Zoey the Blogger

Zoey has gotten into blogging and keeps wanting me to take pictures, "so we can put it on our blog." So here is a few things we have been doing lately....
I had strep throat last week, (I know half the stuff I post is about all my sickness, but I sware I'm not a sickly person.) Anyways I literally couldn't move off the couch for like 3 days. The girls decided to set up their own little tea party. Zoey hauled in the table and chairs and set up a cute party for her and Olivia. Of course my birthday landed right in the midst of my multiple sickness. But we had a little celebration anyways because I am 29, again!!! (But don't think I'm letting you off the hook Joe, when I'm better we are going out for a big celebration!!) Don't pay attention to how nasty I look or my dirty house just look at the present Joe got me. A Kitchen Aid....Yeah!! I've been wanting one for such a long time but it's really unfortunate that I probablly won't be able to use for a while. However, I still love it.
The girls are obsessed with doing crafts and science projects. Zoey loves scissors and glue and ribbon and makes about 10 crafts everyday. They are so cute but I usually have to toss most of them the next day or I sware my house would be wallpapered with her creations. Joe is the scientist in the family and has spent alot of time doing experiments with the girls. He loves to teach them big words and their meanings and then quiz them later. So next time you see Zoey, ask her what 'Refraction' means. Here is their latest...the baking soda volcano.

My dishwasher broke so I decided it was time to teach the girls some homemaking skills. They loved it. It was so funny because they didn't see it as a chore but more like a fun game I was letting them do.

Calf Creek

Since its been weeks of sickness, both me and Joe's wierd anthrax breathing disease, (not really anthrax but he did get a strange breathing sickness), we decided we need a change of scenery. So we loaded up the car, literally stuffed to the top with gear and went camping in Utah with my brother Jason and his family. We went to Calf Creek, a great spot by the grand staircase national monument outside Ecalante. It is filled with childhood memories because we went there every year for many years until the adults in our family decided to ditch it for another camp ground with the luxury of flushing toilets. It was great to be in the outdoors even though I sware I didn't sleep any of the nights we were there and instead listened to the symphany of snoring all around me. Theres something healing in nature; having no restrictions with the kids, having no commitments or possessions to distract us. We just enjoyed the scenery and the conversation. We loved the river that runs through the camp and I think one night, Jason, Joe and Joe's brother Andy, even took advantage of it 'European style' if you know what I mean. I attempted the 6-mile hike to the amazing 126 foot waterfall, but due to Dr restrictions couldn't complete it. But the rest of the group, with kids hanging off the front and back, treked through the thick sand and heat to enjoy a swim in the falls. Jason and I marveled at how my parents hauled all 6 of us kids up the trail every year. It really is an amazing sight in the middle of the desert. Unfortunatley in the ton of gear we brought the camera didn't make it. That was a big bummer. We officially suck at preserving our memories, I guess until next year, as I'm deciding I'd like to make the Calf Creek trip an annual thing.

We got home late last night and instead of folding the 10 loads of laundry filling up my living room, the kids and I decided to make cup cakes instead. This memory I decided to preserve since I've committed to being better at taking pictures from this day forward. The girls have always loved baking with me. Since they were very little they have sat on the counter and been little chefs.

So Far So Good...

So we are in our 11th - 12th week of pregnancy. Earlier this week, Jana began experiencing some discomfort and bleeding...not good times, especially with our history. We scheduled an ultrasound for the next day, and went down there in the morning. My thoughts were that I sort of wished that we could buy our own machine -- not one of those dopplers, but a full-on ultrasound machine so Jana could check in on the baby any time she wanted to. Last time we went in for an ultrasound, we were sent down to this crappy place that had foreign technicians, that didn't seem to know what they were doing. They tried to hide the screen from us, had trouble interpreting the views, acted as if something was wrong all the time, but wouldn't explain. It was terrible. I guess there was a mixup at our doctor's office about what ultrasound work our insurance would pay for, so they thought they had to send us to this low rent place that sucked. This time, probably because it was an emergency, they sent us to the doctor's own unit with her own technicians doing the ultrasound.

As an aside, this whole health insurance thing blows. Its not really health insurance, its more like catastrophe insurance. For regular things, insurance isn't really practical. You end up paying more than the insurance company does. I would be half-tempted to just self-insure, except for that dreaded car accident or something where you end up spending 5 days in ICU with a full day of surgery, and you can never come back financially. I have a friend in hospital administration, and he says insurance is the only thing that makes it work, that even with insurance paying they still give away hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in free care, and he was super offended when I told him my theory on health insurance. I told him health insurance is a scam, its the last vestiges of the slave system, LLoyds of London -- one of the biggest insurers in the world -- got their start insuring slave shipments from Africa, and that I always end up paying more than the insurance company, they never authorize squat, and my premiums are outrageous. What's the answer? More doctors?

So anway, we go the good ultrasound office, and get it done, and everything is fine, confirm the existence of the baby's heartbeat, see the baby move, all measurements are great. Zoey and Livvy are excited, they loved seeing the pictures.

So, despite the scare, so far so good. Will be cautious from here on out....JGW

Give me Candy...

So when I'm pregnant I get a really gross taste in my mouth and I also produce extra saliva that also tastes terrible. The one thing that has worked to combat this is, candy. I can't chew gum because it makes more saliva and I can't stand the taste of mint. (I've even had to start using cinnamon toothpaste.) So I have been eating tons of candy, just to combat this bad taste. I have never been a candy eater, (chocolate yes but I wouldn't be caught dead buying or eating candy normally.) So this is the stash of candy I had today. There is usually hot tamalies in there too but I sware just minutes before I ate like the whole 8oz box of them. So I know its disgusting, I know my teeth are going to fall out, but I don't care. Anything is better than the grossness that lingers with out the presence of candy.

I'm sure my dad would be proud. Oh wait, he doesn't eat candy. Right dad? wink wink