The Flu and Spring Fever

Early last Wednesday morning, Colt came out of his room throwing up with a fever.  And things have gone down hil from there.  He just. can't. kick it. Still. To this day.  He has had everything with this illness.  Fever, fever, fever, sore throat, diarrhea, throw ups, cough, sore muscles, headaches, runny nose, goopy eyes, nose bleeds, cracked lips, cold sores and complete and total exhaustion.  On Saturday, the other two boys started showing signs of the same sickness and soon they were running fevers as well.  We have had kids draped all over the house.  They sleep on our floor, in the hall, on the couch, in our bed, in the chair and just about anywhere but their own beds.  And I'm administering so much medicine I feel like a need a lab coat and a name tag.  Since we're still in the middle of it all, this story is to be continued...

On a much brighter note, literally, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous.  The last few days have been in the low 60s with lots of beautiful sunshine.  I'm just selfish enough to refuse to miss out on the weather despite the kids' sickness, so we've bundled them up in blankets and stuffed them into strollers and gone out on several walks anyway.  Fresh air can't hurt, right?

This last weekend we were lucky enough to have a visit from Brady and Angie.  Even though the boys coughed on everything and occasionally puked on everything, I think we all had a good time.  Before Sport and Dash came down with the flu, Brandan them and the rest of the crew to the Animal Sanctuary to see the animals and walk in the sunshine.  Lucky.

Angie and the boys at the Sanctuary

More Basketball...I know, right?

The week of State basketball was another busy one.  Brandan left for Casper on Wednesday afternoon and the boys and I headed out Thursday morning.  We drove straight to the Casper Events Center and watched the team play their first game (it was a narrow loss, dang it).  I had to do some fast talking to convince the boys to put off going swimming in the hotel pool as soon as the game was over so that instead we could meet Dan and Jill and their kids at the Casper College for the Burns game.  After the game, everyone came over to our hotel to swim and spend time annoying other guests by cannoning balling into the hot tubs.

Friday, we watched Upton win a game, spent more time swimming and then watched more basketball with the team and the Clayson family.  Saturday, we headed over to watch Upton play in the Consolation Championship game.  The boys cheered as loud as they could (they know all the players names and numbers and occasionally give them advice when they see them in the hotel hallways), but Upton just lost at the very end.  It was disappointing, but Colt had bigger problems on his mind.  After saying goodbye to Boe and Kamber, he couldn't stop crying and loudly exclaimed that "Boe and Kamber broke my heart!"

The boys had watched as much basketball as they could stand so we headed out and took Dani Booth home with us while Brandan and the team stayed to watch one final game.  It was nice to chat with Dani on the way home and it was a relatively uneventful drive except that I accidentally tried to steal gas from a station in a tiny little town in Nowhere, Wyoming and was chased down 5 miles later by the gas station cashier.  In my defense, it was their fault.  I swiped my card and they okayed it even though it didn't actually go through originally.  When the gas zeros out and then turns on, what is a girl to do, but assume she paid and drive away? 

During the few days between basketball trips the boys relaxed in front of the heaters, just like their Momma taught them.

Basketball, Bad Roads, & Burn Out

This last week was the Regional basketball tournament.  It started with a play in game on Monday in Newcastle on then more games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Gillette.  The boys and I drove over to Gillette for the game on Thursday and drove home in some of the worst weather I've ever driven in.  I was nearly in tears for most of the drive, but lots of prayers laters we pulled safely into home.  Because more bad weather was predicted, the team decided to stay the night on Friday so the boys and I drove over between storms and stayed with Brandan in the hotel in Gillette.  In the meantime, the basketball team was winning on their games and was slated to play in the Regional Championship game on Saturday night.  No snow was predicted and Saturday afternoon was beautiful, so I was pretty shocked when after the game everyone was in a panic because of the blizzard outside.  The weather was so bad the team opted to stay another night and so we were able to stay with Brandan again and drive very slowly and very carefully and very nervously home the next morning.  Because it was now Sunday and we had missed church, the Booths invited us to attend a short sacrament meeting at the house of the elderly sister here in town (Sundance branch had been snowed out as well).  Brandan made it home in time to go with us and we really enjoyed our little meeting.  It was actually a pretty spiritual experience to realize that we can worship the Lord and renew our covenants in such humble settings.  We are grateful to have a couple other LDS members in town.



Brandan's team took 2nd in the Eastern Conference.

Sport was completely exhausted after such a long week.  He feel asleep in the chair watching the boys play with cars on the floor.

