S'up

Both Tiburon and Ruhiyyih (emailing my post, so I can't link - but they're in my sidebar) did a fun tag that I'm copying in an attempt to get myself blogging again.  Ruhiyyih assigned me a letter - the letter "S", and I have to come up with 10 things I like that begin with that letter.  Here goes:

 

Salad - I absolutely love salad.  It really is my favorite food.  There are so many things you can throw together and toss up - endless combinations - that is never gets boring.  And its usually (relatively) healthy, which is an added bonus.

 

Sleep - It seems I can never quite get enough of it, but I love my sleep.

 

Shoes - I'll admit it - I'm a total shoe person.  No matter how fat and out of shape I am, I know that my feet size is still the same.  I love fun, cute shoes.

 

Swimming - Hands down, swimming is my favorite workout activity.  I love the peace and quiet of being under the water with just the sound of my breathing and my thoughts.  Its very therapeutic for me.

 

Soup - I must be super hunger today, because I just keep thinking about foods.  Or maybe its because its cold today, and nothing is better on a cold day than a cup of soup.  Yummy!

 

Skiing - I totally love to ski.  I didn't learn until I was an adult - some friends and I took skiing as a class in college.  I'm not the world's best skier, but it doesn't stop me from loving it.

 

Snow - Again, most people think I'm crazy, but I love cold snowy days.  I think they're beautiful.  I should move to Alaska - I'd love it!

 

Shopping - Totally my favorite hobby.  I'm such a happy person when I'm shopping, even if its just for boring stuff, like groceries.

 

Snakes - I know, another weird one.  But I love snakes - I think they're the most interesting animal.

 

Sillies - I love when my girls get the sillies.  There is nothing better than my kids' giggles.

 

 

And, just for fun (and to totally copy Ruhiyyih), here are 10 things I hate that start with the letter "S".

 

Sunshine - I'm a total vampire because I hate bright, sunny days.  I have really sensitive eyes, and I literally cannot see outside when it is really sunny.  I know I'm a psycho, but that's just how it is.

 

Snoring - I cannot sleep when someone is snoring, because it keep me awake.  Don't mess with my sleep - I love me my sleep (see above).

 

Spiders - I'm absolutely terrified of spiders.  Its a good thing I have a brave 4 year old daughter who graciously kills them for me.

 

Secrets - I hate secrets.  I think I'm pretty good at keeping them, but it kills me.  And I hate when people won't tell me something too.

 

Stories from my head - At bedtime, G always wants me to tell her a story from my head (i.e. one I make up on the spot).  I love reading her books, but I simply cannot come up with a story on the spot.  I must lack that creative gene.

 

Scales - They're not my friend.  I hate even stepping on them.

 

Small-talk - There is nothing more inane to me than having to chat about the weather with someone.  UGH.  Get me some interesting conversation or just shut up.

 

Sundays - I probably shouldn't admit this, but I think Sunday is the most boring day ever.  I feel like all we do is hang around the house and watch TV. So BORING!

 

Smog - Every winter, there are a few days where the smog gets really bad.  The air is literally brown, and it hurts to breathe.

 

Stock Market - I don't even check my 401k and Roth anymore.  I think I've lost 1/2 of my life savings, which wasn't that much to begin with.  Maybe I'll start putting it away in my mattress - it is probably more secure that way.  Of course, when the economy turns around, and I triple my money in a year, this will move to the like category (trying to remain optimistic).

 

 

This is really taxed my brain, but it was fun.  If anyone wants to play along, just let me know and I"ll assign you a letter too.

Bok bok

When I called my husband today and told him that I thought we should get some chickens, he laughed. But I wasn't kidding. I tried to tell him that I was serious, but he didn't buy it. Finally, he told me that we could get chickens if he could get a goat. Now he was just mocking me.

