Lexie's Growing Up....to FOUR...if I let her.

I have a standing joke with Lexie that she is NOT ALLOWED to grow up. She has to stay three years old and she can't ever go to school and leave me--she has to stay at home with mommie and be my 'baby' forever! She takes it literally and is such a great sport about it most of the time. You can tell she's really conflicted about being agreeable when I tease her...and she'll always relent no matter how much she wants to be older! One day she said, "Mom, I just want a birthday so I can have presents, birthday cake, and ice-cream! But I promise to not grow up." ...in a half-hearted not-sure-of-herself-tone. I laugh and cry at the same time inside because she is growing up way too fast.

Lexie is a dream-come-true. She was the answer to many prayers and came at a time in our lives when I needed her most. She is the apple of my eye (okay, I have SIX apples). I adore each of my kids, but the love I have for each of them is quite unique. It's possibly unexplainable but I do love and appreciate my children in very different ways from one another.

I absolutely ADORE my Lexie!

• I love the way she has to be rocked before she goes to bed.

• I love the way she is so close to Izzie.

• I love how she sings along with every cartoon or TV show, movie or song on the radio even if she doesn't know the words.

• I love the sound of her beautiful singing voice with intense vibrato towards the end.

• I love that Lexie is polite and will say, "my pleasure" after she's asked to help around the house.

• I love her tender spirit and how she really tries to do what's right....or to right her wrong.

• I love how she loves her primary class.

• I love it that she actually thinks she's Rapunzel and also wants to be just like Sleeping Beauty.

• I love her pretend-play and little conversations.

• I love it that she has to have her hair in a side pony everyday just because she just knows what she likes.

• I love her little lisp which is so uniquely Lexie.

• I love how she says Viviana (Babyana).

• I love her big puppy dog eyes that well up with tears when she knows she's in trouble.

• I love the way she dances in her ballet and tap class.

• I love how when we're driving home after errands she says, "mom, I'll show you the way home" and then tells me where to turn.

• I love watching Alexandra mother her little sisters and friends and take charge.

• I love it that she'll commit that she'll wake up happy and then she does.

• I love her sweet-nothings especially when she tells me that she's gonna keep me and that I'm the best mommie ever in the whole wide world. (we'll see if that sticks through her teens!)

• I love it that she insists on having pb & honey, cut in the shape of a heart.

• I love it that she absolutely HAS to wear a dress each and every day.

• I love it that she puts on her 'yipstick' when I put on mine.

• I love it that Lexie insisted on going to the hospital EVERYDAY to hold Viviana.

• I love it that she loves to pray and insists on being the prayer-giver every time.

• I love it that she has to pull up a stool and help me in the kitchen when I'm baking.

• I love when she wants me to skip with her.

• I love it that she values and loves her friends.

• She is ALL GIRL and I love that about her.

• I LOVE being Alexandra's mommie....she's a true joy to raise. I am so blessed!

Okay, Lex, you can turn four now....but you'll still always be my little girl!

Happy Happy Birthday, Alexandra Shay!

anyone have any suggestions on how to format multiple photos in one post in blogger?!!!! What a pain in the rear!

"Monsquat"

Once upon a time there was a little second-grader at San Elijo Elementary named Monson. He was a big cutie with an even bigger personality. Every time he smiled there was a little twinkle in his eye. He was adored and loved by adults and kids alike. The girls all gravitated towards this boy...especially the older ones. In fact, his best friend, Dunya, a girl, was a fourth-grader. Wow. "There's just something special about that Monson."

Every day after school, Monson and McKenzie, the big sis, would walk to their older brother, Brayden's class, (a fifth-grader), so they could walk home from school together. One of these fifth-grade girls, let's just call her Natasha (cause that's her real name), thought Brayden & McKenzie were calling this boy "Monsquat." Even after she learned his real name, she thought he was such a cutie, she'd start chanting in an endeering tone, "Monsquat, Monsquat, Monsquat" whenever he was within ears distance. Pretty soon, the majority of the fifth-graders in this class caught on. At lunch time they would stand up as Monson (the second-grader) would walk by and sing their chant which also has a little squatting dance to accompany it. They even made a little Monsquat Fan Club in honor of this cute little boy with a twinkle in his eye. For reals. It's totally official.

Last night was Open House and even though Brayden had a baseball game and couldn't attend, I took the other 5 kids to visit Bray's classroom. One of Bray's classmates saw Monson and then rumblings that "Monsquat's here" could be heard throughout the room. I wasn't privileged to see the dance, but I experienced the chant. REALLY FUNNY. I am the Mom of Monsquat. That should count for something.

