Cutest little cleaner

Since Bentley is now 1, we feel that is it time he takes on a little more responsibility around the house. And scrubbing the bathtub with a toothbrush seemed like the perfect place to start.

Not really. He just had thrown up every where so we threw him in the tub and Chod gave him his toothbrush to take care of the yucky taste. Apparently my tub was pretty gross cause after he finished his teeth he took care of it.

Hearing Aid

This afternoon we are headed to do a little hearing aid shopping.

Hoping it actually helps.

If they do help we will be really excited, but there is doubt.

Really hoping it helps.

Mystery Solved

Over the past week Bentley's room had been acquiring an awful smell. Every day it seemed to be getting gradually worse, but I didn't know what it could be.

Yesterday as we were packing the Pack and Play in the car for our trip to Rigby, Chod and I noticed a wet spot on it.

I told him we must have sat it in a puddle in the garage, he gave me a weird look and told me that all water was currently frozen (...oh yeah). When he set it up he was shocked by the nasty "rotten potato" smell it was putting off.

All day I wonder what it could be. We do not store potatoes under the crib next to the Pack and Play so I doubted potatoes were really the culprit.

Upon returning home I crawled under his bed determined to find what was causing the awful smell. And back in the corner I found it.

A nasty

bottle

full

of curdled milk.

I quickly removed the bottle from the scene, but since it was so late we put Bentley to bed and the carpet is still waiting to be cleaned.

When will it stop!

Bentley went in for his 12 month check up (I know, he is almost 13 months, but work with me people). We learned that he #1 is short, #2 is skinny, and #3 has a huge head.

The doctor is worried about #2 and #3 so for the next 3 months we get to make monthly visits. The head is more of a concern than the weight, and if it doesn't stop growing they are going to do a CT to see what is going on.

Thank goodness for insurance.

The magic word

Yesterday the doctor was less than cooperative.

Until I dropped the word lawyer, that is.

And then everything changed..

Medical Update

This month has been a crazy one with lots of doctors involved. Here is a little update of what we have learned.

#1 Chod had the MRI done because he lost hearing in his right ear. He already had some hearing loss in the same ear, but is now almost completely deaf in that ear. The MRI didn't show anything suspicious, which is good. But now they aren't sure exactly what is happening. At first they thought it was Meniere's Disease but after more testing they aren't so sure that is it. We are now in the process of looking into hearing aids, which they are also unsure about actually helping him, but its worth a shot.

#2 Hernia(s). I got my records and showed then to another the doctor. She says that he obviously messed up and he insists that he operated on the hernia where I told him it hurt during the pre-op visit. I have an appointment with him tomorrow for operation #1 and it should be a fun visit. I highly doubt he knows what kind of a person he is dealing with, especially now that I know what is going on. Last week he caught me a little off guard, but tomorrow I will be prepared.

I am thankful that otherwise we are all healthy, and hope that this month is not an indication of how the rest of our year is going to go.

Junk Market

When I started working in the soil lab this is the fan we used to dry samples.. Somewhere along the lines it was replaced by a newer (and much safer) fan, but thank goodness it was never thrown away.

While I was working there I asked Jan if I could have it numerous times and never received a direct answer. So, this last fall while we were in Logan I asked one last time. She told me that if it was still around I could have it. I think she thought it had been tossed a long time ago, but I knew exactly where it was stashed. After decades of living in the soil drying room it was pretty dirty, but nothing an afternoon of cleaning couldn't take care of.

I think it looks pretty good and makes a great addition to our front room.

Google Calender Testimonial

Chod and I started using the Google calender to keep track of all of our activities. And I am loving it! We have always had a calender that we used to coordinate activities, but this is so much smoother. It is mainly full of church and doctor appointments, but the best part is that when Chod is at work and finds out when something is going on he can add it the calender. That way I am not nagging him about information that is sitting on his desk. Its great!

Good to be back

Yesterday morning I got Bentley out of bed, I gave him a bath, I put him down for a nap, I moved a whole load of laundry by myself!

Even though I still have 5 days until I am cleared to lift again, I thought what the heck!? I don't think I even had a hernia repaired, and if I did "it was much smaller than we anticipated." That's the direct line from the doctor when I woke up from the surgery. "It only took 2 sutures to repair." That's another line from the same man.

So I figured, if there was a hernia it was very small and took no effort to fix so it should be healed enough by now.

Loving to be able to be a mom on my own again!

I need a lawyer

Week 5 check with the doctor:

Me: Why is there a hard spot where my hernia was, and why does it still hurt sometimes?

Doc: That wasn't where your hernia was.

Me: Uh, yeah it is.

