Hobbs World Travelers

And the Award for Most Insensitive Parent Goes To...

2011-08-31T22:20:00.000-06:00

When I picked Madison up from school yesterday she was crying. Like any good mom would do, I immediately ran through all of the horrible things I would do to the person who made my kid cry.

*Chase down kid, intimidate!*
*Find out where kid lives, call parent!*
*Tell kid's teacher, get kid in detention!!!*

I asked her what happened, and she told me that she hated her new school, she missed all of her friends, she didn't know any of the teachers, and she wanted to go back to her old school so she could walk to school and see her friends.

Uh, oh.

A little background. Since Madi was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, school has been a challenge. She was diagnosed a couple of weeks before Christmas, and her teacher did not have any experience with what happens to a kid when their blood sugar is really high or very low. I had been getting letters sent home regarding her behavior, and even though the teacher had been told she should have unlimited access to the bathroom, there were written complaints regarding her excessive usage of said facility. Her confidence in school had plummeted, and I was struggling to decifer the ins and outs of a 504 plan written by the school for their convenience, rather than for Madison's protection and education. There was frustrated phone call after frustrated phone call, and both the office staff and myself were at the end of our ability to cope. Our district is tiny, and as a result we do not have individual school nurses. Because of this, the secretary at her school was delegated the responsible party for her management at school. The secretary did not have experience with this disease, so was rationally a bit afraid. She was the one who had to administer shots in the beginning, until Madison was comfortable doing it herself.

Because of the fear of the staff, combined with my frustration at not being allowed to manage her diabetes the way I felt it should be managed, we hit a breaking point near the end of the school year. Madison was no longer communicating with the teacher or the staff, even leaving her meter home for an entire day without telling anyone. It was a mess. She was intimidated, I was frustrated and scared, and the school had shut down communication.

I knew something had to change, so I did what I felt was the best thing for my little girl. I got her transferred to another elementary school in town. Yes, it would be inconvenient to drive her every day, but what is more inconvenient than a hospitalized 9 year old with complications from diabetes? Sure I would have to start over with the staff and teachers, but I felt like my year and a half of experience would help guide me in the right direction with the new school. I had thought of everything.

Except...I hadn't. And here is where I will be awarded the Most Insensitive Parent of the Year Award. I honestly never considered what Madison would think of moving to a different school. Yes, I thought that it would be easier for Madi to talk to a group of adults she wasn't already intimidated by. I knew it would be better for her to have the benefit of the staff not having a preconceived idea of who they thought my daughter was. But I didn't stop to think that I was moving her to another school, away from 4 years of friendships and memories. I didn't look back at my own move in the 5th grade to a new school and remember how hard it was to leave my friends and the routines I was familiar with to be the new girl in school. I remember it being not so great. I remember never making friends in elementary school quite like the ones I had back at my old school.

In fact I never asked Madison what she thought about it, at all. Not even to reassure her that the new school would be great. I just went about my agenda, making her life better...

I know I'm doing my best here as the mom of a D1 kid, but sometimes I feel so inadequate. This disease has changed Madison's life, and it has changed me. Every time she asks me if she can do something, there is a voice screaming in my head, telling me to just keep her close, make her stay home, keep her with me where I know she is safe. I tell her no so often that sometimes I feel like an evil dictator.

M: "Can I go to my new friend's house?"
K: "Um, well, friend's parents don't know anything about diabetes, so you can't just go over there. I'm really sorry!"

M: "Church friend invited me to a birthday party at Carl's Jr., can I go?"
K: (anurism threatening as visions of french fries and birthday cake slathered in evil sugar frosting float before my eyes) "We...uh...have plans that day! Why don't we get her a card and drop it off?"

M: "My friend's mom wants to know if I could have a sleepover at her house?"
K: (now faint) "No. Sleepovers. Ever. Infinity!"

M: "Can I walk to school tomorrow?"
K: "School? Walk? Hehe...wouldn't you rather ride with me? Most kids think it's cool to ride in the car with their moms to school! Besides, it will probably rain...and you wouldn't want to walk in the rain!"

M: "There is a swimming party at the pool, they are going to have pizza, can I go?"
K: (Are you kidding me?) "Oh, Saturday? Gee, we'll talk about it later..."

Don't even get me started on things like school birthdays. When your kid is a diabetic, it feels like there is a birthday every other day, and there are always cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes...covered in four inches of frosting made from pure sugar, enhanced with sugar sprinkles and dipped in extra sugar crystals, just in case there was a speck of cupcake not covered. Oh, and the cupcake wrapper is made of sugar, too. And what do you get to say to your kid about all of this?

"I know you want to eat a cupcake, like all of the other kids are doing. I know you don't want to sit there and watch while everyone else gets frosting all over their faces and chocolate on their fingers. I know you want to be like everyone else. But please, p l e a s e, PLEASE, bring your cupcake home with you instead! Please expose yourself as different by putting your cupcake on a napkin at the back of the classroom. Please try not to feel bad as you sit quietly while everyone else eats cookies and drinks punch. Please do this. And please don't hate me for making you."

It seems sometimes like there is no balance for me. I'm going to have to make her hate me sometimes, and I can't apologize for it, because I have to keep her healthy. I have to give her the best opportunity to make it to a long and healthy life, and there are times when it makes me feel like a bad person. And there are times when I know I should let her be a kid first, and worry about the diabetes later...but it is so hard to turn off the voices in my head pushing for complete control over this stupid disease. Where is that line? When do I let her be a kid, and when do I charge ahead, banner flying, to defend her health at all costs?

So, as she sobbed about hating her new school, I realized the person I was gunning for was sitting in my seat. What do I do now? I know I have done the best I can do for her, but I also want her to be happy. I forgot to let her be a part of her own life for a little while.

Granted, even if I had asked her about the whole thing, and she'd told me she didn't want to switch schools, I probably would have spent a little time explaining the situation to her and then I still would have had her transferred. But I still feel bad about not talking to her about it.

There you go. This is what is going on in my life right now. At any given time of day, I feel overwhelmed by guilt over what I can't do for her. Or I feel like a momma tiger, ready to pounce on those who get in the way of me protecting my daughter. Or I feel scared that there is nothing I can do to protect her from the horrible things she gets to experience because of her diabetes. I'm sad that my 9 year old knows how to draw insulin into a syringe, and give herself a shot. I'm sad that she knows what carbohydrates are, and has to count every single one that goes into her mouth. I feel bad about telling her she can't have the free cookie the lady at Albertson's handed to her, even though her three brothers are already eating theirs. I'm sorry she has to be such a grown-up. I'm sorry I have to punish her for drinking chocolate milk without telling anyone, and not taking insulin for it, and I'm sad that she is angry with me about it. I'm scared that all this focus on food will make her develop an eating disorder, and a poor body image. I'm afraid she will grow up hating me because of the things I have to do to keep her safe.

Is there a lesson here? Someone please tell me they have an answer, or some good advice on how to be her mom and her nurse, advocate, protector and evil overlord? How do you handle the balancing act?

Waiting, and Hoping.

2011-01-31T01:31:00.003-07:00

Waiting for the nurse to come take him to the cath lab.
Poor little drugged up baby. Better, though, for getting IV's!

After surgery, look at all those sticky-electrode things! They had already taken some off at this point...they really had him covered.

Sleepy Jackson just before we left the hospital.

Jackson's surgery went pretty well. We arrived at the hospital at 9:30 am to get ready. They checked him in, made us undress him and stuck little electrodes all over his tiny body. Then we waited. And waited. At about 11:30, the nurse came back and gave him some medicine to make him sleepy, and she and another nurse tried to give him an IV. I think I'm seriously going to consider learning how to do it myself. I cannot watch another person poke my poor baby like that and keep missing the vein. I know they are tiny veins. I know it isn't always easy. I still don't want to see you stick that needle into my baby more than once. They finally got his IV in, and told us it would be maybe another half hour, this was 11:45 ish. The fellow and the doc came in to explain the procedure to us, and commented on how fat he had gotten. (Hehe...we have been fattening him up nicely)

We finally got him sent off at 1:45. Then we waited....and waited....and waited, and waited some more. It was close to 6:30 pm when we couldn't stand it anymore, and called the cath lab to see if he was out yet. He had just been wheeled out about thirty seconds before we called. Excellent timing, since we had just about waited as long as we could wait...especially Connor! We sat with him and began the wait for the doctor to come and see us. Jackson was still asleep, and just kept on sleeping while we waited. More than an hour later the doctor finally came in to talk to us and let us know that everything went well. I had been watching the monitor, and his Oxygen saturation level was 94-96. The highest I've ever seen it.

When he woke up from the anesthesia, he was pretty freaked out and kept crying. The nurse kept poking his head in and telling me he had to be kept calm for the next six hours. Do you know what it is like to try to calm a baby who is hysterical from anesthesia? And seriously, I was doing everything I knew how, and he was not calming down! Finally he fell asleep again, and didn't wake up until the middle of the night.

We got to take him home the next day. Ever since the surgery, Jackson has seemed a lot pinker. We really love him, and are so glad he is doing so well. His cardiologist explained to us that he could proabaly do the catheter surgery once more, before any other surgical interventions which will be forthcoming.

CRAZINESS! We are just happy he's okay.

Clogging Up A Storm!

2010-12-16T20:53:00.004-07:00

Sooo, I've been to a lot of dance recitals. I've been to a lot of choir concerts. I've been to a lot of general performances, and I can tell you that it is often boring and tedious. But I have apparently been denied the glory of a clogging recital. I loved it! I loved every number! Even the little tiny ones who couldn't remember their choreography were so cute that you didn't mind.

Anyway, here's a little bit of Madison cuteness to make you smile. We can't wait for the next one!

A Year

2010-12-06T20:16:00.002-07:00

One year ago today our lives seemed a whole lot less complicated.

One year ago I had never heard the words ketones, lantus, humalog or ketoacidosis.

One year ago I had never given anyone a shot. Madison hated shots. In fact, I recall a particular vaccination event that involved three adults and myself to give one booster.

One year ago I never would have imagined my seven year old using a lancet on her own finger to test her blood glucose.

One year ago I put two kids to bed with plans to take Madison to the pediatrician to clear up an infection.

One year ago today I hadn't noticed that my daughter had lost nearly 20 pounds.

One year ago today I somehow didn't notice how much water she was drinking, or how many times she was going to the bathroom. I didn't calculate the carbohydrates in every last thing she put in her mouth. I didn't get daily phone calls from the school. I didn't worry about the possibility of her passing out on the way to or from school because of low blood glucose.

One year ago today I also didn't realize what a little hero we were raising. I had no idea how brave she was. I had no idea how strong she was. I had no clue she was smart enough to calculate her own ratios. I didn't know how much I would look up to her maturity and courage.

We love you, Madison. Happy Anniversary. We look forward to many, many more years with you...and are so proud.

Benji Post

2010-11-07T00:37:00.003-06:00

First Day of Preschool
Tricycle Gang

This year's pumpkin pick.

New favorite hat.

Tent....uh...umbrella!

I thought I'd post some recent pictures of Ben for those of you who've forgotten what he looks like. Hehe. Poor little guy has been suffering from a bit of middle-forgotten child syndrome. Lately he's been pretty clingy with his mommy, like he isn't perhaps getting all the attention he wants. Can't imagine why.

Well, Ben started preschool in September. We are so proud (and appreciative of the break!). He goes on Tuesday to the Early Intervention Preschool as a peer student. Basically, he spends two hours there talking the poor teachers' ears off instead of mine, and apparently being wildly entertaining in the process. His teacher informed me that he insists on being called Benji, not Ben or Benjamin. And every time I pick him up he is on the mini-tramp, jumping like crazy and yelling his ABC's. Wow. I think I need a mini-tramp.

Ben is really a sweet kid. He is so cute. The other day he told me he wanted to go on a date with me. I took him to the dollar store and to get a root beer float...and he told me, "Mom, we have to hold hands. We're on a date, so we have to hold hands!" I admit that it melted my cold, hard heart a little. And someday, when he is too embarassed to let me drop him off at school, or be seen by his friends...I'll have that memory to look back on.

He loves the babies, and is always trying to "help" me. Sometimes this is helpful, but sometimes it is not as helpful as you would imagine. The other morning I heard one of the babies crying on the baby monitor, but didn't want to get out of bed, so I was ignoring him. After a few minutes I heard a rustling noise, and then Ben came into my room and started rummaging around. I asked him what he was doing, and he said, "I need a pacifier!" He found one, and then went back into his room, where I heard, over the baby monitor, "come on, Jackson, suck it! Just suck on it!" Shortly followed by the end of the crying. Ben then got back in bed and I didn't hear from him for another hour.

Ben loves to ride his tricycle, read books and run from one end of the house to the other. He's learning to do so many things, and we are so proud of him.

Our Madison

2010-10-16T23:58:00.003-06:00

This post has been a long time coming, I know. It has been quite a year for all of us, and I guess it has been harder on me than I care to admit sometimes. Although, some of you might argue with me because you've heard all of my whining.

