Its finally that time. We are potty training Ned. Wow. We started Monday and have been going ever since. We've had bright shiny days where he took himself 4 times, days of ups (he pooped in the potty chair) and downs (he pooped his pants while we were outside). We are having more ups than downs lately, so thats good. He loves the control it gives him. He gets to be a big boy and be in charge of things a little more.
The other day we were in the garden and he was very helpfully pulling weeds. I said Wow Ned, when did you get to be such a big boy? and he said I go Potty! . That was really cute.
The twins are now the destructive duo, the terrible twosome, and any other name you can come up with. They are a team of destruction from sunup to sundown. I clean up and have the house sparkling and 12 hours later (the next morning) it looks like I never clean my house. We are working on no and giving them more limits since climbing and figuring out how to open things (like the dishwasher) have opened up so many opportunities for exploring these days.
They love to go outside and will cry if you try and go outside without them.
In general they are happy boys, but Nolan gets upset if someone takes a toy away from him and will cry and cry. Quinten is saying "shoe!" and Nolan will say "Hi!" and waves hi and bye.
They both love Grandma who has been coming over to help with them while potty training has been going on.
The girls are excited to be done with school next week. Its earlier than ever this year due to budget cuts. Luckily the budget is restored next year so we will be back to a normal school year.
Interesting thing I learned this year. Grades are due Friday (today), so the whole last week of school is basically pointless. Cecilee had a few hours at the local Rec center with her class today, and then she said that they made it almost all the way through "The Rookie". Hmmm.
Mia has been doing well in school and piano. I wish she would practice more because she has such talent!
They are both taking lessons from Grandma and will be having a recital June 1st!
If you are wondering where all the farm and garden stuff has gone, I've started a separate blog for it.
http://thelazygardeners.blogspot.com/
Its a blog where I will talk about all the crazy stuff I do like garden, make yogurt, cultured butter, homemade bread and cheese, etc. I'm going to learn how to make cottage cheese! Cows! Chickens! garden redesign! and things like that. This will be the purely family blog.
My other blog, http://freeldsbooks4kindle.blogspot.com/ where I post free LDS books for Kindle is also going strong. There have been a lot of good free books in the past few months and I'm enjoying helping everyone get them for free!
Anyway, enough for now. I've got to figure out what to do with 40-50 extra tomato plants...Read more at my other blog.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Charter schools. What a joke
We all have to pay for them, but have you tried to get in? Its nearly impossible unless you are one of the lucky few.
The only way you even have a chance to get in is if you are willing to do a mid year transfer when another student moves or transfers out. They have a different schedule so they start earlier than public school.
I am so over charter schools.
I still can't believe I have to pay for them yet I can't seem to get into them under normal circumstances. You know, on the first day of school.
Ugh.
Yes, just got the lottery results. No chance in that hot place. Again.
Here have some more of my tax dollars!
I just walked away from this post and I'm back and still ticked off! I have 3 charter schools within 1 mile of my home. I can't get into any of them and have to have my kids bussed to the public school which is several miles away and across a highway (not an interstate, don't want to be unfair).
And I have to pay for them anyway!
It just makes me so mad.
Charter school boundaries are not the same as normal school boundaries. One of our charter school boundaries is one subdivision. ONE. And guess how many houses are in that sub? I think they may have 3 now. It was hit hard by the housing bubble bursting. So even though I am within 1 mile of that school, I'm considered out of bounds. Just like the child 2 towns over in either direction.
Seriously. I. AM. SO.TICKED.OFF.
Ugh.
Worst is that I can't even say anything about this because I would make half my ward mad since they are on the boards of or part of the founding group of parents, or have kids in 1 of the 3 charter schools.
I really would like to send a letter of complaint about this but can't even figure out who to send it to.
The only way you even have a chance to get in is if you are willing to do a mid year transfer when another student moves or transfers out. They have a different schedule so they start earlier than public school.
I am so over charter schools.
I still can't believe I have to pay for them yet I can't seem to get into them under normal circumstances. You know, on the first day of school.
Ugh.
Yes, just got the lottery results. No chance in that hot place. Again.
Here have some more of my tax dollars!
I just walked away from this post and I'm back and still ticked off! I have 3 charter schools within 1 mile of my home. I can't get into any of them and have to have my kids bussed to the public school which is several miles away and across a highway (not an interstate, don't want to be unfair).
And I have to pay for them anyway!
It just makes me so mad.
Charter school boundaries are not the same as normal school boundaries. One of our charter school boundaries is one subdivision. ONE. And guess how many houses are in that sub? I think they may have 3 now. It was hit hard by the housing bubble bursting. So even though I am within 1 mile of that school, I'm considered out of bounds. Just like the child 2 towns over in either direction.
Seriously. I. AM. SO.TICKED.OFF.
Ugh.
