Really stuck

I had a bit of time and decided to post about our fun Sunday morning. Let me start by explainng how my adorable two year old, Ryan, has to come in every morning before the sun is even close to rising, and climb all over me, talking and pinching and pulling my hair. This is how I am woken up most mornings. Sunday morning was no exception but I was more tired cause I was out late with my sister for her birthday. So I was cranky cause I was so tired that this abuse continued until I could wake up enough to take him downstairs. I got him his sippy and then turned on Dora and retreated back to my bedroom, locking the door behind me. I climbed back into bed and fell back asleep. Gary got up soon after-I have to insert that Ryan NEVER does this to his dad, even when Gary tries to pull him off me, it just pisses him off more-and started to get dressed. This woke me up again but I just laid there with my eyes closed. He left to go downstairs but only closed the door behind him. So, Dora finished and Ryan came up to get me. I really think he believes that I am the only person in the house capable of helping him. He easily opened the door and took his usual spot across my head. So I got up, exasperated and cranky and threw away any notions that I might be able to actually sleep in on a weekend. I came downstairs and Gary announced he was taking the kids up Israel canyon before church. Since church is at 1, and they had done this before, I saw no problem with it. He invited me to come along, but I declined; I had a lesson to prepare, a crockpot waiting to be filled and coupons waiting to be clipped-as well as a house destroyed from my absence the night before. So he left with the older four kids and I stayed home with the sleep destroyer. He was gone about thirty minutes when I received a call explaining that they were at the top of the mountain and had gotten the suburban stuck. He needed me to get the truck and a tow strap and come rescue them. I was baffled at the idea of myself driving up that mountain on my own with a baby. So I called my neighbor and enlisted his help. He was all too glad to miss his church to give us a hand. It was about 9 when we finally left to go help them out. We made our way up the mountain and after fishtailing a bit on the road, I gladly traded seats with Dan and allowed him to drive. We didn't make it much farther because the road was covered in ice, the tires on the truck are really bad and for some reason the 4 wheel drive wasn't engaging. We called Gary and he said he would come meet us. He began running down the mountain road, leaving the kids in the car by themselves, to come help us. He ran for 25 minutes and we made three attempts to make it up the road before we met up. At this point, Dan called another neighbor and had him pick up his excursion and drive it up. Gary drove the truck back down the mountain and met up with Sean in Dan's car. The guys all got out and jumped in the excursion and took off. I left to go back home. My mom was at my house at this point, so I hung out with her, waiting for the boys. Twenty minutes later, the guys pulled up without success. So I was beginning to get worried about the kids left alone at the top of the mountain. I had Dan drive me back up the mountain as far as he could loaded down with jackets, gloves and boots, so the kids could hike out if needed. I got out and started hiking up the mountain on the icy road with my bag full of supplies. Garin came out and picked up Gary and they made their way up the mountain in the third vehicle to attempt the rescue mission. Since his car was the same as ours, we were confident it could make it up. It did, and he picked me up a few hundred yards before our car. We got to the kids and they were a bit scared but overall doing great. Garin and I began digging out the tires and sticking branches under the tires while we waited for Gary to get back up to us, he had gotten out to help Dan with his car. Once we hooked up the tow rope, and put the car into gear, it was a piece of cake. The car came out the first try and we were able to drive back down the mountain with no more problems. We got back home at about 12:20 and I quickly read through my lesson and got dressed for church. Eventful and memorable! I have to admit I did a lot of praying that morning. I was pretty nervous about sliding off the road into the ravine and rolling down to my death. Grateful my prayers were answered that day.

Stuck in a rut

Lately I feel like I have been stuck in a cranky and frustrating state and I can't quite figure out how to get out of it. Could it be that my 2 year old sleeps with me 80% of the time or at least comes in to wake me up at all hours of the morning by sitting on my head until I wake up and do as he asks? Could it be because this same child cannot leave me alone to even pee, has to be on my lap when I eat, as I am on the computer-as he pulls my arms trying to get me to stop typing as I currently am-has to have me hold him while I am trying to do Zumba? Maybe it is because of the cold weather and ugliness surrounding me, or maybe because my husband is never home because he is either working or else skiing. Could it be because every morning I wake up I get to clean up the same messes and no one else sees the need to pick up after themselves or help out? Or is it the never ending laundry that reminds me of my hectic schedule and never being able to be on top of it? Is it my front room and the office and all the stuff needing to be filed, billed, invoiced, paid off, etc. It also could be the many projects I have started and can't seem to ever find the time to continue or finish. Pick any one of those and they could be the culprit. Maybe it is just a specific annoyance at a specific moment, but always something causing the relentless frustration.

I need a vacation. I need a vacation from my life. No stress, no kids, no work, no phones, maybe even no husband. Preferably on an island where the average daily temperature is 85 degrees. I need some sun and some rest from the cares of my daily, hectic, blessed life. I need a maid to take care of my room, all my meals cooked for me and a very comfortable bed. I would prefer a week, but at this point would be happy with 4 days. Only problem is travel time. Maybe I should just go to St. George and lay next to a pool or on a large piece of red rock until I am toasted, but not burned.

