Photo Of The Day

CAKE!!

There are so many pictures that deserve Photo of the Day today, but this one takes the cake (he he). We went to Christopher's 13th Birthday party and got lots of great pics. This one sums up all that is "birthday fun".

Photo Of The Day

Todd's Passion

(This is a picture of Todd hand-scraping a floor)

Photo Of The Day

A Sunny Day in Hiesterville

Praises!

I have to take a moment to publicly praise God for some of the amazing changes/ growth in my pupils:

1. Elissa told me this morning that when Satan tempts her she wants to "just punch him in the face".
2. Kurstin has a strong desire to positively influence the people around her. She is especially concerned with her friends at Fairmont (her old school).
3. Kurstin's self-evaluation skills are impressive.
4. Both of the girls have grown by leaps and bounds in math, which has always been a source of confusion and frustration.
5. Elissa has realized that she has the ability to figure things out... just because she doesn't know something doesn't mean she can't know it.
6. Both girls have learned to think more deeply.
7. Robben said the full alphabet this morning :)

The following is an example of Elissa's writing. She learned about the state of Pennsylvania, and wrote a letter to the Chamber of Commerce of Hershey.

The following is an exerpt from Kurstin's Scripture Journal. We start each day with a devotional and 5 minutes of journaling...

Blessed (but not without trials)

Wow! What a day! It started out rather uneventful, but things escalated and got totally out of hand. I won't count it over until I'm snug in my bed and totally and completely unconscious. For instance, at the moment, my son is running around the house like a wet and naked kamikaze baby... an hour and a half past bedtime.

Before I get into the nitty gritty, I would like to count my blessings and make them public knowledge here and now: ONE- While Kurstin was deposed to her room (well, Tyler's actually- there's nothing to entertain her in there) for the offense of "attitude-weilding", rather than thinking of all the things she hates about her life, or me, or how unfair it all is, she was contemplating the fact that I "put up with a lot of stuff" from them and need/deserve a break. So she and Elissa sent me off to have some "me" time while they held down the fort. TWO- My two-year-old prays. He really prays. He thanks Jesus for things like the trampoline, our food, his mommy and daddy, and brothers and sisters (by name). He squeezes his little eyes shut and thinks of all the good things God has given him. THREE- Elissa hugged me today and said, "You're a good mom." What more could I ask for? I know there are many more, and I even thought of some today, but they seem to have gotten lost in the chaos...

So on my little date with myself... well, actually before me and me really got to do any bonding, I got a call from home. This is where it all starts to unravel. Kurstin is hysterical, which does nothing for my nerves, being that she, Elissa and Robben are home alone. She proceeds to tell me that Elissa has fallen and hit her chin and a chunk is missing and there's lots of blood and she's crying really hard. For how hard Kurstin was crying, it seemed like she was the one who was hurt. In fact, she was telling God over and over that she wished it had been her rather than Elissa (ah, blessing #4). So I abandon my time off and rush home. Elissa has gotten her emotions under control... just under control. I take a gander and sure enough, a gapping hole about 1" in length and probably about 1/4" wide. She asks me if it's broken and I tell her no, but I think she'll need stitches. No longer under control. She starts crying again. She's scared, not knowing what to expect. Luckily our doctor is able and available, so I head back into Sanger with Frightened Nine-Year-Old in tow. We wait, oh, an hour and a half, in anticipation. I assure her that she won't feel a thing after the novacaine shot and so on and so forth. We are ushered into the "surgery" room, which I think should be called something pleasant like the "bubble gum factory" or the "wonder emporium" or something. Surgery! Kick the fear up a notch, why don't you! Well, the shots were torture. He rooted around inside the wound while tears streamed down her face to her ears and I squeezed her hand till her fingers were purple, almost to the point of amputation. Once it was numb, I assured her that the worst part was over. I wasn't lying, I was merely mistaken. I figured after the internal scrubbing he gave it, she wouldn't be able to feel a thing. She felt the first stitch. She cryed a high-pitched whining cry, with "ow, ow, ow" mixed in for flavor. Again with the purple fingers. I later learned that she wanted to scream but "that would have been unnecessary" (she said). So he rooted around some more, numbing the site more thoroughly and proceeded with 3 more stitches. Afterwards I was congratulated for my bravery and my iron-grip on consciousness. Apparently most parents end up having to leave the room on the verge of passing out. I felt a little nauseous, but otherwise fine, if not horrified. Afterwards we hit Baskin Robbins with carte blanche.

