alive and achey

The dentist was able to do a filling, prep a crown and pull both wisdom teeth this morning. I think it went really well. I was there for two hours, but spent most of that reading. They numbed both sides of my mouth with so much medication that I felt like I had filled my cheeks with air before the assistant had even emptied the syringe! The dentist came and filled one tooth and created the post for the other tooth in 5-10 minutes. Then there was some waiting and the assistant did the mold for the permenant crown, fit the temporary crown and took xrays of my wisdom teeth before they went in to pull them. The dentist came back and 10 minutes later, both wisdom teeth were out and stitched! So, overall, a very productive morning and not too bad a visit!
The one time I got pretty teary was at the begining when they numbed me. Not because it hurt but because it was much more unpleasant than I remember it being and all I could think about was how awful it must have been for Emily yesterday!!!
I've been home resting all day. Kelly has taken FABULOUS care of things! I don't know what I would have done without him. I am on four medications- one for pain, one for swelling, one antibiotic, and an anti-nausea medicine to help with the side effects of the other three!! I am in definite pain! My teeth, though removed fine, had deep roots and the dentist really had to pull!! So, my whole jaw and cheeks hurt in addition to the tooth sockets. And the medicine has made me extremely dizzy and sleepy. I have spent most the day drifting in and out of sleep. But Kelly has kept me as comfortable as possible and attended to all my needs and most important, all the kids needs. You are wonderful Kelly! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Also, thank you to each of you who called and blogged to see if I needed anything! It was reassuring to know I had help if I just asked. Tonight through tomorrow night are supposed to actually be the hardest. Hopefully, I can continue to take it easy. Angela is coming to help out for the day. Again, thanks for all the well wishes! Things went fine and I am recovering!

pediatric- my foot!

Just a minute to report about this morning: Emily and I left bright and early for our 8:00am dentist's consultation. When we got there, the assistants started to numb her and when I explained what I thought we were there for, I was told, "Knocking out a child is the last resort, first we try." Two hours, three stories, lots of hand holding and hundreds of tears (from both Emily and me!) later- Emily and I left the dentist office having survived two pulbotomies (kinda like a root canal for baby teeth) and three silver crowns!!! The pediatric dentist, who is supposed to have all this fancy training for dealing with kids, basically just did what he had to do to get the work done even if it meant Emily was crying through the whole ordeal. It was an old office, no tv's or gamecubes- just a boom box playing in the corner. Nobody loved or babied Emily, except me. If I didn't know how badly the work needed to be done, I would have caved. But her teeth have been hurting her for over a month now and she was numb and still (even though sobbing!) I thought she wouldn't go back after the last visit (remember the emergency extraction!!) but now I'm sure she'll NEVER want to go back! I told her this was SO much harder than x-rays but she doesn't believe me and they can't do any more work until they have a full set of x-rays to show them what's really going on with her teeth. What to do?

So, I go in the morning to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I'm not worried about the pulling. But the smell of the dentist's office may now be permenantly associated with dental horrors for me and I am praying that I can get past the front desk without collapsing into hysterics. (Yeah, yeah- you can tell where Emily gets her dramatic personality from! YOU try sitting with your baby while she is pinned down, wearing a green rubber dam on her mouth and crying a river!!)

just busy

Family and Friends,
I thought I would give you a brief rundown of my week so if you don't hear from me- you'll know why!! It doesn't include the ever present list of ongoing things to do (such a prepare handout for Women's Conference and clean the bathrooms) but it will give you an idea of what's happening around here. I am trying to read your blogs, comment as much as possible and participate but it may be a rough week for me to get to a post. So, thanks for always being concerned about me. This week, I'm just busy!

MONDAY
9:45 to 11:45 watch Julie's kids (Erin, age 3 and Emily, age 7 months) while she is at Kid's Day in Mrs. Wright's class
11:15am visiting teachers coming
12:06 drop off Soren at school
12:45 to 2:30 help with Kid's Day in Mrs. Wright's class (Julie watch my kids)
dinner, FHE, laundry, prepare for pres. mtg. tomorrow

TUESDAY
8:00am Emily's consultation with pediatric dentist
9:15am drop off girls at school
12:30 drop off Emily at preschool
12:38pm drop off Soren at school
1:00pm Primary Presidency Meeting at my house
2:30pm pick up Emily
3:30pm pick up kids
4:00 to 4:30pm Megan has violin
4:15pm to 5:15pm Kate has piano (group lesson)
dinner, clean downstairs before mtg.

