We've had sick kids here the past couple of days. Emily woke up with a sore throat on Friday, so we have her back on her medicine. The delay in Atlanta threw us off her medicine schedule and we got lazy about starting her up again. I hope her medicine lasts until we get back home, but I am doubtful. Eleanor had a slight fever on and off on Friday and she complained her stomach hurt. Yesterday, the kids seemed to be on the mend (we were mostly just dealing with Eleanor sneezing and blowing snot out her nose), so we drove to Preston, Idaho to look at some Napoleon Dynamite sites. Then we stopped in Logan, Utah for lunch at the Mandarin Garden. The kids don't really like Chinese food, so we stopped and bought them a snack to eat on our way to the restaurant from Preston. We stopped and visited with some friends in Logan who used to live near us in Maine. Then we stopped to see Matt's cousin and his wife in Logan before we drove back to Matt's parents' home.
Zoe woke up in the middle of the night last night with an upset stomach. She threw up several times throughout the night and slept in the bathroom. This morning Zach threw up at the kitchen table and he's had a few nasty diapers, but he hasn't acted very sick. He still has lots of energy and he doesn't have a fever. We're hoping everyone is on the mend and will be well tomorrow. The kids are missing out on cousin time and that is very sad. Matt's Mom stayed home with the kids today while Matt, Matt's Dad, and I went to church, which was very nice.
Hopefully the new year will bring good health!
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Another day of fun
We went to visit a couple today who served a mission in our branch several years ago. It was fun to talk with them and update them on what's going on now in the branch. They fed us lunch and the husband did his famous magic trick that Zoe and Emily remember...pulling candy out of the girls' ears. It was fun to see the couple's new home and hear what's going on in their lives now.
We got one of the cousins to babysit our kids this evening. We had an adult dinner out with Matt's parents, siblings, spouses, and our 9 week old niece who was very good. We missed Matt's sister who wasn't feeling well, though :-( It was a fun evening and we came home to a quiet house where our girls were in bed :-)
We are accomplishing the things on our list of what we want to do while here, and seeing the people we want to, so we are happy about that.
We got one of the cousins to babysit our kids this evening. We had an adult dinner out with Matt's parents, siblings, spouses, and our 9 week old niece who was very good. We missed Matt's sister who wasn't feeling well, though :-( It was a fun evening and we came home to a quiet house where our girls were in bed :-)
We are accomplishing the things on our list of what we want to do while here, and seeing the people we want to, so we are happy about that.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
We went over to Matt's sister's home yesterday with Matt's parents. Eleanor fell in love with their dog!
Zoe and Emily with their cousin...
Zach was in his glory when he found this bike to ride on...
Matt, Zoe, Emily, Eleanor, and I went to temple square last night. I love how you can walk right up to the Salt Lake temple now!
Matt and the girls with the temple in the background...
We had a family photo taken today with Matt's parents, Matt's siblings, and all the kids. There were some stressful moments, but overall I think it went pretty well. Zach was not happy when the cousins picture was being taken with Matt's parents!
The cousins exchanged gifts today. They had waited long enough!
Matt and I are about to leave to go to dinner with some friends. I better go before I make us late!
Zoe and Emily with their cousin...
Zach was in his glory when he found this bike to ride on...
Matt, Zoe, Emily, Eleanor, and I went to temple square last night. I love how you can walk right up to the Salt Lake temple now!
Matt and the girls with the temple in the background...
We had a family photo taken today with Matt's parents, Matt's siblings, and all the kids. There were some stressful moments, but overall I think it went pretty well. Zach was not happy when the cousins picture was being taken with Matt's parents!
The cousins exchanged gifts today. They had waited long enough!
Matt and I are about to leave to go to dinner with some friends. I better go before I make us late!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
A peachy place to be...
Our trip started out quite smoothly with getting all our family and luggage into the Bangor airport in one trip. We got to the check-in counter, gave our last name, and the lady read off my name and the girls..."and Matthew", I said...a moment of panic when she didn't reply back as she looked at the screen, but then she found him under his own name, separate from the rest of us. We got our luggage checked in with no problems and we headed upstairs to wait for our flight to be announced to board. The kids had a great time playing in the children's area, excitement was in the air. Things are going great...and then our boarding gets delayed. We wait another hour and then we get to board the plane. While waiting in line to board, Eleanor asks in surprise, "Are all of these people going to Grandma & Grandpa's too?!" The kids watched movies during the flight, Zach took a nap and then wandered from Matt to me, me to Matt (we were in different rows), we ate snacks, and had a good flight.
We get to Atlanta (hoping our next flight was delayed as well), show the connection information lady our ticket and she sends us to gate A10, so we go from concourse C to concourse A on a train, after going down an escalator, only to see that this gate was boarding to Tampa...not what we want. Matt talks to the guy at the counter, who gives us encouraging news...it is going to be nearly impossible to get a flight to Salt Lake City...and he sends us to a gate in concourse B. Escalator, train, concourse B, get on standby list, wait, plane leaves full of passengers without us, we head to concourse A...escalator, train, I'm carrying Eleanor at this point and losing my energy, and we plop ourselves down to wait again. We put in movies for the kids and wait...
...the plane leaves full without us again and we mentally prepare ourselves to spend the night in the Atlanta airport. Matt goes to see if we can get on a different flight the next day and the kids and I wait. It is about 10pm now and we are all hungry at this point and tired of course. The girls and I are snacking on disgusting fries and imitation burgers. Matt comes back with good news...we are booked on a flight...but not until Sunday, Christmas Eve. We find an empty gate to get comfortable in (Zach and Eleanor are already asleep at this point), Zoe and Emily watch a movie. At midnight, all the kids are asleep, either on the floor or on a chair.
I lay down on the chairs around 12:30 and sleep on and off until 3:30. Zach wakes up at this point, so we put a movie in for him. We watch people work and walk by, listen to the announcements over the loudspeaker over and over again. The first flight to leave for Salt Lake in the morning was leaving at 7:00, so when the time finally came to go watch the standby list, we did. It didn't look hopeful. When the plane was mostly boarded, the guy at the counter started calling out standby names, but the majority of the standby people weren't there, so we heard him say, "Erickon". We are ready to split up if we need to, so Zach and I are ready to board the plane. We wait to see if any other seats will be available and there is one. So Eleanor, Zach, and I say goodbye to Matt, Zoe and Emily and we board the plane. Eleanor sits in 30A, near the window next to a couple who have a little boy, probably a little younger than Zach and I sit in 39B, hoping that Eleanor is going to be alright by herself. Zach falls asleep during take-off, so I wait for him to wake up before I go check on Eleanor. It is a long flight, but I am happy to be on it. Eleanor does great. The mom next to Eleanor said she entertained them and was very good. I was relieved. I have never been so happy on a trip to Utah to land in Utah! Matt's dad, brother, and niece were at the airport to meet us. I didn't expect to see our luggage for at least a few days, but thanks to Matt's brother's flying expertise, he managed to get all of our bags. Yay! When I boarded the plane in Atlanta, Matt and I were very hopeful that he and the girls would be able to catch the next flight out to Salt Lake, but it didn't happen. They didn't get on any of the flights that day, so they stayed in a hotel and waited for their Christmas Eve flight to San Diego and then to Salt Lake. We would see them around 4:30pm on Christmas Eve. I was an emotional wreck on Christmas Eve! I talked with Matt in the morning and I couldn't stop crying after that. It wasn't until after Matt and the girls arrived and Matt and I talked that I was able to stop crying. We went over to Matt's brother's home (a different brother) to have Christmas Eve dinner. It was nice to be together as a family, eat a delicious meal, be surrounded by extended family, and be in a home that was beautifully decorated for Christmas. It felt good. Zoe, Emily, and Eleanor LOVE playing with their cousins. They play like they see each other all the time.
