CAMP YUBA, anyone?

So I'm back on the triathalon bandwagon. I'm going to attempt the Yuba Lake tri on Sept. 11th. You want to join me? I'v got Miguel pretty convinced he's doing it. My visiting teacher and good friend from P.G. are doing it. And a great gal from my ward is going to the gym and training with me, so I bet she'll do it. Come on, feel the peer pressure!

Here's the stats:
Swim: 1/4 mile (15 laps in a pool)
Bike: 14 miles
Run: 3.1 miles

I even got me a snazzy tri outfit yesterday. It looks more like a wrestler's singlet, but it will be worry free for the race. Quite athletic looking.

I'm also super excited to do my first ever tri infront of my kids, Mom, and sister. They only remember me as the girl with asthma laying on the track in high school.

It should be awesome! A good way to bring in my 30s!

Takin' a Trip to the Looney Farm

Meet the newest members of the family!!!

We inherited these ducks from my sister in law yesterday. I have never wanted a pet. I've been facinated by my sister in law's farm in her backyard. She's got chickens, turkeys, ducks, and goats right now and the kids just love it when they get to go over and play with the animals. Well she needed to get rid of a few ducks and sent them home with me yesterday after babysitting my kids for a while.

I'm still not sold on the idea. I don't want to have to worry about anything else. I filled our turtle sandbox with water and hope they fair o.k. back there. It is pretty entertaining to see them waddling around outside. The neighbor's cat has given them a few scares and apparently they found their way into the garage last night and slept in there.

The tall one is the funniest to watch. He's what's called a Runner Duck. He can't fly and he walks around like a bowling pin. The kids want to name him Miguel. Go figure.

So if you want to come see them, feel free!

Oh, and the other one is named Frizzle. He came with that name.

Kids are Funny!!!

Here a couple of funny moments that have happened in the last two days that really got Miguel and I laughing.

Nudest Colony
Yesterday after church, and after dinner, the girls went outside dressed up in swimsuits proclaiming they were going to put on a show for us and that they were having a beach party. So while they were entertained, we decided to stay inside and get some things done. I think I was laying on the couch reading the Ensign, when Miguel called me into the kitchen to see what my girls were up too. We hadn't heard a peep out of them for at least a half an hour, so I should have known they were in trouble. When I looked out the window, everyone one of them was stark naked! Their beach party turned into a nudity party. They were running around, swinging from the rope swing like Tarzan, and everything in between, all in the buff, and loving every minute of it. My kids have all liked to be naked. It was so funny to see. I tried coaxing them inside to get clothes on, but I was met with much resistance. They just didn't get why it was inappropriate to be naked outside. I tried to explain that people get arrested and go to jail for being naked in public. Mom always kills the fun.

"Write on your paper"
For FHE tonight, we were acting out the play that they describe in this month's Friend magazine. Julianne got the part of the King of Assyria and she was supposed to be writing a letter to the King of Israel. When it was her turn to do her part I said, "Julianne write on your paper!," trying to get her to act it out. Well what does she do? She sticks it between her legs. In her mind I said, "ride on your paper." It was really funny and the other girls were cracking up. So I corrected my self and this time said, "Draw on your paper!" This time she got it and our play continued. I'll be more clear the next time.

Pioneer Day

This pioneer woman told Gabriela a story about a pioneer girl named Molly who would hide her little ragdoll in her petticoats so the Indians wouldn't steal it. She sat there listening intently.

The girls anticipated the Indians more than anything else. And they were dying to get up and do the friendship circle dance. They loved watching the show and the performers did a great job.

The girls got to beat on the drum they were using during the show.

They got a little buffalo shooting practice in. We had just recently watched Dances with Wolves on t.v. as a family, so I think the whole western Indian, buffalo, shooting thing was fresh on their mind and made the day more fun for them.

Then to Sophia's delight, they had pony rides. They actually got an extra long tern because they were watering all the ponies while the kids were sitting on their backs. Gabriela kind of went for a rodeo ride. Her pony was giving her all sorts of trouble, but she hung on tight and survived the ride. Miguel got worried and went over to stand by her.

