The Fatigue Factor

I hesitate to post this because I know each and every one of us fellow bloggers have crazy hectic lives. But I do believe that Shane's life has taken the meaning of chronic fatigue to a new level.

The above picture demonstrates the illness that strikes every resident at some point, for Shane it is totally chronic. This picture was taken a few days ago, the boys were trying to show Dad their Pokemon cards (That's a whole other blog post...what's up with Pokemon cards?) anyway, you can see the level of interest in Shane's face. I personally love the foot up on the couch... So I try to wake him up to interest him in a more comfortable piece of furniture, say a bed... he mumbles that I should just let him sleep. 30 minutes pass and he still maintains the same position. Then the pager goes off. Immediately he is awake and asking me why I let him sleep so long. Go figure. He gets up and goes to bed and I ask him if he returned the page. "Oh did my pager go off?" he says.

Although Dad's sleepiness is an inconvenience when you are trying to show off your prized Pokemon cards...Jackson and Mason have now figured out that you can do fun things to people when they are asleep. Like in church today, Jackson decided it would be funny to tie his Dad's shoe laces together because Shane was of course, asleep. (Note: this is not typical Sunday behavior, but the rascals have been into playing practical jokes lately) Surprising to me, I didn't even notice him doing it until Mason pointed it out to me. I told him to untie them immediately which he would have done if they weren't in a hopeless knot! Needless to say sleepy Shane woke up to an unpleasant surprise and had to untie them himself. A few weeks before that...I caught Mason poking his sleeping father in the nose with a pencil. Even Isaac gets in on the action and loves to yell, "wake up Dad" as he body slams his lifeless father. Poor Guy!

Not only does he work hard when he's awake...I have also heard him ordering a multitude of tests, and performing surgery when he's asleep at night.

Only 3 more years to go...Will we survive?

Happy 7 Months Izzy!

Okay I couldn't resist posting these gorgeous pictures that a friend took for me. They are absolutely beautiful and I am so grateful to have some nice pictures of my little girl. I hope the boys don't feel slighted because their baby pictures were, well, cost effective. Usually the fourth child is lucky to have ANY pictures at all... Anyway here are a few of my favorites.

To the World's Best Dad

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Can You Spot Bambi?

Spring time is Bambi season at our house. Deer roam our neighborhood year round, but during birthing season they choose a spot and hang out. We currently have two mothers and 3 babies that have chosen our backyard as their resting spot. It is both a blessing and a curse... The blessing.. We often find the babies curled up and hiding while their mothers are away. They are sooooo cute and we do enjoy watching these beautiful animals. Shane was out trimming the lawn when he startled this little baby who was hiding under our purple grass in the front flower bed. The mom drops her off during the day while she goes to eat and then comes back at night. The babies try to find places to blend in and are very good at hiding.


A few days ago... Isaac was out in the back yard crawling on the ground trying to sneak up to one of the babies. When I asked him what he was doing he said, "I'm pretending like I'm a baby deer so the mom won't get scared". He enjoys animals more than any child I know. Last year he even pet a mother deer while we all stood there in shock and amazement. Here is the deer whipserer in action...

Just taking his deer for a stroll.....



The Curse... we have lost hundreds of dollars on plants that the deer have had for dinner. Can you see my beautiful Japanese maple tree below? No-- you can't because the leaves no longer exist on this tree. Our hope is to bring it back to life...only to be stripped again in the not too distant future.




I used to get really upset about the deer... now I have learned that having a wildlife petting zoo in our yard is worth the hassle. I guess it begs the question... who are the invaders here?


A quick note: I saw on the national news that a cougar invaded a neighborhood in West Jordan. How scary! In the last few years here in our city, several mountain lions have been spotted...Are we asking for it!?