Abigail’s first basketball season is coming to an end. She only has a few games left and then it’s on to spring soccer. She has the same fantastic coach that coaches her soccer team and many of the same girls from soccer have also been on her basketball team. They are a great group of girls and are easily the better team in the league. I was so glad I took the video camera to her game on Saturday cause she was on fire. She made at least seven baskets and has really come far for being her first time playing. You’d never know how nervous she gets before each game. In fact last week she told me she wished they only had practices and no games. Once she gets on the court though she clearly enjoys it.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Bon Jovi LIVE!!!
Friday was going to be just another day. I thought the pinnacle of excitement for me would be doing our taxes that morning. However, while running errands with Jason I heard on the radio they were giving away tickets to see Bon Jovi. I was so excited and texted Justin to see if he knew when they were coming. His first reply was “I think mid April” then “I’m wrong” then “it’s today”. Now I was totally freaking out. How did I not hear they were opening their tour here in Seattle?
I’ve only been to one real concert in my entire life. It was Boston when I was 17. I’ve been tempted many times, but Justin and I have completely different tastes in music. He’s seen Garth Brooks in concert three times and I’d choose Def Leppard or Bon Jovi any day. I’ve always said though that the ultimate concert for me would be to see Bon Jovi. And here they were in Seattle and I didn’t have tickets.
I immediately came home and got on the computer and was relieved to find that tickets were still available. What ever it took I knew I was going to see Bon Jovi.
We ended up deciding the best way to get tickets would be to head downtown and see what the box office still had available or purchase tickets off the street. As we were cruising downtown in the carpool lane I told Justin there was a cop in the far right lane. Justin has a cop-phobia so he very indiscreetly slowed down and got out of the carpool lane. Next we see the flashing lights and of course we’re thinking we’re in for a real expensive evening. The cop walked up to the car, looked us over and immediately asked if I was in labor and if we were heading to the hospital. We weren’t sure if it would help our case to tell him we were heading to the Bon Jovi concert so we simply said ‘no’. He took Justin’s license, registration, etc… and then let us go after telling us we had a headlight out. Phew! Anyhow, once downtown we found a guy selling great tickets at below cost. Done deal – we were in!
Dashboard Confessionals was the opening act and I to my surprise I even knew a few of their songs. I loved that they openly admitted to be nervous. First night touring with Bon Jovi… seriously, what band wouldn’t be a tad nervous? They were fantastic though.
Of course Bon Jovi was awesome. Our seats couldn’t have been more than 150 feet from the stage.
Me and Jon
To see them play in person was really quite surreal. Definitely a dream of mine and they didn’t disappoint.
Isn’t this just as you’d picture Jon? And oh, my that smile of his!
I’ve only been to one real concert in my entire life. It was Boston when I was 17. I’ve been tempted many times, but Justin and I have completely different tastes in music. He’s seen Garth Brooks in concert three times and I’d choose Def Leppard or Bon Jovi any day. I’ve always said though that the ultimate concert for me would be to see Bon Jovi. And here they were in Seattle and I didn’t have tickets.
I immediately came home and got on the computer and was relieved to find that tickets were still available. What ever it took I knew I was going to see Bon Jovi.
We ended up deciding the best way to get tickets would be to head downtown and see what the box office still had available or purchase tickets off the street. As we were cruising downtown in the carpool lane I told Justin there was a cop in the far right lane. Justin has a cop-phobia so he very indiscreetly slowed down and got out of the carpool lane. Next we see the flashing lights and of course we’re thinking we’re in for a real expensive evening. The cop walked up to the car, looked us over and immediately asked if I was in labor and if we were heading to the hospital. We weren’t sure if it would help our case to tell him we were heading to the Bon Jovi concert so we simply said ‘no’. He took Justin’s license, registration, etc… and then let us go after telling us we had a headlight out. Phew! Anyhow, once downtown we found a guy selling great tickets at below cost. Done deal – we were in!
Dashboard Confessionals was the opening act and I to my surprise I even knew a few of their songs. I loved that they openly admitted to be nervous. First night touring with Bon Jovi… seriously, what band wouldn’t be a tad nervous? They were fantastic though.
Opening act: Dashboard Confessionals
Of course Bon Jovi was awesome. Our seats couldn’t have been more than 150 feet from the stage.
