Happy Birthday, Kailyn!

Well, Kailyn made it. Or rather Daniel and I made it. Kailyn is one year old. It's so bizarre. It seems like it's only been a couple of months since we were in the hospital and Daniel delivered Kailyn and then set her in my arms. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

There are so many mixed feelings that come with her birthday. A sadness for time lost or wasted, overwhelming happiness that we have a happy, healthy baby, a desire to continue having children, and a determination to get to the temple so we can always have our baby girl with us. I've decided that we've lost our sense of focus with all the job searching and schooling that's been going on in our house. We've gone out of town, had guests over, and have simply become distracted. Daniel and I have talked about it recently and have decided that it's time to buckle down and get it done. We have to do it for Kailyn. For our family.

Well, I'll post again with her birthday pictures and how her party went when I get her pictures. But this one's for Kailyn:

Viva Las Vegas!

I LOVE LIVING IN LAS VEGAS!

Yes, the weather is hot, the traffic his hectic, and the people are bizarre...but the shows are amazing! Daniel's family buys tickets on a fairly regular basis at discounted prices so we take every opportunity to go see them.

THE BEATLES: LOVE

I love listening to The Beatles. It's even more fun to listen to when you've got people dressed up as crazies doing insane stunts! This is a Cirque de Soleil show and The Beatles is the theme. It was very entertaining. I think that the best was Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds...but that's my favorite song. There are 2 pieces of fabric hanging from the ceiling clear down to the floor and "Lucy" is doing flips and turns in and out of the fabric while flying up and down. It's like a free fall back and forth while holding onto this elasticized fabric. It was crazy cool!

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Daniel surprised me with Phantom for HIS birthday. We had planned to get gussied up and walk the strip since I hadn't done it in a long time. Daniel came and picked me up at my hotel (I wasn't living here yet) and we were off. Daniel was focused on parking and I was confused as to why he seemed so rushed since it was still light outside. I blindly followed him through the parking garage to the casino because he said it was the best was to get to the strip. We went down the escalators and then Daniel said, "Wait, I think it's back this way," and led me to the theater behind the escalators. It took me a few seconds to realize where we were going. I even said, "Babe, I don't think this is the way out. This is for Phantom of the Opera." Then he smiled and I was all, " Oh my gosh, no way! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Really?" Needless to say we were both extremely excited.

The show was fantastic! It was the best show I have ever seen! We were on the left side, 5th row, and I had the aisle seat! The chandelier at the beginning was spectacular! The music was just as perfect as it has always been. I was mouthing the words the entire time. And Daniel smiled the entire night because I loved the surprise so much. I had always loved the show and promised myself that I would see it one day...and Daniel, at 20 years old, gave me the perfect gift. What a great guy!

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS

This was Daniel's birthday present this year. These guys are HILARIOUS! They are from New Zealand and had their own show of the same name. They perform really funny songs but they are honestly very talented. It wasn't a big spectacle kind of a show. They just sit there with their guitars and just make stupid jokes the whole time. But the delivery of the jokes and the words in the music are what make the show. I strongly suggest you look up "It's business time" on you tube if you have never heard of them.

BRITNEY SPEARS: CIRCUS

Daniel got these tickets from a friend who, again, got them for free. I was going to go with my sister in-law but I ended up having to work so she took her husband. Apparently, the show was amazing, but kind of weird. Of course, the whole concept of a REAL circus is weird, too. They told me that one of the performers had no legs...head to butt was all she had. And she jumped on a trampoline and did flips and tricks and other weird stuff. 2 things ran through my mind when they told me about this particular performer. First: Good for her. If you're going to lose your legs at least you've become somewhat successful by performing with Britney Spears. Second: That's kind of creepy.



AC/DC

This is another show I didn't see. This is my father in-law's favorite band so he took his 2 boys out to see them. Daniel said that it was really amazing. They have this train engine on the stage and at some point in the show they inflate a giant woman to sit on top of it...I don't really care for AC/DC like they do, but I'm really glad they were able to enjoy it.

ZEN MAGIC

These to girls are from Japan and perform in a cultural folk lore sort of way. It's still flashy and ridiculously over the top, but it seems like it was all based on legends. Almost every trick was easy to figure out (one time the lighting accidentally flashed was was going on behind the curtain) but it was entertaining. I was a really good family show. And we got our pictures taken with them. Yay!

