The best Birthday!

So, I had a wonderful birthday...and it kind of stretched out, which was also nice.
It started at midnight...at work. Of course, transition nursery was crazy busy, so we were all trying to help out, but my great co-workers made sure that we had a "traveling" banana split cart to celebrate...THANK YOU to all my co-workers who pitched in...it was great.

I came home, posted and went to bed. I got up, got the kids off to school and Daycare, and went back to bed, waking just in time to shower before heading off to my hair appointment. I got my hair colored and had a deep conditioning treatment....heavenly. I've been trying to grow my hair a bit, so we didn't trim...just texturized some of the bulk out of it.

Feeling pretty, I headed over to the mall. I had rewards from Famous Footwear, American Eagle, and Victoria's Secret. I bought myself 2 pairs of shoes from FF---a pair of black sandals, and some lightweight shoes for when I work out. Both pairs were on the clearance rack (I have had really good luck with the clearance rack because of my smaller shoe size) and I'm really happy with both of them. I bought a couple of t-shirts at AE, and then at VS....I saw some really cute black with rhinestone guitars lounge pants from the PINK line....but they were $70.00!!!! even with my $10 coupon, I'm not paying that much for sweats, even really super cute ones. I walked over to Aeropostale, and found some much more reasonably priced lounging capris (also with rhinestones, and in that pretty pink/purple color that I've been loving this season), and couldn't resist a couple of their t-shirts that were on sale. By this time, I had spent wayyy more time at the mall than I had originally planned, and had to get home to get Kyle to his end of season soccer party. We dropped Kyle off, and then the rest of us Headed over to Goodwood for dinner...it was yummy. Later we came home, relaxed, got the kids to bed...relaxed some more.....

The next morning I woke feeling refreshed. I spent the day puttering around my house, worked out, made myself a new beaded watchband for my watch..and since it was my first attempt at such things, I felt it turned out really good. Then, some very good friends took me to dinner...



We went to Olive Garden, and shared a great meal, yummy dessert, good(and grownup) conversation...and then laughed ourselves silly getting pics after dinner. We were outside the windows of the restaurant, and people were trying not to look at us...and we were being our silly selves. I'm sure all the similar pics will pop up on a few other blogs....3 of us had cameras with us. (and yes, Julie, I'll make sure to email you copies! :)

Thanks to my husband, friends, and family for all the wonderful birthday stuff!!!!

Musings on "33"

As I post, it is my 33rd Birthday. 33 has struck me as momentous....after all, having both numbers of your age be identical only happens every 11 years. I was thinking back to the other 2 times this has happened to me...

When I turned 11, it was the end of 5th grade. 5th grade was a rough year for me...it was when the girls in my age group turned particularly vicious (not unlike some of the things I've dealt with recently). I had a birthday party for my 11th Birthday, and invited all the girls my age from "lower Uintah" to come. One girl, who was a "back and forth" friend, said she was coming but then didn't show up. During my party, she and a girl from "upper Uintah", then called my house and said mean things, trying to spoil my party. It didn't work, I was having too much fun with my friends. I remember it as my first liberating moment as a woman...I didn't have to care what anyone else thought as long as I was happy with myself. I forgot this lesson many times during my teenage years(as we all do), but it always comes back to me.

When I turned 22, it was quite a year for me. I had been married for almost 3 years. I was 10 weeks pregnant with my first child. I was graduating from school with my respiratory degree, and only had a couple of classes left to take to get my bachelors in psychology. 22 was the age when I really had to "grow up", so to speak, to take another life into my own hands, and promise (as we all promise our children) to do our very best to raise him right. Motherhood was actually a pretty easy adjustment for me, partly due to the fact that Kyle was an amazingly good baby and toddler. 22 was the age I truly became an adult, although the residual kid in me sneaks out frequently :).

So, now on to 33...I've really been excited for my birthday. I don't exactly know why...I already got my main present (my FlipVideo), and I'm not doing anything particularly life changing....but I'm in a place of peace about myself, and it's been a hard fought peace at times. I'm happy with myself, my true friends, and those I call my "circle" of support. I'm married to the most amazing man, who is my very, very best friend, who loves me unconditionally, and never fails to show our children how much he loves and respects me. This sets an amazing example for our children. My boys still think I'm the most beautiful woman in the world, and tell me they love me every day. I hope I'm setting the same good example for my daughter. Who also loves me more than anything. I am truly a very blessed woman at 33.

