Mega P. Pod

It's a Preschool Christmas Singalong

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe this is something that only parents appreciate. Sort of like people talking about their dogs like other people care, but I find preschool productions hysterical. There are always a few of the following: star performers, troublemakers (usually the LG and usually the funniest to watch unless it is your own child), blank starers, nose pickers (also usually the LG - we're working on this one), missed cue performers or those who are always a few seconds behind or ahead of what they are supposed to be doing. It is the combination of all of the above which makes it hysterical - at least to me.

The LG had his Christmas performance, and I came away thinking that he was perfectly paired with a girl suitable for marriage one day. Just kidding. Okay, no I'm not. I think you can tell a lot about kids when they are 5. Right? I mean, it is reasonable to have their whole lives mapped out at this stage, right? Anyway, you can see what a cute couple they make.

Santa also made a very unconvincing appearance. As parents were trying to get group photos, the LG was tugging on Santa's hat, peering around in his face with a very skeptical expression, and coaching him ("Santa is supposed to say Ho, Ho, Ho!"). In the photo below you can see Santa leaning forward to escape the LG's attempts at pulling off his hat. It was also clear to the BK that the LG wasn't buying any of it. After the LG informed us there was no way that was the real Santa, I had to explain that it was just one of his poorly trained helpers. We're still not sure that he bought any of it. What's a parent to do?

5 Short Years

2011-12-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Our LG turned 5 over the Thanksgiving holiday. He had been asking about it, dreaming about it, and begging for presents for months, so I was as relieved as he was for it to finally arrive. He was adamant about a Star Wars theme, so the BK and I made a paper mache death star, and I attempted to make an R2D2 cake. Let's just say that although I am glad my sister-in-law talked me out of attempting the cake below the night before...

...I am definitely under no delusions about the final product. That said, he is 5, and only cared that it was R2D2, and none of the other kids made the comments I was thinking in my head like, "wow, that's a funny looking cake", or "did the LG make that cake himself?". As the BK pointed out, however, at least it wasn't as ugly as our wedding cake. Touche.

Anyway, we were happy to have his cousins and a friend there. I am a huge fan of the pinata. Not much else compares to the elation children seem to experience as they try to break something with adults cheering them on. That first whack is always a bit tenuous as they look at their parents to make sure a severe scolding isn't going to follow. That is, unless you are the LG, who never looks at us before he breaks anything. Just another day in the life.

I am always amazed by this child. For better or worse. You never quite know what to expect and he definitely keeps us on our toes and turning grey or balding. A few of his favorite things at the moment (in no particular order):

1. Packages arriving almost daily at the doorstep (yes, thank you Amazon for free 2 day shipping and allowing me to shop from home!!!)

2. Legos

3. Preschool

4. Alone time with mom and/or dad.

5. Playing with friends and/or cousins.

6. Watching movies.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAN!!! WE LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE YOU!

Halloween

2011-11-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treating. Spooky Ghosts. Creepy Pumpkins. My kids are in heaven this time of year. If you took away the presents, my kids would definitely prefer Halloween over any other holiday. For a weekend or so we had Darth Vader, Chubaka, and a Skunk running around our house. So much fun. Getting them to hold still for a decent picture on the other hand, not so much fun.

Disneyland!!!

2011-11-10T23:07:00.001-08:00

It wouldn't be a family vacation for us if we didn't try to wrap too many things into it, so of course we had a few stops along the way. Actually, the BK competed in his first Olympic Triathlon at Lake Powell the weekend before we went to LA. He did a great job, and trained pretty hard so we are really proud of him! He looks great too, especially when holding his LG who was so excited that the "yellow" team won.

We love LA. I never thought that would come out of my mouth. That said, it has definitely grown on me since visiting my brothers who now reside there. The kids have such a grand time visiting their cousins, and a trip to Santa Monica, topped off with a trip to Disneyland never hurt. The pic below cracks me up. It's too complicated for me to explain why we had to take this picture, but we are hoping that 20 years from now they all decide to meetup at the same spot and try to fit their adult bodies on this tiny porpoise.

We were grateful to have actually made it to Disneyland after we ended up buying our tickets from a less than reputable source. Let's just say that if your tickets include instructions as follows, you should probably just walk away:

"It isn't likely that anyone will ask, but if they do, tell them you were there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, not Monday, and today [Tuesday] is your 4th day."

You can imagine our relief, however, to learn that if on the off chance that anyone did ask, and we were kicked out of the park, that the refund policy included "new" tickets being brought to us so we could try again. The thought of explaining to our children how Disneyland turned into jail should have been deterrent enough. Let's just say we aren't that bright.

We probably deserved going on a day when the park closed early, and the "Small World" and "Pirates" exhibits were closed. Because of the close proximity to Halloween, they had made a few "tweaks" to the Space Mountain ride, basically turning into a spook alley with creepy screaming ghosts and demons following you around every corner. Just sayin' Disney, maybe a disclaimer at the gate would have been appropriate, warning us that the ride was no longer suitable for the younguns. Hard to believe that our kids were the only ones with their ears and eyes covered and shrieking hysterically for their lives to end.

Joking aside, it was a great trip. Thanks to my brother and his wife who tolerate us in close proximity, and thank you to Walt Disney for going just a wee bit overboard and dreaming big.

LGisms

2011-10-10T19:44:00.001-07:00

LG: Dad, when I die, I'm going to hide under my bed so Jesus can't find me.

Dad: Well son, that isn't really how it works. Jesus can find you anywhere.

LG: How does he do that?

Dad: I don't really know, son.

LG: Well dad, I don't understand how this world works. It's your job to explain it to me.

Dad: Uhhhh (as he feigns ignorance and leaves the room).

I find this perfect example of what is really going on in the parent child relationship. They don't know. We don't know. And at the same time both the parent and child typically claim to think they know everything. Good times.

Poo Poo Postscript.....
I also meant to add on the last post that I am appalled at the new commercials advertising a decorative "cover" for your naked toilet paper roll. Seriously, consumerism has reached an all time low. Seriously.

Potty Words

2011-10-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Due to the nature of the blog here, photos aren't really appropriate, so you will have to check back later (much later at this rate).

Boys. And girls. What is it about potty words that inspires such hysteria and obnoxious behavior in kids? The LG is all over the word "poop". As a result, so is the TP. Unfortunately for the LG, it isn't very funny when a 4 year old says it and he is directed to the bathroom where that word is most appoopriate. When the TP says it, however, we tend to snicker to ourselves, and the hysteria is passed on to the adults. This went on for an hour and a half yesterday in the car while we traversed the Salt Lake Valley (and even into Utah County - eyeroll) so I could finally convince the BK that when it comes time to buy we are sticking close to SLC. Anyway, by the time we got home, I felt like washing my own ears out. And, I think that will be the last time Grandma is willing to sit in our car for any length of time.

On other potty notes, the other day we went to Wheeler Farm with some friends. While feeding the ducks, the LG took off running (shocking, I know). I found him relieving himself in the "decorative/display" outhouse. As I shielded others from looking in, I was EXTREMELY relieved myself that it was only #1 since there was a nice mesh cover - which might have deterred other kids from sitting down at all - and at the least would have turned into quite a spectacle.

Thankfully, on this subject, and with much thanks (Grandma) to some lovely training pants that arrived in the mail last week, the TP is well on her way to using the potty. I find myself wishing on ocassion, however, that when she says she needs to pee, that I could just ask her to go in her diaper.

Poop.

See, it just isn't that funny.

Trying Times

2011-07-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, nothing is seriously wrong with any of us. And times could be a lot more trying. We have just been doing a lot of complaining lately (mostly the BK and myself...okay, really just myself). It just seemed a fitting title for the pics I wanted to post. My dear Sis in Law agreed to take some pictures of the kids. I'm sure you know what then ensued, crying, whining, running through the mud, running outside naked, hair standing straight up. The usual, except heightened by the fact that we asked the kids to cooperate. Once we finally got them outside, I bribed the LG with promise of Legos if he would cooperate, and the TP was bribed with chocolate chips. I should have been more prepared. Needless to say, they are 3 children under 5 so getting a decent picture of all 3 wasn't really very likely to happen anyway.

Just a little update on each of the rugrats.

BIG H
Getting bigger everyday. Hard to believe this not so little guy is only 4 months. Man we love those cheekies. Both sets ; ) He's rolling all over the place, standing up for way too long, giggling, cooing and doing all sorts of other things that entertain us for hours. Then he sleeps (thankfully).

TP
This one will steal your heart and then steal the cookie off your plate. 2 is a magical age. She can talk (and does a lot), and everything that comes out of her mouth is still adorable. She's starting to lose some of her baby fat though and makes me think she will grow out of her 2ishness very soon. Very sad about that. She's very loving, cuddly, and can shriek like nobody's business. I would tell you some funny things she says except that it is more the way she says things than what she actually says.

LG
Much as this one tries our patience, I could write novels about the amusing things he says and does. While saying his prayers, I told him he should bless daddy (who was home while we visited Grandma) not to be lonely. His response? "Yeah, we need to find him a person". Hmmm, maybe not. Every morning he comes running (no exaggeration) upstairs and lands in a perfect superhero pose. Good morning to you too. He's funny and fiercely independent. Which is scary as a parent to this 4 year old. We just hope we all survive.

Otherwise, summer is flying by and I can't believe it is already August. Hopefully time to get back into a normal routine. Hopefully that will also include more blogging.

Blessings

2011-06-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Big H was blessed last weekend in Logan by his proud Grandpa. I know all parents have high hopes for their children and it is always touchin to hear it expressed in a blessing in a sacred setting. Love, truth and health. I am so grateful to have /felt all three of those in such abundance throughout my life, and I pray regularly that my children will have the same.

Shake Up

2011-06-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

We are crazy. I know. For those of you who don't know, let me convince you. A week before Big H was born, the BK started interviewing for a job in SLC. Never mind that I was ready to pop, he was scheduled to have his first interview with them coincidentally when I was in the hospital in labor. Fortunately they thought my screaming in the background was a good enough reason to let him off the hook. I'm embellishing a bit, since I don't really recall how everything happened. All I really know is that a week after Big H was born, we were pretty sure an offer was on the table that would require us to pack up and leave TX in 2 weeks.

The kiddoes a few days before departure.

Sometimes, you get exactly what you ask for. Sometimes that feels good, sometimes you feel like you weren't thinking clearly when you asked. So, with 4 week old baby in tow, we packed up the gaggle in our green machine minivan and headed for cooler pastures. Little did I know that I was headed for winter in April, May and possibly June (still waiting for some snow this month).

A gorgeous night for a sendoff. Roadside somewhere in the middle of TX.

We found a cute little place in Sugarhouse where we now feel we are back in Portland. We love being able to walk to stores, restaurants, parks. And I am particularly happy with our backyard that allows me to shoo my chillins outside. SLC is a beautiful city, and we are loving the mountains, being close to family, and feeling like we are somewhere we would like to settle. Settling is something we have been pretty bad at in the past, but the exhaustion that we are still recovering from is enough to keep us in place as long as possible.

Peek at our backyard full of poppies.

We miss our wonderful friends, but unfortunately (I can only speak for myself) that's about it. Bye bye TX!

View from John's new office. Any view would have been an improvement, but this view is hard to beat.

Happy 2 Little Roo

2011-05-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I can find the will to do some catch up blogging, but for now it is best to live in the present. Our little TP turned 2.

She's amazing, wonderful, sweet and stinky. Perhaps due to the craziness of the last year (and the last 2 months in particular), it almost seems hard to believe she isn't turning 3 instead of 2. That is until I am just now reminded by her behavior which is pretty typical of a 2 year old. Some of her favorite things to do:

CLIMB. She's been adopted into the primate family. As I write this she is sitting on top of our kitchen table where I am trying to do my family history (blogging ; ) sticking her fingers and wires into the computer where they don't belong. She LOVES to climb onto the bathroom vanity and turn on the water. Notice I didn't mention anything about turning the water off.

FOLLOW LG. I always wanted a big brother to follow around (I'm sure my brothers would have preferred that as well). Anywhere he goes, she goes. Anything he loves, she loves. For better or worse they are inseparable.

SPEAK IN CODE. She basically says the first and last part of any word, sentence or phrase. "Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me" = "Hi ho me". Pocket = pock. You get the idea, you probably just won't get what she is saying.

DRESS UP. Thankfully her tomboyish behavior is tempered by a high sense of style. She loves shoes, dresses, having her hair done, and thinking she is a princess - which she is.

What fun it is to have so much laughter and life in our home. She's a lot of sunshine and a little sass. Just like we like 'em around here. Happy Birthday Roo!

Every Princess needs a castle, and what do you get for building it? Either knighthood or a whap in the face. Royalty is so unpredictable.

I told you she likes looking pretty. She wanted to show you her hair.

Every superhero needs a sidekick. Especially one with a tiara, wand and a princess cape.

Lucky Charms

2011-03-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Lucky #3 arrived on St. Patrick's Day! We are so thrilled to have him here safely. It was relatively quick and relatively painless. After a quick 24 hour stay, we are now back at home where there are no needles, nurses or neon lights. Big H (as I will be calling him, in part due to the number of cheeseburgers consumed in that 24 hour period) weighed in at a strong 7lbs 14oz. He has hair much darker than even the LG's, his mother's nose, and his father's toes (poor kid on both counts), but is otherwise more good looking than we deserve.

For whatever reason, both the BK and myself feel overwhelmingly grateful that #3 made it here safely. Not because there was any reason to fear, but because it seemed like too much good luck to have things go well 3 times. Perhaps this made it all the more appropriate that he made his appearance on St. Patty's day. Here are a few more pics.

Also, SO grateful for my wonderful parents who have already been working so hard at cleaning up after us all and making meals for two weeks. I hope we don't kill them off in the next couple of weeks with Big H added to the mix.

January February March

2011-01-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

I think we are finally accepting the inevitable. Number 3 is on his way. It could be the size of my belly, the pain when I walk, or the LG's constant reminder that Baby 3 is getting bigger (i.e. I'm getting bigger) as he kisses my enormous belly. March will be here soon. So will Baby 3. Yup. 3. Soon to be outnumbered. We are already outsmarted.

In other news, the LG asked me recently if Wolverine keeps the commandments of Jesus. Hmmmm. Probably not, but hmmmm.

The TP can speak, but doesn't. Bubbles, chicken, help, please, thank you, nose, eyes. You know, the usual, just not often and not when we want her to. The only thing consistent is, "No". Shocking, I know.

The weather is splendid. The BK and I are taking a night off tomorrow. Dinner, a hotel, uninterrupted sleep, uninterrupted breakfast. I can't wait. I keep thinking, how did my life get to the point that a sleep over is now the emotional equivalent of a 10 day vacation on the beach? I can't wait to find out how my perspective changes with 3.

Any ideas on how to get out the door with 3 kids under the age of 5? Or shopping?

Just glad January is almost over

Oh yeah, forgot half of the purpose of this post. Wanted to let you all know that the BK set the tent up on our balcony so that he and the LG could enjoy the weather on a camp out. Can't wait to see how long it lasts, but leave it to the BK to bring a full arsenal of gear to the event, complete with a rain fly, "to keep in the heat". Did I mention it is a covered balcony that barely fits the tent? He also managed to cram the TP's new twin mattress in there (the twin mattress she will have nothing to do with).

Also, just remembered that on our shopping trip for camping supplies (cinnamon bears, chips, drinks, etc. - the essentials) the LG excitedly told the cashier that the food was for his "camp out on the patio, in our huge house without a backyard". Glad our 3 bedroom apartment seems huge to him. It reminds me of the time he told another cashier he wished she was his age. Hard to close the kid's mouth. Hard not to wet my pants laughing sometimes.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T19:17:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all enjoying your holidays. I love Christmas. This year was a little tough, as San Antonio doesn't have snow, or evergreens, or mountains, or any family. But we do have holiday craziness which appears to be a rampant epidemic throughout the US. Try as I might to get Christmas cards out, presents bought, goodies sent to friends, packages mailed on time, and a slew of other Christmas "to-do"s, it didn't happen this year. I did get presents bought, but that was about it. The BK and I were put in charge of our Church Christmas Party, and combined with trying to work part-time and wrangle my kids, not much else got done.

That said, it ended up being a very nice and quiet Christmas at our house (as quiet as things ever are around here - in part because the LG ended up sick which means he actually laid around with us on the couch for a few hours ; ). A couple of images of our Christmas celebration follow.

Here is the LG playing with the nativity that Grandma sent in response to my complaining about the kids not leaving my nice nativity alone. When she said she was sending a nativity the kids could play with, I was thinking plastic, not clay so the heads and other body parts could pop/shatter/break. That's okay though, the kids still had a great time. As you can see, the LG set up shop in his fire station, while the TP just carried around baby Jesus in his manger sqwuaking, "baby, baby". She seemed content with this unfair division of assets (there were about 10 pieces), and so did the LG, so who am I to point out the inequity of their sharing arrangement?

This should give you a good idea of the weather around here in December. It also demonstrates the havoc 2 children and a negligent BK (he failed to water anything when I was on vacation with the kids in UT) can wreak on a beautiful patio garden (okay, so it was never that beautiful). Where once grew a few legitimate plants, we now have a "dirt" box, a garden hat, and 2 race cars. Not a bad trade from the kids' perspective. Or the BK's apparently as he was amused enough to take pictures rather than send them both to time out in the tub.

Before I say anything about the Church Christmas Party, just let me say, "Please, Lord, please, never again!" Seriously, not my cup of tea. That said, I think it went pretty well. It was sort of an out of body experience. The kind where you know you were there, but don't really remember much of what was going on. You can catch a glimpse of what it looked like, as well as my children having the time of their lives running with free reign in a large gym. I'm pretty sure the experience rivaled that of Christmas morning. As for me, I was just glad it was all over.

The LG got to be Rudolph for the Christmas festivities at preschool. His nose was red for 3 days as he wouldn't let me wash it off.

An example of why it was time the TP got some "girl toys" as the LG put it when he saw her toys at Christmas. Poor thing is often dressed in the LG's hand-me-downs like his red airplane jammies and green hoodie, and daddies shoes. She even makes flying airplane noises, and calls all little people "guys". Yup, time for some girl toys around here.

Christmas Eve preview: pajamas and books to make sure the kids slept well while Santa was at work.

Shock-and-Awe of Christmas morning.

