Oh, how I love this first day of Spring Break. As a friend pointed out, however, it's not technically spring... yet!
So, after waking up at 5 am to take Curt to the lightrail, I got back home and climbed right back into bed. The joy of going back to sleep is something that I've missed. I was out until 9! I got up, fed the baby and harrassed the kids into getting their chores done.
We just goofed around until 1:30 when I remembered we need to head down to Honeyville to get some White Wheat. (I don't want to burn through my food storage too quickly) Sooo, anywhoo, after hanging out there and looking at all their cool stuff, the kids wanted to head over to IKEA.
As we walked in, there was an area to make rockets for the kids. There was also a person in a pineapple costume. Penelope Pineapple... poor person. The kids made rockets and since they are truly my children, they started shooting their rockets at the pineapple person. Did I tell them to stop? Uh, no. The pineapple started gesturing to Aaron in a "bring it on" fashion so he kept aiming for it. He did pretty well too!
After annoying the craft people, we headed over to the kitchen area. People of Ikea, you really shouldn't have things unpackaged in boxes when the Mellor Clan is there.
I am a bad mother... sometimes. But I feel as though I'm a great mother and a horrible one at the same time. My kids and I set probably 40 timers to go off in 30 minutes. Yes, we sat there for a bit, until we noticed an Ikea person coming into the area; then we left. As we were leaving, Aaron started laughing and told me to listen. I could hear 40 timers ticking down the seconds.
We went over to the bedding and started checking out pillows and had a minor pillow fight... until an Ikea person entered the area.
We went to the kids area and I let all 3 of them run with wild abandon around the area.
I went to lighting and let the kids turn off all the lights they wanted.
Then... we got the call from Curt to get him from the lightrail. Fun was over.
Can wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Aaron turned 13!
On Febrary 22nd, Aaron turned 13. We took him out to Red Robin and then let him go to Target to figure out what really wanted. Thirteen is a diffucult age to buy for because that's when kids start to want all the expensive things that life has before them!
We checked Craigslist and found Aaron a new bike because he's had 2 stolen on the last year and I'm not willing to buy him a new one.
He's a little disappointed because I explained to him that he's a teenager now and has to start to earn his own money, He's not liking this teenager thing so far, it's just meaning that he has more responsibility.
We checked Craigslist and found Aaron a new bike because he's had 2 stolen on the last year and I'm not willing to buy him a new one.
He's a little disappointed because I explained to him that he's a teenager now and has to start to earn his own money, He's not liking this teenager thing so far, it's just meaning that he has more responsibility.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Positive
My husband is the only person I know that can be fine when he goes to bed, yet wakes up mad a the world. I can be mad at the world, but if I get in a good nap, I'm happy again. We are such opposites sometimes that we really even each other out.
I was asked recently how I can have a positive attitude when everything about me is going wrong. Here's the answer.
Heavenly Father has given me just one more day to figure it all out.
Every morning is a new opportunity make everything the best that I can. Not everything can change in a day, not every situation will be resolved, but He trusts me enough with "today" to let me be here. I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon, but I want to have made an impact on those that I love.
Today, Aaron may not be friends with a single boy in the ward, but maybe one of them might have a moment together that will help them become friends.
Today, Alyssa might not become the ultimate mathmatician, but she might learn just one thing that will make it easier to get that "B".
Today, Hayden might actually poop in the potty. Hope springs eternal for that one.
Today, Olivia might roll over, or she might realize that she has feet.
Today, I may just be able to get all the things done on my list.
Today, Curt could come home and not be exhausted.
When I was in the hospital, I was thinking about Olivia, her little brain and her surgery. Yes, I was sad that she was having surgery, but what could I do? I felt like I should cry. I tried, but nothing came out. Why? because I am SO grateful that there was a way to fix Olivia's shunt. Risky? Yes; I was sure of that. Was she going to come out of it alright? Yes; because she'd had a blessing and I'd felt assurance that what Curt was saying was true. Do I have to cry? No, it wouldn't change things, so why not smile? I know the nurses were grateful.
I wake up and pray that there will always be hope.
Without hope, there's just life.
I want more than just to live.
I was asked recently how I can have a positive attitude when everything about me is going wrong. Here's the answer.
Heavenly Father has given me just one more day to figure it all out.
Every morning is a new opportunity make everything the best that I can. Not everything can change in a day, not every situation will be resolved, but He trusts me enough with "today" to let me be here. I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon, but I want to have made an impact on those that I love.
Today, Aaron may not be friends with a single boy in the ward, but maybe one of them might have a moment together that will help them become friends.
