Sickness and Losses for our Anniversary

Well, I guess after the 10 year mark, the rest of anniversaries start to not look as shiny even if you dress them up! Good thing we aren't supposed to "judge a book by it's cover" and "it's what's on the inside that counts"!

We travelled to Vegas for the BYUvs.Arizona match up in the Las Vegas Bowl. I will have to check my camera when I have time later (it' just after 4:30am). My camera battery died Friday Night at the Fremont Experience and I forgot my charger. Oh well.

Kaeleigh was in the half time show for her fourth consecutive year. She absolutely loves doing this. I tried to protest celebrating my (our) anniversary at the football game, but it was Kaeleigh and Carson's vote of going, along with Ryan of course, that outnumbered me. So, our 11 year mark will go down in history as an embarrassing loss to the Wild Cats. Good thing it's "just a game".

Before we left, Carson missed a day of school because he had a fever and a cough (Wed pm into Thurs am). Thurs he never moved off the couch, but come Friday morning he had no more fever for about 24 hours but the cough was still there. He seemed more back to normal, other than the cough, so we decided it was just one of his yucky asthma sounding coughs. Carson just wasn't himself this whole trip. He is usually the one running out in front of cars in parking lots (ok, he and Deegan both...someone has to lead the way) and we are always telling him to slow down, settle down, etc. He was always 10 ft behind anywhere we went and we had a hard time getting him to move anywhere.

After Kaeleigh's on-field practice Saturday morning, Ryan took Carson down on the field, girls included, to play a little football. Sadly, Carson didn't show any excitement. He didn't try very hard to catch the football and would kind of wander to the ball.

Saturday night came and Carson seemed a bit more himself. He nominated himself to be the rescuer of any dropped items in the bleachers. He climbed up and down underneath the bleachers and that was the most alive he seemed the whole trip. He was still coughing, but I had noted the night before that he didn't cough all night. By now, I had decided he was forcing his coughs to add a little drama, the way little kids do. Well, maybe it was the cold that did him in. We decided not to travel home through the night because we just didn't feel right about it. By Sunday morning, Carson was really lagging. His fever came back on the road home. His coughing was really bad and he kept sounding like he was going to throw up. He gets really carsick, so I gave him a Dramamine thinking that he wouldn't cough in his sleep and it would keep the car clean! That was sometime around noon, maybe a little before.

Carson slept about 90% of the rest of the day. We got home and he still had a fever so immediately, I checked his temperature. 104.7!!! (Mother disclaimer: I knew he was hot and I did try to be the good mom that brought the thermometer on vacation, but Carson "shot" the plastic cover off and we never found it. It doesn't work without it.)

I took him straight to the Dr.'s office. When the nurse checked him, he was fiery hot and she read 99.9 on the thermometer that was exactly like mine...just prettier! I said "NO WAY!". I made her check the other ear and it read 105! She tried to defend herself and said that ears always read differently (duh!). The stupid lady marked him with the 99.9 temp on his stats because she was convinced that if he was really 105 then he would be having febrile seizures. His oxygen levels were only 92, so they called the Dr. immediately. She came in and looked at him and the first thing she said was, "he's really hot. What's his temp?" I perked right up and told her that her wonderful nurse said he didn't have a fever (never mind the bright red cheeks and the fact I had to carry a lifeless, 50lb. child into her little room) and that temps are always different in each ear and that her fantastic nurse said there is no way that the 105 could be right when it was that far off from 99.9. She glared at the nurse and said, "What was his temperature when you took it?" The nurse started guessing..."it said 100." The Dr. grabbed her paper and confronted her as to why it said 99.9 and said, "take it again!" Guess what...104 in the 99.9 ear, and still 105 in the other. PRIDE!!!

Anyway, they took him straight to get a breathing treatment. All in all, Carson got 2 treatments of Albuterol, one including oxygen. He got a steroid shot in the arm, an antibiotic in the hiney and they did a blood draw on him to look for bacteria in his blood. My DRAMA CHILD never made a peep. Usually it would have taken 2 nurses and myself to restrain him, but he just laid there like he was dead! When they did the blood draw, the nurse warned me that she had only done it 2 times before and needed this 3rd to be passed off and another nurse would be right beside her to "take over" if needed. Well, she failed in my book! The lady took over only after the other nurse dug around in his arm, pulling out and pushing in several times. Carson didn't make a sound. The hand I held started shaking really bad at one point and I nearly started to cry, but didn't want to scare him. I couldn't believe that just because a kid is too sick to complain that they would KEEP GOING like he was a dead body!

They had taken a chest x-ray that showed he has slight pneumonia. I will take him back tonight. They considered admitting him to the hospital, but because his breathing improved to 94-95 and his fever lowered to 102.5, they let me take him home to do breathing treatments every 4 hours and rotate the Tylenol and Motrin...that's why I am awake!

We are grateful to have him home where he is comfortable. I sure hope his oxygen levels are good when I take him back today so that he can stay home. It would break my heart if he was in a hospital for Christmas! The Dr. thinks his pneumonia was just starting on our trip home and that's why he got the fever.

In all this, Carson was a champ! He is so adorable and who wouldn't want to be that kids nurse? He of course had a couple Carsonisms in all of it...He could barely keep his eyes open, but I could tell something was stressing him from giving in and told him it was ok if he wanted to shut his eyes, I would be there and I would keep him safe. He just said, very seriously, "ok Mom, just let me know when my Popsicle gets here", and instantly he was back asleep!

The other one was after his shot in the rear, I was worried he had had enough, and I asked, "Carson, are you ok?" and he said, "yeah Mom, I just need someone to pull up my pants." He was still on his tummy, which he didn't budge until 20 minutes later when they made him, but fact is, his pants were already up! They had given him Lidacain (I think that is what it was) mixed in the anti-biotic to numb him since it would be thicker.

Anyway, sorry for the long post! It was a crazy weekend, but still to my sweetheart...I love you, and thank you for this crazy life we live together! Here's to MANY MORE. There isn't anyone I would rather do it with. And thanks for taking a shift with Carson so I could sleep!!!

