What we've been up to

The family went to Disney World in April 2010.  We had tons of fun!  

Cami and Brie turned 4. 

Maddie started (and finished) 3rd grade.

Brie and Cami started preschool.

Maddie turned 8 and got baptized!

Aaron found his alter ego.

We surprised the girls with a Christmas trip to Disneyland thanks to the Give a Day, Get a Day program as well as Aaron winning a Disney ticket on a Facebook contest. 

I have been able to do fun things with my spare time now that I'm done with school.  Crafting, sewing, cricut-ing.   

Aaron and I tagged along as chaperones on Adam's music department tour to Orlando in April 2011.

Easter 2011 - I made their outfits.  (Free time is great!)

Brie and Cami graduated from preschool!

Cami turned 5!

Brie turned 5!

Did you miss me?

I've been absent.  I stopped blogging because I felt like it was all just one big "ME! ME!" And then I realized I've done a not-so-great job at documenting our lives in general...so if you don't want to read my "ME! ME!" you don't have to.  I need to document.  

To be continued....  

Project Linus

We anxiously waited for the sign-up date for Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Day." The website was overloaded the first day or two but I was able to sign up for Project Linus. The girls were so excited about making blankets. We took a family trip to Joann's to pick out the fleece together and then the girls helped me put the pieces together and watched me sew them. Aaron and Maddie helped cut some of the fringe and we shipped them off last Tuesday. We're excited to get our vouchers for our free day at Disney!

Cruisin' (a long detailed travel journal...sorry!)

Aaron and I went on a Mexican Riviera cruise last week with our friends Shaye and Emily. We had a great time! What a fun couple to spend a week with.

Sunday we left for my parents' house at 5:40 a.m. so my dad could take us to the airport. Chelsey spent Saturday night here with the girls so we didn't have to get them up that early too. My dad dropped us off at the airport at about 6:45. We met up with Shaye and Emily at the gate and flew on the smallest plane I have ever been on to Long Beach, CA. We took a shuttle to San Pedro cruise terminal and had to wait for a while before anything happened. I think they allowed us to board around 11:30 a.m. The cruise ship was amazing! It was incredible to realize that so much was on a ship. We had lunch at the Windjammer Cafe and then gave ourselves a tour. We were allowed access to our room at 1:00, but there was a malfunction on our floor and none of the key cards worked for the rooms. We found this out sooner than most and only had to wait for a few minutes at guest services to get our cards fixed. We spent the afternoon exploring the ship and unpacking our bags. We had the early dining time at 6:00 and met our dinner "mates" Paul, Barbara, Mark and Jayne. They were very nice and had all been on several cruises. They were hapy to share their tips and experiences with us. After dinner we went to the Welcome Aboard show in the Savoy Theater, the comedian was funny! We also played a trivia game in the Schooner Bar and ended up on a team with an older couple who was on their 64th cruise.

Monday started with breakfast and a planning session for the day. This was something that made me laugh every time it happened. The guys took charge of our activity schedule. We started with bingo in the Lotus Lounge. We didn't win anything, and we learned that if you're going to spend money on bingo on a cruise ship, wait until the game where they are giving away a free cruise or the big pot of money on the last day. After lunch we went up to the pool deck and relaxed in the sun. We cleaned up around 3 so we could play in the Digital Photo Scavenger Hunt. We took 2nd place and got silver RC medals. It was fun! We got ready for formal night and went out to the deck in time to catch the sunset. It was really pretty. After dinner we went to a variety show in the Savoy Theater that wasn't very good. We skipped out early to get good seats in the Lotus Lounge for Finish That Lyric and Karaoke Night. Shaye was one of the contestants in Finish That Lyric and his participation in that landed us a spot as the judges for karaoke. That was really fun! It went until 1:00 a.m. - which was rough because the clocks changed ahead one hour that night and we had to be off the ship and ready for our shore excursion in Cabo the next morning.

Tuesday we tendered in Cabo San Lucas. As we were coming into Cabo we saw several dolphins right next to the ship. That was fun to see! We had booked a snorkeling excursion through www.shoretrips.com and had a couple hours before we had to get on the boat for that. Of course the guys needed to have some fish tacos in every port, and they found a little hole-in-the-wall joint that had great fish tacos. The snorkeling excursion started at 11 and it was so much fun! It took about an hour by catamaran to get to the area where we snorkeled. We couldn't use the beach next to the snorkeling area so we had to jump off the back of the catamaran. That was interesting. It took a minute to figure out how to use the mask and breath through our mouths but we got the hang of it. What an experience! We had about 50 minutes to spend in the water. I loved it! Lunch was provided on the catamaran and once we got back to Cabo we shopped for a bit and then headed back to the ship. We went to dinner in the dining room and then we all decided we had done enough for the day and went back to our cabins. I had a small allergic reaction to something at dinner and took a benadryl, I was asleep by 8:45. Aaron ended up going to see the Nelson Brothers show in the Savoy Theater and then he went to Ellingtons to listen to some jazz music.

