The funk, stress, surgery and homecoming.

I figured I should probably post something new on here or everyone is going to think I just walk around moping all the time.
I don't by the way. at least not much.
There have been tons of things happen since the first of the month and unfortunately I don't have many pictures. Plus I'm using someone elses computer so it's awkward to put my pics on it, so as soon as I can I will post some pics.
But to fill you all in on the past few weeks it has been a crazy month. It started with a little moping (as you may have already read) but that was soon let out and put back into perspective. I received several wondrful comments and you will have no idea how much those really did help me get out of my funk. It was nice to be reminded how much I really am loved and that there are so many people who do care about me. So "Thank You" to all of you who have expressed love for me.
I also recieved a phone call from a good friend from Genada who I hadn't spoken with in over a year it seems, at least not on the phone. We talked and visited and it was great to reconnect with people who were such a huge part of my life during a time when all we had were our friends. There are those who will always be apart of my Grenada Family.
So after I was de-funked, I began the stress of Jason's finals. It was not pretty. Lots and lots of stress. That week started with me going to the doctors because I had been peeing blood for nearly 2 weeks. They did tests and after an entire day at the doctors they found a 7 mm kidney stone. So I went to the Uroligist on Tuesday and was scheduled for surgery on Wednesday. (2 days before Jason came home) I was an add on so they didn't know when I would actually get into surgery. I checked in at 3:30 and didn't get into surgery until 9:00. It was supposed to be outpatient surgery but I wasn't ready to leave until 2:00 am so they decided to admit me and have me stay the night. ( they did Electro Shockwave Lithotripsy or ESL for all those medical people out there) So I headed home around noon on Thursday and spent that night and the next day on pain killers and trying to get ready for Jason to come home.
He arrived on Friday night 30 min earlier than he was scheduled, but don't worry because I was there 45 min before he was scheduled to land.
It has been whirlwind ever since he arrived and it has been wonderful. The kids have loved having their dad back and I can't complain a bit. He left the day after his last final so we didn't know how he had done when he boarded the plane it was nearly a week after he had been home that we got the good news that all the hard work and stress and sacrifices were worth it and he had the go ahead to study for the USMLE and move on to the next step. It has certainly been a week of celebrations.
We are all getting ready for Christmas and the kids are out of school for the holidays. I have so much to be thankful for this Christmas season and I know I owe all of that to my Savior. Without Him and my Heavenly Father I know I would not have as much to be celebrating.
May all of you have a Merry Christmas and know that the Savior and our Heavenly Father love us all.

Feelings

Nothing new to report really, hence the lack of posting.
We had Thanksgiving. Without Jason, not fun.
And we are now in the middle of Christmas.

It doesn't really feel like Christmas and I'm sure if it's becuse Jason is gone, or because we don't have room to do "Our Christmas"
We get to do some of the things with Jason's family but I feel like an intruder, and like they invited us because we live there so they HAD to. It's not a feeling I particularly enjoy so I have been trying to avoid that as much as possible.

I know this is going to sound like a "poor me" post and if you don't want to read it then don't. But I need to get this out of my head and the only way I know how to do that without Jason is here on MY blog.

The past few months have been hard. I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of single parenthood. I read other people's posts about their children and they seem so in love with them and marvel at each moment they are there. Every word is dripping with love, awe, praise, marvel and adoration. I wish those words described my life with my kids.
It seems that lately all I have been doing is yelling at the kids and worrying if they are going to destroy something that doesn't belong to me or them. I can't seem to get a good report from teachers or friends parents or even family. I am really tired of hearing all the bad things that my kids do and after hearing it so much I am seriously doubting my ability to be a mom. I thought I was raising good kids but I haven't heard anything to support that.
I want so desperately to have great, amazing kids. and I feel like I try so hard to do a good job and it isn't working and now I find myself looking at them throught the critical eyes of others. I now no longer see the sweet accomplishments, or hear the funny things they say. I don't celebrate the little moments because I am too worried about what other mom's, or teachers or family will be thinking about my parenting or the children's latest mistake.
I feel like the worst mom and I feel very alone. With Jason gone I'm pretty much on my own.
When we lived in Grenada I made some really great friends. Friendships that I thought would last forever. We may not be able to see eachother super often but I thought that we would be able to be in touch. That these would be women who would share in what I am going through. They would be able to empathize with the struggles that come along with being a Med Student Wife. But this net of friends really hasn't existed for me. It was there during my months in Grenada but beyond that we are strangers. They have moved on and I'm trying to be OK with it. It's a hard thing for me to lose friends. I try to invest in my friends and they seriously mean the world to me. So it's hard when I lose them.

To sum it all up: I feel like a crapy mom, I feel out of place, and very alone. (I told you this would be a downer)

I don't want people to feel sorry for me. But I do wish I had some true to life, be there for you anytime, friends.
Most of you who read this are my friends, and good ones. I know you can't have those special friendships with everyone and casual friends are great too. But a girl does need some super close girlfriends. And that's what I miss.

Reflecton

I came upon this entry today and I thougth I would post it. It was fun to read my thoughts from back then. So much has changed but some of these feelings are still there. Enjoy.

*
As we are getting ready to leave our Island Paradise I have begun to look back through some pictures of our time here. I remember when we first landed, after a very long day of flying with 2 small children to and unknown world I didn't really know what to expect. But stepping off the plane in a long sleeved shirt with long jeans only added to the feeling of being drowned by the humidity. Since then however, I have come to love the weather and especially the humidity!
Grenada is a world of polar opposites. You love it. You hate it. It's sunny and hot. It's pouring rain. People are nice. People are rude. Life travels in a cycle here. First you love it (especially if you get here in the middle of January like we did!) everything is new and exciting and you can't wait to experience it all. Then you hate it. You realize that when you went to the store they weren't out of a few things for a day, they were out of almost everything you needed for a MONTH! You come to the conclusion that you aren't breaking out in hives as an allergic reaction to something...those are mosquito bites. The realities that are typical Grenada hit you smack in the face with out apology.
They cycle continues and you adjust to the little quarks of the island and you settle into a routine, and then you love it again. You fall in love with the simplicity of life, the seclusion of your family away from outside influences. You learn new skills that you wouldn't have otherwise, and you feel a sense of accomplishment in your ability to adapt to a world that was so foreign to you in every way.
The final turn happens when you getting ready to leave the island for good. This is bitter sweet. After all the hard times you start to see all of the wonderful experiences and beauty of where you live and you realize you will miss it. But you are ready to move on to the next step of the education process (cause heaven knows you still have a looong way to go)

So as I prepare to leave this part of the Johnson Family Adventures I wanted to look back at some of the really neat things that Grenada has to offer, the fun adventures we have had, and the great people we have met.

