Random. But Random with Photos!

So, I've been in this family for fourteen years (I was one of the key players is starting this family, eh?), but I'm still always frustrated and/or surprised by the carnage I wake up to on Monday morning. 

The weekends do a number on our house. On the one hand, we get everything cleaned up and organized on Saturday. On the other, we take Sunday "off" and worry less about picking up. In other words, we allow the place to go to pot. And then I wake up Monday mornings to the carnage.

Luckily, today, there is less surprise and less frustration on my part. Maybe I'm learning?

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RSV seems to be over (fingers crossed) for the baby. It was touch and go for a while, but with essential oils, colloidal silver, steam baths (with herbal teas), lots of nursing and sleeping, we were able to keep him out of the hospital.

And then #4 (the Kindergartener) threw up this morning. 

And Brandon has the RSV-like cough, etc. (and I know #5 had RSV last week, as did I, but because we're old and immune and all that, it was mostly just a chesty cold). 

Yay? 

This winter has been a crazy one for sickness. Honestly, I have never seen our family be plagued with so much illness in a short amount of time! We tend to be a pretty healthy bunch, but this year... I don't know. Flu, stomach flu, colds, more flu, colds, RSV, more stomach flu... I'm just praying we'll now be immune to everything next year! 

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Random pictures (in no particular order. Literally. Because I'm not feeling the organizational agony which is blogger on an iPad this morning):

 
(#2's Musical Theater Review --opening and closing numbers, incidentally!)

(#1's Science Fair project --she's doing product comparisons this year)

   

  

(This was yesterday: Brandon was staying home with the sick baby, the other kids got ready for Church and were excited for their new Primary classes (they switch each January --move up by age). #5 went to Sunbeams for the first time! He was excited. He slept through Sacrament Meeting (we have 1PM Church) and so when I took him to Primary, he was pretty sad. He cried a bit, but I had to teach Gospel Doctrine, so I left him with his sweet teachers. Afterwards I heard he slept through Sharing Time/Singing Time, but woke up again for class time and was very happy. Yay!)

  

(Just Dance 4 with the kids over Christmas Break)


   

(Random silliness before people got sick. For the third or fourth time)


  

(What we've had pretty consistently for a while. I think this was over CHristmas break, but we still have loads of snow on the ground and it has been COLD! -8 last night. -2 when the kids went to school this morning. What's funny is that I remember winters ALWAYS being like this where I am from in Idaho --at least when I was a child. We were just used to it. *shrug  In fact, here's the funny thing! When it warmed up to 29 degrees last week, we couldn't believe how warm it was! That's perspective for ya'.)

(So excited for my SIL. She's getting married ! We're so happy for her --especially since it's been so difficult this last year, losing her husband so tragically. He's a great guy, her fiance, and we couldn't be happier for her!)

(One of our new favorite restaurants is an Asian (mostly Japanese) cuisine place on Center Street in Provo (between 100 West and University Ave). It's called Sora and so good! This is a photo Brandon took of one of our entrees on a recent date. Well, recent as in the last month or so.)


 
(These are two panorama photos Brandon took of the gymnasium he helped decorate for the big 8-Stake Youth Dance on New Year's Eve.)