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.

Lex is TWO!

Lex and her huge, ugly cake. I foolishly let her pick it out at the store and this is the one she HAD to have. Pretty sure we have enough for a month of birthdays. Good grief! But she loved it, so I am not going to complain too much!

Lex and her American Girl Bitty Baby. She got such cute things this year!

Again I am incline to ask how the crap that happened, but since I have not yet figured out how to make it stop, I figure it is pointless to figure out "how" it happens. I can still recall clear as day 2 years ago when she was born. The past 2 years have been a riot. This child has more energy than any kid I know and has used it in ways I never thought imaginable. The last week for example was filled with a ton of baby powder and a carpet full of diaper rash ointment. Ahhhhhh and she wasn't even two yet. This past year she also got tubes in her ears after 7 double ear infections in just about a years time, I decided it was time to act, and not a moment too soon. The ENT had her tested by an audiologist and she was suffering from mild hearing loss! Since the tubes she has improved 200%. She speaks a ton more, has pretty much a whole new vocabulary and speech patten. She is becoming quite the jabberwakey.

Alexandra loves the color blue and trains (or cho-cho's as she calls them), I am thinking her big brother has rubbed off on her a bit here. Of course to be fair you should know that at this point, not only is blue, blue, but so are purple and green and sometimes red too. She does know pink and white. And like to wear blue pants. Meaning her jeans. She also loves water, if you suddenly hear water running Lex is most likely sitting in a sink somewhere, fully clothed. And if you are really lucky she is brushing her teeth with YOUR toothbrush NOT hers! Mmmmmm good! And for all the good it does me calling her Lex, she refers to her self as "Ali".

Two is going to be interesting for us all. She is stubborn as the day is long. No idea where she got that (wink, wink). Independent as all get out....again no clue where that may have come from. And takes a leap before thinking twice. She throws a fine tantrum, complete with the laying on the floor kicking and screaming. I admire her spunk, and stand behind to catch her when and if she falls and to clean up the mess in her wake. Which can be extensive. But she is the most wonderfully annoying, mess making, whirl wind of a child! She wakes each morning happy and excited for the day, despite the fact that her father and I both HATE mornings, she makes them much more bearable. She is always eager to start her day, and if we do not get her out of her room as quickly as she would like, you will usually find curled up in the rocking chair (now her cute arm chair from Gran) reading a book. She has turned into a snuggle bug. And loves to curl up with her Daddy! Without a doubt she is a Daddy's Girl. And that is just fine with me.

So here is to TWO, baby girl. Give it hell! Like I would have to encourage that in the slightest. I am sure we will butt heads, but I love you no matter what. Now, let go clean up the 90 pieces of food Aunt Keanne and Uncle Pete gave you......(I am getting the twins drums for their 1st bday and 70000000000 piece lego sets for every birthday there after!:) )

(okay I tried like 6 times to change the spacing and layout on this one! I give up!!!)

We might not even make it to TWO!

Yesterday was a ton of baby powder, today it was the tube of water resistant butt cream all over the carpet. So a little over an hour later, it is clean and I need a stiff drink.....too bad I don't generally do that! At this rate she may not make it to TWO (one week from today) and neither of us are going to survive it! Wish me luck, lots and lots of luck. And maybe a bottle of rum and a good book!

This one is for Sonja....

Sonja asked for a new picture of the twins, and here it is. This one is from Christmas morning and they are at my house with my cute Mom. And just in case you don't know....Andrew (Tank)is on the left and Cooper (Tiny) is on the right, and they are styling their spiffy Christmas Eve jammies. The boys are now just about nine months old (on Feb 5th) and they are awesome. They stay with us 3 days a week, and we have loved watching them grow. Andrew is a roller. Steam Roller. HA! He can travel for miles one roll at a time. I think he is considering pulling him self up on things (at which point life as I know it will come crashing (possibly literally) down.) Cooper is alot like Nathan was, more thoughtful and spends a lot of time just soaking it all in. I have a new view on life as a mom of twins, and I feel for those mom's. I will admit that there are days, when they go home and I am just pooped! But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Two is Gonna be TROUBLE!

This is what her room looked like today when she got up from her nap.Clearly she was a busy little bugbite before she let us know she was awake. And yes, that is a little puddle of pee in the upper left hand corner! You can see her diaper wadded up under the blanket in the middle of the picture amongst the wet wipes and the baby powder.

