oh boy

Seems like there is a lot to cover.  Lots of good, and yet some less than desirable things have happened around here too this week.  I'll start off by posting the soccer photos we just got back.  The originals are much better (I took a photo of the photo to post).

 

I think this is really cute of Burke.  He still LOVES soccer and is getting better and better.  It seems like he is getting really tall too, by the way.   

 

Have I mentioned that Hewitt has played goalie some this year and is pretty fearless? 

Tosh's team is so funny to watch.  Tosh is really speedy and focused (for the most part):

Rob is so great with these boys (we know all of them very well from church).  From left to right is Kimball, Tripp, Tosh, Wyatt, Kannon and Kelton (twins).  Dax is the only one missing. 

 

It was great having my Dad and Helen here with us.  They left last Tuesday.  Helen is so sweet with the kids.  The kids were so excited that she bought them their favorite soda, cereal, and cookies! 

A photo with my dad before they left Tuesday morning (me in all my pre-shower "glory" ha!).  I think this is a great picture of my dad, though.  I love you, Dad!!!

Hewitt got the stomach flu last Monday (why he was home for the photo with my dad on Tuesday morning).  It was pretty much a 24 hour bug that has worked its way around unfortunately. 

Patti and I made great progress on a t-shirt quilt made from Roger's fishing and other t-shirts.  Liv was fairly patient at the various fabric stores:

Patti did all of the cutting and prep and then we both pinned and sewed.  We got the entire front all ready to tie together when she is here at Thanksgiving with Rob's younger sisters--hope you girls come ready to help! :)  I think the quilt looks great; Patti did a great job with the fabric. 

Shortly after the above photo was taken, we discovered that our water heater had broken and water was gushing out and flooding our garage!  It was a bit crazy as we tried to get the water turned off and sweep out all of the water from the soggy garage.  About ten minutes after all the water was turned off Patti told me that she could hear Liv crying (it was around 11pm).  I ran upstairs and heard her crying, "Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy!"  Sure enough she had caught the stomach bug and had thrown up in bed.  Fortunately, I had thought to put bowls by everyone JUST IN CASE and it really paid off.  She had mostly gotten everything in the bowl and I was able to clean her up with baby wipes (normally I would have thrown her in the tub).  When I told her that I was so proud of her she said, "I am so proud of you too, Mommy.  I love you, Mommy."  Liv was so sweet and calm.  She seemed very grown up.  I prayed so hard that no one else would be sick and that everyone would sleep well.  Our prayers were answered!  I was so grateful that Liv only threw up the one time.  Our water heater was replaced by about 1pm the next day (and $900 later).  Oh the joys of home ownership. 

 

Patti left on Friday.  She is always so helpful and great to have in our home.  I am so thankful for all she does to help me with cooking, cleaning, the kids, etc.  It was so nice to get to spend lots of time visiting and playing games in the evenings too.  We love you, Patti!

 

Our ward Halloween party was Saturday night.  Everyone was actually doing fine at that point so the whole family went.  A friend lent me this Cinderella dress a couple of months back and I'd kept it hidden thinking it would be perfect for Liv for Halloween.  I pulled it out and Liv was so excited to dress up.  I did her hair (she insisted that she had to wear a necklace, but ended up taking it off before leaving) and then went downstairs to help the boys figure out what to wear.  We were all downstairs when Liv started coming down the stairs.  It was so awesome to watch her gracefully walk down the stairs, holding her dress, as if she was a real princess (she hasn't really seen any of the princess movies or anything so it was extra funny).  We all oohed and aahed.  The boys are all so cute with Liv and played it up for her.  I was a little late grabbing my camera...

Rob took her outside for a couple of shots while I was getting dressed:

Tosh had tried on this tiger costume that my mom made for my brother in the 70's, but in the end decided to once again be a pirate (he doesn't look too thrilled here), and Hewitt was a ghost for the second year in a row. 

On the other hand, Burke, who has been a "soccer player" for the past two or three years actually got into it this year and dressed up!  Rob and Burke were both cowboys and I was a cowgirl.  We were running late by the time we were all dressed and so we never got a family photo (or photos of the boys for that matter).  They had a photo booth at the party we went to so if I ever get the photo of our family then I will be sure to post it. 

