Prescott Trip

The view from the back deck. Not too shabby:)
Hikin'
Thirty seconds into the hike, a bench. The kids said they needed to rest.
Sticks. So fun.
The ruins, below.
At the end of the trail, looking at the ruins.
Talkin' to the goose. Three of Brooke's kids are above at the railing, feeding Pop Tarts to him:)
Yes. It really was this close.
One of the huge fish we saw in Lynx Lake
They got to make visors-- too cute:)
Ethan's robot
So many magnetic toys at the children's museum; Ethan was in love!
Logan had fun making towers with the rings.

Our dear friend LaDelle lent us the use of her Prescott home this weekend so our family could have a quick get-away. It was marvelous. We arrived Friday evening and ate at Oliva's Mexican Restaurant, which even my Mexican-food-hating husband had to admit was divine. Saturday, after a 6 AM wake-up thanks to Ethan AKA the-skylight-in-his-room (which is way more effective than an alarm clock, let me tell you), we hiked two trails around Lynx Lake. Let me tell you, we should do this more often. The boys LOVED hiking and wanted to do it all on their own, no matter how many times they slid face-first down the trail. Sticks were exceptionally interesting, and Logan even decided he could be an airplane with one. At the lake, after taking a few pictures of a friendly goose--mainly friendly since some kids were feeding it a Pop Tart--I realized its feeders were children I recognized-- Ms. Brooke Bennett Warner's children! What are the chances?? She was not there, but we spoke with her husband and kids and later suggested the fishing site where we found some gigantic fish (we hope it worked better??). After a picnic and second hike by the lake, we went to The Spot Children's Museum, where my three boys (yes, Joe included) had a blast. I love that the kids could make their own robots out of recycled trash. And, that was the trip. Short and sweet (which, really, you wouldn't know by the plethora of pictures).

Life's a Peach

We've decided to try a garden again this year. In addition, Joe planted a peach tree. He wanted to get away from the traditional citrus trees grown in AZ, so peach it is. Yes, it's scrawny, but ain't it pretty (in an anorexic-tree-sort-of-way)? I love the little, pink flowers. I hope it will live and one day produce some tasty fruit! We're also trying raspberries, carrots, potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes. Crossing our fingers that it will be a productive year!

Canning Time

I decided to can some pinto beans and chicken yesterday, borrowing my mom's new pressure cooker. I'd canned chicken once before, but Mom had done the pressure-cooking part while I'd cut up the chicken. This time, I did it. All. By. Myself. I must say, I felt a bit old-fashioned. Really, my back hurt from all of the hours of canning (only 21 cans, but that was enough!). I must be a wimp:) But, I'm looking forward to eating it all! The canned chicken doesn't last long in our house (even though it looks like a science experiment gone wrong:). Yummy!