By this time it was 5:30 so we went to pick up Tyler from track practice (and naturally had to wait 30 minutes, because they're always running late when you are actually there on time), meanwhile making alternate plans for dinner since I wasn't home to cook. Taco Bell. Upon arriving home I found out some more bad news...

We have a cousin (of sorts) that is in the hospital. She was born with her heart on the wrong side and upside down, too much of this, not enough of that, and what-in-the-heck-are-those. They told her parents that she'd be lucky to live 4 months. That was 45 years ago! About a week ago she had a stroke (and they say a heart attack, but who can be sure in such circumstances?). She's now in the hospital and not expected to make it. Not sure how long. The thing is, they thought that 45 years ago, too, so we are keeping the hope alive. Anyway, at dinner, Todd said he thought we should go see her. So we all throw our Taco Bell wrappers away (down-home cookin' that makes mama proud!), get Robben in jammies, and jump in the car. Thankfully we got there before visiting hours ended (another blessing!). We all crammed into her room for a short visit, lest we sap her of all the energy she needs to fight for her life. Heck, we sap me, I can only imagine what we do to others. We only stayed for about 20 minutes or so (less time than it took to get there). As we left, she said something important to each one of us... like maybe goodbye but hopefully not. It made me feel really sad, because she has a lot of things she still wants to do, relationship wise. She told me she wants to get to know me better and be friends. I just feel like she's not at peace right now. She's thinking of everything she doesn't want to miss. If she comes through this, I hope I can find a way to help her achieve these things so that when she is lying on her deathbed, she doesn't have regrets by her side.

Almost over... on the way home, Robben begins hacking and pukes up a bunch of mucus, which has no doubt been covertly making its way down his throat. You know, the day just wouldn't be complete without somebody having some sort of uncontrollable bodily malfunction. So our day wound down with Todd giving Robben a bubble bath at 9pm (which brings us back to the wet and naked kamikaze baby that was pinballing around my living room/kitchen when this conversation began) and me hitting the carseat with mass quantities of baby wipes. It's gonna stink in there tomorrow... I didn't leave the windows cracked, because at this rate, I figure that's akin to hiring some Professional Aboriginal Rain Dancers to call down the Waters of Heaven.

All that being said, I'm sure you can all understand my need for two trips to Starbucks today :)

Oh, and the Blessing of all Blessings: Thank you, God, for giving me the Gift of Flexibility!

Practice

Here is an exerpt from Katie's second photo shoot. She is now 11 weeks pregnant and overjoyed! She is so loving and kind; I know she will make an extraordinary mommy. See for yourself... pictures don't lie (at least this one doesn't!). With her permission there will be more photos to come :)

Pictures With A Name

I took the camera down to the neighbor's house today because I've spotted some really cool stuff to photograph. I warned them yesterday not to be alarmed if they found me stalkin' around.
Jane- I was at your house :) Hope you don't mind me publishing the results :)

You'd be a narcissist too, if you sparkled like this!

The new and the old

Bloom where you're planted... or where they can't get rid of you :)

Wildflowers

Singled out

Potential

Andy: A life fully lived

Lily: A life just begun

BabyFace: Love and Light

Berries in monochrome

Bed and breakfast

Old-fashioned country entertainment

A different brand of picket fence

The promise of new life

Ghosts of harvest past

(To be fair, the rotting gourds are in my yard, not Jane's.)

The Faith of a Child

My son has a doll. Not Tyler, which some of you may expect, but Robben. My baby boy has a doll. It's an old Baby Pooh Bear in jammies, a sleeping cap and perpetually closed eyes. Today Robben claimed it as his own to hug and kiss and tuck in at night. He has named it "Baby Jesus"!!!

Last night, while rocking Robben to sleep, he shouted out and then proclaimed, "praising Jesus!"

I LOVE that kid!

People Pics

Wow, such interest you've all shown in my pictures! I thank you...and keep it comin' :) Several of my friends have commented that they'd like me to take their family pictures. Whether hypothetical or sincere, I thought I'd share a few pictures of actual people. I have plenty of "pose-and-look-at-the-camera" pictures, which I'm sure I will share with you at some point, but I really like candids, so here are a few:

This is my beautiful friend, Katie. I am going to be taking maternity pictures of her every month of her pregnancy. Here she is 4 weeks and beyond ecstatic!

