Tyson is 5!!!!!

My baby turns 5 today.  It is bittersweet....on the one hand we don't have to use car seats any longer, but on the other, my baby isn't a baby anymore.  *sniff*

Tyson wanted an R2-D2 cake like I made Taylor.  However, I didn't want to copy, so instead I carved a clone helmet.  At first he wanted to see R2, but when I showed him this, he was VERY excited!  

 We had Grandma and Grandpa over for dinner, then some of the rest of the family came for cake and ice cream.  Tyson surprised me and actually talked a little in this group setting...it's getting easier for him to communicate.  (yay!)

 Our little Pyromaniac couldn't wait for the fire, so he got very excited when Troy started lighting the candles.  He got so excited that he kept blowing them out before we could sing!  Finally, Troy got them all lit.  :)

Getting ready to blow...he held this pose for the whole song....goofy kid.  :)

 FINALLY, he gets to blow out the fire.  He got them all.....yay Tyson!

Mr. Tyson is getting so big.  He is talking better, he likes school (though he doesn't like getting up early), and he loves to play with toys and Legos.  His imagination amazes me and he loves to kiss and cuddle.  There has been more than once that he surprised me in church with a big wet one on the lips.  Video games, moves, and the Clone Wars show are also favorites.  The funniest thing about Tyson is that he has taken some of the personalities that he sees the older kids exhibit and has made them part of his own.  To hear a 5 year old say and do some of the things he does is hilarious and he keeps us laughing.  We love him so much!

Happy Birthday Tyson!!!!!!!

Annie's Bathroom

So, we are learning that one little girl takes a lot of time in the bathroom.  And, we are learning that her 3 brothers are not happy with that.  It causes a bit of friction, so after some debate and a family discussion, we decided to turn the downstairs bathroom into Annie's bathroom.  At first the boys were concerned that they'd have to run upstairs each time they needed to visit the facilities, but after some assurances that each bathroom held certain family member's "stuff", and no bathroom was off limits to anyone, they agreed (plus they get to redo their bathroom "man style").

Annie loves blue and green so to really make the bathroom hers, we decided to completely redo it.  Here is the before:

During...we decided to paint her light fixture to go with the overall theme so we had to use a portable light so we could see.  It's a hot little thing!

The light fixture.  Sadly, we decided to paint it AFTER we had painted the blue, so we had to do touch ups, but since Tyson was helping, we had to do touch ups anyway.  Why not, right?   :)

 Since we were painting the light fixture, we decided that the cabinet also needed some paint.  It took some sanding and a few coats of white, but it came out beautifully.

 Mr. Tyson was a great helper...he dropped paint all over the floor, walked through it making cute little footprints, and brought me a drink of water.  Painting with a four, almost five, year old makes life interesting (and occasionally a lot harder).

 We are getting closer...the cabinet is painted, the faucet installed, the mirror hung, the cabinet assembled and hung....lots of work done, lots left to do.

 The faucet.  I know...a picture of a faucet is weird.  HOWEVER, Annie and I installed this by ourselves (girl power!!!) and we are quite proud of the results.

Prints found at the dollar store.  They turned out cute.

I loved this picture so much that I tried to find another one for my bathroom.  No such luck, but I'll keep looking.

 The "look" of Annie's wall...including a smiling Annie Rose.

 Beautiful new cabinet and rug.

 The finished product.  Annie loves it, and so do I.  It's so pretty!

 My happy girl...and tired...and sore...but happy.  :)

Redecorating is fun, but it is sure tiring.  My knees are so sore from kneeling, and my hands are red and rough from sanding and scrubbing, but to look at her smile, and to look at that beautiful room makes it all worth while.  Now, if I can talk the boys out of their redecorating project for a couple of weeks so I can recover, I'll win all around.  :)

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011 was wonderful and full of fun!  We had dinner with the folks and some good friends, the food was DELICIOUS, and even though we battled colds and nasty headaches during the day, we also had a lot of fun.

Our tree all lit up.  I love LED lights...so vibrant and beautiful.

Santa left some yummy goodies in our socks this year.

He also made a mess with his cookies and soda!

Whoa...Santa sure left some cool stuff!

Christmas morning...all the kids were so excited with their gifts.

Troy was one of the kids that was sick, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the proceedings from the chair.  :)

Tyson didn't know which present to open first

A PSP for Taylor.  He was so excited!

