The Sweet Life of a Pilot's Wife

New Year's Goals 2012

2012-01-29T13:42:00.001-08:00

(in no particular order)
1. Run a half-marathon.
2. Attend the temple twice monthly.
3. Decorate the kids' rooms.
4. Write in journal at least once a week.
5. Read more books (I love reading, but just haven't been making time for it).

Who knows, maybe I will even start blogging more.

100th Post!

2011-09-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

This is the hundredth post on my blog, which I started on May 2, 2008. It's been a fun few years, with lots of variety in my posts. Today's post is just a link to my new blog, which I started for my preschool. I blogged about the first week, which was a blast! So go ahead and check it out if you'd like to.
http://creativediscoveriespreschool.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-1-all-about-me.html

That was scary!

2011-08-14T20:47:00.001-07:00

I just thought I lost a kid. A mom's worst nightmare. I had gone to bed early cuz I've been kind of sick. Marcus comes in and tells me he's been outside for a while and it's not fair that Westley once got to sleep outside. I threaten to call his dad if he doesn't get in his bed. He leavew and I go to sleep. A while later Camille wakes up crying (she's been sick too). I take care of her, then go to check on Marcus and he's not in his room. I check his closet, under his bed, under the pile of blankets on the floor. No kid. I look in my room, downstairs, outside. No Marcus anywhere. I start to panic, and then check all the places I've already checked, this time adding the garage, but to no avail. Finally, I look in Westley and Camille's room (I had just been in there comforting Camille, you know). I see a leg sticking out from behind the toy box. It is Marcus' leg! What a relief!!

I'm starting my own preschool!

2011-07-30T18:30:00.001-07:00

http://www.creativediscoveriespreschool.blogspot.com/

Landscaping our Yard: The Parkstrip

2011-05-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our house, the landscape was less than desirable. That's the thing about building a house; you have to build the yard, too. It's work that I love doing, but it is expensive! So we are just doing it a piece at a time. We recently finished our parkstrip, which was a huge undertaking.
This is what it looked like when we started back in July of last year:

And today, it looks like this:

It took a lot of work and a lot of money, but I think it turned out great. I started writing in detail about every single step along the way, but soon realized that would take too long and be too boring, so here are some photos and the condensed version of the transformation.

There is a 3 ft diameter drainage pipe that runs along our park strip, about a foot below ground. This made planting large trees impossible, so we opted for smaller trees than our restrictive covenants called for.

So sue us.

The strip was full of clay and rocks, which we deemed unsuitable for trees and plants to grow in, so we dug out the areas that we wanted to plant things in and filled them in with good soil. This took A LOT of hard work!

Next we had to define our squares in which our trees would be planted. We did this with treated wood in hopes that it would last quite a while.

We also put down weed barrier at this time (but not where our trees were to be planted, just in the spaces between where we would put down river rock).

It started to take shape, which was exciting.

We used this board as a guide for leveling out dirt and river rock, but our kids and thier cousins found better use for it!

Then we put down river rock, planted our trees, put down more weed barrier around the trees, and mulched around the trees. Lastly, we went around the nieghborhood looking for large stones to use as accents around the base of the trees. We will also plant some onamental grasses as a final touch.

It was a lot of work, but I think it was well worth it. Our little trees are blossoming now, and they are just lovely.

Color me Yellow

2011-01-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

While my husband and I were building our house, we liked to go for walks in new subdivisions that, like ours, were still under construction. We liked to walk through the houses and look at the various floor plans as they were being built. Most of them either didn't have doors yet, or the doors were left unlocked to allow the workers to come in and out freely, so it was easy enough to let ourselves in and have a look around. It kind of makes me wonder how many people walked through our house while it was still under construction. Usually the homeowners started locking up as construction neared completion, so we rarely got to tour a house that had floors and painted walls. But one day, we happened upon one house that was that far along, and still left open, so we let ourselves in.

What we saw took our breath away. Dark wood floors with the most perfect yellow walls. It was a stunning combination. Both soothing and cheerful at the same time. We both fell in love with the color scheme, and decided it was what we wanted in our house.

Fast forward a few months, past the hours of hanging, taping, and mudding sheetrock (all while caring for a new baby), and it was finally our turn to paint our walls. Now came the problem, exactly what color of yellow was that? As I thumbed through the paint color fan, I was overwhelmed with all the different choices of yellow available; egg yolk, lemon burst, banana split. Was I looking at a color fan or a menu? How would we ever find the same hue of yellow we had fallen in love with so many months before?

The house that we had toured back then was now inhabited. Looking back, we probably should have just rang their doorbell and asked them what color of paint they had used, but we weren't gutsy enough to do that. We could figure it out on our own. One thing I did know: I didn't want my yellow to end up looking orange. So I veered as far away from the orange side of the yellows as I could, and that was where I made my fatal mistake. What I didn't realize was that the farther I got from orange, the closer I got to green. In the end I chose a color by the name of "perfect fit". With a name like that, how could I go wrong?

I've been living with my "perfect fit" for a year and a half now, and I'm telling you, it is anything but perfect. Okay, I admit, it has it's moments when it is nearly perfect. Like when the red light of the sunset is pouring in from the West, the wall directly across from my West facing window is transformed into a warm, beautiful yellow, and I am taken back to that day we took ourselves on the tour and fell in love. But those moments are rare. Most of the time, my yellow that I agonized over for months has a sickly, almost fluorescent green undertone to it. Yuck. Definitely NOT the color we fell in love with in that distant memory.

Last week, I had had enough of its green glow. I just couldn't stand it anymore. We still have two buckets, five gallons each, of the radioactive stuff down in the crawl space. You know, just in case we decide our bedrooms should glow green too. My husband had mentioned that maybe the experts at Kwal could do something to change it enough to be bearable, saving us a couple hundred bucks when we decided to repaint. So I took my five gallon bucket in to the Kwal paint store and asked what could be done. The options the gentleman gave me didn't seem great. He couldn't make it lighter, which is what I thought I wanted. But he could make it warmer, which is what I knew I wanted.

I found myself once again going through the color fan, overwhelmed by all the different choices. I decided I needed something lighter and warmer, so at the paint experts advice, I took home a sample quart of "light honey," a yellow he claimed was very populat. It was lighter and warmer than what we had, and I couldn't wait to get it on my wall (I chose the wall that divides my front room from my kitchen, because it's small and has no cabinets, windows, or doors that I would have to mask).

Turns out it was too much lighter. It had the warmth that I desired, but was so light, it almost looked sickly. You know, how your kid looks pale when he's about to puke? I didn't want my walls looking like they were about to puke, so the next day I took another trip to the Kwal paint store. I decided to just go ahead and give the altering of our existing paint a try. What did I have to lose? They would change the color for no charge, and I figured it couldn't get much worse than it already was. I thumbed through the fan deck one more time, asking the man which colors he could turn my non-perfect fit into. The choices were sparse. It came down to egg yolk or big deal. I'd rather have my walls be a big deal than the yolk of an egg, so big deal it was. I also picked up a bucket of primer. I didn't use it the first time, and my patches from last year's Christmas stocking nails showed through. I didn't want that happening again.

So I spent the afternoon priming the wall. And I did it while my three kids plus a neighbor kid were running around the house. We only had a couple of minor incidents, and nobody got hurt. Phew. This is also when I decided to start documenting with photos.

Here is the chosen wall, all primed and ready for its third try at being yellow. Note our original yellow on the adjacent wall. Doesn't look too bad in this photo, but trust me, it's bad. Now that I had it primed, I had to wait for the primer to dry! And wait . . . and wait . . . and wait. My husband and I decided to take the kids to get haircuts and then go out to dinner to pass the time. By the time we got home, I was exhausted, but I needed to see that color up on my wall. Would it be lovely, too much, not enough, hideous? Got the kids settled, and pulled out the roller.

My first thought: This doesn't look nearly as orange as it did at the store. My second thought: Man, is it bright! I rolled and rolled and rolled some more while the rest of the family slept. When I finished, I stood back to have a look, but my eyes were tired, and it was dark out, so I knew I had to wait until morning to really know if I would like it or not.

Morning dawned, and I went down to really look at it. It was definitely an improvement, but I still couldn't be sure until I got rid of all that blue tape and white paper, and got my living room back in order. I had to see the wall like it was going to be every day; with the piano, adorned with picture frames and decor, pushed against it. After getting my boy off to school and thoroughly enjoying my zumba class, I finally got around to it.

The verdict? I think it's a keeper! It really is a lovely yellow. Warm, but not orange. Able to hold its own, but not too bright. I do think it would be too much though, if I did all the walls this color. It would be TOO big of a big deal. So now I need to find the perfect brown to go next to my big deal yellow, and then decide which walls want which color. I'm pretty sure the wall on the North, the one that goes up to the vaulted ceiling will be brown, but not sure if some other walls need it, too. I'm just going to take it one wall at a time. I think in the end it will all be worth it. For now, I have one wall that I love, but am still surrounded on all other sides by that radioactive stuff. All in good time, all in good time.

Here you can see the difference between our original perfect fit (on the left) and the big deal (on the right), though it doesn't do the awfulness of perfect fit justice. Also note my brown and red theme I've got going with the decor. I like it.

Just found this picture my boy took of me folding laundry. That's "light honey" in the background. It only stuck around for a day. Too pale. It couldn't hold it's own.

Our New Baby

2011-01-19T09:57:00.001-08:00

It's been way too long since I've posted on the old blog. I love going back and reading my old posts, and it makes me kind of sad that I haven't been keeping up. Life is so full of amazing little adventures, special moments, learning experiences, and fun times. I'm going to try to do better at recording them. That includes here on the blog, and also in my personal journal.

One of our most recent adventures we've enbarked on includes a new baby! We are so excited about this new addition to our family:

Isn't she a beauty?! She's a 1952 Cessna 170 taildragger. Andy went down to St. George last weekend with my dad to pick her up. As you can see, she needs some work before she will be air worthy. Most importantly, she needs wings! They took it to a hanger in Cedar City, where my dad will be working hard until she's ready to fly. Andy plans on going down every weekend to help get her up and running. We hope to have her flying by April.

Last weekend, while Andy was gone, I was having a hard time with the kids, mostly because we were all sick (still are), and I was alone with them. I jokingly told Andy that next weekend, he should stay home with the kids, while I go work on the airplane. To my surprise, he agreed! So if I am well enough, I'm heading down South this Friday to do some work on our new baby. I'm so excited to meet her!

Halloween Party

2010-10-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a rare treat: we got to go to a party WITHOUT kids! Our friends threw a great party with lots of food and fun.

Costumes!

2010-10-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

I'll be working on costumes for the next couple of days. My house will be a disaster, because, as always, I have procrastinated until the last minute. It should be fun. Andy and I are dressing up this year; something we haven't done for a long time. I'm excited about that!
Hopefully I will post some photos of the finished products!

The Voice of the Spirit

2010-09-05T18:38:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/mormonmessages?v=VPbDZnrxBLM

Down and Dirty

2010-07-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

What better way to cool off on a hot summer day than splashing in the mud?

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2010-07-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

Baby Bibs (as affectionately named by her eldest brother) finally got over her puking long enough for us to celebrate her birthday. It turned out to be a fun party. We broke a pinate, had cake and ice cream, and then she unwrapped her presents. By the time all was said and done, she was tuckered out, and took a little rest with Daddy. Thanks to everyone who came!

Snippets

2010-07-05T21:26:00.001-07:00

Time seems to be going by so fast these days. I've been so busy living that I don't have time to stop and write about all the living I've been doing, but I figure that's not such a bad thing.

Here are some snippets of what's been going on lately:

My oldest played tee-ball this year. He absolutely loved it! It was fun to watch him get so excited about every game. I'm pretty sure he will be playing again next year, and possibly every year after that. This was my first taste of being a "soccer mom", only it was baseball instead of soccer. Two games a week kept us busy, but it was fun.