WEDNESDAY
9:00am Jennifer gets wisdom teeth pulled out
I am not going to feel guilty about missing the open house hosted by the general primary presidency. I think this is enough for me today :)

7:00pm bishopric (Kelly)

THURSDAY
preschool and Enrichment birthday dinner

FRIDAY
Kate's book report is due and Kelly's mission reunion in Mapleton

SATURDAY
General Conference

SUNDAY
General Conference and visit Grandma and Grandpa Hot Tub

Looking ahead to next week: Mom arrives Wednesday, bookclub (finish The Known World) on Thursday, two more dentist appts. on Friday, Activity Day's Recognition Program on Saturday and Stake Conference Saturday night and Sunday.

goodbye to spring

Well, we thought spring had finally come. But, really, we knew better! The wind kicked up today and it will bring a snow storm in to our area late tonight! So, while we could, we dropped everything we were doing and headed to the park with our peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and our kites.
I spent the whole morning cleaning my kids rooms (without their help so I could throw out what I wanted to!!) I wasn't going to go to the park even though my kids were all excited for a picnic! But I have been thinking the last few days what a fun mom Kristi is and I decided- I want to be a fun mom too! So, I left the beds pulled out, the vaccum plugged in, and the dust rag on the dresser! And I ran to catch up to my cute family!
I am so glad I went- we had such a good time!! The cheap WalMart kites flew great! There were several other families there flying kites too. It felt SO wonderful to run around in the fresh air and just enjoy playing together. When we are at home, I always have "other" things to do than play with my kids. Today, for a couple of glorious hours, I interacted with my kids and laughed with my kids... When we got home, it was back to the normal screaming because they don't listen to anything I say. But I am so grateful for the time we got to spend together this afternoon, for the wind to blow our kites, for the sun that coaxed us outside, and for my children who shared their enthusiasm for a simple picnic!

spring is in the AIR

I just want to say- I LOVE the first warm spring day that I can open my windows! Spring is literally in the air! And the cool, fresh, clean air that replaces the stagnant, germ infested pollution we've developed all winter is SO wonderful! That's all. I am so totally enjoying the spring air!

trade offs

Well, this is what I have been doing for the last 2 days. I have not done any housework, laundry, primary stuff, cooking... actually, I did wash 3 loads of laundry- but I didn't fold them or put them away! and I did pick up the downstairs since our home teachers came over last night- but that never lasts more than 15 minutes and needs to be done again. So, I haven't been a total slacker- but I do feel seriously behind in all things I am responsible for! I love to scrapbook but I don't do it very often so I am terribly slow and the results don't always seem worth the repercussions of spending my time in the craft room instead of elsewhere! But, it feels good to have finished a page, especially an Ethan page (poor fifth child!). It was fun to play with my papers and sewing machine! And I'm very proud of my accordian book held closed with a rubber band and eye hook! So, maybe I'll just keep trying and I will get to be faster. Then I could fold the laundry too! (Sorry about the weird shadows, I'm still learning how to stitch and my scanner won't scan 12 inches long even though the table is that long! I just spent 2 days making the page, you'll have to live with the shadows for now!)

Fellow scrapbookers- I love enlargements but I am feeling extremely frustrated by the time it takes to preplan the page!!!, find the negative, drop it off at a photo shop, and go back for it an hour or a day later! Do you use many enlargements and what helps you work through that process?

grATTITUDE

My aunt asked me to participate in the Sharing Stations at Women's Conference this year. I decided on the topic of gratitude. So, as I try to organize thoughts and ideas, I am wondering what all of you smart, funny, creative, busy women who graciously work your way through many different trials do to show thanks or to remember what you are thanful for! Please share!!

