Successful Surgery

We took Spencer up to the children's hospital in Wilmington today for a bit of surgery. When he was born, his pediatrician noticed that he might have a bit of a deformity on his little boy part. So instead of completing the circumcision, she had to stop just in case he needed to have a more extensive surgery that required that skin for repair. I took Spencer up to see the pediatric urologist in September and he said that it was an easy thing to fix. We set the date for surgery, and then waited for it to come. Last week I took up back up to Wilmington for a pre-surgery appointment. Yesterday they called and told us what time to be where. So this morning, not so bright and but very early, Nick and I dropped Tanner off at Grandma Surdukowski's and continued on to the hospital. We were out the door by 5:45am. Still dark, mind you.

Spencer wasn't able to eat anything after 3:30 this morning, so I had to wake up at 3:10 to feed him one last time. I was worried that he was going to be highly fussy since he wouldn't be allowed to eat anything for such a long period of time. His surgery wasn't until around 9am, so that was a long time for him to wait.

The whole preparation for surgery for the mom is not so fun. We waited in the pre-op waiting area for about an hour, and then everything happened really fast. The doctor came out and explained to us what exactly he was going to do. Then the anesthesiologists came and told us what they were going to be doing. Then the nurses came and asked us all kinds of questions. And then they fought amongst themselves who would take him back to the operating room. They loved him. Thought he was the cutest thing ever! That was hard, having my little baby taken off by strangers to be worked on.

The surgery lasted a little more than an hour. The doctor explained that he had to do a little bit more work than he expected, but that everything went very well. Spencer should have no ill effects from the surgery at all. Everyone commented on how perfect a patient he was. It was nice to be among doctors and nurses that were so helpful and kind. I love that!

We were finally able to go back and be with Spencer after they brought him into the recovery room. That was hard for me to see him for the first time. He was all wrapped up in blankets. He had an IV put in, as well as heart monitors and pulse-ox sensors. But he was a trooper. He woke up from the anesthesia ready to go. He ate quite a bit and was smiling and kicking his feet like normal. So relieved to see that!

All in all, it was a pretty good day. Stressful for me because of the unknown. But Spencer did fantastic. Even after we got home this afternoon, he's done well. I'm sure tomorrow will be a little rough being the day after surgery, but we've got some good medication to help with the pain. I'm thankful for skilled doctors and nurses who love their jobs and love to help kids get better. Overall, it was a good experience, but I'm definitely glad it's over and I'm looking forward to having Spencer be whole once again.

I love him so much, and I'm so grateful to have him in our family. He's such a joy to have around. I learn from him every day, and I hope that he's learning as much as he can from someone who's still learning herself at how to be a good mom. He definitely is my little angel!!!

I Wish Money Grew on Trees

I've not had the best 10 days in regards to money. I just learned a little while ago that the personal injury protection coverage - or PIP - from my auto insurance has been exhausted thanks to my automobile accident back in April. What I really dislike is that in the state of Delaware, my insurance has to pay out first, then the responsible party's insurance takes over from there. What I didn't know in the beginning was that I would have to pay out of pocket expenses once my PIP was exhausted and then get reimbursed sometime later. So aggravating!! I just received a final notice bill in the mail last week for a significant amount of money that stated if I didn't pay within the next 10 days, it would be sent to collections. This is a bill that should have already been taken care of 8 months ago. Not happy about that! Then I learn that I'll have to pay co-pays from my physical therapy visits - 12 of them - because my auto insurance doesn't have money left to pay them. To top it off, I got a phone call from the other guy's auto insurance company wanting me to settle the claim so that they wouldn't be obligated to pay anymore medical bills. I DON'T THINK SO!!! I really dislike how money is the motivating factor in most instances! I'm just completely fed with all of this right now. I know that I'll incur many other bills that I'll have to at least pay co-pays on because my knee still isn't fixed.

That's another thing I'm completely irritated about. It's been 8 months since my accident, but yet I still have a massive bruise on my knee, and I still can't kneel on it. The knee doctor says that it's still bruised. Obviously! I don't need a medical degree to figure that one out. But it's been 8 months - count 'em! 8 MONTHS! I just don't know what to do. The doctor gave me two cortisone shots the last time I was there, but that didn't make any difference. If anything, it made the pain worse in areas that didn't hurt before. I don't get it! I'm starting to doubt the system big time.

