Allergic

Yesterday, Kyle woke up with yet another sore throat. This time, instead of waiting for the fever that turns Kyle into a crazy man, I took him right in. Sure enough, Strep Throat. This is his 6th or 7th time in a year. Before we moved here, he only got Strep once, and that was while we were in Utah for Christmas. So, as you can imagine, I'm loving this...that was sarcasm...not really. I wish you could know how Kyle is when he's hurt or sick...my parents know the REAL Kyle...other than that, I'm not sure who else has really witnessed the insanity. If he even draws a bit of blood, he freaks out. I literally mean, FREAK OUT! Sometimes he jumps around, other times, he turns and just runs away (kinda like Forest), anyways, it's weird and annoying. He burnt his finger at my mom's house one night, (cause he wanted to see if the fireplace REALLY was hot). Anyways, he made my mom attach a bag of ice to his finger while he slept. (After crying for at least an hour) The next morning, he was STILL milking it. Those are just a few examples. So, add a fever to his throat that already hurts, and it's a nightmare. Anyways, the doctor told him he would probably have to get his tonsils out...hmmm...you can only imagine how well that went over. So, she put him on a drug: Omnicef to try to keep the bacteria away (his last strep throat was less than a month ago). This morning, I was helping him out of the shower, and noticed a rash over his body. So, I called the doctor, and sure enough, HIVES. He's allergic to omnicef.

When I told him, he was ecstatic! Seriously. He was so excited to "be allergic". Apparently at school that's high on the conversation list. I overheard him talking to Jake and Kristin:

Kyle: Yeah, and the doctor said, I'm allergic! You two aren't allergic. Mom? Are Jake and Kristin allergic?

Me: Well, Kyle, you're 7 and we just found out you were allergic, so we'll have to wait until then to find out.

So, heaven forbid he get a scratch, get his tonsils out, or anything else...his day was made by finding out he was "allergic". May all of our days be so exciting!

Sneak Peak of Baby 'K'

I took some photos today of little baby 'K'. Okay, well, she's 5 months and not so little. I am going out of town on Saturday, and it will be after I get back that the editing will be done for her mom, so I thought I'd post a few, to tide her over until my return. Hope you like them!

Invincible

Gordon Bitner Hinckley 1910-2008

I stole this picture off of Erin's blog. I love this picture. Maybe it's the photographer in me. I love all the wrinkles on his face, and his eyes. The many people in this world his eyes have seen. The little grin that reminds me of his wit and humor. I really don't think there's another leader in our world like him. So willing to show and tell the world of our faith. Not power hungry in any way. Just a very humble man wanting to serve the Lord and the people of the world. I really thought he was invincible. I was shocked to hear of the news. Once realization hit, I was happy to know of his reunion with his beloved wife. So grateful to know of the existence of life after death. With surity, I have a knowledge that our Heavenly Father is so proud of him and all the work he has done to "feed His sheep" and welcome him with open arms. Troy wondered if he had to fill out paperwork when he arrived. Hee Hee. You never know...


In watching the all night TV tributes to him (bonus for living in Utah) I found that he dedicated the temple in Seoul and that he had a special place in his heart for Asia. It was his job to help open up churches and temples in Asia. He traveled to Asia 21 times in 8 years. When I told Troy this morning, we have decided we are going to try to do a session at the Seoul temple.


Anyways, I am grateful for the opportunity I had to take my family to hear him speak at Stake Conference in the fall. (Does anyone know how I would get a transcript of what he said that day? I've been wondering for awhile now...) I am grateful for his willingness to serve, and to do what the Lord asked of him. I'm sure at the age of 97, it would be nice to just hang out and not have to travel the world. He was a selfless man. I also am grateful that we don't have to worry about the fate of our church. It goes to show that this is the Lord's church, and not the prophet's church. I am grateful for the opportunity we all had to learn from such a great prophet!

Marshall

Our friends had a cute baby boy, Marshall, this week. They allowed me to come take some photos at the hospital. I've only done this for my own kids, from my hospital bed (one picture - that is STILL one of my favorite photos ever) was taken while I was being stitched up - it is of Jake and Kyle...I'll try to post it one of these days... Troy knew at that point, I would pretty much do anything for a photo. Anyways, the number 1 reason I love these type of photos is that your child will never look the same - not even 24 hours later. Here are my 2 favorite:

I love this one, because he's so subdued. You can see his little neck, which on newborns, with their rolie polie heads, is hard to see. He's just looking up towards his mom.

Anyways, CONGRATULATIONS! He's SO CUTE!

