Good nights

The last few days my kids have been quite a handful, mostly because they've been sick. Luckily for them they manage to be all cute when it's time to go to bed. Just trying to get that last minute awake. Or as my kids say, "two more minutes." After the crying and dragging I lay with them for a minute and that's when they pull it out. "Mom, I love you. Mom, you're the best." Hugs, cuddles, laughs, sweet talks. If they could just be like that all day we'd have so much more fun. They really crack us up. I can't imagine our boring our life would be without them.
Tonight, Payton had a cute prayer. He loves to pray but in his prayers he basically blesses everything we've already done for the day. Now normally we pick up Andy from work but today he had a dinner meeting with drug reps at some fancy place. Payton's prayer went like this. "Dear Heavenly Father, we're thankful for this day. Please help us to make a tent and be safe. Please help us color and be safe. Please help us pick up dad and be safe. MOM!! We forgot to pick up dad!!" I reminded him we aren't picking him up since he took the car. "Oh, Amen."

Does that come in 'covers me' size?

Yesterday I made a quick run to one of the Halloween stores. It was a big store and I was enthusiastic that I would find what I needed in the rows of ghouls and goblins. I was looking for a hat for Halle's costume. I pretty much have everything else here around the house. I could not find a little pink hat! I decided to look at all the other costumes just in case I could find something for Andy. OK, what is up with all the costumes these days. I love getting dressed up but not like a Playmate. Even the Snow White costume was barely there! I left disappointed and looked online. Still, most of the costumes are pathetic. When you can't even find a modest Disney character there is something wrong with the world.
We have our ward Halloween party on Saturday if the kids are feeling better. Andy and I have to hand out candy so we need a costume. I may end up just making a hat for Halle. She's hopefully going to be Strawberry Shortcake. Don't need a wig cause she's got the red hair. :) Payton will be a football player and he's very excited. He keeps telling everyone that Andy is going to be a witch but Andy doesn't know that so we'll have to negotiate that I'm afraid.

Hold your tacos!

I finally have a few minutes to write. Sweet! We've had some fun things happen lately. Not just all sickness going around thank goodness. The other week our neighbor from across the street had a garage sale. He's been pretty nice to us, visiting and such. We went over and got a little rocking horse for the kids. I kind of thought some of this stuff was a little high priced for a garage sale but oh well. The next day he still had a lot outside and came over to tell us just to take whatever we wanted. There were a ton of toys and so our friends helped us basically just take everything. He said he was just going to set it out for the garbage men so why not. We got a pretty good pile including a desk for Payton, a small TV with a VCR, ice-cream dishes, trains, a toy box, a book table, buses, and a car to drive. Sadly, I forgot to put it in the back yard the other night and someone stole it. I feel so bad for the kids cause they loved fighting over it. What kind of jerk steals a toy from a kids yard. Oh well. He's also given us several little tricycles we keep in the basement for cold days so I can't complain. Some of it I'm kicking to the curb but it was fun for the kids. Which reminds me. We always have to sit our garbage out in the morning because I've seen people going through it several times when I leave it out at night. If someone sits something out to the curb, it's generally gone within a few minutes. Maybe that's what happened to Payton's car, even though it was right by our front door. Glad we at least have a shredder for all our papers.
We also took the kids to see the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua. They LOVED it! They are both going around saying, "cause you a Chihuahua Mi hija!" and "hold your tacos!" Of course HSM 3 comes out this week and Payton is really looking forward to that. Have to wait till the nose dripping subsides though.
We went to our old apt today to get some mail. Don't know why they had to google our relatives to find us when they had us on file and I had called back in May when we actually moved. oh well. We got another government check but I'll have to shred it since they had already sent the one we supposedly didn't get. Too bad. Don't think they'll let me keep them both. Anyway, the kids saw "our other house" as they call it and got so excited. They wanted to go "home" but I explained to them we don't live there anymore. I think we all miss our 'old house.'
Our newest thing lately has been to have family sleepovers on Friday night. Of course we've only had it one Friday......but we Plan to have them all the time now. We blew up the mattress in the living room and pulled out the popcorn, juice, and every pillow we could find. Last weeks showing was " Little Mermaid." It was so much fun for us all to cuddle together. The kids were so good. It was cute, after the movie Payton gave me a big hug and asked, "are we a family again?" He got that line from Angels in the Outfield I think. They never fail to entertain us. It's Andy's turn to pick out this weeks movie. He always has crazy ideas. Heaven help us. :)

