Guys and Dolls

Tuckered

2012-01-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

Kyseeya

2012-01-18T19:59:00.002-05:00

"Kyseeya" is Mad Gab version for what I hear come out of Burke's mouth so many times each day I cannot even count them all. Any guesses?

Translation: "Can I see her?"
Of course you can Burke...and love her to pieces.

Thumb Sucker

2012-01-16T15:39:00.000-05:00

I caught the girl in the act of sucking her thumb and snapped this photo. I later noticed the two binkis in the bed right beside her. Evidence of our futile attempts to keep from having a thumb sucker. It doesn't seem to matter how hard we try she prefers her thumb to the bink when its time to sleep.

And let's be honest...she is sleeping through the night so...really...I'm not trying too hard to disrupt that habit.

Belle of the Ball

2012-01-11T21:09:00.000-05:00

No matter what is going on...

...or who is around...

...it always seems...

...all eyes are on Blake.

Family Photos

2012-01-10T19:28:00.000-05:00

Who says good looks are everything? What about a sense of humor?

Charlie's birthday

2012-01-09T20:11:00.000-05:00

Holding true to birthday tradition, Charlie woke up to breakfast in bed. The sleepy five year old could barely keep his eyes open.

At 5 years old Chralie is learning to ride his bike, swim, and read. He really likes to be with friends and loves baby Blake. He is frequently heard telling jokes and has a few good ones. His most commonly told joke is "Knock, knock. (Who's there?) Boo. (Boo who?) Oh, it's ok baby. It's only a joke."

Charlie wanted a strawberry cake with strawberry icing. Knowing that he would end up with a PINK cake I tried to get him to choose something else or let me color the icing. He just looked at my like that was such a foolish suggestion..."strawberry isn't blue," he must have been thinking.

Charlie got a "sport suit" last year for his birthday and was pretty disappointed a few weeks ago when I told him that he had outgrown it. Then the light turned on and he said, "Good thing I can just get another one for my birthday." Good thing I found one.

Surefire Royalty

2011-12-14T16:39:00.002-05:00

Burke: "Mom, is Blakelyn really a princess?"
Me: "Yes."

Family Time

2011-12-06T19:39:00.001-05:00

Now that we are 10 hours away from the closest family rather than 15 or 39, we expect to have more visits from the ones we love. The pressure is on!

It is hard to really appreciate this photo. It was taken in the dark at the end of a really great game of sardines. Our boys beg for a good game of sardines frequently but we have discovered something interesting since we have been in this new house...we've got a bunch of Scaredy-cats! It was good to have a bunch of adults so all the boys could have a partner ( I just had to suck it up and stop being scared). Theron hid behind this plant and strangely this was one of the most difficult finds. The other thing that we have discovered playing in this house is when the lights are all out...it is really really DARK!

Papa couldn't resist buying the pink camouflage fleece outfit for Blakelyn. We all know she has got to keep up with the brothers. She still need to grow into it a little.

Blake with Grandma Judy. Blake is our first blond baby. If she looks like her daddy, then she'll look like her grandma. This could be a foreshadowing of what she will look like when she is in her prime.

Baby Blessing

2011-12-04T19:22:00.002-05:00

At the beginning of December we got a visit from lots of family for a special day for Blakelyn.

In our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) babies are blessed by their fathers or another man who has the priesthood. During this blessing Blakelyn's name was presented and blessings from Heavenly Father were given to her.

Trav's mom crocheted the booties Blake is wearing and the blanket.

We were glad that my parents and brothers were able to come. It was really neat to have my dad and two of my brothers, Solon and Simeon, standing in the blessing circle.

It was great to have Travis' parents and his brother, Rob, with us for the blessing. Randy and Rob were also able to stand in the circle for the blessing. I liked what I felt when I looked at all the priesthood brethren standing there holding my baby girl.

Theron on being a good home owner

2011-12-02T19:32:00.001-05:00

Driving home from the library today...

Referring to a yard with a swing set, monkey bars, and a merry-go-round, Theron said: "Wow, look at that yard!"
Isaac: "Lucky!"
Theron: "Lucky?! Look at how rundown that house is! That's like the most rundown house ever! They should get an F in the homing department."

Brutal.

Bonding

2011-11-14T12:40:00.001-05:00

Quality bonding time with the computer...I mean brothers.

Surgery

2011-11-10T18:34:00.000-05:00

This would have been a great photo for Halloween! Isaac had surgery last week. He had four baby teeth removed because they refused to come out on their own. He also had two extra teeth hanging out up in his gums causing a traffic jam. The surgeon took those two teeth out as well. Now he talks funny, has really bad breath, hardly eats anything, and has sutures hanging down that make him look a little scary. Especially when he does this. I am considering having my front teeth removed as a new form of dieting. Though I don't think the results would be quite so favorable for me. I might end up being a toothless but skinny babe. I guess a little chub won't hurt me.

Isaac on Hawaii

2011-11-09T22:07:00.000-05:00

Me: "You guys are lucky. There are lots of kids in this world who don't even know what Legos are."
Isaac: "Yeah, like kids in Hawaii."

One Month Old

2011-11-07T21:41:00.001-05:00

Someone slow down the clock!

Burke:On being puffed up

2011-10-28T07:00:00.003-04:00

Burke: "Mommy, your tummy's puffed up."
Me: "My tummy's puffed up? Are you sure?"
B: "Yeah, your tummy's puffed up."
Me: "Are you sure? Look. Is it puffed up or is it puffed down?"
B: "Yeah, it's puffed down...(thinking)...but not all the way."

Well, it has only been three weeks. At least I'm a little puffed down...according to a three year old.

Pet People

2011-10-27T12:32:00.003-04:00

I guess I pegged the neighbors slightly wrong. I think I'll peg them as animal people rather than pet people. Ironically, we have been staring at an empty pasture since the day after my last post. The cows have gone to the butcher. Maybe the neighbors should be labeled meat people.

Backyard Bliss

2011-10-21T17:29:00.001-04:00

We are not pet people. We never have been pet people. Others often tell us that we'll HAVE to get a dog for all of these boys. We usually just smile and think, "Nope."

So...I am grateful for neighbors like ours who ARE pet people. Or at least animal people. It takes a little of the pressure off of us. Our next door neighbors have cows. We have an apple tree. At their convenience and leisure the boys can pay attention to the cows but we have no responsibility for them. Just the way I like it. The perks but not the pain.

Theron takes a moment to bare his soul to his new friends.

Then he's off to cause trouble with the brothers. It may be his favorite past time.

I think they welcomed it this time but not always.

And where is Isaac during all of this backyard fun? Inside reading a book, of course!

