kids' school pictures

Ok, so I'm not a pro at Photoshop as you'll see in Emma's picture. I tried unsuccessfully to get rid of the blue in her nostril. Believe me, I tried! I just couldn't get it right.
Anyway, enjoy! Yes, I know. The boys have what he call "hippy hair" as they are past-due for their haircuts. Still gotta love the personality that comes through their pics!

A Baby Sighting and Some Good News!

Just got home from an O.B. visit and have some good news. My little cutie is 4 pounds and in the 80th percentile, something my doc was concerned about since I have gestational diabetes. He said that Jimmy is not huge as he'd expected him to be, and that's because I've been so good controlling my sugar level.
During the ultrasound the tech just lingered for a bit for me to watch my little guy move his hands over his eyes like he was playing peek-a-boo! What a little cutie. He looks like he has Emma's nose, which I'm so grateful for. He'll have a cute little button turned-up nose and not the huge Norwegian nose I'm afflicted with!
Jimmy is very busy and is head down again, he'd been head up at the last ultra sound. All that moving around has paid off and he's in prime position, if he'll just stay there now!

Emma's toothless grin

So....we went to the dentist this morning and he ended up pulling her teeth. Good news is the x-ray showed that there was no damage to her permanent teeth at all, so that was a relief!
He also thought that the permanent teeth would come in sometime when she was 5, as they were already lower than he thought they would've been for her age. So she probably would've lost them earlier anyway. No harm, no foul.

But I bet she won't jump on the bed anymore!

Something funny happened on the way to making dinner.....well, not funny. But something happened anyway.

This was our evening yesterday:
I was fixing dinner and we hear (Ryan and I) a loud scream followed by lots of crying from Emma and the boys panicking voices telling us that Emma was hurt, Emma was bleeding and it was bad! Naturally we assumed it was a case of over-dramatics, since our kids are prone to over-exaggeration with wounds and blood. I have to say, when they brought Emma to me, I was quite surprised and grossed out. I couldn't even handle the clean up and had Ryan assess the damages to Emma. Her mouth was all bloody and she was screaming and panicking.
Ryan thought maybe she'd bit her tongue or something, given all the blood gushing out of her mouth. No, tongue intact. (whew!) He marched her into the bathroom with a cup to swish and spit so we could see what was going on in her mouth. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity (but really a couple minutes) we realized that when she had been jumping on the boys' bunk bed (the bottom bunk, of course) and hit her mouth on the wood part of the top bunk, she'd knocked her two front top teeth loose. And I do mean loose! It had me so concerned I called our pediatric dental clinic, but it was after hours and the after-hour number didn't work. (naturally) So then I called our family dentist, Brother Leonard in our ward, and got his answering machine. I was beginning to panic myself. I had visions of a toothless 4-year old and no spacers for her permanent teeth. Smiles are so important. Confidence boosters. I didn't want her to have an ugly smile the rest of her life.
So we called President Coleman, from the Kent stake, who used to be our dentist until he retired. So I'm talking to him when the Leonards beeped into our phone. Pres. Coleman told me that the worst that could happen is her teeth die and turn dark, but that what'll likely happen is her teeth will tighten back up.
So I called Bro. Leonard back and he told me to bring Emma over to his house and he'd take a look at her mouth. I. was. relieved. So I piled Emma in the van, plugged his address into our gps system (I love those things!) and headed over to his house. If you've ever seen Anne of Green Gables, then you know the beauty of the countryside of which the Leonards live. Their neighborhood is one of the most beautiful, woodsy areas I've ever seen. And difficult to repeat the venture without that blessed gps voice directing me to turn right and left. I love that computerized man voice.
Well, Bro. Leonard had Emma rest her head on his lap and he looked and looked. He decided there was a possible fracture to her teeth, given that they are set lower than the rest of her teeth now, and had to even bring one of her teeth forward from the back position it was in. I told you these were loose teeth, right? :)
He said that once the bleeding stops and clotting begins it should tighten up the teeth again. And he told me what Pres. Coleman had said, about the possibility of them turning a darker color and falling out. But he said something interesting. He said that it felt like the permanant teeth had already begun coming in, so she might have lost them early anyway. So it's not the end of the world, really. (another whew!)
So our adventure ended when we got home and I made her a smoothie for dinner since she couldn't eat the chicken meal I'd prepared. No biting down on her front teeth for awhile until those teeth either fall out or tighten up.
Proof she's okay today? Tommy and Emma just came running to me tattling on the other one for hair pulling. Everything's back to normal.

My hero

In Relief Society on Sunday our lesson was on humility and we somehow veered to talking about who our heroes were, the people in our lives who we want to emulate or who we admire for some character trait. When all the sisters were shouting out names, "Abraham Lincoln", "my mom", "my neighbor", etc., there was one person who resonated in my mind. It is my mom. Here is why she is my hero.

She raised me. That should be enough said. But it isn't.

She raised all 4 of us! That in itself should be the end. But it isn't.

My dear, sweet, beautiful mom took excellent care of my dad while he was so ill for so many years. She endured countless hours in the emergency rooms of hospitals, many different well-meaning but arrogant doctors and nurses, and having to worry about if the next meal she would fix dad would send him back to the hospital because he couldn't digest the food from his many health complications.

She would vent to me when she needed to, sometimes angry, more often than not, tearful, about how she could help dad feel better. Slowly the role of wife became that of caregiver. Watching her toil and worry daily for her eternal companion is my legacy of love. My example of long-suffering and endurance. My example of how to treat others with compassion, even in the face of complete and utter frustration in the situation that she found herself in.

Now her example of endurance with resolving the beaurocracy of the Social Security Administration and her pension, and her final victory, albeit very small, was very sweet for her. And for me, too.

Mom, I love you more than words can say. You are my hero. My friend. My mommy still. Thank you for being the level-headed confidant when my world seems to be caving in.

Yummy Hamburgers

First you start with the recipe. I went to http://www.allrecipes.com/ and found a great dough recipe; you may want to change for your favorite. Our family really likes this one though.

