Anne-ecdotes

Mom: No, you can't have a yogurt.

Anne: No, Mommy! You go ni-night and go to bed!

------------------------------

After putting on her new dress up dress she went to model it for Brandon.

Brandon: Oh, look. You're a Southern belle.
Anne: Uh huh.

She then goes to show my dad.

Grandpa: Oh, I didn't even recognize you. Are you Little Bo Peep?

Anne: No, I Jingle Bells.

Marie-esque

Marie was watching Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue. At the end the father gives his daughter a hug and apologizes for not believing in her and her belief in fairies. He says something along the lines of, "I've doubted you for over a year."

Marie came up to me and said, "Mommy, we have a better daddy than that. Her daddy doubted her for over a year." Her eyes started to fill with tears.

I asked, "Are you crying?"

Marie nodded her head, "I'm happy crying because we have the best daddy in the whole world. He believes what we say and never doubts us."

Intussusception: PCMC: Enema and Surgery

We were brought into PCMC from the ambulance and went through the necessary motions (for insurance purposes, I'm sure) of meeting with an ER nurse and then doctor. While in the ER a phlebotomist started a new IV. This guy was amazing. It was very apparent that he had done this many times before. What took three nurses several tries the night before, he accomplished with one stick and no assistance in a matter of minutes. Amazing. I was grateful for his efficiency.

I've faced ultrasound machines several times in the past few years, each time because of the joy of a tiny new life forming inside of me. It was always with blessed relief and reassurance that I looked at the screen and saw the little pitter patter of the heartbeat. And then to hear it! No song in the world has ever filled my soul the way the sound of my babies heartbeat's did.

That dreadful October night when we faced the ultrasound machine again, for a very different reason, all I could pray for was an answer. The ultrasound tech was matter of fact and straight to the point. In a matter of seconds we would know, there was no gray area. Either there was an intussusception or there wasn't. (Which led me to wonder why that wasn't the first test they did back at Davis, but that is not worth dwelling on at this point.) 

 When he pointed at the screen and said, "And there is your intussusception," relief poured over me. We had an answer. Brandon and I squeezed each other's hands. We might have even been tempted to jump up in down in celebration, but we knew that this was only the middle of the journey. There was still a lot of road ahead of us.

 The next step was the air enema. An enema of air was to be given while x-rays were taken of the abdomen. The air is intended to create pressure that should then reduce the intussusception. We were warned that this would be uncomfortable for Samuel. Imagine feeling bloated and gassy. Mutliply that by a few thousand and that is probably what an air enema feels like. I was prepared for him to be uncomfortable. What I wasn't prepared for was to see my small, helpless child arch his back and scream in pain, completely red in the face. Keep in mind that up to this point, in the past 12 hours, he was completely lethargic. The tension in the room was thick. You could slice it. The radiologist, the nurses, Brandon, and I, we were all helpless to do anything besides watch this tiny life endure this painful procedure. I don't think anybody anticipated the pain it caused him. I want to start crying just thinking about it again. The doctor proceeded in spurts. A few seconds of air, several x-rays to track the progress, and then a break. There was a clock on the x-ray machine. I was shocked as I watched only seconds pass by, it felt like minutes, hours even. The radiologist was concerned and obviously frustrated as try after try didn't completely reduce the problem. After what was only 1 minute total procedure time (with the breaks in between) he stepped back and announced, "There is nothing more I can do." To continue would have sent Samuel's body into shock. He walked out of the room to go consult the surgery team.

Minutes later we met the surgery team, the procedure was explained to us, Samuel was laid on a gurney,  I gave him a great big tearful kiss, and he was off to surgery. They would first attempt the reduction laproscopically. If necrosis was found then they would have to cut into the abdomen to repair the bowels and reduce the intussusception. Best case scenario we were looking at a 48 hour recovery period, but it could possibly be up to 7 days. After they wheeled Samuel away we were brought to a waiting room and instructed to answer the phone if it rang, that is how they would update us on the progress of the surgery. We sat and talked and ate some of the food a sweet sister in our ward had brought down to us. About forty five minutes later the phone rang. Brandon answered it. After talking he hung up and looked at me with a smile on his face, 

"They aren't quite done with the surgery yet, but they were able to reduce it laproscopically, and his bowels look pink and healthy." 