Sleeping Beauty

2011-10-20T07:39:00.000-04:00

Afternoon Bonding

2011-10-19T19:41:00.000-04:00

Charlie and I had a fun time building a motorcycle with Zoobs. I'm not just making it up either. The proof is in the quote:
"Mom, I love you. Your help rocks! I mean you are helping me a lot!"
Love you, too, Charlie boy!

Tsk Tsk!!

2011-10-18T19:36:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's time to invest in a binki.

Handy man

2011-10-17T09:45:00.000-04:00

One garage with...

one really big...

...problem.

One guy with....

...one really big...

...solution.

Happy Birthday Isaac

2011-10-15T19:31:00.000-04:00

Yet another breakfast in bed for the birthday boy!

Every 9 year old needs their own pink Barbi car. Well, that's what we told him before he opened it. He didn't laugh.

We're glad your our boy Isaac! Happy Birthday! We love you!

Country Mercantile

2011-10-13T11:00:00.001-04:00

Our good friends clued us into this fun place...the Country Mercantile.

The boys enjoyed racing through the corn maze.

They tried to eat the corn they found...not such a good idea. I think it had been growing a tad bit too long.

It was a great day for a little hay climbing.

The downside was that the pumpkins were so scrawny.

Poor Burke fell asleep in the car and had to go with me to the pharmacy instead of to the pumpkin patch. He woke up in the car while sitting outside of Albertson's grocery store and said, "It's taking a long time to get to the pumpkin patch." Uh-oh! Fortunately, my mom and I spotted the "pumpkin patch" on the sidewalk to Albertson's and whisked Burke right over to the "patch" to pick out his pumpkin. Good thing for this bad mom he doesn't know what he missed. I think I was more sad for him than he was.

What Nanas and Papas Do Best

2011-10-12T12:00:00.003-04:00

Thank goodness Nana came and brought her energy for fun activities. Otherwise there might not have been a lot of Halloween fun going on in this house this month.

We had a few icing mishaps...icing coming out the wrong end in LARGE quantities.

But managed to pull off a couple of spooky looking houses.

Papa managed the babe.

Birth Day

2011-10-11T16:39:00.000-04:00

She came! Blakelyn Kamille.

Travis can hardly get enough of this baby girl. He continues to point out how cute she is.

I keep telling him it's not her fault. She can't help being so irresistible.

My mom came to help with the boys. I laugh when I think I was considering taking on this change without any help.

Nana brought the boys over for a quick birthday visit.

Poor Isaac was sick but it didn't shut down his sense of humor.

Our first family photo.

Meet Blake

2011-10-10T16:44:00.001-04:00

Blakelyn Kamille...the girl who changed our world...and our blog.

He LOST it...

2011-10-01T08:19:00.001-04:00

...or at least he displaced it. Way to go T-man! Love you Theron...bed head and all.

Special Day for the B!

2011-09-30T20:27:00.002-04:00

Three years old!!

True to tradition...breakfast in bed for the birthday boy.

I like his method...slow and steady wins the race...one...at...a...time.

Burke spends a lot of time out on the drive "riding scootas fasta and fasta". The brothers think this is great because now he has his own to leave on the driveway behind the van instead of theirs.

We're so glad Burke is part of our family!! Love you Burke-y boy!

County Fair

2011-09-13T16:47:00.001-04:00

We couldn't think of a better way to really dive right in and feel a part of the community than heading out to the county fair.

Charlie fed some baby goats and thought it was quite interesting that he and the goat were both called "kid".

Isaac and Theron both got to try bungee jumping.

It was so hot that day. Here's Theron looking just like the rest of us felt.

We ended the day with Travis selling the rest of our tickets to some one else. There are no photos to prove it but Burke, Charlie, and I plopped down right on the ground while waiting for these two crazies to jump. I'm sure we were sitting on grass with a mixture of animal poop, spilled soda pop, and chewed up and spit out tobacco. It didn't matter...we were desperately hot and tired. Good times at the county fair.

Cousins

2011-09-04T21:15:00.001-04:00

A Wedding

2011-09-02T09:22:00.002-04:00

Not just any wedding...by brother Simeon married his girl, Kayla, on August 18th in the Manti temple. We were so happy to have been there to celebrate with them.

My mom and dad, Simeon, Kayla, and her parents.

The whole crew from our side of the family. We can't wait to spend more time with Kayla. We hear from everyone how great she is but are looking forward to stealing our own time with her. Hopefully that will be sometime soon.

Ohio or Bust

2011-09-01T08:04:00.001-04:00

After leaving Worcester we drove straight to Ohio and had some fun with the cousins who really aren't cousins.

These kids tried to cram as much fun in as they could. They don't get to see each other enough these days.

We went exploring at a waterfall that we somehow never discovered while living there for five years.

It was a pretty fun place.

I usually only like to put photos of myself on the blog that are at least somewhat flattering...but this one somehow slipped by. It just had to be documented. Who knows when these babies will get to see each other?

Leaving Worcester

2011-08-30T21:36:00.002-04:00

Before leaving Worcester we had one last fling with a bunch of our friends.

It was a memorable hot humid Massachusetts evening.

I recall being drenched.

The only way to survive a night like this is by eating ice cream...

...with good friends...

...at Meola's.

Watching Bridgette eat her ice cream (and lathering into her skin) made me excited for a little girl in our family.

A few of my friends and I finished the night by sending the hubbys home with the kids (and the sticky sweating mess) and chatting over Panera. Great memories in Worcester for our crew.

The State of Things

2011-08-25T13:24:00.001-04:00

I thought this photo might tell on us a little more but it doesn't do the chaos justice. This is the view from where I sit blogging instead of unpacking and getting our lives into order so that we can function before Travis starts his new job on Monday; before the boys start school on Tuesday; before we have a new baby in just a few short weeks. I have to blog. We have had such an adventure the last month; moving across the country and seeing tons of friends before we left and on the way. We even managed to fit a wedding in. Lots of fun catching up posts to come!

Back Seat Conversations

2011-07-24T23:14:00.002-04:00

Burke: "Ugh! My car seat is all wet from my water bottle!"

Charlie: "Burke, don't worry. Burke, don't worry. Burke, Hakuna matata...it means no worries."

We speak a lot of Swahili in our house.

Ten Years

2011-07-21T13:48:00.003-04:00

So, it really has been ten years. Ten years ago yesterday since I married my knight at the Salt Lake City temple in Utah. I was telling my boys yesterday that it was our ten year anniversary. They asked if that was a big deal. Of course it is! That's a long time! Then I thought about how many times I've heard people refer to how long they have been married and make a comment about how they never thought they would make it this far. It occurred to me that I fully intended on making it this long with my guy. I just didn't think the time would go by so quickly.

