I have a final tomorrow but I had to write this while I was thinking about it!! 2 of the funniest things from the mouths of babes. So, I had to go for my weekly shot of god at the doctors office and I had the day off so the kids were home with me (it only took one day to be reminded of why I go to work everyday, I would go NUTS, I LOVE my kids but I am pretty certain I am a better as a professional working mother, thanks GOD for our wonderful daycare lady) Okay back to the story, doctors office and kids Alyssa is sitting next to me and she can see through a window into another office where a man is sitting, before looking that direction Alyssa SCREAMS at the top of her lungs with excitement "MOMMY LOOK ITS JESUS" I was agahst and it took me a minute to figure it all out, the entire room was also in awe, like what do these people teach there kid. Well I should explain that the guy did have very long brown hair down his back....... I have not stopped laughing since about it. So I look at her and say "No, honey that is not Jesus, he is in heaven, and please don't scream like that it scares me" Alyssa says in a very slight whisper "Okay Mommy but that is Jesus I promise". Weird who knows maybe it was??
The other funny of the day is that this morning Alyssa had come to lay in bed with her Mama and she says "Hey mom there is chocolate in my pink bed" Ky says "Chocolate??? Honey will you go check Alyssa's bed for chocolate." So I go in there thinking maybe she had a hidden candy bar. Sure enough I should know better there was a nice brown area on her bed, she still wears a pull up so I have no idea how it made its way there, I am sure it is one of the stages of development, I mean it wasnt big and it sure looked like chocolate, and just to convice myself it of course being the mom that i am I had to smell it just to be sure it wasn't really chocolate. NOPE it sure wasn't it was a tiny bit of smeared poopy. Oh geez!! I hope she didn't really think it was chocolate, but she is definitely a crack up!!
11.14.2007
11.12.2007
I am such a loser
Things have been so crazy, right this instant I am trying to finish a final paper on nuclear energy, this I have no clue about really!! My class is done this week and I am going to write soon. Not to mention I really have not had anything too spectacular happen in the last few weeks just trying to breath!
10.27.2007
Updates and such!!
Well to start off thank you to all for your well wishes to "Poppy". This week the rushed him into surgery and decided to remove his hip joint and stuff that area with antibiotics, in an attempt to fight the infection in his hip. He is doing better at least his pain is getting better. He is just not ready to give up yet, and I don't blame him he has a lot to live for and he is the first to say that!! Someone at the hospital the other day said that they think he must have something else to teach, or another lesson to learn. He is a fighter!!
My kids are great I will include some pics from this weeks trip up to the pumpkin patch!! We had a blast, it is funny we planned this little afterwork jaunt up there to BFE Syracuse expecting to hop on a hayride and pick a pumpkin we had no idea it would include such fun things, this place rocked. They had hay slides, corn mazes, milk barrel rides for kids and adults. THe best thing Heids and I decided to hop on the teeter totter, oh my hell it is soooooo much fun to be a kid once in a while!! It was nice to spend time with family and friends!
I also went to a haunted house this week which is probably one of my most favorite things ever, I always have to find friends to take with me because Ky will not go within a mile of them. She HATES haunted houses, the one time I managed to get her into one she airlifted herself onto my back in several parts and peed her pants literally. Needless to say she does not join me anymore. It was definitely fun though and I love love love Halloween.
We are very very excited this week we have finally gotten our sweet daughter into the number one child neurologist, psychologist in Utah, we have known a lot of people who have tried to go to him to no avail because their insurance will not cover his services and he is very expensive. Well this week we found out our insurance will cover him, what a blessing. Initially he did not have openings until March but after hearing Alyssas story he is going to get us in with his resident immediately. Ky and I really tried to avoid the inevitable of seeing someone more qualified. A has had services for everything since pretty much the week she came home. We have had behavior specialist, eating therapists, evals, tests, more evals, and a lot of speculation and diagnosis. We have been told by 2 different social service organizations that she was beyond their ability. So for the last 6 months K and I backed off, decided we would try our own thing, love her love her lover her and love her some more. NOTHING is working and I won't even go into it all. Those of you that understand behavior disorder, drug addicted children and attachment disorders may understand what I am talking about. Back to the guy who will be evaluating her, we are so excited because not only will he work her behavior, problems, medical, psychological, emotional. But MOST importantly he will help K and i feel like we are parenting her appropriately. I mean I know we have good parenting skills but in this instance there is ALWAYS room for improvement, I was reading a book today that was talking about how as a parent we all want to raise successful children and we do that with the best of intention, we have to learn to adapt to her behavior, balance that in our family, and love with boundaries. So again we feel EXTREMELY blessed that this is all working in all of our favor.
Thanks for listening!!
My kids are great I will include some pics from this weeks trip up to the pumpkin patch!! We had a blast, it is funny we planned this little afterwork jaunt up there to BFE Syracuse expecting to hop on a hayride and pick a pumpkin we had no idea it would include such fun things, this place rocked. They had hay slides, corn mazes, milk barrel rides for kids and adults. THe best thing Heids and I decided to hop on the teeter totter, oh my hell it is soooooo much fun to be a kid once in a while!! It was nice to spend time with family and friends!
I also went to a haunted house this week which is probably one of my most favorite things ever, I always have to find friends to take with me because Ky will not go within a mile of them. She HATES haunted houses, the one time I managed to get her into one she airlifted herself onto my back in several parts and peed her pants literally. Needless to say she does not join me anymore. It was definitely fun though and I love love love Halloween.
