day at the doctor

We took our babies into the doc today. Turns out Simon has bronchitis and an ear infection. He weighs a whopping 25 lbs (75%) and is 34 inches long (98%) at 15 months. He's a big boy and we hope to get him healthy soon. I was praying the doctor would prescribe some meds to get him to stop screaming at the top of his lungs, but we were not so fortunate. I decided to prescribe my own-- it's called tabasco sauce.

Sunny also had a quick visit to the vet. An average 3 month old Golden weighs around 19 lbs. Sunny tipped the scales at 31. The girl's a fatty and we couldn't be more proud! Do you know how many WEIGHT MANAGEMENT plans are out there for pets? A zillion. I will not give my dog an eating disorder. She runs and plays like the best of them so nobody better be teasing her about her big booty. She is such a sweet dog and laid right down for the vet and took her vaccinations like a pro. While in the vet's office, I turned to Aaron and said, "Can you believe we're actually sitting in an animal hospital waiting room?" If someone would have told me last January that I would have a big fat Golden pup, I would have smacked 'em in the face. But she's a keeper, alright! We've applied for a breeders license and can't wait to start making the big bucks by selling her puppies. Well? Someone's gotta be paying for the doctor bills around here.

sicker than a dog

I was feeling a bit sick on Friday and thought about passing on the Zowie Bowie concert... but I have a really hard time saying no to FUN and I usually end up paying for it.

I got a little over 2 hours of sleep on Friday night. Saturday was a busy day with family sports, bountiful baskets, garage sales, baby showers, haircuts for everyone, grocery shopping, etc. I really wanted to take a nap sometime, but it didn't happen. That night, Aaron and I had a date and I begged him to have our date in bed (meaning sleep only.. GYMOTG= get your mind out of the gutter). But he made me go out against my will. During dinner, I felt STAD = sicker than a dog. (where did that saying come from anyway? Are dogs more sick than other animals?)

Today (Sunday) has been a no good, very bad day. Simon, Zack and I stayed home from church. I was looking forward to some much needed rest. But Simon is not feeling well either, and hasn't slept a bit. I wish he was a tiny baby that I could wrap up like a burrito and snuggle up to. He's so big and feisty and doesn't do anything I ask. Aaron was gone most of the day and I just feel terrible. I want to know when I get my day off?

Aaron took a few days off work earlier this month. He was STAD and was able to recover because he got the rest he needed. How is a mom supposed to get better? Where do I call to say I am not coming into work tomorrow? Believe me, I love my position as a SAHM (stay at home mom, don't credit me for that one) but I'm underpaid, overworked and very upset that I don't get an allotted 2 weeks vacation and a handful of sick days.

This coming week is busy. Luke's birthday is on Thursday and we have a lot on the calendar. Family is coming into town for his big 8 and baptism on Saturday. It will be a wonderful week, I am sure, but I would love to take a secret potion that could make me all better and help me prepare for what's to come. I hear sleep is supposed to be the best medicine and I am going to try to get some now.

But first, I want to document what happened at the park yesterday. Zack and Simon were taking turns riding in the wagon. Zack would pull Simon for a while and then they would switch places. Every time Zack got inside, he would scream for me to come over and take a picture of Simon pulling him. I finally listened and snapped a couple. What I didn't get on film was the flight of cement stairs directly behind Zack. Just a few seconds after these shots were taken, Simon pushed the wagon and Zack down the stairs. It was really scary (you can even see the fear on Zack's face in the last shot). By the time I ran over to save him, it was too late. Luckily, Zack stayed inside the wagon. When he landed and knew he'd survived, he got a big smile on his face and screamed, "THAT WAS AWESOME!" I will be so surprised if these two make it to their 8th birthdays.. please pray for all of us.

GNO - zowie bowie

totally last minute girls night out planned and it was a blast. free concert at Red Rock casino, four crazy girls (counting myself), loud 80's music, stop off at Sonic on the way home, lots of fantastic conversation... what else could you ask for?

Kate and Becca posed for this shot JUST so I could get the old couple dancing behind them. The old man was all the way down. Love it!

ps. these are my new purple glasses.
pps. I never should have had any caffeine. It's 4:30 AM and I am still awake. So glad it's Saturday tomorrow (I mean, today.)

