Being Chewed Out By A Two Year Old

We have LOVED having Grandma and Gramps here the last couple days. I can't count the times I overheard Ella telling her Grandma she loved her in the first few hours they were here. Audrey also loves Grandma and Gramps but only if she can't see Mommy. They do a lot better without Tom and me here so it is good we are heading to Mexico in the morning.
Audrey is on another round of ear infections. We are out of options of antibiotics so yesterday and today I had to take her to get antibiotic shots, then off to the ENT to talk about another tube surgery. While we were gone, Grandma and Gramps took Ella with them to the grocery store. As they were buckling up Ella told Grandma "Be VERY careful with Daddy's car. It's very special to him." As they were driving through Birkdale they came to newly installed speed bumps and we are still getting used to them. Grandma slowed down to go over the bumps and Ella told her "Grandma, I TOLD you to be careful with Daddy's car."
This evening Grandma was spoiling Ella and rocking her to sleep. She wasn't going down easily. Ella asked Grandma to get her "a little more monkey milk". Grandma told her that she could only have a little more milk once she was in her bed. She told her "No Grandma, I's not ready for bed." A couple minutes later the process was repeated. After asking for milk, Grandma told her she needed to have it in her bed and she said she wasn't ready for bed. A few minutes after that Ella turned to Gramps on the other couch and said "Gramps, will you get me a little more milk?" Grandma told her not until she was in bed and Ella turned to her and said "I was asking GRAMPS." And she is only two.....I can't imagine what we are in for when she hits her teens.

Grow Old Along With Me

Wow, has it really been this long since I have posted a blog?? Well, I have some good excuses. I decided to start with easter and work my way through the week, so bare with me. Last Saturday we took the girls to the Bradford Store (along the 73 for those that live nearby) it is an old time farm that has a store with fresh produce and things. They had a big egg hunt and petting zoo. The girls loved it as you will be able to tell from the pictures. Easter morning the Super Bunny came (as Ella calls him) and brought eggs and dresses.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I should have known it was going to be a rough week. We got Ella an Easter dress and I noticed that it had black all along the bottom of the dress. So an hour before Target is closing, I am out trying to replace the dress. A truck must have ran over the entire load of dresses because they were all like that. I ended up running to Kohl's and getting a cuter dress for $10. I was ironing it Sunday morning and ended up burning the dress though. Ugghhhh. Signs I tell you, all warning signs to go back to bed and not come out. While at church I was getting nausous and insane chills. I ended up needing to leave early because I was having such a hard time. Unfortunately rest didn't help with my upset stomach. Monday I was still nausous and starting to get worried that I was pregnant despite unimaginable odds. I was also having sharp pains in my right side. By Monday evening the pain was constant. I would have headed to the ER then, but our night time excursion with Ella was anything but plesant, so I thought I would tough it out overnight and go in as soon as doctor's offices were open and people weren't using the ER as their Primary Care Physician. They got me in quickly and the doctor did a quick preliminary test of feeling around my stomach to see where I was having pain. He really thought it was my appendix, which I was fearing. I had to take a catscan and drink this terrible contrast liquid to help them diagnois. I don't think I will be drinking any Lemonade Crystal Light for a while. You have to drink 32 oz in 1 hour before the catscan. So several hours and test later, I DIDN'T have an appendicitis, but a ruptured cyst on my overies, a kidney infection and bladder infection. 5 prescriptions later, I am doing much better. I have pretty much been out of it for the last few days between pain, the meds, and just being tired. But today is the kick off of Birthday Week for Tom.
Yeah for Tom. He is 34 today. I am not going to make some list for him, mostly because it is already 11:30 and I want this posted ON his birthday. Plus, I have way more then 34 things I love about him. He teases me that I don't SWOON and I don't, but no one has made my heart stop like he has. He is the most fun, patient, crazy, funny, lovable, sensitive, amazing person I know and I am so incredibly glad that I get to go on this journey of eternity with him. He is the most perfect match for me. One thing about this week is being kind of doozy on meds for both of us, we have just laid in bed and talked into the wee hours of the morning. I have loved just going to bed with my very best friend and someone I can tell anything to and they won't judge me or think any different of me, or laugh at me, if anything he loves me better. We have had our ups and downs, but I feel like the last 3 years of marriage have just been continual ups. I got him some beach wear because we are going to Mexico on Wednesday (paid for by Tom's work). I also gave him a picture of a gun. He got his concealed weapons permit recently but we haven't gotten a gun yet. I couldn't buy it for him, but I have put money aside for him to get this and a good lock box for it. The Griggs watched the girls for us tonight so we could go to dinner and then we went to see Peter Breinholt in concert. It was so fun. Tomorrow night Tom's parents fly in and they are going to watch the girls while we are in Mexico. Then 5 days in Mexico baby!! Wahoo. I guess you can say that Birthday week has officially kicked off. So if you don't hear from me this week, just imagine me relaxing by the pool minus 2 kids.
As one side note...Tom and I were sealed in the South Carolina temple 3 years ago today. We decided to do it on his birthday so we would always remember. Love you hunny.

