Here are some pictures of Rae playing in the melting snow. She loves to eat the snow and throw it at people. I played with her for a while and then I went inside to be warm and watched her from the window.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Some random stuff
The snow melted Monday and Tuesday. It came back Wednesday and melted a lot yesterday. Fresh fresh snow isn't too bad. Melting snow that re-freezes is bad. But then once it melts off your car and porch it isn't too bad again. We're getting used to it all. I know the worst is yet to come.
Here are some pictures of Rae playing in the melting snow. She loves to eat the snow and throw it at people. I played with her for a while and then I went inside to be warm and watched her from the window.
Here are some pictures of Rae playing in the melting snow. She loves to eat the snow and throw it at people. I played with her for a while and then I went inside to be warm and watched her from the window.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Happy Birthday Levi!
Dude, can't believe you are 30! Ack! That means Roy will be 30 next year. When did we all get so old? :) I bet mom can't believe it even more!
Anyway, hope you have a great day!
Anyway, hope you have a great day!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
72-hour kits
UPDATE: I was feeling so overwhelmed by this project this morning! But I dropped Rae off at preschool and when I got home I just felt like I knew where everything should go!! I just starting putting everything where I felt like it should go and finished it up in about 45 minutes. Now I have a nice supply of stuff in my van (change of clothes, enough food and water for about 2 days and all the supplies and tools we would need if we were stranded.) and then I have two small backpacks with food, water and supplies in each of them. And then I have a huge huge backpack with extra supplies and extra food. Each backpack is light enough for me to carry and they are all sitting on the floor of the playroom closet ready to be grabbed if needed. (Someday I'd like them to be in the front closet, but that's not going to happen till all of our winter stuff is out of there) I am so excited. I really feel like they would actually be useful if we had an emergency, whereas before it would have been like "uh, yeah, we have all that stuff, somewhere". Anyway, if you do have any suggestions on things you think should be in a 72 hour kit that people don't usually think about, let me know! I'm still working on having copies of things and all that stuff, but for now I have the basics! Woo hoo!
POST FROM EARLIER: Okay, so I have a few different 72-hour kits that I have collected in the past couple of years. They have never been very organized. Today I dumped everything out on my bed and I'm trying to figure out what should go in each bag. Should each bag have a little of everything in case we get separated? Should all the food go in one bag and supplies to in another bag? What sort of stuff should I keep in my van? I finally put together a change of clothes for each of us, should I keep that in the van? I get so overwhelmed when it comes to 72-hour kits. Ugh. What ideas do you have that have worked for you? I need help or my bed is going to be covered with waterproof matches and canned tuna forever and I need to sleep on it! :)
POST FROM EARLIER: Okay, so I have a few different 72-hour kits that I have collected in the past couple of years. They have never been very organized. Today I dumped everything out on my bed and I'm trying to figure out what should go in each bag. Should each bag have a little of everything in case we get separated? Should all the food go in one bag and supplies to in another bag? What sort of stuff should I keep in my van? I finally put together a change of clothes for each of us, should I keep that in the van? I get so overwhelmed when it comes to 72-hour kits. Ugh. What ideas do you have that have worked for you? I need help or my bed is going to be covered with waterproof matches and canned tuna forever and I need to sleep on it! :)
Monday, December 01, 2008
Big news!
My baby brother Bryce just got his mission call. He's going to Madrid Spain. While writing this I talked to him on the phone and he leaves for his mission on April 1st. (Good April Fools joke!) This is the last of the Jeppson clan to go on a mission! Pretty crazy!
I know you are all tired of hearing about the weather, but can I just say:
I HATE SNOW!
Our van doors were frozen shut this morning. Our windshield wipers were frozen in place. It was 20 degrees outside when we left for speech. Our front porch is not covered, so there is snow up to the front door, which means that when we walk into the house we either get our snow covered shoes on the carpet or slip on the small square of linoleum in our entryway. Most of these things could be solved by a GARAGE! I really don't think snow would bother me as much if we just had a garage to park in and to take off wet clothes.
Anyway, I'm done with my rant. The snow is still beautiful to look at and it will be fun to play in occasionally, but I'd still rather live somewhere else! :) And now I'll try to talk about the weather less often! Maybe I'll talk about pregnancy instead ;)
I know you are all tired of hearing about the weather, but can I just say:
I HATE SNOW!
Our van doors were frozen shut this morning. Our windshield wipers were frozen in place. It was 20 degrees outside when we left for speech. Our front porch is not covered, so there is snow up to the front door, which means that when we walk into the house we either get our snow covered shoes on the carpet or slip on the small square of linoleum in our entryway. Most of these things could be solved by a GARAGE! I really don't think snow would bother me as much if we just had a garage to park in and to take off wet clothes.
Anyway, I'm done with my rant. The snow is still beautiful to look at and it will be fun to play in occasionally, but I'd still rather live somewhere else! :) And now I'll try to talk about the weather less often! Maybe I'll talk about pregnancy instead ;)
Sunday, November 30, 2008
More snow
If you haven't checked my blog in a day or two you'll have to scroll down and see the many posts from the past few days.
It snowed all night and is still snowing a bit. So we had a good amount of snow to play in this afternoon. (yes, I know it's Sunday, but it's our very first snow of the year!) Blaise was inside napping, so the rest of us went out to play. The snow was great for building a snowman. All you had to do was start rolling a ball! We didn't get it very balanced though, so it fell down shortly after we got a picture.
Then we had a snowball fight and got too cold and went inside. We definitely need some real snow clothes - like waterproof mittens! And I really really wish we had a covered patio or garage for all our wet clothes! It was fun to play in the snow - now winter can be over!
The view from our front porch this morning before church.
You can see all our paths from where we rolled the snow
After the top two pieces fell off.
It snowed all night and is still snowing a bit. So we had a good amount of snow to play in this afternoon. (yes, I know it's Sunday, but it's our very first snow of the year!) Blaise was inside napping, so the rest of us went out to play. The snow was great for building a snowman. All you had to do was start rolling a ball! We didn't get it very balanced though, so it fell down shortly after we got a picture.
Then we had a snowball fight and got too cold and went inside. We definitely need some real snow clothes - like waterproof mittens! And I really really wish we had a covered patio or garage for all our wet clothes! It was fun to play in the snow - now winter can be over!
The view from our front porch this morning before church.
You can see all our paths from where we rolled the snow
After the top two pieces fell off.
It's back!
Yes, here it is, your favorite thing about Christmas: dancing elves! I expect to see this on everyone's blogs by the end of the week! :) (yes, a good waste of time on a Sunday morning. Hmm, maybe I should be getting ready for church) BTW, it snowed a ton last night and now I get to experience my first "get the kids to the car in their church clothes" morning!
Send your own ElfYourself eCards
Saturday, November 29, 2008
It's snowing, it's snowing, our electric bill is growing...
Well, it's still not real snow, nothing that is sticking or anything, but still exciting for all of us. It is supposed to snow all night. Luckily our heater is working, kind of. It's acting weird, but keeping us warm enough. I'll call our landlord again on Monday. (I talked to him on Tuesday but the heater had started working again)
Some snow is interesting. A few times playing it will be nice. Sled a few times, build a few snowmen, and then head to Blythe and Vegas and warm up!! Then back here to enjoy it again a few times and then I don't know what we'll do! Let me know if you want to come visit and play in the snow!
EDITED TO ADD:
It is sticking now! The kids and I went outside for a few minutes and made a few snowballs. Rae loved it, Blaise was annoyed.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Some Thanksgiving highlights
Our day started with an 8 am trip to a nice, empty Walmart for Thanksgiving day doughnuts! (We might have to make that a tradition) We wandered around for a while enjoying the quiet store and looking at stuff we don't usually have time to look at. We got home and ate doughnuts, drank chocolate milk and thought about when we should start the turkey.
The weather was gorgeous , so we tossed the turkey into the oven around 11 and headed to Thousand Hills State Park to appreciate some nature. It was gorgeous and the kids had a blast playing at the playground and throwing rocks into the lake. Rae had fun walking on the rocks and figuring out which rock she could safely step on next. It was great, and it was so nice to be outside! I think I might take the kids back today since the weather is nice again.
We got home and cleaned up a little and finished up "dinner/lunch". I cooked my first turkey and it turned out great. The kids were not impressed with cranberry sauce. We made jello jigglers for dessert, cut into shapes with Christmas cookie cutters and topped with cool whip. It was a great, no fuss dessert! Oh wait, except that Blaise fussed when he finished his whipped cream and didn't want to eat the actual jello! :)
Then Roy passed out on the couch in a typical Thanksgiving day manner. I don't think it was from eating too much but just from overall exhaustion from his busy life. Later on he watched a bit of the "big game". Okay, not really, but he did watch some hockey! Rae and Blaise played the computer and we all just lounged around waiting till it was time to go to bed! For dinner we each had a roll and then the rest of the pie I had bought for dessert. The kids were asleep by 6:30!
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Day! Oh, did I mention that Rae does in fact have pinkeye? In both eyes. And Roy has it too. Luckily we still had some drops left from last time, so we are just using those instead of going to the doctor (don't judge me) It now looks like Blaise has it too. It is a huge struggle to get Rae to open her eyes for eyedrops every three hours. We have to literally pry them open. Ugh. It's almost time for another dose. But if we are going to be sick on Thanksgiving, pinkeye is a nice simple illness to have! :)
The weather was gorgeous , so we tossed the turkey into the oven around 11 and headed to Thousand Hills State Park to appreciate some nature. It was gorgeous and the kids had a blast playing at the playground and throwing rocks into the lake. Rae had fun walking on the rocks and figuring out which rock she could safely step on next. It was great, and it was so nice to be outside! I think I might take the kids back today since the weather is nice again.
We got home and cleaned up a little and finished up "dinner/lunch". I cooked my first turkey and it turned out great. The kids were not impressed with cranberry sauce. We made jello jigglers for dessert, cut into shapes with Christmas cookie cutters and topped with cool whip. It was a great, no fuss dessert! Oh wait, except that Blaise fussed when he finished his whipped cream and didn't want to eat the actual jello! :)
Then Roy passed out on the couch in a typical Thanksgiving day manner. I don't think it was from eating too much but just from overall exhaustion from his busy life. Later on he watched a bit of the "big game". Okay, not really, but he did watch some hockey! Rae and Blaise played the computer and we all just lounged around waiting till it was time to go to bed! For dinner we each had a roll and then the rest of the pie I had bought for dessert. The kids were asleep by 6:30!
