How the Vaccuum Vanquished the Wasp

I hate bugs. Really and truly, I could live without ever seeing or having to dispose of most of them. I know, they are the Lord's creation, and I look forward to seeing their perfected forms one day when the new earth comes. But until then, I really hate most of them (not all), especially the buzzing and stinging ones. So know that what follows really really reallly freaked me out.

I locked my keys in the house one day, and had to throw a brick through the girls' window to get back in. We put up some boards over the window - one on the outside and one on the inside - to keep out cold/moisture, etc, until we could get it fixed. One of our wonderful Sunday school friends volunteered to fix it for us, and we didn't set a date, but thought that would work just fine. Well, that weekend, the kids and I were home alone that night, and I had just gotten everyone bathed. The girls came running into the kitchen, distraught that there was a wasp in their bedroom. I ran in there, and sure enough, it was buzzing behind the blinds. I put the kids in our son's bedroom, with orders not to come out until I got them - I really didn't have a clue how I was going to get rid of that thing, but wanted to be sure I was the only one in harm's way. I started praying, and then noticed I had the vaccuum in their room already. I put the hose attachment together (which is about 3 feet long) and prepared for battle. After turning it on, raising the blinds, and praying some more, I sucked up the wasp the first try!!!! I was so proud and soooooooooo thankful - I never even got near the thing! Plus I could show the kids it was buzzing around in the bottom of the vaccuum. Well, after getting 2 more that way over the next day, we called our friend, and he came over Monday to fix the window for us. He started on the inside, pulled off the first board, and hollered for me - there was a HUGE nest there!!!! I almost passed out - that is my horror of horrors!! Especially in the girls' room - it was almost as big as my fist. I showed him how to use the vaccuum to get the remaining live ones (3 more....), and he quickly removed the nest and fixed the window. (Micah, I'm forever grateful!!) I took these pictures with my phone, so you can see how close it was to Az5's bed....UGH!! I still get shudders when I think about it. We now are the proud owners of wasp spray too...lol!

Brother Went to Camp

I know summer's officially over, but I'm still trying to catch up from summer on here....

This year, our son was old enough to go to church camp. Quite a big deal in our house - he'd never been away from us this long before except with family. He had a blast!! He went with our church's 3rd-5th graders to a state-wide camp, and our church had the biggest group go. He loved it - archery, fishing, b-b guns, sports, swimming his guts out - all the things a little boy loves to do over the summer. Plus, each night they had great worship and Bible study time. He was in a family group with several of his friends from Sunday School, and Mr. George was their leader. (And we love Mr. George!!) He did go down during decision time the last night, and talked with a counselor about what it means to ask Jesus into his heart, but did not make a decision. I asked him about it later, and he said he just wasn't ready yet. I was pleased that he was listening to the Lord speaking to his heart. And boy oh boy were we glad to have him home on Friday!

Happy Birthday Ladybug!

Az4 turned six on July 25, if you can believe that. I'm not sure I do. We had her birthday at the local community swimming pool - just perfect in her words! We invited her kindergarten class and our neighborhood friends, and had just enough show up for all kinds of good fun!

The kids went swimming for a while, and then we had cupcakes, plus the pool provided drinks and ice cream. After that, she opened presents, and everyone swam some more. We had reserved the party during open swim, and it ended up being the "Midnight Swim" night - meaning our guests got in free for our party, and could stay literally until midnight to swim under the stars if they wanted! We stayed an hour after the party ended and then went home. Everyone had a wonderful time, she felt like a queen on her special day, and we didn't have to pick up our house! Everyone wins! :)

The Head Injury

Some of you have asked for a more detailed explanation of the head injury this week, so here you go....