Video Clip for any Bon Jovi fans:
My favorite part of the concert was when he came out further into the crowd and sang “Hallelujah” and “Bed of Roses.”
Me and JonTo see them play in person was really quite surreal. Definitely a dream of mine and they didn’t disappoint.
Isn’t this just as you’d picture Jon? And oh, my that smile of his!Thursday, February 18, 2010
Mid-Winter Break & Organization
Apparently this is our last mid-winter break. I’ve always thought it was a crazy break, coming only 6 weeks after a 2 week Christmas break, and followed shortly by a week-long spring break in April. I actually love having my kids at home with me all day and enjoying a week of lazy mornings, but it will be great to get out of school before the end of June next year. I’m trying to take full advantage of our time off this week. While many are heading off to Disneyland, Hawaii, and San Diego we’ve been doing some organizing.
We have a cupboard in our kitchen that the girls are able to keep some of their crafty stuff. Keeping it organized has been a battle we’ve been fighting for years. Most of the time we open the cupboard papers and stickers fall all over the floor. I was inspired to get organized by a recent post by Becky Higgins, a scrapbooking and organizing genius (link).
Craft Cupboard: the before and after
The craft cupboard really is one of the least of our organizational nightmares so we didn’t stop there. For the most part we enter our house through the garage, which means our laundry room is the first room I see everytime I come home. A few years ago we put in shelves so we could store our shoes, games, etc… We can fit a ton of stuff in there, but everything always seemed to just get shoved wherever we could cram it (loose puzzle pieces, craft projects, card games… basically anything and everything.)
This is what welcomed me home:
Of course, things tend to get worse before they get better:
Having the girls home has been a HUGE help, in fact we let them stay up til almost 10pm Monday night trying to finish getting the laundry room cleaned out.
Laundry Room: the before and after
Becky’s post was really about getting her bathroom closet organized so I decided it was time to get our linen/medicine closet organized. The results of this project make me the most excited. With the piles of medicine we had in here we never knew what we had (I found 3 bottles of Tylenol). This way everything has its place and the next time we need Children’s Tylenol in the middle of the night we won’t have to search for it.
Linen Closet: the before and after
Don’t get the wrong idea. These are probably the only 3 areas of my house at all presentable at this moment, but I’m working on it. This nesting stuff is really tiresome!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Freedom
Do you know there are people that actually enjoy working out? That blows my mind. I’ve spent the last two YEARS (nearly 28 months) forcing myself to go to the gym at least twice a week. Exercise had never been a part of my life up until that point. I can honestly say I’ve hated nearly every moment. Had it been free I never would have gone, but the fact that money was being deducted from my account each month the pressure of how to fit it into my week was always on my mind. What’s worse is that it did me very little good. My “baby weight” from Jason’s pregnancy came off slower than either of my two pregnancies before and I never even lost it all. Why would someone ever put forth that much effort to lose weight when they know full-well they will only gain it back again? I’ll give myself some slack because I didn’t think we’d brave another pregnancy. But here I am again, humongous (heavier than I’ve ever been at this point in any pregnancy) – despite the fact that I spent over two YEARS “getting in shape” and that I have continued to exercise throughout this pregnancy. All those hours, all that gas money, all the gym membership money wasted. Today is a bright day. As of today I no longer have a gym membership (technically I’m on medical leave due to my bad back). It’s been two years too long. I’m finally a free woman.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
The Hardships of Nesting
.
I’m “nesting”
My to-do list is REALLY, really long
Which is a problem
While I have plenty of desire
I don’t have enough time
Or enough money
Or enough skill
Or enough energy
The result is feelings of stress and frustration
Over the past few days I tackled one of the many items on my before-baby-comes-to-do-list. Sorting through old clothing. Including each and every bin and box we’ve been storing in the garage. I knew it would be a big job, but wasn’t quite expecting to put in the 8-10 hours that it has taken. Typically I try and get rid of stuff we don’t need at the massive neighborhood garage sale in May, but this year it falls 2 weeks after my due date. While I’m not entirely confident I’ll be up for it this year, I’m going to do what I can to be prepared for it just in case.
