Our Two Monsters

It's that time again....Total Awesomness

2012-01-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

Once again, The Give Away Diva has done it again.

Your Daily Jewels is a place where jewerly wishes it goes to when it dies. Beautiful pieces at prices that no one will believe that you spent so little.

I love the Tourmalinated Quartz and Cherry Red Jade on Black Metal Chain. It is only $68, which I just can't believe. It is so unique and striking. While sadly that is the item being given away, the Teal Green Quartz necklace that is being given away is just a lovely.

If you want a shot at beating me out for it, head over to the giveaway here.

Goodluck!

Can't be bothered to think of a clever title.

2011-12-07T17:52:00.001-07:00

So it is that time of year again. This is the tree so far:

Nothing is on it yet. Just some twinkly lights. I don't have an eye for decor so it takes me awhile to make it look right to me. Probably the few times I take my time to make something look good. Then you have to take it down and then take the tree down and it is sooooo much. Worth it though.

It is also so hard to believe that it will almost be a year since Bug's AVM. So we are going to PARTY! Well nothing that big. My dad was planning something huge for the summer, but cooler heads prevailed. Also, Bugs is using this as a way to tick off something in his cub scout manual.

One more thing. Bugs is planning to visit Cardon's Childrens PICU. He wants to take some toys,coloring books, etc to the PICU. If you want to help him out in this goal please let me know. We are planning to visit in January and Bugs get to put them in the closet. Usually they take them and put them away themselves, but Bugs being a former patient gets to be more involved.

Beautiful Jewerly and it's Total Awesomeness, Part 12

2011-11-29T16:32:00.001-07:00

The Giveaway Diva has done it again! This time it is an absolutely gorgeous snowflake necklace from Michelle Chang Jewelery. The giveaway ends Dec 28th so hurry over the giveaway today! http://thegiveawaydiva.blogspot.com/2011/11/gift-of-classics-with-twist-michelle.html

Also be sure to stop by Michelle Chang Jewelery on Etsy and just drool over her beautiful pieces!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/michellechangjewelry?ref=seller_info and don't for to see that necklace one more time http://www.etsy.com/listing/63515836/snowflake-necklace-in-stering-silver-and

Total Awesomeness, Part 11

2011-11-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

So I stumbled on a pretty cool giveaway! A $100 gift card to shopbop.com hosted by The Give Away Diva!

Shopbop.com has items to fit every budget and right now they are having a great sale. Select items are 30, 50 and even 70% off! I loved the Lacie open toe pump. They a bit out of range I would spend on shoes, but they are still darling. What will you fall in love with? To enter go to
http://thegiveawaydiva.blogspot.com/2011/11/gift-of-style-shopbop-sale-giveaway.html. Hurry giveaway closes December 6th!

So.....what a year.

2011-11-18T11:14:00.001-07:00

So last post was in December of 2010 and we are almost back there. So what has happened this year? Hm....well, Bugs (formally known as Wedge) almost died, had his birthday as Peter Piper Pizza, Cc was a cat for Halloween and Bugs was The Doctor. I'm sorry what was that? Yeah...thought I couldn't just gloss over that. Suppose I better explain.

Bugs was born with an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) in his brain, but no one knew. An AVM is an abnormal connection of the veins and arteries. The normal connection is done by capillaries, that slows down the blood so it isn't going full force and also diffuses oxygen to surrounding cells. With an AVM, there isn't a capillary bed to slow the blood flow, or diffuse oxygen. The surrounding cells deteriorate and begin to die. The veins and arteries become dilated and weaken and eventually rupture. Bug's AVM was eventually classified as a Grade III.

On January 1st of this year it ruptured. Daniel found him around 3 in the morning in a catatonic state and he was posturing. He wouldn't wake up no matter what we did. We called 911 and as they were around the corner they were there pretty fast. After taking his vitals and also unable to rouse him, but appearing to be stable they took him to ER. Then the scary happened. Daniel stayed behind with Cc, and I went with Bugs. They told me the awful news that Bugs was bleeding in his brain, they didn't know why but that he needed to get a hospital that treats children. He was life flighted to a hospital with a children's wing about 60 miles away. I called my parents to meet him there and Daniel and Cc came to ER to see him before he left. It was longest drive of my life. A route I have taken many many many times a year, but this time it was horrible. I kept repeating in my head over and over that he can't die. That my son couldn't die.

