Pick up the paste

Today was a one of those days that starts early and must be done in double step time.

We had to pick up "Tilly" for school as her Mommy is sick and drop her off at her own school, which turned into a conversation about "public" vs. "private".

Private won according to the children.  They love their school.  They love their teachers.  I love that they are being taught according to each of their own abilities because the classes are small enough that it can be done.  I love that it is a faith based school.  It is not our religion, but they do get to learn about our Savior and I don't believe that can ever be wrong.  Besides, it give Miss Boo (the Dude too) and me some great opportunities for discussion about religion and through that I see her testimony growing.

She will always have the opportunity to question things and to decide for herself.  Her testimony will be strong because she doesn't have the opportunity to have a blind one.  She can handle it and I am proud of her for the questions she does ask.

As we were trying to get onto a busy street, the cars were putzing down the road.  I really can't stand that, especially when I am in a hurry.

Miss Boo shouts at the cars, "Pick up the paste"!

If I hadn't been in a good mood, that would have made it an easy transition.

We just found out that Mr. Finn has to return to the frozen tundra a week early.

We are sad.

Everyone is doing well from their surgeries.  We are inching back to normalcy.

Thanks for all your love, well wishes and advice.

The night that ate the day....

Where to begin.  I really can't even find a starting part that doesn't contain the word or thought of exhaustion.  And that really makes for a boring post.

I knew this week would be difficult with all three having their tonsils out, the part I didn't factor in was the lack of sleep I would suffer from and how that would affect the household.

It wasn't pretty some days and it makes me sad that I couldn't rise above the sleep deprivation and shine.  I don't know how people can overcome it.  It takes me down and unfortunately it took a toll on all of us.

I really don't know if my kids were whinier than usual, but they were bossier.  Or were they?  It is hard to tell when you have fog for brain.  Everything was so much bigger than I'm sure it was.

Many melt downs.  MANY!  Some of them were mine.

One trip to the ER for Mr. Finn on Friday night.  Thank heavens for a great Home Teacher that dropped what he was doing at 10 o'clock at night and came to sit at our home so the children didn't have to be woke up.  It turned out to be nothing major, thank heavens, but it took yet another toll to some already tired bodies.

I chose not to wake the children for their medication to see how they would do and that turned out to be a bad mistake.  By 4 a.m. the Dude was crying from the pain and then Miss Boo started around six, but by then she was irrational from the pain.

It was a very long night of a very long week.

We are going to church this morning for a respite from the drama.

Before and After

We gave the children some buddies to help them not be afraid for their surgeries.  The Dude named his "wizard" (lizard) Swirly.

And Miss Boo named her caterpillar "Catherine".  She was so excited to have her tonsils come out and especially happy about the fact that all her classmates were going to be jealous because she was the first one.

 She entered the recovery room smiling and waving.  She looked so peaceful.  She proclaimed it the best time ever.

 This is a lesson in pain meds.  1 1/2 hours after surgery he is finally calm thanks to some serious pain meds that they waited to give him.  They also rewrapped his IV after getting bugged for over an hour that it hurt.  I kept telling them that it was too tight and they said it wasn't.  The Dude was not having anymore of that and was trying to yank it out.  He broke me heart when I came into recovery to see him.  He bottom lip was trembling and he was crying.  I wanted to cry seeing him like that.

My friend came to be with us the whole time.  I am so grateful for her emotional support and helping to calm down my little boy.

I went through every gamut of emotion during this day.  I don't ever want to have the experience of watching my child be taken away.  They were talking to the Dude about seeing the equipment they use to take out tonsils.  He had been so curious as to how they really do it and since the Doctor wasn't being very clear about it they offered him the opportunity to see it.  I didn't know they weren't bringing him back before the surgery and I got extremely emotional.

My mind was reeling with "what ifs" and my not seeing my son again.  I was on the edge of panic until they told me he was out of surgery.  The nurse apologized to me for not telling me what she was doing.  It's easy to forgive when you are sure your child is o.k.

I wonder about those instances when something goes wrong.  Is it impossible to forgive... how do people get over that hurdle?  I truly couldn't imagine how hard that would be.

I am so grateful that there wasn't any hitches and my family is here at home.  Thank heavens for pains meds.  I keep saying that, but oh my!  When they start to wear off it turns into a horror movie.  Lots of whining and yelling and crying.

Only 5 more days to go...

That's what they say!

I'm sticking with that.  School on Monday for both kids.  I am going to need that time to recoup.

I want to give a big shout out to Mr. Finn right now.  Even though he is in a lot of pain, he tries to help out.  A Lot!  I appreciate all the help he gives me.  I know it can't be easy.

Here we go...

We are on our way to the Surgery Center.  Lots of prayers please.  

I feel like I am going to hyperventilate.

How am I going to handle seeing my babies go under for surgery?

Talk to you later.

No more training wheels

Miss Boo has decided that she is ready to ride her bike without the training wheels after learning how to ride with the TW last Fall.

And Yes... I do let my children go outside in public in pj's and rubber boots for all the world to see.  Hee hee

I am excited for her, but worried that she will have a hard time learning.  Her balance is not so good.  Thanks to her Mom, she has inherited some of my weaknesses.  I do remember riding a bike when I was five and if memory serves, I never fell off my bike, but my memories are pretty one sided.  Isn't everyone's?

