Do you want eyes with that?

I am happy to announce that yesterday I had LASIK vision correction surgery, and it was a success! No more glasses for me!

I have been seeing my optometrist, as well as doctors at TLC Laser Eye Center in Reston, for a couple of months. It took a while to find a time when I could be at home and avoid doing anything dirty or strenuous so I could heal properly.

Yesterday, the big day arrived. I scheduled the surgery for the afternoon, so that the lasers would warm up all day and be as hot as possible. (Imagine my disappointment when I found out that they are actually cool lasers.) When I arrived, I was taken to a room where they put about 13 eye drops in each eye. I was offered Valium, which I accepted to make me as dopey as possible. I then met the skilled ophthalmologist, ninja master, and chairman of the Jedi Council Dr. Edward Perraut. He explained the game plan and said I might feel some pressure but no pain during the procedure.

Before my procedure, I got to watch the guy before me get his. They put a live video of the eye they're working on on a monitor. The ticking of the laser could be heard from outside, where we were waiting, and I was a little nervous, but the Valium was working well, so I said what the hey and went in next.

I was prepped, dressed, and placed in the supine position. (For everyone but Angie, that's medical-speak for putting on a hat and lying on my back.) Dr. Perraut wasted no time, taping my left eye shut and clamping my right eye open with something that does not look unlike eyelash curlers. They're eyelid curlers, really. He then put about 22 more drops in the right eye. Next was the "pressure" to which he referred. He pressed a little cylinder down onto my eye, hard. I could feel my head being pressed against the headrest. I guess it didn't technically hurt, but it was quite uncomfortable, and the world went black for me.

Next they swiveled me under one of the lasers and hooked the laser machine up to the cylinder. Dr. Perraut counted down the 20 seconds it took to slice a thin layer off the front of my eye. After that, some of the pressure subsided, which was a relief, and I was swiveled out from under the laser. The doctor folded back the thin corneal flap and quickly swiveled me under laser #2, the actual LASIK laser. I could see again, but everything was blurrier than before ("what if the power goes out right now?," I should have thought, but I had had Valium.) What I could see was a flashing orange blur. I think it took 30 to 45 seconds per eye under the LASIK laser, and it didn't bother me at all. In fact, laser #2 was quite comfy compared to pressing my eye into my brain that had been done before. There was a loud ticking sound and a burning smell ("chemicals," they told me...burning flesh says I). No pain at all. During the ticking, I could actually see the orange light get crisper and clearer, not perfectly, but better by the second!

After the ticking was done, they swiveled me out and took off the cylinder, to my great relief. Dr. Perraut smoothed the flap into place, and cold liquid dripped from my eye down the side of my head. Tracy told me that was from a wet Q-tip they used to smooth out the flap. This eye was then taped shut (with the tape that had been on my left eye, maybe? That would have been resourceful).

This procedure was repeated for my left eye. I won't bore you with the details.

After the left eye, my right eye was untaped, and I was told to sit up. I went to the corner of the room where there was an eye checking machine, like the kind at your eye doctor. Dr. Perraut examined both eyes and pronounced the procedure a rollicking success. I bowed to him and was ushered to a recovery room, where I spent the first 45 seconds of my recovery. Then I was told to go home and start doing all kinds of eye drops.

This morning when I woke up, it was like a miracle. Clear vision, without glasses or contacts! That's what Tiger Woods says on the radio (his surgeon is the other surgeon at TLC Reston but is not a ninja master), and it's true. My eyes feel great, and my kids have been gracious enough not to enjoy a snack of Gummi Corneas so far, so overall everything is good.

Since this is a kiddodiddo blog, I will mention that the kids' reaction has been slim to none. Jimmy's reaction was something like, "Wow! Can I play Toontown now?"

If you can save your pennies, I highly recommend LASIK, especially with Dr. Perraut.

Time to go do more eyedrops.

Caterpillars

Jimmy and Amelia have a sibling rivalry issue. Or maybe it's a maturity issue. Let's just say they don't get along well ALL the time. Lately, they have been making efforts to patch things up. Jimmy brought the first peace offering last week. He came home from school with a wriggling caterpillar that he caught just for her. She squealed with delight and named it Chip. I gave her a tupperware and told her to find some leaves for it. She carried it around and left it here and there. I found it on the kitchen counters a lot. So I encouraged her to keep it outside on the balcony. After 2 days of being Amelia's pet, Chip escaped. I have to admit I was very proud he was healthy enough to get away!
This week, she caught 2 caterpillars of her own,Chip (JR) and Dandelion. She and Jonny had great fun letting them crawl up and down their arms, etc. They gathered leaves and stuck them in a tupperware (no lid) on the balcony. I kind of forgot about them until Thursday, when I went on the balcony for the recycling box. I saw something white and fuzzy in the tupperware container. I thought "gee, it died and got moldy. how gross- and it's in my tupperware!" Then I remembered that they were CATERPILLARS and they make COCOONS! So now we are anxiously waiting for the cocoon (the new Chip escaped) to open and see the beautiful butterfly (or moth) that is inside.