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Day! Oh, did I mention that Rae does in fact have pinkeye? In both eyes. And Roy has it too. Luckily we still had some drops left from last time, so we are just using those instead of going to the doctor (don't judge me) It now looks like Blaise has it too. It is a huge struggle to get Rae to open her eyes for eyedrops every three hours. We have to literally pry them open. Ugh. It's almost time for another dose. But if we are going to be sick on Thanksgiving, pinkeye is a nice simple illness to have! :)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
You know that pie I bought for Thanksgiving?
It is halfway gone. I didn't eat it alone. We had it for dessert Sunday night and last night. Luckily there's still plenty if we want to eat it for Thanksgiving, but Rae said she wants jello for dessert instead. We are going to make jello jigglers. I'm looking forward to it, I've never made them before. We have a bunch of Christmas cookie cutters that we'll use to make fun shapes.
Rae might have pinkeye. She had some goop in her eye before bed last night and then this morning her eye was red and a little crusty. But there hasn't been any more goop so far today, and it's getting less red, so maybe it's just irritated. I hope it doesn't get worse. We are supposed to go to Columbia tomorrow for some CiCis, Target and the mall.
I woke up this morning and realized our heater wasn't working. It was 60 degrees in our house. Brrr! I called our landlord but I haven't heard back from him yet. Hopefully we'll get it fixed today or we'll be in for another cold morning tomorrow! We used space heaters to take the chill off this morning, but it's supposed to be even colder tomorrow.
Yesterday I decided that I wanted my house to be really clean for Thanksgiving. Even though we aren't having company, I got the house "company clean". It feels so good. We'll give it a good vacuum tonight and then hopefully be gone all day tomorrow so it won't get dirty again! I want to have a nice, relaxing, clean Thanksgiving weekend! I might even get fancy and use nicer dishes for our meal and maybe light some candles! Anything to make up for the instant mashed potatoes, right? ;)
Anyway, time to try and get Blaise to take a nap. It's a struggle lately, but everyone is much happier if he naps. And I've started a new 30-minute quiet time with Rae, so life is lovely around 1:30 in the afternoon! :)
Rae might have pinkeye. She had some goop in her eye before bed last night and then this morning her eye was red and a little crusty. But there hasn't been any more goop so far today, and it's getting less red, so maybe it's just irritated. I hope it doesn't get worse. We are supposed to go to Columbia tomorrow for some CiCis, Target and the mall.
I woke up this morning and realized our heater wasn't working. It was 60 degrees in our house. Brrr! I called our landlord but I haven't heard back from him yet. Hopefully we'll get it fixed today or we'll be in for another cold morning tomorrow! We used space heaters to take the chill off this morning, but it's supposed to be even colder tomorrow.
Yesterday I decided that I wanted my house to be really clean for Thanksgiving. Even though we aren't having company, I got the house "company clean". It feels so good. We'll give it a good vacuum tonight and then hopefully be gone all day tomorrow so it won't get dirty again! I want to have a nice, relaxing, clean Thanksgiving weekend! I might even get fancy and use nicer dishes for our meal and maybe light some candles! Anything to make up for the instant mashed potatoes, right? ;)
Anyway, time to try and get Blaise to take a nap. It's a struggle lately, but everyone is much happier if he naps. And I've started a new 30-minute quiet time with Rae, so life is lovely around 1:30 in the afternoon! :)
Monday, November 24, 2008
A few lessons I learned today
Lesson #1:
Do not take your kids to Walmart more than 3 times in a week. They will be horrible and will not want to sit in the shopping cart. Also, do not shop on Saturday afternoons or the week of a holiday. Grumpy kids and crowded aisles are a bad combination.
Lesson #2: Ignore "sympathetic, I'm sorry you have such bad kids and are such a bad mom" looks while shopping at Walmart. Okay, maybe that's not what they are really thinking. Just ignore everyone around you and try to do the best you can to control your kids.
Lesson #3: It is okay to take your kids to McDonalds every once in a while when you don't want to make lunch. Or dinner. Or snacks. And when you take above-mentioned crazy kids after your trip to Walmart, continue to ignore "maybe if you didn't let your kids drink soda at McDonalds they wouldn't be so crazy and misbehaved!" looks. Can you tell I'm a little self-conscious lately?
Lesson #4: To avoid having crazy kids when you get home from the above activities, take them to the park on the way home. It may be 40 degrees outside, but this is as warm as it is going to get, so take advantage of it. Also, you should always have gloves in the car because they will come in handy at the park.
Lesson #5: My kids can last longer in the cold than I can. I don't know if they adjust easier to climate changes or if they were running around more than me so they stayed warmer. Or maybe they just ignored the cold. All I know is that after 20 minutes I was ready to go. But they had fun and got some wiggles out.
Do not take your kids to Walmart more than 3 times in a week. They will be horrible and will not want to sit in the shopping cart. Also, do not shop on Saturday afternoons or the week of a holiday. Grumpy kids and crowded aisles are a bad combination.
Lesson #2: Ignore "sympathetic, I'm sorry you have such bad kids and are such a bad mom" looks while shopping at Walmart. Okay, maybe that's not what they are really thinking. Just ignore everyone around you and try to do the best you can to control your kids.
Lesson #3: It is okay to take your kids to McDonalds every once in a while when you don't want to make lunch. Or dinner. Or snacks. And when you take above-mentioned crazy kids after your trip to Walmart, continue to ignore "maybe if you didn't let your kids drink soda at McDonalds they wouldn't be so crazy and misbehaved!" looks. Can you tell I'm a little self-conscious lately?
Lesson #4: To avoid having crazy kids when you get home from the above activities, take them to the park on the way home. It may be 40 degrees outside, but this is as warm as it is going to get, so take advantage of it. Also, you should always have gloves in the car because they will come in handy at the park.
Lesson #5: My kids can last longer in the cold than I can. I don't know if they adjust easier to climate changes or if they were running around more than me so they stayed warmer. Or maybe they just ignored the cold. All I know is that after 20 minutes I was ready to go. But they had fun and got some wiggles out.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Oh darn
I spent the past few days thinking I am 16 weeks along. Then I realized just now that I'm just 15 weeks. Bummer. It's like when you go the whole day thinking that it's Friday but it is really only Thursday. Bummer.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
La la la....
Gas is down to $1.67 here! We just filled up our van and it only cost 30 bucks! Woo hoo! I am so flippin' excited! Now I don't have to feel so guilty when I want to go to Columbia all the time.
We got our family picture taken today. So glad to have that out of the way. I also bought my very first turkey today. A whole turkey. Wow. I'm not sure how it is gonna go cooking it, but it was so much cheaper to buy than a "ready to put in the oven" turkey or a turkey breast, which is what I wanted to buy. Last year Lindsey and Seth visited Davis and brought a turkey and it seemed easy enough to cook, so I'm going to give it a shot. I already have some oven bags from when they visited, now I just need one of those big roasting pans. And we picked up all the fixin's for our turkey dinner. We'll be doing:
-Turkey (with lots of butter for Roy to spread on his)
-instant mashed potatoes (since we all prefer them to real ones)
-corn on the cob (Rae's request)
-a can of green beans (Blaise's request),
-"stove-top" stuffing (I'm the only one that will eat it)
-jellied cranberry sauce (just because it's tradition)
-homemade rolls (to make up for the instant potatoes)
-I'm thinking of attempting gravy, but none of us really care for it, so I might not even bother
And for dessert - we got a frozen chocolate pie that looks so delicious that I might eat it tonight and replace it on Monday! :)
Am I missing anything?
Nice and simple, not too much work but still all the tradition. Should be fun.
I still haven't taken a picture of myself with my new haircut. I really liked the way I looked in the portraits we did today, so I'm feeling more confident about my choice of bangs. For a while I wasn't sure whether I liked them or not. But today all I did was blow-dry my hair and it looked really nice in the pictures. I'll try to remember to take a picture soon.
Anyway, hope everyone has a nice weekend a nice Thanksgiving!
We got our family picture taken today. So glad to have that out of the way. I also bought my very first turkey today. A whole turkey. Wow. I'm not sure how it is gonna go cooking it, but it was so much cheaper to buy than a "ready to put in the oven" turkey or a turkey breast, which is what I wanted to buy. Last year Lindsey and Seth visited Davis and brought a turkey and it seemed easy enough to cook, so I'm going to give it a shot. I already have some oven bags from when they visited, now I just need one of those big roasting pans. And we picked up all the fixin's for our turkey dinner. We'll be doing:
-Turkey (with lots of butter for Roy to spread on his)
-instant mashed potatoes (since we all prefer them to real ones)
-corn on the cob (Rae's request)
-a can of green beans (Blaise's request),
-"stove-top" stuffing (I'm the only one that will eat it)
-jellied cranberry sauce (just because it's tradition)
-homemade rolls (to make up for the instant potatoes)
-I'm thinking of attempting gravy, but none of us really care for it, so I might not even bother
And for dessert - we got a frozen chocolate pie that looks so delicious that I might eat it tonight and replace it on Monday! :)
Am I missing anything?
Nice and simple, not too much work but still all the tradition. Should be fun.
I still haven't taken a picture of myself with my new haircut. I really liked the way I looked in the portraits we did today, so I'm feeling more confident about my choice of bangs. For a while I wasn't sure whether I liked them or not. But today all I did was blow-dry my hair and it looked really nice in the pictures. I'll try to remember to take a picture soon.
Anyway, hope everyone has a nice weekend a nice Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Feeling better
I feel a lot better today. My cold is almost gone and last night I slept a lot better. I folded up a quilt and put it on my side of the bed for some extra padding and it worked perfectly. I've been waking up with sore hips and the extra padding did just the trick. I felt fantastic this morning.
