Recovering nicely aka It is off!!!

Today is the day!!!

As I write this blog post I'm sitting in a surgery waiting room with Jeremiah and Brinton. Today is the day Brinton will have his Halo Orthosis removed and we couldn't be happier. It's been 3 months and 6 days since it was placed on during his surgery in November.

When they did the surgery they fused together the top two vertebrae c1 and c2 using bone they grafted from his pelvis. To hold everything together they placed 4 screws and 2 metal rods into his spine. The halo is basically like a cast to hold everything stable while it fuses and heals. Brinton had a CT scan last week which showed that everything was healing and fusing the way it should. Today the Halo Orthosis will be removed and he will placed in a hard collar neck brace for the next month to continue his healing. We are very, very excited for this next chapter in the healing process to begin. So now we say good riddance to his halo...as one of my friends on Facebook said, "na, na, na-na, na, na, na-na, hey hey hey GOOD BYE!"

100th Day of School Collection

Cute Little Button given to all the Kindy kids on the 100th Day

On the 100th day of school the Kindergartners were asked to bring in 100th day collections made up of 100 items. Julianna and I brainstormed what could she bring in??

We decided to make a list of 100 things she could bring for the 100th day. I was playing up the whole 100 thing. I never realized it'd be so hard to come up with 100 things but thank goodness for a smart, funny, creative 6 years old because she came up with the majority of this list!

1. 100 buttons
2. 100 pennies
3. 100 Popsicle sticks
4. 100 pieces of candy
5. 100 beans
6. 100 Cheerios (or any other type or cereal)
7. 100 UNO cards
8. 100 gift bows (since Christmas just passed and we still had a ton)
9. 100 toothpicks
10. 100 q-tips
11. 100 post it notes
12. 100 balloons
13. 100 cheez balls
14. 100 puzzle pieces
15. 100 crayons
16. 100 little plastic dinosaurs or bugs (they had a huge bag at the $1 store but she is so girly she couldn't get into this idea)
18. 100 bobby pins
19. 100 hair bows
20. 100 paper cups
21. 100 marshmallows
22. 100 pencils
23. 100 stickers
24. 100 craisins
25. 100 bouncy balls
26. 100 jelly beans
27. 100 pebbles
28. 100 marbles
29. 100 squares of toilet paper (she started getting a little silly right here)
30. 100 bars of soap ?? (I guess since wee were on the topic of bathrooms)
31. 100 thumb prints
32. 100 googly eyes (they had a bag at the $1 store)
33. 100 warm fuzzies (you know this little Pom Pom fuzz ball things you can craft with? Also at the $1 store)
34. 100 straws
35. 100 beads
36. 100 pop tabs (you could donate them to Ronald McDonald House when you're done)
37. 100 Noodles (wagon wheels, macaroni, those little shells...)
38. 100 lollipops
39. 100 Legos (her brother said no...he didn't want to share)
40. 100 pieces of fabric (fat quarters maybe)
41. 100 conversation hearts (it is February after all)
42. 100 Pretzels (Food seems to be a good go to)
43. 100 Shapes. Triangles, Stars, Hearts, Circles (cut out on the Cricut)
44. 100 Rubber Bands
45. 100 Letters (Random alphabet letters...)
46. 100 words (make a list)
47. 100 Paper Clips
48. 100 Sea Shells (we found a bag at...you guessed it...the $1 store)
49. 100 Erasers
50. 100 Squinkies (We don't own 100 squinkies and I think this may have been a ploy to get me to buy more)
51. 100 Poker Chips ($1 Store!!!)
52. 100 Markers
53. 100 Birthday Candles (Would they let you take these to school??)
54. 100 Matchbox cars (Again too boyish for my girly girl)
55. 100 Silk Flowers (That's more like it....)
56. 100 Clothespins
57. 100 handprints
58. 100 Paint Swatches (I think she was talking about those sample paint chip thingys)
59. 100 pieces of ribbon
60. 100 Photos of yourself
61. 100 playing cards
62. 100 m&ms
63. 100 socks (If we could find 10 socks in our house that would be AMAZING!)
64. 100 magnets
65. 100 sheets of piano music
66. 100 Box Tops (I think you'd have to start saving these for awhile beforehand but then they could go right to the school when done!)
67. 100 Coupons (This one made me laugh when she said it because I am NOT a couponer)
68. 100 Handrawn Smiley Faces
69. 100 Lipstick Kisses on a posterboard (That kid loves lipstick!)
70. 100 Pipe Cleaners
71. 100 Valentine's Cards (the cheap-y ones)
72. 100 Pieces of paper
73. 100 Potato chips (these might break...but maybe if you did like a can of pringles?? IDK)
74. 100 Pieces of Gum
75. 100 Fruit Snacks
76. 100 Blocks
77. 100 Pieces of Yarn
78. 100 Invitations
79. 100 Binder Clips
80. 100 Pieces of colorful Duct tape
81. 100 Stamps (Like Stampin Up Stamps not Postage Stamps)
82. 100 hair clips
83. 100 napkins
84. 100 pieces of shiny confetti
85. 100 envelopes
86. 100 Dog Bones ( like the ones they eat...which is funny because we don't have a dog)
87. 100 Band Aids
88. 100 Bottle Caps (I don't know where you'd find these....I'd resort to the candy)
89. 100 Hand drawn Rain Drops (we're getting desperate here....)
90. 100 Shoe Laces (that could get costly...yikes)
91. 100 Flossers (You know those plastic thingys with the floss on them)
92. 100 Herbal Tea Bags
93. 100 Golf ball holder thingys (tees??)
94. 100 Index Cards (They sell them in neon colors)
95. 100 Plastic Spoons
96. 100 Paper Chain links (Make a paper chain)
97. 100 Cotton Balls
98. 100 Variety Mix (10 Groupings of 10 things ie. 10 Buttons, 10 Beans, 10 paper clips...etc.)
99. 100 Rhinestones (Bling Bling Bling-ety Bling...wouldn't this be cute on a poster board in the shape of the number 100...I tried and tried to convince her that this was the greatest idea EVER. It didn't work.)

