Things I've learned this week

If I accidently leave Kleven in the shower too long, he will scrub it clean from top to bottom and not want to get out until the job is done.
He also thinks he sees G-Force. Like, on their way to save the world. He told me as we were walking down the street, "Oh, mom! There goes G-Force! Right there! It's REALLY them!!!" I have to admit, I didn't see anything.

Ezra learned how to tell a joke after spending the weekend with Nana and Papa. Here are my two favorites:
"Why did the chameleon cross the road?" I don't know, why? "BECAUSE HE DIDN'T GET COOKED!"

"Why did the pig jump over the moon?" I don't know, Ezra, why did the pig jump over the moon? "BECAUSE HE DIDN'T GET COOKED!?

Do you see the trend?

What's more exciting than Santa Clause?!?!

CHRIS TRAPPER IS COMING TO TOWN!!!!

If you're looking for a FUN date night (or just something to do), you HAVE TO COME out on the 19th to hear Chris Trapper play. It's an acoustic set and WELL WORTH the $$$, which by the way, is less than half the price of tickets as last year.
If you have NO IDEA who this super talented guy is, I BEG YOU to take a minute and look him up (http://www.christrapper.com/). He's an incredibly talented singer/song writer. You've most likely heard his music without knowing it. Did you see the movie "August Rush"? Well, he wrote the title track!

Yeah, he's kind of a big deal. (and he's good-looking)

Here's your chance to watch him LIVE and in an intimate setting- not a stadium of thousands.
We're doing things the artsy-fartsy way at MonOrchid in Phoenix. You can purchase tickets through PayPal! $11 pre-show, $15 at the door If I were more computer savvy, I'd have the link right about here: Oh, wait, I DO! (Thanks husband!)

This is an all-ages show and a chance to do something other than dinner and a movie!
We're REALLY excited to have him out and we'd love the chance to share him with the rest of you! Let me know if you have ANY questions!

Ezra-isms

Ezra's funny! It's no secret! He's said some really cute things lately and I wanted to write them down before I forgot them. I was SO good at doing that with Kleven at this age... So anyway, I was telling Chris about a conversation I had just had with someone and quoted myself saying "dang it!" about missing out on something, to which Ezra chimed in: I don't want to Dang it! It's too loud! The bell is too loud!" Yes, it was totally random.
And just this morning, I told him he was being a cute guy and he told me "no, I'm not a cute guy" so I told him he was a handsome guy and he said "no, I'm not a handsome guy, mommy, I'm a AWESOME GUY!"

Darn You, Gap Kids!!!

I almost cried when I saw this line at Gap. It made me want a girl SO BAD! I even found this dress in a 14/16 to wear as a shirt. It's a real shame they didn't think to add seams at the bust, or else I'd be sporting this thing right now!~ I ended up buying a short-sleeved shirt in the same fabric and figured I would let Daisy wear it- for a picture- and then she'd have to give it back!

You're gonna want one too!

If you know me, you'll know these few things about me: I love to shop. I LOVE finding treasures. I collect dress forms. I have LOTS of dress forms. I think EVERYONE should love dress forms!

Isn't she darling?!?! I couldn't not take her home with me! What's a girl to do?!? I found some of her closest friends and brought them home too! Here's the details:
22 1/2 inches tall
12 inches wide at the hips
7 inch waist
So, what do you do with her??? You hang her flush~mounted little figure up on the wall and hang all your earrings from the curly wire! There's even space at her neckline to hang necklaces! She's darling without the earrings too! She'll even stand proud on a dresser or countertop!
You know you want one! I'll be sending a couple of them to a boutique this Saturday, so let me know if you want dibs! Like I said, I brought home a FEW of her friends, so there should be enough to go around IF YOU ACT NOW!
$22 and she's YOURS ~ email me for a PayPal invoice! [email protected]

