Thanksgiving Overview

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of Family, Friends and Food. The "3 F's" as we call it in our family...what is better than that?

But with every wonderful thing, we also had...the cold. All of us are sick: Livi, Luke, Spencer, my mom and Spencer...yuck! Most of our nights were spent up with Livi because of her coughing...this made for some LONG NIGHTS! Anyway...

Tuesday: Mom and Dad drove to our home. Andru, Marilee and Kids came too and stayed with Marilee's sister, Natalie.

Wednesday: we drove out to Painesville (east of Kirtland) to Natalie and Gregg's home. We had a great time preparing the pies and the main course for the Thanksgiving feast! Thankfully the pies got done and we had dessert. Apparantly there is a tradition that my parent's started a few years ago to eat PIE and dessert the night before since there wouldn't be any room AFTER the feast. All the pies were DELICIOUS! We had 2 pecan pies, a cranberry/apple pie, pumpkin, keylime and a frozen mint icecream pie. My favorites were pecan and the cranberry/apple. YUM!

Thursday: We drove back out for dinner and it was wonderful. I must say...my mom is an AMAZINGLY good cook! (Yes, other's helped too! Natalie, LUke, Marilee, Me, etc) I also don't think that she minded cooking in Natalie's GORGEOUS kitchen either! It was a beautiful evening and meal. We ended up playing games as a family: signs, potholder, apples to apples. Then we brought out the rest of the pies (thank goodness we had some leftover!!) and played Ticket to Ride and Settlers. Of course I forgot my camera BOTH nights!!

Friday: Today we spent the afternoon/evening in Kirtland. The Metropark out in that area have a Candy Land exhibit where the kids can go and play a life-like version of it. It was BEAUTIFUL and the kids had a great time. We did some gingerbread crafts, walked through the Nature Park and then went to Panera for dinner. Candy Land:

Giant Lollipops

A bit later we traveled BACK to Kirtland to see the tree Lighting and Nativities.. Wow! They had 3 rooms dedicated to the different nativities. The school house was full of Nativities from around the world (Uganda, Germany, Phillipines, etc), upstairs in the Visitor's Center they had a room for the kids' nativities and they were allowed to play with them...and the other room was dedicated to the Nativities that other's had brought. There were hundreds of them! Unfortunately with a tired toddler, we left early before I could take a picture, but it was truly amazing and it was a sight to remember. We love Kirtland!

Nativities from around the world:

UgandaRwanda
Saturday: We slept in and slept all day! We spent time together and went out to eat and to the mall. Finished the night with Harry Potter 5.

Sunday: mom and dad left to go home. Hope that they miss the HUGE snowstorm blowing in! Thanks for coming and hanging out with us...we had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving and hopefully we can see you at Christmas!

Death and Thanksgiving

I know this is a WEIRD title, but it seemed quite appropriate since this last weekend. It seems that the holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, or at least the cold month holidays) are full of death and sadness. Morbid thought, yes. Truthful, yes.

Luke's paternal grandmother died this past weekend after a year+ battle with brain cancer. It was sad that she had to suffer, but wonderful that she died pretty peacefully, without pain.

A few months back Grandpa put her in a nursing home because she needed more help than he could provide at home. Luke and I didn't quite understand how bad it was until we emailed Iris (Luke's mom) last week and she explain what state Grandma was in. It was pretty bad. Up until putting her in the nursing home, she had been in quite a bit of pain, but the nursing home was able to provide her with the medication she needed.

This past Saturday we received a call that Grandma had gone into a coma. They didn't expect her to live long, not even through the night, so everyone was able to prepare themselves. We got a call around 1a.m. that she had passed. The most amazing part? She came out of her coma for a few minutes, looked at Grandpa and then passed on. How beautiful is that?

What's not so beautiful? They weren't members of the Church, so they believed that instead of seeing each other again, that they were resting forever. I guess that is better than thinking other things, but sad nonetheless. I guess it's even sadder that they WERE members of the Church a LONG time ago, but left.

