Where to next?

Riverside. Johnny made a positive impression with the General Foreman while on storm work and the company requested he stay with them on a more long term basis. Since it is close to where we were before in Ontario, CA we are going to move back. It will be nice to walk into church and not see all strangers!

Bah Humbug!

The last few weeks have been rough but at the same time we have had a lot of great things happen. I need to focus on the good more! So here is goes...

Daniel is learning to skateboard, Jaxon can now ride his bike without training wheels, Garrett is sitting up and makes my heart melt when he smiles. Wesley says no to everything now even when he wants to say yes. His laugh is one of the sweetest sounds in the world. Daniel is reading like crazy and is at the top of his class. He wants to grow his hair out and have a mohawk over the summer (dreading it!), Jaxon can write his name. My boys can recite the first few articles of faith. When I don't go to bed kicking myself for being the biggest failure of a mother this world has ever seen completely convinced my children will hate me for all time, I think maybe I'm not doing too bad.

Jaxon started eating rice. He loves it. He even had his first real rice crispy treat. No sign of reaction yet. No vomiting or gagging yet. I think we may have a keeper but only time will tell.

The other night at my parent's house we decorated the tree. Whenever we would hand Wesley a safe ornament to hang on the tree he would hook it on his bottom lip, walk over to the tree, and pull off whatever ornament was most recently hung by one of his brothers. It was so cute but made for a long decorating process.

Johnny was called out for storm work on Friday. It has been all over the news the last week how many people are out of power in southern CA. Something like 100,000 due to strong winds blowing trees on the power lines. Over 100 crews were sent and we are lucky Johnny has a place on one of them. They are working 24 hour rotations then taking a mandatory 8 hour break before doing another 24 hours. They will work like that until all power is restored, at least a week. Maybe more since another wind storm is supposed to be coming that direction. It is not a permanent placement, it is just a short call for the storm, but then he will go back to the top of the waiting list where he was and hopefully we will know where we are moving soon. Until then I am manning the heathens on my own, Valley Fever and all.

I love Christmas and all it stands for. I have to say I am overwhelmed and feel more like Scrooge than anything, but I am trying to get in the spirit. This year has been one of our hardest. It was emotionally, physically and spiritually draining. As I was driving home tonight with my bags of medication and a car full of screaming hungry children I saw this bumper sticker and couldn't help but give the guy an Amen!

Amen brother, Amen!

Feeling the Fever

I received my blood test back today confirming I have Valley Fever. Good thing the results came today too because until the blood test came back positive I have not been able to take anything to treat my issues. The symptoms are fever, chest pain, chills, fatigue, headache, shortness of breath, night sweats (lovely I thought I would not have these until menopause), joint pain, and of course my lovely lumpy welt rash. Check, check, check, and check. Got them all. The major problem is that I am getting more and more spots that turn into lumps and swell all together all over my legs and arms. The red areas burn as if I had laid my ankles, elbows and wrists on an open flame and all of my joints ache. I feel so old!

Gross, huh? Please ignore the extreme need for a pedicure...My legs and feet are so swollen I am hobbling like a cripple because I literally can't move my ankles they are so fat. I kind of do a shuffle then drag my more painful left foot along behind me. My lower legs swelled so much my favorite baggy jeans became like spandex. My milk supply for Garrett all but dried up completely because all fluid is going to my legs.

Today I started a high does of anti fungal medication with lovely nausea and vomiting side effects to take for 3 weeks as well as a 6 day intense steroid treatment. Needless to say I had to stop nursing Garrett cold turkey this afternoon and neither of us are happy about it. I cried most of the way back to Bakersfield today. Can someone get out a fiddle and start playing for me? I'm having a pity party folks!

What the heck is that?

Tuesday Nov. 22 - Daniel comes home from school with strep...while at Urgent Care Wesley and Johnny start throwing up.

Wednesday Nov. 23 - Wesley wakes from his nap with a fever and completely covered from his ears to his feet in tiny red bumps. While in the same room at Urgent Care we were in the day before I am told it is just whatever virus he has clearing itself out of his system. Yeah right! Then I notice some strange red lumps all over the front of my legs.