We leave for Blythe on the 16th, so I let the kids start our advent calendars today (we'll finish on the 15th because we leave early on the 16th) Rae hung the first oranment on the tree calendar and they both got chocolate advent calendars from Oma. After she finished her candy, Rae said "mommy, why didn't you get a candy?" I explained that Oma only sent two calendars, so there were only two pieces of candy. Rae said "yeah, you don't want to have your own calendar because you have a baby in your tummy and if you eat too much candy you'll get too fat and you'll break the house." Thanks Rae.
Speaking of the baby in my tummy...the past few days I've been feeling a lot less nauseas. I still gag really easily, but I haven't thrown up in a while and I don't feel queasy after every meal! Woo hoo! Sometimes I can almost forget I'm pregnant! I do think I might be a little low on iron though, because I'v been getting a lot of headaches. I better be more regular about taking my vitamins.
Thanksgiving is going to be very low-key at our house. Roy gets the week off (except for Monday) but he has a ton of stuff to do. We might go spend a day in Columbia or something, but other than that we'll just be hanging out, wishing we were somewhere warmer! My in-laws were going to come but now my FIL has to have surgery, so they aren't coming. Rae keeps going back and forth about whether she was a traditional turkey dinner or just pizza. I'm not going to ask her again until Wednesday! I'm fine doing either one. I'd prefer pizza, but if she really wants the whole turkey deal then that is fine too.
Anyway, hope everyone else has a nice Thanksgiving. I wish we could be with family but at least we'll be seeing some people at Christmas. There's just nothing like a full house with lots of talking and laughing! And someday I want to spend a Thanksgiving in Charlotte so I get to experience Sabina's famous turkey!!
We leave for Blythe on the 16th, so I let the kids start our advent calendars today (we'll finish on the 15th because we leave early on the 16th) Rae hung the first oranment on the tree calendar and they both got chocolate advent calendars from Oma. After she finished her candy, Rae said "mommy, why didn't you get a candy?" I explained that Oma only sent two calendars, so there were only two pieces of candy. Rae said "yeah, you don't want to have your own calendar because you have a baby in your tummy and if you eat too much candy you'll get too fat and you'll break the house." Thanks Rae.
Speaking of the baby in my tummy...the past few days I've been feeling a lot less nauseas. I still gag really easily, but I haven't thrown up in a while and I don't feel queasy after every meal! Woo hoo! Sometimes I can almost forget I'm pregnant! I do think I might be a little low on iron though, because I'v been getting a lot of headaches. I better be more regular about taking my vitamins.
Thanksgiving is going to be very low-key at our house. Roy gets the week off (except for Monday) but he has a ton of stuff to do. We might go spend a day in Columbia or something, but other than that we'll just be hanging out, wishing we were somewhere warmer! My in-laws were going to come but now my FIL has to have surgery, so they aren't coming. Rae keeps going back and forth about whether she was a traditional turkey dinner or just pizza. I'm not going to ask her again until Wednesday! I'm fine doing either one. I'd prefer pizza, but if she really wants the whole turkey deal then that is fine too.
Anyway, hope everyone else has a nice Thanksgiving. I wish we could be with family but at least we'll be seeing some people at Christmas. There's just nothing like a full house with lots of talking and laughing! And someday I want to spend a Thanksgiving in Charlotte so I get to experience Sabina's famous turkey!!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Miss Jovie!
Today is my niece Jovie's birthday. She's probably the most interesting, smart, creative 2 year old I know (until Blaise turns two in a couple of weeks!) I wish I could see her more often because I bet her and Blaise would be so funny together! Anyway, Happy Birthday cutie Jovie!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
So flippin' sick
I just want my head to stop pounding. I can deal with the runny nose and cough, but the stuffy head has got to go away. Ugh. We stayed home from speech today and had to cancel an appointment for later in the day too. I went to bed at 7 last night and had a miserably achy night. I don't know if it is the pregnancy or the sickness, but my whole body hurt all night last night. I'm hoping Blaise will take a nap today and I can squeeze in a little more rest. It is warmer outside today so maybe we'll get a chance to step foot outside.
In other news - I got my hair cut! I got a couple of inches cut and the exciting news is that I got bangs! I've been going back and forth about bangs for quite a few months now. I even blogged about it a while back. Having Rae get bangs was kind of a test-run for me. I really wanted something different and since bangs are popular right now I thought I'd give it a shot! I'm really excited. I like them a lot and Roy thinks I look sexy :) I'm still getting used to having them there. I haven't taken a picture yet because I've been sick and haven't really done anything fun with the new cut yet. We are getting our family picture taken on Saturday, so when I'm all dolled up I'll take a picture and post it.
Some of you are slacking on the blogging. I'm disappointed. Give me something to read!
In other news - I got my hair cut! I got a couple of inches cut and the exciting news is that I got bangs! I've been going back and forth about bangs for quite a few months now. I even blogged about it a while back. Having Rae get bangs was kind of a test-run for me. I really wanted something different and since bangs are popular right now I thought I'd give it a shot! I'm really excited. I like them a lot and Roy thinks I look sexy :) I'm still getting used to having them there. I haven't taken a picture yet because I've been sick and haven't really done anything fun with the new cut yet. We are getting our family picture taken on Saturday, so when I'm all dolled up I'll take a picture and post it.
Some of you are slacking on the blogging. I'm disappointed. Give me something to read!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sorry friends, this one is just for the family :)
Christmas! Is everyone up for the typically gift-exchange? The way it works out this year is that everyone has the person that has them. That's just how it worked out based on who had who the past years.
Is this okay with everyone? Does anyone have any ideas of something they wanted to do differently this year? Let me know your thoughts. $20 limit again? Let's discuss. :)
Christie has Ashley
Bobby has Aaron
Levi has Lindsey
Katie has Bryce
Ashley has Christie
Aaron has Bobby
Lindsey has Levi
Bryce has Katie
Is this okay with everyone? Does anyone have any ideas of something they wanted to do differently this year? Let me know your thoughts. $20 limit again? Let's discuss. :)
Monday, November 17, 2008
A few updates
I'm getting a cold. Ugh. Not as bad as a stomach flu or anything, but I still feel pretty crappy. Today is going to be a day of cleaning house and not much else! It's sunny outside, but it's windy and cold. I was able to go to a Birth Workshop Saturday morning and Roy and the kids stayed home and cleaned up the house. It was really nice to get away for a while. Roy works almost every Saturday, so I really needed some time away. The house stayed pretty clean all weekend, but I got behind on laundry (specifically folding laundry) so that's what I'll be doing today.
I'm going to get my hair cut tonight. Any suggestions? I thought I would like it all grown out and long, but I'm never doing anything with it and I can't put it into a ponytail without getting a headache. I just don't know what sort of hairstyle is best for my face. Ugh. I'd love to do a short cut again but I think I just look fat. I guess some thing in the shoulder-length area would be the best. Anyone have any ideas? I would love love love ideas. :)
I just got off the phone with my MIL and she said that my SIL was able to return to her house today. The fire got really close but didn't get their house. What a relief. Did I mention that on Friday my SIL broke her arm? Can you imagine dealing with all of this plus a broken arm? Just glad they are all safe and their house is too.
Yesterday was our primary program. I don't think I've mentioned it on here, but Roy and I just got called to teach primary. We teach the 7 year olds. Our first two weeks were spent practicing for the program. I sat on the stand with our class and Roy stayed in the audience with Blaise. This was Rae's first program and I had tears in my eyes watching her do her part. She memorized it perfectly and didn't even need any prompting from her teacher. Her line was "I am created in God's image". You couldn't really understand her, but oh well. She was also pretty reverant the whole time, which is good since she was in the very front. When she stood to sing the songs she would lean over the railing a little bit, but she sang the words she knew and didn't pick her nose! (I kept reminding her not to pick her nose - it is a bad habit of hers!)
My class was terrific. They all had their parts memorized and were reverant and calm.
We put up our Christmas decorations on Friday. We figured that since we are leaving for Christmas break on dec. 16th, we might as well put up decorations now so that we can enjoy them for a month. I'll take pictures soon. But for now, here are some pictures I've been meaning to post but got behind on.
Blaise all loaded up on sugar trying to be as silly as can. He loves to make us laugh by doing a very exaggerated laugh.
Glow sticks in the bathtub. Pretty cool.
We recently moved Violette's cage into the playroom
and put the rocking chair in its place. So the kids
have been using the rocking chair as their "roller coaster"
and that's what we do for fun around here!
Roy caught Blaise talking to himself. Seriously,
this kid is a huge crackup. He loves to see how
silly he can be and loves to make people laugh.
I'm going to get my hair cut tonight. Any suggestions? I thought I would like it all grown out and long, but I'm never doing anything with it and I can't put it into a ponytail without getting a headache. I just don't know what sort of hairstyle is best for my face. Ugh. I'd love to do a short cut again but I think I just look fat. I guess some thing in the shoulder-length area would be the best. Anyone have any ideas? I would love love love ideas. :)
I just got off the phone with my MIL and she said that my SIL was able to return to her house today. The fire got really close but didn't get their house. What a relief. Did I mention that on Friday my SIL broke her arm? Can you imagine dealing with all of this plus a broken arm? Just glad they are all safe and their house is too.
Yesterday was our primary program. I don't think I've mentioned it on here, but Roy and I just got called to teach primary. We teach the 7 year olds. Our first two weeks were spent practicing for the program. I sat on the stand with our class and Roy stayed in the audience with Blaise. This was Rae's first program and I had tears in my eyes watching her do her part. She memorized it perfectly and didn't even need any prompting from her teacher. Her line was "I am created in God's image". You couldn't really understand her, but oh well. She was also pretty reverant the whole time, which is good since she was in the very front. When she stood to sing the songs she would lean over the railing a little bit, but she sang the words she knew and didn't pick her nose! (I kept reminding her not to pick her nose - it is a bad habit of hers!)
My class was terrific. They all had their parts memorized and were reverant and calm.
We put up our Christmas decorations on Friday. We figured that since we are leaving for Christmas break on dec. 16th, we might as well put up decorations now so that we can enjoy them for a month. I'll take pictures soon. But for now, here are some pictures I've been meaning to post but got behind on.
Blaise all loaded up on sugar trying to be as silly as can. He loves to make us laugh by doing a very exaggerated laugh.
