I survived!

Well, I had my dreaded sinus surgery this past Thursday and am clearly still living, so that's good. However, I will never again labor under the delusion that outpatient surgery = easy surgery. For some reason, I thought I'd be leaving the hospital pretty much as I went in except for being a little groggy from the anesthesia. Ha! I've been absolutely useless! Today is the first day that I even feel a little bit better, but I still can't function without the Lortab. Ahh, Lortab! (That said, please be advised that I am not completely responsible for the content of this post.)

Happily, everything went well during the surgery. It lasted quite a bit longer than expected because I had a lot more scar tissue than the doctor thought, but I should be much better as soon as everything begins to heal. Let's hope it's soon because I look like Penelope Pig Face!

Where we went

Yes, yes. I know I haven't updated in forever. My stupid computer decided to take a dive and I only just got it back. Of course it would do this right AFTER the warranty expired! Lucky for us, the nice people at Apple agreed to fix it for free anyway or it would have cost mucho $$$. (Thanks Genius Bar nerds! I won't be furiously ripping the Apple sticker off the back of my van anytime soon.)

So, just a little update on our goings on. Kindle had his VNS implanted last month, and will be having it turned on this Wednesday. We're praying very hard that it helps! He's been doing very well at his new job and has been having fewer seizures now that he's out of the sun. He took Andrew to Duck Creek, UT on a camping trip with his brothers last week and they both had a great time.

Cora was supposed to start Kindergarten a couple of weeks ago, but the city wasn't able to finish the road in front of the school in time, so her first day will be the 15th. Everyone bring out their rain gear, because I'm sure I will be crying buckets! (She might be too, since they cancelled the orientation and she's really freaked out about having a man teacher. Jerks!)

Andrew is starting to leave baby-hood behind him now and is venturing slowly into the stinky world of little boys. He recently moved out of his crib and onto my last nerve, as he will not stay in his new  "big boy bed" for longer than 3 hours at a time. (I'm TIRED.) We also took him to the store a few weeks ago and let him pick out a potty chair and underwear in hopes that he would get excited about potty training. Alas! No dice. As he so eloquently stated, "Anjew NO poo-poo in a potty! No like it! Anjew poo-poo in a diaper!" Oh, well. You can lead a horse to water...

I am very excited that my dance classes just started back up again after summer break and I got the new music for my next Stake Orchestra concert next month. I'm also anxious/excited about my surgery on the 17th. Hopefully it will take care of my sinus issues for good! (Sadly, Kindle put his foot down and refused to allow me to get a nose job at the same time. *Sigh. I guess I'll just have to learn to like it as it is.)

Anyway, hopefully I'll find time to get some pics of what we're doing, but don't hold your breath!

Grandma Betty Boop

Okay, I just had to share this uber-funny thing that Andrew said today. But, first, I have to explain it.

I have a Grandma named Bette Jane Bush.  She's my mom's mom and also happens to be the greatest Grandma in the world. (We also call her BJ.) Anyway, BJ loves her name (she belongs to the Betty Club) and she loves Betty Boop for obvious reasons. She collects Betty Boop stuff and all that. So, my mom downloaded a Betty Boop ringtone for her cellphone. When my Grandma calls, a picture of Betty Boop pops up on the phone and says "Boop-boop-be-do-boop." The kids think it's hilarious, and are always asking my mom to play it for them.

Well, basically, Andrew now calls BJ, Grandma Betty Boop. It's so cute! When we got the mail today, there was a birthday card for Cora from BJ with the usual $20. Cora left to take the card upstairs to find a place to put it and hide her $20, and then Andrew kicked the envelope across the floor. I looked up and said, "Hey, don't do that!" and saw that he was making the biggest frown. I asked what was wrong, and then he looked at me with his bottom lip stuck out and said, "I wan get sumpin a Gramma Betty Boop!"

Give me LIBERTY or give me DEATH!!

As I type these words, I am locked in a power struggle of elephantine proportions. Tensions have quickly escalated and negotiations have failed utterly. Neither side is willing to make any concessions and it looks as though the battle may well continue into the next decade. 

What, you may ask, could grind the operations of a happy, well adjusted family to a screeching halt? It is simply this: Mom has finally reached her limit and is no longer willing to clean up the myriad of messes thoughtlessly made by others. No more will toys left on the floor by careless children find their way to the toy box nor dirty clothes, left lying about, magically appear in the hamper. Dishes left at the table will not make it to the sink. You hear that friends? I AM OFFICIALLY DECLARING MY INDEPENDENCE FROM TYRANNY, OPPRESSION, AND SLAVERY!!!!!!!! I am, and will remain, ON STRIKE until the following demands are met:

1. Bedrooms will be kept tidy by the occupants and beds will be made at the time they are vacated.

2. Dishes will be carried to the sink and rinsed off immediately following meals.

3. Dirty clothes will be placed directly in the proper laundry receptacle as soon as they are removed from one's person.

4. Soiled diapers will be carried to the garage trash, not left inside to smell.

5. Empty toilet paper rolls will be replaced by the individual who pulled the last bit of paper off.

Until these demands are met, ingrate family members can expect the following:

1. Suspension of television, video game, and computer rights.

2. No more delicious meals or baked goods will be prepared by mom.

3. No more Slurpee runs.

4. All playdates and park visits will be postponed indefinitely.

5. Only clothes placed in the hamper will be laundered.

Yes, friends, I have a dream. A dream where one day all who come over unannounced can be welcomed inside without embarrassment. A dream that all can walk freely throughout the house without stepping on Polly Pockets. A dream that toilet paper will flow freely to all, that none shall be left to drip-dry on the potty. I have a dream and I shall continue to dream until the day I can say, FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LAST! THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I AM FREE AT LAST!! 

