Just Like Daddy!

Well, the other day Parker got out his gun that has some fancy scope on it and a stand attached to it. Parker loves to sit and fiddle with his toys. His guns, for example, he'll point them and adjust them, and he's always making changes to make sure it's just right. The same thing goes with his bow. And when biking season comes around again, he'll start messing with his bike again.

Well so anyway, he got out his gun and was lying on the floor and pointing it out the window. When I looked over, I saw Caleb lying right next to him, pointing his little toy gun out the window too. We didn't tell him to, he just laid down and did it. In fact, Parker didn't even notice he was there until I said, "Oh, that is SO cute!"

Now some mothers won't allow their boys to have toy guns, for this reason or that. But I realized VERY EARLY that that would never be possible in our home. You see, Parker gets his guns out on a very regular basis. How could I not let my son have a gun just like daddy?! I just told Parker that it is HIS responsibility to teach our son about guns. To teach him respect for Daddy's real guns, and also how to play with the toy guns. I know, in a few more years Parker's gonna be taking him hunting too! Isn't the video just the cutest thing ever?

Derek and Amanda's Wedding

Well I was afraid if I waited much longer the wedding would be old news. I've been pretty busy with work these past couple days but the doc went home sick today, so we got to come home early. So now I'm blogging! Yay for me!

Okay if you can't tell, the first picture is of Derek and Amanda dancing. They danced to that aerosmith song from "Armageddon." The next picture is Amanda's fresh rose and cal lilly boquet, made by my sister Melissa. Awesome job Mel, it was BEAUTIFUL!

Well, as soon as Caleb saw Uncle Derek, he walked up to him and laid down between his legs so he could do "monkey swing." Because Uncle Derek ALWAYS does monkey swing with Caleb. Why would it be any different now?

Now, this next video is of them cutting the cake. But....nothing really great happens. In fact, the entire video is them cutting ONE piece. But the smiles on their faces couldn't even be justified with a snapshot picture. So here it is.

Also we have a picture of derek's boutenier (no clue if I spelled that right...probably didn't but there it is). Melissa wanted me to take pictures of the flowers cuz she forgot her camera.

And I love this picture of Amanda. She looks completely gorgeous! Some girls were just born to be brides, I think.

And Mycah, well, I think she's already having dreams of being a bride. Isn't she so cute?!

There's a picture of the table centerpiece, (with floating candles which Caleb decided to blow out while singing "happy birthday") and the whole thing is surrounded by bubbles (party favors). The bubbles WERE A HIT! What a great way to entertain your busy children while you're trying to stay at a wedding celebration as long as possible. Calebed LOVED the bubbles!

Caleb got a little crazy at the open house, but he looked great didn't he?! I love that red tie, he looked so sharp!

The REAL cutting the cake video. And can I just say I am SO glad they didn't shove it in eachother's faces. I'm really not a fan of when they do that. So hat's off Derek and Amanda. Okay one other comment...I LOVE how they give eachother a bite....then you can see (not hear) them commenting on how good the cake tastes. Then, without thinking....they BOTH take ANOTHER bite of their own cake that THEY'RE holding cuz it's so good.

Now for my favorite!! The chocolate fountains! Yes there's two. The white chocolate you can see. However if you look behind it and slightly to the right, you'll see the brown chocolate fountain too. Derek always said he'd have one of those things at his wedding, and of course when he decided to marry a chocoholic he sort-of sealed the deal. I don't know Amanda very well, but one thing I DO know is that she LOVES chocolate. That's definately something I can understand!

Now, I have to say thiswedding cake was completely amazing. I've never seen another like it. If you look closely, you'll see that written all over the cake are terms of endearment like, "adore, forever, honor, harmony" and so on. Then, to make it just that more amazing, my sister Melissa put a few roses and ivy on each level to add that finishing touch.

Okay now the video of the little girl catching the bouquet is SO cute. This little girl happens to be the daughter of my dad's cousin (Jared Higgenson) who passed away this summer. When she heard they were throwing the bouquet, she stood up and said to her sister, "I wanna catch it! I REALLY wanna catch it!" And can you believe it she did!

