2 Weeks in a Nutshell

WARNING:  Before you read this post you should know that my daughter Sarah just told me I am the WORST EXAMPLE of EVERYTHING.  THE WORST.  So don't listen to anything I say unless you understand that important fact.

Anyway, we went to Utah healthy (amazing I know) and spent a week with a very full house, and we came home sick.  For once they gave it to us.  I guess turnabout is fair play.  But I didn't have to go to the doctor in Utah, so I consider the trip a success.  And this cold has made Sarah the grumpiest I have EVER seen her.  Seriously.  But, I digress.

Here are the highlights of the last few weeks:

Several months ago I tried to do the reading lessons with Ben. (Teach your Child to Read in 100 EASY (not) Lessons).  Ben would just giggle and eventually told me that "Reading wasn't his talent."  But then lately he changed his tune.  He told me a few weeks ago that he wanted to be in "HiCap" (or the highly capable program that Sarah is in.)  So I told him he would have to learn to read.  "Okay.  I'll do the reading lessons and I won't giggle."  And he has!  It has actually been pretty EASY.  So far.  We are on lesson 38, so I won't jinx it.  He is getting way too many rewards between the dollar store glow swords and Hi-Chews, but hey, if it's working...

Basically any chance these kids get, they are on the trampoline.  In slippers, coats, gloves, whatever they can to stay warm on the cold days.  As long as it isn't raining, they are out there.  And we have had lots of good days too.  We really can't complain about the weather this spring.  

We went with the whole family and uncle Mike to see Zootopia.  I loved it.  Ben got a little scared.  He might have even screamed, "Get me OUT OF HERE!" and "WHY ARE WE STILL IN HERE?"  But he made it to the end.  He is getting more sensitive to such things.  He had to go to sleep in our bed for a week.  

We also got to go see the fabulous Emma Barrett in "Bye Bye Birdie" in Everett.  It had great costumes, hilarious acting, great sets, and fun dancing that all helped me forget about the fact that the actual story of the musical is a bit weak.  

One night we experienced literal bloodshed in the Book of Mormon.  We were reading along when all of sudden Libby's nose started bleeding.  This is her first nosebleed in our official memory.  She was surprised and didn't know what to do.  So, she just let the blood drip and tried to get my attention.  Poor girl!

Our trip to Utah was a fun one.  Busy, busy, busy.  We drove down with a client/friend Layla.  She took good care of the kids while I drove.  Ben loved asking her to do things for him.  Mini crush?  Anyway, when we got to Utah, we met my niece Aria!  She is 9 months old and we hadn't met her yet.  Crazy.  She was adorable and super easy going, which is good because the level of chaos was pretty high.  

I had lunch with my mission bestie MaryAnne.  I also met up with my friend Laney, the one that introduced me to Derek.  Somehow we forgot to get a pic!  

I met up with my mom, sis in law Bryn, and the grandkids (all but one) at the Church History Museum in downtown SLC.  It has been forever since I have been there, and boy has it changed.  It was pretty awesome!  

The next day Devin arrived and it was (as I posted on FB), Grandma Heaven!

Trying to get a good pic of all of them together was amazingly challenging.  We couldn't quite get them all happy at once.  But we tried.  All 7 adults singing, dancing, clapping, it was a real sight to see.  And it was in the front yard too.  Luckily no cars wrecked from laughter.    

The kids wanted to make April Fools dinner for everyone.  But then I said I was going to make the "cake" we had here on April fools and each one of them complained.  Seperately.  Man, it was obviously a big hit.  But, when I made it, they all ate it.  And everyone else liked it.  Props to Soren for the awesome silverware molding.  

One of the highlights of the trip was going to see Derek's cousin Casey who was in a snowboarding accident in March.  He was in a coma for a few weeks and is fighting his way back from a very traumatic injury.  He is doing really well.  We got to be there for the first time he took his mom's hand and kissed it.  I can't wait to see him again.  

We went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point.  It was interesting for the adults.  The kids just wanted to run on to the next play area.  And actually all of my kids got the most enjoyment out of the live gila monster at the beginning and the live fish in one of the displays.  Apparently my  kids like animals alive more than dead.  Ben yelled at the lizard because it wasn't moving ("C'mon you stupid thing, move!" were his exact words I think...) and the lizard moved right to his bowl and started eating.  Hmmm....

Shark eating Sarah.  

I sent Ben with Rachel to Target to pick his next reading lesson prize (and to buy him a toy that would take his mind off his "HulkBuster" toy that his cousin James wanted to play with ALL.THE.TIME.) Poor Auntie Ray Ray.  Ben talked her into 1/2 the store.  Or at least a big bag of dum dums.  Kids young and old were delighted with this purchase.
Ben was kind of obsessed with the difference between what we were eating there and what we have been eating at home.  He said after day 1, "We could never do whole30 here, they have too much junk!" (Which was actually NOT true.  My mom had totally stocked the house with awesome healthy food!)  Then he came down the next day and announced, "I have leaky guss (or guts).  From eating too much healthy food."  So, I'm killing my kids with health.  Awesome.  (And for the record, we are no longer doing whole30 around here...but I don't buy fruit snacks or goldfish anymore.  So I guess that makes us super healthy.  Ha.) 

We finally made it to USU campus when the bookstore was open!  Splurge on SWAG!

We got to stop and see my Grandma.  She is definitely weaker each time I see her, but she didn't spend the whole time saying that she just wished she could die because she can't remember anything.  And she is still remembers how to clean up the kitchen!  I so love her!  I so AM her in so many ways!

