Blue Fields of (depends on who you talk to)

People will always ask me why I don't go on fishing trips with Russ...the truth of the matter is, Russ is a crazed mad man when it comes to fishing.  An ideal fishing day for him is to get out on the water before the sun comes up.  Fish ALL FREAKING DAY with no breaks to eat, rest, or use the restroom.  You climb through nasty bushes, over rough terrain, wade in icy rivers, and swim through crocodile infested lagoons, whatever it takes to find the fish.  On these fishing adventures you meet wild beasts, creepy (biting) insects, and strange animals you didn't even know existed in the animal kingdom.  None of this matters, catching fish is the most important thing and you do not stop fishing until it is dark and you can no longer see your fly in the water.  Believe me, I have been on a couple of small trips with him in which this was the case, and it has absolutely ruined the sport for me.  However, Russ has luckily hooked up with a couple other fly-fishermen...just like him.  They don't care about the conditions surrounding their fishing trips, as long as there are fish to be caught.
I don't get overly anxious about their adventures anymore.  He is usually pretty good at communicating with me throughout his adventures via facetime or satellite phone.  His trips are well planned.  They have guides and are surrounded with people who know the area like the back of their hands.  It comforts me and I can actually sleep at night these days.
But, I must say this last trip was not a very feel good time for me.  Russ and 3 of his insane fishing friends flew to Blue Fields (of happiness?), Nicaragua for a week.  Prior to leaving, they discussed the lodging situation with the people in Nicaragua.  They would be eating sea turtle, possibly horse, and who knew what else.  Needless to say, we loaded Russ up with some freeze dried meals and tons of snacks.  There would be no such services as wi-fi, so they were taking a satellite phone with them.  But, it wouldn't be turned on at all times.  Russ would  check in with each day, but I couldn't reach him if there was an emergency at home.  He left, and I was nervous.
Then the calls started coming in.  "I have no idea where the freak I am!  I couldn't find my way out of here if I had weeks to do it.  We are in the middle of the sticks in some jungle.  The fish are enormous!".  Next, "We had sea turtle for dinner, it was actually pretty good.  I think a cow was in heat outside my window all night... didn't get a second of sleep.  We are seeing hundreds of fish, just can't land them.".  The following call, "I've got the 'red-eye' (diarrhea) something fierce!  I feel like I have the flu.  I haven't been able to fish all day".  Luckily, he was traveling with two doctors who were smart enough to carry some STRONG antibiotics with them.  "Feeling much better. I am sleeping with a bug net over my bed, but there are usually more bugs on the inside of the net that on the outside. Still having fun and hoping to hook into some of the big ones".  "For our shower we have a couple of 5 gallon buckets of cold water in an out-house type building", and "I am so sun-burned".  Etc., etc., etc.  I was miserable just imagining being there and I was very anxious for him to get home.  He, however, loved almost every minute of the adventure. None of those things bothered him, except the day of illness.
So, if you every wonder why I do not accompany him on his great outdoor adventures... Blue Fields (of Hell) is just one reason I choose to stay in the comforts of my own home.      

13 years later...

On this day thirteen years ago, at 8:31 in the morning, I was blessed to have Grant enter my life.  He was born 10 days early and still weighed 8 lbs, 3 oz.  He was a beautiful baby.  I was a happy, proud mother.  After a couple of weeks, Grant started crying.  He didn't stop crying for 7 1/2 months.  I was no longer a happy mother, I was a crazy, insane lady that was ready to throw myself off a cliff.  If Grant was awake, he was crying.  I took him to the doctor MANY TIMES.  He would say things like, "Some babies just cry more than others", or "You just got spoiled with Garrett".  Then one day I had Grant at the doctor with Garrett and I was talking over his screaming, and I was cleaning up his constant spit up while I was talking to the doctor about Garrett's ear infection.  The doctor was just staring at me, not hearing a word of what I was saying.  Finally he said, "Kori, you act like this doesn't phase you".  I told him that this was what I had been doing for the last 7 months.  He told me that it wasn't normal and that something was wrong with Grant.  The doctor had me start eliminating some things from my diet, we started with dairy.  He also had me supplement some of his feedings with a soy formula.  I honestly had a new baby within 2 weeks.  Again, I was a happy mother.  Grant has been an absolute joy ever since.  Grant is super laid back, very quick witted, and quite social.  He is also very independent and self-entertaining.  Here are 13 reasons I love Grant...

