Happy Birthday Charity!

It's hard to believe my baby's already 3. She's such a joy! Since she came into this life it has never been dull.

I did not want a Christmas baby (I was due the 24th) so I was determined to have her early. After trying everything I could think of I went to my last resort. Castor oil. My mom had taken it and was sooo sick. I figured I'd risk it. It started my labor and I didn't get sick. We dropped the kids off at a friend and john rushed to the hospital. I told him there was no rush we had plenty of time, but he'd been denied his mad rush to the hospital with Mads and jarom so...

When I got my epidural they had me sit up and john stand in front of me to support me. It took a while cause my back wouldn't stop bleeding, and the next thing I knew john was on the floor. He had done fine with the other kids so I was kinda worried. The anesthesiologist and nurse just stepped over him and kept on working as he lay on the floor. It turns out he had come down with a bug and didn't tell me he was sick. He spent the entire night in the bathroom throwing up. He made it for her birth, held her for a minute, and went home.

She was soo sweet. She never cried at the hospital. (Madison wasn't allowed in the hospital nursery because she wouldn't stop crying) I was so tired though. I remember holding her, looking at her little bed 2 feet from my bed, and I couldn't move to put her to bed. I finally had to lay her between my knees because there was no one to take her from me and I couldn't seem to move. (The only time I've been in the hospital and didn't have nurses coming in every hour) It was a little depressing because john stayed at home sleeping until the next day. So the entire hospital stay I was alone with this beautiful little baby. But too darn tired to move.

Madison and Jarom were so excited to see her. They were so cute. Unfortunatly the CD I burned the pictures of Charity got scratched up and I only have 4 pictures of her until she was 3 months old. So I don't have pictures of them together.






She was an angel until 2 weeks old then her true personality came out. She's fiesty, demanding, silly, loving, stubborn, active, and so adorable. She had this mohawk for the longest time. I loved it.




She has been such a blessing in our lives. I love watching her grow and learn. She has such a love of the simple things in life. We love you Charity. (or Coco Huff ,Chi Chi or whatever you decide your name is)

Pictures

Not in the mood to write so here are some pictures. They are in random order.
Snow day. Charity took this picture. She loves to take pictures. Maybe she'll be a photographer.


Playing in the snow. The girl needs some gloves that fit her.

Charity's birthday party at the pizza place. Her reward for potty training. I had no desire to make a cake so Toll House did her cake this year.

At the ward Christmas party.


Mads and Jarom were santa's helpers at the Santa Fly in.


Charity is too funny. She'd sit on santa's lap and tell him what she wants, but wouldn't look at him.

Farewell. Just before I go to get my cast off. A great couple of days.

Someday

Last week Mads went to the temple for the first time. john and I went with her. It was a wonderful experience but she was too funny. I think she was nervous so when someone told her to do something she would tell them no. I kept thinking you're at the temple, not the place to say no. I should have explained things better to her so she'd know what to expect.
Saturday we went to Edgewood for the Santa Fly-in. It's a Christmas party my mom and others put on. My step-dad flies to pick up Santa and he gives presents to the kids. The kids love it. We always have fun. That night was the ward party and both of john's work parties. We chose to go the ward party.
Tonight we are having a little party for Charity at Peter Piper Pizza. I didn't want to deal with cleaning my house. She's so excited. Except it's snowing and I hate driving in snow. Maybe it won't stick. Her bday isn't til Wed. but this was the only evening that we had free.

It's always crazy this time of year. Sometimes I wish things would slow down so I could enjoy the season. Every night there is something going on, so many things to do. I remember when I was younger I would sit at night in front of our Christmas tree, drinking hot cocoa, for hours. Just thinking, enjoying Christmas. Now it's run, run, run, then crash (I can't stay up late anymore). Hopefully someday it will slow down.

Say cheese!

So I am trying to get out Christmas Cards going and because most of out family lives away we like to send pictures. I am starting to realize we are not a photogenic family.
We had our pics taken a little while ago and the pictures looked great, but we did not.
It was freezing when we took them so maybe that's part of the problem. Madison felt the need to pose in every picture. Jarom looked scared, Charity wouldn't smile, and I had more than 1 chin. Geez. We did good at last year's pictures.

Then I thought I would also get individual pictures of the kids and this is what I got.





My kids have beautiful smiles but when the camera comes out they either stick their tongue out or their smiles are stiff. Maybe we'll use the tongue photos for our cards. I'm too tired to care.

One of those weeks

Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything goes right? Consecutive good hair days, kids clean their rooms without being asked, you lose a few pounds without trying. Well, this has not been one of those weeks.

