Christmas

I can't believe it is over. Now all that is left is the mess (and the new clothes and toys)! We had a great Christmas. It was a fun day around here, I was so sad to see it end. There is nothing like the feelings you have at Christmas - I just love it!!!
Here is our house before the craziness - I love the organized before!



Here is the house after.....



It is always a crazy mess after Christmas. I love the build up, the decorations, the shopping, everything!! I am not a fan of the clean-up! I worked today and left Kelly and the kids to take over and get the house in order. It looks pretty good, still needs some "motherly" cleaning, but a little more picked up.
I think the kids got everything they asked for:
Mekenzie got gift cards to the mall, lots of clothes, some boots, and a gumball machine (she really wanted one).
Kellen got a PSP (handheld game system), Hostess Cupcakes and Twinkies (he actually asked Santa for these), some games, and jammies.
Camden got a Colts beanbag chair, a MP3 player, and some "real" tools to help his dad fix and build things!
I think they had a great day!
Now we are planning for the next adventure in our lives. We will be spending our New Years in the hospital as Kellen is having some major intestinal surgery on Tuesday and will be in the hospital for 5-6 days. So it is time to clean, do laundry, and get everything else tied up to end a 2008 and move on to HOPEFULLY a better 2009!

Words of Wisdom...

My kids sometimes say the funniest things. This week has been no exception.
We were on our way to our Ward Christmas Party and Kellen asked if Santa would be there. I told him yes, his reply was that in the Dictionary it says Santa died in 1832! Explain that one!!!!
Camden was telling me how he knew he was going to get something from Santa this year because he is only 7. He told me, "Santa thinks it is o.k. to be bad when you are 7 but when you are 8 if you are bad Jesus get's mad" I guess Jesus and Santa talk. Good thing there is repentance!
Today is my B-day and Camden wanted to help so he made my bed. I was getting ready for the day and he came and told me, "It's not pretty but It was made with love". It took awhile to stop laughing from that one, he is 7!!
Mekenzie is preparing to be in "Alice in Wonderland", the musical. She is really excited!!! She is a flower, but she has no name. She is really upset about this and so we are thinking of what kind of flower she could be. There is already a rose, daisy, petunia, and lily. Any ideas??? We tried Calla Lily, Marigold, and whatever the name is of the Kennecott Sulfur flower. She doesn't like any of them!! This she wants you to know, is not funny!!

A "Wise Man"

This last Saturday was our ward Christmas Party. It was a really neat night with a "Journey Back to Bethlehem". We went to different rooms,(lead by a shepherd),and they role played the story of Jesus's birth with words and music. We started with Joseph and Mary, then the Angels, the Inn Keeper, and the Shepherd's. After the Shepherd's were some awesome Wise Men, you might recognize one of them....

By the way, Kelly is not as little as it may seem. They made him look like the littlest wise man by standing him next to a 7 foot giant (maybe not quite 7 feet)!!! We always knew Kelly was a "Wise Man" now everyone else does!
They did a great job and it was a great night!!! It was a great way to feel the Christmas spirit and remember the reason for the season!!!

Never put anything smaller then your elbow in your ear

You know those things you were told growing up that didn't seem important at the time. Like; Don't run with scissors or don't put anything smaller then your elbow in your ear. I am someone who has to learn for themselves, the hard way, not someone who "watches and learns" like a smart person. Now I am deaf in one ear, (only temporarily I hope), because of it. I would like this to be a blog about the kids. Not that I want them to have pain, but because it is a little embarrassing that it is me instead of one of the kids.
I was multi-tasking. Something I am usually very good at. I was cleaning the shampoo out of my ears and picking up my room at the same time. I leaned over to pick something up and the Q-tip was shoved into my ear. I immediately grabbed my ear in pain. After a minute it felt ok so I went on with what I was doing. Over the next 30 minutes it started to feel like it was swelling a little but really no pain. As I got in the car to pick up Mekenzie from school I felt a gush of fluid. It was clear fluid, I thought maybe water or something...no big deal. As I pulled into the parking lot another gush. This time it was blood and I was noticing that slowly it was getting harder to hear out of my ear. I called a good friend of ours who is a doctor and he told me to call my family doctor, so I did. They told me to come in immediately, so I did. By the time I got there I had blood running out of my ear, and I could no longer hear a thing out of the one side. They looked into my ear and told me to go to the ER (are you kidding me, it was a Q-Tip). After explaining my story to three different doctors (humiliating!) we agreed that I would go home, keep cotton in it and they would get me into the Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor first thing this morning. If they could not get me in I would go to the ER. I went to bed, had trouble sleeping and started to be in a little pain but still ok.
True to their word they called at 9:00 this morning and got me into the ENT. By now the side of my face hurts a little and it is still bleeding. My ear is full of blood and swollen so he could not see much. He told me he needed to look better to see how much damage I had done (a Q-Tip!?!?!). They can see a large hole but that is all. He gave me some antibiotics and steroids for my ear, and told me to come back on Tuesday so they can get a better look.
So now I am totally deaf in one ear which is very frustrating! It is hard to hear anyone talking to me if there is any background noise, I am like an old person!!! I have said, "Talk into my good ear" so many times today my kids are finishing that sentence for me. I just went out dinner and had a whole conversation of "What?" and "I can't hear you"'s. It was a good time. We decided to forgo the movie for tonight since it seems like it might have be a waste of money since I can't hear a thing!!!
I think my kids are taking advantage of it. I am not even sure they are talking out loud, just mouthing the words hoping I will get frustrated since I can't hear them and just say yes to whatever they want. I am on to them... I might be stupid, but I am not that stupid!!
All of this because I didn't listen to the advice of others...someday I will learn. I am sure of it. Until then make sure you speak into my good ear!!!

No More Braces!!!

Mekenzie has been waiting FOREVER for this special event!! She first got braces on when she was about 9. She had them on 2 years, off for awhile, then back on for two years!! I had almost forgot what she looked like without her braces. She is beautiful!!! Take a look:

So gummy bears, taffy, and popcorn watch out!!!

They grow up way to fast!!!

