Our GORGEOUS Lynsey Jo!

Hey all, just got the digital portrait download from Lynsey Jo's school picture and it is SO beautiful I had to share it with you all right away...

Lynsey Jo Doser - 4th Grade
Corridor Elementary 2012

I still can't believe she's 9 years old already!  I literally remember the day she was born...holding her in my arms for the first time. And, here she is a beautiful, smart, talented, loving, kind, faithful nine year old young lady.  And, the pride and joy of her Daddy and Mommy!  Thank you, God, for blessing us with such a special girl...

Here kitty, kitty, kitty...

I snapped these picture of Kelci Lee today and had to share them.  Even got one of her two new top teefers!

Look at me...I'm a kitty!  Meeeooow.

Hey!  Who turned the lights out?

I can hear you...but I can't see you.  Mommy?  Hello!

How stinkin' cute is this picture?  SUCH a happy baby!

The rare and elusive first two top teefers picture...

Our Wednesday Family Field Trip...to Urgent Care

And, the drama continues... Over the past week Bayleigh has been complaining of stomach pains off and on, to the point where she is crying and doubled over in pain. Yesterday afternoon it happened again, except this time she was complaining her head hurt too and within minutes she went from no fever to 101-degrees. 

So, I rushed her into Urgent Care...with Lynsey Jo and Kelci in tow. Of course, by the time we got there her stomach was feeling better but I still had them check her out.  My momma instincts told me there was something going on with her and I was determined to find out what it is.  I cannot stand seeing any of my babies in such pain.  :(

Long story short, they poked, prodded, and pushed on her and weren't able to find anything wrong with her tummy.  So, they don't feel the stomach problems have anything to do with the fever (2 separate issues)...but they couldn't say for sure.  So, I have to watch her and see if it continues.  And, if so, see if I can find some sort of pattern and follow up with her regular pediatrician. 

Our little Angle Face!

But the visit wasn't for naught, while checking her out they discovered she has a horrible ear ache and think she has strep  (neither of which she has complained once about). Ugh. They are pretty sure it is strep but didn't want to put her through the test her because since they are treating her with antibiotics for her ear if it is strep the antibiotics she is taking should cure that too.

It's hard to see our little girl go through anything dulls her spirited soul...

But, there is some scary news too...they heard a heart murmur.  :(  It was a very minor one and they are hoping it is just because she is sick, but I have to take her back in after she is all-better to get it checked out again. This isn't something any parent wants to hear, but we are hoping and praying for the best.  God has always been good to us, and we know His will won't take us where His grace won't protect us.  But, we would love if you all could say a special prayer for our girl too!

I walked into the living room and found the girls sitting together the couch watching TV and I had to snap a picture because I thought it was so cute the way they had their hands in the same position.

Right now I am keeping Bayleigh constantly medicated because the moment it wears off her temperature instantly spikes again... So, so sad.:(

You've GOT to be kidding me?!!

(DISCLAIMER: Not for the faint of heart.) Let me share with you how my Tuesday afternoon went... 

About 2PM-ish I put both little ones down for their afternoon naps. As usual, I heard Bayleigh talking to herself and laughing for quite a while. But, strangely...I also heard Kelci up and talking.  This is unusual for her, she usually goes right to sleep. But she wasn't crying so I let her be hoping she would eventually drift off...

 

After about an hour or so I hear Bayleigh yelling my name, so I go down to check on her. When I open the door I get a big waft of a nasty smell and I knew instantly this was not going to be pretty. Sure enough, our little girl who has been SO great about going poopy on the potty lately had decided to try it out on her bedroom floor. Yep, she took off her diaper and pooped AND peed on her floor. Awesome. (Not!) So, I got the room cleaned up, her cleaned up, sprayed the room down until it felt like it had rained in there, and put her back in bed...hoping she would actually, finally go to sleep. 

Cut ahead about 5 minutes...  I still hear Kelci talking away so I go in to check on her.  And, guess what? Go ahead - guess!! I dare ya!!  Here, let me help you out.  Unbelievably, the little turkey had removed HER diaper, pooped, and spread it from one end of her bed to the other...including all over herself. I snatched her up, got her in a bath, gave her bed a Silkwood scrub down, gave HER a Silkwood scrub down, and Febreze'd the heck out of her bed and room. :| 

I guess I have myself to blame.  Our A/C hasn't been working so I had put both of them in bed in a diaper only.  In my defense, neither of them had ever either attempted or succeeded in removing their diapers so I never once worried about it.  Now?  Let's just say, in addition to wearing bottoms every time I just may duct tape them shut to avoid any further poo-fests!  c:

And, for those who don't know...when Lynsey was a toddler she had also once gotten her diaper off, poo'd, and made a mess with it all over her room. We have humorously referred to that as Poopapalooza. Well, now that's Poopapalooza I, and today I lived through Poopapalooza II and III. BOTH IN ONE DAY! Ugh.  c:  

Ahhhh...the joys of parenthood.  There are days where I am reminded why some animals eat their young.  c:  Thank God they are so cute - these days it seems to be their only defense!  Heehee.