Logan's hospital visit

Look at that bruise! :(

I am so glad to be home. I'm so glad to be home with my husband and my two living, breathing, beautiful boys. Last Thursday was the scariest day of our lives. Joe was home with Logan, who'd had a fever, when he started having a seizure. Joe called 911, they walked him through how to cool him down until the paramedics arrived, and then the seizure stopped. He later told me he thought he was watching his baby die, right in his arms. I got home right as the fire truck pulled around our corner and stopped in front of our house. It was so horrible coming inside and seeing Logan lying on the ground, completely lifeless. They said he was responsive because when they said his name, his eyes would flutter, momentarily. He was given oxygen, his temperature was taken (over 103 degrees), they tested his blood sugar, and finally, thankfully, he was crying! We gave him a room-temperature bath, then off the the hospital we went. He had a CT scan, chest x-rays, and they tested his blood. The tests were slowly coming back as 'normal,' so we were all set to go home (Joe had already left, thinking we would follow shortly, since he works early). Then, Logan started awake, in my arms, and started seizing again. I hadn't seen the first one, so it was such a shock and I felt so completely helpless. I kept trying to soothe him and talk to him, as if that would be any help. I had called for help, and the nurses and doctors rushed in to give him oxygen and try to help. After 1 1/2 minutes, he stopped. His temp was taken again, and he was 104.2 degrees. The doctor told us she was pretty sure he was having febrile seizures-- a type of seizure about 5% of kids get when there's a sharp spike in a fever, usually ending by age 5. But, the uncommon part was that he'd had two so close together. They gave Logan a spinal tap, to test for meningitis, but that was negative (that experience alone was awful-- it took them an hour, and eventually a sedative, just to do the test-- he fought them so hard!). So, instead of going home, a few hours later we were transferred to Scottsdale Shea hospital for a day and a half of observation, since they had a pediatric neurologist there. His IV had to be re-done there, and boy did he fight! The nurse burst a vein, resulting in an awful bruise. That boy tried pulling out his IV so many times, I can't even count! But, the wonderful part is that every time Logan's temperature was down, he was the sweet, crazy, active boy I know. At both hospitals, he was running up and down the hospital halls like a crazy man. In Scottsdale, he had the IV attached, so I was running up and down the halls, too, pulling the IV pole alongside me. One nurse, in particular, fell in love with him. She and another nurse spent about 20 minutes Friday afternoon asking him to say different words, because they thought he talked so cute (he really does:). The one nurse kept bringing in other nurses to hear him say "strawberry"-- their favorite word he said. He liked the attention! A random person in the hall gave Logan a "Get Well" balloon, which ended up being a lifesaver when trying to contain this crazy 20-month-old in a bed for hours at a time. When being transferred from Thunderbird hospital, pushed outside on the gurney to get into the ambulance, Logan looked into the still-dark sky and said, "Moon!" searching for the moon, then started singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," much to the amusement of the ambulance drivers. He is so resilient. Kids are so resilient. I think I can learn at least that much from this experience-- make the best of your situation! Logan never seized again, even though his temperatures were up a down all the time.

We left Saturday morning and he's been fine since. After all the testing, they still don't know his sickness-- just a temperature, is all he had. But, we now have a prescription for some medication to stop any future seizures. I pray these are the first two and last two he'll ever have. I'm so grateful for him. I am so grateful my husband and his friend could come to the hospital at 4:30 in the morning to give him a blessing. Life is so fragile. It makes me so much more grateful for what we have.

The Return of Bigfoot

I am so excited for my husband, that I have to blog about him. Over the past year and a half, as many of you know, our family has moved four times. Joe's had four jobs and has been laid off each time. In September, he was hired into his current position and we're feeling pretty good about its stability. Last summer, we found out he was eligible for some free schooling, paid for by the first job he was laid-off from, since his job was outsourced to India. He took advantage of this, and has been studying hard for his computer certifications. Yesterday, he took his first test and passed-- with flying colors! Now, if any of you know my husband, you know his luck. He seems not to have any. If things can go wrong for him, they usually do-- to no fault of his own. I'm so happy things are looking up for him. I'm happy he has accomplished something he can feel good about. I'm happy he can feel a glimpse of the pride in himself that I feel for him every day.

On a side note: Did you know your feet can grow, at the age of 32? Apparently, they can. Mr. Joe has worn a size 13 wide (occasionally a 14) for as long as I can remember. This past month, he's been on the search for footwear at multiple stores with little luck. The poor man's feet are TOO BIG. After ending up at the local Big & Tall, and several million dollars later, he bought a brand-spaking new pair of size 15 double-wide shoes. (I suggested the local ski store, or even the local clown shop, but there don't seem to be too many around here of either.)

He makes my feet look dainty-- and trust me, they ain't. I wear an 8 1/2.

My Amazing Talented....

Ethan insisted I take a picture of this. Amazing that he can hold a piece of cereal between his lips... Oh, the talent....
True talent: his extremely long tongue. He's balancing cereal on it at the moment, but his better use is as a Kleenex.
Logan patted my arm the whole time I was taking pictures of his brother. He immediately gave me this pose when I finally turned around. He's thinks his talent is getting all the attention in the house.
True talent: Logan's "crooked sniffing nose" trick. He can do it on command. Amazing.

Bein' Crafty

Logan modeling his beanie
Ethan (on his new bike from Santa aka The Lystrups) and Daddy
Hats I made for Joe's brother Aaron's kids
.... and some for his brother Dan's kids.....
Superhero capes for my Super Heros

I decided to go "homemade" on some of the gifts I gave this year. I've found that a little less money and a LOT more time can go a long way. I really got on this hat-making binge, making 12 hats in a few days time. I think they are so cute and fun to make and SO inexpensive! I made the boys some superhero capes, too. I figure they already fly around the house like crazies, so why not look the part??