Monday, August 30, 2010

First day jitters...

Today was the first day of school! I'm homeschooling Leah this year (she's in 2nd grade) but Davis wanted to go to "regular kindergarten", as he put it. He has been soooo excited for his first day but this morning his nerves got the best of him. We found out on the way to the bus stop that our neighbors who will normally be riding the bus weren't today. He got a little panicked and said, "I won't know anyone!?" Then when it was his turn to get on the bus he started crying and said, "Where will I sit?". Instead of forcing him on and risking a complete melt down on the way there, I decided to just drive him.
When we got to school it was kinda crazy and I didn't know which classroom was his. As we were walking around looking for it he said, "I changed my mind, I don't want to go to school today." Which just made me laugh since he practically begged to go. Anyways, when we found his classroom he asked me to stay but I think he liked it a lot when we walked in and cute little Halle Peterson from the ward waved to him and said, "Hi Davis!". She was sitting next to Andrew, also from the ward, so Davis sat down at their table. I asked them all about their backpacks, which they were very excited to chat about, and Davis warmed up quickly. I told him to tell me when I could leave and he said, "Right before the end." He wanted me to stay the whole time! LOL But right about that time the teacher said it was time for the parents to leave and Davis said I could go. He gave me a high-five and a half-smile and I was certain he'd do great.


Walking home from the bus stop I asked him about school and he said,
"I like it. It was fun. I made new friends. I played on the playground."
He's a gem :)

Thursday, August 19, 2010

"At that particular time"

-Alanis Morrisette
Whitney and I got up around 5am, her choice.
Then around 9 o'clock we all went to Phillips Ranch and petted some horses. Then Grayson's face got all itchy and I had to give him some Benadryl.
Then we went swimming at Sara's house.
In this picture are Davis, Leah, Maura, Landon and Wyatt enjoying the "hot pool".

Then Davis got funny with the jets.

Then we came home for lunch and Grayson serenaded me.

Then Whitney's walking skills were caught on camera.

Now the big kids are upstairs "cleaning" the playroom.
Later Leah and Davis have gymnastics.
A lot later I'm going to hang out with the girls at the pool without the kids.
And that is all.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Little Miss Chatty



Another super long video for the grandparents. Whitney talks quite a bit. She doesn't always say things on command but she has started to say things like uh-oh so clear and at the right time.

at :18 she kinda says Leah, she says this a lot better usually
at :37 she says mama
at :50 she says baby, this is one she usually says so clear and when she sees a baby doll, it's really cute!
at :55 she laughs at our peak-a-boos a couple times
at 1:21 she covers her eye for peak-a-boo and says boo
at 1:30 she says actually says "p-boo" which is what she normally says
at 1:37 she says Davis
at 1:41 she kinda says Grayson, she's never actually said Grayson I just thought I'd ask her and see what she says, she at least made some sounds instead of giving me the stare haha
at 2:04 she kinda says dada, she says this one a lot clearer usually
at 2:20 when I ask her to say uh-oh she only looks down for what dropped, she usually says this one clear as a bell and at the appropriate times
at 3:10 is a failed attempt to get her to kiss Leah, she does actually give kisses usually
at 4:25 she shows her willingness to spit anything out into your hand if you ask her, she has always done this!
at 4:34 she does the beloved tongue spit

The kids and I were watching this video and when Whitney started spitting Davis was laughing hysterically. When it was over he said, "That video got really funny at the end." Love him.

Whitney has been definitely been teething lately. She had a large purple, swollen spot on her gums (an eruption hematoma according to the pediatric dentist) and a bottom tooth broke through a few days after which was probably what was causing that high fever. You can tell in this video she's still kinda cranky and wanting to bite stuff. She's still our little "Chompers".

Because my last four posts have had no pictures...

Jeff and I before we left for birthday sushi.
We took this one:

Leah took this one:

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I showered today, yay me!

Grayson is doing so much better today! Ever since our Mexico vacation a few weeks ago his dietary restrictions had been off and I've been enforcing them again since Monday. He just needs them. It makes my head hurt thinking about completely restricting him again long term so I think I'm going to try a new set of parameters. When we eliminated salicylates he did great, so I think if I cut those way down he'll be able to tolerate wheat in homemade bread and muffins (homemade to avoid preservatives). We'll try it for a few weeks and see how he does. Adding wheat would make my life so much easier.

I forgot to mention that when I took him to the pediatrician (last Friday) she ordered his allergy tests again since it's been a year. We went right to the Quest that's in the building but then had to wait 30 minutes. Yeah, it was me and my four kids sitting in the waiting area, which is a hallway, for 30 minutes. Then, when it's finally our turn, the vein clots in the first arm so they have to try again in the other arm. After the first prick Grayson is screaming and crying... and he never lets up. They didn't even hit a vein in the second arm. The nurse just stuck the needle ALL THE WAY IN and dug around which is the worst. So I walked out after 45 minutes with a wailing three-year-old and no promise of actually getting any test results. So not fun.

I think the stress got to me and for the past few days I haven't been feeling healthy at all. My body's been achy, my stomach has been hurting, and there is SO much tension in my shoulders it's giving me a headache. I tried to explain this to Jeff but apparently he didn't take me serious. Last night he told me I felt hot and that I "might actually be sick". Yeah, that's what I was telling you. Did you think I was faking? Anyways, he ran out and got me some late night Super Nachos from Roberto's and I woke up this morning feeling a lot better. Hand delivered mexican food is my medicine :)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The bad news...

Grayson probably has asthma. I had noticed him breathing weird off and on this summer. Last Friday I took him to the doctor and she said that at his age there isn't a definitive test and she prescribed an inhaler for him (which wasn't covered by our insurance so I paid out of pocket for) to treat him when he's having trouble. And then she said that if his symptoms don't get better after a treatment to take him to the ER... which is something a mother LOVES to hear, ya know!?

