ducks, drives and parent teacher conference...

Last Friday, Zane was dying to go to the park. So on the way, we decided to stop and 'feed' the ducks at the golf course by our house. The second we pulled off the side of the road to park - the ducks SWARMED our car. It was quite hilarious. They know what happens when someone stops apparently! Zane and Lily had soooo many giggles and screams feeding the masses of ducks. I actually took a video, but all you can hear is ducks squaking and bad camera work from me trying to help Zane avoid being eaten by the ducks that were swarming him to get at the bread in his hands, with an occasional squeal by Lily. Sounds amusing, but it's really not. We will definitely have to go again soon. (and don't tell me how bad it is to feed them in the first place, I already know)

On Saturday we decided we were in the mood for a drive, and we have been wanting to head out to the Mt. Trumbull area. It's just a neat area, and if you keep going you can actually drive to Tuweep a point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon that you can pretty much step right out to the very edge of the canyon. No rails or anything! (We won't attempt that until our kids are much older - and when I have forgotten how terrified of heights I am). Of course, we knew we wouldn't make it all the way out to Trumbull - it's 60 miles on a gravel/dirt road - which translates to almost 3 hours of driving. But we made it about 35 of those miles! We came to a meadow like area with some really huge cows standing right on the side of the road. So fun. One day we will make it the whole way.

(Just noticed that Zane is wearing the same shirt he did the day before - probably slept in it, and I didn't care enough to make him change on Saturday.)

Today was our first parent teacher conference with Zane's teacher. We are all so lucky that he has such a great teacher. She understands that he may not appear to be listening because he already knows what they are talking about. She said that she will give him a special spelling list once the other kids are working on their words so that he can work on words that are a little harder, and learn the "spelling rules" and things like that. Also, we can request he be moved up on his reading level anytime. He needs to work on his writing because he tends to get "sloppy" (because he gets bored with it I'm sure) and "creative" and he tends to visit too much to finish his work. Great job Zane! We love you!

twinkle twinkle...

Zane participated in the school's storytime festival last night. He chose to do the nursery rhyme "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Yeah, I know he was aiming high. Of course, he didn't recite it, he sang it. If I'd thought about, I should have had him do "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat" from Alice in Wonderland, very entertaining!
It's sort of hard to hear him in this video, but enjoy!

evolution maybe?...

Zane and I have very interesting conversations at bedtime. After the usual, story, prayers, songs, the conversation went like this:

Zane: Did we used to be gorillas?

Me: (totally taken aback) What? Where did you hear that?

Zane: Spongebob (his answer for everything - he watches it a little too much I'm afraid).

Me: Well some people think that we started out that way. But we know that Heavenly Father made us to look like him. Do you think he looks like a gorilla?

Zane: Yeah, he started out like a gorilla, and now looks like us.

I never thought I would have a conversation about evolution with my 5 year old. No more Spongebob (ha!).

ni-night lizards...

I walked outside on Saturday past a bucket that holds various outdoor toys. I heard something shuffle around in there. It sounded MUCH to big to be a bug, so it definitely freaked me out. Of course, I made John look to see what it was.

Poor little guy must have scaled the house and then fallen in and couldn't climb back out. Who knows how long he was in there.

Lily is starting to use words more and more. We love to play this game with her.

Zane: are you ready for ni-night? Lily: (shaking head) noooo

from zane...(he typed this himself)

i want to be a chef everyday I HAVE A COLD ANd I AM scared of monsters IM Done

trick or treat...

What a great Halloween! I got Lily's costume finished at 11:30 the night before, yay me! I was worried she wouldn't wear it, because when she tried on the hood she was pretty upset about it. She doesn't even keep a ponytail or clip in her hair and throws a fit when I try to brush it, so I was pretty nervous. By the afternoon all dressed in her costume, she wore the hood just fine! Zane was an awesome Ironman - and loved to flex his muscles for everyone.

John took off for a minute from work to head over to the elementary school for the Halloween Parade. Zane was very excited to see us there. I remember doing those when I was a kid - and so I wanted to be there for him.