Speaking of doubting...I know, this is a downer blog, but I'm just so frustrated! I have never been around anyone before that has made me doubt my musical abilities until now. I play the organ at church, and for being someone that isn't trained on the organ, I thought I was doing a fairly decent job at it. Well, the last few months has totally changed that perspective. This person at church, who I shall not name names, but this person that makes me feel this way, has told me in the past that I needed to practice more, and in not so many words, told me that I sounded not very good on the organ. That really hurt my feelings. More than I thought it would. Well, since then, this person has told me repeatedly that, or rather, reminded me, that I'm still not doing a very good job. I also play the piano for our choir, and it's the same thing there. This person rarely gives me any notice of what we're going to be singing. He/She is always talking completely over every person's head when it comes to musical terms. Even mine, and I've been musically inclined for over 18 years now. So, this every Sunday now, I get completely nervous when I play the organ, or the piano, and this past week, I screwed up so bad that I wanted to go and hide. This person just makes me feel like I'm not very good. I've never once doubted that I was good at the piano. It's always come easy for me and I take great pleasure in playing. So now, thanks to this person, I'm completely unsure about my abilities. Thanks a lot there person! Makes me so mad!!!!!!

On a different, note, but just as heavy, Spencer is having minor surgery tomorrow to fix a little deformity that he's had since he was born. It's nothing serious, just a few snips here and there, finish the circumcision that wasn't finished as a newborn, and voila! I'm still a little uneasy about it because he has to go under sedation. I am extremely confident of the surgeon's abilities, but with one so little, it just is worrisome. Nick's taking the day off from work to go with me. Tanner will spend the day with Grandma Surdukowski, and hopefully we'll be home by lunchtime. Needless to say, Nick and my dad will give Spencer a blessing this evening just for added help.

So as you can tell, it hasn't been a very fun 10 days for me. Once we get through tomorrow's surgery, I'm sure I'll relax a little bit more, but for now, I'm wound pretty tight!

Family Portraits

So we had our first professional family portraits done over the weekend. Things turned out pretty good. I'm pleased at least. Tanner wigged out a little bit when we got there. The photographer and the camera scared him a little bit. But we were able to take a few good pictures.

Ordinary Day

Things are going fairly well around here lately. Nick and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary last Thursday. Nick took me out to that fondue restaurant, The Melting Pot, Friday night. It was fabulous!! We left the boys with my mom and dad and we drove up to Wilmington. The whole fondue experience was pretty awesome. We got the "Big Night Out" deal which included a cheese fondue, a salad, fantastic meats that we cooked in a seasoned vegetable broth, and a really good flaming chocolate turle fondue. We got to roast our marshmallows in the flames. Pretty sweet! It was nice to be treated to a really nice dinner. I told Nick when we were trying to decide what to do that I didn't want to go to the usual every day restaurants that we have around town. My parents had been to The Melting Pot before and suggested it. That was a pretty good suggestion. I'd totally go back. Obviously it's not an every day eating place, but definitely one to celebrate something special.




Spencer got his first haircut a few days ago. Nick and I were getting the boys ready for church one Sunday when Nick made a comment about how unruly Spencer's hair was. While I was getting the diaper bag together, I turned around and noticed that Nick had put baby oil in Spencer's hair to try and tame it. I was a little irritated. I told him that the last time used baby oil in Spencer's hair was for his cradle cap and it took me about a week of shampooing to get the oil out. So I made Nick go give him a bath and wash his hair multiple times. Remember, this is 45 minutes before we have to leave for church. Needless to say, Spencer's hair was still really oily, and out of frustration, I told Nick to just shave it. So we did. We cute the sides a little too short for my taste, but we left the top longer. It totally made him look like a different kid. It took a while for me to get used to him with no hair. But he's too cute with his hair short! I planned to have his hair cut anyway because of how crazy it was, but I didn't plan on doing it that way.


Tanner needs a haircut very bad. I can put it into a small ponytail. That's not right!

Nick and I are really having a hard time with some big decisions we're having to make here in the next few months. Some things have come up that throw a few wrenches into plans that we thought were pretty complete. But now we're having to rethink those plans, and personally, I'm pretty unsettled about a number of things. Nothing bad has happened, it's just that we have to make a few different decisions to best support our family. Hopefully we'll get answers to prayers soon so that we can start making necessary plans. I really dislike uncertainty.