Juno

Okay, I've been trying to decide whether to put anything about Juno on my blog. Just because I didn't want to recommend something to everyone that may be offensive, so I'm not recommending it, I'm just giving you our take on it! Troy and I went and saw 'Juno' last weekend. After watching it, Troy said he wouldn't recommend it to anyone with moral values. That being said, I LOVED IT! Troy liked it too, he said he would just be careful who he recommended it to. It was a little crass, but hilarious! I laughed out loud numerous times. I don't normally do that. I made (well, encouraged) Kenny and Cherice to go last night, and they both really liked it to. Out of Troy's family, I can kind of pick out who I think would and wouldn't like it. I know my whole family would love it (in fact I think everyone but my dad has seen it). It's hilarious! It's a movie full of one liners! I'm not a movie "repeater" so I wouldn't mind watching the movie again, just to giggle at all the one liners. The movie soundtrack was fantastic! (In fact, Erin, I think I need a copy of it...next weekend!) Anyways, if you want to know if I think you would like it, send me a comment...I would like to know if anyone has seen it and what they have thought about it also! Happy movie going!

What kids don't know...

Okay, most of you know that Haley can't have milk. She's been drinking rice milk, and we've been supplementing rice milk in recipes. Trying to figure out what to feed her is probably the most daunting task of my whole day. She can't solely live on chicken nuggets fried in canola oil...can she? She needs good fats, which is why we fry things - just for her, not for the other kids - they don't need the extra fat. Lately she's lost about another pound. Why? Good question. She now weighs about 17 lbs 6 oz. and is 14 months old. It's so irritating trying to figure her out...anyways, the other kids think rice milk is nasty. No, they've never tried it, they just assume. SO, making pancake batter from scratch, has been one of the easiest things to make Haley. We have to add rice milk instead of cows milk. The first few times, Troy put in rice milk, while all the other kids were watching. Naturally, they all died, and said the pancakes were so horrible. The next time, Troy made pancakes with regular milk, and didn't give Haley any. (Troy makes breakfast around here, if he doesn't make breakfast, they get cold cereal) I asked him why, and he said the kids don't "like" it with rice milk. Of course, I gaffawed! HELLO! Why are you telling them what you put in it? If they knew half the things that went into meals, they wouldn't eat anything. SO, I was hard up for a dinner idea for the kids tonight. I thought - pancakes! with rice milk (I am not about to make a seperate meal for Haley - it's hard enough!). So, I sent the kids out of the kitchen while I added the dreaded rice milk. Guess what? The kids LOVED dinner! Each ate 2 pancakes! Just goes to show...what kids don't know, won't hurt them!

A little love...

Just wishing everyone a little bit of love...I woke up Sunday morning, listening to my kids downstairs playing. (The older 3 do this every morning. They wake up before 6 and go downstairs, and play.) It is a rule in our house, they can't eat breakfast until we wake up at 7 (I know, we're abusive). Anyways, this particular morning, I awoke to all craziness. Kristin was screaming at the boys, calling them idiots (which is a no-no word in our house). The boys were pestering her and each other, and I lay there thinking...wow...what a great way to start my Sunday morning. I decided to be calm about it, not holler down at them to be nice (cause, come on, that never works, just adds one more person in on the hollering). So, Troy and I went downstairs, and I told all the kids to stand in a circle holding hands. Then one at a time, one of us went into the circle, and we looked at each person on the outside of the circle, and we had to tell them one thing we loved about them. Naturally, Jake was being stubborn, and wouldn't tell Kristin anything, but we patiently waited (for the 8 minutes it took him to tell her he liked it that she played with him, that was only after he told her he didn't like her and that she was irritating...grrrrr....that boy...). Troy and I even took a turn. Then, we went and made breakfast. Troy made pancakes with rice milk so that Haley could eat them. There was no taste difference. (Unless you asked Kyle...) The rest of the morning seemed to go smoothly. This afternoon, Jake ran up to me, and said, "Mom, we forgot to stand in a circle this morning and tell love things to each other!" I guess it wouldn't hurt to do this more frequently...but then it might take the magic out of it!

Jump

The words say: Jump! and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall

I had my studio stuff up because I had a shoot that got cancelled. So, I decided to let the kids do something fun. I had them all jump seperately, and then photoshopped them together. They had a blast! They kept wanting to jump and jump. Since Haley can't walk yet, I got her before she fell on her bum. Hopefully she'll walk soon. She is just really chicken! I just hope it has nothing to do with all of her health problems.

Jury Duty Part 2

Well, I was home from Jury Duty by 11:30.

