He had so much fun this year playing football.
He was so sad to see the season end.
He says he's really looking forward to next season!
Showing posts with label Kiddos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kiddos. Show all posts
Friday, October 16, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
GO KNIGHTS!!
Football practice started last week. This is his first year playing, and Caden is loving it! Practice is tough and I think he is feeling it. He took a couple of good hits, but he was able to give out what he got! He's got great coaches who put in a lot of time for the boys. This is going to be a fun season!
Yeah, that's Caden on the bottom, getting pounded!
But he got him back!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Happy New Year!
Happy Thanksgiving; Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I missed all the holidays! Life has certainly been busy! But now that I am sitting down at the computer actually ready to write, I am drawing a blank!
My niece, Kristie Norton, got to come up from California and stay here for a couple of weeks. It was so fun to see her! She was here just before Thanksgiving. She’s so cute! She is a huge Twilight fan, so of course we went and saw Twilight together…Oh, the memories! And she stayed at our house for a couple of days. I’m so glad I got that time with her. We don’t get down to California very often.
We just got back from a cruise to the Western Caribbean. That was a blast! All 5 of us went for my birthday. Not really, that was just an excuse. But it worked for me! I’ll go to Jamaica and Grand Cayman anytime! In Jamaica Mark and I walked to the Farmer’s Market to find some mango's. While we were walking around, he saw two Jamaican’s playing domino's in the back. We stopped to watch them play and Mark started talking smack, telling them that he could school them and that he would send them home crying to their baby mamas. It was hilarious to hear him talk because he sounded just like them! So they pulled up a chair, found a friend and the game was on! It was fun to watch. Mark attracted a crowd, who of course, were all smoking huge joints. They were all impressed with how well he played. They asked how he learned and he explained that he used to live in Jamaica. That he was one of the guys that wore a white shirt with the name tag. They all knew the missionaries. It was fun to see him interact with them. I didn’t know he could speak Patois so well!
The next day we got to spend on Grand Cayman. We got to see our wonderful friends there, Cyndy, Casey, Ginny, Murray and Hannah! What fun to spend the day with them. They took care of Mark while he was on his mission. We spent a day in Cozumel, a few days at sea, ate way too much food and had a great time. It was a fun trip.
Jace lost his first tooth this week! Yeah! He got his first visit from the Tooth Fairy. He was so cute! He’s been trying to loose that tooth for about 2 months now. He even tried to get Grandma to pull it out with the pliers! No such luck! He ate apples and tootsie rolls and anything chewy. All to no avail. But, on Sunday last week, we were at Grandma Neilene’s house and she finally got it out for him. He is so happy!
Mark’s nephew Blake just moved in with us! He’s been here for just over a week. He’s so fun! We are glad to have him with us! He seems glad to be here and he is really adjusting well. He played several basketball games last week, hung out at the Jeffrey’s home nearly every day and he went out to see two movies. He went to church with us on Sunday and said he really liked the ward. He especially loved the Priest's Quorum because they talked about sports the whole time. He's been having alot of fun, but he is out of money. Time for him to find some income! He applied at several places last week and today we went to LDS Employment Services. He's got plans and that is a good thing. I really think this move is good for him. He’s so well-mannered and such a great kid! We are going to take pictures soon and I will post them. I'll post a picture of Jace's missing tooth, too!
My niece, Kristie Norton, got to come up from California and stay here for a couple of weeks. It was so fun to see her! She was here just before Thanksgiving. She’s so cute! She is a huge Twilight fan, so of course we went and saw Twilight together…Oh, the memories! And she stayed at our house for a couple of days. I’m so glad I got that time with her. We don’t get down to California very often.
We just got back from a cruise to the Western Caribbean. That was a blast! All 5 of us went for my birthday. Not really, that was just an excuse. But it worked for me! I’ll go to Jamaica and Grand Cayman anytime! In Jamaica Mark and I walked to the Farmer’s Market to find some mango's. While we were walking around, he saw two Jamaican’s playing domino's in the back. We stopped to watch them play and Mark started talking smack, telling them that he could school them and that he would send them home crying to their baby mamas. It was hilarious to hear him talk because he sounded just like them! So they pulled up a chair, found a friend and the game was on! It was fun to watch. Mark attracted a crowd, who of course, were all smoking huge joints. They were all impressed with how well he played. They asked how he learned and he explained that he used to live in Jamaica. That he was one of the guys that wore a white shirt with the name tag. They all knew the missionaries. It was fun to see him interact with them. I didn’t know he could speak Patois so well!