October- the Reader's Digest version

It's been a while since I posted and I should probably try to catch you all up on what's been going on with Ridge.
As you all know he fell and his tooth into his gums and we were waiting to see if it would descend on it's own. Well the day after the initial fall he fell again and knocked the tooth up even farther (i wasn't sure that was even possible) and we had to take him back to the dentist.
After looking at the tooth we were told to make another appointment for one week later and to see how it was doing. Ridge was put on antibiotics to prevent an absess forming, and were sent on our way. The rest of the week passed with only minor complaints from Ridge about not being able to eat peanut brittle and other such foods. I of course bribbed him with yougurt and milkshakes. That seemed to help.
The next week when we returned to the dentist they said his tooth wasn't absessing, which was good, but they didn't know if the tooth would be able to descend. They were worried that the tooth had brocken throught the buckle plate and that would prevent the tooth from coming down. The dentist suggested that we wait another month but he didn't think it would come down. So I asked him if he thought that it wasn't going to come down why were we waiting? I asked him if it would be totally over reactive to do the surgery now and get the problem on it's way to healing instead of waiting and risking reinjury or infection.
We talked more and decided to go ahead with the surgery and it was scheduled for the following Tuesday.
Everything went great. Ridge was such a trooper. I of course was a mess, but Ridge did great. The dentists were great and let me go back with him while he was getting the sleeping gas, so it wasn't as hard as it would have been to leave my screaming baby with strangers.
The surgery didn't take that long and the dentist said it was a good thing we took the tooth out. There was no chance it was going to come down. He said "It was a mess in there." Ridge had a quick recovery and even wanted to go play with friends that night. What a funny kid.
It has been two weeks since his surgery and he is doing great. He still has just one tooth in the front but is going in tomorrow to get a "new" tooth. He is so proud of his baby tooth and he carries it around everywhere. The dentist gave it to him in a little green case and he loves showing it to people.
I'm going to start a collection of things that have been removed from Ridge's body. So far I've got a bead from his nose and the tooth. I kind of hope the collection stops there.
I'm going to post some pics tomorrow of the before and after with his new smile, so stay tuned for that.

Halloween:
Now I should cover Halloween. We had a struggle this year with costumes. Dyson changed his mind 9 times! Of course I would have made him stick with his first choice if it hadn't been so difficult. He wanted to be R2D2! Most of his costume suggestions were of th same calliber. So you can imagine my hesitation in making him lock into one. I wasn't sure I would be able to accomadate it. Eventually we got it all figured out and he was a vampire for his school party and a cowboy for the big night. Ridge wanted to be a vampire and was for his school party but decided he wanted to be a bat for trick or treating.
We went to my sister's work for some trick or treating and the boys were the cowboy and the bat and Rori and I went as Thing 1 and Thing 2, complete with blue hair. It was seriously the greatest costume ever! I loved it.
After the office trick or treating we headed to my mom's to make some soup for her ward Halloween party, which we crashed. It was such fun! We went to different rooms in the church and the kids got to do different activities and get get a treat from each station. Then we had soup, salad and rolls for dinner. We got to hang out with everyone except for Heather, Mike and Jax. But we did get to see them earlier at Heather's work.
I decided that on Halloween night I wasn't going to take Rori out with me (it's so much easier to go with just the boys) so I left her home and the Thing 1 costume just wasn't as good. So I dressed up as a doctor with Jason's SGU lab coat and stetheschope and the like. It was an OK costume compared to Thing 1.
So I took the kids out and we went around the neighborhood. I didn't know how long the kids would want to stay out but when Ridge started asking me to carry his bag of candy because it was too heavy I decided it was time to call it a night!
The kids made quite a haul and came home very happy. We had a Halloween party at home with some of Heather's friends and saw all of our aunts, uncles, and cousins from Jason's side of the family.
All in all the week end was great. Filled with family, friends and WAY too much candy. Of course I will be able to help out there.
I hope you all had a fun time. I am going to try to post pics later but who knows if I'll get to it today.

Dental dealings

We took Ridge to the dentist again today to have a look at his tooth and find out if we should leave it in and see if it comes down or take it out.
After the Dentist had a look at it and we talked for a bit we decided that the tooth was going to come out. The dentist feared that the thin bone that attaches to the teeth was broken and so the tooth would not come down on it's own and instead of waiting a month and risking infection and damage we decided to go ahead with the extraction. It will be done on Tuesday at the surgical hospital. I am NOT excited to go through this but I look forward to finally having this taken care of.
He will have the surgery on Tuesday and then on Nov. 4th he will go in and have fake tooth attached. It will kind of be like a retainer only the wire will go on the inside of the teeth. It will have bands that go around his molars to keep it in place.
When I told Ridge that he was going to get a new tooth he was really sad because he wanted to be a toothless pirate for Halloween. After I explained to him that he would get his new tooth after Halloween he was just fine.
I have been so impressed with his maturity during this whole endeavor. It has been stressful to say the least but he has been such a trooper.
Gotta love him!
At least I do.

I Spoke Too Soon

In my last post I mentioned that I was glad the weekend was over because it was full of unfortunate events, well, I spoke too soon.

Monday was good but Tuesday was not.

The first part of the day was fine but after Dyson got home from school the boys had lunch and we were off to an appointment for Dyson in Layton. When we got to the appointment I let the boys play on this airplane. It was outside the building and I told them I was going to go check in and I'd be right back.

As I was finishing signing in I turned around to go check on the boys and I saw a lady holding Ridge and he was screaming and he was covered in blood. I ran to him and took him into the bathroom to clean him up. We found the source of the bleeding was in his mouth and we preceded to rinse his mouth and then I noticed his right front tooth was GONE! I nearly started crying right then but I didn't want to freak Ridge out so I tried to hold it together. While we were cleaning up Ridge's mouth the lady that brought him in took Dyson outside to look for the missing tooth and to find out what had happened. They couldn't find the tooth.

One of the receptionist was in the bathroom with me and she was talking calmly to Ridge and I looked at her and told her I didn't know what to do and that I was kind of freaking out, so I was going to need some help. Her and the lady that brought Ridge in helped me get him and the other kids upstairs to a pediatrition's office to have them take a look. He said it looked a ok considering what had happened and that he recommended I take him to a dentist. So back downstairs we went and we found a dentist that we motored over to really fast. On the way there I called my mom and had her meet us there. She called my dad to come and give me and Ridge blessings.

So we all met at the dentists and they took Ridge back for some x-rays. The x-ray's showed that the tooth in fact did not get knocked out. It was still there, it has just been shoved back up into his gums. This is what the poor boy looks like.

