Doctors and Hospitals and Beads...OH MY!

I just wanted to share the week we have had, so just bare with me or stop reading...but I promise it is a good story!

Tuesday: Noah gets a really bad tummy ache and diarrhea (gross, I know). We went to McDonalds with some friends and basically we spent the whole time in the restroom. Not to mention his nasty accident he had that required us to go home. When we got home he was just begging for some medicine. So we go to CVS and ask the pharmacist what would be good for the little guy to help him feel better. She gave me some stuff and we were on our merry little way . He was feeling better, so thats good.

Wednesday: Noah woke up with a mild temperature, but was acting fine. I put him down for a nap, he woke up and he was on fire. His temperature was 103.5. So I called the Dr. and the nurse told me 1. the medicine that CVS told me to get was a horrible choice and 2. to get him to them ASAP. We pull up to the offices and he starts throwing up and grab him and he finishes in the parking lot. The Dr. checks him out and tells me he has pink eye and strep throat. (We assumed the tears and gunk were allergies...we do live in TX after all). That night we got no sleep. There were some serious thunderstorms and loud thunder and bright lightning. Ben had to work late and Noah's temperature was rising and rising. (It got to 104.5) . I was panicking. Ben didn't get home until 11 pm to find Caden still up (b/c of the thunderstorms), I was freaking out and Noah was just dazed and confused. By then the temperature had gone down significantly (101.5), thank goodness.

Thursday: This one is my favorite. It is book club night! Yeah! I have very much been looking forward to book club. So I bring my yummy dessert (look for the recipe in the following post) and start enjoying myself. Not 10 minutes later I get the phone call..."Summer, I need you to get home right now...Noah stuck a bead up his nose." Great...my night is ruined. I get home and see Ben trying everything to get the thing out. We tried teaching him how to blow his nose, we tried getting him to sneeze by sniffing pepper (that just doesn't work), and whatever else the internet said to try. Nothing was working. So we called Care Now (I think they know us on a first name basis now) and they said I just need to take him to CookChildrens Hospital. So I (yes I, Summer) , had to take him to the ER. We get there, and the place is filled with people. There is a 3 hour wait. I asked if I could just take him to the urgent care and they said that would probably work, they have to first check him out and register him first. So that went well...we no longer have to wait 3 hours or pay for an ER visit. When they started checking him out, he was asleep, well, they were poking and prodding and weighing him, so of course he woke up. Then the chatting began. He would not stop talking. "Hi, what's your name?" "I stuck a bead up my nose," "My name is baby Noah, I'm 2," "I'm potty trained," "Whats that?" "Who is that?" "What's wrong with that baby?" the list goes on....

We go to the urgent care which is across the street...we had to walk...it was 10pm...in downtown Fort Worth...we will leave it at that. (Just a little spooky b/c anyone could just pop out at you. Plus I had no idea where I was going). We go there, we are the only people in the waiting room and were able to see the Dr. right away, thank goodness! She walked in and Noah started the questions and statements all over again. (Did I mention that everyone just laughs and laughs, which is just egging him on...especially when they find out what he did?) So, between me, another nurse and the Dr. holding him down, the bead came out in under one minute. (She used special scissor things with a blunt end to get it out, luckily the bead had a hole at the end). He was so happy and proud of his bead and that it was out. Hallelujah! We were in and out in about 2 hours.This is Noah, with a bead up his nose (He is holding the look alike so the Dr. knew what she was dealing with). Yes, he was enjoying the experience way too much.
This is what Noah was doing the second the bead was out. So relieved he could pick his nose again, b/c for about 3 hours, that couldn't happen.
This is an M&M and THE bead, so you can see how big that thing was! (At least for a 2 year old!). The bead came off of an art project Caden did at school that day. Remind me to thank his teacher on Monday for the costly bead!

Caramel Crunch Bars

I subscribe to this fun magazine called All You. I love it! They had a picture of these yummy bars, and I had to make them. I wanted to share at my monthly book club. I was so excited to go and let everyone tell me how amazing they are etc...Too bad I only got to stay at my book club for about 10 minutes before I get a phone call telling me that Noah stuck a bead up his nose. So I have no idea what people thought of these, all I know is that I think they are yummy! Hope you like them! It is by Kraft Foods.
Caramel Crunch Bars

4 1/2 HONEY MAID Honey Grahams
1 bag (11 oz.) Kraft Caramel Bits
2 TBS milk
1/2 c. Planters Cocktail Peanuts
1/2 c. miniature marshmallows
1/2 coarsely crushed pretzels
4 squares Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted (or chocolate chips)

Line 8" pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil generously with shortening. Place grahams on bottom of pan, cutting t fit if necessary.