The next day we got to spend on Grand Cayman. We got to see our wonderful friends there, Cyndy, Casey, Ginny, Murray and Hannah! What fun to spend the day with them. They took care of Mark while he was on his mission. We spent a day in Cozumel, a few days at sea, ate way too much food and had a great time. It was a fun trip.Jace lost his first tooth this week! Yeah! He got his first visit from the Tooth Fairy. He was so cute! He’s been trying to loose that tooth for about 2 months now. He even tried to get Grandma to pull it out with the pliers! No such luck! He ate apples and tootsie rolls and anything chewy. All to no avail. But, on Sunday last week, we were at Grandma Neilene’s house and she finally got it out for him. He is so happy!
Mark’s nephew Blake just moved in with us! He’s been here for just over a week. He’s so fun! We are glad to have him with us! He seems glad to be here and he is really adjusting well. He played several basketball games last week, hung out at the Jeffrey’s home nearly every day and he went out to see two movies. He went to church with us on Sunday and said he really liked the ward. He especially loved the Priest's Quorum because they talked about sports the whole time. He's been having alot of fun, but he is out of money. Time for him to find some income! He applied at several places last week and today we went to LDS Employment Services. He's got plans and that is a good thing. I really think this move is good for him. He’s so well-mannered and such a great kid! We are going to take pictures soon and I will post them. I'll post a picture of Jace's missing tooth, too!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Jace's New Glasses!
A little over a month ago, I went to the boys school to help out with the vision screening testing. All the students came into the cafeteria one class at a time to have their eye sight checked. There were two volunteers in each line. One to help the kids cover each eye and have them stand in the right place (behind the red line) and the other to point at what letter was to be read. If the kids could read all the letters standing behind the red line then they were seeing at 20/20. Caden came through my line and he did great, I checked Jackson in between classes and he was fine. Then Jace got to come through my line as well. When I checked him, I had him do it like 3 times, poor kid...he couldn't see a thing! I went with with him over to the eye doctor who did more extensive testing on the kids who had trouble reading in my line. He was seeing at 20/70.
So, needless to say, we got him into the eye doctor right away. Sure enough, he needed glasses, but luckily he won't need to wear a patch or anything.
Jace was so excited to get glasses! I was a little surprised at how anxious he was to get them. He came in crying one afternoon after he'd had them for just under a month. He'd fallen off his bike and totally crunched the frames! There was no fixing those puppies! So I threw him in the Yukon and we ran down to the eye doctor to order a new pair. He's on his second frames and he's had quite a few close calls...I've had to bend them back into shape about 3 times (in less than two weeks!!!) I went ahead and ordered another set of frames, because he's six years old and he's a boy...and I have no doubt in my mind that we will need them before long!
We just had his one month follow-up visit and the doctor said he showed visible improvement. Yeah! He is so cute in his glasses!
We just had his one month follow-up visit and the doctor said he showed visible improvement. Yeah! He is so cute in his glasses!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Jack's Shiny Red Bike
Jackson is my kid who would stay inside playing video games all day if I let him. During the summer he's outside all the time, but it is seriously like pulling teeth to get him to go outside when his brothers are in school. The weather is so nice and I want him to be able to enjoy the outside as long as possible, so this was my solution. We went yesterday and he picked out this bike. I tried to get him to get one just a little bit bigger, but this was the one he wanted. So, we brought it home and he's been outside ever since! Gotta Love It!!
Jackson and Pieper riding together
Friday, July 11, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, May 19, 2008
At The Park
I love our circle! There are so many boys that are Jace's age and they have so much fun together! I car pool with 4 other moms. It works out so great because every day Jace has a play date at one of his friends houses. On our day we went to the park. Here are a few pictures....
Monday, May 5, 2008
Jackson's Birthday!!
Jackson turned 4 in April. Since we didn't have our stuff here yet, and Marlene always gets volunteered to host the parties, we figured one more wouldn't kill her! So we invited the fam over. Since my sister lives so close now, we were both so excited that she and little Gage could come too! Lot's of cousins, aunts, uncles and Grandma and Grandpa. It was fun.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
17 Days To Go!
The kids kept asking me, "How many more days until we move?" They miss their cousins so much! (Jace got a new Webkinz and named him Jadon!) So, I decided it was time to do the countdown. The boys remind me everyday to change the number. They can't wait to get back home!
I think we found a house. It has 6 bedrooms and 3 baths. It's in a really nice neighborhood and it's got a huge park with walking trails right behind us! I have been busily packing and have tons of help from friends...they are certainly making this easier on me. Mark is in Hawaii right now...pretty rough, I know. He'll be back here on the 20th to help me get things finished up. Then we leave for Utah on the 28th! I can't believe how quickly time goes by. We'll be all settled into our new home before we know it!