Thursday Nov. 24, Thanksgiving and Daniel's 6th birthday - Johnny (still not feeling 100%) stays home with Daniel and Wesley whose rash has spread to his mouth, throat, lips, and hands. I head to my sister's with Jaxon and Garrett. Poor Daniel missed Thanksgiving on his birthday. My family all think Wesley had Fifth Disease but I think it is Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Either way it is a virus and just has to run its course.

Friday Nov. 25, Johnny's birthday - Load up and head to my parent's house for the long weekend. Half way there I start puking in a bucket. Wesley keeps telling me he wants to "see the puke." Happy birthday honey! That night Jaxon throws up even though he already had a stomach bug while we were in Denver just two weeks ago!

Sat/Sun/Mon - The lumps on my legs have turned into huge swollen lumps, my joints hurt, I'm tired and itchy. The lumps appear on my arms. My ankles swell and it is painful to walk. See how swollen my knees and legs are!

Due to a disgusting presentation at Jaxon's preschool on how completely rampant bed bugs are in Kern County CA I can't sleep thinking bugs are crawling all over me. I started thinking the issue with my legs might be from (dare I even say it) a bed bug infestation. Eeeeewwwww. Luckily Johnny has some sense and convinced me if they were bug bites I would not be the only one with them covering my body.

Today, a trip to the doctor. Lucky me...I have Valley Fever which is not as disgusting bed bugs but is also a huge problem in Kern County. I have to let it run its course and since it is not in my lungs I am not in the high risk category. Whoever said Bakersfield CA is the armpit of CA sure was right!

Sickness, sickness, go away! Please don't come again another day!

Denver Results

My mother and I took Jaxon to see a team of EE specialists at Children's Hospital Colorado from Thursday Nov. 10 - Tuesday Nov. 15th. The schedule was a little overwhelming and quite grueling but the results were worth the trip. Just having another set of hands to help with Garrett was such a blessing and most of the time I would come out of an appointment to find my mom like this...

The first day was meeting all the different doctors, going over health histories, enrolling in research projects, initial rounds or skin testing, etc. That night Jaxon threw up for almost three hours but still had an endoscopy and PH probe placed on Friday morning. The endoscopy actually showed his bruised stomach from all the retching. He was a trooper. No crying or protesting. He was amazing.

The endoscopy results showed almost no irritation, minor ringing of the esophagus, and a very minimal amount of eosinophils (meaning he gets to keep eating CORN! Hallelujah!).

The PH probe was irritating but he never messed with it or tried to pull it out. The arm restraints were not necessary, but he did bring them home to use on his brothers!

The weekend was spent with more vomiting and two days of fever which ultimately convinced me Jaxon had a flu bug rather than a food reaction. Also over the weekend I broke out in hives covering my arms. I think it was due to the hotel room chair I was using to nurse Garrett. Monday was more skin testing and Behavioral Health screenings with a psychologist. Tuesday we saw a feeding specialist and a Dietitian who both feel Jaxon is getting a well rounded diet, but is lacking Calcium, of course.

One major issue we addressed is the constant gnawing on non-food items. Toys, rubber balls, stickers, paper, etc. They gave Jaxon six "chew toys" so he has something safe to put in his mouth if he feels a need for oral stimulation in that way. I can not tell you how much it bothers me that my 4 year-old has chew toys, but it is better than him eating plastic and bouncy balls!

The overall consensus when we left was that Jaxon is going to trial rice for a few months, then wheat, then we will have another endoscopy in 4-6 months to confirm he is tolerating those two before moving onto the last two, dairy and eggs. We toyed with the idea of putting him on proton pump inhibitors so he could eat unrestricted, but decided while he is young we need to enforce the food restrictions as much as possible until we are sure which ones he is reacting to. Meds would be easier and it is tempting to start using them, but once he goes to meds there will likely be no turning back.

A final bonus of our trip was to visit my friend Marianne Touron and her amazing little family. Marianne and I grew up together in Hemet CA. She was and is a great friend and one of the great examples of a Christlike woman on this earth!