When you first get to jury duty, they show you a 12 minute video about the process, and what will happen. It's pretty funny, it talks about how in the Declaration of Independence, it talks about trial by jury. How proud we should be to have the opportunity to be on the jury, blah, blah...

Then, we're told to wait until the bailef (sp?) comes to get us to take us into the court room. I sat in the back of the huge room, and talked to my mom on the phone for a bit. She's been out of town, and I hadn't talked to her in awhile. After about an hour, a judge walks in. He tells us the story:

The trial that morning was a felony charge for a man who broke into office buildings and stole things - he did so on 5 different occasions. Well, this morning, the key witness disappeared and couldn't be found. So, the prosecuter cut the guy a deal. Apparently he'd been waiting 16 months for this trial. So, they had him plead guilty, time served, and sent him back to Nevada. (Sorry Erin, he's on his way to you!) So, no need for jurors. The jury clerk told everyone to have a good day, and she doesn't report the time you leave the courtroom to anyone, so to have a GREAT day. I did stop at pictureline on my way home, but other than that, I had to pick up kids.

I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. I've wanted to see how the system works. I have felt that all walks of life should have their opportunity to be on a jury, as inconvenient as it is, I feel like even stay at home mom's should have the opportunity. So, I am exempt from being on a jury for 2 years.

Well, now I'm sitting at home, listening to Jake and Kristin arguing. Kristin's freaking out, she had to get up too early this morning, and now I've got to calm her down enough to get food down her throat and take a nap, Jake's doing everything in his power to pester her more, Haley just wants to be held, and cries whenever I put her down...hmmm...wish I had jury duty about now...

Jury Duty

Here I sit waiting for jury duty to start. I ended up arriving 30 minutes early...but with traffic, if I would have left home any later, I would have been late. Lucky for me, they have wireless internet, and I brought my laptop. 7 minutes til it all starts. This is a first for me, and I have to admit, visions of John Grisham books are flying through my head...Thanks to those who are watching my kids, depending on how this all goes, I may need more help tomorrow...I'll keep you posted!

Survived!

Well, we all survived the wedding! There were a few funny things that happened (well, funny to us, and probably not the couple) but all went smoothly. Here are a few of my favorite photos I took at the temple that day...

The luncheon went well. While everyone there loved Jon and Donnarae, Troy and I wonder that just maybe they were second guessing the idea to let each of their parents speak! Hilarious for us all there, maybe not so for the happy couple.

Donnarae wanted crepes to be served at the reception. On New Year's Day, we spent 4-5 hours making 500 crepes, to be put into the freezer. Well, the picture below was taken during the reception. It was a scramble to pull the crepes (what ones would come off of the wax paper) and then roll them to be set in the reception room. (I have to say, I did not help in this matter - I was definitely happy I was the photographer and not the crepe roller) Can you tell they're all dressed for the occasion? It really was a crepe nightmare. If you asked ME if I would ever do crepes at a reception again, I would say only if they were purchased, not homemade. You may get a different answer if you asked someone else...anyways, they were good! There were TONS of toppings!

(From left to right around the table: Delilas, Eric, Raquel, Becca, Russ, Chelsie)

So, after a long day of being on our feet, we (as well as Jon and Drae) were ready for it to be over at 8:00. The second the clock hit 8, Troy started putting up chairs and tables, and I turned off the video, put away the sign in book, and started hauling gifts out. Troy overheard this comment: "When the Korth's say it's over at 8, they mean it!" I told Troy, we have no problem being an hour late for events, but when it's over, it's over! Cherice also overheard this comment in the restroom: "Those Korth's sure know how to clean up! I went and changed, and by the time I got back, everything was cleaned up!" My response is, it's sheer numbers. We've gotten everyone beat by our numbers. Take 16 adults who want to get home, it takes no time at all! We all got a good laugh out of the comments! We were all VERY happy this was our last wedding...unless Doug and Melissa decide to surprise us...

Jon and Donnarae are off to the Dominican Republic! I am sure they're having a fantastic time!

Man Cold

THIS IS HILARIOUS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXLHWmjA5IE

The second I saw this, I thought of one of my fave friends Katie D. We would talk about how unbearable it is when husbands are sick, and she told me she wished that when her hubby was sick, he could go to a hotel, by himself. That still makes me laugh! Reason being, I think all wives feel the same way! Come on fellas, even you have got to admit it!

Happenings...