Worst is that I can't even say anything about this because I would make half my ward mad since they are on the boards of or part of the founding group of parents, or have kids in 1 of the 3 charter schools.
I really would like to send a letter of complaint about this but can't even figure out who to send it to.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Lots happening
We have 2 cows, 22 chickens and no cats. The poor cat got hit by a car. I found her by the mailbox about an hour before the kids got off the bus. I'm glad I found her and was able to take care of her because I wouldn't have wanted the girls to see that. No blood or guts. Just the cat - whole - stiff as a board.
Milton is working hard on converting the garden from wooden grow boxes to cinderblock grow boxes. They won't rot! We're also doing a few other things that once they are done, I'll post pictures of. He has quite a few other projects and is still working out daily. He has lost some weight and has so much more energy. He hasn't had a migraine since the fall when we went to the beach.
Speaking of the beach we are looking forward to another trip this summer!!! YAY!
I'm staying busy with plants in the greenhouse. That is where I find my sanity some days. Its so quiet and rejuvinating to go in there and care for the plants. I love it.
The boys all love to go outside. Love to put on shoes, coats, socks, anything that might indicate they will be going outside.
they do make huge messes which I spend a lot of the day cleaning up. Yesterday I needed a shower. I put on Sesame street, slipped out without them noticing and 15 minutes later came out and found the TV channel changed (How?) and that they had found and broken a pint canning jar in the hallway. I found this out when Ned brought me a big broken piece in the kitchen. So I paid for my 15 minutes with 15 minutes of cleaning and vacuuming and making sure there was no glass left. Then since I had the vacuum out I vacuumed the family room and it looked nice. so I guess it wasn't that bad after all.
the boys all go to nursery together and seem to be doing well. They walk right in and sit down at the table. they love it!! Its my favorite part of the day since it comes right after the wresting session that Sacrament meeting has become. We are trying different things though, so hopefully we will figure it out. I think it has somethign to do with the fact that all 3 are competing for everything. We will be splitting one out to sit with someone else and then it will be 1 adult to each child. We will see.
Spring break was fun. We stayed home and played. Lots of outside time.Some Redbox movies. Lots of together time.
Soccer and softball season is upon us . the girls have practice 2 nights a week and are doing well
Well, I hear Ned making trouble in the other room so thats it for now.
Milton is working hard on converting the garden from wooden grow boxes to cinderblock grow boxes. They won't rot! We're also doing a few other things that once they are done, I'll post pictures of. He has quite a few other projects and is still working out daily. He has lost some weight and has so much more energy. He hasn't had a migraine since the fall when we went to the beach.
Speaking of the beach we are looking forward to another trip this summer!!! YAY!
I'm staying busy with plants in the greenhouse. That is where I find my sanity some days. Its so quiet and rejuvinating to go in there and care for the plants. I love it.
The boys all love to go outside. Love to put on shoes, coats, socks, anything that might indicate they will be going outside.
they do make huge messes which I spend a lot of the day cleaning up. Yesterday I needed a shower. I put on Sesame street, slipped out without them noticing and 15 minutes later came out and found the TV channel changed (How?) and that they had found and broken a pint canning jar in the hallway. I found this out when Ned brought me a big broken piece in the kitchen. So I paid for my 15 minutes with 15 minutes of cleaning and vacuuming and making sure there was no glass left. Then since I had the vacuum out I vacuumed the family room and it looked nice. so I guess it wasn't that bad after all.
the boys all go to nursery together and seem to be doing well. They walk right in and sit down at the table. they love it!! Its my favorite part of the day since it comes right after the wresting session that Sacrament meeting has become. We are trying different things though, so hopefully we will figure it out. I think it has somethign to do with the fact that all 3 are competing for everything. We will be splitting one out to sit with someone else and then it will be 1 adult to each child. We will see.
Spring break was fun. We stayed home and played. Lots of outside time.Some Redbox movies. Lots of together time.
Soccer and softball season is upon us . the girls have practice 2 nights a week and are doing well
Well, I hear Ned making trouble in the other room so thats it for now.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
ode to my new to me toy
Oh Shark Pro Clean Pocket Mop how I love you! Your quick easy way of cleaning up sticky floors after meals. The plentiful mop heads that release with a quick pull of velcro and hop happily into my washing machine! How you have steam shooting from the mop head within seconds of plugging you in and turning you on. I love the size and the manuverability and your perfect height. The thing I loved most about you was how you were about $100 cheaper than the one that was on sale last month at Costco! (Thanks to my awesome sister).
Love it! My floors have never been cleaner. Just a little distilled water that we keep around anyway for other things and plug it in and its ready to go. When you're done you just take the mop head off and wash it. My only complaint so far is that it didn't come out of the wash even near as white as when it was brand new. that was disappointing. Not sure what I did wrong. I just used tide and some kirkland brand softener as usual. Oh well. I also like how just seconds after cleaning an area of the floor I don't have to dry it or make the kids wait to walk on it until its dry. Its usually dry within seconds (30 seconds at most) because you're cleaning with steam!
