Sisters: Are Built in Friends

I thought I would share some pictures of the girls playing. They are just getting pretty good at playing well with each other.

They are having a picnic on the floor in the living room.

I thought this was a funny one. Annie is eating her "blueberry muffin" with a spoon!

Here is Rebecca and Annie outside playing with the water table. In the last couple of days it has been warm enough to get the water toys out and let them play. This will probably be something we do everyday.

Yes, this is a picture of Rebecca with her finger up her nose. I think she gets it from her dad. I added this lovely picture because I couldn't get any other pictures of the girls together outside today. Just so everyone knows nothing came out on the finger, so it could have been an innocent scratch.

Lately, I have not been able to get any good pictures of Rebecca with her cute smile, so I told her that I needed to take some pictures of her so I can send them to grandma. This is what I got.

Annie kept getting closer and closer to the camera. She too is getting to the stage of not wanting to take pictures. So, I will be getting action shots of her from afar for now.

Then the picture taking got a little silly. This is Annie telling me her name is Chubby. Another thing their dad taught them to do. It actually is quite funny. And of course Rebecca, making her funny face for the camera. Not sure who taught her this.

I Saw the Light...

I thought I would share my story on how awesome Lasik surgery is. I am so happy with the results of my Lasik surgery. I am 20/20 as of right now and it may continue to get better.

I chose my doctor through my insurance. My doctor and surgeon are providers on my insurance and that helped with the process of choosing a well-known doctor. Both doctors had rave reviews and had other doctors recommending their patients to these doctors. If you are looking to get this procedure done, I would recommend that you ask your eye doctor who they would recommend. I would not go with someone that runs ads and has coupons for $299 per eye because they might not be the best out there. Also, if your eye sight is really bad you will not qualify for the $299 per eye. I went to one of those places and just felt like they were very pushy and just wanted your money and didn't really care about the outcome of your vision.

When I first went in to my doctor they run you through 3-4 different tests to see if you are a candidate for Lasik. Then, I went and met with the doctor and he looked at the results of the tests and he lets you know if you are a candidate for the surgery. I was a good candidate for this procedure, very good. My doctor was not pushy and let me decide if I wanted to proceed with him or not. I felt very comfortable. It took me a while to get back with my doctor on setting a date for the Lasik. It took a while because it is a costly procedure. My insurance company gave me a discount for going to someone on the provider list. With the discount I still had to pay $3500. Ouch! But well worth it.

After I decided that we were able to fork out the money for this, I called and made another consultation appointment with my doctor. This appointment they ran more tests, like 10, and then they dilate your eyes. I saw my doctor and he confirmed, again, that I was an excellent candidate for this procedure. I then set my appointment for the surgery. My doctor always does the surgery on Fridays, so I made my appointment for the next week.

The two times that I went in to see my doctor, I never saw another person in the office. So, I was thinking that they might not get a lot of business. I was so, so wrong! That Friday when I checked in the place was packed. Matt dropped me off at 10:20am. He was going to take the girls to Costco and get a couple of things and come back and sit in the car while the girls watched something on the DVD player. So, I go in sit for about 15 minutes and then they call me back and I sign the waiver and pay. Then I sit in another waiting room. I was there for about 10 minutes before they called me back. At this point I am stinking nervous. They prep you for surgery. They put drops in my eyes to numb them and clean my eyes and then I meet the surgeon. I sat for about 5 minutes and then I they take me in the room with the laser that makes the flap. This was the worst out of the entire procedure. And it wasn't that bad. With this laser they are making the flap. It takes 20 seconds per eye. Yeah, I said 20 seconds per eye. There was a lot of pressure, but no pain. The pressure was uncomfortable but it was over in 20 seconds. After that I sat in a room for a couple of minutes and then they took me to another room that has the correction laser. At this point, my vision is like looking through wax paper. This is normal at this point. I am set for the correction. They fold the flap over and do the correction and it takes 20 seconds per eye. Amazing. I am done. After this the surgeon puts the flaps into place and I am taken to another room and my doctor looks at my eyes. At this point everything is blurry. Which is normal. I put on my oh so sexy shades and walk out the door. Matt and the girls are waiting in the car for me. I am in the car on the way home at 11:30am. It was so quick and easy.

