Scarlett needs more heeyeum: (ps - don't mind my HUGE piles of laundry to fold in the background. I love the my laundry machine can do big loads... until it comes time to fold it all!)
A few of my friends have told me lately that always have the best snacks and that I always research medical stuff for them. I thought it was funny that they were complimenting me on those things because I have always felt those were talents of my mom's. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree!
The other day I was bathing all 3 girls alone. I got the babies out and put them on their towels on the bathroom floor. Then as I was getting Scarlett out she jumped (apparently it's a new thing she does with her dad). I was unprepared for her action and it sent us both backward. I took a step backward to catch myself but Siena had rolled behind my feet. I went down on my butt, Scarlett on top of me, while awkardly lifting my legs to prevent from squishing Siena. I think I was able to take most of the fall but it startled the 2 girls. So I scooped them both up and sat on the floor, rocking 2 naked, wet, and crying girls.... all while Jaide sat calmly watching curiously as the whole thing played out. My friend Tammy is an amazing seamstress (in the blue sweater below). She has her own blog with a bunch of tutorials and cute stuff at http://www.she-wears-flowers.com. Anyways, for my babies shower she made these dresses. They finally fit! She told me that she took her hubby to the fabric store and he picked out the print that he thought I would like. He was spot on!!! (or stripe on?)
The Saturday before Easter we had our ward Easter egg hunt. Jake was still in Vegas so I asked a girl in our ward (Justine) to help me that day. THANKS JUSTINE!!!
The twirls weren't able to feel the bunny ears because of their helmets! Sneaky!!!
We had to bring 10 eggs to share for the hunt per kid. I brought a bag of 50 and was planning on letting the babies "hunt" some. But it was chilly so I let Scarlett fill up her basket and made her share her loot with me. :-)
They had a bunch of Easter crafts for the kids. Scarlett's favorite was frosting cookies (and eating them).
The babies really enjoyed Origami.
Right after the party we went to the Primary room for a baptism. They had asked me to play the piano for the event so Justine and another girl (Mya) watched my girls in the back of the room while I tickled the ivories.
Scarlett loves her Marshall!
Jake got home in time for Easter Sunday. We had a great time at church and the girls all wore their matching Jelly the Pug skirts (thanks Aunt Jami!!!)
Our little mini photoshoot was futile. the girls were so distracted by the cold patio, Scarlett's shoes, and basically everything except my camera.
Scarlett eating her chocolate bunny - it was too messy so she took off her clothes and asked me to wrap it in a napkin. That girls likes to be clean!
She got a new play-doh toy to play with. I was upstairs working on a wedding video project while she and Jake played with it. Then after a bit I didn't hear any noise. I went to investigate and found this:
Apparently Jake was dozing off while sitting at the table with Scarlett. She kept saying "open your eyes daddy!" Then finally she said "why don't you go lay down on the couch and get a blanket. I will play my play-doh." haha! She put her dad down for a nap!
That evening we got to eat dinner with several of our friends (West, Bingham & Pruett).
It was a lovely weekend and I'm so thankful for our Savior. I have a testimony that He came to this earth, atoned for our sins, died, and rose again. I am grateful that He has provided us a way to return to our Father in Heaven. I know that He lives.
My friend Kenzie is moving in a few months. She's been cutting my hair since I moved here. I've been freaking out about finding a new stylist for about that entire time. She's been wonderful and I get so nervous trying to find someone who can keep up with my crazy ideas.
Well Kenzie had a baby a few weeks ago. Her baby is adorable and I'm so happy for her - but now she's out of commission months before I was planning. Luckily I was able to talk Laura into cutting my hair. She's a pro - well, at cutting her hubby's hair... mine can't be that different. Right? This is a picture of the two of us collaborating on my style (what you can't see is our 5 kids playing on the floor in my room or how the older 3 kept coming in the bathroom and getting my hair all over their socks. Gross!)
This pixie cut was a true test of friendship on both our parts. :-) The result? I LOVE my hair! She's hired!