This is our friend (and Todd's employee), Joe, with his daughter, Serena. We got hundreds of great pictures of the baby, but I love this one... She's obviously happy to be with her daddy, and there's no shortage of joy on his face.

Payton on New Year's Day, visting Wesley at the Fresno Rescue Mission. We got to play in the yard with him for 2 hours, and I took a couple hundred pictures :) I like the action of this one. Payton is happily kicking a pile of dirt, and if you look carefully, you can see the blurred dirt flying through the air. I like the contrast of the industrial downtown in the distance.

Before leaving Wesley, we all got hugs and kisses. To me, this one says "love". Why? When I zoom in really close, I can see a string of baby slobber connecting their lips :) It was a real kiss!

Like I said, I took a couple hundred pictures. This is Ally as she waits her turn to hug Wes goodbye. The beaded bracelet says "BELIEVE".

Who doesn't love a baby in a box? Who, I ask you??

...As Promised

Who'da thunk it? Here I am, a mere 30 minutes after returning home, uploading pictures to the blog! Something strange and foreign is happening! Well, with all the comments from my faithful followers, not to mention the shout-outs I received on Facebook, how could I let you all down? Let me apologize in advance. You are not about to see the pictures of Yosemite that you are familiar with. Not only is familiar boring, we also didn't go all the way into the park where one would find these majestic beings such as Half Dome and Yosemite Falls... I chose to photograph the little things, which, after all, is where the joy is found :)

On the way up there, Todd took a little detour, not because he knew we'd find some amazing photo ops, but because there were some killer hills that I think he managed to actually make the Yukon fly off of, causing me to scream like a little girl. However, when we rounded a bend, we both recognized the scene for what it was. He slammed on the breaks and veered off the road (luckily into a turn-out) and I hopped out, camera in hand.

Todd took this one :) (above)

How's this for an award-winning shot? I got this one this morning at breakfast. It's looking outside, with the reflection from the fireplace in the window!

I have always wanted to go on horse-drawn sleigh... I still do. They're closed right now because there isn't enough snow :( I asked them to strap some wheels onto the bottom of the sleigh, but it was a no-go. The incident sorta reminds me of the time in college when my girlfriends and I went to the LA Zoo when it was raining. The animals, being smarter than we were, had all sought shelter. Crystal, my roommate, had never seen an elephant in person, but all she got out of the visit was a picture of herself drenched to the bone, standing by the sign for the elephants!

On the way home we stopped in Oakhurst at a little cafe we enjoy (remember, Lyndsay?), and then went to a really cute little antique-like store. It's called "Vintage Chic" and it was full of old/artsy stuff. It was so cute and creative. The following are pictures I took in the boutique. The photo above is a sign shop next door.

I love this picture! I want this to be the cover of my book. Now that I have the cover, I'll have to write the book :)

Which one is your favorite?

Just Waitin'

I'm all ready to go. The house is clean (relatively), the kids are packed, I'm packed... all I have to do now is wait. Todd is on his way home from work as we speak, and then after a brief stint of waiting for him to get ready (and pack), we will be off. Drop the kids off at Tara's & then Tenaya Lodge here we come!! I'm unnaturally excited to get away for a day/night. Though I'm already anticipating missing my little one (no offense to the bigger ones).

Stay tuned for pictures of our little vacation. I can only imagine what's waiting for us...

My New Hobby

For Christmas I got a really nice camera. A Nikon. I love taking pictures, and luckily, with all these beautiful people under my roof, there are plenty of opportunities. I also live in what apparently is a wonderland of photo-musts, forcing me to pull over and drag my children out onto the side of the road for some "candids". I pull well off to the side... Here are some of my favorites:

I don't know why, but I just LOVE this picture! Though we are in a really amazing orchard, I think it looks like a winter wood.

This man was outside the gates of the Rescue Mission and was so pleased that somebody, anybody, would stop to take his picture. He thanked me joyfully as he walked away. It never occured to him to even want to see the picture. It spoke volumes to me.

Flowers...

Payton was so patient while I got the picture I wanted. There's a closer shot, but I love her legs and sweater for some reason. And you gotta love the nail polish :)

Looking out my front door

Trying out the new camera; On the ground at church.

One of my favorite locations, a pecan orchard.

Up the hill by our house

My fence on a freezing morning. I was trying to take pictures of the ice crystals and one of our lovable country kitties came to rub her face on the camera.