1.  Grant is our comic relief.  He is just down-right funny.  He always has a joke, or a quote, or a re-enactment of something silly.  He doesn't embarrass easily, so he puts himself out there.  I love that about him.
2.  Grant has more self-esteem than the rest of our family put together.  Grant is very confident in himself and his skills.  He is not afraid to try new things.
3.  Grant is an individual.  What I mean by this is, he is not concerned about other people's opinions or thoughts on what is cool.  He just does what he wants to do and then is able to convince everyone around him that what he is doing is the coolest thing.
4.  Grant is a happy kid.  He is always smiling.  He can make anything he is doing enjoyable.  Well, except when he has dishes... it seriously takes him 2 hours to do the dinner dishes because he plays with the water, does handstands after each dish is put in the dishwasher, and gives me 89 reasons someone else should be helping him.
5.  Grant is a leader.  He isn't afraid to talk to adults, take on extra assignments at school and church, attend his practices and meetings with a good attitude, and make everyone feel like they are important.
6.  Grant is a good friend.  Grant is truly accepting of everyone.   He loves everyone.  He has many friends and I am certain each one of them thinks he loves them better than the others because he makes whoever he is with feel accepted and liked.
7.  Grant is a talker.  I have one son, and I won't mention his name, who hardly says anything.  He limits himself to 100 words a day.  But Grant is a talker.  When I ask him how is day at school was, 30 minutes later we are just getting through 1st and 2nd period.  I get the minute by minute details of his day.
8.  Grant has attitude.  I love watching Grant play sports because he has a little attitude.  He is usually one of the smallest guys on the field, yet you will see him out there "staring people down", trash talkin', throwing a good shoulder into someone.  You would think he is 6'5", 225 pounds by the attitude he is giving.
9.  Grant tries new things.  He isn't intimidated to step out of the box and try something different.  You can see that by his choice of extra-curricular activities.  He plays the bass.  He plays lacrosse.  He is a gymnast.
10. Grant gives the best foot massages EVER!  I am not sure when he developed his magic hands, but I am often the recipient of his great talent.
11. Grant is responsible.  Grant gets himself up in the morning.  He gets himself ready.  When he gets home from school he gathers whatever he needs for lacrosse practice or gymnastics and is ready to go on time.
12. Grant is smart.  He has become such a good student.  He gets his assignments done and does well on them.  He loves math and often wins their morning competition in class.  He comes home everyday with a candy bar or soda.  He won't eat or drink his reward until he is sure that I have seen it.  He remembers details about his lessons.  I will be very honest... these are words I never dreamed I would be typing about Grant.  For years, all of his teachers would say, "Grant has a hard time staying on task".  But something clicked last year and I have had two years of great parent/teacher conferences.
13. Grant honors his priesthood.  He loves to serve other people.  Last week we had a mentally challenged boy in our ward that was passing the sacrament for the first time.  He got somewhat confused and was just standing in the aisle.  Grant was at the back of the chapel when he noticed Brady.  He quickly came back up front and took Brady by the arm and helped him serve.  Brady was so pleased with himself that he had passed the sacrament and Grant came home from church and said that was one of the coolest experiences he has had.  He loves to help others.

We are so excited to have another teenager in our home.  It is exciting to see our kids changing and growing and becoming young adults.  We love you Grant for many reasons!  Hope you have a great year!

Since I last wrote...

We have been having quite a bit of fun these past two MONTHS!  Much has happened, and getting pictures on the computer then onto the blog has been a challenge.  Our poor computer is on its last leg.  I am going to try and highlight some of the best events.

