Saturday, May 29, 2010

...so far

Driving home from Costco




I had to pull over right before the freeway entrance to let my little children use the concrete parking lot for a restroom. Even Nomsi took her shorts all the way off and went potty on the ground just like her brothers. Her urine was all over her and I made a mental note to give her a bath later. For now, just get back in your seats.
We arrived at Costco. Super Sample Saturday. We tried everything. Some things twice. A lady saw me as I steered my cart away from running into hers becasue my three children were hanging off different directions. Why would any of them sit down when they could hang off the sides? She looked at me and said, "God bless you for bringing three children here all by yourself."
I smile. "My husband is never home."
Three seconds later, in the back end of the mega warehouse center, my newly potty trained 2 year old says, "uh-oh, potty."
I quickly pick her up and hold her against my side. With the pressure on me, I knew she could hold it. We grabbed our last few things when I forgot about her potty need. I set her down. We walked toward the check out line...followed by a steady stream of urine and glances from many onlookers. I wouldn't have noticed if no one had been looking at me. Crap. What do I do? I actually just kept walking. A 15 foot stream of urine kept running. A middle aged man walked by and says, "it looks like somebody sprung a leak." I smiled. And kept walking. I was humiliated.
We checked out. We took another potty break.
I bought three hot dogs and a piece of cheese pizza for me. I have a commitment with myself to only have one Coke a day. I sat there at the beverage dispenser toying with the idea of either Coke or Sprite. Forget it, I thought, this is definitely a two Coke day. Maybe three. I watched the flavored sugar liquid fill my cup and savored the taste of the caffeine on my throat.. I loaded the groceries. I loaded the kids. I passed out hot dogs. Jake didn't want his. He wanted pizza.
I told him he wanted a hot dog in the store and the pizza was mine. He would have to go hungry. We sped away. I only got about 100 feet when I pulled off into the Bed bath and Beyond parking lot. He knew his mother was weak. I also knew it.
I jumped out of my seat. Yanked the back door opened and gave Jake half my pizza. he smiled. Then Naomi threw her hot dog on the floor and whined. She wanted the other half. I gave it to her.
I returned to my seat hungry.
We drove home.
I seriously think I might have Strep. My throat and my face feels like it is going to fall off.
so far...
my day has been pretty good.


Sunday, May 23, 2010

My Baby

This is what happens when a trip to the park turns rainy. Go figure.


I have been taking Jake to speech therapy for about 6 months now. I usually take both Naomi and Jake to "Speech Class" and have to entertain Naomi in the hospital waiting room while Jake goes with his teacher. Friday was a little bit different. James was post-call. He came home right around 12:30. I put Naomi to sleep so James could go to bed and I got to take Jake...just the two of us.
After Speech Class we were walking out to the car. Together. I had his little hand in mine. He was wearing his "blues." A blue Star Wars shirt and a pair of blue track pants with blue flip flops.
I looked down at his little blond mop and I just couldn't resist. I leaned down and asked if he would let me hold him. He smiled up at me. He wrapped his five year old legs around my waist, his five year old arms around my neck and rested his five year old head on my shoulder. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. I was beaming.
This little kid, who was wrapped around me like a warm, comfy blanket was mine. All mine.
I walked through the corridors of the hospital. Feeling like the luckiest mom in the world.
As we were nearing the exit, another mom was holding an actual "baby". The baby cooed at Jake wrapped around my body and I heard the mom say, "yeah, do you see that baby."
At first I was nervous. Jake would have freaked out if someone called him a baby.
And than I immediately smiled.
Yes, he is my baby. And he is going to have to deal with it.
Sorry Jake, but you will ALWAYS be my baby.

Fondue Fun

This is the fruit plate that James made for the party. He was pretty proud...and rightfully so.


This is what the kids did while we were downstairs dipping the night away.


It was so fun that today I decided to make the kids some chocolate fondue and let them have some fun. They LOVED it!







