2009

Maybe it is because I have another stupid sinus infection (thanks to Christmas craziness) or maybe it is because, as I get older the years fly by faster than ever. Either way, I am feeling a bit of nostalgia. 2009 was a great year! It started out with my last few weeks of maternity leave, it was hard going back to work, but we made it through. Colby had a hard few months with Devon on the weekends, but now Devon has daddy wrapped around his little finger. Victoria got to go on a spring break trip to Houston with Colby's parents and her cousin Seth. She enjoyed getting to see the ocean for the first time. Victoria also enjoyed many a day at the Gardner pool, and we all were sad to see it close for winter. I can't believe she started High School this year. Jake started pre-school this year, where he met his new best friend Nick. Jake also got glasses, but we are still working on him wearing them all day long. My little Devon turned ONE! I can't believe(and am kind of sad) that I will never have a baby again. I love watching him grow and learn so much. Jake and Devon are great brothers, even now, they stick up for one another. Colby and I continue to get our debt taken care of, it will be a joyous day when I can blog about how exciting it is to be debt free! Until then, we know that we have already won, just by taking the steps to get to this goal. It sounds crazy, but even though we still have debt, just the plan to wipe it out, makes us feel secure. I can't wait to see what 2010 brings, I am sure it will be full of surprises...I hope more good than bad. No matter what though, I know that I have everything I need, my husband, kids, parents, siblings, and great friends. I am blessed. Here are a few pics of my 2009. Happy New Year!

Devon when he was only cruising around

Jake loves the park

Look at Jake's muscles....whew!

Devon is a birthday boy

Victoria is off to High School

Merry Christmas

and Happy New Year

From the Millers!

Conversations with Jake

Yesterday when Colby was getting ready for work Jake came in and told him:

"You needa put a shirt on, da people at your work don't wanna see dat"

KC Free Health Clinic

This week was the KC Free Health Clinic at Barttle Hall. We saw around 2300 patients and had to turn away a couple of hundred. I had the privilege of volunteering for this event. I am so lucky. I was able to help many people receive health care that they as human beings DESERVE!!! (yep that is the correct adj to use!) They came in for so many different reasons. Most hadn't been to the Dr in so long(one man it had been 10 years), that they just needed to get the things their kids or their friends had been bugging them about checked out. I saw a college student, who couldn't be on her parents insurance any longer. I saw a man who had his eye on a coveted job, but had been passed over once before because he needed a physical, but couldn't get one without insurance (he can't get insurance without a job) we happened to be here just in time. I saw a man in his late 30's who had been putting off being seen for a very bad tooth infection, and was able to finally get relief by having it pulled. I could go on for 2 days about the people that I saw.

The bottom line is this...I saw PEOPLE. Every type of person, not just one. There are people out there who may not be grateful for help that is given to them, but not most of these people. I heard more times than I can count "Thank you so much," "You don't know how much this means to me" and "I am so glad you came here today to help me." These are not the sounds of ingratitude.

One interaction will always stand out to me though. As I was leaving on night 2, I was going down the escalator to head to the garage. In front and below me was a tired mom leaving with her young toddler. They had multiple layers on to help them keep warm, and it was obvious that they had been waiting a lot that day in order to finally get seen by a dr for her and her daughter. As I walked passed them when exiting the escalator, the mom turned to me and said in an exhausted/grateful mom tone "Thank you so much, please have a good evening". Wow! that said so much to me. I have a great job, so does my husband, and we both have great health insurance. I may gripe about having to take my kids to an appointment too near nap time or having to wait an hour prior to being seen. I am ashamed of myself. I have so many blessings. I am sad that we can't all be treated with the same respect that we demand of ourselves. Why can't we live in a country that values the human factor more than the greed factor?

Visit with Santa

Today after we picked Jake up from school, we took the boys to see Santa. We went to OakPark Mall to see Santa. We have learned that going during the day on a Weekday is the best way to avoid a line. Jake of course had a list of things to ask Santa for and went directly up and sat on his lap. Devon was a different story, he clung to Colby until it was time to take the picture (that they charge an arm and a leg for!!). Devon took one look at Santa and freaked out. The picture captures the moment, as well as makes me laugh.

Of course what trip to see Santa is complete without a Trampoline/Bungee experience? Next to Santa was this combo experience. They strap the kids in Bungee style and have Bungee cords attached to them, while jumping on a trampoline. Jake LOVED it!! he got pretty high too, in case you can't tell, that is the second floor of OakPark just above his head.

