A few random thoughts

• David's loose tooth is very stubborn. It's been hanging on for over a week now.
• Timothy is starting to read! He is sounding things out and reading signs. It's a fun stage
• Amy is so cute grabbing for toys. Although she is fighting going to bed a night. She still sleeps great though- once she's down. She is also coughing to get our attention - so funny. And laughing a lot - especially at David. She's also chewing on her tongue.
  
• Aaron's mini-vacation starts tomorrow - 5 days off - yay! We might go to Canada later this week - just for the day, because we can -we don't need passports yet do we?
  

the hand of the Lord

With all that has been going on I have neglected to mention something. I have been very well aware of the ways the Lord has blessed me. However I haven't expressed how He has blessed my life in the past week. With every spasm there were numerous prayers said including a blessing given me by husband. Though the pain was not always taken away immediately, I know I was given strength to endure, and inspiration to know what to do.

Then all the little things add up as well. Aaron was able to come home when I needed him to. The boys were well behaved, and entertained themselves mostly. Amy wasn't fussy, and I was able to nurse her when she needed it. When I got back from my Dr appointment on Tuesday the van got stuck in the slushy snow when I tried to get into my parking spot. A lady from my complex and another lady walking down the street were able to help me get it going again. I had a friend call and check on me an was inspired to help me out. I'm also grateful for health insurance. although I'm sure we'll get a big bill (or five), it could be so much more. So many blessings.

This may also seem trivial, but if you know me, you know I love food. So I thought changing my diet to bland foods would be really hard, especially this time of year. Surprisingly it hasn't been that hard. Perhaps because when I am faced with the alternative (the spasms), I'd much rather deprive my taste buds for a little while. I know this diet won't last forever. And hey - for once I am losing weight during the holidays instead of gaining. I know because I got my weight last Tuesday and I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight - even close to my my pre-Timothy weight!

I've also been working on my priorities a bit. As much as I love blogging, I sometimes spend too much time on the computer. The day after Christmas, when I was recovering, and finally feeling better, I didn't turn on the computer until 3:00, and didn't do much on it for a while after that. It felt great. So I'm working on limiting my computer time. I will still blog, but certainly not everyday, if I do it might just be a picture or two. I will still read others blogs, but maybe just not as often.

I just thought I needed to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in my life. I am so blessed.

a new nephew!

My sister Becca had her little boy today. His name is Colby Aaron B*. She was scheduled for an induction today but went into labor this morning. He came pretty quickly after her water was broken. And weighed in at 9 lbs 2 oz!!!! Out of little Becca! I can't wait to see more pictures especially ones with big sister Hali (hint hint). Now she has to get gall bladder surgery :(
I wish you a speedy recovery Becca! Love you.
PS - not a bad picture coming from a cell phone - Thanks to Scott for the picture and to Eva for emailing it to me.

Merry Christmas

(If you just want to see pictures jump to the end)

I was hoping to be able to write a beautiful Christmas message yesterday, but it never happened. I do have to say it will be one of the most memorable Christmases for us. I'll get the bad part out of the way first. It started at 1:00 am when I woke up with nausea and the feeling of another esophageal spasm coming on. Aaron found me in the family room a few minutes later trying to cope with it by myself. When it didn't go away quickly we decided to go to the ER again (urgent care is in the ER). We called a friend to sleep on the couch while Aaron, Amy and I left. Finally the Drs. could see what was happening and the attending physician whipped up a "GI cocktail" for me. It worked amazingly well, the pain ceased and I could breath better. The good news was that it means it wasn't my heart causing the pain. The resident then saw me and took a history etc., and decided I should still have an EKG and a chest x-ray. They were both fine (as was the ultrasound I did a the Dr's office on Christmas Eve).

I had already discussed with my Dr. what we were going to do to prevent the spasms. We talked about taking Pepcid 2x a day staying away from fatty foods - which I usually do anyway, and trying a bland diet for a while. What we wanted out of the ER doc was how to stop the pain when the spasms happen. The resident suggested Maalox (part of the GI cocktail they had given me). We had tried that before and it didn't help. Aaron basically told him that was not going to cut it. Soon the attending, realizing Aaron was a resident, confirmed that Aaron had a DEA #, and told Aaron he'd write a scrip for the the pain reliever in the GI cocktail and we could mix our own cocktail at home, since Aaron could monitor that. We were very grateful. We decided to get the Rx filled there at the hospital since there would be no pharmacies open (it was Christmas Day after all). Amy woke up while Aaron went to fill the Rx (she was asleep the entire time otherwise). I nursed her. Then the nurse removed the IV - not that I ever needed one in the first place. She went gaga over Amy and insisted that I take her to the nurses station before I left. She helped my gather my things, stopped by the nurses stations - where they all went gaga over Amy, and then I sat in the waiting room until Aaron returned the with the medicine.