My Sanity...????

It's an obsession....a sanity-saver....a 'high'....a hobby. Projects. I love them. I crave them. I cannot do without them. Yes, I have six children that keep me busier than I ever imagined, but I will always find time for sewing, decorating, redecorating, painting, all sorts of crafty stuff, building, knocking out, creating, etc. no matter how busy I think I am. Mind you....while doing these things, my little monkeys are right by my side with their little tools helping me in their 'special' little ways. Projects make me more calm, yet at the same time they drive me crazy. Possible? Yeah, I guess. I adore my children and they make me immensely happy...but at the same time they make me feel insane sometimes & they can take 100% credit for my gray hairs (covered with blond hi-lights of course). So I suppose projects can have the same effect...?? Even Curt recognizes that I am a happier person when I have a project of some sort.

After this last project, I swore I would never refinish another piece of furniture (yeah right). The prep work alone KILLS me! I found this amazing 9-drawer-dresser and cute desk a few months ago. I was actually almost willing to purchase a nearly identical dresser from Pottery Barn Teen for $999 to match my girls most beautiful new splurge---French beds...until I happened upon this one in my morning searches. I couldn't resist. I bought the once-red dresser and desk for $250 which is a bargain! I found the mirror separately for $50--can't beat that! And it looks like a perfect set. These are really quality pieces. I did love the red, but the dresser needed to be shabby French rubbed white for the girls room. I kept the desk red for the family room laptop, but I'm not sold now that it's home-it's a little too petite for an adult.

Back to the dresser...I applied a de-glosser and then by hand...in every crack, crevice, and detail, applied a primer. My mistake, I should have used my spray gun. It took WAY TOO long. So after that sat for another oh, 6 weeks, I got around to the big kahuna and used my handy dandy spray gun to paint all the furniture. But no, I couldn't just do the dresser. I did the beautiful mirror and my Grandma William's dainty antique dressing table also with a mirror. It was oak...blah--and it needed to be freshened up and updated to make my girls room look like a set. And then there's this night stand I bought forever ago. It was the wrong color white, so it had to be done too.

My big tip of the day. I found this Deft clear satin finish spray in a can..rather than painting on polyurethane which yellowed my hard work with my childhood bedroom set I refinished a few years ago for Kenz. Perhaps it's not news to you wood/furniture refinishers...

My girls now have a beautiful set they can forever cherish! Now I just have to figure a fix for the icky wainscoting 3/4 of the way up the wall in the girls room. I don't like it--only because I had a different design in mind for the girls room. Only one problem. The previous owners GLUED, yes glued, the paneling on the wall. Not only that, but they didn't finish it and the paneling they did finish was done either in their sleep or while they were drunk. No kidding. It's covered by the beds but should I rip it down and fix the drywall behind the glued-on paneling or should I just hang the last panel and call it a day? I don't know...can't decide. I apparently do like to make things more difficult and complicated sometimes. But I'm tired and there's a gazillion other projects I want to move on to. I know those beautiful beds would look so striking against that soothing wall color rather than the white wainscot! Maybe I'll paint the wainscot lavender too....hmmmm. I'D LOVE ANY IDEAS for dealing with glued-on wainscot!

I did install closet shelving, hanging & laundry baskets for my boys last week. It only took 2 years to get to theirs! My backyard needs a pergola and about a thousand beautiful flowers....the fireplace outside needs a stone face...my dining room needs to be transformed into a library....The kids need their study nook...the the turret needs some molding...the kitchen and master bathroom need major updates...and the list just goes on and on....because we had to stop for over a year with our Vivie. Is it no wonder I'm TIRED with all that goes on in my brain?

I better get busy! When I have a vision of what needs to happen--especially when it comes to design and our home---it WILL get done...even if it kills me! And I wonder why I don't make much time to pleasure read? There's my answer.
Family + Projects = Happy Mommie.

My Bathing Beauties

Tonight was a first---bathing all three of our little girls together. Kenz felt left out, but sorry, no room for a nine-year-old in this tub! It reminded me of our short Canada trip last month. Our hotel had this massive spa bathtub--for a full-on family. I don't know if this is a normal Canuck thing or what. And so us girls had a bath party! Vivs wasn't there to join us, so she made her bath party debut tonight!

