The Freak Show

I don't think that we have an unusually large family. So why is it that on occasion I feel like people are gawking at me?

I went to Kroger last Thursday--they have their 10 for $10 going on right now. A sale we don't like to miss. So I went and stocked up on a goldfish, bread, milk, some mango's and a couple other things (10 of each). When I got to the check-out you'd have thought I grew a second head! I've decided that teen-age checkers need to take a politeness seminar.

Anyway, 10 loaves of bread, 10 bags of goldfish and 10 half gallons of milk are apparently a shocking sight.

On Monday I had to pick up our prescriptions for the month. We are a pharmacists dream--or nightmare. I had several to pick up--not even to whole amount we usually get. The guy got them all for me and laid them on the counter and this girl walks by and says, "Whoa! What's all this?" He explained it was mine...but every time she walked by she'd giggle. Is she not used to seeing sick people? She works in a pharmacy for heaven's sake!

Well, today was the last day for the 10 for $10, so I went back and got some more goldfish and milk...just to keep us stocked for a while. And we went through the whole thing again!

Happy Birthday Mom & Ryan!!

So I'm a little late wishing Ryan a Happy Birthday...

Here are 6 things we love about Ryan! (I can't believe you're 6!)

1. "He is my bestest friend!!" (a direct quote from Luke)
2. He's not afraid of anything.
3. His laugh makes me laugh.
4. He is not demanding at all--NOT!
5. He is always full of energy!
6. He is a fighter and the bravest boy I know.

Now My Mom who's celebrating today.

We'll just stick with 6 things here--not that we can't think of as many as you are old, but 6 works today!

1. Seth: She plays letters and numbers with me.
2. Luke: She has cool stuff.
3. Jonah: She's nice.
4. Rachel: She's fun to talk to.
5. Jared: She has always me feel like an important part of the family.
6. Becky: She is the best mom ever! Growing up my dad was gone quite a bit for church and work and I don't ever remember hearing her complain. She is kind and happy. She has always been supportive of me in all I do--even driving me 30+ minutes so I could continue taking ballet from my teacher who moved. She is so giving and does so little for herself. She is the most talented seamstress.

She does more crazy things than most mom's. Her 100 things to do before I die list includes (and she has completed--which doesn't mean she's good to go by any means!) a helicopter ride, a hot air balloon ride (we did for her birthday when I was in high school), a small plane ride, riding on the Zamboni (which she did last year--I think--at half-time during a Grizzlies game for her birthday) and para-sailing which she did on our cruise to the Bahama's for Thanksgiving 2005!

She (and Jeanie--Noelle's mom) also used to go toilet papering with us and is the only person I know who would take the time to tie a decorative bow on someones mailbox with toilet paper. I love you mom!!

Happy be-lated Cade and David!

Boy it's amazing how these birthday wishes have snowballed today! It's a bit late BUT...

David is 5! (on the 24th)

1. He has such a tender heart.
2. He is so fun to be around.
3. He calls me on occasion just to chat and let me know I need to come visit again.
4. He's a lot like his dad!
5. He's a great big brother and cousin!!

Cade--Happy 7th Birthday on the 10th!!

1. Cade was our first cousin!! We are so glad you came!
2. He and Jonah are good buddies.
3. He is an awesome snowboarder--so I hear from his dad!
4. He is a good sharer. (is that a word?)
5. He is fun to hang out with.
6. He is very clever.
7. He is a great boy!

We love you both!

Read this!

Oh, that we can all be this resilient!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16866547/?GT1=8921

More on Idiosyncrasies...

With all this talk about idiosyncrasies I've been noticing things about me and my family. The most concerning one to me is Seth. He's always had this thing with spills. He won't sit at a spot at the table if there is any sort of gunk there. He'll get a towel and wipe it up, but refuses to be anywhere near "ickies" as he calls them. This has been going on for about a year or so.

It has escalated a bit in the last month. Now it's his hands. If he eats something and has food reminant on them, or writes on his hands with marker--which happens daily--he will make fists and won't open his hands to touch anything. This is fabulous because I'm changing my clothes a lot less during the day. But I have to day I'm a bit concerned that 1) he's a boy and 2) he's a 2 year old boy.