and....drum roll please....

100. 100 Fingers....yes 100 Fingers.

Julianna wanted to have her hand traced 100 times but I thought that was just too much so we compromised with 100 FINGERS. Just 10 Pairs of hands traced and then mounted on poster board.


She cut out all but one pair of the hands out by herself and used a glue stick to put them all down on the poster board. It took her about 100 hours to cut those hands out but I wanted her to really take part in the whole project. After she was done gluing she wrote the title at the top. This was the hardest part for me to let go of because I'm a perfectionist but I really knew that it would mean more to her if she did the project than if I did the project. I think it came out beautifully and I'm proud of my little girl for all the hard work that she put into this project. Yay for 100 days of school!!!!

17 Days Left...(Brinton Update)

It's countdown time 17 more days to go and then he can get that wretched halo OFF! Only 17 days! That's an eternity!!

Top 3 things Brinton wants to do when he gets his halo removed:

1. Take a normal shower or a 3 hour bubble bath because he is so entirely sick of sponge baths.

2. Wash and cut his hair. He hates his long, shaggy, unruly, icky hair and he is just ready to have nice, clean, nicely groomed hair.

3. Wear normal clothes. With the halo on we've had to modify all of his shirts to fit over the halo. He has missed being able to wear some of his favorite clothes and he is bored with plain white tees and hoodies.

Yesterday, we had to go to Children's Mercy to be seen for an infection in 3 of his pin sites. Deep down inside I was hoping they'd say "It's close enough....let's take it off today!". But alas they gave us antibiotic ointment and a prescription for some strong antibiotics to use for the next 17 days. Boo. So there are still 17 days.

After our little stint at Children's we went to get some energy out at the play place at Mcdonalds. Let me tell you for a boy who just a month ago was still using a walker to get around and sitting in a wheel chair for long distance, he was going so fast up those tubes he was making me nervous!

You know he could be sitting at home bummed for the next 17 days or whining about the pin site infection but here he is climbing to the top of a play set he really shouldn't be able to climb to the top of! He is seriously the happiest, most fun loving kid and he teaches me so much about life every day.

Sometimes they steal my phone...

....and take pictures of themselves.

It's always a surprise when I open the camera roll on my iPhone and I find unauthorized photos...meaning the kiddos have "borrowed" my phone (likely without my permission) to practice their ninja photography skills.

I bet you can guess who is doing the majority of the iPhone "borrowing," right?

No??

Just look...does there seem to be a specific person reoccurring in all these pics??

Aidan-bug....

When I was pregnant with Aidan my kids downloaded this song called "Ladybug, Ladybug" onto my iPhone and they'd listen to it over and over and over again. After I had Aidan I often found myself singing this song as I rocked him to sleep, changing the word to "Aid-y-Bug, Aid-y-Bug.". Soon after I began calling him by the nickname BUG.

Aidan was a difficult baby....a very, very difficult baby. Often I would call him Bug and say "it's cause he bugs me" (true mommy confession right there. Please don't hate). Of course I adored my little bug but he cried a lot, he needed every single ounce of my attention, he hated nursing, hated everything, hated diaper changes, hated getting dressed, hated his car seat. He just wasn't the loving bundle of joy I envisioned and yet I loved him with every ounce of my soul even though I couldn't understand him.

