Saturday, March 28, 2009

Spring Break!!

We drove home to my parents house yesterday for spring break. It was a much easier drive than when we drove home for Christmas. Not a snowflake in sight!! Our only "hiccup" was the day before we left I was loading suitcases in the car and decided to vacuum up some of the kids leftovers. We have a little vacuum that you plug into the car. So, I put my keys into the ignition and turned it to just get power and vacuum. Well, I vacuumed and then forgot about my keys and finished loading and went back inside. Whoops! I went out again hours later and my battery was totally dead. We jumped it twice that night and it started, but then when we would try again later and it wouldn't start at all. Thank heavens that we have the nicest neighbor ever and he loaned us his battery pack and left the car charging on it all that night and she started up just fine the next morning. We finished loading and left about 9 am yesterday and arrived at my parents around 3 pm. Every time we stopped at a rest area to pee I was just praying that when we got back in the car it would turn over and thank heavens it did every time!! I know, I know - I'm a dork. And you can just imagine my dad shaking his head at me when I am telling him this story after we got here. Anyhoo, we're home and my kids are in grandparents heaven!! I won't be able to post pictures until I get back to my house, so I'll recap our spring break in about a week!! Enjoy spring break everyone!!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

More Random Thoughts

Again, nothing too exciting happening here in Spokane, but I get a lot of heck when I don't post at least a little something!! We had a few things happen this past week.

I went visiting teaching on Wednesday and Marcus was running around with a bunch of girls having a grand old time. That is until his face connected with a slamming door and we ended up with this:


I don't think you can really see how bad it is in this picture because my camera sucks, but he had a HUGE goose egg right between his eyes for the rest of the day and that red mark is still there today. Cried like a girl, but he is totally okay. He is a handsome devil, isn't he?


On Friday Marcus had his speech test. I was so nervous because I just didn't know how he would do. He is having a hard time going to Primary right now and when he doesn't want to do something it is meltdown time. I was just envisioning him throwing himself down on the floor and screaming his brains out. Only because that has actually happened before!! So the whole morning before we went I talked it up big time. I asked him if he wanted to go to school and play with the teacher and he was all into it. He was like, "Yeah, like Raquel." And of course I bribed him with a prize if he was a good boy. So, we go and I sit in the corner of the room while she tests him and I kid you not, the whole time I was thinking - "Who is this child and what have they done with my Marcus?" He was so good!! He sat in the chair at the table with the therapist and did everything she asked him to do and he was so good!! Can I say it enough? He was so good!! I couldn't believe it. The therapist even told me he was such a good boy. And I told her that this was a rare day! Anyhoo, as far as his speech goes he is fine. Right on target with how old he is and being in preschool next year will only help him to refine what he is saying and get better. So, no extra help needed and I just want that therapist to come and live with us because she had an effect on my son that I would like to bottle and reuse everyday.


Let's see - Friday of course was a big day. Um, hello, Twilight DVD on sale at midnight. And yes, I am that much of a loser. I stayed up until midnight so I could go to the store and buy the Twilight DVD. I was going to end up going by myself because all of my Spokane friends apparently aren't REAL fans like I am. But thankfully my friend Liz called me and totally wanted to go with me. Thanks Liz!! We felt a bit weird hanging out with all the teenagers until midnight, but we decided we didn't really care if we were the oldest people in line - we wanted our movie!! And yes, I took it home where my sweet husband was waiting up for me and I started watching all the special features until I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I think that was around 2 am. I'm just not as young physically as I am mentally!! The next morning we gathered the whole family around and watched Twilight and all the extras until I saw every bit that was on both discs. And yes, I said my whole family. Marcus and Raigan are clueless still and I loved sharing it with my Raquel and Todd. What a great week!!


I look so tired, but I had to have my movie!! And I've already lent it out to a sister in my ward who has been reading the Twilight series to her family. Don't you love that!?! The more Twilight love I can spread around the better! You're next Allyson!!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Random Thoughts

Not too much of anything exciting happening in the Shelton household lately. So, I thought I would post some random things that went on this past week. Raquel has been bugging me for forever to straighten her hair. It's the typical - I hate curly hair, I want straight hair - and everyone who sees her hair says they hate straight hair they want her curly hair!! Can't be happy with what we have, huh?!? I caved and finally did it for her the other day for school. Here is the all new straight-haired Raquel. Still a beauty no matter what in my opinion!




Sunday afternoon I "caught" Raquel and Marcus having a "moment" together. Normally they fight like cats and dogs, but they were watching a movie together on the couch and I just couldn't resist this moment of perfect harmony. It was short-lived. . .



