Be true to your school...

I just love the Beach Boys. They had a way with lyrics, didn't they?

So, Jacob finished his first week of school, not too many tears were shed. He was one excited little boy. Here's the play by play of his first day...
As always, check out the smile. He was so exciting getting in the car he didn't want to take off his backpack to put his seatbelt on.

This guy, you know? Next to the school field, by the car. You can see me, Malia and Britin in the car's reflection. Could he smile any bigger?

Britin thinks she is going to be with Jacob, little does she know. On the sidewalk, making our way down to the back door (I guess now it is considered the front door since the original front door is closed for construction).

Almost there...

We made it. He opened the door for all of us, what a gentleman!

At the door (I made him come back out for this shot, he was actually the first kid in the classroom).

Putting the backpack away FIRST. Mrs. Walker showing him the ropes.

Waiting for class reading time and instructions. I'd say front and center, but he prefers the side.

So, now to explain the tears, I have to give a little background. When Kylie started Kindergarten 2 years ago Dalen and I dropped her off. She walked ahead of us the whole way, excited to get there. She went right into the classroom and did her thing. No tears for her. I bawled like a baby. I think there might have been a few tears shed from Dalen's eyes too, but don't quote me on that (and definitely don't tell him I told you that). As we walked back out the car, wiping tears I ran into my friend, Carla, whose son was in Kylie's class. She opened the door to her van, her son jumped out and she waved to him. I stopped to talk to her for just a minute, admitting that I cried. She said, just wait, there won't be tears next time. (This was her 2nd in school.)

Fast forward to the present time, no tears, just excitement for my son to start school. He had a great experience last year in preschool and I think that really helped both of us to prepare for kindergarten this year.

He made it almost the whole week without any tears. Friday, as I was dropping him off, he made it part of the way down the sidewalk. I always stay until I see him go through the doors. He stopped before he got there. Then he turned around, tears streaming down his face. He walked back to the car, wiping his eyes and said, "I just miss you mom." How can I resist helping that cute little guy? I took him down the sidewalk and waited in the hallway with him, trying as hard as I could to make him smile while we waited. Finally his teacher showed up and I took him into the classroom, dropped off his backpack and took him to his favorite seat, in the front and to the side. There were still a few tears when I walked out, but I talked to the teacher and she was very attentive to him. I really like her. I doubt I could have had a better teacher for him.

When he got home there was excitement mixed with a little sweat. The kids are excited for every chance I let them walk home. Funny how I dreaded having to walk to and from school when I was little and now my kids think it is a treat.

Through the Eyes of Kylie

Okay, so I am slow getting Kylie's answers to the questions, but here they are...

1. What is something that mom always says to you? I love you.
2. What makes mom happy? Listening
3. What makes mom sad? Me not listening
4. How does your mom make you laugh? By saying, "You're not good at jokes." (Ummm, sure)
5. What was your mom like as a child? like me (sure was)
6. How old is your mom? 32 (way to go, I totally forgot I was 32- when she said it I had to calculate it out- she was right)
7. How tall is your mom? 66 inches (I'm actually 67 inches, but she only knew this because she and Jacob were playing with the tape measure earlier in the day and wanted to measure just about everything, which included me).
8. What is her favorite thing to do? read (that's my girl!)
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? work (I do that even when she is around, I consider housework- work!)
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Like a rockstar, cause you sing good(apparently she thinks that the radio voices are mine. I turn it up when I sing so no one can hear me sing out of tune).
11. What is your mom good at? reading
12. What is your mom not very good at? I don't know (kiss-up! She really wanted to said something like doing a french braid)
13. What does your mom do for her job? goes on the computer for letters (to put it simply)
14. What is your mom's favorite food? tacos (not my favorite, but I do enjoy them)
15. What makes you proud of your mom? when she teaches me stuff, like how to be a mom (totally cute answer)
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? You remind me of Minnie- like Mickey Mouse, but the girl. (At this point I told her she needed to give real answers, not just answers she thinks I want to hear. So she told me she would tell the truth now- OUCH!)
17. What do you and your mom do together? Snuggle
    
18. How are you and your mom the same? We have blue eyes.
19. How are you and your mom different? My hair is long, your hair is short.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? You tell me.
21. What does your mom like most about your dad? That he's nice to us, that he is good.
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Sonics, cause you get shakes from there (Actually it is slushes, but nice job on a great answer!)

