August 2011 wrap up

Sassy turned sweet 16!
She passed her driver's license test and is waiting to get enough money for insurance so she can get her license.

She had a party with her friends at my brother's club house and theater. They swam in the pool, sat in the hot tub, and then watched White Chicks on a huge screen!

The sign!

The food table- sans food

J dude- doing a flip and being all fancy and stuff

Friends in the pool.

Hanging out in the water

Warming up in the hot tub.

The other side

Two of the dudes

After the movie

Sassy has some totally amazing friends. She is a totally amazing young lady, so I guess it follows that her friends would mirror her in that.

The girls began school again. Sassy is a Sophomore, who can date and drive her whole year. I hope those boys know that I am good aim with a .45. Actually J-dude thinks it's funny when I remind him of that.

Tree Monkey started 8th grade. How can my baby be in 8th grade? It's crazy and fun all at the same time.

They both auditioned for the competition teams at their studio. Both are on Company, the highest competing team. It will be a great year.

I drive my girls to school each morning. They can totally ride the bus, but I don't get home til after 6 PM so I like to spend that extra 5-10 minutes with them. It's our time to start the day with each other.

Nothing else too exciting happened in August, besides crazy stuff at work that really isn't worth mentioning.

July part 1- Let's just hope I remember to do part 2 ;)

Where did this month go?! Seriously.

At the Freedom Festival with Nana and Papa

Being held by Uncle Oldest

Snoozing on Nana on July 3rd

The Monkey Wrenches, Sassy, Oldest, and Tree Monkey slept out on the parade route July 3rd and we joined them after sleeping in our bed. Well, kind of sleeping. Sassy left her dog home with us. He sleeps at her feet. She wasn't home, he slept on our bed, but my Izzy dog sleeps on my bed and there wasn't enough room for both with me and the Mr. But with more sleep than the parade place savers, we joined them with donuts and juice for breakfast.

Snoozing on Papa July 4th at Parade

L'il Miss Lady Bug slept the whole parade on her Papa (Mr.).
Then we had a BBQ at our home and went to our neighborhood's Sidewalk of Fire. It was the 7th annual event. The rain sent me home with the kids, but we watched from our garage window and lit a few fireworks of our own.

Mostly I am working, going to the gym 3 days a week, doing water aerobics (good workout), and spending time with my family. It doesn't leave much time for internet stuff. I read blogs, get on Facebook, and check email, but it is sometimes a couple of days before I get to it. I thought I would miss it, but I don't. I like my work and it keeps me very busy.

We have a camping trip coming up. Oldest has to work, so he will be staying home guarding the home front, but the Monkey Wrenches and the girls of course, L'il Miss Lady Bug will be going with us. Her first camping trip! So exciting.

I cannot believe that school stuff is out and on sale right now. I am still in the middle of my summer and those darn retailers are reminding about all my mom duties that are coming up soon. Darn them! I'm going to keep ignoring them.

So, I'm off to church now and then to feed the family and hold the granddaughter. You know why they are called grand children? 'Cause it's the grandest thing to happen in your life. It's why you let your children live through the teenage years. 'Cause then you get this beautiful child to hold and spoil and send home at night so you can sleep and have the energy to play and spoil them again.

Sleeping soundly in Nana's bouncy chair

Sleeping with Papa on July 16

And you didn't even ask for it

So many recent changes have kept me so busy that I haven't had much time for blogging or even reading facebook. I barely get enough sleep and some days I feel like all I do is work. Oh yeah, because that's about all I have been doing.

Getting ready to come home from the hospital

So the week after my adorable, beautiful, precious, simply lovely granddaughter was born I was invited back to a 2nd interview at the local community mental health agency. I had a job offer from DCFS (Division of Child and Family Services) as a caseworker for foster care and in home services, that they kindly allowed me to wait until the end of the week to accept or decline. They knew the other agency was looking at me strongly. They both would have been great offices to work for. I know the people at both and find them pretty great peeps to work with. The benefits of the mental health agency are that I would be doing therapy, get paid about 1000 bones a month more and there is a school loan repayment option.

I still get to work with both sets of staff because they share a building. I took the mental health agency option. It meant leaving the other place a week before I had planned. I have been working both jobs, the old one in the evening and the new all day. Every night last week I was gone until 9 at night. I'd come home and crash in bed, but my girls wanted time with mom, like they are used to. Like they should be having. So it would about 11 PM before I could get in bed and I'd be up between 6 and 6:30 AM.

I think I will sleep a lot this weekend and move my evening clients to Saturday. Just to see if working 6 days a week is easier than 5 super long days.  Some of the old clients are close to terminating and some refuse to be transferred. I am really invested in some of them as we have worked through a lot of their pain. I do love what I do. It is sometimes a difficult decision. Work or stay at home. I am fortunate that Mr Monkey Butt has been working nights so he has been home with our girls in the afternoons and they have only been alone (well Oldest is home with them, but he isn't a parent) for about 2 hours or less.

2 weeks old already

No trying to find the balance. I am not giving up my private practice. If clients have Medicaid they come see me in the daytime at the mental health agency. Others see me at the old office for insurance pay and I have a few clients that pay cash and see me at a third office that is my own billing, but with other play therapists. I just rent an office. I will be working to build that and get on insurance panels over time, but I am for sure staying at the current agency for the next 5 years while I build up my skills and make more connections.