Ingredients:
2 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
2 (.25 ounce) packages instant yeast
2 tsp salt
6 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed

Directions:
1. Personally, I put the milk, water mixture into the microwave until it reaches the right temp. Then while the yeast is dissolving in the milk/water mixture, I melt the butter in the nuker. Then I pour all ingredients into a large mixing bowl (milk/water/yeast mixture and butter, then I add the sugar. I let it sit until bubbly. The internet directions say for 5 minutes, I found that wasn't long enough. More like 8.
2. Next you mix in the flour and stir until sticky. I turned the dough onto a clean and floured counter and kneeded only 3 or 4 times, just to get a nice consistency. Then I put into a tube shape, cut into equal pieces and rolled into balls.  (see pic above)
3. Put the balls onto a greased cookie sheet and let rise 20 mins in a warm kitchen, or while kneeding set you oven to the coldest temp it'll go; once reached, turn the oven off and then put the balls of dough into warm oven. This rises in 20 mins, on the dot!
4. Take the risen dough out of the oven, preheat oven to 375F; bake the rolls for 15 mins. Cool slightly and then split them in half horizontally to fill with your favorite burgers.
Here is a picture of a finished roll. Delish!

So, after the rolls are in the oven, I start the potatoes. Just wash some spuds, then slice them into 1/4 inch slices. Put in a cold water bath to wash out all the extra starch. This takes at least 15 mins. So while the rolls are baking I'm prepping my fries.

After the cold-water bath is completed, you can heat up your frier. First you cook the fries for only about 2 to 3 minutes, let sit for 10. Then you cook in the oil again for about 10 minutes, maybe longer if you have thicker potato slices.
Once done, take out and let drain completely. To make it just that much more unhealthy, sprinkle with Johnny's. Oh, one tip on the fries. Before you put into the oil, make sure the potatoe slices are dried off, or else you'll have some pretty interesting bubbles and splattering. But then, hey, what's a little excitement in the kitchen, anyway, right? It adds spice to life! :)








Here is the finished product, all plated and ready to be served to a waiting family. Great for movie night.

Hamburger and homemade fries

Notice that we do have veggies! So it isn't a complete nutritional wasteland. :) And what's one meal out of the many we serve our families that isn't so great on the food pyramid anyway? It's definitely a cheaper version of eating out at a restaurant, and bonus, the kids will drink milk with their meal at home whereas at a restaurant they'll want pop. So at least there is one redeeming factor, right? Am I justifying too much? Do I feel a little bit guilty that it wasn't a low-fat meal? A little. But you've got to mix it up once in a while and have some fun in your kitchen.

Hope you all enjoyed my first attempt at posting a meal I made. I don't know if I'll do it again. It's a lot of work posting this kind of dialogue.

"I don't have anything for you to do today, Ryan...."

Those were Mom's famous last words the Saturday we went up to visit Nana and lend her a hand. We got there, Ryan asked what she needed. She said there just wasn't anything he needed to do, to just sit and relax. A few minutes later she was outside directing him like an orchestra director would, "Please, Ryan, can you cut this branch?" It went on and on for awhile with Ryan cutting and pruning the trees along the fence line with the koi pond.
Then she said that she needed help with the filter in the pump for the pond, it just wasn't working properly. So Ryan opened the back up, put his large hands into what he called "a fit for an Asian person, not a big guy like me" and was able to unclog the clog. That's him stamping down the branches in her yard waste receptacle. He was so glad to be able to help. He doesn't like going up there and doing nothing. He feels useless.

Here the kiddos are on the bridge of Nana's pond at the end of the day. Awwww, aren't they sweet?

sweet little Emma

So the other night Emma is sitting on my lap, facing me. We had just finished her favorite game with me (still) of patty-cake. Then she looked all serious at me, and asked, "Mama, I love you so much. Will you keep me forever?"
Cue the heart melt. "Of course, I will keep you forever."
Emma: "So then will you make me a princess and lock me up in a tower to keep me safe?" Her eyes keep getting bigger and bigger. "And can you make my castle pink?"
I just love my little Princess Emma.

random things said during prayer by tommy lately

thought you'd get a kick out of something tommy said during family prayer the other day. he actually says this most every time he prays now.
ready?
ok. here goes.
"...and please bless the homeless with whatever they need. Food, clothing, shelter, jobs...basically everything they could ever, ever need, except for maybe coma or death."
i kid you not. he actually says this.
and i crack up (quietly, of course) every time.
then he asks me (after prayer is closed) why i crack up. then he says, "oh, I know. It's the coma and death thing."
very astute of you, tommy.
very astute.

saying goodbye

How do you say goodbye to the one man who has been so pivotal in your life, who helped shape who you have become? That is my next task, to say goodbye to my dad. He passed away last night after suffering for over 20 years with such poor health it was more common than not that he was in the hospital. We used to jokingly refer to it as his "favorite hotel room" and his ambulance rides as his personal taxi service. I suppose it was our crude way of coping with my dad's continued failing health.
After valiantly surviving more than anyone should endure, he has finally earned his paradise. My mind is reeling right now, so if I tend to ramble on and on and not make much sense, I apologize. I'm also not at my own computer, I'm at the boys' computer so I don't have access to any of my pictures that I would've put on this post of my dad and me.
I found a favorite recently of my dad holding me when I was an infant. He's laying on the couch, playing airplane with me. I think I'm about 10 months old in the picture or so. I'm wearing a red sleeper and have a pony tail sticking straight up on top of my head. I love that picture.
I am so thankful for the peace the knowledge of the gospel brings to me. I know that families are forever, I know that he's in paradise with his family who went before him, including his baby brother who died on dad's first day of kindergarten. That must have been some reunion!
So Dad, thank you for all you taught me. Thank you for your "drives" on paydays. Thank you for your dates and time spent together, for the Paul Bunyan Restaurant Christmas Eve Frango Mint milkshakes as a little girl. Thank you for your good example of a righteous man and priesthood holder. I love and miss you greatly and can't imagine having this baby without you standing in the circle to bless it. Until we meet again.

Mother's Day Tea at Lake View Elementary

Hi. Thought you'd like to see this cute picture. It was too tempting to leave the devil eyes in, so I did. It actually was so funny! Not like our almost-June weather though. It's just finished hailing outside and now it's a downpour in our backyard. Yowza! Didn't Mother Nature look at her calendar? Um...heeeeelllllooooo! May 20, peeps! What gives?
Anyway, back to that cute pic.
Enjoy!

