUMP all weekend long so it was nice to see him smile for a bit even if it was short-lived. Here are some pictures of him in a box and Berlin driving her buggy.

Berlin getting in & closing the door.

Her feet barely touch when sitting so she just turns the wheel and honks the horn.
But she doesn't seem to mind.

Staring down the paparazzi.

Dear Gateway Discovery Center

aka The Children's Museum of Salt Lake City. The first 2 months of our membership have been great and we go once a week. As of Friday I feel my membership is no longer all that great. In fact it downright stinks because I now have to deal with a screaming kid who wants to see the new Seasame Street "Elmo" exhibit but can't because 1. there's an additional $4 fee to see it, and 2. he now can't go upstairs to the block room because inevitably he sees the Elmo stuff right next to it and begs to go in but can't due to reason #1. I understand that the exhibit is special and I'm sure the licensing fees are outrageous to have the exhibit there. However, the membership when I bought it covered the whole museum, now, it only covers about 60% of the museum. Does this mean that I am going to get a 40% refund on my membership price? In my mind it should. Or maybe you can deal with the screaming little boy who can't see Elmo everytime we go to the museum while I play with my other child. Honestly, I refuse to pay an additional $64 on top of my membership price ($4 each week over the next 16 weeks) to keep him from throwing a tempertantrum. Come June I will definitely be reviewing if it's worth it to renew our membership when it doesn't cover all the exhibits. If I had to do it today I wouldn't.

Despite my recent dissatisfaction, I did get some cute pictures of Berlin, who wasn't crying over the fact that she couldn't see Elmo.

.

Finley tuckered out on the road.

Finley using his Curious George stamps. DJ Master Finley in the house!


Berlin snuggling with Daddy
Finley pointing to the moon.
Finley checking out his heart laser & Berlin eating snow.
This Halloween costume gets worn everyday. Finley loves to pretend he's Rodney going off to Robot City to find Mr. Bigweld. He even has his little suitcase.

Finley playing with Play-doh on V-day.

How well do you know Berlin?

Last night we had a fun party for Berlin's 1st Birthday. Thanks to a nasty blizzard that blew in around 4 pm, it was smaller than planned, but it was still very nice and we had a blast with those that braved the weather and made it. I had planned a little game but we didn't get around to it, so I thought it would be fun to post it here. I welcome all of your answers so be sure to send them my way. I think it will be fun to save the responses for her little scrapbook. And I do have a prize for the person who gets the most answers right (yes, I will mail it out to the person who wins if they don't live in UT). This is open to all grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, beings from another planet ... whomever wants a shot at the prize! (*smile*)

As for Berlin's party, I found the cutest giant cupcake mold and used that for her cake and made lots of regular cupcakes for the kids. Lately I am in love with Pinwheels so I made some out of cute scrapbook paper and used those for decorations. I love doing this kind of stuff. Of course, Finley has already informed me that we can now start planning his birthday for April. And the theme he's chosen ... Robots! So I guess I have 2 months to figure that one out.

How Well Do You Know Berlin?

What is Berlin’s full name?
How much did Berlin weigh when she was born?
How long was Berlin when she was born?
How much does Berlin weigh today?
How tall is Berlin today?
How old was Berlin when she got her first teeth?
How many teeth does Berlin have today?
How old was Berlin when she started crawling?
What color are Berlin’s eyes?
What is Berlin’s nickname?
What were Berlin’s first words?
What is Berlin’s favorite food?
What is Berlin’s favorite toy/object?
What is Berlin’s favorite game?
Who does Berlin look the most like - Ryan or Cynthia?

Happy Birthday Boo!

Our Little Stinker is ONE!!!

All I can say is that this past year has gone by way too fast. I can't believe my baby girl is one today. This past year has been amazing as I've been able to watch her change & grow. We had it pretty easy with Finley and I was nervous for Berlin's arrival, but in many ways she has been easier than he was, and in others a bit more difficult. She is definitely more dramatic, especially when she doesn't get her way. Overall, she's been a great little girl and I am so glad she chose our home to come to. Here are some of my favorite things about Berlin.

