Chalk One Up For the Little People

I'm going to rant a little here. Over the last month I have been dealing with two government agencies. One was nice and understanding, and the other absolutely ridiculous! I may have mentioned that my Medicaid was denied when I re-certified last month. That is another story in itself. We were happy to move on to CHIP especially when we qualified in the lowest category (no enrollment fee and $3 sick visits). The problem was that Medicaid didn't send a denial letter to CHIP so our coverage didn't start until April! I finally got the denial letter (I picked it up from the office in person - the same day it came in the mail BTW)) and faxed it to CHIP on the next day (the 19th of January). So CHIP was able to start coverage on March 1st, but not in January since they got the denial letter after the 12th (their cut off date). I went back and forth between the two agencies (since they can't talk to each other). Medicaid claims they sent the information on the 21st of December. CHIP never got it. CHIP never sent out a welcome packet. But after they got the information on the 10th of January they got a welcome packet to me with in a few days! We tried to get Medicaid to understand this but for some reason they didn't want to listen. Aaron called and tried as well and they were rude to him. Finally today I called again and they remembered Aaron and said he was the rude one!!! I hung up and called back to start on a better note. Somehow after listening to all her explanations of what happened she said, "I can give you coverage for February but after that it's up to CHIP." I couldn't believe it! I had actually gotten what I needed! It can be done. All those phone calls and frustration and finally I have the peace of mind that if my kids are sick in February I can take them to the doctor!!!

The thing that bothers me the most is that they typed up the denial letter on 12-21-06. I didn't get it in my mailbox until 01-18-07!!! If I had not called to check on the status of my application on January 5th I never would have gotten CHIP in time! Why did it take that long for that letter to get to me? It was not the post office's fault, the postmark was the 16th of January! Only five more months until we have guaranteed medical insurance! We may have to pay for it, but we will be able to afford it then! We can't afford it now. So I hope you don't mind that I got that off my chest! It is such a relief!

Is There a Doctor in the House?

One of the many benefits of having a soon-to-be doctor in the house is being able to diagnose childhood illnesses. On Friday evening David suddenly started complaining that his ear hurt. Aaron was able to check his ear and determine that it wasn't too bad. And when he continued to complain on Saturday he checked again and we decided to go in to see the pediatrician. Although we had to wait a long time at least I knew that we needed to be there to get a Rx, and that we wouldn't be sent home with a "there's nothing we can do, give him some Ibuprofen". So now we have a happy and recovering boy who still has 8 more days of medicine to take!

Books and Salad

I thought it was pretty funny when Angela said that her little girl likes salad. And then last week I gave Timothy a piece of lettuce and he gobbled it up! Then he asked for more. So he had a nice helping of salad with a little salad dressing. Every once in a while my kids surprise me.



Timothy also had a great time lining up the library books. He put them all in a row and then sat on them. I also caught him in the act of taking scissors to a library book. Sorry no picture. He really does love to read books too, however lately he seems to be defacing them.

REAL SIMPLE Interview

Thanks Natalie for giving me something to blog about. I have tons of ideas, and then when I sit down to the computer I forget everything I wanted to talk about, kind of like when I want to bear my testimony. At least here I can put it off a little! Here's a questionnaire she tagged her readers for:

* Bath or shower? Showers usually, although lately I have been taking baths, not by choice, but because our water is messed up, and I don't want to take a cold shower.

* What did you want to be when you were little? A mom, a nurse

* What's the one thing you'll never understand? I'm sure there are lots of things... right now it's why some people never listen to the messages, or why they don't call them back, even days or weeks later!

* What surprises you most about your adult life? I really thought the mom thing was going come a lot easier.

* What's your idea of the perfect meal? For dinner: A big juicy steak (medium rare), a big salad with oil and vinegar dressing, a heap of mashed potatoes, garlic bread, and a chocolate dessert - maybe cheesecake. I'm easy to please.

* What's the craziest fashion trend or hairstyle you've worn? The funky clips for the long t-shirts in the 80's. It would gather all of the extra material to the side. Weird huh?

* What amount of money would make you feel you were set for life? I've never had a number in mind. I think I will always make do with what I have. And if I have more than I need, then I can share more with others.