I often sit back and wonder where the time is going. It seems like everything around us is moving way too fast, including my kids.
It is hard to believe Mekenzie just turned 15!! That means in a year she could date, (although her dad has told her she could not date until her husband says she can?!?). Possibly drive (not a chance), will be a junior in school, and most of all she might not need me quite as much. I have enjoyed watching Mekenzie grow and learn more about her self. She is turning into a great women!
Kellen is 10 and will soon be 11. He is such a courageous boy who acts more then his age especially with the trials his body has gone through. He has lived through more in his life so far then most of us will ever have to endure.
Then there is my Camden. He is my sweet 7 year old. A true "angel sent straight from heaven" I always tell him. He is the last of my little ones. I was hoping to keep him small for just a short time later, he wants so bad to be big!
Camden got a call from his friend "Morgan" (Morgan is a girl). When she called he ignored the phone and told us not to answer it. A short time later I could not find him and searched him out. This is what I found...

Camden called Morgan back then hid to talk to her. At least he can multitask and is trying to fix the Rubik's Cube at the same time!!
It is just a glimpse into our not so distant future. It is a little bit sad that they are growing so fast. I am so proud of what each of them is becoming, it is just happening way too fast.

It's Begining to look a lot like Christmas!!!

I LOVE this part of the year. When Thanksgiving has just passed so we still feel "grateful" and we get to move on to our Christmas festivities. Last year was a really hard time for our family and it is looking like this year will be much the same so I decorated early this year and I am loving it. I walk down the stairs and the first thing I see is the tree, complete with presents underneath.

When I sit in the family room or Kitchen again it is all Christmas!

My mom and dad came to visit and with her help we got all of my presents wrapped and under the tree, (yes, my shopping is totally finished). Now we can spend the rest of December really enjoying the holidays. We are going to enjoy everyday and really take the time to feel the spirit that exists during this time of year!

Thankful

It seems only appropriate that we take a minute and think about all of those things we are thankful for at our house. We talked about what we were each thankful for. Here is what they said:
Camden said he is thankful for: His life, Jesus, and His House.
Kellen said: Electricity, Family, and Friends.
Mekenzie said: School, Friends, and Family.
Kelly said: His Family, His Job (for now), and the Rain.
I am thankful for a lot of things.
My Husband who works so hard to keep our family well taken care of.
My sweet kids who try so hard to do what is right and continue to amaze me.
I am thankful for our house, cars, and other conveniences of life (and for Kelly's job so we have the ability to pay for them).
I am greatful for doctors, hospitals, and new medical advances that keep the people I love as healthy as they can be.
I am thankful for our faith and that we are able to practice it freely, and for the knowledge that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and will help get us through the trials of our lives.
I am thankful for friends who support us and love us even when we are not so loveable, and who help us out even when we didn't know we needed to be helped.
We are planning to have a great Thanksgiving day with my mom and day traveling from Utah to visit. We hope everyone else will have a great day!

Cleaning up from one end to the other.

Kellen is home from the hospital and his bowels are still moving. He came home after having an x-ray that showed some weird spots so he will go back today or tomorrow to take a second look at those spots.
We came home just in time for Camden to get sick. He has had a fever of 102 and is complaining of a really sore throat. Luckily I took him to the doctor last week for an ear infection and she gave me a antibiotic in case the drops did not work. We filled the antibiotic yesterday and got him started.
The best part is that after being exhausted and dealing with poop all weekend. I was thinking I was coming home to a break. Not the case. I think the ibuprofen I gave Camden on an empty stomach was a bad idea when he came to my bed to tell me he was going to throw up (why??..... why?? I have tried to explain that you can go into the bathroom and call me, I will hear you. Please don't puke on the side of my bed). At which point he threw his hands to his mouth and barf went everywhere!!!!! The floor, the clean laundry, the dirty laundry, the doors, walls, shoes, blankets, him, me...I could go on. I look over to the bed and Kelly is gone (it is 12:30am). Now we are both covered in puke. Kelly is missing and Camden is crying. I wont go into detail but the clean up was pretty extreme. It is the middle of the night and I was coming off the night before only getting 15 minutes sleep and Kelly is missing. I go downstairs to get the "puke bowl", you know the one everyone has one, and Kelly is sleeping restfully on the couch, like an angel. I might have made a little more noise then needed getting the bowl but, he flew off the couch and came up to help (I should add that he said I was sleeping so peacefully across the whole bed and he knew I was exhausted so he chose not to wake me and just sleep on the couch - that is why I love him, and owe him an apology).
Anyhow the point is that as we were going to be last night Camden said... "Mom, did you blog about my barf?" I said no, but I will! Here it is!!!

Go Lytely

I am sitting here with Kellen at Sutter Memorial Hospital where he has been for the past day and a half. He is in the hospital for many reasons but one of the solutions is to do a "clean-out" while he is here. So yesterday the inserted an NG tube (or feeding tube). They are continuously giving him "Go-Lytely" through his tube and then it is supposed to be making him have to use the potty often (trying to keep my blogs G rating). We think the name Go-Lytely is stupid so we have made up a few of our own (We are bored, tired, and he feels pretty crummy). We are going to send them to the manufacturer right after we email the hospital and explain they could make all of this a little easier by installing a flat screen TV on the bathroom wall for those who are made to spend a large amount of time in there. Here they are:
Go often
Go heavy
Go chunky
Go lots
Go stinky
Go to the bathroom
Go runny
Go away
and our favorite...... Go lotsly!!
We will get back to more boredom, sleepiness, and for Kellen more yuckyness. Little does he know this is only the first of MANY things he is going to go through before he gets better. We have to find the fun where it is, especially when it is not very fun at all!

This is why we don't do fundraisers!

