I asked Dave to take a picture of me with the kids on a whim the week before Mother's Day while we all looked nice in our church clothes. This was either incredible foresight, or I jinxed the universe, because come Mother's Day our house was ground zero for a stomach bug. It started with Griffin, then Charlie joined the party, and between those two we had over a dozen incidents in one day. Needless to say we did not go to church or do anything "Mother's Day-ish" between trying to keep the two little boys happy, hydrated and clean.
Unfortunately it didn't turn out to be a 24 hour bug. While Charlie seemed to rebound, poor Griffin was feverish and could not keep anything down for more than a day. He was sick off and on for a few days and, just when it felt like he was turning a corner, I would find him in bed after nap or night covered in vomit once again. It was so sad! By the fourth day I felt like something else must be going on so I brought him in for an exam.
Sure enough he tested positive for strep, poor baby. The doctor also tested Charlie, who was positive, and knowing that I brought the other kids back after school to be tested as well. This was the second time our family has had strep without the classic sore throat, but at least we figured it out eventually and were able to get everyone, including me, started on antibiotics.
The Sunday before the plague hit
Griff did his second barf all over Dave and then his third one all over me just after taking the photo below. Somehow he never got the carpet or the rug so it was at least fairly simple to clean up.
Another one bites the dust
Griffin looking miserable at the pediatrician's office
All four kids tested positive for strep. Sophie and Davey never had fevers or vomiting, but they did seem more tired than usual. Luckily antibiotics helped clear everything up quickly and got the kids back to feeling happy and healthy.
Added bonus! As we were walking into the appointment for the big kids to get a strep test, I noticed these bumps on the inside of Davey's elbow and behind his knee. The doctor confirmed it was a case of Molluscum and also found a patch on his chest. We are lucky it wasn't too wide spread, but it was still an unpleasant pothole on our already bumpy road.
Everywhere I go people tell me I have my hands full, and it's true. These kids have endless energy (until it's time to do chores) and I'm outnumbered most of the time. Someone always needs a snack. Someone is always scattering toys or crumbs to the four corners of the house. Someone is always hitting someone. But even as they go about filling my day with noise and mess, they also fill my heart. Sophie is a great helper and is always leaving us sweet notes or pictures that she drew. Davey loves to climb into my lap and has been saying the funniest things lately. And Charlie just walks around the house all day long with the biggest smile you've ever seen. I sure love these kids.
We had a nice, simple Mother's Day this year. I never ask for gifts, but the kids did get some little surprises at the store with Dave. At church I got to hear Sophie sing, and after meetings ended all the women got to enjoy a delicious dessert buffet, and after we had our fill the rest of the ward swooped in to finish things off. Davey ended up eating an entire tray of honey dew - that boy sure loves his fruit! Then we finished our day with some steaks and corn for dinner - yum!
My only Mother's Day request was a photo of me and my little loves
My lovely Davey had his hand inside his shirt for every photo.
Charlie woke up nice and early so we could spend extra time together that day
Right after Dave finished teaching his winter classes at WT, we drove down to Dallas for a quick trip to see family and friends. The drive takes us about 6.5 hours (including a lunch stop) and the kids did amazing!! Charlie slept the entire way, and we didn't have to get out the tablets for the big kids until the final stretch of the drive. It is encouraging that they did so well since we will probably make this drive 3-5 times a year.
Our trip was less than a week and the time went by so fast, but we are going back for another visit in July after summer classes wrap up. Here is what we managed to squeeze in while there (warning - it was a lot!):
THURSDAY: In the morning we made a Costco run, since we only have Sam's Club in Amarillo, to stock up on a few essentials that we needed. Not exciting, but still important. Then that evening we had a family dinner in downtown Dallas before attending the pinning ceremony for Liz, who was graduating from nursing school! We were planning to only bring Charlie since it was late at night, but after Davey had a freak out at bedtime the night before, we cancelled the babysitter and brought all the kids with us. With the help of tablets, they did amazing well and sat quietly during the entire 2.5 hour ceremony!