When we got the hospital, my mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law were already there. Kelsey took Cc to the waiting room and looked after her, the doctor ushered the rest of us to a conference room. He told us a reasons on what caused the bleed in his brain. One of them was AVM. He then told us that Bugs needed treatment to relieve the pressure in his brain. We are able to see him before the procedure to give him some hugs and a blessing. It took forever for the procedure to be done and this what he looked like after.

However, he started to respond immediately. You can't see it in this picture, but they had to restrain his hands. Right after they put the drain in his head and the pressure started to go down he tried to grab the tubing on his intubation. His pupils started to react better and he was squeezing our hands. Bugs was in a medically induced coma for about 12 days. It was hard for him to talk at first and withdrawing him from the pain medications he was on gave him good days saying funny things and a bad day where he just wasn't there. After that bad day Bugs was getting back to normal.

Bugs by this time had a feeding tube placed and to say he hated it was the biggest understatement of the year. He wiggled down so that his face and hands were at the same level and pulled it out. He did a few times. Each time resulted in getting bathed because all the food would go down his back. He really wanted those few minutes of freedom from the tube knowing that the tube was going to go right back in. He got really mad at my dad for holding him still while the nurse but the tube back in.

After his ICP had stayed in the single digits after it was stopped they removed it. He did scare my mom by yelling out the tube in his head won't come out. That woke her up from sleep and aged her about 10 years! A few days after that he was transferred to a different hospital for an embolization. The children's hospital had told us that surgery wasn't an option so he would have the procedure and then send him back or keep him there at the neuro rehab.

After Bugs had his angiogram and embolization, the doctor that did the procedure, Dr. Albuquerque, told us that he felt he was a great candidate for Gamma Knife. Later that night we were very relaxed and laughing and getting exterminated by Daleks. Nearly the whole family was there and Bugs was really getting back to his old self. Then some one I will really to as Dr. Idiot Never Dealt With Children Before McStupid came in and told us the Bugs would need surgery and that they already booked it. Did Dr INDWCBM take the adults out of the room? No, he told us right in front of Bugs. Daniel and I were in shock, as well as my parents, my siblings, his siblings, and parents. My sister realized that Bugs was listening and tried to distract him. That was bit to late and he was nervous and scared the whole weekend. A bit spot was Tiger. Tiger is a therapy dog at the hospital. He can count by barking to seven and Bugs loved him.

After Bug's surgery his surgeon, Dr. Spetzler told us he would an excellent candidate for Gamma Knife, but we needed to wait for his brain to heal from surgery. Meanwhile, he was transferred the in patient neuro rehab. He spent about two weeks there. He came in very weak in his legs and needing a wheelchair or heavy assistance and left able to walk on his own. He had weekly outpatient therapy for about 3 months Since his extubation he needed to be on honey thick liquid, but by May he was cleared for regular liquids (he was sneaking them before that, shortly before his sallow study he finished off a root beer that he claimed not know it hadn't been thickened).

At the end of March, Bugs had Gamma Knife. Due to his age they knocked him out because he needed to be absolutely still for all the treatment and that is long time for an eight year old. So the anesthesiologist told Bugs to pretend he was very old and that he had a huge birthday cake with 75 candles and tell him how he would blow then out. Now, the point was get Bugs to take a deep breath to blow out the candles, but my genius son told him that he would just get a fan! The guy had never had that response before. We all had a good laugh.

In July, Bugs had a follow up MRI. It was old hat for him by then. He layed perfectly still, they didn't need to remind him once to lay still, and he didn't get upset when the contrast was added. Afterwards, Dr. Nakaji (the doctor who did his Gamma Knife and primary neurologist now), said that his scans looked awesome and that before it was hard to see and now it is harder to see. He didn't give percentages but was very pleased with his progress as it can take a few years to see any progress. We go back in April to see what if it is gotten smaller still.

In all of this he has been excelling in school and got back without missing a beat even though he missed nearly two months of school.

Now we can't forget about Cc. Cc was a trooper and kept us laughing and smiling when we all wanted to find a quiet place to cry. She convinced my dad to pay my sister and sister in law money for the pictures they drew. Made sure that most of us knew where the cafeteria was and more than once that first morning insisted on taking someone down...just in case they wanted to buy something to eat, and while they are at it something for her. We had to put her in a new school by my parents house because she couldn't miss two months of school. She was *the* person the Bugs wanted to see when he woke up. Forget Mom, Dad, or any grandparent. He always asked "Where's Cc?". She was as well behaved as she could be considering she was 6 at the time. She got to go on a field trip to the botanical gardens and was really sad to have to go back her regular school. We are lucky to have such an awesome person for a daughter. She is spunky, sweet, and has an awesome imagination.

