Tuesday & Friday

I felt like a champion of a mother on Tuesday, which is the day I took the girls to the doctor. Hazel had a little issue* and was given a prescription. When I tried to fill the prescription, the Pharmacist said the FDA has never tested the medicine on children because it's an adult medicine. He seemed rather surprised that it had been prescribed for a baby. That scared me and I ended up not filling it and went home to search for alternative solutions. I was almost embarrassed that I hadn't found out more about the medicine from the PA when she said she was going to prescribe it. By the way she talked about it, I didn't realize it was for adults and I felt a little irresponsible, especially since I am normally so cautious when it comes to medicine.

So on the way out of Fry's, the door greeter lectured me for about 5 minutes on why I shouldn't have left Hazel in her seat behind me while speaking with the pharmacist because "someone could just walk past and carry her off". She was nice about it, but I was feeling pretty lousy about myself before so that didn't help.

That night, I noticed Clara's got an issue with one of her teeth. It almost looks like she chipped one of her teeth. Either way, I think she needs a filling.

It's funny how as mothers, we take this nurturing thing seriously. And if there is anything wrong with our little ones, whether it's our fault or not, it's hard not to feel totally responsible for what they go through. I felt horrible that Hazel had the issue. I felt horrible that I almost gave her something that could have had bad side effects. I felt horrible that I left her behind me with Clara. I felt horrible that Clara had cavities after all I do to prevent them. Days like this make me especially grateful for prayer and my Heavenly Father. It's comforting to know He hears and answers my prayers. I know He will help me make the best decisions for my kids, because He loves them too. I'm not sure how I would be able to raise children without His help and guidance.

Just as I was finishing up the second half of this post, whining about how on Friday I found out Clara does need fillings (at least 3, possibly 4 and maybe a cap**) and that our renter is moving out, Jason told me a family in our old Ward lost their baby this past week. Unfortunately, nothing gives me a bigger perspective check than tragedy. It's hard to understand why some people have to deal with so much. Instantly, going through the motions of finding a new renter a 13 months sooner than planned seemed like nothing. I never would have thought I'd be happy to spend $400+ to fix teeth (that I religiously floss and brush!) if it means Clara is here with us still. And I couldn't think about or look at Hazel without feeling so much sadness for our friend's loss. Life is so fragile and precious.

*After a little research, I was able to get Hazel's "issue" to go away in just three days. See? Prayers are answered. And see? Our children are over-prescribed and over-medicated. Being given a prescription for something that could easily clear up with in a few short days? It can't be good. Why wasn't I given options? Why couldn't we have tried an alternative method and used the medicine as a last resort?

** One of Clara's cavities is pretty big. The strange/annoying thing is, she just had x-rays at our regular dentist 4 months ago and they missed it. We are obviously hoping for only 3 fillings and no cap. I was asking Clara to pray that the big cavity is small enough to avoid having to put a silver cap on the tooth. She said, "No, I'm not going to pray for that. I don't want to because I want a silver cap. I like other colors, not just the white color of teeth." Awesome.

The Last Few Weeks

We laid low the week after we got home from Utah and I actually got a lot done around the house. Then we played all last week and I developed a severe case of laziness that I still haven't found a cure for. Anyway, in the last few weeks, we went to the Bounz House with Lisa and her boys, went to Pump It Up with Suzanne and her kids, went to Jump Street with my friend Katie and her kids and I took just Clara (Hazel stayed home with Jason) to the new Peanuts exhibit at AMY. It's not quite as fun as the fairy tale exhibit they had, but it was okay and I was happy to see they still had the black light room. I'm glad we still get to get on little dates, just the two of us.Last week Clara did a 4 day performing arts camp. It was from 8:30 - 11:30am. She had a good time, but it totally wore her (and me!) out. They had a little performance on the last day and I wish I would have counted how many times she yawned during the hour. I had to wake her up at five to eight on two of the days and we were still late getting out the door. It made me realize a.) I'm glad she's not starting Kindergarten yet, b.) I need to have quicker breakfast plans when she starts preschool, c.) I'm glad her preschool isn't at 8:30am and d.) I'm glad her preschool isn't 20 minutes away. She had this face for about 10 minutes, which of course was in between yawning sessions.
Of course Clara and her little personality have kept me busy and laughing as well. She taped this mirror on her eye and said, "Look Mom! I'm a pirate!"
The life jacket is to keep her safe. Duh.
And can you guess who clipped these flowers on a headband and put them on Hazel?
Meanwhile, Hazel just goes with it. She thinks Clara is hilarious, laughs when Clara is throwing a tantrum (I think she thinks Clara is laughing when she's screaming) and dodges spoons like you would a disease. Well, only if there is food on them. Otherwise, she's more than happy to take them off your hands.