STEVE WYRICK: REAL MAGIC

This was the best magic show I've ever been to. It was very entertaining and the "magic" was very convincing. It was sometimes a little cheesy but he really did a good job at keeping us entertained and confused. What I really liked about this show is that a lot of it is sentimental. It reenacts his childhood and family a lot throughout the show. It's almost like a story. The show is called "Real Magic" in reference to life and family. At the very end, for the grand finale, he makes an entire plane appear on the stage in a matter of seconds. It was and awesome show.

BLUE MAN GROUP

Daniel and I saw this together back when we first started dating. It was such an amazing show. We saw it again about a week ago and it was JUST as amazing! I love how talented these guys are...in both their music and comedy. It is a show I would definitely recommend seeing at least once for the experience. If you ever go to the show in Las Vegas wear as much white as possible :)

CHEAP TRICK

This is, by far, the best concert I have ever been to. The music, the lights, the band, the men's choir, the millions of paper hearts that fell from the ceiling during "All you need is love"....these guys just really know how to put on a show! I had never really heard of Cheap Trick. I knew the songs "I want you to want me" and "Surrender" but I didn't associate them with the band. Their Beatles songs were just on the spot. They really are one of the best bands simply because their music compliments THE best band. The lead singer has one of the most talented voices ever.



JAY LENO

These tickets were given to us by one of our regular customers...and he got them for free. But I actually enjoyed this show a lot more than I thought. He really fits his own stereotype. He wobbles his head, he points and makes points using his whole hand, he talks like an antsy henchmen to a kingpin, and he walks in place. His jokes were pretty funny, too. He only had a couple that were off color, but all around it was fun to go and have a good laugh.

Welcome Home, Sweetheart!!!

Daniel's Story:

When he first got there he was soon singled out as the only person without any medical background. After they all arrived he was the last to introduce himself to the group and lead doctor. When he told them he was going to major in English the doctor asked several times (through her translator) "Why are you here?" He was so embarrassed and immediately wanted to come home. He emailed me and told me how miserable he was and that he's shouldn't be there. After I told him that he paid money to volunteer he decided that it didn't matter what the doctor thought. He was there to serve people and not to worry about one person's opinion. He was constantly mistreated by their lead doctor but he stayed positive and made it a group joke with his peers. He was able to make some good friends because of it. He was able to call home and email constantly. While there in Costa Rica the group was able to go down a zip line that was (if I remember correctly) 2-3 miles down the rain forest. People reportedly saw sleeping bats, birds, monkeys, and even large wildcats.

The next week he told me that they were traveling to an indigenous village in the middle of the rain forest and then moving on to Panama. Phone conversations were very limited. The village was hard to get to, hard to live through, and hard to come back from. His group had to hike 2 hours in the heat and humidity to get there. While there they helped a lot of people who had parasites that, if not treated early, ensured death. Most everyone had it, including children. The symptoms left open sores all over their body. And even those who had the parasites taken care of would always have the scars to remind them. It was difficult for Danny to see little children living with something so terrible. It made him think of and appreciate Kailyn.

After they left the village they went to Panama. I think they only did a clinic once. Then they had another play day. Danny got to go see Dolphins (his favorite). He loves how intelligent and unified they are. Me? I'm a shark person. So, he brought me home the perfect souvenir: A necklace with a shark tooth! I know that they've been popular before but mine is the best because it's not a fashion statement. It has real sentimental value. He hates sharks but loves me enough to get me something I will always love. For Kailyn, he bought a key chain of a cute yarn doll that reminded him of her. What a sweetheart!

The next day they all traveled back to Costa Rica and the next morning they flew out for an all day trip back home. When I saw him come around the corner at the airport he smiled his perfect smile and I melted. He was home. And he looked AMAZING! He was wearing one of the local shirts he purchased. My man looked like he's been living in Costa Rica his whole life. So tan and healthy looking. Anyways, Kailyn spent the night at her grandparents to that we could clean him up and inspect his body for any open wounds. We wanted to make sure that he didn't pass anything to Kailyn. And that was it. We spent the night without worrying that Kailyn would disrupt our night together. It was a really good experience for him. It was a really good experience for me. And it has made our relationship that much better.

I'll be sure to post pictures of his trip and all the goodies he brought back.

The 6 C's

Costa Rica-

Daniel is leaving for Costa Rica on Saturday. He and his brother, Joe, will be gone for 2 weeks assisting medical doctors as part of an internship. His brother is a Pre Med Student and had been filling out applications fro different medical schools and is looking for something to put on his transcripts. Daniel will, at some point, need to do the same to get into a good law school so they both decided it was better to go together now than separately.

