Hello out there! Sorry for the lack of bloggage lately- after months of computer breakdowns, we finally broke down and got a new one. So, yes, we are alive and I promise to keep you updated, at least now and then.

Halloween!

(We were actually going for the super hero theme, but Levi screamed bloody murder when I tried to put on the superman costume; however, he did make a pretty cute frog)

Trick or treating was CRAZY here! This is a pretty bad picture, but I was trying to capture the  endless amounts of cars parked along our normally quiet street- getting in and out was like parking at a BYU football game. We were out doing some trick-or-treating ourselves, but our neighbor said he gave away almost 500 pieces of candy! We were home for 5 minutes and gave away 20 pieces. I guess the kids from the reservation ride buses into Farmington and they drop them off at a big church near our house. Everyone else drives in (as you can see)

This is my super-scary zombie sister who danced for the youth Odyssey team in Thriller


So, we've been traveling a lot lately- Ben's job is going to change quite a bit in January and only 1 of the current 13 CRNAs is staying. So, we went to Twin Falls, Pueblo, and Coos Bay for job interviews only to decide on working at the surgery center here in Farmington. We did have some fun trips though!

The Pueblo Zoo

Coos Bay, Oregon

Fun trip to Utah for one of my best girls, Brittany's baby shower!

Ruins at Mesa Verde

And a couple pictures of my favorite boys:

We're doing a mom-and-me preschool with 4 other boys.
 Dayton came home a chef one day and now wants to help cook all the time. 

Levi- always coming up with something!

Lake Powell Time!!!

After 5 years and two kids, we finally made it back to Lake Powell- and she was greatly missed!

Dayton and Amelia

Hiking the mountain

Torpedo!!!

Horseshoes- the latin lofters vs. the old guys Pirate Levi

Captain Dayton

Sweet water pictures

That's me!

Glass

Ben

the backroll

Royce's 360

The moon, the glass, the cliffs . . . amazing!

The King Crew

I thought I'd let the pictures do the talking- Lake Powell is the BEST! Thank you to the Newmans for inviting us. The boys were great, the weather was great, the food was great, the water was great, and the company was GREAT!

Dayton's Birthday and other stuff

After months of telling people "I'm two, but I'll be three on my birthday", it's here. Dayton turned 3. We sure love this boy! He loves any sport, particulalry baseball and golf. He loves learning and is into letters and their sounds right now. He's a great big brother and is the sweetest son. We sure love this handsome dude! For his birthday he had a baseball AND golf cake (at his persistant request) and got to go golfing on a real course (also his request) with mom and dad. Happy Birthday! Check out these superboys (thanks Shari)!

So big! He can even dress himself . . .Dayton holding the Oberg's new bunnyAs for the "other stuff", we just got back from a trip to Utah. We were so lucky to be able to go to Amelia's baptism. She looked so beautiful and the boys loved watching her be baptised (Levi was hoping he could dive in).
The next big event was a broken arm and another Sunday at the urgent care. It wasn't a very exciting story, which we may have expected from our daring little Levi. Instead, he slipped on the bathroom floor and hardly cried. When he tried to crawl, his arm kept collapsing. It was so sad. He doesn't seem to mind the cast much. He's mastered what we now call the "gorilla crawl". Other highlights included catching lots of fish with Grandpa ClingoGoing to Hogle Zoo with good friendsAttending my sister, Brooke's, dance competition. She did awesome on her solo, being awarded with gold and earning a "JUMP" scholarship!Hiking with our much-missed Buffalo DaytonsPlaying baseball on a "real" diamond, of courseSpending the day with Rachelle and Luke- we love little boys!Miniature golfing (and catching snakes) with Aunt CassieGoing to one of my best highschool friend's wedding. Congrats Brielle!It was a fun-filled, wonderful trip! We loved seeing everyone!

We got back on Sunday, assuming Ben had to work on Monday. Well, due to a slow day he came home at 7 AM! So we decided to get check out the Chacoan ruins south of Farmington.

It was amazing to see the remains of such a large and industrious culture. There were petroglyphs, pictographs, and obviously the structures. We were the only people on the tour with kids and were doing really well until Dayton ended up in an ant hill. I think he got a few bites and refused to do anything but be carried after that. He kept saying, "lets go to the hike with a train- those ants weren't very nice".

Now, we better get back to work . . .

Dayton's First Ambulance Ride

Since riding in the ambulance seems to be the best part of the past few days, lets start with that. On Sunday Dayton got to ride in an ambulance. He loved it. He told me after "I thought I was in an airplane!" and throughout the next few days kept asking if he could go and "ride in the truck again".

So, as for the reason for this exciting ride, the flu has been going around our house.Dayton first started getting sick Thursday night with normal stomach symptoms. By Saturday he was doing better, but developed a low-grade fever. Sunday morning he woke up with a fast heartbeat and breathing rate. After watching him for a while, he seemed to be getting worse so we took him to the urgent care. His breathing became very labored and his oxygen levels were 79% so they immediately started him on oxygen, gave him a breathing treatment, took a chest x-ray and called the ambulance. He was surprisingly calm in the ambulance (or maybe not surprisingly, this is Dayton). He pointed out the cars and the red lights.

At first everything seemed pretty exciting to him. He got to ride in a wheel chair and had his own room with a TV and the disney channel. He didn't even cry when he got his first IV. However, by Tuesday and definitely by Wednesday he was done. Whenever someone would come in at night, he would just cry and say "turn off the light" over and over. Wednesday morning, he told me he wanted to go home and asked me "what is that girl going to do to me?". It made me so sad. Luckily, with a little convincing (we pulled the "we're nurses" string), they let him go home yesterday.However, when a sweet woman in our ward brought us dinner he looked at her and started to bawl- maybe he thought another IV was coming.

His tests for RSV and the flu came back negative, but the theories of his illness include a form of viral RSV that wouldn't show up on the tests or possibly retrograde pneumonia. Whatever it was, I'm glad he's turned the corner. He's still sick- fevers, breathing treatments, and constant coughing, but he doesn't need the oxygen anymore and has started eating a little.

This whole thing has made me appreciate the blessing of modern medicine. When I had to ask someone I hardly knew to take Levi, it made me miss my family and friends in Buffalo. It made me grateful for those people we are just getting to know who are so kind. It reminds me how much I love, really love, my little boys. And, it makes me want to wash my hands all the time.

Look who's 1!

One year old! We sure love this guy! We love his big blue eyes, crinkle-nosed face, and sweet smile. He loves to zip around on his (aka Dayton's) bike, EAT everything, cuddle with his mom, grab people's noses, and tickle his dad. He adores his big brother. He is loving, daring, super curious and somewhat mischevious.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY

LEVI!!!