I am a big supporter of our school. Everyone at my house does there part to help out. Mekenzie included (she helped out with the Harvest Festival a couple of weeks ago). We do not do fundraisers. We write a lot of checks out to the school, we do our part in many other ways but we do not do fundraisers. So when Camden came home with the See's candy fundraiser I said no. Then I looked at it and saw a few of the things I normally buy for a little less money. So we fundraised (again it started with ME writting a check). The money and order are due today. I stapled the form and handed it to Camden yesterday while making dinner telling him to put it in his backpack. Today I remind him it is due tomorrow and he cannot find it!! This was a "collect as you go" fundraiser so not only the order but the money is missing. We have a lot going on right now. It is an extremely stressful time at our house right now. We spent a good part of our day tearing our clean house apart, (it is no longer clean), to find the stupid fundraiser. In between all this I am making dinner, doing laundry, packing for Kellen's trip to the hospital tomorrow. Kelly is working, helping to pick up behind the mess we are making, and going through bags in garbage. Even Mekenzie is pitching in while doing homework and helping with the dishes (she is a good kid!) It is crazy!
We took apart all of the garbage, every bedroom, bathroom, and even then kitchen. We moved every couch, table, and chair. We did not think we miss a spot in our house. I had to run an errand with Mekenzie so we left. Kelly continued the search.
Amazingly Kelly found it this evening in the bottom of Camdens laundry (where he puts all his clean and dirty clothes). He is my hero. Next time we are not doing the stinkin' fundraiser, I will just write a check to the school. It' so much easier!

Mekenzie is 15!!!

Today is a special day at our house, Mekenzie is 15!!
It is amazing to us that she is 15. It feels like just yesterday that she came into the world, kicking and screaming!! We were so excited to have a daughter!
Mekenzie is growing up to be a great human being and we are so proud of her! She is kind, compassionate, a good friend, and a great help to us around the house. She can often be found picking up the kitchen or running a load of laundry! She is great to help out with whatever else is needed around the house, always willing to lend a helping hand!
She is the "star" at our house always singing and dancing and is taking both a ballet and clogging class.
She is a great student and works really hard to get good grades so she can get into a great college (UCLA or BYU she hopes).
We are so blessed to have Mekenzie in our house and look forward to watching her blossom into a beautiful young women!

When it rains it pours!!

Sometimes it feels like nothing is ever going to go right. If I wrote about all of the crazy things that are going on in our house no one would even believe it. We thought it was about as crazy as it could get then, this afternoon happened! Just a little update on a few things going on at our house. Kellen has been sick and we are hoping the doctor will not make him spend Halloween in the hospital, Mekenzie has had a sore throat all week, I had a procedure done yesterday to cauterize the ulcer I have burning a hole in my stomach, and Kelly has had a rough work week (sweet Camden, so far so good with him). So I am sitting here this afternoon (I am home bound, something about the drugs they gave me?) and Kelly stopped by to pick something up then headed back to work. As he is leaving there is a large crash, it sounds like he drove into the garage door. I go out to investigate but see nothing. Kelly is long gone by now and has no idea anything happened.
I hear Kelly trying to open the garage after getting home from work tonight and it is going up a tiny but then crashing down. He investigates and notices the big tension cable is BROKEN! We are told you cannot even lift the garage door if the cable is broke. We try to prove them wrong. They are right. So now my car is stuck in the garage, it is Halloween tomorrow, the kids have an awards assembly, and a million other things need to be done with me being out of commission for the last two days. Luckily I can walk to the school and everything else will wait until the door gets fixed tomorrow morning, thank goodness someone was available! I am going to go and knock on some wood, or find a luck rabbits foot, something!

Doggy Update!

No need to worry the dogs have been found! Our good neighbors were making signs about missing dogs they found when they saw our signs and realized it was our dogs!! I guess they wandered into their garage so they saved them! Yeah for them,(and us!!) Maybe things are looking up for us!

Are you Kidding Me???

It has been a rough week around here so you would think it could only get better right? Wrong!! Last night the gate got left open and our dogs got out! Regardless of what you have heard Kelly say we love our dogs. My favorite thing about them is the barking> I always know when someone is at my house because "Pepsi" barks.
"Bo" (an anniversary gift from Kelly), does not bark. He is a lover not a fighter but is the most cuddly dog you have ever seen.



So we have now canvased the neighborhood with signs, checked with all of the shelters around town, and done everything we could think of. We did have one guy call to tell us he saw the dogs last week, which is funny since they were at our house last week?!?
So we will keep looking, it is keeping our mind off the other crazy stuff that is going on here!!

The ER, a CT Scan, X-Rays, and a Sick Day

This is a small description of our past couple of weeks. I was not going to blog since sometimes our lives seem like a big joke - a little unbelievable. Hopefully it is the time of year but we just cannot get healthy around here. It started with me being sick. Not just any sick but I-can't-even-get-water-down sick. I ended up at the ER with an X-ray to confirm a bleeding ulcer. I have had ulcers before, even bad ulcers, but they all pale in comparison to this ulcer. I have been miserable!
Then Kellen has been not feeling well so he had a CT Scan (he has crohns disease so it is not uncommon for him to have a CT Scan to see what's up), they called us the next day and told us he was too backed up to see what they needed to see so we needed to do a clean-out. He does not like clean-outs! Since he has been out of school for a week we decided to get it done. We don't think his clean out worked too well so it was an x-ray today and now we wait!
Now Kelly has been sick. He actually took a sick day! I believe this is the 2nd time in our 16+ year marriage he has taken a sick day. It looks like just a really bad cold, but it is really getting him down!
Luckily Mekenzie and Camden are such good kids they are trying to give us a break and be healthy! They are awesome!!!
So now it is a lot of B-12, Vitamin C, Aiborne, a Scope of my Ulcer on the 29th, and who knows with Kellen - nothing will surprise us with him! We will keep trudging along looking forward to some fun in the weeks to come! Wish us luck (we need it)!!!

We are so smart!

My brother Matt is one of the smartest people I know so I was impressed when after following the link on his blog to checked to see what level of education is required to understand our blog. Matt's was Elementary level. I am proud to say we are at a High School level. I have heard some of the "High Schoolers" when I pick Mekenzie up from school....I hope that is not what they are comparing us to!! To see what your Blogs readability is go to http://www.criticsrant.com/bb/reading_level.aspx

Awards!!

