Lofty Goals

Today is the first day of school, and I've got some pretty lofty goals. First of all, I must say that I have mixed feelings right now. I will miss the freedom of summer, being able to go and do things with the kids, but I am so happy to be back on a schedule. This summer has been absolutely NUTS!! I will definitely miss having the boys home, but at the same time, I am ready for some peace and quiet! Not that the boys were always playing at our house, but when they were, I swear, half the neighborhood kids were with them!

Jace is in first grade this year, Caden is in fifth grade and Jackson is in his second year of pre-school. I cannot believe how big my boys are! I got suckered into doing pre-school again, so I get to be Jackson's teacher this year, too. I am glad about that. I get bored during the day and I'm used to having lots of things to do...especially since my Texas schedule was so hectic with daycare AND pre-school. And I am glad to know exactly what Jackson is learning. It's so fun to watch his expressions as he is exposed to new things...he LOVES to learn!

Jace was nervous to go to first grade this morning. He's been so excited all summer that he gets to play on the "big play ground" this year. He's six and has quite the attitude for a six year old. Plus he has selective hearing loss and doesn't listen to a word I say. Last night I wanted to make sure that he KNEW it was not okay to be sassy to his teacher and that he needed to be a good listener. So I called to him in the other room, this was our conversation:

Me: Jace, tomorrow you meet your teacher. Are you going to be nice to her?
Jace: What?
Me: (a little louder) Are you going to be a good listener for your teacher?
Jace: (a lot louder!) What?
Me: (to myself) Never mind

I am sure he will do great, she is not "mom". Once we got to school and met his new teacher (she's young and really cute!) he said, "I think I will like this class." I know he will and I know he'll do great this year. He's a very smart kid and an excellent student. All of his teachers have absolutely adored him!

Caden is always excited about school. He's in class with a few of his friends from last year so he's pretty happy about that. His teacher speaks with an accent and he thinks that is pretty cool. We missed back to school night since we were out of town last week so we went a little early this morning to meet both of their teachers, find their classrooms and find their desks. Caden will do just fine, he couldn't get rid of me fast enough!! This was our conversation:

Me: Are you going to be able to find you class room?
Caden: Yeah, I am going to go play.
Me: Well, do you need anything else?
Caden: No, I'm good. Can I go?
Me: Okay....have a good day!
Caden: .... (he was around the corner and out the door)

He is in fifth grade and I suppose it's uncool to have your mom walk you to class. At least no one else was inside the building, so none of his friends saw. I wouldn't have walked with him to class if we'd gone to back to school night! Poor thing! Oh well.

So about those "lofty goals"...I am aiming really high this year!

This is our schedule and we did great this morning!

6:00am Get up and work out for 30 minutes (this is just for Mark and I)
6:30am Get the kids up and read scriptures until 7:00
7:00am Make hot breakfast while the kids get ready for school
7:20 am Eat breakfast
7:50am Car pool

It took a few minutes for Jace to wake up, but he finally joined us. I wouldn't dream of disturbing Jackson's slumber for scripture reading...he's a bear if he gets woken up. But Caden did great! He was tired, but a willing participant. I am really excited about this. I hope we can get into the habit of reading scriptures as a family, everyday. I know it will benefit our family.

Spontaneous...

We took a very last minute, very fun trip to North and South Dakota last week. There was a LOT of driving involved, but it was way worth it. We figured with it being the last week of the kids summer break, we may as well take the opportunity to go! We knew once school started there was no way we'd be able to pull it off. We went with Mark's sister, Marlene, and most of the kids cousins: Taylor, Emilee, Jadon, Jonalyn and Jamie to visit Grandma and Grandpa. We went to church with Joe and Neilene on Sunday, took a trip to the Zoo and spent lots of time at the water park where they are staying. The kids had so much fun!!! We did some shopping and of course played a few games of pitch. Then we were off again.

On our way home we stopped in Deadwood. That was an interesting little western town. You can see in the photo what Emilee thought of Deadwood! We visited Cosmo, a little place near Mt. Rushmore, where everything defies gravity...the kids loved it there. And then went to see Mt. Rushmore. What an amazing place. On our way home through Wyoming we stopped at Martin's Cove and learned more about the pioneers and their rescue at the Sweetwater River.

