Cycle of Life

Remember how I said that Jeff has interesting hobbies that keep us entertained? Well, our latest endeavor was to hatch baby quail. We tried last year and failed, so this year Jeff bought an incubator and ordered 24 eggs off of Ebay (15 from one seller, 9 from another). After three weeks of incubating, the first batch were ready to hatch. And of course, Jeff was in Hawaii for his ortho convention and I had to be the hatching mother.

The eggs in the incubator. They are tiny. About the size of your thumb joint.

After reducing the temperature and increasing the humidity (per Jeff's instructions), we waited. And then the baby quail started to hatch. Two hatched before I went to bed and another one had hatched by morning. By the end of the second day, ten baby quail had hatched from the eggs, and we got to see a couple of them actually emerge from the egg.

It may seem silly, but that was pretty amazing. To see new life come into the world is exciting and fun and a little bit spiritual, even when it is tiny quail chicks.

Video clip I sent to Jeff of one of the chicks hatching

Two just barely born\

A few of the quail weren't doing so well. Three of them had splayed legs, where they couldn't get on their feet, but instead showed off a swimming motion that wasn't very effective at all. Two others laid on their sides and kicked their legs, going around in circles rather than standing on their feet. But five of the ten babies looked great. They were peppy and were eating and drinking and peeping and they were the hit of the neighborhood.

One of the ones with splayed legs

We had them in the old lizard cages with a heat lamp and food and water for them. And then they started dying. The dizzy ones went first, and the kids named one Cocoa and buried it in the backyard. The next morning, Friday, Kyla was playing in the cage (something she shouldn't have been doing, but she couldn't resist) and was holding one of the chicks. She came upstairs to show me that it was dead.  And it sure was. I asked her what had happened, and she told me that she had squeezed it too hard. Suddenly having flashbacks to Of Mice and Men, I had to refrain from calling her "Lenny" as I tried to imagine what must have transpired in her little head to make her suddenly morph into a chick killer (it was clear from the poop on the bottom of the cage that she had squeezed it pretty hard). She was instantly contrite, but I was so sad. We all were.

Damon made this "headstone." It says 

Cocoa

bird 2012

Died 1 day old

Family friend

About an hour later, I noticed another chick was missing. I looked around for Carter and he came running out of one of the bedrooms upstairs yelling, "A baby chick!" He came down and excitedly showed me that the chick he was holding was also dead. Sadly, I asked him what had happened. He made a fist and said, "I squeeze it like this!" And another one gone. Another one gone. Another one bites the dust. I tried to tell him that the chick had died and that I was so sad, but he didn't seem the least bit upset. Later, when I asked him what had happened to the chick, he said, "Make die. Frow it in the trash."

How quickly my mood had swung from elated (with the birth of these little chicks) to depressed (with only seven out of ten left). Over the next day, before Jeff got home, the two with the worst leg spraddle also died. They just couldn't ever figure out how to make their legs work (I was also bummed that the two that were squoze couldn't have been the ones that were going to die anyway!). So when Jeff got home, only five of the ten babies were alive. And they seemed to be doing well.

But they weren't. We learned that the heat lamp was not keeping the cages warm enough. There was one mean chick we called Pecker who was picking on all the others, pecking at their legs and making them bleed. And then they started to die. None of them even lasted a week.

Ah, the cycle of life. Usually not 7 days long, but still. The kids are now assured that the chicks are in animal heaven, and we move on as if nothing has changed.

Out of the other 9 eggs we had, three hatched on Friday. Those three are currently living in the incubator, where it's a toasty 95 degrees, and they are doing well. The largest of the three we call Goliath, and he is a spunky little guy. He ran behind Jeff's big desk/bookshelf in his office and it was quite a scene trying to get him out (which we accomplished with a little coaxing from his mama (me) and a broom).

We are hoping we can keep these ones alive and keep them as pets. Because, seriously, who doesn't want a quail that thinks he's part of the family?

Therapy

People who know Allie casually (from church or school, etc) are often surprised to find out that she isn't always a sweet and happy girl. Far from it, in fact. Allie has always been a little moody and not great at controlling her emotions. She has always had to go in another room and "cry it out" when she gets upset, because she just can't seem to get herself under control any other way.

She has also had a lot of phobias over the years, starting when she was really little and was afraid of shadows on the wall. Then it was stink bugs, spiders, mosquitoes...really any type of insect. I remember one day two summers ago when she saw a stink bug in the back yard and wouldn't move, peeing all over herself with hysterics. Or after we moved into our new house and she was afraid of the shadows in her closet and wouldn't go in her room by herself for months. Or the time she saw a spider in the van and, hours later, flat out REFUSED to get back in, even when it was long gone, instead running around screaming like she'd been attacked.