We are very very excited this week we have finally gotten our sweet daughter into the number one child neurologist, psychologist in Utah, we have known a lot of people who have tried to go to him to no avail because their insurance will not cover his services and he is very expensive. Well this week we found out our insurance will cover him, what a blessing. Initially he did not have openings until March but after hearing Alyssas story he is going to get us in with his resident immediately. Ky and I really tried to avoid the inevitable of seeing someone more qualified. A has had services for everything since pretty much the week she came home. We have had behavior specialist, eating therapists, evals, tests, more evals, and a lot of speculation and diagnosis. We have been told by 2 different social service organizations that she was beyond their ability. So for the last 6 months K and I backed off, decided we would try our own thing, love her love her lover her and love her some more. NOTHING is working and I won't even go into it all. Those of you that understand behavior disorder, drug addicted children and attachment disorders may understand what I am talking about. Back to the guy who will be evaluating her, we are so excited because not only will he work her behavior, problems, medical, psychological, emotional. But MOST importantly he will help K and i feel like we are parenting her appropriately. I mean I know we have good parenting skills but in this instance there is ALWAYS room for improvement, I was reading a book today that was talking about how as a parent we all want to raise successful children and we do that with the best of intention, we have to learn to adapt to her behavior, balance that in our family, and love with boundaries. So again we feel EXTREMELY blessed that this is all working in all of our favor.
Thanks for listening!!
10.19.2007
Our Poppy
Well things have been a bit crazy this week. I have been dreading writing this post all week in a way because it seems like it is the beginning of finalizing something that I do not want to ever see happen...... It is the inevitable though and the beauty of the circle of life.
My "Poppy" as my kids call him.... To me he is my Pop, to some he is Oscar, others he is Reed, and at one point in his life he was a Colonel in the Army. Most of all he is one of the most amazing men on earth. He is a fighter, a man who has a strength unlike anyone I have known, a man with a heart as big as Texas, a love as large as this world, and acceptance unlike anyone that I have ever known. A man who has not blinked at the thought of me having a women as my partner, a man who stood proud at my commitment ceremony, loving and cherishing Kyla and my children. This man who cried uncontrollably, with joy when he held Jackson for the first time is one of my greatest heroes.
Poppy, was run over in the Korean War in a vehicle accident. He never received the care he should have and has been debilitated by severe and excruciating back pain for the last 25 years. A pain unlike anything I have ever seen one soul endure. He spends his days in agony, with a mind as clear as glass. Usually as people age it seems their mind goes along with their bodies. Unfortunately, this has not been the case for him. He gains more clarity, about the importance of his family, the love he has for his grandchildren, and the tremendous passion that he has for his newly added great grandchildren. He just got a new one 2 weeks ago and has not been able to see her yet and I know this is driving him crazy.
His true darkness began about 3 1/2 years ago when he was placed in the first "assisted living center" by my grandmother (an amazing woman, I might add)she could not longer physically assist him with his daily needs as they increased. So into the first home he went, no family wants this for their loved ones, in fact I would rather have had him live with me. Gram would not have it though, for those that know her she is strong willed, slightly manipulative, and has an intense need to control EVERY situation she encounters. So he has been in and out of assisted living, nursing homes, and care centers. Each getting worse it seems, he has gone home a few times and Gram has given it a college try providing him care, with the help of some in home nursing services, but it became too much. His most recent stay home about 3 months ago came to an abrupt end with a severe infection in his body, he went from being more mobile to being wheelchair bound. He is a Veteran so he is seen at the VA and I think his generational thinking forces him to believe that the VA is the only hospital on the planet that can provide him care. Everyone seems to believe it is a good place.... I however have not been impressed, every time I have been there I have been treated like shit by the staff, my grandmother was escorted out by a police officer at the request of the secretary (who I like to refer to as the not so lovely secretary of the year) for simply requesting to see her husband in the emergency room more then one time. I was sitting right there, she was not aggressive, certainly not a threat, and is just as far from the woman that would need to be escorted by police off of the premises as "Kathryn Hepburn". Anyways, every single time I walk into that god forsaken hospital I cringe at the thought that this is the way we treat the amazing souls that protect my family and our future generations. I cringe at the thought that my brother is a Marine and I can't stand the thought of him EVER having to get care at such an establishment. It disgusts me and after some research truly is a national problem. Enough about that though!!
Even worse are these god awful care centers where we place our elderly citizens. One of those citizens at this time happens to be my grandfather. The filth and despair present there is unimaginable. The stench that lines the halls is more then most could bare, and there he lays in his bed unable to move without assistance sleeping. Well that was till last week when he was rushed to the hospital for the 3rd time in 2 weeks because of pain he was having in his hip. Well know I think that this lovely care center is what will kill him in the coming months. He started with 2 sores on his rear end, sores that could have been treated and prevented much sooner then they were. Sores that should have been cleaned and cared for 3-4 times a day. They were not, we were led to believe they were but the last couple of weeks have proven otherwise. As those have been healing he was forced to lay in bed, no pressure on his rear which in turn has led to a terrible bed sore on his right side. A bed sore that yes started out as a red sore, and has now progressed to a sore the size of a silver dollar and has reached his bone. At any moment in the last couple of weeks this should have been given more intense attention but instead was ignored. There is really no explanation for it. My family has been completely attentive my grandmother there 8 hours a day. Everyone told us it was being cared for. My uncle a surgeon checked him regularly and believed it may not have been being cared for as much as was being said. Again though my grandmother does not allow us to get too involved.