Trick or Treat

Last Saturday our ward had a "Trunk" or treat activity. It's just a fun way for the little kids to go trick or treating in a small area that is controlled. You park your car and open up your trunk and all the kids in their costumes come around and trick or treat. This year it rained, so we did it inside the church. We had a good time.

Tanner was Dumbo, thanks to a friend of ours who had that costume. Spencer was a tiger. So cute! They had this bouncey castle thing that the kids could play in. It was humongous! We were able to have just a special jumping time for the little kids so that they wouldn't get bounced around and beat up. Tanner wouldn't go in unless I went in with him. Even then he wouldn't jump. He just sat there. I think it was because he wasn't feeling too good. But it was fun anyway.

Another Ear Infection! Ugh!

Tanner and Spencer have both caught colds. Spencer started while we were in Ohio. Tanner a few days later. Spencer, thankfully, is on the mend and is just about over his cough. Tanner, however, not so much. I thought he was getting better, but then things came crashing down yesterday!

I was on my way home from dropping my mom off to pick up her car when Tanner started to just scream. I wasn't sure what happened. He wasn't hurt, he had his blanket in his lap. Weird. We got home and I put him down for a nap. I noticed that he felt warm when he woke up. So I proceeded to check his temperature with the ear thermometer at which point he screamed something royal. His temperature was 101, so round #1 of Tylenol was administered. My mom figured he had an ear infection. Tanner wouldn't let anyone near his left ear all evening. Around 10pm we checked his temperature again, this time 103. Round #2 of Tylenol.

I called first thing this morning to get Tanner a doctor's appointment. Sure enough, ear infection. They've got him on a different antibiotic this time since he is allergic to amoxicillan and augmentin, which just happen to be the go-to antibiotics for most doctors. It's so frustrating having him sick again. I figure this is at least the fourth ear infection he's had this year. This is really starting to wear on me with him getting sick like this. But there's not much I can do about it but just deal with it and move on.

Things sure are busy around here these days. It doesn't help that I've been to a doctors appointment every day but one this week. Last Friday I had a mole removed from my face. The doctor gave me 6 or 7 stitches (I can't tell for sure). I get those out on Monday. I have 3 days of physical therapy next week, an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, and this appointment for my stitches. Does it ever end?

Spencer had his 4 month well visit yesterday. He's healthy. He weighs over 16 lbs. and he's 27 inches long. That puts him in the 90th and 97th percentiles for both weight and height. He's a huge kid for only being 4 months old. The doctor said he looks fabulous! Yay me...and Spencer! It's nice to know that the boys are doing great as far as growing is concerned!

On the Road Again

Last weekend I took another quick little trip, this time down to Virginia. My cousin's wife is having a baby next month and she had a baby shower that we attended. So my mom, sister, gramma, Spencer, and I hopped in the car late Friday evening and drove down. It took just shy of 3 hours to get there. I'll tell ya, driving south on Interstate 95 around Washington, DC at night is not fun at all! But we made it safe and sound.

Saturday we spent the day at my cousin's. The shower was nice. We had fun catching up again. My aunt made probably the best chicken salad sandwiches I've ever had! So good! That evening we just hung around the house. I fell asleep early because Spencer kept me up late and woke me up early.

Sunday we lazied around the house until it was time for church. We went to my aunt and uncle's ward for Sacrament meeting. After a quick change of clothes, we headed home. We took a different route home from Fredericksburg, VA. This time it took us just a few minutes over 3 hours to get home. Not bad.

That was the first time I've been away from Tanner that long on purpose. I don't count my two stays in the hospital. I missed him terribly! It was good to be home and be with my complete family after a few days away! I don't plan on taking anymore trips for a little while. Two trips in two weekends was enough for a while.

8 Things

I'm not big into these, but this was pretty interesting...Thanks Kelly!