Last December we were all carrying on with our lives. We were thinking about Christmas. I had just barely found out that I was pregnant for the third time. Brian and I were pretty excited, along with shocked since the doctor told me that it probably wouldn't happen without help this time. We were cautiously planning for the next year with three kids in our house. Brian had just started working on his classes to earn his Master's degree. Madi and Ben were growing and just being kids.

Madi hadn't been feeling well. But it was weird. I'm ashamed to admit that I really thought she was faking most of the time. In fact I was sure there was a math test or two to blame for her stomach ache and general sluggish behavior.

One Friday she woke up and I could barely get her to do anything. The night before she had argued with me passionately about going to bed. She was completely unreasonable. I look back and I remember calling my mom many times in the month before telling her how Madi's mood swings were driving me crazy. One minute she was normal and happy, the next hour or so she would be crying over everything and not making any sense.

I decided to keep her home from school to give her a break from what I thought was just a difficult school year. She complained about her stomach hurting and she was going to the bathroom every five minutes, so later that night I called her pediatrician, who suggested that it was probably a UTI. She prescribed antibiotics and made an appointment for Monday morning. That weekend she alternated between acting fine, and looking terrible. Brian and I dosed her up on Poweraid, thinking we could use the fluids to flush out her infection. By Monday morning she was alright, we thought, but I kept her home from school anyway. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong with her. She was fine, then she said her stomach hurt, then she was fine, then sick.

I almost didn't go to her appointment. Brian had the car and I would have to walk with both kids. It wasn't far, but I was feeling irritated about it, and thought if it was just a UTI, the antibiotics would clear it up in a few days. But after some internal nudging that became harder to ignore, we put on our coats and headed to the office.

On the way there, Madi did not look good. She had glassy eyes and was telling me how dizzy she was. This was the first I really became concerned. It was less than a block, and she was acting like we'd run miles. At the office, the pediatrician did the UTI screening and found nothing, but the screening for ketones in her sample came back positive.

When the nurse came into the room, she had a look in her eyes that I've come to recognize. It means bad news is coming, and the person who has this look feels very sorry for you. She did a blood sugar test and left the room immediately before saying anything else. The doctor came in to tell me that Madison's blood glucose was over 4oo, and we would need to go to the emergency room immediately, and she would be admitted to the hospital for the next few days while we learned how to treat her Type 1 diabetes.

I wanted so badly not to cry. I didn't actually understand what the doctor was talking about. I vaguely knew what diabetes was, I knew there was more than one type. I knew that it had to do with insulin, and I knew there were some kinds of dietary restrictions for people who had it. At that moment I had no idea what I was going to do, and I was terrified. I remember thinking it was ridiculous to take her to the hospital, she was walking around and nothing was bleeding or missing. I had to walk out to the parking lot, on the pretense of calling Brian, so I could melt down not in front of Madison. I really didn't want to scare her, but I was totally freaking out.

The rest of the first day is a total blur. It involved calls to family members and work arrangements. Several very thoughtful visits from concerned friends, lots of advice that I don't remember a word of, and many, many terrified glances between Brian and I. My dad came up to help us and we took turns trying to remember the diabetic training that was crammed into our heads.

We learned so much in the next few days. Most of it was about diabetes. But the really important things that I learned were these:

-Our marriage is strong. When bad things happen to us, Brian and I really do cling together and give each other the strength we need. During the times when I couldn't take any more, Brian was strong for me. When I felt like I could handle things, it was usually because Brian didn't.

-Our daughter is so brave. Madison is the bravest, toughest kid I've ever met. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but Madi HATES shots. She was the worst one when she and Ben had to get vaccinated. But I watched her put on her brave face when they took her blood and gave her an IV. It broke my heart to hear her talking herself down when she knew they were coming in to poke her again and again. She started testing her own blood sugar less than a month after diagnosis. She gave herself her first shot only two months in. How many 7 year olds do you know who can give themselves a shot?

-We have the greatest families ever. We needed the support and love they gave us, and they were pretty quickdraw with it. Sometimes we didn't know what to ask for, but they knew what we needed, and made sure we got it. (Thank you!)

-We have wonderful friends and neighbors. There were people taking Ben for us and bringing us meals as soon as they knew.

In the beginning I would find her crying in her room when she knew I was coming in to test her or give her a shot. She told me so many times that she didn't want to have diabetes. I told her none of us wanted her to have it, but she did, so we just had to learn how to take care of it. Then I would go in my room and cry about it, because it wasn't fair and I wished I could take it away.

Now we have fewer and fewer of those days. Madison has really grown up in the past 10 months. She has taken control of her management, and it makes her feel good to do her own testing and insulin shots. Brian and I are so proud of her. There may not be a cure for now, but our hope comes from watching how amazing she is. She wants to help other people understand what diabetes is, and she wants to help other people who have it.

As I sit here now, on the other side of what has proven to be the most challenging year of our lives so far, I can honestly say that we are okay with her diabetes. I tell people once you get past the initial learning phase (which we are still in half the time), the thing with diabetes is that it is just a lot of work. And Madison is so great, we have no problems doing whatever it takes to keep her healthy. And honestly, there are many worse things that could happen to a child. We are just grateful we still have her, and she is happy and healthy.

Summer Projects II

2010-08-05T23:10:00.002-06:00

Summer Projects

2010-08-05T15:07:00.004-06:00

Summer Project #1: Refinish the hard wood floors. I want to point out the stains on the floors that have probably been there since the house was built in 1905. It just bother me that the twins would have to play on these nasty floors.

The first thing I did was move the furniture out onto the lawn. We are now white trash!!!

Everything else went into the kitchen. This is me eating on the piano.

Sanding if finished!!! I can breath again.

After sanding, staining, and sanding some more, and four layers of polyurethane, the floors are finally finished. Everybody say---wow..

During the drying stages of the floors my dad and I installed a plug and cable line down stairs in the basement.

I got these cabinets from a friend that was remolding her kitchen. All I had to do was take them out of the kitchen. They were ugly brown when I got them but I repainted them, put new hardware on them, and added a sheet of wain's coating on the front to make them look new. Notice that there is no crown molding....look down....

Bammm....what a difference a little molding makes. Ingnore the laundry mess.

I found this hutch at the thrift store and thought it would be perfect for the house. Again a little paint and I added the wain's coating on the back.

It has a light, how cool is that!!!

Let me tell you about my evening...

2010-08-02T00:52:00.003-06:00

We haven't updated for a while, and I do so apologize. You see, right now we are wondering if we'll ever have time to shower or go to the bathroom, so blogging has become a tad difficult. I'm sure things will slow down eventually...or we'll adjust. Hehe...we hope!

Anyway, I wanted to give you a little taste of what an evening with the twins is like for me.

5:00 pm: Have perfectly good intentions of starting dinner. Wait...who's crying? Okay, we'll just have a peek at the babies, and then I'll get dinner started.

5:30 pm: Connor has stopped crying because he's being fed (eyes were open, therefore he thinks he must eat), but now Jackson is crying. I guess I'll try to pick him up and feed him while simultaneously feeding his brother. No problem. I'm a supermom...

5:35 pm: "MADI!? Madison?" I begin to desperately call for my helpful 8 year old, only to be responded to by my very eager and yet somehow less helpful 3 year old. I'm wondering if it's okay for him to bring me the baby. Hmmm.

6:55 pm: Finally have both babies fed and changed and lounging in their boppies. Ah, now where was I? Oh yes, dinner.

7:15 pm: Dinner started. Where is Ben? "Ben?" Of course...he is now asleep on the floor. Okay, well...I guess we'll be one 3 year old down for dinner tonight. I carry him to bed and run back to the kitchen.

7:24 pm: Working on dinner. And now both babies are crying. Ah...the dulcet tones of my precious newborns...

7:45 pm: Jackson and Connor are now both on one boppy with a pacifier each being held in their unwilling mouths by big sister, who has finally decided to help me out with them, as long as it is in front of the television...and doesn't take too long...because it really makes her arm hurt. Poor little bunny.

8:15 pm: Dinner on the table! Hooray. Just bringing the fork to my mouth now...aaaaaannnd, someone is crying. Okay, I'll just run over and see what the problem is. Oh...I guess I might cry if my brother was sucking on the back of my head, too. Two pacifiers stuffed back into two mouths, and back to dinner.

8:30 pm: Quiet. Wow. This is so totally easy, I don't know what I was thinking earlier. The twins are so sweet and cute. Ben is asleep, Madi is taking a shower...

8:34 pm: Mayhem ensues as both twins begin screaming bloody murder and Madi is yelling for me to bring her a towel. Didn't I clearly request that she make sure she took her towel into the bathroom with her?

8:59 pm: Holding both babies and "tucking in" Madison. Tell me why we "tuck in?" I never did understand.

9:15 pm: Feeding both babies simultaneously when Ben wanders out of his room and announces that he is now hungry. Well, I'm so glad he got that nice long nap at bedtime so he can stay up all night with the twins and I. I was feeling so lonely.

9:45 pm: Convinced Ben to go back to bed after feeding him cheese and a banana. I'm also feeling pretty good about not feeding him a twinkie for dinner. What a good mother I am.

10:30 pm: Surfing facebook and blogstalking people who are friends with people I know. Don't judge...you know you do it.

11:00 pm: Getting bath ready for twins, who are already starting to squirm and grunt.

11:05 pm: Wondering why I have not yet invested in ear plugs. Both babies are screaming more loudly than you would imagine a tiny little thing could scream, as I try to gather enough supplies to bathe, clothe, swaddle and feed them both.

11:07 pm: Realize that I have to pee...also realize it is going to be a while.

11:10 pm: Begin torturing Connor. Evil weapon of choice: bathtub.

11:15 pm: Wrestle screaming and slightly damp baby into pajamas as other baby screams in the background.

11:20 pm: Begin torturing Jackson with previously mentioned evil bathtub.

11:25 pm: Wrestle other screaming and damp baby into pajamas that I now realize are too small while other baby screams in the background.

11:30 pm: Get ready to feed infants who are obviously starving and visibly wasting away, just ask them...they'll scream at you about it!

12:00 am: Finish feeding poor, starving babies. Give Jackson medicine. Swaddle babies who are now wide awake and ready to play, and hope that when the book tells you to put them to bed while they are still awake, this is what they meant.

12:15 am: Put Ben back to bed again. Sit on the couch and stare at the wall, relishing the silence...wait, who's crying?

Sound like fun? I have an opening for anyone who would like to take over night shift! And before the Brian lynching starts...he is actually usually right there in the trenches with me. This was just a Brian free evening. I can't wait for more Brian free evenings when school starts in a couple of weeks (eeeek!).

The Projects

2010-07-26T18:59:00.005-06:00

The Twins-

2010-07-26T18:54:00.002-06:00

Something Else...

2010-07-14T23:19:00.005-06:00

We've been really busy with babies lately, but we have managed to find some time to do some other things. Brian was out with Madi and Ben and found this hutch at a flea market for a steal. It actually didn't look nearly this good before they started working on it. Perhaps once it is installed, we will post another cool picture of it. Anyway, we are pretty excited since we've been searching for something like this for our house forever. We have a pretty old home (1904) and are always on the lookout for things that might look like they belonged here.

Madi and Ben have also had a little time to work on their entrepreneurial skills. They made a whole dollar at this lemonade stand...all from the next door neighbors (and Brian and I). It was so hot that I was surprised they wanted to stay out there, but they kept at it for a couple of hours. Ben has been begging to do it again ever since.

Bustin' Out!

2010-06-30T23:54:00.002-06:00

We busted our little rebels out of the NICU today! Connor finally can keep himself warm!! Brian bought them those cute Harley Davidson jackets at Build-a-Bear. Hehe. We saw them there and could not resist them for our tiny monkeys. It's too bad they are growing so fast...the possibilities are endless.

Right now we are enjoying the evening at our house with both boys. It is already becoming a challenge to deal with two babies (try giving two of them a bath), but we are so happy to have them here and doing so well that we just can't care too much about being tired or overwhelmed.

Thank you to everyone who has called us or watered our lawn or prayed for us or just thought about us. We're now just looking forward to Jackson getting some better oxygen saturation levels (telling us that his heart is starting to work normally). So wish us luck with this new adventure!

Moving in...and moving out...

2010-06-29T12:37:00.002-06:00

Sooo...Jackson wants back in. He and Connor have been plotting against us. Yesterday he was looking really blue and not eating very well, so while we were feeding them both we had the neonatologist take a look at him. She hooked him up to all the machines and she and the cardiologist decided to keep him overnight for observation.

There are two good things that came out of all of this...well, okay...maybe more than two if we really think about it. Jackson's oxygen stats are higher than expected for this far in his recovery. For those of you who understand this sort of stuff...he is upper 80's and occasionally low 90's. Also for those of you who understand, I'll bet you are freaking out about now, but never fear...we have a term for all of this: 'Jackson' normal. This is opposed, of course, to 'Normal,' normal..but we are slowly getting used to lower numbers and a blue hued baby. His cardiologists are hoping that he eventually stays in low to mid 90's, and for Jackson, that will be fantastic.

The other good news is that Jackson being in a crib next to Connor's incubator apparently has inspired a little sibling rivalry. This morning we came to the NICU to find his incubator turned all the way down and a crib just waiting for him in his little cubicle. AND...after I fed them, we put him right into the waiting crib! We are now just hoping that he stays in the crib and doesn't get put right back into his incubator as soon as they take his temperature again. Ugh.

