Never Again...

Today was the MUCH dreaded visit to the hospital for Little H. Hailey has been getting UTI's and other weird stuff throughout the course of the last 8 months or so. Well, after many visit's to the doctor, it was time to get some REAL tests done at the hospital to make sure her kidneys were functioning properly. Sound familiar? Yep! We took Addy in for the same proceedure when she was about 7 months old or so. Let me just say, taking a 7 month old in compared to a 3 year old... neither fun by any means, but so much easier when they are younger.

So, let me start from the beginning. Hailey got sick Monday night due to something she ate, we think. Tuesday, she didn't really feel like eating much. Fastforward Wednesday morning:
STARVING 3 year old.

The little monkey was so hungry and I felt like the worst mom in the world telling her she couldn't eat or drink anything till after her visit to the doctor. Her huge brown watering eyes looking at me saying "i'm starving! just one piece of cereal, please..." was enough to completely break my heart.

11:00 rolled around and we get to the hospital. The first thing they did was an ultrasound to check her kidneys and bladder. The tech was cool..showed her how cool her fingers looked on an ultrasound screen and she liked that. THEN came the part where she had to take her shirt off for the rest of it. NOT GOOD. She KNEW it was not all fun and games anymore and things were about to get serious. Although I had to hold her the entire time with her clinging for dear life, the worst was yet to come.

In comes the pediatric sedation team. The nice thing, is they come from Primary Childrens Hospital and are very familiar with wee ones. They brought her a plethora of presents. A hospital doll that she could draw a face on, a bag of goodies including but not limited to a bouncy ball, tiara, noise makers, etc. They also had a cute little tutu for her. They were pretty good about getting her interested in the toys and helping the 'Hospital Doll' get her medicine too. The part that was the worst was the IV.

She was awake and in it went.. after a couple tries of course. So here we had a screaming toddler, an almost ballistic mother, a sad daddy and 3 nurses holding her still. All combined made for a VERY intense few minutes. Let me just say, I hope I NEVER have to hear that kind of a cry come from my baby girl ever again. Through the proceedure, she cried the entire time. Even though she was sedated, she had tears running down her face. They said that was normal because the meds make them weepy.. but oh man. So sad. When the proceedure was over, which we were able to stay with her the entire time, they brought her a grape popcicle which she LOVED, especially because they gave her two! And after being a little dizzy all afternoon, she has recovered. Even though the medicine they gave her is suppose to take away the memory of it all for traumatic reasons, I found myself wishing they had some of that for me too. I never want to have to experience that again. I'm just glad its over.





by the way, they found nothing wrong with her. Of course. So... back to the natural way of doing things. Eating better and logging everything she eats. I'm pretty sure it's a food allergy. Hopefully we can pinpoint it soon.

A Whole Lotta Stuff

I know, I know. It's been a long time since I posted something. Busy is not a strong enough word to describe why I haven't. But as I sit here late in the evening with my incredibly hot husband, I can't help but feel like I'd rather do something other than watch a show about hoarders. He's intrigued.

So, here I am. I have a season of CRAZINESS to throw at you. Are you ready? Hold on, cause here we go.

#1. NEW CALLING!
Well, sort of. Our ward got dissolved and therefore, we all lost our callings. Fast forward a couple weeks and I got called into the same position I was in... for the last 3 years! I was excited. I love being in Young Womens.

#2. NEW MOON!
Enough said.


#3. CARRIAGE RIDE!
SO fun. Hailey opted to be a little on the 'STINKER' side this night, but still had so much fun. Addy, on the other hand had a perma-grin from ear to ear that stayed all the way till we got home. Grandpa Johnson came with us and kindly took pictures for us! Thanks Grandpa!






#4. SHOPPING!
Double YAY! I love holiday shopping. K, i'll be honest, I love any kind of shopping, but the fact that it's for a holiday, makes it seem more OK. And shopping for kids is SO MUCH FUN. I can't handle it. By the way, KOHL'S, you're my new best friend. Thanks for coming into my life.

#5. SLEEPLESS NIGHTS...
BOOOOOOOO! Poor little Hailey continues to wake up with uncomfortable issues. One day i'll get sleep. Till then, bring on the SUGAR to keep me awake. Any of you who might want to contribute to helping me stay awake during the day, I like chocolate.

