For Lack of a Catchy Phrase, This is Another Long Blog Post about Us

Being a mom is full of twists and turns. You sometimes never know what's just around the corner. Like 2 Wednesday's ago, for example.

Let's start back at Kenna's kindergarten registration. Yes, KINDERGARTEN. Wasn't she just a baby? She's not even a toddler anymore! So there we are at kindergarten registration. All was going along smoothly until we had a little hang-up at the vision screening. I knew we may have had some issues when they asked the school nurse to come over. Was NOT expecting that. When it was all said and done, I had a referral to go see the eye doctor and the notion that my little Kenna may have a lazy eye. I'm sorry, come again? LAZY EYE? I'm not sure where I've been for the past 5 years to have any indication of this, but sure, we'll head on in the the eye doctor.

Now we can jump back to Wednesday. Kenna had an eye appointment scheduled for the afternoon. Well, come Wednesday morning, my little Ty guy had some serious goop going on in his eyes and it was obvious they were infected. So, I managed to squeeze in an appointment for my little Ty that morning. Needless to say, the day started off a little sooner than planned and would include 2 docs instead of 1. So we threw all our stuff together and headed to the appointment. Yes, he in fact had an eye infection, but the Doc also said he sounded really weezy and decided to go ahead and give him a breathing treatment and test him for RSV. Uh- once again, there's one of those little twists in the road that is unexpected. Fortunately, the RSV came back negative. Unfortunately, he screamed for 10 minutes while holding the little mask up to his mouth during the breathing treatment. At least he inhaled plenty of the medicine. We got his RX for his eyes and were on our way.

On our way to the grocery store.

With 3 kids.

Love it.

I have to hand it to the girls and Ty, they were pretty good this trip. Some days I come home from the grocery store absolutely determined to immediately fly to Tahiti and spend the rest of my days as a crazed lunatic on a warm sandy beach. Far away from everything and everyone. But today I had very empty cupboards, some eye drops to pick up, and yet another doctor's appointment. Couldn't go crazy just yet.

Lengthy? Yes. Interesting? Absolutely, keep on reading.

Grocery shopping with kids takes at least twice as long as it does shopping without, so we went from Smith's to the eye doctor. Mind you, the race started at 9:45 a.m. and it was now 2 p.m. In we go. Kenna got all settled in to the Dr. office and he starts the exam. He then decides to dilate her eyes and tells me it takes about 15 minutes for the eyes to fully dilate, so he'd be back. Well, 40 minutes later, he finally made it back in. 40 minutes. In terms of an added 3-year-old and 8- month-old in the exam room, that equates to somewhere around an eternity. By the time he got back in, Allie and Ty were pretty much at capacity. And can I really blame them? No. I myself was pretty bugged about that. So then the doc finished up and told me that it's not a lazy eye, rather, Kenna is extremely far-sighted and then mentioned something about 20/200 vision. I was just flabbergasted. Once again, where have I been as a mother?! Perhaps I'm the one who's blind here! We were then quickly shuttled into the eyeglass section to find some glasses for Kenna where Jacob was my saving grace who came to pick up Ty and Allie. Kenna's prescription is really strong. Strong as in coke-bottle glasses. Strong as in she might as well get two double-stuffed oreos to wear on her head. So to try to make it so it wouldn't magnify her eyes too terribly, I upgraded on the lens, handed over my credit card and proceeded to fork out $375 for ONE pair of glasses. The fact that I even handed over my credit card for that amount shows just how frazzled I was by this point. Me, the find-a-coupon-for-everything gal. Me, the don't-pay-more than-$2-for-a-box-of-cereal chic. I was less than satisfied with the doc. Not to mention, he didn't even give Kenna the little sunglasses to wear outside to help her dilated eyes, it was the lady at the eyeglass center who got us some.

Sigh. Remember how I left my house at 9:45 that morning? I got home about 4:30 in the afternoon. F-R-A-Z-Z-L-E-D.

I'm going to sum it up. I canceled the order on the ridiculous glasses and scheduled an appointment with another doc that we got into today. He was fabulous. He was darling with Kenna and gave me all the information a mom could possibly want and was so incredibly helpful. Yes, she is very far sighted and will have a very strong prescription, but now I feel like I know what is going on and am much more comfortable about the whole thing and feel certain we are getting her just the right prescription. And, I ordered glasses at a MUCH better price. MUCH. She will look absolutely darling.

Whew. What an ordeal. But isn't it so nice to have off my shoulders and now on the blog? Life isn't complete without a blog post. AKA, journal entry. But a blog is pretty much boring without pictures, so I leave you with the many faces of my Ty. I know you want to just give him kisses. I sure do.








