Cruisin' part 2

The weather this year has been a little bit crazy. Our cruise was the second week of Sept. So I anticipated it would be warm, but not so hot and humid that my hair would need it's own cabin. I was WRONG. Once we made it past the tip of Baja, it got hot and muggy. Cabo San Lucas was truly miserable. It was 90* plus with at least 90% humidity. Not being big on the costly ship excursions, we just decided to go ashore and see what happened. We found a water taxi that took the 5 (us plus Grandpa) of us out to Lover's Beach and the Arch and Divorce Beach for $40 US. The ship wanted $40 per person. So we go a little tour, the dropped us at the beach and we hung out for a while. It was not a bad visit, but so hot and we didn't have life jackets for the kids, so we dared not go to far out in the ocean, as there was a bit of a shelf and an under toe. I think we were all happy to get back on the ship and peel our stick clothing off ourselves. The second day in Cabo, the kids stayed on the big ship with the Grandparents and Greg and I got off and wandered around. It was still too hot to be comfortable, so we ambled along and found Cabo Wabo (hello, we were in Cabo!) and at 10 a.m. I had a daiquiri and it was awesome. We sat there for a bit and then meandered down the road for a little bit longer, but ultimately just decided to take a water taxi back over to the pier and grab some lunch and a coke (oh, Mexi-coke how I LOVE you) before we got back on board the ship. Cabo is not bad, and maybe if we had gotten more into town it would have been even better, but it was so freaking hot and humid I had a hard time wanting to do anything!
Our second (third? after two days in one location) stop was by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Puerto Vallerta was green and lush and ohlala. I was smitten for the moment I saw it. Gorgeous. We had decide to splurge and give the kids one big adventure, so we booked the Pirate Ship adventure for the majority of the day. Ohmygosh! It was great. You have your own personal pirate for your party who takes care of everything from serving your food to bringing you drinks, to helping you with water sports. We had an awesome pirate, who was so good with the kids. We loved this because it was kind-of an all inclusive excursion. It included breakfast and lunch and drinks. The food was pretty good. And truly we had a ball. We got on board, had breakfast, got seated, watched an awesome little action packed show, which included the pirates jumping overboard while we were cruising along the ocean and shooting at each other. Nathan LOVED it. He was all over the place trying to watch everything. Alex enjoyed it too. We then got to spend 2 hours on a private beach. It was so nice. There were drinks. Some water sports, Nathan loved the boogie boards. And even a chance to go snorkeling and kayaking. Greg, Mike, and Steph got to go snorkeling, I got to be mom and hang with the kids, mostly because I didn't think it was fair to just ditch them on Grandpa, though I know he would have happily taken them. Alex, of that girl, she was happy as a clam to just float in the ocean. Literally. Once the snorkelers came back, she and Aunt Stephy went out up to Stephy's neck and stayed there until it was time to get back on board the pirate ship. We loved that adventure, I can safely say it was worth all the bucks I spent on it.
Our last 2 days were sea days and they got a little stormy, but we still had fun. The kids discovered that the loved the stage shows that went on every night. Nathan was in awe, Alex made it half way through and then crashed hard, and slept on mine or Greg's lap for the remainder of the show. We quickly learned to just put her in her PJ's before we went to the theater. We swan in the swimming pools, soaked in the hot tub, and lest I forget the water slide, which Alex rode all by herself. That child is fearless!
Mostly this trip was a great way to reconnect, not only with the 3 most important people in my life, but also with Greg's family. I am so lucky to have such great in-laws. Both his parents and his brother and sister-in-law. I love that we can spend a week together and not be miserable. So here it to our next adventure, where ever it may lead!

And we are CRUISIN' part 1

We took a little family vacation last week. Oh, alright, it was a big family vacation. Big trip, new adventure. Lots of family. We took a 7 night cruise to Mexico with the Hub's family. Parents-in-law and siblings-in-law. Actually that only adds four to our count of four.


Anyway, the eight of us jumped on a boat (ship....big old honkin' ship) and made our way down the coast. First, let me tell you that I was a little concerned to be sailing with 2 small children. It was not ever as bad as my mind made it out to be. The SHIP (Carnival Splendor) was more then ready for them and they were beyond taken care of, along with the rest of us. Everyone we had one on one contact with were awesome with the kids. Our room stewards and wait staff were amazing. I think it helped we had a ocean view stateroom. The window was really quite large and the kids loved to crawl up in the opening and just stare at the water.....this is especially true of Nathan (and Greg). Our room was large enough we were not stepping all over each other, and it also helped the Greg's parents were right next door and our rooms connected. Score. There also was the magical thing they call Camp Carnival. I suppose you could look at it as a kind of glorified daycare, but for my kids, it was there chance to get away from us. To go play with the other kids and do all the fun things the staff had planned for them. Everything from movies to art projects to towel creations to video games. They loved it. Nathan asked to go nearly everyday, and by the mid part of the week so was Alex. Greg and I are not big partyers (a shocking revelation I am sure) so we never did the paid part of Camp which ran from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. and I will hold my tongue as to my feelings on the whole thing, because I really didn't need to use it. I was lucky enough to have 2 other sets of parents on board for my kids, should they be necessary. And, I suppose I did use them, on a number of nights we tucked the kids and grandparents into bed and went out to the movie, or the show or bingo. But I would not likely have done that had my wonderful in-laws not been there. But the kids were good, they loved the trip. Heck the tooth fairy even found Nathan when he lost his top tooth while biting into a burrito the first full day of the cruise.

My little ballerina

Or maybe I should title this post "my little sassypants" both titles are very fitting. I know I just said it, but I LOVE this girl. Spunk. Sass. Mouthy. Precious. Amazing. Our first day of ballet. Yes, our. I am so right there with her. I stood glued to the window, tucking in my hiney....engaging my abs.....stand straight and tall. And I could not hear one word. I am such a nerd. I wanted to be right there next to her, but this is her moment and her turn. I want her to love this. I want her to want to dance. I realize I have no control over this, but I want to share this with her. I had to quit dance at way to soon (in my world) because of circumstances beyond my control and I missed it and still do. I am 30-something and still long for a good ballet technique class. Only time will tell how this plays out. I am hoping she will love it and it will be good for her. Keep your fingers crossed!

Talese, one year later.

I am not one to celebrate the anniversary of anyone's death. But I have been thinking about her, so here goes.

Just over a year ago, my sister-in-law's sister died. She was a unique soul who was much different than I, but one I cared for, nonetheless. She was a good friend. And a loving person. She was spunky and had a sweet tooth that would rival anyone you ever knew. She was not afraid to have ice cream for breakfast, or lick the frosting off the cake that had been sitting out for 8 hours. Here are my thoughts for her this morning:

Dear T,

Just over a year ago you made your choice and I hope it has brought you peace.

I wish you were here to get to know my little girl. I think you would enjoy her. She is a piece of work. Spunky and crazy and so fun. She wears ribbons from your collection in her hair all the time and it makes me smile.

I miss you and hope you that you are whole again.

Love,
Joey

Late August 2011

Well, life as we know it will never be the same. Alex is now a preschooler. I know it is trite, but they grow up so freaking fast. Wasn't I just holding a new baby, blah blah blah. I love that my baby is growing into such a sweet girl. She is smarter than I give her credit for....she likes to seem pretty aloof about things, but really sucks them in like a sponge. She is so different from Nathan, which is so much for me to wrap my brain around. I knew they would be different, but I truly had no idea how very different they would be. My little trouble-maker has not given her teacher one bit of grief. I guess she saves it all for me! She loves school and asks every morning when she gets up if it is a school day for her. She also wants to know when she will get to go to Nathan's big school (elementary school).One thing at a time kiddo! Currently she has a thing for baby dolls, "Pocatontis" and Fancy Nancy books. This girl is so amazing. I love watching her grow and learn and surprise me almost everyday.

Early August 2011

Seems our month has flown by. I realize it is only half over really, but there has been so much.

Next week Alex will start preschool. She is so excited. Yesterday I registered her for her first ballet class. She is so excited. The girl does everything full on, so she is always excited.

Nathan has been in school for just about 3 weeks now, and he continues to amaze me. He can count to 8 in Chinese, and I swear his Chinese vocabulary grows every day. I just stare in awe. He is able to pronounce things so clearly, and he loves it. I am excited that we have found such a fun and challenging program. I could never imagine having done what he is going at this age. But I am excited for him to grow and to learn such a unique language.

