I never imagined I would have a teenage daughter that resembled myself in so many different aspects not only physically but emotionally as well but also is so different in many aspects. gemma is 13 as of June 11th. I remember feeling very angry and feeling like I didn't fit in at that age. Gemma--on the other hand has more friends then she can count and has demostrated amazing self confidence with trying volleyball, track, basketball, art classes, and photography. I had no self confidence as a teenager and am not sure how or where gemma got this amazing quality. On the other hand she is addicted to facebook and her cell phone, she has moods like you wouldn't believe, and academically she does what she needs to do to make a's and b's and nothing above and beyond.
I want to be the best mom I can and direct my children the way they need to go but sometimes I feel so inadequate and tired--and the most I can do is not going to suffice. I hope that the love and support i can give my children will be a strong foundation for their future.

sadie told dan on the third day of kindergarten--"I don't want to learn spanish daddy"--poor thing broke my heart. I know as time goes on it will get better but as of the first week of school she is not understanding anything. how frustrating would that be??? now--I hear her muttering spanish in the bath and around the house. but if she isn't in class she would rather not be talked to in spanish. I have to remember it is called spanish immersion for a reason.

lately I feel like I have to go onto facebook to see what is going on with gemma--she is so moody lately. It is my first time dealing with a teenage girl and come to find out it is really hard. I guess I just need to put my seatbelt on and get ready for the ride.

my cis class is done--I got an A. I haven't signed up for a fall class yet b/c I am just so tired.

My hubby is in wisconsin for work training and my mom is here visiting me from iowa. We have eaten out and shopped at every store in bend. It is nice to have my mom here--even though we have our differences--we still have fun together. I have two cis classes left. This last week we have learned about power point presentations. Quite a foreign concept for this nurse but I am doing the best I can.
discouraging school news--I need to take all of my A & P classes all over again plus my chemistry class. this will take at least another year or more. I can't seem to catch any luck when it comes to getting my rn. I will just keep whittling away at it and try to keep positive.

fun at the fair

this week in computer class bought more microsoft excel with the addition of charts--pie, columns, bars ect. I told my husband I think I could actually be helpful to someone or to myself with this newfound knowledge. unfortunately as a lpn in the pulmonary department I will quietly practice microsoft excel/charting in the comfort of my own home.
on a side note--I had to have my wedding ring cut off of my finger today. I wear three rings--on saturday night I was fidgeting with all of my rings and placed my wedding ring on my left hand index finger where it remained all night. In the morning when I attempted to take my ring off my finger swelled to three times its normal size. I tried windex, soap, lotion to no avail. today when my finger looked as if it may need to be amputated I went to a jewelry store. Two young women helped my husband saw the ring off of my finger ensuring us that it could still be welded back together. what relief when the ring finally came off--all due to my ridiculous stupidity.

I am now on a nine day course of prednisone for the numbness and tingling in my left arm and the pain in my neck. The plan is to decrease the inflammation and therefore decrease pressure being put on my nerve. If this doesn't work I will get to have a mri--The prednisone has affected me --I haven't been able to sleep in two nights and am a walking zombie and still no relief from the arm. I am going to request an ergonomics review of my work station this week and see if I can make changes there for the better.
on a side note--I did cis 120 homework all weekend--b4 camping, after camping, watching the book of eli, on my bed, in my comfy chair.........
thank you julia for all of you help:)

homework?????

camping or homework?? that is the ultimate question. My husband left today with the littles for wickiup camping for mil's birthday. As for me--I work full-time and am taking a class as well so decided that a little home time as well as homework time would be the way for me to go. I am loving CIS 120 from the perspective that I can use this stuff---for budgeting, budgeting, and maybe some more budgeting. Excel rocks and the more proficient I can become with it the better. I do miss my family but...you gotta do what you gotta do.

I saw a physician today and my chiropractor. My physician recommended that I start on prednisone for 9 days to decrease the inflammation in my neck--and what do you know my chiropractor agreed. I am still unsure what I am going to do--I just want to feel better. My chiropractor also gave me a newfangled device to wear on my neck for traction. right now I feel like 2 days of sleep with a few bubble baths and some me time might just make everything better but I am not sure. I sure have enjoyed my massages at the chiropractors office--it's the little things!!

bend elks baseball game

went to a bend elks baseball game tuesday night--wasn't so enthused to stand in line for 30 minutes in the hot sun but acutally enjoyed myself. two dollars to get in, two dollar hot dogs and soda. and two dollar beers--rock on!! brecken also got a foul ball which made his day.

