February 25, 2000

(Sorry the video is a little choppy. But I think you get the idea still)

9 years ago today I woke up the proud wife to my sweet hubby. The day before was as beautiful as I has imagined it. It had snowed tons the night before (which set the standard for every other important day in my life.) The canyon to the ski resort that we worked at was closed and all I could think about it that the morning couldn't have been more perfect.

I woke up, after a restless sleep, very early to have my hair done. We headed to the temple to start off the day with a temple sealing. I later found out that my hubby to be got lost on the way and had to stop to ask a crossing guard how to get there. I was never nervous. We had worked hard to be able to be married in the temple and I knew that we were making the right choice. I was sick though. I had been struggling with a very bad cold for almost a week and I wasn't really feeling the greatest. When I saw Trevor in the temple the first time that morning my heart stopped, he was so handsome, the moment was so perfect. While we sat all alone in the Celestial Room we talked, held hands and basked in the morning sun light shining through the stain glass windows. We both laughed a little too un-reverently while I had to blow my nose and the echo was a little louder than I expected. We knew we were perfect for each other. We still are.

The sealing was beautiful and while I don't remember all that was said I do remember the advice to "Claim your blessings." I have tried to think of this over the years and it has touched me more times that I can count. All morning I was slowly loosing my voice from my nasty sickness so when it came to time say "yes", or in other words I do, I couldn't do more than a little squeaky "yes". Funny or not it meant the same.

I was so happy to see so many friends and family at the temple so early in the morning, standing out in the snow and the freezing cold, supporting us. I really didn't focus much on them though, my new hubby was taking all my thoughts to him and we were off in la la land together. I was so sick and it was so cold that picture took no more than 30 minutes and I was back inside. Those 30 minutes caused a fever to spike and me feeling even more sick. What a patient man I had just married, he took care of me and made sure I was ok.

We had lunch, went to the hotel to drop off our car all while the sun started to come out and the rest of the day was full of sunshine. Our reception was amazing and all the hard work totally paid off. Even though at everyone I talked to no more than a whisper came out and I had to talk almost in their ear for them to hear me, the night was beautiful.

We took a limo to Little America in downtown Salt Lake City were we spent our first night together, happy and finally married. We stayed up talking, and me coughing up both lungs. We even ordered room service to bring us my very favorite chocolate covered strawberries at 2:00 in the morning.

The next day we opened our gifts at my parents house with all our family surrounding us. Unfortunately, I ended up at an insta care for 4 or so hours to try to get feeling better. We were headed to West Yellowstone to go snowmobiling for a week, I couldn't be sick. An upper respiratory infecting, sinus infection and laryngitis wasn't going to keep me away from our honeymoon.

The last nine years have had it's ups and downs. We have had moments where we have been tried to our limits, but nothing has held us back. We are happier than ever and I am grateful that we can share this life together and hold hand through the thick and thin. I love my hubby and am so proud of him.

I do keep telling him though if he keeps joking that we got married on the 28th, when we are old and grey he is really going to think that is the day we got married. Oh well, the 25th or 28th, I am glad to be with him, still loving him to death!

I had a super fun photo session today! Go check it out if you are bored here.

Lasting Moments Photography

And so it starts

One more month until he turns 2!

And it shows!

She has a what????

It has actually been an interesting weekend. One that I hope to never forget. I wanted to post about this the other day but I really didn't want to take away from Dude's birthday.

Friday we were busy getting things ready for Dude's birthday. Princess came and gave her daddy and I a hug. We both noticed that she was really hot. I took her temp 101.5. I didn't panic I just gave her Motrin, did a glucose test (yes it was a little high 278) and off she went to play in her room. She hadn't complained or had any other signs that she was getting sick. I honestly thought that we would just see what happens. (don't worry the story continues. My daughter having a fever isn't what is amazing about all this.)

I got out our folder of diabetes information that was given to us from the doctor on what guidelines he wants us to follow when she gets sick. Right in the middle of reading over it the phone rings. I looked at the caller id and wouldn't you know it, it was her endocrinologist! COMPLETELY out of the blue. I hadn't been waiting to hear from him or anything! I picked it up and this is how the conversation went.