Have my anxieties of cleanliness rubbed off on him in our time alone at home? I'm hoping he grows out of it. When I see him with the "fists" I will help him wash his hands so he can be released from the ickies and have use of his digits--which I find come in very handy. He is pretty resourceful with the fists though. It doesn't stop him from dong anything.

For now we'll let it go. The task at hand is getting Luke to stop sucking his thumb. Years ago I asked the pediatrician what to do. Her advice was to let it go--that it would remidy itself when he entered school. I think this may have been the case except because his medication makes him so tired he's sleeping and resting a lot more and I almost think it has gotten a bit worse. Last night in his prayers he prayed that he could stop sucking his thumb. He's such a sweet boy.

Jared was a pinch hitter yesterday in Sacrament Meeting. Apparently they forgot to ask anyone to speak, and grabbed Jared about 10 minutes before the meeting and gave him the mic and whatever topic he wanted. He spoke on the Strength of the Youth and how its guidlines will protect us from the destroying angel like the blood on the door protected the Israelites in the Passover (Exodus 12-if you want to read). He did a great job.

HAve a great day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE!!!

We have been on a countdown for Sophie's birthday for some time. She is a celebrity in our home. I've told the Pearson's that if they ever decide she's too much trouble that we'll take her off their hands. Anyway, we hope you have a great day and good luck being 10!!!

We Love You!

This is what we found under our bed...

Seth has this thing with clementines. He would eat a dozen a day if I'd let him. He likes to try to juggle them...and sometimes he tries apples. (that is Jared's fault)

So last night I noticed that the fruit bowl was missing all the clementines. After exhausting all possibilities of where they would've gone I had Jared check under the bed. Sure enough there they were. I wonder if he would've remembered?


We discovered at dinner last night that Jared and Luke were twins. Minus the toothpaste and Cheetos Luke added to his shirt during the day.

Poor Jonah...

has not been feeling well this week. He's got a cold of sorts, but it has wiped him out. I took him to the doctor yesterday...Seth was at pre-school...so it was just Jonah and me. We had a good time together. Jonah has to take a back seat a lot of the time because all of his siblings either have medical issues or two-year-old issues. He is a patient kid, but I can tell it's getting to him.

After the appointment I decided to not take him back to school. He needed some rest anyway, and without Seth around it was nice and quiet. After he rested for a while we worked on his homework and finished his Extra-Credit Science Project. He did a great job. It was fun to spend some time with him.

When Rachel got home she could hardly stand it and needed to make a weather booklet of her own. She had all of her illustrations done and the outline of her book written before Jonah finished one page...it is painful to work on projects with him. I'm not sure what she is going to do with her booklet. Just keep it as a reference book I guess. The other day she said to me, "I think in my spare time I'd like to start writing biographies. I've got a Amelia Earhart timeline I've been working on." She is also on Chapter 2 of a novel she is writing and is determined to have published before her 15th birthday. The whole Eragon thing did that for her. I say best of luck!

♪ "Sunny days...keepin' the clouds away..."

After more rainy days than even I can stand...we have sun. The ground is so saturated that even though it hasn't rained for two days it is soggy and I keep hitting mud pockets which cause me to slip and do a dance which I believe my neighbors are starting to think is strange Mormon ritual before getting into your car. It's no wonder we are so mis-understood.

I've decided that my last few posts were too lengthy. Even I am bored by them. It think it all stemmed from a) being stuck in the house for days on end because of the rain and b) having so many things I needed to do, but didn't want to do so I posted instead squandering my time away.

I apologize. I've decided that since I have many events from the past few days to record, I will do it in smaller segments and then you can pick and choose which you want to read, or do them all at your own pace. Whatever works for you. Good luck.

Whew!

So...she just wanted to see if I could help out with some church stuff. I don't know why I am so paranoid. The funny thing is that when she came she started out by saying, "You probably got off the phone and were wondering why I would want to come visit with you!" My response was, "Oh, No. I was so excited for the chance to catch up." I'm such a liar! So until next time...

A mystery...

So I just got home and checked the messages. There was a message from a woman in the ward asking if I would call her. Now, this is a woman with whom I don't have a lot of contact. She is a nice person, we just don't find ourselves in the same social circles. We have not had the opportunity to serve with each other in any capacity at church. She is someone who--if I were to walk into a room and there was an empty seat next to her, I would take it and see how she and her family are faring. Basically...we see each other every Sunday--smile and that's about it.

