4th of July weekend

We were one of the few families who actually stayed home in Vegas for the July 4th holiday. One of our former neighbors invited us over for a neighborhood party and an afternoon potluck and to swim in their above ground pool. Our boys never made it to the pool. They had too much fun playing in the mountain of toys at the house. We stayed for a couple of hours and returned home in time to do a few sparklers under very close supervision. Andrew seemed a bit more scared of them than Aaron but was willing to hold one.

Looks much worse than it was- Andrew is actually standing far enough away that Aaron didn't touch him or get close. Maybe Aaron's thinking about getting him back for something.

Friday morning we drove to the temple, which is across town. They each have a picture of the temple in their room and have been noticing it in pictures and in books. But lately everything has become a temple- the church, "big" buildings around town, etc. In order to clarify what is a temple and what isn't we figured a drive out there couldn't hurt. We pretty much just walked around the temple grounds, pointed out things like Moroni at the top, let them touch the temple, and looked at the flowers and fountains. We walked in the foyer for a few minutes but their naming of the pictures sounded like yelling in such a quiet environment. So we quickly left. Since then they no longer call every building seen from the car a temple- sometimes it's a "house", "big house", "church", and once-in-a-while a "temple". Although we weren't there for a long we had a good time.

I LOVE this picture!!

Fewer food frustrations

Anyone who has a child, or has observed infants & toddlers, knows that mealtime isn't always fun. It might involve a mess (that's a given), throwing of food, utensils, or dishes, tantrums, and refusing to eat certain foods. Since Aaron and Andrew began eating table food we've witnessed all three.

Until last week one of my biggest frustrations was Aaron's refusal to eat most anything- and sometimes Andrew. Breakfast has never been a problem and lunch not too bad. But dinner was another issue. We've tried the "you eat what we give you or you starve" method. Worked well for Andrew. Aaron would starve and wake up the next morning a monster. Wasn't worth it to us. We tried the "eat this and then you can have this" method. Andrew got it; Aaron didn't care (until recently). We found that feeding him what he liked- a LOT of chicken fish, or rice-was easiest. He wouldn't eat anything with pasta in it, absolutely no vegetables (that hasn't changed), and anything that looked "different" in his eyes. He likes PBJ, chicken nuggets, yogurt, most fruits, rice, bread, anything dipped heavily in soy sauce (except pasta), and "sometimes" other things. "Sometimes" was the most frustrating part- one day he'd scarf it down, the next he'd refuse to eat it.

Last week all this changed. I dropped them off at co-op for a couple of hours while I ran some errands and got some things done. If you cover the 9-12 a.m. shift you are expected to feed the children under your care a snack (i.e. lunch) around 11 a.m. When I pick them up I usually ask how they ate because sometimes they both get so involved in playing, or because there's so many kids around, that they don't eat much. When I asked last week how they ate my friend said they ate "great! Each ate a big bowl of mac & cheese." Wait a minute!! They "each" ate a big bowl of it??? Did she get mixed up about Aaron? She confirmed that AARON ate a bowl of mac & cheese. Not that mac & cheese is the most nutritious food on the market but we have made NUMEROUS attempts to feed him that, all of which failed. It is a favorite of Andrew. If he'll eat that, then he'll mostly likely eat lasagna, spaghetti (which we've fed him with rice or quonia instead of pasta), and most any other pasta dish.

Since that day we have learned that it wasn't just a one day thing. He has eaten mac & cheese again, lasagna, a pasta salad/dessert, cantaloupe, potato salad, and some other "different" things that he never would have before. And he's also understood in the last week or two the concept of "you eat this and then you get this" method which has opened up several new possibilities and ended most frustrations.

To me, this is a miracle!

Backyard Fun

Our back yard went from this:

to this....

(Taken from an opposite angle as the 1st picture but shows the same part of the yard)

To finally this!!!

I LOVE having the backyard (half of it anyway) landscaped and a fun swing set/fort that Steve put a lot of love into. It took him 4 full days to complete- 2 of them in 105+ heat. He was lucky to have some relief for 2 of the days with 85 temps. The boys love their new fun and so do any kids who have come over to play. And it's saved my afternoons many times- I send them out back while I fix dinner, read on the back patio, etc.

Triplets

Oh, no! We are so not having triplets! But Andrew has triplets and doesn't even know it...

When I purchased beanie baby doggies for Aaron & Andrew last fall, Andrew immediately became attached to his. The official name is: doggie. When I realized Andrew HAD to have his when he took a nap or went to bed or got hurt or pretty much went anywhere, I purchased 3 more. I got tired of searching the house before naptime. It was easier to grab one of the spares & say, "Look, I found it!" Later, when the missing doggie was found I'd put it in my drawer. Sometimes though, Andrew is the one who finds it-

When he see TWO doggies he gets really excited!! But when he's not paying attention I take one and hide it. At one time we had a total of 4 but one of them got lost at church and has never been found. Some other little boy or girl is perhaps attached to the same dog.