Brian and Julie and their fam gave us Kinect Sports 2....it is so much fun.  Taylor playing football with Troy (and Taylor won).  :)

Tyson's first trip on his "ride".  He had so much fun on it.  We took him out front and he did so much better on the road (not as much to hit, I guess).

I took a video of the kids playing "Just Dance 3" but it won't load.  I'll keep trying, 'cause it is HILARIOUS to see my boys shaking their booties and trying to keep up with Annie.

Hope everyone's Christmas was as good as ours!

The Brace Face Club

Today was the big day...the day that Annie has waited for....the day she got her braces and joined the Brace Face Club at school.  Life is good (and her mouth is sore).

Before...

 After....

Just as pretty, and now with added bling!  :)

Annie's Concert

Annie's band concert was last week and she was part of a flute trio.  She did so well, and we are so proud of her.  Enjoy!   :)

Ode to Pigeons (and my handy dandy pigeon popper)

The pigeons sit upon my roof,
And poop and poop all day.
I really wish that they would stop,
It's stinkin' hard to wash away!

They fly into my window,
And scare me half to death,
They coo and bump and scratch and fight,
And leave a GIANT mess!

The ladder wasn't tall enough,
To spike their favorite spot,
So my Sweetheart in his wisdom,
A pigeon popper gun he bought.

It's filled with lovely pellets,
So easy to load and shoot,
And those stinking birds just hate it,
When I run them from their coop.

The best part of my day now,
Is when I hear them rest,
My popper and I go right outside,
To show those birds whose best.

I love my pigeon popper,
It's my favorite new toy,
'Cause poppin' those stupid pigeons,
Brings me lots and lots of joy!

My aim is getting better,
So a warning there to should be,
To any pigeon dumb enough,
To come anywhere near me.

Bwahahahahahahahahaha!  :)

Tubes....Again

Well, after 6 months of trying to get Tyson's ears to drain, Dr. Mostafavi decided that it was tubes time...again.  So, we scheduled his appointment for December 7.  To be a the hospital for our check in time, we had to leave our house at 5am.  Kevin just scooped Tyson out of bed, covered him with a blanket and put him in the car for me.  Then, we were off.

It was so cold outside and it was early, but my little guy was a trooper!  Of course, I could only get half a smile out of him at that time of day.  We just checked in and are passing time with some Scooby Doo.

The nurse came to get us and take us to his pre-op room.  This was new for me...the last time he had tubes put in, they came and got him and took him away screaming, then brought him back screaming.  This time, he got a whole room to wait in.

 I got him to smile for me...then they gave him the special jammies.  Smile gone.  :)

 He did not like his special jammies at all.  He didn't like the pants, and he didn't like the gown.  The socks were pretty cool though.  Not a happy camper.

 This face...so sad.  He wanted to go home right then and not see "be doctor".

 The nurse knew he was having a hard time and moved the TV to his level...then she gave him the remote.  He's such a kid...TV makes everything better!

Especially when you are hanging from it.  :)

About 30 minutes before his surgery, they gave him some medicine to make him relax.  Just after taking it, Dr. I.C.U. Giggles came for a visit.  I loved the back of his lab coat and couldn't resist a picture.

 While Dr. Giggles was getting ready, the nurse began to hook Tyson up.  He didn't like that at all.

 Thankfully, Dr. Giggles was ready to divert his attention and did some cool magic tricks that made Tyson laugh.  He also gave Tyson some stickers for his gown.

 Dr. Giggles and Mr. Tyson with their clown noses.....so cute!

Dr. Giggles even gave me a special gift...made me laugh and this may be making its way around as a Christmas gift this year.  :)

 Dr. Giggles left when the meds started kicking in.  Tyson was so funny...he kept making faces, kept reaching for and rubbing my face.  When he talked, he slurred his words and his movements were very slow and very exaggerated.  I asked the nurse if I could take some of that stuff home...this is good entertainment!  :)  As soon as he was relaxed and covered with his Cars blankie, they wheeled him away and sent me to the waiting room.  I don't like that part at all...I want to be in there with him!