(By the way...in a couple hours, I will be off with Deegan to the PHX Children's Hospital to do his trial DDAVP (IV) and more blood work. I will only be there about 2-3 hours! I am going to be able to draw my children's blood myself if we keep this up. Love to you all, and Merry Christmas!)

Deegan

Monday, January 5th at 2pm. That is Deegan's scheduled time for surgery. I will let you know if something changes.

I met with the hemotologist yesterday and they want to do further testing and an IV challenge of DDAVP. They can do both at the same time. The first thing they said when we started talking was NO CONTACT SPORTS! No football or wrestling especially...poor Ryan. I asked the DR. if he could be the kicker and she just laughed at me. We will have to worry about that later.

Deegan update

I got a call from Deegan's pediatrician yesterday confirming he indeed has VonWillabrand's. This is just a bleeding disorder that is a cousin to hemophilia. That, of course, sounds very scary, but really it is not that bad. In simple English, it means that he is a bleeder and a bruiser. Since he will be having surgery, they will most likely just want to give him a drug called Desmopresin(DDAVP). At least that is what they give me when I have babies to just make sure that I will clot faster and it reduces the risk of hemorrhaging. All will go well, I am sure. Please just pray that I will be able to stomach all this. I am hoping he won't have some gross incision that I have to clean and get all grossed out as it heals. Ask my mom, I can barely handle circumcisions and umbilical cords!

Deegan's big "HURT"

We discovered last night that our sweet boy has a hernia in his groin. Last night it made its first appearance that we ever noticed, about the size of a walnut, but smaller than a golf ball. My first thought was that it was a tumor or a HUGE cyst. I have never seen a hernia before and I don't ever want to again. Our pediatrics office had the "on-call nurse" party until midnight, so luckily, I got a phone call back directly from a Dr.

We got Deegan in today and his Dr. said most definitely it is a hernia and recommends surgery. So, being the queasy mom I am...just her describing how to "maneuver" it back in -if it were to show itself again- I was gasping and covering my mouth, totally shaking my head so I could block out what she was saying. I had to make her stop describing the maneuver and told her RYAN would figure it out! Luckily right then, Deegan told me he had to go potty, so thanks to him, we avoided the rest of that conversation!

I did decide that if Deegan is going to have surgery, then it is time we finally figure out if he does/doesn't have my blood disorder (VonWillabrand's). We drove straight to the lab from the Dr. office for his blood draw...I even watched this time, but it was more the "Mama protecting her cub" kind of thing. No one was going to hurt my baby! How I wished I could have just offered my arm, instead of having to do that to him-that's saying a lot, considering I hate needles. I felt like such a bad mom restraining and lying to him. Of course Mommy's have to tell them that things like that are OK...THEY SO AREN'T! I am just glad that we will get this excitement done and over. Thankfully, they have already talked about checking his other side while in there to avoid another episode.

HELP!

How do I fix this? My Halloween post is remembering something from an autosave once upon a time and I have a huge space in my post! Keep going when you look at the post. There is MORE (sorry, lots to catch up on) below.

Halloween...FINALLY!

OK, so I know that I am the last person on earth to post pictures of Halloween. Most of us are already moving on to the more favorite holidays, but I MUST show off our 5th child...in costume speak, that is. Not that I had any intentions of showing up my children in their costumes...I just wanted to add to their costumes in some miraculous way of keeping two young children happy and contained for 2 nights of lots of walking (Trunk or Treat, and trick or treating).

I got the idea of the train in the middle of the night one night. I was planning on Deegan being an engineer...playing on his obsession for trains, and HATE of Halloween dress-up. (The kid hates putting costumes on...every year!) I thought if I did something he liked, then he would cooperate. The problem was that I had no costume for him. I got so lucky! I stopped at the 1st children's consignment store on my list and found Deegan's Osh Kosh overalls, NEW...WITH TAGS, but for only $7! I had already bought his bandanna the night before and was bummed that I could only find a two-pack...Blessing in disguise...So, as I was doing the happy dance all the way to the register I saw a little dress peeking at me from a rack. Lo and behold, ASHLYN'S SIZE!!! "Match made in heaven!", I thought to myself-OK, really I said, "NO WAY!", out loud! "Seriously, Tommy Hilfiger for only $5.50?", the conversation in my head went on..."Totally my new favorite store!" How could this place not totally make the top of my list when it totally saved the day?

So, this all took place the day before the trunk or treat. I had my mind set on the wagon-turned-train idea before, but now...game on! I ended up using foam board, like you find next to the poster board. Those weren't big enough, so I headed to Michael's thinking that they would just give me a box. Nothing in life is free people...but I could buy their wonderfully over sized foam board that they use to back their framings with! Sold! I started at 9pm and next thing I knew, it was 2am! I wasn't even tired, but I knew I would pay for it the next couple days if I didn't head to bed. The next day I MADLY taped, painted...even spray painted Ryan's wonderful PVC frame that held the thing up (better for the outcome of pictures, I was certain! Certifiably insane, I know! I totally got carried away with this project...I even made a smoke stack that smokes with dry ice. Those are the things that it takes to wrangle Deegan and Ashlyn all night!) Needless to say, it all payed off. Neither Deegan or Ashlyn complained once either night. Deegan rode proudly blowing his whistle, of course! Now, I may need my children to offer rides for a quarter around the neighborhood to recoup some cost!

Some more cute pictures...*Deegan had a Halloween party at school. The first two are from that. *3*Carson, on Halloween night (Kaeleigh trick or treated with a friend, so we have no pictures of her (sad!) *4* We didn't carve pumpkins this year...very overlooked with the whole train thing, so luckily I found these tattoo things at the last minute. *5*Ashlyn doing traditional Vehar stunt work, and last *6* and my highlight of Halloween...(deserves it's own paragraph...)

I admit I was ready to BLOW and at the end of my rope trying to get kiddos ready, when the door bell rang! My first reaction was more anger as I was beside myself that the neighbors thought it would be ok to start trick or treating already! I went to the door and found a delivery guy with these cute flowers from a best friend, Angie Ashton...all the way from Utah! She always catches me somehow when I am about to fall. Thankfully to my kiddos benefit, it was perfect timing as Mommy was able to find a smile for the rest of the night! Thanks Angie! Told you they were cute!!!

