Masquerade

I am a little late with my Halloween posts.
But nevertheless here they are:

Bailee had a Drama Club Social for Halloween.
It was a Masquerade Ball.
She and her guest made their masks.
Luckily for me she was fine to wear last years prom dress.
I was invited to attend for the whole night....
no not chaperoning, but asked to take candid photos all night..
It was fun. ;)

I think she looked beautiful!

Didn't her mask turn out cute?

Believe it or not, his mask was made all with Sharpie.

Yup, he drew the whole thing.

Amazing!

Brooklyn is a NERD!

Literally, well for Halloween that is.

I loved this costume because can you say...

EASY PEASY!

She carried it off so good.
Extra bonus, warm for trick or treating.

I have a picture of Benjamin on Halloween too....
He is laying unconscious in a hospital bed.

I didn't want to post it without full disclosure from him first.

22 Big Ones!

I hate putting pictures of myself on my blog...

-fyi-

but for this I will.

It seems like just yesterday and forever at the same time.
Lincoln and I have been married 22 years.
Can you believe it?
22 years on November 7th.


We commandeered Bailee into sitting with Benjamin for part of the day.
We went shopping and out to dinner.
Dinner at Ruby River Steak House, which is my all time favorite for a good steak.
Knocked out some much needed Christmas shopping.
Time is getting away from us, sitting at the hospital day in and day out.
So this was time well spent.

So to celebrate this mark of 22 years,
I want to list just a few reasons I am so lucky to have my husband.

* He works hard to provide for us.
* He is a wonderful Dad.
* He takes Bailee clothes shopping and enjoys it. (I don't.)
* He always remembers the little things.
* He appreciates the work I do at home.
* He can make me laugh.
* He can do minor fix it's on the automobiles.
* He is my best friend.
* He loves to travel. (bonus for me)
* He understands the need for girls night out. ;)
* He honors his priesthood.
* He loves me unconditionally.

I could go on and on. But I wont. It's sorta sappy. :)
So the weekend was a success.

P.S. Goal for the month...Be home from the hospital by Thanksgiving.

PLUGGED IN!!

Meet The Wicked Witch of the West!

That's what Ben calls this double tower.

At first he called it the Twin Towers,

But we felt that was not a good name, so he renamed it.
It's two towers on one wheel base.

He takes it anywhere and everywhere he goes,

which isn't very far.

When we say plugged in, we mean PLUGGED IN!

Count them, five pumps.

Each with it's own set of tubing,

plus the monitor on the wall with 4 leads and

an oxygen cannula. And let's not forget the tube in each nostril.

Seriously!

The most important pump on that stand is the little gray one at the bottom.

This controls the pain med.

This is Ben's best friend these days.

Were really hoping for a break up soon. ;)

What a tangled mess he is.

Sorry Excuses

So I sit here feeling like a rotten mother!

I can make excuses.
But in the end I feel rotten.
I have spent the last week in and out of the Hospital with Ben
Feeling stressed, worried and a little tired.

He is especially bad at night.
He spikes a high fever, his heart rate soars to the 130-150's
and his pain skyrockets.
All of this from an unknown cause.
And all of this causes me worry and stress.

Tonight when I got home at 10:00 p.m.
I had a bone to pick with Bailee about grades.
Not even a super big deal. Just an irritation I had.
Could have been a simple discussion.
I then got all irritated thinking she was throwing attitude,
when in reality she probably wasn't.
I was just tired and at my maximum overload.
Sadly she got the brunt of my distress in the form of Anger.

Sometimes I feel like sorry is just not enough.
Will they think back on their teen years and only remember the moments when the parents were angry?
I hope not.

She is such a great girl and I am lucky to have her.
She is helpful and reliable.
I love being her mom and her friend.
I guess I don't tell her often enough how proud I am of her,
how thankful I am for her,
how talented she is,
and most of all that I love her.
Maybe she will read this and understand.

I guess no one said parenting would be easy.
It's so True!!

Diet Dips

I have been on a diet.
It's true for ten weeks.
I have lost 15 pounds.
It has been going great.
My goal 25 lbs by Christmas.
Only ten more to go.
Then at Christmas...a new goal.

Let me just say hospital food is NOT conducive to dieting.
Stress is not conducive to dieting.
I have a bad feeling.
I am hoping to maintain my current weight loss during our long hospital stay.
I really don't want to have a dip in my diet.
I always try to make the healthy choice, but then the stress and worry get me.
And a chocolate chip cookie or a donut look might fine.
HELP!! :)

I am praying for the shortest hospital stay possible.
For Ben and for my shrinking hips.