Mustang Megan

Yesterday when Megan came home from school she walked into the office with a huge smile on her face. I thought it was due to the fact that she went on a field trip, but that was only part of it. She held up a little stuffed horse and a ribbon that read Fiddlers Canyon Elementary Model Mustang. She got it for doing well in school. Wayne and I are so proud of her and her love of learning.

Not 1 but 2

So while Kaitlyn was in the hospital she discovered that she had her first loose tooth. She was so excited about it that she told everyone who came into the room. I even let her call Megan before she left for school so she didn't have to wait all day to tell her.

Kaitlyn has been very vigilant about wiggling her tooth. She would come up to me several times a day and ask me to wiggle it to see if it was ready. I would always say "almost keep wiggling". On Sunday night it was finally time. We tide some dental floss around it and I told her that I was just going to pull when she wasn't paying attention. So we sat for a minute or so and then I pulled and out it came. She was so excited and confused at the same time. She ran and got some toilet paper to stop the bleeding and then ran into the office to show Wayne.
Earlier in the week I had discovered that her other bottom front tooth was loose. Several minutes had passed and I asked Kaitlyn to let me check her other tooth. It to was ready to come out. So like the first we tied some dental floss around her tooth and I waited til she was distracted and then I pulled. And like the first the second popped right out. So in one night she lost her first and second tooth.
At bed time she put them under her pillow and for the first time she went to bed with out stalling. In the morning she ran in my room to show me that the Tooth Fairy had brought her $2.00. She now has been waiting very patiently for her mom to take her to the dollar store so she can spend her well earned money.

Kaitlyn

Our poor little Kaitlyn has not been feeling very well lately. Last Tuesday she started running a fever that got up to 104. The next morning I decided to take her in to see what was going on. I called and made an appointment as soon as the office opened at 9:00 am. She was suppose to go in at 11:20 but by 10:00 she was at 104.9 and was screaming in pain. So I called and asked if she could come in sooner. I brought her in and was told by Dr. Allen that he wanted some blood work and a cat scan done. So we went across the street to the hospital and she did so good with getting her blood taken. I really couldn't have been more proud. After that we were waiting for cat scan when I got a message 0n my phone from Dr. Allen saying that Kaitlyn had a serous kidney infection and that she needed to be admitted to the hospital. I can honestly say I was surprised to hear that she needed to be admitted. I went and got her admitted and then she went and got her cat scan. They ended up putting her I.V. in while she was there in radiology and because she was very dehydrated (due to the high fever and not drinking anything all morning) her poor little vein was very hard to find and Kaitlyn was done trying to be tough. They ended up shooting iodine into her I.V. so that they could get what they need from the scan. Well we found out that Kaitlyn had a mild allergic reaction to it and her throat started to close off just enough to make it had for her to breath. So now she can't breath, she has a 104 fever and is still in massive pain. I felt so bad, but all I could do is try and comfort her. When we finally got to her room they checked her temp and she was nearly 105. They dosed her up with Tylenol and Motrin and hooked her IV to some machine that feed her, her antibiotic. She said she was freezing, but we couldn't let her put and blankets on because that wouldn't help the fever. Around 2 o'clock she finally passed out. When she woke up she was feeling a lot better and was excited to have her sister with her. Wayne, Megan and Ty stayed for a little bit and then went home. Kaitlyn and I enjoyed watching some TV and a little dinner. At about 8:00 pm she started to feel some pain and within 10 min her fever was back up. I called the nurse a few times and then set out to find someone how could help her. They gave her some Motrin and we waited 20 min. to see if it would lower her temp. It didn't, so once again I went searching for the nurse to let her know that it wasn't working. The nurse came back in and checked her temp again and she had reached 105. The nurse gave Kaitlyn a dose of Tylenol and said that she was going to call the doctor to see what he wanted them to do. During all this Kaitlyn was in a lot of pain and thought she was going to freeze to death. All I could do is let her know that I was there and just try to comfort her. When the nurse came back she brought with her some lab techs who were going to take her blood again for a culture. I found out then that when a fever spikes you are more likely to find something with a culture. About 2:30 am she finally fell asleep and slept until 6:00am when a lab tech came in to draw some more blood. Kaitlyn was not excited to be waking up to another stick in the arm. When she finally got over the stick in the arm she watched some morning cartoons and was given pancakes for breakfast. She was able to talk to Megan before she went to school and was excited to know that daddy would be coming soon. When Wayne showed up I left with Ty and went home to shower and get ready for the day. I also packed her favorite pj's and went to store and bought her the new Barbie Thumbilina movie. When I got back she said her stomach was starting to hurt and I immediately called the nurse and told him that we needed her meds. It took 10 min for him to come and give her, her meds and by that time her temp was almost 104. She was in pain and was freezing again. It took a couple of hours to get her back to a normal temp. After that last spike she did really good. Her smile was back and she at one point was bouncing on her bed. By Friday we were told that she would be able to come home as soon as her cultures came back. When Dr. Allen came in and told us that nothing grew out in her cultures and that it was very weird. He decided to have some more test done.