Today, Alyssa might not become the ultimate mathmatician, but she might learn just one thing that will make it easier to get that "B".
Today, Hayden might actually poop in the potty. Hope springs eternal for that one.
Today, Olivia might roll over, or she might realize that she has feet.
Today, I may just be able to get all the things done on my list.
Today, Curt could come home and not be exhausted.
When I was in the hospital, I was thinking about Olivia, her little brain and her surgery. Yes, I was sad that she was having surgery, but what could I do? I felt like I should cry. I tried, but nothing came out. Why? because I am SO grateful that there was a way to fix Olivia's shunt. Risky? Yes; I was sure of that. Was she going to come out of it alright? Yes; because she'd had a blessing and I'd felt assurance that what Curt was saying was true. Do I have to cry? No, it wouldn't change things, so why not smile? I know the nurses were grateful.
I wake up and pray that there will always be hope.
Without hope, there's just life.
I want more than just to live.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Merely a flesh wound!
 | ||||||||
| At the hospital, I mentioned that the shave would be Olivia's first hair cut. | They saved her hair and put it in a baggie for me. |
Failure
Last Thursday night, as I was cleaning up the kitchen, Curt was chatting with me and holding Olivia. (We have a hole in our kitchen from where the window used to be and it's fabulous!) So, I was looking at her straight on and noticed that her left eye was a little cross-eyed. She's been whiny for the last few days and I thought it was part of the cold that we'd all had. We laughed about it and I told Curt that I would get her to the eye Dr. and get that checked.
The next morning she was a little more cranky and her eye was now WAY crossed. SO I called to make the appt and headed out the door to DES to fix a mistake they'd made. I was down there for 5 hours and by the time we left Olivia was hurting. I'd never seen her cry this way. It was because there was so much pressure in her head.
I'd picked up Curt at the lightrail station and told him that we need to get the hospital. He didn't think anything was wrong because she smiled at him when he got in the car... then she started crying and cried the whole way to Cardon's.
Aaron stayed with me because he'd never been in the ER before and had wondered what it was like. So, after a bit, we went to get Olivia a Head CT and she normally loves those... no sarcasm here! She loves being bundled up and squished! She cried and was so upset. She really didn't like the extra squish.
The CT came back that the venticles in her brain were enlarged. A quick call later and they said that she'd be admitted and have surgery in the morning. She was going to have to wait the night and they'd do another CT at 4 am. before surgery at 7:30. The Neurosurgeon, Dr. Elton (we love him!) came by at 9:30 to see her and to explain the exact procedure, he doesn't like talking to the parents just before surgery because most parents are a mess. We had to wait for another hour before a room could be ready for us.
2 funny things happened before we went up to her room.
* I was sitting on the bed and saw someone walk by that looked like my brother, Rich. He's a paramedic. I told Aaron to go in the hallway and see if he could see the guy that I was talking about. As he turned to look down a corridor, a voice said, "Hey Aaron." Rich took care of his patient and then came in to find out what was happening with Olivia. I'm glad we saw him. My parents were out of town and to see someone from my family was comforting.
* on the way up to the room, I told Aaron to grab my bags and follow. Olivia and I were on the bed and they were going to wheel us up. Aaron didn't think this was fair, so the nurse told him to hop on in with me. He had a blast. He thought it was so cool to ride in the bed and especially up to the 7th floor in the elevator. He wants to do it again.
Curt and Derek showed up around 11pm to give her a blessing and I felt so much comfort knowing that my daughter has Heavenly support. I often feel as though she's being watched over!
So, when they did the CT scan in to morning, Olivia was still a little upset, butnot crying. The same tech did her Post-op CT and she could tell Olivia was SO much happier. She babbled and smiled through the whole post-op CT ride.
Surgery went really well and Dr. Elton came to visit us in her room to tellus the good news. The catheter in her brain was clogged, and was replaced. He changed the valve because it looked like that wasn't working very well either. Curt thought it was funny that we sounded like we were talking about a car and replacing a fuel pump rather than our daughter and brain surgery! We were there when she was waking up and as soon as the anesthesia wore off, the nurses could see the difference. She started talking, smiling and laughing. What a wonderful child!
She has a pretty cool scar, but it's also really gruesome looking. I'll post pictures later of the crossed eye and her scar. She's back to her happy self and all the nurses were glad and sad to have us leave. They kept saying how we're the easy patient, because if an alarm went off, I could tell if it was serious or not. I would replace her leads if they came off and they didn't feel like glorified babysitters!
