2008 Polar Express

As I am running a little backward on my blogs, this was our next stop on our vacation two weeks ago....The North Pole!! We boarded our Polar Express in Heber City, Utah and made the magical journey to the North Pole! It was very exciting for the kids and I'm sure made memories for them. We sang Christmas carols, read the Polar Express book, and ate cookies and hot chocolate. They got to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas and Hanna changed hers at the last minute! She didn't want to tell Santa she wanted a cell phone, so she told him a camera, which surprised us! She said afterward that she didn't want to be embarrased asking for something too old for her....but she was sure Santa knew what she wanted "in her heart." I'll never know what goes on in her head half the time. Alizah held true with her My Little Pony Rollercoaster and Piper asked for her baby doll. Santa gave them each a bell and the elves told each of them which reindeer the bell came from. Piper's came from Rudolph (which Alizah wanted REAL BAD), and Alizah's came from Blitzen who the elf said she was lucky cuz he never really shares). I don't remember where Hanna's came from, so I'll have to ask her. All those kids ringing their bells at once for an hour after, is still ringing in our ears! Papa and Grandma Nelson were able to make the trip with us and after we went into Salt Lake to spend the night. We made a quick trip to Temple Square to see the lights. I say quick because it was freezing cold and we basically ran through the outside lights. The next day was my birthday, so we had a nice dinner at The Spaghetti Factory in Trolley Square (my parents took us their alot when we were llittle) , and we went Christmas shopping a little bit. I was able to go to Tai Pan, an interior design warehouse, which my friend Lisa has been talking about and I walked around with my mouth open the whole time wishing I had brought a U-Haul with me to take home! All in all-great trip!!

My Christmas Card Secret

So I feel like I also need to reveal my Christmas card secret. My uncle Terry seems very impressed with my ability to maneuver graphics and take wonderful pictures to create a beautiful Christmas card. Well, my secret is I have good friends!!! I have a dear friend who is a professional photographer and an AMAZING graphic designer. She does amazing work and all of the grandparents also recieved her magic as they got pictures for their office and houses! So thank-you my friend. THANK-YOU JENN!!

Post Office mix up!

So manyof you might be wondering why they haven't gotten your Christmas card from our family. The day after Christmas I recieved a stack of my own Christmas cards in my mailbox!!! They didn't have enough postage. So, I'm wondering how some people got their cards and I got some sent back when they all had the same amount of postage???? I'm hoping some of you didn't have to pay the postman the extra 20 cents to get our picture. When I return to real life tomorrow, I will be heading back to the post office and you will get your very BELATED Christmas card!!

Great Grandpa Beck

Our next stop on our Burley trip was to Great Grandpa Beck's house. He is nearing 100 years old and doing better than ever!! He had just gotten surgery on one of his eyes to remove a cataract and is doing the other eye soon. Hence, he could see the girls and seemed excited to talk with them. Alizah was a little apprehensive as she is with most older people. But she stood in for a picture which I'm happy about. Piper on the other hand was more willing to talk with him and sit next to him. I couldn't believe how good he looked. He said the doctor did a great job and the nurses were "real pretty"! I was able to help him with his lunch a few times and want to give a big thank-you to my family down in Burley for taking care of him more than I will ever be able to. It is hard to leave everytime we come to Burley knowing what type of responsibilities are left behind. I am never able to do as much as I want to. My dad stays with Grandpa Beck most nights and the others are spent with Uncle Leonard. I think of the love that is expressed every day in the acts of service that are happening every day. I wish I was able to do more and want to start sending more letters to him in the mail and make more of an effort to help my relatives that are far away a bigger part of our life. I wish grandpa could use the internet and see our blog!!!

20th Anniversary of the Nutcracker

I'll start posting pictures of our vacation starting with the 20th Anniversary of the Nutcracker, which was the whole reason we went to Idaho. When I was younger, my ballet studio started a production of the Nutcracker. I was the first Clara and was recognized along with 20 other Clara's! I felt OLD!! It was so fun to show my girls what they've been looking at in scrapbooks for years. Hanna would remember pictures of costumes and would comment on the dances. After 20 years, I remembered the steps that the ballerinas were still doing! I enjoyed going to the ballet and also giving the girls-and Brandon- a little culture. Hanna and I even went and had our hair done along with dressing up the girls in their beautiful Christmas dresses. It was a fun weekend with lots of visiting with old friends and memories....