Little Miss Sunshine

I have 30 something posts already for January and I don't know how that's possible... because I have hardly documented anything on our life. The kids are saying funny things everyday and the puppy grows a few inches every night. I still have so much to catch up on (mostly Christmas posts) but I just don't have any extra time. Homeschooling and feeding my family are my priorities and they keep me away from the computer. Anyway, I wrote this post when Sunny was a week old, but never posted it because I wanted to add pictures-- BLTN (better late than never) even if there are no cute photos to add.

*written 1/2/11
You're never going to believe this, but Zack is the most playful with the dog. The two of them are often wrestling or playing fetch. And by playing fetch, I mean that sometimes Zack runs to her with the ball in his mouth and spits it out by her paws. He loves going to her training classes and has scolded many of us for not doing EXACTLY as the instructor told us. Sunny doesn't bite anyone in the family except for Zack... and we laugh at him when he gets hurt because we all know he was asking for it. Zack's favorite song since we got her is, "Who Let the Dogs Out" but will usually sing it as, "Who let the dog in, who, who, who?" He also thinks he's Sunny's daddy.. that's right, at least once a day he tells her to "Come to Papa!"

Simon is Sunny's biggest fan and worst enemy. He wants her all to himself, but at the same time, he's very jealous that she's taken over his role as the baby of the family. When no one is looking, he lays down on her and opens his mouth when she licks his face. Simon is on the tippy top of the dog's favorite list because he feeds her the most food. I haven't swept under his high chair since we got her! Simon is so cute with the puppy and smacks his lips and pats his knees when he wants her. He also does the same motion when he wants a drink of milk or a piece of candy. It's his universal sign for, "Give me what I want." And we give in because it's just so cute.

Just hours after we opened her, Luke kept saying over and over, "I can't believe we have SEVEN people in our family!" A few days later, he gave us this mathematical breakdown= "There are 7 people in our family, but only 6 humans. There are 5 boys. 4 blue eyes. 3 brown eyes. 2 girls. 1 dog. and zero idiots!"

Then there's Ben. I knew getting a dog would be fun for the others, but Ben is by far the most excited about her and the most responsible. If I was being honest, I would say that without our oldest, we would not have a dog. It has been so rewarding to watch him grow with our new pet. Believe it or not, he sets his alarm every night at 2 AM and takes her potty. He is so diligent and takes his responsibility seriously. Last night, I heard her barking and thought maybe Ben forgot to set his alarm, so I got dressed and headed down the stairs, and was surprised to run into Ben on his way up. He said, "Hey! She just went potty but doesn't want to go back to sleep. I think she'll quiet down in a minute. Get some sleep, mom! I'll see you in the morning."


This is current (written 1/27/11)
*Sunny now sleeps through the night and Ben is happy about getting his sleep, too! We are so proud of our potty-trained puppy! She's hasn't gone potty in the house in over 2 weeks. She's a smart dog and only goes poop in ONE corner of our yard, because that's where we trained her to go.

I have been so pleasantly surprised how easy it has been to adjust to a puppy. Granted, she is the best dog in the world, but honestly it has been 99% positive and 1% frustrating. People say that puppies are harder than babies and I would NEVER agree with that. She potty trained at 3 months old, she eats whatever we give her, she sits and stays when we tell her to, she doesn't throw tantrums, or talk back, or scream or cry. We love her and she is so full of happiness and love she can hardly stay in one place.

All of my free time lately has been spent reading about DOGS... I would have laughed if you told me that a year ago. Anyway, I am convinced to get another soon, but this time a male standard POODLE. Have you ever heard of Goldendoodles? Well, that's the kind of puppies are going to breed. If you're interested, look them up online. They are the smartest, sweetest dogs that have super soft fur and never shed (and are hypoallergenic). They are also very expensive puppies (we would probably sell them for around $1500 a pup and that is on the low end). Anyway, I am on the lookout for a cute male poodle.

How does Aaron feel about everything? I don't know, you'll have to ask him. I do know that he loves Sunny and he is great with her. The other night after reading one of my dog books, I told him that I could totally see myself getting into serious training and dog shows. He rolled his eyes and said he isn't surprised. I think he is annoyed that I love her so much :) But, again, I really don't know how he feels. Last week he called me at lunch and I told him I want to get a male poodle he said (and I quote) "What? I can't hear you. I think my phone is dying. Sorry I can't talk about this right now."