Trip to the eye dr

Because of my husbands eye history, my boys are monitored yearly for their vision starting at birth. This week we went in for our yearly visit. This year I made the mistake of going alone. Colby was at work so it was up to me to take on the two boys. I started out smart, brought the portable DVD for him to watch the ever mind numbing "Santa Buddies" we got from RedBox. I brought drinks for both boys as well. When we arrived the boys were fine...they played in the waiting room calmly until we went in to be screened. That is when it all broke loose. Devon was first up, I held him down while the tech looked in his eyes. All the while Devon is kicking and screaming, Jake is messing with the DVD in the DVD player and mad it isn't working. Then comes time for drops to dilate Devon's pupils. Devon kicks the screaming up a notch and Jake comes over freaking out..."don't put the drops in, don't put the drops in. I don't like it when you put drops in Devon's eyes." me.."don't worry buddy it wont hurt" Devon still screaming in the background. Once that is done it is time for Jake to have his eyes looked at. Oh, no, Jake is not having that, he just witnessed what was going to happen to him. Jake refused to sit in the chair and have his eyes looked at, he threw himself on the floor, and kicked and screamed. I literally had to manhandle him to get him to a point we could put the drops in his eyes. By this time I am breaking a sweat, have a headache and have tried every bribe that I know of....until I saw what came next. While I was pinning down Jake, Devon was busy destroying the DVD player... it was in 3 pieces when he was through with it. Jake and I saw this at the same time. Jake is screaming that Devon for breaking it, I am screaming at Jake for screaming for Devon and I'm screaming at Devon to stop freaking out because I took the remnants of the DVD player from him. At this point I look over to see the tech looking at me as if I had lost my mind...and I had. I apologize profusely to her...after all I am a nurse at this hospital, and she knows this. She then sends us back to the waiting room to wait for the Dr to see us....great. Much to my surprise the boys did great out there, and I even fixed the DVD (go me). By the time we get to see the Dr, Devon was not happy again, and Jake was back in protest mode. I am very impressed with the Dr for being able to get both boys examined as I am so traumatized that I can't even tell you what happened next. I just remember being told that Jake's eye crossing that we had been noticing throughout the year was because he was farsighted and was focusing too hard to see and causing his eyes to cross inward. We went in to try on several frames for the glasses he needs to get. The picture doesn't look like it, but he is very excited to get glasses. He gets "to wear glasses like daddy". When we decided on a frame (after texting pics to Colby and discussing them over the phone) Jake put the pair in this pocket and said "Ok, lets go" He was going to take them with him that day. The Dr told us it would be 10 days before the frames were in, and this bums Jake out. Now he just likes to tell us that his new glasses will be here in 10 days and that they are "flexy in the nose". Whew, that makes me tired to just recap the story, I'll post more pics when Jake gets his own glasses and is happier.

My little Gentleman

Just last night at the dinner table, we heard Jake mention that he had a girlfriend. He told us "I like Brynn, she is my girlfriend" and that was it. This morning when I dropped him off at preschool, I saw a very cute little girl waiting at the door. "Hi, Jake..." she said kind of sing songy and very apparent that she liked him. "hey Brynn" Jake replies with an upwards nod of his head as if to say "...'sup", he then walked past her. I got a kick out of this, and decided to share it with Brynn's mom after preschool. Brynn's mom informed me that they hear all about Jake at their house, and that just last week she saw him put away her backpack and jacket for her. Apparently he told her "Brynn is my girlfriend". How sweet! I just love that even at 4 he already knows that the best way to show someone you care about them is to treat them well. My little guy is such a gentleman!

My new enemies

Since the day Colby and I moved into our house, we have hoped that someday we would have neighbors. Our area of the subdivision is a little sparse on homes, until now. Last week we had neighbors move right next door! They are super nice, have a little girl who is almost 2. We should be so excited right? Well, it turns out that they also have 2 basset hounds a male and a female (don't know their names). If you have ever lived near a basset hound you might be able to guess why I despise them. They bark ALL the time. They bark at me, they bark at the grass, they bark at the rabbits in the field behind us....they even bark when the wind gusts. I have a dog who is half beagle/half cocker. He doesn't bark this much, hell, he doesn't even bark at them barking. Bo just looks at them, then lays down with his back to them ,in his cozy spot in the grass. It's as if he is saying to them "you youngsters are to obnoxious, I'm going to sleep".