 It didn't take long before they came to get me...about 20 minutes.  When the nurse brought me into the recovery room, I started to cry.  My poor little man.  I know he was fine, but it was hard seeing him this way.   Dr. Mostafavi came in to check on us and said that Tyson's eardrums were bulging and probably would have burst soon (one of them had burst in early November and it was very painful for him...so thankful he didn't have to go through it again.)  Now, with tubes, things should be a lot better for him...no pressure, better hearing, etc.  This surgery is definitely a blessing for my little man..even if it was hard on mom.  :)

 His nurse and I had the job of waking him up.  He did not want to open those pretty brown eyes at all...and we tried a lot of different things.  Finally when the nurse started to remove the stickers that monitor his heart he opened his eyes.  A few minutes later he was dressed and we were headed to the car in a wagon.  He was so groggy...didn't even protest when I left him with the aid to go and get the car.

 On the way home, he said he was hungry, so we stopped at Sonic for an ice cream.  It was so funny to watch him try to eat.  He had a hard time hitting his mouth with the spoon, but he wouldn't let me feed him.  He made such a mess, but having something in his tummy, even if it was junk, was good for him.  He kept trying to talk to me, but it was so hard to understand him..he was still groggy and slurring his words. A couple of times, he forgot what he was saying and stopped talking mid-sentence.  

As a reward for being good, we had promised Tyson some Legos, so we stopped at Walmart on the way home to get some.  Tyson and I had lots of fun putting his set together even though his was still pretty out of it.  Fortunately, by yesterday afternoon, all effects had worn off and my boy was running around the house like a crazy kid...getting rid of some of that energy.

He's doing pretty good today.  His ears are draining but it's clear, so no infection.  He did pick up a cold and has spent the day coughing and curled up in a blanket with a runny nose, but his surgery pretty much ruled out getting an ear infection from it (yay!) so all is good.  Thanks to all of you for prayers on his behalf. It was appreciated! 

Sad News

As we were driving home Wednesday night, we got a text from my dad that my brother in law's brother, Joe, was in a plane that had crashed into the Superstition Mountains.  No word had come of any deaths or survivors, but it wasn't looking good.  I called Stephanie to see how she and Stephen were holding up and they were really struggling.  By Thursday morning, they confirmed that all passengers on the plane had passed away.

This is Joe on a hike.  We knew him because he lived with Steve and Stephi for a while.  He was a good guy, funny, hard working, happy...it was a shock to all of us at his sudden loss.

Our thoughts and prayers have been with his family, and we have felt gratitude this week for the blessings of the plan of salvation, and the knowledge that Joe lives on and that he will be reunited with his family.  At the time of year that gratitude is in abundance, it is this simple principle that brings us peace.

Vacation Day 4....back to Disneyland!

Wednesday morning we were up and at it again...heading back to Disneyland.  My camera had died and we found out that I had forgotten the charger, so I was using the kid's camera...it was also going so there are a lot less pictures this day.  Plus, this time, we had a better plan so we weren't running back and forth all over the park, so we were moving a lot more and pictures were harder.

Before we did anything though, I wanted to get a picture of this ginormous Christmas tree.  It was so beautiful, especially all lit up.

 When we came around the tree, we ran into this happy fellow.  We waved (characters were still a no go with Tyson) and headed over to the jungle tour since we had missed that on Monday (hilarious, by the way).

During a break, we caught the Jedi show in Tomorrow Land.  Tons of fun, especially when Darth Vader and Darth Maul arrive.  After they fight the young padawans, they walk around.  Darth Maul came right up to Tyson and looked at him face to face.  Tyson just stared at him, then when Maul turned away, Tyson spit at him.  It was the funniest thing I have ever seen!

 A storm trooper also stopped by us...Troy patted him on the head and got a finger shook at him.  I would recommend this show even if you aren't a Star Wars fan (which of course, we aren't...at all...hahahahahaha!)

We were able to ride every one of our favorite rides again, plus a couple that we had missed on Monday, and had tons of fun.  Finally, around 5:00 our feet, backs, and bodies gave out on us and we decided to head home (plus Tyson announced he wasn't standing in anymore lines).  Since we hadn't gotten a picture with Mickey yet, this was our last stop.  Cutest kids in the world...pretty sure of it!

 Kevin and I.  You KNOW Kevin is tired...his eyes are shut.  ;)

We piled into the car, found a gas station for pop, potty stop, gas, and the changing of the clothes, and then headed home.  It was a long, tiring trip, but we made it home by 4:00 the next morning and slept until noon before heading to the folks house for Thanksgiving dinner.  It has taken us about a week to get the laundry done, and to recuperate from our busy trip, but we had so much fun, and we'd love to go again soon.