* If you could change careers now without any consequences or financial loss, what would you switch to? I have the career I want, I don't want anything else.

* The big decision I'm currently wrestling with is... Is Timothy ready for potty training? (The rank-order list is done, for now...)

Vanguard

David took his Vanguard "test" yesterday. I have no idea what they asked him. He wouldn't tell me. The three other kids that came out before him to moms nearby didn't divuldge anything either. It was an interesting experience. I'm still not sure why I had him tested. The schools I liked weren't in the Vanguard program. It's not a big deal if he gets in or not. Especially since we might not even be here when he starts kindergarten. I prepped David by explaining that we were going to visit a school and that he would be talking to a teacher. She was going to ask him questions and that I wanted him to answer them. I told him he might play a game or read a book, or do a puzzle (really had not idea what they might do). And that I just wanted him to listen to the teacher and tell her everything he knew.
I didn't want to make a big deal about it and scare him or overwhelm him. I kept it pretty low-key. So why did that 20 minute drive take forever? Why did I get knots in my stomach? I wasn't taking the test. It wasn't even that important. I know David is smart no matter what a test says. But still I was nervous! We got there with about 10 minutes to spare. I didn't know how long I was going to have to wait, so I brought snacks, and books, and paper (since David loves to draw). I was so relieved when I walked into the multi-purpose room and saw a familiar face. Jodie H* was there for her son Alex. She had gotten there just a few minutes before and Alex had already been called back. David was called about 10 minutes after we got there and Jodie and I got to chat and play with her daughter Randy for about 45 minutes. After Alex came back (he didn't spill the beans either) they left and I had about 10 minutes to my self.
I was glad when David came back, he was happy and he didn't come back early, so at least he was cooperative. The only comment he had was, "I got tired of reading." So at least he could show the teacher that he could read a little! After reading Natalie's post, I was thinking a lot about how I know that no matter what sort of program David is in I will have to be the one to make sure he is getting the education he needs. I just hope I will be able to do that.
After the test we were able to pick up Timothy and have fun at McDonald's for Naomi H*'s birthday party. David deserved the time to play with his friends. Now I will have to wait until March 30th (or soon thereafter) to find out how he did! I was glad it wasn't too stressful and that he seemed to enjoy it. Good luck to all you parents out there that have done or will soon do this with their child.

Happy Birthday Dad

(My dad at my sister Becca's wedding reception 2 years ago.)


I am excited to try my hand at my first tribute post. Today is my dad’s birthday. What I remember most about my Dad is:
1. Wanting everyone to be involved. He loves to have planning meetings and get everyone’s input on what is happening with our family.
2. Family vacations. We always went camping every year, which I love. We also took a fair amount of road trips to see family and friends in Montana, Utah and Southern California.
3. Daddy daughter dates. Whether it was shopping, or ice cream, or taking me to see how I did after an audition, he always made me feel special when it was one on one.
4. Involved with Scouting. He has been to many National Jamborees, I remember him working with my friends from school on their Merit Badges. He got the Silver Beaver a couple of years ago, and still helps out when he can.
My Dad is:
*Intelligent
*Kind
*Patriotic
*Loving
*Complimentary
*Wise
*Forgiving

I love you Dad! Happy Birthday!

Timothy a.k.a. Frozone

The boys got "Incredibles" for Christmas this year, and they have watched it way too many times as evident by this morning's events. After Timothy took a bath this morning he didn't want to take off his hooded towel to get dressed. I don't blame him, it is cold (for Texas). But even after I got him dressed, he wanted to wear his towel. He put it on and flew around like a super hero! When I took it from him, he put his hands on his hips and sternly said, "where is my super suit?" Actually it sounded like "soup" instead of "suit". I had to laugh, it was hilarious. At least he didn't call me "woman".

no naps?????

So this is what happens when a 2 1/2 year old refuses to take a nap for 4 days,
On Sunday (the fourth day) he collapsed at 4:00 just after I took off his messy clothes. And amazingly enough I did the same routine at night and even though he got out of bed about 10 times, after the first 10 minutes he stayed in his bed and was asleep within 45 minutes! It's funny how quickly he learned that he was supposed to be in his bed. He quietly walked over to his shelf, grabbed a toy and got back in his bed. However it was a noisy toy, so as soon as he tried to play with it, it got taken away. He only did that twice before he gave up getting toys. Now I have to make sure he'll comply when Aaron puts him to bed!