Thing is - I am serious. I would love to have a few laying hens so that we could have healthy eggs to eat, where the chickens haven't been pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, and haven't been fed their brothers and sisters for dinner. Did you know that fresh eggs from organic birds have yolks that are much more yellow in color than the store-bought, non-organic kinds. They're also much healthier for those of us who are eating them, and the birds have much happier lives. Besides, if there ever is a natural disaster, and we're unable to get food from the store, it will just be one more way we can be self-sufficient.

Do I just sound like a fundamentalist now?

Havin' Some Fun Now!

Its me - I'm still around. I'm just still struggling to get myself out of the funk that I've been in. I'm not depressed, or anything like that - I just don't have the desire to blog that I once had. I've also been trying not to log into blogger from work, and that is pretty much the only time that I blog. I'm actually sending this one from my email. I'm sure I'll snap out of it soon.

In the mean time, life has been good and lots has been going on. We took the girls rollerskating last night and it was way less ghetto than I was expecting - the place was packed. Neither girl had ever been, and it was actually quite comical to watch them slipping and sliding all around. We went with some friends who's kids have their own skates, so they were much better than my kids and G got a little frustrated. It was hard work too - I actually broke a sweat. But this morning, she told me that she was anxious to go back - I think I may buy them some skates for their birthdays. I staked around a bit too - Ben told me to skate so they could watch me, and it was fun to see that mommy could still do the YMCA with the best of the teenagers.

I also got the chance to go to a showing at the Sundance Film Festival this past weekend. I had a friend working, and she got us into a screening. We didn't really know what we were going to see, and when we got there, it was a bunch of short movies. But, it was fine - I was out on a Saturday night. Then the movies started . . . I think there were 7 movies total. Out of that 7, 6 were completely awful, 3 had graphic nudity, 2 had harsh language (and 3 others were in foreign languages so they may have too), and 4 were so abstract that I had no idea what the film was even about. Overall though, it was a totally fun evening. We all went to dinner afterwards. We dined on pizza and salad, served by the world's worst waiter, in the midst of a snowstorm. But really, it was a memorable night.

I'm glad I was able to have some fun and relaxing, because next week is going to be difficult - I'm going to be a single mom. My husband will be gone for an entire week, helping a friend move states, (before you think he is the best friend ever, he is getting paid to help) and will be gone from Sunday - Saturday. I really wanted to tell him not to do it, but a) we could really use the money for our trip next month and b) I don't know how to say "no" - it isn't in my vocabulary.

{{SIGH}}

In other, completely unrelated news, I think Bryn is finally potty trained. Last night was her first night sleeping in panties. She hasn't had an accident - either daytime or nighttime - in quite a while. She told me that she just isn't going to potty in her pants anymore, and I think she means it. Being stubborn can be good I suppose.

(And continuing with unrelated news) I did sign up to run the Wasatch Back in June, and I'm back on full training. Its been difficult, but only because I feel better than I know I should. I really don't want to get injured again, and since I know that most running-related injury comes from running faster/further/longer than a body is conditioned to do, I'm trying really hard to not come out too fast/far/long. But I feel great, and my body wants to run more. I'm also trying to do more hills - since I'm sure that will be something I'll be running a lot of in the race. And I'm only adding 10% of mileage per week - injuries stay away!

At any rate, life is good and I'm having fun.

Allergic to corn

After my last post, I've had lots of people asking me about my corn allergy. So, I figured I'd answer that question. I recently found out that I was allergic to corn, but I've always had lots of allergies and asthma. In fact, I've taken medicine almost every single day of my entire life, just so I can breathe. Yes it sucks, but I've learned to live with it. Growing up, I was really affected by my allergies - several hospitalizations and really limited abilities. I think my mom tried to protect me too much, and my asthma really affected my life.

As I grew up though, things got a bit better. As a young adult, I finally realized I could live my life. I just carried my inhaler with me as I went, but I learned to ski and I took up running. For about 10 years of my adult life, I finally felt free of my asthma and allergies. I know that sounds dramatic, but I seriously had breathing issues every single day.

