In other news, I really love President Gordon B. Hinckley. If I had to choose a favorite prophet it would be him. I can remember hearing this testimony live, it was very powerful. I think it still is.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Mom of the year award
So, yesterday was a bit tense. I had a million things to do in an insanely short amount of time, with my three boys along for the ride. I must admit that I raised my voice a lot. It happens. Anyway, Gabe was kind enough to draw this picture of me to help me remember what a great mom I am. I am going to be sure to take this on vacation, any time I get homesick for my kids I know it will really help.
In other news, I really love President Gordon B. Hinckley. If I had to choose a favorite prophet it would be him. I can remember hearing this testimony live, it was very powerful. I think it still is.
In other news, I really love President Gordon B. Hinckley. If I had to choose a favorite prophet it would be him. I can remember hearing this testimony live, it was very powerful. I think it still is.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Life lessons learned from Billy Ocean
Tonight Nick and I turned on some random music from our computer while we were making dinner with the boys. Suddenly, Billy Ocean's "Get out of my dreams and into my car" came on and sent the party to a whole new level. There was a lot of awesome 80's style dancing (snapping and side steps with some head jivin' for good measure) and a lot of loud singing from Nick and me.
As the song ended we sat down at the table to pray and begin eating. Of course I was still belting out the lyrics, cause that's just the kind of girl I am. I realized that the lyrics are rather, oh I don't know...sort of like looking into the mind of a pedophile or a kidnapper. Really. "Get out of my dreams, get into my car...oh I said hey (hey) you (you), get into my car." And that's just the chorus!
Nick and I looked at each other, and our twisted minds made an instant connection. We proceeded to talk (scare) to Ian and Gabe about what they should do if any one ever asks them to get into their car. I said that you should never get in with anybody, no matter what they say. Nick added that you should scream at the top of your lungs like a girl (his words) and run as fast as you can away from the stranger and toward other people.
Aren't stranger danger scare tactics the best?
Now I leave you with the awesome music video, which we will show our boys when they are older to teach them all about how to stay away from strutting women in gold dresses and sexy male car washers.
As the song ended we sat down at the table to pray and begin eating. Of course I was still belting out the lyrics, cause that's just the kind of girl I am. I realized that the lyrics are rather, oh I don't know...sort of like looking into the mind of a pedophile or a kidnapper. Really. "Get out of my dreams, get into my car...oh I said hey (hey) you (you), get into my car." And that's just the chorus!
Nick and I looked at each other, and our twisted minds made an instant connection. We proceeded to talk (scare) to Ian and Gabe about what they should do if any one ever asks them to get into their car. I said that you should never get in with anybody, no matter what they say. Nick added that you should scream at the top of your lungs like a girl (his words) and run as fast as you can away from the stranger and toward other people.
Aren't stranger danger scare tactics the best?
Now I leave you with the awesome music video, which we will show our boys when they are older to teach them all about how to stay away from strutting women in gold dresses and sexy male car washers.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Gabe is the ripe old age of 6!
Six years ago today, we were blessed with our Baby Gabe.
He has always been a wise and happy soul.
Here is what a 6 year old Gabe looks like today on his Birthday!
Gabe has a BIG heart, he loves babies and is very kind to his friends. Usually his brothers too.
Gabe is a clown! He loves to make us laugh and has such an animated face and personality!
See what I mean?
...and here too!
Gabe is a very good kid. We sure love him!Things you should know about Gabe:
He loves music, LOVES it. He is currently taking piano lessons and plans on playing the bagpipes, lead guitar, and drums next.
He is a great reader. His favorite series is Peter and the Starcatchers which we read together before bed.
His favorite foods are cheeseburgers and peanut butter and honey sandwiches. He also loves cherry-chip cake.
He tells great jokes and loves to make people laugh.
He is a terrific artist and writer, he has created many books and journals.
Gabe wants to be an artist when he grows up.
He is a great helper and a fabulous Big Brother.
He is the best Gabe in the world, and we are honored to be his parents.
Happy Birthday Gabers!
Love Mom and Dad
He loves music, LOVES it. He is currently taking piano lessons and plans on playing the bagpipes, lead guitar, and drums next.
