A Rough Week...

We have all been sick this past week with an upper respiratory virus. Brody started not feeling well on Monday. He had a fever, bad cough, choking on phelgm, wheezing, retracting, and wouldn't eat. On Tuesday, our pediatrician called him in a script for Pulmicort. On Wednesday, he still wasn't any better, so I took him to the clinic. They told me it was just a virus. This weekend, he is finally starting to act like himself and playing with his toys again. We are still giving him his Pulmicort breathing treatments twice a day. Now, Brynn has a bad cough and runny nose. However, she is not nearly as bad as Brody was. She seems to be able to fight things off better than Brody. Brody seems to get viruses on top of viruses and he never seems to get fully recovered:( We are all a little stir crazy from being stuck inside all week. B and B have been getting into everything. Grandma Farnan brought Brynn down my old cabbage patch kids and another one of my dolls, so she has been busy playing with those. Her new thing now is taking off her pants. I have fought the sock battle since they were born and I am done redressing them a hundred times a day, so I have been letting her run around with just her shirt on. She is also starting to throw tantrums now when she doesn't get her way/like something. She starts stomping her feet and throws herself on the floor. She is already starting to give me excuses when she gets in trouble. Several times this weekend when I have scolded her, she says, "I didn't (something)". She is getting really smart, actually they both are getting too smart for their own good sometimes. Brody has been pretty much been a Momma's boy this week and doesn't want anyone but Mommy. Bryan and I usually don't have to guess what he's doing because he usually rats himself out. If he is in another room and is doing something he shouldn't be doing, we will hear him say, "No, no." He has the same will power Truman has. He knows he isn't supposed to do something, but can't help himself from doing it:) Bryan and I have noticed B and B trying to console each other a lot lately. Brynn usually tries to say or do something to make Brody feel better when he is upset about something. She usually does a pretty good job of consoling him. I would love to know what they say to each other because apparently it is quite hilarious judging by the giggles:) Today, Brynn fell down and Brody tried to pick her back up. It is quite cute to see how "chummy" they are becoming:)

B and B's First Easter Egg Hunt

Yesterday, we took B and B to their first Easter egg hunt. We met Valerie, Denise, RJ, and Mary Jane at Cerner for an Easter celebration. They had all kinds of activities for kids to do, but unfortunately most of the activities were too old for B and B. They spotted balloons as soon as we got there and all they wanted to do was play with the balloons. Finally, Bryan and I ended up untieing some balloons and tieing them around their waist hoping to get them interested in walking around to do some other activities. Brynn did really well with the Easter egg hunt. Brody spotted some basketballs as soon as the egg hunt started and bolted across the gym for those instead of participating in the hunt. Our kids are so obsessed with balls and balloons right now! They finally warmed up a little to the Easter Bunny as we were getting ready to leave. Unfortunately, I forgot the chip to our camera, so we couldn't take any pictures. We did manage to get some of it on video though. Valerie did take a few pictures, so hopefully I can post those as soon as I get them. We took B and B outside to play in the snow a couple times today. I was impressed at how well they walked in the snow since it was above their knees. We are really hoping that this is the last of the snow until next winter!

The New Madden Ranch

Well, we are all settled in in our new rental house in Independence. It is a cute little 3 bedroom house built in the 1940s. We mostly unpacked the stuff that we needed and have put a lot of our stuff in the basement. I am really enjoying my shorter commute to work and exploring the new area. B and B are adjusting well to the change. Brody was sick last week and now is on Albuterol nebs as needed for wheezing. He finally has gotten his 7th tooth! His gums are so swollen and I have noticed him putting his fingers in his mouth, so I am expecting many more teeth to come in soon. He is really starting to talk more and continues to be his "easy going" self. Brynn seems to be cutting more teeth as well, eventhough she just got all 4 of her molars. She has become quite sensitive/moody and seems to get her feelings hurt easily. Grandma Farnan seems to think that is the "girl" about her. She really enjoys helping us do things, so I have been giving her tasks to do and she does pretty well. I think it is so cute to watch her "clean" things with a rag:) We are hoping for some nice weather this week so we can get outside and play!