My baby went through a fetish with tipping over the garbage can and digging through it in search of food. Luckily, she's now learned to ask for food when she's hungry instead of rummaging for it. She now signs "more" when she's hungry. I'm trying to teach her "eat" and "please", but so far she only signs "more". She'll occasionally sign "milk" when she's thirsty. I'm sure she'll learn more signs soon.
She turned one year old a week and a half ago. We were going to have a big party, but she woke up in the morning covered in puke and poop (happy birthday). Her older brother was sick, too. This had been going on with them off and on for six weeks. I finally took them to the doctor, and after some testing, it was found that their bacteria count was low. We remedied with lots of yogurt and acidophilus supplement. They've been well since then. We had to cancel the party, but we're throwing it this Wednesday instead.

A few weeks ago we had a wonderful rainstorm. I had been having a stressful day, so I went for a walk in the rain. I ended up sitting down next to the irrigation ditch and watching the raindrops fall into the flowing water. It was refreshing, both physically and spiritually. When the rain stopped, there was a huge rainbow over our house. This photo doesn't do it justice.

I have five colors of tulips in my flowerbed. The purple and white ones come up first, which I posted pictures of earlier. These pale yellow and pink ones came up later. They are now done blooming, and I planted some petunias in their place. I also have irises, but I don't think they will bloom this year. The leaves make a nice backdrop for my petunias though.

We started working on finishing the basement, which first required taking out a doorway and wall. It was a fun mess. Our original floorplan had a huge family room and a bonus room along with a laundry and bathroom. We decided it would be a better use of space to make two bedrooms out of the family room and turn the bonus room into a family room. We're just working on a little bit at a time, piece by piece. We have the framing all done now, and my husband is working on the electrical now.

I don't have many photos, but I've been working on my garden. I planted corn, green beans, carrots, beets, spinach, onions, peas, pumpkins, watermelon, zuchini, crook neck squash, and tomatoes. Some of them are doing well, others not so good. I'm a novice at this, so I'll be happy with whatever I get as far as harvest goes. We have eaten some spinach, and it tasted pretty good.

We've also been working on getting our front yard ready for sod. We had curbing poured for flower beds and hope to get sod late this week or early next. I'll try to get some photos soon.

I guess that's all for now. I need to get some sleep to keep up with all that's been going on.

My Tulips

2010-06-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

I love tulips. They are my absolute favorite flower. Not only are they the most beautiful flower, but they are so easy! Plant them once and they will pop up year after year!

I'm It!

2010-04-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

I wasn't actually tagged, but my sister-in-law was, and I liked the idea, so I'm tagging myself.
Here are the rules:

1. Open your first photo folder
2. Scroll to the 10th photo
3. Post the photo and the story behind it

This is what I found:

This photo brings back some good, happy memories. This is my husband and my oldest son, and if you look closely to the left side behind my husband, you can see my second son's little arm poking up out of the carseat. He must have been only about three months old here (he is now three years!), which would make my oldest two (he's now five!). It was a beautiful spring day in 2007. We decided to have a picnic lunch up in the canyon. It turned out to be a fun, sunny, wonderful family outing. One of my favorite memories, actually. This was when we still lived in the first house we ever lived in after being married. I miss that house sometimes. It is the only place aside from my mom's house that I grew up in that has really felt like home. All the other places we've been in have either been relatives houses, or we didn't stay long enough to make it feel like home. Don't get me wrong, I love our new house, but it's not quite home yet. We are still getting settled. I hope we will stay here long enough to really make it feel like home. And I hope to make a lot more warm memories like that picnic in the canyon.

Good Karma

2010-03-08T11:48:00.001-08:00

I was vaccuming under the cushions of my couch today (something I can't ever recall doing before) when I happened upon a pile of what appeard to be candy wrappers from Christmas. When I grabbed the pile to toss in the trash, I realized that one of them was not just a wrapper; it was a Twix bar! What joy! What luck! What karma! What if my boys found out? They were just inches away from me. I knew if they discovered my good fortune, they would be as greedy as a pirate finding a treasure chest of gold, and my booty would be gone in an instant. I tried to hide not only the bar itself, but my giddiness as I dashed into another room. Phew, they hadn't noticed. I eagerly opened the foil wrapper, careful not to make too much noise with it. I enjoyed every bite of that chocolately, carmely, gooey confection. Oh, the gratification! Sometimes it really does pay to clean the house.

I've Got Plenty to be Thankful For

2010-02-15T08:39:00.001-08:00

I realize this was several months ago, but I wanted to post some pictures from Thanksgiving. It was great to celebrate in our new home. We truly do have a lot to be thankful for; in 2009 we had a baby, built a house, and are still married! What more could we ask for?

"We're going to eat that?"

The secret to the perfect bird: lots of butter and brown sugar!

On the menu: (clockwise from ten o clock): turkey and cranberries, candied yams (my mom's recipe), old-fashioned turkey dressing (my great-grandmother's recipe), mashed potatoes with sweet turkey gravy, green beans with caramelized onions, and homemade rolls. We had sparkling cider to drink and pumpkin and cherry pie for dessert.

Pouring the sidewalk

2010-02-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

Shorty after we moved in, we poured our front sidewalk. Here is my husband and a good friend of his getting ready for the pour.

My cute son and daughter waiting for the truck to come.

Here comes the cement down the chute. The kids thought this was awesome.

This was my first time watching a sidewalk be poured. I didn't realize how much time and work went into it. It was fun for me and the kids to watch the process, and my hubby enjoyed learning how to make a sidewalk!

Happy Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Groundhog Day, and as far and I'm concerned, spring can't come soon enough! I'm anxious to see my tulips that I planted in November.

First, I had to get rid of A LOT of rocks!

My little boy helped me break up the ground.

And here are the bulbs just before being covered up! Hopefully I'll have some pretty pictures to post in a few months!

My Cute Baby Girl

2010-01-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

I wish I were a better photographer and had a better camera, but isn't she cute!?

Catching Up

2010-01-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted a lot lately, and the main reason is that I lost the USB cord to my camera. I've wanted to write about things, but I need pictures to go with the words! Well, I found it yesterday, so I think I'll play a little catch up over the next few days. Don't be disapointed if I don't write much. I'll mostly let the pictures do the talking.

Isn't My Husband Cool?

2010-01-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

He posted this video on YouTube. What's really cool is that he came up with airplane design on his own! It's pretty sweet.

Fuzzi Bunz review

2009-12-18T19:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I haven't had time to review all the diapers I tried, but I doubt any of my reader's will mind. On to the winner... FUZZI BUNZ!

I love this diaper for several reasons (wait a minute; did I just use the words 'love' and 'diaper' in the same sentance? Boy, do I need to get out more!).

Anyway, I 'love' it because it is a one-size diaper, meaning it can be adjusted to fit babies from seven to thirty-five pounds. This makes it a great value, as it should last through several babies. The sizing system is different than others I've tried. Most one-size diapers use rows of snaps along the front to change the size, but Fuzzi Bunz uses adjustable elastic at the leg openings and the waist, giving your baby a snug fit. They also come with two different sizes of inserts, which make them even more adjustable.

I was going to make a video review so you can all see what I'm talking about, but since I don't really have time for that (because I'm busy washing them!), I'll just let the experts do it for me.

Gro Baby Review

2009-12-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

I need to clean the kitchen and get ready for church tomorrow, not to mention catch up on my Book of Mormon reading, but I just wanted to post another quick review (you're all dying to read my diaper reviews, right?)
Tonight's review is on the Gro Baby Organic Diaper, which I thought would be my favorite, but it wasn't. It retails at $24.95, which includes the diaper and one soaker pad.

What I liked about it:

ORGANIC: Who doesn't like organic?

ONE-SIZE: I like that it's a one-size-fits-all diaper, which means you can use it the entire time your baby is in diapers. This is accomplished by rows of snaps in the front, which, when snapped together, cause the material to fold over itself, making it smaller. There is also a long row of snaps along the front to adjust the waist size. It's a good system, but I like the Fuzzi Bunz sizing system better, in which the actual elastic is lengthened or shortened to adjust the size.

EASE OF USE: This diaper is fairly easy to use. You don't have to pin or fold, but you do have to snap the soaker pad (which basically looks like a big maxi pad) into the diaper.

What I didn't like:

UNSNAPPING YUCKY SOAKERS: The idea of snapping the soaker pad into the diaper is okay, but the problem is that you have to unsnap the wet, dirty soaker before washing it. I didn't figure out a way to do this without getting my hands wet/soiled.

LEAKS: Once the soaker pad gets wet, it tends to bunch up since the only thing holding it in place are two snaps, which can lead to leaks.

ONLY ONE SOAKER SIZE: Even though the diaper is highly adjustable, it only comes with one size of soaker. It was too big for my 15 lb baby, and seems like it would be too small for a toddler.

Overall, this seems like a high quality diaper, but it just wasn't exactly what I was looking for. It does come in a lot of cute colors and prints, which is a plus.

BumGenius AOI Review

2009-12-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

It's been one week since I received my package of cloth diapers, which was long enough for me to choose a favorite. I'll be writing a short review of each diaper I tried, with the winner coming last.

Today's review is on the BumGenius all in one diaper. Retail Price: $15.95

What I like about it:

EASE: This is a very easy diaper to use. No folding, no pinning, no stuffing. It comes on and off just like a disposable, but instead of throwing it in the trash, you throw it in the diaper pail to wait until wash day.

FIT: Elastic on the waist and legs give this diaper a very snug fit, which makes leaks unlikely. The fit is trimmer than prefolds or one size diapers.

LOOK: Lots of cute colors available

What I don't like about it:

DRYING TIME: Because it truly is all-in-one, it is a very thick diaper which makes for a long drying time. When my other diapers were bone-dry, this one was still damp. This was my biggest turn off for this diaper.

APLIX CLOSURE: I worry the aplix (think Velcro) will wear out. It also can scratch the baby, and may not last as long as snaps. Oh, and it doesn't look as cute as snaps.

Overall, this was a very good diaper. It is near the top of my list, but not my favorite. I would recomend it to those who want a convenient way to cloth diaper.

Doing My Part to Preserve the Earth (one diaper at a time)

2009-11-24T20:41:00.001-08:00

I'm expecting a package in the mail tomorrow. I'm very excited about it, but also a little nervous. You see, it is a package of cloth diapers. That's right, I'm converting to cloth. I had never really thought about it before, but last week I was looking up articles on how to recycle old jeans when I saw an ad on the sidebar for gdiapers. The diapers looked super cute, so I clicked on the link. The site got me thinking aobut alternatives to disposable diapers, and I spent the next three hours researching cloth diapers!
I came to realize how bad disposables are for the environment. Think about it. You take your baby's poop, wrap it up in a plastic casing, and send it to the landfill to sit for who knows how long (many suggest 500 years)!
There are so many choices out there when it comes to cloth diapers. I did a lot of research and decided that I just need to try out several different types and brands before I decide what I want to go with. My package will include some prefolds with Snappis, two different diaper covers, a BumGenious all-in-one, a pricey Gro Baby organic one-size-fits-all diaper, a FuzziBunz pocket diaper, and a few others that I don't remember. I'm excited to try them all out and will keep you posted on how it goes. Wish me luck!
By the way, if you're thinking about jumping on the cloth-diapering bandwagon, enter this contest, maybe you can try cloth diapers for FREE!

