Alex's ABCs

Alex is doing so well with his ABCs. Of course he can sing the song because we sing it to him every night before bed, but he is also getting so good at recognizing the letters in words. I got out some flash cards the other day and was quizzing him on the letters and he only missed 6 or 7! Pretty good for a 3 year old I think. He is definitely doing better than Samantha did at this age but that is probably because we work on them a lot more for her with school. They love to eat their cereal with the cereal boxes in front of them and point out all of the letters they can recognize. I love to see them learn and apply their learning. Smarty pants kids!!

Ruth's Diner and Triple D!

Do you remember how this past spring we were invited to Ruth's Diner to sit and eat while they filmed a Food Network episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives?? WELL, we have been waiting patiently for that episode to air and it looks like it will be coming on December 1st! It has taken so long that we thought maybe they decided not to air the show but we just got an email from Ruth's saying that the episode will be coming on. It's very exciting! We were ALL over that episode and can't wait to see the cute kids on there. I got a little sassy too and we'll see if that made it in or if they cut the sass out. I will remind everyone again as the day gets closer and I'll post the time as well.

Lizard?

Tonight for family home evening we pulled out the picture of Brigham Young to teach the kids. Samantha saw his picture and said, "He looks like a wizard!!!". Which I thought was funny enough, but Andy heard, "He looks like a lizard!!!". Either way, we both got a good chuckle out of our funny girl.

1 Year and Counting!

A year ago today I had my back surgery. It's hard to believe it has been a year......it really doesn't feel like that much time has passed. This surgery was the first time that I had ever been in the hospital and my whole experience was quite pleasant. I had complete confidence in my surgeon and his team and all of the hospital staff was friendly and knowledgeable. I was lucky enough to have my own room and it even had a nice view out the window of the Salt Lake valley. I was only supposed to be in the hospital for one night but the surgeon decided since I had 2 small kids at home I better stay an extra night and get all the rest I could. My mom was very sweet and stayed with the kids a lot so that Andy could be with me. He even stayed with me the first night and slept on a broken recliner. Neither of us got much sleep that first night! I never experienced much pain after the surgery but I was terribly uncomfortable. It took 2 male nurses to flip me on my side and prop me up so I could be off of my back for a while. They were pretty strong too....it didn't make me feel very good about myself!! The physical therapist came by only hours after I was out of surgery to get me out of bed and trying to walk. It was very difficult to change everything about the way I moved. I had to roll out of bed a certain way, I couldn't twist my back and I certainly couldn't bend. I was given a back brace (more like a corset) that was very helpful and made standing much more comfortable. I was also given something to help me put socks on since I couldn't bend (never used) and a gripper, reacher, picker-upper stick that I used ALL the time......and still do some days when I'm sore.

After 2 nights in the hospital I came home and Andy was able to stay home from work for a week and a half and take care of me and the kids. He did a wonderful job of juggling everything and took such amazing care of me. Honestly, those 2 weeks rocked!!! I loved being in bed, watching TV, reading magazines and taking naps. I got to see and kiss the kids a few times a day without having to take care of them. I got every little whim of mine taken care of by Andy and the sleep was grand!! The only drawback to sleeping all day was that I wasn't sleeping too well at night but I was happy to have my Ipod to keep my company.

This year has been rough. According to the literature given to me by the doctor I was supposed to "take 3 months off of work". HA! Yeah, that doesn't really work with a 2 and 3 year-old. I was lucky to get my 2 weeks and so recovery has been slower than I would have liked. Normal I think, but slow when you have 2 kids and a house to take care of. Andy has been great and has always helped with whatever I needed and has understood all the days when I have needed to lay on the couch for a while. Thank goodness! The worst part has been the chronic pain related depression. That wasn't something I had expected to happen but it hit, and it hit hard! I've never dealt with depression before. Or chronic pain. I had seen pharmaceutical commercials about the relationship but never thought it was true. I never understood how you could be depressed! I thought you could just snap out of it! I thought you could just decide to be happy! It really is not that simple. The worse my pain was, the worse the depression was. The worse the depression was, the worse the pain was. It was a vicious cycle! I finally got to my breaking point after Andy had been on a few business trips in a row and I was fed up with the kids, the house, Andy, depression, pain, all of it! I went to the doctor and he prescribed Zoloft for me which has been HEAVEN SENT!! Not only has my mood and outlook on life gotten better, my pain has been so much more manageable. I have been on the medicine since July and I plan on staying on it for at least another 6 or 7 months. Maybe longer if I need it! I know depression can be one of those taboo topics but it can happen to anyone for any reason and there is nothing to be ashamed of. I believe it is a real chemical imbalance in your body and if you need to take a little pill everyday to enjoy life and your children, it is worth it! I have far more patience with my kids and that is all the excuse I need! I just wish that the doctor would have warned me of the possibility of getting depression following the surgery. I think maybe it could have saved me a few months of hating life. Oh well, it's taken care of now!