On a brighter note, I am so thankful that as members of the Church, we KNOW there is life after death and that we can live with our family members again someday. So thankful that some of my family will be spending Thanksgiving with us and eating LOTS of fantastic food!!

What are you thankful for on this TUESDAY before Thanksgiving?

Love bite?

Spencer has a habit of biting. It is getting better, but he still bites or at least he pretends to bite. Lately he has decided to run around chomping his teeth when he is mad or angry at Livi (or me or luke).

I have told Livi to do one of the following:
1.) Push him enough to get away and RUN!
2.) Yell and run and get me.

Apparantly she didn't get the memo because I caught HER biting Spencer on the cheek today and she left quite the mark. **I'll take pictures after his nap**

Needless to say, do you have any parenting tips on how to STOP the biting? I know some moms bite back, but honestly, what kind of message would I be sending my child if I BITE him/her?

PLUS, when the Social Service worker comes to take my kids and sees MY TEETH marks on them, how am I supposed to explain it? ;)

Gas Prices

Holy cow! I can't believe how much the gas prices have gone down over the last few weeks. I thought it was noteworthy to tell the world how much I paid to fill up my SUV this past week. There was a 1/4 of a tank and I filled it up for $13.48! Wowzer!



Alright, here is the reason why:

$1.79 gal, BUT since we shop at Giant Eagle and they participate in fuelperks, we get $$ off PER GALLON when we shop there. SO, we got a $1 off EACH gallon.....$.79/gal! Seriously, it has been a great week!

Update: I guess I should clarify. We do get $ 0.10 off per $10 we spend (0r something like that) BUT we let it build up and that's how we got $1 off per gallon.

Ohhhh, we did have some takers!!

Also, I posted that Chili recipe that I tried this past week...check it out HERE!
Oh, and like I said in the 2nd to last post, I have a recipe blog and there are some DANG good recipes on there. Go.... check it out!

Thank you for your chili recipes...I WILL be trying these in the next few weeks! (Gotta space them out so luke doesn't protest!)

Stevie: I have a DIVINE White Bean Chili Soup recipe you have to try! It might be similar to the one you are talking about...yum-my! Also, I add sour cream to mine when I am eating it and it's even better!

No takers?!

Wow, no takers on the chili challenge? Sad, so sad! ;)

Here's the one I made this past week, but I have mixed feelings about it. This could be done in the crockpot. Also, it didn't have enough spice for me. I ran out of chili powder (who does that?!) and it didn't have the kick I wanted. The tabasco added a bit of spice, but it wasn't the kind that I wanted. I will try again for a better recipe!

Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans (great northern, butter beans, etc) drained and rinsed
1 diced onion
8 cloves of garlic, minced (I used 6)
1 29 oz. tomatoes (I had one can diced and one can stewed..yum!)
1 15oz. tom. sauce
3 TB. Chili powder (I used less and I wish I would've used more!)
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 TB. tabasco (I used 1/2 TB and it actually needed less)

Brown meat and drain. Add everything else and simmer.

On the lookout!

I am on the lookout for a fantastic chili recipe! I know, I know, this is a bit random, but go with me here.

Marrying into Luke's family, his mom has her "Bean Soup" which could be considered chili and I really like it, but at the same time, there is more of a sweetness to it than the traditional good old chili.

I have made about 4 different types of chili and the one last night was fairly good, but I still have to convince Luke of that (he isn't a soup, chili person!! shame!) So, if any of you have a great recipe, let me know!!

I do have a recipe blog (yes, I am one of 2 million), but check it out anyway. I have tried EVERY ONE! Oh, and I have stolen a few, but that's what recipes are all about, right? Foodaholiccooks.blogspot.com

Traditions

It's amazing what and how traditions play a part in our home each year. We have built single traditions (before we were married with our families) and over the course of our 8 years together (7 married years!) and now that we have children.

THANKSGIVING:
My family used to go to the Museum of Science and Industry EVERY SINGLE THANKSGIVING DAY. We brought turkey sandwiches and spent the entire day there. It really was amazing. They have so many exhibits, it was free, and the Christmas Trees from around the world always amazed me! They are beautiful! Oh, and who can forget the Omnimax theater? Always a joy! Then we would have a big turkey dinner and stuff our faces!