The boys had an "Award Assembly" on Friday and they both got awards!!! Kellen got the Govenor's Community Service award.
Camden got two awards for his awesome "Red Hot" reading!
We feel so blessed to have 3 awesome kids that work so hard at school! Luck us!

San Fran

Kellen's 5th grade class went on a field trip to San Francisco this week. I went with him and it was a good time! We started off getting on a "fancy bus" not a school bus. It had a movie playing, the kids had all of their electronics, and it was air conditioned! We drove 2 hours to the Exploratorium. If you have never been there and you live in Northern, CA you need to go!!! It is a great "hands on" museum with awesome science stuff. They were even dissecting a cow eye and a sheep brain!! I had a group of 3 boys and they thought it was awesome (I thought it was awesome)!! We were there for about 2 1/2 hours and it was not nearly long enough. I plan to take my kids back when they are off track, it was that awesome!
From the Exploratorium we went to the Golden Gate bridge and walked the approx. 2.5 miles across. That was one of those things that does not sound fun but was actually really fun! It was a great walk for me, about 1/2 way Kellen decided he might not be able to make it (he has been sick). I tried to explain he had no choice we had to just keep walking. We were one of the first groups to make it across and then we collapsed on the bus, took the 2 hour ride home, and got home just in time for dinner and bed! When I got off my foot it really hurt I took off my shoe and had a quarter sized blister! Kellen was exhausted and took 2 days to recover.
It was a really fun field trip, we might just do it again with the whole family!

It's Over!!

It is over... I have had it! I am tired and I need a break!
I am talking about Corporate Close at work! Anyone who knows our family, or has talked to me this last 2 months knows that this is the busiest, most exhausting time of the year for me at work. I am the Financial officer for an OBGYN and we close down the Corporate Year on Sept. 30th. That means we spend the end of Aug. and ever hour in Sept. preparing! My poor family, house, and friends have suffered. But it is over! And I am thrilled!!! Looking forward to a break.
I now get a few days off. My boss thinks it is to rest. The reality is that I need to get groceries, clean, make dinner again, etc... just to get things done that got no attention in Sept.
I think everyone is happy I am back to doing all my chores! Kelly is even asking for a haircut.....Will he never learn???

Haircuts!!!

It is that time a month where everyone needed haircuts. Kelly has been trying to get me to be the barber around here for probably the last 14 years! I decided that with the great economy I could help out by giving haircuts to the boys. I went out and purchased some "sweet" clippers (that is what the boys called them) and then started with Camden. He is easy a #2 all around then the trimmers for the sideburns and neckline, (a little down his back too, he is HAIRY!). A little pat on the back, I did a good job and saved us $10. Then Kellen. A little harder, he likes it short in the back and a little longer on top (#2 and #4). I started slow and took my time, again success ($$cha-ching$$). Last it was Kelly. Now to my credit it is 10:00 at night (I go to bed at 9:30). I have been working 15 hour days and still taking care of my 3 children - keep that in mind. I did not want to cut Kelly's hair, it was not part of the deal, he is quite particular with the hair he has - he likes it a certain way and does not like it messed up. I started to cut, it started well enough. I was trying to blend the back to the top and my hand slipped a little...... I explained to Kelly (after accidently saying "oops" quite loud), I was thinking it was time he go a little shorter (oh, crap!). He was a kind and gentle and has not once said a word. It is a little bit shorter, (o.k. a lot shorter), but we still saved another $13 a good $35+ dollars with haircuts and a tip. Good for us. (Sorry Kelly, I really love you ALOT - with or without hair!)

Raingutter Regatta

Last night was the Rain gutter Regatta. It was an adventure. This is a scout thing, they race boats made of water bottles down a rain gutter by blowing on the back of them (or the sail if they were lucky enough to have one). Kellens' boat was doing quite well until it turned and took on water. Not good!. He ended the night getting the award for "Most Striking" boat, and about a million mosquito bites! Yeah!

Problem Solved!

"Energy King" saved the day! After a few hours he had everything in working order. Now I don't want to say I told you so but I did comment to Kelly a couple of weeks ago that there was a strange dripping from the roof. He claimed it was all normal (I was not sure how I had missed it the past 9 years). Apparently that is when we should have called "Energy King". We had a plugged up drain pipe and needed a part replaced. After all of that we just might have to have a car wash to pay for it all! Kelly decided all-in-all it wasn't so bad if we broke the bill up into 9 year increments, (since you are supposed to have it serviced every year), statistically it was not so bad. That is my husband always trying to make it worth it!
OK and to all of those who have questioned the pictures, Kelly was mad I was thinking about blogging too in such a crisis. But really what was I supposed to do? Scream? Cry? Cuss? Kelly was doing that so I took out the camera to document!

We need a professional!!!

An early morning post usually means an exciting night!
Me and Kelly went upstairs to go to bed last night and a drop of water hit Kelly in the head. After he screamed a few not quite G-Rated words he looked up and there was a big bubble in the ceiling dripping water (along with those infamous stripes that run down the tape line!) So it started. Kelly pulled out the ladder and climbed up into the attic (all I could think of is that the ceiling is probably weak because it is wet and there was a good possibility I would be calling 911 when he would inevitably fall through - I did not give him enough credit, he was safe!)
Once he got up there he noticed the "condenser pan" was full and not draining (except over the sides and into the ceiling). Anyhow after hours of trying to empty the pan and using a little "Mighty Putty" to put a temporary hold on the leak he decided we needed a professional. He got up early (really early with the ladder and everything), took a look and called Energy King! Can't wait to see what this will cost us!
I guess that leaves me home alone, waiting for the "King"! I think I can do it!

Tooth Update!

It has been a week since Camden's mouth swelled and he looked like he had elephantitis. He is doing much better. Enough so I can finally post a picture, although it does not do justice to how he actually looked. At one point he could not fully close his eye and his lip stuck out about a 1/2 inch. He only had 1/2 of a smile.
He went back to the dentist on Thursday. It is still more infected then he wanted to see so he is waiting to finish working on it (he did do a pulpectomy and pulled out the root and nerve). Camden said it is the only tooth he can actually chew on right now. He is still on twice daily ibuprofen but it is so much better!!
Now on to the next illness.... That's how we roll!

