Mota's Turn

Back to the dentist again. This time it was Mota. His appointment was at 10:40am this morning and he didn't come home until 5:00pm this evening. When he walked through the door I thought he was going to pass out. I'd just finished washing the sheets and hurried to put them on the bed so he could climb in. His mouth was so numb he could barely swallow his pain meds and I had to help him find his mouth so he didn't spill his water. He had 2 cavities, one so deep he may need to go back for a root canal. He also showed signs of bone loss so they did a "deep cleaning". Not quite sure what that is, but I know it took a really long time and his mouth will be really sore. He also had a piece of his upper inner lip taken out with a laser. My poor Mota is now laying bed, miserable, numb, in pain, coughing, and has started to get a fever. I'm hoping he feels 100% better in the morning, but it looks doubtful. I've never seen him this way and to be honest I feel totally helpless because there is nothing I can do other than keep the kids quiet. Thank goodness for the Nintendo DS.

Mystery Smell Revealed

The spring after we moved into our home we'd smell the most horrible stench as we'd walk to our front door. We looked everywhere. I decided something had died in the bushes in front of the bay window, but when they were pulled out we found nothing. The smell finally went away, but it came back the following spring. Even the mailman commented on the horrific odor. You'd think we could locate the cause, but we were "stumped". Then Mota went out on a job where he smelled the same stench and figured out it was our tree! Mota has been trying to talk me into taking it out ever since. I just hate the thought of cutting down a pretty tree, even if it does stink. After thinking on it for the past few years I mentioned to Mota the other day that we should take it down before the horrid smell popped up again. Suddenly this afternoon, without warning, he went out front, grabbed his chain saw and started cutting.

I felt so bad for poor Hunter, he was crying in his room because he loved climbing it so much. Parker felt bad because we had to take down the bird house he'd built and hung on a branch. The tree was down within 20 min.! and it took an hour to clean it up. Now my front yard is bare...but stench free!

{Parker helping}

{Tanner taking it all in}

{Hunter comes to terms with his tree}

{Shaylee hated the noise}

Tanner's First Party

Tanner's been to several birthday parties, but never by himself until today. This afternoon he dressed up like a super hero and was dropped off like a big boy. However, we ran into a little problem before the party...we don't own any super hero costumes. What about Halloween costumes you say? Nope, that idea is out. I usually make my kiddos costumes so they're something unique to their likes at the time. Lucky for me my mom made super hero capes for the kids a few years ago so I ran up and grabbed batman from her right before the party. As we drove to the party Tanner could hardly contain his excitement and jumped out of the car as soon as we pulled in the driveway. When I picked him up two hours later he had 2 lollipops in his mouth. Other than games I'm still not quite sure what all he did...he'll only talk about the tons and tons of candy he got!

Sisters

{Me, Andrea & Julie at Andrea's wedding}

Sisters are amazing. I was blessed with 2! I feel a little twinge of sadness when I think about my little Shaylee Bug never having a built in best girlfriend. However, I always wanted more brothers like she has and I only had one. My sisters are complete opposites and each one is a support to me in my life in so many different ways. I just wanted to recognize them for how wonderful, amazing, supportive and caring they are. Love you little sis's.

Whooping Cough? Really?

My little Shaylee's been coughing for 3 1/2 weeks. Over the weekend her cough became so bad that Mota and I haven't had sleep for 3 nights. She's actually coughing so hard she's throwing up and gasping for air so I took her to the Dr. today. I was told she's had her pertussis (whooping cough) shot, but she still may have contracted it and is probably in the end stages. Plus she has an ear infection. We were sent to the hospital for more testing. At the hospital we were given fun face masks with Mickey on them so Shaylee didn't have any problem wearing it until Tanner took his off, little stinker. While we sat in the waiting area I overheard 3 other children were waiting for the same testing. According to the nurse there's been a large break out in the last little while. The test was absolutely horrible. The nurse wrapped Shaylee's arms with a blanket, had me lean across her feet and hold her face while she put drops in her nose and put a suction tube in and out her nasal passage. Her nose was bleeding by the time it was over and all she wanted was her Daddy. The nurse probably saw the tears in my eyes so she told me it didn't hurt and was just uncomfortable, but I really didn't believe her...a mom knows when something is hurting her baby. We left the hospital and went straight to McD's for chicken nuggets to help get her mind off of her little nose and it worked. She ate 2 on the way home and fell fast asleep. Poor little Shaylee Bug.

Great To Be 8!

Hunter's not 8 until the end of the year, but he's been excited all day for his "Eight is Great" program. He kept checking the clock every 15 minutes. It was his job to give the opening prayer. He was so scared that Parker offered to help and went up to the front with him. Hunter learned when he turns 8 this year he not only gets to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he'll get to be a wolf in cub scouts too. He learned all about what it means to baptized and how to prepare for his special day. We even went in the room with the baptismal font so he could see where he'd be baptized. We sang "Baptism" and "When I Am Baptized" and listened to our bishop speak about when he was 8 and baptized. During the program Hunter sat up front with the other kids and Shaylee thought it'd be a great idea to go up there and give him a kiss. She stood in front of him puckering her lips and pointing at them. Hunter was a little embarrassed and wouldn't lean over so Shaylee climbed up on the seat next to him, grabbed his face and kissed him on the cheek. Mota and I were in the back giggling. They also gave Hunter a folder full of stuff so he could prepare for his special day. He was so excited to get home to start working on it. What a wonderful way to end the day.

