Week #12: My Lasers

This week...

...I was bullied into Lasik eye surgery. Hahaha! That's what I call Jason promoting and prompting me to get this done. He loves the aftereffects of his surgery so much, he wanted me to have the same great experience and luxury of not having to wear glasses or contacts any more.

I have to say that getting this done wasn't something that I had thought a lot about and planned for like Jason did with his. He was determined to get rid of his glasses/contacts. When he first started talking about it, I would turn away in squeamish disgust. I couldn't take the thought of people working on my eyes and being awake while they were doing it. I didn't like the idea of the whole cutting into the eye part of the whole procedure...wait, that is the whole procedure. But after some time, a great discount deal that we wanted to take advantage of, plenty of testimonials that the procedure involved sedatives and an overall lack of concern for all the things I was concerned about, and more badgering persuasion from Jason, I reconsidered. 

I used to wear contacts full time, and no one was used to seeing me in glasses. Then after quite a few eye infections in college and my eyes changing so much when I had kids, contacts just didn't work any more. That's when everyone got used to me in glasses. Lately, I did try buying some contacts for sports and working out at the gym, but they still didn't feel right. Glasses have been a pain at times over the years, but I was resigned to wear them for the rest of my life because that's what I needed to do to see. This is a miracle and benefit that I never thought I would ever have.

After Surgery - The first two days were filled with lots of sleep and eye drops when I was awake. The next two days were full of more eye drops, dry, scratchy eyes, and lots of wondering when the clear eyes part was going to kick in. Then Monday morning hit and all the inspirational phrases I've ever heard about sticking with it were true for me that day-like,  It's always darkest before the dawn, or Everything looks better in the light of day. Choirs sang and light burst forth across the sky originating from our house. My vision cleared and the extreme dryness was a thing of the past. 
Even a few days later in the week, my eyes cleared even more and I felt more relief.  

After Jason's surgery, Lainey started asking him if she could see his lasers, meaning his eyes. It was so cute and so funny. That's what we call our eyes now - our lasers. We could be superheroes.

Me trying to sleep - Jason (behind the camera) trying to document this experience

...we attended an eagle court of honor. Two of my nephews received their Eagle Scout Award and they did the Court of Honor together. We are so proud of them. Austin (right) is 15 and Brennan (left) is 13. That's a lot of hard work in just a short amount of time. 

These guys passed the time by playing rock, paper, scissors during the event. It was hilarious.

...Ben was being silly with his cousin Keaton while they ate cereal at Grandma Zirker's house. They are good buddies, and for the most part they play so good together.

...we tried out the restaurant Fat Olives in Richland. We liked how they had a whole ton of games for you to play while you waited for your food. We played Handy Manny Uno. We had a gift card and Emma and Paul were with their cousins in Selah.

...Jason helped Amber make a loft bed like Emma's for her daughter Taya. Here's his paint booth in the garage as he painted them. It's so nice that he can paint in the garage, but that it doesn't get all over everything else.

...Lainey learned a new trick for opening the sliding door. She uses her weight as leverage against the door frame. It's so funny.

...Emma played dress up with Lainey. Lainey was a willing participant this time. She let Emma dress her in several different dresses and do her hair. Lainey sure enjoyed her special time with Emma.

...we worked on blankets at mutual to benefit children with cancer. We had Mckenzie Fish, along with Washington's Distinguished Teen Janae Calaway, come and talk about a non-profit organization that Mckenzie started called Fancy Feet. Mckenzie had cancer when she was 15 and wanted to do something to help others that suffered like she had, or may have had it worse. Janae uses Fancy Feet as her platform for her Distinguished Teen reigning year. Normally they add tulle and ribbon to flip flops and give them out to children with cancer in the hospital. This time they tried something new and had us tie some fleece blankets to be used as lap blankets. We made six that night.

...Paul has been teaching Claire how to make different kinds of bears in their habitats. They made a polar bear. a brown bear, a panda bear, and a spectacled bear. Danica was here one day and got to make a couple bears as well. It was so cute to see Paul facilitating an art project for others. Emma has always taken on that role. But art at school had him all excited and he wanted to recreate the projects they'd been working on. (He was using even more skills at home because our printer wasn't working. So they cut the bear and background all out of construction paper.)