Well the scene has gone from bad to worse this week. He was rushed to the hospital last Sunday, he was having trouble breathing and not acting normally. He got worse on Monday and that is when I got the dreaded call of "get to the hospital now this is it" Ky and I knew when we called back and my father had escorted my mom to the hospital that this really was it (see, ole dadio doesn't do anything unless it is absolutely necessary, he avoids the drama of it all very well)so we rushed to the hospital at mock 90. Rushed into the intensive care unit, and there he was. He looked like he was ready to go, he was barely breathing, they thought he had a stroke, and they were pounding on his chest trying to wake him. Part of me just kept thinking "oh poppy not yet, it can't be time yet I am not ready for this!!" and part of me kept thinking "oh poppy it is okay let go it is time for you to let go and be free." The docs came in and said the last and most invasive thing they were going to do was administer IV meds into a central line they would place in his heart. They believed it could be another infection in his bed sores.
Well, sure enough they placed the line and administered the antibiotics and not 1 hour later he was 80% better. The first thing he said when he came too was "I am hungry" the rest of the family still there was like uhhhhh.... you were practically dead, now you are hungry. But that is Poppy for you............. So the week has been filled with this rollercoaster of emotion as to what his fate is going to be. My mom called me and I think I am realizing what his fate is...... The infection from the sore that was never treated properly at the care center has gone into the bone. Throughout the development of this sore there have been many interventions none taken because the severity was never discussed. So it is now in the bone, and this will kill him soon (although he did inform the doctors this week thats he "WAS NOT READY TO DIE YET THOUGH"). This is where I start to get a bit heated apparently prior to death and according to my Uncle the doctor this is one of the most painful and grueling deaths imaginable. The pain is unbearable, medications barely will touch the pain at this point. It will seep into his entire body, through his bones and eventually take his life, because it is in his hip there is no ability to amputate. It will take a miracle for something to be done, I mean I believe in miracles, I wish for a miracle even if he died the next week but they cured the infection that would be okay, I want him to be peaceful more then anything.
My grandmother has not told any of us but she is looking into a hospice center we found out through the grapevine of doctors. This will cost her upwards of 15,000 dollars a month. Ky and I, my mother and other family have all offered to hold hospice care in our home and pay a full time nurse to stay here, covered by insurance and costing far less then that. She will not have it. Whatever happened to a family decision anyways. Why does she always have to do it her way, and have total control. It makes me crazy, we all want him to die at "home" our home his home not in a nasty awful horrible care center, that doesn't really "care at all".
God I am so angry about this situation, but I have to live and let live......
Poppy, I love you, thank you for always teaching me incredible songs, all of the counties in Utah in alphabetical order, singing me good ship lollypop weekly, and thank you for always being my rock, for loving me too no end, and for teaching me undeniable strength, drive and motivation. I will admire you for my lifetime... and I promise to always make you proud.
Godspeed My Poppy!
My "Poppy" as my kids call him.... To me he is my Pop, to some he is Oscar, others he is Reed, and at one point in his life he was a Colonel in the Army. Most of all he is one of the most amazing men on earth. He is a fighter, a man who has a strength unlike anyone I have known, a man with a heart as big as Texas, a love as large as this world, and acceptance unlike anyone that I have ever known. A man who has not blinked at the thought of me having a women as my partner, a man who stood proud at my commitment ceremony, loving and cherishing Kyla and my children. This man who cried uncontrollably, with joy when he held Jackson for the first time is one of my greatest heroes.
Poppy, was run over in the Korean War in a vehicle accident. He never received the care he should have and has been debilitated by severe and excruciating back pain for the last 25 years. A pain unlike anything I have ever seen one soul endure. He spends his days in agony, with a mind as clear as glass. Usually as people age it seems their mind goes along with their bodies. Unfortunately, this has not been the case for him. He gains more clarity, about the importance of his family, the love he has for his grandchildren, and the tremendous passion that he has for his newly added great grandchildren. He just got a new one 2 weeks ago and has not been able to see her yet and I know this is driving him crazy.
His true darkness began about 3 1/2 years ago when he was placed in the first "assisted living center" by my grandmother (an amazing woman, I might add)she could not longer physically assist him with his daily needs as they increased. So into the first home he went, no family wants this for their loved ones, in fact I would rather have had him live with me. Gram would not have it though, for those that know her she is strong willed, slightly manipulative, and has an intense need to control EVERY situation she encounters. So he has been in and out of assisted living, nursing homes, and care centers. Each getting worse it seems, he has gone home a few times and Gram has given it a college try providing him care, with the help of some in home nursing services, but it became too much. His most recent stay home about 3 months ago came to an abrupt end with a severe infection in his body, he went from being more mobile to being wheelchair bound. He is a Veteran so he is seen at the VA and I think his generational thinking forces him to believe that the VA is the only hospital on the planet that can provide him care. Everyone seems to believe it is a good place.... I however have not been impressed, every time I have been there I have been treated like shit by the staff, my grandmother was escorted out by a police officer at the request of the secretary (who I like to refer to as the not so lovely secretary of the year) for simply requesting to see her husband in the emergency room more then one time. I was sitting right there, she was not aggressive, certainly not a threat, and is just as far from the woman that would need to be escorted by police off of the premises as "Kathryn Hepburn". Anyways, every single time I walk into that god forsaken hospital I cringe at the thought that this is the way we treat the amazing souls that protect my family and our future generations. I cringe at the thought that my brother is a Marine and I can't stand the thought of him EVER having to get care at such an establishment. It disgusts me and after some research truly is a national problem. Enough about that though!!