Glow sticks in the bathtub. Pretty cool.
We recently moved Violette's cage into the playroom
and put the rocking chair in its place. So the kids
have been using the rocking chair as their "roller coaster"
and that's what we do for fun around here!
Roy caught Blaise talking to himself. Seriously,
this kid is a huge crackup. He loves to see how
silly he can be and loves to make people laugh.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
California Fires
Have you heard anything about the fires in southern cali? I hadn't heard anything until my MIL called to tell me that Roy's sister's house in Yorba Linda is almost on fire. They evacuated and I don't know where they are going to go because the freeways are all chaotic. I've been watching live feed on the internet and it's crazy to hear all the street names and know that the fires are right in the area we know so well. Roy's mom used to live right off the 91 freeway in Anaheim Hills and that's where we lived when Rae was born. It's so crazy to see it all in flames. I'm glad my sil's family is safe but how sad that they might lose their house! My sister had a house fire a couple of years ago, but this is the first time someone I know has been affected by one of these huge brush fires. Oh, and to make matters worse, my sis-in-law broke her arm yesterday! Definetely need to keep them in my prayers and just hope for the best. The important thing is that they are safe! If you are interested, the live feed I'm watching is http://media.myfoxla.com/live/
**Edited to add: I forgot that my brother and his wife now live in Fullerton! They aren't too close to the fires, but still a little scary. I guess there are some fires in Brea now too, where is where I used to work when we lived in Fullerton.
**Edited to add: I forgot that my brother and his wife now live in Fullerton! They aren't too close to the fires, but still a little scary. I guess there are some fires in Brea now too, where is where I used to work when we lived in Fullerton.
It's "snowing"!
I guess it's technically called "flurries" but it's close enough to the real thing to make us all very excited. I know, I hate the cold, but if it is going to be cold then you might as well get to enjoy some snow. And at least we don't have to worry about any shoveling yet! :)
Friday, November 14, 2008
"Homesick"
*This ended up being pretty cheesy and mainly written for the people who currently or recently moved from Davis*
Last week I was feeling really homesick. But it was strange, because I wasn't missing Blythe, like I usually am. I was missing Davis. I feel like Davis was our first "home". We lived there longer than anywhere else we had lived as a married couple, and it is where we started our little family. (Rae was 6 weeks old when we moved there) I was particurally homesick for our apartment complex - Solano Park. So, I thought I'd record some of the great things I loved about Davis and miss here.
-Great neighbors. We have nice, friendly neighbors here, but none of them have kids (except my next door neighbor just had a baby) I miss just walking out the door and always having a little kid to play with! And I miss having people to watch your kids at the last minute when you have an emergancy or just need to get away from them. And I miss watching other people's kids for the same reasons.
-I miss my dear neighbor Patience so very very much. She was the mom of Abe's best friend and became one of my best friends too. She always let us crash her house when we were bored and she often let Rae come over to play while Blaise was napping. She watched my kids so many times and did so many things for me. She also listened to any nonsense I wanted to rattle off about. She moved a couple of months before we did. I don't know what I would have done without her.
-The playgrounds! I loved the playgrounds at Solano Park because there were plenty of benches for the moms to sit on and lots for the kids to do. None of the parks here have sand around them to play in. That was Blaise's favorite thing to do.
-Being walking distance to downtown. We loved to walk to the post office, farmers market, Jamba Juice, Habit Burger, Blockbuster, etc etc :) There aren't a lot of sidewalks here, so our walks have been very limited. You'll be walking along and suddenly the sidewalk ends. Bleh.
-The aboretum! If we were bored and no one was out playing we would just walk down to the aboretum and explore! The kids loved to just watch the ducks, pick up sticks and especially play on the big deck. It was always so peaceful and cool and dark in the aboretum, and it is one of the things I miss most about Davis.
-Being near campus. Sometimes we would walk to some of the big upside down heads on campus or find a water fountain to run around. And we could go visit Roy anytime we wanted to, and he could come home anytime he wanted to! (Of course he probably gets a lot more done now that he can't come home anytime!)
-Evening walks with Rachel. It felt so good to exercise everyday and it was so nice to talk to her every night. Rachel was another great, great friend. I knew I could tell her just about anything and she wouldn't be shocked. I loved watching her kids and miss them so much. I also miss Weight Watchers meetings with Rachel. She is the one that got me going to WW and I have her to thank for the 30lbs I lost! She was a great support. It has been almost a year since Rachel started her weight loss endeavor and it was neat to watch the transformation! She looks amazing and I know she feels so much better now. I am so grateful that she got me into WW and I look forward to going back after I have the baby.
-Okay, I didn't really mean to get into so many details about the actual people that I miss and now I'm a little teary-eyed and sidetracked. :) Don't worry, I'm not all depressed over here in Missouri, I'm just grateful for the great place I got to live for 4 years and the great friends I had. I'm sure 5 years from now I'll consider somewhere else my "home" that I will be homesick about. But for now, Davis holds a special place in my heart and I don't even know if I'll ever get to go back. Thanks to all the people who made Davis so special. Being in school sucked a little bit and life wasn't always great, but things don't get magically better after your husband graduates! :) Enjoy the time you have in Davis - you are lucky to live there. I know most of you already know that, and I knew that before I moved, but I still look back and wish I had enjoyed it even more.
Last week I was feeling really homesick. But it was strange, because I wasn't missing Blythe, like I usually am. I was missing Davis. I feel like Davis was our first "home". We lived there longer than anywhere else we had lived as a married couple, and it is where we started our little family. (Rae was 6 weeks old when we moved there) I was particurally homesick for our apartment complex - Solano Park. So, I thought I'd record some of the great things I loved about Davis and miss here.
-Great neighbors. We have nice, friendly neighbors here, but none of them have kids (except my next door neighbor just had a baby) I miss just walking out the door and always having a little kid to play with! And I miss having people to watch your kids at the last minute when you have an emergancy or just need to get away from them. And I miss watching other people's kids for the same reasons.
-I miss my dear neighbor Patience so very very much. She was the mom of Abe's best friend and became one of my best friends too. She always let us crash her house when we were bored and she often let Rae come over to play while Blaise was napping. She watched my kids so many times and did so many things for me. She also listened to any nonsense I wanted to rattle off about. She moved a couple of months before we did. I don't know what I would have done without her.
-The playgrounds! I loved the playgrounds at Solano Park because there were plenty of benches for the moms to sit on and lots for the kids to do. None of the parks here have sand around them to play in. That was Blaise's favorite thing to do.
-Being walking distance to downtown. We loved to walk to the post office, farmers market, Jamba Juice, Habit Burger, Blockbuster, etc etc :) There aren't a lot of sidewalks here, so our walks have been very limited. You'll be walking along and suddenly the sidewalk ends. Bleh.
-The aboretum! If we were bored and no one was out playing we would just walk down to the aboretum and explore! The kids loved to just watch the ducks, pick up sticks and especially play on the big deck. It was always so peaceful and cool and dark in the aboretum, and it is one of the things I miss most about Davis.
-Being near campus. Sometimes we would walk to some of the big upside down heads on campus or find a water fountain to run around. And we could go visit Roy anytime we wanted to, and he could come home anytime he wanted to! (Of course he probably gets a lot more done now that he can't come home anytime!)
-Evening walks with Rachel. It felt so good to exercise everyday and it was so nice to talk to her every night. Rachel was another great, great friend. I knew I could tell her just about anything and she wouldn't be shocked. I loved watching her kids and miss them so much. I also miss Weight Watchers meetings with Rachel. She is the one that got me going to WW and I have her to thank for the 30lbs I lost! She was a great support. It has been almost a year since Rachel started her weight loss endeavor and it was neat to watch the transformation! She looks amazing and I know she feels so much better now. I am so grateful that she got me into WW and I look forward to going back after I have the baby.
-Okay, I didn't really mean to get into so many details about the actual people that I miss and now I'm a little teary-eyed and sidetracked. :) Don't worry, I'm not all depressed over here in Missouri, I'm just grateful for the great place I got to live for 4 years and the great friends I had. I'm sure 5 years from now I'll consider somewhere else my "home" that I will be homesick about. But for now, Davis holds a special place in my heart and I don't even know if I'll ever get to go back. Thanks to all the people who made Davis so special. Being in school sucked a little bit and life wasn't always great, but things don't get magically better after your husband graduates! :) Enjoy the time you have in Davis - you are lucky to live there. I know most of you already know that, and I knew that before I moved, but I still look back and wish I had enjoyed it even more.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Birthdays, birthdays!
Two birthdays to celebrate today! My sister-in-law Sabina and my father-in-law Dale! Happy birthday you guys!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Easy second trimester eh?
I only threw up once up till 12 weeks. I was feeling much better week 12 and then all of a sudden I'm way sicker. I've thrown up 4 times in the past week. Totally not as bad as my other pregnancies, but still - I thought it was going to better after 13 weeks! I'm way more sensitive to smells all of a sudden too. Ugh. But I'm still a lot better than the other pregnancies, so I try not to complain too much!
We had preschool at our house this morning. Of course I put off preparing for it and planned to do it last night but then I got super sick and watched tv all evening. Then I was super sick again this morning and considered canceling, but I knew it would break Rae's heart. Plus, it's all rainy outside and preschool was the only activity we had today. So finally around 8:30 (preschool starts at 10:30) I threw together a pretty cool craft and cleaned up the house and managed to get through preschool. Ahhh - so glad it is over with! Now I have another day to procrastinate before I get started on Thursday's lesson! BTW, we are doing "The Fox and the Stork" if anyone has some ideas they'd like to share!! I'd love some ideas!
Roy has a fancy "new faculty" event tonight that includes free childcare! Woo hoo! I'd rather just hang out with him than go to a "Canadian Brass" Lyceum event, but at least there are going to "heavy hors d'oeuvres" beforehand. :) Hopefully the kids will have fun too. It doesn't start till 6:30, and they are usually in bed around 7, so I'm going to try to get us all to take naps this afternoon. I sure could use one!
