Pardon the language--I don't usually use the word "crappy," but I think it applies to some of what happened today. (Plus the rhyme was too good not to use.) Let me explain...
The kids had the day off of school today. Happy: we slept in! Happy: we decided to go do some fun things. Crappy: Benson threw up on my bedroom floor. A lot. It was milk from a sippy cup Ben had just given him. He didn't have any other symptoms (and yes, Caytie did test positive for the flu 10 days previous, but we had just the day before finished a course of Tamiflu for all the kids, so we were pretty sure it wasn't that) sooo...we decided to go anyway.
We went to IHOP for breakfast. Happy: walking in, the kids all said what a great day this was. Happy: the weather was so beautiful! Crappy: we had to wait. A lot. Happy: our waiter (when we finally got one) was great. Happy: all the kids ate most of their food! (Benson was given only liquids, and he handled them just fine.)
We went to a roller skating rink. Happy: the kids have been wanting to go again since we went for the first time this summer. Crappy: we went to a different place, which was pretty old, and kind of smelly. Happy: Benson and I roamed around looking at the games and watching Ben and the other kids skate around and around. Ben got a workout with two clingy girls! Happy: they rented those "walkers" on wheels, so the two littles got one to help them balance and go faster. Happy: our friends the Cooks happened to come, too! Their son and his friend just turned 11, so they were working on the skating merit badge, and let Scott do it with them. Crappy: Ben was helping to show the boys some backward something or other and he fell. He heard something pop. His foot hurt. A lot. He pulled off his skates and came to sit down. As he sat, he said he thought he might be blacking out...and then he did. I was standing in front of him, and his head dropped down, so I picked it up and was trying to revive him, calling his name and patting his cheeks. My friend Sarah was right there, too, so she suggested we lay him down. We did, and a few seconds after we got him down, he started to have a seizure. Sarah said, "I'll call 911," and ran off to the front of the rink. The seizure lasted about 5-7 seconds or so, and then he sat up, clearly disoriented, but now awake. I was calling his name and still supporting him, in case he fell or seized again, but soon he was clear-eyed, though confused. He said, "I guess I blacked out for a couple seconds." I said it was longer than that, and that he had a seizure, but he didn't really remember it. Sarah came back, and hadn't called 911 because the phone at the front desk was not working. A random lady next to us had called, however, and wanted me to talk to them. I couldn't hear anything at all with the loud music, so Sarah took the phone and gave them the info they needed. I walked over to get Ben's shoes, and when I got back, the paramedics were there, with a gurney. Ben was sweaty and his foot was throbbing, and felt like he was in a fog, but otherwise was feeling OK. They took all his vitals, which were all normal, and asked us several questions. They said they couldn't diagnose him, but it seems that with an injury, sometimes the sudden jolt of adrenaline can cause a blackout, which can lead to a seizure. They said it was our call as to having him go with them, or get checked by our doctor, or to rest at home. We chose the third option, so they left. Sarah's husband got Ben a slushie, and it helped get the blood sugar going, and he was able to hobble out to the car. Happy: I was able to stay calm throughout it all. I attribute that largely to having Sarah right there. Whatever happened, I wasn't going to have to take care of Ben and the kids alone. As it turned out, we didn't need too much help, but having her presence there steadied me. Happy: the kids took it really well. Caytie was right next to him as he blacked out and had the seizure, and the others all came over when the paramedics were there. Emma said she was scared. But they could see that he was going to be OK, and they were able to move on and skate a little more before we had to go.
We came home and watched a movie. Happy: Ben (and Benson) napped. Happy: he was able to walk (though not put much weight on it) this evening. Crappy: he had work scheduled for 8 pm, and no one else could go, so he went. Happy: he's on his way home now, so I'm going to sign off. Good night!
Monday, January 20, 2014
An Unintended Consequence
When we visited my mom and dad, Benson slept in a Pack-n-play. He figured out how to climb out of that in about 20 seconds. It was a little rough getting him to sleep when he'd just pop right out as soon as we'd put him in.
Well, when we got home, he decided to try out his new skillz, and wonder of wonders, it worked. He climbed up the edge of his crib, threw his legs over, dangled by his hands for a second, and dropped. He was a free baby, and he was not going to be cooped up again.
