Michael's Christmas Progam

Last week was Michael's Christmas Program in Terrific Tots. It was so cute to see all the little kids singing together. Then, I got to help Michael make a gingerbread house out of graham crackers. It got pretty messy for me! Michael had a blast and was the last one to leave because he felt the need to fill his house full of candy!

It doesn't get better...

We got a call yesterday that Wayne's Grandma died on Saturday night.... I really cannot do this anymore!! PEOPLE (AND ANIMALS) PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE STOP DYING!!! This brings the count to 5 loved ones in three months. NO MORE!!

My poor little puppy!!!

I cannot handle any more death!!!!!!!!!

Losing 4 loved ones in three months is way too much!!! First it started with my Grandpa in September, then a good friend, Anona, right before Thanksgiving, then my Grandma Gray just after Thanksgiving and now my dog. I know she wasn't a person, but she was a living thing and a part of my family.

She was hit a speeding car (who didn't even stop!!) in the road a few hours ago. I saw it happen and can't get it out of my head! Her neck was broken and it didn't take long for her to die after she was hit. I am pretty sure that she didn't know what hit her and wasn't in any pain... It was traumatic for me to see it happen. The sight of her being hit, and tumbling and bending/twisting in ways that no body should move, the sound of the hit, the image of her lying there, twitching not making a sound, and the feel of her heartbeat so fast, then just stop! ... just everything!! Now, I am afraid to go to sleep because I am afraid that I will dream about what I saw and I just want it to go away! It's like a broken tape going on and on and on and it's getting to be too much. I am trying to remember all the great moments of her life, but it's too hard, at least tonight. I am sure that it will get easier and better. It's just hard to believe that she is gone...

You never know what you have until you lose it! I miss her so much! I never thought that I would miss her barking and yipping at everyone and everything outside, or the way she would follow me around everywhere, or even eating my blinds and drapes! I will miss her cuddling up against me at night. I will also miss the way Michael and Gigi fought like siblings! I just keep expecting her to come running in and jumping up to me, licking my face and cuddling with me. But it's not going to happen.

I just wish that I didn't see it happen...

Luckily Michael didn't see Gigi being hit! I know what it's doing to me and I can't even imagine what that would do to my little two year old! We explained to him that Gigi died and went to live with Heavenly Father. I don't know how much he understood, but he didn't ask for her the rest of the night. He would say "Gigi died" and then would comfort me and bring some water to drink (in his eyes, water is magic and helps you feel better- he is such a sweetheart!) Anyway, we will see what happens tomorrow and I might have to explain to him again.

I didn't realize how hard it would be to lose a dog! I really did love her and as much as I was frustrated with her at times, I would rather have that back than feel this way! It's really hard...

This was the last picture I took of her...

I always loved this picture of her. It was at Lake Powell last year after she had gone for a swim... Oh I miss her so much!

Goodbye Gigi!! We love you!

Potty Training!

I am happy to announce that my little Michael is potty trained!! Hip Hip Hooray!! We are still working on pooping in the potty though... For three days now he not worn a diaper (except for night time diapers) He has never asked for one, which I am thankful for! He is so excited about going potty, which means I am so excited!!!! Michael loves putting star stickers up on his potty chart, which is filling up fast!

It all started Thursday Morning, when I asked him if he wanted to wear big boy pants and use the potty. He said yes. I was shocked because I ask him this quite often and he usually says no. So, when he said yes, I was excited. To my surprise, he wore underwear all day. Of course we went through all of them, which happened to be maybe ten or so. He would start to pee in his pants then stop, tell me and then go to the bathroom and finish. The next day, he did better and by the afternoon, he would tell me he needed to go before he even started which is awesome!

Today, he didn't pee in his pants at all! He would even go potty then come tell me... Pooping, is another story, but we are working on it and because I now refuse to put diapers, or pull ups for that matter, he will just have to learn. I will also get the lovely opportunity to clean that out.... yuck!!! Anyway, despite that, I am way excited! I just hope that when we do leave the house he will be just as good! I will be prepared though!

