Four Men and a Lady

Lady, the Lazy Fat Cat

2011-11-16T22:15:00.002-07:00

Lady and her siblings were found in a ditch by my sister, Natalie. She rescued the kittens and called me over to tempt me into taking one. After seeing them I just had to take one home for Dresden. He loved his stuffed animals so much that I knew he would love this kitty. We gave Dresden the chance to name the kitty. His choices were PamPam (which was his favorite word for things at the time) and Lady, because he was very much into Thomas the Train. He ended up going with Lady.
Dresden and Lady instantly bonded.
You never had to guess where Lady was at night...

...snuggled in bed with Dresden.

I even found the two of them sleeping under the Christmas tree one year.

Lady was very social and always wanted to be where the boys were. And when the boys weren't around, she would be near Larry. She loved to curl up and sit on Larry's feet when he was at the computer. When it was dinner time for the family she would eat her food as well.

When we got back from our NY and California trips a few weeks ago, Lady just wasn't the same. We started to notice her getting sick when she would eat. I have a feeling because of her social nature, while we were gone she was starving herself because she was waiting for us to get back so she could eat with us. This was the longest we have left her and I think she probably thought we abandoned her, poor kitty. We took her to the vet and they did an x-ray and blood work but couldn't find anything wrong. Our once obedient cat was now jumping up on the counter and table trying to find food. She was starving and wanted to eat but she couldn't keep anything down. She was literally starving to death. After waiting a bit longer to see if she
would get better we decided she was suffering too much.

Our Lazy Fat Cat was no longer the fat cat she once was.
Today she went to kitty heaven. Our family is going to miss our Lady Cat.

First Crawl

2011-11-06T20:39:00.002-07:00

I guess the title says it all. Strider has been getting up on his hands and knees for a few weeks. In fact, I thought for sure he would start crawling while we were in NYC. He would get up on his hands and feet and stick his little bum into the air doing some sort of yoga move but it wasn't getting him anywhere. We have helped him by moving his hands and knees back and forth but when it came time to go forward on his own, he would do the belly flop. Today he was finally motivated enough to go after something. I was looking at a Target magazine and he must have liked the colorful pages and wanted them so he made the effort and crawled after the magazine. So, now it's time to baby proof the house. I guess I'll be going to the store tomorrow to buy all those little safety gadgets that a home with a baby needs.

I had to tempt Strider with banana puffs to get him crawling.

Each time he got to one end of the floor

I turned him around and sent him off crawling again.

Each time he made it to the end he received a little treat for his efforts.

We sure do love this little guy!

I heart NY

2011-11-05T23:11:00.000-06:00

Larry and I have always wanted to take the boys to NYC. Larry has loved the city ever since he was a missionary in NY. I have grown to love NYC over the past few years while traveling there for work. So, when Larry had the opportunity to go to NYC for NY Comic-Con, I jumped at the chance that the boys and I might be able to tag along. Larry was going to be busy most days with the convention so the majority of the time it was me and my boys, hitting the streets and subways of NYC.

We took a red eye flight thinking we would get some sleep on the plane but sleep really never came. The boys were good sports about the whole thing. We got off the plane, dropped our luggage off at the hotel and went straight to Battery Park to pick up our Statue of Liberty tickets. There was a whole lot of waiting around. Waiting to get the tickets, waiting to go through security before waiting for the boat and then more waiting once we got on the island to go through more security to go inside the statue. Once we got inside the statue the boys were pretty impressed and enjoyed themselves.

This is where I would LOVE to show you the pictures from the Statue of Liberty but they somehow were deleted from the camera. Just imagine the boys standing under the nose of a replica of the Lady Liberty's face. Now imagine a nice shot of the boys standing with the water behind them and the NY skyline in the distance. Great shot! Now imagine Dresden having a melt down and standing on the lawn in front of the statue being grumpy. Lastly, imagine dozens of birds on the grass in front of the statue and Logan running towards them making them all fly away.

After we waited in more lines to get back on the boat to head back to shore, we went to the 9/11 Memorial. We watched a documentary on the building of the new World Trade 1 during the 10th anniversary so the boys were very excited to see the building in person. I think they were pretty impressed with the water falls and how large the new building is. For me, it was a feeling of awe knowing that I had once walked that plaza when the Twin Towers were standing and to now walk around the huge footprints of where these two massive towers once stood. It is so hard to imagine what it must have been like on that day and the months that followed.

Larry had time the next day to go to the Natural History Museum with us. After seeing the movie, Night at the Museum, I think the boys were a little disappointed to not see anything coming to life. In reality, they were so tired from not getting sleep the night before that they were pretty tired and not too interested in the museum.

Dresden, Larry, and Logan at the Natural History Museum

Logan not having a melt down

Logan having a melt down

Dresden in front of a giant whale at the Natural History Museum

FAO Schwartz and the Big Piano

LEGO Statue of Liberty

Dresden is currently very interested in cars and was very impressed with all the nice cars he saw on the Upper East side. As we were walking to the Metropolitan Museum we came across a wedding party that was waiting the bride and groom to get their pictures taken in Central Park. Dresden saw this Rolls Royce and wanted his picture in front of it. The driver was standing on the sidewalk so I asked him if I could take a picture of the boys in front of the car and he said, "I can do you one better. They can sit in the car." Dresden was in disbelief. He told me it was his best day ever! I bought him Ferrari shoes earlier in the day, he saw a Lamborghini, 3 Bentley's, 2 Rolls Royce's, 6 Porches, and he got to sit in a Rolls Royce. The boys were on a total high and didn't seem to mind the walk to the Met.

Dresden and Logan in the Rolls Royce

The boys standing in the doorway of an Egyptian Pyramid

After leaving the Met the boys really wanted to walk through Central Park. They LOVED the park! The loved running up and down hills, chasing after the squirrels, and all of the unique playgrounds they have.

The boys sitting in front of the Conservatory Pond

Logan and Mom

Dresden and Mom

This slide was built into a hill. You would slide down the slide on a piece of cardboard. The boys had so much fun and thought this was the coolest slide ever.

The boys really enjoyed taking the subway and were really great about reading the signs and remembering what lines we needed to transfer to. They also loved swiping their MetroCards to get through the turn styles.

Mom checking subway app on her iTouch and Logan being silly

Both boys loved to stand while on the subway. Here is Dresden standing, trying not to wake up the "hobo", as the boys call them.

On our last day we woke up and went to the Empire State Building. When I have been there before the lines were crazy long. We got there early and didn't have to wait, only for the elevators. Most of our stay in NY was overcast and rainy but this day was perfect! We could see for miles.

The boys listening to the audio tour

Looking out over the concrete Jungle

Before we left we had to go back to Times Square and make those last minute purchases. The boys loved the M&M store and spent way too much money there.

Before we even got out of Manhattan, both boys fell asleep in the cab on the way to the airport. The flight home was uneventful and all three of us were able to get some shut eye.

An old chapter ends, a new one begins..

2011-11-05T21:07:00.000-06:00

A couple months ago we received word from the Deseret News that Larry would no longer be working for them. They had to make room for upper management to cushion their pockets a little more. That's my opinion, but I don't think it's too far off from reality. So, after 16 years of work with the Deseret News, Larry is now looking elsewhere. It is exciting and scary all at the same time. I know Larry was getting tired off all the changes and lack of ethics and the fact that journalism was taking a back seat. It was time for a change and the News helped give him that nudge he needed to find greatness and happiness with another company. We are very grateful the News gave Larry a nice package to leave with.

Now the fun, anxiety for me, begins. Larry is searching daily to find a new job. Realistically, we will most likely be relocating, which has me stressed completely, but that is the reality of the situation. I hate even typing that. I have to be positive and supportive but I'd much rather be selfish and stubborn and demand him to look only in the SL Valley. If I hadn't been laid off after having Strider, maybe I would have a little more pull at keeping us here. I still have my fingers and toes crossed but I still want Larry to love what he does.

I am anxiously waiting to find out what is in store for our next chapter...

A Sunday Afternoon at the Salt Flats

2011-10-03T22:30:00.003-06:00

Strider

Logan

Dresden

Family

The Witch Is In

2011-09-23T23:27:00.003-06:00

One of my first Halloween memories was when I was in kindergarten. I was dressed as a clown with a big clown hat and had clown make-up all over my face. I remember being last in line to bob for apples because I didn't want to mess up my clown make-up. I worried the entire time as I watched the other kids bob for their apples. I knew that as soon as my face hit the water my white face and big red circle cheeks would run right off my face and I didn't want that to happen. Surely the kids would laugh! I don't remember what happened after the apple bobbing experience, whether the kids laughed or not, or whether my make-up dripped off my face or not. All I know is I was so full of anxiety that I hated that day. I'm pretty sure that experience had something to do with my hate for Halloween.

Fast forward...lots of years.

Halloween has become our favorite holiday. We do a lot of decorating outside with a graveyard and ghosts but I have never done much inside. This morning I got this grand idea that I would decorate the inside of the house as a witches kitchen. I wanted to create specimen jars to sit on the opening between the kitchen and living room. My mind started going into overdrive, I had all sorts of ideas. Larry, Logan, and I went hunting for specimens and jars. We hit the D.I. for jars and bottles and the Dollar Store for specimens. I think we found a few good things. When we got home Logan and I were pretty excited to start playing with the combinations. He had fun adding food coloring to the jars and was pretty excited about the heart, brain, and cockroaches. Now that we have the specimen/jar combinations worked out all I have to do is finish off the bottles with creepy mesh and rope and come up with creative labels for the Eyeballs, Shrunken Unicorn Horns, Werewolf Fur, Dragons Blood, Mermaid Hair, Sand from Dead Man's Hill, Brain, Cockroaches, Crow Feathers, Face Parts, and a Rat. Here's a preview of my project...

Shelf lined with specimen jars


Graveyard Cockroaches

Demented Brain of Warlock

Young Werewolf Fur

Mermaid Hair

Thorn in my side...

2011-09-13T21:33:00.000-06:00

...well just the tire but that is bad enough!

Nicole was sweet to send me a surprise to help brighten my day, a BOB Revolution. I was so excited to take it out on a walk. I got the boys ready on their bikes, made a bottle for Strider, strapped him in, and headed out for our 3 mile walk. We got about 1/2 mile in when the stroller started pulling to one side. I looked down to see a completely flat tire. As I inspected the tire I found a big 'ol thorn stuck in the tire. Grrr, it made me so mad. This is the second stroller that has fallen victim to the nasty thorns in our neighborhood. So, I called my very helpful neighbor, Dad, and he came and picked us up. I guess our walk will have to wait until tomorrow.

By the way, I love the stroller, Nikki! Thank you so much, it did brighten my day.

6 Month Check Up

2011-09-09T23:37:00.000-06:00

Weight: 18.7 pounds (70%)

Height: 28.2 inches (90%)

Head Circ: 18 inches (90%)

Four shots plus an oral vaccine and still all smiles.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-09T22:53:00.000-06:00

For the past five or six years Larry has gone to Dragon*Con over Labor Day Weekend. Things were just the same this year. He left for Atlanta and the boys and I were left behind to find fun for ourselves. I was so stir crazy and wanted to find a quick day trip the boys and I could go on. I searched the Internet for things to do in Ogden, I didn't find much that looked very interesting. I thought about going to Logan but decided against that as well. I pretty much gave up on the idea all together until Natalie called and mentioned that Jay had been toying with the idea of going to a ghost town in Ophir. I was SO excited and jumped all over the the idea. They may not have really wanted to go but I don't think Natalie could turn me down after I got so excited about the possibility of a day trip.

Larry had the camera so I relied on Jay and Natalie to take pictures. Jay captured the excitement of the day and posted it to their blog http://rudelfamily.blogspot.com Below you can read all about our ghost town adventures. (Thanks, Jay, for making this post easy for me!)

With John and Donna gone to California, and Larry attending Dragoncon, Shannon and boys and the Rudel clan decided to go on a little quest to see a ghost town. Ophir is located on the other side of the Oquirrh Mountians south of Tooele. This was quite an adventure and definitely more than what we bargained for.

The original glory of what used to be the town has all but

weathered completely away except for a few buildings.

The kids thought they were on a tram in Disneyland. It looks like they are totally entertained.

However, the tram is up on blocks and hasn't moved an inch in the past 10 years.

Not really sure why the tram is there in the first place?

Ophir also has an old-fashioned phone booth, the kind that Clark Kent would use to change into his Superman outfit. The Mayor informed us that the phone company would charge him $200 a month for keeping it operational, so he said that the booth would grow old just like Ophir.

This is the old time school house. The kids thought it was really neat. I don't think they have ever seen a chalkboard and certainly not the inkwells. They also had a Dunce Hat on the corner desk.

All the kids fought to wear it. Have you ever seen such an attentive group of students?

Strider taking everything in stride. He looks like he might be a road worker one day!