Anyway, enough infomercial!
We're doing great here. Cecilee is excelling in school and has a teacher who pushes her and the rest of the class in grades, learning responsibility, etc. Lots of incentive programs and even throws a market day in where they can learn about commerce, supply and demand, etc.
Mia is thriving lately when she feels helpful. Lately she has loved to do laundry. I think she enjoys being independent with it and she really likes helping out. today she and Cecilee and Ned went and helped Grandpa move a bunch of tree limbs to a trailer. Poor Grandpa had been working hard all day with a chainsaw, handsaw, etc cutting down 2 huge granny smith apple trees. They had wormy fruit every year, but no one liked or used the apples and so they decied to replace with a honeycrisp and a fuji. He is also planting a plum and a peach that was called the flamin' fat lady. Which I can't wait to taste!
Ned is also learning to be helpful and helped me hang up laundry yesterday. He even insisted on putting the hangers on the rod. He tried to put the clothes on the hangers but that was to tricky.
Every day when the girls walk to the bus stop I tell them I love them, to have a good day, and to do their best. Well the other day I must have been a little slow about it because as they were leaving, Ned yells "Have good day!". It was really cute.
He loves to go to Grandma's house and put on his boots by himself. He loves treats and pushing his younger brothers around.
Nolan likes attention and Quinten insists on attention. Its a hard thing to give them enough attention. Quinten gives kisses on occasion and Nolan never has. Nolan is very observant and Quinten just jumps in. It will be interesting to see how this develops as they grow older.
Well, off to get them ready for bed! Ned tells me that they all have stinky diapers. I think he was just talking though since I have already changed 2 poopy diapers today. You know, the other day we estimated that we go through around 3,200 diapers a year (plus or minus a few hundred or so :) )
Love it! My floors have never been cleaner. Just a little distilled water that we keep around anyway for other things and plug it in and its ready to go. When you're done you just take the mop head off and wash it. My only complaint so far is that it didn't come out of the wash even near as white as when it was brand new. that was disappointing. Not sure what I did wrong. I just used tide and some kirkland brand softener as usual. Oh well. I also like how just seconds after cleaning an area of the floor I don't have to dry it or make the kids wait to walk on it until its dry. Its usually dry within seconds (30 seconds at most) because you're cleaning with steam!
Anyway, enough infomercial!
We're doing great here. Cecilee is excelling in school and has a teacher who pushes her and the rest of the class in grades, learning responsibility, etc. Lots of incentive programs and even throws a market day in where they can learn about commerce, supply and demand, etc.
Mia is thriving lately when she feels helpful. Lately she has loved to do laundry. I think she enjoys being independent with it and she really likes helping out. today she and Cecilee and Ned went and helped Grandpa move a bunch of tree limbs to a trailer. Poor Grandpa had been working hard all day with a chainsaw, handsaw, etc cutting down 2 huge granny smith apple trees. They had wormy fruit every year, but no one liked or used the apples and so they decied to replace with a honeycrisp and a fuji. He is also planting a plum and a peach that was called the flamin' fat lady. Which I can't wait to taste!
Ned is also learning to be helpful and helped me hang up laundry yesterday. He even insisted on putting the hangers on the rod. He tried to put the clothes on the hangers but that was to tricky.
Every day when the girls walk to the bus stop I tell them I love them, to have a good day, and to do their best. Well the other day I must have been a little slow about it because as they were leaving, Ned yells "Have good day!". It was really cute.
He loves to go to Grandma's house and put on his boots by himself. He loves treats and pushing his younger brothers around.
Nolan likes attention and Quinten insists on attention. Its a hard thing to give them enough attention. Quinten gives kisses on occasion and Nolan never has. Nolan is very observant and Quinten just jumps in. It will be interesting to see how this develops as they grow older.
Well, off to get them ready for bed! Ned tells me that they all have stinky diapers. I think he was just talking though since I have already changed 2 poopy diapers today. You know, the other day we estimated that we go through around 3,200 diapers a year (plus or minus a few hundred or so :) )
Monday, January 27, 2014
And so it gooooooooees and so it gooooooooooes!
The boys are napping. Ned is trying to Nap. And by trying I mean he is laying down in bed and being quiet. He is such a good little boy. He is following the nap rules. Lay down, be quiet try and go to sleep. After a while if he hasn't napped, (about an hour or so) I will let him get up. As long as he has tried.
