Keep Posting

So I really want to keep posting about Mexico, but once I got back I was hit with wonderful tummy sickness that knocked me out for a week. Them Jake came home and I have not wanted to anything but be right with him. I do have some great photos to post of me swimming with dolphins and then from the rest of the month. Oh and that fall down the stairs in Mexico? Yeah, I have totally messed up my foot. I am going to see the doctor tomorrow to get some answers of why it is still swollen and in more pain then when I first hurt it. So, more photos are coming, just bare with me. I am getting there.

Mexico!

I am starting to get threats from members of my family because I have not posted my photos from my trip to Mexico. I figure I have an hour to wait for Kimball's Occupational Therapy that now is the perfect time. I would have posted earlier but I have been worn out. It was a ten day trip to La Cruz, to help my lovely older sister with the birth of her newest little girl. I felt very honored that she wanted me down there with her durning this time! Thank you Charlotte. I have a lot of photos. Too many to post them all here so I will put the highlights on here and then post all of them on my facebook page. I also want to give a shout of to my mom. I could not have made this trip without here. With Jake still gone at training my mom took charge of my kiddo's for ten days so I could take care of my sister. Thanks mom! I arrive on Feb 12 with two huge suitcase full of supplies. Charlotte had emailed me a list of supplies that the needed and wanted. It turned into second Christmas at the little apartment my sister and her family were staying at. I also got to bring a gift to my darling little niece Cora. I love spoiling her! Here is another photo of Cora in her new swimsuit and some of the other many supplies I brought. I found that as soon as I arrived in Mexico I was in culture shock. I had never left the US before and now I was in a third world country. I found that I was quite at first and just soaking in everything around me. My sister and brother-in-law usually live in a sailboat, but decided to move into an apartment for a month for the arrival of the new baby. I am happy they did too. It gave us all a little more room and a fantastic view of the ocean. The first day was just a blur! I we went swimming in the pool. We ate dinner at a local favorite place. TO get out of my sister apartment you have to walk down 149 stairs. This is not your normal everyday American stairs, this is Mexico stairs! Below are some photo from my sister of how it is getting in and out or really up and down of her apartment. This is the first set. They are probably the most normal set. The next set THis is the last of the normal stairs. Now things get crazy. The next crop of stairs has NO guard rail. If you fall you will fall 15 feet down to rocks. After you get path the drop of death you then have this HUGE step up to lead you to this little tiny path that has a few bricks as steps. Can't you see "law suit" written all over this? This is the crazy little path with the poor excuse of wire to guard you if you fall. Now you are at the apartment complex. But there are still stairs to climb. Once you get to the top of these you get the front door, but you are not done yet! Once you get to the front door, you have a spiral stair case to get down into the apartment! Do you notice the difference in the size of the steps? I sure did, when I fell down them! Okay, enough of stairs. I am going to post just some random photos from the trip now. I really don't have a lot of tourist photos. This really wasn't a see the sites kind of trip. This was take care of my family trip. I was okay with that. We did go into town about everyday and I got to hold a newborn baby and I even got to swim with dolphins! All of those are going to be addressed in another blog post because this one has become too long. I will post all the photos on facebook and then write about it more here, on another day.

It's a circus in here!

Mom, the kids and I hit the circus this weekend. The Shrine Circus gave free tickets to every student at The International School. It was so great! I went to the circus as a kid and it is a memory I will never forget. My mom went to the circus as a kid and watched a high wire artist fall to his death. I hoped that my kids took a memory like mine away and not my moms! They did. It was amazing! We all had so much fun. Before the circus actually started the kids were able to ride elephant and a camel! They were over the moon.

They also got to meet a clown

Then they became clowns!

That was all before the show started. For the next 2+ hours we were all entertained! Here are some of the photos we took while we didn't have our jaws on our laps.

Tigers!

People on the flying trapeze!

Dancing doggies!

And of course elephants! I can't wait till we can go next year.

School Projects and a trip to the Dentist!

Phoebe's new project for class is about Migration. She immediately picked the Mormon migration. I am so proud of her for wanting to do this topic. She has a lot of family that was personally involved with this migration and doing this project has introduced her to her family history. She has loved it. Tonight we finished the poster board and the handcart. We now need to fill the handcart with supplies and show how much 17 pounds of bedding and clothing is. Can you believe that handcart pioneers where only allowed seventeen pounds? That is so little. We are also going to measure out 2 oz of flour. At the worst part of the trip some handcart companies survived on only 2 oz of flour a day. It really makes you thankful for that dinner you had tonight doesn't it?

Now to the dentist. The kids had there 6 month cleaning. I have to say I was a little shocked when the dentist told me that Kimball had six cavaites, Phoebe had seven cavaties, and Warren had eight! I about died. How on earth could that be? My kids brush their teeth every night and we are pretty good at limiting sweets. So many questions ran through my mind and also lovely little doubts of "I have failed as a mother".

Phoebe handeled the cleaning just fine.

Kimball did alright. He has some sensory issues but he was a trooper. Warren. Warren was a mess. Remember that fall he took back in October? The one that knocked out his four front teeth. Well, not this kid is terrified of dentist. Almost to hysterics. It took more than an hour to get x-rays and the cleaning. The dentist recommended that Warren see a specialist dentist that does sedation. I agreed. Seeing my son in that much fear was horrible. The "sleep dentist" as Warren calls him, was able to fit him in today. Warren was pretty nervous, which he has every right to be. They had to take more x-rays because the copies the original dentist sent were not that good of quality. When the dentist came in he said he does not do sedation for cleanings. I told him that we were here because Warren had 8 cavities and we wanted sedation for that. The dentist got a confused look on his face, checked his records, checked the x-rays and then did an oral exam on Warren. He then told me that from what he can see Warren has NO cavities and looks fantastic. I about fell of my chair. What the heck? One dentist tells me he has 8 and it will cost over $1,000 in work and not this one is telling me he has none. I was thrilled and I believe this new dentist. I asked him if I could bring my two other kids in for him to give me a second option. He agreed. So maybe they don't have a mouth full of cavities each. This is very frustrating to me. This is when I really wish I could transport my brother in law out here. He is a dentist and I know he would give me a straight answer. Brother in laws can't lie! LOL. So for now we are cancelling appointments with the first dentist and are making appointments at the new one. I still am going to send my brother in law all the kids records for a triple check. I guess you can never be to sure.

One month down!

I can't believe it! It is finally February!! That means we are half done with this crazy time in our lives! I am so excited. I thought I would do a little month in review for you. Please enjoy!

We made lots of treats to get through having now dad. What is second best to having dad around? Chocolate.

Warren became a famous artist.

Phoebe got the use of her hand back.

Kimball "fulfilled his destiny" buy winning a trophy.

Kimball became a tree

Phoebe took us to the Amazon.

Warren caught a crab

And we all slightly lost our minds. Here is to a great February!

Dear Jake

Dear Jake, The kids are alive and somewhat healthy. I am surviving. Please come home soon. Love, Your Wife

THIRD PLACE!I

I am so thrilled to say that Kimball took 3rd place in his first ever Pine Wood Derby Race in Cub Scouts! I could not be more proud! He was such a team player and cheered everyone one. All the boys were amazing. We had everyone of our Cub Scouts turn out. What a great night. I have to say I am worn out so I will post more photos later. Congratulations Kimball, I love you!