#6. GINGERBREAD HOUSES!
Whomever came up with gingerbread kits, you deserve an award. Thanks to my mom who gave us a serious Advent calendar on steroids, making gingerbread houses one night was the activity for that particular day and the girls loved it. At one point, Nate put his hand in front of Addy's mouth and out came an enormous amount of candy. It all ended up in his hand and it was pretty much disgusting.



#7. CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!
Yay for Christmas lights. It's the first thing I turn on in the morning and the last thing I turn off at night. They are my favorite. We even hung up a strand of lights on our house this year! Double YAY!

#8. REINDEER!
We took the girls to Thanksgiving Point the other night and they got to pet and feed real reindeer. It was pretty cool, i'm not gonna lie.




#9. WRAPPING PRESENTS!!
I LOVE wrapping presents. Some people hate it, but it is pure joy for me to wrap fun stuff i've picked out for people and put it under the tree. LOVE it.

#10. ORGANIZING. (this doesn't get an exclamation point)
There has been a lot of organizing going on in this house this month. I'm so tired of clutter and not being able to find things when I need them. I have about 5 different craft boxes strung throughout my house, stacks of bills and papers in the office, etc. It's time to put things in their places. I have to say, it feels GREAT!

#11. SANTA!
We took the girls to go see Santa at University Mall. OH MY! They LOVED it. Hailey was so excited and kept wanting to go back and see him again after our turn was up.


#12. SNOW
Their new favorite thing to do. Dress up in all their snow gear and head outside. It was especially fun when Archie came to play in the snow with them. They got lots of doggy kisses.




That about sums it up. There have been little projects in between all that, but for the most part, it's just been a month full of Christmas and that's the way I like it.

Oh, and one more thing.

Here's my 2009 Christmas wish-list. (which is pretty much a 'yeah right' list)
-Canon 50D (haha! yeah right! We're not richy-rich)
-Vitamix (yeah, right!)
-New Sewing Machine (uh-huh! yeah, right)
-New Victoria's Secret Bra (maybe)
-Shopping Spree (YEAH RIGHT!)
-Photography equipment (keep dreamin')
-New Clothes (we'll see)
-Cricut (thanks mom)
-new shoes (do-able)

and the list goes on. If I kept listing things, this post would never end. I know, i'm suppose to say things like world peace and health (don't get me wrong, those are a HIGH priority in my prayers, but can't I be materialistic just for a minute? Hey, a girl can dream, right?! Yes she can. And I do!

Most of all, i'm just excited for Christmas and to see the looks on my girls faces when they wake up Christmas morning. Can't wait!

Wow, that was a long post. I hope you all have a great Christmas. And I want to know what's on YOUR lists!

Snow Princess

Hailey and I went outside to play in the snow today for the second day in a row. HOLY COW it was cold. Much colder than it was yesterday.

For me, snow has a few pro's and MANY con's.

Pro's:
I get to take really cute pictures of my kids all bundled up.(like this one)

The first snow fall of the year is always so pretty and magical.
Christmas lights and snow look so fun together.
Gives me a sense of holiday spirit.
Sledding.

Con's:WAY too many to even begin listing.. and this is suppose to be happy reading, so I won't even go there. You'd think coming from living in Montana, I'd be GREATFUL for the amount of snow we get in Utah, but it's still 'snow' to me.

Aside from snow, and cute pictures of my Little H, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Mostly about friends and how fortunate I am to have such good friends. I got an email from a friend of mine yesterday that said our friendship was non-judgemental or grudging. (it was worded differently, of course) We've always been able to understand eachothers situations and circumstances and just know when we needed one another and I really appreciate that. (insert 'awe' here)

Since it's been on my mind a lot, I felt the need to let all my friends out there know that I am greatful. Greatful to have someone to love and be loved in return.

I love Anne of Green Gables and I love that she uses the phrase "kindred spirits". Sounds cheesy, but I am grateful for the 'kindred spirits' in my life.

so here's to you, my friends, I really do cherish you (sounds like a 98degrees song.. or maybe it actually is).

And good luck to all of you this winter and here's hoping you don't freeze your tail off too much.

Prayers, Please.

Tomorrow morning, 7am to be exact, Little H has to be at the dentist to have some work done which they have to put her out for. Yes, you heard me, she has to have an IV and be put under serious meds while they work on her mouth for about an hour.

I am NOT looking forward to it and I'm so nervous about it. I'm sure she'll be fine, but with instructions of "you'll have to hold her while she goes limp in your arms" doesn't sit well with me, really.