I just wish Tommy would smile. He hates being put "on display" and being forced to perform. He is so private and shy, he tends to look down, cover his face for pictures, etc. So on we go.....

some new family photos

Here are two of my new most favorite photos of one of my kiddos. Just thought you'd like to have a gander! Enjoy!!!

update alert.....
trying to get the u.g.l.y wood 2x4 backsplash from the wall is, well, um, pretty hard. apparently the genious who installed this eyesore not only screwed into the wall, but first put some carpenter's glue. so it's pretty tough to get.
my plan? as soon as i manage to pry that eyesore off my wall, to put this awesome beadboard-like wallpaper up and then paint over it with the same color as my others walls. my plan? to have one cohesive space. now to get that wood off.
yipes.
any suggestions?
oh, and outside, in my yard, i'm planning on a date for a yard work party. any takers? date and time to be announced, but in may or june. i'll have either pizza or lasagna and all the fixins' for ya, too!

lest you think that my floor still looks like that, you're W.R.O.N.G! Ok, so it kind of does, but it's cleaned up and has a pretty area rug under where our recliners go, and so there you go, Mom. I'll post a pic soon, I promise. Just nothing really beautiful to report yet. YET. It'll happen.

what I've been up to lately

ok, so it's been a very long time since I've posted...I've been biiizzeee! Ripping up carpet, painting walls, doing the laundry, fixing dinner, etc. My family has taken priority, as it should, and so I haven't really had much time to devote to this. I've also been really busy with my family researching, as shown on here.

so more later as i have time! more later, peeps!

the long-awaited, long-promised Cub Scout pics

Recently it was pointed out to me that I've been slacking in my blog duties. Well, people, my family has needed me, and I've been working hard on my house!
I've painted the dining/family room, duked it out (well, not really) with my husband over flooring, and baking for Easter. Cookies, of course.
I'll update the house makeover later. This is all about my cutie patootie Will the Wolf. Enjoy the pics! He was so cute that night carrying our nation's colors. He even gave the closing prayer at the end of the Pack Meeting.

Now here he is making a bird house with Grandpa Shuler last Saturday. The day we got our new fridge! Yeah! And got our dishwasher installed! Double yeah!!!!!

yes, those are my 8-year old's fingers holding that power tool! yipes!!!

He was so cute. I failed to take a pic of the finished product, but it proudly sits on my kitchen counter, waiting to decide where in our treeless yard this will live. Any ideas? Maybe our wood arbor. Heck, with that proud grin, I'd even go buy a nearly-grown tree and put it in our yard, just so we could nail it to that tree! What a cutie. Loving his toothless grin.

Emma's surgery today

So my big girl to my left had her adenoidectomy this morning at the Covington Multi Care Day Surgery Center. whew! what a mouthful! :)
All went well, and she's home sleeping in her bedroom right now. Poor little thing, when she woke up though she felt sick to her tummy (as she put it) and had an "owie throat" which they gave her some drugs to help her through.

Here she is goofing off before they came in and gave her the meds to start it all off. She wanted to pose this way, telling me that she wanted to put her arms out "like this, mama!" She's quite a character, that little Emma Grace girl of mine. I sure do adore her.

I know, I know. But I couldn't resist. She looked so peaceful and beautiful sleeping in her post-surgery drug haze. Poor little thing. But I'm hoping this adenoidectomy will help her be healthier from now on. I'm crossing my fingers no more colds every 6 weeks, like clockwork. So is her doctor.
doesn't she remind you of what Sleeping Beauty must have looked like, drooling and slobbering all over herself while she slept those 100 years? :)



So I thank you all for your support in this quest for better health for my Emma. I'm most appreciative that Ryan's home teaching companion, Dan, came over last night with his sweet wife and the two men administered a Priesthood blessing for her. I think it helped me as much or even more than it did her. I was uncharacteristically calm in the waiting room. No floor pacing for this mommy!

Talk to you all later. I'll post later about Will's role in the pack meeting last night. Let's just say it should be a crime to have a flag bearer as adorable as he was!

the Dining Room paint job

Ok, so as promised here's a new picture of my dining room. Specifically, the corner the table is currently in.

okay, so now that i've taken the pic and posted it, the frames look...pink! they're actually white though.
The paint chip was "Tailor's Chalk White" by the Martha Stewart paint line at Home Depot. The wall color is also a Martha color, "Aegean Blue", which I'm loving so far. No, not love. Lurve. Yes, lurve. L.U.R.V.E.
Eventually I'm planning on putting actual crown moulding at the ceiling line and painting it the same trim white.
When we first bought the house I wasn't thrilled we had paneling in this room. But painted, it almost looks "farm-like" which is the look I like alot. Especially Swedish country, which is my ultimate goal. After the rest of the room is painted this same blue, the trim painted the same white, then we're going to tackle the flooring. Pretty bad. U.G.L.Y. In fact, so bad that I won't even take a "before" picture of the beige carpet. Just know it's in our dining room/family room, it's where we do most of our living. We watch TV, play the Wii, play toys, eat our meals, and have our tickle wars.
So you can imagine the dot-to-dot capability of our carpet! Yucko! It will be yummo when we rip that carpet up this week and see what kind of shape our wood floor is underneath. We have pulled up part of it previously and saw hardwood, we just don't know what the shape is. It could be a goldmine of beauty, only needing a good polishing, or it could need a total overhaul. Either way, it's got to be better than this ugly carpet.
So when I know more I'll let you know more!

The Crazy Caterpillar and The Dream

Ok, so did the title grab ya? Wondering what the heck I'm about the blog about? :)
Alright, alright, I'll tell you.
First of all, please see the adorable art Tommy brought home from school today. He's such a great artist!

Now for the dream. This morning Will wakes up and tells me he had a dream last night. Not just any dream, mind you, but a dream about an adorable little baby boy! Yikes. Let's just hope he's wishful thinking. I asked him what the baby's name was and he told me Jacob. Cute name, but let's hope he's not being prophetic. He was for Emma. He dreamed about her a full year before I was even pregnant with her. He'd walk around the house asking where his little sister was. Now he's moved onto another baby boy. Oh boy. Hey, I didn't know I was so punny! :)

Let's hope he doesn't start a new trend.

