some summer pictures...

 Brock and Paxton "sharing" at Grammie and Grandpa

Dooley's house

 Auntie Kizzy, Zane and Brock at Red Rock

 Auntie Kizzy and Zane climbed down to the river

and felt how cold it was!

 Me, Kizzy and the kids getting sprayed by Cameron

Falls...it was NOT a nice day in Waterton!

 Waiting for the Raymond Parade on the 1st...

We found our friends the Holladays from Sylvan so they

shared our spot!

 Sour soothers, and a sucker.  What more does a kid need?

 Not sure about being confined to the back of the

truck...but maybe a bribe will help

 Hot day, sprinkler, trampoline, and 4 little boys...

They had lots of fun!

I LOVE this shot!

Brock enjoying a whole bucket of sour soothers on Grammie's mat

 Cliff and the boys having a good wrestle

 I think Zane is losing....

 He found a measuring spoon and oatmeal...and proceeded to eat

First time he's eaten oatmeal and not spit it out!

 We built a fort in the living room

 Outside view of the fort....

 Camping....Brock taught himself to throw a Frisbee

 Rhett and his massive plane that provided hours of entertainment

until it crash landed and broke the tail wing

Zane fell in love with football...

Hope you enjoyed the small taste of our summer!  I tried to remember to take pictures but was often busy chasing after these three wonderful, busy boys!

Some stuff...

It has been brought to my attention that I forgot to mention some happenings of July:

First of all a big THANK YOU to my dad for fixing the passenger door on our explorer so it opens from the inside and the outside!  Makes my life so much better! 

And we had the fun times of having our nephew Paxton come and stay with us for the last week of July while his day home was closed.   It was busy, hectic and fun!  Having one more wasn't that different, but different enough to solidify my thoughts of being all done having my own kiddos.  Brock loved watching movies in Paxton's playpen, and Paxton loved to throw toys into Brock.  Sometimes that didn't work out so well, like when Paxton decided to throw all the big trucks into the playpen and nailed Brock in the head with one.  But they did enjoy riding in the stroller together and running around like crazy.  Zane and Rhett started treating him like another annoying little brother....so he fit right in!

August has been just as busy as July.  A couple of days after Paxton left Auntie Kizzy came to stay and we kept her very busy!  We managed a girls' night, a beach day, a fundraiser and a birthday party.  With lots of good nephew spoilage crammed in there as well.  The kiddos helped me out with some slave labor the morning before she arrived and Rhett was very proud of all they had done to make the house clean for Auntie.

Grammie S got to come a few days after Auntie left and the days just flew by!  We didn't make the beach but still enjoyed great weather and kept Grammie very busy.  She and I had a great girls' day together as well, and we borrowed her truck to pick up a trampoline that we inherited from a guy at Trail.  The kids were THRILLED when they figured out what it was we had in the truck.   We followed Grammie home to Cardston on Sunday and then headed for Taber Monday afternoon.

We wanted to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson before following them to the annual Jackson camp out.  Aunt Nina, Uncle Dave and all their kids live in Utah and were up visiting in Barnwell the same time we were in Taber.  They planned to go to Waterton on Wednesday, so although we had just come from that direction we thought it would be great to go with everyone.  We had a great picnic, threw rocks in the lake, and climbed Bertha Falls.  Zane and Rhett were in their prime with all the older cousins around and made it up the mountain long before Brock and I did.  Aunt Cherie and Becca stayed behind bringing up the rear with Brock and I, he made it up 2/3rds of the hike before his legs gave out.  I carried him the rest of the way up and Uncle Dave volunteered to pack him down.  Thank goodness!  Some ice cream in Mountain View completed the day and then back to Taber. 

Friday we headed out to the Peter Loughead Provincial Park in the Kanaskis to meet up with Cliff and the rest of the Jackson family.  Uncle Jamie and Auntie Amber picked Cliff up on their way down from Edmonton and they beat us there by a couple of hours so the tent was already set up when we got there.  The boys LOVE camping.  Being outside, being dirty and having lots of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents to play with them and pay them attention.  What could be better?  It got a lot colder than I thought it would and I was a stress case the first night hoping the boys were warm enough, but no worries.  They're tough and they were warm in bed.  Next time I'll bring more warm close and then I won't stress so much. 

It's great to be home!  I've been trying to focus on getting the house under control and getting stuff ready for piano and school.  We've done a few family get togethers with Payne's and a trip to the Innisfail RCMP dog training, and the spray park in Innisfail...so maybe we're not slowing down as much as I thought!

I'll work on pictures in the next couple of days....promise!

Still Around....

So, it seems after all my bragging of Mexico I fell off the blogger map. And I really don't have a great excuse - just lots of busyness.

I pulled Zane out of school early (they don't do anything productive the last 3 days anyways!) and we headed down to southern Alberta to soak up some good family time and break in Grammie S and Grandpa Dooley's new house for them. (They moved to Cardston in May) And when I say break in, I mean break in. Poor house. Grimy fingerprints down the halls and stairways, could hardly see out of the french door in the kitchen, and Brock broke 2 picture frames, a candlestick, and be-headed a precious moments boy. Sigh. Grammie claims that she loves to have us but I think she's just as happy to see our tail lights leaving again!

On the trip down Zane and Rhett were watching a DVD and out of the blue I hear this conversation:
Z: Rhett, if you ever have a cannon, don't shoot it straight up in the air. (Pause for this wisdom to sink in before continuing)....Because if you shoot it straight up it will come right back down and explode you!
I couldn't see Rhett's face but I'm sure he was blown away by his older brother's wisdom. And I was cracking up in the front seat.

We were ON THE GO almost the entire time we stayed. A COLD trip to Waterton which found me and the boys, Grammie and Auntie Kizzy crammed into the back of Grammie's explorer for our picnic lunch...and a quick mini hike up red rock, some cold pictures in front of the falls, and finally giving up and going home when wind refused to let us get anywhere near the lake to throw rocks. We did stop in Mountain View for ice cream....mmmmmm.