Overall I am glad that I did the surgery. I am no longer afraid of falling and causing more damage to my spine. Although I still think I'll avoid my sister's house in the winter!
And.....in case you didn't see this in my previous post, here is my titanium back.

Officially ready for the snow!

Today we officially got ready for the snow! I know it's going to be coming.....it's lurking somewhere in the sky ready to drop on my house and ruin my day. So today we went out early and cleaned up the whole backyard. We pulled plants, put away kids toys, cleaned up and stored the sand box and put away the outdoor furniture. It took us a couple of hours but the yard looks great and the best part was I now have clean windows!!! Our downstairs windows get wet everyday in the summer when we water our lawn so the water buildup is horrible! I pulled out my trusty Lime-A-Way and sprayed the tar out of the windows and now I can see the sun pouring through my windows!! It really is amazing how nasty they were and how it clouded my view of the outside world! Now everything looks so clear and sparkly! The clean windows just might be my favorite part of fall!!

The kids napped today so we were able to stay out a bit later tonight and enjoy being with our kids. We went to my sister Kami's house and my other sister Richele took our family picture. It's been about a year since our last one so I figured it was a good time to get one. I think they turned out good and I also had Richele take couple pictures of Andy and I....which hasn't been done since our wedding!!! Those I think turned out great as well. I'll post some when Richele gets them back to me. After pictures we took the kids to dinner and they were sweet and well-behaved. Amazing what a little nap can do! Well, it's 8.30pm and I'm exhausted, so I'm going to bed. I washed the sheets so they are clean and soft and smell nummy! They are calling to me!!

Maybe I'll start calling him Spot.

I'm going to start laying down newspaper for Alex to sleep on if he can't get his bowels under control!!! If I put him in a diaper at night he gets lazy and pees and poops in it.....even in the morning when he is awake!! In which case he's usually kneeling in bed at some funky angle and the diaper leaks everywhere. That's even in the super heavy duty Nighttime diapers! If I put him in underwear he still sometimes lets loose and pees all over. Either way I have washed his sheets pretty much everyday for the past few weeks. I'm tired of it. Maybe a catheter is a good idea!! When I was in the hospital for my back surgery that catheter saved my life!! Anybody know how to insert a catheter in a 3 year-old? Ew, that's gross. Maybe I will have to find some other solution.

Health or Money??

Does anyone else ever feel like you have to choose between good health and saving money?? I would love to be able to buy all organic and all natural products, but they are SO expensive. I would love to buy the healthiest food but sometimes feel it is too expensive to buy on a regular basis. Same with other products like all natural toothpaste and skin care. In a perfect world we'd all be using the most natural, most "green" products. But not many of us have the money to sustain that kind of lifestyle. I suppose I could rearrange our budget to accommodate for these kinds of expenditures. I just really wish that I could buy healthier things for my family at the same price as everything else. Are the products priced higher just because they can? Because they know people will spend that kind of money? It's kind of how I feel about cleaner cars. Natural gas, hybrid and electric cars are far better for the environment (thus, far better for us) but they are priced higher. I wish car companies would stop putting money into making "cooler" cars that all look the same and start working on making engines that run cleaner and cost less. Most of you know me and know that I am no environmentalist. I'm not a fanatic when it comes to this kind of a thing, but I do care about our earth and mostly I care about my families health. It sure would be nice if companies cared a little less about making huge profits and cared a little more about making good products accessible to everyone. I guess the world just doesn't work that way. Like my mom always told me, "If wishes were fishes we'd all have a fry.".
I'll climb off my soap box now.

I Voted!

I went a voted today. I waited a total of about 1 minute for an open booth and it only took me about 3 minutes to complete my voting. THAT is a successful voting experience in my opinion. Apparently 3 o'clock is the time to go vote. It's been such a long campaign and I am tired of it all but I have to admit that I am nervous to see who wins. I think both candidates have good qualities and both have bad qualities. I feel like I just voted for the lesser of the two evils! It's going to be an interesting morning seeing who wins......
I do feel blessed that we get the opportunity to vote.....even though I know my vote really didn't count for much. I think the voting system is wrong and needs some tweaking. But I digress. I am grateful to live in the country that I live in and be an American.