Have a great day!

Enjoy the cute art!

Happy Birthday to Me! :)

Well let me say first that I've been having a great day thus far for my 40th birthday. After all, it is just a number, age is a state of mind, etc. Right?
That being said, my husband is getting lots of mileage calling me a senior citizen. Well, at least he looks older than I do! (even though I'm almost 4 years older!) :)
So Sunday the kids are in Primary and they're doing their birthday song. The Primary chorister asks if there are any other birthdays they don't know about during the week. Will excitedly raised his hand and announced, "Tomorrow is my Mom's 40th birthday!" Bro. Jephson, the 1st counselor in our bishopric, told me about Will's announcement. Very cute. So now I guess the whole ward probably knows I'm 40 today. No biggie.
Then last night my mom and dad came over (thanks for the yummy cake, the pic will be at the bottom of this post) for dinner. Dad blessed the food, but had to get his jab in first. He said how grateful he was that I had made it this far, to my 40th year, and how wonderful it was I was so very old. I forget the verbatim prayer, but you get the gist. Ha ha ha. Very funny, 70-year old man!
I still say that I don't really care about 40. My birthday "freak out" was over 25. Sounds silly now, huh? I realized I was a quarter of a century and that freaked me. Bah. Now that I'm several years away from that I realize just how ridiculous-sounding that really is!
So happy birthday to me. I have a favorite birthday song from Primary days. It goes like this:
"Happy, happy birthday (Heidi) dear, happy days will come to you all year. If I had one wish, then it would be...a happy, happy birthday to you from me!"

Kix Box Art

Had to post this, couldn't pass it up. This is Tommy's latest art.
He told me that he wanted the guy to look up at the other guy at the very top, but couldn't get his eyes just right. That's why the arrow pointing up.
Enjoy my kid art!

update on emma grace

kay, so i thought i'd let you all know that i just got off the phone with the children's hospital neurology dept nurse and she told me that emma's mri results, are.................normal.
i exhaled for the first time since tuesday when we were up there taking it. i didn't realize how worried
i'd been. like i told my sister today when i called her with the results, in my heart-of-hearts i knew she
didn't have a tumor or anything, but when they roll your baby away in a drug-induced sleep for the mri you begin doubting your instincts and questioning yourself at every turn. "will she really be okay?" "does she have a tumor?" "will she be one of the kiddos locked up in the hospital for months undergoing chemo, have a bald head with a bandage on it from surgery...." the thoughts go flooding through your mind.
so when that wonderful nurse called me and told me the results, i exhaled.
just thought since you are all on this journey with me you'd want the results.
so it looks like she has the "hereditary epilepsy" us christensen peeps have/had. i outgrew mine, tommy
outgrew his.
so she has surgery scheduled for march 24th to take her adenoids. i'm hoping that will end her constant
trips to the doc and her constant illnesses.
first she has to pass the muster with the anesthesiologist at our clinic with our doc. if he/she doesn't want to do it then we'll go to children's in seattle for the procedure. i.will.not.step.foot.in.mary.bridge.ever.again!
not that they're awful or anything, but their neuro docs missed her diagnosis completely. they disregarded her non-fever seizures and lumped them all into being "just" febrile seizures. um, duh, she has "childhood seizure disorder" and needed to be put on meds a long time ago.
so more later. this is getting pretty long-winded.
thanks for your support and prayers.

Emma update

okay, so yesterday was a looooong day for us! whew, i'm glad it's o.v.e.r!
we left the house at 8:15 for me to take the boys to my neighbor's house (she
drove the boys to school for me) so i could go pick up my friend, holly (thanks holly!) to
go with me to children's hospital for the day. then we got on the first of 4 freeways.
yes, you heard right.
f.o.u.r freeways. let's count.
1. highway 18
2. highway 167
3. 405
4. 520 bridge to montlake exit
yep, 4 freeways. yipes!
so our check in time was 9:30 and i'm very pleased to announce that we pulled into the
children's property at.....drum roll, please.....9:22 am! yippee!
so after i gave my van over to a very uninspiring valet (i found out later he was in training, hence
his dunce-look in his face) and getting our badges made for security purposes, we
checked into the clinic.
then the waiting game began. i handed the receptionist for the radiology dept the stickers with emma's
info on them and we waited. oh, and i filled out a form for them about her health history,
did she have any metal implants, a hickman catheter, etc.
no, she doesn't.
thank goodness.
so while we w.a.i.t.e.d for an eternity, (ok, not really) a clown by the name of  "pookie" kept emma and
another adorable little girl company, performing little magic tricks and she gave the girls little plush puppies and those expandable rings with a smiley face on them.
too cute.
one of the "tricks" was a disappearing plush mousie she named "speedy". well when pookie left, emma kissed speedy. pookie looked at me and said, "um, your kid just kissed a rat!" :) i retorted, "well, worse things could happen. it could've been a "real" rat!" we had a good giggle.
so 45 minutes later we were called to the back, and then we waited back there for almost an hour as well.
i'm not a complainer normally, but i'm very glad i had holly with me to tag team emma. she was sooooo
bored and restless. climbing the chairs to look out the window and see their awesome playground down below. it seriously rocked you guys. i'm considering contriving a reason just to go back so the kids can play on their playground. think castle, dragons, and in the summer, it looks like a water feature as well.
plus they have an awesome round patch of grass to run in circles. or twirl.
so the nurse finally came in and took her vitals, deemed her medically sound for the sedation, and then finally the anesthesilogist (sp?) came in and listened to emma, deemed her fit for sedation, and a few minutes later
i was walking emma down the hall to get on that enormous bed. emma put the strawberry scented mask
to her face (she got to choose the scent) and after fighting it a little bit, she succombed to sleep.
i kissed her forehead and walked away, trusting my little girl's life with strangers. hard.
intellectually i knew she'd be fine.
emotionally i worried.
once again, soooo glad i had holly with me. she distracted me. "let's go get a coke!" she said and we left the tiny room for 30 mins of distraction.
we walked to the cafeteria and got a coke, then we realized it only took 10 minutes. 20 minutes left. ouch.
so we went to the gift shop. can you say a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e!? holly even found a mother's day gift for her mother-in-law, a woman impossible to shop for.
we got back just as they brought emma back into her little recovery room. it took her almost 40 minutes to wake up from the sedation! wowza. that girl can sleep! :)
she inhaled her apple juice, goldfish crackers, more juice, graham crackers, and then we got her dressed and out the door and in the van.
oh, my van was just fine, by the way. and the ususal guy, who DOES inspire confidence, was there and retrieved my van.
so we left, went to mickey-d's and emma inhaled her burger before we even got the the freeway. she was hungry. well, sedation dictates you don't eat for several hours before so you don't aspirate food into your lungs. so emma hadn't eated since dinner the night before, and it was 1:00 when she finally got lunch.
i'm hoping the neurology nurse will be able to read me the report over the phone so i don't have to wonder what the findings were from her mri.
i'll let you all know when i know something.
thanks for all your support. it really means a lot to me to have friends like you who care, who buoy me up when i need it, who love me.

