I just found out (and confirmed on the kutv website) that President Hinckley died. I know he made it to 97 years old and that he was certainly thrilled to reunite with loved ones, (and celestial beings, for that matter) it is sad nonetheless. He was the president and prophet of the church throughout my formative young adult years :) Someday when I talk about him to my children and grandchildren they'll say, "wow! you were alive when President Hinckley was the prophet! You are old!" :)
I love him and all he did for the church. He was truly a prophet of God and I have a strong testimony of that. You know that temples and 'media' will always stick out when we speak of him and remember him. I know that President Monson will be a wonderful prophet-and I look forward to all that will happen while he is president and prophet.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
We're not in Kansas Anymore!
So I taught my new ESL class on this week. It is going to be sooooo awesome! Last semester I only had 2 students who didn't speak spanish, and they both spoke Arabic. So far this semester I have:
* Several from Mexico
* An older woman from Iran
* An 85 year old man from China (HOLY COW!)
* An 18 year old girl from Russia
* A brother and sister (18, 20) from Vietnam
* A 20 something woman from Korea
* A 20 something woman from Ethiopia
* and several who've been in the US for decades and still are struggling to learn English.
Many of my students are PROFESSIONALS (nurses, teachers, engineers) in their home countries but have come with spouses for phd programs, or to live with their grown children, etc.
I am so glad about all of this because they HAVE TO SPEAK ENGLISH TO EACH OTHER TO COMMUNICATE! I'm going to have to keep an eye on it though, because after 2 class periods birds of a feather (spanish speakers) are flocking together. I always remind them that how much English they learn is really up to them. I only see them 8 hours a week, so what they do on their own time is a huge factor.
On a similarly related note, you really don't need to speak English to live in Las Cruces, or New Mexico for that matter. Spanish is an official language of the state, and I'm not exagerrating when I say that no matter where you go, from walmart, to the drs' office to the court, someone will be there to speak spanish to you. It is good for ' the masses' but not so good for many other reasons. A good handful of my students are hear learning English because they have a degree from a university in Mexico, but they can't get a good job IN MEXICO because they don't speak English. Now there's some irony for you.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this semester and all the tales it will bring :)
* Several from Mexico
* An older woman from Iran
* An 85 year old man from China (HOLY COW!)
* An 18 year old girl from Russia
* A brother and sister (18, 20) from Vietnam
* A 20 something woman from Korea
* A 20 something woman from Ethiopia
* and several who've been in the US for decades and still are struggling to learn English.
Many of my students are PROFESSIONALS (nurses, teachers, engineers) in their home countries but have come with spouses for phd programs, or to live with their grown children, etc.
I am so glad about all of this because they HAVE TO SPEAK ENGLISH TO EACH OTHER TO COMMUNICATE! I'm going to have to keep an eye on it though, because after 2 class periods birds of a feather (spanish speakers) are flocking together. I always remind them that how much English they learn is really up to them. I only see them 8 hours a week, so what they do on their own time is a huge factor.
On a similarly related note, you really don't need to speak English to live in Las Cruces, or New Mexico for that matter. Spanish is an official language of the state, and I'm not exagerrating when I say that no matter where you go, from walmart, to the drs' office to the court, someone will be there to speak spanish to you. It is good for ' the masses' but not so good for many other reasons. A good handful of my students are hear learning English because they have a degree from a university in Mexico, but they can't get a good job IN MEXICO because they don't speak English. Now there's some irony for you.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this semester and all the tales it will bring :)
Sick Sick Sick
Hopefully this post will be somewhat therapeutic for me since it will most likely sound like ranting, raving, and whining for everybody else. Its all about the sick James
James got a runny nose on Tuesday and it was no big deal. Runny nose and a little cough and fever on Wednesday, no big deal. More of the same on Thursday with a bit of fever and most of Friday. However, Friday afternoon after his nap he was pretty much inconsolable, which is soooo not like our mellow boy. We hemmed and hawed for a bit and then headed off to find an open urgent care clinic, since it was about closing time for regular Drs. We walked in and then right out of 2 because the lines were so long. We eventually ended up waiting for our ''preferred one" to open up. We waited it out at Wendy's where James decided that eating chicken nuggets and french fries wouldn't be soooo terrible :)
You want to know what the worst thing is about Urgent Care Clinics? PEOPLE WHO GO THERE ARE SICK!!!!! I spent the hour that we were waiting to be seen OBSESSING about how many MORE GERMS James was picking up by playing with the toys and being near other children. I seriously used hand sanitizer on that kid 3 times while we were waiting. We took him in because we suspected an ear/throat infection despite our valiant attempts at giving him children's echinacea in all his beverages. When we was seen, he was a perfect angel letting the two aides/nurses take his temp, oxygen saturation, height, weight, etc. (He is 44 lbs, 39 inches. yep, 21 months and 3 feet, 3 inches!) His oxygen saturation was low and the dr. wanted to give him a breathing treatment.
