find joy in the journey

spring break: day 10, 11, & 12

day 10

Started the day with a fun idea.  I wrote out a few activities, games, & fun things to do on strips and folded them up and put them into a bucket -- the bucket o' fun.  Then each hour the boys got to choose something from the bucket and we did it.  10:00 - play Pop up Pirate.  11:00 - play Loopin' Louie.  12:20 - have a parade.  But then it was time for Anna's nap, so that game got put aside.

We had hamburgers for dinner and Scott majorly burned 3 of his fingers on a burner that said "off" but was actually on high.  (A small assembly error that we quickly corrected).  He's got some pretty big blisters on his fingers now.

day 11

General Conference!  I love general conference weekend.  In the past, though, as I try to pay attention to the speakers I get so annoyed by all the noise the kids generate.  So this year we put our little tv/dvd player in the boys' room, started them on Star Wars, and shut the door.  It worked magically for both sessions.  Although, now their room stinks to high heaven.  Why are boys so smelly?  I'm washing their sheets today and the window is open to air things out.  Let's hope it works.

In the morning session I sooo enjoyed Elder Holland's talk (he's always my favorite).  He spoke about our words and how we should be careful with how we use them.  Examples included the verbal and emotional abuse that can occur from a husband to his wife.  Then speaking to women he said that we have such angelic, gentle voices by nature -- but to hear them become shrill is not very becoming.  He also commented on gossip and caddyness -- things that we should not use our words for.  He addressed the words we speak to our children -- that we should uplift & encourage them, everything we say should be constructive and never to call them things like fat, lazy, stupid, etc. because those words will leave an imprint on our children forever.  And finally the words we use when speaking to ourselves -- we shouldn't think negatively of ourselves.

I really enjoyed hearing the Tabernacle Choir sing.  "Come Thou Fount" was absolutely beautiful -- gave me goosebumps.  That is such an amazing song.  I always wonder why it isn't in the hymnbook.

In the afternoon I enjoyed Bonnie Parkin's talk (sad to see her released from the general RS Presidency -- she is amazing).  She spoke on gratitude -- gratitude is an expression of our faith, and lots of other good thoughts.  And it was pretty cool to see conference back in the tabernacle for just one session as they did the  rededication  -- definitely one of those historic moments in church history.

5:00 -- the clothespin game from the bucket-o-fun.  Have you ever played this before?  Basically you stand or kneel over a bowl or jar (depends on the degree of difficulty you want) . . . put the clothespin to your chin and drop it and try to get it into the bowl.  oober-simple, mildly entertaining, and gets your kids to concentrate on the task at hand. 

day 12

I can already tell you what we'll be doing.  Watching more general conference.

And hooray!  Spring break is over!  I'm anxious to get back to our routine and to ship these boys out for a few hours each day.

spring break: day 9

Gorgeous day today.  Just absolutely gorgeous.  The kind of day that staying indoors really should be a crime.  I took the kids to an extra special park for picnic and playing.  They had so much fun.  Completely occupied for 2 solid hours.  I was snapping a few pics here and there when I heard Payton call for me, "Mom!  Come take my picture!"  You better believe that I went running.  Payton often ditches group shots and shies away when I put the lens on him.  He was such a cutie today -- I'm so glad I was able to capture that sweet face.

The rest of the day:  watched Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, t-ball practice for Conner, and Fruit Loops for dinner.

spring break: day 8

new annuals in the flower pots today.  I had all 3 kids outside with me (in the front yard), thought it would be a fun project to do together.  And oh my, the dirt was flying.

I went to the dentist today to finish up my root canal.  Everything looks good and can I just say what a difference from two weeks ago.  As I was being escorted through the office I felt like everyone was looking at me thinking, "oh it's that girl."  I thanked my dentist again and assured her that I'm not typically a high-maintenance patient.  I still have to go to my real dentist to remove the temporary filling and put in a permanent one.  That visit will be my 9th dental appointment in 2007.  And you can be assured that I have maxed out my insurance coverage for the year . . . . again.  I start to wonder if I should have married a denist.  No . . . I love my sarbanes-oxley auditing husband way too much.  Maybe one of my brothers need to become a denist.  Denver! . . . . I've got your career path chosen for you.  Now you just need to hurry & finish that mission before all my teeth fall out.