Anyway, there were other things I wanted to blog about, especially about the kids, but I just don't feel like it lately. Maybe if I have a less barfy week! :)
We had preschool at our house this morning. Of course I put off preparing for it and planned to do it last night but then I got super sick and watched tv all evening. Then I was super sick again this morning and considered canceling, but I knew it would break Rae's heart. Plus, it's all rainy outside and preschool was the only activity we had today. So finally around 8:30 (preschool starts at 10:30) I threw together a pretty cool craft and cleaned up the house and managed to get through preschool. Ahhh - so glad it is over with! Now I have another day to procrastinate before I get started on Thursday's lesson! BTW, we are doing "The Fox and the Stork" if anyone has some ideas they'd like to share!! I'd love some ideas!
Roy has a fancy "new faculty" event tonight that includes free childcare! Woo hoo! I'd rather just hang out with him than go to a "Canadian Brass" Lyceum event, but at least there are going to "heavy hors d'oeuvres" beforehand. :) Hopefully the kids will have fun too. It doesn't start till 6:30, and they are usually in bed around 7, so I'm going to try to get us all to take naps this afternoon. I sure could use one!
Anyway, there were other things I wanted to blog about, especially about the kids, but I just don't feel like it lately. Maybe if I have a less barfy week! :)
Friday, November 07, 2008
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Oh my heck
How bad is it that I find this hilarious?! (I mean, of course it's sad too) This came from failblog.org, which I highly recommend for a daily laugh!
One of those days...
It's cold and windy today. Last week we had some beautiful weather. On Halloween I wore short sleeves all day! But it rained all night last night. It's sunny and dry now but so windy.
Rae peed in her bed TWICE last night (I was sleeping with her at the beginning of the night, so I got peed on too!) and I hadn't finished washing her linens from the night before, so I'm doing a lot of laundry today! Plus, I discovered a plastic bag in the van that had our swimsuits in it from our trip to St.Louis a month ago! Gross!
So it's a lazy, gotta get laundry done, kind of day. I picked Rae up from preschool and we hit McDonalds for lunch (I saw a commercial advertising chicken nuggets back on the dollar menu and I just couldn't resist!! Besides, I needed my 42oz soda fix)
I'm still in my pajamas. I never brushed Rae's hair today. The house is clean though, and life is good. I let the kids jump in puddles this morning. Things like that make me feel like a good mom. They had so much fun. It added to my laundry pile but it was worth it.
I'm having "Office" withdraws and I'm so glad it is back on tonight. I wanted to watch "Get Smart" this week to get my Steve Carell fix! Has anybody seen it? Any good? Seriously, I feel like I owe my life to Chad and Katie, who got me hooked on The Office. You guys are the best.
I really want to write a couple of posts about the kids and the things they are doing lately. But I always write random stuff like this instead. I vow not to post anything else until I do a post about each kid. Seriously, they are growing up so much and are so great, there's so much I need to document. Do you ever feel like you can't post more than once in a day? I'm always worried that people won't scroll down and see everything!
Anyway, I think that's enough randomness. Time to see if Blaise will take a nap so Rae and I can have some one on one time. She's watching an old Superman and Popeye movie right now. Man, the old cartoons were way better than the crap today. Ugh, don't even get me started. I am so sick of the same 3 or 4 episodes of Curious George, Syd the Science Kid, Super Why and Barney. Seriously, why did we even get cable? I could have recorded those episodes and just shown them over and over again! And I know they are supposed to be "educational" and all, but the old stuff was way better! Roy burned a couple of DVDs with "Disney Silly Symphonies" that he found online and the kids love them! And we like to watch the "Boomerang" channel and watch the old shows on there. Okay, I'm done with my rant. :)
Rae peed in her bed TWICE last night (I was sleeping with her at the beginning of the night, so I got peed on too!) and I hadn't finished washing her linens from the night before, so I'm doing a lot of laundry today! Plus, I discovered a plastic bag in the van that had our swimsuits in it from our trip to St.Louis a month ago! Gross!
So it's a lazy, gotta get laundry done, kind of day. I picked Rae up from preschool and we hit McDonalds for lunch (I saw a commercial advertising chicken nuggets back on the dollar menu and I just couldn't resist!! Besides, I needed my 42oz soda fix)
I'm still in my pajamas. I never brushed Rae's hair today. The house is clean though, and life is good. I let the kids jump in puddles this morning. Things like that make me feel like a good mom. They had so much fun. It added to my laundry pile but it was worth it.
I'm having "Office" withdraws and I'm so glad it is back on tonight. I wanted to watch "Get Smart" this week to get my Steve Carell fix! Has anybody seen it? Any good? Seriously, I feel like I owe my life to Chad and Katie, who got me hooked on The Office. You guys are the best.
I really want to write a couple of posts about the kids and the things they are doing lately. But I always write random stuff like this instead. I vow not to post anything else until I do a post about each kid. Seriously, they are growing up so much and are so great, there's so much I need to document. Do you ever feel like you can't post more than once in a day? I'm always worried that people won't scroll down and see everything!
Anyway, I think that's enough randomness. Time to see if Blaise will take a nap so Rae and I can have some one on one time. She's watching an old Superman and Popeye movie right now. Man, the old cartoons were way better than the crap today. Ugh, don't even get me started. I am so sick of the same 3 or 4 episodes of Curious George, Syd the Science Kid, Super Why and Barney. Seriously, why did we even get cable? I could have recorded those episodes and just shown them over and over again! And I know they are supposed to be "educational" and all, but the old stuff was way better! Roy burned a couple of DVDs with "Disney Silly Symphonies" that he found online and the kids love them! And we like to watch the "Boomerang" channel and watch the old shows on there. Okay, I'm done with my rant. :)
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Just one of many visits
I went to the doctor for the first time today. Everything is great. They do standard ultrasounds on your first visit (I usually get one anyway because of my tilted uterus) so I got a first-hand look at baby! He's doing great - growing some hands and feet and all that. He was moving around like crazy and has a great heartbeat. (I know I am saying he. I do not know what it is, I just don't like saying 'it' and 'he' comes naturally because the last baby was a he) Anyway, they measured him and he's measuring in at about 13 weeks, but I'm really only about 12.5 weeks. I'm pretty sure I'm actually 12.5 weeks and the baby is just a little big for his age. (Imagine that, my baby big?)
My doctor is great. He's super easy-going and pretty much figures I know what I am doing. :) He didn't make any remarks about my babies being 9lbs and the link with gestational diabetes (my last doctor was hung up on that) He didn't say anything about my weight (glad I lost weight before I got pregnant!) He just said that when it gets close to the end we better make sure I know who to call at the first sign of labor because it might go really fast like Blaise! He's had the same nurse working for him for 16 years, and she's really nice too (which is important because you see more of the nurse than you do the doctor!) He's also giving a presentation about birth plans at a childbirth workshop I'm going to next week. I'm really excited about this pregnancy!
I wish I didn't have to do a hospital setting again, but that's the only option here. But at least I know what I want this time and I'll make sure I get it!
And I've been feeling really great lately. I've still only thrown up once and my nausea is decreasing each day. I just have to make sure I get plenty of sleep and I do pretty well.
Anyway, just thought I'd share the details with everyone! Maybe I'll find some way to get the ultrasound pictures scanned and post them sometime.
My doctor is great. He's super easy-going and pretty much figures I know what I am doing. :) He didn't make any remarks about my babies being 9lbs and the link with gestational diabetes (my last doctor was hung up on that) He didn't say anything about my weight (glad I lost weight before I got pregnant!) He just said that when it gets close to the end we better make sure I know who to call at the first sign of labor because it might go really fast like Blaise! He's had the same nurse working for him for 16 years, and she's really nice too (which is important because you see more of the nurse than you do the doctor!) He's also giving a presentation about birth plans at a childbirth workshop I'm going to next week. I'm really excited about this pregnancy!
I wish I didn't have to do a hospital setting again, but that's the only option here. But at least I know what I want this time and I'll make sure I get it!
And I've been feeling really great lately. I've still only thrown up once and my nausea is decreasing each day. I just have to make sure I get plenty of sleep and I do pretty well.
Anyway, just thought I'd share the details with everyone! Maybe I'll find some way to get the ultrasound pictures scanned and post them sometime.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
I almost forgot!
Today is my BIL James' b-day! He is married to my oldest sister Christie. Hope you have a great day James!
Dusty, moldy and guinea piggy
We need an air purifier. Really, really need one. Anyone have any recommendations? Also, sort of on the subject - what do you use to dust? Our computer desk is particularly dusty and I really don't know what to use that doesn't just send it all back in the air. Our allergies are out of control and Roy wakes up every morning really sick and stuffy. It's been like that since we moved here but now that our windows are closed more often it is getting worse. I don't know if there is mold in the walls or carpet or what, but something in this house is driving us crazy. We are hoping an air purifier in our bedroom will help. Anyway, any advice you can give will be appreciated!
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Halloween!
On Tuesday there a party at the library, so Rae got to dress up early.
She's a sassy little witch
Then Thursday was the Trunk-or-Treat at the church
We didn't get around to carving pumpkins until Thursday morning (I wanted to decorate our trunk with our lit pumpkins) Turns out that you don't want to carve pumpkins too early in this area - they rotted really fast!
The good ol' cake walk! They had way too many baked goods, so they were drawing 3 numbers every round and each person that won got a choice of two baked goods!
Trying to eat a doughnut off a string.
On Friday we went downtown for some trick-or-treating on the lawn of the courthouse. A bunch of local businesses were handing out candy and we got a ton! Afterwards we went and got some dinner and met Roy at the school and went trick-or-treating in the dorms. The students decorated the halls and went all out with costumes and tons of candy. It was super crowded but we managed to go a different direction than most of the people and avoided most of the crowds. After a few floors the kids were tired and their buckets were too heavy for them to carry! We went home and trick-or-treated to a few of our neighbor friends. Once we got inside I hurried and lit our pumpkins and turned on all of our lights in hopes that a few trick-or-treaters would come and I could recycle some of our candy, but we didn't get any! Darn! Don't worry, I'm making good progress on all of the candy and it won't be around for long :) Here are some pics:
In the dorms. Roy saw several of his students.
Most of the loot.