8 Things

8 TV shows I love to watch

1. Barefoot Contessa
2. Criminal Minds
3. Without a Trace
4. Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?
5. ER
6. Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives
7. Unwrapped (can you tell I like the Food Network?)
8. Cash Cab

8 favorite places I love to eat

1. The Macaroni Grill
2. The China Town Buffet
3. Chick-Fil-A
4. TGI Friday's
5. Fuddruckers
6. Sonic
7. Any good BBQ joint
8. Outback Steakhouse

8 things that happened yesterday

1. Had brunch with my aunt and her family
2. Drove home from Virginia
3. Got stuck in traffic outside Washington DC
4. Spencer cried for pretty much 2 hours of our 3 hour car ride
5. Ate dinner with my family
6. Saw Tanner for the first time in three days!
7. Had a really good conversation with Nick about job possibilities
8. Put the boys to bed after a long day of traveling for Spencer and a long day of not feeling good for Tanner

8 things I look forward to

1. Nick coming home from work
2. Nap time for my boys!
3. When my family all gets together
4. My brother, Eric, coming home safe from Iraq
5. A shower
6. Going to the temple again
7. Having a baby girl for our next baby so that my boys can have a sister!
8. Not having to play the organ on Sundays at church! (Ahh...one day)

8 things I love about Fall

1. College football - go Buckeyes!!!
2. The leaves changing colors
3. Colder temperatures
4. Wearing sweatshirts
5. Pumpkin desserts!
6. The wonderful smells of the season
7. The pumpkin patch
8. Hayrides

8 material things on my wish list

1. My own home with lots of land
2. A college education
3. Clothes for every season and occasion
4. Really nice furniture
5. Fabulous shoes and sandals
6. Braces
7. A brand new sporty Cadillac!!!
8. A past, present, future diamond ring

Ohio or Bust

So we loaded up the kids and took off for Ohio last Thursday. My grandma Smith turned 80 over the weekend, the family got together to have a big party. We left at 5am that morning so that we could have at least part of a day left when we got there. It's usually an 8 hour drive from our house to Columbus, Ohio, but with two little ones, we had to make a few extra stops. But, we didn't do too bad on time. We got to our destination around 2:45pm that day. We stopped a few times to feed the boys and change diapers, as well as letting Tanner run around a little.

I was a little afraid of how Spencer would react to the long car ride. He doesn't do too well in the car. He really dislikes the car seat, so we were a little worried. We said a little prayer for our patience as well as the boys comfort and patience in the car. Thank goodness prayers are heard and answered! Spencer did great going out there and coming back. While we were in Ohio, however, he screamed himself hoarse every time he was in the car - which was at times often.

While we were in Ohio, we stopped and saw my aunts and uncles, cousins and grandma. We ate at this really good sausage place in downtown Columbus like we usually do whenever we go there. They had an authentic German band playing while we were there so Tanner had a good time.

We missed our exit for the interstate on the way back to where we were staying and took a trip right through the heart of Columbus. It would have been a lot more enjoyable if Tanner weren't screaming to death. We drove by The Ohio State University campus. If anybody knows me at all knows that if I could have anything in the world it would be to attend The Ohio State University. I'm a huge fan!! So it was great to be back around that campus again.

The friends whose house we were staying at is really close to a number of major hospitals. It's funny because Marlene, the lady who we stay with, has been trying to get me to move to Columbus since I was in high school, was telling us about all the possibilities Nick would have at the hospitals if we ever decided to move out there. They want to put their house on the market some time next year because they are getting older and want a single story house. I just have to say, I love their house!! It's in a great neighborhood. There are, I think we counted, over 11 hospitals just within about 20 minutes of each other. Columbus pays fairly well. She mentioned that the OSU Medical Center will pay tuition to go to OSU. So we looked into it a little bit while we were there. This hospital will pay 100% tuition for Nick, as well as 50% for dependents. They have their own retirement plan, and a number of other really good benefits. I looked to see if Ohio State offered a program for what Nick wants to go into and sure enough, they sure do have the exact program. So we're going to look into it a little bit more in depth and see what happens.

The drive back was good. We were only in Ohio for three days and came back on Sunday. Again we left at 5am, but this time we didn't stop for breakfast or lunch. We had enough food in the car to eat while we were driving. Of course we had to stop a few times for the boys. But we made better time on the way back. We got back home about 1:30pm. It was good to be home!

While we were driving through western Maryland we took some pictures of the scenery. It was phenomenal! I love the colors of the fall here on the East Coast. Nothing compares!