Forty Days

2009-11-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't been doing so well spiritually. It's not that I've commited any great or malignant sins, I've just sort of let the little things fall to the wayside. Little, but important things like reading my scriptures. Life has been busy this past year, what with building a house and having a baby, and I'm sorry to say I've really lost touch with the Spirit.
I've decided many times that I'm going to "start reading the scriptures more" but I just haven't been able to get back into the habit.
So I've been praying the past week or so to know what to do; how to get the Spirit back in my life, how to get back on track, and tonight as I was rocking my baby to sleep I got my answer. I tried to brush it off, to tell myself I didn't have enough time, but the Spirit kept telling me, and I finally said, "Okay, I'm going to do it!" So, I'm starting reading the Book of Mormon tonight, and my goal is to finish it by the end of the year.
I'm the type of person who needs a day by day plan if I'm actually going to complete something, so I pulled out the calculator to see how many pages I needed to read a day. It turns out there are forty days until the end of the year! I got really exited when I realized that I'm going to read the Book of Mormon in forty days; I doubt that's a coincidence. I'll need to read 13.2 pages per day to reach my goal, but since I prefer not to stop in the middle of a chapter, I've made up a schedule of which chapters I need to read each day to keep me on track. Tonight I'm reading 1 Nephi 1-7.
I wanted to blog about this so that I'm accountable to others. If I kept it to myself, it would be easier to give up (which I know I'll be tempted to do). So please, ask me how my reading is coming! Get on my case! I need the encouraement. And if anyone wants to join me, I'd be more than happy to share my schedule with you.
I'd better get off the computer so I can start reading!

Looking Back

2009-11-18T19:27:00.000-08:00

Does this sweater look familiar to you? If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may recognize it from the post titled "A Little Daydreaming Never Hurt Anybody". Here is an excerpt:

"I found the cutest red ribbed sweater. I couldn't resist taking it off the rack, carressing the soft cables, and imagining a baby girl in it. A sweet little bundle of cuddly softness. I could almost smell that new baby smell that I love so much. I could almost feel the warm softness of her baby skin against mine. I imagined the peacefullness of nursing her at night, the moonlight falling on her cute little face. . . I was in baby hunger heaven.
I was suddenly jolted out of my heaven with a high-pitched scream from my toddler- my boys were fighting- again!! In no time at all, my thoughts switched from cuddly softness to red-faced screaming baby. From sweet baby smell to the smell of baby puke that's been on my shoulder for two days because I haven't had a chance to shower. From peacefullness to absolute exhaustion and sleep-deprivation.
My baby hunger heaven didn't last long. I collected my now crying kids and dashed away from the baby clothes as quickly as I could without looking back! Another baby? Now? Are you kidding me!?! I made a mental note to stay away from the baby girl clothes for a while.
But sometimes I think back to that sweater . . . and once again imagine my little bundle of sweetness. Maybe not any time soon, but someday. Someday."

I find it ironic that I was pregnant when I wrote that (but of course, I didn't know it). It turns out my 'someday' came sooner than I had expected. My little bundle of sweetness is now almost five months old, and though she has been red in the face from screaming on more than one occasion, her puke has become a permanent part of my wardrobe, I've had less sleep in the past five months than I used to get in one night, and my life is generally chaotic, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It is all worth it when I see her smile. She absolutely lights up my life.

As for the sweater, it's from last year's line, so I wasn't able to buy it, but I got what I wanted: a sweet baby girl.

UP: a short review

2009-11-16T22:39:00.001-08:00

I just watched Pixar's newest film, UP, and I must say I am disapointed. In my opinion, Pixar is going downhill. Toy Story is by far still the best film they have produced, with Toy Story 2 coming in close second. I was not too impressed with Wall-E, and am very disapointed with UP.
It had its good points, but overall just was not a good story. I think they tried to put in too many sub-plots. I absolutely hated the doberman with the high-pitched voice. I guess that was supposed to be funny, but it struck me as just stupid. I didn't like the dogs in general. I did like Dug because he was such a typical dumb dog. Some of his lines were pretty funny.
I think what bothered me the most about this film is that I thought it was supposed to be a kids' film, and it really isn't. I made the mistake of letting my kids watch it before I myself watched it (a mistake I won't make again), and there were several parts that disturbed them. At one point, my four year old yelled, "Mommy, this is not a good movie!" and ran to his room nearly in tears. Later, when my husband and I watched it, I realized it had way too much violence, peril, and mature themes in it for kids.
The idea of the house floating via helium balloons was fun, but it truly was a disapointment. I give it two stars at best.

Still Here

2009-10-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know I'm still here.

Since I haven't posted for a while, and there's no way I can write about everything that's gone on since my last post, I've come up with a list of possible titles of posts I may have written these past couple months had I been blogging.

Caulking 101: What I've learned

How I Know my Zoloft is Really Working

My Quest for a 30 inch Towel Bar

Things I Want to Buy for my New House

The Miter Saw and Me

Three Kids, a Bag of Marshmallows, a Package of Cookies, and No Adult Supervion

The Never Ending Laundry

Why Can't The Cabinet Guys Get it Right?

I hope to start posting again when things settle down a little. Until then, you'll just have to be satisfied with my list of titles.

Things are Looking up

2009-07-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

Last week, when I wrote my post in which I tried to pawn off my boys, I was feeling extremely anxious about this whole post-partum mother-of-three thing. Since then, I've been feeling much better, both emotionally and physically.
My dear Hubby left last night, and though I miss him already, I'm glad he's back to building our house, and I know we will be okay here without him. My dad and stepmom are going to be helping me out quite a bit. I always feel the worst in the mornings (exhaustion and nausea are my constant morning companions), so my dad is going to take care of the boys in the morning so I can stay in bed until nine. That will help out a lot. I would be beat if I had to get up with them every morning at seven!
My stepmom is folding all my laundry for me and she's also doing all the dishes. And my dad is cooking dinners. I really am blessed to have them helping me out so much. I know I will make it through this. The Lord has already given me strength, and I know He will continue to do so. I think my biggest challenge right now is just to try not to keep wishing time would go faster. Each day seems to drag on . . . I guess that's just because taking care of a baby is so monotonous. I feed her every two to three hours . . . then change diapers, put her down for naps. . . it seems like that's all I do anymore! It will be nice when I can get back to normal life.
My dad took the boys to the fourth of July parade. They are there now, and I sort of feel left out. I mean, it's nice to be home and be able to rest. . . but it makes me feel kind of isolated, ya know?
Anyway I think I'm just rambling now, so I'd better sign off.
But like I said, things are definately looking up.

Up For Grabs . . .

2009-06-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Two adorable boys, ages 2 1/2 and 4 1/2. Yours to love and enjoy for six weeks!!!

Ha ha! Think anyone will take me up on my offer?

I love my little girl, and I love my boys dearly, but I'm thinking I'm going to need some help. Even with Hubby here to help, I'm having a hard time. The postpartum period is tough. My husband took the boys camping yesterday, so I had an entire twenty-four hours to just be with my baby. I rested when she rested and drooled over her cuteness when she was awake. If only I could do that for six weeks (the time it generally takes to recover from pregnancy, labor, and delivery), things would be great. But I know that in reality, I can't. I have two little boys who require almost constant attention, and I honestly don't know how I'll do it once my husband leaves. My dad and stepmom are so busy with work and thier church callings, I know they won't be able to help me out as much as I'm going to need it. I'm just feeling really anxious right now about how I'll survive the next couple of months. I've had problems with post-partum depression before, and I'm just scared that it's going to happen again.

Honestly, I wish I could ship my boys off for a few weeks. As much as I would miss them, it would allow me to take care of myself so that I can heal faster and be a better mom to all of them. I need time to rest and to get to know my baby. Maybe I can get some help from people around here. I think I'd even be willing to pay someone for child care if it would mean having a break from my boys for a couple hours a day. I'll have to look into that.

I know I'll survive somehow, but I just haven't figured out how yet . . .

My Baby Girl

2009-06-26T21:37:00.001-07:00

Camping with Cousins

2009-06-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time last week. My brother, his wife, and four kids came to visit, as well as my sister and her two kids. The boys loved having their cousins here. We went hiking, camping, and canoeing. Here are some photos from the week.
My dad grilled hamburgers and hot dogs over an open fire while we were camping. I had a hamdogger. Doesn't it make your mouth water?

This kid is working on his second hot dog, after having TWO hamburgers! I think he ate the most out of anyone there (which included both pregnant and nursing moms)!

Here's my two-year-old with his cousin who is the same age. Yummy dinner!

And here he is with another cousin, who is just six months older. Dessert!

Getting ready to go out on Grandpa's canoe.
Heading out onto the lake in hopes of catching a fish.
He was a little disapointed about not catching anything, but he had fun out on the canoe anyway.
And to top the week off, two of the kids went to the emergency room on Saturday. My brother's two-year-old daughter smashed her thumb in the sliding door of their mini-van, and within half an hour, my two-year-old had stuck a small, plastic ball (the size of a bee-bee) in his ear. It was pretty deep, and I knew if I tried to remove it, I would do more harm than good. The doctor sucked it out with a tiny vaccuum. Too bad we didn't get a picture of the two of them in the emergency room toghether!

"Just kidding, Mom!"

2009-06-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

So I wake up at midnight to the familiar feeling of a contraction. But not too familiar , because unlike the Braxton Hicks or "practice" contractions I've been having lately, this one is long and strong. Feels like real labor. I use the bathroom and then try to go back to sleep. But the contractions keep coming, and I can't sleep.
I call my husband a little before two o'clock to tell him what's going on. After some discussion, we decide to wait another hour or two before he leaves to come down here (it's a six hour drive). We don't want him to come if this isn't the real thing. I try to sleep again, but can't, so I decide to pack a bag to take to the hospital. I'm feeling like this is the real thing and am getting excited about having the baby! I figure once I get my bag packed, I'll wake my dad and stepmom, call hubby and tell him to come on down, and head to the hospital.
The bag is packed and I'm ready to go, but then I realize I haven't had contactions during the half hour it took to pack it. Hmmm... I lay down in bed again and hope I feel more contractions soon. But they never come. I look at the clock. It's a little past four. Guess I'll try to sleep.
My kids wake me up at seven, and I'm disapointed to realize that my labor has stopped.
Not a very nice trick to play on me, was it? Oh well, guess she'll come when she's ready. In the meantime, I'm getting some practice at being utterly exhausted from lack of sleep. . .

Look at This!

2009-06-06T12:48:00.001-07:00

Our house finally looks like a house! It's very exciting to see it taking shape!

A Memorable Memorial Trip

2009-05-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

My maternal grandparents lived in Annabella, Utah when they were a young couple. While living there, they lost their first child to kidney failure (which we now beleive was a complication of Hyperoxaluria, the same disease my mother died from). She was twelve years old when she died, and it broke my Grandparent's hearts. Her name was Twila, and she died before my mom was born. I have always enjoyed hearing stories about her, and have for some reason felt a special connection to her, but I had never been to visit her grave.

My husband suggested the boys and I visit her grave since we are down here near Annabella (by the way, the last 'a' is silent, making it sound like Annabelle). Since my Dad and stepmom were out of town, and it was Memorial Day weekend, I decided it would be a good time to go.

The cemetary isn't very big, so it was easy to find her headstone. We took some pictures and spent a while there enjoying the peaceful scenery.

We were about ready to leave when a vehicle pulled up behind my van, which was blocking the narrow road that goes up the center of the cemetary. I quickly started to get my kids in the van so I could get out of their way. An older gentleman rolled down his window and said, "You don't have to leave on account of us!" We started to talk a bit, and he asked me which grave I was visiting. It turned out he was a good friend of my Grandpa's back when they lived in Annabella! After talking for a while, he and his wife offered to show me the old house my grandparents had built and lived in. I, of course, accepted the offer. We drove to the house, took some more photos, then said goodbye to our new found friends, and headed back home.