We had a weird week last week because Milton was traveling. He was out of town for a couple of nights. Everything went well despite my paranoia that he was going to get a migraine in California. But he didn't. And everything was just peachy. Except that we missed him. :)
The boys are being cute as ever. Quinten has decide that he must climb anything and everything. he climbs the chairs in primary and priesthood. He pushed a toy dump truck over to the couch today and used it to climb onto the couch. I thought that was pretty smart of him. We have had to move all the chairs to the wall in the kitchen and bungee cord them together so that I don't have to worry abuot him on the table. so far its only after meals that he gets up there. I don't understand the excitement. Maybe its just different toys up there? Today I found him playing with a plastic spoon and Ned's bowl of leftover yogurt.
Speaking of yogurt, did you know how easy it is to make? So easy. Instructions here http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt-2/
We had a weird week last week because Milton was traveling. He was out of town for a couple of nights. Everything went well despite my paranoia that he was going to get a migraine in California. But he didn't. And everything was just peachy. Except that we missed him. :)
The boys are being cute as ever. Quinten has decide that he must climb anything and everything. he climbs the chairs in primary and priesthood. He pushed a toy dump truck over to the couch today and used it to climb onto the couch. I thought that was pretty smart of him. We have had to move all the chairs to the wall in the kitchen and bungee cord them together so that I don't have to worry abuot him on the table. so far its only after meals that he gets up there. I don't understand the excitement. Maybe its just different toys up there? Today I found him playing with a plastic spoon and Ned's bowl of leftover yogurt.
Speaking of yogurt, did you know how easy it is to make? So easy. Instructions here http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt-2/
Monday, January 13, 2014
Happy
Last Friday I had an interesting thing happen.
I had a bad morning. Ned did stuff, Quinten whined, Nolan was a sweet boy. And then Milton came home. I told him about it and whined about it for a second. But then I had a thought come to me. I looked at Milton and said, I know I am all whiney about my morning. But I just have to tell you how happy I am. I love my kids. I love you. I love our life right now. We have our challenges. But thats just life.
Its true. Life is hard. But I get to go through the challenges with the ones I love most.
-------
Its nap time right now. Ned is sleeping for once and to change it up, one of the boys isn't. I can hear him on the monitor. I'm going to give him a few more minutes and then, well, I don't know. I'll figure it out when it gets to that. Who ever it is has quieted down now, so maybe, just maybe....
Milton finished his meds a few days ago and over the next month we'll see if he has any more migraines. The doc says the meds will be in his system for around a month after he quits taking them. so it could be a quiet month. We'll see. He has made quite a few changes in the past few months. He has dropped 50+ lbs, and we have changed some habits. We don't eat out very often anymore. When we do we go to a local Thai place and get dishes with lots of veggies. Here is our favorite meal:
Strawberry Goat cheese wraps.
Tortillas
Sliced strawberries
Salad (the good stuff, not iceburg. we like the spring mix at Costco)
sliced almonds
crumbled goat cheese
balsamic vinaigrette
chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)
Marinate your chicken for about 30 min in some of the vinaigrette
Get a small pan, put your almonds in there. Let them get a little toasted and then add some sugar and a small pinch of salt. Let the sugar melt and coat the almonds. Make sure they are all coated. Remove from heat.
Get your salad and drizzle the vinaigrette on it. toss and make sure that the salad is somewhat coated.
Cook your chicken until its done.
Assembly.
Get one tortilla, microwave for about 15 seconds. this makes it more bendable.
Put a layer of salad on it.
Add a layer of strawberries, almonds, goat cheese, and chicken. did I forget anything? If so, add that too.
Put the ingredients on in whatever order you like.
Now roll it. With practice you'll get better. Just watch the last 20 seconds of this video for how to - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZHLdA4QLcE (seriously, I only watched the last 20 seconds or so, so watch the first part at your own risk :) )
Anyway, our family is doing well. Yes we have our challenges. But we are working together and trying to stay sane.
Cecilee is working hard at school and loves it. She is such a good student.
Mia is still a worry for me since she is at school more for the social than the learning. She is getting to be a very good helper and being more responsible, so that makes us happy.
Ned is a quick learner. He is also a pleaser though. so while he gets into things, he is starting to learn some of the rules. some days aren't great (he got into the lotion today and spread it all over his brother, the couch, the carpet, the Kinect, etc. And dumped out the dirty laundry several times) but he is so sweet and innocent. he is just exploring. He also just wants to help and have a job of his own. I love when he helps. He is also very helpful when his brothers are getting into stuff. He comes and tells us.
The boys are great. They explore and love following Ned around.
I'm doing great. Finally getting to where I feel a LITTLE less out of control and like life is resuming a normal feeling. I have a list of stuff to do that is as long as my arm, and an even longer list of stuff I would LIKE to do.
A nice thing that happened this month is that we remodeled a little in our front room. There were some doors, we moved them around. We bought some great used furniture, etc. Now we have a room that is being better used and looks like a million bucks!