Ezra's First Ambulance Ride

We've had our fair share (if not more) of emergency room visits in the past six years. I probably couldn't even remember them all.... but there's been NOTHING like the most recent trip we took with Ezra.
The boys had been asleep for nearly two hours, Kleven was next to me in my bed and Ezra was in his room. I was looking up pretzel recipes because I had promised Kleven we could make "mall pretzels" if he took a nap. I went in to get Ezra when he woke up and started to cry, grabbing the phone on the way down the hall. He didn't want to get out of bed, so I laid with him while I talked to a friend on the phone. He felt really warm, and I remember saying so to my friend. After a few minutes, I was done chatting, but Ezra still didn't want me to pick him up, so I told him I would go wake up Kleven and come back for him. I made it back to my room where I opened the web-page for the pretzel recipe I had found and got Kleven to wake up. This only took about two minutes. I heard Ezra shout out again- only this time it was a weird kind of panic yell, so I tossed my lap-top onto the bed and ran back down the hallway. Before I was even in the room I could hear the bed shaking. The entire bunk bed was rattling and Ezra was having a full-body seizure. His fists were clenched and at his sides, his whole body rigid and shaking, and he was making the most awful gurgling sound. His eyes were rolled back in his head as though he was looking at something above and behind him. I immediately snatched him up and started to scream. I have always prided myself on being the calm one in an emergency, but this time I had lost it. I remember yelling. "NO! Ezra please stop!!!" And I was bawling. Kleven had heard me yelling, and came in to see what was going on. I ran out to the living room with Ezra in my arms and Kleven at my heels and grabbed the phone. In my head I was imagining calling 911, but as I dialed 9, I proceeded to call my mom and dad's number. It starts with 9-2-6. I think it was Carson that answered, and I'm sure I freaked him out by yell-sobbing into the phone "Ezra's having a SEIZURE!!!" The phone was immediately handed to my mother, and then to my father who told me to hang up and call 911. I told him "NO, he'll stop and it'll be okay!" I was having a really strong impression that his fever and the seizure were 'normal'. I could vaguely remember this from my first-aid certification. My dad was quick to react and called my brother in law, Skylar, the fire-fighter who conveniently lives down the street, to check him out. Ezra finally did stop seizing. It was over in less than three minutes, but those three minutes felt like an hour to me. Skylar showed up and looked him over. He still hadn't opened his eyes or even made any kind of movement, but he was breathing and his pulse was good. I knew I needed to take him to Urgent Care anyway, so I sent Kleven with Skylar and put Ezra in the car. I walked into the Urgent Care expecting to have to sit and wait like everyone else, but as soon as they heard me say the word seizure, we were on our way down the hall to a room. Sadly, our nearest Urgent Care is a joke, but more about that another time. The doctor didn't even touch him, she just had the nurse give him some Tylenol after checking his temperature and then she called for transport, saying she "would feel much more comfortable if we got him checked out at the hospital" and that we "really should go by ambulance" rather than take him ourselves. By this time, my mom had made it out here and was ready to help out in any way. Ezra FINALLY came around and gave me the reassurance I needed to hear. He told us, very matter of fact, "I scaredy". Mom had the privilege of following the ambulance in my car and taking pictures of us with her cell phone. I was a little miffed, because I knew he would be fine if I had driven him there myself, but the Dr. didn't want to run the chance of being sued. (that was an AWESOME bill to get a few weeks later) I was TOLD we were being taken to Gilbert Mercy Hospital... the one on Val Vista... but when we turned into the Gilbert Hospital on Power I went into a minor panic mode and asked the EMT's WHY were we here and not at the REAL hospital. They said this was where they had been told to go... (I still need to go in and remind the Dr. at Urgent Care to get her hospitals straight!!! )
Once we were settled into a room, Grandma got to take Ezra down the hall for X-rays. Grandpa showed up a short time after that. The whole point in being at the hospital was to find out what was causing his fever, since he had been fine that morning. We learned that Ezra had had a Febrile Seizure. They are more common than you think! It's basically the bodies way of reacting to a temperature spike. Once you've had one, you're more prone to them, but you should out-grow them by the time you're five or so. I've always known both my boys are "spikers", but I don't medicate a 99.9%. I will have to change my ways! Now that Ezra's more prone to this condition, I have to treat him for a fever as soon as I sense a temperature rise and keep treating for 24 hours.
I should probably add in here somewhere that Chris was on his way home from Palm Desert, California. I had spoken to him about half an hour before the whole incident and then had to call him to tell him what had happened. I felt awful having to put him in such a helpless position, but being the good daddy he is, he pushed the gas pedal to the floor and didn't stop once. He arrived in time for the whole IV ordeal. After watching the nurse try to draw blood from two different spots, I asked her nicely to try his foot. I'm his mom, I've SEEN his feet bleed! But she replied in a not so nice way, that she is a Pediatric Nurse of thirty-some-odd years and she obviously knows more than I do, and that NO, kids HIS age don't bleed well from their feet. Poor Ezra was screaming the entire time! I was losing it, Chris was losing it, my poor dad looked like he was going to attack the next person who touched his grand-baby. The nurse gave up for a while, saying he probably wasn't hydrated enough, so we found him some "Spider man" juice (powerade) and he was able to calm down a bit. The shift changed, thank goodness, and grumpy pants went home. Chris and my dad were able to give Ezra a quick blessing, where my dad blessed him that he would only have to endure the needles as long as was absolutely necessary.
We were told a urine sample was needed, so after trying to get Ez to pee in a cup with no result, he was the lucky recipient of a "bag". Imagine a gallon-sized ziploc with adhesive where the "zipper" would be. Yup, they adhered it to him and then expected him to urinate. FOR REAL?!?!
After a short while, in came the 20-something year old and her "student" assisstant. After two or three more attempts to find a vein, even with everyone holding him down, they gave up. I give her props for at least TRYING his foot, but even the slightest flinch would roll the vein and they couldn't even nick it. So, in came Ingrid, another older nurse, but with a much improved attitude. When she called out into the hallway for an extra set of hands, in came the biggest, burliest, spikey-haired male nurse I had ever seen. He even had a whole slew of interesting peircings, like bull rings through both ears and a barbell through his eyebrow. Looks are definately deceiving. He was the biggest softie EVER! Like a teddy-bear in disguise! Ezra thought he was pretty cool too. They had matching hair after all... I let the nice nurse lady try his hand once and then I half-begged her to try his foot. They had to wrap it up in a splint, and it was tedious, but they FINALLY found a vein and were able to get LOTS of blood. The smart nurse lady even thought to leave the line in! Which came in handy later, when we needed an IV to push antibiotics through.
The Dr. finally came in and informed us that they would need to cathetarize him to get the urine sample, which they did, and then he came back with the results a while later. He decided that Ezra's fever had been caused by a UTI, or urinary tract infection, which is NOT a common problem in little boys. So, after the IV with antibiotics, and waiting half an hour to see if he'd have a reaction to it, and after nearly six hours, we were able to go home. My poor baby had had blue and red medical tape wrapped around both feet, both hands, and at both elbows throughout the night. We had been removing it from one spot or another as quickly as we could, because I'm pretty sure he hates bandaids and stickers more than he hates getting poked. Getting home and cutting off his hospital bracelet was like being able to breath again for him. He slept between us that night. I was a nervous wreck and jumped up every time I felt the bed move, even though it was almost always just Chris turning over. It took us a few days to get back into the groove of things, but Ezra bounced right back!
When we went in the next day for a follow-up with our pediatrician, he was skeptical about the UTI diagnosis. He requested the cultures from the hospital and later that week he confirmed his suspicion that it wasn't actually a UTI, but most likely just a random virus passing through.