After Bryn was born, I started having issues again. It was to the point that I was using my asthma inhaler several times a day - I even woke up needing my medicine almost every night. I decided to visit my doctor. He did a few tests, and referred me to a pulmonologist - she also did a few tests, declared me as one of the most allergic people she had ever seen, and then she referred me to an allergist.

I saw my allergist for the first time last fall. He immediately decided to run a battery of allergy tests, but before I could take them, I had to be off of my medicine for 2 weeks. Completely off. The only way I could do that was to wait until it snowed, which would kill the majority of things I thought I was allergic to.

I finally made it in for my testing this past December. My doctor decided to test me to all the common allergens, as well as several foods. They tested me for 52 different things - up and down the inside of both my arms, the nurse give me tiny pin pricks containing the allergens. She told me that they would check me in 10 minutes, and I wasn't allowed to scratch - she set a timer and left.

As soon as she left the room, the itching began. I'm not talking a mild itch either - this was a burning, horrible itch, that took all my strength not to scratch. I was sitting with my fists clenched resisting scratching with all my might. My arms were seriously on fire, and I could feel the fire spreading up my shoulders, my neck and into my face. My neck started itching, my lips, and I could feel a hive on the roof of my mouth. My nose started running, and my chest felt tight. Almost every one of the "pin pricks" had turned into a huge welt - and some were spreading around to the other side of my arms.

About the time I decided I was going to die, the nurse peaked her head into the room to see how I was doing. I had tears streaming down my face, and I told her that I was "not so good". She took one look at me, and immediately called the doctor in. He looked at the timer - only 5 minutes had passed, but he called the test.

The doctor and the nurse set out trying to help me. They first had to classify each pin prick location. The welts were classified by their size on a scale of 1-4 - a "1" was 1 centimeter in diameter, and a "4" was 4 centimeters in diameter. After the doctor classified them, he put cream on the bumps. The majority of the bumps were 4+, meaning they were bigger than 4 centimeters in diameter. Many of them had actually grown together and were spreading around to the other side of my arms. I was miserable, and the cream wasn't helping. The doctor ended up having to give me epinephrine, benedryl, steroids and wrapping my arms in ice, and he made me stay 2 hours to make sure I wasn't going to die.

After this ordeal, he met with me to decide the course of action. However, he admitted that he was stumped, and had no idea how to treat me. Out of the 52 things I'd been tested for, I showed a reaction to 46 of them. He had never seen anyone as allergic as me, and didn't even know what to do. His only suggestion was that I try and eliminate things from my life that I was allergic to.

Corn was one thing that I showed a reaction to. It wasn't even one of the worst, but I figured it was a start. Thus began "operation corn elimination". And I'm not going to lie - it has been difficult. Corn is in almost everything. If you consider the products made with corn: corn syrup, corn oil, corn starch, or just plain-old regular corn, it pretty much eliminates about 90% of all foods. Even things I never even would have thought contained corn (like caramel syrup, used in cola).

Needless to say, it has been difficult, and I have never even been a big eater of processed foods either, but it has been an experience figuring out what to eat. I think that I have been pretty much corn free for the past 2 weeks. On two occasions, I have eaten something that contained corn, and I almost immediately got hives on my lips and down my neck. I think that now that I have it completely out of my system, the reactions are more severe.

But I have noticed a huge difference in my health. I have more energy, and my skin is less dry. I can also breathe! I've needed my steroids a lot less, and actually have made it several days without needed any medicine at all. I've also lost 8 pounds - I think most of that can be attributed to not taking the steroids anymore, but I'm not complaining. I feel really good. I've also found several other people who are also allergic to corn - its actually becoming more prevalent. My theory, is that because corn is in everything, that it is going to cause more health problems.

So there you have it: the long, boring story of being allergic to corn. Be thankful it isn't you.

**PS. If you're wondering why you haven't seen me around lately, I'm feeling pretty much the same as Mindi. Just read her post here - she said it so well.

