New Years resolutions - to make or not to make.....

Little busy here....... Not sure what the benefit would be to add more to my already too long to do list. So, think I'll just take a pass this year.

This is fairly consistent with many other things I've had to take a pass on recently - such as: volunteering at school, volunteering at church, volunteering in the community (just take volunteering off the list altogether), organizing the garage, organizing my closet, organizing...(take that off the list too), finishing my photo albums, finishing my scarf, finishing my nativity - all things requiring finishing are still on the list for now - just paused.

My to do list is basically - feed the family - this entails actually shopping and preparing - wean off fast food, make sure they have something to wear (clean is optional), make sure teeth are brushed, hair - optional and in the DIY category, get kids to necessary appointments and activities, do my church commitments (nursery lessons and pack meetings), family prayer, scripture reading, FHE, get Jayme done with personal progress, signed up for the ACT and SAT, get Bryan advanced to Life Scout, figure out what is wrong with Andrea's knee, get Reagan to eat something, hug and love on baby Carsanne, try and keep house clean and sanitary, and don't gain weight.

These are not my resolutions - just the continuation of my life as a mother of 5. I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything! 2012 was a great year. It was full of fun and laughter. I believe 2013 will be more of the same. It's good to be me! ;)

Christmas projects

I didn't get a chance to make many gifts this year - only 2. The first was a fun nativity that the kids helped me make. I went to my favorite craft store, Hobby Lobby and picked up a package of "men" (2 inch tall wooden figures with a round head and body - no arms) and an assorted selection of wooden knobs. We also got craft sticks to make the stable and manager. We made baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, 2 shepherds, an angel and 3 wise men. We also made 3 sheep, 2 oxen and a donkey. It was a lot of fun and a "hands on" nativity that Reagan played with all month. It was a good way to teach her the Christmas story.

My second project was a gag gift for my brother in law. He is a riot and has a great sense of humor. He also works in a fairly cold environment. I crocheted him a hat in his favorite college team colors and a beard. It brought a good laugh!

I wish I had time to make more Christmas crafts.

December 2012

What a wonderful time of year! The shopping is almost done. The cards are almost out. The decorations are almost all hung. My craft projects are almost finished!!! It will be likely that I'll be scrambling up until the last minute this year! But, I'm loving it!

We've started some new traditions. Santa sent us an Elf for our shelf, Meri Breitenhaus We love her and Reagan talks about her every day!

We are going to be home this Christmas and spend lots of time together. It's a happy time for our little crew. There is so much to be thankful for and to celebrate. Grateful for a babe in a manger and His life and gospel that has made my life and happiness possible!

A Crappy Day

As explained to my sister via Facebook:

Ohhhhh. We miss you. We had a crappy day yesterday. We drove an hour and a half - one way for Jayme to take her driving test and we failed on a technicality - I never put the front license plate on my car because there was no bracket for it. When we moved here they said front plates were not required, so when I got my new car and there wasn't a front bracket to put a plate, I thought it was because it was a Texas car. Well, apparently they changed the law in the past year and now front plates are required. So, they wouldn't even let her take the test. Next appointment is September 13.

Then, I go back to staples for school supplies that are so specific it would make you crazy. For example: 6 yellow, plastic folders with brads and a note card holder - what?????? Of course they were sold out. So, we had to settle for yellow plastic three hole - no brad folders minus the note card holder. There were other things on the list. But this is where I get to the crappy part..... I was with Carsanne and Andrea and we got out of the car and I had to use the potty because I had already been in the car an hour taking Bryan and his friend to basketball camp in Plano and picking Andrea up from dance. We go to the bathroom and I ask Andrea to hold the baby. The bathroom smells gross but hey when ya gotta go.... Then Andrea screams, "She's leaking poop!!" What? Sure enough - Carsanne has poop all down her leg. And then Andrea screams, "Mom - its all over you!!!" Sure enough... The poop was all over my shirt. So what did I do? Peed, first of all, because I really had to go... then, I cleaned up the baby. Stripped off her poopy clothes. Tried to clean myself off but - it just smeared. So, I grabbed my hooter hider and draped it over the poopy part of my shirt so I could get all the crazy school supplies at staples and not have to go back!!!! I'm sure everyone in that store could smell me and I looked like a crazy lady wearing a cape that I tucked into my pants so it wouldn't fly up and smear more poop.

Life is an adventure!!!! But Jayme is pretty disappointed so you should text her a quick note to let you know you are thinking about her. This week has been overwhelming for her and she started seminary this morning.

Love you!!! Hope you don't have a crappy day!!!!

There was a bright spot to my day .... My visiting teacher brought me a delicious cake because she thought it was my birthday!!! I felt badly about the mistake - but it made my whole day!!!

The Olympics

Daaaaa Daaaaa Da Da Da Da Da Da Dum Dum Dum Da Da Da Da Da Da Daaaa ..... Love It!!

