A New Mask!

...so, as I was saying about the "cat allergy" and the itchy eyes that seemed to set off a chain of events over the next few days of itchy, watery eyes, throat clearing, coughing, and eventually to audible wheezing, and a trip to the pediatrician, and...tada...a new mask!

Yep, I am now the surprised owner of a brand new nebulizer that I get to "hook up to" Kayli every 4-5 hours, round-the-clock, for the next week or so! Not so bad except for having to set my alarm for 4:00 a.m, then wake up Kayli, and convince a very sleepy girl to sit up and snap on this fancy fish mask for her middle of the night breathing treatment!

While at the doctor's office, the doctor was explaining to me how to use the new nebulizer, and she asked Kayli if she'd rather use the "mouth tube" for her breathing treatment, or a "fish mask." Well, I knew what the answer to that silly question was, OF COURSE...the fish mask! Kayli was thrilled with her new fish mask and insisted on taking possession of it immediately. In fact, she carried it out of the office holding onto the elastic string, as if she was carrying a purse and as we climbed into the car, she proclaimed "Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER! I just LOVE my new fish purse! We had to go to T*ar*get to get our prescriptions filled, and while waiting, we walked around the store, browsing. Well, Kayli was proudly wearing her fish mask hanging around her neck, and I laughed out loud when I watched her spot another child and stealthily slip the mask onto her face, and wait for a reaction! She just cracks me up!

Here's the fun mask without the tubing attached...

On a final note, DARN THOSE ALLERGIES!!!

Why is Peter Cottontail Still Hanging Out in Our Yard?

That's what Miss Kayli wants to know!

 Since I have used every opportunity possible, in the last few weeks, to point out a rabbit in the yard and say something like "Oh, there's Peter Cottontail again, just checking in to make sure you are being good and listening to your mom." I might add that our yard is not lacking in "cottontailed rabbits. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that our back yard is currently not sprouting grass but cloaked instead with a nice "rabbit-food-clover-weed-mix?!" So, I guess the lingering rabbits will just keep her wondering if the Easter Bunny is still watching her every move!
That bunny watched us... dye Easter eggs...

...search and find the goodie filled Easter baskets...

...put on our fancy clothes for church, and snap a few pictures on our way out the door...

...enjoy a big family gathering for Easter brunch...

...line up the troops in preparation for the Easter egg hunt, from the smallest to the tallest...

...try out Kayli's new sidewalk chalk that she brought along to share with her cousin, Anna...

...stop to pose for a mother/daughter picture...

...then, Kayli kicks back in the hammock and thinks "what a fun-filled day this was"...

 *Even though Kayli is on a twice-a-day dose of zyrtec, I usually try to add a dose of Benadryl before we go somewhere with cats, (kind of my own experiment to see if it might provide extra "power" against an allergic reaction) but I forgot this time...and as we headed home today, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw Kayli rubbing her eyes. Then she says "Mom, my eyes hurt" and it was then that I was reminded again about that darn "cat allergy", and I handed her a chewable Benadryl and made a mental note to ask the allergist about a better plan for this kind of scenario.

First School Research Project

MY  OUR  HER FIRST RESEARCH PROJECT...

Oh yeah, the first of many to come, the ever-so-popular-hard-to-believe-it-starts-in-kindergarten-research-project-display/presentation, was assigned to Kayli last week! Apparently, as part of their talk about nature, the kids were given a list of “bugs and/or critters” to choose to research, then create some type of creative display, for all the facts that we she gathered. Then all the kids would be asked to present their project/facts to the rest of the class.  Kayli chose “the fly”. Seriously?  What would possess her to choose this insect, the very one that causes her to panic at the sound of it’s buzzing, or rush to close the screen door that I left open while carrying a tray to the deck, or beg to eat indoors just to avoid any chance of coming into contact with the little beasts! This is the insect that recently prompted her to choose to buy a fly swatter from the dollar bin, with her allowance, (granted it was pretty in a bright pink color with a large fake flower attached to the top), but, she wanted to be prepared for the approaching Spring to Summer weather that meant only one thing…the fly invasion! Last year she would literally scream, duck, and run if she so much as imagined hearing a “bzzz” sound. I tried to help her face the fear by empowering her with knowledge,  taking her to the library and checking out books on the topic, buying fake bugs, and equipping her with a state-of-the-art fly swatter that she always kept close at hand. It all seemed to help us get through “fly season”. Then, Winter came and we forgot all about the little pests until recently when the nice weather returned along with our first “fly encounter.” I could see “the wheels turning” as she spotted the bright pink fly swatter at our favorite dollar bin store!  So, here we go again…and how appropriate to begin the “season” with this special research project?  THE FLY!

Let me tell you…the facts on the fly are NOT PLEASANT! I decided to avoid pointing out the fact that these insects poop and vomit on everything they land on! Wouldn’t that add to Kayli’s already dismal impression of these buzzing buttinskis?

You Want Me to WHAT???

...Take a bath under that broken skylight???
Uh...Mom, Remember this???

Yes, I do remember when Kayli was the first to enter my bathroom the night of the BIG hailstorm, picked this up, and turned to me saying "Hey, Mom, where'd this come from?" After nearly hyperventilating and retrieving this glass shard without a drop of blood being shed, I thankfully discovered that it was really not glass but a kind of plexiglass that is used on skylights, WHEW!
Regardless, it is still broken, and looks pretty ominous when you are standing underneath the window, which is now covered by a large tarp that makes a scary kind of wind-blowing-whistling-flapping kind of noise! And, so, when I suggested to Kayli that she needed to take a bath, well, she looked at me like I had just sprouted an extra head! The choices are: 1) Bath under the large broken skylight 2) Bath under the smaller broken skylight 3) Shower (no toys, no swimming, no fun?) "No thanks, Mom, I'll just pass." Ha ha. Not an option. So, after taking a two-second bath without taking her eyes off the ceiling, (can't say I blame her) I decided to "up the anti" with a new bath toy to focus on! Introducing...the new swimming baby doll! Yep, this "priceless" ploy worked like a charm! Ohhhh, yes, bathtime was fun again, with something new and exciting to focus on! For the moment, we forgot all about the broken skylight...
Yep, this doll REALLY moves her arms and legs and SWIMS through the water!!! I was just cracking up as I watched her swim around the tub! What'll they think of next?

AND...here's some footage of the little swimmer..

When it Rains, It Pours...or Hails!

My skylight...Need I say more? 

Ok, so it turned out to be BOTH skylights from both bathrooms, AND my roof, beat to a pulp!

(This was confirmed today when the roofer came to cover the gaping holes in my skylights, so I didn't have to continue to share my heat with the outdoor world, or repeat last night's episode of watching it rain into my bathroom! )  

Kayli was quite upset with the whole scenario..."but I don't want it to rain in our house!" ..."what if our whole house floods?"...and in all innocence, finally... "Why would God make weather that would break our windows? I just wouldn't expect that from him!"