Hey Rosalyn!

If you happen to see this...What is your blog address? I tried to get there by viewing your profile, but it wasn't listed. I'm so happy you responded!

Baby R is Here!

So, here's how it all went down. I went to the doctor last week and talked about scheduling my induction for Sunday or Monday. He told me Monday was not doable because the hospital was already completely booked, but he thought Tuesday was still open. The only problem with that would be that I tested positive for group B strep and some pediatricians make the baby stay a full 48 hours after delivery if the mom has group B. That meant we wouldn't be released until Christmas day. After discussing our options, N and I decided we'd contact Santa and see if he could come to our house early this year and I would stay in the hospital until Christmas day.

Monday morning I called my doctor because we still hadn't heard anything about the induction. They called me back and said the hospital was booked all week, but I was on standby for that day. Seeing as how the hospital already had 9 inductions scheduled for Monday I really didn't think we'd be getting in. We celebrated Christmas that morning and then I started to make cookies for a family party. The phone rang and N said, "It's the hospital!" They told me that if I could be in within the hour they'd get me started (we're thinking some strings might have been pulled to get me in, but we're not sure). Now, I hadn't taken a shower, my bags were no where near packed, and I was in the middle of baking cookies. I raced around the house trying to get everything ready and I left for the hospital. I made it and got checked in around 3pm. By 4pm they started all my patient in-take stuff and at 5pm my doctor broke my water and started the pit drip. I got my epidural and my labor continued to progress. At about 10pm my nurse said I was ready, but she wanted to wait half an hour to see if the baby would come down a little more. She called my doctor and at 10:45 he came in. The nurse asked if she should call the nursery and he said, "First let's do one push just to see where we stand." About 3 seconds into that push he said, "Quick! Call the nursery! The head is already out." Then he made a joke about something and I laughed the baby out the rest of the way. So, at 11:01pm, baby R made her debut. She had a true knot in her cord, which is kind of rare according to my doctor. (In case you are wondering, a true not means that she made a loop and swam through it to make a knot in the cord.) She weighed just over 7 pounds and was 19.5 inches long. She has a full head of dark hair (my first child to be born with hair).

I think it is a little early to say whether she is a "good" baby or not, but the kids are completely smitten with her. And, since I know you are all wondering: I'm doing pretty good. I'm not in a whole lot of pain and really it has been an easy recovery so far. Cross your fingers that it continues that way.

I Swear My Kids ARE Supervised...Most of the Time

Sunday as we were getting ready for Church, H and K could be heard up stairs playing together happily. Every mother's dream, right? I guess that would depend on what said children were doing to entertains themselves. I mean, playing a game together? Great. Playing with their toys together? Wonderful. Reading books together? Love it. Dumping 7 boxes of baby/kid clothes on the floor, emptying two bags of diapers on top of said clothes, and then making it snow with a bottle of baby powder on top of that? NOT SO MUCH!!!!

At least my house smells good now!

My Favorite

This is my very favorite Christmas decoration. After years of coveting one that my mom has, Santa brought me this for Christmas. I love that it has Santa (an important symbol of giving) reverencing the true reason we celebrate Christmas--the One who gave us the greatest gift and did it unselfishly.

(Oh, and thanks to N, who also claims this as his favorite decoration, for taking the picture.)

Grandma's Ornaments

Every year my mom makes all of her grand kids a tree ornament. I'm sure it was a lot easier when there were one or two kids, but now there are 14 (with two more on the way!) . Each year the kids love getting their Christmas bags from Grandma that have, amongst other things, their ornaments. I think it is something the adults love seeing as well--we all want to know what the ornament is each year.

These are pictures of the ornaments we have received since H's first Christmas, and yes, she made them all.

The Letter Block--I know she had trouble finding Christmas themed pictures for some of her grand kids:



The Bear:



The Nativity:



The Spider--legend has it that spiders created the first tinsel. This story is an old family favorite.



The Letter to Santa holder:



The Quilted Ball--I've been told it took her about an hour for each ball:



Can't wait to see what she comes up with next year!

N's Work's Kids Christmas Party

Does that title make sense?

Every year, N's work has a Christmas party just for the kids. Some times it is at the station and sometimes it is at Encanto Park and they let the kids ride all the rides for free. This year it was at the station. Santa came and brought each of the kids presents and posed for pictures with them. There was also a coloring table, cookie decorating table and donuts, cookies and hot chocolate. With the exception of actually sitting on Santa's lap, my kids totally love going.

This year Santa brought H a Playmobil Nativity set. I swear I thought her face would break from all the smiling. A little back story: I have a Precious Moments Nativity that I let the kids play with. It truly is one of the highlights of H's Christmas. She actually started asking me before Thanksgiving when we would get the "Jesus play set" out. She was beyond thrilled to know that Santa had heard her when she said she wanted a play set of her very own.



K was the only one of my three that actually sat and listened to Santa's stories/songs. However, when Santa asked him to come up and help out, K buried his head in his hands and said, "No." He wanted nothing to do with Santa until he learned that Santa had a present for him. Then he was a little more willing to sit on Santa's lap. K got a set of tools that he really enjoys playing with.



We actually thought M would be the easiest of the three. And he was...until he saw that Santa was holding him. Then, his bottom lip stuck out so far and the tears started to flow. He got a ball tower thing-y (I have no idea what to even call it) and he loves throwing the solid wood balls all over the house.

Today when I went to pick H up from school her teacher brought her out to me and said, "She just told me this as we were walking over her." My first thought was, "She's had an accident." But, no. Her teacher continued, "She told me that one of the boys in class kissed her." I looked at H and said, "Was it Zander?" She and the teacher said, "Yes." Then her teacher told me that she would be talking to Zander's mom about the whole thing. (FYI: Zander is a boy in our ward and H's primary class. She has been talking about him being her boyfriend for a while now.)

So, on the way to the car I started asking H some questions.

me: Where did he kiss you?

H: By the double doors. (Cute, right?)

me: No, I mean did he kiss your cheek, your mouth, your arm...?

H: My lips. But mom, he broke up with me.

me: Well, you are a little young to have a boyfriend. You shouldn't be kissing boys either.

H: I DIDN'T kiss him! HE kissed ME!

We got home and I called N at work to tell him that H had her first kiss. He said, "Are you trying to kill me?" Clearly, he is not ready to deal with this and I think he is ready to lock her in her room until she's 30.