Rumor Mill Results

Yes, Johnny was laid off on Monday the 14th while I was in Denver. Apparently they laid him off (along with a handful of other guys) due to a reduction in work. Actually it is not as bad as I always initially think it will be. He was able to take care of the boys more while I was in Denver freeing up my dad from having them the whole time AND he was laid off the day before there was an accident on the job site causing an electrical fire. I am glad he was not there, just in case! There are only a few guys on the out of work list ahead of him so it should not be a long wait. In reality it is nice to have him home right before the holidays when everything is busy.

Usually he would file for unemployment during the time he is laid off, but since Garrett was born this year he gets to file for six weeks of paid "bonding time." Whenever and wherever he is sent I will be staying in Bakersfield with the boys until Christmas so Daniel can finish the first half of the school year. Wow my life is crazy and confusing, but I really do appreciate everyone's prayers on our behalf.

Rumor Mill

Usually I hate the rumor mill...but when it comes to work rumors I eat it up! Why? Because they are usually true!

Johnny had his once a month training class on Saturday where he was told by other apprentices PG&E (the big power company out here) is pulling back their work from the contractors. PAR, Henkels & McCoy, and Diversified being the main three. We are working with Diversified right now and they were supposed to be the least affected. Layoff time frame? Next Thursday the 15th. Some guys were already told for sure it will be their last day.

Johnny was given a heads up at work this morning that because of this shift in work loads they are going to lay off a whole crew from his yard. Since Johnny is still an apprentice not a journeyman he will be one of the first guys to go. Essentially we are not going to be in Bakersfield much longer without some major Divine intervention.

Whenever I start hearing the layoff rumors my palms get sweaty, I have a constant pain in my chest. My head aches. I get all weepy and cry at the drop of a hat. It is the unknown that does it to me. Of course everything is more complicated now that Daniel is in school. Do we pull him out? Live separate so he can keep going to school here? Switch to home school? And of course the big ultimate question we ask ourselves constantly...are we doing right by our kids living this way?

If Johnny is laid off again it will be the 3rd year in a row right before Christmas! He will go back on the waiting list to be sent somewhere else. Please pray we stay here! I need all the help I can get!

Halloween 2011

Halloween this year was a little crazy, but overall really great. We were running from a trunk-or-treat carnival, to a pumpkin carving contest in LA, to preschool and school carnivals, to Johnny's Foreman's house, etc. Many Snow Birds and elderly residents living in this RV park specifically went out and bought candy just for our kids. All week people were telling us which space numbers to visit on Halloween. One lady was so happy we were her first trick-or-treaters in over 20 years.

Jaxon lost his first costume which required an emergency trip to the 99 cent store for some impromptu pirate gear. Daniel alternated between his standard Firefighter costume and a SWAT outfit. Wesley was a Dragon. We kept asking him to find his tail to send him spinning in circles like a puppy. Of course Garrett was our 3 eyed, 4 armed sweaty teething monster. Really he was adorable. Johnny just had to take the opportunity to wear an old cowboy hat he was given. By the end of the night we both agreed the hat must have some kind of mite or bug living in it. We were both itching like crazy. Yuck. Then there was me. The tired mom (not shown) who didn't think to get a costume. Boring, I know. Although, I could pass for a trashy school girl if I braided my hair. It would go perfect with the tacky hickey I happen to have on the front of my neck. Thanks honey! I felt pretty classy at the preschool carnival! Oh the memories...

Penitent

Wesley is my little imp. He is so darn cute it is difficult to be upset when he does crazy things. He had a double ear infection a few weeks ago and needed antibiotics every day. One night just as I was about to give him his medicine our neighbor in the next trailer over had an emergency and was calling for help. Johnny and I ran out telling the boys to say put. Of course the medicine was left on the counter. A few seconds later Daniel is yelling "emergency" in our trailer which brought Johnny and I running back inside.