Kylie wants to tag: Kaylee and Tasha

Through the Eyes of Jacob

Bethany tagged Jacob and Kylie, so this is the first of 2 for today. These are questions I had to ask Jacob, and the answers are what HE said. I am totally forewarning you that many answers make absolutely no sense. Just go with it. I haven't quite figured out how I feel about some of the answers. See for yourself...

1. What is something mom always says to you? Calls me "handsome."
2. What makes mom happy? Me
3. What makes mom sad? Not listening
4. How does your mom make you laugh? Makes funny faces (no, that is just my regular face).
5. What was your mom like as a child? toys (not sure what that means, but it is what he said).
6. How old is your mom? 12 (really?)
7. How tall is your mom? that tall (pointing to my head)
8. What is her favorite thing to do? Play with me
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Work on stuff, on the computer.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Star (not sure about this one either).
11. What is your mom really good at? Working (sad commentary on my life)
12. What is your mom not very good at? working on the computer sometimes (this one makes me laugh- I guess he has heard me tell Dalen more than once to fix it because I have no idea how)
13. What does your mom do for her job? Be's nice (sure)
14. What is your mom's favorite food? Basgetti (spaghetti)- pretty close, it is in my top 10 favorites.
15. What makes you proud of your mom? To listen
16. If your mom was a cartoon character, who would she be? The girl on Ben 10 (does anyone know if she is cool?)
17. What do you and your mom do together? Be nice
18. How are you and your mom the same? Same eyes and smile (I am sure on the eyes, but not on the smile. He has a killer smile!)
19. How are you and your mom different? You're big, I'm little.
20. How do you know your Mom loves you? I listen to Jesus (I thought this was a cute answer).
21. What does your mom like most about your dad? She plays with him (I'm not sure what he means, but I am hoping it is not what you are all thinking- he has never walked in on us).
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? To work and to the park to play on our bikes (I don't know about my favorite, but I do enjoy my job and I love taking the kids to the park).

Jacob tags: Sam, Austin and Morgan

Wordless Wednesday

I have a few friends who do this, so I am joining the crowd on this idea. No thoughts, just pictures.

The Sounds of My Life

Thought this was way fun and interesting too!

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the "next" button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool!


Opening Credits: Journey to the Past- Anastasia Soundtrack
Waking Up: Viva la Vida- Coldplay
First Day At School: Gimme, Gimme, Gimme- ABBA
Falling In Love: Can't Help Falling In Love- Michael Buble (not kidding)
Fight Song: The Hook- Blues Travelers
Breaking Up: All For Love- Three Musketeers Soundtrack
Prom: I Wish It Would Rain Down- Phil Collins & Eric Clapton
Life's OK: Ready, Set, Don't Go- Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus
Mental Breakdown: Tiny Dancer- Tim McGraw
Driving: Friend Nobody Likes- Dane Cook (I must be THAT friend!)
Flashback: The Remedy- Jason Mraz
Getting Back Together: You Can't Hurry Love- Phil Collins
Wedding: Take A Chance On Me- ABBA
Birth of Child: Papa Don't Preach- Madonna (SERIOUSLY- this is not a true portrait of my first child!!!)
Final Battle: Take A Look At Me Now- Phil Collins
Death Scene: Should've Known Better- Richard Marx
Funeral Song: Big Girls Don't Cry- Fergie
Credits: Braveheart Theme- Enya

I think a few are hilarious. I don't know why but the funniest one to me is the mental breakdown- Tiny Dancer. There are a few that really work and ones that are the complete opposite, which is funny to me.

I tag anyone who wants to do this. It was actually really fun to do.

PiggyTails

Dalen had fun with Malia while I was at work. He wanted to make sure she looked like a girl. Honestly, I know she is a girl. She looks like a girl, doesn't she? Anyway, he did her hair. I thought that was so cute. How many dads do their daughter's hair? He did a great job, too.