Wednesday we docked in Mazatlan. We didn't have any excursions planned for that day and found a resort to go to for beach access. We took an open air taxi there and that guy was in a hurry! The resort had a beautiful pool area that we didn't end up using but the beach was nice. Aaron and Shaye rented boogie boards and attempted to use them. That was funny. I noticed some people parasailing nearby and found out it was only $35 - just a fraction of what the cruise ship had quoted on their website. I decided to do it. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but it was fun and I survived! :) After I was back on land (phew!) we went to a restaurant on the beach. Shaye and Aaron ordered a monster seafood platter and enjoyed every bit of it. The guys talked us out of ordering nachos and trying a combo platter and both of us ended up liking the food. Surprise, surprise! We were back on the ship by about 4:00 and had dinner in the dining room at 6. We spend the evening in the Lotus Lounge listening to music and then went to the Love and Marriage Game in the Savoy Theater. There was a buffet at 11:30 by the pool that we went to, but the food was not very good so we didn't stick around too long.

Thursday we docked in Puerto Vallarta. We had signed up for the Mexican Fiesta excursion through the cruise ship. We had a bus tour through parts of Puerto Vallarta and drove closer to the Sierra Madres to a nice property that had a small strip of shops, a tequila factory and a few other buildings. Part of the excursion was a tour of the tequila factory, that was interesting. After the tour we had lunch and then there was entertainment - authentic dancing, a tortilla making contest (Emily won) and a pinata. After the fiesta we got back on the bus and slowly made the trip back to Puerto Vallarta - the bus was having issues with the A/C and the driver kept stopping. It was a miserable trip back. We went to do some shopping and toured a church in the main area of Puerto Vallarta. We were expecting to find good deals on the shopping, but nothing was priced very well and that was disappointing. The guys had fish tacos one more time before we got back on the ship at a restaurant that was right next to the cruise terminal. After dinner that night we went to see Tony Tillman in the Savoy Theater - he was excellent! That night at 10:30 was The Quest - a gameshow for adults only that was hillarious! Shaye was one of the contestants, of course, and we laughed really hard.

Friday we spent the morning by the pool. Aaron joined the belly flop contest and took second place - I think he deserved 1st! ;) We played bingo to try to win a cruise - no such luck. We played Name that TV Show Tune before dinner and also Country Name that Tune. After dinner we went to an 80's variety show in the Savoy Theater that was terrible. We left early to go up to the Lotus Lounge for Battle of the Sexes. Shaye and Aaron were original contestants and I joined in after a couple rounds. We stayed for karaoke for a bit but left around midnight to go to bed.

Saturday was a much slower day. It was too cool and windy to spend much time outside. We went to the Captain's Corner which was basically a Q&A for the captain. That was interesting. We packed up to get ready to go home. After lunch we found a sitting area to hang out in and then went up to take naps. We went to the karaoke finale and then relaxed until dinner. We went up to Ellingtons afterwards and were surprised at how strong the winds were and how big the waves were. Aaron heard later that we were riding tsunami waves from the earthquake in Chile. It was definitely the roughest night at sea that we had. We called it a night around 10 but Aaron went back up to Ellingtons to listen to the jazz music one more time.

Sunday morning we met for breakfast at 7 and ate quickly. We had originally planned on disembarking at 9:15 (we chose the express option which meant we took all of our luggage off the ship ourselves). We were done eating in time to try to catch the 8:15 disembarkment. It worked out well! We were checked out and through customs by 8:40. We waited for the Enterprise shuttle for about 25 minutes and went to get our rental car. We didn't have to be to the airport until about 4:30 and had decided to spend the day at Downtown Disney. We took the scenic route there and got there just before 11:00 a.m. We had lunch at the Jazz Kitchen - it was great! We spent the afternoon shopping. When we got to the airport and checked in, a message popped up that the flight was overbooked and they may ask for volunteers to take a different flight for compensation. Aaron talked to the ticket agent and let her know he was interested. Shaye and Aaron ended up staying in California one more day for $400 in airfare vouchers from Delta. They were also comped a hotel room and a taxi from the airport to the hotel. Emily and I had a nice flight home and our parents picked us up about 9:00 from the airport.