If you look in the hole where his tooth should have been you can see a white thing. That is his tooth. I'm not sure how it all happened but it seems that he fell while playing on the airplane and he landed just right as to not knock the tooth out but just relocate it. I asked the dentist what our course of treatment would be and he said that when stuff like this happens to small children the tooth can actually rerupture, or come back down again. So it will basically be like he is teething again. They want to wait and see if it will do that, so we are waiting for a month and then he will go back in. If the tooth is coming down they will wait some more and hopefully it will all come down. If after a month there is no change then they will have to do surgery to remove the tooth and then we will hope that there is no damage to his permanent tooth underneath.

He was such a trooper and his Papa blessed him that he would heal completely from this and that everything would be ok, I was blessed with the patience to deal with his orneryness. I'm stil not sure how I feel about that. haha.

I am so grateful to my parents who rushed to meet me when Jason was so far away. I am also very grateful that I have the Gospel in my life. I am so thankful that my dad was able to give me and my son blessings when we needed them. There are no words to express the feelings I have about that wonderful gift in my life. I am grateful that our Father in Heaven gave us this gift so that we could truly have the his power here on earth to heal and comfort.
Thanks again mom and dad for everything you do for me and my family.

P.S. I really hope today goes better than yesterday!

Conference in a Nutshell

Saturday:
Got up Saturday for conferene weekend
Had breakfast, and put Rori down for first nap by 9:30
Ridge threw up all over my bed during 1st session.
Threw up on his bed, and Dyson's bed during the second session.
Did lots of laundry
All this while trying to contain Rori, who after her nap was CRAZY! (in a good, happy sort a way)
# of talks I listened to.... 1, plus a few bits and pieces, which I can't remember

Sunday :
Woke up and nobody was sick, Yeah!
Before 1st session Rori hit her mouth on the stairs and split her mouth
Bled everywhere
Had to wash my white shirt I was wearing
scrubbed the floor and bathroom to clean blood
Hoped I wasn't accused of commiting crime as my bathroom would reveal traces of blood
missed most of the 1st session due to consoling and injured child
Fought with the boys during the second session
tried to fight of feelings of complete failure as I realized my attempt at spiritual nurishment were totally unsuccessful.

Monday:
Glad that weekend if OVER!

Bead-ectomy

This incident happened nearly a month ago about but I am just now getting around to typing it up for your enjoyment. (and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it)

It all started on Ridge's first day of preschool. I had been searching around for a preschool for Ridge for pretty much the whole summer and I was lucky enough to find one that was close to my house that was pretty cheap.

It was a Wednesday and I took Ridge to school, he was so excited. When we got there we all sat together on the floor and the adults talked about grown up things while the kids played. Then it was time to leave and as I was getting ready to walk out the door I started a conversation with another mom. (I'm sure you are all shocked that i started talking. haha) Anyway, so we got to talking and we realized that we lived close-ish to each other and we decided to carpool. We were standing outside working out the details when the teacher exited her house with Ridge by the hand. Immediately my mind starts working and I'm sure she is going to tell me that he has hit someone, was crying or peed his pants. (I was actually almost positive it was peed clothes) but to my surprise she said he had put a bead up his nose!!! I about died laughing right then. Little did I know I was about to start a day long adventure to try to get it removed.
Here is a picture of the pink bead up his nose. My thumb is holding his nostril so you can see the bead.




Sorry it's not in focus but I took this with my camera phone right before they removed it.

Anyway, back to the story. So I took Ridge to a nearby kids care and after standing in line for a bit found out that they didn't take my insurance so I had to leave and go to a different clinic. ( I would have taken him to his own pediatrician but he is so far away and I thought it would be faster to go somewhere nearby...) so we checked into the clinic and waited. Finally they called us back and I told them what happened and they looked at me like I was crazy and then looked up Ridgedon's nose. The doctor seemed to be at a loss as to what to do and so he suggested that I cover Ridge's mouth with my mouth and blow hard to try to force air through his nose to get the bead out. I'm not sure why he didn't suggest Ridge trying to blow his own nose first, but he didn't. In fact after attempting his way several times I'm the one who suggested Ridge blowing his own nose. This of course did not yield the results we desired and we were then sent to Primary Children's Medical Center.

I had to run home so I could be there when Dyson got home from school and I called my mom to see if she could take the other kids, because let's face it, sitting in a hospital ER waiting room with 3 kids sounds SUPER FUN.
After my mom arrived I was off the hospital with Ridge where I checked in and waited for 3 1/2 hours. I then asked the nurses at the front desk if they forgot I was waiting and they of course said no and asked me to take a seat. 1/2 hour later I was escorted to a curtained off area and told the doc would be in soon. 3 hours later I asked the nurses at the nurses station if I had been forgotten and again the assured me that I hadn't and asked me to be patient. About 5 min later a doc came in. (I'm convinced I was forgotten)
I was informed that they were going to insert and Foley Catheter up his nose, inflate the little balloon at the end of it and them pull it out hopefully removing the bead from his nose. When we checked in they asked if Ridge had eaten anything and was told he couldn't eat just in case they needed to sedate him. So we had waited for about 7 hours with out Ridge eating, he was not a happy camper.
When the docs came in hey had an intern attempt to put the catheter in and of course she couldn't get it in on the 1st or 2nd or even the 3rd time. So at this point the attending or resident what ever she was took over and she didn't even get in on the first try! Luckily she did get it on the second but not before Ridge was screaming and writhing in panic and terror. By the look on his face and everything I'm sure he thought these people were trying to kill him.
Needless to say it was a traumatic experience for all.
The bead is out now and we had a very long and intense talk about putting things up his nose. I asked him why he did it and he replied
"Mom, I made a new friend at school and I wanted to show him a trick, so I rolled the bead up my nose."

Dyson has a Crush

If you read the other post I did today you would know that today was Dyson's first day of school. To Dyson's surprise and dismay I decided to pick him up from school. When I got there the kids were all lined up ready to walk to the bus so I told his teacher I was going to take him home with me. Dyson saw me and rolled his eyes like "mom, what are you doing here. Oh my heck, you never leave." The conversation that followed was hilliarious, at least to me. But I'll let you decide for yourself. It went as follows:

Dyson: hold on mom I have to say goodbye to my new friend, she's so lovely.
Mom: OK, where's your new friends?
Dyson: She's over here.
Mom: What's her name?
Dyson: What's your name again? (her name is Holly or Hailey I can't remember)
Mom: I'm glad you made a new friend today.
Dyson: Yeah, I had to be her friend because she is so beautiful.
Mom: Did you make friends with anyone else?
Dyson: No, just her. I can only be friends with the beautiful girls.
Mom: Were any of the other girls beautiful?
Dyson: Yes, but she was the Most beautiful. So I HAD to be her friend.
Mom: So what did you do today?
Dyson: Just normal school stuff like playing with the beautiful girl at the playground, and stuff like that.
Mom: (laughing to herself)

Interjection: "Beautiful Girl" had either a mosquito bite on her eye or black eye because her eye was swollen and a little purpleish.