Well, actually I cheated. Lexie & Izzie were beyond filthy--looked like they roamed the streets. Actually, that's probably why they were so filthy---they refuse to keep their
shoes on outside and kind of do roam. So I showered them first to remove most of the dirt and then Vivs joined the fun! She LOVED it! Mostly she loved the flashing duckie that my cute friend, Amy Timmerman gave her...That little duckie thing could occupy her for hours! My Izzie is a bit Obsessive-Compulsive. She can't have bath toys all over the place-in fact, she kind of wigs out if the toys fall into the tub and they HAVE to be cleaned up pronto for her to stay put! Where does she get THAT? Certainly not me! Their baths just aren't a reason to party--but whatever works!!! We keep it simple.

Vivs got an A+ !!!

Vivs and I had a mother-daughter date today. A big day yielding happy results! She was a champ sitting through an hour-long ultrasound of her abdomen with major hunger pangs (she had to fast for 6 hours). She scored major points with the tech by being a happy camper despite her discomfort. Of course for these kinds of appointments the techs can't say much, but from what I could weasel out of her things look great. The last large hemangioma on her liver was 9x9 mm's three months ago. It's now involuted to 5x7 mms which is remarkable. Just 8 months ago she had hundreds of lesions on her liver, so we have much to be grateful for. So, we're awaiting lab results and our GI and Derm appointments are coming up so we can figure out what we're going to do with a few of the annoying superficial hemangiomas.

After the long ultrasound we literally ran three blocks in the Children's Hospital complex so we wouldn't be late to her long-awaited developmental appointment. She was supposed to go in at 6 months but fell through the red tape cracks with the hospital records. NICE. Good thing I'm somewhat on the ball (yeah, 5 months late, but we got there, didn't we?!)

I'm overjoyed to report that Vivie's cognitive, speech & language, and fine motor skills are right on track. In fact, because she's 11 1/2 months old (can hardly believe it!!!), she should really be performing at the 8 month range due to being 14 weeks early. It is expected that she should catch up at about two years old, but our Vivs is kind of showing off. She is at the 8 month old range with her language, but her fine motor skills and cognitive abilities are more in line with about a 9 1/2 to 10-month-old baby. Go Vivs! She doesn't need any developmental therapies right now.

The only thing we're watching is that she does this funky thing with her tongue....one of the useless genes she got from me. She can twist and twirl her tongue inside her mouth, and in fact does it ALL DAY LONG...it makes her look like maybe there's something neurological wrong with her. It will probably make her a GREAT kisser in like 20 years when we allow her to date!!! Anyway, the therapist thought that her lingual frenulum (that little flapper thing that attaches her tongue to the bottem of her mouth) is uneven so that it pulls to one side, making it tough to keep her tongue symmetrical. It should only be a problem if it affects her ability to eat and move food around her mouth without food slipping out the sides---beautiful thought. They will continue to follow her every six months.

Like I always say...if these things are the worst micro-preemie consequences, bring it on! I'll have to catch her doing her tongue thing and post it---it really is quite amusing. She could be on a late night talk show doing stupid human tricks! I love my Vivs!

Oh...and the ending of our date--another Craigslist buy--couldn't resist. It was posted as a Pottery Barn chair last night (I actually think it's from Restoration Hardware though). It was downtown near the hospital..and now adorns my family room perfectly to replace that awful ugly over-sized recliner. Yeah...it might look like your Grandma's old purse fabric, but I LOVE IT! It was a bargain once again---I'll take it, thank you very much. And I'll take an A+ in developmental progress! Happy Days! Curt looks quite exhausted in that photo! See...proof of what six kids does to us!

It's a Webkinz World at the McLaughlin Home

I wish I was the one who had this stroke of genius. And I really dislike stuffed animals. They don't bring me comfort--they're just fluff and extra stuff--clutter, in my opinion. I even try to chuck the kids' stuffed bears, dogs, cats, etc. into the Goodwill bin every so oft without getting caught! But I sure would have liked to be the brainchild behind Webkinz--who would have thunk it?! A dumb stuffed animal for 15-ish bucks that gives you a special code to get online and gain access to Webkinz World to care for this virtual pet??? Genius!

My kids are addicted like probably the rest of yours. And the thing is...My two-year-old Izzie loves them as well as my 10-year-old Brayden! They appeal to the masses. My kids even got their 4-year-old cousin, Luke, into the craze. The Easter Bunny delivered one for each of them and we use them as bribery for getting good grades, babysitting, etc. Whatever works!

Now we use computer time in Webkinz World as incentive to finishing jobs, having clean rooms, doing good deeds...whatever it takes! This kid-addiction truly can get out of control! Sometimes it becomes a power struggle when they insist on getting online to tuck in their virtual pet or feed it one last time. Like if they don't it's gonna die when they wake up? I mean, virtually will it? I don't know---but it can be pretty crazy. McKenzie even posted the webkinz of the week/month on her door. I think I need to look into Webkinz stock. Actually, I think I need a stroke of genius myself--I mean how hard could it be to think of a billion-dollar idea for kids?! Don't I live, breathe, sleep, and eat with six of them day in and day out? C'mon brain....can't be that tough! (And yes, that is a chocolate ice cream mustache and beard that Izzie is sporting).

