Summer Surprise!

We had some big surprises and changes this summer...like moving to Kansas!  It wasn't something we planned on at all but it happened and we felt good about it.  Now that we have been here for about a month we are happy to be situated instead of bouncing around like we did the rest of the summer. 

 This is a random rest stop on the drive from Utah to Kansas.  We managed to make the drive several times over the summer!

 This guy could probably eat a whole watermelon if someone let him

This is called Keeper of the Plains and it is a big statue/monument by the river in downtown Wichita.  They light it up every night.  Anyone who wants to come see me can go to this!

Some of the things we are liking about Kansas so far:
1.  Most houses have these great big, open basements that are great for kids to play in.
2.  It is a pretty family oriented state.  There are just as many mini-vans and suburbans as I see in Utah. 
3.  It is fun to be close to all of the big city stuff, like the zoo, museums, great stores, etc.
4.  The QT gas stations!  They are huge and clean and have everything, plus they are everywhere!
5.  New wildlife adventures.  We have caught 3 frogs, a turtle, snakes, and all kinds of weird and huge bugs that we had never seen before. (Ok the bugs are a little gross and probably not on the LIKES list)
6. All libraries everywhere are free for everyone.  You don't have to live in a certain town to go to the library!
7.  Our new ward has a lot of fun families.

More later!

We're Still Alive!

We did manage to have some fun ice-skating!

We are still alive and kicking!
After a crazy December (full of regular Christmas stuff, Disneyland trip, multiple ear infections and some other stuff) I was feeling so motivated to start this year off all positive and put the last year behind us. Go figure that January started off with a bang.

In a nutshell;

1. Kidlet #1 got strep throat and started antibiotic #1
2. Kidlet #1 has an allergic reaction to antibiotic #1 and I get antibiotic #2
3. I think Kidlet #3 has an ear infection or strep and take him to the Doctor that is working the Sunday shift. (Said Doctor is a little ((a lot)) weird and has weird conversation skills and I leave feeling totally weirded out!....the ears have "fluid" but aren't infected, and no strep. Good-bye $85!
4. Kidlet #2 has a strange rash that I find out is strep! Start Kidlet #2 on antibiotic #1.
5. Kidlet #2 is very "strong-willed" and doesn't want to take the medicine. Told Bruce I could get #2 to take the medicine and kidlet #2 vomits all over himself and me!
6. Get Kidlet #2 antibiotic #2 (a chew-able) after a few more tries/fails with the liquid.
7. Kidlet #3 is getting worse, take him to see his aunt (a Nurse Practitioner) and find that his ear is now infected!
8. Get Kidlet #3 some medicine!
9. During all of the above there are a lot of extra days off, and extra half-days of school! Aaahhh!
10. Finally a happy ending, everyone has finished all of the above medicines and we are hoping we can stay healthy for month or two; and that school can stay in session!

What just happened?

Somehow I have un-invited myself (or something) to all of the private blogs that I like to catch up on! If you are one of those people, could you re-invite me puh-leze!
(This includes you Melissa M.!)

Thanks!
valerie(dot)christensen(at)gmail(dot)com

A little catch up

I have been a lazy blogger this summer, and now summer is almost over! Wow!

We had some fun at the fair,

Did a little swimming,


Had a few campfires,

And #3 did lots of this!

Our Summer Project

We had surprise visitors up in our porch this spring. The first day we saw the birds building a nest we actually tried to knock the meager pile of sticks down several times and within an hour or so it was all built back up; so we finally had a heart and left the nest alone.

My computer-savy husband put a webcam up for the kids to watch the birds live, and then he figured out how to stream it to the internet and update the picture online every few seconds. (He has a little extra time on his hands; being home from work after having back surgery...that is another story for later!) To watch the live shots go here http://www.bcinvent.com:81/
(The picture will change every 10 seconds. Right now there are 3 eggs and 1 baby. You can also see the father bringing worms back occasionally.)

Just a few minutes ago we noticed that the first baby has hatched! Maybe it is an indication of warmer weather?

Happy Spring!

A Big Birthday for a Big Guy

(Ok, I really can't call this little man Baby Brother anymore, but I'm still thinking of a great alias that fits his personality.)

He turned 2 last month and I can't believe how time flies. A few little things that make this boy a real charmer:
*He always does that scrunchy smile and says, "Cheese" when he sees a camera
*He is my best snuggler
*He cried every time we tried to get shorts out for him this spring (on the few warm days) until we told him they were his soccer shorts like C-man's and they would make him run fast and kick the ball hard! Magically he put them right on!
*He turns down things like donuts and cake for vegetables! There isn't a vegetable this boy won't eat! ...even red onions that I picked off my hamburger at the restaurant one night.
*He will say "mom, mom, mom, mom..." an insane number of times until I finally stop what I am doing and watch him 1)run fast, or 2)shoot a basket, or 3)ride his bike, or4)kick a ball, etc.
*He gives me a kiss every time I ask!

We are so glad he is in our family!

Our Newest Addition

Baby Brigham made it here earlier this month! We are so happy he is here healthy and safe; we are also so tired! It is so easy to forget how tiny and precious a new baby is!
Things are going well and (so far) are better than I had planned on with 3 little boys! One big brother is in deep brotherly love with the baby and the other "big" brother pretty much isn't interested at all!