Apple

Does anyone out there have an I-Pod, I-Phone, or other Apple Product? Following is a warning!!!!
Mekenzie got an I-Pod Nano for her birthday last year. We ordered it online and it is still under warranty. It has been giving her some trouble so I gave them a call. The lady on the other end of the phone asked me to do a few things to it, I did then I handed Mekenzie the phone and she asked her a few questions. Neither of us could understand her most of the time and she was so frustrating!! She decided that there was something wrong with the battery and it needed to be returned to be fixed. She gave me 2 options: #1 Send it back to them, it could take up to 8 weeks or #2 take it to the only Apple store miles around and have them fix it. Because I love Mekenzie and realize she might actually die if she was without an Ipod for even a day so I decided I would do the later and take it to the store. I make my appointment for 11:30 the next day (Friday). Now it has been a long week. Not only has Camden had the whole tooth thing going on, Kellen has been up at night in pain, plus it is the busy time at my work and on Thursday I already have 14 hours overtime so it is important that I get in and out within a reasonable time. I walk into the store and there are approximately 1 billion people in the store, there is NO room to even move around. I check in with the "Concierge" at the "Genius Bar", it is 11:25. They tell me to go ahead and get a Coke or something because there are 12 people in front of me. Are you kidding me??? I go and buy some shoes, (trying to calm my nerves), I call Kelly who assures me I do not have to wait and he will figure something out (that is why I love him!), then I go back. I think I am now #14 in line (they flash it on a screen in order to remind you, you are now stuck there as your name slowly creeps up to #1). I wait, and wait, and wait all the while getting so excited every time I see my name move up a slot!!
Finally "Chris" comes and tells me it is my turn! ( I think I had drifted off to sleep or something!). He takes the I-pod and does a few things then proceeds to tell me the Ipod is messed up and needs to be replaced. I again have two options. Option #1 He can replace it right there and I can walk out with a new one now. Option #2 since it has a inscription I can call Apple and have them replace it with the inscription and they will send it back to me - It would take 3-5 days. The inscription was a big deal, we have a saying at our house "Everyone Needs a Mekenzie" and I really wanted it left on the back for her. I leave telling him I will call Apple and send it back. I go home, hours later, barely making my hair appointment.
I get home, and email Apple. They will let me send it back but they are going to charge me $29. I call them and explain what "Chris" tells me and she says they have to charge me. So they sold me a faulty product, and now want me to pay to return it when it is under warranty? I am confused. Not only that but they now want me to pay another $39 for the extended warranty in order for them to replace it. So I explain how I am confused that I can go to the store and get one for nothing. In order to get it replaced from them (the same people) I have to pay $68???? I tell them thanks for nothing and make another appointment at the Apple Store. This time for when Kelly can go with me, we will make a date of it!
Saturday comes and we go to the Apple Store. I warn him what he is in for, as to not surprise my very impatient husband, we WILL be waiting! We get there check in with our "Concierge" at the "Genius Bar" and wait. We are #2!!! Kelly stand there "people watching" and claims this is everything that is wrong with the world (there was a little bit of EVERYTHING at the store today). We wait for 15 minutes, get "Chris" to again help us and walk out with a new I-pod without the inscription (I am going to get it on there somehow, I am thinking pink sharpie!). Mekenzie is happy, I am happy, and Kelly is vowed to never go in an Apple store again. That might be hard since I am asking Santa for an I-phone. I won't be holding my breath!

We love Dr. Chantry

We just got home from an emergency visit to the world's best dentist! Camden has continued to run a fever and his face has continued to swell. He only has 1/2 of a smile and his eye is droppy. It is Sunday night and our dentist met us at his office at 8:00 to take a look. He cut it open in order to let it drain, it could not be numbed so Camden was a trooper when he had to cut it. I imagine it hurt! Camden is not too happy right now but we are hoping he will feel a little better tomorrow. It still looks pretty swollen but it should go down over the next couple of days. Looks like he is probably staying home from school tomorrow!!

A Beautiful Brunette

Mekenzie is now making the big bucks so she decided she wanted to spend a little (o.k a lot) and get her hair done. She went with a nice brunette color and bangs. We think it's cute - Judge for yourself!

Mother of the Year!!!

We started the day so well today. Good weather, a good soccer game, and a date with good friends. So when Camden took a nap this afternoon it was not out of the ordinary, until he woke up. Just to back up a little Camden has been complaining of tooth pain the last few nights. He had a tooth worked on a couple of weeks ago so I figured it was just bothering him a little. He sometimes complains when he thinks someone else is getting too much attention (like all kids). So when he woke up and his right cheek was swollen - not a little swollen, enough it was shocking. It seemed to drag down his eye and pull up his lip (I will post pictures tomorrow). We were on our way out to dinner and games with friends but I did call the dentist (a friend of ours), first. He told us he was in San Francisco doing some training but that it sounded like an infection (I figured). So he is on antibiotics (and pain killers) and we will go see the dentist on Monday. I guess he is staying home from church tomorrow. Kelly offered to stay home with him (I believe there is a football game on about church time). What he will do to get a day off!

Shooting Stars Soccer

Camden had a soccer game today - Kellen would like me to add he had one too but since he can't play soccer, or anything else right now... (he is a little bitter!).
They won!!!! (again!) 6-2. He is on an awesome team! They have been together for the last 4 years. It is fun to watch how much they have grown and learned the game! It was a good morning!

The Circus

Me and the boys went to the Circus yesterday! It was a good time had by all. (except maybe Kellen). As you can tell by the picture Kellen was not sure he wanted to be there. He has a broken foot and was not feeling really great, but I think he had a good time. It was our last thing before they went back on track Monday.
There were a lot of cool things but I think the biggest laugh came when the Elephant pooped, then peed all over himself (they are boys)!

