Quick Update

The Good:

The sun is shining!!! I cuddled up on the floor in the rays of the sun and soaked up all the natural, through the window, warmth that I could. Unfortunately, the blinding, squinty glow of the sun is very deceiving when it comes to the temperature but that's ok for now. I'm just grateful to see the sun.

Levi has applied for college, had a call back and request for an entrance essay and we are working on getting all the financial paper work taken care of. That requires me to get the taxes done NOW.

Erika got a job at Wendy's.

Nathan has been going to pre-school like a professional student. He's one step closer to overcoming his social fears. Fearless may be quite a ways away but so far we are happy with tearless.

Justin finished Cub Scouts and earned his Arrow of Light.

Derek is the best darn babysitter around and the little boys adore him. I couldn't accomplish near what I do without his help. And . . . he was named the Science Student of the Month at the Jr. High. He has no idea what that means except that his picture is hanging in the hallway. We're not sure either since he has a B. But, okay, fun. Maybe his science teacher just likes his witty humor.


The Bad:

Justin missed 3 days of school and ended up with a shot in the leg because of a bad strep infection.

Hyrum is on 3 medications and breathing treatments for bronchitis and an ???? airway infection (can't remember the full medical term). It came on so fast that I'm afraid he has probably already passed it on. Luckily, there were only 6 of the 17 nursery kids there on Sunday (though not very lucky for the other 5).

LeRoy is overdoing it as usual and has been found on more than one occasion to sleep in his recliner all night long . . . on purpose. He is so determined to work hard and keep up his pre-surgery pace. His body is so determined to slow him down enough to heal.


The REALLY REALLY BAD:

I have to go back to glasses.

Last August I had LASIK done and it was AWESOME . . . for 6 weeks. And it has been getting worse ever since. I've had an extremely annoying headache for almost 2 weeks now and I think it's because of my eyes, actually the optometrist confirmed that it was from my eyes. Through the monthly appointments they have charted my regression and it is still changing even 6 months later. It's bad enough that I squint and turn my head a little to the left to read the computer screen, I can't read books without straining my eyes and I probably shouldn't be driving. My only option for this month is to go back to glasses. They are giving me this free-trial cheapy ugly pair for a month to see if anything changes by next month but already they are telling me that it might not even be an option to have a touch up done (which would be included in the initial cost). They had to cut so much of the cornea away the first time that they're afraid there's not enough left to mess with. Can I have a refund? Seriously!! I did not save for YEARS to face my worst fear (going blind) to have 6 weeks of perfect vision only to go back to glasses!!!

Scout Advancements

During the first week of February Justin crammed his way through his last few requirements so that he could receive his Arrow of Light. The day of pack night I crammed my way through a last minute craft project to make an Arrow of Light to be given to him for his advancement.

Unfortunately, Justin was very sick that day. He had the chills and was very pale but still wanted to go because this was to be his last event in Cub Scouts. He stayed in the back of the room and didn't talk to anyone because we were suspecting that he had strep since it was running through our family and Kellie's family. He managed a weak smile for pictures and then went home and slept.



Having Brendan here for a couple of months was helpful to Justin in his scouting because Brendan was so excited about it and Justin wanted it to be over. They both worked really hard to pass off all the stuff they needed to in order to get their advancements before their February birthdays.

Nathan Videos

Nathan's latest hero is Alvin. I wish I had an inset video of the clip with Alvin dancing because Nathan is doing it perfectly. I'm thinkin' that it may be time to retire the Ralph suit (that is now at least 2 inches to short) and for his birthday make him an Alvin costume.




Life would not be complete without a three year old's version of American Idol. To see the clip that he learned this from go here: Pants on the Ground Simon was right, it's a hit . . . at least to Nathan.




I've been trying to help Nathan and Hyrum understand the concept of obedience and what better way to do that than with the Standing Tall Series? The "Land of Obey" was one of my favorites growing up and has quickly become one of their favorites also. It's really hard not to laugh when Nathan looks at me with big serious eyes, questioning my choices, and asks "are you living in the land of obey?" This is a perfect video to show how Hyrum is copying everything that Nathan does. The two of them are adorable together!