sunday mornings with dad=fun for the kids

I've been spending far too much time on the couch looking like this:

However you will notice that my children are wearing dish cloth and placemat capes. This is because Daddy is home this fine Sunday morning before afternoon church. The kids and Dad were busy in the bedroom doing something "really, really cool". I did not have the energy to move from my couch so I told them to bring the fun into the living room.
Once queen size mattress and 2 capes later:

Dads are way more fun than Moms.

What happens with Mom cleans things up.

When I find random burst of energy I like to seize them- for example I'm catching up with blogging while Jake naps.
One Saturday morning (while Nate was actually home) I returned from a run and Nate and the kids were still out on a bike ride. I was feeling good so I decided to clean, totally clean the porch. Toys and all. It really makes me feel good when I accomplish something that isn't even on my list. Sometimes when this happens I will write the accomplished task down just so I can have the satisfaction of crossing it off.
Well I had it looking GOOD.
Then the kids came home.
I have this sad potted morning glory that tries to climb the sticks and things I put in the pot. Jake likes to remove the sticks and the dirt...daily. Mostly the dirt daily. Sometimes he attempts to clean it up. I think he puts it on the ground so he has something to sweep or rake.
Then he also likes to transfer the dirt to different places.

This was several weeks ago- I have sense had to add more soil to the pot and occasionally move it out of 2 year olds reach... but I like it better on the ground.

When the kids get the camera.....

I must have been doing this

Nate must have been doing this

I'm thinking Maesyn was the photographer as there are no pictures of her, but pictures of the rest of the family.

Phoenix Children's Museum

I keep needing to remind myself that the best memories do not require money... they don't require fancy places either and that the home and with family is the most important place. However, it is fun when I find a free day at one of the valley's many museums. Free days also equal chaos but Saturday Feb. 21st found me alone with the kids again. Morning (all day sickness) had yet to take fully take the reigns and I took the kids to a day sponsored by shamrock farms. (The museum is also free in the evenings on the first Friday of the month, so we will go with Nate sometime too- hopefully it is more calm).

Here are some highlights in no particular order.
It was so busy, but I managed to find parking in the front parking lot. We had to take a number and wait to be called. Maesyn and Jake peeped in the window looking forward to the fun. That part was pretty organized but the rest was very hectic. They had lots of staff but I would highly recommend the chuck e cheese method of checking that you are leaving with the same kids you came in with- they stamp a glow in the dark number on your hand that is the same as your party. GREAT IDEA!!!

Maggie Moo, Elmo and Grover. Jake was excited to see them but would not join them for the photo op.
Our first stop after Elmo was the crafting room. They did every single craft available.
Painting this house was Jake's favorite activity. I think I still have paint on my bag from this. He did not want to stop. It was hard because Maesyn wanted to try all of the other stuff but Jake could have stayed here all day.
Cuteness kids being crafty. Just like their mom. Oh to have an art teacher for a mother.
There were so many cool rooms. I don't think I got photos of everything. There was a grocery store that lead into a kitchen/ restaurant and then a ball room. They loved shopping and making things. They had cash registers and play food. Maes wanted to jump from here to there and Jake could have spent hours in each room so it was hard to drag him away when Maes quickly got bored. Here Maesyn is trying her hand at one of the many ball mazes. You drop a ball in and it hits all of the metal things on the way down making different noises.
In the halls and walk ways there was also lots of fun to be had. Maesyn was dying to serve up some ice cream at this ice cream stand.
Then there was a race track that you could climb up on a platform to and drop little cars down as well as this car that you could fix up. Here Jake is driving.
Maes is making sure that it has plenty of gas in this nicely posed picture.
One of the open areas was huge and these "noodles" hung from the ceiling. We ran through and I tried to keep track of my kids by their voices. Nate said "oh that is the place where your kids get kidnapped." It made my mom nervous to know that I took both of the kids there on my own.
Here you can pick and plant flowers.
Outside you could wash these colorful windows. Jake made a point to squirt people with the spray bottles.
This room was my serenity. It said for kids 2 and under (or maybe it was 3) I had avoided it because Maes was past the age limit, but I decided at the end that we would check it out. I was relieved to see that well behaved older siblings could join in. And Maesyn is exactly that. Shoes off though!!
Of course, like all of the other rooms, Jake could have stayed her all day long. He is making me "dinner" that is the only meal to him, even if it is breakfast time.
That kid behind Jake has a fake tattoo on his neck!!! At least when my kids had fake tattoos (from fresh and easy supermarket) I put them on their fore arms and upper arms. Those are two of the places pirates and sailor wear their tattoos and we all know that those are the classiest of all tattoo wearers. Right?