Today, January 7, 2010, is my 4th wedding anniversary. Todd and I are going up to Yosemite tomorrow and staying at the Tenaya Lodge. This will be a first for us. I'm unnaturally excited about it. And just think of all the amazing photos that are out there to be taken! With any luck, I'll post them next week... here's hoping...

Silly Lissy-ism #7

We were playing outside when Robben noticed a plane in the sky. Elissa asked him, "Where is that plane going? Africa? Asia? North Dakota?"

(I love what her mind considers to be foreign and exotic worlds!)

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #9

There is baby powder all over the floors in 3 different rooms. The empty bottle is nowhere to be found... But the toilet is clogged! Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out!

Silly Lissy-ism #6

Robben discovered that the pantry actually makes quite the adequate hiding place. He opens the double doors, stands inside and closes the doors as far as possible. Typically all you can see are his little feet poking out. One time he chose to sit, so the whole bottom half of his legs were out, and Elissa walks by and exclaims, "Look! The witch died!" (The Wicked Witch of the East, when the house falls on her in The Wizard of Oz.)

Silly Lissy-ism #5

"You know what would suck? If you accidently got a drink that was ONLY calories." (Leaving Starbucks)

Silly Lissy-ism #4

Thoughtfully: "Why do they put eyelashes on all the letters?" (In reference to the spikes on top of business signs to keep the birds off)

Silly Lissy-ism #3

"The other day I saw a cow going #1... (pause)... I didn't expect it to come out of the back of the cow!"

Silly Lissy-ism #2

"I love the little dots on kitty faces where their whiskers are."

Silly Lissy-ism #1

While strolling through the kitchen and pondering dreamily: "I wish I could get all the pincher bugs out of my sponge." (In reference to her loofa)

Silly Lissy-isms

Yet another Hiester series is coming your way. Elissa says way too many hilarious things to not record them...

Foiled Again!

It is quite common for places to be closed when I attempt to visit them. Places that normally don't close close when they see me coming. I know you probably think I'm exaggerating, but no. I was once asked to pick my candy and leave a 7-11 because they were closing! Have you ever known a 7-11 to close?

A couple years ago we tried to take the kids to the zoo... closed.

The first time I tried to take the girls and Robben to the museum... closed.

This week it has happened twice! Both times it led to a more involved alternative:

On Monday I told the girls we could go to the museum. Knowing how it usually works for me, I checked the website before driving all the way down there. Of course, they were closed. Well I had already told them we were going, so we had to do something. I ended up taking them to see Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, which required a babysitter for the boo (thanks Amy) and funds wasted at the concession stand. The museum would have been free (we are members. don't be jealous).

Today was even worse. Elissa just finished learning about the state of Washington, and therefore apples, so naturally we planned an excursion to an apple farm for some pickin'. And naturally they were closed! Luckily I learned this with a simple phone call (I do learn from my mistakes!), so we didn't waste our time driving out to Exeter. The people who own the place are out of town and I talked to their house-sitter. She said we can go next week. But when the kids have been looking forward to apple-pickin all week, I had to come up with something great, and hopefully school-related,to do. So I did what any rational adult would do: I called for backup. Tara is my first choice, and true to form, she had some great ideas. But again, much more involved than pickin' fruit off trees! I mentioned that Elissa had also just learned about Joseph and the multicolored coat (bible story). So guess what we are doing? Each of the girls got to pick out 5 funky fabrics and we are making Robben a colorful "coat"!

Anyone have a simple pattern for a robe, cloak or the like?

The Next Big Pet

Yesterday, Robben, Kurstin, Elissa & I went out to Reedley Beach with Robben's early intervention program. It was nice to be outdoors with the cooler weather we are finally experiencing. I expected the girls to enjoy the relaxation time, but I wasn't thinking they'd really have much fun. Oh, how wrong I was! The people putting the event on were giving out teensy little pails with shovels and scoops and rakes in them. And goldfish crackers. Can't leave out the crackers... Robben ate 4 packs! They said the girls could have a pail, too, but I said, "Oh, they're big, they don't need one." Again... wrong! The girls each took a pail and headed down to the water (a trickle of a river, but quite a beach!). They were down there for at least an hour, squatting down, digging around by the water. When it was time to go, they came running proudly to me, each with their pails a-swingin'. They had collected tons of itty bitty "clams", and had decided to make a "clam farm".