Anne's first and second haircut

August 30th was the day. Marie had a friend over and they were downstairs happily playing. I heard Anne screaming, but didn't think much of it. If you spend a lot of time around Anne, you wouldn't think much of her screaming either.

When the girls came upstairs I looked at Anne and thought her hair looked especially choppy. She had never had a haircut before and I had it in my radar to take her to get it cut in the next day or two. I made a mental note that I really needed to take her in soon. Then she turned around. I gasped.

"Marie. Did you cut Anne's hair?"

"Yes. She wanted a hair cut."

I walked away. It was all I could trust myself to do.

I called Brandon. I texted my mom and friend. I posted on instagram. I cried. The more I looked at Anne's hair the more I realized how thorough of a job Marie did. On Anne's left side it was cut to above her ears. In the back it was choppy in length, the shortest layers being only about an inch long. I had no idea how any hair cut short of a buzz would fix this mess. 

I found all of the chopped off hair hidden behind Marie's bed. Marie was informed over and over again that if she ever took scissors to anyone's hair again she would get a hair cut as well. I cried some more and sympathized with mothers who have had to see their daughters lose their hair under much more dire circumstances. 

The next day I took Anne in to the nearest salon that had an available appointment. She wasn't about to hold still, unless she was in my lap, so Marie was the photographer.

She did about as good taking pictures as she did cutting Anne's hair.

We chopped and chopped and chopped. 

I wanted to just laugh at this point. Realizing that it would all grow back one day, I was figured I might as well just enjoy the humor of the situtation and the memory that this would provide.

The finally but was .... short.

Easy to do, that's for sure.

And thanks to a bit of gel and some slight wave in her hair, I could even make it look pretty cute.

And Marie is still be reminded that if she ever even thinks about cutting someone's hair ....

Meanwhile ...

I jumped some time to write about Samuel and yes, I know, I haven't finished. I will, but life happened before "the event" and life has happened since and, well, it was pretty good stuff.

Some highlights in August and September:

With nervousness and hesitance from all involved, William started first grade at his new school. His teacher is in our ward. In fact, her husband is the bishop. She is wonderfully kind and William has quickly made friends. It hasn't been as smooth of a transition as we would have liked, but it has been a learning, growing, and stretching experience for us. Any chance to better ourselves is a good one, right?

 After watching "Say Yes to the Dress" my girls asked if they could try on my wedding dress and veil. I obliged with the veil. Brandon said he would like several more years decades before he sees his baby girls looking anything at all like brides. I would have to wholeheartedly agree.

 Nearly three weeks after William started school, it was finally Marie's turn! Look at this sassy pants. What am I going to do with her?! She loves school and couldn't be happier to be able to sing, play, and create with her classmates and teacher. 

 Isn't this classroom just adorable? Whenever I drop Marie off I want to stay and play too!

Upon completion, the Brigham City temple hosted an open house so all who desired could see inside it's beautiful walls. Brandon and William attended with the youth in our ward. The camera did not go along for the ride. Marie, Samuel,  and I went a couple of weeks later. The camera decided to come this time. It was such a special moment with Marie. They used a lot of peach blossoms throughout the decor and she loved searching each room for them. A temple worker pulled her aside and pointed out to her that they were on all the doorknobs. She loved that! Her favorite part was the sparkly chandeliers in the celestial room.

And a quick Sunday photo shoot when we realized we were all ready to go and had a couple of extra minutes (It's a miracle!). I love seeing my family dressed up in their Sunday best. 

For Now

I haven't fully wrapped the entire picture storage issue around my head yet. I've been slightly preoccupied with cleaning up puke and, um, other stuff, from three of my four children.

In the meantime, I am using another one of my e-mail accounts to post because if I do that I can upload more pictures.

The best solution? I don't know.

But it works.

And for now, that will have to do.

