Numb3rs

Here's a quick re-cap of our fantastic weekend get-away to Utah for my little brother's graduation from BYU Marriott School of Business in Finance.

3 - the number of times Taylor threw up the night we were packing to leave. (See? we're already off to a good start.)
4 - the number of cavities Tanner got filled the morning we left, and the number of stops we made on the way down, as well as the number of times I climbed the stairs at the Marriott Center (and Tricia saved us seats on nearly the front row. Awesome seats BTW.)
5 - the number of hours it took us to get to Springville Thursday morning (it usually takes 3 1/2 hours).
6 - the number of people we stuffed in our car from Orem to Springville.
7 - the time we arrived at our cousin's wedding reception Thursday evening.
2 - the number of fingers that took a swipe at the bride's cake at the reception.
1 - the number of cupcake-thingie-desserts our three-year-old threw at my dad.
8 - the number of times I threw up Thursday as well as Clorox-ed the bathroom after each episode. (and yes, I stuck to one bathroom. Pat-on-the-back)
9 - the time we left to be at the temple for our cousin's sealing ceremony (yes, the reception was before the wedding).
10 - the number of times Taylor has thrown up total this weekend. Including the time he barfed all over my little sister and her shoes and clothes and my aunt's house.
0 - the number of times Tanner or Ryan barfed - neither one of them ended up sick, throwing up or with diarrhea (though there was much dry-heaving on Ryan's part as he helped clean up at home). Weird. (the part that neither of them ended up sick. The dry-heaving was normal.)
11 - the number of people who ended up sick because we were too dumb to stay home and too prideful to miss my little brother's graduation, which by the way, was awesome.
4,239 - the number of people whom we came in contact with, as close as I can guest-i-mate as well as the number of apologies I owe.
3.5 - the number of hours Ryan got us home in, and that was with a stop in Malad for us all to stretch our legs off and play for 15 minutes.
17 - approximately the number of times Tanner pumped laundry detergent onto the washer and dryer this morning (in my defense, I was cleaning the bathroom, and Ryan was getting ready for a meeting when our little angel decided to help us do laundry.)
a gazillion - the number of times we've washed our hands and the hands of our children this weekend. Apparently it wasn't enough.
1 - the number of people from our family who is attending church today. (Obviously it's not me. I've been washing barf, poop, and germs from every surface in our house. I've also done 4 loads of clothing, 3 additional loads of sheets, 1 load of towels, pulled out the washer to mop up detergent, and edited 2 photos from the weekend, which can be seen below. I'd say I've quite broken the Sabbath. But just maybe I'll be forgiven for not giving this bug to everyone at church! )

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Congratulations, Keith!!! We are so proud of you and your fantastic accomplishments! We love you so much, and your beautiful wife, Tricia. We do hope that neither of you get/got sick from/of us. :) Tricia is graduating from Utah Valley University in Dental Hygiene May 1st and from BYU with her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science in December. Below is their Graduation Announcement that I had such a blast making!

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Needless to say, I think it's going to be a LONG while before we show our face in Utah. A LONG WHILE.

***Ryan visited with our pediatrician/Bishop today (we hate asking medical advice at church but He started it by asking where the rest of us were). We apparently had a stomach virus, not influenza. I am not sure exactly what the difference is, but Google is a great resource...check it out!

More & Then Some

Today was a big day...for Tanner and I both. I've been paying more attention to when he talks to me, because I'm finally getting the hint that he hears and understands more than I give him credit for, hence this little doosie:

Taylor approaching the TV to turn it off/on.

Tanner: "Oh, Hell. Taylor knock it off!"

Yeah. Proud mommy-moment over. Just when I thought they could play well together, our three-year-old is swearing at our one-year-old and using it in context!!! Great. Guess I/we have a LOT of work to do. Oh, how ironic it is, that Hevenly Father blessed us with children "Just Like Us!"

Ryan and I are AWEFUL parents when it comes to brushing teeth. In fact, we don't brush our children's teeth (well, Tanner's...Taylor still has NO TEETH at fourteen months!) except on rare occasions, like Sunday mornings, and even that was sporadic.

I noticed some 'buildup' a few months ago, and promised myself I'd do a better job, I even bought Tanner a toothbrush that sang. I know. It doesn't do justice to the plaque unless it's in action!

Well, last week, I noticed it had gotten REALLY BAD. Tooth "c" (pointy in front) and "e" & "f" (two front) were exceptionally bad. I panicked, called the first pediatric/family dentist I saw in the phone book, and said I had to get him in.

So, today we had our FIRST visit to the dentist. Unfortunately, it wont be the last...I mean, I planned on starting routinely visits around age four or five...Tanner never got his first tooth till after he turned one, for crying out loud! (I think we used that as a false sense of security, thinking he would have 'good, strong teeth'). But now, we have three visits set up and scheduled over the next two months to 'fix' the damage. I'm pretty sure we're going to be a regular customer!

After all the hoo-haw and hum-haw, the dentist finally came in (do you know how hard it is for a nervous three-year-old to sit in a chair with lots of 'stuff' around him, even with the tv on the ceiling?!?!) and took a quick (4 minutes) look, apparently worth $48 and confirmed that Tanner would, indeed, need to have THREE cavities filled!!! At least they're filled with white instead of silver...it's been a while since I've had my two cavities filled....and I was 20 when I had them!

Anyways, what I really wanted to say is that on the way over to the dentist, Tanner threw-up...just a little bit. This is how that experience went down as I was trying to locate ONE office building in a myriad of 50 stylish office buildings:

Tanner: "Mommy, I sorry. I made a mess"
Me: "What happened?" thinking it couldn't be too bad, he was strapped in a 50-harness car restraint!
Tanner: "I threw. Up." in a worried little voice.
Me: "What happened?"
Tanner: "I chocked on my fingernail in my neck." (what?!?!?)
Me: frantically looking for the right building, "oh, Tanner!" in an annoyed voice, thinking, "now he's going to stink and be all 'dirty'...what are these people going to think! I don't brush my child's teeth or wash his clothes or bathe him!"
Tanner: "I sorry mommy. I just want to make you happy."

Yeah. It got me, too. I wanted to stop and bawl right then and there.

It hit me. The best way to describe it is like driving along and BAM! there's a snow bank. It looks fluffy enough, but when you and it meet, it's not fluffy. In fact, it hurts, and it hurts horribly bad.

All Tanner EVER tries to do it to get our attention...to get us to notice him. That phrase alone has forever changed my life. Whether he's trying to set the table, move his brother out of harm's way, or put his clothes away in a pile under his bed, he's just trying to make me happy.

Tanner will frequently ask us, "Daddy? You Happy?" or "Mommy? I happy, You Happy?" I have started to answer "Yes" (or "No", but explain as lovingly as possible why his actions made me sad) and will quickly change my attitude from being stressed for WHATEVER reason, and give him some time...it's a start, right?