They are quite serious about this endeavor, I must say. They were sure to collect various sizes of shells so that "when the little clams grow out of their shells, they have bigger ones to move into." And when faced with the querry, "How are they gonna eat?" Kurstin exclaimed that she would research it on the internet... "I'll type in, 'What do clams eat?'" And before we left for dance, they were sure to "check on the clams." I'm not really sure what they expected them to be doing?!? Maybe throwing a clam festival? In any case, we are now the proud owners of a thriving community of clams. :) :) :)

What's Your Perspective?

Various perspectives on life...

Todd's Perspective:
"You know why the phone is better than email? #1, you know the person got your message. #2, you don't have to type!"

Kurstin's Perspective:
"When I'm pregnant, like really close to my due date, I'm gonna wear sweats all the time, cuz I wouldn't want my water to break when I'm wearing jeans."

Elissa's Perspective:
"What are those things called?... Macarenas?... Yarmulkes? (pronounced: yah-muh-kuh) ..."
"Maracas?" suggests Marianne (how I know what she's talking about is evidence of the power of God).
"Yeah, Maracas!"

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #8

Your 15-year-old son has to make a video for a class project. The only time his group can get together is at 6 o'clock in the morning on a day when school starts late. The group arrives only to realize that the dvd's for the camcorder have mysteriously gone missing. The entire family is out of bed in search of the all-important discs. By 7:15, we activate Plan B. All pile into the car and head into town to purchase more dvd's. 3/4 of the way there, a phone call comes in notifying the group that the original discs have been located... on top of the dog cage behind the couch.

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #7

There are feminine hygiene products scattered about your living room... and no one seems to notice. (All in a day's play:))

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #6

The contents of the training toilet are paraded around the house to the tune of wild praises and congratulations from each family member.

(Kurstin did it, not me. I would have though...)

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #5

You find a brand new roll of toilet paper floating in a full-to-overflowing sink.

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #4

The song stuck in your head for 4 days straight is titled "Barbara Manatee", sung by Larry the Cucumber.

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #3

You go on a date with your husband and don't realized the orange handprint (thank you, cheetos) on the shoulder of your black shirt until you arrive at the restaurant.

(This one hasn't happened to me yet. This happened to Tara a couple years ago.)

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #2

You find a 5-day-old chicken nugget in your purse.

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #1

You may be somewhat surprised to find that you are dancing to Christmas music very animatedly and with sheer joy and excitement on your face in your favorite restaurant, where everyone knows you (superficially, at least). You are willing to make a fool of yourself in order to infuse the experience with joy and happiness for your child. But what a fool you do appear when your baby was left home with Daddy.

Another Series: "Sure Signs You Have A Toddler"

Okay, I know I haven't been very good about writing lately. Yes, I know that's an understatement. I have so many stories to add to my "Hiester Classics" series, and I promise, I will. Eventually. But I have inspiration for another series. Having a very active 21 months old gives me lots of new and... exciting?... experiences on a daily basis. They are sometimes very funny and I think they should be shared.

So stay tuned for the new series: "Sure Signs You Have A Toddler"

Delayed Dental Decisions

Well, I have good news and bad news...

Let me back up. I waited until Monday (of last week) to call our regular dentist, Dr. Peter Giorgio. Though he doesn't work on Mondays, he was in the office, so took my call. He recommended we contact a pediatric dentist, as it can be very difficult to work on 1-year-olds. Ha! He's never met my wiggle worm!!! So Tara spent some time researching pediatric dentists in our area. She found the one with the very best reviews (happy kids, happy parents) and gave me his number. (Thanks a million!!!) I called Dr. Jelmini's office and made an appointment for tomorrow - a full week and a half from the incident itself!! So long to agonize! But, in an obvious ploy to earn MY good review, they called me back the next day to tell me they had a cancellation and could see him the following day, which was last Wednesday.

The girls and Robben LOVED the office. There were games and toys and trains and books. My favorite part were the funhouse mirrors near the bathrooms :) And when we left, Robben got a balloon. Robben enjoyed the dentist's office so much that he actually screamed when we left!

So here is the good news: Robben's tooth is definitely repairable.

The bad news: They are going to wait 12 weeks to make sure there is no nerve damage. Dr. Jelmini will go in and make it look just like it did before. But if the tooth starts to discolor, he will know there is something more going on under the surface. In this case he would have to treat the tooth differently. Rather than putting Robben (and our bank account) through two procedures, he is just going to give it some time so all the evidence can come in. His next appointment is on December 8th. What's special or significant about December 8th? That's right! It is AFTER Robben's birthday. So he will get to have his second birthday party with a chipped tooth. Let's not even think about the pictures!! Oh well. Memories, memories. One day they'll be fond :)

And how about a little shout out for Dr. Georgio? He called me the day after we spoke to check up on Robben and make sure we were able to get him seen somewhere!!!