Greg FINALLY transferred to his new store. Oh, the luxury. He is 15 minutes from home. Went from a 65 mile commute to 15 miles. I think we got a huge raise just based of the gas $$ we will be saving. Plus his new schedule is much more our style and his new 2nd pharmacist seems like a super nice guy.....as opposed to the gems he had been working with. He is looking forward to working to get to know his patients and his staff. Ya Greg!

Me, just mom and chauffeur. Always something that needs to be done.....dishes, laundry, bedrooms, bathrooms. You name it I clean it. I did get to love on some brand new puppies yesterday. Oh my are they sweet. And no we are not getting one.

Smoke Alarms and the Sound of My Voice.

The other day we replaced all the smoke alarms in our house. Or, I suppose I should say Greg replaced all the smoke alarms. I bought them, and was here for moral support, but I in no way changed anything. But, back to the point. After almost 3 years of smoke alarms going off randomly in the middle of the night I could not abide it any longer. Scared the *&^% out of me. Woke up Greg and Nathan. But not Alex. In fact, she did not even roll over. Out cold.

I said something about the fact that Alex slept through the smoke alarms this past week on facebook. Most people thought it was funny. If it had someone else, I probably would have thought it was funny too. Oh, wait I do think its funny and it is my kid. What I think is even more hilarious is that they now make smoke alarms on to which you can record your voice. I saw them at the store but gave them little thought. I thought about it again when my aunt mentioned it. Speaking of funny...........who in the world would think my children would wake to my voice as opposed to a screeching alarm? Certainly not I. I am pretty sure that my voice is on a pitch that my children cannot hear at all. Something akin to a dog whistle. After all I have to say NO to things at least 4 times. And if I ask them to do or not to do something, it must be repeated at least twice. I hope one day that my kids feel compelled to call me and apologize like I do with my mom.

First Grade..part 2

Because your little sister will always try to steal your thunder!

Walking out the door to his first day of FIRST grade 2011-2012!

The day has come. And I think Alex and I are feeling a little lost. I am not sure what to do with just she and I, but we will find our way. Nathan was up extra early this morning and he was ready to go. I had to tell him to go back to bed. But it was a good morning. I made him a good breakfast (french toast and sausage), packed up him lunch (a lunchable sandwich pack plus chips and cookie) and got him ready to go. I decided (along with all the other mom's and dad's) to wait with him at school until he went into class. He was less than impressed. He just wanted me gone, that was especially true once he saw his friend and was off to line up and catch-up. And I was really proud of myself. Hardly an urge to cry....until I saw Ellie and Luke's mom bawling, and then I started with some tears myself, only after I yelled at her to knock it off! {Ellie and Luke's mom is a special person in my life.....her twins were in the same NICU as we were at the same time. How we ended up at the same elementary school is crazy. We lived out here and they bought a house out here. I figured it out last year when they had the same kindergarten teacher and now they have the same 1st grade teacher too. Their mom and I have a special bond.....one that never requires words.} Then Alex and I were off. It will be strange to not have him at home all day, and we will miss him. But he is off to conquer the world is his own Nathan way.

First Grade......part 1.

In just about 30 minutes Nathan will meet his English speaking first grade teacher, shortly after that we will meet his Chinese speaking teacher. Then tomorrow he will have his first full day of first grade. My mind is whirling. I am excited, nervous, anxious.....you would think it is my first day! I want things to go so well for him. To learn and to grow. I am excited for the chance to spend some one on one time with my sweet girl. She and I, we are going to miss Nate during the day, but I think that we will be happy to spend quality time together. It will be interesting to see how it is just she and I all day together.

July 2011

Wowzers......It has been a long time. Long Long Long time! There is no way I can catch up on everything in one post, so I will just start from now and will try to go back at later dates.

As thing stand right now, there is a lot that is to come........the most pressing of which is that Nathan will be starting FIRST grade in less than a week. How the hell did that happen?!?! We are really excited that he is going to be joining the Chinese immersion program at the elementary school he attends. Both we, as his parents, and Nathan are excited for this awesome program and awesome challenge. He will spend half the day learning from an English speaking teacher and half the day learning from a Chinese speaking teacher. He has a friend who lives in a different school district that has completed her first year in the program and has loved it. We look forward to him having to put some work into learning. We all agree it is going to be one crazy adventure!

Come a little farther into August and Alex will also be going to school. This will be her first year of preschool, and for me that means 4 hours a week to myself. I have not had that in almost 7 years and am not quite sure what to do with myself. I am both excited for this time, and a little sad to think my baby girl has grown up so fast. Trust me, she has no qualms about kicking my butt to the curb so she can go do her thing at school. She thinks it is about freakin' time she gets to go to school too.

Greg should soon be starting his adventure in his new store. If they ever get the transfer completed, we are now at almost 4 weeks and counting. But it will be so great to go from a 65 mile commute to 15 miles. And we will be going back to a schedule that our family deals with much better. We are greatful for his job, and looking forward to all that is to come, but mostly getting rid of that crazy commute.

Third of July

Oh if only you could read their little signs....It is their names and ages, so here we go.......

Back row: Andrew (2) ....he and his bro were napping so parents are standing in.

Middle Row: Max (4), Nathan (6), Riley (11), Jack (9), Madison (6), Cooper (2)...see above.

Front Row: Mari (7), Alexandra (3)

We, as a big old extended family, were lucky enough to have both of my cousins home for the fourth of July weekend. This was a big deal because Zeke and his brother (and twin) Max are both active duty in the Army and have been for many years. Zeke just barely got home for a nearly year long deployment in Afghanistan and he and Max are both stationed in the same place for the first time in a long time. So when they asked if they could do a family party at our house, there was not doubt that we would say yes. Of course in 2011 we had only one day over 100 degrees in the entire summer and it was July 3rd. So it was hot, but we are fortunate to have a great back yard with lots of grown trees. So we had lots of shade. A lot of great food and wonderful family and friends. I have made it a point to figure out how to entertain massive amounts of children and have decided a bounce house is always a hit. And if it is over 100 degrees and you can add water to that.....you might just find gold stars on your forehead. These kids had a great time. And so did I. I am happy my cousins are safe and sound on US soil. I am grateful for what they do every day that allows me to do what I do. I could not be more proud of those 2. And I will have a party for them ANYtime they want.

2011

Wholly neglected blog batman! I have been so neglectful about posting for the past month or so. Partly the craziness of Christmas and partly because we all had the crap around here. Yuck! Greg and I rocked some kind horrible head cold thingy. It was miserable. Then the kids got strep. Yehaaa! We needed that. So I have a lot to catch up on, and fully intend to do so, but bear with me! 2011 is starting off with a BANG! I have a new job with the March of Dimes. Needless to say, things never seem to slow down. And as proof, I offer the fact that Alex will be 3 in a in 9 days. Wholly crap, that was FAST!

December 3

More than just a date, it is my birthday. I have had pretty much a regular day at home. Cleaning things up, hanging with my cute little family and enjoying just being me. My mom and brother (I already had the twiners all day long) joined us for a delicious Chinese food dinner and a fantastic cake. I got some fun gifts and am ready to roll into bed. After all, today may be my birthday, but after December 3 always comes December 4. And that means Nathan's birthday. He will be 6 this year. SIX!! I know I lament every year that this cannot be happening, but I am truly shocked every year. I will never forget 27. It was one of the best and scariest birthdays ever. I know by now you have all heard the story, so I will not bore you all with it again (you can read it here if you have missed it before). But really, where does the time go? I am not nearly as shocked about turning (cough33mumble) as I am about my son growing up and turning 6. I am happy with another year with my family and friends. I am right where I belong. I love you all.

Alex's Ouchie

*camera has been found...sorry it is so blurry, but I think you get the jist. By the way, all the redish/pinkish stuff is blood. Eek!

