The Days of Our Lives...

Welcome to another week in the Tharp household! Daddy got home Monday evening, and we are thrilled. Grammie got home safely from our Worland airport Saturday, and we can't wait to see Auntie Hannah in a few weeks. We then head to Charlotte, NC to visit the Brooks family and hopefully meet up with Ipa. We only wish Auntie Sumner could join us! We've had a fun week so far and have fun things planned for the rest of the sunny week as well. Friday we're headed to Meeteetse with the Shade kiddos (OK, yes I'm excited to have an outing with Momma Amanda too!) to visit a special Lincoln exhibit at the museum. It's geared for kids, so it should be a lot of fun. We then plan on having a picnic if the weather stays nice. Saturday we have a birthday party, so it will be a busy few days. I'm headed to a board meeting at the hospital tomorrow evening to talk about our plans to help recruit new doctors. I met with hospital officials last week for some brainstorming, and we're all really excited. We have a possible family doctor visiting next week and Amanda and I have been working on a productive morning with his wife. It should be a lot of fun.

This week has been full of new adventures...mainly eating for Beckett. He'll be 6 months old next week and is just starting to like cereal. He's eaten a whole bowl for the last several days and has a lot of fun playing with the new texture in his mouth. He's just such a happy boy when he gets his sleep and is not battling teeth.

Yummy?...

Yes, yummy...

More, please!

Natalie had a busy day at school yesterday but still wanted to go to the grocery store on the way home. Against my better judgement I agreed, and I learned my lesson! Since I had both kids with me, there was no room for her in the cart and all the little push carts for toddlers were gone (that really helps keep her focused and occupied). So, we ventured in anyway with the agreement that if she cooperated and listened well she could get a surprise out of the 25 cent machines on the way out. Well, I had to get strict with her every two seconds, and she kept throwing her toy horse all over the produce. Luckilly Mrs. Forshee got to see the fireworks at the end and the wonderful emotional performance put forth by my daughter in the checkout line. She asked if she could get a surprise, and I politely told her she didn't listen very well this time so we would try again next time. I knew it was coming, so I couldn't do much more than giggle at the situation when she hit the floor in full tantrum mode and tried to jump out of the cart when Adrienne graciously offered to pick her up and try and console her. Luckilly it was mid-day and not many people were shopping. At that point I couldn't give in, so Adrienne helped put the green bags in my cart while I lugged the two babes outside. I was proud of myself for going with the flow, accepting the fact that the more I pushed her to stop screaming the more she would scream, so quiet "shushing" and hugs were all I could give her. Needless to say, Nattie was asleep in her carseat within 5 minutes, and I will no longer try to avoid another trip into town by shopping after school. Beckett didn't make a peep the whole time, and the silver lining was I got to visit with Mrs. Nice-Lady Forshee from Ten Sleep that I don't often see, but that fate has thrown with me twice in the last two weeks!

Grandpa Guy is coming over today for a few hours so I can get a cleaning at the dentist and work out. Beckett is getting more used to him these days, so I hope all goes well! We hope you all are having a great week and those of you with sick kiddos can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Love and hugs to all.

Natalie with her new electric toothbrush. She likes ours and seems to brush more enthusiasticly with her new one.

"Convince your children that your love is not based on their performance." ~unknown

A Sad Goodbye

Well, we got up early to take Grammie to the airport this morning and say goodbye until we make the trip out to Portland this summer. It was a fun visit, and she was tons of help while she was here! I think I only did dishes twice in 10 days! Anyway, we went into our little Worland airport for a bit to wait, and her plane was running late and Beckett was ready for his morning nap, so we headed out about a half hour later. Natalie kept wanting to go through the security check, and it wasn't that busy with all two passengers waiting to board. We chatted with Susan from church who works there and let Nattie run around a bit, then we were on our way. We can't wait to go to the same airport in a few weeks and pick up Auntie Hannah! It is so nice to have a major connection in Denver now so people can actually fly into Worland at a reasonable price. I think we'll do that the next time we have to fly to Portland.


Grammie with the babes...

Grammie and Natalie planting the shamrock seeds Auntie Sumner sent. It should be a fun project to watch grow. Don't you know all gardening should be done in the nude?

And here is an adorable video of Beckett falling asleep in his bouncer. He's done it twice so far, and it is so cute. He's not been sleeping well at night the last week or so, maybe his teeth since that one has still not poked through! He just drools constantly and chews on anything, mostly his little hands, to the point that the entire front of his shirts are wet. Poor little guy. The last two nights he was up at least 8 times each night, so last night I finally broke down and put him in bed with me. I know we just got him to sleep in his own crib, but I needed some more rest.

I met with some people at the hospital yesterday after getting approval from the county commissioners Tuesday to form a citizen's group to help bring more family doctors to Worland. Both of our doctors, whom we absolutely loved, left Worland in the last few years, and we need a better system to keep them here. I am tired of trying to find people I trust with my kids or debating whether or not to drive 2 hours to a bigger hospital. Anyway, both the hospital and county commissioners think it's a great idea, and I'm working with our local business development asosciation to get some funding. We'll see what pans out in the next few weeks...

