0, 1, 2, 3

Today,
We had 0 trips to the ER :)
We had 1 football game - it was the Trojan's FIRST win of the season! Aaron did SO well, and made a KEY play to keep the Indians at bay...
We had 2 meals OUT - Lunch at the primary dress rehearsal (yes, i will be playing the piano even though it isnt my calling...) and Dinner - at Spring Creek BBQ
We had 3 Star Wars characters running around - so we took them to the trunk-or-treat at the church. I am particularly proud of the Leia costume - homemade for $9. ;)

ER AGAIN!!!

So, guess where I was tonight?
the ER.
Ya, 2x in the same week! FUN TIMES!

Today started out ok. I got the kids off to school, Charity was dressed up for her halloween party... I even took a SHOWER!!! Nate and I went to Charity's preschool party. It was cute and fun. I took Charity home early, and went to the store and blockbuster, ran by the house to unload and grab food, then picked Aaron up (we had early release today) and took the kids to the park. I met a few girlfriends there, and all the kids played so well. The weather was perfect. Time to go home!

As I was putting Nate in the car, I noticed him kindof gagging on something - I figured it was a hair or something and he would work it out on on his own. He started crying, and was obviously in pain of some sort... We got home, I gave him a sippy and threw him in bed. He screamed. This was about 1:30. He screamed some more. He wouldnt fall asleep. ok, I figured he must have something in his throat. I looked, didnt see anything, and tried to put him back to bed. He could breathe, and I thought he was fine. 3:00 approaches. Nate is STILL crying. I call a girlfriend, she says give him juice and tylonal, and he will be fine. He wouldnt drink the juice. I tried a different kind of juice... He is still screaming. Piano students at the door. I try putting nate down again. 10 mins into piano lesson, I said, um, can we just make it up tomorrow? Nate was obviously in too much pain, and screaming child doesnt help me as I tried to teach. I really think he has a problem, and must be in some real pain, and must have something in his throat (he was still kindof coughing/gagging - but he could still breathe and cry good)... So, I cancelled the rest of the afternoon piano lessons, and dropped my kids off at my giflriends house. Called joe - ARE YOU COMING HOME TONIGHT????... yes, thank goodness.

Ok, to make a long story short. After 2 hours at urgent care, I was sent to the real children's hospital (ya, i was just there 2 nights before). Nate had a shard of wood lodged in his throat. it was a splinter about 1/2 an inch long. The doctor at the real hospital took it out then had to monitor him to make sure his throat wouldnt start bleeding etc...

So, by 9 pm, we are FINALLY home, and Nate is on liquids for the next day or so. I feel so bad. I cant even imagine the pain he was in today. He had a splinter in his throat for about 6 hours before they got it out. Tues and Thurs night I was in that same ER. Different kids, but both had something down their throats. SERIOUSLY. The quarter incident I can laugh at. I can only cry about the splinter. (believe me the whole way from urgent care to the hospital i DID!) The lady at urgent care said i need to baby proof my home. IT IS BABY PROOF! how do you keep splinters out of your kids throats when they go to the park? Nate didnt even try to eat any woodchips - this one either blew into his mouth or got in there some other freakish way... I guess i just need to know how to keep your 6 year old from eating the quarters from his piggy bank?????

AGGGHHHH

It was 7pm. The children were nestled all snug in their beds. All of a sudden, I heard this PIERCING scream from Aaron's room. He came downstairs, wailing - his cry was a mix between fear and pain. What on EARTH??? Finally, I was able to get out that he swallowed a quarter and his throat hurt really bad. I got a HUGE cup of water and made him drink the whole thing. I laughed it off, and tried to comfort him. I told Aaron to just go to bed, and he would have to poop it out. Then, I got on the phone to make sure I was doing the right thing. I called my sisters; I called my neighbors; I called my friends; I called and paged his doctor. I felt ok, until the doctor called me back. He kindof scared me - filling my head with possibilities of it being lodged somewhere. Then, those nightmares and images flashed through my mind - could I be "that" mother that just allowed her son to swallow a quarter and not do anything about it? Watch him stop breathing in the night and it would be all my fault because I thought it was no big deal... All you mothers know the path my mind went down (or am I just the only PSYCHO mom?)

