Trauma at the Dentist

Over Christmas break Halle had a filling in her tooth fall out. Of course the dentist was on vacation so we just waited it out. When he finally got back in the office I called to make her an appointment, but he was full until the end of January. (If he'd work more than 3 days a week, this might solve the problem.) So we waited some more, and then Halle started complaining about a tooth ache. I looked in her mouth and her gum was very swollen and red above the tooth. So I called the dentist again, thinking that surely he'd get her in now, it was turning into an emergency, but no, he just prescribed antibiotics for the abscess and said, "See you on the 29th."

So, today, we (and by we, I mean me, Halle, Carter, and Kate) FINALLY went to the dentist and after an x-ray, he determined that the infection caused bone loss and that the tooth was basically unfixable. So he needed to pull it out. Can we just say HOLY TRAUMA!!!! He said we could wait until another day, but there was no way I was going to leave that office with the same unfixed tooth that has been giving us so many problems.

So we hooked Halle up to the gas to calm her down and then in came the shots lady. I sent Carter and KAte out to the waiting area (as Carter still needed a filling done and I didn't want him to see Halle's process). She gave Halle her first shot and Halle just started SCREAMING. I am sure it hurt a little, I hate shots in my mouth, but she was also worked up from the shock of suddenly having a tooth pulled.
But seriously, she was really causing a scene. The lady got done with the shots and then I overheard this conversation between her and the assistant, "You need to get here."
"Where? You told me I."
"No, I told you J. The tooth with the cavity."
So guess what they had to do.....YEP, start all over with the shots again because they numbed the wrong stinkin' tooth!!!!

Meanwhile, they bring Carter back to do his tooth in the room over. All goes well there, THANK GOODNESS! Then it's time to pull the tooth. It actually was very easy and painless. (Should have been since over half of her head was numb.)

Halle told me that she wanted $20 from the tooth fairy for this tooth. I told her the tooth fairy didn't give out 20's. We had to stop at WalMart on the way home and in WalMart Halle said, "Mom, I'll leave a note for the tooth fairy NOT to leave me any money if I can get a new fish instead." (Boy this girl can bargain.)

So home we went, with a new fish in tow, and one less tooth in the mouth. NOT what I had expected for my day. Good thing I had a lunch date with Becky planned!!!

Bitter Sweet

I can't end today, without posting about the loss of our dear Prophet Gordon B Hinckley. (Which I am sure will be on every LDS blog in the morning.) I am so sad about his death because I loved and admired him so much. But I am grateful that his old and ailing body no longer cumbers him, and that he has been reunited with his beloved wife.

My mom called tonight to tell us that he had passed away, and I announced it to my family. There was an audible gasp from my kids and then Halle immediately started sobbing. I asked her if she was crying because she was sad or because she was scared. (I've never seen her react like this before.) And she said, "Because I really liked him." It was so sweet and precious.

He was definitely a soul who left a lasting impression on everyone, even the little children. We will miss him dearly in our home.

More Lost Pix

Okay, so I started looking through all my Hawaii pictures and found all these great snippets of Lost locations. I am a little too excited for the show apparently, but I just couldn't help posting a few more. Hope they get you all geared up like they did me!

The beach where the plane crashed. In the show, they edit out the mountain behind and insert a jungle. Crazy the things they can do now days! My how they cleaned up the beach too.

If you peer clear to the back of the picture (right at the top of the fence line) you'll see a big black covered something. It's "supposedly" the actual wrecked airplane that is stored on this military base. We didn't dare take too many pictures for fear of being misinterpreted for terrorists.


The Other's village. (It's really a YMCA camp.) Can't you just picture creepy Ben walking around out there?

The survivors' camp. (All roped off so we couldn't disturb anything.)

More of the camp. Do you hear the strange dinosaur roar, and see black smoke swirling around anywhere? Duhn-duhn-duuuhnnn...

This Time of Year

This time of year brings about a couple of my favorite things. First up, LOST!!!! Hooray, it starts this Thursday and I can't wait. I thought I still had another week before the premiere, but my brother-in-law set me straight and I am so glad he did. And if you want to see how cool I would look as a survivor, check out my Lost post from Hawaii. (Okay, so it really just proves that I am a geek, but I still had fun finding the camp.)


The next thing I love about this time of year, are these scrumptious little goodies!
Man, I can eat a whole box in one sitting. I just love these and whenever I see a box of them, throughout the month of February, I buy one.

So come this Thursday, I'll be sitting in front of my t.v. watching my favorite show and eating a favorite treat. It's gonna be a great day!