Little momma in her new little kitchen.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! We love you all (you know who you are ; )

Happy Birthday Baby

2010-12-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

The LG turned 4 this year, just before Thanksgiving, and just after Grandma and Grandpa arrived for the festivities. Nothing to age you like your children growing older. I can't believe he is 4. He often looks much older, acts much younger and definitely keeps us on our toes! He is amazing, smart, funny, very sensitive to others, kind, happy, and very energetic. He is a great older brother, loves his sister, loves his brother-to-be, and loves anyone and everyone around him. We are so lucky to have him in our family. Happy Birthday LG!

Here he is with his birthday pancakes. The party sort of continued through the week with a family party on the actual date with Grandma and Grandpa, and a friend party after Thanksgiving.

A few side stories that illustrate his personality, both of which have occurred in church over the course of 2 weeks:

2 Weeks Ago:
The woman speaking was talking about marriage and maintaining good relationships. As one point she was making the point that we all feel, when it comes to our spouses, that, "I hope you can understand me."

From 4 rows away, in the brief silence that followed the statement, the LG comments, "I don't understand you." It was loud enough that she (and everyone else) chuckled and she wittingly replied that that is exactly how we often feel. At least he was listening, right?

Last Week:
For those of you who haven't read this already on Facebook, last week was our Christmas program in church. I had to play the piano for the choir and was therefore sitting on the stand, and had left both kids with the BK, surrounded by others willing to help with the kids as necessary. At one point in the program, the primary children were asked to come up and sing a couple of songs. The LG straggled up as the first song had already begun, but did sing his little heart out. Unfortunately, after all the other kids had gone back to their seats, the LG was still hamming it up in front of the congregation. He tried to sit with the narrators (also on the stand), and then wiggled away to get back to the wall facing the congregation. He then scaled the wall, and was standing on it as his little friend on the front row was yelling for him to "Jump"! You can imagine my horror at this point, and the eye contact I was trying to make with the BK who had yet to intervene in any way. Fortunately, before he could jump (it was pretty imminent), one of the narrators grabbed him off the wall and turned to walk him back to the BK who was finally coming to retrieve his child. Just as it appeared someone finally had the LG under control, he kicked off the wall and knocked the poor narrator (and himself) flat on her back in front of the whole congregation who collectively changed their chuckles to an "oooooohhhhhh". Fortunately the narrator was fine, and graciously stood, bowed, and let everyone know she was alright.

Needless to say, he can be a handful. That said, he's hard not to like (fortunately), a little like curious George, and as beautiful on the inside and outside as any mother could hope for. We love you little guy.

Homecoming

2010-12-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, DC. We love you. We miss you. We often think we should never have left you.

We went to DC so the BK could run another Marine Corp marathon, we could visit Grandma and Grandpa, catch up with old friends, and remember what fall is supposed to look like.

Some of the highlights:

The TP fell in love with a Superman doll at Grandma's house. At least she has high standards.

We took the kids to a corn maze. Great idea. The LG kept hiding in the corn (off the path of course), and would then start screaming while strangers would think there was a lost child without parental guidance. We all got lost because the BK never thinks that looking at a map is worth his time, and Grandma and prego mama got pretty cranky wandering around. Like I said, great idea. Maybe next year.

After visiting the National History Museum and the Air and Space Museum, the LG had finally had enough sight seeing, and lay down in the middle of the mall to "take a rest" and make dirt angels.

I can never get enough of my kids holding hands, especially when it occurs spontaneously. Somehow it makes everything in the world seem right.

Happy Holidays

2010-11-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

You may think I am referring to Christmas, which would make sense except for the fact that my last post had to do with cockroaches, not Halloween, Thanksgiving or even the LGs birthday so I have a wee bit to catch up on before we get to Christmas. Here goes.

I was never that into Halloween, so I figured that my kids would have the same natural aversion to the holiday. Not so. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the LG prefers Halloween to Christmas. He loves the ghosts, ghouls, monsters, etc. Plus, he gets to dress up as a superhero and play with his friends who are also dressed up as superheroes (yes, he does have friends who weren't superheroes but he wasn't interested in playing with them).

His preschool had a parade and then the kids did a dance choreographed in Spanish class (if you can call 20 minutes of Spanish once a week "class"). It was no surprise that the LG was out in front of his class prancing as Batman for the parade. I have been trying for weeks to upload the video to no avail, so I figure I better get on with my posts before more holidays come and go.

I have to confess that I never really dressed up the poor TP in a legitimate costume. We were in DC for Halloween and went trick or treating with some family. A combination of the cold weather for which we were underdressed, and my constant state of pregnancy are to blame for a failure to even adequately document the event with my own camera. The TP ended up wearing a princess tiara with a wand, cowgirl boots, and an oversized red christmas tree coat to keep her warm.

Jimminy Cricket.. I Mean Cockroach

2010-10-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, I started this new job a couple months ago, and I love it. Love the people I work with, love that I am only at work a couple of hours a couple days a week, but DON'T love my bathroom experiences there. The bathroom looks nice enough, smells nice enough, and generally speaking, meets all my lavatory needs. That said a couple weeks back I open the stall to see a gleaming white toilet with a Texas-sized cockroach floating belly up in the can. Close the door and move on to the next stall. I also warned the next person who wandered in to use another stall. After I finished up my business, and realized that I should just flush it. So I did.

The story should end there, I mean how common is a lone, Texas-sized cockroach in an otherwise clean bathroom? Apparently more common than I would like. Today, I walked in, sat down, and attended to my business (which is very frequent these days what with a baby sitting on my bladder), only to get up, turn around to flush, and see ANOTHER ENORMOUS TEXAS-SIZE COCKROACH crawl out from under the seat and do a little dance for me. If I weren't morally opposed to high pitched shrieking, today would have been the day.

I don't even know who to complain to, so I'm complaining to you. YUCK. A big, Texas-sized YUCK.

To brighten my day, the LG was working on an art project this afternoon for his cousin. While tracing his hand, he exclaimed, "Mom, she's going to be really impressed with this. Really impressed." I'm really impressed LG that somewhere you learned that word. Thanks for making me laugh. I really needed that.

Happy Days

2010-10-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

The BK read my last post and glumly said, "You seem pretty down." I figure I better post some good stuff before I have my mother calling worried about me. The most exciting thing that happened this week was that I received an amazing piece of mail that has filled my heart with joy. You may remember a few posts back that my sister-in-law held an art auction. My artwork arrived and honestly, I can't really explain the difference it makes to the room it now hangs in. I can explain that it just makes my heart happy.

Also this week, one of the LG's friends had a birthday party at this wild west place. It was a costume party, so I am warning that there are spoilers in the following picture as to what the LG plans to be for Halloween (still not sure if I'm sold on the TP's costume). I know you have all been waiting with anticipation. Buzz Lightyear is one of his other best friends. The party was thrown by a group of Spanish-speaking ladies we get together with occasionally (nope, we still don't speak any spanish), and man was it a party! We had a fantastic lunch, the kids had a great time, and there was even trick or treating, plus my kids took a 3 hour nap afterward. That is definitely my kind of party.

The BK and I had a date night with some friends of ours last night and went to see Wall Street, which was actually better than I expected. I forget how nice it is to get out of the house, and am so grateful to people willing to watch my kids for a few hours! That said, it took me 5 hours to clean my house before the babysitter arrived. I was so pooped by the time we left I could have taken a nap and been just as happy as heading to the show. Kids. Sheesh.

We are really looking forward to our vacation to DC next week! We will be doing some Trick or Treating in Georgetown, hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa, checking out all the dinosaur bones and airplanes we can handle on the Mall, visiting good friends and probably renewing our feelings of doubt as to why we ever left in the first place. Ahhhh DC.

See mom, I'm fine ; )

Blue Skies

2010-10-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

Not really sure what the title has to do with anything, but it's a BOY! We are very excited that the LG will have a little brother. He was particularly excited to see the ultrasound picture of the penis. He couldn't stop laughing then, still can't stop laughing now anytime he thinks about it. His laughter is contagious and now we all laugh anytime we think of it.

Sunday the LG was laying around, clearly very bored as he said, "Mom, this house is too small, there isn't anywhere to run around." Yeah well, tell that to the powers that be I think to myself. Maybe the lottery could rain down from the blue skies directly into my chimney.

I hate cheerful pregnant people. They make me more cranky. Just to confirm my crankiness, here's a list of all the things I have NO interest in doing while I'm pregnant:

1 -Cooking
2 - Getting out of bed
3 - Cleaning
4 - Eating (I'm still hoping this passes soon, but so far I'm outta luck)
5 - Changing diapers
6 - Going anywhere
7 - Doing anything
8 - Talking to anyone

Seriously, it would just be better for everyone, including all of you - who by now may think I need professional help, if I just went into confinement for 9 months.

I would show pictures of something, but using my camera is on the list under "doing anything". If you can't stand grumpy pregnant people, you probably shouldn't check back until late March.

Laundry

2010-09-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

It's a 5 or 6 load of laundry day. I hate laundry. I'd rather clean the toilets. My kids love to jump in my tidy piles of clean clothes, they love to climb in the laundry baskets and throw all the nicely sorted piles of dirty laundry on the floor. And the BK doesn't like to let me touch his clothes (okay, so I shrunk a few things, and washed some colors with some whites), which just means that when I'm done with the laundry, the laundry is still never done and his dirty clothes are still lingering around the house (plus, he exercises which means super stinky clothes laying around, hanging on the towel racks, on the shower rod, etc). I figure while I'm grumpy and in between loads I should catch up on my blogging.

So, like 6 months ago (okay only 2) we went to Utah. For me, the only place I feel like I can go and relax (unless I have pawned my children off on some unknowing fool) is back to mommy and daddy. My mom takes care of me, my kids, and still keeps the house clean and food on the table and in the cupboard. Plus, it's not humid there and you can actually go outside.

We decided to take the kids to a new park out in Providence that has water sprinklers (or whatever those things are that shoot water out of the cement). To enjoy the water you know. Hence the swimming suits. Not interested. Standing there staring at them was about as interested as either of them got. Swings and slides are apparently much more exciting.

Dressing up is always on the daily agenda. Often followed by some version of chase and terrorize your little sister. Watching the TP figure out how to avoid, manipulate, and literally claw her way out of some precarious and mildly dangerous situations has given me a new appreciation for what my poor brothers endured. Eh, you know what they say, if it doesn't kill you....

Speaking of not killing you. The BK took the LG up to the mountain to go hiking. When I tell you that allowing the LG to scale this rock probably came close to killing the BK (yes, the BK not the LG), you might think I'm exaggerating. I'm not. So proud of you BK. As a side note at this point, my internet isn't working well enough to upload pictures at a rate faster than 1 every hour. One picture for each load of laundry. It's just gonna be that kind of day.

There was more handholding with cousins, hiking, and it was so nice to have the BK join us for a couple of days.

Finally, no trip to Logan would be complete without a trip to Willow Park. I love this place. It is the perfect size zoo (if you can even call it that). The kids love it. It doesn't take very long, and the kids can run around without the fear of getting lost among hundreds of other people. Plus, it gives them the opportunity to feed the ducks, have their fingers eaten by the ducks, get screeched at by peacocks, and play with the grandparents.

I'm lucky I got this far with this post so I'm going to call it quits. Back to the piles of laundry.

Starting Places

2010-09-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Trying to figure out where to start when I haven't posted in so long is always a dilemma. That said, the biggest thing that has happened to us over the past couple of months is definitely:

PRESCHOOL!!!
The LG started preschool 2 days a week, and everyone is much happier. He loves it. I love it. And he seems to be doing well. At least he hasn't been sent home yet ; ) And for those of you who would notice, I did comb his hair before we left, but it sort of has a life of its own. His teacher is amazing, and as usual, I feel incredibly blessed by the people that come into the LG's life who make me feel like I can turn off mom mode for a few minutes and just watch and appreciate this amazing little man.

RAIN (& COLD)!!!
We have finally seen some reprieve from the weather. And true to Texas form, the storms were big and wild, and so much fun. Plus the sun disappeared for a couple of days. Ahhhh. Did I mention ahhhhhhh? Below shows you a before and after shot of our backyard.

BEGINNING OF THE END!!!
It's official, with amphibian-like pictures to prove, that #3 is on the way. You may think that this is more exciting news than preschool. You would be mistaken. Without preschool, I would not have been able to consider a #3 at all, and might have thought seriously about jumping into the river above. So there you have it. What we have planned as our third and final master creation is currently cooking.

We are looking forward to more of the following shenanigans:

As a final story, the LG set up a carnival in his room the other night. The BK and I were invited separately to present our tickets and enter. The BK went first and was greeted with, "Welcome to the Carnival". I followed shortly thereafter and was greeted by a sweeping hand gesture and, "Welcome to Hell!" Like I said, I'm just glad he hasn't been sent home from preschool yet....

Art Auction

2010-08-23T13:32:00.001-07:00

Glory days, don't worry, it's not my artwork. My sister-in-law, however, is extremely talented and is auctioning off her amazing artwork to help support my brother in architecture school (the last days, fortunately). Regardless of whether you want to support the cause or not, it is definitely a great chance to pick up some great original artwork at very reasonable prices. Anyway, while you are pining away for my next blog post, please check it out at
Jordandainesart.blogspot.com.

Below is just one of the many pics available:

Lotteries and Dreaming Big

2010-08-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not gonna lie or pretend that I will happily live out my life in gracious humility if I never become rich and famous (anonymously famous, that is). Call me vain, I don't care. I like nice things and I don't think I need to apologize for that since I diligently avoid stores when times are tight. The BK and I, often on long walks when we run out of things to say to each other, and when the kids are so tired that we don't have to scream at them, often talk about what we will do with the $42 million we win playing the Texas MegaMillions. First we siphon off half to pay taxes (which I would almost be happy to pay - okay, I take that back). That leaves us with $20 million. Here's my list of the top 10 things I would do with the cash, in the order I would do them.

1 - Buy my food storage. This would also include replenishing my fridge which always seems to be in need of a fresh infusion of food. I might not even care if it all went bad. Just to have it brimming with beautiful, bright fruits and vegetables and lots of delicious choices would be a worthy luxury - at least once. I might even hire someone to organize my fridge, just this once, so that it could actually look like this:

2 - Pay off all the student loans for me and my siblings. Don't worry, I get a bit more frivilous once the bills are all paid. I know what you're thinking:

3 - Fund college for my kids (I will not be leaving millions to them in a will to ruin them, they will have to play the lottery on their own). Again, I know what you're thinking:

4 - Hire a personal trainer so that I have a good excuse to splurge on #5. He could look something like this, but he would absolutely have to have a British accent. Sorry Trainer Momma, you are neither male nor have a British accent.

5 - Buy a new wardrobe. With kids and bills I rarely buy clothes for myself anymore. And when I do, it's usually from Old Navy or Target. Barf. I would head straight to Ann Taylor, and then ask my friends with some taste where I should head next.

6 - Buy one of these. Not that I don't love driving a minivan. Love you BK.

7 - Hire a personal assistant willing to scrub toilets, do laundry, clean up the dishes (I don't mind the cooking), go to the grocery store, occasionally babysit, make phone calls, provide intellectually stimulating conversation, and write interesting blog posts for me. It would also help if she was well dressed in order to encourage me to shower and wear some of my nice new clothes.

8 - Adopt a few more kids. Probably only 2. Probably from China. We plan to have one more of our own. So 3 + 2 + 2 (me and BK) = just the right number to fit in #6. (Don't ask me about this picture, but putting up pictures of actual kids from China just didn't seem right).

9 - Build a big house on a ranch, designed by my brother, with lots of wood, concrete, stainless steel, etc.; inhabited by a few more children (see above), horses, and a few other animals that would require my kids to learn how to work and do real chores. Some of the incidentals that are included in this tall order include: grand piano, gorgeous library filled with gorgeous books (so I can read while the kids are out milking the cows), a master bedroom far away from the kids' rooms, and an amazing kitchen that cleans up after itself. Oh yeah, and an amazing garden. And really great landscaping. You're all invited to come and stay at the guest house.

10 - Really I could just end here, and tell you that I would put the rest away, start some charitable foundations, and figure out a way to sneak some of the money into my tithing. But, it wouldn't be entirely honest as I think that a large portion of the money (let's be honest that all of the above probably wouldn't even go over $2m and that's pushing it), would go to TRAVELING. We would love to pull our kids out of school and sail around the world for a year of homeschooling, doing crazy service projects in crazy places, and learning about the world.

I should also note that I would work doing something I love (I haven't figured out what that is just yet). I just wouldn't worry about whether I make money doing it. What's on your list?

Adventures in Babysitting

2010-07-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not that uptight about babysitters. My only expectation is that my kids are alive with no permanent damage when I get home. That leaves a lot of room to find humor in all the gray areas in between. Take this picture for example. I'm not home. John's asleep on the couch, and the LG has found the camera and is taking some pics.

I'm trying not to think about what the TP is up to. Sometimes the real meaning behind a picture is what you can't see. This brings me to our babysitting adventure (well, technically not my adventure) from last night. My mom had tickets to the Opera, yes I am in Logan UT and yes they have a pretty decent opera. Grandpa decided that he would generously and selflessly offer to babysit so that I could go. He's either really selfless or really hates the opera that much.

The plan was that the TP would be put down at 7pm for bed before we left and sleep until morning so that Grandpa would really only be watching the LG. The LG was put in front of Peter Pan with a bowl of popcorn. Grandpa only received instruction on how to use his own DVD player, and to keep the LG in the house and alive (this is actually a pretty tall order).

Mom and I happily left and enjoyed a very entertaining few hours at the Barber of Seville. No phone calls, no messages. I was already impressed. It's been a while since Grandpa has been in charge of the destructive forces of a 3 year old. So you can imagine our shock and surprise when we walked into the dark house at 10:30pm to hear, "a ba ba, a da da, noooooo, no na". Hmmmm, it sounded suspiciously like a TP. A very awake TP, who was sitting on the couch next to a sleeping Grandpa (he claimed he wasn't really sleeping, only setting an example), with the LG curled up on the chair happily watching some strange Japanimation version of Star Wars on the Cartoon Network. I really almost lost all bladder control I was laughing so hard. So did Grandma.

Not quite sure that Grandpa found it so funny that the TP woke up 30 minutes after we left and refused to go back to bed or be separated from Grandpa without serious tantrums and tears. She was fed popcorn (Grandpa did express remorse about the popcorn, but couldn't really handle the tantrum and tears that ensued when she was told no), and chased around for the next 3 hours (you'd have to know the TP to fully appreciate the level of energy required to supervise her - she kind of blows the LG away) while the LG happily watched weird cartoons all evening. Like I said, they were alive, and no permanent damage was done - at least to my kids.