Aaron sent me a text Monday morning asking me how they could get into Disneyland for cheap. I wasn't sure there was a way but I checked ebay and ksl.com. I found a great deal and the guys made arrangements to meet up with the seller near the park. Brats! The crowds were small and they were able to get on everything they had wanted to before leaving at 4:00 p.m. for the airport. We picked Aaron up at about 8:45 Monday night.

Aaron, Shaye and Emily have all had a hard time back on land. I haven't noticed much of anything - but I have had a headache since Monday morning. I don't know if that's related or not.

We had an amazing trip and loved sharing it with our friends. Thanks for the suggestion, Shaye! We're already looking forward to the next one!

Tandy Larson, RN!

That's me!

Okay. Now that THAT is over. Phew!

Life is good. No, it's great. :)

I took the NCLEX on the 22nd of January. My anxiety level was through the roof! I studied, took practice tests, and prayed. The prayers were more for calm and clarity and peace - not so much for passing. I knew that was on me. The anxiety part was what I needed help with. It was horrible. When I scheduled the test, Aaron suggested I stay in a hotel the night before so I could have some time to myself prior to the big day.

I took the test in Ogden. I drove up early in the afternoon the day before and met up with some friends that live in Northern Utah for dinner at Maddox. I went to the grocery store to get some snacks for that night and the next morning at the testing center. I decided to rent a PPV movie at the hotel and relax in my pj's. It was a good thing to do. I knew I was as prepared as I was going to be, so I opted not to study that day at all. I went to bed around 10:30 with some help from melatonin.

I woke up at 6:00 Friday morning - not so happy about that. One of the few times no one has been around to wake me up and I had to get up anyway! I had breakfast at a place right next to the hotel and drove to the testing center that was only a few minutes away. The parking lot had a few cars in it with people that were looking through notecards and different study materials. I saw someone walk into the building so I went inside too. I have never liked waiting to test, I didn't want to be the last one in out of a group of us. I was second in line and got through the verification process pretty quickly. I was feeling oddly calm. I sat down to take the test and started clicking through the questions. I made a conscious effort not to pay much attention to what question I was on, there's a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 265 - I didn't want to get discouraged if the test kept going past 75. Most of the questions weren't too bad. I was taking about one minute per question. At question 72 I needed a calculator. I clicked through 3 more questions after that and the screen went blank. Just like that. 75 questions is most often a good sign, and I was relieved. I felt like I had done well. I cannot put into words the peace I felt about it all, and I knew that my prayers had been answered.

I tried the "Pearson trick" as soon as I had internet access and I got the good pop-up. I was encouraged. Sunday morning I checked the Pearson website and my results were available for $7.95. I decided to check so I would know for sure. That's when I saw PASS. Ahhhhh. Relief. Freedom. Success. Pride. Joy!

I have spent the last 12 days enjoying the fact that studying is not a part of my daily routine. It's not a nagging thought at the back of my mind. It doesn't take priority over being a mom, a wife, cleaning the house, reading a book for fun, or taking time to take care of myself. I hardly know what to do with all of this free time!

I have started working officially as an RN and will be orienting with a preceptor for the next two weeks or more. I am really excited about all of this but being the nurse is an intimidating place to be!

"...with love, with patience and with faith she'll make her way"

I can't remember not wanting to be a nurse. When I was around 4 years old I went to an open house at the old Primary Children's Hospital before a surgery on my birthmark. I remember getting a mask and a pretend stethoscope. I wanted to be a nurse. A couple years later I had another surgery at St. Mark's hospital and I spent more time at the nurse's station than I did in my room. I wanted to be a nurse.

In high school I took a vocational class to so I could become a CNA. I started working at TOSH the week I turned 18. CNA's don't make a lot of money and I was cancelled a lot, and I left the hospital to work for TMA. I piddled around on pre-req's and on classes I unknowingly didn't need. Life happened. TMA was a good place to work, I was happy there. Aaron went through a couple layoffs and we focused on getting him through school. Maddie was born. We discovered we couldn't both successfully go to school full-time at the same time, and it was more important for Aaron to finish up the nursing program. I finished up my pre-req's in the summer of 2005 and applied for the program in December of that year. We found out about the twins a week after I turned my application in. I forgot about applying. A couple weeks later I got my acceptance letter for spring of 2010.