In April, a few days after his Gamma Knife, we had a wonderful session with Amici Photography through Inspiration Through Art. And we also found out in July that Bugs is getting a Make A Wish. We found out last month his wish to go to Disney World has been approved. I would tell you when we are going, but the boy is reading over my shoulder. He thinks we are leaving in September of 2013....but really it will be much sooner than that.

A few facts about AVM's:
* About 300,000 Americans have an AVM.
* They are believed to form during embryonic or fetal development.
* AVM's can be located anywhere in the body, however AVM's in the spine or brain can have widespread effects on the body.
* People with Cerebral AVM's have few, if any symptoms. These types of AVM's are found usually after death, in course of treatment of unrelated conditions, or a rupture.
* A Cerebral AVM bleed carries a 10-15% risk of death and a 20-30% chance of permanent brain damage.
* They are generally a congenital condition.
* It affects both sexes and all racial or ethnic backgrounds roughly equal.
* Some people with a Cerebral AVM can hear a whoosing sound in their head. That is the sound of the blood flowing through the AVM.

To everyone that included us in their prayers or helped us in any other way we thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

No Christmas Concert?!?

2010-12-06T22:32:00.002-07:00

The school apparently got a new music teacher. For what ever reason it just either wasn't on his or her radar or no one informed him or her that the school does it every year. So Cc won't get to be sing her little heart out to Rudolph or Frosty and the like. Bummer. Cc's teacher told me that if they had been told that the concert wasn't going to happen they would have organized something with just the kindergartners.

So yeah, bummed.

Total Awesomeness, Part 10

2010-12-02T08:21:00.003-07:00

TodaysMama is hosting an uber total awesomeness giveaway!! So once I again, I am selling my blogging soul and making a post to win. Enjoy!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

To be together with family enjoy the magic of the holiday.

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?

Christmas Eve will be the second year running where we stay at my mothers house. Following my childhood tradition we take a walk around the neighborhood to see all the pretty houses, followed by reading a Christmas book and some hot chocolate. Then we assemble the Santa plate. Apples and carrots for the reindeer and some cookies for Santa. This year Cc would like us to leave something healthier for Santa though.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

A treadmill.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

Spending time with family and remembering to focus on the reason for Christmas and keeping the spirit of the holiday.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

Life, Yatzee, Monopoly!

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

Looking at the neighborhood Christmas lights and having my dad read a Christmas book to us before Santa comes.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip?

Nowhere, there is no place like "home for the holidays"!

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?
Well the hubs would love a PS3
Wedge wants a DS
Cc wants Littlest Pet Shop for the Wii.

Of course, it is more like a Gamestop Pipe Dream for Daniel and Wedge.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season no matter what you celebrate!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Dear Neighbor

2010-12-01T08:03:00.002-07:00

Thank you for taking my kids to school when it is sooooooooooo cold. It was like one day it is nice and then the next day it is a new ice age.

Also, I called you crazy bird lady. Sorry about that, but come on, you used to take your gigantic cockatoo or on the small occasion your little cockatiel EVERYWHERE. I am sorry that the little got blown away. Poor thing. So that was wrong of me, sorry for that.

Anyway, now I will make something for you. Maybe some cinnamon rolls or doughnuts, or at least think about making something.

Thank you formally crazy bird lady.

Kiddo Update!

2010-11-30T21:31:00.003-07:00

Wedge and Cc have been doing fantastic in school.

Wedge, in second grade, has extra math Tuesday and Thursday mornings. He really loves math and is a whiz at it. Takes after his Uncle James.

Cc, in Kindergarten, has extra reading after school on Monday afternoons. It seemed like it just clicked in her brain and she has embraced it. So proud of her!

Of course Wedge is just a wee bit jealous. Lots happened in the past few months that didn't really focus on him so much and he finally kinda snapped. Cc was proudly showing off her spelling skills. So she is spelling "road" with as much glee as a six year old can muster. Wedge pipes up, "Well, you don't know the abbreviation of road! It's rd!"

So overall kids are doing very well and we couldn't be more proud!

Books that I want to read

2010-08-08T19:50:00.003-07:00

So I haven't had a new book in awhile. Part of the problem is that I don't savor my books, I tear into them like nothing else. Literally, I do not put the book down. I read the last Harry Potter and cried. I don't like the library, I like to keep my books and can guarantee they won't smell like cigarettes. So I wait until Christmas or my birthday, I can be very patient for books.