I got a sitter to watch the kids while I went to my appointment, so I decided to take advantage of my freedom in town to do a little shopping.  It was very nice.  I was also reminded of why Target is such a dangerous place.  Although I have to admit that I kinda had a hard time relaxing & being able to enjoy my shopping time.  For some reason I felt guilty for not rushing home to relieve the sitter.  It was weird because I usually don't feel that way.  I'm sure it was because we were trying out someone new.  At least it helped me get out of Target before I put too much in my cart!

Look at the hair on this girl's head!  (Payton took this while we were outside).  This photo doesn't do it justice but she have the cutest little curls around her neck.  I love it.  Still not enough hair on top to do anything with.  I've tried little clips, but they just slide right out.  Someday!

spring break: day 6 & 7

day 6

The painting of the eggs.  We used birthday candles as our paintbrushes.  In the morning the boys picked out a recipe for FHE treats and we made them together -- basically rice krispie treats but with cheerios. 

day 7

I don't know what it is but the noise & running around & arguing & general "getting on mom's nerves" is quickly escalating.  I decided that maybe we've been cooped up too long so we took a trip to Fred Meyer.  Conner was sooo sad that he is too old for the playland (only for kids 2-5).  But Payton thoroughly enjoyed the toys and watching Pinocchio for the hour that the rest of us shopped.  Not much else going on.

spring break: day 4 & 5

day 4

Scott took the boys to see the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  They loved it.  Although Conner tried to burp at dinner like Michaelangelo and we quickly let him know that was not going to happen.

day 5

Church.  I taught in Relief Society -- yay!  I'm off for another 4 weeks!  Scott made us pancakes & bacon for dinner -- he makes the best, most perfect pancakes.  I was halfway through eating the last piece of bacon when Payton (who loves bacon) asked if he could have some more.  Scott told him no, it was all gone.  Thinking I could milk the situation I said to him with bacon in hand, "Payton, how much do you love me?"  And he replied, "I don't know . . .I just want some bacon!"  We were cracking up.

spring break: day 3

A mostly uneventful day.  I thought the weather was supposed to be nice, but not so much.  So no park day.  Although I did brave the grocery store with all three kids (we were completely out of bread and fruit and lunch hour was approaching).  They were actually very good in the store.

Kids spent part of the morning coloring and watching lots of new Backyardigans episodes (they loved Cops & Robot -- now they are talking in monotone robot voices).  I boiled some eggs for the purpose of painting them as a fun activity, but we never got around to that.

I got the new Shade catalog in the mail.  Holy moly -- everything is at once right in the world.  They have come out with a brand new line of  . . . . . swimwear.  You must check it out.

Made some white chocolate macadamia nut cookies (minus the macadamia nuts) and they were delicious!

spring break: day 2

Play-Doh.  The kids played, squished, rolled, and created for almost 2 hours straight.  As in, they never left their chairs.  I had to put an end to the fun when it was time to clear the table for lunch.

The Park, take two.  We only stayed for a half hour but the kids had a really great time.  As we were loading into the van Conner said, "Thank you mom for taking us to the park for two days."  And the entire ride home was graced with their silence, each staring off into space, I'm guessing pretty worn out.

spring break: day 1

I decided since it was the first day of spring break we would take it easy.  In the morning Conner was so excited about it being spring break because that meant he got to watch all their shows.  So I let them do just that all morning long.  Blue's Clues, Dora, Go Diego Go, Backyardigans, The Wonder Pets (and maybe some repeats in there too).  Somehow we missed Wow Wow Wubzy, though -- darn it, I Iike that show.

Then after an early lunch we headed to the park to enjoy the sun on this crisp first day of spring.

Thinking about my tv-loving children reminds me of a funny thing the other day.  Payton, Anna, and I were walking the aisles at Walmart.  As we start going down the dog food aisle Payton asks me what all this stuff is and I tell him.  A few moments later I look back to Payton who has fallen behind, very interested in a certain bag of dog food, when he exclaims, "Mom!  Look!  It's Beneful!  It's Beneful!"  What???!!  Then I realize that he sees a commercial for Beneful brand dog food every single day in between his shows.  The following day I was with Conner in a parking lot when he says, "look mom, it's a Kia Sedona" -- also a popular commercial on Nick Jr.  I'm thinking that maybe my kids are watching too much tv, or else it's just really good marketing.  Probably both.  We'll work on cutting back the tv tomorrow. ;)

R-2 Returns

Conner has this R-2 toy that he loves -- it's interactive, you give it voice commands & it does some pretty fun stuff. But for a very long time the batteries have been dead and it has sat on the top of a shelf collecting dust. About a week ago Conner became insistent that we put new batteries in it and admittedly we were brushed him off -- oh, we'll do that later. Not too satisfied with us he even left Scott a note under the laundry room door (so he would see it when he walked in from work) saying, "dad, can you please fix R2 now?"



