One Man's Sacrifice

Over the last five weeks we have visited the auto repair shop several times. The people there definitely know Chance by name these days. Before our vacation, we spent around $2000 repairing the van and the Jeep. Not the best way to start out a vacation, but at least our two vehicles were back on track again in good condition.

Or so we thought.

A few days ago, when Chance was driving home from work, the Jeep started smoking/steaming like mad. Thankfully he was not too far from our friendly repairman and was able to coast over to the shop. The kids were quite distressed to see the steamy billows pouring from the Jeep when we arrived to rescue my stranded husband. It turns out the heat core failed/died/blew up and the repair job would be an additional $800. Our other option was to leave it, bypass the heat core and have no heater in the Jeep. Chance and I discussed it. He mentioned that Spring is slowly arriving and shortly it will be Summer. Surely, we can wait on this heat core repair another few months when things aren't so tight. Surely we can do that. Surely. So, that's what we did. We bypassed the heat core and the Jeep is heater-less.

I phoned him at work yesterday morning to find out if the car held up OK during his commute. He said everything was fine, but he had to stop at Tully's. He said "I needed a hot cocoa. It was snowing on my way to the office." This morning there was frost all over the car when I went out for the day - 2 hours after Chance left. I love this man. I don't know how he is surviving, but he hasn't complained once.

Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do

My blog posting has seriously declined recently. There is so much to write about and not enough time to do it justice. Perhaps that is the downfall of blogging for me. Somehow I have it in my mind that everything I post has to be meaningful to me and possibly to others. I haven't yet resolved this for myself and so instead I've been posting a lot of quotes lately. They are meaningful to me and hopefully at least provide entertainment to my handful of blog readers.


Noah: "When I get big I'm going to play football."
Tyler: "You can't play football, Noah, because you'll get hurt."
Noah: (growling) "Tyler, do you see the look on my face?"


Emma: "Mom, on my birthday when I wake up we'll put up the Christmas tree and then it will snow!"

Rocky II

Noah received his first set of stitches last Friday, on Tyler's birthday. I was in the middle of making Ty's requested birthday dinner menu, when Noah came running down the stairs screaming in agony. His hand was over his eye and very red blood was gushing down his arm. Imagine my panic and my wild imagination! Maybe he put his eye out while jedi training with lightsabers; maybe Tyler hit him with a baseball bat; maybe Emma stuck a fork in him ... thoughts like this rushed through my mind in the 3.2 seconds it took him to reach me.

I raced him into the bathroom. This was a huge mistake because there is a mirror in there. Noah took one look at his face and wailed in sheer terror. After a quick inspection I discovered he simply needed some stitches next to his eye. I was very relieved to find his eye still in its proper place. I cleaned the blood off his face and Noah calmed down. But Tyler was a bunch of nerves. I was certain Ty was somehow involved with this injury, but he was innocent. Noah had simply slipped in his room and smashed his face into the metal bar on his bed. (Noah has this idea that he is a superhero. Sometimes he runs around the house as fast as he can, like The Flash, and then he runs into things.) Tyler was an emotional mess and when I announced we were taking Noah to the doctor for stitches, he nearly fainted. "Stitches?!"

Noah had no idea what stitches were and I wasn't planning to tell him at that moment. But Tyler knew exactly what they were and his mind was freaking out. He was in tears thinking about Noah having to have all those needles stuck into his face. I seriously worried he was going to throw up. (Tyler has issues with needles. Every year he has to have a flu shot and every year it takes about 3 nurses and myself to hold him down. He is an accomplished screamer. I'm sure he'll be great in horror movies one day.) We reached urgent care and thankfully only had to wait a few minutes before Noah was called back. Noah was a brave guy - never cried, never moved, he just held my hand silently until it was over. Tyler had to wait in the hall. And Emma ... she couldn't have been more interested in those stitches. She sat up on the bed and watched the whole thing unfold, frustrated that she couldn't get a better view.

All children are so different.

"Here comes the invalid. I have to have two kinds of ice cream. I'm recuperating." ~ Tootie Smith, 1944 (Name that movie)

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Tyler is 8 today and begins a new chapter in his life. What an exciting month it is!

1. We just returned from a week long trip to Disneyland last week (more on that later)

2. This morning his classmates stood in a circle around him, sang a festive song and then showered him with compliments (which made Mom cry a little). This was followed by cupcakes for mid-morning snack (or "2nd breakfast" as its known around here).

3. Tonight he saw a cool movie with Dad.

4. Today he also visited urgent care while Noah received his first set of stitches.

5. Tomorrow is his Lego birthday party with all his favorite dudes!

6. Upcoming family date at Glo Golf...

7. Next Saturday he will be baptized!

8. Later that afternoon he'll be the guest of honor at a family party to celebrate his awesomeness.

Could this March be any cooler? No way, man!

Historic Words of Wisdom

“Mom, I need to brush my hair. It’s a little angry.” ~Age 3

“Oh no! It has poop on it!” ~Age 2, upon seeing a sausage pizza

“Mom, did you hear my guns?!” ~Age 3, after a large burst of gas

“Yes, a Harry Potter baby.” ~ Age 2, response to the comment that his mom had a baby in her tummy

“The doctor takes the baby out. You open up your mouth and say 'Ahhhh' and the doctor pulls it out your mouth.” ~Age 4

“Mom, I don’t like frogs.” ~Age 5, after eating split pea soup for the first time

“OK, Noah. It’s my turn to play soccer. Now you can watch how a man does it.” ~Age 6

"Mom, I think the Holy Ghost is with me right now. I haven't done anything bad yet." ~ Age 8

March Quotes

Noah to Emma: "You are the sweetest sister I ever had."

Noah (after falling off his bike and hurting his knee): "Mom, my knee is hot. I think it needs an ice cream sandwich."

Tyler, while drinking lemonade: "This is sour! Its makes my tongue nervous."

Emma: "I love you, Momma. You're my best friend."
Mom: "Thank you, Emma. I love you, too."
Emma: "Mom! You forgot to say 'You're my best friend, Emma' to me!"