Fall 2009

Wow...I suck at Blogging! Well let's see, what has happened this fall? I had surgery on my knee. It is doing just fine--actually a lot better. The kids are growing like weeds. We spent Thanksgiving up in Spanish Fork with Grandpa Bartell. That was nice and cold. I have been working like crazy putting in over-time trying to make a good Christmas for the family, about half way done shopping. Really I just feel tired all the time. Brock is making a solid effort to finish the remodel on the house he started 4 years ago, hopefully I will have a toilet in my bathroom with in the next couple of months. Thanx to my padre for coming and fixing up a bunch of things the weekend of Halloween. Halloween was a blast, the family sported a Wizard of Oz theme. Way cute!


pics to come

Who says blondes have more fun?

So I went for a bold change when I got my hair done on Saturday...I am now a brunette. It is probably closer to my natural color (whatever that is). I feel like I have more freckles...what do you think?

Quick trip to the Grand Canyon

Just for fun, my mom and I went down to the Grand Canyon. Which by the way was totally on FIRE. The kids had fun hiking. The views were beautiful.

Yellow Stone

Took the kiddos to Yellow Stone over Pioneer Day. Man that place is cool. I just kept thinking..."I wonder what the pioneers thought when they came across this stuff?" Here are some pics.


fences are good for 2&3 year olds!
hidden mickey


Hope everyone's summer is going great!

Summer VACA update...man I have been slackin!

I have had a busy summer so far, filled with 2 trips to Cali, and a trip to SLC so far and it has only been a month. Here are some pics of Alli and my trip to Cali. We went to the Beach and played in the sand, we went to the big D (that's Disneyland for those of you out of the loop), Universal Studios Hollywood, and SeaWorld. It was go, go, go the whole time. We sure did have a great time.
Alli found some fish...
Holding hands with a Manatee...
A fun day a universal...
Oh, no! A shark has eaten my upper body...
Yes, Alli you are too short for all the "fun" rides...
Gotta love the MOUNTAIN, Splash that is...
Alli loved Jungle Cruise, that is her with Grandpa...
A small face plant in the sand at the beach...

Alli, had a blast. We all had a great time. By the way the pictures go in reverse order from what we did (ie we went to the beach first and seaworld last).
This is the END!!! Gotta love potty training.

Red Cliffs Picnic

I had no idea that this little State Park was close and so fun. It was great to see some extended family and let the kids just play. Great family fun.

What...there is something wrong?

Long story short:
I took Allison and Samson to the Pediatrician yesterday for a well child visit and walked away with an appointment to the Eye Doctor for Allison along with a sense of impending doom.

Short story long:
When Dr. M looked into Allison's beautiful eyes he fell in love. Just Kidding, he noticed that the reflection was slightly different between the two. After giving me the scary list of what it could be he sent us to see Dr. H. He is the doc that cleared Samson's tear ducts for us last summer. Dr. M was so concerned that he actually called Dr. H and made the appointment for us to go see him that same day. So I took Sam home for a nap and took Alli to see Dr. H. He was very thourough with his eye exam. He said that her one eye is "far sided" +5. He debated with himself about what to do. Finally he decided on glasses. Patching, surgery, and doing nothing being the other options. So Alli now has glasses. Yes, I cried. What mom doesn't cry when she thinks her child's life just got that much harder. (It might be the hormones.) Notice that only one eye is magnified.
Mommy is going to wear her glasses around Alli so that she can feel more comfortable.

Alli turns 3

My dad came down with his brood over the week-end to help us celebrate Allison's 3rd birthday. I should learn to just have the festivities in the AM. We had "pretty hair" after a nice bath. Alli is getting better about holding still while I am doing her hair, and then leaving it in.

















Mom (me) made a Barbie cake. A learning experience to say the least.

















After a late nap, Alli and Sam had had enough for the day and neither wanted anything to do with the "party." Notice Sam, he is screaming while the rest of us sing the song. Alli refused to blow out the candles. But the cake tasted good. All in all a good day. It was nice to see gma and gpa Bartell.

Toot, toot

So, this last month has felt incredibly rocky for me. I am so glad to be done with school, but I feel this sence of loss...what am I going to do now?

I am graduating from Nursing School again, this time with an advanced degree..I am now full of it- as a BSN!

