Ski Day

Justin took Nolan up to Alta two weeks ago and hit the slopes before the resort closed for the season. The lifts are free after 3 p.m., but it's too bad that their website failed to mention in the ad that they close at 4:30! Justin got up there and rented the gear and realized they only had about an hour for Nolan's first ski experience. It was rushed but I think they had a pretty good time. I asked Nolan what his favorite part was and he said, "I like riding the ski lift and going to the ski restaurant!" I so wish I had a picture of him in his little skis, but like I said, it was a rush!

More Pinky Problems

While in St. George, my dermatologist called to say that they don't think the biopsy results on my pinky were correct. That post bug-bite type tissue typically only occurs on arms and legs, and not under fingernails so they told me to see the other doctor at their practice for a second opinion and possibly another biopsy.
Well, I just had that appointment three days ago and sure enough, I did the entire biopsy experience all over again. It was so depressing because the last stitch had only come out 5 days before. But it was a good thing I was going in because it was looking swollen and appeared to be growing faster. I would have needed to be seen anyway.
This time around wasn't quite as traumatic, thank goodness. Instead of stitches they did cautery, which was uncomfortable during the procedure but seems to make for faster healing and less pain. I was also better prepared with some stronger meds for the 8 hours afterward. I will spare you the pictures this time around. And Justin was there for support and to drive me home. Justin says it doesn't look as bad as last time, but I think it's all pretty gnarly. In my book, a black crater is certainly not attractive. I made sure that Justin was home when I changed the bandages for the first time. It was a good thing, too, because I blacked out and nearly fainted. Once I get past the first sighting I do okay with the gore. Weird how that works.
So now we're playing the waiting game to find out what this is once and for all!

Easter Report

I meant to post this two weeks ago and just never got around to it. After being in St. George I spent the week cleaning and doing loads of laundry. Then we packed up again and left for Park City (more on that later) so the blog journal got put on the backburner. Here's the quick report of our Easter festivities.

By special order, we have the bunny stop by on Saturday instead of Sunday so that Sunday we can focus on the real meaning of Easter. The boys loved their basket treasures and hunting for candy hidden around the house. After finding all of the plastic eggs filled with jelly beans, Ezra decided to crack open a couple. I came upon him rolling around in his jelly beans with a smile of ecstasy on his face. Rolling around in candy is my idea of a good time, too, Ez!

The Mathis family (my grandmother's family) Easter picnic was held at Mathis Park, as usual. We flew Nolan's new kite, tried to catch water balloons from a slingshot (Grandpa got an injury which I actually captured on camera), ate yummy food, and played with Grandma Sherri's parachute. And the pinnacle of Easter excitement was the candy hunt in the field. Nolan was at the perfect age to understand how to be fast and get lots of candy to share with Mom and Dad.

Ever since Easter, Nolan typically says the following in his nightly prayer: "Please bless the other day, and the other day, and the other day, and the next day that it can be Easter."

Spring Break

It was pretty wild and crazy last week in St. George at Grandma and Grandpa Ligtermoet's house. With my two boys and Lacey's 3 kids, it was quite the noisy house! Ezra got his whine on during the drive down, but we made it just in time to enjoy Sunday dinner with my other sister's family. The kids spent the week playing out back in the sunny weather, going to parks, taking little hikes, doing sidewalk chalk, watching movies, and swimming. Ezra does so great with floaties. He can even float on his back.
Justin joined us for Easter weekend. He took Nolan on a fun hike to Scout Cave. My two hiking boys can't ever get enough! We attended the Arts Festival to eat lunch but unfortunately didn't see any art. My boys really don't allow us to wander around and enjoy that sort of thing. We also attended two baseball games, one of Bryson's and one of Blake's. During one of the games, the kids went to the field next door and enjoyed their own pretend game. My boys kept putting dirt in their hair. It turns out the vacuum worked really great for getting it out before they had a tub.

One day while there, Nolan found and put on Grandma's reading glasses. He walked over to where my mom, sister, and I were talking. He said, "Can I have some herbal tea, please?" in his best Grandme voice. What a little impersonator! Later he begged Grandma to make him some herbal tea. After several sips, he decided he couldn't stand the smell: "Eugh! It smells awful" he said.
One of the highlights of the trip was enjoying my mom's gym. I went to 3 zumba classes, an exercise ball yoga/pilates class that kicked my butt, and a soothing p.m. yoga class. I loved it all! Overall, it was a great trip. There were moments of chaos and frustration, of course, but the cousins had a good time playing together. I'll post more about Easter soon.

Moultons in St. George

Last week, the boys and I drove to St. George with my sister and her kids for our Spring Break and Easter weekend. While there, we were able to visit with Justin's grandparents. We hadn't seen them since October. They were vacationing in St. George, too, so it was fun to meet up for a couple hours. They were amazed at how the boys have grown and Nolan and Ez were happy to get reacquainted. Grandma even came prepared with fruit snacks. Ezra instantly liked her after that, of course. We met at the splash park and then had lunch together at 25 Main.