I believe I can fly!!!

I believe in a lot of things.

I believe my kids are the best kids in the world.
I believe my husband is the sweetest and best man ever.
I believe I belong to the only true church on the earth.
I believe I will be very excited when the elections are over.
I believe NO ONE should EVER wear a tube top.

But this weekend I became a believer in something else. I now believe in the POWER of..........


THE KSL.COM CLASSIFIEDS!!!

I sold our double stroller on ksl.com a couple of months ago and it sold FAST. Andy came across some old speakers and a few other things that we decided to sell on ksl.com. A couple of things weren't even listed 12 hours before I had numerous calls and emails and eventually $50 in my hot little hands!! I have a guy coming from Layton tonight to buy a speaker for $85 and look at some other speakers we have. I have a guy in Las Vegas that wants me to ship $75 worth of speakers to him. The phone is ringing off the hook for these things!!!!! The point is, if you need to sell something fast, go to ksl.com. AND, listing is FREE!!!
I sure wish KSL were paying me for this advertisement!

Halloween and Alex's new bed

I realized I never posted a picture of Alex in his new big boy bed!! The headboard is from his crib and I made the duvet cover. He LOVES orange so I knew I had to put some orange in it. Not my first choice but he seems to like it. I think it turned out good. It still reminds me of the Denver Broncos with the navy blue and orange! Glad it has the gray too! I still need to make some pillows to go on top but have put away my sewing stuff for a while.
Samantha decided she didn't want to be a witch after she wore her witch costume to the zoo. I asked her what she wanted to dress up as instead and she said, "It's a surprise, but I need to buy a fairy wand!". My first guess was that she wanted to be a cowgirl.....but it turns out she wanted to be a fairy. I was okay with that since the only thing we had to buy was a wand and she had everything else. This is her posing for me before she left for preschool. She looked so beautiful!! I hate to admit that I am insanely jealous of my daughters good looks!! Aren't you??
After Samantha got home from preschool we dressed up Alex and went to daddy's work to say hello and show off and go to lunch. Turns out my friend Ashly was in the area with her cute kids and they were able to come to lunch with us. It was a lot of fun. After dinner we went to the church for their Trunk or Treat. It was the first time we'd gone to a Trunk or Treat and it was great for the little kids. My sister-in-law and my niece came with us and we had a great time letting the kids get their candy. I'm a terrible mother and forgot my camera so I have no pictures of the event. Use your imagination!

Things you don't want to hear when waking up....

I was trying to catch a quick nap on the couch while Alex was napping and Samantha was watching something on TV. I was just falling asleep when Samantha taps me and says, "Mom, I have gum in my hair.". NOT something you want to hear while you're trying to catch some Zzzzz's.

This story reminded me of another funny/awful sleepy story......

I went upstairs to nap when I wasn't feeling well one day. Andy was home and downstairs with the kids so I figured all was well. Little did I know that Andy fell asleep on the couch while the two little rascals had some fun a mere 4 feet from sleeping daddy. Samantha some how got a hold of the Vaseline and proceeded to smear it ALL OVER her brother's head. All over her stuffed animal too. Andy woke up and, being the good father he is, took some pictures before bringing them upstairs to wake me up. Nothing like waking up to a HUGE mess. Alex was greasy for days and my carpet still attracts dirt on the "Vaseline spot" as it is now known. This was a couple of years ago but I still cringe when I see Vaseline.

Oh crap! Maybe he'll end up being a salesman!!

The other day I took the kids to Great Clips to get their hair cut. Usually I cut their hair and I think I do a pretty good job but we were right next to Great Clips and I was feeling frisky! I was just planning to cut Alex's but it looked like so much fun to Samantha that she requested her hair be cut as well. It was funny to see the difference in the two kids in the way they interacted with the lady cutting their hair. Samantha just shyly answered her questions and didn't offer any other information. Alex, on the other hand, was asking HER questions and very much interacting with her. He offered information like, "I'm 3!", and "I like orange!", and when she noticed his Diego shoes he asked her, "Do you like Diego?". I thought it was adorable that he was trying to have a conversation with her and wasn't just answering her questions. They both sat very still and were very cute during their haircut. I guess I know where to go next time I'm feeling too lazy to do it myself!

All your fault Andy!