Alex will be 2 next week. And I am dreading every second of her as a two year old. I fully admit I was spoiled with Nathan. Two with him was fun and dare I say mellow. He was a talkitive little dude and never really got into trouble. There is a reason I had him first, because he was such a gem I thought, sure why not have another. This one is such and angel the next one will be too. So wrong. Don't get me wrong, I would not trade her for the moon. And the more I get to know both of them, the more I wonder how a parent can walk away from their child. But she will spend her days CLIMBING on every nerve I have. I really hope she is getting this all out of her system now or we might really be in trouble when she gets older! I guess I should call my mom and apologize again.

New Blog

A new blog is born.......

I love my family blog, but I do not think it is the place to let out all my rants. I try to keep it PG and about the fam. So I started myself a new blog. One where I can write about all the crap that comes to mind. One that is an outlet for the little voice in my head.

I, recently, have found writing to be an outlet for me, which is kinda suprising. In the past writing has always been something I was forced to do. I would enjoy a good note or letter, but I was not one to have a diary or journal. That was like a high school project gone all wrong. So let me say my new blog is no work of literary genius. It is mearly my outlet. I am not generally a stickler for spelling or puncuation. And I am not going to start now. I would love to have you follow me, and if you are crazy enough to want to hear my thoughts on something, feel free to drop me an email and I may just take you up on it in a future post.

so here is the address to the new blog........

http://whateverrantings.blogspot.com/

And I am warning you, it really is all about me! (as frightening as that maybe)

Out of the Mouth of babes!

Nathan: "Mom, even when my heart stops beeping I will still love you."

Me: sniff, sniff.

file that under sweetest thing ever said to me!

I love the mind of my precious 5 year old!

Are you kidding me?

We have been planning a trip to Disneyland for about 6 months now. And the day is dawning fairly soon when we will board our plan and fly out of our muck and into the muck of Southern California. In final preparations for our trip, I purchased our tickets to mouseland. I was excited. I get an awesome deal. I mean steal of a deal! It was great. I decided to whip out my (said credit card) that I had not used in nearly a YEAR! I bought my tickets, got my confirmation from the mouse and was feeling pretty good. The I got another email. This one from (said credit card), telling me they had lowered my line of credit by a huge chunk! I admit to carrying a balance, but I have NEVER had a late payment or missed a payment. I bought my tickets online, and I try very hard to not use my checking account credit card when making online purchases. I would prefer if someone were to hack my information that they not have my main account info. I would really prefer my account not to be hacked at all, but I can watch my (said credit card) far more closely because we do not use it all that often. Anyway, it took (said credit card) less than 30 minutes to send me that email from the moment of my purchase. I am so not impressed. My balance has had the majority of the lowered balance available for over a year and certainly for the past 6 months, and now they choose to smack me. Something is fishy, and my (said credit card) will be payed off ASAP and left to sit in a drawer. I will not support a company that does not support me. I don't care if you are a grocery store, credit card company or car care center, if you treat me like crap, I will not grace you with my $$ or my time. That you can be sure of, maybe if we start by putting our collective foot down and not putting up with this crap, we will be not only better off financially, but also it is a tiny moral victory! Maybe then these mega-corporations will learn that they should be taking care of their customers more and their CEO's a little less.

Back to It!