I'm still here

If I go a day without blogging, I get emails and phone calls from sweet friends and family who are checking on me. So, I don't want to go too long without a blog because I'm just fine- thank you!!
I get hung up on not having a picture to go with my blog when really, if this is my substitute for a journal, I should just write what went on for the day. So-

Today, Kate and Soren went to the dentist again. Kate had a pulbotomy and now has a silver tooth. Soren's tooth was so badly infected they had to pull it. The catch- infections are acidic and make the anesthetic not work. He was in tons of PAIN!! (They negelected to tell me this with Emily who really was in pain then when her infected tooth was pulled last week!) But he was also a trooper and they got the tooth out. Then we spent the rest of our morning at Target trying to work out our insurance so I could get his prescription filled. After more than an hour, with three kids including swollen and miserable Soren, I finally paid the cash price and will have to get reimbursed. Insurance is so stupid!

The one saving grace- I found some way cute stuff!! I found the Real Simple index card wheel (as seen on Amy Maher's blog a couple days ago). I found the deck of monogram cards in pink and brown. I found the cute notebooks with tabs in hot pink. And I found velvet stickers. Soren found a Mace Windu lightsaber and Emily and Ethan got treats! So, despite a long time waiting around, we left happy with our Target visit! (Don't get me started on Target.com though! They totally wasted my day yesterday and I am still raving mad at them!)

Emily is at school for another half hour, Ethan is sleeping and Soren is resting on the couch... I think I'll go play in my craft room now. Even though I should totally be doing the dishes!!

marriage and family

I love talking with Angela and Micah. They are wise beyond their years! They have to speak in Sacrament Meeting today about faith in marriage and marriage as the crowning ordinance of the gospel. Tough, huh! I know they will do a great job! We talked about their topics for a while last night and although I didn't have much insight, just the act of talking about it with them has made me really think. After all my thinking, I still don't have anything inspired or profound to say. But I feel more strongly today that marriage is truly important. I also have a renewed hope in the blessings that will come from marriage, and a greater desire to work at my own marriage. My responsbilities and activities are numerous and I could not accomplish as much as I do without Kelly. He is a supportive and caring husband. Today I am so grateful for him! I adore my children today and want so desperately to teach them what is right so they can be happy and so we can be together in the eternities. My children are one of the greatest joys that have resulted from my marriage.

I am writing this because most days I forget all this. Daily life drags me down. Maybe I can read this later and remember how lucky I feel today to be married with five children. I can remember that the trials associated with marriage and family will benefit me and help me grow. I can remember that I had faith in the blessings that are promised those who keep their marriage covenants.

Thanks Angela and Micah for sharing, inquiring and talking with us! We have learned and benefitted so much from you!

missing minutes

I have a whole heck of a lot to do today. Even though I went to bed after 1:00am last night, I got up with Ethan just after 7:00am and got to work! The morning was really productive and around 11:00am I was feeling really good about myself and my progress. Well, now it is 1:00pm! Where did I lose TWO HOURS!??! I am not feeling quite so good about the amount of work still left to do and I am extremely agitated that somehow, while still trying to push on through my list, two hours have passed! It isn't right and yet it happens EVERY time I have a lot to do- it's this terrible time vortex that gives false hope of all that I can accomplish but then beats me down by stealing precious minutes, or hours... Wouldn't it be nice if someday all those stolen minutes were returned and then I could actually finish my "to do list" or use the time to kick up my feet and read a book! Wishful thinking!

upstairs/downstairs

I don't know about you, but I can only be in one place at any given time. So, if I am upstairs cleaning, I can not be downstairs. If I am downstairs working, I can not be upstairs. The problem with this arrangement is that my kids tend to choose the floor that I am not on and proceed with creating total chaos in their location at the same time I am trying to clean up the last chaotic incident. For example: I was upstairs folding laundry the other morning. I made great progress and decided to come down for a bite to eat. What I found as I came down the stairs was a huge pile of couch cushions and several blankets turned into a fort. I rolled my eyes, grabbed a slim-fast from the fridge and went to work, putting the cushions back on the couch. I know I should have told the kids to do it, but they had already made it upstairs and I was enjoying the quiet downstairs while I considered what job to do next. I checked my email, grabbed some dirty towels and headed upstairs to change the laundry. When looking for any other towels that needed to be washed, I discovered the bathroom sink full of water with cups and toys all around!

