Happy 1st LaLavia!

We celebrated our "diminutive diva"'s big day in a big way with friends and cake. The weather cooperated, giving us sun and a snow-free yard on which to play for a bit. (Today it's blanketed in white again, so we planned right!) Olivia did well with all the action and people, and scarfed down quite a bit of her vanilla cake with pink whipping cream frosting. Thanks to all who came to help party!

On the Mend

Thankfully, we are on the mend! Still coughing in 3 of 4 corners, but no more fevers.

And we're well enough to Ride and Mug and Play and Love:

1. Zach enjoyed a morning on his first real bike - see him riding off into the Wild Blue Yonder. It was a beautiful CO day, 50 degrees and sunny, though a bit windy.
2. Olivia mugged for the camera at breakfast. Yep, that's her camera-ready grin.
3. I helped a friend organize a blog to display and sell her jewelry (LuQuDesignsJewelry.blogspot.com) and got to attend her trunk show happy hour last night - yummy cranberry champagne cocktails!
4. Poor Scott is getting ready for a work trip to Phoenix and spent ALL day on the computer. No fun. We'll have to get him outside for at least a walk tomorrow.

I think Scott and I are both ready to crash for the night, so I'll sign off with a few ideas for future posts:
* Yes,...But...
* My son, and Scott's son
* Olivia's nicknames
* OMg, Olivia is almost ONE!
* (Hopefully some day I can post some catch-ups, including: Monthly summaries for the fam and for the kids)

Pop Quiz!

Which of the following is most likely not in the Wallace house tonight?

a. Bronchitis
b. Pneumonia
c. Ear infection
d. Pink eye
e. The croup
f. Snap Pea crisps ground into the carpet
g. Bath drain clogged by toilet paper
h. Empty pizza box
i. Cats who didn’t get dinner until 10pm

Take a guess, and then scroll down for the answer.

Yep, trick question. ALL are present. Anyone up for a visit???

Diagnosis: Pneumonia

(Blue lips are from a popsicle, thankfully.)

Awwww....

It all started at midnight on Thursday night/Friday morning. Zach woke crying and wheezing as he breathed in. I steamed him and gave him some Motrin, and he went back to sleep.

Friday was Scott's (Happy!) birthday, and we decided to head out to Japanese food at Kobe An. They have great little tea rooms that allow us to enjoy a meal without being quite as concerned about kids making too much noise. We just don't look too closely under the table.

The kiddoes were a bit more unruly than the last time we were all there, but it was still a nice night out. By the time we got home and played around a bit, we noticed Zach was fairly burning up. His temp was 104.7 degrees! Poor little guy wasn't acting up, but obviously was not well. We bathed him and gave him some Motrin and called it a night.

Saturday was a sit-on-the-couch and force-down-(and-refuse)-fluids day for Zach. Poor kiddo went through spells of being partially chatty, but for the most part was a sick little guy. To make matters worse, Mom and Dad kept their dinner date and left him. (To defend us, Zach actually did wake up from his nap feeling pretty good and seemed excited to see the babysitter. We decided to make it a quick night out.) Of course, by the time we got home, his fever was up to 103.9 again and he had sweated out his clothes.

By Sunday, Scott also felt ill and ended up with a fever of almost 101 degrees. So far (knock, knock, knock), I've felt okay. Olivia is probably the initiator of all of this, but she seems better now too. Zach's temp again got up in the 104 range, and he was just a sad-eyed kiddo. We decided Monday was the day to go the doc, since Motrin just seemed to knock down the fever for a bit.

This morning, Monday, we went in to see Doctor Bob. ("But Mama, I feel better," the little Poppit said, as his temp rose to 102.7 and he coughed at me. "I don't need to go to da doctor.") We're thankful we went because the doc heard crackling in his chest and diagnosed our little one with pneumonia! What a scary word. We filled the Rx for whatever, picked up a milkshake, had lunch and a dose of medicine and hit the sack.

Hallelujah! Praise the drugs (sometimes)! Zach is up and bee-boppin' around again! Such a different person from the one we've had all weekend and through lunch today.

We wish you health!

ROCK Star

Just like his Pop, Zach is a Rock Star!

And...Rockin' Dolly!

Rockin' on the Giraffe, that is!

Giddy Up, Giraffe!

A race - and she's ahead by a head!

(Yes, occasionally, the little Doll does wear cute clothes, and not just PJs.)

4 Things About Me

I got this via e-mail, but thought I'd post it here, in hopes that you might post your 4 Things in the comments section. Wouldn't that be fun? I hope to hear from you!

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Morton Girls Little League softball umpire
2. Things Remembered Sales Associate/Engraver
3. Wedding Coordinator - thanks for the "job", Jill! If only that were a full-time gig!
4. Children's Book editor/writer - Does it count if it was only one book?!

Four Places I have lived:
1. Singapore
2. Iowa City, IA
3. Moscow, when it was the USSR
4. Dubai, UAE

Four places I have been:
1. Kuwait City, Kuwait
2. Cairo, Egypt
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. Austrailia

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Mom's stuffing
2. Nana's spaghetti sauce - we're having it tomorrow night!
3. Sushi, too bad I didn't try it while in Japan. :(
4. Yum, Cheese Fondue!

Four Places I'd Rather Be:
1. On the beach with a bottomless (well, maybe not "bottomless") margarita
2. Getting a massage
3. Skiing the back bowls
4. Dinner & Movie w/ Scott

Four Additional Random Facts About Me:
1. I once ate 6 Krispy Kreme donuts in a sitting - I was pregnant, but still...
2. I'm an "ENFP" - any MBTI peeps reading this?
3. I got John Denver and Jim Henson's autographs when I was in 2nd grade.
4. My left foot is half a size bigger than my right - anyone have the opposite situation? We can shop together!

If you feel so moved, please share your 4 things!

Who's walkin' Who?

New Niece!

This little beauty, Kacie Clair Lesinski, was born at 4:30pm on Tuesday, November 27th. She weighed 8 lbs 5 oz, and measured 20 inches long. Check out those little pink cheeks! Mama Laura and Daddy Chris are proud, proud parents, of course.
She's a healthy, sweet girl who seems to enjoy exercising her vocal chords nightly from 8p-12a. Party girl!
Here are a few photos, and you can see the earlier ones by clicking on the title of this post.

Christmas Kiddoes

Our challenge this year is to get Olivia to look at the camera and not at her

thoroughly captivating Big Brother!

(The band-aid is mostly for effect.)

How's this?

"I would like a ban, please."

We met Ella and Theresa at the mall for lunch and a visit with Santa.

Zach told Santa he would like a "ban" for Christmas. As in "rubber ban," if you ask him. Upon further questioning, you might learn that he wants to play the "kih-tar" in a ban, and "yes, a kih-tar" is what he'd really like.

Hammond's Candies Tour

Hammond's Candies are handmade in Denver. We toured the facility for "free." The exit is on the other side of their scrumptiously stocked store...you can imagine how easy it is to leave without spending a small fortune on sweet treats.