It turned out to be a great trip. Here are some photos:

We stopped to get some pictures by the sign. The boys had fun climbing on the rocks.

My four-year-old took this one. Not too bad.

Me next to the headstone. My four-year-old took this one, too.

My Aunt Twila's headstone.
The boys and me in front of the house my grandparents built.

Those are turkey coops in the background, built with the same stone as the house was built with. My Grandpa built them and raised turkeys.
A side view of the house.

A Gentle Reminder

2009-05-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

The day has been getting better since my last post. We went on a nice drive over the mountain and to the lake, where we drove through the campgrounds to scout out a nice place to go camping when my siblings come to visit in June. The boys loved seeing all the tents and firepits (the campgrounds were full due to Memorial Day weekend), and they got really excited to go camping in a couple of weeks (yes, I'm going camping when I'm 37 weeks pregnant; crazy, I know).

They slept on the drive back, then we had a simple dinner and I got them to bed early without too much complaint on their part.

While I was lying next to my oldest's bed talking to him in the semi-darkness (as is our ritual), I noticed a change in the light that was peeking through the window. It was suddenly more yellow and vibrant. Once I said goodnight to him and left, I hurried out to the front porch, where I was happily greeted by a gorgeous rainbow! There was also a gentle breeze, a sprinkling of rain, and the clean, fresh smell that so often comes with rain.

I just stood there soaking it all in. An overwhelming sense of peace came over me, and I was reminded of how much God loves me. I also thought of how blessed I am to be a mother to my two (soon to be three!) wonderful children, and how important the work I'm doing as a mother is to God's great plan of salvation. I realized that though I often get frustrated and sometimes feel like a failure, in general, I'm doing pretty good as a mother, and I have a lot to be thankful for.

A Day of Rest?

2009-05-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm very frustrated right now. I used to love Sundays, but with two young boys, it's hardly a day of rest anymore. I spend most of sacrament meeting so focused on keeping them quiet that I only hear bits and peices of the speaker's talks. And though I used to use the time during which the sacrament is passed to reflect on my own spirituallity, remember the Savior, and truly think about my baptismal covenants, now I just spend that time fretting about whether or not my kids are distracting the rest of the congregation from this sacred ordinance.

I'd like to spend the majority of the day after church reading scriptures, the Ensign, and other church materials, or taking a much needed nap, or quietly meditating, but those no longer seem to be options. After lunch today, I let the kids play outside for a while, then we read and I put them down for naptime and quiet time. My youngest usually still takes a nap, and even if he doesn't sleep, he will just play quietly in his crib during naptime.

It's a different story with my oldest. He seems to need constant attention! I told him to have quiet time in his room today so that I could take a nap. I gave him plenty of things to do in there. He has puzzles, coloring books, picture books and toys to play quietly with. I left him in there at two o'clock, and told him to stay until I came and got him.

Then I went to my room to read and relax. I read an article from the Ensign, then lay down for a nap. At 2:20 (probably five minutes in to my nap), I was awakened by my oldest coming in to show me one of his toys. I groggily told him to go back to his room until quiet time was over. He left, but he didn't go to his room. He went into his brother's room and started talking and laughing with him. I don't know if he woke him up, but he knows he's not supposed to go in there during naptime. I got out of bed and angrily told him to go back to his room and stay in there until quiet time was over. This, of course, made them both cry, which is turn, made me feel frustrated and guilty. I was unable to rest after that.

This scenerio is not uncommon for us on Sundays. In fact, it is the norm. My oldest always says he hates Sunday, and I can't really blame him. He doesn't get to do a lot of the fun things he does on other days. Things like going to the store or the library, jumping on the trampoline, running through the sprinklers, or helping me with the laundry. I feel like I've already ruined him and he's only four years old. I would like to help him focus on things we get to do on Sunday, rather than those we should refrain from doing, but, honestly, what is there for a four-year-old to do? He says that he hates primary, and he just seems bored the rest of the day.

How do I teach my children to look forward to and enjoy the Sabbath? How do I get to a point where I look forward to it like I used to, rather than fretting about what to do with my children all day? What are some things you do with your chilrdren on Sunday? I know part of my frustration stems from the fact that I don't have my husband here with me now to help out, but even before we moved here, I still often got frustrated and was at a loss of activities to do with my kids on Sunday. If you have any suggestions, please offer them!!!

Since quiet/naptime was a flop, we are going for a drive now. That is something we frequently do on Sundays to pass the time. The kids are strapped down, and though I can't sleep, at least we can listen to church music and enjoy the beauties of the earth and each other's company. I'm feeling better now after venting. Blogs can be good for that sometimes.

You Can't Tell a Book by it's Cover

2009-05-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

This is in response to a blog post by my sister-in-law (hi, Kristen!). She made a list of six books she couldn't put down, six she had put down, and six she made herself finish, no matter how agonizing. So, I've done the same:

Six books I couldn't put down:
1. Holes by Louis Sachar

2. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

4. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (the second time I read it... I had a hard time getting through it the first time around because it was so dark and dreary, but I LOVED the ending, so when I picked it up again, I couldn't put it down because I was so anxious to get to the ending)

5. Anthem by Ayn Rand

6. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo

Six books I have put down:
1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (what a slooooow start! I just coudn't get into it and haven't picked up a Harry Potter book since).

2. Ursula Under by Ingrid Hill

3. The Work and the Glory series (I think I put down the third one and haven't picked it up since.)

4. Lincoln: A Photo Biography by Russell Freedman

5. On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo (I started reading this when my first baby was a few weeks old and I was in the throws of what I now think was post-partum depression. I didn't just put it down, I threw it across the room and put a dent in the wall. I think I may have jumped on it and screamed at it, too.)

6. How Spider Saved Halloween by Robert Kraus (I was reading this for a book report when I was in first grade, and I kept falling asleep... I don't think I ever finished it or the report. Not that it's not a good story; I was just tired.)

Six books I have made myself finish no matter how agonizing:
1. The truth is, if I don't like a book, I don't finish it. So I don't have any books in this category (unless you count textbooks, but I'm not going to)

A Trip to the Lake

2009-05-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

This was a few weeks ago, but I want to post these pictures. I took the boys to a nearby lake for a picnic. Though it was sunny, the wind was freezing!! We braved the wind to eat our sandwiches on a blanket near the lake, then ran to the van for shelter. It was simply too cold to eat Otter Pops out in the feirce wind! It was somewhat disapointing, but still a fun little trip. Guess we'll have to try again sometime and hope for warmer weather and less wind.

One Down, Four (give or take) To Go

2009-04-30T14:29:00.001-07:00

The boys and I have been living with my dad for a month now. We should have about four months left before we can move into our new house.
The living arrangements are good; we each have our own bedroom in the basement plus a bathroom and family room down there. Of course, between meals, snacks, and doing dishes, we end up spending a lot of our time upstairs in the kitchen..
The boys enjoy being here with Grandma and Grandpa. The other day, my dad got out his old electric train, which the boys loved. It's pretty neat. He got it when he was ten, which makes it almost fifty years old!
Last week, my dad took my oldest for a ride in his airplane, which was a real treat. That kid loves flying! Little brother and I stayed at the hangar and played with the cat,which was also a treat (he loves cats!).
The hard thing is being away from my husband, and waiting anxiously for our house to be done. Some days go by slow because all I can think about is being together again as a family and having our own house. It will be so nice to own a home! On the other hand, I keep pretty busy taking care of my boys, so some days go by fast. Also, my dad and stepmom scheduled a "Lura's Night Out" every once in a while. One of them stays home with the boys while I go out with the other one. Last weekend I went to the high school production of Grease with my dad, and tomorrow night I get to go out to eat at a fun local restaraunt with my stepmom.
Work on the house is coming along. Today the floors in the garage and basement are being poured. Next week the framing should go up. The boys and are going up to visit for Mother's Day, and I am so excited to see the house! I'm also excited to see my hubby! :)

Stakes Give me Hope

2009-04-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I have been toying with the idea of building a house for years. We were originally going to build when he returned home from Iraq back in 2005, but decided to put our money into his education instead. Between then and now, we've looked into buying an already existing home, but for some reason or another, it never worked out.

In January, after much thought and discussion, we set out to find a lot on which to build our home. We found a perfect peice of land for a good price and put a contract on it. Now, three months later, things are finally really happening! Our lot is now staked out and crews are supposed to start digging tomorrow (Monday)! I am so excited that it's really happening. I've been trying not to get my hopes too high because I've been scared that it wasn't going to happen. I realize there may still be some bumps along the way, but seeing these pictures of stakes on our lot gives me hope! Home ownership, here we come!

An Easter Message

2009-04-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

Elder Holland's talk last week in General Conference was wonderful. Here is a short excerpt from it set to video. . .

Well, I can't figure out how to put the actual video on here, so here is the link to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc

And a link to the entire talk:

http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1032-27,00.html

Happy Easter!

More on Childbirth

2009-04-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

In response to Arlynda's comment on yesterday's post about Hypnobirthing, let my clarify a few things. First off, I totally agree that birth is different for everyone. While women's bodies are designed to carry, nurture, and birth babies, it is true that nature sometimes needs help. Nobody's body functions perfectly. A slew of health problems like diabetes, depression, and asthma, to name a few, come to mind. Where would the sufferers of these issues be without medical intervention? Likewise, not all women can safely birth children. I'm grateful for the wonderful medical advances we have to help out when there is a problem.

I think it's horrible that people told Arlynda to just "listen to her body" and she'd be able to birth without a c-section. That kind of ignorance makes me mad. There are cases in which medical intervention is absolutely necessary to preserve the health and sometimes the very lives of both mother and baby. This is why I've chosen to birth in a hospital. While I plan on and hope for a natural, uncomplicated birth, I know there is a chance of something going wrong, and I feel safer being there at the hospital where help will be readily available if needed.

That being said, I think in many cases, doctors intervene when it is unnecessary. I think it's important for women to be informed about the decisions they may be faced with during labor so they can make the best decision for themselves and their babies, rather than just being told by the doctor or nurses what is going to happen next. For example, when I was in labor with my first son, the nurses told me they were putting me on pitocin because my labor was slow. I didn't argue because I didn't really know much about it. I also felt like I didn't really have a choice in the matter. There was no medical urgency to speed up my labor, and had I known then what I know now, I probably would have asked to wait a while longer and to try some natural ways of inducing labor before being put on the drip. It was after the pitocin kicked in that the pain became so great that I opted for an epidural.

Arlynda also commented on the fear-tension-pain cycle. I agree with her that it isn't cut and dry. While I beleive that fear does lead to pain, I also have experienced first hand that you may have pain without any fear at all. But the pain will be heightened if fear and tension are present. Likewise, your level of pain or discomfort will be lower if you are able to release all fear and just relax.

Thanks, Arlynda for your comment. I appreciate hearing from someone who has experienced a different form of birth. As I said earlier, every birth is different. But no matter how it happens, birth is a miracle that deserves our reverence and respect.

About Hypnobirthing

2009-04-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

I feel so good right now! I got my kids to bed early, then lit some aromatherapy candles, started my hypnobirthing relaxation cd, and took a nice warm bath. Aaaahhhh. . . it was so relaxing. This is the first time during this pregnancy that I've listened to my relaxation cd, and it really got me looking forward to giving birth. You may be thinking, "looking forward to giving birth? Are you crazy?!" Let me tell you, it doesn't have to be as horrible as everyone in our society says it is. In fact, the process of labor and delivery can and should be wonderful!

For those of you who don't know about hypnobirthing (which I would assume is most of my readers), let me explain a little. First off, don't let the name scare you. If you're like most people, when you think of hypnosis, you probably think of either stage hypnosis (people doing crazy and embarassing things in front of an audience while hypnotized), or you might think of scary people carrying out wicked deeds vicariously through someone they have forcefully hypnotized.