He is a great reader. His favorite series is Peter and the Starcatchers which we read together before bed.
His favorite foods are cheeseburgers and peanut butter and honey sandwiches. He also loves cherry-chip cake.
He tells great jokes and loves to make people laugh.
He is a terrific artist and writer, he has created many books and journals.
Gabe wants to be an artist when he grows up.
He is a great helper and a fabulous Big Brother.
He is the best Gabe in the world, and we are honored to be his parents.
Happy Birthday Gabers!
Love Mom and Dad
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday....what a horrible day
Today was a typical Monday peppered with some pretty traumatic events.
It all started when we went to the dentist this morning. Ian has had his top four teeth capped since he was about 16 months old. The enamal on them never formed properly in-utero and so when they erupted, they were all soft and chippy. Very sad. Anyway, his gums have been getting pockets of infection above his caps. We treated it about a month and a half ago with antibiotics and it went away. The dentist told me that if the gums were to become infected again she would have to drain them. So, naturally the infection came back even worse than before.
Today at the dentist Ian was so brave. I told him what was going to happen, he asked me to sit on the chair with him on his lap. I had to say no because I had Simon and Gabe with me. (Not a great idea in hindsight). The dentist took one look at his gums and said, "We're going to have to take these out". I am not sure where my head was this morning, but I really thought that she meant take the puss out, the infection. I guess because she had mentioned doing this last time. Anyway, we went back to the "procedure" room and she asked if I wanted Ian to be drugged up or if she should just use laughing gas and novocaine. I very nonchalantly replied that I thought the novocaine and laughing gas would be enough. (Dumb dumb dumb me!) Ian picked out his movie (Shrek) and his flavor of laughing gas (watermelon). The dentist and her assistant began to prep. Than the dentist said something like, "He will still be cute without his top four teeth though, he's a handsome boy."
WHAT!?! Suddenly I realized what she was about to do and I started crying! I didn't know what to do and the dentist was looking at me like I was a crazy person. I told her that I thought she was just going to drain them and she said "No, we just need to take his teeth out." I asked her if there was any other option at all, she said we could try draining them and another round of antibiotics but she was pretty sure that we would still have to remove them when all was said and done. All I could think of to say was, "I need to call my husband first." Now I am a crazy person who can't make a decision with out regarding her husband. It's true, I'm crazy and insecure, especially when it comes to taking out my 3.5 year old's four front teeth!!!
I called Nick, and told him through tears (with everyone sitting there) the situation. We opted together to try and drain the blisters and give him more antibiotics. The dentist said "OK" and began to numb Ian up for the drainage. This was horrible, Ian's gums were so tender that the topical gel really did nothing for him and he had to just cry and bleed while she put the novocaine needle in his blistered gums. He was so brave. I held his hand and he tried to focus on the movie while she drained the blisters, luckily after the Novocaine he couldn't feel the draining part. Gabe and Simon sat traumatized at watching their brother bleeding from his mouth, it wasn't great.
So, we have a follow-up appointment the day before Nick and I leave for Kona. If they are any signs of infection, she will extract his top four teeth. Ian will not be four until June, that means he has a good 2 years of NO TOP FRONT TEETH. Gabe is almost 6 and he hasn't lost any, I didn't lose any teeth till 1st grade.
After leaving the dentist, I thought about why it had upset me so much. Was it just because I know how horrible it is to have teeth pulled? Granted, they are baby teeth and the roots are not as long as adult molars, but still horrible. I asked the dentist how not having front teeth would effect him, she said it would be purely cosmetic. That's it. Just cosmetic. It would not effect his eating, (of course it will, he will be using other teeth to bite things) or his adult teeth or baby teeth placement. Ian kind of already has trouble saying his letter "R" and I don't think missing teeth for 2 years will help that. It's just so sad to me! I must admit that i have a huge stigma in my mind attached to kids who are missing teeth. It makes me feel like I have done something horrible to fail my child, like we weren't good at keeping his teeth clean (we brush and floss daily!) so, is this just about me? Honestly, I don't know if Ian will really care if he is missing his top four teeth for TWO years! He will be the first one of his brothers to loose teeth, he might think that's pretty cool. I just can't go there right now. I really hope this antibiotic works.