They brought in a little medicing cup full of some steroid and we just looked at them and said, "good luck" and gave a brief explanation of all our woes in giving James medicine. (I had already been thrown up on twice this week trying to give him some cough med.) They were nice, but they said they were going to 'teach us a good way to give him medicine'. Oh, PLEASE TEACH US! (bit o' sarcasm there). They laid him on his back, held his arms, squirted the medicine in the inside of his cheek and then blew on his face, "so he'd have to swallow". Well, that worked for a few seconds, and then he puked his Wendy's chicken and fries all over the exam table. (Confession: yep, I did feel vindicated and I did not feel badly that they had to clean up his puke.)
After that we gave him the breathing treatment and he was doing better and they prescribed him Albuterol and Pulmicort for us to give him breathing treatments at home with a nebulizer, zyrtec, (Which is actually over the counter now and sooooo much cheaper, hallelujah!) and an antibiotic. We tried to tell them that we wouldn't have much luck giving him the antibiotic but they expressed their 'full confidence' in us and sent us on our 'merry' way.
Aside: THANK HEAVENS FOR CHILDREN'S MEDICAID!!!!! I am NOT ASHAMED to use this program. I have worked many years and have been a decent part of society. Medicaid covers EVERYTHING!! His meds alone came out to over $300 not to mention the drs visit and previous hospital stays. YEAH FOR THIS PROGRAM!
Anyway, let me try to be more succint: Breathing treatments at home, no problem. Zyrtec hidden in grape juice, no problem. Azithromyicin or however the heck you spell it, BIG PROBLEM. We tried giving it to him in really sugary applesauce, would not eat it. Tried the oatmeal. Refused. Went and bought a slush from sonic, took one sip and would not anymore. Tried the grape juice. Would not take more than one drink. At this point we are sooo frustrated and Ben and I are not at our best either as parents or partners. When I googled "antibiotic suppository" I found a really snotty Dr's article about how parent's need to teach their children HOW to take medicine. Sigh. When James woke up he was once again inconsoable and clawing at his ear and face. We had to do something so we took him back to the Urgent Care clinic.
When we were seen, Ben and I both had diarrhea of the mouth trying to explain how sick he was and how now we were OUT OF ANTIBIOTIC and James had not taken any. She looked at us and said, "How about the shot? Do you just want me to give him the antibiotic shot?"
I really almost kissed her.
Heck yeah, we'll take the shot! I'm not one of those moms who feels bad when their kid gets a shot. I know that it is for their good and I know that it will stop hurting as soon as they get a sticker or a sucker. James got the shot and he was pretty ticked off, but we got him calmed down. Oh and by the way, he had now developed a raging double ear infection. We waited for a few minutes to make sure he would not have a reaction and then we left so relieved. I know there is a bit of controversy about the antibiotic shot, but seriously, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO????
Anyway, we went and walked around wal*mart for a bit, 'cause it makes james happy and we were even going to get him a Blue's clue's dvd, but they only had the one we already had. He is happier tonight, definitely calmer and so are the parents.
And Karla, I AM RIGHT THERE WITH YOU: James=the only child. How in the heck other mamas have more than one child is BEYOND ME.
James got a runny nose on Tuesday and it was no big deal. Runny nose and a little cough and fever on Wednesday, no big deal. More of the same on Thursday with a bit of fever and most of Friday. However, Friday afternoon after his nap he was pretty much inconsolable, which is soooo not like our mellow boy. We hemmed and hawed for a bit and then headed off to find an open urgent care clinic, since it was about closing time for regular Drs. We walked in and then right out of 2 because the lines were so long. We eventually ended up waiting for our ''preferred one" to open up. We waited it out at Wendy's where James decided that eating chicken nuggets and french fries wouldn't be soooo terrible :)
You want to know what the worst thing is about Urgent Care Clinics? PEOPLE WHO GO THERE ARE SICK!!!!! I spent the hour that we were waiting to be seen OBSESSING about how many MORE GERMS James was picking up by playing with the toys and being near other children. I seriously used hand sanitizer on that kid 3 times while we were waiting. We took him in because we suspected an ear/throat infection despite our valiant attempts at giving him children's echinacea in all his beverages. When we was seen, he was a perfect angel letting the two aides/nurses take his temp, oxygen saturation, height, weight, etc. (He is 44 lbs, 39 inches. yep, 21 months and 3 feet, 3 inches!) His oxygen saturation was low and the dr. wanted to give him a breathing treatment.
