Gone-zo

We really haven't dropped off the face of the earth.  I have had little motivation to update the blog because, like my good friend Jessi just posted in her blog, when does one find the time to be all things to everyone, and still find time to blog? :-)  (although I AM a mother, wife, daughter, friend, granddaughter, sister, neighbor, and teacher, am I GOOD at all those things?  As good as I want to be?  Can I be excellent at all those things and still find time to cook, clean, give, and find time for myself?  Phew...)  Life can be a little overwhelming when you have little ones who rely on your everyday, plus little ones at school who rely on you nearly every day.  But it is a good life.  When it comes down to it, I feel happy and blessed to have an overwhelming life, because that can only mean that my life is full of meaningful relationships, which is the most important thing.
Since the turning over of the year, here is a quick synopsis:
1.  Sick.  We've all been sick at least once since the New Year.  Sam and Isaac have had a couple colds/coughs.  Isaac gets over them super quick, but Sam takes a couple weeks each time.  Poor little guy.  He's also been teething on and off.  Those two upper front teeth are the devil.
I started with a cough 2 weeks ago and lost my voice for several days.  Then, I woke up about a week ago with a fever of over 104 degrees.  I felt sooooo delirious and horrible.  I was lucid enough to tell myself that I would rather experience the physical pain of another medication-free childbirth, than suffer whatever was going on.  I went to Instacare where they did a rapid strep test and took chest x-rays for pneumonia.  Both came up negative, and they decided that I had influenza.  Damn...I'd even had the flu shot.  2 days later they called me and said my culture had grown the strep virus.  I got on an antibiotic and have felt soooo much better since.  That was a really crappy few days, though.  Dave started to feel swollen lymph nodes so he went straight in for a rapid strep test, tested positive, and got on meds right away.  No need to go through the crappy part of strep for him!  Lucky! 
2.  Fun.  We went to Snowbird with the boys and with Julie and Tim a few weekends ago.  We had a suite that we'd bought in a charity auction, and it was fabulous!  We'd been having the worst pollution in the valley on record, and the valley was just a bowl full of cold, dirty air.  It was nice to sneak away in the much warmer mountain air.  Dave went snowboarding and took Isaac skiing.  Isaac was not a fan of the skiing part, but at least we tried :)   It was a great spending time with Julie and Tim, too!  Isaac also got the chance to fly to Oregon with "BabsiPop," his collective term for Dave's grandparents.  They had a good time visiting the coastal areas of Portland, and Lincoln City, as well as "camping" at their property in Roseberg, Oregon.  Isaac had a blast and really enjoyed the undivided attention.  He also had a sleepover with Nana and Pa recently, which helped break in the new house in Bountiful!
3.  Family.  Dave's parents came into town for about 3 weeks (including the time they took Isaac to Oregon.)  It was nice to catch up with them, hear a bit about their 4 month trip around much of the planet, and share our boys with them.  They also helped finish a house project that was so nice to have done.  I can say that our upstairs is officially carpet-free now.  Nothing against carpet, but our dogs are indoor dogs and don't come downstairs, so now we don't have to worry about them having accidents on the carpet!  YAY!
Off track there...anyway, thanks for finishing the hallway for us! 
We have been able to see my family on and off, though my parents have been pretty busy with moving in and settling into their new home, but are looking forward to a family party in a couple weeks to celebrate!
4.  Boys.  Same is 9 months old now and so damn cute.  He is a happy boy who likes to take in the world around him.  He is much less hands on than Isaac was, but that is totally a personality thing.  Sam isn't a ham, who always needs the spotlight.  Isaac, yes...he still is.  We love them both for what they are and what they are not :)  They are a good combination.  I'll have to write more detailed updates about what they are doing soon...

 I know, Isaac has bare feet and Sam is just in Baby Legs.  Don't judge.  :-)  It was 45 degrees and we just stepped out onto the balcony momentarily for a picturesque moment.

For now, here is just one photo because now it's 10:15 and I still have to go shower then, you know, sleep.  :)  More later...