Hospital, Baking, and Christmas

So Bird was in the hospital from Monday night until Wednesday morning. His lung collapsed again. This time it was only a "tiny" collapse... phew! He went in Monday night for pain in his chest and shoulder (which is the same thing that happened last time), they admitted him for observations. The next day he had another xray that showed the collapse had grown slightly. He was told he needed to stay another night and that the surgeon would be in to talk with him in the morning. Morning rolls around, he gets a CT scan and finds out there is a small amount of fluid in his lung now. The surgeon says surgery will be scheduled for Thursday morning (today). Bird says no. He doesn't want surgery is there anyway around it? The surgeon says yes. You can go home as long as you come in for follow-ups with the pulmenologist weekly until the lung gets better or worse, but surgery is probably in your furture. Bird says awesome... I want to go home. So he's home. YAY! We are all so relieved that he is home and feeling pretty good. We prayed he would be home for Christmas. Thank you, God, thank you.
Christmas makes me want to bake. Stress makes me want to bake. So over the last 3 days I have baked... and baked... and baked! A LOT! I have made 15 dozen cookies and 7 dozen pizzelles. Oh and I made 5 batches of play dough. I know. That's a lot. I told you.
Now for Christmas... it's tomorrow! I'm so excited I can hardly contain it! I've been dancing around the house, singing Christmas songs, BAKING! hahaha. Wrapping presents, shopping, being happy. I love Christmas. I love December. It is by far the most difficult time of year for us every single year, but I love it just the same. It's my favorite month of the year. Hands down, no contest.

1 More Makes 4!

Yep... Coming August 2010.

Have I mentioned how much I love babies?

Where The Heck Did That Come From?!

Straight out of LEFT FIELD! That's where! Jeez... IT'S DECEMBER!!!!! Holy cow. And the 2nd day of it no less. What the heck!?! So anyway before I know it, it will be January. This is just getting to be ridiculous... one minute it's September and then it's the new year! SO ANYWAY! Next subject... we have a lot planned for December, just like everyone else I'm sure. We are going to Utah in a couple of weeks, then after Christmas we are taking the kids up to Heber for a night so we can play in the snow. Last year, well, actually this year in January, we took Scott and Ben up to a little past Payson to play in the snow... it was so much fun that we are going to stay longer and bring Zac this time. I hope it's as much fun as it was last time! Scott still talks about the snowman we built, he even asked to go visit it back in August... unfortunately I had to tell him it had melted no doubt... he was very upset. So then for New Year's we are going to the dunes! Yep, I've never gone before... NEVER. I'm a little nervous about how the boys will do... actually, I'm not. They'll probably be fine, but I'm a little bit crazy about how I take care of them. A bit super strict about some stuff, but then WAY laid back about others... I think it's just that I don't know what to expect as it pertains to my kids, you know? Oh well, I guess I'll find out soon enough. I'm excited though. It should be super fun.

Excited!

I'm really excited! Tonight I get to go see New Moon, tomorrow my sister comes to visit, Saturday is the last soccer game of the season and my dad is getting baptized, and Sunday we are celebrating Thanksgiving (while my sister is still here) and then going over to the in-laws to celebrate a birthday! Very busy weekend up ahead.

6 Years

I can't believe it has been 6 years already that we have been married! It's just nuts. And we've been together for 8. WOW. I guess I have been busy enough for time to fly by though. That's what kids will do.

Happy Anniversary Bird! I love you.