I myself have resorted to the water hose. I give them two yells of "SHUT UP" then I break out the hose and douse them with water. This shuts them up and makes me feel victorious over such inferior animals. Oh, and yes, I do know how childish this sounds....don't care.

Poor sick Jake

I hate it when my kids are sick. Jake has had a fever since Tuesday. Today, he wanted to try to eat lunch, so he had me carry him to the table, cover him with a blanket, and put a hat on his head so it won't be cold. He looked so pathetic and yet so cute at the same time. I had to take this picture.

I have noticed that when my kids are sick, I do things I would never do at work. I give ibuprofen an hour early because even though I have been alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen and he is still hot. I of course rationalize that "he hasn't met his 24hr max dose, so it will be ok" I would never do this at work...15 min early no prob, but not an hour. It just goes to show that all your nurse skills fly out the window when it is your kid that needs care. (ok, I also feel the need to play by the rules the hospital sets, in order to keep my job, but still). I also let him cover up as much as he wants because he "is cold", instead of making him use a light sheet to help break his fever. This is my house, so I am going to just be the mom...the nurse works at Children's Mercy.

Devon is ONE!

October 20th Devon had his first birthday! I can't believe it. We had a cute little party for him the Sunday before his birthday. My husbands parents came up from Oklahoma and my parents as well as my grandmother were here. I was very fun. Devon had a great time entertaining everyone.

We did Mickey Mouse theme for him, and it was so cute! (would have been cuter if the guy at Party America didn't think I was stupid enough to believe they discontinued the Mickey Mouse balloons...seriously? Mickey Mouse will never be discontinued)
Devon loved his cake, and we had to dunk him in the tub after his ravaging of the cake.

It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was writing about how I thought I would be pregnant forever. Ha, well, here we are a year later and now I can't imagine my life with Devon not in it. I love that little guy, he is just what our family needed. A funny, sweet, determined, and hot tempered little blond hair blue eyed boy. Even though I don't always have the most stress free of days with him, he does always make my heart melt. I know that that stress is just him working on the roots that it takes to grow a wonderful, caring, strong man. I am so blessed to be his mom!
Thank you Devon, for being such a great little boy, and for bringing laughter and joy to those who love you! Happy Birthday, I love to watch you grow.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

A little late I know, but hey, I just got the Mac back. Ok, October 13th, I got to go with Jake's pre-school class to the KC Pumpkin Patch right here in Gardner. It was very cold (in the 40's ) and even though Devon and I froze, Jake had a blast. Jake has a Best Friend named Nick (next to Jake in the pic) they are inseparable. It is so cute to see that he has such a good friend already. We took a wagon ride out to the Pumpkins and the teachers did a little lesson about the pumpkins then told the kids to "go pick out your pumpkins and when we are done, we can go play". Jake is on top of his game. He hears "pick pumpkin, go play". So, he yells out "found mine" and picks one from right where he is standing, hands it to his teacher and says. "ok, lets go play" then runs off (Nick follows as well). I love this about him. He did what was told in order to accomplish his own agenda. I think he will go far in life with that mantra.

Mac is on hospice..be back soon

I would love to update this blog with two stories...that I have pictures for. However our Mac needs a new hard drive or logic board. The Apple store is going to take good care of it for me. Until then, I have to let you know that there will be a couple of overdue posts in a week or so. Jake went to the pumpkin patch with his pre-school and Devon turned one today. Both things I would like to blog with pictures!!! ARGHHH

Oh well, we used the crap out of that hard drive. RIP

Toy Story double feature

Last night we took Jake to see Toy Story 1 and 2 in 3D. Most of you know that Jake is Pixar's biggest fan. When we heard that they were re-releasing the first 2 movies at the theatre, we knew we had to take Jake. Jake of course made sure to bring his "new Woody" doll which of course is over a year old to the movies with us. I was so surprised at how well he did watching not one but two movies in a row. Aside from the initial holding Woody up to the screen and practically yelling "hey...dat is you", and reciting several scenes verbatim, he didn't do too bad. I was surprised that he only wore the glasses about 30% of the time. They didn't fit him, I don't understand why they don't make child 3D glasses for the animated films (of which there appear to be a slew of on the way). Colby even went to check with the staff, they brought us these foam tubes to make the ear pieces fit, but the nose piece covered half of each eye. I don't think he could see much of the 3D effects. This little problem would have ruined the movie for me, but not for Jake. He LOVED it!