Funny thing is I wrote the title so I could write of our adventures yesterday when Gary got the suburban stuck in the snow up on the top of Israel Mountain and the rescue effort made to retrieve them. But when my son came in and started using me as a jungle gym, I just became unnerved. If I step back I know I can see how stinkin cute he is instead of how much of my space is being invaded-as he pulls my shirt up to get to my belly button. That story will have to wait for another day. Maybe later this week.

Accident Prone genes

The past two months haven't been too bad when it comes to injuries but Christmas break and this past weekend were doozies. Gary had decided to purchase some telemark skis so he could learn how to use them for back country skiing. I was not too keen on the idea but he found a pair with boots for only 100.00, so I didn't fight him on it. he first day he had a chance to take them out he was working at Sundance and the snow was not very good-more like ice. He got about 100 yards down from the lift when he crashed hard on his shoulder separating the AC joint. The good side of it was that ski patrol gave him a ride down the mountain in a toboggan. How many can say they have done that? So I got to drive out to Sundance to get him and take him to the urgent care at Riverwoods. After x-rays, we confirmed our suspicion and spent the rest of the day trying to manage the work schedule. He was back up skiing the following Wednesday. The chiropractor was able to put his scapula back into alignment, which did the most good. With these kinds of injuries, all you can do is rest and then build strength back up. Needless to say, I posted his telemark gear online that afternoon and it was sold the day after Christmas. After the Holidays and the craziness of it all, we were able to unwind and enjoy the new year. I had an awesome day on my birthday. Gary took me to lunch at La Jolla Groves and then shopping. The styles out right now are so ugly, it was difficult to find anything I liked. That evening we went to dinner with a couple of my sisters impromptu and then I went home to my clean and organized bedroom, which I had done that morning while my husband tried to remember what made that day so special. I will have to write about our trip to California later because there are tales to be told.

This past weekend we went to a cabin up in Timberlakes for a surprise get together for our good friend Garin Clark's 40th birthday. Man that makes me feel old. I have friends who are forty! Anyway, it was a lot of fun being there with the Draschils, McDaniels, and Clarks. Before we got there, I was packing clothes and asked the boys to get their pillows. Even got his pillow, sat down on the top stair step, put his feet into the pillowcase and sat on top the pillow. He called me to watch him slide down the stairs, so I came over and told him to go ahead. I know, I am a great mom, but they do this all the time and there are never really any injuries. Plus I use to do this as a child at my home. Anyway, about a third of the way down his heels caught the step, which bounced him upright and then the momentum flipped him over onto his face. I was not quite close enough to catch him and he smacked the bridge of his nose on the stair. I grabbed him and pulled him to me before he could continue falling and his nose and mouth filled with blood and began spouting out like a fountain. I have never seen any of my kids bleed this much and for as long as it bled. Gary pulled up right as I was taking him into the bathroom so I called him in for help. He calmed me down and assured me it wasn't broken. It took about five minutes for it to stop bleeding and clot properly. After that, we had to wipe his nose every so often when a bit of blood would trickle down. What a way to start the weekend. Once at the cabin, everything was going well. The kids had a blast staying up way too late each night, playing in the jacuzzi, sledding, playing with the metal wall of movable plumbers pipes and balls, playing Foosball or their interpretation of pool, or exploring the hidden loft and teasing each other. Overall everything went well. The food was good and so was the company. Sunday morning met us with three sick mommas. Yulia had already been fighting sickness with Ayla, so she started coming down with it by the end of the weekend. Ashly and Amy both came down with an intestinal bug that affected Amy a lot more than Ashly, but was still not pleasant. So Garin and I and Drew spent the morning making breakfast, cleaning up, doing laundry and taking care of the checkout duties. During this time, Ryan was standing on a stool putting a ball in a pipe on the wall with the magnetic pipe system, a favorite of many, when Kaleb came around the corner with pillows and knocked him off the stool. He unfortunately fell on a piece of pipe laying on the floor and hit it with his face, next to his right eye. It swelled up pretty quick and we are calling him bruiser and Rocky now. He looks like he went a couple rounds with a professional fighter. It doesn't look good at all. Thankfully he is a trooper.

It was a fun weekend, but I think we will leave the kids at home when we get together for Yulia's 40th next year. Unfortunately, I got the sickness the day after we got home. Looking forward to Valentines day, so I need to go do some shopping for the kids.

Not for the faint of heart

I was biting a piece of candy in the background because they were worried I was going to pass out, hence the wonderful snap shot. I made the doctor take both pictures. Poor kid. I told him we were throwing away the shirt because it had a hole in it from the bite and he got upset because it was his favorite Christmas shirt! So I told him he could keep it as a souvenir. Thankfully the Pediatrician's office had a t-shirt they gave him when he was all cleaned up so he didn't have to put the germy thing back on over his arm.