Of course we had to make the trek to Raymond for the July 1st parade. It was a little weird driving into Raymond instead of already being there but we still got to park fairly close to where we usually park...and the kids had a blast....and we saw tons of our Central Alberta friends there....oh and of course came home with lots of candy...including the cow that hit me in the head. Ouch! (You know, the toffee candy with chocolate in the middle called 'cows' - took one right in the forehead and it stung for days) After a quick picnic at the Raymond house (Auntie Kizzy was still living there then) we packed up and headed back to Cardston for relaxation and a great BBQ. Poor Uncle J was the only adult guy around since Cliff couldn't make it down and Dad was out on a run. But he managed all right and we all had a great time. Paxton and Brock were in heaven together and at one point we could hear them just jabbering to each other and then laughing and laughing and then more jabbering and laughing. Apparently they understand each other quite well.

Other happenings were a dinner to celebrate mom's birthday, a temple session with mom and Kinsey, going to parks, jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler, weeding the garden, Great Grandma Robinson's 80th birthday party, riding bikes,and walking to the Temple every night to pick Grammie up from work. The kids LOVED this part of the day.

And we got spoiled by our Jackson side (my MIL's family) as well. Mom J organized a whole BBQ for us the night we were leaving and it was so fun to be with everyone. Spending extended time in southern Alberta definitely makes us a little homesick. BUT Cliff was quite ready for us to come home, so after a long, hot day in Lethbridge we headed back.

We were just settling into our routine here at home when we got the sad/happy news that Cliff's Grandpa Jackson had passed away. He had been struggling with cancer for quite some time so it's been really sad for us missing him, but a happy time knowing that he's not suffering anymore and is in such a better place now. We left Wednesday night and attended the Prayers Thursday night where I played "How Great Thou Art", and then attended the funeral on Friday. Grandpa Jackson belonged to the Knights of Columbus, which I understand to be part of the Catholic tradition (I could be WAY off here, sorry if I am), and the older boys were quite fascinated at walking through a sword salute. The boys did really great through the whole mass (thank you Auntie Kizzy for taking Brock!) and at the graveside as well. After the funeral the whole family spent the entire afternoon and evening together in the backyard and it was a great family time - even if we were gathered for a sad reason.

Once again we were headed home...and have been battling colds/coughs for the last couple of weeks.
We've still managed to fit in a couple trips to the beach, some park time, BBQ, potlucks, play dates, a boys night sleeping in the new tent, and almost a whole week with Auntie Kizzy visiting.

Grammie S will be here tomorrow, and then we are following her back down to Cardston, then to Taber to hang with the Johnson clan, and then out to the Kananaskis area for a Jackson family camp out. Then home for a quick breather/organizer before school starts again!

Wow. Summer is flying by

Mexico!

First of all, I have decided that I REALLY don't like flying.  The extra security (I got treated to the full pat-down as we were going thru security in Edmonton), the WAIT to actually get on the airplane, the confined space on the plane....and the landings.  Out of it all, I DESPISE landing.  My first experience flying was short, and we quickly learned that my motion sickness was not confined to cars.  I'll spare you the details, but lets just say I was well drugged to return from that little trip.  This trip was different....we had a lay over in Toronto and Cliff said he didn't want to be dragging me around drugged.  So I tried the little patch that you stick behind your ear and can wear for three days. It's great - I highly recommend it...just make sure you get it in the spot the paper shows you.  I was off a little on our flight there and after two turbulent landings....well, I'll let you fill in the ending. 


We finally made it off the plane, through Mexican customs, (a little nerve racking for me, but I'm a stress case, so whatever), found our luggage and made it out the doors to our waiting group.  Walking out of the door of the airport was like walking into a warm wet towel.  HUMIDITY!!!!  Still not feeling great, and not having slept in almost 24 hours I was pretty out of it as we headed towards our resort.  An hour later we pulled into paradise.  Before I go on I must say that I LOVED resort Mexico, but real Mexico made me sad and sometimes nervous. 


Check-in went smoothly, and shortly we were whisking toward our villa on a golf cart.  We literally got in the room, locked the door and collapsed on the bed and SLEPT!  When we were both lucid we found swim stuff and headed down to the beach to get a look at where we really were. 


Our trip was all-inclusive and included 4 suppers at the resorts various restaurants.  Lots of friends had told us to book our reservations the day we got there so we took their advice.  We booked the Italian, Mexican, Japanese and Brazilian themed restaurants. 

Over the next day and a half we figured out the "bus" between the different hotels in our resort.  We called it the blue beast but it did the job!  We also figured out where we liked to eat, sit on the beach, shop and consumed many pina coladas and dacharies!  We managed to not get too sunburned, spent lots of time on the beach, watching movies, sleeping, walking around and enjoying the different restaurants and shows available.  Everything that we wanted to do!  We had lots of friends who have visited Mexico before us and had a very long list of recommendations of things to do...but we really went for relaxation.  And I'm happy to say that we achieved that!

We did go to Xplore - a great place with 14 zip lines, underground rivers and caves, amphibian vehicles and lots more.  We did all the zip lines - what a rush!  The first one my heart was in my throat and after that it was just pure fun!  I wasn't such a fan of the paddle boats, but we had fun doing different things together that we've never done before.  Including taking local transportation there, and a taxi back.  Both interesting experiences but we lived to tell the tale. 

All in all our vacation was wonderful and we can't wait to do it again!  If you haven't heard already...we won a trip to go back!  We pay airfare and the all-inclusive is taken care of!  We can go back to Mexico, or choose to go to Jamaica or the Dominican Republic.  I'm pushing to go back to Mexico...but we'll see what next spring brings!

Pictures of 5

I promised pictures weeks ago of my fabulous five year old...and I figured it was only fair to post his before moving onto Mexico....


Umm, can someone tell me why blogger decided to turn my pictures this way? I promise they are saved on my computer in the proper alignment....and now they are sideways. Arg!

Showing he's 5! 



His Hot Wheels cake that he HAD to have.  My talents are not in cake decorating....don't judge too harshly!



All he wanted was Hot Wheels...and his friends obliged!



What the tooth fairy brought him



He lost his first tooth the day after his birthday!





Leaving....

on a jet plane....tomorrow night.  Well, technically Wednesday morning.  But the kids are being dropped off and we are driving to Edmonton tomorrow evening. 

SO EXCITED!

But a little nervous too.  We've never gone this far from the kids or for so long....
It helps that I know we are leaving them with such great people.  Thanks Paynes!