Bayleigh vs. The Toilet Seat

So, Bayleigh's on her potty-training toilet and I'm in the bedroom getting ready to take Lynsey to Hailey's...when I head Bayleigh start crying in frustration.  I go to check on her and this is what I find!  Hahahahaha!  I know...BAD, BAD MOMMY for not helping her out right away.  But, I could not miss out on this awesome photo and video opportunity.  Heehee!  (And, yes, I DO realize one day she will hate me for video taping her with a potty-training toilet seat cushion stuck on her head.  But, eventually she'll get over it...)  c:

Get it off!  Get it off!

Aaahhh!

Can't you just hear the popping noise
as it finally came off her head?!

I'm baaaaaack!! [This thing on? Testing. Testing. (tap-tap-tap)]

Here is a bird's eye view of the Car Show and Carnival from today.  HUGE hit!!  And, 100% of the profits go directly to Lynsey's school, Corridor Elementary!!

Sorry for my long absence!  I've been helping my oldest daughter's school, Corridor Elementary, get the word out about their annual Car Show and Carnival...and between managing the Facebook page, contacting radio and TV stations, posting online anywhere I can, helping with spreadsheets, mailings, and the family, the house, errands, bills, and etc., etc., etc., I have been going non-stop.  (Ugh!)  But, the Car Show and Carnival was today so it is over (HUGE success, by the way...mostly thanks to Sheila, the coordinator) and I now have a little bit more free time to keep up on our blog.  (Insert woohoo's here!)  c:  But, before I get back into it too much I just wanted to make sure that we still have people out there who even want to know what is going on with us.  c:  This is where I need your help!  To make sure you all are out there and actually reading these things, can you please leave a quick comment below?  It can be a simple, "Here"...or a bit of advice...or a favorite quote...or a "get on with it already."  Heehee.  [If the comment box does not pop up, click on the "0 Comments" link (the "0" could be another number if others have already left comments) and it should take you right to it.]  Thank yoooou!! 

Moon Over Springtucky!

Bret pulled over on the side of the road so I could take a picture of this the other night.  It's the full moon over the Weyerhaeuser plant in Springfield.  Used a new photo editing program I found online to make it the the subtle colors and shadows pop and it turned out so pretty I had to share.

A STAR in the Making!

It's still hard for me to believe that my baby girl is in 3rd grade already!  She attends a GREAT school and I am SO proud of how well she is doing.  The class work they are performing already is mind-blowing - fractions, percentages, long division, complex multiplication, complicated spelling words, and so much more!  

Then there is the fun side of attending a Magna Arts school...afternoon electives and their yearly play.  And, this is no small-fry school play.  Corridor's play is put on at the Hult Center here in Eugene every year.  (I was in a play for Corridor when I attended in 4th grade and it was put on in the same way, in the same theater.  It's a real tradition!)  It's only open to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders so this was her first year, and let me tell you...she did AMAZING!!  

For those who don't know, Lynsey is not big on being the center of attention for large groups of people...especially when she doesn't know some of them.  Well, she was front and center for a few parts of her play and she rocked it out!  The play was Rockin' Around the Clock and chronicled the different music eras (50's, 60's, 70's, etc.)  Lynsey's class did the 70's so she got to dress up in a cute, psychedelic dress and beautiful white go-go boots.  (Oh, and I can't forget the peace sign necklace.)  And, they did an assist on a Michael Jackson song tribute.  They sang several songs, danced, and even recited some lines (in small groups).  She did SO awesome!  I even had other mothers who know how shy she can be come up and tell how impressed they were with how well Lynsey Jo did.  Made this already-so-so-proud mama giddy!  

I wasn't able to get too many good shots of her up on stage, but I got what I could and wanted to share.  She really was a little star up on that stage!  Almost brought tears to my eyes to see her pushing herself beyond what she was comfortable with and doing so wonderful at it!

Crackin' Ourselves Up!!

Here are some pictures that Lynsey Jo and I created the other day using a new picture editing program I found online.  (It was Grandma Anderson's birthday and with her being out of town for so long Lynsey Jo wanted to do something special for her.)  We had a BLAST doing them so we wanted to share them with everyone!  (Lynsey did most of the designing.  What a great creative side she has to her, huh?)  I'm sure we'll create many more pictures and will make sure to share them all.  Hope you enjoy these ones as much as we did!  Stay tuned for more...  Love and hugs to all!

How Time Flies...

