Jaxon Update

Today I took Jaxon to see a doctor at Rady Children's Hospital. Too bad I had to take all 3 boys with me because it really made the appointment a nightmare. Dr. Garcia was great and talked to me about an action plan for Jaxon. His last scope to check his eosinophil count was in June 09. We are going to scope him again to see where we are. Depending on the results we will add some of the "big ones" (egg, dairy, wheat, nuts, corn, etc.). I am not sure on the order yet but the plan is to add one every 3 months then scope again. It feels good to have a plan but at the same time I like that Jaxon has been doing really well food wise for so long (mostly due to my lack of trying new foods). I am scared of the vomiting, crying, tummy aches, sleepless nights, etc. if he reacts to something. As he gets older he really needs more variety. I am hoping this will give us more variety and more answers.

Sorry, no pictures. I almost snapped a pic at the appointment of Daniel checking Jaxon's tummy with Jaxon's feet in the stirrups, but the nurse came in the room. Too bad, it was hilarious.

What do you do when you have nothing to do?

Well, Johnny is unemployed (currently #14 on the out of work list and expecting to go back to work soon) and we are kickin' it at my parent's house. Really we don't have much in the way of obligation or responsibility except for our children at this time. It is so strange going from being super busy with Johnny working constantly to having him here to help me 24/7. From one extreme to the other. So, what do we do when we have nothing to do?

Most of the time we play with this adorable little guy. Wouldn't you?

Besides trips to the park and heated pool with the boys we begged my mom for a "TO DO" list.

Look at this sexy man getting ready to climb and trim my parent's palm trees. I love it when he wears his tool belt! He was such a good sport when I talked him into doing this.

The biggest problem were the big seed pods. We (when I say "we" I mean Johnny did it while I took pictures) bagged them first then hacked them down so they would not explode all over the yard when they hit the ground.
In my defense I had clean-up duty. I piled and moved everything he cut down. And of course I had to entertain the baby! The other two boys were sleeping. Yeah for nap time!

Such a sweetie! I love this kid. I think it is so awesome the way the light shins through his floppy ears. Today he started blowing raspberries at me. Amazing.

OK! Back to work.

I am feeling better about the investment in Johnny's new tools after all the work today. They did come in handy and it was the first time I had ever seen him climb. He usually practices climbing multiple times per week, but I have never gone with him to watch.

See the massive tree on the left? I cut that down too. Hacked it to bits. The darn thing was growing through the fence. I took out all my frustration over the "sitting and waiting" rut we are in on the poor rose bushes.

So that is what you do when you have nothing else to do...yard work! Ugh! Tomorrow we finish our taxes and tackle the upstairs bathroom. Exciting stuff, I know!

Food - the bane of my existence!

Wesley eats! Yeah!

So far Wesley has one tooth (almost 2) and is good with sweet potatoes and squash. He is reacting the same to rice as Jaxon did. He just can't tolerate it! We have tried twice and both times he is up all night and throwing up the next morning. I am not ready to say I think he has EE but we are going to completely avoid rice for now. It does not seem to effect him when I eat it then nurse him. Who knows? I sure don't. Rice is not really the best thing for you anyway, right? Who needs it. Let's just all eat quinoa!

My Valentine's Day Gift

The best Valentine's Day gift I ever received came today! When we arrived at church Jaxon crawled onto my lap and promptly fell asleep before we were even done with the opening prayer. I laid him on the bench next to me and considered myself lucky. Next I looked over and Wesley was asleep on Johnny's lap. Bonus, 2 out of 3 down for the count. Then to my amazement Daniel crawled onto my lap after the sacrament was passed and fell fast asleep. Oh so sweet. Then to my surprise I looked over again and both Johnny and my dad were asleep. All 5 of the men on my row were O-U-T! I listened to the talks and felt the spirit. It was so peaceful. Silence truly is golden.

I think I might like 11am church better than expected.