I heart Craigslist

We've been in a funk lately with our house. What projects to start...what upgrades to spend money on...How long will we be here in this house? Long enough for the market to come back? Will we make a return on our investment... or even just break even E V E R? Or are we really stuck?

Sometimes you just have to make a decision and go with it. Our microwave broke....again. Yes, we're apparently hard on microwaves. GE doesn't make the same model we had--it's last years. Thus the dilemna. Upgrade to stainless or continue with white in our very white unappealing kitchen?

Of course, the upgrade meant not only replacing the microwave, but also all the other appliances that are working beautifully at the moment. After much deliberation we decided to upgrade. And then it all fell into place. Within 48 hours I found the deals of the century on Craigslist---ALL GE profile brand new stainless appliances...mostly from spec homes that didn't sell (imagine that....in this market) ...All for $1700. Yes, that's right, folks, you read right....$1700. All in different places throughout San Diego. Look at my loot...and the microwave is already 1/2 in place--just waiting to buy a trim kit.

Now this may seem like a fortune, but retail we should have paid upwards of $5000--probably more. So, I'm feeling like THE DEAL QUEEN, and I'm pretty proud of it! Dishwasher, built-in double ovens with convection, microwave, 5 burner cooktop...and we still can sell the working white appliances we have to offset that cost even more! I'm a happy camper. As we were driving around town picking them up Curt commented that I'm a much happier person when I have a project that challenges me. And thus, I have a very supportive hubby who encourages my projects and crazy thoughts...within reason, of course. And it doesn't hurt that I just saved us thousands of dollars and upgraded our kitchen so that WE can enjoy it.

So we're on to the next project...the courtyard, library, or kids' study nook....which way does the wind blow? We'll see what comes next.

Brain Clouds

Why are all my posts SO LONG? I guess I have a lot to say. This IS my journal of-sorts. I make no apologies.

A few weeks ago my cute sister-in-law, Emily, so hilariously posted about momnesia and it just hit home like the words were taken right from my mouth! YES, momnesia IS a real thing. And YES, with each pregnancy your chances of recovery go down. I think I'm in trouble! I swear it's an actual diagnosis...an actual condition. Brain clouds. I think my chances of recovering those lost brain cells is nill. The only good news out of all of this is that there will be no more pregnancies for me. So my brain is what it is--can't get any worse, right? I don't do drugs or drink alcohol...so it is what it is???? The other day Curt asked me how I got so many bruises. I guess I also aimlessly run into things more often than I realized. I have scars to prove it from my forehead to my toes. Perhaps I need glasses. I'm really not a klutz.

Seriously, sometimes I just feel like I just have a mild case of the stupids. (I can hear my little girls 'outing' me because that's a bad word--) My brain just doesn't work sometimes...like there's clouds floating around inside and the sun can't peak through. Maybe I have an aneurysm. But mine isn't a gift like my second love, Eli Stone. (not him....the show..okay, he's kinda cute in a quirky way). The biggest culprit is in speaking intelligently. I think I'm an okay writer, but when it comes to publicly expressing myself it's like my vocabulary goes out the door and the stupids move in. Or at least that's how I feel sometimes.

I actually think I can rebuild my lost cells by challenging my brain a bit more. I know that I feel my scholar best when I'm in situations where I converse with physicians and have to speak and understand their level of intelligence. I've been asked dozens of times by MD's and specialists alike if I'm an RN or if I read medical journals as a hobby. So I know I can sound very educated. Maybe I just make the most of the situations we've been in? So maybe it's a clue that I've found my other love? Or at least that I'm capable? When I'm in those situations I dive in and study so that I can intelligently ask the questions and understand the conditions at hand. I've had plenty of opportunities for this in the past, oh, 15 months. (That I didn't ask for, by the way).

I have always wanted to go back to school and lately it's to become a Pediatric PA. Yes, I already have my BS in Elementary Education. I can't bring myself to manage 30+ kids only to be exhausted and come home to my six and then teach them too (without wanting to harm them or myself....) hoping I got the really important stuff in. But my degree has helped me do my part in raising our children thus far. I consider myself to be the bigger disciplinarian. I'm the one they come to first for homework help. I think I've helped earned their A's on too many school projects. But we're talking 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade! Maybe I'll feel more intelligent as they get older. Or perhaps I should be taking some classes at the local college. I do want to more fully understand photography and lighting. I've tinkered with starting a photography business in my spare time. I can't dive into my PA studies yet because there is no PA School around here (Loma Linda is the closest) and so I don't know when or what I can do on that front...what requirements I'll have, etc. Plus, I have six kids ten and under! It will probably have to wait until the next decade.