Luke's family: they spent the day together, cooking and enjoying each other. Then the next morning at 5a.m. sharp we would go out on Black Friday and push and shove our ways through the LONG and TERRIFYING CROWDS!! It was completely crazy, freezing cold, but the McD's breakfast was always a pleasure!

CHRISTMAS:
Here are some of our traditions from being single:
Katie's family: Being mostly German our family(mom's side) used to have a HUGE christmas dinner on Christmas Eve (usually created by Mom..and EVERYTHING WAS FANTASTIC!! We also started having the Stake Presidency over to the house for dinner when my dad had the calling. My mom would also create ice cream bowls..beyond divine..and we would eat Peppermint Icecream out of them..) and act out the Birth of Jesus story. Then we would open ALL of our presents from parents, siblings, aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents, etc. Of course we loved this tradition!! Then we would watch one of the movies we had received and go to bed. We also would find a Christmas Puzzle and put it together as a family. My mom would then glue them and hang them up as decorations in their home.
Christmas Day: We would wake up to the smell of Swedish Pancakes being cooked (My dad's side is swedish). We would open all of the presents left from Santa Claus and have a great relaxing day together.
Luke's family: Like most family's out there, Luke's side only opens one present (usually pjs) and then everything is left for the next day. They eat some AMAZING prime rib and have a good family night watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (classic). Then the adults would spend all night putting together the kid's toys. We would also play Risk, XBOX, watch movies and sometimes do a puzzle.
Christmas Day: lounge all day opening presents, etc. I also started making my mom's cheese soup in bread bowls and that started a bit of a Kirkham tradition.

Being married we just did whatever tradition per what household we were at...until last year. Last year we spent at home by ourselves! It was so very different and yet, wonderful. We had some friend's over and made the cheesy bread bowls with homemade rolls and it was great!
Christmas Eve: We compromised. Luke didn't like opening ALL the presents, so we settled for opening PJ's, a present from the grandparents and one from us to each other/the kids. It was about 4 presents and we really liked the compromise. We all slept out in front of the tree...on a mattress and it was so fun! We also acted out the Nativity story.
Christmas Day: Lounged and called our families and then had a big breakfast. Did I mention lounge??

Other traditions...Christmas just isn't Christmas without Bing belting out his Christmas tunes. Or the smell of hot chocolate and marshmellows...or cinnamon. We also go all out with the Christmas decorations. We were handed down a ceramic town from Luke's side and have started the tradition of collecting Santas and Snowmen. I must say, it isn't a huge ocllection, but a great one. We also are buying nutcrackers (this is from my side) and we hide the PICKLE. I remember we used to go Caroling...but that hasn't stuck.

Other random WINTER traditions: Sledding. Who can resist in Idaho? Yeah, that reminds me...I went sledding when I was almost 5 months pregnant with Spencer and ended up at the chiropractors office. Note to self: Don't do that again!
Ohhh, another tradition that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! We used to jam pack in to Jeramy's truck (Luke's brother) and drive around Idaho Falls with hot chocolate, listening to Christmas music and looking at lights. We really, REALLY miss this...and hope to continue it when we get back, but until then, we'll continue it (minus hot chocolate) with the kids.

We do have other traditions that I can't think of right now, but until then..what are some of your traditions?! I would love to hear what other people do.

Update: Torticollis

Well for those of you that wanted an update here goes nothing. I am currently in a neck "cushion" or soft neck brace. Yeah, wonderful, I know. Here's what happened.

I started feeling better on Tuesday --YAY! I even made this fantastic Pasta Faglioli (Olive Garden) and it was so yummy.