Hooray for Liz (sorry for stealing this from your Facebook)
Liz receiving her pin from her parents. While they were up on stage Sophie kept shouting "grandma!" and waving. Notice that her post-graduate placement is at Northwest Hospital in Amarillo. She will be joining us out here in a few months!
Family photo afterward. Amy was there with Ally and Jack, but left before it ended since the ceremony was long and it was a school night.
Dave carrying out our two tired kiddos
FRIDAY: Elizabeth had her actual graduation on Friday morning, but we didn't think the kids would handle another long event, so instead we met some friends at the Dallas Zoo. It's a great zoo (about 10x more exciting than the one in Amarillo) but we had to share it with a ton of kids on end-of-year field trips and the place was packed! So many kids everywhere, but we didn't lose anyone, saw lots of animals, and even found a shaded picnic table for lunch.
Our friends have a membership and were able to get tickets to ride the carousel, not once, but twice!
One of Sophie's favorite animals to see has always been the crocodile. Here is a recreation of a photo we took of her at the zoo on our last visit.
May 2018
October 2014
One of the most exciting creatures of the day was this little green caterpillar she found during our lunch break.
Gazing at the elephants
Attempt at a family picture by the lions
Sophie with her friend Grayson
Grandma Howe gave Sophie a few dollars to feed the giraffes, which is actually a really fun experience. Unfortunately the giraffes had already been very well fed by the millions of school kids, so we fed the birds instead, which was also fun!
After the zoo we had just a short time to clean up before heading out for more fun. We took all the kids to the Palmer's house to play while the dads supervised, and the wives went out to dinner! First we drove to the airport to pick up Tiffany, who was flying in to see Todd for the weekend, and then we ate some delicious food at Pappadeaux's. It's a cajun/seafood place and I ordered salmon, but also tried some fried catfish and fried alligator that was actually very tasty. After dinner we went back to the Palmer's where the dads had given all the kids baths and put them to bed. We stayed up way too late playing games, but love these nights with friends.
SATURDAY: Dave took the big kids to a splash pad to play with their cousins while I hung back with Charlie. Later that afternoon Charlie was blessed (separate post) and then after the blessing we had farewell celebration for Todd, who will be moving to Utah soon. First we went to dinner, and then we came back to the Howe's to eat all of Todd's favorite desserts - snickerdoodles, peach cobbler, key lime pie, and Bluebell ice cream - yum! We were supposed to play Whirlyball after dessert, but the place accidentally double booked the court, so we got bumped and were compensated with unlimited games of free laser tag.
Dave and I at dinner - we ordered the 1 pound fajita platter to share!
Group shot with our friends
SUNDAY: Happy Mother's Day! It was nice to be able to spend this holiday with family. I would have loved to have slept in, but Charlie had other ideas so we started the day nice and early. We attended church, where I ate more chocolate in one sitting than a person probably should. They gave out candy bars after Sacrament meeting, followed by eclairs and cookies during Relief Society, and then the speaker passed around another huge tub of chocolates for us to enjoy.
After church we went over to Greg's house for a Mother's Day feast. We had picked up some amazing, 2-inch thick steaks at Costco for dinner, and it was one of the best meals I've eaten in a long time. After dinner we opened presents. We brought a huge, red rock from Palo Duro Canyon for Dave's mom to put in her garden, and Dave gave me an entire day to do what ever I want while he takes the kids somewhere (or multiple somewheres...) I can't wait to redeem it!
Sophie's paper she wrote about me. The picture is of me and her watching a movie of ourselves :)
Love these kids who call me mommy!
On the way home from church we gave Davey a piece of cookie to try and keep him awake. He managed to get it all over himself and then still fell asleep. Right before nodding off, though, he looked at his hands and declared "I chocolate," which we all had a good laugh at.