February: Valentines, Basketball, and Mud

Valentine's Day was our 9th wedding anniversary.  We were pretty much out of groceries that day, so Brandan left for work without a lunch, but I promised him I'd scrounge up something.  The morning was absolutely beautiful so the boys and I met Brand at his school at lunch time for a family picnic at the tables in the school's front yard.  Dash loved the idea and told us "a picnic is a really good way to celebrate Valentine's".  His poor future wife.

Actually, just a few hours after our pleasant picnic, clouds moved in and it snowed.  Go figure.  That night the high school had a basketball game and I'll tell ya, I never got so much attention.  Brandan had announced our anniversary to all his classes so all the students kept congratulating me, I think they're impressed we made it nine years.  And then, since it was Senior Night for the teams, the school gave the Senior's and the coaches wives flowers and they made an over-the-microphone announcement of our anniversary.  So, it was quite public.

The boys have fallen into a basketball game routine and are starting to do pretty good at the games.



Dash and Colt usually play with toys and friends, and their friend's toys, in the bleachers during the basketball games. 

Between games and during halftime, the boys run around the court knocking over other kids and throwing balls around.

Sport was just getting ready to take the court.

Sweaty run around a gym + long hair + tight winter hat = Silly Colt

On Friday, Brandan coached the basketball through their last regular season game on his own since the headcoach had to be out of town with his daughter that night.  Brandan was a little nervous, but he did a great job.

Brandan is the fuzzy guy in the red shirt.  Red?! I know, right?

Saturday was another beautiful day (it snowed on Sunday), so we went for a family walk that afternoon.  The warm weather is great, but we have a dirt driveway and live on a gravel road, so...

The boys in the mud.

Sport likes to collect rocks, but gets frustrated with his mittens.

Dash and Colt in what is suppose to be the beginning of our driveway.

Sport particularly loves the mud.

Sport killing whatever grass might be coming up through the mud and snow.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dinner Conversations

The other day at lunch time, I told the boys that we would be eating spaghetti, but it was still cooking.  Colt was hungry so he asked me what he could eat while he was waiting.  Offhandedly, I told him he could eat boogers.  I know, I know, but I live with all boys.  Colt's reply: I'm tired of boogers.  I've been eating boogers all day.  I'm full of boogers.

Last week was a hard week for Dash and I, our friends, the Winneys, moved away.  The night before they moved, we took dinner over to them, because as Dash said, "they've just been such good friends to us".

We think maybe Sport is growing because his appetite certainly has.  Last Sunday for supper, Sport ate: a cookie, one salisbury steak, a plate of noodles, 1/2 cup green beans, another cookie.  Then he spent the rest of the evening begging for chocolate chips from the freezer.

Brand didn't have basketball practice this last Friday, so we asked the Bensens to watch the boys while we went out for a dinner date for the first time since we moved to Wyoming.  We had a great time, but the Bensens laughed at us because we were home from our hot date by 7:30.

Stories and Stuffed Animals

This last week the family spent most of their time at the high school gym.  Brandan's basketball team had 3 home games, two of which went into overtime.  The boys enjoy it in general, but Sport gets a little frustrated when he is never allowed on the court while the big boys are playing.  The boys claim some ownership over the court because after the games they run around on it throwing balls and chasing other kids.  Sport especially loves the balls and hates when the other kids try to make him share.  In fact, after one of the games this week while all the kids were playing, Sport disappeared.  I could hear crying coming from the hall and when I got there I discovered Sport coming out of the girls bathroom chased by a girls varsity basketball player who was trying to get the game ball from Sport so she could give it to the coach.  It should be noted that Sport wasn't crying because he was lost, but because he had to give up the ball.

In our sports-free spare time this week, the boys and I were playing some file folder games their Grandma gave them.  In one particular game, the boys were matching pictures of opposite objects.  Colt was doing really well, but Dash liked to try and help him, so when Colt got the picture of the skinny man, Dash immediatley quipped up, "See Colt, skinny goes with fat, like how I'm skinny and you're fat." 
Later that night Colt was showing off to his Dad how well he knew his opposites.  When Brandan asked Colt the opposite of "boy", Colt only thought for a second before confidently replying "quiet".  And Brandan didn't have to think at all before answering, "Yep, that's right!"

This experience must have really helped Colt's confidence because on Saturday, out of the blue, he came up to me and said, "Mom, tackle me and we'll see whobody the strongest."

Sport was catching some zzzz's before Saturday's basketball game.  He likes to sleep with all his babies close, covering him in fact.