Andrew Runs His First 5K

Andrew ran his first 5K this Spring at his school.

He did a great job! Andrew's favorite part, the all you can eat breakfast after the race.

Yellowstone NP August 2011

Justin got a few days off this year for vacation.  We were lucky enough to get a condo in Yellowstone for 3 nights.  We drove all the way up there in one day.  Trust me, not a good idea with a toddler.  Then we spent the next three days touring the park and then headed home through Grand Teton NP and drove home in one day.  Again, not fun with a toddler.  The trip was great in all.  None of us had ever been to Yellowstone before.  Maybe next time we will have time to do more hikes and see some off the off beat attractions.  Here are some pics... As you can see, we strapped Sienna in a backpack for the majority of the excursions.  I had horrible fears that she could fall into a giant waterfall....

Meagan spotted this coyote

Breastfeeding in pubic, hehe, in the middle of the street nonetheless.

Ahh, love the man!

I like that boulder, that's a nice boulder.

Completely tuckered out

The most powerful thing I have ever seen.

On a short leash. See above picture of mighty waterfall.

Love

Wait a minute, are they all happy at ONCE!

A little something stuck to my eye.

Yes, that is MY shirt you decided to land on.  Geesh, that was one BIG bug.

The hike I sat out with Sienna.  Too many stairs for a 2 yr old.

Up close and personal with a Grizzly Bear.  Don't worry, this was at the wolf and grizzly rescue just outside the park.  If you look really close, you can see the fence in the background.

Grand Prismatic Spring.  The prettiest place in YNP if you ask me.

Last, but not least, Old Faithful.

Trying to Catch Up!

Amanda's play (in April)....
She played the part of the wardrobe in Center Sage Youth Performers production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr.  Of course, she totally rocked.  She had some major difficult music and really stepped it up.  Her costume was insane! Here are a few pics.  In her first scene, she doubles as a laundry woman.

Sienna's Second Birthday

Dear Sienna,

You turned two last month.  The fact that it has taken me almost a month to write about your birthday is largely because you are an extreme ball of energy and I am not.  

You are such a fun baby.  I can’t believe how often you make us smile and laugh.  You have learned so much in this last year.  You are talking in complete sentences and we like to call you our little ditto machine.  You pick up on things we don’t even realize.  You’re learning the ropes of being part of this family.  Your best friends Amanda, Andrew and Meagan are teaching you everything, good and bad, about being a Hobbs kid.  You like to call us “Meanies” when you don’t get your way and you say “Oh fine,” when we ask you to do something you don’t want to do.  We will credit these to Meagan.  The swear words are dad, ……mostly.  You love to get a “sagge” (massage) with lavender before bed.  Your favorite foods are peaches and mandarin oranges.  You refuse to stop nursing.  And you are about 75% potty trained.  You hate to go to bed or take naps and you LOVE to take off all your clothes and pee on the floor.  You hate nursery and love to hang out with grandma on Sundays instead.  Your favorite toys are puzzles, babies and books.  You love animals and are not afraid to go pick up a chicken, but you want to eat Red, the chicken who wants to peck you.  

Everybody loves you and you are ray of sunshine in our lives.  Thanks for being part of who we are.

Love,

Mom

A trip to the Zoo for your birthday.... 

Your Birthday Party....

A New Trick....

The First Haircut....

A Better Choice. Part 2.

 Thursday of last week I went to a new dentist for a second opinion.  Dr. Arnoud Noot in American Fork.  I was referred to him by my old dentist, so I googled him.  Glad I did!  Come to find out he practices only Biomimetic Dentistry.  Don’t worry, I had no idea what that meant either.  “Biomimetic dentistry treats weak, fractured, and decayed teeth in a way that keeps them strong and seals them from bacterial invasion. Careful sealing against infection removes the need for 60% to 90% of the crowns and root canals of traditional dentistry.” (http://toothconservingdentistry.com/p-about_bd.html).

I scheduled an appointment for a consultation with him.  After a few x-rays and discussion, he felt he could save my tooth.  I fully anticipated that I would need to schedule another appointment for work to be done.  However, he was immediately able to start work on it that day.  When I expressed my concerns about epinephrine in the shots, he assured me that he doesn’t use that in his practice.  He numbed me just around the tooth that he would be working on.  It took longer than a traditional filling but was well worth it.  Luckily I had Justin there for emotional support.  He was able to sit and rub my feet, (my favorite sedative) and watch the whole procedure on a screen in the room.