We had such a great trip. We got home last night. The kids start school tomorrow and I am so ready to be back on a schedule! We miss you Grandma and Grandpa! Thanks for the fun trip!!

(I promised Jamie and Taylor that I would post this picture on my blog, so this is for them!!)

What Happens in Vegas...

In the beginning of August we spent fun-filled weekend with the Goldings. We loaded up the car, dropped off the kids and headed on down to Vegas. We had a BLAST! We stayed at Planet Hollywood, right on the strip. We got to see "Stomp Out Loud" and "O". Both were really great shows.

The boys got to enjoy the rides at the top of the Stratosphere,

while Jen and I enjoyed the view.

As part of our "Package Deal", we GOT (notice I used the work "got" instead of "had") to go to the Westgate Owner’s Dinner for an hour. This is where they try to persuade you to upgrade your timeshare from a two bedroom to a four bedroom. It was held in a conference room with a nice little buffet in the back. They had a DJ and of course we got to sit with DeWayne (words cannot describe this man). There were several other owners there, suffering just like we were. It was the type of thing that you were sure you would die of boredom before the end of the night. So, what does Mark do? He decides to get up and provide the evening's entertainment by demonstrating how well white people can dance! Anyone who knows Mark KNOWS that he can NOT dance, and will understand how embarrassing and hilarious this was for everyone involved! But was he embarrassed? No! He didn’t care! He and DeWayne ended up having a dance off. I actually think that Mark may have won that one! I was dying! It was really funny and he did certainly liven up the evening!

Of course there was shopping and great food, between the buffets and Mark insisted that we eat at In-N-Out, twice. It was so nice to get away for a few days. Fun times!!

Happy Anniversary!!

I cannot believe that it has already been 9 years! Married life with Mark has been great so far! We've had tons of adventures and I know there are more to come! I am so lucky to be married to the man of my dreams! He is honest, hard working, funny, spiritual, a wonderful father and a great husband.

I was visiting with a friend of mine about a week ago and we were talking about relationships. She said, "Of course you love your husband, Kristie...but what's so great about you and Mark is that you two actually LIKE each other. You WANT to be around each other. You have FUN together. You ENJOY each others company. A lot of people don't have that." Her comment really made me think and I realized how lucky Mark and I are. It made me sad to think that some people don't have that type of relationship with their spouse. I am so glad that Mark is my best friend, and yeah, we have a blast together! He makes me laugh every day...and I'm looking forward to another 9 years!

Love ya babe!

Temple Square

We went to Temple Square a few weeks ago with Mark's brother, Joe, and his family. It had been so long since Mark and I had been there and we really wanted to take the kids again. We took the tour of the Conference Center (which we had never done before. It's pretty impressive!) and we watched the Joseph Smith movie at the Legacy Theatre in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Then walked around the temple grounds. Jace and Jackson asked alot of questions after the movie and it gave Mark and I a great opportunity to share our testimonies with them. Caden got to talk to a Sister Missionary at the Visitor's Center about the Saviors visit to the America's and I was really impressed with his comments and questions. He's a smart kid! It was such a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I feel so blessed to live so close to Salt Lake and to be able to do things like this. It is a great reminder of our Church's heritage, and a wonderful way to feel the Spirit.

Time For Change

We finally got our registration done for our vehicles. I was very surprised to feel so sad when I took off our Texas plates. I'm so happy to be home in Utah, but Texas was such a great place to live. It really was a good move for our family. I've said it before that Mark and I had experiences there that we never would have had here. We grew closer as a couple and stronger as a family because we really had to rely on one another. We made many great friends that we miss dearly. And I am so grateful that we were able to live in the Great State of Texas...even if it was only for two short years! Texas will always hold a special place in my heart.

So all y'all back in Texas, thank you for being our wonderful family way from home! We love you!