What is "IT" you may be wondering. "IT" is all of that stuff that happens everyday, that during the past 2 lucious weeks of family, friends and holidays, that I have neither delt with nor even considered. Such as, making sure the kids really are in bed at a decent time, because the big one has to be up and in a decent mood for school in the morning. Realizing that at some point I really ought to take my Christmas tree down. I must admit I love the glow that the lights give in the darkness of the evenings, but really at this point, I think it is an 11 foot window blocker. And, since I am taking down the tree, I really ought to put away all the dishes from fancy family meals. And, I can no longer get away with leaving it all out becasue I am going to use it to make ________ for Christmas. The dishes and the counter must be conquered this week. All the new and exciting things we got for Christmas must be removed from the living room and found homes. Proper homes, not just shoved in a corner. I do not believe in out of sight as being properly put away. I would rather leave it out than throw it where it does not belong, hence my house looks like hell 90% of the time, becasue I have some difficulty getting other people who live here to see it my way! I also need to mail the Christmas cards, which will from now on be refered to as New Years cards. And, as soon as I buy stamps, I will do just that, mail them and change their official name. I also have to get Nathan registered for school times 2. Next years program at Learning Dynamics (did that today when I picked him up!) and for KINDERGARTEN tomorrow at the elementary school down the street. I just died a little as I typed that. I know, I know he must grow up, as my mom reminds me her baby is now thirty-two. But really, elementary school......I am so NOT ready for that! And last but not least on my list of things to return to normal schedule is the laundry. Greg had a week off from work, but now his dress shirts are starting to pile-up and our clothes and the kids clothes and the kitchen towels. At least I conquered all the stuff from St George. Including the king size sheets which are not only clean, but folded and put away. Gold star for me! All right if this stuff is ever going to get done, I better publish this and get on it....Lord knows there is no magical fairy going to be doing IT all for me. Ahhh, but a girl can dream!

Hello 2010!

Hello 2010,

I wanted to say hello and introduce myself. My name is Joey. I thought I would let you know that I am here and that I plan to make you a wonderful year. This year I am hoping for no real surprises! No babies (for me, but I will love others for them) and a whole lot of good times with my family and friends. Please keep me in mind, should you need someone interested in peace and joy, I would be more than happy to take care of those for you!

Thoughtful,
JMHW

Good-bye 2009

Wholly cow! Another year has flown by. It is New Year's Eve, and as I sit here, another year older. I am forced to reflect on the past year, both the good and the bad.
My children are growing at warp speed. Nathan just turned 5 and Lex is on the very edge of one...I can see 2 less than a month from today. They have changed in leaps and bounds this year. Both had surgery. Not my favorite portion of the year by far, but the outcomes have far exceeded my wildest expectations. Nathan, after having his tonsils and adnoids out in May, has become a champion sleeper. He can now sleep through the night in his own bed, by himself, without even waking us once. Nevermind that his recovery was some of the longest 7 days of my life....but I would do it again to have him in such a better place. Lex, after her 7th double ear infection, got tubes in her ears. Before we had them done, she would jabber, but there were very few words. And since the audiogolist told us she was suffering from mild hearing loss (!!!!!) I guess it was not too big a suprise, but has that changed since her tubes. I still think she is lagging in the speech department, but we are much farther than we were 6 months ago. She now calls herself by name (Ali) and call Nate by name too (Nakey). I am hopeing that one day soon she will just talk my ear off, so I can beg her to shut-up. On that day, I will both eat my words and be delighted! All in all it was far more than I expected when we started the year, but again, the results have been worth it.
Greg and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary in May. There was no big to-do, but I love cherish every day with him. Even the ones where I wish to run him over, I am always, with out fail positive I married the on man in this world who can and does put up with me. He is my rock and also my sounding board, and without him, I hate to even consider the pile at which I would be lying at the bottom of. More than once this year he has grounded me and made me see what was necessay and how to make it through. Which has been no small feat.
2009 also made us Aunt and Uncle and Cousins. We have many family members we have adopted as such, and by no means do we love you less, but we love the 2 little guys who stole our hearts on May 5th. Andrew Peter and Cooper Nicholl are wonderful little guys. They already drive each other crazy, which is a hoot to watch. Greg is convinced that Cooper hates him... I think nothing could be farther from the truth. And I get to hog them 3 days a week. I am forever in love with these 2 little men, and the fact that their parents trust me with them still makes me marvel. I must be doing something right.
I am intentionally avoid the low lights of this year. To put them in a solid form is too much for me to bear. I have had to watch some of the people I love the most, hurt the worst. And I pray for each of you peace and happiness in the new year. I will always be here to spport you no matter what. And you all know who you are.
So, 2009, I bid you farewell. I knwo this recap is by no means complete, but this is what you get. You have been a year of firsts, lasts, and good times. You also brought with you more heartache then I ever wish to face again, so let's be done with that shall we? In many ways I will look back with fondness, but for right now I say be gone. I have a new year to look forward to!

Christmas Letter 2009

I am posting this here, and have yet to mail my Christmas card, so if you should be lucky enough to read it twice I apologize now.