He loved it all, the movie, the popcorn, and the fact that we let him have some coke (a huge no-no with him). My sister Cherie and one of her friends went with us, and Jake had a great time with her. Jake loves aunt Cherie, he gets to honk her horn and ride on her back wheels while going for a quick ride.

I loved it too. I got to watch my oldest son watch his favorite movie on the big screen, with him sitting on my lap and his crazy hair in my face. It just doesn't get better than that. I also had a good little cry while I was there. They play the full trailer for Toy Story 3 before the show. In TS3, Andy has graduated High School and is leaving for college and his mom looks at his old toys and asks him what he wants her to do with them. This is where I lost it...I know that the day will come where my Jake is going off to college, and what toys will remind me most of his childhood? Woody and Buzz (and Lightning of course). I just don't want to think about him being all grown up, so I am glad that I get to have several more years to love on him before that day comes. Thanks Jake for being the great little guy that you are! I love you so much.

How to load the dishwasher...with a toddler

Doing the dishes has now reached a challenge...Devon. For some reason, anytime the dishwasher door opens, Devon makes a bee line for it. He likes to take dishes out of the silverware holder and chew them, he likes to lick the water that is sitting on the dishwasher door, and he likes that he can try to climb up on the door. As you can imagine, this tends to slow down the process of loading and unloading. Here is an example of my challenge this morning.

Me: putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher

Devon: tries to eat a dirty spoon, knife and tongs all with one grab.

Me: pick Devon up and take him to the dining room (where all his toys are of course)

Devon: looks at me like I am crazy and quickly crawls back to kitchen

Me: sees Devon crawling and runs to dishwasher to continue loading dirty dishes.

Devon: arrives quicker than I thought and gets a cup out.

Me: "Crap" picks Devon back up and runs him into the dining room then runs back.

Devon: "screams" drops to his knees and halls tushy into the kitchen, grabs measuring spoons and laughs.

Me: laughing all the way back to dining room, drops Devon at toys and runs back to kitchen...just 2 more things to place !!!!

Devon: deep belly laughs while again lightning pace crawl back to kitchen. He arrives just as I am loading the last dish and about to put the door up.

Me: "Ah ha! I win!"

Devon: drops to the floor and cries like I just took his best friend.

This makes me sad for a second, then I continue to relish my victory...that was kind of fun.

Homecoming 2009

I know that I am a little slow getting this up, but things are crazy these days. Anyway...last Saturday the 26th Victoria went to her first homecoming dance! It was a lot of fun...for me at least. Victoria had a great time too. Two of her friends came to our house to get ready first and their dates met them here.

Victoria and Chase looked great! I am very proud of both of them. Even though they broke up 2 days before the dance, they were back together and going strong, by the big dance.
Morgan M and Morgan C and their moms came over to our house to get ready, which was a lot of fun. I like that our house was the place to be. It makes me feel good, like we are the the High School version of the Kool-aid house. I am so glad that my friend Ashley worked for me that day, it was very much worth it. I did all the girls' hair...even Victoria's (much to my surprise). It appears that my 80's/90's hair do skills were much needed! I even heard a few, "Oh, my God, that's a lot of hair spray"...to which I had to respond..."You can never have enough hairspray, and be glad that we don't use Aquanet anymore".

Of course the girls ran late (the boys sat and watched football with Colby they were all bored...Colby too)
I can't wait to do it again! I loved getting to spend that time with you Victoria! Thanks for letting me be a cool mom...you know I am, your friends all say so : )

He'll eat anything

We drove into the garage after picking Jake up from preschool. As I was getting out, I heard Jake say "don't drink your socks silly..."

When I opened up the van door, sure enough Devon was sucking on his sock...sucking his own spit. Yuck!

Carrie Bradshaw channeled

Last night Victoria and I went and picked up her homecoming dress. I love that she has such unique taste. She will admit that her friends would never wear this. I love that. Here is her dress, already on the dress form in her room. What? You don't have a dress form in your room? Well that is probably because you don't aspire to be a chic fashion designer. Victoria has set her sights on going to a fashion school (after college of course). She is taking a lot of art classes, and is already being encouraged by her teachers to start a portfolio. I am learning to realize that she and I have different talents. I may be more inclined to value the traditional school education, she is more interested in the art/creative aspect of education. Anyway, I know that she has picked a very appropriate goal, and I am going to encourage her to go after it.