The truth is, you can't be hypnotized without your consent, and once you are in a hypnotic state, nobody can make you do anything you don't want to do. As Marie Mongan, the founder of the Hynobirthing Method explains, "With a better understanding of hypnosis today, we now know that a person in a hypnotic state is fully awake, is in an even heightened state of awarness and totally in control." All hypnosis really is is a deep state of relaxation, so don't freak out about the hypnosis part.

What I really like about the method is the underlying philosophy that birth doesn't have to be painful, nor is it a medical incident. In searching for a quote from the book, I ended up wanting to quote the entire chapter on the philosophy! It's all so good! I've narrowed it down to a few quotes, but really, you should just read the whole book. Here are some of my favorite quotes concerning the philosophy:

"Like the bodies of our sister creatures in nature, the bodies of healthy pregnant women instinctivley know how to birth, just as their bodies instinctivley know how to conceive and how to nurture the development of the babies they are carrying."

"The Hypnobirthing view of birth is that it is a natural extension of the sexuality of a man and a woman, and, therefore, we believe that birth is about them. It is about family fulfillment. . . . For birthing parents, birth is not about science; it's not about anatomy; it's not about doctors or midwives or nurses . . . it's about family-parents and their babies."

"A Hypnobirthing mother learns to embrace her body's innate knowledge of birthing, to relax into her birthing process, working with her body and her baby . . . The result is a truly rewarding and satisfying birth experience, with the entire family, including the baby, being awake, alert and calm, yet energized."

I used Hypnobirthing techniques with my second son, and I can honestly say that it was an awesome experience. It was not completely pain free, and was certainly a lot of work, but it wasn't the horror that our society makes birth out to be. For the most part, it was a peaceful and calm experience. I attribute the relatively small amount of pain and distress I did feel to my lack of practicing my relaxation techniqes.

My first delivery, however, was the horror I expected it to be. I had not yet learned about hypnobirthing, and fully expected labor and delivery to be the most painful and horrible thing I had ever experienced. And it was. The joy of bringing my son into this world was clouded by pain, fear, and drugs (I had an epidural). The following weeks were dark days I don't wish to remember. While I know that there were other factors that played into the stark contrast between the two births (my first baby was considerably bigger, and he and I both had an infection), I think that my expections and preparations had a lot to do with it. Dr. Dick-Read came up with the idea of the fear-tension-pain cycle. Fear of childbirth leads to tension in the body, which leads to pain (tension also makes labor longer). Had I not been so fearful, perhaps my first son and I would have had a better experience.

It is getting late, and I need to get bed. Otherwise, I would continue my ramblings. Natural childbirth is awesome! I'm sure there are other natural childbirth methods that work well, too. I don't know how to rap this up, except to say that I am excited to give birth in a few months!!

Laziness, Laundry, the Economy, and Ketchup

2009-03-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted much lately. I frequently think of things to post on my blog, but then when I sit at the computer, I just get lazy and end up reading others' blogs until I'm too tired to post anything of my own. Sad, but true.

I just got done reading my usual blogs, and would normally go to bed now, but I have to stay up waiting for Hubby's laundry to be done so I can bring it upstairs so that he will have clothes to wear to work tonight, so here I am, writing about the current economy and it's effects on ketchup.

That's right, ketchup. You see, we went out to dinner the other night (a rare treat these days). Hubby chose one of our favorite places; Sizzler! Our kids LOVE the salad bar, and quite frankly, so do I. I realized just how much my oldest is growing up when we had to pay for his salad bar because he is no longer "three and under". Oh well, I guess it was inevitable. At least the little one still eats for free.

Anyway, I ordered the endless popcorn shrimp along with the salad bar. Most people will probably think this is weird, but I don't like that fancy shrimp sauce they serve. I like my shrimp with lemon juice and ketchup. Which is where the state of the economy comes in. When our waitress brought out the shrimp, I asked for more lemon wedges and a bottle of ketchup. She reached down into her apron and. . . voila! pulled out a bottle of ketchup.

To my horror, it was a plastic squeeze bottle of Western Family ketchup! I'm not even kidding. Western Family ketchup at the Sizzler. What a disappointment! Not that I'm against generic brands in general. Most of our groceries bear names such as Western Family or Shur Savings, but I expect more from a fairly expensive sit-down restaraunt. What happened to the glass bottle of Heinz? I woudn't mind if they tasted the same, but the fact is, they don't. Call me picky, but ketchup is one of the few things I will pay extra for because the name brand tastes better . . . a lot better. I guess everyone is hurting from the current state of the economy.

But I didn't let it ruin my night. The shrimp was still delicious, and the selection of fresh fruits and veggies on the salad bar more than made up for the ketchup disapointment. It just goes to show that EVERYONE is making changes to save a buck or two.

Oh, and if you want to know more about ketchup read this blog post. And in case you're really bored, have a lot of time on your hands, or just want to know a lot more than anyone should know about ketchup (and mustard), read the entire article.

Five Lucky People...

2009-02-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

...get something made by me just for them. It can be anything I want, I get to choose. It can be silly or serious, edible or not, but don't plan on anything alive. There are a few rules involved.

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It will be done sometime this year (Don't expect grand things if it takes a long time. I'm just busy!).
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. (The choice is mine! Muahahaha)
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange and/or silly.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they've posted on their blog win a hand made, super creative, possibly lovely whatever in the world I decide! Be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

PS- A lot of my blog reader's have already posted this or something like it on thier blog. Since I don't have many readers, if you're one of those people who has done this recently, I will go ahead and give you something without you having to make another post (and therefore, 3 or 5 more gifts). Make sense?

From the Mouths of Babes II

2009-02-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

My boys and I were reveiwing some ASL signs when the following conversation ensued between me and my four-year-old:

Me: What's the sign for girl?

Boy: (does the sign) You know what a girl is, Mommy?

Me: What?

Boy: Someone who takes care of you, and when you are mean to her she sends you to your room!

Ultrasound Results

2009-02-03T11:40:00.000-08:00

I went for my ultrasound today, and got good news. The baby looks perfectly healthy, is right on schedule for my due date, and appears to be a girl! We are so relieved and excited! I stopped spotting a couple weeks ago, but have been waiting for this ultrasound to confirm that everything is okay. No more bedrest and no more worrying. Hooray!

From the Mouths of Babes

2009-01-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

I was watching Wow Wow Wubzy with my kids, when one of the characters ate some candy and threw the wrappers on the floor. My four-year-old pointed it out, and we talked a little about how we should throw our wrappers in the trash, not on the floor. I said, "throwing them on the floor makes a mess," to which he replied, "Yeah, that's what Daddy does."

A Good Laugh

2009-01-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

My husband and I rented Get Smart tonight. I don't know when I've laughed so hard! It reminded me how fun it is to have a good laugh. See it. You'll love it. (And for all you guys out there, it stars Anne Hathaway, which was all I needed to tell my husband to get him excited about it.)

The Baby Name Game

2009-01-14T12:49:00.001-08:00

In my opinion, one of the funnest (er... most fun?) parts of having a baby is choosing a name. But it's also one of the hardest. Why? Well, because it's not just up to me. I have a husband, and we seem to have our own ideas of the perfect name. So far we've really only discussed girl names, because we are both hoping for a girl. Plus, if it's a boy, we pretty much have a name picked out (it's what we were going to name our second boy, but it didn't fit him).
So far, we only have one girl name that we both like. So, although it's not at the top of either of our lists, it is at the top of "our" list. And no, I'm not going to tell you what it is. I've learned my lesson from past experiences. You start telling people the names you're thinking of, and they feel it necessary to express thier opinion whether they love it or hate it. If you hate my baby's name, I'd rather not know, but if I must know, I'd rather know after it's all said and done (that way your opinion won't sway me one way or another, which is how it should be).

PS- The real reason I wrote this post is because I love the photo that I swiped from BabyCenter.com. Isn't it great?

Taking it Easy

2009-01-07T20:04:00.001-08:00

I'm exhausted and should be sleeping, but I've beeing wanting to write about this for a while. This will be quick writing, so I apologize for its sloppiness.
I'm on doctor's orders to take it easy. It all started a week ago. I was having some cramping in the morning, and noticed spotting in the afternoon. I've never had any spotting or bleeding during pregnancy before, and it really scared me. I called my the doctor who was on-call for my OB (it was New Year's day, so the office was closed), and she told me to be on bedrest until I could get into the office the next morning.
I was so scared. As the nurse tried to find a heartbeat with the doppler, I grew more anxious. She was having trouble finding it. I remember thinking, "My baby's dead." I almost started crying, when finally a little heartbeat came up! It was music to my ears. I then had an ultrasound, and everything looks great. However, my doctor still wants me to take precautions for the next four weeks. He said to "take it easy", which means nothing stressful (like taking my kids shopping), nothing strenuous (like shoveling snow), and, [STOP! if you are my older brother and whish to continue to believe that I am still a virgin, don't read on!] much to my husband's dismay, no sex (okay, I admit I'm a little bummed about that one too).
If I start cramping, I'm to lay down immediately and put my feet up. If I get tired, I'm supposed to rest. Which basically means that my house is a disaster and will be for the next four weeks, and that my kids will be watching a lot of movies. We're pretty much in survival mode right now. But this too shall pass.
I'm just glad the baby is okay, and I don't want to do anything that might compromise his/her wellbeing. Wish us luck!

Scary Old St. Nick

2008-12-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

My almost-four-year-old is scared of Santa. We didn't realize this until a few weeks ago at our Ward Christmas Party. Santa came to hand out candy to the kids. Our two-year-old quickly got in line with the other children, but to my surprise, his older brother held back. When I encouraged him to go get in line so he could talk to Santa and get his candy, he ran to the corner and cried.
As Christmas drew nearer, I asked him what he wanted Santa to bring him. He informed me that he didn't want Santa to come. He only wanted presents from me. So, guess what? Santa didn't come to our house. My son made sure I locked the door before we went to bed so he couldn't come in (lucky for me we don't have a fireplace; I would've had to board it up!). I filled the stockings and set out all the presents. But a few days after Christmas, the kid informed me that he is excited for Santa to come next year! What a silly kid.

My Rainbow . . .

2008-12-15T19:13:00.000-08:00

. . . is strongly shaded yellow.

Your rainbow is strongly shaded yellow.

What is says about you: You are a joyful person. You appreciate optimism. You're good at getting people to like you.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it was kind of fun taking the quiz anyway.

"I Dropped Mine Eggs"

2008-12-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

After breakfast this morning, my youngest went in the living room to play. Two minutes later, he came back into the kitchen where I was washing dishes and said, "I dropped mine eggs". He seemed pretty upset about it. I figured he had snuck a handful of scrambled eggs into the living room to eat and then accidentally dropped them (he knows he's not supposed to take food in the living room, and frequently sneaks a handful of his food in to eat on the couch). So I followed him to where he had 'dropped' his eggs, and it turned out that he had actually vomited up his eggs! This was a couple hours ago, and he seems fine, so I don't think he's sick (phew). I just think it's funny that he used the term 'dropped'. It cracks me up!

He Passed the Penny!

2008-12-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update; the penny has been passed. Hooray! I don't have to fish through his dirty diapers anymore looking for it! From now on, I'll be more diligent about keeping money away from him.

A Trip to the Emergency Room

2008-12-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

A few days ago was my hubby's birthday. The boys picked out some balsa wood airplanes to give him. We were all excited to go to the park and see them fly. While I was getting my youngest ready to go, he put a penny in his mouth. I saw it sitting on the back of his tongue, dangerously close to going down his throat. I quickly tried to scoop it out with my finger, but may have done more harm than good. He choked on it for a few scary moments (I was afraid it would get lodged in his throat), and then swallowed it.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I called poison control (thank goodness for poison control! I've called them many times since becoming a mother). They recomended we take him in for an x-ray to make sure it made it down to his stomach. Otherwise, it could be hanging precariously in the back of his throat, waiting to fall and lodge in his windpipe (this can be the case even if the child can swallow fine and shows no signs of choking), or it could get lodged in the entrance to the stomach and block him up.