We have had so much fun watching the Olympics!! There have been some great stories, heartbreaks and triumphs!! Here are my favorites:

1. Michael Phelps. As a swimmer, I love what he has done for the sport. At times he has been really hard for me to listen to his interviews because his mind is all over the place but - that's what makes his story even greater. A kid with ADHD gets thrown into the pool to keep him busy, and his mom sane, and he thrives. Love real people overcoming odds to become super human!!!

2. Oscar Pistorius. AMAZING!!! Loved watching him run and wished I could talk to my grandma about it. She was super fast when she was young and lost her leg in a terrible accident at the age of 24 and as a mom of 2 young, active boys. Prosthetic legs have come a long way. I wonder if she would have donned a cheetah leg and tried it out. Oscar is amazing. And to think they almost didn't let him compete because the thought his prosthetic leg springs would give him an unfair advantage. Also, thumbs up to James who switched name tags with him as a sign of admiration. You just can't make this stuff up!!!

3. Women's Gymnastics. Always a favorite, right. But how about the ladies winning the group competition, Gabby Douglas being the first African American winning the all around and the heart ache of Jordyn Wieber not qualifying for the all around. The oh so controversial "rule" of only allowing 2 gymnasts from each country compete in the all around.  A rule is a rule - but that one isn't a good one. Those girls can defy gravity.  It is truly amazing their strength and grace. 

4. Misty May Traenor and Kerri Walsh are soooooo gooooood!  I have played beach volleyball.  It is hard on the body.  The sand is deep and the dive landings - not as soft and cushy as they look. To be that good - for 3 Olympic games is really remarkable. "The old ladies went out and did it!' Quote from hubby Traenor.

5. The Bolt.  Actually the women's 100 and the 2 relay's the 4 by 100 and 4 by 400 as well as the men's same races were crazy good.  They are so fast.  Way to go women's relay team! They got the monkey off their back and brought home a world record.  But what is so amazing is the Bolt!! That guy is fast, unbelievably fast.  I was watching the men's 4 by 100 relay and going into the last leg the Jamaicans and the US were pretty much neck and neck then - whoosh..... there goes the bolt.  Stride for stride he just took off.  He had to work it this time - no chest pumping before the finish line but, he got it done!

6. OK - this is for my 16 year old daughter, Tom (sigh) Daley.  There were so many camera flashes on his first dive that he was distracted and kinda messed up so they let him dive again.  Good thing because he made up a ton of points and ended up with the bronze.  He would've been out of the medals had he not been able to re-dive.  But honestly, I had a hard time watching because it just looked like a major clothing malfunction could happen at any time. 

Tonight is the Closing Ceremony.  (sniff) (sniff)  Very sad.  The games have given us a lot of entertainment.  We've all enjoyed them - and with the diversity of 5 kids ranging in age fro 16 - 9 months, that doesn't happen much.  We've all been a little sleep deprived.  We actually moved a mattress out to the family room so the kids could have a 2 week long "Olympic" sized slumber party. It's been fun but all good things must come to an end - at least for 4 more years. So, to all those athletes out there who have Olympic dreams - good luck, and we will see you in 2016!

The Kids sleeping on the mattress after a late night of Olympic coverage!



Picture Perfect

Figured out how to add pictures to the blog!!! So excited!! I love learning new things. I believe books are always more fun with illustrations.  Hope you do to!

A call to 9-1-1

Yesterday we had quite the adventure.  After breakfast, I was doing the dishes and the baby was crawling around the floor.  I picked her up when I noticed she had something in her mouth that she seemed to be gagging on.  I couldn't see anything in her mouth and when I tried to take it from her - she batted my hand away.  So, I just held her and watched her to see what she would do with it.  Every time she would try to swallow - she would gag but nothing came out.  I started to get nervous.  I had no idea what was in there.  My floor actually looked pretty clean but with 7 of us living here - who knows what was accidentally dropped.  Then she started to really struggle and she was having a hard time breathing.  She had one episode where she couldn't catch her breath for a few seconds.  I held her upside down to try and let gravity get it out while she was gagging but still nothing came out.  This went on for about 20 minutes with a few more non-breathing episodes and I got really scared.  So, I called 9-1-1.

