Happy Surgery Birthday to Ben

So, my cute Ben had his tonsils taken out on his 6th Birthday! I know this sounds crazy! It all started when we went to Heber. We were all sleeping in the same room & I listened all night while Ben would snore, hold his breath, then gasp for breath. He did this all night long! Ben has always snored, but I had never noticed the holding breath thing. So into an ENT we went, and sure enough his tonsils were as large as they can be & he needed them removed. We were originally going to have the surgery after Halloween because Ben loves Halloween, but then Mike got a new job. Mikes new job at American Express as an Auditing Manager is great, but the deductibles for his new insurance were not so great. So, we wanted to get his surgery done before his old insurance expired. So that left us with having his surgery on his birthday so he could still do Halloween.

We tried to make the hospital as fun as possible, and it worked! Ben had a great time before surgery; posing, talking with the doctors, and playing. The hospital staff was great when they found it it was his birthday. They rounded up toys (the motorcycle was his favorite) and made a cute birthday card for him. This was also the week that he got the Kinderbear from school. It is a bear that the kids get to take home for a week and dress up and take care of. Kinderbear got a hospital tag and got to go into surgery with Ben. We weren't in the OR, but the Dr's & nurses all sang him Happy Birthday before the surgery.

Post-op was not any fun! They came & grabbed me and brought me back as soon as he was coming to, and were worried telling me he was hallucinating and not understanding what they were saying. Of course this worried me a lot, I went back there and found my cute Ben. The nurses kept handing Ben his Kinderbear & saying here's your bear that should make you feel better, and Ben just responded by saying hoarsely "that's not my bear". So they were all freaking out because he didn't recognize his bear. I explained that it wasn't his, he was just taking care of it and everyone calmed down. Cute Ben! We ended up being in post-op for a few hours because Ben kept getting sick, poor little guy. Luckily he loves watching cartoons, so that kept his mind of his being so sick. They used every anti-nausea medicine out there and we were able to take him home. His recovery went really well. We kept him drugged up around the clock & he ate lots of boxes of push pops (those were the favorite of the 4 kinds of popsicles we bought). It was a perfect week to take care of Kinderbear! Ben and Kinderbear watched lots of movies & played his new Wii game Wii party. He was able to enjoy Halloween the next week and he no longer has sleep apnea! I'm sure his future wife will thank me that he doesn't snore anymore. A few months after the surgery he thanked me for letting him have surgery on his birthday! He is just the greatest kid ever! I don't know how I lucked out and got my cute Ben.

Future Dr???
On his way into the operating room

He did great recovering, this is 4 days after the surgery

Okay this is a silly picture, but I added it to show how much Eliza likes taking pictures. I couldn't get her to hold still so I could clip her fingernails, so I had Mike take pictures of her & she held still and did awesome! Yes she is a poser.

10/19/2010

Happy Halloween

Halloween was a lot of fun this year! Ben wanted to be a power ranger, so I tried to convince Hailey that she wanted to be a power ranger so all my kids would go as power rangers. But, Hailey only wanted to be a princess! So, my mom fixed up an adorable Cinderella costume for Hailey. Eliza's hot dog costume was irresistible, so Mike and I decided that we would be ketchup and mustard. My mom made our awesome pants, and we made the fabulous paper mache hats. (The great thing is we can use them next year and be crayons!!) I wore my outfit and hat to work the Friday before Halloween. I made it through most of the day, but the hats are very heavy and I couldn't make it the full 9 hours.

I don't have any pictures of actual trick-or-treating. We went to Mike's grandma Margaret's neighborhood and went trick-or-treating with cousins. The kids did great but it was pouring rain the whole time. We went up to my Mormor's house on Sunday and dressed up and had a nice dinner and lots of fun.

Isn't she just the cutest little hot dog!

This is a picture from Jana's Halloween party. Mike and I won for best condiments, come to think of it I think we were the only condiments, oh well!