I really don't know how to tell if he's having trouble breathing. I asked the pediatrician what it would look like when he was struggling and she just gave me a blank stare. No help at all.

And then there's Whitney. On Sunday she was super fussy and developed a fever in the afternoon. I'm used to my kids getting fevers when they're teething but she was so not herself I was kinda worried. I gave her some ibuprofen and she took a nap. On the ibuprofen her fever was gone and I thought she was getting better. The next day she was clingy but no fever until about 1pm. I decided to take her to the doctor to see if he could see any signs of infection but really the only obvious thing was the fever. By the time we got in to see him it was 103.8! He told me to just treat the fever for the next two days and then bring her back in if it hasn't gone away by then. Mama no likey.

Our stupid pediatricians office doesn't have any appts available for THREE WEEKS! Um, when my kid is sick what good is that appt going to do?? Does anyone have doctor that has same day appts?

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The good news...

My birthday week was great. Jeff and I went to our third annual birthday sushi and then saw Salt at the Red Rock. The sushi was great! And the movie was good. I love Angelina Jolie, she plays an awesome CIA agent but I felt like I'd seen that movie before.

Apparently my love language has come to revolve around peanut butter. I didn't eat PB the whole time I was pregnant and nursing so I've been enjoying my fair share since last week. Jeff even brought home a Reese's cheesecake home from The Cheesecake Factory on Monday :) Sweetest thing ever!

Leah's FINALLY out of school!!! It's good to have her home :)




Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Today's my TWENTY-NINTH birthday!

My zodiac sign is Leo so I pretty much like/love a day that's all about me :)

Here are 29 random things about me:
1. I love music but I'm pretty much tone deaf when it comes to singing.
2. Favorite movies: Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightly version), Blue Crush, Casino Royale, The Holiday, Can't Buy Me Love and Star Trek.
3. Usually I'd rather just watch a favorite movie over again at home than go watch a movie I've never seen in the theaters.
4. I regularly forget where I put things. Even important things like my camera!
5. We've lived in our house for almost a year and several windows still don't have coverings of any sort. Who needs privacy?
6. I wish I was a mega-environmentalist. I'd love to live in a self-sustaining community. But if I moved there I'm not sure Jeff would follow so...
7. I'm a tomboy.
8. I love to play sports but I'm not really that good at any of them.
9. I don't follow professional sports but I enjoy watching them (mostly tennis) when they're on at somebody else's house.
10. We don't have cable TV. The other day somebody asked if we had TV yet? We don't have cable because we don't want cable. It's not like we're going to get it one day and we just haven't yet. Is that really such a crazy idea??
11. Amber thinks I'm spunky. I tend to agree.
12. I know I'm a spaz, I just happen to like that about myself.
13. My favorite books are Pride and Prejudice, The Host, Eclipse from the Twilight Series, Ender's Game, Jane Eyre, The Goose Girl and The Truth About Forever.
14. I re-read books I like.
15. I'm a complete desert dweller. I don't mind the heat very much and I don't like to be cold.
16. I LOVED high school. When people say they hated it I can't relate at all!! Maybe that's why I still read young adult novels and (according to my sister) dress like a teenager.
17. I remember song lyrics. I have learned some awesome, life-changing things from songs.
18. I consider myself a convert. I vividly remember the first time I felt peaceful after praying and knew the gospel was true. I want nothing more than for my kids to gain that knowledge for themselves.
19. I like to change my hair A LOT but I wear jeans and a T-shirt everyday.
20. I love to swim. Sometimes when my hair is bleached I don't like to get it wet in a chlorinated pool but I still LOVE to swim.
21. I am not a consumer. I only like to buy things that I can use forever. It's impossible to get away from everything disposable but when I put my trash on the curb and the trash man picks it up I'm completely aware of the fact it doesn't just magically disappear.
22. I'm messy but I like to talk. See how those things relate!?
23. I've always wanted to homeschool. It's not that I want to keep my kids from the "bad influence" of public school but I want to let them develop a love for learning. There's so much inspiration in this world that kids don't get to see because they're stuck in a classroom all day. I'm going to finally do it next year!! Yay!
24. I'd rather TRY and not do something perfect than not ever TRY.
25. I like to eat healthy food. Healthy is such a relative term.
26. I think I'm funny. Jeff thinks I'm funny but just not as funny as him. I tend to not agree :p
27. I like to make babies but I don't really like being pregnant. Go figure.
28. I love, love LOVE bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes. I get one for my birthday and then eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it's gone. It's not healthy but it's fun :)
29. President Obama shares a birthday with me, lucky him ;)

It's my birthday so I'm not going to do any housework today. Jeff is probably saying, "And that's different than yesterday because?" It's my birthday WEEK, haha :) Anyways, tonight Sara invited me out for a late frozen yogurt from Poppy's. Should be fun!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Whitney turned 1 year old!
I CANNOT even believe it!
What did I do with the last year of my life!?!
I'm not exactly sure but here is the result of my actions. A nice, plump one-year-old who can stand up but hardly takes a step:




She prefers to stand up on my bed. I think it's because when she plops down it doesn't hurt her bum :)

The day was pretty uneventful. I kept up with tradition and weaned her so we both were kinda grumpy and wanted to stay inside. When Leah got home from school I decided we should try and leave the house, maybe do something fun. When I put her in her carseat Whitney started fussing and Leah said, "Oh, how sad. She's crying on her birthday." Which just made me laugh. Whitney really is just such a wonderful addition to our family and as Leah and I always say we're just so lucky to have her!