This is not my first call to 9-1-1.  A few weeks after Carsanne was born, Reagan got sick with the croup.  It happened all of the sudden and in the middle of the night.  Jay had just left out of town that day.  I know he was worried about leaving me so soon after the baby was born.  All the grandmas had left and it was my first night home alone with kids and new baby.  Reagan and come and got in bed with me and started to cough.  5 minutes later - she wasn't breathing at all.  I can still remember the look of panic in her eyes.  I rushed her into the bathroom and turned on the hot water hoping the steam would break it up but it didn't work.  She would take a gasp of air followed by almost a full minute of no breathing.  So I called 9-1-1.  I stood outside in the cold night air waiting for them and that actually helped quite a bit and so when they got there she had improved some but not enough.  They put her on oxygen and determined she needed to go to the hospital. I'm like.....OK, how do I do this? New baby, nursing, ambulance ride..... So, it was determined that Jayme (15) would go with Reagan in the ambulance, I would drive behind with Carsanne - and Bryan and Andrea would stay home together.  (Sometimes with having 5 kids I feel a little like a freak show trying to juggle them.) When we got to the hospital, Jayme sat on the bed with Reagan.  She started with a huge coughing fit that made her barf all over Jayme and her new Ugg boots.  I started to cry.  Jayme is such a trooper.  I don't know if at 15 I could've handled this.  The doctors were great - some steroids and some oxygen and after just a few hours, Reagan's symptoms had subsided and we were able to be discharged.  The discharge attendant came in and didn't know what to make of the situation.  Jayme on the bed with Reagan, me sitting there nursing the baby.... "Who is the mom here?" was the look on her face.  I quickly jumped in with the insurance information and informed her that I was the parent of them and Jayme was my oldest and had come along to help.  Poor Jayme.  She hates how people first think that she is the mom to one of her sisters.  I guess I get it - in today's society it seems more normal for a 15 year old to have an infant than a 40 year old.  But, it could be that she is just such a big help that when people see her helping out they think she is not a typical teenager helping out a sibling so she must be the mother.  Oh well.  I tell her not to worry about it.  That the people who know us know she isn't an unmarried teenage mother.  But, it still bugs her - and me too.  We were discharged and home by 4am.  Not much sleep but at least everyone was OK.

Reagan made her first call to 9-1-1 when she was about 8 months old.  She was sitting on the floor in the family room next to me while I was folding clothes.  I had given her the phone to play with and wasn't really watching what buttons she was pushing.  As I'm folding the clothes, Bryan walks in with a really nervous and upset look on his face and right behind him was an officer.  I looked at Bryan and mouthed the words, "What did you do?"  I'm thinking to myself - what has my son done that has gotten him into so much trouble that a police officer would escort him home and just walk right into my house to speak to me.  The officer asks, "Did someone here make a call to 9-1-1?"  Not that I'm aware of....... Bryan did you?  No, I was just outside playing basketball on the driveway.  Where are Andrea and Jayme.........?  Then it hits me....... I pick up the phone off the ground and sure enough - 9119991119118118911 had been pushed.  Well, I'll be....... I told the officer that my baby had mistakenly dialed the number while playing with the phone.  "If it's alright with you ma'am, I'd like to take a look around to make sure everyone is OK." Of course, it's alright with me.  He was making sure that everyone was OK because as he explained, there was no communication on the phone when the operator picked up and they needed to make sure there wasn't a distressed person in the home.  I understood.  I was embarrassed but understood.  Obviously, everything checked out fine and I had to apologize to Bryan for assuming that he had lit the neighbor's house on fire and was being reprimanded by the police officer.

Even though this may seen like a complete list of calls to 9-1-1 - it isn't.  There was another in June of 2007.  The kids were in their swimsuits.  Bryan had a buddy over.  Just as they were about to go out, I heard some thunder and told the kids to wait it out and make sure there wasn't a storm about to hit.  I was in the guest room.  I had pulled out my scrap booking and was talking to a friend on the phone.  All of the sudden...... there was a huge blast and a large ball of fire flew off the front of the house right above where I was sitting.  I told my friend that I thought my house had just been hit by lightening and that I needed to hang up and go check it out.  Everything seemed OK.  I walked around the outside and couldn't detect any damage at all.  So, I walked back into the house.  The kids were a little shaken and I calmed them letting them know all was well.  I walked back into the guest room and the first thing I noticed was the light didn't go back on.  By this time, it had begun to pour rain outside and the sky had gone dark.  I walked across the room and stepped into a puddle of water.  Uh Oh.  I looked up and sure enough - water was leaking in through the ceiling and then - the smoke detectors went off.  It didn't take long for me to put 2 and 2 together. I ran through the house yelling to the kids - let's go! This is not a drill! The home phone wouldn't work so I grabbed my cell phone.  I threw the kids in the car, still in bathing suits and didn't even think to grab shoes and as I was doing this, my call to 9-1-1 sounded something like this.....
"9-1-1 what is your emergency?"
"My house, my house is on fire."
"Where are you calling from ma'am?"
"I'm in the garage - I'm getting the kids into the car and getting to safety."
"Where is the location of the emergency."
"MY HOUSE. It's on FIRE!"
"Yes, where is the exact location of the emergency."
"I don't know exactly. The attic somewhere....it was hit by lightening." By this time, I had the kids in the car and had reached the mailbox and saw my address - then it hit me all at once, cell phone - location of the emergency.  She needed my address. "Do you need my address?"
"I need to know the address of the emergency so I know where to send the emergency vehicle."
"Oh.... OK."

Yeah - so I was a little too freaked out to actually understand what she was asking.  I thought my information would pop up on the screen when I called and they would know where I am.  I thought she wanted to know where in the house I was calling from so that when the roof caved in on us - they would know where to look for us. (Darn over-active imagination!) To make a very long story short because this post is really about me calling 9-1-1 yesterday because Carsanne was choking...... No major fire damage, the smoke detector shorted out because of the water that was coming in from the hole in the roof.  About $50,000.00 in damages - all replaced and repaired due to "replacement value" on my insurance police.  Much better to have "replacement value" than "actual value."  Don't go cheap on insurance! - I'll save that for another post too.