I am officially Magna Cum Lade or however you spell it, meaning I am graduating with honors. There my horn has been tooted.

Who cut the cheese?

This video/commercial cracked me up when I saw it. Thanks Talia for sharing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iBY7Yirq60

Click on the link.

Nicole needs...

I saw this post on Kamille's blog and liked it and gave it a test drive. This is what I got.

1. Nicole needs...A Boob job. It went on to say I would get better roles.
2. Nicole needs...No Food When She Can Shop 'Till She Drops. DUH!
3. Nicole needs...a Reality Show. Because my life is so CRAZY.
4. Nicole needs...a new computer! I am amazed how accurate this is so far.
5. Nicole needs...To work her magic. Nuff said.
6. Nicole needs...a husband. HMMM
7. Nicole needs...a good meal.
8. Nicole needs...a drummer...on myspace music. I guess I have a band!
9. Nicole needs...an Urban love nest. ?
10. Nicole needs...to live in the now. Wow that was insightful.

To do this post type: "your name here" NEEDS into the Google search engine, then post the top 10 things. Have fun.

ADRIANE!!!

On our trip to NJ last month we took a total of three pictures. We ate "REAL" Philly cheese steaks in Philadelphia at Geno's. They were fantastic. When you order you say the type of cheese you want and then "wit" if you want grilled onions. It was fun having a real Jersey meal. And the fries were so yummy.


On the walk back to the car we (on purpose) stumbled across this little gem. Yes that is where the Italian Stallion stands and eats his own philly cheese steak. Notice all the garbage? That just means it is authentic.

This last pic is across the street from the steak shop. The owner...Geno...likes to display all his motor bikes. I hope out next trip the NJ is more fruitful. Wish me luck.

Janet Evanovich

Okay...I think I have found my favorite Author ever. Move over Stephanie Meyer...Janet Evanovich is totally awesome. I have read what feels like a billion of her books over the last month and I so totally love her. I laugh out loud when I read her books. They are a little bit on the edge. They are definitely somewhere between PG 13 and Rated R. Excuse me while I go and fantasize about Ranger.

How old are you?

Okay, even though this story is way embarrassing...I just have to share it because it made me laugh. Brock and I were feeling a bit silly tonight and had been giving each other a hard time. There were some words exchanged. One thing led to another and I had the bright idea of giving him a wet-willy. Not such a good idea when you are the smaller person. I run down the hall and into the kid's room where Brock proceeds with his retaliation. I yell, "I have to pee!" Usually that saves me from anything major. He holds me where I am standing. Again I yell, "I really have to pee!" The bonds don't loosen. I manage to squirm back into the hall, he still has a hold of me. I then yell, "I am peeing!!!" Yup. I had the privilege of peeing my pants tonight. I feel so cool, you all should try it. After proving (You can pee a little and then stop it...that story is for another day) that my bladder couldn't stop mid-stream (especially while I am laughing hysterically) I went and took a shower. I guess I need to work on my Keggels.

What's for lunch?

Alli had quite the combo for lunch last week. Mac & Cheese and (wait for it)...KIWI! And yes at the same time.

































Want some?

The CMV is NEGATIVE!!! Now on to IVF.

I'm leaving on a jet plane...see ya this afternoon!

So I just have to put something down about my latest adventure. Today was my 3rd trip to SLC to donate Plasma infected with CMV. I donated plasma over the summer to pay for a trip to Disneyland and it was great having the extra $50 a week. Well, in my pre-screening course to become a Baby Mama, I found out I had IgM antibodies for CMV. That is a big, bright, RED Flag!!! Never get prego if you know you have an acute infection with CMV. So in an attempt to find a cure through GOOGLE, I found a place that pays $500 a donation!!! That is 1K a week. Mucho gusto. And yes they have handed me a check for $550 with each donation. I feel a little like a scam artist, everyone else says I should feel thankful for the opportunity. So THANK YOU.

Changes

I am attempting to update the blog. The music is gone. I have gone public. I wrote a beautiful poem (well copied) from my fav ride SplashMountain. The background is fresh. I even just barely gave the kids a bath tonight before bed. Everything is clean and new. You are welcome.

I'm hungry Mommy

What is there to eat...














what I can't be digging through the fridge?











Fine I will throw a temper tantrum...











Did she fall for it?