Here is our beautiful Lynsey Jo (age 8). 
She's hugging on her pink heart pillow from her new big girl room.

Here Lynsey Jo (age 8) is holding her special puppy, Puppy Love.  
(That was my special puppy dog when I was little.)
Like Momma, like daughter!

Here Lynsey Jo (age 8) is holding
her baby sister, Kelci (age 4 months).
Just look at those sweet, sweet faces!

 

 

 

Look at that smile on Kelci's face (age 4 months)

She just ADORES being with her big sister, Lynsey Jo (age 8 years)

Can't you just hear Bayleigh (Age 2) saying, "Taaa-daaa!!"?
This is SO her personality!

Does this look like trouble or what?  Lynsey Jo (age 8)
has the look of "Who?  Me?", Bayleigh (age 2) has that
little angelic look that has already gotten her out of
so much trouble, and Kelci (age 4 months) looks like
she's thinking, "I don't know what these girls have
planned but they're crazy.  Get me outta here!"
Three precious, beautiful, amazing girls!

You can just see the love they have
for their big sister in this picture.
They are SO comfortable with her!!

This is one of my favorites!! 
Look at those smiles on their faces!! 
Brings smiles to this Momma's heart.

Just look at those sweet baby blues...  Melts my heart!!

How could you not want to hold and love on
this little chubby face all day long??!!

Lovin' on her very special "rabbey" names "Meow." 
She can't live without this stinky ol' bunny...

Ginger Rogers Ain't Got Nothin' on Bayleigh!

So, it's been busy, busy, buuuuusy for us lately.  Last week was no exception...  It was filled with a really sick child, doctors appointments, immunizations, and so much more.  

Out of the blue on last Saturday (the 10th, I think) Lynsey Jo starting throwing up, and it went on for days.  Just when we thought she was getting better, it would come back.  Ick!  For four days she didn't eat, slept a lot, and was either getting sick or nauseous.  Finally took her to the doctor's on Tuesday and was told the doctor has already seen four other kids with the same exact illness - even started on the same day.  (We saw her at 10:30AM, so it was scarey that she'd already seen four others before us.)  

Then, on Thursday poor Baby Kelci got immunizations and it didn't go so well.  First, she did NOT like them.  Screamed like no child I have ever heard before.  Face and head was red, had a vein popping out on one side of her head, screaming bloody murder.  It was horrible to watch.  (Both Bayleigh and Lynsey Jo always did fairly well.  Maybe a few tears, but never anything close to this.)  Then, one the injection sites got all red and swollen, and had a big lump under it.  It hurt her pretty bad.  And, while she was still the most smiley baby in the world most of the time...occasionally you could tell it was hurting her and she did her fair share of crying.  :(  Today she seems to be doing better.  The lump is still there, but the doctors said as long as there is no fever there is no need to worry.  So, I'm doing my best to "not worry."  (Which means I am telling myself repeatedly to "not worry" all while I worry my Mama brains out...because that's what us mama's do.) 

And, this weekend was a continuation of the craziness for us.  Bret has been working SO hard!  He works his day job and has been taking side jobs after-hours and on weekends to help us out.  (I feel so blessed to have a hubby who loves us so much and takes care of us so well!)  I have taken on a couple jobs that I can do after hours and on weekends that have helped us out  little too.  This weekend I did a TON of filing at a storage unit for the medical office I am working for (in the snow and rain...and, oh my, was it COLD).  So between the kids, home, shopping, cooking, cleaning, our jobs, etc., we are super busy these days.  But, it is it all worth it...we have one truly amazing family (who I couldn't possibly love more)!

While most of our weekend was working, cleaning, children, we did find some time to have some fun.  Bret enjoyed some online gaming and I got to sneak out for a bit.  This evening I took Little Miss Bayleigh out to a local bar (yes, I said "bar"...trust me on this one) for their Family Fun Night.  Once a month Whiskey River closes down the bar and create a family-friendly environment with singing, dancing, games, food, face-painting, etc.  It is really fun!  Bayleigh LOVES to dance she is always excited to go to these.  I got some video of her this time - she was really getting-down-and-getting-funky.  It was too cute so I had to share!  I'm sure she'll be mortified one day that I posted these, but I just couldn't resist.  (Once you see them you will understand.)  c:

This week the craziness will continue.  Lynsey Jo has her BIG play at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts!  It's her first big play so everything is new and she is unsure what to expect...so it has created some anxiety.  But, she is SO talented I have NO doubt she will be amazing!!  I can't wait to see her.  And, there will be LOTS of family and friends there to see her.  She is so happy to have all the support.  (So is her school, Corridor.  Thank you all again!)  We are especially excited that Grandma and Grandpa Doser from Baker City are going to make it to Eugene to see it too.  (Yay!!)  Wish her luck and stay tuned for the details of how it went...  (And, video.  And, pictures.  And, anything else I can get my Mama paws on.)