Here Comes #3...

Did you think I meant kid #3? Yeah right. I'm not crazy enough to have my kids 16 months apart. Not that people that do it are crazy, I’d just be crazy if I did that. I’m talking about Hazel’s 3^rd tooth. Her first top tooth broke through Saturday the 23^rd, about 6 weeks after the bottom two came in. No wonder she doesn't have any energy to crawl, she's just too busy cutting teeth. She's 7 months old today and tries so hard to move forward, but ends up rolling instead. Between her head and gravity, I understand why. In the event that her head doesn't cause her body to twist and roll, she sticks her legs and arms straight out and yells as she hovers on her belly. Speaking of yelling, she's really been practicing her soprano screams lately. It's kind of cute, but kind of annoying.

I took both girls to the doctor for shots since Clara hasn't been in 2 years (woops!) and Hazel hasn't been since she was born. I knew Hazel would scream so I had them give Clara her shots first hoping to avoid scaring Clara. Clara got two shots, including her MMR (finally!). She said she could hold still and hold still she did. She didn't wince, move, cry, flinch or blink until after they'd put her band aids on and I helped her off the table. She's a champ and as we walked out of the room, she said, "That didn't even really hurt."

Here are the stats:

Hazel
Weight: 15.69 lbs, 26th percentile
Height: 28 inches, 95th percentile
Head:17.5 inches, 87th percentile

Clara
Weight: 33 lbs, 16th percentile
Height: 43.5 inches, 89 percentile

The growth chart percentiles always make me laugh. Have you seen my little butter ball?

And you mean to tell me those rolls only get her into the 26th percentile? I can't imagine how chubby a baby towards the 90th percentile would look. Despite those deceiving rolls of chub, it looks like Hazel is following in Clara's footsteps and is going to grow up to be a toothpick with an orange on top.

Melzer Invasion - Day by Day

Are you ready for this? Two weeks later, I'm finally getting this post wrapped up. It's not perfect but I've gotta move on with my life...

"Day" I: Driving all night (Thursday {6.30}/Friday(7.1))

We planned on driving up to our reunion in Utah on Friday. However, I got an awesome (as in wonderful, I mean crazy) idea to drive to Utah Thursday night. My main reasoning was so that I wouldn't have to stop and feed Hazel. It worked out okay. We left at 11:30pm and Jason drove until Page. I drove to Beaver and then Jason drove us the remainder of the way. I couldn't sleep in the car so I was exhausted. I'm not sure if it was a good idea, or bad idea. But it worked since I only had to feed Hazel once in the morning. Had we left earlier, we could have avoided that stop altogether. After getting just a few hours of sleep, we lounged around and napped on Friday.

Most of my family stayed at Rachel's house, which means her house to a family of 6 became a house to a family of 17. More if you count everyone that stayed elsewhere that would come hang out. Jason appropriately called it the clownhouse. See shoe picture in previous post if you question the appropriateness of it.

Day II: Shopping & Salt Lake (Saturday)

Saturday morning we grocery shopped for the week, had lunch then headed up to Salt Lake. We road TRAX from Sandy (I think), had a treat at the Nauvoo Cafe in the Joseph Smith Memorial building (where a man walked up to Hazel's stroller, gently squeezed her leg and said, "Chubby!" harmless, but awkward), toured around, visited the South Visitor's Center (it's been a while since I've done that) and just enjoyed beautiful Temple Square. Whenever I hear stories about the sacrifices the early saints made for their temples, especially the Salt Lake, I remember what a small sacrifice I give every time I drive 10 minutes to the nearest temple that I didn't have to build.

Note: Angela the rock star, bottom left.

Note: Biggest double doors I've ever seen.

