Daddy's Day.

"I'm so glad when daddy comes home, glad as I can be.....". These words start a familiar song that we would sing to my dad every Father's Day. I remember making ties and other gifts for my dad, but it was not this day that meant ( at least to me) we loved daddy. It was all the wonderful times that we spent with him. My Father taught me so much and did so much for us that I never knew. Things a child doesn't think of. The sacrifices a father makes for his family are only being realized now as I am seeing those things in my own life. Some of the things I remember most of my father is that he loves genealogy......works on it, literally non-stop. He loves to play basketball! His right hand was MANGLED in an accident and has lost part of the function of it. Regardless of how it looks, he has the best shot out there, whether it is a 3 pointer or his favorite hook shot. And he is still doing it in his 60's. Go Daddy! He was always spontaneous, he loves to laugh and loves his family. He is a soft spoken man, but a man with a strong testimony. I am so grateful to him for his example to me! Love you daddy!

Daddy always let us torture him. He made cleaning fun!

Taking care of a wasps nest in the play house. Dad could never call a professional!
Me and daddy. Love you!!!!

Last Day of School!

Sydney wanted to blog about her last day of school, so we will be updating this blog later.

This year I was in first grade. Some of my favorite things in first grade were music class , gym, and art. My teachers were really nice and taught me lots of new things.

On or last day of school we took lots of pictures and had a picnic lunch. we cleaned out our desks and had lots of reading time. I love to read!!!

It was kind of sad at the end of the day when we said goodbye to our friends and sang a song as the buses pulled away. At our school it is a tradition for the teachers to stand out front and sing goodbye to the kids as they leave for the summer. This year they also sang goodbye to Mr.Potter, the principal, who is retiring this year. I will miss listening to him in our assemblies.

Next year I will be in second grade. I'm hoping that I will be in Mr. Murphy's class. I am looking forward to learning science and fun field trips. I hope that Ali will be in my class!

Mid West Woes

May 25th sparked a series of weather related events that are changing peoples lives. First came the tornadoes. One of which was an F5 that destroyed numerous towns and killed 7 people in the town of Parkersburg, IA. For those of you who do not know the area, we are not very far from that at all. How this tornado missed us, I don't know.

As if that was not enough to create a desperate situation, now mother nature adds more devastation to our lives. We are now faced with evacuating our homes because of rising river levels and major flooding of our cities. The relentless thunderstorms north of us as well as the storms in our own area have made us realize some things.

One. We are never exempt from a disaster. No matter how safe we think we are, it can all change in an instant. Two. How prepared are we for an emergency. I thought that our 72 hour kits were up to par. Ha-Ha. Silly me! It takes the treat of loosing everything to open my eyes and realize how little we are prepared.

So now I will stop typing and start hauling things up stairs as I prepare to have a flooded basement. And in the case we are evacuated, I will be re thinking our 72 hour kits. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have already lost so much!

3 Blocks south from my house. Road closed.

3 blocks east of my house. The flood gates are not holding!

3 blocks north of my house. More flooding!!!
A bridge I cross everyday. 15 feet tall....completely flooded to the top!

Following in My Footsteps

Dental school here we come!

As a dental assistant, I am pleased to see that proper oral hygiene is occurring in my home. As a mother, I am just thankful that Tui likes to do whatever his sisters do, otherwise I would never be able to brush his teeth ( all 12 of them).

When Haylie was just learning to brush her teeth, she would argue and refuse to let me help. The only way to get her to open long enough for me to check was to tell her about the " Sugar Bugs". She would say that there were no bugs in her teeth. But I would say that Mommy has special eyes. When I went to Dental assisting school I got new eyes....eyes that can see tiny little bugs that like to eat sugar and food from off your teeth. That got her! She would ask me to check and make sure all of the bugs were gone, and then I could scrub the places she missed and chase away the bugs.

Now I do the Same with Tui. Any moms out there can use this trick. It really works. Just come up with your own story on how you got " Special Eyes".

Say Cheese

Tui is getting so big! He is now 21 months old. Yikes...the big 2 is coming up soon. Our little boy has always been fond of the camera, but since I got my new camera, picture time is a whole new thing. The flash on my camera is much brighter than my old one. Tui has figured out that he squints when the flash goes off, so now he squints ahead of time....like he is preparing for the bright light. Regardless of how bright it is, he still loves having his picture taken.

Small Price to Pay.

A year and a half ago, Haylie had surgery to fix a problem with her kidneys. It is called "reflux" and is actually quite common in little girls. Usually the problem corrects itself without the parents even knowing there was a problem. Haylie's did not correct them self and she ended up with some major kidney infections. One time she woke up in the middle of the night screaming. She said that her sister, Sydney, was covered in bugs. Then when I tried to pick her up to comfort her, she ran from me screaming that I had worms all over me and that daddy had lady bugs all over him. I thought she was just dreaming. When I finally picked her up she was so hot it actually hurt me to touch her. We rushed her to the ER and they told me that she was hallucinating. Her temp was at 105.5.

