Wilson Family Vacation

With Jared's work schedule, baby coming soon and my traveling conditions limited....we took a family vacation the day school got out and headed to California!

Thank goodness for the portable DVD player that we invested in. Even though Scooby Doo, Alvin, Teenage Mutant Turtles and Superheroes drive me crazy, it's better than listening to the arguments and pure boredom that breaks loose between the boys. Enough said.

Our travel went smoothly, with a trip to Subway and the grocery store to get some food for the weekend. We stayed with Tino and Tatia Metzger, our friends of a few years from DirectBuy. Jared used to stay with them back and forth when he commuted from Burbank,CA to Surprise, AZ. They were very kind to have our family there and we did what we could to be low key.

Day #1: The beach!
We hit the local Ralph's to get stocked up on lunch supplies; tortillas, meat, chips, fruit, etc. The beach was only 25 min. away, next to an airport. We got to see the huge airliners take flight...boy were they LOUD and awesome.

We came well prepared with camping chairs, towels, ice chests (no ice needed b/c it was cold) and beach toys. It's like camping but with water and sun. So much preparation!
The boys were great helpers.

It was not crowded, especially for a Saturday. Just fantastic.

Tino and Tatia staying out of the sun.
The first touches of sand were fun for all of us...super cool and wet.

This is as close to the water that Isaac got. It was FREEZING.


Notice the bellies: big, smaller, "4 pack" (as Wesley calls it).


Salty....brrr....
Then the little crabs were discovered....

They were disgusting, like cockroaches.
Isaac agreed!
I stayed dry and full clothed.


Time to start burying them alive!

What a cute picture...Isaac was NOT happy about it.



Sand, sand and more sand.

After the beach, we went to Jared's favorite Greek Cafe. He was dissapointed in the new menu and lack of flavor that he remembered from a year ago. Oh well.
Showering off that sand and sunburn. This face is hilarious!
I love that Jared can shower with all the boys while I just prep with towels and undies.
With only a base tan and 15 SPF sunscreen, we all got pretty red. I felt terrible as a mom! The boys didn't complain and I slathered on the aloe vera.
Day #2 "More than Waffles." A local restaurant dedicated to breakfast, we wanted to try it out! The boys enjoyed the fountain nearby as we waited for seats. We explained the whole "Make a wish" idea and they thought it was pretty cool. Austin wished to be an Army man. Wesley wished to be a Boxer. Isaac just tossed his in and touched the water.
Just call me Racoon with a farmer tan. I enjoyed a vegetarian omelet (salt!!!) and Austin loves bacon and whipped cream (not together).
Wesley dug into his blueberry waffles, an adult portion of course.
After breakfast, we hit up the California Science Museum. I wanted to go somewhere fun, but inexpensive and indoors (since we needed to recover from our sunburns). We did Disney and Legoland a few years ago, and we have no real desire to return still!

We found free parking along the street in LA (b/c it was Sunday) and the admission was FREE, just paid for our cool IMAX.
The IMAX was called, "Born in the Wild." Elephants and Orangatuns that were rescued as orphans and then raised by nursery's to go back into the wild. Great stories and pictures. Isaac didn't put on his glasses, not sure how he lasted the whole movie.

Running around was a favorite.
This shows the heat within a human body. Can you find each person?
The boys played with the tops, and Wesley of course was very competitive with those around him.


After a full day at the museum, we hit up Lala's, an Argentina restaurant. DELICIOSO. The boys got impatient (Isaac had an embarrassing meltdown), while waiting for food.
Well worth the wait, the grease and calories digested. Milanesa Napolitana, papas fritas, empanadas, pure de papas, limon, etc. If only I could eat like this EVERYDAY.

A cute shot on the walk back to the car.
Day #3
Last day before heading back to reality. We hit up the beach one last time. Jared was so good about changing nasty diapers...Isaac just chilled in the sand.
Isaac stayed away from the water this time around, just enjoying the sand and sun.
We knew better than to get the trunks wet this time around...it was only 65 degrees, but the boys still dug into the sand and got their feet wet.