This is how every day goes for me. I work on a job upstairs while a mess is made downstairs. I clean up the mess downstairs while a new mess is being made upstairs. Downstairs. Upstairs. Downstairs. Upstairs. All day long! I think I need a front door for both the upstairs and the downstairs, so when people come over, they can come to the floor that I have been cleaning instead of the one residing in caos!

What I really find myself wondering is- will I ever miss this? When my kids are grown and gone will I being saying, "Thank heavens! I was so tired of cleaning up their mess!" or will I find myself with so little to do that I miss my kids like crazy and long for these crazy, chaotic days when no matter how hard I try, I can't ever clean my whole house? The next time I am cleaning toothpaste off the walls, I will try to enjoy the delightful proof of curious, creative, and wonderful children who fill our home with laughter before looking ahead to the glorious day when my walls will stay clean for more than 5 mintues!

Happy Birthday Michelle!

I will be thinking of my amazing, talented, stylish and creative friend Michelle all day today because it is her birthday! She deserves a wonderful birthday and I hope it is full of cake, many surprises, cake, lots of birthday wishes, cake, tons of fun and more cake!! Happy Birthday Michelle! I am celebrating you today!! I am so blessed to have you as my friend!

did you know I have five kids?

I was thinking earlier, as I wrote again about that funny, happy, active little boy that I adore... I have four other kids. Have I mentioned them on my blog? Do people reading this believe I have five kids or do they think I just have Ethan who keeps me as busy as having five kids?! Ethan is home with me all day and simply demands more time than my other children (and often he demands what should be the other children's time!) so I talk about him often. But I don't want my other children to think I don't have things to say about them! I scanned my entries and sure enough, I am missing one! Kate had a birthday and a piano recital. Soren built the coolest science lab out of legos and of course we'll never forget when he called 911! Emily is here often as our resident drama queen. But Megan is unrepresented. So this blog is dedicated to Megan, my second born, the mother hen, our best helper, and an all around great girl!
She and I have our differences (even at 7, they often involve clothing choices!) but I can't imagine our family without her!

Megan is a loyal friend.
Megan has a very tender heart- for example, she cried for a good 15 minutes when Superman was sent away by his parents to save his life!
Megan loves to make people laugh. She is super silly and can get the best belly laugh out of Ethan!
Megan has worked hard to become a great reader.
Megan has a sweet and sincere testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I love you Megan! I am so glad you are a part of our big and crazy family!!

over already?

I always have such grand plans for a weekend. But here it is Monday again! And instead of accomplishing many tasks while Kelly was home to help- the weekend is gone, Kelly is at work, and I have already lost half a day trying to reorganize my three lists of things to do! Are your lives busy? Why is mine so busy? Jill would tell me "you have FIVE kids" but other people have more than that! Am I wasting more time than I realize?
The time stealer in my house is Ethan- that boy just does not stop! If I am not holding him, being pulled by him or feeding him- then I am cleaning up after him! I need to add Ethan to my list of things to do and then I could cross off so much! Hold Ethan when he first wakes up. Check. Change the movie in the xbox for Ethan. Check. Check. Check. Feed Ethan breakfast. Check. Change Ethan's diaper. Check. Check. Clean up the garbage can Ethan dumped in the craft room. Check. Hold Ethan while he drinks his bottle. Check. Lay Ethan down for a nap while trying not to laugh too loud at his fake snoring sounds! Check. Now RUN, RUN, RUN! If I'm lucky, I'll have an hour and half before he wakes up!
I did get some cleaning up done, but as I type this blog, I hear thumping above me. Ethan is awake and needs me. Can I say that again before I go? Ethan NEEDS me! I guess it doesn't really matter that life is busy and I always have so much to do. Because the cutest, funniest little boy you'll even know is calling my name and wants ME to take care of him! That's something- isn't it!

many THANKS

It would be SO ungrateful of me not to write a blog of thanks to Jill and Angela (and Micah!) for all they did to help me get through this week! Three dentist appointments, a doctor's visit, Kelly's car repairs... I needed lots of help with my kids! Jill volunteered for multiple days even though she was already watching Michelle's kids! Angela spent the night at my house on Wednesday so I could leave first thing Thursday morning- her first night away from Micah since they were married! I could NOT have done what I needed to this week with out your help! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I can not say it enough! I will have to add to my happy list- a good support system of amazing friends who keep me afloat!