Sunday was our primary program.  I had written the program and done the seating chart this year.  Honestly it was fun to put together and not very stressful, except that Rob woke up not feeling well and I was starting to get nervous about getting the flu myself.  Liv started coughing Sunday morning, so we decided that Rob would leave with Liv just after the program ended.  Even with a little cough, Liv looked awfully cute and festive: 

The program went great.  Every single kid (over 100 kids) had a part to say and the timing was perfect.  I was the adult helping the kids at the podium and when Tosh got up to say his part, he looked down at the script and said, "Tosh Peterson. Ooops! (laugh)  I'm not supposed to read that!" and then he went on to read his scripture.  Several people chuckled over that.  Rob commented that he got a little emotional a couple of times watching our cute boys sing their hearts out.  I was very pleased with how it all turned out and was happy when it was over!

About halfway during primary, I started not feeling well so I grabbed the kids and headed home.  I was glad I did, because when I got home I discovered that Rob was really sick and I literally held him up when he almost passed out in our bathroom.  By Sunday night, pretty much all six of us either had an upset stomach or a cough (or both).  I kept all four kids home from school yesterday.  Tosh was doing pretty well, but coughing his asthma-type cough.  He ate some dinner and we worked on a little school project together.  Tosh then went outside to shoot baskets with Rob while I went upstairs to lie down on my bed.  After a few minutes I could hear Rob yelling Tosh's name and there was panic in his voice.  After hearing Rob repeat, "Tosh are you OK?  Tosh, talk to me!" I got downstairs as fast as I could to see if Tosh had hurt himself or what was happening.  Rob said that Tosh wasn't responding and that he saw his eyes roll back and he went limp.  I think I yelled, "Is he breathing?" and I ran to grab the phone so I could call 911 if necessary.  Rob brought Tosh inside and I could see Tosh moving and starting to talk so I was relieved about that.  We are still a little unclear about what exactly happened, but I think that Tosh shot the ball and it bounced back and hit his arm (Rob says it didn't hit his head). Tosh then must have gotten dizzy or something because he lost consciousness and fell down on the gravel (hitting his head).  Tosh was unable to remember or tell us what happened.  He kept saying, "I'm tired.  I'm sorry I don't remember.  I want to go to sleep."  I knew we had to act fast (not wait for someone to come over) so I told Rob to take him to the hospital (the scrape and bruise on Tosh's head was becoming very visible).  I just knew it would be better for Rob to take him.  Rob handles these things better than me and besides that he was the witness to what happened and was feeling much better than I was (still not eating and feeling weak).  Rob is awesome, what can I say?  I'm so grateful he is such a great and loving Dad. 

Tosh threw up right when they arrived at the ER, and it was good that they got him right back to be examined.  They spent the next five hours or so testing him with various scans, urine and blood work, and so on.  Here is a photo Rob took during the EKG:

I was particularly paranoid about possible diabetes (Tosh has been drinking and going to the bathroom a ton!), but thankfully everything checked out very normal.  He does have a concussion so Tosh will not be playing soccer for at least a week and we will have to make sure he is really careful not to hit his head. 

 

Rob and Tosh got home around midnight and Tosh was up a couple of times with diarrhea, poor kid!  He slept until about 10AM today and we are so relieved that he is doing so much better and that there doesn't seem to be any major health concerns.   We love this kid so much!!!

I'm not sure if I mentioned that Burke had walking pneumonia a week or so back (we went to the doctor just after we got home from California).  It does seem like it's been a rather crazy and sickly week.  I am sure grateful for generally very healthy kids! 
Hope everyone has a healthy and safe Halloween! 

TOTALLY '80s!

Some of you may remember reading about the Disco roller skating party we hosted last October.  We had a such a great response that we decided to do it again this year, only with an 80's theme.  It was a late party (9:30-11:30pm), and we got a few snap shots in our fairly dark house prior to leaving.  I LOVE the "red eye" in these shots.  Makes it extra '80s-like, don't you agree? 

My sister dressed in a complete outfit from her high school days (her sweater actually has "Mindy '85" on it.  Her hair is awfully similar to what I remember it looking like in 1985 (dyed blond in front, as well).  Awesome. 

Rob's fashion choice of "Wham meets Mork" as he called it:

We didn't have quite the turnout we had last year (lots of calendaring conflicts, like our Stake Fair--bummer!) but those that came really got into it and had a fun time (at least everyone seemed to).  Here is most of the group toward the beginning of the night:

Remember this guy from last year?

He never disappoints on coming up with a hilarious costume.  He and his wife are very gutsy--that fanny pack?  Wow!