It’s been fun to see some of the girls old baby clothes and hang up some of the things we will be able to use again, but it’s also been hard for me to go through Jason’s baby clothes. I feel quite certain we won’t have a need for any boy clothing ever again (yes, three years ago I was saying the same thing and look at where we are now). He had some really cute stuff that’s still in excellent condition and to sell it for a measly $2 is something I’m really struggling with. I don’t think it’s so much of a sentimental thing, I think it’s more of my being too frugal. Giving it all away for free does sound generous, but let’s face it, my cheap side overpowers my generous side 90% of the time.
Anyhow, everything has been gone through and I can check one task off my to-do list. However, you may be seeing our baby girl dressed in sweater vests and corduroys unless I can come to terms with letting go.
I’m “nesting”
My to-do list is REALLY, really long
Which is a problem
While I have plenty of desire
I don’t have enough time
Or enough money
Or enough skill
Or enough energy
The result is feelings of stress and frustration
Over the past few days I tackled one of the many items on my before-baby-comes-to-do-list. Sorting through old clothing. Including each and every bin and box we’ve been storing in the garage. I knew it would be a big job, but wasn’t quite expecting to put in the 8-10 hours that it has taken. Typically I try and get rid of stuff we don’t need at the massive neighborhood garage sale in May, but this year it falls 2 weeks after my due date. While I’m not entirely confident I’ll be up for it this year, I’m going to do what I can to be prepared for it just in case.
It’s been fun to see some of the girls old baby clothes and hang up some of the things we will be able to use again, but it’s also been hard for me to go through Jason’s baby clothes. I feel quite certain we won’t have a need for any boy clothing ever again (yes, three years ago I was saying the same thing and look at where we are now). He had some really cute stuff that’s still in excellent condition and to sell it for a measly $2 is something I’m really struggling with. I don’t think it’s so much of a sentimental thing, I think it’s more of my being too frugal. Giving it all away for free does sound generous, but let’s face it, my cheap side overpowers my generous side 90% of the time.
Anyhow, everything has been gone through and I can check one task off my to-do list. However, you may be seeing our baby girl dressed in sweater vests and corduroys unless I can come to terms with letting go.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Abigail's Baptism Weekend
Abigail was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday. This was a day that we have all been looking forward to for a very long time.
Abigail was baptized by her Dad. (baptism link)
Abigail was baptized by her Dad. (baptism link)
After her baptism she was given the gift of the Holy Ghost and a special blessing from Justin. (Holy Ghost link)
It was an emotional day for me. So many blessings come from our membership in the church. How grateful I am to have the knowledge that we have. What a comfort it is to know that Abigail can have the Holy Ghost to help guide her throughout her life.
For years she’s been looking forward to receiving her very own set of scriptures. It’s a tradition in my family that my Mom gives each of her grandkids a set of scriptures when they get baptized. Abigail was thrilled! She’s already marked a few of her favorites.
Afterward we had refreshments at our house. Everything was egg-free and nut-free, including two yummy desserts. This was HUGE for Abigail. Can you imagine what it would be like to taste cheesecake for the first time in your life? Abigail thought everything was wonderful.
The person who gave the closing prayer after the baptism and confirmation suggested that those that were baptized write about their baptism so they will always remember how they felt. Abigail loves to write and took the time yesterday to put down her thoughts about her special day. As I read it today I was very touched. She included details about the people that were there and the songs that were sung (and the desserts that she loved), but she also wrote about feeling the spirit and how special she felt throughout the day. I hope she will always remember those feelings.
The person who gave the closing prayer after the baptism and confirmation suggested that those that were baptized write about their baptism so they will always remember how they felt. Abigail loves to write and took the time yesterday to put down her thoughts about her special day. As I read it today I was very touched. She included details about the people that were there and the songs that were sung (and the desserts that she loved), but she also wrote about feeling the spirit and how special she felt throughout the day. I hope she will always remember those feelings.
flowers from Justin's sister's familyand a new bracelet from Grandma & Grandpa Fletcher
We had a relaxing weekend with my Mom and her husband in town. It was exactly what I needed. My never-ending to-do list has been stressing me out lately so to spend an entire weekend playing games and reading was perfect. And it totally helps that both my Mom and Val were great at entertaining the kids and were always helping out around the house. My Mom gave Abigail Dominos for her birthday and with a little instruction from Val I now have two little Domino-addicts at my house. Thankfully it’s a fun game for the whole family so the hours we’ll spend playing will be enjoyable.
