Really Big Bandaid

Kayman is somewhat excited about his "really big bandaid" as he calls it. Here is the story:

The day started out great! I met one of my best friends from high school for lunch. We laughed and talked for hours and I really enjoyed the morning. I took Jess straight to school from there, then Kayman and I headed home for a few hours of play time. He had some friends over, read, played with beads, ate popcorn, jumped on the trampoline, and took a bath (thank goodness, since now he can't) before we went to get the girls from school. That's when things started getting hectic...

So on the way home from picking up the carpool from the school I saw a beautiful dog running down the street, it was clearly lost. I drove right past it, then got that tugging in my heart that told me to turn my butt around and go help that dog. I called her to me, checked her tags, and without a name/owner tag I put her in the car so I could take care of it after I dropped off the carpool kids.

When we got home, the kids went out back to play, and I called Animal Control to get information on the dog's owner. I didn't want to have an officer come pick her up because I hate it when people call them before calling me when Dallas gets out. I got owner information, called them, left a message that I had their dog, and then went out back to see why Kayman was crying...

Kayman had been jumping on the trampoline with Jess and her friend Katia. He was lying on the edge of the trampoline crying, so I brought him in. We sat on the couch, and he complained of his leg hurting him. Every time I moved he would wince in pain, and he didn't want me to leave his side. Luckily, I got a call right then from a friend hoping take the girls for a while. What a blessing! She took them, then I took Kayman and Katia (girls' friend) to Instacare, where Katia's mom met us to pick up her daughter.

Kayman screamed when I had to pick him up to carry him inside, but he let me cuddle him the whole time. Daddy got there just as we were going back to get an X-ray of his right leg. Kayman was so brave. He sat still when he had to, even though he was in severe pain.

The X-ray clearly showed a break just below his knee. Poor kid! He had a splint put on and hopefully we can get in tomorrow for his cast to be put on.

When we got home we laid him on the couch. He keeps saying, "I can't even walk!" and "I can't do anything." He got bored just laying there, so Jess read him some books, I read him some books, and then he got to play with Andy's iPhone for a while. Once we got him ready for bed, we tucked him in, propped up his leg, and let him play with Jess's Leapster until he fell asleep. He is used to getting out of bed and playing with puzzles or something quiet until he falls asleep. Since he can't move, we figured playing the leapster will keep him happy! He has been such a good sport. What a tough kid he is.

Syd broke her arm when she was 13 months old. I am surprised that it took Kayman as long as it did to break a bone, I just though it would be doing something more crazy than simply jumping on the trampoline. He didn't fall off. He didn't land on the bar. He didn't get jumped on by anybody. He simply landed wrong and put too much pressure on his bone for just long enough to break it.

We are hoping to get the cast on tomorrow since we are leave for St. George tomorrow night. It's Conference weekend, the kids are out of school Friday, it's the perfect weekend for a getaway to our own personal paradise. Plus, Andy and I are going to see "The Neighbors" in Vegas Friday night and St. George on Saturday. What a weekend we have planned! Weeee!

*Around 10 pm I was able to find the owner of the beautiful Hound dog (Annie) I found earlier today. I posted on Facebook that I had her, and her owner's name, and someone knew her owner. He came and got her, and Annie was crying with joy when she was reunited with her daddy. It was sweet. Apparently she was just retired from her bear hunting career. She was a sweet dog.

Flake

I lost them.

I think they ended up in the garbage can.

I searched it as much as I dared.

I wasn't about to dump my huge garbage can filled with rank pull-ups

and poopy diapers onto the driveway

in search of my retainers that

I would rather pay $60 for to just replace the next day.

I did what I could.

I didn't find them.

I paid $60 to replace them.

And this time I will not lose them.

My 7 year old held on to her retainer longer than her mother.

This is Syd's new claim to fame.

And she bragged about it to her teacher.

Now her teacher has material to back up her suspicions of Syd's mom being a total flake.

I got lucky!

St. Patrick's Day has never been a big celebratory holiday for me. I'm not Irish. I don't wear green clothes. I don't drink beer. I don't like making all my food green. I have never done anything more than wear enough green to keep me from getting pinched (which I don't mind so much anymore...hehe) on this special day.

This year my girls reminded me what a boring mom I am. They didn't get green breakfast, green things for lunch, leprechaun visits, not even sugar cookies (which I really meant to do, but never got to it) with green frosting. Oh well, it's just the kind of mom I am. They did, however, get healthy breakfast, rides to and from school, green shirts to wear to school, dance classes, delicious dinner, friends to play with, and a favorite babysitter of theirs. I think they still had an ok day.

So, the babysitter. She came over so Andy and I could go out and party hard...cause you all know what party animals we are. *cough*

Anywho...

I recently learned of a new band called The Neighbors, and they are phenomenal! It's a brother and sister, Adam and Rachel Kaiser, who both sing while playing two instruments each. They have a very unique sound, are very talented, and really know how to put on a show. You can check them out at their website, www.theneighbors-hood.com. They have a video of one of their best songs you should check out. It's amazing. And you can buy their songs on itunes. I recommend it.

Here they are:

So The Neighbors were playing at a place down town and we decided to go check them out live.

As we were talking and listening to the musicians who came on first (who left a lot to be desired), Adam and Rachel (The Neighbors) walked in and sat at the table next to us. I went over and introduced myself and we chatted for a bit. They are very friendly, and it was great to meet them! They finally went on at 11:15 (we got there at 9:00), and they were SO worth the wait! These two captured the attention of every person in the place within seconds. Their voices are clear and powerful, their dynamic and crescendos keep you on the edge of your seat, their creative beats and unique sounds, their connection with each other, and the huge smiles on their faces that show how much fun they are having all make this band my new favorite. They are very good at what they do and it's obvious that they love it.