It was really a miracle that Eleanor, Zach, and I were able to get to Salt Lake on Saturday. I was able to do our last minute Christmas shopping and wrap the gifts that evening, which was part of the original plan.
We had a very nice Christmas with Matt's parents. It was fun to watch the girls open their gifts. Zach was never interested in opening his gifts, but he liked playing with them after someone else opened them.
The stockings were hung with care...
Zoe and Emily received the American Girl dolls they wanted from Santa, and Santa brought Eleanor a doll named Amanda, but Eleanor calls her Sarah...
Zach loves his magnetic toy that Santa brought, and everyone else likes to play with it, too!...
Zoe and Emily each received their favorite toy from the magazine they looked at over and over again...
Matt's brothers and sister and their families came over to visit throughout the day, which was fun. The girls played with their cousins, and the older cousins were all happy to play American Girl dolls together.
Matt, Zoe, and Emily gave me this magnet for Christmas...
Maybe someday our family will have the same opinion.
We get to Atlanta (hoping our next flight was delayed as well), show the connection information lady our ticket and she sends us to gate A10, so we go from concourse C to concourse A on a train, after going down an escalator, only to see that this gate was boarding to Tampa...not what we want. Matt talks to the guy at the counter, who gives us encouraging news...it is going to be nearly impossible to get a flight to Salt Lake City...and he sends us to a gate in concourse B. Escalator, train, concourse B, get on standby list, wait, plane leaves full of passengers without us, we head to concourse A...escalator, train, I'm carrying Eleanor at this point and losing my energy, and we plop ourselves down to wait again. We put in movies for the kids and wait...
...the plane leaves full without us again and we mentally prepare ourselves to spend the night in the Atlanta airport. Matt goes to see if we can get on a different flight the next day and the kids and I wait. It is about 10pm now and we are all hungry at this point and tired of course. The girls and I are snacking on disgusting fries and imitation burgers. Matt comes back with good news...we are booked on a flight...but not until Sunday, Christmas Eve. We find an empty gate to get comfortable in (Zach and Eleanor are already asleep at this point), Zoe and Emily watch a movie. At midnight, all the kids are asleep, either on the floor or on a chair.
I lay down on the chairs around 12:30 and sleep on and off until 3:30. Zach wakes up at this point, so we put a movie in for him. We watch people work and walk by, listen to the announcements over the loudspeaker over and over again. The first flight to leave for Salt Lake in the morning was leaving at 7:00, so when the time finally came to go watch the standby list, we did. It didn't look hopeful. When the plane was mostly boarded, the guy at the counter started calling out standby names, but the majority of the standby people weren't there, so we heard him say, "Erickon". We are ready to split up if we need to, so Zach and I are ready to board the plane. We wait to see if any other seats will be available and there is one. So Eleanor, Zach, and I say goodbye to Matt, Zoe and Emily and we board the plane. Eleanor sits in 30A, near the window next to a couple who have a little boy, probably a little younger than Zach and I sit in 39B, hoping that Eleanor is going to be alright by herself. Zach falls asleep during take-off, so I wait for him to wake up before I go check on Eleanor. It is a long flight, but I am happy to be on it. Eleanor does great. The mom next to Eleanor said she entertained them and was very good. I was relieved. I have never been so happy on a trip to Utah to land in Utah! Matt's dad, brother, and niece were at the airport to meet us. I didn't expect to see our luggage for at least a few days, but thanks to Matt's brother's flying expertise, he managed to get all of our bags. Yay! When I boarded the plane in Atlanta, Matt and I were very hopeful that he and the girls would be able to catch the next flight out to Salt Lake, but it didn't happen. They didn't get on any of the flights that day, so they stayed in a hotel and waited for their Christmas Eve flight to San Diego and then to Salt Lake. We would see them around 4:30pm on Christmas Eve. I was an emotional wreck on Christmas Eve! I talked with Matt in the morning and I couldn't stop crying after that. It wasn't until after Matt and the girls arrived and Matt and I talked that I was able to stop crying. We went over to Matt's brother's home (a different brother) to have Christmas Eve dinner. It was nice to be together as a family, eat a delicious meal, be surrounded by extended family, and be in a home that was beautifully decorated for Christmas. It felt good. Zoe, Emily, and Eleanor LOVE playing with their cousins. They play like they see each other all the time.
It was really a miracle that Eleanor, Zach, and I were able to get to Salt Lake on Saturday. I was able to do our last minute Christmas shopping and wrap the gifts that evening, which was part of the original plan.
We had a very nice Christmas with Matt's parents. It was fun to watch the girls open their gifts. Zach was never interested in opening his gifts, but he liked playing with them after someone else opened them.
The stockings were hung with care...
Zoe and Emily received the American Girl dolls they wanted from Santa, and Santa brought Eleanor a doll named Amanda, but Eleanor calls her Sarah...
Zach loves his magnetic toy that Santa brought, and everyone else likes to play with it, too!...
Zoe and Emily each received their favorite toy from the magazine they looked at over and over again...
Matt's brothers and sister and their families came over to visit throughout the day, which was fun. The girls played with their cousins, and the older cousins were all happy to play American Girl dolls together.
Matt, Zoe, and Emily gave me this magnet for Christmas...
Maybe someday our family will have the same opinion.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Utah, here we come!
We're leaving for the airport in 45 minutes. We're doing last minute packing, dishes, clean-up, Matt is out picking up extra binkies for Zach...we are ready for this adventure...it's all about attitude, right?!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Packing day
No time to talk really, but wanted to say "Hi!". I'm off to give my dad his birthday present...Happy Birthday, Dad! I have a doctor's appointment, then I'm coming home to pack.
Have a great day!
Have a great day!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Christmas getting to know me
Welcome to the 2006 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends!
I copied this from Cindy.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrap
3. Colored lights or white lights on the tree/house? We put colored lights around the inside of our house and on the tree (no tree this year), and white lights outside (but our outlet outside isn't working so no outside lights this year).
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No ( I have nothing against mistletoe, I just never think about it when we're decorating)
5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually I wait until December 1st, but since we are leaving before Christmas for Utah, I started decorating the day after Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Sausage Egg Casserole...I love having a big breakfast on Christmas morning.
7. What is your favorite Holiday memory as a child? Taking a loooong time to open presents. My sister and I would take turns opening a gift, so everyone could see what the other got. We have our kids each open a gift at the same time and then they have to wait until they are all ready to open another one.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What...There's no santa?!
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I did as a kid, but we don't usually let our kids. I did buy Zoe and Emily pajamas one year and we let them open those to wear to bed Christmas Eve.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Colored lights, lots of ornaments (mostly homemade), and a paper star on top.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it for Christmas.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, and Zoe and Emily are very anxious to go skating!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? There was a favorite gift every year...I remember the cabbage patch kid...a must have!
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering Jesus, the true meaning of Christmas, spending time with family
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Sugar cookies
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to the Creche exhibit and parade of lights the first Saturday of December.