Last Wed-Sat I had the opportunity to represent Ford at a huge Mustang gathering in Las Vegas. Thursday April 17 Today was a lot of fun. It was the official 50th birthday of the Mustang. The Mustang Club of America put on a big event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which Ford was invited to attend. We provided our "Mustang Garage", which showcased some of the cooler Mustangs out there. It included the original Mustang concept (which looks very little like what you think of a "classic" 'stang), the Green Hornet (a Mustang that was given to Carol Shelby as a prototype race car; it had independent rear suspension and electronic fuel injection way ahead of its time, which makes it one of a kind and worth ~$3M), and various Cobras through the years.
Because the 2015 Mustang is going global, we had a group of dealers from China in Las Vegas to hear how we market the car in the U.S. My boss asked me if I could present to them and take their questions. It was a lot of fun and because I used a translator I had ample time to think about what I wanted to say next. It ended up going really well and they're pretty excited to be getting the Mustang next year. Actually, we know of people who buy U.S. Mustangs and ship them to China where they get sold for ~$300,000. We won't be charging that much, but the Mustang's primary competitor in China will be the Audi S5. In fact, we benchmark the 2015 Mustang against the Porsche 911 and BMW M3, which typically cost twice as much as a comparably equipped Mustang. It's very interesting how brand perception plays into what people will pay for cars.
Later that day a coworker and I met up with Craig Jackson (the Jackson in Barrett-Jackson auto auctions). We wanted to show him a good time, so my coworker gave him the chance to drive a Shelby GTS Mustang around the track a few times. We had a bunch of Shelby's and Miller Motorsports race cars at the track to give Mustang fans a chance to ride along with a professional driver. The fans weren't allowed to drive, but rather to just ride. However, Craig Jackson took a turn at the wheel, which stressed everyone out, since he wasn't insured on the track. Luckily nothing bad happened and his employees thanked us for letting him take a turn. Apparently making him happy meant they could all enjoy the day a bit more.
During my free time at the track I had the chance to walk around the cars that people from all over the country brought in. There were some very nice ones. My favorite was this:
Later that night Ford held a party on the fake Brooklyn Bridge at the New York, New York hotel. Only a thousand people were allowed in and some of our top brass were there (Mark Fields - COO and next CEO, Hau Thai-Tang - previously VP of Product Development, and Henry Ford III). One of my responsibilities for the event was designing and coordinating the shirts for all the Ford employees there. This meant that everyone needed to wear the same shirts on the same day. Mark Fields needed one of my shirts, so I arranged to meet his PR assistant and handover the shirt. As it turns out Fields arrived a minute before I could get the shirt to his assistant. Luckily, I saw them walking through the hotel, so I caught up and presented the shirt. It turned out that he already had a shirt and didn't need mine at all. Since I was already with them, they invited me to join them for dinner at the hotel restaurant's private balcony. Actually, just Mark ate dinner while his assistant coached him on what to say at the party. It was fun to chat with him and I even made a few wise cracks. He's a bit of a celebrity at Ford, but he's also really down to Earth and easy to talk to.
After he was ready for the party we walked over to the Brooklyn Bridge where he was granted VIP access. I guess since we were both wearing the same shirt the bouncers thought it was OK for me to go in with him. I had a ticket to the party, but it still felt cool not needing it. At the party the executives presented our 50th Anniversary Edition Mustang. I won't go into detail, but it is quite nice...and expensive. I spent most of the time at the party chatting with lots of Mustang enthusiasts. It was a lot of fun and their energy was contagious. It was neat to see them get so excited and emotional about our product.
Some of the extra props Ford brought for the big reveal included 2 life size card board cut outs of me:
In case you were wondering what happened to the shirt that I was supposed to give to Mark Fields, but didn't... I found the main Chinese dealer at the party and with the help of our translator presented it to him as a gift. It was neat to see how much more friendly he became with that gesture.
Friday April 18
Today was another fun-filled day. To provide some background to what I was doing you'll need to watch this Youtube video:
Our advertising agency thought it was a great story, so they flew the couple (Rick and Sharon) and two of their daughters out to participate in the Mustang 50th Celebration. I was asked to show them around all our cars we had on display at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was a lot of fun and they were extremely nice people. Our ad agency wanted to get the entire tour on film, so hopefully I'll some video of it in the future. I showed them around our historical Mustangs with the help of some coworkers who knew a lot more about the cars than me. (I'm pretty good about the Mustangs after 1994 and before 1970, but everything else I'm quite clueless).
