Can I Have My Life Back Now?

Last weekend Adam rented "Twilight". I wasn't dying to see it but willing. And . . . I liked it. I forgot to return it by the next evening so decided to watch it again. And then . . . .

( Number three, Eclipse, was my favorite.)

I HAD to read the books. Luckily my mom-in-law bought them all so it was easy to get my hands on them. It took me about a week to read all four and I love, love, loved them.
Adam is terrified I'm going to turned into a full-on Twilight freak but I'm pretty sure I've got it under control.

If you haven't read them, GO NOW. GET THEM. READ. Let you kids watch too much Zach & Cody or Mickey Mouse Club House for a few days and indulge yourself. You won't regret it.

And then you can have your life back.

(I just got mine back and its filled with grocery shopping, laundry, bathrooms, vacuuming and more laundry. I need another good book series to lose myself in. Suggestions?)

Punishment

I know I promised to keep the running talk on happyme but I had to share this one.
This past Saturday's run was 18 miles. Adam and I RAN EVERY STEP of 18 miles and it felt good. Relatively good, as good at 18 miles can feel.

I am so dang proud of us. We only have one really long run left before the big day in May.

Now you're wondering, why is this post titled "Punishment"? Punishment because my body is totally punishing me for making it run 18 miles. My knees have screamed at me all day and I wish they'd hush up. The rest of my body decided to show me whose boss during a short and easy four today. I worked for every step of that four miles today.

I am hoping and praying that my body can get over its vengeful issues before tomorrow's nine.

Hoping and praying. Hoping and praying.

Glad We Did It

Its done! Grace had her last day of preschool this week and was perfectly fine with it. Hallelujah!
Thankfully, Grace brought home her "school pictures" on her last day of preschool. These are the pictures, paid for by the check, that started it all. See story here.
I feel I must apologize to my sweet Grace for passing on to her my pasty white skin. I fear that for the rest of her life, in the last winter-early spring, people will ask her if she's feeling well and she'll only reply, "Yes, I'm fine." But all the while be cursing them (and me) because she is NOT ill or under the weather, she is just white. Pasty white. Grace will blame me, I blame my mother and she blames hers. It's a viscous blame game.

One more thing, I hate props. This picture is 40% Grace and 60% props. I don't want pictures of props. I wanted pictures of my child. Crazy me!
(I apologize if I just totally offended you b/c you love picture props. Its okay. We can agree to disagree and still be friends.)

Having said ALL that, our Grace is stinkin' cute. She love, love, loves that dress and made sure, days in advance, that it was clean and hanging in her closet for picture day. Grace was so proud of herself for being big enough for "school pictures". Its true. Look how big she is. She's a giant that's all but outgrown her winter clothes. I can hardly believe she was my butterball baby just a few years ago. Grace makes me smile everyday with her hilarious made-up words, lyrics and stories. There is never a dull moment when Grace is home.

I love you my Gracie Anne

Not On Speaking Terms

I'm pretty sure that every blogger on the Wasatch Front blogged about the cruel April Fool's trick Mother Nature played on us today. We awoke to driving snow. Sick and wrong!

So, I've decided I'm not speaking to Mother Nature until she's ready to act like an adult. No more of this flipsy flopsy snow two inches in the morning then melt it all before sunset.

I've decided to hol' up in my house and not leave until the REAL SPRING arrives. I'm sure my kids will object but . . . that's what daddy's are for, right? (just kidding, I promise)

So to show Mother Nature my protest I'm NOT blogging about her today. NOPE, not me.

Instead . . .
I spent a good part of the day in the kitchen. Therefore my kids spent the better part of the day in the kitchen. Heaven forbid I should be . . . (gasp) in a different room! Oh, the horror!

Where I am, Joseph is. Where Joseph is, there are cars. Therefore my kitchen was invaded by cars today. Kids and cars. I think, one day, I'll miss finding cars in my cupboards. I love it.

I am loving my kids' stages (for the most part). It would be nice to walk from room to room without feeling like a mama duck leading her ducklings around but that won't last forever.
I was tired today. I was short with the kids a time or two but overall it was a good day. This evening we all snuggled in my bed and watched a movie. I love that my kids like that. Can I subtract one or two little annoying things then freeze my kids just think this forever?

I love my kids and yes, I love matchbox cars.

One awful day last week . . .

One horrid and awful day last week . . . we ran out of raisins.

Joseph wanted raisins but he'd finished them at breakfast.
I am, apparently, a rude and inconsiderate mother for letting our cupboards go bare of raisins.
It caused supreme sadness in our kitchen.
Thankfully Joseph got over it because I still haven't remembered to buy more raisins, and its been . . . gulp . . . a week.
I'll go put that on my grocery list right now.

Upon Request

As requested by my younger brother, Sam, here are the pics of my hand from the last few days.

I woke up one day last week and had, what felt like, two burns on my left hand but I didn't remember burning myself.

By bedtime, both spots had begun to blister.
And I woke up to this. And they freakin' hurt.
I drained them but they didn't got away and they didn't start to heal.
The next day another small one appeared on my right hand (sorry no pics).


The doctor thinks its a staf infection. She sent "a sample" to the lab to make sure and gave me an antibiotic to get started on. The blisters seem to be getting a little better.
Sam, I'll keep you posted. Thank you for the concern and I love you.

It All Started One Day When . . .

It all started one day about three weeks ago when Ella broke out in hives. For the first few days I thought I'd figured out what was giving her the hives: new laundry soap, petting kittens at the pet store, etc. But when the hives came back day after day at different times and in different environments I was baffled and called her pediatrician. The hives looked like this but covered her whole body including her face. She was a pitiful, weepy site.

A quick trip to the pediatrician revealed that Ella had a viral infection (the kind that just has to run its course) that was manifesting itself on her skin. Very common apparently. Who knew?
That quick trip also revealed HUGE tonsils. Alarmingly huge tonsils, though no infection there. Thank heavens!
We were referred to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor who got us in within a few days. We met with him on Tuesday and . . .
Friday morning we were in an outpatient surgery center getting Ella's tonsils and adenoids out.
Ella was nervous the morning of but after Adam gave her a blessing she calmed right down and we had a pleasant morning, just the two of us. (Thank you Angie and Randy for having Grace and Joseph spend the night so I could focus on Ella that morning.)

Waiting in this first little room Ella got a "new cool bracelet", a grown up hospital gown, very fun no slip socks she got to take home, crayons, coloring book, a new doll and bright pink medicine that made her sleepy and very silly.

The anesthesiologist then wheeled her off in the special surgery wagon and I was escorted to a different little room to wait. Less than an hour later I was escorted to yet another little room where Ella was waking up. She looked so pitiful. Pitiful and strange. I didn't get a picture of it but she had a dollar bill taped to her forehead. Apparently she won a bet with the anesthesiologist.

Upon waking up a little more she asked for her new doll and said "Now I have ten dollars."

What a funny girl!

It took about an hour before Ella was ready to go home. The nurse put her in a wheelchair and wheeled her to the door while I went to get the car. And would you believe that I'd left the lights on that morning and the battery was dead? Believe it!

After more waiting and waiting, security came, gave us a jump and we were FINALLY on our way home. Ella slept nearly the whole rest of the day and that night.

She did awesome the first week until yesterday. See yesterday's post for details.

Miss Ella is doing wonderfully today. She even went to her best friend's house for some calm play time (yeah right). The whole experience hasn't been too bad (knock on wood). Once Ella learned that taking her pain medication wasn't optional (because it really hurts) its been smooth sailing. I am thankful we were able to get this done while she's off track and could take plenty of time to relax and recover.