We got back home just before 5:00 am. David was awake - he was anticipating Christmas morning :) He thought he saw Santa sleeping on the couch. I had to laugh. It was so cute. I told him that Santa had already come and gone and it was Karl on the couch. Karl went home, Aaron showered and then David woke up Timothy and we started the happy part of Christmas.

Amy was still tired so I laid with her on the couch. I was so tired (having had less than 3 hours of sleep) I kept dozing off as the kids opened their presents. I don't remember half of them. Aaron had to be at work at 7:00 so he left with some of them still wrapped. The kids loved everything they got. But Santa knew exactly what they wanted - Legos! Aaron left with me still on the couch and the kids watching the Magic School Bus DVD - from ? - I'll have to ask Aaron who it was from.

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. I remember the kids playing Legos and a game while I was half awake and half asleep. The nausea returned and I had a smaller spasm around 9:00. It wasn't as bad so I halved the dosage - it didn't really work, so I took the other half about 20 minutes later. It took another 40 minutes for it to resolve. But at 10:00 I felt great, a little weak and tired, but not nauseous or in pain. I looked at the mess and decided to do something about it. But then after a few minutes I had a thought: "I don't know how long I will feel well. It is Christmas. The dishes will get done at some point. But what do my kids want from me? If I'm only going to feel well for a little bit wouldn't my kids want me to play with them instead of washing dishes?"

So I left the kitchen a mess and asked the kids what they wanted me to do. They wanted me to build Legos with them - so I did. For quite a while. Of course I had to feed and change Amy in there as well. But it was great just to sit and play and not worry about the house being a mess. We also opened the rest of the presents. I started feeling nauseous again around noon, so decided I'd better get them some lunch while I could stomach it. I served them leftovers. Then they went back to playing. I couldn't eat. In fact, I think I had about 10 saltine crackers the whole day and about 3 glasses of water (and I snuck in a mint truffle kiss). While Amy was sleeping, I did some dishes, but then I just needed to lay down again. I attempted to work at the computer - but I just had no interest. I let David eat way too much candy. I was surprised Timothy didn't eat more. They just payed and payed all day - and they haven't even opened some of the things they got yet.

Amy was great too. She did well sitting in her bouncy seat and playing with her new toys. David would put her binky in when I asked him too. Amy and I took another long nap from about 2:00 until 4:00. I was blessed that I never had to nurse her while I had a spasm. I had another one at 5:00. This time I took the full dosage and it helped immediately and was gone in 15 minutes. And I'm glad that I haven't had one since. I still had some nausea that evening, so I still didn't eat anything. I have a pumpkin pie in the fridge with one piece eaten, because I just couldn't eat it, so Timothy is the only one who has had a piece so far. I hope some one eats it before it goes bad. Aaron got home just before 8:00. He helped put the kids to bed and after doing a few things on the computer he went to bed. I was able to nap, but he had been up since 1:00, and put in a full day at the hospital on 3 hours of sleep! He was exhausted to say the least. I was about to join him when Amy woke up to nurse. But that allowed to me answer two phone calls. One of which was from my dear Relief Society President who insisted on bringing me dinner, and any groceries I needed. She is so kind, and helpful.

So all in all, we had a very memorable Christmas. I don't know that I would have taken the time and left the mess in the kitchen had I not missed the joy in the morning. I'm glad I was able to experience some joy that day, in spite of the pain. It really was a good day.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care (thanks Mom for the stocking for Amy).

Timothy loves his Legos

David is excited for his new (to him) books.

Trying out the new Hot Wheels race track

Timothy wanted me to take a picture of the motor boat he made

Opening more presents

Amy's reading - well holding a book anyway.

Amy loving all of her gifts!