Dear family and Friends,
Another year has flown by, and here we sit looking at Christmas and the New Year of 2010. We hope that 2009 was good to all of you.
The year started with a birthday for us. Alexandra turned ONE. I have no idea how that happened, but it was a great day in which she proved that she is my daughter by having her first real swimming pool experience at a hotel. And, had to be removed by force. We are water babies! She has spent much of the year earning her nickname "Godzilla" by proving that what goes up will for sure come down, especially if she is around. In June after her 7th set of ear infections in a year, she got tubes in her ears. Her speech has improved a lot, and we are hoping the minor hearing loss she was suffering from will take care of itself. We also spent a good 6 months with no chairs in the kitchen since she would push them over to climb on any and everything in sight. The girl will do anything once and will probably be the death of me! I am so happy to have a daughter!
Nathan spent his year doing a lot of things he loved, among them, the zoo, dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point and pre-school. The one thing that none of us planned on was having his tonsils and adenoids out, which we did in May. Nathan has never slept well. After nearly a year of a child who was up anywhere from 4-10 times a night, Greg and I finally hauled him to his doctor, who sent us to a sleep specialist, who ran a sleep study and found out that Nathan was suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. It was a rough recovery, but it is a beautiful thing to sleep all night long and to have a much happier kid. All in all, we made it through and now we are able to focus on that he loves being a big brother and is everything I ever dreamed a son could be.
This year brought 2 more little people into our lives. My amazing sister-in-law Keanne gave us a run for our money on May 5th, when she gave birth to TWO beautiful boys. They were 6 weeks early (anyone heard this story before?) but healthy and strong. They spent 3 weeks in the NICU, and are growing like weeds. Andrew Peter Hadden and Cooper Nicholl Hadden are a wonderful addition to our family. And that is especially true since the boys spend some of their days with us while my brother and sister-in-law work to buy everything 2 at a time! I can only imagine! Greg and I love to be the Uncle and Auntie, and are so lucky to spend so much time with our nephews! And the kids adore their cousin’s.
Greg is still working at the Dan’s in Olympus Cove, and loves it. He is also proving he is quite the handyman, helping his brother and parents out with some small household projects. He went to Alaska with his dad and brother in July. But, mostly, he spends his days being a Daddy, which he loves. How many games of Candyland can one man play before he goes nuts? We shall one day know the answer. It was also discovered this year, that though a self professed DOG person, he is in fact a CAT guy. In June, our family was adopted by a cat, (he came wandering into our garage in the rain and has never left) we call him Smokey and he sleeps on the pillows above our heads. Smokey watches over the kids in the backyard as they play and likes to eat birds.
I get to spend everyday with my favorite people. Being a Mom is a wonderful job, and once in a while if I am really good they let me escape for a few hours to the Sandy Clinic to be a pharmacy tech. I have spent the past year learning from my children what life is truly about. And maybe, panicking just a little when the twins were born. My biggest of 2009 was buying a new car. I loved my Saturn, but with 4 car seats, when we have the twins, there was NO way! So now we zoomzoomzoom in our Mazda CX-9. I am currently looking forward to May 2010 when Greg and I will celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary. We are talking about maybe going on a cruise and I am ready to go now!
Greg and I count our blessing everyday. We have jobs, our health and most of all each other. We hope and pray that you have a beautiful Christmas. That the New Year brings you peace and happiness and that you are safe and warm.
All Our Love.
The White’s
Greg, Joey, Nathan and Alexandra

Nathan is 5.

Wholly crap. My first born is 5. FIVE! 5! How in the heck did that happen? When did that happen? I am at a loss. I cannot believe that I have a 5 year old. A child who is learning to read. Who is right around the corner from Kindergarten. WOW!
I have loved every second of the past 5 years. We had a rough start, but I tell you what, this kid is a fighter, and I knew it from the time he was about 8 hours old, when they took him to LDS NICU and he extibated himself, despite sedation in the hospital parking lot as the ambulance pulled in to unload . He is stubborn as the day is long, and I cannot imagine where he got that from.......
I am so excited for the coming year for Nathan. We survived 4, which had it ups and downs. Namely the whole tonsil adventure. That was the longest 7 days I have had in a looooooong time, but we now have a much a happier, much less tired child on our hands.
So to Nathan, I love you my boy. You are my #1 son! And I cannot believe that you are FIVE!

