Daily Drorbaugh

Vacation (Days 10 & 11)

2010-09-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today we headed back to Yosemite and drove down into the actual valley for some hiking and a picnic. It was very crowded but amazingly beautiful.

And then it was over. Just like that. Sniffle. Saturday morning we packed up our trailer and headed home with a little navigation help from Maylee.

We had such a wonderful time, I can't even describe how grateful we were to my parents for putting up with us for 11 whole days. If you've never been to Yosemite you definitely want to put it on your "to-do" list.

Vacation (Day 9)

2010-08-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yosemite!

Waiting in line to enter the park. We did this a lot. There was construction on the road and so we did a lot of waiting in line.

After getting into the park we headed to see a grove of giant sequoia trees. We went on a short hike to see a tunnel tree. Here's Emma right before we started in front of a big tree.

Emma and Eli, ready to start hiking...or maybe to defeat Darth Vader.

Up the trailhead a bit. You'll notice I am now carrying the walking stick/lightsaber.

Up at the tunnel tree.

While we were looking at the tunnel tree these two bucks came wandering through the group of people standing there.

After we were finished hiking we hopped in the car to drive to an overlook where we could see Half-Dome. You can see it behind David in this picture.
David, Emma, and Eli reaching the summit of the giant boulder at the overlook.

We don't really have this color in Phoenix.

Vacation (Day 8)

2010-08-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Moving day! Saying good bye to the ocean and hello to giant trees. We got up early and packed up the whole trailer after breakfast. We made a quick stop on our way out at the organic berry farm to buy some jam. We got strawberry, blackberry, and Straw-Ollaliberry jam. Now what is an Ollaliberry you might be asking? It is a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry and in my opinion heaven on earth! This is jam is so good it's criminal. I guess all the wacko, eco-friendly people are right, organic food does taste better. :-)

Then we got back in the car and drove...and drove...and drove. It was actually only 3-4 hours but it felt like forever in the car before we reached our new KOA outside of Yosemite. None of us were super thrilled when we got out into the 80 degree heat. There were some wistful sighs for our green ocean-view campground. But we worked at getting our trailer set up again and right into bed. We were all pretty tired.

I think this picture of Maylee sums up how all of us felt after a day in the car.

Vacation (Day 7)

2010-08-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

Today's Agenda - Fisherman's Wharf!

We got an earlier start today and made it into the city in decent time. We were all very excited for today's excursion. SO excited in fact that the first thing we did was lose Emma in the parking lot as we hurried toward the pier. Luckily we noticed after only a hundred yards or so. Hopefully she won't be scarred for life. Here's a picture of me and the kids at the pier.

Our first stop was the Bay Cruise. I decked the kids down for this one with long sleeve shirts, coats, and hats. And then when we got out on the water the sun came out for the first time and we all got hot and sunburned. And then the wind came back and we all got cold again. Sheesh. This is Maylee and I on the boat and Maylee is doing her super villain face.

Here's Emma and my Mom, looking lovely and windswept.

My parents...the founders of the feast, as it were.

This is Eli demonstrating that the 90 minute Bay tour was about 60 minutes too long.

After the boat ride it was time for lunch. I also needed to feed Maylee and all of the restaurants around us looked like little cafe's with no seating. So I requested we find a restaurant with chairs so Maylee could eat too. We ended up at a very nice restaurant paying way too much money for food that just wasn't very good. It still makes me all upset to think about eating here! One of these weekends I'm going to make David drive us to San Fransisco just so we can eat somewhere fun on Fisherman's Wharf and then come home. Just to erase the memory of the $60 bowl of clam chowder (yes we did get other food too).

Here is my favorite sign of the trip and I'm sad I didn't get a close up of it. (One more reason for a weekend excursion, right David?)

Next was Aquarium on the Bay which was rather disappointing after the aquarium at The Academy of Science. But we did get to pet rays, sharks, and sea slugs so the kids still liked it.

After that we did some walking around and shopping. I bought some super expensive chocolate that, unlike lunch, I do not regret at all! There also was a funny moment where two Chinese women sat and took like 40 pictures of Maylee. Then we were ready to head back to the camp while my parents went to see Wicked. When we were driving into camp we almost ran over a couple of raccoons which was cool, until later that night when they were breaking into stuff around our camp. We also had a skunk which got into our garbage can and made a mess.

David enjoyed our time in San Fransisco so much. It is totally unlike any other city I've been in. We can't wait to go back and spend more time there.

Vacation (Day 6)

2010-08-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Day 6

Good-bye Santa Cruz, Hello San Fransisco! Today is our first day venturing into the city. Today's itinerary includes Golden Gate Park, The California Academy of Science, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Academy was way cooler than we expected it to be, and our expectations were pretty high. This museum has a planetarium, an aquarium, a 5 story rain forest, a living roof, and various other exhibits. We spent 6 hours there and could have spent more if they didn't kick us out at closing time.
Here is the inside rain forest. There were fish, birds, and butterflies inside. As well as animals from each of the world's rain forests.

Here's the kids in front of the aquarium. Their aquarium was amazing, we spent almost 3 hours down there.

This lady is cleaning the INSIDE of the fish tank. Weird.

These were everyone's favorite.

Emma with the largest mammal ever.

Here we are on top of the living roof. That giant mound behind me is the dome of the planetarium. We didn't stay up there very long because it was windy and cold. (Yes, to us poor Arizonans 50 degrees is COLD)

This is what Maylee and Daddy did while I took the kids to the planetarium show.

The Academy closed about this time so we had to leave (before we saw everything) and we were going to explore the park but by then we were so tired and it was so cold we decided to skip it and head straight for the bridge.

After that it was back to the KOA for food and sleep to gear up for our 2nd day in San Fransisco.

Vacation (Days 4&5)

2010-08-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Day 4

Today's itinerary included the Roaring Camp Railroad. A real-life steam engine that takes you on an hour tour of the Redwoods.

The kids having some fun at the depot before we leave.

On the train.

Emma discovering her FIRST loose tooth on the train.

Off the train at the top of the mountain. Yes those are genuine redwoods in the background.

In the afternoon we took the kids to an organic u-pick berry farm. This was so much fun! And the strawberries were AMAZING!

After the berry farm we headed up the coast to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

That was enough for one day so we headed back to the trailer for dinner and so Maylee could spend hours playing with this diaper package. Best toy we ever bought her!

Day 5 was Sunday, so we headed to church. The closes ward we found was 30 minutes away in a small coastal town. We pull up to this teeny tiny church building which only 1 ward meets in. They didn't even have to open the cultural hall, the entire ward fit in the chapel. A very weird change from our Maricopa ward. Our kids would have doubled their primary attendance. After sacrament we headed further up the coast to visit the Oakland Temple.

And here's something you might not know about me. I love to take pictures of weird signs. We got some good ones on the trip, including this one:

Finally we concluded the night by leaving the kids (all the kids) with Grandma and Papa and heading into San Fransisco to see Wicked at the Orpheum.

We didn't take our camera with us that night and I'm kind of kicking myself for not getting a picture of us before we left because it was the only day of vacation where my hair was clean and styled and I was wearing make-up. Anyway, we had a wonderful time and we enjoyed the production so much. This was the first time since Maylee was born that we had a date with no children. Thank you so much Mom & Dad for making that possible.

Vacation (Days 1-3)

2010-08-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

We just got back from what was possibly the first real vacation of our married life. Normally our vacations consists of visiting family in Utah (not that there's anything wrong with that, we love you Utah family!). My parents were kind enough to invite us on their annual vacation when they found out my brothers wouldn't be able to go. We are so, so, SO grateful to them for taking us along. We had an absolute blast!

Day 1
This day consisted of driving to California. We stopped along the route to visit my sister Christy who recently moved to Riverside.

The kids did amazing on the 13 hour drive. I still can't believe how wonderful they were. (No benadryl either). Our final destination for Day 1 was my grandparent's ranch in Tepusquet canyon, outside of Santa Maria.