I should've given credit to the photos. I assume they're AP? I got them from the Comcast news online site.

Destruction in Chile

As most of you know I served my mission in southern Chile. We dubbed it "the frozen chosen" due to the severe cold temps in the winter. Think penguins. Now you got it! :)
I woke this morning to news about my other home country, Chile, which I loved with all my heart. It broke my heart to see the footage of the devastation they are suffering. While it didn't happen (epicenter, that is) in my actual mission, it was just north, the next biggest city to the north of my mission in Osorno, Chile.
What I can't stop thinking about is the people who I met who actually live in the north, the companions I served with, and those who may have moved north after I left Chile.

How do the people rebuild? What becomes of the neighborhoods? Chileans are such a warm, loving people. Their culture dictates they are kind to one another. Oh, that I could be wealthy and fly there to help them somehow. So instead, I ask that you all join me in prayer and fasting on their behalf.
Thanks.

clean again! clean again.....thank goodness I'm clean again!

mkay. so i once again have a clean counter and still no pics of the china. i've been busy doing other things, like blessing my home. so i have strayed from my blog community a little bit. there are more important things to me than sitting at my computer and typing my blog.
but i have to say that it is wonderful to be able to go shopping and get new clothes that actually fit the body!
since i had the swine flu and lost a ton of weight (okay, not actually a ton, but you get the drift) I've needed to go shopping. especially for church clothes.
so i've worn my new dresses 2 weeks in a row now, and have gotten lots of compliments on them. nice to have a new dress. even better when the one woman at church who i admire the most for her attire thinks i look adorable! what a boost.
so i'll post more later. maybe much later. we'll see. my kids need me.

kay, still no pics. i'll get them done, promise!!!
i've been just a leetle bit busy with getting the meeeelion valentine cookies rolled out, cut out, baked, and frosted. Whew! i forgot to take pics, but you all know what heart shaped sugar cookies with pinkish-red frosting look like.
once i get the rest of them bagged up then i can continue on my quest to make those darned china keepers. such a pain. i may just end up ditching the whole project and buy new.
it just may be worth my peace of mind.
i think i've lost it for now.
i'm going n.u.t.s trying to figure out this pattern. it just makes no sense whatsoever.
oh well. one day the china will be safe and out of the box that's on my once-pristine kitchen counter.
till later

more to come

Okay, so I haven't posted in a few days and I'm feeling like I'm avoiding. Not really. I'm sewing. Yes, that's right, peeps, I'm sewing again. I have missed my buddy, my beautiful Singer machine beaut that I bought for myself at Costco last May, in the guise of "It's my Mother's Day gift!" when Ryan balked that I already had one machine and it worked still. Never mind that I dropped it in my driveway while rushing to teach how to make my favorite quilt, a kaleidescope quilt, at church to one of our mini-groups of quilting. When I dropped it, not only did I lose several bobbins that broke on impact, but also my spring that kept my little pocket-thingy that you keep your bobbins and tools in, broke off, causing me to have to duct tape it to my machine. It wasn't so bad sewing with it that way, until I needed to drop my feed dogs to use my walking foot to quilt the derned quilt.
so what prompted me to bring out my machine? ok, so you say, "But Heidi, you have about 500 unfinished projects that you haven't completed yet, why start a new one!?" well.....I got nothing.
I guess I really do have A.D.D., and I just bore really easily, so I jump from project to project. oh, and the fact that I found these 2 boxes out in the garage, totally unprotected, from Ryan's grandma from last year.
These weren't just any boxes, but 2 cardboard, lidless boxes, with her fine bone china, just sitting on the floor of the garage. The fact that I only lost 2 pieces amazes me. And they were those little saucer-type things that I guess you put a piece of bread in? I don't really understand the purpose. But anyhow, these are absolutely beautiful, gilded edges, magnolia flowers, on white bone china. I'll take a picture tomorrow when it's light out so you get a better pic. Then I'll share with you the beauty that is my china. I finally have china. We sort of registered for it when we were engaged, but never received any. so now we do. and i lurve it.
so to prove how much i lurve it i am making some protective cases for it. you know, the ones you can buy for a set of about 30 bucks or so. well i don't have 30 bucks or so, so i'm using my batting i have here at home, and my scraps of yardage. then i'm quilting them all to make the outside/inside and then i'll make them. so you'll have to be patient with me while i take a break from blogging. i don't pretend to be as popular a blogger as carrot, so i think you'll all live. :)
i'll post pics soon. i promise. maybe i'll even show you some of my "quilting" as i am practicing some free motion quilting. i'm tired of just stitching in the ditch. too predictable. and i'm tired of predictablility.
out with the old, on with the new!!!!!!
yeah for cleaning my garage! i found my china from last year!!!!

