My new boyfriend

As exhausting as it is to work three night shifts a week (only six more months before I get to cut my schedule in half!!) and be a mom, I must admit there are nights that my job is extremely rewarding.

This little guy, my Michelin Man, just melted my heart the other night. He is 7 months old and the fattest little dude I've ever seen. He is over 20 pounds had so many rolls, his diaper was hard to change. His parents couldn't stay the night, so he was my buddy. He sat in a swing next to me or on my lap while I charted and flirted with all of the nurses. He is now done with the second of his three open-heart procedures to fix his heart that will ultimately give him a circulation pattern through his heart that is totally different than normal. The surgeons literally cut and paste his incoming veins to his pulmonary circulation to bypass the need for a left ventricle that he is missing. He has done amazingly well and will go home soon.

I needed him because lately, it has just been one sad story after another. There are times when I cry on the drive home in the morning. I've had two patients lately that showed up in the ER who were otherwise totally healthy only to find out they have a diseased heart and need a transplant. Then there is the 10 month old with so many heart defects that they didn't know where to start. She has been on our floor so much lately that her mom and I have developed a friendship. And, finally there is a 17-year-old who beat cancer when he was 12 only to find out now that the chemo he got ruined his heart and he now needs a transplant.

Needless to say, I'm grateful for my Michelin Man to lift my spirits. And as much as I hate working 3 nights a week, I feel very lucky to be doing something that gives back to a hospital that has given us so much over the years.

This is the 10 month old referred to above. She got to go home yesterday and is pictured here with one of my favorite co-workers and fellow Rockies fan. This chunky monkey was only given a 50% chance of surviving her last surgery two weeks ago.

Growing pains

5th grade, here I come!
The big 2nd grader
Thumb sucker no more!
I'm a big girl now
















Well, we survived week one of school and it feels nice to be back into a routine. It is a little tricky with kids in two different schools, but they all seem to be exactly where they should be. Kaiya loves her 2nd/3rd grade combo class and Cooper has an awesome 5th grade teacher. Every year when I take the kids pictures on the first day of school, it doesn't seem possible that a whole year has passed.

Miss Kinley started preschool on Friday and finally, finally showed some interest in giving up her thumb. And, we are on day 5 of suck-freeness (a technical term, of course). She was thrilled to not have anyone make fun of her this week. :) Addictions are tough, though. At least a smoker who quits can get away from cigarettes, but chopping of her thumb wasn't really an option.

We bought the nasty stuff that you paint on to make her thumb taste bad and it has worked like a charm. The main ingredient in it is cayenne pepper, so the first night that we put it on at bedtime was a bit of a disaster. She put it in her mouth while she was sleeping and showed up in our room breathing like a dragon, half asleep. Ok, that was a little bit funny. So, here's to hoping we nipped her little habit in time to save us a few grand at the orthodontist!

Summer's last hurrah: The final chapter

Game on!
Pool party
Grandma's happy place
The ride home
Well, the reunion ended with a bang and we made it home at midnight on Saturday night. Just enough time to catch our breath since school started on Monday!

The last two days of the reunion were just as much fun as the first two. We took over the local pool (literally--the entire pool was rented for just our family), played some kickball, enjoyed some soft serve ice cream from Doug's brother's new 400pound new toy, had a family meeting, and raided the local snow cone shack (owned and operated by Doug's brother who was hosting the reunion) before heading out of town. It was a very quiet ride home in the car with lots of reflecting on a great trip!

We are in charge of the reunion in 2010, so any suggestions on how and where to host that size group are welcome!!

Summer's last hurrah: Part 3

I am so exhausted, it is all I can do to sit here and type. It is the good kind of exhausted--the kind where sitting down for a moment feels oh so nice! We got to Manti on Wednesday night and it has been non-stop action. Wednesday night was the 3rd annual talent show (video to come later--it's very good blackmail material) and yesterday was a 20 mile trek into the mountains in Manti. 40 people, 7 4-wheelers, 4 coolers of food, one portable homemade crapper, and a handful of fishing poles headed up for a day at Snow Lake.

I got a 2 minute lesson on how to drive a 4-wheeler and 20 miles later, we were there. We had to hold on for dear life at times and I feel like I've been hit by a truck this morning, but it was a great time. Several of the kids caught small rainbow trout and my kids both learned how to drive the 4-wheeler (can you hear the begging for our own?). We made it back to Manti in time for dinner and it looked like the land of the living dead this morning.

We took advantage of the free babysitting provided by the older cousins and most of the adults headed to the Manti Temple for a session. What a remarkable and beautiful place!! Tonight, we take over the local pool for a few hours and head out tomorrow. Whew!!!!

Summer's last hurrah: Part 2

Kaiya meets Claire
Kinley's turn to hold

Fun on Grandma's sun deck

Slip sliding away

So, today we depart for Manti for the official reunion. Fortunately, there have been enough cousins around already to keep the kids happy. It is so fun to watch them instantly connect each time they see each other. We got to meet the newest cousin, Clarie, and my girls thoroughly enjoyed holding her. Cooper got to spend the night with Aunt Nancy and clan and watch cousin Nicole take horseback riding lessons. He tells me he'll stick with golf--horses are a bit intimidating. :)

Yesterday was our day with Lori at her house. I am so lucky that my best friend lives close to my in-laws. The kids wore themselves out on the slip and slide and then we watched the Olympics, which was bad for the egos of two former gymnasts. Not only do we not understand the new scoring system, but we are more than twice the age of these girls now. How depressing.

We will report back to let you know if we survived our first assignment--the arrival dinner preparation for 40 hungry travelers. Yikes!!

Summer's last hurrah: Part 1

Not a bad looking group!
Dancing the night away
Dancing queens (belly and all!)
Hello, Brownie & Ginger










After working 3 night shifts in a row, I came home, slept for 2 hours and then we were off for our last hurrah of the summer. First stop: my cousin Andrea's wedding atop the mountain in Steamboat Springs. Weddings are always fun, but this one was spectacular! We rode the gondola to the top of the mountain where the ceremony took place and stayed late into the night. The kids had an absolute ball on the dance floor (and if you know Kinley, she had no trouble shaking her booty out there) and it made us all that much more excited for my brother's wedding in October. Today, we took off for Utah and arrived at Doug's parents' house. We head for his family reunion in Manti on Wednesday. Until then, we will enjoy the calm before the storm (there are 16 adults and 24 grandkids just in Doug's immediate family all staying in one place)! The kids love being here and watching them soak in all the love from Grandma and Grandpa is wonderful. Kaiya was thrilled to see two horses in Grandpa's pasture and I enjoyed wandering into his fabulous quarter acre garden and helping myself to raspberries and tomatoes. It just doesn't get any better than than a sliced tomato right off the vine(right, Kris?).

18 years and counting . . . .

The kids and I got to spend Thursday afternoon and evening with my best friend, Lori, and her two kids. We had the best time and I hated saying goodbye. She has been my rock for 18 years and counting. Through college, marriage, the births of my kids and every event in between--Lori has been there. There are times in my life I know I would not have survived but for her love and support. Even though she lives in Logan, we see each other a lot since Doug's family is in Logan and her family is in Denver.

We met in Ft. Collins for the afternoon before she headed to Steamboat with her family. The kids played and played at Fort Fun and then we ate at Beau Jo's pizza. I haven't heard my kids laugh that hard in a long time. Cooper told me it was the best day of his whole summer.