Déjà Vu

When Jaise was three she dislocated her right elbow. We never did figure out how that happened, but our best guess is that she and Trey (4 at the time) were fighting over something and when Trey yanked it away from her, he pulled out her elbow. Wonderful parents that we are, we didn't even notice anything was wrong for a few days. Then it dawned on us that she wasn't using her arm and she kept it in a weird position all the time. *duh* So I took her to the doctor. I left the room when the doctor and two nurses tried to reset it. (Yeah, I'm a baby about stuff like that!) The doctor was unsuccessful, so she sent us right over to the emergency room. The doctor there tried to reset it, and was also unsuccessful, so he sent us right over to Children's Hospital. Once there, Jaise had had enough of people in white coats hurting her, so she did not let them touch her. The doctor put a soft cast on it and two weeks later we took it off ourselves and everything was fine.

In May, Jaise arrived at school and had just gotten off the schoolbus, when a Kindergartener we know ran over and clung on to her leg to give her a hug. Not expecting this, it threw Jaise off balance and she landed on her left elbow. However, this wasn't the story I got. The NEXT DAY Jaise tells me she hurt herself at school and showed me her elbow. It was bloody and nasty-looking. I cleaned it and bandaged it up for her. All she said was, "I hurt my elbow at school." A couple DAYS later I notice she's holding her arm funny. I thought maybe the scab was hurting her since it was on a moving joint. I asked, "So, Jaise, how did you hurt your elbow anyway?" Well then the real story comes out. This was on Friday afternoon.... and there was no way we were getting a doctor appointment now. So we waited out the weekend. On Monday I took her in and the doctor sent us over to Children's Hospital emergency room for x-rays.... which came back inconclusive, but to be safe they put a hard cast on for 3-1/2 weeks. She missed out on several fun activities and it came off the day after school got out. You should have seen the difference in arm sizes just after three weeks. It took her a couple more weeks to get used to using it again.... but I was so glad to not have to wash her hair for her in the sink anymore!

Cutting the cast off

Prying it apart

Cutting through the inside layers

That's Just Weird...

Chaye recently had her check-up and shots to register for Kindergarten. She had to pee in a cup (never had one of the kids do that before!) and as I held the cup for her she said, "Okay, THIS is weird." I had to tell her to stop going before the cup overflowed onto my hand! When we got back into the exam room she told the doctor in a giggle, "I can't believe you have to test pee. That's just weird." She had to have four shots on Friday, and we had to go back on Monday for a TB skin test. She didn't NOT want to do this, so I offered to get a TB test as well, and she could see how brave I was. (Yeah, I'm so brave I have to look the other way when they put the needle in!) Well, she ended up hiding behind the exam table, so it will probably be a wasted $100 for me when I get the bill. Ryan held her for both appointments, and I thank him greatly for taking time off from work to be there with us because I don't like to hold the kids down for shots. Babies I can handle, but once they can yell out, "Mom! Why are you doing this to me?!?!" I just don't do that well.

Chaye constantly says the funniest things. She has the vocabulary, wit, sarcasm and humor that is equal to or above most adults. (You can thank both of her parents for the sarcasm!) Her Kindergarten teacher is going to be in for a surprise! Here's a funny conversation we had recently:

CHAYE: I think I need a haircut... what about you?
CHANNA: Yeah, I think you need one.
CHAYE: No, I mean, do you think you need a haircut?
CHANNA: Yeah, I probably should.
CHAYE: Well, I sure hope your butt fits in the chair.

I don't take offense to this because the shop we go to has a little kid chair with a metal bar in between the legs so they don't fall out. It's quite apparent that my butt would not fit in the chair, however, I'm so glad she was concerned for my butt's welfare. :)

Another thing she did recently: Our RS president chose a slightly annoying Primary song as the closing song at Enrichment Night. It was the kind of song that gets stuck in your head, very similar to the Barney "I Love You" song. I couldn't get it out of my mind and it was driving me nuts! I fell asleep singing it in my head, so of course it was incorporated into my dreams. The next morning when I woke up, stupid me thought to myself, "Oh! Yay! I can't remember the song!" And then it came to me. So I was telling this to the RS president, who is a very good friend of mine. Then she couldn't get the song out of her mind. I'd call her at work throughout the day and when she answered the phone I'd start singing it just to get it in her mind again, as payback for the insanity she'd put me through. So later on Chaye was telling me about the dream she had. Then she asked me what my dream was about. I told her I didn't remember. She said, "Oh I know what it was... it was about...." And then she sang that song and started laughing!!!! So then the song was in my head again and she thought that was hilarious!
(And of course I'm singing it in my head again now that I've written about it....aaaaggghhhh!!!!)

The End of Cuteness...

