a little hike

We are jumping right in to Arizona. We figured we better take advantage of the beautiful cool weather before it hits 115 degrees and took a little hike with the kids. They loved it and wanted to keep going and going! Arizona is definitely different---but it's got it's own kind of beauty:











An Artist (Little Boy) point of view of the mountain:

baked potatoes

Now that we are in Arizona, do I have to change my blog title? How about Growing Cactus'---Very Painful. Naw, I think I'll keep growing my spuds. We'll just be Baked Potatoes here in Arizona.

Arizona has been really nice so far. The weather was hot last week (99 degrees in March??), but it really wasn't too bad. This week it's in the high 70's, low 80's and beautiful. Our ward is nice and I'm within walking distance to a mall. What more could I ask for?

What have I been doing? Painting, painting, and more painting. So far, we've painted the kitchen, family room, living room, guest room, foyer, Little Boy's room, and the Master bedroom. I've lost count of how many gallons of paint we've gone through. We still have the playroom (which we've been putting off because the walls go over the stairwell and we don't have a ladder tall enough), Little Sister's room, and my craft room to go. Most walls are still bare and we are still furniture-less in our living room and bedroom. The furniture has been ordered, we are just waiting. I'll share pictures as soon as everything is furnished!

Organizing, unpacking, and painting had me feeling a little crazy, so I decided to take on a sewing project just to do something different. I must say I should try something different a little more often:

This also gives you a little taste of all the painting I've been doing. Don't worry, our living room is not painted Hot Orange. It is Orange, but it's a terra-cotta rust color. You'll see...it's awesome.

That's all I've got for now....The Spuds and I are going to deliver our fresh baked chocolate chip cookies to our new neighbors.

top five signs your family watches CARS too often

5. When picking out matchbox cars at the store, your 4-year-old insists on trying to find a Cadillac.

4. "Ka-Chow" is a regular part of your family vocabulary.

3. Everytime you drive somewhere, your 4-year-old wonders "are we going on the interstate?"

2. A trip the gas station is not complete without the phrase "No Tires, Just Gas!"

1. When you call your 2-year-old a Drama Queen she declares "I'm NOT Drama McQueen!"

mylaraphobia

Mylaraphobia (mI-"lär-&-fO-bE-&)noun Fear of Mylar balloons

Signs & Symptoms: Screaming, shrieking, crying, and shaking when in the presence of a mylar balloon. Symptoms may become more severe when the balloon takes the shape of Red Hat.


The kids and I went to Albertsons to pick up a few things and the bakery department was having a photo shoot that day for Easter and Mother's Day ads. They had a bunch of balloons and gave a couple to my kids. Little Sister picked out a pink balloon, but then wouldn't go near it. Little Boy picked out the Red Hat Society balloon and proudly carried it around the store. The balloon floated near Little Sister's head and she immediately began screaming, clinging to me, and was genuinely terrified. She told me later that night "Mom, the balloon scares me. I freaked out!"

The balloons mysteriously disappeared while the kids were asleep. We have no future plans for Mylar balloons in our home.

reality

All mixed up. That's what I am. We have known that we would have to move away from Idaho for over 6 months now. I was determined to lived in denial of that fact for as long as possible. Even when we met with our realtor and made all of the plans to put our house on the market official, I still felt very distanced from it. Then one evening, I looked out the front window and saw a "For Sale" sign invading my front yard. That stupid sign sent me into tears faster than cutting an onion. This is real. We are really doing this.

We bought a house in Arizona. I've only seen pictures and the floorplan, but it has just about everything we want---5 bedrooms, lots of space, a play room even. I have little moments of excitement and then I wonder who we'll have over to play in the play room. We'll have our first formal dining room and then I wonder who we'll have over for dinner.

I want to be excited. I know this move is the right thing for us and will provide us with opportunities and adventures that we won't have here. I know change isn't bad. I have moments of excitment and then I remember what I'm leaving here. WHO I'm leaving here. My friends here mean the world to me. Living in a place without family, my friends have become family to me. I am closer to some than others, but each one has a special role in my life and I love each of them dearly.

I'm afraid I won't make any friends. And if I do make good friends, I'll feel guilty. My girls here can't be replaced. You hear that, potential friends in the desert? You have very big shoes to fill!!

We are moving in February. That's next month! Where has all the time gone? Time flies when you don't want it to.

Our Christmas

A Slideshow of our very Merry Christmas.

actions speak louder than words

Little Sister often complains about her socks, but I just tell "they're fine!" and tell her to relax. She has never said why she doesn't like them...but now I know. She figured out how to turn them upside down and now she doesn't complain.

I will buy non-lettered socks from now on.

Merry Christmas to all...

Check out the kiddos singing Jingle Bells in matching jammies!

it's not that i don't like blogging...

