Some random Fun

Last weekend we went up to the Hogle Zoo with Lissa and her boys and Jeff. Steve and I thought, "wow that was really fun", aside from the fact that I did take too long in the gift shop...but I am a sucker for the gift shops at places like the Zoo. Anyway, the kids were so unusually easy and good. It was enjoyable. They loved riding in the cart and the Sno cones were fun. It was a good day.

Last Sunday, Lissa and Christian had their baby, Kaiden, blessed in Orem. That was great. I don't have many pictures, but I did make it a point to take a picture of Jenna and Grandma-great. Grandma and Jenna sort of have a tradition of having a tea party when they see each other. Jenna even knows to hold up her pinky. Jenna was given a new porcelain tea set and thought it was the best! I love this picture and that Jenna feels special when she has her tea parties.

There has be an inordinate amount of rain here, and the kids have enjoyed the chocolate river.

A "Sunny" Addition

A few weeks ago Steve called and asked what I thought about getting a lab or a retriever...he saw an ad in the paper. I told him that I wasn't up to a hyper puppy right now, that I wasn't always up to the 2 kids and work, blah blah blah. Plus, past experience with our first dog in Indiana has left a bad taste in my mouth. That dog brought the devil out in me...he was a maniac (Jenna said he was "a mean-i-ac") that we tried to train and love, but he was so difficult. I did "interview" a few people, and then was happy to give him and his medications away to a true animal lover before our move back to Utah. That aside, I did think that an English bulldog in December (after her next liter) would be fun. The bulldog is possibly the laziest breed. Likes to eat and sleep, is slow and docile...much like myself. Well, here is our new dog that Steve and the kids picked out Weds while I was at work, and picked up Friday while I was at work. In all honesty, I am excited about her too. She is a good pup. She does play, but sleeps a lot too. I love that she lays by the couch and sleeps. The kids are excited, and have loved animals for as long as they've been alive. I am ok with it. She is 6 weeks old and house broke, she "sleeps" in a crate at night and sleeps over half the day, the other part of the day she is playful, but not freakishly so. It was fun to see her in the backyard this morning chasing the kids. Oh, her name is Sunny. We plan to go camping this upcoming Friday and think that she'll be a fun addition to our family...she better be Steve! :)

Up the Mountain

This was fun to go up the mountain a little ways and play in the "river". The kids loved it, and I enjoyed myself too. Wouldn't a dog be fun to go with us.

Parenting is Troublesome

It was Monday or Tuesday that we went to Wal-mart to get the weekly groceries. I always prep them in the car..."Who is going to be happy? and they say "Me!", then I say, "Who is going to be a good listener", then "who is going to be nice?" And they excitedly say, "me!" WEll those little fibbers. No, actually Jenna was very well behaved, she stays next to the cart pretty well and doesn't grab stuff off the shelves, except she has a hard time controlling herself when she sees Barbie pop tarts or fruit snacks.
Zac on the other hand was good at first, then once we were almost finished, he was a terror. I always start at the back of the store and work forward to where produce and the deli are. Anyhow, at about the produce, the cart is full enough that he can turn around and grab food out of the cart, and he likes to throw it on the floor. That day it was green peppers and a head of lettuce, and some mac and cheese. So I fuss at him sternly and threaten him handily. Then he does it again at the deli line, so I head for the check out fuming. (the deli takes 10 years and the line was long..there was an old lady in front of me that wanted to sample all the ham.) When we are at the front of the store, he yelled "you're stupid mommy" and sprinkled in some choice words like "poop". Then when I bent down to get in his face so he could see my words very clearly, he punched me. I imagine that some were appawled at the behavior and thought "she ought to smack him" or "if he were my kid, then _________", where others in the store probably thought that I should blow it off, assume that he is 2 and spent. They were likely offended that I got in his face, yelled at him and then pinched his ear. Parenting sucks. Doing fun things with them, and when they are awesome is great. There are so many things that I enjoy about being their mom, when you have to discipline and help them understand what is not okay is not so fun. It's also hard to separate myself and not react to their behavior on their level. Sometimes I am totally not the adult, and I argue with them... Like that is at all effective. I was so mad when we left Walmart. I was so disappointed and felt some pull to be loving and calm, at the same time I want him to know that I am serious and that behavior will not be tolerated. I wondered what Nanny 911 would have done in the front of Walmart.
Zac, over all, is a pretty good kid, mostly just real busy, but that day I wondered where the heck did we go wrong. The responsibility of parenting feels huge somedays.