So, yes, bright and early in the morning we'll be heading out on a not-so-fun journey. Maybe Nate and I need your prayers more than she does but either way, much appreciated.

Fun Bags...

I've been wanting to try this for a while now and have just never gotten around to it. Well, the other day, I decided to go for it. I made this cute bag and it took mmm... half an hour. It was a lot of fun. I'll be making more.. that's for sure.

They are GREAT for scripture bags.

ahhh.. the Dentist.

I hate going to the dentist.. but i'm not sure of anyone who loves it.

Today was Hailey's first trip to the dentist. Yikes! Man, was I nervous. We took her to a pediatric dentist who was great. We were pleasantly surprised at how well she did. The headphones and the TV mounted on the ceiling DID help distract her, but she was amazing. She did just what they asked and thought the vacuum was pretty cool.



At one point, I look over at Nate and he is just laughing at the simple fact that she's doing so well when we both thought FOR SURE she would NOT let any of this happen.

I can't believe my little monkey is big enough to go to the dentist.

Happy Birthday Monkey!!

This past Saturday was Hailey's 3rd birthday. You heard me, 3rd! Is anyone else weirded out by this? I can't believe she's 3! Time Flies!


This year, Hailey wanted a Dinosaur Party. So, that's what she got. I know, I know...she's a girl and is in love with Dinosaurs. It's a little strange that she loves dinosaurs and trains and tractors, but for those of you who might be a little worried, she is definitely a princess at heart.



We had a great day spoiling her and preparing for her party which turned out to be so much fun. Her reaction to her cake was the best part of the day and it made all the hard work of making it SO WORTH IT! My parents were here which was a fun treat for her and my mom pretty much took over the kitchen for me so that I could enjoy my little girls exciting day. It was fabulous.




As I look back on this past year, I can't help but see how much joy she has brought to me and my life. Tonight, for example: Addy was walking around aimlessly in the livingroom when she found herself wandering toward Hailey. Hailey said "come here Addy" with her arms outstretched. The two of them stood there hugging for at least 3 minutes. Hugging, then looking at eachother and letting out a little giggle, then hugging more. Hailey helps me cook, helps me with Addy, helps me clean, makes me laugh, makes me cry, keeps my spirits up and so much more. Here's to another great year with my little monkey, Miss H.

And here's to lookin' at this next year to come: Bring it on! I can't wait!

Love you Baby Girl!

Happy Halloween!!!

This was such a fun year for Halloween. Hailey was So excited to go trick-or-treating. Addy didn't really know what was going on, but she just knew that she wanted to wear her bumblebee outfit every day.
We usually go to Nate's Parent's neighborhood every year. It's more family-friendly than ours. Of course, Nate was excited to hear from another trick-or-treater that there was a house handing out FULL SIZED candy bars! So we went in search of that house! :-) After doing a little trick-or-treating with our girls, we went back to Nate's parent's to pick up Avery and do more candy hunting. Hailey was so funny. At one house, the door opened and she just said "thank you" instead of trick-or-treat. She was getting the hang of it. Addy was asking for more candy all night and when we would say no, she would get so angry and throw a fit.
After we were done with trick-or-treating, we went back to Nate's Parents where Valerie had made yummy taco salads for us. Great way to end the night.

Animals Anyone??

Meet The Animals.

These are Hailey's friends that she MUST sleep with every night. They have to all be lined up on her bed and she chooses one each night to snuggle with while falling asleep. Let me share a little more detail. They ALL must be present. If one is missing, Nate and I end up tearing up the house looking for it before she will calm down enough to close her little eyes.



There are a couple missing in this picture because you can't see them. They are hidden behind the plethora of others. These include Buzz, Woody, Tiger and Bear. Last night, particularly, I had to make 4 different trips throughout the house looking for particular "sad" animals that were left out. Hailey insists that they are sad until they are safe in bed with her. Some would think this is a hazard, and it probably is.
I think she has a little of her dad's OCD... don't tell him I said that!

Baby Shower Time!!!

Last Saturday I threw a baby shower for my good friend Amber. She has lived in my basement for 2 1/2 years and is expecting their first baby. So exciting. So, those of you who didn't make it, you missed out. We had some super yummy food. And lots of good laughs.








She is now 22 weeks pregnant and we wish her the best!!