A Look Back at 31.

Seems like every year seems to go faster than the last one. Not sure why or how that happens, but it sure seems to be the case. I am a little over 2 hours away from my 32nd birthday. As usual, my husband has to work. He will be off on friday, when we will be in full birthday mode.....for our son. I pretty much knew that once I had children, my birthday would get a bit lost in the mix. But I certainly did not plan on having a child with a birthday in such close proximity to mine. Oh well, I guess some where a higher power had other plans. So off to birthday weekend, it should be a blast.

Black Friday

If you really know me, there is no question where I was at 5 a.m. Tucked soundly in my bed, sleeping soundly. Whatever it is cannot possible be worth gettting up, freezing my butt off, and putting up with the insanity that goes with shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I have one time in my life been shopping on Black Friday, and it was NOT at 5 a.m. and that one time was enough. And, for the record, I am nowhere near as cute as this little guy.

Thanksgiving 2009

A lovely day at home, filled with tasty food, fantastic family, and for the husband-football! I could live without the football part, but I guess I can give him a few hours once a year. After all he is a wonderful guy that takes great care of me and the kids and all the rest of my family too. I am very THANKFUL today, because despite stting my alarm last night so I could get up this morning at 6am to put the turkey in the roaster, it was determined when I sat straight up in bed at 6:32 am that I clearly did not finish the job. I neglected to turn my alarm ON, but all turned out okay. The turkey was finished in plenty of time, and was divine! Wednesday night my mom came over and helped me make my grandmother's stuffing, my favorite Thanksgiving eat. As it turned out my Aunt was here from out of town and my brother decided to stay for dinner with his boys (who ate their first prunes!) so we ordered up some pizza and had a nice night before. After everyone left, the Hubs and I got to pie making. I am somewhat embarrased to admit we only had 2 kinds this year, but with only 6 adults and 2 kids, I just could not force myself to make 16 different pies. The pies turned out perfectly, in fact I think it was the most beautiful pumpkin pie I have ever made. Everything was so good, and we ate until we could eat no more. After everyone departed to their next dinner and/or dessert location we packed up our kids and went over to Grandpa-Greats for a looksee at his Christmas decorations that he and Grandma-great have spent much of the last 2 weeks putting up. To say there are a lot would be a huge understatement. I will have to take some pictures next time, so everyone can get the FULL view. But lets put it this was, there are probably about 50 8-10 inch houses, a full tree, 50+ nutcrackers, and everything ever made that sings or dances. The kids loved it. There is literally a small path to the couch and that is about it, so we did not stay long as there was no room to visit. All in all it was a lovely day. Quiet and peaceful, which is what I wanted.

More to be Thankful for....Days 12- 17

I will probably never catch up. It is the story of my life.

Day 12.
Car seats. This is one of those things that starts off as one thing and morphs into something totally different. I am greatful because they keep my kids safe, but even more than that, I am greatful it contains Lex in a manner of which she cannot escape. Giving me 3 minutes to put the frozen goods into the freezer while not having wonder if she is playing in the street or climbing under a moving vehicle. It also offers me the ability to secure all other riders with out having to wonder how loud the radio will be when I turn the car on.

Day 13.
Let's hear a cheer for the drive-thru. Without you I would be lost. I would have to haul all 4 kids out of the car and that is bad. I can get food, Caffeine, dry cleaning, return library books,and a plethora of other items at a good drive-thru. Many a day you save me.

Day 14.
and speaking of CAFFEINE. I would be more than happy to write you a long and glowing recommendation should you ever need a job elsewhere. but I can assure you that as long as I have children and things to be done that you will never be out of work here. So thank you my friend it whatever form you come to me that day, be it coffee or a good Dr. Pepsi. I promise to appreciate all you do.

Day 15.
For a cat with the patience to contend with a one year old who LOVES you, and to a fish who can go 2 weeks with out having his water changed. We may once in a while neglect you, but we sure do love all you add to our crazy house.

Day 16.
A good book. So probably I should say a great author who has written and published something for me, to take me away from everyday, to teach me something, or to just be. I am forever greatful for a book. Be it good or bad, sappy or totally unbelieveable. I am currently lying in wait for Sarah Addison Allen's new book that will be out March 16, 2010. (if you have never read anything by her, get busy. Sugar Queen and Garden Spells were both....dare I say magical?!?!)

