Back to School

Another summer has come and gone. Back to school they go! Here is a cute pic from the first day back to school.
Katrina is in 6th grade, Christopher is in 5th grade, and Caleb is in 3rd grade.

Summer's Last Hurrah

How is summer over already? Where did it go? This has been the shortest summer! June was miserably wet and with Christopher being out of commission for 2 weeks this summer seemed so short! We tried to cram in as much fun as possible, but it still seems strange that the kids go back to school tomorrow. I am going to miss them. I know, that is something I never thought I'd say, but this morning it occurred to me how quiet it is going to be around here during the day. No one will be bugging me incesssantly to invite a friend over or have a turn on the computer. No one will need me to run them to the store to buy candy or the craft store for beads. No one will want to ride bikes or jump on the trampoline. No one will be constantly sticking their head in the fridge for a snack or the freezer for a popsicle. No one will be fighting with their siblings. No one will be fighting over the phone or for a turn on the Wii. No one will be crying or whining. Oh wait, it will be nice not have the constant "MOM! MOM! MOOOMMMMM?? MOOOOOOMMMM?!" It will definitely be quiet. I am happy to have them go back to school though so that I don't have to be the entertainment committee.
Friday the kids and I had lunch with Jim and then I took them to the Utah Museum of Natural History. That was a lot of fun. They are having their Toadally Frogs Exhibit with lots of live frogs and bugs. The kids loved it! Saturday we drove up to Bear Lake for a day of fun in the sun.


So, tomorrow it's back to the grind. Rising early, fighting over the bathroom, packing lunches, homework...Where did summer go??

It could have gone either way...

For the past week, the boys have been going to ride their bikes with friends in the church parking lot by our house. They make up races and ride for hours. It has been really fun. This afternoon I was talking to a neighbor and watching the boys ride to the church for yet another day of fun. Caleb was already at the church and I watched as Christopher waited for a police car coming down the street to pass and then he headed across the street to the church. To my surprise, the police car flipped a u-turn and pulled into the church parking lot. Uh oh! I quickly walked up to the church thinking that one of the neighbors must have called to complain about the boys. I was so nervous. I didn't know what to say. I really hate confrontation! As I got to the church, the police officer exited the parking lot. Huh? The boys were hurrying towards me on their bikes saying, "Mom! Mom!" Ugh! My palms were sweating. Anxiety does that to me. So annoying!
Christopher came up to show me that the officer had given him his business card and a Subway gift card. What?? You're not in trouble?? He said that the officer wanted to reward him for looking both ways and crossing the street safely and for wearing his helmet. Unbelievable! This is yet another reason why I love living here. I called and left a message for the officer to thank him for what he had done. That was totally unexpected and greatly appreciated! It was such a proud parenting moment. It is nice to know that all of the nagging to "look both ways" and "don't you dare ride your bike without your helmet" are paying off.

Secret Lake

Today we took the kids and hiked the Secret (Cecret) Lake Trail up Little Cottonwood Canyon. You start at the Albion Basin Campground and hike up to Secret Lake. It was a beautiful hike.


At the lake we had a picnic lunch and the kids skipped rocks. The wildflowers were beautiful and it was cool and refreshing.


In the lake were these weird looking creatures. Are they the missing link?? Does anyone know what they are?

The kids wanted to climb on every large boulder we saw.

At times they got a little too high.

I told them not to get too high!!

Just Kidding! They thought it would be funny to pretend they were sliding down.
The lake is at 9570 feet. You're up so high you can actually lick the clouds. Jim said it tasted like coconut vanilla cream pie. YUM!

We had a wonderful day together.

You're Invited

Katrina and her friend are having a jewelry party on Saturday, Aug. 8th from 10-12. They have lots of styles of earrings and bracelets for sale. They will also be making custom pieces at the party. Just pick out the style and colors you want and they will do the rest! The prices range from $2.50-$5.00. If you're interested, call me and I will give you more details.

Christopher's tonsillectomy

Christopher had his tonsils and adenoids taken out last Tuesday. Any parent who has had to go through that with a child knows how I feel and what we are going through on day 5 post surgery. But first, before I get into what's happening now, here is a little of what we have already been through.
Christopher was a little apprehensive going into surgery, but Primary Children's is an amazing facility. He was totally pampered. He got to color and play on the play station and kind of forget what he was there for. During the surgery, I waited in the parent's waiting room with lots of other anxious parents. After the surgery, a nurse ran in to get me, which totally freaked me out. I began imagining every possible horror that could of occurred. Why were we hurrying? The nurse explained as we hurried down the hall, that he was having a hard time after waking up. He had a panic attack coming out of the anesthesia. When I got there he was crying and looking around wild eyed. When he saw that they had put in an IV he totally freaked out and started throwing up. We finally got him to recognize who I was and he sobbed and clung to me. It was horrible! Because he had been throwing up, they wouldn't give him his pain medicine until they knew he would be able to keep it down. This led to thrashing and more crying because of the pain. Finally, they took pity on him and gave him some anti-nausea medicine and then his pain medicine and he fell asleep. As I sat there in the room watching him sleep, I could hear other babies and children crying. It takes someone with a strong will to work in pediatrics. When he woke up, we were free to go home. That's it?! All said and done in 4 1/2 hours. Off we went. A few blocks away from the hospital, Christopher says. "Mom, I don't feel very good. I think I'm going to throw up." Aaahhh! I quickly grab a baby wipe tub, that we had bought to take on our camping trip two weeks before, and dumped the contents on the floor and handed him the tub. He threw up twice on the way home. I called the nurse at the hospital while stopped at a red light. She said that happens all the time. Kids coming out of anesthesia get kind of car sick on the way home. Well, I said, you should send parents with a barf bucket if that happens all the time. I have him throwing up in a baby wipe container!!!
Surprisingly, he did better at home than at the hospital. He only woke up once the first night and ate really good the first day, scrambled eggs and soft white bread. We have two bags of popsicles, multiple kinds of jell-o, applesauce, etc. and he didn't want any of it! The nurse told me that some kids want cold and sweet and some want warm and salty. Christopher is definitely a warm and salty kid. He won't eat anything sweet. He only wants Sprite, scrambled eggs, and macaroni and cheese.
I began to think, this isn't so bad when he slept 12 hours the second and third nights. Then he started eating less and sleeping less and whining more on day four. They warned me at the hospital that days 3-7 were the worst as the scabs dry and tighten. They were not exaggerating! He is miserable and keeps drooling because it hurts to swallow. It's all going to be worth it, right? This is the stage where I second guess. Anxiety does that to me. And then I remind Christopher and myself of how great it is going to be for him to not have strep throat 4-5 times a year and all of the work it is to catch up on his missed school work. We can make it!
So, today I am staying home with Christopher and thanking my Heavenly Father for the power of the priesthood and that Jim is worthy to give him a blessing of healing and comfort. That may be the only thing that gets us through the next couple of days. Christopher is really rebelling against taking his pain meds because it hurts too much to swallow. It's going to be worth it, right??