Prima Ballerinas!

Cora and I had our big dance recital this past weekend. The ballet was "Thumbelina" and the modern was the "Magical Mystery Tour". We both had a really great time dancing on stage! Cora was absolutely adorable in her 4 dances dressed as: a baby duck, a cuddle bug, a magician's assistant, and a magic dove. She was especially excited to wear make-up and glitter. (She's such a girly-girl.) Unfortunately, all the still pics that Kindle took turned out blurry, so I will have to wait until the professional portraits come back to post pics of us in our fancy costumes. Eliza got a few good pics during the show, so if I get a copy of them I will definitely post them. (I also have some fantastic video that you will be forcibly subjected to if you ever drop by! Just a friendly warning...) 

Memories- Like the corners of my mind- misty watercolor memories...

My friend Jen did this on her blog and I thought it was cute. Here's what you do-

Leave a comment on this post of any memory you have of me. Whether you know me a little or a lot. It could be silly or funny or sentimental or whatever. Then do a similar post on your blog and I'll do the same. Really it's fun! :)

Nightmare at Kohl's and "Mormon Tang"

Okay, I know I haven't posted in a while but I've been really busy with my dance recital coming up. I just wanted to share a couple of things that have happened in the last few weeks, but I don't have any pictures or anything. I've been too busy trying to keep the house clean when I'm not at rehearsal to worry about trying to take pictures. Sorry.

Anyway, the first story I wanted to share happened 2 weeks ago at Kohl's. I apologize for making my harrowing tale sound humorous, but it is really funny now. It wasn't at the time, though. Kindle needed clothes for his new job and since he can't drive, of course we all had to go with him to Kohl's. Now, what happened next was a classic example of "too many cooks in the kitchen". I saw some nice pants and I stopped to look for Kindle's size, (On a completely unrelated note, I just have to say that it's nearly impossible to find pants for the guy. He wears a 30/34. Otherwise known as Size Beanpole. All his pants either fall off, or don't reach the bottom of his ankles. It's really frustrating.) while he and the kids continued walking off toward the shirts. I spent a couple of minutes looking and then followed in the direction I saw him go. I spent another couple of minutes looking for him and finally had to call him on his cell phone to ask where he was. It was during this conversation that it became apparent that Andrew was not with either one of us. I thought he had him and he thought I had him. I immediately started hyperventilating and ran up to the front to tell the cashier that my 2 year old was missing.

What happened next was this: the cashier got on the intercom and announced a code "yellow". I want to tell you that the employees sprang into action, bolted all the exits and started searching for my son. I want to tell you that but, unfortunately, the store did exactly NOTHING!! Effing Jerks!! By this point Andrew has been missing for several minutes, I am bawling, Kindle is frantically searching the store and I am having a serious internal dilemma. I want to run through the store screaming his name at the top of my lungs, but I am afraid to leave where I am because then I won't be able to see if anyone tries to take him out of the front door. I keep waiting for someone to do something, but the cashier keeps calmly scanning merchandise and NO ONE even comes to ask me what he looks like. I was about to start cussing at the cashier when Kindle called to tell me he found him. 

So where was Andrew for those ten awful minutes I spent in a state of absolute panic? Why, next to the dressing room with his pants around his ankles apparently attempting to try on a pair of Men's shorts. The little punk was pretty mad about being found. I had to carry him out of the store kicking and screaming, "My shorts! Try on! Buy it!" Needless to say, I'm not in a hurry to go back! So, friends, you better hold on to your kids extra tight at Kohl's because if they get lost, the staff isn't going to do a mother loving thing!

Anyway, on  a lighter note, I went canning a couple of months ago and decided to try out the "fruit drink mix" (not to be confused with fruit JUICE). Now, please bear in mind that I am a nutrition Nazi and rarely allow my kids to drink/eat empty calories of any kind (seriously, my kids think apples are a special treat and frozen Gogurts are a reward for good behavior), but we ran out of juice last week and I didn't have time to run to the store so I decided to give the mix a try. Well, apparently, the mix is the storehouse's version of Tang, only slightly more disgusting and with, I'm sure, a higher sugar content. Of course, the kids LOVE it. It took less than 2 days for them to develop an alarming addiction to the sugar high that immediately follows the consumption of only a small amount. Seriously, I have emailed NASA to inform them that I have discovered a potent chemical with enough potential energy to fuel interstellar travel. (I'm still waiting for a response.) Well, I won't be making any more for a while. Now I just need to find the appropriate facility to check my kids into for the necessary detoxification and rehabilitation. Any suggestions, lol!