I should have dressed him as a skunk for Halloween. Little stinker that he is was so proud of himself! Not sorry in the least. An entire bottle of antibiotics on the rug. I took the rug outside to wash it off hanging over the back of the truck. Johnny drove off with it the next morning and I am guessing it is somewhere along the 58!

Taylor Swift

A few months ago my amazing cousin got me tickets to the Ellen DeGeners Mother's Day Giveaway show. It was awesome, but some of the stuff I already had. Some things I gave away, others I kept, and some I sold. I sold my Britax stroller and car seat as well as my Go Gaga Diaper bag. I talked to Johnny about what to do with the money since I had not earned it and I felt it would be kind of an insult to the gift my cousin had given me if I used it to pay bills. So, we decided I needed to use it to do something I would not ever have the change to do again.

On October 21st I flew to Phoenix leaving Johnny with Daniel, Jaxon, and Wesley for the weekend. I took baby Garrett with me since he is still nursing (despite getting his 1st tooth at barley 4 months old). I spent the weekend with two of my best friends in the world Ashley Huber and Janelle Schmitz. We went to Cheesecake Factory and to the Taylor Swift Speak Now concert. I love Taylor Swift! I thought since I had built this weekend up in my mind for so long that I might have been a little let down, but that was not the case. It was AMAZING! Totally and completely awesome.

Halfway through the concert she moved from the main stage to a glowing, rotating tree in the back of the arena to sing a few songs with just her guitar. She closed the concert flying over the arena on a small balcony. She even sang one sing with Jimmy Eat World and a new song "Ours" I had never heard before. It was a great night with great friends.

Sunday afternoon Johnny sent me a text message to have fun and take as much time as I needed to get home because once I got home I was never leaving again! haha

Johnny at work

Johnny is the one on the pole, not in the bucket. This was taken by the Groundman when they were on a storm call at twilight.

Isn't he sexy in his climbers? Makes my heart go pitter patter!

Photo shoot...or should I say shoot me now?

Wesley turned 2 in August and in my family that means it is time for his 2 year picture. This very important picture is a tradition that was started when my father was a child. My Granny has the picture made into 3 identical large oil paintings. Each generation gets one of the paintings. The picture rules are: it has to be classic, Victorian, timeless, no teeth showing when they smile, etc. We had to have 3 photo sessions done with Daniel to get his right. Jaxon was easier because I knew what we needed. Wesley was perfect. He sat perfectly still the entire time as if someone had hit the pause button. What do you think?

My second choice is this one.

Not the outfit most people would think of, but my Granny has dreams about what they need to wear, and of course, she gets her way when it comes to these pictures. Satin bow and all!

Garrett was more challenging. He had a huge blow out in his blessing outfit right as they started to take pictures. Of course, I only had two wipies left in the diaper bag that didn't do the trick, so I finished with the burp cloth and threw it away. I was determined to push through so I put him in the next outfit, picked him up, and he promptly hurled in my shoe. Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!

The kind photographer blessed me with some paper towels and we kept on going. Worth it? Yes!

Look at those dimples! Just as amazing as his daddy's!

After being there for 3 1/2 hours we left with cute pictures and a very tired group. Jaxon promptly threw up once we got home. Probably due to the candy bribes. Or maybe the crayons I caught him eating when he was supposed to be coloring? Most likely both!

Percival Day @ the Zoo

The Percival family got together at the LA Zoo last weekend for a perfect day of family fun and animals. Despite Diana's insistence to take pictures, this is all I managed! Sorry sis! Garrett looks exactly like Johnny and Jaxon!

We had a great time and I think it had to be the first full family outing we have had in a very long time!

1st School Carnival = Bankrupt in One Night!

(Picture disclaimer: Mom with 4 kids and a new phone = only 1 picture on the camera and a phone full of pictures I can't figure out how to access!)