Today, I am indulging myself by sending the boys to school, taking Talia to daycare, and going back to bed for some much needed sleep (I worked the last 2 nights). Then, I'm getting my hair done, hoping to sneak over to the mall for a few minutes, and then hopefully my husband is taking me to dinner. Honestly, though, as long as I don't have to cook or clean up, it's wonderful.


Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!

Memorial Day

Memorial Day was really fun. We were unsure that the weather would cooperate, but it ended up being a great day. Talia was herself again, after those first few doses of antibiotics kicked in. We went to Target in the morning, and got some $3 shirts and shorts for the boys, and after naps, headed out to swim. Talia was excited to get into the water, and by the end of the afternoon she was swimming the whole pool like she'd been in it every day for a few weeks. It was fun...and I got a few VERY fun video clips as well....

My brother Chris....


Jumping in...


Summer...Here we come!

Product Review - TIGI Rockaholic Dry Shampoo Spray

So, I've decided to do some product reviews, whenever I try something new or find something either really cool or really not worth it. This first product..

TIGI Rockaholic Dry Shampoo

From Product Review Pics

I was really excited to try this. All major stylists stress the importance of not washing your hair daily, that daily washing strips essential scalp oils, and so on and so forth. Whatever. Most of us like the clean appearance, smell and feel of hair that's washed daily. Or, like me, when you wear your hair curly, it's so crazy the next morning, that washing is the only way to tame it. However, I've discovered that when I straighten my hair, I can easily go from 4-5 days (depending on the weather, my workouts, etc) without washing. Now that I've gone such a vibrant red, it fades very fast, so I've been looking for ways to stretch out the time between hair washings (and just so you know, if you're going to not wash your hair every day, it's worth it to invest in a really good quality shower cap, to protect your 'do while still getting the rest of you clean).

It finally came back into stock at Ulta....and I had a 20% off coupon. So, I tried it. What you do is spray it into the roots of your hair, rub in, let it sit for a few minutes, and then brush it out(fyi, the instructions are NOT on the bottle, I had to get them from another dry shampoo I tried). If you want to try it on curly hair, and can't brush it out, you can do it at night, make sure you rub it into the roots good...and then sleep on it. By morning it's absorbed completely and "rubbed out" by your pillowcase.

Well, in my opinion this product works ok. It absorbs most of your natural oil, gives volume and texture, and leaves your hair smelling nice. However, I had previously tried this product...

From Product Review Pics

and it worked even better. The TIGI product was almost $20(without the coupon), and the Batiste product, available at Sally Beauty Supply, was only $7.50. This definitely a case where the cheaper product is a better deal...The Batiste dry shampoo spray eliminated all the excess oil, and I was able to go 2 more days before needing to wash my hair, as opposed to 1 extra day with the Rockaholic.

Despite the disparity in the bottle sizes, the Batiste product was 5 oz and the TIGI product was 6.3 oz. In my opinion, the TIGI isn't worth the money, but if it's all you can find, it does work relatively well. For my money, I'll be buying the Batiste at my local Sally store.

Memorial Day Weekend...Saturday.

Well, Memorial Day weekend started off with a bang....

In the afternoon, we went swimming at my parent's pool. It was "opening weekend" for the pool. The boys were so excited...they asked me about 20 times that morning if we were going swimming. I finally had to tell them that if they asked again, we wouldn't be going.

This is before Talia was "re acclimated" to the water. At first she couldn't quite figure out how to maneuver herself around, and was afraid. I sat on the edge by where she was standing on the pool bench. At first she was gripping my legs with panic, then she was just keeping one hand on my legs for comfort, then she was just playing next to me, and by the time it started pouring rain on us, she was moving around comfortably. Hopefully all her enthusiasm for the water will come back as we swim more this season...

After we were done swimming, we wanted to take the kids down to Lagoon. Talia, however was cranky and not feeling well...so Cole told me to take the boys down. We had such a fun time!

It was not crowded at all, the lines were very short or non-existent (we walked on Colossus twice in a row, the last time I remember doing that was the year it came out, on a weekday first thing in the morning). I got some really cool videos of us on a couple of the rides, but this one on the roller coaster is great...watch Alec's face, it's priceless...


