Take 'Em Out, Take 'Em Out, Take 'Em Out.... REMOVED 'EM!

Well, today was the day... The day the staples were removed from mom's war wound knee. Last year when she had the first knee done, the kids and I went with her to the appointment so we could watch. Today only Little A had the privilege (It IS a privilege to watch staples be removed, right???) of going to the appointment (Well... And Grandpa of course) because the appointment was in the morning and Big A and I had prior commitments (STUPID WORK AND SCHOOL!).

Let the torture begin! (Okay, kidding! She said it didn't hurt that bad!)

Notice that Little A is holding Grandma's hand so that Grandma will be brave?

ALL DONE!

Bandaged up and ready to go!

After the appointment Grandma and Grandpa surprised Little A by inviting me to eat lunch with them at a local cafe. I walked in while she and Grandma were deep in conversation and when she looked up she had the most bewildered look on her face (She was about as surprised as I was when I found out that Mom was out and about walking up right on her two new knees without so much as a cane!). "HEY! I didn't know YOU were going to be here!" Too cute!

After lunch I went back to work and Grandma and Grandpa dropped Little A off at home so that Grandma could get home in time for her play date with Grandma Jeri. Have fun, girls! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!

A Day On The Farm

On Sunday the kids and I went to Grandma and Grandpa's so that I could fix dinner for them while Grandma continues to recover. The kids played outside for two hours but they had absolutely NO fun!

They certainly did NOT climb and play on Mount Double A with Wyatt and Summer or climb trees in the secret spot or play in the sandbox or go for a ride in the gator...

And of course...

They came inside at dinner time...

Absolutely clean as a whistle!!

HA! YEAH RIGHT! I mean really.... Would YOU come in clean after roaming free on three acres? Yeah, I didn't think so!

Just A Couple Of Cute Stories....

Last night Big A sat down at the table to do his homework. He's like a homework machine! Once he starts, he doesn't want to stop. His homework is due on Fridays and the last two weeks he's turned it in on Wednesday. I only hope that this enthusiasm will last!

This dot-to-dot was the last page of the homework packet. Big A finished it and examined his work.


"Good job! What is it?"

He studied it a few seconds more and said, "OH! A FLYING SQUIRREL!"

________________________________

While Big A was doing his homework, Little A insisted on doing hers as well. Now let's just get this straight, Little A does not HAVE homework, but she feels important if she does, so we bought some practice books for her and she works on them while Big A does his homework.

I looked up while she was doing her work to find her...

TWIRLING HER HAIR!!!

I've NEVER seen her do this before and asked, "Why are you doing that?"

"I can do it because Grandpa does it all the time!"

Come to find out, I guess she does it all the time when she's at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Little A, for a lesson on what happens when you twirl your hair, please talk to Mal! :)

Happy Anniversary, B!

Seven years ago today I married my best friend.

How do I begin to tell you how lucky I am

to have you in my life?

I'll start by saying what an honor it is

for me to be your wife.

You're my best friend in the good times

and my rock in times of sorrow.

You're the reason for sweet yesterdays

and my promise for tomorrow.

I never thought I could feel this loved

until I became your wife.

You made this year and every year

the best one of my life.

I Love You, B!

We've come a long way, Baby!

What's A Billion?

Someone sent this to me the other day and it is too good not to share! ENJOY!!

How many zeros in a billion? The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of it's releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C.A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes ago at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain let's take a look at New Orleans... It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division. Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking Congress for 250 BILLION DOLLARS to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number... What does it mean?

A. If you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, and child) you each get $516,528.

B. If you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787.

C. If you are a family of four your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D. C. HELLO! Are all your calculators broken??

Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties(tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

(And to think, we left British Rule to avoid so many taxes...)

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, we had the largest middle class in the world, and Moms stayed home to raise the kids. What happened? Can you say, 'POLITICIANS!' And I still have to Press '1' For English.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

B and I celebrated our anniversary a couple of days early at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in San Francisco. Neither of us had ever been there before, but we had received a gift card to the restaurant for Christmas and figured this was the PERFECT opportunity to use it!

B had made reservations and when he did, he told them we were celebrating our anniversary. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome and celebrated, from the rose petals on the table to the no charge upgrades to our meals.


Thanks to a suggestion from our waiter, Josh, we decided to stick with the more 'budget friendly' way of ordering from RC's menu which still allows you to upgrade your side dish and dessert choices for a nominal fee. Basically you get the same things you'd order off the regular menu (it's all ala carte) but for a little bit less money. Good idea, Josh... Thanks!

We each started with the lettuce wedge and followed it up with 16 ounce ribeyes. For sides we had hash browns (yes, I said hash browns, and they were YUMMY!) and spinach au gratin and for dessert B had bread pudding with whiskey sauce and I had creme brulee with fresh berries. The food was awesome and we were STUFFED when we left there.