Timothy eating some of his giant candy cane

The chaos that is Christmas

esophageal spasms

Do you know what esophageal spasms are? I do and they hurt. I had one earlier this year while I was pregnant with Amy. I thought it was pregnancy related. I was wrong. I had one on Monday and some yesterday. I ended up at Urgent Care. The labs all came back negative - so this was their best guess, since it stopped before I got there. I had 2 more after coming home and one lasted 2 hours. (the others were 20-30 minutes each). I'm feeling much better today - still a little nauseous. I have a doctor's appointment today - wish me luck. I should post something happy later, to make me feel better.
PS it's no fun to fix meals when you don't feel like eating, especially a Christmas Eve dinner.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

We are still getting snow. It is so very pretty. It's so quiet outside. The snow mutes the sounds, and very few people are out driving around. There was some freezing rain as well which left the roads icy. Church was canceled. In a way I was glad, because I was not excited about driving on these roads. But I was going to teach David's primary class the Christmas lesson. Amy didn't get to wear her pretty Christmas dress to church. And I missed taking the sacrament.

A quick run down of the day:

• We made scones for breakfast- Yum - David's request. I just made a bread recipe and Aaron made a loaf of white bread, a loaf of cinnamon bread and scones with the rest. Gotta love the fry daddy.
• Aaron, David and Timothy went out in the snow to play and shovel the walks and stairs. They found a crow caught in some netting.
• Aaron brought it home and nursed it back to health. Even though I don't like birds, it's still sad to see one hurt. He put it on the back balcony, gave it some sugar water and set out some food for it. After about an hour it finally had enough strength to eat and then flew away - Hooray!

The crow resting on our balcony

the crow flew to the rooftop behind us and then flew away

• We took some Christmas pictures while the crow was resting. I put Amy in her dress anyway, but the rest of us were casual.

• We had some lunch with the bread we made this morning.
• I took more pictures of the kids and some more of Amy

• We had our own little church, which consisted of: watching Music and the Spoken Word online, an opening prayer by David (who asked Heavenly Father to bless the crow), a talk by David (retelling the nativity story), and a talk by Timothy, a closing song of Away in a Manger and a closing prayer.
• The kids are now outside again with Aaron playing in the 4+ inches of snow that has accumulated over the last 24 hours. As soon as they get back I'll post some pictures.

Aaron helped the boys build a snow fort

Eventually Aaron closed it in (with airholes) and let David burst out of it.

How we've spent our snow days

David is out of school until January. Wednesday was a fluke, but Thursday and Friday were legitimate concerns. David is missing school, and so am I ;)

Wednesday actually went very well. The boys did so great. They played game after game together. They played for hours in their room. I never even turned on the TV - seriously! While I was making dinner I found the boys on the chair. David was reading to Timothy.

The he started to read something else -A reader after my own heart!!

That's right it's the dictionary. They were looking up Christmas words like gingerbread man, sled and Christmas tree. I'm sure my dad will get a kick out of the picture, because I used to read the dictionary as a kid too!

The other day when we were making snowflakes David kept asking for more tape, finally I asked him what he was making. He showed me this:


It's Wall-e!!! So cute. We rented it a few weeks ago and they loved it. They were sad when we had to return it the next day. I love Redbox!

I was playing with Amy the other evening and she was sucking on her bottom lip. I thought it was so cute, so I took a picture.

As I said Wednesday was great, but yesterday was not as good. The kids got bored and fought over the games. We ended up turning on PBS at 9:00am. I was glad Aaron didn't have to go to his clinic. He got home at 3:00 and took the boys sledding (on cardboard boxes). Christian, Valerie and Nathan came over last night before they all head out of town for the holidays. The missionaries dropped in for a few minutes and the boys were acting beyond silly. We let them stay up a little late since we knew there was no school, and they all had to leave around 8:00 to make it home safely. They continuously asked for more and more treats, and still complained when it was time for bed. At least they fell asleep quickly.

Today hasn't been much better. The kids were bored by 8:00 am! We braved the ice and went to the store. The van only slid twice. Once was as I was leaving the parking lot of the store. I was trying to stop before the street. I did eventually stop and no one was nearby. I was reminded of why I like to do grocery shopping while David is in school. I had promised the kids a treat if they were good in the store (the store bakery gives kids a free cookie). That didn't work. The were wrestling in the aisles, knocking each other down and trying to make me "pay for a ticket" to let me pass. It was especially hard when they ran into the other shoppers or employees when trying to play their game. One of my shopping with kids fears is one of them knocking over a display. Timothy knocked over a toilet paper display once - no big deal. Well today David knocked over a wine display. I cringed, but was completely amazed that none of the 6 wine bottles that fell broke. Phew!!! No cookies for them. Not that they were going to get it before that. I've tried to keep them occupied, but I'm running out of ideas. I think a we'll watch a movie later today. They are fighting over dominos, and tinker toys and it's getting on my nerves. I'm going to see if I can get them to play nicely. We've had 3 snowdays and we have 16 more days until David goes back to school. Any ideas for home bound activities?