Happy Happy Birthday, Matthew dear! ;)

Well today is my brother's birthday. Why don't you go on over and visit his family blog, see their adorable children and wish him a happy day? :)
We all have funny memories of our childhood. One such memory I laughed over with my mom and sister about, and I just had to share with you. Oh, how I wish I had the capability to transfer tape to CD so we can have it forever. This tape was one of many that my mom would hide somewhere and just let tape whatever we were saying as kids. I think she just wanted to document her crazy days, because Dad probably didn't believe all the crazy things she was saying to him that we were saying!
So on this particular tape, it has Matt reporting to my mom about my babysitting the night before. You can hear this little boy, probably about 6 or so, in a "cry" voice (ok,whine!) complaining that, "Heidi said that after Adam and Kimberlee were in bed I could get back up and we'd have a popcorn party. Well I waited and waited and then I heard her start the popcorn machine. She never got me up! She had a popcorn party without me!" ok, so maybe I didn't quote verbatim, but that's the gist of his complaint.
So Matt, to you I extend a popcorn party invitation. Come on over to my house and we'll have that popcorn party, just you and me. I'll even watch Star Wars with you.

That's right, no title! I'm a rebel!!!!! ;)
I've been told that my last blog was too revealing, that I let too much info onto the web and cyberspace, and people could use it against me. What do you think? Will people really use what I say against me?
The reference was to my use of the word "shrink." As most of you know, Will has ADHD. This is just the doc that regulates his meds so we can co-exist and he can be a good student at school and a good boy at Cub Scouts.
So while maybe you don't all want to read about my life struggles, I say, "TOO BAD!" This is my blog and I'll type if I want to. (just think of that song, "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to....")
So if I offend or cause distress in any way, I'm truly sorry that you took it that way. :) I'm just trying to work out in my mind my thoughts and put them down into words. It helps me make sense of my life. Kind of like a mental exorcism of sorts.
On another note, Emma had her third seizure yesterday on Tegretol. And the quest to make that girl seizure-free continues!
So more later......

ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER ......

...you fill in the blank. :)
Emma's better as far as a fever goes; just a cough now. In fact, all 3 kiddos have coughs. Yipes! :)
Just came from Childrens in Seattle from Will's shrink. What a long drive that is. Four freeways! Yes, that's right. You heard correctly. Four freeways. 93 miles. I'm tuckered out now. I want my nap and blankie. But now Comcast is on their way cuz last night our DVR that we've had since 2006 (I know this date because we have an old show we taped from a PBS special about John Denver still on there, the date was from July of 2006) decided to stop working. So we have a tech coming out to give us a new one. Yea that we'll have a new one, free of problems. Boo that we loose all the shows we have taped. Like our series we tape, etc.
Which brings me to a point that I didn't think I'd be discussing here in this format. Why do we rely so much on technology? What would we do without it? I've seen those Oprah specials where she challenges a family to live internet-, tv-, and cell phone-free for a week. I shudder when I think about that! I remember how awful it was when we didn't have power in our neighborhood for almost 2 weeks a few Decembers ago after we had that awful storm. I labeled it a hurricane, but obviously it wasn't technically a hurricane. But come on! When you see tree branches snap off right in front of you, it's a pretty strong wind!
So I'll be thankful when the cable guy comes and fixes the cable box. My "demi-God" of sorts. But isn't it most people's? Food for thought to chew on.

The Wind Beneath My Wings

I have a friend/cousin who has been recently inspiring me to improve my life. She's come over to my house and given me a tough love speech to get me back into my groove, and helped me regain my mojo.
Now it's our turn to inspire her. She's recently begun a journey of weight loss, and this is something that's been a struggle for her as it is for most women in this planet. Me included. Especially me. :)
So let's encourage her along the way; she's already begun with a tremendous first weigh-in. Way to go Carrot!!!!!!!

Here we go again, peeps!

So I'm sleeping away, peacefully. It's 7:15 in the morning and Tommy comes running into the room, complaining that Will's not dressed, on the wii, and that Tommy was watching a cartoon until Will changed it to the wii. I lay there, hoping he'll go away. Sometimes it actually works! :)
Then I hear Emma's "meowing" she does regularly (which drives me n.u.t.s.) and walking to my side of the bed. Then I hear her make vomiting sounds. I immediately sit up, rip off my CPAP mask, put my glasses on, and see her doubled over by the foot of my bed,just as it rounds the corner to come to the side. I think to myself, "she's puking! great! all over my mattress,too!" I'm envisioning all the extra laundry today. yipes!
Then I realize she's NOT vomiting, she's gagging on her sputum while she seizes. Yes, folks, another seizure.
I thought (hoped) that with the Tegretol she wouldn't seize anymore. Wishful thinking I s'pose.
Will immediately jumps into action, calling 911. I hear him say, "um, hello. my daughter is having a seizure." I can almost envision the operator rolling their eyes while disconnecting, thinking it's a prank call.
Will tells me they hung up on him. Der.
So he calls back. And says, "I think this time you maybe want to talk to my mom." The phone is then handed to me. So I told the operator she's having another grand mal, turning kind of purple-blue in color, and then move her to the living room floor once I realized that my bedroom is just too tiny (and messy) for the firemen to see!
So half an hour of them in my clean living room (thanks Carrot!) TriMed takes her to Auburn hospital. As we're figuring out driving, I am thinking to myself, "let's see, it's 7:45, the bus comes at 8:38...what to do? what to do?" I hear a knock on the door. Sister Black from my ward. I love her. She not only is gifted at cutting hair, but she's in tune. She was driving past my house this morning and saw the fire truck and TriMed at my house and pulled over. Then she saw them bringing the stretcher to my door and she knocked, asking if I needed help. YES!!!!! So she stayed with the boys until they had to go to the bus stop.
I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who is so mindful of what we need, just when we need it!
They took Emma cuz they thought she may have aspirated her sputum, she sounded really rattley (sp?). An IV, blood test, chest x-ray, listen-to later, she was released and home by 11:20 this morning.
Whew!
Now, if I had it to do over, I would've skipped the ER altogether. But Will got that ball rolling, and really didn't need to. BUT he's a very consciencous big brother who loves his little sister and wanted to help. I can't fault him that. At least he knows what to do in an emergency! What a Cub Scout!
So I guess I don't really know what comes next. Time will tell. Now she's napping. Little sweetie.