So what do you get after ten years of marriage? Well, a lot of things. BUT one of them is not a photo taken on your own camera of the happy couple together. I looked through the entire year and came up with nothing. This is as close as it gets. We were sitting at the same table, enjoying the same child's birthday. This is also proof that our love is so strong that even the iphone can't interrupt ten years of bliss. I even think it's quite handy.

So far since we have been married we have lived in 6 states and added 4 new roommates. Next year we'll be able to up our states to 7, as we will be packing up yet another moving truck on Monday, and our number of roommates to 5, as we expect a baby girl to join our family in October. I get lots of huge grins and inquiries as I take my crazy boys in and out of stores this summer sporting my growing belly. Yesterday, one woman responded to me, "You sure are blessed." I proudly replied back, "I am."

Love you Trav.

Higgins Armory

2011-07-21T07:30:00.002-04:00

We took the boys to the Higgins Armory right here in Worcester MA. It is is the sole museum in the Western Hemisphere devoted to arms and armor. It is a pretty neat place.

Travis helped the boys build a castle with an archway entrance. It was fun and educational because we got to teach them what a keystone is and why it is the most important piece in the arch.

They tried on real helmets, gloves, and mail. The mail was so heavy!

The helmets were a little big.

So were the chess pieces. Theron and I tried to play a game of chess but random kids kept running across our board and moving our pieces. It was fun for a few minutes.

Being around all these weapons and armor really got our adrenaline going. We simply couldn't resist showing off our muscles (and belly) for the camera.

Books and Beyond

2011-07-20T07:54:00.000-04:00

A good friend of mine is in charge of this program that the PTO runs at Nelson Place school where Isaac and Theron just finished 2nd and 1st grade. The program is called Books and Beyond and runs for all of the students from kindergarten through third grade.

Each child is to read either 20 books (anything goes) or 300 pages. The students can also fill this requirement if someone else reads to them. There were small rewards at the end of each month for each student who filled the requirement. Then at the end of the year all the students who completed the program were awarded medals and the students who read the most pages in their class were awarded a trophy.
We had two pretty excited boys that day. I really enjoyed the program and look forward to the possibility of bringing it with us to our next school in Washington.

Pine Wood Derby

2011-07-19T09:43:00.000-04:00

Isaac participated in his first pine wood derby race with the cub scouts in our ward.

They were all just a tiny bit excited.

Isaac designed his car all by himself. There was no brainwashing involved but it did take a bit of dad's help to actually pull off the finished product. Go Cougs!

Huh?

2011-07-16T07:19:00.001-04:00

Burke: "Dad, what is that?"
Travis: "It's my toiletry bag."
Burke, looking all around the bathroom: "Mom, where's the toilet tree?"

Two year anniversary

2011-07-15T14:04:00.002-04:00

I just passed my two year anniversary on the 7th of July. Two years ago that day I had a major hip reconstructive surgery and that was only the beginning! Look at the length of that screw. I sported those two screws for the next year until they removed the longer one. I had to hang on to the little one for a souvenir.

Big Boy Burke

2011-03-15T16:45:00.001-04:00

Burke just threw his head back, let out a big sigh, and in frustration said to me, "You make me crazy!" To which I thought, "Yeah, well, we're even then." Except I think he's really cute...even when he makes me crazy.

Isaac's baptism

2011-02-17T14:04:00.001-05:00

Three months later I think it is still definitely worth noting that this eight year old was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!!

What a good example Isaac is to everyone around him.

Isaac invited some of our neighbors, who were able to come and, of course, he was able to share the experience with lots of other friends and family.

Sweet Potatoes? Really?

2011-02-16T00:21:00.002-05:00

What do I even call this post? After such a long absence is anyone even out there? I think I can at least take comfort in knowing that my boys will like to see their photos and hear their stories so...this one is for Theron...and anyone else out there who cares.

When Theron was a baby I came up with a theory that he was allergic to sweet potatoes. He threw up every time I gave them to him. Though, the rational side of me wondered how much of that was just because he was a baby. I think the last time he had sweet potatoes was at about nine months old.
Over the years I have had occasion to mention to others that I think Theron is allergic to sweet potatoes but have always felt funny about it. Who really eats sweet potatoes on a regular basis? Why even mention it? Is the neighbor really going to give my boy sweet potatoes as a mid-day snack?
After five or so years of wondering if this theory could be proven I decided to try making french fries out of sweet potatoes tonight to go with our ribs, broccoli, and rolls. A few minutes ago my theory was proven to be sound as I watched Theron throw-up on the bathroom floor. When he finished Travis said, "Nice experiment." I'm not feeling so hot about my judgment right now. I do feel confident telling others that he has an allergy though. Was it worth it? I don't know maybe I should ask Theron. I don't really want to. I'm feeling a little sheepish. After all, he did protest at dinner and I did make him eat the slice of sweet potato. Does this fall under the abuse category? At least now when he is offered sweet potatoes on his mission he can confidently but politely decline the offer.
Sorry, T-man! Really.

It's All Magical

2010-12-09T07:43:00.004-05:00

We recently watched the movie about the book the Spiderwick Chronicles. One of the special features on the DVD is a recording of the auther or producer telling the viewers that the whole story is real. Their proof is that after putting the story out they got a letter from a family of three kids describing that the very same magical thing happened to them. I've mentioned our saying before--"Well, that pretty much proves it."

Isaac and I were talking this morning and he was reminding me that this whole story is true. We are both reading the Spiderwick Chronicles right now. He was trying to convince me that it was all true. "Mom, someone said it happened to them. So it is true. They said it."

I said, "I've seen a pig fly. No, really. I've seen a pig fly. There, I said it. It must be true."

Matter-of-factly Isaac said, "Mom, how does Santa bring our presents and fly through the sky? What about the tooth fairy? Think about the Easter bunny. He delivers the eggs. We've never seen it but we know it's true. People have told us about it and we believe them. It's all magical. Spiderwick is magical, too."

End of discussion. What more could I say? That pretty much proves it. It must be true.

Eight Years

2010-10-14T22:01:00.004-04:00

I feel I should be making some statement about how old I must be getting to have a son who is eight years old as if it somehow sprung up on me. Strangely, it didn't happen like that. I have been watching it unfold all year long. I have watched a rambunctious attention seeking boy mellow a bit, help out a lot, and try to please. Isaac entertains Burke in good humor and is the first to obey. He is clearly eight and capable of making good decisions and though I do not wish the years to continue to fly by as they do (now that I am old) I am excited to see where he will take himself and hope he will succeed. I think he will.