After they saw all the Mustangs and the cameraman got all the shots he needed we headed to the infield of the track. Ford brought in drivers and cars from the Miller Motorsports track and Shelby America for spectators to get a hot lap with an experienced driver. Basically the deal was if a spectator drove three of our basic Ford cars out for a test drive on the track then they could jump in a Shelby or Miller race car as a passenger all for free. We thought it would be fun to treat this family to a few hot laps as well. Unfortunately, as were making our way to the pit I was told that Vaughn Gitten Jr. was going to do a drift demonstration on the track and that they had to shut the track down for everyone else while he did. For those not familiar with Vaughn here's an example of what he does:
At first we were bummed that we had to wait for a while, but then we decided to ask Vaughn if he wouldn't mind taking Rick out with him. Vaughn thought it was a great idea, so we stuck some GoPro cameras in the car and Rick climbed in. Vaughn was really nice for letting us throw it on him last minute and Rick was pretty speechless about it. It was really a once in a lifetime opportunity for him.
After Vaughn was done on the track the track was reopened for hot laps. We shuffled Rick and his family to the front of the line and they all took a turn on the track. The guy running the hot laps told me I had to sign a waiver if I wanted to do a hot lap too. I wasn't expecting that I'd be able to go out, but I certainly didn't question him. I signed the waiver, grabbed a helmet and jumped in one of the Miller Motorsports Mustangs and one of their racing instructors took me for a lap. I couldn't believe how much grip those cars have. It was awesome! I got to ride in the white mustang:
One of the Ford funny car drivers in front of the 50th Anniversary Mustang:
By the time I was done at the track I was super tired, so I went back to my hotel room and took a nap. Later that night I went to a party that we set up with Shelby America. The party was nice and the Shelby leadership team were very easy to get along with. It's clear that they love what they do. They have a museum with some of their more famous cars and I took a few pictures. Henry Ford III was there. I met him briefly and he's really a nice guy. He began his career by being born into the Ford family, but then became a salesman at a Ford dealership and worked up the chain to where is the regional manager for Southern California.
All in all it was a great experience and a good time, but I was excited to go home and see my girls!
Over the last three weeks my skin has finally healed. As the prednisone started wearing off I've had 3 minor breakouts. Jake figured out that they were following days I had fixed my hair and put on makeup. Since he put that together I've been "roughing it" with no beauty products. I love that Scarlett is photobombing......
The Dermatologist called with my skin biopsy results. They confirmed is was an allergic reaction so we went forward with the sticker patch test.
On Monday they put 65ish little plates with various chemicals on my back. They were mostly on my upper back and a few more rows on my lower back. I wasn't allowed to scratch, take any antihistamines, or get my back wet. Over the next 4 days I got pretty talented at taking a "shower" in our bath tub. Here's the full list of everything they tested: http://contactallergy.com/index.html.
The itchiness was out of control! Occasionally I had to use pressure to relive my symptoms. Scarlett was very helpful.
On Wednesday they took the tape and stickers off and did a preliminary reading. I still couldn't scratch or get my back wet, but it felt so much better without the tape. The tape left adhesive on my skin so for the next 2 days my shirts kept sticking to my back. It was gross.
Then today (Friday) they did the final reading. Cobalt showed positive on Wed but not today. Metals are common skin irritants but after 4 days they heal and only a true allergy will linger. I was surprised that I am allergic to nickel. I know Jami is but I've never noticed any problems with my jewelry. The nurse pointed out that I had a rash where my bra clasps touched my back. And I was only wearing my bra against my skin for these 3 appointments - so in that short amount of time I developed hives from it. Interesting. The other chemicals I'm allergic to are common ingredients in lotions, soaps, and cosmetics. Especially Paraben. This is the list of all my new allergies. They link to a page that shows where each is found and the many many aliases they could be listed as on the ingredients list. ALLERGIC CONTACT DERMATITIS
They sent me a list of products that are safe to use with these allergies. Other products could be fine, but if I stick to this list I should be hive-free. Full list of products that are safe to use (144 pages): http://www.acdscamp.org/Generated/PDF/20140418213506_6249.pdf.
I'm still not certain which product of mine caused the reaction. Just glancing quickly at their ingredients I noticed my face wash and my favorite lotion have paraben. I am going to read the labels carefully before using any of them and I will slowly add back in the things I think are safe. The dermatologist pointed out the my hands and wrists are having a reaction to something - one of my soaps or lotions I use around the house probably. I'm going to have to go over everything with a fine tooth comb.