Middle of the night

Its 1 am, and I'm awake. Normally I would be asleep right now, but my house is freezing. The furnace is just running, but its down to 60 degrees inside the house. I actually tried to go to bed, but it was too cold to sleep. So, I'm here typing with fingers that are almost too cold to type. I tried to diagnose the problem myself. I changed the filter, reset the thermostat and tripped the breaker. But its still just running continuously and putting out cold air. Its supposed to get into the 20s tonight, so I put extra blankets on the girls and Bryn is wearing her beanie.

I wish I knew how to check the pilot light, but the manual didn't show how and I can't find an answer on google. That really isn't something I dare to do myself anyway - I don't feel like blowing up the house tonight. I want to wake up my husband, but he's been so unbearable today that I don't dare do anything else to make him mad. And although the furnace being broken isn't my fault, he'll still be mad at me for waking him up. So, here I sit, freezing, and unable to do anything about it. It makes me mad - I am the type of person who always wants to fix things. It drives me crazy to not be able to fix it. Why is it that the "man of the house" is sleeping peacefully, while I have been pacing for an hour worrying about how much it will cost to get a repairman out on Sunday.

I may have to drug myself to get some sleep tonight.

Emoting

It has been a tough few days for me.  I don't know why, but I haven't felt like myself.  Along with the "funk", I've neglected reading blogs, and obviously posting in my own.  I've got so many thoughts swimming around in my head, but I just can't seem to make them coherent enough to put into words.  So, I'm just going to write.  I'm sure this is choppy (I may not even proof read it).  It probably won't make sense to anyone but me.  But I just want to "talk" about the random thoughts in my head.

 

Random thought #1:  Brynlee. 

 

Poor Bryn.  In the past 2 weeks, she's split her lip open, smashed her finger (I still think she may lose the nail), dislocated her elbow, and gotten a concussion.  How much more can one girl take?  She also ran away from me in church on Sunday, just as the meeting was getting out.  The halls were crowded - too crowded for me to move quickly, but she was small enough to fit through legs and make it to the parking lot, which is where I finally caught up with her.  She's a tornado.

 

She is however getting better at the potty, slowly.  She's been in panties for 2 weeks now, and while she has at least one accident per day they do seem to be getting less frequent.  She has been waking up dry so I know she can do it - she's just too freakin' stubborn.

 

Random thought #2:  Freakin'

 

I've got to stop saying this word so freakin' much.  When Bryn used it yesterday, I realized that it didn't sound great coming from the mouth of a 2 year old.

 

Random thought #3:  Prioritization

 

I need to find a way to prioritize my housework.  I hate housework, but I love a clean house.  But since I hate housework, I save it until the very last of all my other things I have to do (working 1.5 jobs, exercising, spending time with my family) that it doesn't get done very often.  In fact, I'd be embarrassed if anyone came to my house.  Its a freakin' mess. . . er, a total mess.

 

Random thought #4:  Corn

 

I haven't blogged about this, because who really wants to read boring health stuff, but I have recently been diagnosed with an allergy to corn.  It may not seem like such a big deal until you realize all the things that have corn derivatives:  corn syrup, corn oil, corn starch, corn flour, etc.  I'd venture to say that 90% of all processed food items have corn in them - including diet coke (caramel color is made from a corn derivative).  This past week has been my first full week totally 100% corn free.  Its taken me about a month to totally eliminate it.  In fact, I haven't even needed the steroids that I typically take twice daily.  I've lost 6 pounds.  Yay me!

 

But I am really missing my diet coke.

 

Random thought #5:  Exercise

 

I've been really energized about exercising lately.  I signed up for a team relay race in June, and I'm totally pumped to get back into good running shape.  I've been ruining inclines on the dreadmill, swimming and riding the bike.  I've even added a bit of resistance training (which is something that I freakin'. . er, totally hate). 

 

Random thought #6:  Gracelin

 

Gracelin broke the couch at the daycare lady's last week.  It was a nice leather couch, and I know Miss O cannot afford to replace it.  I feel somewhat obligated to replace it, or at least pay to fix it, but we don't really have the money since we're saving for Disneyworld next month.  So, I'm trying to convince myself that it is just her liability for having a daycare.  So, I'm torn.