Both of my grandparent's have passed away and the ranch house itself is undergoing a major makeover right now, but my uncles were kind enough to allow us to pitch our trailers in the driveway.

We were all happier when we got out into beautiful 60 degree weather.

We were treated that night to a wonderful BBQ courtesy of my Uncle Bill and my Aunt Bonnie. I don't have any pictures of that because I was too busy shoving meat into my mouth to think of anything else.

Day 2
In the morning we enjoyed some of the Ranch's sites. The kids got to feed horses, chickens, cats, & dogs. And then we took a ride to the top of the mountain.

After this we headed to a little town called Solvang. A true to life Danish village in the middle of California. David and I actually came here on our honeymoon. This picture of the kids shows them outside of the little cafe we ate at 8 years ago. We did a lot of sightseeing here and bought a LOT of Danish pastry.

The we headed to my uncle John's house for another BBQ. Yum-o! I did manage to get a picture of this one. :-)

Day 3
This was moving day as we headed up the coast to our new campsite in Santa Cruz. On the way we stopped to do some sightseeing. Half of us visited Hearst Castle and the other half went to the beach. We didn't get a whole lot of pictures on this day. This one is of the indoor pool at Hearst Castle.

After our sightseeing we headed up the beautiful and terrifying Highway 1 to our first KOA.

It was absolutely beautiful there! Between 50-55 degrees the whole time and so close to the ocean you could see it from the trailer. Our site was right next to the playground, which the kids adored, and there was also an amazing hot tub which the parents adored.

Stay tuned for days 4-11. :-)

Emma's 7th Birthday!

2010-07-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Emma's birthday on Saturday. This was Emma's very first 'friend party' so we went all out and took her to Chuck E Cheese. We had a blast! The kids ran around like crazy, ate a ton of pizza, and generally had an awesome time. Emma kept saying over and over that it was the best birthday over and we already have requests to go back next year. Check out Emma's cake that David and I collaborated on. I think it turned out cute.

Sunday Shot

2010-07-19T13:13:00.001-07:00

Maylee was still asleep when we got home so we just popped her up there in her carseat.

3 years

2010-07-12T15:36:00.001-07:00

3 years ago I held my daughter in my arms for a very short time. Daisy Grace, we love and miss you. You'll live in our hearts forever.

Turning of a Page

2010-06-24T11:06:00.001-07:00

My grandmother passed away yesterday. She had a stroke a week ago and slowly faded away. I was lucky enough to be in Utah just a couple weeks ago and I was able to take my kids to go see my grandparents. When I was at their house I watched as my Grandpa spoon-fed my Grandma her meals, wiped her chin, and tucked her into bed. I thought about how hard this must be on him and wondered if he wished it was over. After all was the woman he loved even there anymore? Really? Then as I was talking to him he was telling me how wonderful she was and what an amazing person she was and how much he loved her...and I felt ashamed. His love for her was so beautiful and pure, despite any physical impediments. It wasn't a burden to take care of her. To him it was a gift, a blessing, and an honor. I learned something about love that day. Grandma Rookhuyzen you will be missed. Until we meet again.

Maylee's new duds

2010-06-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have been cloth diapering Maylee for about 6 weeks now and I am loving it! For about $150 I got enough diapers to take Maylee through potty training and will still be good for the next baby. It's so much easier than I thought it would be and so stinkin cute!
That last one is the inside of the pink diaper. We also have purple, green, and blue.

Best present ever!

2010-06-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Maylee gave David the best Father's Day gift ever! She said, "Dada" for the very first time! While he was with us! Because of his work schedule he so often misses her milestones. I'm so happy he was there for that one. :-)

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

A big shout out today to my father. I couldn't have asked for a better father, he's always been there for me. A calm, solid presence in my life whenever I need him. My mom once told me that I should marry a man just like my father, which turned out to be very good advice, I couldn't have a better role model for a husband or a father. I love you Daddy! We are so excited to be going on vacation with you guys next month.

Sunday Shot

2010-06-15T15:15:00.001-07:00

Six Months of Maylee

2010-06-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

Maylee only hours after she was born at home in our bathtub. Weighing 7 lbs and 21 inches long.

Sucking on her Daddy's finger at 1 month old. We were never able to get her to take a pacifier.

Tummy Time at 2 months. You can see from her expression how much she likes doing it. She didn't even hold her head up until 4 months.

Naptime in the buff, 3 months old. She would still rather be naked than clothed. I don't know what we're going to do when she's old enough to take off her own clothes!

4 months old and the happiest baby ever! She doesn't laugh when she's happy, she squeaks and squeals! Very loudly I might add.

Maylee is the hottest baby I have ever had. She's always sweaty. She LOVES the cold, she was so happy every time I took her outside on our vacation in Utah. Seen here at 5 months. Poor girl, the 115 degree weather is going to be rough on her!

And here's my baby girl today, 6 months old!

I can't believe her first year is already half over. Look at her! She's huge...in her puny midget-like way. LOL She loves to stand up more than any other position. I'm trying to teach her how to sit up on her own and she gets mad at me when I won't help her to stand up. Maybe she'll just skip crawling all together and go straight to walking!
I couldn't ask for a happier baby, she is such a wonderful addition to our family.

A few facts for posterity.

Maylee's favorite food is homemade sweet potatoes and just like her mommy she doesn't like applesauce. She is a real homebody, happier here than any other place. She makes an amazing variety of high-pitch sounds, I'm amazed my windows haven't broken yet, funny enough she gets that from her father. She is 12 lbs and 27 inches, can smile, roll, scoot (mostly backward) and loves her jumper. She has no teeth yet and I'm completely ok with that! We love you Maylee-goose.

1st Grade

2010-06-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures for Emma's first and last day of school.

I can't believe how big she's gotten this year. I also can't believe that when she goes back in the fall that Eli will be going with her. Wowzers.

Little Miss Piggy

2010-05-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

Maylee recently had her very first solids.

Followed closely by her very first sink bath.

She's taken to solids very quickly, every time she sees us eat now she wants to eat too and will grab your fork if you get it too close to her. Her favorite food currently is sweet potato, I made her some in my crockpot which I must confess are waaaaayyyy better than jarred baby food.

Utah in pictures (part 3)

2010-05-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

Utah in pictures (part 2)

2010-05-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

Utah in pictures (part 1)

2010-05-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Eli & Maylee are 5!

2010-05-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Eli's 5th birthday recently. We took him to Amazing Jakes for pizza and games and then we had a family party at home later. Here's a picture of my big boy and a pic of him with his cake. My little disclaimer: I was all set to make him an asteroid cake and he decided at last minute he wanted R2-D2 instead. So I free-handed him a last minute R2D2 cake at 10 O'clock at night. That's why it looks kind of funny. :-)

Our beautiful Maylee Jo is now 5 months old and cuter then ever! She's laughing and giggling all the time now. She can't crawl yet but she's definitely a mover. Rolling and scooting all over the place. We recently discovered that she loves the wind and the cold. Poor girl, it's going to be a long summer.

Mmmmm....Pizza

2010-05-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

For David's birthday we had dinner at Pizzeria Bianco. For those of you who haven't heard of it it is a small pizza place in downtown Phoenix which has been voted the best pizza in the US several times. Click here to see it featured on Oprah. It frequently has waits of 3-4 hours to get in. David and I arrived there at 330 on a Tuesday afternoon (it opens at 5) and there were already 25 or so people in line. Here's David in front of the restaurant.

Our neighbors in line were from Colorado and British Columbia. It was fun to talk to all the people while waiting. This is the line 1/2 hour before it opened.

We were lucky enough to get in at the first seating. The restaurant only seats like 40 people at a time. While we were eating I overheard the hostess tell someone the wait was up to 2 and 1/2 hours. Wowzer. The food was truly amazing though, especially the antipasto. Yes it was totally worth the wait and yes we will be going again. Yummy.