Dental Fiasco

So one of the perks of adopting children through the Foster Care System of The Great State of Utah, is that you don't have to fork over a penny for anything medical or dental. They come with their own insurance plan! Thank you, Medicaid. Nice right? Unless the doctors you go to are complete crooks! I loved our Utah pediatrician and dentist before we moved to Texas. They were great! Their offices were close to our home and I felt like they honestly cared about my children. I liked our dentist, but I didn't love our pediatrician in Texas, I felt like a number to her and she would never answer my questions. Now we are back in Utah in a different area and I'm having a really hard time finding someone that I can trust again. Here is the problem...the only doctors (well, dentists in this case) who accept Medicaid are either right out of school or really struggling to keep patients.

So my friend and neighbour, Michele, told me how great her dentist was and that we should see him. I called and of course he didn't take Medicaid. So, Michele's Dentist referred me to a dentist that did, but told me they didn't know him at all, just that he was on a list. So I called Medicaid Dentist and asked a gazillion questions! I didn't want to have to take Jace and Caden to a different doctor than the rest of us, so I was looking for a family practice that was really good with children, AND that took both Medicaid and our insurance.

Long story short, they SUCK! And the reasons keep adding up! All five of us went in for cleanings. The boys went in on July 2nd and then Mark and I went in on July 7th. They took a $50 x-ray on Jackson that insurance companies won't even cover for children until they are 6 and in some cases even 7 years old because that type of x-ray isn't necessary for children that age! But they didn't tell us this, so we are going to be responsible to pay for it when our insurance denies the claim. Jace and Caden both had to come back to take care of a few cavities. And knowing what I know now about this guy, I wonder if he over did it. He gave Jace 2 crowns and I found out today that Medicaid doesn't pay much for fillings, but pays a ton for crowns. So, I'm afraid that he did more work than what was necessary so he could make a few extra bucks and my poor kids are the ones who suffered for it. (Jace was in pain for 2 days afterward!)

When Mark and I went in for our appointments, they told us that we had to redo ALL the work that had EVER been done! And the guy used scare tactics! "If you wait on these, you may be looking at root canals or even worse, extractions." Between the two of us, he wanted over $8000, yes, Eight Thousand Dollars! And that's out of pocket for us...that doesn't even include what he would be charging the insurance! I needed a filling but he told me that he couldn't do just a filling that he HAD to do a crown. I talked to him about it to see if there was any way to hold off on a crown since our insurance has a 12 month waiting period (don't even get me started on that one!!) for any major dental work (including crowns and root canals). He still said that there was no way around doing the crown, he wouldn't even discuss options with me. This guy is not concerned about what is best for us at all! He is just trying to maximize his profits.

So, I got a second opinion. I went to Michele's Dentist who is now our New Dentist and can I just tell you how great he is?!! He was able to do the filling for me right there on the spot! No crown, no argument, no problems!

Interestingly enough, I got a call from Medicaid Dentist's office manager the day after I had my filling done. She said, "Medicaid Dentist spent some time this morning going over your x-rays, and he's really concerned about that tooth. He says that after putting alot of thought into it, he is pretty sure that he will be able to do a filling on that tooth. But as soon as your insurance kicks in, you'll need to get a crown put on it. So give us a call and we can fit you in on Monday. We have an opening at 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am and even 11:00 am. So, give us a call and we will get you taken care of." (Having that many openings on the next business day makes me a little nervous!)

See what I mean about wondering if Jace really needed those crowns? I am going to go to Medicaid Dentists office on Monday to pick up all of our x-rays. New Dentist said that if I brought him all the x-rays and the service plan for Jace and Caden, he could tell me if Medicaid Dentist did exactly what needed to be done, or if he did extra work to pad his pocket book. As much as I hate confrontations, there will probably be one. I know they are going to ask why I went elsewhere and that is just a conversation they do not want to have with me. (Mark is ready to turn him into the Better Business Bureau.) So, wish me luck. I'm not looking forward to Monday!

As far as Jace and Caden are concerned, I am taking them back to their old dentist. My parents and Mark's parents live right there, so we will just make a day of it. I'll drive the distance if it means that they are well taken care of!