Aaron asked me once if he were in the hospital, would I stay the whole time with him the way that I stay with Olivia. My answer? "Only if you want me to." He was very happy with this answer and told me that he loves me. It's great to have an almost teenager tell me everyday that he loves me. My kids all are that way and I tell them at least once a day how much I love them.
I'm grateful that all of us were sick together, Olivia is well, and that I finally got medcation to fight off my sinus infection. It's been an eventful 2 weeks, I'm glad that it was only 2 weeks and it wasn't drawn out over more than that!
The next morning she was a little more cranky and her eye was now WAY crossed. SO I called to make the appt and headed out the door to DES to fix a mistake they'd made. I was down there for 5 hours and by the time we left Olivia was hurting. I'd never seen her cry this way. It was because there was so much pressure in her head.
I'd picked up Curt at the lightrail station and told him that we need to get the hospital. He didn't think anything was wrong because she smiled at him when he got in the car... then she started crying and cried the whole way to Cardon's.
Aaron stayed with me because he'd never been in the ER before and had wondered what it was like. So, after a bit, we went to get Olivia a Head CT and she normally loves those... no sarcasm here! She loves being bundled up and squished! She cried and was so upset. She really didn't like the extra squish.
The CT came back that the venticles in her brain were enlarged. A quick call later and they said that she'd be admitted and have surgery in the morning. She was going to have to wait the night and they'd do another CT at 4 am. before surgery at 7:30. The Neurosurgeon, Dr. Elton (we love him!) came by at 9:30 to see her and to explain the exact procedure, he doesn't like talking to the parents just before surgery because most parents are a mess. We had to wait for another hour before a room could be ready for us.
2 funny things happened before we went up to her room.
* I was sitting on the bed and saw someone walk by that looked like my brother, Rich. He's a paramedic. I told Aaron to go in the hallway and see if he could see the guy that I was talking about. As he turned to look down a corridor, a voice said, "Hey Aaron." Rich took care of his patient and then came in to find out what was happening with Olivia. I'm glad we saw him. My parents were out of town and to see someone from my family was comforting.
* on the way up to the room, I told Aaron to grab my bags and follow. Olivia and I were on the bed and they were going to wheel us up. Aaron didn't think this was fair, so the nurse told him to hop on in with me. He had a blast. He thought it was so cool to ride in the bed and especially up to the 7th floor in the elevator. He wants to do it again.
Curt and Derek showed up around 11pm to give her a blessing and I felt so much comfort knowing that my daughter has Heavenly support. I often feel as though she's being watched over!
So, when they did the CT scan in to morning, Olivia was still a little upset, butnot crying. The same tech did her Post-op CT and she could tell Olivia was SO much happier. She babbled and smiled through the whole post-op CT ride.
Surgery went really well and Dr. Elton came to visit us in her room to tellus the good news. The catheter in her brain was clogged, and was replaced. He changed the valve because it looked like that wasn't working very well either. Curt thought it was funny that we sounded like we were talking about a car and replacing a fuel pump rather than our daughter and brain surgery! We were there when she was waking up and as soon as the anesthesia wore off, the nurses could see the difference. She started talking, smiling and laughing. What a wonderful child!
She has a pretty cool scar, but it's also really gruesome looking. I'll post pictures later of the crossed eye and her scar. She's back to her happy self and all the nurses were glad and sad to have us leave. They kept saying how we're the easy patient, because if an alarm went off, I could tell if it was serious or not. I would replace her leads if they came off and they didn't feel like glorified babysitters!
Aaron asked me once if he were in the hospital, would I stay the whole time with him the way that I stay with Olivia. My answer? "Only if you want me to." He was very happy with this answer and told me that he loves me. It's great to have an almost teenager tell me everyday that he loves me. My kids all are that way and I tell them at least once a day how much I love them.
I'm grateful that all of us were sick together, Olivia is well, and that I finally got medcation to fight off my sinus infection. It's been an eventful 2 weeks, I'm glad that it was only 2 weeks and it wasn't drawn out over more than that!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My 37th Birthday
I loved my 37th Birthday. It was last Monday the 7th. It was spent at home surrounded by my 4 sickly kids and husband. My dear little 4 year old brought in a very strong cold virus and it knocked us ALL out! Hayden had an ear infection, but we're all getting better. I still have clogged ears and I'm hearing everything like it's coming in through a tin can. It should go away soon!
Here's why I loved all of us being sick on my birthday.
* We all stayed together under the blankets and kept each other warm, especially our cold feet. Even with the heater going, we still were cold.
* It forced all of us to be kind because we were all equally miserable. Knowing that changed everyone's attitude. There were many moments of laughter and teasing.
* I've loved sitting and watching movies with my kids. I introduced them to movies that they'd never seen; that I love. My thanks to Netflix Instant Movies!