Rae trying her first pixie-stick
She's a sassy little witch
Then Thursday was the Trunk-or-Treat at the church
We didn't get around to carving pumpkins until Thursday morning (I wanted to decorate our trunk with our lit pumpkins) Turns out that you don't want to carve pumpkins too early in this area - they rotted really fast!
The good ol' cake walk! They had way too many baked goods, so they were drawing 3 numbers every round and each person that won got a choice of two baked goods!
Trying to eat a doughnut off a string.
On Friday we went downtown for some trick-or-treating on the lawn of the courthouse. A bunch of local businesses were handing out candy and we got a ton! Afterwards we went and got some dinner and met Roy at the school and went trick-or-treating in the dorms. The students decorated the halls and went all out with costumes and tons of candy. It was super crowded but we managed to go a different direction than most of the people and avoided most of the crowds. After a few floors the kids were tired and their buckets were too heavy for them to carry! We went home and trick-or-treated to a few of our neighbor friends. Once we got inside I hurried and lit our pumpkins and turned on all of our lights in hopes that a few trick-or-treaters would come and I could recycle some of our candy, but we didn't get any! Darn! Don't worry, I'm making good progress on all of the candy and it won't be around for long :) Here are some pics:
In the dorms. Roy saw several of his students.
Most of the loot.
Rae trying her first pixie-stick
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Too.much.candy
Before I get to posting about Halloween and the costumes and festivities, I have an important question:
What the crap am I supposed to do with all the candy we got?! We dumped it all in a bag last night and it weighed 8 pounds! Now, I am not opposed to eating it all by myself except for the fact that I'm going to be weighed at my doctors appt. on Wed and then every month after that. Roy doesn't eat candy, and I don't feel like dealing with hyper, sugary kids everyday if I let them eat all that they want. I'm going to send some to school with Roy so he can give it to his students. Maybe I'll just do that everyday until it's gone! Ugh. So much candy. I love love love candy. I love chocolate, I love sour candy, I love tootsie rolls. I am doomed.
What do you do with your kids' candy?
What the crap am I supposed to do with all the candy we got?! We dumped it all in a bag last night and it weighed 8 pounds! Now, I am not opposed to eating it all by myself except for the fact that I'm going to be weighed at my doctors appt. on Wed and then every month after that. Roy doesn't eat candy, and I don't feel like dealing with hyper, sugary kids everyday if I let them eat all that they want. I'm going to send some to school with Roy so he can give it to his students. Maybe I'll just do that everyday until it's gone! Ugh. So much candy. I love love love candy. I love chocolate, I love sour candy, I love tootsie rolls. I am doomed.
What do you do with your kids' candy?
Friday, October 31, 2008
Too funny
Blaise is really into going in rooms (especially his) and closing the door and having some alone time. Just now I noticed he hadn't been around for a while but didn't think much of it. I went to put some clothes in their room and found out why he was being so quiet! He had found a sucker somewhere, opened it and was sitting on the rocking chair. He didn't really seem like he was eating it though. I think he just enjoys the fact that he can actually open dum dums without any help. I walked in and said "Blaaaiiisse, what are you doing" and he just looked at me with puppy dog eyes and looked as if he was going to cry! He knew he had done something bad! I wanted to get a picture but I didn't want him to think it was cute. I took the sucker away, told him to go eat his fish sticks and then popped the sucker into my mouth! That'll teach him!
Anyway, I just thought it was pretty funny. He's getting too smart!
Anyway, I just thought it was pretty funny. He's getting too smart!
Let's go back a week or so....
Before I post stuff about Halloween I'm going to play a little catch-up. Last Saturday we were invited by the school to the University Farm for a "Fall Festival". They had hay rides, a few animals to pet, pumpkin carving, a corn maze, hot dogs to roast and smores! It was a blast. I haven't had a fire cooked hot dog in a long time and man were they tasty! The kids loved cooking over a fire and Rae was so excited about the smores. It was a little windy, but not too cold. Right before we were about to leave we decided to do the corn maze and it took forever! I had to pee so bad and I was starting to feel very claustrophobic. The ground was really muddy from the rain the previous day, so Blaise kept falling and we had to take turns carrying him. Rae thought it was a lot of fun though! We didn't take many pictures, but here are a few:
Eating lots of yummy food. Blaise being a goob.
What is he looking at?
Lots and lots of birds.
The view from the hayride. This is what you could see for miles and miles. It was so beautiful.
Eating lots of yummy food. Blaise being a goob.
What is he looking at?
Lots and lots of birds.
The view from the hayride. This is what you could see for miles and miles. It was so beautiful.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A few poorly taken pictures
Here is Rae's bug box. Yes, full of lady beetles. I stopped counting when I got to 35! She found most of those in the past 30 minutes.
Here is another box. My cupcake box! Anyone who has been to a party of mine or a party where I've brought a dessert knows that I love to make cupcakes. I don't do fancy ones or anything, I just love cupcakes. I used to have a nice big pan with a lid that fit a lot of cupcakes. That got lost somewhere - left at a party or something. Right before we moved my mom gave me this cupcake carrier. This is the first time I've used it and it's so great! It has 3 layers and fits 27 cupcakes. Totally cool. We just finished making some cupcakes for the cake walk at the truck or treat tonight (does that frosting look orange or pink? Couldn't get it quite the right color). Glad I finally got a chance to use my box! Thanks mom!
Invasion
Our home is being invaded by asian lady beetles! They are EVERYWHERE outside, and just yesterday they started coming into our house! There is a crack by our door that they get in through. I wanted to take a picture to show you, but I'm charging our camera battery right now. Just from where I'm sitting I can count about 15! And that's not including the 10 in Rae's bug box! I guess they aren't really harmful though, and they are staying close to the front door, so I just let them be and let Rae catch the ones she can reach. Anyway, pretty crazy.
I don't have much time to write about anything else. Tonight is our ward's truck or treat so I need to go finish carving a pumpkin. I'll post some pictures tonight.
I don't have much time to write about anything else. Tonight is our ward's truck or treat so I need to go finish carving a pumpkin. I'll post some pictures tonight.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A little number survey
One- Number of times I've thrown up (so far)
Two- Number of kids I have
Three- Number of kids I'm going to have (ay caramba!)
Four- Times I have to get up to pee a night
Five- Hours I wish I could watch tv and eat chocolate
Six- Times a day I have to eat
Seven- Days after finals is when baby is due
Eight- Hours of sleep I try to get
Nine- Number of comments I expect to get (at least!)
Ten- Hours of sleep I wish I could get!
Eleven- Weeks down, 29 to go!
Two- Number of kids I have
Three- Number of kids I'm going to have (ay caramba!)
Four- Times I have to get up to pee a night
Five- Hours I wish I could watch tv and eat chocolate
Six- Times a day I have to eat
Seven- Days after finals is when baby is due
Eight- Hours of sleep I try to get
Nine- Number of comments I expect to get (at least!)
Ten- Hours of sleep I wish I could get!
Eleven- Weeks down, 29 to go!
Brrr?
I put a little weather thingy over there to the right. ---->
As of right now (12:45 AM, 10/28), it's 28 degrees here. I know it's not Idaho, but it's still pretty cool.
As of right now (12:45 AM, 10/28), it's 28 degrees here. I know it's not Idaho, but it's still pretty cool.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
My new best friend
The pouch costs about a buck and makes 6 muffins, which is perfect for me and the kids. And they are really tasty muffins. I've tried several mixes like this and you often get fruit pieces in the middle that are kind of crunchy. These are perfect. I mean, I'm not saying they taste like fresh blueberries or anything, but they do the job for a quick, tasty muffin. The kids love them and they are so fast to whip up. Sometimes I serve them as breakfast with some fruit or yogurt and sometimes they are our mid-morning snack.
I definitely prefer muffins baked from scratch - especially banana muffins - but when I bake muffins I always end up with 2 dozen or so and then I have to freeze them or eat them :) And sometimes I try a new recipe and end up with a ton of muffins that we didn't like. So, for those days when I don't feel like baking from scratch, these are perfect! I guess once we have a few more kids it won't really be economical though. :) Anyway, give them a try!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Gas again
Not that kind of gas - I know what my family is thinking! Yes yes, I'm a gassy person. :)
But gas prices have gone down even more! It's 2.43 now! I am waiting till my tank is on empty before I fill it up again - maybe it will be down to the 2.30s!
Flippin' cold here today. So windy and the wind was so cold! Ugh. Why oh why do I live here?! I guess it will be fun to go sledding in a couple of months. I'll keep telling myself that!
But gas prices have gone down even more! It's 2.43 now! I am waiting till my tank is on empty before I fill it up again - maybe it will be down to the 2.30s!
Flippin' cold here today. So windy and the wind was so cold! Ugh. Why oh why do I live here?! I guess it will be fun to go sledding in a couple of months. I'll keep telling myself that!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Gas prices
Our gas is down to $2.55 here - woo hoo! What is it in your neck of the woods? Yes, I'm talking to you.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
French toast
A few people suggested french toast. Rae hasn't liked mine in the past, but I'm not very good at making it. How do you make your french toast? Any particular bread you've found that works the best? Is the trick getting the pan nice and hot so that it doesn't turn out soggy? Mine is always soggy. Your comments have been great - keep the help coming! :)
Breakfast
What do you serve your kids for breakfast? We tend to rotate through eggs, pancakes/waffles, cold cereal, cold oatmeal and occasionally muffins. I'm planning to make some tasty pull apart cake in the next few days, but that is more like dessert! Any ideas of some creative things for breakfast? My kids used to be big yogurt fans, but not so much anymore. Should I just let them have eggs as often as they want? They'd eat them 5 times a week if I let them! Occasionally I'll change it up a bit and do egg burritos or egg sandwiches. I'm always worried about giving them too much sugar in the morning. I'm just kind of in a breakfast rut - so I'm asking for your thoughts - what do you serve?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Cold
I went to go to the gym this morning. There is ice on my windshield. I can't drive with ice on my windshield. Back inside I go.
I was not prepared for ice already. I guess I need to get some sort of ice scraper or something? Ugh. Not ready for winter yet! I'm sure by the time we need to go to preschool at 10:30 it will be nice and sunny and warming up, but if I want to go to the gym at 6:30 every morning I'm going to have to get used to ice. Roy is applying to jobs for next year and I'm going to make him take anywhere cold off his list.
