The kids and I took a trip out Kansas to see my family. can we say HOT HOT HOT! I actually have a sunburn on my legs! I don't know who had more fun my parents or the kids! We were so busy the whole time it's all most kind of hard to believe.

BIG NEWS.... Garrett got his first tooth!!! He's been a real trooper I tell you what! Cutting a tooth and being dragged all over creation can't be easy!

Man when it rains it pours though! As soon as I got out there I got a wicked cold! Then Clint called me and told me he had to get an MRI on his back and as it turns out has a herniated disk and the one above it is bulging!! :o I tell ya I leave for five minutes an the show falls apart!! He has to go see a specialist tomorrow (Monday) to find out how we need to go about fixing his back.

***UPDATE***

Today (Moday) the specialist said he would give Clint a steroid shot and 4 weeks of physical therapy. If his pain increases, his symptoms get worse or don't go away then they will talk about surgery.


Aside from all that I tried to enjoy myself and not worry too much about my ailing hubby. We went to the childrens science museum, had family pictures taken, went to the park a ton, played outside blowing bubbles and making chalk drawings, went for walks went to the Zoo! We did a lot!

Then Friday we drove up to KC and stayed at The Great Wolf Lodge. The water park was a blast!! the Room was spacious, but the beds SUCKED beyond suckage!! None of us got any sleep except for the kids. Saturday we did the water park again and were there for most of the day. When we left we went and got a late lunch which was nice but both kids fell asleep at the table.

Of course the weather was great all day (and every day before) until I show up at the airport! Then Thunder, lightening, high winds, Tornado warnings! A tornado touched down about 15 minutes away from the airport! ALL flights were delayed. My flight was delayed 2 hours! Then when our plan actually arrived we had no crew to fly it! It was nightmare! So we finally get boarded and in the air. Now I'm not a nervous flier AT ALL I actually find it really relaxing. But for the first time in my life I was actually scared to be on the plane! I looked out the window and there was lightening all around us and the wings were bouncing like crazy, not to mention the turbulance! It was not a fun ride until we got to 40,000 ft! That's how far up we had to go to get above it! Then of course on a night like that we had to loose something and of course it had to be the car seats! I didn't leave SeaTac until 12am and then I didn't get home until 1:30am because we took the long way thinking it would be faster than sitting in what ever HUGE traffic pile up had occured on I-5.

Needless to say I'm a wee bit tired this morning. But I'm so excited to be back! Home sweet home! Can I just take moment to give a big shout out to my friends who helped take care of my hubby while I was away! Words cannot begin to express my grattitude for all your help! Thhank you thank you thank you!

I had pictures of the kids taken while I was out there so as soon as they are online I'll share.

This week, tomorrow in fact, I leave for Wichita. Things always get crazy when you're trying to prepare for a trip I know this. On top of all the usual craziness that comes with travel Miss Kailey had a doctors appointment yesterday. Which was fine.

I had a couple things I wanted to pick up but it was raining like crazy so I was really debating about weather or not I wanted to go right then or wait until the next day. It was also getting late in the afternoon and I knew the kids were going to be needing naps very soon. Ultimately I convinced myself that I only needed two things from the store so I might as well run in, grab what I need and get home. **Insert laughter here** I swear I must be a gluten for punishment! I mean really, what was I thinking? First off I had two kids with me...there is no such thing as "running in" and "running out" of ANYWHERE when you have kids in tow! When will I learn this?! Second, Kailey was tired and Garrett was hungry and tired. Not a good combo for the hopeful plan of "run in" and "run out".

As I was standing in the check out lane, during a Wal-Mart "rush", waiting for a price check, with two screaming kids I suddenly realized I had become that person. You know the crazy mom with the twitching eye on the verge of killing her off spring in the desperate hope that they would just "hold still and be quiet"? The mom we've all seen and thought to ourselves, "That girl needs to get those kids under control" or "That poor women. What was she thinking?"

That was me and I knew it. I had to chuckle to myself a little bit. I mean really! I had become a person I truly never thought I would become. And there I was at Wal-Mart when it happened. Go figure!