Dr. Chad: "Hi! I was just looking at the princess' chart and thought I would call and see how things were going."

Me: "Wow, well I am pretty surprised you are calling right now. She just came to me less than 5 minutes ago and I realized she had a fever."

Dr. Chad: "Oh I was just thinking I should call to see how things were going, but it looks like it was perfect timing. (Um, yea I think so!) Has she had any signs of being sick or complaining of hurting anywhere?"

Me: "No. Not really."

Dr. Chad: "Well you need to get her into the Dr. today. Call her pediatrician and try to get her in before the weekend.

Me: "Really? Shouldn't I wait to see if she starts to show any other signs?"

Dr. Chad. "Nope. Get her in today if you can. Kids that have diabetes tend to get really really sick from infections. Their immune system has a hard time kicking it. Since she has a fever that is sign enough."

Me: totally thinking it is jumping the gun a little said "Ok, I will see what I can do."

So I called her pediatrician's office. They had one appointment left for that afternoon. I took it still thinking that I was over reacting. But I couldn't help but think there was a reason that her Endo called completely out of the blue. I needed to listen to him.

I took her in. I told the Dr. that her Endo was MAKING me bring her in. While we were talking about possible symptoms the Dr. thought that maybe it was the beginnings of the flu. They immediately did a flu test. They continued checking her out just in case. One look in one ear and there was the problem. An ear infection. A look in the other ear confirmed it since that one was worse than the first. Yup! A double ear infection that was on a scale of 1-10 (ten being the worse) was an 8! Crazy! (the flu test was negative)

So yes, my Princess is sick and did get a little worse that night, but I am so grateful that her Endo called when he did. I wouldn't have even thought twice about taking her in until things got worse. I can't help but feel he was inspired to call us to teach me at a moment where I needed to be taught so I could get her care when she needed it.

Since she was diagnosed we have been blessed, inspired, watched out for and taken care of in more ways than I feel I deserve! What a great experience it was!

I have had all weekend to think if I have missed any symptoms of her being sick since it is a pretty bad ear infection. I did remember once that she said something about her ear, but she never acted in pain about it. We think that she is building a pretty strong pain tolerance from her shots. She has been complaining and crying over her leg hurting really bad. This brings up new concerns that I am starting to get worried about. I hope they are nothing, but I do plan on talking to her Dr. this week about it. Her leg was in so much pain tonight (even after giving her Motrin for her fever) that she wanted to get into the bath. She ended up just screaming and sobbing over the pain. I feel so bad for her. I will keep things posted on that. For now we are grateful that her ear infection was caught when it was and didn't get any worse!

The Lego Birthday Cake.

Just like Mommy Going Crazy fashion I had to make whatever cake my 6 year old wanted for his birthday. In the years past all my kids had put my lack of abilities to the test. This year was no different. Dude wanted a Lego cake.

I was stressed how I was actually going to do it. I think I figured it out ok though. Don't mind the crappy picture.

Today was a great day. Dude got to play the Wii. He played with his friends and even had lunch at his friends house. Then he went swimming with his best buddy (which he loves!) I then made his favorite dinner right before everyone came to party! He loved all his gifts and enjoyed every one's company. It was a great day!

Now I am off bed. Birthday party's can be so tiring.

6 Years!

Six years ago I became a mother. Six years ago I held you in my arms and looked right into your eyes. I knew you were special.Everyone commented on your big smile, your dark hair and how big you were. You were adorable and precious. You still are.
You have grown to be a very smart, very imaginative, and a very entertaining six year old. You are creative and funny too. Always trying to make people laugh.

You are so helpful. Your younger sister and brother look up to you. They love to play with you. Just being around you makes them feel special. You have always followed your dad around trying to help him. He loves to teach you and loves the company.

Playing with your friends is your favorite thing to do. You have chosen the best friend too. Watching the two of you play makes everyone smile. The days of dressing up as super heroes is short lived. Live it up!

You love to eat chicken dumplings, ham, pizza, hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, turkey sandwiches, and shrimp. Come to think of it you will eat just about anything.

You love to ride your bike, play outside, jump on the tramp, play video games, and do crafts. You have an amazing talent in hitting a baseball. We hope to get you on a team soon! You are always active and wanting to be a part of everything.