Full?!

Um, when I try to upload pictures I am informed I've used up all my 1GB storage? Further research tells me that only some pictures (above a certain size) are put into said "storage." I am willing and able to do even further research to remedy this problem, as I have plenty to journal  and don't want to miss capturing these moments.

But I thought I would start by putting it out here.

Does anybody know what I need to do. I'd rather not pay for more storage space.

Intussusception: Part 4: The Ambulance

Before Brandon made it back to the hospital and before the doctor came back into the room, I sat and looked at my son in his crib. He was too sick to even squirm in pain at this point. Sprawled out on his back, arms above his head, I thought about how much I love this sweet little boy.

I began to pray for his return to health and couldn't do it. 

I had said enough prayers this year that weren't answered, not because Heavenly Father wasn't listening, or answering, but because I wasn't asking the right questions.

This wasn't just a stomach bug, we all knew that by now. If it wasn't an intussusception, than it was something more serious. For the first time since we had arrived at the hospital I feared for my son's life. At this moment more than any other in my entire life I needed to pray with all the faith that I had and I needed to pray for the right thing. 

I knew that if I prayed for his life to be spared and it wasn't, my faith would be completely shattered. And who was I to have that wish granted when I know so many who have endured so much heartache and loss in their lives? Why should I be exempt to that?

The only thing I could do was put it in the Lord's hands. I put Samuel's health in His hands and I put my strength in His hands. One thing I knew without a doubt, was that I would need His strength to make it through whatever was in front of us.

Those few moments were precious to me. Precious beyond what I can share here, other than to share my testimony of my Savior and his atonement. I truly "stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me."

Shortly after that, the doctor came in. The verdict was to send Samuel down via ambulance. Brandon came up with his car seat. We went through the paper work and the other motions to be ready for the transfer to PCMC.

 I rode down with Samuel and Brandon followed in the car. The paramedic expressed valid concern for Samuel's lethargic state. He upped his IV drip and we were both grateful to see him perk up just a bit with the increased liquids.

We talked through the events of the past 24 hours,talked about our kids, housing prices, where we live. What anybody would expect on an ambulance ride with their child, I suppose.

The time flew. This 40 minute drive to Salt Lake went faster for me than our 5 minute drive to Davis Hospital the night before. We arrived and were quickly brought into the well oiled machine that is Primary Children's Medical Center.

Intussusception: The Support

As much as I don't want to forget the facts (and am still working on getting those written down), it's the behind the scenes communications and the feelings that accompanied them that I will cherish forever. That is the stuff that is hard to write about.

Between holding Samuel and talking with the doctor and charting his pukes and his heaves I was on the phone or iMessage almost constantly. Texting Brandon, my parents, Jill, my siblings. 

Then other phone calls came in. The Relief Society President, insistent that I keep her updated and find something that the ward could do for us. My visiting teacher to set up a meal drop off. She even made a birthday cake and bought Marie a present. Another ward member to check in on Samuel's status. Our laundry was picked up from our house and washed. A neighbor snuck in and straightened our house. And yet another dear neighbor drove all the way down to Salt Lake, dropped off a bag of food, gave me a hug, and then turned around and went home.

Once it hit Facebook that we were in the hospital, that inbox was flooded. Offers to help, promises of prayers, get well wishes. My dad and sister attended the temple and put his name on the prayer roll. It was Stake conference in my hometown and many, many families joined us in prayingthere, as well. 

The prayers that were with us were truly tangible. I don't know that words can do justice for what I felt as I went through this experience other than to say that I was literally strengthened by the many, many prayers that were said on our behalf. Only a small number of people were able to help us in a temporal way. My family only eats so much food and my kids were well taken care of first by a friend who knows them well and then my mother. But the prayers? There can never be enough prayers, and oh how we needed them!

The love and support that we felt even reached beyond the here and now. Feelings and impressions that are a bit too sacred to share in detail on a public (ish) blog, reassured both my mother and myself that angels were attending to our little Samuel.