My car is making funny noises (it has almost 260,000 miles on it). I know we need a new car and I am excited to get a larger vehicle, but I don't want a car payment. Last time it was making noises I was able to find and fix the problem (with a little help from my husband) myself. Maybe it will be that easy again.

My computer is on the fritz. It runs sooooo slow. John said it probably has a virus but our anti -virus software can't detect it. I guess we need to buy some better software.

Both John and my cell phones are having problems. Mine won't accept most calls and most of the calls I make fail. Very annoying.

My dishwasher is broke. But my dad is coming in the next couple days and can fix it.

Charity refuses to be potty trained. She doesn't care. She doesn't care if she wears diapers. So I took them off. She doesn't care if she pees in her pants. Uggh! She wants a birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza and I told her if she's potty trained she can have one there. Hasn't worked. Any ideas?

Functioning with one arm. Most of the time it's ok, but it makes so many little things difficult. Fixing your hair. (I can't reach my head with my fingers on my left hand.) Washing hair and face, folding clothes, scrubbing dishes, sweeping, grocery shopping with a 2 year old. I get frustrated easily. Oh yeah, my arm itches like crazy. I've been taking Benadryl but that makes me sleepy.

In honor if Thanksgiving. On the plus side, I get to go out tonight with some friends to one of my favorite restaurants, California Pizza Kitchen. (No husband or kids!!) My husband has Thursday - Saturday off. His first days off since the middle of October (not counting Sundays). Also, we are going to Farmington to visit family for Thanksgiving. I have been wanting to see my grandparents. My grandpa is 93 so we try to visit often. Next week should be much better!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A little pampering

Tuesday we took Mads to Japanese Kitchen for a birthday lunch. I love that place. Charity sat in awe as they cooked. I think she stayed in her chair the entire time which is a first.
Mads went to Young Womens for the first time Wednesday night. It's crazy, I'm not old enough to have a YW.

I had my surgery yesterday. I wasn't sure what to expect, but my wrist had been feeling pretty good the last couple of weeks so I thought it would be simple. The doctor said it might just need a debridement (clean up the rough edges) and in that case I wouldn't need a cast, just a splint for a short while.

He removed a cyst the size of his thumb (to his first joint ) and had to repair 2 ligaments that had torn. It's bandaged up past my elbow and I'll get a full arm cast next week.

I've realized there are a lot of things you can't do with one arm. Like tie shoes (anyone have any cute velcro shoes?), or take lids off pain pill bottles, or change diapers. UGGH!! I asked John yesterday to help me change my clothes. He went into OT mode and explained how to do it myself. I guess it's better to be independent (at least that's what OT's say). I prefer a little pampering, but they don't teach that in OT school. Tonight I'm going to make myself clear. The block wore off and I'm pretty sore today. I'm not sure why but I didn't expect it to be painful (denial probably).

My mom has been over pampering me yesterday and today so I've been lucky. She's the best! She even made dinner for both nights, ran all my errands, and took and picked kids up. I'm still pretty loopy from the general anesthetic and pain pills. Not sure if driving is the best idea.

The kids think when I get my cast it should be red and white striped for Christmas. I'm not sure what I think about that idea. Candy cane, huh?

Happy Birthday Madison!

Mads birthday isn't til Tuesday but we had her party last night. She had a slumber party. The girls had fun. Charity thought she was one of the girls. She tagged along the entire time. Jarom was smart and stayed the night at a friends.

She got a Nintendo DS and a game from us and her grandparents. Her friend got her this shirt that suits her perfectly. She is pretty bossy. She also got a gift card for more games and manicure things.

Madison wanted a penguin cake. I hate making black icing but she wouldn't be persuaded to change her mind. I ran into some problems with the cake pan (I used the stand up bear) so I had to layer and sculpt the cake. I wanted an easy cake but it took all day. I think it turned out ok.

I bought myself an early Christmas present last week. I've been wanting a KitchenAid for a while and found a good deal. It made making the cake easier. Not to mention I can finally make bread. I have tried everything including a bread machine. This is my first loaf that has EVER turned out. I am too proud. I wanted one of the new colors they have, but John wanted more power. I can't wait for Christmas baking to begin.

I'm making John take me out tonight. I think we'd never have a date if I didn't plan and enforce. I love having a child who can babysit. Maybe we'll get some early Christmas shopping done. First we have to limit our list to a reasonable amount. That what happens after having no money for forever. When you start making money, you have so many things you want. I think we need a new camera. My zoom is getting hard to work and the lens thingy won't open half the time. As you can tell I am very knowledgeable about cameras. All I know is I'm tired of one's that break after a year.