We love your hugs, you cuddles and the times you love to help out. Your smile is contagious your laugh is warming.

I feel so lucky to have you as my child. You really are special.

I hope that your 6th birthday is all that you hoped it would be.

I love you!

Barney vs. Ariel

Last night I over heard this conversation between my Little Dude and the Princess.

Princess: "Dude, did you know that Barney is just a guy in a purple dinosaur suit?"

Dude: "No he's not! Is Ariel just a girl in a dress?"

Princess: "No, she's real!"

Dude: "So is Barney!"

6th Challenge.

Thanks to Maren for tagging me for the 6th Challenge.
Here are the rules:

1. Go to the photo folder in your computer
2. Go to the 6th folder of photos.
3. Go to the sixth picture.
4. Put the picture on your blog and description of it.
5. Invite six friends to join the challenge.

Here is my picture.
This is documentation of how AWESOME my 12 month old little man was when we were stuck in the Salt Lake City Airport for 9 or so hours on our way to Houston last April. He didn't cry a single time. He was an angel the entire trip.

I can't believe how little he was. He wasn't even walking yet.

Anyway I am supposed to tag 6 people. I don't even know who to tag. How about the 6 of you that read this blog is tagged. :)

When I was a Kid...

The Princess keeps asking me "Mom did you do that when you where a kid?" or "Mom did you like that when you were a kid?" She seems to be pretty interested in what I was like or rather what the world was like when I was a kid.

We were playing with her little pet shops "Mom did you used to like pet shops when you were a kid?"

We were singing songs "Mom, did you like Hannah Montana when you were a kid?"

"Mom, did you like to watch Spongebob when you were a kid?"

Almost every other question out of her mouth lately is asking about me when I was a kid. "Mom, did you like to do the dishes when you were a kid?" I was trying to answer all of her questions but she just turns around and asks the same questions again and again.

So Princess this is for you...

When I was a kid there was no such thing and Polly Pockets or Littlest Pet Shops. We had barbies though. And yes I liked to play with them.

Hannah Montana wasn't alive when I was a kid. I used to listen to other stuff like New Kids on the Block. Don't ask... I was trying to be like my big sister. Stick with High School Musical and Hannah Montana or your new fave the Jonas Brothers.

As much as I like to watch hours of Spongebob now he wasn't around when I was a kid. Boring I know! HOW DID I SURVIVE? Well I did watch a lot of Garfield, Dennis the Menace, and the Smurfs. Smurfs are little blue people. No they are not scary.

And lastly, yes I loved doing the dishes when I was a kid! I always kept my room clean. I did everything my mommy asked. And I NEVER tormented my brother and sisters.

The Endo

I am feeling better now. With a little dose of last night's American Idol, some Dr. Pepper (thank again Cari!) and lots of hugs from the kids the day seemed to settle down a bit.

I wanted to share some information about the Princess' Endocrinologist appointment today. I had a little list of things that I felt we needed to talk to him about (crazy that I had a list because we still talk to him every Thursday afternoon). Nothing too major but enough to seem important.

The poor girl has started wetting the bed again. This is due to high blood sugars during the night. But she was going to bed normal then waking up high. I figured her Lantus dose needed to be changed again and I was right. The doctor changed it to 1/2 of a unit (such a small amount I know! It was 1/4 of a unit) This is really hard to watch. For many reasons but one being that she can't control it. She gets so embarrassed. I wonder how high she had been going before she woke up. Maybe I need to be better about getting up and testing her in the middle of the night. I do occasionally, but not every night. I wonder what percentage of parents that have diabetic children get up and test in the night? Guess I need to be one of them.

She had also been going low before lunch. Now I figured this could be due to the correction that is given for her high at breakfast. Or it could be that she needed less insulin for her breakfast ratio. She was getting 1/4 of unit for every 5 carbs. The doctor changed it to 1/4 unit for every 6. Now every meal is different. Breakfast 1/4 to every 6 carbs. Lunch 1/4 unit for every 5 carbs. And dinner 1/4 unit for every 4 carbs. If it weren't for my white board on my fridge and my calculator I don't know how I would ever survive! With the change in Lantus and the change in carb ratio I feel I am going to have to watch her closely. I am afraid that the two combined might cause some problems. Good thing I will talk to her doctor on Thursday again if that happens.