And other than Todd's car breaking down and the bill coming back at $1200 to fix it, we have had a pretty uneventful week!! Yikes!! Kinda puts a dent in my spring break plans to head home and see my family and friends. Hopefully my kids will do something interesting this week so I have something to blog about. And let's not forget what happens on Saturday people!! Twilight on DVD!!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

SLEEPWALKER!!

I think I've posted before about Raquel's sleepwalking and night terrors. The girl has some issues. So, night before last I wake up to hear Raquel and Raigan both screaming bloody murder. I run into the upstairs hallway between our bedroom and Raigan's room and Raigan's bedroom door is open. Then I started yelling for Todd because Raigan sleeps alone in a crib and she can't open her own door. I'm thinking there is someone in our house. I start heading for the downstairs because that's where the screaming is coming from and Raquel and Marcus sleep down there. When I get to the top of the stairs I see Raquel on the stairs screaming and crying and Raigan is sitting at the bottom of the stairs screaming and crying. HUH?! It took my mind a moment to register what I was seeing. I start yelling at Raquel asking her what in the heck is going on and she is just crying and mumbling a mile a minute. I get her and lay her down on the couch and I am getting like no response from her. Within like 15 seconds she is snoring. Sound asleep. I grabbed Raigan and she was half undressed and pretty much hysterical. Todd is up by now and I made him check every room, closet, door, window - everything in our house to see if someone broke in. Nothing. I get Raigan calmed down and back to bed and then it all clicked. Raquel was sleepwalking, went in to Raigan's room, woke her up, tried to change her diaper and then took her downstairs!! That was the only explanation because Raigan can't get herself up or open her door and there wasn't a bad person in my house!! Holy crap!! Most of you are probably laughing about now, just like my mom did when I called her the next morning, but I WAS NOT! Totally freaked me out. Raquel remembers doing none of this. I asked her repeatedly the next day if she remembered getting Raigan and her screaming and she looked at me like I was crazy. It freaks me out because that was a lot of stairs she had to have climbed down with my baby in her arms and she wasn't even awake. Aahh! I really don't know what to do. I am going to buy latches for Raigan's room and the front door and attach them up high where Raquel can't reach them, but what else can I do? I just don't want her to hurt herself or someone else when she's off in la-la land. My dad suggested using one of those shock collars that you put on dogs to keep them in the yard, so that she will shock herself awake when she tries to leave her bedroom. Don't think that one is going to work dad!! My parents are so helpful with this situation, aren't they!?!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Best & Worst Mother Moments

I had a worst mother moment and a best mother moment all within the same week this week! Thankfully, I was the worst mother first and the best mother second so I didn't end the week on a bad note! Here's my worst mother moment:

I finally took Raquel in to see the dentist. (I know, I know! No lectures on taking her in sooner! Lesson has been learned!) We just didn't make it a huge priority because she's been losing baby teeth for awhile now and we thought she'd be fine. Whoops. Apparently she has her father's weak teeth. On Thursday my poor sweetheart had to have a baby root canal, an entire tooth pulled, two other teeth drilled and filled and sealant put on her molars!! Her first dental experience was all of that! She did so well and the office where I took her is just for kids, so they were super awesome with her. They call everything they are doing by different names so they don't freak the kids out. Like, here comes Mr. Whistle or Mr. Tickle. So cute! She was miserable the rest of the day once the numbing wore off, but all better now. I tried to take a picture of her cavity ridden tooth they pulled, but my camera sucks and it wouldn't zoom in good enough to see the tooth and now it is in Tooth Fairy land. I will now be taking Marcus in as soon as possible to avoid this in the future. I can only hope that he has my teeth (strong as an ox) and that they will sedate him for me, otherwise ain't no way that boy will sit in that chair!! LOL!!

Okay, on to my best mother moment. It wasn't anything that I did necessarily. It was just a moment with my Raquel that I will forever remember and made me feel like I might be doing something right. At the end of the day on Friday I was taking a bath. Love to take baths at the end of the day because it relaxes me and gives me about a half an hour to myself. And my sweet husband, bless his heart, knows that I need this time so he often tells me to go get in the bath and he takes the kids. So as I'm soaking I hear a knock on the door and Raquel wants to come in. Usually I don't allow this since it kind of defeats the purpose of alone time, but she had a book with her and she asked if she could just sit in the bathroom and read. I usually am reading a book during my bath, so I said sure she could stay. So, for the next half hour I soaked and read and my Raquel sat and read, only interrupting when she couldn't figure out a word. I paused for a minute and just savored the moment. Alone time with my daughter spent doing something I adore - reading - and thinking that I have instilled in her a love of books as well. Can't beat that. It was such a tender moment for me. One without words, but that really spoke to me as a mother. I don't totally suck all of the time! My kid is reading Charlotte's Web with me in the bathroom!! So cool.