Speaking of High Fives

One of our kitties, Cloe, is sweet and loveable, but can be very cantankerous and moody. She is the quintesential female. She embodies my own spirit in a cuter, slimmer form. She is known to slap people on occasion, which is perfectly acceptable if you are of the superior sort. And quite the strong paw does this feline have. Quick as lightning, too. The other morning, Robben was standing in front of her with his hand held high saying, "five, five". Cloe would then slap his hand with sharp, rapid-fire blows. He'd look at his hand, squint his eyes, scrunch up his mouth, and say, "ooooohhhhh," then request another high five. I don't recall who tired of the game first. (Probably the cat.)

A Tooth Tragedy

Oh my baby!! He's so sweet and beautiful in so many ways. One of my (and the rest of the family's) favorite features of his are his teeth. Especially the top ones. He has 12 altogether. 4 on the bottom front, 4 on the top front, and 4 molars. Wait, wait. Let me do a recount... I'm sorry, I was mistaken. There are 4 on the bottom front, 3 2/3 on the top front, and 4 molars!

While I was giving him a bath, he was playing with my shampoo bottle. It is the large kind with a pump on top and he had it on the edge of the tub, trying to push the pump down. The bottle slipped, as did Robben, and his face hit the edge of the tub really hard. I yelled and frantically began the search for damage. There was no blood. Initially, I thought he had hit his nose, so I was expecting a bloody nose at the very least. It didn't take a private investigator to solve the mystery. He had hit his mouth, not his nose, and broke off the bottom 1/3 of his precious baby tooth. Top left. His tooth is broken...my heart is broken. I take such pride in those darling little teeth.

Amidst my sorrow and regret, Tyler says Robben looks like Lloyd Christmas (from Dumb and Dumber), and Todd reassured me that he can always get silver teeth!!! My angel boy will NOT have a grill!!! Monday morning, bright and early, we will be beating down the dentist's door. I will update the masses on this delicate situation...

A Blog Derailed

Soooo, what do you think, should I begin with the usual apologies and excuses, or just cut to the chase? Oh, I have an idea. If you're interested in my justifications and rationalizations for the negligence I have exhibited in relation to the blog, please see former entries. If you've had enough, read on.

Why don't we start with the current happenings... I've been in my baby boy's room trying to get him to sleep. See, he can climb out of bed now, so the napping process is much more complex than in the days of yore. I sat in the rocking chair next to his bed, reading my book and sipping my chai and basically acting as an accountability agent. For a time there was some "hi mommy"-ing, then kisses through the slats and finally he put his "bink" (blanket) over his head and lay down and fell asleep. I softly closed my book and made my way back to the living room to endeavor to recap the summer in the briefest, most descriptive way possible. As I exited Robben's room, I began to smell smoke. A putrid smoke. Rounding the corner of the hallway, I began to SEE the smoke hanging in the air and swirling around the Guitar-Hero-playing-figure that was Tyler. In a panic-stricken voice I exclaimed, "Smoke! Tyler! What's burning? Look at the smoke!" Smart as he is, Tyler is not real speedy, but he jumped up at the realization of the source of the offensive odor. Prior to sitting down with his video game, Tyler had started the process of boiling his toothbrush, because Robben, on one of his little excursions out of bed, had selected it as a good candidate for his own oral hygiene practice. Not wanting baby saliva and dust bunnies on his brush, Tyler elected to sterilize it. Then forgot. Now his toothbrush looks much like a marshmallow that was left roasting over a campfire and dripped from the stick into the sea of dancing flames. I can't even begin to fathom where the bristles went! In any case, we are now one pot and one toothbrush short. And I have a headache from the Oral-B fumes. I had planned to update you on the Hiester Summer, but will have to postpone for fear of brain-cell-loss. A serious condition when you are already running so low and demanding so much of what you do possess!

His Very Own Wishing Well

The other night we went to Yosemite Falls to celebrate Amy's 18th birthday. Todd and Robben were both done with sitting (Todd because of his broken butt and Robben because he is 1) so they ventured out to the patio for some exploration. There are a couple of fountains out there, so Todd gave Robben a penny and instructed him to toss it into the water. Sure, that's cute and all, in a very ordinary way. But what makes this story special is the dime we discovered in the cats' water dish the following day!