When H heard me telling N about the kiss she got kind of angry and told me she didn't want anyone to know. She even told her friend at school (who is a girl, by the way) not to tell anyone. I'd like to be able to tell her that I didn't tell anyone but dad, but really this is too cute not to tell!

K's Nose

This morning N was checking out K's nose. They had been playing and I thought maybe K had a bloody nose or something. N took care of whatever it was so I didn't think too much of it. Then a while later I noticed this red mark on K's nose. I asked him what happened and he didn't know. N chimes in and says, "I pinched him. It was actually pretty close to a shark bite." I stared at him in disbelief. Luckily, it doesn't seem to bother K.

A Family Update

I realized that I haven't blogged much lately. Not because there isn't anything to blog about, just because I haven't. At any rate here is a little update for anyone who cares.

My pregnancy is going along swimmingly. No problems as of yet, though my hands have started to itch a little. Could be dry skin though so I'm not overly concerned yet. I wish I could get a decent night's sleep. I have been having about 3 or 4 contractions a day. Kind of weird for me since I never had contractions with my other 3 until I started the pitocin.

Moday N and his parents loaded up a U-haul with all the garbage that the previous owners of our house had left in the backyard. They took it to the dump and found out it was 1200 pounds of trash! Other than that life has been pretty normal for N. He is trying to find $60 and my permission to buy the new Call of Duty game. I keep telling him maybe Santa will bring it early if he is good.

H is still loving school. This past Monday when I picked her up she told me she had a boyfriend. His name is Zander. He is also in her primary class. I asked her what having a boyfriend meant and she said that they play together. I wasn't too concerned until she said, "But, someday I will hug and kiss him." I told her that I thought she was a little too young to be hugging and kissing boys. She also told me she is trying to be friends with another boy named Christian, but he is always getting in trouble. Are there no girls in her class? Well, Friday when I picked her up she told me that Freddie made Zander break up with her. She didn't seem too devastated so I didn't push it.

K loves that fact that our new house is all tile downstairs. He rides his big Tonka dump truck all over and has so much fun doing it. Unfortunately, it isn't the quietest of activities. He also loves to play Uno and is pretty good at it. It is really helping him learn his numbers. This morning at breakfast we were eating pancakes and he took a huge bite. He told me he wanted a big tummy. Then he asked where my big tummy was so I showed him. He said, "Your tummy is almost as big as Dad's!" N was not too thrilled but I thought it was funny.

M is working on cutting his third tooth in about as many weeks. He has been pretty miserable, but most of the time he is still very happy. I'm not sure if he has a cold or if he just has a runny nose associated with teething. He is getting so big and is starting to stand on his own. He hasn't tried to take any steps and really doesn't cruise along the furniture, but he might just be walking by Christmas.

Someday I'll Think This Is Funny...Right?

Before:
After:
This afternoon H and K decided they needed to play a game. No big deal right? I didn't think so either until I saw that they had spilled the contents of every single card game we own all over the floor. They then refused to help me pick them up. So I sent them to their rooms. At some point K snuck into H's room, but I really wasn't too concerned. I just wanted them to be out of the way so I could clean up all the cards. Then it got really quiet. Too quiet. I called for them to come out and they didn't come. After about 3 or 4 times asking them to come out they emerged covered in paint. I jumped up (no small feat for an 8.5-month pregnant woman) and went in H's room and saw her closet. I burst into tears and called my mom who promptly offered to come and help me clean it up. As you can see from the "after" shots it didn't really come too clean. What you don't see in the before pictures are the 12 bottles of acrylic paint spilled everywhere, a handful of paintbrushes all over, 3 Sunday dresses ruined by the paint, the clothes H and K were wearing that were ruined by the paint, K's brand new shoes (as in, just bought them this morning) ruined by the paint, and H and K painted from head to toe.

Someday I might find this amusing...Today is not someday.

Is this for real?

Okay, so this is not something I would typically post on my blog, but I was looking through the ads today and saw this in the Kohl's ad. Now, is it just me or does that look like a ladies' top? Maybe I'm just so lost fashion-wise that I didn't realize this is the new style of mens' undershirt?

So, you're THAT kind of voter...

Today N and I were filling out our early ballots (yes, we've missed the mail in deadline). H asked what we were doing and we told her we were voting. She said that they voted at her school and that she voted for John McCain. I said, "Why'd you vote for him?" She said, "Because his assistant is a girl." (We think she was referring to his running mate, Sarah Palin.)

Budding Politician?

Sunday we went to church with my parents. Since their ward meets at lunch time, I took a small snack for the kids. As soon as we got to church I remembered that my parents' ward (maybe stake) has a no food in the chapel policy. H saw the snack in the diaper bag and wanted it. I double checked with my mom about the policy and told H that no snacks were allowed. She looked at me and said, "Are we still in the United States of America?" I said, "Yes," and she said, "Then we are free to do whatever we want."

Pretty

This past Monday we had lots of people over to help us clean and get things fixed around the house. When H got home from school she started playing. After a while I realized I hadn't heard a peep out of her in a while. I found her in my bathroom trying to make herself pretty. Of course she would have to use my waterproof mascara. I told her to stay out of my makeup and I put it away and went back to cleaning. Again, I noticed I hadn't heard from her in a while. I went back to the bathroom and found her with my makeup again.

First Day of School...Take 2

Since we moved, H had to switch schools. She was not too happy about it either. This past Monday was her first day as a Baracuda. We got her registered and in class and as I was walking away I was proud of myself for not crying like I did on her other first day of Kindergarten. I was, however, praying that she would find a friend and have a good day. Her teacher, Mrs. White (H wondered if her first name was Snow), said she had a good first day. Phew! She has since made friends with a girl named Riley.

Today was a half day at school and when we got home she came in the kitchen where I was making lunch and started crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said that no one would play with her at recess. My heart just sank and I sat with her and cried. Her poor heart was breaking and mine was breaking for her. Tomorrow will be better, right?

I'm kind of disappointed in this school so far. All I've seen H come home with is coloring pages. Yesterday she told me they watched "Max and Ruby" and "Spongebob" while waiting for school to get out. I really hope she is learning at school, but I'm not sure she is. When I ask her what they did she can't remember (which is not a different answer than I used to get, but at least at her old school I could kind of tell what she was learning by looking through all her papers).

