DANGER! Use Caution when...

PLAYING DOMINOS?
Yes, you read correctly. There should be a warning on all domino games...USE CAUTION - MAY CAUSE HARM...etc. etc.

Yesterday I got a phone call shortly after lunch from the school nurse. "Mrs. Chesley, I have Hunter here and he hit his head on a desk. I have the cut all cleaned up but I think you may want to have it checked out."

So, off I went to get Hunter and venture to the Urgent Care. When I picked him up the nurse "un bandaided" the cut but she had 2 stery (sp?) strips over the cut so I couldn't tell how much it was gaping open. So we went to the Urgent Care.

They were super fast about getting us in. We got to the back and the medical tech met us first...Here's how that went:

Hunter: What are you doing?
Tech: We are going to check your pulse and take your temperature. What happened to your head?
Hunter: I was playing dominoes at inside recess and went to grab one before it fell to the floor and hit the table.
Tech: Wow! You must be a fierce domino player. :)
Hunter: I don't want stitches.
Tech: Well, they have this cool glue stuff that might work for your cut...but we'll have to see what the doctor says.

By then the glue was in Hunter's head...he could use glue rather than get stitches? This was a no brainer...So the doctor comes in.

Hunter: I don't want stitches, I'll have the glue.
Doctor: Well, let's look at it first.
Hunter: I don't want stitches.
Doctor: It looks like the glue will do fine for this cut.

You should've seen the relief on the kid's face. So, they laid him back and he was told it wouldn't burn. HA! He began to apply the dermabond and Hunter immediately teared up and began to cry. (He hadn't cried at all up to this point). So, we started to talk to him about his dogs at home, their names, behaviors, etc. to try to distract him. He just cried. I gave him my hand to squeeze but he said he didn't want to hurt me so he just squeezed his own leg. What a sweet kid.

Anyway, now we have a kid that can say he's had his head glued together. Who would have thought that this kid (see pics) could get hurt playing dominoes? Only Hunter.

These pictures are all courtesy of Hunter trying to get his own self portraits in the past few days...It's his new hobby. - - except for the last 2 - I did take those.

Sometimes...

Sometimes there are moments when i don't have the right words to describe how much I love my kids/family. In fact, I think probably the only fitting word would be that I have charity for them. Anyway, that is how I have felt the last little while, even though there are days when I want to scratch my eyes out, I still want to squish all of the kids because they are so stinking sweet. Lately it has been an overwhelming emotion of mine that I am so fortunate to have such sweet ones in my house....

(If anyone knows why this is underlining, drop me a clue, I don't know how to make it stop.)

Sometimes you see a Gwennie girl and you see how much energy she has for life and you are in love with her all over again.

Sometimes you see a Texas and think, man I wish I could be that chill about everything.


Sometimes you smile for the camera because your kids want to take a picture of you...

Sometimes you think your 5 month old has trouble with his ears because he constantly holds his hands up to his ears and screams...but then you go to Urgent Care and find out that he looks great and it's probably just his way of showing that he has some discomfort.

Sometimes you see how sweet the grandpa is with a sleeping baby - I think I've got grandpa on film like this with all my kids as babies.

Sometimes you can't get Gwendalin to cooperate for a picture moment and it comes out blury anyway.

Sometimes you wonder how you will survive another day with a very energetic Hunter running (literally) around. But somehow you do and then you realize that the kid just wants to do what's right and could power a city if you could bottle up his enthusiasm.


Sometimes your husband gets a new suit and you forgot how stinkin' good he looks when he wears it! rrrrr......(say the rrrrr-like you speak spanish and roll your r's to get the full effect).

Some little stories to remember....

Okay, on occasion there are things that I want to remember that my kids have said or done. This is a quick post to jot a few down that have transpired recently. Each one is a different color.

Karate crazy
Hunter and Gwendalin were watching tv the other night. Gwendalin kept bugging Hunter with her feet and he would slap them away. After a few times of doing this, he got mad and hopped up off the floor and in doing so, outer crescent kicked her in the face and made her nose bleed. When inquiring how this happened (Travis and I were not in the room) we got the story that it was becuase he got up and stepped on her face. Gwennie backed that up until the next morning....(we knew he couldn't have possibly stepped that hard on her face.) Anyway, we ended up finding out the truth (listed at the beginning) but found it interesting that Gwendalin didn't want Hunter to get into trouble to she backed up his initial story since he was crying so hard after it happened. Very sweet that siblings try to protect each other....