They brought in a little medicing cup full of some steroid and we just looked at them and said, "good luck" and gave a brief explanation of all our woes in giving James medicine. (I had already been thrown up on twice this week trying to give him some cough med.) They were nice, but they said they were going to 'teach us a good way to give him medicine'. Oh, PLEASE TEACH US! (bit o' sarcasm there). They laid him on his back, held his arms, squirted the medicine in the inside of his cheek and then blew on his face, "so he'd have to swallow". Well, that worked for a few seconds, and then he puked his Wendy's chicken and fries all over the exam table. (Confession: yep, I did feel vindicated and I did not feel badly that they had to clean up his puke.)
After that we gave him the breathing treatment and he was doing better and they prescribed him Albuterol and Pulmicort for us to give him breathing treatments at home with a nebulizer, zyrtec, (Which is actually over the counter now and sooooo much cheaper, hallelujah!) and an antibiotic. We tried to tell them that we wouldn't have much luck giving him the antibiotic but they expressed their 'full confidence' in us and sent us on our 'merry' way.
Aside: THANK HEAVENS FOR CHILDREN'S MEDICAID!!!!! I am NOT ASHAMED to use this program. I have worked many years and have been a decent part of society. Medicaid covers EVERYTHING!! His meds alone came out to over $300 not to mention the drs visit and previous hospital stays. YEAH FOR THIS PROGRAM!
Anyway, let me try to be more succint: Breathing treatments at home, no problem. Zyrtec hidden in grape juice, no problem. Azithromyicin or however the heck you spell it, BIG PROBLEM. We tried giving it to him in really sugary applesauce, would not eat it. Tried the oatmeal. Refused. Went and bought a slush from sonic, took one sip and would not anymore. Tried the grape juice. Would not take more than one drink. At this point we are sooo frustrated and Ben and I are not at our best either as parents or partners. When I googled "antibiotic suppository" I found a really snotty Dr's article about how parent's need to teach their children HOW to take medicine. Sigh. When James woke up he was once again inconsoable and clawing at his ear and face. We had to do something so we took him back to the Urgent Care clinic.
When we were seen, Ben and I both had diarrhea of the mouth trying to explain how sick he was and how now we were OUT OF ANTIBIOTIC and James had not taken any. She looked at us and said, "How about the shot? Do you just want me to give him the antibiotic shot?"
I really almost kissed her.
Heck yeah, we'll take the shot! I'm not one of those moms who feels bad when their kid gets a shot. I know that it is for their good and I know that it will stop hurting as soon as they get a sticker or a sucker. James got the shot and he was pretty ticked off, but we got him calmed down. Oh and by the way, he had now developed a raging double ear infection. We waited for a few minutes to make sure he would not have a reaction and then we left so relieved. I know there is a bit of controversy about the antibiotic shot, but seriously, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO????
Anyway, we went and walked around wal*mart for a bit, 'cause it makes james happy and we were even going to get him a Blue's clue's dvd, but they only had the one we already had. He is happier tonight, definitely calmer and so are the parents.
And Karla, I AM RIGHT THERE WITH YOU: James=the only child. How in the heck other mamas have more than one child is BEYOND ME.
Monday, January 21, 2008
I know that I am not blogging for the masses here, but recently I am feeling weird about the wide range of people who stop by and read my blog. My parents, my in laws, (hopefully the rest of our family too), college roommates and friends from that 'era', church friends, a handful of friends from way-back-when, a few Internet friends, people who come over from other friends' blogs, boys, girls, women, men, etc. I mean really, who can I rant and rave about if all the people I interact with are reading my comments :) What if you are sitting there reading my blog and think that I write about weird stuff.
Oh well, its not like I'm posting about feminine hygiene products.
My ESL class does start again tomorrow, so you know there will be some good stories coming from that!
On a James note: Yesterday was Sunday, so off we went to church. We got James out of his car seat and walked him to the sidewalk at the way BACK of the church. He ran up the sidewalk and straight into the church and continued running down the hall. We were following him from a distance as he kept on keeping on dodging people here and there. We were a few minutes late, but the chapel doors were still open and james ran right in and continued running up the aisle. He did not STOP running til he reached the Bishop. ON the stand, at the podium. Ben went up to retrieve him and the moment he picked him up, he demonstrated his toddlerness for the congregation. Let's just say he wasn't using his 'inside voice'. It was funny, mostly 'cause I wasn't the one carrying him!