So we fixed R2 and had a big party this evening. Conner just couldn't be happier.

toothy update

Thank you so much for all the nice comments, e-mails, & phone calls I've received in the last 2 days.  I feel loved!  Things are getting better.  I'm finally at a point where the meds are actually working so I'm not in cringing pain all the time.  Not quite to 100% -- my body often feels like it's dragging (I think that's the result of so many meds -- a blessing & a curse).  But, I'm sleeping.  I'm eating.  I'm even cooking & cleaning.  I took a break from that for about 4 days and you wouldn't think that that's such a long time to let things go.  Oh, but it is.  So I'm in catch up mode.  Yesterday it was laundry, vacumm, & pay bills.  Today it's the kitchen & bathrooms. 

Anyways, just wanted to jump in here and say hi & thanks in a short post for a change. =)

tooth troubles

This could potentially be a [really] long post (warning you in advance).  But hopefully I can end it with something worthwhile.

For all of you out there with "bad" teeth (I know there are a few of you), I hope you can empathize with me.  As for those who have never had a cavity (like Scott . . grrr), you are lucky.

wednesday, Feb 28 -- finished a series of 2 dentist appointments to replace a filling and put on a new crown.

last tuesday -- my tooth right next to the new crown starts to feel a little funny.  It also has a crown on it and had a root canal done about 5 or 6 years ago.  Tuesday night I woke up in the middle of the night with it aching and took some Tylenol.

wednesday --  Tooth is still hurting.  A little tylenol here and there is doing an alright job of helping out.  I decide I should call my dentist and make an appointment.

thursday -- Tooth still hurting.  I go into the dentist in the morning.  They look at me and think that the problem may be a misalignment in my bite, due to the new crown pushing things around.  They work for a little bit to shave the surface down and send me on my way.  She said it should start feeling a little better the next day, and if I wasn't 100% by the beginning of the following week I should come back in for some fine-tuning.

friday -- tooth still hurting.  A little more.  At this point I'm depending upon my Advil every 4-6 hours and watching the clock for when I can have more.  It got worse throughout the day and Scott brought home Chinese for dinner because I was not in any condition to cook.  By the evening I could not sleep -- maybe a total of 3 hours the entire night.  I was up at 1:30am eating a bowl of ice cream to try to soothe the pain.  Back in bed at 3am, and up again at 5am.

saturday --  I was excited for my big day at the scrapbooking convention with my girls but the tooth is hurting even more.  Before I took off for the day Scott ran to the store and got me some Anbesol (and doughnuts for the boys).  I tried to remain upbeat and keep a smile on my face throughout the day but my tooth was killing me.  Near the end of my Advil doses I found myself breathing very deeply, trying to get through the pain.  During a break I decided I had to call my dentist.  From the dental office's voice mail recording I got a hold of her phone number and called her, leaving a message describing my desparate situation.  Two Advil every 4 hours was not touching the pain.  A couple hours later she called me back!  (Remember, this was saturday).  She told me to up my doses of Advil to 4 every 6 hours and even sent a prescription for Vicodin to the pharmacy.  Now, we're in business!  I got home at 4:30pm, picked up the Rx, and crashed for the rest of the evening.  Another rocky night of sleep.

sunday -- let's just say that on sunday I was completely out of commission.  I spent the whole day on the couch or in my bed.  My whole body was achy and weak and the drugs were making me nauseous.  I also discovered why they tell you not to drive while taking Vicodin.  I remember laying on the couch, my body feeling totally weightless and fuzzy, greatly hindered in my ability to make any purposeful movements with my arms or legs -- but my tooth was still hurting like crazy.  Go figure.  We decided to take a family drive - we had been cooped up too long.  It was nice to get out & get some fresh air, but I had to bring a bowl along just in case.

