Quick weekend trip...

***This post I will make up for the lack of pictures in my last post because there are a lot*** 

We actually had two quick weekend trips.  Memorial day weekend my mom surprised me and drove to Logan.  My grandma had back surgery so she came to help.  So I packed up the kids and drove to Logan for the weekend so the kids could play with their grandma Thorpe!  Thanks mom, it was great to see you:)

My little miss Kayzee Lynn

 My little man Memphis Kage

On Memorial Day we went and put flowers on my uncle's grave

The next weekend we had a crazy weekend trip traveling up and down Utah and over to Colorado.  On Thursday (my last day of school YAY!!!!) we drove down to Blanding.  We stayed and played with Danny's family.  We had so much fun boating and tubing on the lake.  Memphis had the most fun of course.  He seriously does not have a fear bone in his body.  He wants to be just like his daddy and do everything he does.  Memphis got to ride on the tube and he smiled from ear to ear the entire time.  He kept saying WEEEE!  FASTER! and ME TURN AGAIN! Too cute, I love my little Memphis.  

Getting ready to go to the lake

 Kayzee and her auntie Mary

 She wanted one more picture

 Memphis' turn

 Memphis wanted to take pictures of mommy (I just helped hold the camera)

 Kisses Memphis:)

 First a boat ride (Grandpa and Auntie Emily on the tube)

 Memphis' turn!  He was so excited

 Everyone enjoying the day

 Daddy and Memphis on the tube

 Kayzee being brave and sitting by herself

 Mommy and Kayzee enjoying the boat ride

 Memphis sure looks like his Daddy:)

 Kayzee enjoyed just playing on the beach

 What a great day, Thanks Royer fam!

On Saturday we drove to Norwood, Colorado to go to Danny's great grandma's funeral.  She died at 97!  Memphis got to meet his great-great-grandma two years ago at her 95th birthday party.  She was an amazing women and it was nice to learn more about her and her life at the funeral.  Too bad I spent the last hour in the car with cranky kids.  After, we drove home and spent the evening in Danny's aunt's hot tub.  Sunday we drove up to Kaysville for a baby blessing.  Danny's sister and brother-in-law were blessing their new baby girl MayLynn.  Now Danny's parents have 4 grandchildren.  Two boys and two girls.  What fun!  Welcome to the world MayLynn!  And all but one of Danny's family was there so we took lots of pictures.  His parents and all 7 of the 8 kids were there.  One of Danny's brother's is on a mission right now.  Go Benny! 

4 Generations: (L to R) Grandma Royer, Mommy Jennie, Baby MayLynn, Great-Grandma Christensen

 4 Generations: (L to R) Grandpa Royer, Mom Jennie, Baby MayLynn, Great-Grandma Royer

 Royer Family: Top row (L to R) Bryce Allen, Owen Allen, Jennie Royer Allen holding MayLynn Allen, Nita Royer, Teddy Royer, Emily Royer, Mary Royer, Bradley Royer and wife Alyssa.  Bottom row (L to R) Proud Grandpa and Grandma Bruce and Peggy Royer, Danny Royer holding Memphis and Aleena Thorpe Royer holding Kayzee. 

 We took a bunch of pictures of our little family hoping one would look good:)

 Allen Family

 Memphis loves climbing poles and sliding down

 Kayzee and her sweet Auntie Mary (Love the blonde hair and blue eyed girls!)

 Monkeys!

 Hugs! Auntie Nita and Owen

 The men of the family

 Wrestling with auntie

 Spinning with Auntie

 I love Memphis' smile

 Cousins lovin' their Auntie

 Spinning with Auntie Emily

Happiness

 Thanks Grandma Thorpe for the pretty dress!

Now it's the start of a new week and I finally get to stay home with my kids.  Unfortunately it won't be very fun this first week.  I am potty-training Memphis.  A post on that crazy adventure coming soon!

Crazy weeks!

We have had a crazy few weeks.  No pictures (sorry) nothing fun or cute going on around here.  Just crazy sicknesses and an injury.  This post is mainly just for me to document our crazy life.  It's been a rough two weeks for all of us.  I am just glad school is almost out so I can be with my kids all day at home and relax...wait...relax? with two kids?...HA probably not but summer vacation is the best part of being a teacher ;-)

It all started with Memphis.  I took him to the babysitter on a Friday a few weeks ago and he was just not acting like himself.  My friend Michelle who was watching them noticed it too.  So I called Danny and he left work and picked them up because I couldn't miss work that day.  Memphis seemed fine at home but that evening Memphis got a fever of 103.7!  He had it all night and I was up all night worrying about him and alternating tylenol and ibuprofen every 3 hours.  Memphis kept saying, "I am not ok Mommy."  Broke my heart.