Quick update

We've all been on the couch this whole week. Andy and the kids are sick and I had a very bad sore foot. Don't have any clue what I did but after a week of nothing and icing, I can finally walk without wanting to cry. Andy is feeling better but the kids are getting worse. We've had no sleep the last few nights, mostly trying to keep Halle ok. She has a very bad cold and keeps choking from her coughing. Long story short, I haven't had much time to write. The kids argue over who gets to be held the longest since they don't feel well. We've gone through most of our movies so I hope they get better soon. Course I guess I could just go rent some. Well, it's almost midnight and Halle just came in to have me rock her again. I figured if I'm up I might as well do something instead of try to sleep and wake up every few minutes to hold her. It's nice to cuddle with the kids though. Can't do it forever.

Buns not made of steel

We officially re-started our 'we're getting back into shape' yesterday. I hurt my foot a few days ago and after my first day I officially cannot walk. Not because I'm sore but because there is seriously something wrong with my foot. Still trying to give it an official name but it hurts pretty dang bad. Anyway, because of it we decided to do the spinning class. We as is me, Andy and our good friend, Cindy. Funny enough, our Bishop was also in the same class. I've never done a spinning class before and I actually really enjoyed it. My legs don't hurt but dang my butt does. Andy and I can both hardly sit down. We need to take pillows to the next class. It's an hour of cycling and I mean we'd give Lance Armstrong a run for his money. We'd lose all our money of course but ya feel like your working hard.

Mom, I love this car

Last week we made a trip to Costco. I miraculously talked Andy into coming with me. (he hates the crowds) He had actually planned to just sit in the car but decided to come in with the kids. Somehow the car keys fell out of his pocket while chasing kids. We thought maybe he'd just left them in the car but after two random nice guys helped me get the car window down, we soon realized our original thought of 'their somewhere in Costco' quickly returned. Thankfully after the 4th time of asking the front desk if someone had found them, they answered yes. Sweet. We later found out we had broke the tracking on the window. It also rained all week but oh well. I took it to the dealer this week and they said it would take two days to fix because they had to order a part. I currently drive Andy to and from work so I have to have a car. They were very helpful and gave me a free rental car. I heard the guy say, "Give her the Uplander." I first thought it was an SUV and thought that was so much sweeter than a little car. If you know me you could only imagine my excitement when they pulled up with a gold mini-van. If you don't and you're imagining jumping, singing, dancing then you are sadly mistaken. Nothing against them or any of you fabulous people who drive them. Andy and I just don't like them. Don't take it personal. It was easy with the kids though and I didn't know what to do with all the room. All kidding aside, I was really very grateful cause the Dealer was extremely nice and helpful to us. Andy about died laughing when I picked him up from work. Payton said, "Mom, just tell dad that we got a new car."
It had a lot of gadgets including a DVD so the kids were so happy. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of us in the van. Yep... So when we had to take it back Payton said, "Mom, I don't want to cause I love this car." I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I first thought it would be but we still won't be getting a van. And even if it says Mercedes, it's still a van!
We now have our little Cavalier back. Toys, dried toast, dents and everything...including a new set of extra keys just for and emergency.

Current Fav's

So besides our recent candy addiction, we've had a few recipes that are our current fav's right now. Though my picture taking skills may not be the best, they are extra yummy. The first is TACO SOUP. I only recently tried this and we love it!
I looked through several recipes to and combined a few to get what I wanted so can't really give the credit to anyone in particular.
There are several different ways, so if you have a better one, then please share. :)

1 lb lean ground beef, cooked (whatever spices you generally use, I put onion in mine)
1-2 cans chicken broth
1 can tomato juice
1 can diced tomatoes (one time I tried it with the chili tomatoes, mild, and it was yummy too)
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 pkg taco seasoning mix, mild for the kiddos
1-2 cans whole corn drained
Brown beef with onion and drain all grease. Simmer all other ingredients about 15 minutes. I start it when I start the beef and then just add it.
Serve in bowls with cheese, sour cream and chips.