Mom: do you know what happened to her eye? It looks like she has a mosquito bite on her eye or something.
Dyson: No mom, she doesn't have a squito bite, she just put some stuff on her eye to make her more beautiful. Like the stuff you put on.
Mom: You mean makeup?
Dyson: Yeah
Dyson: I think tomorrow I'm going to whisper in her her ear and tell her I love her so she can marry me.
Mom: (sitting astonished, not knowing how to respond, then trying not to laugh)
Dyson: Mom, she really is beautiful.

I'm pretty sure the word "beautiful" has never been used so many times in one conversation. It was pretty much the only word Dyson used to describe her. I remember having crushes in kindergarten but the first day?!?! This seems a little extreme.

I'm glad he is having a good time but I had to tell him that he couldn't get married because we had to have lunch. Dyson saw my logic and consented to wait to get married.

First Official Day of School

Dyson had his first official day of Kindergarten today. It's been kind of retarted this last week because school actually started last Monday but they do testing for the kindergarteners during the first week. So he went last Monday and then had to wait a whole week before he actually got to go again.

He gets to ride the school bus with his friends and here they are Elijah is on the left and Rustin is on the right (I think, haha) He was so excited to be a big kid and ride to school. I asked him if I could follow the bus and make sure he got to class ok and he told me NO! He said he let me go to school with him last time and that was enough. This kid is growing up so fast!

This morning we got up, had breakfast, had a bath, got dressed, brushed teeth, got back pack and headed for the bus stop. I walked him to the corner where the bus picks them up with Ridge and Rori along for the ride. When the bus came he got on the bus before I could even give him a hug! He climbed on and took a seat by a window and turned and with a big smile waved at me. I am so proud of him and independence. He amazes me everyday. I hope he has a GREAT day at his "first" day of school.
I'm pretty proud of myself too, I didn't even cry. I have had butterflies in my stomach for him all morning but I haven't cried. I think Dyson has been cutting the apron strings for a while now that it didn't hurt too bad to see him venutre off. He is always wanting to go and do and try new things without me so it didn't come as a huge shock that he wanted to do this by himself.

Good luck Dyson and I love you!

One Week and Counting

AHHHHHHHH!
OK, I'm better now.....I think.
Dyson starts kindergarten in ONE week!!! Next Monday he will have his very first day of school! I can't believe it. I'm in a constant state of denial. I have to talk about to just about everyone I see just so it can become more real to me so I don't have a complete melt down next Monday. (although I'm not sure it's going to work)
When Dyson was born he was the joy of my existence. If you don't have kids you will never understand the feeling, if you have kids you know exactly what I'm talking about. Those sweet little angels bring this amazing love with them and you begin to wonder how you ever lived without them. I can still remember what it was like to hold him for the first time, and when we brought him home from the hospital. So many of my memories have to do with that little guy. And now my super handsome buddy is going off to school. I'm so proud of the progress he is making with his reading and such and I know he'll do great but that doesn't stop the emotional, sentimental part of me from coming out and getting weepy at the thought of his growing up.
Good luck Dyson, I know you'll do GREAT!

In other news I should probably update you all on Jason.
Jason has been losing weight (which we all know he doesn't have any to spare) and was exhausted all the time. He went to the doctor and we found out that he has Megaloblastic Anemia. His hematocrit was 7 (really, really low. He should have had a blood transfusion and been admitted to the hospital) and he isn't absorbing vitamin B12. So he is now on daily B12 injections and is also being treated for a parasite. (we don't know for sure if he has one because the test to find out cost 42 dollars but the drug to treat on only cost 9 so we went ahead with the treatment and did't to the test) He is already starting to feel better and is going to have a scope done of his digestive tract in December. We pray for him daily and we feel that he will be just fine.

We hope you are all doing well!

Summer in a nutshell

It's been a while since I wrote anything and now it's hard to organize in my head everything that has happened this summer. Heaven knows I didn't have the best memory before I had kids and now there's no hope. Here are some highlights of some of the fun things we did this summer.

The most recent thing that comes to mind is us buying a car. It has been a few years since we owned a car, not counting the one we have in Grenada. We sold our cars before we left for Grenada and that has been since Jan. 2007. So getting a car of my own was super exciting. We looked all over for one that would fit our family and our budget and I'm sure you can guess how easily that went. With the 3 kids we needed something that would fit all 3 carseats in the back but I didn't want a mini van and we really couldn't afford an suv, so the hunt began. We searched and searched and searched and then we finally found one that we liked. It is a 2007 Nissan Sentra. If you have 3 kids and are looking for a car any Nissan Sentra that is 2007 or newer has enough clearance in the back seat to fit 3 across. They all fit just fine! Anyway, so we found this car that I loved, it was even a manual transmission (I didn't know how to drive one and I wanted to learn). I got really excited when I saw that it was in our price range as well, even lower that blue book! But of course there was one down side..... It was in St. George! After days and days of searching and finding nothing we decided to go for the drive and buy the car. I know it sounds crazy, in fact the whole way down I kept saying I thought we were nuts, but we wanted the car and so we went for it. We got down there drove the car, signed the papers, paid the money, got the keys, and headed home. (after stopping at In and Out Burger. yum) We were home by 12:00 and I had a new car! Now we just need to sell our car in Grenada. haha.

Another super fun thing I did this summer was go to the Kenney Chesney concert. Jason's uncle called up the day of the concert and asked if we wanted to go. He said he MIGHT have tickets and that we could have them if he did. Of course I said YES, YES, YES!! (Kenney Chesney sings mine and Jason's song Me and You) As it turned out he did get the tickets and my friend and I went to the concert together. It was really fun and entertaining. The best part of the night was when he sang Me and You. Before he sang it he told us that before he was big he sent his music out and Utah was the first place to play his song, and not just once but over and over again during one weekend. He attributes the start of his career to that weekend on Utah radio. He said that he hasn't sung the song in concert in over 6 years but he was going to sing it that night and it was Me and You! I started screaming and jumping up and down and made myself look like a complete idiot! Of course nobody there will remember they were all too drunk! haha. I called Jas and he got to hear it over the phone. It was a pretty awesome moment to hear our song sung in person by the artist.