Ya!!!!

Saying 'Good Bye' to Grandma Gray

My Grandma Gray died last Friday, early in the morning. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease for close to 10 years if not longer. I think at this point in her life, she only remembered her husband Frank, which is so sad. I can't even imagine living and not remembering anyone in my family, including my children.

I lived with her while in my first semester in College at Dixie in St. George. It was fun to get to know her better while I was there. I also used to spend some time with her a few years ago and help clean her house and make dinners.

I know that she is in a better place and is no longer suffering. She is happy and healthy! I know it's hard to understand that while we are missing her so badly, but I am happy that she is happy!


Here is a picture of my Grandma and Grandpa Gray with Michael when he was 8 days old.

Meeting Santa

Michael and I went to the South Towne Mall to see Santa. This Santa is there every year and is perfect! I decided that I wanted to get pictures this year because this is the first year that Michael is really excited about Santa and Christmas. I wanted to get to Santa before Thanksgiving to miss the huge crowd that Santa will be getting, so today is the day!! The pictures turned out so cute!!

The Staples are out!

We went back to the hospital this afternoon and got the staples out. I tried to take a picture of the staples before they were taken out, but discovered that my camera is broken.... We were in the ER for all of 10 minutes (HOORAY!!) The Nurse was quick, and of course, Michael didn't like it at all! He cried, which is what you would expect. The Nurse taped the staples to a stick so he could keep them. She also gave him a toy plane to keep, which he loves! We got ice cream on the way home because he was such a brave boy!

Michael has a pretty nice scab right now, but it should get better soon. Other than that, it should heal up nicely!

Michael's first ER visit

Me and Wayne were on our way to see 'Grease' at Brighton High School (my sister Serena is one of the Tech Managers). On our way there, I got a call from my brother Seth who was watching Michael, mind you we were only gone for about 15 minutes, to say that Michael was chasing the cat and fell down the stairs. He originally thought that Michael had a bloody nose because he was bleeding, but then blood started gushing out of the side of his head. Seth freaked out a little when he discovered that Michael cut his head open on the baseboard (our baseboard sticks out half an inch- supposedly it's an upgrade, but really it's a danger zone!!) He applied pressure to the wound then called me to say sorry, but you need to come home. I felt so bad for Michael and for Seth for having to deal with that. I told Seth where the Tylenol was for Michael and he gave him some.

So, we turned around and headed home. Michael was not crying by the time we got there, but running around acting like himself. Seth said that once he took the Tylenol and some water he instantly felt better. (A side note: according to Michael, water is magic! When I don't feel good, he will bring me a glass of water and tell me to drink and that it makes you fell better) He is so stinking cute!!

Seth took Michael's clothes off because they were covered in blood, poor kid! So, I put a button up shirt on and some pants and we headed off to the ER. My poor brother Seth feels so bad, but it wasn't his fault. He said that Michael was so excited to see him that he was showing off and it went all wrong!

We spent a good three hours at the ER, waiting, and waiting some more. Michael was actually in good spirits running around and laughing in the waiting room. He was still bleeding, slowly, but had blood crusted in his hair running down. Oh, I guess I should tell you where the gash is... it's on the right side of his head about 2-3 inches above his ear.

The hardest part was holding Michael down as the nurse gave him the numbing shot. Michael screamed and screamed and I just wanted to cry right along with him. He really was very brave! After that, it just bled and dripped all down his neck. Michael hated it when I wiped it up because he was afraid that I would touch it again and all he remembered is that it really hurt!

Then, an old boyfriend from High School shows up to clean the wound (that was a surprise!) It was really sad because after he cleaned the wound and sanitized it, he shot water right into it which created a huge lump, then it would bleed all over the place. He did that about three or four times to clean it out. Michael didn't like that very much.