I was in my room changing clothes Tuesday morning, and the kids were in the living room watching their absolute favorite morning cartoon. I heard a HUGE thump! and then Az3 started screaming. I ran in there and found him laying on the floor with his head in his hands screaming. I asked him several times what happened, and he didn't acknowledge me. (His sister then chimed in with "He fell Mama and his head hit the floor and his feet weren't under him"....or something to that effect.) I then asked Az3 to look at me and again no response - like he wasn't even in the same room as me. I really got scared and started clapping my hands right in front of his nose (he should have been flinching) and yelling at him to look at me, and still no response. Finally after a good two full minutes, it's like he "snapped out of it" or something, looked at me and focused, and then said "Mama! my head hurts so bad!" and started crying again.

It took probably 5-10 minutes to get him calmed down, and then I checked his head and found a small bump on his left temple but nothing else. I had him go to the kitchen and got him some breakfast to eat as well as some Tylenol. He had a really hard time eating - I had to force him, and he continued to cry how badly his head hurt off and on. Once he had enough that the Tylenol wouldn't make him sick, he went to his room to lay down. After about 30 minutes, he ran to the bathroom and started vomiting. I got on the phone (with my Mom and MIL) to our Pediatrician's office, and she said that with the vomiting and the confusion he needed to go to the ER and get checked out - possibly a cat scan also.

I got everyone in the car and took the girls to a friends' house from church. (They thought they were getting to have a playdate and were fine.) We went to a local hospital recommended by the Pediatrician and went into the ER. Initially, the guy checking us in said he thought it was nothing to be concerned over, but we would get to see a doctor. After putting us back in the waiting room for an hour, we got into an exam room, and then saw a wonderful doctor. She put him through some paces, and said he definitely needed a cat scan, as she saw the confusion (at this point he was not able to follow some of her simple directions still) and the vomiting as red flags. So we had a cat scan shortly after that, which came back blessedly clear, thank you Lord! After that, the doctor wanted him to drink some juice to see if he could keep anything down, and when he could for 20 minutes, we were discharged.

On the way home, we were about 2 blocks away, when suddenly Az3 said "Mom pull over - I'm gonna be sick again!" and he profusely vomited all of that juice back up. I called the ER back, and the dr that saw us said to come back immediately, and that he would probably need to be admitted for overnight observation. Since we were 2 blocks from home, I stopped in real quick and threw together a couple of bags for each of us. (If we were going to stay, we were going to be comfortable!) We got back up to the ER and were checked back in. When we got back to the room, the same nurse that had seen us the first time asked why we were back - by that time, the first dr that had treated him was gone for the day. I explained what she had said, and the nurse frowned but said "okaaaaaaayyyyyy....."

We had a new dr this time, and he looked over Az3 again, and said that yes, the continued vomiting was a concern, but he still thought we had a chance of not being admitted for the night. We tried a gel medicine on Az3's wrists (which was super cool!) and it took effect immediately. His biggest problem became whether or not he would get to finish watching Star Wars before we left. ;) After that, we stayed another hour (to ensure we could keep the juice down this time!) and finally got home that night around 8pm.

The next day he was on bedrest, and our neighbors across the street became lifesavers! We borrowed 8 or so movies from them, and he stayed in bed most of the day and watched them. However, he was feeling so good around supper time, I let him get up and eat with us. After dinner, we all hung out in the living room watching a movie, and when it was over, I offered the kids ice cream. He refused, and then ran to the bathroom and was sick again. Apparently he had been wrestling with his sisters while we were getting the ice cream ready! UGH! So on day 3 of the saga, he was on bedrest again, and I threatened him with "BIG bad trouble" if he did anything other than lay down. He did fine, and we haven't had any problems since. He's still not able to run or do anything "vigorous" or winding until Tuesday, but I'm okay with that, as he'll be ready for school to start on Thursday. He is expected to make a full recovery now, and I'm glad to just put this all behind us.

VBS 2009

We had sooooooooooo much fun at VBS this year! Az5 got to go, since I was a teacher, and had her own class. Az3 and Az4 each had their own classes, and it was great to see them doing their own thing each day. I taught 4/5 grade crafts, and it was really nice. (Hint hint Faye, I would do that again...lol!)