UNFORTUNATELY, I am stuck home with my 3 kids all alone - Joe is out of town. AGGHHH. Nate and Charity are already asleep (Aaron has since calmed down and passed out on my bed). BUT the doctor said (since a quarter is so large for a child so young) that he would feel best if we went to the children's hospital to make sure we were following "quarter swallowing" protocol. He kept saying "A quarter is MUCH larger than the pennies and dimes we usually get calls about. I haven't gotten a call about a quarter yet." (he is no young dr either). Did I really have to go to the ER???? SERIOUSLY? I am not the type to freak out... I was NOT willing to drag the kids out there either. Lucky for me, I have a sweet girlfriend (thanks Carrieanne!) who came over and sat with the sleeping kids as I took Aaron to the ER. I was prepared for an all-nighter. I knew the second I got in the car the way the evening would unfold: WAIT at the ER, WAIT, WAIT, Laugh with the people at the silly situation, WAIT, WAIT, Get an Xray, then find out we are OK and we can go home and wait for the quarter to come out the other end. I figured (since I left the house at about 8:30) I would be home by 1 or 2am...

How the evening really went:
Get to the ER by 9pm. Sign in. Go immediately to the nurse. Wait 5 mins. Get Xray. Take Aaron potty. Pay my co-pay. Talk to Dr. Leave 9:45pm.

I have NEVER in my life had such a pleasant experience at an ER! I was in and out in 45 mins! granted, this was just an easy one - laugh at the silly little boy who ate money... but 45 mins???
Looks like I will be going to Cook Children's for EVERY emergency! I usually go to a different hospital, but I switched things up tonight. I am so pleased. Ya, I wasted my ER copay to find out that my son was ok, but I am willing to pay that so I can sleep better tonight.

Grateful Sunday

Today I am grateful for:
1. My GENIOUS of a husband. He wanted to do things that were a little more fun and exciting, but this weekend he spent time fixing my virus/spy-ware filled computer, gave me a new hard drive, put in a new cpu in the kids' computer... ya, it is nice to have my own in-house computer man.

2. All the fun we had this weekend... Aaron's football game, lunar mini-golf, a really fun date night iron chef party... it was a perfect weekend!
Here's Nate at Aaron's game: Aaron lookin good - he really has fun out there, and we LOVE watching him do so well on the field!
Here's Aaron and Charity at the mini-golf place...
3. Where I live. There was an airshow this weekend, but Charity is SOOO afraid of the loud jets (she is scared of everything) I had to stay home. HOWEVER, we live so close to the airfield, I was still able to catch the BLUE ANGELS flying overhead (seriously, they were RIGHT on top of us... it was neat) so, although I missed out, I dont really feel like i did.
Here is Aaron enjoying the airshow...
Here are some pics I got from my front yard... see - i didnt miss much at all!!!



4. My husband's awesome attitude. Aaron's football game was sortof a disaster - a kid got thrown out for punching, parents (on both sides) were yelling at the refs and the league commissioners - it was CRAZY (i mean, typical 6 yr old flag football?) but Joe didnt get involved and he had a cool head...
Joe kickin' it on the sidelines...

5. The Cowboys won!!! although Crayton didnt get me many FF points, Barber looked good, and Dallas' D didn't do too bad... my weekend is great when they dont suck.

I've been tagged by HEATHER!

What is his name? Joe
How long have you been together? Our 1st date? Feb 1999... First kiss? May 31 1999...
How long did you date? Well, if you count from our 1st date? 9 months before we were married... from our 1st kiss? 6 months.
Who eats more? Joe
Who said I love you first? I think Joe - all I remember is a conversation where he asked if i could ever "potentially" love him...
Who is taller? Joe
Who sings better? joe is actually a pretty good singer - i even got him to sing w/our ward choir... my voice is pretty generic, and although i can sing, i am stuck behind the piano all the time... and joe's deep voice fills the room and i LOVE to hear him sing! i love to hear him speak too... he just has that magical deep voice...
Who is smarter? joe - hands down... although i think i am smart, joe is MEGA GENIOUS.
Whose temper is worst? we both have a bad temper... a few times joe has blown up, but he brushes things off pretty well - i blow up all the time, and i scream and yell and threaten like a mad woman.
Who does the laundry? me...
Who does the dishes? me...
Who pays the bills? joe or me... depends...
Who mows the lawn? joe
Who cooks dinner? Mcdonalds... Lean Cuisine...
Who drives when you are together? Joe - he and i both agree i am a terrible driver.
Who is more stubborn? we both are.
Who is the first to admit that they are wrong? me - joe is never wrong ;)
Who's parents do you see the most? Joe's - mine live too far away.
Who kissed who first? Joe - can you believe it??? i was SUCH a lady. we were 'hangin out' for almost 3 months before he made a move! our 1st kiss wasnt till he FLEW out to mesa to visit me! can you believe it? that is prob why we got married - FINALLY someone i didnt kiss on (or even before) our first date!
Who asked who out? Joe - he 1st had to kick his 'old trash' to the curb but as soon as he met me he was IMMEDIATELY smitten!!! ;)
Who purposed? Joe - and i was SOOO surprised. i wasnt even expecting it... i thought maybe it would happen in several months but WOAH he just popped the question - i couldnt believe it. but that is why i fell in love with him - he is so spontaneous!
Who has more friends? i think i am generally the more social one... but he has a lot of friends too...
Who wears the pants in the family? Joe - i am the submissive perfect 1950s wife. seriously.

