WARNING: Not for the faint of heart!

So Chad seems to have had a lot of in-grown toe nails in the past few years.  He has gone to the doctor to have them removed before, but he has started to just try and remove them himself the past few times.  And now working for a surgeon he has access to all the instruments and lidocaine so this last time he decided to set up his own O.R. in our bedroom and take care of those darn toenails himself.  He painfully endured numbing up his own toes but then realized that to really get the toenails out that he couldn't get the right angle and asked me to perform the "surgery" for him.  
I really didn't want to do it.  I stalled as much as I could thinking that he would get tired of waiting and just do it himself.  But the only pair of sterile gloves that he had was a 6 1/2.  Much too small for him (and me for that matter).  I finally gave in and started what will go down in books as my "first surgery".  He wanted to make sure that it was done right this time and so he got some kind of chemical to apply to the toe matrix to kill the root so it wouldn't grow in that area again.  It smelled like framaldahyde (I have no idea how to spell that) and the smell alone was making me sick.   I started to feel all flushed and my hands were starting to feel numb (probably the too small gloves).  Chad gave me step by step instructions and with great hesitation, I started to cut.   

I kept telling Chad that I was starting to feel sick.  He said how are you going to be a nurse if you can't handle this?  I told him that as a nurse I won't have to do the cutting.  And that the cutting (and the smell) was what was bothering me.  
I did finally finish, both toes on both sides of the toe (with the help of my noble assistant, Lafe). And for the record, I could never be a surgeon!

Oh, and if you got through this post and you are feeling a little bit queezy,  don't say I didn't warn you.

First and Last!

Here it is April and we have planted our seeds for next seasons garden and they have started to sprout and we cut the last of our squash from last years garden!  Who would have thought that our veggies would last this long!  

Dance competitions!

Shina and her cousin Elle have were lucky enough to make the same dance team at Alpine Peaks dance.  They have been working hard for months to get ready for the spring dance competitions.  It has been so fun to watch Shina work so hard and practice as much as she does.  They had a lot of success at their first two competitions.  It is so fun for me to remember when I was competing and I hope that Shina enjoys it as much as I did.

Sagerino turns 5!

It's crazy to think that my little "Flo"  is five already!  She is such a special girl and it is so fun to watch her grow up and learn so many new things!  She started asking me in October how many days it was until her next birthday.  I was very glad for the big day to get closer so I didn't have to count so many numbers!  
Chad made Sage's favorite breakfast of German pancakes for her birthday!  
How fun it was to take a few of her friends and siblings to build a bear.  



That night we all went to dinner at Tepenyaki.  Both Lafe and Sager we a little scared when the chef lit the fire!  




The long awaited moment of opening her presents!  The day after Sage's birthday she asked me how many days until her next birthday!   Aaaargh!

The Ten Virgins

In January I was asked to participate in a Relief Society Enrichment program that the committee was putting together telling the story of the ten virgins.  I wasn't given a whole lot of details but I said yes.  Until I went to the first meeting I didn't realize the time commitment that would be involved in this program they were putting together.  After the first meeting I left thinking maybe I should have told them no.  We would be meeting every Tuesday night plus some additional Saturdays until the night of the program.  With my school schedule being the worst it has ever been I didn't know how in the world I would be able to do all of that and learn lines and attend practices for this program.  But after reading through the script and seeing what a great program this was I became very excited and looked forward to each practice.  
I am been in the primary since we moved into the ward and knowing that we weren't staying here permenantly I haven't really gotten to know very many women in the ward.  Boy have I been missing out!  

I have gotten to know and love each of them.  We worked hard to get this program ready and spent many hours both laughing and crying together.  
It has been a long time since I was on a stage and performed.  I did it a lot in high school both in dance and drama.  I loved it then but felt a little rusty.  I think if it weren't for me being in school right now and my mind being in good "study shape"  I would have had a very difficult time memorizing my lines.  They seemed to come very easy for me and I am so grateful for that.
One thing that I have learned about the sisters in my ward is that they don't do anything "half way"  If they are going to do something it is all or nothing.  We had beautiful props and a gorgeous back drop.  They truly did go all out.  
We were even miked for the production!
One of the funnest parts for me was being able to work with my good friend Kim Brown.  We have known each other since elementary school and have been very good friends for a long time.  We actually were in drama and dance company together and actually performed quite a bit together back in the good old days.  We had a lot of laughs as we remembered some of our times together doing The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and The Grinch among other things.

Kim directed the program and also sang a few songs.  She is so talented and did an excellant job.
I played the part of Malka, a foolish virgin, who was a good woman who just got consumed with making things beautiful and didn't prepare.  I learned a lot about myself and ways that I can become better by being part in this play.  I am so grateful for this opportunity and for being blessed to have so many great women to work with.

Birthday Time

My two sisters and I all have our birthdays within two weeks of each other. When we were younger my mom would always get a cake for each of us and we would all be terribly sick of cake by the time the birthdays had passed. Now that we are older we enjoy celebrating our birthdays together. Alison lives in North Carolina so she doesn't get to join in as often but Stacey and I share our family party every year. This year though all the Mills girls are officially all over 30. I am the oldest just turning 34, Stacey 32, and Alison just turned 30 (congratulations Alison).


I guess maybe we are just a little bitter about getting older!






I am glad that I get to celebrate getting older with two sisters that are getting older right along with me! I am lucky to have two great sisters!

Isaac's 6th grade dance

On February 13th Isaac had his first dance!  Just in the last few months he has really started to notice that girls actually exist!  I over hear he and his friends talking about who they like.  It's hard to believe that he is old enough to get into that kind of stuff already.  
The school did a great job with the dance and all of the kids dance almost every song.  They actually taught them real dances too!  Isaac learned the cha-cha, the waltz, and the two-step.  I had to catch a picture of all the boys sitting on stage.  After every dance the DJ would announce what the next dance was and if it was girls choice or boys choice.  If it was a girls choice all of the boys would hurry over to the steps and sit and wait for a girl to come and ask them to dance.  The girls would to the same thing.  It was hilarious!

I think this is just a glimpse of what we have to look forward to in the next few years.  

Whether I like it or not, Isaac is growing up and not my little boy anymore. As hard as it is to see him grow up I am looking forward to what lies ahead. I am proud of him and that he is such a kind, respectful, considerate "young" man.