But no matter how severe her reactions were, she always seemed to be fairly short-lived. And so, while I worried about her, I figured it was just something she was able to get over in time and didn't need any professional help.

Times have changed. Her anxiety has gotten worse and worse and now it is affecting her life (and all of our lives for that matter). Mostly she is scared of things at night. For several months, we were able to get her scary feelings under control by reminding her to breathe, pray, sing songs and think of good things. For the past few months, though, she hasn't been able to get herself under control and instead has spent a lot of hours (usually at night after the other kids have fallen asleep) crying, then screaming, then getting hysterical.

Jeff doesn't understand what it feels like to be anxious, so he doesn't know how to deal with it. I am much more empathetic, as I can relate to what she is feeling, but it has gotten beyond my abilities to help her. When she gets hysterical, she is also completely irrational. She throws things and kicks the wall and door and SCREAMS. She says she CAN'T get control, she CAN'T stop crying, she's TOO SCARED. And if she isn't at least somewhat calm, there is nothing anyone can do to help her.

Like I said, this has been happening 3-4 times a week (occasionally even in the middle of the night if she gets woken up--one time she came in and said she was worried her heart was beating too slowly), and there are no longer any triggers that I can recognize. There's not a specific thing she is scared of, she is just scared. Saturday night was the worst night yet. After 30-45 minutes of screaming (her), threatening (me), kicking and hitting (her), and some filming of the incident (me), she still couldn't calm down.

It was going on 11:00 pm and I was losing it. I'm ashamed to admit that I was a little rough with her, trying to snap her out of her insanity, which obviously didn't help anything. I told her I needed to take her to the hospital, hoping to scare her out of her hysterics, because "if you can't get control of yourself, we need to get professional help." She tried to run, threatened to run away (ha, as if she was seriously going anywhere in the dark) and I put her in the car and started driving. We drove around and I tried to get her to just listen to me. Still, it didn't help. She was saying mean and hurtful things and I ended up taking her back home (because I had left the rest of the kids home alone and I knew Damon was scared when I left).

I called my mom and she and my dad were still up. I asked if they would just talk and see if Allie would listen. And finally, for the first time in nearly an hour, she stopped screaming. My dad talked to her about how important it is to get oxygen to your brain so you can think clearly and he got her to try to breathe deeply. I took her up to her bed where my parents continued to talk to her and got her relaxed enough to say a prayer together and fall asleep.

Phew. It was draining, physically and emotionally. And I knew that we needed professional help. I scheduled an appointment with a counselor that specializes in children and I met with her yesterday. Allie will meet with her every week for a while and hopefully we will all be able to start resting easy around here.

I don't know exactly why Allie has such a struggle with anxiety (genetics, definitely. And maybe the fact that I was not exactly in the best place emotionally when I was pregnant with her had something to do with it--LONG story for those who don't know. I was dealing with the after effects of losing Chance, and struggling with some bad anxiety myself. I was going to counseling and taking Zoloft while I was pregnant with her), but I do know that she shouldn't have to feel so afraid all the time. And I had a good feeling yesterday that this counselor will be able to help her be the happy girl that everyone else sees.

Allie's Seven!

Allie turned seven on Monday. After changing her mind repeatedly over what she wanted to do for her party, she finally decided that she wanted a Skittle cake. Easy peasy. And so delicious (according to all the guests).

We also came up with the idea of a "makeover party." My niece and her friend came and helped with the party. We painted fingernails and toenails, did hair and makeup and had a fashion show. It was seriously fun and the girls looked awesome! I asked them all questions (favorite color, what they wanted to be when they grew up, etc) and read their answers as they walked the "red carpet" and posed for some pictures. Here are the shots of Kyla and Allie as they posed for me.

The crew

The makeup artists

McKay

Allie is a fun girl. We have our battles (more about that soon), but I sure love her. She is smart (WAAAY smarter than I gave her credit for), tender-hearted, and loving. 

She loves spaghetti and breadsticks (her request for her birthday dinner), reading and writing stories, singing at the top of her lungs (when she thinks no one is listening), and playing. She has lost 12 teeth and is going to need a lot of orthodontic work (good thing she has a good orthodontist!). She loves makeup and side ponytails and pretty dresses. She reads Spanish with great expression (says her teacher), and even though she doesn't understand much, she has a great accent. 

Of all the girls at her party, she was the only one who said she wants to be a mom when she grows up.  I know she'll be a great one. If we can only survive the next 15 years or so until I can convince a great young man to take a chance on her! 

I do love my Allie girl. And she has made me a better mom. 

The rest of March

Yes, I know it's April 18th. But there are still a few things from March I need to post for posterity. And by "posterity," I mean for my own sake when I go back and read this when my blog book is published.