Really, it's not. I like it and I miss it. It's just that I can't rescue my mind from carseats. I think about it 14 hours a day and have even taken to dreaming about it at night. It's definitely an addiction. A very safe and good addiction as far as addictions go, I suppose, but consuming still. I joined a message board with people just like me on it. Yes, there are people like me. I am not alone. People like me that analyze the way cartoon characters use carseats. Arthur's baby sister? NOT properly restrained. That kid should so be rear-facing. People like me who gasp in horror at the newest Sear's commercial where the baby is strapped in a carseat with a huge snowsuit on and very loose harness straps. People like me who want to save the world one carseat at a time. I even made another blog just for random carseat stuff.

I've thought about doing a weekly post with carseat tips. But where would I start? 9 out of 10 carseats are being used improperly with an average of 3 errors per seat. I see it each and every day and sometimes it's overwhelming. I know logically that I can't help everyone. I can't help those who don't want to be helped. But where do I draw the line? Do I say something to the teacher at Little Boy's preschool who has a horribly misused carseat in the backseat of her car or do I mind my own business? What if she was in a crash tomorrow and her child was hurt or killed because I decided to mind my own business? You see why I'm so conflicted?

So you see, it's not that I don't like blogging. It's not you. It's me.

the reason we keep him around...

Little Boy: Jesus made us, Dad. I want to write a letter to Jesus and say thank you for making us.

Dad: You don't have to write him a letter. You can just thank-you in your prayers.

Little Boy: I love Little Sister. Jesus made her. I want to write a letter to Jesus. It will say 'Dear Jesus, thanks for building us.'

sibling matters

Hello out there? Anybody still around? I have no explanation for my absence other than I didn't have anything to say. Okay, I take that back. I had plenty of things to say, but couldn't figure out how to say them. Plus, it's all boring philosophical junk. Here's just one thing that has been on my mind...

Ever since Little Sister was born, I have been interested in sibling relationships. More specifically, how to help my kids have a good one and keep the rivalry to a minimum. I recently came across a great article in BYU Magazine called Brothers in Deviance explaining the influence that older siblings can have on younger ones. The opening paragraph caught my interest immediately:

The old adage that boys will be boys should be retired, according to BYU researcher Bert O. Burraston (BS ’91). It cuts parents too much slack when their boys bully younger siblings. Recent studies have shown that such bullying significantly increases the likelihood that younger siblings, particularly boys, will become bullies themselves—or worse.

Gulp. I've caught myself thinking "that's just what big brothers do" when Little Boy picks on Little Sister. I've also caught myself thinking "that's just what little sisters do" when Little Sister takes Little Boy's lego that he was reaching for and runs away. I've cut myself too much slack and probably should have done more to intervene and teach them the correct way to interact. I was hooked from there and thought the following information was so important:

Burraston’s findings are based on his recently published 11-year study of 105 boys at risk of delinquency. Although Burraston and his research partners acknowledge that a child’s behavior is shaped by a host of factors, having an older delinquent brother was a disproportionately strong indicator of delinquency. Using complex statistical modeling, the researchers showed that the delinquent older sibling passes on his behavior via two main ways—fighting with younger siblings and bringing deviant friends home. Children who experienced these factors were 25 percent more likely to engage in such behaviors as physical violence, criminal activity, drug and alcohol use, and sexual activity.

Fighting, or what researchers call “sibling conflict,” includes physical conflict, yelling, nagging, and stealing a sibling’s belongings. Burraston and his colleagues found that when an older sibling was in grade school, the more he fought with a younger sibling, the more likely both siblings were to become delinquents in adolescence.

But don’t all brothers and sisters, but especially brothers, yell at each other and deliver at least an occasional jab? Yes, says Burraston, and parents should be concerned. While eliminating all conflict isn’t realistic, parents should take steps to reduce it as much as possible. Parents need to teach their children to resolve conflict without violence or intimidation. “The more the children fought with one another, the more apt they were when they were older to do deviant things when they hung out together.”

Double Gulp. I've always known that I felt it was important for my kids to get along. I wanted our home to be a place where they fit in, feel loved, and don't feel threatened. If they are fighting and picking on each other that can hardly feel like a happy and safe place to be.

The article goes on to explain some ineffective parenting techniques along with some effective ones. Let's just say I'm guilty of nattering and trying to mend my nattering ways. You must read the article to figure out what that means!

Sibling conflict is basically a form of antisocial behavior, says Burraston, and the antidote is pro-social skills. So rather than nagging at kids when they quarrel, parents need to give their kids tools for handling conflict.

That's something I never would have thought of: Sibling Conflict=Antisocial Behavior. I have to admit that is a good motivator for me to help my kids learn the tools for handling conflict with each other.