Microwave caramel bits and milk in microwaveable bowl on high 2 minutes or until caramel bits are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour over grahams; top with peanuts, marshmallows and pretzels. Drizzle with chocolate.

Refrigerate 1 hour. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan before cutting into bars to serve. Makes 1 doz. bars.
ENJOY!

Celebrating Earth Day

Today we celebrated Earth Day (a day late) during FHE. Ben taught the lesson and shared the story of the Creation. Part 2 will be tomorrow night where we will take the boys to the park and will pick up trash and take a little nature walk and show them all the things we need to be grateful for.For dessert we had an Earth Day cake. So good...cream cheese frosting, raspberry filling, YUM-O!
Ben had each of us draw pictures of what we are thankful for, this one happens to be Ben's picture...what an artist!
This is Caden's picture. Ben was teaching him how to draw...not bad for a little 5 year old!
Yes, this is Noah's picture. I'm not quite sure the angle he was going for. Ben seems to think it is California during the summertime...lots of fires.
This one is mine...I know, it is truly amazing. It is for sale to the highest bidder.

Ben and I watched Oprah last year on Earth Day and we had an epiphany about how we need to change and make several simple changes to our lifestyle. Here are some of the things we have done this last year:

* Decreased our garbage by about 50% and increased our recycling amount by 50%
* Switched out 95% of our incandescent lightbulbs and replaced them with compact florescent lightbulbs.
* Switched electric companies from Reliant to Green Mountain (we now purchase 100% of our energy from renewable sources).
* We quit bagging our lawn clippings.
* Ben installed a low flow shower head (he put it in our bathroom, but it felt like pin needles gouging my back, so it is in the guest bathroom and Ben showers there every day! Sorry to all our guests, we will change it when you come!)
* Purchased a programmable thermostat.
* Started using all organic/natural cleaning products (let me tell you how much it has helped with my allergies and hives...major difference!)
* Use environmentally friendly laundry detergent (Winfree from Costco).
* Use organic fertilizer in the yard.
* Requested the blocking of large percentage of our junk mail.
* Got a smart power strip for the computer.
* More conscientious about unplugging electronics not in use.

We continue to look for more opportunities to be good stewards of what Heavenly Father has given us. However, I put my foot down on starting our own compost. No thank you!

I'd be interested to know what things your family does to be green. Please leave a comment with your ideas. Thanks.

Time Out For Women

This weekend my sweet husband let me go to Time Out for Women (TOFW). It was in Oklahoma City, OK. Just a short 3 hour drive away. Me and my good friend Sharla P. Wilde went together. We left on Friday, April 18 and came back on that Saturday. We had so much fun! On Friday it started at 6:30 pm and some really cute girls, Mercy River, sang. If you haven't heard of them, thats because they are new, but when you hear them you will love their songs. Just to prove how cool I am, they signed my CD. Then Kim Nelson spoke to us, he was hilarious! Then Michael McLean performed. First time to see him. I'm not gonna lie to you...he doesn't have the greatest voice and he forgot most of the lines and had to read them off a paper. I'll leave it at that. But he was very funny.

On Saturday there were tons of speakers and lots of singing. Mercy River sang again, then Hilary Weeks (you may not know her name, but trust me you know all her songs), Dean Hughes spoke (author of Children of the Promise), Camille Fronk Olsen spoke, then Merrilee Boyack, Jason Wright (he is on the NY Bestsellers list) and Carolyn Rasmus. It was a great conference, I may have to go back every year! It makes you miss and appreciate your family and want to try to be a better more understanding mother and wife. I also realized that I'm not the only mom who is trying to balance: being a good mom, being a good wife, be good at your calling, and in the mean time: cook meals, clean the house and play with the kids. Apparently, most people feel the same way...imagine that:-) So I was greatful to get a little spiritual boost and get recharged.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the fun event! Hope you enjoy!
Mercy River performing.

To prove my coolness, here is the CD they signed for me. Look how cute their hair is, Sharla and I want to cut our hair now. Especially Sharla.This is Jason Wright and Robyn. Apparently, "his peeps" are trying to get him on Oprah. I knew I should have gotten in the picture also! Oh well, I have an autograph to prove it:
The autograph.
Some ladies from our ward who went to TOFW. Alicia, Kathy, Lynette, Sharla, Summer, Robyn.
Myself and Sharla P. Wilde. (I'm not sure why, but that is what I have to call her. Her real middle name is nowhere near P. It actually starts with an S. She's a good sport.) We rode up together and shared a hotel room together. I'm not sure I will ever share with her again. She woke me up at 12:30 am to tell me that she forgot to take down the GPS (which is mine) and she was worried that it would get stolen. She was actually on her way out the door. I had to yell, "Sharla P. Wilde, get back in bed!" I had to beg her to go back to sleep. At least thats what she told me what happened. I thought it was all a dream, in fact I was telling her about my "dream" and she was like, Summer, that really did happen....I guess I'm the freak? Anyway, it didn't get stolen, which is good news.

