Happy Anniversary!

Although it has only been 6 years, it seems like we have been through a lot! Two boys, one naughty dog, Germany, Thailand, Yearly Trips to Lake Powell, 2 Job Losses, and more, life is one crazy adventure.  I'm grateful for such an amazing husband who works so hard to support his family.  It's quite a comforting thought to know that no matter how bad it gets and how long Tom will be without work, I know we will be okay.  He is the best dad any boy could ever ask for, just ask Porter.  He is never afraid to give up something he is working on to spend time with his boys from playing pirates and finding treasure to having a jam session on their guitars to making cookies for family night.  He takes on more than his share of duties around the house, including breakfast and bath time and has lately become quite an amazing chef.  I'm smelling homemade cinnamon swirl bread as we speak.  Yes, although at times it is quite intimidating knowing that my husband is a far better cook than me, it does make for some incredible dinners (I do have to keep him in check with the grocery budget though)  My mother has always told me that I had to marry Tom because no one else understands me like he does and no one else could really handle all my moods and oddities.  And to be honest, it is true!  

I love you Tommy!    

This is how we spent our anniversary: at Primary Children's for Jack's surgery.  But if it brings him to start sleeping, it may make for a happy anniversary after all.  (despite being jobless and having to figure out how to pay for the surgery!)  But I'm just trying to tell myself things usually work out.

Jack Pre-Surgery

Jack After the Versed- Total Punch Drunk Happy waiting for Surgery.  This stuff is AWESOME!!  I only had my phone but I wish I had had a video camera.  He is CRAZY!

Poor Baby after surgery.  It literally took him and hour and a half to come out of his anethesia.  When the nurse handed him to me she had been wrestling him because in his total sleep mode he was thrashing around trying to pull out his iv and she informed me that he is crazy strong!  So sad!

The Car Ride Home.  Yes that is a bottle filled with Apple Juice.  While most kids take blankets and stuffed animals as their familiar comfort item, Jack's only comfort is his "ma".  He has slept most of the day with a few bursts of energy where he goes crazy monkey on us jumping on the couch until he basically passes out.  But the worst should be behind us, now we just wait until the scabs fall off!  Here's to loratab!

Hmm, Maybe they Are More Alike Then We Think?

Remember This?

Porter at Walmart

Jack Today at Target

Well, at least they sleep during the day right?  

Summer

Learning How to Play the SuperHero Squad Game 

(with no idea how to use a mouse)

Don't worry, I have every intention of keeping my child from becoming a gamer.

Swimming on Saturday with Nanny and Papa, Finch, Tillie, Isabel, Tiago and Jim.  Jack is slowly starting to enjoy the water and Porter has become quite the fish.  Now we just need to get this kid in some swimming lessons while he is still fearless in the water.

Water fights have become a Saturday ritual at my parents house and everyone gets in on the fun! Porter tends to cry every time he gets hit, but thinks he should have free reign to get anyone else wet.  But by far the biggest ninny is my dad who goes and hides inside the house.

A Style All His Own

It certainly can be said, this kid's got a style all his own! He marches to the beat of his own drum and totally own's it.  Just take a look at Porter's many looks through the years!

THOR the Yard Worker

Sweet Shades!

The Pirate Cowboy

The Dapper Boat Driver

"CAP"

Batman

I'll Let This One Speak for itself!

The Bowler Hat Guy!

I Tried to Explain this was a girl's cowboy hat, but he insisted on wearing it.

I AM IRON MAN

Firefighter Papa Meil

Yep, there's the Bowler Hat AGAIN (obviously his hat of choice)

And well, this just sums it up right here!

There have been moments where even I have felt a little embarrassed of this child's lack of fashion sense and love of UGLY hats.  But I love that he is either completely unaware how unique his choices are or he is not afraid to be himself. 

 I'm hoping it's the latter and I hope he never changes!

Can We Just Take A Second to Recognize this Man's AWESOMENESS! And other ramblings from a sleep deprived mom

When Tom and I were first married, he had woke me up sleep talking exclaiming," I'm Awesome, I got the Job!"  And the next day he did!  Unfortunately, no I am not blogging about the fact that he got a job, although we are anxiously waiting in hopes that a call does come Monday from Ernst and Young (cross your fingers for us!).  Rather, I am blogging about Tom's awesomeness in other areas of our life.  Last week on his way home from church (he had to take his own car because he was singing in Sacrament) his driver side window fell down into the door (we won't discuss that the reason his window was down was because the ac is broken, one thing at a time!)!  Well, car repairs do not have any room in an unemployed budget, but lucky for me my husband is awesome!  After viewing a few youtube videos, he ordered a part off of Amazon for $40 as opposed to the $100's we'd pay to have someone do it for us and proceeded to remove the door from his car and take it apart.  Yes, he removed his car door!  I should have taken a picture.  Well, the part came today and he has already fixed it!

I must say that in our society I think handy-men with crafting and building skills are grossly undervalued! Where would everyone live without the home builders? And what furniture would they have and, well, you get the idea.  But when there is a natural disaster and we have to make shelter and find and cook food, I know we will be taken care of (especially with that assault rifle we have)Tommy can fix or build basically ANYTHING!  From building decks, installing cabinets and wood flooring, building shelves, to fixing cars, he is a jack of all trades!

On another note, we may have found the cause for this little boy's lack of sleep: DRUM ROLL PLEASE! A children's version of Sleep Apnea.  After meeting with the ENT today, we are going to have tubes put in because even when he doesn't have an active ear infection, he has a cesspool in his ear of gross brown fluid!  Makes sense why he is super irritable all the time and why he has trouble sleeping.  But even more, he has swollen adenoids.  So what happens is he falls asleep and as soon as he reaches his REM sleep his muscles relax and his mouth closes.  Well, swollen adenoids make it so he can't breath very well through his nose, so he wakes with a start and this happens throughout the night.  I would cry all night too if this was happening to me!  And to top it off, it has caused him to have some "temporary" hearing loss too.  So sign us up for surgery!  Then hopefully this boy can get some REM sleep!  And hopefully we have finally found the ANSWER I have been searching for for the past year!

The last few nights have been really depressing for me.  Aside from the fact that so far we have no job and the anxiety and stress is building, I just felt like by now Jack would have grown out of whatever it was that was causing this problem, and that I would finally get some sleep because waking up every 2 hours is not working for me!  Sometimes I think no one realizes that when I say my baby doesn't sleep I'm exaggerating and that they can relate.  But honestly and truthfully he doesn't sleep and some how Tom and I have figured out how to function from day to day on 4 hours tops with mornings that begin at 5 am. My patience is at an all time low and I hate that I get pushed to the edge so easily with my boys!  I've been praying that we would find the answer to this and bless this doctor I think we have.  Although the surgery is another story.  Sad sad sad, is all I have to say.

Here's What Happens When You Think You Don't Need A Nap

In the past month Porter has become quite accustomed to having naps like this.  Usually he ends up laying on my diaper bag, but Tom got smart this time and brought a blanket.  I may not have been great at schedules with my kids, but it can certainly be said that they are portable sleepers!

HAPPY SUNDAY!