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!

Laryngitis

The boys and I all came down with colds this week. We are mostly feeling better, just a little cough hanging on. But I went to singing practice yesterday (a small group of friends are going to sing in Sacrament meeting soon) and my voice was not happy about it. I can barely talk now. A couple people called on the phone today and I'm sure they were looking to end the conversation as quickly as possible. Nolan has been so sweet to his brother this week (mostly). Ez was trying to tug his shirt off and Nolan helped him to get it off and then proceeded to gently tickle Ezra's tummy and back. Ez just kept chuckling with delight. Then today, Nolan went in the bathroom, found my hair pick, and started gently doing Ezra's hair. Ez cuddled up and got a look of contentment on his face and Nolan said, "I'm taking care of Ezra. It will make him feel better since he's sick." Luckily my camera was within arms reach. I'm trying hard to rest my voice, so we've been doing lots of hand signals and pointing. Nolan does a great job understanding me. When they do things that annoy me, I just let it slide. Surprisingly, we're having a great day. Nolan is obeying me better than ever! Perhaps I've lost my voice to teach me a lesson: life would be easier for me if I yelled talked less and let the little things go. Like does it really matter if we watch 4 movies in a row? Or if they eat handfuls of jelly beans one after the other? How about locking themselves in Nolan's room and giggling mischieviously? I see no problem with any of that! You've heard of kids setting up an ice cream or lemonade stand, of course. Well, the other day I came out of my room after getting ready and came upon this. Nolan said excitedly, "Mom, I made a water stand for you!" Thanks, buddy. Well, if you're trying to get a hold of me in the next few days, email is best! You don't want to hear this scary voice.

Preschool Lapbooks

I've been busy making file folder games and some lapbooks for the boys to work on. It turned into a big project because I wanted them all laminated. Lots of printing, cutting, and more cutting. But they weren't expensive, even after 10 feet of lamination at my local copy store! I was really hoping to find some strong glue, but nothing was working. I tried hot glue and liquid fusion. I opted for staples. Sturdy, even though they're not pretty. Here are the two more elaborate lapbooks I made, one "fireman" and one "astronaut."

I did two more traditional file folder games, too.

And lastly, I found some activities in the Friend magazine that looked fun.

They work great with dry-erase markers and some sticky-back velcro. Nolan is really enjoying them and even Ezra loves doodling with the markers. We have since learned that it's not a good idea to do these on the couch (it washed out, thank goodness).

If anyone would like to make these for their little squirts, just go here or here. I didn't do much research so there are probably other fabulous free folder games out there.

Going Crazy Fast

These boys are giving me grief. Nolan's whole personality is changing and it's been a real struggle to become reacquainted with my own little boy. He no longer wants to go to preschool, he's not as outgoing, he is worried about making mistakes and sometimes doesn't want to try new things, gets anxious without mom or dad nearby, and he seems to be needing more attention and love than ever before. We are even having potty training challenges (I thought I would be over this hurdle by now), especially at night. I wish I knew exactly how to help him through this new 4 yr. old stage in his life. We were able to attend the temple last night and it was wonderful to feel some inspiration and extra love for my sweet boy. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of our challenges and won't leave us to guess at how to be good parents.

Ezra is also very needy. He follows me like a puppy. Speaking of puppies, he was naked for about 2 minutes before I could get him into the tub, and he found a corner to pee in. Nolan had to tell me and the look on Ezra's face was hilarious. He pointed to his puddle and it was obvious he knew it was wrong. Just like a puppy. He also begs for treats all day at the pantry door. I'll just finish getting him something and then he's asking for another snack. Luckily my boys love fruit!

So we've been needing something to stir up our long days. What could be better than a sandbox?! Oh boy, were they excited! They play great in it together and it gives me some time to take a breather, even if it's just to fold laundry. It's always nice to let my mind rest from the constant noise of toddlers. I've only noted two downsides, so far: Ezra begs to be in the box all day, and it's still too chilly to count on playing outside just whenever they want. And second, my house just got grainy. Sand is basically clean, but it's just something else to sweep and vacuum. Still, it's worth the happiness and much better than playing in our hard, rocky dirt!

Recently the Young Women in my ward were given prayer rocks. I had a few at my house and Nolan fell in love. So we just had to make our own. He's quite pleased with his little friend that sits by his bed and reminds him to pray.

Yesterday I attended a Vision Forum with my sister where we could learn more about her eye condition, advancements in treating it, and coping with blindness. Wow, my sister is a strong, upbeat woman. We also enjoyed a fabulous lunch and trip to Costco without out kiddos. When I got home, Grandma K was here to visit. Justin was learning to be an electrician in the basement. Kathi came down so that we could go out and do a temple session (in exchange for a little help with her taxes). It was really a good day and a much-needed break. Usually the boys stress out a little when we leave, but not with her. She's way too much fun! My most sincere thanks go out to her. Grandma K helps us stay on the safe side of crazy (but it's a fine line for me).