What's Been Going On

I used to think it would be fun to buy an old fixer-upper and renovate it. Not anymore and this house isn't really a fixer-upper. We knew going in that this house was in need of a good cleaning, but I think we may have been a little optimistic about it all. On Friday I took the kids over to the house to start the cleaning process (cleaning with three kids in tow and being pregnant ought to be easy, right?). N had to work, but his parents and brother were going to be over to help me. I took one look at the house and was completely overwhelmed. I sat down and cried, regretting the decision to ever buy it. We started in and got to work. We had to have it clean enough that we could move our stuff in the next day. The kids feet and legs were black by the time we were done for the day. Even now, almost a week later, they still turn black when walking around barefoot. It is coming along, but we still have a lot to do. I would say that I regret buying it at least once a day. I keep telling myself that once we get settled in it will be okay.

I forgot to mention something about the house. To give you an idea of what we are talking about, N and his mom both cleaned 5 pieces of gum EACH off the top ledge of the shower. Seriously, who does that? Do you suddenly realize when you are in the shower that you had gum in your mouth and you no longer want it? I mean, you can't keep it in there for the 10 or so minutes of your shower? What the heck is that about?

In other news, M's first of two teeth finally cut through. The second shouldn't be too far behind. He is much happier and so am I.

M's Favorite Place in the Entire House

M loves to be under the table. Ever since he became mobile, if he is missing I know I can find him under the table. I recently discovered that his big brother and big sister purposely drop food on the floor for him to find. Earlier this week K dropped part of an Oreo on the floor and M found it. After he found it he absolutely wouldn't stay away from the table. Apparently I need to be more diligent about sweeping after meals.

Yesterday at Church

During the sacrament K leaned over to me and told me his phone was ringing. I told him it wasn't, but he assured me that it was. He then pulled his contraband (aka my old, non-working cell phone) out of his pocket and said, "Hello?" When N leaned over to tell K that we don't talk on the phone at church, K looked at him, plugged his ear and continued with his conversation. After church I asked him who had called him during the sacrament and he said he didn't know.

Also, after the sacrament when the deacons were all lined up right before they go sit with their families, K asked me if they were the prophets. When I said no he said, "Oh. Well, then who are the prophets?"

Aren't School Pictures Great?

H had a hard day at school

Monday was a hard day for H. She had been up late Sunday "reading" and was really tired when I woke her up for school. She really wanted to wear a ring that her Grandma E gave her, but it was too big and we were afraid she'd lose it. She was not happy with that decision and cried the whole way to school. She clung to N as she walked her up to her class and he was afraid he'd be bringing her back home.

She got home that afternoon and I was talking to her about her day. I asked her why she had been so sad that morning. She said it was because she missed her dad and didn't want him to leave. I said, "Oh, I thought it was because you wanted to wear your ring." She said it was both of those reasons. N called her over to him and they were talking about it while I went through her backpack. I found a paper that she had practiced writing her name on and on the back she had written, "I mis yue dad." I showed N and he and I both ended up in tears over it.

Today I was talking to Tiffin and she said that Monday when the bus pulled up to the bus stop her kids were excited because they saw N and thought it was their dad. Then H yelled, "No, it's my dad!"

H has a Boyfriend!

Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start!).

Sunday evening I had a church meeting. I was actually giddy to be getting out of the house all by myself without it being for grocery shopping. I told N that the meeting started at 7:00 so I would be leaving around 5:00. Just to make sure I wasn't late or anything! That really didn't go over very well. So, about 6:30 I was explaining the nightly bedtime ritual to N and it really felt as if I was telling a babysitter. I kinda felt bad when I told him that especially since he is actually very helpful around the house. He just isn't usually home at bedtime so he isn't used to the routine. As I was leaving I told N that if I wasn't home by 10:00 not to worry. Another lead balloon.

When I got home from the meeting (which was really good, by the way), N was playing his video games. I went to check on the kids and found K sleeping in H's bed, but no H. So I asked N where H was and he said, "Oh, probably in our bed." I went back there expecting to find her asleep, but no. She was sitting on the bed in the dark "reading" The Lost World. Yes, you read that right. She was trying to read Michael Crichton's The Lost World.

N came back and the three of us started talking. I mentioned that H's primary teachers were at the meeting and they had said they make the kids sit boy-girl to help keep them reverent in class. I asked H about that and she said she sat by Jonathan. (There isn't a Jonathan in her primary class and we determined that he is in her class at school.) Then she started to blush as she said she liked Jonathan. We asked her why she liked him and she said, "Because he shares his fruit roll ups with me. But we aren't supposed to share so if the teachers come by we just put our hands under the table and do this." She then looked up and around with that I'm-not-doing-anything-but-really-I'm-doing-something look. We asked her if she shared anything with Jonathan and she said she shares her cheese and crackers sometimes, but if the teachers come by they just don't chew.

Fast forward to this morning as I was making H's lunch. I said, "H, did I forget to cut your chips yesterday?" (She can't quite open the chips on her own, so I cut a small slit in the top so she can rip them open.) She said, "Yeah, but it's okay. When you forget I just ask Jonathan to open them for me."

She's only 5 and she's already giving her dad ulcers!


These pictures are from later Sunday night after she had fallen asleep "reading". As a side note: she also really likes to read Dracula. I can't convince her that it is scary because (as she says) "there are no scary pictures in it." I can't wait 'til she tells her teacher that her favorite book is Dracula!

Gee, Thanks for the Clarification!

Today at lunch N, K and I were talking about different foods we like/don't like.

K: I only like things that aren't yucky.

Me: What kinds of things aren't yucky?

K: Only things that taste yummy.

Me: Glad we got that straightened out.

Another K moment

It is so much fun having an only child again! H is at school all day and M is napping most of the morning so it is just me, N and K.

Today, N and I were talking about political things (read: frustrations, concerns, worries) back in our room and K was playing with his cars in the front room. K said something about his robot being broken so I went out to help him only to find him drinking one of H's juice boxes. I wasn't too happy with him and he said, "I just like juice, mom." Then, after a second he said, "And pizza," and went off to fix his robot (which, by the way, is a pile of pillows, blankets and toys on the love seat). About 1/2 hour later N came out to the front room to use the computer and he asked what I was upset about. I told him and N said, "Oh. I thought there was flour all over or something."