NOW I TAG... EVERYONE!

It must be Thursday

yes, it is YET another verbose and imageless blog post from me.

I have been really busy lately. Every time I am busy, I think of my MOM. She is the queen of independance, and productivity. Seriously, if there is a spare 30 minutes in a day, it is spent cleaning out a closet or getting a project done...I remember my mom always saying "time expands to fit the purpose". Well, mom, you would be proud of all I have gotten done in the last 2 days. BUT, rather than listing it all out (which is exhausting to even think about), I will just say that everything I have done is pretty brainless (like in sewing, running errands, sewing, waiting at appointments, cleaning, kid stuff, school stuff... etc.), and my thoughts have had lots of time for wandering.

If you couldn't tell where this was going, let me just say I have been thinking a lot about my MOM - she was a 'work widow' with 6 kids... I dont know how she did it. We were crazy children, but my mom dealt with us SOOO well. Here, I feel like I am going NUTS, but she handled it all with grace and I am just so impressed with her and all she was able to do. Right now, I am really lonely - Joe has been so busy this week we have hardly had time to talk (our phone conversations have been there, but BRIEF)... I keep trying to feel sorry for myself, but I think of her, and the MILLIONS of other people who have done it without complaining... LUCKILY, my spouse gets home tonight (late). We will hopefully have a good weekend, and I will be recharged for the week ahead.

I just wanted to say how amazed I am by the strength my mom had while we were growing up. Mom, you are awesome, and someday I want to be just like you! I am so glad she is going to move out closer to me! I am SO lucky!

Quick update

Here is my FF avatar - ya, i am WT and proud!

1. This week's football was depressing to say the least - I managed to eek out a win in 1800EatCrap and Junior Varsity (where i remain undefeated) but I lost in the other leagues. Even more depressing was the Cowboy's game Sunday afternoon. Joe and i flew home from the reunion just in time to catch it - but, it turned out to be depressing. We had to take a while to mourn. But, I guess I was happy for the college football upsets. Those always make me smile. (sorry LSU fans)

2. I finally took my kids to the dentist for the 1st time ever. They had no cavities - but I do... tomorrow I am going back...

3. I got my body fat tested at the gym. The trainer said that my % was fine, but i should really try to eat better and be more effective in my workouts if I ever wanted results. um, i knew that already.

4. I am really tired, and would like to just sit or sleep all day... but i cant.

Greatful Monday

Today I am grateful for:

blogs. I LOVE reading about, looking at pictures, and catching up on people. I was happy to see some blogging people at the reunion I went to as well. People who need to blog so I can keep better in touch with them: Becky, Emily (all of the Emilys from mesa), Lacey, Teri... oh i wish everyone blogged!

Charity. I am grateful for all my kids, but today, Charity woke up and wanted to make everyone's beds. I didnt even ask her. She came downstairs and said, "Mom, come look! I made the beds" sure enough, all the beds were made as good as a 4 yr old can make them. Seriously, how sweet!

My 10 Year Reunion

So, I went to my 10 year HS reunion last weekend. I must admit, I LOVED IT!!!
I was so overwhelmed! It was so fun to catch up with everyone and see them again!
After 10 years, pretty much everyone is STILL THE SAME. I just wish I would have taken more pictures! I also wish I could have spent more time catching up with people too! High school was so fun for me! I was thrilled to see so many of those people who were in my life (at that crucial time) and see how they are doing, and see that they are happy etc... It makes me miss MESA. Thanks, Joe, for being such a good sport. Also, thanks for upgrading us to 1st class on the way home - I was so tired, and it made that EARLY flight SO MUCH BETTER! I have the best husband in the world!

