Stinger Bee

Jace Man was stung by a bee today while playing outside.  Dan heard him crying and saw him lifting his arm when he noticed the stinger still attached.

I pulled it out with tweezers, gave him a can of Pringles, and he was good to go.

Now every time they go outside Camden asks if there are anymore "stinger bee's".

Dear Camden,

I'm sorry I told you the ear drops didn't hurt after getting tubes.  I lied.  They hurt like the dickens! The minute they entered my ear canal last night I felt a sharp, stabbing, and miserable pain that carried on into the night.  I didn't know, but now I do.

They say getting tubes is a pretty common and easy procedure.  I agree, the procedure was fine. What they don't say, is you will wanna die the night following your procedure.  I felt fine up until about 6pm, that's when it hit.  Misery.

Dad and I felt sorry for you last night as I complained about how miserable I was.  You are one tough dude.

Love, Mom

P.S. Please tell me today will be better.

Got Tubes?

Notice anything different(besides the gray hair, age spots, and wrinkles)?

I'm the proud owner of a brand spanking new pair of tympanostomy tubes.

My doctor hooked me up with his first appointment of the day.  I went in this morning and gave my permission for him to cut a hole in both eardrums and shove a blue tube down each one.  Cross your fingers this helps with the fluid overload and recurrent infections.

Apparently I wasn't empathetic enough towards Camden when he continuously got ear infections and then tubes placed.  And because God has a sense of humor, now I can truly empathize with my son.

Another First

For the most part I am really good about keeping it together when my kids gets shots, have surgery, get sick, or anything that has to do with the medical field.  But apparently the dentist is a different story.

We talked about it for an entire week before he went.  I took him with Dan and I several months ago for our appointment.  I showed him what the dentist would do and how it would sound.  He was excited and supposedly ready to go. 

We walked into Dr. Quackenbush's office and the waiting room was perfect.  It was decorated like a forest; it had a log cabin, waterfall, rocks, and even a giant stuffed bear.  He was in heaven...until they called his name.

The fear fell immediately upon Camden's face and I felt like a failure.  My eyes started filling up with tears and I couldn't help but feel completely helpless.  I knew I had to keep it together so that his fears could subside.  The first thing he said, pointing to the hygienist wearing a mask and goggles, "I don't like her.  She is scary".

Luckily their office staff was beyond helpful and patient.  Camden laid on my lap(the other assistant entertained Jace), wore their awesome sunglasses, and sat through the entire cleaning and check up without a fuss.  He even sat in the chair by himself while the dentist gave his teeth one final check.

Everything looked great.  He has 20 teeth, no cavities, and a brand new race car toothbrush!  Hopefully I can hold it together next time.

Itch

I've had the itch to create lately.  And I may or may not have stayed up till midnight last night.  Here are a few finished products.

My mind is running wild with the possibilities my new friend burlap and I will soon create.

Just looking at this memory jar makes me cry happy tears.  I love the quote, "Preserve your memories, seal them up well.  What you forget, you can never retell..."

Each item in my jar tells a story, one I never want to forget.  I couldn't stand the thought of having them tucked away somewhere in a box to be lost and forgotten.  I'm hopeful someday my kids will want me to take it off the shelf and share it with them.

I also can't wait to make one for my boys.  Can you imagine...a shelf full of different styles and sizes of jars...all full of memories.

6AM

Seriously, how can my house look like this before 6:30am?

I wanna go back to bed.

Apparently they do too.

Let's start today over!

These are...

TWO

OF MY

FAVORITE THINGS.

AH!

Game Day

We take game day pretty serious around these parts.

Or at least we let Dad think we do for the first game.

Go Cougars, please don't ruin Dad's great mood.

Family Night

My boys latest movie obsession has been Toy Story.  We decided #3 had been out long enough for us to attempt to take our kids to the theater.

Camden was in heaven, he loved the entire experience.  Jace did pretty good.  He probably ate 10lbs of popcorn, and worked it all off running up and down the stairs toward the end of the movie.  I may or may not have cried, I loved this one.

Dan was a good sport posing for all my "happy" pictures(seriously, can anyone look at the camera?).

And of course, right outside the theater is this perfectly placed carousel.

But I must admit, I'm glad we let them ride it.  Camden has never been on a carousel where he didn't flip out and need to be held the entire time.  He had the biggest grin!  It was totally worth the $4 to ride, and $2.75 ATM fee for that 30 seconds of bliss.

Good times!

As of late...

My boys have been extra whiny, demanding, and naughty.
I have not made wise use of my time.
Going to the gym feels like the last place I want to be.
My spirit feels bogged down with problems nobody can fix but myself.
This stupid ear infection has got the best of me, making it impossible to hear or move my jaw.
I've been feeling a little blue.
Overwhelmed feels like an understatement.
I'm homesick.

Knowing my FAMILY can be together forever is reassuring.
I've ENJOYED quiet moments in my day.
Recommitting myself to a good workout routine sounds REFRESHING.
My TESTIMONY of the atonement has increased.
I realize what a BLESSING it is to have good health insurance.
Dr. Pepper is my fizzy FRIEND.
ORGANIZATION is therapeutic for me.
I'm looking forward to a trip "HOME".