Oh The Luck Of A Leprechaun

The leprechaun outsmarted the kiddos again! He's a tricky little guy. He left a trail of gold candy through the house, turned the toilet water green and the milk too.




He also left green sugar cookies in the trap. Hunter peeked in through the trap lid and yelled "I see him, I see him, he's hiding under a cookie!". Then he told his brothers he saw the leprechaun move a cookie to hide under it.





They emptied the trap of it's cookies and candy and found a note; "hee hee hee you'll never catch me!" signed by the leprechaun, but they never found him. The boys decided he must have hung onto one of the cookies without them seeing him and took off. We had green scrambled eggs, complements of the leprechaun, and toast for breakfast.






This evening we had our take on what a St. Patties Day dinner should be. Since no one in my family likes cabbage, including me, I made corned beef with garlic red potatoes, green salad, green Kool Aid and pistachio pudding. My little Tan Tan fell asleep right before we sat down to eat so I woke him up, but he was too exhausted and drifted off again. I saved a plate for him but all he wanted was dessert...of course! All in all it was a fun day. The boys are already making plans for next year. LOL

Leprechaun Catcher...New Design

We've made a leprechaun catcher each and every year since Parker was 2 (this one makes 8 years!) and we haven't caught a single one. Our usual plan of attack is to use a shoe box, prop open the top, put a gold coin in to entice him and hope he falls for it. Last year we came oh so close. The kids even shook the box and heard him, really! Poor Hunter got the blame for opening the box wrong and letting him get away. He was just so fast! This year we decided to change it up. The kiddos each colored a panel to glue on an oatmeal box. I made a ladder from skewers, cut a hole in the plastic lid, glued a green piece of paper on it and used a razor blade to cut the paper like you would a pie, then we glued on a gold coin to catch his attention. Our theory is simple; the Leprechaun will climb the ladder and dart across the lid to steal the coin and fall threw the hole! The boys can hardly contain their excitement and are having a hard time falling asleep. Will we catch the tricky little leprechaun this year? or will he escape again...guess we'll have to wait 'til tomorrow. ;)


{Hunter coloring the trap}

Bird Feeders & Fliers

It doesn't look like the sprinkler season will be starting any time soon so Mota decided to offer aeration and fertilization after several of our neighbors asked him to. This was a great idea, but action had to be taken immediately. I printed up fliers last night, stapled elastics to them this morning and headed out pushing my youngest two in a stroller. It took me almost 2 hours to pass out 100 fliers. 2 hours is a huge chunk of time when your day is already jam packed full. I had to make up the time somewhere so I cheated and bought cookies instead of making them...shhh. You see, I was the den mom in charge today and promised to bring snicker doodles. I knew exactly what activity I was doing with the boys too, I just had to get it all together. We made bird feeders with bagels, peanut butter, bird seeds, strawberry baskets and cheerios. The cubs all said they had a great time. After scouts my boys passed out another 100 fliers in a series of races. It only took them 40 minutes and they had a blast! I guess that goes to show...anything can be fun if you make it into a game. ;)

{Parker-left & Hunter-right showing off their bird feeders}

Conquering Our Fears

Last night my parents took the boys for a sleep over. They also took Shaylee for the evening so we got a date night out of it! We went out with a group of friends to the Old Spaghetti Factory, I love that place. Then we headed to the Provo Beach Resort to try out the rope course. I was terrified and shaking with sweaty hands, but I went for it. Mota was truly more terrified than me and started out on the lower level. Heights just aren't our thing, but I never realized how afraid of heights Mota was until last night. We tight rope walked and crossed on swinging loops and all sorts of other rope configurations. We were up in the air for over 2 hours and the time flew. I was so proud of the both of us for facing our fears, but especially Mota. I'd definitely do it again, but Mota said once is enough for him.

The kids had a blast too. They made cookies, had chili cheese dogs and watched movies last night. Grandpa was in charge of the ward breakfast this morning so they all went to the church for all-you-can eat pancakes, sausage and fruit. Tanner gobbled down a ton of sausage! After that they played at the park and before coming home they stopped at Costco for samples galore (they wanted hot dogs again too). It's always a good thing to take a night off without kids...and I love that the kiddos get bonding time with grandpa and grandma Susie.