MONDAY: Time to go home. The kids did amazing again on the way back, and we found a new lunch spot - Braum's in Vernon, TX. We've tried a different place every time we make the drive, and this was definitely a winner. The food was good, reasonably priced, and it was the perfect distance from Dallas.
We were crazy busy in May and June this year, so not much was put into the celebration of either of our "special" days this year, but here is a quick recap just for memories' sake:
Mother's Day for me was spent in the Washington D.C. airport on our way home from Europe. We had a gourmet McDonald's dinner, complete with apple pie, to celebrate. The kids were with grandma Howe and Sophie got to sing with the Primary in Sacrament Meeting for the first time. I'm glad grandma was there to hear it since we couldn't be. Nothing like a long layover after a week away to make you miss your babies even more :(
Father's Day came just a week before our move. We took this picture before church, but sadly returned home just a couple hours later with a crying Sophie who had a case of swimmer's ear. Her primary teacher brought her to us in tears and Davey was wreaking havoc in Sunday School so it was definitely time to call it quits. I don't remember what we had for dinner, but it was probably some special concoction of what was left in our freezer and pantry since I had stopped grocery shopping at this point. Good times :)
I had a good Mother's Day this year. I was able to sleep in as much as a person with 9 am church, a hungry baby, and an excited three year old can. Dave helped Sophie write a card and she brought it to me along with a balloon and some cinnamon rolls. After church we had a relaxing afternoon and Dave cooked up some steaks for dinner. I am so grateful for these little ones that made me a mother, even if they also make me crazy sometimes.
It was a grey, rainy day, but I really wanted a picture with the kids so we took one inside by the closet
Then Sophie was jealous that I was holding the baby instead of her, so we took one with her as the "baby"
I also tried to take a picture of the two of them while we were at it since I don't have one yet, and was only semi-successful. Out of over 100 shots, this was the best.
My big boy - notice that his top two buttons are undone. He has quite the tummy and I couldn't get them all fastened up :)
Later that evening Davey was sleeping on my chest and then Sophie came over for a snuggle - perfect way to end Mother's Day!
It was very exciting to celebrate this Mother's Day as a mother! It took several years to get to this point, but looking back over our journey, Dave and I both agree that we would not change a thing. During those years of waiting Dave and I were able to enjoy the blessings of a great marriage, good jobs, gaining more education, and many fun adventures both as a couple and with family. We grew together and learned a lot about trust, patience, gratitude, and love.
We, of course, are now very excited to be parents and have Sophie as part of our family. She has brought so much joy to our lives!! Being a mother has been one of the hardest and most rewarding things I've ever done. I've only been on the job for about 50 days so far and have already learned so much. I have a new respect for all you mothers!
I have been thinking about how becoming a mother has changed me, and I have decided that it hasn't changed me, so much as amplified everything about me. I have become "more" - more patient, more flexible, more accepting of things that aren't "perfect", more tired, more crazy, more reliant on the internet to answer life's questions, more efficient, more careful, more caring, more reflective, more appreciative of the little things, more humble, more loving, and more full of love. It is great to be a mother.
Four Generations - I am so grateful for the women who came before me, and now for this new little girl and all that will come because of her!
Somehow (and I really don't know how) I did not realize that Mother's Day was this weekend. I guess I win the bad daughter/daughter-in-law award this year. So while you wait for your gifts to arrive, know that I love you mom!
The signs were there - millions of commercials on TV, gift ideas all over my browser's home page, flowers and cards in the stores, and not to mention the 540 kids carrying home plants in yogurt cups, tissue paper flowers, poems, and homemade picture frames for their mommies. I guess I've had other things on my mind...
The big news for us is we have started our adventure with fertility treatment, and so far it's been a lot of drugs, a lot of doctor appointments, and a lot of $$$. But it will all be worth it if next year there's a little Howe with us here on Mother's Day. Wish us luck!
This year we had a quite evening at home and Dave grilled us some delicious steaks out in the rain. What a guy!