So...the antibiotic is not just Amoxocillan, it is Azythromicin, much stronger. Ian complained that his stomach hurt about an hour after taking it at lunch. He had a 2 hour nap and acted fine after, playing and riding his bike. He said he felt fine. Tonight Nick and I went to the Gateway (yes, in the wind and rain which we were ill-prepared for by-the-way) to get new glasses and contacts at LensCrafters. My appointment was first so I sent Nick and the boys to the food court for dinner. 45 minutes later, Nick came over for his appointment and Ian had no jacket on and his pants were SOAKING wet, from top to bottom. During the meal, Ian had said he needed to go to the bathroom and did not have enough time to get there before he had diarrhea running down his legs. Nick had rinsed his underwear and pants and jacket out in the sink, Ian was walking around in soaking wet pants, and he wasn't even complaining. He was just as excited as could be to tell me very loudly all about it in LensCrafters.
So, I sent Nick to his eye appointment and promptly walked over to the Gap and bought Ian some new pants and a long sleeved shirt, luckily on clearance because they were winter stuff. He had to sport his new clothes commando though, there is no way I am going to spend $15 on 3 pair of underwear, call me cheap. I don't think Ian minded, after being in soaking wet jeans and all. Oh, he also told the salesclerk all about the whole situation. Luckily she was a mother of 5 and a grandmother, she just laughed and told him she appreciated his positive attitude about the whole thing.
On the way back up, in the rain, Gabe slipped and landed on his hands and knees right smack in a giant rain puddle. Now his pants were soaking. Really. He said he didn't care though, he wanted things to be equal and since Ian had to wear wet pants earlier, he thought he should too. I said OK because, whatever. At least his underwear were dry.
The night ended with the LensCrafters staff telling us that they wish they had people like us come in more often and that we were very entertaining. We came home and gave the boys warm baths and sent them all to bed.
I just can't help feeling like we are causing more pain for Ian by prolonging this tooth thing, now he has to have crappy antibiotics again and quite possibly still get them out. This is one of those times that I really question if we made the right choice for him today. This is when I find being a parent really really hard. I can't imagine what it would be like to make a decision for my terminally sick child, I pray I never have to. I'm going to pray for all the parents out there that do have to, it has to be the hardest thing in the world to do.
Today can now be over.
(PS, on a more humorous note I sent out 10 invitations to Gabe's birthday party that all said the party would be on Friday September 16th. Tomorrow those same guests will receive an addendum stating that the party is this Friday, APRIL 16th. That was Nick's typo, in your face grammar and proofing snob hubby!)
It all started when we went to the dentist this morning. Ian has had his top four teeth capped since he was about 16 months old. The enamal on them never formed properly in-utero and so when they erupted, they were all soft and chippy. Very sad. Anyway, his gums have been getting pockets of infection above his caps. We treated it about a month and a half ago with antibiotics and it went away. The dentist told me that if the gums were to become infected again she would have to drain them. So, naturally the infection came back even worse than before.
Today at the dentist Ian was so brave. I told him what was going to happen, he asked me to sit on the chair with him on his lap. I had to say no because I had Simon and Gabe with me. (Not a great idea in hindsight). The dentist took one look at his gums and said, "We're going to have to take these out". I am not sure where my head was this morning, but I really thought that she meant take the puss out, the infection. I guess because she had mentioned doing this last time. Anyway, we went back to the "procedure" room and she asked if I wanted Ian to be drugged up or if she should just use laughing gas and novocaine. I very nonchalantly replied that I thought the novocaine and laughing gas would be enough. (Dumb dumb dumb me!) Ian picked out his movie (Shrek) and his flavor of laughing gas (watermelon). The dentist and her assistant began to prep. Than the dentist said something like, "He will still be cute without his top four teeth though, he's a handsome boy."
