My Luke

I love my Luke. I can't believe how fast he is growing up. In just a couple of weeks he is going to turn 7 and it really doesn't seem like it has been that long since I had my first little boy. He has really enjoyed this school year and all of the fun things that he gets to participate in. He entered the "creative challenge" competition at the school and won first place for his rendition of "Fur Ludwig", a child's version on Fur Elise. He played at the awards ceremony where he got is medal. The truth is that he was the only one in K-1st who entered in the instrument category, so of course he won first place. He was so excited to get his medal and "win" first place that when he got back to his chair he said, "I did it! I got first place." I didn't mention the fact that he was the only person who entered. A few minutes passed and he turned to me and said, "Mom, was there anyone even competing against me?" I told him no and he lost a lot of the excitement of "winning". I reassured him that even if there were people competing against him I was sure that he would win anyway! He just looked at me and said, "Yeah, I would've."

Luke with his medal at the piano.

All of the winners at the awards ceremony.

My little pianist.

Also this year Luke is old enough to sign up for a basketball league. He was super excited because basketball is his favorite sport. Rick signed up to be the coach, and to tell you the truth I think he has had as much fun as Luke. Luke isn't a really aggressive kid, so he doesn't go after the ball that much, and at this age that is what you have to do! He does practice his skills a lot and is pretty good and has scored at least one basket at every game. We have just one more game until the season is over...and one more month until soccer season starts.

Luke is really good on defense and gets a LOT of steals every game. (I am sure there is a fair amount of fouling too, but they don't call it that much.)

Down For The Count

It feels like we have just gone 9 rounds with a heavyweight boxer, and the Gunnerson's are officially down for the count.

It all started last week when Noah woke up on Monday morning with a scratchy throat and a cough and by Tuesday morning he had a fever. I tried to just give him enough medicine to keep him from burning up and pretend that he would get better any day, but it didn't work. By Friday evening I took him to the clinic in Park City to see if I could find out what was wrong. I no sooner walked in the door and let them take his temperature and pulse-ox than they were calling an ambulance to take us to Primary Children's. They were convinced he had pneumonia. I tried to talk them into letting me drive him there myself, but with his oxygen at 79% they weren't having it. An ambulance ride, chest x-rays, snot test, and doctors evaluation later they confirmed that Noah did indeed have pneumonia. They didn't admit him to the hospital because the doctor said at his age a lot of kids do better at home than being traumatized at the hospital. (I think his kicking and screaming and refusing to be touched gave her that idea.) His oxygen had come up above 90% so we just brought him home. He actually started feeling better the very next day and now the only problem is getting him to take his medicine without 30 minutes of fighting about it!!!

Friday I also noticed that Elijah was getting a little cough too and I just prayed that it wasn't the same thing. By Saturday he also had a fever and I felt like I was having a bad case of deja vu. Again I tried to just wait out his fever and hope that he got better, but once again it was no use. Tuesday I took him to his pediatrician to find out if I had a double case of pneumonia on my hands. His oxygen was also very low, but his doctor said that his lungs didn't sound like pneumonia, it sounded more like RSV. They did an RSV test, but it came back negative. His doctor was stumped so once again we were sent to Primary Children's. At least this time they sent us with an oxygen tank and NOT in an ambulance. Now it was Elijah's turn for chest x-rays and snot tests. By the time I was back up the canyon and back to the doctor's office she informed us that Eli did not have pneumonia, but DID have RSV. Because his oxygen levels couldn't stay up Eli had to come home with the newest member of our family, the oxygen tank. Today we were back to the pediatrician to see if things had improved, but they hadn't. So we will continue to go everyday to the doctor to see if my baby can get better. Also today the doctor said that his ears are infected.

I'm really trying not to feel sorry for myself. We are very lucky that both boys were well enough to be at home and not in the hospital. Noah has recovered very quickly, and I am hoping that with his oxygen and his medicine Elijah will get better soon. Now all I need is a good night's sleep and a little oxygen of my own!!!!

On our way to the doctor AGAIN.
Despite the half-smile, Elijah HATES the tubes up his nose.

Indescribable

I am totally at a loss for words to describe our experience with Summit County.

Unreasonable was doing a heat-loss evaluation to make sure that our house would be efficient enough not to waste natural resources.

Ludicrous was adding another window to the bonus room to ensure we had enough daylight in the room.

Preposterous was having our engineers redraw our site plan to include contour lines and elevation of the garage entry...on our FLAT lot.

Outrageous was finding out we had to have a wetlands consultant come and map the wetlands that exist ONLY on our one acre (and paying her $2,500).