When I get home I am supposed to keep my eyes closed for two hours. Which was so easy to do because all I wanted to do is close them. They were burning and irritated, like I had really, really dirty contacts in. After the two hours were up, I could open my eyes and start my eye drops. I had an antibiotic drop that I put in four times a day for the next 5 days. Then I had some steroid drops that I was to put in every waking hour for the first 24 hours and then 4 times a day for the next 4 days. I also had some lubricant drops for dryness that I was to use every waking hour for the first 5 days. It was a lot to remember but, I got the hang of it. So, I start my drops and my eyes were so irritated still, which is normal, I just wanted to leave them closed. When I did open my eyes, I could see a difference in my vision. Still a little hazy but I could see credits on the television where I could never have seen them without my contacts or glasses. It was already working. I did continue to keep my eyes closed a while longer, they just felt better closed. At 4:00pm I opened my eyes and the burning and irritation had gotten a lot better. I didn't have the urge to close my eyes. I was able to see a lot more. It was the most amazing feeling.

The next day I had my post-op appointment. I was able to drive there myself. I went in and they took me back and looked at my eyes to see if they were healing. I was able to read the line of letters and had 20/20 vision less than 24 hours after my surgery. Yay, I was so excited. Everything was so clear.

It has been 11 days since my surgery and all is good. I do have to be careful about rubbing my eyes. That is a huge no no. I have had some allergy eyes so my doctor gave me some drops for the itching. The doctor says everything looks good and he doesn't need to see me for another year and a half. Nice. It is so nice to wake up and see in the morning and not have to deal with putting in contacts. It is so wonderful to be able to see. I don't know why I waited so long.

Haircuts, Free Stuff and All Kinds of Fun....

Okay, first off, this last week, Rebecca saw a picture of herself with bangs and decided that she wanted me to cut her bangs. Several months ago Rebecca didn't want me to cut her bangs anymore, so we started pulling them back to keep them out of her face. Her bangs were about to her chin when I cut them. Here is a cute picture with her bangs. Just pretend she doesn't have the red eye.

And of course Miss Annie not wanting to take a picture of her cute hairdo. Annie is finally letting me do something with her hair. She is still likely to take it out before the day is through, but this is a start.

Okay, on with the "free stuff". The girls and I along with my friend Laura and her two boys went to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens on Monday. It was really beautiful. The flowers were all in bloom, the weather was nice, although we had a few sprinkles, and of course it was free to get in to the Botanical Gardens.

We had a nice little picnic and I didn't care if the girls were screaming and running around while they should be eating their lunch. It was nice to go to a place where you can let your kids mess around and not worry about bothering someone else. Sure there were people there, but if they didn't like those screaming kids then they could go find another place to sit. There really weren't a whole lot of people there and the girls weren't too terribly annoying, they were just having fun. Here are some picture of the kiddos at the Botanical Gardens.

Of course you can't get a picture of them without saying "Cheese"! From left to right. Elliott, Rebecca, Oliver and Annie.

I decided to dress the girls in matching outfits that day because I thought if one of them got away from me, then I would only have to remember one outfit when giving a description to the cops. The girls were tired and needed a break.

Here is Rebecca, Elliott, and Oliver playing with bubbles. In the background you can see all the flowers in bloom. We were in the Rose Garden and they had tons of roses that were all in bloom.

Here are the kids taking an Oreo pit stop. They could not got any further until they had their oreos. Don't they look so cute with their Oreo faces?

As you can see from this shot, how beautiful it was at the gardens. All the kids had fun and again it was free. The girls were whooped and fell asleep in the car. It was a nice day. I plan to do more outings there.