Allie and Damon took a trip to the pediatric dentist. It wasn't all good news for either of them. They both had some cavities they needed filled and Allie needed a tooth pulled (it was blocking one of her permanent teeth that needs to come down). They both handled things well, but Allie doesn't love the laughing gas. It makes her feel weird and then it makes her feel sick. This is how she spent the night after getting her tooth pulled:

The aluminum bowl is for throw up, which she did need once. 

Here's the offensive tooth, complete with one whole root! The tooth fairy left her $5 for this one. Either very nice, or it was all the cash the tooth fairy had. :)

The girls also talked me into signing them up for ice skating lessons. I was convinced that it would be too hard for them and they wouldn't like it, but luckily I was wrong. They both really enjoyed it and learned quickly picked it up.

Allie enjoyed it. She looked forward to going, but was always ready to go. Kyla, on the other hand, LOVED it. She was always the last one off the ice and begging to go back. Her teacher said she picked it up really quickly and would probably do very well if she were given private lessons. I doubt she'll become an Olympian or anything, but it is fun to watch her out there.

Kyla out on the ice.

Allie holding her certificate of advancement. She was finished and didn't want to stay out on the ice for an action shot.

Kyla, a little red from a hard workout

I got some new high heels because, frankly, Jeff said I don't have any and he'd like me to have some. I thought he might enjoy these. As it turns out, the kids enjoy them more than anyone. 

Allie had a dance festival at school, with the rest of the dual language classes. I had a seat on the side, so I didn't get any good pics of the actual dance, but here is a cute one of her with her class. 

Spring Break

 It's become something of a tradition to spend Spring Break in Arizona. It's the best time of year to get out of Utah and see some sun! We bought into the Marriott Canyon Villas in Scottsdale, and along with most of Jeff's family, we enjoy an awesome week (once we get through the 10 hour drive down there!).

Here are some pics taken with Jeff's new camera. It is amazing.

 Some of the cousins ready for the Easter egg hunt at the Marriott. The three boys in Abercrombie shirts and Damon.

Carter playing a little shuffleboard with Grandpa Fred.

 

Easter Sunday

 

The weather was great for swimming (for part of the week, and then it got a little bit cold and the hot tub was the only "swimming" the kids wanted to do), and Jeff's camera got some good action shots.

Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of many of the activities, including dinner with Jeff's 259 friends, the Children's Museum with my sister Heather,the Phoenix zoo and dinners with the Trapnell adults only! We all caught a little stomach bug (Carter and I had it the worst--throwing up and stomach cramps--but everyone had it a little), and ended up staying an extra day to make up for the day we lost. It was a great time, it always is, but a lot of work. It's not going to be a relaxing vacation any time soon, but one of the things we all look forward to all year.

We drove through the Blizzard of 2012 on the way home, and couldn't even make it up the hill from Panguitch to the I-15 but had to turn around and head through Richfield instead. Our two wheel drive van with bad tires couldn't handle the snow and we were sliding around. Damon freaked out, crying, "We're going to die!" as we were trying to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. It ended up being a good decision on our part, as the freeway was stopped for 90 minutes because of accidents, and we made it home a good 1-2 hours before the group with four wheel drive that didn't have the same problems we had!

After we got home, the kids got their Easter gifts that I left home (dvds for their Easter baskets. Probably could have come in handy on those two 10-hour drives we took...) and their new clothes.

 

The kids wearing their new Easter clothes a week late. McKay doesn't love pictures...

Last Chance

I'm so far behind...but before I get to Spring Break and all the other things I need to write about, I wanted to post a little about our STEALS from Last Chance in Scottsdale. Last Chance is the Nordstrom return/defect clearance store, and if you know what you're doing, you can find a bargain. We went four times while we were in Arizona, and didn't come out with everything we wanted/needed, but we did find some screaming deals. We didn't even know how well we had done until we got home and checked the retail prices on the website. Here's a sample (some of the stuff we bought isn't on the website anymore, like the Juicy Couture shoes I bought for Kyla for $19.99, so these are just a few of the things you can find if you're patient. And lucky).

Retail: $199.99

I paid: $59.99

Retail $114.95

I paid: $24.00

Retail: $325.00

Jeff paid: $39.99

Retail: $68.95

I paid: $18.99

Retail: $165.00

Jeff paid: $14.97

Retail: $325.00 (Seriously? For a shirt? This isn't the exact one Jeff got, but it's the same brand)

Jeff paid: $19.97

Retail: $49.95

I paid: $12.99

Retail: $43.95

I paid: $18.99

Retail: $19.50 

I paid: $.97

A New Hobby

Ever since we have been married, Jeff has always been interested in something. Buying and selling sports cards, collecting coins and currency, old maps, breeding lizards...there's always something going on. His latest hobby is collecting pennies. But not just any pennies. No, he found out that copper is worth $3.85/lb and pennies before 1982 are 95% copper. His first thought was to try to make some money off of it, buying pennies from the bank, taking out the pre-1982 ones and trying to sell them as scrap copper. He quickly learned that there really is no money in that. Copper isn't worth enough, and since it is illegal to melt US currency, it just wasn't going to be worth it.

