Flu-giving

 11/24- So we've actually had a bit of a rough last several weeks. I got into not one but TWO accidents in two separate rental cars. Enterprise is never going to rent to me again haha. Also, we've all been sick for forever it feels like. First, Levi got the stomach flu and missed all the Halloween activities. Then Eric got it. Then the next weekend Isla got it and threw up 17 times in  12 hours until we got some prescription zofran for her. Then I got it and was completely wiped out and couldn't get out of bed for almost 2 whole days. Then Levi came down with the flu which then turned into pneumonia! He had a fever for 6 straight days and felt awful until we got antibiotics onboard. Then Eric got the flu and now Isla has a gnarly cough and runny nose and then I woke up this morning super fatigued and with a runny nose, earache, sore throat and muscle aches. I feel like all of the germs are super bugs now. I give my kids probiotics and elderberry daily and have been washing my hands so much they are cracking. We've been keeping blankets Levi uses separate, being extra careful not to share food or utensils and trying to keep the kids out of each others' faces and I always wear a mask at work. And yet- we can't seem to stay healthy.

12/4- So yeah, turns out I did come down with the flu on Thanksgiving (thankfully I had worn a mask to family dinner) and I ended up sick with a fever for 5 days! So... I missed out on all of Eric's family reunion activities and spent all my Thanksgiving break just lying in bed and feeling awful :(. I'm finally better but still battling congestion and sinus headaches. And poor Isla came down with another ear infection! So now she's on antibiotics as well. I'm really hoping all this means we're just getting all of our sickness out of the way now so we'll be healthy when we go to CA for Christmas! Only a couple weeks away and I'm so excited! I can't wait to meet sweet baby Ava!! 

What with being totally out of commission all of Thanksgiving break, December totally snuck up on me this year! We weren't decorated for Christmas and didn't have our advent calendar ready or anything. I took the girls to the library on Friday to try to check out some Christmas books and there were literally no children's Christmas books available! The entire section was completely cleaned out! I guess we were too late to the party which is a bummer. 

So yesterday we spent the day playing catch up decorating for Christmas and doing our Christmas shopping. And we've already had our ward Christmas party which thankfully we were all well enough to go to. Then tonight we had some friends over for dinner and watched the Christmas devotional while our kids played together. It was really nice even though we didn't really catch much of the devotional thanks to Isla and their baby Treyson (who is 16 months) climbing all over all of us the whole time haha. Now we've just got two more weeks of work and school and lots and lots of handwashing and then it's off to CA!

Realized what with being sick a lot we don't have a ton of photos from the last month and a half, mostly it's Halloween, Isla mischief, me going curly and then gingerbread houses and the ward Christmas party!

I dressed up as Lillie and made Isla an Alolan vulpix costume for Halloween

Levi threw up pretty much immediately when we got to the church poor guy so we took this picture and then Levi and I turned right around and went back home so he totally missed trunk or treating.

By Halloween itself, Levi was feeling better but still not 100%. But he was well enough for me to take the kids to the nearby pumpkin patch.

It was a pretty chill thing but they got to do pony rides

And there was a little petting zoo

Most of the pumpkins were very picked over by that point so we just got one little one. No carving for us this year!

I made "graves" for dinner

And Emery helped me make witch hat cupcakes

Isla Shenanigans:

She super loves her babies

She likes to "help" play card games

She's tall enough to push the buttons on the dryer now!

And she is recently obsessed with climbing EVERYTHING

Unfortunately, she has figured out how to climb onto the couch and from there onto the sofa table and then onto the counter! I don't know how to keep her down!!

Emery played her last soccer game of the season a few weeks ago and it was only 28 deg outside! Poor girls were freezing! I've never seen a soccer game played in full-on winter gear before and I'm not super keen to repeat it! Levi missed his last two games of the season because he was sick.

 

A few weeks ago I decided to start embracing my natural waves and trying out the Curly Girl Method and I have been shocked at how my hair has responded and how curly it's gotten! I feel like I have Merida hair now and I love it! 

The day after Thanksgiving I dragged myself out of bed to participate in our annual gingerbread house decorating. We let Isla just eat/play with yogurt and sprinkles on her tray and she was perfectly happy with that!

The kids got to see Santa at the ward Christmas party!

Even though she is typically very friendly, Isla was not a fan.

Emery shared Santa's lap with her friend Londyn.

Fall Frenzy

 I think to say it's been a full last few weeks in the Martino household is a bit of an understatement. I kept meaning to write this post but it just hasn't happened. Sleep has been in short supply as Eric and I burn the candle at both ends working hard and playing hard. We've been embracing the cooler weather with more time outside including camping (twice!) in the last month and lots of evenings in the backyard- most notably sweet Isla's big birthday bash. Unfortunately cooler weather also brings with it the return of cold season and two weeks ago Isla came down sick with fevers and then an ear infection and a yeast infection and thrush (exacerbated by the antibiotics for her ears). I had to take time off work to care for her since Eric is totally swamped at work right now prepping for their big conferences while simultaneously applying for and interviewing for other jobs. He had two third-round interviews last week and one scheduled for this week so we are hoping that offers come in soon. It would be extra great if he got to start somewhere new before he has to go to RSNA the week after Thanksgiving but we don't know if that will happen. I'm just excited about the potential for growth these new opportunities are presenting him and excited for him to get to work in more of a team environment and hopefully be a bit happier and more satisfied at work. This change has been a while in coming so I'm just really praying one of these jobs works out. 

