Little Peanut. Big Peanut.

Our good friends from the ward came over for dinner tonight. They just had a baby girl (Elle) a couple of weeks ago. She is such a tiny little thing. I couldn't even feel any weight when I was holding her. Claire was born almost 3 pounds heavier than Elle is now. My friend Kristin and I have decided they are going to best friends, even if they don't want to be... It is arranged. They have no choice.

That is if Claire does not squash her first.

Uncle Craig's Cabin

We went to Uncle Craig's cabin this last weekend. It was a much needed break. The weather was beautiful and the company was even better. It took about 2 hours to pack all of the girls stuff on the sleds and get us all into the cabin. We played games, read, laughed and there were even moments that we cried. It was good to see some of my cousins and their kids on my mom's side.
All of the kids were really good. They played really good together. They even slept good through the night.
Brad played outside for so long that he had ice on his eyelashes. It was like pulling teeth to get him to come inside to eat or warm up.
Aaron took Brad down the big hill sledding to get him to be brave enough to go by himself. Aaron is such a good sport. Seeing how his own mother would not do it for him.
At the bottom of the hill, Uncle Craig and Uncle Mike would pick them up in the dog sled and give them a ride to the top of the hill.
What service. The kids never got tired. They could have sledded all day long.

Brad all bundled up and ready to go. When I came out to check on him, he had on my snow pants. They looked like hammer pants on him.
Uncle Craig build a snowmobile rocker for the kids to put in the basement. There was always someone taking a ride on it.
All weekend long my cousins Nate and H.D. tried to take me for a ride. They are so crazy and fear free. I am sure you can imagine why I was hesitant. Finally on the last day we were there I got roped in to taking a ride on the back of H.D.'s snowmobile. I had white knuckles the whole time. I only got thrown off the back three times. Not too bad.
Brad playing with his cousin, Sam. All the boys had helmets on. They would only take them off to go to bed.
This is my Aunt Becky with my cousin Phyllis.

We ate so much food. After every meal we would clear the table and set out all of the junk food just in case someone thought that they were going to starve to death. I am really glad I got to go. Can't wait until the cousin trip next year.

See Ya!!

Do you know how hard it is to pack myself Brad and Claire in one bag for a three day trip??? I am amazing. We are going to my uncle Craig's cabin. It is on Strawberry Reservoir. We are leaving bright and early tomorrow. We have to snowmobile into the cabin and haul all of our stuff on sleds. It is only like a 5 minute ride but we still have to pack really light. I am excited to drink pop, play games. and stay warm by the fire. Mind you my uncle's cabin is not a cabin. It is more like a mansion. I would be ecstatic if I could even own a home of that caliber. You should see their home home. Anyway, it will be a lot of fun. My mom and most of her brothers and sisters are going. It will be a full house.

Have a nice weekend in bloggerland.

OUCHIE!!

Claire had her 2 month Dr. Apt today. Everything is good. She is on the 95% for height and 90% for weight. Perfectly proportioned, just really big. She got 4 shots and has to go back next week for one more. (Dr. Shakula doesn't believe in giving 5 shots at once). Can you imagine having that many shots in your teeny tiny legs. No thanks. She has been pretty good today. She even smiled more than usual. I am sure tomorrow will be a whole different story. Thank goodness for modern day medicine. I love Tylenol.

I had a discussion with Dr. Shakula today. I told him that the McKea and Fischer family were having a competition on who he sees more. He laughed and said Katie had me by a long shot. So congratulations Katie, you are the winner!!!!!Ding.... Ding.... Ding..... Too bad the prize is a years worth of co-pays and an exotic trip to the pharmacy.

Just a little mountain

We decided to go sledding today instead of Monday after the storm. We went to Mountain Dell with Steve and Kari, Aaron and Lisa, and Casey. It was a BLAST!!! We were driving up Parley's Canyon and Brad asked if we were going to go sledding on a mountain. We of course said yes. When we pulled up and piled out of the car Brad seemed really nervous. He kept asking if we were going to go with him. He is usually so brave. It seemed a little odd to need us. Anyway, when he got to the hill he breathed a sigh of relief and said "Oh... It is just a little mountain. " I guess he thought we were going off one of the cliffs up parleys. He was brave as ever and wanted to go down over and over again. These pics are great you have to zoom in on some of the faces. Steve got a tractor tire from work. It was so fun. Of course the boys found a jump and felt the need to kill themselves. Even Kari got in on the action. I was holding the baby, good excuse not to even try. I did however go down on the tube with my sisters. We all had silly grins the whole time.
Steve
Kari. And yes Steve is pushing her.

