The Many Faces of our Princess

I never get to go anywhere fun...

That is exactly what Noah was saying to me a few weeks ago. He felt so deprived, like the whole world is going places and he never gets to travel anywhere fun. I decided it was time to post and to declare to the world just how deprived my son is. Here is just a few of the more exotic places Noah has been in his short 11 years of life. Don't worry...I'll be sure to print a copy of this to put in my journal...just to make sure that if he requires counseling later in life for living a deprived life, they won't blame me. By the way...I love this kid:

Looking for "Nessie" on Loch Ness, Scotland

Nagano, Japan...hanging with the snow monkeys

NYC

Gozilla Attacks in Kurihama, Japan

OK...I just really like this picture, it makes me miss Japan so much!

Hiroshima, Japan

Lake Country, England (what boy doesn't want to play in one of these beautiful ponds

that inspired poets like William Wordsworth and painters like Monet???)

Yep, that would be Stonehenge

And this would be Big Ben

Ice Festival, Sapporo, Japan

Hawaii (he's been there 3 times...do you hear me....THREE TIMES)

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

That would be Mt. Fuji in the background...

Shores of Ireland

I haven't even mentioned our trip to Philadelphia, going to Lego Land and Sea World, or going on local trips...like White Sands, Mesa Verde, and the hikes we've been on (just thought of one other place he has been...the Bahamas). I guess it is hard to get sympathy from a mother who didn't go on her first airplane ride until she was past the age of eleven.

To his credit...we haven't been traveling as much as we use to...I guess it has something to do with having more kids, money going into our home, saving for his awesome college experience he will have someday, a business to run, etc....

Here's to more traveling in the future. I do love it and would be hopping on an airplane frequently if I could...Noah must be a boy after my own heart.

Being Grateful

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was,

"thank you,"

that would suffice.

MEISTER ECKHART

10 Confessions

1. I've spent hours online today.

2. I love dancing around the kitchen when no one is around...I even sing sometimes.

3. I talk to myself when I am driving.

4. I'm a democrat (just in case you didn't know...seems like you have to confess that in my circle of friends--and sometimes, it's better to not admit it--oops.)

5. I like to eat raw potatoes with salt and pepper.

6. I really love greasy french fries.

7. Sometimes I pretend that I am asleep so I can get out of being a mom for a few more minutes.

8. I bite my finger nails (not as often as I did when I was growing up, but it still happens sometimes)

9. I like some country music (Derek HATES country music....I know that is a strong word, and someday...I will tell you the 5 things my husband HATES...)

10. We caught a mouse in our house this week.

Is it normal?

Is it normal to feel sad that you are holding your last baby, looking at her small feet that get bigger everyday, seeing her morning smiles, listening to her sweet laugh, nursing her for the last time...oh, I'm so sad...trying to savor those moments. And, to make it worse, everyday Derek has been saying , "This will be our last two year old little boy" and he sure is cute:

Eden--9 Months

How do I choose which photo to show...well, I don't...I show them all!

She HAD a hole in her neck!

It's true...2 days ago Eden still had a hole in her neck...actually, it's called a Branchial Cleft Sinus. You can read about it here.

The day Eden was born I noticed a small pit on her neck. I didn't really think much of it since, let's be honest, new born babies sometimes have strange blotches and marks...nothing I have ever worried about before. The doctors didn't notice. Derek didn't notice. I meant to ask the doctor about it at well-child visits, but in the beginning I was more concerned about Eden's consistent refluxing that I forgot to ask. When she was two months old, I lifted up her chin to clean under there when all of the sudden I notice green discharge coming out of the "hole in her neck". Quickly, I called Derek in....the green stuff kept coming, and coming. So I called the doctor's office and they weren't as concerned, but said she needed to see her doctor sometime that week. Immediately, the doctor knew exactly what it was. It would probably need surgery someday...when she was old enough to safely have surgery. So, we were referred to the ONLY pediatric ENT in the whole entire state and the waiting time to see her was four months. Luckily, we really like Dr. Bennett---we were however a bit surprised when she said she could do the surgery in 6 weeks, and that since the sinus was acting up, we should take care of it so it won't cause any future problems. So...this is longer than I wanted it to be...that is how Eden came to have surgery.

Here is a picture of the Branchial Cleft Sinus--it is the small dot! (yes, it is that small):

Just a few minutes before the surgery...she was very tired, but barely fussed. Honestly, that was an amazing gift---she hadn't had food for many hours and was such a sweet, pleasant kid the whole day!

After surgery, I think this picture speaks volumes.

The sinus was only 2cm deep, and was not attached to her tonsil or throat. They were able to remove the whole entire duct. There is very little chance of it reoccurring. The whole surgery took a little over an hour.

I had a lot of anxiety about this surgery! The whole process really wore on my heart. My last words to the doctors were, "She's the only girl I have, so please take good care of her."

I cannot imagine what it must be like to have a very sick child that requires lots of time at the hospital. I'm so, so thankful that Eden's surgery is over, that it went well, and that it was for something so minor. If you are a parent reading this, you know exactly how much you worry and love your children...I don't even need to explain it. Thank you for all your prayers...I felt them!

