The backyard project

I can't really call these before and after pictures because they're really before and mid-way pictures. We have officially begun the renovation of the backyard. I'm so excited, but it's still quite daunting.

{Before... as in the day it became ours}

{Today... the record of progress so far}

{Before}

{Today-even though it's a mess it still looks better}

We are going to take out all the rocks (anyone know someone who needs lots of rocks?) and plant grass. We'll even leave a small space for a garden. I'm kind of excited about this. I've never had my own garden. Lets just hope that I don't kill everything right off the bat.

We are about 1/2 done with the rocks and so far our pile is a little taller than my waist and more than 5 feet long. check it out. This has all been moved by K.C. and my 3 sisters with shovels and buckets. {No of course I haven't helped. I'm not allowed to. But believe me I want to!}

Here is also a picture that doesn't do justice to our weed pile. When we moved in I'm pretty sure that we had more weeds than the rest of the neighborhood combined. We didn't have a truck or a way to haul them off so we have been stacking them by the house. This pile has been compressed and trampled more than once but it's still a massive amount of weeds.

Working Again

So my phone has been on the blitz for quite a while now. I can call who ever I want, I can check my voicemail, everything works perfectly except... I can't hear a thing. What's use is a phone that you can't hear? Our contract was eligible to upgrade and so K.C and I were both able to get new phones for a very good deal. Yeah! I can hear people again! Yippee for phones that work! So that's good news #1.

Good news #2 is almost better! My camera is home, and

it works!

I'm so happy! Oh so happy. {It's a good thing you weren't here to hear me say that because it was sung to the tune of "I feel pretty"} But by golly I am happy!

One Word Answers

I'm doing a first! I've never participated in a "tag" before, but I have nothing else to do right now and Shannon said that if i chose to be then I was tagged... so why not. Yay for firsts.

1. Where is your cell phone? Kitchen
2. Where is your significant other? Office
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? Hilarious
5. Your father? Amazing
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Dull
8. Your dream/goal? Excellence
9. The room you're in? Office
10. Your hobby? Portraits
11. Your fear? Worthlessness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
13. Where were you last night? House
14. What you're not? Mobile
15. One of your wish-list items? CRUISE!
16. Where you grew up? Everywhere
17. The last thing you did? Sat!
18. What are you wearing? Blue
19. Your TV? Disconnected
20. Your pet? Nonexistent
21. Your computer? Fast
22. Your mood? Restless
23. Missing someone? Nope
24. Your car? Ali
25. Something you're not wearing? Hat
26. Favorite store? TaiPan
27. Your summer? Bonkers
28. Love someone? K.C.
29. Your favorite color? Green
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Last-night (K.C. said that counted as one word!)

It's harder to think of one word answers than you might think! My brain kinda hurts a little.

Craig's Stats

Oh I wish I had my camera! It's really sad to see so many cute things that Craig's doing and not being able to document any of them.

Well Craig had his 1 yr check up and here are his stats:

Height: 30.25 in (Can he really be 2 1/2 feet tall? That's half as tall as my older sister!)
Weight: 22 lbs 3.5 oz (35 percentile, This is a lot better than the 20 that he was last time which was "oh so bad" because he started out in the 90's. According to the Doctor I'm back to being a good mom again because he's growing.)

He also had to get 4 shots. This was a new experience. He's had shots before but this time they did double duty on him! All in all I think it's a good thing to get it over with quickly and not prolong the experience but I wasn't expecting it.

They had me sit in a chair and hold him and keep his arms still. (I looked like the bad guy!) Then 2 nurses came and each grabbed a leg and needle. One said "1, 2, 3 Go!" Then they each gave a shot into the leg they were holding. Almost instantly they had the second round in hand and did the same thing again. So it took about 10 seconds to get 4 shots. But in those few seconds poor Craig had crocodile tears rolling down his face.

He still had the cracker he had been eating before he got attacked and promptly started eating it again seeming to be fine although totally bewildered about what had just happened to him. What a little trooper.