The circus has changes a lot since I last went, probably 16 years ago when Kelly and I were dating. No more 3-rings, a lot more "show". It was a lot of fun and lasted just the right amount of time. We ended our day having a little "In and Out Burger" Kellen was hooked up with his 2 orders of fries, he is a huge fan. Me and Cam ate a regular combo meal! Mother of the year here I come!!!!
Now we have to prepare to go back to school, and get back on a normal schedule! I am not sure what I am going to do home all alone 2 days a week.....I guess I will figure something out!

Labor Day- Quadding

We decided we needed to do something fun as a family for Labor day so we went quadding! We LOVE our quads (4-wheelers). We bought them about 4-5 years ago and have had a great time with them!!
Our day started out well enough, the drive was good, weather was good, no tickets for Kelly (long story...). We got all the quads unloaded and it looked like a good day.
Just to back up a little. We have some awesome friends that let us not only store our quads on there property, they also let us drive on the acreage behind there house. We NEVER have a problem when we are riding at the house. However when we drive 25 minutes away it never fail one of them has a problem. Today was no different. We had one quad that would not start so our mechanic (Kelly) worked on it while me and Mekenzie went for a ride. When I got back me and Kellen decided to stay back while the rest of them went off for a while. Me and Kellen had a good time, we took random pictures, ate a whole bunch of cantaloupe, (me and Kellens favorite food right now), and watched other people. They came back, I rode for a while then it was Kellen, Kelly, and Mekenzie. Me and Camden were hanging out in the car, we checked out the dirt bikes (he really wants one!), we sat on the table talking....it seemed like a long time. We were getting a little worried as it had been quite a while since we had seen or heard the others (we could see the trail from where we were, we would see the helmets drive by every couple of minutes). Imagine my concern when I see Mekenzie come back without anyone following her. She explains that she went through a mud puddle (mud lake) and Kellen followed, only he got stuck and his quad died. She had been sent to get the tow ropes. I almost sent one of the nice gentlemen next to us to help but decided Kelly would have told Mekenzie he needed more help if he thought he did. A few minutes later they finally returned, them and the quads covered in mud!!! Between the mud, and the now broken quad we decided to call it a day!
We came home muddy and tired but had a great day! Kelly - who is the greatest - even fixed the quad!

All four of them are in trouble!!

If I can vent for a minute.
I try really hard to take extra time to get ready to look nice for my family. I try hard not to embarrass the kids by the way I look. So today I did not do anything different. We were running a little late to church so I grabbed my shoes and earrings to put on in the car (I was not driving).
I sat through most of church watching a ladies earring almost fall out of here ear during the whole meeting, I do not know her so I just sat there and figured I would let her know when there was a break so she did not loose it. Just trying to be courteous. I never told her...Karma
We went through the whole 3 hours of church, it was really busy today. A little out-of-control at times. All in all a little stressful. So when I got home I went upstairs to change into my jammies (a Sunday tradition at our house!) I changed my clothes, took off my rings, bracelet..that is when to my horror I realized that in the hast of grabbing my earrings this morning, I grabbed an earring that was stuck to another. So I was wearing a black earring (dressed all in black and white), with a bright green and brown one dangling almost to my shoulder, on my right ear! I am sure that I pushed my hair behind my ear more then once. I am now destined to be the "crazy earring" lady at church! My family is in trouble! I am trying to think of the appropriate punishment of them letting me out of the house like that!

Camden is missing something..

Something happened to Camden last night. Not once, but twice! See what I mean...

Camden lost two teeth yesterday. The Tooth Fairy came and left Cam $5. It was a good day!

Kenzie's A BIG Freshman Now.. .Well not That Big!!

Hey Everyone... This time it's MEKENZIE blogging!!!!
So I started My freshman year of high school, and my first year of seminary this week, which is way too early for me!!! In Cali, it's not a school class you have to actually wake up, and go to church at 6:00 in the morning.... THAT IS WAY, WAY, WAY, TOO EARLY FOR ME!!! So Seminary was pretty lame, but hey you got to do what you got to do right??? So as I sat watching the clock in seminary, waiting for the second I get to walk onto the campus of SHELDON HIGH... I could not sit still, which isn't anything new, since I cant sit still as it is!!! Finally it was out, I ran out to the car ready to go, within the 5 minutes it took me to get there, I had managed to redo my make-up, hair, and check my outfit!!! Got to look good for those high school boys right? So I have to say the first day was pretty long, and it was kind of hard to find all my friends, partly because there are like 2500 kids at the school, and partly because everyone else but 1 of my friends tower over me!!! So lucky me: PE is my first class, yeah me huh?? I got pretty lucky one of my Best Friends, Sonny, no he's not a girl, is in my class, there were a few other friends in my class too. 2nd period is Photography, I wasn't so excited about this class, until I found one upside, I can learn to take better Myspace pictures!!! But by the end of the week I started to enjoy it!! Then Of course I have the all time famous Math Class... after only 3 days of learning and reviewing I already had to take a test!!! There's no messing around in that class!! All my friends are in that class, making it a little hard to focus but, hey got to have fun in class too right!!!Then I have Lunch with my best friend Brittney, I love her to death, and its pretty funny because she looks exactly, well pretty close to me! Last but not least I have World Geography, the lamest class, but the class I have the most fun messing around in... My teacher is pretty chill, and is really easy to make laugh!! In the end high school is pretty fun, plus there are a ton of cute boys to boy watch throughout the day!!! So only 9 more months of this crazy freshman stuff, then I will be a sophomore, not that I'm already looking forward to that.!!!

I have a G Rated blog!

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

So my brother Matt rated his blog. I was not surprised when he was rated PG, he does like to use one very yucky word (I am trying not to risk my G Rating). When Camden saw he was rated PG he was concerned. We question some of the PG movies he wants to watch, so now he thinks he can't read Uncle Matt's Blog. Way to go Uncle Matt!

What did we do before computers???