Pregnancy and Lack of Posts

I have taken pictures of cute events in the lives of my children and have tried to remember to post about the darling things they do, even without a picture. But I am envious of my other pregnant friends that have managed to do a little (or a lot) more than I have in their blogs. I regret that before blogging I may have neglected to record some sweet memories in my children's lives, but with this simplicity I hope to keep up with the rest. So hopefully all of my photos will jog some memories. Give me a few more weeks and I hope to have the energy and patience and will power to do a big catch up!
For now I will write about what I did that was amazing and important for me today.
This morning after my early morning workout, before sickness (and exhaustion) set in I had the lofty goal of cleaning the bathrooms (they are off the once a week rotation of deep clean to the "I hope I can get them clean every other week" plan) I also thought it might be possible to get the neatly folded laundry (thanks Nate)off the couch an put away. I was feeling OK at that point... but then Maes woke up and chocolate was served and she and I lie on the couch for about an hour as I contemplated simply functioning for the day. Pregnancy had set in for the day.

Around 9am ish Maesyn and I were bathed and dressed (no make up - PLEASE) and she was sent off to dance class. I ate an apple to soothe my stomach and shared some with Jake. I tried to convince him of a bath, but he did not get one until Noon.
Instead, he and I read books and played with puzzles. He is REALLY good at puzzles. I finally got him in the bath after realizing that his diaper (that had been on sense last night) was going to leak. Then I decided to try to do some potty training? (over cleaning the bathrooms?- Yeah pregnancy impairs your judgment and you are in a constant drunken state- but also feeling hung over all of the time- so I have heard) I made up a cute song that we sang to his pee pee....I have now forgotten it. He let out grunts but no fluids and I put on some of the new pull ups that I bought last week. I told him he looked good and instructed him to check out himself in the mirror.
We brought the potty chair in the living room and he pulled the pull ups off and on off and on and even pointed his peeps at me until I protested "we don't potty on people." No luck... He wore them to pick up Maesyn from her friends house and then to my parents house... He ran to the potty chair at their house and sat on it...grunted and pushed.. got up.... no pee. But then he did a whole bunch of potty in his pullups. The images on the front go away when you pee-not to mention they swell swell swell.


I think he is not ready yet. He still has that pull up on. I think I'll change him and put some pants on him so he can go on his play date during clay class.

All in all, even though my bed is still unmade, the laundry is on the couch, with a new load of towels I can say today was good because Jake and I had good quality time, and that is most important.
I think I am also in a better mood due to my "run" this morning and the fact that there are not dirty dishes.
I am not going to let my house completely go...but I do feel better when I get to spend some good lovin' time with my kids....It is for sure more fulfilling then a made bed- although that makes me feel good too. The bed will be unmade and made again, but I cannot replace or redo quality time with Jake and Maesyn.

Another e-mail to nate at work.

I really should keep a journal of the e-mails I send to Nate at work. They are usually lists of what I am doing that day or what I have accomplished. I'm a list person. He is not home very often so sometimes I feel it is the only way I get to communicate with him.
I type very quickly and I always have spelling and grammatical errors.
here is the latest e-mail he sent back to me:

RE: early morning work
Nate Garner - MedPro (nate_garner@)
Wed 3/18/09 3:03 PM
heidi garner (heidileagarner@hotmail.com)
I do think it is a good idea. You should look over what you wrote me to see the hilarious place where you forgot a comma. I love you! - Nate

From:heidi garner [mailto:heidileagarner@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:56 PM
To: Nate Garner - MedPro X
Subject:early morning work out
While running today we stopped by sonic for some kids candy sundaes (for the kids- i just had enough change in the jogger for 2) and dxxxxxx Xxxxxxx was there with her 4 kids (the step kids are at their mom's) and 2 kids she was watching and her mom...they had walked) i asked her if she was up to 6 am runs again and she said yes. she had not run sence october and has gained XX lbs. i did not even notice (honestly-she really carries it very well). So tomorrow we start. I'm going pretty slow so she should keep up.(remember -i'm pregnant).
Do you want me to have you get up at 5:30 too so you can read and go biking? If I'm getting up I can make you get up. I'll get ready, eat poop and read and hopefully have it done by 6 when she meets me. it is starting to get hot so the 6 am will be good.
Do you think that is a good idea?
loveya
heidi
I added the text in black. Can you find my funny error?

