Christmas List 2013

Yes you read that right, 2013.  At least I am hopeful that Austin will be singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" next year and not this year.  Last week a dental hygienist visited his preschool to check the kids' teeth and do fluoride treatments.  She noted that Austin's two front top teeth were loose and said they should not be at his age yet.  She recommended that I take him to the dentist and have them checked, so I called and got him in on an emergency appointment this morning.

They took an x-ray and Dr. Tyler came in and explained what was going on without even looking at Austin's teeth.  He asked if Austin was a rough and tumble boy and I said oh yes, he definitely is.  He explained that Austin has bumped his teeth several times and over time it has caused the roots of his teeth to die and start reabsorbing, so basically those two teeth are dead now.  He said if a kid gets one major blow to the mouth it can cause an abscess which discolors the teeth, but since Austin's were small hits it was gradual and that is why his teeth are still normal color.  He reassured me that one of his sons had the exact same thing happen, and he usually has 20 or so patients a year that lose their teeth prematurely.

He then examined Austin's teeth to give them a test wiggle and said that if Austin continues to wiggle them he may have them only a couple more months, but best case scenario they will fall out within a year.  He probably still won't get his permanent teeth until age 5 or 6 so he will be toothless for a while.

Yo Ho Ho

Today was the Halloween party at Austin's school.  This year Austin decided what/who he wanted to be and he picked Jake of Jake and the Neverland Pirates:

It's a cartoon on the Disney Jr. channel that is a spin off of Peter Pan.  Peter Pan is an occasional guest, but Captain Hook and Mr. Smee are both regulars as they are after the Neverland Pirates Jake, Izzy, Cubby and Skully.

I put together all of Austin's costume and all I bought was his sword that was $3.

5QF

Wow what a crazy week, I can't believe it's already Friday morning.  Dustin lead a pack trip into a wilderness area Monday-Wednesday this week which left me alone with both kids for the first time.  The days were ok because Austin went to school, but Katy still has a fussy/cry period in the evenings so it was hard to try and comfort her and still give Austin attention.  I was one exhausted Mommy by the time Daddy got home!  1. Where do you hide junk when people come over?

I used to put it on our desk in our office, but that is now Austin's room and we condensed down to one small desk in our guest room.  If it's just a little mail I stick it in there, otherwise now it goes on or behind the chair in our bedroom until I can get to it and find somewhere for it.

2. Do political ads help you decide who you are going to vote for?

NO, I hate political adds!  I don't think you can really count on them for being accurate, especially the PAC ads.  We have been getting bombarded by them in Arizona, and they are ugly.  Some of them seem so stretched that you have to wonder about how they are manipulating things to try and portray people dishonestly.

There is one particular add here that bothers me for a women running for the House and it says she said stay at home moms leach off their husbands.  Then the next add says the same quote only that she said work at home women do.  So it's like they contradicted themselves and it seems suspicious that a politician would say something like that anyway.

3. What's your favorite holiday party to host?

The only holiday party I have ever hosted is my Christmas cookie baking party.  I guess sometimes for St. Patrick's Day I have had a corned beef dinner for my family, but I wouldn't really consider it a full on party.  

4. You go to an island with your husband and can only take one personal item. What is it?

Toothbrush, if I'm getting quality time with my husband I want fresh breath!

5. If you found out your spouse was a Dexter style serial killer (only kills people to save others) would you rat?

I guess if I knew more about this Dexter thing I might have a better answer.  My husband would never murder anyone, so it's hard to even imagine, but since I believe that "though shall not kill" I would do the right thing.

Austin's artwork

The Learning Center where Austin goes to school had an open house last weekend and they had the kids make art on canvas that they displayed and then sold the artwork to raise funds for the center.  I of course couldn't resist Austin's art.

5QF

1. Did you have any homecoming traditions?

In high school I would always go to the game and the dance.  Since I was a football manager/trainer I would be in the parade with the team.  

In college my sorority always did a float in the parade.

2. Do you ask your spouse before spending money?

If it's a big purchase I would, like over $100.  Unless of course I'm buying a gift for him. 

3. If you could be famous for something what would it be?

I'm not sure if this is something that I currently am able to do, or if I could have a talent I currently lack.  It it's something I'm currently good at I suppose it would be my cooking.  If I could obtain a new talent I think it would be fun to play a base guitar in a rock band.
4. Have you ever seriously thought you were going crazy?

Definitely in college I was overwhelmed and felt like I couldn't do it.  I tried taking caffeine pills once and they totally wigged me out.