If anyone is interested in coming to the next one...let me know! The more the merrier!

What is Wrong With Me?

The last couple of days have been a complete blur for me. It all started on Monday evening around 6pm. I started having weird pains on my right side. I didn't think much of it until that night when I couldn't sleep b/c the pain was so severe. So that morning Ben took me to the minor emergency clinic (while my amazing friends watched the boys, Thanks!!), and they said I need to go to the ER and get a CAT scan b/c they think it might be an appendicitis. So we rush over to Baylor (amazing hospital by the way) and they got me going on some drugs right away. Then I had to drink this nasty stuff so my organs will "glow" when they do the CAT scan. So I get the CAT scan and they had to inject some iodine in me (which was really weird feeling, it just felt like my chest and stomach were really warm and then it felt like I was peeing on myself). The tests came back normal. Great, no surgery needed, but now we have to figure out whats wrong with me. They did an ultra sound, normal. Pelvic exam, normal. So, they load me up with lots of pain killers and send me home. Let me tell you how bad the pain is: can't walk, can't breathe, can't cough, can't lay down, can't sit up, you get the picture. The next day I had to go to my regular family Dr. who was in contact with the ER Dr. They just said to go home and rest. So I did. I slept and slept and slept. Now today, I feel fine. My pain level is at 2, where as before it was a good 9.5-10. So progress has been made! I am on a clear liquid diet. Let me just tell you how hungry I am! I am hoping I can eat me some grub tonight.

I want to thank everyone for all the prayers, without them, who know what could have happened! Also thanks to all the family and friends who have called and watched my boys, that was a huge blessing! Thank you!

Caden's 5th Birthday...A.R.M.Y style

Wow! It has been a very long time since I have posted anything. It has been one of those weeks. I was getting ready for Caden's b-day, my parents were coming, and I got a new church calling...YW President (needless to say, I feel a bit overwhelmed). So with all of that, things have calmed down, and there are lots of pictures! Caden's birthday party was on Saturday, April 12 (his real b-day is on the 11th) and we had it at Chuck E. Cheese. Let me tell you how great it is to have a party somewhere other than your home. There is no cleaning before, planning games, cleaning up after, etc... and you end up spending about the same! I'm becoming a fan! Although you all know how much I love to plan a party!! Anyway, here are some pictures of our weekend.
This is the cake I made. It took me FOUR hours to make the thing. I am happy the way it turned out though! Can you guess what the tire treads are??? Bubble tape painted black. The "gun" or "missile" is a pretzel rod covered in chocolate. The dirt is frosting with crushed Nilla wafers and brown sugar. I think I am enjoying making cute cakes like this...if anyone needs a cake, I'll make it for you!!!

Caden and his best bud, Evan.
Caden blowing out his candles. While this was happening, Noah was at some other kids table blowing out his candles. Oops. All of a sudden I see all the parents looking over at the other table laughing hysterically and I look over and see him doing his mischief and the other table is just staring at Noah. I'm sure they just wanted to strangle me!
Caden and Noah with Chuck E.
Of course all the Dad's had to have their own little cup of tokens so they could play their own games. This is Ben and his dad, Ed, playing some gun game.
Caden with his friend, Hannah (her parents are our good friends from Lewisville, Kelly and Alma)
Poppi and Noah, dressed as Spiderman. A few minutes after this picture, we were outside saying goodbye to Ben's family and Noah was running around in his little outfit and ran smack in the middle of a pillar in the front of our house. He split is lip open and scrapped his chin up pretty bad. Not too mention he got some big bruise on his cheek while at Chuck E. Cheese. He's not looking so good right now...
After his birthday party, he had a soccer game to play in. He scored 2 goals: one for Mimi and one for Poppi. He did a great job! Go Caden!
The Thunder Dragons!!! Caden, Ayden, Caden, Evan, Cason. Are they not the cutest??

Update on the Potty Training...Noah did it in one and a half days! Was he ready or what? The other day we were on our way to preschool and when we were half way there and yells:
Noah:"Mom, It's Gonna Blow!"
Me: "What? What's gonna blow?"
N: "Me! I gotta go! I gotta go pee!!"