Julianne and I went and made a harmonica while the girls were in line to ride the ponies. She is deathly afraid of anything with four legs. She would just cling to my leg and whine like the pony was going to eat her. Kind of ridiculous that our toughest, most agressive child is also the biggest whimp.

The girls took to this little pioneer kitchen set. They would pour water from one pan to the next and serve each other. Really cute. I've got find some of that stuff for the backyard.

We also made dolls out of corn husks.

One final story: as we were getting ready to leave, I was trying to get the girls to follow me away from the tea set and back to our bikes. Miguel was over looking at the blacksmith shop and as I looked behind me, I saw that Julianne and Gabriela were right behind me and assumed Sophia would follow too. We darted into the general store to check it out before leaving and when I came out, I noticed Sophia wasn't with me, but thought Miguel might of run into her and she was with him. So the girls and I checked out a few more of the pioneer buildings and I let the girls play a game, when up walks Miguel without Sophia. He said he hadn't seen her and then my heart sank. We had been walking around for about five to ten minutes with her LOST. I started looking all over for her among the crowd and trying to imagine what she would do or think if she knew she was lost. After searching for a while, my heart was racing even more. She wasn't in the pioneer village. As I walked out, I decided to go set all the stuff I was holding down in the bike trailer before doing a sweep of the park from one end to the other. As I'm walking to the bikes, I noticed this little head in the window of the bike trailer. It was SOPHIA. She had tears in her eyes and said she couldn't find us. I hugged her with all my might and then congratulated her on being so smart!!! I couldn't belive she had the idea to go sit in the bike trailer till we found her. Maybe it was divine inspiration on her part. I don't know, but I have to give her some serious credit for thinking so rationally. If it had been Gabriela, she would have roamed around or maybe went inside a teepee or something. That Sophia never ceases to amaze me. Love that girl.

The Way Things Used To Be

So lately I've been thinking a lot about this mass email that I recieved from my Mom.  I usually just delete these things without even reading them, but I happened to read this one.
No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us,

WE ARE AWESOME !!!!
OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF !!!!
To Those of Us Born
1930 - 1979 (I was born in 1980...so close enough)
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered
With bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, We had baseball caps
Not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes made with Lard, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank FLAV- OR- AID made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY?
Because we were always outside playing.....that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on..
No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
And then ride them down the hill,
Only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem
We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's,
No surround-sound or CD's,
No cell phones,
No personal computers,
No Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.
We ate worms and mud pies
Made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthday , made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.
Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best
Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. What can kids today do besides push buttons...
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
if YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ?

Even though I dont' agree with everything, I think some of this is true. I feel like I go around with paranoia every day in public because someone might not like what I do as a parent. The gov't actually dictates so  much, something that I hadn't thought about before, but it's true.

I would have looked at my parents like they were crazy if they told me I had to sit in a booster seat until I was 8 years old. Or that I had to wear a helmet to ride my bike.

I have to wait till I can find a parking spot right in front of the storefront so I can see them while I dash in to get some chow mein from Panda Express to take home for dinner, all before someone discovers that I've left my kids in the car. (Gasps)
Why would I unbuckle three preschoolers, drag them in the store, watch them run around while I try to order a box of noodles, then herd them back to the car, and have to buckle them in again. You would have to be crazy!

I can't discipline my kids in public. When I grew up, the babysitter would pack a wooden spoon in her purse (she made sure I saw she was doing it) and I knew she wasn't afraid to use it in the grocery store.

Now a days, people don't even want to talk to each other. They email, text, facebook, or who know what else all to avoid having a real conversation. I feel sad for my kids.

I guess it's just the sign of the times. Pretty soon, we are going to lock ourselves in boxes with a piece of technology so we don't even have to look at people.

Sorry guys, I'm not being pessemistic. It is what it is. I just hope I can combat it and give my kiddos a normal life!

What do you think?

The Guinea Pig

Today was Julianne's doctor's appointment up at Primary Childrens Hospital, to see about her trigger thumb. I had gotten online and done some research and realized that the only way to fix it was to have surgery. So I was prepared to set a date for surgery and for the doctor to pretty much tell me what I already knew. That was not the case.