Although this picture doesn't do it justice, this is the after math from a dog bite on my Evan's arm. Luckily the fat is hiding the fact that if you move it aside, the muscle will greet you just beneath.

Crazy day!

The day started off unlike others. Gary took the kids to school and returned and informed me that my tire was flat. He asked if I had any plans today or if I needed to go anywhere and I told him no. He told me he would get my tire fixed for me when he got off work. So I began my list of chores and thought nothing of my unusable. car. At around 10:45, we realized our dog Chloe was no longer inside so I asked Evan to go outside and call her. He followed directions but left the door open for his little brother and they ran across the street to the neighbors house where Chloe's friend "Ace" the german shepherd lives. After ringing the doorbell several times and pounding on the door-waking up their infant and only child-Noelle came to the door and saw my kids. She had Ace on a leash and come out to the kids on her front walk. I realized after a couple minutes that both my kids were gone so I came outside to find out what had happened to them. I went to the side of my porch and saw my neighbor with both our dogs and my boys talking to her. Ace had Chloe's bone in his mouth and Evan tried to get it back so he could come back home. When that was unsuccessful, Noelle retrieved it and handed it to him so he could come home. Well Ace was overly excited and obviously didn't want this boy to have the bone so he lunged at him and bit his upper arm. Evan began screaming and Noelle quickly pulled Ace off as I got off the porch and began walking towards him. I didn't think it was anything to be alarmed about, just a small playful nip maybe, but when he got to me I lifted up his sleeve and saw the bite mark and the fat hanging out of the area his tooth had torn through. I immediately began to cry and Noelle came over to see his arm. She was so helpful and felt so terrible. She offered to drive me as I told her I needed to get to the urgent care and I had no vehicle-of all the days to have a flat tire! She offered to watch my baby while I took him in. I realized that my friend Jen was going to be at my house in minutes to drop off Tanner so I flagged her down and asked for a ride. She quickly and willingly obliged and dropped me and Evan off at the instacare in Saratoga. Once I got there, the Doctor informed me we would have to strap him down and I knew that would not work with Evan. I asked if there was anything they could give him to help calm him down and they told me no. I explained my concern and they told me it would be best if we went to the ER. So my dear friend Ashly drove out and picked us up and I called my pediatrician to ask if they had any veracid on hand and if we could come there-thinking about the ER costs made me want to vomit- and they said they did and to bring him in. So Ashly drove me down to my pediatricians office and the sweetest people work there-angels! This sweet nurse named Mindy helped Evan and Dr loret looked over his wound. They called the ER and spoke with a trauma surgeon who advised them to use the veracid and irrigate the wound with an entire liter of saline before loosely stitching it closed. The bite mark went all the way down to the muscle but there was no nerve damage. It took about 1 and a 1/2 hours for the whole procedure, but he looks good now. There are three stitches in the larger wound and one small stitch in another. Other than that there is going to be a lot of bruising and swelling and there are scabs where the other teeth made contact. Now we just have to worry about infection. I have been an emotional wreck all day and when we got home, our neighbors came over to talk to us about the situation. That was almost as hard as the procedure. We are not going to file a report because I really feel the dog wouldn't have bitten him if he hadn't had the bone. They are the sweetest neighbors and always have him on a leash and are super careful with their dog. With that said, our family has made a rule that no one is allowed to play with Ace anymore. I am just glad that Evan is okay and pray that we won't have any problems with infection. He is on a couple of drugs so we will see and hope that they keep the germies away. Being a mom is the hardest thing in the world, especially a mom to four crazy, adventurous, curious and intelligent boys. I feel so blessed and so cursed all at once. It will probably shorten my life span by about twenty years with all the stress they cause me. Hold your little ones close and kiss them often. I am grateful I get to go to bed now and leave this day behind me. I hope I never have another one like it but chances are pretty good that that hope is poorly misplaced.

FAAALLLLL !!!!!

I love this time of year. I especially love that I can ease into winter. I am not a hater when it comes to winter but I do prefer the other seasons to it. If I didn't have skiing and sledding and hot cocoa to look forward to than I may have a different perspective. I have enjoyed the cool mornings and warm days, the changing colors and the crisp feeling in the air. I love the smells of fall and the campfires outside. And of course, Fall means Halloween-one of may favorite holidays!-as well as Kaleb's birthday(He just turned 10!!AAHH) and cutting down our Christmas tree. I have been in an organizational mode as of late and have been trying to go through the house cleaning it to get ready for my"hibernation". I love the idea of closing out the year and preparing for a new one. I look forward to the goals I will be making and the changes I will attempt in my life to become a better mom, wife and friend. Hopefully we can all end this year on a positive note!!

Best deal ever scored

I don't know if there is just one I scored that I can talk about, but freebies2deals is one of my favorite websites. I am consistently getting free samples for products, signing up for survey companies that pay me to do surveys and scoring outrageously on toys for kids. I have received a prize from a contest she blogged about but it was from another website that I won. I check it on an almost daily basis. If you haven't been there, check out my side bar and click on the logo. Happy Saving!!