I was not prepared for ice already. I guess I need to get some sort of ice scraper or something? Ugh. Not ready for winter yet! I'm sure by the time we need to go to preschool at 10:30 it will be nice and sunny and warming up, but if I want to go to the gym at 6:30 every morning I'm going to have to get used to ice. Roy is applying to jobs for next year and I'm going to make him take anywhere cold off his list.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Productive morning
I got Rae's speech class moved to 9am instead of 8:30 in hopes that I can squeeze in the gym in the morning. I went yesterday (no speech) and it was so great. I hadn't been in about 2 weeks. I didn't make it today (speech day) because Roy needed some extra sleep more than I needed exercise. (Poor guy is so busy and stressed!)
Speech at 9am is way nicer! It still makes me get up and out the door early, but gives me enough time to make the kids a nice breakfast, clean up after breakfast and leave on time feeling calm. We dropped Roy off at work since it's on the way and it's raining (he hasn't been able to ride his bike much - it's always too wet!) After speech we went to the library and hung out for about 40 minutes. Our library is great - tons of puzzles, toys and a puppet show - the kids love to just hang out there. When we got home the kids were happy to just play and watch tv and I decided to go through boxes of "misc clothes" and see what sort of things we have for winter. I was happy to discover that the kids' winter coats still fit them! And Blaise had a couple of pants and pjs that I didn't know about. And I even had a pair of footsie pajamas for Rae that I forgot I had. (She's wearing them around the house - she LOVES footsie pjs) I love collecting things throughout the year, either on clearance or from friends, and then when the time comes to use them you forgot you even had them! Luckily I went through these boxes early because I had no idea we had so much stuff and I probably would have gone out and bought new jackets! We have a pretty good supply for winter and we might have to start using it soon...yuck. I feel prepared and happy to have that out of the way. I also put away a bunch of shorts and t-shirts to make room for pants and long-sleeves. And the kids played nicely this whole time and enjoyed trying on jackets and gloves. A very nice use of a rainy day! Now they are watching Bambi and eating popcorn (I really should make them lunch)
Last week I was in a rut and super grumpy and depressed. The house was a mess, Roy was super busy (still is) and everything was just making me depressed. But yesterday I got to workout, I ate well all day, and just felt great. When Roy got home from work we got the house cleaned from top to bottom and now life is really looking up. I'm still adjusting to life here and still don't feel like I've made many friends. Rae enjoys preschool twice a week, but other than that we haven't had anyone over to play or gone over to anyone's house. I know that I need to step out of my comfort zone and actually call someone and invite them over, but it's hard for me to do. That's the main thing that gets me down. Every few days I just really miss the friends we had in Davis and I miss being comfortable and knowing everyone. Most of the young moms in our ward have husbands in medical school, and they have their own little network. Totally great for them - just wish we were part of it! I look back to Solano Park Apartments and all of us moms with husbands in graduate school and I hope we didn't seclude anyone who wasn't part of that "situation."
(I'm not sure if anyone from my current ward is reading this...if you are, just know that I don't think anyone is doing anything wrong, I just need to find a way to "belong" in this ward and it's going to take some effort on my part!)
Anyway, things are good now. I'm enjoying life and I know what I need to do to enjoy it even more and what to do to keep myself from getting into ruts all the time!
Speech at 9am is way nicer! It still makes me get up and out the door early, but gives me enough time to make the kids a nice breakfast, clean up after breakfast and leave on time feeling calm. We dropped Roy off at work since it's on the way and it's raining (he hasn't been able to ride his bike much - it's always too wet!) After speech we went to the library and hung out for about 40 minutes. Our library is great - tons of puzzles, toys and a puppet show - the kids love to just hang out there. When we got home the kids were happy to just play and watch tv and I decided to go through boxes of "misc clothes" and see what sort of things we have for winter. I was happy to discover that the kids' winter coats still fit them! And Blaise had a couple of pants and pjs that I didn't know about. And I even had a pair of footsie pajamas for Rae that I forgot I had. (She's wearing them around the house - she LOVES footsie pjs) I love collecting things throughout the year, either on clearance or from friends, and then when the time comes to use them you forgot you even had them! Luckily I went through these boxes early because I had no idea we had so much stuff and I probably would have gone out and bought new jackets! We have a pretty good supply for winter and we might have to start using it soon...yuck. I feel prepared and happy to have that out of the way. I also put away a bunch of shorts and t-shirts to make room for pants and long-sleeves. And the kids played nicely this whole time and enjoyed trying on jackets and gloves. A very nice use of a rainy day! Now they are watching Bambi and eating popcorn (I really should make them lunch)
Last week I was in a rut and super grumpy and depressed. The house was a mess, Roy was super busy (still is) and everything was just making me depressed. But yesterday I got to workout, I ate well all day, and just felt great. When Roy got home from work we got the house cleaned from top to bottom and now life is really looking up. I'm still adjusting to life here and still don't feel like I've made many friends. Rae enjoys preschool twice a week, but other than that we haven't had anyone over to play or gone over to anyone's house. I know that I need to step out of my comfort zone and actually call someone and invite them over, but it's hard for me to do. That's the main thing that gets me down. Every few days I just really miss the friends we had in Davis and I miss being comfortable and knowing everyone. Most of the young moms in our ward have husbands in medical school, and they have their own little network. Totally great for them - just wish we were part of it! I look back to Solano Park Apartments and all of us moms with husbands in graduate school and I hope we didn't seclude anyone who wasn't part of that "situation."
(I'm not sure if anyone from my current ward is reading this...if you are, just know that I don't think anyone is doing anything wrong, I just need to find a way to "belong" in this ward and it's going to take some effort on my part!)
Anyway, things are good now. I'm enjoying life and I know what I need to do to enjoy it even more and what to do to keep myself from getting into ruts all the time!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
St.Louis
Roy didn't have work on Thurs/Fri for midterm break, so we decided to go make a little trip to St.Louis. I got a good deal on priceline for a hotel. We headed out right after preschool on thursday (around 12:30) and had a really good drive without any stops. We went straight to a mall that was near our hotel and let the kids run around and burn off some energy and got some Panda Express for dinner (yum! we don't have one here in kirksville, so it's been months!)
The plan was to check into the hotel and then I would go to the temple. Well, we got lost on the way to the hotel and ended up driving around for about 40 minutes (the mall was only 4 miles from the hotel) We finally found it and got checked in and I had to hurry and eat some dinner, get dressed and get going. But I still had plenty of time and really enjoyed going to the temple. Roy got the kids to bed and I got back to the hotel around 9 and went to bed too. Pretty uneventful. :)
The next morning we all got up and ate the breakfast I had packed, but realized it just wasn't enough food. So Roy got dressed to go to the temple and we headed out in search of some food. The traffic was horrible and there weren't many options for food in the area. We finally found a mcdonalds. We ate real quick then I dropped Roy off at the temple and headed back to the hotel (it was great because the hotel was only a 5 minute drive from the temple) The kids and I went swimming in the indoor pool, which was the highlight of the entire trip! We had the pool to ourselves and the kids had a blast!! It was really, really great.
We went back to the hotel room and got ready for the day and got everything ready to go and went to the temple to pick Roy up. Then back to the hotel to check out. By then we were all hungry for lunch, so we decided to start driving to the zoo and find something to eat on the way. Well, again, not many food options. We drove around for a really long time and finally found an IHOP. We didn't realize how huge St.Louis is and how busy and crowded it is. Yuck. Not a fun place to try to find your way around.
Anyway, we finally made it to the zoo around 1:30. It was super super crowded but the weather was perfect and the kids enjoyed it. We didn't see most of it because it was so huge, but we can always go back another day. It's free to get into the zoo and then they have some attractions that you can pay for. (Like a train that cost 5 bucks a person!! Rae was upset the whole time that we wouldn't let her go for a ride. But we had already spent a lot on this trip and just couldn't afford 20 bucks for us all to ride the train! I told her she can start saving her money and we can ride it next time.)
We left the zoo around 4 and headed to Costco. We got stuck in traffic AGAIN and what was supposed to be a 20 minute drive was a 45 minute drive. Ugh. By then we were all tired and grumpy and hungry. By the time we finished at costco, got dinner, got gas and got on the road it was about 6:30. We put the kids in their pajamas, put a movie on and told them to go to sleep! They went to sleep as soon as the movie was over, so we made another trip without any stops.
All in all it was a good trip, just not as relaxing as I had hoped it would be. And since Roy took Thurs and Fri off, it meant he had to work all day Saturday and all night too. I still haven't unpacked from the trip. But at least we both got to go to the temple, so that was worth it. Here are some pics: (we didn't get very many)
Roy and the kids at the temple
St.Louis temple
Blaise watching the hippos. The stuff floating in there is hay that comes out in their poop. Gross. And Blaise's hair looks ridiculous!
Hippos are some crazy animals. They are so weird.
The plan was to check into the hotel and then I would go to the temple. Well, we got lost on the way to the hotel and ended up driving around for about 40 minutes (the mall was only 4 miles from the hotel) We finally found it and got checked in and I had to hurry and eat some dinner, get dressed and get going. But I still had plenty of time and really enjoyed going to the temple. Roy got the kids to bed and I got back to the hotel around 9 and went to bed too. Pretty uneventful. :)
The next morning we all got up and ate the breakfast I had packed, but realized it just wasn't enough food. So Roy got dressed to go to the temple and we headed out in search of some food. The traffic was horrible and there weren't many options for food in the area. We finally found a mcdonalds. We ate real quick then I dropped Roy off at the temple and headed back to the hotel (it was great because the hotel was only a 5 minute drive from the temple) The kids and I went swimming in the indoor pool, which was the highlight of the entire trip! We had the pool to ourselves and the kids had a blast!! It was really, really great.
We went back to the hotel room and got ready for the day and got everything ready to go and went to the temple to pick Roy up. Then back to the hotel to check out. By then we were all hungry for lunch, so we decided to start driving to the zoo and find something to eat on the way. Well, again, not many food options. We drove around for a really long time and finally found an IHOP. We didn't realize how huge St.Louis is and how busy and crowded it is. Yuck. Not a fun place to try to find your way around.