This is not a place we'll be able to come to regularly, but I told B he could bring me back for my 50th birthday. He says maybe our 10th anniversary.

Thanks, Ruth's Chris! You'll come HIGHLY recommended to our family and friends!

Oregon Trail

Do you remember The Oregon Trail? You know, the one where you move your family and your wagon across the United States from Independence, Missouri to Oregon without killing them? We used to play it in elementary school in the computer lab on the old Apple IIE computers in black and green. Come on, I know you know what I'm talking about!

Well guess what.... They have an APP for that! Yep! They have an Oregon Trail app for the iPhone/iPod! It's pretty fun, and JUST like I remember it.

I downloaded the app before we left for the cabin and played all the way through while we were driving. Guess what? I successfully moved my family and my wagon across the country! Sure, we got dysentery, Big A was carried away by eagles (twice), the baby kept breaking her arm, we kept losing Little A, etc., but in the end we all survived, and boy did it bring back memories!

So what do you say? Download it today and see for yourself!

Princess Little A (And A Brief Mom Update)

How does Princess Little A get ready for her day?

Step 1 - Put on your lipstick...

Step 2 - Don't forget to BLOT! That ought to do it!

Step 3 - Show off that BEAUTIFUL smile!

Step 4 - Brush 100 strokes per day...

And THAT, my friends, is how a princess prepares for the day!

And a brief update on the patient.... She's home and doing well but is still somewhat nauseous. She did get up today and wash her hair in the sink which I'm sure felt REALLY good. The home nurse came today and will be coming every Monday and Thursday for two weeks to check up on the wound and to do Coumadin blood draws. The physical therapist will start coming to the house on Saturday. She will also come for two weeks after which Mom will begin PT at an outpatient facility.

Mom Update - Wednesday (SHE'S HOME!!)

Today started off.... Not so good.

I arrived at the hospital around elven in the morning and dad was already there (But getting ready to leave because remember... He's not good at sitting still.). Mom was awake but feeling AWFUL. She was nauseous, having a LOT of pain, and just generally feeling BLAH! She had declined a walk with the physical therapist that morning, said no to being put on the CPM machine and could hardly move without feeling like she was going to be sick. She was feeling so blah in fact, that she was contemplating staying an extra night and anyone who knows her knows that is NOT her style.

To make a long back and forth story short, she finally decided to take a pain pill and some anti-nausea medicine, walk with the therapist, and be discharged. After taking the anti-nausea medicine she perked up quite a bit and was fairly alert during the whole discharge process (Anyone whose ever been hospitalized knows what that is like!). We found out about her medications, diet, exercise, follow-up appointments, wound care etc. and then I busted her out of there! Okay, truth be told a nice man pushed her out in a wheelchair, but I like my story better!

*WARNING - You MAY not like these pictures*

Here they are doing a dressing change before we left. The dressing they put on following the surgery is HUGE and when she leaves she leaves with hardly anything. Last year when they did the first knee it kind of freaked me out, but this time it was no big deal.

Oh! Another nice thing about a private room with a bed by the window is that you can watch the helicopter land and take off! Okay... So maybe it's not so nice for the person in the chopper, but it's sure cool for those of us on the inside!

We arrived at the house around six and I spent the next four hours getting mom settled in what has become her new room, otherwise known as the living room. I made her a bed, made sure all necessary items were within her reach and got her comfortable. The CPM machine rep came and brought her machine, some wonderful friends brought an awesome meal and B brought the kids over for more snuggles.

As much pain as mom was in this morning, and as awful as she felt, I think she was happy to be home and I KNOW we're happy to have her there!

Mom Update - Tuesday

Today was a GREAT day.


Dad and I arrived at the hospital around 10:30 to find mom alert in good spirits despite the fact that she'd not slept much the night before. She was disconnected from all tubes and machines and she'd already walked up and down the hall and back. We sat and chatted with her while a continuous stream of nurses, care partners, nursing students, therapists and various planners, coordinators and liaisons (discharge, home health, joint replacement, blah blah blah) came and went.

Dad's not very good at 'sitting still', so he only stayed about an hour before heading home to work on his 'projects' and I took up my post in the chair next to mom's bed where I read, talked to the people who came into the room, and tried to rest when she rested.

The day passed much like the morning with more people coming in and out, another trip up the hall with the physical therapist (this time she went all the way to the physical therapy room where she climbed up 3 steps and down 3 steps and then repeated it before heading back to her room) and two hours on the CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) machine. My dad returned just after five, and just in time to help us gather all of mom's belongings for the move to a private room by the window. NICE! This new room made it much easier for all of us to be in visiting with her because we didn't have to worry about disturbing the woman in the next bed.