My Mom and Val left this afternoon. As we were driving away from the airport I noticed Carly was quietly crying in the back seat. Visits with Grandma mean so much to the kids and it’s always so emotional to say good-bye. Thankfully we won’t have to wait too long since she’ll be back in April to help when the new baby comes. And she’s promised Carly it will be more than just three days.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Two and a Half
Today is Jason’s half-birthday. That’s right, our little guy is already 2 ½ years old.
Jason reached a few milestones this past week. He has started putting three words together. We’re a no-shoe house so everytime we come home Jason sits down and wants help taking his shoes off. This past week “shoe off” progressed to “shoe off, please”. He uses this phrase several times a day now. I’m sure it helps that he gets lots of praise when it says it. When we were getting out of the van this afternoon and he wanted to be unbuckled he said, “me out, please.” We still have a long way to go, but we are so excited about all the progress he is making with his speech.
Another major milestone this week is that Jason has moved out of the nursery and into his BIG BOY room. Our once purple room was transformed into Jason’s new blue room over the weekend. The girls were excited to help out, but they made us much too nervous to let them help for very long.
Monday night was Jason first night in his new room and bed. He did awesome! He’s gone to bed super easy and has napped just as well (and long) as usual. I expected some sort of struggle but so far it’s been a breeze.
Justin got to pick out Jason’s bedding and went with the sport theme. All we need to complete his room is some navy curtains and maybe a couple pictures (for now we’re using the curtains from the nursery).
As we started painting we realized the color we selected is almost identical to the play kitchen in the corner. And yes, Jason is still using a binkie at night – that’s our next hurdle before the baby comes. Hopefully that transition goes just as smoothly.
I couldn’t resist taking a picture of Jason spending his first night in his BIG BOY room - what a cute kid!
"Wee-O"
Today Jason’s class had a field trip to the fire station. Jason LOVES cars, trains, construction equipment, fire trucks… all those boyish machines. We went to a fire station last year with Carly’s pre-school, but despite his fascination with fire engines he was too nervous to really enjoy it. What a difference a year makes. He had a blast today checking out all the trucks and hoses and didn’t hesitate at all to climb into the fire truck with a strange fireman.
He didn’t want to get out of the driver’s seat and kept signing “more” “more”
Group shot (only a few of these kiddos attend the same class as Jason)
Monday, January 18, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Late Night Party
Last night was Abigail’s “Late Night” birthday party. She’s been so excited about this party for ages. I’ll admit it kind of snuck up on us having been away for Christmas and then suddenly needing to get invitations out. We kept it super simple though so it wasn’t something we stressed out about at all. Like I mentioned before it was really hard to come up with our “list” – there’s no way we could invite all her friends from church, school, sports teams, and the neighborhood. Hopefully everyone understood and we didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings.
Including my girls we had a dozen girls at our house
Including my girls we had a dozen girls at our house
(Jason also stayed up late for the party).
We played some fun games Justin found on the internet – “Who Am I?” where each girl was assigned an identity they needed to find out by only asking yes or no questions. Another fun game involved one of Abigail’s favorite candies – Skittles. Each girl took turns taking 2 skittles out of a bowl without looking. If the skittles were the same color they could eat them. If they were different colors they had to keep them in their mouth without swallowing them. By the time we called it quits our friend Lydia hadn’t had a single match and was holding over 20 skittles in her mouth.
Instead of cake we let the girls make their own ice-cream sundaes. Then we all watched “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” Before we knew it, it was already 10 o’clock and time for us to send the girls home – hopefully they weren’t too sugared-up to go right to bed.
Overall it was a great party and I think everyone had a good time, especially our birthday girl.
Overall it was a great party and I think everyone had a good time, especially our birthday girl.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Great at Eight
Today we celebrated Abigail’s eighth birthday. Lately we’ve been waking up with just enough time for Abigail to eat breakfast and comb her hair, but today we had an entire 35 minutes so there was plenty of time for her to shower and eat a special egg-free pancake breakfast before heading off to school.
For lunch we picked up Abigail from school and took her to McDonalds where as a special birthday treat, not only could she order a kids meal, but she was able to order a mighty kids meal. Really there’s nothing “mighty” about the mighty meal. Last week Abigail ate all but a few bites of her free gourmet adult-sized birthday burger at Red Robin, with French fries, and the large sundae they brought out to her. Kid’s meals just aren’t going to cut it for this girl much longer.
