Rasmussen Christmas Party

We had a great time at the Rasmussen Family Christmas Party. We did a service project to send out emergency kits to disaster victims - a great learning experience for the kids. We played "snow ball fight" with newspaper... a fun first for me. The excitement built up for bingo as the kids eye-balled the prize table. It was great to have some old fashioned fun. Some of our prizes were the last to go, but who wants ornaments now? I really enjoyed catching up with everyone, and seeing the joy on the the kids faces!

JR has figured out the answer to all our financial woes!

It is true...he was quite impressed with himself when he showed me what I swear looked like a $1 bill taped onto a piece of paper. It was actually a copy of a dollar. Amazing the quality of picture printers now days! JR said that all we need to do is copy the back side, and glue them together. Ta-da! He was sad to learn that counterfeit is illegal, and if he tried to spend the fake money he could go to jail. I can just picture a store asking him where his mom worked, and he would say she works for free. It must be frustrating to be a six year old!

First Grade Field Trip

I was able to go with the first grade class to American Fork Canyon to meet Smoky the Bear. We learned about fire prevention, went on a hike collecting leaves, and played games after lunch. The games were a bit challenging as JR will not play games if he thinks he will not be the winner! He even cried over it! So he was away from the group sulking a bit, and I ignored it as much as I could. Something I need to work on with him... his "sportsmanship". The kids all loved playing "Duck Duck Goose" ...because I was the "goose" over and over again. They loved watching me have to run! ha ha. I was exhausted along with the children. I Had two kids asleep on me on the bus ride home. Would not have missed it for the world!

"My Family"

I am going through JR's old school papers to pack them up, and get ready for this new school year. I came across a picture JR's drew at school titled "I Love My Family". His first sketch has "Dad" above it, next comes "Lexi" followed b y "JR". That's it -his family!! I don't count? So glad I volunteer my butt off for him! Kids are so funny!!!

Summer FUN!!

The kids are so lucky to have such fun wonderful neighbor friends! Ryan began building a "Club House" for JR and his friends. The boys all got a lesson in using a pick, and they were ecstatic to swing it a few times. Lexi and Jasmine have been playing a lot more together lately, and I am so glad that Jazzy is such a sweetheart! The shot I got of them on the swing is priceless! They love playing littlest pet shop. Our yard has been the playground all summer. It has been nice having the kids playing in the neighborhood, relaxing and taking it easy. Part of me is sad knowing school will start soon, and the hustle and bustle is right around the corner. It is good to soak up these childhood moments - the innocence, and simple pleasure! The sky was spectacular with the crisp whites against grays, and oranges kissing the mountains. Summer love!

So Bad Things Come in Threes??

I found the lump in Lacey's neck and being extremely paranoid of spreading the MRSA, I took both Lacey and Angel to the vet. Well, Angel just had her usual auto-immune scaly paw problem. Lacey did not have a staph infection, or any infection. Instead she has a tumor, a sarcoma that is a reaction from her vaccinations!! I had no idea a cat could get cancer from a vaccination. Of course the chances are 1 in 10,000. I'm feeling lucky! This is devastating news. It is not malignant, however the tumor has finger like parts that go into the tissue, so 80% of the time the tumors come back. Surgery is $400 a pop. Ryan says we can't afford prolonged treatment, but I told him we have to try surgery at least once. I scheduled it for Tuesday, so keep your fingers crossed for us that it is successful! Lacey has been hands down the friendliest kitty we have ever had. We are heart broken!

24th of July Weekend...THE GOOD

For the 24th of July Weekend we went up to Park City to have a sleep over at Grandma Karen's house. JR had fallen and bruised his leg, but he assured me that he was up for biking. We went on a cool trail over by Gargoza, which had a beautiful lake we enjoyed. We then played at a park, and then headed back to Karen's house for some down time with Rootbeer floats mmmm!! After resting up, we pumped up our raft, and took it out to Little Dell to try it out. The kids thought that was great. For a fun dinner, we BBQ'd hotdogs and smores. Then the kids curled up on the couch and fell asleep...they got the royal treatment of being carried to bed. The next morning JR's leg had gotten much worse, so activities were kinda out. I made a Doctor appointment, and we went on a drive to look at future camping sites. We loved Grandma's company, and packed up to head down to the doctors.

The 24th of July Weekend...the BAD and the UGLY!

