Paging Doctor Clooney!

So we made it eleven months and 5 days before our first ER trip with Henry, and I have to say my experience was a bit of a disappointment...

Tuesday morning, I walk to the living room to see my son trying to chew up one of those glass tree ornaments. I get the blood in his mouth and shirt cleaned up, and am trying to see into his mouth to see if there are any cuts. The bleeding stops, so I put him in his high chair to see if he will eat. He starts crying and bleeding again, and I start to panic a bit. I'm no doctor, but I know that ingesting glass probably isn't the breakfast of champions. I run to get my clothes on and dash out the door to the Kania Clinic.

The twelve year old minimum wage kid working at the counter (apparently NASA wasn't hiring this week) informs me that they cant see Hank and I have to go to the ER.

It took us about an hour just to get triaged, and the nurse tells me that there aren't cuts in his mouth, and since he isn't choking or coughing that he likely didn't swallow anything, but that the doc would be there shortly to check Hank out.

If I thought church was fun with this guy, try chasing him around the ER! He did make some friends, first with this old gal in a wheel chair, who was kind enough to unlock her wheels so Hank could push her around a bit. Then with another lady whose gall bladder was about to burst who offered to share her ice tea with him, then the poor green teenager who was trying to sleep that Hank wanted to play peek-a-boo with. Hank just ran from patient to patient, absolutely convinced that the only prescription they needed was some Vitamin-H.

The disappointing part was that here I am, sitting by myself, no ring on my finger (it got forgotten in the rush out the door) and not one hot doctor tried to hit on me! I've seen the show, and I know that every distraught mom gets picked up by either Euro doc, commitment-phobia doc, cute-rookie doc, etc. But not me. I was waiting for a helicopter to crash through the windows, or some rare and life-threatening disease to shut the place down. Heck, I was about to OD on Dayquil just to liven the place up.

But in the end, after a few hours when it was obvious that Hank was not slowly choking to death or bleeding internally, we decided to go home and have a nap.

NBC is full of crap.

Tagged!

Thank you Seth, for assuming that there are seven interesting facts about me. Here we go-

1. I love to bake. I love it so much I would do it every day. Sometimes when I bake, I pretend I am hosting my own baking show on the food network. It would be in the same vein as Giada (or as Shane calls it, Cooking with Cleavage), not Rachel Ray (she bugs me, I don't know why.)

2. If I could have any super-power it would be time travel. There are so many places and events that I wish I could witness. I wouldn't want the power to be able to change events, just to watch them unfold.

3. I have moved a ba-jillion times in my life. My goal is to live in one house for 10 years.

4. I have a secret wish to someday be asked to appear on "Inside the Actor's Studio". I have no clue how to get asked, or what movies I would ever be asked to star in, but I think I would be an engaging and delightful interview. I would be "scrumtrulescent". Here are the answers to my questions, if anyone is interested:

-favorite sound: Hank's giggling, clock-tower chimes, and an orchestra warming up
-least fav sound: loud gum chewing
-favorite word: home
-least fav word: entitlement and the f word. (but the phrase "effing" always makes me guiltily chuckle)
-what turns me on: great power under control, and big broad shoulders
-what turns me off: mean people

5. My hair is very curly, and I seriously had the worst hair ever in middle school. Ever, ever. Fro-city. I was known as "the girl with the hair"...and not in a good way.

6. I think my humor is the best thing about me, and the worst thing about me.

7. I never thought Seinfield was funny. It is seriously torturous for me to watch that show. But I would leave my husband for Conan O'Brian or Steven Colbert.

I now tag Bethany, Karine, Stephanie and Nicole!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Hanks-giving!

Here are some of the latest pics of Hank.

This was taken just before church. We tried out his new winter coat for the first time, and being overcome by the magnitude of it, Hank fell to the floor, unable to move. "Randy lay there like a slug-it was his only defense." I think this photo demonstrates that there is definatly some of the McLaughlin dramatic side to him!

This was after a particularly trying nap. I should have been hugging him, but the hair was just too funny not to document.

Hank in his latest church clothes, a gift from his Uncle Derek and Aunt Emily.

And this one is for the ladies!

Hank sporting his new festive holiday pj's.

Hank and his Nana

Hank had both sets of Grandparents there for his first Thanksgiving. Lucky boy!



Hank helping dad. In case you're wondering, in this house, we never fix the plumbing while wearing pants.

A happy football day for us...Both BYU and WSU Cougars won!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to my friend Seth for his awesome Thanksgiving post. Here is my list of things I am most grateful for:

The Gospel: Of course, that comes first because everything else I have comes from having the gospel. For my testimony, my temple covenants, and the tender mercies of my Heavenly Father I am grateful.