He actually told me that I had two options. One was surgery, but he wouldn't do that until she was three, because there is a chance that her other hand might do the same thing and he didn't want to operate twice.

Or...

We could do nothing. Apparently the lastest research coming out of Japan and Korea on this condition is showing that if you leave it alone, there's a good chance it might fix itself in five to six years. The doctor we were seeing was actually doing his own study on a hundred patients to see what will happen. I could tell he really wanted us to go with option number two. He said it probably won't bother her, affect her fine motor skills, or anything at all by waiting.

So I guess Julianne will be a guinea pig for the next five years as we see what happens and go back in every year.

(As a side note: Now I know why this guy only works two days a month. He's doing NOTHING!!! No wonder it won't matter if he sees us next week or in two months (that's how long we had to wait to get an appointment). He knew we weren't going to do anything. Now that's the way to go. That's the job to have. Charge folks for an office visit to tell them you aren't going to do anything. Couldn't we just discuss this over the phone? He's a pediatric hand surgeon and he said most of his patients come in with this condition. So your job is what? You specialize in something that people don't need to worry about? I'm just saying. I came out of that appointment shaking my head. But on the flip side, as I was walking out of the hospital and watching these families come in with children in wheelchairs and some without hair, my heart turned really greatful for the healthy children that I have. If all I have to worry about is a bent thumb, then I'm counting it as a blessing.)

Tender Mercies

Today, well actually the last few days, have been rough around here. I'm ready to give away my two year old. There is none stop fighting and crying, and did I mention whining, going on around my house. I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack at least once during the day because my stress level gets so high. We've been running to and fro constantly and my house has exploded. Today I was just feeling overwhelmed, tired, and kind of beat up. Miguel has had some late nights too, so throw that in the mix, and it's not good.

So today after gymnastics, I just sat on the couch, looked around at all the mess, and felt depressed. I called Miguel for some moral support, but that didn't seem to help. I finally decided what I needed was a short nap. I told the girls that they could watch a movie as long as they stayed in their beds and then when it was over, it was time for a nap. They eagerly agreed, so I layed down while they were watching their movie. Once it was over, I tucked them in and went to the kitchen to tackle the dishes. And when I looked out the window over the sink, this is what I saw!!!

And then she did this:

And I immediately felt love from the Lord. It was one of his tender mercies in my life. It totally changed my focus. She just layed there while I cleaned my kitchen and when I was done, she got up and walked off. I love nature and when I see wild animals, I sort of feel like a six year old again. I had a peacefulness wash over me and knew that the Lord was aware of my struggles. I haven't seen a deer in our back yard in probably two years, and that is usually in the fall.

So I went from Depressed to

and I got my dishes done.

and while I'm at it, one of my babies flew the coop. Here's my little update on the hummingbirds.

The other day, we noticed the babies like this

I guess the nest just got too crowded. The girls were so facinated by them. Miguel became worried that the mom wasn't feeding them, because Gabriela tried to knock them out with a stick one day. She said that she wanted to pet one. So I got the hair brained idea to see if I could get one down, now that he was already out of the nest, let the girls pet it and them put it back. Bad idea. I got the ladder, climbed up and rubbed his belly. I was super nervous, because I was worried once I took him off, what if I couldn't get him balanced back on the board. I looks big in the picture, but it's actually pretty small. Gabriel's below me and is chanting, "do it Mami, do it Mami" and grinning from ear to ear. I asked her if I should really do it and of course she said yes. When I rubbed his belly he started squeaking and making noise and then here comes super woman, a.k.a. Mommy Hummingird, flying in and squawking at me. I guess the baby told on me. Anyways, that made my mind up right there. So today I noticed this,

One of my babies had flown the coop!

Don't they look nice and pretty with their feathers on. I keep waiting for him to go flying off now.

Here's a shot from the other side.

It's been really fun watching this process. We'll miss them when they are gone.

The Best Dang Dentist Appt. I've Ever Been On!

