NEW BLOG ADDRESS!! Update NOW!

I have a new blog address! I wanted to change my blog up a bit and I couldn't get this one to work with me so I just got a new one and imported all of my posts on this one to the new one (are you impressed Michael? I did this without any help!). Plus I wanted a shorter address. So, the new one is thevanormans.blogspot.com I'm still in the process of setting it all up so be patient with me (I have still have a dial-up connection). See you over there!

Carson

Here is a post dedicated to our "little monster". Just before we left for Canada Carson learned how to ride his bike. It was quite an exciting moment for him. He was pretty terrified to ride it on the road for fear of scratching up his legs and arms. So, Dayv had the idea to have him ride on the grass. I took him in the back yard, got him balanced and gave him a big push. It only took him a couple of tries before he had it down and was ready for the road. I did the same thing on the road and he did great! The next step was learning to start on his own. He just kept practicing and within about 10 minutes, he was an expert! Yesterday, Carson got his tonsils out. He was having some sleep apnea because his tonsils were so large and the doctor also said one tonsil looked bigger than the other which also concerned him a bit. He was fine until they tried to give him some medicine to calm him down before they took him back for the surgery. But as soon as that kicked in, he was cool as a cucumber! The surgery took less than an hour and then they invited me to go back and see him. He was so out of it! His oxygen levels kept going down so they gave him some oxygen for a little while and then he threw up. He kept trying to get up and go, he was so anxious to get out of there! The nurses absolutely loved him! They kept telling me how cute he was. And just a little side note, The Utah Surgical Center is awesome! The whole staff was more than wonderful!

Here is Carson trying to smile after we got home from his surgery.
The little cow next to him is one he got from his discharge nurse. It's
little shirt says Utah Surgical Center.

Carson was pretty sleepy for the first part of the day and then I couldn't get him to calm down. I had to give him his pain meds not because he was in pain but so he would chill out! He kept getting upset because he couldn't eat what he wanted like chips or crackers. He ate about 10 or more Popsicles and even had dinner (BBQ pork sandwiches)!

Well, that unfortunately didn't last into the next day. He woke up very upset and both his stomach and his throat were hurting all day. He wouldn't eat anything, not even a Popsicle and I had to force him to drink. He is taking three different medications. The one he really hates is his pain meds because of the taste and I've discovered that it is that one that is also giving him his stomach ache. But if he doesn't take it then he is in excruciating pain! My poor little monster! It's so hard to see your kids in pain. You just wish you can take it all upon yourself. Hopefully he will start to feel more normal soon!

(Yea! I am all caught up! )

Lagoon!

Dayv's employer has a work party every year at Lagoon. This year he had to work so they gave him the free tickets to go on a different day which was last Saturday, July 11th. And not only did he get free admission tickets he got free meal tickets too! Pretty sweet deal. Normally I think Lagoon is a bit of a rip off but you can't beat free! We decided that Noah might be a bit young so we left him with my sister in law Toni and took her son Brigham (who is a couple years older than Carson) instead. The kids had so much fun. Because we had Landon, Dayv and I were not able to go on very many rides ourselves but it was just as fun to see our kids having fun (not to mention, Dayv gets sick on most amusment park rides). Here a some pics from the day:

They had a monkey show, which we never saw, but we caught this cute little guy (the monkey not the man) having his picture taken with people.


Lagoon a Beach was a big hit. They have a pretty cool little kid area.Landon actually slept most of the time but here he is during one of
his awake and happy moments. Isn't he cute?!

Oh Canada!

So, I'm a little behind in my blogging so I will start with our trip to Canada. We left on Thursday, June 25th and stopped at my parents house in Lewiston (close to Logan). We spent the night, dropped off our dog and left about 8 the next morning on Friday. The trip up was an absolute miracle. We had borrowed a portable DVD player with two screens from a friend and the three oldest kids either watched a movie or slept the whole way up. Landon also did a lot of sleeping and ate when he was suppose to. I couldn't believe it! Once we were in Canada we drove past a vistor's center that had a huge T-rex in front. We pointed it out to the kids and Carson was of course the most excited. He's comment was "I LOVE Canada!" and still talks about it. See, all you need is a T-rex and Carson will love you forever! We made it to the in law's in Raymond, Alberta around 7 o'clock that night. The next day, Saturday, Dayv and I went into Lethbridge without the kids and did a little shopping and of course eating at the Dynasty (a Chinese buffet restaurant that Dayv HAS to eat at). That night Michael, Christy and Family arrived. Sunday we all went to church. They sang 'Oh Canada' (which I missed b/c I was in the mother's room) and 'God Save the Queen' which was a little interesting. I actually spent a lot of time in the mother's room which I must say is the best mother's room I've ever been in. They even deliver the sacrament! Monday Michael, Christy, Dayv and I along with the babies all went back into Lethbridge for some more shopping and pick up of HUMONGO order of more Chinese food (are you picking up a pattern here?). I think we ended up eating that Chinese food for three days straight (Dayv even had it for Breakfast)! Tuesday we went on a field trip to the Raymond museum. Dayv and Michael found a relative in one of the books and there was even a piano that Michael took lessons on as a child (Now, there's a way to tell you're old!). We then took the kids to the park. Wednesday was Canada Day (Canada's independence day). They had a parade in the morning and then we went back to the house for a wiener roast and toasted marshmallows afterward. That evening there was a carnival "downtown" and everything was FREE! The kids had A LOT of fun at that. We then watched fireworks that night. Thurday we went to Writing-On-Stone which is a provincial park. They have rock formations called Hoodoos that the kids got to climb all over. We then had lunch and then headed over to the beach/river. This is Landon (on the left) and Christian. They both enjoyed a nice nap on the beach. Friday we took another field trip to the Pharmasave and let the kid's all pick out a candy bar (they were happy). Saturday we made our way back home, stopping at my parents once again for 4th of July fireworks. The only problem we had on the way back was Noah got constipated and therefore VERY uncomfortable but it was still not a bad trip home at all.

