Mama is recovering slowly from her surgery. It is hard for her to admit
that she needs drugs and help of any kind. The surgery was successful
in the sense that the doctor removed a cyst by her left ovary. However, a
previous test indicated that her right tube was blocked (not the left
tube.) The doctor inspected both tubes and they are perfect. This leaves
us with more questions. We will meet with the doctor on Wednesday
morning to come up with a plan to move forward.
Underfoot loves to read and write. He is learning more each day and enjoys
practicing his letters. He is curious about everything. Today Mama
observed that he is learning far more than we realize. She asked Underfoot
about Jesus. He responded that Jesus is our Savior. Mama then asked him
what a Savior does. He replied that a Savior helps us.
Hurricane is a combination of ferocious energy and a gentle touch. He is
happy to play by himself after getting some attention from mom or dad.
This morning he woke up early (before Underfoot and Mama.) We started
playing a game with balls. We would toss the balls into a net. Each time
all the balls were 'in', Hurricane would raise his arms and shout 'I win!'
A lot of people have gone out of their way to help us. It is interesting
to see how everything has worked out. Mama is sleeping now. She
expected to be better sooner, but her recovery is taking time.
Yesterday we learned that a Temple will be built in Tucson. This is
exciting for us because the closest Temple is about 2 1/2 hours away.
There is lots of speculation as to what part of town will get the
temple. (It takes about an hour to get from the north side of Tucson to
the south side of Tucson.)
Thank you to everyone for you love and support.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
September 30
Hurricane says, "Dear Good Friends. We played
at Aunt Merris' house. I got to eat some nuts. I went swimming. In
nursery today at church we played outside and picked up pine cones. I
didn't get to bring the pine cones home." Hurricane also decided that he
likes to wear pull-ups instead of underwear because going to the
bathroom cuts into play time. It takes too much time to stop and use the
bathroom. Two steps forward with the potty and one HUGE step back. His
cousin, C, patted Hurricane's belly while we were visiting and said, "You are a cute little
man." He is a little man in many ways. He has crossed the threshold from
being a baby to being a big boy. He doesn't fit in our laps any more.
Underfoot said, "Dear Family and Friends, I love you. You are fun to play with. I like you. I am on fall break. For fall break you cannot go to school. We went to Aunt M's house and had a good time there. I swam. I came home. I went to the Desert Museum. I went and helped my Mom at baskets and I'm super strong." Since we are on a modified school calendar we have a 3 week fall break. We went on vacation see Aunt Merris after having a birthday lunch with a friend. The boys played and played and played and didn't want to go to sleep.
As mentioned above, we went to M's house (Sweetheat's sister) to help do some family history.On the way, I sold my old bike. While in Phoenix area we went to lunch, shopped a little, went to an Institute class, and swam. We liked having a swimming pool. We returned home to see Sweetheart before he went to a BSA Wood Badge course. Sweetheart stayed home and worked many, many hours to guard his precious time off. We helped him pack. A comedy of errors happened when Sweetheart couldn't find his Class A Scout shirt that he had used the weekend before on a camp out. It turns out that we still haven't found the shirt and he borrowed another shirt from someone else. He spent 3 days learning between an outdoor and class room settings. He came home exhausted with a quite the beard stubble.
We truly enjoyed going to the Desert Museum on Friday. I finished a few more details on the bathroom that I painted last weekend. Saturday evening I attended the General Relief Society broadcast. I hope to have a lot of things done before this coming Thursday's surgery.
Be well
Underfoot said, "Dear Family and Friends, I love you. You are fun to play with. I like you. I am on fall break. For fall break you cannot go to school. We went to Aunt M's house and had a good time there. I swam. I came home. I went to the Desert Museum. I went and helped my Mom at baskets and I'm super strong." Since we are on a modified school calendar we have a 3 week fall break. We went on vacation see Aunt Merris after having a birthday lunch with a friend. The boys played and played and played and didn't want to go to sleep.
As mentioned above, we went to M's house (Sweetheat's sister) to help do some family history.On the way, I sold my old bike. While in Phoenix area we went to lunch, shopped a little, went to an Institute class, and swam. We liked having a swimming pool. We returned home to see Sweetheart before he went to a BSA Wood Badge course. Sweetheart stayed home and worked many, many hours to guard his precious time off. We helped him pack. A comedy of errors happened when Sweetheart couldn't find his Class A Scout shirt that he had used the weekend before on a camp out. It turns out that we still haven't found the shirt and he borrowed another shirt from someone else. He spent 3 days learning between an outdoor and class room settings. He came home exhausted with a quite the beard stubble.