For now, I guess I'll have to leave the momnesia, brain clouds, or case of the stupids....however one may coin it...to reading. I do enjoy it, I just don't choose to pleasure read all that often. Sure I have a pile of books in my nightstand. But none of them have captivated me. I thought the Jane Austen series would be my thing. Nope. Can't get into Emma even if it kills me. I've tried. My brain keeps drifting to the things I need to get done around the house. I stole (with permission) two books from my bro's bookshelf...by Mitch Albom. The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and Tuesdays with Morrie. Easy reads. Still sitting on the bookshelf. I read quite a bit during bedrest...didn't have many other choices of things to do. The one book I surprisingly enjoyed was The Secret Life of Bees. It was quirky and partially predictable, but I liked the lessons it taught, so it captivated me. Now it's the finding time and balancing thing. I don't always get my personal scripture reading in. In fact lately it's more of the exception than the rule. Sometimes I just stink. Look at me...I'm writing. I could be reading, I could be cleaning. I could be preparing for my primary class Sharing Time presentation next week. I could be doing the 8 loads of laundry that await me....I could be moving the girls furniture around or enjoying 80 degrees outside with the girls. I think I'll have the girls help me plant flowers in the courtyard. Over and out.

Cinderella Farm

For days now my sweet girls have been singing some tune they so affectionately call, "Cinderella Farm." They twirl and do their little ballet moves and while one sings, the other dances. If one of them is not around then I'm supposed to sing...but I get it wrong everytime because frankly, I've never heard of the song called "Cinderella Farm"--have you? It goes something like this (to a random tune): "Cinderella on a farm. Cinderella has mean sii-ii-ii-sters. Cinderella loves her farm and sleeping beauty comes to visit her. "

I couldn't figure out where they got the Cinderella Farm theme. When I asked Lexie, she said "Moooooom! Don't you know--Cinderella has lots of animals that helped her so Cinderella must be a farm girl!" News to me--guess that changes everything...Cinderella apparently is a farm girl.

Last weekend we went to see the San Marcos Theater production of Cinderella and they did have a racoon and some pigs along with the mice, cat, and dog so thus the farm theme...duh Mom.

I'll have to catch them doing it on video and post it later.

My Medicine

Growing up, my mom and I used to consume these heavenly gourmet dark chocolate truffle bars from Trader Joes...more than any person should be allowed. I don't remember what they were called, other than our special term for them, "boobie bars." They were our version of 'happy pills' and just put an instant smile on our faces and instantly satisfied our senses.

My brother, Mark, reminded me that we would hoard these amazing chocolate bars. We'd buy them by the case and the way we'd get the boys to leave our 'medicine' alone was by telling them that if they ate them they'd most certainly grow boobies. I actually think they believed us for a time...and left us to our own devices. Oh, I can just taste the truffle filling surrounded by the extra dark chocolate sitting here reminiscing. Trader Joes no longer carries them which is probably a good thing for my hips these days.

Dieting or not, at a certain time every month I find myself HAVING to indulge...I really can't help it no matter how hard I try. Since I've tried to keep my cupboards clear of my weaknesses, I had to send Curt out for a quick ice cream run tonight (the next best thing to quality dark chocolate). I needed my medicine in some form! He brought back Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk and Half Baked...YUM. Lexie asked for a bite and I told her, "you probably won't like it...you'll grow boobies." It affected her the same way at first--she wouldn't take a bite afraid what she may wake up to! Izzie...well, a spoon full wasn't enough for her...she went and got her own spoon to dig in. And after Lex saw Izzie's boldness she had to get in on the action.

So there you have it...if you don't want your kids to eat your 'medicine' just tell them they'll grow boobies and see if that works. Maybe it's just a boy thing. Looks like I'll have to share my medicine with four other girls who need the medicine too...but I don't mind...it just means less for my hips!

Howdy Y'All

Today's San Elijo Country Fair was downright swashbucklin' kickin' the bucket fun! I was super impressed by the efforts of many and how the whole afternoon turned out! Way to go PTO. No, I'm not on the board and I didn't volunteer. There are some limitations on my time having so many children and being super involved in the school has been one of them. I feel a little guilty about it, truth be told. My time will come....but I just have to shout out to all who were involved! I'm generally not a fan of fundraisers, but they pulled this off with shining stars and didn't make the families feel nickeled & dimed... even though we spent almost $300 by the time the day was done. H E Y, how'd that happen! We could have gone to Disneyland for almost that!

