Last few days

Gookie is no longer keeping her eye patches on. It is so frustrating to find them on the floor all over! So I got an ace bandage and I will try wrapping it around her head tomorrow. Sounds awful i know, but her eye isnt getting better when its not getting stronger.

Brad has had 5 days off and it has been nice to have him home. We havent really done anything, but atleast we are together.

Gookie was supposed to get her EEG tomorrow but I had to change it because we dont have the truck up and running and Brad's car doesnt have heat.

Tonight Brad and I were able to go to WINCO together without the kiddos. Hunter was asleep when we left and dear Bethany stayed here with the kiddos. I am so glad not to have had to bundle them up for the car without a heater.

Today Bethany and I went to the gym. And would you believe that I lost a pound?!? I thought for sure I had gained back everything and then these last 3 days I have tried really hard to have some self control with food. And I am so happy that it has paid off!

Now I plan to take a bath and defrost my toes.

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!

I asked Brad if we could do this and he said no. Bah Humbug!!

I love that they are singing a song about the Savior and not just Jingle Bells or something.

I knew it would happen, and today it did

For a few months now I have felt that the truck was going to die any day. I just knew that it was going to happen by the end of the year. It has been having problems and we havent been able to do anything about it financially.

The last 2 months I have been applying for jobs, knowing that we would need money because the truck was going to die, or "explode" as I would tell Brad.

Well today, we left my parents' house and I had a thought "the truck is going to explode". I kid you not, 2 minutes later the truck "exploded". It was chugging, making crazy noises, jerking and then a bang in the back and we couldnt do anything. We were a few miles outside of Tetonia and my brother was with us. My parents came and the kiddos and I rode in their car, following Brad very slowly home.

We are grateful to be home safe and sound. I am extremely grateful that I wasnt driving and alone with the kids, as this is how i envisioned it happening.

So with the truck out of commision, Boise State and BYU losing, it has been a very adventurous 2 days.

Just another day in Paradise

Playing Catchup

I havent been as dutiful with blogging and there are things I have missed. Here are pictures of when Hunter was able to go bowling with Papa Steve and Memaw. He got all his marbles in the cup!

Here are pictures of Gookies first haircut!! Beth cut off that awful long stand of hair in the back that made her have a mullet, a true Idahoan!

And some other pics of the kiddos.

Frigid

I think that word best captures the weather yesterday. We had a blizzard and all the roads were closed. It was so windy. Last night Brad and I were able to go to Harry Potter (could have sat for another 3 hours it was so amazing). I was soooo cold! It was in the negatives with the wind chill! In our kitchen our window has ice on the INSIDE. Yet we are warm and toasty.

This morning I took Hunter to preschool and it was 10 degrees but we dont have any wind so it is much warmer than yesterday. Pretty crazy that 10 degrees is "warm" compared to yesterday.

Gookie's Appointment

So on Monday Gookie went to the neurologist in Idaho Falls. We were late, the weather was bad and we saw atleast 5 cars that has slid off the road. Brad helped one lady out of a drift, what a man! ANywho

The Doctor was a wack job and we will NEVER see him again. He was strange and weird and walked out without a word to us to answer his cell phone, didnt ever make eye contact with us and when he was done just walked out of the room and Brad and I looked at eachother and said "uh, do we leave now?" Gookie will get an EEG to see if she is having seizures and then if so, we will definitely go to another neurologist. Brad and I both walked away feeling sick to our stomachs after seeing this guy, feeling unsettled I guess. We did not like his "bedside manner" I guess you can say.

So really, I wont know anything until the EEG and the hospital is supposed to call me and schedule that.

Hunter's Directions

I was just writing on a note pad directions for my mom on how to get around Idaho Falls, where Winco was in relation to the Mall etc. "You can turn on this exit and it will take you to WINCO and then if you go down farther to 17th st....."

Hunter got his own notepad and a crayon and was drawing and said his own directions. here they are " You sliiiiiiide down someone's back and POP!!! the popcorn and go down the mountain then up the mountain and that takes you to Grandpa Landon's!"