people watching

So... i love watching people. In airports I look at their clothes and wonder where they are from and what their houses look like and what they eat and what their jobs are. In hotels, at the breakfast I wonder who had --- the night before. (i think a friend in high school mentioned that they did that so I was hooked too). At breakfast every morning on our honeymoon cruise I would wonder that about people and wonder if people wondered that about me when they were people watching. You know I am not the only people watcher.
I also look at people's bodies a lot. I'm self conscious about my bum so I'm always checking out bums. In search of the perfect bra I was always looking at people's boobs and I wanted to ask women what bra they had so that I could have cute boobs like theirs. If people noticed me doing this I might have appeared to be a pervert. sorry.
At concerts I love to people watch. I love to look at tattoos and really really really love sleeves. Sexy...at least on young people and the occasional old guy that only gets to work in a record shop (i guess). I wonder about their lives. I look at their tight jeans and worn out converse. They buy expensive drinks and I just think about the cost. Money Money Money. Certainly they are not wishing and waiting for a bigger house with a yard, tramp and jungle gum for their kids, not to mention a living room and an additional bedroom and a garage to one day put a mini van in. No, they probably have a small apartment or share one. Worry little about the decor for their lone room.
I remember those days in college. I had a mattress or a loaned bed. A book shelf and a hand me down couch. I bought a huge Indian sheet with an elephant on it to hang for wall decorations in one apartment (I gave it to room mates of my sister in law- Nate hated it - so it is gone). oh so care free. I did not have much money but a concert was an OK cost as were clothes and entertainment. Oh those carefree days.
But I could be totally wrong. Some of those people are my age... some still single with different wants and troubles... but some could be in my same boat.
I wonder what people watchers thought of Nate and I. After all. There I was in my cut off cargo pants, worn out converse with no socks, a white t- shirt and brown cardigan. I had my sassy short hair - no sleeve though.( I love it when girls have sleeves). Nate in his worn out t-shirt and plain Levi's. Was he wearing converse too? Maybe the keen's I bought him on clearance. And the 20 something male trademark faded navy hoodie- no tats for him either- and his beard has been gone for almost 5 years. Did people think of us as young kids or the parents of 2 with one on the way, hoping for the bigger house and mini van?
I wonder?

Jimmy Eat World and Clarity x10

Nate has been a big Jimmy Eat world fan from the get go. He used to go to their shows when he was in high school and they were just starting out. They are from Mesa (in case you did not know). I, on the other hand, had heard of them from others that were native to Mesa, but never really heard their music until the big MTV hit "the middle" came out. Nate and I were dating at this time.
Of course Nate introduced me to their older stuff - which is very very good. He also bought their newer albums as they came out- i think just one in the last 7 years- am a wrong?
His all time favorite Jimmy album, and possibly all time favorite album ever is Clarity. (honestly he should write this post).
So for Christmas his little sister bought him a ticket to go see the Clarity x10 show. They played 10 shows and ended in Tempe (close enough to Mesa). He was so excited. Clarity came out 10 years ago.
We forgot to mark it on the calendar. His sister called the night before to remind us. Thank goodness that Saturday was not our night for the baby sitting co-op- we did not realize it was that weekend!!!
I was reluctant to go because I have been feeling sick in the evenings and wanting to go to bed before 9pm. The first band would not play until 7:30.
When we got there they would not let me take in my bottle of water, but thank goodness they did not see my rice cakes.
Half way through the opening band (No Knife) I felt sick and tired and had to go to the back. (Why is it standing room only at the Marquee?) I paid $3 for a sprite and kept getting ice refills. I sat on the floor in the back until a few songs into Jimmy. Poor Nate stood with me - thank goodness we were right by the sound booth and had a great unobstructed view and the sound was good. I did eventually stand up and sing with the band and bob to the music. Nate on the other hand, almost has seizures. I am afraid he might run into people. He bobs to the beat and plays air guitar. Everytime he sees a show he misses playing live music. One day he will again. It is so fun to sing with the band at a show when you know the words to all of the songs!! They played every song on Clarity in the order from the album. Then they played a whole bunch of other stuff that was great too- old and new. You could tell who the die hard followers were when they played the song that says "throw out your arms" and all five or 6 of them threw out their arms. Nate included. (I'm not a die hard because I don't even know the name of the song). Apparently at a show back in the day everybody in the audience threw out their arms and it was so cool. I was sort of expecting this to happen but only a hand full of people did it. They must have been at that show too.
You could tell that a lot of the crowd was into their newer stuff as the singing along was louder when they sang stuff from their newest album.
Nate said that this was possibly his favorite show ever. I'd have to put it up in the top 2 or 3 for me. I love it when I know all of the songs and can sing along. I am not as on top of music as I used to be. Generally I'll go to a show of a band I've listened to and they will play music from their newest album (which i have recently or not yet purchased) and then I cannot sing along. This was a show of all old an good songs that we have been listening to for years and years. Fun fun fun. Lots of singing. Now if the Pixies would only come back one more time. I missed them when they came to Mesa a few days/weeks after Maesyn was born. Nate had school and I did not want to leave my new baby alone. I would have known all of the songs at that show too...unlesss they started to play some Frank Black stuff.