Happy Birthday

2010-04-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to David. This year for his birthday I'm making him his family's special cake. He's been asking me to make it for him for 8 years now and this is the year I'm actually going to do it! Also tomorrow we're going to this pizza place in Scottsdale that has been voted the best pizza in the US. Sometimes the waits can reach 3-4 hours! Then on to Amazing Jakes on Thursday night for a joint Eli/Daddy birthday party with friends and family. Love you honey!

Maylee is 4 months (and one week)

2010-04-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Our little girl is growing up! She's 4 months now and learning to do new things all the time! This month she started laughing, though it's really more squeaking and shrieking than laughing. She's got her Daddy's lungs too because she can make a lot of noise! She's found her hands and her feet and loves to chew, chew, chew on both. She can roll easily from back to front and somwhat less easily the other direction. She's the happiest baby I have ever seen, always smiling and laughing and wanting to play. David and I call her our little sunshine. We got her a bumbo last week and she really likes being up and looking around. We had our 4 month check up yesterday and she was 11 lbs 9 oz and 25 inches.

April is Gluten-Free Month

2010-04-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

At least at my house it is.

Ever since Maylee was born I've been having a lot of trouble with my PCOS. The symptoms have become way worse then they were before I got pregnant and I just need to TRY SOMETHING to get rid of them. So after reading a bunch of medical articles on PCOS, and discovering that a large majority of women with PCOS have a gluten intolerance, I've decided to give it a try.

So I decided I would devote one month to non-gluteny eating and see how I feel. I started yesterday.

Of course I forgot that we have 4 birthdays in our family in the month of April. Sigh. Good-bye birthday cake. (No, I will not be making my poor family eat birthday cake made out of rice & sorghum flour. I will suffer alone on those days.)

And I also forgot that I'm going on vacation the last week in April. Yay...gluten-free on a road trip. That will be fun.

In retrospect it might have been smarter to start in May. Oh well.

I thought it was going to be really hard to find things to eat until I found this blog. She is amazing! Her food is yummy, simple, and for everyone (not just the gluten-free weirdos). Seriously, go look at her recipes. You'll be glad you did.

Day 1 - Oatmeal, Chicken Pad Thai, rice chips and hummus, Chicken and Broccoli rice bowls, and dark chocolate. As you can see I'm really suffering. :-)

Babies are the best accessories...

2010-03-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

They make everything look better.

You are my Sunshine

2010-03-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

I finally got some pictures of Maylee smiling! She is absolutely the happiest baby I have ever seen. It's 1 am and I'm desperate to be asleep and starting to get angry that Maylee is still awake, and then she gives me her big toothless smile and I'm laughing. Here ya go.

We have had this frog for all three of our kids and it's always been one of the most popular toys! Here's Maylee with it.

Sunday Shot

2010-03-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here's one from the week we had whooping cough, so no church.

And here's one from yesterday, with the kids in their Easter clothes. Eli insisted it was his turn to hold Maylee. Note the expression on her face as she slowly falls farther and farther over.

A quick little "mommy brag" about Eli. We were sitting in church yesterday listening to a beautiful song by our ward choir (well David didn't think it was as great as I did but he is handicapped by his musical snobbery) and Eli told me, "I can feel my heart." Aaaaahhhhhh. I could feel my heart too. :-)

All right, one more!

2010-03-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

I just found a new favorite site. It's a live cam on a barn owl with 6 eggs. One of the eggs has hatched and the others should be hatching this week. So cute!

http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Live_Owl_Nest_Box_Cam.html

Favorite Things

2010-03-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

So, how about a post that's not about sickness? I saw this on another blog and thought it was a fun idea. So here are my top 5 favorite blogs to read.

#1 http://www.nurturingheartsbirthservices.com/blog/

This blog is written by the midwife who "almost" delivered Maylee. She is a licensed homebirth midwife in the state of Arizona. And she writes a lot about pregnancy and birth and all the issues surrounding it and facing women today. It is a beautiful blog and I'm always super excited to see a new post.

#2 http://cannwin.blogspot.com/

I stumbled on this blog one day on accident and now I check it every day! She's a mom who writes about...being a mom. She's such a good writer and very funny!

#3 http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/

Yum! Seriously. Yum!

#4 http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Looking for easy, crockpot meals? This is the place. Plus her recipes are gluten free is you're into that.

#5 http://soloround.blogspot.com/

And last but not least, this is the blog of a 16 year old girl who is circumnavigating the globe by herself!

Update

2010-03-16T13:14:00.001-07:00

Well we finally got all the lab results back. The kids tests both came back negative, though the pediatrician warned me that it's possible it's a false negative because they started their antibiotics before the test. David's test showed that he's had pertussis sometime in the past but is not currently infected. My test was positive however, I guess it was inevitable that I would get it if Maylee had it. We spend a lot of time in close proximity. The good news is though that we are all done with anitbiotics (except Maylee, she has to take it for 14 days) and so we are no longer contagious. But I'm so tired and rundown I don't even feel like going anywhere now that I can. Oh well.

Beautiful Insanity

2010-03-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what your kitchen might look like if, in the space of 5 days, you had a viewing, a funeral, 7 doctors appointments, 5 lab appointments, trips to 4 different pharmacies, family in town, family staying with you, 3 sick kids, 1 sick mommy, a dad with 2 jobs, a dog, and two birds? Well, it might look something like this...

I like this one because it shows Eli getting tired of waiting for me to make dinner and eating marshmallow peeps instead.

Update

2010-03-09T18:45:00.000-08:00

David and I got our pertussis test today and were started on antibiotics. Emma and Eli are getting their tests tomorrow and have already started their antibiotics. Maylee, who is the only one diagnosed is not on medication because we literally could not find a pharmacy who had the prescription. My pediatrician finally called it into a specialty pharmacy and we're picking it up tomorrow.

David's gradfather's funeral was this morning and it went very well. David sang and we got to see a lot of family we haven't in awhile.

I am so exhausted from running back and forth to doctors and pharmacies, not to mention coming down with something that is very likely whooping cough. Please pray for Maylee, it is dangerous in children so young.

Fun in the sun

2010-03-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

You're just not having fun until you've spent the whole afternoon on the phone with the Health Department talking about being quarantined.

Double Blech

2010-03-08T09:17:00.001-08:00

All right so my kids don't have RSV, they have pertussis! Otherwise known as Whooping Cough. The fun just keeps going and going. Off to get some antibiotics.

Blech

2010-03-06T21:21:00.001-08:00

What a week. Eli brought home RSV from church this last week and promptly gave it to Maylee and me. It moved into Maylee's lungs and we've been in and out of the doctors office testing for pneumonia and whooping cough. She had to have blood drawn and chest x-rays and she has these coughing fits where she can't catch her breath and turns all red. It's so sad to see. My sickness is turning into a sinus infection with all the accompanying fun. In addition to the sickness David's grandfather passed away on Thursday. We will be attending his funeral on Tuesday and David will be singing a duet with his dad. It's been a very long week but Eli and Maylee seem to be getting better and hopefully this next week will start to look up for us.

Sunday Shot

2010-03-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

Don't we all look so happy? This was taken after church instead of before.

Maylee's Blessing

2010-03-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

We blessed Maylee on Valentine's Day. It was such a nice day. The weather was beautiful, we had so many of our family come out, and the food was wonderful!

Here are the wonderful priesthood holders who were in the circle. She slept through the whole thing. :-)

Granna & Aunt Blondie with the guest of Honor

Grandma and Papa (I love this picture). Please note the beautiful booties that her Great-Grandma Mace made for her.

Mommy and Maylee

And here's the cake I ordered for the blessing. Isn't it adorable? And oh it was sooo tasty. Here's the blog of the woman I ordered from. Cassy's Cakes Her prices are great and the cake was so good.