Some Things Never Get Old

Tonight I was going through Kate's drawers and the old boxes of hand-me-downs from her sisters, when I ran into this little blue dress. I got SOOO sad when I saw it. There are just some clothes that are meant for certain kids and this dress was for Halle. As soon as I saw it I couldn't help but remember her wearing it. It brought out the pretty blue color of her eyes so well. I almost couldn't bear giving it to Kate.

Well, Halle came around the corner and saw me looking at it, so I told her that it used to be one of my favorite little dresses on her. She BEGGED me to let her have it as a shirt now. I told her to try it on (thinking that it would be way too small and that she'd let me give it to Kate). And you know what, it worked for her. It looks like a cute little baby doll shirt and it fits her perfectly. So, I am letting her keep it for a shirt and am going to enjoy seeing my little Halle wearing it again for another year or so.

Happy Birthday Keagen!

It's Keagen's birthday shout HOORAY!! Keagen is such a great little boy. Always so polite and mild mannered. And Carter adores him. We sure hope you have a fun birthday Keagen. We miss you!!!

4 Things

All right, I am taking Jennifer's tag since I still have no new pictures to put up. (And I like to do a tag once in a while. They make me reflect a bit about myself, and you all know, I am narcissistic.)

SO:
4 jobs I've had:
1- My first official paid job, was as a house cleaner for a neighbor. I would go there a few times a week and vacuum, dust, do dishes, and clean her bathroom. (I think this is probably the most hilarious job ever for to me have held. I do not enjoy cleaning; I SOOO wish I did, but I just don't.)

2- When I could finally drive I got a job at a place called United Micro Data where we put companies' paper records on to micro-film. I transferred with that small company to Boise and held that job until I got pregnant with Alyssa. (Ammonia is used to develop the film and to this day the smell of ammonia makes me dry-heave.)

3- I taught piano lessons off and on from the time I was 14 years old. I got a little more serious about it after I graduated from college, but when we moved back to I.F. I quit. I claim to be teaching my own children, but I am so BAD about it. It makes me sick when I think about it. (Note to self: Give girls lessons today!!)

4- When we were first married, Jarom and I were midnight janitors for several buildings. We cleaned a dentist office, several car dealerships, a psychiatrist office, and a big machine office building. (Again, I just about loathed this job, but it kept food on our table.) I must admit, that after I got pregnant with Alyssa, poor Jarom did a lot of these buildings by himself.

4 movies I could watch over and over again:
1- Gone With the Wind (LOVE Scarlett O'Hara)

2- Father of the Bride (the second is my favorite, but I love them both)

3- Meet the Parents

4- Shrek (the first one) I think it is so hilarious and I love the music.


4 people I email daily:
Hmmm... do people really still use email? Mostly I instant message Jarom, and any of you that are online the same time as me. And of course communicate through comments on blogs. And let's not forget the phone line. ( I love to chat with friends while I clean. It takes the drudgery away.)

And I do email my mom pretty regularly.

4 favorite things to eat:
This will be tough as I really do LOVE to eat just about anything (as long as it didn't come out of a lake or the sea)
1- Chocolate desserts of any kind. (But not a plain chocolate candy bar, it has to have nuts of toffee or something good in it.)

2- Deep dish pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut (Yes, I love all that greasy goodness!) Jarom worked there as a kid and refuses to eat the deep dish. He says he's seen how it's made and he just can't stomach it, but I love to be able to smack my lips together after finishing a piece and feel like I just put lip balm on. Mmmmm...

3- When I am pregnant (which I am NOT) I LOVE to eat Sonic's ice. Those little soft pellets are to die for. I used to go through the drive through and order nothing but a 440z. cup of ice. I am sure they thought I was crazy, but I didn't care. (I have recently found out that you can buy the ice by the bag from them. Wish I would have known that little tid-bit a couple of years ago.)

4- Bread. I love good bread. Thick, chewy bread makes the best toast!

4 places I'd rather be: (assuming that home isn't the best place on the planet)
1- Hawaii- Oh how I miss your laid back style, your warm water, perfect temperature, sweet smell, I could go on and on.

2- Snuggled in my bed with a great movie on the t.v. and a great read in my hands.

3- Traveling the world with all my kids and my hubby and a permanent nanny by my side at all times.

4- At the spa getting a full body massage.

4 places I've lived:
1- Idaho Falls, ID

2- Boise, ID

3- Nampa, ID

4- Idaho Falls, ID
So to sum it all up, I've never left Idaho. It's been an exciting life.