Okay, originally Amanda put her GRANDMOTHER in the chair she's sitting in, once Derek had the blindfold on. She was gonna see if he'd lift up HER dress. Luckily, he kinda suspected something funny was going on, and put a stop to that before anything too emberassing happened.I'm kinda bummed I didn't get an awesome picture of Derek like the one I got of Amanda. But I got some pretty neat videos, and I'm posting them all so you can see. It really was an aw

And lets not forget the bubbles. Like I said, a BIG hit for the kids. Here's a short video of Caleb and Kaleigh playing in the bubbles.

And finally the traditional "bride and groom" dance. Before that dance, Amanda danced with her father to Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl" (I know....makes me cry just thinking about it too....try WITNESSING it!).....(I ALWAYS cry at weddings.....I can't explain it). And lets not forget all the bubbles (courtesy of Amanda's little sister, and other teenage minglers).

The open house was beautiful. And VERY classy. Hat's-off to Amanda and her Mother, Suzette, for their amazing taste. It was gorgeous.

Why I love my job.....

Okay, I'm sure you're all sick of the daily text-only posts, but I promise this is a good one. I just had to share this experience I had at work today.
The best part about being a dental hygienist is getting to work with different people every day. It's so great to be able to help people, and get to know them at the same time.
So at 9:30 this morning, I had this old man for a patient. He's tall, overweight, and HILARIOUS. Let me explain. I went into the waiting room, and walked him back to my chair. As we're going down the hall I ask, "So how are you doing this morning?"
He looks at me for a second and then says, "It's too damn early to be at the dentist." (please forgive me for the language, but HE said it not me. And I can't have the full effect unless I quote him word for word). So I sit him down, and I start updating his medical history. I asked him, "so have there been any changes in your health?"
"nope."
And then I look at his list of medications and I read it off to him.
"Are you still taking all of those as perscribed?" And his response literally almost had me on the ground laughing.
"Nah, I don't take my meds anymore.....I just drink beer."
I chuckle to myself....thinking...(is he kidding?) So I shrug it off, and I start taking some x-rays. I ask him, "So, are any of your teeth bothering you?"
And he says, "Well I wouldn't be able to tell you if they were, cuz it's too damn early."
I'm thinking (It's going on ten o'clock! I thought old people got up early!")
So anyway, he's telling me about how he's retired and stuff. He says, "I thought I'd get bored being at home all day, but I love it. Being at home is a full-time job anyway!" So I ask him,
"So what did you do before you retired?"
He says, "I was a dumb-ass mechanic." And I say, "that's not dumb" and he says, "yes it is. But I couldn't do what my dad used to do, I grew up in a mortuary." And (I'm not gonna lie, I was so proud of myself for thinking of this as quickly as I did) I said,
"Yeah, they're all a buncha stiffs."
And he looks at me for a second, and then chuckles and says, "Yeah, exactly."
So then the doctor comes in for his exam afterwards, and HE askes the old man, "So, how have you been? Are you keeping busy?" And again, the old man with his mouth says,
"I'm trying to, it's too damn cold to go fishing though." And I'm not kidding you, by the end of this appointment, I was pretty much crying cuz I was laughing so hard. It's not every day you meet a character like this, and I have to tell you it's one of the funnest things about being a hygienist. I really do love my job. Not only was this guy entertaining, but I was able to help him out quite a bit because he had some pretty serious periodontal disease. And so I got to talk to him about that, and I got to see him learn about these things, and I even got him to commit to come to ANOTHER early appointment to finish up all the scaling.
I really am enjoying work. Today I also saw another woman, who had perio so seriously that we had to extract a tooth cuz there was no bone holding it in. It was literally so loose, I could press down on the crown and it would not only move side to side....but up and down (a lot) as well. She had tobacco stain on every tooth and a pack of cigarettes there in her front shirt pocket, RIGHT where I could see them. When I finished with her cleaning, I literally gave her the lecture of her life about periodontal disease, and how she was well on her way to losing all of her teeth. I talked to her about smoking, and how it causes perio to progress faster and worse, and how it's not only a risk to her health (which she, of course, already knew.....all smokers know it's' bad for them) but that it's also a risk for oral cancer. And I'm not kidding you, this woman seemed so shocked that her teeth were so bad. She told me at the beginning of her appointment that she thought she was doing good at taking care of her teeth at home. After her cleaning, I said "well, you tell me that you think you're taking good care of your teeth, but I HAVE to tell you, the conditions in your mouth right now are NOT showing that." It turned out she was only brushing once a day for a few seconds. I told her that if she didn't start brushing twice a day TODAY, and coming in exactly every three months from now on that she was gonna lose her teeth. She was so surprised, and suddenly motivated to do better. She also told us that she was going to try to quit smoking again (most smokers take almost seven attempts at quitting before they're able to actually do it). So it was really awesome. I think I might have convinced a few people to change today. I only wish I could stick around and see if they actually do it. The whole 3-month think kinda puts a damper on getting to see the results of my efforts. Oh well, some day right? Anyway, sorry this got long really fast. But I just wanted to share some of the great things about being a hygienist.
I'm out!