Another good thing about Jackson being in the NICU? Oh yeah...the five hours of uninterrupted sleep I got last night. The longest I've slept in over three months! Woohoo! Of course, it will be the last five hour stretch of sleep I get for the next year or so, because we get to take Jackson with us today, and tomorrow...we are hopefully taking both boys home. HOME. Uh, hem......HHOOOOOOOMMMEE!!! The doctor said that if Connor can stay in the crib today, we will be able to take him out by late afternoonish tomorrow!

Wish us luck!

Surprise!

2010-06-21T23:58:00.003-06:00

Guess who's back? At 6:30 this evening I picked up Brian and Jackson at the Boise airport. It was supposed to be 5:30, but OF COURSE their flight was delayed! To Brian and my utter surprise and a bit of fear, Jackson's doctors released him from the hospital telling us that he was set to go home. We were fairly suprised, since we originally thought he would be here in Boise for a few weeks. He has actually done so spectacularly with feedings that he doesn't even have a feeding tube.

I can't tell you how great it was to get to see them both and to finally hold my baby. That's right people, I never got to hold him before they swept him off to Portland. I wasn't sure when they left if I would ever get to hold him. I am feeling so very blessed right now.

After I picked them up we went up to the NICU here in Boise and had a little family reunion for our boys. It is amazing to us how much alike they are, although Connor has some catching up to do. We can't wait until our other two kiddos can get back here and we all can go home and be a family again. Until then we are so grateful for small victories and pretty big miracles. Two weeks ago we had our boys and we prayed for a miracle, today we got one.

Connor Gets a Bath

2010-06-18T23:30:00.003-06:00

Connor got his first bath today. He was so cute! And I do love a clean baby. After the bath we dried him off and his hair was so fluffy, he looked just like a tiny baby monkey. Also, his hair is a lot lighter now that it is clean. Hmmm. I'm guessing we're going to end up with more blondes once they get a little bit bigger. Enjoy these cute pictures!

Connor Pictures!

2010-06-18T01:40:00.002-06:00

Nanci came up to visit me and brought her camera! Sooo...here are the long awaited pictures of Connor. We were amazed to see how similar the two little guys are. Connor is doing great now, just still trying to grow and maintain body temp. Hopefully we can get the two of them back together early next week and do a side by side comparison. Enjoy!

This one is for my Mom

2010-06-17T18:51:00.004-06:00

It's Thursday evening at about 6:00 p.m. June 17th. This picture is for my mom. "I can open both of my eyes at the same time now."

This is AMAZING! What an answer to our prayers.

This one is for my Mom

2010-06-17T18:51:00.000-06:00

It's Thursday evening at about 6:00 p.m. June 17th. This picture is for my mom.

Jackson is crying so much louder now and we LOVE it.

2010-06-17T18:43:00.005-06:00

This is Dan doing some blog snatching on B and K's blog while Tammy and Brian are holding Jackson. They are actually getting to hold him without the pillow and he is doing sooooooooooo good. We're hoping for a flight home to Saint Al's NICU early next week.

This video is very special because when we first got here we heard another baby in the NICU crying and Tammy teared all up because she thought what a blessing it would be to be able to hear Jackson cry like that. Well, it happened this evening and I'm still tearing up as I type. Enough of me, just listen to this:

Jackson gets a bottle from Dad, Thursday morning June17th

2010-06-17T18:21:00.006-06:00

Check out this sweet video of Jackson. He is doing so much better. Every time we see him we are so amazed at his progress. He is becoming more and more alert and improving every hour. What a blessing. In the picture below he is saying, "look mom and dad I can open my eyes!"

Brian feeding Baby "J" this morning in video below.

Our Twins are Looking Good

2010-06-16T22:18:00.007-06:00

This is Jackson taken yesterday June 14th.

This is Connor taken June 9th, 2010.

We wished we had more current pictures of Connor, but we only have one camera and Brian has it in Portland. Best we can do of them both together....but pretty cute nonetheless.

Connor

2010-06-16T19:41:00.002-06:00

Soo...I know you all think that I am totally slacking off and Brian is an amazing blogger now. BUT! In reality, I don't have a camera. Brian took it with him to Portland, so I haven't been able to take any pictures of Connor since the day after he was born. I was holding off on updating because I felt guilty about having a boring post with no pictures, but I've decided to give you the Connor update so you know that we love both babies.

Connor is doing great, but he is premature...so there are a few things he has to learn how to do before he goes home. A lot of people have asked me why he has to stay so long, so here we go...

Reasons Connor is still in the NICU:

--Premature babies can't maintain their own body heat very well. Connor is still living in his isolet (plastic baby cage) in order to keep him warm. To go home Connor has to be able to be in a crib without heat lamps and maintain his own body temperature.

--Premature babies don't eat very well. Connor is veeeery sleepy right now. So sleepy that he has a hard time staying awake to eat long enough to put on weight. He also had a really hard time with the whole suck-swallow-breathe rhythm that full term babies use in order to be able to eat. Connor has done way better the last two days, eating for 15-20 minutes for most feedings, although he still sleeps through a few and that is why he still has a feeding tube. In order to go home he has to take all of his meals by mouth and be eating enough to gain weight.

--Jaundice...blue lights...cool goggles. Enough said.

Hopefully this helps clear up all of the, "he was so big for a twin, why does he have to stay?" questions. I was really annoyed at first because they wouldn't let him go, but as I sit here with him I am totally getting why he can't leave yet. My other kiddos were so much farther along in development by one week that the difference is becoming very obvious.

Good news: Connor is beautiful. Jackson is doing great. I have never been so grateful for such small things like Jackson drinking 5 cc's of formula from a bottle, or Connor having a temperature of 98.3 after three hours in his isolet with the warmer turned down. I have had lots of people telling me that they think I am so strong, and they don't know how I'm getting through this. Well...Brian and I aren't particularly strong. In fact there were several days last week when all I could do was hide in a waiting room bathroom and cry, and I know that it has been very tough on Brian seeing his son so helpless and sick. We have survived because there is nothing else to do...and we are still handling it because this week is waaaay better than last week, and hopefully next week will be better than this week. We're not sure when we'll all be together again, and we are really not sure when we can go home, but for now things are looking good and we are definitely happy about that!

Click Here to find out what exactly is wrong with Jackson

2010-06-16T11:57:00.004-06:00

This is the doctors diagnoses of Jackson. I looked it up on the net to understand the condition better. Check it out.

2010-06-16T10:49:00.002-06:00

Here I am sitting in an internet cafe while Brian and Tammy are visiting Jackson. This is Dan posting in B&K's blog again. I just finished a 4 mile jog and it's different for me running at sea level, but enough of that. Last night Jackson opened his little eyes for the first time that we've seen him do it. He peeked ever so slightly at Brian. He is so cute. Here is the video.

Update this evening June 15th 10:00 p.m.

2010-06-15T22:46:00.004-06:00

His image of his foot was taken about 24 hours ago. The image below was taken tonight at 10:00 p.m.. Jackson was put back on the Heparin.

His foot is looking so much better tonight compared to how purple it has been.

Tammy gets to hold Jackson tonight on a pillow. He is so cute!!!!

The nurses dressed him up in a cute little outfit.

Now for the BIG NEWS-----HE OPENED HIS EYES EVER SO LITTLE TO TAKE A LITTLE PEEK AT US

Some Slideshow Pictures of Jackson from the past week

2010-06-15T22:37:00.002-06:00

June 15th 8:30 a.m. Cute Picture

2010-06-15T19:31:00.006-06:00

These are two of the cardiologists taking care of Jackson. Today he is doing well. He is still sleeping and trying to let his little heart heal. The doctors are optimistic about his outcome. Tomorrow they will try decreasing the dose of medication that is keeping his ductus open. We're hoping he will respond well, but are just anxious to see how he does.

This tired Dad is the best Dad in the whole world. He has been by Jackson's side day and night.
The twins are a week old now. Connor is still in the NICU in Boise and will be at least another week there. We're still hoping Jackson will be moved to Bosie in the next few days, but it may be longer. It's up to him on how he recovers from this major ordeal.

Jackson took the pacifier for Brian this evening. He seems to be moving around a little bit more for us. He still hasn't taken a peek with his eyes yet.

This is a cute picture of Jackson taken this morning. He now has a IV in his head as the IV in his hand came out and it was impossible to find a vein as he has been stuck so many times. That's why they opted for his head. Keep praying for these little guys. We appreciate it so much.

June 15th 8:30 a.m. Cute Picture

2010-06-15T19:31:00.001-06:00

This is a cute picture of Jackson taken this morning. He now has a IV in his head as the IV in his hand came out and

2010-06-15T19:31:00.000-06:00

Baby Jackson makes his First Sounds for us on June 13th, 2010

2010-06-13T10:38:00.002-06:00

This is the first time we get to hear Baby Jackson tell us how he is feeling. He sounds so good and we were so excited to hear him make these sounds. Life is sooooooooooooooooooo good.

Video of Brian holding Baby Jackson for the first time in NICU Portland June 12th

2010-06-13T10:26:00.003-06:00

Another with closeup of Jackson

My Daddy gets to HOLD ME for the first time, Jackson, June 12, 2010

2010-06-12T19:22:00.011-06:00

My ET tube is out and I'm feeling good.

I get to hold my Dad for the first time. He really likes me and is so excited.

Hey, that's a mighty big hand pressing down on my head.

My Dad has BIG fingers.

Just chillin

Post Cath Procedure Pictures Jackson June 12th, 2010: 9:00 a.m.

2010-06-12T10:23:00.004-06:00

This is Dan posting on B&K blog. Brian and Tammy are in with Jackson right now. I am in the waiting room. Jackson made it through his cath procedure last night. He was there about 5 hours. The cath went well and they were able to open up his valve. He had a blood clot form in his right leg but they currently are treating it with a blood thinner. Last night it was pretty blue but this morning it looks much better.

Today sometime we think they will be pulling his ET tube out and will try to let him breath on his own. We were excited about that and can't wait to hear him cry.

Such a sweet little guy

This leg look much better this morning. The pinkness is returning.

The following is a video clip that Tammy took when we first saw him this morning at about 9:00 a.m.

Jackson finaly went to the cath lab at 7:50 p.m. June 11

2010-06-11T21:22:00.009-06:00

After all day of waiting again Jackson just left for the cath lab. It will be another 2-5 hours from now. We don't know for sure when you will find out any results.

He is on the way.

Jackson June 11th Morning

2010-06-11T10:25:00.001-06:00

Jackson bedtime Good Night All June 10th, 2010 9:17 p.m.

2010-06-10T22:09:00.002-06:00

Critter sighted on way to see Jackson

2010-06-10T21:20:00.005-06:00

This little guy popped his head up just outside of the Ronald McDonald House here in Portland. We were just leaving to go to the hospital and this is what saw.

Jackson June 10th 8:30 p.m.

2010-06-10T21:12:00.004-06:00

Where is Jackson

2010-06-10T20:57:00.002-06:00

Jackson

2010-06-10T20:35:00.003-06:00

Here is baby Jackson in Portland, OR. He is doing great. The doctors have rescheduled the procedure for June 11 at 2:00 in the afternoon. We just have to make it one more night. Thanks everybody for your prayers.

My parents drove from Pocatello, Idaho. They arrived this afternoon and took this awesome picture of me sleeping on my bed. I talked to a social worker and he has helped me with lodging as I stay in Portland. My parents and I are staying at the Ronald McDonald House just across the street from the hospital. Everyone donate to that organization because it's a great help for me and everyone that stays there.

What a handsome boy--I wonder where he gets his handsomeness????

2010-06-10T14:26:00.002-06:00

I found a couple of other pictures of the boys that I thought you might want to see. The top one is little Jackson, and bottom is Connor with me (duh). I guess I forgot to post stats on them last night. Well, long story short...they never gave them to us. But I do know that Connor was just at 5 pounds and Jackson was just at 6 pounds. They never told us their lengths, or their head sizes. I hope it is on some paperwork somewhere, but I think things were happening so fast that they just didn't get the info to us.

Today Connor is doing great. He is eating like a pro and is so cute! He makes the cutest little baby squeaky noises. I held him all morning until the nurses forced him from my arms, something about blah blah needs to be in his incubator to blah blah blah. I reluctantly handed him over, but I'll be back later to snuggle him some more.

I talked to Brian and Jackson did great last night. The doctors seem optimistic about today, and he was doing so well that if they didn't already have him scheduled for his procedure, they would have taken out is breathing tube today. Brian says he is looking a lot more baby colored, and he's been kicking his legs and waving his arms around. They got him all prepped for surgery, and he is still waiting his turn for the Cath Lab to open up. The procedure should last about five hours, so I have no clue when more information is forthcoming. I just can't wait to be able to hold him. There is no way to describe this feeling of helplessness...and how much I just want to be able to pick him up and tell him that everything will be okay.

I also can't wait for Brian to get back. I had no idea how much I was relying on him these last few days until I watched him follow that incubator out the door. I wish I could be there with them, but I know that I need to be here with Connor. Ugh. It is hard to feel like I need to be two places at once.