17. What tops your tree? A yellow paper star
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving, I'm excited to watch the kids open their gifts!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? What Child is this
20. Candy Canes! It wouldn't be Christmas without candy canes!!!...I think there originally was a question here...I do like candy canes, but the kids don't eat them, so I haven't bought any.
Zoe and Emily each made a Christmas card and then I photocopied them so they can give a card to each of their classmates and teacher. We bought tootsie pops to put on the front of the envelopes. Zoe's card is on the left, and Emily's card (intentionally upside down because that is how she made it) is on the right.
Our family picture.
I copied this from Cindy.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrap
3. Colored lights or white lights on the tree/house? We put colored lights around the inside of our house and on the tree (no tree this year), and white lights outside (but our outlet outside isn't working so no outside lights this year).
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No ( I have nothing against mistletoe, I just never think about it when we're decorating)
5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually I wait until December 1st, but since we are leaving before Christmas for Utah, I started decorating the day after Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Sausage Egg Casserole...I love having a big breakfast on Christmas morning.
7. What is your favorite Holiday memory as a child? Taking a loooong time to open presents. My sister and I would take turns opening a gift, so everyone could see what the other got. We have our kids each open a gift at the same time and then they have to wait until they are all ready to open another one.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What...There's no santa?!
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I did as a kid, but we don't usually let our kids. I did buy Zoe and Emily pajamas one year and we let them open those to wear to bed Christmas Eve.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Colored lights, lots of ornaments (mostly homemade), and a paper star on top.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it for Christmas.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, and Zoe and Emily are very anxious to go skating!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? There was a favorite gift every year...I remember the cabbage patch kid...a must have!
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering Jesus, the true meaning of Christmas, spending time with family
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Sugar cookies
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to the Creche exhibit and parade of lights the first Saturday of December.
17. What tops your tree? A yellow paper star
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving, I'm excited to watch the kids open their gifts!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? What Child is this
20. Candy Canes! It wouldn't be Christmas without candy canes!!!...I think there originally was a question here...I do like candy canes, but the kids don't eat them, so I haven't bought any.
Zoe and Emily each made a Christmas card and then I photocopied them so they can give a card to each of their classmates and teacher. We bought tootsie pops to put on the front of the envelopes. Zoe's card is on the left, and Emily's card (intentionally upside down because that is how she made it) is on the right.
Our family picture.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
She did it!
Zoe picked out cute turtle earrings for her first pair. When we first got to the store, there was only one lady there working so we thought she would have to have one ear done at a time, but by the time all the paper work was signed and we paid the bill (Matt asked if we were getting Zoe's ears pierced or buying a car!) another lady came in so they did both ears at the same time. Zoe was surprised at how quick it took. She had a look of awe on her face when it was done. She thought they would make the holes and then put the earrings in. She said it hurt more than she expected, but she's glad she did it. Now she has another excuse to spend time in front of the mirror!
The kids enjoyed shopping for each other and it was a very productive evening.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Early Christmas
We had an early Christmas with my parents yesterday. The highlights were the baby dolls my grandmother bought for the girls and the blankets she made to go with the dolls, the Diego field journal which my mom bought for Zach, and a friend of ours bought the same thing for Zach, so now there is one for Zach and one for the girls (which they ALL want to play with), Eleanor's Dora cash register, a gift card for Zoe to get her ears pierced (which we're planning on using this evening), and our 2 portable DVD players with 14 hours of playing time for each one, and the girls each got a CD player with headphones...entertainment for our long journey on Friday :-) Matt's eager to watch his new "Talladaga Nights" movie.
It was nice to have a Christmas before Christmas with my parents. We ate a yummy dinner, the kids enjoyed their new toys, and we enjoyed being together.
This is our first year having the kids buy for each other. They each picked a name in secret and we're going to the dollar store this evening to shop for Family Home Evening. It will be fun to see what they pick out for each other. Zach picked his own name, so he'll get to keep something that he likes, which I think will work out perfect for him.
Zoe's class made gingerbread houses last week for their families. I think Zoe did a great job!
There are a bunch of green and red m&ms on the back.
It was nice to have a Christmas before Christmas with my parents. We ate a yummy dinner, the kids enjoyed their new toys, and we enjoyed being together.
This is our first year having the kids buy for each other. They each picked a name in secret and we're going to the dollar store this evening to shop for Family Home Evening. It will be fun to see what they pick out for each other. Zach picked his own name, so he'll get to keep something that he likes, which I think will work out perfect for him.
Zoe's class made gingerbread houses last week for their families. I think Zoe did a great job!
There are a bunch of green and red m&ms on the back.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Emily update
Emily is feeling a lot better today. She HATES to take her medicine and insists that she's better and doesn't need it. We know better.
Any suggestions on how to get her medicine to Utah...no liquids can be a carry-on and it needs to be refrigerated. Hmmm...
Any suggestions on how to get her medicine to Utah...no liquids can be a carry-on and it needs to be refrigerated. Hmmm...
Friday, December 15, 2006
Strep?
The big headline on The DrudgeReport this morning is "Americans use TV, other Media 10 hours a day." That will be us today since Emily is home sick with a bad sore throat, which I am suspecting is Strep Throat. One of her classmates just got over strep, so I am hoping to get her into the doctor today. I called my mom earlier this morning to see if she could bring over some movies, so now we are well stocked for the day.
Zoe has a short play at school this afternoon and if all goes well, Matt is going to come home with the car that he took this morning and watch Emily, Eleanor and Zach while I go to the play, and then if I get Emily an appointment this afternoon at the doctor, I'll take the kids to the appointment in the car and Matt can take his truck back to work. We shall see.
We leave for Utah in 1 week to spend Christmas with Matt's family:-) How many of our kids will be on antibiotics is the question.
Zoe has a short play at school this afternoon and if all goes well, Matt is going to come home with the car that he took this morning and watch Emily, Eleanor and Zach while I go to the play, and then if I get Emily an appointment this afternoon at the doctor, I'll take the kids to the appointment in the car and Matt can take his truck back to work. We shall see.
We leave for Utah in 1 week to spend Christmas with Matt's family:-) How many of our kids will be on antibiotics is the question.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Back to pink!
Madison's first gift...a blanket made by a young woman in our branch.
Isn't it beautiful?!
Isn't it beautiful?!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Giving thanks
I got a call from the school nurse yesterday morning saying that Zoe's ear was hurting. The nurse gave Zoe some Tylenol and it helped Zoe get through most of the day, but the nurse called again around 1pm when Zoe returned to the clinic. I picked Zoe up and brought her to the doctor an hour later. She has a double ear infection. It seems to be a viral infection, so we are sticking with the Tylenol at this point. She is back at school today since she was bouncing off the walls last night with the rest of the kids! My neighbor, Jenn was here when I got the second call from the nurse yesterday and she volunteered to stay with Zach and Eleanor and to be here when Emily got home from school. It was a big help, thanks Jenn!
Before that all happened, I was able to make cookies and brownies to give to friends and members of our church, so Matt and I left around 6:15pm and started making our rounds. We got home around 10pm. It took longer than we expected, but it was fun visiting with friends and families and delivering goodies to them. My mom watched our wild kids for us, thanks mom!
Before that all happened, I was able to make cookies and brownies to give to friends and members of our church, so Matt and I left around 6:15pm and started making our rounds. We got home around 10pm. It took longer than we expected, but it was fun visiting with friends and families and delivering goodies to them. My mom watched our wild kids for us, thanks mom!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
These are a few of my favorite things...