So I called her. She proceeded to ask me if I had about a half hour this afternoon that she could come and "visit" with me. We worked out a time and hung up. She did not give any indication as to why she wanted to come "visit". So now my paranoid self is frantically cleaning up...I even started cleaning off Jared's dresser in our closet and then realized we probably wouldn't be meeting in the closet. So I aborted that project.

Why would she want to come "visit"? Is she feeling like she needs to get to know me better? Did I do something that offended her? Or did I NOT do something that offended her? I'm feeling nervous about the whole thing.

I hope that she is coming to me for some sort of random medical thing--I get lots of diabetes inquirers. Maybe someone in her family has taken ill and she has a question. I would be sad if this were the case but relieved for MY case.

Anyway, I've got to finish tidying up. If all goes well and she is not here to rant and rave at me for my family's behavior then I'll let you know what this is all about. If I get a tongue lashing...I may just keep it to myself.

Today's Trivia...

Rachel asked me:

"See if you can guess what my favorite battle in the Texas Revolution is!"

Since I didn't know the names of many battles in the Texas Revolution it was a short lived game. The answer was (drum roll) "Come and Get It".

She makes me laugh. I have to say, I am excited that she is developing a love for history. While my dream to be a High School History teacher will probably never come to pass...at least she and I can enjoy learning together!

We love this kind of stuff...

Check out this video about a shark found in Japan that dates back like 50 million years...

Shark Video


It's pretty cool.

What is wrong with this picture?

Any mom will certainly notice right off that someone has lazily deposited an empty pitcher in my refrigerator. (And we need more eggs.)

Now I have to say I have been known to put the milk in the pantry by mistake or even put the cereal box in the refrigerator--but it's generally because the people I live with are shouting out orders so fast I feel like Beetlejuice with my head spinning around in circles. So yes, my mistakes are justified.

I am often heard saying, "I'm the mom NOT the maid." That is my motto--but it would probably be better received if we had a maid and everyone could actually see the difference. I'll work on that.

I haven't told of this weeks folly yet...

Picture this: 15 minutes before we need to leave for church. I'm still far from being ready, the kids are dressed, but have not been fed any sort of a snack to sustain them until 2:00--the downside of 11:00 church.

Seth comes walking out of my closet with a 10 pound weight--the disc kind that goes on the end of Jared's barbells. I'm running to him (it feels like in slow motion) and he drops it(edge side not the flat side) on the top of his foot. He screams, the foot swells and turns purple. Jared is at a meeting and I'm realizing that he and I both have teaching assignments in an hour--not enough time to make a trip to the ER.

I made the executive decision not to take him in. He didn't want anyone to touch it, but within minutes he was running around the house so I decided we could wait until Monday--and save about 5 hours in an ER (not to mention the $100 co-pay) when we all know they would have taken an x-ray and told me to take him to a specialist on Monday.

So that is what I did. I took him to a orthopedic surgeon who is in our Stake and who we've been trying to get together for a BBQ with for about 6 months. He's a young guy, and his, now 4 year old, son was diagnosed with Type 1 last April. So I finally got to meet him and I'm looking forward to meeting his wife sometime soon.

Anyway, Seth's foot was fine. The x-ray was a nightmare. I couldn't hold him by myself, so the x-ray tech got the receptionist to come and push the button while he helped me hold him down. That kid is the Incredible Hulk. We really could have used another person, but there was no one available. The poor guy--the tech not Seth--Seth was pushing his head away and screaming "Stop it guy! Stop it guy!"

It reminded me of a time when Rachel was not quite 2 and I was pregnant with Jonah. She spiked a fever of 105.5!! We took her to the ER--it was at night--and they never were able to determine what the fever was coming from, but on of the tests they did was a urine test, but the wanted a clean sample and had to put a catheter in. They had to get 3 male nurses to hold her down while the doctor inserted the catheter--and these guys were ripped! In fact I recall Jared telling me to stop staring and wipe the smile off my face.

Rachel resisted and screamed like they were pulling her molars out without anesthesia...and then when they were done and walking away, she lifted her head up and said, "Thank you." They all felt horrible.