Glorious

So Scott started Kindergarten in August. We had some issues at first. I was a little late coming to terms with the fact that my baby was starting PUBLIC SCHOOL. So freakin scary. Anyway, so in July I interviewed the principle for the school he is zoned for and was enrolled to start at in August. I was okay with it.... until... 2 days before school started was "Meet the Teacher" night. I'm sure she was a nice person and a good teacher. Yeah, yeah, whatever. To be frank, I didn't like her. She didn't acknowledge Scott, except to say "Hi, I'm Mrs. ..." and that was it, no hi this is going to be your room, we will do this and that, and we are going to be learning these things, or we are going to have sssoooo much fun together, I'm really excited to have you in my class.... blah blah blah. Nothing of any of that nature was said or even hinted at. I sssooo didn't like that. Anyway, he had to start school that first day. So he started where he was enrolled at and it was AGONY for us. He went the first day and I thought, well maybe this will be okay I'll just see how things went. He HATED it. :( He was sad, I was sad, we were all sad. BLAH. So day 2 comes out of nowhere and he has to go AGAIN. It was even worse than day 1. arg. So in my totally depressed state I call around to all these schools to see if I can meet teachers and tour schools and whathaveyou, but I wasn't allowed to because school had already started. blah again. I call my mom and talk to her about it (because that's just what I do, I call my mom) then I call my sister and talk to her about it (because again that's just what I do) and my mom is all supportive and like yeah i understand I wouldn't want him to be unhappy either yadayadayada, but my sister is all well that's just the way it is, public schools suck and kids don't like school, so tough shit tell the kid to deal with it. (don't let this reaction fool you, she loves Scott to death, that's just her attitude and ususally mine too, but not this time) So finally I remember that one of my *besties* (haha, I hate when people say that, but for whatever reason I couldn't resist) told me about the school she enrolled her daughter at and that she liked it and really liked the teacher. So I decide to go check it out. So after his 2nd day at his original school I take him over to meet the kindergarten teacher (there's only one because the school is that small) and she is AWESOME! The first thing she does is talk to Scott. She doesn't even acknowledge that I am in the room, she pays full attention to Scott and has a full on conversation with him! The best thing ever! I was so excited to talk to her after they had their convo that I couldn't even think about what I was going to ask her. So she answered all of my questions without me even needing to ask! Ahhhh. It was great. When I say "the" up there it means that she is the one I hoped would be my son's teacher, she is the one I dreamed would be my son's teacher, she is the one I prayed for. It was just wonderful to find her. And she has yet to disappoint. So anyway, day 3 rolls around and he starts at his new wonderful school, I go disenroll him from old crappy school and all is well. No complaints from him, nothing at all. Glorious I tell you, simply glorious.

Read This Blog...

Okay so I was blog surfing the other day and came across this blog,

http://meanmommyacademy.blogspot.com/

SERIOUSLY! Read this blog! It's hilarious! My favorite so far is this one...

http://meanmommyacademy.blogspot.com/2009/09/you-fold-sheets-like-girl.html

Read it... if you are a mom you will love it! And any other woman can appreciate it too!

New Moon

WOW! I'm so excited for New Moon to come out it's crazy! I had no idea I was so excited until last night... for whatever reason I just remembered it was soon and then all of a sudden BAM!!! I was stoked! Crazy... I know, right?!

So last night I finished reading Blood Promise a Vampire Academy novel (which was awesome by the way) and now I'm debating whether or not to re-read New Moon before the movie comes out. Anyway... yay! I'm so excited!

I'm am so Team Edward...

But OH! MY! GOSH!

is this boy nice to look at!

Mm. Mm. Mmm.

Beautiful Weather

Now this is why I love Arizona weather...Partly cloudy, Winds at 6 mph, High of 85, Low of 61. Current temp is 82.

Simply beautiful.

Choo Choos and a Fuff

This is Zoey.

She is a Golden Retriever and is 6 weeks in this picture.

We got her on September 8th.

For Ben's birthday present.

He turned 3 on September 9th.

She is Ben's dog.

He asked for two things this year....

choo choos (trains) and a fuff (dog).

He got both.

But he loves her the best...

Long time...

WOW! It's been a long time since I've posted anything. Holy cow! So we cancelled our internet to try to save some money and that's the reason why it's been so long. Plus the fact that I have to go to my mom's or Bird's mom's to use a computer. Usually I blog at night after the kids go to bed. Because as I sit here typing, my kids are running around like the crazies they are, destroying my mom's house. And that is why I have to go now. Just thought I'd give an undate on why I haven't been blogging lately.

Favorite Book

This is Ben's favorite book. Mine too, actually.

I love it. Grover is my all time favorite.

But Ben! Oh Benjamin, he's so silly.

He loves reading this book. He calls it the "raw" book.

Even though we've read it a hundred times, he still gets nervous (or at least pretends too). Then at the end he says, "It's fine mommy, it's fine."

Super cute.

Ode to Thursdays

Ah, Thursdays.
Oh how I heart you Thursday.
Such a glorious day.
I will always heart you... until the season is over. :)
Tonight is the night. Season Finale night.
Well Thursday, we had a good run.
Tonight will be the goodbye party.
Until next season. Remember how much I heart you.

http://tv.msn.com/greys-anatomy-top-ten/photo-gallery/feature/?gt1=28146

I love Grey's Anatomy.
Wait, that's an understatement.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Grey's Anatomy!

