What a difference a week makes

It's amazing what can happen in a week. I can gain 4 lbs (boooo!), gas can go down another 10 cents (yay!), and ALL the Halloween candy in the house can disappear (maybe that explains the extra pounds).

Well, I'm really happy what time has done this past week since Annika fell off the swing. She had her stitches removed yesterday, and from the picture below, you can hardly tell anything ever happened! She still has to do eye exercises and wear those bandages under her eye, and Dr. T said she may need surgery in about a year after the scar completely heals, but we're so happy with the results so far.



Annika is a little bummed out that she healed so quickly though. She was looking forward to being a Pirate for Halloween with a really scary face. Oh, well!

Thanks for the well-wishes during this past week.

Breath of Fresh Air

Maybe some of you are not as old as me, so you may not remember a time when you didn't have to lock your home or your car. You knew all your neighbors' names. It was okay to stop and help a stranger stranded with car trouble on the side of the road, or give some money to a needy person at the corner of the street without doubting what they'll do with the money. Life seemed to go at a nice and easy pace with time to stop and smell the roses and time to be friendly.

Times have changed. We live in a fast-paced world now where we have all these machines and appliances to make life easier. We push a button and our dishes get washed. We stay in our cars as we pick up our dry-cleaning, get money from the ATM, order a slushie at sonic, or even get a flu shot at the pharmacy! We get frustrated if there are more than three people in a checkout line, and (at least I do this) swtitch traffic lanes to pass someone doing the maximum speed limit! We always seem to be in such a hurry. Oh, I believe in progress, and I am sooo grateful for modern convenience, but with all this speed, life seems a little less personal.

So, that's why it was such a breath of fresh air when I e-mailed Annika's plastic surgeon with a question I had about her eye. (I guess I felt too busy to pick up the phone and listen to an automated voice telling me to press button after button before I could leave an impersonal message). I was very surprised when his nurse, Shannon (who assisted Dr. T as he sewed Annika up), called me a little later to ask how Annika was doing and said she would stop by our house that afternoon after work to check up on her. Gasp! I thought house-calls went away a long time ago, about the same time as the milkman! I was shocked! Keep in mind that Dr. T's office is on 92nd street & Shea in North Scottsdale.

Shannon showed up with her medical supplies and tended to Annika's needs with so much compassion. She even lingered a little while after to chat with Annika. It was so heartwarming to know that Annika was being treated like a person and not another appointment. She didn't even charge us for the visit!

It renewed my faith that there are great people still out there who are busy, just like me, make time for the important things, like just being personal and kind.

So I'll stop and think hard the next time I see someone in the check out line behind me with only a couple of items and let them go first. I'll look at the checkout lady's namebadge and call her by name instead of just a quick "hello". I might even smile and wave the next time I speed pass a snowbird going 25 mph down Greenfield Road, and remember that they're someone special too! They might just be taking the time to enjoy life at a slower pace!


If you EVER need a great plastic surgeon (heaven forbid), I highly recommend Dr. Steven Turkletaub.

Annika's Haloween Face

Halloween is just over a week away and Annika still hasn't commited to what she wants to be for Halloween. Oh, she's had ideas and changed her mind as many times as she changes her outfit in the morning. Well, after the events that happened yesterday, I think we'll have a good shot of narrowing down the choices of costumes.....

It all started when the school nurse called Wednesday morning and said, "Annika's had an accident". She went on to explain that Annika fell out of the swing at recess and needs some tending to. Okay, falling out of a swing....how bad could that be?

Although the nurse informed me about Annika's wounds, I wasn't ready to see what I saw. She had scrapes all over her head and her left eye was twice as big as the other one. Then my eyes gravitated toward the huge gash under her eye. It looked like a dog bit a chunk out of her cheek and the flesh was all, well, fleshy. How could falling out of a swing do this?? I tried my best to be calm and not show the horror on my face. Annika was so brave though. All she complained about was getting the sand out of her eyes. I don't think the nurse let her see her face (Thank you Mrs. Owen!)

I took her straight from school to Urgent Care. They immediately sent us to a plastic surgeon. We found a really great one in North Scottsdale that would take us immediately. Annika had stitches put in her chin when she was six, so she wasn't too nervous about getting more stitches. I couldn't believe how calm she was. I was the one who was a nervous wreck. Even after working at a hospital for 9 years and seeing my share of surgeries, it's jsut different when it's your child. Thankfully, Dr. Turkletaub let me hold Annika's hand the entire time as he stitched her up. I think I was the one who needed my hand held though. Did I mention that the only surgery I ever got light-headed watching was an eye cataract removal? Something about the eye gives me the willies.

Well, 5 hours, six shots and 22 stitches later, I think we found Annika a Halloween costume without using any makeup.