As he is getting older his little personality has started to come to the forefront and he is a little loving terror on two legs. There is never a dull moment and I rarely have a chance to sit or do much of anything while he is awake because I am constantly having to keep my eye on him! I will say on the flip side he has been the only baby other than Brinton that I have been able to lie down in a crib, walk away and have him fall asleep both nap and nighttime with minimal fuss starting at 6 months. In that he has been an amazing baby.

True to his little self however he recently learned how to climb out of the pack and play where he sleeps, open the bedroom door, and come down the stairs with the happiest little grin like he is the most wonderful escape artist in the world. Today alone I put him down for a nap at least 7 times before he finally went down....or so I thought....the last time I laid him down and he seemed to finally want to go to sleep. He cuddled into his blankets and I went downstairs to do some dishes. About 10 minutes later I hear someone playing the piano!! Brinton was me so the only obvious explanation....

Aidan-bug!

I laughed so hard, then I took him right back upstairs and laid him down. He stayed sleeping for the next 1 1/2 hours. Shorter than normal but I got a couple of things done so I'm not complaining. Gosh, I love that boy! He sure does keep me on my toes!!

3 years....

3 years ago today I lost my very best friend, my mommy, to cancer. I miss her every single day. Every. Single. Day. I wish she was still here to talk to, to offer advice, to see my family grow, but I know I will see her again someday and I take comfort in that. I love you mommy. ♥

My Week in Review...Jan 16-20

Monday: After an eventful day of shopping in Joplin with all of our kids we walked back to the car, loaded it up with all our Sam's Club goodies, strapped everyone into their seat belts, put the key in the ignition and.....nothing. Our battery was dead. So of course we had jumper cables right? Of course not! So we basically waited for the next 30-45 minutes asking every person that walked by if they had jumper cables and guess what? Who knew it was National Leave Your Jumper Cables in Your Garage Where They Won't Do You Any Good Day?! Finally we found someone that happened to have a brand new, never opened set of cables that he'd had sitting in his car for the last 2 years. Ummmm does no one 's battery ever die? Is it just us? Oh well, he saved us and we were on our way.

Tuesday: I didn't feel like cooking real dinner so I made the kids a lame pot of Kraft Mac N Cheese and let them eat all the snacks they wanted (healthy and otherwise) then I went to a class at the church which was ironically about eating healthier and making better food choices....then I went to McDonald's and bought a $1 Mcdouble and ate it in about 3 bites.

Wednesday: It was a good day. However, it was also a long day that dragged on to eternity. I stayed up way too late after the kids went to sleep catching up on Downton Abbey, Dance Moms and Project Runway (all of which I watch online after the kids go to sleep because I have no tv/cable)

Thursday: One of those days where I play chauffeur all day long. I did have a two hour play date with a friend in the middle of the day that broke up some monotony but other than that I spent the day in my minivan. (Notice how I said that *I* had the play date...you know play dates are really for the moms to get out of the house so they can speak to another adult once in awhile)

Friday: It's still mid afternoon on Friday so it's anyone's guess what will happen BUT my dishwasher thats been broken for over a month is now fixed and Liam told me this morning that he didn't want zombies to take me away, ever. Random, I know, but cute and sweet in his own little 3 year old way.

So thats my crazy life week in review. :)

A Family Outing to KC....

A couple of weeks ago we took a quick trip up to Kansas City for one of Brinton's medical appointments. We decided to take the whole family up for the day and check out the progress on the Kansas City Temple....it's so beautiful, I seriously CAN'T WAIT to have a temple so close and not have to drive 4-5 hours!

(It was incredibly bright...squinting, squinting)(Julianna and Aidan fell asleep in the car)(Poor Julianna...she talked about it the whole way up and we couldn't wake her)(Well actually we woke her up but she just looked out the window, said it was so pretty, and fell back asleep)

After the temple we went to the dollar theater in Kansas City and saw the movie "Dolphin Tale" it was so cute and everyone but Aidan sat through the whole thing. There was only one other mom and her son there so it was nice to have the theater virtually to ourselves.


We then decided to go to the LDS Visitors Center in Independence, MO where we stayed for several hours watching movies, taking the tour, looking at Books of Mormon in every language imaginable and playing in the little Log Cabin area. We had so much fun that I forgot to take any pictures until just as we were leaving I made the kids stand over by the Christus so I could snap a shot with my iphone.

Christmas Day....

Christmas Day we woke up at 7am. The kids got their presents from Santa and then we ate breakfast and got ready for church. After church we came home opened more presents, watched a movie about the birth of Christ, talked about how special and amazing his birth was, colored nativities and then took long, long naps. It was a perfect Christmas and I LOVE that it was on Sunday so we could really just take the time out and just enjoy the special and true reason for the season. No pics....I forgot....I was enjoying the day too much! This will have to do....