Oh, in case you were wondering. She will be wearing a shiny pair of Oxford Booties to go with this outfit. Sex in the City look out, here comes Victoria Starks!

Prereq: B.O.B

Have you ever thought about how someone else would describe you in few words?

Let me explain....Back in high school, I was part of a special gang of girls (yes, gang) called the B.O.B.s. This, OF COURSE, stands for Sassy White Girls (if your a true B.O.B at heart you get it). We B.O.Bs prided ourselves our how sassy and individual we were. We didn't take any crap, you asked for our opinion, you got it (sometimes you didn't even have to ask), we weren't going to let our lives be defined by someone else...girl power to the max. I had rarely thought about that until recently. The last several years, I have been in a place that I felt guilty for my personality, I felt like I needed to be different to be used in any way by God. I felt judged by others, because I don't fit the "Christian Woman" title. (A lot of this, by the way, was fueled by the fact that I work every weekend, and do not go to church because of it.) None the less, I was asked to be a Discussion Group Leader at our MOPS group this year. Of course I said yes, discussion is a form of talking and that is a strength of mine. It wasn't until a couple of weeks after committing to this that I started wondering what I would have to offer. Then, I did a bible study this summer "Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible.", and in this study I came to understand that God uses us to help fulfill his will BECAUSE of the person we are, not in spite of the person we are. Now, back to my question, what do I think others describe me as? Well, if I had to step outside of myself and answer this question, I would say.... "Oh, she is kinda bitchy, but a lot of fun" Now, this is what I would have been mortified to admit just a few months ago. Today, I realize that I filled an open position.... Wanted: "kinda bitchy, but a lot of fun" to help fulfill my will signed: God.

We finally did it!

We took the plunge, and bought a Dyson. OH, yes it rocks. When we first moved into our house up north, we were suckered into buying a Kirby. That over priced piece of crap lost it's luster a month or so in. It had a lot of different accessories, but didn't clean like it should. Fast forward to our current house here in Gardner. We decided that we didn't want to spend $6,000. to upgrade our carpet so we already have the crappy builders grade carpet. The last 4 years with the combo crappy carpet and stupid vacuum pushed us into a corner. Now that Devon insists on eating/choking on anything he can find to put into his mouth we had to make our move. I had heard nothing but great things about the Dyson, my good friend Ashley swears by hers. I did a little research, and found out that Dyson does NOT go on sale, so we used a coupon. Bed, Bath, and Beyond 20% coupon saved us $100 on this little beauty. (Seriously, did you think this cheap girl would pay full price?). Anyway, I LOVE it! One pass across our living room floor and the thing was full. It was evident that the Kirby wasn't pulling it's own weight. Our carpet actually looked good. I am going to have it cleaned next week, so that I can feel proud of our carpet again. I realize that I am getting excited about a vacuum, but sadly it is what happens when you become a wife/mom. I highly recommend the Dyson...do yourself a favor and get one.

Attack of the fire hose

Look at this face..... does this look like a face that would be anything but a challenge? He is the most funny, crazy, unpredictable little guy I know. I never know what to expect with him. This causes both rage and extreme joy.

Tonight we were getting Jake ready for bed. PJ's on- check, teeth brushed- check. Now it is time to go potty. Jake has recently started standing up to pee, and doing very well at it. Tonight however....he aimed A LOT too high. I mean we are talking the back of the lid to the top of the toilet. When Colby and I both saw this, we shouted at him to "aim, at the water". What did this little angel face decide to do I ask you? You guessed it...just let go. Have you ever seen a fire hose get turned on and the pressure swings it around the room at random locations? Yep this is how it went down. The toilet, Jake, my hands, the floor all soaked in pee. I do think that he got a few drops in the toilet though. What does he say in response? "He-He. I peed on the toilet."

At least he is never dull.

Devon's Star Twin

The Actor portraying Phillip Seymour Hoffman.........

Devon James Miller

Preschool Jake

Today was the big day...1st day of Preschool. Yesterday, Jake told me that he didn't want to go to school. He told me this several times.

I asked him -"why don't you want to go to school, you were so excited before?"

Jake replied- "you said that if I went to school, you would cry...I don't want you to cry. dats why I don't wanna go to school."

Me- "awe buddy, I won't cry because I'm sad, just because I'm happy."

Jake- "No, I don't want you to cry."

