Utah goes metro

I took the kids to the new Front Runner train for our free ride. It is this cool double decker commuter rail between Ogden and Salt Lake. I thought that if we rode form Ogden to Layton and back at 2:30 we should for sure be home by 5 pm for piano lessons. Think again. No one quite gets that a commuter rail is supposed to be quick. It was definitely not a smooth transition getting on and off like you see in Urban centers such as Chicago, NYC, D.C. etc... I have been on DC and NYC public transport lots of times and there is no lag time once those doors open! Get on or get left.

As we approached our stop to turn around, we passed North bound connection heading out of the station. And while the Southbound trains run every 15 minutes the North bound trains only run ever 30. I guess they figure no one will ever want to go home. So we hung out on the platform for the whole 30 minutes. And of course carter and Ethan got bored and of course Olivia kept trying to jump onto the tracks so I had to hold her the whole time. We ran into our neighbors and we all agreed there is something about strapping our kids immobile in the back seats of our gas guzzling SUVs. It definitely has its perks.

Speaking of strapping people in...I saw 2 families lugging car seats for their toddlers on the train. One family even had a booster seat. OK first, there are no seat belts. Second, I feel train wreck is akin to a plane crash...its not gonna save you! Not to mention that the aisles are just wide enough for me to get through and most car seats are wider than that. Everybody watch your head! Car seat coming through!

So the train finally comes and it is packed! (So people do want to head North!!) there were no seats left and no overhead grab bars in these trains! The seats have little handles on the sides and I put the boys to hold on those where I could and held Olivia until we got a seat right before our stop. That is another learning curve the people of Utah are going to have to pull out of. You can get up before the train stops at your station! In fact in preparing for that 30 second door opening, it might even be a good idea.

Well it took us until 4:45 to make it back to Ogden and in spite all it took to go the 30 mile round trip on the train, it is a great idea to have at least the start of this in Utah. Everyone will learn that this is not always a joy ride like the 3 free days were and get serious about making the most of everyone's time and energy. I for one, will still be strapping my kids into the car seats not for safety, but for sanity!

dentists

Every week for the month of April I have had to take someone to the dentist or orthodontist. We are talking hours of entertaining Olivia in waiting rooms as people get braces, get fillings, or have a regular check up. Carter got the braces last Wednesday (3 appointments to get them). Ethan had two fillings today and we all had our regular check ups two weeks ago. Prior to April I had a root canal and a cap put on...My first ever and it was NOT a cavity. I still have perfect teeth...I also have a crummy bite in the back and one of my molars cracked because I apparently clench my teeth and they are not lined up for that kind of pressure. I think that might be a sign of being stressed, or maybe high strung.

Olivia was a trooper and loves to go to the dentist with the Sleeping Beauty movie or to the Ortho with the nice lady who gives her toys. We always get to bring books to throw on the floor, pens to draw in Mom's planner (if I lost your number that might be why) and a water bottle to all but shower with. No, seriously, she was great. Olivia made new friends everywhere we went.

Carter made it past the first agonizing days with new braces. He is doing awesome brushing his teeth. The Ortho told him to brush for 2 songs on the radio. So every night he uses my MP3 player and listens to Miley Cyrus and whatever else he can find.

Ethan was amazed at the drill they used. "Mom it was huge!" he tells me through a novocained mush mouth. "They said I can't bight my lip for like 5 hours. What will happen if I do?" (TRANSLATION: I have already done it). "can I get a drink and watch the water run out of my mouth?"

I think we will make it through May without a another mouth doctor seeing us! Carter's next Ortho is June!

Oh- did I mention we don't have dental insurance...hmmmmmm!

Frog Hunting

We have this pond not too far from my house that is a great place to catch, well as you can see by the title, frogs. My neighbor called and wanted to take our kids after school to see if we could maybe collect tadpoles. So with her 4 and my 3 kids we set off. Her little boy Billy is a year younger than Ethan and all of her kids kind of remind me a bit like CaMee's. That is, really active, curious and constantly moving! So we get to the pond and Billy goes running pell mell to the edge where it is a little marshy. He has a pair of Wellies on that come up to his thighs and sure enough, Billy gets stuck. He loses his boot on his right foot and instead of coming to us on solid ground he heads farther out on the marsh land!