Needless to say, now whenever he has to go potty really bad, he yells, "It's gonna blow!"
Anyway, he's done really well, the #2 thing is just getting underway. His excuses have been:
1. Mom, it just too hard
2. Mom, its just too big, it won't come out or,
3. I'll find him in his room trying to put a diaper on himself, which was quite amusing to watch.
So, for those of you who have two kids, and ready to potty train the second, it's MUCH easier than the first. Now, for Jamie who has twins...good luck!!

Do You Want To Make Pie?

I finally have a few minutes to share a blog...there is much to blog, so I will scatter them throughout the week:-) I serve in Young Womens at my church and it was "Pie Night" last night and all the leaders have to bring a pie. So, I made one up since I don't have very many pie recipes. I hope you enjoy it, the girls seemed to like it. (I was going to post a picture of the inside of the pie, but it was gone...I thought I would have gotten some leftovers, oh well, use your imagination!) Grasshopper Pie:
Crust:
1 Oreo pie crust

Ganache:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. vanilla (opt.)

Place chocolate chips in a bowl. Set aside. Heat whipping cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the cream on top of the chocolate chips, allow to stand for 3-5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth and creamy. Pour about 1/2 cup - 1 cup (or more if you would like) of ganache on bottom of pie crust. Refrigerate until firm. (Keep the remainder in the fridge and you can make truffles out of the rest: roll into a ball and coat with powdered sugar or cocoa or chocolate covered strawberries, or just eat it out of the bowl like my children)

Ice Cream Part:
2 pints of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Take it out of the freezer and let it get soft. Put it in a bowl and get it smooth and put on top of the ganache. Freeze it for at least 4 hours.

Toppings:
Whipped cream:
1 c. heavy whipped cream
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds its peaks. Put in a pastry bag and pipe stars around the pie. Put crushed mint OREOS in the center. Voila!
This is a picture of what I found...Noah with his little chair digging into the remainder of the ganache. Yes, we are potty training, you are lucky you don't see whats really under the shirt! Needless to say, between him and Caden, I didn't have enough to make truffles.

Potty Training In Progress...

Sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile. We have been potty training. Let me tell you how much I hate potty training. Caden seems to think that he should get just as much juice and treats and prizes as Noah does. (Not to mention all the unnecessary sugar that these boys are getting, total sugar rush!) Everytime Caden goes potty, he thinks he should get the potty dance and everything else! Whats up with that? Noah is peeing in every and all rooms of the house. My bathroom isn't smelling so great, and I have to take him to the bathroom like every 10 minutes. For those of you who haven't had to potty train yet...your in for a treat! However, Noah is so ready for it...lately he has been ripping off his diaper when anything gets in there, let me tell you what a mess that has been;) He also asks me all the time to go potty and runs to the potty to go. It's time. We bought all the prizes, treats and juice yesterday and have been in training. We've had some success. I still hate being stuck at home and not leaving the house. Oh well. Not having to change diapers is keeping me going! I am seeing the light! Anyway...If you have some suggestions that worked for you, especially with going #2, let me know! I'll post some other things later, especially with which logo I will be picking! Thanks for voting!

Logo!

My amazing roommate from college has been designing my business logo. She has come up with several to choose from. They are all so amazing I can't decide which one I like the best! So, click on the link and leave me a comment and let me know your top 3 favorite, or if you are dead set on one, one is good too! I am so excited! As soon as I choose, then she will do my business cards, stationary, etc! Kellie, you are amazing! Thank you so much for doing this for me! Also, if any of you need some amazing photographs or a new logo yourself, contact Kellie here.

To look at the logos, click here: (don't forget to leave a comment!!)
Elements Photography

Our Annual Easter Trip...

It seems like the last few years we end up in Austin for Easter. So, I'm thinking that this might be our new family tradition. If you ever want to come...we would love it! Last year we were with my cousin, Jennie and her family . This year we went with my parents. We had so much fun! We got there on Friday and spent the day stuffing ourselves and then shopping. Let me tell you how wonderful the outlet shopping in Austin are...you never leave empty handed!

The next day we went to McKinney Falls and did a 3 mile hike. Yes, with the 5 year old and a 2 1/2 year old! They burnt off LOTS of energy! Here are some pictures from the day!Getting ready for the big hike! Yes, Noah is wearing a Pirates "hat" with the "beads" hanging from it.

Stopping for a break. We found picnic benches and had some lunch and then had an Easter Egg Hunt. We fill most of the eggs with candy and then some others with a paper that says "prize!!" and with that egg, they get a prize. Well, they refused to pick up the empty ones because there was nothing in them. What's the point??