So why am I on the computer blogging instead of packing?  Because I hate packing.  Can't wait to get there but seriously wish I had a wand, or a maid or some other means of having all of us packed and ready to go to without me having to do it. 

The lists are made, the laundry is almost finished....I can only put this off for so much longer.

It doesn't help that Cliff is home and already in vacation mode.  Makes me want to sit and do nothing as well. 

However, I will soon be sitting on the sunny beach of Mexico and enjoying myself immensely!

Don't miss me too much!

Uncharted Territory...

I know I promised pictures....but I can finally share some news.

No I'm not pregnant.  NOT happening, so all you hopefuls, quit hoping. 

What I am is......the new 2nd councilor in our ward's Relief Society presidency. 

I've known for 2 weeks but today it became official. As I looked around the chapel this morning during the sacrament it really hit me that we as a presidency are responsible for all these women, and I was humbled and grateful for the opportunity.
And after a quick meeting with the outgoing presidency we were on.  It even worked out that this month is the 2nd councillors turn to conduct so jumped in with both feet. I was barely nervous while I was conducting - it felt natural and fun. 

I'm really looking forward to this calling and to working with the sisters.  I've never served in this capacity so I'm sure I'll learn LOTS!

Someone is FIVE.......

Can you guess who?

If you guessed this handsome lad, congratulations! You are correct! Rhett turned 5 on the 4th and was sooooo excited for the day to finally be here. He had been counting sleeps for a long time to get to his birthday! We started the day off with opening his gift from us - a huge remote control monster truck. He was excited for the truck but disappointed that it needed to be charged first. Note to self - ALWAYS assemble/charge toys before revealing. (And don't let Cliff go shopping by himself anymore!)

Zane and Daddy went off to school and work and the remainder of us hung out doing whatever it was that Rhett wanted to do. We have a tradition around here of "birthday waffles" for breakfast on your birthday. (Homemade waffles with whip cream and a bunch of sugary goodness piled on top). But since Rhett's birthday was in the middle of a busy week we declared birthday waffles for supper that day. They were a hit of course. And then we headed to the park to run off some sugar before bed!

Thursday Rhett and I were out doing errands when I noticed that his bottom teeth looked a little more spacious than usual. When I tested my theory we discovered to our surprise that Rhett had 2 loose teeth! And even more surprising....by bed time one was ready to come out! He was a little traumatized at seeing his tooth and the blood, but was quickly convinced that losing teeth is a good thing because the tooth fairy comes. He was ALL smiles Friday morning when he woke up and found a toonie under his pillow! He couldn't wait to show his friends his newly acquired hole!

Friday brought his friend party with his hot wheels cake. He was very insistent that his cake be a hot wheel cake so I made a sheet cake, iced it brown, used licorice strips to make lanes and start and finish lines and lined up 5 new cars at the end. He loved it. But let me tell you, decorating cakes is NOT one of my talents!

On Saturday the celebration continued as Uncle Jamie and Grammie S were both able to come for a visit. We had a great supper for birthday/Mother's day and lots of good fun.

So, Rhett at Five:

- is super tall for his age. He's as tall as some as Zane's school friends, and everyone always thinks he's at least 2 years older than he is just based on his height.

- is my most sensitive boy. He picks up on everything. Can be easy to cry, or just as easily frustrated by his brothers.

- is also my most cautious. He doesn't like going into new things on his own, but is getting better at adjusting to them. We went to his kindergarten orientation a couple of weeks ago and he wouldn't say boo to anyone, but the next day we went back to the school for a fun fair and he had a blast. The first couple weeks of school could be interesting, but I know he'll be fine eventually.

- decided not to play soccer this year at the last minute. He claims he's not good enough. I think this comes from always playing against his older brother. No explaining or cajoling could change his mind so he is watching from the side lines again this year.
-builds extraordinary things out of Lego. And has an imaginary world to go right along with it. I think it's awesome!

- goes through phases of what he plays with. Right now he's definitely into cars and he and Brock spend the majority of the day roaring around the house with the infinite number of cars, trucks, monster trucks, hummers, tractors, police cars...well you get the picture.
- thinks that learning to ride his bike this year is a really bad idea. And I'm not even talking about a two wheeler. I'm talking training wheels. Remember when I mentioned he was cautious? Yeah, his reasoning is that he can just run while the rest of us ride. His mother disagrees. Last year he still fit in the bike trailer with Brock so it wasn't an issue...this year he's too tall! Going to be an interesting couple of weeks.

- has no interest in coloring, writing, scissors etc. Loves to do things on the computer, build, run and play. Could make school a little interesting as well.

- still asks for cuddles. Love that!

- is so great with Brock. And is starting to include him in his play sometimes now that Brock is getting bigger. But does get frustrated when Brock goes on a seek and destroy streak and destroys the elaborately set up pretend world that he is currently engrossed in. Can't say I blame him.

- is very helpful....usually.
- is the reigning Uno champ in our house! He wins way more than the rest of us - and we don't cheat to let him win. He's just that lucky/good.

- is only 1 1/2 shoe sizes away from Zane. He looks like a teenage boy sometimes - all elbows and knees and giant feet!

- favorite color is red

- favorite movie is Cars

- favorite ice cream is vanilla

- favorite primary song is I Love to see the Temple

- favorite hockey team is the Canucks

- favorite sandwich is peanut butter

- favorite chocolate bar is Aero

I love you Rhett! You are such an amazing boy! You make me smile every day and bring happiness to the people around you. Keep being your special self and you will always find joy.

Love, Mom

*Sorry, for the lack of pictures in this post. Blogger and I are not agreeing as to where they should go....so stay tuned in the next while and I'll do a post of pictures!

THE ABC'S of me!

I got this from my cousin-in-law Nikki Berezay. Her blog always makes me smile :)
And I thought this was fun! Feel free to do it yourself!