Tonight was the Harvest Festival at Daniel's school. The boys were very excited and Daniel was so proud to bring in soda bottles and a cake to contribute to the event. Little did I know that school carnival fundraisers were so expensive! Between game tickets, face painting, bounce house wrist bands, dinner and shaved ice, pony rides, the silent auction, and of course the raffle, we left feeling a little light in the wallet. I even had Johnny return the two bags of kettle corn he bought. Is that terrible? My mother the health inspector would not be happy the people took the unopened bags back and resold them! Overall it was a great time except for the swarms of pincher bugs literally falling from the trees all over our heads.

The best and worst moment of the night had to be when we lost Jaxon. One second he went in the bounce house obstical course and the next he was gone. The first 30 seconds or so I was practical about it. Daniel and I re-checked the area with no luck. Then it escalated to frantically calling his name and checking to see if he found Johnny. Next my heart sank from my chest only to rise back up when I saw him across the field. The silly boy thought I would leave without him so he went to find me. When I first found him he didn't see me but I could tell he was looking. When he finally realized I had found him he burst into huge gushing tears. My own tears spilled out as I reassured him I would always find him, no matter what! It was the longest 90 seconds of my life!

I need a Jimmy!

Recently my mother and sisters are my shoulders to cry. I vent to them about everything. My boys fight constantly, we trip over each other, Wesley dumped a bottle of agave syrup all over my new carpet, Johnny is always gone, I am falling way behind on cleaning, I never exercise, shopping with my kids is a nightmare, blah, blah, blah, etc. I wake up frustrated with my kids and go to bed frustrated with my kids and myself. I feel frumpy. I even considered weaning Garrett because I just don't have time to sit and nurse him. The poor boy screams for my attention as do they all. There is not enough of me to go around and if I could sprout another set of arms I gladly would. Sometimes I just tell them "there are 4 of you and only 1 of me."

My sister is an entertainment lawyer in LA and a new mom. She has a house keeper and is hiring a nanny for her new baby. She also has her brother-in-law Jimmy living with them. He is that extra set of hands every woman needs. We have joked in the past that "everybody needs a Jimmy." He is awesome and really helps out. Think personal assistant, but not. We all decided that I need "a Jimmy."

My new assistant (aka a lady from our church that needs some side income as much as I need an assistant) starts on Friday. She is going to come over a few hours a day, 3 days a week. I am so excited. The afternoons are the hardest time of day aside from bedtime. Some days she'll clean, some days watch the boys outside so I can get stuff done inside, some days babysit so I can run errands ALONE! Whatever I need. Some times I will just need her to entertain Garrett so I can do something fun with the other three without a baby strapped to my chest. Maybe I might even get to exercise. Imagine that! There is a light at the end of my tunnel. Hallelujah.

I have been criticised in the past for having my boys take a bath EVERY night! All I can say is if your boys looked like this would you let them crawl into the fresh clean sheets you just washed? Not I! Not I! I had already taken a wipey to their faces by this point, but after an afternoon of stripping scrap copper to recycle and changing a flat tire there is no way they are skipping a bath tonight! Poor Daniel put up a fight when it was time to do his homework and has spent the rest of the evening on his bed with dirty tear streaks cutting through the gunk on his face. He will be let down to have a bath as well!

Discrimination

I have never personally experienced discrimination for any reason, until yesterday. I took Jaxon to an in home preschool recommended to me by a woman at church. It is not licensed, but came highly recommended. After talking with the woman about her program, experience, and the curriculum I decided it would be a good fit for Jaxon. Yesterday was his first day. He was shy at first but by the end of the two hour class was super excited to come again. Of course I talked with the woman about Jaxon's EE and provided all of his emergency information before I left. A few hours after preschool was over she called me very concerned about Jaxon's EE and said flat out "If I knew about his condition before you came I would have told you not to bring him." Of course my mommy instincts kick in and I became defensive, but agreed to talk over the situation with Johnny and she was going to discuss it with her husband. Johnny and I agreed not to take Jaxon back, but then this morning all Jaxon could talk about was his new preschool and the field trips they were going to go on to the County Fair and the Pumpkin Patch. It broke my heart. The Preschool Lady called again this afternoon to say she would like to have Jaxon come if I would sign a liability waiver in case anything happened while he was in her care. Ummmm, no!