* Alyssa and I (the least sick of the bunch) loved going to 3 Krispy Kremes and bringing in a haul of doughnuts. They were out of original at one of the shops, so I got to pick out my favorite custard and kreme filled doughnuts! Heavenly!!!
* There were no expectations of presents, or going out, so I didn't have to wonder what everyone was going to do, nor feel bad for not having anything because we were sick.
* It was extremely peaceful because when anyone started to talk, we'd start coughing... hence, not a single arguement.
* I loved seeing Curt's face and sickly confusion when he woke up after a cold-drug induced sleep to find out it was still Monday, my birthday. It sounds weird, but it was SO funny!
* Curt and I are going out next weekend to get my free Keg Steakhouse meal, and then I get to go on a mini shopping spree at Sephora. It's a Birthday Tradition!!!! Hooray!
* I scheduled with "my gals" for my breakfast brunch on Saturday morning! Oh, the joy!!!!
* Our family discussed everything that's happened in the last year and I realized how my testimony of trials has grown. You name it, we've been through almost trial possible... well, gratefully death wasn't a part of it!
We decided to walk away from our home, Curt lost his job, we had no income for a few months (but we had savings!), we had a baby in NICU for 3 weeks, an emergency C-section, a few weeks of bed-rest and 4 hospital stays, and we still have one car.
BUT WAIT!
We found a bigger home that we could afford, Curt has a better job as a Contractor, and now he can ride the Lightrail to work and back. We have a healthy baby girl who's body has been strengthened through many hours of prayer and fasting, who's a living example of the power of the priesthood. Life is good, we gained a sense of humor where trials are concerned and patience to wait them out.
I have fabulous friends that have been listening ears with wise, sagely advice. Going out to breakfast with "my gals" often has been very therapeutic and I'm grateful for them... more than they will ever understand. I love them like sisters and they are in my prayers often, along with my own family that I have grown to love more and more. My parents have been my rocks and I love them and cherish them so much more than I'd ever realized.
See? It's been a fantastic year... who could ask for more?
I am so excited to see how this next year goes!
Here's why I loved all of us being sick on my birthday.
* We all stayed together under the blankets and kept each other warm, especially our cold feet. Even with the heater going, we still were cold.
* It forced all of us to be kind because we were all equally miserable. Knowing that changed everyone's attitude. There were many moments of laughter and teasing.
* I've loved sitting and watching movies with my kids. I introduced them to movies that they'd never seen; that I love. My thanks to Netflix Instant Movies!
* Alyssa and I (the least sick of the bunch) loved going to 3 Krispy Kremes and bringing in a haul of doughnuts. They were out of original at one of the shops, so I got to pick out my favorite custard and kreme filled doughnuts! Heavenly!!!
* There were no expectations of presents, or going out, so I didn't have to wonder what everyone was going to do, nor feel bad for not having anything because we were sick.
* It was extremely peaceful because when anyone started to talk, we'd start coughing... hence, not a single arguement.
* I loved seeing Curt's face and sickly confusion when he woke up after a cold-drug induced sleep to find out it was still Monday, my birthday. It sounds weird, but it was SO funny!
* Curt and I are going out next weekend to get my free Keg Steakhouse meal, and then I get to go on a mini shopping spree at Sephora. It's a Birthday Tradition!!!! Hooray!
* I scheduled with "my gals" for my breakfast brunch on Saturday morning! Oh, the joy!!!!
* Our family discussed everything that's happened in the last year and I realized how my testimony of trials has grown. You name it, we've been through almost trial possible... well, gratefully death wasn't a part of it!
We decided to walk away from our home, Curt lost his job, we had no income for a few months (but we had savings!), we had a baby in NICU for 3 weeks, an emergency C-section, a few weeks of bed-rest and 4 hospital stays, and we still have one car.
BUT WAIT!
We found a bigger home that we could afford, Curt has a better job as a Contractor, and now he can ride the Lightrail to work and back. We have a healthy baby girl who's body has been strengthened through many hours of prayer and fasting, who's a living example of the power of the priesthood. Life is good, we gained a sense of humor where trials are concerned and patience to wait them out.
I have fabulous friends that have been listening ears with wise, sagely advice. Going out to breakfast with "my gals" often has been very therapeutic and I'm grateful for them... more than they will ever understand. I love them like sisters and they are in my prayers often, along with my own family that I have grown to love more and more. My parents have been my rocks and I love them and cherish them so much more than I'd ever realized.
See? It's been a fantastic year... who could ask for more?
I am so excited to see how this next year goes!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
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