Yesterday, I called 9-1-1 on my cell phone but knew to tell them my address.  They came and checked her out.  She was still having gaging and choking episodes and we couldn't see the obstruction nor could we get it out.  I learned a few things during this experience.  Don't turn them over and whack them on the back.  Apparently, that can do more harm than good if it is a toy or sharp object you want them to remain still as long as they are getting in air and try to encourage their gags and gravity to get the object up or out.  If it doesn't come out, you stabilize them and get them to the hospital for x-ray and extraction.  I also learned that it is OK to feed them and give them something to drink - again, if they are breathing.  This will help induce the gag reflex and hopefully help to get the item up and out.  I learned that the EMT cannot just use some kind of sucking mechanism and get the object out if the baby is breathing.  They only take action if the baby becomes unconscious.  So, basically they sat there and asked me what I wanted to do while Carsanne would try and eat and gag but the dang thing wouldn't come out.  Well, I sure as heck can't leave it in there.  And I don't exactly want to put her in her car seat and drive to the hospital where I would be somewhat unable to help her if she had a serious problem so.... once again I was thinking I would be getting in the ambulance to go sit in an ER and see if someone could get the foreign object out of my baby's throat.  Augggggghhhhhh!! Carsanne was so tired.  She was yawning and trying to go to sleep but gaging.... I decided to try and nurse her and see if that did anything.  At first she would just gag and throw back her head and then I switched sides. She gagged really big, latched on, started to suck and slowly drifted comfortably to sleep.  Hmmmmmm, I guess she got it down.  I guess she is OK.  So, I was ready to send the EMT on their way.  Then I noticed something sticking out of Carsanne's mouth.  It was a clear piece of plastic about the size and width of my thumb.  I showed it to the EMT and he said, "Yep, that would choke an infant for sure."  I felt so relieved.  But, also a little guilty. I think it was the safety seal of a bottle of Tylenol I had opened Sunday night.  I thought I had thrown it away but, obviously, I missed the trash can.  Oops. 

So, all is well.  Carsanne finally gagged up the thing that she was choking on and was comfortable and asleep.  Another successful visit from our neighborhood emergency service providers.  One good reason to pay taxes!!

This is my favorite picture of baby Carsanne.  She is so dang happy all the time! So grateful she is OK!

Sunday's lesson

I was reminded on Sunday of a time in my young adult years when my life could have taken a completely different path.  I was at a crossroads - choose to live a life without faith in God but on my own terms or to live according to a belief system that I had been taught.  On one hand, there was the lure of a "liberated" life - one that was free from the guilt of not being "perfect".  And on the other hand, was the hope of life eternal and the sacrifices necessary to attain it.  I wrestled with this decision, and after a while, when I had become sufficiently humbled, I decided to ask God.  If there was no God - then it couldn't hurt anything by talking to no one.  But if there was a God, and He did answer me, well, then,  - that would make all the difference. 

I did the only thing I really knew to do.  Read the scriptures and pray.  I read passages about hope and faith and and life eternal and they really seemed to resonate with me.  A life with purpose and meaning seemed more appealing than a life of fun and adventure.  At this point, I really wanted to know, more than I wanted anything else, I wanted to know if there was a God and if the things I had been taught about the gospel were true.  I decided it was time to pray and ask.  This was not to be a casual prayer.  There was a lot at stake.  I prayed alone, out loud and with complete sincerity.  And the answer came.  Just as I had been told it would in a still, small voice and a warmth in my heart.  The answer was undeniable - there is a God, not only does He know me but He loves me.

Since that time, I have never doubted. Everything that is good about my life is a result of that answered prayer.  My marriage to Jay is the most treasured thing I have.  My children are the source of all my joy and happiness.  Sure there are times when I still feel guilty for not being perfect but now I know God loves me and I feel His encouragement to do a little better.  And why I ever thought I had to choose between a life of purpose and meaning and a life of fun and adventure..... is beyond me.    

This picture was taken at the Salt Lake City Temple Visitor's Center this summer.

Voice Lessons 101

My son has the sweetest voice.  He is always singing in the house or in the car.  This upcoming year at school, he is going to be in the choir and try out for the pop group.  The pop group is an after school commitment and they learn fun songs and go around the community and perform.  I thought it would be a great idea to get him with a vocal coach to help him pick out and work on a try out song for the pop group.  We have an amazing one in the area that comes highly recommended and on Saturday, we went to go meet with him.  Unfortunately, Bryan woke up really not feeling well.  He had some congestion and aches.  I gave him some medicine and talked him into keeping the appointment.  Well, I've never been to a vocal coach before but I have sung on a choir and had an idea of what to expect.  Boy was I wrong.  This was nothing like either of expected.  I'm not saying it was bad and I'm not saying it was good - just not what either of us thought it was going to be like.