The Nine Month Flu

I'm PREGNANT! And I don't think this one could be any more different than the last two! Instead of throwing up everything all day long, I can actually EAT! And then I fight the urge to puke until I'm hungry again. I thought for sure I had the flu, complete with the body aches, fatigue, and upset stomach. When we were in Chicago, I woke up one morning feeling SO nasty, I thought maybe I had food poisoning. Chris didn't skip a beat. He simply said, "You're probably just pregnant." I was in denial. I waited about a week after that to take a home test, and it was SCREAMING positive before I had even finished taking it! That's NEVER happened! When I called to make an appointment with my Dr, the earliest they had available was six weeks out. By the time the appointment came, and we saw our baby for the first time on the screen, He (because we haven't been informed otherwise) was kicking and flapping his arms around! I was in shock once again. Where's the Lima bean with a spine?!?! We learned that I was 11 1/2 weeks along and our due date is November 22nd. It seems FOREVER away! Chris' first reaction to that news was to demand that I not be in labor on Thanksgiving, because it's his favorite holiday and he refuses to eat turkey in the hospital cafeteria. I'll see what I can do!

Sorry Folks...

I'm a BIG-TIME slacker with plenty of excuses, trust me, I will fill you in. In the meantime, I'll give you an idea of what to look forward to:
Our Canadian Adventure
Chicago Trip
Our Anniversary
A Positive Pregnancy Test
Ezra's Birthday Celebration
Easter Festivities
Ezra's 1st Ambluance Ride
Beach Trip~ San Diego
Finished House Projects
And a Fetus Photo Shoot

Adoption Fundraiser This Saturday!!!