Week #11:Five Days of Rest:Doctor's Orders

This week...

...we had the strep and flu bug knock Emma out. She was miserable this week. We got her on some medication, five days rest from school, and she was better at the end of the week. Yes, five days...I couldn't believe it either. We went and picked up her homework so she could stay on track. 
    These moments of sickness really make me think. I look at my child in their weakend, vulnerable state and I'm filled with so much love for them. I have an overwhelming desire to take the pain away, to make them comfortable, to comfort and console them. I do not like it when my little ones get sick.

Notice her sickbed paraphernalia: water bottle close at hand for hydration and stomach calming, tissue box for the endless nose gunk, oversized bowl to catch the oh-no-i-need-you-mom throw up, garbage can to catch the endless amount of used tissue, bag of wipes to clean the mouth after the throw up, and a hair scrunchy to pull back the hair in case of throw up. Yep, supplies complete.

...we hosted my family for Sunday dinner. I now have two brothers that live in the Tri-Cities and so we decided to have them over. We also invited Grandma and Grandpa Zirker. We shared a dinner reminiscent of the good old days. Growing up, we had chicken every Sunday. Without fail. For the most part we all just accepted it, but I do remembering getting tired of it at times. Needless to say, we rarely have chicken at our family gatherings anymore. We have roast or pork roast or turkey. Sadly, chicken doesn't rank. Or didn't until recently. Jason has had a hankering for chicken lately. And not just chicken breast, but whole chicken. So guess who's been buying and preparing whole chicken? Yep, me. (Ok, Jason buys it. I cook it.) Gotta keep my man happy. I must say the meal turned out splendidly. Chicken- just right; cheesy red potatoes- de-lish; green been casserole-need I say more?; Corey's country gravy- buenisimo!

Grandpa ended up with all the grandkids. I don't think he minded.

 Aren't these three so cute? Lainey absolutely loves to play with her cousins Allie (left) and Jenna (right). Jenna even drew me a picture. I put it on my fridge.

Week #10:Reading in Pajamas is More Fun

This week...

...we wore our pajamas to Emma's school for her Dr. Seuss reading night. Ben and Claire were so excited they wore their pajamas all day. We picked out a free book (Emma got Harry Potter #4), we ate some cookies and slurped some juice, we sat with our pillows and blankets for story time, Emma won a stuffed animal, and Lainey went from group to group making friends.

(I love the guy in the green. Doesn't he realize that he's totally in my picture giving me a look? What the heck?!)

 

Juice and a new book in your pajamas. What could be better?

...we took the kids to a Tri-City Americans hockey game. It was the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) night, so we went with the guys from Jason's squad and their families. It was a lot of fun. The kids thought the beginning was a little loud and disorienting, but once the game started and the lights came back on we were good to go. Surprisingly, the four older ones all stayed in their seats and didn't have to go to the bathroom or complain overly much. Not surprisingly, Lainey was back and forth between Jason and I the whole time and had to go to the bathroom, but wouldn't go once we got down there. However, Lainey's busy-ness didn't bother us. She was just enjoying herself so much it was hard to be frustrated with her. She would cover her ears whenever the loud buzzer sounded when they scored and she would giggle at just about everything because we were having a new experience. Or it could have been that she got to drink an entire 16 oz orange pop all by herself...hhhmmmm.

Week #9:Brandon Doorman Live!

This week...

...we saw Brandon Doorman at Emma's school. We love his illustrations and we were super excited to have him visit her school. We are currently reading Fablehaven as a family (we're on book two). The kids love to look at the covers of these books and see all the detail. Heck, I love to look at the covers and see the detail. The assembly was really great. He showed a slide show of some of his illustrative work set to music. It was great to hear the kids laugh at the funny ones and exclaim ("whoa!") over the scary ones. He told them his three favorite words are Draw! Draw! Draw! and encouraged them to practice and use their imagination.

...Jason and I attended the Benton County Sheriff's Office Awards Banquet. This year Canyon Lakes Golf Course catered and hosted the event. We had the honor guard come and post the colors (US and state flags) at the beginning of the night, which was very cool. They are so precise in following the commands given. Jason was on the planning committee for the event and in charge of donations for the door prizes. He spent January and February contacting different businesses around the area to see if they would contribute. The total cash value donated was around $11,000. It was fun to help pick up donations and sit at the sign in table that night. We also got to drew the names for the door prize raffle and hand them out. It was yet another chance to meet the people that he talks about from work.

