If there's one good thing that comes from your children being sick, it's that you realize how truly important you are as the mother. Both Payton and Jackson adore Daddy, but when they're sick, Mommy is the only one that can make them better. Payton got really sick this weekend and that means that he hardly left my side. It makes you sad that your baby is sick, but you can't help but be happy that he only wants you to hold him and no one else. We are lucky to be mommies.

ER

I took sweet little Payton to the ER on Friday night. The poor little guy had diarrhea really bad and was throwing everything up. I was afraid that he was getting dehydrated so off I went to the hospital. After spending 1 & 1/2 hours in the lobby and 1 & 1/2 in the room waiting for the doctor, I decided that I was going to flag down a nurse and get mean. It was 3 a.m., it had already been a long stressful day, and I hadn't slept at all. When I'm sleep deprived I'm mean, and emotional. Finally a male nurse came by and I tell him he has to give me some idea as to when the doctor might make time to come see my sick baby. The nurse tells me that I look tired and I should lay down on the bed and sleep for an hour or two! Can you believe that?! So I tell him I don't want to lay down and sleep, I want the doctor to give my baby some medicine so I can go home. Needless to say, my emotions take over and before I know I'm crying while telling this nurse that I spent the day waiting for my husband in surgery, I spent the evening taking care of him, then my baby starting exploding from both ends, and that if I didn't get home to get some sleep there was no way I would be able to take care of these boys that needed me so much. The nurse did convince me to lay down on the bed and said he's see if he could get the doctor in quickly. Luckily the doctor came in about 15 minutes later. Thank goodness for Walgreen's. Not only do they have a 24 hour pharmacy, but they have a drive-thru pharmacy. And also, thank goodness for insurance. I was looking at the receipts from Payton's prescriptions yesterday and the first one was Amoxicillan. I paid $3 and the receipt said "Your insurance saved you $10.00." I thought that was pretty cool. Then the other medication was an anti-nausea medication. I paid $3 and the receipt said "Your insurance saved you $236.99." I'd say that's a good deal.

Successful Surgery

We spent 5 hours at the surgery center yesterday and the surgery went well. Nate will have to have his arm in a sling for 6 weeks. He's not even supposed to lift his arm at all. The hardest part for him will be that he won't be able to drive. He will be back in school on Monday, and obviously will be exempt from P.T. for a while, but he will be doing lots of physical therapy to make up for it. Now the hardest part is just getting him to take it easy and rest. I caught him this morning outside trying to clean out his car. I had to remind him that the only reason that cleaning the car wasn't hurting him was because of the nerve block and the pain killers. Otherwise being up like that would be very painful. I finally got him to come inside and watch some cartoons with Jackson. While he did that I took a little cat nap. I got 2 hours of sleep last night after spending 4 hours in the ER with Payton. It's been a long 24 hours.

Nate's surgery

Nate has to have surgery today. Somehow they'll be screwing his tendon back into place. I guess the surgery will take a couple hours, then they'll want to keep him at the hospital for a least one more hour after that to make sure he comes out of it okay. Luckily I have so many great friends around here that are helping me with my boys when things like this come up.

So, keep us in your thoughts and pray that Nate makes a full recovery.

Day Two.........Great!

2 whole days without sugar! I think it's a record for me. I seem to have an over-abundance of eggs in my refrigerator so yesterday I cooked a nice breakfast for myself and the boys. We each had one slice of turkey bacon (no preservatives, not cured, no dies, no hormones etc.). We had scrambles eggs. I used 4 whole eggs and four egg whites to cut back on calories and on fat. We each had a piece of organic whole cracked wheat bread and a glass of organic, not from concentrate 100% orange juice. It was delish. For lunch, TBLT's (turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato) on whole wheat bread of course, and we stacked the veggies high. Jackson and I shared a banana as well. For dinner I made enchiladas with organic corn tortillas, white onions, chicken, black beans, red peppers, green onions, olives, and a little bit of cheddar cheese. They were terrific!

So the day went great, I had no sugar, and everyone went to bed happy. The End.

Starla Tagged Me!!