It seems like after every pregnancy I find out I'm allergic to something else. After Scarlett it was the NSAID "Hitch" reaction. It's a huge bummer to keep adding to my already long list of allergens. But on the bright side I think that my asthma has significantly improved after having kids. And my hair is now completely straight (I liked my curl but it would be hard to manage with a pixie cut).
I've been thinking a lot this week about the fact that it took so long to discover the root cause to my suffering. It took 3 different doctors, tons of meds, many prayers from our all our loved ones, and several months to figure out this seemingly simple problem. I am trying to think about what I should be learning from this experience. I think in some ways this ordeal was a blessing for the twins. We didn't realize they weren't thriving until I stopped breastfeeding and we moved to formula. Since that transition, not only are they getting chubby they are also rapidly progressing mentally and physically. They were in survival mode - living off the minimum required amount of calories - and nobody realized it. I like to think that if I had a simple prompting to quit nursing I would have stopped cold turkey. But in reality I know I would have doubted myself and not listened. It took months of excruciating pain/itchiness/suffering before I finally even considered the possibility that I might entertain the thought of quitting nursing early. It really required my body morphing into a red, bumpy monster for me to make the transition. If I had known that's what they needed I would have switched in a heart beat. But we didn't know. And even though the past 6 months weren't my favorite I'm really grateful that the twirls are doing so much better. Now it might not seem like the hives and formula feeding are related from the outside, but I truly think they are. Our loving Heavenly Father knows each of us individually and He teaches us in the manner that makes us listen. I know there are other things I am probably supposed to learn from this itchy nightmare but for now I feel a little tiny bit better thinking it wasn't in vain. That someone (or should I say someones) were able to benefit from this experience.
I bought a Buggy Bench so I could load up all my girls in a shopping cart. I've had it in my car for a few weeks, but the stars finally aligned on Monday and we took it for the inaugural spin. Scarlett LOVED it! The twins seemed to enjoy getting out, but they both have colds so they weren't too energetic.
I'm used to people commenting on the twins when we're out in public (especially with my new stroller - more on that later). Well, when we were walking around Target with our Buggy Bench I had people stopping and openly staring at us. Like seriously I had a family stop, turn around, and follow us down another aisle to look at our contraption. There were several other occurrences that broke social decorum. It was weird. Maybe they were just admiring the cute shoes I was purchasing...? Despite their reaction, the Buggy Bench worked great! I'm happy that I can now go shopping places besides Sam's Club! Well, as long as I only want to buy gum and other small items!
Today Ashley and Lyla came to play. We heard the girls singing and we caught them doing this... so sweet!
I know I was recently bragging about our lovely springish weather. Well, mother nature played a cruel trick on us! We woke up on April 15 to Scarlett yelling "It's Christmas-time outside! Look! Snow!!!" Ugh.
Even though I have already packed up all our winter gear, there is one small sliver of a silver lining (say that ten times fast!) This article is from weather.com.
Detroit Snow Record Falls: 133-Year-Old Mark Broken By Unusually Snowy Season
Wet snow falling late Monday night into tax deadline day Tuesday shattered Detroit's long-standing seasonal snowfall record.
Through April 15, a total of 94.9 inches of snow had been measured in the 2013-14 season at Detroit's Metro Airport, topping the previous record snowiest season, 93.6 inches set in 1880-81.
This is more than double their average seasonal snowfall of 44.1 inches.
While located in the Great Lakes region, Detroit does not pick up heavy lake-effect snow, as they are located too far east of Lake Michigan and to the west and north of Lake Erie.
According to the National Weather Service in Romulus, Mich., here are some other notables about the 2013-14 winter season in the Motor City:
Record streak of days with at least 1 inch of snow cover: (77 straight days ending on Mar. 17)
Snowiest single month on record: (39.1 inches in January 2014; almost 89 percent of their average snow for an entire season)
Coldest November-March period since 1911-12: (Fourth-coldest on record)
Most days with highs failing to rise above freezing since 1903-04: (79 days; third-most on record for any season)
Most days with lows below zero since 1983-84: (13 days; ties for seventh-most in any season)