This happened off and on for a while so we scheduled her for a non- invasive surgery ( no cutting). We thought that had fixed the problem. Not so. The fevers came back. So then we were faced with a tough choice. Re-do the previous surgery and see if it works this time, or do a more difficult surgery ( cutting required). It was a particularly hard choice for me because I had to have the same surgery when I was a kid. I know the ups and downs of recovery and the scar that it leaves ( not a fun scar to have when you are pregnant!).

We decided to fix the problem once and for all. One last visit to the hospital, one last I.V., one last catheter. Haylie is a trooper and actually likes the doctors and nurses, and for some reason, the hospital food. But enough is enough when it comes to the fevers and I.V's.

As her surgery day grows closer, I realize that the decision to have the surgery was not the hardest thing I would have to do. Sitting and waiting for the surgery to get done would be the hardest. It was difficult! 3 hours of waiting and worrying ( and a bit of crying). But that was not even the most difficult part. The hardest thing was......( this is a warning for any parent who has to take a very young child into surgery)..... what the parents are asked to do. With Haylie's previous surgery they asked both of us to go with Haylie into the surgery room and wait with her while they put her to sleep. They do this with a mask that delivers gases that make the kids drowsy enough to put in an I.V. with the general anesthetic. they warned us that she might shake a bit and that it was normal. NORMAL? It was like watching your child go into a coma right in front of you and you can't do anything about it.

So this time Anthony told me he couldn't stand to see that again ( the big softy!). That left me to take Haylie in and watch all that again. This time they did it different....not better, just different. I had to hold Haylie on my lap as they put the mask on her. So instead of just watching her slip away, I had to feel her slip away. That is when I lost it. Through a chocked throat and tear filled eyes, I kissed my little girl and Told her that I loved her. Then I was rushed out the door and back to the waiting room where Anthony just held me for a minute.

The surgery went well! The surgeon said it was good that we did the surgery now. Apparently her Ureters ( the tubes that go from your kidneys to the bladder) were not in the right place and that was why she kept getting infections. That is also the reason the last surgery did not work. My daughter is a freak of nature just like me. I had extra Ureters ( don't ask....just call me a freak). I finally had an answer to why things were so bad with her. There was a reason, I was not just a worrying mother.

Well all is well now. Haylie recovered very well! We have been home for 2 weeks( which she was supposed to be staying calm for....ya right). She has a scar from pelvic bone to pelvic bone. But it is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that your child will not have to face those problems again.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us and thought of us during this time! We love all of you!

Daddy and Haylie- prep time

Mommy and Haylie -OR time

Recovery room....teddy makes everything better!

Haylie's favorite nurse.

Sleeping Beauties.

I remember my first sleepover. It was a birthday party sleepover and there were so many kids there, I don't even remember whose party it was.

Sydney and Haylie are asking for more and more sleepovers, so for now we are starting out small. One at a time.

So, in my old age, I have come to realize ( thanks to my husband telling me) that I am a party pooper! Is it a crime to try and get the girls to go to bed at 9:30? I didn't think so, but I think I was fighting a loosing battle. These 3 sleeping beauties were up until 12:30 am, talking and giggling. Then they were up at 6:30 am with the rising sun.

I am glad that the girls were willing to let me sleep in......at least another 1/2 an hour before Tui woke up. I think we will have another sleepover in a couple of months when I have finally caught up on my sleep.

Batter Up!

I actually got my kids signed up on time this year for tee-ball and softball. Haylie has been so excited to play! Every spare minute I have she is asking to go outside and practice. So what happens the first night?......She cries hystarically and won't let go of my leg! I guess I have just volunteered to be an assistant coach! By the end of the night she finally got brave enough to let go of me and hit the ball. She will love it once she gets used to the routine......I hope!

Gradulation!?

So what is Gradulation you ask? It is when you " graduate" from Mom school.....according to Haylie. This year was her second year in mom school because she misses the cut off date for pe-k by 2 weeks. Next fall she will be in real pre-k. She is so excited to go to a big school like her sister. Haylie had lots of fun this year with her mom school friends and will miss them next year. Here are some pictures of our " gradulation" party at the park. I tried to get a group picture of all of the mom school kids, but there was too much to do....no sitting still!

Welcome Spring!

I am so excited to have a new camera! I have been cameraless since Christmas. Now that I have a new one I can actually catch up on my blogging.

Here in Iowa we have had very inconsistant weather! One day it is 70 dergees, and the next it is rainy and 45 degrees. So when it is nice out we take advantage of it. Here is our first playdate at a park this year.