Thank-you to KIND people

We are back from our little vacation and I have tons of pictures to post, but for now I just have time for a quick post. We had our mail stopped while we were gone and went to the post office today to pick up our stack. I think they must have messed up because we were expecting things that were not there, so we'll have to go back tomorrow. Anyway, what we did get that we were not expecting was so many things for Alizah! She recieved cards from Terry and Jana in Colorado and a package from Aunt Jake. We also got little gifts from Branson and Beck and her friend Lanie right when she got hurt. I just have to tell everyone what she said today..."Hey mommy, that was sure nice of people." Yes, Alizah we have very good friends and family. Then later while she was playing she said, "It looks like some guys like me. That's cuz they sended me things." I sure appreciate everyone's thoughts and gestures. She was excited to get mail with her A on it and she feels very special. She's been pretty good, knowing she can't run or jump around. I can't really describe what she does, but she'll tell me "look mom, I'm running!" and she'll be moving her arms real fast, but her legs real slow. We are excited for this time to be over, but so blessed that she wasn't hurt any worse! Thanks everyone again, you made her day! (and thank-you also because these "three sleeps" that we are waiting for Christmas to come are killing me..the mail took her mind off the long wait!)

Color changes....

Alizah can see out of her eye today. It's moving farther down, and changing colors into deep purple, black, blue, and yellow.

She told us we could sign her cast today. One of the first things she'll tell anyone is how brave she was when the doctors put on her cast.

You can't really see too good, but today we can see the original contact spot. The spot at the top of head is bruising yellow.

I was talking to Alizah about how she got hurt and how she shouldn't get on the banister again, and she muttered under her breathe, "It sure was fun though!". And another cute thing that happened was when I was helping her say her prayers at bedtime. I said "we are thankful for the doctors that helped Alizah," and up until this point, she had been repeating everything I had said. She stopped, and then whispered, "I don't want to say that part." I think she definately has had enough of doctors to last her awhile!

Mother of the Year goes to.....Kortni!!!

The blood from her head is settling beneath her eye....she's got a "take your breath" away shiner. I wish I could get a picture of everyone's reaction when they see her!!

Beck and Piper getting the joys of someone else's pain!
(Alizah was bribed at the doc with toys, ice cream....everything!!

Alizah's choice of color is the pretty blue. She was pretty nervous to get the cast, but overall did awesome considering what she has been through today.

A smile at this point from Alizah, but she didn't know what was in store for her after this!!!
(more x-rays and a CT scan and lots of waiting in the doc office)


So here goes the story.....the incident of sliding down the banister happened Sat night and the pit in my stomach settled deeper and deeper as I watched her eye get worse and worse. I haven't slept for two nights watching her and making sure she was breathing! Monday morning I called the nurse and she said to bring her in. The doctor wanted x-rays and noticed her swollen wrist. Alizah had said her arm hurt, but she didn't even complain anymore than she usually does with a scratch that doesn't even need a band-aid!! So the x-rays came back saying she needed a cast for her wrist and a CT for her head. The CT confirmed a skull fracture-YES-skull fracture. So my poor baby was made to sit at home with a broken arm and a head for two days before I even took her in. The doctors in Wenanchee are still looking over the CT, but don't think she needs antiboiotcs at this time for infection that could leak from her skull to her brain. Yes, this is the part were I started crying and wanting to throw up. We are good for now, and the hard part of her not being able to run, jump, or go upside down for a month starts today! So no gym for Alizah which is going to break her heart. I need to tell everyone that watches her- the news that I heard ,as to scare them senseless too, "A bump to a head in this condition, is life-threatening." So Brandon wants to know where the helmet is!! I'm tending to agree, the stress will probably wear off soon, as the eye fades, but for now she's banned to the couch.
So any new movies-send them our way!!

Pretty in Purple

Alizah just looked in the mirror after her bath and said, "My eye is a pretty purple!". I hope she feels the same about the green and yellow that will come soon.:)

I'll bet....