I stayed fully dressed again and snuggled my sweet baby b/c it was chilly!
When we got back, we all were FRUIT and VEGGIE deprived from eating out so much! So, I went a little crazy at Sprouts, and Wesley put together a beautiful ensemble of fruit :) We do love to eat healthy.

Happy Vacation boys! So glad we could share the weekend together as a family :)

E.N.T.

After sharing a 4 night weekend with Isaac in the same room, we knew something was going on with his breathing patterns. He has always been a snorter and congested, but I just figured it was due to allergies or perhaps a cold. Didn't think much about it.

Until he couldn't breathe

or sleep soundly

would often gasp for air

or pause to take another.

That's when we stayed up 'til 2am googling "sleep apneia" on Jared's phone to calm our fears.

I took him into the E.N.T. dr today. Ironically, just yesterday he crawled out of his crib for the first time...more interruptions to his sleeping habits! No! Mama is not ready to give up that routine of naptime OR the wonderful cage that holds a screaming and tired toddler!

Here in Surprise, there are A LOT OF OLD PEOPLE (we live next to Sun City, a retirement community). No one was younger than the age of 70 in that waiting room. No worries, just give me my paperwork and let's get this appt going! 30 min passed. 45 min creeped by. 60 minutes! Isaac had had enough of the dirty blocks in the corner and playing with the one toy car on the floor. He was all up in my business, big belly and all contracting from all of his kicks and shoves. Soon he was melting down and heads with oxygen masks attached were turning to watch the uncontrollable toddler and big mama.

Finally....finally...finally....an hour later...we got back to the office with the Dr.

I had come prepared with a video recording of Isaac's sleeping, but within 2 min. he said, "Does your child always sound like this? This is very serious. Poor kid, he can hardly breathe."

The result? Isaac needs to go in for surgery. He will get tubes in both ears and get his tonsils and abenoids removed. He will have to stay overnight (because he is younger than 3 and they have to monitor his breathing) at the hospital.

Wow!

I feel bad for the poor onery monkey. No wonder he is a mess. Dr said that he has 30% hearing, and all of it sounds like it's underwater b/c he has so much built up fluid. We did a hearing test on him, and although the tech said that it was mild, he sure didn't respond too quickly to the lights and sounds that she gave him.

We headed back to the lobby full of NEW old timers who continued to stare at me and my tired little guy. By this point, Isaac was pulling my pants down and yelling, "I go! Car!" He was blocking my path of walking and had his little arms wrapped around my thigh so tightly I thought I would trip on him. A lovely sight for all to enjoy.

Yet, I have more sympathy for my little monster. He can't hear! He can't breathe! No wonder he is such a mess!

I will be curious to see if his demeanor changes at all after the surgery.

Tonight's FHE was on fasting and prayer. The boys all want to fast for Isaac (skipping just one meal). It will be a special family experience, including a Father's Priesthood blessing.

I just hope this all happens before baby Levi comes out, and Isaac can recover fully without too much horrible aches and pains in his little mouth.

The Birds and the Bees

I knew "the talk" would be coming soon....it was only a matter of time.

My boys have been asking for months how Levi would come out, how did he get there, do I "poop" the baby out, and how did dad help get him there...

Just YESTERDAY, Austin was talking about gumballs and licorice, and within the same sentence he said, "What happens to the skin when it gets cut off your peepee?" (circumcision). So small, yet so inquisitive. So funny that it was in the same train of thought as sugar and candy!

I have VERY curious boys. Wesley, the oldest, happens to have a memory like an elephant. He remembers things from when he was 2 (5 years ago!), with detail. For example, he remembers that he once saw me naked....ugh....this is only the beginning of "the talk" I had with my boys.

We headed to the library today and I picked up a few chapter books for the boys, as well as a book that could explain the sex talk in simple terms. The book title: It's NOT the stork!

We got home, had lunch, and I gathered my sweet 5 and 7 year old with me on the floor to "talk." I was not sure how I wanted to start it out, but I knew I didn't want to make them feel uncomfortable or let them know that I was feeling a bit embarrassed by some of the vocabulary.