Minor Squabble

Jimmy and Amy were having a fight over something or other. Jimmy shouted out "You just think you're the boss. You just want to tell everyone what to do!"
Amelia started to reply, but Jonny cut her off "I'M the boss! I tell you what to do!" Well, I guess that settles it!

Quizes

So I got sucked in to a couple of online personality quiz things. I saw them on friends blogs and thought I'd give them a go. .

Take the Quiz here!

I haven't read the book Sense and Sensibility, so I don't know if it's good or bad that I am Elinor Dashwood. I read her description- she sounds "white" to me.

Speaking of white, that's what color my personality is! I took this quiz in a much longer paper format with friends in high school, and again with roommates, and now, thanks to Tracie, I have taken it again- yep, I'm still white.
Here are some links- give them a try and let me know who or what you are! (really, I'm curious!)
http://www.thecolorcode.com/
http://www.strangegirl.com/emma/quiz.php

After I did the quizes, I thought "I wonder what Gary is?" and then I thought "I mean the color quiz- I don't want to know what kind of heroine he is!" Maybe I could find a hero quiz for the men.


(for those of you who are curious, here's what it says about "white")
WHITES are motivated by PEACE. They seek independence and require kindness. They resist confrontation at all costs. To them, feeling good is more important than being good. They are typically quiet by nature, process things very deeply and objectively with great clarity. Of all the colors, WHITES are the best listeners. They respect people who are direct but recoil from perceived hostility or verbal battle. WHITES need their "alone time" and refuse to be controlled by others. WHITES want to do things their own way and in their own time. They ask little of others and resent others demanding much of them. WHITES are much stronger than people think, but are not often seen for their strength because they don't easily reveal their feelings. WHITES are even-tempered, diplomatic, and the voice of reason; but can also be indecisive, unexpressive, and silently stubborn. When others interact with you, as a WHITE you respond to them best if they are kind, accepting and supporting of your individuality, and if they look for non-verbal clues to understand your feelings.

Jimmy's New Hobby

Last night, Jimmy cut the head off of his stick pony. He then decorated the stick and passed out handmade tickets to his bow staff combat class. He took AMY (remember she's not Millie anymore) and Jonathan outside to help them find sticks and attend his class. (Ninja Turtles have been a recent favorite, and I think he's been studying the moves) He showed them his techniques and they played around for awhile before bed.
Today it was my turn. After school, he found me a stick in the woods (flimsy, not like his stick pony one) and showed me how to grab and spin it. So we had a tournament. As we swung and fought with our bow staffs, mine kept breaking off. Sticks and particles were flying everywhere. When my 3 foot "bow staff" had been reduced to 15 inches, I called it good.
Tonight, I'll be carving my own bow staff- I found myself a REAL stick.

Prayer Time!

A few days ago, Jonny was saying the bedtime prayer for our family and he got stuck (he tried to close it up after "thank you for the food.") "thank you for President Hinckley" I prompted. He burst out laughing. "NOT President Hinckley! President Monson!" I was surprised that my 2 year old caught my mistake.

A Manicure

Sunday, the kids were trimming their nails and Jimmy offered to paint Amelia's fingernails. I thought that was very sweet, so I set them up at the table and gave them plenty of paper towels, etc and let him have at it. He did a great job painting her fingernails and toes. He was so meticulous. He concentrated so hard, bending close so he did not miss a spot. When I checked over his handiwork, I noticed a couple of blobs of paint. Upon closer inspection, I realized he had very carefully painted over some warts!

Jimmy

Here's Jimmy school picture that I forgot to mail out. He doesn't have that adorable gap in his teeth anymore... but he's still cute. If you want a wallet size copy, just leave a comment and I'll put it in the mail.
Here's Jimmy doing Jump Rope for Heart. He sure had a great time at that event and appreciated the your support.