Okay, on with "all kinds of fun". Tomorrow is the BIG day for me. I am going in at 10:30am for my lasik procedure. I am supposed to keep my eyes closed for the first 2 hours after the surgery. Then I can open them put my medicine in and continue to keep them closed for most of the day. Hmm, sounds like I might get a nap tomorrow. Oh, and I have to wear theses sexy sunglasses all day tomorrow, inside and out. I'll be sure to get a picture of that. My doctor said I should see results by tomorrow evening. Saturday I can drive myself to the doctor for my post-op appointment. I am looking forward to it and the long term effects of it. I am a bit nervous today and probably won't get any sleep tonight because of it. I will write as soon as I can to let everyone know how well everything went.

I better run for now, I thought I ought to clean the house and make it all nice and neat because I probably won't feel like doing it tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

My dear old Dad is 59 today,

oh my goodness, what can I say?

He raised me with a very strong hand,

and today that is how I stand.

He taught me many things like right from wrong,

and maybe a little song.

His kindness and gentle nature is one to portray,
and makes me wish I weren't so far away.

Happy Birthday! I love you, Dad! See you soon.

7 Random Things About Me

1 - I love chocolate dipped strawberries. I can eat several of them at one sitting. I don't get the chance to do that often at all. Hmmm, maybe I should learn how to make them.

2 - I hate to clean but love how my house looks and smells after I have done it. I also have this feeling of accomplishment, like my life has a purpose. And then two seconds later it doesn't look like I have done anything because of all the toys. I need to work on the girls.

3 - I count the steps that it takes to get to the mailbox. I don't know why I do this but I have done this since I live in Blythe with my parents. I also count the stairs while going up a staircase. Most houses have 14 steps.

4 - I don't think I have a good singing voice but sing to my kids all the time and don't care what it sounds like. I hope they don't mind either.

5 - I put together two day beds, a dresser and a bookshelf. One day bed and the dresser was put together while I was super, super pregnant. I was pretty proud of myself. I thought I was pretty handy.

6 - I don't know how to really work the sewing machine but have made two curtains and need to work on the third panel. My husband says I should read the instructions, but I have done pretty good so far.

7 - My most favorite food made at home is spaghetti with meat sauce. My most favorite food to eat out is Mexican food. My least favorite food is tuna casserole. I don't eat that anymore.

Updates

So, I thought I would throw out a little blog while I am waiting for the girls to finish their breakfast. Thought I would update you on a couple of things that I have previously posted about.

First, my brother, Tyson. He is doing much, much better. They have moved him out of the ICU and found an antibiotic that works for his type of infection. The doctors have him walking the halls about 4 times a day, to get him moving again. He also has to blow into that machine thing to strengthen his lungs after his surgery. Since they moved him into a regular room, Tyson will be able to use his computer and see all the wonderful things I am saying about him and of course check his email and such. I have not heard when he will be released to go home, but hopefully it will be soon. I know he can't stand just sitting in the hospital. Oh and his kids will be able to come see him since he is not in ICU anymore.

Second, Annie's pacifier. She only gets the pacifier at night and during naps. The withdrawals are much, much better. She is not cranky or agitated like she was in the beginning. Whenever Annie gets hurt or something sets her off she comes over to me and asks for it. It was definitely a comforting factor for her. When she does this I try to get her to get comfort from her little stuffed bunny. Seems to work for the most part. For some reason she has been a night owl. She goes to bed at her normal time and then is up for at least a couple of hours. Last night I told her if she didn't stay in her bed, I was going to take her pacifier away and that worked.

Third, I am getting lasik surgery next week. I know I have not written about this yet. I have an appointment today for all the pre-op testing and other stuff they will do. I am very nervous, but really excited too. I am going to be able to wake up in the morning and see my alarm clock without my glasses. I will be able to watch TV, drive, wear my sunglasses without my glasses or contacts. I will update on this subject later.

Now, I have to get Rebecca to school and go do my workout. Looking forward to being kidless for about an hour!