Holding true to tradition

Isaac has a new found love for basketball

The brothers...Theron has given Isaac at least two presents per day over the last few days. These guys are a wild crew but there's a lot of love going around.

The birthday boy looking like a true scouter

Happy Birthday Isaac!!

Roadtrip

2010-10-06T10:59:00.000-04:00

Herbert the Snail

2010-10-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's true I often say, "Burke is making me crazy!" Though I love that boy more than I could really express he really does push me to the limit many times each day! On this day it happened to be because when I blinked (how dare I) he emptied 28 fluid ounces (minus two squirts) of baby wash into his bath water.

When I discovered it I was so mad! I whisked him away, as he screamed and cried for his bubbles, and put him to bed. After he was asleep I felt the reality of my cruelty and the loss of an opportunity to make fun memories with Burke so...I did the only thing I could think to do with a bathtub FULL of bubbles. I let Isaac play in it! It made me feel a teensy tiny bit better about being so uptight and missing out on fun moments with my kids. Poor Burke!

Isaac had such a great time. The bubbles were amazing. Trav, Isaac, and I had a great time with those bubbles thanks to poor Burky boy!
My hastiness made me think of this great song that my boys love called Herbert the Snail. Sometimes I sing it to them when it seems they could be reminded to have a little more patience. I wonder how much better my days would turn out if I just sang this song all day long every day to myself?

There was a snail called Herbert who was so very slow.
He caused a lot of traffic jams wherever he would go.
The ants were always getting mad and the beetles they would fume,
But Herb would always poke along and sing this little tune.

Have patience, have patience. Don't be in such a hurry.
When you get impatient you only start to worry.
Remember, remember that God is patient too
And think of all the times when others wait for you.

When Herbert was much younger, he often got in trouble.
Forgetting that he was a snail he did things on the double.
He'd crash through every spider web and with crickets he'd collide.
'Til one day Herbert's father took his speeding son aside.

Have patience, have patience. Don't be in such a hurry.
When you get impatient you only start to worry.
Remember, remember that God is patient too
And think of all the times when others wait for you.

As you can well imagine there's a moral to this tale.
Some of you may find yourselves behind a creeping snail.
So if you get impatient and you're easily disturbed,
Think about this little song and take a tip from Herb.

Have patience, have patience. Don't be in such a hurry.
When you get impatient you only start to worry.
Remember, remember that God is patient too
And think of all the times when others wait for you.

Just for fun

2010-10-04T20:45:00.000-04:00

Travis and Theron in the airplane bathroom for the 47th time. At least Travis is still smiling.

Friends with kids

2010-10-01T10:09:00.005-04:00

I stole this letter from a friend.

When Travis gets home from work most days he asks me what I did that day. To which I often respond, "Oh...just sat around and watched TV and ate Bonbons all day." I typically get a decent smirk out of him and then he excuses the mess or chaos that he has just come home to knowing that I likely had a very busy, crazy day. The truth is I don't even know what a Bonbon is and I can't remember the last time the TV was on for the pleasure of either of the adults living in this house.

Other days he calls home during the day to see how it is going. I have been known to ask, "Did you hear about the tornado? Well, it hit down right in the middle of the living room." This is code for the house is a disaster and I'm trying to stay in good humor.

Just for fun:

12:10 am Travis and I get into bed to sleep
2:35 am Burke climbing into bed next to me
2:37 am me scooping Burke up and hauling him off to his own bed
5:11 am Burke climbing into bed next to me
5:12 am me HAULING him off to his own bed
5:27 am me getting back into bed with tired knees
6:15 am Burke climbing into bed with me along with his animal book
6:15:03 am me GRABBING the book and HAULING him down the hall to his bed

After leaving and coming back to finish this post three times now I am too tired to finish the play-by-play but...I made three lunches, poured five bowls of Cheerios, prayed with the hubs and kissed him good-bye, tied one pair of shoes, brushed four heads of hair (of course, not my own), washed laundry, read scriptures with the boys, missed the bus at the bus stop for the first time this year, drove two boys to school, changed a poopy diaper in the pouring rain in the parking lot of the post office, mailed a baby gift to Heidi, bought milk and ice cream (it is Friday after all) at the convenience store...in the pouring rain, drove home, ran around the back yard picking up toys nearly blown away by the wind...in the pouring rain, changed the train battery, served cupcakes as a not so healthy snack, and deposited the two small stinkers who are at home with me into a nice big bubble bath.
Today I still intend to wash and fold several more loads of laundry, clean three toilets, take a shower, make my bed, vacuum, unload the dishwasher and go on a date with my husband. Now here I am BLOGGING? Some might wonder about my ability to prioritize. But I reason, "How else will I be able to remember the craziness of it all?"

Toddlerhood

2010-09-29T21:21:00.001-04:00

Two years ago today Burke-y boy was born. Life has never been the same...

This toddler is nearly obsessed with Baby Einstein. Thus, the EXACT cake replica of the Baby Einstein caterpillar.

All day long the boys have been bending over backwards trying to make this day special for Burke. They came home from school with cards, made snowflake s, wore matching shirts,and even reminded everyone over and over about the family birthday rule...You can't be mean to the birthday boy.

This last photo is just to prove to this fourth child later on in his life that we did celebrate his birthday and there were gifts invovled.

This week my admiration for Burke has grown. It always seems that is impossible. I find this happens to me often when I watch my boys do things that I didn't know they could do. I talk as if the next few stories I write will be heart warming. Probably not to many hearts but mine.

Burke wants to do most everything himself, as many toddlers do. I still snicker every time he says, "I dude it!" when he wants to accomplish something without help.

In an effort to get Burke interested in something other than Baby Einstein I rented a Thomas the Train and Barney DVD from the library. (Not a quality choice I know.) I put the DVD in the player and when it came on Burke furrowed his eyebrows deep, frowned hard, pointed at the TV with his arm straight out and shouted, "Stupid!" What a smart boy! He was right. What was I thinking?

I was watching Burke in the rear view mirror while driving. He had turned his head to look cross-eyed at the warning tag on the car seat only inches from his face. He stated, "Letters." That's right Burke-ster...letters!

Though this babe wakes me up before the sun every day, opens the garage door all day long, safely handles all kitchen knives, eats toothpaste, helps himself to food in the refrigerator, draws on furniture, gets nosebleeds daily, and insists on "dude-ing" everything by himself, I can't imagine life without the craziness he adds to it. Lub oo, Burke!