Matt and I have been married 10 years as of yesterday. The last 10 years have been GREAT and I look forward to many, many, many more years together with Matt :-)
About Me:
What are your favorite colors? I love navy blue, cranberry red, and Ivory together.
What are your favorite flowers? Roses
What are your favorite foods? I like a lot of food...my favorite homecooked meal is fried haddock with a sour cream and basil sauce with mashed potatoes, squash, and asparagus, when I eat out at a restaurant some of the foods I like are fried shrimp with rolls, cheeseburger and fries, and a chicken caesar salad. For my birthday I like to eat lobster, and for treats I love chocolate desserts, strawberry cheesecake, and peanut M&Ms.
What are your favorite activities and hobbies? I love to read. It is very relaxing to sit in my chair at the end of the day when the kids are in bed and read a good book. I scrapbook, which mainly these days is a journal with pictures. I like to do aerobics...when I'm not pregnant; I like to take my kids to different activities in the community and to do fun things with them; I love datenight with Matt; I like to putter around my house decluttering and organizing; I like to listen to talks on Sundays that are on the BYU-TV website; I like to play card games and board games; I enjoy shopping at Goodwill for our family and dropping off bags of simplified stuff; and I enjoy changing diapers (just seeing if you're paying attention!).
Thanks for enduring my pregnancy venting the other day. It did make me feel better to write about it. Happy Monday!
About Me:
What are your favorite colors? I love navy blue, cranberry red, and Ivory together.
What are your favorite flowers? Roses
What are your favorite foods? I like a lot of food...my favorite homecooked meal is fried haddock with a sour cream and basil sauce with mashed potatoes, squash, and asparagus, when I eat out at a restaurant some of the foods I like are fried shrimp with rolls, cheeseburger and fries, and a chicken caesar salad. For my birthday I like to eat lobster, and for treats I love chocolate desserts, strawberry cheesecake, and peanut M&Ms.
What are your favorite activities and hobbies? I love to read. It is very relaxing to sit in my chair at the end of the day when the kids are in bed and read a good book. I scrapbook, which mainly these days is a journal with pictures. I like to do aerobics...when I'm not pregnant; I like to take my kids to different activities in the community and to do fun things with them; I love datenight with Matt; I like to putter around my house decluttering and organizing; I like to listen to talks on Sundays that are on the BYU-TV website; I like to play card games and board games; I enjoy shopping at Goodwill for our family and dropping off bags of simplified stuff; and I enjoy changing diapers (just seeing if you're paying attention!).
Thanks for enduring my pregnancy venting the other day. It did make me feel better to write about it. Happy Monday!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Is my due date right?
I've been trying to blog the past few days, but blogger has had some issues.
It is snowing. I have a doctor's appointment today for the baby. I hate driving in the snow, but I will attempt to leave early and drive slow. I am 33 weeks pregnant today, but from the questions and reactions I get from strangers I meet these days, I look 40 weeks pregnant. I've decided to keep track of comments I receive now and blog about it because I think that's the only thing that will keep me sane. It would really be sad for myself and my family if I go mental on the next cashier that sees me and says, "You look like you're due any day now" and then I say, "No, I'm not due until the end of January" and they ask, "Are you having twins?" and I say, "No" and they just smile. Blogging could save my life here!
When I went on Zoe's field trip, there was another woman who was pregnant there as well. I saw her the next day at the service counter of our grocery store and we talked briefly about the field trip and then I asked her when she was due to have her baby. She said the middle of January. When I told her I was due at the end of January, she laughed and said, "You're kidding?!"...I thought you were due any day now...are you having twins?"...Maybe I should just start telling everyone yes, I am having twins or I'm due tomorrow...no, that would be going against the honesty lesson we just had in Family Home Evening. (sigh)
Not only do I look huge, but people are convinced that the baby has dropped, even after I explain that I always carry low. I look like I'm going to pop any minute...so they say.
I just had a short coversation with Eleanor about going to the doctor to hear the baby that's in my tummy. She asked about the baby in her tummy...no baby in her tummy...She wondered if Zoe or Emily came out of her tummy...no, Zoe was in mommy's tummy, Emily was in mommy's tummy, Eleanor was in mommy's tummy, Zach was in mommy's tummy, and now Madison is in mommy's tummy...Eleanor ~ "But I don't want to be a baby in mommy's tummy...it's dark in there!"
It is snowing. I have a doctor's appointment today for the baby. I hate driving in the snow, but I will attempt to leave early and drive slow. I am 33 weeks pregnant today, but from the questions and reactions I get from strangers I meet these days, I look 40 weeks pregnant. I've decided to keep track of comments I receive now and blog about it because I think that's the only thing that will keep me sane. It would really be sad for myself and my family if I go mental on the next cashier that sees me and says, "You look like you're due any day now" and then I say, "No, I'm not due until the end of January" and they ask, "Are you having twins?" and I say, "No" and they just smile. Blogging could save my life here!
When I went on Zoe's field trip, there was another woman who was pregnant there as well. I saw her the next day at the service counter of our grocery store and we talked briefly about the field trip and then I asked her when she was due to have her baby. She said the middle of January. When I told her I was due at the end of January, she laughed and said, "You're kidding?!"...I thought you were due any day now...are you having twins?"...Maybe I should just start telling everyone yes, I am having twins or I'm due tomorrow...no, that would be going against the honesty lesson we just had in Family Home Evening. (sigh)
Not only do I look huge, but people are convinced that the baby has dropped, even after I explain that I always carry low. I look like I'm going to pop any minute...so they say.
I just had a short coversation with Eleanor about going to the doctor to hear the baby that's in my tummy. She asked about the baby in her tummy...no baby in her tummy...She wondered if Zoe or Emily came out of her tummy...no, Zoe was in mommy's tummy, Emily was in mommy's tummy, Eleanor was in mommy's tummy, Zach was in mommy's tummy, and now Madison is in mommy's tummy...Eleanor ~ "But I don't want to be a baby in mommy's tummy...it's dark in there!"
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
My Dad
About Me:
Tell about your father...
I spend a lot of time with my mom now, but as a child I spent more time with my dad. He would get out of work in the afternoon before my mom would get home, so he's the one I remember getting dinner ready and being at home the most. My dad would be there at my sporting events and he coached one of my baseball teams. In high school, I remember pretending to be embarrassed when one of my friends announced that my dad was coming, but I was happy that he was there and always showed interest in what I was doing. He always tried to teach me new skills such as cooking, gardening, and car maintenance, but I never took much interest in learning these things, which I regret. I have learned how to cook and I enjoy cooking, but a gardener and car repairer I am not.
My dad has the ability to talk to anyone, an ability I did not inherit. This social trait of his makes him a great missionary because he easily talks about the gospel in a conversation (at least he makes it seem easy). I did inherit his healthy habits such as eating good foods and exercising. We enjoy our treats and desserts, but that is balanced with healthy food. My dad is not a spender of money and I think I get my good sense about money from him.
I look more like my dad with dark hair, skin that tans easily, brown eyes, and some native american features.
My dad is not a patient man, but he is very kind, compassionate, helpful, and loving. He loves to read and learn new things. He loves to be with his grandkids and to teach them new things. He gets involved in their activities just as much as he did with me and my sister. He is willing to watch my kids when I need him to and I appreciate that.