Fast-forward to November of 2007. Aaron and I made a decision in probably less than 5 minutes to just go ahead and get it done. I had low expectations. The twins were 19 months old when I started. They were a lot of work! Maddie was in Kindergarten. You get the idea...I just felt like I was not going to be able to pull it off. Every time I passed a test that first semester I kind of sat back and said "Huh." I know that this happened when it was supposed to, for whatever reason. I have made some great friends. I have discovered something in me I didn't know was there. I have worked hard and accomplished something that seemed so distant for so long. It was always a hope that I would do it some day, but as time progressed I felt like the opportunity might pass me by. It didn't!

I did not do this by myself. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father who laid out a path for me and provided a way for me and my family to get here. I am grateful to Aaron for his patience with me, and I have to say it was so nice to have a nurse in the house to get feedback from when I was working on assignments and studying. I am so grateful for my girls, they have been great cheerleaders. They give me high-fives and ask me if I made 100% on my tests. (Hardly). They have been pretty good about letting me study. They have sacrificed a lot of mommy time so that I could get this done. I am also grateful for Amanda, our babysitter and friend. She has been such a blessing. The events that led up to her watching the girls for us were nothing short of a miracle for me. I just can't even express the appreciation I have for her. My parents have always believed in my ability to do this, even when there were times that I didn't. My friends in the program helped immensely as well - we have shared study guides, emailed notes and helpful websites back and forth, phone calls and texts at all hours of the day and many hours of the night - and even played hooky a few times to catch lunch or a movie.

My emotions have been high this week. I am proud of my accomplishments. I am looking forward to my college graduation! It's about 10 years later than my original gameplan, but I DID IT! Thank you to all of you for your encouragement and support!

26 days

until finals are over! I have not kept this updated very well and I apologize for that, but life has been hectic!

I can't believe I'm almost done! Less than 4 weeks to go. It feels fabulous! Well, almost. I still have things to do. There are still two exams in High Acuity, but they're on "easier" material and I'm not too worried. I am in a fairly comfortable place in all of my classes. I am also done with clinicals! I was supposed to have one more tomorrow, but it was cancelled. I am so glad to be done with those. My SLCC scrubs are in sad shape and I am really not a fan of royal blue. :)

Last week when I was at work I found out that the newborn ICU at the U is hiring me after graduation. I had hoped, but it wasn't a guarantee. Nursing jobs are in short supply right now! The NICU had already worked Holly and I into their staffing considerations so they're keeping us. Holly is in the program with me at SLCC. We're both so excited! I'll have a couple weeks off after graduation and then I start the didactic orientation on December 28th. Didactic is basically a big fat book that we have to read through and review for 4 weeks. After that's over I'll orient with an RN for 3 shifts and then I'm on my own. I'm also taking an NCLEX review course in January that is one week long. It's going to be a busy month.

School isn't leaving time for much else but we are getting into holiday mode here at home. The twins are beyond excited about Christmas. It is consuming them. I love it! I jokingly call it "Christmas crack." Cami wants a Charlie and Lola movie, Brie wants a Strawberry Shortcake doll. Maddie has a longer, more expensive list. She thoughtfully divided it in half so that Santa can get her 6 things and we can get her 6 things. Too bad the list contains things like a computer, a Nintendo DSi, a swingset...I told her she's going to need to simplify a bit.

If you haven't checked this out already, it's worth a few minutes of your time. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuwid8_O8dk

It's time for the 10 week countdown!

Finals week starts 10 weeks from today. That is a crazy scary thought. I have taken two High Acuity tests, one Community and one Management. I have passed all of them. That is great news. There are still 11 tests on the board (including finals). Six in High Acuity, three in Community and two in Management. Rumor has it that the first four tests in High Acuity are the worst, so if I can survive the next two I'll breathe a little easier. One of those is next Monday, the other is on the 26th. In case you're wondering, finals will be over in 10 weeks and 2 days. Graduation is in 10 weeks and 3 days!

Life has been busy! Between classes, clinicals and my work schedule I've been driving to Salt Lake 4 days a week. Sometimes I have had to make two trips in one day because of Aaron's schedule and Maddie's follow-up appointments on her hand. She also started physical therapy three days a week. That has been fun to fit in to our crazy schedule!

Maddie has started reading the first Harry Potter book on her own. She also has set the goal to read the Book of Mormon by her 8th birthday, and we've been trying to read a chapter a night for the last two months. This has been great for me as well because I find myself taking the time to explain things to her which is helping me focus and understand things better.

