MRI? . . . I don't know . . .

I get a lot of headaches and migraines. I have for a long time. Lately, though, I've been getting some headaches that start at the base of my head/neck and trigger migraines. So, my doctor wants to do an MRI just to make sure there's nothing more going on.

Ummmmm. . . . .. . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . .

I'm really not liking the idea of an MRI because me and tight places don't exactly agree. In fact, I'm freaking a little. I told my doctor about my little (BIG) anxiety with claustrophobia and she reassured me (or tried to) telling me that it really isn't as bad as I'd think. She aslo said she could prescribe something that would help me relax a little. That idea doesn't thrill me either. I don't like the idea of taking Activan, even if it is only 1 pill that she prescribed.

So, now I'm freaking out about the MRI and the "tube" I have to lay in for who knows how long. (Chad's last one took 30 minutes!!!!!!!) AND I'm freaking out about whether I should take the Activan. It does say that it's used to treat anxiety, which seems to be exactly what I've got!

Help!

The Dogs are Taking Over . . .

They're not spoiled at all!

Winter

Only in Maine can it snow 20 inches one week and rain 2 inches the next. We had a crazy storm yesterday with lots of rain and high winds. We were lucky, though. We didn't lose our power!

My Matryoshka Dolls

My sister has sent me several matryoshka (or babushka) dolls from the different countries she's lived in. Matryoshka dolls nest inside each other and are almost always handpainted. I just love them so much. So, I've decided to start collecting them. I told her I'd take some pictures of them and decided to share them here.

These are the first three she sent me from Moldova. Noah loved playing with them, even though I asked him not to. He would tell me that they wanted to come out and play. That's also why this one is missing half a doll. The next two she gave me for Christmas. How perfect that one was santa. Instead of nesting dolls, it had ornaments in it. I loved them just as much. These are probably my favorite so far. the detail on them is amazing. Thank you, Debbie for sharing these with me!

The weatherman predicted that we'd get just a bit of snow Sunday night into Monday. Apparently, a bit of snow is around 12 inches!The kids were loving it, especially since they had the day off to play in it. And, because Maine just has to keep you on your toes, we're suppose to get another 8 inches today. The kids have today off of school, too, so whhooo hoooo! 2 days to play in fresh snow. Does it get any better than that?!?

Old Habits . . .

On Saturday I took my wedding ring in for it's 6 month check-up. They told me that the smaller stones were really loose (which didn't surprise me, I mean, I've had it for 19 years!) So, we sent it off to get all tightened up.

I hate not wearing my wedding ring. It just feels like something's missing. I don't know how many times I've tried to twist it or play with it and then realize it's not there. I never knew how often I did that until now. I actually to it a lot. It's funny how you get so accustom to something that you do it out of habit, without even thinking about it.

I'll be very glad to have my ring back. It's a part of me, a part of who I am, I guess. It might be a long couple of weeks.

Chinese Cultural Performance

Myshel Chinese class gave a performance today for their midterm exam.

(Myshel's in the front) They did chinese dancing, Tai Chi, poems and songs (all in Chinese). It was lots of fun to watch and listen to.

We won't talk about the scary guy next to her . . . ha ha-sort of) The kids did a great job. These pictures aren't great, but I think you can get a small idea. Myshel did two dances and she was great. She loves her Chinese class and it was so much fun to see her show off what's she's learned! The best part, now she has an A+ in Chinese! Whoo Hooo! Their dresses were so pretty, this is just the back of Myshel's.

Do You Love Me Enough . . .

Noah's always telling me that he loves me more than dad (Chad) and that I should dump dad (Chad) and marry him. It's very cute and makes me laugh.

Yesterday Noah was in my bed watching TV and I joined him. He was watching SpongeBob. I tried to take the remote but he wouldn't let me.