Andrew's doggie has accompanied him on bike rides....

While playing in the backyard...

relaxing on the couch...

During kidney surgery....

And a zillion other places that never got photographed. Whenever he gets hurt and is crying in my arms the first thing he says is, "Doggie. Net-nie (interpretation: blankie)." The net-nie is seen in the picture above. Those are his comforts. They solved any crisis. When he had is MRI and Mag-3 tests they were right by his side the entire time.

California in May- finally!

I figure before June is over I ought to post some of the pictures from our trip in May to California. Although we had a lot of fun on our trip it turned out quite different than we had planned- at least the last part.

We left on May 22 and drove all day to Danville where my aunt Nancy lives. We stayed with her until Tuesday morning. The weather was gorgeous and on Monday we went to the Oakland Zoo. The boys loved seeing all the animals and we had fun too.

We also enjoyed going over to my Uncle Mark & Aunt Wanda's on Sunday night for evening and visiting. It's been a while since I've seen them and only wish more of my cousins were there!

Then we left Tuesday morning for Lake Tahoe. We stopped in Roseville on our way and spend a few hours with my brother, Mark, and his family. It will be the last time we can see them there before they move to Denver in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, we neglected to take any pictures.

As we drove up to Tahoe we were accompanied by freezing rain and colder and colder temperature that dipped down to the low 30's that night. We awoke to about 2 inches of snow. So much for our bike rides and hikes! It was the same thing Thursday & Friday mornings too!

This was the scene from our window at the condo. Gorgeous!

Fortunately, we had checked the weather ahead of time and came prepared with warm clothes. The boys loved playing in the snow and throwing snowballs. Despite the cold weather we managed to do some fun things. Stopped at Emerald Bay for a while & enjoyed the views on our way to South Lake Tahoe for shopping and fun.

Eventually the weather warmed up by the end of the week and we stayed an extra day so we could have one day of only sun and no bad weather. One afternoon we walked down to the mansion about 2 miles away and walked around it. Aaron tried opening a back door so we could get in- but it was locked! Would've loved to sneak in and take a peak. And even though it wasn't at the mansion or the lake I loved the picture of Andrew being so proud of himself for climbing on a stump. On the last day were there we managed to go for a 5 mile bike ride so we didn't bring the bikes for nothing! The boys loved throwing rocks in the lake and watching them splash- could've have done that all day!!

There are so many other things that have gone on since then and hopefully it won't take me so long to post them this time!

Out with the Old, In with the New

Last week is not one I would choose to repeat although the results of it are. All in less than a week Andrew had major surgery on his kidney, we paid thousands of $ for landscaping, and Aaron had a bad case of flu that sent him to the ER. But the good outcome? Andrew has a healthier kidney and is recovering excellently, Aaron is almost over it, and we have a much better looking and way more fun backyard.

The old backyard (some of it)-

The entire back and side yards looked like this- nothing except small rock throughout. Not much fun for twin 2-year olds (I mean, the mom-they had a great time!) who love throwing rocks.

The new back & side yard (part of it, anyway)-

Pictures are from the same point.

The patch seen before the grass will include a swing set with a slide, sandbox, and tree house. Assembly not included. :( The paved area around the grass is a 3 foot wide racetrack. The boys are already begging to go, "owside."

One of the side yards. The path seen leads to a newly paved side courtyard with a door into the front hallway. The front yard is on the other side of the fence with a newly paved front courtyard.

Andrew's new kidney

Although Andrew didn't receive a kidney transplant (thank goodness!) the surgery resulted in a healthier, better working right kidney. This surgery was almost identical to the one he had at 7 weeks old on his left kidney. The left kidney was opened up a little and received a stint in the ureter along with the stint his right ureter received. Andrew is a golden patient. He was almost always happy, smiled, 'chattered' with the nurses, and never cried when anyone came in the room. He was in the hospital for 2 nights and so did I! We are grateful to our friends who helped watch Aaron each day and meals we received. Oh, and I should mention I got pulled over on the way to the hospital for speeding. I was going 75 in a supposedly 45 zone on the freeway but maybe the cop actually believed me when I told him I was on my way to the hospital! It must've been my lucky day because I thought for sure I'd be getting a hefty ticket on top of the huge hospital bill. The cop was feeling nice that day and I learned I'd still be there in plenty of time even if I hadn't been speeding.

We had to be there at 6 a.m. Andrew handled it much better than I did. This is the pre-op. Andrew was very curious and the waiting area was very kid-friendly. His doggie and 'knetnee' went through the entire process with him.

