My Updates

In my last post I wrote about the heart problems I was having. The potassium supplements didnt seem to help at all so last week I finally went to see my physician about it. And of course, in Dani fashion, once I got to the office I was not having one palpatation that they could listen to. FRUSTRATING!!!! The doctor did however still believe me and sent me to the hospital to have a cardiac monitor placed. This little device records my heart 24/7 and when Im having an "episode" (if thats what they are) then I push a button to capture the last 90 minutes and the next 60 minutes. For the last 3 days Ive had no palpatations (typical) until last night....I got dizzy and out of breath. So I finally got to push my little button. :) I still have to wear the monitor for a few more days so hopefully I will get to push it again so they can really see what Ive been experiencing. The plus side is that maybe Im getting better because the palpatations havent been as bad. One can only hope though! The down side is that the monitor looks like a big pager that I have to wear on my belt loop. So it looks like Im trying to look cool wearing a pager and failing miserably. Its slightly embarrasing. :)
The other good news is that we are signing Carter up for soccer. We are so excited and so is he. He loves to kick the ball around and I cant wait to see him and a bunch of other 3 yr olds chase the ball down. Its gonna be so cute! We will post pics once games start.
Last but not least....my parents finally found a house they love and bought it. Theyve been looking for a year and a half. The best part is that it is really close to us. Supposedly they are closing in a few days but those of us that have ever closed on a house knows that there are always little hang ups. I am so happy for them and cant wait to help them get moved in. I will post pics of the new house when they actually get moved in too.

Camp Ideas, Babies, Diets and Illness

I recently got called into Young Womens as the girls camp director. I am super excited about the calling but a little overwhelmed at the same time. I had no idea how much responsibility was involved. I am literally in charge of EVERYTHING! We have to plan where to go, what theme to use, what games and activities to play, where to go on the "hike", which special speaker to invite for testimony night, how much and what food to bring, make sure the girls get all of their certifications passed off, crafts to make, write up an itinerary, make up a packing list, create driving assignments, plan secret sisters, organize fundraisers to earn money and submit a budget. Sheesh...I get tired just typing all of the stuff. But the good news is that I have an awesome assistant and the Young Womens president was the camp director for the last 2 years so I think Im going to have plenty of help. Im excited to get started. I've heard that once you pick a theme, everything else just falls into place. I hope thats true! I will have to post my camp adventures as we are preparing, during and after camp. It will definitely be a worthwhile experience and Im truly blessed to be serving in this calling. I cant wait to get to know all of the young women. So if anyone has any ideas they'd like to share with me or past experiences of girls camp, Id really appreciate it!
On a totally different note, we found out last week that my sister Misty is expecting a baby boy in June. We are so excited for her because this will be her first baby. I cant wait to see her be a Mommy and experience all of those "firsts" with her little guy. Also, my other sister Amanda just informed us that she too is expecting in July. She will find out what she is having in a couple of weeks. She says that she and her hubby have convinced themselves its a girl and I told her that when I told Carter about her having a baby that he immediately said it was a girl. Now thats not to say we will be disappointed if its a boy. I think boys are fun and less work! Either way we will be happy to have another sweet baby in our family. This baby will make 6 grandkids in our family. Nick and I have been ready for another baby but for us its not as easy as just deciding that we want another one. We have to pray to know where our next child will come from. We really wanna try and conceive this time but that in itself is a whole other matter. :)
As of the first of the year, Nick went on a high protein, very low carb, doctor monitored diet. in 6 weeks he has lost 40 lbs! I am so proud of him. He has not cheated once and he looks amazing. I wish I had the dedication he does. But when he puts his mind to something, he follows through with it the whole way! I am so blessed to be his wife. He on the other hand probably wonders why he ended up with a problem wife such as myself. I always have something wrong. Maybe I do need psych meds....(a sarcastic comment from my husband). :) For the last 2 weeks Ive been having some health problems, mainly with my heart. Ive had a lot of palpatations, fatigue, diarrhea, and hot flashes. Ive had to have an EKG, and a lot of blood tests. The conclusion for the moment is that I have really low potassium which causes all of those things. Apparently I was really close to being in the hospital attached to an IV bag full of potassium. For now I am taking potassium pills to try and control it but thus far it is not helping all that much. I go back in a week or so to be retested. The up side is that Ive lost 13 lbs and Im not sure if its because Ive been really watching my diet too or all of the diarrhea Ive been having! So we will see what happens. Until then, life is day by day as usual! :)