Burraston likes to remind LDS parents how serious this parental responsibility is by quoting King Benjamin’s sermon in the Book of Mormon: “And ye will not suffer your children that they . . . fight and quarrel one with another. . . . But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another” (Mosiah 4:14–15).

This is not a new problem. There has been sibling conflict since the beginning of man (think Cain & Abel). It was obviously a big enough problem that King Benjamin felt it necessary to address his people about it. I just hope that I can be a parent who gets it right and can teach them to truly love one another and to serve one another.

wordless wednesday--halloween edition

happy halloween

Let the carving begin!

Little Sister missed the point of cleaning out pumpkins. As soon as hers was cleaned out, she filled it back up...and then some.

Little Boy's "bumpy little pumpkin":

Daddy's "Super Grumpy Gus": Mommy's "swiss cheese" pumpkin and "Nellie Nose-Job":
Happy Halloween!!!

the first safety moment

Since my certification as a carseat technician, I have been thinking about what safety information I wanted to share here on my blog. I found this video yesterday and it's the answer! It was created by a 17-year-old girl trying to persuade her older sister to leave her neice rear facing. It's incredible, informative, and I'm so impressed.

As an added bonus, it has one of my favorite songs in it!

Tell me what you think.

all is well

When I talked to the doc yesterday, she told me on the phone that there was some inflammation in Little Sister's colon and that we needed to talk about the why and what to do next... I thought she was giving me the tip of the iceburg and needed to tell me more. She really WAS telling me what was going on. There is inflammation in her colon and that is what is causing the diarrea. It's leftover from when she had giardia several months ago. The giardia is gone, but her immune system is over reacting and still fighting something that isn't there anymore. BUT, she doesn't have an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). But, without treatment and with my history of autoimmune disease, it could easily develop into IBD. We're starting her on some medication that should heal her colon. She also has some inflammation in her stomach, but he thinks that is caused b/c the stomach is over compensating for the colon and should go away as the colon heals. If it doesn't, he'll give her prevacid. This should also help her raspy voice to go away and her real voice (that we've never heard) come through! The meds should start working in 2 weeks and we have a follow-up in 4 weeks. I hope this works and stops her from getting IBD.

My royal freak-out (Emily, I think of you every time I use or think that term) was unnecessary, thank goodness. I kept thinking the worst. The words "Colon Cancer" kept going through my mind until I had myself convinced that she had it. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I heard that it was not so severe and treatable.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I could really feel them and it helped so much!

three things (updated)

1. So, I didn't make the cake. Emily's friend, Applemom, made it for me. The moment I saw the cake that pesky ole perfect woman made for Emily, I knew that I must have one for Little Sister's party. Everything else revolved around the cake. It was vanilla cake with whipped cream frosting and mini-chocolate chips. It was delicious! And the two little candles on top? Crafted by Applemom for the occasion! She should open a business, really.

2. I talked to Sister's doctor last week about her procedure and they didn't have the results. They needed a second opinion, so they sent her biopsies to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. It looks like she could have Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or another inflammatory bowel disease. It was not what I was expecting to hear. To be perfectly honest, I was expecting to hear "Nothing is wrong...we don't know why she has the problems she does." I got my crying out and decided to move forward and wait for a definitive answer. I've waited and waited and waited. Still nothing. This mama is about to throw a tantrum.

3. Some things you should try:

*Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip at Chili's. YUM.

*Gerber Grins & Giggles baby lotion in the Sweet Pea scent. It's sweet

*Homemade laundry detergent. Yes, you heard me right. My sister-in-law introduced me and it's really easy, and really cheap! I just made the dry powder. It should last me a long while!

Have a Happy Wednesday!

**UPDATE: I heard from the doctor after I posted this yesterday. She asked us to come in this morning to discuss everything and discuss treatment options. She didn't tell me over the phone what is going on. I've been a bit of a mess. Steve is out of town (and he's very upset that he's not here), so my awesome friend Emily is going with me to the appointment for support and to help me listen to the doctor.**

princess party

The prettiest princess in all of the land

is having a party that's sure to be grand!The Queen got to work and a plan was laid

Orange and Pink in every shade!To welcome the guests a carpet of red

"No, No, it should be pink!" she said.We're almost ready, it's just about time

The only thing left is the Tiara to shineThe guests arrive at the door and it's Cinderella!

and a few handsome princes and one sleeping fella.We ate some good food and made a lot of noise

We then ate some cake and opened some toys.
It's your birthday, Princess, you are officially TWO!

