A Balloon Story (Or Stories)

Have I mentioned Matthew's insane obsession with balloons? I mean, you almost have to see it to believe it. A trip to the store with him has become a real undertaking. Quite frankly, the very thought of it gives me anxiety. Have you ever noticed how many balloons there are out there? Just randomly floating around? You'd be surprised. I know I have been. They are everywhere. And Matthew has a 6th sense when it comes to finding them. Next time you are at a Walmart, look up and see how many are stuck in the ceiling. I bet you find at least 3. This is something I have learned in the last 6 months carting Matthew to the store with me. He love, loves to scream for those impossible to get, balloons. Even when you are able to get to the balloon and give it to him, he still whines and cries because it's not floating right. I mean, seriously. It's insane. About two weeks ago we were at the grocery store and they had this big display of cereal on sale. And a whole bunch of Mylar balloons that said Savings on them. Matthew saw those things from 8 aisles away and immediately started screaming. Do you have any idea what it's like to try and concentrate on shopping when you have THAT going on? People are staring at you. It's heinous. So I book it over to the display, half climb on top of it, wrestle with the balloon knots for several minutes. This whole time Matthew is screaming, reaching, trying to climb out of the cart. Calling unwanted attention to my precarious position. Ah Ha!! I got one! I give it to him so that we can finish our shopping in relative peace. At the check out I ask the lady if I could possibly buy the balloon. "Where did you get it?" She asks. "Oh, on that cereal display over there." She takes one look at Matthew. "Just take it." She tells me. "Are you sure?" Exasperated, she says, "Yes! Just take it! Take it, and GO!" What? Are you saying you want us out of the store? Don't blame you a bit. This one time, Matthew got his hands on a 20 dollar Spider Man balloon. Uh, maybe when hell freezes over. So at the checkout we made quite a scene. Him screaming, me trying to pry the balloon out of his hand. Ethan asking for gum. Everyone looking at me like I was the world's meanest mother. Single worst experience of my life! (Well, except for the emergency C-section. But that's in a different category) I need a valium just to go to the grocery store. And here my friends... is my all time favorite. We are sitting in church. Things are quiet and peaceful. I'm listening to the beautiful music... when they open the overflow. And what do you think was in the back of the cultural hall? Menacingly floating there on the ceiling. Blue and Gold balloons from some Boy Scout banquet. Oh, the utter disregard for reverence, not to get rid of those before Sunday. That was it. Matthew screamed and pointed and carried on until I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed him and one of those blasted balloons and came home. Church was not to be that day. I took a few pictures for documentation. I'm thinking about showing them to the bishop. Maybe getting someone a much deserved reprimand. In these pictures Matthew is as pleased as punch. I on the other hand need a stiff drink. And there you have it. Matthew plus balloons. No picnic!!

You Gotta Ask Yourself... Do I Feel Lucky?

Well. Do ya, Punk? I'm mean look at his face. That says it all... "If you even THINK about messing with this balloon, I am going to scream SO loud that you very well could lose your hearing. You can have this balloon when you can pry it from my cold dead fingers!! Got it, Punk?!" That is what Matthew would say if he could only talk in full sentences. The screaming part though, he's got down. And boy howdy, do my other kids love to tease him with balloons. It's maddening. And, Yes. I am very nearly deaf.

Fifteen

Today is Kaylie's 15th birthday. I just got back from taking her to lunch. She is so much fun. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father sent her to us. I can not believe how fast she has grown up. It seems like I was just sending her off to kindergarten and now she is in high school. We were looking at pictures of her last night. My, how she's grown! She was/is adorable. Happy Birthday Kaylie. Hope it is as wonderful as you!

My Lil' Super Hero

I just love it when I can grab my camera and capture a moment.

Meet Matilda... If You Dare

I'm not quite sure where Matilda came from. I think Meghan might have picked her up after my Grandpa died, and we were cleaning out his house. At any rate we have decided she's just a little bit scary. Kaylie came across her one day, as if she (Matilda) had a mind of her own. Kaylie seemed to think she was being stalked by a possessed doll. That's when the game of "Find Matilda-Have A Mild Heart Attack" was born. After that fateful day when she scared the bajeebies out of Kaylie, it was my turn. Kaylie strategically placed her in my shower, behind the shampoo. Freaky! Mild heart attack! That's the name of the game. =D So then I hid her... in the freezer! Bwahahaha (evil laugh) Some of the freaky places she has shown up are... my dryer, Mark's briefcase, Hyrum's shoe, behind our clock, in the dishwasher. You get the idea. She's watching, always watching. The all time best place we found her was once when Meghan hid her. She was levitating on the ceiling in our family room. Stuck to the heater vent. Genius. Pure genius. Not bad Meg, not bad. Anyway, you may want to tread lightly. You never know where you'll find Matilda lurking.

The game got even scarier when she was found trying to steal Hyrum's chocolate bar. She is after our chocolate!

Nu nu Nu nu -- Nu nu Nu nu... you have just entered, The Twilight Zone!

. . . . Sweet Dreams!

Happy Birthday Matthew

Matthew just celebrated his second birthday. I really can't believe how fast my baby is growing up. As you know, Matthew has a minor obsession with balloons. (that's putting it mildly) So for his birthday we got him a big bunch of balloons. He loved them, and had very little interest in anything else. It was so cute. Even as he was opening his presents he had a death grip on his balloons. He was not about to let go of them. He also got a little ride on Lightning Mcqueen. He was more interested in that though the next day, after his balloons had gone the way of all balloons. We had pizza and cupcakes and enjoyed celebrating this little guys special day. We love you Matthew, and we're so thankful that you are a part of our family. Happy Birthday!

