Why I Own a King-Size Bed

I don't usually like to post pictures of myself...particularly ones where I am looking so lovely. I came across this one when I filled up my memory card and downloaded it to Costco to be burned into a disk. Apparently, this was the scene Steve left on his way to work.

Really, this is my fault. When Paige was born, Steve was traveling 6 nights a week. Elizabeth Smart had just been snatched from her bed in the middle of the night, so to protect my baby (and keep me from leaving my bed to feed her in the night) I kept little Paige in bed with me. Sadly, she has never grown out of it. I swore not to do the same with Claire. She learned early on to sleep in her crib by herself, as we struggled to teach Paige. When we put the condo up for sale, oblivious to my graveyard shift, our Real Estate agent ALWAYS seemed to book 9 am showings. It became easier at that point to let the girls sleep in our bed as to leave 2 less beds to make in the morning! Habits seem to form quickly, and are hard to break. Plus, with Steve needing to go to sleep early and me needing to sleep in, it is so much easier to let the girls stay up late watching tv in our bed to accommodate both our crazy schedules!

Despite our efforts, someone still ends up crawling in during the night, and most of the time I don't notice until I nearly fall off the bed! Although it is FAR from ideal, we keep telling ourselves that one day our "snuggle-buddies" won't want to snuggle with us anymore and we should savor each moment.

My guess about this picture is that this was a Friday morning. Usually, by Fridays I am so exhausted that it is no surprise to me that I forgot to take my glasses off. (At least my mouth is closed and I am not drooling!) Bode starts off in our bed so that Steve is sure to hear him cry in the night while I am at work, a habit we keep vowing to change starting every weekend! Claire probably came in shortly after I did, wanting to snuggle, at which point Paige would have woken up in her room alone and moseyed across the hall to see if there was any room at the inn. Paige probably climbed up from the foot of the bed, pushing her way under Steve's arm, and slowly but surely pushing him right out of bed. At which point, he got up and asked her to "keep his pillow warm". While I am grateful that both girls have finally learned that heads go at the top of the bed and feet stay at the bottom, (as opposed to feet in mom's ribs and head in daddy's back) they still manage to take their half out of the middle. Notice that Paige's Ballerina Barbie even has more room in the bed than I do! Maybe Paige's plan of buying another king-size bed isn't so bad after all!

"PAIN"creatitis

No...he is not headed to outer space (although I bet he wishes he could!) For the past several weeks, my dad has been in the hospital suffering from severe pancreatitis. It all started two and a half weeks ago. The whole McClure family had gone over to my dad's for Sunday dinner, only to find him very sick. He was doubled over in pain and sweating like there was no tomorrow. We insisted he go to the ER, so Steve, Terry and my brother-in-law Rob took him over to IMC where he was diagnosed with Acute Pancreatitis. It has been a roller-coaster ever since. The problem with the pancreas is that no one knows what brings on the inflammation and there is no way to bring it back down, but to wait it out and treat the other problems it causes. In dad's case, this has included pneumonia, C. Diff infection (a nasty bacteria in the intestines and bowel...VERY contagious!), non-functioning kidneys, 30+ pounds of fluid which has caused him to look like a pregnant woman with a huge belly along with severe swelling in the legs and one arm, and most recently a blood clot. He spent two weeks in Intensive Care and had to be intubated for a few days. Although they have found that his gallbladder is full of stones, they do not plan to remove it until he is much better. It really has been a trial of "two steps forward and one step back". There is talk of him being discharged for home in the next few days, but still a long recovery ahead. Keep fighting, Dad! We love you!

Jumping Jacks Off Track

Paige has just gone back to school after being off-track for nearly 4 weeks! We had such a great time sleeping in, going on lunch dates to McDonalds, but most of all...we discovered Jumping Jacks! It is a giant bounce house in West Jordan. I think it is kind of pricey for just a one-time thing, but we bought a mom & me pass for $15 which allowed us to go as much as we wanted for a month! My sister bought one too, so I bet we spent at least two days a week there!


I would however recommend bringing an adult friend to talk to or a book to read because once the kids take off, you don't see them again for hours! And bring some cash...they don't let you sneak Diet Coke's in, but sell them there for a small fortune!

Tubby Time!

I don't think it is abnormal...I think every mommy loves bath time (and taking embarrassing pictures of bathtime to share with girlfriends when he is 30!) There is just something about it...the smile he gets playing in the water and the sweet smell of Johnson's and Johnson's afterward. Plus I love the way his hair curls up when it is wet.

Notice the new hand fetish. I really don't think he is teething...just figuring out that they are there and are a perfect fit for his mouth!

Isn't it Grand...Junction!

This weekend we were able to ride on G&K's shirt tails a little bit and join Steve in Grand Junction. There was a trade show going on Friday, sure to bring in some good contacts, so we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it. The girls were so excited to head out and told everyone we saw we were going to Colorado. Surprisingly, the biggest hit of the trip was the Colorado National Monument. The girls begged to go back a second time, so we went again! Of course, daddy kept teasing that he was going to drive off the edge into the huge canyon below, which of course resulted in tears. And no trip would be complete without a potty break every 7 minutes. I guess I am the only one allowed to have drinks on road trips. No one else can hold their bladder! Thank goodness for the Dora potty we brought along...it totally saved us!
We were also told it was a must to hit the Dinosaur museum. I wasn't sure what the girls would think, but they had a blast moving robotic dinosaurs and digging for bones with big brushes. The museum wasn't very big, but had several animated dinosaurs that would move at the push of a button. The one in the center photo here was a velociraptor that spit "acid" onto nearby watchers. I think the highlight of everyone's museum experience was the earthquake exhibit. This black platform would shake and jiggle, simulating a 5.3 earthquake. Even Steve and I had a hard time gaining our "sea legs" back after getting off.

And of course, no trip would be complete without a stop at Krispy Kremes. The girls would happily stand and watch for hours if we let them. We bought two dozen and I'm sorry to say that they have already disappeared! But we had to...after all, the "STOP" sign was calling to us!