The first picture (all cartoons) was of a naked boy and girl, and how we are similar in many ways; ankles, elbows, hair, nipples (they giggled at that one), and then the big V word came out... as well as the P word. Austin pronounces it, "pagina" whereas Wesley followed right along with me with reading all the pages said.

I let them know that at anytime we could stop if they didn't want to know more, and that all we were talking about was very special and sacred. I told them that they should NOT talk about these things with their friends, only mom or dad (or Grandpa/Grandma). They asked why not, and I told them that a lot of their friends hadn't talked to their parents about these body parts or special things and that we didn't want them to make their friends feel silly or weird.

It can only imagine if they had a little sister, some of these questions would've been answered already about her body.

I was really happy to follow along with the pages in the book (ideally, I could've read it beforehand, but I just dove right into it and we discovered it together). I really wanted Jared to be by my side for these "private part" discussions, but I just felt like as a mother, I needed to also step up and approach the subject with courage and confidence!

Questions asked by my boys:

"Why are there two eggs on the sides of the girl part and a line in the middle." Answer: "No son, that is skin."

"How did the boys zap into the girls?" Answer: They had to touch parts.

"So you and dad touch parts?" Answer: Yes.

"Do you and dad have sex a lot?" Answer: No. (What else would I say???)

"What happens if kids have sex and have a baby?" Answer: Kids can't.
"But what if???" Answer: Then they will be very sad and it will be hard to have a baby b/c you
are still growing.

"Are our eggs really blue?" (based off of the cartoon picture). Answer: ask your dad.

"Why do we have nipples?" Answer: ask your dad (I have no idea why men have nipples!)

So, overall, I am pleased with how our first initial conversation went. I called up Jared on the phone and had the boys tell them they knew what a "V" was, and it caught him off guard...that was really funny. I also told Jared that he was on duty tonight for more questions that the boys might have.


As I type this, Wesley is re-reading the book and is concentrating very hard.

Maybe I will have a little OB-GYN as a son?

First day of Summer

I am in a new transition in my life. No more working full time! My last day was yesterday at the school where I finished off the last bit of cleaning my room, turned in my electronics, my key and signed off the check list to my principal.

Has it hit me yet? Not quite. Jared keeps telling me, "It's going to be a long summer for you!" Not sure what that will mean. Will it be b/c I will now be more nazi about cleaning and keeping the house organized? Will I go crazy with the brother fights that will happen daily with time outs? Will being 9 months prego finally wear me down 'til I burst into tears b/c I feel trapped in this weighted down body? (I have gained 30 lbs, sitting at 31 weeks now...my goal? No more than 10 lbs please!)

I am not sure if I will continue the early am workouts or not. It sure is nice to not haul my kiddos around and deal with their ups/downs of the gym (or germs). In and out, nice and quick if I go early. I think I will try to keep them doing something busy every morning, do the lunch thing (I loaded up on fish sticks, fruit and crackers at the store yesterday...back to making lunches again! Kinda fun!), and then during Isaac's nap, I want to do some sort of "school time" for the boys where they read and do math. When Isaac gets up, we can either swim or watch a movie and I can prep for dinner.

It all sounds really nice on paper, not sure how realistic any of this is.

Projects? I don't think it's from "nesting," it's simply b/c I have neglected so many small areas b/c I have been gone for 10 months working!

1. De-clutter my kitchen drawers and make spaces available for books that my boys can access.
2. Go through my toy room, organize it with bins and tubs and find a light for the corner.
3. Transfer my videos on my computer to one file so we can watch them all together.
4. Put Wesley and Austin's school work into plastic sheets and binders for safe keeping.
5. Find furniture for Wesley (dresser, bed frame) in preparation for Levi's arrival.
6. Organize my jewelry drawer, as well as the computer area.
7. Potty train Isaac!!!!
8. Turn this blog into my third blog book...that alone will take 80+ hours of editing....sheesh

Just gotta take it day by day. Going to give myself 2 weeks to get settled and not get upset. I see so many areas that need to be cleaned, dusted, organized, folded or thrown away...day by day. A little task here, two loads of laundry there, menu planning along as I go and a trip to Wal Mart when needed.

Lots to do. Things to accomplish. Naps to take.

Boys to enjoy!