York, Maine

2010-09-28T07:30:00.000-04:00

The weather here is getting a little cooler. This may be my last chance to share these photos of a fun trip we took to Maine this summer with our family.

Rob at Nubble Light

Travis and Theron on the rocky coast

Charlie eating a lollipop much too big for his belly

Burke living it up while we pushed him around in the hot sun

Isaac and Theron watching the taffy machine at the candy factory

Rise and Shine

2010-09-27T07:12:00.004-04:00

Charlie: "I'm want my brown candy bag."
Me: "Not right now. We are going to have breakfast."
Charlie jumping up and down: "But I want it!...Then I'm having a cookie."
Me: "NOT right now. We are going to have breakfast first."
Charlie JUMPING UP AND DOWN: "BUT I WANT IT! MOM! YOU ARE RUINING MY DAY!!"

It's Monday...it's only 7:14 am...

YMCA

2010-09-23T07:11:00.001-04:00

We have really learned to love the YMCA this year. The boys live for swimming and have really been working hard to become great swimmers.

Last week we went and to our surprise Burke took off on his own (with the aid of his swim vest, of course). He jumps into the water, totally immersed, and pops back up, legs kicking ferociously. This summer he and Charlie both learned to jump off of the diving board. Charlie has even been learning the techniques of diving (this all with the aid of their vests). My favorite dive was when he dove in but his body couldn't seem to get flipped right side up again because of the vest. I think there was a moment of panic for a few of us but it all ended happily ever after as he jumped off the diving board yet again.

Isaac and Theron are actually working on their technique and have made more progress than I expected. I have discovered how fun it can be to watch my boys learn to do something new really well and to see the confidence that it gives them. It is a good feeling.

King of the Castle...

2010-09-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

...in times of peace...

...and war.

That's My Boy

2010-09-21T08:58:00.001-04:00

Travis to the crew during family scripture reading: "What does penitent mean?"
Isaac: "I'm not sure."
Me: "It means someone who really wants to be a true follower of Jesus Christ."
Isaac: "Oooooh! That's my kind of person."

Chicago

2010-09-20T11:30:00.000-04:00

A Race

2010-09-18T07:25:00.001-04:00

Eight years ago we lived in the Boston area just for the summer while Trav did some research at Mass General Hospital. We lived close to his brother and crew so we were able to do lots of fun things with them. Travis and Randy participated in the Hyannis Sprint Triathlon for the first time that summer. Randy and Judianne have been doing it ever since and we have skipped in and out over the years. Some of the other members of the Peterson family have been in on it, too. One year we had thirteen Petersons participating. Sadly that year we also had a pelvis fracture.

This year Travis and I decided to be on a team and do the race as a relay. He swam and I rode the bike and...well we actually decided to turn our race into a bi-athlon, as we never did find a runner.

Though we didn't "finish" the race I still feel the need to mention it. It was so fun for me! After my year of surgeries it feels like big victory to me. I haven't ever ridden a bike like that before. The distance was about 12.5 miles. "Pft!" you might say. But it IS a race AND I was going as fast as I thought was wise or was able the WHOLE time AND IT WAS KIND OF HARD...but fun.

I was not as prepared as many others likely were for this race. I had not seen the route. I did not know how many hills there were, how big they were, or when they were going to come. I actually didn't even know how long the race was until I finished and looked at my odometer. When I started out I must have had a huge adrenaline rush because I immediately felt I was going to throw up. I was not quite sure what I would or even should do. Should I stop to take care of my business? Should I just do it over my shoulder? How would that turn out? Would I be able to finish the race? As I continued on the feeling subsided. I thought, "I really like the way it feels to be pedaling so fast along this shore side road in a race."

As I continued I realized I didn't quite know what my strategy should be. Should I fly down the hills to pick up speed for the uphill stretches? Is that safe? When should I be shifting gears? How fast should I even be going? How long will I have to keep my energy up and will I be able to? The feeling kept coming back to me, "I like this. It feels good."

Then I discovered another challenge. The roads sides were thickly lined with trees which makes for a beautiful ride but complicated things for me. The sun was shining and casting shadows in such a way that when I was in the shadows I could see the road just fine but when I was in the sun and a shady part of the road was coming up I actually couldn't see what condition the road was in. If there was a pot hole, or a dip, or a curve I couldn't tell. ( I would have liked to have the aid of sunglasses...next time.) Again, what should my strategy be? Fortunately, I soared along the road without incident. I did watch a couple of accidents and realized how easily that could have been me.

This experience has given me good opportunity to think about the circumstance I am in on this earth. I am on track to get back to my Father in Heaven but I am not familiar with all the parts of the course ahead of me. How much time will I have to work at getting it right here? When is it going to get harder? Will this uphill stretch level out after the upcoming curve? There may be obstacles, pot holes, curves in the rode. I may even have an accident. I am grateful for the times when my Father lets me know that I am doing a good job or reminds me who I am. That encourages me and it keeps me going. I know that I have been given helps along the way; the gospel of Jesus Christ, the scriptures that teach me about the gospel, a Prophet to guide me, and my family to do it with me. I am confident I will get to the finish line and be pretty worn out, just like I was when I finally stepped off of that bike. I merely had enough energy to take the few steps to the cement wall to sit down. But I am confident that my efforts here on earth will be worth it. I am so grateful for this bike ride and the uplift is was to my body and spirit.

First day of school

2010-09-17T21:20:00.002-04:00

We barely made the bus in time. This was the only photo we managed to catch before the boys zoomed away to their first day at school in Massachusetts.

Let's Be Frank

2010-08-17T12:49:00.000-04:00

I was playing puzzles with Charlie and Burke on the floor. Burke was sitting on my lap when he decided to throw a little tantrum. He threw his head back and hit it on my lip. Under my breath I said, "I'm probably going to have a fat lip." To which Charlie replied, "Mom, fat lips happen."

I put this in the same pool of stories with my visit to the general surgeon. We all decided it would be better to have surgery after Burke was born rather than while I was pregnant with him. When I asked what I should do in the mean time the Surgeon said, "I could give you a big shot of buck up." I give my kids a dose every once in a while just for kicks.

Everyday all day

2010-08-12T21:56:00.001-04:00

He does it all day long. A time out on the stairs seems to be his preferred past time as of late. He's happy to wait on the stairs. It gives him time to plan how he is going to get up onto the counter the next time.
NOTE: The stool on the counter. Placed there following a previous incident.
NOTE: The silverware on the counter. Each piece has been lovingly slobbered and removed from its place in the open drawer. Anyone want to come for dinner?
He kept insisting no matter how many times I removed him, "Pider! Pider! Pider!" Which is to say, "I see a spider on the window screen and it should meet death by baby palm." He did discover one thing worthy of distraction...the butcher knife.
When Burke is awake there is no rest.