October!!!

October has to be my favorite month of the year, I think. I love the cooling temperatures, the changing of the leaves, pumpkins, and just about everything else. Love it!

Tanner went in for his 15 month check-up yesterday. He's doing fabulously! He's grown three full inches in the last three months, and he's only gained 1 pound. He's a tall kid for his age, but his weight is right in the middle. He did fantastic at the doctor's office as well. The last few times we've been to see the doctor he hasn't faired too well. But he didn't even scream until he was given his shots. 2 in each leg this time. It amazes me how many shots the doctors give to little babies.

Spencer amazes me more every day. He has two teeth already. Shocked the heck out of me when Nick found them there one day. He's also rolling over. He started to roll over from his belly to his back a few weeks ago. Now he's rolling over from his back to his belly. He's 3 days shy of being 4 months old and he's already doing these things. Amazing! It was fun to watch him work to roll over onto his belly this morning. He grunts and kicks until he gets completely over. Then he'll smile and you can almost hear him say, "Finally! I did it!" He fell asleep in the swing doubled over yesterday. Cutest thing ever!

We started him on cereal two nights ago because he's started to wake up twice during the night again. After a month and a half of sleeping through the night, then having him wake up twice during the night is not too exciting for me. My mom suggested that we start him on cereal. Hoping that he would get a little more full and stay asleep during the night, I gave him some rice. He's so not ready for it. He didn't even swallow anything both times we tried it. So I'm going to hold off on the cereal for a while and just supplement him with some formula and see what happens. I have some theories why he's not eating too much, but I'll see if there is anything behind those here in a little while.

I'm getting ready to take off to Ohio next week with the boys. We're still not positive if Nick is going to come with us yet. He was for sure going to come, but he's thinking maybe he better not with work and everything. My grandma is turning 80 next weekend, so me and the boys, my mom, dad, sister and other gramma are going to take a drive out there. It'll be the longest trip we've taken with the boys. I'm just hoping that everything goes well in the car. Spencer doesn't take too kindly to his car seat, so it should be interesting. It'll be fun to see my aunts and uncle and cousins again, even if it's only for a few days.

Physical Therapy Again...?

I went to the doctor today to have my knee checked out again. The same knee that I hurt in my car accident in April. After waiting over an hour, I finally got to see the physician's assistant. He asked me how things have been going with my at-home physical therapy. No change. My knee still hurts like a bugger whenever I kneal on it or if I touch it in any way. I hit in on something in the car the other day and about cried. So I tell the PA this and he does a few things to my knee to check it out. Mind you, the MRI I had done in July showed no tears or really anything major. So why do I still have bruising and pain after 6 months? He's sending me back to have another 4 weeks of physical therapy. This is the third round of PT and I'm starting to think that it's not working. He also had me get this brace thing to wear just below my knee to take the pressure off the tendon that goes over the patella. I'm just sick of all the run around and my knee is not entirely healing. I can't get down on the floor and play with my kids the way I want to. This whole situation with my knee and the few scars I have left from my accident is why I have no tolerance for people who run stops signs or traffic lights. It has to be one of my biggest pet peeves to see people do that. It has also left me with a slight fear of intersections where only the cross-traffic stops. I'm afraid that those drivers won't stop and I'll be hit again. You can add that to the fears I have of driving in heavy traffic. I'm afraid that someone will cut me off the way that someone did 6 years ago and caused the accident I was in first. I just can't win.

Stairs

Tanner decided to come down the stairs the other day - the really fast way. Nick was upstairs putting on his shoes, I was downstairs getting ready to start dinner. The next thing I heard was a lot of bumps on the steps and then an ear-splitting scream. Tanner fell down the big stairs - all 15 of them. Scared the life out of me practically (my mom said I was as white as a sheet)! I got to him before Nick was able to get down the stairs. I swooped him up in my arms. I didn't care if anything was broken. I just wanted to hold my little boy and make his tears go away. Nick finally made it down the stairs, and being the good x-ray tech that he is, he checked him for broken bones. None - thank goodness! All of this happened within about 2 seconds. Craziness. It took a while for my heart to stop pounding and for my hands to stop shaking. Tanner eventually stopped crying after being held by his mom, dad, and grandma. He wanted love and sympathy from anyone that would give it to him. Through the whole ordeal, he still managed to hold on to his little toothbrush he'd been holding. Goofball! He ended up with two pretty good goose eggs on his head, but thankfully that was it. Scary stuff, lemme tell ya! I have to say, I hope it's the last time this happens, but I just have a feeling that it won't be. Tanner is Tanner and he is all boy. Anything he can climb up on or crawl off of and he's all for it. Gotta love him! Is he afraid of the stairs now? Heck no! He was back climbing up and down them just a few minutes after the trauma. I just shake my head, smile, and love him even more for his determination. Love that kid to death!

