Random

Well...here we are about to start another year. I remember back in the 90's when we thought the year 2000 and beyond would be so different. It seemed like such a major change to go from the 90's to 2000. Here it is now turning to 2008 and still no flying cars! I hope that I can actually accomplish the goals I have set for myself since I haven't done very well the last two years.

We took Alton to the doctor today. He has been extremely grumpy and waking up about four times a night. It turns out he has an ear infection. He started on antibiotics so hopefully he will be back to his happy smiley self very soon.

I don't remember how much I have written on my blog about what I have been going through since the baby was born. I have been in almost constant pain since he was about three weeks old. I have gone through different tests and seen different doctors to try and figure out what is going on. I saw my OB/GYN three weeks ago and he said he thought I had nerve damage so he prescribed a medication to help. But... my stupid insurance wont pay for it. So I had to get something else prescribed. Long story short I just got the medication today and started taking it. It makes me feel really weird. I took this same medication about 5 years ago and I don't remember feeling like this. But then again I have a very bad memory. (Probably from all the brain cells I killed doing drugs) Justin said it made me feel weird for a while so hopefully this wont last long and I can get over this. I am SO sick of being in pain all the time. It is hard to take care of my kids and do all the things I need to when I just want to crawl in bed and not feel the pain any more.

Have a safe and happy new year! If this doesn't make sense or there are a lot of mistakes it's because of this drug. Sorry!

Pondering!

Sometimes I feel like I'm looking at my life through a window. I wonder how I got where I am and if the things I've accomplished actually mean anything.

If it's not one thing it's another!

I took Alton to the ENT yesterday so that we could figure out why his breathing is so raspy. The doctor said that he has laryngomalacia which is when the soft, immature cartilage of the upper larynx collapses inward during inhalation, causing airway obstruction and most commonly causing a characteristic high-pitched squeaking noise. He said that if it doesn't go away in three months he needs to come back and they will do a scope. I'm really hoping that it will go away by itself so that he doesn't have to undergo any unpleasant procedures. Orin also had his post-op appointment at the same time and his tongue has healed and looks really great. I'm glad that's all over with.
I really worry about Alton. I feel like I am always taking him to the doctor for something or other. He is different from all of my other kids. He just seems to be slightly off. My other kids all did things basically the same, but not him. I worry that he will have health problems through out his life judging how the last five months have been. It's not like he's really unhealthy or anything he's just different. When I told my Mom that we were going to have a baby she said that she felt like this baby was going to be very special. I don't know what that means but I keep waiting for something to manifest itself to explain that. Maybe I'm just being a Mom and worrying. I really hope that's what it is because look how stinkin cute he is!

Little Eadie Beetle

It's hard for me to believe as I look back that my little beetley Gwen is five years old. The time has flown by and I know before I know it she will be graduating from High School and getting married. Enjoy every minute of it because they grow up way too fast.

She started out as a tiny little bundle covered with so much dark hair. She was a wonderful baby and was very easy to take care of. She stayed little for a long time, but then definitely made up for it at about 6 months old, when she turned into the biggest chunk I have seen.

People are drawn to her. She is loved and adored. Her long, dark hair is her most distinguishing feature, and the envy of her sister and I. Her eyes are so dark they are almost black. She misses me when I'm away for too long and greets me with a big hug. She is shy and quiet. She is a beauty, I love her and I'm so glad that she's mine.

Happy Birthday Eadie!

Poor little senator

We went and had the surgery yesterday and things went really well. He looked so cute in his little hospital gown. I wish that I would have brought the camera. The doctor couldn't believe how tight his tongue was. He said it came out about an inch once he cut it. Things have been pretty hard since we got home from the surgical center. He cries everytime he tries to eat anything because it hurts so much. Right after we got home he wanted to eat so I got him some smashed up banana and he started to eat it and then cried. He said "Can you get the owwie out?" I felt so bad. This morning I couldn't even get him to take any pain medicine to help him. I hope he will feel better soon. I really hate to see him so miserable and in pain.

Is this actually going to take place...EVER!