Anyway, N asked K if he had one of H's juice boxes and K said, "Yes. I just like juice." N said, "Well, next time ask mom or me and we'll get you a drink."

K's response? "Water is not juice, dad."

Overheard

The other day I was in the kitchen making dinner for the kids. H and K were playing and H says, "My oh my, this is the December of fatness." I have absolutely no idea where that came from. She says she heard it at school.

Hands Off!

Today at lunch, K, N and I were eating pizza. N had eaten three pieces already and K was working on his second. There was one piece left and this was our conversation:

N (to me): Do you want the last piece of pizza?

Me: No, I was saving it for K.

N: He doesn't need another piece. Two is plenty.

Me: Three is plenty for you.

N: I am at least twice as big as K, so I should get 4.

K: It's my pizza dad.

N: You don't need 3 pieces, K.

K: I need 4.

Me (to K): How could you eat 4 pieces of pizza?

K: I would eat them one at a time with a fork. (I could just see the eye roll and hear the "Duh!")

Well, I gave the last piece to K after he finished his second piece and he teased N with it. So, N came over to try to eat it before K could. When N bent down to take a bite out of it K smacked him in the face--with the pizza! N had pizza sauce all over his glasses and forehead. It was so funny and we all had a great laugh. Then, in the most serious voice I could muster, I told K that he shouldn't do that with his food. I'm sure it was very effective.

First Day of School

Today was H's first day of kindergarten. I went in this morning to wake her up and asked if anyone in her room was going to kindergarten today. With her eyes still closed, she raised her hand and got a huge grin on her face. So we ate breakfast and got dressed (She was very concerned that she didn't have a cell phone to go in the cell phone holder on her backpack). Then, the whole family got in the car and drove her to school.

We didn't stay long and I held it together until we were on our way out to the car. It was really tough seeing her standing on the playground all by herself not knowing anyone. That really was the hardest part and I think if she had known some of the other kids I wouldn't have been crying leaving her there. As we were getting in the car K said, "I'm gonna miss H."

Fast forward to 1:15...We headed out to the bus stop to meet the bus. When it finally came I could see her through the window. She was so sweaty her hair was matted to her face, but she was happy. She loved school. She tells everyone it was great and she it so excited to go back tomorrow.

It's A Girl!

So, now we're even 2 and 2!

California

We had the chance to go to California at the end of July for a family reunion/vacation. We left Sunday after church and drove to Escondido to stay with N's parents in their trailer. Also visiting (in their own trailer) were N's brother and his family. The kids traveled well, except for K. He talked/screamed the entire way, and not because he had a good reason. He was basically just trying to keep himself awake. It was quite the drive.

When we got to Escondido we opened the van doors and we all did a happy dance because the weather was beautiful. It was actually cool! Probably mid-70's and breezy. We took the kids up to a park to let them run around for a little bit (they really needed to stretch after being in the van for so long). N commented that he almost needed his jacket!

That night the fun began. H woke up in the middle of the night complaining that her ear hurt and that she needed her hair brushed because she couldn't get her fingers through it. She had been sick the week before and was still getting over it when we left. I gave her some motrin and noticed that her hair was all stringy and ratty. I realized then that her ear was draining-alot. I woke N up thinking we might need to take her to the ER and we decided that I would call the pediatrician in the morning and see what they thought.

In the morning, we all got ready for our trip to Sea World (the part of the trip H was looking forward to the most). I called the ped and they said we needed to get her to urgent care because she may have ruptured her eardrum. I talked to N and H about it and H wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted to go to Sea World. End of story. So, she toughed it out with her ear draining all day and everything.
The kids LOVED Sea World. We saw almost everything. We saw the dolphin show, the flamingos, the rays and eels, the sharks, the seal lion and otter show (which H loved. She laughed the whole way through), the Sesame Street 4-D movie, the Cirque de la Mer show, the penquins, we rode the rides at the Sesame Street Bay of Play, and of course, we saw Shamu.

We discovered that K is not a very good waiter. He just wouldn't sit still. Then, once a show started he would ask if it was over and he would continue to ask throughout the show. (I don't think we'll be taking him to Disney any time soon. I can only imagine how he'd do waiting in lines.) Despite H's ear she had a great time. She was so excited to see Shamu (it was all we heard about for the week before we left). M did great, as well. N carried him most of the time in the carrier and he slept a lot of the day. He was awake to see Shamu, and wasn't the least bit happy when he got splashed in the face by Shamu. Twice. (Side note: K hid under the bench when Shamu started splashing.) Sea World was a long day and the kids crashed on the drive back to the trailer. We couldn't even get them to wake up to eat dinner.

The next morning H and I went to urgent care to get her ear checked out because it was still draining. After an hour wait we got in to see the doctor who said he didn't see a hole in her eardrum, but it was bulging and swollen. He said the pressure from coming over the mountains probably released the pressure behind her eardrum and caused it to drain. He prescribed an antibiotic, gave us a bottle of motrin and some mucinex samples, and sent us on our way.

So, it was on to Oceanside to the family reunion. We arrived at the camp ground and got all situated. We visited with everyone that day and had a great time being outside. We also found out there had been an earthquake in LA, but we didn't feel it.

Wednesday, which H declared was the greatest day of her life, we went to Balboa Park. We rode the carousel and then walked around a little. H saw a dinosaur on the side of a building and just had to go inside. It was the San Diego Natural History Museum. The kids loved seeing the dino skeletons. There was a water exhibit which was fun to see. There were also snakes, lizards and other animals all over inside. There was a huge shark hanging from the ceiling and K was terrified of it. It was all we could do to get him to stand for a picture with it.

Thursday we all went to Oceanside Beach. Let me just say, H is a beach baby. She LOVED the ocean. K liked the ocean, too. It was the sea weed that scared him. Seriously. He shrieked anytime any sea weed came near him and made whoever was standing by him pick him up. Even the sea weed on the beach scared him. M wasn't too fond of the water, but that could have been because it was cold. We attempted sand castles. K declared mine to be a volcano. In my defense, I was just getting a pile of sand and hadn't even started my actual castle.

Friday we came home. The ride was much quieter as K fell asleep and stayed asleep until Blythe. Even though our vacation was fun I think we were all happy to be home. M was thrilled to be able to stretch out on the floor and wiggle around.

Random Act of Kindness

I've been meaning to post this for a couple of days and just haven't. Here goes.