Lot of FUN!

Last week I had Sherry and Laina over for a great day. The kids kept each other busy while we crafted! Sherry had a great idea to make the cute flower clips for our girls. We had such a fun time. Those ladies kill me. Thanks to Sherry and Laina for a memorable day, and for letting your kids come over.
Laina modeling her creation. Looks great with her shirt.

Look at our mess! It sure was fun, though. We each got a pretty good-sized bag of cute hair clips.
Concentrating hard... don't mess it up!

Look at that pretty one. Our girls are going to look so beautiful!

And so it begins...

The endless days of carpool, getting up by 7am, making lunches, running around, making it home in time for school to let out, the homework, reading, math, making friends, volunteering, and all other things that begin once that school bell rings on the first day.

Kylie was out the door this morning, looking snazzy in her new school outfit. She was excited/nervous for her first day. I am enjoying a little peace and quiet while the other kids are still sleeping.

Yesterday, before I headed off to work Dalen gave each of the kids (minus the baby) a school blessing, following in the family tradition. Each blessing was unique to the child receiving it. It was really great. Dalen is such a great father and very in tune with the Spirit! This is them all getting ready for their blessings. I know we don't look that great. It was a hard day yesterday. Almost everyone in the family has come down with a nasty cough.

And the Countdown Begins...

We had Open House tonight at school, so now we are official on the countdown for the start of school. YEAH! Jacob got to meet his new teacher, Mrs. Walker.

Kylie had to go last night to meet her teacher. She sings in MoTab, so she wasn't able to be at the Open House today. She was really nice. Her name is Mrs. Radulovich. I think I spelled that right.

Can life get any better? Jacob is so excited to start school, Kylie can't wait to go, and Bits is starting preschool this year. Although Kindergarten and Preschool don't overlap, it is still going to be nice to have the kids involved in other things to keep them busy.

I just thought I'd end with a funny picture of Malia, since she is such a ham when I bust out the camera. Okay, so there is more than just one, she is too funny!

1-800-222-1222

In case any of you need to know for future reference, this is the Utah # for poison control. For various reasons, in the past 3 years I have had to make 3 calls to poison control, the most recent call was this morning. I thought that I would give a few helpful hints when calling poison control before I tell the story of this morning...

1. Know the number- I am so thankful for the community calendars that are sent out every year. The number is listed on the top of the calendar! Thanks!
2. Have the bottle(s) of the substance that was swallowed with you. If possible, know approximately how many pills or how much liquid was swallowed.
   
3. Be sure the child(ren) you are calling about is near you, you know their age(s), weight and if any symptoms are showing.
4. Be aware that the child that was playing with the harmful substance is not always the one that ingested said harmful substance. It is a good idea to check on all of your kids.
5. Have a pen and paper handy for any instructions given.

Okay, so now I want to say all of the things that I have learned about my kids today...

1. Child-proof bottle caps are not not child-proof. The manufacturers of these did not take into account children like Britin or Jacob were alive and thriving in the world.
2. Just because I think they are asleep does not mean they really are.
3. If Jacob and Britin have gotten into anything and have left it somewhere Malia is bound to find it and get into whatever she can.
4. Jacob and Britin should be hired by the Mission Impossible people to show them proper stealth techniques. They have the ability to get in and out of a room, carrying items without being detected by light-sleeping parents.
5. Kylie likes to be involved, the center of attention, when I need to be on the phone finding out how to care for my child(ren) that have swallowed an unknown amount of pills.
6. When I say to sit still, I am really telling my kids, in child language, to run and play and make me absolutely insane.