Back to Talia not feeling well....after our shower Saturday morning, she just started crying Owie, Owie, Owie, over and over...she was really upset and shaking. We couldn't get her to calm down, we checked over her whole body, and couldn't find anything wrong...she had mild fever, so we gave her motrin. She finally was able to tell us that her neck hurt. I knew that they'd had a case of strep throat at Daycare this week, and with no other symptoms, we figured that's what she probably had. So, Cole rushed her to instacare, while I ran down to Costco for some desperately needed items (like diapers). Of course, by the time they saw her, the motrin had kicked in, she didn't have a fever, and was feeling fine. So, they looked in her ears, did the rapid strep test, it was negative. They basically made Cole feel like he was WAYYYYYYYY over-reacting, told him she was probably just starting a virus. What a bunch of BS, but my wonderful honey didn't feel like he should challenge the Doctor. So, what a surprise(cue intense sarcasm here) when they called me this afternoon to tell us that her regular culture DID grow out strep...and they were calling her in a prescription...etc. I am completely irritated, because not only are we a day behind in treating her, but we were RIGHT and they totally disregarded our instincts about our child, and made my husband feel like he was being too cautious. However, lesson learned. Now we know, that like her daddy, her rapid strep doesn't come up positive, next time we'll push for antibiotics before the second culture comes back. As long as she doesn't have any other symptoms. The thing is...I work in a hospital. I know all about "superBugs"...the ones that don't respond to traditional antibiotics. I've taken care of many patients with MRSA in my 12 years as a Respiratory Therapist. I understand the need to prescribe and take antibiotics with care. However...there were NO viral symptoms present. If there were, I wouldn't have been upset that they wanted to wait on the antibiotics.

At least Cole will be validated that his Daddy instincts were right, and will feel better about acting on them next time.

Kyle's Choir Concert

My kid, front row center. Just to the left of the director.

So, last night was Kyle's spring choir concert. It was really fun, and he did a good job. I was so proud of him! He does, however, get this very, very serious look on his face when he's singing. I tried to upload a clip of one of the songs they sang, but it was too big a file...the hazards of an HD camcorder. Talia was enthralled with the singing...at first, she just wanted to run up on stage with Kyle, and threw a mini tantrum...until Heidi and Adam showed up. Then she was thrilled to sit on aunt Heidi's lap, eat princess fruit snacks, and watch the show. Alec was good too, but he had his gameboy to occupy him. I was really impressed, though, when Mrs. Carter (the director) singled me out before the show to tell me (about Kyle) "This young man does a Fabulous job!". Afterward, we picked up ice cream and went home, where Heidi and Adam hung out and played Guitar hero for awhile with the boys.

The way kids think... and some help, Please!

I always find it interesting the way little kids think, and they way they put together information. For example...

I almost always listen to music in the shower. It relaxes me, and also helps me keep tabs on the time so I don't spend too long in there. Today, while Talia and I were showering, a song came on that also happens to be my ringtone for my cell phone. Immediately, Talia started saying "Phone! Phone!". She was very insistent, was very upset that I wasn't answering it, and didn't stop pestering me until the song was over. I just thought it was amazing that her 2 year old mind put together that it should be my phone ringing.


As for the help, I mentioned when my computer crashed I lost all my favorites. I had this really cool Food Storage blog bookmarked...it was someone who is (I think) the emergency preparedness person in their ward, and she would post a lot of things that I need to know. As I am really working on getting my food storage in order, I really miss this info. I've found a couple of different websites/blogs about food storage since then, but not the same one. If anyone has an idea of what blog I'm talking about, or any other blogs/websites that might help me, please leave me a comment.

Soccer is OVER!!!!

Alec with his medal

I'm really glad soccer is over where Alec is concerned. This video is titled..
"Why Alec is not playing soccer next season."

This is the best action we got out of him today....


After soccer, when we were home having lunch, Cole and I were both saying "Yay, no more soccer!", to which Alec answered with a huge cheer. We were a bit surprised at his enthusiasm, so we asked him, "Won't you be sad not to be playing soccer?" He answered, "I hate soccer!". We were surprised to hear him say it like that, because although we knew he wasn't really into it, he'd never said he didn't like it. I feel good about our decision not to register him for next season. He tends to be in his own little world anyway...he isn't really into the team thing. His dad is the same way. He really wants to take Karate, and we think it's a good idea. It will help him develop his body and his self control.

As for Kyle...he likes soccer, and he's wanted to play football. I looked into football...and the time commitment is GINORMOUS!!!!! Starting in August, they practice 5 days a week, and then when the games start it's 4 days a week, and games on Saturday. When Kyle realized how much time it would take away from all the other stuff he wants to do, he decided against football. We're looking into some kind of lessons for him as well, but I figure that if he really ends up wanting to play soccer, I'll pay extra for late registration.

A few notes on my new FlipVideo camcorder...It is super easy to use, and videos upload to blogger like a dream. Much easier than my camera uploaded videos. The reviews said that it had trouble with image stabilization, but I haven't had any trouble with that...and I'm not always paying attention to what I'm filming. It's really cool...I am loving it more each time I use it.