Giraffes

A few weeks ago our Neighborhood had a garage sale. We did not have anything to sell but our neighbor suggested that Maesyn sell Cinnamon rolls again. So we set up our station. Maesyn and Jake had their little chairs and they sat ready. Our neighbor offered some stuffed animal to Maesyn and Jake. I had to tell her "No" because we arready have a tote and 2 baskets full. She insisted and we ended up with a small bag of suffed animals. (ase well as 2 sun hats a back pack a little purse and some mini ballet shoes stuffed with potporui- she did this while during Nate's watch- she knew I would say "NO" again- we have too much stuff-junk-). At any rate... At one point during the morning Jake lost his new giraffe and Maesyn made this poster.
Unfortunalty I wrote a phone number on it.
She is so good at Giraffes that I have been asking her to draw more and more.

Once upon a time....

there were girl scout cookies in my freezer. Ok they are still there. I'm trying to save the majority of the thin mints for Nate. You see. I single handily ate about 80% of the tagalongs, and that much of the Samoas and about half of the do-si-dos. I'm still working on the second tube of the do-s-dos. Yes we bought 4 boxes of cookies that cost $4 a box. I never spend that on cookies- except for this time of the year. Samoas and thin mints are a must but the kids picked the other two they are not big cookie eaters and Nate forgets we have them so it is up to me to eat the majority of them. Jake picked the do-si-does because there was a donkey on the box.

Waiting

So here I am this morning, scriptures read, prayers said, breakfast eaten, running clothes on- I even checked the e-mails and waisted time looking at all of the updated blogs. The kids are still asleep and I thought that I was doing great at getting ready-until I realized that they were just sleeping in. A lot. So I am waiting for them so that I can go for a run. Hopefully I can hit my min goal of 4 miles with out having to go poo or get too sick and tired.

I just bought some new running shoes. Back to my Brooks Adrenaline. I had ordered some from brooks but they were out of my size. Imagine my surprise when I found last years model of my shoe on sale at a local running store. The guy told me if I bought both pairs that they had left that I could have them for $69 a piece rather than $75. (This years are around $100- still not too pricey for a good running shoe0 but I like it when I can get the previous years for a discount). Maybe I'll be more motivated in these fast looking shoes rather than my old man shoes.

I have tons more to post, but I've gotta get out the door our else my early morning will turn into a late, late , running late one. I need to be back in an hour to get Maesyn ready for dance class.
Wish me luck with no "have to poo"pains or sickness. I don't have time to walk the miles I cannot run.

Döner kebab

So I used to live in Germany and this was my all time favorite food. This image may not be of a German Döner as I have found in my research (via wikipedia) that Döner's are prepared different ways all over the world, but I liked this picture.
The Döner kebap or kebab is actually a Turkish food but (again according to my research) the Turkish immigrants developed a version of the food to suit the German taste and now export the German version back to Turkey. I do not find this surprising. I claim that I love Mexican food. However, the time that I ate Mexican food deep in Mexico (Baja de Kino) I found that it was not so tasty. I also got BU (bum urine). I did not mind the food that I tried in Rocky Point- almost a border town and I did not get sick either, but it was also a time in my life that I frequently drank water from cow tanks - shared with cows...and I had to strain the film off the top. Nate on the other hand loves the food in Mexico and will eat it knowing that he will be sick the next day.

So..why do I have the Döner on my mind?

Nate and I got Gyros for dinner tonight, Maesyn loved them too, and I began thinking of my beloved Döner and realized that I had begun to forget what they are really like. I forgot about the thick Pita bread and found the chewy flat bread of the Gyros to be very satisfying, as they are.
I am a lover of Mexican food and could honestly eat it every day with out getting tired, but tonight Nate and I decided that we may love a Gyros over any burrito any day. I think it is the heavenly tzatziki. With that said I will put the Döner up there too- probably above the Gyros because I think that the Döner is the very best thing ever.