Shane: Truly a blessing second only to the Gospel. He is truly my best friend and there is no one I would rather share my life with. He loves me, he makes me laugh, he keeps me in check (in a good way), and he is an incredible father. I adore him.

Henry: We waited a long time for Hank to join our family, and when he finally arrived he turned my life upside down. There were times in the beginning where I truly did not believe that I was cut out for motherhood, but he stuck with me (maybe that's why they don't learn to walk right away) and now we are a happy pair. He has made me so much better, so much more patient, selfless, and structured. My days are full of Hank and for that I am grateful.

My Family: For the family I was born into, and the family I married into. For their love and support, and for those life lessons that can only be taught by those you call family.

My Calling: I can't tell you what I meant to move into a ward that I feel like I already belong to. It was a fulfillment of Heavenly Father's promise to me that I would find my life in Kennewick. I love the sisters I serve with, and those I try my best to serve.

My Friends: It is truly a blessing to have so many of my closest friends be members of my family, and a blessing to have friends that feel like members of my family. So to sisters, cousins, neighbors, running buddies, A-Listers, VBBFF's, WB's/former roommates, and of course, Traci, I am grateful.

Home: This has taken new meaning this year for this Army brat. Home, which was always more of an idea than a place, became a tangible address. I am so proud of our home, and grateful to have it.

The Impossible: I am grateful to achieve the impossible and prove myself wrong this year by becoming a runner.

Now my list of one word answers:

Chocolate (I'm with you Seth)
Dance floors
Great Books
The Beatles
New recipes
nap time
bath time
Musicals
Seasons
The Neighborhood
Prayers

In Memoriam

Today marked the passing of Cujo "The Killer Dog" McLaughlin. Cujo was 15 years old, (that's 105 years old in Human Years...enough to be honored by Mr. Williard Scott) and is survived by his loving families, the McLaughlins, Joneses and Johnsons. He loved jumping, meat-treats, and any human being he came into contact with. He hated vacuums, Halloween costumes, and going to the vet. He was the survivor of a vicious dog attack, being run-over by the family home teacher, and being nearly poisoned to death by chocolate. He was a good sport, congenial, and always willing to share a good laugh, cry or nap.

As Cujo got older, he could no longer jump as high or often, but he never lost his wicked sense of humor. This morning, after a long and happy life, Cujo's mighty heart gave out on him, and he died in the arms of his very first love, Bethany Jones.

Although his family will mourn him, they take comfort in knowing that once again, he is able to run and jump, and that no bird or carpet is safe from "Cuj" in heaven, (where no doubt, he believes he is in charge. )

Thank you, Cujo. You were as loyal and loving a friend as could be imagined. You made us laugh, you loved unconditionally, and you were always a sweet gentleman. You were always there to welcome us home, and I hope that holds true at least once more. We will miss you Cuj.

When heartbreak comes.

I got my heartbroken for the second time in my life this week. Maybe I shouldn’t say heartbreak because it has nothing to do with Shane and me, but the way I have been feeling can only be compared to that most devastating and human experience.

My heart is breaking for my friends.

Details aren’t important, and maybe the only reason I am doing this is to reach out in someway to those who I can’t speak to yet. But if you are there, know that I love you and am praying for you.

When heartbreak comes, you realize there are no good guys and bad guys, just people who make terrible mistakes. When heartbreak comes you realize what a blessing normalcy can be. When heartbreak comes, you listen to Alanis Morisette, and thank God for rain and M&M’s.

And now, Mr. Langston Hughes.

I loved my friend.

He went away from me.

There's nothing more to say.

The poem ends

Soft as it began-

I loved my friend.

What Happens in Vegas...

I just got back last night from a fabulous girl's weekend in Las Vegas! Though I can't share all the gritty details (it may be too shocking for some readers!), I can say that we had an absolute blast! Any day I get to spend with my girls is a good day. 4 are living in Mesa, AZ, 1 is in Henderson, NV and of course, me!

On my flight there, I was flipping though a magazine and found an ad for a dance club called "Polyesters". It was 4 rooms, each playing a different decade of music 70's-Today. Since we love dancing more than fat kids love cake, we set off to the Stratosphere. It was a total blast! It wasn't too crowded, it was playing some of my favorite tunes, and people were so fun and respectful. It was like a Stake dance on the strip! We actually got complemented on how fun we were having without alcohol. We had so much fun we went back for a second round on Saturday night...

We buffeted, shopped, got pedicures, gabbed, rode the roller coaster, cried, and got absolutely no sleep. It was off the hook!