Joe's wife, Shae, lives just up the street from me so this will be a good opportunity for us to get together and do girl stuff. I'm really excited and know it will be a good experience for him and his brother.



Cleaning-

For the past 2 weeks I have had ants off and on in my house and have come to realize it's because I haven't (really) cleaned my house for a long time. The weirdest part about the ants is that they are mostly in the bathroom which I deep cleaned about a week before they showed up. I've been spraying them every time I see them and they've finally made their way to the kitchen. So, it's just time to do EVERYTHING. So after I get Danny packed and out the door I will be cleaning my entire house. I will probably take before and after pictures so keep an eye out for that in a week or so.



Cutting teeth-

Kailyn is currently cutting her 5th tooth. This one has been the worst. She really handled all four of her teeth very well. A little bit of discomfort and a lot of chewing, but #5 had been a real pain in the mouth for Kailyn and the butt for mommy. She had a fever for about 4 days a couple of weeks ago when she starting cutting and ever since then she's been more whiny, fussy, restless, and sometimes just plain annoying. I think she's learned that if she whines long enough she gets what she wants. Grrrrr! But things have mostly gone back to normal. She sleeps through the night, she takes her naps on time, she's active again...but one thing has changed dramatically and that is the next "C"...



Constipated-

Kailyn has been having some serious issues with her BM's. She's been eating Baby Food for a while now and we've been giving her solids for the last month or so (not a lot, just bits and pieces of what we're eating) and for some reason she just can't seem to go on her own. Every time I hear her grunt or see her face turn red from pushing I have to grab her, lay her down, open her diaper, bend her in half, and help coax it out. She does this heartbreaking, high pitched gasping sound every time. I gave her some Prunes/Baby Food and it didn't make a difference. I kept trying to figure out what had changed and came to the conclusion that it had to be the formula I had switched to when she turned 9 months. I've always used Enfamil and then at 9 months I moved to the next stage, same brand. And then when that run out I went to the store to buy her more and saw that Parent's Choice was 5 dollars cheaper than the one I bought before and gave it a shot. I went through about 1 1/2 25oz cans before there was a real change. So now that I'm almost out of her formula I'm going back to Enfamil. If anyone has any suggestions to help her through her transition please let me know. Thanks!



Crawling-

Kailyn is still just crawling. She's pro at it, that's for sure, but I would love to see some walking. Danny and I worked with her on it last night but she was a little too wound up to focus. We bought her a walker to help her but it's a little short so in order to walk she has to lean forward which doesn't really teach her how to keep her balance, which is her biggest issue. She has the motion down, just not the balance. She would be running if she could just figure out how to keep herself up. But I'm going to work on her the next 2 weeks and see if I can get her walking before daddy comes home...and work on saying dad. She's got mom down.



Conception-

Ok, so not really. I just wanted to see what my sisters would say if they saw "CONCEPTION" on here. But, since we're on the subject, Daniel and I are currently uninsured and most insurances have an 18 month probationary period before you have maternity coverage. So the plan is to sell the store in about 2 months (hopefully less), get insured with the profits from the store, and then get pregnant 18 months after that. However, IF we do get pregnant before then I guess we will have to apply for Medicaid...again. We are really trying to avoid getting pregnant for that reason. So, there you have it. Not planning on getting pregnant in the near future.

playlist.com

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. Last time I used playlist.com I received a computer virus. It was, according to the computer techs, one of the worst. Daniel and I were fortunate not to loose any of our files and got an extremely good deal.



It popped up as an advertisement for virus protection (jerks). When I tried to close out of it it continued to pop up each time I used the computer. I'm sure you all know better than I did but do not click on ANYTHING. Run your own virus protection or turn off computer and wait for someone who knows more about it. I just don't want anyone to have any serious problems. Anyhow, I just thought I would put out a caution to all users.

Kailyn Thrown Together

Ok, so Karena gave me a hard time for not having any pictures up of Kailyn. And as busy as I've been I really don't have any excuse for posting tons of pictures of kids I will probably never see again and hardly any of my own daughter. So, here is my way of compensating for the last few months:

Kailyn isn't crawling yet, but she sure can use those legs

for kicking. She's always moving them without budging

an inch. This is one of our favorite quirks about Kailyn.