Back to Seth...the foot is fine. Dr. Warnock explained to me that his feet still have a lot of cartilage and are developing--so it's soft and there were no breaks or fractures. Whew! Seth in a cast? I don't even want to think about it. I am glad we found a good orthopedist that is convenient...we seem to need one a couple of times a year, and the one we've been going to is too far for my liking.

Have a good day.

Idiosyncrasies...Oh, I've got 'em baby!

I got tagged by my friend Sarah. So here I go. How much time do you have?

I find that for me there's a fine line between what would be classified as an idiosyncrasy and what is just a slight case of OCD that I have developed after having 4 children. You be the judge.

1. Weird food textures. I DO NOT eat ground beef of any sort (burgers included) scrambled eggs (omelets included) or peas. They feel yucky in my mouth. I will cook ground beef and eggs (not at the same time) for my family, but I conveniently find ways to not participate in the meal.

I do not cook peas. On occasion when Jared cooks and feels the need to put some peas on the stove I will eat one bite--for the sake of being a good example to my children--and I only require the same of them. We generally have "you have to eat as many bites as your age" rule, but I can hardly stomach even 7 peas let alone 33 bites.

2. Feet. I like my feet. They have provided many miles of support in my travels of life. I don't necessarily like the way my feet look, but I appreciate having them and will keep them none-the-less. (Don't worry, I'm not one of those crazies I saw on a Dateline special who are obsessed with self amputation...I will not be harming my feet.)

I do not mind other people--if I know them well and it is appropriate--touching my feet. I would never turn away a foot rub, however, you will not find me returning the favor. So don't ask, and please don't touch me with your feet.

I particularly don't like long toe nails...on myself or others. I keep mine and my kids nicely trimmed--probably too short some times.

3. I like to vacuum. To the point that it's a problem. I don't like anything on my floor--but somehow instead of just picking up the item I get out the vacuum and generally end up vacuuming the entire house. When I find myself in Target or Wal-Mart, I like to walk down the vacuum aisle and day dream of a day with a fancy vacuum.

4. When I sleep I have to have blankets on me. This dates back to my childhood when I believed there was something under my bed, however, the more blankets I had on shielded me from it's power to get me. I also like to have socks on. That provides extra protection from the monsters--which now have turned into bad guys--which may come when Jared is out of town. If it is summer time...I still need all of the blankets to fall asleep, but I will stick my feet out the side for some air (with socks on). I think there is a provision in the "bad guy attack laws" that they can't get me if the majority of my body is covered. So far I've been safe from attack.

Also...when Jared is out of town I sleep with my cell phone and keys in hand. The cell phone because the bad guys will probably cut the phone lines before they break into the house. My keys because my signal to my neighbors that I'm in distress is that my car alarm goes off. Yes, they have been notified of this. (Diana was my protector when she lived here and now the baton has been passed to my nice neighbor Kim). I have tried it out several times and the signal does reach from my bedroom to the driveway.

5. I avoid stepping on cracks or lines. This developed as a child because my mom would always say that little saying and then if I stepped on a crack or line she'd bend over in agony pretending to be hurt. It has scarred me.... and yes, I do it to my children.

6. Loud chewing or gulping. I do not like to hear other people eat. Popcorn and chips would be an exception...you just can't help the crunch.

I have a friend who is a very loud chewer. It drives me crazy. The worst of it is that she does it on the phone--so it is like having her mouth on my ear at times. It grosses me out and most of the time she is eating something extra chewy. I have tried and tried to think of a way to let her know that she should eat before she gets on the phone with me. It would be appreciated. I have not yet come up with an appropriate way to break the news to her. On occasion I have been tempted to hang up by "accident" and then pretend that the battery in my phone was dead--however, then I'd have to pretend that the batteries in all of my phones were dead or she'd expect me to call her back. Maybe I can just say, "It sounds like you're having lunch. Why don't I call you back later." That'll work right?

I'll leave you with one last one, although there are many more...

7. Obnoxiously long hair. I do not believe that long=beautiful. I find that the longer the hair the more strangely it gets. This does not work for me. I like a smooth silky surface or lots of curls. And I find that most Crystal Gale wanna be's I know put it up in a bun everyday anyway...so what's the point? I hope no one finds offense in this.

I guess the last two are not so much an idiosyncrasies as things that bother me...oh well, it feels good to get it off my chest.

