I originally started this blog to keep Mike's parents in the loop while they were across country, and to ease my guilt that I didn't write actual letters and send photos to them. Once they got back to Utah my motivation ran out, and that's partly the reason I haven't written for the last... oh... seven months? That and I've just been lazy; too lazy to write, too lazy to figure out an easy and quick way to upload photos, etc. And now that I'm in the mood, I can't find the card reader for the camera card. Soooo.... I'll just ramble and hope that inspiration strikes me again before the year is out.
Life is good. The transition to parenting four kids was harder than I expected, but I think I'm getting the hang of surviving the piles of laundry, dirty dishes, clean clothes that were never put away, SHOES everywhere, and four children all talking to me at once with something VERY IMPORTANT. I've learned some coping mechanisms, like always remembering to lock the bathroom door and keeping ear plugs handy. The boys (now 10 and 11) are pretty good to pitch in and help, and it is SOO nice to leave the boys in charge when I have to run quick errands. I've learned that taking all four kids to the grocery store is a baaaadddd idea and I avoid it like the plague. Yes, feel free to laugh if you have 5 or more children and my life sounds like a breeze. Doesn't it always seem like we moms have one more child than we can easily handle? It's good, though. I always appreciate the chance to be humble. That I am.
Eva went back to Primary Children's yesterday for a check up. Her ankle has straightened out and the bones seem to be mending as they should, but we've noticed that she still is really sensitive on the bottom of her foot and walks just on the outer edge of her foot. We suspected some nerve damage that makes those areas sensitive, and that she still compensates by using the same muscles that she used when her foot turned in. The orthopedist agrees and so we'll start physical therapy soon. She is still a happy, cheerful girl who throws herself into my arms when I do something to make her happy, like cook her ramen noodles for lunch. She acts like that is the best present she has ever been given! She is feeling more and more like part of the family, and we can tell because she is developing the same sort of sass the other kids employ. We are using "Respecto-wash" to help with that. It's that nasty generic brand mouthwash that kind of burns, and since the kids don't brush their teeth all that well, we get two birds with one stone.
Let's see, what else - my creative juices are drying up. Oh, we got a dog, who is alternately the best or the worst dog ever. She's a german shepherd and has the potential to be a fabulous running companion, she just likes to run in front of me, as far as the leash will allow. Which drags on me and bugs the heck out of me. We've tried every type of harness, gentle leader, etc on the market, but what has really worked is just a little thin stick that I swish in front of her nose every now and then, or just tap her to get her attention. She also gets really aggressive with other dogs (or sheep or cows, oddly enough), but I know she'd take on a mountain lion to protect me. That takes care of one recurrent nightmare! She's too big for the kids to walk, and I don't run everyday, so she isn't getting as much exercise as she needs. So far we've taken her up to 12 miles, and she still jumps around like she's got gobs of energy to spare. She'll be a marathon dog someday!
