Happy Birthday...

Here are some cute pictures of my mom (and dad), in celebration of

MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY (yesterday)...

I am grateful to have them both up here to help with the kids and the baby...if it ever comes! Thanks for all you do for us mom! Hope we can show you a wonderful Birthday Weekend!!! Let's go get our nails done!!!

All in a Day's Work...

I have to tell ya...what a LONG day!!! For some reason Micah has a reaction to the narcotics they gave him yesterday before his MRI. The nurse told me that within 12-24 hours Micah should be back to his "normal" self. Well...27 hours later and we were still having problems! I have never seen Micah trip and fall as much as he did today. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he has ENORMOUS feet? In addition to him tripping (and face-planting into the arm of the couch), he was super hyper today. Seriously!!! That kid could NOT sit still...for anything! I even asked him to go "cuddle with Grandma and give her Birthday loves"...and he head-butted her in the nose! Sorry mom! Luckily, it's now bedtime and he is comfy under his blanket!

At many points during the day, I laughed at Micah cuz he'd do silly things...and other times I'd get so annoyed. I was really worried about him hurting himself, so...I decided to strap him in his carseat (along with the rest of the crew), and head up the canyon...

I love how close the canyon is! It was so pretty! It was nice to get out for a bit and enjoy the beautiful mountains and colors of fall!

Also today, Bria was eating one of the caramel apples that we made last night, complained that her tooth hurt, and pulled it out ALL BY HERSELF!

Notice the small tooth that's already in? Yeah...it took her so long to get the darn tooth out, that her baby tooth grew in behind it. Braces here we come:o)

Hospitals and Caramel Apples...

Sorry about the lack of posts...but we have been really busy with Micah the last couple days, my parents are now in town, and the kids are on Fall Break. Still no baby, but soon I'm sure. Maybe I really did "jinx" myself:o)

So, Micah has seen 2 more hospitals and his pediatrician in the last 2 days. The sore on his back is not going away...even taking antibiotics for 2 weeks...it's still there. Yesterday I took him to the pediatrician to have a follow-up visit before the baby comes, and she was extremely concerned...mostly because it hasn't gone away in 2 weeks. She sent us over to have ANOTHER ultrasound done at the AF Hospital. Today, Damon took Micah up to Primary's again to meet with a surgeon. He looked at Micah's sore, and basically told Damon that he will operate on it, but since the sore is SO close to the spine, Micah needed an MRI. I couldn't believe it! I was honestly thinking, 'just get rid of the darn thing already'...but...the surgeon said that if they operate and there are spinal nerve endings attaching to the sore, and they remove the sore, there's a good chance that Micah could be paralized. OK...do as many tests as you need to!

Anyways, Micah had an MRI today. They had to sedate him for the procedure. When Damon brought him home, I'd swear that Micah was drunk! He couldn't stand up straight, he slurred his words, he couldn't even sit up on the floor...he'd just fall over. I have to admit, it was extremely hilarious...especially when he would say things like, "Mom, I totally feel like my back is falling off!" At one point, he stood up to throw something in the trash and he crashed right into the cabnet and fell over. At that point, the laughing stopped and I realized how fragile he is right now. They said he'd be like that for a good 12-24 hours! He needs help going to the bathroom, getting upstairs, and even just sitting up to the bar to eat.

We'll keep you posted on him, but for now...his surgery is scheduled for Monday...so please pray for everything to be ok!!!

I figured that tonight was as good as any to make Caramel Apples with the kids. We did this last year at the Davis' house, and thought it would be a wonderful tradition!

First...unwrap 2 million caramels and have my little ones help:o) Can you see how "out-of-it" Micah is? Cute as ever, but out of it!

After melting the caramels, we coated the apples...

Melted some white chocolate...

...covered the apples with it, then sprinkled them with sugar and cinnamon...

Yummers! The only thing I would have done different??? I wouldn't have cooked the caramel as long! I could hardly cut the darn things:o)

I'll update again soon!!!

Prego Update...

Can you believe that I made it to 36 WEEKS!?!? Thanks to everyone (again) who helped me make it this far!!! You're the greatest! Here's what I'm lookin like as of yesterday...