One other major thing on our minds lately is getting her an insulin pump. We had been given information about it at our first appointment a few months ago, but knew they were very expensive. I had told Dr. Chad that we wanted to talk about it today to see if we could get one for lots less while we had Medicaid. So what do you know when we showed up today he had a large stuffed frog for her that had a tag around his neck that said Animus. (the kind of pump that he is recommending) He even had pictures of a PINK pump that she might be able to get. He knows how to steal the heart of a 4 year old! He answered lots of my questions about it while she played. I really didn't think she was paying much attention until she started asking Dr. Chad questions herself. Will it hurt? Will I get less pokes? Can I really get a pink one? I was surprised to see her thinking so much about it. She was getting excited too! I will be calling the pump rep tomorrow to see what we can do and how much it will cost to get the ball rolling on this. I bet it will make life much easier!

So to report she is doing well. Her A1C (average glucose numbers over the last 3 months) is 8.3%. Not the greatest, but coming down from diagnosis. She went through a pretty big growth spurt this last month (should have known when she was eating double the amount of food as she usually does.) She is a happy kid! She is still doing so well with all this.

Even with doing so awesome you should have seen her eyes light up when she found out tonight that Nick from the Jonas Brother's has diabetes JUST LIKE HER! Oh those small things again! Can't believe how much they make a difference!

Mommy's in a Time Out!

That is right. Mommy is in a time out. I just lost my temper and sent the kids to a quiet time. "But I didn't do anything wrong." Dude said. "I know buddy, mommy needs a time out!" I answered.

The kids are in their rooms. I am here being grumpy in my time out spot trying to unwind from the craziness of the morning.

I got to bed way too late last night. I was up late getting the massive packet of information filled out for the princess' Endocrinologist appointment today. (Remind me to never make a 9:00 appointment again!) We woke up far before we were all ready and were out the door facing a small snowstorm.

Normally snow isn't a big deal to me. That is when I get to drive my Jeep around town. Anyone else own a Chrysler 300? Let me save you the money and tell you if you live anywhere that it might snow....even if it is every 15 years....don't buy one. They suck in the snow! I was pretty sure that everyone on the streets this morning thought I was an idiot for sliding all over the place when there was only 1/2 an inch of snow. I drove to my sister's to drop the boy off. I was driving slow but still managed to slide past her driveway. I back up got into the driveway and put it into park. The dumb car started to slide right back down the driveway. I left it there.

I drove all over to the Endocrinologist, to pick up my hubby's check and to the bank. No problems other then the usual slip and slide. When I got back home I tried to pull up into the driveway. Pulled up, slid down. Pull up again, slid back down. I tried this a few times then decided I better just shovel the 1 INCH OF SNOW off the driveway (seems like such a waste of time). I was shoveling and wouldn't you know I totally fell. Right onto my knees and hands. I was hurting and my pride was shot.

I did get into the garage eventually where the car is officially parked until spring.

Oh and when I am not so tired and grumpy I will post about the Dr. appointment.

This week seems to be going by too fast!

It's been an interesting week.

You see it actually all started last Friday. It seemed every couple of hours our plans where being changed, and increased for Saturday. There was a baptism to attend, the open house for the new Draper Temple, a birthday party, work, pictures, preparing a lesson, and possibly a swimming outing. I was looking forward to actually doing something other than working the entire Saturday.

Bright at early we get up to start the busy day. Little Man hadn't been feeling very well all week, but I honestly thought he was starting to feel better. When he puked all over the couch our plans had to change once again. Since my hubby was performing the baptism I was dubbed to be the one to stay home with him. I am bummed I missed it especially since my nephew is named after me, I missed a big day in his life. A mother has to do what she has to do though.

I was worried about the temple though. The kids were really looking forward to it. I didn't want to miss this big opportunity for them either. I wasn't going to take a sick toddler though. NO WAY! So what did I do? I called grandma and grandpa, the only babysitters that I dare ask to take a sick kid. (Hi mom and dad!THANKS!) Plans were resuming as planned.