Abigail requested her favorite meal of chicken biscuits with rice for dinner after which we invited Justin’s family over for her favorite dessert… Oreo Madness.
Here’s a little about Abigail at eight: (If you don’t want to hear me praise her for all her incredibleness than you can skip this part, cause seriously she is the best)
Academically she continues to excel. She still maintains a top ten spot in her grade for reading and passing the most AR tests. She has mastered all of her multiplication and division math facts and is currently working on squares, which she thinks is a breeze cause it’s just like multiplication. If you ask me what 11 times 12 is I would need a calculator or a minute (or two) to work it out in my head. She has yet to misspell a spelling word on any spelling test EVER and I can’t take an ounce of credit for it. She does her homework on her own without any difficulty. She is also very excited to be learning cursive. She’s been making up her own version of cursive for over a year now so it will be good for her to learn the correct way.
She recently started playing basketball and has really good ball control when dribbling. I have yet to see them practice shooting, but I’m sure she’ll get that down in no time. I love that my kids didn’t inherit my severe lack of coordination. We are excited for her first game on the 23rd. I’m sure she’ll be very nervous but that she’ll do great.
Abigail is a friend to everyone. Seriously, people love her. She has so many friends that it was extremely difficult to trim down her birthday party invitees. Most of her friends are older than her. Only one friend coming to her party is younger and several are 2-3 years older, but you’d never guess it. While Abigail is mature beyond her age in many ways, she is also very naïve. She assumes nothing but the best intentions from everyone. Having older friends is slightly worrisome, while we’ve kept Abigail shielded from the likes of Hannah Montana and High School Musical other kids her age are already talking about boyfriends and popular celebrities and musical artists. If I could have it my way we’d keep life simple and innocent forever.
Abigail is very loving to her younger sister and brother and I am certain she’ll be a HUGE help once this baby arrives. She’s an excellent big sister. Unfortunately, if anyone is unhappy she immediately gets the blame. Not because she’s at fault, but I think that’s just how the pecking order goes. Our expectations have always been high for her and as a result she puts a lot of pressure on herself to do her best. The poor girl doesn’t give herself much slack.
Abigail is extremely easy to please. She wants for nothing. Several people have asked her what she wants for her birthday and she can’t think of a thing. She honestly wouldn’t even notice if a friend didn’t bring her a present. When I offered to take her to lunch for her birthday she said I didn’t have to because I took her out to McDonald’s last year for her birthday (of course we have been since then). Several times after lunch today she thanked me for taking her out… she takes very little for granted. We are so lucky! When we were deciding what treat to bring in for her class today, Abigail kept saying that she didn’t want to bring in rice krispie treats just because it was something she could eat. She said she was fine bringing in something that she couldn’t eat so that the class could have something better. Isn’t that nuts? What kid wants to take in some delicious treat and watch everyone else enjoy it on THEIR birthday?
To say we love this girl is an understatement. Our family wouldn’t function properly without her and we couldn’t be happier with the young lady she’s becoming.
Happy Birthday Abigail!
For lunch we picked up Abigail from school and took her to McDonalds where as a special birthday treat, not only could she order a kids meal, but she was able to order a mighty kids meal. Really there’s nothing “mighty” about the mighty meal. Last week Abigail ate all but a few bites of her free gourmet adult-sized birthday burger at Red Robin, with French fries, and the large sundae they brought out to her. Kid’s meals just aren’t going to cut it for this girl much longer.
Abigail requested her favorite meal of chicken biscuits with rice for dinner after which we invited Justin’s family over for her favorite dessert… Oreo Madness.
Here’s a little about Abigail at eight: (If you don’t want to hear me praise her for all her incredibleness than you can skip this part, cause seriously she is the best)
Academically she continues to excel. She still maintains a top ten spot in her grade for reading and passing the most AR tests. She has mastered all of her multiplication and division math facts and is currently working on squares, which she thinks is a breeze cause it’s just like multiplication. If you ask me what 11 times 12 is I would need a calculator or a minute (or two) to work it out in my head. She has yet to misspell a spelling word on any spelling test EVER and I can’t take an ounce of credit for it. She does her homework on her own without any difficulty. She is also very excited to be learning cursive. She’s been making up her own version of cursive for over a year now so it will be good for her to learn the correct way.
