Monday, March 29, 2010
Caleb's Pillow.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Will Family its been quite a week, Mom's Bd on 26 and Jared Bd on the 28th and all mom wants is a trip all over the country to see our family.
Jared on the other hand just wants two or three softball team to play for so he can have all seven days covered. O ye "MY NEW BAT" paid for, back ordered and just not fun !@#$%^&*() and to hit those home run's I have been dreaming about for so long.! :)
Levi on the other had wants to hook the BIG Fish, and a lot of them he is now learning to through a net into the lake so that he can stop paying for bate. He is working a "Old Goute" and I stopped that the shop the other day and he look's good under the hat, and is working will with others.
For me I am looking fowarded to Thursday to get to go through the STA Line's, be body searched, and get out of hear! Dave and Cable look out hear gram-pa Don to balance out the numbers at your house. Just to get a way and play... If I have messed up the spelling just mark it up to one that has creative pen!
Love you all
Harry Potter
Happy Birthday Jared!
Happy Birthday, Jared! You have experienced some things that the rest of us have never even come close to (well, except maybe for dad) and you have just hung in there until you have been able to figure it out. Like the Kool Whip on my pumpkin pie you finish our family... we weren't all here until you came. I love you! Mom
I know, I know! Isn't this picture just choice? It was taken on the day Jared was blessed, and I could look at it a long time. Notice the WHITE SOCKS (how can you not?), the "My Little Pony", Ben and Becca holding hands, and the bow ties. ( Do you think Adam had put his foot down by that time?) Becca finally had some hair, Levi will always have his smile, and Ben will always have his cow-lick. Thank goodness Jared did NOT keep the cone-head. And there in the middle is Jen (Jenny, back then...). The ultimate big sister, responsible oldest child... she was so unhappy with me when she realized she did not get to have Jared's crib in her room. What in the heck was I thinking? Oh, maybe it was the fact the Darth Vader hid in that hallway. (hee hee hee). What a family! Love you!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Happy Birthday, Mama.
Yes. The world was cuter then, on the day you were born. (Which, speaking of, I don't think I know any details of your birth. I assume your dad wasn't there. I assume that you were born at some time, on this day, and that they thought you would be named "Myra." I would like more information, please.)
But today you are 59, which means that you have one year left to do all those crazy things you were going to do before you turned 60. I believe they probably included:
- Get married.
- Have children.
- Accidentally flash people by showing them how you could still fit your feet behind your head when you didn't know you had a split in your pants.
- Watch every episode of "Nova" ever filmed.
- Slap your spouse for flipping your bra strap.
- Laugh at your spouse when he gets stuck on the roof, then take pictures, but forget to take off the camera lense cover.
- Walk on the wild side and eat the end of the orange slice candy that your fingers actually touched.
- Develop a bit of a swearing habit.
- Give up wheat for New Year 2005 and decide you like it so much, give it up altogether.
- Still cover your mouth and kind of screech when you really laugh at cards in the card aisle.
- Keep the Danish Dessert company in business.
Aw, Mom. I wish I could be with you on your birthday, to see you accomplish all your magnificent goals. May all your dreams come true this year. I love you so. :)
Just for you--a gluten free cake wreck:
*BeccaSunday, March 21, 2010
Marching Along
Taste of the Latest.
San Juan Islands Lime Kiln Lighthouse, this is the place to see the Killer Whales, although we did not see live ones we did see the skeleton of one to at the museum at Friday Harbor.
Astoria was my favorite place, it had the most stunning scenery. We went to the Fort Stevens and also visited the Astoria column which I almost didn't do, carrying Evie up there scared the crap out of me, but she loved every spinning moment of the 164 spiral stairs. Astoria is also the place they filmed "Goonies" and "The Ring" which I did not know. The picture above shows the Astoria Megler bridge the longest continuous truss bridge in North America.
Holding Grandma's little note that she just got in the mail. The smile says it all Grandma!! Thank You:)
Fort Vancouver, currently an active military barracks was amazingly gorgeous!