So, I took Orin to his appointment at the ear, nose and throat doctor. He checked Orin out and then said that when kids get to be his age they like to cut the frenulum during surgery. So once again we were sent home with nothing taking place. However, he is scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday, December 5th. Hopefully things will go well and he will recover quickly. I'm a little nervous about the whole thing since none of my kids have had surgery before. Plus, he is such a mamma's boy I don't know if he's going to let anyone else take care of him besides me. I just might loose my mind if he doesn't.

No baby here....

As the day grew closer for Orin to go get his frenulum cut at the doctor's the story kept getting worse. It finally ended up that he said he was going to go to the doctor and they were going to cut out his tongue and put a new one in. When we did finally go to the appointment they didn't cut it. The doctor said they couldn't cut it at his age in the office because they bleed too much. So we have to go see an ear, nose and throat doctor. That appointment is tomorrow. Wish us luck!

Last night I think Orin just about made Ash die of laughter. Last year for her birthday we gave her a bib to announce that we were expecting a baby. So we were joking around and I told Orin to tell her that we were going to have another baby. Later that night he came up to me and said "I want to see if there's a baby in there" He lifted up my shirt and said "Yep, there is!" It was so funny we both laughed and laughed. Kids say the darnedest things.

Happy Birthday, Ash! I love you.

Give Thanks

As I look back at last Thanksgiving and think about the things that have happened I am amazed. It was almost exactly a year ago that we found out we were going to have Alton. What a blessing he is. He has brought so much joy and happiness into our family. Sometimes as I have a bad day filled with pain I start to wonder if it has all been worth it. Would I do it all again knowing the pain and problems that would come afterward? Then all I have to do is look at him and I know it was worth it and I would do it all over again in a second.

I think as this time of year draws near we start to reflect on life. The new year is fast approaching and we think of all the things in life we want to change and the things we are thankful for. I am thankful for my family and for all the things they teach me. I am especially thankful for Justin. He has been so supportive over the last year as I have faced the difficulties of the pregnancy and birth and then all the problems I have had since. I don't know where I would be without him and all that he does for me. He is a wonderful husband and father and I'm so glad that he is a part of my life. I am also thankful for my kids. Although they really test my patience at times I'm glad that I'm their Mom and that I get to teach them and watch them grow. It's kind of a sad experience to watch what you know will be your last child grow and change and become the person that they will be. They just grow way to fast. I'm also thankful for each and everyone of my friends. You have each touched my life in your own way and helped to shape me into the person I am today. Thanks to each of you who has touched my life in your own way.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Spoon man

While eating his cereal one morning Orin decided to try out this new look. I found it quite amusing and decided to snap a picture.

Sometimes I am amazed by how smart this little boy is. We discovered last week that his frenulum connects all the way to the tip of his tongue. I talked to the doctor about it and he wanted him to go in for a speech evaluation to make sure it wasn't interfering with his speech. So, we went for the evaluation and it went really well. He is talking even better than most children his age and making sounds a lot of kids don't at this age. Although he doesn't need speech therapy they suggested that we get it cut so that it doesn't limit his tongue movement. He has an appointment on Monday to have it done. I didn't say anything to him about having it cut.

While we were talking today he said "and then we're going to go to the doctor and they're going to cut my tongue." Um...what! How did you know that was going to happen? He didn't seemed scared or bothered by it at all he said it very matter of fact. I worry about this one, he's just too smart for his own good!

robot hate

robot hate poster baby.

Crazy, crazy, crazy!

Crazy hair day at school!

I'm starting to wonder again if anyone is reading this blog.

Bros.

Brothers, brothers, brothers! I once had a brother who was my best friend but he sadly left me here with no brother to call my own.

I hope that some day my boys will be good friends! Orin sure thinks a lot of his baby brother. He recently discovered that he was a real person and loves to talk to him and hold him.

I decided several months ago that I would take a picture of Alton that was the same as a picture I had taken of Orin as a baby. Once I took the picture I compared the two and couldn't believe the difference. Alton was only 12 days older than Orin when the picture was taken. As you can see Orin is chubbier, shorter and has more hair.
Aren't genetics weird?

Boo to you!

Halloween! Someone said to me that I seem like one of those people who go all out for the holiday. In reality I try to find whatever the easiest costume is and go with that. Justin really wanted me to wear my leather dress this year so I decided to humor him. He dressed up in his usual costume (a mountain man).

