Christmas 2008

So this is a catch up post. Here are our Christmas 2008 Photos.

Corban sitting on santa's lap...not really happy about it and we weren't really super impressed with santa's attitude that day either...

Looking at the Oakland Temple Lights with all the cousins! From left to right starting with the back row: Evan, Madison, Caden, Alysa, Dawson, Jackson, and Corban.
Jack Corban, and I and Baby Gabey in the belly, in front of the view from the Oakland Temple grounds. Lets not talk about the weight...it's leaving now so we just don't have to worry about this picture.
The cousin's all excited about the Oakland Temple Lights.

The Oakland Temple Christmas lights, with the Nativity.Frosting cookies for santa...or corban.

The plate of cookies for santa and a carrot for the reindeer.

Hanging his stocking above the fireplace with care.
Before the Mayhem began...

Then we all got sick....so there aren't many other photos. Let me just sum it up in a few words. Throw up Everywhere. Fa la la la la la la la la. Happy Holidays :)

Scary mask. PG13

Okay so I told some of you about my mom's client that goes all out for halloween? and how he did this little spook alley show of sorts where he dressed up as a mad scientist and his teenage son dressed up as his...masterpiece? and how corban LOVED IT??? and for weeks afterwards he would ask if he could "touch the scary mask agian"? if you would like to see how messed up that mask was you can scroll down...(possibly hide it from children because it is really the scariest thing ever.)







oh and before you go "oh that's kinda scary-not too bad..." imagine it dark, and the thing is breathing kinda shallow and notice the candy that you're supposed to grab....

and please don't have nightmares because of me...

there's also a short video on their neighbors web page if you'd care to take a gander: http://www.ashtonfamilyhappenings.blogspot.com/ under the previous posts click the "halloween night" link. corban wouldn't quit asking me to play the 47 second clip over and over and over and saying: "Should we touch it???" in his most high, shrill, excited voice that he can muster... maybe I'll take some video to prove this...I just proof read this and it really sounds far fetched for a two year old.... or just really really messed up. who knows.

so there I was...

about to do a brand new background and a brand spankin new post and amaze you all with how beautiful the new page looked and WHAMO! none of the things I downloaded after sifting through crazy ugly pages worked. They all had "unfixable errors" or some crud that I don't know enough to fix. lame. I did get all the christmas photos loaded into the computer and started fixing them up...but I'm tired. and not done at all. so no pics. no new background. I'm still alive though.

and ps. this pregnancy is still going on...much to my dismay and the insomnia of jack...cross your fingers for like two weeks early okay??? for me??? and for my husbands sleep??? I'm not kidding. he'll get more sleep when this baby is out of my tummy than when it's in here because I'm apparently abusive as a pregnant sleeping person...
gnight.

cool song

enjoy. it's called Can't go back now By the Weepies

Sharing Time

Time for sharing time about my dad. poor guy.
Definition of Dupuytren's contracture:
Dupuytren's contracture is an uncommon hand deformity in which the connective tissue under the skin of your palm contracts and toughens over time.
Knots of tissue form under the skin, eventually forming a thick cord that can pull one or more of your fingers into a bent position. Once this occurs, the fingers affected by Dupuytren's contracture bend normally but they can't be straightened completely, making it difficult to use your hand. Dupuytren's contracture can complicate everyday activities such as placing your hands in your pockets, putting on gloves or shaking hands. (along with typing, doing a high five, anything where you'd need to straighten your finger or stretch your pinky to the side)
Dupuytren's contracture is rarely painful, though sometimes the bumps of tissue on your palm can be sensitive to touch. Various treatments are available for Dupuytren's contracture to slow its progression and relieve your symptoms.

So this is the condition that my dad has. He had a procedure a year or two ago to try and treat it-and it did for a while-but it wasn't a permanent fix because it came back. This condition was the reason for his surgery yesterday-here's an example of what it does to your hands:

So this is an illustration of where they cut in order to remove all of the bad tissues and things:

Kind of frankenstien-esk right? I'm pretty sure that will leave a pretty gnarly scar...So after they were in surgery they also figured out that some of the skin on his palm was diseased as well so they had to also do a skin graft from his wrist in order to completely get rid of all the diseased tissues. Not only does my poor dad have some RARE crazy hand/foot problem-it has to be connected to another Rare Crazy disease with that! Poor guy...with all the medical weird things that have happened (like when his orbit {the bone under your eye that holds it where it should be} just dissolved and they had to go in to do plastic surgery so his eye wasn't sinking into his head, and his bizarre double vision that they can't link to anything or fix...) I guess it's a plus that he thinks watching these things is cool. Anywho-we are glad it seemed to go well after the skin graft-and we'll see how the recovery goes. Part of the recovery is wearing a brace that keeps his fingers straight all the time and attending RIGOROUS (very painful) physical therapy that is trying to get it to bend the right way again. We love you dad! Feel Better! And let's all feel very very grateful for our hands right now. and the small things like high fives.

I'm scared...

Corban wants to potty train. I'm not joking here folks. It all began with jack letting him go pee on "the big potty" before getting in the shower. I really was hoping to wait until after the baby in February that way I wouldn't be risking a relapse like everyone says happens when a new baby is in the house. We bought him a little blue potty from ikea but he likes using the big potty better. So here is the reason for this post: He's doing well- he tries to tell us when he'd like to use it, but I don't have a clue what I'm doing. How many times a day should I be asking him if he wants to go on the potty? He can't even pull his own pants off much less climb onto the potty by himself- so do I just appease him when he asks to use the potty? or do I try to go full on potty training with this? Help. Any of you that have potty trained boys and used a specific method, or book, or have any sort of wisdom to share please pretty please do share! Thanks

such a sponge!

So you all know that Corban speaks quite clearly at this point and is very apt to absorbing what ever he hears around him. I have a funny story but it requires some background info. Corban thinks it is hilarious when Sam playfully "bites" him-so his latest terrorizing thing to do to Sam is to bite him back-on his back. When he's playing too ruff with the dog I just tell him that he has to go play in his room by himself for a while until he can play nicely with Sam or mom. It was after one of these "too ruff" moments that I had stuck him in his room with the doors shut. Regularly when he's shut in his room he'll knock on the door and say things like "hello...who is it" or "come in!!!"
Last night he knocked on his door and said: "Hello? mom? it's a bunny."
I responded "did you find a bunny?"
Corban: "Yeah it's a bunny!" (then you hear his little feet run away to go play again)
A few minutes later I hear: Knock knock "Hello?"
Me: "Yes?"
Corban: "It's the pizza man!!!"
Me: "What did you just say????" (while I'm opening the door laughing)
Corban: "IT'S THE PIZZA MAN!!!"
Me: rolling on the floor laughing my butt off and trying to figure out where he came up with "it's the pizza man!!!". {Later I realized that in the movie Madagascar Alex the lion says something about being a pizza man and considering that he watched it earlier that day I'd bet it was from that.}
Since that little experience he's been sent to his room two other times to play and both times he tried saying that line again in hopes that I'd immediately come open the door again. Little stinker learns so fast. Just because that got him out of his room so quickly that one time he assumed he should try that trick again. After trying it twice more and it not working he's given up on it again.
***And no, I don't order pizza often enough for him to think that's really what they say, even if I would love to be able to order pizza that often ;) Especially because the domino's by our house does a mighty fine job on their pizza's...***