Mariah

I finally took Mariah to get her pictures done professionally in her baptism dress. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Kiddie Kandids?!

Pioneers in the Pacific

The "Mormon" Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Subsequently, it has been a day that we have celebrated every year since. This year, our ward decided to celebrate the "Pioneers in the Pacific".

Tricia Christiansen, who has also lived in Hawai'i for several years, was in charge of the activity. I could tell that a lot of work was put in to make it a success. We all grew up in the Woodburn Ward together with the Ing family, who is originally from O'ahu. Keola Ing now lives with his wife and kids in the Woodburn 1st Ward, which we are currently attending. He was able to help out a lot with the traditional aspect of the activity.

On Friday night, Keola and several people prepared a pig to be cooked in the Imu pit that had been dug earlier in the week. After the pig was in and cooking, Tricia had prepared a program with several speakers to talk about the first LDS missionaries that were sent to the islands in the 1850's.

Keola (in the black shirt and sunglasses) and the gang

Grandpa Jones in the Hawaiian print shirt, Asia and Will

Imu Pit

Keola throwing wet burlap cloth on the pit

Asia fell asleep, poor girl!

Brinlee and Tatum waiting for the program to start.

On Saturday, we started at noon with lunch. The Kalua Pork was absolutely amazing! There was lots of local kine food to eat and it made me miss the islands that much more. Tricia had asked me to help at the Poi ball making station. We helped the primary kids make little poi balls and then Mariah and Brinlee demonstrated how to use them. It was a lot of work, but the kids had so much fun!

The girls were also asked to do the entertainment. They danced the few hula numbers they had learned in their 7 months of hula lessons. Asia started running a fever on Friday night and didn't feel well enough to perform. Brinlee was supposed to go first with Tahitian and then change into her pa'u for the final number, but she was so nervous that Mariah did her Maori number with the poi balls first. Then Brinlee was supposed to do their Tahitian number, but she got up there and cried and wouldn't do it. So we decided to just go ahead with Ua Mau (I know it's a Christmas song, but that's all they know! LOL!) to see if that would help her warm up. That is why they didn't change into their "Hawaiian" costumes, there was no time! Then Brinlee did her Tahitian number and did a really nice job. I was really proud of them for getting through their nerves. It wasn't a perfect performance, but I was happy that they were able to use their hula costumes again!

Oldies

I had a lot of fun going through my old box of photos to find ones that would coordinate with some of those annoying 100's posts. Here are couple that I found and LOVE!

This is my parents vacationing in Vegas in 1969.

This is my mom when she was about to give birth to me.
Nov. or Dec. 1976

#1

When I was 18, I won a blind date on Z100's "Desperate and Dateless".

I was listening to the radio on a Thursday or Friday evening and heard that the guy on Desperate and Dateless would get to take the girl he chose to the Boyz II Men concert. So I called and told them I was 23. I think the guy was 27. The concert was that weekend and my parents were out of town. The guy ended up choosing me! I was so stoked. I met the guy at some cafe in Portland near the concert venue and we walked together. He was some country hick kind of guy with the starts of a mullet going on and wearing a western button up shirt and wranglers (to an R&B concert??). Don't get me wrong, I love a hot guy in a nice pair of wranglers, but you gotta know where to draw the line. This guy wasn't "ugly" per say, but I just remember he wasn't very tall (only a little taller than me 5'4). I had a blast at the concert, screaming my guts out. He just kind of sat there. LOL We had pretty good seats. I think there were just a couple rows back on the 1st set off the floor. It was the first concert I had ever been to and it was AWESOME!

Souvenier Photo we had taken.

the 100's

They are all finally done! If you want to view the entire list, click HERE. You will have to scroll down the page about 1/2 way. I have also added pictures throughout the entire list to coincide with some of the tidbits.

I had a lot of fun doing this....it got a little monotonous in the end, but I had fun revisiting some memories that I don't otherwise think about. Now my kids can look back and laugh at what a crazy mom they have!

31 Weeks

I am exactly 31 weeks today. Will took these pictures of me this past Sunday. I don't know if it's that I don't see myself in the mirror as that big, or if I am in denial, but looking at these pics of myself I don 't wonder anymore why people ask me if I'm sure I'm not having twins! ha ha ha

Willard R. Erickson, Jr., RN

FINALLY!!!! Will just found out that he passed the NCLEX! He took the test on Friday and just went online and there were the results!

He was a little nervous because it's a 265 question test and the computer shut off after he'd answered just 75 questions. That either meant that he'd answered enough correctly that he didn't need to continue, or the other way around, that he'd answered too many incorrectly and it wouldn't let him continue. We've been on pins and needles for the last 2 days!