The kids had a great time being able to dunk the teachers, hang out at the webkinz walk (spending oodles on tickets hoping to win a webkinz), great food, art walk, decorate their cowboy/girl hats, bounce in jumpies, skate park, and all the typical fair games. I was so impressed by the silent auction, how everything was organized and ran so smoothly, and what the different classes came up with as their contribution (or room moms...way to go!) And boy, did the school rake in the dough.

I got pulled into the fun of it all when I saw what Brayden's 5th grade class had up for auction--an interpretation of Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' done in oils. Each student painted their own 3 1/2 inch square and then the room mom put them all together to form the painting then matted and framed it. I was impressed..so I stuck around like a momma goose watching her flock and made sure that I was the winning bidder so it could grace my walls. I was in a bidding war with two other moms, but I won in the end! I figured what a great momento for us & Brayden to have of his final year at SEES. 185 bucks of greatness....worth every penny, but he BETTER appreciate it! But for now, it will shine on our family room wall and I'd much rather have this than a 'reproduction' of the real deal. I said reproduction!

So hooray for the PTO and everyone involved...hooray for me and my painting...and now the school needs to stick its hands back into its pockets and let that be the end of asking for more handouts...at least until next year when it starts all over again!

On Your Mark, get set...S T O P!!

One of the major highlights of the PNW trip for me was looking forward to paragliding with Mark, Tal, and whomever wanted to join us for an adventure! I actually wanted to hangglide off the point of the mountain in Draper, Utah for my 30th bday, but surprise surprise, I was preggers. So, when Tallie announced that for her 30th she was paragliding I was totally on-board!

Viviana had been in the hospital 2 days by then and I just couldn't bring myself to sacrifice my paragliding adventure because of our crazy situation! So I summoned Curt to her bedside while I loaded up all the other kids and headed to the landing strip. Actually, Curt was VERY supportive even though he expected me to die. He's beyond frightened of heights and couldn't bear the thought of me running off a mountainside. Yes, we do have a very large amount of life insurance. And yes, I am the adventurous one in our relationship. So we get all suited up in our winter gear and head to the mountain. What a trip up--reminded me of a truck-load of Mexicans heading for the border. I don't know how to say that with tact! And I wish I had a picture of us huddled up in the back of this giant truck to prove it!

So up to the top of the mountain we went and what a beautiful sight! I got chills thinking about running off the side of the mountain to fly for a bit. But the winds were going in the wrong direction so it wasn't safe. Mother nature just didn't want us to fly that day. I was sad, but it was a thrill getting up the mountain. So I had a nice hike down the mountain and called it a day. After going all the way to Seattle I did learn that the best place to paraglide is in La Jolla at Torrey Pines right in our backyard pretty much. So, who wants to join me and fly over La Jolla? I'm thinking for my 35th birthday at the end of May! Any takers or are you chicken?!!

Call Us Crazy

Silly idea, I know. 3000+ miles. Six kids under 10 years old, snuggled in a car that is otherwise very LARGE...until you stuff 8 bodies in it surrounded by luggage, pillows, blankies, 'goods' and snacks...just driving north along the meandering and often sharp coast. Yes, there was a master agenda and plan--always is when I'm in charge. But this time we had to roll with the punches quite a bit. We did really have a good time while our time together lasted. And it was great seeing Mark, Tallie, Luke & Hank in Tacoma, WA for what was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime fun and adventurous spring break. The kind of adventure that ensued wasn't what we bargained for. I was hoping for a picture-perfect memorable Easter. Would a normal family photo be just too much to ask for? A memory we sure have, but too bad we were split between the hospital & Mark and Tallie's house. Roll with the punches.... We'll certainly never forget spring break '08! We made the most of it all.

Some of the high points:

• San Francisco Pier 39, Golden Gate Bridge, Trolley Car, Lombard Street. We rushed through San Fran like mad people, but the kids got their referesher-course on San Fran and it wasn't all that exciting to them. Wow. We looked exactly how we felt!
  

• Sleeping in a hostel in the Redwood Forest with an amazing ocean view-call me cheap---I thought it would be a very unique & great experience for the kids--bunking it together in a room inside this great house on the coast. And it was---it did end up being memorable! It was only like $10/head...way to stick to the budget!
  