The kids are growing and changing so much. The most obvious change is that Rori is walking now. She started walking nearly 3 weeks ago but her progress was slow because she was teething (she has her first tooth now!) and then she got an ear infection. It was hard for her to get her balance with her ear infection but since we have her on some medication she is walking EVERYWHERE! It has been so much fun watching her try to keep up with her brothers. Although I'm afraid she's going to need a bit more practice before she will be able to do that.

Our ward split this summer and we got put in a brand new ward. I had been quite happy with my non calling status in the other ward but that did not last. The ward had only been in place for about 9 days when I got a call. I was asked to be in the Nursery. I have been in Primary since I got married. The only other calling I've had was to lead the music during sacrament meeting. Other than that I have been in Primary. I even helped the nursery leader in Grenada (but this wasn't my actual calling) So far it's been pretty good. I had to teach the first 3 weeks but now I am able to trade off with other teachers so most of the time I just get to play with the kids. The kids are so deligtful and I am finding myself already getting really attached to them.

This summer has been filled with camping, parades, parties, friends, bbq's, swimming, working on the basement, watching movies, doctor appointments, and school prep. It's hard to think that the summer is pretty much over. In less than 2 weeks Dyson will be headed off to his first day of school. The rooms in the basement are done and I began the task of moving in last night. There is much organizing to do but when it's done it will be a nice place to retreat.

I hope you all have had a good summer full of fun, food, and family.

Kids, Kids, Kids

I have the most talented friends. These pictures were taken by another Grenada Girl, Lexi Shaeffer. ( You can check out her photo blog here)
We were at the beach and my kids fell asleep and she, being the ever talented photographer that she is, noticed a sweet moment in time and captured it on film for me. I absolutely love these pictures! They help me remember all the sweet moments I've had with my kids and how wonderful it is to be a mom. These pictures capture their innocence. Like I said before, I love them.
Thanks Lexi for being observant enough to see the moment before it passes, and for being a good friend to share the pics with me.

Some might think that with all the photos I have of Ridge and Rori that I either don't have any of Dyson or I do but I don't post them because I don't like him as much. Well, I don't seem to have many of Dyson. He is so busy all the time that it's hard for me to get him to sit still long enough for me to take his picture.
On his first day of preschool I had him all dressed and I asked him if I could take a picture of him and he impatiently told me no and that we needed to go before he was too late! I laughed so hard at how excited he was but was seriously disappointed that he wouldn't let me photo him, and since I didn't want to start the day off with him being upset I decided to give in to his need to get going. He is always on the go and if I do get him to pose for a picture it is usually for only a half second. I have to be fast with the camera and more often than not the pictures don't turn out. So rest assured that Dyson is not forgotten or unloved, just too busy to humor his mom for a photo op.

I know I talk alot about my kids, but that seems to be the only thing I can think of. Usually throughout the day I will think of something profound I want to blog about but by the time I get to the computer the thought has left. It seems that I can't seem to keep much of anything in there for too long unless it has to do with how long it was since the boys used the toilet. I love being a mom but sometimes I feel like I'm losing my identity as Amanda in my title: Mom. Do any of you feel like that or I am like the worst mom ever?

A look back

We went Deep Sea fishing with my parents the last week we were in Grenada and we got to see tons of dolphins. It was really awesome.

This picture of me and the boys was taken at Bay Gardens during their Mother's Day field trip for school. We had so much fun walking around and seeing some fun animals and spending some quality time with each other. I love these boys so much!


Here's Rori! She was having so much fun in the bath. We didn't have a tub in our apartment so we got creative. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and since we didn't have a tub we turned our shower into one! We plugged up the drain with a wash cloth and the lid to a toothpast tube. It worked wonders, and Rori and the boys (and I was even desperate enough for a bath to try it out once myself) were able to have bathes.

We had all the suitcases out for packing and Rori loved to climb in them. She was enjoying the freedom that came with learning how to crawl and could turn almost anything into some kind of an obstacle for herself. She would give it everything she had to achieve her goal and inevitably she would get stuck and call for help.
I know every mom says it, and it sounds so cheesey, but it has been so much fun watching her grow up. She does so many things differently than the boys did them and she has her own way of approaching life. I have enjoyed every stage of each of my kids. I love them all.

Since we have been back in Utah it seems like "Grenada" was so long ago. Sometimes it almost feels like it didn't really happen. If it weren't for the pictures we have and the friends I have on Facebook I might seriously doubt we were ever there! We are pretty much back into the swing of American life and although we love being here there are things we miss about the island.

Good times, good times.

I said it would never happen but it did.

You can tell it's been a rough week when by the end of it I would be willing to cut my own hair.
Well....
That's exactly what I did.
I cut a couple inches off the length and I cut bangs. No pictures yet. Until I get some up you will be left to the mercy of your imaginations.
Lets just say that last week and a combination of the past month or so combined and stewed until finally last Saturday it all came out. Unfortunately I had my shears in my hand. haha.

Lesson learned.

Coming Home

This photo was taken by Sara Weir of Sara Weir Photography.
To see more of our family pictures check out her photos here

Our journey home...sigh.
We had to get up early that morning to finish packing (1st big mistake) and got most of everything ready to go on time. We were getting ready to get loaded up and I heard a blood curdling scream from Dyson outside. I ran out to find that my brother Josh had smashed Dyson's hand in the hinge of the front door. It was really bad looking. He went into shock and Jas was worried that it might be broken. Of course there was nothing we could really do except treat his shock, give him some ibuprofen and lots of love. He did pretty good on the flight though and didn't complain much at all.(thank goodness)
We made it to Miami fine but that was when the "fun" began. First we had to descend quickly due to a storm and since I was congested my ears wouldn't pop and I nearly ruptured my right ear drum. It was so painful! We went through customs and immigration without much problems and then we went to our gate to check in. Our flight was supposed to leave at 4:00 but but it was delayed until 4:15 and then 5:15. After that we decided to try to get on a different flight that would get us out sometime that night. American put us on a flight through Delta and so we went go check in. When we got to the Delta counter they told us none of their flights were landing in Miami so none of their passengers were making their connections either so they told us to go back to America. AAHHH!!! Apparently no flights were able to land since there was a thunderstorm and in fact we were really lucky that we made it. We had to descend quickly because we stayed above the storm until the very last minute. Anyway, we called American back and after being on the phone and in the airport for more than 7 hours we ended up having to stay the night in Miami and catch an early morning flight the next day.
The next day we was better. We got on our flight and made our connection in Dallas just fine. The only problem was that our luggage didn't make it there until later that day. But that was no big deal.
So Grenada had a way of making it a memorable trip although it really didn't have anything to do with Grenada.