Now THAT is what it's all about right there. What a blessed little mommy I am. Even if we do encounter plenty of twists and turns.

Bilingual

Perhaps I should consider teaching my little Kenna another language. She is so intrigued with other languages, and can often be overheard pretending to speak Spanish. She will rattle off in her own little language as if she is fluent. The problem is no one knows what she means. Not even her. Sometimes she will say some crazy word and then ask me what it was in English. The poor little thing almost gets upset with me that I don't know.

I loved the idea given in General Conference last fall about reading scriptures with little ones and having them repeat the verses with you. So, when it was Kenna's turn last night while reading our scriptures, she decided to repeat the verse back to me in "Spanish." Yes, I know you're amazed. My daughter is extremely intelligent for a 5 year old. I'm astounded at her capabilities.

Now how about my little Allie Gal? Lately this little lady is big into "that's not fair." I have no idea where this came from or how it started, but she is the Queen of making sure everything is absolutely fair. If anything is not balanced in her eyes, then it's just plain not fair. "It's not fair Kenna got 5 chocolate chips and I didn't." "It's not fair Kenna gets to go with dad and I don't." The absolute BEST "not fair" came out of her mouth the other day, and I still chuckle when I think about it. We were driving home from town and as we drove past the bowling alley, she looked out the window to see all the cars in the parking lot then said, "It's not fair all of those people get to go bowling and we don't!" Life is just full of disappointment sometimes!

Then there's my Ty guy. Cute little stinker. He finally cut his top two teeth, and now that the sharpest part is through his gums he is much happier. They still have a long way to go, but my goodness they gave us a run for our money. Now I need to gear up for when his i-teeth decide to make their debut. As I recall with my girls, those were the worst. He finally can roll from his front to his back, but it's really not his favorite thing to do. He just likes to sit. But really, do I want to get overly excited about him crawling? That calls for some major home renovation for everything up to about 2-3 feet. Where in the world did those last 8 months go? I can't believe how quickly they change from being newborns. Speaking of changing quickly, I need to do better at getting some more pictures. And make sure Allie gets just as many pictures as Ty and Kenna. Gotta keep it fair, you know.

Perspective

I was assigned some new visiting teachers who stopped by for a visit last week. They are a mother/daughter-in-law combo, the mother being an 85-year-old woman who is doing very well for her age. Throughout the conversation, we talked about children and how they grow so fast. I learned that included in her posterity are 2 great-great grandchildren.

How amazing is that?

And then she said something that really made me stop and think. Here's what she said: "What's really weird is thinking of my daughter as being a great-grandma."

Oh my goodness.

Now THAT is perspective.

Is it really possible for years to pass so quickly and someday these two sweet little ones will be doing the same thing I am doing now?


I'm afraid it probably will happen. For now, we'll enjoy the journey. After all, it seems there is still much joy to be had even when you're 85.

Yucky Bugs

Oh the beloved cold season.

Cold as in virus. Cold as in more snot than little nostrils should possibly even be able to physiologically produce. Cold as in two trips to the doctors office for ear infections in Allie and then Ty. Cold as in "I really have to remember to give my child an antibiotic twice a day for 10 days?" Cold as in let's polish off our flex account before the year hardly even begins. Yes, that was January.

So what does February bring? Round two. ANOTHER cold. MORE snot. Once again, Allie and Ty get the worst of it. And once again, Allie has an ear infection. I'm just waiting for Ty to follow suit. It would really just top things off for my little Ty man. His top two teeth are trying to cut, and it's not making life very pleasant for either of us. Throw in the snot and the cough, and he is just one sad little monkey. And the real kicker here in this whole thing? I'm in the middle of trying to wean him, too. Between he and Allie, I was up 5 different times last night.

Oh what's a mom to do?

Stock up on Kleenex and extra hugs, I guess. This too shall pass.

Well hello there February, I really didn't see you coming. I'm still stuck in January. Of 2010.

Anyhow. Much to catch up on! Where should I start?

Maybe I'll start with how much I LOVE having my new living room. Or, I could start with a story about Jacob passing out at the doctor's office. Or perhaps the myriad of silly little things my girls have been doing lately. Also can't forget our wonderful visit from Grandma Marsha, Grandpa Clark, and Uncle Karl. So many decisions. This may take a while-

Aaaaaah, THE LIVING ROOM. Is now what it should be. Fresh paint, new carpet. Death threats to anyone who even so much as thinks about spilling even a drop of water on it. Goodbye hideous pink carpet! Adios horrible dirty tile entryway! This picture is sort of okay- still doesn't quite capture it all. Still have some odds and ends left, but it is a 100% improvement.