 

Random thought #7:  Disneyworld

 

I really don't want to go to Disneyworld next month.  I know my husband and kids are excited, but that is one of the last places I'd choose to go.  I've been married for 7 years, and this will be our 5th trip to a Disney destination.  I freakin'. . er, really hate Disney.  Its too crowded and expensive.  I'd much rather take a vacation to Alaska or Hawaii, or some other place mountainy/beachy where I can relax.  Not spend $60 per person per day to be "entertained".  I'm a Disney scrooge.  I think I need to put my foot down next year so that I can take a vacation that I enjoy.

 

Random thought #8:  Freak

 

**I will return to my normal blogging habits shortly.

 

 

Poopie in the pot-tay

Bryn, my dear, sweet Bryn, is a challenging child. She can be the biggest sweetie, which is a good thing, because she can also be the most difficult person to deal with. I'm sure her stubborn nature will be a great thing as she gets older (because that girl does not give up) but right now it is going to be the death of her mommy (because that girl does not give up - have I said that already??)



On top of being stubborn, she's also apparently very fragile. Today, she dislocated her elbow - for the third time. Luckily last time it happened, the ER doc showed me how to put it back in place, which I was able to successfully do today. But I don't think I can take many more injuries. A concussion and dislocated elbow are too much for a week. But I digress, this post is not supposed to be about injuries. Its about poop. Funny how sometimes posts take an entirely different direction once I start writing.



Back to the poop: we've been in the midst of potty training HELL with my stubborn child. It has actually been a full year since she started showing interest in the potty. In fact, I bought her potty seat before she even turned 2. She was great at going in the mornings (in fact, she would be dry about 1/2 the time) and before bath time. I thought we were doing awesome.



The problem is, she never progressed. Occasionally she would tell me she needed to go, but those times were pretty seldom. So, around Christmas time, we decided to step it up a bit: we bribed her with a trip to Disney World if she could learn to go in the potty. Everyone knows that they don't let babies in diapers go to Disney World. If she couldn't learn to use the potty then she'd have to stay home (apparently alone eating cat food, or so she thought).



Thing is, she was just fine with this scenario. She had no desire to be potty trained. In fact, she liked going in her pants, and told me so. She had gotten to where she was fairly consistent with "#1" but "#2" was a struggle. We had a few random successes (mostly because mommy saw her going and would run to the potty in time), but for the most part Bryn refused to poop in the potty.



In December, we went to Vegas for a few days, and suddenly it all clicked. Bryn only had one accident the entire 5 days in Vegas. She even pooped in the potty like a pro (because we all know about professional poopers). I thought we had finally turned the corner. But NOPE. As soon as we came back home, she was right back to potty-ing in her pants.



I knew she could control it too, because she would always hide to poop. Lately, she's been going right behind the new barbie house to go. Nice.



About a week ago, I decided I was sick of throwing away almost new panties (because some were completely un-salvageable). I was on a mission to get Bryn trained once and for all. New Year's day was the first day of total training, and Bryn didn't have one accident the entire day. That was even the day she got her concussion, but she remained accident free. The rest of the weekend though, she'd stay dry just fine. But she did all her poops in the corner by the doll house.



I decided to try bribes - first candy, but she didn't care about that. Then I took her to Target and let her pick out a toy that she could have when she finally went, but that Polly Pocket has just been sitting on the counter for a week.



Until tonight.


I'm working late, and my husband just called to say he's opening the Polly Pocket, and they're running around the house singing:



Poopie in the pot-tay! Poopie in the pot-tay!



She went just fine for him. Apparently she just needed her privacy :)



**I thought about posting a picture with this entry, but decided against it. Aren't you glad!

Resolution

Every year I make New Years resolutions. Usually, they entail different things I want to accomplish: be a better wife and mother, a better housekeeper, a better person. But there is also always one common theme: weight loss. Every year I resolve to lose weight, which I always manage to do. Somehow though, I always end up gaining it back, to where I sometimes have more to lose than I did the year before.