Teya dressed up as a pop star complete with pink hair. Word to the wise: To anyone who wants to color their hair pink. DON'T DO IT! It ended up all over the place including the wall in the bathroom (we didn't spray it inside) and was a mess to get out. Her face and neck are still a little pink as are my fingernails. She did look grown up and very pretty!

Eadie had a change of costume at the last minute. She had planned to go as a Pegasus but then while looking in the basement for my leather dress we found a little leather dress that was just Eadie's size. I took it upstairs to Eadie who was in bed and asked her if she wanted to be Pocahontas, she said she did. But then on Halloween when I started to do her hair she said "Pocahontas doesn't have braids." So she ended up being Sacajawea. (I was Sacajawea's mother at her request, since I was also dressed as an indian.)

Orin was the china man this year. To those of you who don't know the story behind the costume here it is... The outfit was brought back from China from my Grandpa to my Mom. She was on the cover of the friend in it. All of my Mom's kids and grandkids have worn the outfit. She has a frame that has everyone's picture of them in the costume. So it was Orin's turn to wear it. What's funny is that when I told him I was going to take his picture he stood in the exact same pose as Teya did. Weird huh?!

Alton was a penguin for his first Halloween. We had a pumpkin costume picked out but when we went to get it we saw this. After we put him in it, we knew we had to get it. It was just too cute! Justin's favorite part of the costume was the tail, which you can't even see in the picture.

So there... you have a run down of Halloween this year at our house!

Our littlest pumpkin

Ash had this great idea to put Alton in a pumpkin and take pictures of him. He didn't want anything to do with it, and even peed through his clothes in protest. It was raining outside and he was squished in a pumpkin which made him very mad. We did a lot of laughing while we tried to get him situated. I know he didn't think it was so funny, but we sure did. It was hilarious to watch Justin carrying around this pumpkin with our baby in it. Alton basically spent the whole time crying. Even though he was so upset the pictures still turned out cute (although I am slightly biased). She was going to have Justin cut holes in the pumpkin at the bottom so that she could put his legs through and you could see his cute pumpkin socks but she ran out of time so we couldn't do it. Then the pumpkin sat on the porch till it got moldy
and I ended up throwing it away this morning.
What will she think of next?

The Greatest Show on Earth

It's been a tradition in our family to go to the circus every year for my birthday. It's one of my favorite things to do. You feel like a kid all over again and we always have such a good time. This year we decided to go to the show on the 27th. We had the best seats we've ever had (third row) which was so neat. This is the first year that Eadie has really gotten into it. It was so much fun to watch her be amazed by all the different things going on. Orin ended up asleep on the floor of the energy solutions arena, with my jacket as a pillow, towards the end of the show. All in all it was a great evening and one of the best shows we've seen to date.

The new Ringling Bros. circus is not the one loved by your mother; though she’d love daredevil comic Bello, he with the skyscraper orange do. Circus audiences certainly do. So much so that impresario Kenneth Feld and his producer/daughter Nicole titled the new edition Bellobration.

“We set out to outdo not only last year’s show but 136 years of shows,” says Nicole. “This show is like Bello: a force of nature brimming with high energy and spirit.”

Bello favors a tuxedo and bow tie, and doesn’t wear greasepaint, baggy pants, or a red, bulbous nose. Talented (he plays 12 instruments), irrepressible, hilarious, warm, mischievous, athletic, and physical are words used to describe him. If RBBB has been reimagined for the journey into the 21st century, Bello’s the perfect guide.

Recipient of Monte Carlo’s prestigious Silver Clown Award and named America’s Best Clown by Time, Bello’s a seventh-generation member of a Swiss circus dynasty. And, he reports, “[It’s] my real name and the hair is all mine…I wear it this way -- except when I come out of the shower -- with the help of a lot of hairspray.”

He’ll have you holding your breath with his gravity-defying acrobatics on a giant spinning wheel that, at full speed, splits in two. And he must love heights -- why else would he climb 68 feet into the arena stratosphere to dangle upside down (and by one hand) on swaying poles? “Any three-year-old can do what I do,” he laughs, adding, “with 30 years experience. So don’t do this at home!”