This and That

"Busy" is the word you would use to categorize my life at the present time. I guess having 2 boys under that age of 2 is an easy definition of that word.

The weather is changing here - FINALLY! I love the fall. It is my absolute favorite time of year. The leaves will be changing soon. I hope to get a few pictures of the boys outside this fall. I love the cooler nights and the comfortable days. I look forward to taking a field trip - literally - to the pumpkin fields over at one of the local farms. It'll be fun to watch Tanner try to pick up the large pumpkins. We're planning on making and canning applesauce here in the coming weeks. My dad also suggested that we can pumpkins as well since we use a lot of pumpkin throughout the year.

The boys are changing every day. They learn new things all the time. Tanner just got a toy laptop from grandma this week. He loves it. Anything that lights up and makes noise and he's in heaven. Spencer has his first tooth. I wasn't even expecting this to start until at least next month. Nick discovered it when Spencer pulled Nick's thumb into his mouth and bit down on it. Tanner is started to say a word here and there. He'll say "Hi" and sometimes he'll even say "Cracker" when you're holding one and he wants it. He's becoming super-independent. He wants to feed himself all the time now. He gets mad when you try to feed him something. The other day we stripped him down and put mashed potatoes with gravy, chicken, green beans and a corn muffin on this tray and he got mashed potatoes all over the place. Made for good pictures. Spencer is started to try and roll over. He's really active now. He's pulling toys toward him and putting things into his mouth. He's just now moving into the 3-6 months clothing, however he's only going to be in these for a short while because he's already too long for most of the pants and pajamas. I think he'll be taller than Tanner will be. Tanner's learned to bite and to hit. Not sure where he learned that. I've gotten a few suggestion about how to stop this behavior, but if you know Tanner, he doesn't much care about being disciplined. He does it anyway. He likes to pull Spencer's hair and smack him on the head. He's a little jealous of little brother.

I took Spencer up to the children's hospital the other day for a urology appointment. Turns out that he doesn't technically have what they call hypo spadius. So they'll go ahead and circumcise him after he turns 6 months old. While the nurse was taking his vitals, he was weighed and measured. He's huge! He's only 3 1/2 months old but he weighs 15 lbs 8 oz and is over 25 inches long. He's a giant!

We heard back from Thomas Jefferson University for Nick's application. They want to set up an interview for him. Hopefully it's a good sign that they want to interview him, and that they don't just do this for everyone. They told him that he should know about his application decision before December 15. So we've been looking into alternative schools. It's not that easy to find schools for what he wants to specialize in.

I could use a vacation. I've had a rough week with screaming kids. It seems that they both like to scream and yell at the same time. They both are waking up before 6:30 now. So we get an early start around here. But with all their screaming and loudness, I still manage to love them tons.

So Long Sweet Summer

Our summer was a fun one. Not too involved, but fun nonetheless. Our Labor day celebration was a close-knit one. Nick and I made some BBQ pork, baked, beans, potato salad, and watermelon. We had my sister, brother and his wife, and my grandma over. Kevin brought their Nintendo Wii with them and we had tons of fun playing that. I really don't care for video games, but I really like the Wii. So much that we are thinking about getting one. We played bowling and tennis. Tons of fun!

My mom and dad took off to Colorado for the Labor Day weekend. My new nephew Andrew was being blessed, so they went out there for that. I was pretty disappointed that I wasn't able to go, but there will be other nieces and nephews I guess to take part in their special days.

I managed to drop 4 dinner plates on my foot yesterday while I was cleaning up from dinner. They didn't fall horizontally either. They landed edge side down right on my toes. I thought for sure I broke at least one of them, but once the initial pain wore down I could move them with no problems. It's really sore today however. Painful is what that was!

