Thanks to Brooke I am now beginning to understand my needs. Want to know what you need? Google holds the answers for you. Just search your name and then "needs." Here's what I need...
*Alicia needs more funky beats and innovative tunes in her music. (Well don't we all?)
*Alicia needs a GREEAATTT guy who is good enough for her. (Need already fulfilled, thankyouverymuch)
*Alicia needs a very special environment in which she will be protected. (Eerily true.)
*Alicia needs a little bit of persuasion (but just a little bit.)
*Alicia needs the music and the music needs her. (Ya hear that, music, you NEED me!)
*Alicia needs urgently a heart transplant. (Wow, I better get on the list!)
*Alicia needs your help spreading the word about everything going on in her world! (So there you go...try this fun little google game and figure out your needs. Link to me because google told you to help spread the word. And google is all knowing, you know?)
The word "needs" all of a sudden looks very funny to me. Needs Needs Needs. Neener neener neener!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Saturday, July 22, 2006
an emotional week
It has been one thing on top of another this week. I've worried and prayed a lot.
Our friends had their twin baby girls, but they are eight weeks early and will have to spend a lot of time in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. They weighed less than 8 pounds combined, but are doing well so far. We pray for their continued improvement and hope they'll be able to join their parents at home soon. The parents are doing well and excited to welcome their two sweet girls.
My 20-year-old neice was on vacation with her family when she passed out and had a seizure. She has never had any medical problems before so this was very unexpected. Testing revealed some abnormalties so she'll need to undergo further testing to find out what's wrong. I am very worried about her and I'm praying that everything will come out normal.
My good friend's daughter got pneumonia and got very sick very fast. Luckily she is doing much better now and on the way to recovery.
My dad had a heart attack last summer and was having some problems recently. He underwent a procedure yesterday to make sure the stints he had done were still doing their job. Thankfully they are and everything is fine. I am glad I didn't find out about this until after his procedure yesterday so I didn't have to worry about him. But, it is still scary.
And last and perhaps most upsetting, my friend, CC, lost her husband, John. They were newlyweds and new parents to a little boy born in May. They went to bed one night and John didn't wake up the next morning. CC woke to find him not breathing and attempted CPR, but John had already been gone for a few hours. An autopsy revealed an enlarged heart which caused cardiac arrest. My heart aches for CC and for her little boy who will grow up without his father. John was a great person and will be very missed.
I can't stop thinking about all of these situations and about how fragile life is. Those we love can be taken at any time. All we can do is love each other now, pray for each other, and put our faith in the Lord and accept his will. I am thankful that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and that I know that death is not the end. I pray that our friends and family will find comfort and know that the Lord is watching over them.
Our friends had their twin baby girls, but they are eight weeks early and will have to spend a lot of time in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. They weighed less than 8 pounds combined, but are doing well so far. We pray for their continued improvement and hope they'll be able to join their parents at home soon. The parents are doing well and excited to welcome their two sweet girls.
My 20-year-old neice was on vacation with her family when she passed out and had a seizure. She has never had any medical problems before so this was very unexpected. Testing revealed some abnormalties so she'll need to undergo further testing to find out what's wrong. I am very worried about her and I'm praying that everything will come out normal.
My good friend's daughter got pneumonia and got very sick very fast. Luckily she is doing much better now and on the way to recovery.
My dad had a heart attack last summer and was having some problems recently. He underwent a procedure yesterday to make sure the stints he had done were still doing their job. Thankfully they are and everything is fine. I am glad I didn't find out about this until after his procedure yesterday so I didn't have to worry about him. But, it is still scary.
And last and perhaps most upsetting, my friend, CC, lost her husband, John. They were newlyweds and new parents to a little boy born in May. They went to bed one night and John didn't wake up the next morning. CC woke to find him not breathing and attempted CPR, but John had already been gone for a few hours. An autopsy revealed an enlarged heart which caused cardiac arrest. My heart aches for CC and for her little boy who will grow up without his father. John was a great person and will be very missed.
I can't stop thinking about all of these situations and about how fragile life is. Those we love can be taken at any time. All we can do is love each other now, pray for each other, and put our faith in the Lord and accept his will. I am thankful that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and that I know that death is not the end. I pray that our friends and family will find comfort and know that the Lord is watching over them.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
our camping trip--a photo blog
Eighteen hours traveling, three nights of sleeping on the hard ground, and nine loads of laundry* later...
We are back and almost fully recovered from our vacation! We had a fabulous time! The Sierras are so beautiful and it was wonderful to spend a few days in the cooler air with such beautiful surroundings. The time spent with family was wonderful for all of us, but especially for the kids---they love all their grandparents and cousins!
I took a ton of pictures (like I always do) and will just let them do the story telling...
We are back and almost fully recovered from our vacation! We had a fabulous time! The Sierras are so beautiful and it was wonderful to spend a few days in the cooler air with such beautiful surroundings. The time spent with family was wonderful for all of us, but especially for the kids---they love all their grandparents and cousins!
I took a ton of pictures (like I always do) and will just let them do the story telling...