Doc: No, your hernia was down here

Me: No, this is where my hernia has always been. This is the spot they did the ultra-sound on.

Doc: Let me check your ultra-sound

Leaves the room for a while

Comes back

Doc: Well it looks like you had 2 hernias. We fixed the 1 and I guess if the other one is hurting we can go ahead and schedule a time to take care of the other.

Me: But this is the one that has always hurt. I didn't even know I had that one.

Doc: On my notes I wrote down that you complained of this one hurting.

Me: That one has never bothered me. I didn't even know I had it, we never even talked about it.

Doc: So do you want to go ahead and get it taken care of.

Me: I need to talk to my husband

Doc: Well give your insurance a call cause if you have met your maximum out of pocket, this surgery could be free.

Me

Here are 100 hundred things about me you may or may not know..

1. I love to read
2. Never had a broken bone
3. Love to give gifts
4. I love to cook
5. I love being a mom
6. I pine for a house of my own
7. I like to help people
8. I'm a pretty good multi-tasker
9. I hate clutter, yet always seem to be surrounded by it
10. I'm married to my best friend
11. I love to talk
12. I like to be with good friends
13. I hate my feet
14. I've worn glasses since the 2nd grade
15. Won an award for never missing a church meeting--for two years
16. I hardly ever pay full price for something
17. I'm sarcastic
18. I love the smell of earth
19. I try to always be learning something new
20. I learn quickly
21. I'm an awful test taker
22. I hate all things biology
23. Some days I really miss working
24. I research before I buy
25. I make my bed every morning
26. I hope to become better every day
27. I am loyal
28. I love people watching
29. I can listen to 3 conversations going on around me and still participate in 1
30. I want to be an event planner
31. I have an awful voice
32. I want to be a good mother
33. I don't dream
34. Sometimes I panic about the future
35. I love magazines
36. I never had braces
37. The only x-rays I've had are from the dentist
38. I am blunt
39. I stuck my hand down the food processor when I was 2 = 18 stitches
40. The dentist pulled most of my baby teeth
41. I'm not a fighter
42. I like to argue
43. I used to never cry
44. Marriage and motherhood have made me so much more emotional
45. I rule at Zuma (and Minesweeper)
46. I still can remember the FFA opening ceremony
47. I am my own worst critic
48. Digi scrapping is my new favorite hobby
49. I am patient
50. I am great at memorizing phone numbers
51. Traveling has lost its appeal
52. I enjoy keeping in touch with old friends
53. I love fresh flowers
54. I write a grocery list but never pull it out in the store
55. Hate cleaning out the fridge
56. I love having a clean bathroom
57. I love the smell of clean laundry
58. I love being a stay at home mom
59. I love my family
60. Wish I were a couple inches taller
61. I love to laugh
62. Miss being able to pick up Bentley
63. I hardly ever dust
64. Want to be a better photographer
65. I am very conservative
66. I'm still not completely unpacked (after 9 months)
67. Like to see things getting done
68. Have to have a plan
69. I fall asleep during movies
70. I love popcorn
71. Can't live without the internet
72. Have never slept-in past 10 (am)
73. I always eat breakfast
74. I am hard to get to know
75. There are only 2 pieces of furniture in our house we actually bought, the rest were gifts/hand-me-downs
76. Totally not a DI shopper
77. I love being with my sisters
78. I'm a lefty
79. I don't dance
80. Have a super sensitive nose
81. I've converted from a PC to Mac
82. I put on a clean pair of socks every time I put on shoes
83. I am very particular about my bed-pj's only and no food
84. I have a very narrow temperature comfort range
85. I have to push myself to try new things
86. Don't care for houseplants
87. I love my Honda
88. I'm still working on loving everything about myself
89. I need some "Nikkala time" every now and then
90. My back patio door is covered with sticky little hand prints
91. I think I can make a difference
92. I hate relying on others
93. I'm awful at delegation
94. Working at being a better listener
95. I love getting the mail
96. I'm not very good at expressing how I feel
97. Trying to become a little better everyday
98. I love spring time
99. I don't have a favorite color
100. Blogging has become my journal

Lunch Time

I am almost through with week 5 of the 6 weeks of recovery. Bentley has been really patient with me and Chod has been a great help. Bentley and I have been spending more time home alone in the last couple of weeks. This is possible because I spend a lot of the day on the floor with Bentley. Our only tough times are nap time and meal time.

Nap time has evolved into Bentley doing whatever he wants until he falls asleep on the floor! He thinks he is a big kid now and hates the weekends when Chod is here to put him in his crib.