There have been very few instances in my life when I've had the chance to truly see into the heart and soul of one of my kids. I can think of a few: my oldest had to have both of her feet reconstructed. It was a year long process that was hard and painful but through it all, I got to really understand her and see inside her heart.  The same goes for when Andrea and Reagan had their tonsils out.  I'm not trying to say that voice lessons are like major surgery but - maybe I am.  It's those times in your life when everything is stripped away and there is nothing left to hide behind.  It exposes your weaknesses and your strengths. That is what this hour did.  I learned more about my son in this hour than I think I've ever really known.  And when it was all said and done - I was really impressed with what I saw.  He is the most amazing kid.  At his core - he is good, really, really good.  I love him so much. 

As we drove away from the lesson, I asked him what he thought about it.  His reply, "Well, that was a waste of 100 dollars." We didn't get out of it what we had hoped - that is for sure.  But what we did get out of it was definitely worth the 100 bucks. 

Bryan - age 13.

Back home and BUSY!!!

We've been back home from our summer vacay now for almost 2 weeks and we have been busy, Busy, BUSY!! It took a while to get into the swing of things.  Let's face it - we wanted to stay on Cali time. But that didn't last long and soon we were all back into full gear.

Jayme has been busy with the High School Drill Team.  She is the Jr. Sergeant for next year and had a leadership meeting when we first got home and then off to a week of boot camp.  They learned the choreography for their football game routines and pep rally.  They were there from 8-8 each day.  She would limp on in every night and take an ice bath followed by multiple layers of icy hot.  It's been a rigorous week for her that is for sure.  Tonight is the show-offs and we get to go see all the new routines.  Can't wait!!

Bryan was the least busy.  He was actually bored.  Poor kid.  He got to help mom out a ton by watching baby Carsanne while mom did laundry and cleaned house.  His buddy down the street finally got home from vacation so he's got someone around now.  He did go in this morning and got bottom braces to complete his set.  I took a funny picture of him in the chair with his lips spread apart in a funny contraption while they put the brackets on  - but I'm forbidden to add.  (Not like I know how, mind you.) Just a note on him being a momma's helper - he is sooooo good with helping with his two little sisters.  He is so patient and kind with them.  I swear he is going to be the best husband and daddy in the world.  I don't know of too many 13 year old boys who are willing to entertain their siblings.  And, he is becoming quite the chief.  He enjoys helping in the kitchen - and appreciates me when I make "good food!"

Andrea also had a busy week of dancing.  She auditioned this week for a competitive dance team.  Last year was her first year on the team.  She made the Pee Wee squad.  Each year they have to re audition.  And this year, she wanted to try out for the Junior Squad.  They girls on the Jr. Squad are a little older and dance a few more hours a week than the Pee Wees.  Well, the results are in and she made the Jr. Squad with her buddy.  She is so excited.  I am too! She loves it and I love watching her dance.  I think it's going to be a great year!

Reagan will be attending preschool in a month and the school has a summer camp program.  So, I thought it would be a good idea to have her attend camp and get accustomed to the place.  She has enjoyed it.  It is a really neat place.  They have farm animals there and the kids get to interact with them.  I think she will have a lot of fun and it will be good for her to have a place to go to learn and play while her older brother and sisters are gone during the day.  She misses them when they are not here.

Carsanne has just been growing up too fast! She had a well baby check on Monday and is doing good.  She is still very small for her size but everything else checks our great.  She cut her 2 top teeth - now her total is 4 and the other 2 upper teeth are on their way in.  She has been eating up table food like crazy.  (BACK STORY) She has a condition that is urinary reflux and has to take a prophylactic antibiotic to keep her pee sterile so she won't get infections.  Well, the first medicine they gave her - she hated and refused to take - even having some scary choking incidents because she would refuse to swallow it and then she would accidentally breath it in while crying.  It was scary to watch her choke on that thick, goopy stuff.  So, her urologist suggested a capsule that I could open and sprinkle the powder on her food.  We started this a month ago and it worked great for about a week.  She had been eating baby food really well but after a week of mixing in the antibiotic - she lost taste of all food.  Anything that approached her mouth in a spoon was completely avoided with sealed lips and a turned up nose.  Great - now I had ruined food for her.  Well, during our vacation, she got an ear infection and was put on amoxycilin - which she likes ok.  I took her off all food for a few days.  After she was done with the amoxycilin, I knew I had to start giving her the macrodenton again so a few days before the amoxycilin was done, I experimented with table food.  She loved it!! We have since tried: watermelons, oranges, bananas, steamed carrots and broccoli, pasta, strogenoff and the macrodenton went down just fine mixed into a peach milkshake.  Now she just wants to eat everything we eat and she is doing a great job.  She may be thin for now but if she keeps this up - she'll be packing on the pounds in no time.  It is a good thing she is getting all these extra calories because she has been crawling everywhere and pulling herself up to stand too.  So fun to watch her achieve all these milestones but so sad too.  Why can't they stay little longer??