Day III: Church & FHE (Sunday)

I was happy we were on time to church. It's also nice to be without responsibility every now and then at church. It was nice to visit with family, including Daniel, after lunch and before dinner. We had FHE at the awesome ampitheater by Rachel's. My dad was in charge of the lesson and he shared some interesting and thought-provoking facts about our founding fathers. I reflected a lot on my feelings for this Country and what it means to me.

Day IV: 4th of July! parade, Mutual Dell & fireworks (Monday)

We braved downtown Provo for the infamous Freedom Days Parade. We found a spot in the center of a roundabout. It just happened to be near several flags. I couldn't look at them without thinking about what my dad had said the night before and reflecting on what the flag really means. What it really represents and what it stands for. Clara waved at over half of the floats. I love her enthusiasm about little things. Hazel hung out with Jason, who was glad to have Don to talk to. After a few hours, we decided we'd had enough and trekked back to our car.

We stopped and got lunch before heading to Mutual Dell in American Fork Canyon. There were hundreds of people up and down all of the canyons. Lucky us, Rachel's Stake has some connection to this particular area so we were able to reserve a spot. Actually, my mom went up there early in the morning to reserve our spot while we all enjoyed the parade (thanks Mom!). Had I known what she was reserving, I would have been willing to reserve it too. It was incredible! I love this beautiful earth. We enjoyed the company and Daniel and Steven grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for all of us.

Note: Top left is all cousins born in 2006. All are looking and smiling, rare.

Note: Top middle, beautiful maple leaves.

That's a lot of kids and we're even missing one. Emily couldn't make it. Next year I'm determined to make sure everyone comes. I love my siblings. We have so much fun together and we sure are good looking. ;)

We stopped at the Tibble Reservoir on the way home to see the spillway and then waited for dark. Hazel was fascinated with these knobs. She could grab them and wanted to eat them so bad, but wasn't quite strong enough to pull her mouth all the way to them.
Back to the 4th... We had our own firework show that night since AF wasn't doing fireworks until Saturday. Utah's new firework law (think aerials) + pyro family = pretty awesome firework show

Note: Taking pictures of sparklers never gets old

Day V: Boating (Tuesday)

On Tuesday Don took a boatload of us to Utah Lake. It's been a while since I've been on a boat and a really long while since I have wakeboarded. I am happy to report I can still get up on a wakeboard 10 years, one husband and 2 kids later (on the first try!). I'm also a big uncoordinated chicken and couldn't cross the wake once I got up. But who cares, I got up. It was Jason's first time wakeboarding and Hazel's and Clara's first time on a ski boat. I said it was Clara's first time on a boat and she corrected me, "Uh-uh, I've been on Dan's boat." For the record, "Dan's boat" is an aluminum fishing boat with a trolling motor. Clara also got to ride on the tube. My camera battery died because I forgot to charge it, but Kathryn was prepared and I kindly stole the tube picture from her to document. Clara was safely tucked behind Lucas and you can barely see her head. After over 3 hours on the boat, we decided it'd be best to get our exhausted little Hazel off. We relaxed the rest of the day; boating on the lake is tiring, but lots of fun.

Note: Don (L) and Steven (R) are the jumpers

Clara and Lucas spent a lot of time collecting potato bugs during the week. Now Clara looks for them all the time in Arizona.

Day VI: Sundance & Stuart Falls (Wednesday)

For every day, I want to say, "This was the most beautiful day!" When in reality, Utah is beautiful in the summer everywhere. We spent a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful scenery. On Wednesday we enjoyed our scenic lift ride at Sundance. I got a little nervous because Hazel was being squirmy. Of course that only fuels my wild imagination, but it was fun even still.

We had lunch at the cafe before hiking to Stewart Falls. The hike is about 4 miles round trip. Which isn't too bad, except if it's exceptionally warm, unusually humid and you're at a super high elevation. Check, check and check. But why am I complaining? I didn't have to carry the backpack on my back and Hazel on my front. Oh no, my dear husband, who doubles as a pack mule, got that responsibility.

Note: Pack mule top right

Day VII: Park, Jen & Tantrum (Thursday)

This was the most unscheduled day. Rachel was sick, some people went to Salt Lake and the older boys were mountain biking at Sundance. While Hazel slept in the morning, I took Lucas and Clara across the street. I love walking, but apparently, it's been a while since I've worn my black flats and before we even made it to the main trail, they were gnawing holes in my feet. Not to mention the humidity was pretty awful. But alas, I didn't have the heart to make Clara and Lucas head back home. So we walked and we walked and we walked. On our way back, I called hoping someone could pick us up from the park 1/3 mile from Rachel's, but no one was available so we walked and walked and walked some more after playing at the park. All that walking is a small price to pay compared to the entertainment that these two provide.