Brian and the kids arrived around six for a date with Grandpa at the hospital cafeteria (strange, I know, but the cafeteria has pretty good food!) and tons of snuggles with Grandma which I'm sure help the healing process immensely!

Before we knew it the time had come for us to head home. Dad always stays around for a couple of hours in the evening to have some quality TV time with mom (more like watch TV while she dozes) so I left him in charge of my comfy chair, kissed mom goodnight, and we were off.

Hopefully she'll come home tomorrow!

A Brand New Knee

Today my mom got a new knee... Wait, make that ANOTHER new knee. A few months from now she should be out running a marathon!

We arrived at the hospital at 8:00am and she was wheeled into surgery at 10:00am. My dad and I enjoyed a good conversation over a cup of coffee on the beautiful outdoor patio and then returned to the waiting room to wait for the word that mom was out of surgery.

We got back JUST in time. We hadn't been sitting more than ten minutes when her doctor came and informed us that the surgery was over and that it had gone perfectly. We joked and chatted with him for a few minutes before returning to our spot on the patio to eat lunch.

After lunch we went back to the waiting room and read and chatted with people awaiting news regarding the conditions of their loved ones. It's always interesting to me (And maybe it's because I'm nosy... You know... I like to chase ambulances and stare at accident scenes, too!) to hear other peoples' stories. Today we met a woman whose husband was a retired civil engineer who was having a hernia removed, a family waiting for their father/husband to have bypass surgery and a woman who was walking along, took one misstep and fell and broke her shoulder.

When an hour and a half had passed with no word on mom's condition and where she was being moved to, my dad started asking questions. Immediately we were directed to a room in a different wing of the hospital and she was already there and awake and alert.

I spent the next few hours keeping her company and trying to visit with her while she dozed and chatted and dozed and chatted and dad went to Costco to get the tire on their car repaired.

Dad came back just minutes before B and the kids came for their nightly visit and boy was Grandma happy to see her grandkids! You KNOW she was happy (and drugged) if she let me post these pictures and blog about today's adventure!

The kids didn't hesitate to climb right into bed with her for some snuggles and to eat half of her dinner for her!

And she even let me take pictures of the new knee (not that you can see much!).

I left her when it was time for the kids to leave, as I'd been there all day, she was resting peacefully and I thought she'd enjoy visiting with my dad for awhile (or he'd enjoy quiet time with her!).

If you're all not too squeamish, perhaps I'll take more pictures over the next couple of weeks as the bandages come off and the staples come out! You never know!

Anyhow... Thank you to all of you who were praying today and please continue to pray for a speedy recovery!

Do You See What I See?

Big A wrote his FIRST note today. Can you read it? I'll give you just a SMALL hint...

The fourth line is actually two separate words.

So? Did you figure it out?

The picture is of the "IDIT" who let B through but then made us stop (even though we were RIGHT behind B and there were NO cars coming behind us) so the Lowe's truck (also pictured) could pull out of a driveway.

Now do you get it?

What's Up With Little A?

Good question! If anyone knows, please clue me in!

It amazes me how she can go from this....


To this...


In less than sixty seconds!

Little A has been going through a separation anxiety phase lately. It started a couple of months ago with her asking me every night if I was going to work the next day. As soon as I told her I was, the tears would start. It has now grown into crying ALL the time (But only with me and daddy... She's an ANGEL for Grandma.) and never wanting to leave us. The girl won't even go upstairs by herself at night without a fight. I love her to death, but it's driving me NUTS!

I think part of it has to do with my 4 10s schedule and the fact that I don't see the kids much at night, and of course that makes me feel guilty, but I'm still loving my Mondays off and taking the kids to school, picking them up, etc. It's been a busy time of year with soccer, school starting, and meetings, so hopefully we'll eventually find a routine and be able to stick with it. Perhaps a good, solid routine will help the situation.

In the meantime, wish me luck! I know being cranky with her makes the situation worse, but I also don't want to cater to her meltdowns for fear that it will become a learned behavior and will never stop. *SIGH* It's tough being a mom!

A Big Day In Big A's Life!

Whew! What a day!

Today Big A completed his FIRST school project...

This is a book box that will be used to hold all of the little books he makes in school this year. The assignment was to get a shoe box and cover it with paper of some type (comics, wrapping paper, etc.) and then decorate it. Big A chose to use tissue paper squares with glue and water. He decorated each side different; 1 space, 1 tractors, 1 with "Big A's Book Box" and two with different transformers. He was SO proud of the finished product and I have to admit (although I MAY be just a WEE big biased) that it looked AWESOME!

Today Big A received his first homework packed (and finished almost all of it!)...

Today Big A realized that his first 'big tooth' is already coming in without having lost the baby tooth yet (although it IS loose)...

WHEW! What a day!