Age: 30
Bed size: King
Chore you Hate: Cleaning the bathroom
Dogs: None. We tried. It didn't work out.
Essential start of your day: Shower!
Favorite Color: Red
Gold or Silver: Silver
Height: 5'6" and a bit
Instruments I can play: Piano, and I used to play alto sax and the clarinet. Not sure if I still could
Job Title: Mom, piano teacher
Kids: Three - Zane (8) Rhett (5 in a matter of days) Brock (2)
Live: Sylvan Lake, AB. Love it!
Mom's name: Sandy and Brenda (best mom in law ever!)
Nicknames: Kell
Overnight Hospital stays: all 3 kids and pancreatitis
Pet Peeves: texting and driving!
Quote from a Movie: "I love it when a plan comes together"
Right or Left handed: Right - although I'm pretty good with my left
Siblings: 2 sisters and one brother in law on my side, and two sisters and one brother in law on Cliff's side!
Time you wake up: When the kids do! Usually around 7
Vegetables you Dislike: Oh, so many! But the top of the list would be green peas and beans.
Wearing: my pajamas!
Xrays you've done: hand, chest, head...and chest, abdominal and head with the kids so far
Yummy Food you Make: Umm, according to my husband and our good friends...pretty much everything I make! I love to cook and bake...just hate cleaning up. One of my favorites is my craisin bread because it makes divine toast!
Zoo animals: Tigers

I'm Baaaacccckkkkk

My last post I was still in PAIN. I'm happy to report that the pain and swelling are down to minimal, and the best news - I'm BACK! Where did I go, you might ask? If you don't know what I've been struggling with mentally, you can go here. I think I explained it pretty good.

Before my surgery I was feeling pretty good. Not 100% me, but I'd say hovering right around 95%. And now, two weeks after surgery, I woke up today and recognized me! And it felt really good. I'm still going to continue with the vitamins and work outs (which I did my first one in two weeks today - yay me) and happily continue on with life.

On another note, we didn't go home for Easter this year. We had planned to - especially since we missed Christmas. But then I had my surgery and despite my best efforts I just wasn't ready to make that trip by myself with three kids. And then Brock fell off the piano bench and gave himself a slight concussion, and then the next day he woke up with an ear infection, and the next day after that he started puking like crazy from the antibiotic he was started on. So, Thursday, Friday and Saturday were just real fun around here.

Sunday our Sylvan family, the Paynes came over for turkey dinner. Y-U-M. I cooked a 20lb turkey in just over 4 hrs and it was perfection. I have a new secret. If you want it, you can ask and I'll give it to you. Anyways, we did the bird and all the fixins, had a great time laughing and talking till way too late, Brock was still puking randomly which added a "special" element to my day. After the third full outfit change (him and me) I was sooooo done. But we both lived. ***On a side note, why is it that babies/toddlers feel the need to turn their heads in and down into you so they soak your entire front with puke? Really, what is so wrong with puking in the sink when mom is holding you over it?****

Sorry, back to more pleasantness. Today I got smart and gave Brock gravol-dosed juice. Wish I would have thought of it yesterday. No problems today. Just a nice mellow toddler. I was lazy for a good part of the day and it felt good. Tomorrow is back to the lists and accomplishments and all that good stuff!

Happy Easter everyone! Hope it was a great one for all of you!

My Drug- Induced Post

Well...surgery went ahead....barely! I'm not kidding. There was some serious deliberation going on in the hospital whether or not they were coming out. But Dr. made up his mind and the next thing I knew I was on that skinny little operating table with sleepy juice running into my veins and an oxygen mask coming over my face. I fell asleep thinking the words to a hymn hoping it would give me luck. And woke up feeling all kinds of awful. Words do not describe. After choking down some water I thought there was a slim chance I might live...and eventually my wonderful surgeon showed up to tell me all the gory details. The first thing he tells me is that I've shaved a couple years off of his life. Uh-oh. Even in my drug induced fog this isn't sounding good. But this is how the facts stacked up: 1. I have a very small mouth (just because I use it a lot doesn't mean it's big) - I actually already knew this but hadn't even thought of passing that information on. Duh. 2. My tonsils were really big and extremely (his word, not mine) rotten. 3. My right tonsil was attached to the back of my tongue which presented another layer of difficulty to the gong show already happening in my mouth. 4. Once he finally got the tonsils out he had a REALLY hard time getting me to stop bleeding. Which if you didn't already know, is one of the main reasons drs. don't like doing adult tonsillectomies. Apparently we bleed more. BUT I am now tonsil free. And a large part of me is really grateful about that. I have to admit that the pain-filled, still on heavy drugs and not quite capable of full mommy duties, had to cancel our Easter trip home side, might not be as joy/gratitude filled. But I'm working on it. The first 4 days are a blur of pain and Cliff doing such a good job of taking care of me. He would set his alarm and wake me up to take the pain meds, change out ice packs, do everything for me and the kids and kept the house running great! My tongue has been just as bad, if not worse than my throat. I'm not kidding. No one mentioned to me that they would be clamping and yarding on my poor little tongue until it swelled and bruised to the extent that I couldn't fully close my mouth and was afraid I was going to choke on it when I went to sleep. (no lie - I was literally terrified to fall asleep the first night) Most of the swelling has gone down, but my tongue still feels like the dentist shot it full of Novocaine and is in that constant frozen, but not quite painful stage. And now that the swelling on my tongue has gone down I'm getting the full effect of the throat pain - right up into both ears. It's really special. Sorry for whining. I knew it was going to hurt. But it's like childbirth. Until you've experienced it, there's just really no way to describe it or prepare someone for it. I told Cliff I'd rather push out a baby any day than do this again. (No, that's not an announcement, just a comparison) At least then the pain is intense and done in one day. Not this drawn out thing :( There are some small bright shining pieces to this mess though. 1. I have no more tonsils!!!!! And hopefully this will make me feel MUCH better! 2. I have lost a ridiculous amount of weight between the week of strep and post-surgery. I don't advocate this as a weight loss plan but if you have to do it, make sure you've got some you can stand to lose. As of yesterday I had lost 15 pounds. 3. I can eat cheesy pasta late at night and not feel guilty. 4. I'm starting to keep food down - when I can choke it past the hurt. 5. I am starting to feel better, really. I'm actually staying awake for most of the day now and only sleeping at night, and I can walk upright without feeling too dizzy or that the floor is going to meet my face. Hopefully by the end of the week the soreness is gone and I'm feeling much more like me again. I did decide to cancel our Easter trip to southern Alberta....just not healed enough for that yet. Sorry to friends and family :( The kids and I were really looking forward to coming but another time when I'm healthy will be much better! And a HUGE thankyou to my wonderful husband who was such a great Mr. Mom, and all my friends who have brought supper, watched kids, called, emailed, facebooked....It's been such a wonderful outpouring of love and support. Thanks! *Ok, disclaimer. I've gone through this post 3 times now and put returns and better spacing in it and blogger is determined to keep it all bunched up like this. Sorry, I know it makes it harder to read but I have to concede this one to blogger.