4 things I look forward to this year:
1- Going camping with my family

2- Maybe taking my kids to Disneyland

3- Visiting with friends who live far away and who might come visit me. (HINT HINT!)

4- Planting a garden. (I say that every year, and so far I've actually gone through with it twice.)

Now tag, tag, tag, you're all it!

A Night in the Life of a Mother

Had someone seriously told me what motherhood would REALLY be like, I am not so sure I would have signed on for the ride. I remember mom's saying how "EXHAUSTED" they were and I always thought, "I've babysat a gaggle of kids before and it's not THAT bad." But what I didn't understand was the complete lack of sleep mothers really do get. So for all of you non-parents (yet), here's what it's truly like. This was my night last night.

11:30 pm - I go to bed
1:00 am - Kate falls out of bed and wakes screaming
2:00 am - Halle comes in to my bed because she had a bad dream
2:20 am - Carter comes in to my bed too because...well just because
2:25 am - Carter and Halle have a slap fight in my bed because they are "touching" each other
4:00 am - The dog barks because he has to go to the bathroom
4:45 am - Kate wakes crying because her ears are hurting (they are both infected)
6:00 am - Jarom's alarm goes off
6:30 am - I check the news to see if there is school today
7:15 am - Get out of bed to begin a new day

But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for the world!!! :)

Don't judge this recipe by it's picture!

What better way to warm up on a freezing cold day, than with a hot bowl of yummy soup? And better yet, easy, less than 30 minutes to make soup! I made one of our favorites yesterday; we call it Grandma's Soup. I have no idea where the name came from. It's one of Jarom's mom's recipes and I thought I would share it with you all since its so easy. Plus, it's packed full of veggies and my kids eat it (so hopefully your's will too).

I tried to take a nice picture of it, but as you can see, my camera almost makes it look nasty.

Anyone for carrot orange/red soup and cookies?

How about a colorless meal? (Now doesn't that just look downright appetizing?)

This is the best shot I could get, so just pretend it's beautiful.

Anyway, here is the recipe.

GRANDMA'S SOUP
1 lb browned hamburger (I like to season mine with salt & pepper and minced onions. And I like to use 93/7 so there's no fat to drain.) Once it's cooked add the following:
2 cans tomato soup with rice
2 cans water
1 jar of traditional flavored spaghetti sauce
1 bag of frozen veggies (sometimes I add an extra can of corn just because we like it)

Let it come to a boil to heat the veggies. That's it; it's done! Serve with slices of cheddar cheese and crackers. And don't forget to follow it up with a chocolate chip cookie or two. ;)

Hope you enjoy!

No School Today

School has been canceled for the day due to our heat wave we've been receiving. This morning the wind chill was -34 degrees. So, aside from a visit to the doc. I think we'll stay inside and make something yummy.

Rexburg Temple Open House

*Not a current picture of the temple or else you would see 3 feet of snow on the ground.
Tonight we took our kids to see the newly finished Rexburg temple. (Anyone can go through an LDS temple before they are officially dedicated.) Right when we started the tour, Kate said she needed to go potty. Well, there wasn't a spot where we could stop for her to go. (The tour would have left us behind.) So I told her to keep holding it and she did. She told me 2 more times that she needed to go and we were SOOO close to being done. Seriously, I stepped probably 5 feet out the door and she peed all over me. It ran clear down my front and into my shoe. Poor little girl, she tried so hard. I was grateful she waited until we were outside of the temple, I would have been SOOOOO embarrassed had she done it inside. (We even had to wear protective booties on our feet so the carpets wouldn't get dirty. Can you imagine what they would have thought had someone peed on the floor?!) Not to mention the fact that we were in Antarctica, oh wait, it was just Rexburg. Wet legs and bodies don't feel great in the freezing, frigid air. When we drove home (at 8 pm) the thermometer in our car read MINUS 15 at one point. It warmed up to Zero by the time we reached our neighborhood. (Sadly the heat wave has come and gone. It is now (10:30 pm) 11 below zero. Now that's some crisp air!)

After we went through the temple (which was very beautiful inside), we went to my brother's home for dinner. While we were there I had this TERRIBLE thought that I had forgotten to let my dog in the house before we left. (Remember the frigid air?) I had visions of finding a dead, frozen dog when I got home. I was so worried about it that I called a neighbor and made her go ring my doorbell to see if he would bark. Sure enough, he was in there, and all was well. (Well, well for me and the kids; Jarom wouldn't have minded the other outcome.)