We had been intending to switch him to a "big boy bed" soon, but uggg. He's only 21 months old, and we were waiting to the summer to move him from our room (I know, I know--that's a long time to have a baby in your room, but he had a kind of private little corner) to Scott's room. But he forced the change on us.
I'll spare the details of the transition and sketchy naps and so forth. He's been in Scott's room for two weeks, and now falls asleep there almost every night (with parental help), and has lasted the whole night there twice. (He comes down to sleep with us.) So, that's progress. I actually put our toddler bed where the crib was, so he takes naps there when I don't want to take him upstairs. I hope it's not there forever. It was a bit sad taking down the crib, because we bought it before Scott was born, but we had to throw it away since it was glued together where a screw was stripped and is illegal to sell anyway, since it is a drop-side one, which is now determined unsafe. I guess it lived a long, full life with us.
I know we have done this six times, but this has been a hard transition--mostly because I don't think he was really ready for it (and maybe I wasn't either). It's a little funny now to look back (at three weeks ago) and to know how, well, helpless I felt about it. I really didn't know how we were going to get him to stay laying down in a bed without sides. He had always been such a great sleeper, as long as he had his binkie, blanket and bed, and now a big one was gone. But--we can do hard things. Right, Benson? Right.
Well, when we got home, he decided to try out his new skillz, and wonder of wonders, it worked. He climbed up the edge of his crib, threw his legs over, dangled by his hands for a second, and dropped. He was a free baby, and he was not going to be cooped up again.
We had been intending to switch him to a "big boy bed" soon, but uggg. He's only 21 months old, and we were waiting to the summer to move him from our room (I know, I know--that's a long time to have a baby in your room, but he had a kind of private little corner) to Scott's room. But he forced the change on us.
I'll spare the details of the transition and sketchy naps and so forth. He's been in Scott's room for two weeks, and now falls asleep there almost every night (with parental help), and has lasted the whole night there twice. (He comes down to sleep with us.) So, that's progress. I actually put our toddler bed where the crib was, so he takes naps there when I don't want to take him upstairs. I hope it's not there forever. It was a bit sad taking down the crib, because we bought it before Scott was born, but we had to throw it away since it was glued together where a screw was stripped and is illegal to sell anyway, since it is a drop-side one, which is now determined unsafe. I guess it lived a long, full life with us.
I know we have done this six times, but this has been a hard transition--mostly because I don't think he was really ready for it (and maybe I wasn't either). It's a little funny now to look back (at three weeks ago) and to know how, well, helpless I felt about it. I really didn't know how we were going to get him to stay laying down in a bed without sides. He had always been such a great sleeper, as long as he had his binkie, blanket and bed, and now a big one was gone. But--we can do hard things. Right, Benson? Right.
Post Christmas Post
On Christmas Day I took the girls to see Frozen, and we all, of course, loved it. The next day, Caytie got out the craft bucket she got as a gift and decided to make Olaf. With some help with carving the head from me, this is what she did. Not bad!
We went to Tennessee for New Years! With Primary end-of-the-year changes, it is pretty hard to miss church, so we left after our afternoon church and drove half way to Little Rock, where we stayed at a hotel. (Ben still has some hotel points from business trips--and this is a great way to use them!) We went swimming in the morning and were surprised to find it snowing when we left. We drove the rest of the way and went directly to the Memphis Temple, where my mom and dad work daily as part of the Mission Presidency. They had a few spare minutes, and visited with us in the lobby. Then we went to their new house, a couple blocks from the temple, to unload, and to visit with Steve's family, who live down the street.
Tuesday was a fun play day. Dad and I made some rosettes. They always take some trial and error to get the batter and iron just right, but when you do get it, YUM. We made well over a hundred. (I guess Dad is the one who made them, and I put the sugar on!) With all the mouths around, they were all gone that night.
We had all sorts of other junk food and games until midnight, when Gracie and Emma went off to Steve and Angi's and the rest of us quickly fell asleep.
The next morning we took it easy, watched the parade, packed up, and headed home. The only crying on the way home was the last 20 minutes, so that is not bad at all. We are so glad to be able to see our family!
