Murphy's Law

Tim was out of town last week doing some continuing education in Las Vegas. He was gone from Tuesday night until Friday night. I knew it would be one-on-five, and I thought I was prepared. Wednesday morning was pretty okay. I got the two olders off to the bus stop, got Samuel out the door for his car-pool to preschool, got the other two people in the car, and was headed for the gym. All this done by 8:45. I think I might have even remained fairly calm throughout the whole process (which can be pretty hard when you have a 7 year old who literally takes 35 minutes to eat a bowl of oatmeal - of course it tastes gross. You've been sitting there for a half hour!!)

So, just as I'm pulling out of my street to head towards the gym, my cell phone rings. Hmmm. It's a Fort Collins number, but I don't recognize it. I answer it. "Hi, uh, Caroline? Hi, this is Jerry down at McGraw (the kids' school). Uhhh, well, Miles had a little, er, well, he's gonna need stitches." Apparently, Miles had run into another boy on the playground, and they both cracked their heads open. Immediate panic and opening of the floodgates of emotion. Stitches. (Quick background history: I have had stitches...okay, let me count really quick...6 different times: three times on my head, once on my lower lip, and twice on my legs.) Also, I know that some people say that he's a guy, it's cool to have scars, etc. etc. Let me explain. I have been looking at, gazing at, and adoring that perfect little face for almost 8 years now. I like it just the way it is. In fact, in my opinion, it is one of the three most adorable boys' faces I have ever seen in my entire life. I don't want to see an extra line on it. I could go on, but back to the scene.

Okay, what do I do? What do I do? Tim. Tim! Tim's out of town. How could he be gone when I need him like this? I immediately call him twice in a row (our signal for: this is an emergency. Don't you dare ignore my call. I don't care if you paid 8 grand for this seminar...hee, hee). He answers. I start bawling. He tries to calm me down. "Hon, I'll call Derek Weaver (the nicest guy in the world who lives in our ward who is a first year resident in Family Medicine at our local hospital here, who I'm sure has nothing better to do in his day (did I mention that his dear wife just had their fourth child) than field calls from hysterical mothers). He can give you a good recommendation of what to do." Sigh. Try to get myself together. Race to the school.

Bless her heart, the nurse at the school was so experienced. I literally remember her exact facial expression as she sort of "sized" me up. Hmmm, is this the type of parent who will get hysterical right here in the office if she sees this gaping wound on her son's face? Seriously, I saw her look at me just like that. And, yes, she decided that we'd just leave the gauze on until I got to the doctor's office. Good move.

We head to the doctor's office. They were great and got us in after just a 15 minute or so wait. We go back to the "treatment" room. Drum roll, please. The nurse takes off the gauze. Whoa. We're talking bad gash. It looked so bad to me. They cleaned him up. The doctor came in. She said that they could either super glue it (literally. Super glue. They used to buy the $300/tube Dermabond stuff, but it has the exact same chemical compound as Super Glue. So now, they just buy it as Sam's Club. Weird.) or send him to the plastic surgeon where they would sedate him and everything. I frantically call Tim again. Plastic surgeon or glue. Plastic surgeon or glue... If you ask me, I'd prefer the plastic surgeon, but I look around at my situation. I have a three year old and a five month old. What am I going to do with them waiting in another doctor's office? Poor Miles is already traumatized enough. Do I really want to put him through another few hours of anxiety, pain, etc.? I decide on the Super Glue. Miles did a great job of staying still. The scar should be minimal. I'm going to stockpile Mederma (apparently they now make it with sunscreen).

Here are the pics:

It's more than likely that he'll get the infamous Call Eyebrows and that the scar will be next to invisible by the time he's 21. Sigh.

TAG, You're IT!!

My sister-in-law, Leslie Call "tagged" me, and since I've never responded to one of these before, I thought I would for a change. So, here goes:

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Well, I was pregnant with Lindsay. Tim and I were still newlyweds. I was working at KeyBank in downtown Syracuse, NY while Tim worked on his second year of Physical Therapy school. It was such a magical time, seriously. Being married was incredible. Being pregnant was miraculous. It was like everything I had ever dreamed about growing up was all coming true. Cheesey, I know, but really that's how I felt. It was awesome.

2. Five Things on My To Do List

• send new baby gifts to Baby Dean (my nephew, born Feb 29!!) and to Jackson Temple Hiserman (my friend Lisa's baby boy, born Jan 15)
• send a 5th birthday gift to my Emma G!!!!! (my sister's daughter)
• organize and clean the entire house....
• order swim suits and sandals from Lands End while they still have their free shipping promo (seriously, the flip-flops I ordered from them 2 summers ago for the kids are still going strong)
• finally figure out, once and for all, the Tim Owens Family Budget System. My sis, Catherine, is my idol. If she can do it, I can do it.

3. What snack do I enjoy?

When I'm on Weight Watchers (which is NOT right now...): cheese stick, Fiber One bars (which are surprisingly tasty and good for you), an apple, or a nice, tall glass of ice water... Seriously, I used to consider those things a snack. I guess that's why I was a size 6.

When I'm not on Weight Watchers (which is now): any and all food product that I can get my hands on at any given moment, the more fat and carbs the better!! This past week that has meant: the last box of Tagalongs (Girl Scout cookies), the final Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs from Easter, an entire Easter Basket's worth of candy that I got at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for 75% off!!, ice cream with melted peanut butter, chocolate syrup, chopped nuts and/or hot cocoa powder on it. I guess that explains why I'm almost 5 months postpardum, and I'm still a healthy size 14. (Sigh!)