Sunday I called and got someone to play the piano for me and we stayed home because of the fever. And it didn't break till Monday morning.  I was able to get a sub for Monday and Memphis kept saying his throat hurt so I looked and OH MY TONSILS!!!  They were huge and spotty and red.  No wonder he was in pain.  So I took Memphis to the pediatrician.  I also had a concern about Kayzee because she has been crying when we change her diaper and when she pees so I paid for her to get looked at too.  The pediatrician kept saying it was rare for kids under 5 to get strep but he would take a look.  Well, he took one look and shouted WHOA!  And yep...Memphis had strep.  Have no idea where he got it because no one else has been sick that he has been around.  Unless, I just carry it and passed it to him from all my students and I am just immune to it now because I have been teaching for so long.  If that is the case I AM SO SORRY MEMPHIS!  I wash my hands all the time but we can only do so much.

The doctor didn't see anything externally wrong with Kayzee except maybe we just need to shower her off after her bath.  He thinks maybe the soapy bath water gets up inside and dries so it burns the next time she pees.  He taped a bag to her to catch some urine since she isn't potty trained to see if there was anything concerning there but with no fever he wasn't too concerned.  We drove to the pharmacy and picked up Memphis's antibiotics and I checked Kayzee but she still had not peed so I drove all the way home and when we got home she had so we drove all the way back to the pediatrician's to drop off the urine bag.  I only complain about the driving back and forth because the office is so far away but I just can't give up this pediatrician.  He is amazing so the driving long distances is worth it to me.  Tests came back for Kayzee and nothing was wrong and she seems to be doing better now that we are showering her off after her bath.  BUT of course as soon as we got home after driving to the pediatrician's twice Kayzee got a fever of 103.8!!!  And she was up all night screaming every hour.

I had already gotten a sub for Tuesday because the pediatrician had said I needed to keep Memphis home one more day (my friend who was watching them was 9 months pregnant and we didn't want her to catch anything!) so I guess it worked out and back we went to the pediatrician to pay a 3rd copay for Kayzee to get looked at again.  She luckily didn't have strep but she had a double ear infection!  And also a virus because she broke out in a rash as soon as her fever broke.  So not fun...she was miserable. And so was I.  In a week I figured out that I had only gotten a total of 16 hours of sleep.  Life was so not fun in our home.  I kept the kids home Wednesday too and then on Thursday I took the kids to the babysitter but I got a sub so I could go home and try to get some sleep.  NO SUCH LUCK of course!  I finally went to school on Friday for the first time all week...it felt really weird and I was so exhausted.  I was definitely ready for the weekend and the kids were better and sleeping.  YAY...except that of course I got sick.  I just had a really painful sore throat and headache but no fever so I suffered through school with cough drops and lots of water.  I just didn't want to miss any more school because it was the last few weeks of school and I was trying to finish up any lessons the students missed so I could get grades done and also say goodbye to my 6th graders.

As for the injury I mentioned above...I got hit in the face with a basketball (total accident).  At first I thought I was fine but then blood started pouring down my face.  Of course it was during one of my fifth grade classes, and of course we were outside far away from anything, and of course half the school was outside (dance festival practice and recess) so ummm....ya.  Lots of students ran inside and brought me tissues and I walked inside to clean myself up and spent the next hour waiting for it to stop bleeding.  Luckily it wasn't broken:)

In all of this I am just so grateful for those who have helped us through these crazy weeks.  My ward, neighbors, friends, and relatives are AMAZING since my family and in-laws live so far away.  I had meals brought to me and my kids (THANKS Joanne for setting those up!) people brought treats and lots of popsicles, and I had lots of volunteers to come sit with the kids so I could get away and be by myself for a little bit, take a break, go grocery shopping, or just get a nap.  And to all those who I just talked to on the phone so I could vent...THANKS!   Now I am off to get some sleep:)

"Mommy Hugs!"

I seriously LOVE my Memphis.  He is at the cutest stage of loving life, loving to learn new things, and just loves to play and have fun.  He talks so sweetly and is so polite.  Of course to everyone but his sister, but what are brothers for, right?  And he finally can sing the ABC's and not leave out any letters.  And he can identify and say all the letters placed in random order and count to 25.  He loves to sing songs and act them out.   Of course I also LOVE my precious Kayzee.  Kayzee loves to copy Memphis and wants to do everything he does.  When he sings, she sings right along with him in her cute little 1 year old gibberish.  They both have the funniest personalities and love to laugh (sometimes so much they like to fake laugh...it's hilarious).  These pictures are a few months old but I saw them the other day and they really cheered me up so I had to share them.  We were just playing with toys together one day and Kayzee found some sunglasses so I grabbed the camera and they put on a show for me.  Kayzee is seriously such a girl!

Kayzee loves her brother

Kissy faces

This is my favorite!

"Mommy Hugs!"

Memphis also loves his mommy.  His way of showing love is so dear to me right now.  Life has been very hard lately and his hugs and kisses and cuddles have kept me going.  He always yells for his "Mommy Hugs!" whenever we have to leave each other and he can't go to bed without them.  My favorite thing he says right now too is, "I lub (love) you mommy!"  He used to just repeat it after me but now he says it first and sometimes when I am least expecting it.  The other day he was in the other room, he came running in and out of no where just said, "I LUB YOU MOMMY!"  I Love you too Memphis!