And that's the update on the puppy. If you're thinking about getting one, do it! I waited longer than I should have because I was so afraid I couldn't do it. It's work, but the good kind, that makes your heart grow bigger. We will have cute little puppies in about a year, and if you can't pay for them, I will be willing to trade :) Goldendoodles are SO cute! They look like Goldens with a perm.

bathtime troubles

My camera is out in the car and I don't want to get it. So, using the scanner is my best option at the moment. What did I scan? oh, just a bar of soap I found in the kids bathroom. Someone was hungry during his tub time. (and must have liked what he tasted after the first bite. I am telling you, my baby's taste buds don't work.)

My little boys bathe often. Always in the morning after breakfast but sometimes after lunch and after dinner too. Then there's the occasional lull during the afternoon when I need to clean or teach a math concept. The bathtub is the best place to stick the annoyers and keep them occupied. And Simon loves a good bath before bedtime. It's not unusual to give him 4-8 baths a day. It keeps his little tush baby soft, just the way I like it.

They are usually super happy in the tub. On Sundays they bathe in my room so I can get ready without them running around like wild animals. This past Sunday I decided to get ALL the way ready before they got out of the tub... which means makeup applied, hair curled and heels on. Zack and Simon were happily playing until I was completely ready. I grabbed their towels and went to take them out of the tub when I realized that the water was super murky-- like they were bathing in warm, gray snow. Come to find out, Zack needed to blow his nose while in the tub. He got out, grabbed a new roll of toilet paper and brought it back with him. He claims he didn't put it IN the tub (which I believe him) but he left it in the babymoster's reach.

Everything had discinigrated in the warm water... including the cardboard roll in the middle. I opened the drain and nothing happened. I tried washing the murk out of their hair with clean water from the tap and eventually got them rinsed enough to take out of the mess. But even after they were dry, they had white dust coming off their bodies. Luke and Ben were having a great time blowing in Simon's hair and watching puff fly out. It was quite the adventure.

Twenty minutes before church started, I realized that I needed to plunge the tub in order to get it to drain properly. I guess I could have left it to slowly drain while we spent 3 hours at church, but knew I would come home to an even bigger mess. I took off my heels and my nylons and grabbed the plunger. I scooped wet toilet paper into the garbage and finally got the drain cleared. 10 minutes before church started, I put my heels on for the second time and loaded the kids in the car. We made it before the meeting began and I felt so grateful that Sacrament meeting now starts at 10 and not 8 am. Such a blessing in my life!

Simon was crazy during the first hour (surprise, surprise) and bounced off the pew and hit his head on the hymn book holder on the seats in front of us. We spent much of the time in the hall... He was crying and I was cursing my heels. Why do I get dressed up to walk around with a crying baby? (Someone please remind me why I go to church!) I tried hanging out in the mother's lounge with other blessed women who were feeding their babies, but it was much too crowded. Our building needs a mother's lounge the size of the gym... with 50 recliners. And a coffee maker. Once it got too crowded, I left, asking the other women if anyone wanted a drink at Sonic. They declined because they're righteous.

Aaron spent the day in meetings. I saw him from across the building once and walked up to shake his hand. He gave me a quick hug and sent me into the nursery, where I spent two hours with snotty nosed kids (cute ones). One darling little boy crawled behind tables folded up against the wall...and knocked one down in the middle of the kids. It landed without hitting (or killing) a soul. A small Sabbath miracle, if you ask me. Simon loves it in the nursery and so do I. It's a place I can take off my heels and snack on goldfish without anyone judging me.

The baby fell asleep on the drive home and we ate baked potatoes that Ben kindly made before church. They were delish and I've decided to make it a new Sunday tradition. It's simple, easy for the kids to prepare and really yummy after a long day at church. And there's little clean up... exactly what every tired mommy needs on the day of rest. After we ate, I headed upstairs to take a bath in my clean, drained tub. I read a book and relaxed. When Aaron came home from his meetings, he told me that I have it easier than he does. I wanted to flip him off, but decided to not to. It was Sunday, after all.

The days seem SO long, but the weeks go by quickly. I can't believe January is almost over. Luke's birthday (and his baptism) are less than 10 away. I am really excited for him and proud of the decisions he has made. He will be baptized into a church that requires a lot of his time and dedication. The rewards are so much greater than the sacrifices. I feel so much gratitude for the answers I have received over the years while attending church and reading the scriptures. They bring me peace and allow me to be a better wife, mother and friend. I have a lot to work on, no doubt about it. But I have so much to be grateful for... so much to be happy about. At the end of a long day, I find myself soaking in my tub, thinking about the mini-miracles (tender mercies) that are poured upon me and my family. I'm not sure if life is just a bowl of cherries, but it is very sweet.