At first I was upset and offended. Mostly I'm sad for Jaxon and how upset he will be when we don't go back. It is not like my kids have a very stable life traveling around with Johnny for work, but now he is jumping around preschools and I'm not going to tell him she didn't want him there because of his "condition." Maybe I was naive thinking this would never happen. Not any more. In the future I will be more prepared to protect my son.

Church

Church for us is a tough time. We want to be there to be spiritually enlightened and feel closer to God, but at the same time it is difficult to coral our kids. We have strict church rules and have even been down to the building during the week to practice. Also, since we are always going to new wards when we move everybody seems to watch the new family and comment to us at the end of the meeting.

Some of our most basic rules are:

1. Divide and conquer. No kids can sit next to each other. Daniel is by the isle, Jaxon gets closest to the wall and Wesley is in the middle for containment purposes. Johnny and I pass Garrett back and forth.

2. No toys or snacks before the sacrament is passed. Sacrament is the main reason we are even there!

3. Don't let them escape!

4. No bathroom runs.

The last few weeks Wesley has been on a roll. He is loud which is usually cute. Recently he has been crowing like a rooster, singing wheels on the bus, growling at anyone and everyone, etc. When we were in Hemet with my parents last week my dad was entertaining him by nibbling on his ear to tickle him (sometimes I give my dad the same look I give my kids to get them to stop clowning around). When my dad stopped nibbling Wesley's ear he loudly demanded the tickling begin again by yelling "bite me". Our whole row was trying to stifle giggles. This week he kept saying "Hi guys!" I asked him what he was doing and he told me "I'm saying HI to the guys!"

All of that is cute but this week knocked us over the edge. Somehow he escaped the quick little stinker that he is and decided to try and pull the curtains covering the huge windows down. Luckily the curtains held as he tried to swing like Tarzan before he was caught and contained once more. Can anyone say embarrassing? Yeah, church is fun. Did I leave feeling spiritually uplifted? Ummm, no!

Ever feel like you live in a Circus?

I always think that having my four boys living in our trailer is like living in a Circus, but the boys never could understand what I meant because they had never been to a Circus. Well it was in town this week and Sunday was Wesley's actual b-day so on Saturday we headed to the Circus. I found a discount coupon and Wesley was still free since he was technically under 2. We all got into first row balcony seats for $47. I went when I was young and Johnny has very fond memories of going with his family every year. He even insisted I bring along some Cracker Jacks. It was so much fun.

It was also nice to have Johnny there to help me haul our kids around without the stroller!

I couldn't get any good pictures of the boys because they refused to look at me. They were too excited about everything going on around them. The only picture I could get of Wesley was during intermission when he smashed himself in the chair! (Ignore the muddy sock! He found a puddle in the parking lot on the way in!).

Of course they loved the funny clowns, but the absolute favorites were the Tigers and Elephants.

Daniel especially loved the human arrow being shot out of the giant cross bow while on fire! I loved the guys in what looked like a metal circle on the end of a long pole. They spun around and did tricks, but I was so mesmerized and gasping at every trick I never thought to get a picture.

Really it was great entertainment for not much money (just don't buy any of the stuff there because it will cost you at least one arm and possibly a leg too). Seeing it live is even better than the stuff on America's Got Talent and the Circus is where most of the non musical acts on that show belong anyway.

Going to Denver

Well the time has come to bite the bullet and head to The Children's Hospital in Denver. We need to have some guidance with Jaxon and his EE. After a disappointing visit at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego last year I was told basically that he is cured. He had a clean scope, yes, but at the time he was not eating any wheat, eggs, dairy , corn, nuts, rice, etc. I hardly call that cured! We have been playing it safe and not trying new things for a while just because he felt good and I wanted him to have a chance to feel good for a while. After a while we added corn and by accident, nuts. I caught him one day with a peanut butter container and pear slices. He never had any reactions. Now he is stealing food. I caught him behind my bed with a box of Vanilla Wafers. The next day it was gold fish crackers. The day after than he made a nose dive for some cheese cubes Wesley had thrown on the floor. The alternatives I make him are no longer holding his interest and I can't force all of us to be on such a limited diet along with him. So Denver seems like the logical answer where a team will be able to see him and give me some guidance.