On the 4th of July we had one heck of a monsoon "breeze" blow through here. Of course it would be the day after the corn fields behind our house were plowed down. We literally had 6 inches (at least) of corn husks and other debris on our front porch. I didn't know it was there until my brother-in-law picked up our flag (which had been completely ripped off the front of the house) and brought it up to the door at almost 10:00pm. The next day was N and my anniversary and we weren't home pretty much the whole day so it didn't get picked up. Then, it was Sunday--not exactly a Sabbath appropriate activity. Well, Monday morning the kids and I got all ready to go outside and clean it up. We went out the garage and turned the corner to the front door. H was in the lead and stopped dead in her tracks and said, "Huh?" I turned the corner and saw that our porch had been completely swept clean. Our first guess was the Clarks, but Tiffin denies having anything to do with it. We have no idea who did it or when they did it, but it was greatly appreciated.

Now to find some way to pay it forward.

July 4th...Bah humbug!

OK, so the 4th of July is one my favorite holiday (yes, it even beats Christmas). Well, it used to be my favorite holiday. See, I married a man who works in TV production and the company he works for happens to broadcast one of the big 4th of July fireworks shows here. Needless to say, he always has to work on the 4th. And it isn't anywhere near a regular 8 hour shift. Oh no...it is more like be at the station at 8am and get home around 2am the next morning. Add to that the fact that he has to work until 10:45pm the night before and it makes for a horrible two days. N has taken to spending the night at his parents house on the 3rd so as to cut down the drive time and get more sleep.

Now, some people may not think this is so bad, but let me tell you...For me it is. I have a really hard time dealing with my children by myself for that long. Plus, this year M got a summer cold and was miserable both nights. I don't have a very long fuse to begin with, but when I get little to no sleep I have no fuse at all. Add in my pregnancy fatigue and hormones and I was a mess. My poor kids. They weren't even that bad, but I had no patience with them at all.

We were invited to a friend's house for a party, but without N there to help me I would have left after 30 minutes and I would have been in tears. It really is that bad for me.

Alright, enough of that!

One thing that happened on Friday that I had to good sense to take a picture of...We had cheese crisps and beans for lunch (I know, lunch of champions). I had gotten up to go to the bathroom and when I came out K had beans all over his arms, hands, face and the table. He held up his hands and said, "I didn't do it, Mom." I asked him who did and he said, "I don't know."

M is growing like a weed. He is almost 6 months old. We've recently started him on cereal. He liked the oatmeal alright, but when I gave him his first taste of bananas he got a huge grin on his face. I wish I had a picture of it. It was so cute. He has also had peas, but that was when his cold started and he was acting like he had some kind of intestinal pain so I quit the peas. Now, I am pretty sure it was just the cold and not a reaction to the peas themselves. Some time this week we'll try peas again and see what happens. After that is carrots.

H finished her swimming lessons a couple of weeks ago. She did great. We really have to work on teaching her how to come up for breaths. I swear, she'd try to swim the whole length of the pool on one breath if we'd let her. She is getting really excited to start school next month and even laughed when she told her grandma that I was going to cry when she went to school. We'll see who is crying come August 6th...FYI it will probably be both of us!

Babywearing Contest

This would be so awesome to win. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

Going Home and Getting a Home

You know that feeling you get when you come home after being gone for a long time? Well, I'd never really experienced it because I've never been too far from home. I went to college here and after N and I were married we moved into an apartment about 5-10 minutes away from our parents. We were always able to visit whenever we wanted. Even now that we are 45 miles away we still manage to get back home every other week or so.

When we were married we moved into an awesome ward with awesome people. We were very sad to leave it when we moved to our current home. We were so excited when my little sister and her new husband moved into that ward and encouraged them to have a baby soon so we could visit the ward for the blessing (yes, it was a very selfish request). Well, this past weekend we happened to be in Phoenix visiting our families and we decided to visit our old ward. It was truly like coming home. Everyone came up to visit with us and I can't even tell you how many people said they had just been thinking about our family or how many of them encouraged us to move back (as if we could afford it!). It was just a great feeling to have so many people remember us and be genuinely happy to see us. We can't wait for March when my sister and her husband bless their baby!

We also put an offer in on a house. It is a nice 2 story, 4 bedroom house with a huge loft upstairs. Everything seems to be moving along with it, but since it is a short sale we could be waiting for months before we hear anything. We took the kids to see it on Monday and they were not even interested in the backyard because they wanted to play on the stairs. If we get the house I hope that novelty wears off really quickly. We'd be a lot closer to N's work and our families, which is really what we were hoping for. An added bonus is that we'd be really close to my best friend (like a mile or two away--hurray!).

Birthday Card Fun

N got a singing birthday card from a friend at work. The kids LOVED it. This video is actually the second time opening it. Their first reaction was better, but this gets the point across.

Untitled (because I don't know what to call it)

I'm sitting here realizing that it has been quite a while since I posted my last post. I wish I could say that we have just been so busy doing fun things that I haven't had time to post, but that would be a lie. Truthfully, it is the opposite. Nothing has gone on that I've felt was post-worthy. (What is wrong with that sentence? It just isn't right.)

N had a birthday earlier this month. He took the day off work to celebrate and surprised me by also taking the day before off, too. We spent his birthday at his parents' house and had a great time.

H and K started swimming lessons yesterday. H is doing...well, swimmingly. She will be swimming on her own in no time according to her teacher. She especially loves to dive for rings at the bottom of the pool. There's only one problem--she floats and that makes it very hard for her to actually get to the bottom of the pool. K's not taking to the water as well as I had hoped. He loves swimming as long has he has his floaties. He'll even jump off the diving board if he has them. So, getting in the water without them has been a little challenging. He is starting to warm up to the idea, but I've decided to pull him out of lessons until next summer when he is a little bit older. N and I will work with him in the mean time to get him used to not having his floaties.

M is just as happy as ever. Seriously, he is the best baby. He pretty much only cries when he is hungry or tired and even then he stops as soon as he is picked up. I marvel at how good he is. I know you're not supposed to have favorite children, but he is mine (at least right now). I'd have 100 babies if I could be guaranteed they'd be like him. (Okay, so not really, but you get my point.)