Monday, January 13, 2014
My Christmas Miracles
December brought two instances of certain Divine Intervention. I want to record them to remember them, but here's fair warning to you--there will be no pictures, and it will be long, so you can skip this post if you'd like. (Also, if you're not LDS, you will most likely not understand a lot of the terminology, so feel free to ask if you're confused...but I'm pretty sure most of you will get it...)
FIRST: The Primary Program. We have just over a hundred kids who regularly attend Primary in our ward. There are 36 attached chairs on our chapel stand. I had to plan very carefully where to put the folding chairs and little chairs up on the stand, and which classes would sit in front and on the sides down below the podium, and how to order everyone so they could move easily in order to give their parts, and how to sprinkle teachers throughout to keep order, and where to put the music leader so that everyone, especially the pianist, could see her. It was a challenge. There was really no wiggle room in the seating chart. However, our Primary Program practices bookended Thanksgiving, so many families were travelling either weekend, with at least three multi-kid families gone for both. We had three new families move in--one with five kids. We had several investigating families attend, and all had Primary age children, who wanted to participate. Then there was the ice storm the week our program was supposed to happen, so it was delayed a week. I really had no idea how many kids we would have for the program. There were many who had only been to one practice, and some to none, and all with no practice the week of the storm.
On the day of the program (December 16th), I had invited families that missed practices to meet with me early to find their seats, learn the cues of when to give their parts, and how to walk there and back. (Because of all the extra chairs, they all had pretty specific routes to travel so they wouldn't get stuck.) We found out that six of our teachers would not make it, last minute, so we asked the Bishopric to fill in where we couldn't. I was pretty apprehensive about the whole program, but especially about having a place and a part for everyone. The program began. Somehow, every seat was filled, with no children left without a chair. Somehow, every child remembered how to get to the podium and back to their seat. Somehow, everyone got a part, even the two additional investigator children who I had never even seen before until they were in line to give a part, who must have been sitting in seats for children who was sick, and they were able to give the parts for them. Somehow, even though it felt pretty chaotic to me, the impression of the congregation was that the program was very smooth and that the Spirit was there.
I know how those Somehows happened, and I am so grateful that the Lord made it work for those kids. And for me.
SECOND: Our Car. We have a 14-year old Expedition, which hasn't given us too much to worry about over the years, as we trek from one side of the country to the other. (Well, to Utah and Tennessee, and once to Wisconsin.) It's old, but hardy.
On the week of the ice storm, our ward had Sacrament Meeting only, for those who thought it was safe to travel. We had Tithing Settlement scheduled for that day, so we stayed after church for that. We were the last on the list, so we, with the Bishop, were the last ones to leave the building that very cold afternoon.
Our car wouldn't start. Ben tried it several times, but it just wouldn't catch. We were all cold and hungry and alone in the parking lot. The faith of the kids came through when someone suggested that we needed to pray, so we did. The car started.
Later that week, I noticed that when I would use the brakes, I had to push down a bit farther each time to make it work. The next day, I remembered to tell Ben, and he drove it around that evenig. By the time he got home, he said the brakes were really bad, and I'd have to take it in the next morning to get them fixed. I knew there was a place next to Tessa's preschool, so I thought it would be perfect to drop her off then get the car looked at. I packed her and Benson up and headed out. I didn't realize how bad the brakes really were, but as soon as I backed out of the driveway, I knew I was in for a difficult drive. I had to push the brake all the way to the floor, and THEN the car would start to slow down, and then stop. No room for any fast stops--just planned ones, nice and slow. I mentally went through all the car repair places I knew of that were closer as we drove, but miraculously, as we drove, every single traffic light was green, the whole way to Tessa's preschool. (That really never happens. Never.) Somehow we made it to the repair place, and they quickly saw that I had no brake fluid left, and there were several other brake issues they needed to take care of, as well as a very overdue oil change (which Ben believes was a factor in the car not starting on that Sunday). A couple hundred dollars later we were good to go.
I do consider the drive to the repair place a Divine Intervention for the safety of me and my children (and those on the road around us), but I really see it as another blessing that this happened 1) just after Ben had earned some overtime pay and 2) NOT on our road trip to Tennessee that we went on the week after Christmas, in the middle of the interstate, with lots of holiday traffic and no repair places around.
God is aware of me, and I thank Him.