Any other EE parents that have been to Denver to see Dr. Furuta and his team that can give me some tips and guidance would be greatly appreciated. We are in the process of having all records sent over and hope to be going before the end of the year. We need tips on where to stay, what to expect, what else to do there as a family, etc.

1st Day of Kindergarten

Since we think we will be in Bakersfield for a while with Johnny's job we took a chance and had Daniel start kindergarten yesterday. We were both so excited and so ready for him to go to school. He had a smile on his face all day and insisted on riding the bus to and from school. The bus, of course, missed him and we had to catch it at another stop on the opposite side of the street. He didn't hesitate to jump right on, but was frustrated they made him sit in the front instead of letting him go to the back. He also didn't want to wear the sticker with his name and bus information. Poor Jaxon wanted to ride the bus with Daniel and seemed a little lost all day without his big brother.

We followed the bus to school and met up with Daniel outside. He was very calm and didn't look back AT ALL when I dropped him off at class. I didn't cry but couldn't help feeling a little sad that he was so big. Of course I was more proud of him than anything and excited for this new part of his life.

Johnny gave him a Father's Blessing on Sunday which of course was the first of many. I think it was a special day for both Daniel and Johnny.

Pudding anyone?

Wesley has been showing us a whole new side to him the closer he gets to being 2. Yesterday he had some fun with chocolate pudding! I even found some flung on the bathroom mirror. Of course he had to stick his finger up his nose and snort like a piggy just to add some charm! Nothing would cut through this mess except for a full on bath which he promptly pooped in. It was just one of those days!

Wesley is 2!

Wesley will turn two this weekend but since we were in Hemet last weekend we celebrated with my parent's early.

The boys were all excited for a pinata. Something about whacking away with a bat and candy flying all over really excites my boys. Even Garrett enjoyed the show!

Wesley was more excited about the candy than actually hitting the pinata. When it came to presents he was so excited for a new pair of rain boots form my parent's so he can be like his older brothers with their boots.

He wears them constantly. Today in the car he started saying "there's a snake in my boots."

I can't believe my baby is two! It seems like we have not been in CA that long, but really it has been two whole years!

Mommy Moments

With each of my children I can remember the exact moment when I fell completely in love with them. When Daniel was born I was surprised it was not right when he was born. It has not come right at the birth of any of my boys. Of course I loved each of them and was so happy to have them in my life, but it is not "the moment" I am talking about. I call it my Mommy moment. With Daniel, Jaxon, and Wesley it happened at night, in the dark, while nursing and singing them songs. I could smell that amazing baby smell of innocence and lotion. The moment is when I was just completely overwhelmed with love for the perfect child the Lord had blessed me with. I become so overwhelmed I can't speak, but hold my baby and thank the Lord for him in my life. After having Garrett I kept expecting this moment to come, but it didn't. I was oh so overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of my 4 children, living away from Johnny, and feeling so alone all the time. It didn't come until the day of Garrett's blessing. Right before I handed him to his Daddy. I just couldn't believe the Lord knew I needed Garrett to bless my life and even though I didn't want another baby at the time I am glad the Lord knows better than I do and blessed me with him anyway.

Garrett's Blessing Day

Garrett was blessed on Sunday. Thank you to everyone who made the effort to come. We really appreciate all of the support! Two of Johnny's brothers even made it out from Bagdad, AZ. This is our first Percival family picture with my parents, sisters, and all the grandchildren. Here is Tobin, Jeanine and Kevin's new addition. He is less than a month apart from Garrett. We hope they will be great friends growing up. And of course one very proud Grandpa with the two newest Percival grand babies.

Trailer Life

The trailer park we are staying at is very nice compared to some of the mobile home parks we have found. Recently I have noticed that we say funny things I would never say if we lived at our house in Arizona.