Brad's one last run down the hill before we had to go.
Aaron. He actually stayed on the tube on this run. Unbelievable!!!
Steve. OUCH!!!!
Randy. What happened?
Casey. Smiling without a care in the world

Little family photo
Brad took Corbin down a few times on the baby hill.
Look mom. I can do it all by myself.
Steve and Casey. You should have heard the noise they made when they landed.
The girls passed out after carrying the tube all the way to the top. It was exhausting.

TGIF!!!

Randy does not have to work tomorrow. We are both off work on Monday because of the holiday. It is going to be such a great three day weekend. I can't wait. There is supposed to be a big storm this weekend so maybe we will take Brad sledding. Every storm this winter Brad has begged us to take him. He even got a new sled from Santa for Christmas.
This was the big storm after Christmas. Brad loved playing in the snow.
Any suggestions on where to take him sledding?? Anyone see a good movie?? Any fun places to go in the winter??


P.S.
This is my niece Kennedy, but we all lovingly call her "Bean". When Brad was little he couldn't say Kennedy it was "Kenna-bean". So, Bean stuck. Bean is so dang cute!!! We love her to pieces. She was supposed to have surgery today. (Tubes in her ears and taking out her adenoids). Unfortunately she is still too sick to have the surgery so her parents are going to have to wait. My sister in law Natalie is another mom who rakes in a lot of money for Dr. Shakula. We are thinking about you today Bean. All out loves and kisses. Get better soon.

Baseballs?

This is hilarious. I thought you could all use a laugh. Randy saw Brad walking around with his baseballs strategically placed and decided he better take out the camera while questioning him. Don't ask where he came up with his answers. I have no idea.

We have been thinking of sending this to America's funniest home videos. I think we could win some money.

2007 Year in Review

1.What did you do in 2007 that you have never done before? I had a little girl. My little girl is so different than my little boy. Hormones… Hormones….

2. Did you keep your New Years Resolutions and will you make more for 2008? I wanted to loose the weight I still had from Brad’s pregnancy 3 years ago. I almost made it... But then I got pregnant. My new resolution is to loose the weight again. But you have to go to the gym to do that. I haven’t been this year, and January is almost over.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth in 2007? My Sister in Law Lisa had Corbin. My dear friend Kristin had a little girl Elle. And if I count I had Claire.

4. Did anyone close to die in 2007? My Aunt Karen lost a cancer battle last year. I also lost a dear friend of our family Scott Morgan.

5. What countries did you visit this year?
Um… none... in my life… um none

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? I would love to be a home owner. I am still renting. I am hoping that Randy will graduate this year and we can head up to Logan.

7. What day will be etched in your memory and why? March 26th. The day we found out we were expecting and November 20th Claire’s Birthday.

8. What was your biggest struggle this year? Being on bed rest for a couple of months. It is so hard to have to rely on people so heavily. I know it sounds great to be catered to but imagine someone else doing your dishes and cleaning your dirty undies!! It is really hard.

9. What was your biggest achievement this year? Reading my scriptures

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury in 2007? Pre-Term Labor… But I held on and Claire came term. HOORAY

11.What was the best thing you bought this year? A new mattress. We finally bought a latex centered one. It is the best thing ever.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My son Bradley. He has been such a good helper with the new baby. He is so in love with his little sister and has been so sweet.

13. Whose behavior disappointed you? Westlake Jr High students. We live right next door to the school. You should hear their language. It scares me to raise children.

14. Where did most of your money go? Savings. We are trying to buy a house soon.

15. What did you get really excited about this year? Being pregnant. We waited a long time for Claire.

16. What song will remind you of 2007? Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Brad loves and can sing the whole song. It is so cute to hear him sing it. Worthy of its own blog.

17. Compared to last year, are you: much happier, much nicer, or richer? Not richer… but definitely happier and nicer.

18. What do you wish you had done more of? Teaching Brad. He started pre-school and I wish I had spent more time reading and practicing letters and numbers. Maybe that should be one of my goals for 2008.

19. What do you wish you had done less of? Complaining. I hate it when I catch myself complaining. The lord has blessed our little family tremendously.

20. Did you fall in love this year? Yes. It is amazing that you can love your second child just as much as you love your first. I am sure it is true with each of your children. Although I know my parents have favorites. I know I am not one of them.

21. What was your favorite television program of 2007? I love, love, love, American Idol. (It started again last nightJ) , the office, Journey Man, Biggest Looser, Moonlight, So you think you can dance, ANTM even the re-runs….. Can you tell I was on bed rest again?

22. What was the best book you read this year? It has to be a tie between the Twilight series, and Eragon. I am reading the 2nd book Eldest right now.
They are making a movie of Twilight… Can’t wait!!

23. What was your greatest musical discovery this year? We dug out an old TV recorded tape of the solid gold dancers. I used to love Solid Gold. I used to get to stay up late to watch it with my dad. I wanted to be a solid gold dancer. It looks like I didn’t quite make it. It was fun to watch.

