Sun Wheel

I love this video so much. We were on the Sun Wheel at Disneyland's California Adventure. If you click that link you will see that it is a giant ferris wheel with gondolas that either stay still or swing along a track. Of course, being the thrill seekers that we are, we chose the swinging one.
When we came over the top, Matthew and Dillon freaked out, but Zachy went, "weehee!"
The next time we taped him. His reaction wasn't as great, but it was still cute!

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One last post before I call it a night

Remember that post I wanted to write about being overwhelmed? Well, my goodness.
Tonight was Adventurers. I hate this night because we don't get home till after 9 and the kids are so wound up, it is crazy. So, I'm working on getting the kids in bed, and everyone settled down when Collin grabs a big science glass thermometer and DROPS it on the hard floor. Of course it shattered. At that point he got sent straight to bed.
While I was cleaning that up, I hear "plop plop". Zachy was in the kitchen, dropping eggs on the floor!! What has gotten into them??
Thank heavens Matt is coming home tomorrow morning!!
Zachy got in trouble too, but not sent to bed because he took a really late nap.
Sheesh. I tell ya.
Note to self ~~~~ REMEMBER THE I LOVE YOU NOTES, AND THE SPONTANEOUS "I LOVE YOU MOMMY'S"

So what do you think of me?

I stole this from Leslie (over at crayons etc.)
Go here and click on the words you think describe me.
Fun for all!!

Yay it worked

Well that last one worked, so here's another one. So far, the only ones I've had any luck with are of Matthew. I can only seem to get them off my digital camera, and not my camcorder. Matt may have to work on that for me.
Anyway, there is something about this video. It is so typical 8 year old boy, and so home movie-ish. For some reason it makes me laugh hysterically. I think because Matthew isn't normally like this. No idea what got into him this night!

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Video from Disneyland

I'm testing out this video adding stuff. If this works, it is a video from Disneyland. Matthew was brave enough to be part of the singing group thing.

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Speaking of love..

While I was writing that last note to Vicki, I felt something in my hair.
Matthew was giggling and a rolled up tiny piece of paper fell off my head.
When I unrolled it, it said, "I love you" Well, actually it said, "I love yoy" But that is beside the point. Unless he actually misspelled SOY. Then we'd be in trouble. LOL

Thankis Vicki

I'm not sure I like the windows. They just kind of look dirty. We'll see what Matt thinks of them when he gets home tomorrow.

Wasn't meant to complain

I was just trying to write a post about feeling completely overwhelmed today. Blogger wouldn't let me post it.
I was in here helping the boys with school and I heard Collin saying, "I love you hachary...I love you hachy"
That's much better to post! Collin's been telling my he loves me out of the blue like crazy. It's so nice.
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We met our new pediatrician yesterday. He was really nice, and we are happy with the change.
He told me that his son is allergic to fire ants so he doesn't take this lightly. He said that if you were bit on the hand and your arm swelled they would consider that a very bad reaction. The fact that he had hives all up his back and his other leg makes it a severe reaction. So he says no messing around with it.
He also said it would be best if he wore long pants, socks, and shoes all summer. IN TEXAS!! WHAT?!?!?
I'm glad we will be spending most of the summer in Idaho. Because even though the doctor said to consider him allergic to all insect bites, at least you see the yellow jackets coming. Ya know? These fire ants, you don't see them. When Zach was bit, we were at the park, which is all pebbles. There was no mound. They just lived there. Once Zach started screaming we were able to look down and see the swarm, but until then, you didn't notice it.
Maybe by next year it will easier to get him to understand how dangerous they are to him.
Then again maybe not. Last summer, the card. said he wants Zachy to wear a 24 hour halter monitor this year, that he would be old enough to understand. Are you kidding me? It would have been easier last year, we'll see how that goes!

Totally forgot!