Crossed Fingers...

You know how we all joke about Murhpy's law....yeah I've been bitten pretty hard by it this last week. I think I mentioned a while back all the problems I've had with my tonsils and strep throat etc. And that I finally got referred to a wonderful doctor who agreed to take them out (harder than you may think) And then I FINALLY got a surgery date. Which is tomorrow. So where does Murphy's law show up? Thursday. I woke up with STREP!!!!! I took my butt into the doctor, informed him what was wrong and that my tonsils were coming out on Tuesday and would he kindly give me some really strong drugs so this plan could go ahead. Kind doctor concurred, wrote the prescription, assured me all would be good by Tuesday and sent me on my way. Yeah, not completely healthy yet. And I have to be at the hospital at 7:00 am tomorrow. I keep thinking about the blessing that Cliff and our home teacher gave me before I actually had strep (did I mention that Cliff had it first and I made him give me a blessing?) I was promised that my throat would be fine and the surgery would go ahead and be fine. So, I'm choosing to have faith, and pray LOTS! I talked to a wonderful friend who happens to be a surgical nurse and she said the 2 things that derail a surgery the most are a fever and a crappy/congested chest. So I am praying, and crossing my fingers that when I show up tomorrow I have no fever and my chest is as clear as it is now. That all the congestion that I have that is making me sound HORRIBLE will stay in my sinuses, and that everything goes ahead as planned. And then I'll be miserable with my slurpees and pain meds for a week. So, if I post next week, and it doesn't make a lot of sense.....I'm blaming it all on the drugs :)

Eight is Great!

Birthday boy on his birthday! Before being baptized...mom's wearing 4 inch heels so looks like a giant!

Granpa Dooley, Grammie S and Zane

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson and Zane

Chase Pack and Zane

The boys and Dads all in white

Zane and Dad!

Bishop Higham and the boys after the baptism

Dear Zane....

You turned EIGHT on March 22. I woke up that Tuesday morning full of wonder just thinking that I had been a mom to you for 8 years. I don't know where all the days, minutes and seconds have gone but where there was once a wrinkly, red, new born baby, there now is a handsome, tall and energetic boy. I am in awe of your testimony. It is so strong and you live what you believe every day. I pray that this is a trait you will carry with you for the rest of your life.

Two weeks ago you had your bishop's interview for baptism. And when I asked you how it went, you said pretty good. And then proceeded to tell me that the only question you had problems with was the word of wisdom question. I was slightly alarmed but tried to ask casually why that had given you problems. You said you told the bishop that you "mostly" follow the word of wisdom because you sometimes have treats! Our bishop assured you that treats sometimes is fine and you came through with flying colors. We had such a good talk that day on the way to and from church about baptism, and the Holy Ghost. We both felt the spirit and it was a great experience to share with you.

Preparing for you baptism was surreal and a little frustrating for me. Surreal because I can't believe it's here, and frustrating because combined baptisms were implemented this year and it meant some concessions on things I had already planned...and you had to un-ask one of your witnesses. I was really disappointed for you, but you handled it so well!

You turned 8 on a Tuesday this year...so that meant you got to start cubs on your birthday! You were so excited and couldn't wait to get going on everything! Mom didn't know you needed a cub shirt so you didn't have that (sorry :) ) but you came home with great stories, memories and an enthusiasm for your troop. It's so fun as your mom to watch you do these new things and find joy in them.

As you continue to get older you amaze us with your wit and smarts. The other day Dad had some music playing and you asked "dad, is this music from the 19's.....?" Letting the question linger and effectively making mom and dad feel old. You've asked me a similar question with the definite impression that you consider anything before the 2000s to be sooooo old.

You are the best big brother anyone could ask for. Although you and Rhett have your arguments, you are quick to mend them. Thank you for taking the time to play with your younger brothers and include them with your friends and in your interests.

You LOVE hockey right now. Any kind. Watching it on TV, playing stick hockey in the hallway, on the XBOX, collecting cards and stickers or playing table hockey. You amaze me with your grasp of the rules and game play, and how many players and teams you know. I laugh because the first thing you do in the morning is check the scores from the games the night before to see who one and who lost.

Your love for sports is contagious and we can't wait for the snow to melt so you can be outside improving your skills in soccer, basket ball, biking and of course hockey.

Your reading level continues to improve and at this point you are ahead of your grade average. It brings me so much joy to listen to you read and to see you get into a book. I know you don't always want to sit down and read but when you do you remember just how enjoyable it is!

You and technology seem to be a match made in heaven. You were THRILLED when mom and dad gave you an ipod for your birthday and have been excellent at sharing it with your brothers. And you learn things on the computer and other techie things around the house with ease. I'm anticipating that one day soon you will be the one teaching me how to use my phone, computer, etc....

We are so proud of you Zane! You work hard at being good, following the commandments, and living the way that we have taught you. Happy Eight Birthday and Baptism! We love you more than words can express!

Mom and Dad

Look Who's 2!!!!

SERIOUSLY?!?! How did this happen so quickly? Brock turned 2 on the 8th and also managed to score 2 birthday parties! We wanted to celebrate with our Payne family members so I brought cupcakes and tarts along to the Sunday dinner they invited us to. And as you can see from the above pictures, Brock is seriously considering a future career as a fire eater...among other things! But his entirely unreasonable mother (me) blew the candles out before he got much closer! We gave him one of each - cupcake and tart - and I guess you can see what he went for! 2 in fact! Sorry you have to scroll back up to view the picture - blogger and I are not agreeing on where these pics should go and I don't want to re-load them.