This is Walt, the Mayor of Ophir. Where do you begin with him? He most likely thought that we were a bunch of polygamist with the 5 kids, 2 females and 1 husband. We also told him we were from the other side of the mountain and that we both used to teach in Herriman. When we approached his house he called the kids over. He had a trap-like contraption and wanted the kids to look inside to see if he had caught anything. Natalie said this was similar to the mongoose trap John used to have. Of course, as soon as he opens the door this stuffed rodent-looking thing flies out of the trap scaring the kids to death. As we entered into a casual conversation with him, he became interested in sharing the entire history of Ophir with us. He gave us the Grand Tour of this ghost town turned RV Camp resort for the holiday weekend.

This is a marker Walt erected to certify that in 1887 on this exact spot "absolutely nothing happened".

Walt informed us that we could not spend the night in Ophir because the Hilton was full!

The Ritz was also booked up for the weekend.

I know things are going down the toilet quickly in Ophir. However, this IS the toilet in the Ophir jail.

The boys were all intrigued by this" crappy" contraption.

This is one of the many mine shafts in Ophir. Walt wasn't going to let us leave without showing us a mine. Again, we got more than we bargained for.

The kids are apprehensive about entering the mine. The sign said Danger! Keep OUT!

Walt is wondering why a dead dear is hanging in the shaft!

Without missing a beat Walt said, "Well, does anyone want to pet the nice deer?"

The mine is about 2 miles down and 2 miles south. It has a lot of sumps (underwater lakes)

and faults in the mountain above so it blows very cold air out of the shaft.

It was like instant A/C. The deer was there because it was cold.

The kids would have liked to take this old mine car down the shaft.

The Rudel's in front of a mine shaft.

Sydney not agreeing to smile which created a few tears.

The Rudel's in front of a stone building.

Walt teased us with saying the road over the Oquirrh's to Butterfield Canyon was a great drive for scenery. However, the road was less than desirable. In other words, lunch $22, gas $25, new shocks and struts on Shannon's van $625, new oil pan $423...... but the view was priceless.

The kids on the edge of the cliff. The view was better than Dead Horse Point, near Moab.

Overall, it turned out to be a 7 and 1/2 hour adventure that was fun and exciting.

Just glad the van made it down the mountain and no one fell off the cliff.

-Jay

School...seriously???

2011-08-26T23:50:00.002-06:00

The best response I heard from the boys was when I told them that we were in the last week of summer. Dresden responded, "what a rip off". I have to agree with him. Who wants to start school in August, especially when it doesn't let out until June? Actually, the boys were both more than ready to go back to school. They may not admit that, but when they are each wishing the other one would go on a month long vacation, well that just tells me they have had enough of each other and need a routine again. They both seem to like school. I hope that doesn't change once homework starts coming home. I think having a good teacher does make a big difference and I'm glad that they both like their teachers.

Logan 2nd grade ~ Dresden 4th grade

While the boys were at school Strider and I weren't really sure what to do. So, we did a little of everything. We played, took naps, cleaned, painted my toe nails, and tried some new foods. This is of Strider sucking on a frozen banana. If he could talk he would say, "Yummy!"

Strider also tried some new baby food. I can say that he is much different than my other boys. Dresden and Logan never liked getting their hands dirty but this kid has no problem with it.

He has this funny routine when I feed him baby food. I put the spoon in his mouth, then he puts his four fingers in his mouth, sucks a couple times then puts his thumb in his mouth. He repeats this after every spoonful of food. I can only imagine what the mess will look like once he starts to feed himself. I guess I will be moving his highchair FAR away from the white curtains.

The rest of the week wasn't as eventful as I had hoped for. I ended up with a pretty good migraine that decided to stick around a few days. After the first night of being sicker than I have been in a long time, I decided it was silly that I didn't go see the doctor to get a new prescription for my medication. I saw the doctor and filled the medication just as another migraine was coming on. Not only is it great that I have a medication that will kill my migraines, but I was pleasantly surprised when the cost of it dropped $40!

Thursday night we went to the wedding of Larry's niece, Katie Winn.
It was a really nice ceremony and reception and Katie made a lovely bride.
We couldn't help but use the beautiful backdrop to take some pictures of our own.

I sure love these handsome boys.

Who you calling bald?

2011-08-21T22:47:00.000-06:00

That's right. You can no longer say that Strider is bald. He finally has a little lock of hair.

Okay, so he still looks mostly bald, but I loved the little curl that formed while he was taking a bath. We definitely won't be needing a haircut anytime soon.

A day at the water park

2011-08-18T23:50:00.000-06:00

For the past few years we have bought season passes to Lagoon. We loved having passes because we never felt rushed to ride every ride while we were there. We could take things at our own pace. This year, being that we had a new little guy join our family, we decided to go with something a little more local and baby friendly. We bought the Pass of all Passes that got us Blaze football games, Real soccer games, Salt Lake Grizzlies hockey games, and races at the Miller Sports Park. We took advantage of the Real and Blaze games but the real reason for buying the passes was for Raging Waters (Seven Peaks). The boys have really enjoyed spending time at the water park, especially when Collin and Sydney, along with Natalie and Jay, would join us. We would arrive by 10am and stay until it started to get busy around 1pm. A few short hours were always good enough for us. The lines were short, the pools were empty, there was plenty of grass space to spread out on, and the best part was street parking so we didn't have to pay to park.

Today, Larry and I decided to take the boys to Raging Waters one last time before school starts. When I told Dresden and Logan our plans, Dresden asked if Collin and Sydney were going. I explained to him that we thought it would be nice to spend time together as a family. Dresden was not happy with the decision on not inviting the cousins and he stormed off yelling, "Thanks for making my life miserable!". Friends have quickly become more important to him than Mom and Dad...how hurtful. Despite not having the cousins with us today we all managed to have a good time.

Fun on the rope.

Me doing a little diving

Dresden and I going down the drop off slide

The boys in the wave pool

I couldn't leave my little guy out of the picture fest. When we got home he was dead tired but so happy to see us. I have recently taken the swing out of the living room and replaced it with the saucer, which Strider loves.

He also tried a new food today, peas. Let's just say he isn't a fan of peas.

So, that is our day. Oh, there was one more event...The Salt Lake County Mayor speaks to our Community Council annually and tonight was the night he was scheduled to attend our meeting. There's nothing like arriving late with three kids in tow and then having to take a seat up with the rest of the Council. It's a good thing my position is a volunteer position and I can't get fired from it. After the meeting I shook Mayor Corroon's hand and apologized for being late.

Week 24

2011-08-14T15:42:00.000-06:00

It has been a very busy week for my little guy.

Strider discovered his feet awhile ago but he has now discovered he can bring his foot right to his mouth. Yes, he enjoys sucking on his toes...you would too, if you could.

He can now sit by himself. I can't tell you how much happier he is now that he can sit.

Today was the first of many messes...

I was doing the dishes and he wanted to be closer so I moved him to the counter. I knew the bag of Cheerios was sitting close to Strider but I just didn't think he would be able to reach it. He maneuvered himself enough in his chair to reach the bag and proceeded to dumb every last Cheerio out. He thought it was a pretty fun activity. Okay, he just loved the sound the bag made, but it did make him very happy. Dresden was in the kitchen with me and we were both having a good laugh at Strider's antics. Logan heard us so he came running up from downstairs. He hadn't had a bowl of cereal yet and was planning on eating Cheerios. You should have seen Logan's face when he saw all the Cheerios dumped out on the counter. Let's just say he wasn't very amused. Poor kid had to scoop the Cheerios off the counter so he could have his morning cereal.

I sure love this little boy and the joy he brings to our family.

Little Fish

2011-08-12T19:18:00.000-06:00

I grew up swimming, all summer long. I don't think I ever took formal swimming lessons, swimming just came naturally to me. So, I just assumed that my boys would take to the water just like I did. Well, I was terribly wrong. The first problem, I didn't have them at the pool everyday. How could they learn to swim when they only occasionally went swimming? Still, as they got older I just thought they would catch on. They could do a really sad doggy paddle but it just wasn't going to cut it. I finally got them into swim lessons. I had no idea where to start them so they started in the level 2 class. Once they were in the water they were instantly moved up to a level 3. So, there they were on day one, listening to Coach Chris teach them the basics of a free-style swim. After a short lesson they were instantly better and more confident swimming. Both boys did an awesome job of listening and practicing what they had learned.

At the end of the first lesson Chris told them that they would be going off the diving boards the next day. By the time we got out to the car Dresden was in a panic. He was genuinely terrified. He told me over and over, "I'm going to drown and die, and it's going to be all your fault!" I couldn't understand his fear until he told me, with tears in his eyes, "Coach hasn't even taught us how to come back up out of the water." I tried explaining to Dresden that he will come back up out of the water but he just couldn't understand. All he could think of was that he would sink to the bottom of the pool. I explained that his coach would be right there and if it made him feel better I would wear my swimming suit and sit right next to the pool to jump in if he started sinking. That wasn't good enough. The poor kid worried and stressed about this the entire day and all night. When I was putting him to bed he said the same things, that he was going to die. My heart was breaking. As we talked he finally calmed down enough to understood that his Coach would be in the water, under the diving board, and that he would be right there to catch him. This finally put peace to Dresden's mind and he stopped worrying so much about jumping off the diving board. The next day, Chris taught the boys some basics about jumping into the pool,holding your breath, and swimming back to the top of the water. I was so glad that he taught the boys this before they went to the diving boards. I'm sure Dresden was full of anxiety when he jumped off the diving board but he jumped, resurfaced, and swam to the side of the pool. He didn't sink and die! Thank goodness. Both boys jumped and jumped until Chris finally told them to get their towels.

Swim lessons ended today and I am so glad to see how much the boys have improved. All they want to do now is go swimming, which we have done a number of times. Can you guess where we will be tomorrow??? Yep, my little fish will be at the pool!

The boys heading to the diving boards

Dresden jumping in

We're still working on not plugging the nose

Logan jumping off the high dive

Nice form!

Champs

2011-08-11T22:19:00.001-06:00

There aren't many activities that Larry and I do together. We enjoy going out with friends but the only thing that he and I have ever really done together, consistently, is play softball. One of the first times I met Larry he was playing in a softball game. Soon after, I would occasionally play with him, not sure if it was a singles ward team or what. I was very aware of the girls that didn't like me playing on the team but I still had fun playing and going to Pizza Hut afterwords. For the past 11 years Larry and I have played at least Spring or Fall softball, if not both, with the Deseret News. I think there may have been a one year gap but we have always looked forward to playing ball. This year was no different. We had many canceled games due to rain but we finally got the season going and we came away the Champions.

Taking Note

2011-08-01T22:33:00.001-06:00

I was terrible about keeping records of Dresden and Logan. I didn't write down all the cute things my boys did, because how could I possibly forget all those cute things? I've learned my lesson and now know that I can't possibly remember all the cute things my kids do. So, this is my journal entry on things that I am taking note about Strider...

This baby really does not liking being in the car. We would take Dresden and Logan on car rides when they just couldn't fall asleep. This boy, nope, he just doesn't like being in the car and forget about him falling asleep. That doesn't happen often. I'm sure things might be different if he didn't have two older brothers in his face all the time. The boys sometimes have a hard time leaving him alone.

Strider is the only person that will ALWAYS smile at me when I walk in the room, and I love it! How can your heart not melt when you see your baby give you a big gummy smile when he sees you.

Strider is a wiggle worm, and when I say wiggle worm, I mean he NEVER stops moving. You try to feed him his bottle and his arms and legs are going or he's trying to twist around so he can see what's behind him. When he wakes up in the morning I give him his morning bottle sitting in one of our red leather chairs in the living room. I always get a kick out him every morning because he slides his foot up and down the arm of the chair the entire time he drinks his bottle. It wouldn't be so funny if it didn't make the noise skin makes on leather, you know that "was that a fart?" sound. Unlike his two older brothers who were very calm, Strider is our little wiggle worm. In fact, when he gets really wiggly while eating I sing to him, "Slow down, you move to fast" The Simon & Garfunkel song.

Strider has learned to roll so now he seldom stays on his back. He isn't always happy when he has rolled onto his tummy but if you put him back on his back he rolls right back over. This is far different than Dresden and Logan. Neither of them cared for their tummy's, therefore causing them to be late crawlers. I predict this little boy will be crawling by next month. He is already pulling his knees under him trying to scoot forward to grab toys.

Strider loves to be sung to. When he gets fussy he quickly settles down if he is sung to. It may have been a coincidence but the other night I was tired and forgot to sing to him while I was feeding him his bottle. I was sitting on the chair in his bedroom feeding him. He finished the bottle, I burped him, and put the pacifier in his mouth. He kept blowing bubbles and spitting the pacifier out. I realized I hadn't been singing so I started singing his songs to him and he started to suck on his pacifier. When I thought he was close enough to being asleep I stopped singing but then he started blowing bubbles and spit the pacifier out again. So, I sang some more and he sucked on his pacifier. Anyway, this happened a few times, every time I stopped singing he would spit the pacifier out until I started singing again. Little sweetheart just wanted to be sung to until he fell asleep.