I'm doing pretty good. So far, this pregnancy is unlike any of my others. I am so tired it is unreal. Luckily, I can take naps when N is home. That helps a lot. I haven't really had much morning sickness. There have been some waves of nausea here and there, but not the constant, all day, wish-I-could-puke-my-brains-out sickness (I probably just jinxed myself). Believe me, I'm not complaining. I had an ultrasound at my appt earlier this month. There is only one baby and everything looks good. K has named this baby "Boo-Boo Sauce." Occasionally it is "Boo-Boo Head Sauce."

Aliens

Can you believe May is over? Where do the days go? The other day N and I went to see Indiana Jones. We haven't been to the movies in...oh...forever. As we were walking in we started talking about the price. We went to a matinee and it was still 15 bucks! Here's a snipet from our conversation:

Me: "Man, I remember when a matinee was $4 and a regular movie was $6."
N: "Yeah, me too."
Me: "Oy! We're turning into those people."
N: "What people?"
Me: "You know, the kind that say, 'I remember when a movie was 4 bucks and gas was 99¢'"
N: "Oh. Those people."

I knew I was getting old, but I really sounded like it during that conversation. By the way--didn't so much care for the movie. Guess I'm not really an alien kind of girl.

Speaking of aliens. I finished The Host on Wednesday. It took me an entire week to read it. It just didn't capture my attention the way the Twilight Series did. I guess I liked it alright, but I thought it was slow in the beginning (meaning hard to follow until I understood what was going on) and at the end. In the middle I found myself torn with what I wanted to happen. I don't know why, but the name Wanda bugged me the whole time I was reading. I'm sure I'd read a sequel (I'd like to find out if the humans ever reclaim Earth and what happens with all the love connections), but I've heard Stephenie Meyer has said she doesn't want to write a sequel. We'll see.

Bring on the SUGAR!

Okay. I am officially quitting...er, stopping my "no sweets" month. Yes, I know it is a week early. But darn it, I'm pregnant and having serious sugar cravings. I did really well, if I do say so myself. I slipped twice. Once, when I went to Costco and they were sampling cream puffs. I just took it and ate it. Didn't even think about it until after I had eaten it. The second was those darn Mint Crisp M&M's. I had seen an ad for them and wanted to try them, but couldn't find them anywhere. Then, my SIL blogged about them and said they tasted like Thin Mints. So I stepped up my search and was finally able to find them. I bought 2 bags--one to take to pizza night and one to save for June 1st. I wasn't going to eat any of the first bag, but I did...2 of them. So, there you have it. After 23 days I'm calling off my ban on sweets. Bring on dessert!

Which brings me to my next topic. N went to the store on his way home last night to buy some ice cream. He has been dying ever since I started the whole no sweets thing. I saw it in the freezer this morning and it is small. I literally did a double take. Whatever happened to a half-gallon of ice cream? I mean, I knew they got smaller a while ago and were only 1.75 quarts, but now they are only 1.5 quarts. Do you think they lowered the price at all? Umm...NO! FYI the ice cream he got is so yummy. It is Dreyer's Loaded Chocolate Chip Mint Brownie. HELLO! What a way to end a sweets fast, huh?

No New House for Us

So, we didn't get the house. Here's a little back story. A little over a week ago we put an offer on a house. It was a small-ish 4 bedroom over in Sundance. It really would have been a great starter house for us. We put an offer in and waited. And waited. Then, late Friday afternoon we got a call from our realtor that we didn't get it. Someone had come in with a larger offer and quite a down payment, I guess. We're okay that we didn't get the house. We felt good about it going in and we still feel good about not getting it. We're still looking, though not really very diligently. Even though the market is really great it isn't quite really great for us yet (and I'm beginning to think it never will be!). Having one income stinks sometimes.

Surprise, Surprise!

About two months ago I had this crazy idea. If we were to get pregnant right then we could have a baby before the end of the year. Since M was born in January this new baby would essentially be free (at least as far as the delivery is concerned) because I met my annual deductible and out of pocket payments with M. I mean, heck, we're going to have more kids anyway, why not have one of them be free? I told N about my idea and he was on board...for a day. Then we both decided it was a dumb idea. M wouldn't even be a year old when the baby was born. Talk about chaos! Add in my PPD and well, that is just asking for trouble. Well, the month passed and I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. I figured we had one more month to try because technically, I would deliver the baby a month early. I talked to N again about it and we decided if it happened it happened and if not no big deal. Fast forward about a month and yep, you guessed it...I'm pregnant! We know it is going to be interesting (to say the least), but we really feel like this is what Heavenly Father wants for our family. So, come mid-December we should be welcoming Baby Peanut to our family.

Side note to my family: If our offer on the house is accepted (which we aren't too hopeful about considering there are so many other offers on it) we will be moving to a new ward where come blessing day we will be starting at 8:00am--again!

Most Things Have an Opposite

And in my house one of those things is H. Her opposite? K. If they have to choose something (color of otter pop, what to eat for dinner, what music to listen to, etc) she will wait until he has chosen his and then she will choose the opposite (or at least something different). It is very annoying. Can't wait 'til M gets to start making choices, too!

A couple of nights ago at pizza night, H started making me Mother's Day "things". She would use my mom's paper punches and edged scissors to make me wonderful Mother's Day surprises. Then, she would run to me and say. "Happy Mother's Day!" and hand me whatever it was. The next day, she wanted to make more so I got out the few punches and scissors that I have and she and K went to town. And, guess who got to clean this loveliness up? I guess it is only fair--they are my gifts, after all! Happy Mother's Day indeed!

This Is Gonna Be Long

Okay, this sugar thing (or should I say no sugar thing) is not as bad as I thought. I've had a couple of near slip-ups, but I'm not off the bandwagon yet. Sunday I was given a king-size Twix bar. Figures. I gave parts of it to each of the kids and N. (I saved one stick for myself for June 1--it's in the freezer, but don't tell anyone). Then, the other night the kids and I were at my parents' house for pizza night and my dad brings out the soda. Not really such a big deal because I don't drink soda a lot anyway. BUT there was root beer. I love root beer. I'd move to Utah or Idaho simply because Barq's is caffeine free there. I made it through, though. Just opened myself up a bottle of water and I was good to go. I have had major cravings for ice cream and cookies, but since there aren't any in the house I'm okay there, too. (Poor N. He doesn't get them either!) This Sunday is Mother's Day. At church the women are getting chocolate (I know because N has been putting them together). I've already promised mine to the kids. Usually for M-day I would get a tub of Red Vines. This year...not so much. It's been hinted that I might be getting a can of peanuts. Nothin' says love like a can of peanuts. So, I'm doing good and I plan to make it to May 31st. I just wish these cravings would go away.