Ok...that picture is deceiving because...it's taken "straight on" so my belly doesn't look as big as it really is. From the side, I pop straight out! Anyways, at my appointment today I was told that I'm at 4cm and 80%. I'm thinkin maybe Wednesday? By thinking that, I've probably jinxed myself:o)

Lovely...

We've been enjoying lovely 30 degree weather today. Here's what we woke up to this morning...

It is WAY too early to cover my tomatoes! What happened to the Fall?

Waiting...

The garage door is fixed...

Micah's infection seems to be clearing up...

Soccer season is over until April...

Our home is pretty much decorated for Fall...

Now all we have to do...is have a baby!!!

Seriously...DUH!!!

Do you remember this post? Seriously, you need to read it! Well, it happened AGAIN TODAY!!! I must be losing my mind! I noticed when I went to put the kids in the car to go to Micah's soccer game, that the garage door wasn't all the way up. And...pregnancy brain went into FULL gear when I backed into the garage door for the THIRD TIME!!! AHHHH! Lucky for me I can still blame stuff like this on the fact that I'm pregnant:o) Thank goodness for our wonderful neighbors, and in-laws that came to our rescue so Micah could play at his game today:o) Thanks again guys!!!

Here's what the door is lookin like...

DUHHHHHH! *Edit: Thanks Bryant and Ron for coming over to fix the mess I made! You guys are great!!!

To top it off, Micah's soccer game was FREEZING! Here's Colton with 2 coats, a hat and a blanket on during the game. Yep, he's in there somewhere! He got so warm and comfy he actually fell asleep...

And here's Micah's team...

Notice the bandaid on Micah's face? Yeah...we think the infection is spreading, even with all the antibiotics he's on! Maybe we need to go see a dermatologist!!!

Ok, I'm done posting! I think 3 in one day is plenty, don't you?!?

Spotlight Week...

Bria brought this poster home from school today. In her class, they spotlight each child the entire week of their birthday! This made Bria feel SO special:o)

We're so grateful to have such a fun, loving, talented little girl in our family! We love you Bria!

A Little Pampering Anyone???

So, you wanna know what I did today while all the kids were at school? I went over to Nordstroms with a $60 gift card I won at Lisa's house on our very last bunco night. Obviously, I wasn't going for clothes. I really just wanted to get some makeup. So, I'm at the counter and this girl approaches me, asking if I needed help...and I tell her that I need help applying eye makeup cuz I'm SO out of the loop...seriously! She got some things out to do my eyes for me, and I just happened to mention that I HATE my eyebrows. Then she asked, "Do you mind if I shape them for you?" Are you kidding me? Go ahead!!! So, I sat at Nordstroms for about an hour being pampered. I had my eyebrows done, my eyes done, and even had a makeup "how to" course...and...when I was about to leave she says, "Next time you come in, find me and I'll give you a facial!" She must have seen that I needed major help:o)

Anyways...I wish I had a "before" picture to show you. My eyebrows were Out Of Control!!! Here's a picture of my eyes & brows when she finished...

You have NO idea how sad I was lookin before...not that my eyes are completely amazing now...but seriously...I was lookin like I had been on bedrest for 3 1/2 weeks or something:o) It was a lot of fun! I should do this everyday!!! Anyone want to come with me next time?

I WON!!!

My friend Lara was doing a really cute Halloween Giveaway for this...

Guess who won??? ME! WOO HOO! My luck has changed! Thanks Lara! Can't wait to see you next week!

Update on Micah...

I took Micah back to see our Pediatrician, and she STILL wanted to send us back up to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake. The reason that seems SO silly to me??? Our Pediatrician is maybe, at MOST, 500 yards from a hospital...yet she wants to send us on an all day adventure up to SLC? I just don't get it! Don't get me wrong...I LOVE our Pediatrician, and I know she's looking out for our best interest, but after our experience yesterday? Really? So, I requested going to the AF Hospital...and...after much thought, she made arrangements for us to see Dr. Sheffield, a surgeon.

So, we got to the hospital and were immediately put in a room. Dr. Sheffield came in, looked at the infection and pressed on it...and Micah didn't even budge! The Dr. was shocked that such an infection wouldn't cause more pain. That a grown man would be crying with the pressure he was applying to the infection. He gave me my options...