And last week was the Season Finale of Private Practice.
Talk about a cliffhanger! Until next season to you too. *love*

Super Adorable

BABIES BABIES BABIES! I LOVE BABIES!

These super adorable, brand new, tiny babies are my nephew and niece.
Born yesterday April 24, 2009.











Colton Christopher D. born at 6:14 am. 6 lbs 7 oz 18 1/2 inches












Eden Elizabeth D. (Edie) born at 6:15 am. 5 lbs 12 oz 18 1/2 inches

And This is Why...

I keep having kids.

1) I LOVE BABIES
2) Mmmm... the baby scent
3) They're so dang cute
4) I can squeeze them
5) Their innocence
6) The Love plus hugs and kisses XOXO

7) Baby sugar

8) "The First's" i.e. - smiles, words, steps, etc.

9) They make me happy

10) Giggles :)

Happy Earth Day!

Here are a few tips to help us all help the plant:

1)Change a Light Bulb
Installing a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) is the quickest, easiest way to save energy -- and money. Unlike incandescents, CFLs convert most of the energy they use into light rather than heat.
Good for You: They consume about 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer (10,000 hours as opposed to 1,500). Replace one 75-watt incandescent bulb with a 25-watt CFL and save up to $83 over the life of the bulb.

2)Unplug Things That Glow
Anything that has an LED (light emitting diode) that glows even after you turn it off continues to draw power (that you pay for). Your TV, cell phone charger, and printer are likely culprits. Unplug the offenders from wall sockets and plug them into power strips instead. When you leave a room, flip the strip switch to cut the flow of electricity.
Good for You: Unplug appliances and electronics that glow and you could save $200 a year.

3)Recycle Your Electronics
Americans tossed out a whopping 5.5 billion pounds of electronics -- TVs, stereos, cell phones, and computers -- in 2005, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The result? Millions of pounds of chemicals and heavy metals ended up in the ground even though it's easier than ever to recycle electronics. The Consumer Electronics Association created mygreenelectronics.org to help people find a recycling resource in their area. The site also provides a list of electronics, from laptops to baby monitors, that are easier on the environment and your energy bill.
Good for You: The average American household has three cell phones stashed in a drawer. Sell unused cell phones to greenphone.com. You'll receive about $35, and the phones will be refurbished and resold. If 1 million people recycled one cathode-ray tube TV this year, we'd keep 4 million pounds of lead out of the ground.

4)Audit Your Energy
It's easier to save energy when you know exactly how much and where you're using it. Investing in a home audit takes a couple of hours and pays off with a list of things you can do to curb consumption. Find an auditor through your utility company (at low or no cost), or hire one ($450-$650). A list of auditors certified by the nonprofit Residential Energy Services Network, is at resnet.us (click on Consumer Information).
Good for You: On average, an energy audit shows how to save up to 30 percent on utility bills.

5)Support Local Farmers
If your food could talk, it would tell quite a tale. Typical grocery store produce travels nearly 1,500 miles before it ends up on your plate. All this traveling burns fossil fuels and results in carbon emissions -- a fancy term for pollution. Buying from local farmers means you're not only getting the freshest food possible, you're saving energy.
Good for You: To find farmers nationwide, visit localharvest.org, sustainabletable.org, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture at www.ams.usda.govfarmersmarkets/map.htm.

6)Fix That Drip
When you next fill your water glass, think about this: We each use about 100 gallons a day, enough to fill 1,600 glasses. Household water consumption has increased by 200 percent since 1950, even though the population has grown by only 90 percent. As a result, more than 36 states are expected to face water shortages in the next six years. Stemming the flow is as easy as fixing a leaky faucet or toilet; a dripping faucet can waste up to 74 gallons a day, a leaking toilet up to 200 gallons a day.
Good for You: Repair a leaky toilet and you can save $30 a year, which may not sound like much until you realize it means 73,000 gallons.

7)Let Your Grass Grow
Spending less time tending to your lawn actually makes it greener -- in every sense of the word. Most grass species fare best when they're kept at least 2 1/2 inches tall. The length creates more surface area to absorb sunlight, which creates thicker turf and deeper roots, which means you won't need to water as often.
Good for You: Save money by letting grass clippings remain on your lawn; it adds nitrogen to the soil and discourages weed seeds from germinating. You'll need less fertilizer and herbicide. Plus, leaving clippings on lawns means less in landfills; in 2005 Americans disposed of more than 12 million tons of yard waste.

