A poopy day

I had to pick Haley up from school on Friday to make sure she got to piano lessons on time. So we pull up and get in the pick-up line. Since we had 20 minutes until she'd be ready I opened the moon roof for fresh air and turned the car off. I'm playing my sudoku game when I feel a little sprinkle of what I thought to be water on my arm. I looked down and I had been pooped on by a bird, through the moon roof! I thought what are the odds of that! So I pulled out a baby wipe and wiped down my seat and arm. Thank goodness the interior is black leather, it wiped up easily and was easy to see! Of course I had to check in my mirror to make sure it wasn't in my hair or somewhere I couldn't see! I wanted to continue to enjoy the fresh air so I closed the moon roof and rolled down the driver and passenger windows maybe 5 inches. So I pick sudoku up again and within in a few minutes (no exaggeration) I get pooped on again!! It was all over the door handle and on the buttons that you roll the window up and down with! Seriously, do I have a target on my car somewhere????! At that point I rolled up the windows and turned the car back on! What is crazy is that I closed the moon roof but not the screen/shade, whatever it's called. Basically I could still see out it. And before Haley came those stinkin birds hit my car again! All over the windshield and on the moon roof window! Needless to say we hit the car wash after piano lessons!! And just in case you're wondering yes there was a tree nearby but COME ON!!

A Savannah update

We've had lots of calls and inquiries on Savannah. She's doing good so far. She is such a resiliant child. Wednesday was a struggle to get food and liquids down her. But on Thursday her Aunt Lauren came and brought her a Jamba Juice - Yeah! Within a few hours it was completely gone. She loved it!! She has lots of options in the freezer to make her happy but she still wanted Judd to go to Burgerville and get her a milkshake last night (such a smart girl, nobody makes 'em like BV). I've had a hard time today and part of yesterday keeping her down. She asked to play Mario Kart on the Wii. I said yes but she had to sit down and stay down. 20 minutes later I catch her boxing - what!? She's the champion boxer at our house but it requires her to run in place and punch like crazy. Yeah, I don't think that's an approved activity! Needless to say she's obviously feeling better. Hmmm.....maybe I should change the dosage on her codeine so that she'll stay on the couch. Anyway she's doing well and getting lots of popsicles, ice cream, yoguart and jell-o. Haley, Matthew and Luke are having a hard time with that. The pictures below are great proof!

Oh Savannah, that looks GOOD!

Yeah that's okay, I'll get the next bite!

You obvisouly are not listening to me!

Savannah's surgery

Yesterday morning Savannah had her tonsils and adenoids taken out. She also had an ear tube removed that was there for 2+ years so she had to have some reconstructive surgery to her ear drum. Judd took her to the Southwest WA surgery center at 7:45 am. I got Haley on the bus and then the boys and I went down to sit in the waiting room. I should have sent Judd with the camera but I forgot so these first few are from his cell phone.

He said she was in a goofy mood

Just to make sure the doctor operated on the right ear

The surgery lasted for 75 minutes. Judd's mom came to sit with the boys so Judd and I could both go back to see her when she was done. The doctor said her tonsils were big and her adenoids were very big plus it looked like she had an infection around her adenoids. My poor Savannah! When we finally went back she was crying and not a happy camper. She wanted to go home and she wanted the IV out of her hand.

They gave us a rocking chair so I could sit with her and be more comfortable. The nurse said she would probably fall asleep but every time she got close she'd start crying again.

I think the nurse thought the purple popsicle would calm her down but she was insistant that she wanted to go home and wanted that IV out. At one point I told her we had to wait until she felt better and she said"Do I have to lie and tell them I feel better then?" I think at that point the anesthesia was wearing off!

After about 1 1/2 hours or so she was feeling better. Her and Matthew got stickers and a ride in the wagon out to the car

Later that day both Grandmas & Grandpas came to visit her and bring her gifts. She also got to stay up with mom and dad when everyone else had to go to bed. Unfortunately she didn't see the fun in it. She looked at both Judd and I and said "this is boring". Judd laughed and said "Well, this is what we do when you go to bed"

1, 2, 3

I've learnd a lot from Matthew. Maybe it's because he's my first boy or maybe just because he's a funny kid. Either way here's the top three things I've learned from Matthew, so far.......

1. The words "Watch this" should evoke fear in me

2. A lot of damage can be done in a quiet, calm manner

3. When I get this look, he's definitely his dad's child

11 Fabulous years!

Our engagement photo

11 years ago today Judd & I were married in the Portland LDS temple. With each anniversary we dislike more and more the fact that we got married on Valentine's Day. The flowers are expensive, reservations are taken and babysitters unavailable. It is frustrating that everyone has chosen to celebrate their love on our anniversary!

***

Let me reiterate that it is the date of our wedding, not the wedding itself. Because with each anniversary I find myself more in love with the man I married, more devoted to our friendship & relationship and more committed to this beautiful family we've created. I'm so grateful to Judd and I want him (and all of you) to know how much I love him and how lucky I feel to be married to such a great guy!

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For your entertainment I have included these photos - don't laugh too hard!!

Luke

Luke turned 9 months old on the 2nd and I know I'm a little obsessive with picture taking in the first year (every 3 months). I can't help it, they grow fast and it's all I can do to keep up! And because he's our last (yes Judd he is!) I've been enjoying him sooooo much!! Here's a few of the pics taken last week. Enjoy................