In a quiet moment in Samuel's room I was reminded of a pioneer story and painting that described well how I was feeling, 

“I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up, for I cannot pull the load through it. … I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there." (quoted in David O. McKay, “Pioneer Women,” p. 8)

I could not have pushed my own handcart that weekend and I didn't have to. That is the beauty of the Gospel.

I write this because I want to remember and I want my children to know how much we have been given and how much we need to give. We are blessed with an endless support system through the Relief Society, our family, our friends, our neighbors, and, most especially, our Savior. We have been carried on the back of angels, both on this earth and beyond, through so much.

To say I am grateful hardly hold a candle to the feelings in my heart.

My cup runneth over.

Intussusception: Part 3

Going to bed that night was hard. I was on such an adrenaline high, I was worried about my baby, and I was sick inside at what Marie's birthday was panning out to be. I straightened up the ridiculous mess we left when we rushed out 4 hours before, checked on the kids, and proceeded to put up some meager decorations and a present for Marie to wake up to. I'm know I talked to Brandon, too. The on-call pediatrician had stopped by and he filled me in on the details.

At this point we had pretty much convinced ourselves that Samuel had a stomach bug. The doctor did mention to Brandon the possibility that it was an intussusception, but we didn't have enough evidence yet. Brandon didn't think much of it. No one is ever the exception, right? We weren't the 1 out of every 1000. No way. Heck, we didn't even know the word, let alone know to take it seriously.

The night for Brandon and Samuel was long. Samuel would fall asleep only to wake up every 15 minutes, curl up on to his knees, and cry out. Brandon would settle him down, get him back to sleep, try to sleep himself, only to go through the cycle again.  He puked again at 3:30am when the nurse moved him around to check his vitals and had dry heaves several other times through the night.

The morning came quickly for me. I was wide awake by 6am. My dear friend, Jill, was coming over at 7am to collect William, Marie, and Anne and keep them for the day so I began getting things ready for that. Once all the kids were awake, I gave my birthday girl lots of hugs and kisses and had her opena small present. I sent the kids on their way with Jill and went back to the hospital.



At the hospital we met with Samuel's pediatrician and spoke to his nurses. The plan for the morning was to monitor how much he was puking or dry heaving and attempt to get him to keep down some Pedialyte. Once again, Dr. Eberhard mentioned the possibility of an intussusception and once again we didn't even register it. He didn't consider it seriously yet because there was one tell-tale symptom that still hadn't manifested itself. We didn't consider it seriously because, well, we had no idea what it was.

Brandon went home about 11am to get some sleep and then put together Marie's dollhouse for her birthday. We still had hopes that we might be home by the evening. Silly us.

The exact timeline at this point is hard to recreate. Samuel slept fitfully in my arms, I kept in touch with my parents and Brandon, and kept the doctor posted on updates. We tried pedialyte a couple of times and it came back up within an hour.



Then I changed a soiled diaper. It was his second soiled diaper. The first one I had changed when Brandon was still there. It was quite stinky. The room was kind of dark, I quickly changed him and passed the diaper on to the nurse to dispose of it. I didn't even look at it and only remember that it was dark stool. We did not want that stench in our room.

 {Slap that nurse's hand for not checking and keeping that first diaper. That diaper was full of bloody stool, which would have helped us so much with our diagnosis.}

It was light in the room when I changed the second diaper and I was shocked to see blood. It wasn't much, just a smear, but it was definitely blood. I mentioned this to Dr. Eberhard when he called to check in next. That is when all the tests began. He was convinced at this point that it was an intussusception. This was the final symptom that had been missing.  He needed tests to both rule out obstructions and confirm his suspicions before he could send us to Primary Children's where they had the ability to reduce it.

Abdominal x-ray. No obstruction.

Side x-ray. No sign of intussusception, but test is not entirely accurate and is considered inconclusive.

Upper GI tract exam. No obstruction.

Meanwhile the day stretched on. Samuel remained unchanged, if not worse. The radiologist and radiologist techs beamed about how well he held still for the tests. They had no idea how playful my boy was or that he was so sick.

We waited for some decisions.