Anchors Away

2010-03-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

Last night Eli, who has been feeling sick, asked me if he could take a bath. I said sure and sent him off without thinking about it at all. After awhile Emma asked if she could get in too, she went into the bathroom and I heard her gasp and then say.

"Eli got water all over the floor!"

We're in a bit of a tattle-tale mode right now so I just shrugged and told her to hop in the tub and I'd go get a towel.

"No, Eli got water ALL over the floor."

David by this time had got up to see what was going on and I heard him gasp and start yelling for Eli to get out of the tub. I ran back down with my towel to see what was going on and walked into the bathroom and there was literally three inches of water all over the floor.

Three inches!

Several things occur to me then. 1. Eli's never actually taken a bath alone before. 2. When Eli an Emma take baths together she is in charge of turning off the water. 3. Eli has less common sense than even a typical 4 year old. 4. How the heck to you clean up 3 inches of water off a floor?

It turns out that when the water got high enough that even Eli realized something was wrong, he panicked and instead of turning the water OFF he tried to close the shower curtain to keep the water IN the tub. Ah....precious childhood moments.

Happy Anniversary

2010-02-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

8 years and 4 children later...and still going strong! Love you honey!

2010-02-09T21:31:00.001-08:00

You're Invited!

2010-02-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

YOU'RE INVITED TO MAYLEE'S BLESSING!

When: February 14th at 9am
Where: Maricopa Stake Center
Who: If you are reading this then you are invited! We would love for all our friends and family to be there for her blessing and then join us at our house afterward for a luncheon. Please email me if you need directions to the church.

Photo Shoot

2010-02-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

Maylee had her first photo shoot yesterday. She's quite the little model! As long as the camera was flashing she was happy. Here's just a few of my favorites! Thank you so much Debe!

Picacho Peak

2010-02-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

We headed down to Picacho Peak for a little family hiking this weekend. Here we are at the trailhead. We were really ambitious, the trail was 0.2 miles.

We made it successfully to the cave at the end!

Maylee was thrilled with the whole experience.

These two really were excited.

The sign of a successful outing.

And we'll leave you with a fist bump from Maylee.

Sunday Shot

2010-02-01T14:25:00.001-08:00

Awesome Idea

2010-01-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

I found this new blog that is all about being optimistic and finding good in every day. What an awesome idea! My husband will tell you I have a problem with pessimism. :-) Maybe this will help me find good in every day too. She's also having a super cute giveaway right now so check it out.

http://www.porterandkarla.blogspot.com/

Blast from the Past

2010-01-23T14:18:00.000-08:00

Emma 7 weeks old

Eli 7 weeks old

Maylee 7 weeks old

Sunday

2010-01-19T15:42:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to take a picture of my kids every Sunday after we get home from church. Then I can see how they grow and change through the year. I figured Sunday was the only time when all three of them are clean, bathed, and dressed nicely. Also a pic of my 6 week old girl. How the time flies.

The Halls

2010-01-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

So I am not very good at making friends. I have a hard time getting to know people and I feel awkward like a 15 year old girl with freckles and braces sometimes. After being in our ward for 2 years I still hardly know any of the sisters!

I thought the culprit was being called into nursery for 18 months and not being able to go to Relief Society, but after a year in there I still don't know anyone! On Sunday I finally learned why. It was my first week back after Maylee's birth and hence my first week in this ward with a baby. And I discovered something...

They're all in the halls! At least half the women in my ward are in the halls during the meetings. Which makes sense considering half the women in my ward (at least) have young children. I met like 10 new sisters on Sunday and had conversations with at least that many more that I sort of knew. A new baby is a great conversation starte, so maybe now I can break the ice and get to know some of the women in my ward.

Here's some pics of the kids in their Christmas clothes. Too cute! Thanks Granna and Aunt Blondie! Also one of Maylee, 5 weeks old now.

All is Calm, All is Bright

2009-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

That sums up our Christmas so well. We spent this Christmas at home with just the 5 of us and David and I both agree it was our favorite Christmas yet. We spent the whole day in our pajamas, eating yummy food, playing with the kids toys, and watching Christmas movies. It was beautiful.

Here are the kids carrying on one of my family's traditions of sleeping beneath the Christmas tree.

Here we are on Christmas Eve opening up our first present. Thank you Papa and Grammy for the super cute PJ's!

I love this picture each year. The kids waiting to come down and get their stockings. I remember being a little kid and waiting at the bottom or our stairs while my mom was at the top teasing us about what she could see. :-)

Kids opening presents. Thank you Mom and Blondie for the church clothes and all the church books! I think I was more excited for those presents than any of the others! I also loved the Scentsy Warmer, my house has never smelled better. And the picture of the kids was so beautiful, thank you for using one of the pictures that has a daisy in it.

This is what Maylee did all Christmas morning which was a nice present in itself.

And this is Emma with her brand new Zhu Zhu pet in her hair. I was skeptical about these but they actually are really cute and the kids love them. Thanks Granna!

David and I didn't do presents for each other this year because we both agreed we'd already been given the best present possible. The arrival of a healthy, beautiful daughter. By the way David is sporting my brand new Moby Wrap which Cheryl got for us. Thank you so much Cheryl I absolutely love it!

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-23T17:32:00.000-08:00

The importance of Grandmas

2009-12-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

So I'm all alone today and in total Grandma withdrawal! For the week after Maylee was born my mom came and stayed with us and the day she left my mother-in-law arrived to spend the weekend with us. Yesterday was my first day alone and it was a little traumatizing.

I mean, what are all these dirty dishes? Whose going to wash them now? And whose going to cook for my kids who still want 3 meals a day? Whose going to hold the crying baby so I can take a shower? Whose going to entertain the 6 & 4 year old while I sit in a nursing coma on the couch? Whose going to pick up after me and bring me lunch on the couch?

Yes, I admit it! I was extremely spoiled this last week and a half and I'm a Grandma addict now. I just don't think it's healthy to go cold turkey. So I'm going to post more pics of the adorable baby in hopes of luring them back to my house. No Grandma can resist a cute baby, right?

Picture Mania

2009-12-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

Because who can resist a naked baby?

Introducing

2009-12-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

Maylee Joann Drorbaugh
Dec 2, 2009 3:18 am
7lbs 20 inches

My contractions started yesterday afternoon but stayed about 10 minutes apart all last night but didn't seem particularly strong so finally at 11 we told the midwife to go to bed because we wanted to try and get some sleep. We got into bed around midnight and I fell asleep pretty quickly.

I woke up at 245 with contractions I couldn't sleep through, mostly in my back. Not super painful but very uncomfortable. I woke David up and told him to call everybody to come over as soon as possible, then I got into the bathtub. David ran around our room setting everything up for the birth. I had 2 contractions in the tub and then my water broke, then the very next contraction I started to feel kind of pushy. I told David to call the midwife and tell her to hurry. In one more contraction she moved down and crowned and then her head was out. I had my eyes squeezed tightly shut trying to concentrate on not pushing her out too fast but I remember David saying, "She's beautiful, a full head of dark hair."

With the next contraction I pushed her body out and pulled her up out of the water and put her on my chest. Then David covered us with a towel to keep us warm. We called the midwife back to let her know the baby had been born and she gave David some instructions in case the placenta came out before she got there. Me and the baby just snuggled in the bathtub and stared at each other until the midwife got there. She was so awake and super calm, just looking around at everything.

When the midwife got there she helped me get out of the tub and over to the bed.
The time of birth was 3:18 am and I woke up at 2:45 so the total time was 33 minutes between getting up and Maylee being born. Best of all I didn't tear at all like I did with both of my other kids! The midwife showed up about 25 minutes after Maylee was born. She did the newborn screen and everything was perfect. She weighed 7 lbs even and 20 inches long. She is the calmest baby I have ever seen and she squeaks and grunts while she sleeps which is adorable.