1. Basically...Do nothing. Continue giving Micah the antibiotics and watch the infection. If it gets worse, come back.

2. Send him to the OR this evening without 100% knowing what was going on under the skin, sedate him through an IV, make the incision larger and extract the infection. We'd be there all night and the total bill will be around $3000.

3. Have an ultrasound done to determine how large the infection is and go from there.

What would you have done?

Honestly, I just wanted this to all be over with. Normally I would go for option #2...in a heartbeat! Having a surgeon tell me that he wasn't really worried about the infection...I went for option #3. I kind of wanted him to have one done anyways, so why not? They did an ultrasound, and found that the sack of fluid was only 7mm x 7mm. The Dr. said if they went into the OR to extract that small amount of fluid, there's a great chance that they won't be able to pin-point exactly where the fluid is... Long story short (again), I decided to watch it tonight and, if it gets worse, I'll go in tomorrow to see the surgeon.
How frustrating...seriously! Here's what his infection looked like this evening...

Doesn't look too bad until you see it from the side...

If you don't know what you're looking at...the lighter part is Micah's back, and the darker part is the infection. Grossed out yet???
You know what's so wierd? The Dr. told me to give Micah a very warm shower and press around the infection after a good 20 minutes of him being in the shower. So I do this and he starts freaking out in pain! Why is it that everytime a child hurts, they only hurt at home for their mom? Then you get to the doctor (or hospital) and everything seems fine! I don't get it! I hope we're all done with hospitals for awhile!

Poor Micah...

A couple days ago, Micah was complaining that his back was hurting and really itchy. So, we took a peek...and saw what we thought was a spider bite. Fast forward 2 more days, and this "bite" was getting very red, swollen and irritated. I took him into the doctor today and she told me that it is some type of bacterial infection...possibly a Staph infection? Bria just got rid of hers, so I kind of knew what to expect. She said, "I can numb the area, poke it with a needle and get as much of the infection out as I can, like I did with Bria...BUT...I'm worried about it getting even more infected. When the infected area is this large, I normally send the patient to Primary Children's Hospital. I think that's what we need to do." She went on to say that "with an infection this large, it's best that a surgeon cut it open and scoop out everything. There's less of a chance of an infection this way." So, our wonderful Pediatrician called up to Primary's, talked directly to a surgeon, and told us that Dr. Black was expecting us. Here's what his infection looked like just before his ride up to SLC with Damon...

In the first picture, you can see how red his skin is, and how much the infection had already spread!

Damon was telling me how ridiculous the whole process was. They had 3 different doctors look at the infected area...none of which were Dr. Black. The first had NO idea what he was looking at, the second thought it was some type of cyst, and the third verified what our Pediatrician had been saying all along. Super long story short, they had 2 nurses and 2 doctors holding Micah down (he is extremely strong!) so they could inject him with anesthetics. He was screaming the entire time. Then, the doctor cut his back at the "head" of the infection (while the 4 people were still holding him down)...and Micah felt EVERYTHING!!! Poor kid! And...guess what the doctor did? He pushed out as much of the infection as he could, gave Damon 2 perscriptions of antibiotics, and sent them on their way. *edit* Damon just informed me that he thinks the doctor who cut the wound open, and "took care of" Micah was a STUDENT! You have GOT to be kidding me! In addition to this, what is so upsetting to me is...

1. The simple fact that they didn't sedate Micah...and he suffered because of it!

2. Knowing that the doctors at Primary's did exactly what our Pediatrician was trying to avoid doing for fear of a major infection.

3. The drive to and from the hospital...during rush hour on the way back, for no reason.

4. Damon took most of the day off work, for no reason.

5. Micah is in as much pain now as he was before they left...only now...he has a nice cut on his back.

6. Our options are...Take him back up to Primary's tomorrow and try to find Dr. Black, OR...go see our Pediatrician. We're going with the second option.

How unnecessarily frustrating! It's just scary to me how contageous this infection is...especially with a new baby entering the picture! Cross your fingers that it is "over and done with" soon!

