Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Oregon Vacation

Over Thanksgiving break Eric, Aaron and I traveled to Oregon. We spent a week relaxing ... till we got sick! Oh well, what can you do? It was still a great trip though. We got to hang out with family, friends, and we even found a place to live when we move there next month! (it is less than 30 days away!) I didn't take many pictures... we were too busy having fun! But here are some of the ones I did get. :}

Aaron flies really well...
On the way there, Aaron fell asleep during take off and happily woke up a bit later.
The ride home, Aaron slept the entire flight! 
In fact, the people in front of us turned around and were shocked to see Aaron...
They had no idea we had a baby with us.



He really enjoyed looking out the window and listening to music.


Aaron's SUPER CUTE cousins LOVED to play with him!



We're working on the whole "sitting up" thing... 
he's getting pretty good till he gets tired and slumps like this.


Ane was making a frozen fruit salad. As she worked, Aaron sat and watched.
When she finished beating the salad Aaron started talking and reaching...
He really wanted the beaters.

So we cleaned off the big clumps and handed them over.
It wasn't long till those beaters were licked clean!


Look What I Won!!!

I love entering giveaways on blogs. I have yet to win anything from the major Product Review/Giveaway websites, but I have won things from personal blogs.  :D I find most of my giveaways on Someday Crafts because every Thursday, blogs that are doing giveaways link up there so you can see them all in one place (if they choose to link...).

  • The very first thing I won was Mr & Mrs pillow covers from Us and Them
  • Later, I won the My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software from Craft Goodies 
Then it was a while before I won anything and suddenly it exploded! I won:

And I came home from vacation to find waiting for me on my doorstep: the Elmer's Craft supplies that I won from Cute as a Fox!

I was so excited that I just HAD to share it with you!!!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Monday, November 21, 2011

FOOTBALL!!!

So, Eric and I decided that we HAD to take Aaron to a BYU football game while we still lived in Provo. After looking on KSL I found tickets for the last home game of the season. We were so excited!!!

Then we learned that the game was at 8:15pm and it was supposed to snow. Then our excitement was channeled into preparation. We had to make sure all 3 of us stayed warm - especially Aaron. If Aaron catches a cold and it doesn't go away before his surgery on Dec. 8 then we have to postpone.

So we bundled up and headed to the game. We had SO much fun!!! It wasn't as cold as we were expecting and Aaron was great. He didn't cry at all and even took a short nap during the game!


 We learned that Eric does not own a beanie... so he borrowed one of mine.


Minions

I have been doing a bunch of crafts lately but most of them are for the Christmas season so I can't post them yet (it's the principle of the thing...). But I can show you this fun dessert we did!

Eric's friend Zach was rapping with the BYU Synthesis band last Wednesday (they did a parody of Rebecca Black's Friday - how awesome is that!) so we got some friends together and went to the concert. It was a blast!!!

Following the concert we all came back to our house to make minions. :D


Aaron saw the cupcakes and totally twisted around in the bumbo and lunged for them. It was pretty hysterical.

The cupcakes are green because I used left over green sugar from another dessert I made (see the Halloween cake here). They tasted great despite being green. Besides, once they received their blue overalls (the frosting) you could hardly tell!



Wednesday, November 16, 2011

"Crap" Apples

I hate crab apple trees... I truly do.

If I could, I would say that when I meet whoever thought of them in the after life ... I will strangle them. As it is, I have learned in religion courses that we all helped create this world. And I can easily see myself being the idiot who first imagined these crab trees... thinking about how their specific chemical composition would make beautiful the blossoms would be in the spring and making sure one ends up planted where I will live some day - not thinking the whole process through and realizing how absolutely horrific they would be in the fall!

Today, I decided to get up all the crab apples. So I took a rake and whacked my tree over and over trying to get as many leaves and crab apples off the tree as I could.

Why? So that I don't have to do this again.

Did it work? No.

Why? Because crab apples are stubborn and I am short. I'm pretty sure there are more crab apples left on the tree than were on the ground to begin with.

Then, I proceeded to mow my lawn.

Why? So that the lawn mower would pick up most of the leaves and crab apples for me thus I would not have to do as much work.

Did this work? No.

Why? Because my lawn mower is retarded. Instead of having a full bag at the end, it had nothing in the bag and my lawn was covered in mulch therefore making it harder to rake.