I have fallen off my bike more as an adult than I ever remember as a kid.  I don't know why I couldn't seem to stop my bike without falling over sideways.  I blame it on the shoe locks.  Mr. Finn blames it on my lack of coordination.

I choose my excuse.

Tomorrow the kids and Mr. Finn go under the knife and I am scared.  Doesn't that sound silly?  Just tonsils, but the thought of my children being wheeled off without me to protect them has got me in a knot.

I know I have to be strong.  My Grandma told me I can't cry.  How do I not?  I love my children and I can't stand the thought of anything going wrong.  Maybe that is what I am so afraid of... the unknown.  The freak stories that you hear.

The children were given blessings.

Take a deep breath Robin and put your faith in the Lord.  I am going to throw this fear up to him and let him take it.  Because... I can't.

Waiting for the moment when he feels well enough to do this again.

How blessed I am to be their Mother and to have a husband that is my partner in all things.  For holding me up when I am weak.  Glad he will be there for me and I pray that I will be there for them in the way they need.

Huh?

I think I am crazy!

Yup!

I am!  I have proof.

Monday,  my two darling children and my dear Mr. Finn will be entering the surgery center to have their tonsils out.

I didn't write that wrong.

They are all having their tonsils out Monday morning.

People keep asking me why I am doing it all on the same day.

Really?  That's the question.

Why would I opt for 3 separate weeks of this instead of one?

Maybe I am not so crazy after all.

Happy Friggin Green Day...

There are a few things that I learned today.

1.  The city where my Costco resides is the location of the largest St. Patty's Day parade/gathering in the world.  Really?  Apparently so!  Just saying.

2.  I turn into a crazy person when I am 3, count them, three blocks from said Costco and the policeman makes me take a right turn.  Seriously!  45 minutes until I could get back to the freeway and go to another one that isn't exactly close.

3.  And... I don't like traveling anywhere without my GPS.  Because then friends of mine and my Mr. Finn get phone calls like this.  "I don't know where I am!"  "Can you find out where the next Costco is?"  "Do you know where this freeway goes, etc.?"

It makes me grateful for friends that have your child playing at their house and can't hear you turn into a lunatic.

Miniature boxes

I love to read blogs and especially the crafty ones.  I dream of making the cute things they create, but so far have only done a few printouts of subway art.  Easy... print and voile!

Then I saw this box by Infarrantly Creative.  I fell in love.  Then I got sad.  Her downloadable file was only for a Silhouette.  I don't have one and don't see it in my immediate or distant future.

But... I did have Print Explosion and decided after much contemplation that I could make something that might work.  I thank her for the inspiration.  Mine isn't as cute as hers, but it works and Miss Boo thinks it is divine with the Hershey Kiss in it.  What a fun gift for St. Patty's Day that doesn't cost much.

Here is the file I made.  Just click on it and enlarge, then save.  Pretend there is a straight line on the side that is missing a line.  You can click on this link to see the instructions for making the box.  And if you want the Silhouette version, you can get it on her website.

Or this one.  It is a bit different, and I did add lines to make it easier to fold.

This is the batch I made up for Miss Boo's class on St. Patty's Day.  She is excited to give them to her class.  I didn't have any ribbon to tie them up, so this will have to do.

So cute!

Apparently...

Leaving church early because of another sick child is a huge "NO! NO! to a 4 year old.



I am saving this video to remind him (not that I will ever have to use it) of how much he loves Primary/Church.

It cost me 4 nickels and 3 batches of chocolate chip cookies to make it up to him.

He drives a hard bargain.

I'm Done

I have been sick.  So sick.

Flu Sick!

You got the picture.  Now add a cold to it.  Yep.  That about sums it all up.

And then when I was feeling better, and I use that term very loosely, Miss Boo got the Flu Bug.  And when I say Flu, I mean the stomach flu.  No throwing up, but you know what I mean.  Very hard on her little tummy.  She has been home for two days and although she might have been able to go to school, I kept her home because she assured me her stomach didn't feel well.  It turned out to be a good thing and then her brother came home from school.

I always have mixed feelings.  I am so excited they will have each other to play with, but it always leads to screaming, crying and fighting.  I don't have the energy for it today.  The flu zapped me of all my energy.  It's ironic that I woke up mucus free for a change in a week, but can't hardly move.

So, I set up the tent in the Dude's room and let them have at it.

What you can't see is that she is torturing him.

They played in the tent or I should say argued for 15 minutes and then came in to bug me.

Miss Boo lost two more teeth on top last week.

The kids are now downstairs playing video games and because I just want to lay down, I am going to allow it for as long as they want.

I am in my pj's and not sure why I am posting, but I needed to change my blog.  It has to be boring.  

Sorry this isn't interesting, just wanted to let you know I am still alive.  As I told Mr. Finn this morning, I don't feel like death anymore, just death warmed over.  lol

He will be back in another week.  Glad he didn't have to suffer the wrath of the flu, but with what he is faced with at work, I think he might have chosen the flu.

Today, I am thinking about...

Simpler times.

Pictures from mission to the Dominican Republic.