Thanks Bubba

Tonight I was at Walmart and it was very late (almost 1 AM).  I was looking for Green Chilies and was in the general area, but didn't spot them right away.  Well this very nice Walmart employee asked if he could help.  He then pointed out the cheaper ones.  What struck me was his whole manner was so nice and positive and just put a smile on my face.  I couldn't help but feel uplifted by that very simple encounter.  I was also impressed by the fact that this guy was working a grave shift at Walmart, but managed to portray optimism and hope.  Am I weird?  OK, don't answer that.  The take away lesson for me though was this:  something very simple as a kind word and a smile really can be contagious.  So, Thank You Bubba for that tonight.  (Yes that really was his name :)

Also, sorry about the serious lack of pics lately.  I know it's much more boring without.  I've actually been taking lots (at least one a day, but usually many more) and I have some really cute ones of the hospital, but we moved our camera cord away from the main computer the other day...big mistake for us!  Can't find it now...it must be around here somewhere...what did we even need it for????

Quick Update

Tyler was released from the hospital last night (thank goodness!).  Mother's intuition I had them test for RSV and guess who was positive...Well, he's doing better, but still wheezy and still contagious.  My nephew has it and I think at least one of the daycare kiddos.  I've told everyone and lots of people have made other arrangements for these few days, so it's been a fairly quiet week at the daycare.  RSV wouldn't normally be so hard on a three year old, but because of his history, I think it really just knocked him down.  Breathing treatments still every four hours...yes, 1 AM and 5 AM...yikes!  The GREAT news is...I think he's potty trained!  The poor kid has been so sick, but it hasn't set back the potty training at all and tonight is his second NIGHT in underwear.  Wish me luck, because he's sleeping with us tonight....

Sick Boy!

Golly...for how energetic he is you would think he wouldn't be sickly!   We have had SO many issues with our poor little Tyler, many of them to do with his breathing.  For those of you that don't know he had breathing issues almost right after he was born and they were bad for over a year until we moved to Cedar.  He's done so much better down here, but when he gets sick, the wheezing comes back.  Well tonight, he's staying overnight at the hospital.  Hopefully that's as long as is needed, but he didn't make much improvement tonight.  Anyway...he's been coughing badly for a few days and started wheezing yesterday.  We tried breathing treatments here with albuterol for a day, but didn't see any difference.  In addition he started to get a fever today and Kelley had strep throat last week, so Joey too him into the doctor this afternoon.  An hour an a half later I get a call from Joey...they admitted him to the hospital!  His Oxygen level was really low and the MD didn't feel comfortable sending him home.  At first I thought that was pretty silly, but I was over there most of the night and the poor kid stayed between 87-92 all night!  Normal levels for a non smoker are between 94-99, but usually are on the higher end of that.  He was doing a little better when I left because we finally asked for a cannula to make the O2 they were giving him more effective.  Joey is staying the night with him, they'll give him treatments every four hours and the doc will be back first thing in the morning.  This is just so frustrating.  At one point I had him tested for Cystic Fibrosis because he was having so many problems.  That came back negative, thank heavens, but I wish we could figure out what was going on.  Any ideas???  I somehow think the answer is going to be difficult to find if we really want it.  I keep thinking he'll grow out of it, but then something like this happens.  A few weeks ago he was in the ER with croup.  

Unfortunately I think at least part of the answer might lie in nutrition.  We do try to eat fairly well at home:  I buy almost nothing but whole wheat bread (yes...the real stuff), lots of fruits and veggies, etc.  But the kid LOVES carbs and milk.  He showed a real sensitivity to milk as a baby and was on part soy part milk for a long time.  This kind of stuff is just so hard to figure out because there are so many pieces to the picture.  

Anyway, done venting, but if you have any ideas...please let me know.

On a very happy note:  I think we are just about potty trained (OK OK, potty learned....for those of you that are on that whole parenting thing...).  He's been doing SO good and tonight didn't want to take his underwear off to swap for a diaper...wahoo!  There's still an issue with #2 I think...so we're not quite 100%, but he's been doing great and has trained himself very quickly.  I know he's over three, but I had hear HORROR stories about pushing things with boys before they were ready...so we just waited until he wanted to.  So happy we did...I hope it sticks with all this other stuff going on now.

Christmas Poem

My husband is very talented in many ways and this is one of them.  He wrote this over the course of an hour or two on Christmas Eve and I didn't even have to spell check it!  Hope you enjoy!

Twas the night before Christmas

As I write this letter

My family thought I couldn't get this done, 

But I'll show them better.

It still isn't Christmas yet

just a few hours to go,

I'm writing next to the fire

As snow falls out the window.

The kids are excited

As Santa's drawing near,

It's going to be a chore

Getting them to bed I fear.

