Big Smile

Cheryl has been smiling so much lately. I caught one this morning when I was changing her!

Boobie

It's had not to laugh at an almost 2 year old when she is sitting on your lap Easter Sunday in church and all of a sudden says...

"Mommy's Boobie?!"

So I just said shh, yes.

My parents were sitting in the pew behind us but at the opposite end and they heard it. I wonder how many others in the packed church heard?

Easter

Easter was fun this year because Cheyenne enjoyed easter egg hunting! Saturday I took her to the Easter egg hunt at the courthouse. She wanted to get the eggs but there were people dressed up as chickens and she was terrified of them. As soon as she would see them, whether they were very close or not, she would grab onto my leg and cry and scream. Of course one of them came over right when the whistle blew for her age group to go so she didn't go out there by herself. She picked up one eggs and her friend Dominic gave her a couple eggs. I think she ended up with 5 eggs. Maybe next year will be better!

(I got my new camera Friday!!! I've taken lost of pictures since then!)

Cheyenne and Dominic getting ready for the Easter egg hunt.

Cheryl and Cheyenne after the Easter egg hunt.

Sunday we got up early to be at church at 7 am. Then we went to mom and dad's for lunch. While we were preparing lunch, Cheyenne hunted for Easter eggs around the house.

(I was going to post a video of Cheyenne finding the eggs around the house but I can't get it uploaded. I will try later.)

Our family on Easter.

Staci with the girls.

Cheyenne giving Cheryl kisses. (My new camera is so much faster that I could actually capture it! I love it!)

Cheyenne playing Ring Around the Rosie with Staci and Great Grandma! Cheyenne calls it ring round!

Cheryl and Cheyenne with great grandma and grandpa.

Cheryl meeting Cheryl

On Saturday after Lana's wedding we headed to Denver to see Scott's aunt Cheryl, whom Cheryl is named after. We visited with her for awhile and then took her and Nacho out to eat at Texas Roadhouse. We ate delicious steaks. Then we went back and visited a little while longer and then we hit the sack about 7:30! She has an apartment in her complex that they rent out to people who have family visiting. We got up the next morning around 7:00 (we were all needing the rest!) and went back over to her apartment for a little while and then headed home.

I still don't have a camera so all the pictures I have are on my phone.

Scott, Cheryl and Cheryl

Aunt Cheryl and the girls

Lana's Wedding

Thursday when I got off work I finished loading the truck, picked up Cheyenne from daycare and headed to Bushton to pick up my sister. Then we headed to Colorado for my best friend, Lana's wedding. We got there about 9:30, our time, Thursday night. We were ready to hit the sack when we got there. Lana met us at the hotel to help get us checked in. Friday morning we got up and met Lana and her family at the church to decorate. We helped decorate the reception hall. Then we headed to Sterling for lunch and pedicures. We got pedicures at the beauty school. They weren't the best pedicures we've ever had but they were ok for $8. After that we stopped at Walmart and then headed back to Brush to get ready for the rehearsal. Brittany watched the girls during the rehearsal. It's a good thing they had a play room at the church. Cheyenne was a little restless. The rehearsal dinner was at Dewey's. It was a delicious meal of prime rib, twice baked potatoes, green beans and salad. My parents, Staci and Scott left at 6:30 Friday night and headed to Colorado. They got in about 12:15 mountain time. Just in time to get some sleep before the 10:00 am wedding! I got my hair done at 8:15 and then headed to the church for the wedding. The wedding took about 20 minutes and then there was a wonderful breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, cinnamon rolls, muffins and fruit. It was a very beautiful wedding and reception. I'm so happy for Lana and Jace that they are finally married. May God bless their marriage from here on out!

Scott and Cheyenne at the reception.

The wedding party

The bride and groom.


Lana and I

Laura and Cheyenne. They became pretty good buddies!

Scott feeding Cheryl. She stared at him the entire time he was feeding her. Probably trying to figure out how that was working, him feeding her!

Meds

Cheryl had her 2 month check-up yesterday. This was supposed to be a well check but ended up being the opposite. She weighed 14 lbs. 8 oz and was 24 1/2 inches long. Everything that would normally be checked at this appointment looked good. Except this stupid cold. Yesterday about 4 times Cheryl started coughing and got so choked up that she turned red and wasn't breathing. It was pretty scary. Our dr. Debbie heard her do it once when they first took us back to the room so she decided to put her on breathing treatments. Her left ear was redder than it was the last time we took her to the dr. So she prescribed an antibiotic, amoxicillin, for that. The hospital lets you borrow the machines for the breathing treatments and you just have to pay for the mouth pieces and tubing. (thank goodness because Adria just spend $180 buying one for her son!) The medication you put in it runs around $100. Thank goodness we have a prescription card! It only cost us $25. We have to give her the antibiotic 3 times a day and the breathing treatments 2-4 times a day. We still have to put drops in her eyes up to 4 times a day also. Last night and this morning when we did the breathing treatment she got this smile on her face with the first breath. It must feel good! We have an appointment in a week for a check-up. I hope she is doing better by then. Although if she is, she will get shots. Debbie didn't want to put to much into her little body at one time. I'll keep you posted on how she is doing.