Wrap up on the T-Ball season

So this is a couple weeks behind, but that will be the case for the next couple posts seeing as I just figured out the pictures deal. First up...T-Ball. Now that it is over, we look back and think we enjoyed it. What a commitment! Who knew that Tball had practices twice a week, plus games on Saturdays...then, Ryan was asked to be an assistant coach on top of that. All in all, what a great first experience for Carson. The coach asked Ryan if Carson could come up to the next level with his son...he had NO IDEA that Carson was only 5! Carson is not technically old enough to play in the next level. What a complement to Carson. He really played well, and we are very proud of him!

New look...

I haven't been blogging for a while...seems I am the last one to find a new background for the new season. Since I am the last one to Fall, I figure I will get a head start on Christmas. It is my favorite...I have been listening to Christmas music since before Halloween, so I may as well set my background too before all the good ones are taken.

Carson's first field trip

Carson's class had a field trip to the Stuffington Bear Factory (like Build-a-Bear) to finish their unit on bears. I wasn't able to go, but my girlfriend was and so I was able to post some pictures from my email...thanks Julie!

Carson waiting to stuff his bear.
(Notice he chose a BLUE bear.
This boy does everything for his
Cougars!!)

Stuffing and Fluffing

This is Carson and his friend
with their matching bears.



Carson's class

Figuring out the RIGHT traditions...

So my great friend, Sommer, posted a "fun" recipe on her blog about making Dinner in a pumpkin. It wasn't even photo-worthy by the time I got done with it. (That is if my pictures would magically show up here anyway!) It smelled and tasted good...the only problem was that even after 1 and a half hours, my rice never softened? Is this a normal problem, because I have another recipe using uncooked rice and it bakes in the oven...but my rice never softens. People, there is something really wrong with crunchy rice!!! By the time I gave up, my pumpkin was falling apart and half the original size and my house smelt like squash! So I have decided that this recipe will not be a Halloween tradition. I am liking an idea of Costco Pizza that my other good friend Trea told me about! Seriously, with all the "getting ready" to trick or treat...who has time to make, let alone EAT dinner anyway? (I would just like to say that I am looking forward to next Halloween being on a Saturday so that Ryan will have...I mean, GET to help me dress four fabulous "whatevers". I now know why my mom hated Halloween. It is a tough gig on us moms!)

What did we do that worked as a great tradition? We toasted our pumpkin seeds and had pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and made THE BEST CIDER IN THE WORLD! We got to stay up late and play ZARAHEMLA with our buddies the Hochhalters. If you're planning on eating, you better have help! Right? Thanks for the fun, "Hokey Pokies" ! (...as my kids like to call you!)

Try these cookies....easy, and mmm! Great especially for kiddos with egg allergies! Finally they can eat raw cookie dough!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies:
1 small can (soup can size) Libby's pumpkin
1 spice cake mix
milk chocolate chips (I use about 3/4 of the bag)

Bake @ 375 for 10 minutes.

Hot Cran-apple cider:
2 qt. apple cider
1 1/2 qt. cranberry juice
1/4 C. brown sugar
4 3 inch sticks cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. whole allspice
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Heat all ingredients together. Let simmer 15 minutes until flavors are blended. Remove spices and lemon slices. Serve. ***The newer crock pots have a "warm" on the settings. I set it in there on warm, and it is just the perfect temperature when you want to finally serve it.)

(***Play with this recipe!!!)
~I love to use an orange instead of a lemon.
~Apple juice works if you don't have cider.
~Last night, I didn't have Cranberry juice, so I opened the freezer and pulled out a frozen concentrate of Apple-Raspberry juice. I used half the can, (that's all that was in there left over from smoothies!) and filled it with water 1 1/2x and used a lemon.

Halloween SPOILER...

I still haven't been shown (not discounting the possibility, I am just not savvy enough to figure it out on my own) how to upload pictures, and I am dying to share all my cute events! I just can't resist a LEAK about Halloween costumes though!

Kaeleigh has designed her own costume this year. The only thing she had to purchase was some tights for $2.50! Those are my favorite costumes. I couldn't help but have to buy her the cauldron for trick or treating...just $1! She wins for the cutest, cheapest costume-and she will look darling! She calls her masterpiece a "DIVA WITCH".

Carson is going to be a PIRATE..."AAARRGH"! He was a pirate last year, and he wanted to be one again....meaning, I had to go get him the one thing that would have made his costume perfect last year...A PARROT. No, it doesn't talk-that would have been awesome, and would have cost a whole lot more too! I found him a hook for one of his hands and was "deciding" on it in the store, but when I got home it was in my bag, so apparently I decided without knowing. Good thing it was only $2. It's the little things that add up though and that is the reason I was hesitating...oh well. At least he'll be cute!

Now for my favorite...I will have not 1, but 2, little TRAIN ENGINEERS. Let's keep it short and just say that it was meant to be seeing as I just happened upon Ashlyn's matching dress....just wait for pictures (I hope...fingers crossed!) I don't know what I am more excited for...the cute outfits, or the sweet ride I am creating for my munchkins. All I know is that it better be good!

For a good cause

Last night we were able to put door hangers on our neighbors doors for Prop 102 for Family Night. We have felt that it is important for our children to feel involved in the effort of trying to preserve marriage. They were so cute riding their scooters and doing good work. They didn't complain as we walked to 98 homes. When we were done, the kids had us pile our hands like they do at Carson's t-ball games and cheer "YES on 102!" We took the kids to the park before heading home for our root beer floats. We talked to them about how some day they may look back and be excited that they were a part of such an important moment in history.

As important as this is, I am growing weary of all the animosity that comes with elections. I am feeling all the yuck of Prop 8 in CA since I have family there, and then prop 102 here. Then there is the whole McCain/Obama crud that I just can't wait until it is over. Thank goodness for a DVR. At least I don't have to watch the ads on TV.