One project (almost) down! Just have to paint, and repair a cheap couch. but we'll get there.
I had a bad morning. Ned did stuff, Quinten whined, Nolan was a sweet boy. And then Milton came home. I told him about it and whined about it for a second. But then I had a thought come to me. I looked at Milton and said, I know I am all whiney about my morning. But I just have to tell you how happy I am. I love my kids. I love you. I love our life right now. We have our challenges. But thats just life.
Its true. Life is hard. But I get to go through the challenges with the ones I love most.
-------
Its nap time right now. Ned is sleeping for once and to change it up, one of the boys isn't. I can hear him on the monitor. I'm going to give him a few more minutes and then, well, I don't know. I'll figure it out when it gets to that. Who ever it is has quieted down now, so maybe, just maybe....
Milton finished his meds a few days ago and over the next month we'll see if he has any more migraines. The doc says the meds will be in his system for around a month after he quits taking them. so it could be a quiet month. We'll see. He has made quite a few changes in the past few months. He has dropped 50+ lbs, and we have changed some habits. We don't eat out very often anymore. When we do we go to a local Thai place and get dishes with lots of veggies. Here is our favorite meal:
Strawberry Goat cheese wraps.
Tortillas
Sliced strawberries
Salad (the good stuff, not iceburg. we like the spring mix at Costco)
sliced almonds
crumbled goat cheese
balsamic vinaigrette
chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)
Marinate your chicken for about 30 min in some of the vinaigrette
Get a small pan, put your almonds in there. Let them get a little toasted and then add some sugar and a small pinch of salt. Let the sugar melt and coat the almonds. Make sure they are all coated. Remove from heat.
Get your salad and drizzle the vinaigrette on it. toss and make sure that the salad is somewhat coated.
Cook your chicken until its done.
Assembly.
Get one tortilla, microwave for about 15 seconds. this makes it more bendable.
Put a layer of salad on it.
Add a layer of strawberries, almonds, goat cheese, and chicken. did I forget anything? If so, add that too.
Put the ingredients on in whatever order you like.
Now roll it. With practice you'll get better. Just watch the last 20 seconds of this video for how to - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZHLdA4QLcE (seriously, I only watched the last 20 seconds or so, so watch the first part at your own risk :) )
Anyway, our family is doing well. Yes we have our challenges. But we are working together and trying to stay sane.
Cecilee is working hard at school and loves it. She is such a good student.
Mia is still a worry for me since she is at school more for the social than the learning. She is getting to be a very good helper and being more responsible, so that makes us happy.
Ned is a quick learner. He is also a pleaser though. so while he gets into things, he is starting to learn some of the rules. some days aren't great (he got into the lotion today and spread it all over his brother, the couch, the carpet, the Kinect, etc. And dumped out the dirty laundry several times) but he is so sweet and innocent. he is just exploring. He also just wants to help and have a job of his own. I love when he helps. He is also very helpful when his brothers are getting into stuff. He comes and tells us.
The boys are great. They explore and love following Ned around.
I'm doing great. Finally getting to where I feel a LITTLE less out of control and like life is resuming a normal feeling. I have a list of stuff to do that is as long as my arm, and an even longer list of stuff I would LIKE to do.
A nice thing that happened this month is that we remodeled a little in our front room. There were some doors, we moved them around. We bought some great used furniture, etc. Now we have a room that is being better used and looks like a million bucks!
One project (almost) down! Just have to paint, and repair a cheap couch. but we'll get there.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
So little time, So much to blog about!
I can't believe its been so long since I last blogged. So much has been happening.
Nolan is now walking and is so cute. I will play peek aboo with both the boys and Nolan will cover his face with his hand and say Ba! It is fun to see his personality come alive.
In early November we took Nolan to the Pediatrician and he verified what we had been thinking. The cyst on his eyebrow did look like it was growing. So he referred us to a pediatric surgeon in the area. We went and saw her and she said that he needed to have it removed in the next year since as he grew it could etch into the bone. Meaning the bone would form around it. To my thinking that would be a bad thing since the bone would be thinner right there. Anyway, the pediatric surgeon isn't covered by our insurance, but since they are the only one in our area, we could get them covered 20/80 by insurance. They are with a hospital that isn't covered, so we would have to deal with that also. but we were going ahead with it. Until I called our insurance to make sure we could be covered and they happened to mention that we could go to Primary Childrens's hospital in Salt Lake and be covered 90/10 since they had a special contract with our insurance. We decided to look into this a bit since we have family down there and the weather was still great.
It must have been meant to be. We called and they had a doctor who had a clinic Monday and surgeries on Tuesday. The appointment they had was the Monday after we had to be in Twin Falls for a baby blessing/baptism. So we went to the baby blessing and then sent most of our kids home with Grandma and Grandpa. Milton's mom was kind enough to stay with them at our house. In the meantime we just drove straight down to Salt lake. My brother was kind enough to put us up for a few nights and we came back on Tuesday right after the surgery.