I totally forgot to tell you that I painted my windows in the door.
They look like something from the 70s. I just did frost colored swirls. On some of the panes I did green swirls, but you really can't see the color at all, it is just a clearer look.
It isn't all pretty like Matt wanted. But it did exactly what I wanted. Made it so you can't see through the window, yet all the light still comes pouring in. YAY!!
And for those of you who worry about these things (you know who you are!) it is totally removable.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.
Today is also A Day For Hearts. National Congential Heart Disease Awareness Day.
Bet you didn't know that, did you? Bet you just thought it was another romantic day. And it is. It's just also a day for us to spread awareness of chd, and a special day to remember all the children lost to CHD. And a day to reflect on our good fortune.
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I went out last night and bought lots of spring stuff. OK, one long flower box, flowers, a bird feeder hanger, and two bird feeders. Of course, I had to get seed and dirt too.
I planted most of the flowers last night, and today they look a little under the weather. Hopefully, they'll perk up. I have some left over, and I will plant them down below the porch in the ugly flower bed. I figure if I have to be here for 3 more years, I might as well make it a haven.
Wal*Mart has such cute stuff right now. I could have bought it all. Like a gazing ball pedastal with wind chimes hanging below. It was so pretty. But Matt hates gazing balls. I need something.
Our house is stukko so we can't really attach anything to the house, so it all needs to sit on the floor.
Anyhow, I'm off to meet the new pediatrician today. Should be fun!

Flower Help and other rambles

I have such bad spring fever. I know that seems impossible to most of you in the cold states, but here it is so pretty.
We have a little patio out back with railings, and I would like to get some of those flower pots that hang over the railing.
My problem is that it is pretty shady back there. What flowers would go good in shade? I am just so ready for some blooms. It doesn't look like anyone previously has ever planted any bulbs, so not luck there.
I may buy some potted tulips for my desk, just for color.
So if you know of a great flower, that would survive the shade, and sometimes cold temps (it's been in the 40s some nights here), please let me know.
I'd take pictures of the area, but Matt has the camera.
Which is why I couldn't take pictures of Zachy's foot! But here's a visual, all the previous bites, are now scabs. How's that for lovely?!
I ordered my diapers, and I'm EXCITED! No more running out of diapers when you are at the ER! Hooray!
I miss Matt tremendously. I don't know why. Just the knowledge that he won't be here for dinner. Makes for a lazy day, that's for sure. Actually though, I'm currently bleaching the guinea pig cage (without them in it, of course) and catching up on laundry. The house is mostly clean, I know what we are having for dinner (mini pizzas), school is done, and I toned this morning. So it hasn't been a total waste.
Tomorrow, we go to the new ped. I'm pretty excited about that. They seem so nice. Just hope I can find my way.

Masterpiece

While making lunch, the boys were making stuff out of popsicle sticks.

Dillon, "look mommy, I'm a masterpiece"

Matthew, " no, you're an artist"

Dillon, "Oh, and You're a masterpiece"

Guess it's time for an art lesson!

POOP!!!

I have noticed that Matt always escapes the ickies of parenthood. Ok, that's not entirely fair. He has done his share of poop and puke clean up. It just seems that everytime he is gone, I encounter such yuckies.
I vividly remember him being gone for the weekend back when we lived in Ohio. Matthew, Dillon, Collin, and myself all had some tummy upset. Nothing would stay down, and it was coming out both ends of all of us. Matthew and myself were the only ones able to make it to the toilet. Oh my, that was FUN!
But on to current issues. The antibiotics have given Zachy the runs like nobodies business. His bum is so red. I actually stopped them yesterday, so I'm hoping for a slow down on the poop fest. This morning I let him roam sans dipe. My stairs are covered in poop. Poor thing. Did I mention I'm the only one around who has stairs with carpet? I normally love that fact, but not today!!
So last night, against the warnings of sweet Robin I broke out my really old Fuzzi Bunz. I knew that their big selling point is the ability of the fleece to wick away any moisture from the skin, and it seemed so much softer than the Huggies.
I've fallen in love with them again. The first thing (and this is WAY too much info, sorry) is that is absorbed so much more of the liquid part of the movement so it didn't even send him into fits of screaming as soon as he pooped. The second was that overnight, they really did keep him dry, and his bum is looking a little less red today.
This brings me to my current predicament. I had a stash of Fuzzi Bunz when Collin and Zachy were in the medium size. Well, when I say I pulled out my OLD FBZ I mean OLD. They are missing a lot of elastic and are just too small anyway. I had sold all the "usable" dipes some time ago.
I'm thinking I want to reinvest. I can get a stock of 12 dipes with inserts for $146. I figure 12 should be plenty for a toddler. I have $50 budgeted a month for diapers. Do the math. I could start saving $50 a month in a mere 4 months. The only drawback for me, is that if I go back to cloth, I go knowing I'm taking on all diapering duties. Matt doesn't like cloth. Which really, isn't a huge deal because he's gone all the time anyway.
So, I'm already thinking of places to string my clothesline, because nothing warms my heart like cloth dipes drying on a clothesline!!
What do you all think? Should I make the move back?
Oh and along the diaper line, Collin has been dry for nights now. We told him he was a big boy and no more pull ups! So far so good!