Our theme was The Boomerang Express - It All Comes Back to Jesus, and our church had a magnificent stage - the locomotive even blew steam out its smoke stack! The kids loved singing the songs and doing the motions, and were always excited to go to their classes. (Except Az5 on the last day, but we were all tired then...) My kids were great - we had prayed over our classroom and hallways the Sunday before it started, so what did you expect? ;) ) and we had really good crafts to do as well: rain stick, boomerang, ABCs of salvation bracelet, stepping stones, and bandannas.

Thursday night, we had a Family Night - everyone came back up to church around 6 for food, jumpers for the kids, touring the classes, a small worship service, and the coolest little animal show. A local place had brought in some animals from Australia, and they did a great job of tying the animals to our theme as well as to the lessons the kids had learned during VBS. Overall, I think it was probably one of the best VBS' we have ever been to, and I am so thankful for a church that thinks VBS is important as well as all the people that helped - especially with my kiddos!

Happy 4th of July!

This year we went to GrandMommy and GranDaddy's house, from Thursday night until Monday afternoon. We had a blast! We truly swam our guts out all day Friday and Saturday there, but the weather didn't cooperate on Sunday. That ended up being better anyways - we were all so tired, I don't think we could have enjoyed another day in the pool!

My mom cooked her usual gourmet meals while we were there: cornbread with blackeyed peas and fried okra, grilled steaks with mashed potatoes, and then of course we just had to force ourselves to eat leftovers on Sunday! We had a blast with our illegal sparklers in their backyard on the 4th, and really enjoyed watching the New York city and Boston fireworks shows on TV - but have to confess that Boston's was better - better music and just better fireworks overall.

We were so excited to see our friends and family while we were there too! I got to see a good friend from work days at lunch on Friday, at one of my faves - Rosa's! Yum....getting hungry just thinking about it. :) Plus Cousin Scott and his wife Lanissa came over that afternoon - she is so cute and preggers now. (And we're thankful that their ultrasound on Tuesday not only showed them what they wanted to see but that Little Fitz is healthy too!) We also visited our old church on Sunday morning - being a holiday not a lot of people were there, but we were so blessed to see old friends and hug some necks. Plus, Sunday night we went over to our very good friends' house to play and run around and pop "big" firecrackers. The kids were so cute - they oooohed and aaahhhed appropriately all night long!

My Dental Vacation

So, I went to the dentist in April, and I had to have a really icky root canal done on one of my molars. (Long story short: we went 7-8 yrs w/o dental insurance and thus didn't see a dentist, and now I am in payback mode...) My dentist said I needed to see a root canal specialist, an endodontist, and so I started searching for one. Not a single one where we live. So I searched my parents' neck of the woods. Nada. Zip. My options came up to seeing my brother, sister, or my in-laws. I chose them because neither my sister or brother really have the space for me and the kids to invade like we would need to for this trip.

So we then decided to hit my parents' house and stay a couple of nights on our way to Grammy and Papa's for the actual appointments. It is only 15-16 hours if we didn't stop...We were there for my mom's birthday which was nice, and it really helped to break up the trip - especially their swimming pool!

We had a great time at Grammy and Papa's house too. The endodontist there was superb!! I'd go again to him if he'd just move his office closer. ;) We played at a park one day, went swimming at the country club one day, and even got to see Uncle JD one day too. Then we drove back home, stopping again at GrandMommy's house for a night, and we were all sooooooooo glad to be home by the time we got back. (Even though we really had a blast! We were gone for 8 days...)

Somebody is a big girl now!

While we were gone on my "dental" vacation, Az5 decided to give up the paci. This was a BIG deal, as she was previously sleeping with 2 - one in the hand, one in the mouth. I'd never replaced them, and so right before we left, she threw one away of her own accord - it was "yucky"....translation: she had chewed a hole in it and couldn't suck on it any more. So, after we got to Grammy's house, she tried to throw the other one away. I told her to wait and give it to the B Fairy (thank you Supernanny!) and she agreed.

That night, while she didn't really give it to the B Fairy, she went to bed without asking for it. So the B Fairy came anyway, took the "B" (for Binky...) back to B land, and left her a new big Groovy Girls doll that she can sleep with instead. She was sooooo excited to open it, and find that the doll has her own sleeping bag.