When I sing to Strider he will reach his little hand up and touch my face. I love when he does this.

The only time Strider giggles is when he is tired. The more tired he is the more he laughs. Tonight he was pretty tired so I brought him downstairs to put him to bed. The big boys were on their way downstairs too and decided to jump a few stairs to the bottom. Strider found this absolutely hilarious so the boys kept climbing the stairs and jumping down. Strider's laughing had all of us laughing. There isn't anything we won't do to get this little boy to laugh.

Strider is beginning to be spoiled...I guess he isn't beginning, he all ready is. I've mentioned how he isn't satisfied unless he is right near someone. Well, it has only gotten worse. It's not good enough to be across the room, he needs to be within a couple feet of me. So, I finally bought a Bumbo chair for him and he now sits on the kitchen counter while I fix dinner or do the dishes. This seems to keep him happy.

The latest thing Strider has discovered is his tongue. He looks pretty darn cute when he sticks it out and gently blows air out making a cute little noise.

Here are a few pictures. The quality isn't great because they were taken with my phone...

My kid can beat up your kid...

2011-07-28T22:59:00.000-06:00

...or at least roll over and squash yours.

My little guy doesn't look much like a little guy next to cousin Grady.

At two weeks, Grady is still nearly a pound smaller than what Strider's birth weight was.

I can't wait to see these two at Christmas time.

Baby Grady 1 week - Baby Strider 5 months

We are so happy that everything went well for the delivery of Grady

and that we have a new little cousin to love.

Mmmm Pizza

2011-07-27T23:29:00.000-06:00

It is always interesting when we get the cousins together. Dresden & Collin and Logan & Sydney are little characters when they are together. Tonight we did one of our "swaps". Collin is spending the night here and Logan is with Sydney. I'm not sure how much longer the Sydney/Logan pair will last but I'm hoping forever...not the sleepover aspect of it but the friendship part.

So tonight I have let Dresden and Collin sort of do their thing. We went for a quick walk and then the boys have been outside pretty much the rest of the night. We bought pizza for dinner and they used the box for a rescue mission. It had been raining so there were lots of critters that needed rescuing. Well, I'm not sure the critters needed rescuing but Collin and Dresden were certain they would find every single one they could and save them. I'm pretty sure a couple of the neighbors were happy to see them gone...

I think the final count was 38 before I told the boys I didn't want any more snails "rescued" and that we needed to find a new home for the ones we did have. The new home was snail heaven after Larry fed them snail bait. I think there are lots of flowers thanking us tonight.

Little Cottonwood Canyon

2011-07-27T16:34:00.001-06:00

I love living so close to the mountains but I never really take advantage of the beautiful hiking trails that are so readily available to us. This summer I have tried to spend at least one day in the canyons. Last week we walked around Silver Lake up Big Cottonwood Canyon, this week I decide we would hike to Cecret Lake up Little Cottonwood Canyon. We drove up the canyon only to find out that the road to the trail head is still closed. If we hiked the road to the trail head, that would add 2.5 miles to the .75 mile hike that we were planning on. We decided we would come another day when we had planned a better pack with more supplies. We headed back down the canyon and I decided to stop at a waterfall that I know of on the North side of the road. It is a tiny little hike to the waterfall so we unloaded the car and went to find the waterfall. We were really enjoying our time...

There were these Ladybug like bugs that were all over the mossy rocks. Logan was very interested in them and told me that they couldn't be Ladybugs because they don't have black spots on their backs.

Logan, the camera man, was playing with special effects and made my legs look extra large. : )

We were wanting to cross the river so I showed the boys a way we could cross. The boys had to drop down about a 4 foot boulder but I decided to take the safer approach and go around through the trees for a gradual drop. As I stepped up from a rock to go through the trees I saw a snake. I paused for a brief moment thinking that it was only a water snake or something and as I thought about taking a step forward I scanned the body to the end and notice that this snake had a distinct rattle at the end. I quickly backed down off the rock and herded the boys and our little hike abruptly came to an end. I have to admit, I was pretty freaked out. I have never seen a rattlesnake before in nature. He didn't coil up and looked like he was trying to make a mad dash out of my way but it really did frighten me. All I could think about was one of us getting bit and I would have to try to make my way with a baby and a hurt somebody out to the canyon road to find help. Dresden and Logan were both a little worried and were afraid we would run into another snake. I assured them I have never seen a rattlesnake all my years I have been hiking. I think I better get them out hiking again soon so this doesn't give them some sort of complex about running into snakes when hiking.

Discovery Gateway

2011-07-13T22:58:00.000-06:00

Today we attended the neighborhood play group which was held at Discovery Gateway. The boys weren't too interested in going until I mentioned they could each take a friend. Spencer and Brayden joined us for the outing. I really think the boys have outgrown this place because the only thing that really entertained them was one of the newer attractions, large foam domino's. Of course they loved this because it meant knocking something and someone over...and they sure did enjoy knocking each other over!

Antique Car Museum...

2011-07-13T22:29:00.000-06:00

...if you consider a garage a museum. On the list of museums that we have wanted to visit the Antique Car Museum was next on the list. Dresden has been very interested in cars for the last few months so when I told him I found a car museum we could go to he has asked nearly every day if we could go to it. Finally, the day arrived that I planned for us to visit the museum. We got up and got ready and headed for downtown. The museum hours say they are open from 8am to 8pm so I thought our 9:20am arrival would be perfect. We unloaded the van, got Strider into the carrier, and headed for the door but we were stopped and told that no one was there yet. Hmmm, the neon "OPEN" sign in the window must have been left on from the day before. NICE. The lady that stopped us told me that she was there to work and that the owner would be there within the half hour to open up. She did open a gate and told us we could browse around out back. We headed through the chain link fence into a parking lot of, well, junk. There was an old ambulance that looked like the car in Ghost Busters but it started raining so we bailed and waited in the van. Once the owner arrived we strapped Strider onto me, once again, and headed for the museum. When you first walk in there is a desk right in front of you and a staircase to the left. Both were piled high with papers. I think this must have been their filing system. On the desk was this nasty old candy dish that had a few pieces of wrapped candy in it but the candy dish also looked like it was used as an ash tray. Seriously, I should have taken a picture of it because it was awful! Anyway, we moved through the office part and into a garage "museum" where all the cars were kept. They were packed in like sardines. The boys could see past all the filth, dust, and clutter and really enjoyed looking at all the antique cars. I do have to say this about the museum, this collection belongs to one man. He has collected cars his entire life and is doing a good service by letting the public come and view his private collection and donating the profit to the West Valley Boys Ranch. So, I get that this is more of a hobby and less of a business venture so I'm willing to cut the guy some slack. Also, he couldn't have been nicer to the boys. As we were leaving he gave each of the boys a toy truck.

This was in a garage across the street from the museum (the less valuable cars???).

A horseless carriage.

This car was beautiful. I love the spare tire with the colored spokes and the boys loved that the trunk opened up for a seating area.

Dresden asked me before we left home if I thought they would have a limousine. I honestly didn't think they would but I was wrong. Here they are standing in front of one.

Another shot of them by the limo and another really neat car.

The neighbor across the street has a Corvette so Dresden thinks they are pretty cool. I don't love them so much but this one was amazing. It was a true beauty! The yellow was the perfect color of yellow and the white complimented it so well. I love the whitewall tires with yellow accent, the chrome, and especially the white leather interior. I could handle driving this around.

I seriously think cars need to be made like this again.

How cool is the white car with the turquoise stripe down the side.

But what I really loved about this car was the matching leather interior.

Those seats are just awesome, not to mention how cool it is that the

steering wheel was also leather wrapped in the same turquoise color.

Seriously, the interior of this car was to die for.

2011-07-03T23:51:00.000-06:00

On June 30th Larry and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. The big boys extended their vacation with the Rudel's and spent the night with them. Strider was with Larry's parents so we planned dinner and a movie. We finished dinner pretty quickly and had about an hour to kill before the movie started. The oil needed to be changed in the car so we drove past Jiffy Lube but neither one of us like that place so we drove on. We decided to drive to the Auto Mall to see if the Honda Dealership would change the oil. We pulled in and rolled down the window to ask one of the salesmen if the service department was open, it wasn't. He got us talking and was complimenting how great our car looked. (It had just been washed and waxed so it looked pretty nice) The salesmen, being the good salesmen he was, got us out of the car looking at other cars. We asked him if they could give us an idea of what the trade-in value would be for our car, which got us inside the dealership playing the pricing game. They actually told us they would pay us more than what we owed on the car so we were pretty interested to see what we could work out. We were shown a minivan that would be pretty practical for our new family size but we weren't very excited about the thought of what that would mean for our lovely car that we both LOVE. Anyway, we had an idea of what we would be willing to pay for the minivan. They kept playing the number game and coming back with a larger number than what we wanted to pay for the minivan. They finally got their number within a couple hundred dollars of what we were willing to pay so we finally agreed to trade in our sweet car for the new practical minivan.

This would have been the car Dresden got to drive when he turned 16...

Now he will get to drive this...

We should have just gone to Jiffy Lube.

Fun with the big boys...

2011-06-30T15:00:00.000-06:00

The last couple months we have done some fun things with the boys. Over Spring Break we tried going to the Zoo. It was a little rainy but we figured we could handle a little rain. What we didn't count on was the wind that was coming from the canyon. We got out of the car long enough to decide the wind was just too cold so we climbed back in the car and headed for the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. The boys had a great time at the museum. This is just one of the funny pictures I took of my goofy goobers.

Over Memorial Weekend we took a drive to Antelope Island. There was supposed to be a Cowboy Festival going on so we thought we would give it a try. It was a soggy, muddy, wet mess. The boys walked around the homestead while Strider and I hung out in the car. We did get to see the buffalo on the island, which the boys have never seen before. The camera ran out of batteries when we were able to see a few buffalo up close.

Dresden and Logan love museums so I looked up all the local museums and made a list of the ones we would go see. Fort Douglas was on the list. I planned to go up early in the week but notice that Fort Douglas Days was later that weekend. The flyer said there would be free food, displays, and that you could fire some sort of gun. Awesome! The boys should love this. When we arrived we realized it was much smaller than we anticipated. The reenactments were pretty sad. We walked around and saw that people were getting in this old army ambulance. The boys patiently waited their turn while a sister group was up in the cab trying out the drivers seat. When the girls were done Dresden and Logan jumped up and sat in the front seats. Logan, the curious boy that he is, honked the horn which startled all of us. I sort of giggled but then the army guy giving the medical demonstration walked over to the truck and said, "You are in so much trouble! You aren't supposed to be in there!" Then he noticed me on the other side of the ambulance so he calmed down a bit and walked away. Hmmm, if you don't want people in your vehicle then don't have the doors open or at the very least leave a sign asking to "look and not touch". I was sort of bugged with the guy and the boys were really embarrassed. I told them it wasn't their fault and that no harm was done. We looked at some other vehicles, helicopters, and tanks before deciding we weren't going to be able to fire a gun or eat free food. After an hour we had enough and headed home.

The boys in the back of the ambulance minutes before honking the horn.

They did fire some cannons numerous times. The boys thought that was pretty cool.

We finally made it to the Hogle Zoo. The weather was still chilly but at least there wasn't rain or wind. Logan is our little goofy goober and always is doing something silly. I know, that isn't very sanitary, Logan climbing in the drinking fountain. Well, it wasn't turned on yet so we let him continue his silliness.

Logan's reaction to a Rhino rear...

If Dresden's arms were a bit longer he would be the size of an Adult Female Gorilla. Imagine the hugs I could get with arms like those. 8 )

Four Months

2011-06-30T14:03:00.001-06:00

My little man is now 4 months old. Seriously, the time has gone by so fast. Why doesn't pregnancy fly by as fast? Strider has loved playing with this toy but he is now getting a little bored with it and wanting to sit up all the time. His new favorite place to sit is in his highchair. We have been amazed at how quickly he started using his hands. It has been fun watching him study his hands and fingers the past couple months. Now he is noticing his feet and grabbing a hold of them. He is also getting better at grabbing a hold of his toys and bringing them to his mouth.

This is the only time he fell asleep while playing with this toy. I left him there because the rest of us where in the middle of eating dinner. He looked too cute under there not to take a picture.

Another cute thing that I can't get over is how he always covers his eyes when he is tired. From the very beginning he has done this. He also loves to bury his face when he sleeps. To fall asleep he likes to be on his side with a blanket snuggled up to his face. Yes, this makes me nervous but I have found a muslin wrap that is so light weight that I feel okay about him snuggling with it

Strider loves bath time. He kicks and wiggles and splashes the entire time. There have been times he has been crying and as soon as I turn the water on to fill the tub he starts smiling away. I think he will be a water baby just like his older brothers.

Logan was playing with my camera one day taking pictures of Strider so I made him take a picture with me and Strider. I love his happy little face in this picture.