I need to find my camera, so I can share the awful pictures with you. Nothing like starting the day off with a good old "mommy heartattack". We did that yesterday, my sweet girl and I. And 36 hours later, every time I think of it I squirm! First, if you recall, way back in the day (like last year) we went through a period of time when there were no chairs in our kitchen. Because someone (Alex) was frequently found using them as ladders and climbing on anything she could. The kitchen table, no problem. The counter, you bet. The stove, well why the h#ll not?!?! It was my sincere hope that she would out grown such things and for the most part she has. FOR THE MOST PART. Yesterday morning, we got Nathan off to school and headed upstairs to get dressed and ready. Okay, get me dressed and ready. She was dressed, but needed her little rats nest to be flattened. I needed the full package. Anyhoooooo, we march upstairs, me with a load of clean sheets under one arm. I threw them on the bed and started to fold. She headed through the little door way into my bathroom. I honestly thought nothing of it. She is in there all the time. So she started asking me about some hair gel. I told her no, and to get down. I knew she had to climb to get it, but figured she had a stool or something. No real thought went into it at that moment. Not 30 seconds later, I heard the thud and knew she had fallen. No worries, daily occurrence for her and I. I picked her up and asked her where it hurt, and cradled the back of her head in my hand while I laid her sweet head on my shoulder to tell her she would be okay. It was then that I realized my hand was wet. And it should not have been. I pulled my hand away from her head to find it covered in blood. Not just blood but my kid's blood. I grabbed a towel and held it to her head. And my brain went into over-drive. First thought....must get bra on. Cannot go to any form of doctor bra-less. Funny how our minds work. Second thought.....we have new insurance and I have no freaking clue which insta-care is covered! Sonofabitch!!!! luckily my next thought was that our pediatrician WAS covered and was likely closer than any insta-care anyway. I set her down, had her hold the towel to her head, stripped of my jammies while dialing the phone (hello, I am the queen of memorizing numbers thank heavens!) and spoke to the poor receptionist waaaayyyy to fast. It went something like this.....

me: HimynameisJoeymydaughterisapatientofdoctorsoandsoandshejustfellandhitthebackofherhead
anditisbleedingandyouareascloseasanyinstacre. (breathe)canIbringhertoyou?

poor receptionist:
okay, now what happened? and what is her name?

me:
shefellandhitherheadanditisreallybleeding. (breathe) Alexandra

poor receptionist:
your doctor doesn't have anything right now, can you see a different provider?

me:
YES, SHE IS BLEEDING! I DON'T CARE WHO SHE SEES!

poor receptionist:
how soon can you be here?

me:
five minutes. I just need to put pants on (because she needed to know that?!?!?)

keep in mind that during that phone call, I put on a bra and a t-shirt and calmed down my kid, no wonder I only breathed twice! So I threw poor Lex into her car seat, towel behind her poor head, and off we went (FLEW) to the doctor's office. Of course this is the one day they decide to have traffic on the major road by my house down to one lane and no left turn at the light the Dr's office. So as I muttered many four letter words to the poor street workers (under my breath with the window up) I flipped a u-turn half a block later and got princess parking at the Dr's office. Go me! We ran in the door, signed the "treat me, I will pay you form" and filled out the injury report form and were in a room in less then two minutes. Then the party really got started. First we had to irrigate the wound. So for all you keeping score, we have a scared, injured 2 year old and we are now going to hold her down and shoot water at her ouchie. Not going to go over well. And in fact, it did not. But I did manage to hold her down and sure enough, there was a gaping inch and a half long split down the back of her head. We both knew right away, that as I had suspected, we were going to have to close that sucker. And for better or worse, the Dr said staples were easier, faster and less painful. All of those were good enough for me. So I tried to hold her down, we ended up needing a nurse to hold her head while I pretty much laid on her legs and arms to keep her some kind of still. Jabbed her a few times to numb things up (ya for lidocaine), stapled her HEAD four times and we were done. Okay, that is not completely true. We have, by far, one of the best doctor's offices in existence and they did check her out fully. Including to see if she had bit her tongue (never occurred to me) and make sure she did not have a concussion. We were both pretty sure she didn't. And then, we were released with an appointment for the day after Thanksgiving to have her STAPLES REMOVED FROM HER HEAD!!! Wholly crap! So as I am breathing deeply and sighing relief on the way home I hear a voice from the backseat say....Mommy, I still want apples. So screw it, I turn into the grocery store, march in, with my uncombed hair and unbrushed teeth, and buy the poor kid some apples. The rest of the day was long. She got cranky and finally feel asleep in her car seat on the way home from school. And she woke from her nap about 5 levels past cranky. But she will be good as new, in 9 days. When they take the STAPLES OUT OF HER HEAD! Really I am surprised it took her this long, Nathan had stitches 3 times by the time he was 2. But I was never alone with him when he go hurt (witnesses are good!). I would like to NOT do this again. And, I am pretty sure I am going to make Greg take her to get the damn staples out! Sheesh!

Halloween 2010

Nathan's Kindergarten Party! I loved being able to be in his classroom and help out with the party!!

The pre-trick or treat group shot
Alex, Alyssa, Nathan, Mari, Katy
Tinkerbell, Barbie Mermaid, Hook, Annie, Kitty Cat


Tink and Hook before school

Alex pretty much threw on a whole bunch of random clothing, but it turned out super cute.

Halloween this year was great! First elementary school party, which was so fun. Amazing costumes, which I am unable to take any credit for. My super wonderful neighbor pulled these awesome numbers out of her storage from when her kids were small, as in almost 20 years ago. They were a sure fire hit with my children!! And amazing. Julie has been holding out on me, that woman can SEW!! She made these costumes for her 2 the year HOOK came out. And they got their send wind with my kids, who were more than thrilled to be wearing Courtney and Cameron's old costumes. Thank you is an understatement. And I shall return them as soon as I get them spruced up a bit!!

The Richmond's were kind enough to invite us (and our friends) to their house for a lovely little Halloween party, complete with chili dinner, homemade root beer and a fantastic chemistry show done by a real chemist. The kids loved the dry ice experiments and the carving of a pumpkin with aerosol spray and a lighter. It was so neat! So thanks to Karey and Andy for having us...all of us!! We had a ball!

Middle Name Game

I got this in my email and thought it was kinda fun! So here are my Marvelous answers!

Answer the questions using the first letter of you middle name!

1. What is your Middle name -- Meredith
2. 4 Letter Word --- Meow
3. Boy Name -- Michael
4. Girl name -- Millicent
5. An Occupation -- Mother (pays hugs and kisses)
6. Something you wear -- mullett
7. Beverage – milk (chocloate of course)
8. A Place – Mountains
9. Something you shout – Moron!! (usually while driving)
10. Color – Magenta

You can play along by posting this on your blog too!!

Random Thoughts

As I sit here on this random Wednesday, my thoughts are this:

1. turn down the freakin volume. there are currently 5 children under the age of 5 talking/yelling/playing.

2. i am warm for the first time in days. this has an impact on me, because i am rarely cold.

3. why in the world would you make child size gloves that are not waterproof. duh!

4. laundry never ends.

5. despite my love of winter, i am not ready for SNOW! so the 3 inches in my yard better melt fast.

6. i cannot get used to Greg's new work schedule.

7. wow wow wubbzy makes me want to shove a sharp object in my ear.

8. dishes never end.

9. i want to make cinnamon rolls and cannot find the motivation to do such.

10. a nap would be so nice. too bad it is all a fantasy.

Las Vegas Ladies

The first week of October I was able to slip away for some much needed girl time. And I do mean much needed! The girls and I boarded a plane for the hour long flight to Vegas after some 3 months of anticipation! When anyone asked what our plans were, we told them we were going to Vegas to eat. And we did that a lot. We also shopped and shopped and had some hilarious moments that will hopefully be enough to carry me through to the next trip we get to take together. First things first. Let me introduce you to my friends who were kind enough to run away with me.....

In the gray here on the left we have my sista-cousin Amy, her bestie Jodi, that would be me in the purple, and last, but not least in the polka dots we have Heather, my BFF. I am not one who usually buys the pictures that they take at these places and charge a ridiculous amount of money for, but since we all looked pretty darn good in this one, I forked out the eleven bucks. And really I am glad I did, we had a hard time getting pictures of all four of us. This was lunch on Tuesday at Cabowabo at Planet Hollywood. That place had the most ah-mazing poblano cream sauce I have ever tasted. It was so good we were dipping our chips and fries in it. Our waitress even made us ice water to go.....super nice. We enjoyed the buffet at the Paris (twice) and Cheesecake Factory, only because Jodi have never had the chance to indulge there before and Chinese at Chin Chin as NYNY. Lovely! We had a ball. Found the best place ever to stay.....just off the strip and the pool was open until 11! The hot tub was amazing after a day of walking. Oh, and how could I ever forget the Premium Outlets.....got a little something at Kate Spade and Dooney and Bourke. Ahhhhhhhh!

Now is it back to home to dishes and laundry and carpool. But I am good. I had a chance to spend a few days with some of the best friends a girl could ask for. Maybe it was Vegas, or maybe I am really just that lucky.