His partners in daredevilry are Erendira and Nikolas Wallenda, members of the family who first brought daredevil skills and thrills to Ringling Bros. and had audiences gasping as they performed human pyramids in their high-wire act.

But it seems everyone wants to be Bello, and in Bellobration there’s a moment when everyone -- including the animals -- put on Bello-like dos. But there’s more, as artists from 11 nations will either have you screaming with delight or have the hairs on the back of your neck standing as high as Bello’s do. There’s beauty, brawn, Alejandro Vargas and his elephants, Arabian stallions, the Olates’ hilarious canines, jaw-dropping stunts from the Flying Poemas, Chinese acrobats, the Aguilar brothers on the high wire, and extreme-sports high jinks.

Taba’s back with his tabbies, and not the ones that meow -- these are Siberian ones that snarl and growl. When he kisses one of them, you might ask, “How do you learn to do that?” The seventh-generation Chilean animal trainer will say, “Practice! It takes up to a year to gain a Bengal tiger’s trust. You keep testing, getting closer and closer. Then one day, she lets you kiss her.”

That blur soaring across the arena isn’t a bird or plane but super Brian and Tina Miser shot from not one, but two cannons as they reprise a stunt not attempted in more than 30 years. And have you seen an elephant paint? You will if you arrive one hour early to enjoy the interactive pre-show where you meet artists, try on costumes, learn circus skills, and get an up-close look at the animals.

Trash the dress

So... my really good friend Ashley is a photographer as some of you know. She wanted to do a shoot that's called trash the dress. You take a wedding dress and do all kinds of things that you wouldn't normally do with a wedding dress. We went to lots of dirty places and I even got in the Great Salt Lake in the dress. It was lots of fun!
She got the dress at DI for $40 and it fit so perfect it was crazy. After we did the shoot I washed the dress in the washing machine. It was covered in sand and mud and smelled horrible but it came out so good and only lost about 20 beads and sequins. Anyway I know some of you have been waiting to see pictures so here are some of them. I hope you like.

OUCH... my wrist hurts part II

I said I would put up some more pictures from our little photo shoot in August but then I forgot about it. So I am doing that now. Everyone keeps talking about the similarities in this picture between the kids. Eadie and Orin look alike and Teya and Alton look alike. The first time I saw this picture I thought Orin was Eadie (since it's upside down) I was really tripped out by how similar they looked.


I sure love my Momma's boy!

P.S. This really is going to be the last post for a while.

Devil baby and sister

We had Alton's baby blessing on Sunday, so I thought I would put up a picture from that. I think that day is the best behaved he has been in his whole life. (Although you can't tell from the picture). He is a very colicky baby but gave everyone the impression that he's an angel. He's actually a devil in baby's clothing!

Eadie's first day of preschool. She was very excited to go and had her clothes picked out two days before. She had a great first day and made some new friends. I would also put up a picture from Teya's first day of school but I forgot to take
a picture of her. Oops!

My uterus sucks... and so does IKEA

So I found out a couple of weeks ago that I still have placenta in my uterus from when Alton was born. I had this same problem after Orin was born and it wasn't much fun. I began to think that I was having the same problem again a couple weeks after I had the baby. I just felt so crappy and didn't seem to be getting any better. Against Justin's pleading I didn't talk to the doctor about it until I had my six week check up. He kept telling me to call the doctor and that I needed to get in and be seen. I figured I would just take care of things when I saw the doctor again. So the doctor did an ultrasound and things were just as I had suspected. So I scheduled the surgery to have it removed on the 7th (Friday). I will also be getting a tubal ligation done at the same time. I will be so glad to have this over with. I have been in more and more pain the last couple of weeks and I'm sure it would only get worse if I didn't do something about it. So this may be my last post for a bit while I recover.

