Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Roses
I cut these roses from my bushes this morning.
I wish you could smell them. They have been out there growing gorgeous and glorious, but I haven't really noticed because they are in a part of the yard I rarely go - on the side of the house back behind the air conditioning units. I'm so glad I finally noticed because it really is important to stop and smell the roses. Especially when they smell like these.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Brandt's Band
Brandt has mild plagiocephaly, which means his head is misshapen. He has a flat spot on the back left side of his skull, and it's from lying in the same position too much when he was tiny. You can see it in this picture.
Insurance doesn't cover the treatment and we agonized over the decision, but in the end we decided to go ahead with it. After taking a 3D image of Brand't head, the folks at Cranial Technologies made a custom DOC band for Brandt, which he has to wear 23 hours a day for approximately three months. This is what a DOC band looks like:
The idea is that when Brandt's head grows it will fill in the shape of the inside of the band, rounding out his head. They carve out some of the foam each visit to make room for new growth. We take the band off every night to clean it and give Brandt a bath, then it goes right back on again.
When they first put it on his head Brandt seemed confused, and he fussed a little. They have you wait for 10 minutes in the office after they place the band so they can check the fit. That ten minutes was rough. Brandt kept swatting at it and whimpering. After the clinician made a few adjustments and replaced the band, he seemed to forget about it and, although it took a few days for his skin to adjust to the constant contact (sweat!), he's been fine since.
This is what it looks like now.
Brandt has now had his DOC band for four weeks and we've already seen improvement. It doesn't seem to slow him down any.
Insurance doesn't cover the treatment and we agonized over the decision, but in the end we decided to go ahead with it. After taking a 3D image of Brand't head, the folks at Cranial Technologies made a custom DOC band for Brandt, which he has to wear 23 hours a day for approximately three months. This is what a DOC band looks like:
The idea is that when Brandt's head grows it will fill in the shape of the inside of the band, rounding out his head. They carve out some of the foam each visit to make room for new growth. We take the band off every night to clean it and give Brandt a bath, then it goes right back on again.
When they first put it on his head Brandt seemed confused, and he fussed a little. They have you wait for 10 minutes in the office after they place the band so they can check the fit. That ten minutes was rough. Brandt kept swatting at it and whimpering. After the clinician made a few adjustments and replaced the band, he seemed to forget about it and, although it took a few days for his skin to adjust to the constant contact (sweat!), he's been fine since.
This is what it looks like now.
Brandt has now had his DOC band for four weeks and we've already seen improvement. It doesn't seem to slow him down any.
Easter 2010
On Saturday Caleb and Dallin got up early and went on an egg hunt with Mitch. When they got home Adam was still asleep so they divided their own eggs and hid a bunch for Adam for when he woke up. They had a ball.
Easter morning egg hunts are the best. This dino has the right idea. I love Dove chocolate eggs (although Cadbury mini eggs are still my favorite).
In addition to all the pictured fun, we listened to conference and celebrated the real meaning of Easter - something I'm very grateful for.
We tried dying some brown eggs this year. I think we got some amazing colors. Thanks to my mom and sister for the idea.
Easter morning egg hunts are the best. This dino has the right idea. I love Dove chocolate eggs (although Cadbury mini eggs are still my favorite).
Brandt found a foil-wrapped chocolate egg and before we could say "grab that egg!" he was tearing into it with his little teeth.
Backyard egg hunt.
Dirt cake. Wicked mmmmm.
The boys got some good use out of their new water-weaponry.
In addition to all the pictured fun, we listened to conference and celebrated the real meaning of Easter - something I'm very grateful for.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Loft Beds
These pictures are woefully overdue, as these beds have been completed since the end of February.
Mitch spent so many hours in the garage, after the kids were in bed at night and on Saturdays, to get these things done, measuring, cutting, drilling, sanding, staining, sealing (three coats!). He built all three of them at once.
The kids love them. Great job, babe.
Mitch spent so many hours in the garage, after the kids were in bed at night and on Saturdays, to get these things done, measuring, cutting, drilling, sanding, staining, sealing (three coats!). He built all three of them at once.
Hot Broccolate
Mitch came home from Sprouts one day with this:
I've been successfully mixing the essence of 33 rainbow-colored fruits and vegetables into Caleb's and Adam's Nesquik in the morning without detection. This morning I was busted.
Dallin asked for hot chocolate. With whipped cream. Furtively, I mixed in a bit of SuperFood in before he could see me. When I squirted in the cream I noticed with dismay that some of the microscopic bits of green were barely visible around the cream. However, when I plunked it down Dallin hardly looked at it because he was taunting Adam about his pink cup and he began to drink. I went into the other room reassured.
It wasn't long before I heard Adam and Dallin talking loudly about broccoli in the chocolate milk. Oh, boy.
At this point I thought, maybe if I had just made chocolate milk this way from the beginning, the kids wouldn't have had any issue with it. It would be like, for them, that's just how chocolate milk is. But then I got thinking about the moment when, at some elementary school lunchtime, my child would ask his friend, "What!? You mean your chocolate milk isn't a source of antioxidants and three servings of fruit and veggies?" I was considering gummy vitamins when I heard Dallin yell,
"Mom! Why did you put broccoli in my hot chocolate?!"
When I came in the room he was peering into his half-empty cup and stirring with his straw.
"What makes you think there is broccoli in it, Dallin?"
"Because it's green."
Can't beat that logic.
We had a good laugh about the "hot broccolate" and then I left the room again, certain that it was all over for Amazing Grass SuperFood. Dang!
But do you know what? He drank the rest of it! That's right, folks. Dallin drank the hot broccolate by choice. So did Adam, for that matter. Just thinking about all those antioxidants floating around in their systems makes me smile.
I've been successfully mixing the essence of 33 rainbow-colored fruits and vegetables into Caleb's and Adam's Nesquik in the morning without detection. This morning I was busted.
Dallin asked for hot chocolate. With whipped cream. Furtively, I mixed in a bit of SuperFood in before he could see me. When I squirted in the cream I noticed with dismay that some of the microscopic bits of green were barely visible around the cream. However, when I plunked it down Dallin hardly looked at it because he was taunting Adam about his pink cup and he began to drink. I went into the other room reassured.
It wasn't long before I heard Adam and Dallin talking loudly about broccoli in the chocolate milk. Oh, boy.
At this point I thought, maybe if I had just made chocolate milk this way from the beginning, the kids wouldn't have had any issue with it. It would be like, for them, that's just how chocolate milk is. But then I got thinking about the moment when, at some elementary school lunchtime, my child would ask his friend, "What!? You mean your chocolate milk isn't a source of antioxidants and three servings of fruit and veggies?" I was considering gummy vitamins when I heard Dallin yell,
"Mom! Why did you put broccoli in my hot chocolate?!"
When I came in the room he was peering into his half-empty cup and stirring with his straw.
"What makes you think there is broccoli in it, Dallin?"
"Because it's green."
Can't beat that logic.
We had a good laugh about the "hot broccolate" and then I left the room again, certain that it was all over for Amazing Grass SuperFood. Dang!
But do you know what? He drank the rest of it! That's right, folks. Dallin drank the hot broccolate by choice. So did Adam, for that matter. Just thinking about all those antioxidants floating around in their systems makes me smile.
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