We didn't hear the conversations between Dr. Eberhard, the radiologists, and the nurses, but as we look back we get the impression that it was Dr. Eberhard against all the Davis hospital employees. I'm positive that he was convinced of the diagnosis, but they had convinced themselves that it must just be a stomach bug.

He had severe intermittent pain, blood in his stool, vomiting, swollen abdomen, dehydration, and lethargy. Intussusception. BUT his x-rays all came back negative. Stomach bug.

One nurse came in and had me put plastic wrap in Samuel's diaper to try to collect a stool sample so they could see if it was really blood. "I have my opinions and he has his," she said.

Early evening, Dr. Eberhard stopped by to check in. We discussed all the tests, all of Samuel's symptoms, and he explained his feelings.

"The test are negative, but they can be inconclusive. He has all the symptoms. My gut just tells me that it's an intussusception." (Haha, no pun intended.)

I agreed with him. (By now I had figured out what that long word was and had spent some quality time with wikipedia and Mayo Clinic on my iPod.) That did it.

"I'm going to send you down to Primary Children's. They can do a more conclusive test and they have what they need to correct it. If it isn't an intussusception, they are more than equipped to see him through whatever is going on."

"So, what are the logistics of getting down there?"

"Maybe life flight? Let me discuss the case with a doctor down there and I'll let you know."

He left the room. I called my mom. I cried. I called Brandon and updated him. I cried. I ended the phone call with,

"You need to get here as soon as you can."

Intussusception: Part 2

Back in triage we went through the required motions. I explained our concerns. We weighed Samuel. Perhaps we checked his pulse? Heart rate? Ears? They ushered me back to a room and the nurse went through the same motions. The next vivid memory in my mind was as I waited for the doctor to come in. Without warning or cue, Samuel puked all over my shirt.

I sent a text to Brandon. We were both relieved. Was it just a weird and sudden onset of a stomach bug?

The E.R. doctor came in and examined Samuel. I sensed a concern and had conflicting emotions. Part of me wanted him to say he must have a weird virus and send us home. The other part of me worried that he would say that and miss what was really going on. Whatever that was.

During the examine the doctor had Samuel laying on his lap. He lifted him up and Samuel puked again, all over the doctor. He left to get cleaned up. I sent Brandon another text.

"Doctor just examined him. He puked all over the doctor. Stomach bug, I guess? Doctor hasn't said anything."

After waiting for a while and cleaning up throw up two more times I sent Brandon another text,

"They suspect something abdominal. Nothing treatable and no reason to admit him. I'm waiting for the Dr to come back ... I assume at that point we'll be discharged."

I also sent a text to my mom with a picture of Samuel and minor details of the events of the night. I alluded to the fact that it was all over, just a bizarre scare and he was going to be fine.

That was the wishful thinking side of me. The only thing the nurse or doctor had said at this point was "Is that what's bugging you, little guy? Is your stomach upset?" I took that and ran with that. Of course, my baby was going to be fine. Of course, we would be going home tonight.

While waiting for them to make a decision I worked out details for a neighbor to stay with the kids so that they could get to bed. Brandon took them home, settled them in, and came back to the hospital thinking it was just to pick Samuel and I up.

After we had been there for awhile the doctor let us know that they were going to admit him with an IV and monitor him overnight. The next day was Marie's birthday. We had plans to go to Black Island Farm with some neighborhood friends. I quickly made some (emotional) phone calls to Megan to work out the details of the day and Jill who agreed to be at my house at 6:30 in the morning so that I could come back to the hospital. My wonderful friends. I can't say enough about their willingness to help at a moment's notice and their love for me and my family. To have people in my life that I can call at anytime of night to ask for help, that is priceless.

 Brandon and I stayed together while they put in the IV, we found another Elder to assist Brandon in giving Samuel a blessing,  we got him settled in to his room, and then I went home to relieve our neighbor, get ready for Marie's birthday, and attempt to get some sleep.

Intussusception: Part I

Knowing what we know now, it all makes sense. Knowing what it was we could have easily pieced the clues together and acted accordingly.