Ahh, we are so happy! Just a cute pic I had to throw in. They love the chips the most.

Ok, so this really isn't the best picture but I'm not a professional chef and it's dang good. These are two different recipes I got from our friends, Jeremy & Julie, and then the rice from Lourdes. They are generally made separate but last night they were a winning combo. So feel free to try them how you'd like. We've also combined the rice with the Taco Soup and it's dang good too.
For the CHEESE DIP, it's pretty easy. You can make whatever serving size you'd like. It's equal parts of Velveeta cheese, browned hamburger, and salsa. I'd still recommend mild for the kiddos. Unless you're serving a lot, don't make too much because I don't think the hamburger would be good in it reheated. It tends to get a more greasy taste that way.
Brown your hamburger as usual, good with garlic and onion. Cut Velveeta into cubes and slowly melt with salsa. Combine all and let heat thoroughly. Our friends brought this in a crock pot and it stayed warm all night. Well, not really cause we all scarfed it down quick, but ya get my drift.

RICE WITH CORN< SPANISH STYLE
Now, these were her instructions, not mine so you kind of have to taste and use your judgment.
3 cups rice, (I use whole wheat, I think she used white)
3 1/2 c water
1-2 can corn drained
salt
fresh chopped garlic
olive oil
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp goya adobo (look in the specialty aisle in Spanish cooking)
1 pkg sazon goya (Same aisle)
1 can tomato sauce
A few bay leaves
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and put the garlic and corn in pan for 1 min. Add tomato sauce and some salt, oregano, sazon goya and adobo for about 2 min. Then add water and bay leaves. Taste water to make sure it's slightly salty and add 2 more tbsp of olive oil. Stir and let sit 5 min. Once it boils, add rice and turn down heat. Cover about 20 min. uncover and stir. Take out bay leaves and make sure it's soft. Enjoy!

Say Chi

So our pesky old folk neighbors moved out last week. YAHOO!! I finally felt like I could breathe. Until our new neighbors moved in of course. They are very nice and so far we really like them. They just came from Korea and therefore they cook Kim chi all-day-long...........No kidding. It's like some cabbage thing they cook for a long time and has all sorts of yucky smells, mostly garlic?? I went down to do laundry and almost threw up. It's slowly creeping up our stairs and into the apartment. We are making a run to the store to buy them out of Fa breeze and Glade air fresheners. Hopefully it won't get worse than it already is. We were told by a friend who had a similar situation to try getting an air purifier to help. We'll see.
As I mentioned, though, they seem very nice. They have two teenagers, who seem like real good kids, and a three yr old boy. The little boy doesn't speak English other than a few lines to a Disney song. He is dang cute though and it will be fun for the kids to have a friend so close. They are noisy and I don't care a bit. Makes me not so paranoid if we make any noise. They are still in the process of getting everything in but we are excited to get to know them better. Just not ready to eat at their house yet.

Nope 'n NOpe 'n Nope

So...We've had a little back tracking in the whole, dropping the kids off at the pool, if ya know what I mean. Payton did so good for a almost two weeks and now REFUSES to go poop in the potty. He said, "take my toys back, I dont want a treat, Nope 'n Nope 'n Nope" UGHH I know he'll get there eventually, just doesn't seem like it right now.
On a side note. My dear husband is also complaining because I don't give him a treat or dance and clap when he poops in the potty. Guess I need to go buy some more stickers!

Check it out.

I was reading a friends blog and she had a link to a site that I just love. I wanted to pass it along and tell everyone to check it out. It is very helpful advice and easy step by step info for food storage ideas, etc. Some sites I've seen before can be pretty confusing but I really think this girl has a great blog. It's link is at the bottom of my blog called, Safely Gathered In. In the mean time, Happy Blogging.

F.A.Oh so fun!