Missing Summer Time!
These are some pictures from last summer. I thought they would cheer me up, but they are just making me wish summer would come faster! It is fun to see how much the kids have grown up. I can't wait to compare pictures we take this summer.

Ta-Da

Thanks for the help everyone. Now I feel cute too! Or at least my blog feels cute. I'm a whole other problem!!!

Ummmmm.........DUH!

I am baffled by how impossible it is for me to figure out how all of you have such cute blogs. I have searched under the heading " blog templates" and I can't find anything like what all of you have. You know...the cutsie, scrap booking type of layouts.

So, I am asking for anyone to please give me a link to a web site where I can go to download layouts to make my blog cute. Help the retard....please!

10 Things you may not know about me ( tagged=)
1. I love to make cakes! I am not a professional and I am not very good at cakes that have to be perfect, like wedding cakes. I like to make fun ones like giant hamburgers or theme cakes for Halloween or Easter. I also like to eat them. That is no big surprise!

2. I love to travel. I have been to the Bahamas, Hawaii, all the United States except for 7 and every Canadian province. I would love to visit Italy, Finland, France and Egypt.

3.I am a walking freak of nature! If there can be something wrong with me.....there is. I have extra ankle bones, scoliosis ( curvature of the spine), I had extra tubes running from my kidney's to my bladder, fluid behind my knees that cause cysts, I have a blood clot disorder, asthma......shall I continue? This could go on forever! I sound like a hypochondriac!

4. I am not wanted in Heaven......yet. How do I know this? I have had many close encounters with death and yet I am still here. I have fallen off the side of a mountain while riding a 4-wheeler....crash and burn ( literally), too many car accidents to count, and survived a pulmonary embolism ( 99% of all people die from this).

5. I used to be athletic. Go figure. You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I used to love to play many sports. Cross country, track & field, basketball, volleyball, swimming, softball......you name it, I loved it!

6. Something that scares me to death, but I have always wanted to do.......sky dive. I am totally scared of heights!

7. I have a crush on my husband. Shhhhh, don't tell him!

8. I love crafts! Everybody knows how much I love to scrapbook, but I have other hobbies I like to do. Cross stitch, glass etching, jewelry making. I will try anything new too.

9. I am a hypocrite of sorts. I have never cared much what other people think of me. I learned at a very young age that people are judgmental and that if I wanted to succeed in life and be happy doing it, I couldn't let other people's judgements affect me. However when it comes to judging...I am my worst critic. I can find a million things I wish I could change about me. I have a bad habit of comparing myself to others.

10. I have insanely crazy dreams. My husband won't even let me tell him about my dreams anymore because they are so off the wall crazy. He says no one can have dreams like that and be normal. Well, I have never claimed to be normal.....and I love being nutso!

I am going to tag my siblings....Karma, Kasson, and Kendra, in the hopes that they will start a blog of their own.

Apologies!!!

I would like to reassure everyone ( especially those whose children I watched last week) that all is well! I know that reading my last blog probably made some people feel bad that I had a very busy week.
I want to apologize if it sounded like I did not like the kids I was watching. SO NOT THE CASE!!!!
Like I said before, I love kids. They are all adorable to me. Even when they are crying. I just love to hold them and cuddle and see their little smiles. Last week just didn't have too many of those moments. BUT....like I said, the kids got used to being around each other and the days got easier.

Oh yea, And a big apology For making the healthy kids sick. I am going to have to quarantine my house. Oh heck, I think I will just move to a new, germ free house! Now that spring is here, hopefully all those colds are gone!

Thanks for putting up with my complaining. Just ignore me!

My week as the old lady in the shoe.

I have been babysitting for a long time. Ever since I was 9 years old, I have loved to babysit, especially babies.

Well this week has been a doozie!

I regularly babysit my friend's daughter 3 days out of the week. This actually works really well. She is the same age as my son, so they play well together, the hug each other and they even take naps at the same time. ( which means I get a break so I can spend time with my daughter who is preschool age).

I also have been watching another one of my friend's daughter 2-3 hours a day. She is about 6 months younger than my son. This week has been different though. I have been watching her every day all day due to a family emergency of sorts. This little girl is super cute, but....she is an only child and is not used to having other kids around. She has a tendency to....ummmm... wail...whenever another child is even near her or when she wants something. I think in time she will get used to this, until then I will have to invest in earplugs.

On top of all this, I said I would babysit 2 of another friend's kids while she was out of town and her husband is at work. They are good kids and play well with mine, so that helps.

So in total I had 7 kids this week. Not too bad you say? Well how about you throw in an earache in 2 of the 7 kids, pneumonia in one, viruses in 5, and diarrhea in 2. Not only that but I had a sick husband home all week hoping to recover from his cold( not gonna happen!). He ended up helping me with the crowd.

