Flu Shots

Today, I got a call from my pediatrician's office, letting me know that they were doing a pediatric flu study, and wanted Matthew to participate. They're compensating us for our time and travel, and the flu shot itself is, of course, free!!! With most places charging $25-$30 for the flu shot alone, this sounded like a great opportunity for us! Because Matthew only had one shot last year, as his first year, and was supposed to have had a booster as well, he is going to get 2 shots this year. Today we went in for the first shot. They also did draw blood, as part of the study. That part was sad, but he did so well!!! Now all we do is take his temperature every night for the next week and record it in a diary. We're also supposed to record any other symptoms as well. At the end of the week, we mail back the diary pages in a pre-paid envelope. For the rest of the study, we go back in a month for his second shot, and I believe we go back one month after that. There are also a couple of phone calls involved in the following months. I believe the entire study takes 6-7 months (in case you can't tell, I need to re-read the material again!)
Anyway, another great thing, is that if Matthew gets sick at all during the study, even if it's a non-related sickness, the office visit will be free, as they will take note of how any additional treatments may affect this flu vaccination.
I'll keep this posted as we go, in case a similar opportunity ever opens up for someone else, you will know what to expect. And because my obsessive-compulsive disorder won't allow me to post without pictures, I've included some of test-subject A!

Kindergarten

Yes, my baby is in school. She actually started Kindergarten on August 27th, but I'm just now getting around to posting about it. Her teacher's name is Miss Nybo, and PJ thinks she's pretty great! Every time we do her hair a different way for school, or if she wears a new shirt, she asks me, "Do you think Miss Nybo will like this?" Of course!
She's really excited to learn new things. I love it on the days that she comes home and teaches me a new song she learned, or shows me how she learned to write a new letter.

Although she loves to go to school, she has already missed one day, due to an awful tummy bug that attacked our house. She was so bummed that she couldn't go. That morning, she said that she felt better, but I told her to lie down for awhile. After being sick again, later in the morning, she said that she felt better again. I told her that she wouldn't be able to go to school because she was sick. She was so sure that she felt better, so I let her get dressed and we put her hair into a cute ponytail, but sure enough, she was sick all day! Poor little girl. Anyway, luckily it was about a 12 hour bug and she was more than ready to go back the next day!

Rainy Days

One of our favorite things to do this summer, is to sit on the porch during thunderstorms. It's so relaxing to watch the gutters slowly fill, and hear that pounding of the rain, while enjoying that beautiful smell. This year has also been a great year for rainbows.

Lagoon

We finally made it to Lagoon again this year for the first time in 3 years! We all had a blast and can't wait to go again. Although Keyana was a bit scared of some of the rides, just the morning she was telling me she wants to go again. Kaiden had the most fun, I think. He loved every ride, and the faster and higher they went, the better.

Still Alive!!!

I'm well aware that it's been 4 1/2 months since I've posted anything. Bad, I know. Anyway, rather than posting pages and pages of what we've been up to, I thought I'd just put lots of pictures and a few captions. One of these days I may start posting more often, but for now, enjoy!

Easter

Keyana's 5th Birthday

Memorial Day in Fountain Green

Random, funny stuff

Happy Birthday Kaiden

I can't believe my little man turns 3 today! We celebrated with the whole family last night, and boy did we have fun! Kaiden got a plethora of new dinosaurs, dragons and sharkies! He has a spot in his closet called "dinosaur alley" which is where all these new creatures have just moved in. He also go a new table and chairs for his room, which he is pretty excited about!





As just an extra note, Kaiden has had several successful potty trips. Sure, he's still having accidents, but 3 successes in one day is something to get very excited about. Hopefully within the next couple months we'll be back down to one kid in diapers!

Updates

I realized that it's been over a month since our last post, so I decided I needed to get my act together and mention what we've been up to lately!
One of the benefits to living in Eagle Mountain is (prepare for a shocker!)...the eagles! I knew that they were out here because everyone else has seen them, but until about a week and a half ago, I hadn't seen any. The first couple I saw were standing on a dead cow (gross, I know!) The very next day I saw another one standing in the middle of the field of cows. I would almost say that they were vultures, rather than hunting their own food, they're standing there waiting for it to come to them. Lazy creatures! Anyway, in Fairfield, just across the valley from the city center, is where the eagles must be living at the moment. Nathan had gone with Chris and Kelli on Saturday while I was at work and they got some amazing pictures. I was super jealous and made him take me this week. It was so spectacular! Between golden and bald, we counted 15 that trip. We also saw a couple of wild bunnies and stopped to tell them they should hide because they are hopping around with a nice, shiny target on their backs in that area! :) I hope the eagles stick around for a while longer so I can see some more!
The snow around here is finally starting to melt and we can see grass again for the first time in over a month! Nathan is getting really anxious to get out there and start working on the yard. We have endless possibilities with the back yard. Before the snow melted I did get a couple good pictures of our resident snow bunnies!
The last couple weeks I've been working long hours on Saturday to get caught back up after taking so much time off around Christmas. Since this is Nathan's only day off, he really has been enjoying getting some quality time with the kiddos. Last week they made a fort, which by looking at the pictures, seems to have been quite a success!
Not too much has gone on in January, but February is always crazy with 5 immediate family birthdays! Kaiden will be 3 this month, so stay tuned in for an update on that!