We were also excited because Jason received the Sheriff's Recognition award. It is a new award that the Sheriff gave out this year. The Sheriff selected one patrol deputy and one corrections officer to receive the award based on consistency in job performance, positive attitude, and leading by example. We were so excited to have Jason receive this award. It's always nice to know that your superiors are aware of your hard work and an honor when they recognize you for it.

Jason's award - a Sheriff's challenge coin: for achievement and recognition.

Week #8: Shoe are You?

This week...

...we went to MyFroYo as our Family Home Evening activity. This was super fun. The kids were in heaven with all the topping selections. Wait, who am I kidding? I was in heaven with all the topping selections. They had fun sampling the yogurt choices and then picking which toppings they wanted.

...Jason tore his uniform pants.  He came home mid shift one night because he had to change his pants. As you can see below, they were in bad shape. Jason was assisting another agency in apprehending someone who was on the run. This time they got to jump fences in order to chase the person down. The first chain link fence looked safe enough at the top; it came together in triangles instead of spikes that shouldn't have done damage. However, there was one piece sticking up that caught his pants and tore them up. He ripped free and jumped another fence to ultimately catch the guy that got away. 

...we held our New Beginnings night for the Young Women. It turned out really cute. Our theme was Shoe are you? The New Beehives for this year and the new convert/move-ins from last year were introduced and each brought a shoe that represented them. The Beehives did a Cinderella type skit that was so cute. Instead of losing a shoe, Cinderella lost her Personal Progress book. Treats were chocolate dipped strawberries and oreos. They went fast. :)

We used some great props to add just the right touch for our Cinderella theme. These have been in storage at the church FOREVER. We put them to good use. Poor Anastasia lost a hand-at least she has a bandaid.

The Beehives taking their bow.

Week #7:Back to the Farm

This week...

...we cele-bray-ted Valentine's Day! Emma made airplanes from smarties, lifesavers, and sticks of gum again. Paul sat down and whipped his valentine's out all on his own. He traced hearts on some paper cards and embellished them with buttons and googly eyes. We taped a piece of candy inside each one and he was done. Of course, they loved the spread of treats and cards when they got home. Claire and Benjamin helped themselves to Emma's candy as if it were their own. Claire was a little sad because none of her friends came to the house to deliver any valentines for her. I reassured her that she would have plenty of valentines this coming year when she starts school.

Paul was particularly interested in the smell of some of the candy. Claire thought she would be sneaky and get a thumbs up in where she could and Paul added a silly face for good measure. 

Jason took me out to lunch at New York Ritchie's. He joked that he loves me more today than any other day of the year and I joked that if he didn't take me out today, then I would know that he really didn't love me. We had the white sauce pizza, which was good. I was a little disappointed by the amount of tomatoes because that is all the pizza was-white sauce and tomatoes. Oh well! The fries were good too-thin and crispy.

...we went back to the farm. Grandpa needs his helpers. This time Uncle Corey came out with his kids so we got to play with more of our cousins. He tried to do the feeding himself because he didn't know our arrangement with Grandpa. Yeesh! We also got to go and stack a load of fire wood for Uncle Kirk. It was such a beautiful day to be out in the sun with a job to do. The kids loved riding in the back of the pickup.

...we finished off some decorating touches. 1. Powder Bath-Love this bathroom now. New wall hanging, stand and rug 2. Dining Area - Vinyl above window, new curtains 3. Stairway Wall Collage - I'm still perfecting this one, but it's a start. I want to make sure that I put all the things I want my kids to remember as they grow up; subliminal mom messages I guess. 4. Candy Shop Sign-this is just a makeover. My first attempt didn't work as well as I wanted. So I added the black and white checker border and put new vinyl on it. Love it! 5. Chevron Pennant Banner-I received this in an exchange at a favorites party. I was so happy to get this and found the perfect spot for it. 6. Zone Sign-I've had the letters above the kitchen window for a while now. The C has a hook that was empty all this time because I was going to get around to hanging something there. Well, in honor of our blog, I put a little zone sign to finish the whole thing off. We're officially Erickson Zone.

