Change your little girl's earrings, for crying out loud.

The most horrible thing just happened. I'm still shaking. Brynley got these cute minnie mouse earrings from disneyland. She's been wearing them for about a week and a half but we've made sure to twist them every day to make sure her ears don't scab around the posts. Tonight she wanted to change them. One of them was kind of stuck. This has happened once before where it bled a little and scabbed around the post but I just soaked it and it came out with a little pulling. Well tonight we could NOT get this earring out. She got the back off but the earring was STUCK in her ear. I was soaking it and twisting it. It was weird because it twisted around very easily but it wouldn't come OUT. She was screaming in pain so I went to get some ice to numb it a little bit. Brandon ended up getting it out while I was in the kitchen. She was just balling.

We didn't really want the ear to close up so we got out her really good earrings that were used to pierce her ears. I was trying to put it in and it wasn't going in. I was so confused. I looked at the back of her ear to see if it was coming through on the other side and I saw a little metal. I pushed it in thinking it was coming through and it wouldn't come. The BACK of her minnie mouse earring was stuck IN her ear!! I thought she had taken the back off because I didn't see it when I was taking off her earring. The WHOLE back was IN her ear. I almost threw up. I had to walk out of the bathroom and tell Brandon and my mom (who had just finished babysitting). I couldn't look at it. (It was the kind of back that is kind of cone shaped not wide with holes and shaped like a pretzel.) I was sick.

We didn't know what to do. Should we take her to a doctor? We got some numbing neosporin and the ice and numbed it for a while. I have some really sharp tweezers and Brandon kind of pushed on it until the back poked out through the hole. He used the tweezers to pull. He got it about half way out but couldn't get the big end out. She was just screaming in pain. It was bleeding. I was holding her and sobbing because, really this is my fault since I didn't have her change her earrings sooner. Meanwhile Caleb is downstairs with Grandma just praying their little hearts out. We held ice on it and tried to decide if we should take her in somewhere and where and when etc. He thought he'd try one more time because Brynley didn't want to go to the Dr and get a shot. He pulled and was able to get it out. She was still screaming. I was still sobbing. It was still bleeding. We put the ice back on there and just held it there for a while.

She ended up calming down (as did I) and we got the bleeding stopped. We cleaned it all out. We asked her if she wanted to let the holes close up and heel or if she wanted to put back in her original earrings for a while and we'd really watch it to make sure it didn't get infected. She wanted to put the piercing earrings back in. So we did and it didn't hurt her at all. Probably because her hole was so stretched out. No skin tore or anything and it actually looked pretty ok just a little swollen afterwards.

Anyway, that's my story. I'm still shaking. So, lesson. Change the earrings. Don't rely on just twisting them and assume everything is ok. And if you get cheap-o earrings change them even more often. (Deep breathes...)

Top ten (or more) reasons why I loved our Disneyland trip and one reason (or a few) why I didn't (plus pics)

1. The excitement before going into the park is so... exciting!

2. Who doesn't want to eat as much sugary goodness for breakfast made by Goofy himself?




3. There are movie stars around every corner!








4. Minnie gives really long hugs.

5. Going on The Little Mermaid Ride and The Monsters Inc ride with Aubrey 8 times each is my idea of a really good time.
6. Absolutely nothing beats watching your kids watch a Disney Parade.
7. Splash Mountain on a warm sunny day is the epitome of happiness.
8. Aubrey did get used to the rides and was a good sport after the first day (this is her being a good sport)

9. Because of Brynley's tall snow boots she was able to ride and LOVED Tower of Terror and Indiana Jones and tried Screamin' but didn't love it. I loved watching her and Caleb so excited about the rides.
10. Because I can do pull ups anywhere! And Disneyland is the BEST place to do them!

11. It was hilarious sneaking Aubrey onto "Soarin over CA" by stuffing borrowed cowboy boots with socks and wash cloths to make her 3 inches taller. She could barely walk and loved that she was playing a "trick".
12. Loved seeing old friends Kent and Nellie Sommer and baby Win and talking with Win on the car ride home.






DID NOT LOVE:
1. The torrential rain on the first day that left all of us soaked and Aubrey quite unhappy.


2. Caleb's barfing all night long the first night.
3. That my phone didn't automatically update to CA time so I was up and ready to go the first morning at 5:45am. After being up with a barfing Caleb.

All things considered, it was a fabulous trip and I'd go back tomorrow if I could.

Merry Christmas!

This year we spent Christmas with my side of the family and we had SO much fun!! We went to eat at Tepanyaki a few days before Christmas. That's kind of a little tradition the last few years to do that together when we're all in town. The kid's love the "show" and we love the food too! And, yes, Aubrey dressed herself for our night on the town. I didn't feel like fighting...




The next night we all got together and had my Grandma's chicken noodle soup and watched Home Alone.



We had SO much fun getting to know Cason! He is so cute! My kids (and I) loved playing with him!




On Christmas Eve we went to my parents house with my siblings, my aunt and uncle and some of my cousins. We ate our Christmas Eve dinner, used our nativity puppets to act out the nativity and did the "pass around game" where you read the Night Before Christmas and everyone passes gifts around the circle every time the word 'and' is read. It's a lot of fun.





Christmas morning was fantastic! My kids were all old enough to enjoy it and get excited. And besides one little crying episode by Brynley (Caleb pushed her out of the way when they were coming down the hall to see what Santa brought them) they were in great moods all day! Caleb got a 3DS, Brynley got an art easel and Aubrey got a kitchen from Santa. We also gave Brynley my American Girl doll from when I was a little girl.



Later in the morning my family came over to exchange presents and have brunch. We went to church a little later and just hung out enjoying each other's company. I really enjoyed going to church on Christmas. It just felt right. :-)




We had a wonderful Christmas with family and we hope you all did as well! And it's ok to have a little mess on Christmas, right?