It's going to be a long school year...

So, not even a week into the school environment (and today is only his 2nd day of kindergarten!) and Ben has a cold. And with the H1N1 on everyone's radar screens, I feel a little guilty for having sent him to school today. But seriously, he has a stuffy nose. He was a little warm yesterday and this morning, but he hasn't had an "official" fever - by that, I mean a fever high enough to make our thermometer beep a warning. I took his temp this morning because he felt warm, and it was 36.8 C.

So yeah, I'm not going to keep him out of school, when he knows he gets to go to kindergarten this afternoon, for a stuffy nose. It's not usually the flu when the symptoms are above your shoulders. He's not achy or tired. He's not feverish. He's not vomiting.

Sigh. And so it begins.

Welcome to germ-central!

We are still alive, in case you're wondering.

Ben got sick at the beginning of May, and we finally got that diagnosed as pneumonia (3 doctor's visits and two weird rashes later); once he started his antibiotics, he quickly got better. Then I got it - stayed home all last week, so now I'm on a round of strong antibiotics. Ella has been coughing, but not running the fever that Ben and I were, so we think she's just got a touch of a chest cold. We're watching her very closely though... Hey, wanna come to our house? ;)

Grandma & Grandpa Potter came to visit two weekends ago and brought an 8' trampoline with them! Thanks a lot, guys! The kids love it and make me sing the same song for them constantly when they're playing on it ('Singing all together, running round and round, bouncy bouncy on the tramp, all fall down!' And the best part? They don't fall down, and then I have to pretend to get annoyed and say it again and again, and they giggle and then finally fall down. It's a clever game, ya know.)

What else should I report on? I don't know. I'm not feeling bloggy today...maybe 'cause I'm at work? I am feeling sassy though...I am wearing my hot red heels today...yowza!

We're still here!

In case people are wonderin'.

What's been going on here? Lemme think.

Ben ended up being sick, sick, sick, sick, sick, sick on Friday night. We came home from our evening out with some friends and the kids were still awake. Ben said that his boobies hurt. Then he came to me and said that he needed to go to bed. So I willingly took him (Holy crap! He ASKED to go to bed!) After I tucked him in, he decided to barf all over himself, the bed and me. Of course, I stick my hand out, to catch the barf, I guess. Reflexes...they aren't what they used to be.

So it was a long night, me and Ben, up every 3 hours or so. We think it was all the pool water he swallowed at his swimming lessons on Friday night. A lovely thought.

He's back to his chipper self, terrorizing his little sister, refusing to eat, acting like a maniac. We were worried there for a bit on Saturday morning, when he was very cuddly and relaxed and low-key.

Knock on wood, but Ella is starting to say some words. She understands absolutely everything you say to her, but she just didn't say things herself. Here are some of her recent accomplishments (words that she'll say most of the time):
- Eye (Hi)
- Eye diddy (Hi kitty)
- Deeeez (Cheese)
- Doh (No or Go)
- Dap (Clap)
- Bwoooo (Blue - she said it this morning)
- Duh-dowww (Touchdown! BTW, Vikes win again! And maybe next year Bombers!)

And she signs lots of stuff still too. She is becoming quite emphatic with her "eat" sign. Very cute.

We were playing a game today where I would say "Go" and Ella and Ben would run and dance and shake their booties until I said "Stop" while holding my hand out. They would stop, and Ella would hold her hand out like mine. Then I would say "Go" and the game would start again. It was absolutely adorable.

Three of Ella's eye teeth have finally cut through...one to go. This girl is a cranky teether, believe me. Just when I get comfortable sleeping all night long, she decides to get really cranky and wake up for an hour and a half in the middle of the night. Just 5 more teeth to go...

OK, I'm tired and I need to go to bed. Here are some pics to round out this post...