10 years ago I:
1. was a sophomore at Kuna High School
2. played as much Volleyball as possible
3. listened to Matchbox Twenty non-stop
4. started dating
5. started driving

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. clean my bathrooms
2. eat whole foods
3. find a baby sitter for tomorrow
4. get ready for Nate's surgery
5. re-organize my sewing room

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. sunflower seeds
2. popcorn
3. ice cream
4. V8
5. cookies

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. pay off all our debt
2. have a huge family reunion somewhere exotic
3. buy a car
4. buy a house
5. set up college funds for my babies

5 places I have been:
1. Monterey, CA
2. Virginia Beach, VA
3. New York, NY
4. Savannah, GA
5. San Francisco, CA

5 jobs I have had:
1. Landscaping & Excavation
2. Grounds Crew
3. Waitress
4. Piano teacher
5. Organist for 2 Presbyterian churches

I tag......
1. Amy Rondeau
2. Lydia Carlson
3. Tiffany Clark
4. Cheryl Nillson
5. Camille King

I just have cute children

Jackson made a cute new friend at pre-school named Bella. We had a play date the other day and they played so well together. When we got home I was talking to him and playfully asked him if Bella was his new girlfriend. With a very serious tone he told me, "Bella is my FRIEND, Emma is my GIRLFRIEND."Emma and Jackson a couple months ago when we went to the Aquarium.
When we were at Bella's house Payton found a little baby doll carried it all around the house.
At one point he even put her in the bassinet and rocked her. Unfortunately I didn't capture that moment on the camera.
Then he decided to take the baby shopping.

A Good Day

Well I'd have to say that today was pretty successful. That could have a lot to do with the fact that I was busy all day. I had cheerios for breakfast (with no sugar) I had sunflower seeds and V8 for a snack. Tuna sandwich on organic whole cracked wheat bread with a teeny bit of reduced fat mayo on it for lunch. I'd rather be using Vegenaise, but I couldn't justify throwing out a half full can of Mayo, so I'll make the switch when it's time to buy a new one. I also had a banana with my sandwich. I didn't have time for an afternoon snack since I was at work, but my sandwich kept me full anyway. Since I work on Mondays and Wednesdays I don't really have a lot of time to cook dinner so I usually get fast food. Instead of running to Taco Bell I bought some yummy Bean and Cheese Taquitos at Trader Joe's today. All natural, no preservatives, no ingredients with names I can't pronounce. I also made a nice salad with tomatoes and red onions to go with it.

Since I didn't have any sugar today I didn't have to deal with crazy mood swings, bursts of energy followed by extreme tiredness. I feel really good. The first day is always really easy for me though. It's the next day when my old friend Sugar calls my name twice as loud. Hopefully I'll be on a walk listening to my Ipod so I won't hear it.

It's about time

So I've been a lot more health conscious lately and I've made some major improvements when it comes to how I cook, what I cook, and what I feed my kids. I always seem to screw it all up for myself though because of that stupid thing called SUGAR!! Sugar is seriously addictive, and I'm addicted. It always hits me at about 1:00 in the afternoon. I think it's because that's when I always used to take a nap, but since I don't take a nap anymore maybe my body is craving an extra burst of energy so before I know it I'm smearing piles of butter on toast and putting sugar and cinnamon on by the tablespoon. It's disgusting, I know. I keep asking myself why I'm not following through with my goals. Especially when I've done the research and feel strongly about eating whole organic foods. It's all psychological for me. It's hard for me to make a change unless I'm answering to someone. Answering to Nate doesn't work, he is unwilling to give up his Doritos and his Rice Krispy Treats. So what is the next best thing? Being held accountable by the beautiful world of Bloggers. Today is grocery and my list is already done. This week we'll be eating whole foods for every meal. (We'll still have our cheerios for breakfast until they're gone though, luckily I've already broke the habit of putting sugar on my cheerios, and my boys never have sugar on theirs) And the kicker is,..........I will fight the urge to give in to my sugar cravings. Hopefully after a few weeks of blogging about my attempts at this lifestyle change (and it really is a lifestyle chance for me) I will have been successful enough to do it on my own. Here goes..................

Nater

Remember that beauty? The bruise got even worse after that if you can believe it. Nate went in for an MRI on Monday and we got the results back today. He has to have surgery. Well, I guess he doesn't have to have it. But his options are either have surgery, or never have the ability to do another push-up. He chose the ability to do push-ups, so he goes in for surgery next week. I'm still not sure what exactly he injured. First they told us he tore his peck, then there was some mention of a burst tendon. I don't even know. Whatever it is that he injured I hope that they can get it back to normal, or at least close to normal.

...........................

Did he grow a goatee or just get into the Oreo's??

That's my baby..............

Payton continues to amaze me with his little personality. He is definitely his own person. He is so cute and lovable, but very independent and determined to do his own thing. I had to go to Santa Cruz to see a doctor on Tuesday so I took Payton to my friend Kong's (Gong) house. I moved Payton's car seat into her car and got him settled into it. While Kong was getting her baby ready I was playing with Payton in the car to keep him entertained until they were ready to go. After about a minute of playing Payton looks at me with a smile on his face and yelled, "GO!" So I said, "What? You want me to leave?" He smiles and again yells, "GO!" So I said, "Fine, if you want me to leave I'll leave." Then he smiles again, kicks out his chubby leg and nudges me with his foot and with more determination this time yells, "GO!!!!!"