The verdict is still out on Grandpa. What a trooper. Thanks Grandpa.

Summer Update

2010-07-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

It's summer. I'm lucky to be posting at all. Nothing witty or interesting, just a few pics of what we have been up to.

This is what I get for asking a 3-year old to clean up his clothes.

Saturday trip to the zoo in the heat. I wish I had a bonnet, and could ride in a stroller.

The BK's work had a carnival day of sorts. Now the LG thinks that this is what daddy does all day - ride the gorilla slide. Not to mention that the LG escaped from our clutches a number of times, wiggled his little body to the front of the line and began scaling the slide before attendants could stop him. Wish I could say I was mortified. Way to beat the system LG. It won't happen too often.

Tea parties. Puppet shows.

Soccer banquets with a proud LG and Coach Matt. The LG won the award for keeping Coach Matt in shape. Still, we were pretty proud. That is until the LG pulled over a wine rack, knocked an elderly woman on the head with one of the bottles, and added the cost of 7 bottles of wine to our tab. Luckily it was cheap wine. Still not very lucky though. Ahhhh, LG, life would be sooooo boring without you.

Road Trips. It wouldn't be summer if we weren't doing another crazy road trip. San Antonio to Tucson. 28 hours. 4 Days. A few good hours with cousins, a nice evening remembering the BK's grammy, and another insane trip right back home.

4th of July. Awesome fireworks. No crowds. No bleachers. Plenty of kids to keep the kids entertained. Perfect 4th of July. The LG insisted on wearing his spiderman jams, superhero cape, superhero belt, and cars slippers. Wish the pic were better, but it was hysterical.

Off to Utah to enjoy the mountains, grandma & grandpa, and some dry heat and cool evenings.

Fa What?

2010-05-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was reading a friend's blog, and was cracking up at an outburst her son had during church. It reminded me of nice little episode we had last year when we were still in Portland that I don't think I posted. Keep in mind this is a retro post and the LG was only 2 at the time. The LG needed his diaper changed right as the first meeting at church started. After cleaning him up, he was being very reluctant about returning to the quiet and sit still he usually endures (rather poorly). I tried encouraging him by suggesting we get back in there so we could find Gina - one of his very favorite adults, and one of our favorite friends. This seemed to do the trick and he cheerfully held my hand as we walked through the door and started down the isle as he started chirping, "Fa Gina", "Fa Gina". Except that instead of it sounding like "geena", it sounded like "jina". Fagina indeed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2010-05-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

In so many ways, the birth of TP a year ago was the start of a lot of new things for our family. What a blessing she is - a bright, shiny ray of sunshine. I have really enjoyed this day. One day where I allowed myself to make it all about her and not feel guilty. Having 2 children (or more) seems to turn most every day into a tug of war between competing interests, opportunities and activities. So nice to just enjoy her for the delicious little peach she is. As a side note - the LG took it like a champ. He even wrapped (unwrapped) and re-wrapped the gift he selected for her.

She wasn't quite sure what to do with the cupcake, so of course the most reasonable solution was to peck at it like a little chick. She would go down, get some frosting on her lips, and come back up to lick her lips and think about whether she liked it or not. Such a princess. We love her. We love how she just loves to be loved. She makes everyone around her happy. We're happy, and we are so glad that she's ours.

I can't believe she's one. Happy birthday Tiny Princess!!!

Potty Mouth

2010-05-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

After wrapping up a timeout session in the bathroom today, the LG was asked to tell me why he was in there:

"I was kicking TP."

And what are the rules in our house?:

"No kicking, no hitting, no "*"ucking, no cucking, no mudding, no budding."

Hmmm. Best to just let that one go.

Scrubs

2010-05-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

I haven't been feeling well. Haven't left the house for a few days. Wish I was staying at a hotel where there are no diapers, noise and mouths to feed. That was my state of mind when I had the opportunity to run to the store. You know you are no longer living the single, no strings attached life when going to the store is an "opportunity". Anyway, it was cloudy outside, and combined with not feeling well, I decided to don the following:

Clearly I forgot that I live in San Antonio. Even though there wasn't a glimmer of sunlight peeking through the clouds, it was still 85 degrees, feeling more like 90 degrees with the humidity. The heat, my flip flops, my jacket and my ponytail all served to top off an outfit that made me feel like this:

There really isn't any point to this post, other than to emphasize, that when I go out like this, I just keep my fingers crossed that I don't run into anyone I know so that I can get back to my exciting life as soon as possible.

Tact

2010-04-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

Scene: The BK's mom arrives at the airport and is greeted by her progeny.

LG: Hi Grandma. Did you turn into the Old Grandma?

Me: (Speechless, eyes wide and wishing I were deaf)

Grandma: Uh, no LG. I'm just Grandma.

LG: Don't worry though. You don't look dead, you just look like the Old Grandma.

Me: Laughing hysterically, and not nearly as embarrassed as I should be.

Grandma: Not laughing nearly as much as she should be.

Lovely Locks

2010-04-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the TP. I'm sure she'll get there, but in the meantime, the LG has some LOVELY hair, and when I decided to cut it (note to self, don't use clippers if you only intend to trim), tears started to well as I stared horrified at the amount of hair falling to the floor. I got over it.

Once the transformation was complete, I was reminded of how much the LG resembles the BK. When his hair is long and shaggy I think he looks like me, but with military do in force, he definitely looks like his daddy. The haircut also induced the Samson effect and for a few days, the LG was a docile little lamb. Seriously, there can be no other explanation. It didn't last long enough though, the Hulk has returned.

Goodbye Saturdays, Hello Soccer

2010-04-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

As we were walking to the field for the LG's first soccer game, the BK said, "Well, this is it. The first Saturday of the the next 20 or so years." We have entered the soccer/basketball/baseball/ballet/who-knows-what-else mom/dad days that come with kids. The LG was ready. Fully decked out in his soccer gear - new cleats, shin guards, and matching shirt, shorts and socks, he was better dressed than ANY of my pictures from similar eras.

I have been coaching him at home through many lectures on the NUMBER 1 RULE in SOCCER - No Hands. Only Feet. The BK was kind enough to question my advice on the drive over, admonishing that actually the only rule was no hands. Thanks. I figured that providing the LG with a specific focus for his energy (feet) was the best approach at this point. Perhaps practice on Wednesday helped to lower my expectations (it was so bad I was actually in tears), but I thought the game actually went really well for his first time. The picture below would make you think that he was engaged. The truth is a bit closer to the pictures that follow, but he did make mincemeat of a few plants and bugs on the field, and ran with great speed off the field, through a fence and over a bridge. He did kick the ball, on the field once, and managed to stay on the field most of the time when he was in. It was a pretty good start.

As you can see from the picture below, we have a few things to work on, but thankfully, his coach is AMAZING, and we are so grateful for his energy, enthusiasm and understanding. I'm not sure many coaches would get down on hands and knees in the middle of a game to find out what a child is looking at. Thanks Coach Matt!

His number one fan.

TrainerMomma & Good Days

2010-04-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about moving is that you get to meet new, fabulous, and inspiring people. I have met such a person, and she has inspired me to make more of an effort to get in shape, eat well, and keep a smile on my face. She is marvelous and I completely love her blog (TrainerMomma), and find her enthusiasm really refreshing. She just makes me feel like it isn't hopeless or impossible. I am also unashamed to admit that she is having a giveaway that I would really like to win.

Randomly, but along the lines of meeting new people, these are the LG's new girlfriends. They are adorable and I could eat them up. Their mother is from Spain, father from Russia, and the girls are already trilingual. And so cute.

We have also been having a hard time recently with the LG. We have frequently been talking about his high energy while waving our rabbit ear fingers. The little devil has been making many more appearance than the little angel.

After a few breakdowns over the phone with my mom, in desperation she sent me a book called The Power of Positive Parenting by Glenn Latham. I read the first 3 chapters last night and decided I would start today with testing the effectiveness of its principles. Wow. What a difference a day makes.

This is not to say that annoying, obnoxious and downright stinky behavior didn't occur, but I stuck to his advice to ignore most of it. I ignored Mater as he was driven repeatedly into the glass patio door, ignored with crossed fingers and high anxiety as the LG carried the TP around the house teaching her to "walk", ignored his jumping from one item of furniture to the next, and ignored his spitting on the TP. I also made an effort to praise every possible positive behavior which included tenderly kissing the TP, cooperatively getting into his car seat, taking his shoes off at the door when we arrived home, leaving from the park without a tantrum, and making it though dinner out at Chipotle without one single outburst or reprimand. It really was an incredible day. And it makes me depressed. Depressed because it makes me realize that it really is all my fault. I know that as parents we like to stick together and tell each other we are doing a great job, but just one day of refusing to be bothered has made all the difference. Yowza. Anyway. For anyone interested in how this progresses, I plan to chronicle my study of this book and ensuing behavior modifications or lack thereof on my educational blog (the BigEd Project) that I haven't touched in months.

So we took these Easter pics of the kids for posterity, and as any of you with children know, it was not easy. There were a few gems, however, including this one that captures the enormity of the TP's mouth. It's enormous. She can easily stick her own fist in there, and unfortunately, we have also learned that the LG's foot fits in there as well ; )

Additionally, thanks to the BK and his idea to give them toys (I was adamantly opposed - I mean, come on, can't they just sit still like porcelain dolls for 5 minutes with beautiful smiles on their faces without being coerced?). Of course it worked like a gem. Love these two sweeties. So glad that they are mine. So glad they tolerate me as their mother. Just so glad generally.

Out of the Loop

2010-04-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like you missed the mommy seminar that would address a particular behavior or issue? I generally consider myself fairly well educated, unless it comes to my kids. On that front, I'm pretty sure I missed more than one or two semesters. And often, I feel like I am the only one left completely in the dark. A few examples:

1 - Grocery shopping with more than one small child. The first and last time I tried this was a couple of weeks ago. TP in the baby Bjorn, LG in the cart. There was eye poking (LG), hair pulling (TP), screaming (both), pulling items off the shelf (LG), and standing up in the cart (LG). I've seen people there with more than one kid. I know it can be done. I just can't do it.

2 - Making dinner. This may seem a little broad, and you may just think I should at least be able to put some hotdogs in a bun or something (yuck). It's not so much the dinner, it's the keeping the kids out of the kitchen long enough to keep things from burning, boiling over, or simply not making it to the frying pan to begin with. This is why I need money - lots of it - to hire a cook. And someone to do my laundry. And clean poopy diapers.

3 - Taking a shower after 7am. If I wanted to wake up early, and I just might convince myself this is reason enough to get out of bed, I could shower. Unless the TP is napping and I turn on the electronic babysitter (TV), there is simply no time. Hello? It's a shower. People shower right?

I often feel like I am the only mother on earth who has been at this mommy thing for 3+ years and just feels less and less clued in. I'm looking for some validation that there are classes that other people have missed. Help me out. Please.

In the meantime, here are a few pics of my brood.

Daytime Television and other random thoughts

2010-02-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am sitting here watching the old (or otherwise physically challenged) exercise segment on PBS. The lovely host is currently barely moving to some swinging western tunes. Makes me want to go run a few miles and do some yoga in hopes that I never have to take this segment seriously. Seriously. It's snowing in San Antonio. Things are looking up. Those statements aren't really linked to each other.

I love the olympics, but I have also reached my limit. Even the skiers are starting to look like ice dancers. I've got to get out of the house. We are considering ditching our cable all together and watching the few shows we care about on the internet. Am I crazy, or just beginning to be sane. Our dilemma? The world cup. I must watch the world cup, and not on my laptop. Anyone know how I can hook up my new MAC (yup, just made the switch- and am sometimes loving it, sometimes kicking myself in the pants since I don't really know how to use it) to my ancient TV?

As you can imagine, this mid-day blogging is accompanied by my looking the other way as the LG pulls things off our mantle, climbs all over me and the furniture, and whacks me with a balloon. I better go do something productive.

Welcome To TEXAS! (A pep talk to myself)

2010-02-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

Yikes. We just landed here in San Antonio, TX about a we. It's a lot like I imagined - big, big trucks, big homes, big apartments, big freeways, big furniture stores EVERYWHERE, big roads, big churches and big, friendly personalities. Portland was small. People did not live in excess in Portland, consumerism was not quite so in your face. It will take some adjusting.

The move was comical. Me, the LG and the TP were in UT. The BK was in TX. The BK and my father flew to OR, rented a Penske, bought a washer/dryer to replace my beloved machines that were in our house we are now renting. Loaded all our belongings from our POD onto the truck, picked up my washer/dryer at the house and set of on a very, very long drive down the 10 through California. No, this is not the fastest route, but my dad wanted to see the ocean, and the BK was happy to oblige until he realized that it was a 5 hour diversion. My dad, who was helping with the driving, appeared to the BK as if he was frequently nodding off, or at least driving with his eyes only half open. Neither of them got much sleep. They left Friday afternoon and arrived in San Antonio Monday morning around 10am.

Back in UT, my mother and I were holding down the fort as well as we were able. By Friday, both kids were sick, coughing and running fevers. A Saturday run to the Dr. office for the TP determined that she had an ear infection. Additionally, since our health insurance had recently changed, all 3 Dr. appointments for that week came right out of my pocket and now I get to try to find the receipts to submit to our insurance. Sunday night I was unable to pull up our flight reservations for the next day. A call to the airline assured me that yes, they could confirm our itinerary for Monday, March 8th. Hmmm. After a long two hours of being on hold and speaking to the airline, and more than a few $$$$ later, we were booked on flights for February 8th, and my parents' tickets returning them to UT were also modified to spare them from spending another month living with our motley brood.

Monday morning, the men unloaded the truck, returned the truck, took a nap and picked us up from the airport around 10pm. Tuesday we spent the day unpacking and meeting our downstairs neighbors who were pounding on our door and asking that we tame the wild beast who was waking up their 4-year old. Hmmm. Things we should have thought about when taking a 2nd floor apartment - a wild LG who we have come to realize stomps, runs or jumps EVERYWHERE. There is no walking. Wednesday our neighbor was at our door again claiming that the LG was shaking their flatscreen off the wall. Hmmm. I decided to intervene with a friendly but firm chat about my limited ability to control the beast. I haven't seen them since although I have definitely heard their TV blasting. Good times.

I should also mention that the BK, in his gallant effort to return my beloved washing machine and dryer to me (this was the primary reason we didn't just call POD and have our stuff shipped) was unaware that you are supposed to place "shipping rods" in a washing machine before moving it anywhere. Otherwise the 100 pound drum just dances around inside the machine doing all kinds of mischievous things that don't bode well for it working upon arrival. Other items of note - in all the chaos, the BK returned to his bachelor pad (not the apartment we rented for the fam) to find an eviction notice. Apparently, even if you are busy moving a family of four, driving an enormous truck across country and dealing with all sorts of logistical and emotional issues (like a wife who can't properly book airline tickets) you are still expected to pay your rent on time. Go figure.

Finally, my father was suffering from an allergic reaction and his eyes were literally only half open from Portland to San Antonio. Needless to say, we are just glad it's over. I will post pictures when we find the necessary cables. Could be a while.
.

Fly Me to the Moon

2010-01-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

For starters, as I suspected, I hate the new blog look. Any suggestions/help? I know that many of your blogs look much beter than mine, so give me the dirt. I may just have to go back to something basic.

We recently decided to take a day trip to the Hill Air Force Museum in Ogden. We took Grandma and Grandpa too. I love finding great places to take the kids, and air museums always seem to be a hit with both the LG and BK. The best part was that it was free with donations accepted. They also had this amazing area for kids where they could put on flight/space suits and sit in cockpits, fly a simulator, take pictures in front of the moon, play games, etc. It was definitely worth the trip.

The BK probably loved this place more than the LG. He got suited up, put a helmet on and took a few too many pictures. The funny part is that the flight helmet he put on made him look like Eeyore. He's going to like me posting this picture about as much as he enjoys his fingers splitting open from the cold dry air. Love you BK ; )

This escapade also reminded me of one of our favorite new books called Big Plans, by Bob Shea & illustrated by Lane Smith. It's a gem. Too funny, and I'm not sure that the LG finds it nearly as amusing as I do.

Summary: Little boy with big plans bosses everyone around including the President until he finally makes it to the moon to announce his Big Plans in grand fashion. My favorite line is when he orders Missouri to, "Cheer up. You're bringing me down!"

If you haven't read it, read it. Then buy it. It is definitely worthy of a fine-free existence on your shelf.

Face Time

2010-01-13T21:52:00.000-08:00

As promised, the TP takes center stage on this one. What is it about the second child that makes me so sad with every milestone she hits. A new tooth? Tears. My tears. Learning to finally sit up? More tears. Downward dog moves that inevitably lead to crawling? Big tears. Learning to crawl? Major depression. Maybe something is seriously wrong with me. When the LG started crawling at 6 months, I was a very proud parent who was quietly thinking to herself how physically gifted my baby was. I was so ready to have him walking out the door with briefcase in hand - okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating - a little. With the TP I wouldn't mind if she laid around cuddling with me for another 2 years. Who cares if this stunts her development. I want my baby to stay a baby. I'm out of luck. She's crawling, sitting, teething, babbling, eating real food, sleeping, and she is even regularly wearing the adorable pair of boots Santa gave her for Christmas. What kind of baby needs boots? The kind that won't be a baby for much longer. Oi, I think I need some of that medication they advertise on TV with a depressed egg that hops around.

Man she's cute.

New Year

2010-01-10T20:18:00.001-08:00

I wanted to change my blog. Something new, bright and cheerful that exudes the same enthusiasm I have for this upcoming year, but as always happens when I have something specific in mind, I came up with nothing. I could have my brother, who thinks he is some kind of up-and-coming world class designer, come up with something, but that would cost me a lot of money. He's my business partner and I don't think he would even cut me a break. Ouch.

2009 should have been a very difficult year. The BK was laid off back in March - and we undertook a lot of crazy, should-have-been-stressful endeavors like having a baby without pain meds, packing up a month later and moving to Utah to live at my parents' house, and hanging out with my friends' parents for a good 6 months. Don't forget an inordinate amount of nightmarish road trips. All-in-all, however, this year hasn't been that tough. I've definitely had worse. And all I am left with thinking is that I am incredibly blessed. I have a fabulous, feisty and forgiving family. I have generally great health minus a few unwanted pounds. I have shockingly happy children who don't seem affected by my moodiness or tendency to raise my voice. My husband never stops working - even when he is out of work, and he hasn't stopped loving me yet.