Jake and Ben showing off their muscles!

We had a lot of fun at Jana's families Halloween party the week before Halloween. The only bad thing was that this was less than a week after Ben had his tonsils out. Ben loves to dance, and we had to tell him not to dance because of his surgery.

Ben's Impromptu Birthday Party

So, we had already celebrated Ben's birthday with some of his friends to the pumpkin patch and pirate island. But Ben asked what are we doing for my birthday party? I told him we had already had his party, but since it was the week before his birthday I guess it didn't count. So we invited my family and a few neighbor friends over and had pizza and some impromptu games. It was such a fun night, so I'm glad we did it. It was the night before his actual birthday when he got his tonsils taken out.

Mike, Ben, Hailey, Austin, Nathan, Will, and Ben

(Austin, Will, and Ben are neighbors in our ward)

Ben was whispering to Ben what his wish was!

Ben got snowboarding gear for his birthday! Yikes! He has actually now gone 3 times to Brighton with Mike and loves it. He is doing great and has had fun taking lessons. He loves going on the lifts and it looks like this will be one of his favorite sports. Now I just have to learn!

10/18/2010

Soccer Game and Hike

GOAL!!!!

Ben got more motivated to kick the ball after Mike offered him 25 cents every time he kicked the ball. Ben loves money and is great at saving it. So he had fun and made money playing soccer.


My kids love hiking! After Ben's soccer game we headed up Butterfield canyon for a little hike and picnic. Eliza thought the whole adventure was fun too.

Mike and Eliza

Cute Hailey taking her nap with one of her MANY stuffed animals. This is one of her "tigers" that she got from the zoo, and won't let out of her sight.

10/16/2010

Ben's Birthday Pumpkin Patch and Pirate Island Party

Our party animals; Ben, Ryan, Betsy, Hailey, Isabelle, Spencer, and Eliza.

If you were wondering where Eliza is, she is usually in her stroller having a great time!

Monsters in the Maze!

Ben and Isabelle (the birthday kids)

I love this picture of 3 cute friends. Look at the looks on the faces of Ryan and Spencer, priceless!

Happy Birthday Pirates!

This was such a fun day. We went to a great pumpkin patch/corn maze for Ben and Isabelle's birthdays. The kids loved going through the maze. Holly and Melanie got lost in the maze with Spencer, Betsy and Gavin. I made it out with the rest of the kids super fast so we just played with all the great stuff. The kids had such a great time. Our next stop was Pirate Island Pizza. Everyone dawned their pirate gear and we had a great time eating a pizza as big as a table and playing lots of fun arcade games. Ben still tells me that he is going to marry Isabelle and that she is his best friend. It is crazy that they are now 6 and have know each other since they were under 2 years old. What a fabulous birthday celebration.

10/11/2010

Bri's Shower and Wedding

My cute Eliza eating the camera cord while I try to take a picture of her.

My cute sister Aly & me getting ready for the wedding shower.

My fun mom & me

The bride-to-be Bri with Casey & my Hailey.

This was the funnest shower! We managed to fit 30 people in my front room! We had family from both our side & Jake's side of the family. The food was fabulous and so was the company. We had fun telling embarrassing or funny things about Bri & Jake and had a great time embarrassing Bri!

The Big Day

Hailey went and had her hair done with her Aunt Aly. She walked around all night telling everyone she was a princess! it was such a fun reception.

I stole these fabulous pictures that Jana took. I love this one of Ben and my nephew Nathan kissing Bri! Bri's wedding was so fun and perfect. We had such a great day!
09/11/2010 and 09/30/2010

Weekend in Heber

Ben and Hailey with their Hiking Sticks

Eliza's First Hike (She only stayed awake 10 minutes!)