So the short list:

Bite Me, by Christopher Moore (paperback)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The rest of the Dune novels (yes I do love my some Scifi)

You may be asking why paperback is important, well it just is. I prefer it mainly because it is cheaper, easier to take along. You know what is the absolute best thing about books, something a kindle can never ever have? That wonderful book smell. New or old it is just great to just stick your nose between the pages and just breathe it in. Heaven!

First Day of School

2010-08-04T19:59:00.005-07:00

I have never seen a child more excited for school then this girl:
Yup that is our Cc. First day of Kindergarten. She insisted on pigtails with no braids and tomorrow she wants "princess hair". Which is pretty much a topsy tail.

Wedge, the king of been there done that, was excited but not as crazy excited as Cc was. Looks very handsome doesn't he?

And after school it was all smiles and pudding. They both had a wonderful day!

Snail?

2010-08-03T20:40:00.004-07:00

When my sister graduated from college we went to a party and her mother-in-law's house. My brother in law gave Wedge and Cc some frogs that belonged to Miss E as she really (really!) wasn't into them.

Well the kids love them and they came with a snail we named Shelldon. Well sadly, Shelldon went to the big fish tank in the sky early last month. Last night I found this:

Queue shock and disbelief! Shelldon Jr?!?. Sadly no. This fella is a pond snail (not a clue as to where he came from). A snail that breeds like rabbits, by it's self. So if I leave it in there in its cuteness I will possibly (read:likely will happen) have a much bigger problem on my hands. Or I can toss it out and get a new snail that doesn't do it alone. This is why I don't like my fish and frogs to breed, I don't want to kill the eggs that I don't have the space to raise, nor do I think that I should give them away to people who won't take care of them.

So for now I will just the love the cutey cuteness of the little guy.

Getting back into swing

2010-08-02T13:15:00.003-07:00

Yes, I am jumping on Kjera's bandwagon, and Sara's. Seems like back to school really means back to blogging....from last year.
A little note, I no longer use my kids real names here, so when commenting about them use the nickname on the blog for them.

Anyway, Cc is a kindergartner now. Can you believe that? She picked her back to school outfit out a week ago. She floats from excited and to scared. Then back again.
Wedge is entering 2nd grade and is so been there done that about it. Loves telling Cc what to expect and what she can do.

School starts on Wednesday! Hip-hip-hooray!

More later, and thanks for stopping by!

Our Wordle

2010-08-02T10:17:00.002-07:00

Wedge's Dinosaur Stories

2009-06-15T10:11:00.004-07:00

This one is my favorite!

Cue Pomp and Circumstance.....

2009-05-11T08:34:00.006-07:00

Wedge is graduating from kindergarten this Thursday!
He is soo excited for it, but also a little sad that it means that school is almost over.
Then again he does get happy that he will be in 1st grade next year.

A Belated Birthday

2009-04-25T12:45:00.001-07:00

Wedge Black was born at 8:25 pm at Banner Thunderbird Hospital on April 13, 2003. He was a big boy weighing in at 8 lbs 13 oz and 22 3/4 in long.

He is now six years old, and a wonderful son and brother. He enjoys reading everything, including books from the Magic Tree House series.

It has been an amazing year for Wedge. For the semester he has been taking reading class with a 1st grade class at his school. He loves it being able to read the books he is given. He gets that from his mom. He is beyond prepared for 1st grade next year and we couldn't be prouder of him.

For his birthday this year he got a Magic Tree House books 1-4 from us, a dinosaur skeleton he can build and K'Nex from Nana and Papa Ross (I know he got something else, but I can't think of it right now), Magic Tree House books 5-8 from Nana and Papa Black, and a Grimlock Transformer form Uncle James.

We love you Wedge!

What's For Dinner? Split Pea Soup

2009-02-26T11:43:00.001-07:00

Ok, now I know my previous What's For Dinner was also soup, but I like soup, so there you have it.

Split Pea Soup

1 bag of dried split peas, rinsed and sorted
Ham Bone (optional)
Onion
Carrot
Potato
Ham
Salt and Pepper to taste

After peas are rinsed and sorted add to a stockpot with 6-8 C of water, along with ham bones (optional). Cover and boil on medium heat until the peas are cooked. Skim any fat from the top of the soup. When peas are cooked remove bones and cut of any meat remaining on the bones and add to soup.