Freak Rope Swing Accident

Ahhh. Even when you've no time for blogging, some things simply must be blogged about. The following is just such an incident...

Last Wednesday, July 22, Todd was having a grand ol' time on the rope swing hanging from the trees in our front yard, when suddenly the fastener gave way, sending him careening to the ground. I was not home at the time (naturally - if you've noticed from past blogs, most injuries tend to be inflicted when I'm not home), but Wesley and Amy were here to help. Todd was completely immobile on the ground, which I don't think Amy was very comfortable with. She called an EMT from Wild Waters, which is just down the street, and at which both Amy and Wesley are employed. He came over and helped assess the damage and get Todd moved to a chair. Amy called me in a panic, asking me to try to convince Todd to go to the hospital. I can't really take credit for getting him there, though, because I think he intended to go all along, he just needed to "get ready". He just wasn't ready to hop into a car and go for a spin. I know now that he was dedicating every lost drop of his energy to the pursuit of consciousness, as he did not want to further freak the kids out by passing out. So Papa Tim brought the truck over and a bunch of Tyler's friends came, as well as Todd's brother Chad. All these various muscle-bearers carried Todd in the recliner to the truck, and tucked him somewhat comfortably inside for his trip to the ER. Did I mention he was in his underpants at this point? He'd had Wesley remove his pants to make way for an icepack, so ALL of Tyler's friends, not to mention Amy, got to see my dear hubby in his pantaloons. So I met my half-dressed man at the emergency room and began the process of ushering him inside. Apparently this was not easy for him, as consciousness finally slipped beyond his grasp as he entered the waiting room. To hear him tell it, he didn't actually pass out, but he had slipped so far away that he was incapable of responding to anything or anyone around him. At this point, there was lots of scurrying about, inserting of needles and patches and wires attached to foreign-looking equipment, and the rapid-fire shouting of words I didn't know, but understood to mean he was going into shock. I didn't like it. They took him back and made me wait with all the other sick or hurt people in the waiting room. For a split second I thought Todd was going to die of rope swing-induced shock. Hey, that could be a medical term! They got him settled and examined and then let me in. He was alive... and conscious. After a CT scan, we learned that he had broken his sacrum (the big triangular piece at the base of the spine that the tailbone connects to) and the front part of his pelvis, where it comes together to form the pubis. The worst pain was in his groin, where he felt like someone had dug their fingers in and ripped out all the tendons and ligaments. He was certain his leg was going to pop out of socket. They ended up sending him home with vicodin and a pair of crutches. The parts that he broke are non-operable, thank God, and not weight-bearing, so they said he could walk as soon as the pain allowed.

When we arrived home, Tyler, Ally and Wesley had to carry the recliner out to the truck, load Todd into it, and then carry it back into the living room, where Todd existed for that night and the next day. He worked on standing the next day (with the crutches), and by Friday headed off to work. I know. He's nuts!!! He was healing nicely until Saturday, when the bronchitis hit him with wracking coughs, sending his tailbone and internal organs into fits and spasms of pain. He has not been a happy camper, but nothing really keeps him down... He has been at work every day this week.

Though this was a difficult situation to go through, there are a few patches of light in the darkness:
1. The bones he broke are the best ones to break in that part of the body, if you insist on breaking any.
2. Todd has sworn off stupid maneuvers, even when I'm not around (we'll see how faithful he can be to this promise).
3. He drummed up some business with his ER doctor (who was a very nice man).
4. When you pass out in the emergency room, they don't make you wait as long as everyone else!

Must...Blog...

First of all, my sincere apologies go out to all my loyal followers (if there are any left) for the lllloooooonnnnnggggg delay in my writing. I wish I could give you some fantastic, outlandish reason for my negligence, but there truly is none. To be honest, it's not that things have been crazy around here, rather they have been un-crazy. Of course we've had the usual happenings such as everyone getting deathly ill at roughly the same time, too many kids doing too many activities at the same time, and parties coming out our ears, but as for normal, everyday life, everything has really fallen into a nice smooth routine.

Sidebar: My comma key is missing so I have to push the little squishy button and it barely works so I'm getting really frustrated. Anyone who knows me will understand why I simply CANNOT compose this post without use of the all-essential comma!