We truly enjoyed going to the Desert Museum on Friday. I finished a few more details on the bathroom that I painted last weekend. Saturday evening I attended the General Relief Society broadcast. I hope to have a lot of things done before this coming Thursday's surgery.
Be well
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
September 16
Hurricane:
Hurricane has taken to using the word 'poopy' in every phrase that comes out of his mouth. At first it was funny. Then it became annoying. Finally, he got to enjoy a little soap. He has agreed not to say 'poopy' any more.
Underfoot:
Underfoot loves to write. He practices whenever he can. Mama got a bunch of little note books, and Underfoot writes in his 'book' nearly every day. Today in Church was the annual children's presentation. Underfoot recited a poem that was dear to his Great Grandpa K called "A Bag of Tools". Underfoot loves to go to school.
Mama:
This week Mama got in a fight with her mountain bike over a flat tire. After an hour of great struggle, the mountain bike lost. It was replaced by a new bike. (The old bike will be listed on Craig's list in the very near future... anyone want a bike?) Mama is not accustomed to getting new toys very often. The new bike is light enough that Mama can pick it up and lift it up over her head.
Sweetheart:
I like being able to open the windows at night again. The daytime highs right now are in the low 90's, but it is getting down to about 65 degrees at night, which is plenty cool enough to cool down the house. Tonight we enjoyed supper outside on our patio for the first time in months. It is really nice to eat outside. The grass is not quite ready to be walked on, but it is getting close. The lawn mower arrived this week. I haven't put it together yet, but will sometime in the next couple days. It is an old school reel type mower. I hope it is the only lawn mower I ever have to buy (at least as long as we live in the Southwest!)
I've been assigned a new task at work which is extremely challenging. It is the task that no one on the team wants to do. Wendy can tell when I'm stressed out at work by my inability to compartmentalize when I get home. I hope to be better about leaving work at work. (I'm not very good at it yet... )
Family:
On Saturday night we headed north to attend Sweetheart's nephew's baptism. It was a quick trip but we are glad that we went. Earlier in the day we took down the rickety old swing set in preparation for the new arrival. This afternoon I took some time to review the 70 page instruction manual. Hurricane was sitting next to me, looking at the computer monitor, and casually instructed me to buy the swing set. He was convinced that it was a good choice.
Be Well.
Hurricane has taken to using the word 'poopy' in every phrase that comes out of his mouth. At first it was funny. Then it became annoying. Finally, he got to enjoy a little soap. He has agreed not to say 'poopy' any more.
Underfoot:
Underfoot loves to write. He practices whenever he can. Mama got a bunch of little note books, and Underfoot writes in his 'book' nearly every day. Today in Church was the annual children's presentation. Underfoot recited a poem that was dear to his Great Grandpa K called "A Bag of Tools". Underfoot loves to go to school.
Mama:
This week Mama got in a fight with her mountain bike over a flat tire. After an hour of great struggle, the mountain bike lost. It was replaced by a new bike. (The old bike will be listed on Craig's list in the very near future... anyone want a bike?) Mama is not accustomed to getting new toys very often. The new bike is light enough that Mama can pick it up and lift it up over her head.
Sweetheart:
I like being able to open the windows at night again. The daytime highs right now are in the low 90's, but it is getting down to about 65 degrees at night, which is plenty cool enough to cool down the house. Tonight we enjoyed supper outside on our patio for the first time in months. It is really nice to eat outside. The grass is not quite ready to be walked on, but it is getting close. The lawn mower arrived this week. I haven't put it together yet, but will sometime in the next couple days. It is an old school reel type mower. I hope it is the only lawn mower I ever have to buy (at least as long as we live in the Southwest!)
I've been assigned a new task at work which is extremely challenging. It is the task that no one on the team wants to do. Wendy can tell when I'm stressed out at work by my inability to compartmentalize when I get home. I hope to be better about leaving work at work. (I'm not very good at it yet... )
Family:
On Saturday night we headed north to attend Sweetheart's nephew's baptism. It was a quick trip but we are glad that we went. Earlier in the day we took down the rickety old swing set in preparation for the new arrival. This afternoon I took some time to review the 70 page instruction manual. Hurricane was sitting next to me, looking at the computer monitor, and casually instructed me to buy the swing set. He was convinced that it was a good choice.
Be Well.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
September 5
Here are the highlights from last week:
Family:
Be well in all the good you do.
Family:
- We decided to put in a lawn. With REAL grass. That may not seem like a big deal for those who have water come out of the sky and in the air all the time but it is a HUGE deal for us! It means less dirt, weeds, and a play area for us.
- Underfoot, Hurricane, and I went to 1/2 day at Underfoot's school and participated in art, music, Spanish, and P.E. In art, they mixed the primary colors to make secondary colors by blowing the water colors around with straws. They learned colors in Spanish, bounced balls in P.E., and threw bean bags in music. Hurricane loved being with Underfoot, and Underfoot would ask each team if his brother could participate.