So out of nowhere Kayzee was sleeping solidly through the night.  It was weird and very nice because I was finally getting the sleep I have needed for the past 20 months.  She had slept really well for over a week so I started telling people how excited I was that she was finally sleeping well.  I even announced it during good news min in Relief Society.  A lady sitting next to me said I better knock on wood.  Ya, maybe I shouldn't have told everyone because that night she woke up every hour screaming!  UGH!  And it was a night Danny wasn't home so I was the one awake all night.  Don't know what was wrong with her but after that night she has actually slept through the night since and it's been about two weeks so hopefully she has finally grown out of that sleepless stage.  Go Kayzee!

Now the end of another school year is finally in sight.  I cannot wait to be home all day with my two little ones.  The only thing I am not looking forward to is potty training Memphis.  DUM DUM DUM!

Easter at Bear Lake

My grandparents have a time-share condo at Bear Lake and they let family use it so I noticed that the condo was available during the Easter weekend.  I checked the weather (65-68 during the day) and my grandma said no one was using it so we invited some friends and off we went.  So glad we did.  It was perfect weather for April and because it was off season no one else was really there so it was quiet and not crowded.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Astle!

Ideal Beach Resort

We invited the Barnes' family.  The mom is the music specialist at the school I teach at and we have become friends being on the same team.  Her husband and mine both love to golf so they got along great and they went golfing everyday at the golf course just across the border in Idaho.  They said the view was beautiful.  They have 3 kids.  Two of them are a lot older than mine but they were great with my kids.  It was a lot of fun and I am glad they could come.  

We were going to leave Friday night but knowing how horrible traffic is on a Friday evening especially Easter weekend we decided to leave Saturday morning.  We stopped in Brigham City to say hi to Danny's grandparents.  Then we went to Logan to my grandparent's house to pick up the key and bedding for the condo and off we went.  We had lunch on the way so when we got there we unpacked and the kids went straight for the park and played.

Then we went back to have dinner and then we went back to the beach to try out some fishing.  No luck but the kids have fun throwing rocks in the lake.  The lake was definitely still too cold for swimming.

Sunday morning we made a pancake breakfast and then went for a drive and played at another park in Garden City where we waited for our friends to show up.  Then we let them unpack and the men took the kids down to the lake while us women hid eggs for an easter egg hunt.  There is a mini golf course by our condo so we hid the eggs there.  My kids sure had fun finding the eggs and of course eating all the candy out of it.  

 After we had lunch then the boys went golfing and we had the kids take naps or watch a movie.  Then we took the kids swimming.  The hot tub was open and the kiddie pool so the kids loved it.  We had dinner, put the kids to bed and the adults watched a movie.  The next day (great the we all had work off so we could stay longer) the boys went golfing after breakfast (thanks for all the yummy food Allison!) and us girls took the kids to the park and lake to play. Then we packed up and cleaned the condo and off we went.  We wanted to stop and get lunch in Garden City but because it was the off season nothing was open so we drove into Logan and had lunch. Then we went fishing at first dam and then we went home.  It was a great get-away that I definitely needed with great people:)  Wish we could have stayed longer.  It was my spring break the rest of the week so I had so much fun being home with my two little ones.  I LOVE them so much and I really enjoyed playing with them and just being with them all day.

My birthday the big 2....

It was my birthday on Monday, April 2.  I turned 29...don't feel that old at all and everyone says I don't look that old probably because my kids keep me young.  The funniest quote I heard about turning 29 from my favorite tv show..."This year is it.  I have to party it up because after this year it's just darkness."  HA!  So not looking forward to 30.

I had had a rough two weeks before teaching health and grading papers so I took my birthday day off, took my kids to their babysitter and pampered myself!  I realized that I had not been alone for years spending a day on myself so it was much deserved, much needed, and much appreciated by everyone who helped.  Thanks to my sub, friends, family, hubby, babysitter, etc.  I feel so much better and probably the best gift I got was Kayzee sleeping through the night.  I got 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep and that has not happened in over 19 months! 

I was getting my kids ready to take them to the babysitter and I told them it was my birthday.  Memphis got excited and said I needed to blow out candles so I grabbed our bbq lighter, lit it and started singing happy birthday to myself.  Memphis said, "Mommy no sing, just blow!"  Ha ha.  I went shopping with my friend Michelle.  I grew up with her in California and she just moved to Lehi so it has been fun to catch up and hang out.  I got all my shopping done way to fast (amazing what you can do without kids) so we just walked around different stores.  We got lunch, then I got my nails done, went clothes shopping (I am down 2 pant sizes WOOT!) and went home to be with my little family.  I forgot...Sunday (the day before) my friend Stephanie cut my hair short (I hate long hair) and gave me some blonde highlights.  I LOVE it.  Everyone says it brightens my face up.  She did a great job.  I was spoiled this year: new treadmill, new clothes, new car, new hair, we went out to eat, and got pampered.   Thanks everyone!  

Here are some pictures of my new hair and nails, and some of me and Memphis being silly.  Happy Birthday to me!