Anyway, we finally made it to the zoo around 1:30. It was super super crowded but the weather was perfect and the kids enjoyed it. We didn't see most of it because it was so huge, but we can always go back another day. It's free to get into the zoo and then they have some attractions that you can pay for. (Like a train that cost 5 bucks a person!! Rae was upset the whole time that we wouldn't let her go for a ride. But we had already spent a lot on this trip and just couldn't afford 20 bucks for us all to ride the train! I told her she can start saving her money and we can ride it next time.)
We left the zoo around 4 and headed to Costco. We got stuck in traffic AGAIN and what was supposed to be a 20 minute drive was a 45 minute drive. Ugh. By then we were all tired and grumpy and hungry. By the time we finished at costco, got dinner, got gas and got on the road it was about 6:30. We put the kids in their pajamas, put a movie on and told them to go to sleep! They went to sleep as soon as the movie was over, so we made another trip without any stops.
All in all it was a good trip, just not as relaxing as I had hoped it would be. And since Roy took Thurs and Fri off, it meant he had to work all day Saturday and all night too. I still haven't unpacked from the trip. But at least we both got to go to the temple, so that was worth it. Here are some pics: (we didn't get very many)
Roy and the kids at the temple
St.Louis temple
Blaise watching the hippos. The stuff floating in there is hay that comes out in their poop. Gross. And Blaise's hair looks ridiculous!
Hippos are some crazy animals. They are so weird.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Because I don't feel like blogging about anything else
1. Where is your cell? Desk
2. Significant other? Unique
3. Your hair? Ugh
4. Your mother? Energetic
5. Your father? Kind
6. Your favorite thing? Sleep
7. Your dream last night? Shepardson
8. Your favorite drink? chocolate
9. Your dream/goal? Joy
10. The room you're in? Living
11. Your fear? failing
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? hmmmm
13. Where were you last night? couch
14. What you're not? patient
15. Muffins? Dozen
16. One of your wish list items? electronics
17. Where you grew up? heat
18. The last thing you did? dishwasher
19. What are you wearing? summery
20. Your TV? small
21. Your pet? stinky
22. Your computer? broken
23. Your life? meh
24. Your mood? lazy
25. Missing someone? yup
26. Your car? dirty!
27. Something you're not wearing? ring
28. Favorite Store? walmart
29. Your summer? Expensive
30. Your favorite color? purple
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. Last time you cried? yesterday
33. Who will/would re-post this? dunno
34. The place I go over and over? truman
35. The person who visits me? no one :(
36. A favorite fruit? cantaloupe
37. A place I would rather be right now? anywhere
2. Significant other? Unique
3. Your hair? Ugh
4. Your mother? Energetic
5. Your father? Kind
6. Your favorite thing? Sleep
7. Your dream last night? Shepardson
8. Your favorite drink? chocolate
9. Your dream/goal? Joy
10. The room you're in? Living
11. Your fear? failing
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? hmmmm
13. Where were you last night? couch
14. What you're not? patient
15. Muffins? Dozen
16. One of your wish list items? electronics
17. Where you grew up? heat
18. The last thing you did? dishwasher
19. What are you wearing? summery
20. Your TV? small
21. Your pet? stinky
22. Your computer? broken
23. Your life? meh
24. Your mood? lazy
25. Missing someone? yup
26. Your car? dirty!
27. Something you're not wearing? ring
28. Favorite Store? walmart
29. Your summer? Expensive
30. Your favorite color? purple
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. Last time you cried? yesterday
33. Who will/would re-post this? dunno
34. The place I go over and over? truman
35. The person who visits me? no one :(
36. A favorite fruit? cantaloupe
37. A place I would rather be right now? anywhere
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
More help
So preschool was pretty good today. I made little signs for each letter and each kid got to hold two signs and I had them stand up when I made the sound of the letter they had. Then we did some dancing and singing and all was good. I didn't have a cool craft for them to do, but I just couldn't come up with anything.
Thursday's preschool topic is "dinosaurs/fossils". Any ideas? I have a little sandbox outside that I could do some sort of fossil thing with, but it might be full of water/mud because it's been rainy, and it might even rain on Thurs, so I can't depend entirely on that. Whatta ya'll think?
Thursday's preschool topic is "dinosaurs/fossils". Any ideas? I have a little sandbox outside that I could do some sort of fossil thing with, but it might be full of water/mud because it's been rainy, and it might even rain on Thurs, so I can't depend entirely on that. Whatta ya'll think?
Monday, October 06, 2008
Need some help
I'm hosting Rae's preschool group this week and on Tuesday I need to teach the sounds for letters Q-Z. Any ideas? I cannot come up with much! Let me know if you have any ideas! Thanks!
Friday, October 03, 2008
Advice needed
How did you get your kids to stop wetting the bed at night?
When we moved here Rae was wearing pullups to bed, but hardly ever peeing in them. (this was without us waking her up to pee or doing anything different than the usual nighttime routine) When she ran out of pullups we started having her wear underwear to bed. The first week or so she did great and then she started peeing in the middle of the night. So we started waking her up every night before Roy went to bed (around 10 or 11) and that worked out just fine for long time. But lately she has either already peed before we wake her up (especially if Roy ends up staying up late and doesn't wake her up till 12 or so) and just this week even if we wake her up at 11 or so to pee she ends up wetting the bed before waking up in the morning! We thought that maybe she was drinking too much water, but her sippy cup is always pretty full.
So, where do we go from here? I am tired of washing her sheets every morning and really want to get this taken care of before it gets cold and we have to put a big quilt on her bed and end up washing THAT every morning!
When we wake her up in the middle of the night we try to wake her up completely so that she is aware of what is going on and will maybe start doing it all on her own. Any suggestions for this problem? What else can we be doing? Do we really have to wake her up at 11 and then again at like 4? She used to go the entire night without waking up to pee and would be dry more often than she is now! Please help! :)
When we moved here Rae was wearing pullups to bed, but hardly ever peeing in them. (this was without us waking her up to pee or doing anything different than the usual nighttime routine) When she ran out of pullups we started having her wear underwear to bed. The first week or so she did great and then she started peeing in the middle of the night. So we started waking her up every night before Roy went to bed (around 10 or 11) and that worked out just fine for long time. But lately she has either already peed before we wake her up (especially if Roy ends up staying up late and doesn't wake her up till 12 or so) and just this week even if we wake her up at 11 or so to pee she ends up wetting the bed before waking up in the morning! We thought that maybe she was drinking too much water, but her sippy cup is always pretty full.
So, where do we go from here? I am tired of washing her sheets every morning and really want to get this taken care of before it gets cold and we have to put a big quilt on her bed and end up washing THAT every morning!
When we wake her up in the middle of the night we try to wake her up completely so that she is aware of what is going on and will maybe start doing it all on her own. Any suggestions for this problem? What else can we be doing? Do we really have to wake her up at 11 and then again at like 4? She used to go the entire night without waking up to pee and would be dry more often than she is now! Please help! :)
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
On being a "grown-up"
When we started our life in Davis I was miserable. Roy was busy busy with school, I had a newborn and was far away from family. I made friends pretty quickly, Rae grew up into a fun toddler and we got a little more used to graduate school. Roy was always busy with school, but always had a very flexible schedule and we did a lot of outings together as a family. By the end of graduate school I felt like we finally had a routine down (it only took us 4 years to get one figured out!) and then life got all messed up again. :)
Also, we lived in a small, dinky apartment. BUT, we had free cable, water, trash and internet! We had incredible neighbors and free service from a fairly competent maintenance crew that took care of anything we needed. Of course, all I could think about was being DONE WITH SCHOOL and on to real life.
The grass is always greener on the other side! Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to be done with school and making a little more money. I just think it's going to take some time to get used to, just like it took us time with graduate school. Roy's schedule isn't really flexible at all right now because he's just getting the hang of being a full-time professor and can't give up any valuable work hours. Also, he's applying to jobs for next fall, so that's a big load on top of everything else.
We live in a great duplex type place with a few mormon neighbors, but there aren't the abundance of kids around like in Davis. And there are quite a few parks around, but none as nice as the ones in Davis. And now we really are FAR from family.
What got me thinking about all this was first the smaller than expected paycheck we got yesterday, and then we got our water bill today.(they come every 2 months, so this was our first one) We haven't had to pay a water bill in about 5 years, so it's something we are getting used to again. Is life really better in the real world?? :) I'm sure we'll get used to it all and adjust just fine, but these first few months have been a little shock to our system!
Now I just have to try to enjoy what we having going on here and try not to think about how "great" life will be when we are really settled somewhere (because then we will have a mortgage, home maintenance, really being stuck somewhere and what if we don't like it!)
Hmm, not sure if this post makes any sense. The kids needed my help a few times and I lost my train of thoughts a few times. Oh well.
Also, we lived in a small, dinky apartment. BUT, we had free cable, water, trash and internet! We had incredible neighbors and free service from a fairly competent maintenance crew that took care of anything we needed. Of course, all I could think about was being DONE WITH SCHOOL and on to real life.
The grass is always greener on the other side! Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to be done with school and making a little more money. I just think it's going to take some time to get used to, just like it took us time with graduate school. Roy's schedule isn't really flexible at all right now because he's just getting the hang of being a full-time professor and can't give up any valuable work hours. Also, he's applying to jobs for next fall, so that's a big load on top of everything else.
We live in a great duplex type place with a few mormon neighbors, but there aren't the abundance of kids around like in Davis. And there are quite a few parks around, but none as nice as the ones in Davis. And now we really are FAR from family.
What got me thinking about all this was first the smaller than expected paycheck we got yesterday, and then we got our water bill today.(they come every 2 months, so this was our first one) We haven't had to pay a water bill in about 5 years, so it's something we are getting used to again. Is life really better in the real world?? :) I'm sure we'll get used to it all and adjust just fine, but these first few months have been a little shock to our system!
Now I just have to try to enjoy what we having going on here and try not to think about how "great" life will be when we are really settled somewhere (because then we will have a mortgage, home maintenance, really being stuck somewhere and what if we don't like it!)
Hmm, not sure if this post makes any sense. The kids needed my help a few times and I lost my train of thoughts a few times. Oh well.
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