During all of this we really saw Nolan blossom. It was crazy. You see, Quinten is that Squeeky wheel that is always squeaking. Nolan is a quiet little boy. But while we had all this going on, Nolan was getting more attention. He loved it. He started talking more and in Salt Lake he took his first 3 steps. He is such a sweet little boy. Really a talker. He loves to growl and make all sorts of noise. But no screaming. YAY!
When we met with the surgeon on Monday we were really impressed. The guy was nice and seemed very competent. We felt confident in him. We came in early on Tuesday morning since they like to operate on the youngest children first since they can't have anything but clear liquids and apple juice. Nolan chugged an apple juice before we got in the car and seemed quite happy.
Primary children's is very efficient. You go in one room and sign in on a computer and get one of those flashy things like you get at Olive Garden. When it lights up you check in with a person who checks your data and makes sure your insurance and every thing is up to date as well as getting a payment of some sort from you.
Then you go back and wait for the thing to start making noise. This time we got to go back to a room where the nurse took Nolan's vitals and we changed him into some very worn looking pants, socks, and a hospital gown top.
From there we went into another waiting room where there were some toys. Lucky for us they had a corral type area where there were toys and a movie playing. Both of the boys were content to play in there and at one point I had a push toy out for Nolan and he was walking/pushing it around all of the chairs in the waiting area.
We met with our surgeon , who gave us a rundown on time and what to expect. Then we met with our anesthesiologist. He seemed very nice. He listened to Nolans lungs since he had just gotten over a slight cold. scared the socks off of us with all that could go wrong and then took us down the hall way where he took Nolan and sent us to the waiting room. Nolan was fine. I was a little sad because I didn't really get to hug him goodbye. That was probably a good thing since he didn't really know anything was going on. And Nolan was so easy going he just accepted what was happening. No crying or anything.
We got sent to the waiting room where there were all sorts of snacks and some water and an area to sit with about 50-75 other anxious parents. Quinten just toddled around and ate the cookies we gave him.
After about 30 minutes our surgeon came into the room and found us. He told us Nolan did great and that we should be called back to sit with him soon.
They called me back shortly after that. Just one parent since he was still in recovery? I went back and he was crying and being held by a nurse. They kindly brought me a rocking chair and I held Nolan and he was happy to see me. They brought him 4 oz of apple juice in a bottle (? he never drank from one before) which he promptly chugged down. They refilled it and he kept drinking.
They brought us to another room where they then called Milton back. Quinten was sleeping in Milton's arms (thank goodness) and we just held and cuddled Nolan. The nurse kindly brought a fleece BYU blanket for Nolan to keep and a pillow for him to lay on while he was in my arms (for the arm of the chair, Nolan is getting long!). Since Nolan had drunk so much apple juice and hadn't been sick, he was able to be discharged very quickly (after watching his vitals for a little while longer)
The nurses, doctors, receptionists, everyone at Primary Childrens were so kind and caring. I would highly recommend them. They move you around so much that it would be easy to think you were just a number. But with all of the kind attention, you don't. You feel cared for.
The trip home from Salt lake was great. Nolan slept most of the time. Both he and Quinten did great.
We got home and stayed overnight and then Milton and I took off without the kids to a 2 night vacation in the mountains about an hour from our house. Again, Grandma was nice enough to stay with the kids.
It was so nice. We actually had conversations about life and challenges and all sorts of stuff. After this year it was much needed.
We came home and Milton drove Grandma home. He said that she was tired and almost fell asleep on the drive. We are so grateful she was willing to do this for us.
Milton's migraines have not returned which is great. He had been working out and watching what he eats. Trying to avoid msg and processed foods. Not much eating out, more veggies and fruit, etc. He has lost nearly 50 lbs in the past 3 months. He is feeling great. He gets to see his doc next week. They will try weaning him off the medication and we hope that his migraines won't come back.. If they do, he will go back on the meds. They will try weaning him every 3 months until a year. If they can't wean him at a year, he is on the meds for life. We are all praying that with all of the life changes he's made that the weaning will be easy and there won't be any problems.
Cecilee has got the most wonderful teacher for 5th grade. She is really blossoming and he really challenges her. It helps that she is in a fairly calm class since there are 34 kids in it. I talked to her teacher last night at a school activity and it sounds like he is really enjoying the whole class dynamic. Said that they were a great class and that Cecilee is really working hard. He said to keep challenging her because she was really bright.
Mia is doing better and better. She still has a tendency to always take the easiest route, but you can see she is a sweet girl who loves her little brothers. She wants to be like Cecilee. She is trying to find her way. She is very talented on the piano and loves to go to Grandma's for lessons. Grandma has been changing up the rewards a little this year and really motivating her.