I just have to say that I'm sorry if anyone is offended by the naked shot. I know my dad is not a fan of them. When the lady asked if I wanted to do a naked shot (because 9 months is the cut-off) I said sure why not. I thought he'd be in his diaper. I am so naive, naked means naked, come on Kara!

That's our guy!

For FHE we've worked on the kids recognizing and getting to know the first presidency better. For Matthew it's been just about recognizing them. Although ever since he learned Uchtdorf used to fly planes that's all he wants to talk about. So at breakfast I grabbed the Ensign and my bowl of cereal and sat next to him. There was an article by President Monson and of course there was a picture of him. I showed Matthew the picture and asked who that was. He said "That's our guy". I had a good laugh, he is our guy, right?!

Deep thoughts by Kara (he, he)

Allow me to ramble for a few minutes. I've been thinking about my New Year's Resolutions and I have the usual loose 20 lbs. by the end of May (yeah, sure) and all those other ones. But there is one I have been pondering since....well actually since probably Oct./Nov. I want to say that my intention with this post is selfish and if by some reason you continue to read and get something out of it then that's an added bonus!! I've heard it said that it's therapeutic and helpful to write things down. Here goes......

So I've always been irritated with myself at how quickly I react to situations and sometimes I feel like I don't listen well enough or long enough because I'm too busy flapping my jaws. So first off I want to listen more and talk less. I've pondered ALOT how much my reactions and actions influence my children. I've decided that I want to change my attitude about the things I can't change. I'm tired of dwelling, discussing and basically wasting time on situations that I can't change or fix. I don't know everyone's challenge and what they're dealing with. I only know that my reaction to them and the situations should and could be better. I want to be able to brush things off knowing what happened was not okay but I can be okay with that. Now I was telling my sister about this new attitude I would like to have and she said "Don't get walked on". I won't get walked on because I won't perfect this Christlike quality, I will continue to be human. But I do think there is wisdom in knowing when to keep your mouth shut.

My friend introduced me to a great blog that has fun and uplifting quotes and this one from the book "How to win friends and influence people" really made me think "Any fool can criticize, but it takes true character to be understanding and forgiving." Hmmmmm.... true wisdom!

I guess to sum it all up I would like to have more of a Christlike love for everyone. Those that are my greatest friends and those that aren't. I know this may seem like an odd thing to post or even an odd time but I've laid awake at night thinking about these things and in those times I have realized all of my faults and how I need to be better. I want to be a better mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, etc........ I want to emphasize that this is not one of those "looking for attention times". As a side note Judd hates nothing more than the "I'm such a horrible, ugly person" and then everyone comes running to say how great you are. I'm not looking for a self esteem boost I'm just stating that I realize that I am human. And by me telling you all about this late New Year's Resolution I'm hoping you will call me out when I stray!

"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind... We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith."
Margaret D. Nadauld the former Young Women General President.

Photo Tag

I have been photo tagged! I will explain the rules at the end. Okay this photo is from my sister Chelsea's wedding August 10, 2007. It was a beautiful wedding held at Cedar Springs Country Estates in Sandy, OR. Her colors were hot pink and orange (just like the gerbera daisies). In this photo is (from left to right) Jaclyn, Savannah & Haley. They were fabulous flower girls! It truly was a beautiful wedding. I would add more pics of the fun event but I know the rules stated one specific pic, not as many as you want to reminisce with.

So the rules are simple... 1. Choose the fourth folder you store your pictures in on your computer. 2. Select the fourth photo in that folder. 3. Explain the photo. 4. Tag four people to do the same. I tag Lindsay, Deon, Sara & Marsha. This is a fun one! Can't wait to see your pics!

Happy Birthday Haley

Haley is now officially 9 years old! Tonight we had all the family that is in town come over for cake and ice cream! I realize that I didn't get pics of everyone! So sorry if you were there but not in this post!! Part of me is kinda sad she's getting so big but she has been such a joy to have for 9 years!! We hope you had a great Birthday Haley, we love you!!

Blowing out the candles!

Birthday cake, again!

Nice card Aunt Lauren!

Harrison enjoying cake and ice cream

Matthew and Jack having a conversation about Jack's robot t-shirt

Corey, Mary and Matthew

My dad helping Matthew eat his cake

Beauty Shop Babes

Haley's 9 years old now! Wow, where does time go?!?! For her Birthday we took her and a few of her girlfriends to a beauty shop and they had their hair and nails done. It was so much fun!! They now know what kind of time committment it takes to become beautiful! We then went back to the house for presents and cake and ice cream. Here are a few pics of our fun adventure, enjoy........

Here they are all lined up in a row getting pretty

Savannah having both her hair and nails done

Makenna just getting started

Kennedy has half a head of curly hair

Okay this is my friend Jill and she is pretending to be one of those scary-eyed manequins. I think her and I had just as much fun at the beauty shop as the girls!

The Birthday girl getting all pretty

Waiting on the last girl to be done. Look at all those pretty locks!

Ta da!! Aren't they beautiful!

Opening presents

Oh, what did you get?

My mom has this cake pan set to make this tiny 3-tiered cake. I thought it would be so fun. The smallest was just a little over 1 inch. The biggest maybe 4 inches. It was a challenge to decorate but thanks to Jill it turned out great!

Blowing out the candle!