8)Look for the Label
When it's time to replace a household appliance, choose a product with an Energy Star label. Sponsored by the EPA and the Department of Energy, the Energy Star program rates products from light bulbs to kitchen appliances. Energy Star labels guarantee that products are energy-efficient. For example, a battery charger labeled with the Energy Star logo will use 35 percent less energy than a standard one. You may even be eligible for a tax credit when you purchase an Energy Star product. Information at energystar.gov.
Good for You: A household with Energy Star products uses about 30 percent less energy than the average household -- an annual savings of about $570.

9)Do Full Loads
Whenever you wash just a few clothes or dishes at a time rather than waiting for a full load to accumulate, you're wasting water, power, and money. The average American family of four washes about 540 loads of laundry a year, which consumes up to 21,000 gallons of water, and more than 150 loads of dishes, which uses about 1,500 gallons. Most of the energy consumed by washers goes toward heating the water -- about 90 percent in the clothes washer and 80 percent in the dishwasher. Combining half-loads, choosing short cycles, and using cold or warm rather than hot water in the clothes washer racks up savings.
Good for You: Wash two fewer loads of clothes and one fewer load of dishes a week and save up to 4,500 gallons of water a year.

10)Work the Critters
Your backyard ecosystem is as intricate as any wild patch of land, and it pays in many ways to enlist its creatures on your side. Birds eat many insects; they just need a water source and trees and shrubs for cover and nesting. Many insects are beautiful -- and beneficial. Ladybugs aren't just cute; they are voracious eaters of aphids.
Good for You: To understand which backyard insects are garden friends, visit garden.org and click on Pest Control Library for photos.

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY: bhg.com

He's One!!!

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You,

Happy Birthday dear Zachary!, Happy Birthday to You!!!

This picture was taken at my In-Law's on the 18th.

Zac decided to put the candle out with his fingers!!!

This picture is his reaction... totally stunned, so funny!

And he didn't even get burned, he had too much slobber on his fingers!

HAHAHA!

This picture was taken at my Mom and Dad's
(he didn't dare touch the candle this time, Ben blew it out for him!)

Sugar Rush!!!! Super cute!

And this is one of my favorite pictures of him...

taken a few days before his birthday.
I just love him.

Side Note: After I had Scott I didn't even want to think about having any more kids, in fact, I believe I said that I was never having more. But once that 18 months mark rolled around I started getting the itch. Then after I had Ben I already knew I wanted more and the itch came around the 6 months mark. And BEFORE Zac was born I knew we'd have another (hopefully a girl because 4 is my limit), but I don't have the itch yet. Phew! We have planned it out so that hopefully by this time next year (because I'm an even numbered year type of girl) we will be announcing that we are expecting #4. (My hope is for a November/December baby girl, but only God knows). I already have names picked out for either though.

I know, some of you probably think I'm crazy and maybe you're right. :)

He's Walking!

Such a big boy... he turns 1 on the 18th! WOW!

Side note: True story, me and Zac are at the doctor's office on Tuesday and as soon as we walk into the back part a student nurse (one I had never seen before) starts talking to Zac from behind the desk. Okay so far this is totally normal, but what she said was kind of weird... okay really weird and was completely annoying... she says something to the effect of "Oh look at him so handsome I want to take you on a date" ... okay?!... then we are at the scale and she walks over and says "you just name the place, we can go to McDonald's or Chuck E Cheese's and I'll pay" and then after he was weighed I start walking back with him and she starts to follow and tries to poke his belly and "ooo's and ahh's" over him. So I get him into the room and think to myself "That was weird, annoying, and creepy. I hope they tell her to knock it off." So I'm in the room with him and forget about the creepy student nurse girl, the doctor comes in, we go through all that and then we're done, we walk out of the room and go to the counter to check out and she walks up behind us and starts talking to him again about taking him on a date (her words exactly... "a date"). By this time I'm just completely annoyed and about to tell her to please leave him alone (or hit her one or the other) when all of a sudden Zac looks over at her and does this, but a little bit more pronounced....HAHAHAHAHAHA! I love it, he flipped her off! Maybe not intentionally, but it got her attention, she said "oh you're going to chew on that finger! I see how it is." And that was the end of annoying, creepy student nurse girl! The best ending ever! (PS - that is his finger of choice, he points with it, chews on it, grabs things with it... it's a little strange actually, but CLASSIC none the less!)