Then again we waited for the DR who brought out a staple gun. They don't like to do stitches on little kids because it takes too long and kids fidget. Before she stapled his head together, she had to feel around the wound to make sure that the skull wasn't fractured, which it wasn't. It was a really clean cut (straight) so it would staple and heal good with little scarring. The cut was actually really deep, a lot deeper than I expected. I was teasing Michael saying that I could see his brains, but in reality, it was cut down to the bone! How sad!!

5 staples later, with ice cream, a sucker and some milk we were finally able to go home. I don't think Michael wanted to stay another minute. He was ready to ditch us and run home :)

Of course he fell asleep on the way home, being that it was after 10:00 pm. I did sneak some pictures of him as he slept. It's hard to see, but there are 5 staples there. He has to have them in for a week. We go back to the Jordan Valley Hospital ER next Thursday to get them pulled out.
This is where Michael cut his head open. It's amazing that those spots of blood aren't any bigger. Seth did a really good job of saving my carpet :) I wouldn't have cared though if there was a bigger stain. If you have a choice to get the baseboards like this, DON'T!

Update on 'the foot'

Sorry it took me so long to update this. I did got see my uncle Larry last Thursday. He actually did a better job of examing my foot than the Podiatrist. Everyone, if you need to see a Podiatrist, DO NOT see Dr. Call!!! Anyway, So, my foot still does hurt. In fact I started noticing it hurting last Wednesday, which only means the cortisone shot was wearing off?! I don't know. However, the pain is no where near what it used to be.

Dr. Andrew did an ultrasound and found no blood clot, which is great news. He doesn't know exactly what is causing the numbing and tingling, except that it probably is a pinched nerve. He suggested that I get an ankle brace to help support my foot and help it heal faster. He did give me a shot (not cortisone) in my foot and wrapped it. Because of the examination, my foot hurt more when I left than when I got there.

As of today, I don't have any more numbing or tingling effects. Every now and then, It will be a little tingly/ numbing around my ankle and lower calf, but it doesn't spread farther than that and it doesn't last for a long time. I can walk on my foot with no problem. It definitely feels better with arch supports and the ankle/foot brace. After a while, my foot will throb and hurt if I am on it for too long. At which time, I just need to ice it and put it up. Luckily I am not on 'bed rest' anymore because that really started killing me!

I have made best friends with crocs. They are the best shoe for lounging around in the house, since I can no longer go barefoot and can't stand wearing my tennis shoes all day!

So, supposedly everything is good and ok I just need to not over do it (ya right!!)

Numbness

Ok, so here is a quick update on my stupid foot.

The cortisone shot worked as far as taking the pain away. Which is fantastic!! However, I still have the numbing tingles going on all over my foot and within seconds/minutes it starts going up my leg. As soon as I step on my foot, it starts tingling and going numb. Weird. It's strange that a pinched nerve, supposedly that is what it is, would cause the pain and the numbness, then have the pain go away, but leave the numbness... You would think it goes hand in hand.

So, I asked my Chiropractor if there was anything I could do about that, if there were any adjustments that could be done. He said there were, but with the inflammation, he wouldn't dare do it. I asked him what he thought about my situation. He looked at my leg and then my other leg side by side. Upon examination, you could see a color difference between the two. My left leg, the good one, was a nice rosy color, where as my right, the bad one, was pale. It was also slightly larger (swollen) and when you press your finger on my leg, it would hold the print indent for a few seconds. Not a good sign. Robb thinks that I have a circulation problem and need to see yet another Dr... GREAT!

So, I called my Uncle Larry and told him what is going on. There could me a blood clot, Tarsel Tunnel, or something else,who knows. He will do an ultrasound on it and wants to look at the x-rays, so I will need to get those from the Podiatrist because I am not going to pay for another one!

I have my appointment set up for tomorrow at 2:00 pm, so I will keep you all updated.

THIS REALLY SUCKS YOU KNOW?!

Gigi the Menace!!

My cute little Teacup Poodle, Gigi, is very cute and cuddly, but also very obnoxious at times. She is high strung and has to go everywhere we go or she whines, but I guess that is a typical dog. She is also really hyper at times and needs a chill pill.

