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So many things to say!!!!!

Okay, so obviously I didn't post in Utah. But that's only because my fingers were frozen. No really, we were so busy and there were so VERY many people I didn't get to see because we barely had time to see the people we did. If I didn't call you, it's not because I don't love you, its just that other people called me first.

So we had a great flight there, the kids were well behaved and we even landed several minutes early. And our really great friends lent us a car so we were a little more independant. The first few days were filled with a crazed frenzy of shopping and baking and enchiladas, the result of which was me losing my mind and curling up in my mom's room and crying/sleeping for several hours. But then came Christmas, and it was great! It was so fun to have Christmas morning back in that house with my parents and my brother and his wife and their kids-there was so much to do and all the kids were so excited about EVERYTHING! With all the people there were so many presents under that tree Santa couldn't even fit them all in and piled some on nearby chairs.

After a few more days of Christmassing and partying and singing about Christmas Monkeys, we had Zoe's baptism on Tuesday. It was absolutely lovely. I cried. And our friends came back early from Idaho just to be there (the ones who lent us their car), and some people from our old ward, and the whole family was there. It was just really nice and a very special day for Zoe.

The next day I went to lunch with my mom and sister in law to the Garden restaurant at the top of the JSMB. It was a snowy day so the view wasn't very far, but the temple was covered in snow and that is my favorite view of it. The food was wonderful of course, but I was just starting to be very extremely sick with some sort of absolutely terrible cold. Once we got back, Chris and I left to go to the Sheraton downtown and a night at P.F. Changs to celebrate our 9th anniversary. We got to the hotel and then decided while we were parking that we should drive the two blocks to the restaurant and see if they had parking because I was so sick Chris didn't want to make me walk in the cold and snow. On the way back to the hotel from our reconnaissance trip we turned a corner and when Chris put on the brake to slow for the light a block away, nothing happened. It was snowing and very icy and no matter what method he tried (and we were so far away he had time to try EVERYTHING), we slid and got into a car accident. Not just any car accident mind you, he ran into the back of a port-o-potty truck. With a port-o-potty on it. It was just great. Remember this is our friends' car. So we had to get out and call the police and fill out tons of forms and exchange all the information-all this while standing in the snow, on December 30th, downtown. This means that there were lots of people walking past on their way to the big parties. With cameras. Yeah. It was awesome!

But eventually it was all done and we had a great time at dinner-my aunt and uncle were at the same restaurant for their anniversary too! And can I just say, after several days in a 61 degree house on an air mattress on top of a futon mattress on the bottom bunk of bunk beds, a king size bed with egyptian cotton sheets and a huge duvet and a 52 inch flat screen TV was HEAVEN for my head cold! I shouldn't complain, because of all the extra people in the house nearly all the kids were sleeping on the floor and everyone was very very very squished. I'm sure they don't miss us-we took a lot of room and probably made a big mess, but I miss them very much. I really like Ohio and I LOVE my house, but I wish we weren't so far apart!!!

But our friends didn't disown us for killing their car, and I got to spend time with both my brothers' families and my parents, and we ate MANY of ENCHILADAS!!! ha ha ha. And I only gained 2 pounds, which is fairly good for me I think. (I managed to hit my goal of 30 lbs lost the day we left for SLC so I'm fairly happy with that)

Then came January 1st and our flight home. The plane left at 8, and with holiday traffic and heightened security we got there just after 6. I was a little worried, because it was so early the kids didn't want to eat anything and I knew they would be starving on the plane, but snacks would have to do. We boarded the flight to Cincinnati and got all settled in, with the kids and I on the right side of the aisle and Chris just across on the left. We took off and the plane was really swervy and turny which really turns my stomach and after about 20 minutes I had just decided to take a motion sickness pill when the pilot came on the intercom

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have some bad news"

Well if I didn't need to throw up before, I certainly needed to NOW.

"It looks like we've lost our left engine, and we're going to have to turn around and make an emergency landing back in Salt Lake. Now a plane can fly with just one engine, I've done it HUNDREDS of times. In a simulator"

He was actually pretty funny and forthcoming which helped a lot to calm everyone down. We landed amidst tons of emergency vehicles which the pilot assured us quite emphatically that these were "just in case! ...and because the engine started smoking as we landed. But its FINE!" they were able to get us back to the terminal, which, I have to admit, disappointed me a little bit. Since we were on the ground and safe, I kinda wanted to have to exit by the emergency slidey things. I mean, come on. it's the least they could do. But anyway we got off and ran to find other arrangements-we only had an hour in cinci to make our first connection, there was no way we'd make it now-and we ended up with a new flight there, a new connection, and $84 in airport food vouchers. I know! Then the next flight was delayed, so we missed the new connection anyway, and they gave us $56 more in vouchers at the cinci airport. So it was a very exciting day, and we were all safe and together and EXTREMELY well fed, so I didn't particularly mind. We had nowhere we had to be (except watching football, darn it), so we had an adventure instead.