He was able to repair my tooth and avoid a root canal.  He used a microscope and innovative tools to remove decay.  He then properly sealed the tooth and a few days later added an onlay.  After the procedure, I had little numbness.  It was only right around one tooth and wore off quickly.  I had no pain afterwards and was able to eat normally that night.

Talking with him about his methods and philosophy taught me a lot about the problems in traditional dentistry.   I was especially impressed with the fact that we weren’t shuffled through like at the other establishment.  Dr. Noot took the time to talk with us personally about our concerns.  I would highly recommend Dr. Noot and plan to send my whole family to him from now on.

A Better Choice. Part 1.

My teeth suck.  Here are some reasons why…

1. Milk, blech, I can’t remember when I have ever drank a glass.
2. The fact that I didn’t eat through Middle and High School, bad, bad, idea.
3. Four babies equaling 3 years of pregnancy and now a grand total of 8 years of nursing that have sucked any remaining calcium from my system.
4. Diet Coke
5. Sugar
6. Years and years of no dental insurance.
7. The fact that I’d rather give birth then get a filling.

Anyway, the list could go on and on, but I’ll get to the point.  A few weeks ago I had a filling fall out.  I didn’t have any pain, just a hole where one shouldn’t be, making it impossible to ignore. I knew if I didn’t address it, it would just get worse. Plus I had a molar with a crown that was zinging me when I brush.

            Years ago Justin and I found a great dentist in Pleasant Grove.  Unfortunately for us, he decided to become a Wisdom Teeth Only kind of guy and we found ourselves without a dentist, which really was not cool of him.  We felt comfortable with him.

            As many of you locals know, we have what I call the conveyor belt dentists in our area. You hear their ads on the radio all the time.  They are preferred providers.  The have same day appointments.  These brothers even volunteer their services in many ways.  It all sounds so good.  My experience was not that however.  I found the whole thing very cold and impersonal.  The place is huge and the dentists just pop from room to room doing as much as possible.  I went to get fillings done last year.  The first thing, a technician came and injected my mouth with loads of lidocaine.  She numbed ¼ of my mouth with about 5 shots.  Apparently, my system doesn’t handle the epinephrine in the shots that most dentists use.  My heart felt like it was going to explode.  They couldn’t even start work on me until it slowed and calmed down a little.  Then they put those blocks in your mouth that force them open.  I’m not cool with this.  I wasn’t happy with the work either.  The dentist, whichever one it was, left a gap between my teeth.  After the appointment, I was so numb I couldn’t even talk.  It took forever to wear off.  I literally couldn’t feel my nose for days. I’m not exaggerating.

            After this I figured I’d never go back.  But last week I decided to give them a second chance, since I didn’t have a better alternative and my teeth needed immediate attention.  So, last Tuesday, a technician came and took a bunch of x-rays of my problem teeth.  Next thing you know, I’m being told I need 2 root canals. Wha? According to them, I had no other options. Let me go back and tell you why I loath this idea.  I am missing a few teeth, all from root canals gone bad.  Did you know that it is the only medical procedure that forces your body to accept dead tissue?  Well, apparently, my body revolts, gets abscesses and attempts to rid my mouth of root canals by any means possible. That, and the fact that two teeth would max out my insurance for the year and then cost me a wad of dough out of pocket.  Needless to say, I walked out of there without making another appointment.

Baby Houdini

So this is what Sienna decided to repeatedly do at 5 am this morning. There was no way I was going to keep her in that crib. At one point, around 6:30 this morning, I had had enough. She was NOT going to go back to sleep. I put her back in her crib and shut her door and left her. She promptly freaked out, jumped out again and pounded on her door crying, "Rock-a-Bye Baby Me!!!! Rock-a-Bye Baby Me!!!!" Can you say Heartbreak?!?  Needless to say, the night officially ended at 5 am.  Boo, on a Saturday?!

So this evening we converted her crib to a toddler bed.

Any bets on how much sleep I'll get tonight?

St. Patrick's Day Fun....

All dressed in green... Meagan dressed Sienna before we got up this morning.  She was saving her from all the pinching.  Amanda sported green earrings with her uniform and Andrew went all out with a green t shirt.

We did our hair all shamrocky....

I did Amanda's too, but she ran off with her friends before I could get a picture. :(
Sienna just got pigtails.  She's not patient enough for a shamrock yet...

We made leprechaun traps....

 Then we ended the day with Beef and Barley Soup and Irish Soda Bread.

What are your family traditions for St. Patrick's Day?