We started off the afternoon festivities by going to John's office to "trick or treat". Zane loves those little plastic pumpkins for trick or treating but I always throw them away because I hate having them around. I tried to get one this year but was too late, and they were gone. So we spent some time when we got back making treat bags out of pillowcases and some orange cord I bought. Zane drew a great picture of a haunted house complete with a ghost, and a storm at the top with lightning. He wrote "ooooooooo" and "scary scary" on it as well. I was quite impressed. I need to take a picture of it.

Then we headed to the annual neighborhood hot dog/chili dinner. It's a lot of fun to see all the kids (and some grown ups) dressed in their costumes. Then it was off trick or treating around the neighborhood. I'm not a big fan of the t or t-ing here because we have no street lights, and no sidewalks - but our neighborhood is pretty calm and there aren't a lot of kids. Last year we actually didn't get a single trick or treater at our house. Of course, we are up on a hill - and I imagine kids don't want to trek up our driveway. However, I think we might have got a half a dozen last night. And - for all you "northerners" just to make you jealous - I was trick or treating in my flip flops, tshirt and capris and was QUITE comfortable. Love the fall in St. George!

I didn't get a good picture of the pumpkins here but Zane did a Squidward (from Spongebob, his favorite) pumpkin complete with a big nose and of course John did the standard Double T pumpkin for "Lily". Go Raiders! (sidenote: they are ranked 7th and play UT ranked 1st tonight at home - watch it, ABC 6:00 pm MT)

My Ironman and his haul for the night.

An adorable (and somewhat saggy and baggy) pink elephant.

sweet tweets part 2....

Well all I can say is the best part of the trip was not the boutique! There weren't many shoppers, and I was sorta stuck in the corner of the basement. It's all good because we had a very interesting trip: complete with a car accident*, drug test in West Valley in the middle of the night, a beautiful set of nails, and a wonderful spinal touch massage. Oh, and of course, shopping! Thanks Steph for my nails and putting us up, and Heidi for fixing my ankles, holy cow, I owe you!

And hey... check out my display...turned out pretty good I think. All I want to add is a cool folding screen behind to hang my AWESOME banner I made, and possibly use it to display as well.



*Here's the story about the accident (since I know you will ask me questions after my "cryptic" post):

We stopped for gas once we got up north, and as we were trying to change lanes to get on the freeway - we "glanced" off a big truck. No damage to him, just a little to our right front fender. Well, since we were in a company car, we had to wait for the police, and then Sara had to get a drug test. It's company policy that anyone driving a company car, and there is damage to the car (whether or not you are even in it!), you have to get a drug test. We headed over to set up for our show, while we were trying to get in touch with the company to find out where to get a drug test done. By the time that was all worked out, it was 9:30 pm and we had to go clear out to West Valley to meet someone that was coming in specifically to give her a drug test. She had 3 big chunks of hair cut out, and had to do a breathalizer (she passed, obviously!). It made for a very very long day.

sweet tweets...

I'm headed to Salt Lake to be a part of this boutique. If you are in the area, stop by and say Hi. (I can't guarantee I will be there the WHOLE time). Also the ad says it ends at 8 pm Friday - but really it's 7 pm!

in case you were wondering...

kraft american cheese slices + baby hair = not good

silly lily...

This week has been a busy one. I drove up and back to Salt Lake on Friday again to take a friend and her baby up to a doctors appointment. It actually was a lot of fun, and nice to get a "day off". We totally lucked out and were able to have my friend Stephanie do Glitter Toes for us while we were up there. Very nice of her, thanks Steph!

Lily has been making a really funny laugh lately. She makes a real gutteral sound, sort of like an evil laugh. Too cute. I have tried and tried to catch it on video - and this is the best I could do. Enjoy!

i have to admit, this is pretty cool...

baby #3...

I had another appt. yesterday, a little earlier than expected. The Dr. that I had with Lily changed offices, and at the time I found out I was pregnant, he was not taking any new pregnancies at the old office. And of course, the old office would not tell me where he was going or what was happening with him. (pretty snotty of them in my opinion!). So, I decided to just stick at the old office with a different Dr. Well, I got a postcard in the mail the other day from my original Dr. with his new office information and phone number and a note saying he was taking appointments. Yay! I called right up and they got me in the next day.

I was elated all day yesterday that I get to go to the same Dr. that knows my history and was so good with the pregnancy with Lily. He knew right away who I was and was glad I had found him at his new place. I'm so glad to not have to go back to that yucky old office too! (They were terrible there!)