Now to today. Kaitlyn had her two other test done today. She had a ultrasound on both kidneys and her bladder. Which according to the tech seemed normal. Her next test was shooting a dye in her bladder and then watching her potty. She had to be cathed for this one and she didn't like it at all. And once again all I could do is hold her hand, wipe her tears and tell her I was there. When they finally got the cath in she did better. The filled her up with dye and then told her to go potty when ever she was ready. When she finally went potty we found out that her bladder is refluxing back into her kidneys. We aren't quite sure where we are going from here, but at least we know what is causing it. Kaitlyn will be going to see Dr. Allen on Thursday and I will update everyone then.

I do however want to say thank you to the Giffords, Panahs, Springers, Schanks, Hills, Hughes, Knells, Holmes, Daileys, and Scotts for the dinners, deserts, gifts, visits, taking over car pool, and babysitting. We appreciate everyone for keeping our little Kaitlyn in their prayers.

Homemade Bread

So this past weekend my sister Brynn and her soon to be husband Ethan came down to visit. I had called her Friday morning to see when I could expect them to be here and what there plans were. She said that they would be here around eight and that Ethan wanted to go shoot guns with Wayne and that they were going to teach Wayne and I how to make bread. My first thought was...well I know how to make bread, but whatever. In the nearly four years we have lived down here this would only be the second time Brynn has been to our house, so I was kind of excited to have them come.

On Saturday they went sight seeing and then we all went to St. George for dinner. Sunday I totally forgot that it was Stake Conference and we all ended up being ready an hour early. So as we waited for the time to past Ethan and Brynn decide to start the bread making process. Ethan pulled out a hand grinder and attached it to the table and put in a scoop of hard white wheat into it and started turning the handle. At that point I realized that we were literally making bread from scratch. Starting with grinding our own wheat! Wayne and Ethan ground through two cups before stake conference started (with a little help from the kids). After stake conference they ground through I think 2 more cups of wheat while Brynn and I went over to the Hill's house so she could order a few things from Amanda. When we returned Wayne and Ethan had everything ready for Brynn and I to start making the bread.

Brynn was giving me step by step instructions on what I should be doing and what it should look like with Ethan watching close behind us. It worked out that I would be making two loaves and Brynn would be making two loaves. I would have to say that kneading the dough was not my favorite part only because my eye was itching like crazy and for 10 min couldn't do anything about it.

After letting it rise and watching it double in size Brynn showed me how to prepare the dough to get it ready to bake. I can honestly say that I had no idea the process in making bread was so detailed. After letting it rise one more time we finally put them in the oven set the timer and continued to wait. It only took 20 minutes and they where done. My whole house smelled amazing. I decided to give Wayne the first slice and his face was the reassurance I needed. It usually takes me a couple of times to get any new recipe down, so it was nice to see and hear the many complements that followed that first bite.

Between Brynn, Ethan, Wayne and I we nearly downed two on the four loaves our selves. It was sooo good that our next investment will be a wheat grinder and some wheat. I don't know if I will ever buy store bought bread again. Plus now I know that if it came down to it I would be able to feed my family with out the convinces of today. Thanks to Brynn and Ethan for sharing their recipe and teaching us something new.

