Five Years!

Today is our five year anniversary! It's been a great five years. Adam is amazing. He is such a good husband and dad- the boys and I are lucky to have him. Since he is working tonight we are going to go out tomorrow night and paint the town like we used to. This morning when he got home from work he gave me a sweet and clever poem that used the word "five" 47 times. I gave him a card I made for him and then he went to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to have lots of fun.

I was looking at our wedding album remembering our wedding day and laughing to myself about all the things that went wrong...my veil caught on fire at the hair salon (stupid candles!), I forgot to wear make up and jewelry to my own wedding (luckily my friend Kathleen had brought make up and had worn a white necklace to the sealing so she helped me out before pictures), the church where we were having our reception was flooded the night before when we went to go set up.... I thought it would ruin everything, but five years later, we are married and will be together for eternity. Those little wedding details don't matter. I'm so grateful for Adam and for our marriage and our relationship. It is so fulfilling and makes life so fun! I love you Adam!!!

The doctors found out what was wrong with Brody. We had more x-rays done on Thursday and they found stool (aka poop) throughout his whole system. The iron that they put him on for anemia clogged him all up and he was cramping and aching from being so full of grossness. The doctor said she had never seen so much stool in a person before so we had to give him enemas (which he didn't like in case you are wondering) and will have to continue to give him laxatives in his juice for a while. Poor thing. He doesn't get a break.

That's all for now. Please feel free to leave comments. I'm pretty sure I made it so that anyone can leave them...let us know you stopped by!

Baby for Sale

Any takers? NOT!

The highlight of the last few days for me was the chance I had to get out of the house and hang out with other GIRLS! About 10 of us from church went to Fatz Cafe for dinner and it was so fun. Audrey (my sister who is here visiting some friends) came with me and her friend who she is staying with was our waitress. It has been a rough few weeks and it was so nice to just laugh and relax and not have to worry about the boys, who were home with Adam. As a side note, Audrey is HILARIOUS. I don't know when it happened but that girl is funny. When I was in high school she was still in elementary school and junior high and I'll be honest. She was not funny (that I know of). She was the annoying little sister (sorry, Audge, but you were!). Now she is so fun to be with and she makes me laugh until I don't have full control over my bladder, okay? She was the life of the party.

Thursday Adam had court for a ticket he got in June. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. Adam Lindquist does not speed. It is annoying sometimes. You know, we're in a hurry and he won't go a mile over the speed limit. Anyway, he was on his way home from the airport after a frustrating night of getting off a crowded airplane, finding that his keys were locked in his car, calling a locksmith, etc. He was in a hurry to get home but still wasn't speeding. I know- crazy, huh? He did speed up to pass a semi and that is when the cop pulled him over. So he had to drive 45 minutes to get to Crawfordville, GA where he had gotten the ticket. He showed up ready to show the judge what was what. He punched him right in the face and the judge took the ticket away. Who knew?

Actually, the cop who gave him the ticket didn't show up so the case was dismissed. That saved us $150.

Also last week Bridger was pulling up on the back of a kitchen chair and it fell on top of him right smack dab in the middle of his forehead. He screamed his brains out for a minute or two and then was completely over it. It left a big purple bump on his forehead that we called his twin for the two days that it lasted. It was sad.

Sunday Audrey came to church with us and even took care of Bridger the whole time. Then after the boys went to bed we three played Settlers of Catan. For some reason everytime Audrey, Adam and I play that game together, it ends up with Audrey and me against Adam because he is winning. He won, of course, and then I threw the game at him and Audrey threw the table over. I enjoyed it. We are really good sports.

Brody is sick again. I don't know what the problem is. He is having stomach problems so we went to the doctor and he had more x-rays taken. I hope he doesn't end up in the hospital again. That was not fun.

This morning I went to a power sculpt class at the new gym on base. I have been going for a few weeks now and the instructor has no mercy. It is so hard. After the first time I went, I was pretty much paralyzed for a week. It is getting a little easier now but it is a brutal workout! While I was there, Adam was home with the boys and they made a fort out of the couches. When I got home Brody was so proud of it and I could tell they had had a lot of fun.

That is our week in a nutshell. "Help! I'm in a nutshell! What kind of nut has such a big nutshell? How did I get into this bloody great big nutshell?"

This is Adam's last week working nights! He is pretty excited to start days again.

Until later....

Tantrums and Milestones

The other morning I went to get Bridger out of his bed and I found him standing in the crib holding onto the bars. Being able to pull himself up and stand with support is a new milestone for Bridger.
I can't believe how fast the months since his birth have gone by. With Brody we were waiting for every milestone to come but with Bridger it seems like we are so busy with both kids that the time goes so fast and we are so surprised to see Bridger learning new things. It is amazing to watch babies as they learn about the world around them. Sometimes I look into Bridger's eyes and see a new realization about something and it is so fun!