Because I have about 2 months worth of "Hiester" to update you on, perhaps I'll just give a bulleted list (of sorts) of the highlights...

* Wesley turned 18
* Wesley graduated from Sanger High and is enrolled at Fresno City. We threw him a huge birthday/grad party, where we presented him with his first-ever mode of independent transportation: a cool, yellow scooter. He's working on getting his license, but practices the driving regularly. After the first week, he had a minor wreck. This was to be expected. He was dismounting and touched his inner calf to the "Burn Warning" sticker. His reaction was to squeeze the handlebars, which sent the bike shooting forward. It then crashed into the playhouse on our back patio, catapulting Wesley over the front of it. This was a little over a week ago. He has a pretty nasty burn, but not a scratch on anything else... including his dignity. You gotta love Wesley!
*Our neighbors gave us 3 mutant zucchinis from their garden. The process of figuring out what to do with the monstrocities led me into a baking frenzy/ domestic deluge. (Dictionary.com really comes in handy :)) I ended up not only making zucchini casserole, oatmeal chocolate chip zucchini cookies, zucchini bread, apple zucchini bread, and chocolate zucchini bread, but I also became inspired to make fabulous gift baskets for the kids' teachers at the end of the school year. I bought cute bushel baskets and filled them with all things apple. (Get it? Teachers? Apples? See the symbolism?) Each basket included apple lotion, apple soap, an apple candle, dried apples, homemade apple bread (which is to die for!!!), homemade apple butter, homemade apple sauce, and homemade apple jelly. Yes, Marianne Hiester has discovered canning! From the apple baskets, I proceeded on to make my own personal supply of strawberry jam, blackberry jam, and pizza/spaghetti sauce (my own concoction). Oh, the madness has not ended! I'm simply out of fruit! I have resolved to never buy jelly from the store again! Mwa-a-a-a-a! So now that I'm a bakin' fool, you can all look forward to the fall and holiday seasons. Goodies will be a-comin your way!
- ---Count the commas! That was torture!----
*The baking and canning may sound domestic, but something much more extreme has gotten into me: Starting in August I'm going to be homeschooling Kurstin and Elissa. It's way too much to get into here and now, but we are all very excited about this upcoming endeavor. I'm optimistic, but realistic, about the whole thing. I think it will be really good for all of us.
*Last week Robben experienced his first camping trip- sort of. We stayed in a "rustic" cabin at Camp Fresno for 4 nights- sort of. We each had a bed (with our own sleeping bags/bedding) and we had a toilet and cold water. All the cooking was done the traditional camping way. I can say the trip was an experience... I'm not sure I'd call it a success. We had a good time and it was relaxing- sort of. Wesley couldn't go because he had to work. Tyler had pnuemonia in both lungs. Elissa was in the process of getting Valley Fever (I think), and so was feverish, fatigued and wretching. And Robben was too interested in being "side" (which means outside) to be concerned with any sort of sleeping or any activity that might be construed as relaxing. We met all of our neighbors and dined and played together. Each night about 20 people would get a volleyball game going, so Ally was in 7th heaven, and Kurstin really improved some of her skills. We brought the pooch, Lily, who probably would have been in a state of bliss if the other pooch, Andy, had accompanied us. But he got into it with a skunk the day before we left, thereby disqualifying him from the Hiester camping experience. The trip was cut 12 hours short by the event of Robben hurling curdled milk and bbq all over our bed, rendering us bedless. Between that and the propane in the stove running out before my white chocolate carmel mocha was the appropriate temperature, I decided it was over. I marched out to the volleyball game with my luke warm drink and announced that we would be cleaning up and leaving as soon as they were finished. Nobody complained. We packed up, cleaned up, and loaded up, and we were out of there by 11:15 pm. The only other snafu was when Robben puked yet again on the way home, causing him to have to be stripped naked and the windows to be rolled down the rest of the way home so that the rest of us didn't wretch at the stink of it. Nothing like a little family vacation to make you appreciate HOME!!!
*Finally, and most importantly, Robben got hair! It's white :)

I think that's it for now. If I go too much further, this'll never end. I should say one last thing: today, June 30, 2009, is the 5th anniversary of Carrie's death. As is our usual custom, we headed out to the cemetery with some new flowers and then went to dinner at her favorite restaurant: DiCicco's. It's good for us all to celebrate her life on a regular basis, and I hope her memory is vivid in each of the kids' minds and hearts.

By for now... I hope to be back in less that 2 months ;)