So, now that you all are really wondering, here is what happened this morning. Well, I am going to need to do a Wayne's World squiggly, fuzzy screen, because it actually all started last night. I have been extra tired the past 5 days, taking care of my invalid husband who is still recovering from surgery. At about midnight I finally succumbed to sleep, and not a restful one at that. I am on the couch so Dalen can do his thing if he wants or if he is unable to sleep because he has been sleeping all day. Anyway, so, apparently there is an inner-alarm that goes off in Jacob's and Britin's minds that tell them when it is okay to come sneak upstairs and get into stuff. Sometime between falling asleep and waking up this morning the 2 mischief makers came upstairs, opened the master bedroom door, snuck over to the bedside table that had Dalen's post-surgery medication, grabbed a bottle of meds without waking up Dalen. Next, they brought the bottle into the front room, sat on the couch, next to where I was asleep, and opened the bottle of phenergen (an anti-nausea medication). For some reason I didn't wake up when any of this was going on. Jacob decided not to take any of the medication, so Britin was the guinea pig. She is like "Mikey" from the old Life cereal commercials. She'll try anything. She didn't like it so much because after letting a little bit dissolve in her mouth she spit it out. Then they went into the kitchen, leaving the pills behind, and got into food. And, I didn't hear a thing!

Skip ahead to this morning. Kylie got Malia out of bed when Malia woke up and brought her into the front room. I got up off the couch and get Malia some breakfast, still half asleep. After doing that as quickly as possible and a fast pit stop in the bathroom I headed back to the couch to catch a few zzz's before I absolutely had to get up and get going. Not long after that Kylie woke me up to ask me what Malia was playing with. I looked on the ground next to me and there was Malia, on the ground with Dalen's pills. With eyes mostly shut I hadn't seen the pills all over the couch or ground when I got up to feed Malia. So, I freaked... I ran into the bedroom, trying to count the pills I found on the ground and frantically yelled at Dalen, "how many phenergen pills have you taken?" He said one. I counted 17... where on the bottle did it say how many are supposed to be in there. My hands were shaking so bad I couldn't hold the bottle still long enough to read the label. Finally, there is was, on the bottom- "ct. 20. " I am missing 2... she swallowed 2. I yelled to Kylie to stop trailing me and go back into the front room and sweep the floor again, looking for 2 more pills. I grabbed Malia, gagged her while trying to pull her tongue out to see if there was white pill residue on her tongue. Smelled her breath, nothing. I grabbed the phone anyway- where is the number to poison control. Thanks to the helpful people who make the community calendar, as I mentioned before, the number is listed on the top. I talked to a very nice man named Ed who was patient and tried to keep me calm. He took all necessary information, name of the child, age, weight, item swallowed, how many, dosage of the pills, etc. Then, Dalen came in, he said the pills were on the bedside table when he went to sleep last night. How did Malia get in there? Uh oh, it wasn't just Malia. Where are my mischief makers???? I told Dalen to go check on Jacob and Britin. He said they were asleep downstairs. I told Ed that my 3 year old might have swallowed one or both of the pills. He was finally able to tell me that they didn't take a lethal dosage, and it shouldn't be toxic. The side effects of the pills are extreme sleepiness. But, for some, if taken in too high of a dose, it can cause agitation and hallucinations, rash and redness of skin and eyes. Ed told me to watch for any symptoms and he would call me back in an hour to check on the kids. I thanked him and hung up.

Still not calmed down, I ran downstairs to wake up Jacob and Britin. After much prodding, I found out what really happened. Jacob told me about the midnight excitement that I slept through. He also told me about the couch. I ran upstairs, threw off the couch cushions, and there they were, the 2 missing pills. One was completely intact, the other looked like it had been sucked on a little and spit out, which is exactly what happened. I called Ed back at poison control and told him all pills had been accounted for, the 3 year old was the one that sucked on one pill, she is okay and the 18 month old is doing just fine. WHY, WHY, WHY???? If anyone can answer that question I would greatly appreciate it. Why do they have a radar to get into the exact thing that they shouldn't? Why are they so determined to open up a bottle that they figure out how to open a "child-proof" bottle? Why medicine? Why didn't I wake up? Why didn't Dalen wake up? Why do they have to scare me to death? They may not have caused all of my gray hair, but they have caused the majority of it.