Life goes on

We are still alive! I have been missing keeping up on my blog reading and posting. Our computer crashed and we actually ended up having to buy a new one. We are now owners of a nifty little lap top. We are so behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology! Prepare yourself for some major posting...if I can figure the photo download thing out on the new toy. We have had a busy little while and have enjoyed some really fun stuff with the family. It's late and I need to be able to get the kiddos ready for church in the morning, so sometime soon, look for some cute photos! Can I just say real quick that if you haven't seen HSM3 yet, it's a must see...better than 1 AND 2! Kaeleigh was ready to see it again at the next showing...we did frozen yogurt instead~

Deegan started Preschool

We officially ended fall break by heading back to school Monday. Deegan got to go too! He endured his first week of preschool. He cried when Mommy left every day, but enjoyed his activities eventually...he got to race worms his first week of school! He will go M-Th, for 3 hours. He will be working very hard on his speech and social behaviors. (Yeah for Mom and Deegan!)

Deegan started his day just as always...with his best friends, the Little Einsteins!

Practicing a little independence...helping Ashlyn.

What does Ashlyn think about having alone time with Mom?

Traditions

My sister, Jenny, got me thinking more about something I have really been thinking about lately. It is great to have fun and play around with the kids. I hope they will look back on their childhood and remember feelings they had (hopefully only the good ones), but I want them to have good memories of things or events...traditions!

My mother made the best cinnamon rolls growing up. I remember any time it snowed (rare in Apple Valley, CA) Mom would make cinnamon rolls. Well, living in Phoenix, AZ...we do it when it rains...still rare, but Monsoon season works me every year! It really should be classified to winter rain, but how can you tell a child "no" when they use the "tradition" card on you?

Saturday was a beautiful day. Our high was 83 degrees and overcast all day with a beautiful breeze. Wouldn't you know that Kaeleigh caught all those 20 sprinkles that dropped from the sky and mandated the cinnamon roll tradition. I had been craving them, so I was happy to oblige.

Here are some of the traditions we had when I was growing up:

~We would go out to Bob's Big Boy on the FIRST RAINY MONDAY NIGHT of the SEASON for FHE.

~Getting ice cream at Thrifty's on the Saturday of General Conference. (We didn't get it on TV where we lived and HAD to go to the church bldg. We got a scoop for every session on Saturday we went to...bribery!)

~Going on "TURNS" with Grandma and Grandpa Larkin (spending a couple days with them without parents...usually alone unless we wanted to bring a sibling. We NEVER forgot whose TURN it was!)

(some holiday traditions...)
~Making Halloween pumpkin cookies with Grandma Faylor...with candy corn faces.

~Every Christmas season, the girl cousins would help decorate Grandma and Grandpa Faylor's christmas tree (w/ Gma) while the boy cousins would hang the lights outside (w/ Gpa)!

~Driving to Christmas lights in Chino and walking through the neighborhood filled with lights.

~Christmas caroling and delivering cinnamon rolls to family friends!!!

~Christmas eve...Faylor family togetherness. Dinner (potato casserole...mmm!), re-enacting the nativity (w/ costumes...fighting every year over who got to be Mary) and singing for Santa to come. He'd always bring us a gift and a candy cane every Christmas eve.

Now, for my family...I'm sure we Vehar's have more than these few, but I am struggling to think of them! The only few that jump out at me are:

~the first day of school we take our kids out to dinner (used to be ice cream, but Deegan can't do that now...PEANUTS!)

~We take our kids every summer to BYU. We buy them a new shirt at the BYU bookstore and walk the campus ("to familiarize them", as Ryan says). We take them with Greg Vehar (Ryan's Dad's cousin) through Legacy Hall and the kids love taking the tour year after year all the way through the locker room and exercise facility. They then get to play football in the Indoor Practice Facility. After that, we daringly risk Deegan's life at the BYU creamery. We started taking turns with someone sitting outside with Deegan...YES IT IS WORTH IT!

So, do me a favor and share with me...what are some of your favorite traditions...from growing up or some you do now with your kids...not necessarily holiday traditions only. I would like to find some really good ones to start with my family. It just doesn't seem like we have enough.

Carson, the artist

So I am recognizing a "phase" that I wasn't sure until now that there really must be such a thing. Kaeleigh went through it as well. I don't know what to call it, but it's when your kindergartner figures out how to draw any and everything. Carson goes through about 10-20 sheets of paper in a day! Whether it is making paper airplanes, drawing and cutting out swords and bow and arrows, or coloring dinosaurs, etc, Carson is always busy creating his newest design. Now he even illustrates his jokes on paper as he's telling the joke (which takes longer).


I posted about Carson's dedication to his Mommy...he is going to be the best hubby! Here's my latest favorite picture: I asked Carson the "who and what's" of the picture. He says it is a picture of he and I. I noticed the little squares and asked what they were-PRESENTS from Carson to Mom, of course (bow included!) I asked what was in the presents...he said, "one has a candy hearts in it and the other one has jewelry." I guarantee you Ryan had nothing to do with this...what a thoughtful little guy! Ryan saw how excited I got over the picture and had to comment that if only it were that easy...that he could just draw me whatever I wanted or he thought of then he could save money!


Check out those stars! I spent an evening practicing those with Carson and now they make a cameo in every picture.

What happens in Vegas...

...doesn't always have to stay in Vegas! So, my pictures aren't working, so I am posting my sister Jenny's post (her pictures turned out better too). Cheating, I know! Why re-do something that doesn't need re-doing? Anyhow, I thought her post was cute... Thanks Jen! (It's not copyrighted, hopefully...don't sue me, please!!!)


After spending all day at Disneyland with the kiddos, it was time for a girl's weekend. We left the next day and headed to...Las Vegas! Now don't get the wrong idea, we went to a Time Out For Women!!

We got there early in hopes that we could get good seats. (no assigned seats) Shannon was the only one that had been to one of these before, and warned us that these cute Mormon women can get pretty vicious when it comes to getting the seats they want. She told us that when the doors opened, we needed to be ready to run! No joke, we had to sprint!! Sounds so lame, I know, but I wasn't about to waste the time we had waited to be in the front of the line to let some crazy ladies out run me and take a better seat! Maybe that's just my competitive side coming out..it was kind of fun though!