We're going to have a quiet weekend at home, and Daddy should hopefully be back tomorrow! He's been really busy in North Dakota, and it is not warm up there to say the least. Baby Gracie is home from the hospital and recovering well, as is her sister with a bad ear infection. I wish I could run up there and help you, Suzi! Just remember you have so much love being sent your way and tons of people near and far who are thinking about you guys. Those of you with small kids be ware of the RSV virus this winter...it seems to be especially bad this year. We hope you all had a good week and can enjoy a relaxing weekend. And to my dearest Bee, thanks so much for your words of wisdom this week. You are stronger and more beautiful than you know. Hugs to all.

"From the rocking horse to the rocking chair, friendship keeps teaching us about being human." ~Letty Cottin Pogrebin, American writer

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Happy Belated Valentine's Day to everyone near and far!

We've had a busy week around here, but we've really enjoyed having Grammie here to help and visit, and momma and daddy actually got to go out on a date night! It was super fun, complete with interesting and highly entertaining conversation. We joined the Forshee's Friday night at the Trapper Creek Lodge and Supper Club for a "Nathan/Kyle/Adrienne birthday /Valentine dinner." We had not visited with them (nor been out without children) for quite a while, so it was a blast to just relax, have a glass of wine and "talk big kid talk." We stopped in Greybull on the way home and ran into some other friends, so we got to catch up with a lot of people that night. We actually stayed out past midnight, which I told Grammie I don't remember the last time I was up that late. We thank Grammie a ton for watching the kids so late and are grateful for our time with good friends.

Our beautiful babes are doing well and growing strong. Beckett rolled over a few times again this week, and he's starting to sleep through the night more often than not. Nattie got a hair cut the other day, which was supposed to be just a trim, but momma got a little carried away and it ended up a bob cut. Regardless, she looks adorable and loves it. No matter what, it's easier to comb, which makes it all worth it!

We got back from Hyattville this afternoon after celebrating Grandma Phyllis's birthday last night and staying over to go to church this morning. We had a big family dinner that was delicious and even got to enjoy some music by Aunt Pam and Uncle Terry. It is really fun to hear them play their strings together. We also got a special visit with Uncle Nick and Great Grandpa Chauncey at Jill's this morning.




Natalie and Grammie making chocolate sugar cookies for Grandma Phyllis...

Nattie with her own special rolling pin

She started to help feed Beckett this week, and he has started feeding himself sometimes, too.

And here we are all dressed up for our date night...it was so much fun!

Well, we hope you all have a blessed week and stay happy and healthy. It's great that our friend's baby Tanner is recovering well out of the hospital now, but I just talked to Suzi yesterday and now her baby Gracie has the RSV respiratory infection, too. They have not hospitalized her yet, but they are doing breathing treatments and keeping a close eye on her. Please keep them in your prayers. We love and miss you all and can't wait to see some of you soon next month! Hugs to all.

"Close friends contribute to our personal growth. They also contribute to our personal pleasure, making the music sound sweeter, the wine taste richer, the laughter ring louder because they are there." ~Judith Viorst

Blessings

"Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children." ~Sitting Bull



This week the weather has been a bit warmer and our spring spirits are returning (even though it will get very cold again soon!). We've had a great week playing with each other, visiting with friends and accomplishing goals, and we're looking forward to Grammie's visit next week. I've just been feeling so blessed this week! Our good friends' new baby got to come home from more than a week in the ICU in Billings with a respiratory infection, so that was also great news. I also started journaling again this week and have found it very fulfilling. I told Kyle it may be the path to writing my collection of short stories I hope to someday publish...dreams are good, right? He he he.

Anyway, Beckett's teeth are still bothering him a bit, so some nights have not been too good. I've been on the couch for almost two weeks to be closer to his new room, and Kyle helped relieve me a lot this weekend. He's here now but may have to go to Arkansas to work for a few weeks. How strange would that be? I told him I just know his teeth are going to drop out and he'll fall in love with some long lost cousin if he goes! It's just a possibility, but hopefully it would happen while my mom is here to help!

Beckett turned 5 months old yesterday and just keeps growing and growing. He's grown almost 6 inches in 5 months! He wears a lot of 9-12 month outfits already, but I've been told boys just seem to grow faster in the beginning in general. He is starting to really laugh a lot and be more involved with Natalie, and she enjoys that a lot. Here are some photos I took this week. I plan on tweaking and framing a few.

Natalie reading to Beckett

I just love this one! They are so good together, and she just relishes the role of big sister.

We hope you all have a great weekend and find signs of spring! Hugs to all.

"Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now, I have six children and no theories." ~John Wilmont, Earl of Rochester

Well, another week is gone again! A recap of this week can be summed up with colors...Nattie's nose is still running bright green and Kyle's ankle is a lovely shade of purple after twisting it playing basketball. It's still really cold here, but we've had heat the whole week! Nattie has been having fun checking cows with Daddy every day since Grandma and Grandpa Tharp are visiting Cousin Madison in Nebraska, and Beckett's teeth are bothering him on and off. We had some fun play dates this week, and I had my first parent-teacher conference for Natalie! Wow, that does make me sound old. Anyway, iy was so fun to hear someone else talk about how she is when I'm not around because the only perspective I ever get is from being her stay-at-home mom. She's really good at counting and naming her shapes, and it surprised me when she said she has a hard time doing large group activities sometimes. She's great in small groups, though, which is just fine. I'm just so glad she has a great place to start her school journey.

Not much else is new here. I'm headed to a movie with Mandy tomorrow afternoon and we're looking forward to Grammie's visit Feb. 11 and our trip to North Carolina with Auntie Hannah in March to visit Nana and Papa Brooks. We are all happy and (relatively) healthy and hope you all are the same. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers little Tanner Griemsman, our friend's new one-month old baby who is hospitalized with a bad respiratory infection called RSV. What a horrible thing to see your new baby struggle to breathe. Hugs to all.

Here is the video of Beckett and his girlfriend Blake from our trip last weekend.

"We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom." ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Girl Time!

Well, we had a really fun trip to Montana this past weekend, despite 2 degree weather and lots of snow! I got to hang out with Suzi and Lauren most of Friday and Saturday, then bummed around Lauren's again Sunday while I waited for Kyle to finish his tournament. It was so much fun! It's hard to believe we've known each other for 10 years this year and now we all have babies the same age! Those college days are long gone, but it's fun to laugh about them now. Kyle and I got to meet Gracie Ella, born in November. She is such the opposite of her big sis Claire. Gracie has red hair and blue eyes and still looks like a newborn because she's so tiny! Lauren's little Blake, born in August, is growing like a weed and has lighter hair now than when I last saw her. We have some great video of her and Beckett "talking" to each other. They're sitting in the same chair, touching each other's faces and just having a great old time. As soon as Brune sends it to me I'll post it. I missed my little Natalie dearly, but she had fun with Grandma and Grandpa, naming all the new calves Panda and Bambi and freckles. Here are some weekend photos...

Suzi, Jess and Lauren... now the college mommies instead of roomies!

Beckett visiting with Gracie...

Suzi and Gracie...

Momma and Beckett...

Beckett was really struggling with teeth last week and screamed almost all the time and quit sleeping! I thought for sure he had an ear infection or something, but he got all checked out and was diagnosed as an early teether due to his swollen gums and constant hand-chewing. Tylenol and teething gel helped a little, but he finally got some relief when that bottom tooth decided to go down again instead of poke through. Hopefully this will get easier for him. I don't remember Natalie having that much trouble, but they say it's different for each kiddo. At any rate, he slept a lot on our trip catching up from his lack thereof last week. He also tried his first rice cereal last night and ate a few spoonfulls. Our little man is sure growing fast!

As Nattie told her teacher this morning, "We had an adventure last night!" We sure did. The power went out last night, and after a few hours the temperature in the house had dropped a lot, so at 4:30 this morning I packed up the kids and headed into town to Mandy's house! I knew I could count on her, and I thought Brad would be working nights, which he wasn't. Anyway, we camped out in their spare room under the electric blanket and came home about 9:30 this morning once all was restored to normal. Being without power isn't that big of a deal...unless it's 28 below zero! Yes, it is very cold here now, and we were worried about the kids getting too cold and having no warm bottles for Beckett. Natalie kept asking why our house was broken, and we told her hopefully it wouldn't last long! When Kyle called in the wee hours they said they didn't know how ling it would take, but luckilly not longer than it did because we were worried about the pipes freezing. Anyway, THANKS BRAD AND MANDY for letting us invade your home.

Not much more news from us. We hope you all are staying happy and warm! Hugs to all.

Quick Update

I don't have any new pictures to post from the last few days, but thought I would give a quick update on Natalie's appointment from Wednesday.

The specialist was very nice and confirmed what I had suspected but just wanted to check out. We are doing everything right with Natalie's tummy problems at this stage. The medication will not have any longterm effects, and we should just keep on it, reducing the dose in the future as long as it keeps working. She's only thrown up twice since being on it, so that is really good. There are no indications that she may have other problems like an ulcer, but if she still needs medication next year we will run some more tests. She said two percent of kids won't grow out of it (most do by age 2) so she may have these issues for life. As long as we stick to her good diet and do what we can to keep things normal, she should be fine. Natalie was very talkative and good in the office and loved the talking parrot in the waiting room! It was a cute African Gray named Morgan who gave Natalie a high five. That was the highlight of our quick trip.

Anyway, we have a birthday party tomorrow and are looking forward to our trip north next weekend! We are all still trying to get over the nasty head cold that's been hanging around for weeks now, but other than that we are just fine and dandy. Hope you all have a fun weekend. Hugs to all.