Teachable moments...
We had gone to the store (Wal-Mart) to pick up a few things. It was me with all 4 kids. We got all through and out in the car and Gwendalin tells me she got my lipstick...well my first red flag was that I don't wear lipstick, and second I didn't buy anything like that. So I asked her where it was and out comes her little fist with a chapstick in hand. She had grabbed it from the rack while we were in the checkout. I had just gotten all the kids loaded and thought about just taking it back on the next visit, but knew that wouldn't be a good teaching moment...so I buckled everyone in and drove up to the entrance and took Gwennie to the greeter just inside the door (kids were in the car locked/ buckled while I did this - I could see it the whole time (15 seconds). Anyway, I carried Gwennie in side after telling her that she had to return it because we didn't pay for it...she cried all the way in - she handed it to the greeter and said she was sorry. Then she burried her head in my shoulder and we went back to the car. This was after Hunter told her he would go take it back in for her....see there's that sibling protecting again....:) Anyway...very good teaching moment - would've been easier to do it later when I had less kids, but I had to take advantage of the moment.

Here ya are...
We were on our way (with Aunt Trish and cousins) to play for lunch at Carl's Jr. I don't remember why but the dads (Matthew and Travis) were gone for whatever reason. Anyway, Tricia followed me in her car after I got my kids buckled and loaded. The drive to Carl's Jr. is about 15 minutes from home. We got to the stoplight to turn into the parking lot and Tyler came up to the console between the two front seats and said "Here ya are...."I was shocked but more I was laughing because he just waltzed up and announced that he had found me...like he was looking. I had completely forgotten to buckle him in....he was the only one not buckled. I laughed for 5 minutes after that happened.

Professional Cooker?
I had taken the kids with me to Sam's club on a Saturday around lunch time. They had trillions of samples and my kids tried them all....they really like this chicken pasta thing and wanted me to get it for dinner, so did. A few days later I made it for them. Hunter was complaining about what we were having for dinner (as usual) and I told him I was making that chicken he liked from Sam's. When I dished it on his plate he said, "Mom, I don't know if this will taste as good as it did at Sam's. That lady was a professional cooker....I'm not saying you're a bad cook, but she was a professional." I don't think he realized that the "professional cooker" at Sam's used the microwave and made it. Anyway, he took a bite and looked and me and said "Wow, mom! You made it just like she did!" He was thrilled and I got to be deemed professional cooker for the night. :)

Where'd it go?
Tyler was playing with some toys. His goal was to get a new toy and toss it over his head behind him and hear where it landed. Tricia and her girls were over and he decided to play where mom, Trish, and I were talking. he picked up a green car from the movie "Cars" turned and tossed it over his head...well, it landed right on Tricia's shoulder barley missing Maesyn's head. So, Tricia being the quick thinker that she is - gasped and then grabbed the car and put it behind her back as to encourage not throwing anymore. Texas turned around and looked where he thought it would be and didn't see it...then he looked on the ground....super confused by this point....after a few moments he looked up at the fan threw his arms above his head exasperated and said "Where'd it go?" Like it went up and never came back down....so stinking cute!

Insomnia

Not being able to sleep has never been a problem for me....yes, there is the occasional night when I lay awake for a while trying to calm my mind, but eventually sleep takes over and I drift away into dreamland (until a child wakes up). Anyway, since stress levels are a bit on the high side at our house, it has become a challenge to make sleep happen, especially for Travis. Now he has always had issue with this, but with stress it gets worse. He has had to have perscription help to sleep for years- now you might say, huh? Sleep is so nice it's so lovely, who can't sleep....? Yes, well, that used to be what I thought until I married a non-sleeper. He's exhausted when night comes to the point of nausea sometimes, but he just can't go to sleep. I think it's genetic for him actually simply because there are others in his family who struggle with the same thing. Anyway, the point of this post is that I have no problems sleeping and neither do my kids...below are a few pictures of the youngest two this week. In the meantime, keep praying that Travis can get caught up on some much needed sleep. :) Here's to you and all your peaceful dreams!


I love these boys...they are so sweet! Notice Tyler's car (2 actually) he is always sleeping with something. :)

GOALS!

Since it is 2009 we did our first home evening of the year on goal setting. I printed up the word G-O-A-L-S (one letter per page) and we talked about what they are and how we do them...it was a very simple discussion. In the meantime at the end we each set a goal Travis through Tyler (tyler doesn't know he set one, but he did). I wrote on each letter what our goal was so we could work on it for the month of January. We are going to report each week at home evening for the month. So the goals were as follows: Travis: read scriptures daily, Me: Say morning prayers ( suck at this), Hunter: practice karate every day, Gwendalin: Don't fight with Tyler, and Tyler: stop throwing fits, Dallin's isn't written up there but his is to start sleeping through the night :).

Hunter has been a gem at this, he reminds us each day about our goals and he's done really well at keeping up with his. Gwendalin is focused on it as well, she doesn't want to fight with Texas at all, so she gives him whatever he wants...not sure if that's a good strategy, but it's hers to accomplish her goal.

As for me, I have done perfect so far...and here are a few more of my own for the year:
Read the Book of Mormon twice
Eat more fish (it's so good for you, but i hate it, I am going to learn to like it)
Clean less
Work out 3 times a week for 52 weeks

I can't make too many or I get overwhelmed...

Bathtime Pictures

Dallin boy loves the bath - I couldn't quite capture his enthusiasm but I thought I'd post the pictures anyway.