A fabulous, amazing, wonderful thing: My friend Karla and her Husband Dave are in Vietnam RIGHT NOW! They are there to bring home their beautiful, charming son Spencer. Their adoption story and pics are chronicled here. And BTW, it was Karla who taught me how to do a hyperlink in my blog :)
I hope all is well in everyone's world.
Oh well, its not like I'm posting about feminine hygiene products.
My ESL class does start again tomorrow, so you know there will be some good stories coming from that!
On a James note: Yesterday was Sunday, so off we went to church. We got James out of his car seat and walked him to the sidewalk at the way BACK of the church. He ran up the sidewalk and straight into the church and continued running down the hall. We were following him from a distance as he kept on keeping on dodging people here and there. We were a few minutes late, but the chapel doors were still open and james ran right in and continued running up the aisle. He did not STOP running til he reached the Bishop. ON the stand, at the podium. Ben went up to retrieve him and the moment he picked him up, he demonstrated his toddlerness for the congregation. Let's just say he wasn't using his 'inside voice'. It was funny, mostly 'cause I wasn't the one carrying him!
A fabulous, amazing, wonderful thing: My friend Karla and her Husband Dave are in Vietnam RIGHT NOW! They are there to bring home their beautiful, charming son Spencer. Their adoption story and pics are chronicled here. And BTW, it was Karla who taught me how to do a hyperlink in my blog :)
I hope all is well in everyone's world.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Does anyone else have stupid ears?
I have stupid ears. I try and I try to put ear bud headphones in my ears and it doesn't work. I feel like I am a blond joke. I try to wedge them into my ears and as soon as I move my head one milimeter (ha, I was going to say mililiter) they fall out of my ears. Seriously, am I defective? How am I supposed to overtake Ben's Ipod if I can't use the headphones?
Friday, January 04, 2008
Making the cut
Well, according to our agreement, it was time to cut James' hair. Since all the men in the family said he was looking like a girl, I told Ben I'd allow a haircut after all the holidays. My baby lost all his curls, waah! He did really well for the cut, as long as I was nearby providing fruit snacks!
I love this picture of James and Ben getting haircuts together!
Here are some 'after' photos. I'm not crazy about the cut, but the hairstylist did everything with scissors. She didn't want to scare him with clippers.
I love this picture of James and Ben getting haircuts together!
Here are some 'after' photos. I'm not crazy about the cut, but the hairstylist did everything with scissors. She didn't want to scare him with clippers.
What a little boy! If you really want to compare the before, check out the Christmas morning pics below.
Bathtub Crayons
Why did I go and ask for Bathtub crayons? Why? I don't wish to deny James happiness, however, he was already way too fond of drawing and taking baths. Combine the two and he's in toddler heaven. If he had his way he'd be having a "baf" and getting to "dwaw" all day every day!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Christmas morning
James opening stocking presents
Opening his racetrack
I think next year we'll ask Santa to assemble things before he brings them!
Heart warming enthusiam and true excitement :)
Opening his racetrack
I think next year we'll ask Santa to assemble things before he brings them!
Heart warming enthusiam and true excitement :) 
Gingerread cookies for Santa!
So I don't know where all the strange expressions came from. We were having a good time, I swear! James keeps looking at the camera like, "you talkin to me?" I really dont' know what's going on with me or Ben, and Grandma looks happy. James kept trying all the different kinds of candy and then spitting them into my hand. I don't blame him, spice drops are Yucky! We did have an 'America's Funniest Videos' moment when James sneezed on the cookies right in front of him. We just left those for Santa! 
James and James reunited!
This is my Granpa!
Blowing some kisses
It looks like he's holding Grandpa down. 
Ok, so maybe he does need a haircut. But who can resist him?
How do you put gloves on a toddler?
This is a serious question for those of you who don't live in the oh-so-sunny warm desert. It was COLD in Kansas for the Holidays and snowed few times. We wanted to take james outside to "play in the snow". Ha. It took us a good 20 minutes of wrangling thermals, pants, shirt, sweater, coat, hat, socks, shoes, and then gloves on the child. We stayed outside probably 15 minutes. I swear I'll never live in a cold place while having children who can't dress themselves. At least he's in diapers and didn't have to go pee after that whole production. Sigh.
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