Brody has been really sensitive and dramatic lately. Yesterday was constant whining all day. I really don't know what to do to make him a happier child. He throws tantrums about EVERYTHING. This morning we went outside to go for a walk and then we went to play in the backyard and he threw a fit because he didn't want to be outside. Then we came inside and he threw a fit because he didn't want to be inside. Did he want to play in the garage? Did he want to play on the roof? I don't know! What else is neither outside nor inside? It is frustrating.It's attractive, isn't it? Notice the huge vein in his neck. That pops out whenever he is REALLY mad. It reminds me of the Hulk.

We are glad to be back into our old routine. The kids nap together and go to bed on time and that's what keeps me almost sane.

I just finished the seventh and final Harry Potter book. So good. There was so much closure and it was such a happy ending. I have been neglectful of housework in the last few days because I just had to finish it. Then last night after I finished I saw a Dateline with an interview with JK Rowlings and she explained why she killed off certain people and didn't kill off others. It was interesting. She is RICH.

Audrey is coming over this weekend. I am pretty excited to play. I only get a couple of days with her but we are going to party as much as any stay-at-home mom with 2 kids can!!!

Brody's Home!

Brody is home from the hospital! Yeah! He got discharged this morning at about 11. The doctors had a meeting this morning to talk about what to do with him and Dr. Bode (we love him!) came in and told us that Brody was doing a lot better but that they tested his blood again and he is anemic. We just have to give him an iron supplement everyday and for the next few days load him up with lots of antibiotics and Tylenol if he's feeling yucky. He seems like he's back to normal, which he isn't...his lungs have to recover from having pneumonia. He is playing and throwing his tantrums and asking to watch Caillou. It's so good to see him smiling and laughing again.

Adam is so tired. He has stayed with Brody at the hospital almost full time and hasn't gotten a lot of sleep. His supervisors have been so great. He hasn't had to work the last 2 nights and they called him today and told him to no worry about tonight either. He is taking a nap now. Poor thing.

I am pretty excited for life to get back to normal. It hasn't been for so long with our trip and then Brody getting sick. I can't wait to have my routine going again.

Thanks for all of your prayers and phone calls and emails wishing Brody well. We really appreciate it and know that his speedy recovery is a gift from Heavenly Father.

Poor Little Brody

Let me just start by saying that this week has been quite crappy. I do not deny that I am a pessimist and I find it hard to see the good side of things, but I have found that even though I have had some trials this week I see so many blessings, too.

Brody has been pretty crabby since we got home from seeing our family in Vegas. All day Sunday he was whiny and irritable. Monday Adam noticed that his 2-year molars were coming in and we thought that explained it. Then Monday night Brody woke up at 2 am and puked all over himself and his crib and had a 103 temperature. Of course we couldn't get any appointment with any of the 30 doctors at the army hospital because that is just the way army hospitals are. I guess it is true that you get what you pay for. I love free medical care but I love it even more when we actually get it. We finally got in today (Wednesday) with Brody's doctor, who we love. They did a blood test and we were on our way. An hour later we got a call from her saying he needed to come in immediately to have more tests and that his blood looked bad (blood looks like blood to me but I guess there is good blood and bad blood). We went in and they catheterized him (which was pointless because he was dehydrated and had no peepee). He had a chest x-ray done...blah blah blah. Anyway, he was sent to the emergency room with pneumonia and is being hospitalized overnight for at least tonight and maybe more. Adam is there with him and I am home with Bridger. It was heartbreaking to see Brody not moving for so long. Any of you who know Brody probably can't imagine him staying still for more than 30 seconds unless he is asleep. He looks so lethargic and out of it. He is pale and his eyes just look so tired. I went to take Adam some dinner and Brody just kept saying, "song", wanting me to sing him songs.

The blessings that have come from this may seem trivial to some but are tender mercies to me. Bridger has been so good for me since Brody has been sick. He has taken long naps and has been happy and content and quite independent for a baby. He even started sleeping through the night!!! This is day 3 of him not waking up to eat at all between 6pm and 7am. Yeah!! I know Heavenly Father is making this ordeal bearable for me.

Also, here's a cute story... there was a man at the doctor's office with a goatee and while they were drawing Brody's blood, he kept pointing at him and saying "dis", which means "this", which means "this is what I want". I asked him why he wanted that man and he said, "Papa" which is what he calls Grandpa. Grandpa has a goatee and he thought it was him. Poor little soul. I told the man and he said he wasn't a grandpa. I think I offended him. Maybe he should read Elder Bednar's talk about being offended.

Any prayers for Brody would be appreciated. He is a handful but we love him so much and can't wait until he gets better so he can be crazy again.