I start back up teaching piano lessons today. I'm not too enthusiatic about it, but it's an extra few dollars in the pocket to save for something special - whatever that might be. We took the summer off mainly because I didn't want to give lessons during the summer, but also because of me having a new baby. I don't think I'm a very good teacher, but whatever. Should be fun.

Nick was able to apply for this school up in Philadelphia a few weeks ago. Now it's just a waiting game to see what happens. We should find out in October if he is accepted or not. If he's not then Nick wants to find another school to get certified as a radiation therapist. I've only been able to find a few schools so far that offer this training. One in North Carolina, the other in New Jersey. I think North Carolina would be fun, but Nick I don't think wants to go there. We are - or I should say I am - keeping our options open for different places to live. I'm pretty sure Nick would rather stay here though. He says he doesn't care, but he made a comment the other day when we were looking at North Carolina that made me think he didn't want to move anywhere. So who knows. The next few months should tell us a lot about what the next year will bring. We shall see.

We decided for Family Home Evening - this is one night set aside during the week that we as a family get together and have a small lesson centered on Jesus Christ along with maybe some singing and some games and always a treat afterwards - that we would go to Rita's Italian Ice to get a gelati. While we were there Tanner wanted to run around and be goofy. In the video he is struttin' his stuff. He cracks me up!

Tanner does some of the funniest things ever. The other night, I went in to put Spencer down in his crib for the night. I turned around to check on Tanner and noticed a diaper on the ground. I figured Nick missed the trash can. I looked in on Tanner and he's curled up asleep on his blanket with no diaper!! I about died laughing! I called Nick and told him to come and bring the camera. That's the funniest thing I think he's ever done!

Thank You, Christy!

Indulge me for just one minute while I say thanks to a certain someone...

First off, Christy, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to say goodbye to you before you left to go back.

Next, thank you so much for the help you provided Nick and I this summer with our kids. You have no idea how grateful I am for your helping hand with both Tanner and Spencer. You have such a way with them that lets me see just a little bit as to what kind of mom you are going to be when the time comes! Not even I can keep Tanner as quiet as you were able to get him during sacrament meeting. That's pretty amazing. I'm grateful that you were so willing to take Spencer as well so that I could play the organ. He's such a cute little baby, isn't he?! I'd like a copy of that picture that Adam took of you and Spencer.

Last, good luck with the coming year. I know you'll do great! Things will go well for you as long as you put the Lord first and rely on Him in all your major decisions. That's what has helped in my life when things get tough! Study hard and have fun! You have the opportunity that I didn't with school. Make the most of it! I love you tons and I'm grateful for the friendship that we share! Enjoy yourself for me! I'll be keeping an eye on you through your blog and through Facebook, so don't do anything I wouldn't be proud of! Until we see you again....

Who Do You Think You Are?

So, I left church yesterday fuming!! Every second and third Sunday we have choir rehearsal after our meetings. Well, I stay to play the piano for it. I had just sent my husband and kids home so that the boys could take naps. I walk into where we rehearse and everyone seems to be leaving. Come to find out choir was cancelled that day due to lack of participation. That I wasn't sure about because there were plenty of people who stayed after specifically for choir. I was a little miffed about that, but that's not exactly what sent me into my upset mood.

As I was getting my things ready to leave with my mom and grandma, our choir director asks to speak with me for just a few minutes, so I'm thinking that he wanted to discuss choir music with me. How wrong I was! To preface this, I also play the organ for our congregation. I'm by no means an organist. I'm a pianist who does the best job possible at playing the organ as deemed possible.

So this guy proceeds to ask me if I was getting the list of hymns soon enough so that I could practice. I told him that I was. He then asks me if I had enough time during the week to practice those hymns. I told him that I didn't practice at all during the week. I didn't tell him this, but I knew the hymns almost by heart that I felt the need not to practice. By then I knew what he was getting at. He was insinuating that my playing was inferior to his standards. I proceeded to tell him that the mistakes that I make on the organ were mainly due to the fact that I stumble over my own fingers. And by that point, I was so upset by what he was saying that I didn't know what to say. I get really nervous still playing in front of that many people, but he didn't need to know that. He then goes on to tell me that he wanted me to practice more during the week, and that if I wasn't able to get a chance to practice that I should play the hymns during the time that I play prelude music before the meeting started. I was so aghast by what he was saying. Are you kidding me?