Here are some photos of elk and a couple of mule deer that Steve took recently. Some are grainy, but you can appreciate these bulls. Seeing a group of these bulls running at twilight is even exciting for me. We bought the kids some cheapo binoculars and all of us are loving the truck. (the Bravada died) Jenna said, "I am up so high (in the truck) daddy, I can see the world!" Plus Steve feels like a "real man" now that he finally has a truck. Plus I love to drive it. I feel like a country girl. I love that!

"Oh that WAS so fun"

Seems like it's always hard to travel and be "out of wack" with schedules and bed times. Zac was extra crazy at times and we wanted to scream....we proabably did...But it's worth it to travel and go and do. I recall looking back at pictures from times past and thinking "oh that was so fun!" I am glad that the hard parts are easily forgotten and somewhere along the way we made good family memories. Last weekend, the Broderick side had a fun family reunion in St george. I am always so impressed with the love that I feel there. Steve is the oldest cousin- he has cousins down to age 5. All the cousins are so awesome with our kids. They jump right in and play with them and even watch them for us, and seem to enjoy it. I wanted to especailly recognze Ellen, how Jenna and Zac both took to her so quickly and also the Merrel boys that are so fun and good with Zac. I just love the way that feels to know your kids are loved. Lisa and Sid did a great job with the reunion. Weds night we went to SLC airport to see Kevin come home from his mission to Armenia. That was awesome to see him. He is still so fun. He had great experiences, and I was impressed that he learned to play the piano really well on his mission. Anyway, Good job kevin on being a great example and choosing to serve a mission. After staying the night in Orem, we traveled to Blanding for the 4th. It is a great family place for the 4th. The parade and festivities are great. They still throw candy there, and the fire trucks don't keep their sirens on the whole time. (little kid friendly)It was very patriotic too. Very "American". That night Jenna and I went to a melodrama where you "boo" at the villan and cheer for the hero. That was fun. I love that kind of stuff. It made me want to go to the Shakespearian Festival. The kids loved the slip and slide and pool that grandma set up for them. I really enjoyed playing "hillbilly Golf" and eating Steve's grilled food. Steve and fam enjoyed playing cards and laughing. The fireworks were awesome. We sat in the bed of the truck and watched them. We just didn't feel like chasing Zac anymore that day, and thought the bed of the truck was a good bet for 10 pm. Saturday, we went to have family pictures with all the Scot Christensen family and in-laws. Then we ate at R&R, and I thought that was so good this time. The kids and I enjoyed the Visitor Center's park. They played until they were ready for ice cream and bed. It was a nice little vacation.

Changes and Anxiety

I have been working with Central Staffing at the hospital here since we moved back to Utah. That means that I float to the different departments. I did some shifts in the ER and on Same Day Surgery, on Med/Surg and on Post Partum.... it was a terrific experience. I learned a lot and it was helpful to know all the departments. Plus, truly all the people have been great. I really enjoyed taking the Advanced life support classes and the EKG classes- I was kind-of preparing for a future in the ICU. A few weeks ago the OB manager said that there was an opening on her floor. I thought about it a lot and accepted the job. It will be nice to have a "home base" and not floating everywhere. Plus this is what I had in mind when I entered nursing school...
I am nervous because I am totally a fish out of water. Aside from the 2 that I have had, I don't know much about Labor and delivery. In nursing you work hard and mostly with experience you learn. You can be an A student in Nursing school, and that helps to know the books, but it's experience that makes the most difference. I feel like I was good at Medical/Surgical nursing. That is essentially all I have done in one form or another. Being on OB makes me a real green horn. I hate the idea of being the "low man on the totem pole". LD is an area that you don't just "get good at" in a short period of time. I however have great co-workers and my coach is terrific.It will be good...just ask me how much I love it in 6 months...by then I may be feeling a little less anxiety!