When we got down to the doctors office, he examined JR's leg (Karen and I thought that it looked like he may have a stinger stuck in the front of his shin). The doctor said that JR had an abscess on his shin and one behind his knee. He tried to take a sample for testing, and expressed concern that it could be MRSA (antibiotic resistant staph). He gave JR three painful shots in his thighs, and put him on Bactrim. He wanted JR to be seen again the next day (Saturday) in their after hours clinic. Well the next morning I woke in a panic to hear JR crying laying face down on the carpet. He had fallen out of bed, unable to walk at all. Clearly the medication had not worked, and I knew it was hospital time. Ryan and I took JR to Primary Children's Hospital. In the ER they decided that his leg needed to be drained, because if it burst inside, he could quickly get into a critical situation. They gave him an IV with the medication Verset and another one. JR screamed in pain during the procedure, although luckily he does not remember it. The abscesses gushed out with fluid. The doctor was even surprised at how deep the abscesses were. After that they started him on IV antibiotics while they waited for the results of his labs. JR was moved to the RTU (Rapid Treatment Unit). That is where JR learned about his favorite part of his stay - Room Service!! The labs ended up showing that it was indeed MRSA. Left me terrified. The lab then would test his MRSA against different antibiotics to find one that could treat him. He was released Sunday night. So How did he get this horrible infection? Well we all carry staph on our skin, and MRSA too. JR has ecema, so he scratches his skin a lot. He had really itchy skin behind his knee, so they hypothesis that he scratched the MRSA into his skin causing the abcess. As for the abcess on his shin, other than he had fallen on it at the neighbors house and bruised it badly, they are not quite sure how it appeared there.
It used to be that only HIV and needle drug users would get MRSA skin infections. But over the past 4 years, all types of people are getting it as the bacteria mutates. I read online that many otherwise healthy kids have died from it. This is why treatment asap is so crucial. He is now feeling better, and wants to play! It is challenging keeping him from overusing his leg, and trying to keep everything sterile. But thank goodness he is doing well! I feel so blessed that he is improving so much! Primary's was awesome with him! They gave him a doll, his "buddy" where he could color owees on him, and they let JR give his Buddy an IV. When JR's IV came out, JR took Buddy's out too! The great care made a world of difference, and we are recovering very well now.

Sentimental at Six??

Last night Lexi had nightmares, so I ended up sleeping in the kids room with them. In the morning, Lexi wanted me to sing her a song. I sang a few songs, and then I sang the kids favorite song "You are my Sunshine". As I was singing JR stared at me with the sweetest happy eyes I have ever seen. When I finished the song, JR was wiping tears from his eyes. I asked him why he was crying, and with his voice cracking he said it was because he loved that song so much. I asked if it was happy or sad tears, and he said they were happy tears. I was so moved by how sentimental and tender he is. Often in the car he asks to hear "Brian's Song" which he refers to as "the song from when I was in your tummy". He truly is my sunshine, and often lights up my world with his tender loving heart.

Pools and Potties

JR and Lexi have been BEGGING to stay after their swimming lessons to swim during open plunge, so I promised them that we would do it after their lesson on Tuesday. So I got mixed up on their lesson time (of course) and we were there one hour early. They played at the park next to the pool, and then we went in to get a popsicle from the pool's concession stand. At the concession stand there was two pictures posted. One was of the pool, and the other was of a toilet. JR asked why the pictures were there, and I explained that the sign said. "The pool is NOT a toilet!", and how people should never go potty in the pool. JR was disgusted that anyone would even think to "go" in the pool.
After their swimming lesson, I reluctantly kept my promise, and got into the pool with the kids. Twenty minutes into swimming the lifeguard blew the "get out of the pool" whistle. We got out, and I saw them fishing something out. I asked the lifeguard if that was what I thought it was, and it was. They were going to close the pool for about twenty minutes, but I was too grossed out to stay. I told the kids that someone pooped in the pool and we were leaving. JR kept asking, "Why would someone poop in the pool!? Why would someone poop in the pool!?". I kept telling him that I didn't know, and we needed to leave! About five minutes into our drive home JR said, "I think I know what happened. Someone read the sign backwards, and thought that it said that the pool IS a toilet!!". Leave it t o JR to solve the mystery of the pool pooper!!

Moments Connecting

Yesterday was JR's first day of summer vacation. What a great day he had! He had his best friend Jasmine over, and they got creative! They made a water slide with the hose on our slide. How cute and innocent they were playing in the sun. I made then some special Mexican hot chocolate to warm them up, and they sat on the deck sipping the cocoa like a king and a queen!
I love watching the neighborhood children grow up with my kids. I feel like they are my extended children. With dishes in the sink, mail piling up, and toys decorating every corner, my job seems clear so much of the time - Connecting with the kids and sharing those moments of engagement playing with them. When I listen to what children have to say, it reminds me of how magical it is to be a child, and a little bit of their sparkle rubs off onto me. It is clear that connecting with them is a top priority. The dishes will still be there later...but these precious moments pass quickly. It is always good to reflect on them, and push pause on everything else to embrace the opportunities that these moments bring.

Breath of Fresh Air

Today I have been cleaning up, which can actually be enjoyable when the kids are not around. JR managed to stay one step ahead of me with his "inventions". It reminded me of the time when he was about three and had pulled the mattress off from our day bed, placed it in front of the bed, and put lotion all over the trampoline-like material that was there to hold the mattress. I remember walking into the room ready to scream, thinking, "I have a terror on my hands!" I took a deep breath, and as calmly as I could I asked him what in the world he was thinking. He explained that he put lotion on the trampoline part to make his sister slip - like road runner. He put the mattress in front of it so she would land on it, and not get hurt. A hilarious joke he plotted with a twinkle in his eye. There was a method to his madness! With the chaos today, I chose to step out onto our back deck for a moment. The air was crisp, and the mountains were glorious. It was just what I needed to see to be thankful for both of my children, and know that the I love the crazy things they do. Sometimes all I need is a breath of fresh air to get me back on track.