Family pictures

Here's some pictures from our vacation not taken with our camera.

Here David is playing on the climbing gym in my parents' back yard.


This is my whole family together in my parents' living room. (Each husband is standing behind his wife, with my kids and my three other siblings on the floor.)



I just love this picture of my mom and Timothy at the kitchen table.

These pictures and more can be found at my family's website.

Oh and by the way I had to put Timothy back in his bed about 20 times in the first 10 minutes last night, but then he was in his bed and asleep within 30 minutes! It's working!

It worked

Well, it worked. I can't believe it. Last night Timothy never once got out of his bed. And he was asleep within 15 minutes. Granted that is with no nap, so he was very tired. He's not napping again today, so I will have to test it again when he does take a nap. I was so spoiled with David who took naps up until about 6 months ago. But then David I could reason with and give him an incentive to stay in his bed. Timothy has already figured out that as long as he stays in his room during nap time he doesn't get in trouble. I really don't mind if he doesn't nap, but I need nap/quiet times to get things done. So as long as the kids are in separate rooms, and are not getting into trouble, I can happily get things done. Like blogging! Well, here's to another evening of Timothy staying in his bed!!!

New bed for Timothy

Timothy is no longer in a crib, we put it away last night. We pulled out David's old toddler bed. He wouldn't take a nap yesterday, so I thought it would be easy to get him to go to sleep, but no. I've tried, laying down with him, but unless he's exhausted he fights it. So Aaron and I tried something we learned from his sister. It was a test of my patience, but it worked. I hope it works again tonight and sooner, because he's not napping again today. It's a variation of something I've seen on Supernanny. Every time he got our of his bed I picked him up and put him in his bed and said, "It's bed time. Good night." The trick is to be consistent and say it calmly, in the same tone of voice every time! It was hard to not get upset. In the first 15 minutes I probably put him in his bed about 100 times (does that count as weight lifting? He is 35 lbs!) It didn't help that David was encouraging him: "Timothy, come in my bed." "Timothy, go get Mom." "Timothy, get down (out of your bed)." But after the first 15 minutes it took 1-3 minutes before he was out of his bed again. And after only 45 minutes he was asleep. So I pray that it will work again tonight, and that I will have the patience to do it again tonight. And after a long talk with David, I hope he won't tempt Timothy to break the rules. Wish me luck.

Magazines

Recently my friend Angela blogged about her magazine subscriptions. I started to comment about mine, but realized my comment was so long I had better create my own post about it. So here it is. I subscribe to the Ensign
and the Friend. I have been reading Parents magazine for 5 years now.
I got a free subscription for two years and the subsequent subscriptions came with really good deals, like 2 years for $12 or something.
Recently we used up some old Delta Airline miles and got three new magazines and the Wall Street Journal. I get Prevention and Aaron gets Time. I would read Time, but the irony is I rarely find time to read it. I do look at things occasionally when something catches my eye. We also got one called Computer Shopper, but it wasn't what we thought it was so we cancelled it. Aaron also gets three medical related magazines. I hardly read those unless he refers me to an article.

Angela had mentioned getting Better Homes and Gardens, which is one I would love to have. Coincidentally yesterday in the mail I got my Parents magazine and with it came an offer for Better Homes and Gardens: 3 years for $19 with a free cook book! I think I might sign up! I'm trying to think of others I might want and Family Fun comes to mind, but not much else. I think I have too many piles of clutter as it is. Maybe in 5 or 10 years, when I have an established income I may venture into a scrapbooking or decorating magazine, but I really don't see the need right now. I am enjoying the ones I have.

bucket pic

Here's the cute paint bucket my sister Sara made for me!


Here's the cute paint bucket my sister Sara made for me!

It's over!

Well we are getting out the toddler bed, because Timothy just figured out how to climb out of crib!