Sarah's best trip quote came at the Gossner's store.  We were looking at rootbeer milk.  She wanted me to buy a case for their lunches.  I had her check the number of grams of sugar.  "26," she said.  "OOOH, that's more than the apple juice," I moaned.  "Yes, but it has 8 grams of protein."  She had me at the protein.  I bought the rootbeer milk.

It was a long week of single parenting.  Then we came home and Derek had a homestand all week.  So, it was another long week.  The kids really missed him. Libby's best trip quote was at my mom's house.  I sent Sarah outside to send Libby in for something.  Libby never came.  When they finally came in to eat, Sarah told me that Libby had refused to come in saying,"I'm nobody's minion.  I only obey Daddy."  

Ben's amazing muscles that he was showing me today.  In the background you can see some of how our yard exploded with flowers while we were gone.  

The day after we got back, I got up and found this in the office.  Sweet Sarah.  Except, when she's sick.  

And then I blinked and April was over.  I can't believe it.

Hip and Other Health Update

The last time I saw my hip surgeon he said, "some people take 6 months to heal..."

When I got past 6 months and was still in a lot of pain, I took some drastic (at least for me) measures.  I had been doing PT and massage every other week at least to try and regain range of motion.  I had got a steroid shot and took a month off from any non-essential walking.  I ate (and made my family eat) whole30 for a month.  I even drove my kids to school at the risk of great road rage.  I made some discoveries about ways I had been moving that perpetuated my pain.  In PT I relearned to walk.  But I was still hurting at least as much as I had been before my surgery, just in different places.

So, I decided to get a second opinion.

Here is what my new surgeon told me, in a nutshell.

1.  Patients like me are the worst kind, because my expectations are so high.

2.  I am no longer 20 years old.

3.  An MRI less than a year after surgery would likely tell us nothing helpful.

4.  "I've seen patients like you take a year to heal."

Well, I'm getting pretty darn close to a year.  And actually, since right before I made that appointment, I feel like I turned another corner.  Things are getting better.  I added back in an anti-inflammatory gel that helped relieve some of the inflammation at the incision points.  I'm moving better and feeling less pain.  I may never be able to sit crisscross applesauce without some pain, but hey, it still hasn't even been a year, right?

And, I don't have cancer!  Not a random comment, I did have a little scare.  I decided I was tired of having periods and taking various forms of the pill to try and manage my cycle.  It was actually really  messing with my goal to go to the spa once a month this year.  My doctor told me about a procedure called endometrial ablation.  I got really excited about the idea.  As a part of the pre-op process you have to have an ultrasound.  The ultrasound revealed a polyp or two (that may have been the source of the abnormal bleeding) and could have potentially been cancerous.  Thankfully, my good doc assured me that since I don't have family history and I'm under 40, I had basically nothing to worry about.  But since I'm a woman, I worried.  This week I had the polyps removed and the ablation procedure.  I insisted on the patch before anesthesia this time, and no barfing.  Whew.  And, the polyps were not cancerous.  My doctor prescribed a narcotic painkiller, but I didn't even pick up the prescription, and I didn't need it.  I've been a bit tired all week, but I'm on the mend.  I think in every possible way!

Hooray for the body's ability to heal.  And thank goodness I'm under 40, even if I do still think I'm 20.

APRIL FOOLS!

My mother-in-law is the April Fools Master!  I'm trying.  But I only like to do food stuff.  And, fun edible food stuff.  So this is what we did this year.  I made their orange juice into Jello.  That was a surprise when they went to drink it.  I let Ben choose the color for the wacky waffles and eggs.  (He choose black.  Ew gross!)

Then for lunch I put googly eyes on their sandwiches and containers of almonds.  

Dinner was the best! (See below)

Ben also wanted to dye the butter red.  Double gross.

For dinner we had CAKE with coconut and strawberry sauce that was actually a calzone with cheese on top and pizza sauce.  It was really yummy!   

We also had a boring salad and a barfing watermelon monster.  My MIL Geneva came over and helped decorate the monster.  (All day she wore her shirt inside out... April Fools!)

Kids "barfing" like the monster...Derek helped all the kids boil and shape our plastic utensils and we ate out of wacky containers.  It was a fun night!  (I totally stole all these ideas from the internet.  Isn't it great!)

Easter Celebrations

It's been a week since Easter, but it has been a busy one.  The SUN came OUT!  So I cleaned out the garage, worked on the yard, and had so much energy for cleaning it was amazing.  So, this post is a week late.
Our Easter weekend was busy!  I had 2 clients on Saturday morning.  Then we attended a baptism, where I spoke to welcome a new sister into our Relief Society.  Then we had the Norton family Easter dinner/egg hunt at our house.  Then Libby, Grammy and I hurried back to the General Women's Meeting at the church.  Libby was fiercely opposed to the fact that she had to wear Sunday clothes 2x on a Saturday.  But she managed.
Sunday the bunny came in the morning and then after church we had some friends over for waffles and fried ham.  It was yummy and great company.

The crew, my kids and Jed and Rory, our "cousins"

I kept trying to get them to pause while they were hunting.  Some were more willing than others.

Victorious!  Sarah found all 22 of her eggs.  Maren loves to play Easter Bunny.

This picture of Grandpa Brion watching from inside is perfect.

Actual Easter morn.  Bunny ears!

The loot.  Walkie Talkies all around, a 4 square ball, Guess Who and Apples to Apples Jr.  (That's why they got apples in their baskets.)  And, note to self.  I am the only one who likes Cadbury mini-eggs around here.  So don't buy so many unless you want to eat them all yourself, Trish.  

This was my favorite thing the Easter Bunny brought.  They found the pieces in the eggs and put it together.  There was one missing piece (and a few extras) when they were done, but it made for a fun morning.  Definitely going to do this again!