So I proceeded to rake my yard. Me, my rake, my snow shovel, and my trash can paraded around the yard collecting as much as I could. It took me an hour. How big is my yard? Tiny... practically non-existent. In fact, the majority of the yard is the tree.

So does my yard look beautiful now? No.

Why? Because it was an ugly yard to start with and because it is still covered in crab apples.

You may proceed to ask yourself, "why" yet again and you may even be thinking to yourself, "but, didn't you just spend an hour doing hard labor to clean that yard?" Well, thank you for recognizing my efforts... and fear not I will answer your question.

It is because crab apples are a plague. They seem to multiply right before your very eyes. Also - everyone knows that a plague is very hard to wipe out. You pretty much have to go over every square foot of land to find those infected and then wipe them out! Now, what makes you think I have the time for that?

So, what do I plan to do next? Return the rake to my parents!

Why? Because I am moving in 43 days - soon the yard will be covered in snow and next year, I won't have to worry about the crap apples still in my yard!

To those of you who sympathize or empathize with me, I thank you.

To all of those who are thinking to yourselves, "grow some muscles you big baby," I know who you are -- you can't hide from me. I will find you.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Eric's Leadership

For a class, Eric has to write a paper that requires he asks a series of 4 questions to people who know him well.

I love to brag about Eric so after I answered the questions, I couldn't help but want to post them up here. He said it was ok. :}


What would you say are my key leadership skills? 

Eric knows the way to find out what is right. He knows to do his research and to never just take someone’s word for anything. He knows there is always another side to the story. He also knows the right way to go about bringing change. He knows that bashing heads together is not going to accomplish anything – but neither is sitting back and using his powers of wishful thinking. 

Eric listens. He never jumps to conclusions and always hears everything the other person has to say.

Judging people is not in Eric’s nature – he gifts them with the benefit of the doubt until they have time and time again proved that they were ultimately wrong. And even then, they are not judged but provided with the means to fix what went wrong and better their life. The means are always different as the situation is always different, but Eric in due course does what is best for the individual and the team.

Before offering advice, Eric asks if the person would like to receive it. He knows that not everyone wants to be advised and he also knows there is no such thing as constructive criticism. Criticism only tears down and Eric’s main goal always has and always will be to build people up.

Eric knows that if someone can figure something out for themselves that it will go a lot further than them being told. He could try to tell someone that they were wrong and all it would accomplish is hard feelings. Or, he could aid the person in coming to the knowledge of a better way on their own and the person will want to change rather than fight the change.

God has granted Eric the serenity to accept the things he cannot change, courage to change those he can and wisdom to know the difference. On top of this, He has gifted Eric with the ability to adapt what he cannot change. Eric knows how to mold things and make them work when others fail.

Eric is an example. Not always a quiet example as he is usually a team leader, but he does not point out that he is an example. He does not tell people to emulate him but through his actions, people desire to emulate him on their own. Eric doesn’t manipulate. He is a powerful force and people follow him, but they do so because he is good. Not because he manipulates them into thinking they want to follow him.

When at all possible, Eric doesn’t direct – he guides. 

How do I influence people around me? How did I influence you (even small instances can be revealing here…)? 

Eric’s strongest method of influence is the example he sets for others. 

Eric loves video games. He has played them all his life and they are something he is INCREDIBLE at. When we were dating, he had a game night at our home. The game he played was an intense game with lots of violence and blood. We had recently had a discussion about what kind of spirit we wanted in our home and how our media choices would affect that spirit. Following the discussion, I threw away a few movies that had scenes that I needed to fast-forward through. So when I saw the game he was playing, I was taken aback. This was not the kind of thing that would bring a good spirit into our home and it certainly wasn’t something I wanted my future children to walk in and see their Dad playing. So I asked Eric a series of questions which led to him understand that I felt the game wasn’t appropriate and he soon agreed with me. 

Further down the road, my little brother, Thomas, mentioned how he enjoyed the same game and Eric told him how he used to enjoy it but that we as a family felt it wasn’t an a game we found uplifting in any manner. Thomas was shocked. Being the only boy out of 7 children (he has 6 sisters) he had never had an older brother or role model to look up to. When Eric came into our lives he instantly filled that role for Thomas. Thomas trusted Eric’s judgment and quickly changed the caliber at which he rated games – not because Eric told him to, but because he had learned from Eric the importance of molding his life around allowing the Spirit to influence him – something that would have been a struggle for the Spirit while playing degrading games. He saw in Eric something he wanted to become, something he wanted to emulate.