monday -- enogh is enough.  Time to see the dentist.  I called first thing in the morning and got an appointment for 12:20pm.  At this point I've just had it -- this unrelenting pain had been going on so long, with no real end in sight.  And finally my emotions could not be held back -- I found myself unloading the kids from the van, they're bickering about whatever, and me in tears saying, "guys, I am not feeling well today, I just need you to be good okay?"  I don't think I've ever cried in front of my kids like that -- it caught us both off guard.  At my dentist appointment they take an x-ray and discover that my previous root canal has failed -- it has to be retreated and I need to go to a specialist.  She wrote me a Rx for penicillin.  I barely made it out the door without breaking down.  Then at the grocery store I'm trying to hide the tears as I sit and wait.  Ugghhh, I'm not usually this way!  Then about 2pm I e-mail Scott at work with all that is going on.  He calls me up and as we're discussing the situation, dentist appointments, etc. I totally lose it.  Explaining that I'm in pain, there is no relief in sight, frustrated with everything, and having to deal with the kids on top of that . . . in my sobs he breaks in saying, "Okay, I'm coming home.  I'll see you in an hour."  My hero.  What would I do without him.  That evening and nighttime I experienced more of the same.

today -- I went to the specialist at 8:30 am.  After a quick exam they decide that they need to retreat the root canal.  Scott stayed home this morning, working from home and toting all the kids to school.  We thought it would be wonderful if they could schedule me in today to get it done -- Scott's already home, he could just keep working there all day.  At first it sounded like their schedule was full, but then miraculously they found an opening for me.  (The next available opening was next week).  So I went home, then returned to the dentist at 2:45pm. {I told you this was going to be a long post.}

They start in with the procedure, but first the novocaine shots.  After about 6 shots my cheek was completely numb, but not the tooth.  I had a large infection just underneath the roots and apparently this was making it very difficult to numb the tooth.  So, they decided to give me 2 or 3 injections of anesthesia right into the tooth.  This was the most painful procedure I have ever experienced in a dental chair (and I've spent a lot of time there).  It was horrible, and with my emotions still close to the surface the floodgates opened.  I felt like a real boob, but it really did hurt.  They were very nice and let me work through it.  An hour an and half later it was all over.  She prescribed me more antibiotics (because of the size of the infection) and more Vicodin.

So I hopped in the truck and was just barely on the road when I started to shiver and shake uncontrollably, my legs were very tense & jittery.  I did not feel comfortable driving in this condition so I pulled into the Craft Warehouse parking lot.  I sat there for 10 minutes waiting to see if it would go away, but it didn't.  It was really scary, I was shaking so hard I could barely dial my cell phone.  I called Scott who was on his way out the door to take Conner to tball practice (did I mention what a hero he was today?) and asked him to come get me.  Then I called my dentist (the office had just closed so I got her on her personal line).  She asked where I was and she drove over to see me.  By now, 20 minutes has passed and the shaking has just stopped.  She found me in the parking lot and said this was probably caused by the amount of anesthesia I had, laying down for a long time & getting up quickly, and also the lack of sleep and food I had (with no appetite I think I had a bowl of cereal, hot chocolate, & a few crackers all day).  So, this wonderful woman told me that she would grab me a milkshake from Burgerville.  A few minutes later she came back with a milkshake, fries, & chicken fingers and forced me to eat something even though my appetite & nauseous stomach said no way.  Then she sat in her car and waited until Scott arrived. 

Scott did arrive and I was feeling a little better by then.  We took the whole family into Burgerville and had dinner together, also giving me time to get a little back to normal.  After picking up my new Rx at Rite Aid we each got into a vehicle and Scott followed me all the way home, letting me know I should pull over if I felt I needed to.  I did pretty good and we made it home at 7:15pm.

Holy cow . . . what a day.  And I am one drugged up little girl -- with massive amounts of Advil, Vicodin, two antibiotics, and Anbesol & an ice pack filling in the gaps . . . it is just ridiculous.

So before all the drama of this afternoon, I had been thinking about posting all my dental troubles and tying in how grateful I have been through all of this.  But I have to admit that after this afternoon, I wondered if I was really capable of doing that.  On Sunday night Scott found me writing in my journal -- it was actually my gratitude journal (pictured to the left).  He asked me what I was writing about, I told him it was my gratitude journal, and he said, "well, what do you have to grateful about today?"  Right.  I responded, "You."  Honestly, he has been so amazing through all of this  -- watching the kids all day saturday so I could party, and then assuming the role as Mr. Mom on countless occasions, and coming to my rescue numerous times.  I don't know what I would have done without him.  Other things I'm grateful for:

• A dentist who calls me back on a saturday, genuinely concerned about how I'm feeling and doing all she can to make it better.
• Probably the best dentist ever who went out of her way to find me in a parking lot and bring me a Burgerville milkshake.  Definitely above and beyond the call of duty.
• The financial means to fix my broken teeth.  I'm sure that for some people this kind of stuff is a luxury.