While peas are cooking peel and dice potatoes, carrots, and an onion. How much depends on your preferences, if you want a more chunky soup more veggies, less chunky, less veggies. Saute the carrots and onion in butter (for a healthier option or for flavor, try coconut oil or olive oil) until cooked. Par Boil potatoes. Reserve the water the potatoes cooked in, and add to the soup if it becomes too thick.

While the veggies are cooking dice ham. Then add the veggies and ham to the pot. Simmer until potatoes are completely cooked and ham is warmed. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also blend half or all the soup before adding the veggies and ham for a smoother texture.

This soup will thicken up when cold so when you reheat add some water to thin it up.

Don't Worry Daddy. I Have Extra Keys.

2009-02-24T13:14:00.006-07:00

This is Cc:

As you may well know, she is curious and gets into things (to which I have no clue where she gets that from...whats that over there?...what's that?...hmmm...nothing, lets continue).

So one day we got a lock for our door:
So yesterday, Daniel asks Cc to go upstairs to our room and get his sweatpants. He remembers that he locked the door so she can't get into the room and tells her never mind.

Then Cc says, "Don't worry Daddy, I have extra keys!" and she goes upstairs. We assume it must be some pretend thing, and then we hear her walking around in our room. She did have "extra keys". Her extra keys were plastic keys she got in a kids meal. Keys that she figured out if she held them a certain way, she could unlock our door. Now that she figured that out...I guess we are back to square one.

My Top 5 Posts (Total Awesoneness, Part 9)

2009-02-15T10:52:00.004-07:00

She's An Awesome Mouse - Cc's insightful remarks on Minnie Mouse.

2.Who Does This?!?!?!?! - My 1st post written in anger.

3.Devon is a player... - My brother's beliefs on Wedge's status.

4.Shamelessly Stolen - Name Tag, hilarity ensues

5.Kindergarten Homework - Wedge's 1st homework assignment. I think it is very sweet.

There you have it. The depths I would go to win a gift card.

E.L.F. Giveaway (Total Awesomeness, Part 8)

2009-02-15T10:28:00.002-07:00

Rock and Drool is doing a giveaway from E.L.F makeup.

The giveaway is the Beauty Encyclopedia. Wanna win it? Click on Rock and Drool and find out how.

A Really Yummy Bedroom Giveaway (Total Awesomeness, part 7)

2009-02-10T12:28:00.002-07:00

SITS is doing on their monthly giveaways.

*A 500 theard count sheet set in your size
*A set of two Memory Foam Pillows
*Sheet spray, lotions, and candles
*A set of spa towels
*$30 Target giftcard

Sounds yummy right? Head on over to The Secret is in the Sauce to learn more about SITS and how to enter.

Fun in the Kitchen

2009-02-09T15:31:00.002-07:00

This photo isn't staged. Cc saw the camera and grabbed the sprinkles.
I haven't made cookies or anything fun in forever. So I made some sugar cookies and got some frosting and sprinkles and let the kids have some fun. They wanted to make some for our neighbors who are an older couple. Which is so sweet!

Cc and Wedge's New Quilts

2009-02-08T00:08:00.002-07:00

My Grandma Pullam makes the best the quilts. She made one for a dinosaur one for Wedge and a geisha one for Cc and they are fabulous. The pictures don't do them justice.

Cc's quilt has 16 different geishas.

The faces hand sewn eyes, nose and lips. There is one that looks kinda like Wedge's porcelain Japanese Bride. This is not the one, but the one of my favorite geishas.

Since Wedge is a dinosaur guy, Grandma made him a dinosaur quilt.

Wedge insisted on a picture of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Each dinosaur has a button eye and the T-Rex has teeth.

Grandma thanks for the amazing quilts!

Who Does This?!?!?!?!

2009-02-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

I really hate the older kids that live in my neighborhood. I know hate is a strong word. And yes, I don't know them. But who does this??

Honestly. Who decides to start a fire and destroy something? Who thinks that doing this was a great idea? Stupid kids. The same stupid kids who burned the rubber-mulch "soft stuff". The same stupid kids who scribble obscenities over playground equipment. Stupid selfish kids who don't care and are going to keep doing it. The city doesn't pay for this. The HOA does, which means it comes from my pocket and every other homeowner in the neighborhood. Not just replacing that whole slide, but now to install security cameras in the common areas. And that is something that I have never wanted here.