update on Miss Emma

Ok, for those out there who care and want to know (and even if you don't, too bad! That's my post today! :) ) here's an update on Emma Grace.
So last Thursday was so busy! (as you well remember from my last post) and so I didn't have the time/energy to talk about her appointment with Dr. Milstein in Bellevue. (or the fact I had to drive past the la-dee-dah Porsche and Mercedes dealerships) drool......
ok, so back to reality.
When Dr. Milstein walked in, he looked very grandfatherly. I immediately felt reassured, just by his "look" if that's fair.
So he's really thorough, yea, but it took almost an hour and a half, when all was said and done! What a visit! :) He gave Emma a pretty thorough neurological test, like the "touch my finger, touch your nose" with each hand separately, which she did okay on with her right hand, but failed miserably with her left hand.
He had her walk across the floor on her tip-toes, which she could not do. She flat-footed it across the room. There were a few other tests, but you get the drift. Needless to say, he said that the Mary Bridge docs were wrong in their dyspraxia diagnosis, he said it was more an apraxia.
Then he asked me bunches of questions about family history and seizures and then he told me he's diagnosing her with childhood seizure disorder, and put her on Tegretol and he plans on keeping her on that for 2 years, not adjusting it, and allowing her body to just outgrow the meds as she grows. His hope is that she'll outgrow the seizures and it won't turn into epilepsy and that she'll be fine.
When I went to the pharmacy to get the meds, the pharmacist pulled out her big PDR book and read to me all about the drug and possible side effects. S.C.A.R.E.Y. But necessary for Emma right now. The one thing she urged me to do was to get her involved in some kind of program to help her with the inevitable delays in education. There is where my frustration comes into play. She's been tested through Child Find twice already, once as an exit interview kind of thing when she left the birth to three program,and then again at the beginning of the school year. She was just shy of making it into the program for preschool, but she missed by .02% and the school only tests children every 6 months. So I'm a little frustrated. Should I call the school and tell them about her diagnosis and meds? Do you think that would nudge it better to allow her into the program?
So my dear friends, there we have it. The immediate side effect I notice? Emma is tired all the time, and not just sleepy, but downright groggy, red-eye and all.
So on the one hand I'm grateful she will be on preventative meds for seizures, and on the other hand, it makes me sad to see her so tired all the time. And C.R.A.N.K.Y!!! Whoo, baby, when she's tired like that, she sure is cranky! But then so is everyone, right?
Thanks for listening to my whine. Have a great day!

Today's busy day

Hello. I have to say that I am so appreciative of all your comments and encouragement. You are becoming the BFFs I don't have in my "real" life. I know, it sounds pretty pathetic, doesn't it? My sister was asking me the other day if I have a BFF I can hang with. I had to tell her not really, not anyone who lives in my neighborhood, or in my ward. My BFF, my true BFF? I'd have to say Carrot. She's always been my true-blue friend, even when my supposed-BFF in high school turned on me, she was always there. When I went to Ricks, still there. On my mish and her married? Yep, you got it. So now you know. :)
Today is going to be a crazy day; good thing the laundry got folded while yelling at the boys to get to the bus stop, you'd better hurry! being screamed pretty loudy. jeesh. I swear one day my neighbors will come by and wonder how a woman like me can have such a loud voice! :) Really, it was just me, panicking about having to drive the boys to school due to a missed bus, and not enough gas in the van to get everything done. whew.
So Emma
has a doc appointment today at the Bellevue satellite clinic for Children's Hospital with a new neurologist. Some of you know that Emma has had some pretty scarey febrile seizures, including me needing to give her CPR this last one that lasted 20 minutes. S.C.A.R.E.Y.
That was last summer. She's had 2 EEGs, one was abnormal, the other was normal. Mary Bridge neuro docs said she's "normal" whatever that means! :) But my brother was up from Cali for Thanksgiving and his son (who is absolutely adorable, by the way) has familial epilepsy, so he urged me to get a 2nd opinion. So that's what we're doing at 11. Wow! I'd better hurry! I just looked at the clock!
So from Bellevue, we stop by my gastro doc's office to pick up my lost paperwork. Yes, before I got my wonderful mesh organizer I lost this paperwork and my 5-year colonoscopy is set for Monday and I need to get my scrip for that awful-tasting drink. Yuck!
Then we rush home, get Tommy from the neighbor's house that he's going home from school with today, then lunch, naptime (yea!), then pick Will up from school at 3:30, get the stuff from Tommy's teacher to work on from home, then to Dr. Oriel (the pediatrician) for the boys to get their H1N1 shots (finally got those in!) and then home. For awhile, just enough to fix dinner and kiss the hubby.
Then I have a family history meeting for all consultants with the area director at the Auburn FHC at 7. I'm exhausted already, and it hasn't even happened yet! Good thing I used my CPAP last night! I'll need the energy.
Yes, I'm a FH consultant, a calling I'm obsessed with. If any on you need tips on the Family Search site, you just let me know! :)
So I'll get going for now. Gotta get dressed and get Emma dressed and begin our crazy-busy day.
Cheers!

A funny thing happened on the way to clean my house today...

So I had to do an updated posting. My sister has said that I've become a "writer" so here's my attempt at being a "clever writer" for you all!
Okay, so this morning I went to do a load of laundry and I was struck at a common theme. Let me upload these pictures for you, and you tell me if you can see a common theme running through. I laughed. Tommy just shook his head and said he hates this smell. Too girly. I don't care.




Funny, huh?
Next I have to show my other miracle, the thing that has bugged my mom the most. My kitchen counters.


Cheers!!!!

The original Pants on the Ground song

It occurred to me after I'd signed off that some of you
may not know about this song.
(ah hem, are you living under a rock????)
So, just in case you don't understand the referenced song
that Brett Favre "sang" in the locker room,
here it is:




Now, to continue with what I really wanted to blog
about tonight: it's baaaaccckkk! Yes, my mojo has returned.
Thanks Carrott!
Just how, you might ask? Well, in the form of a little wire
mesh organizer I have hanging on my wall, just above my desk.
Why did I buy it, you are asking yourself? Well, it all boiled
down to a lost school paper, almost lost school-library
privileges, and a teary-eyed kindergartner.
I'm not one to like my children to be teary-eyed, especially
when it's because of me! (ok, so SOMETIMES it's ok, like
when they're crying cuz they're busted for something,
but not normally)
So last time I was at Costco, I found this wall organizer
and just had to buy it. Only $11 and it's saved my
marriage and my family!