Confessions of a Dental Hygienist...

I'm sitting here at ten-fifteen, and I can barely keep my eyes open. Full time work means early morning hours. And I, the night owl, have succombed to early night sleepiness. Only a few days ago I was starting a movie at this time. Just the other night, Parker and I stayed up past one. But I just can't do it anymore. I'm all grown-up I guess. Yes it's ten fifteen and I'm ready to hit the sack, but here's the sad part....I've been yawning and rubbing my eyes for two hours. I get up at six-thirty now instead of eight-thirty. And on days when Parker goes to school, I get up at six. Here's another thing that stunk today....
I woke up this morning to hear Caleb crying. I laid there hoping he would stop so I wouldn't have to go upstairs and get him.....but he just kept crying. So I threw off the covers, swung my legs off the bed and mozied upstairs. Now, isn't it interesting that even though I hadn't looked at the clock I just had this sense that I'd been sleeping for a while (so it couldn't be the lovely three o'clock in the morning which would mean I could go back to bed) and I just knew I wasn't going to get to climb back into my soft and warm bed. Just as I reached the top of the stairs he stopped crying. And I waited.....assuming he would start again. He didn't. And then I looked at the clock. I had five minutes till my alarm would go off. HOW DOES HE DO THAT?!! Okay, guess what ELSE this kid does? I don't know how but almost every night.....just as I'm dozing off.....drifting between asleep and awake......Caleb starts crying. I'm not kidding it happen's so much that I sometimes wonder if he doesn't have like a sixths sense or something. It's not every night, but a couple times a week for sure.

I got my first paycheck today! They come every two weeks from now until I'm done. Here's what is ALSO great.....my paycheck had been sitting there for a week, cuz I didn't know when they came....so I get another one on Monday! Yay for me!

I just want all my DH friends to know that I've set the DVR, and I will not be missing a single episode of "American Idol" or "The Bachelor." I have to make up for two years of missed-out conversation. So if anyone wants to chat about their favorite tv shows, you can find me on facebook!

I hate using the laptop without the power chord, because for some reason the battery doesn't have enough guts to putt of stronger light for the screen. It's always some shade of gray instead of being the well-lit computer screen it should be. But here I sit in the dark, with a dying battery and I just can't bring myself to go get that chord, cuz it's downstairs and I'm up here.

Parker's on a bus with a bunch of high-school boys returning from a basketball game. I don't know if I'll be awake when ge gets home in 45 minutes.

I hate washing my hair in the morning. It means you have to get up 30 minutes earlier than you would have if you DIDN'T wash your hair. Cuz once it's wet, you've gotta dry, then style, and then the makeup. And NO I can't skip any of the steps.....I sit WAY too close to my patients....sometimes with their head between my legs. Showering is a must.....and even though I only wash my hair every other time.....I just thought you all should know that I hate it.

Well I'd say I'm doing pretty good at blogging and working. Sorry no pictures. However, this weekend is Derek's wedding reception and since we're going I can promise a few pictures from that. I've charged the camera battery and everything.

sleep......

A Workin' Mom....

Well, this update is pathetic. No news. No pictures, I just felt bad that it'd been almost a week since I last put something new on here. So here's my feeble attempt.

Today was my first day of full-time work. It went well! I had five patients and I gave five shots! Okay, it sounds like a lot.....but it's not. I'm catching on really well at work, and I'm starting to enjoy it quite a bit. I feel kinda awkward when I have a patient that doesn't show up or something, because at this particular office, the hygienist doesn't really do any of the sterilization or......any busy-work to be frank. So when I don't have a patient, I never know what to do. I've just been sharpening my instruments, but once they're sharp....they're sharp. And there's nothing else to do.