Vacation Memories

The things I will remember most
about David:
Learning how to play checkers from Uncle Scott.
Learning how to play computer games from Uncle Scott and Uncle Mike. He has played on the computer before but I never taught him how to use the keyboard to play arcade type games. Well, my brothers taught him how, and now he can play them all!

about Timothy:
Uncle Mike teaching him to say "totally sweet".
Peeing in the potty, on command, the day before we came home.
Diving out of the pack-n-play often enough for us to put it away for the last three nights.
Learning to say "not a toy" to everything he wasn't supposed to play with.
Saying "not a toy" to everything he didn't want people to play with.
Playing with Grampa's lift chair, especially when Grampa was in it.

about Aaron:
Fixing everything my mom asked him to fix.
Talking medical stuff with my BIL John (who is going to Chiropractic school)
Sleeping in later than he ever has since we have been married (8:30 am!) and probably later than he ever will again.

about me:
Sneaking away to read Harry Potter.
Enjoying having two pregnant sisters.
Secretly wishing I was the 3rd.

About my Family:
My sister Eva noted that when we all get together we typically take on certain roles. In order of age:
Eva is the arranger: She puts things in there place and makes everything look good.
I am the cook. I bake and cook and make the house smell nice.
Tina is the fixer. She fixes the computer, and anything electronic (She got two associates degrees from Rick's in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science).
Sara is the crafty one. She made these cute gifts - They look like paint buckets with candy in them. Of course I think mine was the cutest because it had pictures of my kids on them!
Becca is the seamstress. She made blankets and booties and pants while she was there. And she also made a blessing dress and an adorable faux suede jacket.

Well I can't get my camera to upload pictures, so I'll add pictures later.
Over all it was a great vacation with lots of family time together.

Vacation part 3

Maybe I'll get through the rest of my vacation this time. My Dad loves lists, itineraries, and schedules. We had calendar meetings every week growing up! So this time was no different. He had every meal planned out for the first 3 days that everyone would be there. It was great. Tina and John came back on the 29th and on the 30th Sara was the last sibling to arrive. Eva picked her up from the airport and soon after she arrived we took family pictures. I'll have to have them send me some so I can post them. I forgot to do that before I left. We then had a great Chinese take-out lunch with our friend Natalie K*. She is a friend my dad met through his former job as a computer programmer/consultant. She loves to come visit when we are all together and always bring lunch and lately has spoiled my boys with gifts! David got a robosapien (walking robot) that he loves and Timothy got a little tractor that came with three animals and a fence. Why is it that the noisy toys are usually bought by some one other than the parents??? The kids love them, and we are ever thankful to Natalie.
That evening we had a double baby shower for my two sisters (Tina and Becca) who are expecting little girls in April. I enjoyed seeing lots of old friends and seeing lots of cute baby stuff! I wish I had been home to throw a shower with my boys!!! Immediately following the shower the party continued as we invited lots of friends over to visit while everyone was in town. It was a bring-a-finger food-to-share sort of a party. And it was so delicious! I wish more of my friends could have been there. But I couldn't get a hold of them. But I got to see a lot of people who have since moved out of my parents ward. Former home teachers, and YW leaders, and Sunday School teachers. I also got to see first hand my 17 year old brother flirt with his older sister's friends. It was an odd sight! I knew that he was a teenager, and that he has a girl that he writes to and sees occassionally (she moved an hour north), but to see it in person! That was shocking! Go Mike!!!
New Year's Eve was fun as well, it was a lazy Sunday and we mostly ate and napped and played games! It was a long night of Cranium.


Earlier in the week we had played Apples to Apples, which Dad dominated,


and Monopoly - Here and Now. If you haven't seen that version, you should - it is great. They have updated the money and the properties. The Johnson Space Center is on there, and Park Place is now Fenway Park and Broadway is Times Square. Everything is increased by a factor of 10,000!!! Instead of collecting $200 when you pass go it is $2 million! The game pieces are new and the community chest and chance cards are updated as well i.e. instead of getting "Was runner-up in a beauty contest collect $10" it's "Was runner-up on a reality show collect $100,000"

Anyway, at midnight we toasted with Martinelli's Sparkling Cider and I got a new year's kiss from Aaron.