I'm quite certain that my husband wants me to gain some weight. Why else would he buy the best Halloween candy way too early and leave it within my reach?? He knows I can't leave candy alone! He knows I'd eat the whole bag if no one was around to notice! This is why I'm convinced he wants me to get tubby. So fine, your wish is my command baby!!! I'm going to lock myself in the pantry and snarf down Twix, Kit-Kats and Milky Ways.
Sigh.....we shoulda bought Smarties to give out!

My Vignette

www.shabbyapple.com is having a contest to win a dress, shoes, bag and accessories! How could I NOT enter!!!! Thanks to my friend Jenny for finding this.

AROUND THE WORLD IN AN OUTFIT!!!!

Every morning I wake up and check my Blackberry to see my appointments for the day. My energy breakfast shake is ready for me when I get out of the shower. My make-up artist and hair stylist are in the bathroom ready to make me beautiful for my busy day. I have many important clients to see today before I jet off to Milan in First Class for my upcoming fashion show. I have to choose an outfit that will cross international boundries. An outfit that will look good in any setting and say to everyone, "I am in charge." The outfit I choose for this important day is......


This little black dress is anything but ordinary. The lace can easily go from daytime meetings to nights on the red carpet at my fashion show. The shoes are incredible and prove that I belong in this fast paced life. My hair is curly with one side pulled up and secured with this lovely flower. Finally, I put my Blackberry, lip gloss and credit cards into my perfectly matched clutch. It's going to be a hectic day but at least I know I will look lovely!
.............................................................
"Mommy, mommy!!!!!"
I roll over in bed and see the clock read 7:00 am. I grab my teal polka-dot pajamas, pull my hair in a pony-tail and get my kids out of bed. We go downstairs in the dark. I make them chocolate milk to drink while they watch TV and fight over toys. I start a load of laundry. In a little while we will have breakfast. Then bath time. Then more fighting. Then it will be lunch time and nap time. I pray for them to sleep but as I hear them making noise upstairs I know that I will be lucky if I get them to rest for 30 minutes. Then it's time for the park....snack....play-time.....dinner....bath....bed.
It's almost bed time before I even realize that I am still in my teal polka-dot pajamas. And my hair is still in a pony-tail. I haven't even put on a pair of shoes today. Or touched my purse. There is no need for those things taking care of 2 kids and a house full-time.

It's no big secret which life is really mine. And I'm okay with that. I adore my life as it is. However, if I could add a little something (the ensemble) from my story life to my real life it just might be perfect! Just a little outfit to escape from my ordinary life. An outfit my husband can take me out to dinner in and we can pretend there are First Class tickets to Milan in his pocket.

Fall fun

Here are the kids in daddy's old shirts painting their pumpkins. They looked like little ghosts!


On Saturday we went with my family to the Boo at the Zoo and I have never seen so many people in my life!! It was packed! Samantha was a witch and Alex was Batman! Samantha didn't wear her hat much though so I enjoyed being part witch for the day. Probably not much of a difference from my day-to-day self to be honest! Samantha woke up with a bit of a cold and runny nose so she was a little off for the day. They were troopers though and enjoyed seeing the animals and collecting candy! It was a beautiful day....though a little too hot for all the walking around we did.

Book Confusion

I just recently read The Lucky One (said with a sing-song voice) by Nicholas Sparks. Which is about love and romance and lots of squishy stuff like that.

And now I am reading Lords of the Bow (said with a BOOMING voice) by Conn Iggulden which is a book about Genghis Kahn.

I cannot think of two books that contrast each other more. I think Genghis Kahn would be seriously offended that I even included a book about him in the same post as a book about finding true love thousands of miles away!! In any case though I enjoyed the girlie book and am enjoying the manly book as well. I swing both ways!

Still has a lot to learn!

Even at this young age Alex is learning how to deflect women's questions regarding their appearance. He still has a long way to go, but not bad for a 3 year old. Here's how it went down......

Me: "Alex, do you think mommy is pretty?"

Alex: With that confused and sly little grin "No."

Me: Pouty face and sad lip hanging out

Alex: "Um, what's that noise?"

Yeah, there was no noise in the house. It was silent. Good try little buddy! But the correct response would have been an immediate "YES, you are SO pretty mama!". Andy, get to work on teaching this little boy!