My kids first time fishing!
I caught an Eliza Fish

Wheelbarrow games with Mike's family

This was such a fun Labor Day Weekend spent up in Heber! We went to a good friends baby blessing Sunday afternoon then headed up to Heber to Nicole (my sister-in-law's) cabin. My kids love it when we go up to Aunt Nicole's cabin. We have been in the winter a few times but this is the first time we have been up there in the summer. It was so beautiful, and we had a great time! We went on a hike and the kids had a great time with their hiking sticks. Eliza enjoyed the walk for about 10 minutes and then was asleep the rest of the time (probably why she didn't sleep at all that night). Hopefully Bri's hubby to be Jake wasn't too scared by all of our craziness. My kids favorite thing about the hike was seeing the bats come out, and Ben showed everyone how it is okay to pee in the middle of the road when you are hiking.

The next morning we headed down to Midway for some fishing. Mike is not a fishing fan, he finds it boring so we haven't ever taken our kids. We had a great time catching fish, and Eliza had a great time eating the fishing pole. Then we headed to American Fork canyon and did some more fishing and fun games with Mike's family. The kids loved being wheelbarrows. It was a fabulous weekend!

Real SL Game

We had so much fun at this Real SL soccer game! Mike bought 3 tickets at the first of the season and we thought we would get a babysitter for the girls and take Ben to the soccer game. The game with New York came up and we decided to bring the whole family! It was a great game and the kids loved watching the game. It was a packed stadium, and they had so much fun cheering for Real. Real won so that was even better!

Soccer and Dance

Ben and Isabelle

Hailey and her teacher Caelee and Hailey

Ben started outdoor soccer this fall with his "twin" Isabelle. They have the same birthday and have been friends since they were 1&1/2 years old. Isabelle is the only girl on the team, and always looks super cute! Ben has loved outdoor soccer so far. He played indoor soccer twice this last year. The only "oh man" about outdoor soccer is that there are no goalies, and that was his favorite position to play when he did indoor soccer.

I decided it was time for Hailey to participate in some kind of sport. We have put Ben in t-ball a couple of years, and swimming lessons, and soccer. Hailey has not been in anything yet. She is my girly girl so I though dance would be a perfect first choice! I signed her up for a tap/ballet class with her friend Caelee. September 1st was her first dance class and she was so excited to go. They do half tap then half ballet. At the end of her class she came running over to me, and I asked her if she had fun, and she said "yes I had fun but are we going to dance now?" I think she was expecting to rock out to "Party in the USA" like we do at home. Well, since then she understands what tap and ballet are and has loved dance class!

Go, Go Power Rangers!

So, my kids watched the old-school Power Rangers on Saturday morning cartoons a few times this summer and loved the show. So, I checked out a couple of DVD's from the library and they are hooked! They decided to dress up as power rangers (complete with helmets, belts, and weaponry) and show off some of their power ranger moves!

Skate Park

Ben loves his Razor scooter! Here is one of our many outings to one of their favorite parks, the Skate Park. Hailey has done so amazing riding her bike this summer, she is a natural! Ben learned to ride without training wheels this summer also, if we can ever get him off his scooter. In August we asked Ben if he wanted to go on a walk, he said "walks I don't like but parks I like!Yeah, let's go to the park."

We ride by Ben's school on the way to the skate park, and Hailey said "that be my school when I turn 5!" She is so excited to be just like her big brother and go to school, and do everything he does.

Friend's Birthday

We were able to go to Caelee's birthday party, a friend of Ben and Hailey's. Ben is whispering something to another Hailey on the tramp, girl trouble already??? The kids had a great time running around and jumping on the tramp.

Peekaboo with her Kids

Eliza loves her kids (Ben and Hailey). I always call them her kids because she can get them to do just about anything! When Eliza was little, Hailey didn't really seem to notice her too much. But, know that Eliza is getting older and loving to play games and with toys Hailey loves playing with her. Ben and Hailey can always get the best laughs out of Eliza. I don't know what I would do without Eliza's kids to entertain her!