Since my family wasn't all together on Christmas Day we had our traditional Christmas dinner on New Year's Day. We BBQ our turkey and cook up a ham, (we had 15 people to feed and we love leftovers!), we have wild rice stuffing and red potatoes, (I guess we have graduated from the mashed potatoes) cresent rolls, and lots of other stuff. Later we demolished the gingerbread house we made.

Before

After

Tina and John C* went back to Hayward that night and watched the Boise State game on a really snowy screen (did I mention that my parents don't have cable or an attenna that works?). But even if the picture wasn't that great we still enjoyed the BCS busting game! That was a pretty intense game and to quote the commentator "This game screams for a play-off system". I won't get started about how I feel about the BCS!

On the 2nd my parents had a "garage sale" and let us kids take home Christmas decorations and camping gear that they no longer wanted. At first we didn't want much because we didn't have room to pack it. Then we got talked into packing a frame backpack full of camping gear. So we ended up with way more luggage on the way back to H*. But we did get a frame backpack, and a fly fishing rod (Aaron already had three other rods!), a shovel, and other stuff I can't remember. I grabbed a few Christmas decorations, but I don't know where I am going to put it all! That night we watched The Devil Wears Prada, which was actually a very good movie, and packed as much as we could.

So that leads us to the 3rd-our last day in CA. We finished packing and headed to the airport around 8:30 am. We were glad to have Sara with us so she could help us carry all of our luggage to the baggage check line while Mom waited in the car. The plane ride was pretty uneventful. Timothy napped this time, and eventually both kids threw a fit, but no major damage done. We hit a little turbulence, and were only 15 minutes late in hitting the tarmac, but we had to sit on the tarmac for at least 30 minutes and then we had to wait for our luggage for another 30 minutes. Our plane touched down at 6:25 and we didn't get in the car until 8:00!!! I guess that's not as bad as it could have been. We are so grateful to Jennifer J* who picked us up and somehow fit all of us and our luggage into her little Honda Civic!!!
So I'm sorry if I completely bored you all with my details. But I am doing this to I can record the things that happened. Tomorrow I just want to tell a few funny stories of the things I will remember most about this trip!!!

Giving Gifts: Vacation part 2

Christmas Day was fun. I'm still trying to remember everything we got. I have to say my favorite gift was the diamond and gold hoop earrings I got from Aaron. I know they weren't the most expensive gift I got, but I love them. I got lots of little gifts from my sisters, like ornaments and chap stick and body wash. Aaron isn't hard to buy for, he is just hard to suprise. I didn't give him anything he didn't already know he was getting. The only surprise was I didn't get him any summer sausage this year. We have a tradition stemming from his father's traditional stocking gifts. Every year Aaron gets summer sausage, green olives (I can't stand them) and mixed nuts in his stocking. This year I decide to wait to buy the summer sausage until I was in California. When my brother was still looking for something to get for Aaron I told him to get the summer sausage and some sharp cheddar cheese. Aaron thought I had forgotten!
The boys loved the gifts they received, and were amazingly patient waiting for their turn to open them. They helped pass out the gifts to everyone and then we went around to room opening one gift at a time. David knew he was after Uncle Mike, so he got very anxious each time it was Mike's turn and offered to help him unwrap it so it would go faster.
I was manning my parent's video camera so I neglected to take a lot of pictures on Christmas but here are a few that I did get:


Uncle Dave on the couch, Uncle Scott with the camera, David (I think)in the cardboard school bus and Aaron looking on


Timothy with Uncle Mike on the computer


Uncle John and Aunt Tina (expecting a girl in April) and Timothy

My dad is a very sentimental and emotional man. He has a passion for all things patriotic especially eagles. So every year someone gets him something to do with eagles. This year it was my youngest brother Scott. While as a teenager it was a little embarassing to see my dad cry in public (it seemed like every testimony meeting and talk), I now appreciate that he willingly shares his feelings with us.
So after all the presents were opened we fired up the grill and BBQed some delicious meat. We have friends in Utah that own and run a farm, and my family will buy a half a cow. They will prepare it for them with all the different cuts (including the meat we had on Christmas) and they will ship it to my family, or my family will pick it up while they are in Utah, or they'll bring it to my family when they visit. And when we run out my family buys more! It is so good! We also enjoyed some games, and puzzles, and movies.
We celebrated Christmas two more times that week as two more sisters arrived. Becca and her husband Aaron B* came in on the 27th, and it was so fun to see them again. Especially since the only time I had met Aaron B* was a week before they got married two years ago. Becca is also expecting a little girl in April, and it was fun to talk about that kind of thing!
Well David is begging me let him play on the computer, and I need to make some dinner, so I'll have to finish later.