My friends, Drew and Amy have been chosen by a birth mother to adopt her unborn child! You can read more about their adventure by clicking here: www.adoptionwishes.blogspot.com

We all want to be a part of this miracle, so we're doing what we know best: Boutiques! Each and every vendor is donating a portion of their profits directly to Drew and Amy's adoption fund!

If you can't make it out this Saturday, you can still order anything I have to offer directly from me at any time, knowing that a huge portion of your purchase is being donated! I want to contribute a certain $ amount before September!

Thanks for all you help!!!

Happy Birthday E-Baby!

My baby is officially two-years old today! Can you believe it?!?! I sure can't! He's growing up so fast! Ezra is such a fun little boy. Here are some things we love about our E-baby:

• he has an incredible sense of humor
• an insatiable sweet-tooth
• a smile that lights up the room
• the vocabulary of a child twice his age
• a special tolerance for his bossy older brother
• the biggest, saddest pouty face you've ever seen
• a special bond with his binky
• He LOVES:
• dogs
• big trucks
• fruit snacks
• granola bars
• cereal
• bread
• "noonles" (any kind of pasta)
• going for walks
• "hair-panes" airplanes
• helicopters
• bugs
• glue sticks
• chapstick
• cars and trucks
• brushing his teeth
• cuddling
• taking baths
• slides
• trains
• tattling on Kleven
• watching for Daddy to come home

Ezra is extremely well mannered. He is usually first to say "please" and "thank you" and "you're welcome", he's a great example to all of us. Kleven says Ezra makes him laugh when he says funny words, he likes being his big brother even when "he be's mean and throws toys at me" (I think he's confused), and although he won't admit it right now, I know he takes great pride in teaching him new things.

One of our most favorite things about him lately is how he "narrates" everything he sees or thinks and does. He never stops talking! He will count all the trucks he sees as we're driving around (always repeating 7..8..9 twice) He notices every airplane or helicopter or bird in the sky. He has impeccable hearing, seeing as he'll announce the passing of a train and the rest of us have to strain to hear it. His latest trick is escaping from the highchair. I can walk out of the room for a second and he'll find a way to get out. I recently asked him how he manages to do so and he replied, "I jump!" We'll soon be retiring the highchair...

So that's out Ez-McFezz, E-baby, Ezzie, Ezra-bo-bezra! Happy 2nd birthday sweet boy!

Happy March!

There are a lot of significant dates in March for our family! First off, my baby brother, Carson, will be 15 on the 7th. This fact is going to cause quite a bit of confusion with Kleven. For months, he has been under the impression that Everything important happens when you are 14 like Carson. You are a "Big Guy" when you're 14, you are tall, and you can do all sorts of really cool things, like Rollerblade and ride a big bike and play the drums. Kleven's dream world revolves around being fourteen. Unfortunately, Chris and I will miss out on the festivities this year, as we'll be in Canada for "Grandma Steele's" funeral. Sorry Carson! And thanks G-ma and G-pa Barnes for taking the boys!

Another spectacular event for the month of March is our wedding anniversary. We will have been married SIX years on the 15th! It seems like it's been much longer, but in a good way! Anniversary plans have been put somewhat on hold, seeing as we will be out of the country the week before. I've been dropping hints to Chris about booking me into a spa for the day and calling it good. We'll see! ;)

March 16th is my dad's birthday! He'll be 54?, but he still has bigger biceps than any man I know. He'll probably ask for socks again this year.

The 19th is my oldest, younger brother's birthday! Bryan will be 21! He gets to celebrate his birthday in Australia again this year~ lucky duck... He's serving a 2-year mission there for our church and having the time of his life! We're ALL SO PROUD of him and can't wait for him to return home this summer!

The 20th of March is my Grandpa's birthday! (mom's dad) He's an OLD man! This is the first year that he and Gg-ma haven't come to AZ for the winter and we've missed them so much. We're hoping the snow got the better of them and they change their minds next year.

Here's another fun thing about March:

We hope you have a Happy March too!