Me: "Dad loves me enough to let me have the remote"
Noah looked at me and then over at Chad and slowly hands me the remote. "I love you that much too . . . but don't change the channel."
Me after laughing a bit: "Dad loves me enough to let me watch what I want."

Again, Noah looked at me and then at Chad. Clearly trying to decide if I was worth it. In the end, SpongeBob beat me out!

The First Snow of the Year

{I'm having trouble with firefox. It won't let me upload pictures on my blog. I'm not sure why. If anyone knows, can you tell me, please! So, today I'm using Windows.}

I thought I'd post some pictures from our last snow storm since I haven't posted any yet. This was the first snow storm of 2010 and it started on New Year's Eve.It lasted about 3-4 days. I think we got somewhere around 15-18 inches total. We've had worse storms. The kids were really excited to get the snow, though! Here's Vance digging a fort on one side of the driveway. . . . . and McKaylie digging hers on the other side of the driveway. They were preparing for a great battle!

Out With the Old in Primary

Yesterday our ward sustained a new primary presidency, which means I was released form my calling as 2nd counselor. It came as a bit of a surprise, but I was totally ok with it. The new presidency will be great. I was given a new calling, but they forgot to sustain me, so mum's the word for now, I guess. I think it will be a nice change actually. Although, I'm not sure how I feel about being forgotten on the list of people they sustained. This is the 3rd time they've done that to me when they've given me a new calling. Apparently, I'm easy to forget.

What a Week . . . . .

My computers been acting up all week. I'm had it with my phone. I'm stressed about navy stuff, stressed about home stuff and stressed about Chad stuff. I now have new church stuff (actually that's not so bad). My house is a mess, the dishes aren't done and my kids hate chores. This is the 3rd day of waking up with a migraine, which is really starting to annoy. It's cold and gloomy outside and frustrating inside. I'm glad this week is coming to a end.

(---I'm not nearly as grumpy as I sound . . . really!)

Chippy the Chipmunk

This is Chippy. He is a Webkinz Chipmunk that Noah adopted on Christmas day. Noah loves Chippy very much. Noah and Chippy go everywhere and do everything together. One day Chippy and Noah went outside to play in the snow. When I checked on them, Chippy looked a little cold and sad. So I had a talk with Noah about talking good care of Chippy. I told him that maybe Chippy shouldn't play outside in the snow anymore. Noah was very sad about that and asked me to do something for him and Chippy. Now Chippy won't get cold because he doesn't go outside without his winter gear on, just like his friend Noah.

(I am such a sucker!)

Christmas 2009

Ok, so I know I'm a little late posting these, but here's some pictures from Christmas this year. We had a really nice Christmas. This is my Santa Bread. It's made from frozen bread dough. He was delicious! The kids in their Christmas Eve pajamas. McKaylie in her new hat . . . Myshel got her Twilight journals . . . Vance with his new jacket . . . Noah got a "Maine" moose . . .

A New Goal

Ok, I've set some new goals for myself. I'm not usually one for New Year's resolutions, but this year I've decided to work on a few things. Some I'm sure I'll be posting about, some, maybe not.

Why am I telling you this . . . because one of my goals is to keep my blog updated like I used to. I've looked back over the years and realized how much information about me and my family is really on here. It's a good thing and I want to get back in the habit of it. So, even if it's only a line or two or a picture, I'm going to try to post something everyday.

So, here's my very first post of 2010. My grandmother crocheted pin cushions that looked like little hats. I loved mine and used it a lot. But my dogs apparently loved it too. So, I decided to try and make one on my own. It turned out pretty good . . . or should I say they turned out pretty good. It was easier than I thought it would be, so I made a second one. I might even make some more. I'm not sure what I'll do with them if I make more, but I'll worry about that when/if it happens. I used cotton yarn on mine and my grandma's were made out of the nylon blend yarn. (I think it's nylon, anyway) I don't know if that made any difference, though. {Maybe tomorrow I'll post Christmas pictures----I'm so behind, aren't I}