Cami and Brie are wearing big girl panties!!!! I am so thrilled about this one. Brie has been doing this for almost 2 months, Cami was more reluctant. She threw a big screaming fit for about an hour one day when Aaron told her no more pull-ups. She kept sobbing "I don't want to be a big girl! I want to be a little girl! I want to wear pull-ups!" We just sent her upstairs so she could have her meltdown in privacy. She eventually came downstairs in panties. It was a fight for a couple of days but she now takes her nighttime pull-up off first thing in the morning and puts on panties. Yay!

Aaron has been working hard at keeping things under control at home. The twins don't make that part easy. We're all surviving and really looking forward to December when I can actually be present at home.

Is anyone out there?

I know it's my fault if not. I have not been great about keeping this updated! Today we are battling the flu. I have not quite succombed, but I fear it's my turn next. The girls are all feeling pretty crummy. Maddie actually seems to be on the mend, her temperature is back within normal limits today. That may mean she can go to school tomorrow, which would be good because she's missed 3 days this week - add that to the two days she missed because of her surgery and we're up to 5 absences since August 20th. That has to be some kind of record for the first month of school.

I am only about 2 weeks into the semester and already feel like I'm neck-deep. The good news is that I passed my first high acuity test. The bad news is it was probably the easiest one of the semester. On Tuesday our lecture in the class was on mixed acid base balances, nullifying effects, V/Q, oxyhemoglobin dissociation curves and other equally as mind-boggling topics. I know these terms don't mean much to you unless you work in healthcare, but don't worry - they don't mean much to me either. Not yet, anyways. I am working on it. Our test on this unit is a week from Monday and I'm desperately working to grasp all of this.

Graduation is 3 months from today!!!

What I did this summer

I thought that I had typed up a draft of the things we have done this summer, but I can't find it. My summer break was nearly 4 months long and it was really nice. It started out with the trip Aaron and I took to Disney World. What a vacation! The first time we've been on our own for a week in years. Maddie finished 1st grade at the end of May.

The twins are often (not always) easier to take out and do things with, so I've been a little more ambitious in my attempts to take them to do things when Aaron's at work. Sometimes it's gone really well, other times it's been just short of a nightmare. We've gone swimming, to the movie theater, to Lagoon, shopping...it's always an adventure. The girls enjoyed having grass in the backyard. to play on - and it's really nice to be able to say "Go play outside!" when they are stir-crazy and I need a little break from the crazy.

As a family we've been to This is the Place Heritage Park, the zoo, camping at Pineview, a weekend in Park City, and a trip with my family to Jackson Hole and Pinedale, Wyoming.

At the end of July we hosted a friend from Aaron's mission for several days. We spent them as tourists in our own city, which was fun. We toured the Oquirrh Hills Temple, went to a dinner show at Showtime Utah, Wheeler Farm, Park City, the State Capitol. We really enjoyed having him here and the girls really had fun getting to know him.

I nearly finished the painting in the living room, kitchen and family room. We found a couch and chair for the loft. Aaron put together a desk and bookcase for our room that will be nice to have this semester. The twins have real beds now, they had spent about 9 months on mattresses on the floor.

Oh - that reminds me. We've had a few mishaps this summer:

*Cami flooded the side yard, a window well and the basement the day before Father's Day.

*Maddie caught her shorts on a cupboard door in the kitchen, stripping the hinge out of the wood. I was able to fix it by breaking toothpicks up in the hole and screwing the hinge back into place. This was all done without Aaron knowing. Maddie couldn't handle the guilt and told him all about it a few days later. :)

*Cami and Brie were monkeys jumping on their beds and Cami jumped right through the slats of Brie's bed, breaking it into unusable pieces. Thank heavens for good return policies at Ikea.

*Maddie learned the story behind "Curiosity killed the cat" after playing with a utility knife even when she knew she shouldn't. An ER visit, 5 stitches, follow-up with a hand surgeon and a surgery later, she's on the mend and hopeful for full recovery. Physical therapy will likely follow once everything has had a chance to heal.

There you have it. A summary of our summer. My classes started yesterday and I'm already missing the freedom.