His case was textbook. The symptoms lined up exactly.

But who has ever heard of an intussusception? Who could have known that this unfamiliar word would become a moment of history in our family?

It was a busy evening for us. We had a parent teacher conference for William at 4:30pm. Taking the entire family was a must, as we both wanted to speak with the teacher about some concerns we've had. When the 10 minute conference stretched to an hour we knew that Little Caesars needed to be on the menu that night. Our kids were energetic and loud as we drove to get the pizza. Our patience was thin because we were concerned with the topics discussed at the conference. Once we got home nobody's temperaments changed and dinner was less than enjoyable, to say the least. While we begged the kids to "just sit down and eat", Samuel gnawed on a piece of Crazy Bread. Once I finished eating and we managed to convince the kids, with much kicking and screaming, that they really did have to take baths/showers, I prepared a bowl of pureed peas for the little guy. 

In mid-bite Samuel started screaming in pain. We wrestled with his tray and buckle as  Brandon and I both scrambled to get him out of his seat, thinking maybe he was choking or had bit his tongue. He cried so hard he made his nose bleed. It terrified all of us. William was so scared that he puked. After getting out him out of the chair Samuel settled down and we shooed the kids off to the bathrooms. 

Brandon took Samuel from my arms to bathe him as I continued to straighten up the kitchen. I could hear him screaming back in the bathroom and headed back to see what was going on. There was Samuel, wrapped in a towel, in Brandon's arms. He explained that Samuel wouldn't even let him sit him down in the water so he washed him up quickly and that was that.

"He must be tired. When I laid him on the floor in our room to start the bath he almost fell asleep."

I laid him down on the floor in his room and started to dry him off. Something wasn't right. His face was pale, even his lips and he could barely keep his eyes open. I dressed him and picked him up and his head flopped on my shoulders.

"We need to take him to the hospital," I thought. I fought the idea and decided to try nursing him instead. He was probably just overly tired. Nursing him always soothed him. It didn't work. As I tried to get him to latch he just cried and cried. Then he went limp again.

"Brandon, he won't nurse. I think I need to take him to the hospital."

I scurried about gathering my keys even as I held his pale body in my arms. Another crying fit and then lethargic once again.

I started to rush to the car and couldn't do it. I couldn't take my eyes off him. What if he stopped breathing? What was wrong? What was happening to my baby?!

"I can't take him alone. I'm too scared. Should I call a neighbor? Jill? My visiting teacher? What's her number? I can't think straight. Who can we get to watch the kids?"

"Get the kids in the car. Let's just go."

We threw PJs on everybody, I don't even know if any of them had shoes, and got in the van. I squeezed between the middle bucket seats and talked to Samuel as we drove, desperate for him to acknowledge me, to make eye contact, to smile. The kids were obviously and understandably terrified. I asked William to say a prayer as we drove.

Once arriving at Davis Regional, Brandon dropped me off at the emergency room doors. I went in with Samuel while he parked. I spouted off to the guy at the desk what was going on. He began filling in the paperwork and asking me the obligatory questions. I almost laughed out loud, despite my fear and concern, when he asked, "So, what would you say is your primary concern tonight?"

I didn't have any idea why I was there. I knew that I was prompted to be there. I knew I was undeniably concerned for my son, but I had no idea what was happening or what could possibly be wrong.

I muttered something about him being lethargic and pale and they motioned me to take him back to begin triage.

Food

I haven't posted any recipes in forever. Menu planning and such has not been one of my favorite things lately. I think mostly because I relate it to two things I am not of fan of right now 1) cleaning my kitchen and 2) spending too much money. Lately, I just dread the chore. I tried to do a once a month menu plan,  but I buy too much fresh produce and perishable items for that. We don't like to eat the type of food once a month menu planners like to eat. Now we are testing out a two week menu plan. I'll keep ya posted on that one. Maybe.