Well, all kids are in bed (haaaaallelujah!!) and it's getting late.  So, I must close this post.  I hope this finds you all well and having an amazing weekend (or, week...depending on when you read it).  We love you all and can't wait to see you soon.  

Hugs and love,

Leslie and family...<3

 

Did you hear the one about the sick girl, the big girl and the silly girl?

 

Yesterday was quite the day.  It started off relatively quiet...but that changed quickly.  I was sitting at the dining room table working on my computer when I heard a sudden burst of quick little footsteps and then a splash.  Yep, Lynsey Jo (who hadn't woke up feeling fine but started to feel icky around noon) had throw up all over our living room carpet.  My poor baby girl!  Bret and I went into Mommy-and-Daddy-Clean-Up mode...he started scrubbing the carpet, I grabbed a bowl for Lynsey, and we got the mess cleaned up and Lynsey Jo all cleaned up too.  It came out of the blue and hit her hard.  She didn't eat a bit the rest of the day and just laid around on the couch.  Around 5PM she fell asleep while watching Food Network (yes, she is her Momma's daughter) and pretty much slept the rest of the day away - until about 8AM this morning.  Her fever has broke and no more throwing up, but we're still playing it safe and she's limited to the BRAT diet - bananas, rice, applesauce and toast.  Not too yummy, but better to be safe than sorry.

And, Kelci is growing up SO fast!!  After a couple weeks of trying REALLY hard Kelci finally rolled ALL the way over by herself!!  She been rolling most of the way over for a couple weeks now, but that darn arm kept getting caught under her body so she wasn't able to make it all the way over.  Well, yesterday while we were all running around cleaning and taking care of our sick girl she pulled a fast one on us and flipped over.  I had her on the floor playing on her play mat, and next thing I know...she's on her tummy!!  We were so excited for her.  c:  She'll be running around before any of us knows it.

As usual, Bayleigh kept us laughing through it all.  Her latest accomplishment - opening doors.  She now knows how to open all the doors in our house and loves to do it.  She really loves to open then, yell something at you (something like..."bye Mommy!") then slam it shut.  Then, open it up and do it again.  She just cracks up the whole time.  (It's awesome how much that little girl loves to laugh.  But, at the same time, when she's not happy she's REALLY not happy!)  c:  She's LOVING her new big-girl-room and doing SO well at staying in bed.  In fact, it used to take her about an hour or longer to fall asleep when she was in her crib.  Now, she's usually asleep within about 10-15 minutes.  It's awesome!  (First couple nights were hard, had to tell her to get back in bed about 50 times...but now she never gets out.)  And, she's been sleeping with her door open so Whiskers likes to sneak in and sleep with her.  

Not much else new here.  Bret and I are happy and healthy, and excited to have just celebrated 3 years of marriage.  (Woohoo!)  Our world is limited to work, kids and cleaning most days...nothing exciting.  But, the kids make sure to keep up laughing with their funny sayings and behaviors.  I'll keep an ear out for any funny Lynsey Jo, Bayleigh Savana, and Kelci Lee stories and will make sure to share them as they happen.  I hope you all are well!

All our love to all,
Leslie Marie and family...<3

Bayleigh-isms...

The other day I was in the kitchen and Bayleigh was in the living room when all of a sudden I hear a little squeaky voice yell, "I am NOT happy!"  I started to giggle, then asked her, "What Bayleigh?"  And, she repeated...even louder, "I am NOT happy!"  I have no idea what she was mad about but it was so cute to hear this coming out of such a little person.  c:

Doser Family

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures! Here is a glimpse into the life and times of this crazy Doser clan. I'll be adding more as I go so come back and check them out. (Hoping there is a way to notify you when I have added more, but not sure yet.)  Anyhow, just click on the picture of the girls to the right of this text and it should take you to an album full of other pictures.  XOXO, Leslie and Family

I found this the other day and thought it fit the reason for our new family blog perfectly, so I had to share.  I think many of us feel this way these days...  

Just know you are all in our thoughts, prayers and hearts.  We love each of you so much and look forward to the next time we can connect!  

All our love, 
Leslie and Family

Testing. Testing. 1-2-3...

With so little free time to call the people we love as often as we would like we have decided to try something different to keep in touch: blogging!  I'm really new to all of this new fandangled blogging stuff so I wanted to do a "Test Blog" before going live - and here it is.  (So far, so good!  Wow, I feel so techy...)  Once I get this posted and get a feel for what I am doing I will start adding more.  My hopes are to, one day, post something every day so you all can keep up to date on all the happenings of our clan.  So, until I am totally familiar with this blogging stuff please be patient with me...as I am learning as I go!  Love and hugs to all, Leslie Marie