What a game

All I can say is WOW, what a game! To be honest, I gave up, it was so ugly, I had to turn my head. This comeback will go down in history - 2 mins left - TD, failed 2ptConv. RECOVERED onside kick... couple passes down field, 54 yd fieldgoal to WIN!!!WOW. What a game. Go Cowboys!!!!! (it was an ugly win, but i'll take it!)
ps, i won all 4 of my fantasy matchups for this week as a result ;) I am glad i picked up Crayton.... again, i know the way the wind is blowing with my BOYS!!!

Grateful Sunday (woops Monday)

Today I am grateful for:
1. A husband that has a job. Today I spent some money (I hope he is not mad) and although I had a twinge of guilt, it passed. Thanks for supporting me Joe! ;)
2. The kids had a day off school today. It was fun to spend the day hanging out with them for a change (especially Aaron, who I never get to see anymore). We took Joe to the airport(I need both cars this week), went to the gym, hung out with Phanelb and her kids A, B, and C Farnsworth, and went to the pumpkin patch... all before 4pm, now we can just hang out at home cause football practice is cancelled cause of rain!! (hey steph, how convenient is it that your kids names start with A, B and C... did you plan that?)
3. My sweet children. They are so patient with me and easygoing. PLUS they are cute and fun and sweet and well, here are some pics from the pumpkin patch.

Six Flags

So, last night, we went to six flags (just Joe and I and some friends and NO kiddos)

I was so excited cause we finally got a chance to ride rides together and not take turns with the kids etc. I have always loved roller coasters. I thought I was so tough. But alas, my physical age is taking over my mental, and after riding front row (as shown in this video) of the MR FREEZE RIDE:

I was not feeling like my usual self. I thought the feeling would pass... so we rode on the BATMAN ride. I TOTALLY BLACKED OUT! What???? Needless to say, I sat out of most of the other rides for the evening, but I couldn't resist the TITAN... So, here we are the morning after, and i am STILL spinning and feeling nauseous. Even with my little 'hang over' as a consequence (no alchohol involved), I TOTALLY LOVED it! ;)

EEEEWWWWW

so, i was walking by my powder bathroom turning out lights and i saw a HUGE spider.

out of instinct, i grabbed a nearby shoe, and proceeded to smash it. all of a sudden hundreds of tiny spiders started crawling out of the dead mother. seriously, i have the heebiegeebies just posting about it. joe called and is almost home... i think i am going to leave this for him to clean up????

Man Jaw

My jaw began popping shortly after Joe & I got married (8 yrs ago). I always felt like my bite was wrong - like it didn't know where to go. My jaw was ALWAYS tired and sore. I couldn't hold my mouth open without my jaw locking and cramping. I couldn't bite into hamburgers. FINALLY, I decided to go see an orthodontist and see if it wasn't just a problem with my bite. (Thanks Dave F. for the idea). I went to a HIGHLY recommended orthodontist here, and my appointment went like this:

He looked at my teeth and how they allign; he did x-rays; he talked to me and heard my complaints. All these things in my mind pointed to TMJ. I sat in the chair and he felt my jaw and looked at me when I bit down. What did BOTH Dr. Collins and his assistant say? "Your jaws are like Arnold Schwartzenager's! The muscles in there are so PUMPED". The final diagnosis? In my own words: Man Jaw. So, I have since been fitted with this masterpiece, and hopefully this will fix (or at least help me relax) my Man Jaw issues.

Don't mind the orange paint on my nose, Charity and I did an art project before we (like any good WT family) went to McDonalds for dinner ;)

Fantasy Football Update

So, I thought I would take a minute and recap (brag) about my fantasy football performance thus far. Here is the breakdown of the 4 leagues I am in:

Matchup for Week 4:

Junior Varsity League

(4-0) My team: 114.38
Star Performers:
Tom Brady - 21.64
Joseph Addai -15.73
Jason Witten - 10.73 - GO COWBOYS!
Disappointments:
Steve Smith - 2.13 (WHY DIDNT HE SHOW UP???)
DeShaun Foster - 3.4 (after 2 fumbles might get him booted off my team)

VERSUS: (1-3)Jeff: 65.96
Stars:
DEF Chicago - 19.0
Disappointments:
Donovan McNabb - 1.72

End Result??? VICTORY For ME!!!!! :)

1800EatCrap League

(2-2)Me: 84.84
Star Performers:
Jon Kitna - 16.11
T.J. Houshmandzadeh - 13.6 (My MAN!!!)
Barrett Ruud - 7 (I am glad I paid attention to news and notes, cause this guy ROCKS!)
Disappointments:
Marion Barber - 4.8 (my man is injured- but my cowboys NEED him to get better!!!)
San Diego DEF - 6.0 seriously, what happened to this team????