The Great Outdoors

We have been sick this week. The same gunk everyone else is getting we always seem to catch. So even though we could have done a lot of fun things this week, we stuck around the house instead trying to get better. The girls were actually doing fine by Friday afternoon, but I didn't want to chance getting anyone else sick. The weather has been beautiful though so we decided to spend our time outside. Tom replanted grass in a spot of the backyard that Ella calls "Daisy's potty". Daisy's pee kills, literally. The girls just loved playing in the sun, running in the grass, helping dad seed, and playing with Sidewalk Chalk. Tom figured out how to get the IPOD touch to pick up KSL though the internet, so I could even listen to conference while playing with the girls. It was great. We had Cassie and Shawn over for the Sunday morning session of conference and it was fun to share waffles and conference with them. While grilling today Audrey discovered she can make it in and out of the doggie door, so we may have to start keeping the regular door closed and Daisy may have to learn to bark at the door.

Audrey is getting so big and she is really starting to talk a lot. Her new words this weekend were "huggie" (that is what my girls tell me when they want me to pick them up), "come get it" (to Daisy when she was finished with dinner), "chaulk". She says tons of stuff but she says "Mommy" "Daddy" "Daisy" "Ella" "Audrey" "Yeah" "No" "Hi" "Buh Bye" "love you" "Dora" everyday. She has such a soft whispery voice compared to Ella that you have to listen a little harder to make out what she is saying. Ella has always had such a deep, loud voice. Speaking of Ella, she has entered the "Why?" phase. She wants to know "why" for everything. I thought we had a little while before this stage, but I guess here we go.

Happy Birthday Grandma Mickelsen

Today was always my Grandma's Birthday to me rather then April Fool's Day. She passed away several years ago. I am sure I have a picture I can scan in to post but haven't had a chance to look yet. She was really the only Grandparent I can remember. (I do have memories of both Grandfathers but they were both sick so they weren't active type memories, just seeing them in beds and my paternal grandmother died before I was born.) I thought for her birthday I would share some of my favorite memories of her, mostly for my own and my kids sake, but hopefully some of my family members will add their own! Hint Hint.
My earliest memory is of being at a family reunion right before she was leaving on a mission. My early childhood seems like she was always leaving, on, or coming back from a mission. I even brought her for show and tell one time she was visiting and she brought all this cool stuff from the Indian reservations where she had just been serving.
My FAVORITE childhood memory is of Lorilee and I fighting over who got to sit on which side of Grandma to hear bedtime stories. She would always tell us stories about our family history and things about our ancestors. I wish I had written some of them down since I have really forgotten so much of my childhood.
I remember my mom and grandma quilting my first real bedspread in the formal living room of our home. I finally had to toss it after our move to this house. It was completely torn apart from love and use. It had more holes then blanket and it was time to let go, but it was one of the hardest things for me to get rid of (and I am not that sentimental).
I remember her old farmhouse and drinking warm milk out of a pitcher. I hated the taste of it and swear it had dirt and floaties. I think that is what started my dislike of milk. I remember getting locked in the Grain Silo by my brothers as they yelled that the tracker was coming to fill the silo. I also remember Kurt putting me on a pig to ride , crying the whole time thinking I was going to get trampled and then getting spanked with a wooden spoon for playing in the pig pen. Oh the injustice! I also remember the fear she and my mom put in me of playing in the creek in front of her house. Maybe that is why none of the Mickelsens are great swimmers. I also remember the Grant Store. It had the BEST candy selection anywhere on the planet...to a young mind. I loved going to grandma's because it meant a trip to the Grant Store.
My FAVORITE memory from youth is when grandma made a trip to help my mom when she was sick. Not sure how much help she was, but she was a comfort to my mom. Anyway, I was kicked out of my room while she was staying there as usual and Tara was spending the night. We were sleeping in the living room. In the morning Tara took out her retainer and set it on the seat in the bay window. Grandma came in and of all places she could choose to sit, she chose right on top of the retainer. (It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't something like the 4th retainer she had.) Tara reached out to stop her, but she sat down first. The look on Tara's face as she was trying to decide if she should try to get the retainer, say something, or just keep still was priceless. I think it was one of the few moments that I have seen Tara speechless.
I also loved the time that my mom and grandma were driving to the church...I believe it was either for Brandon or Lacey's baptism and my mom drove over the cement stop between parking spots. Both mom and grandma swear that they didn't drive over anything and since neither of them felt it, someone had to have stolen the keys and moved the car over that cement stop.
And last but not least is Tonya's comment at Grandma's funeral. You know what you said..... and we all laughed. And remember Families Can Be Together Forever............
Love you and miss you Grandma!