Today was also Caleb's first day at daycare. We found a lady here in town who knows Parker's parents a little bit, and she's got YEARS of experience. And (here's the most important part)....it felt good when I stepped in the house. So she watches him Tuesdays and Thursdays while Parker's at school. When I dropped him off today, I totally thought he was gonna cry and throw a royal fit. But I just sat him on my knee and said, "Caleb, mommy has to go bye-bye for a while. But I'll come back and get you later." and he said, "Okay." And I said, "give me a hug and a kiss" and so he did. And then he went off and played with the toys. And according to the report, he was just fine all day. He ate well, and was a good boy. He didn't take a nap, but I kinda had a feeling he wouldn't. But he did sit quietly on the couch and read some books. What a good boy. I feel so bad leaving him in the care of someone else.....but what other choice do I have? Unfortunately this is a world where almost everyone has to work. And that is the case for my family as well. My sisters got lucky on this one. And I'm sure they know it. I hope I can do what they do someday.

I wish I had more to say. I work 3 days this week, and then we go to Boise for Derek's wedding reception. I'm really happy for him and Amanda.
Kay I'm out!

Leverage....

Since there is no younger sibling to take the place, Caleb still sleeps in a crib. And it's been just fine. But wouldn't you know, with a two-year-old there's always something that throws a kink in your lovely routines. Caleb knows how to climb out of his crib. He's known how for several months, and after one or two good talks and little spankings he didn't do it again. But about two weeks ago, Caleb decided that he was going to climb out of bed for EVERY nap. And as a mother, who just loves naptime, this isn't something that's going to end without a fight. So I started by putting him back in bed after a serious talk. (it used to be that a stern voice would make him cry). But he would do it again. Then it was a stern talk and time out for getting out of bed. He persisted. And then I spanked him, AND put him in the corner. No go. The child was STILL getting out of bed for every nap. Bedtime he wouldn't, but naptime seemed to be dwindling from our daily routine. After several days of spanking, time-out and no change. I talked to my sister, Anna, about my little problem. It was getting hard for me, because each time I would raise my voice louder and louder. I caught myself yelling at my child more than I ever dreamed I would (at least at the age of two anyway...). And I didn't like it. PLUS! (lets not forget the most important part here...) it wasn't working. Anna suggested I use something important to him as leverage. And then it came to me...............THE BLANKET. This boy has a serious attachment to his blanket. So today, I put him down for a nap and when he got out of bed, I took his blanket away and put him in time out. He was hysterical! After two minutes (I heard somewhere a good amount of time in time-out is a child's age) of extreme crying I sat him on my lap and told him what he did wrong, and why his blanket was gone. Then I gave him his blanket back and put him in bed again. I told him if he got out of bed again I'd take his blanket again, and this time I wouldn't give it back. I hope he understands. Since then he hasn't made a sound. I can only hope he's actually taking a nap. It seems, the correct leverage might be the solution to my problem (for now). I hope he doesn't make me take it away again...for good. Honestly, the terrible twos really can be terrible sometimes. He's a great kid, but he's learning boundries and defiance. And he tests me! I can't wait till he's three....and a half. I've heard they're much better by then.
Oh P.S. Sorry the posts aren't as frequent. I'm working now, and in six days I'll be working full-time (finally). I'll post when I can, but don't expect too much from me till I get into a new routine!

Caleb's teeth!....I think there's FIVE!

Today we had some errands to run...and since we had to stop by mom's office, we decided that we'd better take some x-rays of Caleb's teeth now that they're starting to come in.

Now I have to say, the first picture is my favorite because HE HAS A MOLAR!! And you know what's even cooler? That molar was the first one in. If you look at the top you'll see there's no gray shadowyness above that little tooth, and that's because it's alrady in! The second picture is the other side of his bottom teeth....looks like it's just the canine. The other two shots are occlusal views, and please don't scoff....it's VERY hard to get a two-year-old to bite on a little piece of film and it's even harder to get him to hold still while you push the button. The first is an occlusal of the mandible (the bottom teeth). It only shows the canines, but we know there's a molar behind one of them that you can't see.

And the second occlusal is at a bad angle and we got it as he was in the process of spitting it out, so we were lucky we got anything. What's crazy about this shot is what is to the left of the canine on the left.....doesn't that look like another tooth growing in sideways? I can't wait till he's big enough to hold still for a pano. Anyway, I was totally thrilled when we finally got these pictures. Boy he's gonna look funny when they all come in. But that's okay, every tooth in the mouth is a blessing and it will help to hold a prosthesis when he's ready for that. So....four canines plus a molar equals FIVE TEETH! Horray Caleb!