This past year, I had actually done well with my weight loss. I was down a full size, and gave away most of my bigger sized clothes. Then I hurt my foot in August - it was the beginning of a downward spiral that led to a 15-ish pound weight gain (it may be more, but I've avoided the scale). I stopped exercising to let my foot heal, and I started following the "How to get fat in 3 delicious steps (HTGFI3DS)" meal plan. What is the HTGFI3DS you may ask? Well it really is simple:

How to get fat in 3 delicious steps meal plan:

1. Convince yourself that all food consumed from a child's plate has absolutely no calories. We all hate to waste uneaten food from a child's plate. With this meal plan its ok to devour anything your picky child leaves behind - because that food contains no calories. So eat up!

2. Indulge in as many Christmas goodies as your stomach will allow. We all know that Christmas comes only once a year. Why deprive yourself? Christmas goodies are delicious, and since you won't see them again for a year, it is important to eat enough to last you those long 11 months.

3. Chocolate is the best stress reliever. Let's face it - life can get hectic and stressful. What better way to make things seem ok than to sink your teeth into a nice piece of chocolate. Toblerone are the best! Best results if eaten early in the morning or right before bed.

By following this meal plan, your are guaranteed to pack on at least 10 pounds - maybe more. It worked for me! I'm a freakin' real-life testimonial.

I know I'm making light of it, but it really isn't funny. I'm feeling fat and disgusting to the point where I don't even want to go out and be social. Something has to be done. So, this year, I am making just one resolution: to lose the weight and keep it off.

Here's what I'm going to do:

Operation lose the fat and keep it off:

1. Join Tiburon's Biggest Loser Competition. Having to mail pictures of me in my underwear and tell her how much I actually weight keeps me honest. I know that I won't win, but I at least have to be accountable. Humiliation plus the added bonus of a cash prize is hopefully the motivation I need.

2. Find a race to train for. I do like running, but I run with a purpose (ie. further, faster, longer) when I have a reason. This summer, I plan to run the Wasatch Back Relay. In fact, I just turned my money in yesterday and I'm excited. Its a relay race from Logan to Park City - it spans 2 days, and each racer will have the chance to run 3 legs of the race. The course goes over mountain passes and through valleys. It should be so much fun. I'm also thinking that I'll put into the St George lottery again this year too, just because.

3. Revamp my diet. I have recently been diagnosed with some food allergies, and trying to figure out what to eat has been a challenge (I think I've used that as an excuse as well). I've actually been considering starting a second blog tracking my diet along with daily symptoms to track what I can eat. I do plan to completely eliminate sugars from my diet (detox starts Friday) and caffeine as well. Hopefully I can find something that I CAN eat :)....

4. If all else fails, I'm going to try public humiliation: posting my daily weight on my blog. If y'all know how fat I am, it will be serious motivation. But I don't know if I'm that desperate yet.

Wish me luck!

Happy new year?

The last 36 hours of my life have been crazy - I hope this isn't indicative of what the new year will bring. If so, I'm skipping 2009.

The New Year actually started out pretty fun, by going bowling with Ben's family. The girls had a blast bowing and eating "delicious" bowling ally food. I continued my streak of games under 100 by scoring a solid 98. I even took bowling in high school (hey - don't laugh. I was living in Ohio) but I still suck - at least I'm really good at keeping score :)





After bowling, we headed over to my parents' house to play games and to ring in the New Year. The girls really wanted to stay awake until midnight, and I agreed to let them. Bryn made it until about 10 and G fell asleep on the floor some time around 11pm. That is the latest either one has ever stayed up, and I was amazed they stayed up that long.