Well, more information to come, hopefully all good. Again, thank you for all your kind words, thoughts and prayers.

Krista

2010-06-10T00:05:00.002-06:00

This is Brian and I as we got to the hospital. We were both very excited and nervous as well. Isn't my belly huge?!
Here is Baby A, Connor, making his debut into the operating room.

Here is Baby B, Jackson, making it clear that this whole thing was not his idea.

Connor all snugged up and getting to hang out with Mom and Dad soon after delivery.

Jackson in his isolet. This is after he was transferred over to Boise, but before the additional tubes and sensors.

Well, we had our babies! On Tuesday morning at 3:00 am my water broke and we packed up and headed to the hospital. I was at 35 weeks and 6 days, so almost 36 weeks. Because we were so far along we didn't really anticipate much of a problem. We got to the hospital and I was pretty much ready to go. My epidural didn't work though, so things started getting a little chaotic as they tried to get me numbed up and into the operating room (in case of emergency c-section). They finally got me in and situated and about five minutes later Connor was born at 8:13 am. I had a tiny break and got to look at Connor and then it was time for Jackson, who was born second at 8:38 am. They let me look at Jackson for a about five seconds and then whisked him away to the NICU. He was a little blue and not responding the way they wanted him to.

After about an hour the nurses let Brian and I hold Connor, who actually didn't have a name yet, but wouldn't bring us Jackson or really give us any information about him. The pediatrician eventually came in to tell us that Jackson had labored breathing and a heart murmer, and that he would have to be transferred to Boise. They had decided to transfer Connor with him so they could be together. Brian and I were a little freaked out, but at that point we didn't know that anything serious was going on. I had to stay in Caldwell, so Brian went with the boys to the hospital in Boise.

A few hours later Brian called me to tell me that although Connor was doing okay, Jackson's heart murmur and breathing issues were caused by pulmonary valve stenosis, and had to be dealt with by surgeons in Portland. Basically his pulmonary heart valve does not open right now, and there is a lot of pressure built up. The blood is not making it back to his lungs in the proper way, so his breathing becomes labored. It isn't good, but the doctors have a plan for him, so we are praying for the best.

Connor is still doing well. I was able to get released from the hospital in Caldwell last night and I'm staying here in Boise with him. Brian and Jackson flew via private jet (sweet, huh?) to Portland this afternoon, and Jackson's scheduled for surgery tomorrow afternoon. The surgery is very long, so we probably won't have any updates for anyone until tomorrow evening. Brian's parents are driving up to Portland tonight to be with him.

Madison and Ben got to meet both brothers this morning before Jackson and Brian left, and they are in love, of course. Ben kept saying that he wanted to pet the babies, and Madison was helping the nurses to do things for Connor. It was very sweet.

Sorry this post is mostly information, I'm not up to giving the long version right now. I will try to post more information and pictures in the next few days. If you have questions, please call Nanci or my parents or Brian's parents. I'm sort of saving my phone talking for when Brian calls with updates. We appreciate all of your kind words and prayers and good thoughts.

Think about Jackson tomorrow for us.

A Cranky Word From Our Sponsors

2010-05-19T11:54:00.004-06:00

Hello, everyone! I promise there will be picture posts to come...we finally have a camera after our whole Christmas thief debacle (probably a tale for later), so we can post cute pictures of what we've been up to.

For now...a brief rant from a very pregnant woman.

Remember the first time you were pregnant, and people asked you what names you had picked out for your child? You were probably naive enough to list the adorable and dear to your heart names you had picked out when you were young. Names you had cherished and kept hidden for use at an appropriate time, and finally that time was here!

Now think back to the moment you told someone one of those precious names and remember the look on their face. Yep. That look. The one that said they would be pitying your child for the rest of their life for the horrible moniker you had chosen to saddle them with.

"Well, we never knew you like such new age names," this person said to you, with a look that made you know that 'new age' was slang for 'stupidest thing I've ever heard.'

"But wait," you insisted, "Jacob is a name from the Bible! It's not new age at all!"

To which you are met with a look of doubt accompanied by a small, pitying smile. Poor little stupid you, naming your child something so weird.

Well folks, that is why I am writing today. Brian and I actually weren't sure we'd get to have any more kids to name at all, and we certainly weren't expecting to have to name TWO boys at once. Therefore, when you ask us if we've thought of any names and we tell you we have no clue...well, that is mostly true. Do you know how hard it is to name twins? We don't want to have them made fun of for having super rhymey names like Gerald and Harold. And we don't want to name them something that will get them made fun of because it is weird or hard to spell. (Well, Brian wants to name them Chuck and Chester...he claims these are both very respectable and manly names. Huh. This is why two people get to name them, and not just one!) But there is that element of knowing that no matter what we name them, there will be people out there who hate or make fun of their names. So even though we may have thought of a few options...we aren't going to tell ANYONE! Don't feel left out. We don't trust any of you! (he he)

Try to remember when they are born and you are reading their names off of the announcement that just as you got to name your children whatever crazy new age names you wanted, we get the same privilege. If you think the names are weird or stupid....keep it to yourself. We would love helpful suggestions...if you have a good idea for a name, tell us so we can give you the look.

...after some thought, I've decided this post might be a bit cranky. I intend for it to be funny, and also educational. Yes, fun and education is what we are all about at the Hobbs' house!

Woo Hoo! And all that...

2009-10-11T10:22:00.003-06:00

Look closely at the girl with a white shirt and blue pants...do you see it now? Does she look familiar? Because it is me, finishing my first half-marathon!!!! I know the pictures aren't great, but they had a photographer on the course, and when those pictures are ready I'll post them...in all my tomato-faced glory.

I'm running with my neighbor, Kathy...who has kicked my butt into gear for several months now (and for some reason keeps bringing up a marathon that she wants to run...ugh).

I have to say that this is one of the things on my list to do before I'm thirty, and I did it!! It was freezing that morning, but I really only felt cold for the first half-mile. We ran up and down a million hills (they didn't call this race "Run For the Hills" for nothing!) and I'm proud to say finished in exactly the time we were aiming for: 2 hours, 45 minutes...and some odd seconds, I can't remember.

Brian had plans for lots of awesome pictures. He made shirts for the himself and the kids that said "Team Krista!" and he made me one that was very cute (I will post it later), but was up all night with very sick kids (he let me sleep, Thank you Brian!!!), so only managed these few at the very end of the race. We'll make everyone put their shirts back on and take pictures once they're all over the swine flu.

Anyway, I know it is lame to say...but I'm totally proud of myself! It was really a fun and challenging race, and I'm crazy enough that it might not be my last.....although don't ask me today, as I woke up this morning with every muscle in my body hurting. Did I say hurting? I meant, SCREAMING IN PAIN!!! Oh well, nothing half a bottle of ibuprofen and laying on the couch all day won't fix, right?

What Have We Been Up To?

2009-10-11T09:45:00.006-06:00

I guess you all know we've had a dead blog for a while now, so instead of trying to update every little thing that you've missed (I know you are all dying to hear every detail of our lives...) I'm going to hit the highlights.

First up: I got a new sister! In a move of unparalleled genius, my little brother managed to get that gorgeous girl you see up there to marry him. Nothing against Marcus, we just all really love her! They got married on July 25, 2009.

Shantel, welcome to our family!

Oh, and did I mention that I made that cake? Hmmm? What's that you say? It is gorgeous beyond compare? You wish you had my talent? What?

We also welcomed another new family member this year...my sister and her husband had their third boy on August 17th, 2009. He was five weeks early, but a healthy 6lbs and 14 ounces. His name is Jett Isaac, and he is very adorable.

I got to go down to spend two weeks with Nanci and the boys after he was born. Wyatt and Garrett are so funny, and they just love their new baby brother. Congratulations Ryan and Nanci! You make them so pretty!!

Scrape....Scraaaape.......

2009-06-01T22:00:00.002-06:00

I know we haven't been the best bloggers lately (MASSIVE UNDERSTATEMENT WARNING!), but we have been very busy with other things. I won't catch you up on everything right now, but I will let you in on what I was treated to earlier this evening.

I was putting on my running shoes in preparation for yet another seemingly unnecessary torture session, when I heard a very loud scraping sound coming from my dining room. Brian and I have been doing a lot of home improvement projects over the last month (and with lots of generous help from parents and friends, I might add....thanks, guys!), and as I listened to this oddly unfamiliar and ominous sound, I started to get scared.

We've been doing a lot of projects....but that doesn't necessarily mean we know what we are doing, or really that we've been finishing any of them. So I wondered what could possibly be going on in the dining room...when I know we had just agreed to finish all of the kitchen projects before we started on anything else.

Well, long story short...you know that seriously ugly popcorn ceiling problem we used to have? You know, the one with the awesome circa 1970's glitter in it? Brian went to Home Depot and saw a new tool, a tool that looked like it was supposed to be for scraping popcorn ceilings, and he thought to himself, "self...we should buy that tool and get rid of that ceiling!" So, he listened to himself, bought the tool....and now there is no more popcorn ceiling. Wow. The only problem is that there is now popcorn ceiling dust on every surface in our house, and in every crack and crevasse.

Now, if I could only get him to focus that energy into finishing the paint job going down into our dungeon...I mean, basement....

Okay everyone...I guess you'd definitely better come to Casa Hobbs and check out all of our fine work. Especially make sure you comment on the fine workmanship represented in the dining room ceiling!

Autism Awareness Day!!

2009-04-02T08:43:00.002-06:00

I'm guessing that there are more of you out there than I know who have a family member touched by autism. Our nephew Grant was diagnosed just before Kindergarten. Grant is just a few months younger than Madison, and I remember countless conversations with his mom, Melanie, when they were little guys about how different they were. I remember Melanie saying that there were things he just didn't do, and I frequently was unhelpful and told her that Madison was just more outgoing, that boys were different than girls, that he would catch up...all the things you want to believe because you love them and can't imagine that anything could really be wrong. But Melanie knew something was wrong, and even did, I think, all the right things. She told her pediatrician, she was persistent and she kept trying. It took longer than it should have to diagnose him, but having that diagnosis has opened doors for that beautiful little boy. (See http://travandmel.blogspot.com/ for Grant's story and Melanie's challenge!) Sooo, Melanie has asked everyone to help early intervention by posting the following early warning signs on your blog. I have seen the amazing difference the autism services have made for Grant, and especially for his family. It can be a sensitive topic for any proud parent, but with early intervention, a child with autism has so many possibilities...they don't have to live alone in their world.

Okay...so post these warning signs on your blog! And be like Melanie...be persistent, don't be afraid to keep asking questions at your pediatrician's office, don't be afraid to push until you get the help you need.

I need to briefly say that I am so proud to have Melanie as a sister-in-law. I know there must be moments where it all seems like too much for her, but we all see how strong she is, and we are all amazed.

Watch for the Red Flags of Autism

(The following red flags may indicate a child is at risk for atypical development, and is in need of an immediate evaluation.)

In clinical terms, there are a few “absolute indicators,” often referred to as “red flags,” that indicate that a child should be evaluated. For a parent, these are the “red flags” that your child should be screened to ensure that he/she is on the right developmental path. If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:

No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter

No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter

No babbling by 12 months

No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months

No words by 16 months

No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months

Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

*This information has been provided by First Signs, Inc. ©2001-2005. Reprinted with permission. For more information about recognizing the early signs of developmental and behavioral disorders, please visit http://www.firstsigns.org or the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/actearly.

I'm NOT Going to Apologize...

2009-03-02T11:57:00.002-07:00

...because, really...all those excuses about being busy and trying to have a life are getting old. Sooo, on to what's going on around here!

Okay, so I spent two hours blog stalking The Meanest Mom blog...maybe I deserved two hours to myself while Ben was wandering around in a diaper so smelly that I turned on Phineas and Ferb just to get him out of the room so I wouldn't die from the fumes. After all, I'm the one who had to change that diaper eventually. Someone ought to reward me for that.

While I was sitting there reading and nearly peeing my pants laughing (or maybe I did pee my pants...I have had two children...who are you to judge?), I decided to write my own post in the style of The Meanest Mom...so, Mean Mom..this one's for you:

LATEST SCORE IN THE BATTLE FOR CULINARY PREFERENCE IN THE HOBBS HOUSE:

BRIAN: 2 KRISTA: 2

Brian and I have different views on what is edible and what is disgusting. For instance, I find tuna fish to be disgusting. I'm sorry for the tuna *shudder* lovers out there. I can't even stand the smell of it. I can always tell when someone has opened a can of tuna in my house, and I will spend a half hour bleaching the sink to get the nasty tuna smell from the *gulp* run-off from draining it into said sink. I have been known to puke after smelling it...granted, I was pregnant and at the time most things made me puke, but still...that is how much I dislike it.

Since we began having children, or at least since our children could eat things that weren't strained or blended or drinkable, we've been fighting for control of our children's preferences. Luckily for me, they spend more time eating things I make and have therefore gained most of their taste for all things edible from me. I think this is fine. I only eat delicious things.