Alizah doesn't ever fly down the banister again!! We were at a Christmas Dinner and recieved a call from the babysitter, "Alizah fell down the stairs." I said, "Is there blood? -no, but a bump." We were about done anyway, so we rushed home. She was screaming still when I got there, but I couldn't see a real big bump. I was talking about what she hit her head on and the babysitter said the floor. I had been assuming she rolled down the stairs, when she actually was straddling the banister, sliding and fell from 7 feet onto her head. We watched her all night. I didn't sleep until about 8:00 this morning! About 3 in the morning was when the swollen forhead turned into the color, light purple, then darker, and darker. She can't see out of it, but refuses to take any medicine. She actually whimpered all night long. I can't imagine the headache she's got and there's nothing she'll let me do! She wanted to take the picture next to her christmas list because she says, "I'll be able to see before christmas right?" She's breakin my heart.....

Ahhhh! Open Wide

So, Piper is following in her sisters Alizah's footsteps. She has terrible teeth and refusing to brush. Well not anymore....she experienced the dentist and now has no problem brushing her teeth due to her not wanting to go back to the dentist. I noticed a few weeks ago some bad spots on her teeth. So off to the dentist we go. She wouldn't open up the first time, second "happy" visit was good so we atempted to drug and drug some more to get four cavities filled. I really didn't want to take her out of town due to our experience with Alizah, so I pushed to do it here in Moses. The cost was half and we can make payments, so wanted to try at least. The first "cocktail" didn't work, so we gave her another dose and she was pretty loopy with the gas too. The first cavity went well with her hardely flinching, but by the last three-she'd had enough. Dr. Jorgenson worked pretty hard for his money and I was so impressed. He kept working with her kicks, bites, and quick turns of her head. I had to hold her arms down and by the time the hour was over, was so tense that my head hurt for a few hours after. Piper was so drugged after cuz the two doses had completely kicked in that she was kneeling at the treasure box and head dived into it before the hygienist and I could catch her!! I felt really bad laughing, but everyone had to smile as she lumbered out of the office. She has recovered and hopefully won't remember the torture that she was put through. Brandon's turn is next. I'm afraid I'm going to have to dose him up with cocktails to get him to go. He's more afraid than the girls!!

Pretzels, cakes, and messes

The girls LOVE to cook. I had a few pics on my phone of their latest cooking adventures. If you notice these two do not have a parent in them. It's the girls' favorite people, their babysitter, Lindsay and their pretend older sister Ella. Lindsay babysits on Mondays and Fridays. Fridays are "Treat Fridays" where she brings them treats or makes something with them. They look forward to her every week. The second pic is of Ella making her famous pretzels with us. I did help with this, which did us no good, because we burnt them. They were supposed to be for Jerry down the street who always helps us. He did get some, but they weren't our best showing! Ella is so patient with the girls. Her and Hanna play models, photographers, and rock stars. I love that she includes the other two and seems to make everyone happy. We've looked into renting her on a monthly basis, but her mom wouldn't go for it! A funny story about Lindsay and her sister, McKenna (who sometimes babysits too) is that the girls play, "Lindsay and McKenna". One of them will be Lindsay and the other- McKenna and they will talk to each other as the girls and dance around. (They are both dancers and Lindsay is on Drill team-who we went to watch at a football game once.) It's pretty cute and I honestly can't think of two better role models. I love how much I trust them to babysit and it definately says something when the girls want me to leave so Lindsay can come over!!

O Christmas Tree....

"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...." And keep singing those sames words for the next 1/2 hour!! That's what we listened to the whole night. I tried to get them to sing other carols, but Alizah said it had to be O Christmas Tree. And they didn't know any other lines, so they just repeated it over and over! Jerry brought down my favorite "skinny" tree, or as Korbi calls it my "charlie Brown tree". Now the kids call it that too. This year it is a little sparse on one side, but I think beautiful all the same. The kids had fun this year putting the ornaments up and I fixed them when they weren't looking! One room is now already for Christmas, boxes put away and the rest of the house needs some damage repair this morning. I also burned one batch of carmels already and need to try again tonight. At the gym, we are getting all of our parties and get togethers over this week, so it's busy for me doing cards, apprecation gifts, and getting ready for the dinner we are doing tomorrow. Christmas is coming and the kids are so excited!!