Water

I guess God decided I needed something else to blog about this week. Our hot water heater was leaking on Sunday night. When Scott got off work yesterday we headed to Hutch to get another one. After going back and forth between Lowe's and Home Depot, we finally got one from Lowe's. We got home around 9:00 and Scott started taking the other one out. When he tried to drain it in the drain in the laundry room, the drain was plugged. We had water everywhere. We used the shop vac to get it all cleaned up. We are hoping it didn't get into the bathroom. Scott just put up walls in there and we've already had to redo that floor once. Scott was pretty mad last night. Then the new one was too tall. So, he will try to fix it tonight when he gets home. Until then, we have no hot water.

Under the Weather

I know it's been a week since I posted. I, along with Cheryl, have been under the weather. I went to the dr. friday and found out I had strep throat. My dr. appointment was at 9 and I didn't go back to work after that. I went home and slept for a couple hours before having to pick Cheyenne up from daycare. I went to bed at 7:30 that night too. Dr. Schlotterback gave me a perscription and I feel much better today.

This is a pretty busy week. I teach crafts, have several meetings and have to get packed to go to Colorado for my best friends wedding. My sister and the girls and I are leaving Thursday when I get off work and then my parents and Scott are coming out on Friday when Scott gets off.

I don't know if I will have another post until I get back from Colorado. Besides, my new camera broke so once again I am camera less. :( The screen somehow got cracked and nothing will come up on it. I was going to take it back too! I am hopefully going to get a GOOD one soon. For now, picturs off of my phone will have to do.

Sub-State Runner Up

Friday Quivira Heights girls beat Bucklin 58-39 to make it to the sub-state finals on Saturday. Unfortunately on Saturday they didn't quite play as well. The lost to Montezuma-South Gray 61-51. Even though they lost that game, they had a very good season with a 23-2 record. This was Brittany's last basketball game.

Friday I rode with my brother and his friends to the game. Seth was driving, Dustin was in the middle and Matthew was in the passenger seat. The Cheyenne, Cheryl and I sat in the back. They were a little crowded in the front seat. It was a long trip to Dodge City for them!

Brittany, bottom right, rebounding after a South Gray free throw.

Brittany passing the ball.

Staci playing defense.

Cheryl watching the game with Roberta.

Cheryl and Grandma watching the game.

1A Dodge City Substate Runners Up

Brittany talking to Grandma and Roberta after the game.

Now, what do you think of these pictures? They were taken with my new camera. Some are ok. Several that I didn't post were blurry. I think I might take it back.

Not Sure

I'm not sure if I like this new camera or not. I haven't read the manual yet but the pictures haven't been real great that I've taken so far. I may need to change some settings but just haven't had time to read the manual. I hope to get it read before the basketball game Friday. If this is how the pictures are, I think I'll take it back.

I took these this morning.

Morning Stretch!

Cheryl has a cold too. I've been trying to suck all the gunk out of her nose. It's no fun for either of us. Her eyes are watering too. I hope we get through all this sickness soon. I have a little bit of a sore throat this morning too. I just want the weather to warm up and maybe we won't be fighting colds back and forth.

Sick Little Girl

Cheyenne is sick today. Yesterday her eyes were all matted shut and watering. It's not any better today. Her nose is running too. I heard her cough a few times during the night. Scott brought her to the rec this morning rather than taking her to daycare. I know I wouldn't like to see other kids at daycare that looked like her right now so I'm not going to take her to exspose others. So we'll see how work goes today with 2 kids here. Cheryl has been sleeping since we got here so the real test will be when she wakes up. Hopefully she'll sleep most of the day. Especially so that Cheyenne won't try to play with her. I can't have her getting sick too.

Oh...by the way...I got a new camera yesterday so look for more pictures! I haven't gotten everything figured out yet. I don't know how I am going to like it because it is a lot thinner than my old one so it's a little weird holding it. I have 30 days to return it. We'll see. The real test will be Friday when I take pictures of my sisters' basketball game. The shutter speed on this camera is .001 so it's supposed to be faster. We'll test it in action on Friday!