In my AYTR class for this month the theme is gratitude.  And last week Heidi discussed how fun and just plain nice it is to send a thank you note. 

We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.  -- Robert Kennedy

I think that I have two dentists who definitely deserve a thank you note. 

too stinkin' cute

This picture was taken last month, but as I'm browsing through my photos I just can't resist posting it.  They are too stinkin' cute!!

observations

• I think anna's tempramental stage may be due to the fact that she just cut 4 new teeth.  And she's never been happier.  As in crazy, giddy happy. 
• It's very weird to be sitting in my home at 3:19pm surrounded by complete silence.  Scott & I took turns at church today (with Payton sick & coughing).  I came home for my shift to find both Anna and Payton asleep.
• Triaminic Thin Strips are a way cool idea, but I'm not sure that they really work.
• Went to the temple . . . did work for an Asian name . . . the birthdate was listed as "About 0697".  That's right, the year 697.  Crazy.
• French toast and banana milkshakes make for a perfect sunday dinner.
• I need a hair cut -- not quite sure what to do with it though.
• Trying to make a mental list each day of things I'm grateful for (the AYTR theme for March is gratitude).  Think I might even buy a cute little notebook to start writing that kind of stuff in.
• I've run holes through two pairs of nylons in the last two days.  Grrrr.
• Out driving yesterday . . . it was so weird to see clear skies and dry pavement.
• I don't seem to take many pictures of Conner anymore.  Sad.  He's out of that I-want-to-squish-your-cheeks-you're-so-cute stage and often makes a silly face for me when I do say cheese.  So here's a pic so he doesn't think his mother has forgotten him.
• 
• I've just been informed that the Heritage Makers storybook credits I purchased at a party last year (as in 12 months ago) are going to expire soon.  The previous ideals I had of perfection in story telling will need to shift to git er done.
• My room is a mess.  But I am glad to have Scott back home again.
• I'm reading Marjorie Pay Hinckley "Letters" and it is so . . . delightful.  What a fun woman she was.

tales of sweetness

This afternoon I hopped into my bedroom real quick to check my e-mail.  Anna comes walking in carrying her blanket and lays down on the floor.  A little weird -- but I guess not too odd considering she's had the sniffles and we had just returned from a long lunch & playtime at McDonald's.  So I drape the blanket across her and she assumes the snuggly, "I'm tired" position.  Conner, who has joined us by now, begins to say in his soft voice, "aww, Anna are you tired.  I'll get your baby."  And he soon returns with her baby and a pillow that he props under her head.  Then he starts to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" very gently, along with some swaying dance moves.  Payton also joins in on the show.  In a matter of a minute or two I hear them say, "aww, Anna's asleep.  What a cutie pie."  And sure enough, there she is on my bedroom floor peacefully sleeping.  What sweet little boys! 

Another somewhat related story . . .

Conner is such a sweetheart.  I don't know where he gets it but he is sooo affectionate and loving.  He probably tells me 15 times a day that he loves me, he's always coming up to me for random hugs and kisses, and lately he tells me that I am the best mom -- all the time.  The other day it was just him, Anna, and I walking the aisles at Walmart when he was in a particularly giddy mood and he says, "Mom, you are the very best mom.  You know why you're the best mom?  Because you . . are . . pretty!"  Getting compliments like that from your 6-year-old is pretty darn fun.  And he regularly jumps off the bus, gives me a giant hug, and with a sweet smile says, "you're still the best mom."

So the other day I was preparing dinner with my back turned to the kids sitting at the table.  I think I must've been playing with my hair -- pulling it up for a second and then letting it down.  Conner says, "Mom, you look pretty with your hair down."  A little surprised about his attention to such details I said, "thank you.  Does that mean you don't like it when my hair is up?"  Conner:  "Well you just look a little pretty when you hair is up.  But when your hair is down you look very pretty."

When I told this story to Scott he joked that Conner is already learning how to be politically correct.  ha, ha.  I think it's cute.  And I quite like the attention.  It's nice to know that I am noticed and somewhat appreciated for who I am and what I do.