Of course the fun didn't stop once we got back to Utah. The day after we finally got home we went to the park with my family and we were having a great time. (I got to meet my littlest nephew Jaxson for the first time!) We were all talking and laughing and even doing a pretty good job of keeping track of all the kids. Then, when I did a visual sweep of the playground to account for all the kids I found August and Ridge at the top of one of the old metal twisty slides. It had a round platform at the top of the stairs and both of the kids were up there. It was about 12 feet up and I noticed that Ridge looked a little unsure. August went down the slide but I told Jas that one of us should go help Ridge down. Well, before we could move to go help he turned facing out from the stairs and tried to go down. He had a marble in his hand so he didn't get a good grip on the railing and with the stairs being so steep that they were closer to a ladder than stairs he fell head over heals and landed face down in the gravely sand. My heart stopped and I felt 100 miles away. I got up and ran as fast as I could and found him sprawled out crying the most devestating cry. There are no words to describe it but any mother who has heard it knows it. Anyway, after doing an initial assesment and determining that he was OK to move I scooped him up and took him to the grass where Jason began doing some "Dr. Stuff." We then took him back to my parents where my dad and Jason gave him a blessing and then we took him up to a clinic for x-rays on his arm. Luckily nothing was broken and he was just a little battered and bruised. He had bruises on both his knees and his elbow, road rash on his forehead and in his hair, and a very swollen top lip. But other than that he was find. What a miracle it was that he was not seriously injured. I saw him fall and I expected a lot worse.

So the next week we ended up taking both of the boys into their pediatrition for check up and we did x-rays on Dyson's hand to make sure it wasn't broken since he was still complaining about it. Again, luckily it wasn't broken.

Last Friday we had a friend birthday party to celebrate Dyson's 5th birthday and we had tons of fun. Most of his friends from the neighborhood were there along with most of his cousins. We had a treasure chest cake and played outside.
The next day was Jason's sister Emily's birthday and we had family pictures and a birthday party for here and then next Saturday is Ridgedon's birthday and we will be doing cake and ice cream. It is going to be quite the month! I'm going to have to be careful not to over eat on good that isn't good for you!

Feeling the loss of an amazing woman

This is Jason's cousin Michelle Langston Bancroft. She is an amazing woman. She passes away this morning after a very long and courageous fight with cancer. It seems like that ugly disease inflicts it's worst on the people least deserving of such a trial. Michelle was one of the most Christlike people I knew, and anybody who knew her would agree. She was always willing to go out of her way to help people and share what she had with others. She welcomed me into her family with an open heart and wonderful friendship.

When Jason and I got married it was overwhelming meeting all of his family and trying to remember everyone, and also trying to fit in but I remember always feeling comfortable around Michelle and her husband Justin. From the very beginning they treated me like family and through the last 6+ years we have become more than just family. We have become great friends.

Michelle's absence from this world will be deeply felt by anyone who had contact with her, and especially by her family. My heart goes out to her fabulous husband Justin, who stood by her every step and loved her, it was always obvious how much he cared about and loved her, and to her 3 beautiful children who had one of the best mothers ever.

Michelle, I love you. We only knew each other for a few years but it felt like more to me. Thank you for being there for me and being a good friend. Thank you for all the fun times we had at dinner, boating, playing the Wii, and just talking for so long that the kids were up way past their bed times! I feel you loss so deeply. The world just isn't right without you in it. You are already missed. I am so happy for you to be free from your pain here on earth, and I know you are having so much joy being with your sweet children who were waiting for you. We will do our best to take care of your family here on earth until you are united again.
You have left a place in our hearts that will never be filled, but you have left such and example of love and faith.

We love you and your family.

When I was a kid one thing I remember doing that I loved was wearing my dad's T-shirt to bed. I loved wearing something that smelled like him and was big enough to tuck my whole body in. I remember dancing around the house in the over sized shirts pretending they were dresses or costumes of some kind. The possibilities were endless!
My boys have recently discovered the joy that can be found in a "daddy shirt." Ridgedon loves them so much he wants to wear one all the time. He begged to wear one to school and the store and even to the pool! I will get them dressed and send them to school and as soon as they come home Ridge wants me to change his clothes!
It is so much fun for me to relive the precious memories I had of wearing daddy shirts and seeing the simple joy that kids have for the simplest things. These boys love their daddy and want to be like him so much. It makes them unbelievably happy to wear something of his.
Thanks mom for allowing me experiences that give me wonderful memories. I hope I am a fraction of the mom you were.

Time flies

Birthday List

Last night we were all driving home from the SO Closing social and I thought I would ask Dyson what he wanted for his birthday. His big day is coming up at the end of the month and I wanted to get an idea of what he would want since he will actually have his birthday before we leave Grenada.

His response was he wanted a Pirate. I'm not sure where he got that idea but it was amusing none the less. We talked about the pirate idea for a bit and then the topic of his birthday was dropped. A little bit later, out of the blue Dyson pipped up from the back seat of the car that if I couldn't find him a pirate he would gladly take a 4 wheel. I wasn't sure what he meant so I asked him to clarify and he responded with "Mom, you remember when we went with Dave and Cassandra and we rode on the 4 wheel and we went really fast? That's what I'm talking about. Only I want one that is smaller and doesn't go so fast. OK?" I about died! He was so matter a fact about it and was completely serious. I had a hard time not laughing out loud, but I didn't want to make him feel bad so I held it in. After another pause in the conversation Dyson then added "If you can't find me a pirate or a 4 wheel you can get me something else. That would be OK too."
I thanked him for the great birthday ideas and was silently saying "thank you" to a higher power for the "something else" option.

As much as I would like to get my children at least one gift that they want for their birthday, I'm pretty sure the 4 wheel will have to wait for another year. And my guess is that he will be getting "Something Else"

Gotta love kids!

Changes

I have started several blog posts but I haven't finished or published any of them. So here is another attempt at starting, finishing, and posting something new on this blog. I find that my discretionary time has been drastically cut. Rori has discovered the ability to move around and my job as her mother just got more labor intensive. It used to be that I could lay her down on our piece of carpet and she would play happily while I did the dishes or folded laundry or made dinner, but now if I lay her down I have to make sure that everything on the floor is OK for her to have. She gets into everything and all things must go directly into her mouth. This is true for all things but especially paper. Rori loves to eat paper. I would have to say that her favorite paper is my sudoku book. If she sees it she goes as fast as she can to get to it before any interference. She also enjoys getting her little hands on the kids scriptures. I've tried to explain to her that chewing up the pages is not what the leaders of the church mean when they council us to "feast upon the word" So far this explanation has fallen on deaf ears. So I spend the majority of my time chasing after my adorable little girl, and trying to get her to eat the proper kind of fiber.