Week #6: A Trip to King Lasik

This week...

...Jason had the Lasik PRK surgery. He has been so excited to get this done. It took about five days for him to gradually get used to the light again, for the swelling and irritation to go away, and for him to feel like he could go about fairly normal activities. The PRK is a little more intense of a procedure and so takes longer to recover than just the normal Lasik procedure. His eyes will continue to focus and clear up over time. He's got 20/25 vision right now. It should get as good as 20/15.

...we put Lainey in real pig tails. Her hair is finally long enough. And of course, we captured some of her faces that she's so willing to make for the camera.

...Ben and Claire helped me pick out new curtains for the sliding glass door. We had these most annoying blinds before, which I have to admit did the job of covering the window. But 99% of the slats were broken and would fall down ALL the TIME. It was driving me crazy! So with my February decorating budget, I went and picked out some curtains. I have to say: I love them! (See the picture of Lainey on the breakfast table.)

Claire was hiding nearby and Ben...was running around. Of course!

...Lainey redefined eating at the breakfast table. She stood there and ate her whole bowl of cereal. 

Week # 5: Movie Theater Popcorn

This week...

...we ate movie theater popcorn by the bag full. It lasts quite a long time and doesn't go soggy or stale. We know, we've had it for days now. I threw one bag away when I caught Benjamin putting his feet in it and wiggling them around. I said, "Now we have to throw that popcorn away since you put your feet in there." He said, "Me did it before!" I just about slapped my forehead in disbelief. Then I wondered, how many times did we all dip out of that bag after he put his feet in the first time?  

     A member of our ward works down at Fairchild Cinemas as their tech guy. His uncle is the manager. So he brought two big garbage bags full of movie theater popcorn with some specialty salts to taste - white cheddar and BBQ (the two most popular at the theater). The kids thought it was great fun and we all thought it was great popcorn. Somehow, even with Lainey's mishap and trip to the ER, we made it home with both bags of popcorn. We've been eating it, vacuuming it - off the floor and couch, and making it into caramel corn. Yum! I don't recommend going down and buying movie theater popcorn just to make caramel corn. It could be expensive. Tasty, but expensive. If you don't have any on hand, just settle for the microwavable kind. ;)

...we cuddled on Sunday after church. I love Sundays like that - no meetings, no dinner guests, no firesides, nothing. Just me and the kids. (Jason was working.)

...Lainey got her stitches out. We went back to the ER for the removal of the stitches or fuzzy, black hairs as Ben called them. Maybe the three little pigs had stitches in their chin, possible mishaps as they ran from the first two houses, and that's why they tell the wolf they won't open the door by the hairs on their chinny-chin chins. This time our friend was working and she helped us get the stitches out. Then she pulled pink fingernail polish out of her bag of tricks and painted Lainey's nails before we went home. She was showing everyone her pinks.

She was very attached to the boxes of bandages and anti-biotics we bought for her. She set them all out on her bed for the night and played monkey to boot. 

...we helped Grandpa feed the cows. This time all the kids got to help and they were loving it. Grandpa rolled his eyes at me when I cautioned them about getting their tennis shoes all manure-y. I'm sure he was thinking I'd been completely city-fied. In my own defense, when they've only got one pair, you have to be cautious. I probably got carried away taking pictures, but I don't care. I hope that they will look back with fond memories on these times helping Grandpa with the cows.

...Claire pulled her loose tooth out all by herself. That is my kind of teeth pulling. The tooth was barely hanging on to begin with. She kept tugging and stopping, tugging and stopping. Finally, as she was sitting calmly on the couch working at it, the tooth just came out! Yay! This is her very first.

...we've been putting up more vinyl! I caught a little bit more of the vision for our home, and I had a bit of money to spend. That helps! Metal was on sale at Hobby Lobby this week and so I was able to make a few things happen. It was so exciting and Jason was so willing to help with the hanging of everything.

...Jason got his first autographed picture of a celebrity. Alyssa Milano wrote out autographs for all the guys on Jason's squad. The connection is through the wife of one of the deputies on his squad. She knows Milano and manages her twitter account. It's all about who you know. The only thing is that too many people ask us who she is. Come on people! Don't you remember Who's the Boss? Tony Danza? Come on!