So then...(I know, really long posting, sorry)...I was replaced at my job. :( It's a bummer, because I was counting on that income, but really its okay, because I already had a much much better job. I've been hired by a well known life insurance and financial company. Its really exciting-its all about helping people make the most of what they have and helping them prepare for the future, and its also going to really help us. Its going to be a lot of work, but the hours are whatever I set (so like if someone's sick I can stay home with them), and the pay and benefits are amazing. It's a real big girl grown up job and I'm really really excited. I have a lot of training to get through before I launch full time (and make any money, unfortunately), but I'm doing really well at it and it's going fast.

And lastly, Chris and Zoe are very sick right now with Strep throat. I don't know if that's what I've got, but I don't think so. Jimmy has resisted it so far but I'm hoping if he gets it that he gets it tomorrow when I can still take him to his doctor and get him medicated over the weekend. But knowing him he'll get terribly sick sunday afternoon. ^_^ Chris is funny when he gets Strep-and he gets it a lot-but his whole throat swells up. Tonsils (yes he still has them. Silly boy), glands, and his uvula gets so big he either has to swallow it or rest it on his tongue just to breathe. He can't talk very well, and really can't eat much of anything either. It makes me sad when he gets so sick because I don't have magical mommy healing properties with him like I do with the kids. Zoe's really sick too-they think she might actually have scarlet fever, and when they asked if she wanted the yummy bubblegum medicine for a week or a huge shot of penicillin in her rear end, she actually chose the shot! lol poor kid. But at least she's done with that now and can just get better.

And lets all hope and pray that it keeps snowing all night and the schools are closed tomorrow, because then no one has to leave the house (except when I have to make the obligatory popsicle and soup run).

Christmas!!!!!!!

I'm not blogging now, because my best friend is over and I'm leaving tomorrow and then she's leaving and I'LL CRY and CRY and CRY and CRY and then in 6 months I'll be happier.

Tomorrow I'll blog from Utah. Maybe.

I...I...I...

Okay. I'm going to try to get through this. Today I was cooking and baking all sorts of things. I had a burner hot because I made hard boiled eggs and I had just taken a tray of chicken out of the oven and put it on the stove to cool. Then I remembered its my friend Erin's birthday tomorrow so I decided to make a cake for her. I made a double batch of chocolate chocolate cake and got out my favorite cake pan-an 8 inch springform-and greased it. I put in on the stove in front of the pan of chicken and poured the batter into it. When I put the mixing bowl in the sink and went to pick up the pan and put it in the oven I heard a strange sound.

It was a soft sound, but it gave me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was the sound of the spring on the springform pan breaking.

The sides of the pan came up with my hands and the bottom stayed on the stove. So did the double batch of cake batter. Which proceeded to ooze to the right and burn to the still very hot burner. And to the rear to mingle with my baked chicken. And to the front.

All. The. Way. Down. To. The. Floor.

Now, maybe you have some experience with this, but I'm not really sure the best way to scoop up a double batch of cake batter from the hot stove and the floor. I'm still not sure how I did it but I know my washing machine is full of chocolately towels. And after I got it all cleaned up and I was putting the next pan full of cake successfully in the oven I noticed it. The insult to the injury. A lone drip down the inside of the oven window. Deep in the middle where it can never ever be cleaned. Mocking me.

Children

Okay. First of all the official story about Jimmy's hospital visit. Then the funny stuff.

Last thursday he woke up with a headache, but that was all so we gave him some ibuprofen and sent him to school. When Chris picked him up he said that his throat hurt and he was so tired he laid down in art club and even fell asleep. He had a fever so we snuggled him up on the couch and gave him more ibuprofen. this is around 5:30. So Chris left for his rehearsal and I was just sitting in the family room with the kids watching Arthur, when Jimmy got up to go to the bathroom. Immediately I heard him cough a lot and then start to wail-usually a telltale sign that he's thrown up-so I ran in to help but he said it was just his throat hurt so bad and he couldn't stop coughing (or crying). I went into the kitchen to find some cough medicine and before I could even find any he started choking and the strider started. If you've ever heard a child with croup you will know that sound. It is the worst sound I've ever heard and i will never ever forget or mistake it. If you haven't heard it, it's the sound a child makes when his windpipe has swollen nearly closed and he is trying desperately not to die from suffocation. Their mouths are open like fish out of water and the skin around their nose, mouth and throat sucks in with every almost-breath and they have a look in their eyes of fear and pain and confusion. I ran to find a steroid pill that we have for just these occasions, but it was too late for that so then I grabbed his albuterol inhaler thinking that might get more time to get to the ER, but he couldn't even take a breath of that either.