That's more like it

So after the non-snow day yesterday we got hit with a blast of snow today. So once again school was canceled, but this time for good reason. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and cold - in other words - ice, and school will be either delayed or canceled again. Maybe Christmas break has begun already.

It started snowing around 4:00 - I know because Amy was stirring and I looked outside. We also had lightning and thunder a few times - crazy. So it was coming down like crazy in the morning. It tapered off, but it really hasn't stopped. We have about 3 1/2 inches outside. So I took some pictures - this was around 7:00 just after Aaron left for work - I'm glad he has an easy commute;)



Later in the morning we took a walk. The store up the street had some good deals, and the kids really wanted to go out. So I bundled Amy up and put her in the wrap. She didn't like the cold air on her face, so I turned her around after we got to the store, so her face was sheilded on our return trip.





The kids wanted to throw snowballs, which was fun until David threw one at me. I didn't care that he threw one at me, it was the fact that it hit the camera while I was trying to take a video. I decided it was time to go inside - to see if I could save the camera. It still works. But the video isn't uploading. I had problems with this yesterday.
Now it works - third time's a charm!

Christmas movies and music

The other night we let the kids stay up a little late and watch Frosty the Snowman on TV. They enjoyed it. It also made me feel good about what I let them watch. Usually it's either PBS kids or DVDs/videos. So when they saw the commercials they were in shock. They had never heard of the toys - "is that real?" they would ask. It was funny to see their reaction. Obviously the commercials during football games are not the same as during a kid's show. And I usually mute the commercials during football games, since they are often about beer and the nighttime drama shows. Although they like the AFLAC commercials


But it made me think about what Christmas movies I have seen, and which ones I like. I am fairly typical in what I like I think. I enjoy "It's a Wonderful Life," "Miracle on 34th St," "A Christmas Story," "White Christmas" and a few others. What do you like? Are there some hidden gems out there that I should see?


I love to play Christmas music starting the day after Thanksgiving - or maybe a little bit before that. I also love the classic favorites: "Silent Night" , "O Holy Night", "What Child is This", and I have a Country Christmas CD with a song called "Christmas Cookies." I think it's cute. What are your favorite Christmas Songs? After playing my Christmas collection last week Aaron gave me permission to buy a new Christmas album. I think he was tired of the same 5 CDs over and over again. The ones I have are: Bing Crosby' s White Christmas, A Country Christmas (1999), Sounds of the Season from 2005, Manheim Steamroller - A Fresh Aire Christmas and Christmas in the Country (2005). I also have the Forgotten Carols and a really old MoTab Christmas album on cassette tape - can you believe I can still play them? So what are your picks? What should I buy?

And I little update on the weather. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 2 INCHES IT WAS SUPPOSED TO SNOW TODAY? They canceled school and it hasn't done more than drizzle (it's about 38 degrees) all day!!! Now if it snows tonight and they cancel school tomorrow they are out 2 days when it should have only been 1!!! Aaaarrrrgh! If they are going to stay home from school at least let it be for a good reason. I understand that other cities nearby have snow, and dangerous driving conditions, but not here.

Baby it's cold outside.

The snow from Saturday is still on the ground. The few times it snowed last year it didn't stay for long. But we've had record lows here. David's school is on a 2 hour delay schedule. I didn't leave the house yesterday (except to do the laundry), and only ventured out after 11:30 today. I realize that some of you are in a colder climate with high in the teens or single digits. But this town is not used to that. With all of the hills it's a little scary. There isn't the man power or equipment to deice the streets. So I just stick to the main routes, some of which still have ice on them. Oh, and it might snow again tonight and tomorrow.

I just started carpooling with a friend from church. Her son is a Kindergartner, he was riding the bus, but she didn't like how late he came home - I don't blame her. She just got a larger vehicle and has an extra booster seat, so now we carpool. It has been nice not to have to rush out the door twice a day, and have Timothy all ready. I get to drive later this week. It doesn't take very long to get to her place, so I'll probably only have to leave a few minutes early when I drive. It also reduces how much I need to drive the van - I can save on gas, and I'm not tempted to go to a store "since I'm already out".

