Breathing Easy

Warning: This blog contains graphic material. Viewer discretion is advised. Proceed with CAUTION!


This is a follow-up on Brian's nose surgery. One week ago, last Monday, we went to the doctor's office to get all the packing and stints taken out. According to Brian, this was the most painful part of the entire ordeal. But once all the stuff was out of his nose and the pressure was gone, he felt 10 times better than he had since the surgery. We were both pretty shocked at the size of the stints, no wonder he was in so much pain...

Bri's nose bled pretty bad for about 30 minutes. He was told that he could not blow his nose for one week. So, today was an exciting day for him! He was able to blow his nose, (I won't tell you about the things he told me that came out!) and he is now breathing clearly through both nostrils for the first time since he can remember. A modern day medical miracle. Pretty amazing! And you should hear him at night! He is such a quiet sleeper now. When I get up to feed Trent, I am totally amazed at how quietly and softly he is breathing.

So now, after all is said and done, Brian says the surgery was worth all the pain and discomfort. He has another follow-up appointment in two weeks at which time they will also do a series of allergy tests to further correct his breathing problems. YEAH for easy breathing!

CRASH, BOOM, BANG!

I can't think of a better way to spoil a perfectly good Saturday than getting in an accident. At least it was the fault of the other driver. We had been running errands all morning in preparation for our upcoming vacation when a car pulled out in front of us. Apparently she did not see us, although I am not sure how that is possible?. Anyway, Brian hit the brakes and tried to swerve out of the way but to no avail. It was unavoidable. Our air bags did not deploy, but the other car's did. I guess that is the difference between a Honda and Hyundai. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.

Ashlyn did get a small abrasion on her neck from the seat belt, and the ordeal gave her quite a scare. She let out a good scream and began crying when we collided, and she has repeated over and over since the incident, "It was scary." Also, either Brian and I must have unknowingly called the driver stupid in the midst of the accident because when she stepped out of her car Ashlyn looked at her - in a way that I have not seen her look at anyone - and quite curtly said, "You stupid." Luckily my door was closed so the lady did not hear her.

So now we get to deal with those friendly insurance agents and try to get the car rental situation figured out before we leave on Thursday. Brian has already had one conversation with the other driver's insurance which ended in Brian telling the man that if they did not pay for new car seats, (yes, the officer who came to the scene informed us that once a car seat has been involved in an accident it is no longer safe to use) that we would sue. To which the agent responded by hanging up on Brian! Oh, I can tell that this is going to be a pleasant experience.

Barnyard Bash

Ashlyn turned two on Tuesday. We celebrated her big day with a fun-filled, barnyard-themed birthday baa-sh!

These were the invitations, cute and simple. Several followed through with the request to come dressed in their barnyard best.

I decided to forgo games, and instead the kids made two crafts. I got a pattern for stick horses from my mom.

Check out Emma's coloring job! We were quite impressed with her coloring skills.

Then the kids made these cute sheep. I found the pattern for these online. They required a bit of prep work before the party, but they were sure fun to make and I think they turned out pretty great.

For food, we had pigs-in-a-blanket, BBQ chips, potato salad, baked beans, grapes, and soda pop.

And for dessert, these adorable pig cupcakes (another online find) and ice cream. I also found the recipe for the frosting online (seriously what would I do without the internet?) and I had several requests for the recipe, so here it is:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream - beat until quite thick and set aside
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat well. I mixed it until I could no longer taste the sugar granules. Add food coloring if desired. Fold in cream. This is much lighter than butter cream frosting and it really is yummy!

Ashlyn was spoiled with presents. Thank you to everyone!

At the end of the night I asked Landon if he had fun at Ashlyn's party to which he replied, "Well...did we forget something?" Huh? Oh wait, the gift bags! I had forgotten! Thanks for the reminder buddy:)

It was a great day and a fun party. I really do love birthdays and birthday parties, for the young and old. Here a a few more pictures of our fun night:

Nose Job

I might get in trouble for this post :o). Brian had a nose job this morning...

Okay, not really. He did have to get some work done on his nose, but out of necessity not vanity. He had nasal septal repair surgery to fix his deviated septum. AKA, he had problems breathing, he was constantly congested, and he snored - A LOT! So, he hopefully (cross our fingers) got that all taken care of today. The surgery was pretty intense, more so than I thought it would be. But it all went well, he will just be pretty miserable for the next few days. He is currently high on percocet and sleeping - trying to anyway.

You can't help but laugh a little at the silliness of his get-up. Thank goodness his nose is not always this big! He kind of reminds me of a cartoon character. Here is one more picture, just for the fun of it! Hehe...

Spiral Jetty

The Spiral Jetty is an earthwork created by sculptor Robert Smithson in 1970. It is located at the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake and is constructed of basalt rocks, forming a 1500-foot long and 15-foot wide coil. Through time, the black rocks have become encrusted with salt, giving the spiral a white brilliance.

At the time of its construction, the water level of the lake was extremely low due to a drought. Water levels returned to normal within a few years and the structure remained submerged for three decades. Over the years the spiral was, from time to time visible when water levels were low. However, it was not until 2004, after several years of drought, that the Spiral Jetty was once again completely exposed.

At that time of its reemergence, I was attending the University of Utah. Brian and I went with a group of students on a field trip to visit the structure. It took forever, it seemed, to get to the site but it was worth it. It was probably a once in a lifetime trip for me and it was fun to see the Spiral Jetty up close. We even walked along the top of the salt encrusted rock coil.

Well, it seems as though I have once again come upon a spiral jetty. Although this is a much, much cuter interpretation:

Seriously, could there be a cuter belly button?! I think not.

An Excellent Idea!

This is from the February 2008 issue of Ladies Home Journal. Just so you know, I don't actually read Ladies Home Journal. This thought was passed out in our relief society and I am going to give it a go. I figure it goes right along with my 2008 word "grow"...

Quit Complaining

"Are you constantly telling friends what an oaf your husband/friend is or how poorly paid you are at work - yet seldom sharing good news? Mike Robbins, author of Focus on the Good Stuff, the Power of Appreciation says that such negativity has become pervasive in our culture, and that we are doing ourselves damage. Feeling more flawed and less satisfied as a result. But he claims there is a solution. Go on a complaint fast.

To start, Robbins recommends making a commitment not to complain about anything to anybody for a specific amount of time - say a day or two. He also suggests going on the fast with a family member or friend for accountability and support. The idea is not to achieve perfection, but to become aware of how often you complain. In time, you'll train yourself to focus on your life's more positive aspects, which has been proven to create a deeper sense of gratitude and overall happiness." -Courtney De Wet

So, I have decided to go on a "complaint fast" for two weeks. If any of you hear me complaining over the next two weeks, please call me on it. It will be interesting to see how much I catch myself wanting to complain about something. I don't consider myself to be a complainer, but maybe I am wrong. We shall see. It should be an interesting exercise.

Paid In Full

Yippee!! We paid off the last of our maternity medical bills today. Due to crapy insurance, we had a very, very large co-pay. So, $5,000.00 later, Trent is paid in full and officially ours! Not that he could have been repossessed. But it is nice to be done and not have any more bills hanging over our heads. We did not want to drag out payments for years, so we worked really hard at getting it all paid off as quickly as possible. $5,000.00...I'd say he's worth a million.