Allie's surgery

This girl has to always keep us on our toes for some reason.   A few weeks ago she got sick, and I noticed she had a lump on the side of her head, between her eye and the top of her ear.  I thought maybe it was a lymph node, but it was in a weird place.  So I kept an eye on it for a few days and it never got smaller, so I took her to the doctor.  She referred me to an eye specialist who was also a plastic surgeon.  He checked it out and said he wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it needed to be removed because it was sitting on a nerve, and could damage it.  So the next morning we were at the hospital for her little surgery. 

She did great.  It was easier this time than last time, when she had her hernia surgery, because it's not a big deal for her to go without food anymore.

The little hopistal pajamas fit her better than they did last time.

She had no idea what was about to happen, and I felt bad about that.  She was just sitting there, happy as a clam.  When they took her away she had a sad face and whimpered a little bit, but it wasn't too bad.
















The surgery only took about half an hour.  She looked so pitiful when they brought her back.  Her eyes were really red, and she didn't blink for the longest time.  She had ointment all over her face from them trying to keep her eyes moist.  I could tell she didn't feel good, probably nauseated, and her throat hurt from the breathing tube.  But she perked up pretty fast.  By the time I got her home an hour later, she was back to her usual self.  She didn't even need tylenol, and the stitches haven't seemed to bother her at all.

It turns out it was a "dermoid cyst."  They start during development in the womb when some cells get stuck between some bones.  Since they are skin cells, they continue to grow just like other skin cells.  They are harmless, as in they are not cancerous, but they can cause damage if they press on things like nerves, blood vessels and organs.

I've learned over the years that I have a good mother's instinct.  I know when something is a big deal and I should be worried, and when I don't need to worry about it.  I always knew this was not a really bad thing.  I did have moments of stress during the surgery when my imagination went into overdrive and I thought about the worst case scenarios.  But I really wasn't worried most of the time.
I am glad it's all taken care of though.  I'll be even happier when the stitches are out because that sort of thing kind of grosses me out, and also I like to kiss her there.


*warning* disgusting fact to follow:
Have you ever heard of those big tumors that have hair and teeth and fingernails and stuff?  While hers was just skin, it's the same kind.  Gross, eh?

Christmas 2012

What a great Christmas!  For the first time ever we felt like we had enough money, even to help out other people, like we've been helped over the years. 

We always knew Jared would have to work Christmas day his first year as a nurse, but we were not prepared for his horrible work schedule; not only Christmas day, but Christmas Eve and the 2 days before, too.  We obviously couldn't make the kids wait a day longer, that is just cruel and unusual punishment, so we came up with a plan: on Christmas Eve we would go out to eat and Santa would come while we were gone.  It was so fun!  It wasn't the same as Christmas morning, but it was still awesome, especially since it was a surprise for the kids (but not for Joey.  He was pretty concerned that dad had to work, and what were we going to do?  So I let him in on the secret).  We decided to go to Golden Corral, but when we got there it was closed (oops), so we drove around and almost everything was closed except Olive Garden, which Jared and I enjoyed, and the kids thought was just ok.  We came home, and found the surprise.

I love their faces in this:  "Santa gave us tothbrushes??"  Santa knows they needed new ones and was fairly disgusted by the ones they have.

Grandma West gave them awesome Transformer Legos

 

Allie got an adorable little microwave and a doll stroller

I made her a beanbag chair, which she loves.

New books



















New handcuffs










They also got blankets, lots of legos, new watches from Grandma Moore, and some wii games.  As for Jared and I, we got our new 50" idol, since the one we had before wasn't granting our wishes well enough. 
And no one mentioned a baby cat.  The magic continues.

I might have ruined Santa

 At our branch party last week Santa arrived, and Tyler made a beeline for him.  He was a man on a mission.  He asked Santa for a "baby cat."  I was surprised because he's never mentioned that he wants a cat before.  I really should have known, though.  This kid loves cats.  He and Dougie play a game called "kitties" all the time.  It's also pretty normal for him to be in his black cat costume from halloween. 

Why did it have to be cats?

Most people know that I hate cats.  I think they're cute and I even like petting them briefly.  But they turn nasty so quickly.  You'll be nice to them and they turn around and scratch you.  They kill birds, mice and snakes (all of which I like), they keep you awake at night, and hide around the corner then attack your legs.  At least that's what our cat did when I was a kid. 

I will not have a cat in my house.  Period.  

I think I forgot to tell Tyler that.  Or maybe he still believes Santa can work magic.

There might be some truth to that because when I heard my sweet little boy ask Santa for a baby cat I knew it really was his hearts desire, and I wavered briefly.  I could see how happy he'd be with a little kitty.  He would be in heaven.  I don't know that there is anything else that could make him happier.  

