Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day, the day when we celebrate moms of all kinds for the hard and all too often unhearalded work that they do. It's a typical tradition in most wards in the Church to give a gift to all the women over 18 on Mother's Day. I always knew that they did it that way so they wouldn't make women who weren't able to be married or to be moms feel left out like they might if they just gave things to the women who actually had children, but before I was married at the age of 24, I always felt a bit silly getting a present. This year, we were given a little tile that said, "Who I am does make a difference."

I thought of my mom and the difference she made in my life. I have a great mom. She did her best to attend all our soccer games, even when all 6 kids had games on the same day. She was always there when we needed her and is still there to take the oars when we need someone else to worry about things for us for a while. I will always attribute my sense of humor to my mom, as well as my ability to laugh at some of the little stupid things I do sometimes. I honestly think that there were times my friends came over to hang out with me just so they could hang out with my mom. I really have been blessed with a loving, caring mom, one I wish I could be more like. So thanks, Mom!

I've also been blessed with many wonderful church leaders and now a Mother-in-law who have always supported me and given me strength and advice when I need it. When I think of all these women in my life, I think of one of my favorite quotes from a General Conference. It was in a talk titled, "Because She Was a Mother" by Jeffrey R. Holland. He said, "Yours is the grand tradition of Eve, the mother of all the human family, the one who understood that she and Adam had to fall in order that 'men [and women] might be' and that there would be joy. Yours is the grand tradition of Sarah and Rebekah and Rachel, without whom there could not have been those magnificent patriarchal promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob which bless us all. Yours is the grand tradition of Lois and Eunice and the mothers of the 2,000 stripling warriors. Yours is the grand tradition of Mary, chosen and foreordained from before this world was, to conceive, carry, and bear the Son of God Himself. We thank all of you, including our own mothers, and tell you there is nothing more important in this world than participating so directly in the work and glory of God, in bringing to pass the mortality and earthly life of His daughters and sons, so that immortality and eternal life can come in those celestial realms on high."

So thank you to all the wonderful moms and women I've had in my life. I couldn't have gotten here without you!

The Neverending Doctor Visits

If you've been reading my blog on a fairly regular basis over the last few months, you're probably aware of how we've had one type of doctor appointment after another. Yes, I've been getting pretty tired of going to see the doctor or dentist. But apparently we decided we needed to have more fun of going, since I got to take Daniel to the doctor again this morning.

Daniel had been getting a cold since Tuesday; congestion and cough mostly. Because of his bout of pneumonia at the end of February/beginning of March that he's never completely gotten over, I was watching him a bit more carefully. Yesterday his congestion seemed to be going away a bit, so I thought he was getting better and I wouldn't have to take him in to the doctor. He didn't eat as much as usual yesterday, but I figured that wasn't a big deal, since I know when I'm really congested, food doesn't taste as good. He did have a temperature of 100.2 last night, so I gave him some Tylenol before I put him in bed. He slept through the night, which isn't unusual. This morning I went in when he had been crying for a second and picked him up. He promptly fell asleep on me, which if you know him, definitely isn't normal for him. So when I put him back in bed and he kept sleeping, then got him out a half hour or so later and changed his clothes, where he fell asleep in the middle, and put him back in bed, I decided I needed to call the doctor. His regular doctor was booked today, so we went to the doctor physician's assistant (or something like that).

We got to the doctor and were called back fairly quickly (thanks to Katie for watching Ben and Alex and letting me use her car and her carseats). They didn't have us undress Daniel, but still checked his weight and he was 2 ounces lighter than the last time. The nurse then checked his blood oxygen level, which was at 94%. Then the doctor came in and looked at his ears. Daniel had lots of fluid in one ear and the other ear was infected. So right there I was glad I had taken him in. The doctor then listened to his lungs and thought that he didn't sound like he had pneumonia, that he had a lot of junk in there, but it was upper respiratory and not pneumonia. He was a little concerned about the blood ox level though, so had them do a nebulizer while we were in the office to see how he responded. The doctor checked his blood ox level after the nebulizer and it had gone up to 97%. He listened to Daniel's lungs again and did hear that he had pneumonia this time. We got to keep the mask and things they used on the nebulizer, and the doctor gave us an air chamber thing to use with an inhaler for him. He also prescribed some antibiotics and told us to call his regular doctor on Monday. Hopefully the medicine will work quickly and Daniel will be back to normal. It was pretty sad watching him falling asleep in the cart at Costco when we went to pick up the prescriptions.

If you would keep Daniel in your prayers though, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt.

Cinco de Mayo and Taco Bell

Since it was Cinco de Mayo yesterday, I was going to cook us some mexican food for dinner. I was first going to make some chimis, but noticed I was out of green chilis. Then I was just going to make tacos, but noticed we were out of hamburger meat. I probably should have just made quesadillas after that, but if I had, I wouldn't have this story to tell.