1. She loves to smile (she has an amazing smile) and chat me up. She's our little gabber.


2. She loves to snuggle with me - is there anything better than this?


3. She ADORES her big brother to pieces (I am so grateful for this and I pray it continues as they get older.)


4. Listening to her sing along with me at bedtime.


5. She loves her fleece blankie with the tassels - this is her equivalent to a binkie.


6. She loves to take baths and play in the water.


7. She loves her dog Bentley and is always trying to get his attention.


8. The way she lights up when she sees or hears Ryan and says, " Hi Daada"


9. Playing Peek-a-boo with her in the mirror or under the blanket.


10. She's a great little eater and will try anything and everything you put in front of her.


11. The way she waves her arms and shakes her body when we have "dance time" during the day. She loves to mimic Finn's dance moves.

I could go on and on, but I'd rather just show you some of her latest pics. The other day I hear shrieking tears coming from the mudroom. I walk over to hear Finley telling Berlin, very gently and sweetly, that she can't eat the dog food cause it's for Bentley. She's screaming because he is trying to get the dog food out of her hands before it goes into her mouth. I tried to get the camera but the battery was dead, but just picture her crying in my arms as I have to fish out a couple pieces of dog food.


She is determined to make it up the stairs before I grab her and in these pictures she's shooing me away, then ignores me and keeps climbing.

Just one of the fun activities during the day - Finley pushing Berlin in her little cart/wagon. She LOVES this. Can you tell why she adores him? He is so sweet with her.

Berlin wakes up from her naps pretty happy most of the time. She usually wakes up, then gathers all the blankets into the corner and waits for me to come get her. She is so content to just sit there with them as her companion. She has yet to attempt climbing out.



Here she is playing with her cube - blanket in tow of course.

New Presidency

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that the new prophet and president of the Church will be Thomas S. Monson. His counselors are Henry B. Eyring, first counselor, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor."

I happened to be at the gym today running on the treadmill when the press conference came on officially announcing President Monson as the new Prophet with Eyring and Uchtdorf as his counselors. I almost started cheering outloud, but quickly refrained, and instead smiled from ear-to-ear, and ran with new vigor. I love our new Presidency. I know that Monson is the right man for the job right now. The Lord would never place a man at the head of His church if he wasn't right for the calling. I truly believe this and thus President Monson has my full support, love and prayers. I also love the counselors Monson was inspired to choose - especially Uchtdorf. Maybe it's that he's German and I married into a German family. But it's more than that. There is something about him that is so special and I have loved him since he was called as an apostle. I am excited for this next season in the church under new leadership. I loved Gordon B. Hinkley. He was an amazingly sweet, intelligent, and quick-witted man. I know that he helped prepare these newly called men to carry on the work that he too so loved. I am grateful for my testimony of the Gospel and the knowledge that I have that our Heavenly Father will never leave us without a Prophet, for when one Prophet is called to the other side, another will be called to take his place and stand at the head of the church on this earth. My prayers and support go out to the leaders of this Church. They are good men who sacrifice a lot as they live in the service of our Heavenly Father and Savior.

Stampin' Up! SAB Sale

"It's Sale-A-Bration time again at Stampin' Up! and free product is what it's all about! Every year Stampin' Up! gives customers the opportunity to earn fantastic, FREE, limited-edition stamp sets.

Here's how Sale-A-Bration works:
When you spend $50 on Stampin' Up! merchandise, you'll receive a free Sale-A- Bration reward. There's no limit - for every $50 you spend, you can select another free Sale-A-Bration reward!

The Sale-A-Bration promotion starts on February 1 and runs through March 17, so don't miss your chance to earn free products! You can also view the Sale-A- Bration brochure online." http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/9754.asp

A couple girlfriends and I have a stampclub and we get 20% off ALL prices stated in the Stampin UP catalog. So if you are interested in buying anything during the SAB sale, just let me know. I can place an order (with the 20% discount) and have it shipped directly to you.

To view the current Spring-Summer catalog online, click here:

http://catalogs.shoplocal.com/stampinup/index.aspx?pagename=storefinder&storeid=1038724