Sesame Street: Smell Like A Monster

Grover holds a very special place in my heart. He is my favorite monster on Sesame Street and is the main character in my one of my favorite books, "The Monster At The End of This Book". I love this spoof on those fun "Old Spice" commercials.

Running Deer Trail

Fort Collins is a very "outdoorsy" city. There are many bike trails and walking trails. Yesterday, we went to the "Running Deer Trail". The weather was so nice, the perfect day to be outside. We even saw running deer while we were there too. I, of course, couldn't get to my camera in time to take their picture, but they were beautiful. I LOVE FALL!!!

Flashback

Last Friday, we went to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City for Emma's follow-up MRI. I am not a big fan of hospitals, but Primary's is such a positive place. The doctors and nurses are wonderful and even the decor makes you feel like it is a happy and safe place to be. Of course, I still felt nervous about the whole thing. I don't like the idea of my daughter (or son for that matter) being put under anesthesia. As I sat in the recovery room waiting for Emma, my thoughts went back to almost 2 years ago when we sat in McKay Dee Hospital and talked to specialists about Emma. About her brain injury, about whether or not she would thrive and develop. For a moment all the doubt and fear of that day came rushing back and I felt that horrible feeling like I had no control over this whole situation, what if they come back and tell us that she now has a tumor, what if there are more problems, what if , what if. That feeling didn't last long. I again felt peace. I remembered that faith is the opposite of fear. I thought of my little girl and the immense amount of joy that she has brought into our family. I thought about what a fighter she is and how much she has overcome in her short life. I thought of the moment back in January of 2009 when I was in my room in the dark and I felt hopeless and afraid and then had the overwhelming feeling that there is always hope. I knew that one of the most important things to remember was that we know who she is and what she can do and more importantly there is a God in Heaven who knows what her earthly and eternal potential will be. It is my job to make sure she reaches that potential. They brought her into the recovery room and I sat there and rocked her while she slept for 2 hours. All was right with the world. Today, the neurologist called to give us the results. The size and volume of her brain has decreased, we were told that would probably happen because of the injury she experienced while still in the womb. The great news is that everything else is growing and developing at the right pace. We will continue to monitor her progress and are happy that we know what the warning signs of any problems are. Since she is doing well, we were able to cancel the appointment with the neurologist in November and just continue seeing her Pediatrician.

Pickers

Wow, I am so behind with my blogging. Here's a few fun things that we did this September.

A friend of a friend has an apple orchard and nobody wanted the apples, so we were invited to go and pick them. Emma and I went with a neighbor and her kids. It was really fun. Emma loved it. She would pick them, take a bite and then put them in the bag. She is so cute. We picked alot and then ate alot of apples at our house. I finally gave the rest of them to Shelley so she could do some baking.

A week after the apple picking, we went to Miller Farms. It is a U-Pick farm. Shelley and I paid $20 and we got to pick 18 ten pound bags of produce. We picked potatoes, tomatoes, beans, corn, peppers, watermelons, onions, carrots, celery, and other fresh goodies. I will say that it was hard work and I am not cut out to be a farmer, but it was a really fun morning.

Our 18 bags of veggies Emma with our "driver/tour guide"

Emma picking potatoes

Emma trying to take a bite out of a pumpkin

My brown-eyed girl

First Day of Fourth Grade

Braxton started school on August 17th this year. Seems so early. He was a little nervous at first because he didn't know who his teacher would be, but then on the 16th there was an ice cream social at the school where we got to meet his new teacher, drop off his school supplies and see his desk and classroom. He REALLY likes his teacher and there are friends from last year in his class. Even though I was sad for school to start, it is nice to be back on our schedule. We had such a fun and busy summer, it's nice to have routine again. Although that first day, Emma spent a lot of time knocking on Braxton's bedroom door and calling to him. She just can't get enough of him, as you can see in the picture.

Home Sweet Home

Here's a quick summary:

I am finally getting around to blogging about our trip to Nova Scotia this summer. 18 Glorious Days!!! I wish that I could spend every summer there. We had such a great time. Getting there was an adventure. Flying with 2 kids is not the easiest, we had a lot of things go wrong and we did a lot of running through the airports. I thought back to my earlier blog entry back in March when I flew back to Canada alone and sat and read my book and enjoyed my time. This trip was the complete opposite. We almost missed both our flights, it took us over an hour to clean customs, Air Canada lost my car seat. I will say this though, there is no better airline than Air Canada. They were so helpful when they saw that I was traveling with little ones. Plus, they have TVs on the chair backs with recent movies and tv shows. We watched "How to Train Your Dragon" and I watched "Date Night" while Emma slept.

When we got to Halifax, we stayed at my sister's house over night, I had forgotten how much I hate humidity. It was so gross, I took a shower the next morning and felt so hot and sticky within 10 minutes. We drove to Cape Breton and that's where the fun began. It really doesn't matter where I live, Cape Breton is home and it feels like home and when I am there, it feels like I never left.