Tate lost both his top front teeth within a day of each other. The whole time his teeth were loose, we kept joking with him and telling him how sad it will be when the permanent teeth grow in because he'll look like a rabbit and won't be cute anymore. We aren't being mean, really; you know what we're talking about if your kids have lost their top front teeth. The new ones are big and just aren't as cute as the baby teeth were. So the day Tate lost his first tooth, he announced in the car, "I've lost half of my cuteness!" And then the next day he proclaimed, "Well, it's official. I am no longer cute!" Which is cute in itself, really. Here's the before and after....

Happy "Leaf Day"

Someone finally found the pot at the end of the rainbow!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Chaye calls it "Leaf Day" because I have a shamrock icon on the date square on the calendar. When she was anticipating Valentine's Day, which has a heart, she kept asking, "How many days until Heart Day?" The Thursday before Feb 14th, when she asked me, I said "Two days." Then she jumped up and down and said, "Then we get to celebrate Leaf Day!" I asked, "Leaf Day? What's that?" And she turned the calendar page and pointed at the shamrock. Then she asked, "What happens on Leaf Day? Do we get stuff?" (Hmm.... get stuff, get pinched; get stuff, get pinched; I like her idea better!) So I got her a Tinkerbell Look & Find Book (I collect those) because it's green. I'll give it to her tonight at dinner - we're having green salad, green fettucini alfredo with broccoli, and mint chip mud pie for dessert. And I had to get her a green shirt because she didn't have one and was terrified that Paige was going to pinch her. I didn't get anyone else anything..... oh well, they'll survive. :)

Cade's First Haircut 2/20/09

Not too sure about what's going on.


Decided he doesn't like this idea.


Distracted by someone else in the shop.

Look at those crocodile tears!
(Where does that phrase come from anyway?)


Oh, the drama! (Or trauma?)

Rainbow Connection

February 13, 2009

On Fridays, Trey stays after school to work with a group of students and their English teacher, as they prepare for the upcoming Pentathlon competition. As I sat in my car waiting for him to finish up, it started to pour - I mean really POUR! I don't remember it ever raining that hard! Then all of a sudden this awesome rainbow appeared. It was the brightest, most vivid rainbow I've ever seen, and I could distinctly see each separate color. The coolest part was that it was the full arch - completely 180 degress - I've NEVER seen that before; usually only a portion of the arch is visible. I took a picture with my cell phone (top) but couldn't get the whole arch into view. When we returned home, Jaise asked if we'd seen the rainbow, and told me she took a picture of it, too (bottom), in case we missed it. She couldn't get the whole arch into view either!

Happy 12th Birthday, Jaise!

January 23, 2009

Jaise has been looking forward to turning 12 and going to Young Women and mutual activities for some time now. Within the first week of being 12, she did temple baptisms, gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting, and attended a stake fireside. Just a preview of how busy things are going to be!

Jaise was supposed to have a big sleepover party, but she kind of got in trouble and it was cancelled before the invitations went out. You may think I'm a mean mom for cancelling her birthday party, but if you knew the rude and disrespectful things this child said to Ryan and I, you'd ship her off to a deserted island! We did, however, end up having a homemade pizza party with Ryan & Jan, Curtis, and Jake & Anna. As Jaise was going to bed that night, she mentioned that it was the perfect way to celebrate her birthday - at home with good friends and family, having fun together and just hanging out.

She is looking forward to attending Girls Camp in July, and starting junior high in August. This next school year we have three kids starting three new schools - Trey in high school, Jaise in junior high, and Chaye in Kindergarten.

Happy Birthday, Channa!

January 20, 2009 -

I refuse to post birthday pictures. I had just gotten a haircut the day before and I was still trying to figure out how to style it on my own. Therefore, I was having a severely bad hair day on my birthday. Thank goodness my new straightening iron arrived UPS a couple days later or I might still be hiding out! (Not that the hair looks that much better straight, but at least I can fix it now.)

I absolutely did NOT want to celebrate my birthday this year. Call me a party pooper, I don't care. I feel old, fat, and yucky, and the ominous 40 is approaching way too fast. After a depressing Inaugural Ceremony that morning, what was left to celebrate anyway? I told my husband and children I wanted no gifts, no cake, and there was no need to extend any birthday wishes to me that morning.

For the most part of the day, things went as I wanted them to. It was just another day of the week - good! Then Ryan came home from work with an ice cream cake. What a dork! My step-mom called and I went into the other room to talk to her. When I returned to the kitchen, there were birthday gifts all over the table. What kind of considerate man did I marry, anyway? (At least now I have proof he doesn't listen to me!)

I was very happy to receive my own set of dumbells as one of my gifts, as I've been asking for them for a couple months now. And Ding Dongs - I love them frozen!!! There was more, but why bore you? ;) I loved Chaye's card and still have it hanging up in the kitchen.