So that was our event of the day. Full of excitement as always. Tomorrow I think we'll be making a doctor's visit for Kate's cough and ears. Oh, AND, when we got home, Carter threw-up. (I think he just coughed too hard.) How's that for the cherry on top? I love my life. (And I really do mean that.)

Girls' Night, mmmmmmm.....

Over the weekend Jarom's sisters and I got together to watch a chic flick and eat great food! (We've decided we want to make this a monthly tradition.) We started watching the 1st half of the Starter Wife (new funny webisodes here girls!) last week and completed the last half of it this past weekend. We decided to go all out this time. We started with dinner at Bajillo's (I haven't been a huge fan of this place until I tried the Flauta Bajio salad, SO good!) and then watched our movie for an hour or so, until we just couldn't resist that chocolate urge any longer.

We ordered 5 different desserts from Johnny Carino's (well technically 4 since we ordered the turtle cheesecake twice) and then split them all 5 ways and enjoyed! (Splitting things 5 ways is near impossible. It didn't look nearly as edible after we were done divvying it all up.) Here's my culinary review:

Chocolate Canolli ** (2 stars)

Chocolate Cake *** 1/2 (3 1/2 stars maybe 4 if I had vanilla ice cream too)

Turtle Cheesecake **** (4 to 4 1/2 stars)

New York Cheesecake w/ mixed berry syrup ***** (5 stars, mmmm....)

Now for my review of the show. The Starter Wife was a mini-series that aired on Lifetime. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. It really was quite hilarious. I was so sad when I figured out it was only a mini-series and not a new full on series. In my opinion it could have gone really far. As far as the book goes (the series was based on it), NOT nearly as good. In fact, had I not seen the show first and fallen in love with the t.v. characters, I would have hated the book. This is one of those VERY rare exceptions where the show really is better than the book.

Who was the idiot?

The following story in no way embarrassed me. (It takes a lot more than a 5 year old child to do that.) But it did get me thinking.

Who was the idiot that thought of putting clear glass doors on showers? I for one, have NO desire to see someone doing their personal hygiene routine and sure as heck don't want somebody to see me. And not only that, I don't want to look out of the glass to the GIANT bathroom mirror and see myself either. I would much rather be in a completely enclosed cave with LOTS of lights that show me all my flaws and hairiness, than have the natural sunlight shining through for everyone's viewing pleasure. And don't even get me started on the cleaning of the hard water deposits.

Today I was showering away and shaving my legs, (Which we all know does NOT look glamorous like in the t.v. commercials. It's more like watching a contortionist squeeze himself into a tiny glass cube.) when my 5 year old niece walked in to tell me there was a problem with the wii. Luckily I was in one of those contortionist poses with all my goods hidden, but I just thought to myself, "I HATE this glass door!" (Hopefully I haven't scarred my niece for life.) And lest any of you think, "Why wasn't the bathroom door locked?" Well, it was. I have a stinking faulty lock that works 80% of the time and the other 20% tricks me into thinking it's locked.

As you can tell, I have no more pride. Motherhood took that from me rather quickly. Guess I'll just stop cleaning the door all together and in time, it will be non-see-through and I won't have to worry anymore.

Parenting Tip of the Day

It takes 19 or more teaspoons to overdose on ibuprofin (100mg in 5 ml) when you weigh 22 lbs. Good thing only 24 teaspoons come in a 4 0z bottle and half the bottle had already been used.


Just thought I'd save you all a call to poison control. (Yes, Kate.........argghhhhh....)

It's Official!! We're DONE with college!

Jarom's name is officially in KSU's registry as a graduating student!! Hallelujah! He was actually done a semester ago, but because of a miscommunication (on KSU's part) they didn't get his application in on time to graduate. It almost happened again this semester, but after learning our lesson the hard way, Jarom badgered and badgered them and it paid off. He's FINALLY done and I couldn't be more happy. Way to go honey; it was a LONG road!

Wii Makes Everyone Happy!

Is this not the CUTEST video you've ever seen?!! Just had to share it with you all. Thanks Miki for sending it my way. By the way, I have no clue who this family is, but that baby's laugh makes me smile everytime I listen to it.

What a great day I had!

I really had a great birthday! I felt like Queen of the World with all your posts, phone calls, emails, comments, and visits. Thank you so much for making me feel special and loved. It means the world to me!

The day started out with lunch at Melina's (sopapillas mmmmm...) with my mom and sister. I should have snapped a picture, but I didn't.


We went out to dinner as a family and it was (honestly) quite enjoyable. (Kate was there too, she just wouldn't hold still for a picture.)