Even worse are these god awful care centers where we place our elderly citizens. One of those citizens at this time happens to be my grandfather. The filth and despair present there is unimaginable. The stench that lines the halls is more then most could bare, and there he lays in his bed unable to move without assistance sleeping. Well that was till last week when he was rushed to the hospital for the 3rd time in 2 weeks because of pain he was having in his hip. Well know I think that this lovely care center is what will kill him in the coming months. He started with 2 sores on his rear end, sores that could have been treated and prevented much sooner then they were. Sores that should have been cleaned and cared for 3-4 times a day. They were not, we were led to believe they were but the last couple of weeks have proven otherwise. As those have been healing he was forced to lay in bed, no pressure on his rear which in turn has led to a terrible bed sore on his right side. A bed sore that yes started out as a red sore, and has now progressed to a sore the size of a silver dollar and has reached his bone. At any moment in the last couple of weeks this should have been given more intense attention but instead was ignored. There is really no explanation for it. My family has been completely attentive my grandmother there 8 hours a day. Everyone told us it was being cared for. My uncle a surgeon checked him regularly and believed it may not have been being cared for as much as was being said. Again though my grandmother does not allow us to get too involved.
Well the scene has gone from bad to worse this week. He was rushed to the hospital last Sunday, he was having trouble breathing and not acting normally. He got worse on Monday and that is when I got the dreaded call of "get to the hospital now this is it" Ky and I knew when we called back and my father had escorted my mom to the hospital that this really was it (see, ole dadio doesn't do anything unless it is absolutely necessary, he avoids the drama of it all very well)so we rushed to the hospital at mock 90. Rushed into the intensive care unit, and there he was. He looked like he was ready to go, he was barely breathing, they thought he had a stroke, and they were pounding on his chest trying to wake him. Part of me just kept thinking "oh poppy not yet, it can't be time yet I am not ready for this!!" and part of me kept thinking "oh poppy it is okay let go it is time for you to let go and be free." The docs came in and said the last and most invasive thing they were going to do was administer IV meds into a central line they would place in his heart. They believed it could be another infection in his bed sores.
Well, sure enough they placed the line and administered the antibiotics and not 1 hour later he was 80% better. The first thing he said when he came too was "I am hungry" the rest of the family still there was like uhhhhh.... you were practically dead, now you are hungry. But that is Poppy for you............. So the week has been filled with this rollercoaster of emotion as to what his fate is going to be. My mom called me and I think I am realizing what his fate is...... The infection from the sore that was never treated properly at the care center has gone into the bone. Throughout the development of this sore there have been many interventions none taken because the severity was never discussed. So it is now in the bone, and this will kill him soon (although he did inform the doctors this week thats he "WAS NOT READY TO DIE YET THOUGH"). This is where I start to get a bit heated apparently prior to death and according to my Uncle the doctor this is one of the most painful and grueling deaths imaginable. The pain is unbearable, medications barely will touch the pain at this point. It will seep into his entire body, through his bones and eventually take his life, because it is in his hip there is no ability to amputate. It will take a miracle for something to be done, I mean I believe in miracles, I wish for a miracle even if he died the next week but they cured the infection that would be okay, I want him to be peaceful more then anything.
My grandmother has not told any of us but she is looking into a hospice center we found out through the grapevine of doctors. This will cost her upwards of 15,000 dollars a month. Ky and I, my mother and other family have all offered to hold hospice care in our home and pay a full time nurse to stay here, covered by insurance and costing far less then that. She will not have it. Whatever happened to a family decision anyways. Why does she always have to do it her way, and have total control. It makes me crazy, we all want him to die at "home" our home his home not in a nasty awful horrible care center, that doesn't really "care at all".
God I am so angry about this situation, but I have to live and let live......
Poppy, I love you, thank you for always teaching me incredible songs, all of the counties in Utah in alphabetical order, singing me good ship lollypop weekly, and thank you for always being my rock, for loving me too no end, and for teaching me undeniable strength, drive and motivation. I will admire you for my lifetime... and I promise to always make you proud.
Godspeed My Poppy!
10.08.2007
6 Years in the Making
So.. I am sure you were all dying to hear how "surprised" I was for my big trip. I was very surprised!! The "surprise" trip to San Fran was truly the BEST surprise I have ever had in my life. I can't think of anywhere or anyone more incredible to have this surprise happen with. I LOVE San Fran and I love Ky. Romantic, wouldn't you say, I guess I can really say somebody loves me!! Ky gave you all the details, for me I am still floating at the idea that she would have spent that much time and energy on lil ole me!! We had an amazing time, it gave us the opportunity to have adult conversation, and remember that we are in LOVE! We have been so busy for the last 3 years it is easy to get caught up!! I am so happy to have her as we have always said "she is my silver lining"
I love you BABY!! Thank you Thank you Thank you and lets do it again SOON, sooner then later!! Thanks to our wonderful friends that took care of the tyrants while we were gone, sure made it good to be able to relax!!
9.30.2007
highways, byways, and getaways......
Well, I am back from my week out of town. It was a blast, I learned a lot at the substance abuse conference. Especially my favorite breakout session called "undercover with the DEA". It was nice, I managed to obscond to Mesquite on Tuesday and Wednesday nights while I was away, and play a little slot machine action. Not so good was the money that went down tube.. Ky says well it was hours of entertainment so no big deal. Whew, she always makes me feel better when I see money flying out the window. Plus, it was only the penny slots (which what a crock of crap it is WAY more then that when you bet 20 lines for 2 cents a line or whatever the hell).
My cute family joined me on Thursday night around 7 pm. It was SO good to see all of them. We have never stayed a night at a hotel as a family ALONE. We have always been with friends or family in our out of town travels (not that its a bad thing). So we LOVED it we had such a great time doing nothing. Thursday we went to an awesome dinner with some of my coworkers and for the record I hate cheesecake but ate the BEST cheesecake of my life that night. Infact I want some more right now. We did a whole lot of nothing on Friday, swam in the pool, chatted, and spent some 'quality" time together. We had previously decided to come home on Saturday because that would still give us a bit of a weekend. It was a real bummer because So. Ut Pride was on Saturday and originally we thought we would stop in. However, WINTER hit that day and we thought it best to get home as soon as possible. So we drove through a blizzard for a good 2oo miles, it was so strange I wanted to be in total denial that it was actually close enough to winter for SNOW. Ky goes "is that snow, sure is it is sticking" It took me a triple take to believe it. That is until I had the white knuckles on the steering wheel, pretty much all of the way to SLC.