Jason only has a couple more weeks of the term and then his studies will be focused on preparing for the USMLE Step 1. We have all been sick for the last few days with a rotten cold, and we are hoping that it doesn't cause too many problems for Jason and his end of term studying. We are excited about leaving the island life and hope that it has brought a few positive changes to us and the way we live and see life. I don't really see how anyone could have such a drastic change to their living situation and not come out the other side a little different than when they started, but I hope our changes have been for the better.
As we close this chapter of our lives and look back on the friends we've made and the experiences we've had it is truely humbling. The journey has been long and filled with every imaginable emotion. I love it, I hate it, I want to be done, I don't want to go. There were days the only thing stopping me from getting on a plane and going back home is that fact that I had no money and I really didn't want to be stuck on an airplane with 3 small children by myself. I have learned so much being here, and I know I take many lessons with me. I hope I have done some good in this part of God's world, and helped a few of his children.

Leaving Grenada is just one of many changes to come into our lives. Not only are we spending the next several months as vagabonds bumming a bed from whomever we can until we settle somewhere in NJ, but Dyson will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. I can't believe that he is old enough to go to school. I remember so well the day he was born and I have many sweet memories of his life growing up. He is so smart and I know he will do wonderfully in school. He begs me all the time to let him go to school. I am so proud of him for learning how to read and that boy can do just about any physical thing you ask him too. He can do a cartwheel, a headstand and a back bend. Plus he loves to run and is getting quite good at soccer. He loves to be outside running around which is a good thing since he has more energy than the energizer bunny! He keeps me busy and entertains his younger sibblings.

Ridge is so different from when we first came down here. When we arrieved he was 7 months. He had no teeth, couldn't walk or even crawl, couldn't talk, and didn't eat much other than milk. Now he is almost 3, has a whole mouthful of teeth, runs most of the time (usually chasing his brother) talks all the time, but he still doesn't eat much. (the child is living on pb and j, mac n cheese, and apples!) He goes to preschool with Dyson and loves it. He likes to be included with the big kids and does a pretty good job of keeping up. He is still my little snuggle bug though, and I hope he stays that way. He is the sweetest kid...when he wants to be. Lately he has developed an attitude and we have been working on getting his sweetness back. I'm not sure how well it's going but hopefully he will get it soon.

As you can see our house is pretty busy but it's full of all the normal "life" stuff. Growing, changing, learning. We are doing our best to savor every new moment as a family before the moment passes. I know this post is pretty personal and I'm sorry if it's a little much, but there you have it. We are all doing good and ready for the next big change.

Picture Perfect

For our 6 year anniversary Jason and I had our pictures taken by my good friend Sara. We met here in Grenada and she takes the most amazing pictures!!! You can check out her photo blog at www.saraweirphoto.blogspot.com.
We haven't had our portraits taken since right after we were married and we had so much fun having them taken. Here are a few of the beautiful pictures.
It's so nice to have good friends that are gifted. Plus it's nice to have your picture taken by a friend because it's easier to be yourself and it makes the session lots of fun.



I want to thank Sara Weir Photography for the beautiful portraits. They are a great addition to our memories of our life together as well as our journey in Grenada.

DROC

Dyson is really getting the hang of reading. It has just "clicked" the last week or two and he is having an absolute blast. With this new found skill he is also learning how to spell words and the other day he wrote the letters D R O and C on his magnadoodle and wanted Jason to read the word. Jason sounded it out for him and then asked Dyson what it meant. (since Dyson is always making up new words and telling us they are Italian) Dyson looked at his dad and said Da Rock, you know like "The Rock" but "Da Rock"

We've been here too long. It's time to leave!

The Best 6 Years

It has been an amazing 6 years that Jason and I have been married. To say that time flies when you are having fun would certainly be and understatement. Jason and I have had so much fun being married. I am learning so much from him and he enriches my life every day.
Jason, You mean everything to me.
I love you!

My personal sunshines

It seems a lot has happened since my last post, and after looking back and reading it I think I might have been having a mood swing. haha. Oh well, I guess being a girl I get to have a few of those right? I am in greater spirits and have been able to count the many blessings in my life.

On to happier thoughts...
The kids are growing like weeds! I swear every time I turn around they have grown. Dyson doesn't fit into most of his clothes (although he has to for a few more months, haha) and is always coming home from school with some amazing thing he has learned. He makes crafts and learns new songs. He absolutely loves school and I think he feels at home there. I am so grateful for a wonderful program that he can participate in while we are here in this far away land. I am so proud of all the things he has accomplished.

Ridge is also growing in leaps and bounds. That kid is getting taller and taller. I, of course, am having a hard time accepting that fact that he is growing up. He has always been the snuggle bug. From the time he was born he would just burrow his little head into your shoulder and melt in your arms. He is still super snugly but I know that the older he gets the less he will do it. And it breaks my heart to think about it... so I don't. haha. Ridge will most likey be joining Dyson at that GAP this month. And he is super excited. He wants so bad to be a big boy like Dyson and he cries almost every morning when he doesn't get to go to school with his brother. Hopefully he will keep that enthusiasm for school when he actually gets to go.

Rori is also amazing me more and more every day. I think her growth is a little easier to see since she was so small to begin with. She is learning and accomplishing new tasks all the time. She has scoot herself around a little now. She can go in circles quite well and tries very hard to move forward. She can get about and inch but it taker her awhile and she looses interest. haha. She has said a couple of words although I'm pretty sure they were on accident. She has said "dada" ( i don't think this one was on accident since she has said it a few times) "poof" and "butt" I had put her on the bed and said poof and then she coppied me, and today at lunch the copied one of the boys saying butt. I'm not sure she actually ment to say them but it was really funny. She giggles and laughs and is generally a very happy baby. She loves to be outside and loves watching her brothers play. She has constant entertainment when they are around!

It is so cute to see the three of them together. She adores them and they do everything they can to take care of her and make her happy. Each one of them is such a blessing to our lives. I get asked here all the time how I do it with 3 kids, but honestly I have started to wonder how I ever did anything without them. They are truely the joy of my life.
(of course while I am writing this the little stinkers woke up Rori. oh well)

Thank you my dear!