My Daughter the pirate

Today was Gookie's eye appointment. My parents came early today to watch Hunter for me while I took Gookie. I am SOO thankful they did as we were there for 2 hours. grammie and papa took Hunter to wal mart and to McDonalds where he played and played the whole time.

Meanwhile we get to the dr office and they didnt have Gookie on the schedule at all. The sitting room was packed and I had to sit on the floor. Thankfully they had some great toys and Brooke handled that hour really well.

The hardest part was waiting in the room but the front desk had some candy and i went out and grabbed some and the pacified her. Until she ran out, so the door stopper was her next source of entertainment and I let her go to town. The Doctor was in the next room and that was Gookie's not so settle way of telling him to hurry up, and he did.

Yes she definitely has a lazy eye and her brain is telling it to not be used as much. He checked her out real well and i totally trusted him and like him. For now, she will wear an eye patch on her good eye for 4 hrs a day for 2 weeks to strengthen the muscles in her bad eye. Dont really know how the patch will stay on as i know she will rip it off, but i will be diligent as i dont want her to have a crazy eye!!

Also i talked to him about my suspicions of mini seizures and what she does and how both eyes look totally dead and i cant snap her out of it. he said it sounded exactly like these mini seizures (he had a medical term for them) and that that would contribute to a lack of visual development. So i am glad that we are going to the Neurologist next week.

For now, Gookie will walk around with an eye patch and will call her our pirate.

A Sick, Snowy, Sunday

Last night Hunter slept in my bed and Gookie slept in her port a crib in my room and we had the humidifier going full blast! Poor Brad was banished to Hunter's bed. Yes, the kiddos and I have colds. The miserable part seems to be 2 days and I am on day 2. Hunter and Gookie have runny noses and just started last night horrible coughs. I also twisted my back yesterday by getting out of the back seat of the truck! Pretty lame! So the kiddos and I will stay home from church and luckily Brad is able to go and teach the lesson.

Right now Gookie is napping and Hunter is watching Peter Pan. Bethany and Beth rented it yesterday for him. A little bit ago he came to me so sad and he said "Mom, I cant fly. I dont have any sparklies (pixy dust)!! And he threw himself on my lap and laid there for a while.

Big snowflakes are falling as i type this. And I am loving it (because I dont have to drive in it)

Hunter's Tail

I used an old monkey costume and changed it up to be a bear this Halloween. I cut off the long tail and put on a short fluffy one. Since then, Hunter plays with the monkey tail everyday ALL DAY. I love hearing him and what he imagines up. He will either wear the tail and be a different animal, or the tail itself will be some animal. He is so imaginative, I LOVE IT! So yesterday he was wearing the tail and I took pictures to show you what it looked like. And yes, he wore it this way to "McCicles" (what he calls Arctic Circle). He asked me to take it off for him after it was hindering play time by other kids stepping on it.




Here Hunter is shaking Gookie's hand and saying "nice to meet 'cha!"



Gookie's Crazy eye. How can Brad NOT notice? Definitely taking picture to the doctor on Thursday. BIG difference.

Kiddos

Playing computer game with Beth

We have had it really easy with our kiddos in every way, but especially health. But with Gookie I feel so bad for her, it's like one thing after the other. First, it's her crooked legs. She has had ugly corrective shoes which straightened out her feet, now we have seen a orthopedist for her legs and will see him again in 6 months. She has an appointment with a neurologist to make sure she isnt having seisures. I have noticed certain things that correlate with eachother and could possibly be seizures, hoping i am totally wrong on this one. And her eye is drifting. Brad never notices it and i know its there and it has been frustrating to me to not have anyone else see it. Yesterday I asked bethany, "have you noticed this eye..." And she finished the sentence for me. So that felt good to know i'm not the only one seeing it, and yet i feel so sad too. Poor Gookie, crooked legs, crazy eye and possible seizures. So she has an appointment next thursday.

I know I still have no room to complain about my child's health, and how blessed we are.