My cute family joined me on Thursday night around 7 pm. It was SO good to see all of them. We have never stayed a night at a hotel as a family ALONE. We have always been with friends or family in our out of town travels (not that its a bad thing). So we LOVED it we had such a great time doing nothing. Thursday we went to an awesome dinner with some of my coworkers and for the record I hate cheesecake but ate the BEST cheesecake of my life that night. Infact I want some more right now. We did a whole lot of nothing on Friday, swam in the pool, chatted, and spent some 'quality" time together. We had previously decided to come home on Saturday because that would still give us a bit of a weekend. It was a real bummer because So. Ut Pride was on Saturday and originally we thought we would stop in. However, WINTER hit that day and we thought it best to get home as soon as possible. So we drove through a blizzard for a good 2oo miles, it was so strange I wanted to be in total denial that it was actually close enough to winter for SNOW. Ky goes "is that snow, sure is it is sticking" It took me a triple take to believe it. That is until I had the white knuckles on the steering wheel, pretty much all of the way to SLC.
We had fun last night we pulled out the new Karioke Machine Ky got me for our Anniversary and had a couple glasses of wine (ky had shots). This morning I finished up some school stuff. I am finishing my first class as of tomorrow at 10pm (how nice it goes so fast you don't even have time to hate it). Then we went and took some family pictures at Memory Grove, fun but not that fun with 2 toddlers who are done after the first 5 minutes. Infact we are going to have to get dressed again to go and get a few more of the whole family. We got cute ones of the kids but no family pic, and for those of you that know us well you know that we don't even have a family picture in the house. Why? well when we had the lovely state in for the visits monthly we thought it easier to just hide our whole family away and in that did not EVER take a picture till now. So I am VERY excited but my excitement will have to wait a few more weeks to get a few more done.
Then we went to the circus, my Ky got us 3rd row seats. After my panic of trampling elephants (LUCKILY OUR SEATS WERE ON THE END) I couldn't believe how good the seats were. We went with the Proud Prowsers and it was so much fun. Thanks girls we have missed you and it was so good to see you!! I am so niave though, we are walking into the circus and this "sweet" young man walks up handing out literature, I thought he was really giving me a "program" thinking to myself, those programs are so expensive, I scored by getting one on the way in. I looked at it for a minute and Ky was like oh they are soliciting, and picketing for the (P))E&&T##A) Organization. Not that i have a side either way, but when am I going to not be so niave to think that pretty much everyone is out for a cause, and now a days there is not going to be some nice person handing out a free program. Nope the programs were 15.00 at the door. Oh hell I might as well rant a bit more, to rid my guilt. So you know they sell so much damn propoganda at the circus and other events that Ky and I decided a few years ago that we would NEVER buy the kids any of that stuff at those events so that it never becomes a habit. Good damn thing Ky had a momentary lapse and wanted a snow cone I asked the guy for fun how much 15.00 oh and they had a 23.00 and 30.00 cup for a snow cone also. Come again, $15.00 for a snow cone in a cheap plastic cup. HOLY HELL!! We quickly changed that thought process and did NOT have a snow cone. Who pays that, well apparently everyone because the guy would come back and forth with the empty tray... To top that all off the cotton candy cost the same $15.00 for swirled up sugar, you must be kidding. Anyways, I remember as kids my Grandpa would buy us whatever we wanted at those things, we would probably take it all home and throw it away in a week, cuz it broke or whatever...... Now, it was probably MUCH cheaper back then and that is neither here nor there... the bottom line is if people would stop buying that crap it would not be so ridiculous.. Then when our kids looked at us longingly we could justify spending a bit to get them something. I mean REALLY it is not about the money for me (I am the one who blew money on NOTHING in Mesquite). It is about the principal, is it not enought to pay 35.00 a ticket, 35>00 for popcorn, hotdog, drinks, and some nachos. Oh and 5.00 TO PARK. Thank Heavens Sum and Mer feel the same way and Cam did not end up with any of those things either because lord knows that would have made things a bit harder, at least made it harder for me to stick to my "decision".
Then we went to the circus, my Ky got us 3rd row seats. After my panic of trampling elephants (LUCKILY OUR SEATS WERE ON THE END) I couldn't believe how good the seats were. We went with the Proud Prowsers and it was so much fun. Thanks girls we have missed you and it was so good to see you!! I am so niave though, we are walking into the circus and this "sweet" young man walks up handing out literature, I thought he was really giving me a "program" thinking to myself, those programs are so expensive, I scored by getting one on the way in. I looked at it for a minute and Ky was like oh they are soliciting, and picketing for the (P))E&&T##A) Organization. Not that i have a side either way, but when am I going to not be so niave to think that pretty much everyone is out for a cause, and now a days there is not going to be some nice person handing out a free program. Nope the programs were 15.00 at the door. Oh hell I might as well rant a bit more, to rid my guilt. So you know they sell so much damn propoganda at the circus and other events that Ky and I decided a few years ago that we would NEVER buy the kids any of that stuff at those events so that it never becomes a habit. Good damn thing Ky had a momentary lapse and wanted a snow cone I asked the guy for fun how much 15.00 oh and they had a 23.00 and 30.00 cup for a snow cone also. Come again, $15.00 for a snow cone in a cheap plastic cup. HOLY HELL!! We quickly changed that thought process and did NOT have a snow cone. Who pays that, well apparently everyone because the guy would come back and forth with the empty tray... To top that all off the cotton candy cost the same $15.00 for swirled up sugar, you must be kidding. Anyways, I remember as kids my Grandpa would buy us whatever we wanted at those things, we would probably take it all home and throw it away in a week, cuz it broke or whatever...... Now, it was probably MUCH cheaper back then and that is neither here nor there... the bottom line is if people would stop buying that crap it would not be so ridiculous.. Then when our kids looked at us longingly we could justify spending a bit to get them something. I mean REALLY it is not about the money for me (I am the one who blew money on NOTHING in Mesquite). It is about the principal, is it not enought to pay 35.00 a ticket, 35>00 for popcorn, hotdog, drinks, and some nachos. Oh and 5.00 TO PARK. Thank Heavens Sum and Mer feel the same way and Cam did not end up with any of those things either because lord knows that would have made things a bit harder, at least made it harder for me to stick to my "decision".