Alex-isms

From the mouth of babes comes the funniest stuff ever!!

enie mennie miney mo catcha a tiger by the fish (I have no idea where a tiger's fish is... I guess you could catch a tiger WITH a fish, but not by one)

I was singing "You are my sunshine" and she told me she was taking the sunshine and leaving with it.

Off-Track

Year round school. Totally new concept to me. Yes, I knew it existed, but I had never actually lived by it in anyway. Year round did not come along until I was out of elementary school (way back in the day) and since this is my first child in the public school system, I am a year round virgin. I am pausing while you giggle. So I sit here, finally nearing the end of our first off-track block, and wholly crap am I glad it is nearly over. I have no idea who in the heck came up with this whole idea, but really................they were dumb. You are on-track just long enough to develop a routine, establish a pattern and then ta-da............throw a wrench in the whole works. I am not particularly thrilled. And I am not sure it is great for the kids, but what do I know I am just the mom.


So, off-track. I feel like I have spent the last 2 1/2 weeks fighting an invisible monster (school schedule) and just allowing the kids to be kids and do kid things. I have tried to keep them on track with bedtime and meal times and all that, but at some point I think you gotta go with the flow. We have been lucky to have Daddy home the whole time until just this past week, so that has been nice. And we have had the chance to do a few big things. We went to Red Butte Gardens with my mom. And Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point, where we rode the ponies. We bought ice cream from the ice cream truck. And we have made so many laps to Richmond's house (down the street) and back, that I am pretty sure there are tracks in the asphalt and the concrete. Tonight we will end our 1st off track ever with the mother of all kid events. The sleepover!! Nathan and Katy and Alex are so excited. We chowed the pizza. I ordered waaaay to much as usual! And now they are off playing before we pull out the popcorn and movies. Ahhhh kid heaven.

Monday morning will be interesting to say the least. I will have to let you know how back to school goes. For now, I think we will enjoy the weekend. Daddy is off, I have a trip to get ready for, and no matter what, Monday will come all too soon. Until then, maybe we will do what we have done for the past 3 weeks. Pretend that it is not waiting in the wings.

Sad.

We are sad around here. We lost a friend. And KeAnne's sister this past weekend. As hard as it is for me to know she is gone, I am even more hurt for my sweet sister-in-law. And to have to watch my little brother watch his wife hurt. I wish more than anything I could take it all away from them, to not have to see her cry and to see the anguish in his eye as he sees his wife's heart breaking. It just kills me.

Sweet Talese. I wonder if you know the wave you have made. I am sure you have no idea how far reaching this is. How many people you have affected. An insignificant moment, but, it is said that the beat of a butterflies wings can cause a hurricane. And boy has it. We will miss you. We will love you. I will keep in my heart my memories of you. The last, most vivid, you sitting at a long table with a cake in front of you. No utensils to be found, but that did not stop you. You dug right into the frosting and told me to come have some...it was pretty good. You always had a sweet tooth. I pray that you have found peace. And that your friends and family will too.

Crazy

There is a little bit of crazy going on here right now. Okay, so maybe I should say some EXTRA crazy! So if I get a little rambly or sound a little nutty, I ask you to please forgive me. Hopefully it will be short lived and I will be able to resume my normal level of just plain unhinged soon. But in the mean time, realize I am a bit resentful and a whole lotta grumpy. And it is going to take me some time to work through that, which may mean I get a little more wild then usual on here. In the mean time, enjoy my insanity. It will make you feel better about your life.

Kindergarten

I am not sure how, when, or why, but today Nathan started kindergarten. I am not sure who told my baby boy he could grow up, but when I find them............they are going to be sorry. I cannot believe that my little bundle of joy is now a school aged kid. And let's be honest, I am the only one who had a hard time with the first day of school. He was so excited and so ready. He kissed me, grabbed his dad's hand and headed off across the parking lot without a second thought or a glance back at me. Which is probably good, because I was standing there behind my sunglasses crying harder than the day he was born. I am a huge sap. Easy to cry. Always have been and I assume always will be. So despite all my motherly objections that he can not be old enough or ready, he is all of thee above. Such a joy! My wonderful son off to discover the world that school and a little bit of freedom can offer. Enjoy it kid. I love you kiddo, and you will always be my baby boy..........you probably ought to come terms with that now.

Alaska...over and out!

Nine long nights, and some really long days too, Greg made it home safe and sound! We could not have been happier for his return. The fantastic Courtney came and stayed with the boys while they napped so the kids and I could go to the airport and retrieve our long lost father and husband. And I was tickled to see him, unshaven, stinky and all. I ordered him to the shower as soon as we got in the house! We now have our freezer refilled with 50+ pounds of fish we are not likely to eat, but he is refreshed and home. I really want him to be able to go and do these trips, but safe to say 9 nights was toooooooo many. I was tired of single mommyhood and to be honest, I think the kids were sick of me. I was delighted to let them be totally lost in their father..until he went to work the next morning. October is not coming fast enough!

Heart 2 Home

So, you have read my posts about Presley. She is a beautiful 2 year old, who, due to a rare genetic condition is in a wheelchair and breathes through a trache. Her family is being considered by the Heart 2 Home foundation for a mini home makeover, so the house will be more wheelchair friendly. Currently on facebook, APX Gives Back is looking to give some big bucks to a charity, and it would be great if Heart 2 Home was that charity! They are in the running, so if you are on facebook and it would be great if you could click over and vote! The monies would go along way to help this organiztion help a family in need, and if it is not my friends, it could be someone you know down the road! Do it! Vote! You know you want to!!

Alaska Day 3

My mom was off today, so I got a little break to go get my car inspected. Should have stayed home. After 2 (yes TWO) ridiculous hours, I find out not only is my car NOT done, after they quoted me 90 minutes, but they have pulled it off half finished so that they could bump an "appointment" ahead of me. After I stared at him in disbelief, I told him to give me my keys, I was done. No one had said they were moving another person ahead of me and they were already 30 minutes over their time quote. I must look like I have all day. Seriously, the only thing saving them from public display of my displeasure is that they gave me the emission test they had finished for free. Needless to say I will NOT be returning, and once I can keep a civil tongue in my head there will be a very unhappy letter going out. But other than that we were good. Court took the kids for Slurpees (she is the best!!!) We had pizza for dinner and now my 2 sweet angels are fast asleep, I think I shall join them! Good Night all!

Alaska Day 2

As I sit here at 10:12pm, I hear the sounds of quiet, not just sleeping quiet, but the true silence of being home alone. It is strange. Really strange. It has been a long time since I was home alone for more than 10 minutes. And I am not sure if it is comforting or driving me crazy. The kids are with their Grandma's. Grandma has Nathan and Gran has Alex. We usually don't split them up, but Nathan has been begging to see a movie and Alex.............well there is no movie that can keep her attention at this point! So they went their separate ways, and I went to dinner with a girlfriend from high school. It was great to catch up with her!
Nathan had his last day of swimming lessons today and he has already asked me to sign him up for some at the rec center. I guess I had better look and see when the new lessons start! A smooth day! Guess I will go finish cleaning up the family room, the way I want with no little monsters following behind pulling out all that I put away!

Alaska, Day 1

We dropped Greg off at the airport last night for his yearly jaunt to Alaska. As usual, there were a lot of hugs and kisses and "I go with you", but the kids and I drove away and left Daddy and Grandpa to the "big airplane" to go to 'laska. And we got home before the crying and whining started. Luckily, they had not yet boarded when we got here, so I let the kids call him, and that seemed to help. I got them to bed in a decent fashion........I still am not sure why it is different, I put them to bed by myself all the time, but somehow it was, and after a zillion more "mom's" I got them both to bed, the dishes done and myself to bed before midnight! Score. Night was uneventful, even though we had a storm blow through, every one (who is small or a dog) slept all the way through the night. Alex climbed in bed with me a little after 6 am and asked where her daddy was...I said Alaska and we both rolled over and went back to sleep. When the alarm went off, I climbed out of bed, and the rest of the day went pretty much as usual. With the exception that Alex slept until 9 am. I think she has a cold, gauging by the green crusties in her poor nose.

Dog Days of Summer

Conan and Roofus (I give up it won't center!)