5. How do you eat your steak? Burger? (as in, well done, medium, still moo-ing...)

Steak- Medium Rare
Burger-done: not black, but not pink at all

34

Today is my 34th birthday.  My 34th year was a good one and I feel so blessed.  I got to spend my day with three of my most favorite people hiking at a beautiful location.  We went to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and hiked the Willis Creek Slot Canyon.  You follow the creek and cross it several times along the trail. Austin absolutely loved it and indulged in hiking in the water as much as possible. 

We met an older gentleman from Ohio along the trail and he asked how old Katy was and said she was by and far the youngest hiker he had ever seen.  He was surprised when I said it wasn't even her first hike.

My boys <3

On our way home we stopped and had a late lunch/early dinner at Ruby's Inn which is near Bryce Canyon National Park.

Here are some highlights from my 34th year:

• I delivered my beautiful little girl Katy in July.  She is growing like crazy and she amazes me everyday. She has a strong will and a lot of strength to start out so tiny and endure so many issues at first to be caught up with her growth and so healthy today.  
• I resigned from my position with the Kaibab Paiute Tribe which I have had for 7.5 years so that I can be a stay at home mom.
• We got to travel and see our families.  We went to Iowa for Thanksgiving and stopped in Colorado along the way.  We went back to Colorado when my nephew wrestled in the state tournament.  Last week we went to the western slope of Colorado for a visit.
• We celebrated Austin's third birthday and I have enjoyed watching my little boy grow and learn.  I have especially enjoyed watching him become a big brother and am elated by how much he loves his sister and looks out for her. 
• We celebrated our seventh year of marriage to my best friend who is the best dad and husband ever.

I look forward to my 35th year and know that God has wonderful things planned for our family this year.

5QF

I'm back!  I haven't done a 5QF since I had Katy, but I am finally back in the groove and ready to participate in my fav meme.  Head on over to Mama M's and join in the fun:

1. What album/cd/download are you embarrassed to admit you have?

I still have all the New Kids on the Block albums and VHS tapes of their videos.  In another way to look at it I have the Nine Inch Nails CD that has Closer on it, I love the way the song sounds, but not the words themselves.

2. What's the one thing your spouse does better than you?

There are a lot of things, but I am going with installing things around the house.  I have tried, but he gets out his stud finder and leveler and makes sure everything is perfectly placed.  

3. When do you start buying Halloween Candy?

Mine is already in the pantry for this year.  I live 80 miles away from a major city, about 60 miles from a Walmart, so I always try to stock up on everything and plan ahead when I go for a shopping trip.  When I was in the big city for Katy's 2 month appointment last week I went to Costco and bought a huge bag of candy bars.

4. Family closets - Yay or nay?

Nay, my husband and I share a closet, but our stuff is completely separate.  Our kids have their own closets in their rooms.

5. Which home/cleaning chore do you hate the most? Why?

I'm not big on cleaning anything, but I really hate cleaning the toilets.  Totally because of the germiness.

Anniversary Trip

We took a little trip to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary this weekend.  We have taken a trip every year so far and didn’t want to miss even though Katy is so young.  It was exhausting, but also a lot of fun. 
Our plans changed three times.  First we just planned the trip to go to Dinosaur National Monument, then to check out a town in Colorado where Dustin applied for a job, and finally stop and see my brother and his family.  Then the people offering the job called and scheduled an interview which Dustin offered to give in person.  Originally it was going to be on Wednesday, then they called and said they couldn’t do it then so they moved it to Monday.
We left on Saturday and drove all day and got to my brother’s house that evening.  Katy traveled well and slept most of the time.  We stayed through until Monday morning.  We got to take advantage of the indoor pool where they live and also got to watch the Bronco game.  Austin loved playing around their ranchette.

The boys watching Phineas and Ferb. 

Austin loved their cats and was pretty rough with them, but they were sweet and let him give them all the attention he wanted.

Checking out the flume behind their house.

Aunt Krissy and Katy sporting their Bronco wear.

Monday we drove to the town where Dustin had his interview.  Austin, Katy and I went to the park to play during that time.  We attempted to go out for a nice lunch afterwards at an Italian restaurant since it was our anniversary.  It was really good food, but Katy cried the whole time so it was a total indigestion kind of lunch.  We drove around the town checking it out and even drove by some properties that were for sale. 
That evening we got a special treat because my nephew’s school scheduled an impromptu junior varsity football game against the town where we were so we got to go and watch them play.  We had dinner at our hotel with Aunt Krissy and the boys before they headed home. 

Tuesday we headed home and stopped at Dinosaur National Monument on the way.  Dustin worked there the first summer after he graduated from college in a seasonal job and he loved the area and was excited to show it to Austin.  We were not able to go out and see all the things we wanted to see, but still had a great time.  It brought back a lot of memories from that summer in 2004.

Wordless Wednesday