Aaron works every other Sunday so I'm on my own at church.  It's just such a challenge!  I used to use it as an excuse to skip Sacrament meeting, and then I started noticing how many other moms are on their own on Sundays.  Whether they're single or their husbands are working or their husbands aren't active.  I decided I better stop using the girls as an excuse and I've been working at getting to church on time for Sacrament meeting.  Some weeks are better than others.  Last week, when Aaron was there with us, the snacks turned into a problem and I decided we're taking too much.  I told the girls last week that we would be taking snacks anymore.  They did great today!  Only one book came out of the bag but the majority of the time they were sitting quietly.  

I do have to tell you a funny story about Brie.  This will give you an idea of what she's like.  :)  Cami was sitting on my lap, Maddie was seated on my left and Brie was on my right.  Brie was interested in what the kids behind her were doing, so she was turned around.  I noticed at one point she had slipped her legs through the back of the chair and had her bum up for everyone to see.  I quietly reminded her she was in a dress and to please make sure her bum is covered.  She climbed back through the chair, stood up and lifted her dress up to her armpits.  

Father's Day 2009

Dad,

While I always appreciated your patience, nothing has made me work harder towards being like you than being Cami and Brie's mom.  ;)  You are such an amazing guy.  You might not think so, but you are.  You have come to my rescue more times than I can count.  Thanks for being such a great dad.  I love you!  

Aaron,

I know we are still trying to figure out this parenting thing - pretty much on a daily basis.  I think you're doing a great job.  The girls adore you.  You can't help but acting like a kid yourself when you're having fun with them, and that is one of your best qualities as a dad.  Thank you for working so hard to support us.  I couldn't do what I do without you.  I love you!

Happy Father's Day, everyone!  

Dear Mom,

I love you very much.

You are the best MOM ever.

I am so glad you are my mom.

Thank you for being my mom.

I am so glad God gave me you for a mom.  I love to DO fun stuf with you.

Sinserle,

Madilyn

I am the lucky one.  I love you, Maddie!

Remember me?

I know it's been awhile.  The good news is that I finished up third semester about 3 weeks ago and my summer has officially started!  My friend Nicole summed up third semester quite nicely here.  I have to say that one of the biggest 
benefits of starting nursing school when I did is meeting some of the most amazing girls I know.  I have made some great friendships and I hope that we are all able to stay in touch after graduation.  It's so nice to have a bunch of girlfriends to help you through the rough spots of nursing school!  

My mom gave Aaron and I the best Christmas present ever this past year.  She gifted us a week of her time to watch the girls so that we could get away.  It's the first time we've had that much time alone together since before Maddie was born.  In fact, the last time we took a vacation that long alone was in March of 2000!  We had a week "vacation traveler" package at a Westgate resort and decided on Orlando, Florida when we found a great deal on airfare.  I had never been and Aaron hadn't been since high school.  We bought 6-day park hopper passes and had a great time!  Our trip started on May 8th and we returned on May 15th.  I think my mom had a good time with the girls, in spite of a cold that had her feeling pretty crummy.  Thank you so much, Mom!  

I am currently compiling a list of things to do and places to go this summer with the girls.  We are going to Jackson Hole at the end of July with my family, and will be hosting a friend of Aaron's from his mission for a bit this summer.  He's coming all the way from Scotland!  I met him when Aaron and I were dating and we found him online last fall.  We're really excited to spend some time with him again.  

Fall semester starts on August 26th.  I don't even want to think about it right now!  The fourth semester of the program is rumored to be pretty brutal.  It's only 16 weeks between me and the NCLEX (licensing exam) and I know it can be done.  This summer I'll be going over the Kaplan NCLEX review book and reading over some of the units that are more difficult for me so that I'm hopefully ready for the last of it.  I'm also still doing my internship at the newborn ICU once a week.  I really enjoy it there.  

Three!

Time does fly.  I can't believe you girls are three!  I love to hear you laugh, play together in your room when you don't know I'm listening, watch as you explore new things and hear you repeat songs that Maddie works so hard at teaching you.  You girls love to dance and "shake your booty." You both do this whenever you hear music - whether we're at home or in a store.  You love "super bubbles" in the bathtub.  I love how you both enthusiastically say "Good job!" when someone does something worth noticing - whether it's cleaning or making a good dinner or doing well on a test.  You both shower your family with hugs and kisses and happiness.  

Brie:

You are one spunky little girl.  You experience everything so intensely.  This will serve you well in life, although I have to admit it is a source of frustration for me as a mom.  You have mellowed out over the past several months and we've both found better ways to deal with the emotional rollercoaster.  :)  You have really blossomed this past year.  You are so quick to say "You are the best mom EVER!" to me, "You are the best friend ever!" to your sisters and your dad.  When you tell Cami she is your best friend, she says "No, I'm your sister!" and you reply "But we're best friends, too!" I love to hear the two of you talk and play together.  I will do my best to help nourish the bond you two have with each other and with your big sister, Maddie.  