Meal time has been a little harder as I can't put him in his high chair and a 1 year old free to roam is difficult to feed. Today I had a stroke of genius hit me. I am so proud of my discovery! Bentley got this for his birthday. I realized that if I sat it on the floor I could walk Bentley over, and since it is low enough he can sit down into it.Ta Da! Meal time is so much easier with a contained child!

No blood this time!

This morning as I was cutting Chod's hair (the Jehovah's Witnesses stopped by, but that is a different story) I was telling him how I really had no idea what I was doing cutting hair. Not that this is a surprise, most of the time I draw blood as I cut his hair-or ears-whatever.

I snipped away, asking him how I was supposed to be doing it. (Its never a good sign when the customer is giving instructions.) Pretty much I just got rid of whatever I didn't like-"if it offendeth thee, cut it out" is my credo.

Either he has complete faith that I won't screw up too badly, or is too lazy to go to town to have someone cut it for him.

Pretty sure it is the later.

Wavelength

This morning as Bentley was playing with his blocks.

Chod: Do you think Bentley even notices that his blocks are in order.

Me: Probably not.

Chod: And I doubt he even realizes that they go from the longest wavelength to the shortest.

Me: Probably not...but he should.


(For those of you who don't know/didn't realize, red has a longer wavelength than blue and all the others are in order in between those two.)

You can stay here

"I don't want to go home." I explained to my aunt just as a lady in a purple mumu turned the corner pushing her walker.

"Oh sweetheart, you don't have to go. You can stay.", she assured me.

"Mmm, obviously this lady has no clue what we are talking about" I think.

"Can she stay in your room?" my aunt asks.

"Sure. But you'll have to sleep on the floor." she tells me.

I waved good-bye to Grandma and headed home....to my dirty house. I chose a dirty house over the Warren House.

Chocolate

Dad made me a rocking horse when I was very small. This creature looks more like a dinosaur than a horse with its oversized head. Chocolate has been ridden many miles and has withstood crayon scribbles, tail braiding and now has metal braces holding his head on. Not the prettiest looking thing, but she is a "kid pony". Perfectly balanced for little kids to ride even without holding on.

Mom has made a couple much more aesthetically pleasing horses, but Dad says they are too fast for the little ones more like race horses. And what kids need are ponies.

Today Bentley put a few more miles on old Chocolate. Hands free with his feet wrapped around the neck.

Everything but his blood type

Lanny: Originally from Phoenix, moved to I.F. 18 months ago from Las Vegas

Convert to the church-3 years.

Two children from a previous marriage. Has remarried

Has been doing MRIs for 23 years. Looks at approximately 20 brains a day.

Plays soccer on Friday nights.

Likes the movie Bruce Almighty.


Oh yeah, I learned this in the half an hour it took him to do Chod's MRI last night. Maybe I have a little bit of WEP in me, eh?

Where are your mothers?

Look at that teamwork! Hudson and Bentley worked together and emptied the cupboards in record time. Karisa and I were just a few feet away working on the corn harvest movie when she discovered why they were being so good.

At least they weren't fighting over toys I suppose.

And like all good moms we grabbed the camera and video camera to document.

New Year's Resolution

I resolve to quit lurking for the year of 2007, well at least lurk less.

What is lurking?

Lurking: In Internet culture, a lurker is a person who reads discussions on a message board, newsgroup, chatroom, file sharing or other interactive system, but rarely participates.

What does that mean? Well, it means I'm going to be better at leaving comments on other's blogs.

I challenge you to lurk less in 2007 too.

Just the Two of Us

Today is the first day Bentley and I have been left unsupervised since the surgery. That was a little over 3 weeks ago.

We've managed pretty well, just the two of us. The hardest things are naptimes and eating. This morning I sat on the floor and he climbed on my lap and fell asleep. I rolled him onto the floor and he stayed asleep for 20 minutes. Not too good.

This afternoon I tried everything I could think of to get him asleep. But nothing was working. I knew he was tired but he would not give in. So I gave up. He made countless trips from his room back out into the front room and back again. A few minutes ago this is how I found him asleep in his doorway.
Oh so tired from all the playing and traveling. If you look close you can see his magna doodle pen in his hand. So sweet. I hope he stays this way for a while!

Toys Times Ten

Toys are taking over our house! Farm animals, xylophone, barn, truck, big blocks, fire truck, walker, blocks, rocking horse, and pop-ons are invading my house.

I suppose this is what happens when a birthday follows 5 days behind Christmas. They keep him busy making sure every toy gets equal attention.

Baby Steps

Bentley took his first steps tonight!

That's right left foot, then right foot, then crash.

But steps still the same.