So, within my research I did find that Döner is not very popular in the US but is sometimes found on the east coast. I wonder if the U.S. version is close to my beloved German version? If you know where I can find one of these things in AZ please let me know, and I will go there tomorrow and eat one.

18 7

So this morning I made Nate and I green fruit smoothies. Spinach, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and half a banana - so although they were green they were actually dark purple. You see, yesterday I ate 1/3 of a bag of nacho chips and a load of Frito's. Jake threw a fit for them at the store. It was probably the only thing he ate yesterday- that and a lunchable. So when I threw up- I just throw up about once a day- not a big pregnant barfer- I was pretty grossed out to see little oil dots floating on top of the water. I knew I was eating fatty foods, but it just made it real. I have been eating a ton lately and I am out of my skinny shorts and into some of the bigger pairs. I even had to retire my favorite pair of running sorts. I don't have my old running partner (at this point of my pregnancy with Jake we were still running regular 6 milers)- so I am afraid of the pounds- i try to get in at least 4 miles when I go-even if some of it is walking.

Right...to eighteen seven.

After my frozen fruit smoothie I was a little cold so I hopped back in my bed and under the covers with a still sleeping Jake. It was about time to wake up so I snuggled him awake and we snuggled and gave kisses (with his stinky morning breath) and talked about his sleep. I asked him about his dreams and I think he had a dream about the dentist. I asked him if the dentist counted his teeth. "Uh huh". And how many teeth did you have "18.....7" he said pointing to his teeth to count them (as if 18 7 is one number).
Everything these days is 18 7. If it is time to go and he is busy doing something he will point his one finger and say "One more time"- he will do this 5 or 6 times. If you give him something and he wants more than what you have given him he will say "NO 18 7!)
So funny.
It is neat that he is starting to talk so much more now. He is a sweet little man.

Craptastic

It has been far too long since a real post and a lot has been happening. I guess the big reason I have not posted is because I have been feeling something that I like to call "craptastic". You see, I am about 9 weeks pregnant and I feel pregnant... yucky, tired and like I want to throw up but I don't ever really throw up because I think if I eat I'll feel better (because that is how it worked with the 2 other kids) but it does not make me feel better, so I've put on like 11 lbs and I don't fit in some of my cute shorts so I've taken out my cute "fat clothes" and I have bigger boobs and my house is messy. Was that a mouth full?
Well, I call it craptastic rather than crappy because I am happy to feel yucky. To me it means that I am still pregnant. I will be OK with this feeling until about 13 weeks or so, and then it will start getting more annoying and I'll tell my body that it is the second trimester already and I need to feel good again. (good and fat- but not pregnant looking.... I just look out of shape until I get a "bump" around 6 or 7 months. So. I had a miscarriage before Jake was born. I never really felt pregnant and at 11 weeks I miscarried. It was not fun. All of the pain of labor with no baby at the end. And then I got pregnant again (with him again- the first body was not perfect enough for his little spirit- no gap tooth).
We waited until we told the kids until we told anybody. I told Maesyn and Jake that we had a surprise for them. We planned on taking them to my first appointment where we would see the ultra sound. Maes was really excited and kept guessing really fun things that might be here surprise.
"To see a pony" was one of them. It has been too long to remember all of the guesses.
When the time came I loaded them into the car and said that we were going to go and see if there was anything in Mommy's tummy. What could it be I asked?
"A cricket"
NO
"A horse"
NO
"A stick?"
NO, what is something that grows in the tummy of Mommies? Could it be a baby?
"But you don't have a big tummy."
Well, we are going to go to the Dr. to have him listen to Mom's tummy and maybe even look in it for a baby with a special machine.
"No! That is not fun. We have to go to a boring Dr. Office? That is not a surprise!"
She was pretty bothered and was more excited that she was going to be babysat by friends with baby bunnies later that evening.

She was a little happier after the ultrasound and carried her little picture around of "her baby" for a few days. She is OK with it being a boy or a girl. I think we need another boy.

On that note.

Jake said that he is going to marry a Princess in the Temple. (good goal)
He also wants a dress like Snow White. He LOVES Snow White... or just her outfit.

Nate has been waiting on me hand and foot and getting the kids ready for bed almost every night and doing the dishes all of the time and helping me out tons and not getting mad at me when I fall asleep at 8- as if he would.

So now the poor man is lying on our bed. It is 85 out and he is cold and wearing a hoodie. He has been sick and I think he is wearing himself out. I'm sorry.