Back up a bit to this- just after the removal of the tile in the entry. Jacob looking at it as if to say, "Hmmm. Now what?"



But who needs to worry when you have two little helpers like this?



Now how about putting the wood laminate down the hallway? Jacob should go pro, really. Talent folks, talent. I especially love the long hose to the finish nail gun in the picture. It just isn't home without dangerous, random power tools lying all over.

We are loving the wood in the hall. To be completely honest, sometimes you can't help but let the inner kid come out in you when you get a good start and then slide down the hall in your socks! Of course the first night we had it in Allie managed to slide right into a doorway and bang her head. We're slowing learning to navigate the new flooring. But really, it's Allie. We're not surprised. Her head is a danger magnet.


What do you think, Ty? Why the look of concern?


Don't worry, don't worry, you get to crawl on it too. But maybe first you should learn to roll over.

We also can't forget our casualty of the living room project- Jacob's nose. If you remember from the previous post, Jacob sliced his nose on the jagged chimney pipe thing. Well, it never healed right. Ya ya, should have just gotten stitches in the first place. Live and you learn.

So, Jacob ventured into the dermatologist office to see what could be done. All they did was numb up his nose a bit, then shave off the piece of skin that was sticking out. I think the whole thing took maybe 7 or 8 minutes. Well, apparently they sat Jacob up to give him a look at his nose and he passed right out! Cold. Flat. For a good 20 seconds, so the doc says. Not to mention it was the first day of work for the new little nurse in there. Break 'em in quick!

So there I was, starting to paint the hallway at home and had no idea what was going on. I hadn't heard from Jacob for a while to see how his appointment had been, so I decided to give him a call. The sound of his voice was pathetic. I certainly wasn't expecting to hear, "I passed out. You're gonna have to come pick me up." Oh no! I felt so bad for him. Now I have to admit, I am extremely talented, but wrestling a husband, 2 preshoolers and an infant down the stairs of the doctor's office and into the car is beyond my capabilities. So I made a quick call to the neighbor to see if she could watch the girls for a bit. (Dear neighbors, bless you. BLESS YOU!) So we get on coats and shoes, load up the baby into the car seat and head out to the van. I turn the key and.....

...the van won't start.

This is one of those moments in life where you have to pinch yourself and say, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

Maybe I turned the key wrong. Try again. The van just makes a ridiculous noise as if to say, "I don't feel good. I think I'm going to pass out." Nice. Good thing we left the doors open almost all day the Saturday before and killed the battery.

Oh for crying out loud. Now what? My talents are quickly failing me. Well, on to the next neighbor! This time I go across the street to our other neighbor to beg for a ride into town. Bless her gracious heart, she happily obliged. I should mention this is the same neighbor who drove me to the hospital when I was going to have Kenna and Jacob was 45 minutes away. This is ALSO the neighbor who drove me to the hospital when Allie split her forehead open. Now this. They're going to move away from us, I just know it. Can you blame them, really?

So, we FINALLY made it in to pick up the sick and afflicted. Thankfully Jacob had his car in there, so my neighbor was now off the hook. When I got up to Jacob, the poor guy did not look good. Well, back up. His nose looked great. The rest of him looked like.. well, he had been hit over the head with a cinder block. I think that is about how he felt. We got him home and put him to bed where he stayed there until 9:00 at night. It really took it out of him. He was so sick. Amazing what a difference being passed out for 20 seconds can make. I am pleased to say it is now in the past and hopefully the last of our living room woes.

Knock on wood.

This post is really long. But I have more cute pictures. Read on if you will!

A few weeks ago we had family come and we loved it. For some reason I didn't manage to get pictures of the actual family, though. Way to go me. Great for memory sake, huh? Grandpa Clark and Uncle Karl had meetings in St. George, and Grandma Marsha stayed with us for a few days. I was in heaven! We had so much fun. I did manage to get some shots of the girls cooking with Grandma. She is so patient and kind with the girls, they just love her. And, many thanks to Aunt Connie, the girls donned their cooking attire and whipped up some Valentine cookies and a pan of brownies.



Thanks to family, we love having you. I think the girls concur.

Whew. That was long. My goal is to try to keep updated more often, but we'll see. It will be July before I know it!

BANG!

I know, I know. Christmas is long gone. We are off into the new year. Off with a bang, I might say. Like, oh, say, home renovation bang. Topped off with sick kids bang. Ya, BANG.