Some photographic evidence:

Here we are chowing at The Original Pancake House

Our beautiful toes...and one set of hands

Some pretty high stakes card playing...Notice the lovely poker faces

The girls (clockwise from the top Erin, Lyndi, Kelly, Me, Bethany, and Melisa)

Thanks so much to everyone who came. It meant so much to get to spend time with people that I love so much. You complete me! Also, a huge thank you to all the husbands that sent us away, and wisely, asked very few questions!

What Heaven Sees in You

Last night, I was so priviledged to be able to speak at our ward's young women Evening of Excellence. My remarks were based around the song "Will you have eyes to see what Heaven sees in you?" from the "Women of Destiny" CD. I think it went really well. The room was decorated so beautifully, and the spirit was so strong the entire evening.

For those of you who are interested, this is the video I put together using pictures of our girls and the leaders. It was a big project, but so worth all the effort.

Like I told my mother-in-law, it's so wonderful to know that Heavenly Father cares so much about these girls, that he made it so clear to me what I was supposed to say.

"Putting on the Ritz!"

Yesterday was Halloween, and since Hank's costume had been chosen since about March, I was pretty excited. We decided to make him "Hankenstein" partly as an homage to the funniest movie ever made, Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein".

Before: My sweet, innocent, unsuspecting baby boy.

After: Behold...the terrifying...the inhuman....the MONSTER!

Let's just say, it was an interesting project. He didnt love having his hair sprayed black (though I will say it finally made him look a little like me), and we had to distract him with Teddy Grahams in order for him to sit through makeup. But the finished product was quite fabulous in my opinion. All this kid needed was an angry mob and we would have been set!

Here we are at Hank's first try at Trick or Treating, at our friends the Killians:

And after a long evening of terrifying the neighborhood and ward Trunk or Treat, our monster needed a bath!

The Pumpkin Patch

I love Autumn! For the past four years we have missed this season so much while living in Arizona. The leaves on the trees are so beautiful, the air feels crisp, and Agri-Tourism is in full force!

Today we took Hank to the Pumpkin Patch at Country Mercentile. And like the true city-slicker I am, I gladly plunked down my $6 to pet some farm animals, walk through a corn maze, and take a hay-ride out to the pumpkin patch.

Hank visiting the Petting Zoo:

Hank & Haylee:

Hank's first time on a tractor... Too bad you can't see the tear in Shane's eye.

As you can tell from his face, he had the time of his life!

"That girl is a running fool!"

Okay, this is kind of old news, but since it ranks amongst my greatest life's accomplishments, (along with my college degree and getting some poor sucker to marry me) I thought I should share. This summer, my friend, neighbor and fellow ward member Alison Chan asked if I would be interested in doing a running program with her.

Let me back up. I have never been a runner. I couldn't run a mile in Jr. High if my frizzy fro was on fire. I couldn't run a half mile, quarter mile...a lap. I couldn't run to the mail box.

But I was lonely, still fighting pregnancy weight, and defiantly needing a project, so I said yes. Alison found this program online called "Couch Potato to 5K" and we set the goal to run our first 5K by Thanksgiving.

I am not going to lie. It was tough. And there was no way I could have done it without Alison's help. Some particularly difficult milestones were running 3 straight minutes, our 4th of July run in 95 degree weather, running 8 miles straight, running 20 minutes straight, and coming back after a two week break to complete my first 30 minute run (I'll never forget this run. It was 6:30 am, the wind was howling, and when we were about half way done I looked at Alison and said, "I hate running". She laughed and said "Me too.")

But all the hard work paid off, and on September 29th, Alison and I ran the Kennewick Washington Annual Grape Crush Rush invitational. We finished 21 out of 28 women, but the point is we finished. As we ran into the finishing area, I started to tear up and I thanked Alison for this experience. Shane, Hank, a big group of Shane's family, and some ward members were there to cheer us at the finish line. It was a great moment.

My New Toy!

Shane and I invested in some video making software this weekend. We think it will really help us get our Captain and Tenille tribute band music videos even more awesome than they already are. They also come in handy with family pictures.

"Even for the internet, it's pretty shocking..."

Well, everyone else was doing it. I decided (once again) to succomb to peer pressure, and try to be one of the cool kids (several times attempted...never once successful) and start my own blog. "Life on the Sunny Side of the Street" has two-fold purpose. One is that our cute little house is east/west facing, so our life is, in fact, on the sunny side of our street. The other reason is that all in all we are a very happy trio.


Thanks to all who visit this blog (meaning very bored strangers and my mom).