I loved watching Rachel dance as she played the keyboard with so much personality. The best was when Adam was playing the drums with one hand, the keyboard with his other hand, and singing harmony at the same time like it was easy or something.

Incredible.

They have another show tonight that Andy and I are going to. They are opening for 2 other bands, The Vibrant Sound and Fictionist. I haven't heard much of The Vibrant Sound, though I am sure they are great, but I know Fictionist is very good and I can't wait to see them live. These are all local bands here in Utah. I'm amazed at the talent we have here, and it makes me so happy to see so many of them performing, perfecting their gifts, and entertaining me! :) I really miss the performing days. Sooooo, I'm gonna go downstairs and wail on my drums now...

*Oh, and the reason I say I got lucky (aside from finding new amazing music)...I won a massage! And a shirt! Yay! Happy St. Patty's Day!

Like, gag me with a spoon!

My friend had a birthday party at Classic Skating, and it was an 80's theme, and it was amazing. I didn't have anything I could put together to make a good 80's outfit, so I asked a friend of mine, and this is what she put together for me. Totally Rad!

I borrowed my mom's old crimper, put on blue eye shadow, Syd's silly bands, my friends clothes, and suddenly I was 10 again. I spent a lot of time at Classic Skating (as mentioned in my post from last week's outing to Classic. No, this will not become a weekly thing.) in middle school, so it was pretty entertaining for me to see all the kids there going through the same thing.

I got only a few looks from people wondering what this old lady was thinking wearing this getup. Most of the girls there looked pretty similar. There was a girl wearing hot pink tights. Tons of girls wearing leggings with mini skirts or short shorts. Though I am pretty sure I was the only one there with crimped hair, which was fabulous.

"Kay, hold still right there. Now, just imagine you're weightless, in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by tiny little seahorses." -Deb, Napoleon Dynamite

Bye, Bye, Brace-Face

This post shows 2 major things. The less important being that my hair goes extremely flat in no time at all...in dry climate. That sucks. The more important being that I GOT MY BRACES OFF!!!! It's a good day. Pearly whites showing again, and now they are straight. And now I'm going to keep them straight. Wearing retainers was not "cool" back when I needed them the first time around. Ok, they're not cool now, but at least they are clear. I have to wear them 24/7 for 6 months. They are SO hard to get out. (Like, so hard there's no way I'm doing it in front of somebody because it's disgusting. Did you see the movie Date Night? Remember the scene when she came to bed and he noticed she had her retainers in and expressed disappointment that she wore them to bed (because that meant he wouldn't get any) so she took them out and slobbered all over the place? Well, that really happens.)

There are pro's and con's associated with this little problem:

Pro: I can't drink Dr. Pepper with them in as it will cause my fairly weak teeth to be eaten alive by all that sugar trapped inside the retainer.

Con: I can't drink Dr. Pepper, and that will cut out at least 300 calories a day. Let's be honest, I'm still going to drink it, just not 24/7. More like 22/7 now.

Pro: I can't eat with them in at all, which means snacking will be cut down quite a bit.

Con: I won't be able to just eat a bite or two of something around someone without shoving my fingers in my mouth in an attempt to pry the thing off my teeth, and if I happen to get it off, the string of saliva that follows it will likely kill my appetite for said snack.

Pro: Syd thinks I'm cool again now that we both have retainers to put in their case when we eat dinner. She was very excited for us to have this in common, and couldn't wait to do it together.

Con: I sound like a kid with her first retainer and can't say my S's properly. It sounds more like a "sth," and it's a little embarrassing.

Pro: My teeth are going to stay straight if I wear these things as prescribed.

Con: I have to wear them for 6 months, all day long, every day, except to eat and brush.

I am very pleased with the results. My teeth are very straight once again, and will be whiter in just a couple more weeks. The Dr. gave me teeth whitener I can put in my trays at night and brighten them up a bit!

Dr. Dana was happy to get rid of me, I'm pretty sure. I was one of those patients who he wasn't too fond of. I pointed out issues with my teeth that he missed, and he didn't seem to like being told of things he probably should have noticed himself. My midline was way off and he hadn't noticed until I mentioned it and asked how to fix it. He tried to tell me that it just happens sometimes and that it can't always be fixed. Well, that wasn't acceptable to me, so he magically thought of something that ended up fixing it, for the most part. It's still off a bit, but one of my teeth was so loose I was scared it was going to fall out under the stress of the bands on it trying to pull my midline back into place. I decided I'd keep the tooth and have the midline off a bit. I'm happy with it, so that's what matters in the end. They are much better than they were when I started out! :)

Yay! No more brace-face!

Yearning

I wrote this about a month ago when I was out pruning the fruit trees on an unusually warm day for February. I am yearning for summer.

Yearning for Summer

the smell of shredded tires

engulfs my senses

as the hot sun blazes into it

the crackling of the depleted wood playground

threatens to crumble onto the

incessantly squeaking yellow swings

that continuously push through the thick hot air

chewed up toys

carelessly strewn about

craving attention

that only comes in the sun

tired brown grass

thirsty for some color

only the heat of the sun can bring

ready to shed the sparkling blanket

that traps the chill above

crocus shoots

prematurely pushing through

still frozen soil

desperately searching out the giver

that’s still 2 months away