So, the baby....I got another ultrasound and the baby looks great. I even saw the baby flip around (kinda weird when they are so tiny you can't feel it). The subchorionic hemmorages look to be pretty much gone. Yay! What a fabulous day!

halloween spirit...

This past Saturday, I woke up feeling like I wanted to go to Salt Lake. So I arranged with John to watch Zane and I packed Lily up in the car and headed up. I wanted to go up to see Sara's stuff at the Oh Sweet Sadie Boutique. I am doing the Sweet Tweets Boutique in Salt Lake in October which will be a similar type show, so I wanted to get a feel for what type of stuff is there and how it all works. I left at 10:30ish am, arrived in Salt Lake around 3, stopped by for a visit at (great) Grandma and Grandpa Cannon's house, and then over to the boutique. I was able to spend an hour at the boutique, help Sara pack up (I was very little help) and then a quick stop for dinner at Training Table (mmmm turkey bacon ranch and cheese fries). We made it home again around midnight. Lily was quite the trooper (with the help of a few lollipops).

So Zane and I made this candy clip-a-day today. He loves making stuff with me. He always tell me "Mom, isn't today a great day" whenever we do projects together. I must not do stuff with him enough! I stole this idea from a friends blog. What a fun idea huh!

Zane got his first "leveled" reading book from the school this week. It was level F. They start at Level A. From what I've heard they should be at Level F by the middle of first grade, mr. smarty pants. So far the books have been easy for him - and I don't know how long they stay at each level. But I'm not at all going to push it, because really - he's in Kindergarten.

it's time to come out of the closet...

We are expecting! Baby #3 will join the Collins family sometime around April 19th, 2009. I am almost over the sickies, still tired, but ok. We've already had one u/s and I have something called a subchorionic hemmorage (actually 2 of them). It sounds MUCH scarier than it is. Mostly the Dr. said he would keep an eye on it, but that I should expect to bleed. What???? That's not nervewracking. Sorry if that was too much information. At 10 1/2 weeks though, I'm feeling much safer to announce it to the world. Yay us!

What Zane has been saying lately:

Us: Zane, calm down, you sure are being hyper.

Zane: I can't help it. Heavenly Father put hyper into me.

Us: Why do you think he did that?

Zane: To trick you.

Niiiiiicccceeeee.......

bedroom re-do...

This weekend, we decided to re-do Zane's bedroom. It's needed to be painted since we moved in (ahem almost 3 years ago). He picked out a "car" theme, of course. We got these great wall decal stickers at Target, and it came with a LOT! We also moved the queen bed from the guest/craft room into his room. We don't really have guests visit us all that much - so it was really just taking up space in there. We are going to convert the guest/craft room into a play room/craft room - so I can be working in there, while the kids are playing. That room is still a work in progress.

Before: (this picture was taken at night with flash.
These were dark blue walls AND ceiling - it was actually really dark in there)








After: (ignore the wrinkled curtain, and the ceiling is white)






*Note: Zane put these stickers up. He lined them all up like they are on a highway. He said "They are going to Cedar City."




John and I got new glasses too. At my last eye appointment the Dr. said that blood vessels were starting to grow into my corneas, which is a result of lack of oxygen (i.e. wearing your contacts too long without taking them out). So, I decided that I would take a break from my contacts and stick with glasses for a little while. I'm going to miss my sunglasses though.

*my glasses have cool moons and stars on the sides and a bluish tint behind the tortoise shell frames (This is a terrible picture - in all my no makeup, no showered glory! It's actually quite embarrassing, why am I sharing this?)

in the mood for more video?

Lily's latest trick. Love the binky switch at the end. Classic.

2 years ago....

Here is what John was doing just 2 years ago:

Enjoy!

*edited to note: I didn't think about the fact that a lot of you don't know that John is a tenor. He is the high tenor in the quartet, so you can easily pick him out. He sings loud as it is... but to sing sooo high and not in falsetto - he had to up his volume even more. Also, so you know, I don't think this was their best performance of this song (to my music "snob" sisters - yes they go a little flat - and you know I mean "snob" in the nicest way because I am one too).

a nice start to september...