Wednesday morning the kids woke up around 8:30 and I went to look at the clock and something literally snapped in my neck. I couldn't move. I thought it was just a neck kink, something that would go away in about 15 minutes...after lying flat on my back in bed for 20 minutes I knew something else was going on...it wasn't a pretty picture. I wouldn't say that I was paralyzed, but I would say that I definitely could not move without a MAJOR amount of pain. I yelled for Livi to bring me the phone and called Luke repeatedly...he finally answered and hung up on me..I started BAWLING!! (I later found out he was in an important meeting with the Bosses...oops!) I felt like I was completely alone and the kids finally figured something was wrong and came in to help. Spencer was wigging out a bit and was trying to climb into bed with me...and finally to calm him down I told him to go get a book and read it to me. Livi got my jeans and I was somehow able to get them part-way on.

I got a phone call from Luke who wasn't too worried at first, until I told him I had been lying in bed for a while. He thought it was a kink in the neck..it definitely wasn't. So, he called Amy, Lisa and Dorothy. Things started happening pretty fast...thank HEAVENS for the Relief Society. I can honestly say that those ladies (and all the rest of them that helped with dinners) were heaven sent and I couldn't have gotten anything done without them.

Lisa got there first, soon followed by Dorothy and Livi let them in...we called my family Dr. to see what they would say and they said to go to the ER. So after a few moments of trying to get me out of bed without hurting too bad and getting me dressed Dorothy took the kids back to her house for breakfast and Lisa ran me over to the ER. After being there a bit we went back and after explaining that I was pregnant the Dr's completely shied away from doing any sort of X-Ray or CAT scan. They moved my neck back and forth as much as I would let them and they said it was Toriticollis. They prescribed a muscle relaxer that they said was safe in pregnancy, but I wanted to make sure and I called my OB-GYN's office. All of the nurses were at a conference, so Dr. Bacevice gave me a call back to say that the Torticollis could be caused because of the anti-nausea meds I have been taking. Scary!

Anyway, after talking a little longer and then talking to the nurse, Linda (yes, we are fast becoming great friends) they said that it could be the Compazine I was on. Since I had been on the Zofran for 3+ weeks they didn't think it was that, but since I had been on Compazine for 3 days and had some other side effects, they were pretty sure that was the cause. ( I now have an allergy to medication)

We came back and met Dorothy before she brought the kids over to Amy's house. I feel so bad that my house was FILTHY!! It was beyond gross (mostly because I had been sick over the weekend) and so when we got inside, Lisa cleaned. She was wonderful...she got me comfortable, cleaned, and called Brother Kerr to give me a blessing. She left a little later and I just sat on the couch the rest of the afternoon with my head tilted to the left. What would've I done without an amazing visiting teacher?! Thank you LISA!

I ended up sleeping upright on the couch that night. It was horrible!

We were so blessed to get dinners from Yvonne, Sister Mortensen and Andrea. Thank you everyone who helped and watched our kids.

Thursday:
Luke stayed home. Poor guy! He was so willing to come home on Wednesday when he found out how bad it was, but he would have to take a taxi and had already stayed home SO MUCH this past month (at least once or twice a week!!).

Anyway, the Ob's office called and wanted me to come in for an appointment. Dorothy took the kids and we went. They told me to get off of Zofran just to be sure. (I got too sick on Friday night and started them back up...guess I should call and let the nurse know!) Then we called an orthopedic Dr. and they got me in right away. He gave me the neck brace, thank goodness! I look fantastic in it! ;) Anyway, we went to pick up the kids and guess what? Livi had gotten the flu and threw up all over Dorothy's house...go figure. When it rains it pours! She was sick that night and then was perfectly fine on Friday! (YAY!)

So, that's where we are at right now. The neck is starting to slowly feel better, but now I am getting pretty strong headaches. I slept in bed on Thursday and Friday night on my back and now my lower back hurts, but I am able to move my neck to the right a bit. I showered by myself today, but I still can't drive.

Things are starting to get better, but we had quite an eventful 2 weeks! Hope that things start to settle down so that Luke can save up some sick leave for when the baby gets here! I'm so excited that my parent's are coming for Thanksgiving..that will be so nice, BUT we have to clean our place...it starts now! :)

Again, thanks for all of the well-wishes and comments. I am currently 10 1/2 weeks and am due at the end of May/beginning of June. We really are excited for the little peanut to add to our family!