By this time he has lost his second boot in the muck. His mom and I are both sure one of us is going to have to go in after him (and luckily since Billy is no blood relation that burden would fall on her!) because before we know it Billy has sunk almost up to his armpits in mud! Oh I wish I had had a camera. He was so bent on finding frogs he just did not stop to think! He managed to get out on his own, but it is still only April in Utah and a little cold. His mom was prepared with extra sweats and a jacket, but sadly no clean underwear!

We didn't find any frogs. But we did find burned golf balls (from a controlled burn in the cattails), and someones socks who probably has a story similar to Billy's judging from the amount of mud on them. And none of my kids fell in!

Surgery and guns

Yesterday, Olivia comes up the stairs, crying that her nose hurts. Her finger is jammed up it so I tell her to get her finger out! In fact there is not just a finger but a pencil eraser! I got the flashlight and a tiny pair of tweezers and performed surgery in the living room. I got it out! She's the only one of my kids that has shoved something up their nose. And Ethan has been to the ER ALOT!

Tonight we had some friends over for a fun evening of shooting guns and dinner. Yes, I live in the Wild West. Our friends, Jason and Amanda, got 2 new guns and of course JaDee has several. We went up the canyon by our house and set up targets, put our kids in ear plugs and fired 150 rounds between the 3 pistols and probably another 100in the 22. I know, I know, which trailer is ours...but we really did have fun. It turns out I am a pretty decent shot. For someone who's idea of the outdoors was golf or soccer I can shoot that glock quite well! Ethan shot the .22 and likes to rapid fire "Rambo" style at the targets we had set up in the sage brush. DOnt' worry, Ethan is well versed in gun safety. I know, Ehtan of all my kids with a gun! but he is very responsible and made sure the little girls had their ears plugged when their head phones off. He also told me all about how we never touch the blue gun case without mom or dad. He asked Jason every time he wanted to shoot the .22 too. So no, we are not that psycho...

Check this out

Some of you know that we have had some, shall we say, bumps in the last few weeks with my oldest boy Carter. He is a super sensitive boy and has been having a hard time with bullies at school. As a result his self esteem is low and he is hard on himself and he is hard to deal with. I would love to just take him home and wrap my arms around him and keep him safe from the big bad world. I have been a bit discouraged that my loving him isn't enough to save him from this rough spot in life. However, my uncle posted this video clop on our Campbell Family Website and it has inspired me to keep up the good fight. Take a look.


http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw

Never say Never

I was never going to drive a minivan. I "only" have 3 kids. I don't need a million seats. I like feeling big and indestructible in my giant SUV. I like having the versatility of being able to take the off road route to piano lessons.

So a year ago in the 110 degree heat as I was climbing in and out of our Tahoe to get Olivia into her car seat, sweat rolling down my back as I heft my 25 pound daughter, I decided I wanted a minivan. Now I love our Tahoe. Its paid for...what's not to love! And even with gas prices what they are it was hard to justify the car payment on top of filling the tank.

But the ease and comfort of a car I don't have to climb in, and enough space to thwart the "He's touching me!" accusations. I was not giving up my hope for a van. After looking into several and even buying one that lost its transmission 20 miles down the road, which they thankfully took back, we finally settled on a Toyota Sienna. There is room for 6 in the back, fold down rear seats, (which means Champ's kennel will fit on our road trips) and plenty of cup holders for my diet Pepsi!

The moral of the story is "Never say Never." This is a lesson that I frequently test in my life. Now maybe if I say, "I will never be a millionaire..."

I did it!

So Tonya has been after me to start a blog. I have a couple of other friends who have blogs too. But Tonya is also having Baby #4 in September and I am not going to do that! What the heck, I say, it might be fun. So here goes the blog. Besides, it may be the only journal I ever get to.