Okay, Karie, Kristine, and Sarah Virginia...tag--you're it!

Way to go Thomas!

15 minutes later...


He's so big!

FYI...

I am spent. Seth is still not in bed. It's 10:35 p.m. and I am turning on Thomas the Train for him hoping the sandman will come and help him fall asleep on the couch. I knew this toddler bed thing was a bad idea!

53 ¢

This is what it cost to feed our whole family lunch today! "How?" you exclaim? I'll tell you...

Jared has been anxious to get Seth's crib down and out of the boys room--YES he is 2 1/2. We're slow. Today the bug hit him again. After extending many possibilities on how we could use the small twin bed we have...we were off to IKEA.

The kids love it because they love the play area. Unfortunately Seth is not potty trained (slow again--hey give me a break, he can spell his name and knows the whole alphabet. We've been busy with other things.) so he is not welcomed in the child care. Rachel was pushing it with the height...probably her last time in.

So with a screaming 2 year old in hand Jared and I scouted out toddler beds. To our dismay they were quite expensive for something made of pressed wood. So we decided to keep looking. But before our IKEA experience was over we headed on to the cafeteria where we enjoyed lunch for 53¢! I have collected many "free kids meal" coupons from IKEA and so Rachel, Luke and Seth enjoyed chicken nuggets and fries, and the rest of us had hot dogs...we finished it all off with 2 ice cream cones (free again) which we split between the 4 kids. I only had coupons for 2 hot dogs, so I had to purchase 1 which was the 53¢.

I think I was grinning from ear to ear. As we sat down to eat I told Jared: "I'm going to blog about this!" His response was of course, "You're going to what?"

B: "I've got to write about this on my blog!"
J: "Why?"
B: "Because people must know! It is remarkable! How often can you feed your whole family on 53¢!"
J: "Okay."

He doesn't understand the joy I felt in being frugal...and it was an actual meal (well, I guess you could argue that) and not samples at Costco! No one left hungry. That is an accomplishment.

We left IKEA without a bed, but stopped by a resale shop on our way home where I had seen some toddler beds. Within minutes Jared was loading it up and we were off. Now we'll see if I can get Seth to stay in it tonight. My money is on NO. I will say that Jared was right. The twin wouldn't have fit.

Conveniently, Jared is off to a Priest/Laurel evening...which means I'm on my own and don't expect him back until 11:30 or so.

Thanks for tuning in.

Growing up or giving in?

So I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been required to keep some sort of log--whether it be in school or at home--and has used multiple writing utensils to catch up and make it look like you've been responsible in keeping it all along. AM I RIGHT?

The difference is (I'm assuming) is that you have all graduated from that behavior. I have not...until last night.

Keeping Rachel's log's has never been an easy task for me. It is tedious. I forget. I have good intentions, so maybe I am headed you know where. Every 12 weeks when we have clinic I promise with all my heart that I will keep records and use them. And then within days...it's forgotten.

Then on the eve of the next appointment I realize that they are going to want to see those numbers. So I stay up late with 4 or five different looking pens/pencils and I fill it in. Sometimes I crumple the papers or leave them on the breakfast table knowing that someone will inevitably spill some milk or something on them. This is what I like to call the "aging process"--making something look 12 weeks old when in reality it is in its infancy.

Why do I do this? I think it stems back from High School and feeling stressed when I knew I wasn't prepared. I still have nightmares.

So for the past (almost) 9 years I've been creating false reports. Not in the sense that the #'s are a lie, but that I'm really not keeping them as I should. Even when I've used the computer software to download--which is much easier but I need new software, so I'm back to writing.

I got away with this with Rachel's doctor at UCLA...he was a young Doogie Houser, if you will, but Doctor Haymond has been around long enough that he can spot falsified reports a mile away. So...I'm giving in. I used one pen to fill in the numbers. I will be honest and upfront in letting him know how I've failed the last 12 weeks to be organized. I'll probably throw in there some things about a 2 year old and remind him of Luke's situation--just for good measure and some sympathy.

I did use a fancy red gel pen to write in the nights we had a lot of protein for dinner to prove my point that protein is a monster in this house. We'll see how he takes it.

So it's nice to not be hiding in shame behind a log that is a lie. Now I can move on. However I will say that I secretly hoped one of the boys would be sick today so I would have to stay home with them...no such luck.