Whoa!

This post is long coming since I have been MIA for a few days. I can't believe how sick some people can get...I don't mean sick minded, I mean sick throwing up until there is nothing left to throw up and still your body finds more ways to make you throw up. Yeah, that would be me. You might want to stop reading this if you will get sick. I'm not one to keep anything in, if you know me at all...so read at your own risk.

After hearing from her about her household situation and then another friend getting it...I knew it was only a matter of time before our family was hit by THE BUG.

Last Monday morning around 5 a.m. Livi comes RUNNING in our room to say that Spencer had thrown up. SHE WAS FAST! I have no idea how she was able to wake up that quickly because from what we heard on the monitor to how fast she was..maybe a 10 second window, AMAZING KID! Anyway, Luke was on clean up duty (good, good man) and cleaned it up fairly quickly, but was quite grumpy because he had to wake up pretty soon after. Later on that day, Spencer threw up again, but wasn't big, we just all stayed home and had a sick day. Luke on the other hand went to work and ended up texted me and said he was sick. (Sidenote: This man RARELY gets sick, so if he says he is sick, you know he is telling the truth!) He gets home off the bus and I somehow have homemade chicken noodle soup waiting for him and his sweats laid out on the bed. His stomach remained really queasy into Tuesday, so he stayed home...and played mom, because I am doing the whole pregnancy thing (yeah, btw, I'm pregnant and not happy about it apparantly. This will be our last one!)

Luke also had Wednesday off because of my dr's appointment and so we all spent some time together.

Fast forward to Friday, Halloween. Yeah, you guessed it. I GET SICK! I just thought the pregnancy thing was getting to me, until I started getting pretty bad. I was on some new medication that made me short of breath and I HATE feeling that way, so I called the on-call nurse, Linda (btw, is it a bad thing when the WHOLE office knows you by name and greets you when you call...or when they have your home number memorized?! Seriously, this has never happened before, but then again, I never had complications like this before!) After switching my medication, I started throwing up (not related) and I called in dead to trick-or-treating and stayed all by my lonesome...sad! ;( Everyone came home happy and full of candy (thanks Greg and Amy...they had a blast!)

Saturday I lounged around thinking I was getting better and we did our new-found ritual of going out to eat on Saturday nights. (Ok, we normally go out to eat on Saturdays, I only say "new-found" ritual because I want to and it adds a bit of flair) Anyway, I was STARVING when we got to T.G.I.Fridays and we had a 20 minute wait, so by the time they got ANY thing to our table, I was already at the sick era. I made it through dinner and came home and had to take 4 milk of magnesia and other things due to some "other" issues.

I woke up on sunday and was clearly not going to church. I was sick. I honestly don't know how often I was in the bathroom throwing up...but it wasn't pretty. Thankfully Linda got me through most of it and I was one throw up away from the ER. The last call I made to her was at 9p.m. that night and she said to give her a call if anything came up (pun intended?) ANyway, I threw up at 10, but didn't call her. The kids were in bed already and if I was going to go to the hospital, that would mean we needed to get someone over here, etc, etc...so I stayed home. I was up all night. Literally, all night. Have you ever throw up for 12+ straight hours? It does a number on your back and your belly. I was in so much pain I slept from 10:30 to 2:45am and then didn't get any sleep. It was miserable.

Luke stayed home again on Monday and played mom while I continued to feel sick. Linda called me at home and made sure I was alive. I told her all that had happened and since I can't even keep the anti-nausea meds down, they got me some the dissolve on my tongue...cool and disgusting. Long, long story short..I'm still throwing up. Last nights dinner was swimming with the fishes down the porceline express. I'm not really happy about it. I have no water left in my body. Honestly. I can't drink anything more than a tsp. or it comes up. But I have faith that today is a new day and I will be able to keep down something liquid. I really want a tall glass of water...that's all I want. Not pop. not ginger ale. not milk. nothing but water. So all of you out there...drink a cup or two for me.

PS. I am happy about baby #3, just not about being pregnant. Pregnancy and I don't get along very well!