WHAT!?! Suddenly I realized what she was about to do and I started crying! I didn't know what to do and the dentist was looking at me like I was a crazy person. I told her that I thought she was just going to drain them and she said "No, we just need to take his teeth out." I asked her if there was any other option at all, she said we could try draining them and another round of antibiotics but she was pretty sure that we would still have to remove them when all was said and done. All I could think of to say was, "I need to call my husband first." Now I am a crazy person who can't make a decision with out regarding her husband. It's true, I'm crazy and insecure, especially when it comes to taking out my 3.5 year old's four front teeth!!!
I called Nick, and told him through tears (with everyone sitting there) the situation. We opted together to try and drain the blisters and give him more antibiotics. The dentist said "OK" and began to numb Ian up for the drainage. This was horrible, Ian's gums were so tender that the topical gel really did nothing for him and he had to just cry and bleed while she put the novocaine needle in his blistered gums. He was so brave. I held his hand and he tried to focus on the movie while she drained the blisters, luckily after the Novocaine he couldn't feel the draining part. Gabe and Simon sat traumatized at watching their brother bleeding from his mouth, it wasn't great.
So, we have a follow-up appointment the day before Nick and I leave for Kona. If they are any signs of infection, she will extract his top four teeth. Ian will not be four until June, that means he has a good 2 years of NO TOP FRONT TEETH. Gabe is almost 6 and he hasn't lost any, I didn't lose any teeth till 1st grade.
After leaving the dentist, I thought about why it had upset me so much. Was it just because I know how horrible it is to have teeth pulled? Granted, they are baby teeth and the roots are not as long as adult molars, but still horrible. I asked the dentist how not having front teeth would effect him, she said it would be purely cosmetic. That's it. Just cosmetic. It would not effect his eating, (of course it will, he will be using other teeth to bite things) or his adult teeth or baby teeth placement. Ian kind of already has trouble saying his letter "R" and I don't think missing teeth for 2 years will help that. It's just so sad to me! I must admit that i have a huge stigma in my mind attached to kids who are missing teeth. It makes me feel like I have done something horrible to fail my child, like we weren't good at keeping his teeth clean (we brush and floss daily!) so, is this just about me? Honestly, I don't know if Ian will really care if he is missing his top four teeth for TWO years! He will be the first one of his brothers to loose teeth, he might think that's pretty cool. I just can't go there right now. I really hope this antibiotic works.
So...the antibiotic is not just Amoxocillan, it is Azythromicin, much stronger. Ian complained that his stomach hurt about an hour after taking it at lunch. He had a 2 hour nap and acted fine after, playing and riding his bike. He said he felt fine. Tonight Nick and I went to the Gateway (yes, in the wind and rain which we were ill-prepared for by-the-way) to get new glasses and contacts at LensCrafters. My appointment was first so I sent Nick and the boys to the food court for dinner. 45 minutes later, Nick came over for his appointment and Ian had no jacket on and his pants were SOAKING wet, from top to bottom. During the meal, Ian had said he needed to go to the bathroom and did not have enough time to get there before he had diarrhea running down his legs. Nick had rinsed his underwear and pants and jacket out in the sink, Ian was walking around in soaking wet pants, and he wasn't even complaining. He was just as excited as could be to tell me very loudly all about it in LensCrafters.
So, I sent Nick to his eye appointment and promptly walked over to the Gap and bought Ian some new pants and a long sleeved shirt, luckily on clearance because they were winter stuff. He had to sport his new clothes commando though, there is no way I am going to spend $15 on 3 pair of underwear, call me cheap. I don't think Ian minded, after being in soaking wet jeans and all. Oh, he also told the salesclerk all about the whole situation. Luckily she was a mother of 5 and a grandmother, she just laughed and told him she appreciated his positive attitude about the whole thing.
On the way back up, in the rain, Gabe slipped and landed on his hands and knees right smack in a giant rain puddle. Now his pants were soaking. Really. He said he didn't care though, he wanted things to be equal and since Ian had to wear wet pants earlier, he thought he should too. I said OK because, whatever. At least his underwear were dry.
The night ended with the LensCrafters staff telling us that they wish they had people like us come in more often and that we were very entertaining. We came home and gave the boys warm baths and sent them all to bed.