Sunrise Hospital has a superb staff, very comfortable room, and a great play room we could take toys from. Andrew had the IV in his foot so he wasn't able to do any walking but he kept easily entertained with crayons, trucks, and his "Bah bah booh" (Bob the Builder) and Signing Time videos.

His 'watch' is a security band to make sure we didn't try to escape with him. He became almost as attached to my cell phone as he is to his knetnee and his doggie.

Andrew's "big owie". You'd never know it's there the way he's been jumping, running, rolling, and climbing.

Bad case of the flu

Soon after Aaron went to bed Friday night he began vomiting that continued until we took him to the ER. He eventually was dry heaving but we feared he'd have to hooked to an I.V. like he did last November. He was released at 4:30 once he was able to keep the meds and the liquid down. But he awoke that morning with a burning fever of 103.9 and no appetite for a few days. He's much better now but it didn't add to our already stressful week.

Which makes us all the more excited to leave for California this weekend! We'll be staying a couple of days with my Aunt Nancy and then a few days at Lake Tahoe. We've been looking forward to this trip for months.

Mother's Day

On Mother's Days I feel a wide range of emotions from pure joy to deep sadness. I feel a deep sadness because of the loss of my dear mother when I was only 15. I had no idea the love, the impact, the devotion, the sacrifices of a mother until I no longer had one. Mothers are the gel that hold a family together. They are the love that makes a house a home, that brings happiness and sunshine to a home. If it hadn't been for the love of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and countless friends I would've fallen apart. I have felt a sadness because of the delayed opportunity to raise a sweet daughter.

But the pure joy I feel overwhelms the sadness I sometimes feel. I LOVE MOTHER'S DAY!! I love the chance (which is a daily occurrence, BTW) I have to reflect on my mother and the influence she has been, and still is, in my life. I feel blessed in my life to have two wonderful mothers- one who gave me life and helped shape me into who I am today, and one who has helped fill that void by being a friend, a mom, a grandmother, and a whole lot of fun. On Mother's Day I am reminded that one day I will hold my sweet little Rachel and be able to love her and raise her. She has brought me a lot of joy in my life. After her loss I wasn't sure if I ever would have the chance to be a mother in this life. But Heavenly Father has bless me with the two most precious boys a mother could have. And I can't forget to mention a wonderful husband who helps me care for the boys, cook dinner, clean up the kitchen, and lightens my load wherever possible.

As I'm writing this I am sitting in a comfortable chair in my bedroom while one of the twins is still sleeping (I think) and the other is downstairs whining to his daddy. With two 2-year olds Mother's Day is not exactly a break from the busy cares of our daily lives. But Steve is doing as much as he can. He has dinner cooking in the crock pot. He helped watch the boys during nursery (which is my calling right now) so I could attend the RS Visiting Teaching Conference. He got a card, wrote kinds words, and had the the boys "sign" below their names. He got me a gift to make listening to my iPod much easier. He is watching the boys until I feel like coming out of my room which very well my be until dinnertime! I truly have a wonderful husband.

Aaron and Andrew have brought me so much love, so much joy, so much happiness in my life. Even though they are busy little boys, even though they sometimes throw food, unroll toilet paper, play in the toilet, write on the walls, or wrap their arms (both boys!) tightly around my leg because they want to be held while I'm trying to fix dinner, I forget about all that when I see Aaron's precious smile or Andrew's adorable giggle. I forget about all that when I am reading to them and they point to, or say, something they recognize. I forget about all that when I see Aaron run into Andrew's bedroom (no, they don't share a room- the explanation can be for a different post) laughing with excitement because his playmate just woke up. Or sometimes Aaron is able to sneak in there when Andrew is still asleep and wakes him up because he doesn't like playing alone- not a happy time for me! Whatever the case is, I love, love, LOVE my boys and love being a mother. I only hope I can be as wonderful of a mother as mine was to me.

Tomorrow Andrew will be admitted to the hospital for another kidney surgery. Although I understand the need for this and that down the road it will prevent worse health problems, it breaks my heart to watch him have to go through this. He is a special kid who has been through this too many times already. Hopefully this is his last. If I could, I would do this surgery for him so he doesn't have to. I hope that by holding his hand all the way through it and being there by his bedside, that I can take away some of the pain. I know that's what my mother would've done if it was me in that bed.

Well, I think I hear crying from Andrew now because his much needed nap was rudely interrupted a few minutes ago (abt 1 hr early) by a brother who was desperate for his best friend to play with. This break has been a royal treat. I've been able to read my book, to spend some time on my laptop, and to get a 10 minute power nap.

Happy Mother's Day!!