I suppose it would have been rational to wish for things I didn't have last year like money or my house or half of my winter clothes that are still in storage, but every time I thought those things, there was always a loud voice shouting in the back of my mind, "WAKE UP STUPID, MOST PEOPLE WOULD LOVE THE FREE TIME, THE FAMILY TIME, AND THE VACATION TIME YOU HAVE." It's true, so I would take an aspirin and get on with my fabulous life.

Well, as always happens, seasons pass. The BK found a job. Provided that all things work out over the next couple of months, we will be moving to San Antonio, TX, baby! I am ecstatic. I love a new adventure, and I will be shocked if any season of my life lasts longer than a year or two. We hear good things about San Antonio, and I have always liked thinking that somewhere inside me is a cowgirl waiting to escape to someplace wide open, ridiculously into all things enormous, and just waiting for me and my horses to trample a path into fame. Huh? I don't even know what that means.

Anyway, I have high hopes for this year. It's the year of the Tiger. It's a New Year, and my only resolution that you need to know about is that I plan to take more pictures of the TP. Poor thing, we broke our old camera not long after we had her, so I need to make her feel like she existed when and if she ever reads these memoirs. I love you baby girl.

Here we come 2010. Hope you're ready. Happy New Year y'all!!!

Oh boy....

2009-12-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

Grandma, can I touch your nipple?

Uh, you mean my mole?

On the other hand, he was quite clear when he explained that a safari was when you went hunting for animals. Go figure. Clearly less Diego and more anatomy lessons are in order.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Checker

2009-12-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

So Utah now requires you to carry snow chains or you can eat a fat fine. The BK quickly responded by taking the LG to Checker Auto Parts to pick some up. In his haste, the BK forgot that the LG is currently in potty training mode and was only wearing underwear. Upon entering the store, the BK headed to the customer service desk where he was greeted by a friendly clerk who started assisting him. That is, until the phone rang. The clerk then proceeded to carry on a very lengthy conversation assisting the customer on the phone leaving the BK and LG waiting in annoyance. As the BK was growing more and more irritated with the clerk's failure to comply with the "number one rule in customer service" (the BK claims that everyone knows you should help people in ORDER!), the BK looked down to see that the LG was also incapable of waiting anymore. The BK decided that was enough. Picked up the LG and walked out of the store, leaving the clerk to "assist" them at his leisure. I would be more upset at the lessons this taught the LG, if I could stop laughing. Even Grandpa thinks it was an appropriate response. Can't argue with Grandpa.

3 Years

2009-11-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

The LG had his 3rd birthday earlier this week. His little Curious George party went quite well if you are willing to give a 3 year old a free pass on participating in the games on his own birthday. While Grandma entertained the guests with jungle hunting games, the LG snuck around the outskirts of the room watching and commenting from time to time that he didn't feel very well. He seemed to snap out of it though once the pinata came out. Always a hit with the little ones.

I found the pinata whacking hysterical becuase it provided a keen insight into the variety in childrens' personalities - the tickler, the brute, the perfectionist, the fun-loving life of the party, the princess, the strongly-determined and the wallflower.

The LG is a pretty good cross between fun-loving and brute. He is a compact ball of energy. It was suggested that if we could somehow plug him into the grid, we could have our own energy source. True. How true. He is also kind, funny, curious, intelligent, handsome, sneaky, and good-natured. He is a handful, but there isn't anything I would rather have my hands full of. I'm pretty lucky to be his mom. I love you LG.

It Came to Pass...

2009-11-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

I just tucked the LG in after a hysterical evening of scripture reading. When given the choice of going to bed or reading scripture, he makes the right choice every time ; ) Tonight, as I started reading, he took the book from my hand stating that he needed to, "see what came to pass". Here are a few of those things:

- "And it came to pass that Nephi was angry"

- "And it came to pass that the angel was going to bite him"

- "And it came to pass that the grass was going to be scratchy"

- "And it came to pass that Nephi was dangerous"

Goodnight LG. You crack me up.

Welcome Home Grandma & Grandpa!!!

2009-11-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

Be Sure to Check Your Smoke Alarms

2009-11-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

I am kind of a Halloween scrooge. It is about as much as I can do every year just to get my kids in a costume. It's just not my thing. However, this year I must say that I was inspired and excited to create a costume for the LG out of duct tape. Oh yes, my friends, my father would be proud. The LG was a fireman (this costume also required a quick stop by the local firehouse which is always a treat, ahhh firemen - I don't have to say fire people in this instance because it is not the female variety that makes me say ahhh). Coat is made out of duct tape, electricians tape and a garbage bag. It is pretty sweet if I do say so myself. And I do. The TP was an adorable, store-bought, hand-me-down flower.

Sorry for the quality of the pics but our real camera is on the outs thanks to a run-in with my foot, the ground and a toddler. I suppose I should be grateful that telephones now profess to take pictures. As you can see from the quality of the pics, however, I am pretty skeptical.

Also, you may notice that one of our pumpkins looks like a butt crack. Unintentional art is sometime the very best kind of art. Then again, the LG may have fully intended this result when he tossed the pumpkin out of the car onto the cement.

Triathlon

2009-10-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

I just erased my original post about this which bored me to tears. In a nutshell, I crossed the finish line. Not last. That was sort of my goal for getting into this. I didn't drown, fall off my bike, or have to walk. I can even say that it was actually fun. I did put my wetsuit on backward (and kept wondering out loud to more than one person why I felt like it was choking me and was so stinking hard to get on - I finally figured it out at the beach and had to change), take my ankle/timing band off with my wetsuit, forget my gloves, had to go back to the staging area to retrieve both items, but did manage to pass my very slim cousin on the bike (in full disclosure she flew back by me on the run). All in all, however, it was a great experience, and I will definitely try for another. I will probably never win a trophy, but it was just nice to know that I didn't need an ambulance to take me home either.

I bought this cheap but pretty sweet bike on Bikes Direct It rides really nicely and I love it.

I also wanted to do this to lose some "baby weight", eh, from the TP. I exercised at least 5 days a week for 3+ months, and I still weigh only about 5 lbs less than when I walked out of the hospital. It's all muscle gain, right? Right.

Things that make me say hmmmmmmmm.

2009-10-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

We are crazy. Have no doubt. We have been spending our "together time" as I call it doing a lot of road tripping (there is a VERY good reason it isn't called road vacationing). I am done. Beyond done. Finished. Caputo (this probably isn't a word). From Logan, UT, we thought it would be a good idea to take a 900+ mile roadtrip to Vancouver, BC. Hmmmm.

HIGHLIGHTS:
1 - Got a great deal on a 5-star hotel
2 - Ate some real and really good Chinese food
3 - Opportunity to check out a beautiful city and use the passports we got for our kids.

LOWLIGHTS:
1 - 2 small children. One approaching 3 years old whose mouth doesn't stop flapping unless he asleep, the other is 4 months and hates to ride in the car for even a mile to go to the grocery store. Double hmmmm.

2 - 2 children in diapers. Inevitably, we always gave the diapers more credit than they deserved. As a result our car smelled a lot like the rest stops we frequented.

3 - 2 children who are used to sleeping in their own rooms. One requires the door to be locked at night to keep him from running around like a madman until the wee hours of the morning. I don't care if your hotel has the milky way rating, we needed 3 rooms just to make the stay tolerable. One room plus the portable crib in the bathroom didn't cut it.

4 - Poor planning in the books-on-tape department. If you hear the LG using EXTREME profanity, you can blame it on the R-rated language emanating from our speakers. One benefit of this debacle is that I plan to blame all his bad language until he moves out on this one trip. (You may say, turn it off. Hmmmm. That, like many other things is much to simple to be a solution we would employ).

5 - Poor planning in the not-bringing-a-sitter department. Let's just say that eating with chopsticks with a squirmy worm on my lap doesn't go to far in helping me enjoy ANY dining experience. Again, wouldn't matter too much if the food received the milky way rating.

6 - As a woman still recovering from the ill-effects of bearing children on my style, body image, and any sense of self worth - take note: don't go to cities with your two obnoxious children in tow where there are an abundance of thin Asians, sharply dressed 20-somethings, and plenty of store fronts reminding me that there is a whole world of fashion out there I can no longer relate to.

7 - Staying with friends/family. We learned that relying on the good graces of your peeps along the way may result in your loss of these people as friends, especially if you have your own version of the LG to mismanage. Let's see...where to begin? How about with the sharpie he located and proceeded to use in marking his territory on the steering wheel and leather seats of our friends' car? Or, maybe with the pink finger nail polish he used to paint a small wooden chair, some white carpet and a dining room chair (don't be fooled by the small size of those nail polish bottles, I had NO idea how many square feet a 2-year old could cover in 5 minutes).

As you can see, the lowlights far outweigh the highlights. As crazy as this may seem, we just got back from another 3 day adventure down to Lake Powell for my Triathalon. Stay posted for Triathalon highlights. I promise to leave out my complaints about traveling with kids.

Holy Crap.....It's a bird...It's a plane....No, it's a humanoid.

2009-09-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

So, one of the benefits of having a lot of unemployed adults sitting around is that you can watch a lot of History Channel together. This is particularly exciting considering that the History Channel no longer airs shows about history, but rather much more salacious and exciting programs like Monster Quest, UFO Hunters, Band of Bloggers, Ice Road Truckers, etc. If you don't believe in monsters just yet, you need to start watching Monster Quest, although that would probably require that you also become unemployed. It's trade off. The latest episode we saw involves a "HUMANOID" that has been sighted floating over Mexico and in Arizona. Below is footage of the flying creature.

So, we have been keeping our eyes peeled, and decided to head to the park down the street and do some "humanoid" watching. Tuesday, at approximately 7:04pm, we officially captured footage of a humanoid hovering over Lundstrom Park....ominous.

What the what??? I saw it with my own eyes, and I will defend to the end that this is not a Photoshop job. There are also a bunch of middle school football players I can round up who will also verify the sighting. I will post the video footage we also have if you make special requests, but the quality of the image is much less credible.

Terrorism. What? Huh? No, I don't mean that humanoids are a form of terrorism, but rather that there is a VERY strong connection between both phenomenon - unemployment. When grown men have nothing productive to do, they watch too much TV, and devise mischievous ways to keep busy. Like planning, building and launching a floating humanoid. Enough said. If you haven't already been praying for us to find legitimate means of employment, you should start now. Otherwise, you should probably expect to start following your local Fox News at 9 more closely for future sightings.

Just for the record, there were multiple unemployed males involved in this venture.

Blessings

2009-09-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

We blessed the TP on the last Sunday in August. It was so nice to have all 4 of my brothers there, and fun to have all the family (sans Elder and Sister missionaries and my sister and her fam). The LG was up to his usual antics, devouring half of the Better-Than-Sex cake with his cousin right before everyone was to walk out the door. I must give credit where due, however, and mention that they were at least considerate enough to get most of it in their mouths and not on their clothes.

I also really wanted my brother to photoshop my bangs into place on that first photo, but in his laziness the quick job resulted in me looking like part of a toupee had dropped from the sky and landed on my forehead. So much for his mad photoshop skills.

In other news, the TP slept through the night last night after throwing an expected tantrum for about 2 hours the previous 2 nights. I am a stickler for weaning them from that 3am feeding as soon as the experts say they won't starve. It's amazing how different children can be at even 3 months. The LG only cried for 20 minutes one night and then we were done. The TP's fits put him to shame. (That said, I realize many parents have a much harder/longer time in dealing with this. I hope I never have to understand. Just don't start sending hate mail!)

Lastly, the LG is as amusing as ever, keeping us laughing in those precious and few moments between our impatience, his craziness, and time outs. A few LGisms for your amusement:

After waking from a nap, he rambles up the stairs to exclaim, "Mom, the monsters are coming, they're going to eat my bum."

"Hurry mom, there's no time to lose", he says as he punctures holes with a pen in a cardboard box.

After asking my brother to go pick up a box of books at the neighbors' house, I see that the LG is sneaking out the door. As I impatiently question what he is doing he replies, "I have to go mom, I'm going to get the books at Marilyn's." Ahhh, mommy's little helper.

Finally, perhaps the most amusing thing he has done all summer (so far) was when he was playing Hide Seek and Destroy (thanks for teaching them this one Uncle M - you know who you are) with his 5-year old cousin. Big R (cousin) kept trying to get the LG to drop to the ground when he received a fatal blow indicated by machine gun noises and a croquet mallet that was pointed his direction. The LG wasn't really going along/paying attention/interested, much to Big R's dismay. In an effort to demonstrate, the Big R tells the LG to shoot him (the LG was suddenly paying attention). As Big R is laying there, dead, with both eyes closed, the LG slowly raised his mallet over head head and planted it smack down in the Big R's man part. You may think I am so cruel for laughing, but it was one of those moments where all the adults knew exactly what was coming, but were unable to either stop the event or stop lauging. It took a few seconds for me to compose myself enough to put the smack down myself (minus the smacking becuase not even I can see the logic behind that response in this case). Sorry Big R, he'll outgrow this someday, right?

One more thing...These are the passport pics for our kids. Yes, we were planning to use them to move to China. We were one email away from doing it. Who knows, maybe in January. Until then, we plan to use them to take the kids to Canada next month. Thanks Homeland Security for giving us a good use for a passport for a 3 month old ; )

Trying New Things

2009-08-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

We went boating on Saturday out at Benson with the cousins and some friends. The LG decided after watching his 5-year old cousin surf (along with the help of his uncle), that he was up to the task. The BK, who is always a wee bit more protective than me in these situations wasn't so sure, but I convinced him that not much could go wrong - the boat was going really slowly - and that we should encourage him to try new things. The LG had one of his contagious smiles on from the moment he got into the water. He's 2. Yup, the kid's bravery kind of astounds and baffles me. I mean, it took him 3 weeks to warm up to jumping to me from the side of the swimming pool, but pop a life jacket on him, and show him that his cousin can do it, and he is ready to get behind a powerboat on a surfboard with his uncle. Go figure. This is what it looked like:

That is, until my brother (the LG's responsible uncle) decided to ride the wake and they wiped out. Apparently we had forgotten to tell the LG that in this event he should let go of the rope. We also underestimated the LG's superhero strength as he held on with one hand bobbing around like a fish on a reel until the boat finally came to a halt. The BK dove into the water before the boat had even completely stopped (ahhh, that's my man), along with his wallet, keys and cell phone, to rescue the LG. Expecting a screaming, crying and terrified child who would never try water sports again, we all started laughing hysterically and applauding when he finally surfaced and asked with wide eyes (but no tears), "What happened to me?"

Nothing but surfing buddy. Nothing but the surf.

Summer

2009-08-29T12:28:00.001-07:00

This summer has sort of been like summers in highschool. No work, lots of play, and lots of messing around. The only difference is that now I am the one cleaning up the messes. The LG is having plenty of fun with his cousin. They like to get dirty, like playing in the firepit. The LG has also become quite comfortable in the kitchen. His favorite thing to do is play "sandbox" with whatever he can find. The list includes cereal (below), baby formula (pricey and sticky), flour, baking powder, ice from the icemaker. At least it beats him climbing on cars with pens. Pretty sweet. He is getting good at helping with the cleanup though, which provides some consolation. Wrestling with the TP is also one of the LG's favorite things to do. I doubt the same can be said for her. This is clearly before he lays back with her and starts rolling around. Finally, I am pleased to say that I have been teaching the LG all kinds of useful things like silly songs and the pledge of allegiance. I will only entertain you with the video footage of "Down Down Baby". Ahh, I love Big.

New Adventures

2009-08-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

In addition to playing pretty hard this summer, I have been doing a couple of productive things. Not to shamelessly promote myself, but I'm going to.

Tiger
My brother and I have started a graphic design firm. He does the design, and I tell him how to do basic mathematics and round up clients. If anyone knows of anyone who needs some design services and is willing to pay for them, you can check out the website (www.tigerco.net). We can do just about anything, and not to brag, but my brother is pretty awesome.

BigEd Project
I have also decided to start another blog that details my interests in education. It has always been an interest of mine, and I would like to start writing so I am hoping that eventually I can turn it into something worthwhile. For now it will be a weekly post that either reviews a book or discusses a particular topic I am interested in. Check it out if you like (www.bigedproject.blogspot.com), and pass it along if you think others might be interested.

That's enough shameless promotion for now.

Summer Fun Part II

2009-08-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

Getting Used to TP - The LG has become a fabulous older brother, and although he risks loving her to death on occasion, he is a big help.

When in Rome - You should never pass up the opportunity to watch rednecks run cars into each other.

Bike Riding w/Dad - Too bad he only likes to ride down the hill.

First Campout - Just an overnighter for a family reunion in Bear Lake but TP slept for 7.5 hours - a record - so no complaints about sleeping on a rocky incline all night.

Summer Fun

2009-08-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

It has been a great summer and I can't believe how much we have done and how many people we have seen. Rather than yackety yack about it all, I will just show you and highlight some of the best parts in random order. Here we go.

Day Trip to Park City - Yup, we love to re-live our wedding memories by taking a sweet slide down the alpine slide.

Neighborhood Fun - The neighbors have been great at tolerating the new toddler and have allowed him to help fix sprinkler systems, pick cherries, pick weeds, and run around with no clothes on.

Hotdog Dinners w/Family - Nothing like roasting some dogs up Logan Canyon to make me feel like I am stuck in highschool, that is until my kids start yelping and I remember that I am bound tightly by the bonds of adulthood. : (

Potty Training - Okay, so it isn't going so well. In fact, I have given up and will try again later. Don't worry Grandma, I wiped the bench off afterward.

Beach Bumming - Decided at 7pm to leave at 9pm for LA on the spur of the moment for the 4th of July. Great times at the beach with cousins. First successful overnight trip!

That's enough for today. Stay tuned if you dare/care.

Critters

2009-06-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

We were greeted in Logan by some folklore about a raccoon that was living in the attic of my parents' home. My brother and his wife were positive that there had been a raccoon running around up there before they left to come out to Portland and help us move. So, getting rid of said critter was on the top of our to do list when arriving here. One of the first mornings we were here, I was downstairs nursing the baby around 5:45 am when I heard it walking around. I knew the BK and LG were still in bed, and I was pretty sure there was no how no way my brother or his wife were out of bed at that hour. After confirming with my brother that he and his wife were both sleeping soundly we called Logan animal control only to be told that they were out of traps. Huh? Don't get the BK started on the conspiracy theory he conjured up for this one which involves a scheme by a salaried city employee to make a couple $$ on the side by referring us to his friend. Whatever.

The next day my brother was outside cleaning up the patio when he smelled an awful smell that he was sure belonged to the now dead raccoon. The raccoon died from being locked in there for a week when my brother was in Portland. At least that was the going theory.