Lunch was completely ridiculous. I've seen kids (especially my own) be naughty before, but Ezra really outdid himself. He threw everything on the ground that he could get his hands on. Then when the food came he would take bites and then before swallowing he would slowly let the food dribble out of his mouth. It was so gross. Truly he was a little stinker. But thankfully Nolan was well-behaved and we loved our white pizza.

Not convinced

My dermatologist called last week and said that they are not convinced that my biopsy results were correct. Apparantly they don't typically see this type of tissue under a fingernail so they've asked me to come in again and see a different doctor. Now I'm a little bit worried all over again. And just when my finger was really starting to look and feel better. I'm pretty disappointed.

I suspect that I may have to do the biopsy all over again. I guess I'm glad they are being cautious and thorough, especially because my finger is oddly larger than my other pinky. I don't go in for two more weeks. Ugh.

Results are in!

Warning: There will be graphic pictures in this post. If you can't stand the sight of blood, pass this post by. You'll see a gorey finger. This finger has nearly consumed my thoughts for the past week so I needed to include this post to print in my future blog journal.

For the past 3 to 4 years I've had a strange soft spot at the top of my pinky fingernail. It recently started looking bigger, pink, and causing my tail to be ridged and brittle. I went to one dermatologist and they told me it was some kind of tumor, but they couldn't get me in for a biopsy for another 6 weeks. Luckily I found another doctor that could get me in the next morning. Here's the finger before:
The procedure wasn't that bad. They cut into the soft area and took a small piece out for the biopsy. It was bleeding a lot and he put in 7 or 8 stitches. He was worried about getting the whole thing because it could destroy my nail matrix and cause my nail to grow improperly. I wasn't too concerned about that, I just wanted to know that it wasn't cancer.

The local anesthesia began wearing off as soon as I got to my car to drive home. One naproxen wasn't doing the trick, and after getting my tires rotated, I was really in pain. As I was making the 30 minute drive home, I couldn't stand it. I took a second naproxen but didn't have any water. For a good 24 hours it still felt like that pill was stuck in my chest. Must have scratched going down. I was really hurting for another 3 to 4 hours, and even the rest of the day it maintained a steady ache and occasional throbbing. I was on pain meds for just over 24 hours.

I was handling things pretty well until I changed the bandaging that evening. I had watched most of the procedure and when it was numb it didn't really phase me. I wondered why a little thing like this could be so painful, but then seeing the hole in my finger made me realize it was pretty deep. I had to look away because I felt a little faint. Here is what I saw: It's been a week now and I've been dreading and anticipating the news, just hoping that it would be good. Luckily, it is benign... no cancer! The doctor called it a dermatofibroma. He said that is thought to be "a scarring-type reaction to an insect bite." Dang mosquitoes. Who knows if mine really is fromt a bug bit. I don't have to do any more treatment. Thank goodness they don't have to cut anything else out of my little finger. I'm pretty sure the nail will never look normal again, but thankfully I'm still healthy! Here is the healing process one week later. The stitches will come out on their own and the sensitivity and occasional aching should go away soon.

The New Face

Ezra has learned a new expression. Oh, if looks could kill... I just can't help but laugh whenever he does it, so now we've reinforced that it's a good thing for him to do. We say, "make your silly face" and he does it on demand. He is really starting to show us more and more personality. He does have a temper and goes on little angry tyrades, but mostly he's a happy little soul.

Nolan had his 4 yr. check-up because we received news that there is some new vaccine that he needed. It turns out we were able to do his Kindergarten shots at the same time. No more shots until junior high! He was pretty brave but it was still sad. He is in the 45th percentile for height and the 10th percentile for weight. But there was a funny moment when the doctor was going through some milestones and asked Nolan to draw a person. Nolan took the pen and drew a square with another rounded line on top. I said, "Nolan, draw him a person. Draw Nolan's body." He looked confused and said, "But I drew the handle!" It turns out he had drawn a purse! I explained to the doctor that Nolan does, in fact, know how to draw a person and actually draws himself and Daddy anatomically correct.

We've had crazy weather lately. A whole week of snow storms were followed by a warm, sunny day that was perfect for pulling weeds. Nolan was excited to use his umbrella that he painted at school, and Ez was trying to get as wet as possible. Grandma K came for a visit and brought a fun snow toy. Why is it that Grandma K always has the best toys?

Justin captured a cute moment last Sunday. He turned on Music and the Spoken Word and Nolan pulled the chair up close to watch. Both boys got their cuddlies and sat next to each other to enjoy the music.

Some of Ezra's favorite things in life are putting baskets/empty trash cans on his head and wandering around the house. He also loves bathroom fixtures. He loves crawling into the sink and sitting for a while, or sitting in the potty (whether full of water or the dry one that's isn't yet installed in our basement). Well, last week our toilet seat got a crack in it (I'm blaming Justin!) so we let Ezra have the cracked seat. We cleaned it good and then let him enjoy it. And there's that new face again!