The New Year came and went without excitement, and I decided to go to bed about 1pm. We were staying at my parents' house, and I went into bed with Bryn. No sooner had I laid down, when I heard something in the garbage cans outside the window. I looked out, and didn't see anything. I decided it was nothing and laid back down. Again I heard sounds, only this time it sounded like something sliding through the snow outside. I peeped outside, but still couldn't see anything. I tried going back to bed, and heard something for a 3rd time - this time, it actually sounded like a man calling for help. Finally, I went downstairs to see what was going on. My hubby and brother were up playing an on-line game, and convinced me I could just hear the game. Not seeing anything outside, I laid down and tried to finally sleep.

I actually did doze off, but about 30 minutes later, the door bell rang. By this time, it was about 2:30 AM. The boys were still playing games, and jumped up to get the door. Standing there, was an extremely intoxicated man with only one shoe on. He was covered in snow, as if he'd been rolling around in a snow bank, and he appeared to have been recently beat up. He asked the boys if they could explain to his friend where he was, because he had no idea and wanted them to come get him.

He went outside to wait for his friends. He was obviously freezing, and starting to sober up. We all went out, and too him a coat to wear while he waited for his friends. As we were waiting, a group of rowdy drunks came out of the house across the street, and apparently that is where he had been partying. But instead of being happy to see his friends, he became agitated. The group started shouting at each other as this guy went over to them. Then, the started pushing each other around again. But, he did get into their car and they drove off, swerving down the road.

I was glad I didn't have to go anywhere.

By now, it was 3am, and I was tired. I went back to bed for the 5th time that night. It took me a few minutes to fall asleep. Just as I started dozing, the friends of the drunk guy showed up for him. UGH!

That was actually the last disturbance, but the girls woke up at 6:51. I was one tired mommy. Regardless, we decided to take the kids sledding. We had been promising, and they were so excited. So, we headed to a hill at a near-by elementary school - a smaller hill with only one tree at the bottom. Perfect for little kids! And they totally had a blast.




After only a few minutes, the girls decided that they were big enough to go by themselves. At first I was a little skeptical about letting them go alone, but they had so much fun. It was relatively safe. At the bottom of the hill, the only obstacles were one tree and a volleyball net, so we did have to be a little careful. But the hill was straight, so I felt confident that we would send the kids down safely. They were loving it.

One time though, I sent Bryn down, and the tube started going crooked. I had put her safely in the center, but for some reason the tube went sideways. I watched as she was heading straight for the tree at the bottom. It was horrible - I stood there frozen and watched her go straight for the tree. She had flipped around, so she was going backwards and had no idea what was coming. She had a big grin on her face as she hit the tree.

It was sickening. She was going fast, and the tube hit the tree first and then the back of her head smacked into the tree. Her body flew up into the air and she flopped like a doll into the snow, face first. I ran there quickly, and scooped her up. Her face was bloody and the force of the impact had knocked the boots right off her feet. I think that was the absolute worst moment of my life. She was sobbing and crying "My head! My head!" She wouldn't open her eyes, and told me that she couldn't see.

I held her, trying to comfort her. I cleaned off her mouth wound with snow, and assessed that it wasn't too bad. Her face was also a little scratched up, and didn't seem to bad. But I was worried about her head. She was conscious and communicating with me and there was no blood coming from her nose or ears, but she wouldn't open her eyes, move her body, and she was so floppy. She needed to be checked out by the ER.

Luckily, the hospital was a short 5 minute drive away - but it still seemed like forever. Ben dropped us off, and luckily I got right in. She continued to scream the entire time we were there, which is unlike her. She gets over things very quickly, and that made me more worried about her poor, sweet head. I got right back to a room, but it took the doctor an hour to see her. I sat there worrying that she was bleeding onto her brain, and every minute I had to wait, I was sure she was suffering more. It was awful, especially since she screamed for the entire hour.

The doctor finally came to see her, and determined that she didnt' have a brain injury. So, he sent us home. We think she did have a mild concussion, but thankfully there is no lasting damage. She still has a headache today, and her neck is really sore. But she's playing happily with her sister and asking if I'll take her sledding again today.

I think we'll wait a few days for that though. I need time to get over it, even if she's feeling better. Ahh. I hope we got all of our excitement out of the way, so we can just enjoy the rest of the year.