She can't stop moving.

When Lexie had her fundraiser in Logandale I was able to take

Kailyn with me. She was an angel! She was the most behaved

I had ever seen her. She hardly fussed at all. Anyways, I put

her down for some tummy time and then Marce and Pheonix

(Lexie's sons) found her more entertaining than all the goodies

sitting out on the table. Way to woo the masses, Kailyn!

One of Kailyn's favorite times of the day is when she has

a diaper full of nastiness because that means mom has

to pull out the wipes. Kailyn loves that crinkly sound just

as much as she loves to put everything in her mouth. So,

sometimes, I put the wipes next to her in place of toys. I

just had to capture at least one of these incidents.

Part of Kailyn's nap time routine is having a blanket . If

she isn't wrapped like a burrito and rocked to sleep OR

laid down on the verge of sleep and covered with a

blanket she refuses to sleep. So, this particular day, I

set her down on our bed and covered her with her

blanket. She immediately latches onto the blanket with

all four limbs, brings it in close to her body, turns on

her side (usually her left side), and falls asleep instantly.

These were taken about 20 minutes afterwards.

When I worked at Kidz Kidz Kidz I would visit Kailyn

in the Infant Room on my breaks and usually feed her.

This string of pictures (except for the first one) is her

making this sort of "Rrrrr" sound. It's the funniest thing

to listen to. It's like she's tell a story with just the letter

R. The first picture is her holding her own bottle for

the first time.

Kailyn's Boppy was a big hit in our house for a long

time. Now she's a little too old for it. She's gotten

to the point where she knows how to roll out of it

so it's no longer functional. We've upgraded to

the Bumbo (thanks for the idea, Camie). But after

a long day of doing nothing Kailyn used to unwind

with a little TV in her very own Boppy.

Mr. Elephant was purchased to keep Kailyn entertained

while in the car. For the first little while she couldn't

reach him. Then she figured out that she could reach

the tag and put the tip of it in her mouth. Now she's at the

point where she could put Mr. Elephant's whole nose in

her mouth if she wanted to but she prefers the tag.

And that goes for every stuffed animal she has.

About a month ago Daniel and I were at home before we

had to go to the store. He had Kailyn lying next to him on

the couch while I was making breakfast. I called him over

so he could prepare the rest of his breakfast. He said," Ok.

I guess I'll leave Kailyn to her doom." Then I said, " Then

stick her back further on the couch so she wont fall over."

He didn't move her, I didn't finish his breakfast, and Kailyn

decided to defy gravity...and failed. We heard a loud THUD!

We knew it was her, but it took a second to sink in. It took

her 3 seconds to catch her breath enough to cry. We found

her face down on the tile floor. Her nose was bruised, her lip

was fat, and her heart broken. She cried for 10 minutes.

Afer Daniel and I inspected her and got past the blame game

we were just grateful nothing was broken. Anyways, if you

look closely, she has a fat lip and a bruise on the side of

her nose.

(TIP: Her fat lip went way down after sucking

on a frozen carrot. It's a great solution for teething!)

One of our regular customers was going through her

garage, prepared to donate all her baby stuff to Good

Will. She offered to give us her Exersaucer. I was so

happy! Kailyn loved to play in the one at Kidz Kidz

Kidz and I was sad to take her away from it. Here

she is, giving it a test run, and it's a big success!

Again, this is while I was in Logandale for Lexie's fund

raiser. I knew Kylene had been taking care of Kailyn

but I didn't know where they were. I asked her friend,

Coco if she knew where Kylene was. She told me she was

taking a nap with`the baby on the couch. First thought:

UH OH!

Kylene, despite the fact that she is a young woman,

wouldn't have the maternal instinct in the dead of

sleep to keep my baby from rolling off the couch (I

obviously don't do a great job when I'm awake!). So I

went quickly to the couch and found this. I shouldn't

have been so worried.

Anyways, I hope that will do for now. I will try to be better about it. It just takes so long to transfer pictures from my iphone to the computer to the blog. But I will work on it.