I have been very busy too.  I decided to rewash everything we brought home to make sure no nasty lice nits found their way to our house.  And of course, taxing around everyone.  Which isn't too bad because I have a nice new car that I got right before we left for vacation.  Yes, I have a great life.  Don't know what I did to deserve all the happiness and joy that my life gives me.  But I do know one thing - the best decision I ever made was marrying my best friend!  He is amazing and our life together is wonderful.  Today is his birthday.  Happy Birthday Jay! I hope this year is a great one for you! I love you!

This picture is of Jayme and her drill team at the end of boot camp.

Surf's Up, Dude!

This is a totally, gnarly post dude. Who can go to the beach without engaging in some serious local motion? Not us, dude. I mean, like, totally they were comin' in sets 1-2 feet and we rode the shoulder and in the barrel 'til we totally wiped out.

In English- Bryan and Andrea along with their cousin, Maggie went to the Newport Beach Surf Camp. They quickly caught on.  Bryan had surfed last year and was in the more advanced group with some bigger waves. He did pretty good! Andrea and Maggie did good too! Andrea has great balance and could pop up really easily.  They all enjoyed it so much and got a fab workout too.  I was thinking that I would like to learn ...... but let's face it...... that is highly unlikely!

These pictures are of Bryan and Andrea at surf camp.



The Happiest Place on Earth

Ok. So it's been a while and maybe y'all thought I forgot about ya' but, No, just been busy! - having FUN!!!

While in Cali, we did venture off to Disneyland's California Adventure Theme Park to visit the new CarsLand. (mouthful). It was AMAZING. Yes. My three yr old loves Cars and it did not disappoint. We got there early and stayed past closing. Thanks to Grammy for helping with the kids or the day may have been a bust. We did most of the rides and the lines weren't terrible. Love FastPass. Love Soaring Over California because it embodies all the wonderful memories I have: the beach, horseback riding around the honor farm and at Montana De Oro, River rafting with best friends, PGA West with family, Honeymooning at Lake Shasta, the smell of Oranges, and Disneyland - fond memories from childhood and grad night from High School. Basically if my life were a ride, it would be that one.

The kids loved Radiator Springs in CarsLand. It was almost an exact replica. Oh, Disney - you never cease to Amaze! Reagan's favorite ride was Mator's Junkyard or something like that.... You would ride in a cart behind the tractors that he tipped in the movie and swing around like tea cups. We rode it twice! Also to note, we did manage to get FastPasses for Radiator Racers which was a good thing because the stand-by line was never shorter than 2 hours. The FastPasses were out by 9:30am for the day!!! So, our time was 6 pm. The line with FastPass at that time was an hour. So, we waited. No joke - 10 seconds into the ride it stopped. Mechanical difficulty. We were actually evacuated. I feel the need to digress into a back story here - I have the worst luck on amusement park rides. I've been stuck on many, Indiana Jones, for sure - and others but I've never actually been evacuated. My kids were bummed. Not as much as I was though. And, of course, I was totally to blame for the ride failure..... However, we scored some extra FastPasses and off we went. By 10:00 pm the ride was back online and we were able to ride it in its entirety. It did not disappoint. The kids were able to talk Grammy into going and the park let the ride stay open 30 minutes after closing to accommodate more who were affected by the break down. Yay for us!!

It was a great day. Expensive. But great!

I think my 16 year old had the most fun and it had me wondering how many more of these experiences I will get the chance to share with her. Kids grow too quickly I've decided. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do about that but hug 'em and love 'em while I've got 'em!!! And that is very likely!!!!

Here are some pictures of the kids at Cars Land.  Cousing Maggie is with us!

Unlikely visitors....

There are a lot of things I could write about from last Sunday....how we took a cab to church and heard the most angelic version of the primary song, If the Savior Stood Beside Me, or how the sun finally made an appearance and the weather was perfect but unfortunately, the day was marred but some unlikely and highly unwanted visitors. The beach house has recently been tented for termites. A few days ago, I thought I found one in the kitchen. "Inconcievable!" was what I heard. Well, outside the church, while waiting for our cab, Jay reached over and pulled a bug from on top of Andrea's head. He looked at it and said, "termite." I said, "Wait a minute..... Let me see that bug." Sure enough, it wasn't a termite but a louse. I quickly went through her head and didn't see anything else in there so I thought we dodged a bullet. However, after a quick peek at Maggie's head -all I could say was, "Houston, we have a problem." I'm not a lice expert and so I couldn't make an accurate guesstimate on timeline and population but let's just say her head looked liked times square on New Year's Eve. There was a party going on!!! The rest of the day was dedicated to the eradication of lice and their nits. I refuse to drench my children in toxic pesticide so I found a product called licefree which is a nontoxic, homeopathic remedy. We treated heads and picked nits, washed sheets, clothing, towels. Fun, right? Ok. Not really. But, it wasn't terrible. Many hands make light work. And I've become pretty good at spotting and picking out nits so, I'm thinking if Jay's current job doesn't work out, I may be able to support the family with my new found talent. I'm thinking people would pay big bucks for my services!!!