Now that I am home all day I think Strider is getting to be a little spoiled. He doesn't do nap time very well in his crib so I let him sleep in my bed. It's so much easier to lay down next to him and sing him to sleep. He instantly settles down when I sing to him. And, I admit, I like taking naps with him. As I sit here typing this he is over on my bed taking a nap. I think I am going to have to stop this practice and get him sleeping in his own crib for nap time. Not only so he will sleep in his crib but so I will be forced to get more done around the house. No more lazy days for me. When I'm not being lazy and trying to clean up Strider has now decided that sitting across the room isn't good enough. He wants to be right next to me. So, here he is sitting in the highchair next to me while I do the dishes. You can see he still isn't too happy about me not giving him the undivided attention he wants.

Larry and I were talking the other day about what a different experience raising Strider is. We aren't as crazy and nervous about having a baby around. The first few weeks were still really emotionally hard but things are just so much easier now than they were when we were raising our other two boys. It helps that Dresden and Logan are older and more independent but I think it also helps that Larry and I are much more calm and experienced with raising a baby. We thoroughly love having this little boy in our lives.

Strider Winston DeVon - 4 months

Nap Time

2011-05-28T22:00:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's true.
We all enjoy nap time with Strider.

Monster Concert

2011-05-27T12:23:00.004-06:00

Last year Dresden would occasionally tell me that he wanted to play the violin. I didn't know anyone that played the violin and wasn't real sure how serious he was about it. We let it go over the summer but when he started 3rd grade he once again told me he wanted to play the violin. The school has an orchestra program that has a beginners class, so we signed him up. He has gone to violin twice a week for most of the school year. I think he has a real talent for the violin. I imagine how great he could become if I were a little more strict and made him practice daily. Although, now that school is over he thinks he is finished with the violin, but I have other plans. I'm hoping to find him a private teacher for the summer so he can have a head start for next year. He feels nervous taking one on one lessons from someone so I may see if I can find a teacher that teaches in groups. If anyone knows of someone, please let me know.

All the elementary schools in the Canyons School District played in one Monster Concert.

Here he is practicing before the concert began.

240 orchestra students crowded onto the stage for the performance.

Dresden was stuck way in the back.

The individual school performance shows how large his orchestra group was...tiny

I'm proud of Dresden for wanting to try something new. I'm still baffled as to where he got the idea he wanted to play the violin but I'm so grateful he expressed his desires. I hope Larry and I will always be open to letting our kids try the things they are interested in...unless they want to skydive or something crazy like that.

A New Chapter

2011-05-26T23:33:00.002-06:00

From the time I was twelve I was making my own money. I started out babysitting for neighbors a few hours on weekends and by the time I was fourteen I had a summer job babysitting my neighbors kids. All day long, 5 days a week, I took care of these kids. I enjoyed the responsibility and the opportunity to earn money. I never stopped working after that. In high school I had a job working at Idaho Fries in the Cottonwood Mall. I worked my way up to assistant manager and then was approached by an employee at Pro Image to come and work there. I didn't know much about sports teams but I quickly learned and became very fluent in all that was going on in the sporting world. I worked for Pro Image until it was bought out by the Utah Jazz and renamed Fanzz. I was a manager at a number of stores and then took a position in the offices as an inventory specialist. From there I took on another job as a buyer of specialty products. I managed to take care of the needs of 26 stores in 5 different states. I LOVED this job. It also helped that I had tickets to most every Jazz game during the height of their franchise. (Western Conference Champs). It was a great job while it lasted.

The one job that I am going to miss the most is my most recent job. I traveled a little with the Jazz, mostly west coast travels, but with Sagebrush I traveled to NY and Atlanta a couple times a year. For the past six years I have had a job that I really enjoyed. People would ask me about work and I would tell them how easy it was. It was easy because I loved what I was doing. I loved walking into a store and seeing designs that I helped get placed. Designs like these shower curtains that were placed in Bed Bath & Beyond or the super cute Chef Collection of tabletop accessories that can be seen in all sorts of kitchen specialty stores.

design by Anita Phillips


design by Kathy Middlebrook


design by Stephanie Marrott

I loved my work and I mostly loved the people I worked with, there were a couple I could do without.. The Licensing Department consisted of Deana, the Licensing Director, and me. The two of us worked great together. We complimented each other well and I learned so much from her.

When I became pregnant with Strider Larry and I talked about me staying home from work. I've been wanting to help in the classrooms with Dresden and Logan and I thought it would be great to stay at home with a baby. When I was pregnant with Logan I quit working so I could have some one on one time with Dresden before baby number two came along. I managed being at home until Logan was about a year old and then I felt like I was going crazy. I needed to be working so I didn't go out of my mind. Remember, not working was a new experience for me. Anyway, Larry and I talked about me quitting at some point after Strider was born but we weren't to that point yet. I have this need to work. Some might call it a controlling personality trait but I do take pride in working and I feel self worth from having a job. I need to know that someone can rely on me to do a job and to do it well. I want to hear the words of gratitude from my coworkers and the clients that I work with. These things give me purpose.

I was supposed to go to NY a couple weeks after I returned from my maternity leave but I told my boss that I just couldn't leave a new baby. I was pretty sure he understood. Then, Larry's job gave him a promotion moving him to a day schedule. Hallelujah, he has not had a schedule working days in...I can't remember the last time. I was so excited but that would mean that I lost my day sitter and I wasn't about to put Strider in daycare. I still had my Mom and my Mother in Law willing to watch Strider once a week and Larry would be able to watch him on Fridays so that gave me three days to work 8-5. I talked to Deana about working part time and she thought it would be manageable. So, I talked to my boss on Monday. He had to mull it over for the week. On Friday he sent me a message letting me know that he would have an answer for me on Monday. I think I knew in my heart that he was going to let me go but I still hoped for the best. Monday came around and he called me into the conference room. He talked about how the company is switching strategies and that if he was in my position with a new baby he would want to be home. He was beating around the bush so I finally asked, "Michael, are you laying me off?" He answered "Yes". The meeting was quickly over. No one in the office imagined that I would be laid off. He didn't even discuss my request or his decision with Deana. Robyn, the office manager that has been with the company since it started, told me that she gave Michael a piece of her mind, using some strong language, and really stood up for me. Robyn is awesome and I am going to miss her so much. So, here are some of the things that I am really going to miss about working...

Staying at amazing hotels like the Marriott Marquis in Times Square

Shopping on Canal Street

Exhibiting at the Surtex show in NY and meeting face to face with the clients I worked with.

I'll miss the pride I felt as I worked, the recognition I received, I'll miss the paychecks that were deposited into my account, and I'll miss our V6 engine and leather seats in our Accord. But, as I had a quiet moment while holding Strider I came to the realization that this is my new job. I can sit and hold my baby for as long as he needs because it is my job to take care of his needs. My job is to be the best mother and wife I can be and to take pride in taking care of the needs of my family. I may not get the recognition or the thanks and appreciation that I received while working but I am so grateful for the decision made by my boss. It hurt my pride but now I am so thankful he forced the decision I was too scared to make.

The new chapter of my life will consist of me spending more time with my boys, volunteering in their classrooms, learning to be a better cook, learning to be more frugal, learning to like tents rather than hotel rooms, and becoming the mom my boys need me to be.

Blessing Day

2011-05-01T18:53:00.001-06:00

Beautiful baby on a beautiful day.

2011-04-26T21:22:00.001-06:00

I was cleaning up around the house while Strider was hanging out on the floor. I put some music on to help keep me motivated while cleaning. Strider apparently enjoyed the music because he was singing along. By the time I got the camera to record his voice he turned most of his attention to the red light on the camera but he still sang long enough for me to capture this...

Strider

2011-03-13T20:55:00.000-06:00

Strider Winston DeVon Curtis

Finally on the outside and in my arms

Two proud brothers

Dresden holding baby Strider

Logan holding baby Strider

The boys teaching Strider how to sit back, relax, and enjoy a movie

Mom loving on Dresden

Strider among the literature that gave him his name

Logan couldn't love his little brother any more

It's a miracle that he was able to fit inside me

All bundled up

Happy

Sad

Peaceful

What's in a Name

2011-03-03T13:30:00.001-07:00

I'm thinking it's going to take me a few more days before I have the time to really put in a good posting of our new baby. In the mean time, please enjoy this post by Larry on his blog...
http://postsfromtheshower.blogspot.com/2011/03/naming-of-child.html

You can also view my Mom's blog. She has done a great job of posting our exciting day...
http://papajohnandnanadonna.blogspot.com/2011/02/welcome-baby-curtis-he-is-beautiful.html

2011-02-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

Larry bought me a Flip camcorder a few years ago and I have never really used it. I thought it would be a handy little devise to have at the hospital this week so I brought it to work and downloaded the videos I had on it. I came across this one that was a reminder to me that my big boys weren't always the big boys that they are now. This was taken back in 2007.

Lady

2011-02-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Dresden was watching TV while I was taking a nap. When I woke up his cat had snuggled in with him and there they sat in the recliner watching TV. I asked him if he was going to let his baby brother sit with him like this. His reply, "No, I'll just let Lady sit with me like this."

Preparation

2011-02-09T08:56:00.007-07:00

There's a lot to do to prepare for a new baby...get the nursery set up, buy clothes, diapers, bath supplies, thermometers, nail clippers, bulb syringes...the list goes on and on.

However, here are a few pictures of what I consider the most important preparations...

There is nothing better than having someone that can help with cleaning and cooking!

I have to admit, Dresden has been pretty amazing about helping out. These pictures show a few occasions when he wanted to help and offered it without anything in return. I did reward him with a huge hug and kiss after he vacuumed for me. Although I don't have any pictures of Logan, other than the pictures of him cleaning the toilet a couple posts back, he loves to help out and is eager to please. He too, is a big help.

Twenty Six

2011-02-01T21:17:00.005-07:00

Twenty Six has always been a favorite number of mine. Now it will become a date to celebrate once a year. February 26th is the day that my Doctor and I chose for the birth date for my little guy. I know some people disagree with inductions but there is nothing more calming than going to bed the night before knowing that in the morning you will wake up, casually drive to the hospital, check in, and then start the process of labor and delivery. I figure I've done it both ways, induced with Dresden and labored with Logan at home. He came before the induction date and didn't make it easy on us knowing when it was time to head to the hospital. Contractions were NOT on a schedule. I'd have one and then another would come 10 minutes later and then I'd get one 4 minutes later and then another 8 minutes later. It was not by the book and we were unsure if we really were in labor. Once we did decide to go to the hospital the nurses were a bit frantic because I was so far along and my Doctor wasn't there at the hospital. I'm sure he got the page while at church but thankfully he made it in time for Logan to be delivered. So, I've done it both ways and I choose to be induced again. In twenty six days I will happily welcome our third son to the world.

While at the Doctors I discussed something else with him. I thought I hurt my back while shoveling snow the other day but the pain is still there. It comes and goes but stays in the same spot. Last week I mentioned to my doctor that I was getting a pain under my right rib but we figured it was the baby pushing on my liver, causing the discomfort. When I mentioned today that I still have the occasional pain but that it also radiates to my back he had a more concerned look on his face. We're hoping that it is just the baby causing the problem but there's a possibility that I am having gallbladder issues. Apparently, it is pretty common for doctors to do postpartum gallbladder removals. Who knew pregnant women have more chances to develop gallbladder issues?! So, if the pain doesn't subside after delivery I'll go in for an ultrasound to see if my gallbladder needs to be removed.

The bump that keeps growing

2011-01-27T22:24:00.068-07:00

This was written a few weeks ago but I am now getting around to posting it...

I have never documented my pregnancy's so there is so much that I have forgotten. Larry will hear me complain about something and he'll say, "I remember you saying that last time." Really? I said the same things? I swear, some of these feelings/discomforts I think I am feeling for the first time. I guess I really don't remember much. So, here I am, in an effort to remember what pregnancy is like, I will list a few things that I have noticed.

I don't recall getting Braxton Hicks contractions ALL the time like I have had with this pregnancy. Everyday, all day long, since around the 20th week I get these contractions. I get flushed in the face and out of breath with most. It's more annoying than anything.

I do have a really bad discomfort in my upper abdomen and back. The doctor thinks it could be my gallbladder but the ultrasound didn't show any signs of stones. There is another test that can be done but it involves X-ray so it can't be done until after the baby is born. If the pain is still around after delivery, they will check again. It could be that the baby is just up in my ribs and pushing on my liver causing the discomfort. But, whatever the cause, it is killing me! I never had this pain with the other two boys. This one definitely is unique and very painful!

With Dresden and Logan I craved meat. I wanted taco meat with Dresden and steaks with Logan. This time I crave fruit. Really, just granny smith apples and pears. Although, I will never turn away a pineapple. These fruits seem to taste the best to me. One day I was making dinner and by the time we were eating I had lost my appetite. All I wanted was pears so I opened a can of pears and put some in a dish for myself. As I sat down with my pears Dresden said in a matter of fact tone, "The baby wants what the baby wants." Sure enough, the baby and I crave fruit.