The kids had fun dressing up in some of the costume pieces last night.  Liv was being so funny; it was hard to capture what she was doing with still photos, but let's just say she loved the attentive audience:

The boys pretending to be doing karate or something.

Hewitt getting ready to kick (not Tosh, just the air):

Can't believe that we are nearing the end of October!  It's almost Halloween! 

Hewitt's Baptism

Saturday was a very special day-- Hewitt was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

We took some photos outside before the service: 

Everything went very well.  I thought my dad's talk was great --I told him I couldn't have done a better job myself :).  Rob got emotional during the confirmation.  I don't remember exactly what was said (lots of beautiful things), but Rob felt prompted to say something referring to "those on the other side of the veil watching over him." I think that was very touching to many of us present. Hewitt is such an awesome kid and I know that he has so many gifts from our Father in Heaven.  I pray that Hewitt will continue to make great choices and be a good example to all around him. 

 

My sister grabbed my camera and got a photo at the end of the musical number.  Tosh (although not on the program) joined the kids and sang along too.  He only snapped his fingers a little bit at the beginning (When Tosh and the other grandchildren sang at their Grandpa's funeral last month, Tosh snapped the entire time walking down from the stand...).  Cute kids.  They did a great job.

Our family (love Livvy's face):

After the service we came back to our home for a luncheon.  It was great to have a house full of family (and friends we consider family).  Those in attendance were:

Patti Peterson (Rob's mom)
Tom (my dad) and Helen Dunning
Mindy Linton (my sister)
Kurt (Rob's cousin), Noelle, Jarom, Noah, Kennedy, and Olivia Fisher
Krehl (Rob's cousin) and Debi Burton
Bob Sonne (my cousin)
Rob, Alecia, Bella and Addie Lundell (great friends)

I didn't get any photos from our gathering!  I was too busy eating and visiting after a few days of working hard to get everything ready :).  We are so thankful for the love and support shown to us.  We love you, family and WE LOVE YOU, HEWITT!

newport 2012

We spent the past week at Newport Coast, CA.  We kicked things off with a family game night with the kids:

 

We spent Monday at Crystal Cove.  The beach never disappoints!  

Liv was much more comfortable in the water this year:

I caught Burke in a very happy/goofy/willing to be photographed mood on Monday.  I love these next few pictures of him!

 

Strike a pose. Vogue!

 This one is sweet (and *cracks* me up too):

We were excited that Patti (Rob's mom) flew in to join us on Monday.  We hit Laguna Beach on Tuesday:

 

 

We were originally planning to go the San Diego Zoo (or something like that) on Wednesday, but because Rob sprained his foot the Friday before we left town (soccer injury) he couldn't walk very well in his boot.  We threw out several options and finally decided to keep things simple and local (less driving).  We spent Wednesday morning at Balboa Island.  The kids enjoyed the ferry, riding scooters around town, and LOVED the Ferris wheel.

(Tosh looks really young here. Weird.)

 
 Took this with my phone from the top of the Ferris wheel:

Back for frozen bananas again.  Yum!

That afternoon we went to Corona del Mar.  More phone pics:

Really cute one of my boys:

Since Rob couldn't be as active as normal, I had to step it up and play some football on the beach with the boys:

 
Hewitt:  "I'm open!"

It was rainy on Thursday (and Friday) so we decided to go to a movie (rare for us).  We saw Madagascar 3 in 3D and it made us all laugh.  Getting ready for the movie to start:

We enjoyed the pools, hot tubs, and other amenities at the hotel.  We also played lots of games.  Tosh concentrating during a game of Battleship (with 3D glasses on):

 

 

Burke was loving pointing out all of the sweet (expensive) cars in So Cal.  We ended up visiting the Marconi Car Museum in Tustin and saw some really amazing cars (including a Ferrari FX estimated between 5-7 million!).  Here is Rob with the Lamborghini he had on a poster in his childhood bedroom: 

 Even a PINK car for Miss Liv:

Friday evening we went to dinner at Rob's cousin's home in Newport Beach.  Liv had so much fun with her second cousin, Abby.  Matching dress-ups!? It doesn't get much better than that.  It was a great evening which included the entire group singing "Oh Venn" after dinner.  Good times.

We beached it up again on Saturday (left my camera behind).  We watched the sun set at Laguna Saturday evening (and got some family photos--GROAN, but more on that another time). 

Goodbye, beautiful ocean!

Wiped out on the way home!