I just need to VENT!

Okay, so most of you know that I joined in on the Cedar City Biggest Loser. Before I even committed to do this I sat down with Wayne for a couple days a discussed how much weight I wanted to lose and if it was even possible. We went though what I should be eating, how many calories, what my exercise plan was and how much I should be doing and for what amount of time I should be doing it for. I felt (and so did Wayne) that my goal to lose 15 lbs. was doable.

I started off strong losing 3 lbs. in the first week. Then an additional 2 lbs. in the second week. I was feeling great. I was right were I wanted to be. When week three came around I was becoming very discouraged when I gained 2 lbs back. Then week 4 was here and I wasn't losing a dang thing despite my efforts. I talked to every person I could think of that might be able to help me get through this blasted plateau that was stealing my motivation from me. I am a very competitive person and it was just killing me to read every Sunday that my friends were still doing great and I was stuck not moving an inch let a lone a pound. Week 5 (with the help of others) I decided to drop weights out of my routine and focus strictly on cardio. I started doing high impact during the day and low impact at night hoping that I could catch up. I dropped the two pounds I gained and in week 6 dropped two more, but according to the scale I gained four from my trip to Disneyland. Which really ticks me off cause I was choosing healthy foods for the most part. I did eat at Olive Garden one day and had a few small frozen snacks during the day, but I was walking fast enough through out the day that my heart rate was up. I was doing a low impact cardio for 13 hrs straight two days in row. It was extremely madding when I came back showing a 4 lb gain and I didn't even pig out like I wanted to. So now I am back up to what I was before I had my lovely plateau and with only 2 weeks to go I knew I need to do something drastic to get off those four pounds quick. I did the lemonade diet for two days and dropped two of those 4 pounds. So now that we are in the final week I am frustrated and confused. I feel like I am really on the biggest loser and I know that I should be proud of the weight I have lost, but feel totally frustrated that I have worked my butt off like I never have before and that I have almost nothing to show for it. I have one day left before weigh in and I really don't want to go. I see the change in my friends (competition) and know that most have met their goals. I think for the first time in my life I will be totally embarrassed by what the scale says, and it isn't even for the lack of trying. If I didn't try I wouldn't care, but I have never in my life tried so hard for something and feel like I failed.

*I didn't write this to get sympathy from any one I just needed to get it out. It is sometimes easier for me to write down what I am feeling then to say it out loud. Thank for letting my vent.

My Birthday Surprise!!!

Let me start at the beginning. My mom has started a tradition of celebrating each one of her kids 29th birthdays to the extream. This year was my year. I was told that we were going to spend 2 days is Las Vegas. The only thing she told me was that we were staying at the Mandalay Bay hotel. I was super excited. I love the shopping and thought we were going to see a show and maybe go to the spa. Well since my sister was having her missionary farewell on Sunday (my actual b-day) my mom and I decided to celebrate it Wednesday-Friday and then we would be back in time to get things together for Karri's farewell. The kids and I left on Monday and headed to Santaquin. On Tuesday we went to my nephews birthday party and after that I dropped the kids off at Wayne's parents house and I was officially "free".
Wednesday morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for the long drive to Vegas. Before we headed out my mom said that she wanted to give me my birthday gift. I thought okay and she handed me a stack of papers. The first one was a reservation of a hotel...it wasn't for Mandalay Bay. The second one showed a reservation of a car rental...which was weird cause I thought we were driving, but flying was good to. The last one was our tickets to DISNEYLAND!!! It took me a minute for it to process. I wasn't going to Vegas I was going to Disneyland. I haven't been to Disneyland since I was eight (that's 20 years). Then my mom handed me an envelope with a card in it. I was from Wayne and he had put $260.00 dollars in it for spending money. I just started boo whooing and my dad got some really "nice" pictures of that.

On the way to the airport I was still in shock. Nothing like this has ever happened to me and I just couldn't comprehend what was going on. When we arrived in Anaheim the weather was great. Sunny, not a cloud in the sky and in the 70's. We took our shuttle to the car rental place and they gave us a silver Seibring convertible...it was sweet! It took us a little while to find our hotel and we checked in and then walked to Disneyland.