Random thoughts from way too early in the morning...

2010-08-07T06:02:00.002-04:00

Burke is hardly a baby anymore. How sad.

Me walking around looking for Burke: "Burke."
Burke: "WHAT!"

So that's it all of a sudden he's a six year old?

Yesterday as we were leaving the beach Charlie said, "Mom, I wish I was still little." I'm thinking, "Are you not?" but instead I ask, "Why?" He answers, "Because then I would be really cute." If only he knew how cute I think he is. A few mornings ago he said, "Mom, I just took a guy-jantic bite!" Kind of cute.

When I sat down to type this post I had so many more random thoughts and they are all lost now. Well, as Travis and I like to say, "That pretty much proves it." It's way too early in the morning. Thanks a lot Burkey boy.

I Am Grateful

2010-06-12T22:33:00.005-04:00

I have been blaming my camera, my computer, my surgeries, my packing, my moving, my surgery, my packing, my moving for my inability to create a post that anyone would care about but me. I still don't have any pictures but my fingers are not broken and life never gets any less busy...and we did get a new computer which is up and running as of today.

I have so many things to tell, so many things to be grateful for. I'm grateful that Burke still has all of his fingers. I found him calmly sitting in the kitchen sink yesterday. He was grasping the blade of a very sharp paring knife. His face and hands were covered in red. I took a deep breath and slowly walked over to him. I washed his hands off and realized he didn't have a cut anywhere. My eyes wandered and landed on an empty strawberry container next to the sink that had been half full the last time I saw it. Burke devoured those strawberries, stems and all as far as I can tell. For this and many many other reasons I am convinced that Burke has a team of angels assigned to him. I am grateful.

We sold our house in six days. So many people ask, "How did you do that?" I can only respond, "Heavenly Father has answered our prayers and we are blessed." I am grateful.

I attended a church meeting today and I came away with a powerful tool. It is to ask myself, "What would a Holy woman do?" every time I do anything. I tried it this afternoon. Isaac and Theron had a tiff that involved a bit of physical agression. I separated them and while we all had time to think I asked myself, "What would a Holy woman do?" I recalled a story in the Bible that was the perfect illistration of what went wrong between my two boys today. After sharing the story with them, they worked out their problem and life is blissful. I am grateful.

I am blogging instead of ironing four white dress shirts for church tomorrow. I am grateful (for the moment). Actually, on second thought, I am grateful that I get to iron those dress shirts.

I had five of my six screws taken out of my hips last week. After three surgeries I can walk and do most anything I want with my body. I am grateful.

Last night Travis graduated from a five year orthopedic surgery residency. There is so much to say about our experiences over the last five years. I could not type anything in a blog post that would be adequate. He works so hard for our family and to help bless the life of others. I am grateful.

I look at the circumstances of my life and and can see that I am blessed. I recognize this daily. I don't know how to react to this and so...I am grateful.

WHAT?? A post??

2010-05-06T16:50:00.002-04:00

This post is just a little foreshadowing of great things to come soon on this blog, lots and lots of great things (once we finally get a new computer).

We are moving. Travis, Isaac, and Theron just went to pick up the moving truck. When they got back the boys were so excited to tell me about the windows in this truck.

I: "Mom, have you seen the windows in the truck? The can roll down even when the truck is off!"
T: "Yeah, they're super super fancy! You can control your own window and no one else in the truck can control it. It would be so awesome if we had those in the back of the van!"

Travis encouraged me to look inside the truck...manual handles to roll down the window...FANCY!

Just A Crazy Saturday

2010-02-08T14:51:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Charlie Boy!!

2010-02-02T16:43:00.007-05:00

So I have tried several times to post about cute Charlie's birthday (it was at the beginning of last month). I like to refer to our computer as BUST. BUST is actually cooperating tonight.

Breakfast in bed, compliments of Aunt Allee.

A little brotherly love. He was such a fun birthday boy.

When anyone asks Charlie how old he is, whether he is talking to them on the phone or in person, he always holds up his "OK" sign with his hand and says, "Dis many on my birfday."

Now they are all set for a summer full of camping.

Uh-oh!

2009-12-21T10:17:00.001-05:00

I broke a mirror this morning. I just thought it should be documented in case the next seven years don't go so well.

Just Another Hip Sugery

2009-12-19T12:24:00.002-05:00

I just had my second surgery on the 7th of December. We actually stayed in Columbus to have the surgery so I got to be a week long patient at Children's Hospital. Dr. Klingele performed the surgery. We didn't feel quite right about going back out to CA for the surgery, although we had a surgery date scheduled for December 8th. A few weeks ago we flew out to Boston spur of the moment to have two days worth of doctor appointments with another surgeon, Dr. Millis, who frequently does the PAO surgery and various other doctors. I even banked my blood at the hospital gearing up for my transfusion. After two crazy days and thinking that Boston just had to be the right answer we still didn't feel quite right about it, although it made the most sense logically speaking. After two very stressful days of praying and doctors calling us saying we had to decide. We settled on Dr. Klingele who really only does this surgery about five times a year. Travis and I independently had a confirmation that he was the one. He trained with the doctor we had seen in Boston, we knew that he had the skills he needed and knew that because we were feeling prompted to stay in Columbus Heavenly Father could make up for the difference in number of surgical cases he does compared to the two other surgeons.

The surgery went well and now we just wait for my body to heal. Randy and Judy were here to help us for the past two weeks and now my sister Allee is here to take over until the end of January. This healing process may be a bit longer because I had not fully recovered from the previous periacetabular osteotomy but the time was right. The blessings that have been and are being poured down on our family seem to be endless and many and so many people around us have helped to distribute those blessings. I look around and realize that although it seems the world should stop for us in our time of trial it continues and all around us others are struggling with their own trials of poor health, death, financial difficulty, unemployment, and on and on. I have also come to understand the situations of so many others around through this one experience. This is a very efficient way to learn to sympathize and relate to the circumstances of so many many other people. I (we) are grateful for the experience.

Theron's Talk on Missionary Work

2009-12-06T21:31:00.005-05:00

Our Sunday classes for the children are called Primary. Each week a couple of the kids in Primary are asked to speak on certain topics in front of the other kids (about 60 or so). Theron was asked to speak on missionary work. He wrote his own talk. He bravely got up to the microphone and in a loud clear voice said,

"If you want to be a good missionary, preach every word from the Gospel and try new foods and teach everyone the words of God."

Not much to it.

