Funnies

These kids do and say so many funny things that I can't even remember them all.  But I do want to write down the ones I remember for future reference.

In Colorado, Sydnee kept putting her hand up in the L sign and saying Loser.  (Thanks to her daddy who taught her that.)  She said it over and over and I finally explained to her that it isn't nice, daddy shouldn't have taught her that, and not to do it anymore.  Her response:

"Well...If they really ARE a loser, then I can say that!"

Sydnee and Kaydee are always talking about who they are going to marry.  Well Kaydee always talks about a boy Trae who was in her class last year and again this year.  So after I cut her hair and showed her I told her that she looked so pretty.  Well she goes "Yes.  And now Trae will want to marry me, because I... Look..... SOOO..... Good!!"

While we were walking through the Denver airport we were in this huge crowd, and suddenly Sydnee just did this random cartwheel and almost kicked someone.  I think it's a form of tourettes!  We will be in the grocery store and she will break out in cheerleading.  We tell her no and she just can't help herself.

Sydnee's new word is 'apparently'.  She says it a lot, but every morning she (acting annoyed) says "APPARENTLY, Kaydee woke me up AGAIN this morning, and I didn't get enough sleep!"



Fantastic news!!

Sydnee had her annual cardiology appointment on Aug 15.  It is such a hard time for me.  I'm always so stressed and worried, but can't act that way around the kids.  Sydnee knows she has a special heart and that there is a hole in it, but she doesn't know what surgery is or that she may have to have it. So we play it off like it is no big deal for now.

Anyway, going in I was having a hard time being positive, because every time I have felt like there is nothing to worry about, we have gotten bad news, or had to have extra testing done because of possible bad news. 

We ended up being at Primary Childrens for a LONG time.  The echo took over an hour, because the doctor who was reading it wanted more pictures.  It was difficult to sit that long and then the echo tech made a comment that really made things worse.  But our cardiologist came in after with a big smile and said she was so pleased to tell us that the left side of Sydnee's heart is no longer enlarged.  The hole is also smaller, which is probably because the heart is smaller.  But just knowing the hole isn't putting the strain on her heart and causing it to enlarge is fantastic news!  She said sometimes when they get into kindergarten or early grade school and the heart is enlarged they will want to do surgery to patch the hole.  So we were about to that point, but now her heart is normal sized!

She still doesn't think the hole will close on it's own, but she said unless things change for the worse she will not have to have surgery.  So her heart can stay the way it is now forever and she would be fine.  We are so happy and thankful.  We couldn't have asked for better news.  And we don't have to even think about it for another year.  Yay for Sydnee!

Preschool time again!

First of all, Kaydee kept asking and asking for me to cut her hair short.  She doesn't like having rubber bands in her hair and likes it better short.  I think she looks adorable, but when her hair is short it is a lot of maintenance for me because I have to trim it so often.  But of course I gave in.  Here's her new do:

Her first day of preschool was Wed, Aug 15.  It was just the meet your teacher day and it was only an hour and I was there the whole time.  But her teacher is new to the school this year and Kaydee LOVES her.  She really is a nice lady and seems like she will be a great teacher. 

This is her on her first day:

She's gone twice by herself since then and is loving it more than she did last year.  I'm very proud of her!



Colorado

These cousins had a blast playing together!

 The family reunion in Colorado finally happened, after being planned for nearly a year.  We left our house on friday morning at about 7:15.  I was shocked I had me and all 3 girls ready.  But I did it!  So we picked grandma and papa up, and then went to drop Bosco off at the kennel.  The kids were excited, but unfortunately, Sydnee had gotten a fever the day before and wasn't feeling fantastic.  So she kept trying to go to sleep in the car, and just wasn't her normal self.  We got to the airport, and after finally finding a place to park, we shuttled to the airport.  Check in at SLC was quick and easy and we got to the terminal pretty early.  We grabbed some drinks and a danish and let the kids watch airplanes out the windows and let Maycee get some wiggles out.  Kaydee sat between grandma and papa and Sydnee and Maycee sat with mommy and daddy.  All the kids did really well, though Sydnee tried so hard to go to sleep on the plane and Maycee kept bugging her.  When we landed a little old lady in front of us turned around and told us we had all the right answers (when Sydnee was asking question after question), and that our kids did so great.  She told Sydnee how proud of her she was and how smart she thought she was.  So sweet.  By the time we got off the plane, Maycee was sticky and covered in snacks, treats, drinks, and whatever else we gave her to keep her happy.  But she did good.  Ha ha.  I'm glad it was a short flight.  When we got to Denver, the craziness began.  We got off the plane and had to take a train to our luggage, then a shuttle to the car rental company, and it took a bit to get our van.  Estes Park is a ways from the airport, but it was a nice chance for Sydnee and Maycee to get a nap in.  When we got into Estes, we stopped at Mcdonalds for lunch, and then went to the grocery store.  By the time we were done, we could check into our condo, so we headed over there and got settled in.  A lot of the family was staying at a lodge right down the street, so that is where we all gathered.  We had a yummy mexican dinner where everyone brought stuff and it was great to finally see family we hadn't seen forever.  Sydnee really wasn't feeling well and wouldn't eat and hardly played at all.  I felt sad for her.  Maycee and Kaydee had a blast though, but we were chasing Maycee the whole time to keep her away from the creek and pond.