She has a way of destroying my house. Over the past two years, she has chewed threw all of the blinds on our main level of the house as well as other things.

She cannot be trusted when we are gone. So, I leave her in her kennel when I leave the house. Usually she will not in the same place I left her. She will actually move her kennel all around the dining room. Well, today when I was gone to take Michael to Terrific Tots, she had scooted herself to the wall under the window and somehow got a hold of my drapes and pulled the bottom of them through her kennel. She ended up getting the whole bundle of fabric through and was chewing on it which ended up pulling the drape down, bending the rod. I can't get it out of the whole because it is in there so tight. I may have to cut it out, but either way, the drape is destroyed because there are so many little holes in it from her chewing on it. urgghh!Having a dog can be such a pain in the butt!

Winter Wonderland

We were all a little surprised to wake up to a couple inches of snow this morning. Wayne went out to shovel the snow and Michael was dying to go out with him. So, I got him all dressed up and sent him out. He was so excited to play in the snow and throw snow balls at Wayne.

My stupid foot and the Podiatrist

Ok, so here is what’s going on with my stupid foot… In August, at my last Lake Powell Trip, I took a nasty fall on the wakeboard which ripped my right foot out of the extremely tight boot and it hurt so extremely bad. For two months it didn’t hurt me, well, it kind of did, but bad. Then, about three weeks ago, I had restlest leg syndrome in my left calf and decided to put a heating pad on it. My foot was hurting that day, so I rested my foot against the heating pad, which felt really good, until the next morning when I couldn’t walk on it. The pain was so bad, but I dealt with it, because I am stubborn. So, for three weeks, I have had from little pain to excrutiating pain here and there. Some days I couldn’t walk on it, and others I could. It was really weird. I found my self limping more often than not. I started getting a prickling numb sensation all over my foot along with startling pain everywhere. Then, I found that my leg was starting to go numb. The night before I saw a Dr, I woke up at midnight with my right leg completely numb up to my butt. It kind of scared me.

I met with a Podiatrist last Thursday and got some good and bad news. I had some x-rays taken which showed no fracture or stress fractures, which is good. He then said that it looks like I have arthritis! WHAT?! (I found out later, that it wasn’t arthritis) He wasn’t sure if it was arthritis or not, but it looks like it. It is enflamed and is pinching a nerve which is causing me a lot of pain and numbing all over my foot and up my leg. The pinched nerve is connecting with everything in my foot, which causes the pain when I walk. That is why sometimes the pain is really bad and others not so bad. He says that wrapping may help, but it may hinder because it may cause more pressure on the pinched nerve. He did say that according to the x-ray, my joint is not equal like it should be, so they are rubbing against each other…

He ended up giving me a cortisone shot that will help with the inflammation, but it won’t really work for 3-5 days. When he gave me the cortisone shot, it hurt soooo bad! First, he sprayed this ‘cold spray’ on my foot, which was cold, but after a few seconds, it started to burn with cold. Then she said that was perfect. I guess he needed the area frozen first before the shot. Then the shot itself hurt extremely bad. He put it right into the inflamed area and let it go. Holy crap! He gave me a prescription for lortab for the pain, but told me first to get the free sample of Celebrex 7 pills. It’s a stronger anti-inflammatory and pain killer. It’s supposed to work really good, but it’s pricey. He says 7 pills for about $30. Ouch!

I am to Rest, Ice, Compress & Elevate (RICE). He did also say that I needed to go to REI to buy some inserts for my shoes that will give me better arch support. That will help raise my foot and should help with the inflammation. Oh, and I am supposed to wear my shoes all the time!! No going barefoot!! Yikes! I love going barefoot! That is all he said about it. He says that hopefully the shot will work and I may not have any more problems with it in the future.