What an awesome weekend... I am on the countdown for my "anniversary getaway", Ky has now informed me that we are going to be flying." She has such a hard time with secrets, a couple of times she says, "do you want me to just tell you" I am bad with secrets too... but I have said no don't tell me I really want to be surprised. I CAN"T WAIT, I would like to think it was a romantic cruise, but the logical side of me says that 2 days is not enough for that.... So for now I will wait to see.
Have a great week, and keep an eye out for some more updated pictures that are downloading as we speak!
9.20.2007
This and That
Sheer craziness, I don't know how else to explain it. Things have been wonderful, even better if I could just find another 2 hours in the day, and then have my alarm clock disappear. I guess, my little subconscious decided this morning that it did disappear because 2 alarms and I didn't even hear them. Funny, when you wake up at 7 am when you should have been up at least an hour ago and even that excludes my good morning workout. I guess my self is exhausted, no time for that. This week was kind of a fun week, Ky and I had our Anniversary. I know that she has a little surprise planned for me in a couple of weeks. So... I initially got a phone call on Tuesday afternoon, do you want to go out to dinner tonight, with the kids for our anniversary. First thought sure, but how funny when we both got home and in the door from work it sounded like way more fun to just stay home. So, my darling wife made me 4 cheese lasagna hamburger helper. I have been laughing about it all week, it seemed like the easiest thing in the cupboard and nothing sounded like more fun then being with my family. I know she would have made something fancy and elaborate and it would have tasted wonderful I am sure. No thanks, time was much better.
It is interesting this is our second anniversary of the year our first is the one that we celebrate in July (6 years), well we don't really celebrate it a kiss and a hug and a thanks I am happy we met gushy speech :). September 18th (3 years) is really the best one, we had our commitment ceremony up Millcreek Canyon at this huge group campsite, it was the most amazing day of both of our lives (well except for having and getting our kids). I pulled out our wedding DVD, at which of course I had to cry because it was such a beautiful experience (one of which I hope to never have to do over because it was a hell of a lot of work too)! Anyways, Babe I Love You, Forever and Always!!
School....... seems to be going well, I have moments of severe intellectual deportation from my cerebral cortex, but hey I am sure that's normal and I am even more sure that is an actual diagnosis for feeling idiotic. Tonight, perfect example I had my first team paper, well I can write and I can usually write a paper, I could absolutely not wrap my head around writing a team paper in which I only had to write one portion, one portion without seeing what everyone else wrote. So after about 6 tries 4 of which I seemed to head towards writing the whole darn thing, I think I finally got it. Simple one page paper on "Ethics of College Admission Policies in relationship to Socio Economic Status" My part "the virtuous cycle" created by socio economic status. I feel like that commercial right now "THIS IS YOUR BRAIN, (sizzle sizzle, sizzle) THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS" The worst damn part no drugs in this arena, just freakin school.
My kids..... Good God I think I might be thinking we might be thinking we might be wondering if we might want to start trying to see if we might want another one and now I am trying to decide how that would ever fit in the mix.(whew that's funny I crack myself up, slap happy I think) I don't want the kids to all be too far apart, they say when you start pushing 4-5 years you might as well consider them "only children" "or a second family" WTF I don't want that I have this cute family ties type, sibling love type, cosby show type, family type view in my head where my kids are all best friends they protect and love each other..... Oh brother, well ain't no spermy swimming my way this month so guess we will see whats next..... To baby or not to baby that is the question, MOM (if you are reading this), don't answer this question, I know you would sink the moon if you could have another, PATIENCE sweet mama PATIENCE.
P.S I just re read this blog and its a bit sporadic, I know forgive me!!
It is interesting this is our second anniversary of the year our first is the one that we celebrate in July (6 years), well we don't really celebrate it a kiss and a hug and a thanks I am happy we met gushy speech :). September 18th (3 years) is really the best one, we had our commitment ceremony up Millcreek Canyon at this huge group campsite, it was the most amazing day of both of our lives (well except for having and getting our kids). I pulled out our wedding DVD, at which of course I had to cry because it was such a beautiful experience (one of which I hope to never have to do over because it was a hell of a lot of work too)! Anyways, Babe I Love You, Forever and Always!!
School....... seems to be going well, I have moments of severe intellectual deportation from my cerebral cortex, but hey I am sure that's normal and I am even more sure that is an actual diagnosis for feeling idiotic. Tonight, perfect example I had my first team paper, well I can write and I can usually write a paper, I could absolutely not wrap my head around writing a team paper in which I only had to write one portion, one portion without seeing what everyone else wrote. So after about 6 tries 4 of which I seemed to head towards writing the whole darn thing, I think I finally got it. Simple one page paper on "Ethics of College Admission Policies in relationship to Socio Economic Status" My part "the virtuous cycle" created by socio economic status. I feel like that commercial right now "THIS IS YOUR BRAIN, (sizzle sizzle, sizzle) THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS" The worst damn part no drugs in this arena, just freakin school.