Last weekend we had another one of those mornings where we wake up and dad says, "Lets go to the city." We're not going to say no to that! I've now learned to shop so that I always have snacks to grab since Andy tends to do this a lot. We gathered the umbrella's and the kids had a great laugh watching us run to catch the train just in time. It was very exciting for them to ride instead of our normal routine of looking at it from the car while waiting for dad.
The kids and I also had our first experience of riding the subway. Luckily, I always carry Purel! I was also fortunate as to not see any rats either. I thought that was a huge plus. We had a short walk to our destination-F.A.O Schwartz. We've been past it several times and decided it was time to quit putting it off. This place is certainly spectacular. We didn't know where to look first. As you walk in, you see enormous, almost life size, toys. Giraffes, elephants, dinosaurs, you name it. Huge stuffed animals to fill your play rooms galore. Our first stop was, of course, the giant piano (you know, the movie BIG) Tom Hanks has nothing on us! And yes, we all should have one of these in our homes. And I thought the organ was difficult.

I asked this man if he felt like a celebrity. He looked at me and sternly said, "I am the most photographed man in New York." Oops! Maybe I should have got his autograph I guess. :0 We see candy, we just gotta get some. Old school candy I haven't seen since I was a kid. (Cloves used to sell them for a penny when I was little. Ah, sweet memories. Grandpa gives ya a quarter and ya load up on candy.) We found a gummy snake that was over a foot long. Delicious!

Story/music time. This was so much fun. Can't remember the name of the book but when I turned around. I was standing right next to David and Victoria Beckham. (And their kids, helpers, and 6 bodyguards) Those of you who don't know, he is a huge famous soccer player and she used to be a Spice Girl who now is just famous for basically never smiling and being skinny in high heels. ???? Can't really figure out why she's so famous. Anyhoo, it was a big deal at the store and oddly enough we just kept running into them. We didn't take pictures because it's weird to walk up to someone and take their pic. Plus they had their kids and I thought it would be rude. And no, they don't look better in person. See, if we could all only be air brushed.

This place makes Toys 'R Us look like a little toy box. It was so much fun just looking around and playing with all the toys. Even I wanted to be a kid again and play. We ended up buying a stuffed animal for Andy. A lab dog that looked just like Sherlock. The kids were happy to just play and then head home. If every store would just let us do that. I can't wait to see the set up for their Christmas display.

So Big!

Every single day we hear the ice-cream truck driving around. He drives up and down EVERY street. We could all hum the song for you. One day we were feeling nice and decided to let them get an ice-cream. The kids are sitting outside, patiently waiting for the truck. Today was the day that he mysteriously never showed. The kids were so disappointed. Luckily we had ice-cream cones inside the house and all was forgiven. Notice how Halle has her little pink purse. She HAS to take it EVERYWHERE! I have never coaxed her to bring it. One day, as we were leaving she just ran and got it. She has been doing it ever since. And if she can't find it she throws a fit and claims she can't go without her purse. "whe my pur!" Probably because I always have mine.
We checked out a local farmer's market, that turned out to be lame so we just played at the park. I thought Halle looked so cute with her glasses.
I just can't believe my little red headed blob is now so big and hanging on gyms at the park. Payton is talking a lot! And time just keeps on flying by. We will only be here another 10 months and when we first got here it seemed like forever. Luckily we have made some great friends and are enjoying the time we have in crazy NY.
This is a typical picture. She is always climbing or hanging on something. And next week she will turn 21 months! Crazy!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

This Sunday is my Grandpa Huntsmans 99th birthday!!! Can you believe it! He doesn't look a day over 80, and still as sharp as they come. I am so sad that I won't be there to give him a big hug and a pile of 99 balloons. I wonder what I could send in the mail that I could send 99 of??? Hmm, I'll have to think about it. Anyhoo, I just love him so much. Besides the fact that he is gorgeous, he is one of the best people I know. He has the Huntsman trait of hissing when he laughes and you can count on him always saying, "yes sir" or "fiddlesticks". He can't remember but he taught me to play poker when I was just a little kid. I grew up with him as a father figure and I couldn't have had a better dad for real. Not because of the poker but because I can always talk to him. He used to take me everywhere when I was a kid. Rides in the truck with Grandma, eating mush for breakfast, watching Matlock, checking on the cows, or sharing stories and jokes. I love to hear his tales and trials of the 'olden days'. He has had a great life so far and we figure and can give us another 10 or so. He used to hold us down for spankings on our birthday. Do you think giving him 99 would be inappropriate? We'd probably get wacked with a cane. Guess we'll stick with kisses. We love you so much Grandpa!