The next morning around 3am, my brother's wife heard their bedroom door creak open and four little feet scamper to the side of the bed where she was sleeping and rustle among the pillows. I can only imagine the actual pandemonium caused by the raccoon at this point as she smacked my brother into consciousness while whisper-screaming that the raccoon had infiltrated the house. My brother jumped into action only to discover the LG sleeping soundly among the pillows on the floor. Apparently he was doing a bit of sleep walking around Gmas house. I hear that the stink face made by the LG when a somewhat unfamiliar face awakened him to take him back to bed was scary enough to qualify him as some type of critter.

Poor raccoon that never was. It turned out that the dead animal stench was from a dead squirrel that the BK had placed in a bag and left to bake in the sun until someone told him it was okay to toss it in the trash. The critter running around at 6am when I was nursing turned out to be my sister-in-law, who sneaked out to grab a glass of water without my brother knowing. Goes to show you should always go to the source.

You would think we had learned our lesson, but the next day it was pouring and the ceiling started to leak (and I thought I was done with fixer-uppers when I left Portland). We wanted to go into the attic to check out the leak without getting drenched on the roof. The BK was sure he heard the raccoon which resulted in him shrieking like a school girl (bless his heart), and required me to take matters into my own hands and crawl up to the attic armed with a hard hat and flashlight. I ended up scampering down as well at the first strange noise. An exterminator was beckoned and showed up reeking of vodka 45 minutes later (in his defense, it was a Saturday night, and he did show up pretty quickly) only to confirm what we really should have known all along - when in doubt, assume the critter is a tiny squirrel, not a carnivorous, baby eating, raccoon. You should be reassured, however, that the exterminator assured us that he was willing to "grab that coon by the neck, if I need to - I've done it before!" Thanks exterminator man, good to know.

As you can see from the pic below, the squirrels have been working on building a compound in the attic for some time. Can't wait to get started cleaning up this mess. Yup, that's a golf bag filled with walnuts. And yes, those are empty milk cartons that my dad was apparently planning on saving until the second coming.

Last Post From Portland (maybe)

2009-06-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

I added maybe to the title because you never know what life is going to throw at you, so we could end up back here, who knows. For those of you who don't follow our lives in stalker-like fashion - we will be "vacationing" in Logan, UT for the summer while we look for stable ways to feed the fam. The BK became a fatality of the recession back in March and we have decided to head home rather than hemorrhage greenbacks here in PDX.

We are sad. We are sadder than we thought we would be. Much as Portland is weird, uninterested in sustaining a legitimate economy, has a derelict mayor (not because he is gay, mind you, that is the least of the man's problems), rains for 6 months out of the year, and hosts some of the countries finest young freeloaders, we have grown to love this place. Some of our favorites include:

1 - Mt. Tabor

2 - Friends - particularly those with kids who the LG has grown to love

3 - Views of the city from I-84

4 - Airport - LG loves to watch the planes while eating IKEA hot dogs

5 - Outdoors - there is really no place more beautiful (especially in the summer), and this broad category includes our backyard which is now a dream for us and we put so much time into.

We are still looking at this as an opportunity, and hope that it works out that way. Until then, we are excited to "vacation" in beautiful Logan for the summer or until we find our next adventure.

Lots of love to our Portland friends, and UT here we come. Adios.

Learning the Ropes

2009-05-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been in post-birth hideout for a couple weeks, and have had time to reflect on some very serious topics, like the nickname for the new baby. The Tiny Princess (okay, not super original), or "TP" as she will now be known, has officially reached her "birthweight". I suppose this is a serious milestone, but it hardly seems to make much of a difference with her tiny little frog legs that are kicking about when I change her diaper. I also have to admit that I like "TP" because it makes me think of toilet paper, and for some really juvenile reason it makes me giggle. Hopefully she will forgive me someday.

So we have all been adjusting to the TP (hehe) being here. Fortunately she is still a very good baby and not too fussy. I did have to check her temperature with one of these nifty contraptions (even more nifty for checking the temp on the LG, or anyone old enough to know where the old thermometers go).

The LG, who has a not so healthy aversion to anything getting near his ear canal, took one look and ran off to his room, only to be seen 5 minutes later coming back in with this offering to help check the TP's temperature.

Ahh, siblings. Here is the little bruiser with a little tatoo (when in Rome) from the local farmer's market. Grandmas! This seems like one of those things that only Grandmas or weekend dads are up for. I can't imagine why kids look forward to being away from mom ; 0

Otherwise, things have been relatively quiet, and we are even getting a fair amount of sleep thanks to Grandma and the TP's willingness to sleep most of the night. Below are a few more pics of the TP's first days on planet earth.

Love, Love, Love

2009-05-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

She's here. We are absolutely thrilled, and she is the most beautiful little creature on the earth. Sorry to all of you who think yours are too ; ) I'm not planning to reveal the name here on the blog, and I haven't yet decided what her online Moniker will be either, so I am taking suggestions on that.

She was born Monday, May 18th, following the season finale of 24. I really can't complain too much about the whole labor process, except for the 30 minutes preceeding the birth that were, well, a bit intense ; ) She shot right out (literally), and my Dr. wasn't even able to be there. Once I started pushing, it only required 2 more pushes and a total of 9 minutes.

I decided to go this round sans epidural, and while I am quite impressed with myself and the BK, I'm not sure I could endure it again (give me a year or two and I will probably have forgotten). However, I will say this, the aftermath has been TOTALLY worth it. Recovery has been 200% better and while I won't be out running any marathons this week, I can at least walk. The best part (and the worst) is that I remember everything, and that moment when that little creature was placed on my body was the most incredible of my life. And to think that I didn't stop loving the LG, and was suddenly just able to love her as much is truly a miracle and a tender mercy from heaven.

Final product was a 7 lb, 20 inch miracle. Email me at megappod@gmail.com if you would like her name, and please don't mention it in the comments if you already do. Thanks! And thanks for all the well wishes!

Nesting

2009-05-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Poor LG. As I was working before I had him, I didn't have the time or energy to do any home crafted sewing projects (I'm sure he will actually thank me later). This time round, however, I have managed to sew a few little items that turned out quite to my liking. I sewed the crib bumper and a little quilt, and even a skirt (not pictured) thanks to the inspiration of my niece-in-law (nephew's wifey) my who is much more ambitious and creative than me. Anyway, here is the finished product already hooked up to the crib.

The universe is opening, the veil is thinning and momma is getting really grumpy. In other words, I am ready to go. My mother-in-law is being picked up from the train station as I speak, and that officially relieves me of any anxiety related to where the LG would be if I went into labor. It's time. I'm taking guesses for when, how big and how long the baby will be. I will figure out the prizes later. I feel I must level the playing field however and mention that the LG was 8lbs 9oz, 21 inches long and was 2 weeks early. The official due date is May 31st and the Dr. has assured me that she won't let me go over. This baby is coming this weekend if I can mentally will her into it ; ) Best of luck to myself, and I will keep y'all posted on her arrival. Ta ta till then.

DIY Lessons

2009-05-05T12:03:00.001-07:00

I'm sure I have mentioned more than a few times the nature of the nature in our yard. I am happy to report that, with the exception of some minor landscaping details, all our hard work is paying off (this is assuming that the sod we planted actually takes - but this is Oregon, most everything does).

The pictures below give you a good idea of what we were dealing with when we started last year:

And from the front...

The list of shrubbery, trees, foliage, cement and whatnot that we have removed reads a lot like the 12 Days of Christmas (except that you probably wouldn't want any of these items as gifts): 12 dry and crusted bushes, 11 loads of concrete, 10 drug related items, 9 posts of fencing, 8 ivy bushes, 7 railroad ties, 6 square feet of decking, 5 metal posts with concrete, 4 tall evergreens, 3 rubber tires, 2 plastic pools, and one overgrown birdhouse. We had to rent 4 of the yellow bins you see above (one of which was double the size of the one above), and we still have enough debris to warrant another. Looking at the pictures above makes me feel feel a mixture of pride and insanity. I'm just surprised that all the rock moving I have done hasn't sent me into premature labor.

A Couple of Lessons Learned:

1 - Never buy a house in the jungle.

2 - Make sure you have a good health insurance policy.

3 - Don't send an over eager husband up on a ladder to start cutting willy nilly at all the foliage on the side of your house BEFORE checking for electrical wires.

4 - A wheelbarrow is worth every penny you might spend.

5 - Plan ahead so you only do each job once, like tilling a rock garden in preparation for planting sod.

6 - Go to school, get an education, work hard, and PAY someone else to do everything we have done.

Comings and Goings

2009-04-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

EASTER

This is a holiday I can really get into. A few presents in a basket, chocolate, good Sunday service, typically tolerable weather, good food, and kids dressed up with hair combed (this is a rare occurence around here). I still don't get the Easter bunny delivering eggs. I comment on this every year, but shouldn't it be an Easter chicken?

NOSES

I don't really like mine. Most of the time, I forget about it and am used to the way it looks on my face, and then there are times (like that captured in the photo below) that make me want to see a surgeon.

POO
The LG has had a weeklong case of the runs - probably from drinking standing water out of strange places in our backyard. Results: 5-6 poo poo changes per day, verge of blisters bottom, lots of baths and poo floaties, failed attempts to potty train (at this point, I would rather clean the poo off the wood floor than off his chaffed hiney), and a trip to the doctor with a full diaper in a baggie in case they asked for a stool sample - which they did, and I had to help scoop the poo into small containers. Good times.

Random Rumblings

2009-04-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

I just ate 6 pieces of toast with butter. Some with jam. This is how I celebrate the news that so far I have gained just 25 lbs with this pregnancy with only a month or so to go. Considering I gained 50 with the LG, I was feeling pretty good, until that 6th piece of toast. Did I mention the eggs? I feel so bad that I am considering 2 more to make me feel better.

6:15am
LG: Daddy (mommy doesn't respond at this hour), can you come get me?
BK: No, LG, not until 7:00. Go back to bed.
LG: But daddy, it's 7:00 on my watch. Come and see.

We got the LG a real size mattress. Figure we ought to transition him before #2 comes and every other part of life as he knows it ceases. As you can imagine, bed time and nap time have been drawn out a bit. One night, the BK went to stand next to the LG's door to listen for movement. As he was ready to leave, convinced that all was quietly in hand, out crept a chubby little hand from the space under the door to tickle the BKs feet. Tickle tickle baby. Tickle tickle.

Gotta go, the toaster just buzzed.

And On and On and On

2009-04-06T19:43:00.001-07:00

So Week 2 started with a trip to the Grand Canyon which entailed driving an hour north from Flagstaff, paying a $25 park entrance fee, looking into an amazing canyon for 10 minutes, eating some lunch in our car, and heading south to Tucson. By the time we pulled into Grammy's, the sight of her two 125+ lb canines was just to much for the LG to take at 8:30pm and he started screaming like I've never heard him scream before. "Mommy, I wanna go home!!!" It lasted a good 45 minutes. Considering that I had my own meltdown somewhere around Phoenix (the kind where you can't get comfortable, everyone/everything is driving you nuts, and every noise feels like a small needle poking through your ear into your brain) I was ready to buy 2 plane tickets home the next day and let the BK drive back at his leisure.

Luckily, things got better after some sleep. I would say a good night's rest except that the bed we slept on has 2 separate pouches or something that allow you to adjust the "firmness" of the mattress. Whoever slept there last apparently has become accustomed to sleeping on concrete, and that was the good side which, as the prego lady I am, I commandeered. Sorry BK. Anyway, it was good to see family and the LG has some pretty sweet cousins who live next door to Grammy to keep him entertained.

A Little Cactus Whacking

One of the highlights by far was our trip to the airplane graveyard (Pima Air and Space Museum). All these old planes just sitting on acres of desert for your viewing pleasure. I highly recommend this place if you are ever in Tucson or headed for the border.

This post is starting to feel long like our trip, so I am going to wrap it up. After 3 days in the desert (which is not that hospitable a place for a toddler - cacti, pools, large dogs, javelinas, snakes, hot sun), we decided to cut our week as short as we possibly could and head back north. Two more pit stops in LA and San Fran and on to home where we happily pulled in and sat in the car for a good 20 minutes while the BK and I stared at each other in complete silence. No words were necessary at that point to express our exhaustion and wonder, "WHAT THE HELL WERE WE THINKING?"

I would say never again, but I know better.

Road Tripping With a Toddler

2009-04-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are insane. We just returned from a 2 week road trip from Portland to Tucson, AZ and back home again. 4,000 miles with a 2 year old and an 8-months pregnant wife is akin to the pioneers crossing the plains in my book. I'm sure you can imagine the insanity, so I will only bore you with the highlights from week 1 for now.

1 - Crater Lake. This fantastic lake, which took us about 2 hours out of our way, is currently accessible only to those crazy enough to drive through a maze with 20-foot snow drifts that take you through a long and winding canyon with no place to possibly turn around. We were afraid we wouldn't even catch a glimpse of the lake once we "arrived" at the viewpoint but after the BK initiated a successful scouting mission over the top of an icy embankment, we took the LG out of the car, wrapped him in swaddling clothes to protect him from the biting wind gusts and climbed over the embankment for a 30-second glimpse.

2 - Roadside fun. Pregnant lady has to stop every 90 minutes to walk around to prevent blood clots and death. This can really put a kink in the arrival times set out by the GPS, but makes for some relaxing pit stops and good people watching. The LG enjoyed stick collecting and tree climbing at the Rest Areas where we also changed him into freshy freshies as we like to say, ate lunch, and got in some interesting reading in the bathroom stalls. We also stopped at a lot of scenic points, one of which was near Mt. Shasta.

3 - Catch up with family. We were able to see one of my favorite aunts in San Francisco, as well as some uncles and and aunt I haven't seen in years. Always a good time to hear stories about my dad that he has likely intentionally kept under the radar. In LA, we got to stay with my brother and his adorable family. We went to the park, the train graveyard, the beach and generally just lazed around and let the kids run wild. I forgot to mention that our little LA trip started with the LG puking all over the back of the car 5 minutes before arriving at my brother's place, and ended with my nephew puking all over his favorite blanket (now destined for a burial ceremony) at 4am before we took off at 6am. Good times.

4 - Sunshine. If you are going to tour the west coast from top to bottom in a car with no air conditioning, at least we picked the right time of year. As vampires up here in the north, it took us a few days to adjust to the constant stream of vitamin D into our systems, but 75 and sunny is a good way to spend 2 weeks. Stay tuned for more highlights from week 2.

Family Jewels

2009-02-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

One small lego (the pretty red one, to be exact)......

One small nostril (the right one, to be exact).....

One small toddler who has apparently discovered that by using his chubby little pointer finger he can shove a tiny lego up his nose =

One traumatizing Sunday evening.

FULL STORY BELOW
Sunday night, as I was preparing dinner for some friends of ours, the LG wanders in to the living room to announce that he has something up his nose. "No you don't", I respond. "Mommy, I have a lego in my nose." I have learned that although he is only 2, he usually knows what he is talking about so I start pressing on his nostril. Wincing ensues on his part, eye rolling on mine, and the BK looked at me with with a pale face as I confirmed that there was something hard in there.

Luckily, the couple who was about to witness this fiasco, includes a pediatrician who was more than willing to provide services to the LG. The Dr. brought with him this handy little foley catheter (pictured below - I don't recommend googling it, just be grateful I did it for you). I thought it was pretty cool, and had high hopes for the device which is threaded through the nostril behind the object. You blow up the balloon behind it, and voila!!! out comes the object. That is, unless, the balloon happens to explode causing a bloody nose, and an already thrashing toddler who is being pinned down by his loving parents, to kick it up a notch.

I think we still felt hopeful until the Dr. announced that it was time to use a paper clip. That didn't seem very medical to either the BK or myself, but I was pretty willing to continue outsourcing the removal of the shiny jewel. One more try at pinning him down (we also learned a bit about the LGs physical prowess and our lack thereof), the Dr. was even looking a little nervous now (although I assured him that liability wasn't an issue for me in our living room - I'm not sure that really helped so much), and one quick swipe later, out came the jewel in a bloody bubble. Ahhhh, relief.

Even the LG forgot about the trauma as soon as it was removed, and in a show of friendship, grabbed the Dr.'s hand and told him they were now going to watch some "Thomas the Tank Engine". A very BIG thank you to the Dr. who saved us from sitting in an ER for 6 hours, and who remains one of the LGs favorite adults.

First Time?

2009-02-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

I just finished having lunch with a friend and we were discussing the differences between first time parents, and those with more than one child. Although I still only have one, I don't categorize myself as a first time parent and am therefore about to poke some fun of those who are.

HOW TO TELL IF YOU ARE A FIRST TIME (or just uptight) PARENT

1 - Your child is eating cheerios off the floor at church. The cheerios do not belong to you. What is your response?
A - Remove them immediately from your child's mouth, and clean the remaining ones off the floor.
B - Sweet! I totally forgot snacks today anyway.

2 - You are leaving your 1 year old child with a friend at their home for 4 hours. You:
A - Bring a sandwich, banana, juice, crackers, fruit, fruit snacks, 6 diapers, a full package of diaper wipes, 2 bottles, 2 pacifiers, a blanket, a change of clothes, and a list of contact numbers including 4 emergency contacts, and a map with directions to the nearest hospital from your friend's home.
B - Drop off your child with one wet diaper, one dry diaper, and instructions to only call in case of an EXTREME emergency. You have my cell, right? I'll try to remember to turn it on.

3 - Your toddler is learning to crawl up the stairs. You:

A - Wish her the best and go back to folding the laundry.
B - Pick her up to prevent her from falling without you there while you grab the camera, pillows to prevent injury, a sippy cup in case she gets thirsty, and a snack for yourself while you watch and marvel at the action for an hour.

4 - Your child begins licking the shopping cart handle.

A - No problem! I already sanitized it with the handy sanitizers I carry in my purse!
B - Encourage this behavior in order to promote a healthy immune system.

5 - What is wrong with this picture?

Illustration, Zohar Lazar, Bostonia Magazine
A - Ha! I get it. It's a trick question. There's nothing wrong!
B - Those parents should have had more than one kid, and should have kept their full-time jobs and not retired so early.

If you can't figure out which choice would be made by a first time/overbearing/uptight parent, you clearly are one ; )

Anytime My Love

2009-02-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I brought the LG his elaborate and carefully prepared breakfast of cereal and juice, he looked at me and sweetly said, "Mommy, you bring me somethings? That's so nice of you to bring me somethings." Ahh, if only every morning were such a delight.