So I took him to the emergency room (things like this always happen on the weekends) while my husband and our oldest boy went to fly the airplanes. We spent two hours waiting and waiting and waiting some more. Finally he was x-rayed, and they found the penny in his stomach, which was a relief.

Now we just need to wait for it to come out (checking for it is not my favorite thing, but we need to make sure it passes).

Lesson learned; keep small objects out of reach of children. Easier said than done.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

2008-11-30T16:39:00.000-08:00

I pulled out the Christmas decorations Friday morning. I still don't have the tree up, and haven't put up any outside lights, but we have stockings hung, the snowscene up and lots of little trinkets out on shelves. I love the Christmas season!

Twenty-One Pound Turkey

2008-11-25T15:37:00.000-08:00

I bought a twenty-one pound turkey yesterday! I'm getting exciting for Thanksgiving. We are not having a huge crowd; nine adults and three kids. It should be fun. My dad and stepmom are coming, which is always fun. Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas Fever

2008-11-15T14:10:00.001-08:00

I've been getting excited about Christmas lately. It is, afterall, my favorite Holiday. I never pull out my decorations until after Thanksgiving (okay, on Thanksgiving, but after dinnner), but I've been really tempted lately to start hauling boxes up the stairs and start decorating!

Maybe it's because of the fact that we were living with relatives last Christmas, and most of my decorations stayed in boxes. Maybe it's the peppermint ice cream I've been eating everyday for the past two weeks. Maybe it's because I've been our running errands after dinner lately when it's dark and the stores are bustling and it's so cold! Whatever it is, I have Christmas Fever. I've had to restrain myself several times from listening to the Christmas music station while in the car (okay, I admit it, I haven't always used restraint. The other day when there was nothing else on, I did listen to a couple of songs.)

Less than two weeks to go . . . once the turkey is put away in the fridge, I'm pulling out the Christmas tree! And, of course, the Christmas music. I always listen to Christmas music while decorating!

My Cute Boys

2008-11-10T06:47:00.001-08:00

A good friend of mine took some fall photos of my boys (thanks, Leslie!) I may be biased, but I think they are adorable!

Six Random Things

2008-10-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law tagged me (Hi, Arlynda!). I'm supposed to tell six random things about myself, but I'm having a hard time coming up with six things that are both random and interesting. Oh well, here we go:

1. I hate scary movies. Harry Potter is about as scary as I can handle. No kidding, I was looking over my shoulder for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for several weeks after seeing the latest one.

2. I'm seriously considering home-schooling my children for many, many reasons, but am not sure if I'm cut out for it. Quite frankly, the thought scares me to death. But I truly am considering it for the sake of my children.

3. I'm pretty good at keeping up with washing, drying, and folding the laundry, but I have a hard time putting it away. I'm not sure why, but it will sit clean, dry, and folded in the basket for a week before it gets put away.

4. I prefer natural child-birth to using an epidural. In my experience, the side-effects of an epidural are not worth the relief, and I think it's better both for the mother and the baby (mom has faster recovery time, baby is born alert and undrugged). But that's not to say I think women shouldn't use epidurals. If that's what suits your fancy, go for it. 5. I used to be able to leg-press a thousand pounds! The key words here are used to. I'm ashamed of how I've let my muscles turn to Jell-o. That was back when I lifted weights three times a week and ran the other three (I rested on Sundays). These days my idea of a workout is chasing my toddler up and down the aisles of the grocrery store. 6. There are a few things I'd like to do but never have: earn at least a purple belt in karate, graduate from beauty school, and become an awesome photographer. Is that random enough?

I tag: Heidi, Laura, Heather, Andy, Jefferson, Marie, and Leslie (I'm supposed to tag ten, but don't know that many bloggers).
Copy and paste the cute graphic below, write your six random things, and then tag ten people!

Proposition 8

2008-10-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

I've been hesitant to write about this subject because there's so much to be said and I've been afraid I'd say it all wrong. Lucky for me, my husband's cousin (my cousin-in-law?) said it all right. He posted this on his facebook page, and I hope he doesn't mind me posting part of it here.

. . . . how will legalized same-sex marriage affect you? Here are some things to consider (see http://www.whatisprop8.com/ for full details):
1. Children in public schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLHWBWSaW-4

2. Churches may be sued over their tax exempt status if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public.

3. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father.

4. Religions that sponsor private schools with married student housing may be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if counter to church doctrine, or risk lawsuits over tax exemptions and related benefits.

5. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages may be sued for hate speech and risk government fines.

6. It will cost you money. This change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits.

Please thoughtfully consider this issue, and remember these points (from http://www.protectmarriage.com/:

1. Proposition 8 is about preserving marriage; it’s not an attack on the gay lifestyle. Proposition 8 doesn’t take away any rights or benefits from gays or lesbians in domestic partnerships. Under California law, “domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections and benefits” as married spouses.

2. If Proposition 8 is defeated, the sanctity of marriage will be destroyed and its powerful influence on the betterment of society will be lost. The defeat of Prop. 8 would result in the very meaning of marriage being transformed into nothing more than a contractual relationship between adults. No longer will the interests of children and families even be a consideration. We will no longer celebrate marriage as a union of husband and wife, but rather a relationship between ‘Party A’ and ‘Party B.’ The marriage of a man and a woman has been at the heart of society since the beginning of time. It promotes the ideal opportunity for children to be raised by a mother and father in a family held together by the legal, communal and spiritual bonds of marriage. And while divorce and death too frequently disrupt the ideal, as a society we should put the best interests of children first, and that is traditional marriage. Voting No on Proposition 8 would destroy marriage as we know it and cause profound harm to society.

"New" Couch

2008-10-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Would you believe me if I told you I got a brand new couch for thirty-three dollars? If not, good for you. I didn't get a brand new couch for thirty-three dollars. I got an old couch for free, and bought a brand new slipcover for thirty-three dollars, and . . . voila! It's like a brand new couch! I love it!

The couch came from my sister-in-law's garage. She got it from her sister-in-law, who, upon getting a new job across the country, decided to get rid of all her old furniture and buy new stuff. Score! The upholstry was all ripped up (the obvious work of a cat), and the color didn't match my existing furniture.

The slipcover came from Ebay. It is a pretty blue slate color, and so soft! It retails for around sixty-five dollars, but I paid only 24.99 plus shipping. Don't you just love Ebay?

The couch is a little funky. Instead of a regular backrest, it has these huge pillows, which make it a little hard to get the slipcover to fit snugly, but it works.
Here are the before and after photos:

A Little Daydreaming Never Hurt Anybody

2008-10-18T14:01:00.001-07:00

I was running errands the other day with both boys in tow. We had to make a trip to Fred Meyer, which happens to be my three-year-old's favorite place ever since he found a ride-on airplane there. He has his heart set on it for Christmas, but he's not getting it. For starter's, it's too small for him (though he doesn't think so). It's really more geared toward a toddler, not a preschooler. Secondly, it costs fifty bucks and looks like it would break after about two hours in our house. But I figure there's no harm in letting him "look" at it when we go there. He actually does a lot more than look. He drives it up and down the ailes like there's no tomorrow. My one-year-old loves it, too. Luckily, there are several there, so they each get to "look" at their own.

Now, the toys just happen to be right next to the baby clothes; Carter's, to be exact. I love Carter's baby clothes (but rarely buy them because they are overpriced). So while the boys have fun with the airplanes, I drool over baby clothes. Baby girl clothes, to be exact. Carter's new Little Denim collection for girls is adorable! I found the cutest red ribbed sweater. I couldn't resist taking it off the rack, carressing the soft cables, and imagining a baby girl in it. A sweet little bundle of cuddly softness. I could almost smell that new baby smell that I love so much. I could almost feel the warm softness of her baby skin against mine. I imagined the peacefullness of nursing her at night, the moonlight falling on her cute little face. . . I was in baby hunger heaven.

I was suddenly jolted out of my heaven with a high-pitched scream from my toddler- my boys were fighting- again!! In no time at all, my thoughts switched from cuddly softness to red-faced screaming baby. From sweet baby smell to the smell of baby puke that's been on my shoulder for two days because I haven't had a chance to shower. From peacefullness to absolute exhaustion and sleep-deprivation.

My baby hunger heaven didn't last long. I collected my now crying kids and dashed away from the baby clothes as quickly as I could without looking back! Another baby? Now? Are you kidding me!?! I made a mental note to stay away from the baby girl clothes for a while.

But sometimes I think back to that sweater . . . and once again imagine my little bundle of sweetness. Maybe not any time soon, but someday. Someday.

A Bale of Fun!

2008-10-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to a local corn maze the other evening, and we all had a great time. Aside from the corn maze, they also had a string maze, a straw pyramid, and a bonfire.
The kids loved the straw pyramid. It was made of over 200 bales of straw and had tunnels all through it. I got scared a few times going through those dark, narrow tunnels because I am a bit of a claustrophobe, but I had to put on my game face to keep the kids from being scared. It really was a lot of fun.

Me and my boys sitting on the pyramid.

A close-up.

My three-year-old running out of one of the tunnels.

After playing in and on the straw pyramid, we braved the corn maze. After going in circles for about ten minutes, my three-year-old started begging to go back to the pyramid. My one-year-old was enjoying wandering through the corn, so we split up; I took our oldest back to the pyramid (via the entrance to the maze), while my husband and the little one continued to search for the exit. We met up later and decided to try our luck in the string maze. It was harder than it looked. I was totally lost, but my conscience kept me from jumping the strings and just getting out. Not that it would be morally wrong; I just like to stick to the rules (which drives my husband crazy when we're playing games*). He made it out first, and then coached me to help me get out.
After that we sat around the fire for a while, played on the pyramid a bit more, and then headed home. We all had straw all over! In our hair, our pockets, our shoes, and in our clothes. I was itching like crazy. I wanted to put the kids straight to bed because it was late, but the sensible part of me (okay, my husband [did I honestly just call him the sensible one? wow, that rarely happens]) said we should give them a bath first. So they took a bath and after not too much protesting (they were really tired) went to bed.

It was a fun family night. We've been to corn mazes before, but this was by far the most family oriented . I think we'll make a tradition of it!

*Take Monopoly, for example. He (like so many others) seems to think that when you pay money to the bank, you should put it in a pile in the middle and then when someone lands on Free Parking, they get to keep it all. You can't do that! It's not in the rules!!

Getting Settled

2008-10-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we made the big move. We had a lot of help loading the truck from members of the Elder's quorum, and help funloading from neigbors and my brother once we got here. Now it's just a matter of getting all our boxes unpacked. I've made a pretty good dent in it, but there is still a lot to do.
It's great to be back home and to be living in a house rather than an apartment. I'm so excited to plant a garden in the spring! But for now we are enjoying fall. It is a beautiful time of year.

Some Thoughts on Spanking

2008-09-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a long-time beleiver in not hitting your kids (though I'm the first to admit that I have hit my kids in times of anger and weakness, after which I always feel extremely guilty for not living my own convictions).
I found an article discussing scientific evidence that shows why we shouldn't hit our kids. Whether or not you beleive in using corporal punishment, check it out. It may just make you think twice the next time you raise your hand to your child (I know it's strengthened my resolve to not hit my kids, no matter what they do).
What do you think?

Packing... again!