Home Sweet Home

We are finally home! We had a long and exciting vacation but we are glad to be home where we can get everyone back on schedule. I never thought of myself as someone who needed a schedule and a routine but I AM!!! I start getting crazy if our routine gets thrown off. It's just nice to know what to expect.

So let me tell you about our vacation! My mom flew here to spend a few days with just us and then the boys and I flew home with her Wednesday August 1. The next few days were just trying to adjust to the three hour time difference. The boys woke up at 3am for the first 3 days which was really fun, especially since Adam wasn't there to switch off getting up with them. I got to go to my friend Kendra's baby shower and see some old friends there. Adam arrived on Saturday and I was so glad to have him! He is such a huge help with the kids and I just miss him when we're apart.

Sunday we went to our old ward. Well, our old ward doesn't exist anymore. It got demolished last year and now it is spread out over a lot of different wards. It was kind of disappointing to go and not be able to see all the Stone Creek Ward old-timers. My brother Michael just turned 16 and became a priest so we got to be there when he blessed the Sacrament for the first time. I don't know if Sacrament is supposed to be capitalized in that sentence, but I'm sure Zach will let me know if it's not. Mike blessed the Sacrament with my dad and other brothers Zach and Jacob. It was cool. Michael did a really good job and didn't leave any words out. Dad, you did a good job.

Monday was a busy day! We all were headed for California. We were all spread out in different vehicles. Adam and the boys and I went in one car; Zach and Jacob went with my dad in his airplane; Amber and her kids went with my mom; Michael, Eliza and Audrey went in Jacob's car. I'm pretty sure that's how it went. It's really not important, though. Adam's sister Stalina met us for lunch at Red Robin at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. It was really nice to see her and hear about all of the good things that are going on in her life. It was the first time she had ever met the boys and she brought them all kinds of fun things- new toys, clothes, and shoes. We didn't get a whole lot of time with her because we had to get our overtired little guys back to the hotel to take naps. After a while the rest of the family showed up and we made our way to the beach. It was a little chilly in the water but after a little coaxing I went in and all 6 of my parents' (is that right, Zach?) children were in the water. It was fun to be all together again. The kids loved playing in the sand and burying various uncles.

The next day was our big day at Disneyland. Adam and I learned a very useful fact. Disneyland is not the happiest place on earth for all children under the age of 3. Brody was so tired and exhausted for most of the time that he was either staring into space while we were trying to convince him that taking your picture with Mickey Mouse is fun or running around like a crazy person because he was deliriously tired and didn't know what to do with himself (during which someone came up and asked us if he was autistic). He's not for those of you who may not know. Granted, he did have a leash on, but he didn't have a helmet. We enjoyed the afternoon way more than the morning. My mom came and helped with the kids and my dad took them so that Adam and I could ride a ride together. We ran over to California adventure, but it was getting late and we didn't get to see most of it, including the Bug's Life area, which we hear is perfect for toddlers. Oh well...there's always next time (in at least 10 years).

We drove home that night and were sweetly serenaded by our two little angels screaming their brains out. They were so tired but kept waking each other up. That's why they don't share a room.

The rest of the week was just hanging out, playing, and seeing friends and family. Adam and I went to see Harry Potter and my mom and I went to see Hairspray. Both good movies. We ate at all the places we don't have in Georgia (Jason's Deli, Panda Express (thrice), In N Out, Cheesecake Factory, Del Taco) and enjoyed stuffing our faces and gaining a few pounds (mostly me). I am pretty sure I ate at least 6 hand-dipped butterscotch dilly bars from Dairy Queen and I don't regret a single one of them. Thanks, Mike!

Brody and Cadence (Zach's daughter) played a lot together. Today Brody has been asking for Cay (Cadence) and Ham (aunt Amber) and Muck (Uncle Mike). They loved to play bubbles and Play-doh together.

Thursday Adam and I went to the temple together. It was AWESOME. We hadn't been together for 2 1/2 years because we live so far away from the temple and we haven't ever wanted to leave Brody with someone for 8 hours. It was nice to be together in the same temple we were sealed in. We even walked past the very room where we were sealed and talked about the memories we had. I sure love him.

Friday we had dinner and swimming with the Becksteads (our other family) and we had so much fun. We love them so much and loved to see them playing with our kids. Bridger could not get enough of Marissa.

Saturday we went to go see Adam's grandparents, which was heart-breaking. His grandma is losing her memory and her mind. Adam was discouraged that they weren't being taken care of like they should be.

We got home last night at about 1:30 Georgia time and crashed. Today we are trying to get back to our schedule and catch up on sleep. It is so good to be home. Adam cleaned the house spotless while I was gone and it looks amazing. There is nothing like coming home from a trip to a clean and organized house!!!

I'm sure I forgot a lot but I'm also pretty sure you wish I forgot more. Not all posts will be this long...our normal lives are pretty uneventful. Until next time...