So, I got my prescription of Celbrex at Smith’s on the way home. I couldn’t walk at all! I was walking a snails pace and completely limping. That shot hurt so bad and now my whole foot feels worse! Once I got home, I put my foot up and iced it. I was so close to tears because the pain was so bad! If I even moved my toes a tiny little bit, just a twitch, my whole foot screamed in pain! It was terrible! I kept ice on my elevated foot for hours. This is just frustrating! My foot aches so badly!!!

So on Halloween, I tried to be down as much as possible. Wayne made me use crutches, which really suck and hurt too. So, I dressed up in my scrubs and used crutches. Fun for me… NOT!

On Saturday, we went to a baptism and I talked with one of Wayne’s co-workers wife who is a Nurse Practitioner. She was very helpful. I explained everything the Dr said to me. She said it is not arthiris that it is soft tissue damage because it was from an injury and she see’s that all the time. She was so much more helpful. It’s soft tissue damage that is inflamed and just needs to settle down. I told her what the Dr said about RICE and she does agree. She did also mention that since I have the crutches, I should use them. The more I use my foot, the longer it will take to heal and could actually get worse. She said for the next two or three weeks, I should stay off of it and use the crutches when necessary to allow for healing time. I really should just stay down and ice it and let it heal. But, Wayne works and I have a 2 year old, so I will do the best that I can!

Robin made me feel so much better about my injury and gave me more hope. I do actually wish that I had broken my foot, because then it wouldn’t be so hard to heal. This soft tissue damage is so much worse than a broken bone!

Robin did say that the right shoes are key. My tennis shoes will work, but she actually recommends that I get new shoes with better support. So, somehow, someway, I will get Wayne to take me shopping for shoes.

So, that is what is going on with my stupid foot. It really sucks! It hurts all the time and aches, so hopefully the shot will help and the inflammation will go down so my nerve stops getting pinched so I can be normal again!!!!!

Happy Halloween

Michael dressed up as a Monkey and would go around saying "ooh, ooh, ah ah Monkey!" It was really cute. He loved saying Trick or Treat and going around the neighborhood getting Candy. After all the trick or treating from the Trunk or Treat, the Zoo, Wayne's work and around the Neighborhood, he got a lot of candy, which we will have to hide because he loves candy!

Wayne's Parent's and his sister Debbie came by to have dinner with us. It was fun to have them over. I made homemade Chilli and cornbread and a yummy fruity drink with raspberry sherbet. Once we ate dinner and got Michael ready for Trick or Treating, they left to visit more family in Provo.It started raining a little, but not bad when Wayne took Michael Trick or Treating. Michael had a blast and didn't want to stop despite being hot in his costume and his bucket full of candy. My mom and sister Serena came by while they were out. Michael was so excited to show off his candy to Aunt Ree.


Then we headed to Springville to visit 'The Witch' who happens to be my Grandma. She is the best Witch ever and has the cackle down perfectly. My went in early to go to the bathroom while I was getting my camera and video camera ready. My Grandma happened to be hiding and scared my mom as she headed to the bathroom. It was really funny. Wayne and Michael went to the front door and I headed in the back to get a good shot. As Grandma opened the door and acted like a witch with her cackle, I was actually surprised that Michael wasn't scared. I thought he would be. He thought she was the coolest thing ever and even gave her a hug! He loved watching her because of the way she looked. He kept calling her Witch! Then, after taking pictures, he stripped his costume off and headed upstairs to play with toys.

Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point

My friend Traci and I took the kids to the Cornbelly's Corn maze at Thanksgiving Point last night. There was a lot to do with the kids, such as tons of slides, corn boxes, wooden trains, story telling stations, cow train, pig races, pumpkin patch, haunted monster (which looked really cool, but the kids were scared to death), mining, giant jumping pillow, etc. Michael and Emmy loved it! In fact, they loved it so much they decided to turn their ears off, so they were incapable of hearing us at all! Stinkers!! Oh ya, and they also lost control of what their legs did, which explained why they would run away... Anyway, we had a great time. We didn't stay for the corn maze because #1 we didn't want to get lost, it was getting cold and dark, and my foot was killing me, which meant my leg was also hurting like no other and I couldn't stand it anymore! I will give more detail in another blog after I have my Dr's appointment tomorrow afternoon. I have never been so excited to see the DR!!! Cornbelly's was a great activity to take the kids to, so if you have a chance, go and have fun!
Michael thought this Chicken show was great. It was funny at first, but then got really annoying after a few minutes. Michael kept getting up to push the button so the chickens would say another joke...
Here's Michael finding Corn husks in the corn. He thought it was so much fun!
This is Traci, Emmie (who we couldn't get so smile at all!!) and Alli playing in the corn
Michael riding on the cow train pulled by a tractor. He loved it!!
Michael...
Emmie...
and Alli racing to the finish line!
Here is the cool Monster Haunted house. If the kids weren't so terrified, it would have been really cool and fun!