Can you think of an example(s) where this leadership skill/influence showed itself? 

Once while we were dating, my roommates pulled me aside and until about 4am they lectured me about how I should be handling a relationship. I was flabbergasted. Who were they to tell me about how I should be interacting with Eric? I told Eric and he too was shocked. I knew we needed to work things out between my roommates and me but I had no idea where to start. 

Luckily, Eric offered to talk to them. This seemed like a good idea because he was involved but was not as close to the situation as I was. He went to one of my roommates and sat down with her. Later, when I spoke with her she said that she had never been reprimanded in such a Christ-like manner – in fact, reprimanded wasn’t even the right word to use! Eric could tell there were personal issues that she was dealing with and rather than shove those aside, he asked her what was wrong and offered to help. He then showed her how we, as a couple, were not her responsibility in a way that she fully understood. This influenced me because as a mom I often want to go charging in and cut off the head of anyone who upsets my son – but I need to realize that there is more at work than I can see. I need to understand that others have needs too, not just my son and I need to look for a way to help all people involved.

Can you think of another skill or capability of mine that readily lends itself to leadership?

There are many people in the world with the mentality that they know best and that others cannot possibly follow in their footsteps. If someone is confused or doesn’t understand, a person of the prior mentioned mentality would say, “do it this way” or better yet, “here, just let me do it!” 

Eric is the exact opposite. If someone came up to Eric and said, “I’m hungry,” he would never just hand over a fish. He would take the man to the store and help him pick out a fishing pole. He would then guide the man to the fish pond and teach him how to make a lure. He would explain that though he has his personal methods for making a lure that there are many ways to do so but the basics for each lure are ultimately the same. He would show the man that he could improve on his lure but only if he stuck to the basics first – otherwise his flashy lure would fall apart and never attract any fish. He would then teach the man to fish. He would stay with the man until he got the hang of it and then leave the man a way to get in contact with him in case any questions arose.

Some leaders lead by telling others what to do. Then, once the leadership changes, those under the new leadership crumble. They no longer know what to do. 

Other leaders give everyone what they want – they listen to all ideas and use any idea that comes down the drainpipe to avoid hurting feelings. Under that form of leadership, everything disintegrates. 

The last type of leaders teach. They lead by example and give the exact right amount of leeway to give those they lead an opportunity to use their imagination. They guide people in the direction of the future. When the leadership is altered, the members of the team flourish still. Though leadership is necessary, they are not dependent on it. They have learned enough to still progress through any change that occurs.  If you wanted to look up this last type of leader in the dictionary, you need only turn to the “E” section and scroll down till you find “Eric Hornibrook.”

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Video Games

We purchased a new game called Skyrim this weekend and it has been a blast. Normally I just watch Eric play but with this game even I have taken the controller and whacked a few bad guys!

Well, Aaron wanted a turn too. He was sitting in Eric's lap and saw the motions Eric was making with the joysticks etc. on the controller and also wanted to try. Unable to take the controller away he shoved Eric's hands aside and started pushing the buttons himself.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Pto... wait, what?

Ptosis

Ptosis is also called "drooping eyelid." It is caused by weakness of the muscle responsible for raising the eyelid, damage to the nerves that control those muscles, or looseness of the skin of the upper eyelids.

Causes
Drooping eyelid can be caused by the normal aging process, a congenital abnormality (present before birth), or the result of an injury or disease.

Symptoms
  • Drooping of one or both eyelids
  • Increased tearing
  • If ptosis is severe, interference with vision.
Treatment
If an underlying disease is found, the treatment will be specific to that disease. Most cases of ptosis are associated with aging and there is no disease involved.
Surgery can be done to improve the appearance of the eyelids in milder cases if the patient wants it. In more severe cases, surgery may be necessary to correct interference with vision. In children with ptosis, surgery may be necessary to prevent amblyopia.

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002013/)

Ptosis ... I have it, and Aaron has it.

You can see it plainly in the pictures from when I was born. I was unable to open my eye and the doctors were worried that because I couldn't see out of that eye that my brain would stop sending signals to it all together and I'd go blind in that eye.

So they did 3 surgeries to try to correct it. They roped my eyelid to my eyebrow. At first they just did it to my right eye - the one that was worse but eventually they did it to both to try and normalize how I looked.