So we have great neighbors. So we decided to celebrate and invite some of them over for a Fondue game night.
Result= Success

After eating chocolate and cheese fondue for four hours, I woke up this morning and jumped on the scale. More than 3 pounds heavier. I kindof felt like a Mormon alcoholic. I mean, if I drank alcohol, last night we probably would have had a wine tasting party or something...for four hours. I would have woken up worrying about the crazy things I did or inappropriate things I said. I already do enough of that not under the influence.
So, I wondered...would I rather be worried about my actions or up three pounds. I haven't decided yet.
But in the end...it was fantastic!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Naomi is TOO..

This is a "puppy cake." Don't judge me. I'm trying here people!




Aunt Stacy came to celebrate Naomi's birthday and babysit our kids so James and I could have a hot date. Thanks Aunt Stacy.


Scout got a Kitchen for her birthday. So cute.




Well, she is actually, TWO. But, she is also:
TOO funny. Whenever her brothers laugh, she looks at both of them, picks up that something is funny and starts laughing hysterically.
TOO chocolate crazed. My aunt Marilyn once told me that when I was little I used to hide in the closet and eat chocolate. Naomi must have inherited my genes. She will do anything for chocolate. Even get in her car seat...most of the time. I keep a bag of Hershey kisses in the car.
TOO crazy. No fear. Like most two year olds. It comes with the age. Just like how I am 30. I have no energy. Typical. She can't sit still, I can't get up. Perfect combination.
TOO independent. Holy Smokes, this girl wants to do everything on her own. Except she makes me feed her. It drives me crazy. I chase her around the house putting little bites of food into her little mouth every few minutes. Did I mention, every meal? Yeah, I dread breakfast time, lunch time and dinner time.
TOO cute. She smiles at you with her unkept hair, naked bum and dirty t-shirt. Even like that, she is adorable. At least to her mom.
TOO big! She puts up her thumb and pointer finger and says, "2". I love her. I love her. I love her.
Did I mention that I love her?
Happy Happy Birthday Naomi, Scout, Prince and Babers.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

William and Leah. The are super cute friends and carpool buddies.


William, Leah and Jackson. But, wait, where's Jake?


Way to go #14. My Bugaboo



Jake quit soccer. So he spent the whole game like this. What's $40 anyway?
He won't even wear the yellow shirt.


Naomi spent the whole game like this. Between my friend and I, we probably dressed her 10 different times.

Mother's Day
It's not even half over.
But it's been so exciting I wanted to write down every detail as it is fresh in my mind.
James woke me up at 6:00 A.M. and kissed me goodbye. I'll see him tomorrow afternoon sometime.
I slept in. We were 10 minutes late for church.
I left the house a mess. Bowls of cereal still on the table. Cinnamon roll frosting smeared all over.
Did I mention it was Mother's Day?
Naomi didn't want to sit with me.
She kept calling my best friend mommy and sat on her lap.
My friend already has three kids of her own. I thought about going to retrieve my daughter but I didn't want to deal with the screaming of taking her away from her "pseudo-mommy" so I made an executive decision. I let my friend deal with her.
The Primary children were than called up to sing the Mother's Day song.
Jake and William looked so cute. Matching in their dress shirts and ties.
Until Jake started strangling his brother from the stand.
Neither of them were singing. Jake just put both of his arms around Williams head to stop him from singing. William kept trying to whack them away.
Luckily, they only bulldozed two other children in the choir.
I was getting off my seat in the very back of the chapel to go and retrieve my disruptive boys...
(it was that bad) until another adult stood up and pulled them apart and continued to
stand by them.
On the way back to sit with me, Jake was tripped and fell flat on his face.
Naomi kept clinging to my friend calling her "mommy."
Later, Naomi had to be removed from Nursery. She was a hazard.
Her yelling, hitting and kicking the teacher landed her in a room by herself.
I just wanted to let you all know from my heart to yours,
Happy Mother's Day.