Pictures

Since I don't have a camera yet (hopefully I'm going to get one today) and haven't posted any pictures of Cheryl lately. I took a couple at work with the LRC camera this morning. Today she is 6 weeks old. This means I have my check up today! Can't wait! Ha Ha! Not much to say, just sharing some pictures.

How about a wink!

Here is also a little video of her. I think there is a little coo in there!

Back at Work

Today is my first day back at work. I am working the morning shift now, 5:30-1:00 pm. I made it to work by 5:10 and even got a 4-minute workout in on the ROM. So far so good. I'll let you know how I'm doing adjusting to staying awake at 4:00 in the morning later in the week. I had to get Cheryl up to come to work. I nursed her a little before we left and she is still awake! As I am typing this she is cooing at me! It is so cute! I have got to get a new camera this week. I think I will take my mother with me to pick one out, my husband doesn't have the patience.


On another note, Quivira Heights boys and girls are going to sub-state. The girls lost in the finals against Little River and the boys won against Claflin. Since one of them lost and one won, they are at different sub-states. The girls go to Dodge City Friday and the boys play in Larned on Thursday. I should be able to make Thursday and Friday's games and if they both win of course I will go to Dodge Saturday.

Good Luck Thunderbirds!

Thank You Staci

Today is a sad day for the LRC and Iron Works. Today is Staci's last day working for the LRC and Iron Works Fitness. She has worked there 7 1/2 years. I have had the pleasure of working with her for 3 1/2 years. When she started it was only the recreation commission. In 2003, she worked hard to add a fitness center. Iron Works Fitness has been a great asset to the people of Lyons and Rice County. Staci also added the aerobics room with mirrors and a suspended floor so they didn't have to do aerobics upstairs in the huge gymnasium. All of this was done before I started working for the LRC. Since 2004, when I started, Staci has done many things to improve the quality of the LRC and Iron Works Fitness, including but not limited to, adding 2 tanning beds and the ROM. The Christian values that Staci brought to the LRC encouraged the rest of us to live our lives for God. She even led some people to him who needed him in their lives. Everyone who came in to workout at 5:30 in the morning could always be greeted by Staci's smiling face. Not too many can be perky at 5:30 am, Staci was! She brought so much to the LRC and Iron Works. She is going to be missed tremendously.

On Monday, I will be filling her position as Assistant Superintendent. I will take the title of Assitant Superintendent but am not sure I can fill Staci's shoes. I am afraid that I won't do the job as well as she did.

Thank you Staci for all that you've done for the LRC, Iron Works and the community of Lyons as a whole.

Most importantly, thanks for being my friend.

We will miss Brody too. Cheyenne won't know who to play with at the rec. I will miss being able to say "You want to go play with Brody?" and see her get excited and say "Body!". I think he was her first friend. I hope they always remember each other. Afterall, he was the first guy she slept with!

WE LOVE YOU AND WISH YOU THE BEST IN TEXAS!

Daycare

We started taking Cheyenne to daycare last week. She has only gone for a few hours everyday so that she can get used to it. Today was a rough day. I went up to the rec to work out this morning and she cried when I left her in the playroom there. Then she really wasn't happy with me when I left her at Cornerstone daycare after leaving the rec. I know it will take time but it is hard on us both. I have been taking her to work with me since she was 4 weeks old and this is the first time she has been to daycare. There is no way I could take two kids to work with me when I return next Monday. She needs the socialization also. We'll see how the rest of this week goes and then next week when she is there all day. Scott will take her around 6:30 am and I will pick her up sometime after 1:00. Hopefully it gets easier. I'll keep you updated. Now I'm wondering if I should take Cheryl while she is younger. Any advice?

One Month Old

Today Cheryl is a month old. I can't believe how fast it's gone. She has changed so much in just a month. We had to take her to the doctor yesterday. She had a stuffy nose and wasn't breathing real well. She has a cold. He told us to use saline drops in her nose and a humidifier to help her breathe. He also told us the symptoms of RSV to watch for. It is going around pretty good. While at the doctor they weighed her. She weighed 12 lb. 12 oz with her clothes on! She is filling out so much! She has chubby little cheeks now! She is just so cute! Because she is a month old that means that it's about time for me to go back to work. I return on the 25th and it will be hard. At least I get to take Cheryl with me. Cheyenne will have to go to daycare though. So that will be hard too. We have taken her to daycare for a couple hours each day this week and she has cried the last couple days. I'm sure it will get better but we wanted to get her started before I went back to work. I will enjoy the remainder of my time off with my girls. The first month of Cheryl's life has past and I look forward to many more months of watching her grow.

Cheyenne broke my camera last weekend so I don't have any pictures to post today. I will try to take one with my phone and post one later.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cheyenne in her Valentine's outfit.