Here we are waiting outside the Cashman Center...

The first night we were entertained by Jason Deere and his band. He wrote all the music for the "Joseph" and "Trek" albums. They were great, and even nicer in person. We were able to talk with them, take pictures, and they were signing every ones CD's.

With Jason...

Then we headed off to the Stratosphere, where they have a great 50's restaurant called Roxy's Diner where the waiters entertain you while you eat. We've made it a tradition to go when we are in Vegas.

The next day we woke up very early, trying to get at the front of the line again, and despite being there much later than we planned, we were still able to get great seats. We we entertained by Hilary Weeks. She is amazing. I thinks she should leave her music gig and become a stand up comic, she really is so hilarious!! We were also lucky to have Virginia Hinckley Pierce speak to us too. One of the ladies that were supposed to speak was sick, so she filled in. Kind of ironic, this conference was originally scheduled for February, but was rescheduled due to the passing of the Prophet. She was great and so friendly.

Even though the conference was canceled in Feb, we still went to Vegas since we had already booked our stay. We all laughed as Shannon devoured as many peanut butter treats as she could. (Her son is allergic to peanuts) Well, shortly after that trip we discovered that Porter has the same allergy, and I have since realized her torture. I must say that after months of no peanut paraphernalia in the house, the highlight of the trip, for me at least, was to have as many of these as I could.....

Isn't she cute? I just love my sisters and mom! We really do have so much fun together...especially when we can let our hair down and just be us, with no kiddos. I had a ton of fun with you gals...Jenny, someday you will figure out how to show your emotions with tears like the rest of us. Just don't keep laughing at us when we are in the middle of a "moment"!

Addition to our family!!!

Last night, Ryan and I finally decided that our family wasn't complete. Yes, you read that right! Not so much in the way your face is showing the shock...or humor of reading that simple sentence though.

All you with picky little eaters will appreciate that our family has been lacking. Our children have been pulled to the dark side long enough, and we have finally won! We purchased our LONG WAITED for Vita-mix last night from our favorite Costco store.

We knew the road show was back and had already decided we wanted one, but truly we went with the intent to work on our food storage for FHE. Well, first stop just had to be the vita-mix man...after a wholesome pizza dinner at the food court, of course!

We sat through his demo which started with a smoothie (banana, pineapple, cantaloupe-with seeds(the seeds have the healthiest nutrients in them of all fruit), orange-including the white stuff, carrot, cabbage, strawberries-stems and leaves included, grapes, and who knows what else...) which was tasty. Next he made us celery cabbage sorbet (celery, cabbage, lemon, little bit of frozen juice concentrate, ice, honey and some protein powder). He took the lid off, turned it upside down and it didn't move a bit. All less than a minute-kid you not! It was also a hit with the kiddos. Then he proceeded to make us tortilla soup(the base had tomato, carrot, celery, red pepper w/ seeds, seasoning mix and cheese (for creaminess) and honestly, by now Deegan was being true to form, and I was distracted hoping that Ryan would just continue to enjoy his sales pitch enough to not change his mind! So, I don't know what else was in the base) including rice, black beans, corn and tortillas. The soup was so yummy...you should have seen the steam coming out of the blender when the lid came off! I was so full, but seriously, the soup was made in less than 4 minutes and to think how long we waited for our pizza and it wasn't even that good for our bodies-tasted great though. So not only were we sold before we even got there, but the demo man sold my hubby who only had lovingly agreed to it because he got sick of me begging for one for the last 8 years. A good friend of ours made him a smoothie a couple months back and she had him pretty baited for me, but the demo man closed the deal for me last night! Thanks demo-man, I owe you! And thanks Ryan for finally getting around to my b-day present (that's how you make your b-day last a little longer folks, we're still celebrating!)

So now, our family will enjoy our daily allowance of fruits and veggies, and we might even succeed at the 5-a-day challenge our know it all dietitians tell us about. Not only that, but this blender will also serve as my wheat grinder. It will make my bread dough from grinding whole wheat to kneading the dough. All I need do then is dump it in a pan and bake! Yeah for me and all that partake of our yumminess. We may need to start a BYOF&V policy (bring your own fruits and veggies...ha ha!)

If you are a nerd like me, you can watch the videos of them doing demos on vitamix.com...truly amazing!

I've Been Tagged

Lengthy, but I thought a good history opportunity. I never journal anything down about MY life, so maybe for once I will see if there is anything noteworthy of my boring life.

There needs to be 5 answers for each question. So here it goes:



What was I doing 10 years ago?

1. Newly wed...9 months into this gig!

2. 5 months Pregnant with Kaeleigh.

3. Getting settled into our first apartment

4. Watching our first home get built

5. Working at a conference call center



What are 5 things on my To-Do list today?

1. Watch Kaeleigh sing in her first Chorus performance at the school assembly

2. Babysit the co-op kids

3. Watch Carson's swim lesson

4. Clean the house

5. Enjoy my family...yeah for weekends!



What are my 5 favorite snacks?

1. Chocolate...any and all (the meltier, the better)

2. Cookies

3. yogurt nutri-grain bars

4. Dark chocolate chex mix

5. yogurt



What 5 things would I do if I was a millionaire? (I will make a Ryan's list, and then I will make my list...opposites attract!)

Ryan's list:

1. Pay off our house.

2. Put money away for retirement

3. Put money into children's IRA's and college funds...probaby their "marriage and mission match" accounts too.

4. Help pay for a couple missions

5. Take his cute little wife somewhere special



My list:

1. Buy a different house...nothing wrong with this one, but wouldn't it be fun?

2. Major shopping sprees where I come home and am not allowed to get lectured for my frivolous ways.

3. Buy a non-mom-car for me that isn't allowed to have car seats in it...EVER! No cheerios, no spilled milk, no pencil drawings on the ceiling, no broken cup holders that "someone" stepped on, no missing visors that saved my child's life when "he" was falling to his death out of the car. One that the check engine light isn't always on...one that doesn't always tell me something is wrong with my tire pressure...one that the gas gauge actually works so I don't have to set the good ole' TRIP A every time I gas up...one that the windshield wipers actually work. I promise I'm not totally ungrateful. If you look at my car from the outside, it's a pretty piece of machinery...when it's freshly car washed.