Jogging - an unlikely activity

One of the things I love about the beach is how easy and fun it is to have an active lifestyle.  Life here is all about the outdoors - playing on the beach, walking to the grocery store, etc.  We don't even have a car here because we can get anywhere we need to by foot or by bike. (except for Disneyland - we will take a taxi.) At home in Texas, I am not a jogger.  A few years ago, before baby #4 was born, I actually trained for and completed a sprint triathlon.  It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It is now checked off the bucket list and I doubt I will ever do it again but - never say never.  With that being said, the last four years my exercise routine has been non-existent except for the last few months of pregnancy #5 when I joined a club so I could swim.  I got up to a mile a day and it was very therapeutic.  However, nothing since then, nope, nada. So, the idea that I would get up early on vacation to go jogging is very unlikely. But that is exactly what I did - and I loved it.  For the past few mornings I have gotten up early and jogged along the boardwalk.  It has been awesome.  The boardwalk is a perfect place to go for a jog.  There is lots to see on the boardwalk - beautiful homes, interesting people, dogs of every breed, people on strange bikes, people on unique skateboards, surf camp, surfers, the ocean, the fisherman, and other people out for an early jog.  You can get lost in sight-seeing and forget you are actually out jogging.  The weather here at the beach is perfect for being active - low 70's and ocean breezes. The first morning my 10 year old went jogging with me.  She kicked my booty.  She dances about 12 hours a week on a competitive dance team and is in amazing shape.  Today I went by myself.  I had a very enjoyable time so the fact that it was very unlikely that I would do it in the first place - I would say it is very likely that I will do it again!

This is Jayme dancing on the beach!

Life's a Beach

I grew up in Orange County in Southern California - close to the beach. The beach has always held a special place in my heart.  When I was in elementary school, we would load up the station wagon and head to the beach almost every weekend.  The whole neighborhood would go.  We would go to the same beach and then all eat at the same Mexican restaurant.  What good times.  My sister and I cannot reminisce about those days without remembering the day we dared her to drink the hot sauce and she did!!! After college, I got married and left California and so did my parents and sister.  I guess they missed the beach as much as I did because about 6 years ago, my parents bought a little beach house in Newport and we spend summer vacations here, together.  We have really enjoyed it. Today was our first full day here.  After getting all settled in, we went on to the sand.  It was a bummer of a day because it was overcast and even rainy today but the kids had fun.  We did a little boogie boarding, playing in the sand and wiffle ball. After dinner, we walked down by the pier and had Gelatos.  I told the kids we were not going to do Gelatos every night! (They are expensive!!)

I love it here so much! The sun, the sand and the surf - need I say more? Well, I could mention grandparents and cousins!! Our days here are filled with fun and laughter - long walks and long talks. Now it is time for our evening movie! Enchanted!

Starting in the middle....

Yesterday, I read an article in a church magazine about the middle - specifically, being in the middle, and it really struck a cord with me. I like things to be neat and orderly but somehow they never are that way. I'm always in the middle of something. Right now I am in the middle of my life, in the middle of raising my 5 wonderful kids, in the middle of the year and even in the middle of a summer vacation. How do you get a feeling of accomplishment if you never see a project from beginning to end? It's like laundry - it will never be all done unless my kids were all walking around naked. (I have one that would prefer it that way....) So, I start this blog in the middle. There is a lot of background info that you don't know and I will have to deal with that one blog at a time. My mother-in-law has a saying, "How do you get 6 elephants in a Volkswagen? 3 in the front and 3 in the back." Things often seem impossible when you are in the middle but, if you just keep on going with a positive outlook you can accomplish the unlikely! Even the impossible! Today I drove myself and my 5 kids from St George, Utah to Newport Beach, California in a small rental car without a radio. Our journey was not without drama but, we worked it out and made it in one piece. We had a great time visiting Jay's family in Utah and now we start the second half of our vacation with my family. And now I shall say, "Good-bye." My kids are in the middle of watching a movie and I think I will join them. It is unlikely that I will write tomorrow - hey, I'm in the middle of a vacation here!

Taking the kids to the beginning - well, sort of.....This is the place Jay and I were married so it's where our marriage started - but not our story. 