He has also become quite the cook and loves to help me "make things" in the kitchen. At 2, I would say that he is pretty ahead of the curve of most children whose parents are probably much smarter than I am and refuse to let their toddler near hot stoves, ovens, etc. I lost the battle a while ago, and gained a partner who can flip pancakes, stir anything, sprinkle salt evenly over food in the frying pan, make a sandwich, knead bread and make a quesadilla. *Note to Grandmothers - he is ALWAYS closely supervised.

Puddles of Troubles

2009-01-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

So, so far 2009 is turning out to be a blogging bust. Good thing I didn't put it on my New Year's resolutions list. Here's a list of some of the pressing issues on my mind lately:

1 - HAIRCUTS
Over Christmas, the LG took a pair of VERY large scissors to his already freshly cut hair. We call it the Quentin Tarantino do. Here is a progression, but the conundrum is what to do with it now. As you can see by the date of this post, he has survived for a month, but there are days I feel like taking the clippers to it, but so far I just can't bring myself to do it.

BEFORE

MOM HAIRCUT

2 YEAR OLD QUENTIN TARANTINO DO

2 - BANKS
In an effort to exploit the weaknesses of our financial system for our own gain (not an easy task these days), the BK opened an account with Washington Mutual (WaMu) with $1. In return for opening an account, about 6 weeks later we received a $75 gift card (this could go a long way in explaining their poor thinking and bankruptcy, but what do I know). Receiving the gift card happened to coincide with the news that they were going under so the BK told me I better start spending it as quickly as possible just in case. I think I got through $60 of it when final news of WaMu's demise hit. Unfortunately, as the BK predicted, this was the end of our $75 line of credit. Okay, so far so good, we still made $60 on a $1 investment. My irritation in getting ripped off on that extra $15 was minute until I received a TAX FORM in the mail that requires me to pay taxes on the full $75 - which means that WaMu also wrote off the full amount which I didn't receive. I'm sure my dad can find a lawsuit in there somewhere, but I am just content to whine about it for now.

3 - JOB SECURITY
My family relies solely for the time being on the employer of my husband who happens to be the Bank of America. Before you worry, don't, he is still employed. However, I have a couple of beefs about what has been going on in terms of bailouts and mergers and corporate greed. First, good riddance to John Thain. For those of you who don't know who he is, click here. In a nutshell, he is the Merrill Lynch CEO who, in the middle of a merger that his company was pretty dishonest about in terms of their actual balance sheet, he remodeled his office for $1.2 million. Second, and on a related note, is my irritation with all government interference to this point in the financial sector. Bank of America would have withdrawn from the merger under normal market conditions when it learned the truth about how much trouble Merrill Lynch was actually in, but the Government (Henry Paulson and cronies) pressed Ken Lewis (Bank of America CEO) to stick with it citing the pandemonium it would create in the markets. So, now BOA is taking a lot of criticism (as evidenced by their stock prices which are at 17 year lows) for taking government bailouts which, in essence, were granted because they bailed the government out of another sticky mess. I, for one, think this whole bailout mess is a joke. So far, the money has been spent lining the pockets of people like John Thain, and driving down stock prices of banks which are already suffering. I'm ticked, but I'm also very grateful that my husband is still employed in an industry that is clearly in puddles of troubles. Best of luck to us all.

Merry Christmas, and other out of date announcements...

2009-01-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

For those of you who didn't receive a Christmas card - sorry, but it's a tight economy and a .40 cent stamp just screams at my sense of fiscal decency. This is the picture you would have received, glued to red construction paper - so you can see you didn't miss out on much. We were snowed in here in Portland for 2 weeks. No church for 2 weeks, 1 foot of packed snow on our road for 1 1/2 weeks, a trip to the grocery store that involved toting Jack behind us in a "tote" (one of the plastic bins) that John tied some rope to (my dad would have been proud), and LOTS of time spent indoors. Apparently, it is too much to ask the city of Portland to spend some $$$ on more than one snowplow. Fine, but could they check into some emergency funds to ship one in from a state or city that plans ahead? Christmas, spent with just the LG the BK and myself was sort of anticlimactic, but the snow helped. Luckily, we were off to UT a couple days later to see the fam.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Our trip to UT started out a bit shaky as we drove 4 hours to Pendleton, OR just to find out that I-84 was closed due to inclement weather. Good times. Back to Portland. Pretty sweet 10 hour day. We got up around 4am the next morning and plowed our way on through to the promised land. We had a great time seeing all the family including brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, great-nieces/nephews, etc. There was a palpable hole felt though by the absence of my parents who we all missed. There was sledding, eating, and a lot of doing nothing. The latter of these two events explain why I don't ever contact anyone that I plan on seeing. Unrelatedly, I'm excited for 2009. Should be an interesting year for our nation and our family which brings me to announcement #3.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

The BK and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting a girl in May. I am about halfway through this pregnancy, so am finally feeling more human. As I have already told some of you, I don't blog when I am pregnant, hence my long absences from the world'o'blog and general disinterest in my own life. And, the answer is yes, to those of you wondering if I was one of the crazy pregnant women from the last blog who just can't give up their soccer shoes for slippers.

Consider yourselves all caught up on my life. Oh yeah, the LG POOPED in the potty last week. That was the best Christmas present yet. No how, no way am I changing two sets of diapers if I can help it. There will be lots of praying and pleading with God on this one.

Tweens vs. Thirty-Somethings

2008-12-22T12:38:00.000-08:00

Before you read on, be forewarned that this post has nothing to do with the holidays. If you are looking for cheer, check back in a couple days.

The BK and I play soccer in an adult beginner league. The team we have played on for 3 sessions now has altered significantly, mostly for the better if you are talking about our record, although I miss seeing some of the folk from the first couple sessions, but not the perpetual losses that resulted in a lot of *#&@()$ whooping. The teams are composed mostly of 25-40ish people who have nothing better to do on a Friday night but kick each other in the shins, get thrown into walls, and run around panting and out of breath. It is best to assume that this is the only physical activity most people in this league get all week. In a nutshell, it's pretty ugly.

So a couple of weeks ago, we pull up to see a "team" in matching uniforms piling out of a minivan. Certainly these kids are in the wrong place or there are here for some after hours team slumber party. As we nervously make jokes about their age we walk into the building and start warming up. Our own teamates arrive, and it is becoming more and more clear that the preteens who couldn't drive themselves to the game are, in fact, our opponents. Okay, now I am all in favor of a good matchup, but honestly, I am thinking this is definitely NOT what I signed up for or pay for. Remember, Adult Beginner League? Being on somewhat chatty terms with the manager of the place, I mope over and lodge a complaint. He assures me that they have to be at least 16 to play in the league. 16? What about 16 = Adult? Based on the width of the girls hips, weight of the boys, and acne, there isn't a chance that one of these adults (other than the coach) is a day over 15. Plus, if they were 16, they would have driven.

Fine, so it was going to be like this, eh? There are red alarms, blue alarms, and yellow alarms running through my head as I sulk back to my team and deliver the news that yes, we are about to have our hineys handed to us by highs chool freshmen. I knew it would be ugly. Setting aside their physical prowess that accompanies anyone under 25, they look like children compared to us, and I knew that any physical contact would result in the referee thinking that monsters were trying to eat the village young'ns. Sure enough, the BK (who weighs about 220 and is about 6'4) was thrown out of the game in the first 5 minutes for a 2 minute penalty. Granted, the BKs feathers were already up just by looking at them, and wasn't in the mood to have his manhood delivered to him by a tween, but in fairness he did put the kid in a headlock (the kid who weighed no more than 90 lbs and was probably 6 inches shorter). In the BKs defense, he claims that the kid grabbed his manparts.

The game progressed better than it should have. The referee was all over us, but even with that handicap, and with no subs (the tweens had double the number needed on the field standing ready to sub on the sideline), we managed to keep the carnage to a tie. Considering, I am chalking that up to a win. Afterward, I hear the coach telling them that if they could play at this level, they were in really good shape. Huh???????? Did I miss something. The whole ride home all I could think of were responses to this ridiculous statement and to the nonsense of the whole game:

"Are you serious? What level is that, the level where people twice your age, twice your weight (not in a good way), pregnant (yeah 2 of our 4 females are visibly pregnant) and 10 times more out of shape are able to hold you to a tie? Yeah, good luck playing children your own age."

"Come back after you hit puberty and get some hips."

"Go try to humiliate people in an old folks home, they might be so old they think you are just cute."

These are the only ones gentle enough for me to post without my mom telling me that I should be sweeter and that I shouldn't be playing anymore anyway. So there it is, my rant that I should have posted the day after so that I could move on with my life. Feel free to post your own comments, particularly if they are snide and cover something I missed.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing Thanksgiving here in Portland with my brother and his adorable family. We went to the Oregon Coast, did the tour of Downtown, drove up to Mt. Hood, watched movies, and ate, ate, ate. It was my first time being in charge of the food, and thanks to a lot of help from my sister-in-law, it all turned out beautifully. I highly recommend "brining" your turkey ladies (and ambitious men). I finally figured out the problem with my pictures, and wanted to do justice to my sister-in-law's mad photography skills.

Here we all are downtown. We rode the train, did some Black Friday shopping, and my brother's youngest even joined in a Black Friday protest by doing some Tai Chi.

Although the coast was a bit wet, it wasn't too cold which was nice. The kids had a great time running around, some getting soaked by the tide, and playing in the sand. No swimming this time, maybe in August. Wait, this is Oregon, who am I kidding.

Happy Birthday Baby

2008-12-10T14:02:00.001-08:00

Clearly I have been pretty disinterested in blogging lately, and in the meantime, I have missed some pretty key family events. I will be trying to update over the next couple of days but thought I should start with the LGs 2nd birthday which was the week before Thanksgiving. In tribute, the following are some of my favorite memories of him from this year:

Election Year Fun - the LG started recognizing McCain and Obama signs long before the election and loved to shout both their names at strange moments, often to the amusement of passersby. I'm pretty sure that unlike his parents, he was pretty loyal to Obama throughout. Recently, when we were out shopping, a black clerk was restocking the shelves. When Jackson saw him, his eyes got really big and he shouted, "Barak Obama". Probably better than "John McCain" considering the color of his skin and where we live - liberalville. Clearly there aren't many black people in Portland.

Swimming Like a Fish - He finally conquered his fear of the water and learned to swim like a fish which entails him laying on his belly, splashing around and letting his little cheeks poke out of the water. This now regular occurrence makes me wish he could stay 2 forever.

Nursery - Enough said.

Throwing Out His Own Diaper - He learned to this not long after he turned 1. If only I could figure out how to get rid of the diapers all together.

Rainy Portland - I still haven't grown to LOVE the rain, but it does bring out the best in toddler boys fasion. Rain slickers, big bulky rain boots that he can put on by himself, and adorable hats.

Language - It is amazing to me how quickly he seems to learn to speak. And truly, it is a blessing to be able to communicate with him and vice versa. The things he says crack me up, make me wish I had never uttered certain words, and my heart melt when he says things like I love you.

What an amazing little boy he is, and both the BK and I are so glad he is part of our family. Speaking of, we had some family photos taken recently - which some of you may find in your Christmas card or a later post. But in celebration of the LG, here are a few of my most prized possession. LG we love you. (sorry the pics aren't bigger but I am too clueless to figure out what is going on, and too lazy to try).

Happy Halloweeneeee

2008-11-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

The LG endearingly ads an "eeee" sound to anything he likes lately: Halloweeneee, boookseee, trick or treateee, scarecrowee, scareeeee, animalseee. I was surprised at how much he enjoyed Halloween. We took our Cowboy and tagged along with our friends and their Dinosaur in their neighborhood which is much more posh than our own hood. The LG picked up the general idea immediately and I'm not sure I've ever seen him have so much fun as he did running door to door, knocking on doors, walking right on in to strangers homes, putting candy in his bag, saying thank you, and repeating. Here are a few pics.

Notice that above he is being escorted OUT of some one's home. I realize I am working backwards here, but Grandma sent a Spooky Cookie Castle for the LG to decorate. Only grandmothers think these things are a great idea, particularly if they aren't around to clean up or supervise sugar intake. That said, it turned out better than I thought and the LG actually put a few decorations on the castle (most ended up in his mouth).

Finally, our friend hosted a lovely Halloween party for the little ones. It was a lot of fun, and the LG was thrilled to be surrounded by such adorable little creatures including a skunk, mermaid, zebra, and fairies.

Prodigious

2008-10-19T21:19:00.001-07:00

I think I used to have much more interesting posts, particularly when I first started out. Maybe it's just burnout, but now I rarely make time to write anything interesting and tend to only post things about the LG or that I feel obligated to write for the sake of my progeny in hopes that someday I get it together enough to somehow publish my blog in lieu of scrapbooking. Anyway, I guess I am just lucky that for now the LG seems to be at an amusing age - at least according to his mother. This clip is just a taste of his musical repertoire, which includes singing about anything from hippop0tami to strange phrases from books we read like, "shut the door and bolt it" (courtesy of the Grasshopper and the Ants).

Mayhem

2008-10-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last Friday a bulldozer arrived, along with 4 strong Tongan men, 2 scrawny but very hardworking missionaries, and the rain. The missionaries took one look at the rv parking pad that was partially broken up and tossed into a "mound" (that we initially overlooked as a bush due the ivy growing all over it) and decided to take on our backyard as their service project for the week. Bless their hearts... forever, and ever and ever. I can't tell you how giddy I was that day. It was quite something to watch the bulldozer make small work of what would have taken the BK and me months to do (not to mention the state of our backs afterward). Giddy I tell you. You may think it still looks like a trailer park, but I think it looks like a beautiful blank canvas that will remain muddy and wet for the next 6 months or so until I figure out what to do with it all in the spring.

I dug up this picture which is a pretty good overview of the mess we were originally dealing with. The BK deserves a lot of credit for ridding much of the overgrowth which prevented the sky from being seen.

Here I am sweeping off the "driveway". The " " are to designate that it isn't really a driveway since it leads directly to a fence now and has no access to the road. We figured it might be a good idea before the bulldozer arrived to figure out exactly where the cement was. Notice the beautiful landscaping job behind me where someone so artfully built a beautiful cement retaining wall with parts of the driveway. Nice.
And after the bulldozer did its thing........ Ahhh, so clean. They even cleared out all the stumps of the trees the BK chopped down. Do I mind that the bulldozer also dug up the few flowers I had planted and the only salvagable rose bush in the yard? Not one bit! Seriously, not one bit. If I could just get Mary Poppins to snap her fingers and remove the lingering junk pile.

So below we are looking at the infamous "bush" against the far fence. You can see more cement handiwork peeking out beneath the ivy if you look close enough. There is also a lovely landscaped walkway - also made out of parts of the previous RV parking pad- that leads to the garage door.

And after..... Sorry that this doesn't give you a better idea, but consider that the BK is standing next to the fence, where the "bush" used to reside. Ahhh, so clean.

As I am typing this, it occurs to me that many of you may think we were insane to buy this house, and all the baggage that came with it. All I can say is you may be right.

Late Night Memos

2008-10-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

The LG is back to thinking that he is supposed to report for duty between 6:00 and 6:30am. This morning when I finally succumbed to his pleas at 6:40 I asked him if he had received the memo I sent out last night indicating that I didn't want to see or hear from him until at least 7am. After a bit of further pressing it was clear that he in fact had not received the memo and he became very adamant that we find said memo. "A mama, a find memo is. A mama, a find memo is." Usually he is eager to locate food and is asking, "A mama, a have cereal. A mama, a have blueberries. A mama, a have milk." I was impressed that I spent the first 15 minutes of the morning being dragged from room to room looking for the lost memo. After 15 minutes, however, it wasn't hard to divert him with breakfast. I'll send another memo tonight.

Speaking of memos, I finally responded to the ones I received from more than one grandmother that the LG's hair was in need of a bit of a trim. I was inspired last week as he was contentedly sucking on a popsicle that it was now or never. I have such mixed feelings about cutting it because I find his curls adorable, but it started to get in his eyes, and it was getting a little beyond shaggy. He was so good, and his eyes would get very wide every time a chunk of his locks would fall onto the tray of his high chair.

We also went to OMSI last week - one of the refuges in Portland for people with children when it is raining. The LG had a great time painting with his friend ClaireBear. I also found it wildly appropriate that he was wearing his new T-Shirt from Grandma (inspired by the toilet episode) that reads, "If I'm quiet you'd better find me." As we were leaving, the LG took off at a sprint toward the playground area - which I thought was fairly safe since there is only one exit and entrance at the end of a dead end hallway. As I chase after him with umbrella stroller veering every which way and bags swinging from both arms, I apparently miss him running into the open elevator. After frantically searching the indoor playground I come out terrified only to see my friend that we were there with opening the elevator in response to hearing his terrified cries from within the closed doors. Hallelujah no one downstairs needed to come up so it never really moved, but it was enough to scare us both to death. Say what you may, but this child needs a leash.

Gratitude Soapbox

2008-09-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I think it is a good idea to be openly grateful for things, and thought I would share a few things from my soapbox of gratitude today.

1 - Beautiful Flowers

My mother-in-law bought these when she was in town visiting. I think they are just glorious. I am also grateful that you can't see what the floor looks like under my table.

2 - Grandmas and Bubbles
You know, kids without grandparents really do miss out. My tolerance for blowing bubbles in the rain is much lower than a grandma's and after about 10 minutes I would be worrying about all of the other things I should be doing rather than messing around in the rain. Grandmas (and Grandpas) are welcome to come and entertain the LG whenever they like. The LG is currently experiencing attention deficit disorder now that she is gone.

3 - People with an Opinion
I don't really care what your opinion is, but please have one. You can change your mind later. On a related note, Portland is pretty left-wing and I don't ever see McCain posters on people's lawns, but there are plenty of proud Obama supporters. I am really impressed with a sign I pass (partially because I agree with it) that sits in the window of a house I walk by daily. "Any government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take it away." A silly-looking Obama figure is captioned with "Obamanation". I keep waiting to walk by and see a rock through the window - which I am ashamed to admit is one of the reasons I don't have a McCain poster on my own lawn. I am officially rambling now, but I think it is dangerous anytime there is too much of any one particular ideology. I felt the same when I lived in Utah. It might be what is really swaying me in favor of McCain this election year. I really respect people with unpopular opinions, even if I disagree with them. I think it is the highest form of patriotism to risk rocks through your windows or having your lawn spray painted or worse (maybe I'm just paranoid).