I just can't help feeling like we are causing more pain for Ian by prolonging this tooth thing, now he has to have crappy antibiotics again and quite possibly still get them out. This is one of those times that I really question if we made the right choice for him today. This is when I find being a parent really really hard. I can't imagine what it would be like to make a decision for my terminally sick child, I pray I never have to. I'm going to pray for all the parents out there that do have to, it has to be the hardest thing in the world to do.
Today can now be over.
(PS, on a more humorous note I sent out 10 invitations to Gabe's birthday party that all said the party would be on Friday September 16th. Tomorrow those same guests will receive an addendum stating that the party is this Friday, APRIL 16th. That was Nick's typo, in your face grammar and proofing snob hubby!)
Friday, April 9, 2010
Here's hoping!
The other night at choir rehearsal our conductor Michael Huff was passionately describing the power of advertising and "branding" our own choir, Utah Voices. By the way we are seriously awesome!!! Check out our site here! Did you notice the button over to the right? Click on it to find out more info about our upcoming Spring concert. You won't be sorry! :)
Anyway, that night an idea popped into my head. I believe it to be divinely inspired. The thought was this: write to Cjane about your choir and your concert, maybe she will post about it on her blog Cjane's guide to Provo. (SIDENOTE: Do you read Cjane? If you don't already, do yourself a favor and start! I happen to think that she is a fabulous, uplifting, funny, and inspired writer. She makes me want to be a better person, be more cultured, and move to Provo! Really!)
So tonight, I took over an hour to construct an emotional plea via email to dear Mrs Cjane. I want her to promote our choir concert, and I basically bore my testimony about it in the email. I should mention that she was due yesterday with her second child and has announced that she is taking a week of leave from her blogs. I don't know if she will check her email during this time.
Not to mention that her blog is a guide to the city of PROVO and our concert is at the University of Utah. Small detail.
I guess only time (and her various blogs) will tell if I left an impression on her.
PS - You all NEED to go to our spring concert "Things Sacred and Profane". We have been working really hard on it and it is going to be very very good! Don't believe me yet? Hmmm...maybe I will post a copy of the email I sent to Cjane. :)
Anyway, that night an idea popped into my head. I believe it to be divinely inspired. The thought was this: write to Cjane about your choir and your concert, maybe she will post about it on her blog Cjane's guide to Provo. (SIDENOTE: Do you read Cjane? If you don't already, do yourself a favor and start! I happen to think that she is a fabulous, uplifting, funny, and inspired writer. She makes me want to be a better person, be more cultured, and move to Provo! Really!)
So tonight, I took over an hour to construct an emotional plea via email to dear Mrs Cjane. I want her to promote our choir concert, and I basically bore my testimony about it in the email. I should mention that she was due yesterday with her second child and has announced that she is taking a week of leave from her blogs. I don't know if she will check her email during this time.
Not to mention that her blog is a guide to the city of PROVO and our concert is at the University of Utah. Small detail.
I guess only time (and her various blogs) will tell if I left an impression on her.
PS - You all NEED to go to our spring concert "Things Sacred and Profane". We have been working really hard on it and it is going to be very very good! Don't believe me yet? Hmmm...maybe I will post a copy of the email I sent to Cjane. :)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
And the banana award goes to...
On Monday, Nick had his own little awards ceremony at work. This year at the NGA awards (National Grocery Awards) his designs brought home 4 awards!!! Just to put that in perspective for you, there are only 20 awards given after receiving hundreds of submissions from all around the country, Nick won 4 of these! One of these designs is also up for the "Best in Show" award. I am so proud of him, we all are so proud of him!!!
I can't begin to tell you how much Nick deserves these awards. He is such a hardworking man, he loves designing and being creative. He NEVER stops being creative, which sometimes annoys me, but he truly loves his work and it shows. He won a few awards last year, but this year was the first time that he was the only one from Associated to win. Hence the awards ceremony just for Nick. It was so nice for him to receive some recognition not only on a national level, but also from little 'ole Associated Food Stores.
Nick, I am so proud of you! You deserve this!!!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Hmmmm...
Last week I was in Vegas for a business conference, during college-time SPRING BREAK.
This week I was teaching the bunny hop to Gabe's kindergarten class.
What a difference a week makes huh?
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