Have a good Friday.

A dream come true...(for my kids)

So school was officially cancelled. Yes, munchkin sized icicles will do that to us here in Houston. The city is on lock-down! Schools are all shut...many major roads and businesses too. Jared will work from home, at least for a while. He may get tired of the chaos and leave. He is one of few who could actually get to work "safely". I'm just hoping that at least the Walgreen's around the corner is open so I can get some milk and Hershey Kisses. This day calls for peanut butter cookies with kisses on top!

Actually to explain to you who are wondering what the "deal" is here--no one here knows how to drive well anyway, but certainly not on an inch of ice AND in our schools ALL children are bussed so as they deem it not safe for the buses that = no school.



It really is quite funny to see the media reaction to it all. Not quite what we got from Hurricane Rita, but apparently there isn't anything more exciting to report about. I guess that is a good thing.



I actually am glad they are home. It's cold and I wouldn't have accomplished much today anyway. Jared actually got them all out of our room this morning and locked the door...I woke up at 9:00! What a treat! Jared locked himself in the office to take his calls, and the children quickly took advantage of having no parental supervision and turned on a Scooby Doo movie on Cartoon Network. This is something I generally would require "permission" for. I'll let it slide. It gave me the gift of rest. Something I don't get often. Even on the days when Seth is at school. I keep telling myself I need to take a nap on those days, but if the opportunity arises--which is rare--I lay down and the anxiety sets in. It's a vicious cycle.

One complaint: In order to get the "meat-locker" (that's what I call my room) to a reasonable temperature I have to turn the thermostat up to 90 and the rest of the house feels like the South Pacific in July! Why is it that we can send a rover to Mars and yet it is impossible to heat my home efficiently?

It looks like life will be back to normal tomorrow--I'm hoping so...Rachel has Diabetes Clinic on Friday and we need guidance! I guess if it's cancelled we'll just have to call Dr. Haymond at home. One of the perks to being friends with the chief of Pediatric Endocrinology at Texas Children's and Baylor. He is good to us. Actually twice have we had to miss an appointment. The first time was June 29, 2001--I went into labor with Luke. The other was when Rita came. The problem is that it is so hard to get appointments that both times we've had to wait another 3 months to get in which means 6 months between appointments which isn't good. Hopefully that won't be the case this week.

That's all for now. Enjoy the cold where you are.

The Ice Storm Commeth

We are on HIGH ALERT here in Houston. The whole city is in a craze anticipating the ice storm coming. I shouldn't make fun...it is good to be safe, and if you've never lived in a cold climate you may not know what to do with yourself. I will say I was a bit nervous driving up into Tomball tonight--there are too many bars up there and "good ol' boys" who probably would have trouble driving on ice if they weren't drunk! Gotta love Tomball.

I am f-f-f-f-frozen. Generally having single paned windows is not a problem, however when it is below freezing it makes it hard to keep the house warm. I could probably keep ice cream frozen in my bedroom...it is cold!

All after school activities were cancelled today and tomorrow. Rachel's DI practice was also cancelled for the morning (HOORAY!) She won't be sad to not have to get up at 6:45. The kids are all hoping school will be cancelled tomorrow. I wouldn't mind a Wednesday cancellation so much...today I had lots to do and Seth had preschool, so I was happy to not have my schedule ruined. Tomorrow wouldn't be bad, but they better not mess with my Thursday!!! Especially this one...both of my volunteering commitments were cancelled for Thursday. That means I am free to do what I want from 9-2:30!!! That does not happen--well--EVER!!

Today I went an volunteered in Jonah's class. It is an attempt by me and his teacher to get him on track and caught up. He's got some serious distraction issues. Now that Seth is in pre-school on Tuesday's as well it gives me some more time to work with, so I will be in Jonah's class every other Tuesday. Today was great...he got caught up on a lot. I worked with him a 3 girls for about 45 minutes on counting money--then it was time for their group reading, but his AWESOME teacher let him stay out in the hall with me and work on some catch up. I couldn't help him with the work. My instruction was to be there and say, "Jonah...Jonah...come on Jonah..." Pretty much what I do at home. It was nice of her to let me help him get caught up. That turkey cruised through his worksheets with me there putting pressure on him, and he got every answer right the first time...In fact I emailed her because I was afraid she'd think I helped him with the answers. She told me she knew he had the ability--just lack of focus. As soon as he is caught up for 2 days in a row he gets to sign up for gymnastics. Then he has to stay caught up to actually go to a gymnastics class. Keep your fingers crossed.