Sherlocks Birthday

Today would be the 6th birthday of our dog Sherlock. Andy got him for Christmas the first year after we were married. It was a first dog for me and it took a while to get used to since I am allergic to dogs. He and Andy were best buds though. Sherlock was a hunting dog through and through. Andy took him to competitions and on every hunt he went. He was a good dog even though I yelled at him all the time for being so energetic. He could always find a way to get out of the yard no matter what we did. Sadly the day we moved to NY he got hit by a car. He had managed to get out the night before we left and didn't make it back. We were really sad but I was thankful that Andy didn't have to bury him. Since we were gone my uncle was kind enough to do it. We all miss Sherlock and I'm sure he's running around in dog heaven trying to find a way out. :)

Zoo pictures, yet again.

As I mentioned before we have a zoo pass to all the local zoos. The kids love it and we haven't been since we got back from Utah. They have made some fun new additions for a kids center. My friend Reagan came with us. Her little boy Jack is in the middle.
Aren't you glad our kids don't come out this way?

We were feeding the goats and the pigeons kept trying to steal the food. The kids got scared and were trying to hide from them. Thank goodness for sanitizer.

Excuse me Madam?

Oh, I can't forget to put in this pic of Payton and Halle pitching Derek Jeeter. This is an exact figure replica...Of course he struck him out. What were you thinking?

If I had my old hair cut we could be bro and sis. Ha ha
Dude, Jennifer Aniston is completely giving him the wax shoulder! Doh! Denied. Better luck later maybe? Andy tried all of his pick up lines--she was not impressed...

Star Struck

Maybe some wives would be a little offended if their husband said, "dang that girl is hot, she's gonna melt any second.." I got over this a long time ago. Since my hubby speaks Spanish and I've known of his Shakira crush forever. In fact, on his mission he taught her relatives a few discussions. The plot thickens!! JK
Yesterday was supposed to be a boring day of watching the BYU game on tv but Andy woke up and said he wanted to go to the city so we packed a bag, grabbed a necessity here in NY (Dunkin Donuts) and took off. We went to the Madam Tussauds Wax Museum. It was pretty cool.

It's actually a little freaky when you first walk in because many of them look extremely real. Their eyes just stare at you and it takes a little time to get used to. Payton was scared at first but by the time we found all the athletes and singers, he thought it was neat, Michael Jackson is in the background...he looks better in wax I think...
So I just have to say that though I've never seen any of these people in person, they are supposed to be exact replicas and J.Lo is not fat!! Dang. Don't know what all the talk about her rear end is because she looks daaanng skinny to me.
The museum wasn't too big but it took up several floors. Andy laughed at me because there were so many people that sometimes it was hard to tell who was real and who wasn't. Everyone had camera's and I was looking at the Rachel Ray and walked in front of someone with a camera taking a picture. I apologized for stepping in front of them and noticed it too was wax! Embarrassing!
Surely I could beat a pile of wax!
We were just at the end of the museum when we saw it.... Miley Cyrus. Payton was shy and weirded out yet very intrigued and wanted to stare. "mom, Halle wants to go look at Hannah Montana again!" (and again, and again)
It was definitely better than I thought it would be. I wonder what it would be like to have a wax figure made of yourself. Don't think I'd really want to see it. Guess we'll just stick to life size cut out boards. They fit away quick in a closet if anyone comes over. Wouldn't want people thinking we're weird!

Quick Thanks!