I love you, Dad.
Tell about your father...
I spend a lot of time with my mom now, but as a child I spent more time with my dad. He would get out of work in the afternoon before my mom would get home, so he's the one I remember getting dinner ready and being at home the most. My dad would be there at my sporting events and he coached one of my baseball teams. In high school, I remember pretending to be embarrassed when one of my friends announced that my dad was coming, but I was happy that he was there and always showed interest in what I was doing. He always tried to teach me new skills such as cooking, gardening, and car maintenance, but I never took much interest in learning these things, which I regret. I have learned how to cook and I enjoy cooking, but a gardener and car repairer I am not.
My dad has the ability to talk to anyone, an ability I did not inherit. This social trait of his makes him a great missionary because he easily talks about the gospel in a conversation (at least he makes it seem easy). I did inherit his healthy habits such as eating good foods and exercising. We enjoy our treats and desserts, but that is balanced with healthy food. My dad is not a spender of money and I think I get my good sense about money from him.
I look more like my dad with dark hair, skin that tans easily, brown eyes, and some native american features.
My dad is not a patient man, but he is very kind, compassionate, helpful, and loving. He loves to read and learn new things. He loves to be with his grandkids and to teach them new things. He gets involved in their activities just as much as he did with me and my sister. He is willing to watch my kids when I need him to and I appreciate that.
I love you, Dad.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Tradition
I finally found Emily's library book at the bottom of the stuffed animal box. I brought it in to school for her and she was very happy to be able to get a new book. It's one of her favorite things about Friday. I was very happy that I found it and didn't have to pay for a lost book!
We have a first Saturday of December tradition and we participated in it this past Saturday. We go to a Creche exhibit at our stake center in the afternoon. The theme this year was "city sidewalks" and the cultural hall and other areas of the building were made to look like store windows. It felt like we were window shopping as we looked at the different nativities. A lot of work went into the exhibit and it looked great! They have a children's area in the primary room that the kids love to go to. They have a reading area, a dress-up area where you can pretend to be part of the nativity, they decorate sugar cookies and make crafts. It always takes awhile to get our kids out of there when it's time to leave. This year they had the primary children draw pictures of what they thought the nativity looked like, and the pictures were displayed along the wall in the hallway leading to the children's area.
Zoe's picture...
Emily's picture...
When I get my kids out of the children's room, we get in the car and head to the parade of lights, which isn't far from the creche exhibit. Matt went home with Zach this year and my mom and I went to the parade with the girls. It is always cold, so we bundle up~snowpants, boots, winter coat, hat, scarf, mittens, and we always leave the parade frozen, but it is my favorite parade and the girls enjoy it too. It's fun to see the floats, trucks, Harleys, tractors, and dancers decorated with Christmas lights. It's always a long parade because the dancers and floats stop in the middle of town to be judged. The people dance and sing, which is fun to watch, but we get to a point where we're cold and tired and we want the parade to end, but we just can't leave until we see Santa go by.
We wanted to go to a restaurant to eat after the parade, but the few places we stopped at were very busy, so we ended up at Burger King (which is where Zoe wanted to go in the first place so she was very happy). It was nice to sit down and relax, get warm, and eat. We survived and enjoyed another year of our tradition :-)
We have a first Saturday of December tradition and we participated in it this past Saturday. We go to a Creche exhibit at our stake center in the afternoon. The theme this year was "city sidewalks" and the cultural hall and other areas of the building were made to look like store windows. It felt like we were window shopping as we looked at the different nativities. A lot of work went into the exhibit and it looked great! They have a children's area in the primary room that the kids love to go to. They have a reading area, a dress-up area where you can pretend to be part of the nativity, they decorate sugar cookies and make crafts. It always takes awhile to get our kids out of there when it's time to leave. This year they had the primary children draw pictures of what they thought the nativity looked like, and the pictures were displayed along the wall in the hallway leading to the children's area.
Zoe's picture...
Emily's picture...
When I get my kids out of the children's room, we get in the car and head to the parade of lights, which isn't far from the creche exhibit. Matt went home with Zach this year and my mom and I went to the parade with the girls. It is always cold, so we bundle up~snowpants, boots, winter coat, hat, scarf, mittens, and we always leave the parade frozen, but it is my favorite parade and the girls enjoy it too. It's fun to see the floats, trucks, Harleys, tractors, and dancers decorated with Christmas lights. It's always a long parade because the dancers and floats stop in the middle of town to be judged. The people dance and sing, which is fun to watch, but we get to a point where we're cold and tired and we want the parade to end, but we just can't leave until we see Santa go by.
We wanted to go to a restaurant to eat after the parade, but the few places we stopped at were very busy, so we ended up at Burger King (which is where Zoe wanted to go in the first place so she was very happy). It was nice to sit down and relax, get warm, and eat. We survived and enjoyed another year of our tradition :-)
Friday, December 01, 2006
Healing
My mom is doing a lot better. She was up and around when I went over on Wednesday, so we played a game of phase 10 and visited. I think it's safe to say the worst of it is over.
I went on a field trip with Zoe yesterday to the Hudson Museum where we learned about Native Americans in different regions of the United States. The kids got to make a mask resembling an animal, and they watched a movie based on the book "Raven" that was made by local students who live on Indian Island. Zoe said the best part of the trip was the movie.
Being on a bus full of 2nd graders made me appreciate the quiet of just two children at home :-) It took about an hour each way to travel to the museum and back to the school. I keep thinking of the Grinch and the noise, Noise, NOISE! It didn't help that I had been awake since 4am when Eleanor woke up and then woke up Zach. They were playing and having a great time. Eleanor finally went back to sleep at some point, but I don't think Zach did and I didn't either.
My little girl who always needed me to play with her is growing up...
Yesterday afternoon while Zach and Eleanor were busy, busy, busy, I looked over to see Zoe quietly listening to music while looking at a toy magazine. I caught myself wondering why all my children couldn't be that good and quiet! But it wasn't always that way with Zoe, and before I know it Eleanor and Zach will grow up too. (sigh)
Here is a picture that Eleanor drew and the letters she wrote the other day.
It's time for me to go hunt for Emily's library book. Today is her library day and we could not find her book anywhere this morning before she left. It's a board book that Eleanor and Zach like to look at it, so it could be anywhere!
I went on a field trip with Zoe yesterday to the Hudson Museum where we learned about Native Americans in different regions of the United States. The kids got to make a mask resembling an animal, and they watched a movie based on the book "Raven" that was made by local students who live on Indian Island. Zoe said the best part of the trip was the movie.
Being on a bus full of 2nd graders made me appreciate the quiet of just two children at home :-) It took about an hour each way to travel to the museum and back to the school. I keep thinking of the Grinch and the noise, Noise, NOISE! It didn't help that I had been awake since 4am when Eleanor woke up and then woke up Zach. They were playing and having a great time. Eleanor finally went back to sleep at some point, but I don't think Zach did and I didn't either.
My little girl who always needed me to play with her is growing up...
Yesterday afternoon while Zach and Eleanor were busy, busy, busy, I looked over to see Zoe quietly listening to music while looking at a toy magazine. I caught myself wondering why all my children couldn't be that good and quiet! But it wasn't always that way with Zoe, and before I know it Eleanor and Zach will grow up too. (sigh)
Here is a picture that Eleanor drew and the letters she wrote the other day.