Well, Jake got a trim on his hair too. While we were waiting for the kids to get their hair cut, there was a young black kid who came in with a mohawk. He seemed really unhappy, and I realized he had gotten a mohawk the previous day, apparently without his mother's (who happened to be white) permission, so she had brought him back to get rid of it. AND, how do you get rid of a mohawk? You shave your head...now, I'm no expert on "black people" hair, but I am sure it was so devastating, because it takes so long to grow, and I wanted to tell the mom, if he's a good kid, does his hair really matter? ...anyways, sorry for the tangent, but Jake was begging Becca to give him a "MOHOG". I wouldn't mind doing it in the summer, but I told Becca to cut his hair normal, and then she thought she'd style it as a "fauxhawk". Jake LOVES it! I've had to style his hair like this for the past 3 days. When I got my studio out to do a photo shoot tonight, the kids all lined up to get their photo taken. Here's Jake with his mohog(it looks a little lopsided after taking a nap).

Donnarae is getting married this Friday. I designed and made her wedding announcements (with the help of the sisters and Beau). A few people have asked me what they look like, so here they are. I also made the photo that goes in the card. This is probably the 5th wedding invite/announcement I've designed. I really enjoy designing them. The making of them not so much. They are really pretty economical. They cost about $1 per card to make(without the photo). If I were to have someone ask me to make them (other than family) I would charge $5 per card to make them - that's how tedious it is. You don't realize how many precise cuts, and how exact you have to be while making these. I honestly don't think just anyone could make them. It helps that I'm 'scrapbook anal retentive'. In fact, as much as I dislike the actual making of them, I am really hesistant who I will let "help". I know...beggars can't be choosers. The insert and photo went under the red strip and then it all went into the envelope. I was going to try to blur out when and where the reception is, but I figured Jon and Donnarae wouldn't care if anyone showed up, as long as they brought a gift!

As excited as we all are for Donnarae, we (I pretty much mean EVERYONE - including the happy couple) will be happy when Friday is OVER! Then, next week I have jury duty all week. Lucky me, I know. I'm praying they don't get to my number...

Haircut

Kristin got her haircut on Monday night. I just wanted her to have a change. Her hair was getting long, but was really scraggly. She fought me to do it everyday, and screamed when I would comb it out. So, we'll see how this goes. It's a bit shorter than I would have liked, but it will grow fast, I'm sure...what do you think? Troy whispered to only me that she looked like an amish boy. I think it's cute, but will definitely be cute when it grows a few more inches! That's the great thing about hair...it grows!

Back View:

Side View:

Front View:

Isn't she cute?

Editing

Okay, here's a picture I just edited of the kids. It was taken the Sunday before Christmas.

Just so you see what I have to work with, I'm going to show you the ones I had to combine in order to get that...Here's giving all mom's hope out there, that they can get a good picture of all of their kids!

PHOTO #1:

PHOTO #2:

PHOTO #3:

WANTED!

I need some Papa's Pizza kids cups. So, this is for anybody in Oregon who really loves and misses me! ;) Reason: Since Haley can't have milk, I talked to her doctors about not having formula, but just substituting it with healthy alternates. The main thing they tell me she needs is calcium. So, I've been giving her OJ with calcium. BUT, you can't put that in a sippy - it gets all stuck, and I hate the non-pulp OJ. That's why I need papa's pizza cups. For those of you who don't know what they are, they're just little plastic cups, with cone shaped lids, and rubber straws. Unless you take out the straw, it's not spillable. They're great. They're only a quarter (unless inflation has made it's way to Papa's Pizza) for empty ones - $1 if they're filled with soda. They're great cause it's not a big deal if they get lost. I am down to only having 3. So, I was thinking if someone could buy me $5 worth, and then stick them in a priority tyvek envelope and ship it to me, I will send you $10. Any takers? It's really not a HUGE rush, but in case anyone is headed there in the next few weeks, I would LOVE YOU FOREVER! Or, if anyone knows where to find the same cups in Utah - that would work too! THANKS!

Infomercials

Tonight, the kids were watching a recorded TV show(It was Kyle's turn to sleep at Papa and Grammy's, so I was letting the other two have a special "extra show" before bedtime). On it, was an infomercial for a Betty Crocker cake decorating set. I was out of the room, and Jake hollered, "Mom, come here, you need this!" I walked in the room to catch the end of it. As you all know, I'm not a domestic diva, so I kind of scoffed when I saw it, like I'm about to bake a cake, and then decorate it, yeah right. Anyways, Kristin looks up at me, serious as can be, nodding her head, "Yeah, mom, Betty Crocker, she REALLY helps you."

Give me a break! That's where the kids saw the brilliant MOON SAND!

Here's the link to the infomercial, if you're dying to see what baited my kids so good!
https://www.decoratorkit.com/?s_kwcid=betty%20crocker%20cake%20decorating%20set958503979&gclid=CJeb87-i3pACFRkWiQodfzaQQg