It has been a little stressful....one of our most important pieces of technology has not been working.....it is our lifeline to the outside, link to what is going on in the world, to our friends, family, and to work (although I did not miss that so much), and finally it is always there when we get bored, sad, or anxious. My computer (internet) has been down. I did not realize how much we would miss it. Kelly even came home early from work on Friday and...get this....he just sat here. My kind boss is allowing me to work from home. No work is getting done but no need to worry, it will wait.
Not knowing what to do. I continually hit the internet button over and over hoping for a small miracle, it never occurred. Kelly, (my hero), tried everything. Comcast could not come out until Tuesday so he went to Frontier thinking he would change service. They told us they could come out on .. Tuesday. So he decided he would go and buy a modem. I got on the phone with Comcast to connect it and for some reason there was an error and they said it would take a few days to work out the kinks, it should be working by......you guessed it Tuesday. At that point I was NOT happy. This machine is a big part of our family life. In fact it is safe to say our whole lives are on this computer. Phone directories, calendars, banking ( I even put off a shopping trip becasue I was not sure how much $ I had - scary!), everything!!! So when the nice lady at the other end of the phone told me our last option failed and it would be Tuesday I might of overreacted a little. I politely, yet firmly explained that, that would not work for me. I would need a solution before getting off the phone with her. She gently said she did not know what she could do. After I explained I needed it for work and other inportant info (I did not say so I could go shopping!), she still had no answer. I told her that I was not going to be able to wait until Tuesday so whoever she needed to talk to find a solution I would wait. I did wait about 10 mintues until a mystery appointment opened up at between 2-4pm (it was 1:30). A miracle, or annoyed customer service rep. What ever it is, I will take it...I am off to shop!

Just call him Einstein!

You know those CAT 9 tests the kids have to take at school every year (I think they are called SAT in Utah)??? These are the test that determine at what level the kids are at (how smart they are!). Well...***BRAG ALERT*** Kellens teacher from last year (the awesome Ms. Ludu), called to tell us that Kellen aced the writting portion and he only missed 1 in the mathmatics! Kellen had been telling us he aced it - we figured it is his high self esteem talking, we never would have figured he was right!! For those of you that have been keeping tabs on Kellen via his Carepage at one point this year the school district was giving us a hard time about Kellen missing so much school. I hope they call me in again....I will go with test results in hand!!

We Went Hollywood!!!

It has been a busy week around here. ALL 3 kids have been out of school for the last week together (Mekenzie starts Monday! The boys are off until the 18th of Sept). I have been preparing for the Corporate Year End at work so I have been extra busy but I wanted to make sure we still did some fun stuff (I am working from home most days so I am here...but they are bored). So Wednesday we went to the California State Fair. The kids had a good time but it was hotter then the depths of hell!!!! After we took out a loan just to get into the park ($$$) we started with the "Hollywood Walk of Fame" You can see a lot of the pictures we took in the slide show above. We got to see Spongebob, Mekenzies boyfriend Patrick, The Jurassic Park Dinosaurs, and a whole lot of "hot" pirates (It was a billion degrees)!! We took lots of pictures then needed some time to cool down so we went into the "Counties" Building. The kids always like walking through the exhibits and loved the Solono County booth because they gave them Jelly Belly's! We walked through exhibits with some scary creatures (snakes, frogs, and lizards). There were some fun places to take pictures so we did. We all had a good laugh when Kellen posed for the Fish picture (see slide show) - Mekenzie stepped out and we go to walk away...Kellen is not with us. That would be because his head is STUCK in the hole where the fish is. Have you ever had that feeling like you, (or your not so smart kid), were going to be the butt of the joke when you have to call the fire department? Well I did! Being the great mother I am (Mother of the year, here I come!!) I walked away, hysterically laughing. We all walked away. I believe tears were coming out of Mekenzies eyes she was laughing so hard. The nice gentleman sitting in the Coloma booth never offered to help, he was laughing too hard. We did not go too far and Kellen finally joined us complaining of a headache. I warned him that next time I am walking faster and farther!!!!
We went on to see the baby pigs,(born earlier that morning)cows, and other animals! Then it was off to do the one thing we never miss at the fair "FUNNEL CAKES""! They were good, like always. It is our once a year treat we look forward too all year. While we were eating I recalled seeing a funnel cake maker thingy at Ross. Next year we are going on a trip to Ross for our funnel cakes, not only that...have you been there? We might be able to see some animals while we are there!
Mekenzie had seen the Mechanical Bull and was dying to ride it so after her going back and forth for a long time (remember it is 1 billion degrees outside!), I tell her it is her last chance.
Not to be outdone Kellen had to go too!
The Ride lady (Not her technical name) was impressed with Mekenzies Bull riding. She kept asking if she had done it before (I knew Mekenzie was sneaking to the bars to ride the Bull!!) She did an awesome Job riding the bull, she even drew a crowd! (That is why Kellen looks so horrified, people were watching!).
We finished the day watching the "Hollywood" Diving show. We got front row seats hoping it was like Sea World and we would be in the "Splash Zone"! Impressive, but we spent a lot of time hoping to just get a little wet!!! We all got in the car hot, tired, and out of money. We will look forward to next year (or maybe I will remember this and we will stay home). All in all it was a good day of time spent together, making memories!

Back to the real world!

We have been thrown right back in to the real world!

Kellen was sick when we got home on Sunday and was still not feeling better on Monday so he stayed home from school. He was so miserable that when I had him at the table doing homework he would just fall fast to sleep, right at the table. It was sad but, a little funny at the same time. Poor kid. He is running for B track President at school and wanted to get his posters up so he picked himself up today and dragged himself to school. I am not sure he was feeling a ton better but he made it today (he did put himself to bed at 7:00 tonight).

Camden came home from school yesterday sobbing. I knew he was tired so I tried to talk to him only to find out he was in some extreme pain coming from one of his teeth. I looked in his mouth and he had a big hole (Mother of the year!) He was in for a cleaning in March and is not yet due for another but in that time a huge hole grew (could it be his lack of brushing??) I called the dentist and luckily they got him in today.