Me-"Ok, I won't"

and I did ok...my eyes did well up, but I fought them back. I didn't want him to be upset that I cried.

Here is Jake doing an unprompted pose...I think he is mimicking "Sid the Science Kid" I'm not sure, but he looked cute doing it.

Of course he had to bring Woody. Jake made sure that Woody stayed in his backpack until after school.
Yep, Jake and Pixar have an agreement. Jake loves every movie they make and he will love their toys best.

When I went to pick him up, I asked the teacher how he did. She said that he was great, but at the very end, he didn't want to sit on the carpet like the other kids. She said that he told her "I'm just frustrated that I don't want to sit on the carpet"

This is why I am waiting until just past his 6th birthday to start Kindergarten. Just imagine how it would be if he were 5 for 3 weeks and starting school...yikes!

Someday she'll laugh...until then I will

It seems like just yesterday that Victoria stood in front of my parents house before she headed off to Kindergarten at Sacred Heart.

It is hard to remember her as such a little girl. She was so sweet and innocent. I remember that I didn't even cry this day. I had expected that I would, but the excitement that Victoria had made me excited for her. I remember I sat in the car before leaving and just smiled thinking of all she had to look forward to.
Today, she left for High School.....and even though she is so excited, I find myself with my eyes welling up. She will be going to college in 4 short years! She is at the beginning of such a great adventure, and I am at the beginning of having to start letting her go(at snail's pace of course).
It sounds so cliche, but it has gone by in a blurr. I am going to make a point to remember as much as I can.
Starting today!!! Here is a great memory for Victoria's first day of High School! Even though the USD 231 website listed 183rd terr and Spruce as her bus stop, it apparently is not. After 25 min of waiting at that stop (and seeing the bus turn down our very own street) Victoria walked back into our house (mad as hell) missing the bus. I called to find out that they switched it closer to our house (2 doors down) but failed to inform us. So, laughing at her the whole way, I had to drive her to her 1st day at Gardner-Edgerton High School. To top it off, we only made it 5 min before school started. I eventually got her to laugh too, I told her the only thing she had control over changing here was her response to it. If she laughs then it is a funny event not a bad event. Someday, she too will find it as humorous as I do. It isn't every day that your 'too cool for school' 14 year old misses the bus on her first day. Love you Victoria, I can't wait to see what other memories you make during your time at GEHS.

I'm blessed to be a woman

I just finished reading one of the best books I have read in a while. Funny thing is, I would have never chosen to read this book on my own. I just finished a bible study for the summer "Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible". The study is about a few of the Patriarch Women in Genesis. Sarah, Haggar, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel. During the study, the girls mentioned that they loved another book that was about Leah and Rachel. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is a novel based on the story of Dinah, daughter of Jacob and Leah. It is more than just the story of Dinah though. This book tells of life in early biblical time. It tells of the bonds of sisterhood, motherhood, and the blessings of being a woman. The red tent itself is the tent that all women go to during their menstrual cycle. This is also the place women go to give birth and to recover after. In truth, this is a sorority of women who are able to share their lives with one another. These women cherish each other, praise each other and take care of one another in times of crisis. If a women has a hard childbirth and is ill or doesn't make it, these women become each others wet nurses and they are all mothers to each others children. The story of Dinah and her mothers is very powerful in many ways. It is empowering as a woman, mother, sister, and daughter. I felt as though I had a new realization that women can be successful just being a woman. In this day and age we feel like we need to prove our worth as women, but this book reminded me that being a woman is proof enough of our success. I had a very real intrigue in reading this book, and truth be told it is a great reminder that the people in the bible are in fact human, and had human experiences. The bible has so many stories, but are so brief that we almost miss the purpose. My friend Cori and I were talking that it may sound like blasphemy, but if the bible were this detailed, it would be much more fun to read, and the message would be so much easier to understand. I can't wait to find more books that are similar to this one, I urge you to read it.