Name Change

Amelia has now officially requested to be called Amy. This request came shortly before her birthday last week. She writes it on all of her papers and introduces herself to others as "Amy" so I think she means it. "I like how it sounds" and "it reminds me of a beak" are some of the reasons she has given to support the switch.

that reminds me of a funny- Yesterday, I dropped her off at preschool and she was reluctant to go. She always has been reluctant to go when this teacher is in charge. Yesterday, she finally confided in me: Mom, she talks to us like we're little kids.

Sweet Serenade

A few nights ago, Jimmy sneaked out of bed to sing me a song. It was a cute little song all about reading, called "Reading." He learned it at school.
"Reading is fun-damental..." he sang soulfully. While he sang out his heart about reading books and things kids like to do (follow fashion trends, ride bikes, watch tv) Jonny sneaked up behind him and joined in: "I can read my ukelele, I can read my ukelele, I can read my ukelele.." he crowed. He sang on key and it really was quite lovely to hear the boys harmonizing together. Maybe you had to be there...
I tried to get a reprise the next morning, but neither one was up to it.

Relax!

A couple of months ago, I asked Amelia what she wanted for her birthday. She told me she wanted "one of those chairs that shake." She saw one (a massage chair) on the tv and thought it was funny. Friday, I happened to see a massage chair on display at our Costco and was reminded of her birthday wish. So I got her out of the shopping cart, put her in the chair and turned it on. I wish I could have captured the expression on her face. BIG eyes, huge grin. She sank into the chair and said "I could sit here all day!" Then it was Jonny's turn. He squealed with delight and kept turning around to see who was poking him. "Hey you,"he laughed "Hey you chair!" As if it there was a person he couldn't see. Of course, I sat in the chair too... it was great, but my reactions were not quite as dramatic. So maybe next time you're at Costco with a little one that you love, put him or her in the massage chair and see what they do... it's priceless!

And now it's been ten years

Yesterday marked ten years from when I returned home from my mission in Brazil. Surprisingly to me, I didn't think much about it, good or bad. It's the same as if it had been eight years, or twelve. It was a defining period in my life, but I've had so many more wonderful experiences, and more trying ones, that I don't feel defined by it anymore.

Yesterday also marked the arrival of our new friend:


Shake, shake, shake your Roomba! The kids love it. Simon was a little nervous at first, but today he was watching it intently. The other kids love to watch and chase it. It also gives us a bargaining chip toward clean rooms: "okay kids, are your rooms 'Roomba Ready'?" What a great little robot! Thanks to Leslie and Jake for the suggestion (and for sharing a coupon to get Roomba for cheaper)!

Sliding with Simon

Yesterday was a glorious spring day. The blossoms were out and the weather was warm enough to spend the afternoon playing on the lawn. Simon liked sliding! I put him on the top and he would wiggle and kick until he started to slide down. At that point I would catch him and help him safely to the bottom. Toward the end, he enjoyed it and started to walk his hands forward down the slide.
Also, there is a picture of him after his morning shower. I noticed that his eyes were the same beautiful blue as the towel. Didn't the camera catch that nicely?!

Spring Break at First Landing State Park

Here's is our backwards Spring Break. I call it backwards because the pictures ended up in almost the exact opposite order that I wanted them. Enjoy!
This is the play area at Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach. The kids loved running around/climbing here. If you ever go to Mt Trashmore, bring your kite. From what I hear, there's always a breeze.
This is a historic light house that is on some army base. Jimmy and Amelia were the only kids tall enough to enter. So here they are, about to enter.

Here's what it looks inside a light house. The view from the top was fabulous. We could see the ocean and it was beautiful blue. As soon as we got to the top, the kids were ready to run back down the stairs. Hence no picture of the fabulous view.
On the board walk of Virginia Beach, they have this cool sculpture that is a school of fish. The kids loved running among the fish. Here is Jonny explaining to Gary that this one is his favorite.

We stayed in a lovely little cabin at First Landing State Park and the kids LOVED running in one door and out the other. Jonny paused for a picture.
Amelia loves pinecones. She was in seventh heaven at the cabin. She collected enough pinecones to line the pathway from the van to the cabin.
Jimmy found a ping pong ball under the deck and spent quite a bit of time bouncing it around on the screen porch.
At Mount Trashmore, there was a lake and Gary tried to teach us to skip rocks. I say tried because none of us actually learned.
The kids played together for hours climbing in and out of these cupboards. They called them animal cages. Jimmy was a gerbil, Amelia was a kitty and Jonny was a puppy. The cupboards were also excellent for hide and seek.