Yesterday I noticed we had received a package on the front door while we were out. I was very curious since no one had said they had sent anything. The kids and I became very excited...who doesn't love to get mail? I opened it and Andy's cousin had sent me a gigantic stack of sheet music for the choir! It must have taken her a very long time to copy everything and I immediately went from nothing to a whole lotta. I can't wait to get to work! Thank you so much Sandra!!!! And everyone else who has offered advice for the organ. Thankyou, thankyou!!

Medical Minute...however long it takes you to read this...

I"m not sure how many medical people there are out there who reads these, but I've decided every now and then to write on this blog some of the "events" that happen in Manhatten, and maybe to illustrate the differences in care in the few places I have been. A "house" pt for those who don't know are pts that must be presented to your attending, the pt is not under anyone else's care and you will be doing all the following up, plan of care etc--know the case b/c you will get drilled on everything you can think of later--there will be questions like the tx for blastocystosis hominis is? You can guess, you can research it, but you won't get it, the answer is not scientifically proven. On the other hand, a "private" pt doesn"t have to be presented so you have time to put everything together and you can relax. Between the 3 of us we carry about 23 pts, all INfectious Dz/HIV. Yesterday started about like this from the night resident...

So Mr G, here's an 'undomiciled' (gotta love that word)37 yr old pmhx HIV (CD4 count of 8), Hep a/b/c, heroine addict, necrotizing fasciitis to L arm, alcoholic, 2 skin grafts w/ MRSA and abcess presents w/ fever, chills, SOB, CP, weight loss, night sweats, unproductive cough, and pain to the skin graft on the L upper arm. Oh, by the way, he's house, oh...and...we're rounding in an hour...oh, MR. G ---with the PCP px, he's got a bactrim allergy... And Mr G, the lab doesn't do too much on sat, so we'll need you to do another ABG, serum cxs, another 12 lead EKG, another set of labs, and see if you can get a sputum sample. Get his other records from his last 3 hospitalizations, order another xray if you get around to it...by the way, change that dressing...and try to get a second IV line...If you need anything, just give us a hollar.....Oh, run the plan and assessment by us before hand....oh, and don't forget to glove/gown up...Be careful, and above all have fun!!

The first thought that went through my mind was--I wish I was back in St George...not b/c the hospital there is a paradise with nurses who you don't get mixed up with your homeless pts, or because the nurses actually help with the care, or actually give the medications, or order procedures, smile at you with dentition intact--no bling----they tell you when your pt has a HR in the 30s seizing, not noticably intoxicated, actually might physically check a BP, can recognize their pt out of a line up of all the people in that pts room, will give the guy who has never had a shower in his life a good scrub, speaks understandable English, have less than 9 patients, and will actually check the labs for you!! No my medical amigos, I thought of St George mainly because I like the scenery of the mountains out the west window.......j/k. So, when those checks seem a little lower than your pal who is traveling all over--seeing the world in their RV talking of "great things"............ don't be jealous y'all..... you could have 100 of us interns, students, and young docs runnin' the show... ............and how many residents does it take to put in an IV?? Just one--to call the nurse.

So the day did go OK mainly because the attending was fashionably late, but the Doc got me on the appropriate methadone dose for a guy who uses 10 bags of heroine a day--although I guessed and got the price of a bag of heroine at $10...Interesting cases...Oh well, we'll see how tomorrow goes...

"House"

This is a picture of the fence located about 50 yards behind St. Vincents hospital where I am on rotation. I noticed all the tour buses stopping from the 16th floor and came down to take a look before the 9/11 anniversary. Because St Vincent's was the closest hospital to the Twin Towers, it got the majority of the survivors. Nurses said this was the fence where people put pictures of their lost loved ones for months after the towers came down. Today, it has ceramic tiles with uplifting quotes that were tied to the fence from all over the world that were sent to comfort those families who constantly came by the hospital to see if their family members had been admitted. It's a good place to go and read these uplifting tiles when you have one of those "days". The hospital that day in 2001 opened to its 900 bed capacity, but only treated 497, almost all first responders. It was a normal day for most of the staff on Thurs, they're used to the dramaby now. Our Infx dz attending took about an hour to talk about events before and after of what happened that day as far as treating so many people so fast...