cis 120

I started a computer class june 21st--easy right? an intro to computers class. How difficult could it be? I seriously feel like I am in a foreign land while I am in class. bits, bytes, tcp, urls are all terms I have come across in the strange computer land. The teacher is wonderful and allows us to email at all hours of the night to ask stupid, inane questions. The last computer class I took was in 1991 when computers were ridiculously large and someone here at cocc decided that class was outdated. that is why I am here..

camping at wickiup
dan often says he wished I would have gone camping as a child so I could handle the "roughing it" a little better:)

I have had major stress at work lately. my whole spine, neck, back, and left arm are out of alignment. the two have nothing to do with each other. the doctor that hired me one year ago august got let go last thursday for reasons unknown. work is chaotic and stressful. I'm sure things will get better. I went to the chiropractor last week for the reasons I mentioned earlier--just not sure what is going on and the symptoms I am having are freaking me out and just very bothersome. tomorrow I have another appt and and I so need to feel better.

dan and I took the kids to juniper swim and fitness yesterday and decided that everybody in bend is in better shape then we are. dan said we would have to stop eating and drinking in order to look like some of these parents--ha ha
not going to happen

toothless

after many hours of agonizing over her loose bloody tooth, sadie managed to get it out. now she can't stop smiling.

gemma

I took the afternoon off yesterday to spend with gemma. It reminded me of the days when my mom would take my sister and I shopping and out to eat. I loved those time even though at the time they weren't the most exciting...

I picked her up from school--she has 2 days left now. we went to Olive Garden for lunch followed by shopping at Ross (her favorite store), and then to get her hair cut and styled. she has such poofy thick hair--not sure where that comes from--and we don't get her regular cuts as it is just not a priority. gemma is such a extraordinar girl--but thinks she is average AT EVERYTHING--if only she could see herself as I do. today was her birthday party--she had 3 boys and 8 girls over. they had so much fun--it was fun to watch the interactions of them all- one of the boys who has a big crush on gemma bought her the dress she was wearing in the picture. --wow --the times have changed since i was 13:)

Happy Birthday Laken!!

We had an excellent day today--I'm so glad I took today off to spend with Laken on his 4th birthday--although I don't think he fully realized it is his birthday as his party is saturday. I took the kids swimming at juniper swim and fitness--we haven't been there in soooo long.
Mcdonalds was next on the agenda. It was so unbelievably nice to spend all day with my kids and not working.
We watched the Toothfairy tonight --what a wonderful day

have you ever rented a movie you don't think you've seen and halfway through you realize you've wasted 1 hour of your life watching the same bad movie you seen before? welcome to my friday night

I have been crazy luck lately. I happened to call a radio station and win tickets to see sex and the city 2 and go to a fashion show. the other day I entered online to win tickets to the portland rose festival which included travel there, hotel, dinner...ect....but I put my home phone number with my entry. needless to say I was at work when they called--but I have never won so many things in my life... not complaining--just wish I could use some of my winnings

sadie graduated from preschool last night, and will start kindergarten this fall. I can't believe how fast time has gone by--only 4 years ago I was at brecken's graduation. we applied to put sadie in a program at school that combine spanish speaking students with the english speaking ones. it will be an all day kindergarten and I worry that will be too much for her.

my new "grand babies" were born the night we got back from the coast--she waited until we got home and then had them in bed with dan and I while we were sleeping---ewww

MENACE our female kitty is preggos--and none of the neighborhood alley cats are admitting to being the father. time will only tell--or 60 something days in a cats gestation period. the kids are so excited.

eeeeek

sometimes I cannot fathom how the patients we tend to everyday will come in with a spot or mass on their lungs and they are still smoking and smell like chimneys. also, wondering if the stink I breathe in everyday is good for my own health. contemplating putting vicks under my nose at times or buying a costco size bottle of febreze and just spraying everybody and everything that reeks.
I am so thankful to have come from a smokefree childhood--thanks mom!--after working in a pulmonary dept.

