Where should I start?

It's been a while and it seems that I've missed out on some fun updates- so, let's see...

LAS VEGAS!

I really thought I wouldn't be back to see Las Vegas for a while, but as luck would have it, just three months after my last visit, 5 of my sisters were able to throw together a last minute weekend retreat. For me, the timing could not have been better. I had a great one-night get-away with Kyle for our anniversary earlier that month, but really it just wasn't long enough. So, Kyle got left behind to take care of the kids while I went and spent THREE WHOLE DAYS RELAXING!! Not even the extra 2 1/2 hours we spent in the car to get there (because of bad directions and perhaps a bit too much talking) bothered me. We did pedicures, dining out, lounging at the day spa, laying by the pool, "site seeing", shopping and a lot more dining out. One of the highlights was a show Kim found called The Mac King Show- it was so much fun, definitely a must see if ever your in the area. I'm waiting on some fun pictures to go with the post- I'll update when I get them. I do have a few funny pictures that I found on the camera when I got home: apparently Kyle did just fine without me (although he claims it was harder than he had expected- and I'm probably not allowed to do that again for a while.)

This great idea was one that I might not have approved of at first, but turned out to be a lot of fun. (As a result we did end up with one broken leg on our poor little cousin Taci, but now that she has a hot pink cast with rhinestones I think we've been forgiven.)
These pictures were taken at at 10pm when I guess Licity "couldn't sleep".

LICITY TURNS 4!!

Happy late birthday Licity! She got her first real birthday party with all of her little friends. We did the luau theme and had all the kids wear their swimming suits. It turned out a little crazy and a whole lot of fun!

Here are some of the shots I attempted:

Licity and Maci on her birthday:

Party pictures:

Back to School

Peace and Quiet and a little bit SAD... (I said just a little bit). It's back to just Maci and I for the afternoons. It does make things a little boring. Licity is home with us all morning now that she's in the afternoon class and even though her and Ethan spend a lot of their time fighting, she seems to miss him terribly now that he's gone. But I guess we will all just have to adjust so our smart little Ethan can go and conquer the world- and Licity too of course.

Before School...
After school... still as happy as can be! She really LOVES her school and is amazing me with everything that she's learning!

Gett'n our groove back

Yes, Licity is finally good to go- it took two weeks on the nose, but hopefully it will all be worth it in the long run. Everything else is starting to move along again. Licity started school and dance and Ethan's gearing up (literally) for his upcoming football season and starts school on Monday. Maci is Maci and is as funny as ever. She has really picked up a vocabulary- she loves to say "N0ooow" which is really just "no" but with emphasis towards her siblings. Anything else she will happily repeat and is surprisingly clear to understand.

This is Lisie and one of her best little friends Sammy.

I'm not sure what it is that makes Ethan so cool in this picture, but we wouldn't dare tell him otherwise.

Surviving...

It's been a long week for Licity (aka: ME!). She is doing better and again it's to be expected but she has had a terrible time recovering. There is not much I can do for her. She feels lousy and the only thing that seems to help is to hold her (preferably while standing up). I have kept her home all week and have realized that that life just doesn't work for me. I got stir-crazy and tried going to the mall thinking she could just ride in the double stroller with Maci. It worked just long enough to get what I "needed" but by the time I left I was pushing a non-turning double stroller while holding Licity, balancing a cup of very messy pink sherbet and trying to hush a very mad Maci who was smelling a little funny. I'm thinking that I can go a little longer before trying that again. Anyway, she does seem to have turned a new corner just today and is eating really well so maybe next week won't be quite so rough.

Milk and Cookies...

For Maci, life just doesn't get any better.

MACI- 14 months

I cannot get over how hilarious Maci is. She is so crazy- she has been from the very beginning and she is obviously not going to change anytime soon. She has to have the attention on her. She will laugh at anything and smile at everything. Last week we spent at least 20 minutes of me saying "Hi." and her just cracking up. I LOVE it! She has tons of tricks- my favorite is that she'll follow any set of directions (go get me a diaper, get Licity her blankie, go throw that in the trash, etc.) She is trying to talk and can copy just about any sound she hears- which can get pretty funny sometimes. She is feeding herself now and will actually refuse food if you try to feed it to her- yogurt gets a little messy, but always worth when I see her so pleased with herself. She has already started causing trouble and makes more messes then Licity (not good). I'm a bit nervous for what the future holds- but I'm sure that, like Licity, she'll provide me with some great blogging stories.

Poor Licity

Well the time has come and gone- I've been dreading the day for a month now... Licity had her tonsils (and adenoids) removed last Friday and now we are dealing with the recovery. She is trying her best to be a good sport, but you can tell she's just miserable. She won't talk because it hurts, so she's started tapping and pointing and then it's a guessing game on what she wants. She's not eating yet and although we have six different types of popsicles, she's not even tempted by those. She does do pretty well with drinking cold water and hopefully she'll be eating a little better in a couple of days. This is all to be expected from what the doctor told us, so we're not too concerned. And besides the food, she really is being pampered in every other way- I've gotten her some new toys (prized possessions that normally would be saved for a birthday or Christmas) and they have done just the trick for distracting her for some of the day- the other 90% of the day is spent on the couch in front of the TV of course. I've only watched Mulan 4 times in two days (not bad) but Caillou has played back to back (the same episode) for something like 3 hours at one time. The rest of the time is Enchanted. Anyway, long story short- we are surviving.
Licity can't resist a smile when she sees Maci. (Or at least for the first day before all of the numbing meds wore off.)* No Rechelle, she's not by the toilet-that's Maci's highchair.
Licity's new best friend for the week. I can't even count how many Little Mermaid dolls I've bought- and we've lost. But regardless, it's always a great purchase.