Now I don't have a cluttered
kitchen counter (which makes Ryan very happy. I've discovered
he absolutely hates clutter, something I never
knew until recently about him) and all our papers are
organized and we can actually find the water bill on time!
(BONUS)

So now my life is less hectic, and I have been getting comments
from my family and friends that I sound happier, lighter.
And yes, I am still losing weight! I haven't weighed myself
lately, (our batteries died in our scale) but I feel
thinner in my tummy area. Hey, I'll take it!

So I say goodnight now, I'm off to watch the Sunday night Masterpiece
Classic on On Demand. It's the 2nd part of Return to Cranford.
If you haven't gotten addicted to this quaint little
town with Dame Judy Dench (sp?) as the lead lady, then
you're missing out! What a fun story. But to do it justice,
you really need to see it from the beginning, from Cranford before
you watch Return to Cranford.
Sort of like you don't just jump into Avonlea before reading Green
Gables first. Same diff.
Enjoy!

Brett Favre sings Pants on the Ground in the locker room

We all watched as that funny man on American Idol
rapped his way to stardom last week when he "sang"
Pants on the Ground. That was sooo funny! I just had
to find the version Ryan told me Brett Favre
did in the locker room.
Here it is for your viewing pleasure!

Ok, so you probably noticed there's
no title to this posting.
It's because I couldn't think of a
suitable one for what I want
to talk about.
Yesterday was payday Friday, so we
went and got our gourmet dinner
of
Costco
polish
dogs.
Yummo!
After that we felt compelled
to walk around the store.
No, not to look at what
we wanted to buy.
But to walk off the
calories. :)
As we are walking we ran into
a gal we lived near, before
we moved to our current home
over 6 years ago.
Let me start off by saying
that I really have mixed emotions
about her.
She was kind of like the leader
of the cool clique at church.
She was the one who correlated
the weekend parties at everyone's
houses. If you were "in" with her
then you were "in" with everyone
else in the ward.
You know the type of girl.
The snotty high school girl
who controls everyone's
popularity.
That was her.
And I've always wanted to be popular.
Oh, and did I mention she's stick thin?
Something I've always wanted also.
So you can understand when I tell
you that she makes me insecure.
Well there she was, with 2 of her
4 children in tow.
"It's the Shuler family!" could be heard
from the seafood display, the beautiful
crabs and lobster tails.
I dreaded seeing her. There she was, in
all her glory. Skinnier than I remembered
her, a little boy I later learned was the same
age as Tommy. And a cute little girl
about 14 months old. Snot. Not the baby. The mama.
We exchanged pleasantries and parted ways.
[sigh]
So I had been feeling really great about
my weight loss. Hey, I've lost 50 pounds, and
I feel thinner today even.
But as soon as I get around her, I feel like
the largest person, the tallest, fattest,
ugliest woman in the world.
I know I'm not.
Just feels that way.
I'm so glad high school is over.
I'm so glad I don't have to choose to be
around toxic people like her anymore.
I choose to be around people that make me
feel good about myself. Like my mom, my husband,
my children, Lefty, and Carrot. There are more in my
life that are positive to be around, and those are
the ones I flock to. Like Calamity Jane. What a trooper.
Major surgery, infection from the surgery, bed
rest hell, and still she manages to have a good
sense of humor and joke her way through her trial.
Gotta love people like that.
I love you. I love life. I love the fact that
since I'm using my C-PAP machine for my apnea
I've been losing weight. It's just falling off me.
I didn't realize how much weight and sleep are
so linked. But they are.
So here's to a new year, a healthier me, and a
more organized, peaceful home.
Cheers!

How to line up the columns

Okay, so I absolutely love what the last
post was all about, my son.
What I don't love?
How random the columns and pictures
are lining up
(or not, as the case may be)
Any thoughts?
I need help.
I am not a gifted blogger.
Maybe it's because I'm too
impatient to actually take the time
to read and learn about how to do
the things I want done.
I just want someone to tell me
how to do it.
I was just reading a blog which I stalk
frequently. In it Lefty says that she's
impatient.
I sense a theme.
Oh, did I tell you?
She's my sister.
Guess it runs in my family.
The impatience.
Maybe it's just a woman thing.
But then, maybe it's just
a
Christensen DNA thing.
My brothers aren't much
better for patience than
us sisters.
So my quest in getting my mojo
back is working.
I have finally finished taking down
all the Christmas decorations.
Ok, so they're not in the right part
of the garage yet.
But they're off the mantle.
I mean the Santa collection.
It's down.
Finally.
Ryan will be so happy.
He doesn't really like Christmas anyway,
but that's a topic for another day.
So I have my house, one room
at a time
getting decluttered
and beautified.
Thank you Carrot! You're the best!
Thank you Lefty for always
understanding the words that
I'm trying to come up with
now that my brain is
turning 40 in March.
Yes, I said it.
I turn 40 in 2 1/2 months.
Yikes. And I'm still not
skinny.
But getting there.
I'm wearing a pair of jeans
that I haven't ever worn yet.
Do you ever go to the store,
looking for pants that you
really like, knowing that
you'll fit into them soon,
so you buy them anyway?
Well, normally I don't.
This time I did.
Two years ago.
I put them on today
expecting them to be tight
and not be able to reach
the gap between the
buttons and zipper
as usual.
Imagine my surprise and joy
when I not only bridged
the gap
but
zipped
and
buttoned
all the way
and closed
and it didn't muffin me.
:)
Oh the joys in life.
Ok, I'm gonna go to Costco
for dinner now and have a
hot dog.
:)

Will's baptism

Saturday, January 9th,
will go down in the history books
as one that Will is never going to forget! :)

He was finally able to get baptised,
after having not one, but two baptism dates
go by and him not get baptised.



He flashed his megawatt smile
and it hasn't really left yet!

Poor thing though, after he had gone all the way under,
his foot popped up. So he's part of the
twice dunked club,
like his mama and his daddy.
My dad forgot my middle name, he was so nervous.

What they don't prepare you for
is the flood gate of emotions
that comes unleashed when you see your child
walking into the font with your husband,
about to perform one of the most sacred
ordinances Heavenly Father gives us.

Will already is such a missionary,
wanting to tell everyone who will
listen that he was recently baptised.
I just love my little convert!