Our Conference Weekend...

How did you occupy your kids during Conference??? We just wanted the kids to stay in the Family Room so they could listen to the talks, but all you moms out there know how hard this is! Micah was excited about the Bingo card game that he got to fill up with M&Ms...Colton and Micah enjoyed coloring (for an hour at a time)...

And Bria's obsession was doing my hair:o) It was so relaxing! I thought it was so funny how excited she was about this task, especially cuz my hair is Enormous...even more so right out of the shower:o) Her first attempt was on Saturday (cute huh?), and about halfway through...she brought me this sticker...just made me laugh!

Sunday, I think she felt a little too comfy with her hair supplies...

Normally during Conference, we'll make a really big brunch. It was so yummy today! We had quiche, scones with honey butter, fried rice, potatoes and OJ. Looks fattening, but Mmmmm Mmmmm!

After the last session today, we decided to go up the AF Canyon for our last family pictures before the baby comes.

Here are the kids...

My crazy husband...

Damon with the boys...and me with Bria...

The kids and me...

And a decent family picture... Can you believe the kids all smiled at the camera light flashing until the picture took?!? What great kids!

Hope you had as much fun as we did!

Prego update: I'm officially OFF bedrest today, and...as of Friday...I am 3cm and 70%.

Birthday Celebration...

Birthdays so far this year have been difficult. I came home from Girl's Camp on Colton's birthday, in extreme pain. Poor kid didn't get a party! Then this whole "preterm labor" thing is going on right now, and it's Bria's birthday. So, we decided to skip the parties this year and so far, the kids have liked the idea...plus...it's a LOT easier on me:)

So, for Bria's birthday she told me of a couple families she'd like to spend the day with. Her choices were...Grandma Jenny & Papa Cass, the Davis family, my friend Diane and her family, and my brother's family. Well, the Davis' had a wedding, and my brother's family is super sick...but we got to spend time this evening with these guys...

We watched a movie, had popcorn, sang and had cake and ice cream. Thanks Diane for the cupcakes:)

Her friends even surprised her with her very first Webkin! She was SO excited!!! And...Grandma and Papa surprised her with a hair accessory kit and money to Walmart!

Thanks everyone for coming and for celebrating this special girl with us! We had a lot of fun!!!

And...as requested by the Thackers, here is a picture of Bria with her Barbie...

What a fun birthday:)

Our Little Girl Is 7!!!

We Cannot Believe our little girl is 7!

Last night, Damon and I decorated Bria's room with balloons and streamers. We were extremely tired cuz this little girl doesn't require much sleep, and it was VERY late...but here's what we came up with in a very short amount of time...Trust me, it looked Great!

We had a yummy cinnamon roll breakfast and sang to Bria...

Then the kids all went to school. As soon as Bria got home from school, we played for a minute, then she went to join her brothers at the neighbors. When they got back, Bria opened one of her presents...a Barbie! She was SO excited. She said, "Mom, she's so pretty! This is the prettiest barbie I have EVER seen!!!" I told her, "Daddy bought this barbie because she looks just like YOU!" I got a great smile after that one:)

The boys wanted to take a picture with the Birthday Girl...

We'll be "celebrating" Bria's birthday tomorrow night, but for now I thought I'd share some cute pictures of our little girl...

Here's Damon with Bria just before going home, after her spat with pneumonia at 13 months...

Here are the cute Union Square buddies...Will, Ellie, Libby and Bria.

Bria outside of the Union Square apartments...

My favorite "pool" picture of Bria. She was SO chubby, and LOVED that hat!

Our Favorite Things about Bria...

She is a great helper!

She LOVES to play school with her brothers and teach them how to read.

She is a wonderful student and learns easily.

She is great at making friends.

Her laugh is contageous.

She's very artistic.

She rubs our backs willingly, and is really good at it.

She takes care of us when we don't feel well.

She loves having us tell her stories.

She smiles (while sleeping) when Damon kisses her "goodbye" in the morning.

She is modest and a great example.

When she was born, she seriously looked like a China doll...and to this day is the prettiest little girl we have ever seen!

Happy 7th Birthday Bria! We love you LOTS!!!