FIRST: The Primary Program. We have just over a hundred kids who regularly attend Primary in our ward. There are 36 attached chairs on our chapel stand. I had to plan very carefully where to put the folding chairs and little chairs up on the stand, and which classes would sit in front and on the sides down below the podium, and how to order everyone so they could move easily in order to give their parts, and how to sprinkle teachers throughout to keep order, and where to put the music leader so that everyone, especially the pianist, could see her. It was a challenge. There was really no wiggle room in the seating chart. However, our Primary Program practices bookended Thanksgiving, so many families were travelling either weekend, with at least three multi-kid families gone for both. We had three new families move in--one with five kids. We had several investigating families attend, and all had Primary age children, who wanted to participate. Then there was the ice storm the week our program was supposed to happen, so it was delayed a week. I really had no idea how many kids we would have for the program. There were many who had only been to one practice, and some to none, and all with no practice the week of the storm.
On the day of the program (December 16th), I had invited families that missed practices to meet with me early to find their seats, learn the cues of when to give their parts, and how to walk there and back. (Because of all the extra chairs, they all had pretty specific routes to travel so they wouldn't get stuck.) We found out that six of our teachers would not make it, last minute, so we asked the Bishopric to fill in where we couldn't. I was pretty apprehensive about the whole program, but especially about having a place and a part for everyone. The program began. Somehow, every seat was filled, with no children left without a chair. Somehow, every child remembered how to get to the podium and back to their seat. Somehow, everyone got a part, even the two additional investigator children who I had never even seen before until they were in line to give a part, who must have been sitting in seats for children who was sick, and they were able to give the parts for them. Somehow, even though it felt pretty chaotic to me, the impression of the congregation was that the program was very smooth and that the Spirit was there.
I know how those Somehows happened, and I am so grateful that the Lord made it work for those kids. And for me.
SECOND: Our Car. We have a 14-year old Expedition, which hasn't given us too much to worry about over the years, as we trek from one side of the country to the other. (Well, to Utah and Tennessee, and once to Wisconsin.) It's old, but hardy.
On the week of the ice storm, our ward had Sacrament Meeting only, for those who thought it was safe to travel. We had Tithing Settlement scheduled for that day, so we stayed after church for that. We were the last on the list, so we, with the Bishop, were the last ones to leave the building that very cold afternoon.
Our car wouldn't start. Ben tried it several times, but it just wouldn't catch. We were all cold and hungry and alone in the parking lot. The faith of the kids came through when someone suggested that we needed to pray, so we did. The car started.
Later that week, I noticed that when I would use the brakes, I had to push down a bit farther each time to make it work. The next day, I remembered to tell Ben, and he drove it around that evenig. By the time he got home, he said the brakes were really bad, and I'd have to take it in the next morning to get them fixed. I knew there was a place next to Tessa's preschool, so I thought it would be perfect to drop her off then get the car looked at. I packed her and Benson up and headed out. I didn't realize how bad the brakes really were, but as soon as I backed out of the driveway, I knew I was in for a difficult drive. I had to push the brake all the way to the floor, and THEN the car would start to slow down, and then stop. No room for any fast stops--just planned ones, nice and slow. I mentally went through all the car repair places I knew of that were closer as we drove, but miraculously, as we drove, every single traffic light was green, the whole way to Tessa's preschool. (That really never happens. Never.) Somehow we made it to the repair place, and they quickly saw that I had no brake fluid left, and there were several other brake issues they needed to take care of, as well as a very overdue oil change (which Ben believes was a factor in the car not starting on that Sunday). A couple hundred dollars later we were good to go.
I do consider the drive to the repair place a Divine Intervention for the safety of me and my children (and those on the road around us), but I really see it as another blessing that this happened 1) just after Ben had earned some overtime pay and 2) NOT on our road trip to Tennessee that we went on the week after Christmas, in the middle of the interstate, with lots of holiday traffic and no repair places around.
God is aware of me, and I thank Him.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Christmas Eve
A couple happenings from Christmas Eve:
*We made sugar cookies for Santa. (OK, I did this one the night before, because I knew our day would be too full. I was hoping we could at least decorate them, but we didn't have time for more than sprinkles. I should say we ATE sugar cookies for Santa.)