Little Boy & Cousin AJ working on some massive suckers:
The girl knows how to relax, what can I say?
Little Sister & Daddy:
Mommy & Little Boy being very squinty:
Little Sister & Cousin MA exchanging stories: When Nature Calls: Uncle D showing off his mad casting skills: Aunt S trying to keep two crazy toddlers (where are these kid's mothers!?) under wraps: Great-Grandma H being an art teacher to Little Boy: Little Boy and Cousin AJ made quite a cool road with sidewalk chalk all over a huge rock: Eating S'mores with Grandpa H I LOVE S'Mores!
Little Hiker girl: In the campground, there was a really cool old fire engine, so of course I had to snap some pictures on it!Our last evening, we went out to a pizza place for dinner and then went to Steve's Grandparents house nearby to take a family picture. I had the only camera and we had no one extra to take the picture. So, I arranged everyone on the steps, mounted the picture on a ladder and used the timer. I'm pretty pleased with it! I have a few things I want to photoshop on it and fix, but overall, I think it's pretty frameable. We weren't ready to come home by the end, which is saying a lot when you're sleeping in a tent with two small children. Both of them loved the camping experience and look really cute while covered in dirt!
*All nine loads of laundry came very clean despite large amounts of black dirt. My sister-in-law introduced me to a wonderful product called Borax. It's my new favorite laundry product!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
tidbits
*My kids smell. They each have a signature scent. It is best enjoyed when going into their rooms at night after they have been in bed a few hours. I check on them at night before I go to bed to make sure they are happy, healthy, and comfy. But more so that I can breathe in their special scents. In a few years Little Boy's scent will turn into stinky gym socks so I am enjoying it while I can.
*Little Boy drew this picture and I was concerned. Mom, Dad, and Little Sister in orange smiling and Little Boy in brown frowning. Is my little boy depressed? Does he think he's not good. Is he unhappy? Does my little boy need a therapist at age four? So I asked him about it. He said, "That's not me. That's Little Sister. She always cries." Silly mommy.
*The Higglytown Heroes came to our house last night. Little Boy has excellent dreams every night. He comes out of his room in the morning excited to tell us about his dreams. Last night he dreamed that the Heroes they came over and helped him make a bird feeder. I'm so glad that he has fun while he sleeps. I just dream about wierd things.
*We are headed camping tomorrow! We are going camping in the Sierra Nevadas for four days. I'll be back next week with pictures, pictures, pictures!
Adios!
*Little Boy drew this picture and I was concerned. Mom, Dad, and Little Sister in orange smiling and Little Boy in brown frowning. Is my little boy depressed? Does he think he's not good. Is he unhappy? Does my little boy need a therapist at age four? So I asked him about it. He said, "That's not me. That's Little Sister. She always cries." Silly mommy.
*The Higglytown Heroes came to our house last night. Little Boy has excellent dreams every night. He comes out of his room in the morning excited to tell us about his dreams. Last night he dreamed that the Heroes they came over and helped him make a bird feeder. I'm so glad that he has fun while he sleeps. I just dream about wierd things.
*We are headed camping tomorrow! We are going camping in the Sierra Nevadas for four days. I'll be back next week with pictures, pictures, pictures!
Adios!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
the amazing dr. S
Would your kid's pediatrician play with her for an hour? I never thought mine would need to.
Little Sister has been potty training---this was her idea, not mine! She's only 20 months old! She cries when she wets her diaper and wants to be changed, tells me before she goes, and initiated going in the potty. She did great for a couple days and then stopped. She didn't have a lot of accidents, she just didn't go at all! She sat and she sat but she never went. I've never seen a kid hold it for so long! Soon she started crying when she did pee and said it hurt. Uh-oh! I was pretty sure she had a urinary tract infection.
Off to the pediatrician we went. All they needed was a urine sample. Oh sure---I'm going to get her to pee in a cup. I coaxed and I prodded, I bribed and I begged. No pee. The nurse taped a bag thingie on her and put her diaper over it. She kept saying she needed to pee, but cried and wouldn't go. So we walked the halls. We walked to the toy room and played with the germ infested toys. No pee. Dr. S decided that her medical expertise was needed here and she had Little Sister chase her up and down the halls. No pee. Dr. S decided it was time to bring out the big guns and produced a medical grade bouncy ball and tossed it down the long hallways and Little Sister chased it over and over. She was giggling (and so were we...if you've ever seen Little Sister run you would too!) and having a great time. No pee. Dr. S and Little Sister played catch. They played throw-the-ball-in-the-basket. No pee. It was time for more extreme measures. Dr. S pulled out the circle stool on wheels and laid Little Sister on her belly on it and gave her rides all around the building. Surely all that pressure on her tummy would make her pee. We laid her down to check the pee bag and discovered it had become untaped and if she had peed it would not have landed in the bag. What's next? A catheter?
BUT WAIT. What's that? Is that a tiny drop of pee on the inside of the bag? NURSE COME QUICK! We have a drop of pee! She confirmed it was enough for the sample and I let out a sigh of relief. Little Sister would have let out a huge sigh of relief if she had any idea what a catheter was and how it was inserted. She was just happy with her sticker.