• Paul Bunyan's Trees of Mystery--the surprising favorite stop of the whole trip. Who knew? Glad we ventured into the trees. Sky tram ride way up to the tree tops was the coolest--did you know that there are more bigfoot sightings in that county than anywhere else in the US?
  

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• Roughing it' in a Oregon coast cabin/yurt--scared the begeebies out of the kids talking about bigfoot. Truth be told, that's how I got them to obey and be quiet..."Did you hear that? It's probably bigfoot." What a great campsite--I'd love to go back & actually have a vacation in this spot when it's not pouring rain & freezing temps! What a sight it was though to try to find this cabin in the middle of nowhere, off a pathway with no flashlights, pouring rain, sloshing through the muddy path, darker than Haites. We were troopers. And we woke up to see the gorgeous view that was surrounding us all night. All for forty-five bucks. Deal of the century. Five-star hotels have their place too--but hey, it was now Sunday and we were still wearing the same clothes we started with Friday night! I think we probably scared bigfoot away.

• Tillamook cheese factory was pretty cool---at least the stop was worth it for the yummy ice cream. I discovered they have chocolate peanut butter just like my favorite Baskin Robbins. I think I'm kind of glad our local stores don't carry Tillamook otherwise I'd be 200 pounds in no time.

• Seattle Pike Market. Chowder and mini donuts at Pike Market. Yum--gotta try those donuts if you're ever there. Oh, and the crab was great too. Fish-throwing was cool to see. I wanted to buy up all the tulips---I really miss my front yard of tulips in Utah. I don't know what the big deal is about the space needle. We took a picture anyway. We tried to go to the children's museum but it closed early, so we headed to Canada early.

• Fort Nisqually area beach with Mark, Tallie & boys.

• Ferry ride to Victoria Island, Canada. AMAZING how many big rigs, buses, trailers, and cars go into the bowels of these ferries! We drove our Escalade on---and good thing we did--Victoria isn't as small as one might think.

• Butterfly Gardens in Victoria. Actually, very cool. But cooler for the kids--2 for 1 webkinz. Yup, that made their trip. They each left with a webkinz after they rushed through the gardens. Guess that's how they pull tourists like us in during the off-season. At least I enjoyed the butterflies. Note to self...could have saved a ton of money from the Victoria trip and bought webkinz in the United States...the kids would have been just as happy. We would have gone to Buchart Gardens, but the locals said it just wasn't spectacular this time of year. There are downsides to going places in the off-season I suppose.

• Beautiful Canadian coastal scenery--not any different than the great US of A. Again, the kids were NOT impressed. But we all loved our Cadbury Wunderbars! The yummiest candy bar that my brother, Brett, introduced us to after serving his mission in Calgary. Too bad I didn't get to the Vancouver Costco to buy a case or two.
  

• Gearing up to 'fly' through the Seattle sky. See next post.

• Easter-egg hunts & subsequent raw egg toss at the park. A few un-named people got nailed with the salmonella stuff.
  

• Mouth-watering gourmet yumminess for Easter dinner courtesy of David (the chef) and Tami (Tallie's mom). It was like going to a five-star restaurant!

• And of course, playing with Aunt Tallie. Lexie loved jump rope and they all loved Easter Egg coloring.

Low Points:

• Izzie puking at the hostel. Caught it in a towel--we're probably too good at anticipating & managing puke. Sad, but true. Those skills came in handy at the hospital later in the week.
  

• Forgetting Vivs birth certificate--had to leave her behind with Mark & Tallie (Thanks for lovin' her, guys!) while we went to Canada because of the new documentation requirements.
  

• ER trip at 1 am after arriving back from Canada. Up all night. JOYS. But just the beginning.
  

• ...and 9 day stay at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital...bronchialitis, RSV symptoms, pneumonia. Love the bed chair. We're buds. We did have fabulous physicians & a few wonderful Respiratory Specialists to speak of. And thank you to Mark & Tal for some homemade meals--special delivery.
  

• Wind patterns not cooperating with us for our paragliding excursion!
  

• Curt having to drive all the way home with 5 kids by himself leaving me and Vivie behind in the hospital. The end. Lesson learned. We can't travel far from home with Viviana just yet. At least during the RSV season. Utah in June will have to be an exception--at least we know the doctors there. But I think we handled all the stress and rolled with the punches pretty well considering it all.
  

Funnies:

• Driving in the 'nexus' lane at the Canadian border. We didn't know it was a high-security paid-only lane for the locals who undergo an extensive FBI back-ground check complete with fingerprints. Heck, we avoided a 2 hour wait and but also could have had a $1000 fine and impounded car. OOOPS. Good thing we sounded convincing when the border agent wanted to have us do a U-turn or our trip to Canada would have ended at the border.
  