In the afternoon, we had a quick visit from Jen and her boys. I wish I could have seen all my Utah friends, but there is never enough time. Plus, I didn't know until a few days before what day would work because we had so many things scheduled with my family. Originally I had planned on going to the park, but the pouring rain stopped that idea from being realized. It has been fun seeing her twice within two months. That probably hasn't happened since she moved away from AZ.

That evening, Clara threw the fit of her life. I was glad that a.) I'd said my prayers that morning and b.) some of my family was around. Otherwise, I don't think I could have refrained myself from swatting her little bum. It didn't help that Hazel was fussy, Jason was golfing and I was trying to help with dinner when it happened. After she was moved to 5 different spots, spit on me, tried to hit me and screamed her head off, she finally calmed down. Up until that point, she had been really good considering how little sleep she was getting. I think it was just a culmination of constantly going, going, going and not getting enough sleep for several days in a row. Plus, good thing it happened there and not in public, right? That night we had a little talk and her answer to why she'd spit at me still makes me chuckle: Because that's what Chinese people do. She says things like that and then stares at me waiting for me to be weak and laugh at her randomness. Sometimes I laugh, but I did not want her to think for a second that how she acted was okay, so I was glad I kept a straight face after that one.

Day VIII: BYU tour, Bean museum, creamery, Bridal Veil Falls, AF carnival (Friday)

Of all the siblings and spouses, only one is a BYU graduate. I think BYU grads feel the same way about BYU as missionaries do their missions. As a result, we spent Friday morning touring BYU in two oversized golf carts. I'm not gonna lie, it is a pretty amazing campus. The resources and opportunities are also quite impressive. I'd kind of like my kids to go there, but kind of not, since so many girls that go there get married and don't come back. And Clara has already told me she's going to live close to me when she gets married.

On our way to the Bean Museum, we stopped for lunch at the BYU Creamery. It was delicious and cheap, my favorite. I am not sure why I have never been there until now.

The Bean museum which has hundreds and hundreds of animals on display. It was pretty amazing to see so many different animals, including this liger.

Next we headed up Provo Canyon to see Bridal Veil Falls. This is definitely one of my favorite things to do in Utah. When we got there, Jason took Clara to be with everyone else while I fed Hazel in the car. When I finished and walked to everyone else, it started to sprinkle so they left in anticipation of more rain. Fortunately, it never rained harder because I convinced Jason to stay and walk up the trail for a little bit.

It always makes me laugh watching little kids play with technology, such as the Xoom in this picture. I think I need a few of those. I'm pretty sure it would revolutionize my primary lessons.

That night there was a carnival in honor of Steel Days. Everything but the food was free and I must say, it was fantastic! There were little rides, face painting, booths, bouncy houses and slides and prizes galore. I planned on staying an hour or so since we were tired from an already packed day. We ended up being there for over 2 hours and left completely happy and exhausted.

Note: James was a great sport to help and hang out with his sister, sister-in-law and 4 nieces all night

Day IX: Parade, lunch & Copper Mine (Saturday)

Saturday morning found us at another parade. I was all paraded out, but I left Hazel home with Jason and braved the crowds and heat for Clara to enjoy the parade. We saw many of the same floats, but the bonus of this one was the candy. Clara would just watch everyone pick the candy up and wasn't all that aggressive. Once she got a giant lollypop from Grandma, she didn't even bother attempting to get any more candy. Usually, she's pretty content. She put a grocery bag on her back and called it her candy cape. Have I mentioned how I love that girl's imagination?

For lunch we met up with Matt, a friend of Jason's from his mission. Jason isn't big into reminiscing, so he doesn't talk about his mission much. That made it extra fun to meet someone from his mission. Jason's not a small guy so I rarely see him with people that make him look small.

