While We Were Gone

Due to the time change, we were often Skyping the boys before they had even eaten lunch. It was strange that my kids lived two weeks of their lives without me. They played, ate, and talked and I did not know any details. I am used to being deeply involved in every single aspect of their lives and it was crazy to receive pictures from my Mom and think, "They didn't mention anything about that while we were talking!" So I do not know exactly when or where the boys did these things, but here are a few of the things they did while Sam and I were gallivanting around Scotland.

Postcards from Scotland 

Mom's email to David on his mission:

It has been a crazy busy week.  Other than cleaning up lots of throw up and messy blowout diapers, it's been a ton of fun also. 

Monday:  It's now 11:40 pm, and I just finished cleaning up a massive Edison throw-up.  I certainly hope this is not a sign of things to come.  (Little did I know.)  Sheldon and Michelle are still at her hockey game.  Michelle took the 4 older boys to the little pool this afternoon.  Both Edison and Everett pooped in the pool.  They were wearing swim diapers, but still....Declan has been waking up at 6 am like clockwork.  I'm getting tired.

Tuesday:  Up early with 3 boys to meet the piano tuner at The Mesa.  Stop in Alpine on way home to visit.  Brought home a box of G'pa's cherries.  Pitted four-odd quarts of them.  8 pm:  Declan in bed.  Now to read scriptures, brush teeth, say prayers and sing songs with the other two.

Wednesday:  Didn't know the words nap/quiet time could sound so good.  After pitting cherries until very late last night, shortly after 5 this morning I hear, "aahhh, Grandma" coming over the baby monitor.  I go into the boys' room and see Alex sitting up in a cold pile of throw up (not brand new, getting dried and totally stuck on everything) and crying that it was all over his stuffed animal.  Into the bath tub for some major scrubbing.  Clean underwear and shirt and into my bed while I tackle the rest of the mess.  Off come the sheets, pillow case (pillow), mattress pad, blankets, stuffed animals and even the mattress pad that was on another mattress that was leaning against the wall beside his bed.  (At least it protected the wall, and nothing got on the carpet.)  Down to the laundry room to scrub it all out and start the first load.  I was really worried that the red cherry stains wouldn't ever come out, but with lots of scrubbing, Shout, detergent and Oxyclean, it looks pretty good.  Back upstairs to get Declan up.  Alex didn't want to go back to sleep so after a while I took them down to sit on the couch and then have some breakfast while I did dishes and finished cleaning kitchen from last night.  Second load in the washer.  About 8 I figured Edison should be getting up so I opened the bedroom door again and about died of the smell.  At first I thought it was leftover throw up aroma.  No such luck.  Edison had a major blowout on his just washed yesterday sheets.  Into the bath tub for some major scrubbing.  (Do I sound like a broken record??)  Clean clothes for the day.  Off come the sheets, blankets and mattress pad.  Down to the laundry room to scrub out the poop, move the other loads and start the third load.  Breakfast for everyone.  Move laundry, start fourth load.  Change and dress Declan.  Thankfully, Michelle took the 5 boys to the school park for about 20 minutes while I took a shower.  Scrub mattresses with rubbing alcohol.  Move laundry, start fifth load.  Re-make both beds.  Skype with Sam and Emily.  They went to Loch Ness and 3 or 4 castles today.   Some neighborhood hooligan thought it would be fun to egg Emily's car.  Michelle makes lunch while I go outside to scrub the dried egg off the car.  Thought it would be easy so I didn't put my shoes on at first.  No, not easy.  Shoes on (hot pavement) and 3 more trips outside with scrubby and wet paper towels.  Windshield, wipers, hood, fender, tire.  If there's opposition in all things, then the person that did that should be happy for a week.  I tried to keep the kids from poking each other long enough to eat something.  Put Declan and Edison down for a nap.  Move 5th load to the dryer.  Work on reading with Alex.

Thursday:  

So...in the early wee hours, Michelle, Declan and I all threw up.  Later in the day, we took the kids to ride the ferris wheel, then to Costco for pizza and ice cream.  We also walked down the street to the lemonade stand in the evening. Everett had diarrhea.

Friday:  Last night, Keaton threw up.  Went to the pool for a while.  For dinner, we all went to the splash pad park by G'ma Hilton's house for a picnic.  Except Sheldon didn't come because he was feeling sick.  I sewed up both sides of the couch arms where the seams had been completely ripped out.  That took almost as long as the church curtain.  I have new respect for people who used to make all their clothes by hand.  Michelle took Alex and Keaton and a blanket to the "movie in the park" to see Planes.

Saturday:  Somehow this day has slipped into the black hole of my memory.  I got to watch a Redbox movie while Michelle and Sheldon got a night out together with no kids.  (That sounds like a punishment or something.  No, I enjoyed it.)

Sunday:  Had a great Relief Society lesson on temple marriage.  Alma 32:23  Jared came over for a delicious dinner, then he and I went to Ogden to see Jerod DeStories.  They had a fireside for all the departing missionaries.  Lots of people were there (more than church) to hear all their testimonies.  John and Jean were there also.  I put some pictures up on Facebook.  Jerod was released right after the fireside and will be showing his folks around for the next few days.  Then I took Jared by Gammy and Grandy's house (where G'ma Hilton grew up), and we stopped to visit with Makenzie and see her house and her cute little Malan.

Week 2 included NO throw-up. Yippee!! We went swimming one day (and I got a no-peel sunburn "X" on my back). Another day we went to the science center.