Long day

Friday was Madison's big day! Filming for the movie The Spy Next Door. We were supposed to be at the school at 6:15 but showed up at 6:30 (I was late). We stood in line outside freezing for about 45 minutes waiting to fill out paperwork. She was the last kid allowed to go, the kids behind us were sent home (I guess they over booked). I was so grateful because she would have never forgiven me if I made her miss her big chance.


We them went to the gym and she went off to film and I sat with the other parents. After about an hour two of us decided to wander and see if we could watch the filming and see Jackie Chan. There ended up being 5 of us in the hall acting more like kids than adults. We spent a lot of time giggling and getting dirty looks from the crew. Every time they took a break in filming we all broke out our cameras or phones and tried to peak down the hall to get a glimpse or picture of him. I had to run home to give my mom something, and when I was gone Madison got his autograph and a hug.

They filmed the rest outside where it was easier to see Jackie. We were told no pictures but managed to sneak a few. I was standing by a SUV when he got out but didn't realize it was him until he was farther away. There was also the guy from Kids in the Hall and News Radio there, but we couldn't remember his name, Dave somebody. His 4 year old was in the movie.


It was long work for the kids. They spent hours standing around and had to reshoot scenes about 20 times. Mads ended up working a little over 11 hours in all. One of the crew we talked to said they were planning on being there til midnight. That's a long day! I have a new respect for the movie crew and cast. They do feed you awesome though. The cast and crew had better food than us extras but we had ribs and chicken. Not bad!

Madison decided she wanted to try out for all the extra parts that are in Albuquerque. I guess they film a lot of movies here. She got all sorts of info and phone numbers from the stand ins. It's difficult with the hours though especially with taking Jarom to school. She made $90 so maybe I'll let her try again. My camera was in the car but I got some pictures on my phone. My zoom broke so they aren't great but you can get an idea.

Madison waiting for her makeup.



The best picture I got of Jackie.

The autograph Mads got.

After filming a scene Jackie and some stunt doubles were playing hackeysack on the lawn. He's not bad.

Madison was in heaven, but after lunch the thrill had worn off and I was ready for a nap. We rushed home and got everyone in their costumes as fast as we could. I didn't have time to get pictures so I'm hoping to make the kids dress up again tomorrow and get some. We were 1/2 hour late to the trunk or treat and many people were leaving. After that we went trick or treating in a friends neighborhood for a bit. I was dragging by this time. Then we went to a friends house and played Guitar Hero World Tour. I'm not much of a drum player but we had a blast.

We didn't get home until 11:00. Gone from 6:00 am til 11:00 pm. Maybe that's normal for some people, but I was completely exhausted. It was quite a memorable day for both Mads and I. We can't wait to see the movie when it comes out.

Casting Call

They are filming a movie staring Jackie Chan at Madison's school Thursday and Friday. Madison went to a casting audition on Monday to try out for an extra. We hadn't heard anything by today so she was pretty disappointed.

We received a call at 9:00 tonight that she is going to be an extra. Not only does she get out of school during filming but she gets paid. She is so excited. Hopefully Jackie Chan will be there. I'd love to see him. I'll try to bring a camera or at least get a picture with my phone. Small problem. I have to be there all day Friday without Jarom and Charity. Hopefully my mom's available.

I was looking at the information and they are still looking for "mall background" for the movie. Hmm, we'll see how much they pay. Maybe I can be mall background. I wouldn't mind some extra spending money.

My mom know's a guy who does extra work for most of the movies that come's in town. He say's it's pretty cool and gets to meet a lot of the movie's stars. Mads has begged me to let her go to auditions before but I always said no. Lucky girl they were filming at her school.

October

October is my favorite month of the year.


First, because it's my birthday!
A great excuse to buy myself things and not feel guilty.






Another reason is because of the Balloon Fiesta. I am not a morning person, but I enjoy taking Madison to school early because I love to see the balloons in the sky.

I also love the weather. That it cools off (but not too cold and NO snow), and the leaves changing colors. It is one of the most beautiful sights. My brother-in-law took this picture. I stole it from his blog. I have neither the camera nor the skill. Thanks Jared!

I love Halloween. It's not my favorite holiday but an excuse to buy tons of chocolate is fine with me. I usually buy our candy early, eat half of it, and then buy more. Not to mention stealing candy from my kids bags.

I am excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas but sad that October is almost over.