All I want to know is....how did the old lady in the shoe live to be so old?

????????????

I don't know what to do.

Should I do anything?

It is not my life.

It is not my child.

Should I let it affect me?

I do not want to sound condescending.

I do not want to sound overbearing.

I want to be a friend.

My heart literally hurts.

I feel sick to my stomach.

What do I do?????

In my patriarchal blessing, I am told that I will be a leader and that I should not hold back my convictions and emotions. I need to stand up for what is right. And all my life I have fought this council. Sometimes because others have told me to hold my tongue, and sometimes because I did not want to say anything. Why? Out of fear...fear that I will loose a friend or make someone angry. Or just because I thought it was none of my business.

I have a friend who is going through a hard time with her teenage children. I have seen and heard things....more specifically language that they are using. Language that they have been taught not to use. I know that there is more going on behind the scenes and it really is not my business ( is it?).

I remember being a teenager. I remember wanting to feel accepted and to have fun, and having to make a choice. But those choices were not hard for me to make.

I am torn! My gut says " say something", my heart says" say something", but my mind says" bite your tongue".

AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!

Music Moves Me..........

I love to hear a song that makes me close my eyes and imagine a time, or a place, or even people I love. Voices like Josh Groban, or Maxwell, or Allyson Crouse ( sp?). Soft, vibrant, clear voices that take me to another place.

My husband has one of those voices. There a few people who have had the privilege of hearing him sing ( and yes I am bragging!). I wish he would sing more!

I always hoped that our children would inherit his vocal talents ( and my good looks). Well I think we got one out of two.

Sydney was in the living room the other day. No t.v. or radio on. Just singing to herself. She was trying to sing a song that she was semi-familiar with. It started out ok. and she has a nice voice ( when she is not singing through her nose). I was enjoying listening......until her singing moved me to tears! I was laughing so hard ( in my room and into my pillow so she could not hear me), that I had tears streaming down my face. It was like Hannah Montana/ Gospel choir all at once. I wish that I could have caught it on tape.

When I finally composed myself and went out to the living room, I asked her what she was doing. She said " I am singing a song that I forgot the words to, but that is o.k. I made up the rest and I can do that because I am such a good singer."

I nodded my head, gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and then went right back to my pillow. It is a good thing she is cute, cuz I don't thinkshe will have a career in music. Who knows, maybe we could have the next American Idol on our hands=)

Funny things kids say.

It doesn't matter how many time I correct my children , they are always right and I am always wrong. I realize that a 4 year old will not always say things correctly. Here are a few things that Haylie has insisted she is saying correctly.

Ig-sgusting. ....Anyone know what this means? this is what Haylie says when I try to get her to eat her vegtables. Especially green ones.

Growing-Ups.......Yup this is what she calls any adult. They are not " Grown Ups" they are " Growing-Ups". She is probably correct in the fact that we are all still growing up.

Those are just a few I could remember today.

Then there is the unbelievable logic of a 7 year old who knows how to twist the truth to get anyone to do what she wants them to. Tonight in the car on the way to get pizza, we were trying to decide what toppings to get. I could hear Sydney in the back of the van telling Haylie that she should tell me to get anchovies on the pizza. Here is how she convinced Haylie to ask for anchovies.

Sydney-" Haylie, do you want anchovies on your pizza?"

Haylie-" what are anchovies?"

Sydney-" they are little fish"

Haylie-" No! I don't like fish. They stink!"

Sydney-" You know why they stink right?"

Haylie-" No , why?"

Sydney-" They stink because they don't want people to eat them, but really they are the most deliciously tasting thing you could have on your pizza. It would taste like icecream to you!"

Haylie-" Mom can I have anchovies on my pizza?"

Here is the kicker. Sydney has never had anchovies. I told her that I would buy her a can of anchovies that she could eat. I bet you just about anything, she will never ask for anchovies again!

Valentine Woes

I dread this time of year. Not because I do not have someone to celebrate the holiday with or love. I dread this time of year because I never know what to do for my special someone.

It is easy for my husband to pick Valentines day to clean the house for me or cook me dinner or babysit the kids so I can have a moments peace. But I can not do those things for him because.........I do them every day!

I am also not the type of person who likes the simple and ordinary Valentine ideas ( cards, chocolates, teddy bears,etc.) I like to do things like planning a romantic dinner ontop of a hill somewhere, with music playing and sparkling sider. Or even a fun night doing something out of the ordinary like going to a play.

Here is the problem. I can come up with fun ideas all night that I might like, but My husband would not. So I am asking if any of you friends out there have any good ideas of what to do for husbands on Valentines Day.

p.s. Fell free to have your fun husbands give ideas to mine for Valentines. Much Thanks!