Coincidentally, he also got the job that interviewed for this past Tues. It's working for Providence Milwaukie Hospital. It's located near SE Portland.

We would still really like to live in Vancouver. We will work out the details in these next couple of weeks to come.

YAY!! NO MORE SCHOOL!

Brinlee

Brinlee lost her 2nd tooth today! Last week she lost her first one and I am so spacey these days that I forgot to take a picture. The 2 permanent teeth are already broken through and poking up a quarter of the way, even before the baby ones fell out. She got 2 dollars from the tooth fairy! $1 for each. She was so excited that the morning after the 1st one fell out, Grandma Jones took her straight to the Dollar Tree to spend it. Grandmas.......

My little Firecrackers!

We had a busy week with the holiday and 2 birthdays, plus Adam and Megan in town. On the 2nd was Bradens 2nd birthday and on the 3rd was Ellie's 1st birthday. They tried to celebrate together, but Ellie was not a happy camper. It turned out ok though. She doesn't really know the diff anyway.

The night of the 3rd we all went to the St. Paul Rodeo and watched a HUGE fireworks show after. The rodeo was AWESOME! The thing that was not so fun was the stadium benches on my fat prego tushy...GRR! Mariah and Brinlee were totally into watching the Rodeo Queen and her court. Awwww....after my own heart =D!

On the 4th we were all tired from getting home at 11:30 after the rodeo, but some got up to be at the church morning run at 7 am. Then there was the flag raising at 8 at the church and then breakfast in the city park with parks and rec at 8:30. We left straight from the breakfast to go back to St. Paul for the parade. The kids were so excited! After the parade we were planning to let them ride a few rides each until we realized they were having a special of 1 ticket rides (as opposed to 4 tickets per ride). They ended up getting to ride 7 or 8 rides each. I even snuck on to the ferris wheel by holding Tatum and my purse in front of my belly. The guy wasn't really paying attention anyway. That evening we went out to some old family friends', the Nelson's, for a huge picnic BBQ. They accuired a license this year to legally let off the really big fireworks. Our kids were being so cranky and ornery that we took them home at 8:30 and put them to bed. They got to see a really big show the night before, after the rodeo anyway.

A DECADE

Today is our 10th anniversary. We pretty much already celebrated it when we took that trip to Maui in May. Most everyone has heard us tell the story about our honeymoon and how we wished we could have taken a more elaborate vacation. We swore that for our 10th anniversary that we would go Hawaii, no matter what we were doing. Well....just 22 days shy of our 10th anniversary, we moved back to the mainland from having lived in Hawaii for 3 years.

When we moved to Hawaii in June 2005, we realized that we would likely be living on the island for our 10th and so we said that we would do an full inter-island cruise to fulfill our honeymoon dream. Back then (when we first moved there), we could have done an all inclusive 7 night cruise to all the islands for a Kama'aina rate of around $390 per person. We had kind of been saving up for the occassion when it would come, but about 6 or 8 months ago when the economy took a sharp down turn, NCL pulled 2 of it's 3 major inter-island cruise ships from Hawaii to somewhere on the mainland east coast and Europe. Leaving only one ship in the islands caused the price to SKY-ROCKET! We couldn't find a rate for less than $900 per person.

We are happy with our trip to Maui and he did surprise me for our 9th anniversary last year and took me to Kaua'i, which was TOTALLY awesome! I have no complaints.

I have the best husband in the world. I don't tell him as often as I think of it in my head how lucky I know I am to have someone that is there for me in every way. There are so many men out there that refuse to be hands on with kids, and would choke at the thought of having to clean a toilet, but not my guy! He dives in head first and not only cleans all our toilets every weekend, but also keeps the dishes done and puts the kids to bed. I love you, Bug! THANK YOU for all you do. It doesn't go unnoticed.

I have no clue where our wedding pictures are buried right now. I did find a couple of pictures of us when we were dating and a wallet size of our engagement pictures and some other random pictures of us from the first year we were married, so I thought I'd put those up.