Shattered Nerves

A few weeks ago Kaylie came home with exciting news that she had been asked to go to Regionals to play her Viola. Her excitement soon turned to stress as she prepared for the competition. Last Wednesday was the big day. Tuesday, I seriously thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown. She was telling me that there was no way she could do it and that she just wasn't going to show up. Well, that didn't fly too well with me or her Dad. So Wednesday night, off she went to compete in Regionals. Now she was originally scheduled to play at 3:15 but a week before the competition her teacher asked if he could change her time to 6:30 because another student had a conflict and needed to play earlier. Kaylie said, that would be fine. So we arrived about 10 after six only to find out that she had missed her turn. She was still on the schedule for 3:15. We then hunt down her teacher and he explains there must have been a mix up. That he had e mailed the person in charge and notified her of the change. Now the person in charge is the Orchestra Instructor at Tooele High School. For those of you who have never met her... let's just say she is one in a million. For those of you who have met her, well, you know exactly what I'm talking about. She is extremely talented musically. But let's face it, she is seriously lacking in the social skills department. Anyway, Kaylie's teacher goes up and starts explaining that he had e-mailed her about the change and that Kaylie should still have the opportunity to play. So, "Marge in Charge" gets all bent out of shape and says she never got that e-mail and Kaylie won't be able to compete this year. I was a little bit upset. I mean how fair is that? It wasn't Kaylie's fault the schedule got messed up. After some discussion they decide to let Kaylie go ahead and play. At this point, Kaylie looks like she is going to throw up. And I have to admit, the whole thing was extremely intimidating. A panel of sour puss judges and talented kids from high schools all over the place. And here was the deal... they were running way behind, so Kaylie had to play right then and there, without warming up. Kaylie then explained that she just needed a minute to warm up. And get this! The lovely person in charge proceeds to say... "Warming up is a luxury!" (grrrrr) The AUDACITY!! No. I'm afraid warming up is a necessity. All the other kids warmed up. The Boston Philharmonic warms up! So then, our cute, brave, Kaylie took a deep breath and said, "I will just try again next year." I'm afraid the whole thing was just too much for a little freshman. Which, I guess is a good thing. Had this not been our first experience with Regionals I'm sure I would have had a few choice words for Marge in Charge. All in all, I think it was a good experience for her. Now she knows what Regionals looks like and she will be more prepared next year. We have learned that once you are on the schedule, sorry, no tradesies. And I just have to say, if she would have been able to play, she would have done fantastic! By the way, don't mention any of this to Kaylie. She's trying to block the whole thing out. Ahhhh, stress. It's a glorious thing.

About Fairies...

Over the last several months I have discovered that I have a love for fairies. I have read a few different books with fairies as characters. It has kind of awakened the child in me. And for a long time now I have loved the art work of Cicely Mary Barker. For those of you who aren't familiar with her, she painted flowers and plants and their particular fairy. My favorite flower is the lilac. I love the way it smells, and it's color. How is blooms in the springtime, saying, "Look at me! Spring is here!" So of course one of my favorite fairies is the lilac fairy.

I've read that if you plant certain things in your garden that you can attract fairies. The same kinds of plants that attract butterflies and humming birds. I once read somewhere that when you see a butterfly, or a honeybee, or a dragonfly. That you are actually looking upon a fairy. Our human eyes just don't recognize them for what they truly are... fairies. I love that. Mark plants a whole bunch of lavender for me in our back yard. And when we spot a butterfly, we tell each other that it is really a fairy. There are couple of websites I have come across, that when I have free time I love to visit. One is www.gardenfairy.com and the other is www.flowerfairies.com  If you have minute, go explore the magical world of fairies. I DO believe in fairies. I do, I do. (Well, all except for the tooth fairy. She's a flake.)

Believe

"Just living is not enough" said the butterfly fairy, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." Hans Christian Andersen

No More Thumb

Matthew has been my thumb sucker. My only one out of five. I have thought it was endearing and adorable. That little thumb of his would find it's way into his mouth and my heart would just melt. A couple months ago, he just stopped doing it. He up and lost interest in that sweet little thumb of his. I knew that at some point he would need to stop, and I know I should feel lucky that he quite on his own. But I kind of miss him doing it. It's a reminder to me that he is growing up entirely too fast.

Where... Oh Where, Have I Been?

Long time... No post. I bet you are wondering where I've been hiding? Well, here's my theory... I once read some where, that a sure sign of depression is that you no longer have a desire to do the things you once enjoyed. Blogging is actually something I really enjoy doing, but not lately. I don't know if you would call me depressed, but I have definitely been down in the dumps. Just plain ole' BLAH! I blame this feeling on a couple things actually. One being the weather. I don't do so well with out sunshine. I'm willing to bet I suffer from that Seasonal Affective Disorder... S A D. Which is exactly what you are. It's funny. I never felt this way during the winter months when we lived in Arizona. There's one thing that state has plenty of, and that's sunshine.
Another thing that's been bothering me is the whole thing with Kaylie. I mean, I know it's over with and she is doing really well. But, I get like flash backs from the whole ordeal. I see her in the recovery room in all that pain. It's pretty awful. I'm so thankful that she has no memory of that. I wish somehow I had no memory of it. It's just taken me some time to work through it all. And I haven't felt much like blogging.
I'm happy to say that I think I'm starting to snap out of it though. Spring is just around the corner. The days are getting longer and warmer, and sunnier! And as time passes by, I really can see that Kaylie is going to be alright.  I'm going to get back to doing the things I enjoy. Blogging, being one of them.