Winter....thank goodness that's over!!!

I have been a very delinquent blogger this winter and it makes me sad cause I have missed documenting so many cute quotes and funny things that my kids have done.

But, we have been busy. Busy being sick. Busy being sleep deprived and busy having cabin fever. Winter was NEVER ENDING!

My family (mostly the kids)  had a horrible season riddled with colds, stomach flu, bronchitis, ear infections, bladder infections....its been awful! I am seriously not exaggerating even a bit, when I say that Garrett and Rhys have been sick non-stop since October.

Really, it's true. I think we had a two week break over Christmas (which was great timing I'll admit) but other than that, they've had green snotty noses, coughs, fevers and let's not forget the vomit! By January, I started to think that my kids did not have functioning immune systems at all. I began to get paranoid about our house and what kind of bacteria or mould we were harbouring. I started researching and making my own cleaning solutions out of vinegar and essential oils. I started supplementing everyone with vitamin D, flax oil, and probiotics.

My pediatrician assured me that nope, immune systems are fine, house is fine, it's just been a BAD winter. In fact, he said it is the worst winter he's seen EVER!

As I write this, we are currently enjoying another bout of SOMETHING which involves green snot and sore throats. This time they are all taking turns, thus dragging the whole thing out for much longer that my sanity can handle.

But, YAY spring is finally here!!! It is so incredibly nice to get outside and run around. What a difference it makes in everyone's mood and energy levels! It's great!

But, just for the sake of good ( and not so good) memories, here's a very brief recap of that awful, cold, snowy winter:

Well, in between me washing 100 loads of pukey clothes and sheets and wandering around in public unaware that I had dried snot all over me (unaware or did not care??? hmmm...) we did actually have a bit of fun....






We scuba dived:

 We brought the snow inside:

 

We drove cars:

We tobogganed:

 

We had glow baths:

We did some crafts:

We jumped on our trampoline:

In February we attended a wedding and had a lovely hotel stay and did lots of swimming:

We had a great visit from Mark's sister and family at Easter and our boys got to have lots of play time with their cousins:

 

We did the Winter Fair again, and this year it went MUCH better. (If you remember last year, we were basically insane for even attempting it!):

 

 

 

We made some messes:

 

 

We played with the dishwasher (all-time favorite toy):

 

We took some naps (but not nearly enough):

 

We attempted a few walks and outside playtime but two thirds of my children hated their snowsuits and mittens:

 

We explored:

 

 

There was a whole bunch of cuteness that happened:

 

 

 

 

I guess looking back, we had a pretty good time. But, we are super excited for spring ("the grass, the grass!!!!!" Rylen yelled when the first few blades were visible...he is totally ready for summer!) We are looking forward to trying out some camping this year and just enjoying the weather. So far, so good! The boys have been having a blast outside!

 

Oh! Can't forget some memorable quotes from Rylen:

 

"So, the bees bring the honey to Superstore?"

" Lets play that we're builders. My name is Roy G. and you are Roy F."

"Here's the deal mom...."

" Mooooom! Garrett blessed on me!" (Garrett had sneezed. Guess he misunderstood what "Bless You" means.  

"Mom, Didi hit his brother. It was just a gong show mom."  (Didi is his imaginary friend) I almost peed my pants laughing at that one. Never heard his say "gong show" before.

 

Okay, hopefully it won't be another several months between blog posts again. Next up: Rylen's bday recap and Mother's Day!