Now she did ask for the B back a few times later on the trip, but my reply was that I didn't have it to give to her - the B Fairy had taken it. So her reply was,"Just go to the store and get me a new one please." LOL! Such a smarty pants! We didnt', and while she now doesn't seem to be terribly thrilled with the doll, she hasn't asked for the B since we got home.

Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home

So for the unitiated, Az4's nickname has always been The Bug...specifically our Ladybug. In May, our local gardens downtown had their annual ladybug release day, and since Az3 and Az5 were still in school, I took her to this that morning before school. It was our last date for Kindergarten, which made it even more special, as she'll be in school all day next year. (And no, I'm not ready for that!)

We got everyone else to their spots and arrived a few minutes late - I was worried that all the ladybugs would have already been released. Oh no! They only had 5000 for the public to release, and they were all in the little cups like you get condiments in at Rosa's or some restaurant, about 20 to a cup. Needless to say, there were plenty! We each picked up a cup, and wandered around - there were a lot of people there, especially a lot of strollers, and we wanted to find a spot where we could watch our little ladies go. It was so cute! She opened the lid and they burst out - but all over her! She giggled, and we both had a great time making sure we got them on plants and not us, plus we wandered around the garden for a few minutes, seeing all the other gazillion ladybugs that had been released. Such a sweet and special day for her and Mommy! :)

Blog changes coming!

Just a quick heads up: I'm going to be changing some things around here...

*If you read my blog regularly, please sign up under the Followers tool on the left - I'd love to know who reads my rants. ;)

*Redesign coming! Been checking out several blogs of family and friends....expect new colors and prettiness! lol...

*I may play with the safety/restrictions level on here - potentially considering making it private, so only those that I have given permission to can read it...especially now with Facebook friends showing up. Just want to be sure we have put in precautions for us and the kids...plus that would free me to post more and not have to be so anonymous....

I'll let you know!

Vacation Part 2...

So the next day was Wednesday, and Daddy and I decided to escape for the day. After all, we have celebrated our tenth anniversary this year! Time for just some us time...with a HUGE thank-you to Grammy and Papa!! :)

We drove up to LA, which was an experience in itself - driving up the coast was amazing, and let's just say that I had previously never been through a customs checkpoint before. Now I can say that I have been.... We went to Knott's Berry Farm and had a ever-loving blast!!! We rode roller coasters all day as we're both fans of the biggest, fastest, craziest ones you can find. I loved the one that shot you out at 60mph and went straight up and down, and Daddy loved the wooden one with all its shakes and shivers. We loved the shows there too - from the saloon couple (I even had a sasparilla!) to the authentic Indian storytelling experience (which gave us both goosebumps) to the fun Snoopy and gang show. Which brings me to the only low point of the trip - I lost the digital camera at Knotts! DOH!!!!

The next day we went to the San Diego zoo, and it is still just awesome, in case you were wondering. We started at the Sea Lion show (per Miss Az5's request - she was hung up on them all trip long)and walked all over that crazy zoo. And it's not small either! The kids loved all the birds and the bears and especially the arctic exhibit - with reindeers and polar bears. Here was one instance where the cooler weather worked in our favor - the animals were all out lounging around and comfortable. We were even able to see the new elephant exhibit that had opened the week prior and loved it!! They have done a great job putting together animals there that go together and the elephants have a gi-normous area now to wander around in and show off. Of course we saw the Pandas (for me!) and rode the bus around, which was sooooooo nice as little legs started faltering. At the end of the day we rode the sky trams back to the parking lot and declared it a wonderful time!

The last day of vacation, we kept it pretty low-key and stayed there at the property. We walked on the beach for a bit, went and saw Night at the Museum 2 (loved it!) and had Smore's that night on the beach. Too much fun! The next day we dropped Grammy and Papa off at the airport early and then headed to the Children's Beach in La Jolla. After some serious meandering we finally found it - it is a spot where you can get within 10 feet of almost 200 harbor seals. The kids loved it!