I am a little crazy when it comes to washing the dishes. I wash them before I put them in the dishwasher. I don't recall having such a problem before, it's probably because our sink is much deeper than my old sink, but I can hardly reach the dishes at the bottom of the sink without my belly getting in the way. It wouldn't be such a problem but it hurts to lean my stomach up against the counter. So, many times I will go to grab a dish at the bottom of the sink and it will drop out of my hands because I can't reach it well enough to get a good grip on it. I think I've broken a few bowls and a couple mugs by dropping them. My growing belly has become a problem but the dishes still get done.

I have only had one really bad leg cramp this pregnancy. With Dresden I would have them nearly every night. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration but I really had them all the time with Dresden. I have been lucky enough to not get leg cramps this time around...watch, I just jinxed myself. (It is one day before delivery and I still have had only one really bad leg cramp. It really is a miracle, in my opinion!)

While I was pregnant with Logan I retained water like I was saving up for a drought. I was so puffy and swollen. I remember after delivering Logan, I sat down after taking a shower and noticed that my thighs were thinner. I couldn't believe how swollen I had been and how quickly the water weight was going away. I feel pretty fortunate to not be retaining water like I did last time. I still feel swollen and puffy but it isn't nearly as bad. However, I still have 4 weeks to go. Things can change. (Today is the day before delivery and I am a little swollen, but still nothing like last time.)

In all honesty, this pregnancy really has been an easy one. I don't get sick like most people do. My migraines usually take a 9 month break, although I have had more this pregnancy than I have with the other two combined. My body probably is made to produce lots of little babies but three is good enough for me. It is mentally draining and even though a couple months of discomfort isn't something to complain about, it is more than I like to handle. I am grateful for my two beautiful boys that came to us healthy and strong and I can only hope this third will be just as healthy and strong as his brothers.

One last thing I have to mention. I have been so impressed with how loving the boys have been about their unborn brother. Every time I flinch or make a noise when the baby kicks me Dresden and Logan are quick to make sure I am okay. They lovingly touch my stomach and talk to the baby. Dresden has really acted so much more grown up and is so willing to help me when I ask him. Tonight I thanked him for how helpful he was at the grocery store. He helped push the cart, get the milk, carried bags, all without complaining once. I am so appreciative of his willingness to help me out. I really do have boys that have tender hearts. This, experiencing a pregnancy with my boys, is a wonderful gift that I have adored. I didn't experience anything like this with my last pregnancy and I am so glad that our family has had such a wonderful experience this time.

So, now to completely embarrass myself, I will post a few pictures from the last month. I'll warn you now, there will be a bare naked belly that you may not want to see but for my documentation I wanted a picture of it.

Christmas morning

New Year's Eve

Valentine's Day

Two down, Two to go

2011-01-27T21:39:00.002-07:00

How do you know when Logan isn't feeling well? He tells you when he is ready for bed, climbs into bed without a fuss, and falls asleep immediately. Logan came home from school looking sickly in the face. He sat down and trying not to cry said, "My stomach hurts and my head and ears hurt and so does my throat." Poor guy.

I'm just hoping that Larry and I won't be the next to fall victim to strep throat.

Boys Will Be Boys...

2011-01-25T19:08:00.003-07:00

...Not if I have anything to say about it. Our boys are notorious for using the bathroom and NOT flushing the toilet. It is disgusting and it drives me crazy. I do believe that Logan has a genuine fear of the toilet. When he was a bit younger he would stand and potty and then lean over to flush the toilet, knocking the seat down and smashing his little guys...OUCH! He also has a fear of the noise the toilet makes when it flushes and fears that it might splash on him. They have been taught to close the seat cover before you flush but for some reason they just don't do it. We have asked, begged, gotten angry, put them in time-out, charged them a quarter, but nothing worked. One day, Larry had the brilliant idea that whoever doesn't flush the toilet has to clean the toilet and suddenly, toilets were being flushed. It's a miracle. There are still days that they don't flush but they have improved 90%! Why have we not thought of this before?!

Special Delivery

2011-01-21T21:54:00.002-07:00

Today was a "blah" day. Dresden woke up with a sore throat but luckily he didn't have school so he was able to lounge around the house all day. As long as he had Tylenol in him he felt pretty well. When I got home from work I decided to check his throat again. Yep, there it was in the little craters of his tonsils, puss. I got on the phone with the doctor and set up an appointment to take him in. Poor kid was asking why he felt like he was 80 years old. His muscles were sore and he was light headed from his fever and headache. The boys and I loaded into the car and headed to the doctor and just like I knew it would be, strep was confirmed. Off to the pharmacy we went to fill his prescription, waited while some older women complained to the pharmacist, not understanding why her pills were costing her so much ($96 for 15 pills), happily paid my $7 for my prescription, and then drove home. When I pulled into the driveway I noticed something hiding under the rug at my front door. Yes! My special delivery had arrived.

These are the cutest darn shoes ever! They fit so nicely in the palm of my hand. I know it is completely silly to buy shoes for an infant but I just couldn't NOT order these shoes. And, they are much cuter in person. So, after a "blah" day of work and then coming home to a sick boy, whom I adore and would do anything to help him feel better, I was a bit excited to open my package and pull out these cute little shoes that will soon be fitting on my cute little newcomer.

Ahoy Matey

2011-01-19T09:09:00.006-07:00

I think I've decided to go with a Nautical Theme for the babies room. I've paid a fortune for baby bedding twice and I've decided I just don't need to pay those prices again. Therefore, I am digging out the old bedding that I used for Logan and will re-do the theme for Jr. #3. If I were going to spend a fortune again I love this bedding but spending that kind of money on JUST the bumper...I don't think so.

In our old home we had a pretty neutral color palette with the exception of the living room. Everything was painted "Latte" a color from Sherwin Williams, which I loved, but now we have bold colors in our current home. I can't decide which way I want to go.

Neutral:

or Bold:

I do know for sure that I would like to put up white wainscoting around the room with the color of choice, navy or latte, on top with white trim on the baseboards and casing. I'd also love to have this painted on the ceiling but then again, that's just me living in a fantasy world.

Let me add one more item to that fantasy world I'm living in...I'd love the curtains in the above photo, too but I can't find them anywhere on line. Oo la la, I changed my mind, I think I like these curtains a bit better. Hey Mom, want a sewing project???

May as well add one more item to the list of wishful thinking, this drum shade pendant is rather nice. Although, I think I'd rather go with a solid navy shade with one large white stripe in the middle. Overall, I'm liking the idea of it.

The five week count down is on and we still have to finish the "Man Cave" (sheetrock, taping, texturing the ceiling, painting and have the carpet installed) before I can even get started on the babies room. No worries though, I'm as calm as can be.

Honoring a Man I Loved

2011-01-17T09:09:00.003-07:00

I have always said that I never want to participate in speaking at a funeral. I am a very emotional person and I never thought I would be able to get through a talk about someone I loved but this past week I had the opportunity to get up and say a few things about my Grandpa. After the fact, I can honestly say that I felt it a privilege to honor my Grandpa. Brandt and Michael both gave very beautiful prayers that were full of love and of the Spirit and Natalie played a piano solo that was, of course, gorgeous. A day that I thought would be full of sadness and tears was full of wonderful stories about my Grandpa from the many people that travelled great distances to honor him. It was a beautiful day to honor a beautiful man.

The talk I gave...
As grandkids we will always cherish our memories of time spent with Grandpa and Grandma. In the early years we spent the weekends at their home in Rose Park. We would ride our bikes around the block and pass the circus house, play croquet in the back yard, eat raspberries off the raspberry bushes in their garden, go for motorcycle rides with Grandpa, and sneak candy from the bottom drawer. As we got older Grandpa and Grandma would take us two at a time and visit destinations like Yellow Stone, Jackson Hole, and Mt. Rushmore. Grandpa taught us how Yellow Stone got its name, it’s because a bear pee’d on a rock. He also taught us the valuable lesson to never kick a buffalo pie. It may be hard and crusty on the outside but it’s soft and squishy on the inside. We spent many hours in the camper and truck traveling to their favorite places. We learned the names of wild flowers and finished many word search books. Grandpa’s love of traveling has taken them across thousands of miles of highway. In their hallway hangs a large map of the United States. Grandpa has marked every highway they have driven on. I think their biggest driving accomplishment was making the drive to Alaska and exploring the beauties of that area. I remember them telling us that they wrote down the number of miles they had driven on the back of their truck in the dirt and cars passing by would honk and give their congrats on their accomplishment for driving such a far distance. Every time he visited Natalie and Jay in Eastern Colorado he commented on how much he loved the country out that way. It reminded him of the time when he used to drive a truck. This past fall my parents were able to take my Grandparents to Yellowstone one last time. Something that I know my Grandpa appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed.

The great-grandkids have loved spending time in Ephraim as well. They always look forward to riding the four wheelers and going past the tree where Grandpa once saw a bear. Grandpa carved his initials in a tree where he saw the bear and I’m pretty sure one day, when the tree falls down, we will cut the carving out of the tree and keep it here at the house. The kids love to explore the corral and shoot the bb guns. All the things we loved doing when we were younger.

Grandpa loved sitting on the porch watching the hummingbirds and listening to the wind blow through the trees. When he wasn’t on the porch he was taking Nippy for a ride on his four-wheeler, going for a walk up the canyon road, or on a day trip in the car with Grandma. He loved everything about nature and being a part of it. He loved taking his fishing boat out on Strawberry and fishing. I’m sure he and Grandma have caught thousands of fish through out the years. Brandt got to spend many birthdays on the mountain deer hunting with Grandpa, Dad, and Michael. Every year they planned their hunting trips and even though they didn’t always come home with a kill I know they enjoyed their time spent together.

Grandpa had a tough exterior. He expected much but also appreciated much. In the past few years he had expressed to me many times how proud he was of Dad. Proud of how much he has accomplished in his life and the wonderful family and wife he has. Grandpa taught Dad a strong work ethic that I believe Dad has passed on to us kids and I hope we are passing on the same Strong work ethic to our kids.

He also expressed to me his great love and appreciation for Grandma. What a good wife she has been to him all these years. He loved you very much Grandma and you are an amazing woman for being able to help sustain Grandpa these past few years. You never complained and did what you had to do to help Grandpa. We love you grandma for the love and compassion you showed grandpa. We appreciate the example you are to us and hope that in our marriages we can have the same love and commitment that you and Grandpa have had.

We would also like to give a special thank you to all those that have helped Grandpa and Grandma, especially Steve & Joyce Olsen and Milt Two. We appreciate the love and compassion and support you have shown our grandparents. We can’t express how much we appreciate your service and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We love you Grandpa and can’t wait until we see you again.

2011-01-10T08:52:00.002-07:00

I love you and will miss you, Grandpa!

What's that on my foot?

2011-01-06T13:15:00.002-07:00

I might have burped in the bathroom while Logan took a shower.

Logan: "Dad I think your burp got on my foot cuse now it itches and I don't wanna get a (di)sease on my foot."

Just another one of Logan's classic moments.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-29T11:42:00.002-07:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sunday School Lesson

2010-12-16T11:54:00.002-07:00

Logan learned a very valuable lesson at

Sunday School this past week...

"I learned that when Jesus comes back to earth again there won't be sickness anymore,

like diabetes,

so I can drink as much Mountain Dew as I want."

Christmas lights and music

2010-12-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Nana Donna sings in a choir, The Sally Bytheway Chorale, and was performing at the Assembly Hall at Temple Square. It was a weekend night and the boys and I were stuck at home without a car. This was Nana's last performance of the season so I thought it would be a good thing to go and listen to her. I asked if we could tag along and she, of course, was happy to have us. Dad wasn't planning on going because he was feeling a little under the weather so I was able to drive us downtown. We fought the thousands of people that were downtown to see the lights, listen to the choirs sing, and watch BYU basketball at the ESA. It was crazy busy! We got Nana dropped off and then parked the car. We made it through the crowded Assembly Hall and found a place to sit and watch the choir sing. The boys enjoyed listening to the Christmas music and watching the accompanying orchestra.

Nana spotted us in the crowd and gave us a smile.

Nana with the boys after her performance. This tree was amazing! (if you happen to make the trek to Temple Square, this tree is right outside the Assembly Hall. It really is beautiful!)

Mom and her two favorite boys.

Logan, the goofball, putting a red light up to his nose like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Deseret News Ski School

2010-12-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

This year Dresden was old enough to take ski lessons with the Deseret News Ski School. We thought he would enjoy it more if he had a friend to take lessons with. We asked his friend Sophie if she would be interested and luckily, she was interested! We signed the kids up, got them fitted for boots and skis, bought new ski pants and goggles, and awaited the big day. Dresden was SO excited! They had a total of three lessons, not enough to make them pros but enough to get them both excited about skiing again. These pictures are from lesson two, the Rope Tow lesson.

Sophie and Dresden waiting for the lesson to get started

Dresden's first run down the "slope".

Sophie's first run down the "slope".

Taking the rope tow back up the tiny hill.

Graceful exit.