I decided that if I was going to have to go buy something to be able to make mexican food, I'd rather just buy it pre-made. So Ben, Alex, Chris, and I got in the van and drove over to Taco Bell to pick up some tacos. I knew it would not be a very original idea, so I expected it to be crowded. As I drove around the side towards the drive-through entrance, I did see about 5 or so cars sitting in line. The parking lot was mostly empty however, so I figured it wouldn't be too bad. I pulled up behind the last car and then sat there for the next 20 minutes. Didn't move. One car had pulled up behind me and left after just a few minutes of waiting. I could only see the two cars immediately in front of me, so I couldn't tell where the hold-up was. At least until the car two cars in front of me was finally able to leave from in front of the ordering speaker. When he left, he was able to pull all the way around, so it appeared that the hold-up was with him somehow. But then I got to watch as the car in front of me got to sit for several minutes before someone even said through the speaker, "I'll be right with you." It was at least 5 minutes after that when they finally were able to order. You might wonder why I was sitting there the whole time and didn't just leave. Part of it was curiosity to see why it was taking so long (did they just have one person working that day? were they somehow out of tacos? did aliens appear in the middle of their kitchen and abduct the manager?) and part of it was because I did end up with a couple more cars behind me and no way to get out until I was able to pull up to order. By then, I figured I had waited that long, I might as well get food. When I got to order, I actually got to order right away, so I thought that maybe they had fixed whatever problem they were having that was slowing things down. Nope. I pulled around by the window and had to wait at least another 5 minutes for the people in front of me to actually get their food. I could see people inside, some who had walked in while I was waiting in line, and they were sitting down eating their food. But there was also a line inside and I saw a couple people finally turn around and go out without ordering. So it wasn't just the drive-through. When the people in front of me finally got their food, I pulled up and found at least a partial answer to why it was taking so long. The guy at the window appeared to have never done that job before in his life. He appeared to be older than me, so I couldn't chalk it down to just an apathetic teenager. And I'd say that with someone older than me (but not like a retiree who is working to earn extra money) who is working the cash register at a fast food restaurant, I shouldn't be surprised when they're not the brightest bulb on the Christmas Tree, but with today's economy, that might be the only kind of work some people can find. Anyway, they had little receipt slips lined up in order of who ordered what. The guy would look at the register kind of stupidly, push some buttons, squint at it, kind of hit it, look around, look back at the register, etc. I watched at he picked up one of the receipts, looked at it, went to throw it in the garbage, then changed his mind and stuck it in his shirt pocket. He then picked up the next in line and read the total at the bottom to me. Nope, it wasn't mine. I told him how much mine was supposed to be. He then started looking around at the other receipts in line, then started going through all the crumpled receipts in the garbage to see if he could find it. I mentioned that I saw him put one in his pocket, but he either ignored me or didn't understand what I said. He finally decided to believe me and took my money (good thing I had exact change or I wonder what that would have done to him). Then he went to where the food was lined up for the drive-throughs and had to ask the people there which ones were next. Yes, there was a bit of a line-up of food waiting to be passed to the people in the cars. So after over a half hour of waiting in line of the drive-through, I finally had my food and was able to go home. By then, Chris was starting to fall asleep in the car, Alex was saying he was tired, and Ben and Alex were both saying they were starving. On the up side, they did like their food and ate it pretty fast. Despite that fact however, I think it will be a long, long time before I go back to that particular Taco Bell.

And this is Bryce

You Are Cilantro

The bad news is that there are some people who can't stand you. The good news is that most people love you more than anything else in the world. You are distinct, unusual, fresh, and very controversial. And you wouldn't have it any other way.

What Spice Are You?

Your Mind is Purple

Of all the mind types, yours is the most idealistic. You tend to think wild, amazing thoughts. Your dreams and fantasies are intense. Your thoughts are creative, inventive, and without boundaries. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life for yourself.

What Color Is Your Mind?

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core. You often find yourself on the outside looking in. Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works. You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Just some fun stuff

I was playing and found these. They're kind of fun, but almost seem to contradict each other sometimes. Maybe I've just got a multi-faceted personality. :)

You Are Basil

You are quite popular and loved by post people. You have a mild temperament, but your style is definitely distinctive. You are sweet, attractive, and you often smell good.

What Spice Are You?

And this:

Your Mind is Blue

Of all the mind types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Mind?

And this:

You Are Coffee Ice Cream

Energetic and lively, you are always on the go. You're doing a million things at once and doing them well. You tend to motivate others and raise spirits. You are most compatible with chocolate ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?