Obscene was paying a $100 application fee and waiting one month to have our petition heard before the board of adjustments.

Shocking was getting a bill from the county for advertising in the newspaper and sending out postcards to make a public notice of the hearing.

The only word I have left that seems to fit the situation is unconscionable, and even that does not seem strong enough.

Last night was our meeting with the board of adjustments to see if they would pass our application to build closer than 40 feet to the wetlands on our lot. No, we did not get approved. They tabled the application for another month to see if we can come up with another plan they like a little better. I can't get into the details of what we have done in the last month (since the application was made and before the board met to make a decision) to try to meet the demands of the county while still being able to build our house, but needless to say we thought that we had a great case to make when we explained to them that we cannot move our house in farther away from the wetlands and still have the sewer/septic system where it needs to be. I am not even joking when I say that they would like us to see if we could move the house even 5 feet. FIVE FEET! You have got to be kidding me!!!!!!!! Oh, I assure you they are not kidding.

I actually did not go to the meeting because I was teaching my aerobics and yoga classes (and because I was not sure I could go and NOT physically or verbally attack someone) but Rick had an interesting story to tell me when he got home. The application presented right before ours was finally passed...after ONE YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess that these people applied for a building permit to build a cabin up Weber canyon one year ago and have been going through much of the same garbage with the county as we have. They have gone so far as to buy the lot of land right next to theirs to try to meet all of the county's requirements. The problem? The front corner of the DECK on the cabin was 27 feet from the road on the front and 29 feet from the road on the corner (they have a corner lot). The county setback is 30 feet. When they finally passed their application last night, the woman broke down and started crying! Yes, I'm totally serious.

I wished that I had video documented this entire experience so that I could present it to anyone who thinks that Summit County is not completely and totally over-the-top out of control.

Wish us luck next month. Obviously we will need it.

A Store-Bought Mom

As I stood in the grocery store today, looking at the variety of Valentine's goodies, I came to an unpleasant realization; I am a store-bought mom.

This is what I would like to make for Luke to take to his class party to give to all of his friends. Beautiful homemade cookie pops with specialty messages for each student, teacher, and aid.

Instead, this is what I finally decided on after a few minutes of shopping. Little Debbie. At least they are cream filled.
I also thought of making something crafty, delicious, homemade, and totally wonderful for the women I visiting teach, but instead they are getting cellophane baggies filled with store-bought candy. Tied with a ribbon.

How did I come to this? What in my life has brought me to this point...the point of buying Little Debbie? Kids. Time. A part-time evening job. LIFE! I really do have good intentions of grandeur, but eventually I settle. Here is just an example. Noah was going to a little Valentine's party at the library today where he would be trading valentines with all of the other little kids at story hour. I've know about it for a week, and thought that I was on top of things when I got out the valentine cards the other day for Noah to sign. I even bought some little candies that he could help me staple onto the cards. I thought it would be a great "preschool" activity. Five minutes into it, I gave up. Noah was finding more enjoyment in erasing his writing than actually doing any writing. It was also time for Elijah to go down for a nap so we ditched the valentine activity and I turned on a movie for Noah while I put Eli to sleep. This morning as I hurriedly grabbed our library bag I realized that we never finished our cards. So I stuffed the box of cards into the bag and headed out of the door. Once we made it to the library (on time for the first time in months) I quickly wrote Noah's name on all of the cards while the kids listened to the books.

Someday I may get my act together. Someday I may live the dream I have always had. Someday I will be the mom who sends the best, most impressive treats to school you have ever seen. Until then I will have to settle for Disney cards with out any candy, glitz, or glam, just Noah's name...written by his store-bought mother.

I've created a monster!

Sometimes as a mother I feel like Dr. Frankenstein when he shouts, "it's alive!". It seems that despite my best intentions I often create my very own monsters. Like when Luke was little and refused to feed himself. From the time he started eating solid food I always feed him, and I kept doing it because it was faster and cleaner if mom did the job instead of letting the little one. Then one day when he was 3 years old I wanted him to feed himself and he wouldn't. Yep, a monster. I've created another with Noah who at 3 1/2 he won't go to the bathroom by himself. Again it has been cleaner and faster for me to help him and make sure that things get done the right way (my way) then to let him do it himself. Now no matter what, he won't go into the bathroom and go by himself because he wants me to help. Yep, another monster.