My Favorite Things...

Well, you can always tell when I'm working, cuz I quit blogging. If you look in the archives, I'm pretty sure the month of August was the weak spot for blogging, and the reason for that was that I had a job. Well, I've been working in Rupert (near Burley) one day a week, soon to be four days a week as soon as the girl has her baby, and I just can't bring myself to blog. So here I am...ON MY LUNCH BREAK!! That's right, blogging at work. But not on the clock, don't worry. :)

Well I've been thinking about this, and I decided I wanted to make a post about some of my favorite things in the world. Now, I don't really consider myself a materialistic kind of a person, however, these things are some of my most favorite in the whole wide world.

Before I start, I have to also add that last night I finally finished "Jayne Eyre." I started this book months ago, and it was so slow starting that I put it down for weeks at a time. Then I got to the middle, and it was suddenly good. And for the past 3 days I have been glued to that book. It is now one of my favorites. I completely understand why it's a classic. What a wonderful story it is. I recommend this book to anybody, it was awesome!

Okay, here's a few of my favorite things in the world....

1. My crystal nail file. My mom's friend, Teresa, got this for my sisters and me for Christmas and it's one of my most prized posessions. This thing never dulls. It does, however, BREAK! That's right.....crystal = GLASS! That's why it comes in a case. Parker was so fascinated with it the other day when I was showing it to him, and I told him it was crystal and he started bending it, and he broke the handle. AUGH! I was kinda mad, but at least he didn't snap the thing in half, so it still works.2. My iPOD. Dang straight! I love my ipod. Parker has been messing around with it ever since we got it, but I think he's finally got the thing figured out, and he's now in the process of downloading all kinds of movies and things on it. I've been using it when I work out. But I really love it, and I can't wait to fill it with all those songs that I love on the radio that I DON'T HAVE. But I will.

3. My Magnification Loupes. These things are what I use at work. They make it easier for me to see in the mouth, and they're really nice. They save my back and arms and I totally love them. I don't regret getting them for a second.4. My sonicaire toothbrush. I love this thing to death. You may know, I've already mentioned this thing in a pevious post. I really prefer it to a manual toothbrush, it just feels so good. I'll never go back.

5. My cell phone. It's funny that I never actually owned my own cell phone until a couple months ago. For about three years before that, Parker and I shared a cell-phone but it wasn't till recently that I had my very own cell phone. And I like it lots.

6. My ceramic flat-iron. I got that thing after I got my first dramatic haircut, and it's never failed me since. I also have Teresa to thank for this one. It was kinda expensive, but it has BY FAR paid itself off. I can't tell you how many flat-irons my sisters have gone through, and I still have the same one. The chord doesn't wind up all crazy-like, and it always gets hot, and the spring has never broken.

7. Okay, I have to admit, this thing is NOT mine. It's my mom's. However, it's awesome. It's a noise-maker that I keep in Caleb's room. It makes sounds like rain, thunderstorm, rainforest, ocean, a heartbeat, and white noise. OH! And crickets.....parker LOVES the crickets. We use that thing, and it just eases my conscience cuz I don't have to worry about the noisy family waking up my little boy.

8. Okay, this isn't mine EITHER. But once again, my mother just has the awesomest stuff. I have never had a good-night sleep like the ones I have on the MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS TOPPER. Oh my goodness. I love a soft mattress, I like to sink in and fall asleep. Hard mattresses make my shoulders and hips hurt. But this memory foam mattress topper is simply heavenly. Thank you Costco!

9. Last but not least...my favorite perfume. "Eternity Moment" by Calvin Klein. I have to say I am still so surprised at how much I like it. Parker bought it for me for our first Christmas. I didn't even ask for it, but he thought I'd like it and he was RIGHT. It's by far the best perfume I've ever smelled, and I've never smelled it on anyone else...so it's like it's MY scent. It's yummy. Okay, I'm done being materialistic. I just had to let you all know about my favorite things. I never really posted about new years, and that's because I'm still collecting pictures. Can you believe I forgot to bring the camera to my favorite party of the year? Rediculous I know. Okay, I promise I won't wait so long to post again!