I called my friend Amy during all of this and kind of yelled/cried that I was taking him to the hospital and could her Dad meet me there to give Jim a blessing and take Zoe, and luckily she made me talk to him (he's an RN) and he heard Jimmy and said to call 911. I realized that he was right-Jimmy was too far gone and I was not in a state to drive him, especially since I didn't exactly know where I was going. So I called 911 and the dispatcher heard Jimmy over the phone and I immediately heard the sirens going. I put him at the front door to try to get the cold air in him (that helps croup) and had Zoe sit with him while I grabbed things I needed and when I got back she was saying a prayer for him-it was very sweet. The ambulance pulled up and they didn't even start working on him in the house, they immediately got him inside and in an oxygen mask. Amy came right after and I gave her Zoe-Zoe was VERY upset that she couldn't come help me, but I'm so grateful that she didn't experience the ambulance ride. It was incredibly traumatic for me, I can't imagine what it would have done to her. Jimmy kept throwing up through the mask and drooling because he couldn't swallow and the blood vessels in his face and eyes were bursting from the effort to get a breath. We were lights and sirens the whole way to the childrens hospital and I was thinking it was a shame that Jimmy wasn't in a state to appreciate that-he would have thought it was really cool. (I guess, if he was able to appreciate it, he wouldn't have needed it. oh well.)

So we got to the hospital and Chris was waiting for us. Jimmy actually responded to Daddy where he hadn't responded to any of us. Chris gave him a hug and Jimmy pulled him closer and booped his nose. it made me cry. They put us in a trauma room and there were never less than 10 people in there trying to figure out what was going on. It was obviously croup-that sound is unmistakable. But croup doesn't come on that fast, from 0-60 in nothing flat. And it certainly doesn't get that bad that fast. Also, he had the burst blood vessels, which they said could be hiding a rash, and he kept falling asleep and not responding-which could have been him exhausted from fighting to breath and relaxed from having oxygen, or something worse. So they brought an x-ray machine to make sure he didn't swallow anything and then decided to save his airway by intubating him. They took him to the OR so they could have everything around them they needed in case of-whatever-and they sedated him and looked around and took samples of everything and eventually decided they didn't need to intubate (thank goodness) but they were going to keep him sedated and in the ICU. He stayed in the ICU until late on Friday when they moved him to a regular room, and let me tell you-everyone was so much nicer and more attentive in the regular room! I was so glad to be there and out of the ICU. The final decision from all their tests was that he had something bacterial going on that he was fighting off, and then he got the croup on top of that, and all of a sudden his little body said that was too much and gave up to both at once. They sent us home on saturday, and he kept up the near constant sleeping until Sunday, and then Monday (except for the cough) you could hardly tell there had ever been anything wrong with him. He lost weight though-and that freaks me out a little. He feels a little too skinny now, and he has nasty bruises in several places from various IVs, but I'll take it. He's been in the hospital for croup before, but never this bad. I've never been so scared and worried.

Anyway, like I said, he's pretty much fine now, so on to the funny stuff.

When I went to tuck her in tonight, Zoe handed me a list of Laws she would like entered into the family constitution. I will reproduce it here for you in as true a manner as I can-including spelling.

Law$
1. no obgecting!
2. writing from 4:00 Am to 9:00 Pm
3. Bed-time 8:00 on week-days, and 8:30 on weekends!
4. no letter enspecting/snooping/spying!
5. 2 deserts after dinner!
6. More books!
7. More snuggling!
8. toy/pen/wand/pointer thing privlages at all times!
9. no Thomas/cars/incredables/meet the robinsens at any times!
10. no exepsions!
plese consiter these laws quickly.

nice doing buisness with you,
Miss. Hill

she actually wrote Zoe Hill at the bottom, but crossed out Zoe and wrote Miss.

I have the video from their Paragon Night (kind of a 'look what we've learned in social studies') and once we figure out how to upload it I'll post it. It's very very cute, and don't worry, I didn't film the 8th graders being appallingly horrifically illiterate.

kids and work and all that jazz

So very much to say, and absolutely no energy or mental strength to do so. 3 weeks ago my boss said he didn't want to run my cafe anymore so there were two options. The first option was to close it down and i'd need a new job, and the second option was for ME to take over. So basically I was handed a business on a silver platter. Its a very good situation, but its a whole heck of a lot of work that I'm not used to or experienced in. Plus, as good as any situation is, it's all on me to do something with it. I have the weather on my side (no one wants to walk anywhere for lunch when it's raining and cold), and everyone's being really supportive, but I'm still scared silly.