Recently, however, things have started to get ugly. It all started when I made peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and neither child would touch them. Brian has an irrational hatred of peanut butter. Honestly, who hates peanut butter? He won't even eat it when it's covered in chocolate. I don't know how he did it, but somehow he managed to pass this on to not one, but both of our kids. And to add insult to injury, my daughter then proceeded to tell me that she would rather have a tuna-fish sandwich. As I narrowed my eyes, because clearly this is all an evil plot to make me sick, I could only think of one person devious enough to get her to like it.

The score was then Brian: 2, Krista: 0. Something had to be done.

I already knew that even though I had tried to be diplomatic about approaching the whole fungus family, Madison had so far refused to partake of them. And to seal the score I attempted to feed Ben some soup that had chunks of mushroom in it (I didn't make it, obviously), and without prompting he spit out the mushrooms and consumed everything else.

Hehe....Krista: 1

And last night we had the final breakthrough...I made Manwich. Mmmmm. Now I know you are all judging, but really...who doesn't love Manwich? I don't like to advertise this, but I think I could seriously eat an entire pound of Manwich by myself. It's for this very reason that I don't make it very often, coupled with the fact that Brian hates it (something ridiculous about soggy bread) and I would be forced (haha) to eat it all by myself. So, last night I made Manwich. Ben loved it, take that Brian! Madi? Why do you ask? Well, I can say with total honesty that she ate it...under duress...but she still ate it.

I'm taking this one, I need it! Brian has already introduced them both to cheese sandwiches dipped in ketsup! I have to take what I can get!

A Gift...From Me, Or...A Lesson on Bravery...

2009-02-22T14:32:00.002-07:00

So, the first five (5) people that respond to this particular post will get something made by good'ol me! (My choice.) Sound too good to be true? Well, it depends on how you look at it.
Details:
1- Not 100% satisfaction guaranteed. You might not like what I make especially for you.
2- It will be especially for you.
3- It will be completed within one year.
4- You will have no clue what it will be. (Story, poetry, some other grand invention. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!)
5- It might be weird.
The Catch? (Of course there is a catch, silly!) Do what I did. Re-post this little giveaway for your friends and family on your blog with the same unbelievable lucky first five offer. Then, "comment" and let me know that you did it. Within one year you will get a fun little something made just for you--by me!P.S. This is open to anyone, even you lurkers out there!! P.P.S. I know what you are all thinking...she'll never send me a present! She doesn't even update her blog!! I promise that there is updating and presents to come!!!

Election Day

2008-11-05T11:18:00.003-07:00

If you've read our blog these past few years, you know that we try to keep it lighthearted here at the Hobbs World Travelers. We like to discuss what our family is up to...what we're currently interested in...things like that. But today I have to bore you all with my own political agenda. Last night our country elected Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. Our country was founded 232 years ago by a group of men who believed that another political way was possible. They met in secret to establish a government whose people could voice their opinions without fear of deadly consequences. Where new ideas and changing old conceptions was not only allowed, but expected. Over the course of our nations history we have seen our government use it's power to better a nation. Sometimes changes have come slower than some would have liked, but these changes were made within the confines of our laws. People complain about not having a voice in this country, but our country gives us a voice based on the fundamentals of our inspired Constitution. All over the world throughout the centuries since it was founded, our country has been a model for democracy and peaceful transfer of power. With the election of our 44th President, we have seen that peaceful transfer of power again. It is incredible, and something to be thankful for. To be born or to have been naturalized in a country where we can voice our differences, where the candidates for leadership in our country can vary on policies and not fear for their lives is a wonderful thing, a very fortunate thing.

Your candidate may have lost last night, but if you went to the polls and showed that you cared enough about the freedom that was won and has been protected for you so many times, then I feel that you have shown your pride in our country and you have proved that our country's government still works.

I am personally proud to be a part of this election where more people showed up to vote than in many years. I am proud to witness an historical landmark in our country's history. We are all concerned about our future. There is a lot for our new President to deal with in the next four years. I'm just glad to know that I live in a place where we can let our leaders know, through our votes, that we are either satisfied or dissatisfied with their progress. If you are not happy with this year's election, remember that you can vote again to make a change in the next election. It is easy to be upset or angry or even scared when things don't turn out the way we want them to, but I believe that the right thing to do is to rally our strength to make a difference where we can. I believe that we can all do our part to make our cities, states and country what we want it to be. Don't let an election make you give up what you want to fight for. If you voted, you proved that your voice CAN be heard, which is something that many people in this world cannot claim.

Princess No Teeth....

2008-10-21T11:48:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure what kind of introduction deserves to be here. If you don't pee in your pants when you watch this...I'm not sure you are human.

Madison has had her two front teeth loose for a couple of weeks, and two days ago she insisted on having them out. Brian tried just pulling, but they really weren't loose enough. Madison kept playing with one in particular, and by the time Dad decided to get out the string it was pretty loose. They tried a couple of string methods, but it kept slipping off. Then Brian came up with the brilliant idea that you see above. Enjoy!

And here are the pictures post tooth removal. The other front tooth was pulled last night (by me! I know...eeeeewww!!) We've decided that she's just in time for looking like a Halloween Jack-o-lantern. Cute, huh?

Boys

2008-10-18T20:48:00.002-06:00

Lately Ben has been totally fascinated with putting things up his nose. Fingers, food...and pencils. I was doing the dishes and Ben came in saying, "Hi, Momma!" I laughed so hard I almost didn't get the picture. I also got about six of him running away from me while I tried to get the picture. He is also really into dressing himself. As you can see, he is sporting the one-shoe-no-pants ensemble here. Boys!

I'm Married to a Professional!

2008-10-03T07:24:00.002-06:00

Sooo...Brian is officially a professional artist. He just got done painting this logo and sign on the side of a building next to Wal-mart. Hooray! Doesn't it look good?! The guy who had him do it was so impressed that he called around and got him another job immediately! I'd say he's doing pretty well for himself, wouldn't you? Oh...and the homeless guy next to the sign? He and his friend sat and watched Brian paint for two days, and in one of the pictures you can kind of see him waving at us while we take the picture...friendly, eh?

September Canning Adventures

2008-10-03T07:14:00.002-06:00

Pears
Lovely Assistants
Soup....urgh!
Gorgeous Syrup
As usual, I spent the first part of September canning. This year I got three boxes of pears from my parent's house, a bag of peaches and a giant box of tomatoes from the farmer's market. I ended up canning a million jars of quartered pears. In my attempt to make tomato sauce from my tomatoes, I ended up making and canning tomato soup...don't ask...it was traumatic. I also made peach-raspberry syrup this year...it is DIVINE, and the most beautiful color you've ever seen! I think that I'll make syrup out of my fruit next year, it is pretty easy and waaaay more satisfying than sauce turned soup.

I put up a couple of pictures of the finished product...and a couple of pictures of my assistants...trust me, the one of Ben sleeping is the best way for him to help with canning! And yes, he fell asleep with crackers in his hands. I was trying to bribe him with cartoons and snacks, and he ended up konking out after about fifteen minutes, yay!

August

2008-10-03T07:08:00.002-06:00

August was pretty low-key at our house. The kids and I spent a little bit of time shopping at the local farmer's markets. We got ready for school...just generally hung out. I thought I'd give you a couple of pictures of Ben chillin' on the porch. He stole a peach from the box I'd left on the porch while I was watering the grass, and this is how I found him. Pretty funny...huh? He was also humming to himself. Cute.

July

2008-10-03T07:00:00.002-06:00

Brian and I spent a week at BYU for a ballroom dance camp in July. One week...two old, out of shape people; no children; 8 hours of dance each day...all the BYU brownies you can eat......the best and worst of the world. It was actually really great. Since we've been teaching here in Ontario we really wanted to go take some classes to sort of dust off the rust from our dancing. Plus, we got to leave our kids with relatives for an entire week. I'm pretty sure we haven't been away from our kids and together in a VEEEERRRRYYY long time. Too bad we were beyond exhaustion every night to go out and enjoy our freedom!

Outfitting the Hobbs Bistro

2008-07-02T13:43:00.002-06:00

Sooo...I've been wanting to get a cute little bistro table and chairs to put on my perfect porch. I finally found a perfect little fixer-upper at the thrift shop for thirty bucks....plus the paint to freshen it up...$50! Not bad...it is the table and chairs in the top two pictures. Of course I forgot to take a before...but it is still kind of a before because the table doesn't have a top yet. Do you like the seats? I redid them with the red...my new favorite color.

Then, after I had started on this little project, Brian came home from work with this other table and chair set that a co-worker was getting rid of. Cute, huh? Now I can't decide what to do with it. Repaint? Add cushions? It is a folding table, believe it or not, and the chairs are folding chairs. It's cuter in real life. I invite anyone who wants to come out here to see them...we'll even cook you something delicious and serve it to you out on our porch. But I need some advice....paint it white to match the other set? Or should I do it different and use it once we get our patio poured in the back? HELP!! I have only a tiny bit of good taste, and I used it all on the other table.

Look At Me!!

2008-07-02T10:37:00.003-06:00

Look at Ben!! Finally!!! He isn't walking yet, but hopefully this is a step in the right direction (punny, huh?) He actually did this for the first time on Sunday during the combined fifth Sunday meeting in the gym. We kind of let him crawl off to the side, then he just stood up! We were shocked! Of course we couldn't clap and make a huge deal then...but he did it again this morning, and Madi and I gave him the appropriate responses this time.

Happy Now???!!!!

2008-07-01T00:04:00.000-06:00

Fence

2008-06-30T23:54:00.002-06:00

As mentioned in my previous post....we sort of started a home-improvement revolution at our house with that stupid bush....so, can you tell me what's missing in the bottom picture? Whoever gets all of the things wins! And, here is our lovely new fence in progress. The old one was falling down and rotten, and Brian has been literally slaving in the beating sun to get it done this summer. We have taken a new approach, using metal posts that are bracketed to the wood fence. It is supposed to last up to ten years longer than the wood posts. Of course, our wood posts would have lasted longer if they had been installed correctly and not just shoved in the dirt a couple of inches. Looking good, huh? Isn't Brian amazing? Isn't he? Huh, huh??

Goodbye Spider-Bush

2008-06-30T23:45:00.002-06:00

We used to have this really nasty spider-collecting bush in our front yard. I have hated it since the day we moved in, and this year it had gotten really big and hard to see around when you back out of the driveway. Welllll....I sort of got really annoyed with it and started to "prune" it. By the time Brian got home I had half of it hacked down to the roots, and it looked so bad that he had no choice but to finish the job and yank it out. Hooray! So he and a guy on our street chained it to the bumper of his truck and ripped it out of the ground. I cannot tell you how satisfying that was for me. Unfortunately, once we got the bush out we realized how many other things needed to get done outside at our house.....and we will show you what this project started in the next few posts. I guess I didn't get a picture of the house after the bush is out, but I'm sure I will later.

Thirty, Flirty and Fabulous.....

2008-06-30T23:40:00.002-06:00

Okay, so he's only 29 (31...shhh), but we had a good time celebrating this year. The kids and I took him out to lunch in Nampa, and then took him shopping for clothes (which is really more like torture than birthday for him, but we can't let him always look like a hobo now, can we?) and then brought him home and fed him some yummy cake. As you can see, we ran out of memory card long before we ran out of birthday, but Happy Birthday, Brian!!! We love you!

Standing!

2008-06-30T23:35:00.002-06:00

My mom and dad are lame and can't remember when exactly this was....about a month to a month and a half ago...but look at me! I'm standing against the furniture, finally!!! Today, the couch; tomorrow, the world!!!!! Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

Removing of the Cast

2008-06-30T23:11:00.002-06:00

As most of you know, about the last week of April I got a phone call from the school telling me that Madison was hurt and I had to come and get her. I have to admit that I didn't think it could possibly be very bad, I mean, she is slightly dramatic sometimes, so I thought maybe she was just milking the situation. When I got there, she was wearing a sling made from a torn up bandage fabric and about a ream of that long recycled paper. She had fallen off the monkey bars and landed smack-dab on her wrist with all her weight. When I asked her what happened, she said, "I was trying to do the monkey bars, and I made it all the way to the second one, but I was going to fast and then, I fell." She actually was pretty brave, and once we got it x-rayed we found out it was broken pretty good...right through the growth plate, which meant we couldn't just get a cast, we had to go to the orthopedic surgeon and get it x-rayed again, cast...wait two weeks, x-rayed, cast again and then monitored for the next five weeks to make sure it was healing okay.

She healed up just fine, and these lovely pictures are of the removal of her cast. At first, you can see she is excited. The second picture she is still happy, but a little nervous. By the third picture she has realized that the evil looking saw sitting next to her is going to be used on her, and she is not happy about it. I didn't get a picture of the mayhem that ensued when the doctor tried to turn on the saw and saw off the cast...but those of you with children can imagine what happened. The last two pictures show Madison looking into what she called her "nasty" cast (when the doctor asked if she wanted to keep it, she looked at him with disgust and vehemently said "no way") and showing you her arm....eeeeewwww! It was so gross! She insisted on going right to the bathroom and she tried to scrub off all the grossness...I tried to be positive for her, but YUCK!