See - not too bad... Though as I've gotten older it's started to droop more again and I get headaches because the way I hold open my eyes is by lifting my eyebrows... It gives me wrinkles as though I am old... but I am definitely grateful that I can see. We looked into the headache thing for a while and learned that the surgeons (this was a few years ago, I don't know about now) still use the same procedure that they developed in 1901 (talk about an old procedure!)... there is simply no research being done in this field, or if there is, it is minimal. I was also told that they could try and fix the droop but the way they would do this is by tightening the fascia that they used for the connection which would pull my eyelids further off my eyeballs and my eyes would dry out and I'd still go blind... great.


Aaron clearly had it when he was born -------> (p.s. the red hair you see in this picture is gone... it's blond now :} )

We took Aaron to see a doctor back in September. It took us 2 months to get in. Once we had the visit the doctor told us that there wasn't any immediate danger. He wanted to wait to see if astigmatism would manifest. Once it did, then he would operate. (as a corrective procedure not preventative... and there was no guarantee that his astigmatism would go away after the surgery)

That didn't sit well with me but he's the doctor, not me, right?

Well, a month went by and I was still bothered by what the doctor said. I kept a close eye on Aaron and I felt like his eye was drooping even more. He also started lifting his head up to see rather than lifting his eyelids.

So I called the other eye doctor that Aaron's physician had suggested. We were in to see him less than a week later. He took one look at Aaron and completely disagreed with the first doctor. He also said that while astigmatism can develop, it isn't common - the more common and serious problem was amblyopia or neurological blindness... where he stops communicating with that eye all together because his eyelid covers more than half of his iris and pupil. The doctor set us up with a surgeon whom we are meeting with next week. He will then have surgery a week or 2 after Thanksgiving. We don't know if the surgeon will operate on both eyes or just his left eye which is the worst (though both of them droop).

Because the doctor was so concerned that he would develop amblyopia, he sent us home with eye patches. He asked me to once a day for a few hours patch Aaron's right eye, forcing him to use his left eye. Aaron doesn't much like the patch but he's been a trooper so far. He fussed a bit when I first put it on and then decided it was too much work to hold his eye open and went to sleep... He woke up and was playing just fine though he every once in a while starts to whine - but who wouldn't! Not only does he have a patch on his eye, but he's still sore from his shots yesterday and he's got at least 2 teeth coming in...  Poor kid. When I took it off he had his eyes closed and once he opened them and realized that he could see with both eyes he alternated smiling and crying - my guess is he was crying cause he was so excited and happy.

Even though this is the scarier option (surgery) it definitely feels more right and I am more calm about this than I was about waiting for a problem to develop.

I can only hope that Aaron doesn't have the long lasting effects that I have had from the surgery (headaches and still droopy eyes) but if he does at least he will be able to see.

Our little family would appreciate any and all prayers on our behalf as we goes through all of this in the next month or so.


Monday, November 7, 2011

Contortionist

Aaron's tried several methods for rolling from his back to his stomach. Usually he tries rolling his hips and legs and fails to move his shoulders and back...

This time, he tried to roll his shoulders and back and failed to move his hips and legs.

He ended up back on his back, but I thought he looked so funny - I just had to share!