We woke Emma up right after she was born and she was excited and stayed up with us for almost three hours before crashing again. When we woke Eli up he came and looked at Maylee, smiled, and then asked, "Can I go back to sleep now?" He was much more excited when he woke up at 8 am. :-)

I can't believe it's all over and I'm so happy with my homebirth. It was intense but here I am 9 hours later in my PJ's typing at my computer while my kids watch Christmas movies and my husband snuggles our little girl. :-)

A Stress-Free Thansgiving

2009-11-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here in Maricopa doing absolutely nothing. By a lucky coincidence David had the holiday off from both jobs and we decided that instead of running around all day visiting family and doing a lot of driving that we would just stay home this year. To further simplify things we celebrated the day with frozen pizza and bagged salad and ended the feast with root beer floats. We played games as a family and basically just vegged out and enjoyed each others company. It was wonderful.

I was also 38 weeks on Thursday. Here's a new pic. Hopefully the next picture I post will be of Maylee. :-)

I'm Official!

2009-11-12T08:42:00.001-08:00

So today I am officially 36 weeks which means I am cleared to have my homebirth! Yea! I am starting to feel uncomfortable and really big now and when my midwife checked me yesterday I was 2 cm dilated, very effaced and the baby was at a -1 station. What does that mean?

Nothing really. You can be dilated for weeks before you go into labor. But heck it's better than not being dilated at all! My midwife predicted that I would go all the way to my due date which I thought was a little mean. :-) All of my labor companions have been putting in their "requests" for when I should have the baby. But I had a good talk with Maylee and told her to come whenever she wanted to because, heck, I'm always here.

Last Saturday my friend Mandy threw me a baby shower and it went so well. I had a great time and got so many cute things for my little girl. Here's a couple of pics:

Halloween

2009-11-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite parts of Halloween is going to the pumpkin patch and picking out pumpkins. Here's the kids at the patch and me showing off my 34 week belly.

Here's the results after the great carving adventure. Guess which one David carved?
Here's the kids in costume. We were so late getting ready that I didn't get any individual pictures of my little witch or Luigi. Oh well.
Successful Trick or Treating

Baby Shower

2009-10-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Mandy is throwing a baby shower for me on Saturday Nov 7th. I'm sending out invites but I know that I am missing emails and addresses for lots of people. So please if you'd like an invitation would you email me? Sorry, I am so disorganized! Pregnancy brain, what can I say?

Swine Flu

2009-10-15T14:55:00.001-07:00

You think that your kids never listen right?

Wrong!

Today I walked past my 6 year old daughter who was tucking her favorite stuffed animal into bed. Apparently her stuffed wolf "Dulcie" has the swine flu and is highly contagious. She has to stay in bed until her fever has been gone for 24 hrs.

I've never talked about the swine flu with her so I guessed she picked it up from watching the news at night.

99% Sure

2009-10-09T09:47:00.001-07:00

So we finally decided on a name. (Though as always I reserve the right to change my mind at any time). Anyway, we're 99% sure that her name is going to be:

Maylee Joann

Vacation

2009-09-29T19:38:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the generosity of David's Mom, sisters, and my parents we were able to spend a weekend in San Diego this month. I can't even describe what a wonderful time we had, or how much we needed that break as a family. So I won't try....here's a bunch of pictures of our trip.

Here's the kids at the dolphin tank, that dolphin sat there for 5 minutes or so giving Eli kisses.

Me and Emma feeding the dolphins...so cool!

You would never know from the look on her face that this was one of Emma's favorite parts.

Me looking very pregnant at 28 weeks.

Eli at the Shamu show. We actually had to go to this show twice because even though we sat in the "soak zone" we didn't get wet at all. My kids were in tears because they wanted to get wet, so the second time we sat on the third row and we definitely got wet.

David and Eli on Elmo's flying fish.

Really wet after the river ride...luckily they were already wet from the Shamu show.

Eli's a little freaked out by the giant walrus behind him.

Showing off their new SeaWorld shirts...thank you Granna!

Eli asleep at the dinner table.

La Jolla Beach.

Eli in the sand.

Emma in the sand.

Crib Bedding Poll

2009-09-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

All right, so I've narrowed down my choices to 4 finalists. They're all from Wal-Mart because we get a discount there. :-) Anyway, take a look and tell me what your favorite is.

#1
http://www.walmart.com/Pams-Petals-10Piece-Nursery-Set/ip/8222510

#2
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10983313

#3
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7850621

#4
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12330066

Judy Carter

2009-09-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

David's aunt Judy passed away on Sunday. She was 59 years old and leaves behind a husband, children, grandchildren, and lots of friends and family who all love her and will miss her. I've only known her for about 8 years but you didn't have to know her for long to understand her generous nature and her absolute willingness to serve. Please keep the Carter family in your prayers.

Stumped

2009-09-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

We are having the hardest time coming up with a name for this baby. I've been through 2 different baby name books and about 8 different baby name websites.

Nothing

Nada

Zip

It should not be this hard. David has taken to calling her "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named". So before this name sticks or we just end up calling her baby, we need some name suggestions. So what fun, unusual (but not weird) girl names would you suggest?

We are men...

2009-08-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

We were walking across the parking lot on our way to the dollar theatre when I overheard David and Eli having the cutest conversation.

Eli, "I'm going to be first Daddy, let's run." (through the door of the theatre).

David, "Mommy and Emma are ladies, so they get to go first."

Eli, "Are we ladies?"

David, "No, we are men. And men hold open the doors for ladies to go through first."

Eli, Oh, ok."

The Amazing Disappearing Belly

2009-08-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Now you see it:

Now you don't:

Seriously people, I am 6 months pregnant. But unless I'm wearing tight clothing I just look a little chubby around the middle. Maybe this baby will be another midget like Emma?

Our two 1st days of school

2009-08-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

So we actually started our homeschool year back at the beginning of July. I wanted to get an early start so when the baby is born in December we could take some time off.

Here is Emma on the first day of homeschool working on her spelling.

Yes she is doing school in her pajamas, and though you can't see me I am also in my PJ's. I love homeschool. We've also done school in our bathing suits, dress up clothes, halloween costumes, and (if I'm really behind on laundry) in our underwear.

A typical day for us looks like this.

Wake up and breakfast
Watch Sesame Street while Mom cleans kitchen and preps lessons.
Math
Spelling
Break and snack time
History or Science (depending on the day)
Assigned reading
Grammar or handwriting (depending on the day)
Lunch
Free reading
Quiet Time
Computer time or TV time
Dinner
Chores
Family Time
Reading with Mom
Bed

It might look like a lot but the total schooling time is probably about 2 hours. Emma spends most of her day pretending to be a pirate with Eli. Or drawing treasure maps. Or helping me make banana bread. Ect.

We had our second 1st day of school last week. Every Thursday Emma goes to an Enrichment program at an elementary school in Ahwatukee. She goes from 830-330 and does Science, Music, Art, PE, recess, lunch, Spanish with a group of other homeschooling kids.

Here's a pic of her on her first day of school. She looks so old!

Eli keeps asking me if he is 5 yet so he can go to school with Emma. He misses her so much when she is gone! I usually keep him happy by bribing him with McDonalds for lunch. Eli's school this year is pre-reading and basic counting skills. The goal is to have him reading by the time he starts kindergarten next year. We're working on alphabet sounds with him right now.

Random Catch Up Pictures

2009-08-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Emma and Eli at the Heard Museum

Dancing in the rain with Granna and Aunt Blondie

Emma and Eli riding the light rail

4 level raspberry cake I made for David's birthday

Eli as "Underwear Man"

Emma's First Curlers

And last but not least. Video of Emma finally learning how to swim!
www.catdror.blogspot.com/

Well......

2009-07-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday and everything looks great. Oh yeah and....

Oh Baby!

2009-07-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

So...I have a secret. I've had this secret for a really long time. I was waiting for the perfect moment to share it and it is finally here.

Have you guessed yet?