She is still struggling with school since she loves the social more than the work, but we are working on this. She really loves to read.
Ned is really a 2 year old these days. He gets into everything. He recently ate a roof and about 1 1/2 walls of the 2 gingerbread houses I made for decorating. The same night he got at the Christmas tree and smashed all of the bulbs that he could reach. He stayed in the time out a lot that day. Luckily I regained my good humor after decorating the gingerbread house with the family. Ned couldn't participate as his punishment. But he loved watching.
The boys are fun. they are both walking. Quinten is running. He is fast! He is still a yeller and a crier. He is happiest when he is in Mom's arms. He has a sweet smile and a LOT of energy. If I'm not giving him enough attention he is sure to let me know. And no. Dad is not quite as good as mom. I wish he were. There are many times that I walk around the house with him following and crying behind me. I call him my entourage.
Nolan is a sweetheart. A shy smile and a quiet demeanor. He loves to growl and talk. I think he may be an early talker. He walks around and is getting better and better. He loves his brother Ned (whose favorite new trick is to push his brothers over) and has been carrying a stuffed cat around.
We love all of these kids so much!
I have been trying to keep up. Still in primary. In fact this is my month for Sharing time and I'm trying to put a live nativity together for next week. I've been trying to keep the house clean and laundry caught up and do some redecorating in our front room. Its a lot, but I'm doing well. Some days better than others (terrible 2's, ugh) The boys are all sleeping through the night for the most part, but lately one will wake up around 11 - midnight and cry at the top of their lungs which always wakes up someone else and can turn into an hour delay for sleep (like last night, I went to bed at 1am because Ned woke up and wailed). Oh well. Most nights I get to sleep and that is wonderful.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Nolan is now walking and is so cute. I will play peek aboo with both the boys and Nolan will cover his face with his hand and say Ba! It is fun to see his personality come alive.
In early November we took Nolan to the Pediatrician and he verified what we had been thinking. The cyst on his eyebrow did look like it was growing. So he referred us to a pediatric surgeon in the area. We went and saw her and she said that he needed to have it removed in the next year since as he grew it could etch into the bone. Meaning the bone would form around it. To my thinking that would be a bad thing since the bone would be thinner right there. Anyway, the pediatric surgeon isn't covered by our insurance, but since they are the only one in our area, we could get them covered 20/80 by insurance. They are with a hospital that isn't covered, so we would have to deal with that also. but we were going ahead with it. Until I called our insurance to make sure we could be covered and they happened to mention that we could go to Primary Childrens's hospital in Salt Lake and be covered 90/10 since they had a special contract with our insurance. We decided to look into this a bit since we have family down there and the weather was still great.
It must have been meant to be. We called and they had a doctor who had a clinic Monday and surgeries on Tuesday. The appointment they had was the Monday after we had to be in Twin Falls for a baby blessing/baptism. So we went to the baby blessing and then sent most of our kids home with Grandma and Grandpa. Milton's mom was kind enough to stay with them at our house. In the meantime we just drove straight down to Salt lake. My brother was kind enough to put us up for a few nights and we came back on Tuesday right after the surgery.
During all of this we really saw Nolan blossom. It was crazy. You see, Quinten is that Squeeky wheel that is always squeaking. Nolan is a quiet little boy. But while we had all this going on, Nolan was getting more attention. He loved it. He started talking more and in Salt Lake he took his first 3 steps. He is such a sweet little boy. Really a talker. He loves to growl and make all sorts of noise. But no screaming. YAY!
When we met with the surgeon on Monday we were really impressed. The guy was nice and seemed very competent. We felt confident in him. We came in early on Tuesday morning since they like to operate on the youngest children first since they can't have anything but clear liquids and apple juice. Nolan chugged an apple juice before we got in the car and seemed quite happy.
Primary children's is very efficient. You go in one room and sign in on a computer and get one of those flashy things like you get at Olive Garden. When it lights up you check in with a person who checks your data and makes sure your insurance and every thing is up to date as well as getting a payment of some sort from you.
Then you go back and wait for the thing to start making noise. This time we got to go back to a room where the nurse took Nolan's vitals and we changed him into some very worn looking pants, socks, and a hospital gown top.
From there we went into another waiting room where there were some toys. Lucky for us they had a corral type area where there were toys and a movie playing. Both of the boys were content to play in there and at one point I had a push toy out for Nolan and he was walking/pushing it around all of the chairs in the waiting area.
We met with our surgeon , who gave us a rundown on time and what to expect. Then we met with our anesthesiologist. He seemed very nice. He listened to Nolans lungs since he had just gotten over a slight cold. scared the socks off of us with all that could go wrong and then took us down the hall way where he took Nolan and sent us to the waiting room. Nolan was fine. I was a little sad because I didn't really get to hug him goodbye. That was probably a good thing since he didn't really know anything was going on. And Nolan was so easy going he just accepted what was happening. No crying or anything.