Now onto my story of IKEA....
Justin and I had decided that we would get a new bed since ours was kind of falling apart and just becoming a nuisance. We had picked out the bed that we wanted and also picked out some bedding to go on it. We went to IKEA on Monday to make our purchase. What a mistake! Stay away from IKEA on a holiday if you can help it at all. It was a complete mad house. There were so many people there you get barely get around. First we went to look at the bed and make sure it was what we wanted. We decided it was and tried to find out where it would be in the wherehouse. There was no tag that had the size we wanted in the color we wanted. So therefore we only had a general idea of where we could find the bed. That was annoying. We decided to get the bedding first and then get the bed on the way out. If only we'd known what a bad idea that was. So we went and found the bedding. They didn't have our size. So after looking around we decided on something else. We went to get the quilt to go under the quilt cover. Again they didn't have our size. We picked another one, again they didn't have our size. So we ended up with a cheapy one until they get the size we need. Justin picked out a new pillow that he wanted. We couldn't even find where it belonged on the shelf. After both of us wandering around looking for it we found someone to ask. Surprise, surprise they didn't have the right size. So we decided then that we better go get the bed. We went to the wherehouse as fast as we could and had to wander around to find where the bed was. Justin did find it and they only had two of the three parts we needed for the bed. We asked someone if they had more and they said they did. But they wouldn't be getting it down until tonight when the store was closed because it was store policy not to bring forklifts out during the hours they are open. They said we'd have to come back tomorrow. Justin about lost it. We had been in the store for three hours and not found one thing we came to buy. All the while chasing around Eadie and Orin and trying to keep them and Alton happy. We were both so out of patience by this point that we decided we would find the rest of the things we came to get tomorrow and leave. So we left. Justin called the next morning to make sure that they had the bed. A computer said they did but there was no way to talk to a person and find out for sure. So we drove all the way down there and decided we would get the bed first. So we went into the wherehouse and luckily they did have it. We put it on the cart and went to get the rest of the stuff. Even though things turned out okay the whole thing was a huge fiasco and I'm not very anxious to return to IKEA anytime soon. Incidentally the store was a much more pleasant place to shop on Tuesday. There weren't very many people there at all. When shopping at IKEA do it during the day when most people are at work. It makes for a much nicer shopping experience. Here is the finished product.

Do you know Engrish?

So, Justin was doing a search on the internet and came across this website called engrish.com. It has all kinds of funny signs, clothing, billboards and other things that have been translated really badly. This sign was one of my favorites from the site. It made both of us wonder if we Americans were doing the same thing and not knowing it. Are we walking around with some Japanese writing on something thinking it says one thing when in all reality it says something else that makes no sense?

You should really check out the website we both got a good laugh out of it!

OUCH... my wrist hurts.

Ash came over on Sunday to take some picture of the family with the baby. For some of the shots I had to hold the baby on my arms away from my body. Later that night my wrist started hurting so bad I could hardly stand it. I spent all day yesterday barely able to use my arm because it was causing so much pain. Today she sent me some of the photos and I would have to say that it was totally worth the pain. I can't believe how good they turned out. She is an amazing photographer. She told me that she took over a 1,000 photos, so I'm sure more will probably show up on here. Enjoy!

Alton's first trip to the zoo.

We had a little family outing to the zoo a couple weekends ago, it was of course Alton's first trip there. He spent almost the whole time hiding out in the sling sleeping.

He did get out to get his photo taken with Daddy.

This wall was pretty hot and not very much fun to sit on...which
would explain all the fake smiles.

We took this as we were leaving the zoo. I think it turned out pretty cute!

What do you call it?

Some people can call an object by a name that is not actually it's name and it's really cute. For instance, I love when Eadie has something stuck in her teeth and she asks me if I can get the "gentle floss" and get it out. Or how our family has affectionately named an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm a "wiccup" because that's what the kids think they're called. But it's annoying when someone calls it a "tramboline" instead of a "trampoline". Especially when that someone once mocked another older person who called a place to watch movies a "cinnamon" instead of a "cinema". I guess maybe some things stop being cute with age. (Actually a lot of things probably do but we don't want to go there. YUCK!)

I hope your happy!

So...I have had a blog before (that Justin talked me into starting) that I posted on occasionally. I ended up giving up on it since nobody ever read it and I felt like it was a complete waste of time. Once again Justin has talked me into starting another blog. I don't know if anyone will read this or if I am just wasting my time AGAIN. But, I decided that I would post something.

1. So Justin would stop pestering me about posting.
2. I realized that Justin has a link from his blog to mine and it probably looks really strange that nothing is on here.
If anyone is reading this I hope you find it somewhat interesting. Not necessarily this post since it is pretty much gibberish.