She recently started playing basketball and has really good ball control when dribbling. I have yet to see them practice shooting, but I’m sure she’ll get that down in no time. I love that my kids didn’t inherit my severe lack of coordination. We are excited for her first game on the 23rd. I’m sure she’ll be very nervous but that she’ll do great.
Abigail is a friend to everyone. Seriously, people love her. She has so many friends that it was extremely difficult to trim down her birthday party invitees. Most of her friends are older than her. Only one friend coming to her party is younger and several are 2-3 years older, but you’d never guess it. While Abigail is mature beyond her age in many ways, she is also very naïve. She assumes nothing but the best intentions from everyone. Having older friends is slightly worrisome, while we’ve kept Abigail shielded from the likes of Hannah Montana and High School Musical other kids her age are already talking about boyfriends and popular celebrities and musical artists. If I could have it my way we’d keep life simple and innocent forever.
Abigail is very loving to her younger sister and brother and I am certain she’ll be a HUGE help once this baby arrives. She’s an excellent big sister. Unfortunately, if anyone is unhappy she immediately gets the blame. Not because she’s at fault, but I think that’s just how the pecking order goes. Our expectations have always been high for her and as a result she puts a lot of pressure on herself to do her best. The poor girl doesn’t give herself much slack.
Abigail is extremely easy to please. She wants for nothing. Several people have asked her what she wants for her birthday and she can’t think of a thing. She honestly wouldn’t even notice if a friend didn’t bring her a present. When I offered to take her to lunch for her birthday she said I didn’t have to because I took her out to McDonald’s last year for her birthday (of course we have been since then). Several times after lunch today she thanked me for taking her out… she takes very little for granted. We are so lucky! When we were deciding what treat to bring in for her class today, Abigail kept saying that she didn’t want to bring in rice krispie treats just because it was something she could eat. She said she was fine bringing in something that she couldn’t eat so that the class could have something better. Isn’t that nuts? What kid wants to take in some delicious treat and watch everyone else enjoy it on THEIR birthday?
To say we love this girl is an understatement. Our family wouldn’t function properly without her and we couldn’t be happier with the young lady she’s becoming.
Happy Birthday Abigail!
Monday, January 11, 2010
He’s Back - new and improved
Over the past few months I’ve been certain that we left our sweet little boy somewhere in the Caribbean. The boy we brought home was much more demanding, he had picked up an obnoxious whine, he didn’t love as freely, and wanted Mommy over Daddy 99.9% of the time. Of course nobody outside our home believed he could be that difficult, but we knew he wasn’t the same.
While we were in Utah Jason underwent a transformation of sorts. He wasn’t nearly as difficult, but he wasn’t completely back to his usual playful self either – he also had a major decrease in appetite.
I’m happy to report that by the time we returned home our sweet little guy had returned to us. Having been without him for the last 2 months I’m seriously having so much fun with him. He cracks me up all time, he wants to shower us with hugs and kisses, he is smiling and laughing so much more, and his appetite as big as his older sisters. Of course I’m sure he’ll always have his stubborn streak, but the difference has been amazing, wonderful, and very, very welcome.
In addition, to a new and improved attitude, Jason is talking a ton. Well, when you aren’t used to much talking at all, his current vocabulary is a HUGE improvement. He uses two word phrases all the time and shocks us with a new word nearly every day.
This past week we’ve overcome another huge hurdle. Jason slept in the same room as Justin and I when we were in Utah so we learned that the boy coughs a lot. It doesn’t seem to bother him at night, but Justin and I got to the point where both of us would rather sleep on the couch than share a room with Jason. During the last few days he’s been wheezy as well as still coughing. We’ve been through this before with Abigail and have hoped we’d be able to keep Jason off daily asthma medication, but it looks like he’s heading down the same path. We’ll meet with an allergist/asthma doctor next week to get their recommendation. In the meantime we’ve had to do some treatments with the nebulizer. In the past this has always been a struggle. What kid wants to be pined down for 20 minutes with a mask on their face while some machine loudly pumps meds into their body? Jason shocked me by being more than willing to cooperate. In fact this afternoon he held the mouthpiece in his mouth all by himself until every last drop was gone (watching Curious George, of course).