We spent Labor Day weekend shopping for a new bed. No, we aren't getting a new bed. Just shopping for one. Maybe one day in the not so distant future. We tried every kind out there, and our recommendation is an intelli-gel type bed in case you were interested. Then it was back to school and normal routine. All is well.

I had a WhichWatch boutique this weekend for my sister, and I also had a chance to try out my new display for my jewelry which I will be selling at a boutique in Salt Lake in October. Just wish more people actually came to see it. What can you do. But you should all check out my sister's watches because they are seriously awesome, and they are on sale only until the 15th! http://whichwatch.etsy.com/

Also, this past weekend - on Friday, John (well really it was Lily) managed to lose his keys at the store. Still haven't turned up. And this morning Lily managed to break his glasses. This is only funny (or not) because he just had his glasses replaced about a year ago. He lost his really nice pair in the lake. Ask John about that one some time. Even after that incident, he didn't learn that he needed to have a backup pair. So we spent the entire day shopping for glasses, and eye exams, etc. Of course I had to drive him everywhere, because he's totally blind. Yay for September!

And for random cuteness(to go with the completely random post): picture of me and the kids, and Lily in pigtails (that lasted about 20 seconds).

phoenix getaway...

Zane had this week off of school for assessments, so we decided to hop in the car and head to Phoenix for a few days. Just me (Abi) and the kids drove out and spent 5 days at grandma and grandpa's house doing a lot of swimming in the pool, shopping, and eating out. And we actually all survived the drive. Zane is a big help in the car. It was a lot of fun to spend time with family and take a break from the usual here. Although, August is not the best month to visit Phoenix, yikes! John took the time while we were away to finish up a little painting around the house too, what a great guy! Of course, I brought my camera, but somehow managed to not take a single picture - so here is a picture of Lily in her way super cute new nightgown.

Oh yeah and Happy Birthday to me! I just turned 29 again!

activity days...

Anyone have ideas for activity days? I'm one of the leaders in the ward - and we've got a few good ones, but thought I would throw this out for any suggestions. We have all the girls ages 8-11. Any good ones that your daughters have attended? Any great ones you have planned or heard about?

first (and second) day of school....

Zane is an official kindergartener! Yesterday was his first day but it wasn't a regular day - just a meet the teacher sort of thing with his mom. Doesn't count. Today he got to ride the bus all by himself and go through the real deal. He's so grown up now. He sat and waited for the bus for almost a half an hour, he was so excited. I think I will like this extra time to get stuff done around the house. It's sorta nice that Lily naps right at the same time he goes to school - so I'm pretty free. Yippeee! I really think that if it wasn't for school, moms would go insane. Go Zane!

makin' a splash...

We spent some time yesterday at the city plaza downtown. They have a big splash pad, and a small river type area with waterfalls and rocks all over to climb on. It is still so stinkin' hot here, and the kids loved it! We got a taste of Lily's first tantrums too. Haha! Anytime I would pick her up to try and get her to another area, she would go limp on the ground and scream....oh so fun! At least she loves the water, just like her brother. Super cute kiddos.

san diego with the girls....

It was sooo much fun! Really, so fun! Hehe. When we got there on Friday, we spent some time catching up and playing "jewelry and watches" and then we headed out for a little shopping and a movie. On Saturday we headed to Coronado Island and hung out at the famous Hotel Del Coronado. The beach was beautiful there. Soft fine sand. I did really love it - in case you couldn't tell. We ate at the little cafe right on the beach. Perfect.


That afternoon, we spent some time at the pool, then more shopping close by. The hotel we stayed at was in Del Mar, close to Torrey Hills and the Torrey Pines Golf Course (where the US Open is). I really liked the area, it was up in the hilly part of San Diego. You would have no idea that the beach is just a few miles away. Also, the San Diego Temple was just a couple miles south of where we were staying. We didn't realize that until we saw it right after getting on the freeway to Coronado. So, we had to stop and take pictures.
On Sunday, we wanted to visit the beach again, and decided on La Jolla. We spent some time picking up shells on Shell Beach by La Jolla Cove, and looked at Seal Rock, which had a "few" seals on it.

We stopped at a couple of shops, and got berated by a shop owner for picking up seashells from the beach - because somehow that is going to destroy the planet. Then we ate at the "soon to be closed" Hard Rock La Jolla. Very tourist-y thing to do. Fitting that the background says "Save The Planet".
Thanks girls for a fun time, and especially Mom for footing most of the bill! Love you, can't wait for next year (maybe?)!

swimming...