NOOOOOOO

I just wrote a whole post about Matt leaving for Florida, and Zach's foot getting better, and getting more familiar with this city, and and and....and now it's gone. UGH!!
Anyway, I guess it didn't need a long entry because really, what I said is right up there. In a nutshell. What a pain.

OK I lied

I have to say one more thing today. Heehee.
The boys are holding their frogs, which reminded me..shortly after we got them, we realized that Collin's had a really cloudy eye. Since then, it has turned red and essentially died, the eye that is.
I just think it is funny that with all the frogs we had to choose from, we chose the one with the bad eye.
It's made life interesting, I'll tell ya that. We have to help him see the crickets by turning the frog with it's good eye towards the crickets. Poor thing!

Feeling fortunate

Maybe this will be the last entry today! I'm being chatty, I know.
I just wanted to say how lucky we are.
I'm a member of a listserv (grandma, this is an email group that you subscribe to) that is for parents of kids with TAPVR (there's a specific link over on the side for TAPVR). Zachy has had no problems whatsoever since his surgery. I assumed that's how most TAPVR kids were. But being on this list, I see that we are some of the luckiest people. Many TAPVR kids, DON'T do well. Many right now, are going through more surgeries, and there are parents who have lost their kids to TAPVR. Praise God we have come this far, and are probably in the clear forever.
Keep all the CHD kids in your prayers.

New Links

So I've been informed by some people that the blogs I link to are quite sad.
And yes, I do have a few links to people who have lost babies.
I've added more "up" links. Half the people don't know I exist, but that's ok, because I still read them. LOL
So why do I feel the need to have links up to blogs of people I really can't relate to? Having an early miscarriage does not make you able to understand infant death. Likewise, nearly losing your infant doesn't make you able to understand either.
I really have nothing in common with these women.
Except that we are all mothers. I feel these women just want to be heard. They want someone to acknowledge the fact they even though their baby has passed, they are still mothers. They want to tell their story, to anyone who will listen.
As a fellow mother, I need to support them. And so I will continue to link.

Pictures galore

Because I know you all want to see Zachy's foot everyday, here it is today.



After I took that picture, Collin decided we needed to have some camera fun. Matthew and Dillon were playing on the computer, which is why they aren't here. And Matt had to go into work today!

It's a Zach attack!!



The boys were attacking me, so we decided to attempt a portrait. LOL I look terrible here!



Here's just me and Collin.



My self portrait. I'm such a plain Jane! Sheesh.



Collin decided to take some self pics. Here's his first attempt!



After he saw it, he said, "oh I forgot to smile" So here's his smile!!


Then he caught me kissing Zachy. So sweet.



Here I am after he told me to make a silly face. This is such a horrid picture!!

Swing and Jab

Yesterday, we picked up Zach's EpiPen. We will get specific instructions on how to use it on Tuesday. But the dr wanted us to have it in case he got stung before then.
We were instructed to read through the directions to be familiar with it in case the dreaded happens.
So I'm reading them to Matt. Once you open the thing you are to lightly place it on the outer thigh, then swing and jab it into the thigh until it clicks.
OK, Matt assures me that if Z were in anaphylactic shock, I would be able to do this, but oh my, the thought of swinging and jabbing something into my baby's thigh...turns my tummy.
We're all praying really hard that this is something we never have to do!!!

Ramble Ramble

Zachy's foot is looking better. Less red today. He isn't going to let me take a picture though. Stinkpot.
In answer to Char's question, I'm not sure how long they take to heal. His bites always seem to last longer than normal, so we'll see. Even on antibiotics, the bites look worse than normal. And by normal I mean how they look on everyone else!
I just hope we are able to get a shoe on him before long. Normally, for him, the bites are icky at least 2 weeks. Should be fun! :-(
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Matt is finally the proud owner of an ipod. Ooooh, I'm jealous. Fun stuff I tell ya! He's leaving tomorrow for Florida and wanted to have it before then. So, he has it now, and has been busy playing with it.
I'm all ready for him to leave. Not that I want him to go, but I'm just prepared. Netflix sent me some chick flicks, and I've been recording ER and not watching it. I'll watch it when he's gone.
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Due to recent events, I've not been able to exercise the last two nights. Last night I was just plain tuckered out and conked out instead of exercising. Tonight, I must start again.
I woke up with a terrible headache though, and took some Excedrin Migraine, and now I feel quite loopy. Hopefully that will go away soon.
Alright, I'm outta here. Things to do, kids to play with!