Another video....

I was so proud that Alec learned to do this!!!

Video Blogging....

So, today I got a new toy. It's the Flip Video HD Ultra camcorder. It's mini camcorder, kind of a cross between a camera and a camcorder. It's small, 6 oz, and stores up to 2 hours of video. It's perfect for me...I'm not one to film everything, just clips of things, so it's great for me. I've been eyeing it since Christmas, but the other versions only held up to 1 hour, and I wanted a bit more than that. So when this new one came out, I was strongly considering it, and then this week Best Buy had a "bundle" that included the power adapter, extra battery pack, and a carrying case, I knew it was what I really wanted for Mother's Day and my birthday. I LOVE it...I had so much fun playing with it at Kyle's last soccer game tonight.
Kyle's soccer game went well. They won. I didn't realize it, but they won all but 1 of the games...so they were the champion's in their age division! They each got a trophy with their name on it and everything...it was actually pretty cool, and I was really proud of Kyle. Since this is probably Kyle's last year playing soccer, it's nice to go out on a high note. His coach was also the best one we've ever had. I've got to say, once I figured this whole thing out, it turned out really, really cool... I love new toys.

Today....

So it's been a bit frustrating dealing with my computer today. I've lost all my favorites...and don't even know where to begin to find some of them. When I pay my bills tomorrow, I'm going to have to look up every single website again. I also am having trouble with things loading...if it's from a different website (like my slideshow) it won't show up. I'm going to have to have Cole play with the settings tonight, since I can't figure out what to change to make things show up. I was on call at work monday, and called off last night...and didn't have to work either night. It couldn't have come at a better time...it gives me a full week off, and I needed the break. I've been so tired, and I'm going into another rough stretch. I've also been able to catch up on stuff around the house, and spend some time with my kids. Now I'm going to play with my beading stuff this afternoon...I have a few babies I need to make "pretties" for.

Mother's Day

Happy Late Mother's Day to everyone! I had a good day, and I hope everyone else did as well. I couldn't sleep in, due to early church, but Cole did most of the getting the kids ready so I didn't have to deal with it, or any of the issues that arose that morning. Church was nice, the boys sang in Sacrament, and both of them looked right at me the whole time. It was really sweet.

We went and saw our moms...both of them liked their gifts. We shared a yummy dinner with my family, and hung out for awhile.

When we came home, the kids finally had time to give me their gifts. Kyle made me peach scented soap at school, Alec made me a bookmark, and Talia made me a dish towel with her handprints on it. Cole, in collusion with the kids, gave me a card and a trip to the dayspa. There's a really amazing exfoliating/moisturizing treatment I want to go have done....

During the evening, I relaxed with a book, and Cole put up our gazebo. It was a really nice day, and I know I am a very lucky woman.

Lagoon

Cole's been bugging me for Lagoon Season Passes for a couple of years. We had them the year Alec was born, and Cole took Kyle quite a bit while I stayed home with baby Alec. He really enjoyed it, and now that the kids are older (and thrill seekers like their mom) he wanted season passes again. I was hesitant...it's a lot of money. However, I gave in, and I'm so glad I did.
We knew from the commercials that Lagoon is currently open on weekends. In previous years, this has included Friday nights. So, last Friday night, we went down to get our passes. We were able to get our passes, but the kids were VERY disappointed to learn that they were not open yet...only Saturday and Sunday. So, we decided to sacrifice the yard stuff we needed to get done, and go down Saturday afternoon.
So, after naps, we picked up Subway's and headed down to Lagoon. We had a great time, partly because we knew we only had to stay as long as we felt like it. We ended up staying about 5 hours. The lines weren't too long, we rode a bunch of stuff, and Cole and I traded off staying with Talia in the "kiddie" area, and taking the boys on more grownup rides. We're so excited that Alec is tall enough to ride everything...and so is he. He loves the fast coasters especially.

Waiting in line for the "Jumping Dragon"...something our whole family can ride....

Our boys...

Talia and I...when you're the one behind the camera, you're lucky to get any pics of yourself!

Talia shows some trepidation upon riding the Terror Ride...

Cole got a cute video of her wanting to go find mommy after it was done, but I accidentally deleted it (dang it)...
Talia loved the "dragon fly", the kids version of the swings...

We haven't been to Lagoon in a really long time...I was really impressed with all the upgrading they've done. They've redone most of the kids rides, improving them all, and making it so mom and dad can go with them. They're pretty fun too...Cole and the kids will spend a lot of the time that I'm working and my parent's aren't home at the pool going to Lagoon for a few hours here and there.