Zane just finished swimming lessons. He had a lot of fun. I was quite surprised at how comfortable he has gotten in the water. He was holding his breath under water for 5 seconds, jumping in by himself, trying to "swim" under water, trying to float on his stomach and back, and jumping off the diving board. He does need to work on his coordination though. He had a hard time trying to move his arms in a "back stroke" and definitely couldn't figure out how to do his arms and legs at the same time. Too cute. Any ideas to help with a 5 year olds coordination? Do you think Karate, Gymnastics, Soccer, Football? I would appreciate any thoughts...



On another note, I leave tomorrow bright and early for San Diego on the 2nd Annual Cannon Girls Go Wild in a so NOT wild sort of way Extravaganza! Yipppeeeee! We are so wild that we just MIGHT go ocean kayaking...oooooohhhhhh yeah!

Thank you John for watching the kids, I love you!

oh miss lily....

I really try to not be an overly freakout over everything kind of mom, even though I probably am a little bit of a hypochrondriac, I tend to keep it to myself. My kids have a fever, and I don't usually call the Dr. until around the 5 day mark, unless there is something else to make me worry. I don't know if waiting like that is a good thing or not, but I'm glad that our Dr.'s don't ever make me feel like an overly concerned hypochondriac kind of parent.

Lily had a fever last week for awhile, that seemed to go away for a few days, but then popped up again on Wednesday. She woke up last night and her right eye was droopy. It freaked me out quite a bit. It just did not look right - of course you do think the worst with stuff like that. Turns out she does have an ear infection on the other side that probably wouldn't have anything to do with the eye thing. She ended up having a CT scan just to make sure it was nothing, and they had a really hard time trying to get an IV to inject dye for the CT scan. She got poked quite a bit. The Dr. and nurses were all so sweet. One girl just sat there and blew bubbles over Lily practically the whole time were were there. Lily just sat there saying "wow" "wow" haha. They didn't end up getting the IV in, but they did the first CT without it, which the Dr. decided was probably enough since the eye seemed better this morning. I sort of wish I got a picture of her there, she was so sweet and asleep for the whole scan. It ended up that she has some sinus infection in one of her sinuses that probably just caused a little swelling. She is on antibiotics that will hopefully take care of it all. Still fevering and sleepy, but I'm sure she will be better soon!

We are so blessed to have such great neighbors and doctors, thank you thank you thank you!

les miserables...

John and I went to Les Miserables at Tuacahn last night. For those non-St. Georgians (ites?), Tuacahn is an outdoor ampitheatre surrounded by beautiful towering red rocks. John has always been a big fan of Les Mis, but has never seen it. I had only heard it one time before I got John the CD's a few years ago. Thanks John for planning it!

They really did a great job. They had real horses bring the prisoners in during the first scene. The fight scenes had the other side shooting at them from the red rocks in the background, complete with a cannon that scared me every time it went off. There were even fireworks! I admit, I even bawled (not surprising) during "Bring Him Home" and when Eponine died. What is it about unrequited love that just gets ya? I really enjoyed Jean Valjean's upper range, much more than his lower. Javert was amazing, and John and I both commented on how much we liked the Bishop. He has a small solo towards the beginning and it was amazing. And in case anyone remembers...John Preator (known as JP) from American Idol a few years ago was Marius, and he was great too.

It was so fun to get away for awhile and do something "cultural". We didn't get home until almost 12:30.....much too late for us old fogies. But, it was worth how tired we are going to be today.

talent sprouts take one...

Zane had so much fun in his Talent Sprouts musical theater class the past couple of weeks. For 8 days, the groups worked on the musical Go Fish, and then performed it for the parents on the last day. The story is of a Tiger Shark who wants to be friends with everyone. So, he finds some interesting sea creatures and they all become friends despite their differences. Zane was the Tiger Shark (he said "My teacher told me I am the star!"). He knew all of his lines and his dances, and did a great job! Grandma and Grandpa Meredith, Aunt Sara and cousin Andrew, and even his primary teacher all came to see the musical. We went out for frozen yogurt afterwards. We all had a fun time. Here's an edited (much shorter) video highlighting Zane's parts....enjoy!

post show sale...