She now tells everyone she sees that she got her cast off, which is funny because most people don't have any way of knowing she had one on in the first place. And she is also very sure that she is not going to get on the monkey bars any time soon. We passed her school the other day and she said, "Mom, those monkey bars are still there! You need to call the principal and tell her that those monkey bars are dangerous and they should take them down." I concur.

Undefeated!

2008-06-30T22:59:00.002-06:00

...at being defeated! Soccer this year was pretty fun....for us spectators. Madi's team, well, they weren't that good. And the other teams? Let's just say it was like watching Shakiel O'Neal play against Pee Wee Herman, oh, and Pee Wee's wearning a blindfold.

Let me just give you a taste of Madi's version of soccer.
Technique #1: Why run after the ball when you can rock out to the music in your head, while the rest the team plays around you?
Tecnique #2: Kick the ball to the closest goal....not yours, you say? So what! It's going toward a goal isn't it?! Kick it!!!
Technique #3: When being goalie, be sure to hang from the bar and jump into the net to see if it will catch you, this will not always save your team from being scored on, but you'll have a good time.
Technique #4: If you get tired during the game, just sit down wherever you happen to be.
Technique #5: Make sure you chat animatedly with your girlfriends from the other team during the game.

You have to give her some credit, though....she really did run in the general direction that the soccer ball was being kicked some of the time, and she played the last two games with a broken arm...the third one her team to get one this year!

Madison's Sixth Birthday

2008-06-30T22:45:00.002-06:00

Madison turned six on May 1st (a date she had been counting down to since Christmas). We actually got to spend her birthday this year in Pocatello, and she had a great time. We had a tea-party, complete with tiny cookies, tiny cakes, pink juice...and an obnoxiously pink cake that I'm not exactly the most proud I've ever been of a cake. The original plan for the cake sort of fell through when our girly day (we got our hair and nails done and went out to lunch with just the girls) went a little longer than expected. Actually, we barely made it to the party in enough time to through it all together....but it was still really fun. We had lots of family come to celebrate with us, and all the little girls and boys were dressed up (some of the adults weren't as cooperative with the whole fancy dress up part of the party....you know who you are!)

Madison has made us very proud this year. She went from a very shaky first day of school (biting a kid on the finger and getting scissors confiscated) to graduating with top marks (not sure what this means for Kindy's, but...whatever) and really growing up into a beautiful little girl. She helps with Ben so much that I sometimes have to ask her to stop helping with Ben. She is smart and funny and just a lot of fun around here. We love our Madison!

A note about the first picture...no, it isn't misplaced. We drove down to Pocatello with clear skies and roads, and woke up on Madison's birthday to a foot of snow on the ground. Idaho. Ugh.

Ben's First Birthday

2008-06-30T22:24:00.002-06:00

Benjamin survived his first year of life here with us, so we decided to commemorate the event with a cool party, lots of friends, an awesome home-baked cake and general happiness and revelry.....

Unfortunately all the friends cancelled, I had to work all week so there was no time for a cake, Benjamin came down with a horrid double ear infection and the party was way not as cool as we thought it was going to be. It was actually clever if my party had actually gone through...it was a party for Benjamin Bunny....the invitations we sent out had pictures of a little carrot patch and invited people to come to Benjamin's carrot patch for a party. It was just after Easter so I got a bunch of bunny party favors, chocolate bunnies, bunny ears, peeps bunnies.....bunny plates and napkins.....you get the picture. And even though I didn't have time to make one, we got a cute carrot cake from the store that was decorated like a carrot patch. Yep, I know....shame that our guests all cancelled that morning. And it would have still been alright if Ben hadn't screamed the whole night before and all day because his poor little ears were killing him.

Sooo....we ended up putting him in the high chair long enough to get a picture and let him smoosh some cake, then we drugged him up and put him to bed. Brian, Madison and I did our best to party without him. Oh well, he'll have plenty more birthdays, I suppose.

At this time he isn't walking yet, and hasn't stood up on the furniture, but he gets around really well with his special (read *weird*) crawl that he does. He says "Mommamama" and "Dadaddada." He loves Madison and follows her everywhere, and for now she doesn't mind.

A Promise for More to Come.....

2008-05-31T11:38:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone! Sorry we've been ignoring our blog lately. We know you all are just as busy as we are, we're just lamer!! Anyway, I wanted to get on here to let everyone in on my bragging for this week...and I promise to post lots of pictures of what's been going on in our little family later on!

Brag #1: Madison graduated from Kindergarten. I know....they have a graduation for everything now...but I have to admit that I sat in the back and bawled the entire time. Someday Madison is going to look back at me and tell her friends that I'm definately not her mother, she doesn't have any clue who that blubbering idiot in the back is....oh, and by the way....she's adopted.

Brag #2 BRIAN PASSED HIS PRAXIS TEST!!!! Not only did he pass it, he SMASHED it! Now we have two tests down, one to go for his Oregon licensure. Hooray!! I'm not sure if you understand how much of a pain this all has been. He has TWO degrees that are valid for teaching, and yet in every state you are required to recertify....and they all have different requirements. Needless to say, we will all be sleeping a little bit better once this is all over (June 14th is his last test...cross those fingers!). Hooray for our bacon bringing hero!!!

Brag #3 I found the most fabulous deal at a yard sale. (I know, mine is sort of lame) I've been looking for two dressers to put on either side of our bed forever, knowing that eventually I was going to have to give up and actually pay full price for them. Not so! I passed a yard sale two days ago that had two solid wood dressers just sitting there looking gorgeously cheap....they guy wanted $50 for both.....and I paid $30. Yay for me! Although, as I was making the transaction I thought about Melanie and how she probably could have gotten him down to $25. *sigh* We can't all be brilliant negotiators.....

Brag #4 Ben is finally cruising along the furniture and standing up to push things across the floor!!! So close to walking that we are putting up the gates in anticipation! Hopefully by the fourth of July he'll be running to catch up with his big sister.

Brag #5 We are finally getting our ghetto back yard cleaned up! Brian has been chomping at the bit to get out there and rip it up, and he's finally got the time now that school is over. He loves being all manly and knocking down fences and ripping up sidewalks. He is also very excited to start his kitchen project. I've been trying to hold him back from taking our credit card and buying Home Depot right now to do it. I never knew I married such a handyman! He's never done some of the stuff he plans on doing, but he is really excited to learn how. What a great guy. So I guess this brag is about how great my husband is (sorry for the sappiness.....and sorry ladies, he's all mine!!). He is so motivated and eager to learn new things, and I'm so happy I married someone who has the smarts to figure it all out. Yay for Brian!

Well, that's all for now! Check back very soon for picture updates of our happy little family!!!

Cute Little Monkeys

2008-03-23T16:08:00.002-06:00

Okay, I may be slightly prejudiced....but I think these are two of the cutest kids on the planet!! I love them so much!

Once again I got sucked into making Easter outfits...two this year. Ben was only one day old on Easter last year, so he and Madi both ended up with store bought outfits. If you know me very well you would realize that if I hadn't been in labor two days before Easter, I would have been making Madison's dress. This year I was going to buy them some matching outfits, but guilt got the better of me....so here they are, matching monkeys. Do you like the blue and brown? Ben's ended up a little short....it's supposed to be shorts, but I guess his little legs are longer than I thought. People kept asking me if he was wearing a dress....I guess that outfit is retired after today. Oh well, cute pictures anyway. Marcus just now suggested to me that I should have made him some tiny tuxedo pants with a blue ribbon down the side. And where was that suggestion two days ago while he watched me make the outfit? Helpful, isn't he?

Happy Easter Morning

2008-03-23T15:54:00.002-06:00

I was surpised this year to find that both kids slept in. Huh. It actually wasn't all that great because we have church at 9:00, and I sort of wanted to get the whole basket thing out of the way before church. We are also notoriously late for sacrament meeting every week, so I was really hoping to make it on time for once. I eventually got them all rousted out of bed, though. They were both really excited about what the Easter bunny left for them. Madi especially loved her dress (don't ask....it's a combination of guilt and obsession that drives me) and Ben loved the new bottle in his basket. We gave Ben a bunch of empty eggs....they are always the most fought after toy in our house, and he loves them. He's been carrying them around the house all day.

Marcus came to visit us over Easter, so we've been putting him to work. Brian had him climb up our massive trees yesterday to cut down the branches that have been threatening to destroy our cars and roof for the last year. Yay for Marcus! I would also like to note that I did try to find him a date for while he was here (this was his stipulation for the visit), but was unsucessful due to unforseen circumstances (there are no girls here who don't have tatoos on their faces or ten kids from when they were in high school). I promise to try harder next time, Marcus!

OHS Easter Egg Hunt, Etc...

2008-03-23T15:46:00.002-06:00

Saturday was really fun around here, that is as long as you don't work for the man. Brian and Marcus took the kids to the OHS Egg Hunt in the morning and then to play on the awesome playground at Carl's Jr in the afternoon. They also dyed eggs and got to eat candy. I got to sit at a desk and type in numbers and then demand payment from people who want to get something for nothing. Hooray.

MMMMMmmmm....Easter Cake

2008-03-23T15:42:00.001-06:00

Nothing to say about this, really. Just look at it. Can it get any more perfect? I think not.

Ben's Lord of the Rings Impression

2008-03-09T18:41:00.002-06:00

Letterboxing

2008-03-09T18:33:00.003-06:00

I was recently asked to teach a class for Relief Society about fun and inexpensive things to do with your family. I was at a loss, really....so I called Melanie, and she suggested Letterboxing. Brian and the kids and I decided to go out and give it a shot. I looked up some sites online and found some letterboxes very close to where we live....and off we went! We were able to find one of the three we went looking for. One of them we just couldn't find...and the other one is gone due to some construction in the area. It was pretty cool to find, though, and Madison thought it was awesome.

Anyone have any cool ideas for fun things to do as a family or a couple that are free or inexpensive? The letterboxing was awesome, you should try it!

Dancing Queen...Welcome Back to Blogville

2008-03-03T14:38:00.002-07:00

Okay, okay...so we are evil non-blogging losers who've deprived you all of seeing your precious (fill in relationship here) for over a month now. We are sorry.....we are just sooo busy lately! Brian and I are teaching two ballroom classes a week, plus two separate private lessons for a competition. I am working for the tax man, and Brian is trying to desperately write lesson plans and grade papers when he's not watching kids or keeping me from checking in to the nut house.

Madi has been very busy with her dance class, they had a competition in Nampa (that I didn't get to go to) and got lots of ribbons and trophies...which means they get to perform in May at Lagoon for "Nationals." I'm not sure why they call it that, I'm pretty sure it's one of those things that you pay to perform in, in fact I know it is...since I paid for her to perform in it. We thought you might enjoy some pictures in full costume.

Ben and Madi have both been pretty sick for about three months, and this is also making us crazy. Madi had a huge kidney infection in early January, and we found out she was allergic to Pennicillin (sp?),followed by the nastiest cold ever....then passed it along to Ben. They both had double ear infections in February, where we found that Ben was also allergic to it....and then he kept getting worse with the coughing, he stopped sleeping and eating...and we finally took him back in, only to discover that he had RSV, and had to use one of those nebulizers with albuterol (which makes kids verrrryy wild!). Sooo...we haven't slept or seen each other in about three months, and it will continue to be that way until April 15th, when I will be done with tax season.

A huge thank you to Dan and Tammy for coming to rescue us this weekend!! They cooked for us and brought us treats and let us go on a real date with no kids! We stayed out till 11:00, when we remembered we hadn't slept in three months and were tired. Still, pretty cool. Thanks, guys!

There! Is everyone happy now?! Just kidding, we love to keep in touch this way, I'll try to be quicker with the blogs!!

Making Some Banana Bread

2008-03-03T14:31:00.002-07:00

We love banana bread at our house. I discovered an awesome recipe about a year ago, and now we buy bananas and ignore them on purpose so they can become bread when they are all brown. I have often complained to Brian that our bananas aren't rotten enough yet to eat. We also like to add chocolate chips to them, you know, to counteract any healthiness involved in the bread.

Madison loves to help out, and I think we took these pictures partially to show off the banana bread, but mostly to show off Madison's new haircut and choice of outfit. She cracks us up with her fashion sense. So cute!

Award

2008-03-03T14:26:00.002-07:00

We've been so proud of Madison lately. She had a little bit of a rough start in Kindergarten. It was hard to focus and sit still and stop talking. But over the last few months she's been doing very well. Her teacher informs me that she is very responsible and respectful, and she works very hard.

Last month we received a letter in the mail inviting us to an awards ceremony at her school, and there I was surprised to find out that she was receiving an award for high academic acheivement in language and math. Way to go Madison! We are so proud!

Madi Gets a Haircut

2008-03-03T14:05:00.002-07:00

I decided in January to trim Madison's hair, it probably hadn't been trimmed in two years so it was a little uneven. Some of you know about the mohawk incident...some may not. Well, about a two years ago, just when we got back from Taiwan, Madison decided to give herself a haircut. It was in two french braids, and she wedged the scissors on either side of the center part in the front and snipped right to the crown of her head. It would have been really hilarious if I hadn't been so horrified, she has such crazy cowlicks that I wasn't sure I'd be able to hide it, and there was no way I was going to shave her head. I ended up doing an extreme side part for a few months, and then she had a mohawk that stood straight up until it got long enough to lay over. That took about a year...then just when I was thinking we'd gotten over it, she cut the same slice again, probably in an attempt to get rid of her mohawk. It has taken nearly another year to get it to grow back to where it looked like a half-hearted attempt at bangs only in the center of her forehead.