(pictures are view out of our room, kids flying kites while we were at Knotts's and the zoo)

Vacation

This year we went with Grammy and Papa to San Diego. Daddy and I were really excited, as we had been 2 years ago but the kids had not. We ended up staying in Oceanside - about 45 minutes north of San Diego proper - and were right on the Oceanside pier. It was fabulous! The weather was almost chilly while we were there - just a bit windy but highs only in the upper 70s the whole time. This made the water temps around 68 or so - not ideal for playing at the beach, but bearable for a few minutes.

The Cabrillo tidepools were first on our list (Daddy and I had only seen them briefly at the end of our last visit and wanted to be sure and take the kids.) We had a blast!! The kids loved finding the crabs in the crevices and watching to see when the next waves would hit, since we came right after low tide.

The next day was Memorial Day, and we had family over. Daddy's aunt and uncle came from downtown San Diego, his cousins came down from LA, and the cousins from Wyoming that were in for a UCSD graduation came over as well. What fun - almost 10 kids around to eat with and then play with on the beach! I don't have any cousins, so I love being able to get together with Daddy's l.a.r.g.e extended family. :)

The next day we went to Legoland, which was awesome! Our kids were the perfect ages for this - it's really designed for younger kids with just a few things for older kids. They loved the jousting ride, the aqarium there (which I didn't think was all that and a bag of chips, but whatever!), but the best thing of all was the "Dragon" ride. It's a pretty good little roller coaster - think basic, fairly fast with no loops, but just some ups and downs and turns - and even Miss Az5 got on there - TWICE! :)

Have You Ever Eaten Ostrich Eggs?

I can say I have now! Our zoo here has an annual fundraiser at the beginning of May where tickets get you breakfast, zoo admission, and entrance to the Sea Lion show. We all went and enjoyed all the pancakes, waffles, and ostrich egg omelettes we could stuff in ourselves. (And of course it poured all during breakfast, but then cleared up.)

We had a blast that day at the zoo - we hadn't really been since the year before. We loved the sealion show, exploring every nook and cranny of the zoo, and finding the albino peacock. Yep, you read that right - our zoo has an albino peacock, and he is gorgeous! Daddy wasn't able to get a picture of him with his feathers all spread out, but still he was amazing. A zookeeper walked by and mentioned that the albino is the Daddy of all the peacocks they have there at the zoo (about 10-12) and is exceptionally rare.

AZ4 Got Baptized

So back in February, our oldest daughter (Az4) got baptized. Understand, our belief is that not every one gets baptized - only when someone has accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation as the only way to Heaven. So since she accepted Jesus into her heart in November, we (Mom and Dad) went through the church's little book to be sure she understood her decision, and then she was ready for the next baptism night in February. Our church does a great job of this whole process - ensuring the candidate understands why baptism is important and what it means, showing them when and where it will be, and even having scores of people there to help that night. She was soooooo excited, and we got to church that night early, and got her dressed in her swimsuit, over which she wore loose shorts and a dark shirt. (Everyone wears a dark shirt, which just looks nice for continuity's sake from the sanctuary.) The church lets everyone tape a brief testimony that is played during the service, before your group goes up to be baptized. She stated that she was 5 and in Kindergarten, and she was praying by her parents' bed when she asked Jesus into her heart. The video says the rest....I was very proud of myself - only a few happy sweet tears that night.

Howdy back!

So I'm trying to play catch-up once again, due in part to being on Facebook like the rest of the world and updating life there. While you're waiting for me to get my act together, here's a beautiful/marvelous/uplifting link - you need to watch the WHOLE thing - it made me laugh and cry. (Thanks to my Heavenly Father who knows just what I need when I need it!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXut0HxncvY&feature=related

The Ice Storm...