I will make Ben post some more because going through 1400 photos is time consuming.
Smith Luck.
Let's talk about my week for a moment, shall we?
Because I dare any of you to top it.
Monday, I was talking to mom on the phone and cleaning my vacuum with a knife. This makes perfect sense, because you have to cut the strings off that are all twisted around the vacuum... thingy. The one that spins. Anyway. I slipped and stabbed myself in the hand. And then I fainted. With mom on the phone. Lucky mom. Dave came home and hauled me to the urgent care, super awesome good times.
Tuesday, Caleb ran smack into a wall with his face and broke the top of his nose/ocular cavity. (Say that three times fast "ocular cavity ocular cavity ocular cavity"). He is so darn TOP HEAVY, not to mention that he is the very definition of "bat out of hell." I mean, I'm just sayin'. It was at this point when I called Dave at work and he suggested maybe he should stay at work until the third bad thing happened. (Bad things come in threes, you know.)
So Wednesday I flew around getting the house ready for my in-laws to come on Thursday. I was headed down to South Carolina first.thing to help my sister in law pack, so everything had to get done. But then I got up Thursday and went to get the kids in the car when I discovered...
a flat tire.
You have GOT to be kidding me.
Four new tires later, (because, it turns out, our tires were NINE years old) and I'm thinking we're good, right???
I'm just kind of hoping that things only come in threes and not numbers divisible by three. Because, if that's the case, it's going to be an AWFULLY long week....
Failure.... Epic Failure
Sunday, March 14, 2010
My Hero-
I would like to share what we have been pretty deeply involved with here at home and what we are learning. I know I've spoken with one or the other of you on the phone but I so quickly lose track of what I have said and to whom, and I would not want any in the family to feel they have been in the dark. For quite some time Dad has been being medicated for depression and has struggled with being over the top stressed, and over the top frustrated (which you already know dissolves into anger in about a heart-beat), or the opposite, which is apologizing and weeping in turns. For awhile now these things have been escalating to the point that I felt that emotionally at least, Dad was heading full speed into a brick wall if we could not get things derailed. He came home from work one day almost beside himself, a rough evening eventually led to a kitchen table discussion. In the end it was decided that getting him away from work for a couple of weeks was critical. He needed rest and he needed perspective. With a couple of days to complete his to-do list at work, he gave his boss notice on Thursday afternoon that he was taking vacation time starting the next day and would not be back for 2 weeks. Period. He spent the first few days with Jared- they went to a softball tournament down in Mesquite where Jared's team was playing, then did a great loop that took in Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, and more. When he arrived home, refreshed and finally detached from work- he decided to use the remaining vacation time to consult the VA about getting pharmacy benefits, etc. He had mentioned this before and more than once but never felt he could leave work as much as he would need to in order to make all the initial contacts.
It is interesting to me how things happen sometimes. It all started with a brief appointment at a branch office for the VA in Orem and launched from there. It has been about a month since that initial contact- dad has had a full physical evaluation, and a complete psych evaluation also. I was there for each and in each instance I was impressed at the skill and caring of the doctor involved. Your dad was a boots on the ground marine who received a Purple Heart, an Honorable Discharge, and should have been given a Service Medal (we're finding out what happened to that...). He was exposed to Agent Orange, and has a resounding case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (we sometimes tweek the PTSD abbreviation to PSTD and call it Pissed.) He goes to Salt Lake City twice a week now, once for a class/support group on "Coping Skills", which guides the vets in diffusing the negative emotions they deal with, and another helping with the PTSD. He meets with other vets, many from Vietnam- they are always taught, and then they talk. It has been so good for him. I think it has helped to see that he is not alone in suffering the after affects of serving when he did in Nam, and also to see that there are vets who are dealing with even more than he is.
It has been challenging- I have learned of some of Dad's experiences as I have heard him tell them or helped him write them, and they are horrific. He will continue to meet with his psychiatrist, a returned missionary from Vernal, who tells us that so much of what dad is suffering is directly associated with his disorder and can be overcome with a combination of correctly medicating along with counseling.