That's right! David and I are FINALLY expecting our fourth baby. I am due in December and am currently 17 weeks along. After 2 years of fertility treatments and weight loss and tears we finally conceived on the month we took as a break. It's been a roller coaster so far and I've had a lot of anxiety until this point. I wanted to get past 16 weeks before we told a lot of people, 16 weeks is when Daisy Grace died. But I'm now 17 weeks along, feeling this baby move every day, and things are looking great! Thank you for your prayers for me and my family, we are all so grateful.

We have our ultrasound in a little less than 2 weeks so check back in to see what we're having!

Camping and a Birthday

2009-06-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been posting much lately and it's for one simple reason.

MY LIFE IS BORING!

While everyone else is heading out to swim lessons, museum trips, vacations, and summer fun we are stuck in our house day after day. In 7 years of marriage I've only had my own car for about 4 months of that. It's never really bothered me before but lately I am turning into an absolute lunatic! The only way we can have the car is if we get up at 6 am to take David to work and then stay in town until 11 pm to pick him up from work. Needless to say we don't do that very often. The highlight of my life lately is doctor's appointments...how sad is that?

Anyway, a couple of weekends ago my parents took pity on us and took us camping with them for three days. It was wonderful to get out of the heat. David joined us on Saturday night and we spent some time hiking in the morning before getting him back to work.

Then on Friday Emma turned 6! We celebrated by taking the kids to the circus( I had never been before and I think I had more fun than either of the kids!) Then we had cake and presents later that night.

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was one of those very rare days. Since David started working at Wal-Mart 7 months ago he's worked 7 days a week. However on Memorial Day the fates conspired to give him the day off at both jobs. That's right...one whole day to spend together. I have to admit we were both fairly giddy at the idea. We can count the number of days he's had completely off on our fingers.

We slept in til 9, another thing he doesn't get to do, and then took the kids swimming in our community pool. The weather and the water were absolutely beautiful. After a quick ride home to shower and change we hit the car for a road trip. One of mine and David's favorite things to do together is to drive new roads and see new places. SO we drove to Gila Bend which is about an hour east of Maricopa. David had heard that there was a good italian place there so we went to check it out.

After lunch we were driving back when we saw a sign for a shrimp farm. Huh? We just had to check it out so we drove down this tiny road and found the shrimp farm. Where the very nice owner (farmer?) gave us a tour of his shrimp ponds. We're going to go back in November for Shrimp Days when they harvest the shrimp.

We drove back to town with a quick pit stop along the way to find Eli an obliging bush.

Then we stopped at our Brand-New Wal-Mart! You'd have to live in Maricopa to appreciate how absolutely wonderful this is.

We got home and my wonderful husband used his day off to scrub my kitchen floor, do my dishes, and then make us a wonderful dinner. After we put the kids to bed we snuggled up on the couch together and watched movies. It was so wonderful. Then after the movie David asked me if I was ready for bed and I started crying. I never wanted the day to end.

Birthday/Vacation/Fishing/Singing/Flowers/Surgery/School

2009-05-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to quickly catch everyone up on the last 4 weeks of our lives!

First of all Eli had a birthday about a month ago. He turned 4 years old. He wanted a blue dinosaur cake for his birthday and silly string (sort of a family tradition). His favorite present was his booster seat, we graduated him from his carseat. About time too, his head was 2 inches above the back of his carseat!

Then we left for our 2 week vacation in Utah. I go up every year for Women's Conference and this year David went with us for the first few days. We had so much fun spending time together as a family. David's Dad took us out fishing and it was so much fun. Here you can see what Emma and Eli spent most of their time doing, Emma is studying the fish finder and Eli is eating.

We all caught some fish and Emma ended up catching the biggest one. That night we had a party and ate the fish of our labors.

The next day we went to the Tulip Festival with David's Mom and sister. Here you can see why Catherine was their favorite "Aunt-of-the-Day".

These were my favorite flowers and no they are not tulips. Don't they look like they're straight out of a Dr. Seuss book?

I love this picture of David and the kids. Also pictured are Blondie and my niece Kaylee. Aren't they all adorable?

On Sunday before David left we went to Temple Square to see Granna sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. After the performance by the choir we were treated to another show when President Monson gave an impromptu concert on the organ. It was awesome!

Anyway we had a blast in Utah but we were all happy to come home to our house. But we had to immediately turn around and prepare for Eli's operation. Here he is in his surgery outfit, he especially loved the hat.

Then this is the two of us in recovery. You can tell how he feels, poor little guy. But we're home from that now and he's doing very well. He's tired and sore but pretty cheerful anyway. He's going to have three tiny scars on his tummy.

And then today is Emma's last day of school this year. I can't believe she's old enough to be in first grade! Look at the difference between her first day of school and her last.

So I think that's it. Sorry about the long post. :-)

Eli

2009-05-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

All right, I'm sorry I haven't posted in forever. We went on vacation for 2 weeks and then spent some time recovering form our vacation! :-) I promise I will post pics soon of all the fun we had in Utah.

But today there is a different agenda. Eli is having his appendectomy this afternoon. So if everyone could say a little prayer for us I would really appreciate it. I found out yesterday that the anethesiologist is going to put him to sleep before they do the IV. So that takes a big load off my mind. We'll be in the hospital for 24 hrs after his operation so I will update when we get home tomorrow night.

David

2009-04-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

So a lot has happened since the last time I posted. Easter, baby blessing, 3 birthdays, ect. But with your permission I want to skip most of those and just focus on one event. David's birthday. I want to devote my blog post to him today. So here are the many sides of David Drorbaugh.

So let's start with the early years. David was born in Nogales (on the US side) and grew up in Snowflake before moving to Utah when he was 12. This is the house he lived in in Snowflake.

In Utah he met his best friend Matt Pyne. You'll see a lot of Matt in the following pictures.
David was super active and he LOVES the outdoors. As you can see from the following pictures he loves to hike, ski, mountain climb, mountain bike, camp, golf and fish.

It was a good thing that David was an outdoors sort of person because he was called to serve a mission in Honduras.

David and I were married in February of 2002, during the Salt Lake Olympics. We were married in the Manti Utah temple. Isn't he a total cutie?

Let's talk about talents now. The man I'm married to is so crazy talented! First let's talk about musically. David has a beautiful voice though he will often bemoan the fact of his "limited" range. This despite the fact that he can, and will, sing all 4 parts in sacrament meeting. Ward choir directors start panting when they hear him sing and will often try to recruit me (I am not so musically inclined) hoping he will come too. David sang in the BYU Men's Chorus and I hope someday he will have the opportunity to follow his mom into the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

But the musical talent does not end there! David plays both the piano and the accordian very well. He serenaded me with the accordian on our first date, playing songs from Lady and the Tramp.

Also he can literally pick up any musical instruments and play music. I have seen him play classical music on a slide whistle. It truly is a gift and one that has blessed our family.

On top of being musically brilliant David is also a good cook, he did most of the cooking our first year of marriage and taught me the joy of cooking without a recipe.
He also enjoys target shooting and hunting when given the chance. I love this picture of us shooting together.

David also loves photography and has overloaded our computer with pictures of plants, flowers, trees, and bugs. When he was younger he did some painting and I think there's an artists soul inside him waiting for a time to break free.

He is also, as most of you know, a total computer geek! He spends a lot of time on the phone walking other people through their computer difficulties. He has a gift for explaining things in a clear, concise way that is easy to understand.

One of the quirky things about David is his viewpoint on sports. He enjoys all of them, especially football but he's never been able to justify sitting down and watching sports for 3 hours. After about an hour he's fidgeting to get up and do something. This picture is from when we were engaged after a BYU football game.

I can't talk about David without mentioning what a great Dad he is. Each time I've told him I was pregnant it makes him very nervous. He worries about supporting our family. But by the time that baby is born he's mad in love and never looks back.

This is one of my favorite pictures of David. It's in the hospital after our daughter Daisy was stillborn. I'll never forget being in that room with him and crying together for the daughter we had to say goodbye too. His presence was such a strength to me and his tears, so seldom seen, were a beautiful tribute to our child.

