Keeping Up With the Joneses

I had to snap this quick picture as the boys were walking out the door for church. I'm home with poor little Max who has a double ear infection and is miserable.

1. After the first day at Disneyland Mason was tired, hungry, and VERY grumpy. We went to an Arby's to see if we could get him to eat and he and Myles were fighting like cats and dogs. Mason decided he wanted to eat ALONE at the other end of the restaurant. After he ate he felt much better and was able to tolerate our presence. 2. Mason's expression says it all: Not so impressed by Cinderella. Whenever we saw a princess in the park he sort of rolled his eyes and didn't want to stop. 3. Marshall took Mason on the Haunted House ride and when it was starting Mason asked "are we going to be killed?" Marshall replied "no" and Mason said "oh yeah, we said a prayer." 4. Also related to praying: by saturday morning in Vegas, Mason was pretty homesick. In the middle of the Circus Circus buffet he kneeled down and started praying "please bless that we can go home RIGHT NOW!" 5. Buffets: we happened to go to a buffet three times and each tim...

We've been looking forward to taking the kids to Disneyland for a long time. Most of you have heard this story, but when Mason was in the hospital the first night after his accident we weren't sure he was going to make it. I was thinking about all the things I had planned to do with him, and among other things I said to him "if you get better I'll take you to Disneyland for your birthday." Well, at that moment it seemed unlikely that he would be better enough to make this kind of trip. When he woke up my dad told him what I had promised, and continued to remind him. So this trip felt to Marshall and I like a big deal and celebration of quite a year. Anyway. . .forgive the long and self-indulgent post, but this blog is pretty-much it for family record-keeping and all of you get the choice of reading it or skipping over it. . . DAY 1--Provo to Anaheim Mason and Myles were WONDERFUL in the car. They watched Disney movies the whole way. We stopped in St. George at IHO...

Today we had Mason's fifth birthday party, along with his cousin Megan's seventh. They had a great time! Mason insisted everyone get their own cake (cupcakes) and then he and Megan get their own huge cupcake. Craziness! Thanks for coming everyone!

On Monday my dad's mother passed away after along battle with Alzheimer's . It feels like a blessed release and a wonderful opportunity to remember what she meant to me. She was a lovely woman, very graceful, and loved children. She had am amazing smile and a sweet laugh. I remember glamorous tea parties with her, black garbage bags full of gifts every summer, and an amazing porcelain doll she made me that I've always treasured. My middle name is Kay after her, and I've always dreamed of using that name for my own daughter in her memory. I'm so grateful I got the privledge of being her grand-daughter.

Last night I worked late and Marshall took the boys to McDonald's to get out some of their energy on the playground. While there, they ran into Marshall's boss who was doing the same thing. Marshall said to Mason: "Mason, this is daddy's boss". Mason YELLED "NO YOU'RE NOT! MY DADDY IS THE BOSS OF EVERYTHING! EVEN YOU!"

When Max was at the doctor's on Tuesday ne had no teeth, and then yesterday all of a sudden there were two tiny little sharp teeth! We all had to feel them and as Mason said "I'm so proud of my baby!"

Max had his six month well-child check-up yesterday and it was so nice to just take him and not all three kids. I think the doctor appreciated it too. Max is doing great with the exception of a chest cold. He gave us an order for the "suction clinic" in the hospital to go get him suctioned out if it gets worse and the doctor seems to think that will help with him not having to be hospitalized. But he wasn't sick enough to get out of his immunizations--two pokes! At six months, he weights 14 lbs 4 oz (4 th percentile for weight) and is 27 inches (68 th percentile for height). I never remember the head circumference but it was around the 50 th percentile. So we have another skinny tall boy!

Today Mason and I came home from Primary early because he fell asleep in his chair (again) and wanted to go to bed. Of course by the time we got home, he just wanted to play so I made him play downstairs while I "rested". A few minutes later I heard a blood-curdling scream and he came running up the stairs. He got on all fours and said "there was a black thing that ran around like this and had a long tail, and when I saw it, it ran away from me and left black dirt behind it." AUGHH !! Anyone who knows me knows how much I HATE mice. Like, so much that mice (okay, a mouse) is the reason we moved out of our apartment in Maryland, and for me, a leading factor in selling our old house. I HATE MICE and I was already online looking into listing our house for sell by the time Marshall got home and I told him to go downstairs and don't come up until the mouse was dead. Marshall took Mason and asked him where he saw it. Mason said it ran under the couch and so Marshall BR...

I've decided to start marketing my private practice a little more. I don't ever want more than 4 or 5 clients max, but I think maybe I'll start doing a little more to build my business. I'm going to build a website and I needed a picture for some of my other listings online (search for Provo psychologist and see if you find me). What do you think of this picture? I want to look mature and professional, yet approachable and empathic. Does this work or do you think I need to try again? Also. . .I'm open to any business tips!