2008-09-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

As excited as I am about moving back to my beautiful hometown, I have to say that I do not like packing. I got an early start, so maybe it won't be too bad. I've already done the easy stuff (bookshelves, blankets that have been sitting in closets the entire time we've lived here, the boys' toy net, food storage), but now I'm getting to the harder stuff. I was going to pack a lot today, and guess how many boxes I packed . . . ONE! I'm not sure where to go from here. I feel like everything else is stuff we still need (food, clothes, the computer, toiletries). Maybe I should just pretend we're going on a week long trip (we move one week from tomorrow), and pack a bag with all our essentials, and then put everything but that into boxes. Any suggestions on packing would be great. Though I've done it twice in the past year and a half, I'm still not very good at it. Wish me luck!

And there was much rejoicing

2008-09-15T18:36:00.001-07:00

I found us a house to rent! I signed the lease and paid our first month's rent and our deposit today. I'm so glad we found something. It is a three bedroom house with a fenced backyard and a garden plot. It is an older home, but has brand-new carpet and tile. Hooray!

A massacre

2008-09-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

My bangs were getting too long for my liking, and I couldn't bring myself to pay ten bucks just to get my bangs cut, so I decided to do it myself. Not a good idea. I cut them wet, and though I took into account the fact that they would shrink up when dry, I didn't realize how much they would shrink up! Needless to say, they are way too short. I look like a little school girl, and not in a good way. I take solace in the fact that they will grow, and in the meantime, I'm pulling them back with a hairband every day.

"Movin' to the country . . .

2008-09-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

. . . gonna eat me a lotta peaches."

Plums, actually. We found a cute little house that we love in a small town about 20 miles from where my husband got a job. It is a 1952 country cottage on more than a third of an acre. It has plum trees, a nice lawn, a huge area for a garden, and we love it!
We just got the inspection report back, and there are a few issues of concern. We will have to do some research before we decide for sure if we still want it. It all depends on how much it will cost to do some remedial work (maybe we could get the sellers to get it done).
In the meantime, I've been browsing paint colors. We are going to paint and carpet it before we move in. I'm thinking olive green and cream in the kitchen, light yellow in the nursery with Noah's Ark stick-ups, and sky blue in my three-year-old's room - complete with airplane and helicopter stick-ups, of course!
I look forward to owning our own home. Here is a photo:
Isn't it cute?!

Moving Back Home

2008-08-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Due to a long chain of unforseen events, we have decided to move back to our home town. We've been here for a little over a year, and it has been good, but I personally prefer my home town, and look forward to moving back. It is a very nice place, and my husband has been offered a good job there.
We are still looking for a place to live, and haven't really decided if we will buy, build, rent, bum, or a combination of the above options. We would really love to own our own home, but haven't yet found anything we love that is in our price range. Building would be nice because you can get more bang for your buck with sweat equity, but do we really want the stress of building a home? Renting is okay, but we really want a yard and the freedom to do whatever we want with our house (not to mention it's a good investment). Bumming off someone else is not actually on my list of options; I was just kidding about that.
I'm not a good decision-maker. I agonize over which shade of lipgloss to buy, for Pete's sake! How am I supposed to make a big decision like this? I have the feeling we're going to have a lot of ups and downs before we really get settled, so wish us luck.

"Doing, Mama?"

2008-08-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

That's what my eighteen-month-old would probably ask if he were here now. He is so inquisitive lately. If my husband is about to walk out the door, he asks him, "Going, Daddy?" Then once he's gone, he'll turn to me and ask, "Daddy going?" If we're watching a movie, he asks, "Watching, Mama?" Whenever we are driving somewhere in the car, he asks, "Going, Mama?", about every two minutes.
But his most common question is "Doing, Mama?" He asks me what I'm doing when I'm taking a shower, doing the dishes, folding the laundry, or fixing his lunch. It cracks me up. Surprisingly, I never tire of this questioning. He is just so cute! He has such a cute little voice and an innocent face; I can tell he's genuinely interested in my actions, and I love it when he calls me "Mama".

Sunday Drive

2008-08-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

We went for a nice Sunday drive today. We drove to a nearby lake (or, resevior... I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it is a body of water). It has a nice park nearby with several playgrounds. We played for a while and then walked around the, um . . . body of water. It was a lot of fun, but not nearly as adventurous as last week's Sunday drive.
We hadn't planned on being gone six hours, but my husband's sense of adventure took over and none of us were sorry about it. We ended driving up through the Palisades area, then over to Wyoming, and then made a loop back home.
Our first stop was at a rest area between Ririe and Swan Valley. There was a beautiful view of the Snake River below. The valley carved by the river was so lush and green! It was breathtaking. At that point I was ready to turn around and head back home for dinner. It was 6:30 and we hadn't had dinner yet. But we had a late lunch, and I had brought some snacks, so I gave in to my husband's pleading to continue on.
I had never been to the Palisades before. It was absolutely gorgeous! I had no idea we lived so close to such an amazing place. The scenery was beautiful, but what was even better was the smell. It smelled so fresh and clean, and the air was deliciously cool. We plan on taking a camping trip up there sometime.
We continued on and were just passing through Etna, Wyoming, when my three-year-old threw his coloring book out the window. Luckily, we were going slow since it was through a small town, so we turned around to pick it up. That's when we spotted a park. We decided to get out and let the kids run around for a while. It was a fun park with old-school equipment made mostly of steel and wood. My three year old love the "tator-tots" or, rather, teeter-totters. They were huge! At the highest point, he was sitting at least five feet in the air. It's too bad they don't make them like that anymore. The park had a little garden area with various trees and bushes all labeled with both their common and scientific names. We found a current bush and helped ourselves! It took me back to my childhood days when we ate currents in my grandma's backyard.
It was getting dark when we started back home. We drove near a swampy area, and almost hit a big crane (the bird, not the construction truck) in the middle of the road. About a half an hour later, we came close to some deer, and half and hour after that, we kept coming across cows in the middle of the road. At one point, we almost hit a big black one that seemed to pop up out of nowhere! The cows were scary. They were as big as our car, and their eyes glowed... kind of creepy.
We finally made it home at around eleven o'clock at night. The kids fell asleep only half an hour before. They did surprisingly well for such a long drive. I enjoyed the beauties of the earth, and I think my husband's need for adventure was met.
All in all, it was a good Sunday drive (though I wish I had taken the camera!).

Boring Blog?

2008-07-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

It seems that my blog has been rather boring lately. Not that my life is boring, it's just that whenever I sit down to write, I have so many different things on my mind, I can't decide what to write about. And then, once I decide what I want to write about, I can't seem to get it out in the right words, so then I just decide to forget it. I started a post on Monday titled "Sunday Drive", but I only got less than halfway through before I felt like I was rambling and going off on tangents all over the place, and I just didn't have the time or the patience to finish it. Maybe one day I will finish it and you all (yes, all three of you!) can read about our six hour drive. Until then, just hope and pray that I'll be able to get my writing together.

Shopping Spree

2008-07-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

I was on my way home from work yesterday when I spotted a big yard sale. I dedided to stop and look around in hopes of finding a microwave and a sewing machine. Unfortunately, I didn't find either.
I did, however, find some great movies and I couldn't pass them up. They had Disney Classics in good condition for three dollars each! Even though they are on VHS, that's still a great deal. I ended up getting five: Dumbo, The Great Mouse Detective, The Rescuers, Robin Hood, and Lady and the Tramp. I also got Harry Potter and the Prinsoner of Azkaban for one dollar. I got six movies for sixteen bucks! We now have quite a large collection of Disney movies, though there are a few I would still like to get, including The Sword in the Stone and Sleeping Beauty.
You just can't go wrong with Disney Classics!

Missing My Mom

2008-06-26T20:36:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She would have been 55. She passed away five years ago, just a few days after her 50th birthday. She had suffered many health problems from a genetic disease of the liver (type I Hyperoxaluria).

I've been thinking about her a lot today, and I miss her so much. She was, in all honesty, my best friend. When I needed someone to talk to, she was there to listen. When I was sick, she cared for me like only a mother a can. And when I needed to cry, she held me and let me cry as long and as hard I wanted to.

We also had great times together. She is in most of my best memories. She took us camping for a full week every summer when we were young. As a single mom of four kids (now five, but back then she had four), I don't know how she did it. Taking my two kids camping for one night is a huge production, and I have a husband to help me! Those summer camping days were filled with adventure, laughter, and love.

She made Christmas absolutely magical. She spared no expense when it came to decorating the house. It was so beautiful at Christmastime. The tree went up the day after Thanksgiving, and stayed until New Year's Day. She was meticulous is her method of hanging Christmas lights; whether it was on the window, the mantel, or the roof, the lights were perfectly spaced and in perfect little rows. None of this "wrap a string of lights around the tree and call it good". Oh, no! Each branch had lights carefully wrapped around it from the center to the outer edges, and back to the center again. Her method of wrapping presents was meticulous also. I've never seen anyone wrap gifts as perfectly as she did! Each one was complete with fancy ribbons, bows, and a little gift tag to match the paper. And the amazing part is she enjoyed every minute of it!

She gave me such a wonderful childhood and taught me so much. It breaks my heart to think that she can't be here now that I am a mother. Oh, how she would love my little boys! I think of how much fun she would have with them, and how she would love to watch them grow. She loved children, and especially babies. She had two grandchildren before she died, and she adored them. I know she would adore all nine (soon to be ten!) of them now if she were here. I'm so sad that my kids are missing out on having thier Grandma here. How much fun they would have with her!! But I know that families can be forever, and we will be with her again one day.

Of course, every time I think of her, inevetably I start to feel regret and guilt for not being better to her while she was here. She suffered terribly the last few years of her life, and I wish I had been there more for her. Much of her time was spent in bed, and I was off with friends when I should have been by her side so she wouldn't be alone in her pain. She loved to read, but had trouble with her eyes and was unable to read for long periods. I should have read to her. I should have talked to her. I should have been with her more to comfort her and hold her and love her like she loved me. I'm sorry, Mom.

She was an amazing person. I could go on for hours, but I should probably call it a night. Here are a few photos of my wonderful mother.

Apartment Gardening Part II

2008-06-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write this post for a week now. Life gets a bit crazy sometimes. With work, kids, plasma donation, applying for foodstamps (yes, sadly, it has come to that), and trying to dig myself out of the pile of laundry and dishes and toys, I hardly have time to post anything! But my kids are sleeping and the housework is waiting for a few minutes so I can sit and write about my flowers.

I planted petunias in April and have been anxiously waiting for them to bloom. I 've been watering and watching them grow (I would have been weeding, but they are in planter boxes). We went out of town over the weekend. When we left on Friday, there were two small blossoms on them. I gave them extra water so they wouldn't dry out during our trip. When we got home, I was happily greeted by this sight!:

Hooray! Finally, I have blossoms! This photo is a bit dark because it was late when we got home, but I just had to take pictures. These are my biggest success in my garden. My carrots were coming along nicely until my 3-year-old picked and ate all but 2 of them. It was partly my fault, though. I had him help my thin them last week, and we ate the little ones that we pulled. I told him not to pull any without Mommy's help, but the next day when I came home from work, Hubby said to him, "Tell Mommy what you did." He smiled and said, "I ate your carrots, Mommy!" He got in a lot of trouble for that. Here is a photo of the ones we pulled while thinning.

My cilantro was actually quite successful, but it didn't last long. It is now going to seed, which I guess I'd better harvest. Though I've never used coriander in cooking, I'm sure I can learn how. My tomatoes both died; one due to frost, and the other I think may have drowned. My parsley suffered the same fate as my carrots.

Here are some more photos of my pretty petunias!