BUT, it was still intriguing. Even if he just had some copper lying around, maybe one day the penny will become obsolete and then maybe it will be okay to melt pennies for their metal content. He thought it would be fun to just have some copper. And it would be fun to try to get it. 

So he went to the bank and came back with $25 in pennies. He got Damon and me involved, and we started searching through the rolls for the copper pennies. On average, we would find 18 out of 100. He put all the old pennies in a sack and then we were left with a huge pile of post-1982 pennies. So, he found a solution. He found a coin sorting machine and we started the process of bundling those up.

Damon displaying a couple rolls ready to go back to the bank.

Since then, we have done a couple more boxes, with similar results. We have about 14 lbs of copper pennies and the rest have been deposited back in the bank. It makes me laugh just thinking about it. But I also love how excited Damon has been during the whole process, so it definitely hasn't been a waste of time or money. Even McKay got in on the action, although he was kept far away from the actual coins.

We have been married long enough now that I have just accepted that Jeff will always have some new hobby. At least this one hasn't ended up in injury! And there are SO many things he could be doing with his free time that would be a waste of time and money. So I support him. And I love him. 

I took this picture one night when he was playing the piano. I love how the light is just perfect. It may be my favorite pic of him ever. I'm a lucky girl. And if the penny can ever be melted down, I may just one day be a rich girl...

March Funnies

Kyla-"If someone had a sharp knife and chased dad, he wouldn't be able to run away because of his leg. That's sad."

Jeff and I were watching an edited movie on TV and out of curiosity, I got online to see how many times a particular swear word had to be edited out. When I told Jeff the obscene number, Allie asked, "What was it? H-E-L-L or H-A-T-E?" I'm glad those are the only two bad words she knows.

Kyla, the day after we had eaten at Chick fil A, "I want some more of those pancake fries."
Me: "You mean waffle fries?"
Kyla: "Yep."

I asked Carter what his favorite food is, and his answer was, "lunch."

Allie, looking at a sign at the Seven Peaks Ice Arena that said "Concessions," asked me what it said. When I told her, she said, "Oh, I thought it said 'concussions.'"

Damon: "Did you hear that the Hungry Games movie is coming?"

Kyla has to answer the "question of the day" in preschool. One day, the question was, "would you rather have gold or candy?" Knowing how much Kyla LOVES candy, I asked what she chose. She told me gold. I asked her what she would do with the gold, and she told me, "I would buy candy."

Kyla: "I love you and dad, Damon, Allie and McKay."
Me: "What about Carter?"
Kyla: "No, he poos a lot."

Me: "Carter, when you turn three you can get potty-trained!"
Carter: "Potty choo-choo train?"

Kyla, looking at a picture of Paul Millsap (Utah Jazz player) in the newspaper: "Can I hang this picture of a brown skin BYU guy on my wall?"

Kyla-"Hudson can't have any food, because he only has two pieces of teeth."

Me: "Mama called the doctor and the doctor said..."
Carter: "Thank you."

Allie: "Mom! Damon called me 'Michelle Obama!'"

Carter, to McKay who was trying to figure out how to use his sippy cup, "Tip it, bud!"

A note I found written by Allie. "I'm happy, please don't make me mad. Pose I'm happy, por favor. Don't maki mei madde." Clearly she has a future in Spanish/English translation.

Jeff and I were going away for the night, and Damon wrote a note for the babysitter. Here it is:

Day Report
Arrive at 1:00 at our house on Friday. Babies will be asleep. Wake them up at 3:10. Leave at 3:15 to go pick up Kyla at Orem Elementary. You should be there at 3:20. After you get Kyla come and get Damon and Allie at Cherry Hill Elementary. You should be there at 3:30. Wait for us at the side of the school. Don't pick us up at the front. You don't have to pick us up inside. Just wait for us at the side of the school. We have to drop off 2 other people. Then we go home and play. At around 5:00 order the pizza so we can have dinner. After dinner we go get a red box movie. Carter and McKay go to bed at 7:30. After they go to bed we watch the movie. We go to bed at 9:00. Then you can go to bed whenever you want. In the morning we have Saturday cereal. We play until my mom and dad get back. Then you can go home.

Finally, Kyla made this face and asked: "Do I look like an Indian?"