Sierra's Curly Hair and New Shoes

Sierra loves shoes (I have no idea hwere she gets it from, LOL!). She found these shoes in her closet and wanted them on and she got upset when we tried to take them off! Sierra's hair is getting so long, it is hard to tell because of all the curls. She had a bath tonight and we loved how cute her hair looked after it was dry.

Interview with Alex

Interview with Alex (4 ½)

1. What is something mommy always says to you? ”Don’t go in the street without me”

2. What makes mommy happy? When everyone is in bed

3. What makes mommy sad? That we don’t listen to you

4. How does mommy make you laugh? Tickling me

5. What was mommy like as a child? Not behaving????

6. How old is mommy? 25, right mommy? Absolutely honey!

7. How tall is mommy? I have no idea

8. What is mommy’s favorite thing to do? Going places with everyone

9. What does mommy do when you’re not around? Good question, I don’t know

10. If mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? Shrugs Rugs (Mommy - What is that honey?, Alex – I don’t know maybe some kind of movie?!?)

11. What is mommy really good at? Typing on computers

12. What is mommy not very good at? Playing Sorry

13. What does mommy do for a job? Try to not hurt your back

14. What is mommy’s favorite food? Bagel

15. What makes you proud of your mommy? Getting your back better

16. If mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be? Princess Zelda and I would be Link

17. What do you and mommy do together? Watch TV and play

18. How are you and your mommy the same? We play games the same and we both like to drink tea together

19. How are you and your mommy different? My eyes are smaller than yours

20. How do you know mommy loves you? Hugs, noses and kisses

21. What does mommy like most about your daddy? That’s a good question… you like to kiss and hug daddy

22. Where is mommy’s favorite place to go? To the zoo

23. If mommy was an animal, what animal would she be? Zebra, because zebra can be girls too.

Cuddle Time with Grandma

Ted, Sierra and Alex cuddling with Grandma. I don't know who is happier the kids or Grandma!

Back Surgery

As some of you may or may not know, I hurt my back getting out of the car and sneezing at the same time. I know how lame that sounds and that a skiing accident sounds better, but that is what happened. And I have been struggling with it every since! And it has continued to get worse and worse. Here is a little background for those of you that don't know what has been happening: I hurt my back on Saturday November 1, 2008. On Tuesday November 4th I went to my doctor's office and saw the first available doctor (not my regular doctor), he ordered an MRI and gave me some pain meds and muscle relaxers. Lucky for us my mom was up here visiting and was able to stay with us longer, so I could rest my back and take my medicine. On Wednesday morning I had my MRI and was told I would have the results on Friday. After not hearing from my doctor I finally called on Monday and was told that everything looked fine now and that it looked like a disc had been herniated. So I went to my chiropractor that afternoon and told him what the MRI said and he started working on me. By mid December I was worse and I now had horrible pain going down the back of my thigh as well as my back hurting. The chiropractor said it would go away as we realigned my back and neck. My mom was up here visiting us again when this new pain started and she was a lifesaver, helping with the household stuff and most importantly with the kids. But by mid January I still was not better. A friend from preschool referred me to another chiropractor. After a few visits with him my back and neck felt great! But the pain in my leg was still there and hurt just as bad. In February, right before our trip to Vegas, I went back to my doctor's office. I ended up with the same doctor as in November and he gave me more muscle relaxers and pain meds and order physical/occupational therapy. Flying with a bad back/leg is horrible! I started pt/ot as soon as we got home from Vegas. I couldn't walk after I was done, I hurt so bad. To help with the pain I went to an acupuncturist, it was wonderful, sort of. As long as the needles were in I was pain free. UNfortunately as soon as she removed the needles the pain came right back. The pain in my leg was getting worse and working it way all the way down my leg and into my foot. It was getting hard to drive, take care of the kids, take care of the house, and I knew it was time to ask for help. I called my mom and she flew up here two days later. She has been cleaning, cooking, shopping, driving, feeding, and doing everything I can't and probably more! I finally made an appointment with my doctor. He order another MRI and gave my muscle relaxers and pain meds that worked much better. I had my MRI the next morning. Two days later my doctor's office called to say that I had herniated my disc at the L5/S1 and it was pushing on two nerves. I was referred to a neurosurgeon, the best in Washington (Which is always a plus). I meet with him today and he reviewed the MRI and the list of things I did to try and solve the problem. He determined that surgery was the only thing left at this point in time to try and fix it. So I am scheduled to have back surgery on April 7th. I will stay overnight at the hospital and should be home be the 8th. I will then be on bed rest for a week. Then I will have very limited activities for another two weeks (no driving, lifting more than 10 pounds, etc). My mom will is still here and will be able to stay for the first two weeks after my surgery. Then my sister, Jennifer, is flying up to help for the third week. And after that all of my friends are pitching in to help if and when I need it. It will take a year for my back to fully heal so for the next year I have to be very careful with my back and limit my activities, but I will be pain free! 15 days and counting!!!

My Little Reader

Sierra decided to climb into her new chair with her books and read (look)

at them. It was so cute!

After she was done reading, Sierra decided to steal Alex's sippy cup of water. Doesn't she look pround of herself?!?