Sophie and Dresden finished with their lesson.

The kids did really great on the first trial runs down the hill. The rope tow was a little tricky, hanging on without it pulling them into the splits, which it did a few times, pulling their gloves off, and hanging on without losing their balance. It took them a few times to get the hang of it but once they did they were up and down the slopes doing it all over again.

The last day of ski school they were able to ride the chair lifts. The first thing they both said when they were picked up was, "That Was Awesome!". When Dresden was asked if it made him nervous being on the chair lift he replied that it was more relaxing than anything. I'm so glad that they both enjoyed themselves. I was nervous for them that they would be too cold or it would be too hard but they both are amazing kids and I'm so proud that they were both willing to try something new. Dresden has found a new hobby that he would like to take up more aggressively but sadly my wallet doesn't support such hobbies. However, I do think I will have to buy him a day pass or two as Christmas presents.

Honorable Mention

2010-12-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Logan decided he wanted to participate in the PTA Reflections contest. It was a really last minute effort but with the help of Nana he accomplished a really cute entry. The theme for the year was, "Together We Can". He is naturally artistic but this day he remembered back to a little project his dad made called "Thing in a jar" and went with that as the inspiration behind his idea and created one of his own. Every child received a ribbon for entering Reflections. A few received Honorable Mentions and another few won a trophy and moved on to regions. Logan's entry received him an Honorable Mention ribbon. When we got home he said, "I can't believe I got two ribbons!". He was so excited and proud of himself. He is already wanting to start his entry for next years reflections.

Logan's inspiration "Thing in a Jar"

Logan receiving his Honorable Mention ribbon from the principal, Mr. Theobold

Logan holding up his reflections entry with his ribbons.

(Aren't we so happy that his entry is much more charming than the "Thing in a Jar"!)

I love how he made the octopus friends hold tentacles.

His entry was in the 3-D category, he used molding clay to create his entry.

Mom and Logan.

Birthday

2010-11-24T14:48:00.002-07:00

A week ago I celebrated my 34th birthday. Not really exciting but my little family took good care of me. I started the weekend off by going with some ladies from the ward to Time Out for Women, a convention put on by Deseret Book. We listened to motivational speakers talk about being the best Mother and individuals WE can be. Every women's journey in life is individual and it was a great reminder to hear that we shouldn't compare ourselves to other Mothers or to expect too much of ourselves. I enjoyed being with my friends and even sharing a hotel room with 5 of us turned out great. It was really enjoyable being away from the "all boy's" life I lead to being with "all girl's" for a while. And, a big THANK YOU to my Mother-in-law for watching my boys overnight so I could be with the girls.

I have been feeling my hair has gotten too long so I went Friday morning to get my haircut. I decided after a few years of all one lenghth hair I would go back to having "fringe" (bangs). When I returned home from my haircut I walked in the house and the first thing Logan said was, "your hair makes you look 30 years younger." Yes, I love that little boy. He knows how to pay a compliment to make you feel good about yourself. The boys gave me Bath & Body Works goodies and Larry got me a couple new aprons (by my request), a book, and a night out with friends.

Now, we are anticipating the BIG birthday of the year. Larry turns 40 this year so we are celebrating with a big birthday bash. I've rented the Lone Peak Pavilion so we don't have to limit the number of friends we can invite. We went back and forth between hiring a Karaoke DJ or to have a Rock Band party. After lots of input from friends, Rock Band won the debate. It was supposed to be the cheaper route but earlier this week the "red ring of death" showed it's ugly eye on our XBox 360 so we'll be purchasing a new Xbox for the party. I'm calling it an early birthday present for Larry and an early Christmas present for the boys. I love parties and I'm excited to be throwing him this party. He deserves to be celebrated!

If you are reading my blog, consider yourself invited to Larry's Big Birthday Bash!

Treasures Found

2010-11-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Last week I was in the storage room getting the boxes for the Halloween decorations so I could get everything put away. I came across a few tupperware buckets containing baby clothes. I pulled the three buckets out of the storage room and brought them up to the living room so I could examine what was inside. What I found were clothes that ranged from 6 months to 24 months. I was excited to see some of my favorite outfits that the boys once wore. I also found lots of cute clothes that this new baby could wear. All the others were bagged up and are ready to be dropped off at DI. I was expecting to buy all new clothes for this little one but it was a nice surprise to find some clothes that will still work. I figured if I only have to buy for the first few months then I will be saving lots of money.

Yesterday was the first day of Day Light Savings. I have been so excited to have that extra hour to sleep in but for whatever reason I couldn't sleep in yesterday. So, I did some cleaning and then decided while I was feeling up to it I would get the Christmas Tree set up. Besides, I needed to clear room in the storage room for Larry to move his boxes into the storage room. (The man cave needs to be finished so we can then start on the babies room) Anyway, while I was pulling the Christmas Tree out I noticed yet another tupperware bucket. This one was marked "3-6 months". I made a mental note that the bucket was there, continued carrying the tree upstairs and set it up. Tonight I decided to get the bucket out of the storage room and go through it. Sure enough, it was full of 0-6 month clothing...onesies, jammies, bibs, shoes, hats, shorts, pants, sweaters, etc. Logan had fun with me going through the bucket. He kept trying on all the hats and bibs. It was really cute listening to his little comments. I have both boys knit hats that they wore in the hospital. I put one over my fist to show him how small his little head once was and he said, "that hat looks really cute on your hand like that." Anyway, after spending lots of time on the internet, deciding that baby clothes are priced way too high for the amount of fabric used, carefully spending money on the REALLY cute "sale" clothes, I've discovered I won't have to spend as much as I originally thought on newborn clothes. Turns out my storage room contained buckets full of treasures.

Yep, I found this onesie...

...and this sailors outfit...

...and even this swaddle blanket (even if it is pink)

Maybe I like the clothes so much because I just recall how adorable my Logan looked in them.

Weeks 22 & 23

2010-11-03T09:16:00.006-06:00

Week 22 has kicked my butt! I have been an emotional wreck, braxton hicks contractions with hot flashes have been too numerous, I'm worn out, dizzy, and these daily headaches are more than I can handle. Not to mention that I think I have doubled in size in just 5 days. The skirt I wore to church on Sunday won't be zipping up this week. Seriously, this week could end and I would not miss it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 23 has been much better. My head is clear, I'm not emotional, and I'm not cramping as much. I think I felt so terrible last week because my body was going through a huge transformation. Baby boy has decided to not hide in my back any longer. He is out front now and starting to fill in any available space. I had a little laugh to myself this morning when I bent over to pick up my shoes. It wasn't as easy as it was just a few days ago...and I still have 3+ months to go. I guess the only positive thing going for me is I am finally looking pregnant instead of looking like I am packing on a few extra pounds. Well, there's also the news that I received from my Doctor yesterday that the ultra sound came out great. There isn't anything alarming about the scans that have them worried. That news and the news that they will induce me. I had heard from a friend that IMC doesn't schedule inductions unless you are overdue. He confirmed with me that he most certainly does do inductions everyday and he is more than happy to schedule me for one. (He doesn't induce on the first pregnancy) One reason he will induce me is because I have had two previously scheduled inductions, one of which I didn't need. The other reason is because by week 38 in my past pregnancies I was already dilating. Anyway, it was a big relief to hear. So, if all goes well and the baby decides to wait for the induction date and not come sooner like Logan did, then we will have our baby on February 28th.

Picture of the growing bumb may appear...

Boy Crazy!

2010-10-14T14:27:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is true. Larry and I are expecting our third child. And, of course, it is a BOY! It seems we only know how to make darling little boys. Dresden and Logan couldn't be happier! I have been nervous about how the boys would react when we first told them the news but they have been darling about it. The boys have made some of the funniest comments and I love that they are excited about this new arrival.

Here are a couple cute things the boys have done or said. I have been telling them every week new things that are developing with the baby. While we were at dinner one evening I told the boys that the bones in the baby's ears are developed and can now hear sounds and voices. So, both boys came over to me, tipped my head back and opened my mouth so they could talk to the baby. I laughed and explained that my throat isn't a microphone to the baby.

Another night I had worked on getting dinner ready. I was starving the whole process of making dinner but by the time it was ready and we sat down to eat, I wasn't hungry anymore. I had lost my appetite. The only thing that sounded good was some canned pears. I poured the pears into a bowl and Dresden responded, "The baby wants what the baby wants." Seriously?! Where did he come up with that?

I love their enthusiasm and how, even now, they are considering the baby.

So, come February 28th we will have another gorgeous boy in our home.

2010-07-08T08:54:00.002-06:00

My handsome boys!

My hobby...if that's what you can call it

2010-04-29T11:08:00.004-06:00

The first time I remember really thinking I would like to make decorative cakes was when I was sitting in the Bushman's kitchen in Germany. Rachel and I...and I think Melanie were there for one reason or another and Lynette was baking a cake. I was impressed by the techniques she used to smooth out the frosting among other cool things. It all looked so much fun! About six years later I made my first cake for Dresden's first birthday. It was a Teddy Bear much like the Duck cake I made for Logan's first. From that moment on I decided I wanted my kids to have unique cakes for their birthdays. I have no idea what I am doing when I make these cakes but I enjoy learning as I go. I think it would be so much fun to take a cake decorating class. I'll have to put that on my list of things to do...

Happy Birthday, Logan

2010-04-25T22:46:00.001-06:00

L lovely, lovable, lively, likable, laughable, loyal
O optimistic, outstanding, outrageous, original, obstinate
G grateful, glorious, gentle, goofy, great, gifted, goodhearted
A affectionate, able, active, alive, awesome, adorable
N nice, neat, noticeable, needy, naughty, nonstop

My sweet little angel boy Logan is sometimes needy, naughty, and obstinate but he is always affectionate and lovable. He is a joy to have in our family and I feel so blessed to be his Mom.

Happy birthday, Logan!

The birthday party gang.

Logan loves to play with action figures so we bought him this castle.

$$$$$$

Who doesn't love a little birthday cash?!

Giving loves to Grandpa De & Papa John

Sydney made Logan a book for his birthday.

(very cute book full of different animals she drew)

Happy Birthday, Dresden!

2010-04-05T09:20:00.001-06:00

This weekend has certainly been a busy one with Dresden's birthday and Easter. We planned a party for Dresden but snow was covering the ground and playing Capture the Flag just wasn't going to happen. So we postponed the party for a week and spent his birthday with just our family. Dresden chose to eat lunch at Fuji, a Japanese Steakhouse and then to play laser tag. We had a great time spending the day with Dresden and we hope he knows how much he is loved and adored.

2010-04-02T23:55:00.004-06:00

This weekend isn't turning out as planned, you see, tomorrow is Dresden's birthday and we have been planning a birthday party for weeks. He is bound and determined to play Capture the Flag at his party and we just can't do that in a snow storm...well we could but I'm not about to have a party in the snow. So, I gave him the option to continue with the party and we would just do some things here at home or we could postpone the party for next weekend. He opted with postponing the party. So, next week we will have a party. The other thing that has thrown my weekend off is that it is Easter weekend. I'm not used to planning for a birthday and Easter all in the same weekend. Easter has been a complete after thought and now that Dresden's party has been pushed back I finally did some shopping to accommodate Easter traditions...dying eggs and I figured I would also make some treats to take to the Curtis' Family get together tomorrow night. So, here's what has consumed my night...

Here is what consumed the boys night....okay, it really didn't consume their night but it did entertain them for nearly one half hour. They learn so many beneficial things at school; reading, writing, geography, math...

...blowing bubbles using the hand soap. I guess I should look at it as a good thing. At least they are learning to really lather their hands after using the restroom.

April Fools...Mother Nature's Way

2010-04-01T08:54:00.002-06:00

I looked out the window and what did I see...

white snow covering all of the trees.

Curtis, MD

2010-03-29T12:05:00.018-06:00

Alta View Hospital hosts a Community Fair once a year and this year we decided to attend. Dresden had baseball practice so we decided to head out early so we could spend a little time at the fair. We were able to tour a fire engine, police car, SWAT van, mobile command center, and the air med helicopter. The boys were able to try on a bulletproof vest in the SWAT van and tried picking up one of the riot shields...which was very heavy. This was their favorite of all the emergency vehicles.

Inside the hospital they had lots of different stations to stop at. Due to our time constraints we went straight to the operating room. One station was an orthopedic surgeon showing you what type of tools they use when you break a bone and need a plate and screw put in. They let Dresden use the drill and screw in one of the screws into a femur. They were also able to stick their hands inside a dummy and try to find different organs. We then went on and performed cataract surgery on a grape and put staples on the incision site of a piece of flesh. I think I was more interested in everything that the boys were able to try than they were. When we were at the cataract station there weren't many people so I asked if I could give it a try. I was able to look through the microscope, trace a circle three times with some tweezers on the grape and then peel the skin off the grape. Somewhere along the way I missed out on my calling in life. I have always wanted to be a doctor but I didn't have the discipline needed to accomplish that goal. But for a couple minutes I had fun with the nurse handing me tools and pretending like I was a surgeon. Maybe one day one of my boys will have the same interest in medicine and will want to become a doctor.