David graduated from ASU in 2007 with a degree is Civil Engineering. He got a job with Standage & Associates. I don't understand a whole lot of what he does, but sometimes we drive to remote places like this and take pictures of dirt.

David is an extremely dedicated worker. He pours everything he has into what he's working on. He always wants to present himself and the business he works for in the best, professional light. He's truly a team player, not looking for glory or credit but trying to help out as much as he can. He's been like this in every job he's had, from delivery to the Engineering company he works for.

You'll notice that none of these pictures are recent. That's because I have basically no recent pictures of him. For 6 months now David has been working 70-80 hours a week to support our family. 6 months ago David started working a second job at Wal-Mart so that we could pay off debt and build up our food storage. Then there were some salary cuts at work and all of the sudden we are very grateful for our second job which helps us to make ends meet.

I have never heard David complain about his work schedule although he is only getting 5 hours of sleep a night. In fact he's often saying that it's not that hard and that I have the harder job. I feel so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man, who is willing to do whatever it takes to support our family. A righteous priesthood holder who has been my rock through all our trials and continues to be a calming influence in my life. We are truly soul mates and my marriage is the only thing in my life that is never a trial.

David, I love you. You are still my hero.

Where's Granna?

2009-04-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

For those of you who aren't LDS, let me explain. Twice a year we have something called General Conference where the leaders of our church speak to us from the Conference Center in Salt Lake. During these meetings there is music provided by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, of which my digustingly talented mother-in-law is a member. So each time they sing we play our own version of "Where's Waldo?" Trying to pick Granna out of the 300+ member choir so the kids can say they saw Granna on the TV. Needless to say it is not super easy (especially since the cameramen seem to like the altos better and Wilma is a soprano). This year we were lucky though and saw her several times on both days.

Cutest Kids Ever!

2009-03-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

There and Back Again, A Drorbaugh's Tale

2009-03-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

We're finally home again. We've spent 9 of the last 14 days in the hospital. Eli was released from the hospital last night. The first thing he wanted to do was get a burrito. LOL No more jello thank you! Then we came home and all of us crashed immediately. The doctor's never figure out what caused the infection he had. The surgeon though it was something viral but there was a slight chance that it was from his PICC line. They removed that right before we left (another fun experience for us) and that made me cringe because it means they are going to have to put an IV in again when we go for his appendectomy. I tried to convince them to do the operation while we were already there but the surgeons wanted to let the inflammation go down before they operate. Oh well.

You can tell how bad Eli was feeling in this picture. His fever was 104 at one point.

This is when he started to feel better, he's showing off the window clings that his Aunt Lindsay sent over for him to paint.

I love this one. This is Eli doing his IV dance.

Give me a break. This kid is so not sick. But very cute!

I look more sick than Eli does in that last pic.

On happier news I have a new nephew! David's sister Celeste had her baby last night. A little boy, 8 lbs and a couple ounces. And I'm pretty sure his name is Caleb. Celeste if that's wrong I am so sorry. I'm pretty sleep deprived. Love you and can't wait to see that little guy!

Thanks everyone for offering to help and double sorry if you tried to call me at the hospital yesterday. My phone was off the hook for about 7 hours. We love you all and appreciate your prayers so much!

and the saga continues...

2009-03-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

We're back in the hospital. Eli was readmitted Monday night with a fever and stomach pain. We did another CT Scan and it is not his appendix this time. The doctor's are trying to figure out what's causing the infection. I'm going to bed now and then back to the hospital. I'll update in a couple of days when we're (hopefully) home again.

Stay at home nurse?

2009-03-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

So this is our routine for the last week. Every 8 hours Eli needs his antibiotics so we go through these steps at 6 am, 2 pm, and 10 pm every day.

1. Mom gathers all the materials. 2 syringes of saline, 1 syringe of heparin, alcohol wipes, and Eli's antibiotic bubble (as he calls it), and my surgical scrub.

2. Wash hands vigorously for 20 seconds. Did you know it's the actual scrubbing motion of your hands that gets them clean more so than what you're cleaning them with? I didn't.

3. Then I use the alcohol wipe to clean the cap of Eli's PICC line. We count to 10 scrubbing the end and then do 10 seconds around the threads where the IV screws on.

4. Once we're clean I inject 5 ml of saline to flush his line and make sure it's open. I then allow Eli to squirt me with the remaining 5ml in the syringe, (and mentally curse the nurse in the hospital who taught him that).

5. Then we hook up his antibiotic bubble. This is very cool, it's a bubble inside of a bubble and it's pressurized so we just pop it into his little fanny pack and he can go back to doing whatever he wants. It takes about 20-30 minutes to finish the dose.

6. When he's done I scrub up again (Thank goodness for the surgical scrub! It doesn't dry out my hands like regular soap would. Though I do smell like a hospital all the time now.)

7. Then I disconnect his medicine and flush his line with 10 ml of saline and then follow that up with 3 ml of heparin to prevent clotting.

Then we're done! He's gotten very used to this...even a little proud of it. Look at his cocky smile in this picture. The other day I heard him bragging to Emma that he got poked, "fifty hundred times," at the hospital. He also loves his little fanny pack. He got to wear it during Sunbeams yesterday and was so thrilled to show everyone his bubble medicine.

We go into the hospital tomorrow for an ultrasound and follow-up with the surgeon to set the date for his surgery. I had to throw this last picture in. This was the night after we came home from the hospital. Eli was eating dinner and it got really quiet so I went to check on him and he was fast asleep in his chair.

Clicking my ruby slippers

2009-03-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

There's no place like home. There's no place like home.

Wednesday night Eli woke up crying and I thought it was a bad dream and put him back to bed. Then Emma woke up vomiting so I assumed they both had the flu and waited for Eli to start throwing up too. By the next morning he still hadn't but I was worried about him because he was walking funny, all hunched over like an old man and said his stomach hurt. I still thought he had the flu but asked David (who had taken a sick day) if we should take him to the doctor. We ended up going to see our pediatrician that afternoon.

Our pediatrician asked a couple questions, watched him walk around and then did a quick exam. After pushing on his stomach a couple of times he said, "It's appendicitis and I think it might have already ruptured." With that he turned around picked up the phone and was talking with the pediatric surgery unit at Banner Desert Hospital. He told us to get in our car and go straight over there and the ER would know we were coming.

David is probably facing several speeding camera tickets for our 10 minute drive from the doctor's office to the hospital. My parents met us there and took Emma with them for a sleepover at Granna's house. In the ER we were taken back and then hunkered down to wait. He had an X-ray and a CAT scan ordered but before we could do any of that we had to get an IV in.

I just want to take a moment here and say I was amazed by the lack of urgency in the ER. I mean his appendix had possibly ruptured and they were all walking around like it was no big deal if it had. I know some of the nurses didn't believe that he had appendicitis because he didn't have some of the normal symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting. But I know it was a direct blessing of the Lord that he didn't have those symptoms. If he did I would have assumed it was the flu and not taken him in. Who knows what would of happened then>

Anyway, back to our story. I'll spare you the 90 minutes of IV hell, and just tell you it took 6 tries to get an IV into that boy at the end of which we were all shaking, crying, and wanting to go home. Those little kids know just how to break your heart. During attempt number 4 or 5 Eli looked at me and screamed/cried "Don't do it, don't hurt me, Mommy please take me home, please no more ouchies!" I was not the only one crying in the room. All the nurses were very nice except for one who was brusque and not sympathetic who I almost smacked during her attempt to put an IV in.

After that we were ushered out for X-rays and cat scans. Both of which came back showing a badly ruptured appendix.The pediatric surgeon came to see us and tell us that he wanted to treat it with strong antibiotics and do the surgery itself in 4-6 weeks. We were going to be admitted to the hospital for 4-5 days.