Grasshoppers

For the last week Carter has had a terrible case of diarrhea. Its been so bad that he cant make it to the bathroom in time. We've had to wash a lot of underwear. He's even thrown up a few times. Finally after the fourth accident on Thursday morning, Nick consulted one of the doctors at his office and we decided to put him on a liquid diet for 24 hours and then take a stool sample to the lab to be tested. Apparently, a bacteria called Giardia has been going around so we needed to test him for it. If its positive, he needs to be on antibiotics. Well lets just say that the 24 hour liquid diet did not go over so smooth with him. He kept begging me for cereal, toast, raisins, peanut butter, cheese sticks and anything I would agree to. I had to explain to him numerous times that there was a "bug" in his belly that was stealing all of the food he eats and then pushing it out his bumb and that's why his belly had been hurting so bad.
Well today we took the sample up to the hospital lab to be tested. Nick took the sample inside while the kids and myself waited in the truck. After Nick got out of the truck Carter asked me where Nick was going. Here is our conversation..... (hehe!)
Carter: Mommy, where is Daddy going?
Me: He's taking your poop to be tested to see what kind of bug is in your belly....remember?
Carter: (sigh) Its probably a grasshopper. I hate those grasshoppers!
Me: (uncontrollable laughter) :)

I just had to write it down because it was so cute. He literally thought he had a bug in his belly and he really does hate grasshoppers!

Smooth Criminal

I took part of the day off work today to get some shopping done in preparation for Carter's big birthday bash on Saturday. I decided to take Carter with me and spend a little mommy/son time together. I went to Party Palace to pick up some decorations. As we were getting in the car after making our purchases Carter pulls out this soccer pen from his coat sleeve. I asked him where he got it and he said from inside the store. So....I made him go back inside and hand it to the store clerk and apologize for stealing it. The lady was really nice and explained to him that it's not nice to take things with out paying for them. He pretty much kept his head turned into my leg the whole time. I really think he felt bad about it and we had to have a talk once we got back in the car. I cant believe I didnt see him take it. It was our first and hopefully last shoplifting experience.

On a lighter note, as we were driving around town he said 2 really cute things today. When we first got in the car he said to me, "Mommy, it stinks in your car. It smells like the dentist!" I guess I bring my work home in more ways than one. Then later on we were driving past Wilks Funeral Home and he said, "Mommy what is that place?" I tried to explain to him that its a place we go to remember loved ones when they die and go to heaven. Our Grandpa Bullock passed away in October and we've extensively talked about how Grandpa Bullock's spirit went to heaven. After I explained about the funeral home he was quiet for a few minutes and then he said, "Mommy, Grandpa Bullock is the spirit of Christmas." I'm not quite sure what he meant by it but it was cute anyway. I love the innocent things kids say!

Halloween and Dentists....Scary!

Avery went to her 1st dental
appointment the other day and she

did great! I had her watch Carter
go first and she was itchin to have her turn in the fun chair and play with Mr. Thirsty (the suction). She even let them take x-rays which is awesome for someone as young as she is. She is only 20 months old but she was a pro! There was good news and bad news though. The good news is that she didnt have any cavities...Yay! But the bad news is that she has a tiny mouth and we need to start saving our pennies for braces. Its a good thing I work for a dentist cuz we usually get a professional discount at the orthodontist office. Guess I cant quit working just yet. Bummer!