Had a great time at the craft fair(e) this past weekend, but sales were slow for me (great for Sara's watches though, go Sara!). So, I have a lot of inventory. I will be listing a few new items each day this week. Find something you like, and I will give you $2 bucks off of each item (not including clearance items). You must either put it in the notes to seller, or leave me a comment here to get the discount. Sale will run through August 10th. Now, GO SHOP!

tired sillies...

I was trying to get Lily to bed last night, and she just wasn't interested. So I set her down, and she started turning circles and falling over. Before I got the camera, she was doing it over and over and laughing hysterically. Too cute.

hope part 2...

A couple of quotes for you to ponder that really helped me understand - and also gave me Hope.

"Hope is the confident expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness. " - from lds.org website - topic section.

I think that maybe that is the perfect definition. It's possible this was said in the previous R.S. lesson, but I somehow missed it. I think I have a much better understanding of the meaning as it pertains to the gospel of Jesus Christ now.

Also, something that I needed to hear right now (thanks Vicki):

From the apostle Paul, "...that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." - Romans 15:4

Oh there is so much more, but for another day.

late 4th of july and such...

I realized that I hadn't posted about the 4th. We spent the day around the house, grilling, swimming in the pool, watching a movie, and staying up late for fireworks. It was actually a really nice and relaxing day!

Zane spent this week at a Nature Day Camp. He had a lot of fun (I think?) learning about reptiles and ducks, etc. He got a cute t-shirt and made some new friends. I've decided that I need to keep him busy before school starts because he is having some serious "boredom" issues and mommy just isn't cutting it anymore. I've signed him up for a musical theater workshop that starts Monday. They learn and practice a mini-musical for kids and then perform it for the parents at the end. I think he will really enjoy that. The place is a new place called Talent Sprouts, and even though it's on the other side of town, I think it will be worth the drive.

I told him today that he may be the only boy in the class (I don't know really), but he said "That's ok, I like girls." Haha! Cute! John of course told him "You're The Man!" and gave him five. Way to start 'em young, John.

3 is a magic number...

Our lesson in Relief Society today was about Hope. I was sitting there as we talked about the difference between Faith and Hope, how to get Hope, etc. and I have to admit, I got a little more confused. I thought I understood Hope. But the more I thought about it today the more I wasn't so sure. I always thought of the difference between the two as: you have to have Hope to have Faith. I know that Hope is positive, but I came away from the lesson with the feeling that Hope had a much deeper meaning, that I couldn't quite grasp. I guess I always figured that Faith was sort of like the "knowledge" of your Hope. Maybe I have it backwards? As my thoughts evolved this afternoon, it came to me that maybe Faith is Hope in action. John said, well then, is Charity - Faith in action? Why, yes, I think so! How close all 3 are tied together. I loved how we talked about the way to have more Hope is to practice Charity. You will build Hope and Faith through Charity. As your Faith grows, then your Hope will too. I don't know if any of this made sense, just my rambling, but thought I would share. Thanks Louise for the thought provoking lesson. Feel free to discuss. =)

how to discipline a 12 month old...

*edited* After comments, I decided I better say.... of course she got stuck, no I did not put her here.

nuts, crowns, and headpacks?...

And the nut is out! Yay! Thought you would enjoy a picture of what the actual locking nut looks like. (This is not the one that was 'you know where', but another one - although Zane really wanted me to keep the offending nut and clean it off, but uh EW).

Zane's 2nd visit to the dentist was today, and can I volunteer to do a commercial for valium now? Not for me (although I probably needed one too), for him! With the combination of a valium, and the laughing gas, Zane was able to get ALL (yes that's right ALL) of his remaining dental work done today. He got 3 more cavities filled, 2 baby root canals (pulpotomy) and 1 stainless steel crown. Pretty isn't it?


Before said valium this morning, while throwing the sometimes fit about what to wear, Zane decided to put his head in his backpack while he was mad. But he couldn't have been too upset - he did say a muffled "CHEESE!"

xray...

Well since the locking nut has not passed, the Dr. wanted Lily to come in and have an xray to make sure it was ok. It's already in the colon so we should expect a nice surprise any day...good news!

weekly update...