*We cleaned the house all up! (Well, another disclosure: really only the downstairs.)
*We hosted a Christmas gathering for the music class kids and their families. This was an informal "come and play and eat treats" event, and it was pretty fun for everyone--even Scott, who happily got whacked with pool noodle swords by all the little boys...over and over and over.
*Ben and I went shopping for some last minute groceries and maybe a few Santa list addendums.
*We delivered some cards that Gracie's club at school had made to elderly people at a nearby retirement home. (I had really just wanted to drop them off at the front desk, but the man there convinced us to pass them out ourselves. I'm glad he did.)
*We did our eleventh "Twelve Days of Christmas" delivery for our old lady neighbor.
*We made some goodies for a Christmas Eve gathering we went to. (We=Ben! He said he had a "vision" of Christmas tree made of a cheeseball, peppers and tomatoes. I think his vision was brought to life with great success. Oh, and he also made bacon wrapped jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese. Yummmm.)
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*We opened gifts from the cousin gift exchange--the theme this year was socks, so everyone went to the party with warm feet.
*We gathered with friends for a great evening of food, eggnog, music, cookie decorating, and games.
*We read Luke 2 and a couple other Christmas stories and sang our favorite song, "Angels We Have Heard on High" before everyone went to bed.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!
Gingerbread houses
I admit--I'm a little reluctant to make gingerbread houses, for all the usual reasons. We usually make gingerbread cookies instead, but this year the requests from the kids were loud and strong. In December, I found what I believe is a great compromise: a silicone baking mold of little houses! I made real gingerbread (the soft, cake kind) and made each of the kids a solid little house, and then let them decorate away.
(Tasting the frosting is essential.)
(More candy in the mouth than on the house is also common.)
(Mom has to have a taste, too.)
The final products:
The best part was that they pretty much ate them right away, so I didn't have to deal with the houses on the counter for a week as they nibbled away at them.
(Caytie wants me to report that she smashed her house and mixed it up into a big gingerbread/frosting glob, and that it was delightful. She also says that it looks like she has three fingers. And it's funny that Benson has short sleeves on in December. Blogging with an audience brings a lot of extra commentary.)
Creche Exhibit
So...you know how people like to collect Nativities from all over the world, and you can end up with Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepherds and Wise Men looking like they're from Japan or Africa or Guatemala (thanks mom--we love the one you gave us!)?
Well, someone in our household (who rhymes with, um, Stacie) created a display of a different sort A little more...non traditional.
(I don't know why, but I love that Robin is the baby.)
The usual cast of characters was not impressed.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Photo buffet
Here are a few pictures left from cell phones, scanners, and other random times from the last few months. Take what you want and leave the rest!
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| Cayte, 1st Grade. (No one should let me be in charge of a scanner. Big spaces, poor quality.) |
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| Gracie, 3rd Grade |
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| Emma, 5th Grade |
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| Scott, 7th Grade |
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| Go Purple Panthers! I could never get a decent picture during a game, so here are some from warm ups. |
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| I guess she had enough fun that she'd like to play next season. I'm glad, but I'm already wondering how to fit it in... |
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| Ben and friends participated in a Savage Race on a freak cold November Saturday. They had to crawl under barbed wire, over walls, through mud and electrical wires...and they've already signed up to do it again next year. |
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| Caytie requested to make a turkey cake she saw a recipe for for Thanksgiving. She and Ben made it happen while Scott made mashed potatoes, Emma set the table, Gracie made sweet potatoes, and I did--a lot of other things. |
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| Ben wanted to get me a "special" cake for my birthday. He knows I love CakeWrecks.com, so he went to a store and asked for one! The girl didn't know what he was talking about, and said they just make the cakes like they're told to. So he found this frosting monstrosity (with two cupcakes hidden in there somewhere) and wrote "Happy Birthday my Precious." I loved it! It made me laugh! It tasted awful! My favorite part was the mood ring he added, and I'll wear it every day until it falls apart. PS--he did also give me a tennis racket and a family tree necklace with all of our birthstones on it, which I love even more. We also went out to dinner and a movie, so all in all, it was a wonderful birthday. |
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| Two kids in the tub--rub a dub dub! |
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| A candidate for the cutest picture of the year? I think yes. |
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