Then it was time for the party. (Note the coordinating wrapping colors and balloon colors. Jarom did a good job!) Thanks for coming everyone. You all know I love to have friends over!

Here I am with all my loot! New Vera Bradley bags (which my mother-in-law sells if anyone needs one), great big soup pots (I can cook for the whole clan now), a great big Tupperware bowl (I am seeing a theme), my Eskimo ornament, a new blow dryer, and several gift cards. My mom also made me my very own chocolate pie. THAT was a shock and a GREAT surprise for me. What a haul I made. Thank you to everyone; it's so fun to get a few gifts on your birthday.

You know it's a been a wonderful day when you fall asleep, sitting up, with cake ALL OVER your face!

And now, for a bit of sad news. My camera got dropped (the dropper shall remain nameless) and now will only take pictures in the strange shade of orange you see on Carter. It also is VERY blurry, but randomly I get a semi-clear shot. I am so sad!!! You all know how much I love my camera. Who knows how many new pictures I am going to be able to take in the next while until I can either fix it or get a new one. I'm so sad about it, but I still had a great day!

Happy Birthday to Me!

"Wake up! It's your birthday! You're turning 31!" Actually I'm turning 32 today, but every time a birthday comes around, I think of that silly and adorable song my girls wrote for me last year. It's a classic!

You all know I am a narcissist, (yes it's true, I do love myself) so I decided to post all the pictures of past birthdays that I had in my possession. (Besides, it was a great time to get them all scanned and in the computer.) As you can see, I am missing several years, but you get the drift.


Me on my actual "birth" day. Okay, so the date on the back says I was one day old, but close enough. (Look at my cute YOUNG mom.)

One year old! Party time with my cousins in TX. (Emily, Natalie is the one on the right.)

My second birthday, well actually my dad's birthday, but since we're only 3 days apart it counts.

Birthday no. 5 . The first big "friend" party. Angela, do you recognize anyone? And WHY weren't you there?


Skip ahead to birthday number 10. Look at my LOVELY painted nails. I am sure I thought I was b-e-a-utiful. And check out that charm necklace; I LOVED that thing! This was also the era of jelly shoes; good times!


Hitting the teenage years -13!


Sweet 16 and old enough to date and drive! (Yes, I had TWO dates on this birthday, and no, Jarom wasn't one of them.)



Three of my greatest friends joining me for my 17th birthday. (It's not the greatest picture of Jarom, but look how TINY he was!! He's like a baby.)


Ah, the college days. Birthday number 20! I had good roommates that decorated for me. Thanks guys!


Getting old, 22! Seriously, this is where I began to feel old. Crazy I know.


Finally a mommy celebrating my 24th birthday.


Oh, this one is just gorgeous at 26.


My 28th big year!


Living in I.F. again at age 30.


And finally one from last year when I turned 31.


There it is, my own montage to myself. I am sure I enjoyed it more than any of you (except maybe my mom), but thanks for sharing in my birthdays with me. I can look back on almost all of these and remember something or someone that I loved. Can't wait to see where the next 30 years or so will take me.

Mysterious Images

I love to see what images appear on my camera after my kids have secretly taken it from me. Usually it's shots of me doing random, mundane, housewife things. And always of my backside.





A lot of the times, they are great nasal shots or odd body part shots of the mysterious camera taker(s).




And sometimes I get gems like these:

I know this one is really dark, so incase you can't tell what is going on, Halle is HANGING and SWINGING from the banister and falls down the stairs. They probably kept the lights off so I wouldn't know what they were doing. The things they do when I am not looking!


Oh to be 9 again and not have a care in the world, but dreaming of being Hannah Montana!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Happy Birthday to my dad today! My dad is a friend to all, even complete strangers. He is a genius inventor and comes up with some of the craziest but best ideas around. Just wanted to let him know I love him and wish him a very happy birthday!

My Beautiful Babies

I got my pictures back today. So here are some of the kids individually. My apologies to Elise and Miki who like to see more than people's children on blogs, but these four kids are my greatest accomplishments ever so today I am just going to brag. I don't even think I need to say much, the pictures say it all. (And hats off to Hattie Bates our photographer!)

Pretty Alyssa who is looking WAY too grown up!!

Here's my little Miss Photogenic. Such a pretty little girl who always takes great pictures. (She didn't get that from me, that's for sure!)




Kate wasn't quite as cooperative as everyone else, but these are some cute shots that capture her personality well.





Is he a cheese ball or what? But MAN, I just want to kiss his face off!!!