I just thought I would take a few minutes to say thank you. Thank you to all the SO's who come down to support your students. I know that especially for me it makes a huge difference! Most importantly I wanted to say thank you to my wife for all the wonderful things that she does for me! I know that I am not always there for you when you need me and that i don't always understand where you are coming from but, please know that i do try and that I wish I could do better for you! That being said, thank you for being crazy enough to come down to Grenada with three kids to take care of me (I'm really just another big kid to take care of anyway....) I know that this isn't the first place in the world that you would like to spend you time but, thank you for supporting me in this insane endeavour! Thank you for taking care of the kids and making sure that they don't kill themselves and that they are breathing at the end of the day. Thank you for taking care of the house, I know that this is a huge chore with the kids around and that they help about as much as a tornado on most days but, I am constantly impressed. Thank you for learning so much about the places that we are looking at for clinicals and for trying to find a good area to live in. And thank you for being there for me! I love you!

Jason

Taken Back

When I was younger I always felt like I didn't quite fit in. Sure I had friends but I always felt like I was chasing after them trying to make them like me. I have struggled with my self esteem for as long as I can remember, and it has only been recently that I have begun to see myself in a more positive way.
However, since I have spent the majority of my life being extremely critical of myself I tend to fall back into that pattern rather easily. It is still hard for me to completely believe that I am what Jason says I am.
Lately I have been feeling particularly plagued by feelings of insecurity, and for a lack of a better phrase...left out. All my life I have wanted to feel included and wanted by my peers. I was always being left out of things when I was younger and although it seems kind of silly and immature I am seem to find myself, once again feeling alone and left out.
I always try to be the kind of friend that I wish I had. I really care about my friends. I think about what nice things I can do for them, how I can help them or what they are doing. I like to have them over for dinner and babysit their kids so they can have a nice evening with just adults. I think about my friends and how I can serve them all the time. All I want in return is for someone to think about me. But they don't. All I want is for the people that I think about and serve to include me when they do fun things. But I want them to do it because I'm their friend not because I wrote a "poor me" blog post. I don't want to beg for friends, and I certainly don't want to waste my efforts on people who don't want to be my friends. I just thought that the people whom I have come to love dearly as my friends felt the same way about me. It seems that I was mistaken. And although I'm someone who people are nice to when I'm around, I'm not someone who is included.
So as I sit here in my apartment with my kids, far away from our families, I wonder what it is that I do that makes people treat me this way. I guess I just need to straighten myself up and decide that I don't want to be friends with people who treat others that way, but it's easier said than done. So here's to trying to move on and not needing friends.

Pay It Forward!

I thought this sounded like a fun idea, so here it goes...

"Here's how it works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 3 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!"
If you post after 3 feel free to play just start your own!

How do you measure Love?

Kids have such a unique way of looking at things. The other day Dyson told me he loved me more than a penguin. I bet your kids don't love you more than a penguin. Now I know I'm the most loved mom ever!

My girl

Right before all our friends left the island for Christmas break I had the talented Miss. Sara take Bitti's pictures. Bitti was almost 2 months old when these were taken and she was the perfect little model. She was awake during half of the shoot and slept soundly the other half.
The one above is one of my absolute favorites. Can you believe Bitti is holding her body up so good when she wasn't even 2 months! She is growing so fast and is constantly amazing me. The photographer made the cute hat she is wearing. LOVE IT!
This was Bitti's Christmas dress that her grandma bought for her. She hasn't been able to wear it to church too much because it's a little warm, but we did have her picture taken in it. During this picture Bitti was getting hungry and was trying to suck on her thumb. It kind of looks like she is belting out some Gospel tune.



What a smiley girl. I love this little angel so much. If you look closely you can see her adorable dimples. She has then in almost the places that her mom does. Although Bitti's are a little easier to see. She brings so much joy into our home and even the boys love to be around her. The boys love to take care of her and they love to snuggle her too. Jason and are so lucky to have such a wonderful family.

It's all about color!

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like a big blob of regular, ordinary, momish, blah. Well I had one of those day. In all honesty I've several of those days all in a row! I look back on my life before I had kids and what I have realized has changed the most is the attention I spend on me. Don't get me wrong, I take time for myself during the day and Jason is great about giving me time to do "my" thing, but I don't spend much, if any, time getting ready for the day. I don't do much with my hair, and I very rarely do my make up. This is largely in part to the fact that I live in a country with an insane amount of humidity so any styling done to my hair is quickly undone, and make up just melts off your face because of the heat. Even though these facts help me cope with my blahness, I still needed a jump start to my look.
So, because I have amazing friends with amazing talents (and products) I have added some color to my life! And this is what the end result is.....
I seriously LOVE this color! I wasn't sure how dark to go but I think the color I chose is really great. I actually think I'm going to keep it this color for a while. It is amazing what a little color and trim can do for one's self image. I feel like a whole new woman. Everytime I walk past a mirror I have to stop and flip my hair around a bit. A little pampering goes a long way. Jason of course loves it, but let's be honest...Jason would say it looked great if I dyed my hair blue, as long as it was what I wanted.
So here is to a new color and the feeling of being renewed.

Books, hooks, and teachers dirty looks

I really need to post new pics so my bruised face isn't the first thing you see on the blog.


Last week kind of went by in a blur. It was the last week that Jason had off school and so we spent as much time together as possible. I abused his presence by having he help me clean our bedroom, which is usually the last room on my list, and doing dishes! He was ready to go back to school this morning. haha
Dyson also started school this last week. His first day was on Friday and he was so excited he could hardly sit still. In fact he couldn't sit still at all. When you take your kids to the school for the first time they recommend that you plan on spending the first day with them and over a weeks time you gradually spend less and less time there until the child is comfortable. Well, we didn't really need to worry about that. That morning Dyson insisted on picking out his own clothes, which match, and when I asked if I could take pictures of his first day of school he told me that he didn't have time to do pictures, he was going to be late, and I don't have to take pictures of everything. Needless to say...no pics. When we got to the school we went in and Dyson immediately went to play with the other kids while Jas and I talked with the teacher about how everything would work. When I went to leave I had to beg Dyson to say goodbye and in the end all I got was wave in my direction while he looked and played with his friends. When I went to pick him up I anticipated he would be happy to see me and want to tell me all about his day. This of course was a foolish assumption on my part as I soon found out. When I walked into the class room the kids were sitting down listening to a story. Dyson saw me and before I could say anything he declared that he was in the middle of a story and he couldn't leave yet. I patiently waited for the story to end, helped him remove the Batman costume he was wearing, and gathered his belongings. We walked out the door and he ran to the car. All the while I was wondering where my hugs were and where the shouts of joy at having his mother come pick him up. But there were none of those. I finally asked if I could have a hug when we reached the car. I got a sideways hug and a "You missed me mom?" I think it's safe to say that he didn't miss me much. Which is good and bad. I'm glad that he is adjusting well, but sad that he had so much fun with his friends that he forgot I wasn't there. Oh well. It was bound to happen.
So here is to the beginning of a new school term for two of the most important men in my life. Good luch both of you. I love you tons!