- He started on Thursday night with a jack hammer to break up the soil to sift it through a sifter to get out the rocks. He worked on it Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and finished today around 11 am with all the hammering, digging, and sifting. He had help on all but 2 days. We were all VERY GRATEFUL for the help. He is exhausted.
- Sweetheart is very excited about the grass.
- Sweetheart is SUPER supportive about my training for the triathlon. He says I'm happier, kinder, and more productive. He must like me that way instead of grouchy and frazzled which happens.
- Underfoot has been quite a good helper with our family project. He has tried to shovel dirt, carry rocks, and be supportive of his Dad. My Dad said to me once if you play with the big boys you need to take what the big boys dish out. Underfoot tried so hard to keep up with the big boys, but they didn't want him to get hurt. So it all came to an end when he came outside and asked, "Dad could I be helpful to you and not interrupt your work and stay inside?" We found it darling with his eagerness to work.
- Underfoot is learning to read. He is sounding out more and more words. We are so happy for him. It is still very hard, and he likes the encouragement.
- I observed Underfoot being very helpful in his class. He wanted to help Hurricane in everything that happened there, help other children when they couldn't open their snacks, and watch out for others on the play ground. He has a tender heart and wants everyone to be happy.
- Underfoot learned to dive to the bottom of the pool. He tried to teach another child how to do it later in the week.
- Hurricane continues to be a Hurricane. He has learned how to draw his own bubble bath. If we can't find him, he is in the tub some times. He LOVES the water and loves to be wet. He doesn't like wet clothes.
- He has used the potty on his own often. If he is encouraged to use the potty, all progress ceases. He is going to do this at his own pace and in his own time. I think I just need to take away all the pull ups and tell him there is only underwear and he needs to use the potty. He did it for one day and only had 2 accidents. That's amazing for a boy who wouldn't use the potty once the day before. He is the captain of that ship.
Be well in all the good you do.
Monday, August 20, 2012
August 12
On
Saturday we decided to recreate with some friends. We went on a 6 mile
hike at Mt. Lemmon, which is about an hour from our home. We were happy
to get out of the heat. (The temperature differential was 30 degrees!) Underfoot and Hurricane did a great job. We were really surprised at how well
they handled the hike. At one point Hurricane fell asleep on Mama's back. We
laid him down on the dirt and he slept blissfully.
Mama and I both sore today!
Hurricane and Underfoot started music lessons this week.
Hurricane is testing boundaries. Hurricane started Joy School last week. This week Mama hosted Joy School for Hurricane at our home. Before Joy School started while Mama was in the shower, Hurricane took frosting from the fridge and worked it into the carpet. The boy is exceedingly talented at pushing his Mother's buttons!
When Underfoot started school, Hurricane figured out that after dropping Underfoot off at school Mama would take a shower. The five minutes of unsupervised time was ample for him to get out the bucket of ice cream and have a treat. His routine has progressed. Now, instead of getting out the bucket and eating directly from it, he gets out a bowl and the ice cream scoop. On more than one occasion, Mama has found the melted bucket of ice cream on floor, either in front of the freezer or in the living room.
I had a long board meeting. The problems that the HOA deals with don't ever seem to change... people are petty, don't get along with each other, and often forget that when they purchased their home, they agreed to live by certain rules.
Mama had a meeting with some friends about participating in a triathlon. She is excited about having a goal. She will compete in her first triathlon in November.
We also celebrated our wedding anniversary or our "family birthday" this last week. Instead of Lance and I going out on a super romantic date for our anniversary, we had a family birthday party. We made egg roll, stir fry, and carrot cake. We sang happy birthday to us and enjoyed an evening together.
Be well.
Mama and I both sore today!
Hurricane and Underfoot started music lessons this week.
Hurricane is testing boundaries. Hurricane started Joy School last week. This week Mama hosted Joy School for Hurricane at our home. Before Joy School started while Mama was in the shower, Hurricane took frosting from the fridge and worked it into the carpet. The boy is exceedingly talented at pushing his Mother's buttons!
When Underfoot started school, Hurricane figured out that after dropping Underfoot off at school Mama would take a shower. The five minutes of unsupervised time was ample for him to get out the bucket of ice cream and have a treat. His routine has progressed. Now, instead of getting out the bucket and eating directly from it, he gets out a bowl and the ice cream scoop. On more than one occasion, Mama has found the melted bucket of ice cream on floor, either in front of the freezer or in the living room.
I had a long board meeting. The problems that the HOA deals with don't ever seem to change... people are petty, don't get along with each other, and often forget that when they purchased their home, they agreed to live by certain rules.