It is officially the dog days of summer. And that is especially true around here! A little over 4 days ago, we were delivered 2 very large, very young, very lost pups. Big, black German Shepard pups. Conan and Roofus. 10 months and 8 months respectively. Their people are my cousins, twins none the less, who are both in the Army. One flies helicopters, and is on a training assignment, the other is being deployed (again). Their trips were not supposed to over lap. Max was supposed to be home before Zeke left, but that is not the way it turned out, so these pups were left a little high and dry. So what could we do with our 1/3 acre fenced yard. We offered to doggy sit from when Z leaves until Max gets back with his 60 million dollar office. As I am sure the offending terrorist read my blog (hahahahaha!) I won't disclose too much, but to say that Z is going over the pond, to the land of sand. Max is somewhere stateside, as if I can keep track of them, I can't even find my checkbook at present! And I am no longer capable of remembering things like which company or unit they are with. Once upon a time, I knew that information, now I am a looser and just know they are in the Army. Which is probably a good thing, that way I manage to worry a little bit less.
Anyway, back to our house......Nathan is terrified of the dogs. Doesn't help that the first thing he did was take off running and one scared pup tried to coral him. Which just freaked him out more. Alex on the other hand could hardly care less. She does startle when they bark at her...hello they are as tall as she is! But she is constantly running to their treat box for a milkbone. I swear we are going to go through the whole huge box in a week at this rate. Maybe she has learned the most valuable doggy lesson....bribery is good! So things here are crazier than usual, but I am not complaining. Taking care of dogs seems so minor when compared to what my cousins do. They make our country a little safer. It is because of people like them, that my family is able to enjoy such amazing freedoms. Every day, as I feed and care for their pups, I will make sure to whisper my prayer for Max and Zeke to be safe and come home soon. Take care guys, and know that your pups are being loved, and so are you!

Happy July!!

Currently my hubby and little brother are dismanteling our deck so they can get to the broken sprinkler pipe that runs underneath it. Do you know how I know the progress they are making?? I just heard the word "shitballs" Never what you want to hear when it comes to work being done in your yard!! Happy Fourth of July. Or as they put it on Spike TV yesterday during the Star Wars Marathon.........Happy Force of July!!

June 2010, in a nutshell.

I had a typo just now, instead of nutshell, I typed nitshell.....probably should have left it. This month has been a whirl wind. How was it that as a child summers seemed to last forever until the week you went back to school. But as an adult, especially as a parent, time seems to FLY by!! We started June with planning for weddings. Both those were would be attending and one that we would be participating in. Beginning the day was a whirlwind trip to Price for a bridal shower for Sheena, followed up with a lovely rose garden reception for Madison and Joni (my boss's daughter). The next weekend was the BIG one! Greg's (slightly) older brother Mike married his cute bride Stephanie in a lovely ceremony in Midway. The kids and Greg were all part of the bridal party and looked perfect (hey, I get to gloat here!) and as soon as I steal someones pictures I will prove it! Alex was the sweetest little flower girl, who would not allow anything to be done with her hair, and wore her white sport socks down the isle under her sandals. Stunning I tell ya! Nathan HAD to have a suit and like his dad's, so we found a affordable number at Target, and he was the most stunning ring bearer ever. He looked sharp! And my sweet hubby, all done up in his monkey suit looked AMAZING. Hot, Hot, Hot. Best looking best man EVER. Hands down. I was the decorator, and I am proud to say, with the help of my shorter, older twin we totally rocked it!! So to Mike and Steph, many happy years! Toward the middle there, we threw in some good old Country Fest fun and headed to the parade and had bunches of friends over for pizza and fireworks. The big, in the sky ones too! We brought the month to an end with an open house for the Mike and Steph and due to pure inability to drive and function, missed Jesse and Sheena's reception, but we sure wish them lots of love and happiness! I guess you could say we had a "marry" June. July starts tomorrow. And in one month Nathan will start kindergarten. I am reeling!!! My baby boy...in kindergarten! Wholly smokes that was FAST!!! But first, we have swimming lessons to conquer! I am hoping to find my camera soon, and get some pictures up for all to enjoy. Oh, and one more thing, the twins are starting to walk. Ya, July will not be slowing down for us. NOT ONE BIT!

THE Wedding

My bother-in-law is getting married. This Saturday. And needless to say, things here have gotten a little nuts. Mike and Steph are getting married about an hour out of town in at beautiful Inn. Everyone here has big responsibilities. Even the kids. Who are the flower girl and ring bearer. They could not be prouder or more excited. Greg is one of the groomsmen, and I am in charge of the decorations and set-up. Luckily I have amazing friends and family who are going to help me make my vision come true even if they all think I am a little bit cooky right now, becasue I can see it all in my head and am NOT doing welll in sharing it! We should be gettting some family photos taken at the wedding and I will be mroe than happy to share them, once I have copies of them! I am no where near ready, but will be soon. Off to shop for a last few things!

Summer Time

We are in full Summer Time mode round here. The weather is finally cooperating, thank heavens and we are ready for some summer fun. On tap for June we have weddings. Three to be exact. Including the brother-in-law, in which everyone plays a pretty significant roll, but me. Well, maybe that is not entirely true, I am the wrangler for the flower girl and ring bearer and also the best man's wife who will be writing his toast. I guess I have plenty of duties, just none of them official. The other two weddings, I am happy to report, I have no role in except to show up and offer my congratulation to the glowing bride and her lovely groom. Easy enough.

This is our last official summer before we have a school aged child. The boy starts kindergarten this year. I am shocked and awed and a little weepy at the notion that my baby is about to start his school career. I am sure there will be tears on the first day (and make no mistake they will be mine and not his.) He is going to half day kindergarten and then two days a week he will continue at Learning Dynamics with their kindergarten enhancement program. I am sure that is when most of the learning will take place. Seeing that at the Kindergarten meeting earlier this spring, they encouraged us to make sure our kids knew the letters in their names......sheesh my kids can read and write his own name and simple books, now what??? We shall see how this goes........

Speaking of the boy, I asked him what he wanted to do this summer, his answers were so funny. He wants to see the beach and have lots of fun. I told him we would see about the beach and I am sure we could get do the fun thing. Right now they are out playing in my garden, glad I have not got it planted yet.

So we are off and running for summer. I will keep you posted (ha posted) as to how it goes!

Saturday Night

I love to be able to steal away with my hubby. But seeing that we have 2 kids, that does not happen nearly as often as I would like! This past weekend, since it was our anniversary and all, we took off Saturday night and headed all the way downtown. I know, we are such crazy kids! But seeing that Greg had to work Saturday and Sunday, it was about all we could manage. We happen to love Sunday Brunch at Grand America....but it is only about a twice a year thing, if we are lucky, becasue at 38 bucks a head, it had darn well better be a special occassion! So we took the night, headed down to Grand America for a night of just the two of us time. It was so fun. First, if you know me well, you know that I am a major hotel snob. I love, LOVE, the spiffy rooms, and that feeling of being in another world. And the suite we got fit the bill perfectly! It was not huge, but it was beautiful, with an amazing view from the 18th floor. The marble bathroom was Ah-mazing. I could have gotten lost in the huge tub. We made ourselves comfortable and wandered the hotel for a bit. We went and checked out both of the pools, and the fitness area too. Though lets be honest, I had no plans to work out. Then we headed to dinner at one of my new favorite places. The Bayleaf Cafe. You can find them here. We found this cute little place during downtown dine-around back in April and I have been aching to go back ever since, and I finally got my chance. We walked out of the hotel, down half a block and hopped on the Trax train for the 4 block ride to dinner. It was fun to not have to worry about the car and finding parking! We got our table and settle in for some super yummy dinner. Greg had chicken and waffles and I had a divine thick cut pork chop, which rocked an amazing fruit compote on top. It was delicious! We decided after dinner to wander down Main Street back to the hotel, and I was bummed that at 8 PM on Saturday night everything was closed! But it was still fun to walk and talk and window shop a little bit. We got back to the hotel, settled in with a movie and just hung out with no agenda and no one needing us.....so strange. In the morning we finally got up and headed down to brunch. We knew we would need reservations, and we were glad we had them! They were super busy. But as usually it was amazing. Greg headed straight to the Prime Rib, not at all shocking, and I settled down with my favorite....eggs benedict. It was so fun to just sit with my amazing husband and listen to him and to giggle at his fashion critics. He is a hoot. I also loved not having to consider anyone else's dietary desires. No one to slop food on my clothing (but me) and a drink I did not have to share. Ahhhhh....that was the life. After eating ourselves into a coma, we wandered upstairs, got our things and checked out, to go back to real life. I drove Greg to work, then went and got the kids. But I loved that night. I love every night with him.