Mekenzie has had a tooth bothering her so I took her too! Mekenzie's was some sensitivity (thats my girl, sensitive!). Camdens needed a double filling and possible baby root canal. I told them just to pull it but, I guess that seemed insensitive to the Doc as he explained that it causes even more problems (again, mother of the year!). Did I mention we just barely paid off the last dentist bill??? I tried to get the dentist, (a good friend of ours), to tell him it was because he is not brushing good. That backfired as he explained he would not have any buisness if he brushed better - so go ahead an keep NOT brushing! Nice!
Finally, Kelly's car was having a small problem with the brakes on our drive home from Tahoe (it was scary!). He works out of his car, (we dont live out of his car yet, he just works out of it!), so I insisted he take it in as soon as possible. He took it to the shop today. $530 later the car runs like new. I wish I could get Kelly to run like new for only $530. Seriuosly! A little break? I was hoping we could ease back into our "real world". Guess not!!!

Wild, Wild Weekend

Me and Kelly got back on Monday from our "Anniversary Getaway" to Lake Tahoe. We left Thursday afternoon, which was our actual anniversary. Went to the South Shore instead of our normal North Shore location. It was beautiful! We spent Thursday traveling and then looking for a "decent" place for dinner. The traveling went well..however...I cannot say that about the "decent" place for dinner. We tried a few different places, but did not realize what a happenin' place Tahoe was on a Thursday night, and we would have to wait at most places we went for over an hour. Our first clue should have been when we found a place with only a 15 minute wait. I ordered an open face turkey sandwich, Kelly ordered Pork Chops. Do you remember when you went to school and they had their "Thanksgiving Lunch"? Processed Turkey, Wonder Bread, Stove Top Stuffing???? I believe that is where they got the recipe for my dinner. When I asked Kelly how is was, he just said it was not what he hoped for (he was trying to be positive!). We spent the rest of the weekend playing games, eating yummy food, and relaxing(!). We even went to a comedy show one night, it was nice to have a good laugh! It was a great extended weekend, without having to worry about work, house, or even the kids...... According to them they, "Partied like rock stars!!!" They got to stay home with Ms. (Nancy) Ludu (yes, the same Ms. Ludu who was Kellens awesome 4th grade teacher!!!!) She took great care of them and made sure they had a great weekend too. They got new Webkins, got to play lots of video games, hang out with friends, and the thing Camden has talked about most - have some candy and soda. We did not worry about them once. We cannot thank Ms. Ludu enough! She has been a great friend and support to us the last year! I am not sure we could have done it without her!
We had a good time and now we will look forward to next year...maybe we will change our tradition and add a few more getaways.....Our birthdays, Valentines, Presidents Day.......

16 years and counting.....

Today me and Kelly are celebrating our 16th Anniversary!! It is so hard to believe that is has been that long, it really seems like just a short time ago that we met, and decided we wanted to do this! I feel so blessed and lucky everyday that I have Kelly in my life. He is a great father, and husband. He is one of those men who just see something and jump in to help, he does dished, laundry, and anything else that needs to be done (he makes a mean pork tenderloin!
We were talking last night about what we were doing the night before our wedding, (get your mind out of the gutter, we were helping cut fruit for the reception!!!), it got me thinking back to how much I thought I loved Kelly then and how close we were. Who knew that I would love him so much more now and only grow closer to him. He is a great man, and I am lucky enough to be married to him!!!
Here 's to 16 years......and looking forward to many, many more!

Here it is....

I DID IT!! I usually consider myself to be quite smart when it comes to the computer. I take great pride in finding anything and everything I need, fixing the little flaws that happen with computers, answering questions Kelly does not know, and even showing my kids how I can find ANYTHING they do on my computer with a few keystrokes. Why then was this blog so hard??!?!?!?!?! I have been trying to get this thing up since April!!! Now, here it is... not sure if it is for anyone other then us, or if anyone will even read it but, it is here. We are planning to use this as a family (Kelly even picked the background, he did not want anything too "feminine"). We all added our "favorites" and plan to post together (auuhhhhh, I know!!).

We have loved reading the blogs of our friends and families, it has been so fun to keep in touch with everyone and know what is going on in their lives. We are hoping this will be a good way to keep in touch and let everyone know what we are up too!

Here is a little rundown on what is going on in our lives......

Mekenzie will be starting high school this year (yes, we ARE that old), and she is SOOOO excited. She can not wait.!!! She is a huge help around the house and is a lot of fun to be around. We have had a great time this summer shopping, lunching, and just hanging out. She is a great student, and a great friend. She loves to read, do her hair and makeup, dance, sing, and hang out with friends. She is hoping to start some dance and piano classes this fall to work on her already awesome talents!

Kellen is in fifth grade. Kellen and Camden both started school in July and are getting ready to be off track!! He has a great teacher and is looking forward to the year ahead. Kellen has had a lot going on with his health but seems to be doing really well right now. He will continue to need medical treatment but it has been so nice to see him getting back to his old self. He is the jokester of our family and will do anything for a laugh. Kellen is a great student and catches on really quickly. He is playing soccer and looking forward to also starting basketball soon.

Camden, our baby, is in second grade. He loves school and is really smart. He loves to play soccer and baseball and he is also hoping to start piano lessons soon. He is the "calm" in our family and is usually happy to "go with the flow". He loves to work side by side with his dad helping to fix anything that needs fixing, he loves being his "right hand man", and doing whatever needs to be done (unless it involves picking up his room).

Kelly is busy with work and church. He is in Sales for Frazee Paint working about 60 miles from our house (Modesto - Stockton Area). He is working really hard to provide for our family and we are SOOOO greatful!!!!! He is in the Young Mens program in our church and works with the 14 -15 year olds boys. He loves his calling and loves the boys, I am not sure I could handle 14 year olds but he does a great job. He is a big fan of anything outdoors. He loves to fish, camp, and ride our 4-wheelers any time he can.

I am working part time doing the finances for an OBGYN's office. It has afforded me the ability to be home with my children and to have some "fun money". I am the Secretary of the Primary (18 month - 12 year olds), in our church which keeps me pretty busy. I love being the mother of my 3 children... they keep me running but I would not choose anything different. They are all great kids and I feel blessed to have them. I also have the greatest husband ever, and love being his wife!!! I love to read, scrapbook, "computer", and spend time with my family.

That is the condensed version of our family........
We will add pictures and more as our exciting life happens!! Till next time! :)