My girls on Valentine's Day

Going Away "Party"

I don't like to call it a "party" because we don't like to celebrate this occasion. My coworker for the last 3 1/2 years, Staci, is moving to Texas the end of this month. We had a "party" for her on Sunday. The attendance wasn't real great but I guess others don't like to think about her leaving either. She does still have a couple weeks left at the LRC. Her last day is the 22nd and I return from maternity leave the 25th. I won't actually work with her again. :( I have enjoyed working with her the last 3 1/2 years. We don't work together but a few minutes every day because she works in the mornings and I work the evenings. I enjoyed going to conferences, on the spring break trip and working tournaments when we got to spend more time together. We didn't just talk about work, we talked about life. Especially when we were pregnant at the same time and had our children. It was nice to discuss what was happening to our bodies while pregnant with someone who was experiencing the same thing! Our kids loved playing together too! As they have gotten older they get into more and we only wonder what the next few years would have had instore for them if they still got to "Play" at the LRC. I think they would be running the place! Cheyenne will be going to daycare when I return to work but we will miss walking in and Brody looking over the gate and saying "Chey, Chey". I'm gonna miss Staci tremendously but will get to stay in close contact because she will still be doing the books for the LRC. So several times a month I have to email her. But it just won't be the same.

Here are a few pictures from the "party"

Staci and Brody telling Brice, Torrey and Junior bye. Brice and Torrey worked at the LRC during the summers for several years. It was nice to see them come back for this occasion.

Tina, Staci, Brody, Cheyenne, Cheryl and I. Tina and I put the party on for Staci.

Manuel, one of Brody's favorite people in the gym!

How Adventurous Are You?

Friday night Adria called me and asked how adventurous I was? We decided to take our 3 kids to Hutch to go get some groceries and supplies I needed for the craft class I am teaching Tuesday. It actually wasn't too bad! Cheyenne and Jonathan entertained each other and Cheryl just slept most of the time. Cheryl did wake up and was hungary while we were finishing up in Walmart. Cheyenne was getting cranky because she was tired. She fell asleep in the cart. I checked out and went out to the car to feed Cheryl and then when Adria was done we headed home. Cheryl and Jonathan fell asleep on the way home and Cheyenne finally fell asleep just a few miles outside of Lyons. It was an adventure! But it was actually a pleasant one!

Cheyenne sleeping in the cart.

Sleep!

Last night we got eight hours of sleep! Cheryl and Cheyenne fell asleep with me in the chair a little after 9. When I woke up it was almost 11:00! I put the girls in bed and crawled in bed myself. About 15 minutes later Cheyenne was awake! She crawled in bed with me and I didn't have to get up again until 2:00! Cheryl slept from 9:00 to 2:00! At 2:00 I got up and changed her diaper and fed her and she went right back to sleep until 6:30! That's a total of 8 hours! I feel pretty rested this morning! We'll see if it was just last night or if it will continue!

I can't have a post without adding a picture! Here is one of Cheyenne and Cheryl on Cheyenne's bed.

Nap Time

With a newborn and an almost 2 year old I try to take naps when I can. They don't always cooperate though. When one's asleep the other one isn't and when the other one finally falls asleep the other one wakes up! Sometimes I think, ok I can lay sleep for a little while and 10 or 15 minutes later one of them wakes up. I don't complain too much though. I take what I can get. They both fell asleep with me on the couch the other day. Scott was awake so I had him take picture. Shortly after the picture I fell asleep too! I love taking naps with my girls! We are going to need a bigger couch one of these days though!

Truck for Sale

2004 Ford F150 FX4

Fully Loaded 80k miles

$20,000 OBO

We have decided that we need a new vehicle, possibly two. There just isn't enough room in the truck for 2 car seats, passengers, a stroller and groceries or any other purchases we make. We'd like to have 2 reliable vehicles. Right now we just have the truck that we can take out of town and we put a lot of miles on it. We went to Carmax Friday to see what we could find. We found a couple that we liked but they wouldn't give us what we needed out of our truck. So we are going to try to sell it outright. If you know anyone that's looking for a truck let me know!

Smiling

I know she isn't responding to anything, probably just having happy dreams. Or as my mom says she is talking to the Angels. Cheryl has the cutest smile. Sometimes she just turns up one corner of her mouth other times she has a big wide mouthed smile. I did catch it on video last Saturday.

Look Alike

Most people have said that Cheryl looks just like Cheyenne. I have found a picture of Cheyenne at 7 days old and Cheryl at 8 days old. What do you think?

Cheyenne

Cheryl

I thought this was interesting. Here is Cheryl and Cheyenne in the same towel after a bath. Cheyenne is 2 months old in this picture but I still think they look alot alike!