Dentist Drama

This week we have made three trips to the dentist. Kelly took Kate and Soren on Tuesday morning. I went on Wednesday morning. Then I took Megan and Emily Friday morning (today). Most my kids are real troopers! I hope I have told them how great they are for sitting in that big chair and trusting total strangers to stick sharp objects in their mouths!
I have one child though, that HATES the dentist! Today was Emily's third time at the dentist and she has yet to cooperate for an x-ray. She won't open her mouth for the assistant to clean her teeth or even to let the dentist check her teeth unless she has been handsomely bribed and then, she still only opens part way!
Today, we may not have gotten x-rays, but somehow (mostly a lot of prayer!) we got her infected and decaying tooth pulled out! They put her on some funny gas and she relaxed enough to actually open her mouth for the dentist. He was GREAT and so kind and careful as he gave her the numbing medicine. He worked slowly and even though she started crying when he started pulling, he got that tooth out and now she is home and hungry and proud of herself! She should be! For a girl who won't open her mouth, she did a really hard thing today! I had to step out at one point so she would not see my tears as I thought of how scared and helpless she looked with the gas mask on her face. Her eyes were watery and she kept telling me how tired she felt. It was so sad and yet I knew we had to take care of her tooth.
Unfortunately, she does not feel courageous enough to go back for the cap and fillings my little sweet tooth needs. We have to visit a pediatric dentist to see about having her completely sedated while they do ALL the dental work. We don't know if we can afford it, but it would be worth just about anything to save me the heart break, drama, and exhaustion of taking this little girl to the dentist!
This photo is of Kate and our old dentist, who committed suicide (scary, I know!) but Emily did not want her picture taken today because she looked "too weird" and didn't want anyone to laugh at her.

What did you do to my arm?

We have paid our dues. For one whole month we have taken all the abuse Ethan could dish out with his big blue cast. We have nursed bruises, goose eggs, scratches, sore heads and backs... we have endured the rancid smell of his trapped and sweaty palms... we have listened to the cries of frustration as he wears a plastic sack in the bath. We are SO excited for his cast to come off!!

Kelly and I took Ethan to the doctor's office on Thursday morning. He ran around laughing, only fussing because the room was too small to run in. We took him to the "cast room" and the doctor started up the saw which sounds a lot like the vaccum. Ethan watched with interest. They cracked the cast and pulled it off and we waited for Ethan to jump for joy that his arm was free at last! Instead, he cried for the first time all morning and when they handed the cast to him, he tried to put it back on his arm. It has become such a part of him, I think he really was sad to have it off! (Not us!)

It has been interesting to watch him as he figures out all he can do with his freed right hand. After two days, he still favors the left one. He pinches things with the tips of his fingers like he did when all he had was tips sticking out of the cast. His whole arm moves when he gives you five or reaches for something. And he lets his right arm hang a lot. I know it won't take long before he uses his right arm normally, but it is a sweet reminder of his month long imprisonment and the amazing things our bodies can do!

Our Little Beethoven

Kate had her first piano recital last Saturday. She played on this $90,000 grand piano in the recital hall at the Piano Gallery in Draper. She was a star!! Or at least, we thought so! Most the kids slumped, mumbled and sulked. Not Kate. She walked tall, spoke loudly and clearly in the microphone to introduce her piece and her posture was gorgeous sitting at the piano! She also played her pieces really well! She memorized Big Black Cat and did a duet of Old Macdonald Had a Farm with her teacher. Kate has been saying piano is too hard, she has to actually read the music now instead of reading finger 3, 2, 1. But I hope she sticks with it because one, I wish all the time that I could play and two, she just looks so gorgeous and refined and grown up sitting at the piano!! Good Job Kate!

my journey begins...

My photography class ended last night. Over the course of four weeks we discussed aperature, shutter speed, ISO, composition, lighting, portfolios, and more. It has been too long since I was a student because I just couldn't keep up! And I feel like I understand the theories but putting them into practice has proved much more difficult! My teacher said a professional only shows their best work and an amateur shows all their work. So, I am showing you my best shots but take comfort in the fact that there are 12 rolls of blurry pictures to accompany these!!