Day 17.
My "real" job and boss. Everyday, for the rest of my life I will be a mom. But a few special times a month I get to do something that for many years I considering dreary. I get to work outside of my home. I love my job. I am very lucky to have a position and set my own hours or have the chance to just fill in once in a while. And since I am working for the same guy that I started with many years ago (like 12+), I am very blessed. He is a great guy, who probably knows me too well and likes me anyway. So to Rick, the man who helps me keep my sanity. I say thanks so very much for letting me work at such a great job.

Thankful Days 6-11

Okay, I fully admitted that I would probably get behind, so here is to catching up!

Day 6.
Today I am thankful for extended family. And not just the blood kind, though I have a good number of them that are fantastic. All those out there who are so good to me and that I love like family, thanks for being there for me.

Day 7.
Wonderful neighbors and neighborhood. We live in an amazing place. Our next door neighbors are a Godsend. I would not move unless I could take them with me. They are kind and helpful and their daughter Courtney is so amazing with my kids. Especially Nathan. They have a unique bond those 2 that I would not trade for the world. I do not know a lot of 19 year olds who will drop nearly everything for a 4 year old. And whose boyfriend is also so kind to my kiddies. Thanks "Egan". Our extended neighborhood is also great. They are kind and thoughtful. They are inclusive and for the most part do not spend their days judging us for being a family with more than one religious view.

Day 8.
Beautiful, healthy nephews that I get to spend alot of time with. I am so fortunate that my little brother and sis-in-law trust me with their boys. I love them like they are my own and cannot wait to teach them all the things their mom has specifically asked me not to, kidding Keanne.

Day 9.
The three best friends a girl could ask for. And you crazies know who you are....Amy (my sista), Katie (my voice of reason) and Heather ( my shorter and older twin) They are the most amazing women I know. And together we are nuts. I seem to do really dumb ( and I do mean DUMB) things when I am with them, but it is because I am totally comfortable with them. I never have to wonder if there will be cattiness or nastiness. There never is. And for that I am so very thankful. Now to just see them more often........

Day 10.
This may seem silly to some, but today I am thankful for an awesome foot doctor. When I first saw Dr. Elkins in Sept I was in pain every second of the day, not anymore, thank you very much. He is a wonderful Dr. who listens to everything I say, which I am sure half the time he wishes he didn't have to do. He is caring and funny. I feel like he is someone I can talk to and not someone there to judge me like some doctors I have seen. I do not dread seeing him, and would recommend him to anyone in need of a great podiatrist.

Thankful Day 5

Today, I am thankful for my wonderful Mom. She is one amazing chicky. She is stronger than she knows and has an ability to love that I find unbelievable. She has taught me so much about being resisilant, and picking yourself up when you get kicked in the teeth. She can make gold from straw. She is not only my mom, but one of my best friends. And, that is all I can type when crying.

Thankful Day 4

Okay, first let me say that these really are in no particular order. I am writing about things as I feel them, so if you think they maybe in a strange order you are probably correct.

Today I am thankful for a warm house, and the moula to pay the bills that keep us warm and in our home. (does that count as 2?) I know there are a large number of people out in the cold, for one reason or another. And I am greatful that we are not on that list. Greg has a good job, and we have tried to live according to our means. Some days that goes better then others, but I am happy that we are (both willing and capable to be) responsible for our financial decisions.

Baby Days!