Political ramblings will be soon to follow in a separate posts. I know you will all be waiting on pins and needles to hear my opinion. ; )

"Oh, LG, you are getting so good at entertaining yourself!"

2008-09-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that's what I was thinking as I was wrapping up a couple of emails from the upstairs office while the LG was quietly playing downstairs. As I walked down the hallway toward his room I could see two little puddles before he made his grand appearance looking like this:

Yes, that is the seat to his peewee potty seat that he likes to wear as a hat. Apparently, he also likes to use it to scoop water out of a very full sink and pour it over his head before wearing the potty as a top hat (I'm not interested in comments from the germ gallery). Creative and comical - that's what we are chalking this little mishap up to.

I don't think I could have captured my own feelings toward the situation as well as he appears to have done in the following pictures:

"You, Mister are in BIG Trouble!"

AND

"You, Mister know how to do a mess right!"

Book Tag

2008-09-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

I was encouraged to get caught up on my summer reading by a recent tag (okay, not that recent) where you list 10 good books you have read. It sent me on a reading frenzy, so here they are in order. I tag the two Melanies, Ariana and whoever else reads who hasn't already done this. I need some more recommendations.

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen - Okay, so this one is a re-read. Whatever. Who doesn't like multiple doses of Mr. Darcy.
Atonement, Ian McEwan - I loved this book. Needless to say I wasn't a big fan of the movie in comparison. Regardless, I thought that the author did a superb job of painting believable characters. What intrigued me most was how I sympathized with all of the characters even though they all are at odds with each other at one point or another. Touching and depressing, but worth my time.
Light on Snow, Anita Shreve - This book was an easy to read, easy to understand, but not particularly enthralling, exhilarating or entertaining novel about a young girl who, when hiking in the woods with her father, stumbles across a newborn left in the snow. For as heavy as the subject matter should have been, I didn't find any of the characters or story line convincing enough to draw me in.
The Other Boleyn Girl, Phillipa Gregory - My mom lent me this one, and I was pleasantly surprised. Although it is a historical novel based on King Henry VII and the Boleyn sisters. It's pretty juicy and I'm sure that the author has taken more than a few liberties to create a very compelling story. Writing is so-so, but I would recommend this book as great airplane reading (which just happens to be where I read it).
Waiting for the Light to Change, Annette Haws - This was the weirdest book I have ever read. Not because the book itself is weird but more due to the subject matter. It was written by my debate coach in high school and is a supposedly fictional novel about a debate coach's experience, with the conflict centering around a mischievous policy debate team. It seems loosely factual rather than fictional to me, and I therefore remove myself from critiquing the actual contents of the book. Probably a particularly interesting read for anyone who graduated from my high school or who was ever involved in debate.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, Frederick Douglas - This book blew me away. I had no idea that he was such an absolutely incredible individual. If I had to recommend just one of these 10 books, this would be it. He wrote this narrative himself when just in his late 20s as an escaped and later emancipated slave. It is just a testament to my belief that there are just some people who are truly unstoppable and that putting your mind to something is a very powerful thing. Seriously, check it out.
Kim, Rudyard Kipling - This one was not an easy read, but I am now a big fan of Kipling's writing style and will probably check out some others by him. The book is set in colonial India and as I am not an avid history buff, have a terrible memory, and am an imbecile when it comes to the details of Hinduism and Buddhism, I kept having to look things up. It took me a while to get through, but the language is so rich that I really felt like I was there and was also well worth my time.
The Stranger, Albert Camus - This was a VERY bleak book with a main character who IS the stranger. It's a short read, and very interesting. I won't get into all the literary analysis about this book, but it is out there. So bizarre is the main character that I couldn't help but like him even though he is pretty detestable. Anyway. Bizarre.
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini - I became a huge fan of Hosseini's after reading the Kite Runner. I know so little about the middle east generally, and Afghanistan specifically that both of these books have been fascinating. This book, however, struck a number of powerful chords with me, probably because I am a woman. I thought it was a realistic portrayal of unbelievable conditions that the women in Afghanistan must live through, and made me so grateful that I live in a much different world. Since the beginning of time, ladies, since the beginning of time. And to think that the world I enjoy really only began changing a few decades ago in just some parts of the world is a very eye-opening reminder of how lucky I am.
Katharine Graham Autobiography - I actually just recently started this book, but can hardly put it down. Graham is the woman who ran the Washington Post after her husband committed suicide. I feel like I am reading the story that Atlas Shrugged was based on. She was right in the middle of high-society and the political goings on in Washington from such an early age that the people she is connected to, things she saw and was involved in are truly inspiring. It also helped put me on planet earth about how much I, as someone who can't currently afford maids, and nannies, and butlers, can honestly expect to accomplish in a day or even a lifetime. It reminded me that even having the time to read 10 books is a luxury for people who spend their whole day trying to put food on the table. Also a must read recommendation.

Phew.

San Francisco

2008-09-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

So I have been pretty lazy lately, and have lots of things in my head to blog about, but I should probably start off with something that will benefit my posterity. We took a trip the first week of September to San Francisco. As the whole fam (okay the LG only in utero) has been there before, we went to relax, no sightseeing involved. It was amazing, except for the drive which took about 12 hours instead of the 9 we had planned on. Not to mention that we didn't account properly for the scorching temps in the high desert in CA when we opted out of fixing our AC prior to the trip. Sweaty, sticky, crabby, cranky, poopy, and sleepy sum up those 12 hours. However, we arrived in time to grab some good Chinese food and get a good night's rest.

We stayed with my hip pushin-80-or-so-ish Aunt who lives in a sweet townhouse in "The Richmond" neighborhood - equipped with a guest suite which amply accommodated our little fam. I am really astounded at how cool my dad's sisters are. I also can't believe that all 11 of my dad's clan are still kickin'. Good genes and healthy lifestyles go a long way. Anyway, my Aunt was thrilled to let the LG drag her around in her own house by the hand and accept orders like sit, play, down, read, and walk. I thought that a lengthy explanation on the differences between dogs and people might be lost at his young age.

Here we are walking around Half Moon Bay with our friends who recently moved to SF from DC. It was a beautiful day and we were all a bit fascinated by a group of horses running along the coast. There was also tree climbing and other random horsing around.

It is also hard to pass up Muir Woods. It reminded us of the last time we were there with my nephew who was throwing tantrums disturbingly similar to those of the LG. My favorite part of the day was that it was a designated "quiet day" in the forest, so my parenting methods for handling these tantrums (i.e. strapping him in his stroller and letting him "work through" it on his own) were met with some nasty looks from passersby. I almost offered to let them take a whack at it. Go ahead, I dare you.

Another highlight was stumbling across a Steve and Barry's store near Fisherman's Wharf. There wasn't a great selection, but I did snag a couple of good finds for $8.95 a piece. The Bitten line by Sarah Jessica Parker is pretty basic but stylish. They even had some cute clothes for kids and the LG got a new pair of overalls.

Otherwise, it was a successful, relaxing getaway. I even finished a couple of books, making it possible to finally respond to a tag related to 10 good books I have read recently. Stay tuned. P.S. - please forgive my Photoshop gone awry

3 Long Years Ago........

2008-08-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today is the BK and my 3 year Anniversary. I know most of you out there have a few more years to brag about, and the BK and I are still waiting to break our own longest relationship records, but it is still a milestone and I wanted to share a couple of my favorite memories and qualities of the BK with y'all.

1 - The Wedding

Universal karma and all of that kind of stuff would probably say that a great beginning is the sign of a great journey. Nothing like riding a ski lift in a wedding dress to the top of a mountain where prince charming awaits in a meadow. Awwwww. It really was amazing, and I don't think it could have been more perfect.

2 - Humble Pie

My favorite BK quality is his willingness to say he is sorry. It is really hard to stay mad for too long at someone who genuinely acknowledges his mistakes and shows an interest in improving. I have learned a lot from him, although I still have a much longer way to go than he does.

3 - My Kind of Man

I remember telling one of my girlfriends that I would know I had found the right person when I found someone who would follow through. I found him and married him. The BK is reliable and a man of action. As a perpetual procrastinator I really appreciate how hard he works and his insistence that things get taken care of quickly. His reliability also extends into other aspects of his life, like his diet. He doesn't like to try new things - just pizza. Since there wasn't pizza in China, he chose noodles as a safe and tasty substitute.

4 - Daddy - O

Who doesn't love a man who loves his children, provides for them, changes diapers, and is willing to roll around and get dirty when mom won't. The BKs love affair with the LG started almost at first sight - those of you who have witnessed a birth will likely understand why a few minutes of shock and horror preceded the awe, wonder and adoration.

5 - Mattresses
I love that the BK always acts like he is right, even when he couldn't possibly say he KNEW something to be true. He likes to form "educated guesses" that he will then back up and defend at all costs. It can be quite amusing when he does it with people who don't know him that well and assume that because he says something with such conviction that it must really be true. For example, I might ask if he knows what makes the sunset a particular color. With a straight face he would be willing to say that it is from bird droppings and the color depends on what the birds ate that day. I guess you could say that the BK is VERY good at BS. Every assertion he makes, he is willing to go to the mattresses to defend. So am I. The difference is that I only assert when I really believe I am right - which is often, so we spend a lot of time in bed.

6 - Me Factor

My favorite thing though is that he is willing to put up with me, and seems to enjoy the challenge most of the time. The picture below is a fairly accurate representation of my mood on more occasions than I would like to admit: anytime before 8am, when it's too hot or too cold, when there's too much noise, when I'm tired, when I'm hungry, etc. The BK is pretty much a saint - not that he doesn't have his own pouty face that gets plenty of wear, but I love him for putting up with mine.

Choosing to love, and be loved by the BK has been a the ultimate adventure so far, and the qualities above are why 3 years in, and many to go, I love you BK. Thanks for getting us tickets to see Jack Johnson in concert tomorrow. Woohoo - Portland, you better do me right and keep the rain away for the evening.

Olympic Fever

2008-08-14T13:15:00.001-07:00

I'm sick. I'm very, very sick. There aren't many things that make me teary, but honestly, there is just something I absolutely love about the Olympics. I can't get enough - for the most part, but there are a few gripes I have that I need to get out.

1 - For all you complainers out there (BK - are you listening?), these are the GREATEST athletes on the planet. The BK was upset the other night that the news media was blowing Michael Phelps achievements out of proportion and that he isn't really all that. Okay, I get it, he can swim, and I agree that it isn't like he is swimming, running, biking, playing basketball, soccer, etc. for each of those gold medals, but seriously, this is one of those situations where I think if you can't find anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, or at least bring home one gold medal of your own before you say one unkind word. (PS - I love this pic because he totally looks like a frog).

2 - China has done a phenomenal job with these games. Sure there have been some minor mishaps, like pulling the original singer, planting a cuter body double and playing it off in front of the whole world. Not condoning, just commenting that the only difference here is that we just don't let people sing at all if they are unattractive. I don't want to post of pic of the girls involved, so I am posting a pic that I like.

3 - The US women's gymnastics team blew it. I'm not saying they would have won the gold if Sacramone would have performed well, but at least they wouldn't have lost by a landslide. That said, I find it really annoying that the press seems to be trying to overshadow this loss by raising suspicion about the actual age of the Chinese gymnasts. Lame. Sure they look like they are small enough to be mingling with the Pre-K crowd, but even so, shouldn't that make it more embarrassing that the US team with international experience couldn't pull it together?4 - As for women's volleyball (I REALLY wish NBC would do at least some replays of soccer - men's or women's, I am not that picky), could these women put some clothes on? Seriously. Yup, we get it, you have great bodies, but this is the Olympics, could we set the sex aside just once? In the pic below, can you honestly justify the bikini as practical sportswear? These guys need a shower after every play more than the divers if you ask me.5 - NBC's coverage is terrible. I have never seen so many commercials, and I feel very strongly that the winner of the bid to air them should be required to show the Olympics 24-7. Are Oprah reruns and soaps really more important? It's 2 weeks, and I am sure that they pull in plenty of money from sponsors who would still pay top dollar for commercial slots.

Mosaic

2008-08-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

I've chosen to be tagged (I am still trying to get in enough good books to do another one). The above mosaic is the result of me answering a few questions. For those of you interested in doing the same, a full explanation of how to create your own is at the bottom, and leave a comment letting me know if you plan to do one.

1. What is your first name? (Jenn)

2. What is your favorite food? (oatmeal cookies)

3. What high school did you attend? (Logan)

4. What is your favorite color? (blue)

5. Who is your celebrity crush? (Ashton Kutcher - in What Happens in Vegas)
6. Favorite drink? (sparkling lemonade)
7. Dream vacation? (Africa)
8. Favorite dessert? (oatmeal cookies)

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (wise)
10. What do you love most in life? (love)
11. One word to describe you. (chameleon)
12. Your Flickr name. (email****)

If you want to play too, type your answer to each of the questions into a Flickr search. Using only the first page, choose your favorite image, then copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker (3 columns, 4 rows).

Girls Camp

2008-08-08T11:19:00.001-07:00

So I just returned from spending the night at girls camp as an adult. Gaggling girls and lots of drama seem to be a consistent element of girls camp throughout the years, but it was nice to bring all the repressed memories from my youth to the surface. Lots of bugs, substandard sleeping facilities, giggling, singing, crafts, and substandard restrooms were par for the course. Luckily it was just one night. I was quite impressed with the creativity of some of the YW in our ward, and thought this Fresh Prince reprisal was rather amusing. Brought to you by the creative minds of the Diva and Ducky.

Keeping Portland Weird: Bow Staffs & Rodeos

2008-08-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

I realize there are weird people in Portland, most of whom are proud to be called such, but sometimes, you just have to wonder. The LG and I were walking on somewhat secluded trail at Mt. Tabor park the other day, when out of nowhere a man in a robe with a bow staff suddenly appears on the trail. Yoda he wasn't, weird and scary he was. As he slithers toward us I have images of him weilding his bowstaff to fling us off the ravine and into the woods. I pick up the pace a bit, put on my "I'm not as nice as I look" face and pass him as he slowly leans against a nearby tree and folds his arms over the bowstaff. I would have taken a picture, but I thought that would have only gotten me closer to flying through the air.

Speaking of flying through the air, we decided to go to the Clark County Fair to see the rodeo. The BK has never been to a rodeo and was quite skeptical, but oh how I love me some rodeo so he conceded and we took a little jaunt north for some good cowboy fun. Tight jeans, muffin tops, wife beater tees, popcorn, funnel cake, horses, cowboy hats, shiny things that go on peoples pants, carnival rides, skinny long-legged teenagers with fake tans. These are some of my favorite things. Truly, however, one of my favorite things is mutton-busting. If you don't know what this is, you should google it and watch some videos - with some Depends nearby. Even the BK, who can be a tough audience sometimes, was laughing like he did before we got married and had a baby. He couldn't get enough, and we all had a great time watching grown men place their manhood on the back of a 2 ton animal that is irritable and bred to have bad manners. Good times.

He Peed! And Other Dirty Topics

2008-07-27T09:25:00.001-07:00

It's official, we are now on the path to potty training. This morning he said poopoo, we walked to the bathroom, he sat on mini me potty and peed. Do I care that there wasn't any poop? Nope. Not one bit. Previously, the mini me potty caused a wee bit of trepidation, not this morning. He had on his game face, and was ready to let loose. I realize that it could be a year before I post another similar success, but I will take what I can get.

On to other dirty topics. I can't believe I made it through life as long as I did without knowing about the miracles of OxyClean, but we used it on our beautiful white couch (it has removable covers) that we had to cut apart (the couch, not the covers) yesterday in order to finally move it from the LGs room where it had been sitting since we moved into the basement where it belonged and wouldn't fit. That was fun. But thanks to OC, it is clean, good smelling, and ready to get dirty again from us molesting it with our dirty feet, food, sweaty bodies, baby bodily fluids. Eeeww.

Finally, I can't believe I haven't posted about this yet, but a month or so ago, I received a box from Sabon in the mail. For those of you who are just now joining the P Pod, or have forgotten, this is the company that makes the most luxurious and divine smelling salt scrub that I absolutely covet. Who was it from? I almost didn't care about that, only that miraculously, here it was on my doorstep! My mother-in-law, ohhhhhhhhh I will love her FOREVER! I didn't even think that Sabon shipped it in the mail so I had been saving the remaining amounts of my only jar on a high shelf where I would only look and worship from afar. It would be too much to bear if I was left entirely without any. This whole scenario is bringing to mind thoughts of a Seinfeld episode where Elaine begins to hoard a particular type of birth control that will no longer be available. Anyway, with a fresh jar of Apple Lavender Salt Scrub now available, I happily used the remainder to my heart's delight. Oh, to be clean, smooth and good smelling all at the same time.

Sweet Ride

2008-07-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

We have become suddenly envious of all the bikers in Portland who tote their toddlers around in little pods behind their bikes. The BK got so excited he overlooked the fact that a pod should probably be a precursor to a helmet. Not in this family! By golly, we must have helmets, and helmets we now have!!! We also now have a bike for the LG which I picked up from the garage of a good friend for $10 (still no pod - or a bike for me incidentally). We don't do baby things in our family - we jump straight from sit-on-my-back-and-honk-me Mater to a bicycle. Brilliant. Aside from finding him standing with both feet on the seat and his fanny way up high in the air, I have done a pretty good job of closely supervising to prevent imminent disaster. I had to remind the BK that the LG isn't even 2.

First, please don't notice the pile of bushery sitting on our deck. We are excusing ourselves for the next year from any culpability with regard to the state of affairs in the jungle. Secondly, don't notice the fact that I am wearing smurf blue socks with gold shoes because what I really wanted to highlight are a few interesting tidbits regarding the helmet so I am providing a closer head shot below.

TIDBITS:
1- The LG has a HUGE head - inherited from his mother I am afraid. The toddler size was too small. I like to think it is because he has a big boy brain.
2- Adding to the already enormous circumference of big head can have severe effects on equilibrium such as running your mushroom into the refrigerator, couch, chairs, piano, etc. Luckily the helmet actually works.
3- Helmets can really mess with your yoga routine. Getting that noggin out of a downward dog position with a helmet on, particularly for a toddler, is practically impossible.
4- The new look of this somewhat permanent attachment (he would probably sleep with it on if I let him although I can't think it would be very comfy) constantly brings to mind quotes from So I Married an Ax Murderer.
5- "Head. Move. Now."