My little Wheezer

Saturday night I came home from work and Colby told me that Devon (who had been fighting a cold for a few days) was wheezing. I listened to him with my stethoscope and sure enough, what used to be upper airway congestion was now in his lungs. Even though I take care of kids who are sick and have breathing difficulty (as I had done all day), I called one of my best friends to confirm that I should in fact take him to CMH urgent care. You see us nurses have this inability to accurately and unbiasedly assess our own children. We have this fear that maybe we are over reacting and if we bring a non sick child to the ER/Urgent Care that we are jeopardizing our RN credibility. Of course this is silly, but true. Anyway Ashley who has a little girl with frequent breathing issues urged us to go. We got to CMH South at 9:20 and waited until our hair turned Grey. When the Dr finally came to see us at almost Midnight, she listened to Devon's chest and then said "Oh...he IS wheezing". Ugh...Yes, that is why we brought him here and it didn't just start, so I wonder what she had been told. We were rapidly given an Albuterol treatment (which Devon HATED) and had a chest x-ray. We were told that his x-ray "wasn't THAT bad" and given another treatment, shown how to use the inhaler/spacer and sent home. Only problem...he is still wheezing. If he were my patient at work, I would call the RT and have them give him another treatment. If only I had the same bag of tricks at home as I do at work. Devon is happy as seen in the photo, but he feels like crap. I am going to take him to our PCP tomorrow and figure out what to do next...unless he get worse overnight then it's back to ER .

He is learning young

Tonight I washed Jake's blanket without his knowledge.  I made sure that it was done before bedtime or he would flip out.  Colby ended up getting it for him at bedtime, while I was laying Devon down.  When I was done, Jake was standing in the hall and said to me

Jake- "Hey, my blankey is clean and soft. Did you wash it for me?"

Me- "yes, I did, do you like it?"

Jake- (shaking his head while smiling with his teeth clenched) "I don't want you to do dat again"

Wow, all that was missing was a "Bless your heart" at the beginning and he would make a great Southerner.

Wanted: Help with Teenage Daughter

How in the heck did we all make it past our teens?  Seriously, I have more stress that is a direct result of Victoria than both boys combined.  We are getting out of debt, but she thinks she should be exempt from this, or at least that we should funnel more money to her than we do. She gets to go almost daily to the pool for an average of 5 hours each day, she spends the night or has someone spend the night at least once a week.  She went to the movies this week, she goes to the lake with friends.  Yet, we don't let her do ANYTHING (according to her).  Currently she is convinced that she will not be able to get a license until 17 1/2 because of new laws.  My friend Cori had her husband debunk this theory, but her friends say it is true, so it must be.  I won't let her ride with her friends driving, because they are so young and well, that is good enough.  I told her that when she has a license she can ride with them too.  I want her to have an understanding of what it takes to drive, so she wont be the obnoxious passenger that encourages bad behavior.  I have been told that one of her friends just got a new Mustang, and several others have cars their parents paid for.  Victoria has been told that we will match her dollar for dollar up to a total of $5000 total for the car she will drive (Not a bad deal if you ask me).  I am so tired of hearing about how awful she has it.  Any suggestions on how to fix or at least minimize this?  

signed,

Going Grey Quickly in Gardner!

Yes, we do need Health Care!

Last night Colby and I watched Michael Moore's Sicko. I had really never cared to watch it before, as I am not a huge fan of Michael Moore. I am a huge fan of good Health Care though. I urge you all to watch this film. It is a naked look at how broken our system is, and how far behind we are in comparison to Canada, England, France and even Cuba. In these other countries people don't have to pay out of pocket for their health insurance...nothing. Have a baby...Free, have Cancer treated...Free, have an extended ICU visit...Free. Drugs are all one price too. Why are we so far behind? Greed. Some ass hole (Kaiser) figured out that if they deny more things than they permit, they turn a profit. Dr's in HMO's are actually earning money for turning us away from needed procedures. This sickens me! In England, if a Dr is able to get someone to stop smoking, or lose weight, or lower their cholesterol he gets a bonus. Well done England! That is the way to get people to be healthy. Dr's in this country would make a fortune in weight reduction alone!

People who are against this bill in the US, say that it would mean that we have to pay for other people's medical bills. Wow, this from the proudest Christian nation in the world! For people who are so quick to quote the bible as a reason for everything, they seem to forget Matthew 7:12 "So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums the Law and the Prophets" You see it says EVERYTHING, not just what suits you. Even Jesus talks about helping the sick. I don't think he would like our health care system either. I would love for people to be able to go to their Dr to be treated and not have to worry that if they go, then they won't be able to put food on the table, because the co-pay is too much, or that when the bill comes, they can't pay for it. The most important thing we have is each other, if we can't be healthy, then we don't even have that. I urge you to put away the ridiculous thinking of Social Medicine and realize that what we have now is so much more debilitating than that. If Social Medicine is having health care that is free to everyone, and we can all be covered no matter what our pre-existing conditions, then bring on Social Medicine!