What was I Thinking?

January 9, 2009
I just opened the yogurt cup for Cade, when the phone rang. I set the yogurt down on the table and answered it. When I came back this is what I found. (What was I thinking, leaving open yougurt on the table?)

Of course I couldn't get upset about the mess he made all over the table, his clothes, the chair, and the floor.


After all, it was my fault for leaving it within his reach.

At least he left half the container to actually eat.


With a smile like this, he gets away with a lot!

Imaginary Friends...

This took place on January 8th. Chaye informed me that it was her "friend" Brenda's birthday and we needed to make a cake. Brenda is an imaginary friend. Chaye has lots of imaginary friends, teachers, ballet classes, life experiences, etc. I decided to indulge her and possibly score some "good mom points" on the side. Of course Chaye wanted to make the cake all by herself.

First she stirred all the ingredients.


Then she used the mixer... very carefully!


She probably used way too much PAM, but oh well.


"I'm a very good pourer, aren't I, Mom?"


Everyone knows this is the best part.


"Pink cake with pink frosting, because pink is Brenda's favorite color."


"Don't lick the bumpy side of the knife, Mom, or it will cut your tongue."


"Ta-Daaaahhhh! Can we do candles, too?"


Apparently this was Brenda's 4th birthday. Yes, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Brenda, and Chaye blew out the candle. (Triple points for me for singing along.)


Cade benefits from imaginary friends' birthdays, too.


Making her day scored me the most points of all!

Chaye was very happy to share her cake with her siblings as an after-school snack. Jaise realized that it was Chaye's 1/2 birthday that day.... what a coincidence!

Happy New Year, 2009!

Where did December go.... or 2008 for that matter? Wasn't it just yesterday that we celebrated Christmas with a 2-month old baby Cade, held like a football in Santa's arms? Since the secretary of the family was way too busy last month with My-Sweet-Memories orders, we didn't send Christmas cards or a family letter out to anyone. Maybe this year she'll get her priorities straight and be more organized when December comes around!

We enjoyed a very low-key Christmas Day at home, and then later in the evening we decided to head to Clayton to visit the Cutlers and Domans. During that visit we all played games together, and hung out together, and Grandpa, Channa, Trey, Jaise, and Paige went on a long morning bike ride. Ryan and Channa took an opportunity to visit with Jason Hansen's mom, Judi, who we hadn't seen in several years. We stayed an extra night, even though no one brought extra clothes, and returned home Saturday. That evening we had a fun game night with the Hansen family.

The beginning of the next week was spent putting away Christmas decorations, taking down the tree, cleaning the house, and preparing food for our annual New Year's Eve party. We enjoyed spending the late evening with friends, and only a few die-hards stayed until midnight to welcome in 2009 with us.

On New Year's Day the Young Men and Men in the ward had a football game rematch. The Men creamed the YM 27-0 at the Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl. With a few team adjustments, the score this time was tied after 2 hours. Only a few wives and moms came and froze their butts off watching on the bleachers. Yes, Channa was there, tried and true (and lips blue afterward!)

We came home, changed clothes, ate lunch, then met the Hansen family, Ryan & Curtis, and Dave & Andy in the boonies above the dry riverbed to go shooting. Only Ryan, Channa, and Trey went. Ryan bought himself a shotgun for his birthday and he was looking forward to using it and teaching Channa how to in case of an emergency. Channa is a bit gun-shy, but she shot a couple pistols, a rifle, and the shotgun. She was surprised at how much kick the pistols had, almost knocking her off balance. The shotgun was a huge kick. Her gun of preference was the Ruger 22. Ryan shot our rooster the next day because he keeps killing our chickens. The kids watched out the window and thought it was cool when all the feathers blew up in the air. Trey was out with Ryan and he offered to bury it in the graveyard we've started on the lot next door (Cats, chickens - a real Coyote Buffet over there.)

On Saturday we took the family to the snow on a whim. Thanks to Spencer & Sarah for going with us and making us commit to the trip after inviting them! It was crowded, but we found parking at a Sno-Park and the Ranger told us where to find our own hill away from all the other people. We all had fun, until the little kids got cold and whiny, then it was time to go home. But it was fun enough to do it again, maybe sooner than later!

Now the kids are back in school and it's time to get back into routine. We don't even have a January calendar up yet but we've got things scheduled already. Life moves on, with or without us, it seems. Maybe we should catch up......

Hope you all enjoyed Christmas, and we wish you all the best this year!

Oh the Snow!

Merry Christmas 2008!

Young Men vs. Men Turkey Bowl Nov 2008

Happy 7th Birthday, Tate! 11/20/08