On Sunday, we went to see the capitol. What a beautiful building! The boys seem to have a problem with taking pictures. Caden does some fake smile and can't hold still and Noah just does his own thing. So these were the best we could do. Maybe one day I can get some good pictures out of them...until then, this will have to do!!







While we were walking around, a police officer came up to us and asked if the boys wanted to play in the cop car!! How cool is that? so the boys had a fun time playing around in there and pushing buttons. Too bad there were no bars in the back, we could have locked them up!

Tag, I'm It!

I got tagged by my friend Kandice...so if you want to know more about me and Ben, continue reading!!

How did you meet your spouse?
My older brother, Eric, and Ben were next door neighbors at Ricks. Eric told me that Ben is serving his mission in Paris, France and that I should start writing him. So I did, and we wrote each other for 2 years before we finally met. We met on our first date...

Where did you go on your first date?
I lived in Houston and Ben lived in Dallas and Ben and his mom were driving to Houston to see a friends mission return. So Ben and I met up and decided we would go to dinner and a movie. Well he called me that day and told me that his mom wanted to come. I didn't want to feel awkward so I made my mom come with me. All four of us went to Outback Steakhouse, and it we had fun, not at all awkward. Then we ditched the mom's and we went to a movie.

How long have you been together?
Married for 8 years on May 5, but "dated" for over a year and friends 2 years before that. So I guess 11 years or so.

Who eats more?
Depends on what we are eating. If it is "Ben friendly", then Ben does. If not "Ben friendly" then me.

Who said I love you first?
Ben did, and I said thank you back.

Who is taller?
He is

Who sings better?
Ben does. I am completely tone deaf!

Who is smarter?
It depends on the issue.

Who does the laundry?
Unfortunately, I do. But if it gets out of control, then he helps me.

Who does the dishes?
Both of us.
.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
If we are laying in the bed, I do.

Who pays the bills?
Ben

Who mows the lawn?
Ben does. I help weed though!

Who cooks dinner?
I do. Ben can only make crepes and chocolate mousse.

Who drives when you are together?
Mostly Ben, sometimes I do.

Who is more stubborn?
That would be me.

Who is the first to admit when they're wrong?
Ben is...I am very, very stubborn.

Who's parents do you see the most?
It's a toss up. Sometimes mine, sometimes Ben's.

Who kissed who first?
We kissed each other.

Who proposed?
Ben did. I went to Dallas to meet his family and he planned the whole thing. He took me out to dinner at Reunion Tower (it is the big ball of lights you see in the Dallas skyline and it rotates so you see it all). He proposed after dinner and after we went on a white horse carriage ride through downtown Dallas. So romantic.

Who is more sensitive?
I am.

Who has more friends?
We both have tons of friends.

Who has more siblings?
Ben does. He has 5 brothers, I have 3 brothers (notice how there are no sisters, and also notice that I have 2 boys. Do you foresee any girls in the works???)

Who wears the pants?
We both do on certain things.

I tag: All my family members with a blog...yes, that means YOU!

More Projects...

I was looking at my favorite blog: tipjunkie and I saw this fun project (except I made these):of course I was in love because they are so adorable! It came from a fabulous blog called: tayloredexpressions. Click on it and you can see her cute bottles. Anyway, I made them for a friend for her birthday, and I was so excited to share! The bottles and box are the Starbucks Frap bottle you buy at the grocery store and then just fill them up with lots of yummy candy. I did Easter candy and picked out only the colors that worked with the paper! Really fun and easy to make.
This second project was really fun. My client had these plant stands, which I'm sure most people have:
It stuck out like a sore thumb in her room, so I took them and put a dark brown glaze to them and this is how they turned out:
You can do this to anything that is plaster like...think fireplace, planters, etc...

Project Bathroom

You may be wondering why I have all of a sudden been doing all these projects to my house...well in about 1 1/2 weeks, the ladies at my church are coming over to my house so I can give them tips on decorating. No pressure!! There are so many things that I need to get done! At least I have a reason to do the things I've been meaning to do! Like the boys bathroom. It is pretty much the last room to be painted. And let me tell you how badly it needed it...well, let's just say that boys like to wipe "things" next to the toilet...enough said! It needed a fresh coat of EGGSHELL paint rather than the flat paint cheap builders use! So, without further ado...the before and after pictures of the bathroom!
Before: boring bathroom
Before
After! It's my new favorite room in the house. I might just use this bathroom instead of my own! We will see!
Now, the shelf may look too high, the picture just made it look that way. We had to have Ben test out how high it should be so no one will hit their head on it when they stand up. So no worries anyone! Your head is safe!
Now, the next project is for my Dad to come up and put in some nice tile instead of the awful vinyl that is there! Hope your up to it Dad!!