• Izzie so cleverly picked our 3000+ mile trip to start potty training. (And now that we're home she's not so gung-ho). Ya think she has a mind of her own?
  

• "I don't like that guy"--Izzie, referring to Paul Bunyan. You've got to hear it in her voice though. Very funny.
  

• "What a surprise...another beach" Brayden said when passing by yet another beautiful shore. After about the tenth one it was hard for the kids...okay, all of us, to appreciate the Oregon coast amidst all the twists & turns. We all wished we'd headed inland to the I-5 a little earlier.

• And Aunt Tallie taught Vivie how to wave. I thought she was just kidding cause Vivie apparently ONLY does it for Aunt Tallie. I half got a picture of it while we were in the hospital and on the mend.
  

We're Almost Home

This is how Vivie feels about the whole experience! I think she's had enough! This is how she would sleep in the hospital--funny girl! I'm at Mark & Tal's house....it's 5 am Sunday morning. We were released yesterday...kind of a surprise. Vive has definitely improved ten-fold, but I question if she was really ready to leave her new best friend, the wall suction. She HATES it...no, that word isn't strong enough. She DESPISES it and glares at all the yellow people, but she needs it. She's struggled to sleep without the suction and normal xopenex treatments (we have an inhaler and spacer, but it's just not the same). Last night she sneezed 9 times in a row and with each 'a-choo' out came a pot full of thick snot she was choking on. Guess she's got to figure out someway to move that snot! Mark found a $300 one-way flight for Sunday night and so I purchased it. Yup, could have flown Monday afternoon or Monday eve in Mark's bennies for $40, but somehow waiting for standby didn't appeal to me and I just need to get my babe home to see HER docs Monday morning. Call me crazy. My bed is calling me too. I miss my family desperately. But, yes, thankfully, we weren't released from the hospital to the streets of Tacoma! Thanks, Mark & Tal for your help!

Days 8 & 9 Riding the 'Coaster

Vivie's little rollercoaster that she apparently is riding has gotten more wild & twisty. She had a really rough night...AGAIN. I woke up in the middle of the night a dozen times frustrated that we are going on day 8 and she still seems to be spiraling down, improving a little, then stepping back again. The insurance company also wants to know WHY we are still here with no end in sight. We have had great care overall and the Hospitalists have been some of the best physicans I've ever worked with. Back to my middle-of-the night awakening. I sat straight up on my oh-so-delightful bedchair and thought to myself....it's pneumonia. That's what's going on...and we're all missing it. So I told the RT and she agreed.

So today has been a day of x-ray, blood-draws, and actually a catheter to rule out UTI. This photo is of her x-ray. I was halff laughing because--what a sight for sore eyes! My poor baby in a twisted straight-jacket! She's starting an IV antiobiotic and I have a massive headache so I'm sure hers is about to burst...along with all the other body aches from being poked and proded. Oh, and it's snowing outside...in almost April in Tacoma, WA. I REALLY miss my San Diego! Our room is freezing cold because the heater is from circa 1970 and decided not to work very well about the day we were admitted. It's either switch to a shared room, or add another blankie and some slippers and call it good. Yesterday passed quickly as I crocheted a beanie and matching Mary Janes for my Vivs---you can guess which option we chose. I WON'T do shared rooms--after last month's experience and especially since now we're apparently Tacoma residents.

The 'talk' is that we'll be here for another 4-5 days with the pneumonia. W-O-W. That's almost 2 weeks in the hospital 1200 miles away from my other babies. Thank you to sweet Tallie for homemade dinners & treats, warm clothes, her open shoulder & ear, and to dear Helen (Tal's old counselor & the new RS Pres) for the good reads and other treats Tallie had her bring my way. And of course, to Marky for all he's done in between his flights. We're exploring taking an 'angel flight' back home due to our crazy circumstances. The biggest concern for me is Vivie's immunodeficiency and how awful it would be to take her on a commercial flight and make her more susceptable to all the other nasty diseases & illnesses lurking around the airport/airplane. Not to mention that every flight anywhere near So. Cal is oversold on every airline due to spring break in WA. We'll see how that pans out.

And now it's Friday morning...didn't press 'publish post' and Vivie had a hospital 'first' last night. She had a GREAT night. Her antibiotic course started yesterday and she seems to have turned that sharp corner and is on the mend. It helps that I slept pretty much most of the night so hooray! And the scenery outside looks like Christmas. Is it really almost April? Astounding amounts of snow--during spring in Western Washington...go figure. Can't wait to post my many pictures of this crazy hospital experience.