After that she wanted a pony ride from Grandma.

Ted's Report Card

Ted just came home from school with his report card for the winter trimester .....and he did phenomenal!!!! He was able to maintain his level or improve upon it for all of his different subjects. He is excelling in Math and Reading which are two of his favorite subjects. We are so proud of him and his achievements. Now Ted gets to decide where we will be having dinner tonight. And he has picked Outback Steakhouse, so he can have the cheese fries! LOL!

Happy Birthday Jennifer!!!

Happy 25th Birthday Jennifer!!! We wish we were there for your birthday. Enjoy your new purse :) Have a cupcake for us. Have a great dinner tonight and a rockin' party tomorrow!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Did you know that if you buy green hair gel and your kids know about it and they know about St. Patrick's Day, they will use that excuse for green hair? Yes, my kids are that smart!

Jump Planet

Brad decided to take the kids to Jump Planet earlier tonight. For those of you that don't know, Jump Planet is an indoor inflatible playground for kids and adults. They have slides, obsticle courses, fun bouncy houses, and a younger childrens inflatible. We have been coming to JP for 3 years and Ted and Alex love it. Sierra has gone three other times before tonight and she really enoys it. As you can see she is not afraid of heights and loves the big slide.

Ted and Alex love the Alien Enclosure Bouncy and now so does Sierra! She loves to watch her brothers play.

New Hair Styles

Ted needed a haircut really bad and he wanted a mohawk. So like any good parent would I said...."Okay". And after everyone recovered from the shock, we agreed that the top could remain longer for a mohawk and the side would be buzzed shorter.

And Alex wanted to be cool like his brother so we spiked up his hair.

Then to top it off I had my sister get colored hair gel for the boys. He have red, blue, green and gold. Today the boys had gold. What do you thing?

Spaceship Project

Alex needed to build a spaceship for his preschool's spaceship week. Every year at Cedar Cross Co-Op Preschool they have the kids build spaceships at home and bring them in to play with for a whole week.

Alex designed his spaceship. Brad, Grandma and I bought/found all the stuff to build it. Brad, Alex and Ted built it and painted it. Grandma and I helped with some of the painting and finishing touches.

Alex loved how it turned out.

Sierra Is Foward Facing

Sierra is now big enough to turn her carseat around and have it forward facing. And she loves it!

Ring Around the Daddy

Brad was sitting on the floor minding his own business when Ted and Sierra decided it was time to play Ring Around the Daddy.

As you can tell Sierra loves to play with Ted. He can get her going! She loves to play with him and when he starts to chase her she laughs so hard she falls over, which makes us laugh, which make her laugh even harder!

Sierra's One Year Check-Up

Sierra was 4 lbs 7oz and 18 1/4" long when she was born

Now she is 20 lbs 8 oz and 30 1/4" long. She is in the 85% for height and 45% for weight and that is on a regular growth chart (not on a preemie chart). She is so big and healthy. She truely is our little miracle!

Interview with Ted (Age 9 1/2)

Interview with Ted (9 ½) 1. What is something Zanne always says to you? You are supposed to drink your water not inhale it 2. What makes Zanne happy? Her back not hurting 3. What makes Zanne sad? Having her back killing her 4. How does Zanne make you laugh? Tickling me and telling jokes 5. What was Zanne like as a child? Smart 6. How old is Zanne? Almost 30 7. How tall is Zanne? Medium height, about as tall as Dad 8. What is her favorite thing to do? Be with her family 9. What does Zanne do when you’re not around? No clue 10. If Zanne becomes famous, what will it be for? Being a good mom 11. What is Zanne really good at? Being a good mom 12. What is Zanne not very good at? Standing with her back hurting her 13. What does Zanne do for a job? Takes care of the kids 14. What is Zanne’s favorite food? Taco Soup 15. What makes you proud of Zanne? Taking care of the kids with her back and leg hurting very, very bad 16. If Zanne were a cartoon character, who would she be? Jane “the wife” from the Jetsons 17. What do you and Zanne do together? Play games, watch Man vs Food 18. How are you and Zanne the same? We both like to read 19. How are you and Zanne different? Zanne is taller than me, by a lot 20. How do you know Zanne loves you? Hugs, kisses, love, compassion, she takes care of me 21. What does Zanne like most about your dad? That he compassionate and loves her and all of us and takes care of us 22. Where is Zanne’s favorite place to go? To Utah to see family 23. If Zanne was an animal, what animal would she be? Lion, because she is strong, caring, and protective

Sierra's Birthday Party

We had a little party today for Sierra. It was just the five of us. We had some lunch then Sierra opened her presents. She got a pony on wheels to ride on from me and Brad. Ted got her a lavender Pegasus stuffed animal. Alex bought her a Winnie the Pooh bathtub set. Grandma and Poppi got her a little rocking chair and ottoman. She also received cards from Grandma and Grandpa White, Papa and Grandma Robbin, and a huge card from all of her aunts, uncles and cousins (very cute!).

After she opened her presents we had cake and ice cream. She did much better with her cake this time around. She was covered from head to toe in cake and frosting.

After her cake she took a bath with her new bathtub toys.