There are 15 medical conditions now accepted by the US Govt as being a direct cause and effect situation after exposure to Agent Orange. Type II Diabetes is one of them- dad qualifies for all his medical care through the VA at no cost for the rest of his life. Last, but certainly not least- is the change I am beginning to see in him as he has regular contact with people outside the family who honor his sacrifice and respect him for his service. Who knows, tomorrow may really be a new day for him, and I am so glad. In every sense of the word, your dad is a Hero.
SA...WEEEET!
2 years in
This week marks the two year aniversary of putting our RAV4 in high gear and getting the heck out of Dodge. We definitly found greener pastures, but realized that it would be awhile until we got another decent cider doughnut.
In honor of Anniversaries and it finally being a nice day. We headed to Samuel Taylor park for a hike and hot dog roast. All in all a perfect day.
Monday, March 8, 2010
cooking cooking, just keep cooking....
Ready
HC Dogs, Like any thing good when you work for it, thing just taste better, so as you dress it with your favorite topping the memories just keep coming rushing back, for more at a price we all can afford... HC Dogs
Will there's the pitch what do you think?
I have a buring pain between my should blades, and that tells me it's time to stop for now. Love each of you very much.
Dad
Sunday, March 7, 2010
No Idea... At All
Sunday morning.
Phone rings. I answer.
Dave: "Just wanted to make sure everyone is awake. Oh, and do you know it's fast Sunday?"
Becca: "Caleb, you really need to be nice. And happy. And you're kind of being a brat."
Emily: "I wanted to look pretty and this is HORRIBLE."
Caleb: growling "I NO WANT TO GO TO CHURCH."
Ainsley: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
It's going to be a great day. ;)
Becca
Friday, March 5, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Possibilities...
I'm trying to come up with things to do while we're in Washington DC next month.
Obviously, my first priority will be to purchase one of these for Ainsley:
But what next???
Well, we find out tomorrow if we get to go to the Easter Egg roll at the White House. (ohpleaseohpleaseohplease) And I'm waiting on Sue, my congresswoman, to see if we get to tour the White House itself. Reservations are made for the National Archives and the Capitol building. (I just hope my kids don't find some way to destroy the Constitution or derail our national government. You think I'm kidding.)
For food, please check out this link. I'm thinking, yes? This place looks amazing, but not child friendly. Or budget friendly. But certainly taste-bud friendly. Same goes for this. But this place has gluten free cupcakes, as long as we get there early enough to grab 'em. And I'm really thinking this fits well into our budget, not to mention that Lebanese food is in-credible. So that's food. I do not like chains. Sorry, Mom. ;)
What else? Shall we wander down to historic Williamsburg? The beach? Cross state lines into Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware?
Let me know your thoughts,
Me
Monday, March 1, 2010
Spanky.
It was really fun yesterday to get on and read blog posts. Thank you for posting. :)
except jenny. no thank you. (bwahahaha. I'm just kiddin'.)
So I have this seriously obnoxious cold right now. It seems to get worse every day. Is that possible? What kind of cold is that, exactly? The awesome thing is that it's the kind of cold where you *sound* awful, which is always great, because you get sympathy and stuff.
But anyway. Last week I cut Caleb's hair. It looks aw-ful. AWFUL. Poor kid. Hopefully it will grow fast. But while giving him this haircut, I had a profound realization. Caleb looks exactly like Spanky from the Little Rascals.
I'm not even kidding.
And now he has a haircut to match. I am such a good mom.
We tried to put Ainsley in nursery yesterday for the first time, PS. That went over as well as a fart in church. They finally brought her to me and she totally looked like she'd been through a boxing match. Eyes all swollen and puffy. Snot running down her face. Big hiccuping sighs. I am not amused. This is not how our intro to nursery is supposed to go. Mostly because I expect these teachers to do their callings and not bring her to me, unless she's bleeding.
Ok. That's all. I have to go blow my nose.
Love you.