Vegetables of Our Labors...or something like that

So, today has been full, and I will get to explaining the title of today's blog in a minute. But you all might notice a little change in the music selection for my blog. ABBA! Last night my wonderful husband took care of the kids so 4 friends and I were able to take a trip to the theater and watch a GREAT "chick-flick." Yes, very girlie. I wouldn't torture Dalen or myself to make him watch it with me. I was able to fully enjoy it with my friends. We were loud! No holding back on the laughing. It was so great. THANKS to Laina, Shanna, Melinda and Natalie. I had a great time. I am reliving the night by listening to the music.

Okay, now, as for today. Dalen finally had his puss-filled tonsils out. We had to be at the surgical center really early, luckily Dalen's mom lives close to where the center was so she took care of the kids for us, so I could focus on taking care of Dalen. It was quick... Now for the funny part. If any of you have ever had someone you know come out of general anesthesia you know what I am talking about. Dalen was HILARIOUS! That is the only word to describe it. I was laughing so hard I couldn't control the tears. I finally had to take off my glasses because I couldn't see at all. He was reenacting going under the meds with a drunk look on his face. He kept giggling, which was funny since it wasn't his normal laugh. It was kind-of throaty and fast. That really doesn't make sense, I am sure, but as I am trying to describe it I can't help smiling remembering it. I guess I was laughing so hard he thought I was the funny one because then he said, "You're a comedian, hahahahahahahaha." It was great. As if I wasn't already loosing it, I laughed even harder- didn't think it was possible. Just then a nurse was near the recovery area and I turned to her and asked if everyone was this funny. She said, "Yes, you should hear some of the stories." It reminded me of Laina's story of her brother coming out of anesthesia last week at his surgery. Great stories.
I am so grateful, though, because Dalen has been a great patient. He is following Dr's orders and keeping fluids in him, trying to eat soft things and staying down. I know it is boring, but I know if he keeps following the orders he will be able to recover more quickly. Also, I wanted to thank our friend and home teacher for coming over last night to give Dalen a blessing in preparation for the surgery. Dalen was completely at ease.
After a little bit of rest I took a Popsicle into Dalen to keep the cold and fluids going. Malia followed me in. She is such a Daddy's girl. She wanted Daddy to share and also love on her dad.


Okay, now for the title explanation...

Instead of fruits of our labors, Kylie and I worked on vegetables. She and I picked our first crop of green beans and snipped them to prepare for bottling. She is a big helper.

A little later I gave Jacob a haircut. Unfortunately Malia was quite excited about the hair on the floor. She sat down in the middle of the falling hair and picked up chunks and put them all over her legs. She loves soft things. Earlier in the evening she got into the laundry baskets and found a dryer sheet. She loves the smell and likes to rub them on her face. These are her strange habits...

I'm not dead, yet...

Okay, I am stealing this header from Sherry because I have been off the blog for so long. I have totally been checking OPB's (other peoples blogs) but have not had enough alone time on the computer to do my own post. So, just so everyone know, I'm not dead...yet.

We have been crazy, as always, around here. We just started up with soccer for Kylie and Jacob and they are both loving it. It even rained on the practice last night and Jacob's team practiced right through it. He was in heaven. Me- I ran to the car, not wanting to get soaked.

On the 24th of July we took the kids to the petting zoo at Thanksgiving Point with my friends, Shanna and Laina. The kids had a blast on the ponies (except for Malia- who held onto me REALLY tight). Jacob got on the biggest horse, Kylie, the second biggest and Malia was on the smallest. Britin had a medium-sized horse. They all did so good, not even needing help.


The kids loved looking at all of the animals. They also got to go in "Jail" which was pretty fun- except too easy for them to escape.



Later that night we jaunted over to my friend Laina's house for fireworks and a latenight outside movie. I love the ideas Laina comes up with to do with the kids. She and Shanna are so wonderful to invited our family to all of these great activities. They are planning an end of summer movie night, which we are really looking forward to. YEAH!

One last note. Jacob lost his first tooth last week. His smile just isn't the same. I love his smile still, but I am missing his tooth!

So, a little gross, since this was taken when it was still bleeding a little, but he did it himself and wanted to take a picture. He just kept wiggling the tooth until it popped out. I guess he was really in need of some cash. He loved the silver dollar the tooth fairy left for him. I asked him if he gives loans but he said no. STINGY!