Strep

Chills.

Fever-chills that rebound around and around like stupid ripples in a puddle whenever I move.

My throat is so painful, I think I can breathe fire.

Even with four ibuprofen tablets coursing through my veins, my skin is hot, hot, hot to the touch.

I would like to die now, please.

Well, not really, but it does sound less miserable.

Penicillin, you had BETTER kick in tomorrow like the doctor promised!

Talents

Coming across Matthew's church sweater on the floor for the umpteenth week in a row, "Matthew, why can't you get your clothes in the dirty laundry?"

"I don't know, Mom. People are talented at stuff and that's something I'm just not talented at."

Hoo-boy.

An Easter (Candy) Story

The children at my house don't like jelly beans.

So the Easter Bunny thought she would be very clever this year and fill her eggs with sour jelly beans. They all LOVE Sour Patch kids, so they will love sour jelly beans, right?

Wrong.

Very wrong.

Not a single child in this family will eat sour jelly beans. In fact, one of them cried a little because he felt it was the worst Easter ever with such terrible candy. (He managed to pull through though, in case you were wondering.)

A month later, the Easter Bunny is still the only one eating all of those stupid sour jelly beans. I'm sure her dentist will love the results.

10 Things We Learned on Our Trip to Southern Utah

1. We will never go tent camping again. Thank you Cruise America!

2. Minersville Lake Park is not a campground to miss. Let me give you a hint: best. showers. EVER.

3. Next time, I will confiscate all electronics immediately upon arrival and EVERY box of snacks that Costco sells is too much food.

4. If you give your 10-year-old the camera, you will end up with a lot of pictures of squirrels...and squirrel butts.

5. Zion National Park is an amazing, beautiful place.

6. I get dizzy and light-headed on long hikes unless I focus solely on the ground in front of me. Anyone know why??

7. Boys bend the "stay on the trail" rule whenever possible...

8. Brian is a MAN for conquering Angel's Landing (800 foot drop on one side of a narrow ridge, 1,200 feet down the other).

9. Small girls only last two days of hiking. If you try for three you will end up with a lot of complaining and exaggerated foot-dragging and finally...carrying.

10. The best campground east of Zion National Park is at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Trust me, I did my research. Unless you LIKE bumper to bumper trailer parks...and Ho-made Pies...

And finally...

Grandmas and Grandpas are GREAT to have around on family trips!

A Rough Day

Imagine a slightly panicked, wailing voice: "Mom...! My thumb is getting smaller and smaller...!"

Becca, that's your pinkie.

Sorry if you're sick of Becca stories...

Last night, Becca told me, "Mom, I wish we had animals at our house."

"Really?" I asked. "What kind of animals?" I was thinking pet hamsters or something (I always forget she doesn't like hamsters.)

"Um...I wish we had lots and lots of crocodiles."

"What!? Wouldn't that be scary to have lots of crocodiles in our house?"

"No, cause then we could fight them."

And she went on to discuss how she also wanted a tiniest, baby-est lion (that could fight with the crocodiles when it grew up) and a bird that would come and sit on her finger.

I was still imagining a house full of crocodiles and shuddering slightly...

Leak Update

After visits from an insurance adjuster and roofer, a restoration company finally figured out the source of the leak: burst hose bib.

The good news: it's covered by insurance (as opposed to rainwater, which is not).

The bad news: water everywhere! And now we get to rip into sheet rock and plumbing and poor Nathan's not going to have his room back for awhile, yet.

The weird news: it has absolutely nothing to do with the water-damaged siding directly above it on the second floor.

Where do YOU keep YOUR music?

Yesterday, Maggie was telling me how she had a song from Little Einsteins stuck in her head.

Becca pipes up and says, "I don't have it stuck in my head!"

Oh, you don't? That's good.

"No," she says, "I have it stuck in my arm. It helps me sing the song." And she proceeds to wave her arm around and sing, "Sail this way, Rocket viking ship..."

But that's not the end of the story.

Later that night, Maggie pulled up one of their favorite songs on the computer about 10 little monkeys. And Becca goes, "I know that song! It's stuck in my other arm!"