Cami:

You are a great source of comic relief in our home.  You have always been an entertainer, and I think you are aware of your talent in that respect now.  You love to make people laugh.  You are very concerned about the people you love.  If we're running around while Maddie's at school and I stop to get you lunch or a treat, you always remind me to get something for Maddie.  You are very particular about the things that you want, and are quick to tell me if I leave something out of our bedtime routine.    

I still remember the day I found out we were getting two babies instead of one; the day I found out we were getting two little girls; the day you were born several earlier than we were expecting.  The first year is a bit of a blur in a lot of ways, but you have always brought me joy.  My girls are the best thing I could ever hope for, the best thing I have ever done.  I am lucky to be your mom.  

Happy birthday, Cami and Brie!  I love you!!!

It's April!

That means spring can come.  Any day now!  We had a small glimpse of it for about a week and then winter snuck back.  I am so done with winter!  It's really gotten to me this year.  I am ready for warmer weather and sunshine.  The girls really enjoyed it a few weeks ago.  They spent a lot of time in the backyard playing with bubbles and running around.  I am so glad we were able to put our sod in last fall.  It will be nice to have the yard this year.  

Life is busy, but it is good.  This semester has been hard.  What am I saying, it's all been hard.  The good news is that I am doing just fine, and as long as I can get past Monday's EKG test without totally flunking, I should be able to breath fairly easy the rest of the semester (which ends 5 weeks from today!!!).  I have learned a lot this semester.  I really liked my med/surg clinicals.  I am also feeling more comfortable with my skills and the things I'm learning at the NICU.  I had the hardest day to date there last week, but it was a good opportunity to see how much work (and prayer) the doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses do to try to keep sick babies alive.  

I have strep throat right now, and that's made it hard for me to do much of anything.  It has zapped all of my energy and made me feel like dirt.  Fortunately there was a scheduling issue with our EKG lecture last week so the test was pushed back a week.  That meant I didn't have a test to study for over the weekend.  Of course I was feeling fine until about 9:00 on Friday night.  I was able to sleep and rest most of the weekend, and called the doctor first thing Monday morning.  The fever, aches and pains are gone for the most part but the sore throat is staying strong.  I have been on antibiotics for a little over 2 days, hopefully the sore throat will go away soon!  I cancelled my shift tomorrow, which I'm bummed about, but I am just not up to a 12 hour shift when I feel like this.    

Maddie is looking forward to her spring break because it means she can go to Chuck-A-Rama with her Grandma Nina.  She is very excited about that.  She also has no idea she's going to Disneyland with Aaron for a couple days at the end of the week.  He's going as a chaperone for his brother's HS band tour and got permission to take her with him.  

Aaron and I are going to Florida in May for a week.  Just the two of us!  We have a trial timeshare week to use and the options were kind of in odd locations.  I was leaning towards Richmond, VA so that we could drive to some of the surrounding areas including Washington D.C. but Aaron didn't want to drive in D.C.  So, we decided on Orlando (found a great deal on airfare!).  There's a lot to do there and it will be nice to just get away for a week without the kids!!!  We haven't done anything like this for more than 8 years.  

Cami and Brie are funny, funny kids.  They are so animated and expressive.  Most of the time they appreciate having a built-in friend that's always here to play.  Brie has mellowed out a bit the last few weeks.  They idolize their big sister and that's okay with me, she's a great kid.  :)  While the days are full of things that challenge my patience, I am trying more to take things in stride and just enjoy them.   

Spring break

I finished up my last clinical of the semester on March 5th and then had an exam on March 9th.  I have been on break ever since and it has been so nice!  I haven't done much of anything for school during the break, but that changes tonight.  I have two exams on Monday.

We took the girls to the Living Planet Aquarium and Disney on Ice.  We've been able to just spend some time together at home.  I am hoping to get a sitter on Friday night so that Aaron and I can go out for date night.  I have tried to get caught up on housework, but this is a challenge because I have the same messes to pick up every day and the days aren't long enough to get to the other stuff all the time.  I cleaned out the van and our poor little commuter car.  I painted an accent wall in the living room.  I also rented a few videos from Redbox and enjoyed a couple quiet nights relaxing.  