Leaving my Kidz Kidz Kidz

For those of you who don't know (which is practically everyone) I left my job as a co-teacher at Kidz Kidz Kidz. After we moved the distance was just too much. I lost too much of my paycheck just from gas. And after adding in Kailyn's fees for staying there and what the government took out of my paycheck I only ended up seeing about 1/5 of my paycheck. It just ended up not being worth it. On top of all that, my "co-teacher" had issues showing up to work and staying at work so I ended up covering her shifts. So I would leave at 7:30, take a 2 hour break, and then close at 6, which meant I got home at about 6:30 if I didn't have any errands to run. So, in the long run, NOTHING was getting done around the house, I was spending more money than I was making, and I could not rely on my co-teacher. Anyways, I guess this is sort of a tribute to my time there and the kids I hope I had a good influence on. There are about 30 kids in our class, but these are the only kids I was able to get pictures of.

Titus: The Classroom Good Guy

Everyone in our class likes Titus. He is a genuinely good boy who is smart, affectionate, and always shares. He is always the victim because he never fights back. He is a BIG hugger. I always get random hugs and "I love you"s. He comes from a great family and it shows!

Sydney: Animation Domination

This girl is CRAZY affectionate and animated. She tells stories using her hands and facial expressions to make sure she has all of your attention. She hugs every parent that comes into the room and tells them every detail about her day. She may look like an orphan, but back off! This one's taken.



Kristen: What is wrong with everyone?

She is the ideal student. Very quiet, always listening, extremely smart, and CONSTANTLY confused by her classmates. She's almost like a mini adult (duh) in the way that she looks at the kids who are goofing off or being rude. It's as if she's saying, " Why can't you just be normal like me?" Can't help but love a kid who is confused by her peers childishness.



Kennedy: Little Miss As a matter of fact.

Too cute to put down in a couple of words. But EVERYTHING that comes out of her mouth is spoken with a factual tone. Everything is an important detail about her life. "My auntie goes to school and I'm going to go to visit her," with a hint of, "and now you know all about me."

Gabriela: The Schemer

Her mom is a teacher in the baby room with Kailyn so I got to know Gabriela and her mom very well. She is quite the leader..or dictator. She has a way of doing things and if you don't do it you are about to get your feelings hurt. And she always plays the dumb card when she's in trouble. She has a confused, dumbfounded look when you tell her to be good or say sorry. Almost like an, " I can't hear you. What?" face. But in the long run, she's a great girl, very smart, and ready for the big leagues...Pre School.

Eva: The Diva

Everyone in the classroom, even the kids, call her Eva Diva. And she is. She comes to class and when she has a purse or a new dress she just glows and walks with pride in herself. She's a little bit behind the class...almost slow. Her mother was messed up while she was pregnant with her. She is adopted by her grandmother and that's all I know. She is a really handful. She knows how to behave, but sometimes she does thing an 18 month old would. Not because she doesn't know better, but because sometimes she cannot control herself. But she's come a long way and is more lovable with all her issues.

Bryce: Let me be your punching bag.

He is the sweetest little boy. He's the roughest little boy. He listens and obeys meekly while smiling. He says no with pouting lips and a scowl. He has a naughty side, but for the most part is too loving and sweet. He allows himself to be walked all over by some of his more pushy classmates, but he's not afraid to wrestle it out. But he's always playful about. He has never done anything out of true anger. And I think he has a hard time believing that his friends are really mad at him when they hit him. Thank goodness for kids who are loving, even in their anger.

Ava: The Brain

She is the smartest kid in our class. Hands down. She is not only the smartest but the most confident. She gives answers knowing she's right. She leads the class. There are days and times when she goes backwards and disrupts our Circle Time, but that's just her loosening up and being a regular kid. She has some anger issues, doesn't like to apologize, and HATES being in trouble. But this kid is going to grow up, be well like, well educated, and raise her own kids just fine. She will be missed.

Aiden: My hero is my Dad!

This kid is absolutely his dad's biggest fan. Everything he does reflects his feelings toward his dad. I once told him he needed to send his blanket home so his mom could wash it. He looked at me very seriously and said, "I want my dad to do it. He will get it clean." He has complete faith in his dad (who is in the military). Aiden is on the younger side of the the classroom and is a tad bit spoiled, but he is eager to learn and LOVES his class.

Abigail: Ready for 13

She talks just like a teenager sometimes. Her expressions, body language, everything just screams of, "I am sooOOoo over this." She is always happy and usually plays well with everyone. But I have noticed when she plays house, barbies, or any activity with dramatic play she is the adult. She is ready to grow up and will do a great job.

Well, there's a small look and the family I'm leaving. Sorry it's taken so long for me to update this. I technically don't have time for this, but I miss doing it so much. Oh well, I'll finish laundry tomorrow :)