Today I had a dentist appt. to do a little fixing up of some fillings and supposedly close a gap in my back teeth caused by my braces. I was going to meet a new dentist there in the office. Yes, I volunteered to meet the new guy. I pretty much told my regular dentist that I would much rather go see the gynocologist than have work done on my mouth. Having them cleaned is one thing, but getting a shot in the mouth is another. I have complete anxiety about it now. In the last several years, I've had some pretty painful experiences with shots. The first one felt like they were sticking a needle clear up my nose. It was BAD!!! The second occasion was worse. I already had anxiety about it and it turned into a nightmare. Not only did the shots hurt, but they wore off in the middle of the procedure so I was lucky enought to get another round of them. They said I must have had high metabolism and burned it off. I'm thinking yeah, duh, if my heartrate and adrenaline have anything to do with it I probably processed it as fast as it came in.

Anyways, so I'm introducing myself to this new dentist. He's straight out of dental school, so he's young, and I just layed it out on the table.
I said, "I would much rather be anywhere else but here right now."

He kind of looked at me, smiled, and said, "well o.k. then."

He asked me if I had any questions for him. So I asked him if he had any kids and how old they were. He had a two yr. old and a 3 mth. old. Alright, now we have some common playing ground.  I asked if the two year old gave him a hard time. And then I proceeded to tell them that I had a 2 and 3 year old and that I'm resolving to give my kids away when they are 2 and I'll take them back when they are 4. He laughed and then we all agreed that who in their right mind would take two and three year olds. 

Whew, o.k. we've broken the ice now.

He asked if I had any health concerns, besides my allergies, and I told him, "well I might be a little crazy." He said, "o.k. well now that we've gotten that out of the way!" and he laughed some more.

The assistant points out the fact that I had asked for laughing gas the last time I was in the office. Why is that so embarrassing? I'm a wimp, I guess. I didn't know what to do, but then I said, "we'll your new, so I guess I'll give you a shot!" Then they both laughed and said, "no, we're going to give you a shot." It was funny. Maybe you would have had to have been there. So we all laughed it up again.

I think my nervous energy was making me say all of these crazy things. He might really think I've lost my mind. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't have the laughing gas.

So he looks over my teeth for awhile and then tells me that he doesn't really think I need any of the work done. My teeth had shifted on their own and closed the gaps. The part of my mouth that I thought was bothering me looked fine, and the speculated cavity wasn't a cavity after all. He said we could wait a while and see if anything changes

Man that's the best news I heard all day. I told him he was my new favorite dentist. That was the fastest, most pain free, appointment I've ever been on. 

They even let me pick a prize at the front desk. Sweet! New hand sanitizer! I told the office ladies that I had some serioius negotiating skills, and I talked him out of everything. That's why I was being rewarded. That was awesome, not to mention it kept several hundred bucks in my pocket. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

What I Want!

We all have goals, right? We make goals in all areas of our lives. Everyone probably knows that I have taken a genuine liking to this family in the last year or two. Meet the Eyres. They have made me realize one of my biggest goals in life. To be an amazing mom and they have made me believe that I can do it.

Ever since I moved to Utah, some ten years ago, I've come across large families everywhere. They absolutely facinate me. I've only got two sisters, and they are 6 and 7 years younger than me. So I've never grown up with close siblings or siblings my age. But the think that amazes me the most in talking with people from large families, is that they all loved it! I don't recall ever hearing someone say, "man, there was just too many people around. It was so annoying!" Never. Not once.

I have been looking at pictures like this for many years. They large family portraits, with a cute older couple in the middle, with all of their posterity around them. What I want...is to be that cute older couple.

I want to spend my retirement years, visiting my grandkids, and having tea parties with my grandkids, and having family reunions (oohhh, I covet those too. I've never been to one). I want my life to be filled with family and surround myself with the people I love most in my life. My family probably thinks I'm crazy. Noone on both sides of my family have more than three kids. I can count all of my cousins on one hand and that's counting both sides.

I'll never have nine kids like the Eyres. That's o.k. I don't know that I'm ready for that, but I'm sure not done having kids. I just hope this body of mine can give me a couple more, because it's what I want most in life. I will feel so happy one day when I'm at my very own family reunion (maybe Mexico, I'm thinking Cancun) sitting there trying to get all the grandkids to look at the camera for just one picture. Cant' wait. It will be great. But until then, I'll focus on my three preschoolers, keep cleaning their messes, and know that one day, my turn will come.