Happy birthday, Little Sister, Happy Birthday to YOU!

terrific two

Little Sister is Two! I have been reminiscing all weekend about the day she was born. It was a perfect day and we were so excited to welcome her into our family. Shortly after she was born, I wrote up a birth story so I could always remember the details and share it with her when she starts having her own babies. Here it is:

After a couple of weeks of almost constant contractions and a false alarm that left me at 4cm and 75% effaced, we decided to induce labor. I had been very hesitant to talk about induction because I didn’t want to have to use pitocin. Since my previous labor had been very quick after my water broke, my doctor decided that we would just break my water and see where we got from there without having to use pitocin.

We arrived at the hospital at 8am on Thursday, October 14th. I had an IV started right away and started a round of antibiotics because I was Group B Strep positive. At 10am, my doctor came and broke my water and stripped my membranes. Steve and I walked the hallways for about a half hour, but there was too much pressure on my back and bladder to walk very much. We went back to the room and watched the news on TV. I was disappointed that my contractions didn’t pick up right away, but I kept reminding myself that this was going to take longer since it was an induction. Around noon, true labor got underway. The contractions started picking up quite a bit and were 3 minutes apart and hurting. They got progressively stronger for the next hour and I asked for the epidural at 1pm. The anesthesiologist was in on a c-section, so I had to wait for him and while waiting for him the contractions were pretty bad---but I was still able to breathe through them. I was 6cm dilated when the epidural went in at 1:30pm. I felt great after the epidural! My OB came in at 2:20pm and checked me and I had only changed slightly—I was a “loose” 6cm still. She suggested pitocin to speed things up so that she would be there to attend the birth (she wasn’t the OB on call that evening). I agreed since I had already had the epidural and wasn’t worried about the pain anymore. She told the nurse to start pitocin and said she was going over to the other hospital to check on some other patients and would be back in 2 hours. While waiting for the pitocin to arrive from the hospital pharmacy, I felt different and felt a lot of pressure at 2:40pm. The nurse checked me and I was 8cm. Only 3 minutes later I felt much more pressure and a slight urge to push. The nurse checked again and sure enough I was 10cm I had gone from 6cm to 10cm in 25 minutes. I guess the mere threat of pitocin got my body into gear! The nurse paged my OB and she had just gotten to the other hospital, but turned around to come back. I felt a lot of pressure with each contraction and a slight urge to push, but I didn’t need to push, so we waited for my doctor.

In the meantime, I called my mom in Florida so she could be on the line while I delivered the baby. I also asked the nurse to set up a mirror so that I could watch while I pushed and see the baby come out. My doctor arrived around 3:05pm and got dressed for the delivery and we got the bed set up. I started pushing at 3:11pm and watched in the mirror as her head came out. The cord was around her neck, so the doctor pulled that around her head and suctioned her nose and mouth. It was neat to be able to watch the entire process in the mirror. I could feel a lot of pressure, but no pain. Our darling daughter was born at 3:16pm after only 5 minutes of pushing! It was so amazing to watch her birth in the mirror and to feel her come out. She looked so tiny to me. I said something about her being tiny and the nurse and doctor said “No, she’s not!” She weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces and measured 20 inches long.

We are thrilled with our birth experience! My labor and delivery was only 3 hours long and everything went perfectly with no complications at all. I had been worried about things like having an episiotomy, having to use pitocin, and not making it to the hospital in time. I didn't need the episotomy or the pitocin in the end and I am very grateful that my doctor decided to break my water. She told me that with the way things happened with the induction, I probably wouldn’t have made it to the hospital had my water broken at home since I would have already been in labor.


It seems so long ago, but it's still easy to remember how I felt. The moment she was born I immediately felt like I was seeing an old friend that I hadn't seen in a long time. I remember telling her the first time I held her "I've missed you so much!" It was kind of an odd feeling, but I know it wasn't our first time meeting. I love my little girlie!

thanks so much

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

Little Sister's procedures went well. She was great! She did take longer than normal to start breathing on her own afterwards and to wake up (which scared me!!!) but she did fine. The doctor said that everything looked normal and good, but he took several biopsies to test. We don't have any results yet, but should hear something by Monday. If they don't find anything wrong, they will just give her Imodium to help. I certainly don't want anything to be wrong with her, but going through all of this because she needs a little Imodium seems extreme! Time will tell...

Little Sister's big birthday party is tomorrow!!! We are excited and you'll get a full report as soon as I recover from it!

prayers for little sister, please!

Little Sister is having a birthday on Saturday! She is getting the world's worst birthday present: a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy. I'm just glad she's too young to remember.

She has been seeing a pediatric GI doctor for her chronic diarrhea problems and they haven't been able to find anything wrong with the blood and stool tests. She is having the procedures done tomorrow morning. I haven't been very stressed about it because I'm a "last minute stresser" and the last minute seems to be starting. I'm not very stressed about the tests, but I am stressed about the anesthesia. She's so little!

Next on the list for birthday celebrations....immunizations next Tuesday! The poor girl can't win.