I had to take a picture or series of pictures that showed the idea of time (past, present and future). One gal took a picture of cookie dough, cookies on a plate, and an empty plate. Another gal dressed up her roommate in who knows what- it was really weird! I am pretty proud of my idea: this is Soren in the middle with his old baby shoe (now Ethan's) on one side and his Dad's shoe on the other.


We learned about leading lines and as I looked through my pictures, I decided I must really like diagonal leading lines because I had a lot of them! I don't understand how C/S/Z curves work, although I could identify them. And I had some trouble finding vertical lines in my underdeveloped neighborhood. But it is something I find myself thinking about now when I look through my lens!


I was most frustrated and am also most excited about changing my depth of field. This was my experiment in which Megan, who is supposed to out of focus (but not washed out- dang it!) is playing her violin which is in focus. I got high praise from my teacher for this one even though it didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped!

Overall, it was definately worth taking the class! My teacher said he has 25 years and thousands of pictures worth of experiece, my journey has just begun. That totally frustrates me but I still plan on moving forward! I'll see you through my camera lens!

February Birthdays

We celebrated our family's February birthdays on Sunday evening. That included Ben (February 20th), Kate (February 23rd) and Kelly (February 26th). It is always fun for me to get together with my family so, it was great to have Ben and Melissa, Angela and Micah, and Nate all join us! For dinner we had burritos with Cafe Rio Pork (thanks for sharing the recipe Amy!), fruit salad (thanks Angela!) and spinach salad (thanks Melissa!) followed by strawberry shortcake for dessert! We exchanged presents, played a couple games and caught up on all that's happening. It was a really nice night and it made me think how happy I am that I live near family! I hope that never changes!

love of books...

The love of learning,
the sequestered nooks,
and all the sweet serenity of books.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It is funny that my sister, Elizabeth, made reference to being a reader because of the mother she has when I attribute so much of my love for reading and learning to my dad! I remember being so impressed that he had read Mormon Doctorine by Bruce R. McConkie from cover to cover. He always gave him self books to open for Christmas and birthdays. I can still picture my dad in every house we lived in, reading a book. And every house had bookshelves full of books! I think of my dad when I read this quote by Anna Quindlen:
I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.
Reading was so much a part of my growing up.

I loved reading too, until about 4th or 5th grade. It was at this time I realized that the kids at school were not really complimenting me on my great reading skills (I would go to an older classroom for math and reading) but were making fun of me! And my brother, Ben, who is 14 months younger than me, was reading books harder than me and reading them faster than me. Because my dad always had a book, he seemed to read fast too. (It wasn't until much later in life that I learned my dad isn't a fast reader, just a constant reader!) So, I gave up reading. (You can weep if you want, it really is sad!) I think I still loved books. I just didn't love reading because I didn't think I was a good reader. It sounds stupid, I know! Especially since I was in accelerated English my whole school career, except when I got kicked out for 11th grade English because I didn't read any of the books the year before! But then I got put back in because I was "too smart to be with regular students" (thanks Mrs. Beachem).

What brought me back to reading? Children's Lit at BYU! I had a teacher who LOVED reading and she never had enough time to talk about all the books she loved. Well, by the end of the semester, I loved reading too! And I had a lot of catching up to do!

It is hard for me to find time to read right now. I carry a book with me everywhere I go in hopes of sneaking in a few pages but little kids demand a lot and I just don't get to read as much as I'd like! My mom was always busy with kids too and maybe that is why I don't think of her first when I think of people who taught me to love reading. But she is a reader and a learner and I love to talk with her about books! I am SO grateful (and lucky!) to have had BOTH parents value reading, learning, and education. I am so grateful that I learned to read because it has made a difference in the quality of my life. I am also grateful to the teachers who reminded me how wonderful reading can be and to my friends who keep me reading when life says I'm too busy for such luxury! I have assembled many more bookshelves as an adult, so, dad, I hope you feel content!

When was the last time you picked up a book? Today would be a good time to start!

This nice and subtle happiness of reading,
this joy not chilled by age,
this polite and unpunished vice,
this selfish, serene, life-long intoxication.
Logan Pearsall Smith