Saturday, November 5, 2011

Blogger Quiz

I've seen this floating around and thought I'd do it. :D



A.  Age: 22
B.  Best Friend:  Eric of course!!!
C.  Chore That You Hate: Dishes...ugh. Our sink is so small that I am easily overwhelmed. Plus, they smell - and no garbage disposal...
D.  Dogs:  none
E.  Essential Start To Your Day:  A kiss from Eric
F.  Favorite Color:  Green! Any shade but olive. I also like pink.
G.  Gold or Silver:  Silver
H.  Height:  5'1.75"
I.  Instruments You Play:  Does your voice count? Cause otherwise I'm really out of practice in my other 3 instruments so I don't know if they count... (Piano - it's been a few months, Alto Saxophone - it's been a few years, and Clarinet - it's been a long time)
J.  Job Title:  Homemaker
K.  Kids:  Just Aaron
L.  Live: Utah -- but soon to be OREGON!
M.  Mother's Name:  Patricia
N.  Nicknames:  Jessie ... Mama ... My sister once tried to call me J-Dawg but it never stuck, thank goodness (sorry Laura)
O.  Overnight Hospital Stays:  Oh boy... I've had 3 surgeries on my eyes, my appendix and I've had a baby. (luckily I was an "outpatient" for my gallbladder surgery and my other visits haven't been over night)
P.  Pet Peeve:  People not using their turn signals when driving!
Q.  Quote From A Movie: These mashed potatoes are so creamy...
R.  Right or Left Handed:  Right
S.  Siblings:  Laura, Lissa (+Kenny), Thomas, Mikayla, Kestra, and Anna (And then there's also Jon, Amanda, Michael, Heather, Tyler, Kelsey, and Rachel)
T.  Time You Wake Up:  hahhahahahahaha Whenever Aaron makes me
U.  Ultimate Vacation:  I'd love to go on a Cruise - I hear they're fun!
V.  Vegetable You Hate: rotten avocado. Avocados are great but once they're brown - ugh
W.  What Makes You Run Late:  hmmmmm Just about anything - I'm great at coming up with excuses to not leave my house
X.  X-Rays You've Had:  The only ones I can think of are from when I sprained my rib (Soccer) and when I dislocated my shoulder (Ultimate Frisbee).
Y.  Yummy Food You Make:  I love my crockpot so I'm going to say my Cafe Rio pulled pork and my Chipotle chicken
Z.  Zoo Animal:  Red Panda

On The Move

Mickey Mouse is in the same place and position as Aaron when I laid him down for his nap...

As always, Aaron is never in the same place when he wakes up. Though, I think this is the first time he's rolled over before I got him.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Reusable Project

Remember these little guys?

Well, I was cleaning my house today putting away all of the Halloween decorations and I wondered if I could use these again. I started thinking and came up with... TURKEYS!

I needed the back to be strong enough so that when I gave my turkeys their "feathers" they wouldn't be top heavy. So rather than use felt or a colored piece of paper I used cardstock and hot-glued twine in a circular pattern. I then gave them feathers and giblets.

Since I don't have a mantle to decorate, I decorate my bookshelf instead.

What Has Aaron Been Up To?

Aaron's been playing with toys (isn't this progression of pictures cute?)




Aaron's been learning how to hold his own bottle


Aaron's been standing around



Aren't those shoes the cutest?

He also loves to sing which is why his mouth is open. :D We went to a Jazz concert last night and at first he tried to sing with the bands (probably because he and I sing together at home)... it didn't last long, he loved listening to the music too much.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween from Lumiere, Belle, and Cogsworth!

All costumes were put together by me... (my dress was tag-team sewn by me and my younger [not little cause she's taller than me] sister Lissa - Thanks again!!!)

We gave out candy at a trunk-or-treat on Saturday


My bangs kept falling out of the hair do - which is ok since that happens in the movie all the time...

On Monday we took Aaron trick-or-treating with my family.
My dad really enjoyed showing him off! (so did I, of course!)
In retrospect, I should have glued the head piece to a hat not a ribbon...
It would have kept his poor head warm while we were out.
Luckily, the weather was perfect!

Advice

Yes, I am aware that it is WAY too late for me to be writing a blog post... but I was laying awake in bed thinking about my family.

As a sister it is my job to listen to my siblings and (unless it is BLATANTLY obvious that they are wrong) agree with them that the world is out to get them...
But sometimes I want to give advice but I don't know how it will be received... but I WANT to give that advice. So I thought, how about I give it here... anonymously -   o_O

Sibling #1: Branch out - give up the headband and the chicken. Life is so much cooler when you have more to choose from!

Sibling #2: You are working way too hard... you can't do everything. Prioritize and don't sweat what you can't get done.

Sibling 2.5# You also work too hard... but I appreciate you working hard. Just make sure you and Sibling #2 get out and have fun every once in a while.

Sibling #3: Life isn't as dramatic as it seems. Sometimes you don't have a choice and pouting about it will not get you out of the things you don't want to do. So have fun anyway. Make it work for you.

Sibling #4: You are growing up WAY too fast. Remember that you don't always have the answers. Respect your mom a bit more - she's just trying to help.

Sibling #5: sometimes it doesn't matter what conclusion you come to - it is simply good that you made a decision. Relax. You'll realize someday how wonderful it is to have an opinion.

Sibling #6: ...*facepalm* ... To quote Mrs. Potts, "it'll turn out all right in the end, you'll see."

There... now after I post about Halloween, perhaps I'll be able to fall asleep!