Yes, we are still alive!

Time just slips away from you if you're not careful. The past two weeks have been full to say the least. All the hustle of getting gifts sent off to everyone has finally ceased and I can breathe once again. It seems my kids have picked up every cold bug that's out there this season. The pattern has been, Iolana gets the sniffles, then the stuffed nose, then adds the coughing. About this time Kaylin gets the sniffles and the poor dear screams in agony each time I have to use the "nose sucker" (as Iolana calls it). So we are at the part where Kaylin doesn't sleep much because she can't breathe, and Iolana doesn't sleep much because she's coughing all night. Dad, well he doesn't sleep through anything except for kid noises, and Mom sleeps through everything except for kid noises.

About a month ago we went to the doc's and they gave Iolana a nasal spray for allergies. They think she has a post nasal drip that doesn't seem to go away after she gets over a cold and that's why her cough lingers for quite a while. Kaylin was treated for an ear infection. But the antibiotics were great. The second dose seemed to clear her up so she was able to sleep soundly (thank goodness). Two colds later and Kaylin is back on antibiotics for another ear infection. This time however, she had a fever with it that I couldn't get to go down with a normal dosage of Tylenol. Turns out that doc tells me I should be giving her .8ml instead of .4, even though the bottle says .8 is for 24-35lb babies. At the appointment Kaylin weighed in at a hefty 17.8 lbs.

Joy school is over for the year and Iolana already misses it. She has made some good friends who all happen to go to the same church ward as us. Shes doing well with her letter recognition and letter sounds. She is learning to write her name and get the letters in the write order. She knows which letters are in her name but still working on the order. We are also working on simple addition. I'm hoping to put her into a more structured preschool next year.

Kaylin as I mentioned above is growing more and more. Just yesterday she started babbling. She is trying to say ba-ba, mam-mam and other noises. She has quieted her screeching to only every now and then, usually when she's playing chase with Iolana. She will open her mouth wide and say "aahh" when pat your hand on her mouth. (Very cute.) She is feeding herself well - every day we find less in her bib pouch. Still no hair but I'm sure it'll come eventually.

Dad is still working 7 and 7 but he's taking any overtime he can get so often he is working for 2-3 weeks at a time. So when he finally gets a week off he likes to relax and do absolutely nothing (I would probably do the same if I had his job) which makes it hard for me sometimes, but he does need a break.

Here are some pictures of the kids I have taken in the past few weeks.

Kaylin tasting some homemade egg nog. It was so good she had to lick her lips to get it all.

Iolana in one of her favorite dresses eating lunch before church.

Kaylin's first chicken nugget. It's hard to believe she only has her two bottom teeth! It'll be interesting to see what she eats when she actually has teeth!