Since I last wrote...We went to Mexico

Russ and I went to Mexico in February.  We stayed at the same resort that we stayed at last year.  Russ flew down a week early with his buddy, Chris Homer.  They fished for several days and had a great time.

Catch of the day: Snook

Uncle Chris and his catch

I flew down the following Thursday.  I met Russ at the airport and traveled with several people from Alsco to the El Dorado Royale.  We stayed in the lap of luxury for 5 days.  We ate good food, went to a flee market, swam in the ocean, swam in the pool, explored the area, and went walking along the beach.  It was a fantastic 5 days.

While we were gone the kids stayed with Nana and Papa, and one of my co-workers and her husband.  They had a great time and were spoiled with good food and fun activities.

Since I last wrote...Garrett made the high school baseball team

When Russ and I got home from Mexico, Garrett was in the middle of his baseball try-outs.  He made the freshman/sophmore team for the high school.  We were very excited for him.  Garrett is a great little baller and has had a successful season.  He is playing all over the field, depending on who is pitching.  He plays right field, first base and short-stop.  He has also pitched in a couple of games.  Garrett is batting 2nd in the line-up and hitting great.  They are 12-2 in season, and 8-1 in region.

Since I last wrote...I ran another marathon

 Start line- Me, Dayna, Jill

This was where we started the race

The week after Russ and I got home from Mexico, I traveled with a few of my friends to Arizona to run the Phoenix marathon.  It was a super quick trip.  I traveled down with Dayna Player-Robinson, my favorite running mate, and Megan Pace.  We then met our friend Jill Hymas there, who recently moved to the state of  Washington.  Dayna had talked Jill into running the marathon (her very first) and I had talked Megan into running the marathon (also her first).  Then Dayna and I both got injured.  Dayna developed Tarsal Tunnel and plantar fasciitis.  She has damage to the nerves in her foot and can't run more than a couple of miles without being miserable.  I had injured my IT band and hobbled around for weeks before the marathon.  Neither Dayna or I planned to run the marathon, but felt obligated to go since we had talked our other friends into running.  Dayna and I decided to at least start the race.  Dayna ran the first 8 and then limped off the course.  I was feeling really good at the half way mark and decided to keep going.  At mile 17 my IT band started to get irritated.  By mile 18, I could hardly walk.  I kept walking, hoping to find the medical cart to take me to the finish.  I couldn't find one until mile 23.  I decided to just walk to the finish and get my medal.  I finished an hour later than my St. George marathon time... very disappointing.  But not too bad considering I walked (with a serious limp) the last 8 miles.

Since I last wrote...Grant started playing Lacrosse

Trash talkin'

Last year Grant started talking about playing Lacrosse (LAX).  We know nothing about LAX and didn't even know they had a team here in St. George.  But come to find out, they have one team and they play in the Las Vegas league.  Grant plays on a team with a bunch of boys that haven't played before.  He absolutely loves it.  He is aggressive and really gets into the games.  He comes home wiped out, and bruised up, but smiling none the less.  Grant mostly plays defense, back by the goal, middy (mid-fielder), and sometimes attack.  He loves defense the best and is good at it.  The have only won a couple of games, but they are a relatively new team and little in comparison to most of the teams they play.  Grant really enjoys it and we are glad that he has found some sports that he enjoys (gymnastics also).

Since I last wrote... Gracie started playing soccer again

Gracie is playing on the same team she played on in the fall.  She has been really excited to start playing again.  She has only played in one game so far this spring.  I am hoping we will have some more updates on that.

Since I last wrote... I was called as the Girls' camp director

I am a nervous wreck.  I have fond memories of girls' camp growing up.  But I have been serving in the Primary for 15 years.  I know nothing about Young Women.  I feel all kinds of pressure.  Our stake camp theme is based on the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You'll Go, stand in holy places.  Then each ward had to pick a Dr. Seuss book for their ward theme.  We chose One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.  I have no idea why a fishing book popped into my mind.  Anyway, we had our camp kick-off party.  It turned out so cute.  I am starting to get excited as we are busy planning and preparing.  It is super time-consuming and somewhat stressful, but I think it will be really fun.