VERSUS: (2-2)Joe: 53.93
Stars:
N/A
Disappointments:
Carson Palmer - 7.85 (ok joe, for this week ONLY am i OK about you snaking him from me)
Anthony Henry - 2.0 (i am really sad cause he ROCKS and i hope he is better soon cause cowboys need him to get LOTS of interceptions!)

End Result??? MY VICTORY!!!! - joe, my sorry team beat YOU!!! YAY! in all fairness, i didnt see this one coming, and had palmer had a better game, maybe you would be the one bragging here.

TheTexasTussle2 League

(2-2)My Team: 153.95
Stars:
Peyton Manning - 36.35
DEF Chicago - 53.4 (still going strong for me!!!)
Barrett Ruud - 11.0 again, i was glad to add him to my team this week.
Disappointments:
Chad Johnson - 6.3 (Cincinnati just had a bad game???)
Todd Heap - 3.6 (now, i had him last year, and he seemed to get me a TD almost every game... he hasnt shown up yet)

VERSUS: (1-3) Jeff: 65.96
Stars:
DEF Chicago- 19.0
Disappointments:
Donovan McNabb - 1.72 really, i saw this coming - ever since his knee injury, he isnt the same. ya, he had a few good games, but i really think this is indicative of the type of player he has become - seriously, he is always blaming SOMEONE even pulling the race card? but i really think his prob isnt ONLY that he didnt have westbrook or his O-line was terrible - I think he is really STIFF and cant move around like he use to. 12 sacks come from being SLOW. that is why i didnt rush to pick him up this year in any of our live drafts... he was a STAR last year, but hmmm what is he this year?

End Result? MY VICTORY!!!!! :)

Consolation League:

(1-2)Me: 66.11
Stars:
Joseph Addai - 15.73 i picked him up game 2 of last year, and i fell in LOVE with him - i had a feeling he would be a LOT better than LT, and any of those other higher ranked RBs... i am just SOOO smart huh.
Disappointments:
Donovan McNabb - 1.72 i already gave my little spiel about him. lets just say this league was auto draft, so i got him. i am not quite ready to drop him (following Joe's logic, he didnt get me negative points, so he didnt lose his place on my roster JUST YET)
Marvin Harrison - 0.53 i will blame this on his injury, and hope he gets better
Chad Johnson - 3.53
Marion Barber - 4.8
DEF Miami - -1.0 Ok, this team got me negative points, so, will henceforth NOT be on my roster.
Anthony Henry - 2.0 I will blame his lack of production solely to his injury, and i wish him a speedy recovery

VERSUS: (2-1)Michelle: 102.22
Stars:
Tom Brady - 21.64
Randy Moss - 18.8 Michelle has a great duo working for her... i think this pair (at least in points production) will be even better than manning-harrison or wayne
Adrian Peterson - 12.77
Disappointments:
Joey Galloway - 0.47

End Result??? LOSS :(
HOWEVER, notice that i had a lot of supposedly GREAT players that had a really disappointing game, while Michelle had stars, and only 1 disappointment. now i am left with injuries and bye weeks...

Overall, i feel pretty good... still lots of room for improvement.

Grateful Sunday (Woops, Monday)

Today I am grateful for the RS broadcast that I actually went to. Ya, I always seem to forget about them, but this time I actually WENT!
I am just really grateful for the inspiration. I am motivated to be a better person now.

I am also grateful for my kids. I just tried a hurry-up throw the kids in bed, and didn't do prayers. WELL, I just caught my sweet son Aaron sneaking into Charity's room to say prayers - just the 2 of them. Standing downstairs, I was able to hear the prayer they said - they remembered people who are sick, and they prayed for eachother to not be scared. Seriously, HOW CUTE IS THAT????