Actually enjoying the scriptures

I've never really enjoyed reading the scriptures too much. I do it, but haven't gotten much enjoyment out of it until now. We decided that we wanted to start reading the scriptures with the kids every night before bed. Not the kid version, the REAL version! Daring, I know! We are starting with 1 chapter each night from the Book of Mormon. The rule is that the kids have to sit on their bottoms with their arms folded and surprisingly, they do a great job! After the chapter has been read we explain to them about the chapter using kid friendly terms and try and pull a lesson out of it for them. This is the reason I have been enjoying the scriptures so much........I have to dissect the meaning of the chapter and it has really helped me appreciate and understand the scriptures more. I think sometimes as adults we over analyze everything and if we would just try to think more like kids do we would enjoy not only the scriptures more, but life in general.
That's just my two cents!

Poor Pip

Saturday morning when we left for Park City Pip was just dandy, as usual. When we got home Sunday around 1:00 she didn't look so good. She was all puffed up and quiet all day and got worse and worse throughout the day. I kept her in our bedroom last night to keep an eye on her and around midnight she passed away. Poor little birdie! I saw her eating before bed and thought that was a good sign and I kept hearing her walk around her cage so I figured she might be feeling a bit better. I was wrong. I made Andy check for sure if she was dead and then take the cage to the garage so I didn't have to look at it. Then I laid in bed and cried for 2 hours and when I finally fell back to sleep I had all sorts of odd dreams and Andy said I tossed and turned all night. It was not too fun explaining to the kids why they couldn't see Pip and what happened. Thankfully we've talked about death before and how your spirit leaves your body so that helped the kids understand a little. Samantha cried a lot (I think mostly because I was crying and she really wanted to see Pip) but pretty soon after decided it was time to get another pet!! Kids sure do know how to rebound! I wish I did a better job of that. When Andy gets home from work today we're going to have a little funeral and bury her in our yard. I know we didn't have her for too long, but I sure did love her.

6 years a Higham!

Today is Andy's and my 6 year wedding anniversary! We had a fun weekend away while my dear sweet mom watched the kids for us. The kids had a great time with Grammy and Grampy playing and doing crafts and having a sleepover while Andy and I went to Salt Lake and Park City and Midway.
Saturday morning we dropped the kids off at my parents house and then drove up to Salt Lake. We went to the Farmer's Market first since it was the last weekend it was going on for the year. We only bought a couple headbands for Samantha but we always enjoy walking around and seeing all the people and smelling the yummy food. We've taken the kids there a couple of times and it was so nice not to have to worry about the little ones getting trampled with the mass of people. The weather was pure heaven all weekend which just made everything better! After the market we walked over to The Gateway and did a little browsing and weather enjoying. Our tummies got a little grumbly so we headed downtown for some lunch. Once again, the weather was so great so we walked the 5 or so blocks to this fabulous German deli near the Capitol Theater. I ordered the Weinerschnitzel and Spaetzle and Andy had the Goulash and Spaetzle. It was amazing and filled our bellies just right! They also had a bunch of German candy and especially these Vanilla Milk Wafers that I am addicted to. I was able to find them in New York once and when I saw them yesterday about had a heart attack. My kids were lucky enough to try one.....but I'm sure that's all they'll get!! I'm sure my friend Ashly will remember these wafers and our love for them! After lunch we walked back to the car and drove to find this patisserie that Andy had heard about with this amazing pastry. This place is only 1 of 6 in the US that makes this particular pastry from France. It's called the Kouing Aman and is from the Brittany region of France. It's a little bit of heaven. It's hard to describe but it's flaky like a croissant but has a bunch of sugar in it that carmalizes and makes it chewy and sweet and delicious! I highly recommend it.
After our sweet treats we drove up to Park City and hit the outlets for some shopping. It's sad, but we pretty much bought the kids stuff and only I got 1 pair of boots. Even when you're away from your kids they are never far from your mind, right? We checked into our hotel after shopping and then went to dinner at a place that wasn't even good enough to mention. At least we had a yummy lunch to make up for it.
In the morning we drove to Midway to The Blue Boar Inn for brunch. It's an adorable B&B that we ate dinner at the night we got engaged. We've always wanted to stay there overnight but have never done it. Now that we've had brunch there though.....we're for sure going back! Tasty! After brunch our fun was over and we headed down to Springville to pick up the kids. They were not particularly excited to see us but napped for us when we got home and we had a fun afternoon in the backyard playing football with them. Good times.

Do you know how you can REALLY tell I'm a Higham now????? Most of my post was about food. And I described it in way more detail than you needed. If Andy had written this post, it would be about a page longer with even more description about the food. If the Highams know how to do anything, it's eat and shop!!! Oh, and travel. Which is why I'm proud to be a Higham!!!
I love you Andy! Happy Anniversary and thanks for the fun weekend!!!