24. What did you want and get this year? I wanted bunk beds for Brad. We found a really great deal on KSL. He loves it.

25. What was the best movie you saw this year? Freedom Writers and Bourne Ultimatum

26. What did you do for your birthday and how old did you turn? I had to work on my Birthday. I honestly don’t really remember much about my birthday. I turned 27 last year.

27. What would have made your year more satisfying? Being able to buy a home. We decided to wait it out. Sure glad we did. The market for buyers is getting better and better.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion statement this year? Maternity, Maternity, Maternity. And scrubs.

29. What kept you sane this year? My husband. He worked so hard this year. He makes a great breadwinner and housewife. I felt so bad when I was on bed rest. And my mother, she is the one who had to bring us dinner so we wouldn’t be on a corndog and noodle diet. She also had to listen to my emotional breakdowns.

30. What celebrity did you fancy most this year? Angelina Jolie. I think it is great that she is adopting kids. I hate it when media gives her crap. So what if she used her celebrity status. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone had the resources to adopt just one child?

31. Who did you miss this year? I miss Stacy. She moved to Layton. I still see her and her family occasionally but it is not the same. We used to see each other almost every day.

32. Who were the best new people you met this year? Brian and Kristin May. They are a couple in our ward. They also just had a baby girl. Brad got to sit with them on Sunday while I could not come. I think he has a huge crush on Kristin.

33. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned this year? Never take anything for granted. My sweet mother in law had a stroke this last fall. Talk about scary. She has recovered but it just reminds us all how we never know what the Lord has in store for us.

Whew. That was a lot of questions.

Liquid HOT magma!!!

I went on the annual girls trip to Lava Hot Springs this weekend. It is an event not to miss. In fact, I wanted to go so bad I was willing to take Claire with me to a Hotel so I would not miss the occasion. The tradition started with my mom and a few of her girlfriends. They would go soak their bones the hot springs, gossip, and eat out. When I was younger I was so jealous. I wanted to go. After a while my mom's group got smaller and they started inviting their daughters. Now all my brothers are married so their wives come as well. It has turned into quite the little group. Here are a few highlights and lowlights of the trip.

-Dropping Brad off at my mother in laws. He told me that I was not invited to stay at nannys house. It was his special day to be with her and without Claire. I don't think Brad even noticed I was gone. He had a riot.

-The drive... I drove with Claire and Kari. We chatted and talked the whole way down. We didn't have one minute of silence.

-I didn't see a single moon this year on the way down. We missed you Liz and Mickey. I wish you could have come.

-Passing a Wingers in Brigham City, wondering why we were not eating there instead of the Maddox. But, being pleasantly surprised at how fun it was to poke fun at how we were the youngest people at the old folks dinning facility. I felt out of place because I didn't have a cane or a walker. All the daughters tried to change tradition but were brutally shot down by the original groupies.
As we were leaving Madoxx, I heard Rhonda call someone a slut.....Yes shocking. But, come to find out she said slug..... not near as fun as the word slut.

-We stayed in Pocatello Idaho. For those of you who don't know, there is nothing in Pocatello. In fact some local kids that snuck in the Hotel just to go swimming asked why we were staying in Pocatello. They thought it was odd. Anyway they do have a Walmart there. So yes I went on vacation to go to Walmart. Not only were we at Walmart but the whole community apparently goes to Walmart on Friday nights. The place was packed. It was like Christmas. I had to drive around the parking lot several times for a parking stall. It was unbelievable. We perused the store looking for snacks or bargins. I ended up buying donuts (stale just like last year), and earrings.

-For dinner we went to Red Lobster. (also a tradition for the original groupies). I ordered the crab cakes with Alfredo. It was really good. Annie and my mom sat across from me and tried to find uses for the crab legs. You know hair clips nose pickers. My mom was even making them dance. Quite entertaining.

- After dinner and shopping we went back to the Hotel and played games and ate a ton of junk food. We ate because we were hungry. We were starving after eating at 2 restaurants in five hours. I think I gained 20 pounds this weekend.

-We chatted and laughed in the hotel room until we finally crashed at about 1:00AM. Claire slept the whole night for me. I was so glad. I was having a lot of anxiety about having here there and waking people up. She was an angel. I also had a wonderful sleeping partner who didn't snore move or invade personal space (that was a plug for you Annie).

-In the morning we packed up and headed out for the hot springs. Before we left Pocattelo we had to go out to eat again. We went to Butterburs (also a tradidion). They have the most divine cinnimon twists. It would be worth driving all the way to Pocatello just for the cinnimon twists.

-Lava was beautiful. It was covered in snow. And the steam from the hot springs added to the ambiance. I didn't get in because I had Claire with me, but I really enjoyed sitting and watching.

-After the springs we headed home. Can't wait until next year!!!!