~Bathroom Makeover~

One of the things I miss most about our last home was the half-bath near the kitchen. This house now only has two bathrooms. The hallway bathroom serves as the boys' bathroom, Chris' office bathroom and a guest bathroom. I didn't want it to look too childish or too grown up so it has been somewhat neglected until now. Months ago I used some green paint I found in my stash and painted it in an effort to get it looking somewhat presentable. Neither Chris or myself liked the color and Kleven told me he hated it. The state of that bathroom has been torturing me ever since!!! Somehow, I found the time to pay it the attention it deserved while Chris was out of town. (For some reason I feel the need to start major projects like this when I know he won't be around to talk me out of them) :)

The boys were in the tub one morning and the paint closet is right near there, so I dug around and found a couple of colors, mixed them together and started cutting in around the edges of the room. By the time the boys' toes had turned to raisins, I had my least favorite part out of the way! That night, I rolled the rest of the paint on and had it finished in 30 minutes!

If I can find before pics, I might also find the guts to post them...

This entire project has cost me a grand total of: $4

However, I need to purchase a few small things, like:

A clock, a large candle and some hand towels. Eventually, it will also get crown molding!

My goal is to keep it under $30.

I love doing this!!!

Now it's YOUR TURN! Is there a space in your home that makes you cringe every time you walk past it? FIX IT!

Photography Class?

In case you're interested, I did a copy and paste of an email I just received from my uncle....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am having another photo class next week that I filled from a waiting list, but I'm aware that there are others who would like to come for the one day Photo Fundamentals class I've been teaching.
By way of review - this class is intended for owners of DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras. I've had people with point and shoot cameras attend and the principles apply, however that sort of camera is limiting where creative effects are involved. In the class I cover the fundamentals of exposure, composition, posing, using flash and camera operation (just what do all those buttons do???). I try to limit the class size so everyone gets special attention and also to allow us to cover your specific questions and issues.
The course is from 9AM to 4PM and is held here at my house (18478 E. Carriage Way, Queen Creek). It includes a few shooting exercises both inside the house and outside in the back yard where you'll practice the concepts I'm teaching and receive some hands on help. I've attached a course outline from previous classes. Snacks and lunch are included and the price is $100.
I'm aiming for Saturday, March 21 - just a few weeks away. If I can get a class size of at least four students I'll hold the class. I already have one person committed so I only need three more to make the class happen. The max size is six. I'll take the next five that respond and take names of additional interested people for a subsequent class.
Don't hesitate to write or call if you have questions.

Thanks, and happy snapping.
-- Bruce Barnes
BKBarnes Photography
http://www.bkbarnes.blogspot.com/
(480) 567-8422 Cell

Titus Update- about 8 months old

This boy LOVES his dog! Ezra is BY FAR the most affectionate towards our little beast. They were having So much fun together I had to take a few photos! Seeing as our puppy has consistently gained about 5 pounds a week, I'd have to say he's probably 110 pounds, give or take... just over the halfway mark! His daddy was 180, and his grandpa was 220, so we're expecting somewhere in between. It'll be like having another grown man in the house except this one walks on all fours but can still see over the table and counter tops! We love him! Even when he accidentally whacks us with his tail!

Happy February!

Here's a decorating tip I should have shared weeks ago... when you're taking down your Christmas decorations, sort your ornaments by color. I keep my red and green stuff out to use for the next couple holidays. If you horde apothecary jars like I do- you'll never need anything else........ Here's what my dining room table will look like for the month!

Try to imagine crown molding, white linen drapes on the window, and the wall full of framed b&w photos!

The chandelier is same as always.

The dress form is a favorite from my collection, adorned with ribbon, and sparkly hearts attached with super cute magnets.

The pink ceiling tile is my own design as well as the red chalkboard.

The letters that spell out LOVE I made a couple years ago, they're just propped up on the chalkboard with my super cute magnets for support.

The card on the chalkboard is my own design (using SU).

The apothecary jars are filled with red Christmas ball ornaments, more sparkly hearts and my everyday red pears.

The table is covered with a normal white tablecloth and a scrap piece of red silk fabric.

This whole look cost me less than $5 and took about ten minutes to throw together. I bought the sparkly hearts last week from JoAnn's (on sale 40% off) and one box of red shatterproof ornaments from WalMart during the post-Christmas clearance sale.

I sure hope that sparked some ideas!

Now tell me, how do you decorate for Valentine's Day?

Seriously Addicted

I have a new addiction in my life these days besides Diet Coke and chapstick. Its called Facebook...



do you see where I'm going with this yet?



If you don't have an account with Facebook, I miss you already.

~Jewelry Stuff~

I FINALLY updated my jewelry blog! Go check it out NOW!
www.arizonadesigner-jewelry.blogspot.com