I already liked Dr. S, but this puts her in the Pediatrician Hall of Fame. She was so patient, seemed to genuinely enjoy herself, and never exclaimed "come on, just PEE kid!" like I did. She totally won Little Sister over. She also knows how to win a mommy over--She told me when all was said and done that Little Sister was a really fun girl and very smart.
Thank you, Dr. S. You are amazing!
Little Sister has been potty training---this was her idea, not mine! She's only 20 months old! She cries when she wets her diaper and wants to be changed, tells me before she goes, and initiated going in the potty. She did great for a couple days and then stopped. She didn't have a lot of accidents, she just didn't go at all! She sat and she sat but she never went. I've never seen a kid hold it for so long! Soon she started crying when she did pee and said it hurt. Uh-oh! I was pretty sure she had a urinary tract infection.
Off to the pediatrician we went. All they needed was a urine sample. Oh sure---I'm going to get her to pee in a cup. I coaxed and I prodded, I bribed and I begged. No pee. The nurse taped a bag thingie on her and put her diaper over it. She kept saying she needed to pee, but cried and wouldn't go. So we walked the halls. We walked to the toy room and played with the germ infested toys. No pee. Dr. S decided that her medical expertise was needed here and she had Little Sister chase her up and down the halls. No pee. Dr. S decided it was time to bring out the big guns and produced a medical grade bouncy ball and tossed it down the long hallways and Little Sister chased it over and over. She was giggling (and so were we...if you've ever seen Little Sister run you would too!) and having a great time. No pee. Dr. S and Little Sister played catch. They played throw-the-ball-in-the-basket. No pee. It was time for more extreme measures. Dr. S pulled out the circle stool on wheels and laid Little Sister on her belly on it and gave her rides all around the building. Surely all that pressure on her tummy would make her pee. We laid her down to check the pee bag and discovered it had become untaped and if she had peed it would not have landed in the bag. What's next? A catheter?
BUT WAIT. What's that? Is that a tiny drop of pee on the inside of the bag? NURSE COME QUICK! We have a drop of pee! She confirmed it was enough for the sample and I let out a sigh of relief. Little Sister would have let out a huge sigh of relief if she had any idea what a catheter was and how it was inserted. She was just happy with her sticker.
I already liked Dr. S, but this puts her in the Pediatrician Hall of Fame. She was so patient, seemed to genuinely enjoy herself, and never exclaimed "come on, just PEE kid!" like I did. She totally won Little Sister over. She also knows how to win a mommy over--She told me when all was said and done that Little Sister was a really fun girl and very smart.
Thank you, Dr. S. You are amazing!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
all-american family
I'm happy.
It's the Fourth of July and this happens to be one of my most favorite holidays. I love the displays of patriotism, the parades, and I'm proud to be an American. Add in many of my favorite things: Summer, Family, Friends, Picnic, BBQ, Watermelon, Old Glory, and Unity. These things make me proud, happy, and content.
We have spent a lot of time as a family the past few days. We went and played at a State Park yesterday and enjoyed a little beach there. Today we went to a BBQ picnic with co-workers and friends. These are moments that I cherish with my little family. I have the perfect family (for me). We as individuals aren't perfect: we fight, we argue, the kids throw fits and pick at each other, I yell more than I should, and I have less patience than I ought to. But, at the end of the day we make up, we love each other, our kids give each other a kiss goodnight, we work hard to forgive each other of our trespasses, and we are living a life that we wouldn't trade for anything. I've learned that being the perfect famiy doesn't mean that we don't make mistakes or have problems. It means that we get through those mistakes and problems and become closer and stronger as a result.
Tomorrow, I'm sure I'll lose my patience at least once, raise my voice at least once, I'll say "you're driving me crazy!" at least twice, and I'll want to take a long nap. But today, I'm happy. This is a great life!
It's the Fourth of July and this happens to be one of my most favorite holidays. I love the displays of patriotism, the parades, and I'm proud to be an American. Add in many of my favorite things: Summer, Family, Friends, Picnic, BBQ, Watermelon, Old Glory, and Unity. These things make me proud, happy, and content.
We have spent a lot of time as a family the past few days. We went and played at a State Park yesterday and enjoyed a little beach there. Today we went to a BBQ picnic with co-workers and friends. These are moments that I cherish with my little family. I have the perfect family (for me). We as individuals aren't perfect: we fight, we argue, the kids throw fits and pick at each other, I yell more than I should, and I have less patience than I ought to. But, at the end of the day we make up, we love each other, our kids give each other a kiss goodnight, we work hard to forgive each other of our trespasses, and we are living a life that we wouldn't trade for anything. I've learned that being the perfect famiy doesn't mean that we don't make mistakes or have problems. It means that we get through those mistakes and problems and become closer and stronger as a result.
Tomorrow, I'm sure I'll lose my patience at least once, raise my voice at least once, I'll say "you're driving me crazy!" at least twice, and I'll want to take a long nap. But today, I'm happy. This is a great life!
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