Family reunion

Thanks to Katie for mentioning that the two things she hated were alarm clocks and kid's coughs. I read her comment and not 2 minutes later Claire started coughing again. Did I mention she finished her last dose of antibiotic yesterday? So I took off to Dr. Shakula's....AGAIN!! I pulled in the driveway and I saw my sister in law Lisa there with her little Corbin. I swear Dr. Shakula makes more money off the little Reimann reunions at the doctors office. So both Corbin and Claire have bronchitis. We need to make them stop being kissing cousins.

Corbin is so cute. He looks so much like Aaron. He also looks so much like Lisa. He has the goofiest personality. We can all just sit and listen to him babble for hours.

Get back to work!!

Today was my first day back to work. It was hard to go back. Randy also started a new semester this morning. Randy's parents watch our kids for us while we work. It is a relief to know they are in good hands, but I still missed my kiddos like crazy. Brad was so excited to spend the day with nanny and papa. I am sure his parents are exhausted. It was good to see all my co-workers. I haven't worked since September because of bed rest. All I did was socialize with everyone. Luckily it was a very slow day in the Operating Rooms. Hopefully we can get our lives back in order after the holiday and get back into some kind of chaotic routine again. The worst part of the day was hearing the alarm clock!!

Oh Blessed Day!

We blessed Claire today. Before church I looked out the window and there was a complete white out snow storm. I felt so bad for everyone who had to travel in the snow. Randy’s grandpa came from Midway. It took him an hour and a half to get here. I am glad they made it safe. The ordinance was beautiful. I cried of course. All my brothers, Randy’s brothers, both our dads, and Randy’s grandpa stood in the circle. It was so great to have everyone there. After sacrament we all went to my mom’s house to have dinner. I did a potato bar. It was super easy. Claire looked so cute in her white dress. She managed to wait to spit up on it until after sacrament, which was nice of her. Randy comes from a family of all boys, Randy’s dad came from a family of all boys, and Randy’s Grandpa came from a family of all boys. When Brad was born I thought I would be continuing the tradition of all boys. So here is a four generation picture the boys and the little girl who broke that tradition. I guess one of Randy’s brothers is going to have to carry the all Fischer boy line. We love you Claire and are so glad you came to our little family.

So Beautiful

We were driving to my mom's house tonight to visit. We were passing the Midvale Cemetery and Brad sighs and says, "Oh mom, look out your window. It is so beautiful." I looked out my window and it was beautiful. All the Christmas flowers and wreaths were still on the graves. He was so sincere and meant it with all his heart. It is good to know that my testosterone filled boy can be sensitive sometimes.

Friday Morning Tidbits

1. My children were angels this morning. Claire went back to sleep this morning after her feeding, and Brad watched a movie. I actually got to snooze and doze in this morning. It doesn't count as real sleep because Brad woke me up every 20 minutes or so to let me know that the sun was awake. But real sleep or not I will take it. Every minute counts. Brad's movie of choice was Underdog. The other day he called it Underwear Dog on accident and we all laughed. Now he thinks he is a comedian because that is the movies permanent name. UNDERWEAR DOG!!!

2. Randy had the day off from work yesterday and school does not start until next week so we spent the whole day together. It was so great. We had to go shopping for a new coat for Brad. He needed a new one so bad. His old one went clear up to his elbows. How embarrassing. We went to Burlington Coat factory. That place has a lot of coats, but it was a disaster. I guess they have not yet recovered from Christmas. They were completely out of snow boots. I found that odd considering they are a coat place. Don't people generally buy snow boots for their kids when they buy a winter coat? Oh well. After all of our shopping we went to dinner at the old Francesco's (now known as Chef Toms) We ordered pizza. It was so good. In fact it was so good I am going to share the leftovers with all of you.

3. My Hair..... I decided to go somewhere in the middle. I can still pull it back and it is off my shoulders. I like it a lot. It feels good not to have to use a gallon of shampoo at every washing.
4. I had a dream last night about going to Lava with the girls next week. I can't wait!!!

5. When I got pregnant with Claire, Randy was nominated to do all of the vacuuming. I had a C-Section and thus still can't vacuum. So it is not surprising that we now have a new I-robot Roomba. Randy does such a great job at keeping the floors clean. Too bad the I-robot does not clean bathrooms and do the dishes.

What to do. What to do.

I am going to go and get my hair cut this morning. It is quite long and full, full, full of split ends. I usually know exactly what I want to do with my hair well in advance. Today I have no idea what I should do. I have enjoyed the long hair but I think it might be time to chop it off.

Short.... Long.... Short..... Long. AHHHHHHH. If I cut it short I will be forced to do it every day. No more just pulling it back because I don't feel like doing it. But if I cut it short it wont take 10 years to blow dry, and I could get rid of some of the nasty split ends. Maybe I will just flip a coin.