My feelings were so hurt. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Who was he to tell me that my hymn playing was sub-standard?! He doesn't play the organ, and you know what, I'm doing the best that I can for what little knowledge I have. I just couldn't believe it. I left absolutely fuming. It was like having a music professional tell you that what you're good at wasn't very good. So now, every Sunday, I'm going to be completely self-conscious about my playing. Thanks a lot buddy! So irritating! I guess since he is our ward music chairman, that he feels it's his responsibility to make everything "perfect". You know what, I'm good at playing hymns. Who do you think you are to tell me that I'm not doing a very good job? Here's what I have to say to that, "Bite me!"

Mmmm...Peaches!

It's peach season here in our neck of the woods. I decided a few months ago that once peaches were in season I was going to buy a whole mess of them and bottle them. I'd never bottled anything before, so I was going to learn a new domestic trade. In June, just two days before I had Spencer, my mom taught me how to make and jar strawberry jam. So I figured why not peaches? So on my way home from physical therapy last week, I stopped by the local farmers market, paid $10.00 for a 1/2 bushel of seconds peaches and brought them home. They were a little hard, so I set them out on a folding table on the covered porch to let them soften just a bit.

The following day, I took Tanner out on the porch to play. Thinking he wouldn't mess with the peaches, I just let him play while I read in my book. I'm reading the Twilight Saga, by the way. Great books! But I digress. Anyway, Tanner realized that there were peaches on the table and decided that he wanted one. He went over, grabbed one from the table, which is just a little bit over his head, and commenced to chow down on the peach. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. He sat down and just ravaged the peach to death. So after eating half of a huge peach on his own, he decided that he was done and tossed it aside. Funny kid, that one!!

I was able to bottle 16 quarts of fresh peaches to save for my kids to eat throughout the winter. I was so proud of myself to have accomplished that feat. No pun intended, but it was great to see the fruits of my labors!! I haven't decided yet if I'll go back and pick up some more peaches to bottle, so we'll see. I have decided though that during the peak apple season here I'm going to get a whole lot of them and have my mom teach me how to make applesauce. I can't stand the applesauce from the store, but if it's homemade, I can't get enough of it! I'm really looking forward to that.

Can You Go Through the Terrible 2's at Age 1?

Tanner is now 14 months old, as of yesterday, but he is starting to throw tantrums - major tantrums! He likes to get really upset when you bring out the camera, when you're on the computer, or any other mechanical device that he cannot have. I was taking some pictures of him the other day when he was out on the porch and this is what happened when I wouldn't let him play with the camera. He's a funny kid! However, as quickly as he gets upset, he turns it off and is as cute as can be! He is a major goofball.

Tanner likes to push buttons on whatever he can find. He now knows how to open our DVD player. He thinks that's the greatest thing. He also pushes the power button on the cable box, on the TV, and whatever else he can push. It cracks me up because he takes his little finger and holds it out when he's 3 feet away from the button so you know what he wants to do. He's going to get that little finger into trouble one of these days!


He loves being outside. Anytime a door opens, he drops whatever it is he's doing and races to the door. When the door closes without him on the other side of it, he gets really upset and screams. Wow does he scream! We're planning a family camping trip the end of September. He's going to be in heaven. He'll never have to go inside!! I can see it now.

Spencer is growing ridiculously. I took him to his 2 month check up at the pediatrician last week and found out he's doing marvelously! He's a giant. He now weighs 14 lbs 4 oz. He's 25 inches long. That puts him in the 97 percentile for both height and weight. He's huge!! But, he's so adorable! He fell asleep on my dad's knee while my dad was rocking him to calm him down. He's such a smiley kid. He's really starting to make lots of noises. He's a pro at making spit bubbles. He's a big thumbsucker. He's really getting good at getting his thumb in his mouth. I think it's the cutest thing ever! Spencer has got some wild hair. We put mousse or gel in it after his bath just to keep it laying down. However, that doesn't help anything. His hair still manages to stick up everywhere. We have Nick to thank for that! Thanks, babe! It always amazes me to watch my kids grow up and learn new things. I just marvel at all the things that they can do, even at their young ages. I love it!