My kids..... Good God I think I might be thinking we might be thinking we might be wondering if we might want to start trying to see if we might want another one and now I am trying to decide how that would ever fit in the mix.(whew that's funny I crack myself up, slap happy I think) I don't want the kids to all be too far apart, they say when you start pushing 4-5 years you might as well consider them "only children" "or a second family" WTF I don't want that I have this cute family ties type, sibling love type, cosby show type, family type view in my head where my kids are all best friends they protect and love each other..... Oh brother, well ain't no spermy swimming my way this month so guess we will see whats next..... To baby or not to baby that is the question, MOM (if you are reading this), don't answer this question, I know you would sink the moon if you could have another, PATIENCE sweet mama PATIENCE.
P.S I just re read this blog and its a bit sporadic, I know forgive me!!
9.09.2007
Nurse maid elbow
So, one of Jacks loving uncles was swinging him by the arms the other night at the fair. On Saturday morning Jack would not use his left arm at all. I thought maybe he just had a sprain or something so we gave him Tylenol and kept going through the day, we kept thinking he was guarding it and we iced it. He would say "mommy my arm hurts" and at the Ute Football game he would not even put to much pressure on it. He did not cry a lot about it and I figured if it was broken or something he would be crying a lot more. My dad did a "Papa" check on it and thought that we should give it one more night and see if it rested enough he would be better in the morning. NOPE, this morning he was still in obvious pain and complaining about it. Ky leaves town today for another week and I was worried about her not being here if it was something more serious. So I decided that I would take him to the urgent care clinic at least to have it x rayed. He was so good laying under that big machine, it obviously hurt to have them turn it all over the place but he was a little champ (I thought to myself, well this is not going to be the last time you are sitting in this position you have a little boy so you better get used to it). They took us back to the room and Dr. W came in and says so... "what can I do for you, his bones look great?' Immediately I felt relief wash over me, but what was wrong then, the poor kid can not even get food to my mouth. The doc says "well I think it is nurse maids elbow, let me look" He grabs his arm and starts twisting, my mother who was with me hits the doctor and says "stop it you are hurting him." Jack of course was screaming. The doc "well I didn't get anything that time let me try just once more." I was cringing I knew it hurt Jack, the kid can lay himself out on asphalt and stand up and brush his hands off and keep going. The doc grabs his arm once more and twists and sure enough "POP" the doc says "Oh, I got it!" I could tell it felt immediately better. So the doc told us to hang out for ten minutes force Jack to use it so we could make sure there was a difference. So we went to the lobby and what makes a kid move better then anything but candy. Sure enough the boy was back to normal and announces to the doctors office "my arm feel better.' The doc checked him over one last time, Jack thanked everyone walking out of the office and it was so nice to have him back to normal. The doc spoke to us about why this happens and I looked it up and am posting it below so you can all see, he says it can simply happen from a child holding hands with Mom in a hurry, but mostly from picking them up and swinging them by their arms. We know this and have told this loving uncle NO MORE many times but guess you can't resist horseplay with boys.
Nursemaid Elbow Overview
Nursemaid elbow is a common injury among preschool-aged children. It refers to a condition (medically called a radial head subluxation) in which a child's elbow bones get partially pulled out of joint and do not line up normally. The injury can occur innocently from swinging a young child by the arms or pulling a child's arm while in a hurry.
A temporary condition without permanent effects, it can be quite frightening to parents who find their child lacking the ability to use his or her upper arm.
Specifically, a portion of soft tissue, whose function is to hold bones together, is pulled between 2 areas of the bones that make up the elbow joint. The involved bony areas are the radial neck and head of the radius bone in the forearm and the capitellum portion of the humerus, or upper arm bone. Movement of the elbow in this condition results in pain and keeps the child from using the upper arm.
Typically, this type of injury occurs in children aged 1-4 years but has occurred in infants aged 6-12 months as well. As children grow, their bones become larger and more defined. So this injury is rarely seen in children older than 6 years.
Nursemaid Elbow Causes
Nursemaid elbow occurs after a sudden pulling force is applied to the extended upper arm of the child while the arm is slightly twisted. The force may not seem strong, and you may not even realize it has happened.
Some examples of typical situations that can produce the mechanism of force required to cause this injury are these:
In lifting the child by the hand
Swinging the child while holding the child by the hands
Pulling arms through the sleeves of jackets
Catching a child by the hand to prevent a fall
Pulling a child along when in a hurry
The young child is prone to this type of injury largely because of the anatomical features of their bones and ligaments. Understanding the mechanism of this injury is helpful in explaining the cause.
The end of the radius bone that connects to the elbow joint is known as the radial head. This will eventually become shaped like the end of a dowel rod. In the young child, however, it does not yet have a well-defined lip at its end. As such, the radial neck and radial head portions of the radius are similar in size in the toddler.
The annular ligament holds the radius alongside the ulna, which is the other bone in the forearm, and allows for the radius to twist. At this point in childhood development, it is still relatively loosely attached to the bone and can experience a small tear in some of its fibers.
The combination of these 2 things allows the loose portions of the ligament to slide over the radial head as a pulling force is applied to the elbow when the forearm is slightly twisted inward (pronation). When this happens, this tissue can become trapped between the 2 bones, resulting in the subluxation of the radial head, or nursemaid elbow.
Nursemaid Elbow Overview
Nursemaid elbow is a common injury among preschool-aged children. It refers to a condition (medically called a radial head subluxation) in which a child's elbow bones get partially pulled out of joint and do not line up normally. The injury can occur innocently from swinging a young child by the arms or pulling a child's arm while in a hurry.
A temporary condition without permanent effects, it can be quite frightening to parents who find their child lacking the ability to use his or her upper arm.