Mama had a meeting with some friends about participating in a triathlon. She is excited about having a goal. She will compete in her first triathlon in November.
We also celebrated our wedding anniversary or our "family birthday" this last week. Instead of Lance and I going out on a super romantic date for our anniversary, we had a family birthday party. We made egg roll, stir fry, and carrot cake. We sang happy birthday to us and enjoyed an evening together.
Be well.
August 19
This week... with pictures for our family birthday and cherry pie. Project pictures to come as soon as it is more done.
Hurricane has upgraded his subversion tactics. He now makes sure to put the ice cream back into the freezer, so that no one knows he's had some. (He hasn't quite learned that ice cream on his upper lip is a dead give away.) Hurricane has made it a habit that he won't eat a lot of breakfast so that when he returns from walking Underfoot to school he can help himself to ice cream while Mama showers. The other day Mama and Hurricane were running late and needed to hurry out the door for Joy School. Hurricane started to cry and said, "I haven't had my ice cream yet."
On Saturday I made changes to the irrigation system in preparation for grass in the back yard. With the help of a strong teenager, we got the next portion of the back yard ready for rocks. The plan is to move the rocks this coming weekend.
Underfoot loves Legos. He must get that from his father. He loves to build space ships for Luke Skywalker. Underfoot had a great week at school participating in the school's specials which are the extras that all-day children participate in. They are Spanish, music, P. E., and one more.
Hurricane continues to demonstrate strong will and expansive curiosity. Often I must ask him lots of questions to find out why he doesn't want to do something. Once we've established what it is that he doesn't want to do, there is usually some compromise that will work.
Mama continues in her triathlon training. This week she pulled her calf muscle after a run and has been dealing with this small setback. She over estimated her bike ride on Monday and went 7 miles instead of the 5 she planned on. Her determination is enthusiastic.
Be well.
Hurricane has upgraded his subversion tactics. He now makes sure to put the ice cream back into the freezer, so that no one knows he's had some. (He hasn't quite learned that ice cream on his upper lip is a dead give away.) Hurricane has made it a habit that he won't eat a lot of breakfast so that when he returns from walking Underfoot to school he can help himself to ice cream while Mama showers. The other day Mama and Hurricane were running late and needed to hurry out the door for Joy School. Hurricane started to cry and said, "I haven't had my ice cream yet."
On Saturday I made changes to the irrigation system in preparation for grass in the back yard. With the help of a strong teenager, we got the next portion of the back yard ready for rocks. The plan is to move the rocks this coming weekend.
Underfoot loves Legos. He must get that from his father. He loves to build space ships for Luke Skywalker. Underfoot had a great week at school participating in the school's specials which are the extras that all-day children participate in. They are Spanish, music, P. E., and one more.
Hurricane continues to demonstrate strong will and expansive curiosity. Often I must ask him lots of questions to find out why he doesn't want to do something. Once we've established what it is that he doesn't want to do, there is usually some compromise that will work.
Mama continues in her triathlon training. This week she pulled her calf muscle after a run and has been dealing with this small setback. She over estimated her bike ride on Monday and went 7 miles instead of the 5 she planned on. Her determination is enthusiastic.
Be well.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
July 22
Underfoot started kindergarten
on Monday last! He was so excited that he got up on his own early
throughout the week. By Friday, he was tired and went to bed around 5 pm
and got up the next morning around 7 am. He got to the play ground and
never looked back.
Hurricane, on the other hand, is missing Underfoot desperately. Since we walk Underfoot to school, Hurricane and I have to walk home. I do it for exercise and take the long way home. We walked in the door about 35 minutes after dropping Underfoot off at school and Hurricane asked if we could go get Underfoot right then. He asked every 15 minutes until we got Underfoot.
As for Sweetheart and myself, we don't have much to report. Lance worked. I did household stuff and downloaded the 1100+ pictures from our trip. I've been working on putting the pictures on our blog. We were all exhausted by week's end with the transition to going to school and the schedule changes with that.
Just wanted a quick check in for last week.
Hurricane, on the other hand, is missing Underfoot desperately. Since we walk Underfoot to school, Hurricane and I have to walk home. I do it for exercise and take the long way home. We walked in the door about 35 minutes after dropping Underfoot off at school and Hurricane asked if we could go get Underfoot right then. He asked every 15 minutes until we got Underfoot.
As for Sweetheart and myself, we don't have much to report. Lance worked. I did household stuff and downloaded the 1100+ pictures from our trip. I've been working on putting the pictures on our blog. We were all exhausted by week's end with the transition to going to school and the schedule changes with that.
Just wanted a quick check in for last week.
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