Annika, you're beautiful. Even stitches can't wipe that beautiful smile from your face.

In God We Trust

In a nation where things are uncertain at the moment, there is one thing that should stand firm. Something that this nation was built upon and trusted in. That is God. One nation, under God! It irates me that there are those who want to take God's name off our money, or out of the pledge of allegiance, so no one will be offended. What about offending those who founded this nation, fought for a better life, a better way? Some even gave their own lives for this great cause. Who are we to forget their devotion, their dedication, trust and faith? If they were able to come back, would they say about our contry today?

A very sweet friend shared this video with me and I wish to share it with all. Sung by Diamond Rio, this touching song shows what (or who) this nation was founded upon. May we never forget!

Annika

I know you've heard that great things come in small packages. Well, that's not exactly true. Annika was a very special gift from heaven wrapped in a huge whopping

8 pound, 13 ounce package!

Annika Nicole was the perfect Mother's Day gift, born the day after Mother's day in 1998. Since day one, Annika's way of life has always been larger than life. She never does anything small.




There is never a dull moment when Annika is around. She is the spark in our family, providing endless entertainment with her hilarious whit, charm, story and song. She has so much life bubbling out of her soul. She has an abundance of energy, yet I am constantly amazed how she is so observant of everything around her. She helps me notice the things that I overlook, like patterns in shadows, little details in spiderwebs, or rhythms in ordinary things like the dishwasher or cars on the highway.

I think it's the hardest when your baby grows up. Oh, how I wish I could capture time in a bottle. It seems like just yesterday I could cradle Annika in my arms and rock her to sleep. Now she's 10 (going on 14) and keeps growing and growing and growing. It was a real wake-up-call day for me when my baby's shoe size was larger than my own....She currently wears a size 9!!

Annika loves reading, drawing, playing the piano and violin, horses, cooking, and riding her bike. But her favorite passtime is singing. She loves performing for an audience of one or one hundred. I don't think she knows the meaning of the word "stage fright" (she didn't get that from me!).


Despite all her vivacity, there is a very tender side to Annika as well--a side that not too many know about. Some just see her dynamism and don't get to know the passionate, intelligent and caring side of her. Annika has a heart of gold and a very sweet spirit that comes out when you least expect it, and she just melts your heart to pieces!! Annika is truly a beautiful and special individual and the best daughter in the world!

Conference Activities

I absolutely love conference weekend. I could listen to it all day, but my kids (especially the youngest one) get a little restless. So I always put finger food on the coffee table and provide lots of activities for them to do while watching conference. Usually it's Conference Bingo or word searches. This year I found a great activity booklet and wanted to share it with you. You can find it here. I hope you enjoy conference and hopefully this packet will enable you to listen to the messages of General Conference and encourage your childen to watch conference with you. Enjoy!

Ricky

It seems that every child comes into this world with some type of gift to impart. Some are here to brigthen our days and make us laugh. Others give us purpose. Many offer companionship and love. And there are those who teach us patience. Ricky's special gift is being a peacemaker. He is the one to bring balance into our home. He's wonderful at putting his arm around someone and soothing their troubles, or finding ways to calm the storm when things get out of hand (as they sometimes do) and I love him for that.

Ricky is mostly a soft-spoken, deep-hearted soul with a compassion for others. His strengths lie in his willingness to serve, and strict obedience to principles he truly believes in.


Kids grow up way too fast.

One second they're content for hours and hours playing on the floor with Hotwheel cars, and the next second they can't wait to get behind the wheel of a real car and the power that comes with that laminated license to freedom (so he thinks). Sorry Ricky. A mini-van just doesn't say "chick magnet". Don't worry neighbors. You have a few more months to be safe on the road. Ricky doesn't get his permit until December.


Ricky has always enjoyed creating masterpieces with Legos. He's our lego maniac, and here's a picture of part of his room to prove it. (Notice how the picture is from waist up. That's because you don't want to see the floor, that is, if you can see it. Ya. Kind of messy.)

This is Ricky's first year at Red Mountain High School. I keep telling myself I'm not old enough to have a high-school-aged kid, but wrinkles don't lie. School keeps him busy with CP and Honor classes, choir, seminary, theatre club, spanish and sculpting. When homework and studying doesn't occupy his time, Ricky loves to play the Wii.


Last year Ricky earned the honored rank of Eagle Scout.
Scouting is a big part of Ricky's life and who he is. I hope you don't mind me being a proud mom for a moment and just saying how delighted I am of the goals he has set for himself in Scouting. Ricky tries hard to exemplify what a scout is: Trustworthy, Helpful, Friendly, Couretous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.
I am a huge advocate of the scouting program and the values and ethics it instills in these impressionable young men. I am ever grateful for his leaders, friends and relatives who have been great role models and mentors to Ricky.