Charlie

2009-12-03T16:54:00.004-05:00

Me: "Ew! Charlie don't eat your boogers!"
Travis: "It's yucky yuck yuck!"
Charlie: "No, it's not...it's gross."

My House--Full of Boys

2009-11-28T19:35:00.003-05:00

I heard Isaac say to Theron and Charlie, "Guys! Come into the front room if you want to see who can do the most dangerous thing. Alright Charlie show us what's dangerous."

Burke is notorious for dumping things such as a newly opened Cheerios box, books from the book shelf, or in this case an entire box of cheese crackers. Do his brothers come to tell me or try to clean up the mess? Nope. They just join in the fun. Good thing they were eating off of a freshly mopped floor.

Aunt Allee

2009-11-20T22:11:00.000-05:00

My sister Allee came to visit. I love how my boys never forget to call her AUNT Allee. Though with Charlie it becomes something that sounds more like Antaly. It was fun to have her here and we can hardly wait until her next visit.

"What's that?"

2009-11-19T22:05:00.002-05:00

Me: "Theron, tell me about this art work."
Theron: "It's my self portrait."

Love and Logic Success or Backfire?

2009-11-05T07:03:00.000-05:00

Charlie: "Mom choose a car."
Me: "Charlie, I'm vacuuming right now."
C: "Mom, choose a car."
M: "I can't right now."
C: "Choose a car mom!"
M: "Charlie, I don't want to."
C: "Mom, choose a car. Which one?
Do you want this car or this car? Either one is fine with me."

Tasty Math

2009-11-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Bowling

2009-11-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

We took he boys and two friends to the bowling alley...then we went to bed.

Trouble

2009-11-02T07:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday it was noodles. Today it was dried apples.

He has moved beyond emptying my entire dresser every morning while I am in the shower. He mastered the heaviest drawer in the house today.

This afternoon Burke hauled this stool around the house to where ever he wanted to explore but couldn't. He settled on this drawer full of everything that doesn't have a place. I was ecstatic to have caught him when I did. A few minutes later I would have been picking up pencil shavings, pennies, notebooks, and half eaten glue sticks from off of the floor. (Note the garbage can on top of the counter.)

I moved the stool far away but came back in the kitchen to find Charlie on the counter (in his underwear) getting into the Halloween candy. His sidekick Burke with a glass in his hand only inches away from a very sharp butcher's knife. (Note to those taking photos of small children: Never take a photo of a baby with a glass in hand using your flash. Startled baby...dropped glass.)

Ohio Fall

2009-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

We went with our friends to a farm.

We picked pumpkins...

...went on a hay ride...

...got hay in our underwear and a few other places...

...took lots of photos...

...walked the maze...

... and chased turkeys, and ate donuts, and used outhouses, and drank cider, and sat on tractors......and had a great time doing it!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T22:11:00.007-04:00

the costumes

the jack-o-lanterns

the fun

the loot

the right way to eat candy

The Truth

2009-10-20T19:47:00.003-04:00

This afternoon Travis came home a little early from work. We had a few minutes without the kids i.e. real conversation. I confessed,"Trav, I have something important to tell you." (Raised eyebrows.) "I am addicted to chocolate." (Relieved smirk.) Personally, I don't think it is funny. I think it is bitter sweet.

An old project

2009-10-17T16:41:00.001-04:00

I finished this project in the spring but never posted. I think it is an improvement worth noting.

Before:

After:

Happy Birthday Isaac

2009-10-15T09:38:00.005-04:00

Of course, he had breakfast in bed.

Lucky #7. At least seven times on his birthday Isaac said, "This is the best day EVER!" Lucky for us he is easy to please.

For All 'da Babies

2009-10-13T20:58:00.003-04:00

How to Entertain Yourself While Mommy is Making Dinner 101:

First, find a handy pack applesauce carelessly placed on the low shelf by your busy mommy. Make sure it is the type with the wimpy foil lid. Most likely it is. Place your sharp new top teeth on top of the foil and bite down--HARD.Once you have punctured the top tip 'er up and go to town. If one container is not enough to satisfy your appetite, help yourself to another.

Once you have eaten all you want, take care to turn the container upside down and smear over freshly mopped floor. Do not overlook the other items you have previously pulled out of the cupboards while your mommy slaves away. They'll need a good smear as well.
ENJOY!!

A Fun Project

2009-10-12T23:10:00.002-04:00

Before:

After:

Blessed

2009-10-01T12:20:00.003-04:00

I took Burke to the doctor for a well check and shots this morning. Last week I prematurely took the stroller out of the van thinking I was doing so well that I didn't need it to get Burke out of the car anymore. This week has been a bit rough. Of course, I got to the doctor's office with out it so little Burke, who still topples over if someone blows on him, had to walk into the doctor's office. This wasn't a quick jaunt. No worries, we had time. He also had to walk down the long hallway to the patient room to meet his doom. Four shots for the boy today, two in each leg. He cried longer, harder, and louder than I remember my other boys crying.

Just before the nurse came in to deliver the torture, Dr. Rob started into a serious conversation with me. It was interesting and thoughtful as he is our Pediatrician, not my Orthopedic Surgeon. He pointed out that not many women experience a debilitating sickness while still having the responsibility to take care of four small children. He reminded me to take things slowly and only do what I need to do and nothing more. Then he told me that his wife had a stroke when their children were three and five years old. Before that moment I had no idea that he might actually relate to what our family is experiencing.

After Burke calmed down enough we attempted the trek back through the office to make another appointment at the front desk. At this point everything was making Burke cry, he fell down, he dropped his lid, he dropped his sticker, I picked it up... There was another woman waiting there to schedule an appointment. I can't help but imagine what she was thinking..."Why doesn't that mother pick her screaming baby up? Why is she even letting him crawl around on the floor at the doctors office? Doesn't she know there are germs everywhere? What a horrible mother?"

What can I do? Explain to every Tom, Dick, and Harry, "I have hip dysplasia. Let me tell you about that last three months...So, you see I simply can not pick up my screaming child and lovingly haul him out of here. I will just have to drag him by the hand instead."

As I drove away from the doctors office I felt I would cry. Instead I wondered, "Why am I felling this way?" Aside from being frustrated and overwhelmed I felt blessed. Why do I only have hip dysplasia and not a stroke? Why are people willing to help us so much while others struggle by without? I do not know but for the hand our family has been dealt I am truly grateful.

One Year

2009-09-30T14:22:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday Burke Boy!!

A Big Boy Now

2009-09-21T08:16:00.008-04:00

This morning Charlie wanted to come upstairs with me which would require him getting over the baby gate at the bottom. He told me he would just do it like the brothers and climb over the top. Can you imagine? I lifted him over instead. Of course, he protested saying that Isaac and Theron climb over themselves. I said, "Well, Isaac and Theron are taller than you."