I suppose this could be considered our "first date". It was about 2 weeks
after he'd returned home from his mission and he wanted to go to the beach.
Not without supervision, of course. So he dragged his little brother, Cory, along
with us. I made the first move and held his hand in the car on the way there
and then that night (I was spending the weekend at his family's place), I kissed
him in his mom's kitchen before we said good-night. I think it was also earlier that
evening that his sister, Monica, and I convinced him to let me cut his hair and
give him a new style. He'd had the fluffy middle part since like 4th grade! LOL (9.29.97)

That Thanksgiving, after he'd already moved to UT to go back to BYU,
we met up in Las Vegas because my family had flown there for the
holidays and for my new nephew, Josh's, blessing. We had a lot fun
that weekend. He'd never been to Vegas before that. (11.29.97)

This is one of our engagement pictures. It's not the
one we ended up sending out, though I wanted to, and
have always regretted it since. My mom said it wasn't
a good idea to send out a b&w photo for an engagement.
What does she know?! LOL

Our honeymoon in the mountains. (6.29.98)

Timberline lodge up at Mt. Hood. (6.29.98)

We were visiting my sisters in Vegas (pretty close to our 1st anniv).
We drove down there with our friends, Aaron and Carrie Jeffries.
This picture was taken at the Rio Hotel buffet. I kept feeling so sick off
and on through the whole dinner, but it was a passing nausea. I found
out about a month later that I was pregnant with Mariah! (5.29.99)

We went out to dinner for his birthday at Skippers, his choice. Mariah
was several months old. (8.8.OO)

Road kill, anyone?

We were watching tv and lounging around after the kids were in bed when my brother, Ross, noticed a family of skunks trying to cross the busy country road in front of my parents house. (2 mornings ago, we woke to a foul smell outside the house and knew that we'd been sprayed by skunks.) That set he and Will on a mission. Ross grabbed the only 2 BB guns in the house and they ran for it. It was a very comical scene watching these 2 grown men running around like 2 little boys out for the hunt. Even my mom got in on it when she helped to load them up with some rocks for "ammo". Only one of the skunks ended up crossing the street into our neighbors yard. As the boys were trying to get it to come out of the bushes, we noticed another family taking over my parents back yard. Any suggestions for skunk control??

In attack mode

The standoff

UCK!!!!

One more reason to hate the toilet......

Did you know that when you flush the toilet that an aerosol like spray of whatever is in your toilet, at the time, sprays up to 20 feet away from your toilet. My sister-in-law is adamant about flushing with the lid down and keeps plastic covers on hers and her sons toothbrushes to keep the spray off. I was scoffing, just a tad, at the idea and then I decided to look it up online. UUUUCK!

There were endless articles and posts on the subject. I will include the 2 that I found the most informative.
halfbakery.com
straightdope.com

Bubbalicious

Tatum chewing gum and tidbits of cousin Hannah

Tatum, as most kids, has an obsession with gum. For months now, I have found her in the corner with the gum from my purse and anywhere from 4 to 8 gum wrappers surrounding her. She has eaten so much of it, I'm surprised she's not poo-ing Maui Melon Mint scent!! (sorry, I know...TMI) LOL!

She ended up chewing this same piece for almost 2 hours. When she was done with it, Will told her to put it in the rubbish and so she did! Such a funny girl.

"Hey Tatum, show me your gum!"

a bump in the road...

It was a small bump, but Will finally got a call back from Southwest Washington Medical Center on that internship he interviewed for and he didn't get the position. He said the lady was really nice and told him that he was very narrowly edged out by another applicant and she told him that she handed his application and all his information over to the nursing recruiter for the hospital with a high recommendation. She said that if he chooses to take a position elsewhere in the hospital, he will have priority for this same internship that will start again in November.

We both have said that we know that he will get a job in the place where we are supposed to be. He has applied at several hospitals up and down the freeway in OR and WA, including Silverton Hospital, Meridian Park (in Tualatin), Emmanuel Hospital (in Portland), OHSU, Southwest Washington Medical Center, and Salmon Creek (the new hospital in Vancouver).

Once he gets a test date from the state of WA to take the boards, he will feel a lot more secure in being able to find a job right away. We are both tired of waiting and just want to feel settled, ESPECIALLY before this baby comes. Keep those prayers coming!

(FYI: He will take the boards in the state of WA, however there is a small additional fee to pay to take one test and be licensed in both OR and WA.)

Burning Mouth Syndrome

My brother, Jay, happened upon a link about BMS and shared it with me. This is the most accurate description I have come across and there were actually some home remedy suggestions on there. I don't think any of my friends have this condition, but may know someone who does. Or maybe a stranger will happen upon this posting and find the info very useful. THANKS JAY!!!!!
(p.s. If you click on the title of this posting it will take you to the original article. There are some pictures and other links on there, as well.)

What Is Burning Mouth Syndrome?
By Sook-Bin Woo, Harvard Health Publications

Q: My husband was diagnosed with burning mouth syndrome. This seems to be a mystery syndrome. What can you tell us about it?

A: As the name suggests, people with burning mouth syndrome feel a persistent burning sensation in or around the mouth. The patients that I see with this problem tend to be women over age 50, but men get the syndrome too.