Oh, it's just an old Van injury

I previously posted about P90X.  Colby and I have been doing it for a few weeks.  That is until this week. Well, we did do 1 night.  I don't plan on stopping, I just need to heal first.  Ya see last week I did my yoga DVD one night and think I may have stretched farther than I should have.  The next day I sustained an injury to my Left hip while getting out of the van.  Yep, you read right.  While getting out of the van, I pulled a muscle and pinched  nerve.  Ok, I was holding Devon in one arm and trying to get out from the back row while reaching for my purse and trying to slide the door open at the same time.  Still this shouldn't be the cause of an injury.  I remember when I was in high school joking that if I had to break a hip, I wanted it to be because I was kicking my panties off.  (this was actually an injury that a friends grandmother received).  I know I didn't break it, but I am officially not as young as my brain thinks I am. (my brain thinks I am still in my early 20's by the way)

Park Fun

We took a little trip to the park today. It was too nice not too.  We all had a great time.  

As you can tell, Devon was not too sure of the slide.  He loved the swing though.

Jake is a rock star

Jake loves to sing and play his guitar.  He loves all different types of songs, and makes a lot up himself.  Recently Colby and I started to listen to more of Michael Jackson again. He may have been a sad man that as a mom I would never let my kids around, but he made some great music.  Anyway, MJ's videos were on a lot lately and Jake was very intrigued.  1- he LOVES ''Beat it". 2-he is very interested in "why are there 2 Michael Jackson's" (dark skin and light skin), 3- "why did he have a bad heart" "cant we just put a new one in him" and "what color do you think his heart is?"  

As a result of his intrigue I overheard him telling some kids at Jazzercise this week. "hey, did you know Michael Jackson died? His heart stopped working, do you know 'beat it' ?"  to which one of the kids responded in a confused face "My friend Jackson didn't die"........I feel old, but very entertained

Burning the midnight oil?

I took Devon to the Dr on Wednesday because I was up all night the night before.  Devon would wake up crying and acted like he was in pain, and pulling at his ears.  Because he just got over an ear infection, I thought that he had another one.  Well, as it turns out Devon's near crawling is most likely the culprit. His ears, nose, throat, etc look great.  Yes, he is getting another tooth, but most likely that isn't keeping him up.  Dr Wichman confirmed what most of us moms knew already.  When these little guys are working toward a milestone, they wake up and practice...then can't figure out how to get back to sleep, or calm down enough to sleep.  So apparently Devon was too busy trying to crawl in his bed, that he couldn't sleep.  What to do?  Let him cry until he goes to sleep.  I'll tell ya how that turns out.

Determination

This summer Victoria has been at the pool most days.  I don't even mean that as an exaggerated statement.  Most days she is at the pool.  It is more a social scene than anything. But I figure that it is not too bad of a place to spend her time.

Normally, Colby or I take her to the pool in the afternoon, then pick her up a few hours later.  Since we are short a vehicle, some days she has to walk to the pool.  Yes, I said it, we torture her by making her walk to the pool. I mean walking a whole 1.8 miles each way is equivalent to child abuse right?  Having said that, she still goes.  She isn't about to go without her friends for very long (I made her stay home yesterday...gasp). She even makes sure to take a shower before she goes so she is clean (I tell her she will be sweaty by the time she gets there, but she doesn't understand).  So, here she is hoofing it to the pool. : )

P90X

This past week, I started a home workout program called P90X. It is extreme!  The program includes a nutrition plan as well as the exercise video.  My good friend Ashley did it a couple of years ago and it helped her look awesome.  My cousin Cari started doing it about 2 months ago and is toning up (She was already a stick).  I am in dire need to do something.  I do Jazzercise, but it is at 9am and sometimes I don't want to go because it is too much work to get the kids together and out the door happy (Devon snoozes at this time).  I know that  this can be done at home on my own time, so why not?  Colby is doing it with me too, which is a nice.  The whole premise of why it works is muscle confusion or mixing it up so much your body never gets used to the exercises.  There are 3 phases each one lasting 30 days (hence the 90 in P90X).  I love it! I am very tired and sore, but it feels good.  I admit that I am not following the diet to the T as it is very limiting and I still Nurse Devon.  I do the best I can to stay close though.  I am going to stick to this and keep cycling through until I reach my goal weight.  I can't wait to have my old body again!