Soccer

Kyle


Alec


Only 1 week left of this season....

Computer Crashes, and THANK YOU!!!

First of all THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your supportive and loving comments!!! Parenting is definitely the hardest thing I've ever done, and I sometimes look at all of you wonderful moms I know, and feel like I come up short. I know that we all have trials with our children, and I feel blessed that Alec is mine. Things actually have been much better with him since that day...we had a talk, about why it's important to keep our bodies clean, inside and out, and that the wastes from inside our body need to come out. Cole and I promised him that if he was honest with us when he had an accident, we wouldn't get mad. Really, it's the lying and sneaking that anger me, not the accidents themselves. I understand that he has a fear, bordering on a phobia. We're going to be getting him into the pediatrician to see if we need to take any more steps....

As for the computer, it completely crashed on me last Thursday night. It was working, I walked away from it, I came back, shut it down, and when I tried to reboot it later, nothing but blue screen. Into PC Laptops it went...and now it's working fine, except all my "favorites" are gone...it's going to be a huge pain for me to visit every website that I have bookmarked, and re favorite them. However, I'm very, very grateful that it wasn't a more serious problem, it only cost me $80 to fix, and I didn't lose any of the files that I have on my computer. So, through the course of the next couple of days, I'll be rebuilding. Stay tuned.....

Confessions of a Terrible Mother

Alec.

I have come to accept in my life that Alec was sent to me to be the child that tries me to my ultimate limits. He has an ability to push my buttons like neither of my other kids do. Alec has been a challenge from the time I was 25 weeks pregnant with him...It was the night before Cole was due to leave for Seattle, on his very first business trip for his new job. I had been sick all day, and preterm labor started. We spent 6 hours in the hospital getting labor stopped. The remainder of my pregnancy was characterized by contractions whenever I worked, and having preterm labor stopped 2 more times before he came early at 36 5/7 weeks. My labor with him was twice as long as with Kyle, and he didn't tolerate any of it. They were getting me ready for an emergency c-section when he decided to turn his head straight so he could be born. His cord was wrapped twice tightly around his neck. I feel very lucky that he didn't die either during the process, or because we waited too long to deliver him.

He is a very literal child, everything is black and white, with no shades of gray. This is challenging. However, he is also a very sweet, loving child, highly intelligent, and I feel blessed to have him as my son.

However, this morning ended terrible for both of us.....
It started out ok. I worked last night, but both boys got up and ready with no problems. As we were headed out the door, the boys to school, me getting Talia in the car to take her to daycare, Kyle mentioned that Alec's pants smelled like urine. Sure enough, they were damp and smelled terrible. They were the ones he wore yesterday, so I asked him if he wet his pants yesterday(you have to remember, here, that Alec is afraid of all toilets that are not the ones in our house). He told me no. The lie set me off...we've been trying to get through to both boys that we're always more angry when you lie than when you tell the truth. I started yelling, and by the time he was leaving, he was crying, I was crying...I did hug him goodbye, and told him I was sorry to be so angry, but I feel like the worst mother in the world. He had a bad day at school, however, and it's probably all my fault. I am at my wits end with him right now. He has always responded well to concrete instructions, but he's not listening AT ALL right now. That pushes some pretty big buttons with me. I don't know what to do. I need to come up with some way of dealing with him right now, because I'm so very, very tired of yelling.

This is my dose of reality for the day. I just needed to get it out. Tomorrow will be better.

5 Must Haves...Talia

Talia was tagged by Kimmy....this picture represents her 5 "must haves". It really could be classified under the 5 "B's"...Blankie, Binkie, Bear, Bella, and a Baby. These are the things she has to have before she will go to sleep most nights. The blankie and binkie are the dealbreakers, though...it's trauma when we don't have them. Although I know she's at that age when I should start taking her binkie from her, she's my last, and when she's upset, she needs it. I just can't make myself take it from her yet.

Lately however, she's had a 6th must have...her Mommy. I've worked an intense schedule the last couple of weeks, with many of my days clustered into a short span. On Sunday night I got called off...briefly. I got called back in rather quickly, but apparently my poor little daughter never recovered, and spent the rest of the night crying for mommy.

I feel like there's not enough time to get everything done anymore...for the last 4 months or so, I've been getting called off from work at least 1 shift a pay period. I didn't realize how much time that extra day gave me. Now that we're busy again, and the opportunity for call off will be less available, I'm having trouble figuring out how to get everything I want to done.

Ahh...my princess needs her mommy....more later.