While we were in Utah Jason underwent a transformation of sorts. He wasn’t nearly as difficult, but he wasn’t completely back to his usual playful self either – he also had a major decrease in appetite.
I’m happy to report that by the time we returned home our sweet little guy had returned to us. Having been without him for the last 2 months I’m seriously having so much fun with him. He cracks me up all time, he wants to shower us with hugs and kisses, he is smiling and laughing so much more, and his appetite as big as his older sisters. Of course I’m sure he’ll always have his stubborn streak, but the difference has been amazing, wonderful, and very, very welcome.
In addition, to a new and improved attitude, Jason is talking a ton. Well, when you aren’t used to much talking at all, his current vocabulary is a HUGE improvement. He uses two word phrases all the time and shocks us with a new word nearly every day.
This past week we’ve overcome another huge hurdle. Jason slept in the same room as Justin and I when we were in Utah so we learned that the boy coughs a lot. It doesn’t seem to bother him at night, but Justin and I got to the point where both of us would rather sleep on the couch than share a room with Jason. During the last few days he’s been wheezy as well as still coughing. We’ve been through this before with Abigail and have hoped we’d be able to keep Jason off daily asthma medication, but it looks like he’s heading down the same path. We’ll meet with an allergist/asthma doctor next week to get their recommendation. In the meantime we’ve had to do some treatments with the nebulizer. In the past this has always been a struggle. What kid wants to be pined down for 20 minutes with a mask on their face while some machine loudly pumps meds into their body? Jason shocked me by being more than willing to cooperate. In fact this afternoon he held the mouthpiece in his mouth all by himself until every last drop was gone (watching Curious George, of course).
Welcome back Jason! We’ve missed you!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Happy New Year!
We had a great time welcoming in 2010 at my sister Brenda’s house. They’ve developed an impressive balloon drop contraption that we couldn’t wait to see in action.
But first there was a little Rock Band action
Justin and Cammy on the drums, Lee and Ray on vocals, Brenda on guitar and Carly handled the foot pedal of the drums.
Apparently during the week Abigail and Carly’s cousins introduced to them to Taylor Swift. Abigail knew all the words to many of her songs and had a great time singing along with her cousins.
We woke up Jason just in time for the balloon drop. He was highly impressed and was talking about it first thing the next morning (I just know he was dreaming about balloons and stars all night).
As if over 200 balloons and confetti wasn’t enough there was plenty of silly string to make the New Year even more exciting.
Thanks for a great party! Happy New Year!
More Utah Fun!
Since all my family was in Utah for Christmas and my Mom’s wedding, our week was filled with fun events and activities. The kids played with cousins every day and even got to have a sleepover with their cousins Caylee and Emily. They had a great time and can’t wait to do it again.
They went sledding
They went sledding
Apparently Jason got spooked when his cousin ran him down and the hill was a little too steep for our little guy so Justin and Jason didn't get to do much sledding, but the girls had a blast.
Jason doin’ a little bum-sledding
Sunday morning we attended church with my nephew who recently turned twelve and was receiving the priesthood (link). Justin was asked to perform the ordination and we were grateful to be there for his special day. It was a neat experience.
My Mom made up a fun activity for Jason – well, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. He enjoyed being whirled around in Grandma’s office chair until he and the chair toppled over.
During the week we put together two 1000 piece puzzles that my Grandparents had. The kids pitched in when we had just a few pieces left. Doing puzzles is something my family always did during Christmas break when we were kids.
One evening we got together with a few of my friends from high school. It was fun to see everyone's kids and catch-up on each others lives.
A Wedding
Last Tuesday my Mom married Val Kesler
Aren't they a cute couple?
After the short ceremony we enjoyed visiting with friends and family over a delicious BBQ lunch. Many of my Mom's sisters were able to attend as well as my Grandma Ikhaml.
All of the grandkids were wearing new clothes for family pictures, but we weren't taking pictures until after lunch... it was a little worrisome (BBQ w/light colored clothing), but I think we made it without any clothing disasters.
This was Jason's first time wearing a white shirt and tie. Even though his tie was way too long I think he looked adorable.
Congratulations Mom! We are so happy for you!