And the bruise on his forehead? He was climbing up the ladder to Zane's top bunk the night before and slipped and bashed his head. At least that's what I THINK happened as I found him there, he's been know to climb that ladder quite frequently, and the shape of the bruise is consistent with a ladder rung. It was UGLY Saturday night - black/purple and a good 1/2 inch off his head. Ugh. But after 10 minutes of crying and cuddling with mom he was off and running again. Not much slows him down! On Tuesday, his actual birthday we put candles in 2 cupcakes (the tarts were all gone) and he tried to blow them out this time instead of eating the fire! We opened presents and after he opened the basket ball hoop there was no hope for anything else. For the next couple of days until Cliff got it mounted to the bedroom door Brock would bring me the hoop to hold so he could shoot!

And at 2 he is still up to much busyness! He loves mommy's i-phone and daddy's new samsung galaxy captivate, LOVES the backyardigans and laughs and giggles as they sing and dance. LOVES to shoot hoops. He got a little one that you mount to a wall or somewhere for his birthday and he'll literally spend 1/2 an hours shooting balls at that thing. NBA here we come! Grandpa Dooley and I wonder if maybe all the Raymond water I drank growing up has something to do with it.

Lately he goes to bed almost every night with either 2 soft basketballs clutched in his hands or a hot wheels monster truck.

He still climbs all over everything, occasionally sabotages my laundry, crawls into bed with us every night, and is starting to throw out more words - when he feels like it. And never on demand. He always makes me laugh when he jabbers at me in his own language and ends the phrase like a question and then looks at me expectantly. Oh, gibberish.

He is still pretty good about eating whatever I give him but I'm seeing signs of pickiness...sigh. Another one. He loves pb, jam, cheese, yogurt, animal crackers, spaghetti, soup, bananas, apples, fruit leathers, toast and anything that is on mom or dad's plate!

He has recently developed quite the love for his daddy and loves to wrestle and play and of course play on daddy's phone!

And he ADORES his big brothers. He's getting old enough now to be fun to play with in more than the baby fun sense, and the boys enjoy wrestling, chasing, tickling, hockey, basketball and just about anything else they can think of that might make him laugh! Having 3 boys is really fun :)

We love our Brocker boy to bits and although we have already been treated to some of the terrible twos tantrums, he continues to be a happy, busy little boy!

Not just party-lag

I have a reality. And it's not a pretty reality. In fact, it's kind of a skeleton in the closet kind of reality.

I am suffering from depression.

It's not full blown, as in can't-get-out-of-bed-or-function, - yet - But it is to the point where I have to admit that this is more than just a bad couple of weeks. And that I need to fight to get back to me.

I'm blessed with a great support group of family and friends - some who have experienced depression themselves, some have worked professionally with this, and some are just great resources of positivity and love.

I've started cataloging my days and mood on those days using weather terms. A "me" day is what I describe as a sunshine-y day. And then there are days that are mostly sunny but slightly cloud covered - you know - like the clouds that blot out the sun temporarily during the day but the sun always pulls through. I have days that are more cloud then sun. And then there are the cloud-locked, no hope of sun days. Thankfully, I haven't had too many of the cloud-locked days in a row. But I have had several of the cloud covered with brief rays of sunshine.

And I don't like me this way. It feels wrong and awful.

So, I swallowed my pride, talked to some of my closest peeps, and got help. I've started a great vitamin regimen to re-balance the old brain, I've cut back in some areas, and I'm trying to not expect quite so much from myself as I get myself back on track.

And that is the real honest reason that I haven't been writing here a lot lately. I have an
un-censored journal that I have been writing in and it's been great and cheap therapy!

I don't want to be one of those blogs that's all unicorns and rainbows, but there are some issues that I'm working through that I just don't feel comfortable airing on the internet - at least not in their entirety.

The main reason I'm writing this now is because I thought that one day, a long way down the road, someone in my posterity might need to know that they're OK because I suffered from this too. And people on both sides of my family suffer from this too.

Genetics are not always the best thing, but knowledge is power and I intend to use mine to get back to sunshine days!

Party-lag

Everyone has heard of jet lag. And most of you have probably experienced it. I am currently experiencing party lag! And maybe you will too after my quick update of events in the last month and a bit!

The early part of December was spent participating in Christmas concerts and food drives for the school. We had planned on going to the Creche but it was too COLD! Zane did a fantastic job in his "choir" for the school Christmas play and it was a bit of a jolt to realize that next year Zane will be IN the play and Rhett will be in the choir. Wow. I'm feeling slightly old. We also went as a family and took part in a performance at an old folk home. Zane and I did some piano duets and the boys dressed up like shepherds for the nativity song.

I also finally made it to see a doctor who believes in removing tonsils (harder to find then you may expect). After hearing my sob story (8 strep throats in 18 months) he looked at me and told me it's not IF they should come out but WHEN they should come out. Much rejoicing on my part. I'm not excited about the pain after wards - it's supposed to be pretty brutal, but looking forward to reducing sickness by a lot!

Later that same day (the 17th) Robison's came from Eckville and we partied it up with homemade pizza, and Wii entertainment for the kids and dads while Leslie and I visited. We're good at it :) They stayed late and about 15 minutes after they left Mom and Dad J, Auntie Kristie and Uncle Jamie were here to start our first Christmas celebration!

We had lots of fun hanging out on Saturday playing games and watching movies. Cliff and Jamie took Zane and Rhett sledding while Brock had a nap and mom and Kristie iced my sugar cookies! Good deal all around I think! After a yummy roast beef meal we exchanged gifts and were royally spoiled! The kids were so excited and had a lot of fun the whole weekend.

Monday brought reality back a little as Zane still had 2 days of school and I had seminary to teach. The girls came here and I made them breakfast...we were going to watch a movie as well but that didn't work out. Oh, well.

School was finally out and I was frantically trying to finish shopping (one of Cliff's gifts didn't arrive like it was supposed to - grrrr!), clean my house, drop off goodies to friends, finish off teaching piano and the last minute baking and grocery shopping that needed to get done. Why do you ask? Because we were hosting Christmas! That's right! For the very first time in our married life we were not the ones doing the travelling! No packing up kids and presents and driving....just a whole new set of things to get done in a time crunch! But it was so fun!
Mom and Dad R and Auntie Kizzy got here Thursday night in time for supper and were royally entertained by my children. Especially Brock. He has Papa wrapped pretty tight and those two were thick as thieves almost the whole time they were here. Over the course of the weekend he beat Papa up with a pillow (randomly walked up and started beating him), danced all over Auntie's quilt that she was sewing the binding on (broke it good for her) and learned how to touch the ceiling from Zane's bed and throw pillows off the bed to much adoring laughter!