While Eric has been hard at work working, I've been working hard too both at my job and around the house. I finally finished the shelves and drawers for the Murphy bed! And I painted our closet and revamped our closet door. 

 

Our house hasn't been the only thing to get a facelift this fall. I've been working hard gettting back in shape. I have been waking up at 5:55 every weekday to work out and I've only missed one day so far since Levi started school! It's hard but I'm proud of myself for taking that time for myself and I feel like it helps me have more energy throughout the day. And I've now lost all my Isla baby weight! Woot! Also, to celebrate fall, I finally hennad my hair! I've been thinking of doing it forever and I finally took the plunge! And I love it. Like it genuinely makes me so happy. I feel natural as a redhead and I just want to keep this fire- it reflects all the fire I've got inside. 

 

Henna has to sit on the hair for 3-4 hours and is a gloopy mess to apply. I wrapped my head up in seran wrap and wore a beanie but still had to wipe a few leaks! 

Super worth the results though and it made my hair so smooth and healthy feeling!

Speaking of fire- we got to have fun with fires with two camping trips this month! First, at the start of October, my mom came out and we all drove out to Dierks Lake in Arkansas for a Fri-Mon camping trip. I was really nervous because we’ve never camped that long before and I wasn’t sure how it would go. I Pinterested a lot beforehand and put in a lot of time menu planning and meal prepping and borrowing a bunch of things and thankfully it all paid off and the trip was awesome! The food was all great with very minimal cooking, the weather was perfect, it was beautiful and the kids had a great time and never complained about being bored and Emery only asked for her tablet once and Levi never the whole time we were there! Oh and also the kids slept much better than I expected which was a huge win. It was so peaceful to get away from our chores and screens and to-do lists and just spend some quality time together. With how well it went I would actually consider doing it again haha!

The hammock was a huge hit and got a lot of use that weekend! 

Even though the lake was low, the kids still have a great time splashing around and running through the water even though it kind of grossed us adults out with all the goose poop. 

Grandma really made this trip possible. It was SO helpful having her there to help with Isla and the kids. 

So I was really glad that I had read some blogs and followed some of the tips/hacks I found including using a foam play mat in the tent to make the ground more comfortable and hanging fairy lights on the kids side of the tent to make it extra magical in the evening. Also I took an empty laundry detergent container and filled it with water and turned it into a hand washing station which was a huge win! 

The view from our campsite 😍

So that was the first camping trip. Then this past Eric took Levi and Emery and went camping at lake Lewisville with a whole bunch of his family members. The kids had a great time making memories with their cousins and Isla and I got to get a lot done at home with them gone! 

In case Halloween didn’t promise enough sweets this month, the kids also hit the jackpot with a piñata! 

When we weren't out camping these past two months, we enjoyed other family fun:

Eric and I went frisbee golfing on a date one Saturday and it was beautiful! And we found this awesome tree. 

Me and Emery had matching braids. 

Emery is VERY nurturing towards Isla. Often to an extreme where we are constantly telling her to stop picking up the baby, stop moving the baby, leave Isla alone, etc. But it is very sweet how much she cares for her and Isla loves Emery too. 

Fancy like date night at the temple and then a nice steakhouse just because :)

One of the family highlights this month was Isla's birthday party which was a ton of work but turned out so great! We had a backyard BBQ with a lot of our friends and we loved being able to show off our yard and have it full of happy people we care about. I made a ton of food including Islas sprinkle smash cake and printed out her month pictures and about me poster to celebrate our baby girl! 

Speaking of Isla, this little girl's personality is really coming out now. She is active and independent and wants to be big. She has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh and it blows me away how much she already understands so much of what we are saying! I can say “let’s go put your shoes on” and she’ll walk over to the shoe basket, get her shoes and sit down for me to put them on her. She’s also started talking more and now says “hi” and “yea” in addition to “dada” “go” and “done.” 

First time in a coat and soo cute! 

She recently loves playing with babies! She will lay them down and cover them with a blanket and pat them on the back. Or she will put them in the toy high chair and try to feed them. She loves snuggling them and carrying them around and it is sooo cute. 

Isla also likes pushing the buttons on the dryer and stealing the dryer balls and playing with them. 

She also likes to try to draw although she often struggles to actually make any marks on the paper and often marks herself instead! 

She likes her food big rather than cut up. We don’t usually oblige her but when we do she loves it. 

 

She sometimes refuses to let me feed her and wants to use the spoon herself which is minimally successful. 

Isla also loves trying to brush Emerys hair! I thought Emery would be our queen nurturer but it looks like Isla will give her a run for her money! 

Speaking of Emery, my little spunky girl is all sass and personality! 

She adores her cousins and loves to be with them. 

She also loves playing with her friends (like Addie) and dressing up is the preferred activity. 

Took the kids to the dentist the other day and had to snap this picture because my sweet Emery looks like she’s at the beach haha. 

She’s getting a little better at soccer but mostly just loves getting the treats at the end of the game and chatting with her friends on the team haha. 

Levi is growing up faster than I can even believe it. His life is busy with school and friends and piano and soccer. 

He still loves Legos and he and his friends make great creations.

 

He likes to climb our tree in the front yard.

He is also loving soccer and getting more aggressive and improving his ball-handling skills. His team had a spontaneous group hug during halftime yesterday and my heart melted a little. 

Levi also got to go to his friend Landrys birthday party yesterday which he really enjoyed. 

But Kyler is still Levi’s bestie. He goes over to Kyler's house every Tuesday and I’m really grateful he’s got a good friend who is also a member of the church.