My thoughts on Doctors

Yes, sweet baby Carsanne has an ear infection.  How did I know? Well, she was a little off... not really cranky, just sleepy and mellow. She was having a hard time with congestion and after a little saline up the nose, I used a bugger extractor thingy and pulled out enormous amounts of thick green mucus. So I knew she had something brewing but she didn't have a fever so I really was just going with my gut that she needed antibiotics.
When it comes to my kids and their health I have learned - after 16 years and 5 kids - that you have to trust your motherly instincts.  We have had our fair share of illness and medical issues and I have a lot of love and appreciation for the physicians who have helped us out but one experience we had 2 years ago helped me to realize the important role I must play as an advocate for the health of my children. 
Reagan was about 18 months old and a very picky eater.  She was basically living on pediasures at the time. (This is a whole other story....) At this time, she contracted a pretty severe case of diarrhea.  After a few days, I took her to the doctor hoping he had some kind of magic bullet (in this case baby Imodium AD) to help ease her symptoms.  He said that she looked fine and that the virus just needed to run it's course.  He suggested that I stick to the BRAT diet to help ease symptoms.  The BRAT diet being Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast - things I knew wouldn't fly but thought I would go home and give it a try.  Sure enough, she wouldn't touch the stuff so she really wasn't eating or drinking anything and still had diarrhea.  After a few more days, I was really worried that she was dehydrated.  She was acting healthy but I knew the limited amounts of liquid that she was drinking and knew she was in for trouble if I didn't turn this around.  It was a Friday afternoon and I took her back in to see her pediatrician.  I told him what was going on and that I was really concerned about her being dehydrated.  At the time of the doctor's visit, Reagan was jumping around and acting like a very healthy and normal 18 month old so I can see why he thought I may have been overreacting.  I was adamant that he give me something to help - at least tell me exactly how much fluid she needs to be taking in to stay healthy.  When I left the office, I doubted in myself.  I felt that I had over exaggerated the problem. So, that night I gave her a pediasure before bed and said to myself that she will be fine in the morning.  She had fallen asleep in my bed that night so I could keep an eye on her and around midnight I heard her making some weird groaning noises. I woke to see what was going on and was horrified to see how large her abdomen had bloated out.  I woke up Jay and told him that something was terribly wrong and that we needed to take her immediately to the hospital.  He didn't share in my anxiety.  "She is sleeping," he said, "wait until morning."  Right after he said that she began to projectile vomit all over the place. It was like a scene from a horror movie.  So, we took her to our children's hospital.  After hearing my story they decided to give her an IV.  Set after set of nurses came in to try and give her an IV - 8 nurses in total.  They couldn't find a vein in her arm or her hand.  A nurse finally addressed us and said, "I put IVs in children all day long.  I don't like to stick them more than once so I'm pretty good at what I do.  I cannot get an IV into your daughter because she is so dehydrated there is no fluid in her veins.  This is a serious situation. We are going to give her some ant nausea medicine and then have you syringe Gatorade into her mouth until there is enough fluid in her system that we can give her IV fluid."  And that is what we did.  We finally got an IV into her and she spent 4 days in the hospital on IV.  FOUR DAYS! She almost died from dehydration her organs had already began to shut down and I knew it but her pediatrician wouldn't listen to me. Twelve hours after leaving his office, I'm being told by a nurse in a hospital that my daughter is in bad shape.  Why didn't he listen to me when I told him how sick she was.  I knew what had been going in and coming out of her body over the last 2 weeks, I knew it wasn't enough.
I never went back to that doctor.  I had really liked him too.  He had helped out with some other serious medical issues that we had dealt with but I could no longer put faith in a doctor that wouldn't put faith in me as a mother.
Valuable lesson learned - as mothers we know our children better than anyone in the world.  We love our children more that anyone in the world.  We our advocates for our children and we need to always listen to our mommy instincts and never feel unqualified or intimidated when it comes to their well-being.
I'll get off my soap box now.  Thanks for stopping by.  Hope your day brings you a wonderful and unlikely surprise!

Here we all are at the resort in Park City, Utah.  We had a great time riding the Alpine slide and roller coaster.  See how happy and healthy we all are!!! 

My First Post :)

Ahhhhhh. My first post. I'm really not sure what I want to say exactly so I will start by describing my purpose and vision for this blog.   My 8 month old daughter is sitting on my lap chewing my computer cord so I'm not sure how far I will get with this post but, here it goes................
The purpose of this blog is to share the enjoyment of being a mom with friends and family. My vision is to make those who visit laugh at life, love those who are in your life, and find inspiration to make your life better.

How I will accomplish this will surely evolve as I learn what in the heck I'm doing but for starters, it will include our story - the good, the bad and the messy.  It will also need to include - Tracisms. (Tracy isms) My kids have named these cute little phrases after me because I am their author.  Sometimes, almost every day, I think one thing but then say something else.  I do not know how it happens, I don't do drugs of any kind - including alcohol and tobacco - I even steer clear of caffeine.  I have a college degree and consider myself of sound mind. I think I just have my mind going in so many different directions that somewhere in my brain the neurons get criss-crossed and out pops the craziest things.  The weirdest part is that I hear what I meant to say so I don't even know that it has come out jumbled up until I see the confused look on my kids or see my husband chuckle.

Well, the baby is starting to fuss. I think she has a messy diaper :(. She is definitely not feeling well. 
I have a doctor's appointment in an hour to see if she has an ear infection so it is time to end my post and get ready to go.  Thanks for stopping by - now go and do something UNLIKELY too!

This picture is taken while we are on our summer vacation.  We spent a week at Park City, Utah with all of Jay's family celebrating his Mom and Dad's 55th wedding anniversary.  Then we went with them to their home in St. George, Utah for a week of more visiting and then on to Newport Beach, California for 2 weeks in the sun with my family. Good times!

So, I'm holding baby Carsanne in the Bjorn and Grandma Nancy and Jayme are talking in the background.