Moving on. Last night and the night before I tried out two easy recipes that used items in my fridge/pantry. I splurged on ingredients for Monster Munch this past weekend and failed to actually buy any real food. You know, that fresh and perishable stuff that we prefer to eat. Yeah, totally skipped that. And although we have thoroughly enjoyed the treat and it made enough for us to eat it for a couple of meals, it just isn't quite satisfying enough. (No, I didn't really serve it for a meal, as tempting as it was to do so.)

So, back to scrounging through the pantry. I found a recipe for Italian rice and beans* on the back of our Great Northern Beans can and thought, "I can do that AND I have all the ingredients." Score! It was a hit once we convinced the kids to actually give it a try. It is cheap, easy, healthy, and delicious.

Then last night I knew we had chicken hot dogs in the fridge but no hot dog buns. Rachael Ray had demoed a recipe recently for corn dog poppers. It wasn't quite what I wanted, but I found something similar and much more suitable for my family at Six Sisters Stuff. Corn Dog Muffins.** Everybody enjoyed them. Marie picked out the hot dogs and left the muffin. William ate the muffin and left the hot dogs. The two worked together and were both satisfied. Using whole wheat flour and the applesauce suggested in the recipe, it was even somewhat healthy.

As we were finishing dinner last night I was celebrating two successful dinners in a row and almost remembered why I actually like to menu plan, shop, and prepare meals for my family.

"Two meals that I can add to the meal rotation! Woohoo!" I said.
"Yes, two meals that we can forget about when you ask for menu suggestions." He replies, playfully sarcastic.

It's so true.

So, this is my effort to not forget about two fantastic meals. Cheap, easy, healthy (ish), and delicious!

Now maybe I won't resort to Monster Munch for dinner. Maybe.

*I did not use the suggested Minute Rice. I toasted 2/3c. long grain rice in a couple of tablespoons of butter, and added the beans, tomatoes, spices, and 1 1/3 cup water. After the mixture came to a boil I turned it down to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Basically, I cooked it like you would Rice-A-Roni.

**The only change I made to this recipe was that I used a regular sized muffin pan because that is all I have. It lengthened the cooking time, but I'm not sure for how long. Maybe about 15-20 minutes? I'm not very good about setting a timer or watching the clock. My nose tells me when something is done.

Marie-esque

Because playing Princess Monopoly at Grandma's house is just better with goggles. Obviously.

California!

After the family reunion the kids and I traveled back to California with my parents. As a child I remember packing up the family station wagon a couple of times a year and traveling to Idaho to visit my grandparents. My dad has always said that mom had a radar for the farm. Once she got within a couple of hours there was no stopping her. She was getting to her parent's house. Since becoming a mom and with each additional bundle of craziness that has joined our family I have come to understand more and more what those visits to the farm meant to my mom. They weren't just nice. They were necessary. Getting to California this summer  wasn't in the plans, but became a necessity. Thankfully, my parents were able and willing to make this trip happen for me. I needed it so badly. 

The beach is always at the top of the list of things to do. One of the days when Aunt Becca and Mom were working, Dad and I packed up the kids and went to Ventura Harbor.

 We had a picnic lunch ala Subway that included more seagull chasing then eating. I was OK with that. It was quite amusing when one of the seagulls decided he wanted to eat our Subway.

 Proof that Samuel and I were indeed there.

 We embraced the sunshine, savored the wonderful weather and had a darn good time.

 The kids played pirates and tried out a zipline.

Then I decided we should head down to the water. That is when the pictures stop because it is when the real adventure began. Let's just leave it to these few words. If you bring your water loving children to the ocean they are going to get wet. Not bringing their swimming suits because you don't want them to get wet is a bad idea. Very bad idea.

Adventure or not, it was a lovely day at the beach. I'm so glad I have an incredible father who is willing to wrestle these rascals with me and make some great memories.

Apple Doesn't Fall Far...

My Uncle Jerry, my mom's brother. Any hint of craziness I have ... I come by honestly. 

Dear Anne,

Oh my. Where do I even begin to describe what you are to me? You are my bliss and my despair. My satisfaction and my stress. My happiness and my grief. Your intensity for life is contagious and exhausting.