My parents had given me a ride because K.C. couldn't so we were all in there and when Craig let out his scream seeming to say "Why are you letting this happen to me?" I think we all started crying. Mom and I did for sure. I guess that's a good thing though, it's OK for moms to get soggy about their little ones.

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Wanda Knows - "Russian Roulette"

Episode 3:
Don't ask me how we get on these topics. They are so random!

The Background: Annie and Elle were talking about dangerous games and why you shouldn't play them. I told them about Russian Roulette and they said that was "just ridiculous."

Elle - (playing a game) "Oh man! I just jumped off a cliff!"

Celeste - "I thought you weren't going to play games that were dangerous like Russian Roulette." (referring to the potential of dying, not the act of jumping off a cliff and just wanting to make her laugh.)

Elle - Laughs "Oh yeah!"

Wanda - "What's Russian Roulette again? Oh never mind I remember."

Celeste - This ought to be good... "Wanda, what is Russian Roulette?"

Wanda - "Russian Roulette is where the Germans (?) kill the good guys and make them jump off cliffs. Well at least that's what I've heard people say."

Oh I love my sister. There you have it. Wanda knows, and now you can be wiser too.

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Terror

Last night I woke up sobbing. (this is not too uncommon due to my crazy dreams.) But usually they're about some tragic unrealistic instance of K.C. leaving me. He is very good about recognizing the signs and waking me before it hits full scale nightmare.

But last night I dreamed that we out to the Farm and I was watching Craig run around a play and then all of the sudden he was gone! I was at first a little worried and then as I ran around asking for help and no one could hear me, I increasingly got more scared. I started screaming for Craig but no sound would come out. I looked everywhere. And it finally hit my that the normally dry ditch was a fast flowing little river.

I can not describe the desperate feeling that clutched at me as I dug through the toys and shoes and all the other junk that was somehow and for some completely unexplainable reason, floating in the river. All the while I was praying that I'd find Craig and praying even harder that he wouldn't be at the bottom of that horrible horrible water trap.

I guess at this point I was actually talking out loud and the cries that I couldn't make in my dream I was making just fine in real life. K.C. woke me up and when he realized what was happening he jumped up and checked on Craig so that I could rest assured that he was O.K.

I have never been so scared in my life, I guess I know what terror is now! I have hardly been able to let Craig out of my site today. Children are so precious! I guess little reminders to not take them for granted are good but I hope that next time it's a little more gentle reminder.

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Wanda Knows: The Equinox

Episode 2: The Equinox

So we're trying to come up with a company name and one of the random suggestions we came up with was Aquinox. It sounded familiar to Wanda and then she realized that it sounded like Equinox (off of brother bear).

Celeste - "So what is the Equinox Wand?"

Wanda - "It's the water falls in that cold place... Where is Brother Bear from? I can think of Antarctica but I can't remember that other cold place what is it? Hmm.... Oh it's Alaska! The Equinox is the name of a spot in Alaska where there's lots of waterfalls. You know because in Brother Bear she has to go there to the "Equinox" to burn her true love."

P.S. We really do need good ideas for business names for K.C. and I. So if you have thoughts please send them our way.

Wanda

{ The one who Knows }

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"Wanda Knows" - The beginning

One of the many joyful things that has resulted from my sister Wanda staying with us and taking care of me, is that we have realized the vast knowledge that she possesses. Every day she graces us with another bit of priceless "knowledge."

Like superfluous means a "super-fluid," or

The difference between pop and soda.

soda comes in bottles
pop comes in cans

It has inspired K.C. to suggest that she start a weekly column called "Wanda Knows" in a newspaper. As a precursor to that I'm going to start sharing tidbits of enlightenment on my blog {with her permission of course}. I hope you all enjoy.

Episode 1:
"Wanda Knows" How the body works
K.C. - "So Wanda, tell us, how does the body work?"
Wanda - "You see with your eyes, hear with your ears and listen with your nose..."