I think it is safe to say that the baby days are over at our house. Alexandra is very nearly 2 years old. She long ago gave up bottles, night time wakenings, and the need for me to do all things for her. She has started to tell us when she has a stinky diaper. And she is already fighting naps. I look back with much love at the baby daze, but I don't think I am going to miss it. Which I find a bit strange considering how long I waited for the baby stage. I remember from the moment we got married I wanted kids. Hell, even before we were married, during the longest engagment on record, I wanted to have babies with Greg. When we did finally get married, I knew the waiting was not over. I knew that it was still not the right time....Greg had just gotten accepted into his professional program at then University of Utah, and that it was going to be 3 long years, and a lot of stress, before graduation would be upon us. So I put it all on the back burner and waited. And then we waited one more year after graduation just to safe. I remember finding out we were pregnant with Nathan, right before our fourth wedding anniversary. It was the most amazing, frightening thing ever! Having a pregnancy, that up until the 7th month was so easy, and then watching the whole thing fall apart in front of my eyes. Realizing that I was giving birth 6 weeks early, to a baby, who I knew was not ready. But giving all my faith to the doctor to make the right call, and to God to do what was necessary. I will save you all the tale of Nathan's birth and first weeks in the hospital. ( you can read about them in my May 2009 post titled "4 years ago...") And then, 3 years later, when I was pregnant with Alexandra and we all kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never did, except for the c-section at 11:30 at night becasue after 13 hours we were pretty darn sure that her head was never going to fit. I love my children. They truly are the best things Greg and I have ever done. They have made our family what it is, and for all that I am forever greatful. That said, it is somehow a little bittersweet to know that we are done. But I am very contented with that decision. Long before we had kids, we knew we only wanted 2. It didn't matter if they were both one sex or the other or whether we got one of each. As it turned out we got one of each for which I am still suprised. I was sure, despite being told she was a she, I had a nagging thought in the back of my mind that she was going to be a boy. Clearly I was WRONG on that one, but I am so happy with what I was given. As I sit here, now, and watch them 2 of them playing together on the family room floor, I am very content. I love a good baby as much as the next person, but I am happy my babies are now a toddler and a pre-schooler.

Thankful Day 3

Today, I, like the rest of the nation say "thank you" to our veterans. I am so greatful for my freedoms. I acknowledge the cost that many have paid and the sacrifice that they are so willing to make for me and my family. This is especially true of my two cousins, who are really more like brothers to me. I am delighted that on this Veterans Day they are both home in the United States. They have both been to some of the most frightening places I can imagine. I am amazed at their willingness to serve, but not suprised. I think we all knew in our early teens that these 2 were going to be army boys. So to all our veterans, but most importantly to Max and Zeke our active guys we say thank you!

Thankful Day 2

Day 2, I am on a roll now.

This day I am thankful for my kids. They are such wonderful little creatures. This one is especially profound for me at this time, becasue on Friday, I know a family who will be burying their precious little boy who passed away at 3 months old from a birth defect. My heart breaks for them, I am sick over the whole thing. I cannot and do not wish to ever understand their heartbreak. But, on a happy note, back to my kids......Nathan and Alexandra are by far the most amazing people I have ever met. Every day they do or say something that I find to be hilarious. Alexandra, every day is just as wonderful. Her new "trick" is to take something, that she knows she should not have and just as I catch her to take it away, she hucks it across the room. I am so tried of her version of catch, but she sure has an arm on her. And Nathan, has the most amazing imagination. The other day, just before bed, he got all his STARWARS guys out and had them arranged around the family room and the kitchen. When I told him it was time to clean up for bedtime, he looked me square in the face and said, "but Mom they are at their battle stations". Far be it from me to remove any one from their battle station just becasue of bedtime. I love those 2 kids so very much!

Thankful Day 1

So I am late to the band wagon, but I am jumping on all the same. I will (hopefully) post one thing every day for which I am thankful until Thanksgiving. Here goes:

Today on this first day, I am thankful for an amazing husband. Greg and I have been together for right around 15!! years now. I have been with him nearly as long as my life was without him. I am amazed some days that he puts up with me and all my craziness. He really took his vows to heart(smile and nod here if you must) for which I am so happy. I know without a doubt there are days I drive him up the wall (or possibly to drink) but he puts up with me and loves me no matter what, for which I am beyond thankful.

Halloween 2009

My mom asked me why Nathan thinks Halloween is so great. The answer is easy, around our house it is one big party. We have been so lucky for the past few years to have all our friends gather at our house for yummy homemade rootbeer (thanks, Loren!) and a tasty dinner and then we hit the town for some trick-or-treating. We live in a great neighborhood, and it is so much fun. Here is the whole bunch of kids on the stairs (the photo place of choice in our house!) before we hit the town. They are so stinking cute. We had things, princesses, zombies and part of the zoo, and a wizard and witch tooo!!



So thanks to all our guests. Family and friends. We had a great time!!! And hope you all did too.