I think we found a house. It has 6 bedrooms and 3 baths. It's in a really nice neighborhood and it's got a huge park with walking trails right behind us! I have been busily packing and have tons of help from friends...they are certainly making this easier on me. Mark is in Hawaii right now...pretty rough, I know. He'll be back here on the 20th to help me get things finished up. Then we leave for Utah on the 28th! I can't believe how quickly time goes by. We'll be all settled into our new home before we know it!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
More Texas Snow
The weather here has been CRAZY! It snowed, really snowed, for the first time since we've lived here in Texas on Tuesday. Wednesday was sunny and warm enough to play out side with a jacket on. And then Thursday, it looked like this:
The kids had a blast and were so glad for the snow. After we came home from our Utah Christmas vacation, the kids were complaining about never being able to play in the snow. So I for one was very glad that they finally had the chance. They tried to make a snow man, but they used up all the good snow in their snowball fights, so it was too wet to really work. They were a little disappointed, but I assured them that in a couple of weeks, they would have all the snow they could handle! 19 days left!!!
The kids had a blast and were so glad for the snow. After we came home from our Utah Christmas vacation, the kids were complaining about never being able to play in the snow. So I for one was very glad that they finally had the chance. They tried to make a snow man, but they used up all the good snow in their snowball fights, so it was too wet to really work. They were a little disappointed, but I assured them that in a couple of weeks, they would have all the snow they could handle! 19 days left!!!
Monday, February 25, 2008
10 Years Old!
Can you believe my boy is 10?!! It seems like just yesterday I hugged him for the first time! He's such a great big brother. He's so smart and funny. And a great helper to me, especially when dad is out of town. We toned down the party quite a bit compared to last year, but we still had fun! He chose an XBOX 360 theme. We had a yummy lunch, played 360 in the media room, ate cake and ice cream, opened gifts and then had a balloon fight in the livng room! He got some pretty nice gifts. He LOVES his 360 game from Gary and Karen...that was a hit guys, thanks! With the money he got from grandparents, he bought a new DS game and a new Webkinz dog. He told me that this was his best birthday ever! He had a great day! Happy Birthday, champ!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
It's Time To Par-Tay!!
Tomorrow after the boys come home, we get to go to the airport and pick up Mark! Yeah! The boys are so excited to see daddy! I have to admit, I'm pretty happy that he will be home for a few days! We have all missed him. Sunday is Caden's 10th birthday! Can you believe it? My oldest is turning 10!!!!!! Two more years and he will be getting the priesthood, and before I know it, he'll be heading to the MTC! *sigh* Time certainly flies! Anyhow....Since Mark is heading back to Salt Lake on Sunday, we are doing the birthday thing on Saturday. We rotate every year....last year he had a "friend" birthday party. Remember, the "Survivor" theme? That was a good party if I do say so myself!
So this year is the "family" birthday party. We are doing an XBOX 360 theme. Everything is green, white and silver. Even the goodie bags! I'm sure he and his dad will find some time to sneak upstairs and take advantage of the media room (and the 360) while dad is here this weekend! Mark and I are determined to find a house with an unfinished basement, so that we can build another media room. We LOVE ours! That will be hard to leave behind. Anyhow, it promises to be a great weekend!
Bug Mountain Cake!
Pulling together as a tribe during challenges!
Both tribes after Tribal Council
Mom and Caden with the Immunity Idol
So this year is the "family" birthday party. We are doing an XBOX 360 theme. Everything is green, white and silver. Even the goodie bags! I'm sure he and his dad will find some time to sneak upstairs and take advantage of the media room (and the 360) while dad is here this weekend! Mark and I are determined to find a house with an unfinished basement, so that we can build another media room. We LOVE ours! That will be hard to leave behind. Anyhow, it promises to be a great weekend!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
DisneyWorld 2008!
We went to DisneyWorld with Mark's family in January. Even though we got to see everyone at Christmas time, we were all looking forward to seeing everyone again so soon! It was such a fun trip! We went to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studio's, Epcot Center and Downtown Disney. The weather was nice most days, not too cold. And we were lucky that we never got rained on!
Here are just a FEW of the MANY photo's we took!
Here are just a FEW of the MANY photo's we took!
Kristie and Mark with Mickey at Animal Kingdom
All the kids at The Seas: Nemo and Friends (yes that includes Mark...and that is Jackson passed out in the stroller!) We went to see "Turtle Talk with Crush" and Jace got to talk to Crush. He called Jace the the "Little dude with the orange shell" and picked him out of the crowd. During their conversation, Jace told Crush that he used to have a fish. Crush got really excited and asked where his fish was now. Jace just said, "He's dead." Crush was horrified! His expressions were hilarious and the audience just laughed at his interaction with Jace. It was really cute to watch!
Jackson and Jace got to meet Bruce!
Jace and Caden At Epcot
Jackson at Epcot
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