We went to the beach. Braxton can now say that he has gone swimming in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The kids played with cousins, EVERYDAY!!! I think that is what they enjoyed the most about the trip, I really liked it too. I saw some wonderful friends, family and spent a lot of time with my sisters. I was there for 10 days and then Ryan arrived. I then had to play tour guide. We went to the Fortress of Louisbourg which is an 18th century French Fortress, we played in the ocean, we had the best pizza in the world, I had girl's night out. We spent a night in Ingonish with most of my family, it was so beautiful there. It's so hard to get all nine of us siblings together, there were 7 of us in Ingonish. We stayed at these cute cabins, played at the beach, ate lot of food, played games and had such a great time. I think that was the highlight of our trip. Spending time with family is what it's all about. After Ingonish, we drove around parts of the Island, Cape Breton is called Nova Scotia's Masterpiece for a reason. It is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I was able to take Ryan and the kids to North River, where my grandparents grew up. We visited my Papa's grave, we ate seafood at a restaurant that had an incredible view of the water. We spent a day in Halifax and visited the Citadel and the waterfront. We decided the next time we go, we will spend a few extra days in Halifax and maybe visit Prince Edward Island. I cannot wait to go back. Being there makes me realize how much I miss it there. I am happy that the kids loved it there, Braxton keeps asking when we are going back.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Kindred Spirits

Anne tipped the vase of apple blossoms near enough to bestow a soft kiss on a pink-cupped bud, and then studied diligently for some moments longer. "Marilla," she demanded presently, "do you think that I shall ever have a bosom friend in Avonlea?"

"A--what kind of friend?"

"A bosom friend--an intimate friend, you know--a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul. I've dreamed of meeting her all my life. I never really supposed I would, but so many of my loveliest dreams have come true all at once that perhaps this one will too. Do you think it's possible?"

--Anne of Green Gables, LMM

Yes Anne, it is possible!!! When I was in first grade, we got a new girl in our class. Her name was Kathleen MacPhee. Imagine my joy when I found out that this little girl moved in a house just down the street from me. I could see her house from our bathroom window. My sister, Melissa and I went down for a visit and it was there that I found my kindred spirit. Since, first grade, Kathleen and I were the best of friends. We played together every day after school and had sleep overs every weekend. I cherish my childhood memories because there aren't too many of those memories that do not include Kathleen. We both wanted to be veterinarians, writers, artists and start our own band and book publishing company. We were going to call it ABC Paperback. We loved books, animals and music. I know that my appreciation for good music is because of my mom and because of Kathleen. We used to sit on her front lawn and have a picnic and listen to our music. We were outside all the time. Kathleen and I were/are like sisters. We have shared some of the happiest, craziest and even heart breaking moments of our lives together. We may not live next door to each other, but I know she is always there for me.

Kathleen with her cat, Skitter, when she was 8 years old

While I was in Canada this summer, Kathleen drove to Nova Scotia to see me one weekend. We hadn't seen each other in 12 year. 12 YEARS!!!! I was so excited to see her, I was almost giddy. It was one the things that I was looking the most forward to since I found out she was coming to visit. We had such a fun weekend, we had a sleepover at my mom's house and she got to spend time with Braxton and Emma. It didn't seem like it was 12 years, it felt like we still lived down the street from each another. Even though we are both older, married, with 2 kids each, she is still my kindred spirit, my friend whom I can confide my inmost soul. She knows me and my heart.

PS: I love the above picture of Kathleen. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this one is the perfect one to describe who she is.

July 4th, 2010

USA T-Shirts for a family of 4............ $20.00

Neighborhood fireworks (the legal and illegal variety)............$80.00

The Bounce Toys in Kaysville.......................$0.00

Living in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave...............Priceless

Happy Birthday Braxton

Every year on the 4th of July, I sit and ponder the 4th of July in 2001 when my life changed forever, when I became a mother. What an amazing day that was. I cannot believe that it was 9 years ago. I remember the nurse told us, "You can see the fireworks from your window." We didn't even care. Who needs fireworks when you have a beautiful baby boy to snuggle. What a miracle!!!

I Almost Forgot......

Since I am behind on my blog, here are some other things that happened here in the past two months. Braxton got his Wolf Badge back in May. He worked so hard and we are so proud of him. So, I guess since he is nine now, he is officially in the Bear Den. I was his Wolf Den leader, so I will miss him.

The first week of June, Braxton went to a day camp at his school called Camp Invention. Their motto is "Creative Genius Unleashed". He LOVED every minute of Camp Invention. He learned so much about science, which he loves. I forgot to put my card back in my camera, so I didn't get very many pictures, which is disappointing because they did a lot of fun things.

Here is his major invention. He and another boy invented it. At the end of the camp, they poured vinegar into a bottle, which moved down to a funnel and into a container that had baking soda in it. If the invention was successful, there would be a reaction. The baking soda was fizzing, so they did great. It was really neat, kids are so bright.

Braxton and Jacob and their invention.