We got sent to the waiting room where there were all sorts of snacks and some water and an area to sit with about 50-75 other anxious parents. Quinten just toddled around and ate the cookies we gave him.
After about 30 minutes our surgeon came into the room and found us. He told us Nolan did great and that we should be called back to sit with him soon.
They called me back shortly after that. Just one parent since he was still in recovery? I went back and he was crying and being held by a nurse. They kindly brought me a rocking chair and I held Nolan and he was happy to see me. They brought him 4 oz of apple juice in a bottle (? he never drank from one before) which he promptly chugged down. They refilled it and he kept drinking.
They brought us to another room where they then called Milton back. Quinten was sleeping in Milton's arms (thank goodness) and we just held and cuddled Nolan. The nurse kindly brought a fleece BYU blanket for Nolan to keep and a pillow for him to lay on while he was in my arms (for the arm of the chair, Nolan is getting long!). Since Nolan had drunk so much apple juice and hadn't been sick, he was able to be discharged very quickly (after watching his vitals for a little while longer)
The nurses, doctors, receptionists, everyone at Primary Childrens were so kind and caring. I would highly recommend them. They move you around so much that it would be easy to think you were just a number. But with all of the kind attention, you don't. You feel cared for.
The trip home from Salt lake was great. Nolan slept most of the time. Both he and Quinten did great.
We got home and stayed overnight and then Milton and I took off without the kids to a 2 night vacation in the mountains about an hour from our house. Again, Grandma was nice enough to stay with the kids.
It was so nice. We actually had conversations about life and challenges and all sorts of stuff. After this year it was much needed.
We came home and Milton drove Grandma home. He said that she was tired and almost fell asleep on the drive. We are so grateful she was willing to do this for us.
Milton's migraines have not returned which is great. He had been working out and watching what he eats. Trying to avoid msg and processed foods. Not much eating out, more veggies and fruit, etc. He has lost nearly 50 lbs in the past 3 months. He is feeling great. He gets to see his doc next week. They will try weaning him off the medication and we hope that his migraines won't come back.. If they do, he will go back on the meds. They will try weaning him every 3 months until a year. If they can't wean him at a year, he is on the meds for life. We are all praying that with all of the life changes he's made that the weaning will be easy and there won't be any problems.
Cecilee has got the most wonderful teacher for 5th grade. She is really blossoming and he really challenges her. It helps that she is in a fairly calm class since there are 34 kids in it. I talked to her teacher last night at a school activity and it sounds like he is really enjoying the whole class dynamic. Said that they were a great class and that Cecilee is really working hard. He said to keep challenging her because she was really bright.
Mia is doing better and better. She still has a tendency to always take the easiest route, but you can see she is a sweet girl who loves her little brothers. She wants to be like Cecilee. She is trying to find her way. She is very talented on the piano and loves to go to Grandma's for lessons. Grandma has been changing up the rewards a little this year and really motivating her.
She is still struggling with school since she loves the social more than the work, but we are working on this. She really loves to read.
Ned is really a 2 year old these days. He gets into everything. He recently ate a roof and about 1 1/2 walls of the 2 gingerbread houses I made for decorating. The same night he got at the Christmas tree and smashed all of the bulbs that he could reach. He stayed in the time out a lot that day. Luckily I regained my good humor after decorating the gingerbread house with the family. Ned couldn't participate as his punishment. But he loved watching.
The boys are fun. they are both walking. Quinten is running. He is fast! He is still a yeller and a crier. He is happiest when he is in Mom's arms. He has a sweet smile and a LOT of energy. If I'm not giving him enough attention he is sure to let me know. And no. Dad is not quite as good as mom. I wish he were. There are many times that I walk around the house with him following and crying behind me. I call him my entourage.
Nolan is a sweetheart. A shy smile and a quiet demeanor. He loves to growl and talk. I think he may be an early talker. He walks around and is getting better and better. He loves his brother Ned (whose favorite new trick is to push his brothers over) and has been carrying a stuffed cat around.
We love all of these kids so much!
I have been trying to keep up. Still in primary. In fact this is my month for Sharing time and I'm trying to put a live nativity together for next week. I've been trying to keep the house clean and laundry caught up and do some redecorating in our front room. Its a lot, but I'm doing well. Some days better than others (terrible 2's, ugh) The boys are all sleeping through the night for the most part, but lately one will wake up around 11 - midnight and cry at the top of their lungs which always wakes up someone else and can turn into an hour delay for sleep (like last night, I went to bed at 1am because Ned woke up and wailed). Oh well. Most nights I get to sleep and that is wonderful.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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