The needle is stuck!

On the scale that is.... I haven't lost anymore weight since Landon was probably about 2 weeks old (he is now 3 months!). So, here is my plan: LOSE MORE WEIGHT! Christy and I have decided to try out my friend, Victoria's suggestions (who has been doing more than FABULOUS in losing weight) and keep a food journal. You write down EVERYTHING that you eat. I was thinking this idea would affect my eating habits even more if there was someone else that read my food journal besides me. So, Christy is joining me! We are starting tomorrow. I also decided that I need some extra motivation. So, I told my husband that I need a reward for getting down to my pre pregnancy weight (which gives me about 13 lbs to lose). I think I'm actually going to go the extra mile and say 20 lbs. even. Any suggestions on a MAJOR motivator? I told him new clothes but he said I'd get those anyway because I'd have to. True enough and I'm all for new clothes AND something else! Along with the food journal (which is suppose to make me eat less), I'm going to exercise, drink more water and have a special day for treats (another friend's idea). I was going to add a weight loss ticker on my blog too and maybe that will also give me a little motivation knowing all of my readers (what is there, like 3 of you?) will also be seeing my progress. Which will also mean I need to get a scale (these things have been ban from my house for quite a long time). Wish me luck!!

Lonely Nights

My husband has been working the graveyard shift for the past 9 nights STRAIGHT! I have been going insane! Noah, who is very much a daddy's boy, has been absoulutly AWFUL to put to bed at night. He is out of bed every two minutes! One night I put him to bed at 7 and he was not asleep until almost 11 o'clock! Although the extra money is nice (we are using it to make up for the income he will lose when we go to Canada for a week) but I'll be glad when it is over. Although this job being over makes me kind of nervous. Dayv just got word that 15 - 30 guys got laid off this past week. We are working towards being self-sufficent if that were to ever happen but we are not even close to being there yet.

Landon had his two month appointment last wednesday. He weighed in at 17.2 lbs and was measuring at 26 inches long! And we thought Carson was big. He actually doesn't look as "fat" as Carson did as a baby. Maybe he's just "big boned".... lol . Everything looked good. We talked about his "squeaky" breathing and the doctor said there would be a very small chance that they would do anything about it because he is obviously growing just fine and is an all around very happy baby. He thinks the cartilige in his thoat is just "floppy" (as a baby's cartilige is) and as he gets older it will tighten up and there will be no more squeaking. So, I've pretty much decided not to have a scope down the nose test done unless things get worse.

Sebastian is still hiding out and comes over every night for food (as far as I know anyway). He might just end up being an outside cat. I might try a few more things to get him to come in the house after Dayv gets off the night shift but we'll see.

Progress on the new room has slowed down a lot since Dayv started working nights but it should pick up again soon. He has got all four walls sheetrocked and the door hung. So, it's actually a room now!

Carson finished his last day of Kindergarten last friday. He is so excited to start first grade. I'm sure our summer is just going to fly by, we have so much planned. First Carson starts swimming lessons on the 15th of June for two weeks. We go to Canada two days after swimming lesssons ends for a week. Carson gets his tonsils out the 14th of July. We are debating on putting him t-ball starting that week for four weeks. And Tahirah wants to try dance lessons again around the same time (we've tried it before and it did NOT go well). I'm also still debating on putting Tahirah in preschool. I think she really needs it. Not for the acedimic part of it but for the social part and just being away from mom for a couple of hours in a school like setting. The problem is paying for it. Preschool is so expensive!

Well, there's my update!

Sebastian Sighting!

My husband was up really late last night because he is going to start working the graveyard shift for two weeks. So, at around 3 o'clock in the am he woke me up and told me he saw Bastian! Keltin (one of our other cats) was going crazy so he looked outside to see what was going on and saw Bastian just as he was running into our neighbors yard. We looked and looked for him in their backyard, even tried enticing him with food but had no luck in getting him to come back out. Even though he is not back in the house it still makes me happy to know that he is still alive. I think he has probably stuck around here this whole time. I'm going to start sticking food outside our front door at night for him and maybe he'll decide it's ok to come back home.