Specifically, a portion of soft tissue, whose function is to hold bones together, is pulled between 2 areas of the bones that make up the elbow joint. The involved bony areas are the radial neck and head of the radius bone in the forearm and the capitellum portion of the humerus, or upper arm bone. Movement of the elbow in this condition results in pain and keeps the child from using the upper arm.
Typically, this type of injury occurs in children aged 1-4 years but has occurred in infants aged 6-12 months as well. As children grow, their bones become larger and more defined. So this injury is rarely seen in children older than 6 years.
Nursemaid Elbow Causes
Nursemaid elbow occurs after a sudden pulling force is applied to the extended upper arm of the child while the arm is slightly twisted. The force may not seem strong, and you may not even realize it has happened.
Some examples of typical situations that can produce the mechanism of force required to cause this injury are these:
In lifting the child by the hand
Swinging the child while holding the child by the hands
Pulling arms through the sleeves of jackets
Catching a child by the hand to prevent a fall
Pulling a child along when in a hurry
The young child is prone to this type of injury largely because of the anatomical features of their bones and ligaments. Understanding the mechanism of this injury is helpful in explaining the cause.
The end of the radius bone that connects to the elbow joint is known as the radial head. This will eventually become shaped like the end of a dowel rod. In the young child, however, it does not yet have a well-defined lip at its end. As such, the radial neck and radial head portions of the radius are similar in size in the toddler.
The annular ligament holds the radius alongside the ulna, which is the other bone in the forearm, and allows for the radius to twist. At this point in childhood development, it is still relatively loosely attached to the bone and can experience a small tear in some of its fibers.
The combination of these 2 things allows the loose portions of the ligament to slide over the radial head as a pulling force is applied to the elbow when the forearm is slightly twisted inward (pronation). When this happens, this tissue can become trapped between the 2 bones, resulting in the subluxation of the radial head, or nursemaid elbow.
9.03.2007
End of Summer Fun
I cannot believe it, I can't believe that summer is coming to an end. It is time to put all of the fun away. Ky and I were driving home today and started planning out the winter, and I have to say. We are going to need some fun in there somewhere. This winter..... The house, painting and new carpet. That should be fun.
Anyways, our summer fun is not really ending but it is clear we are transitioning into fall because the fair is coming, and in the mountains this weekend the leaves on the ridges were starting to change. I am not going to lie, I LOVE fall, when I lived back East fall was the most AMAZING season of all. The trees and season change was absolutely breath taking, and the thing I miss the most from Maine, we could do so much in the fall my favorite... Apple picking, we would get out all of our first of the season fall clothes and head out to the orchards for this yearly event, this was usually followed by some apple pie, a fair or two and some awesome beach campfires. Utah.. isn't half bad though, it is quite amazing here also so I am certainly not complaining!
So as our farewell to summer we spent the weekend camping at East Canyon... Although this was the "trip originally planned for the grandparents" upon there canceling, we ended up inviting some friends up to join us. It was a blast, we spent some time at the Lake in the BIGGIE (which sadly had gained a few holes from the ride up, and I spent most of the time the first day holding the holes with my fingers, Mitchy and I went on a mad dash down the canyon to find patches for the next day, and succeeded in that project). We saw wildlife had a near "spray" experience on several occasions from the skunks that visited us nightly, played games, and let the kids run wild. There is nothing better then having your family, in the mountains, next to water, with no real expectations. Thanks to those who joined us and made it an incredible experience and to anyone who didn't we are thinking that we should start planning for next year sooner then later so that we can get a great spot, in an incredible area, and be joined by incredible people!!
I am sure Ky will give the full update and picture report so stay tuned!!
Anyways, our summer fun is not really ending but it is clear we are transitioning into fall because the fair is coming, and in the mountains this weekend the leaves on the ridges were starting to change. I am not going to lie, I LOVE fall, when I lived back East fall was the most AMAZING season of all. The trees and season change was absolutely breath taking, and the thing I miss the most from Maine, we could do so much in the fall my favorite... Apple picking, we would get out all of our first of the season fall clothes and head out to the orchards for this yearly event, this was usually followed by some apple pie, a fair or two and some awesome beach campfires. Utah.. isn't half bad though, it is quite amazing here also so I am certainly not complaining!
So as our farewell to summer we spent the weekend camping at East Canyon... Although this was the "trip originally planned for the grandparents" upon there canceling, we ended up inviting some friends up to join us. It was a blast, we spent some time at the Lake in the BIGGIE (which sadly had gained a few holes from the ride up, and I spent most of the time the first day holding the holes with my fingers, Mitchy and I went on a mad dash down the canyon to find patches for the next day, and succeeded in that project). We saw wildlife had a near "spray" experience on several occasions from the skunks that visited us nightly, played games, and let the kids run wild. There is nothing better then having your family, in the mountains, next to water, with no real expectations. Thanks to those who joined us and made it an incredible experience and to anyone who didn't we are thinking that we should start planning for next year sooner then later so that we can get a great spot, in an incredible area, and be joined by incredible people!!
I am sure Ky will give the full update and picture report so stay tuned!!
8.26.2007
Bro Update
I am very happy to report that things have been awesome with my bro and our visit! I may have prejudged and over reacted a bit. We enjoyed dinner with the family last night, a nice family brunch today and then Ky and I and the kids decided to go to Lagoon today with some friends so we kidnapped him and took him with us. It was such a pleasure to spend the day with him. HE is an amazing uncle to the kids, he gets very few chances to be with my babies and every moment we get to have him around is AWESOME. He is definitely a natural with the kids and it is special to watch them!! Ahhh sappy. Anyways, we will be sharing more about the weekend soon!!
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