4. Go on a nice vacation with the family...probably get the kids the passes to Disneyland finally that you have to be a millionaire to purchase in the first place.

5. Go to Europe with just Ryan and I.



5 Places I have lived:

1. Ontario, CA (until 1985 or 1986?)

2. Apple Valley, CA (until Sept. 1997)

3. Spanish Fork, UT (while engaged, Sept. 1997-December 1997)

4. "Denver", CO (Broomfield, Westminster, and Thornton CO) (December 1997-April 2000)

5. Avondale (April 2000-May 2004)/Goodyear, AZ (June 2004-present) ***thanks to Ryan's parents for letting us crash their place until our house was done...I still owe them, big time!



5 Jobs I have had: (I'll just list all of them...there's not that many)

1. My first work experience was for Colleen King. I did whatever she needed me to around the house and for her business she owned. I would put all the itty-bitty micro chips together and sodder(sp?) the pieces together for computers or something like that. I would help her Christmas shop and wrap presents. I would help her with her holiday baking and really anything she wanted or needed. This was my all-time favorite job! She struggled with her health during my high school years, and she knew she was helping me earn money for all the Choir tours and costumes, etc., as much as I was helping her. I really thought of it more as a friendship than an employee/boss relationship. She was kind of like a second mom, really. Really-a very nice lady!

2. Sister King's daughter had a short stint with some kind of gaming magazine. I stuffed magazines and playing cards into the plastic bags like The Friend and the Ensign magazines come in and then sealed them. Those were some crazy nights...not a care in the world and goofing off and getting paid for it!

3.. I placed the gold fountain nozzles for the fountain for the King Fahd Airport in Saudi Arabia. This was for WET design...the guys who do Bellagio and they are doing the Volcano on the strip as well. I should be clear that I did this out of a warehouse in Apple Valley, CA...not in Saudi Arabia.

4. I worked as a hostess of the mostess (couldn't resist! Sorry) at the Red Pepper Restaurant. Can I just say that since they went out of business, I have yet to find a Mexican restaurant anything close...do people not make Flautas with flour tortillas? Every time I ask for a Flauta, I get a taquito! Ryan has insisted that I am not allowed to tell the waiters how to make them anymore when I order. It's a good thing I like taquitos, but in the resurrection, Pepe will be the first to offer me his yummy Flautas!

5. I worked for John Hulterstom, CPA!!! That was a nice job. Great hours for the single adult schedule! I actually learned a lot about computers while working there, and the ladies I worked with were total sweethearts! I answered the phones and typed quarterly reports, filed, data entry, mailed lots of tax stuff...made lots of appts. for tax returns and always looked forward to April 15th! It really should be a mandatory holiday on April 16th for these professionals. They really earn it.

6. I worked 2 full-time jobs while Ryan and I were engaged, living in Utah. I was a secretary for the Utah county emissions office by day, and by night, I was a stocker at Macey's grocery store.

7. I worked at Frontier-Confertech: I was an operator and conference moderator. I led the question and answer sessions of all the quarterly reports and whatever-the-reason conference calls. I had fun at this job. I worked this one in CO after getting married. Strange people and nice ones. This was really my first experience out in the "REAL" world. Some of the people that would call in for the calls were total jerks. It was my first and only time dealing with people who thought they had status. I missed the memo that said my world was suppose to revolve around them. The scary thing is that they didn't get the memo about the kind of people that they were trusting their ever important phone calls too...whenever I am on hold for a call center employee, it makes me laugh to relax and imagine what they're workplace is like, and I can imagine all the drama...SO HIGH SCHOOL!

8. I worked from home for a company called DEIS (don't remember what it stands for-data entry something or other) I typed medical claims so they could send bills. I just plugged in the date, names, addresses, Doctor and a code. Totally thoughtless and easy. I did this for a couple years until Carson was born. I didn't want to give up the money, but didn't want to do it either. When I was on maternity leave, I got a phone call saying I was laid off (they lost the contract). We celebrated by going out to dinner!

9. Full-time mom to 4...no holidays, breaks or sick days...but the best, most rewarding job I have had.



The 5 people I tag are:

1. Sommer

2. Adrienne

3. Beckaroo...you know who!!!!

4. Tiffany

5. Dana

More words for Ashlyn (14 1/2 months)

So I haven't really kept up on my wee one's list of words. I am ready to add quite a few to "the list".

Duck, go, dog, owee, Mommy (different from "Mom"-totally different word!), Please, thank you (...our personal favorite-it really is the cutest word she has and also the most used...other than "mine"), pop, papa (grandpa) eye, mine, more, yes, and Dad. Does E.I.E.I.O. count as a word?...add that to the previous list (Mom, milk, yeah!, no, hi, baby, ball, and yep...she still knows POOP!) and would you believe it, we just may have a wonder child on our hands. That's 23 (counting eieio, which could score some bonus...) I bet if I consulted Ryan, he would think of something I missed. This babe is a repeating sponge. I love that she copies us. She would be great at Simon says...until Simon didn't "say", that is.

Thanks to Ashlyn for making Mommy and Daddy's lives a little easier "after the storm". Probably not the nicest way to label a time of our lives, but the boys will understand later when they hear stories when they are older. If that doesn't work, I am sure they will have little boys just like themselves and THEN they will understand. I should start writing my apology letters to their future wives. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love and adore my boys. They, like other little boys, are just a little different than the female species.

Look at my HAIR! (Slowly, but surely...)

Today, (ok, yesterday, Sunday...I'm always a day or so late posting-) after two chocolate cookies...the soft ones, loaded with not only chocolate chips, but white chocolate chips as well, Mommy was able to trick Ashlyn into her first ponytail! I can't stand the ponytails on babies when they stick straight up. I, of course, decided this after doing it to my first baby girl, Kaeleigh. What was I thinking? I gave her the double ones...and all it looked like was devil horns! So, now that I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and more years under my belt with girl hair...look how much cuter:

(Que the music...) "It's the most wonderful time of the year"-KICK OFF!