We went from lunch to the Kennecott Copper Mine. I was happy we picked the free week to go, until we got there. It was a hassle to get there and I would have gladly paid $5 to avoid the crowds and lines and buses. Anyway, we still had fun. Little stuff is cute and big stuff is neat. This open-pit mine is one of the only man made landmarks that can be seen from space. Everyone left after the video, but we hung around another hour or so (through lots of rain followed by lots of shine) to witness a blast. It was pretty anticlimatic. It just looked like someone stirred up the dirt, then a little more, then a little more and then a low, slow thunder noise. I didn't mind staying, it just wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

Note: My only expectation for our mine visit was to get a picture by a giant tire. Success.

Saturday evening we had races and played a game of football. At one point, Clara got frustrated and with her hand on her hip proudly declared, "I'm fast, I'm tough and I'm smart." I hope she can maintain that level of confidence.

Note: Spaz 1 & Spaz 2

That night American Fork did their fireworks. It was one of the best firework shows in my life. (Others: watching them from a sailboat on the Bay in CA and Silverton, CO). What made these so awesome? The weather was cool and we were able to walk next door and sit in Daniel and Steven's front yard in our chairs. No crowds, no parking hassles, no getting there an hour early. It was super. I sat in Jason's lap most of the time and enjoyed the moment.

Day X: Where It Ends

We went to Sacrament Meeting first thing in the morning and I really enjoyed the talks. It was a couple (who is obviously better at this whole marriage thing than I am) that spoke on marriage and they both gave awesome talks. Maybe in 30 years I can be more like them. The husband spoke about the importance of dating and said, "We figured out that the cost of dating/courting, even including child care, is cheaper than therapy and way cheaper than a divorce lawyear." That obviously struck a chord with me since I am so cheap. I have been doing better and now I have more motivation to continue on with my recovery (ha ha). After Sacrament meeting, we went back to Rachel's, finished packing up our stuff and headed home. It took us 12 hours to get home, but that's not bad considering we stopped in Beaver, Page, Flagstaff and Anthem. We weren't planning on that many stops, but that's how it turned out. We explored the dam in Page. I haven't stopped there for a while so that was fun.

Note: You can tell by Hazel's eyes that she is exhausted and not feeling well

I planned on pumping and giving Hazel a bottle so we didn't have to stop again, but my pump wasn't working (or maybe I was malfunctioning?) so I thought, Forget this, pull over! and I fed Hazel. Then Clara was yelling out in her sleep and sometimes at home that means she needs to go potty (found this out the hard way... twice). We stopped in Anthem so she could go potty, which wasn't necessary, but I was happy to be safe than sorry.

We appreciate all of Rachel's and her family's hard work and patience hosting everyone. We had so much fun, but it's always nice to come home. Our beds, our routines, our house.

Closer... Closer...

The good news is, I have finished sorting through the 1,151 pictures I took in Utah and have carefully selected the ones I want to post.

The bad news is I "narrowed" it down to 137.

Who has time to upload, let alone edit, 137 pictures?

Not I.

Instead, tonight I leave you with one of my favorite pictures from our trip.

Can anyone else look at that without laughing?

Not I.

{Angela, don't hate me. Just think how many people will smile today thanks to this picture. Besides, you look lovely in it.}

Too Much

I just read about 50 news articles. At least. Now I'm in the middle of reading blogs, all in an attempt to put off my intimidating to do list. I'm the best procrastinator ever. Here's what I'm not doing:

1. preparing my talk for Sunday

2. preparing my lesson for Sunday

3. sleeping (isn't that one ironic?)

4. working

5. blogging about our family reunion

6. checking my e-mail to see what work I should be doing on top of what I already know about

7. sorting through my 6+ boxes of work files

8. folding the laundry in the dryer

9. unpacking the last suitcase (it's the one with the clean clothes, so I'll actually have to put them away, I can't just throw them into the washer)

10. budgeting and meal planning for the rest of July (we've had a few splurges this month and I don't really want to deal with how it's going to affect our budget)

Good thing I cleaned my house Monday to get it ready for an appraisal, otherwise I wouldn't be doing that either.

Now hopefully I'll get a burst of energy in the next few days. If not, no need to feel sorry for me, I'm the only one to blame for the ever growing list. Plus, I get to hang out with this baby every single day. I smile every time I look at her face and think about eating her cheeks.

Back in AZ

After I attempt to catch up on sleep and laundry, I'll be back for a full recount of our 10 day trip to Utah. Clockwise from top left: Playing with cousins, a little chaos, lots of fun and constantly surrounded by beauty.