Wesley - 5 months

WOW, Wesley is 5 months old and here are his 3 month pictures. The names we frequently call Wesley will tell you more about him than anything. Johnny calls him Gizmo. I call him Bubbleface. Yep that sums him up. j/k. Wesley is, well, in a word AMAZING. It amazes me how I can love one precious baby so much I think I will burst. I call him Bubbleface because he talks and drools and blows bubbles ALL DAY LONG. He talks to his hands, feet, the dogs, anything and everyone. Johnny calls him Gizmo because he is so wonderful and cuddly during the day, then at night he turns into a monster. For a while he would sleep through the night multiple times per week. Then he started waking 3-4 times a night completely hysterical. We are slowly back down to 1-2 times per night and he is getting better. Yes, I tried rice cereal and then stopped. I was not sure if it was upsetting his tummy. Rice is a big allergen for Jaxon so I am being cautious.

Wesley rolls both front to back and back to front now but it still surprises him when he does it. Mostly he rotates in circles on his tummy. He sits upright by himself for a good amount of time and I can tell two little teeth will break through in the next 2-3 weeks. I can almost see them under the skin, hence the drooling. He is so much like Daniel was is scares me. So cute and adorable and you can see the light through his little floppy Dumbo ears. I love it. He laughs all the time and loves to have his neck and thighs tickled.
Wesley is what the scriptures refer to when they talk about finding joy in your posterity.

Cabrillo Aquarium

After it rained a few weeks ago we took a trip out to LA to see Riverdance and visit my sister. I guess they didn't see all over the news that San Pedro was flooded and had massive mud slides because they tried to take us on a trip to the tide pools. The original plan was to attend the Whale Festival, build a life size blue whale out of sand, etc. but we were a day early. After being ignored when I tried to warn of the flooding issues we arrived at the beach entrance and were turned away by Police. Apparently a HUGE section of the cliff had fallen and the beach was closed.

It was a pleasant surprise to learn that the Cabrillo Aquarium and their "touch and feel" tide pools were open. It was excellent. We saw all kinds of neat things including the breeding of jelly fish and a gigantic lobster. Here are the boys just outside the hatchery. Wesley was more excited about pulling Jaxon's hair than anything.

As a special bonus we went to a Thai food place that Johnny stated had the best Thai chicken wings in the world.

We leave for LA again tomorrow morning to visit family, watch the super bowl, celebrate my birthday, and plan our friend's bridal shower. Busy weekend! Some time in there I want Johnny to take me on a date to the Cheesecake Factory. We will see if that happens.

Update on Johnny's work or lack thereof...we are #17 on the list and waiting a call. We keep hearing there are big jobs coming that will take a good amount of apprentices at once. In the mean time I am being spoiled having my husband home with me every day. I love it and the boys love it! We have fun going on walks and playing at the park. We pick a new park every day and hit up story/craft time at the library frequently. Today Daniel's Hummer ran out of batteries half way through the walk. Johnny hitched up the two dogs and made it into a sled which the boys LOVED, but to tell the truth pulling that Hummer with the two boys almost killed my parent's poor old Sophia. She was down for the count!

Allergy Free Pumpkin Muffins

1 2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour

1 cup Quinoa flour

1 cup White sugar

1 tbsp Baking powder (this can be replaced with all baking soda if you have a corn allergy)

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Ground Cloves

1 1/2 cups Pumpkin

1/2 cup Soy milk or water (or rice milk)

1 tbsp Vinegar (can be apple cider vinegar)

3 tbsp Canola or Safflower Oil

Mix all dry ingredients. Add liquids. Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20. Mini muffins work best. The bigger the muffin or loaf made the more tacky & pasty it will be. Smaller is better. Adding raisins or crasins or even allergy free mini chocolate chips make these excellent. Jaxon has been known to eat a dozen mini muffins in one sitting! Add a little soy margarine while they are hot and everyone will be going for them.