The latest monster I have created is Elijah, the swaddle monster, and Momma's boy. I started swaddling Eli the very day we brought him home from the hospital, and now he cannot sleep at night unless he is tightly wrapped up. A couple of weeks ago I tried to just lay him in bed and let him sleep with blankets on him. Lets just say that we spent two nights with a screaming baby. Finally Rick just said, "please just swaddle him and lets get some sleep." I guess as long as Elijah has nice mission companions who will take the time each night to swaddle him, he will be fine.


I have also completely spoiled this boy so much and spent so much time holding, playing, and kissing him that he now refuses to be put down. He doesn't really even like anyone else to hold him. He pretty much doesn't even like his dad. This is Elijah the other day when I made him sit and play while I ate lunch and did the dishes. Here he is at 35 minutes and counting of pure screaming. I don't mean crying or whining. I mean SCREAMING! I get so frustrated with him crying if I am not holding him, and my mom just reminds me that he is what I have made him!!!!

Here's hoping I can tame my little monsters!!!!!

My name is Olivia, and I am a bloglifter...

Yes, I have bloglifted all of the following photos from my sister and mom. I don't know why I never take my camera anywhere, or if I do remember to take it I don't get it out to actually take pictures. Wait, I do know why. Just getting out of the house with my three children (and hopefully a diaper and wipes for Eli) is usually all I can do. If, by some miracle, I do take my camera I don't often get a break from wrangling my kids to take it out and snap any photos. So, that is why I have to have a post with nothing but cute pictures of my kids that other people have taken!

Eli and I at the bottom of the sledding hill.
The sun was shining, the temperature was pretty mild, and the kids were having a blast. Eli and I just sat at the bottom of the hill watching.

Noah and Mia making it down the sledding hill WITHOUT a sled.
You may (or may not) be surprised to know that Noah was the first to just throw himself down the hill without a sled. It worked quite well and soon all of the kids were doing it.

Me and my sisters.
As the years pass by it seems that the times we are all together happen
less and less often, so we really do cherish the time we spend together.

Elijah's first New Year's Eve.
Elijah woke up a little bit before midnight and was able to enjoy the festivities. This is quite possibly the cutest picture I have ever seen of my little baby boy!

Elijah with Grandpa McNeil.
A testament to the fact that he loves to laugh and smile.

Eli and Evan. (and me and Patrice!)
These two boys are less than one month apart in age and I am so excited that they can grow up friends and cousins. Rick and I both had cousins our exact age and we were and are best friends with them. I feel so lucky that my kids have such fun cousins to grow up with.

Grandpa, Luke, and Noah working with Lucy.
We got a horse earlier last spring, and this fall Grandpa got the boys out to start working with her. They brushed her, got a saddle on, and even rode on her a little bit! Quite amazing for her first time. I grew up riding horses a lot and am exited that my boys can do the same.

Christmas and more

In addition to Christmas, there have been a few other fun things going on around here I thought your might like to see.

Noah is always busy! He loves to be a "worker boy", especially helping his dad and grandpa outside. Yesterday he put on his boots, gloves, and hat and went into the garage to get some wood to start a fire. I thought that he was so darn cute all dressed as a "worker boy".

First of all, please ignore the fact that I look like I am 70 years old. I blame the low lighting and the fact that this picture was taken after midnight, but the truth is...I am just old! Anyway, this is what happens when you stand on a chair in your slippers, holding a baby, with children below you while trying to decorate a Christmas tree. I was attempting to get off the chair when I lost my balance and crashed head-first into the entertainment center. Since I was holding Eli in my arms I couldn't break my fall with my hands. And since Noah was below me, I couldn't just step off the chair onto my feet. Instead I went head-first into the edge of the entertainment center and landed on Noah in the process. Needless to say I had a HUGE headache and an enormous goose egg (with a canyon down the middle). I had just gotten my hair cut that day, and I was excited to show it off, but for the next week everyone that saw me was only interested in the gash on my forehead! I am hoping that it won't leave too much of a scar, but Rick has assured me that even if it does he will still love me. He will call me scarface, but he will still love me.

The week before Christmas, Elijah turned 6 months old. I can't believe he is halfway to one year old. He continues to be such a happy baby, but has gotten so spoiled that he SCREAMS like he is going to die if I am not holding him. He doesn't even like his dad to hold him if I am around. He can sit up pretty well, although he often takes a tumble when he starts looking around. At the doctor's visit I found out that he is too skinny! It was quite a surprise to me, and anyone who has seen the rolls on his legs. He was only in the 25% for weight, the 50% for height, but his head was still at 70%! I sure hope his body catches up to his head someday.

I posted a Christmas slide show below, so take a minute and check-out our Christmas pics!