As soon as we entered all the memories came flooding back. I told my mom how seeing Disneyland through 28 year old eyes was so much different then seeing it for the first time as an eight year old. Everything seemed smaller. I only remembered certain rides like Space Mtn. and it's a Small World, The Haunted Mansion. We decided to go on the Star Tours ride first. The lines were great. I think the longest we were in line was for Splash Mtn and the was for 45 min. Other then that we spent 20 min or less in line. We then headed for Space Mtn. I would say that for most of the first day we power walked the distance from Santaquin to Salt Lake. We hit every ride two or three times. By the end of the day there was only one other ride that I wanted to go on and the was the Tower of Terror. We made it right before the park closed. It was the perfect ending the a perfect day.

Day two we decided to go to California Adventures first. Our first ride of the day was Soaring over California. Then decided to go on the river ride next. My mom is so funny. She did not want to get wet. For this ride that was something that would have been a miracle. She thought that the safest place would be in the middle, so I sat on the edge. She ended up getting soaked and I made it out just slightly damp. It was great! We then went on a ride that shoots you up in to the air. It was fun, but not as fun and I thought it would be. After that we on this roller coaster that goes 0-80 in 6 seconds. That was the best roller coaster ride I have ever been on! We made it to the Tower of Terror again and took some pictures with some Disney characters.
We decided to take a break from the park and went in search for a mall. I found a really cute dress that was priced at $87.00 and bought it or $11.00 ( I just love a good deal). We had lunch at the Olive Garden which I think gave us our second wind. We headed back to Disneyland and hit all the rides we didn't get to the day before.

The next day we turned our car back in and went to the airport. It was sad to say goodbye, but it was the break I needed. I can't wait for my kids to experience Disneyland for the first time. I have a renewed excitment to get them there in the next couple of years. I am soooo thankful for my parents and for Wayne. I am thankful for Wayne's parents for taking my kids so that I could do this. It is a birthday that I will never forget. Thanks Mom!

Five things I am addicted to

#5...
I am addicted to blogging. It has pretty much taken over my scrapbook habit. Don't get me wrong I still like to scrapbook, but with Ty around it is nearly impossible to do. Blogging gives me instant gratification. I love reading all my friends and families blogs. It makes me feel like I am a part of their everyday lives.

#4...
I am addicted to exercise. I never thought that those words would come out of my mouth, but I love the way I feel after a good 30-60 min workout. I have so much more energy and I have a much better attitude during the day.

#3...
Any one who knows me knows that I am addicted to couponing. It has surpassed the hobby stage and is now a full blown addiction. I get excited to see what coupons are in the paper every week and what the new sales are. It totally feeds my shopping habit for less. I love watching the price at the register go down down down. It's like the best natural high ever.

#2...
My kids are my second addiction. They are my world. I love hearing about their days at school and watching them play pretend. I love hearing all the new words that Ty comes up with, and waiting to see what the next funny thing Kaitlyn will do. I love watching Megan show me the newest thing she can do over and over again. They are my life and I feel so blessed that they picked me to be there mother.

#1...
Wayne is my #1 addiction. He may dispute this, but I think about him constantly. I love hearing him laugh, it is so infectious. I love that if I want to start something that will better myself he will do the same to better himself. I love that he is hard working and is doing everything he can to better our situation. I love his blue eyes and soft kisses. I miss having him next to me every night. I love that he has a passion for physical fitness whether it be though dirt bike racing, lifting weights, riding his mountain bike or hiking. I love that he loves his kids and misses them like crazy when he has only been gone for an hour or two. I appreciate all of his hard work and his sacrifice for his family. His determination to keep me home with the kids (not that I haven't suggested that I go back to work). He never puts himself first and is always thinking about how I am doing or if I need something. He truly is my #1 addiction, he consumes my thoughts all the time. I love him more then anything and am so thankful that he picked me.

Now I am tagging Kelly, Sarah, Amanda, Rachelle, and Heidi