The temple was amazing! Every room Princess would ask "is this where you get married?" The highlight though was when she thought she was going to meet Heavenly Father. Since we were going to his house and all. Good thing she was content to trying really hard to feel him close to her instead. I will never forget sitting in the sealing room (where I finally got to tell her "this is where you get married") looking down at two of my three kids. This was a little overwhelming. I looked at Princess with her favorite pink dress on. Runs and holes in both legs of her tights. Her white shoes scuffed and her hair a little messy. Dude was being a little bit irreverent but still quiet. His hair was messed, his shirt untucked. Both with bright eyes and radiating with love. I couldn't help but think the next time we will be there together is on their wedding days. They will be grown up. No more messy hair, scuffed shoes, holes in tights or untucked shirts. I have a feeling I will think back on this time and really miss my little kids.

Next on the agenda was a birthday party with a REAL princess. I invited myself to the party to regulate the carb consumption of my "extra sweet" daughter. I thought I would make myself useful and take pictures. I have officially decided that I want that same real princess to come to my 30th birthday party in October (Hey sis just thought I would let you know that we have 8 1/2 months until our birthday's)! It was such a fun party! Princess has decided that she doesn't like birthday cake though. I wonder if she remembers how it used to make her feel. Every birthday that comes around she tells me that she is allergic to cup cakes. Lucky for me she never really eats much of it.

So Dude missed going swimming, I missed the baptism, I got out of working and Little Man started to feel a little better. I got around to preparing my lesson by 11:00. We went to bed exhausted.

The rest of this week has been filled with my hubby applying for a new job and interviewing for it too(which could be totally cool! Keep your fingers crossed while we wait to hear back!) I had a family photo session of the world's tallest family. (Seriously the tallest is almost 7 feet!) We all froze, but it was a success still. We went and saw my brother in law at Johnny Corino's for dinner on Monday night. I picked up tons of hours to work every night this week. I have the usual guitar lessons and school schedule too. We even had a play date with my old friend from Junior High yesterday as well. It has been a crazy week! But that is how we roll sometimes! I am not called Mommy Going Crazy for nothin'!

Wanna Mommy Going Crazy Blog Button?

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Purple ~ The color of Happiness!

Who knew that this purple tester could make a 4 year old diabetic so happy? Really, I should have guessed with as much as she loves purple!

6 Things that make me Happy!

I was tagged by Christy to post six things that make me happy.

Here are the rules:
Link to the person who has tagged you.Write down six things that make you happy. Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it. Then tell the person when your entry is complete.

So here it goes....

#1- Restrooms that appear in the middle of a 300 mile stretch of road to nowhere.

#2- For the years and years that my hubby and I would watch Cheech and Chong's "Up in Smoke" before bed.

#3- Aveeno lotion that takes all the itchies away.

#4- Medicaid to help me feel not so pathetic.

#5- The 12 pack of Little Debbie Brownies with the colorful candies. 4 for everyone in the family 8 for me.

#6- 4 sets of dimples smiling at me every day.


Now I tag a few new blogging friends Jeanette, Tristan, Greg, Layne, Carrie, and Jill

Get Your Kids to Help!

Thursday's are the best days for me to get things done around the house. I don't have to work, I don't have to teach guitar lessons, and if Dude is off track no one has to go to school. I really look forward for Thursdays!

When my work schedule changed in January my hubby had to start taking Fridays off work so I could work all day. He declared this as his "House Work Day". He deep cleans the house while I work all day. I love it! I really look forward to Fridays too.

I am pretty sure that our kids don't like either of those days. They are kids! What kid likes to clean? Mom and Dad didn't make all the mess though and they know that it isn't fair that we would have to do it ourselves. They are expected to help and they know that. We have tried a few things around here that has actually helped them with cleaning up. I thought I would share those things.

Toddler Age- When my kids where really little the didn't understand the concept of cleaning, but I wanted to start teaching them young. We always start off by singing a clean up song. They loved this. They started to understand too what the words clean up means if we would sing and start to pick up. Once they would learn their colors we would sort things into color piles and pick things up by color. The trick is making a game out of it. All little kids like to play games and if Mom and Dad are playing with them they hardly see they are cleaning.