Hailey has loved this I-Spy Christmas book all year. There is this one page that she always wants to look at. One day before naps, Hailey shared her I-spy book with Eliza and they sat there pointing to the Christmas pictures and having a great time.

The Joy of Eating

My cute little Eliza is 6 months old!!! She has now discovered the joy of eating! She has tried most fruits and vegetables and loves them all! We took her to her 6 month appointment and she is doing great. She weighed in at 18.4 pounds, which makes her 85% for weight and height and 50% for head. While we were waiting for the Dr., Ben picked up a Dr. Seuss book and started reading it. Ben started reading in preschool, but he only likes to read his "Bob" books. When he read the Dr. Seuss book it made me realize how big he is getting, my little boy is growing up so fast!

Back to Eliza, she is such a sweet girl. She has the best smile, and can make just about anyone smile back! She can now sit on her own, and can roll over from her belly to back. I think I will have another vocal child, because she talks to us all day long. Her new trick is crinkling up her nose and snorting! Her two favorite people in the world are Ben and Hailey. They can always make her smile by doing the silliest things. Eliza has been my great sleeper, and has slept through the night since 3 months. She sleeps about 10 or 11 hours at night. When she was tiny I would rock her until she was almost asleep, but since she turned 4 months old she just wants in her crib. I sing her a song and she goes to sleep on her own. She is always smiling and talking when she wakes up. We are so blessed to have Eliza in our family, she brings so much joy!

Yuba Lake and Ben's First Day of Kindergarten

This was the craziest weekend! So, Ben's first day of Kindergarten was Tuesday August 3rd. Mike's family was heading to Yuba Lake for some fun camping and boating. I decided to let Mike take Ben and Hailey, since Eliza isn't a big fan of the heat or wind or camping. They headed down on Sunday after church and spent the evening with Mike's family. Monday was all about boating! Ben loves to knee board, and knee boarded all day long! Mike wake boarded and they all went tubing. On one of Ben's knee board runs he flipped over and got tangled up in the knee board straps. Mike's mom jumped in the water to help him get untangled, but in the process caught her wedding ring on the side of the boat, which made her wedding ring embed in her finger to the bone! Ouch! They got everyone in the boat and headed for the ER in Nephi. The blade of the metal cutter at the ER was dull and wasn't able to cut through the ring to get it off her finger, so they had to call in a local contractor to bring in tools to cut the ring off. After the ring was cut off, and about 36 or more stitches my mother-in-law's finger was put back together! It will be a long road to recovery and possible plastic surgery, I still can't believe how crazy this story is! So, they stayed Monday night then helped clean up Tuesday morning. Mike pulled the boat home, since his mom was on pain-killers. Then they headed home. Ben got home at 12:15, just in time for us to quickly feed him and send him off to his first day of Kindergarten (which starts at 12:37). I was able to hang out with my friend Kristy and her cute kids during all this craziness. It was so much fun to see her and her adorable kids!

Ben is in Mrs. McKenna's class this year and loves it so far! He had a fabulous first day of school, and loves going every day. Our neighbor Leah who lives 4 houses down is in his class so they commute the 2 blocks to school together. I take turns taking them to school, then they ride their scooters home with the older kids from our street.

On August 12th he came home from school and said, "Today was the best school day ever! I made 3 light sabers out of blocks and had an extra recess! The bad part was that we couldn't play our tag game at recess anymore because one of the kids pushed the teacher down!" At least it wasn't Ben who pushed her down!

Mike went to back to school night, and got the report on Ben. His teacher said that he is far above what they expect someone coming into Kindergarten to be, but so is a lot of his class. So, she is able to teach his class at a higher level which is great. She said that he is also a social butterfly, and that is great. He makes friends with everyone, and has been able to get some of the shyer kids out of their shells.

This sounds exactly like my cute Ben. He has always been the talkative one, the one you can hear above all the others singing in primary programs!