I think back to when I was kids and I knewhow my life was going to be. I knewwhat kind of a person I was going to be and what kind of a mom I was going to be and what kind of life I was going to have and what my kids would be like. **Chuckle, sigh, wipe a tear**. I find it quite amusing that my life is NOTHING like I thought it would be. I never imagined there would be a day where I would have to ask myself when the last time I took a shower was or the last time I had a full (uninterrupted) nights sleep was? And there it was right there in Wally world when I realized it.

Preparing for the Easter Bunny!
I love holidays! I'm not sure if it's something I got from my Mom or something that I've just always loved but either way I love holidays. Weather it's Valentines, St.Patricks, Easter or Christmas it really doesn't matter to me, I love them all! I don't just love all the candy and decorations. I mean those are nice and fun but what I really love is the individual tradition each holiday has and how it brings family and friends together.

This year is an especially exciting year for me holiday wise. My daughter is three this year and is really starting to grasp these holiday concepts. Now in years past we haven't really done anything for the kids on holidays except for Christmas. We felt that Kailey was still just too young to really understand and so there was really no point. So this year I fully intend on going all out for Easter. Clint of course will be in charge of the spiritual side of things while I handle all the fun and games!

So I ordered the Easter basket I've had my eye on for the last couple years. I was expecting it to come in the mail today and sure enough it arrived! I have to tell you though that moments like what I'm about to share are the moments I love being Mom and yet at the same time know I need to pick up the slack in the "mothering" department. Anyway, the Mail Lady hopes out of her truck and runs up to the door and rings the bell. Then Kailey from the living room shouts, "Mom! Pizza!" I couldn't help but laugh. Appearently the only time our doorbell rings is when the Pizza Man is here!

Other worthy notes
Kailey had her very first dentist appointment. She wouldn't get in the chair and wouldn't let the hygenist look at her teeth, but she did have fun looking at the equipment and play with the water/air hose thingy and the spit sucker thingy. I made another appointment so hopefully next time we can convince her to sit in the chair.

In four and half days I will be back in my home town Wichita! I'm really excited for this trip. I haven't been back in year and a half! I can't wait to see what all has changed. My Mom was just telling me the other that the bar and grill I used to waitress at sold out to some other company. :( I was so sad to hear that because I was really looking forward to getting some "bases loaded waffle fries" (it was sports bar okay). May Victories Sports Bar and Grill forever rest in peace.

I also got my hair cut last night. I love getting my hair cut. I used to dread having to go to the salon and always made my Mom cut my hair. But now that I'm married and have kids of my own Salon time means alone time and I'll take that any way I can get it!

The best note to date so far though is that Garrett is saying "Ma ma ma mama" and "Da da da dadda"!! He is also getting much better at sitting all by himself. Which has been quite a challenge to do with big sister always knocking him down!

Happy Easter!!

On Sunday a good friend of mine, who I haven't seen in quite some time, dropped by my house. It was so good to see her and catch up on things. She is such a lovely person. I truly enjoy her company. Towards the end of our visit I confessed that we had bought a mini van. She was appalled to say the least. Then she asked me how many kids we planned on having. I told her probably four. She couldn't believe it.

To be totally honest, I think my heart would very well break in two just at the thought of being "done" making babies. I know more kids = more work. I know it means less time for myself. I am also very well aware of the fact that I probably wont have anything of any real value (monetarily) until they are grown and out of my house. But I'm okay with that. The worth of a big family is so ETERNALLY great that it far out weighs anything I may or may not be able to obtain in this life.

Besides who would want more of these? Just look at that cute little button nose and chubby cheeks!

I must admit I am completely in love my babies! I am a baby junkie!

Then comes frustration! It seems that as I have tried so diligently over the past 2 1/2 weeks to focus on getting in better shape and eating right (I've lost 5 lbs by the way!) the rest of my life has fallen to pieces. All I can conclude from this is that I'm not the great "Multi-Tasker" I like to think I am. Why when I want to take take care of myself does the laundry and dishes pile up? Why do my children's toys remain on the floor at the end of the day? Why do I feel like there is less time for me to be with my husband? And for the love of all that is good are my bathrooms such pig sties? How do women do it?

I see women in my ward who seem to be able to do it all. Lose weight after just popping out their fifth kid, having "perfect", well behaved children, clean houses, happy, well fed husbands etc.? Is the joke on me? Am I missing something? Was there a Memo on how to do all that and still look great that I missed? If so could some fax that to me? Frustration has officially set in on this utterly Miserable Monday!