Vacation Part 1

Where to begin??? We had an uneventful flight into San Francisco, which is good considering our last plane ride where we discovered the Timothy gets airsick. Luckily Dramamine comes in chewable tablets, and he just thought it was a vitamin. We stayed at my sister's (Tina) apartment in Hayward that night. Aaron interviewed at Stanford the following day and we didn't want to make that drive more than we had to. Aaron did have to cross the San Mateo bridge twice as he went to the get together with the residents the night we came in.
My mother really enjoyed getting the grandkids to herself that first night as Tina and her husband John were in Las Vegas visiting John's family. However we didn't have a crib or play pen, so we resorted to wearing Timothy out until he collapsed at 9:00 pm (11:00 our time). But he woke up bright and early at 4:30 am, since he usually gets up at 6:30 at home. While Aaron was interviewing at Stanford, Mom took me and the boys to visit the Oakland temple (Timothy napped on the way). It was colder than home and drizzling, but we still got some pictures.


We got to Stockton in time for lunch (David napped on the way). Aaron was done around 3:00 and headed to Stockton. It is normally a 1 1/2 hour drive, but he got stuck in traffic and it took him 3 hours! H* has traffic, but we can usually avoid it. The traffic is one of the reasons Stanford is not in our top 5. The cost of living is another. The average price of a house in Mountain View (close to Palo Alto) is $650,000!!
Aaron did make it home in time to listen (my parents don't have cable) to BYU triumph over Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl. We love that we can listen to almost every BYU football and basketball game on KSL online.
For the next couple of days we ate and baked cookies, and caroled, and ate and ate and ate. We also did a G* family tradition of bulding a gingerbread house. Aaron did most of it, but my siblings helped as well.

On Christmas Eve, Tina and John returned from Las Vegas and spent a few days at the R* home. We let our boys open one gift on Christmas Eve, it's the PJs I made them. David's were shorts and Timothys were pants. David's fit fine, but Timothy's were way too long. I finally fixed them this morning.
Christmas Day was fun as usual. By this time the kids had adjusted to the time change and were actually sleeping in. They got up at 7:30 am!! In my family Santa's unwrapped presents and stockings are free game when you wake up, but the wrapped presents wait until after breakfast. So David loved his race car track. We wore out one set of batteries before we came home.

Now the R* Christmas breakfast usually consists of at least five different things: hash browns (from freshly grated potatoes) with hamburger gravy, sausage, baked eggs, fresh oranges from the back yard, and some kind of bread i.e., pancakes, biscuts or this year it was cinnamon rolls! Yum! And of course candy from the stockings!
By the time breakfast was over my sister Eva and her husband Dave had arrived from Lodi to open presents with us. I think this post is pretty long already, so I will just say that we all enjoyed the presents we got and loved to see others open gifts we had given. I think I'll do more specifics in another post. But it was definitely an enjoyable day!

So Little Time

I thought I would have so much more time to blog when I got back to TX. However, I have discovered when Aaron is at home, I get very little computer time. I promised not to blog unless the kids were sleeping or out of the house. But Aaron and I had so much to do during those times. And I thought I would have time today to recap our wonderful vacation. However, I also need to filter through my email inbox, go over the budget and checkbook, deal with my medical insurance billing issues, and on top of that I found out our Children's Medicaid application was denied. Don't ask me how, we earned about $2000 last year and our only other source of income is loans!!! I got sent to 3 different people and finally I got my case worker's number but it has been busy for the last 2 hours! I will be so glad to not have to deal with this anymore in 6 months!!!

I have to go get lunch ready and get the kids and myself ready because Aaron and I are going to the temple. I will be so glad to slow down for a couple of hours and forget all of this stuff that really doesn't matter in the end! Well I have so much to do, so I'll recap our vacation complete with pictures another day.