I don't remember the rest, I was laughing too hard.

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recovery

I finally feel like I'm starting to be normal again. I've been able to cut back on the pain pills and still be OK. That is so encouraging. My camera is being repaired right now so I don't have any pictures to post but I wish I could have got a picture of my hand where I had the IV. There's still a very large purple and green bruise taking up most of the back of my hand.

I've had people come over and visit and it has been so fun. I have been very well taken care of. My sister came the night we got home and has been living with us ever since taking care of Craig and me and making sure I don't over do it. {I am very likely to do that...In fact I've been feeling so much better that I start to think I can do things and so being the independent soul that I am, I try. Then I spend the next day or to regretting it and feeling awful again.}

Thanks to everyone who's called or come or brought movies or food or any other of the kind things that have been done for me. It's so nice to know that I have such good friends/family. Thanks again.

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Surgery

Yesterday was easily one of the most traumatic days of my life. I had to have surgery and although it was quite necessary and nothing like open heart surgery it was still a very emotional day.

We drove up to Salt Lake to have it done at the University Hospital. - Long drive up and Long drive home afterwards! I have a hard time handling needles but I usually do OK. This time? Bad. They had to draw one tube of blood for testing and then I had to get an IV. Probably as a result of the mix of emotions building up about the whole thing this turned out to be much worse than normal.

They wiped my arm down with the alcohol wipe but didn't wait for it to dry before they stuck the needle in. Oh my goodness! That was one of the worst things I have ever experienced! The alcohol went into my arm with the needle! It burned so bad all up and down my arm { not to mention the fact that there was a needle sticking in me. } I was sobbing by the time he was done. { have I mentioned that I HATE needles? }

{ The most horrible blood drawing experience ever! }

Then the IV lady came and did my other hand for the IV. Already in a traumatized state it did not help that half way through she says "Oops" (WHAT!!!) "I think I blew it. Here we'll just start over." What a horrible thing to say! I think I blew it? Don't tell me that when you have a needle gouging around in my hand! There went the water works again. I felt like such a wimp but at the same time it took too much energy to try to be calm about it.

K.C. is usually the kind of person that isn't bothered by that kind of stuff and watched himself get stitches once. But by the time they poked me for the second time to start the IV over again he almost lost it. He told me later that his forehead was sweating and his tummy felt all weird. He had to kneel next to me and put his head down. { which worked out well because I latched right on and sobbed on his shoulder. }

Then they told me that K.C. had to stay behind when I went into surgery. { Which I already knew and was trying to brace myself for. } but also that he could NOT come and be there when I woke up in the recovery room. I am not ashamed to admit that I need and depend on K.C. A LOT and having him near me is such a comfort. The idea of being scared out of my mind and then waking up without him was awful. It was eased only slightly when they told me that I would be able to see him just a few minutes after I woke up.

Liars! It was 35 or 40 minutes after I gained consciousness before they brought me back to him! It did help that I was drugged but I was still pretty impatient.

They told us that everything went well but now I am quite miserable. Every time I close my eyes I have some sort of strange hallucination. It is the weirdest thing I have ever experienced. We were driving home and I was all propped up on pillows and wrapped up in a blanket
{ thanks for the advice Meg! It was a lifesaver! }
I would be looking out the window and then I would close my eyes and still be looking out the window, but some life threatening catastrophe would be happening, like a semi coming at us straight on or a huge truck parked sideways in the road. It would scare me to death and I'd open my eyes to find us driving peacefully along.

{ bundled up for the ride home - with my teddy bear "Buster" }

I thought that I would sleep most of the way home and most of today but it's more exhausting to try to sleep than it is to stay awake and deal with it. I'm just hoping and praying that everything is worth it in the end and that this is the beginning of a happier life. After a year of pain and emotional trauma I am so ready for change. I just wish that I could fall a sleep without having nightmares. Oh and I guess sometimes when I am actually asleep I forget to breath too. Not quite sure what to do about that one.

{ Me and my lifeline}

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