Ryan can finally relax...Cougar football is back!

Every preparation in place...including our new DirectTv, installed in the nick of time, and we are ready to roll! Of course, nothing is ever how we imagine, and so our first Cougar Central party happened to be a partial bummer. Due to our beautiful monsoon weather, our satellite went out (only on a few channels, the Mtn. just had to be one of them) after the game started, so the fans ended up watching the Utah game instead. We're just grateful they all still call us friends after such a let down. Thank goodness we had such yummy food to save the day. The tech guy is scheduled to come fix the satellite to ensure this will not damper another football moment.

We have to thank Ted Finch, who spent his b-day (at the time, I swear I didn't know it or I would have made someone else do it!) outside, braving the storm to try and adjust the satellite into place. Poor guy got soaked...happy birthday man! Only the Vehar's give the best gifts. This is after he already spent an hour of his morning fixing it before the game started. (We lost the channel Friday night, so there was warning disaster may strike.)

Regardless of the semi-disaster (depending on how big a Y fan you are) we still had fun, as mentioned. The kids and Mommy even got excited for the big game and decided to put the cute little Y cookie cutter to use. My great friend Angie Ashton has the most fantastic sugar cookie recipe, so thanks to her for the delicious treats! The cookies were a hit. Maybe a tradition in the making...

The kids helped decorate Cougar Central...The boys were so excited to offer up their bedroom decorations. We had their Cosmo pillows and bedspreads, football beanbag, and you can't have a party without Cosmo (providing the fight song for us...)! We may have to do this every game: The kids even made their own "flags" and welcome signs...another good use of the cookie cutter. Ryan should be a proud cougar father!

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

All in a days work...or year and a half (however you want to look at it)

So, I have been telling my family our good news, and for all the requests, here are pictures of our FINALLY-done entertainment center. (All but the crown molding at the top) Good things come to those who wait. (While we are on commercials...10 points to whoever can remember this one!)





What do you think about the red paint? I painted the pantry the same red since I had (some) leftover (not enough though, so I still had to buy another quart). Ryan isn't sure about the pantry. He thinks he wants me to paint it back. He's going to have to live with it first. We have too many unfinished projects to jump right back on this one. Personally, I just think it is anti-red season. It doesn't go well with his whole Cougar-Central sales pitch to his friends for watching the games at our house. Maybe I'll have to snap a picture of that too. He just says it's too much red. This picture makes the red look a lot brighter than it really is. It is called Bordeaux, by Olympic paint at Lowe's if you get a chance to go. It is a deeper wine color than the picture shows.

Carson meets Tigers...good thing, or bad thing?

We have laughed for many years at the funnies that Carson gives us...I wish that I had written them all down. Some were down right classics, so, here's to the future. Now you can laugh with us!!!

We always have TOO MANY boxes of cereal. It's a mix of laziness, and not being able to pass on a good deal. We get the best grocery deals in Arizona...just in case you didn't know that. We get cereal for $1.00-1.50 on a regular basis. That's great, so long as the kids are willing to eat it. The sugar cereals aren't a problem, but Ryan and I always feel like we ought to offer healthier choices when possible. So Ryan found the new Frosted Flakes Gold (the energy one.) He bought a nice stash for $1.50 each. They are pretty crunchy. That is my only complaint (at least they don't get soggy right away). They taste just like the original. Well, Carson wasn't so sold.

Being the good mom that I am, I told Carson about the old commercials that they used to play when I was his age. Know the one??? "Frosted Flakes...Brings out the TIGER in you!" I told him if he ate my cereal, he would turn into a tiger...kind of. I told him that he would be strong and able to run fast, just like a tiger. There's no problem getting him to eat the cereal now. Now, that's all he wants so he can be a fast baseball player! Well, now it's all about tigers...tiger everything:


This is Carson's first attempt at writing a full sentence....awe-remember the independence that kindergartners find when they (think they) can finally write something. Lucky for him, I am experienced now and I can read this stuff.

Dir Dad I hp sf (tiger drawing) Dad sf Hid!
(Interpretation:) "Dear Dad, I hope you're safe from TIGERS. Dad, be safe. Hide!"

So, I admired him, of course and had a proud mommy moment...until Dad found THIS:



Yep! It's a little bigger than a square foot of my wall in size, right at the top of my stairs. Lovely, isn't it. After he got sent to bed, I did sneak in and tell him I thought he was a very creative artist. You gotta admire the stripes and tail. I guess Dad didn't know that Mom must have really sold Carson on the Frosted Flakes...poor kid.

Matchy Match

Kaeleigh LOVES to match...match clothes, colors, toes...whatever you can match! She's been this way since birth. She used to match her beverage to her clothes! I guess she's getting better at finding new ways to accomodate her fetish. I think her "matching" is cute. She is and always has been pretty good at fashion. She was never the kid with a purple skirt and a pink top with yellow socks and red ponytails...No! Not Kaeleigh!

I can picture her taking her family to church in all matching clothes like you do for Christmas and Easter...EVERY SUNDAY! Kaeleigh loves to pick out everyones clothes every Saturday night for church. It takes her so long to decide on something because it has to match just perfect...not just her outfit, but she has to get her outfit as close as possible to matching Ashlyn's. It is pretty impressive to see how creative she can get sometimes, mixing up outfits in ways I would have never thought of.

Carson's the man!

I'll just say it plain and simple...Carson is a Lady's man! Without much training or direction, Carson just has natural instincts on how a female should be treated. He has always had his attention drawn to the "married" ladies...mostly his teachers. He has always had crushes on the PRETTY ones. He has a good eye for the lookers! Carson, after only two weeks of school, has found a gal-pal. His teacher has already addressed me about he and she (I won't mention any names in case her dad has a gun!) holding hands in class and hugging...ALL DAY!