Boo at the Zoo

On Saturday, we went to the Zoo for Trick-or-Treating with my Brother and his family. It was crazy busy and extremely crowded, but a lot of fun. The line just to get into the Zoo was down to the end of the parking lot and wrapping around...
Once you got into the Zoo, there were three new cars with candy in their open trunks, in front of the Train. Here is Michael climbing into one of the trunks to get candy. He didn't want my help, but being a Monkey, that is understandable...
Then all through the Zoo, there were tables set up with vendors giving away candy and some even passes for free kids meals. We couldn't get Michael to stop eating the candy, so we ended up taking it away.
They even had animals out to pet.

Little Gym Halloween Party

Michael's Little Gym Halloween Party was last Saturday and he had a blast!

This is Michael with Miss Sarah, one of his Terrific Tot's teachers
This is Michael with Miss Erin, the other Terrific Tot's teacher
This is Miss Lila. She was his instructor before he got into Terrific Tots. He loves her!
Here is Michael bowling.And going down the slide.

Parent's Pantry

Thanks to Traci, I decided to start a new blog :) It's a food blog of recipes that I use. I will update it as I go. I will be fun to share my recipes with everyone. I am always looking for new recipes, so if any of you want to share, please do so!

Check out the Parent's Pantry!!

My Halloween Treats

These are some of the Halloween Treats that I am making. Yummy.....


I found the idea for the spider cupcakes on the Family Fun website.

Ingredients:

	Chocolate cupcake (body)
	Canned chocolate icing
	Chocolate sprinkles (hair)
	2 pieces of eye-type candy (I used spice drops & chocolate chips- Family Fun used Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts)
	Clean scissors
	Ruler
	1 package of black string lace licorice for the legs (I used black pipe cleaners because I couldn't find the right licorice)

1. Frost the cupcake with chocolate icing and cover with sprinkles. 2. Press the eyes into place. 3. Use scissors to cut eight 4-inch pieces of licorice for the legs. Holding all of the legs together in a bunch, bend them in half and crease. Push the end of each leg into the cupcake as shown.

Yummy Mummy Cookies














Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup HERSHEY'S Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate
• 1 to 2 packages (12 oz. each) HERSHEY'S Premium White Chips
• 1 to 2 tablespoons shortening(do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)
• Additional HERSHEY'S Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Directions:
1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in 1 cup small chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough 20 minutes or until firm enough to handle.

2. Heat oven to 350 F. For mummy body, roll 1 tablespoon dough into 3-1/2 inch long carrot shape; place on ungreased cookie sheet. For head, roll 1 teaspoon dough, roll into ball the size of a grape; press onto wide end of body. Repeat procedure with remaining dough.

3. Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

4. Microwave 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chips and 1 tablespoon shortening in microwave-safe pie plate or shallow bowl at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted.

5. Place 1 cookie at a time on table knife or narrow metal spatula. Spoon white chip mixture over just the top of cookie to coat; place on wax paper. (If mixture begins to thicken, return to microwave for a few seconds.) Melt additional chips with shortening, if needed for additional coating. As coating begins to set on cookies, use toothpick to score lines in body and on face to resemble mummy . Place two small chocolate chips on each for eyes. Store, covered, in cool dry place. About 30 cookies.