We are currently in our first real ice storm here. The temperature hasn't risen above 25 degrees since yesterday, and it started drizzling and then raining today. More expected tonight, and we got the call today at 4:30pm that school is cancelled tomorrow. Woo-hoo!! :) We stocked up on firewood and water, just in case. (You know that means we won't lose power at all now...) The kids are excited - Az5 is at Grammy and Papa's house this week, so they can play games tomorrow without any interruptions.

Update on the house

The Lord has been so good and gracious to us. We have accepted the offer, even while it was lower than our asking price. The couple has since waived their option period as well as their right to terminate the contract. They have also accepted our inspection of the property, and the house passed the termite inspection.

What does this mean? It means that they are more than likely not going to ask for us to make any repairs and the big thing is that.....


WE MAY CLOSE NEXT FRIDAY. Can you believe this?!? I have prayed that God would allow our house to be a blessing to the buyers, and in this case it is. The gentlemen's first wife died several years ago, and then he remarried four years ago. He and his second wife have been living in the house he lived in for 40 years with his first wife, and our house will be their new start. They are so excited! Also, the Lord has answered our prayers that the negotiation period and closing would go smoothly - can it be any smoother than not negotiating anything? And to close 9 days after the offer?!?

I continue to be amazed at His goodness and mercy and wisdom and perfect planning! :)

WE HAVE AN OFFER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our realtor just called and we have an OFFER!!!!! on the house we're trying to sell!!!!!! It hasn't even been listed with the new realtor for a full 3 weeks yet - PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!

Keep us in your prayers - both for wisdom as well as for the Lord to smooth out all bumps and details along the way. I am THRILLED!!!!!!! :)

To Keep Catching Up....

We have discovered the zoo here. We've only been once so far, but we all loved it and spent the whole day there! It is a really nice zoo, not terribly huge, but with a really good variety of animals - both local as well as exotic. The zoo had just started letting their new snow leopard cubs out for the public to see when we were there, and got to see them as they napped. The zoo doesn't have an aquarium but does have an aquatic area with dolphins and sea lions that we were able to feed that day. The zoo isn't very far from our house - only about 20 minutes - and so our New Year's present to ourselves was a year-long family membership. Now we can all go whenever we want, and it is very nice to be able to go walk around outside and enjoy God's amazing creation! (The first picture is the oldest snow leopard cub, snoozing the day away - you can't see Mama in the picture, but she is on the ledge just above the cub - she wasn't too sure about all the people coming to see her babies.)

My Favorite Upward Moment so far....

And a few notes for clarification - 1. Az3's in the green jersey on both videos, and the only kid on the court with glasses. 2. The lady in the blue shirt is ref #2 - the other ref is wearing zebra stripes. 3. The court behind Daddy is where our pastor and his oldest son's team is playing (he is the coach), and we play them in a few weeks.

Upward Video #1

Sorry, but I didn't want to overload the last post. Enjoy! (And these were taken with my digital camera.)

Upward Bound Basketball

So Az3 is playing Upward Bound basketball this year, and Daddy is his coach. He was sooooooooo excited about this as soon as we found out! We have played two games so far, and the team has done really well.

(For those of you that are unfamiliar with UB bball, here's how it works - it is run through local churches, with parents as referees and coaches. No one keeps score and there are no team rankings. The emphasis is on players learning skill basics as well as how to be a team player. The logo is "every child a winner" - b/c they will win when they realize that God loves them, has made them special, sent Jesus to save them from their sins, and has a wonderful plan for their lives. WE LOVE IT!!)

We're in the 3rd/4th grade division, and only have 7 on the team. We started with 9, but one kid moved and another broke his foot and is out all season. It has been so much fun so far - practice on Thursdays, games on Saturdays. The boys all have memory verses to work on during the week, and then there is a devotion time for everyone during half time of the games.

Pictures are from our first 2 games, so you can see the two jerseys we have. and the videos are to get an idea of what the games are like, as well as our favorite moment so far! :)

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year to you!

For my new year, I have several big things I want to accomplish this year - the first is reading through the whole Bible this year (and I have a devotional to help keep me on track), as well as memorizing 2 verses a month. (This is from the LPM blog - let me know if you want more info...) :)