Logan finding the appendix.

Dresden digging around a cavity full of spaghetti
looking for different organs.

Is that a hot dog or a gummy worm?

Willow Canyon Community Update

2010-03-23T09:18:00.005-06:00

Willow Canyon Community Council

monthly meeting will be held Wednesday, March 24th at 7pm. All meetings are held at the Sandy Library.

Visit us online

www.willowcanyoncommunity.com

DON'T FORGET YOUR PARTY CAUCUSES!

Tuesday, March 23 - 7:00 pm

We are in Legislative District 45 - North of 9800 South

Democrats - Hillcrest High

Republicans - Brighton High

Favorites

2010-03-21T22:16:00.009-06:00

These are my favorite moments of the day...
...watching Logan play with his superhero action figures.
...watching Dresden reading his new book.
...having both boys heads resting on my lap while they slept during Sacrament Meeting.
...Larry putting his arm around me during Sunday School and kissing my cheek.
...having my Grandparents over for dinner and seeing the improvement my Grandpa has made.
...having a long phone conversation with Kenda.

Good Intentions

2010-03-19T08:28:00.006-06:00

Last night I was reminded how important it is to keep a record of what is going on in everyday life. Good things, bad things, frustrating things, ordinary things, big things, silly things...life in general. Although I am not going to use this forum as a way to express really personal feelings, I would like to use it as a way to document the things that make me happy and things that I really don't mind sharing with strangers. I have had conversations with people about blogs and so many of us feel that everyone else must have perfect lives because their blogs suggest it. I get it. But really, who wants to hear about the bad stuff going on in peoples lives. I am pretty certain no one wants to hear about the disagreements that Larry and I have. Just know, we have them and sometimes they get resolved quickly and other times it takes awhile for the air to clear. BUT, just because I don't post those moments doesn't mean they don't happen. I will try to keep a journal by my bed where I can write my most private emotions and feelings. Things that you won't see on the blog but things that are going on in life.

So, thanks to the Relief Society program Thursday night, I will try my best to keep a better record of my life through blogging and journals.

The Babysitter

2010-03-18T21:39:00.006-06:00

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a big fan of the boys babysitter but sometimes I have no other choice. For instance, once a month the Community Council I am on has a meeting that I attend. Larry has often times been working so I load the boys in the car along with their babysitter and head to the meeting. They sit in the back of the room and play with their babysitter while I and the other board members discuss the community. Tonight was another good example of how the babysitter can be helpful. I am on the Enrichment Committee(or whatever it is called now) for Relief Society and was helping get the birthday party set up and cleaned up. I was there from 5:30pm to 8:30pm and the boys, of course, were with me. Again, they were very entertained by the babysitter. Three hours for anyone can be a long time just sitting around with nothing to do but the boys were terrific and handled it well, thanks again to our great babysitter. Although I am not a big fan of the babysitter, I sure am thankful that those silly games can occupy their time while I am able to get things done.

Learning curve

2009-12-23T08:49:00.008-07:00

I was reading the comments to one of the Deseret News blogs and someone was saying women would have an easier time if our society didn't put so much pressure on them to have a dozen kids and to be stay at home moms and not work outside the home and to be the submissive wives that we should be. Well, I can say, I live in this society and I don't feel any pressure to replenish the earth with children. Larry and I know what is good for us and we have two beautiful boys that we absolutely love. I don't feel pressure from society to be a stay at home mom. I have adapted my hours so that I am home with my boys after school and I think we get the best of both worlds (work and home time). I am far from the 1950's wife and am much more outspoken and challenging to my husband than what he probably would like but he doesn't expect dinner on the table waiting for him when he gets home or that I have the house spotless. I'd like it to be but he has no expectations of me.

The one thing that I feel I am inadequate and am not up to "societies" standards is cooking and baking. I should be able to cook and bake but I'm just not that good at it. I know it's a practice thing. So, with the holidays I wanted to make a yummy treat that I could share with the neighbors. I always get homemade goodies from neighbors but I am the one who goes out and buys something from the store. So, my challenge this year was to be a good neighbor and "bake" something. I told my sister my plans and she said she had a great recipe that she shared with me. Easy enough...

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup Karo syrup
1 stick of butter
1 can condensed sweetened milk

Off to the store I went to buy the items on the recipe. I know, it's pretty sad that I don't already have these items in my cupboards, but I don't. I bought what I needed and set the items aside until the following night. My evening was already booked with my husband, a tile float, and grout.

Last night was the big night. I started out putting the brown and white sugar in the saucepan, next was the Karo syrup and then the butter. I finished with pouring the evaporated milk in. I mixed and mixed and waited for the rolling boil. It came but the carmel just wasn't thickening up. I won't tell you how many times I had already talked to my sister on the phone but this time I asked her why it wasn't getting thick. So, we went through the ingredients again. Yep, I have the sugar, the butter, the Karo syrup, and the evaporated milk. Evaporated milk? Yeah, that's the same thing as condensed sweetened milk, isn't it??? That's where we found the problem. I know she was laughing on the inside but she didn't let me hear it. First batch of carmel saw the inside of the garbage can...off to the store I go in the snow storm to buy condensed sweetened milk...mix in the sugar, again...butter, again...Karo syrup, again...and condensed sweetened milk.

So, after the learning curve, I got it. And, I have to say, I think they look pretty darn good for my first time!!! (patting myself on the back) Not to mention, tasty too!

My inspiration

My reality

Birthday Boy

2009-12-12T17:47:00.005-07:00

Larry had his birthday this past week and the boys were excited about it all week long. Dresden knew what he was getting and kept the secret like a pro. We went to dinner at Royal India which we all enjoyed. In fact, Dresden said it was his favorite dinner ever. Nothing like getting our kids to love curry early on. Mention shrimp and they will eat anything!

We came home to a surprise cake that I made, which the boys were waiting all day for. I read that Tiffany Arnold came across a R2D2 cake pan at a garage sale months ago so I asked if I could borrow the pan for Larry's birthday. She graciously loaned it to me and I thank her for that. It looks like I might need it a couple more times for the boys birthdays. The cake was just a box mix but Dresden said it was the best cake he has ever had. I suspect that's only because he was eating R2D2's leg.

Anyway, I am grateful for Larry and the things he does for our family. He is witty and smart and loves to live life to the fullest. Happy Birthday, Larry. I love you!

R2D2 (it's been nearly five years since I made a cake with stars so I was pretty out of practice on this one.)

Larry acting surprised for the sake of the boys.

Larry carefully cutting out the drawing Logan created.

It's hard to see but Logan drew a picture of the four of us holding hands and wrote "Family" above the picture. Pretty cute picture.

Just a picture

2009-11-18T16:14:00.007-07:00

I snapped this picture the other day
and thought it was just too cute not to post.

Logan looked at this picture and was like,
"Me and Dresden have the same eyes!"

Another Reader in the family

2009-11-13T08:49:00.004-07:00

Dresden and Logan had Parent Teacher Conferences last week and both boys are doing well in school. I have been worried about Dresden's reading and his lack of interest in reading. We did find some books, the Magic Treehouse series, that he was interested in but he still didn't love reading them by himself. Well, after conferences we went into the gym to the Book Fair and let the boys pick out some books. Dresden wanted the book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. We bought it for him and he immediately took to the books. He barely put the book down all night. I am so happy he has found the magic of reading a book and the desire to want to read more.

Dresden was sent to timeout and had to sit on the bench. He took his book with him and rather than leaving after the 7 minutes he stayed right there for about 1/2 hour reading his book.

The boys were helping Larry cut up celery and buttering the casserole dishes for the homemade stuffing he was making. In between jobs Dresden was reading his book.

To be Five again...

2009-11-13T08:27:00.005-07:00

Logan had a couple friends over yesterday after school and it was so fun to watch the way they interacted with each other. They were silly and crazy and just plain fun to watch and listen to.

Little daredevils doing flips on the trampoline.

Acting as "Grandpa's & Grandma's"...whatever that means.

A couple group shots.

Lunchtime! It drives me crazy seeing noodles hanging out of Logan's mouth but feeding the other boys showed me that this is just the way noodles are to be eaten by boys.

Watching a little Scooby Doo in the tent.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-29T09:23:00.007-06:00

Today is the day the boys have been waiting for...okay, one of the days they have been anxiously waiting for...the day they get to wear their costumes to school. Our intentions of getting up early to start on the "getting dressed" process was a bust. We didn't manage to get up any earlier today than normal. We did manage to get all ready in time for school...I just didn't make it to work on time...I guess that isn't very uncommon. Anyhow, here are the boys in their costumes.

Dresden, as a very convincing Harry Potter. He has been so excited about wearing this costume. He was nervous about the black hair spray that we were putting in his hair until we got him dressed in his tie and cloak and put his glasses on. When he looked in the mirror he stopped and stared and couldn't believe how much he looked like Harry Potter. This is the surprised face he had when he looked in the mirror. He was very pleased with the whole outcome.

This is him Ooing and Aahing at how the black hair really does look like Harry Potter.

~

Logan, well this is just the perfect costume for him. He used to flip his collars up on his polo shirts because "that's how vampires wear their collars". Logan and I decided we would both be vampires this year. He and I are going to make a drop dead gorgeous couple.

Logan certainly knows how to pose for a picture.

2009-10-21T11:10:00.002-06:00

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The Ups & Downs of life

2009-10-19T08:45:00.003-06:00

Life has been a bit crazy the past little while and I just haven't had the time or energy to blog lately.

To begin, the boys have been in school now for almost two months and are enjoying themselves. Even though Dresden's best friends aren't in his class he still enjoys going to school and has been talking about a new friend from his class. It is always comforting to know that he is capable of meeting new friends even though he is sometimes shy. We have been trying to work on his reading and he just hasn't enjoyed it. He enjoys when we read to him but we just haven't found anything for him to read that he is interested in. I talked to the ladies here at work and one of our artists brought a book series for me to take home. She said her kids really enjoyed the series so I tried it with Dresden. He LIKES it! He read about Ancient Egypt and a Ghost Queen that lost her book of secrets. Anyway, last night he said, "who knew that reading can be so much fun when you have a notebook to write stuff in." I was so happy to hear that come from his mouth. The character in the book keeps a notebook and writes important facts in it. Dresden decided to write things on a notepad, too.

Logan is just so full of energy since school started. He has learned new behaviors that don't sit so well with me (hitting with a closed fist) but overall he is learning lots and meeting new friends. He enjoys school and I really think he could be challenged a little more, which I guess falls on my shoulders. I bought addition flashcards for Dresden but I think I will have Logan learn them too. I may as well teach two kids at once and Logan certainly loves to learn new things.

Our families have been in our minds and hearts a lot lately. My Grandpa Strong's health has been on the decline for the past 6 months or so. We finally thought we found the problem, a blockage of the carotid artery. He had a stint put in and things were looking up. Until he decided to walk around the new church house that was being built. He walked around the building under construction and fell hitting his head on the corner of a concrete walkway. A worker came to help him up, got him back on his 4wheeler and sent him on his way. Two days later when they came up for their trip to Jackson Hole with my parents his face eyes, side, and back were covered with bruises. His face was all scabbed up from hitting the concrete and he had a bump on his head that was enormous. The whites of his eyes were completely blood shot and swollen. He looked horrible. Early the next morning we had the ambulance come and get him. After a ct scan we found out he had a subdural hematoma. He has been in the hospital since September 24th. He has had his brain operated on and because of a catheter he had in for 2 weeks he ended up getting a UTI which seemed to be causing him to shut down completely. Since he has been on antibiotics he seems to be doing a thousand times better. Still not himself completely but better. My poor grandma has had to deal with so much emotionally. She is such a rock. I don't know how she gets through it all. Besides dealing with all the emotional stress of my grandpa she has the emotional stress of moving from her home in Ephraim into my parents other house up here. The doctors aren't letting my grandpa leave the valley so thankfully my parents have their other house that my grandparent's can move into. The family is happy to have them closer but I know it isn't easy for them.

Larry has the sweetest mom. She does so much for everyone else and loves her family unconditionally. She is so wonderful to our family and just adores our boys. Our hearts were broken when we found out that she has cancer again. She had breast cancer 5 years ago which was treated by having a mastectomy and has had clean screenings since. Over the summer she had lost some weight and for peace of mind she saw her doctor. Everything looked good but he couldn't explain the weight loss so he did a full body scan. The scan showed enlarged lymph nodes so they did another test to determine if the lymph's had cancer. If cancer is in the body it is supposed to show black for cancer or white for normal lymph's. The scans showed red. The doctor wasn't sure what that meant so he took the test results to a panel of oncologists. They suggested doing a needle biopsy but the prominent lymph's were located mostly around the heart so a needle biopsy would be too risky. They did find a couple lymph's near the base of the neck that they decided to biopsy. The tests came back positive. The test results came back the day our family was getting off the lake at Powell. We drove straight to her house and Larry administered a blessing. Bertha has been on pin and needles because she doesn't meet with the oncologist until Oct. 28th. We are hoping and praying for the best outcome possible. She is a fighter and I hope with the support from her family she will fight this cancer again.