TEN!

Ten years ago, I married my best friend. My true love. And the only person I know who can put up with me on a full time basis! It was one of the best days of my life! I remember it pretty clearly. I was not afraid of what the future might hold, in fact I was so excited for our life together to begin. Today, 10 years, 2 kids, 3 homes, 4 cars, a cat and a fish later, I am still excited for our life together. Looking down that isle 10 years ago, I looked at him, the tears in his eyes (he really is a mushy one) and knew I was making the best decision I had ever made. Greg is truly my best friend. He knows when I need him and sometimes when to leave me alone. He can tell me when to reel it in and when it is okay for the crazy me to take over. I have always had his full support, and still do. He supports my crazy habits (HELLO! silent auction chair, again!) and laughs at me when I cry at the songs on the radio. Has given me my best gifts ever...Nathan and Alexandra. I probably don't tell him enough how much I love him, how much I need him and how much he means to me. Without him, I would be incomplete. I told him once he was not my soulmate, and I stand by that. He is so much more than that. He does so much more than compliment me. He helps me to be the person I want to be, and helps me get there. He is so much more than I deserve. And I am forever and always greatful for him. I love ya Babe. Can't even imagine what the next ten will hold for us.

One more for Little P

Little Presley got a trache two weeks ago. According to her mom, all went really well. She came through the surgery well, woke up in a magnificent mood, and even tried to talk, which was something the doctors were not sure she would/could do. I think that she lives to prove them all wrong. I am totally fine with that. Today, May 17th, she is scheduled for another surgery. Which will give her a titanium rib and help to straighten her out. Ha, funny straighten her out, as if she was some wild trouble maker or something. Nothing could be farther from the truth for this sweet, beautiful little one. Needless to say we will be in a little bit of prayerful overdrive here. Prayers for her surgery to go well. Praying for her to come through with flying color. Praying for her parents, that they may have peace, love and a whole lotta hope in their hearts. Go for it Presley, prove them all wrong again!! And Mike and Mindy, we are so with you in spirit! You have one amaing kid-o!

Thoughts on a Boy I will never know

Something awful happened last week here in Utah. It happened to a child I never knew, and needless to say I never will. I do not know his family. Until this happened, I had never heard his name. Ethan Stacy was 4 years old. So young, so innocent. And maybe some would argue a victim of circumstance. I, personally, think there is no excuse for what happened to this little guy. His mother allowed him to be beaten to death by her boyfriend/husband. I am appalled. I am disgusted. I am in a state of sheer disbelief. To allow your child to be harmed in such a manner is NEVER okay. And to say that you allowed your child to go without medical care because you were afraid that you would be hurt. NO FREAKING WAY!!! I find myself so very angry. If you did not want the child, why in the world would you fight for custody? So you could hurt his father. Mission accomplished. But I am further angered that anyone would use a child as a pawn in a game of who can hurt who worse. Ethan was a person, not a pawn is some sick game of "I will show you". I am do deeply religious, I have my faith and my beliefs, and one of them is this..........to hurt a child, especially your own child, gives you a reserved place in the ugliest place in Hell. Your child was a gift. There are plenty of people out there who would have been more than happy to love that little guy as their own....including his father. I hope that one day there is peace for his family. And I hope some how this little dude knows that there are people who love him. People who have never met him love him. And that he his death has not been in vain. Maybe we can learn from the loss of this little boy. That there is always another way, and this is NOT EVER OKAY!!!

Andrew and Copper!!

Today my cute nephews are ONE! Wholly cow that went fast! The boys mom and dad had one heck of a blow out for everyone on Sunday. Proving yet again just how much these 2 little munchkins are loved. And spoiled. Did I mention spoiled? SPOILED!! They got some dandy stuff, including a super cute watertable and bunches of clothes. Happy Birthday to my 2 cuties. I love our M/W/F dates. And am glad I get to be your (favorite) auntie!

Little P

Little P just chillin' at the hospital!

I have a friend who has a little girl....and at this point, I have to stop and take a deep breath. Little P is just younger than my own daughter. A beautiful, amazing nearly 2 year old little girl. But, she is not a healthy girl. She is at a great hospital with amazing staff to care for her, she had a minor surgery this past Friday, and she is getting ready to under go major surgery at the end of April. My heart hurts for her mom and Dad. They are such sweet, strong people. Who have already endured so much with their daughter. Watched her go through so much.................I am fortunate enough to not only know these people, but to get to see Little P's story as it unfolds. I get her mommy's emails. And most days I cheer, but today's was hard and broke my heart a little. Today's made me cry and made me think I needed to do something, no matter how small, to help this sweet family. So please, can I ask you, my friends, to offer a quick positive thought, prayer, quite moment of hope for this little family of 3. Whatever your faith, your higher power. Please remember this beautiful little girl. If nothing else, to give her family peace and love in their hearts. They have been through more, in 2 years, then most of us will ever even have to consider, and are not yet to the end of their road. I cannot do much else for them, this I can do. This makes me feel a little less helpless.

My thoughts on Spring

I am not a big fan of Spring. In fact it is probably my least favorite season. And here is why.....you never know what you are going to get. It is supposed to be warming up....su.pose.ed!! But around here, it just has been doing anything but getting warm. Take this lovely little fact, at Brighton (a local ski resort) they recieved about 57 inches of snow during March of 2010, that would be 31 days, this will matter in just a second. During the first five days of April, Brighton recieved 58 inches of new snow. Yep, that is right, they out did the entire month of March is just 5 days!!! Rediculious!! Okay, so good news if you are a skier, which for the record I am NOT. But crazy for all the rest of us. Last year it was freezing cold and wet until the last week of JUNE. So much for the whole global warming thing everyone is always yapping about! And I remember last year very clearly becasue we tried to sit outside to watch our cities yearly fireworks wrapped in fleece blakents while wearing our coats and gloves! Needless to say they ended up being rescheuduled for later in the year!! Spring is just a crazy time here. You could get weather that is lovely, rainy or even snowy. One can never quite be sure. I enjoy winter. Alot! It is supposed to be cold and wet. I expect snow. Heck, I even desire it. I know it is supposed to be cold. And that is sunny and cold that I am good with. But I am not good with 40 degrees in April. So come on Mother Nature, let's get on the right schedule here. Give us some nice a little warm days before we do what we did last year, which was to go from 40 to 90 in about 5 days. I am going to need more time to adjust then that.

Easter 2010

Easter is another of those hoildays when I spend alot of my time trying to make sure that my kids understand more than just the fuss about a bunny. Much like Christmas, Easter has a much greater meaning that we tend to forget about. So I like to read a lovely little book we have about Easter, and to remind my children on a regular basis that the bunny is NOT why we have Easter. Easter is the miracle of Christ rising from the tomb, despite being hung on the cross and killed by those who did not agree with/like him. My mom asked me if we got into the nitty gritty of Christ's death. Flatly I told her NO! We do not. It does not help to tell my children that he was tortured. I feel that is something far beyond their comprehension (thank God!) and really it does nothing for the true meaning of Easter, at least in my book. All that being said, we did get a visit from the Bunny and he was rather gracious to us all...........

On Saturday night we had a little egg dying. Which is a riot since no one here will eat a boiled egg. We took the to Greg's parents. His dad like egg salad and potato salad with egg.

Our end results. They are pretty good looking for what we had to work with. Namely a 5 yr old and a 2 yr old.

The goods from the Bunny. He even left something at our house for my cute mom.

Check out the goodies in the eggs after (yet ANOTHER) in door egg hunt.

During a moment of pure insanity the EB thought pixie sticks would be a fun thing to put in the baskets. I think he will not be that foolish again!!

50 questions about me...............aka things you never knew you didn't want to know.

I got this in a email, and I figured that I would just post it on here, as opposed to clogging all your inboxes. So enjoy all the crap you never knew you never wanted to know.

1. High heels or boots? in an ideal world heels, but really, sneakers.

2. What time did you get up this morning? 7:54 after hitting the snooze about 3 times.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? She is out of my League

4. What is your maiden name? Hadden

5. What is your favorite TV show? Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

6. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee and toast or yogurt

7. What is your middle name? Meredith

8. What food do you dislike? brussel sprouts. Yack!

9. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Shuffle on my ipod, or I have Les Miserable in the Mazda

10. What characteristic do you despise? fake. Be who you are!

11. Favorite Clothing? black yoga pants

12. Anywhere in the world on vacation? not as important as who I am with.

13. Are you an organized person? I can safely say it depends on the task.

14. Where would you retire to? I have no clue. That is way toooooo far away.

15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? 27 I spent it in labor with Nathan.