That's my baby...............

Random Photos of San Francicso

While in San Francicso I took random photos of anything I saw. I love random. I find beauty in random. These pictures were my favorite.

San Francisco

While my family was in town we took a trip to San Francicso. We went to fishermans Wharf and meandered onto a submarine.

During Vietman my dad served in the U.S. Navy and spent two years on a submarine. He showed us around, told us how things worked, and told some great stories.





Payton walked around the submarine like he owned the place.

Jackson and Grandpa. Best Buddies!















Payton really wanted to climb over the railing and into the water. Luckily Nate kept him on the safe side.
The last time I was in San Fran was in the 4th grade. I had some clam chowder at fishermans wharf, then got the "both ends" flu from it. I decided to tempt fate and go back for more clam chowder. We found a cute little restaurant and had some great clam chowder. Good News!! It did NOT make me sick!!

My family with Grandma and Grandpa McKenzie.



Daddy and Payton.















Jackson and Joshy looking out at the bay.


A trip to San Fran isn't complete without a picture of Alcatraz.

Visit from the Fam!!

My Mom, Dad, sister Jackie, her husband Jason, and their boys Josh and James came to visit this weekend. It was a quick trip but action packed!





Aunt Jackie helping Payton ride Jackson's bike. As hard as Payton tries he just can't make those chubby legs reach the peddles.

















Uncle Jason chasing Jackson around the backyard.
















Joshy decided to stop and strike a pose while climbing the tree.














Little James wishing he could come out and play.










And what family get-together would be complete without throwing all the children in the bathtub together?

Jackson Myron Boden

Payton Allen Boden

It's official, I'm no Mariah Carey

So I've never considered myself a singer. I was always playing the piano for the singers. I do think I can hold my own when singing along with the radio, but I may be wrong. I always thought that kid's liked the sound of their mother singing, at least that's what my mom told me. So when I would put my babies to sleep I'd shut myself in a room where no one else could hear me and I'd sing to my babies. As Payton has gotten older I've gotten a little bit more daring. He doesn't need lullabies anymore, he needs something to keep him entertained while I'm changing his diaper so he won't roll away. I made up a few songs that used to make him laugh. I obviously can't write the tune but the words were along the lines of, "It smells like somebody pooped! It smells like somebody pooped! It smells like Payton pooped his pants. He pooped! Pooped! Pooped!" There were other little ditties that I made up but it doesn't get any better than the poop song. So last week I'm changing his diaper and singing my songs when he starts yelling at me. Not in a screaming tantrum cry-baby way, but like he was communicating with me. He was trying his hardest to make me understand something. A new word was coming out of his mouth that he'd never said before. Finally after I finished the song it hit me. He was yelling, "STOP! STOP! STOP!"

So there's the proof. Not all babies like the sound of their mother singing.

Jackson's first big purchase....

For Jackson's birthday his friend Spencer got him a lighting McQueen wallet and his friend Beckham just happened to give him 10 dollars for his birthday. He's been so excited to have a wallet like Daddy! Tonight we took him to the store to pick out his own toy. He actually really surprised me. I told him that he had 10 dollars so there were only certain toys that he could afford. I'm sure when I was a kid I would've tried to convince my parents to help me buy the biggest toy I could find. But he went in there knowing exactly what he wanted,.........a Ben Ten action figure. (don't ask me what/who Ben Ten is. He watched the cartoon with his cousins when we were in Utah two months ago, then he never mentioned it again. I don't know how he remembered it.) He found his action figure (surprisingly it was the smallest one too) then proudly carried it up front. We told him he could also afford a treat so he picked out some gummy bears and carried his stuff to the cash register. There was a line and he did try to butt his way up to the front, but once we told him he had to wait his turn he patiently waited. He handed his items to the cashier and got his money out and handed it to her. I think he was a little surprised to get $3.75 back. (that's the beauty of shopping at the PX, no sales tax) I helped him put his cash back in his wallet and put it in his back pocket like daddy. He told me that next time we go grocery shopping he wants to buy his own chocolate milk.

The really cute thing about it all is that he was more willing to share with Payton. Usually he doesn't like to share his treats (and who does, really?) but I think Payton ate more of the gummy bears than Jackson did but he was totally OK with it.

Photos Nate took of the BEAUTIFUL scenery that surrounds us!