While I was trimming the back I wondered out loud if I should just cut her some bangs so that it could all grow out together, then at least it would look intentional. Madison begged and begged me to do it, saying repeatedly, "I'll look just like Hannah Montana, Mom! PLEASE!!!" Soooo...I gave in! And now, against my (and Brian's) better judgement, our little girl now has trendy Hannah Montana bangs. There are only a few problems with the bangs....first, they grow fast, and I want to let them grow out, but not look shaggy....any suggestions? Second, as previously mentioned, crazy cowlicks....this usually means they part a little to the side with a decided flip. Ugh. And Lastly....they make her look too old. This is the real problem. She'll be six so soon that it is killing me....somehow six seems so much older than five. Five is still a baby, really, but six....six is a little girl.

So...what do you think? Keep the Hannah Montana bangs, or grow them out?

Ten Months Old....Better Late Than Never!

2008-03-03T13:40:00.002-07:00

Here is our little monkey at ten months old. Can you believe it's been ten months already?? We actually did take the pictures on time, we've just had dead batteries in our camera for a while so we couldn't post them.

Okay, so ten months for Benjamin meant lots of first things. He learned how to crawl this month...and he is getting pretty fast. He still does the whole one-legged Smegal crawl, I think he doesn't want to crawl on his knees because the floor is so hard. Poor baby.

He also got two new teeth this month, and bit his sister for the first time. He has four top teeth and two bottom ones...just enough to leave a fairly impressive mark on Madi's stomach where he bit her in retaliation for picking him up when he wanted to be left alone.

He has also been eating just about everything now. He even ate an entire chicken nugget the other day. He started out by daintily nibbling the nugget, and when he thought I wasn't paying attention anymore he stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. It was funny watching him try to chew with his mouth so full. Now I know better...I cut up everything I give him in case he decides to shove it all in at once.

Ben also learned to shake his head no, and this has become his favorite pastime, and his response to anything I say or offer to feed him, whether he agrees or not. And early this month I taught him to blow kisses, but he hasn't figured out that it involves your mouth persay...so he just slaps himself somewhere on the head and then waves it at you. Well...I know what he means!

This month he also said Mom for the first time...he mostly says it when he's upset. He babbles all sorts of other sounds, sometimes even coming up with Dadada, although we're not sure he associates either Momma or Dada with the actual people yet. He does like to jabber, though...and he loves to talk on the phone, he thinks it's hilarious, he laughs and jabbers and laughs and jabbers until we take it away, then he screams like we've stolen his first born child. Ah.....the dulcet tones of a ten month old.

All in all, he's a very happy baby boy, and we can't imagine our family without him! He's still pretty laid back, not the same as his older sister, and shy, unlike Madison. Ben is just a happy, laughing, clapping, nono head shaking, smegal crawling monkey. And we love him!

Alright, Fine....I've Been Tagged...

2008-01-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

What’s his name? Brian David Hobbs, although many might refer to him as 'the Dog'...long story, almost funny...

How long have you been together? Well, we have known each other for nearly eight years. We met about the second week of fall semester 1999 in a dance class. I thought he was handsome, he thought I had a boyfriend.

How long did you date? Technically I didn't know we were dating. You see, he would come up for reasons for us to get together...choreography and dance team things mostly...and then mention how it would be a shame to waste the rest of the evening, and that we should definately go catch a movie or something. It took me longer than necessary to figure out he was trying to date me....but by then it was too late, I was hooked! So, according to me we started dating in April 2000, our first date being the Second Chance Prom, that led to our second date at Remo's that we won a dinner for in a swing contest....that would have us dating for about four months before we got engaged (July 17, 2000). According to Brian we were dating long before that, probably sometime in October....when he was inviting me over to cook for me and serving me reheated leftovers.....

How old is he? 30

Who eats more? I want to say him, but if I'm honest with myself....me, most of the time. Except when it comes to entire bags of Oreos or packages of Whoppers...then it is not me. Unless we're talking about Doritos....then it is me. Or pizza....or peanut butter. Hmmm...or chocolate....but let's get some perspective, after all....I need to keep up my strength to chase after my two kids...well, to make sure the one kid at home doesn't get into stuff...never mind that he can't crawl and mostly plays with stuffed animals on the floor and doesn't move....hmmm...

Who said I Love You first? Me...although he tricked me into it. We were at a drive-inn movie (on a school night...hehe), I think it was The Fast and the Furious (ugh, no wonder he was able to trick me into saying it, I was bored out of my mind!), and he kept asking me if I liked him. The worst part is that instead of saying it back, he just smiled smugly and let me suffer in agony wondering if he loved me back.

Who is taller? That's easy...him, of course. I was born into a family of shorties...so it was inevitable the guy I married would be taller. And I would like to offer a belated apology to all those tall girls out there that didn't get to marry Brian (a very tall guy) because I did. Hehe...I'm not sorry...neener neener.

Who is smarter? What a terrible question. Well, I'm smarter at the stuff I do, and he's smarter at the stuff he does. It baffles me, for instance, that he can sit in a room full of teenagers day after day, teaching them things and not wanting to kill them all. He also knows a whole lot more than me about art history, art techniques, being a guy and packing a suitcase. I would like to think I am pretty smart about cultural things (hopefully I didn't waste all those years in college), and I have a whole lot of useless trivia at my disposal. Oh, and I know how to load the dishwasher better, but I still appreciate him doing it for me.

Who does laundry? This question is a sore spot at our house. Brian does the laundry, even though I've asked him repeatedly to leave it to me. We've been married seven years and he still shrinks my clothes....but I do have to admit that it can be nice to come home and find all of Ben's clothes washed, folded and put away. And I guess I shouldn't be bothered by him not using the special baby laundry soap, as long as it got done. Sometimes it's hard being an obsessed person....*sigh*

Who does the dishes? As previously mentioned, we both do them...some of us just do them once, while others have to run them through again. But like I said, it is still nice to have them done for me.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? For now, me...but only because the outlet is on the left side of the bed, and it provides power for the alarm clock and the sleep machine, so Brian gets to be the lucky lefty.

Who pays the bills? I pay the bills, but he brings home the bacon...ehehhehehe. We both do the finances, but he is busy so I take care of the paperwork.

Who mows the lawn? Don't tell my dad, but I don't even know how to turn our mower on. Thank goodness for my husband who has made it his mission to have our grass cut short.

Who cooks dinner? Usually me. I think we both agree that I'm the better cook, although lately he has revealed his talents for tuna sandwiches, instant mashed potatoes, and marinating steaks.....and for now, that's enough!

Who drives when you are together? Brian, I guess. I used to want to drive all the time, now I would rather back-seat drive, unless we are late. In which case I'm with Melanie, and I need to drive or there will usually be a fight.

Who is more stubborn? Equally stubborn, I guess that's why we get along.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me first. And then he giggled like a little girl. It was so cute.

Who asked out who first? Like I said, I wasn't actually aware that he was asking me out at first...but I still think it was him. And for our first official date (that I think was the first date) he asked me. I can actually remember the phone call...and I apologize to my roommates for my unexcusable corniness during the following week. I was just so excited that he finally asked me on a date...I was worried that he didn't like me. He was just so darned adored by every girl I knew (he could dance and he was tall and handsome...and dark...hmmm....) that I thought some other girl had snagged him.

Who proposed? He did. And it was very old-fashioned and romantic, and I didn't know it was coming. Not to say that I didn't hope he would....I just didn't know he was going to. He told me he had a present for me...and he had told me the night before that he was moving to Utah and wanted to celebrate my birthday early, which was the fabricated reason for the date, and so I thought he was giving me an early birthday present. I remember thinking that he looked kind of sick that night, and I didn't realize until later that he was nervous that I would say no....silly Brian....and when he took out the ring box I got to experience a moment of pure surprise...since that was probably the only time in my life that I hadn't expected what was happening. It was awesome.

Who has more siblings? Same number of siblings, and same number of boys and girls.

Who wears the pants in the family? Brian lets everyone think that I do, but really we are both pretty opinionated, and we like to make each other happy...so we share the pants.

Okay, there you go people, are you happy? You all know by now that I don't do tagging, not because I don't enjoy reading other people's, but because I'm lazy and stubborn. So I tag Nanci and my Aunt Cheryl, who are probably the only two people likely to do it...and if I know you, and you haven't been tagged, you can do it, too!

Christmas With The Hobbs

2008-01-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here are my men in their matching pj's...
And Madi and I in ours.
This takes a bit of explanation. See, Madison has apparently been paying a lot of attention to what Santa has to do on Christmas, and recently she has been expressing concern over him having to eat that many cookies and drink that much milk in one night. So when I went to make some cookies for Santa (I had some cookie dough leftover in the fridge) so they would be fresh for him, she insisted that we give him somthing healthy instead. She said that he would probably get a stomach ache if we fed him more cookies, so she dug through the fridge and got him out some salad. The piece of fudge was a concession she made when Brian expressed concern that Santa may not eat the salad if there wasn't something good to eat afterward. She cracks me up.
And here are Madison and Benjamin opening up their presents on Christmas morning. I know that these pictures are REALLY late, and there is really no excuse...so..sorry? Anyway, we had a great time this year. After we opened presents and talked to our families, we went to our friends the Jensen's house for dinner and let the kids ransack the bedrooms while we all played Rook. Then when Ben couldn't stand being awake any longer and Madison had driven everyone insane, we went home and went to bed. Pretty laid back, and I really liked not having to clean up after the big dinner...or to have to cook the big dinner, really. Hopefully next year I'll get on the ball earlier and have everything done before Christmas so we can post regularly.....well, we can always hope!

A Christmas Card For You

2008-01-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we didn't get our Christmas cards out this year, so consider this our card to you! Think of it this way, now you get to look at these adorable pictures of our children without having to wonder what to do with them when you're done looking at them! Okay, I know it's lame...but it's somthing!!! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Christmas Lights

2008-01-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

This year we finally had a house to put lights on...a first for us in our seven years...so I made Brian put them up along with my awesome decorations on the columns. Don't they look like candy canes? I was so excited to have it look so Christmassy this year, and a day after I decorated, it snowed! Perfect!

Hello New Room!

2008-01-06T19:13:00.001-07:00

Here's the old trim getting painted and the spikey plaster walls being primed......

New wall color and trim!!
New windows! OK, crappy picture, but really they are awesome. You can't feel a breeze blowing through her windows anymore, and that is a major improvement!

Goodbye Wallpaper..

2008-01-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

We decided to get rid of Madison's old wallpaper and nasty dirty walls, since we were replacing her drafty old windows. First to go was the wallpaper, which was surprisingly easy to remove. I think it took all of fifteen minutes from the time we started spraying the dissolver stuff on.

Two Teeth In One Day

2008-01-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

I knew it would happen eventually, and that day finally arrived when Madison came up to me to show me her loose teeth...the two bottom front ones, to be exact. She wiggled and wiggled and played with them for a week or so, and one night she showed me that she could even twist one of them almost all the way around (EWWW!) I knew she was going to lose it, and I hoped she wouldn't swallow it in her sleep. The next day when I picked her up from school, she had the tooth in a little plastic bag, and was so proud to have lost it that it made me laugh. Later that night Brian noticed the other tooth hanging on by a thread and asked her if she would let him tie a string to it and pull it out. She agreed to having the string tied on, but not to the pulling....she was pretty scared that it was going to hurt. Eventually Brian convinced her and....well...watch the video.

Benjamin Is 8 Months Old!

2008-01-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

I know this is way late, but here is a little synopsis of our 8th month with our precious Benj...

This month Ben got two teeth...one on the top, and the corresponding one on the bottom. It was just so darned cute to look at those little chompers...he kind of looked like a hillbilly. He also perfected sitting in one spot and reaching really far to get a toy without having to actually get down and move anywhere. When he does fall onto his stomach, instead of continuing to strain to reach whatever it was that he wanted, he just lays his head down in defeat and starts to cry. He really hasn't been very motivated to crawl, and I guess it may have something to do with his three slaves that anticipate his every desire.

Early in the month I took him to get some shots and had a talk with his pediatrician about him not bearing weight on his legs. He has always been a little bit awkward on his feet, standing on the sides of them rather than on the bottoms. So our pediatrician gave us some exercises to practice with him, and basically told me that he was just a little bit lazy....hehe...I like to tell Brian that comes from his side of the family, but I'm inclined to think it is from me....

Anyway, we started working with him and have been pretty successful. In fact the draw-back to teaching him to stand up is that he now wants to stand up all the time...and this can be a problem if, say, you want to lay him down to change his diaper or to sit in his high chair.