1. Me: Johnny do you know where the bike pump ended up? Johnny: Yeah, I think I put it in the fruit bowl.

2. Babe please don't take the boys to the pool in the wagon, I have to pick up the laundry.

3. Me: Why does it smell like rotten eggs? Johnny: Oh, must be time to empty the tank.

4. Don't forget to check the oven for toys when you light the pilot light, Wesley was storing some trucks in there earlier.

5. Daniel please remember to put water in the toilet before you use it.

6. Excuse me, you can't sit at the table while I am cooking. All the baking supplies I need are under the bench.

7. Jaxon, please stop splashing in the bathtub. Every time you do that the water goes through the wall into the kitchen!

8. Daniel can you get out some paper towels for me? They are under the couch.

Since moving to Bakersfield this is the first park we have stayed in that has free cable. I LOVE watching HGTV while nursing. Property Brothers is my favorite. The other night I dreamed we were renovating my dream house and I kept yelling "I don't want an adobe house." Johnny thought that was funny coming from a girl living in a travel trailer!

You've got your hands full!

"You've got your hands full" is not only the most common phrase I hear each time I venture into public with my 4 sons, but it has also become the most annoying. A close second is "Are you going to try for a girl?" However annoying these may be at least they are not outright rude like some things people have said to me in the last few weeks. Ranked #1 at this time is the lady in the laundry room who told me flat out "Don't have any more kids, okay! There are too many in this world and they are too expensive." I didn't respond but believe me I wanted to.

Garrett is amazing and I can not imagine my family without him. I prayed for a long time after I found out I was pregnant with Garrett to change my heart so that I would really want him. I didn't at all for a long time after I found out I was prego and it was a big struggle for me. Of course that only brought more guilt. I was not ready for him at all. The last few months of my pregnancy were the hardest because we moved so many times. Garrett is 6 weeks old now and sleeps through the night almost every night and he has since only a week old. If he does wake up to eat it is only once. He is growing so fast but is still in the "scrunchy" stage where he will pull his feet up and stick his booty out to stretch. I love it! Until this past week he would cry whenever he was not being held but now he will last longer looking around and he has even started to coo and smile some. Daniel has been a big helper holding him while I make meals during the day or put Jaxon and Wesley down for naps. It is nice to have another set of hands willing to help.

Life with 4 has been really hard so far. Every second is a juggling act. Mornings are not too bad since Garrett sleeps until almost 8 and the other boys are up just after 6am. I feel so much better now that we are all living together in Bakersfield. Bakersfield is hot like Mesa, but cools off in the evening. We are in a kind of run down area but the park is really nice with a pool and jacuzzi. Daniel and Jaxon enjoyed participating in a Pee Wee Sports camp last week and Daniel just lost his first tooth. I can not wait for Kindergarten and preschool to start in the next few weeks.

Taking all 4 of them anywhere is a challenge. It takes me a while to get out the door in the mornings. Grocery shopping is the worst, but most of the time Christlike people take pity on me and bag my groceries or hold Wesley to keep him from screaming or grabbing things while I pay. Actually, in the last few weeks I think we have really turned a big corner. All of my boys have made a huge improvement in their behavior and listening and I have really been enjoying them more. One funny thing happened in Costco the other day. Garrett was strapped to my chest in a carrier and had a blow out. It went all down Jaxon's arm, my leg, and the bread isle! Yuck! It was a rough clean-up.

Garrett has been projectile vomiting a few times almost always in the morning. A poor woman at the boy's sports camp last week volunteered to hold him while I grounded baseballs with Daniel and Jaxon. Garrett was asleep, but he woke up throwing up and completely covered her. It was sad. I am not sure if it is a sign of possibly having EE like Jaxon, but if it doesn't stop he will be seeing a doctor soon.

Johnny is amazing with the boys. He takes the 3 oldest swimming every afternoon so I have some quiet time alone to feed Garrett and make dinner. On Friday he took all 4 to play while I had one whirlwind hour to change all the bed sheets, clean all the floors, and fold & put away 4 loads of laundry. It was such a feeling of accomplishment! I am finally feeling like myself again. Life just keeps getting better and better.