It's time for me to go hunt for Emily's library book. Today is her library day and we could not find her book anywhere this morning before she left. It's a board book that Eleanor and Zach like to look at it, so it could be anywhere!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Kids...too funny!
Eleanor is starting to write her letters. I think she looks at Zoe and Emily's schoolwork on the kitchen wall and copies them. Yesterday she reminded me of Zoe at her age. Zoe used to pretend to be a waitress and take our food order and then write it down on her notebook. Eleanor was doing the same thing yesterday, only instead of taking my food order, she was asking me what I was thankful for.
Zoe made Matt and I laugh this morning when I told her to take care of her pencil box, which she got out to look for my pens that have disappeared from the fridge, and she said something like, "Well, uh I need to finish getting ready for school, not be the maid!!!"
After Matt, Zoe, and Emily left, I went into the kids' room to look for a pen, which I found in Emily's box under her bed, and I also found a paper with a drawing of a girl that says, "Mom come back"...which I'm sure Zoe made one night when I left after the kids were in bed to run some errands. On the back of the paper, it says "Mom~good, Elenor~good, Zack~good, Grampy~good, Dad~Bad...only Dad. I had to laugh.
Zach is now sleeping with the girls. He goes to bed with them and sleeps in the crib. Eleanor sleeps on a mattress on the floor and Zoe & Emily sleep on the bunk beds. We decided it was time to get Eleanor out of the crib after she fell getting out of it and she hurt her foot. Zach adjusted to his new bedtime and bed really well. He cried on and off the first night, but not as much as Matt and I expected. Now he says bye to us and waves after we put him in bed.
Now Matt and I have a few months to enjoy quiet, restful, alone time in the evening before the baby comes :-)
My mom pinched something in her back relating to a disk last Friday and she has been hurting since Sunday. She is in a lot of pain and can hardly move, so the kids and I are going to go over to my parents' home today and help. She went to the chiropractor on Monday and I'm sure she will get to see him consistently for awhile until she is better. She has missed a lot of work with the Thanksgiving break and now her back, so I know she is stressed about all the work that is piling up there. I hope I can eliminate some stress at her home and help her to be as comfortable as possible. My dad stayed home with her yesterday, but as far as I know, he's planning on going to work today. I haven't talked to her yet today, but so far she has felt worse every day that I talk to her. Hopefully today she is feeling a bit better.
Zoe made Matt and I laugh this morning when I told her to take care of her pencil box, which she got out to look for my pens that have disappeared from the fridge, and she said something like, "Well, uh I need to finish getting ready for school, not be the maid!!!"
After Matt, Zoe, and Emily left, I went into the kids' room to look for a pen, which I found in Emily's box under her bed, and I also found a paper with a drawing of a girl that says, "Mom come back"...which I'm sure Zoe made one night when I left after the kids were in bed to run some errands. On the back of the paper, it says "Mom~good, Elenor~good, Zack~good, Grampy~good, Dad~Bad...only Dad. I had to laugh.
Zach is now sleeping with the girls. He goes to bed with them and sleeps in the crib. Eleanor sleeps on a mattress on the floor and Zoe & Emily sleep on the bunk beds. We decided it was time to get Eleanor out of the crib after she fell getting out of it and she hurt her foot. Zach adjusted to his new bedtime and bed really well. He cried on and off the first night, but not as much as Matt and I expected. Now he says bye to us and waves after we put him in bed.
Now Matt and I have a few months to enjoy quiet, restful, alone time in the evening before the baby comes :-)
My mom pinched something in her back relating to a disk last Friday and she has been hurting since Sunday. She is in a lot of pain and can hardly move, so the kids and I are going to go over to my parents' home today and help. She went to the chiropractor on Monday and I'm sure she will get to see him consistently for awhile until she is better. She has missed a lot of work with the Thanksgiving break and now her back, so I know she is stressed about all the work that is piling up there. I hope I can eliminate some stress at her home and help her to be as comfortable as possible. My dad stayed home with her yesterday, but as far as I know, he's planning on going to work today. I haven't talked to her yet today, but so far she has felt worse every day that I talk to her. Hopefully today she is feeling a bit better.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Mission Accomplished
We survived a family picture last night at Walmart. Before we even started, Zach was showing signs of not being cooperative. The photographer focused on getting Zach to smile, which worked, but then the girls would have funny faces or wouldn't be looking at the camera. After a few tries, Zach got tired of being entertained and he wanted to get down. So I ended up holding him and we switched our focus to the girls. The lady would count to 3 and then Matt would take Zach's binky out and we'd smile. The first time we did that, the picture was good, but you could see the binky in the picture, so we tried again. The second time was a keeper. Everyone is smiling except Zach, but he's not crying, he doesn't have a binky in his mouth, and he's looking at the camera. The standard of what you want the picture to look like gets lower and lower the longer you are in the studio!
We went to McDonalds for dinner, in our white shirts, which weren't so white when we left there. But our bellies were full and it was time to go home and end the eventful evening.
About Me:
Describe a typical school day as a child in Elementary school...I rode the bus to school, played outside until the bell rang with my friends, went to my homeroom, learned, played outside for recess some more, learned, ate lunch, learned some more, and rode the bus home. Or something like that. I liked recess and lunch just as much as my kids do :-) I started playing the saxophone in there somewhere, so I had lessons and band, probably from 5th grade on. Zoe is showing interest in playing the flute, which will start when she's in 5th grade. I can't say that I miss school, but I'm glad that I went and my parents wanted me to get a good education. My school experience was very positive.
We went to McDonalds for dinner, in our white shirts, which weren't so white when we left there. But our bellies were full and it was time to go home and end the eventful evening.
About Me:
Describe a typical school day as a child in Elementary school...I rode the bus to school, played outside until the bell rang with my friends, went to my homeroom, learned, played outside for recess some more, learned, ate lunch, learned some more, and rode the bus home. Or something like that. I liked recess and lunch just as much as my kids do :-) I started playing the saxophone in there somewhere, so I had lessons and band, probably from 5th grade on. Zoe is showing interest in playing the flute, which will start when she's in 5th grade. I can't say that I miss school, but I'm glad that I went and my parents wanted me to get a good education. My school experience was very positive.
Monday, November 27, 2006
November 9, 1989
About Me:
Where were you and what were you doing the day the wall came down in East Germany?
I don't know, but I had just turned 15 and I'm sure I was too involved with my teenage self to give this big news story a second thought. It's interesting that one day can change the life of a person in a big way, but be an ordinary day for someone else. It happens all the time.
Where were you and what were you doing that day?
Where were you and what were you doing the day the wall came down in East Germany?
I don't know, but I had just turned 15 and I'm sure I was too involved with my teenage self to give this big news story a second thought. It's interesting that one day can change the life of a person in a big way, but be an ordinary day for someone else. It happens all the time.
Where were you and what were you doing that day?
Friday, November 24, 2006
Doctor results
I took Eleanor to the doctor on Wednesday and once again the x-rays showed nothing broken and she is fine. Not long after we went to the doctor, Eleanor was walking on her foot instead of just on her heel. I'm sure she bruised her foot a week ago and was afraid to walk on it again because it hurt to do so the last time she had tried. She is becoming an expensive child!
We had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday. We went out to eat with my parents at a nearby truck stop/restaurant called Dysarts. There was a long wait, but the food was delicious and worth the wait.
Zoe had the traditional turkey dinner and cleaned her plate.
