Excuses. . .

for my lack of blogging. 

Excuse #1:  Work has begun on the house again.  We're pushing a year since we started, but the end is in sight!  Most recently, WE GOT NEW WINDOWS!!!  Finally!  Siding, gutters, and a bit of landscaping, and we'll be done!

Excuse #2:  Preparing for the inevitable

 

The kids started school again on Tuesday.  I feel blessed that they were excited to go.  Tank would've jumped right on that bus if I would let her, but she has one more year of preschool.

Excuse #3:  Troub, I mean Twister!

Love that smile.  :)  But he is getting into a lot of mischief and making lots of messes.  Always keeping me on my toes. 

So, those are my excuses for today.  I have more, but I'm afraid I'll sound really lame if I just keep going.  Just know that I am thinking of all you, my blogging buddies) and hope to get into some kind of routine sooner rather than later. 

Our trip to Nauvoo

This past week, we decided at somewhat of the last minute, to go to Nauvoo. I wasn't sure how Tank would be feeling after her surgery, but she made a miraculously quick recovery, so off we went. We left Wednesday morning as early as we could get out the door.
And whoa-la! 4 1/2 hours later, we were in small town Nauvoo. In case the fields and fields of corn weren't enough to prove that this is a different sort of place, the lawnmower at the gas station made its point. LOL!


Our first stop was the LDS visitors center. We walked through the amazing statue gardens and showed the kids where we used to practice our dances in the field behind the place. I was pleasantly surprised at how interested the kids were in "our" history in Nauvoo as well as the church history.

One of the things I think the kids enjoyed the most was a carraige ride around Nauvoo. They pointed out all the homes, we went by the river, and really got a good feel for the city as a whole. I learned on this ride, that I am severely allergic to horses. Luckily I had benadryl along, but it was a bit scary there for a while.
Sweetie took this beatiful shot with the temple in the background. :)

After our tour, a swim, and a yummy dinner, we went to a show called Sunset on the Mississippi. I didn't take any photos, but it was pretty entertaining. It had the feeling of camp skits... mostly cheesy stuff, but still thorougly entertaining with some amazing talent mixed in. We pushed the kids limits by staying after the show for a performance by BYU's Vocal Point (a very talented acapella group). The kids were seriously tired, but I think they enjoyed it as much as we did.

On Thursday we started out by going to Carthage jail. Any mention of John Taylor or Willard Richards got the attention of my kids pretty thoroughly. They let everyone know that they were related.

After Carthage we visited the Community of Christ owned portions of Nauvoo. We went on their tour and I was thoroughly impressed. The tour guide really emphasized what we had in common with them. In addition, he let us go behind some of the gates to see interesting things like a hidden ladder in a closet that Joseph may have used to hide from unfriendly mobs. The kids thought that was REALLY cool. Every house should have some hidden passages. :)
Twister had a hard time on the trip just because we didn't take time out for his naps. I think this picture captures how he "really" felt. LOL!
Here we are at the brick yard collecting our traditional Nauvoo brick. Goose REALLY wanted to keep it for himself, but I think he is resigned to sharing now.
Another favorite thing was a play spot called pioneer past-times. They had clothes for the kids to dress up in and all sorts of games and toys that were traditional in pioneer times.

Inside one of the little play cabins they had for the kids there. Tank was busy cooking for her baby. :)


Benson and I tried out the stilts... they are much harder than they look just for the record. :) You can ignore the picture of Benson, he makes it look easy. Apparantly he became a pro at stilts one year at scout camp.


So, we had a great time. Really, my only complaint would be that it was such a quick trip. I would have loved to have spent more time reminiscing and visiting Benson and my old favorite places. We met and fell in love in Nauvoo. It will always be a very special place for us. It was really great to share some of that with our kids.

A day at the hospital

This morning, bright and early, I took Tank to the hospital for an outpatient surgery. A little over a month ago, she had some strange urinary symptoms accompanied by some swelling. I took her to the doctor and the urinary symptoms were dismissed since there was no infection, however the swelling was confirmed to be a hernia. We explained the procedure as much as we thought she could understand. We even got to do a tour of the surgery wing, where they showed her everything they would be doing, including taking her blood pressure, changing into pajamas, picking a prize, and using a mask to fall asleep to. She wanted watermelon scent in her mask. She was actually really excited for her surgery. This is her in the waiting room.
Still cheerful and excited in the prep room. They *tried* to give her blue pajamas to change into. Are you kidding? Not this girly girl. She asked if they had any others, this yellow dress was much more appropriate for her. (even though it was all open in the back, lol). Before they took her back for the surgery, she was given a medicine to help her relax and forget everything. She complained when we got home that she didn't get to use the mask with the watermelon scent. She was really looking forward to it, but I guess the first medicine blocked the memory. Oh well.
I skipped any "after pictures" at the hospital. It wasn't a pretty picture. She was pretty miserable for a while there. Finally, some Tylenol with codeine and an hour nap helped her feel a little better. The doctor fixed the hernia on the right side, then checked the left side to find another hernia almost as big as the first. He fixed them both. When I mentioned her urinary symptoms again, he noted that before the surgery, they had to empty her bladder. She woke up in the morning and went pee, then went pee *right* before they took her back. And of course, she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since yesterday. Anyway, he suggested getting that evaluated by her pediatrician. So unfortunately, this surgery may not be the end of medical stuff for her. I guess we'll wait and see for sure though. Anyway, when she woke up, she just wanted to go home. The staff obliged her.
Note the forced smile. She's such a trooper, but she's not walking around just yet. I'm sure she'll be her "Tank"-like self in no time, but for today she's watching movies and letting us wait on her hand and foot. She's such a grateful little patient. Always saying thank you and being so very polite. I don't think I'm such a happy camper when I'm in pain. I should take lessons.