16. What are you going to do when you finish this? Unload the dishwasher and probably laundry.

17. Furthest place you are sending this? just my blog, where anyone can see it, so it depends on where my readers are.

18. Person you expect to hear back from? Not expecting a reply here!

19. When is your birthday? December

20 . Are you a morning person or a night person? Night person.


21. What is your shoe size? 11

22. Do you own any animals? a cat, a 2 yr old and a 5 yr old

23. Any news you'd like to share? uhm, no.

24. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? CEO of a fortune 500

25. What is your favorite flower? Gerber Daisy

28. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? greenish-blue

29. How is the weather right now? WINDY

30. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My hubbs

31. Favorite drink? Coffee or cherry coke. Throwback Pepsi if I can get it.

32. Favorite restaurant? Cheesecake Factory if I can only pick one.

33. Hair color? pitiful.......It has way too much gray showing right now.

34. What was your favorite toy as a child? Hmm. I had a cabbage patch I adored. And I still have a 3 ft tall teddy bear my god-father gave me.

35. Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter? Winter

36. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate, but it can depend on the item.

37. Coffee or tea? Coffee usually, but I do like herbal tea.

38. Wish you were still young? nope

39. Do you want your friends to email you back? that would be silly, I didn't email them.

40. When was the last time you cried? the other night watching TV. I am a sap.

41. What is under your bed? I am going to be a bunch of dust bunnies.

42. What did you do last night? took my cute sis-in-law her b-day gift

43. What are you afraid of? My kids having to grow up. I am so afraid of what they will have to face.

44. Salty or sweet? both, mixed together!

45. Best quality you have? Humor at bad times!

46. How many years at your current job? just about 3.

47. Favorite day of the week? If only it were that easy around here. Any day I get to spend with my hubby and kids pretty much ranks at the favorite in my book.

48. How many people will you send this to? the whole wide blogger world

49. How many will respond? No expectations

50. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? Really? No. I despise knowing about my friends. Dur!

Andy and Coop

Cooper looking serious. This much drool takes a lot of work! Please forgive the hot dog on his cheek, we were having lunch.

Andy is all smiles. Notice the black eye, my coffee table strikes yet again! Hope that chicks wil dig his scars too! And this picture makes that eye look AWFUL!

I love these two boys almost as much as my own. Okay, I admit, probably as much as my own. Okay, I think they are mine too! I love them oodle and bits. They are soooo funny! They like to beat the crap out of each other and then yell about it. So funny to watch. I feel for their parents in the years to come. There is going to be a lot of "mom he looked at me" moments. I can just see it now. The are mobile, which as we all know means that the easy part is so over. Andy is the army crawl boy and Cooper is a hands and knees crawler and both of them are all over the place. Clearly from the black eye, you can also tell they are starting to pull themselves up on things. Andrew more than Cooper, but you never know when one of them is going to be trying to climb your leg on any given day. They both still enjoy a good magazine. Not to read, but to shred and eat. I think they both prefer Ladies Home Journal with Good Housekeeping coming in a close second. I can hardly believe that they are nealry 11 months old. Time has flown by. Our days when they are not here are so strangle quiet. My kids miss them when they are not here. We are so luck to have them as part of our family!

Volunteering

I have been lucky enough to have some great chances to volunteer with some wonderful organizations. In high school , I got to be at the old Hansen Planetarium, and a local hospital. Now that I am all grown up, I am a volunteer with the Ronald McDonald House, and starting soon I will be with March of Dimes. I am so lucky to be able to work with these awesome groups. Ronald McDonald House, I hope I never need you, I know how very fortunate I am to have wonderful medical care at my finger tips. World class children's hospital and a world class cancer center with in a 30 minute drive. And while I hope that I never step foot in your doors, I am so grateful to know that you are there. Ronald McDonald House is there for those families that are not close to these medical centers. The Houses serves families who's children are receiving care at our great hospitals. These families only have to be over 35 miles from home to use the House, but many are from much farther than that. The house, offers a place to stay, a warm meal and usually someone to talk to. For many it is a life saver. I love my work with the Gala committee, this is my 5th year.
A friend of mine, that I have worked with on the Ronald McDonald House Gala for a number of years has now invited me to work with her on the March of Dimes Gala. I am thrilled to be given this chance. I think my husband may want to poke me in the eye with a red hot needle, but given that the boys in our family seem to like to arrive early, this is one organization that is beyond near and dear to my heart. My cousin's daughter was part of the March of Dimes study on surfactant (a medicine they use on preemie babies to help their lungs) some 20 years ago, and amazingly enough that is the same medicine that they gave Nathan shortly after he was born. I never intended to have a preemie baby, I am pretty darn sure that no one ever does, and that is what makes March of Dimes all the more important to me. They not only are trying to figure out why babies come early, but they also work to figure out what they can do to give those babies their best chance. I have a beautiful, strong and health son (and twin nephews, too) and in some part I am sure it had to do with March of Dimes, so I am honored to be part of their team!

Random Thoughts

I am pretty sure that Alexandra will eat anything, as long as it has ranch dressing or sour cream on it.

And Nathan just told me he had a dream he married a duck.

That is enough and that is all, for now anyway.

Lighter Side...maybe

My last post was HEAVY! I know that, it was not a lot of fun to re-read. It was hard. So I figured I need something lighter. Today my girlfriend, who is one of my verbal diarhea victms on a regular basis (all my friends are now nodding in agreement, trying to figure out which of them in particular that I am talking about.... I am going to give you all a second to ponder if it was you.......) said soemthing that made me laugh. She was talking about a friend who said something about things he did not want to know/do before he died i.e. he did not really want to know what it felt like to be shot. That made me giggle, becasue Greg and I do that kind of thing a lot. Usually while looking up, at least on my part as to include God in the conversation. Things like I will still hurt for my friend whose daughter is really sick, I don't need my kid to get sick to feel so awful and hurt for her.



So here it is, the beginning of my UNBUCKET LIST...aka things I am good without doing/having/knowing about. And just for the record, I am not tempting fate here! I am merely stating fact.



1. Having a critically ill child. My heart has had its fill with one of my babies being premature. That was more than enough, and I ache for any Mom or Dad or family who has to deal with this.



2. Major car accident.



3. Knowing what it feels like to have been shot by a bullet or stabbed by a knife. I am making this one thing...........and if you have to ask why, you are a fool.



4. Cancer. I don't want it, I don't want anyone I know or love to have it. Probably the most unrealistic thing on this list.



5. drowning. I live water. But not to breathe it.


I think for now this is a good start. I am pretty sure there ar more that will be added at a later date, but one thing is for sure.....I bet I got ya thinking!