Biking to Work

2008-06-13T14:52:00.001-07:00

On Friday, I started riding my bike work (it's not actually my bike. It is my father-in-law's. I would be riding my husband's bike, but it got stolen a couple weeks ago, so his dad let us borrow his). Though I have to get up about 20 minutes earlier (my alarm is now set for 4:40 instead of 5:00), it feels great to get the exercise and fresh air. It's also nice to know I'm saving money that would be spent on gas, and doing my small part to help the environment. Hooray for bikes!

Lunch at the Park (or, Maybe This Place isn't so Bad)

2008-06-13T14:23:00.001-07:00

Despite how much I complain about moving from beautiful Cache Valley to this dumpy town, there is one thing here that my home town doesn't have, and that is . . . (drumroll please) . . . Lunch at the Park! It's a summer lunch program sponsored by the school district. Every Monday thru Friday during summer break, kids (under 18) can get a sack lunch at the park absolutely free!
Here's how it usually happens. We head to the park (there are about 10 participating parks in town, we choose the closest, which is only a mile away) at around 11:00 am. We play on the equipment, eagerly awaiting the arrival of "the lunch truck". We hear a honk on the horn and turn to see it coming around the corner. As it drives to the pavillion, throngs of children (most of them quite young, with parents in tow) gather and form a crooked line, eagerly awaiting thier lunches. My kids squirm and wiggle as I try to keep them in line (the kids themselves have to get thier lunches- you can't stand in line and get it for them while they play). We finally make it up to the front. My three year old proudly gets his brown paper bag and opens it up himself. I hold my one year old and his paper bag in one arm, using my free hand to grab the goods and drop them into each boy's bag. They each get one carton of milk (chocolate or white), one carton of juice (to my delight it's 100% fruit juice, not the corn syrup-filled Tampico I was served in school), one bag of chips (usually Sun Chips or Baked Cheetos), one side (applesauce, fruit leather, or pudding) and then the main dish (choice of a hot entree like chicken nuggets, corn dog, cheeseburger, or old reliable cold ham and turkey sandwhich). We thank the lunch workers and take our now bulging brown paper bags to find the perfect spot to eat. Sometimes we choose a table in the shade; today we chose a sunny spot on the grass to sit and have our picnic. Once the kids are done, I finish off thier left-overs (wouldn't want to waste food, would we?), and then we go play some more. If ever I'm really hungry (like I was yesterday), I shell out $3.00 and get a lunch for myself.
We've gone every day this week, and plan on making it a regular thing throughout the summer. It's perfect: free food, fresh air, exercise, and the best part, no dishes! Maybe this place isn't so bad after all . . .

The Pilot and Me

2008-06-05T20:47:00.001-07:00

My husband's cousin, Heidi had this cute hubby questionaire on her blog, and since I've run a blank lately on what to blog about, I decided it would be fun to fill out and post. Now you will all know about me and the pilot.

1. How long have you been together?
Almost 5 years (my memory of life before marriage is already fading... it's like it was a whole different world).

2. How long did you date?
Hmm... depends on who you ask. He would say we'd been dating for 4 months when he proposed, but it was actually only about 2 weeks (we have very different definitions of "dating"). I said no, and we dated for another 2 months before I said yes, and then we were engaged for about 3 months. So... I guess according to me we dated for almost 6 months, according to my husband 9 months.

3. Who said I love you first?
I'm pretty sure I did, but he claims he didn't hear me (I whispered it in his ear-guess I whispered too quiet).

4. Who sings better?
That's a toughy. He is better at making up lyrics and his own harmony, and he has a pretty good voice. I can sing parts by reading the music, and have a decent voice (as long as I'm not solo). I'd say it's about a tie.

5. Who is smarter?
Another toughy. He is definately smarter when it comes to anything mechanical and logical. But I am better at math, english, and putting the right clothes on the right kid (he's been putting size 3T shorts on our 16 month-old lately).

6. Who does the laundry?
Moslty me, but he's been doing a lot more since I started working part time

7. Who does the dishes?
Same answer, I've always done them, but he does them now too, since I started working.

8. Who pays the bills?
I do. Not my favorite job.

9. Who mows the lawn?
The landlord. But when we rented a house, he did it most of the time.

10. Who cooks dinner?
That would be me, except on very rare occasions.

11. Who drives when you're together?
Mostly him, but I do sometimes.

12. Who is more stubborn?
We are both very stubborn, and therefore butt heads a lot. But I am usually the first to say "I'm sorry" and I have to beg him to say it too.

13. Who kissed who first?
This one's kind of funny. He asked, "Can I kiss you?" Instead of responding verbally, I just leaned in and kissed him, but he didn't kiss me back. I guess he was too nervous. So I ended up kissing tightly closed, motionless lips. He'll never live that one down.

14. Who asked who out first?
He asked me. We went to see a double feature at the theater (Spider Man and Men in Black 2). We danced outside in the rain during the intermission.

15. Who proposed?
He did, but the better question would be how many times? Too many to count. Okay, in his defense, he only got down on one knee and actually said "Will you marry me?" once, to which I replied, "Can I think about that?" It was honestly the biggest shock of my life. I said no a few days later, and after that he just kept asking, "So, when are ya gonna marry me?" Obviously, I said yes after a while.

16. Who is more sensitive?
Me. Well, I show my feelings more anyway.

17. Who has more friends?
Friends? What are those? Just kidding. We each have a handful of good friends who we talk to about twice a year.

18. Who has more siblings?
He does, but only by one.

19. Who wears the pants in the family?
We both do, but his are bigger.

Secret Shopping

2008-05-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

There's good news and there's bad news (for us). Our neighbors moved. The bad news is we were just becoming good friends with them. They have two boys, ages 3 and 5, whom Westley loved playing with. And I loved talking with the mom, JoLynn. We will miss them. The good news is before they moved, they sold us their car (a 1995 Honda Civic) for only $300, and they gave us thier job as mystery shoppers at a local buffet (which shall remane unnamed). It was kind of funny, Tyler (the dad), pulled us aside to tell us about the job and the car one day when we were all outside. He told us that he could tell we were doing it on our own(as in going to school and trying to get ahead in life), and that he respected that and he wanted to help us out. I guess it's pretty obvious that we're "doing it on our own".

So, here's the deal. We are supposed to go to Unnamed Buffet once or twice a week. We pay for it, have a nice meal, and take mental notes. Then when we get home, we fill out a survey (only takes 10 minutes) and send it to our boss, along with the reciept, who then reimburses us for the bill. So basically we get to go out to eat twice a week for free! Which is great for us right now since there is no way we can afford to go out to eat. Ever. Right now we are barely making enough to pay the bills and put food on the table. Which is fine with me; it's the life we've chosen in order for Andy to follow his dreams as a pilot. He could go out and get a decent-paying job, like with the railroad (the reason I mention this is because we've seriously considered it) and I'm sure we'd have enough money to buy a house and live comfortably. But that would mean he would have to quit his job as a flight instructor, which means he wouldn't get any more flight hours, which means his flying career would pretty much be at a stand still. And it would be really hard to go back to being a poor flight instructor once he got into something else. So, suffice it to say, we are happy with selling our plasma to put food on the table (seriously... we both donate plasma twice a week, and that is our grocery money).

Anyway, this mystery shopping job is great because on nights when I am too burned out to cook, or the fridge is empty, we just head out to Unnamed Buffet, put it on the credit card, and we get reimbursed before we get the bill. How cool is that? Love it. So, though we will miss our neighbors, we are glad they chose us are their benefactors when they moved.

Apartment Gardening

2008-05-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

I love spring, and I love gardening. Though I don't consider myself to have a green thumb, I like to pretend I do. Getting out in the dirt and sunshine feels so good, and I love waiting and watching things grow. Yardwork is definately one of my favorite chores.

When we were renting a house in Logan, we gave the front yard a major overhall (with permission from our landlords, of course). We got rid of some huge juniper trees that were overtaking the front of the house, and put in bushes and flowerbeds. It was a lot of work, but it was fun, and it was gratifying.

Cutting down the trees (most of them were already gone when this was taken)

Building the flower beds

The finished product

When we lived with my sister-in-law, I helped her do some weeding in the spring, and also planted tulip bulbs last fall, which are now blooming.

Since we now live in an apartment, we have no yard for flower beds or a vegetable garden, so I improvised. I bought two planter boxes to put out on our balcony. I planted carrots, petunias, cilantro, and tomatoes. Sadly, the tomato plant froze, but I now have one inside, along with some parsley. Now that the weather has been warmer, I can really see my garden growing. The carrots sprouted last week, and the cilantro seems to get bigger every day. The petunias are growing, too. I can't wait to see them bloom!

Petunias and carrot sprouts

Cilantro

Parsley sprouts and cherry tomato plant

When we have our own home and a piece of land, I hope to have a large vegetable and herb garden, and definately some flower beds. Fruit trees would be nice too. But for now, I'm grateful for my little container garden.

New Job

2008-05-05T18:46:00.001-07:00

I started my new job at Mrs. Powell's Bakery this morning at 5:50 sharp. I am not used to getting up that early, but I was surprisingly awake and alert, despite the fact that I did not sleep well due to restlessness (I am always restless the night before something new or exciting is going on- especially if I know I have to get up early).
There is a lot to learn, but it's fun. I made cinnamon rolls, raspberry rolls, orange rolls, pizza rolls, calzones, breadsticks, mini-bread loaves, cookies, cinnamon twists, and pull-aparts. Yeah, that's a lot of baking. And it is all from scratch, with the exception of the cookies.
The time flew by. I work a 4-hour shift, and I was amazed at how quickly it went. I was hungry, though. When I got home at ten, I felt like it should be lunch-time (because I got up so early) Lucky for me, it was snack time (I was starving!), so I sat down and had a snack with my cute family.
I like my new job! It is fun, and the schedule allows me to still be with my kids during most of the day. It also makes my husband get up and take care of the kids while I'm at work, which I think is good for him.

Why don't potty-training boarding schools exist?

2008-05-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe this will gross some people out, but I can't figure out why my 3 year old absolutely refuses to poop in the toilet. He has been peeing on the potty for at least 6 months now, and he does great- even stays dry during naps and at night- but getting him to poop on the potty is like trying to fit an elephant into an eggshell without breaking it! He poops his pants nearly every day, and I'm getting tired of cleaning it up.
I try to catch him right when he needs to go and then run him into the bathroom, but he will usually just hold it until he finds a chance to sneak into a corner when I'm not looking and make his move (he won't poop in his pants with someone watching). Tonight, however, I kept a close watch on him because I knew he needed to go. I had taken him to the toilet several times, but again he had refused to do anything while sitting there.
Then when he was in the bathtub, he got this look of urgency on his face and said, "I need to go potty!" But as soon as I sat him on the potty, he started yelling, "NO! NO!" and tried to get back in the tub. I was determined not to let him poop in the bathtub, so I just held him (rather forcefully) on the toilet while he screamed and kicked and cried until finally, he relaxed and let it go. He was so proud of himself for pooping in the potty- which I find rather funny since he really had no choice in the matter.
I have to wonder if I did the right thing or not. I hate to force him to do it, but I don't want to be cleaning up his poopy underwear when he's 25, if you know what I mean.
If someone opened a potty-training boarding school, they'd make big bucks... but it's not gonna be me!

Tuna Adventures

2008-05-02T18:04:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to incorporate some less expensive and healthier proteins into our diet, like tuna and beans. Tonight I made tuna burgers for the first time, and they turned out really good! I mixed the tuna with cracker crumbs, eggs, bbq sauce, garlic, and black pepper, then fried them on my Lectro-Maid. I served them on sesame seed buns with alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, and pickles. My boys, unfortunately, refused to eat them, but Andy and I liked them. Go, tuna!

First Blog

2008-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

So, this is my first time blogging. My brother and sister both recently started thier own blogs, and I decided to follow suit. Maybe I will blog frequently, maybe this will be my first and last blog. Only time will tell