Spring Break was a BUST!!!

I knew luck was not on my side my first hour into spring break. I was driving to Salt Lake City, Friday afternoon; I drive about 79-80 mph and stay in or close to the fast lane most of the time. I was approaching a slower car and inched up on it (urging it to move to a slower lane, I wasn't trying to be rude, but I am sure I could have been more considerate). The van moved over and let me pass. As I pass the van I notice the entire family in the car waving at us. I realize it was one of my neighbors driving to Utah as well. I was completely embarrassed!!!

We arrive in Salt Lake that night with no problem. The next day I get the kids dressed and have a big day planned: park, swimming, visit great grandma and cousins, etc.. We get to my old elementary school to play at the new play ground. Maddie decides to try these funky monkey bars that twist, 30 seconds later she is on the ground calling for help. Her arm is twisted and looks mangled! We spend most of the day in Urgent Care and in the emergency room; Maddie broke her arm in two places.

Maddie spent most of spring break on Grandma's couch with her arm propped. The boys were great, but had to spend most of our trip at grandma's while we nursed Maddie back to health; Grandma did take the boys to a "Jungle Jim's" which was a blast. It snowed most of the time so we left a day early to beat a big storm that was expected. On the way home Zach complained of ear pain. I figured it was just pressure in his ears because we were driving through mountains, but the next day he was in constant pain. The pediatrician said both ears were infected, and his ear drum burst at the pharmacy as we waited for his antibiotics to be filled!!

My spring break was a bust!!!!!


For good news. . .
1. We originally thought Maddie would need surgery because they couldn't get the bone to align correctly, but today the X-Rays showed that there was slight improvement, so they think within a few weeks it will correct itself. . .plus she is young and bones tend to heal better at a young age. She got her arm casted today and of course chose hot pink.

2. Our 12 week weight loss competition ended today!!! I will write another update on that tomorrow when I get my family's weight loss numbers. Together Dan and I have lost 55 LB's!!!!!! We look and feel like different people. I can feel bones I didn't even know existed in my own body!! Dan looks like a new person and will have to have everything tailored and taken in! He is super S-E-X-Y!! It will be nice to eat a bit more normally again, however Dan wants to lose 8 more lbs before he is done!!

This Is For My Husband

My husband and I love "The Office." Last Thursday my husband replayed this segment of "The Office" over and over again. I thought you might all enjoy a good laugh today.

Zach's Creative Kite

Zach's Kindergarten class is having a kite parade this Friday to celebrate the first day of spring. For his homework he was given a white kite and told to decorate it any way he wanted it. . .it just had to be creative. For the past few days we have been trying to decide what to do with it. Finally last night he decided he wanted to do a kite all about him. We looked through magazines and found lots of things that describe him-- from Spiderman to Happy Meals and M & M's to Baseball. Today he spent two hours decorating it perfectly!! Take a look.

We typed words that described him and used them for the tail and the border of the kite.

This next kite is Jackson's. . .he just wanted in on the fun. His turned out very cute too.

He was very proud of it.

Bring on Spring!!

New York

My trip to New York came and went, but it was one of the most memorable trips I have ever had. It started late Wednesday night as I met mom at the Salt Lake airport. We flew all night so we would be in New York bright and early. Meg met us at the JFK to help us navigate through the Subways. . .a good thing because it can be very over-whelming. We went to her apartment and slept for two hours to give us energy for a long, adventurous day, and a busy weekend!! Instead of giving a travel log, I thought I would write some random things about my trip.

* The highlight of the trip for me was the Broadway play "Mama Mia" Thursday night. We enjoyed delicious (and guilt free) Italian Food before the play. We probably walked 18 miles that day. The play was absolutely amazing. . .I'm not even an ABBA fan and still loved everything; you gotta love men in tight Elvis pants!!

*Trader Joe's totally rocks. We enjoyed nuts, dried fruit, and other delicious foods you can only get there.

*New York Pizza is everything I thought it would be and more. . .soooooo delicious.

*We stumbled upon this amazing New York bagel place, the line was out the door so we figured it must be good, the cream cheese was probably two inches thick.

*I saw my first rat in the subway station my second to last day. It was awesome and gross at the same time.

*I was expecting totally rude people in New York, but we met some of the most friendly people. Meg lives on Graham Avenue . Many shop people waved as we walked by every day. The ice cream man down the street, was one of the nicest men I have ever me. He has lived in the same apartment since he was a boy. He told us about his experience during September 11th as he stood on the corner of his ice cream shop and watched the towers come down, you could see the sadness in his eyes as he recounted that tragic day.

*Cream ice is just as good as ice cream, but without all the guilt.

*The pizza man under my sister's apartment told me he would fatten me up with his pizza. . .I have never been told I need to fatten up!! I guess my diet is paying off!

*I ate 1/3 of a cupcake for lunch (The three of us split one)!!! The calorie content was probably as much as an entire McDonald's extra value meal, but it was delicious!!

*The "L" train was the cleanest of all the subways-- we used hand sanitizer everywhere we went!!

*I can see why everyone loves to shop in New York. I have never seen so many stores!!

*Real New Yorker's accents are sooooo cool. I love the way the say "Brooklyn."

*I now know what a person smells like if they haven't had a shower in years!! You can smell them over 100 feet away. . .sooooooo sad.

*I touched a purse that was over $2,000 dollars. I can't imagine paying that much for my entire families wardrobe, let alone one purse!!!

*Everyone thought my sister and I were twins-- which is funny because she is totally beautiful, almost six feet tall, and could be mistaken for a model . . .should I be flattered??

*New York really is the melting pot of our country. What an amazing city!!

Burnin' Down the House

Dear MoM anD dAd,

I aM soRRy i almOst bURned dowN the HOusE SaTUrdaY.

i Was JUst WoNderInG wHat WoUlD haPPen if I STufFed a boOk inTo ZacH's Lamp SHade. If DaD Hadn't sMelleD Smoke in tHe HousE I MighT haVe bUrned it Down!! iT realLY was An aCCident!! i won'T do it AGain!! it was a gooD thinG moM foUNd it whEn she diD. I gueSS the flameS and the Smoke werE a gooD clue. i Almost didn'T fesS up. . .too bad ZacH blEw my coVEr, i kneW I couldn't trust HIm with My seCret.

i don't KNow why the HoUse sTill smeLl's liKe sMoke afTer thRee dAys!! Hey, i got a GOod ideA, cAn we RoAst Marshmallows neXT tiMe??

XOXO,

jaCKsoN