However I did go to the bread store, Target and to fill up on gas ($1.79/gallon finally). The Target parking garage was so busy. The store was a little busier than usual, but they have a lot more cashiers working. I was so busy trying to keep Timothy from noticing a purchase that I forgot to get the giftcard I was planning to get. I guess that means I get... I mean have to go back again.

Sunday evening Aaron decided to make peanut brittle since it was so cold - you just leave the trays outside for a few minutes, and it cools very quickly. I can't stop eating it. I've been good about not eating the hazelnut chocolate balls (Ferrero Rocher) that Timothy got at the Christmas party, but the peanut brittle is doing me in!


I tried to upload a video of Amy, but it wasn't working. I'll have to try again later. She is starting to grab for things. Her coordination isn't that great, but when she does grab something she gets very excited and pulls it straight to her mouth. It's funny to watch her try to put her binky back in her mouth. She likes her little toys, and pays attention to books now. It's a fun stage.

Let it snow!

Last night around 7:00 it started snowing. The kids were so excited. My thoughts: It's so pretty, I hope we can get to church tomorrow. It snowed most of the nights and we ended up with an inch or so on the ground, and almost 2 inches on our van. The snowflakes the kids made must have beckoned the snow here;)

Here's what it looked like at about 10:00 last night

And this morning

I tried to get one of me and Amy - it didn't work so well.

I knew that even though it was Sunday, the kids would want to go out and play in the snow and throw snowballs, etc. I knew if I was going to make it to church on time, I was going to have to scrape the windows early. So I bundled up Amy and put her in the wrap and we all went out in the freezing temperatures. The kids played while I scraped the van - which is a little difficult with a baby in the way and a van - taller than I'm used to. It took a while. After about 25 minutes the kids were cold, and the van was cleaned off. We went inside and warmed up with hot chocolate.

That's how much snow I had to scrap off the windshield.

We made it to church safely. I took the main roads that had the fewest hills. So I avoided the ice that was on the smaller streets. It's supposed to be cold all week, and it may snow again. The kids might have more snow to play in. Brrr!

One last picture. Saturday the kids were watching a movie and Amy was laying on a blanket. She was a little fussy, so David gave her the binky and she fell asleep. He ran and got his blanket and put it over both of them. So I snapped a picture. Later he also got out his pillow and quilt to share with her. So cute - even if his blanket is a little dirty.

Happy Birthday Noelle

Noelle and I with her baby Izzy in May

I usually reserve my birthday posts for close family. However today is Noelle's birthday. She has been one of my best friends for 19 years! She celebrates her 31st birthday today. Noelle is a great example to me. She has been married for over 2 years now and just celebrated her daughter's 1st birthday. She is an amazing mom, and a great teacher as well. She is always involved in so many things: church, work, family, and service. It's amazing how we can get together after months or years apart and pick up where we left off. We love to reminisce and talk about what we are doing, and what the future holds for us. I hope you are having a wonderful birthday Noelle! (PS thanks for the baby gift - I've got a thank-you card for you that I just need to address! Man I procrastinate too much.)

More Christmas fun

I'm a dork, it wasn't my cousin who asked about our holiday traditions, it was Shauna! (your cookies were gone quickly Shauna - thanks!)
Well here are some more - traditions that is.
Today the boys made snowflakes. I had forgotten about doing that until David came home from school with one he made there. It is also getting colder here. it might even snow. I know my friends in Texas experienced snow earlier this week, and they had a lot of fun. I guess it is fun when it also 70 in the days before and after. But we are going to have a cold streak, and it may or may not snow. Neighboring cities have had snow but so far not where we live. If it does snow the kids will be dragging me outside to play in it. I have inherited some warm clothing for Amy, so she will be fine. I'll also have to take some pictures.

Speaking of pictures, I have more of course!
This is what Amy would look like without all her hair. She was happy after her bath last night, so Aaron took some pictures.

David wanted to hold her this morning

And then take pictures of me holding her

Is it bad that I never got Amy dressed today? I knew I wasn't going outside, and she looked so warm and cozy in her new sleeper (size 6 months!)

Aaron is back on the wards and on call today. It's going to be a long week.

David is nearing another milestone... he has a loose tooth. I'm sure we'll have more news next week.