Norman

dan brought Norman home yesterday--not quite where he is going to go but I've noticed dan talks to him a lot????

he is the elk dan shot about two years ago

Jay--grandma and grandpa's sweet dog of 14 years passed yesterday. he wouldn't sleep, sit, or lay down because he couldn't get back up off of the floor. Jay was an amazing dog--australian shepard. I only knew him for about half of his life but I loved him like he was my own. Jo and Tom took Jay into to be put down as it was the right thing to do. we will miss him

I forgot about my blog for a few days---I just have to say gemma won her first basketball game this season!!! whoo hooo--well not just gemma by herself but you know what I mean. 32-8
The one game I missed darn it.
It started to snow a little bit today but then it just turned to rain--blech
The littles came downstairs around 8:30 and both said they were hungry---one of those nights--and you can't just send them to bed hungry......

my 4 valentines

Laken woke up friday morning with a painful earache and very out of sorts. I hate going to work when my babies are sick but thankfully dan was home to take him to the doctor, pick up his prescription, and take good care of him. it's amazing what a couple doses of amoxicillin can do to improve my little guys attitude.
I went to a sleep conference on friday that was way beyond my scope of knowledge. most of the attendees were sleep study techs who spend their nights in a sleep lab monitoring people sleeping. I think I may have gained a tad bit of knowledge on the concepts of sleep apnea--central vs obstructive
I can't believe how complicated and indepth the study of sleep is..

laken

laken loves to cheese it up for the camera

my roses

dan bought me beautiful roses for my birthday and they lasted almost 2 weeks.

I got sent home from work today with a 100.3 degree temp. went home watched a movie, took a nap, and just did absolutely nothing. I feel a little better tonight. I absolutely hate missing work--( some kind of crazy work ethic instilled in me at an early age)
my sweet neighbor and her daughter came over for a while tonight. laken and her daughter gracie are like an old married couple. they argue, fight, and absolutely love each other. we tried to watch the charlie brown valentine special but our tv antenna was not allowing for it --so we went next door. I love snoopy--

my birthday pedicure

I have gotten maybe 3 pedicures in my life--my neighbor convinced me to indulge for my birthday soooo

Laken has had a cold for about 3-4 days and has been extra needy at times. he can't seem to stay in his bed at night and truthfully dan and I are too tired to resist. Last night was no different--laken ended up in our bed about 10pm but was having episodes of crying in his sleep and kicking, tossing, turning.....
dan ended up on the couch, I slept in the chair, and our three year old son had a california king bed all to himself--ironic eh?

winter hike

5 and pierced

sadie has been insisting on having her ears pierced lately--ever since her friend down the street who is 7 got hers done. so, dan took her today and voila --my little girl has beautiful crystal flower earrings in her ears. no crying or changing her mind...
she is such a little independent, assertive go getter
she keeps telling me she doesn't feel her earrings in her ears and asks me to see if they're still there.

dirtbiking at our friend tony's house--he has a track in his backyard--sadie in leading the pack with daddy right on her heels

gemma started playing basketball last week. What a blessing to be able to go to her games and watch her improve everytime. She scored her first basket at her third game--she gets so excited to get the ball sometimes she travels with the ball or double dribbles. I am so proud of her for trying something new.

snowshoeing

dan and I had the opportunity to go snowshoeing at mt bachelor saturday. The forest service puts on a free program for anyone who is interested in the hx of the forests surrounding bachelor. it was beautiful!! Snoeshoeing is like wearing big flip flops over your shoes and you can go anywhere in the snow.

as you can tell from the picture dan was quite freaked out:)

the guide was quite informational

the hemlock trees that we saw mainly on our tour can hold up to 200 lbs of snow!!!

gemma babysat and dan and I were able to catch the 5:30 pm showing of 2012 at Mcmenamins--soooo nice--a big glass of merlot and some hummis while we watched the movie.

excellent special effects

cheers

menace

her name says it all

laken tells me that I am his best friend in the whole wide world all of the time. I don't know how long this phase will last but it is so sweet.

tonight was date night with sadie gray. grandma kept Laken overnight so dan and I could spend some quality time with our 5 year old princess. she decided she wanted to see the alvin and the chipmunk squequel and eat cheeseburgers.
sadie is a little fireball--and never stops going--lately dan and I have felt like we haven't been connecting with her well and came up with this date night. it was really nice to be able to focus on one child all night and devote all of our attention to her and she seemed to enjoy it as well. she is a real blessing!!

New Years eve consisted of stuffed mushrooms, crab puffs, homemade butterscotch cookies, and staying in. I don't think dan and I have ever gone out on a new years eve in the 7 years we have known each other. our good friend Tony came over for an hour or so -and brought over a wondeful bottle of red wine he had bottled himself. yummy
dan and I watched the movie Extract after the kiddos went to sleep--a comedy with jason bateman (my hubby bears an uncanny resemblance to him)

we have a lot to look forward to in 2010--!!!!