We love our families so much and we hope we can give them the support they need.

Logan's prayer

2009-09-11T08:26:00.005-06:00

The other night Logan came to my room to say his prayer before bed. He usually says a pretty quick prayer but this night he kept going and going. He usually is done after a few "help me's" but as he kept going and going my heart melted more and more. I was in such a bad mood when he first came in but by the time he was finished with his prayer I felt so blessed and happy to have this little boy. It made my horrible day worth having. After he was finished I gave him a kiss, tucked him into bed, and went straight to the kitchen for a pen and paper to write this down...

...thank you for this day.
Help me to not see things when I close my eyes.
Help me to have good dreams and not bad dreams,
and when I wake up help me to have a good day.
Help me to sleep in my own bed more times.
Help me to eat good foods so I can grow up big and strong.
Help me and Dresden to listen to Mom and not fight with each other.
And help me and Dresden to clean our rooms more often.
And bless Dad that he will get home from work safely...

After I went and wrote this down I went back to check on Logan. He was still awake and wanted me to lay down by him. He locked his little arms around my neck and then said, "this will be a quick one, I forgot to say something in my other prayer."

...thank you for this day. Help me and Dresden to have a good day at school tomorrow...

Logan certainly brings joy to my life.

So grown up

2009-09-03T09:43:00.006-06:00

Logan's first day of kindergarten was a breeze. Following in his big brothers footsteps, he didn't complain, whine, stall, or hang on my leg when it was time to go to school. He did such a great job of being a "big kid" and handling this new adventure with confidence and excitement. I am so excited for him to learn, develop, and to grow.

I was trying to get a picture of the boys walking together but Dresden noticed and quickly bailed before I got a picture of the two of them together. Dresden and Logan will walk this path most everyday together.

Logan is showing his friend Carson his cool new backpack.

Logan eagerly awaiting instructions from the teachers. When his teacher came out he was first in line (not sure if that was because they were going in alphabetical order or just by chance...I was in the office filling out a paper that they didn't give us...why do they need to know my occupation anyway?) Because he was first in line he got to hold the door open for all the kids.

I know every mom says this but it's true... I can't believe both my kids are old enough for school!

My boys the Wildcats

2009-08-28T13:55:00.006-06:00

Well, my boys will both be attending Willow Canyon Elementary this year. Officially "Wildcats"! I can't tell you how popular that is thanks to the High School Musical movies. I was asking Dresden the day before school what his feelings were about starting 2nd grade. He was like, "I don't get what you mean?" So I asked, "are you nervous or excited?" He just replied, "it's school, I'm not excited or nervous." Wednesday morning came without any hassles, he got up and got dressed, at his breakfast, brushed his teeth, and didn't even complain when I did his hair. Dresden didn't complain or stall or argue about anything the whole morning. When we got to school he found his line and waited in it without needing me to stand by him. I think I needed to stand by him so I kept checking in with him but he was still fine. Anyway, the bell rang, the teachers came out, and away he went into the second grade doors. I don't even think he looked back once. He is getting so independent and grown up. I miss my little Dresden that used to rub the tip of his stuffed tigers tail on the tip of his nose and would cuddle with me. But I am so happy that he feels comfortable enough with himself that starting school isn't a big deal.

Logan goes today for his Kindergarten testing and I know he is so excited to start school. I have some letters and numbers workbooks that I take to church for Logan to work on and he made the comment, "I love to do homework!". He considers these workbooks his homework and he is so motivated and eager to learn new things. He definitely is my little pleaser. He wants to accomplish things in order to get praise. It really is charming. I hope he keeps up this desire to learn and the want to please but I hope it changes into a need to please and fulfill himself and not others. I can't wait to see how he will react on his first day of school.

This is after Dresden's first day of Second grade. One of his friends was having a hard time in the morning so I thought I would bring a reward for all the kids for accomplishing their first day of school. Here is Dresden NOT wanting to pose with me but finally posing with his Blow Pop...I just happen to be next to him.

Meet the Mayor

2009-08-19T12:10:00.013-06:00

Willow Canyon Community Council will be honored to have Mayor Corroon attend our upcoming Council meeting. August 26th @ 7:00pm. Sandy Library. Please join us and meet your Mayor!

Follow up

2009-08-18T08:53:00.006-06:00

I decided to make a phone call to the District offices today and spoke to Tamra Baker, Director of Elementary Schools for Canyons School District. Tamra was very willing to speak to me and is very aware of the number problems at Willow Canyon. She and Mr. Theobold, Willow Canyon Elementary Principal, have talked numerous times about the options and what can be done. Tamra explained that there just isn't cushion in the budget this year and they are really keeping a tight watch on teacher contracts. She did say that the enrollment numbers for Kindergarten back in June were way down, which I was able to find a spreadsheet on the Canyons website that stated 49 kids were enrolled for Kindergarten at Willow Canyon. So, now there are 64 students enrolled and the District just doesn't have the luxury of hiring a new teacher. However, they are willing to do a "Day 5 Count". After five days they will see how many students are actually attending and if the numbers still stay this high they will re-address adding an additional class.

Although I'm not completely pleased with the current situation, I understand where the District is coming from. However, I think I will still be making a phone call to Mr. Theobold as well, to discuss my concern.

How many is too many?

2009-08-17T12:30:00.004-06:00

My little Logan will be in Kindergarten this year and he is so excited to go to school with his big brother. We haven't received a packet yet with any school information so I started to ask around church yesterday. So, the rumor is...no one has received their information yet AND there are only two kindergarten classes with 35 students in each class. The rumor says that if there are 6 more students to enroll then they will open a 3rd class.

Seriously??!! I happen to know that Willow Canyon has turned away 4 kids. My daycare will only bus to schools where there are multiple students attending a school. Logan was the only one going to Willow Canyon so my daycare started sending kids up there to register for Kindergarten. Each one of those kids were turned away. So, explain to me if they only need 6 more kids to open a third class WHY the school would turn away 4 of them???

I did call the school and there are 64 kids enrolled so that would mean 32 per class. Good luck teachers...and students!!!

2009-08-15T21:51:00.004-06:00

Tonight I was dragging my boys around town getting errands done and like usual, I was singing to the music in the car. Dresden and Logan often feed off each other and great conversations are had. Tonight Dresden had an idea...

D: Mom, I know what we should do. Because you like to sing so much we should build a stage in our backyard so you can sing.
L: Yeah, because you do sing nice.
M: Ahhh, thanks Logan.
D: We'll put a lock on the gate..you know, not Nana's gate but ours...
L: So people will have to come through the gate...
D: Yeah, and charge money for people to watch you sing and it will be non-refundable.
L: Yeah, we should build the stage so people will give us money!

I do enjoy singing to music and I really hate it when someone is in the car with me and tries to carry on a conversation with me while I am singing. Can't they see I am singing?! Anyway, the boys had a great idea...especially the "non-refundable" part of it all.

Joyous day.

2009-08-13T09:17:00.007-06:00

I'm not sure I should be this excited that I have a sink with running water, but I am!!! The counter top was finished yesterday and the plumber installed the faucet, water line to the fridge, and gas to the stove last night. The kitchen is looking amazing! There is still lots to do but the end is in sight. I have to mention the other thing that makes me happy...we bought a soap pump and had it installed too. It's silly, I know, but having one less bottle on the counter makes me smile. I was actually squealing in delight last night.

Willow Canyon Community Pool Party

2009-07-22T14:49:00.006-06:00

Some of you may know that I serve as the North Area Rep for the Willow Canyon Community Council. As a council we discussed different activities we could do as a community. We have decided a Pool Party would be a fun summer activity for the community. We have rented the swimming pool at Alta Canyon Recreation Center for Thursday, August 6th. The large pavilion will be available for community members to use for their picnic dinners and then the pool opens for our private community party at 8:30pm until 10pm. The swimming is free of charge for community members and their families. I hope those that live within the Willow Canyon Community boundaries will bring their families and join us for our Community Pool Party. Please share this information with your neighbors and watch for the banners that will be posted in the community and the flyer that will be delivered next week.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call. 801-860-4579 or email me.

p.s. I just learned that Salt Lake County Mayor Corroon will be attending our August 26th Community Council meeting. If you have never met the Mayor or have questions you would like to ask, this is a great opportunity to meet Mayor Corroon. Community Council meetings are held every 4th Wednesday of the month at the Sandy Library. Meetings start at 7:00pm.

Beach House

2009-07-15T15:16:00.012-06:00

This summer we rented a beach house in Mexico with my parents and siblings. We had a fabulous time and had miles of beach to ourselves. This picture best describes what the vacation was all about...putting your feet up and

RELAXING...

the vacation was also about reading good books...
and spending time with family...

we spent our days in the ocean...

and digging in the sand...

our evenings were spent watching amazing sunsets...

we were crafty...

and we were bird watchers...

and squid finders...

and showed extreme patience while the catalytic converter had to be replaced during the first leg of the trip and then the fan belt on our way home...

overall the vacation was a great success and I can't wait to stay in paradise again!

#%@&*#

2009-07-15T13:43:00.005-06:00

I saw this news story today and it makes me feel so much better that studies show that my swearing when I hit my finger with the hammer or stub my toe actually makes the pain go away quicker. I know I'm not perfect, and I apologize if you thought I was, really I am not. I do swear and I have one that usually just blurts out before I have any control to stop it. So, honey...I really try not to swear but when I get hurt it just makes the pain go away that much quicker! I do need to mention that I don't think I have ever heard Larry swear. Somehow he doesn't have a single swear word in his vocabulary. How is it that I do then???

Thanks KUTV.com for enlightening me.

Ordinary turned extraordinary

2009-07-08T15:36:00.003-06:00

Larry and I have always wanted a mosaic medallion and after visiting many tile stores that have absolutely beautiful tile accents we found a great deal and decided to go ahead and splurge to make our ordinary tile floor look extraordinary. Actually, we were at one tile store and saw a medallion on close out. We debated about buying it and decided to hold off. I went back later and bought it to surprise Larry. We were excited about this medallion until we went to Contempo Tile and saw one even more amazing. It was around the same price and far times better. So, we bought it. Like I said, we splurged. My brother was recruited to help lay the floor and once he started he wouldn't budge and let anyone else pitch in to help the job he started. He did an AMAZING job!!! Such a perfectionist. The floor looks great and the five hours it took to cut the 8 pieces of tile bordering the mosaic was well worth the time...Brandt may disagree. Thank you over and over again to my brother and dad who helped lay the tile!!!

Hangin' On

2009-07-07T12:36:00.005-06:00

All of Dresden's friends have lost one, two, three or more teeth but Dresden's just haven't wanted to budge. Finally, thanks to an apple, one of his bottom teeth became ever so slightly loose. It hasn't been left alone since. His tongue is pushing on it or his finger is wiggling it back and forth constantly. Yesterday he showed me how loose his tooth had become and it was literally just hanging there. Larry has suggested many ways to Dresden about how we can pull it but Dresden didn't like the idea of someone or something pulling his tooth out. We promised him WE would not pull his tooth and that HE can take his own sweet time nudging the tooth loose.

This morning he came in my room with tooth in hand and said it fell out while he was asleep last night. It's a wonder he didn't swallow the tooth. I guess the Tooth Fairy will make her first appearance tonight.

Champions, once again.

2009-07-07T09:18:00.007-06:00

I think the first time I met Larry he was playing softball with a group of people from his singles ward. When we got married he didn't stop playing softball. It wasn't with a singles ward any longer but with his work. I was invited to play along side Larry and his coworkers and for the past 9 years, with the exception of a couple years the news didn't put a team together, we have played softball. When I first started playing I hadn't played on a team before so Larry would try to be helpful and give me advice on how to swing better or how to field a ball better. I wasn't very receptive to Larry (I hate getting advice when I didn't ask for it) but did try to apply his advice to my game. Anyway, over time I have gotten better and playing softball with Larry has become even more enjoyable. I look forward to our games because it is one time during the week that Larry and I are able to do something fun together. So, last night the Dnews won yet another championship. I'll leave the game highlights to a real sports writer and you can read about the upset win HERE.

Just a spoonful of....

2009-06-23T10:31:00.007-06:00

Saturday night Dresden and I, along with Lady the cat, were laying on my bed watching a movie. As I was laying there I noticed that Dresden had become congested. While we were out of town he wasn't the least bit congested but the moment we are back in the house with the cat, again he's congested. Here's a conversation we had...

M: Dresden, are you stuffy from petting Lady?

D: Yeah, but please don't get rid of her.

M: Maybe we can talk to the doctor this week about getting you some allergy medicine.

D: Mom, if I have to take medicine will you please get a good flavor?

M: A good kind like strawberry?
D: No, good like ketchup.Mmmm, doesn't that sound tasty.