4. What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire?

Weird question. All my needs are met. I can't imagine wanting too much more. I guess I'd love a house on a lake, because that would fulfill the boyhood (and the I-want-to-be-like-my-older-brother) dream of my sweet husband. I'd love to buy a house for both sets of grandparents here in Fort Collins, so they'd all come and visit more often or better yet just move here. Maybe I'd start a foundation that would concentrate on helping people develop sound parenting skills (starting with myself). There could be weekend getaways for parents to come together and really concentrate on the best ways to raise our kids into happy, healthy (physically AND emotionally) adults.

5. Three Bad Habits

1. I put off calling people back until it's too late at night, and then I can't call them back. I guess, just procrastination in general.
2. I let my anger get the best of me with my kids and fly off the handle way too often.
3. My self talk is too negative a lot of the time: "I have no friends here. I'm totally un-organized. I failed again." The list goes on. :):)

6. Six Places I've Lived

1. Saratoga, CA
2. Provo, UT
3. Moscow, Russia
4. Syracuse, NY and Buffalo, NY
5. Salt Lake City, UT
6. Fort Collins, CO

7. Five Jobs I've had

1. SAHM - Stay at home Mom
2. Substitute Teacher
3. Receptionist/Administrative Assistant
4. Piano Teacher/Voice Teacher
5. BYU Telefunder (I was even the Telefunder of the Month once. The golden cougar got to sit at my cubicle. :):))

8. Five Things People Don't Know about Me:

1. Though I try to laugh most things off and tend to be self-deprecating, I do take things really personally.
2. The first time I have about 3 hours free every week I'm going to take cello lessons and a German class.
3. I'm a perfectionist, but not your typical one. I mean, I'm totally okay with leaving the house with wet hair and no make-up, and I'll invite the whole ward over even if my house isn't immaculate. But when it comes to the standards I hold myself to in the area of personal relationships, I set my expectations way too high. It's hard. How could I ever be a perfect parent or perfect wife? Is there such a thing?
4. I totally had to chase Tim. :):) Oh yes, and it was worth every ounce of effort. Believe me!!
5. I think I might be turning into a bright, green environmentalist. See what moving to Colorado can do to a person?

The funny thing about that last question was that there is so little that people don't know about me. On the Bad Habits list, I was going to put that I always divulge too much personal information (also known as diarrhea of the mouth). If you know me, you know all about me whether you wanted to know or not.

Well, I guess I'm supposed to tag five other people, but I don't think I know 5 other bloggers. Oh well. :):) It was fun for me to do anyway.

Easter 2008

Here are some pictures from "Easter" 2008. Actually, Easter morning I never got the camera out. It was all I could do to get all the kids ready, and try to get there early to sing in the choir. Phew! So, I had the kids wear their spring outfits again today and made a point of getting some pictys. Here are the cutest ones.

Ski Trip 2008

Spring Break was almost a month ago, but I am just now finding a second to post about it. We had a lot of fun. We left first thing Saturday morning and got out to Peoa, UT just after lunch. There is a really fun rec center in a neighboring town with an awesome, indoor pool. We all went swimming that afternoon, even Grandma Call!!! (The water was like 90 degrees.)



Julia's first swim

Sunday we went to church with my cousins Melissa and Emily and their families. We even survived the three hours of church with sacrament meeting last. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. That afternoon we had a big family dinner at Aunt Julie's house. Since Tim first met my family, he has always been so impressed with how generous and hospitable all my extended family is. This was another example of that. Aunt Julie must have had about 40 people over at her house for dinner. Uncle Ara & Aunt Carla, Aunt Glenna, and Aunt Tami & Uncle Duane (who thankfully brought up Maude and Lola - Lindsay had been sorely outnumbered by the boys. Both Melissa and Emily have two little boys.) all came up from Provo. It was such a nice afternoon. Did I mention that I got a 3 hour nap? Ahhhhhhh. Heavenly. After dinner, some of us got involved in a massive "Shanghai" game. It was Call Family fun at its finest. So fun. Later that night, Dave and Jacob and Jared made it from Flagstaff. It was so great to see them.

Monday, Melissa and Emily took us to a great sledding hill. It was more like a bowl with hills on all sides. The kids had fun. These pictures were taken by Emily. Aren't they gorgeous?

(technical difficulties on the pictures. Check back later...)

Finally, Wednesday through Friday the three older kids and Dad went skiing, while Wesley, Julia, and I hung out together. It was cousin heaven for the kids. Grandpa went all three days. Grandma even braved the slopes the first day. Then, on Thursday and Friday, Don was able to join us with Mikaela, Hudson, and Dalton. It was so fun to see them. We even had a big cousins' sleep-over on Friday night.

Then, Saturday it was back home and back to reality. What a fun trip.


Here are some pictures:


The happy couple who make it all possible: Grandma and Grandpa Call


Me with Julia and Wesley going up the gondola (or "high sled" as Wesley called it) to meet up with the ski-ers at the end of the day


Let's see if I get this: Jacob, Samuel, Jared, Miles, Lindsay, Grandpa (and Uncle Dave in the background) They had so much fun.


On the way up the gondola: Lindsay, Samuel, Jacob


Jared, Miles, Uncle Dave

Me and Julia, how cute is that baby? :):)

Friday night when we overtook this little Mexican Restaurant in Kamas. Do I have cute nieces and nephews or what? Just look at that Dalton. So cute!!!

The girls' sleepover

The boys' sleepover