More to come ...

I know I have lots to catch up on ... namely 1) Christmas and 2) New Orleans - Sugar Bowl. I'll attempt to blog more today. After bathtime, lunch, Corey gets back from his study group, I get a shower & dressed ... and hopefully before our little neighbor-friends 2nd birthday party, my massage (been putting that off for over a year now!) & Corey's ward basketball game! Whew! Oh, and I have to get food for SuperBowl Sunday ... I guess I should get crackin'!

Emergency Room

So, this week was a little exciting. It was Sunday night and we were having a pretty mellow night at home. Corey's mom, stepdad & brother came over for a few minutes and while they were here Corey said he felt like he had pulled a muscle in his back or something. His stepdad asked him if he had pulled something while skiing (they went the day before). Corey didn't know, but was trying to stretch it out. Then probably not 10 minutes later, Corey was in so much pain he was laying on the bed rolling around. After about 1-2 minutes of watching him attempt to relieve some of the pain (didn't work) I called our sweet friend to come over to give Corey a blessing. Our neighbor is seriously the best! He was in the shower, but not 3 minutes later he was at our house - with wet hair, no socks and out of breath.

Okay, so for those of you who don't know Corey really well let me just tell you that he is the most mellow guy, normally. And, bless his heart, he is about the slowest moving man I've ever met. But, when our friend came over to administer to him Corey was pretty much frantic to have him "get it over with". And that frantic, restless, squirmy behavior continued until he got a morphine drip in him (more on that later).

Once the blessing was over I grabbed our stuff & we got in the car and headed out to the hospital emergency room. (Thankfully our friend stayed with Zaida until my parents could make it to our house.) So, we get to the hospital only after hitting almost all red lights (of course!) - minus the one that I ran. He was in a lot of pain folks! We were expecting relief when we got there, yet were met with maddeningly slow service! They didn't have any beds or doctor's that could check Corey out for probably about 30 minutes. I guess that doesn't seem like a lot, but when your normally calm, composed, chill husband is pacing around, swearing under his breath & absolutely cannot get any comfort or help - it's a little stressful. So, FINALLY we get into a room & a nurse comes in asks Corey 1 question and says "Have you ever had kidney stones?" Nope. "Welcome to kidney stones."

Then the nurse put in an IV and gave Corey some morphine for his pain & he slept for probably about the next 4 hours. He did have to wake up a couple of times to talk to the doc, get a CT scan, ... to apologize, to quit snoring & to tell me he would complete that duplicate K1 tax form. (Corey is seriously funny on drugs!)

Thankfully he passed his kidney stones without too much trouble or fanfare, but it's certainly been an interesting week!

Christmas dress

I tried my darndest to get some cute pictures of Zaida in her Christmas dress ... she looked SO adorable! Mental note: do not wait until after church to try and get happy smiling poses from Zaida. Somebody has sleepy eyes! I know you can't see my eyes in this picture, but oh wait! Yes, Zaida has sleepy eyes too. :)

Sledding with Daddy

Corey bought Zaida this cute little sled & she LOVES it. Zaida is so cute ... when Corey runs with her she will yell "weee ....". I can hear her halfway down the street. Corey used to take her out every night after he got home from work. During the day she would bring me her coat, gloves or boots to give me the hint that she wanted to go out sledding.

Zaida is yelling "GO!" in this picture. Something MaWhe (my mom) taught her. If you say "Ready ... Set ..." then Zaida will yell "GO!"

After many laps in the park behind our home Dad is pooped!

Silly girl!

I just can't get over how quickly my baby is growing up. She has such a personality! I can't tell you that enough ... but, here is some photo evidence.

"Hey Mel - need some help on the Ranch?!"

After our morning bath we get all warm and cozy on Mom's bed ...

"Haven't you heard of child labor laws?"

"Hide and seek anyone?!"

"PJ's & satin kitten heels - I think it works, don't you?"

Zaida loves glasses ... she will play with them and put them on other people. This was probably the first time that she put them on herself. Does anyone see the resemblance to one of the Harry Potter characters?

Professor Trelawney!

Thanksgiving in Idaho

This Thanksgiving we went to Pocatello to my Meme & Papa's for dinner. We had the whole traditional dinner (minus the cranberries - sorry Mom!) & it was so wonderful to spend time with the fam! My favorite moment of the day had to be when Meme & Zaida were playing the piano together. I always love to hear Mem play the piano & Zaida loved it too!

I love in the video you can see Papa in the background. He sure loves the little girl. I don't know why, but this video just makes me all teary. I think it's just because everyone is so happy. I sure do love you Meme & Papa!

Thank you!

I know, I know ... I am seriously terrible at this. I need to figure out a time each day/week to just get it done! So, here are some of the things that have happened since I blogged last --- nothing. Well, okay, so a couple of things have happened.

I have a daughter who is now climbing & is commonly on top of the dining table when I turn around. She is also into everything! She can reach into every single one of our kitchen/bathroom drawers.
I also am the newest board member of the homeowners association for my neighborhood. I know it doesn't seem so exciting, but I'm excited about it. I am the new secretary - and am happy to be able to do something to hopefully make my neighborhood safe & happy. I know it sounds cheesy, but - well, I'm excited about it.

Thanksgiving came and went. And I don't think that I can easily put into words how grateful I am for my life. But I am going to try ...
Zaida - She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. She makes me wish I was a better person. She makes me wish I knew more - so I could teach her everything. She is so smart & witty. I can't believe a 17 month old girl could make me laugh as easily as she does. She is so beautiful. She is so expressive & DEFINITELY has her own opinions. I truly can't imagine life without her. Some words that describe her: dainty, feisty, funny, smart, curious, adventurous, sweet, motherly
Corey - Corey and I have been through so much together. He never complains about how tough things are for him right now (school, work, church assignments, demanding wife, etc.). He is always willing to help wherever he is needed. He truly cares for and loves his "guys". He is level-headed & keeps me grounded, but still encourages me to dream. Some words that describe him: stable, funny, unconditional, devoted, loving, conservative, athletic
Family - my family is the best! I am so lucky to have such amazing people as not only my family, but as my best friends. We have such amazing friendships with each other & it's hard to describe. We just get each other. As I get older I realize how much I resemble my parents. And, how much I have tried to become like my brother. They have so many wonderful qualities that I wasn't fortunate to get, but we all complement each other so well!
Dad is the rock of the family. Logical, but loving & tender. But, surprisingly funny - has such a quick wit. Mom is emotional & loves fiercely. Not afraid to speak her mind. Sacrifices much for the ones she loves, although she never acts like it is a sacrifice at all. Quinn is artistic & sees life in fresh and interesting ways. He is a leader & has a gift for making friends everywhere he goes (he relates to everyone). He is so funny & has a quirky sense of humor.
I also have amazing grandparents ... But, this could go on forever.
Everything else - I have been reading the Work & the Glory series and I am just so grateful for the day & age that I have been raised in. The life that the early members lived seems like such tumultuous & scary times. Amazing, but scary. Reading these books have caused me to reflect on the vast differences between my life & those of the early members of the church. And I just am so thankful. Thankful for those people I have listed above, as well as my loving friends, the great (and free) country we live in, the jobs that we have/had, my education, my membership in the church and my amazing ward family, my beautiful home, functional cars, and thanks to Corey - the existence of a savings account! :) I just have such an amazing life & am so grateful for all of you & how you have contributed to it. Thank you!