Ten Things that have been on my MIND

1. Some of the best movies were made in the 80's! (Just watched Karate Kid I this week...great movie--sequels not so good)

2. Is it unfair that I told my 9 year-old that as long as he lives in my house, there will be no T.V. in his bedroom? Direct quote from him, "That is COMPLETELY unfair!"

3. Swine flu or no swine flu? I just want to know if we have had it or not.

4. Why, oh why, are most of the women's costumes you can buy "SEXY COSTUMES"? It's crazy....

5. I'm totally into the new thermometer that I just bought...just swipe it across the forehead. BRILLIANT!

6. Will our pumpkins get stolen this year? (yes...we have pumpkin thieves in our area)

7. I JUST WANT AFFORDABLE, GOOD HEALTH CARE--enough is enough!

8. If you were getting a new stove top...would you get gas, induction or smooth top electric?

9. You would all die if you saw my bedroom right now...it's a MESS.

10. I'm very nervous about Eden's surgery tomorrow...details to follow.

I ACTUALLY SEWED THIS COSTUME!

Do you know who he is??

BOO!

HaPPy HaLLowEEn

(click to enlarge)

HAVE YOU LAUGHED TODAY!

EDEN HAS, A LOT!

White Sands National Park

The Pictures Say it All!

It's Like a MAGICAL Kingdom

I love the Balloon Fiesta...especially the balloon glow. I feel like a little kid at Disneyland. Seriously. I love how the night progresses.

You have to get there before the sunset so you can see them blow all the balloons up. It's awesome because you see one, then you see 5, then 10, then 50...you get the point.

And then...you can sort of see them start to glow and pretty soon, it looks like everything is on FIRE!

Love, love, love it.... breathtaking.

The Way They Pull at Your HEART

I thought I knew before what it would feel like to have children. When I was young I would make mental lists of the kind of parent I would be. I would be COOL, I would have an AWESOME, HUGE house that was ALWAYS clean, I would dress like a HIP MOM, my kids would LOVE to be around me, I would never RAISE MY VOICE, I would be the PERFECT person with the PERFECT life.

Sometimes I have those days, the days when shoes are left in the middle of the kitchen floor, sand from the playground is all over my freshly swept floors, my kids start fighting at 6:45 a.m., my kitchen (which I consider the heart of my home) is a mess, my older kids forget to practice their music, I lose my temper and I think I might lose my mind along with it. Those days I wonder if my heart can take more, I wonder if I will make it through raising my children, teaching them good principles. I wonder if because I yelled at them if it will affect them for the rest of their lives. And my heart starts to ache.

I had one of those days the other day. I finally made it into the shower, finally alone for a moment. My 5 year-old comes running into my room "MOM, MOM, MOM!" With all of the kindness I could find, I muttered through clenched teeth, "What sweetie!" He replies, "MOM I LOVE YOU!" and runs right out of the room. It's funny how my heart grew ten times within a minute, and all the aching was gone.

I don't need a huge house, I don't even need to be a cool mom...I just need my sweet kids to be part of my life. Really, that's what matters.

Flamenco

What a FUN night out! I headed up to Santa Fe with a group of friends to see our children's school LIBRARIAN perform at El Meson, a tapas bar.

First of all, Annie, our librarian, isn't Annie there...she's ANIKA, and man can she sing...holy bananas, I had no idea that she could do that. It's like she lives a double life or something.

The Flamenco Dancing was rhythmic and fun. I've learned a lot about Flamenco.

1. It consists of four main things...all very important...the cante (singer...that would be Anika), the guitarist, a percussionist and the dancers.

2. The percussion is amazing. The "palmas", or clapping is fast and dynamic. The foot movement is also amazing...it seems like a mixture of clogging and stomping. I felt it in my heart. And the percussionist sits on a "caja", which is a type of drum and pounds away on it. And...I had no idea that a tambourine could be so amazing. WHO KNEW! WOW!

3. The dancing was exhilarating...it's sharp, fast, slow, emotional and intense. And, I loved the costumes. They were colorful and frilly.

4. The guitar...I personally LOVE guitar music. Especially on a "Spanish" guitar which is made up of all nylon strings. I happen to own one, and use to play a little (oh so very little). The guitarist was very good, and I loved watching how fast his fingers were going.

5. And of course, the "CANTE". The singing is deep and moving. I just wish I knew more Spanish so I understood it. Anika was amazing....stole the show, in my opinion.

Finally, the COMPANY & FOOD were perfect. I love being with these ladies. They are so fun and smart and beautiful. And, I love TAPAS....a bit pricy, but yummy. GOOD TIMES.

(Tami, Liz, Cecy, ANIKA, Maria, Wendy, and me)

Pictures at the Temple...we love that place

Labor Day

Ten things Our Family learned from hiking Tent Rocks:

1)Bring more water.

2)LDS people like to hike Tent Rocks on Labor Day (we saw so many people wearing BYU T-shirts)

3)We should do this more often...it is so close.

4)Babies love to hike.

5)Soren is one determined hiker...who knew a two-year old could walk all the way to the top by himself, without complaining. What a trooper.

6)We should have brought more food to eat.

7)There were no spooky ghosts in the cave...

8)It's fun to hike as a family

9)Eli is still not completely coordinated...he fell at least 5 times, poor kid.

10) It was worth it, and so fun to make it to the top.