Preschool Age- When my kids got a little older the caught on that we were cleaning and not just playing. Plus it was time to start teaching them to do it on their own. I made a bunch of chore cards that are only pictures, no words. We talked about what each of them were and on the days I would clean the entire house I would get the cards out and give each of them a few. We would lay their cards on the table and when they would get the chore done they would come over and turn the card upside down. They would try to race to see who could get done first. This was still a game, but just a different one. They were still too little to understand that though. Mommy always inspected and it wasn't done until it was done right.

Early School Age- We spent a lot of time teaching the kids what each chore means and how to actually do them. How to load the dishwasher right, and how to clean the mirrors without getting streaks, and that you need to put a liner in the trashcan after you take out the trash. At this stage kids think they need to get something for everything they do. I am not at all against bribery or rewards. Admit it, most adults feel this way too. So about a year or so ago we set up a system where the kids can earn rocks for every chore they get. They put them in a baby food size jar and when the jar is full they get a reward. I have a bag full of those little toys and gifts that go inside birthday bags that they can pick something out of there or they get to choose something different. Currently my kids are working on movie theatre tickets.

With this stage too they need to have set chores they are expected to do. Teaching them accountability is important to me. Their main chore that they have to do on their own is clean their room before they can play. Most days this works. But I do get days where they decide that they don't want to clean so they make the choice not to play either. It is their choice, but when it gets out of control because it has been too long then they don't get to do anything until their room is clean.

Now let's not forget that my oldest is almost 6. I don't know what is going to work best in the next stage because I haven't been there yet. Please any one that has older kids share what works best for you.

I am off to clean, off to sing songs with my youngest, bribe my older two and tackle the mess that this house has become. Yes, it still gets messy all the time. I am not perfect. I have way too many days that I like to be lazy and that I don't want to do it either. More on getting adults motivated later.

Mixing things up a bit

My blog as always been a place for me to sit and write about my family, my concerns, our life, and just anything that I want to. I have always loved this as my outlet. I have met some pretty cool people, stayed in contact with lots of people and even blabbed for the entire world to see. I have a love for blogging, I really do. This is why I want to spice things up a bit. I want to meet new people, I want to help people in any way that I can.

I am going to try out a few ideas here at my blog. If you notice changes please be patient and know that I am still the same Mommy Going Crazy, and I always will be.

I want to add a few more of my ideas about motherhood. Fun things to keep the kids entertained. Ideas on how to get them working, and anything else that come up in our lives. I even want to write more about diabetes. (I know you where thinking this couldn't be possible.) We are planning a money makeover for this year and when I come across idea for that this will be a place to share all that too.

My goal with all this is to still document our lives, to still keep friends and family updated on what we are up to, but to also be a place where people can come for answers and to rant or whatever.

You may also see Google Ads in my sidebar. Here is the deal with that. I don't get the highest traffic on my blog, but I do still get some. Along with information that I might be able to provide I think that will help too. And lets be honest, for every time that someone clicks on those adds I get paid. I need extra money and if you do too I would highly recommend adding them to your blog too! Judge me if you wish.

So there you have it. Now all I need from you is to tell me what info you think I should add here. What things do you think I can help out with? (Remember, BE NICE!)

Updates in One Word

Hubby..... Super!

Dude.....Helpful

Princess.....Sweet

Little Man.....Feisty

Chickens......Alive (AMAZING!)

Diabetes.....Pain

School.....Off (Track that is)

Birthdays.....Soon

American Idol.....Love

Snow.....DONE!

House.....Painting

Work.....Slow

Photography.....Sun (can't wait for it!)

Family.....Coolest!

Facebook.....Addicting

Dinner.....UGH!

Saturday.....Temple (Draper Temple Open House!)

Sunday.....Church (It's about time!)

Me.....Happy

Disturbing?

Notice anything wrong with this picture? Anything disturbing?

Maybe! Or it could come from his constant need to be picking at something. Personally I think he is a good kid. So I am not worried.

But I do think it is pretty funny!

Oh Happy 3 year Anniversary to my blog! Wow has life changed since I started! How awesome it is though! I LOVE BLOGGING!