Speaking of Mother's Day...I have received my present already. It is a new camera. I've been wanting one for a while now, but we just never had the available funds. Well, along comes our Economic Stimulus (thank you, Congress!) and voila! I get a new camera. I had to do all the research and choose the one I wanted (N didn't want to take the fall if I didn't like it). I swear--I read so much about cameras that I would go to bed with a headache. I finally decided on a Sony. Originally, I wasn't even looking at Sonys (is plural Sonies?!) because of the whole memory stick thing. Ultimately, though, I decided that I never really shared my SD card with anyone anyway so what did it matter? So far I'm pretty pleased with it. The kids are really excited as well, because they've inherited my old camera. They take great pictures, too. K's are especially good. Well, they would be if he'd keep his finger off the lens.

N is having a proud week. At work they bought all new computers and gave all the old ones to the employees. N scored me one for my scrapbooking and has spent the last few days trying to network our two computers together. It took him a while and a few calls to his brother, but he was finally able to get it to work. Now, when I give myself time outs (or N sends me to my room for being grumpy) I have something productive to do! Speaking of N and his work...he is going to be submitting an entry for an Emmy! It is kind of exciting. He's done it once before and we got to get all dressed up to go to the local awards banquet. He didn't win that time, but it was an honor just to be nominated (or so he was told). Maybe this is his year.

I've been trying to think about what I want to do when I grow up. I really don't have a ton of schooling. I have my AA and I've taken all the classes I would need to transfer to a major U for accounting or elementary ed, but I just don't want to do those things. I worked for quite a few years as a staff accountant. I didn't mind it so much, I guess, but I don't want to do that for the rest of my life. Education was something I thought I would enjoy until I actually had kids. Maybe it is different when they are someone else's kids, but I really don't want to find out. I had thought about graphic design, but N tells me I'd actually have to be creative. On my own. Without copying someone else. He suggested web design/computer stuff (heck, since I'm on it all the time, I may as well get paid for it...or so he says). I just don't know it that interests me either. He also suggested photography. Now, that is something that interests me, but I'm not sure I have the talent for it. My pictures always seem to be...oh, I don't know...unique? And not in a "hey, that is a great photo" kind of way, if you know what I mean. And so, I continue to wonder. Maybe one day I'll figure it out.

Reflections of Christ

In another post I mentioned the "Reflections of Christ" exhibit at the Visitor's Center. Click here to see a 5 1/2 minute slide show of the exhibit.

Random Question

Is it just me or does anyone else type a post, hit save and then wonder why the heck that post is not showing up on their blog? Whose genius idea was it to make a save button that didn't publish the post? Sheesh!

Here Goes Nothin'

As of midnight tonight, I am giving up dessert and other extraneous sugar for a month. Crazy? Maybe. I'm not giving it up entirely; really just getting rid of the dessert-y stuff and juices, Kool-Aid and soda and the like. I'm allowing myself gum, because that is a habit I am just not ready to give up yet. I'm doing this in an effort to curb my cravings for sugar, because let's face it--I love the stuff. Ice cream, cookies, cheesecake. Okay, I need to stop that! I'm hoping that by announcing this publicly I will be able to stick to it (N has already said he will ask me to make him cookies on May 2nd. He is THE DEVIL, I tell you!). Guess I need to head to the store and stock up on "good" sugars like fresh fruit and popsicles. Just kidding on that last one!

Sugar High and Convo's With the Kids

This morning I made pancakes for breakfast. Well, H won't eat syrup on hers, but she LOVES powdered sugar on them. Everyone else had finished theirs and left the table, but H is a pokey eater (I swear, if I'd let her, she'd never leave because by the time she finished breakfast it would be time for lunch. She doesn't eat a lot, mind you, just picks for-e-ver). Apparently she wanted another pancake and was going to do it herself. I happened to turn around to check on her and found she had lost control of the powdered sugar. A little while later she was still at the table and I went in the kitchen to get a drink. I could tell she was hiding something on her chair (mom's are just smart like that, y'know). Upon closer inspection I found she was actually eating the butter out of the tub! (Reminded me of that discover card commercial..."Are you eating butter?")

Yesterday, we were driving to N's parents' house for dinner. The kids fell asleep on the way, naturally. We had just exited the I-17 and from the back seat we hear, "Mom, my lips are drying out!" It was H. She had woken up. N and I just chuckled because earlier we had seen her sleeping with her head back, mouth wide open with her blue sunglasses on. It was quite a sight.
Next, was K's turn. He woke up and said, "That was a really big snore!" He repeated it about 5 times one right after the other. I think he woke himself up with his own snoring.

Then, today H and I were sitting at the table. I was looking for a bread recipe to try for dinner and she was putting a puzzle together. For some reason she thought I had lied to her (lately, she thinks I am always lying to her). I said, "Why are you so critical of me?" (as if she would know what critical meant.) She said, "Because I know all about you. And, what you do!" About 5 minutes later she said something was "Yummy as a hippo." Followed by, "I'm just kidding. It was a joke. You are supposed to laugh when I say something funny."

And, just because I can...here is a picture of K's baseball stance. It is definitely "one of a kind."

Update on the Kiddos

So, I think we have been starving M. He has been Mr. Crankypants lately and I couldn't figure out why. I've even been drugging him with Tylenol "just in case." I've considered early teething because he is drooling like crazy (he literally soaks his clothes) and chewing on his thumb like nobody's business. I've considered constipation, gas, tiredness. Practically everything but hunger. Just for fun, I checked out one of the papers our pediatrician gives us at well checks. It was for his 2 month check up (he is 3 months now). It said that formula fed babies should be getting 25-30 oz a day. I'm positive he hasn't been getting that much. He's probably been getting about 20! Poor guy. No wonder he's been chewing his thumb off!

Yesterday during bath time, H told me she wanted her hair cut like K's. Um...no. She said she wanted Grandma E to cut it like she does Daddy's. Um...no! I asked her if I could trim it for her and she agreed. What a joke! I can't cut a straight line to save my life. I pretended I knew what I was doing and tried to cut layers into it like I've seen the hairdressers do to my hair. I don't think it turned out half bad. She lost about 3 inches because I had to keep evening it, but I think it turned out cute. The picture doesn't really show the layers, but it was the best she'd let me take. Like the smile?