Yesterday I went to the Journey's End day spa in Lehi.  Aaron and the girls gave me a SpaFinder gift certificate for Christmas and I used it for a massage and pedicure.  The spa was really nice.  I was impressed with the service and the ambiance.  The massage was perfect and my feet look great. 

The weather has been so nice and the girls have been spending some time outside every day.  Today is the first time I've taken the twins over to the little neighborhood playground one street over.  They loved it.  It's nice having grass in the backyard because they'll go out and play with bubbles or sidewalk chalk and run around a bit while I make lunch or Aaron makes dinner.  

We've gone out shopping a couple times and that has been a disaster and a half.  Oh my goodness.  I am so clueless about what to do with Brie sometimes.  I'm sure if I had asked any of the dozens of onlookers at Sam's Club or Maceys, they would have had some opinions.  Yikes.  Only two months of 2-year-olds left, but I worry 3 will be worse!   

Taking a quick study break

I'm having a hard time focusing, so I thought I'd take a break for a minute.  Life is crazy this semester! (as you may have noticed from the lack of new entries the last couple months)

I have at least one test every week.  Sometimes there's more than one, and if that's the case they're both on the same day.  It's been more challenging for me to cope with everything this semester.  Fortunately I have a lot of support and everyone is being patient with me.  I have been more emotional, stressed, anxious, etc.  The good news is that there is less than 2 months left of the semester, and then I have 4 glorious months off before starting back to the 4th (and final!) semester of the program.  

I just finished up my clinicals last week.  That will help relieve quite a bit of stress as it saves me almost 24 hours a week - that's the combined time it took for travel, the 12 hour clinical shift, and the time I spend working on careplans.  My psych clinicals were really draining.  It's so much easier to have blinders on to so many things in this life.  I really struggled with that rotation and I'm grateful it's over!  

I really enjoyed my med/surg clinicals.  I was able to practice a lot of new skills and I saw a lot of new things.  Two of my clinicals were on an oncology unit.  I had been dreading that assignment.  I actually really liked it and would even consider working on a similar unit in the future.  All of my patients were very young, from the young 20's to late 30's.  That made quite an impression on me.  They all had various forms of leukemia.  Putting faces with the facts I had already learned reinforced the need for bone marrow donors.  One of the patients I took care of has been unable to find a match because of their ethnicity.  Their options are limited.  The more I thought about it, the more I considered registering as a donor.  The registration is a painless process.  Think about it.  www.dkmsamericas.org.  Maybe one day you'll be able to save a life.  

Thoughtful

Cami and Brie had a doctor appointment this morning, it was a follow-up from their appointment on Monday. They've both had a respiratory virus of some sort, but their airways were really tight. Home health delivered a nebulizer on Monday night and they've had 4 treatments since then. They sound worse after each one, but it's because their airways are opening up so the gunk is able to "mobilize."

After the appointment today we went grocery shopping. I dread taking them to the store. I tried all my tricks and they did fairly well, we were in and out in about an hour. Not bad considering Brie kept trying to climb out of her cart and Cami was trying to open every package in her cart.

Once we had the groceries loaded in the van I asked the girls if they wanted Wendy's for lunch. Brie said "YEAH!" and Cami said "But Maddie's at school, we wait for Maddie?" I thought that was so sweet. Even after we pulled up to the drive-thru Cami was asking me if we should get lunch for Maddie.

Here we go...again...

I still haven't put together a post about our trip.  One is coming, I promise.  My winter "break" was chaotic and hectic and I didn't get near as much done as I'd hoped to.  I did have a great time with our family and my sister in California, Christmas was low-key but nice.  We got together with friends and family a few times over the break, and I attended nursing orientation at the hospital for my job.  

Yesterday was my first day back to school.  I have pharmacology 2, advanced med/surg and mental health nursing.  It's 11 credit hours.  My pharm class is completely online, med/surg is half in-class and half online.  I have 7 clinicals for med/surg and 3 for mental health.  I start mental health clinicals on Friday and med/surg next Thursday.  Fortunately there's only 2 weeks where I'll have two clinicals back-to-back.  This semester will be challenging because so much of it is online.  The only thing (HA!) that will be hard to schedule it around is the girls and my clinicals.  

I'm overwhelmed by it all, again.  I am not typically an anxious person (I don't think!) but nursing school has changed that.  It's especially difficult for me at the beginning of every semester because it's hard to know what is really expected of me by my instructors.  My anxiety level has typically gone down a bit after the first test in each class.