My children are crazy. Every day I pick them up from school and they say something else that suprises me. It's ridiculous how smart they are, and everyday I have some member of the staff or faculty telling me so. And yet when we get home, all of a sudden they're selfish lazy bratty kids who only use their brains to try to outwit the other or worse, us. That's not entirely true, but it sure feels like it sometimes! I'm perversely grateful for the times when Jimmy is hurt or legitimately sad and Zoe rushes to comfort him. Its makes me so happy to see that they actually DO care about each other. Saturdays are my favorite because we all cuddle together and do nothing. An outside observer might think that our couch is too big for our family room, or that we need more seating, but our favorite family activity is everyone piled on each other on the couch watching movies or tv or football or pretending to while we're actually asleep.

I think I started rambling back there so I'm going to bed before I lose it completely. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday-here's hoping its a really busy day!

isn't it always the way

So wednesday this week there was a promotion in the building where I work and everyone got free lunch. This is great for them, not so great for the deli trying to stay afloat. Long story short I had the day off so we didn't waste labor. I got to thinking, and I realized it had been a really really long time since I'd had a day off with no children. Don't get me wrong-I love being with my kids and wish I was with them more. But a whole 8 hours of grown up Allison time was enough to make me drool. I had big plans. BIG! I was going to sleep in, do some dishes with MY music blasting, go to the grocery store and have a leisurely stroll down EACH AND EVERY aisle, watch some crappy daytime tv reruns or maybe a movie or two with lots of gunshots and screaming and loud adventuresome music. (you totally thought I was going to say chic flick. ha ha! I can watch those at night when people are sleeping).

My plan went well-I studiously ignored all the goings on and rushing to get the kids out the door, rising only to give Chris a couple dollars so he could bring me a toasted bagel from Tim Hortons in bed. It was absolutely lovely. Until about 10:30, when the school nurse called and said Zoe was sick. Poor thing. She could hardly talk her throat hurt so bad. I went and got her and put her to bed and she was out like a light. She slept for more than two hours-so I was still able to pretend like she wasn't there, though that did cramp my plans for going places.

Also this week we got some Interim report cards. I didn't realize they'd been in school that long already! Zoe's was fairly normal and as expected, disgustingly gifted in reading, advanced in math, above average in social studies and science, and all of that was balanced with her nice note that she has absolutely atrocious handwriting. But Jimmy's was very interesting. It's his very first report card ever, so we had no standard of what to expect. His 'areas of strength' include 'follows directions independently' 'attentively listens to teacher and classmates' and completes all work with quality'. Math, social studies and science are labeled 'meeting expectations' (which is the highest), and his handwriting is listed as 'legible' (also the highest). But the most interesting of all is reading, which is above 'meeting expectations' at 'reading independently.' THAT LITTLE STINKER!!!!!! there's a note on it saying he's admitted to his teacher that he can read and is advancing rapidly. He's been telling us for months that he can't read at all and no matter how we try nothing was sinking in to help him read. Every once in a while we'd think we'd catch him reading but he'd just say he recognized the picture or logo or something. What's amazing to me is not so much that he CAN read, but that he's BEEN reading and HIDING IT!! I'm really happy about it, now that he's showing me a little bit he's been really good at church lately because he reads the programs and the hymn book. I'm just still a little bit bowled over by the whole thing.

What impresses me more actually, than his reading of words, is his comprehension. I read him a story at night, and a while ago I decided that I was bored with all his little story books and I wanted to read him a real big boy book. I started reading harry potter to Zoe when she was about 4 so I figured I was even a little over due with Jimmy. He didn't want Harry Potter, so I decided on Peter and the Starcatchers. If you haven't read it the angels weep for you. Its (actually a trilogy), written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and it's kind of the background story of Peter Pan; how he came to Never Land, how he and Captain Hook met, how he and Tinkerbell met, his connection with the Darling Family, etc. So I read a chapter or two every night to Jimmy, and a couple of weeks in I was worried that he was just hearing it and not really listening so I started asking questions. He could remember everything that happened in nearly perfect detail-even the words that he didn't understand! Pretty awesome. It looks to me like he's following in his sister's footsteps. I wish we could take credit for it, but I don't think it's anything we've done at all.

As a small side note, there may be some interesting news in the near future, but in the interest of discretion I will wait to disclose it-suffice to say I'm getting pretty excited for January.

Jimmy

I did actually, just make cookies, and I thought about sending some to you. But I didn't. sorry.

I have some quotes from Jimmy to brighten your day. The first two were said to me around 2 am last night and the night before, as he shook me awake.
"Mom" crying "I want everything I see on TV"
"wha? Like what honey"
"an extra life in table tennis"

"Mom, I need our home address"
"why? go back to bed"
"I can't. I need our home address"

After which he immediately went back to his bed and slept.

But the best one is the other day when we were driving home and there were kids in the road. We don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood, so I know they have nowhere else to walk, but you'd think they'd at least move a little for the cars. Anyway, there were three teenagers walking in the road (two boys and one girl in very short shorts), and as Chris started to complain that they shouldn't walk in the middle of the road Jimmy looks out the window and says, "But, wow, that girl's a really great walker!"