Emily had a cheese sandwich with smiley face fries and applesauce. She cleaned her plate, too.
Eleanor wanted bread and butter. She enjoyed buttering her rolls by herself, and eating chunks of butter.
Zach drank his chocolate milk and then played with his straw and cup. He was quite a mess by the time we left the restaurant.
I've had the desire to listen to Christmas music the past few weeks, but I held off until today. The Christmas season has begun! The kids were excited when I put up some Christmas lights in our living room this afternoon.
We had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday. We went out to eat with my parents at a nearby truck stop/restaurant called Dysarts. There was a long wait, but the food was delicious and worth the wait.
Zoe had the traditional turkey dinner and cleaned her plate.
Emily had a cheese sandwich with smiley face fries and applesauce. She cleaned her plate, too.
Eleanor wanted bread and butter. She enjoyed buttering her rolls by herself, and eating chunks of butter.
Zach drank his chocolate milk and then played with his straw and cup. He was quite a mess by the time we left the restaurant.
I've had the desire to listen to Christmas music the past few weeks, but I held off until today. The Christmas season has begun! The kids were excited when I put up some Christmas lights in our living room this afternoon.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Time for the doctor
Zoe and Emily are on their Thanksgiving break, so they are home today. It's nice to have a more relaxing morning. Our day is still up in the air of exactly what we're going to do. We'll most likely go to storytime.
I'm going to call the doctor's office today and see when I can get Eleanor in to see someone. It has been a week now with a hurt foot, and she'll only walk on the heel of it. She never forgets about her foot and has not accidentally walked on it. A friend of mine who is a nurse looked at Eleanor's foot last night at pie night (which by the way went well and the pies were delicious!). She said there is a bone where Eleanor is pointing to when asked where it hurts that could be fractured, or it may just be sprained. We just won't know until it's x-rayed and I'm feeling it's time to have that done. So, if the doctor's office can get Eleanor in today we'll go, but it probably won't be until next week.
I'm going to make another pumpkin and chocolate pie today, so we'll have more delicious pie to eat tomorrow :-)
About Me:
Write a want ad that describes your mother.
WANTED:
A generous, kind, loving, supportive mother. One who is a good listener and enjoys talking with me. She has to enjoy watching "Reba", playing phase 10, and eating out at restaurants with me. She has to enjoy watching my children on Friday nights and even claim to look forward to it. She will enjoy having our family over for Sunday dinner and provide snacks for our children to eat on the way home from church. She needs to have a big heart and be willing to give out her great hugs at a moment's notice.
I'm going to call the doctor's office today and see when I can get Eleanor in to see someone. It has been a week now with a hurt foot, and she'll only walk on the heel of it. She never forgets about her foot and has not accidentally walked on it. A friend of mine who is a nurse looked at Eleanor's foot last night at pie night (which by the way went well and the pies were delicious!). She said there is a bone where Eleanor is pointing to when asked where it hurts that could be fractured, or it may just be sprained. We just won't know until it's x-rayed and I'm feeling it's time to have that done. So, if the doctor's office can get Eleanor in today we'll go, but it probably won't be until next week.
I'm going to make another pumpkin and chocolate pie today, so we'll have more delicious pie to eat tomorrow :-)
About Me:
Write a want ad that describes your mother.
WANTED:
A generous, kind, loving, supportive mother. One who is a good listener and enjoys talking with me. She has to enjoy watching "Reba", playing phase 10, and eating out at restaurants with me. She has to enjoy watching my children on Friday nights and even claim to look forward to it. She will enjoy having our family over for Sunday dinner and provide snacks for our children to eat on the way home from church. She needs to have a big heart and be willing to give out her great hugs at a moment's notice.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Busy
Yesterday morning I went to Zoe's school for a few hours to help out with the math fair. The kids spend all day going to different rooms in the school to play math games. I took Zoe's group around to different rooms in the morning. Emily's school did the math fair as well. When I left the school, I picked up Eleanor and Zach from home (my dad was watching them) and we headed for my doctor's appointment. Matt met me there, which was a big help because Zach fell asleep and Eleanor still isn't walking very well. She'll walk on the heel of her hurt foot, but she's very slow. I am 30 weeks along in my pregnancy and everything is going well. I stopped at the grocery store on my way home and then settled into home, ready to make some pies for pie night at our church, which is tonight. I made a pumpkin pie and two graham cracker crusts before Matt got home. We ate dinner and had Family Home Evening. I gave Zoe and Emily both a shower, got the kids ready for bed with Matt's help and in bed, and then made a cheesecake and a chocolate pie. (the visualization of eating these yummy desserts tonight prompted this craziness!) By 9pm, everything on my to-do list was completed.
Today, I have laundry to do (and I am thankful to have a washer at home that works!), I'm taking Eleanor and Zach with me to Zoe's school later on in the morning to see a short Thanksgiving play that Zoe's class is performing for the parents, and I will finish preparing for the Family Home Evening part of pie night this evening. Usually pie night is very low-key, set up some tables and chairs, everyone brings a pie, and we eat and talk until we feel like we're going to burst. We're doing that tonight, but before we eat our pie, we're going to separate into two classes, one with adults with children at home and the other class with adults without children at home, for about 20 minutes to learn more about FHE. Our family is going to do a sample FHE for the adults with children at home, and the adult only group will have a discussion and hopefully will gain new ideas and perspective on having FHE alone, with a group, or with a spouse. I was thinking about Family Home Evening a few weeks ago on a Monday, when the desire came to present a lesson on FHE to the branch. I e-mailed Matt and our Relief Society President about it and the R.S. President thought it was a great idea and suggested we do it during pie night. So we are, and I will finish preparing for it today.
I haven't forgotten about the About Me series, I'm just taking a little break from it on these days I have overloaded my schedule :-)
Today, I have laundry to do (and I am thankful to have a washer at home that works!), I'm taking Eleanor and Zach with me to Zoe's school later on in the morning to see a short Thanksgiving play that Zoe's class is performing for the parents, and I will finish preparing for the Family Home Evening part of pie night this evening. Usually pie night is very low-key, set up some tables and chairs, everyone brings a pie, and we eat and talk until we feel like we're going to burst. We're doing that tonight, but before we eat our pie, we're going to separate into two classes, one with adults with children at home and the other class with adults without children at home, for about 20 minutes to learn more about FHE. Our family is going to do a sample FHE for the adults with children at home, and the adult only group will have a discussion and hopefully will gain new ideas and perspective on having FHE alone, with a group, or with a spouse. I was thinking about Family Home Evening a few weeks ago on a Monday, when the desire came to present a lesson on FHE to the branch. I e-mailed Matt and our Relief Society President about it and the R.S. President thought it was a great idea and suggested we do it during pie night. So we are, and I will finish preparing for it today.
I haven't forgotten about the About Me series, I'm just taking a little break from it on these days I have overloaded my schedule :-)
Monday, November 20, 2006
My handyman
I started to do some laundry Saturday morning since today was going to be too busy of a day to do laundry like I usually do on Monday. I had the first load of clothes in the washer when our washer stopped working. I was ready to go buy a new washer/dryer combo, but Matt convinced me that he should look at it first to see if he could figure out the problem and fix it. We went to a baptism and then I went to my parents' house with the kids to do some laundry there so Matt could work on the washer without anyone getting in the way. I am glad Matt looked at the washer because by some miracle, he was able to find the wire that wasn't working properly and he fixed it! Here is the evidence of his hard work...when the kids and I got back home, the kitchen looked the same as we had left it, and Matt had dinner on the table, so without these pictures I would have wondered if he had done anything major at all.