Since I last wrote... Grant became a Life Scout

Grant completed his requirements to become a Life Scout.  He is so close to becoming an Eagle Scout.  He just has 2 more camping days and a few requirements for two other merit badges.  He will begin his Eagle Scout Project sometime this year.  He is very motivated by the fact that he can become an Eagle Scout at an earlier age than Garrett did.  Hopefully, that will be enough motivation to get him through the finish!

Since I last wrote... Gracie had surgery

Before Surgery

On February 10th, Gracie developed her first of 3 ear infections.  She was put on an antibiotic, got better, was off the antibiotic for 10 days and developed a second ear infection.  She was then put on a stronger antibiotic, got better, was off the antibiotic for 10 days and developed her 3rd ear infection.  The day before I had had her at the doctor for her follow up appointment for the second ear infection.  Her pediatrician looked in her ears and said all is well, we got it this time.  That night, at 1:18 a.m., she woke up crying saying her ear hurt and had a fever of 102 degrees.  The next morning I called the doctor to get a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist.  The doctor said, "I just looked in her ears yesterday and they were fine".  I said, "I know, but yesterday she wasn't complaining of ear pain and yesterday she didn't have a fever... but today she does".  He then asked me if this was a "Munchausen by Proxy situation".  That is where parents make-up illnesses to take their kids to the doctor.  I was silent.  Then he said, "Oh Kori, I am just teasing".  I told him that I had been up since 1:18 in the morning and this was not a good day to "joke" with me.  He then said, "Well, I want to see this ear".  We took Gracie in, and sure enough she had a raging ear infection. HA! He referred us to an ENT who saw Gracie the next day and said her ear "looked so painful".  I am still furious with our pediatrician if you haven't picked up on that yet!!  Needless to say, she was scheduled for surgery to have ear tubes put in and her adenoid removed.
On April 11th, we took Gracie in for her surgery.  They got her all dressed in her gown, hat and socks.  Then the nurse came in to put in the IV.  I was a mess.  I have horrible experiences with IV's and so does my mom.  The nurse talked to Gracie about what she was going to do.  Then she started the procedure.  Gracie watched her the entire time.  As the IV was inserted, some blood squirted into to the IV tubing and Gracie giggled.  She wasn't scared, hurt, or anything... no, she giggled.  After the surgery, the doctor came out to talk to me.  He said that when they got into surgery and started moving her tonsils to get to the adenoid, a bunch of tonsil stones were coming out.  He said it looked like "hundreds of little white mice scattering when the light was turned on".  So, he decided in surgery to remove her tonsils as well.  It was going to be a much harder recovery.

After surgery

She was great for the first 6 days.  Then on the 6th day she woke up crying with ear pain and a fever of 101.8 degrees.  She had been off the antibiotic from her 3rd ear infection for 10 days!  I called the doctor, he said to watch it for a couple of days.  As the day went on, she got better.  The next morning she woke up the same, but as the day went on she got better.  She did that for 4 days.  Finally today, she seems normal.  She slept well, and has had no pain.  Hooray!

Since I last wrote... I was asked to be the Pulmonary Rehab Coordinator

A few weeks ago I was asked to be the pulmonary rehab coordinator at the hospital.  I have been spending the past couple of weeks putting together a business plan to propose the start of a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at the hospital.  It has been challenging.  However, this last Wednesday, we presented the business plan to the CEO of the hospital.  She said the plan was very well put together and saw no reason why we should not proceed with the program.  Yippee.  This week they are sending me to a couple of hospitals up north to begin training.  I will then begin implementing the program in our hospital and we should be up and running in a couple of months.  It is similar to what we already do in cardiac rehab and will just be an expansion of our current department.

Well, that about sums up the last two months of our lives.  We have been having a great time, for the most part, and staying super busy.  Someday, I will get more consistent with blogging...