Carson definitely knows how to win a girl's heart. Ever since I can remember, Carson has brought me flowers. Usually weeds (the pretty ones) or some kind of little flower from a neighbors yard. A little while ago, I noticed that Ryan must have started feeling like Carson was making him look bad, and Ryan was bringing home more flowers than usual. Trust me, it wasn't often, but 4 times a year is great compared to only when I had a baby...that would have only been 4 times in nearly 10 years, so his average is well improving.

The other night, Ryan got home from CO and noticed that I had bought some flowers (finally) for the planter on the wall out front. He said to Carson (as they were heading out to buy a baseball glove at Walmart...later post) "Hey, Mom bought herself some flowers!" To that, Carson responded in astonishment..."DAD! Mom's should NEVER have to buy themselves flowers!" Well, guess who ended up bringing home flowers! Carson picked these ones out. I love it when he picks flowers out because he always buys the happiest looking ones...ones that I would never buy myself. I always go for the more traditional beauties, but my new favorites are definitely any from my boys. Carson's favorite color is orange, by the way. How cute!
Photo by Kaeleigh~age 9

Ashlyn's Life...UNSENCORED!/Mom is always right!

Okay...I couldn't decide on the right title for this post. The first title of this post is a warning label! As a mother, we see this kind of stuff on a daily basis, but I NEVER want to relive any of my children's scary moments...EVER, especially the ones where they feel any sort of pain.

So, may I start off by saying that all you who know my total disdain for balloons...yeah, it just got bigger. Maybe somewhere in my childhood I had a bad experience with them, but they cause me parenting nightmares, so maybe it wasn't a childhood thing, but I reserve the right to alter my opinions now that I am aware of the effects they have on children. They are hypnotic or something. I seriously beg that if you like me at all...I have absolutely banned any and all balloons from my home. I cannot fake accepting them any longer. (I knew it was bad when I took my kids to Enrichment last night and the kids brought a bunch home and at the church my stomach was already tying up in knots!)


Reasons why I hate them...just in case you think I am joking in the slightest:

• The kids fight over them



• They get caught in my ceiling fans



• The kids let go of them and I repeatedly have to stop what I am doing to retrieve them from the ceiling



• If I can't retrieve it they cry and then when it finally comes down on its own, they cry more because its now broken and won't float anymore!



• The kids won't let me put it on their wrists (mostly when they are young...they learn finally) and they let go and lose them, completely ruining any fun we were having because of the crying and embarrassing attention their public melt down is drawing to us.



• I can't see out my windows when I drive



• Again, the kids fight over them...it's not fair that one has a balloon and not anyone else! (Forget that the kid just had a tooth or 2 pulled!)
  



• The screechy noise they make when you stretch or rub them



• Noise of the children increases x1000! (I don't mind laughter, but the ear piercing screams, the running around like wild animals...balloons bring out the beast in me.

So, have I made myself clear? I am sure given more time that I could come up with more reasons to not like them. Parties are so boring around here! Anyway, Grandma is allergic to them...thankfully for me, at least I have a valid excuse for not allowing them in my home. This has not worked consistently yet, but it will definitely start getting better used.

So the outcome of my allowing balloons in the home last night started innocently as everything always does. I ran and got my camera because my darling little Ashlyn was having her first experience with them. As she played longer, she started warming up vocally. Even my baby has the balloon behavior instinct. Dang it! She was pretty cute though.

So my disclaimer for this video is my mother's saying (which can't possibly be original at all...wonder who really said it first. They should have copyrighted it) "IT'S ALWAYS FUN UNTIL SOMEONE GETS HURT"...this is where the "mom's always right" part of the post title comes in:


I want you all to know that I thought about not putting this video on here. While I was taping the video, I was living in the moment...at least the first 8 seconds of it, thinking this would be cute to share since our family doesn't really get to see Ashlyn's love for life like we do...that was about how long it took until her crash with fate...we call him Deegan. May I add that Deegan got hurt too and that they are both ok. It didn't take long to calm her down because believe it or not, she still wanted to play with those stupid things. This was an accident, and they do happen. I wish I could erase the last couple seconds of the video off because she was so funny before the crash...does anyone know how to do that if you took the video on the digital camera? Let me know so that Ashlyn doesn't hate this video forever. It was Ryan's vote to share the daily truths of Ashlyn's life with you. He said you would all appreciate what she lives with on a daily basis. She is going to be one tough cookie...I am thinking Powder Puff already. She should be pretty good by then.





Ashlyn's 1st fat lip...doesn't she look lovely? No sign of anything this morning...a perfect beauty. I had to keep pretending like I was going to give her the Binky to get an after picture...that's why she was crying, not from the pain...promise! She ended up thinking it was a fun little game. (she's pretty attached to her Binky- can you tell?)

First day of school

On the way to school...Yeah for everyone!

Had to drop them at the curb, but saw Kaeleigh in the hall

Lunch with Carson and Gabby(that is the Principle at the table)

Traditionally we have gone to Cold Stone on the first day,
but because of Deegan's allergies we have to adjust. Mommy
didn't feel like making dinner and since Monday's and Tuesday's
kids eat free at Fridays...Mommy got her way and this year we
went out to eat instead.




I have wanted to feed the ducks all summer long with the kids
but it has been too hot, or it wasn't the right time. We finally
went for family night after eating at T.G.I.Fridays. The kids had
a ton of fun. There were so many ducks! At first we couldn't get
any to come, but never fear...word spreads fast. The kids liked
hearing about when I was little and we would go feed the ducks
with Grandma and Grandpa Larkin and they especially liked
hearing about the mean geese at Canyon Lake that would nip
at your fingers!


Just in case all the pictures made it look like it was smooth
sailing at the lake...keep in mind we have a 1 and 2 year old...
this is what it was really like the whole time. Ryan kept saving
Ashlyn as he patiently let me take pictures and I hung on to
Deegan for dear life or let Ryan have a couple turns. Overall it
was fun, but definitely only an activity for multiple adults!

I just had to add this! Carson started sobbing when I
showed up to pick him up the first day of school. He said
I came too fast and that he was going to ride the bus. Well,
he got his way the next morning. He was so excited that
he wouldn't even wait for me to take a picture.