Tagged

Tagged


Things I was doing 10 years ago...

1.) Working for a cab company
2.) Living in Las Vegas
3.) Thinking my husband will never be done with school (he finally graduated in June)
4.) Deciding that Madison was going to be an only child.
5.) Enjoying the warm Las Vegas weather.

*5 Things on my "To-Do" list today...
1.) clean
2.) take a bath
3.) get John to set up the heater (it's cold!)
4.) shop
5.) study lesson

*5 Snacks I enjoy...
1.) Diet Dr. Pepper
2.) cookies
3.) Popcorn with M&M's
4.) Brownies
5.) Chocolate

*5 Things I'd do if I were a Millionaire...
1.) Pay of debts
2.) Hire a maid (I HATE to clean)
3.) Build my dream house
4.) Travel, travel, travel
5.) Save

*5 Places I've Lived...
1.) Farmington,NM
2.) Las Vegas, NV
3.) Albuquerque, NM
4.) Provo, UT
5.) Magna, UT

*5 Jobs I've Had
1.) TV producer assistant (for 2 weeks - the Baywatch writer and producer)
2.) Dental Assistant
3.) movie theaters
4.) Bakery
5.) dressed up in a Twinkie and loaf of bread costumes and gave out samples

*5 People I tag
1.) Kim
2.) Jacque
3.) Melissa




Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

Coco Huff

Charity has been cracking me up lately.

She decided about 2 months ago that her name was Coco Huff.

It only lasted 3 weeks but it was pretty funny.

I forget how much attitude can be packed into such a small kids.

Here are some of her favorite sayings.

*I'm not nuts, I'm bossy. (I had told Jarom to ignore her cause she's being nuts)

*Please stop talking, you're making me angry.

*I love Nick (Jonas). He's my best friend ever seen.

*Knock, knock,

who's there,

hoo, hoo, hoo,

hoo, hoo, hoo, who

no cry (every knock knock joke ends in "no cry").

I have just about given up trying to potty train her.

We are trying the last ditch effort of no diapers.

Luckily our carpet needs replaced anyway.

We'll see who folds first.

Me or Charity.

Tired

I'm pretty sure that bodies start to deteriorate at the age of 30. One of Madison's friends told her I looked like I was 15 and I told her but I feel like I'm 50. My list of aches and pains keeps growing.

So I've been to the doctor twice this week. Got the results of my MRI and scheduled surgery for my wrist. I'm actually excited. I am so tired of hurting and wearing that stupid splint. But depending on how bad the tear is I may end up in a full arm cast (up past the elbow) for 6-8 weeks, which sounds like lots of fun. Maybe this time I can get out of cleaning this time.

I also had a check up and decided to mention that I have been pretty tired and nauseated lately (NO I am not pregnant). The tired part is recent, but the nausea has been on and off for the last 4 years. I assumed I was tired because I have 3 kids and Charity doesn't go to bed before 11:00, but my thyroid is enlarged so we'll see what the blood tests say. As far as the nausea, no one's sure. No real way to tell. Just deal with it.

I went to Madison's IEP and they want to move her to 2 more gifted classes. We decided to do one now and the other later. I hope that doesn't mean more homework for her. She be doing homework all night. Madison is planning her birthday party (a slumber party YEA!!) and I realized she's turning 12 soon. I have no idea if she is close to getting her Faith in God finished. Some parent and ex-Faith in God leader I am. She lost her book so I need to sit down with her and figure out what she needs to do to finish.

I better get to bed. 6 comes awfully early.

Finally

I've been promising to get this up and running for a while now but always found things to do instead. But thanks to Stacy it's started. We have no pictures up yet. I realized we do not take many pictures. I could only find one picture of our entire family together taken in the last year, and it was a bad picture. I was going to use the pictures Michelle took of us last year but my CD won't work. So the pictures will come later.

We got to see some friends last night that we haven't seen in a while. It was great. I really miss those Newmans. Stacy, email me the pictures please.

I was looking through our pictures today and realized I am horrible at keeping in touch with people. I never write or call family or friends. Hopefully we can keep in touch this way. The picture up above (I don't know what I'm doing and can't move or delete the picture) is of the Wright's from Vegas. Mads and J were practially raised at their house. Now we talk about once a year. Too bad.

Jarom is out of school for the next two weeks!!! I hate spending 3 hours in the car a day driving the kids to school and back. I look for excuses to keep my kids home from school, so I love track break. If only Madison.... I'm such a bad mother. Mads has an IEP tomorrow and I keep looking for an excuse not to go. Maybe I'm just lazy.