The family's getting bigger

With a new puppy named Koko,

She's tearing up the backyard toys

And driving mom loco.

Kristy is running the daycare at home,

She loves spending time with the little ones

Joey's still working at SUU

Having fun and bringing in the funds (actually I think Kristy still makes more than me).

Kelley started kindergarten this year,

She really likes school.

Tyler spending the day playing trains and cars

And thinks he's super cool.

Well again we leave you our poem

On this most holy of nights.

Hope to see you soon,

We'll leave on the lights.

But if not, we hope this letter

Finds you and your kin

Happy, healthy, harmonious

And don't forget to grin.

For on this night the reindeer fly

And the fat man rides again.

Love, 

Joey, Kristy, Kelley and Tyler

Candle Giveaway

Go here to enter.  My neighbor across the street makes these...I like them because they DO smell good and they are Soy candles, which really are a little nicer than the normal ones.  Hurry...only a few more days...

Trains, Planes and Automobiles...

Thanksgiving night we drove to SLC and stayed in a hotel with the kids.  We had planned to go see the lights on Temple Square that night until we realized they weren't turned on until the next day.  So we had time to kill on Friday.  Tyler is OBSESSED with trains to the point that I am recording "Extreme Trains" on the history channel for him to watch later.  He calls it his "engine" movie.  (I love it, because what a fun, innocent thing to be obsessed with!)  So we decided to ride Trax around for a while.  We started off by SLEEPING IN!  Gotta love the hotel curtains that block out all daylight.  Then the kids and dad took a dip in the hot tub and we were off.  We spent a couple hours riding Trax and then the new Frontrunner train up to Farmington and back, just for fun.  The kids loved it, but Kelley was disappointed it didn't go faster.  

(I took this picture of the tracks and the kids.  Joey, my "artist" complemented me on it...WAHOO!)

Then off to the Clark Planetarium because Kelley wanted to go.  They had this ball contraption there that kept both the kids enthralled. Tyler was the only one that threw a fit though when it was time to leave. 

Tyler was also fascinated with the rocket display.  He stood there for at least 5 minutes.  Those of you that have three year olds will know how incredible that is ;).

Then dinner at Applebees...yum!  Tyler fell asleep on the bench as soon as he finished his chicken strips.  
it's back on the train and off to temple square.  We've taken the kids to the lights almost every year now I think, but this year we forgot all of our gear, so had to make due with what we had in the car.  We must have looked very interesting.  
The lights were beautiful and we really had a lot of fun just hanging out with the kids.  I would definitely suggest a day like this to anyone.  

I wish I could find the right image...

OK so my first thought was that old LDS movie about the "ugly" girl with the greasy hair who everyone teases until they find out she helps kids...do you guys know the one?  Couldn't remember the name so no luck finding that.  Next I thought...Stever Urkel, but in most of his pictures he's got a huge grin.  Same problem with Ugly Betty.  And I sure don't want to take a picture of the real deal (AKA, me) so you just get the story instead.  Here's the scene:

I had to switch cars with Joey this afternoon at the university.  I was planning on running all sorts of errands that I never get to run because of the daycare.  Today I had Misty watching the kids, so I was out and about.  Well I dropped off the car, but it didn't have a parking tag on it, so I had to park clear down the street.  Then I had all my stuff I had to take with me, plus some things I had for Joey to keep at his office.  I'm walking down the street with a huge armload of stuff and what happens?  I drop stuff all over the sidewalk.  I have to say I was very impressed as I had several people offer help and come to my aid.  I was SO embarrassed though.  But I got gathered up and dropped off the stuff to Joey.  He told me the van was parked back across the street.  OK.  So I'm walking over there and it's in between classes so there's all sorts of students around and I realized...I am a big fat dork.  At least today.  You see I was headed out among other things to clean out our garden in New Harmony.  So I had on my "work jeans"  I love em, they are so comfortable, but I have to admit are floods.  They are short enough that they show my ankles, but not short enough to be considered capris.  In addition an old SUU t shirt and sweat jacket with my ratty old tennies.  I had on my glasses, only a tiny bit of makeup and my hair was quickly blow dried this morning.  College students are extremely cute and fashionable.  I so with I could just keep it all together, you know what I mean?  But often somethings got to give...  So I'm a little irritated anyway and then I spent a half an hour looking for the van, which wasn't actually in that parking lot Joey later remembered.  Oh my.  The good news is the garden didn't take as long as I thought and I got my errands completed.  AND I saw gas for $1.47 here today and paid only $1.85 for a gallon of milk.  WAHOO!

Well, I'm not telling this to get pity or anything.  I think it's kind of funny.  It was just an interesting thing to realize I really am on a different spot on the game board of life.  Not that I didn't know that before...but anyway...thought you all might be able to relate is all.  Have a nice day :)