Christmas Eve we played and ate and played some more. We bundled everyone up and went sledding behind the high school. Zane LOVES sledding, Rhett prefers to watch (you're shocked I know) and Brock was fascinated by his boots leaving prints in the snow. We did take him down the hill a couple of times but he was underwhelmed so he and Papa walked around the bottom of hills and the school just being busy. I tried to knock myself out when I took a jump on one of our tubes and bashed my head on the ground after landing. And as I lay at the bottom of the hill seeing stars Zane's at the top yelling for me to move so he can come down. All in all a lot of fun had by all of us!

After a supper of home made pizza, we watched Mr Kruger's Christmas, opened the boys' Christmas jammies and got them ready for bed. Stockings were hung, cookies were left out and the boys were off to bed! We all stayed up and played cards until Santa showed up and helped him fill the stockings before heading to bed.

Christmas morning the first thing the boys saw was the HUGE hockey table Mr. Claus had left for them AGAINST the advice of Mrs. Claus. (She would be happier about it if we had a basement - but we don't and it now resides in front of my window, Grrr.) Of course the boys and Cliff love it. Once again, I am out voted. Stockings and presents were opened, and we commenced in making our breakfast waffles - waffles with all the ooey, gooey, sugary toppings you want. By the time we finished that we decided to officially move our turkey dinner to the evening so we could actually enjoy it! The rest of the day we spent playing new games, watching new movies, and doing the small things to have the dinner ready. Turkey dinner was a smashing success and I was glad for the help of everyone - either in prep or keeping the kids entertained and out of my small kitchen!

Our family left early the next morning so they could get to Alisha and Jays and we set off for church without Cliff as he had to work. Zane and I played Silent Night as a duet and then I continued with a medley of Silent Night and Sleep, Sleep, Sleep. BEST mom moment ever I think. Zane hit every single note and played perfectly! So many people stopped to tell me how much they enjoyed it and some even called to tell him themselves. It was awesome to sit there with him while he preformed and think "wow. I taught him how to do this!"

The next week was filled with some piano lessons, reading, playing and getting ready for New Years. We went to a great party at the Piersons, played and ate too much, stayed out late and had a great time. Grammie S arrived the next day to spend some time with us - Grandpa Dooley was coming too but his truck broke down in Idaho :(. But we had lots of fun with Grammie. We hibernated and the boys and grammie played games all day. At least between the times they were fighting and trying to kill each other. Cold, cold weather and couped up all the time is not a good mix for Zane and Rhett. But we made it through!

Zane started school on the 5th and I turned 30! Yep, I finally made it to 30! I was really excited to get here and had a great day. Slept in, had a lazy day at home, taught lessons and hustled the kids into Red Deer to meet Cliff for supper. It was great. That Saturday (the 9th) we had a grown up party to celebrate my oldness. Again, so much fun with great friends and I laughed so much! What a great way to celebrate :)

After another week flying by it was Friday night and me and my best girl friends went out for our once-a-month girls night. Since it is my birthday month we used that as our excuse and off we went. The weather prevented us from heading to Red Deer as originally planned but we improvised and hit a great restaurant here in town. We started a tradition a couple of birthdays ago of the birthday girl wearing a tiara and the last birthday guest didn't forget. So, despite a few glances, I wore the tiara proudly as we laughed and talked and had a great time. We went to Kathleen's house for a movie and there they surprised me with a DQ cake! I have the very best friends in the whole wide world! And they bless my life so much! After lots of cake, laughs, a horrible movie, and more talking, it was 1:00 before I got home and 2:00 before I un-wound enough to sleep.

And now you're caught up on all my partying. No wonder I have party lag! But I wouldn't have traded it for anything! What a great month and half it has been! And I'm looking forward to the rest of 2011!

2 Months - Part one

It's almost been 2 months since I last posted....and this bugs me. So I've been trying to figure out the last couple of days what happened? Why haven't I been writing? I think there might be a few others who have been wondering the same thing.

I didn't come up with anything concrete. I have a few legit excuses - sickness - me and the kids, painting the bathroom, getting ready to host Christmas, and oh yeah, my destructive toddler. But mostly, I think they just all boil down into one category - I've been doing other things! So if you care, stick around for the next little while and I'll try and rewind a bit and catch up.

First off, Brock. I'm sure if you looked up BUSY, DESTRUCTIVE, CONSTANT MOVEMENT, or other such acronyms you would find his picture. To prove my point, here are some pictures of some of his latest handy work :

This is a pan of banana bread that Brock "helped" himself to while I was changing laundry around!

Basically, he would pull a piece off, take a bite and put it on the counter, than start over. We ate a lot of banana bread that afternoon!The next morning, I took a shower. (I know, totally irresponsible!) Came out to find the older two totally engrossed in their video game while Brock was destroying the kitchen. First he pushed a chair over to the counter and started throwing the pens and stuff on the floor....Then he knocked over a full cup of juice that an older brother kindly left in his reach....And then he climbed on the counter, opened the cupboard, and started emptying it onto the floor. That's when I showed up.But I held it together. Took a big breath, sent him packing to another room and started cleaning up. I headed back to the bathroom to dry my hair and found Mr. Busy with his hand in the toilet, a bottle of shampoo open and dripping in the linen closet, and the bath toys dumped in a huge puddle of water. I washed his hands, kicked him out of the bathroom, closed the door and sat down on the floor and cried! I was so frustrated!

I'm not laughing yet. I know you're rolling around on the floor holding your ribs....but I'm not there...yet. And that's because this is a fairly typical example of what most of my days are - minus the breakdown. I usually don't do that. But the cleaning up after my little tornado - yes. He is allergic to order and LOVES nothing better than to dump the bucket of hot wheels, the two buckets of Lego, the bucket of balls and the tote of trains. And he can do that in 2 minutes flat. Once all dumping is accomplished he looks around with a satisfied look, and then walks away. When I catch him in the act I get him to help clean up, but lots of times I come upon a mess and he's no where to be found....moved onto the next mess! He also has figured out how to take off the heat vents and stuff things down there. So I am routinely pulling toys out of my heat vents!