But I just can't do it.  

Also, I was wrapping presents the other day and by accident I left out the presents from Santa for Allie and Joey (cough cough idiot! cough), and I know Tyler saw Allie's.  So come Christmas morning (or Christmas Eve in this case, but that's another story for another day) I think the magic of Santa may come to an end.  When there are presents he knows mom bought, and no baby cat, he'll know.  He's a smart kid.  I still hate it that he has to grow up.  I just hope he's not heartbroken about the absence of a baby cat.

Christmas dress

Look Mom, it fits!

My mom sent Allie this fantastic Christmas dress.  You never really know what size to get for her because she's 18 months, but still so tiny.  She weighs 17 lbs 14 oz. now, and is the 2nd percentile. 

 But the dress fits perfectly.  It has a ridiculous amounts of ruffles, tulle and glitter (which got all over the bench at church).

 She headed straight for the dirtiest thing she could find.

I tried to get a good one of all the kids but Allie was characteristically uncooperative.

Thanks Mom, she looks adorable.

Allie and the Christmas lights

When we were putting up the Christmas tree Allie was so excited about all the decorations.  Jared was holding her with a string of lights for her to play with, and for whatever reason she decided a good place for them would be up her nose.  So we laughed and took pictures. 

Our Black Friday Deal

'Tis the season!  I love Christmas!!  (Who doesn't, right?)

We put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving, and there is also a little present "under" it already.  Can you see it? 

It's a humongous 50 inch tv.  It was a Black Friday special.  We went and stood in line for 2 hours before Target opened on Thanksgiving night.  We should have brought chairs and a propane-powered space heater, as some did in the line.  (Just kidding, we're not that hard core).  So we froze our fingers and toes while we made friends with the people in front and behind us in line.  One was there for Ipods for her kids, who were waiting in the car with her husband, since they had nowhere else to go because they were from Saint George.  Her husband kept bringing her things like blankets, socks, and hot chocolate.  The other wanted a playstation, and her husband was at Wal-Mart waiting in line for the same thing (doubling their odds).  He got it first, then came and joined her and told us Black Friday horror stories of crazy people screaming and throwing Blueray discs in search of the right one, and of a woman punching another in the face over a Barbie. 

 And that is why we never go to Wal-Mart. 

It was cold, and exciting, and totally worth it.  We have done Black Friday at Target before, and we learned that the worst part is trying to get around the jam-packed store with a shopping cart, and standing in line for an hour waiting to pay.  So we got our TV, which was easy because about half an hour before they opened the store a Target employee came and gave out certificates to the people who wanted the TV, so we were assured one.   I grabbed some markers for the kids and an electric griddle because the one I got last time sucks, then we made a beeline for the checkout, and got the heck out.  There were hundreds, possibly thousands of people pouring into the store.  It was insane.  And kind of fun, too.  And I hope our line-friends got their loot too, because they were nice and made our experience so much more fun. 

And that is the story of my Black Friday, which was actually Gray Thursday. 

Little monkey

This little girl is kind of a monkey.  This is one of her favorite places.  She can't get out by herself, so once she climbs in she's stuck forever, which is fine with her.

 She climbs in my cupboards all the time, and plays with the stuff in them.  The cheese grater is her favorite.

 She loves to sit on the arm of the couch, and even climbs on the back, which is scary because it would be quite a fall onto the tile below.

 She's a little daredevil.  She climbs the side of the stairs several times a day.  So far she hasn't gone past the 3rd step, but it's only a matter of time. 

She can get on the kitchen chairs now, which makes it possible to get on the table.  She loves it.  I hate it. 

I think it's funny that she's so adventurous.  She has fallen off a lot of things, but she doesn't usually make a big deal out of it, and gets over it pretty quick.  I'm thinking she might be the first one of our kids to get stitches or break a bone.  I hope not.  I just won't be surprised, that's all. 

Halloween

Here are the pumpkins we carved this year.

  Jared and I had free reign because 3 of the 4 kids didn't give a rip about carving pumpkins.  I am starting to see a pattern here, and next year we will probably only get one or two pumpkins to make into Jack-o-lanterns. 

Joey was Luigi, Jason was Mario and Tyler was a black cat.  Allie was Dracula at parties and stuff, which was perfect because of her vampire teeth.  On Halloween night her cape was lost, so she was superman.  Or Superwoman, I suppose.

Here we have superman through the years.  First, Joey:

Jason

Tyler

And Allie

Allie's teeth are kind of showing in this Dracula picture.  They got much bigger than this, and now she has one of the middle top teeth growing, so she looks kind of like a Jack-O-Lantern.

We all had fun trick or treating, and got lots of candy.  Allie was My secret weapon to get candy for Jared and I. 

At the Pumpkin Patch