On saturday everyone did their own things, so we decided to go to Rocky Mountain national park and drive all the way up.  It was gorgeous.  It was really windy and kinda cold the higher we got so some of the lookout points were short.  By this time, Kaydee and Maycee seemed to be getting a fever as well, and they didn't want to be in the car.  We went back to the condo to try to get them to nap (which they didn't) and they guys took Makenzie and Christian fishing.  When they got home we headed back to the lodge where we bbq'd and then the kids had smores.  The kids had so much fun that night and were sad when it was dark and we had to go.  We went back and put the kids to bed and then went across the street to where Aunt Sue and Uncle Joe and their family was staying.  Aunt Lisa and Uncle Lowell were there  too.  We had fun talking and laughing and catching up.  The next morning we got up and got ready and packed and left at about 10am.  We stopped to have breakfast and waited for like 45 minutes for our food.  The kids weren't happy at all, and we were worried about getting the rental car back in time.  We ended up getting it back 45 min late, but they didn't charge us.  Then it was back on the shuttle, back on the train, back to the airport, and the line was terrible.  By this time the kids were DONE.  But they did pretty good seeings how long everything took at the Denver airport.  We got to the terminal and a few minutes later it was time to board.

The flight home was pretty good except a baby behind us pooped before we even took off and then went to sleep so the mom never changed her and the smell was awful.  Again, I'm glad it was a short flight.

The kids were so exhausted after our trip that Maycee slept 16 hours straight when we got home!  I'm so glad we got to go and see almost our entire Merrill side of the family.  Hopefully it won't be another 15 years before we do it again!

Catching up again!

If you have seen Sydnee lately, this is what you've seen of her.  Constant handstands and cartwheels.  Sometimes mid sentence.  Lol.



Maycee had her 15 month appt and all is great.  She isn't gaining weight much anymore, but the dr said it is normal to thin out and I'm just not used to it since it's my first time dealing with a "chubby baby."  Ha ha.  I was so surprised she didn't cry at the doctor or nurses because she's been really unfriendly to strangers lately.  She cried for like 30 seconds when she got 3 shots and then she was fine.

Her personality is coming out so much lately.  She really likes to copy and mimic people.  If you show her something, she will do her best to copy.  Her new thing is to point at the dog and yell "BAD!"  I don't know who she got that from...

She has also gotten really jealous.  If one of the other girls is on my lap, suddenly she wants to sit there.  She gets really mad.  She actually had enough strength to push Sydnee off my lap one time, and another time she resorted to hair pulling.  Silly girl.  I don't know how to teach her to share at 15 months old!  She constantly walks up and gives me hugs and then says what sounds like "huuug".  A lot of the words she says, I'm the only one who knows what she is saying.  I know more from her tone than how she pronounces the word. 

Kaydee starts her last year of preschool next week.  She didn't love school as much as Sydnee last year, but she does seem excited to go.  She knows her way to and from Sydnee's kindergarten class, so I think she's excited for next year when she can go to big school.  Sydnee is going off track and Kaydee is starting this week.  Never a dull moment!  Kaydee has been really into coloring and drawing lately.  I don't know why all the sudden, but she just likes to do art all the time.  She's getting good at staying in the lines too.

We are flying to Denver friday morning for a family reunion.  The kids are so excited to go on an airplane for the first time.  We were going to drive, but  Kaydee's school was supposed to start on monday, so we needed to be back, but now they changed it so she doesn't start til wednesday.  I am still glad to not be making  that long of a drive with the kids though.  I think Sydnee and Kaydee would be fine, but Maycee doesn't like tv, can't play games or color or anything.  So she would be bored to death in her chair for 8 hours.  It's going to be a short trip, but I'm so excited to see family that I haven't seen since I was like 12!  And I haven't seen my grandpa since Sydnee was 5 months old.  He's never met my younger 2.  It's a long overdue trip, and hopefully the travel goes smoothly for all!



We have a kindergartener!

 Ready for her 1st day!

My tiny girl in her huge class.  She waved and said "See ya!"  While I walked out teary eyed.

How could Sydnee be this big?  She is LOVING kindergarten and is doing really well.  I'm very proud of her.  She has gotten much more independant with doing things and says it's because "I'm a kindergartener now."  She has gotten pretty bossy to her sisters though.  I think she likes to pretend she's the teacher.  I will hear her say things that I know must be coming from her teacher in class. 

She has a little friend in her class named Izzy.  I think they instantly bonded because they both have glasses.  Sydnee has adjusted well to wearing them, except we've had to have the rubber eye piece replaced like 3 times already.  She must mess with them. 

It was so funny.  The other day Kaydee did something and Sydnee said "Kaydee is SO smart.  I think it's because I'm wearing my glasses."  LOL.

Then grandma Becky was here getting her hair done and Sydnee was being so funny.  I told her she was being a drama queen and she said "WELL, I'm just grouchy today.  Everyone is bugging me and I just want time alone."  Ha ha, I told her to go have time alone and she just laughed.  She just likes to be dramatic. I think I'm getting a glimpse into what my life will be like with THREE girls all acting that way, and it makes my eye twitch, but I will survive!