He's not all trouble...he's also very energetic, fun and learning new things at an astonishing rate! He's very physical - at not quite two he's doing a two-footed jump, ball handling and slap-shooting with mini sticks and balls, (with a golf-swing follow through!) and can jump shot a full size basketball! He climbs everything, rarely walks, jumps on the ottoman and my bed like it's a trampoline and can go from jumping to doing a bumsy like he's lived on a trampoline his whole life! He still loves to play the piano whenever he can - especially when Zane is trying to practice, and is learning new words all the time. He speaks in complete sentences...in his own little language and I've been joking that I need a translator collar like the dogs have in the movie UP. He LOVES nursery, is starting to do actions to some songs, hates to sit still -ever - and is fascinated by his boot prints in the snow. And he refuses to sit in a booster seat or wear a bib when eating. Needless to say meals are slightly messy when he is involved. And he's a mooch. He likes lots of different food but mostly when it comes off of someone's plate!

Grandpa Dooley calls in frequently for his update on "Calvin" (Calvin and Hobbs) as we have nicknamed Brock in his "busy" moments, and has started referring to Brock as his client and himself as Brock's lawyer as I complain about the latest thing he has destroyed or done. We're working on probation terms.

I know it's a stage. And chanting that little mantra gets me through most days...and I'm trying to laugh and document so I will remember that it was only a stage. I'm also trying to enjoy the snuggles, and the little mom moments I still have with him. He's rapidly growing up - can't believe he's almost 2! And I know my days are numbered with someone this little around. But I'm also LOVING that he's growing up to. It's sometimes an odd conflict for me. Mostly I'm trying to enjoy him now...and buying stock in paper towel!

I know....

you can't believe that I'm posting...again. I don't post regularly for months and now the third one in November, already! It's not that I haven't wanted to post, really, but I already covered that sob story a couple blogs back. So onto the new.

I've had a topic rattling around in my wee little brain for the past couple of weeks as I notice things that I've said, thought, done in reaction to things that my children have said and done.

When we started on this journey called parenthood I wasn't completely ignorant to children and their ways....or so I thought. I'd done A LOT of babysitting through my teen years, even some overnighters....and yet when I look back on the last 7 1/2 years I amazed at the things I didn't know, but know now. Hence, my witty title. (Admit it, you're all envious with how clever I am on cold meds and antibiotics :))

So, mostly for my own enjoyment I bring you:

THE THINGS I KNOW:

- I know that every stage/phase does end...eventually. But that doesn't make

it any easier to get through it

- I know that all little boys are inexplicably drawn to the toilet and it's bowl

of water until it is time to actually learn to use it.

Case in point: the recent drownings of a balloon, transformer and toy hammer

- I know that klutziness is a gene that is passed on

My proof: Z: Mom, do you notice anything different about my head?

M: umm, why do have a big scrape and red mark there?

Z: Because I ran into a brick wall at school....

M: you are so my child

(there was an accidental trip from another child involved, but still!)

- I know that cursing your own children with picky eaters of their

own is a curse that WILL come true...thanks mom!

- I know that a child can exist quite happily on PB sandwiches,

cheese, crackers and apples (by their choice) with the occasional

chicken nugget and fries thrown in

- I know that a toddlers laugh is something no one can resist!

- I know that laundry and dishes multiply at night behind my back

and that someone sneaks around spreading crumbs on my floor!

- I know that I am constantly amazed at the things my children

learn without me consciously teaching them

For example: R walked outside the other day, took a big sniff

and declared that it smelled "DISGUSTING!"

Umm, excuse me? When did you learn that word?

- I know that toddler boredom is my number one enemy!

How else do you explain the mass destruction that takes

place every day by his hand?!

- I know a hole and toy are irresistible to said toddler...

as my heat ducts would testify to if they could

only talk! (Why do they make these things so easy

to pull out of the floor?!)

- I know that reading to my children every day is great

for them...and love to see the results in Z's reading

and R's comprehension and recognition!

- I know that it's easier to laugh then cry and better

to laugh than yell....but it doesn't always happen that way!

- I know my oldest is great at making friends and am so

thankful for that

- I know I will never fully understand boy logic,

but I'll never stop trying to!

- I know that I shouldn't tell B that I'm going to cut his

fingers off if he touches "that" one more time...R gets a little

worried and asks me not cut any of B's fingers off!

- I know that little boys under the age of 3 are convinced that

water on their head will make them MELT! At least, I think

that's why B has such a fit every Saturday night when I

wash his hair!

- I know that #3 is in a huge hurry to grown up. Things that

are no longer acceptable include: a booster seat with a tray,

a booster seat AT ALL, bibs are occasionally tolerated, shopping carts

are torture devices, and holding mom's hand is soooo last year. He

should be free to run wherever he wants and is quite vocal in his

opinion. Which brings me to my next I know...

- I know that a screaming child strapped into a shopping cart brings

either a: sympathy

b: condemnation

c: unwanted advice

d: a smile, nod and a "I've been there"

from the shoppers around you

- I know that I love my three boys more

than words can express, and in the end,

that's all that counts!

Absent...

That's what I've been from my poor blog lately.

Some of you may remember the good times I had with strep throat last year...(don't worry if you don't).
Apparently my body decided that since we had such a great time with it last fall we should try it again this fall.

***Long, suffering sigh.****

The short version is that I am on my THIRD antibiotic and when I have completed it, I will have been on antibiotics for 25 days. Bleh. I've also been referred to a throat specialist to talk about having a tonsillectomy, but my doc said it will probably be a couple of months before I get in. And then who knows how long it will be if I decide to have the surgery (I'm fence sitting, but leaning heavily towards having them removed.) Mostly because we figure I've had 7 rounds of strep in about 18 months.

And when I have strep I have about 1/2 the energy that I normally do. And yes, I'm whining. And that's my lame excuse for not blogging lately. By the time I get done everything that HAS to be done in my day I very rarely have energy for the extras that I want to do.

BUT, I am going to attempt to write the 3 or 4 posts that have banging around in my head for the past couple of weeks over the next couple of days. Including the Halloween pictures. Better late than never, right?