A Boy of Few Words

Ben has just recently started saying words that we can understand. He's 2 1/2. I know it's kind of late, but Scott was a pretty late talker too. And I think that is how Zac will be too, but maybe not. Anyway, Ben talks a lot about trucks, bicycles, dirt bikes, and motorcycles. He calls all of them by the same thing... "be die" (the "be" means "big" or "dirt" and the "die" means "truck" or "bike"). He specifies by adding a "my" or "daddy's" or "Cottie's" (which means Scottie, BTW) in front. He also says "moe" for "water" and "go wee moe" for "go play in the water." But don't confuse that with "oh no moe mommy" which means "oh no, I need more mommy." And then there's "I eat uh mommy" which means "I want to eat something mommy." He says "ew" for "poo" so when I ask him if he has a dirty diaper he says "no I no got ews" or he doesn't answer which means he does. One of my favorites is "ruff ruff" that means "puppy or doggy." He also uses "ruff ruff" for just about every other animal he sees, but he does call cats "kee." Oh, and "t" means "thank you." The one word that he says that frustrates me the most is "be noi noi." I sincerely dislike this word. It has too many meanings to really be considered a word, it's more of a general use term that he uses whenever he can't think or say the right word. So that's Ben's very wide (haha) vocabulary. And here's a picture of him riding his "dirt bike" or in his words, "go bye bye on my be die humm" (the "humm" is his motor sound).

That's My Baby

So Big

He's getting so big! I can hardly believe it!!! He's almost an expert walker now.

Teeth...

So Scott has officially lost 3... yes, THREE, teeth. Before he turned 5 actually. Kind of crazy. One was by way of knock out, but the two bottom front teeth fell out on their own. AND one of his adult teeth is starting to grow in already!!! OH MY, I don't feel old enough for this.

Lost tooth #1 (just before Christmas)

Lost tooth #2

Lost tooth #3

FIVE!!!

My Scott, he turned 5 on the 15th! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Scottie! I love you.

Landscaping Improvements

We had our landscaping done in January... here's some before & after pics.

*FRONT YARD BEFORE*

*FRONT YARD AFTER*

*BACK YARD BEFORE*

*BACK YARD AFTER*

Yes, I know that the AFTER pictures have a few imperfections (all the toys), but we didn't even have the yard completed before Bird and the boys started "reloading" if you will. Regardless, I am in love with it! I absolutely possitively love it! However there are two draw backs... 1) the water bill went up $20... and 2) we have discovered that Ben is allergic to the Rye grass which is the grass that was put in the back yard. We just recently figured out the allergy because up until the past two weeks Ben has been wearing pants and now that the weather has warmed up he is in shorts, so he keeps breaking out in a rash wherever his skin touches the grass. Ben falls a lot so his legs are pretty red most days. So I give him a children's Claritin and it goes away and he plays the next day. Anyway, now that I've rambled on and on... the name of the company is

IDT Landscaping 480-829-8530 they're area is valley wide and they are very reliable. (my sister owns the company) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY CAT!!! haha. seriously though, great company with great values and great customer service.

MONSTER JAM!!!

We took Scott to Monster Jam on the 24th when it was in town. We took him as a birthday present (his birthday is not until March). HE LOVED IT!!! Check it out!

Scott's favorite... Grave Digger

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
McGruff

My favorite... Backwards Bob (first of all, he looks like he's driving backwards all the time, second of all, because I love to say the name BOB... it makes me laugh just thinking about it)Blue Thunder
So we didn't tell Scott where we were going until we got there. All he knew was that we were going to have a "Super Fun Saturday" with just him, mom, and dad.

The ride to the Super Fun Saturday

Once we got there he was so excited!

Then he got pissed off because it was too loud.

I was his ear plugs for a while.

The didn't have anymore at the arena, so we made some out of unchewed gum... it really works! HAHA!

Then he was super happy.
During intermission he got so excited about Monster Jam FreeStyle. It was so much fun to see him get really into it and start cheering and everything! I love to see him come out of his shell. Yeah I know, some of you may be thinking "Scott has a shell?" Well, he really does. He's usually so timid and shy when there are much more than 5 people around. And especially in a new situation. So this was awesome!