Poor K. Nothing to really update about him. He is cute as ever and so much fun (when he isn't throwing a tantrum). He likes to give kisses and once he gets the idea to kiss someone there is no relenting until he kisses them. Today, he chased H around the house trying to kiss her. She was screaming the whole time, but secretly I think she was really enjoying it. I ended up grabbing her and K kissed her on the leg. Apparently, he wasn't satisfied with the original kiss, though, because he insisted on kissing her leg again. I'm surprised he didn't get hurt from her kicking and twisting. As for his picture, this is the best I could do. Every time the camera is pointed at him he starts jumping around and laughing and he makes it darn near impossible to take a picture.

The Wedding

K and P were sealed yesterday. It was such a nice sealing. The sealer did a wonderful job and gave them both some really good advice (most of which I will be taking to heart). After the sealing, N, the kids and I went to the Visitor's Center to see the new exhibit my Mark Mabry called Reflections of Christ. It is so good. H and K really loved seeing the pictures of Jesus' life. I was so proud that H actually knew what some of the pictures were. She even knew who baptized Jesus. Maybe I just don't give her enough credit, I just figured she was too young to actually remember those kinds of things. She and K were also very excited to see The Christus (or as H calls it "the statue of Jesus with the holes in His hands"). We watched some of the testimonies of the Apostles. I realized while we were there that we don't utilize the Visitor's Center like we should. The kids loved going and seeing everything. What a great tool to teach them the principles of the gospel.
So, back to the wedding. We went to a luncheon at Olive Garden and had a great time visiting with everyone. After that we went to mom and dad's house to help load up last minute decorations and then to the church building for family pictures. The photographer was awesome. She did great. I'm really hoping that my family's picture turns out and that the 4 generation picture I've been meaning to do since H was born turns out. During the reception H and P danced. H asked P at the luncheon if he would dance with her and he agreed. She just absolutely loves her new uncle. The pictures are so cute. Uncle P is such a great uncle to do that for her. I think it completely made her night--seriously, after that nothing could have ruined it for H. She was on cloud nine.
It was such a long day (we didn't get home until midnight), but the kids were so well behaved. Even little M was so good. They had a great time playing with their cousins and eating cupcakes and I had a good time visiting with friends that I haven't seen in a long time.

Civics Quiz

On Monday I was at my parents' house looking through the Sunday paper. I came across the USA Today Weekend magazine and saw an article about how poorly American college students did on a civics test. Shockingly, no school averaged higher than a D+. Harvard scored the highest with a 69.56%. There was a website to visit to take the 60 question test to see how you fared. Well. I'm sad to say that I only scored a 60%. I got only 36 questions right. So, click here and take the test yourself. Then, post your score in the comments (you can't do much worse than I did!). I'm curious how everyone does.

I Scream For Ice Cream!

The other day I was lamenting the fact that I didn't have any ice cream in the freezer and money isn't exactly free-flowing around our house. Not that I need ice cream, mind you. Anyway, Friday night I went to bed before N got home from work because I had to get up early. Well, we have this alarm system on the house and whenever a door or window is opened it beeps three times. We have a keypad in our bedroom which means the beeping is loud and clear in there. I was half awakened by the beeping and was vaguely aware of what was going on. I heard a plastic bag rustling and the freezer open and shut. I will admit that even in my half-asleep stupor I was slightly giddy at the prospect of there being ice cream in the freezer. I fell back asleep almost immediately, but the next morning I did check the freezer. I saw the ice cream carton...Dryer's Loaded...and then there it was. PEANUT BUTTER CUP! Does my husband not know me? I mean, yes, I love peanut butter, but I do not like peanut butter cups. The peanut butter in those things is just not right. I knew I should be grateful; he was trying to do something super nice for me. So when I saw him I was semi-gracious. I happened to be holding M at the time and so I told M that daddy tried to do something really nice for mommy. N vowed never to buy me ice cream again.

Fast forward to today after church. I got home and was getting ice water for the kids. I opened the freezer and there it was. Rocky Road! One of my many favorites (I can't pick just one). You should have seen the smile that crept on to my face. Thanks, N. You're the best!

So Proud

First off, let me say that when it comes to computer-ese I am completely not fluent (heck, sometimes I can barely speak English!). I mean seriously. What is HTML? What is a widget? What's with all the <, >, px, &, = "true"/"false" stuff? I have no idea what any of it means, but I am proud of myself because I was able to manipulate the HTML on my blog and fix some things that were bugging me.

For instance, the header. I don't know if anyone else is bugged by the fact that the pictures go outside the border on the right side, but I was. I resized my picture so many times thinking the problem was me. It wasn't (I should have known better). I found the part in the HTML code that dealt with the header and fixed it. Yea! Now my picture is completely inside the border and I was at peace. Until I looked at my playlist.

I was so irritated that my playlist was too big for the sidebar. I saw someone else's and hers wasn't so I knew it was possible. First, I searched for info on how to resize the playlist, but when I tried it it didn't work. Bummer. So, I made my main blog part a little wider. The playlist still didn't fit so I moved it to the bottom of my blog, but I didn't like it there. I swear it took me over an hour of messing with the code (and copying and repasting it over and over again after I had completely botched it up) to get it to fit. But I did it. I made it narrower and taller. Then I decided to figure out how to get rid of those links at the bottom of the playlist. More cutting, previewing, copying and repasting, but I figured it out.

Next, I tackled the pyzam link at the top. Serously, that thing is UGLY and has bugged me since I got the code for my background. Well, I found that info in the HTML and deleted it. Bye-bye pyzam link and orange-eyesore-of-a-bar at the top of my blog. I am now satisfied with the layout of my blog. Well, until I see something else screwy.

Smile!

M has finally started smiling. He had been kind of hit-and-miss, but lately he will smile at anything: me, dad, Big Sister, Big Brother, the fan, nothing. I love it! Just today he actually let me take his picture smiling. He used to smile and smile until I got the camera out and then...nothing. This morning, though, he was laughing and smiling (at nothing) and I decided to give it another try. He just kept giggling and smiling it was awesome. (The pictures of him in stripes are from this morning. The other ones are from previous attempts.)