{The boys playing at the park}

The Back-Up Bike

Today Mota got a brand new "back-up" bike for the upcoming race season! Last year his turbo bike blew 3 times leaving him stranded with nothing to race. Needless to say he had a horrible season. In fact it's in the shop at this moment having a new engine put in. Mota isn't taking any chances this year and found an awesome deal on a GSXR 1000. He wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a good pic so I put the camera on action and it didn't turn out to bad. ;)

Pulling Teeth

Today was a huge day. Parker had 4 teeth pulled. For any other kid his age it would've been a scary situation, but not for my Parkey, for him it was traumatic. He was born with extreme tactile issues. I knew something was up when he refused to nurse or take a bottle for the first 3 days of life. We went through a ton of therapy, testing and more therapy. He refused ALL solid food until he was 2 and he'd suck on black pepper jerky. At 2 1/2 he ate an entire corn dog, his first meal ever! I worried constantly that he had some form of autism, but was repeatedly assured by Dr.s and therapists that he didn't. When the therapists described his unnamed condition to me they said; Imagine having the worst sunburn you can imagine and people are constantly touching it. Parker feels like that every moment of every day. All of his senses are heightened and he's always dealing with sensory overload. He's great now, but still has extreme sensory issues with his mouth. Brushing teeth is a 1/2 hour ordeal. The dentist was extremely patient taking a 1/2 hour just to get into his mouth and numb it. Next he had molds, those are even hard for me and I considered us lucky that he only threw up twice. Finally his 4 teeth were pulled. Parker screamed and shook and kicked because the pressure was to much for him to handle. They had to close the door. As I laid on him to keep him still I had a rush of emotions. I wanted to protect him and pull him from the chair, but I knew I had to be strong and restrain him so it could be done. This was a hard experience for both of us and it gave me the realization that bigger and harder experiences are on their way. I only hope that I'll continue to have the wisdom and courage to allow my kiddos to learn and grow into the amazing people I know they have the potential to be.

Picking Your Battles

Yesterday I filled a bag full of dried apple rings from the bulk area of the grocery store. I thought they'd make the perfect kid snack for the car...no crumbs or stickiness and they're healthy too! When I got home I made the mistake of putting the bag on the kitchen counter and leaving it there. This morning my little Shaylee Bug climbed up and dumped them out all over the counter and floor. When I came walking up the stairs there she was, sitting on a bar stool, adorning herself with apples and oh so proud of her accomplishment! At that moment I had to decide to laugh or get angry. ALL mom's must pick their battles. There are numerous times every day when my kiddos aren't doing just as they're asked or doing exactly what they're asked not to. Things like sneaking into treats, not doing homework, not completing chores, and little fights here and there. They are kids after all and it's their job to always be testing their limits. It even amazes me how many times a day my kiddos test my patients, but just as often I've had to turn my head so they won't see me grinning from ear to ear. There are definitely times when punishment is the only option, but sometimes the answer is simply

Laugh...

and grab the camera fast!

Where The Good Stuff Is

When Mota took Parker and Hunter bowling a few weeks ago we promised Tanner and Shaylee we'd do something fun. I decided today would be the day despite Mota being out of town . When I asked the kiddos where they wanted to eat lunch they begged for Arctic Circle. They love the "circle chickens" - chicken nuggets shaped like doughnuts. I like that even Shaylee is big enough for their play area. And the fact they give out free dipped mini cones is a plus too! Usually when we eat at places with playzones I let the kids play for 1/2 an hour then we leave. But today I called up a friend to go with us and the time flew. We were there for 2 hours . . . it was the kids that asked to go home!

The Redneck Dream

Mota left early this morning. Every year he and the guys head out to Vegas for a few days. They rent a house and live "the redneck dream" of hangin' with the guys and going to an actual Nascar race. I have to admit it'd be a total and complete adrenalin rush to, just once, sit in those stands and have your insides shake and rattle as the cars whiz by. But this is the guys weekend and no way would I ever want to crash it. However, this year I'm a wee bit jealous. He just facebooked his amazing accommodations or as he calls it "the man cave".

Pool table, big screen, couple of gaming tables and who knows what else!

Yeah . . . I'm thinking not so redneck.

Parker's Teeth Are How Much?

This morning I checked Parker out of school for an ordinary orthodontics check up. (I know he's a little young, but genetics got the best of him.) I was a little worried about his appliance not fitting because he'd secretly take it out at night. Turns out he doesn't need it now and that was the least of my worries. He needs 4 baby teeth pulled so the 4 permanent teeth coming in at an angle don't take out the 4 permanent ones next to them! If they come out now there's a 95% chance of saving them. If we wait . . . well, Parker won't have a smile. Then he needs space maintainers "installed". What does this cost? A grand total of $708. Knowing we didn't have a choice I made the appointments and left the office almost positive the insurance wouldn't cover a penny of it. When got home I called them and got incredible news! Everything is covered at 100%! The catch? Everything must be done by our dentist as the ortho. isn't covered until July. Still slightly panicked I called the dentist. He agreed to do it if the ortho. would work directly with him. I said a quick prayer as I called the ortho. Turns out he was more than happy to work with our dentist! I was on an instant high and knew my prayers had been answered. I immediately gave a prayer of thanks. I'm still a little stressed that even with the procedures Parker may loose a few permanent teeth. And who wouldn't be at $2,500 a piece for implants? But I have faith that things will work out and I have faith that my prayers will always be answered. I truly am so incredibly thankful for the lords tender mercies.