My MAP

My mom is the youngest of 7. By alot! I can recall as kid thinking that people who thought their grandparents were old were weird. Their grandparents were the same age as my aunts and uncles, my Grandma on the other hand was OLD. In April of 2008 my mom's oldest sister, Mary Ann, got really sick. She was having a problem with afib (her heart not beating right) and then she got a whopping case of pnuemonia. It took until June to get her back to semi healthy and to be able to worry about the afib and the problem it was casuing. In July of 2008 Mary Ann had massive open heart surgery. She had rheumatic fever as a child and it damaged her heart valves. She was drasticly ill with the pneumonia and then had barely recovered when she had to have the surgery. But someone up there didn't want her then, and apparently isn't ready for her now yet either. She pulled through the pnuemonia and the heart surgery, in which she had a valve replaced, one repaired and had a pacemaker put in. When she came home from the hospital she weighed 88 pounds. 88 pounds! I think my left leg weighs that much. Skip to today, just about 18 months later, and as far as she has come, as much as she has healed and as well as she has been feeling, she is having open heart surgery again! While we were at Disneyland, she had a TIA (very minor stroke). I knew that should not be happening. I do not pretend to be a know it all (ok, maybe I do once is a while!) but I know that strokes are generally caused by blood clots and she is on blood thinners, so there should be no clots. So I threw a fit at my mom (a very small fit, ranked by my abilities) and told her we had to get Mary Ann up to SLC, so we could get her into see her heart doctors. We flew home on Monday night and Tuesday morning we were at LDS hospital to see Dr. Miner. We had not idea, that that visit would lead us back to surgery. Dr. Miner ordered and ECHO and they found a booger on her heart valve. The new one. The one she just had replaced in July 2008. Wanting more info, Dr. Miner sent us to IMC for a 3-d TEE (trens-esophogial ECHO) with Dr. Horton. I figured they would set an appointment for us, oh no! I was told to go now and they would be waiting for us. Even with a crystal ball, I would not have guessed how this all would end. Dr. Horton is "the man" when it come to heart scans. He is the director of the ECHO program at IMC and it awesome. He did the TEE, said all looked good, it must have just been a weird angle and allowed us to go home. 8 hours later. We got to LDS at 8:30 am and I pulled out of IMC's parking lot at 4:26pm. A very long day. The next day, I got a call from Dr. Horton. Himself. Not his nurse, not his staff, but HIM. That alone threw up red flashing lights. He said he understood we had an appt with heart failure on Thursday and would we mind if he did a follow up echo just to be safe. Things were not sitting well with him and he just wanted to be sure. No biggie I said, we did the ECHO with the appointment and it still looked good. So he let her leave the hospital, but NOT go home to Price, he said she needed to stay in SLC, just to be safe, and would we mind coming back one more time just to be safe, in one week, to make sure that this booger was gone gone and all was well. Sure, we have come this far, why not. So fast forward a nice weekend, My brother and his wife went out of town (for the first time since the twins were born) and left the boys with my mom and aunt. It was nice for everyone. On Monday, my Uncle John made the trip down from the monestary to visit with his sister's and come see the kiddies. The rest of the week was blessedly uneventful. Roll on up to Thursday morning. My mom took the day off to take Mary Ann to her appointment. My kids had spent about 15 hours without me the previous week while I took care of Mary Ann, and not that they really minded, but I could tell we were all out of sorts and just getting back on track. So Mom took her. And am I ever glad she did. Damned if that booger wasn't back. So after the ECHO, Dr. Horton decided that it was another TEE, which we did, and yep, there is was. Which is REALLY bad! It should NOT be coming and going. So now we had a whole new issue, and these awesome doctors, made the hardest call. They decided that it must be some kind of infection, and that the only way to get rid of it and make sure she doesn't have a major stroke is to replace the valve! What!?!?!?!? Seemed like it took 20 seconds to go from seems to be okay to the world crumbling. I am worried, afraid and scared. The Doc's had her admitted to the hospital directly from her appointment on Thursday to ween her from her blood thinners in a safer environment.....i.e. if she were to throw another chunk of that infection booger she was where she needs to be. And she is now first on Dr. Clayson's surgery list on Monday. I am torn. I want her to be okay, but I do not want her to suffer in anyway! I am at a bit of a loss right now, I pray for what is best, knowing that is not necessiraly what I really want. Because what is best and what I want can be seen as polar opposites. I want her to be okay, I want my children to have more time with her, but I do not want her to have to endure surgery after surgery. I know she is wildly healthier this time. Good grief she is up to a wopping 133 pounds (she would so beat me if she knew I just posted her weight for the world to see! Good thing she cannot even turn a computer on huh!). 400 times stronger and so much better..........but I still worry. The last time we did this, one of her doctors looked at her some months after surgery and told her he really hadn't expected her to make it off the surgical table. When we started this whole thing, Lex was 4 months old and Mary Ann could not hold her on her lap, and now she picks up my 2 year old. I know she is healthier, I know she is stronger. Problem is I'm not. I am not stronger, and I am not ready to loose her. So, here is to Monday, a smooth surgery, a great team of doctors, and to my sweet Aunt. I love you and can't wait for you to be better (AGAIN), to play checker with Nathan and play-doh with Lex. To snarl at my cat to get away, or ask if he is still alive becasue he is sleping on his back and to tell me I am just mean enough to make you do what ever it is you don't want to do. That's what I am here for...........................

Disneyland 2010

Minnie Mouse taking care to be gentle with Nathan's casted arm. She kissed it better too!

Grandma, Grandpa, Nathan and Lex hanging out on the pier at California Adventure

Nathan and Minnie Mouse (at like 11 at night)

Lex, Nathan and Jolli at Pooh's Hunny Pots

( I loaded the pics in the wrong order and am to lazy to delete and reload! Sorry!)

I got the hair-brained idea a while ago that the grandparents (both my mom and Greg's parents) should go to Disneyland with us. Our trip was originally scheduled for the first week in December of 2009, but due to some issues that my in-laws had with another trip we had to postpone to Feburary. We did get some rain while we were there, and I got a roaring case of the 24 hour stomach flu, but all in all it was such a fun trip. By far one of the highlights was that Greg's best friend from school, Jeff, was able to meet us there with his family, that is his daughter Jolli in the picture with my kiddies. We spent our days riding everything we could. We flew in on Wednesday afternoon, got checked in to our hotel and had some lunch and headed off to the park. It was a fun afternoon and evening with very little crowd. I will never forget walking thru Cinderella's castle on Thursday morning and having Lex bouncing in her stroller yelling "ride, ride, Ali ride!" It was a hoot. It did not take her long to figure out what she liked and wanted to do. I have to get the rest of the pictures from Grandpa, he has a much better camera then I, so I just let him take all the photos this year. I also got a few on my mom's camera that I need to get from her, too.

I didn't go to Disneyland for my first time until I was 15 (I turned 15, the day after we were there) and seeing that this was Nathan's THIRD trip, I really wanted my mom (and Greg's parents) to see what it was to see the place thru a child's eyes. Needless to say my children DID NOT dissapoint. This was Alexandra's 2nd trip, but seeing that she was only 9 months old last time we were there, it was pretty much the first time for her. She loved getting to ride the rides. Everything was new and exciting, and by darn that kid has NO fear. She was game for anything. The only thing it took her a minute to warm up to was the characters who were people. Goofy, Mickey......no problem. Mulan and the other princesses took a second for her to decide they were in fact okay. It was hilarious to watch, as are most things "Ali".

Nathan was a trooper. Even though this was his third trip, it is safe to say it is the first time he had done the mouse with a cast. I, foolishly, thought it might slow him down. I was sooooo wrong. And for that I am greatful. Never even gave it a second thought. And by far, one of my favorite pictures is of Minnie Mouse, late at night (like after 11) as he and I walked back to the hotel just the 2 of us. We stopped on Sunday, our last night becasue we had not gotten a picture with her, and she was a doll. She looked at his arm and made all the motions to ask what was wrong. We told her and she kissed it better and patted it sweetly and really took quite a bit of time with him. Nate was smitten with it all and as you can see in the picture, he just was super happy. Despite being exhausted. It was one of those mommy moments for me, that seem to happen less often as he grows into such an amazing boy from the little boy he has been. WOW, sappy moment! Sorry 'bout that !

Greg and I had a wonderful time. There is something so wonderful about watching grandparents and grandchildren, especially when it is your parents and your children! I loved that! It was so great to have them there. And then to be able to add the Clay family to the mix was like icing on the cake for me. The last time we saw Jeff, he was one of the best men at our wedding and now he is married, and a dad. Onica, Jolli, and Oliver were so much fun to get to know and so wonderful to be able to include in our family!

So big thanks to everyone for going along with my crazy idea. I think it was wonderful! And I hope we can do it all again! And really, if you have young kids and parents...you need to haul them to Southern California and have some fun too. (Man, that mouse needs to send me an endorsement check!)

Parent Teacher Conference

I would say it seems a bit much to have a parent teacher conference for preschool, but when you are involved in a preschool that is as academic as the one we have chosen, I find it to be a good thing. I had Nathan's last Friday after preschool becasuse we will be out of town when they are holding the official PTC's. And the good news is that he is doing very well. Mrs. Francis (who is a delight) said that Nathan is one of the advanced readers and that he is pretty much a spongue, in that he learns so quickly and seems to be so interested in everything. She really had nothing bad to say about him. She did have a few observations though, and they really made me laugh out loud. The first of these being how they are at playtime. Last year Nathan was one of only 3 boys in his class. This year he is one of NINE! How she does that I will never know! But the boys play, and as Mrs Francis put it there is a LOT of testostterone going on. (SO FUNNY) And that Nathan plays very well, but that he tends to get LOUD. As in he will talk over all the other kids. It made me laugh out loud. I looked her square in the face and told her (as I giggled) that I had absolutley no idea where he got that from! She also said that he is the informer (so and so is running, so and so broke a crayon, etc....which makes me crazy and is something we have been working on home. So all is well, and our kid is a smarty pants.