SEE what's DRIVING us these days

We have had so much going on these past few weeks.  I don't have much time for a long post, but I thought I would share a couple of photos anyway.  Last week Grant got glasses.  On the same day his buddy, Fisher, got glasses as well.  They are pretty stylin' don't you think?

Garrett and his buddy, Hunter, went down to the DMV yesterday and got their Learner's Permits.  Look out St. George!  Garrett has been driving all day today.  He is thinking this is pretty dang cool.  His mom is a little nervous.

The pictures were taken with a phone, so not the best quality.  But you get the idea. I will try and  get a few better pictures soon.

Today it is OFFICIAL

 Today, Garrett had his Eagle Scout Board of Review.  Russ and I were asked to introduce him as an Eagle candidate and tell a little about him.  We, of course, had wonderful things to say about him.  Then we were asked to leave and Garrett was interviewed by Mark and Karen Gubler and Ron Jensen.  He was in the room with them for about 15-20 minutes.  He was then asked to step out of the room.  After just a couple of  minutes they asked all of us to come back into the room.  Sis. Gubler asked Garrett if he thought the number 13 was unlucky.  She said that it was going to be a lucky number for him now because on 1/13/13 he became an Eagle Scout.   Yippee!  We are so excited.  He is all smiles, and so are his parents. Russ finally got to scratch this off of his To Do List... I think it has been on there for 2 years.

In other news, this weekend was very fun for our family.  We were asked to house a couple of the players from the BYU Rugby team Friday night.  They had a tournament down in Mesquite, NV.  About 8:00 pm we went to pick up our two players.  I told the coach my name and he said, "Oh, you've got those two crazy guys over there."  The one player stands up and yells "Mom" and comes over and gives me a huge hug.  The whole team starts laughing and wishing me good luck.  I was a little nervous.  But, there was no reason to be.  They were awesome.  We had Jordan, from New Zealand and Noke (pronounced No kay) or "Nokes", as his teammates called him, from Tonga.  They were so much fun.  They had super strong accents and were sometimes hard to understand.  For instance, Jordan said he wanted to shoot a beer.  We later realized he was saying bear.  He wanted to go hunting and shoot a bear.  They were super polite, made their beds in the morning, and ate a ton of food.  Noke could put the food down.  Garrett has finally found his match!!!  On Saturday, we drove down to Mesquite and watched their games.  It was freezing cold, but so fun to be there.  We learned a lot about Rugby (since we knew nothing before going down there) and had fun watching "our boys" play the brutal sport.   

 Jordan

 Noke or "Nokes"

 The Scrum

 This is the inbound procedure

 We loved having them and hope they get to stay with us again when they come back down in a few weeks.

De-Braced, Braced, and Re-Braced

For the past 5 years I have been making monthly trips to the orthodontist.  Garrett started in braces 5 years ago.  

The day he got his 1st phase of braces off, Grant got his first phase put on. 

Then 2 years later, Grant got his 1st phase of braces off, the same day Garrett got his 2nd phase put on.

Well, it has been another 2 years.  Garrett FINALLY has beautiful, straight teeth.  The day his braces were removed, Gracie began phase 1 and Grant began phase 2.

De-Braced

Braced

 Re-Braced

  Honestly, I don't see an end in sight any time soon.  However, Garrett's teeth look so nice that it is worth every penny we are spending (I am pretty sure we have paid for our orthodontist's home by now).  I also don't mind giving up one Friday every month for the next 5 years for appointments.

Christmas Concert

This year Grant decided to take an orchestra class at school.  One of the ladies in our ward is the teacher and Grant was excited to be in her class.  There were four instruments Grant could choose from a viola, a violin, a cello, or a bass.  My little Grant chose to play the bass.  It is enormous and bigger than him.  It doesn't even fit in my car.  Luckily, his teacher lives across the street from us and drives a van.  She is very sweet to bring his bass home on Friday and back to school on Monday morning.  We are so appreciative of her and her sweet attitude toward doing it.  Grant loves his orchestra class and was happy to play in his concert.  He did great and looked so cute while he played.