Faded Paper Figures

2008-07-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

I don't profess to be any type of music critic, or into anything hip or artsy that qualifies this next recommendation, but I just really like this music. The band is Faded Paper Figures and you can check them out on their website. As a side note as to how I found them, a long lost highschool friend, who has a great blog which is hip and artsy, is married to one of the band members. I just love it when people do what they want and love to do. I really admire all of the work it must take to put all of your creativity into such a HUGE project like an album. I'm also VERY envious of that level of creativity. It seems I am surrounded by super creative folk, and yet not much has rubbed off yet.... don't worry, I plan to keep trying to get dirty.

Mistaken Identity

2008-07-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I was doing a bit of blog admin - mostly checking out who checks out my blog - when I discovered that the P Pod has an interesting medical reference which led at least one lucky reader to my site. Not sure I would have changed my mind on naming my blog the Mega P Pod, but I certainly would have been making fun of myself long before now.

PPOD
Pelvic pain and organic dysfunction (PPOD), is the phrase given to a disorder characterized by various combinations of symptoms of pelvic pain and disorders of bladder, bowel, gynecologic and sexual function. Mechanically Induced PPOD Syndrome is a commonly overlooked cause of these disorders. For more information, click here www.ppodsyndrome.com

Apologies to any of you who were hoping to relieve your pain when you checked out the site, and shame on those of you who were aware of this comical mishap who left me in the dark all this time. Hopefully, this doesn't become a symptom experienced by loyal readers.

Peectures and Bonk-a-Bonks

2008-07-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

The LG is growing like a weed - a good smelling (mostly), good looking, and good-natured (mostly) weed. He has done a couple of silly things the past couple of weeks that I think are worth a mention.Since we are still living in chaos, a lot of random things are lying around, like my cowboy hat I bought on impulse and have worn only once, and a soup can. The LG LOVES hats of any sort (as well as my shoes, handbags and makeup - which the BK is very disapproving of and counteracts by letting the LG stand dangerously on the toilet while watching him shave and do other "manly" things). The other day the LG disappears into my bedroom only to reappear wearing the hat. He grabs me by the hand and leads me to the fireplace, points with his very firm pointer finger, and starts demanding a "peecture" from the camera that is sitting on the mantle. Here you go LG, this one's for you.

Additionally, he has started re-enacting accidents. Apparently, as an only child, he feels he is still starved for attention and needs that extra little bit of assurance that we still live, breathe, and suffer under his tyrannical reign as supreme dictator. The most recent performance occurred after he tripped over the fireplace seen in the picture above and gently bonked his head on the rug. The BK, not yet having experienced a dramatic episode was in for a treat. After coddling him from the accident that didn't produce a single real tear, I told the BK to pay close attention for the next act. The LG then started loudly dictating (in a language that I still haven't figured out) the scene. More pointing at the fireplace (apparently the villain in this story), walks over to the spot where he bonked his head, assumes the downward dog position, and turns his head with big pouty eyes to make sure we are watching as he sadly says, "a bonk a bonk". He then stands up and giggles. At least he isn't taking himself too seriously.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Maybe it is because it is an election year, or my recent jaunt back to DC, but I am feeling a particular love of country this year. I know most people love their countries, like I will always love and be loyal on some level to the Utah State Aggies (unless they are playing the Utes), but to me there is something different about loving America. It isn't just where I was born, or live, or the people I identify with, but to me America is about ideas, really really good ideas, established by brilliant men who were willling to defend those ideas even above their own lives. I like to think that many, if not most, of the soldiers who have died for this country died in defence of those ideas, not a piece of land or a particular border. The very fact that we can make fun of our President, or protest on his front lawn without being shot is really something if you look at the rest of the world. I am grateful to live in a country where things take time, and while many of us complain that things don't happen quickly enough, we aren't upset enough to overthrow our government, or stage military coups. I LOVE AMERICA, and am grateful to all the men and women who defend our country, as well as the ideas that it was founded on.

To celebrate we went out to the coast with two other families who have all boys. There were 8 young men (including the LG), 3 grown men, and plenty of testosterone to help build fires, build mud huts, splash in the water, and light off a few of our own explosions before watching the local yocal fireworks on the beach in Manzanita on the Oregon Coast. Beautiful, and pleasantly cool with our raging bonfire.

Stench

2008-06-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

I am just warning you all that this story is a rather disgusting one, so read on at your own risk. I need to post it to get it out of my head. I am currently working on painting the kitchen cabinets for a short term fix on a much bigger project that we will be dealing with at a later date. The other night I was cleaning out the cupboards and moving some things onto shelves, and put some boxes on one of the top shelves in the kitchen. As I am going about my business I notice that the stench I caught wind of every now and then (and thought was something in the freezer) was much more pungent. The kitchen isn't that big so it didn't take long to locate the general area emanating something putrid. As I got on the step ladder to peer into the upper cabinet I see a pool of blackish liquid that has dripped down from the shelf above where I had placed the boxes. I muster all available courage to take the boxes (without looking up there) off the shelf. Dark liquid is beyond smelly and all over the bottom of the box. I decide I must take a look. As I peek up over the shelf I see a brownish, hairy mass and practically fall off the ladder.

As I contemplate shrieking at the top of my lungs, I think of the LG quietly sleeping in the next room, and the BK who would have already been shrieking at this point, and decide that someone has to be the adult. I collect myself for one more peek and step slowly up the ladder. There, lying on the top shelf is the smelliest rotten potato (with roots growing suspiciously like hair) I have ever seen or whiffed. The aroma almost nearly made me pass out on the way to the trash can. On the bright side, this story doesn't end with me shrieking, waking the LG, calling exterminators, and putting the house on the market the very next day. Below is a pic of the kitchen with after shots to hopefully follow next week. And yes, I will post pictures of the interior one of these days.

Welcome to the Jungle

2008-06-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

We bought a house. Enough explanation as to why I haven't had time for anything else. I should mention that it is located on a corner, in the city of Portland (as opposed to out in the burbs somewhere), and it is in a jungle. One of the neighbors told us they think the reason the house was priced so well was because of all the overgrown shrubbery that had taken over. When we first looked at the backyard, we couldn't see the sky through the trees. Too bad I didn't take pictures of that. The house is an old bungalow circa 1920s which is in pretty good shape on the inside. Now that we are done painting and putting in new carpet in the upstairs and basement, I have a bit of time to breathe before packing and moving. Below are some before and after shots of Saturday in the yard. Poor BK out there with a chainsaw all day. I wish I had a picture of him cutting down one of the bushes. It looked like he was playing twister and that his left leg was going to lose to the chainsaw. Luckily the only mishaps included a run in with a power line by the driver of the truck dropping off our yellow bin, and them later calling the BK in the middle of the workday to say that all the refuse had to be at "bin level". That might have been nice to know beforehand. BK had to come home from work to stomp on the bushes that were poking out. Nice.

FRONT YARD BEFORE - Notice the big tall trees next to the house blocking all sunlight.

Notice big yellow bin awaiting its lunch.

Notice the house (if you can) and the bushes already poking out of the bin.

Ah, no more big, ugly trees. Notice ugly bushes lined neatly in a row.

Bye, bye bushes. So nice to see you little house. Now on to dressing you properly. That should only take all summer, probably fall, and next summer. Sometimes being naked is SO much better than being dressed.

Mountain Men

2008-06-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yup, I've got me on of 'em. This past weekend, the BK scaled Mt. Hood. They left at 1am so that the snow would be nice and cold - less risk of avalanche - and made it back down by around 10am. This is his 4th or 5th such adventure. I think he has dreams of climbing Everest. Admirable and insane. I'm just glad that for now he is sticking with more "local" climbs. He did sweetly tell me that he thought Mt. Hood was a climb I could do. I thanked him, but added that if I liked being cold and wet, I would have spent more time skiing. You should see his poor, cracked, bleeding hands. Anyway, the pictures are amazing, so enjoy.

Grand Parentals

2008-06-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Now that I have a child, the only real vacation I have had (other than a weekend getaway to NYC and a soon to be trip to DC that don't include the LG) are those that involve grandparents who are happy to play, eat, walk, bathe, and otherwise entertain the LG. We had a great and busy time in Logan. Grandma and Grandpa were busy preparing to leave on a mission, and my niece was married. The BK was even able to come out over the long weekend, although I am not sure he liked his return trip much which involved driving the beat up Pathfinder back to Oregon. To say the Pathfinder is old and temperamental doesn't quite do it justice. Any of you who know my dad, however, and his previous choice in vehicles should have a pretty clear idea.

Some of the highlights from our trip include the LG spending a lot of quality time with his grandparents:

Lots of posing for pictures in Grandma's living room. My mom LOVES to pose for pictures. Hence, you can track our family history as we age in photos from the EXACT same spot in the house. The chair pose or the piano pose. Here is one of each for your enjoyment:

The LG also enjoyed teaching a few tricks to grandma and his cousins. The first picture is of him teaching Grandma to ride the tricycle. He was very adamant that she sit on it as he pointed his finger at her and yelled things that only a toddler can understand. The second is of the cousins "listening for earthquakes". This all started when the LG kept laying down on the sidewalk and his older cousin decided that the only reasonable explanation for that type of behavior was that he was listening for earthquakes. If you look closely you will see his other cousin holding out his ears to improve the audio. You might be startled to learn that they heard one.

Finally, the LG had many opportunities to practice his newest face - the Stinkeye. This photo hardly expresses the squinchiness of his eyebrows and the anger in his face when he does it, but it gives you a good idea. Luckily it is almost always followed by a lot of giggling.

A Little R&R

2008-05-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

We all just returned from a marvelous break to Arizona to meet up with friends, see some family, and do a whole lot of nothing. You know a vacation is good when it feels like you were gone 2 weeks, even though you were only gone 5 days. We were in Sedona, which was amazing, scenic, relaxing and the weather was fabulous and dry! We also didn't realize until we got there that we had almost forgotten what a blue sky and bright sun actually feel like. It was so nice to get away, and a much needed vacation. We are all feeling 100% better.

The BK took the LG on a little hike. I say little because the LG ran his poor little face into the ground not long after the hike began, quickly calling the "hike to a halt. A few before and after pictures:

The LG also got to rekindle his flame with his BFF. It was so great to see some of our best friends from DC and hang out like we used to.

As you will see above, I had a debacle with my contact lenses the morning we were leaving, so I was disappointed to have to wear my glasses the whole time, particularly since I was hoping to get a nice pair of shades, but it seems useless until I get my eyeballs fixed. I also got a massage, a nice reward for Mother's Day. Count your blessings that I am not posting photos of that. Another highlight, was that they were all out of compact cars at the rental place, so we got a free upgrade. We chose the Nissan Murano, which I was quite happy with. Gotta love a freebie. Speaking of car rentals, as we were waiting in line, the woman in front of us looks at the LG and says, "Oh, he's so cute. I just drove past an accident where a little boy about his age was thrown out the windshield." EXCUSE ME? ARE YOU KIDDING? Who says that? I didn't ask if the kid was in a car seat, but after recovering from her complete lack of tact, it made for good consolation that we do use a car seat, and that neither the BK or myself would EVER make such a ridiculous statement.

Finally, we drove to Tucson to visit the BK's 98 year old grandmother, and to visit other family. Always a pleasure to hang out with people who have to love you, or at least pretend like they do! Here's a pic of the view from grammy's back porch. Amazing. We're off to Utah Wednesday for more R&R which we can't seem to get enough of, and to see Gma and Gpa before they ship out on their mission to New Hampshire.

Saying Goodbye

2008-05-05T20:40:00.001-07:00

Part of the drawback to blogging is that once information is out there, it is out there. The BK and I were so excited to announce our news about #2, after what we thought was a reasonable confirmation from my doctor. A few misunderstandings, and one very rough week later, we are heartbroken to announce that this is not a pregnancy that was meant to be.

Typically, this is just the type of event in my life that I prefer to keep to myself. I have learned many things, however, through this experience that have made me extremely grateful that I was forced to share it with quite a few people. I have learned that many of my friends and family have also experienced similar or much more difficult losses. I have been reminded that people are kind and compassionate and willing to do just about anything in their power to make me and the BK feel better. I have learned that women, including myself, often bear unbearable things with courage and resolve and faith. Thank you to all of you who have already shared your own stories with me. It does help, not with grieving the loss, but with the other grief which creeps in when thinking that there is something wrong with me. It helps to understand that this is a fairly normal, but very difficult part of building a family.

More than anything, it has made me more grateful for every moment with the LG. What a blessing it is to have even one beautiful child to keep us laughing, working, and getting out of bed even when we don't want to. The day I found out, the BK came home to take care of us, and I decided that what I needed was a very long nap. As the BK was dressing the LG to take him to the park, the LG escaped to run in and give me a very soft and sweet kiss (a virtual unknown for me previous to this time), he then turned and ran to the door only to turn right back around and give me one more.

What a beautiful life this is. Hard, but beautiful. It is quite something to feel the love of so many people. I am always amazed, particularly by women, and their ability to comfort, serve and bounce back. A special thanks to the BK who is my rock, and who makes life better always, particularly when things get messy.

DMV

2008-04-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the BK, LG and I, all decided to take a trip to the DMV to get Oregon Driver's licenses. Risky? Definitely, but we left early enough and figured we would leave if the lines were too hairy and brought lots of food to keep the LG quiet. We are both required to take a "knowledge test" before we can get the licenses, and due to my laziness over the years, I have 3 different names listed on my passport, SS card, and Driver's license. It's complicated, and the line turned out to be the least of our worries. We laughed our way through the line by reading the "study" manual, from which I have taken a few of the following excerpts:

1 - Drinking Myth #1 - "I drive better after a few drinks." Okay, come on, is this really even a myth, would anyone who is sober really give this as an argument?

3 - Drinking Myth #2 - "I don't mind riding with Joe after he's been drinking. He can really hold his liquor". If you ask me, you should send this guy home with Joe and just hope that they only remove themselves from the gene pool.

3 - "The importance of vision to driving is obvious." Apparently not so obvious that they couldn't leave this out.

4 - Hood Flies Up - Brake smoothly ease onto the shoulder, and stop. Thanks.

5 - "Although drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, pedestrians must not suddenly leave a curb or other safe waiting place and walk into the path of a vehicle....Vehicles cannot stop instantly."

6 - "You may pass on the right only when there is room ahead on the road." You mean to tell me that if there is a semitrailer in the right lane, I can't drive underneath. Come on. That totally has to be legal.

You might be thinking that this is a knowledge test for dummies, which, it may be, but I should also share at this point that the BK failed the test and he is no dummy. I, was unable to take the test at all (thus spared the humiliation that would likely have ensued), as (surprise, surprise) I hadn't brought along enough verification to prove that my hodgepodge of alternate identities were actually me.

So, let's be honest, how many of you drivers out there would answer the following correctly:

1 - When stopped at a red light on a two-lane road, it is legal to: A) turn right after coming to a complete stop; B) turn left onto a one-way road after coming to a complete stop; C) Proceed through the intersection after coming to a complete stop and checking for traffic; D) A & B; or E) All of the above. The answer is D. Yes, in Oregon, it is apparently legal to make a left turn onto a one way street, even through oncoming traffic.

2 - A Class C driver's license allows you to drive the following vehicles in the State of Oregon: A) Passenger vehicles including cars, trucks and recreational vehicles for personal use; B) Passenger vehicles, recreational vehicles and fire or emergency vehicles; C) Passenger vehicles and motorcycles; D) School buses. The answer is B. I've always wanted to drive a fire truck. Here's my chance.

I don't want to get into the rest (since there are probably quite a few others), but it was humbling, and sort of amusing that after being there for an hour (not bad), all we (two grown adults with Master's degrees) walked out of there with was a lighter wallet ($5 for the BK to take the test). I guess we are just lucky they didn't revoke our Virginia licenses on the spot and call us a cab.

News Release: #2 has Entered the Building

2008-04-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

So, for all of my faithful readers who I know have had a hard time lately with my absence and lame blogging, I am officially ready to announce that I am pregnant with #2. Yup, it's exciting. Now that I have that statement out of the way, let me just say that I already feel sorry for the second child. With the LG it was all about the experience, it was all new, some very creepy, but it was an exciting experience. Now that I have already been through it once, it is all about the baby (not the pregnancy), and the baby doesn't even get here for another 6 months or so. So yup, there it is. Around Nov 8th, there will be another baby joining the BKs powerhouse. The baby will also need an alias, so I am taking suggestions starting now, this could be more important than the baby's actual name.

News Release #2: Maternal GMA and GPA head to Manchester, NH to Serve an LDS Mission!!!

More excitement. Although I was secretly hoping they would be going somewhere exotic where I could take a vacation, like Ghana, Costa Rica, Thailand, or Brazil, I am honestly just thrilled that they are going. It's about time. I could use a few more blessings as a result of the righteousness of my parentals. We will certainly miss them, but as one of the BKs favorite icy mountains is also in NH, I'm sure we will find a few excuses to make it out to see them, even with dos bambinos in tow.

Mega P. Pod

It's a Preschool Christmas Singalong

5 Short Years

Halloween

Disneyland!!!

LGisms

Potty Words

Trying Times

Blessings

Shake Up

Happy 2 Little Roo

Lucky Charms

January February March

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Baby

Homecoming

Happy Holidays

Jimminy Cricket.. I Mean Cockroach

Happy Days

Blue Skies

Laundry

Starting Places

Art Auction

Lotteries and Dreaming Big

Adventures in Babysitting

Summer Update

Fa What?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Potty Mouth

Scrubs

Tact

Lovely Locks

Goodbye Saturdays, Hello Soccer

TrainerMomma & Good Days

Out of the Loop

Daytime Television and other random thoughts

Welcome To TEXAS! (A pep talk to myself)

Fly Me to the Moon

Face Time

New Year

Oh boy....

Checker

3 Years

It Came to Pass...

Welcome Home Grandma & Grandpa!!!

Be Sure to Check Your Smoke Alarms

Triathlon

Things that make me say hmmmmmmmm.

Holy Crap.....It's a bird...It's a plane....No, it's a humanoid.

Blessings

Trying New Things

Summer

New Adventures

Summer Fun Part II

Summer Fun

Critters

Last Post From Portland (maybe)

Learning the Ropes

Love, Love, Love

Nesting

DIY Lessons

Comings and Goings

Random Rumblings

And On and On and On

Road Tripping With a Toddler

Family Jewels

First Time?

Anytime My Love

Puddles of Troubles

Merry Christmas, and other out of date announcements...

Tweens vs. Thirty-Somethings

Thanksgiving

Happy Birthday Baby

Happy Halloweeneeee

Tags

Prodigious

Mayhem

Late Night Memos

Gratitude Soapbox

"Oh, LG, you are getting so good at entertaining yourself!"