Thursday Night- Admitted to pediatric ICU. Antibiotics started.

Friday- PICC line placed. This is a type of permanent IV, it goes through his upper arm and into his chest. This was so he could continue getting IV meds after we went home.
Friday night moved to the regular pediatric floor.

Saturday- Anitbiotics and waiting. Eli is very bored with hospital room, we spend a lot of time in the pediatric playroom. We also buy him a DVD player so he could watch movies and so Mommy doesn't have to watch anymore Cartoon Network.

Sunday- Antibiotics and waiting. Mommy comes down with Flu. Lovely.

Monday- Antibiotics and waiting. Eli feels much better, Mommy feels much worse.

Monday Night- released from hospital and home health nurse comes to show me how to administer Eli's antibiotics. We all fall into bed a sleep like the dead.

For those of you who made it this far here is a brief series of pictures that Eli took of his hospital stay.

Eli is tentatively scheduled to have his appendix removed the first week in May. Thank you everyone who helped, especially Mom, Dad, Adam, Christy, & Chris for watching Emma. Bryan for bringing me food, Lindsay for wanting to help even though she and her kids were all very sick, my homeschool group for meals for the week, and everyone who prayed for us. We love you all! And by the way, if you haven't seen me or my new haircut before that is NOT the way I normally look. That is my "5 days in a hospital, with the flu, and no sleep" look. :-)

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

2009-03-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

We have definitely felt your prayers the last couple of days. I'm on a quick break from the hospital for a shower and a nap. I'll post a quick update and fill in the details when we are released.

Ell is doing very well, the doctors say they've never seen a ruptured appendix patient who is so cheerful. His white blood cell count is going down and his fever is much lower now. He's on 2 different types of antibiotics and once he's finished the dosages of those he will be released. Hopefully Monday or Tuesday. He had a PICC line put in on Friday which is a type of permanent IV through his upper arm and into his chest. He will be on IV antibiotics for 2-3 weeks and then in May will go back for surgery and have his appendix removed.

Emma has been having a great time with her Granna, like one long sleepover! Although she has been a little worried that Eli is having more fun than her at the hospital. LOL!

David is holding up well under the pressure. Poor guy has a hard job keeping me sane, working both his jobs, and trying to spend time with Eli. I'm tired but doing well. I'm going to go crash for 2 hours now and then back to the hospital. If you need to call us use David's cell phone or call the hospital and they'll put you through to our room.

Love you all!

Sharp Pointy Rocks at the Bottom? Bring it on...

2009-03-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all. So last night we spent the night getting up every other hour on the hour to help Emma vomit and put Eli back to bed. Emma's problem ended up being a typical case of the 24-hour flu...Eli's ended up being a ruptured appendix. So, right now we're prepping for a five-day, five-night stay at Banner Desert Hospital with lots of expenses included :-)

We're grateful to have caught it and that Eli is stable. The doctors will be treating his condition w/ antibiotics for the next five days in the hospital. If he responds well to this, we'll go home and continue antibiotics and return for surgery in about six weeks. Please pray for us and help this happen! We'll be pretty out of touch for the next while, but you can hit us on my cell phone or call the hospital directly. Love ya!

David

The New Emma

2009-03-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Emma and I enjoyed a Mommy-Daughter Date. I took her to a salon for her first pedicure and haircut. Here she is getting her toes painted.
And here she is getting her hair cut and styled.
After I took all her pictures and she was admiring herself in the mirror she asked me if I could put the pictures on my blog and type in the words "The new Emma." Thus my title. That's my girl...already designing blog pages! SO here's she is...the new Emma. And oh yeah, I got my hair cut too. It's not a great picture to see what it looks like but it doesn't matter because my hair will never look like this again. You know how you get your hair cut and they style it so cute for you and then you go home and wash it and it's like, "how the heck did they get it to look like that?" So I'll take another picture in a couple days when I figure out how to style it myself.

Photo Shoot

2009-03-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law Lindsay is so lucky because her mom is a fantastic photographer. And lucky for us she is willing to share her talents so I took my kids over there on Thursday for a quick photo shoot for Emma and Eli. She posted a few of the pictures on her blog Debe's Place and I loved how they turned out. I'll post some more after I get the CD.

Hair, hair and more hair!

2009-03-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

Eli definitely got his hair from his Daddy. It's thick and grows at the speed of light! But we're going to get pictures this afternoon and it was time for a trim so...here's the before.

Here's all the hair I took off his head.

And here's the finished product. Not bad if I do say so myself, considering I've had absolutely no training.

School Wall

2009-03-02T20:43:00.001-08:00

So we use our kitchen as our "school room". For those of you who don't know I homeschool our two children. So despite having a whole room that we call the school room we do all our work in the kitchen. So here is our school wall, brought to you by IKEA.

We have our master calendar for the whole family with doctor's appointments, David's work schedule, school events, field trips, church activities, birthdays, ect. The bins open out and Emma and Eli each have one for their school books and the third one is for library books.

The little buckets hold all our school supplies like crayons, pencils, scissors, and glue. And the buckets lift off the bar for easy cleanup and transport.

And then we have our display area, originally a curtain line but now used to show off Emma and Eli's work and creations. Daddy likes to see what they've been learning when he comes home from work.

So thank you Mom and Blondie for your birthday present of IKEA giftcards!

Children's Museum of Phoenix

2009-02-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

On Saturday the Children's Museum of Phoenix had a free admission day. Since David had a rare day off we decided to take the kids and go. It's a really cute place, in a building that used to be an old High School. They had such a good turn out that there was a wait to go in. So here's a pic of us killing time across the street at ASU's downtown campus.
This activity was like the Plinko game on "The Price is Right". You drop these little wooden wheels at the top and they bounce back and forth all the way to the bottom.
This was a pretend carwash that the kids could ride bikes through. Emma loved this one!
I LOVED these reading tubes! They were so comfortable for reading a book and both Emma and Eli hunkered down in them with books and forgot about all the toys for a couple minutes. I'm going to have David figure out how to build us a couple for our school room.
This picture doesn't show anything the other doesn't. But it's a really good picture of me so I threw it in anyway!
The noodle room...too cool!
The restaurant room.
And last but not least. Us with Elmo, Grover, and Rosie the Shamrock Farms spokescow!

New Car

2009-02-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

So last weekend we bought a new car. Our van was getting up there in miles and was needing more maintenance than it was worth. So David and I decided to trade it in on something that was more economical for a guy who spends much of his time commuting. It was very sad for me to sell my van. We bought it three years ago on the assumption that we would be having more children soon and need the bigger vehicle. It was hard to move back down to the smaller vehicle. On the other side it's a manual, which I love, and it gets great gas mileage. 36-37 mpg! It's pretty cute too, it's a Hyundai Accent.

Science Experiment

2009-02-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

Want your kids to think you're the coolest Mom ever? Try this science experiment, it;s easy, cheap, and fun. All you need is a shallow bowl, some milk, some food colors, and some dish soap.

Pour some milk into the dish and then put a couple drops of blue, red, and yellow food coloring equal distance apart.

Then add one drop of dish soap directly in the middle of the bowl.

Then sit back and watch the fun!

Add two very easily inpressed children and you can easily kill an hour doing this. Just make sure to get some extra milk!

I'm sure there are lots of scientific theories involved in this experiment but given the age of my audience we limited it to colors and how they mix and become new colors.

A Mountain

2009-02-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

We're trying to be more active as a family so a couple weeks ago we decided to hike A Mountain in Tempe. Here's everyone, even Lucy, at the bottom of the hill.
Here's me and the kids taking a breather. Eli is just like me, he turns bright red at the smallest amount of physical activity.
A very nice couple took this picture of all of us.
And the view at the top was beautiful.
Want to try this with your family? Park your car at Tempe Beach Park and walk through the park towards ASU campus. There are trailheads on the North and South sides of the mountain. It's a very short hike, steep but paved all the way and definitely doable by children. Have fun!