Ben is still the happiest little guy I know, and loves to pillage through his sister's play dishes and dance (bounce, really) to any music. It's funny to watch Madison with him. Whenever I put him in the jumper, she comes out and starts doing an original full-scale Broadway production for him; singing, dancing and acting out scenes she is working on. Hilarious. And he just sits there and enthusiatically claps (did I mention that he learned to clap?) and tries to sing along. I think he is biding him time until he's big enough to join in on the fun.

Another month gone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-12-01T22:56:00.001-07:00

Our beautiful table...thank you Dan!

Do you love the napkin rings? Madison made them all by herself!
Too many cooks in this kitchen!
Aaron and Brian pretending they helped cook something.
Marcus and I taste testing my lemon merengue mini tarts...mmmm!Everyone gathering around the table...finally getting to eat.

This Thanksgiving was really great. My parents and Nanci and her kids and Marcus all came up to brave (uh...I mean spend) the holiday with us. It was so fun watching Garrett terrorize everything within crawling distance, and Wyatt and Madison actually played really well together.

Brian's friend Aaron (a fellow teacher) really did brave the holiday here with us. Brian actually told him to come over at around noon...hmmm...has Brian never met any Allens before? Why would he think that we would even be close to eating at noon? I guess he needs seven more years with me to figure it out.

We cooked all day long, I tried to make everything that everyone likes so they would all be happy...and I ended up nearly destroying my house and everyone in it. I exploded a glass bowl of butter in the microwave....twice...I splattered innocent bystanders with the squash soup I was pureeing in the blender, I started my oven on fire....but was able to save the lemon merengue mini tarts (phew...that was close). Somehow I was still able to pull together a meal, and we all ate too much and then slept. Ah, don't you just love Thanksgiving?

Where Madison is helpful, and Benjamin is Seven Months Old...

2007-12-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

Here is an example of Madison being helpful with her brother. Sometimes just helpful enough to scare the crap out of me....or just helpful enough to be annoying, depending on the day. Ben doesn't seem to mind, though...he thinks his sister is the best thing in the world. I think that this line of thinking will be alright until she begins to be annoyed with him copying her and following her around and playing with all of her toys. Well, at least for now things are okay.

Our little Benjamin is growing up so fast. These pictures were taken right after he was seven months old. He now loves to sit in his high chair (that Brian fixed after I threatened to post about how last year's Christmas present to me might end up being finished just in time for Christmas this year) and eat anything that we are eating, or at least try to. He also has two teeth...pictures to come, once I figure out how to get him to hold still and show them to me. He is a rolling fiend! He loves his sister, he really loves his daddy, and we just love him so much!

Happy Halloween!

2007-12-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Our cutie-pies getting ready for trick-or-treating.

Our butterfly and our baby penguin. Adorable!
Madison, the beautiful butterfly.
Practicing her face for getting extra candy....."Can I please have some candy?"
"Please!?!"Here are my penguin men. Aren't they precious?A closer one of baby Benj penguin.

This is Madison reveling in her haul...

And this is Benj definately not reveling in his haul. Somebody needs to teach this kid that candy is delicious. What kind of parents are we, anyway?

Well, we are so way lame that we've waited until after Thanksgiving to post our Halloween pictures. Since they are so late, I can't remember all of the funny things I was going to post about. Oops! Well, it was fun, anyway....and the kids were cute, so what else is there to say?

Benjamin Turns Six Months Old!

2007-10-07T23:31:00.000-06:00

Can you believe that our little Benjamin has been part of our family for half a year already?! We don't really know what we would do without him at this point. There are three people here that are totally smitten by this little guy. He is so cute! (Oh! Thanks to Auntie Heidi for the adorable outfit)

Let's see, milestones for this month....well, last Sunday night we were playing Candyland on the livingroom floor. Benjamin was observing from his stomach next to us and all the sudden...flip! Over he went! He did it with such precision and smoothness that we're sure this isn't the first time he's done it, but we were all amazed at his new moves.

He also has discovered his tongue. He loves to stick it out and make noises and spit. He really loves playing with Daddy...copying when he sticks his tongue out at him. They do it forever, it's so cute.

He also has learned to sit up by himself! Although still no interest in really getting anywhere yet. I guess when you have three people who are willing to wait on you hand and foot, you don't really need to learn to crawl.

We love you Benni!

Purdum's Pick Your Own Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-07T23:13:00.000-06:00

Since it's almost Halloween, and since we've been too busy to do anything fun with our poor neglected children lately...we decided to take them out to the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins. We actually didn't know it existed and found it by accident at the farmer's market that we go to out in Fruitland. The day didn't actually start out that great...Brian left at four in the morning to take a test in La Grande, and Ben was up all night with a fever, but we decided to get out there in the evening and let Madi run off some energy.

There were pumpkins EVERYWHERE! They had big ones, small ones, white ones, smooth ones, bumpy ones, gourd-like ones...you name it, they had it. Madison was running from one pumpkin to the next, finally proclaiming one "perfect" and then she tried to drag it out to the road herself. We managed to find one just Benni's size, one for Madi, one for Brian and one for me. Now we have a little pumpkin family to put on our porch. The only thing is...we are afraid to put them on our porch (rotten pumpkin poachers) so we have them in front of our fireplace for now. It was so fun! We'll definately end up at the pumpkin patch next year.

Seven Years, Good Luck...So Far...

2007-10-07T22:54:00.000-06:00

Ah, young love. On September 23, Brian and I celebrated our seventh anniversary. Brian baked me a giant heart shaped cookie and brought me some beautiful flowers (Calla Lillies...our wedding flowers), and I gave him an awesome watch. We had a great time, dropping Madison off with her friend Brock, and Ben went on a date with us out to dinner. Pretty low-key, but we are pretty busy and was just nice to go to dinner alone, well...almost.

I'm just so lucky to be married to such an awesome stud like Brian. He is so thoughtful and patient. He's a great daddy and an understanding husband. He works so hard, and he gets my vote for my favorite person! (Oh...too much mush!) Anyway, I LOVE BRIAN HOBBS!!!!!

First Day Of School

2007-09-13T23:48:00.000-06:00

Oh boy. I've been telling myself that the reason I haven't posted this one yet is because I'm too lazy...and that might be partially true, but really I know in my heart it has more to do with not wanting this moment to be here yet. Three weeks ago...I know, I know...Benj and I dropped Madi off at her first day of Kindergarten. I know you all heard me gloating about it being all day, but when it came right down to it, I wasn't ready to share my little Madison with the rest of the world. She was of course very excited, woke up at 6:00am sharp and was dressed and ready to go before I even cracked an eyelid...let it be noted that her school does not start until 9:00am...who could blame me! I actually had class the night before, so Brian put her hair in sponge rollers for me...what a good Daddy.

Well, I made it about half-way there before I started to tear up. I'm such a sissy. We were walking and she started to run because she was so excited, that's when I took the third picture. I just had this overwhelming feeling that I would probably be seeing her run ahead of me like that for the rest of my life. She just isn't content to walk next to me and hold my hand anymore, there's just too much excitement out there she doesn't want to miss.

After I dropped her off at school (that's when I took the picture of Ben looking distressed that we were leaving her there), I cried all the way home. Once again I reaffirm that I am a big sissy. I had this terrible sense of guilt the entire day, thinking I'd just left her with those people that neither she or I knew...and with all those potentially mean kids. I kept thinking about if they teased her about being tall or wouldn't sit by her or play with her. When I picked her up she told me that she had a terrible day. I felt like all of my fears had been realized. She said that no one talked to her at lunch, and then complained that all the other kids ate lunch at the school because they had lunch made there...(I had sent her an extremely lovingly prepared sack lunch...heart shaped sandwich and all), and told me that no other kids had to eat sack lunches. She said she got "busted out" for not coloring in the lines, and that her teacher confiscated her scissors because she was cutting up paper when she wasn't supposed to (I kind of think that this scenario was inevitable...she is a devil with those scissors).

I thought that this was a sign that I shouldn't send her back the next day, to which Brian replied that I was crazy, and told me that we would probably have to send her back the next day unless we wanted her to grow up to graffitti misspelled words onto cars. Long story, short...she loved the second day, has loved every day since...and I'm actually starting to realize that having just one baby at home during the day is not a bad thing after all. Benjamin is so good and takes two or three naps...and when he isn't napping, he is perfectly content to jump in his jumparoo thingy for as long as it takes me to do the dishes or wander aimlessly not knowing what to do with myself.

So, I guess I'm just going to have to let Madison grow up. Huh. I guess I'm just sad that my starring role in her life is fading out. Now she will have other adults she looks up to...other kids to be friends with, books to read that will give her ideas that I didn't put in her head....

It's kind of strange that we make these little people. We teach them every little thing and take care of them and do everything they can't do for themselves...and they become little people and think for themselves and learn things we don't teach them and grow up. Now I know how my mom must have felt when I started to grow up. Wow.

Okay, too much deep thought. First day of school is hard....mostly for Moms!

Happy Birthday To Us.....

2007-09-13T23:38:00.000-06:00

At the end of August, Nanci and I decided to celebrate our birthdays together this year by taking control of the festivities...we went to a spa! We got massages, pedicures and manicures...went to Cheesecake Factory sans children, bought a cake, and lounged around for the entire day! Sweeeeet!!! As you can see, the children were waiting very patiently for the cake...that is mysteriously missing a piece...hmmm...Nanci and I don't know how this happened. At all. So don't ask us.

It was so fun to have them all up here. I love my little nephews, and it was so funny to see tiny Garrett crawling himself all over the place. Wyatt is the smartest little guy, and says the most hilarious things. Nanci and Ryan are just great...we played a mean game of Hearts, and it was funny to be around them and realize how comfortable we all were with each other. Hehe.

The problem with having an awesome birthday like this is that now I feel like I always need to go to the spa and out to an expensive and unneccesary lunch with my sister for my birthday. I have a feeling this could get really expensive. So I decided that next year we'll just go on a cruise. What do you think, ladies? Should we ditch the men and babies and do a ladies only cruise to Mexico?

Five Months Old

2007-09-13T23:29:00.000-06:00

I'm a little late with the post...but here he his! Five whole months old!! I have to say that he is starting to exhibit quite the personality. I think that Brian and I look at each other with a stupid grin at least ten times a day and one of us says, "he is SO CUTE!" We feel so overwhelmed to have two such wonderful, fun, smart, beautiful kids. Sometimes we aren't sure if they are really ours.

Ben's latest tricks include attempting to sit up, still pretty much assisted, drooling on everything, smiling a cute, coy little...I'm the sweetist thing in the world, how could you not want to hold me...smile, cooing and talking like crazy, and of course trying to bite everything in sight. I don't mean just experimentally putting things in his mouth to test them out...I mean BITING! I'm just extremely grateful that he doesn't have any teeth yet. He's very sweet, though, and has taken to cuddling into my neck every time I pick him up. Oh man, we just love this little guy...he was totally worth waiting five years for!

An Affirmation of the Value of Higher Education

2007-09-13T23:19:00.000-06:00

Okay, if you were on the fence about whether or not public school will do anything for your child's future, ponder this: if this enterprising young artist or gangmember, however you choose to see it, had stayed in school a little bit longer...he may have been able to spell his gang's name correctly when he tagged it on this car. Really, parents...do you want it to get out that your child can't even graffitti something correctly? Come on, people...at the very least you must see that a gang that can't even spell their own name is a tiny bit less intimidating than one who can.

This picture is courtesy of the parking lot across from our Subway.

Just something to ponder.....

Hurricane Hobbs

2007-08-13T23:10:00.000-06:00

What do you get when you put a Geo Metro underneath a giant tree during a violent windstorm? Well...pictures are worth a thousand words, so I'll just let you admire the handiwork of the conspiracy between our tree and the weather. Poor Marcus. Sorry Mom!!

Oh, and last picture is of our new handrails. I still don't think they are necessary, and I don't really like them...but oh well, what can you do?

Can-Fest 2007

2007-08-13T22:47:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of the "couple of buckets" of apples and pears that my dad sent me.
Isn't this squirrel cute? He's eating an apple.....wait a second! Those are MY APPLES!! Theiving squirrels...
My super-trooper canning slave...I mean, assistant, Marcus.
Apples and Pears and canning lids...oh my!
Our first batch of pearsauce....it was so fun, we were so naive...Marcus is starting to feel the effects of all canning, no sleeping.
Believe it or not, this is after we had cleaned up a little....this mess, by the way, was courtesy of Brian and his not stirring fast enough.

Part of our spoils....

More of our spoils...

More apples????!!!

Marcus came up to visit us this week and brought up a "couple of buckets" of apples and pears for me to can from my dad. We spent two solid days boiling applesauce and pear sauce, thinking that this was the easiest way to get rid of all of them. Then we spent three hours using the rest of the stock to make sliced canned pears and apple pie filling. Ugh. If we'd known how easy those were....there would have been no applesauce or pearsauce to begin with! Marcus and Brian and I have many burns and wounds to show for our work, but it sure doesn't seem like we got enough canned goods to balance them out. We did, however, make several varieties of apple and pearsauce, all sugar free to be used as baby food for little Benjamin...and some for Garrett and Wyatt and Madison, too. We made pear flavor, apple flavor, apple-pear, pear-raspberry, apple-blueberry, and apple-cinnamon. Mmmm....except I don't think I'll be sampling any of it any time soon!