"Thumb Stuck"

(Please Excuse the Chocolate Chip Cookie Face and Chocolatey Sandy Hand)

So, I've been meaning to blog about this for a while, but am just now getting around to it. Several months ago I noticed that Julianne's thumb would get stuck or jammed and would just stay bent (see picture above). She would come to me and say "thumb stuck" while holding out her hand for me to see. I thought it was kind of crazy and wierd, but I could usually play with it until it would come unstuck. This was happening several times a day for about a month or so.

Well one morning while we were having a breakfast with some of our neighbors I happened to mention to the other moms there about her thumb. And low and behold, in she walks with her thumb stuck. Except this time I couldn't get it to straighten out. The other moms asked if I had taken her to the doctor about it. I hadn't even thought about it really. I figured they send me home and tell me she would outgrow it and it was nothing. But they got me thinking. So while my kids were playing with their kids, I made us an appointment and we ran over to the doctor's office to have it looked at.

We saw a PA there instead of our regular doctor, who was booked up. She had no idea what to do about it and thought it was really odd, so she goes to get our doctor to come in and he is just as stumped as she was. He said old people can get what's called "trigger finger", but that he had never seen anything like it in a kid. Neither one of them could get it back in place. Oh and did I mention Julianne was screaming like a wild banche the entire time and the we were having to communicate by shouting the entire time. Then they start throwing out words like hand surgeon, orthopedic doctor, x-rays. What? Wait a minute! I thought you were supposed to pop it back and send me home, reassured it was nothing to worry about. Nope. Not the case. We had to go over and get it x-rayed and it seems that all the bones are fine, which means it's a joint/ligament problem and we have to be seen by a pediatric hand surgeon up at Primary Children's Hospital. Crazy, huh! Julianne's thumb has been stuck since we came back from Yosemite almost a month ago. The surgeon apparently only comes into the office twice a month, so it has been impossible to get an appointment. We have ours close to Pioneer Day, so we'll see what happens. All I know is that he better stay away from Julianne's ears and just look at her thumb, otherwise this will be a very useless, and loud appointment.

We've got Carrots People!

 

Gabriela comes in to tell me she's making soup and asks if she can have some water. I said sure, as long as it stayed outside. Then as I pass by the window in the kitchen, I happened to look out and see the girls with these longs leafy things on the table they were sitting at. NO, NO, NO, not my carrots! What could I do, but to tell them not to do it again, but I invited them in to taste those babies. We washed them up and they were good! They scarffed them down and wanted to go pluck more. I picked too others and we washed them up and enjoyed them as well. We've never grown them before, but think they will be a big hit from now on.

On a random note, this is a hummingbird that had built a nest outside my kitchen window. It's been so fun to see her all the time, buzzing around, and sitting up there.

And today I saw this:

and this:

She's got two babies in that little thing now! Usually we see baby ducks in our pond, but this has been a fun treat for us this year. Another reason why we love our yard!

I'm a wedding planner!!!

Some of you may know that I got asked to put on a wedding last Wed. evening by my inlaws who serve as mission leaders in a Spanish branch in our church. I was told to decorate a room in the church for a wedding ceremony and to keep it simple. I had until Friday. That's right! Only 2 days to pull it together, and I had never really done this before, so I went to work. I hit Martha Stewart Weddings online and started looking for things I could make myself, to dress up the room. I immediately fell in love with these paper ornaments that hang from the ceiling and the everything else was designed around that. I chose teal based off what my mother in law told me the lady would be wearing. I made the bouquets and boutineers and thought the orange was the perfect accent color. All in all it turned out beautifully and I was really proud of myself. I was also blessed with an amazing woman who had a ton of stuff I could borrow and helped me along the way.

Here is the bride's bouquet.

 

These are the paper ornaments I made.

 

I also made these to go on top of the refreshment table. Love, love, love, them!

 

 

Everything came together perfectly and I was glad I had the opportunity to serve and help make someone else's special day memorable and nice. I enjoyed the process and who knows, maybe I could have a future in this. I did have several single girls there ask me to do their weddings someday and a couple of people told me I should go into business. That felt good and made all the stress worth it.