We hiked the Cypress Swamp Trail. Jimmy said it was stinky, but my sense of smell is so bad I have no idea if it was stinky or not. We check out a back pack of supplies from the ranger station. It had all kinds of things inside to make the hike interesting. The kids loved playing with this electronic bird song identifier. For awhile I thought "Gee it's wonderful to be out in nature and hear all of these birds" then I realized it was the bird machine.

Here's a picture to prove Simon was on the trip too!
Say CHEESE! I hope you enjoyed the trip!

Easter Cheer

Easter Sunday was a quiet affair at our house, due to a surprise visit by the Easter Bunny on Saturday. (Silly bunny, he must have forgotten to check his calendar.)
The children sang in sacrament meeting (Jesus Once was a Little Child), and Jimmy sang very sweetly. He has done this several times before and is a seasoned pro. This was only Amelia's second time and she was determined to be angry about it. She put on her frowniest face and marched up to the front of the chapel. As the children sang, she did the signs they had been taught and slowly began to enjoy herself. Then she would realize that she was enjoying herself and (since she was determined to be angry)put on her frown again. Then the music would get to her and she'd start to smile and enjoy herself. Then she would remember she was mad and frown again. It really was quite funny to watch! When it was over, she leaned her elbows on the rail, leaned her head on her hands and sighed. She just stayed there, looking very put out for a full minute. I think someone had to tell her to sit down, but I'm not too sure. What a drama queen!

Phun with the Phone (Photo catch up)

Here are some fun photos that took and meant to share, but never did. They were taken with the camera in my cell phone, so they are kind of fuzzy. Some were taken by Jonny so they are even fuzzier. Maybe they will give you warm fuzzies!

This picture was taken one night when everyone was lying around being cute. Jimmy was doing karate chops, Jonny was admiring his double sided crochet hook, Gary and Amelia were admiring Simon. I just thought I'd document the "domestic bliss."

Jonny really wanted to take a picture of me. So here I am feeding Simon some baby food.

Third times the charm! (or maybe it was the 6th, but who was counting:)

Amelia put this headband on Simon and I thought it was a cute photo op.

Then she put it on herself. Still cute!

Then Jonny put it on. I think they would make a lovely flower garden.

Jonny couldn't resist the chance to be a baby with Simon. (and request a photo) They sure look like brothers!

Here's Jimmy in his favorite outfit- camoflauge pants and shirt. I had to explain because I'll bet you can't see him on the "lovey couch." (that's what one of the kids nicknamed the loveseat)

Jump Rope for Heart

Jimmy thanks all who sponsored him in the Red Cross Jump Rope for Heart event held at his school. He drew a cute picture of himself jumping rope and I'll put it up as soon as I get the scanner working. He did lots of jumping and bouncing around and even won a prize- it's a stick that launches a spinning glowing thing! Who wouldn't be thrilled to have one of those! It looks like a UFO if you launch it in your room after lights out!

Our Ugly Cake

All right, since I encouraged everyone to make ugly cakes, here's the one that I made. Jonny and Amelia chose the colors, inside and out. Too bad you can't see the inside. It was orange and pink and green and yellow and blue. Violent shades of each. I meant to spend the cake time telling the kids cute stories and showing them pictures of relatives near, far, and/or dead, but things didn't turn out that way. We just talked about plagarism. I don't know how it came up. It just did. Then we had to explain what that meant, which led to a discussion of who really made up "to tie my shoe, to say P-U" which lead into a discussion of things that are stinky and then... well you get the idea.

Jimmy's Birthday

Happy Birthday to you (one week late)
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, dear Jimmy!
Happy Birthday to you!

(the post is a week late, not the party)
After a bout with the flu that knocked Jimmy out for a week, I was doubtful that he would be well for his birthday. But he was! His friends came over for an army themed party and had a great time. Jimmy insisted that they play "Don't eat Pete!" which is not an army themed game, but is well loved nonetheless. In fact, one of the party guests went home and taught her family to play that night. (http://tipjunkie.blogspot.com/2007/06/dont-eat-pete.html)

Rabbit Ears

Here are our cute little spring bunnies! I accidently deleted the picture where everyone is smiling, but the kids are cute no matter what!
(you get an extra of Jonny because he loves having his picture taken right now!)
Oh yes! In the group shot, Jonny is wearing the shamrock hat that Amelia made in her Ladybugs playschool. It's adorable no matter who is wearing it!