Your eyes and your smile and your love win over anybody that meets you. You love hugs, smiles, and laughs. I have always loved to get you out of your room in the morning or after a nap because you welcome me with such enthusiasm. A squeal, a smile, a cheer, it is a bright moment in every day. You need to dance like you need to breathe. When I turn on music in the house your body can't help but start moving. I am amazed at your sensitivity of the mood of the piece as you sway to a slow song or stomp to a march. 

And then there is your curiosity. Oh, your curiosity. Opening and exploring any drawer within your reach. Emptying tubes of Desitin ..... all over yourself and the carpet. Unrolling toilet paper and then trying to roll it up again. Coloring on walls, chairs, paper, yourself. Digging through boxes. Jumping off the back of the couch while I am nursing Samuel. Climbing into your his crib when he is supposed to be sleeping and stealing his pacifier. Starting an empty dishwasher, over and over again. The list is endless, just like your energy. There is no doubt that you keep us on our toes.

The only time you stop is when you sleep. Even then, the only way to get you to slow down is with your "binkie and blankie". You pop that binkie in your mouth, lay down on your bed, and soothe yourself to sleep by playing with the ties on your quilt from Grandma. It's amazing how quickly you can fall asleep when you start your bedtime routine. 

It has been a whirlwind couple of years with you, my dear. I can't imagine our family without your exuberance and energy. You are loved, our Anne girl. You are loved to the moon and back.

I am thrilled to have a front seat view to your life because I know without a doubt you are going to do incredible things. I love you, dear, sweet, wonderful two year old. Happy birthday!

William-ese

After a Family Home Evening lesson on the first line of The Family: A Proclamation to the world ----

Brandon: What did you learn tonight, Bud?

William: About marriage.

Brandon: Marriage is ordained of God?

William: Uh huh.

Brandon: Temple marriage is really good.

William: Yep. Don't get married in a house.

Brandon: Getting married is good, but we should get married in the temple.

William ponders this.

Wiiliam: Here's the order from baddest to good. Bad -- to not get married at all. Good-- to get married in a house or somewhere random like that. Temple? The best. High score.

Fotos de Julio

 For the 4th of July we decided to try out the local festivities in our new city. The pancake breakfast was par for the course. Krusteaz pancakes, sausage, under seasoned eggs, sticky store bought syrup, and Tampico juice. We loved it! Haha. No really, I was there and trying to figure out why I love pancake breakfasts like I do .... because the food really isn't that great. It's a nostalgic thing, I guess. I lived in Cheyenne, WY and every July for Frontier Days we would hit up the pancake breakfast. Oh how I looked forward to those pancake breakfasts! And the parades!

 After the parade we walked down the street and found a spot to wait for the parade. It was hot. It was a normal parade. The kids had fun and the candy was fairly limited, which I was grateful for. Past parades we've attended throw sO MuCH CanDy. Bleh. Candy is overrated.

 The afternoon and evening were filled with water fun, a BBQ, and fireworks with some of our favorite people ever. Oh boy do I love all these kids. They won't hold still for a picture, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

 Um, please explain this picture to me. It is amazingly creepy. 

 A week and a half later was our Anne girl's 2nd birthday. Two! Woohoo! Curious George kept both of us sane through the past few months so it was perfectly fitting that the kids decided that would be the theme for our celebrations.

More pictures of the birthday girl to come, but I had to share this darlingness above. These kids are my pride and joy, through and through. I just love them to pieces. Samuel included, even if he was left out of the picture.

 The end of the month brought a much anticipated family reunion for the W clan. My mom and Aunt Marilyn (married to mom's brother) spent hours planning this shindig and they certainly pulled off a good one! We stayed at a lodge 10 miles out of Bear Lake called Beaver Creek Lodge. Family came from Kansas, Texas, California, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho.

Grandma sat and enjoyed watching all the chaos. She was the cause of all of it, after all.  Grandpa and Grandma would have been married for 62 years this year. Well, they have been married for 62 years. Grandpa passed on 11 years ago this month. We sure do miss him. 

My mom, her mother, and her siblings. I love this crazy bunch.