Friday, November 17, 2006
It's Friday!
Zoe brought home this beautiful turkey yesterday.
Today at school, Zoe's class will be making apple turkeys, so I'm going to go in and help. They're also making a Thanksgiving feast to eat at lunchtime. They have made costumes to wear today. They're supposed to walk to the middle school in the afternoon to watch the high school play, "Bye Bye Birdie", but it's raining so I'm not sure if that's going to happen or not. It is going to be a fun-filled day for Zoe today!
Friday is always a fun day for Emily with all her "specials", gym class, art, music, library, and a special activity to end the day. She always enjoys bringing her library book to school on Friday, so she can bring home a different one.
They also enjoy knowing that their grammie will be babysitting in the evening, which means movie time! Matt and I enjoy getting out, usually to eat at Pizzeria Uno. It's a nice break for all of us :-) Speaking of datenight, my About Me topic is about a special date I have had. Every date I have with Matt is fun and enjoyable. For our first date, we went to see "Emma" at the movie theater. It was a great movie, and I enjoyed the company. Matt has been my date ever since, and I like it that way.
Today at school, Zoe's class will be making apple turkeys, so I'm going to go in and help. They're also making a Thanksgiving feast to eat at lunchtime. They have made costumes to wear today. They're supposed to walk to the middle school in the afternoon to watch the high school play, "Bye Bye Birdie", but it's raining so I'm not sure if that's going to happen or not. It is going to be a fun-filled day for Zoe today!
Friday is always a fun day for Emily with all her "specials", gym class, art, music, library, and a special activity to end the day. She always enjoys bringing her library book to school on Friday, so she can bring home a different one.
They also enjoy knowing that their grammie will be babysitting in the evening, which means movie time! Matt and I enjoy getting out, usually to eat at Pizzeria Uno. It's a nice break for all of us :-) Speaking of datenight, my About Me topic is about a special date I have had. Every date I have with Matt is fun and enjoyable. For our first date, we went to see "Emma" at the movie theater. It was a great movie, and I enjoyed the company. Matt has been my date ever since, and I like it that way.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
What to do?
I was talking with Eleanor the other day about going to "grandma's" house for Christmas. So now whenever we talk about plans for the day she'll say, "and then we're going to grandma's house!" I'm afraid it's going to be a long December for her waiting to go to grandma's house.
Eleanor's still not walking. We think she sprained or bruised her ankle like she did her other ankle, so we're still waiting it out. I hope we're making the right decision.
I've been meaning to write the fact that Emily wrote her first sentence all by herself last week without copying it. It said, "Iseethecat". (I see the cat) She said she learned it at school.
About Me:
What games did you play in your house or neighborhood?
I played a lot outside with my friends. Playing tag, hide and go seek, playing catch, riding bikes. I loved playing board games and card games, too and I still do. I remember playing PayDay, Life, Monopoly, Connect 4, Stratego, and Uno. I know there are many more. I would play solitaire by myself with cards.
I would much rather play a board game or card game now with my children than pretend play like Barbies. Matt doesn't like to play games much, but my mom does, so we get together and play Phase 10 every so often. We'll let Zoe play with us if we have a couple of hours to spare. Maybe I'll dig out our go fish cards and play that with Eleanor today. She's sitting on my chair right now looking at books. I hope her ankle feels better soon.
Eleanor's still not walking. We think she sprained or bruised her ankle like she did her other ankle, so we're still waiting it out. I hope we're making the right decision.
I've been meaning to write the fact that Emily wrote her first sentence all by herself last week without copying it. It said, "Iseethecat". (I see the cat) She said she learned it at school.
About Me:
What games did you play in your house or neighborhood?
I played a lot outside with my friends. Playing tag, hide and go seek, playing catch, riding bikes. I loved playing board games and card games, too and I still do. I remember playing PayDay, Life, Monopoly, Connect 4, Stratego, and Uno. I know there are many more. I would play solitaire by myself with cards.
I would much rather play a board game or card game now with my children than pretend play like Barbies. Matt doesn't like to play games much, but my mom does, so we get together and play Phase 10 every so often. We'll let Zoe play with us if we have a couple of hours to spare. Maybe I'll dig out our go fish cards and play that with Eleanor today. She's sitting on my chair right now looking at books. I hope her ankle feels better soon.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Need to relax
My body is exhausted. I spent Monday doing laundry and then yesterday I vacuumed and organized the girls' room. Today, my mind is focused on more cleaning that needs to be done, but my body is refusing to do anything...except get up every few minutes to wipe Zach's nose and get Eleanor out of her chair when she's done snacking or playing, and take her potty when she needs to go (she hurt her ankle last night and refuses to walk on it...does this sound familiar??? If she's not walking on her own in a week, we'll take her to the doctor.) I'm debating whether or not to take Zach and Eleanor to storytime this morning. I'm leaning towards going since we need to go out for milk anyway, but the thought of dealing with Eleanor not walking doesn't sound fun. I do know that a nice, long nap is in store for all of us this afternoon.
About Me:
Describe your wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses.
I got married exactly one year after I graduated from high school. Fancy wedding gown, bridesmaids, the whole works...and walked into a bad marriage.
Several years later, I had a very simple wedding and walked into a great marriage.
Here is a picture of Matt and I on our wedding day.
It was a small wedding on a Tuesday evening with family at our church...2 months and a day after our first date. Having Matt's family there was special since they lived so far away and were given short notice about the wedding. Do I dare ask Matt's parents what was going through their minds as they got on a plane to attend their son's wedding to someone they had never met? It just might come up next month during our Christmas visit...I'm curious now.
About Me:
Describe your wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses.
I got married exactly one year after I graduated from high school. Fancy wedding gown, bridesmaids, the whole works...and walked into a bad marriage.
Several years later, I had a very simple wedding and walked into a great marriage.
Here is a picture of Matt and I on our wedding day.
It was a small wedding on a Tuesday evening with family at our church...2 months and a day after our first date. Having Matt's family there was special since they lived so far away and were given short notice about the wedding. Do I dare ask Matt's parents what was going through their minds as they got on a plane to attend their son's wedding to someone they had never met? It just might come up next month during our Christmas visit...I'm curious now.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Odds and ends
Emily decided to downsize her blanket. Every once in awhile she'll try to go to sleep without it, but she'll end up with it by morning. She has claimed that she's not taking her blanket to Utah. Matt and I both had the thought that we would pack the blanket in our suitcase just in case she decides after we get there that she really needs it afterall.
My birthday feast...yummy!
More birthday money :-)
A no nap day is starting to show...
Goodnight Zach.
About Me:
Describe a "sound" from childhood. What was it? When did you hear it? What does it bring to mind? The sound of the pouring rain here is distracting me...okay, the sound of the Ground Round was a lot different when I was a child then it is now. When I walked into the restaurant as a child, I heard the show playing on the big screen in the children's area, I heard children playing and laughing, I heard people stepping on peanut shells. It was a very inviting place for kids and I enjoyed going there. They still have a kids' night, the excitement being a balloon animal or object to bring home. The penny a pound deal is great for parents. But now the atmosphere is for adults, which is okay with me, but I'm sure my kids would enjoy it more the way it used to be.
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