So THAT is the big news on this home front. It was tough to leave the private contracting, but I need more regular income. It was actually money and benefits that made the decision to go with the mental health agency and it was harder than I thought to not work for DCFS. I know a lot of great people that work there. Of course I also some that are not so great. It comes with any company/agency.

Phew! That's a lot.

So what's new with you?

Happy Birthday to Little Miss Lady Bug

***Edited to add***
7 lbs 3 oz and 19.5 inches long. How did I not remember to post this before? Too excited to think I guess.

Nana K is now a reality. My first granddaughter/child arrived at 1:04 AM on May 4th. 3 days before my birthday. That's a pretty good gift in my book!

Right after birth being checked out.

"I do not like being bothered," she screamed.

Me with my son, DIL and little miss Lady Bug

Little Miss Lady Bug

Nana K and a brand new grand baby

The growing jungle.

Little Miss Lady Bug

My first born with his first born. LOVE!

A few hours later in the day. Finally sleeping.

 She was very alert and had her eyes open. She also ate within 30 minutes of her birth. Kind of cool and surreal. You actually get to leave the hospital without a baby and not feel like part of you is missing. It is still hard to leave. Just looking at her is Heaven.

I Love Reading This

Today I am just browsing through the news and I came across this wonderful news, which I already expected to happen, but it feels good to read it.

Picture from Daily Herald at www.heraldextra.com

Forward Brandon Davies expects to suit up next season for BYU despite missing this year's NCAA tournament run for violating the university's honor code.

Carri Jenkins, a university spokesperson, said Friday that Davies voluntarily withdrew from school after completing his winter semester finals but is working with the dean of students to meet certain conditions so he will be eligible to return for the fall semester in late August.

If he meets those conditions, Jenkins said the expectations are that the 6-foot-9 Davies will return for his junior year.

Davies. . . . issued a statement thanking everybody for their love and support and said he looked forward to continuing his education at BYU and getting back on the court.


This is an amazing young man. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. To know him is to love him, cause he is really that amazing.

Bed Rest

**Warning**
Contains terms related to pregnancy. If you can't handle it and you continue on remember you were warned :)

Little Lady Bug is a bit anxious to arrive. She has forced her mommy to go on bed rest. Apparently she is a lot like her daddy and can be impulsive and demanding when she really wants something. Good to know grandbaby, but I've got your number and we are gonna have fun, cause I know how to roll with ya!

In the last week Mrs Monkey Wrench has found out that she is 65% effaced and Saturday she had fully dilated to a 1 from Tuesday the 15th to Saturday the 19th. No Bueno!

Saturday we cleaned their house and the other grandma, Sassy, and Tree Monkey and I started the nursery. It is going to be awesome. I forgot to take pictures, but I should have because that room was covered in wall paper. And by covered I mean ceiling, too! It now has white walls and is ready for the first coat of paint. For the record, Mrs Monkey Wrench's mom knows how to tackle wall paper. She is a pro.

So here's a 3-D shot of Little Lady Bug. She is using her placenta for a pillow.

And here is the momma on bed rest. It's officially boring to her now. 

Isn't she is beautiful? (The answer to that question is yes!)

Check This Out

My Sassy is the March dancer Spotlight for her studio.

She is an amazing girl.

Happy New Year

We are welcoming 2011 and looking forward to the many things that we know we get to look forward to.

* New granddaughter in May.
* Sassy practicing driving and getting her driver's license.
* Sassy dating turning the boys down as they all have cooties.
* Dance competitions in Cedar City and in our surrounding area.
* Me getting my LCSW rather than just my CSW. This is big in my profession. (This will actually take place in the next 2 weeks)

And we are just waiting to see what other things we will get to do.

We have been so busy and getting to the computer has been quite a challenge.

During Christmas we got to have our Grammie with us from the 24th to the 26th. We don't get to spend much time with her and it was a real treat.

Working full-time and then coming home long enough to pick up children and go to dance recitals, shopping, family parties, visiting with friends, deliver goodies to our neighbors, and go out to eat.

We had a sweet Christmas. We got up at 8 AM!!!! My baby is 13. It's kinda cool. Then we cooked and ate breakfast and then........we opened the gifts. Slowly. We savored the Christmas feeling all day.

On New Year's Eve we partied at home. We played board games and games on the Wii. While playing life on the Wii . . . Sassy got married to black character. We never got his name. Oldest teased her about marrying a chocolate guy. It wasn't a racist comment. He really looked like chocolate. Tree Monkey's friend married a bald guy that was old and she is only 13 so it was hilarious.

It's been a lot of fun this holiday season. I've worked most of it, but found time to fun, too.

I also got a new baby. She is part mini-schnauzer and yorkie.

Isn't she adorable? I think so, too. Izzy Bear is her name and she is mine! The first pet we have ever gotten for just me. Her mom is Monkey Wrench's dog. She was her only pup.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Additional commentary to go with the previous post

Just came from there. It is burning hot and strong on the North East corner. We have sat there on many occasions. (pics taken at 7:35 PM)

On my way home an old neighbor called. She had been there earlier with her 8 year old daughter. She though she saw someone sitting on a the ledge of the 3nd story window 3 over looking from the north side. She said she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She watched quietly and about 3 minutes later her 8 year old daughter pointed and said, "Look mom, there's Jesus."

He was watching his building and probably crying with us.

This beautiful building . . .

. . . with a lot of history

Was destroyed early this morning. You can read about it here. I have so many memories in this building. I've been in it since childhood.

This is a sad, sad day.

Pictures taken from ksl.com photo gallery