The burning sensation can be painful and make people feel absolutely miserable. Some patients describe it as feeling like they had been burnt by hot coffee. People feel the burning on the tops of their tongues (the most common site), their lips, or the part of the hard palate right behind the upper front teeth. But any part of the mouth may be involved. Often people wake up feeling fine or with only slight burning, but as the day goes on, the burning starts or gets worse. In addition to the burning sensation, people sometimes get a metallic taste in their mouth that won’t go away, or the mouth dries out.

The diagnosis of primary burning mouth syndrome — burning that’s not related to another medical condition — can be tricky. The tongue and other oral tissues will often look perfectly healthy. And a burning sensation in the mouth can be a symptom secondary to a number of conditions, ranging from anemia to type 2 diabetes to lichen planus, a rashlike inflammation that causes sore areas in the mouth. Those secondary causes have to be ruled out before a diagnosis of primary burning mouth syndrome is made.

Primary burning mouth syndrome is most likely a neuropathic disorder, meaning that the discomfort is the result of malfunctioning nerves: the nerves are “overactive” in some way. We don’t really know what causes them to misfire in that way.

I often see depression and anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder along with burning mouth syndrome. I’ve also seen many patients who have become more aware of their mouth than normal — they sense even the subtlest change in how it feels. So in treating this syndrome, it’s essential to address any psychological or psychiatric problems that may be present.

Because the cause isn’t fully understood, treatments target symptoms. I usually start patients on clonazepam (Klonopin), an anti-anxiety medication that helps with the hypervigilance and anxiety over the condition; this drug also directly reduces the burning sensation. If it isn’t effective, I sometimes try low doses of a tricyclic antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil) or nortriptyline (Pamelor).

A home remedy that sometimes works is a mouth rinse of water and a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Fighting fire with fire? Not exactly. Capsaicin, the chemical in Tabasco sauce and chili peppers that makes them hot, depletes substance P, a pain-signaling chemical in nerve cells. I also talk to patients about exercising more and taking steps to reduce stress, which can include something like taking yoga classes or just spending more time with friends.

Many people with burning mouth syndrome have been to other doctors who dismissed their condition because they couldn’t see anything physically wrong. I think part of the reason patients get better when they come to us is that we have a specific protocol to diagnose and treat the condition, first ruling out any other factors that may bring on secondary burning symptoms. We also take time to explain to patients what we know about the condition and try to allay their fears that they may have something more ominous, such as mouth cancer.

Tatum

I don't think she quite gets that we are here for good. She has had a blast playing with her 2 little cousins Braden and Hannah. We call Tatum and Braden "The Bobbsey Twins" because they are so close in age and really do look a lot alike. Braden turns 2 on July 2 and Tatum will be 2 on August 24. (Hannah made 1 in March).

She has been doing some pretty silly things since we've been here. It's been a challenge to keep everyone from feeding her things with milk. One of the favorite treats here at Grandma's house is spray whip cream on graham crackers. It's so sad to watch her poor face looking at all the other kids eating theirs with thick fluffy white stuff on top of theirs and hers is just plain jane. So I went to the store and got her some dairy free white frosting and she was in HOG HEAVEN!!

Earlier today, we had put her down for her nap and about 20 or 30 minutes later we peeked in on her and she was wide awake thumbing through Mariah's High School Musical chapter book.

to be 6 again

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, observing his wife, looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she'd like to have for her birthday. 'I'd like to be six again', she replied, still looking in the mirror.

On the morning of her birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Monster Roller Coaster, everything there was.

Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake.

Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure! Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted. He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, 'Well Dear, what was it like being six again??'

Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. 'I meant my dress size, you moron!'

The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he's gonna get it wrong.

The man of the house

Technically he's not the "man" of the house we are currently in, but figuratively speaking...you get the drift.

Will is a great dad! He loves our girls unconditionally. I could never imagine myself with anyone else. He does so much for us. I know that he does a lot more than the average dad and husband and I don't express my appreciation for him as much as I should. I love you, Will! Happy Father's Day!

In primary today, each of the kids was given a pair of socks to color on for dad for Father's Day. I thought that was a very clever idea and double-y awesome since he needed new socks! He received one pair each from Mariah, Brinlee and Asia.

My dad...the actual "man" of the house we are in....is the greatest! I didn't appreciate him growing up the way I do now. I see how much his presence had an influence on me no matter how much I resisted. I only hope that I can be half the parent that he is. Thanks for all you do dad!

He loved to go to Leonard Jr.'s in Waikele to get malasadas every time they visited. We thought this was a very fitting souvenier for him. On the back, it say's "Leonard's, of course"