I realized that I haven't updated the blog with some sort of interesting things that have been going on. Last Tuesday, Zane went in for his 1st dental visit to get his cavities taken care of. It didn't go so well. He hated the numbing stuff they put on his gums. It tasted bad, and felt weird to have it numb I'm sure. He wouldn't keep the gas mask on. They finally got the shots in, and then the dentist had to use a "Green Monster", as I remember them. It is really called a rubber dam I believe, and it is a silver clamp that clamps onto the gums, and attaches to a sheet of green plastic that cover up everything in the mouth, except the teeth the dentist works on. I remember not liking it when I was a kid. Zane really really really didn't like it. He suffered through and got one "root canal" done, and the dentist just did a filling instead of a crown. That was all he could make it through though. So....the plan of action now (he still needs one or two more like that, and then 2-3 more smaller fillings), the dentist gave us some Valium to give him before we come in this week. Then hopefully he will be calm enough to try the gas and the dentist is going to try to get it all done. Oh, please pray for us! The next option is the pediatric dentist (insurance doesn't cover - we really can't afford that!)

Ok, so that was Tuesday. On Friday we took Lily in to be weighed. She's almost 21 pounds now. Pretty good! Friday afternoon, Lily crawled into her room, and I was in the family room. I wasn't worried about her getting in to anything in there, so I periodically had Zane look in and make sure she was ok. Well after a few minutes alone, I heard her start coughing. I ran in, and she had something in her mouth she was choking on. I couldn't see it in her mouth, and I didn't know what it could be, but I picked her up and put her upside down and starting patting her back (isn't that what you are supposed to do??? I feel like a total bad mom for not knowing!). It didn't come out, but she swallowed it. I know you are dying to know what it was...

It was a locking nut that goes on a screw. It is like a regular nut, only is has ridges on the outside to dig into wood "locking" it in place. It's about 1/2 in. long, and 1/4 in. wide. It was attached to a screw, that was sticking out of the bottom piece of her rocking horse that she got for christmas. Zane broke the head part off awhile back, so both pieces have just been sitting in her room. Who would have thought she could unscrew it off of the screw? Yes, I know, toddlers should really not ever be unsupervised. Still waiting for it to come out...

Funny picture of Lily first learning how to drink out of a straw. She loves to make this face (without the straw). It's hilarious.

please vote for me...

I am a finalist in the beading competition I entered. The winners are chosen by online voting. To vote for me:
Go to www.beadingdaily.com/beadstar
Click "Vote Now" at the top.
Enter your email address. You can only vote once per email address.
In the first category "Crystals", my entry is #15.
Scroll down to bottom and select 15 and click next.

You must vote through each category.
My sister is also a finalist! In the "Stones" category, her entry is #12.

We would really appreciate your vote!!

happy birthday speed racer zane...

Two posts in one day, aren't you lucky?! The day we left for Vegas was also Zane's birthday! Happy 5th Birthday Zane! I can't believe I have a 5 year old. We opened presents on birthday morning and had cinnamon rolls (his fav) before heading out to Vegas. After spending the week there, we got home Friday night and woke up to hurriedly get ready for his birthday party Saturday afternoon. I had invited - are you sitting down? - 23 kids. Yup. I'm insane. But honestly, I only invited that many because I didn't think very many would come. It was a Saturday afternoon - families do stuff on Saturdays, etc. Oh was I wrong! We had 18 kids come! Yay!

Zane wanted a Speed Racer themed party. We wanted to have everyone play outside in the water, so everyone came in swimsuits ready to get wet. We set up a two-person slip-n-slide for kids to race each other on. We had water balloons, water guns, and a small kiddie pool, in addition to our bigger pool on the patio. We had a "Pit Stop" where the kids could order their food at the back sliding door. We served soft pretzels, popcorn, nachos, watermelon, veggie squares, and popsicles. Perfect racetrack food.

The kids all had a blast (I think?). John didn't- but after leaving Vegas on a frustrating note (see last post), and then the stress of getting ready for the party for an overtired child who really didn't seem to deserve it at that point - it was hard on him. Thank goodness my sister was here to help with crowd control. It would have been impossible without her. Zane got a ton of presents. Thank you everyone for coming. He said it was "the best birthday ever!" (Does anyone want to come clean my house now? OY!)