He replied back matter-of-factly, "I wear underwear." Oh! Well that changes everything. Here, why don't you just take the keys to the car, too, now that you are wearing big boy underwear. I can just see some teenage alcohol drinker explaining to the officer who asks for their license, "Oh, well officer I don't have an ID but I am wearing big boy underwear now."

Learning to Walk

2009-09-14T22:29:00.007-04:00

I had my first physical therapy session today. That's right folks I'm learning to walk. Here I am a couple of weeks ago strutting my stuff with my crutches while waiting at the bus stop with Charlie boy and my sister Jen.

On a much more exciting note (to me anyway)...Burke has decided he would like to join the world of the walking as well. Today we are both taking baby steps.

Post Game Day

2009-09-13T07:31:00.001-04:00

Life couldn't be better!!

Worth the Peace and Quiet

2009-09-12T07:56:00.000-04:00

It probably says right on the box "Not suitable for children under 4 years of age" but I don't care. I really think that the seven minute silence was worth this mess and definitely worth the smile showing complete satisfaction.

Confession II

2009-09-11T18:15:00.001-04:00

Theron's new best friend in his class at school is Sam. Theron just said, "Mom, sometimes Sam does bad things in the prayer and I can't help it...I just laugh."

Confession

2009-09-11T10:07:00.000-04:00

This morning while the boys were getting ready for school Theron told me something that must have really been weighing on his conscience. He said, "Mom, my teacher says to always eat our sweet stuff last at lunch. One time I remembered but I wanted to eat my treat so bad...that...I had to eat it right in the middle."

Fast Results

2009-09-10T09:00:00.001-04:00

I was in the garage when a bored Isaac spotted the butterfly nets that grandma brought to our house last week. He held the net up in the air and exclaimed, "I'm going to go catch a butterfly!"

I thought, "You'll be lucky if you even SEE a butterfly."

No joke forty-five seconds later I heard and excited, "Wooooo-hooooo!!" Isaac came running into the garage with this amazing butterfly.

What a rewarding butterfly hunt!

One of Those Days??

2009-09-09T16:49:00.000-04:00

Burke seems to be finding himself in more and more places like this these days. Just plain stuck!!

2009-09-08T16:44:00.002-04:00

For FHE we learned how to follow directions by making brownies. Everyone got to help...

...even Burke.

Summer Recap

2009-09-03T16:11:00.000-04:00

If I try to write something funny or even just interesting about this summer I may never get a post out about it so...

...the boys spent time with the North Dakota cousins Zoe and Isa...

...I had a surgery that changed my perspective on many, many things and left me emotional about new things, unable to walk (for now), super forgetful, and really, really cold. I like to blame everything wrong with me now on the "new blood".

We spent a lot of fun time with my parents (Nana and Papa). Solon, helped us drive out to Utah. Simeon helped us drive back to Columbus.

We spent a lot of time with Dell, Kristin (Trav's sister), Emily, and Adam. Dell asked Theron if he was his favorite uncle. Theron said, "No, uncle Rob is my favorite Uncle." Dell said, "Where am I on the list?" Theron said, "Somewhere in the middle." Dell spent a bit of energy trying to raise his status up a little.

Tiffany came to help us survive our first week home. The boys got to spend time with Clayton and Clarissa. We sent Clarissa home with a fever and some flu-like sickness.

Jenny and Isa came to help us survive the second week at home. Apparently our camera was not handy that week. We sent them home only to find out Isa threw up twice on the airplane and Jenny has strep throat and Mono.

Judy is here now to help us survive week three of being at home. She leaves tomorrow. I think she should be nervous.

A Day of Firsts

2009-08-27T21:36:00.005-04:00

Little Burke took his first real steps toward walking today. He's on the verge.

Theron rode the bus to school for the first time.

Isaac and Theron had their first day of school for this 2009-2010 school year. Isaac is in 1st grade and Theron is in kindergarten.

Charlie realized for the first time that he didn't get to go on the bus.

The neighbors woke up for the first time this week to the shrill scream of a two year old rather than their own alarm clocks. No worries. There will be many more rude awakenings to come.

The boys had their first auditions for class clown. We have yet to receive word.

My Poor Boy

2009-07-30T23:36:00.004-04:00

I just finished a phone conversation with my boy Trav and...whew... I miss him!! He misses me too. I know because he told me so. I also know because he went to the grocery store and bought:

3 cartons of Lactaid
3 bags of chips
3 containers of yogurt--I can't even remember the last time I saw him eat yogurt
fresh salsa--so like him
Tostidos salsa--no surprise
french onion dip
donuts
dried apricots--"Something healthy," he tells me.
soap
face lotion

I am sure the check out girl was confused when she saw his wedding ring because he was shopping like a true bachelor. I think he would be the first to admit he feels lost without us. We're not having such a great time without him either.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!

2009-07-28T12:41:00.003-04:00

I just had hip surgery a few weeks ago. When I am asked what kind of surgery I say, "It is called periacetabular osteotomy but I feel like I am saying Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." I get a lot of twisted looks.

I am three weeks out tomorrow. Life is interesting. I am counting down to three weeks from now when I hope I will be allowed to start walking on it normally. But even more importantly I will be able to go home and be with my boy Travis who (lucky for me) is missing me (and the boys) bad.

I have no pictures to share as I am not at my own computer but picture this...seven inch scar, numb fingers, crutches with aces bandages wrapped around the handles, wimpy looking left leg, walker, wheelchair, bruised up left leg, ornery Charlie who knows his mom can't come get him, standoffish Burke who would rather go to anyone else who can walk around while carrying him, an Isaac and Theron who are being pretty darn good, and one lonely lonely Travis.

And yet...life is good.

NOT a Booger

2009-06-21T21:20:00.002-04:00

So half an hour after I put the boys to bed tonight I heard Charlie upstairs sneezing away. After several sneezes I decided to go help the poor kid blow his nose. He blew (he's very good at blowing his nose) and I asked him if that felt better. He continued to stick his finger up his nose saying, "Dewers a booga in dewer." It was dark so I opened the blinds to get a better look. Not good enough. I got a flash light. After shining it up his nose I realized what I thought was a string of snot was actually the reflection from this snap! My luck...there was NOT a doctor in the house. I was able to remove the snap from his left nostril with my tweezers but he keeps telling me, "Dewers a booga in dewer." I am left wondering what else he put up there and how far up he pushed it. My trusty flash light and I can't see anything more. What else could I do? I sent him back to bed.