I know this is like 2 months behind schedule but better late than never. Here are our goblins! Carter wanted to be Optimus Prime for Halloween and this is what we came up with. All of the store costumes were way to big for him so we improvised. We got a tshirt, sweats and a bandana that we put around his mouth. And of course the OP treat bag is a must accessory. Avery on the other hand was my Dollar Store costume. She is a little fairy, like Tinkerbell, and I bought her entire outfit for $5 including the Tinkerbell treat bag. They both looked so cute. We went trick or treating at the mall and met up with the rest of the Bullock family. Aunt Cassie dressed up as a bull and Carter was completely terrified of her/it. After the mall we went to Grandma and Granpa Roeslers, Ashley and Brandi's and then Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's. We ended our night by eating dinner at Burger King and then stopping at Home Depot to visit Aunt Misty. We had tons of fun! The week earlier however, we went to Grandpa Erick's annual pumpkin patch party at Caldwell Park. The kids each got to pick out a pumpkin and got lots of candy. It was fun but SUPER cold. We were popscicles by the time we left. It was a good thing Grandma Bullock offered to buy us lunch at Wendy cuz the chili was warm and yummy!

Last weekend my friend Jenni graciously came over to our house and took lots of really cute pictures of our family for Christmas. I wish I had the patience to load all of them onto my blog cuz they are so cute, but I dont. Here are my 3 favorite and of course the family one at the top of our blog. Arent my kids so stinking cute. They are really photogenic and I love taking pics of them too. Next weekend is Carter's birthday and we are planning for a Transformer Party. It should be lots of fun and I will definitely post more pics at that time.

Just Dance

The other night Nick and I were sitting in the living room watching TV. We had just put both kids to bed, however, we could still hear Carter in his room talking and moving around. The show that we were watching started playing the song "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga. Its a pretty catchy tune. A minute later Carter yells out.....

Carter: Daddy!

Nick pauses the TV.

Nick: What Carter?
Carter: I like this song.
Nick: Me too bud now go to sleep.

Nick pushes play and we continue watching the show. Another few seconds go by and we hear...

Carter: Daddy!
Nick: What Carter?
Carter: I'm dancin in my bed!

We laughed for the next 20 minutes or so off and on. Ahh.....the things kids say! Classic!

Random Stuff

This is my new hobby. My friend taught me how to make hair bows for Avery. I have been having so much fun. You can be so creative. I decided to make a bunch for the craft fair I am going to be a part of in November. I can make any kind and any color. Let me know if you'd like me to make you one. I am going to be selling them too!

Last Sunday we took the kids to Cherry Springs for a nature walk. Carter found a big stick and turned it into a gun. He had lots of fun kicking the leaves around too.

And this is my sweet little Avery. This is one of the few pictures I actually got of her looking at the camera. She watches her feet when she walks and so she wouldnt look up. But....we were in this grove of trees and the sun was shining on her just perfectly. Isnt she adorable!!

Avery is kind of a slow walker because once again, she looks at her feet when she walks so Carter, being the good big brother that he is, grabbed her hand and walked with her. How precious!

And this is my little Jazz man!! He is just as big of a Jazz fan as his Mommy and Daddy. I cant wait to take him to a real game when he is old enough. He loves sporting his jersey and head and wrist bands.

This kids loves healthy food. I dont even have to try and force her....she just eats it! I was making tacos one night for dinner and she wanted some tomatoes. I gave her a few on her plate and she ate all of it. In fact she ate 4 plates of tomatoes that I had chopped up.

By the time I realized it, she had eaten the entire tomato!! I had to chop up another one just so I could have some on my taco. Avery and I are the only ones that like tomatoes. Im so grateful she loves healthy food. But.....she also loves unhealthy food too!! :)

The other day I was sitting the living room and the kids were in Carters bedroom playing.

Carter: Mommy!! Come here.

Me: What do you need Carter?

Carter: Come see me and Sissy.

I walk into the bedroom and find both of them in his little recliner....reclining.

Carter: Dont we look cute Mommy?

Me: Yes, you guys look so cute!

Carter: Take a picture Mommy!