Divine Intervention

I just wanted to write briefly about our experience getting into a fellowship so I won't ever forget it.
About a year ago, James was struggling with the decision on whether to go into Pediatric Emergency Medicine or Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. As he was struggling, my mind kept racing back to the three years of medical school applications we did. All I remember him saying was "I want to help people, I want to help people." I think his official wording also was, "I want to establish, caring, lasting relationships with my patients."
I reminded him of this. It was obvious that the lifestyle and good pay of the ER were enticing, but his true dream and goal of which he started out with, would take a back seat to the bump and grind of a busy ER where he wouldn't see many of his patients again.
He told me of an experience he had one day at the hospital where it just hit him. He was walking away from the Hem/Onc floor and it hit him like a ton of bricks. That's where he wanted to be. He never doubted since.
After a year of applications/interviews, and lots and lots of money, we are going to end up in Denver, Colorado. We couldn't be more thrilled. It was our first choice and closer to family. But, I must say, we would not be going there without Divine Intervention.
Last December, James started the application process. We never heard back from Denver. He called. All of the interviews has been sent out. We didn't receive one. We continued the process. I kept feeling at complete peace that we would go where we were supposed to. We did a couple of last ditch interviews and spent a lot of money, but inside me I knew we didn't need to...for some reason. But we like to be safe.
One afternoon in March, I received a call from Denver Children's hospital. The lady asked if I thought my husband would still be interested in an interview. I started crying. I paged him and told him to call her that very second. He did.
We were a back-up plan for Denver. But we would take it.
James flew out to interview. He called me later that day. "This has been the best interview I have ever had."
I cried again. Could it really happen? I was still in doubt.
James happened to have something in common with each of his interviewers.
He stayed an extra day (I kindof made him...I know, I was inspired too, ha ha) and he asked if he could tour the lab and meet some more people the next morning before his flight home. They were impressed.
He even went to a meeting with the staff the next morning.
We never really talked about it. It was just too exciting to think about. We didn't want to be let down. We just thought of our other options. We prayed. We fasted. We wanted the right place...no matter where that place would be.
The news came Wednesday, May 5 at noon. I picked up the phone.
"Denver" That's all he said. I started crying...again.
"Are you crying," he asked ?
"Yes."
"I am too, but I can't talk. They are waiting for me."
I hung up the phone.
I called my mom at school.
She was teaching.
She picked up the phone and whispered softly so her students wouldn't know she was talking in class.
"Denver," I said.
She started crying. I was crying.
We can't wait to be closer. $99 roundtrip. Holy Smokes!
It has to beat $350.
Denver, HERE WE COME!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

SEVEN




lego, star wars, visual, and dictionary. probably 4 of Williams' favorite words. all in one book.



Ice cream contraption. No cake for Master William. Hence, I headed down to Cold Stone to pick up a bit of blue, cotton candy ice cream. Molded it into a light-saber shape. Put 4 ice cream sandwiches covered in hard shell chocolate topping for the handle, and...ta da.
A Blue Ice Cream Light Saber...with 7 candles sticking out from the top.

7 (seven) a lucky number and also the age of my firstborn.

Besides being 7, he is a very, very, very good boy.
He is going to be an inventor/ scientist when he grows up.
His favorite color is BLUE.
He is going to create a robot that does anything he wants it to.
He likes to quiz his mom on Star Wars facts that he already knows the answer to (just to see if I am getting better at my Star Wars knowledge...I'm not)
He runs from my morning kisses when carpool comes to pick him up...so I sometimes have to chase him to the car and attack him with my lips.
He really LOVES it (but he'll deny it all the way)
He would choose to play legos over going outside and playing in the dirt, going to the park, or probably even going to the moon. He just likes his legos.
He told his dad,
"I don't know every , single thing...I just know a lot."
That about sums him up.

oh, and I really, really, really love my bugaboo.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Watch Out...

Denver!
Tornado Ford is coming to stay.
At least for a few years.
June 2011