Here's the skinny:

New Year's Day: Hooray for 2011! Let's really make the most of daddy's long weekend and tear down that wood paneling in the living room that's been driving us nuts for the 5 years we've been here! It should be simple, really. Just take off the paneling and paint the wall behind it. Hmm. Back to the 5 years we've been here- in ALL the projects we have started on the his house in the past 5 years you'd think we'd have learned by now that there is ALWAYS some sort of surprise just waiting to pop out at us on the other side of the demolition. Why should 2011 be any different? Well, it's not. Take off the paneling and find...

...this:



Well hello there cyclops wall! There is just nothing that says "Happy New Year" better than a gaping hole in your sheetrock where a fireplace has once been attached. I'm not feeling very warm right now. Let's not even discuss the big gash Jacob got on his nose from said metal fireplace attachment thingy that is still trying to heal.


And really, why should someone fix it when they can just throw up some wood paneling to cover it up? Really?

So, now the project has quickly expanded to new sheetrock. Down it goes:


Up it goes (thank heavens for good neighbors):


What a great Mr. Fixer. Handy and handsome. Some guys just have it all.

But wait. New wall needs new paint. So, if you give a mouse a cookie.....

...if we paint the new wall, then mom will want all the other walls painted too. Out with the old! I was tired of just plain old white walls anyway. Let's tack on another good BANG to this project and paint the whole room! And if we're painting, that pink carpet will clash with the paint. Not to mention it's pretty gross. It's just going to have to go. And those base boards...well, they need some serious attention too. Ah, heck- let's just live at the Home Depot and have our paycheck deposited directly to them.

*sigh*

At this point there aren't any new pictures. We're still in the process. But, good things come to those who wait, right? That's what I tell myself anyway.

So, didn't I mention something about sick kids? Why yes I sure did. All 3 of my little cherubs came down with a cold. Not a little cold, mind you, but a horrible niagra-falls-out-of-the-nose-with-3-miserable-kids-in-bed-with-mom-and-dad cold. Of course my little 6 month old seemed to get the worst of it. I think we're at the tail end of it now, but BANG! That really added to the new year, let me tell ya.

Now to finish on a great note. Check this out:


My kids don't have to be squished together in a car anymore! I am loving my new van. Jacob is still getting used to the idea. He was POSITIVE that some ladies were laughing at him in the next car over at the stoplight the other day because he was in a van. I think he looks smashing. Nothing like a handy and handsome Mr. Fixit driving in a van. BANG!

Joy

I have to start with one of my favorite happenings over Christmas- Allie's reaction upon finding Santa made it to our house. The girls woke up and came into our bedroom, so we told them to head on in to the living room to see if Santa came. We could hear their little shouts of joy and then they came racing back in to our bedroom to let us know he had definitely made it. My little Allie stood in our doorway, the excitement just oozing from her little body. She held her hands out and exclaimed, "Santa has comed!" I can't even give it an adequate description of how darn cute it was, but it was the perfect start to the day.

Actually, the Christmas weekend started off perfect on Friday when my parents arrived. I was giddy like a little school girl all week just waiting for them to come. Having them with us was so nice. We haven't been with family during Christmas for 6 years, so it was perfect.

Thanks to Grandma, we read lots of Christmas books. When your mother is the elementary school librarian, books are a plenty.


Grandpa Kerry chillin' with the Ty man. Maybe Santa should have brought Grandpa some new Christmas socks. He he he. Love you Dad.


Of course the girls got to open their Christmas Eve jammies. And in perfect timing I might add. Take a gander at what Allie had chosen for her sleeping attire prior to opening the new jams. Yikes!


Santa definitely "comed" to our house this year. Mostly in the form of incredibly generous family and grandparents. Yes family, you spoil us every year. You are much too good to us. Here are the girls ready to crack into their stockings.


I tried to keep a good balance between taking a gazillion pictures Christmas morning and just enjoying the time, so I'll sum it up with a picture of what the girls had been asking for for the past few months: pillow pets. Unicorn for Miss Kenna and a ladybug for Allie Gal.


I think the smiles explain everything. Having children at Christmas is so incredibly delightful. We had such a perfect day just lounging and eating and enjoying each other. Of course the next few days left us with disaster clean-up, but it was all worth it.

For Christmas, Ty man got his very first tooth. Here he is chewing away on a piece of jerky. It's a great teething tool. Hopefully number two will pop up soon. He HATES it when I try to get a peek in his mouth, so you'll just have to trust that his sharp little chomper is there.

I think we're ready to welcome in 2011! As of yesterday, we are going to welcome in the new year with our new van. Well, "new" to us, but it should be a great little vehicle for us. Yes folks, we have joined the ranks of the family van. Jacob is still getting used to the idea, but I am really pleased with our purchase. Haven't gotten any pictures yet, but stay tuned to meet the newest member of the family!