Jared and I watched Sunday's 24 last night--we'll do Monday's tonight. American Idol started tonight. Now I have to start being really productive during the day so I can justify watching t.v. at night!

Hope you are warm where you are!

CLOSURE, Jump In! & BAD HABITS

CLOSURE!

After waiting many months Jared and I closed up the chapter in our lives titled Alias. Somehow back whenever, the series finale didn't get recorded on the DVR! How can that kind of mistake be made you ask? It's hard to fathom. I do recall though that there were about 3 shows having their finale that night, so I remember timing 2 for the DVR and I was going to time Alias on the DVD recorder upstairs and forgot. So we got a few Free Rental coupons on a Raisin Bran box and Jared headed down to Hollywood Video and picked it up last night.

All I can say is that as lame as the last 3 seasons were--we have completed the task, and are not any better for it.

JUMP IN!

I'm sure you all watched the Disney Premiere of Jump In. If you missed it I know it's on again twice tonight and probably once or twice a month for the rest of your life. Rachel actually went to a Jump In Party--at our friends the Smith's. Everyone needs to have friends like the Smith's. They are the funnest people we know. They love to party. My favorite party Rachel attended at their house was a Ricky Ullman birthday party where we were greeted at the door with a life sized "Ricky Ullman" that their girls had made. (Ricky Ullman plays "Phil" of "Phil of the Future" on the Disney Channnel) Now this was a birthday party for Ricky. He obviously was not there, but he was well celebrated. It was hysterical.

Anyway, Rachel had a great time last night. I had planned on watching it myself, but Jared stuck with me for about 5 minutes pointed out that it was High School Musical with jump roping and boxing and 90% of the cast was black instead of white this time. So we switched to Alias. I'll watch it later--oh yeah, I taped it!

Jonah and Luke did watch it upstairs and after Luke kept making Jared promise that he'll do double dutch with him today. I'll let you know how that goes!

BAD HABITS:

How do we have so many around here? The one fresh on my mind is that we cannot get Luke out of our bed. He starts out in his own every night and for 2 years as best as I can date it has ended up in our bed by 2:30. He loves to snuggle his mom, but I do not sleep well with him glued to my side. While I have little kids I will never have a house with the master down again. It is too hard with little ones.

Seth (next to me) has the most bad habits! We've all contributed to developing them. He has been climbing out of his crib for about a year, but for some reason when he wakes up in the morning he starts to yell, "RACHEL! RACHEL!" and will not stop until she comes to get him. If Jonah tries to help out and get him he screams. He wants Rachel. Poor girl. This morning it was at 6:30...on a Saturday. This child is a challenge...and I'm not up for it.

Jared has Stake Training this morning. Only until 11, so I shouldn't complain. He's been unavailable a lot this week...church and work. He's working with Asia more now, which means late night conference calls. They are always right when the kids need to go to bed and are nice and loud.

Everyone has Monday off. The weather is looking a little more promising of working with outdoor plans. It may be cold though. Last night I left a window open because I was hot. So we'll see.

Have a good Saturday.

I am a great boy. But most of all I love you mom. Luke

I volunteer in Luke's class on Thursday mornings. Today when I got there he was busy making me this card. It was sweet. Jonah was always quiet when I came, but when it was time for me to leave, he would come give me a huge hug and the red-in-the-face return to his desk. It embarrassed him to hug me, but he wanted to each time. Things have changed a bit... ;)

Homework time tonight was a nightmare. Jonah had a major melt down refusing to cooperate. On Thursday's his homework is to pick an activity from a list and using the weeks spelling words complete the activity. If you do more than one you can get bonus points. Jonah can use some extra points right now, so on Wednesday--unknown to him--I had him write his words on index cards and thus complete an extra activity. So tonight when he melted down, he had an assignment in his pocket, but I couldn't let him get away with the behavior, so I had to stand my ground and make him do something. He wouldn't comply to any of the activities on his sheet, so we made up our own. I don't know if she'll give him credit for it because it wasn't on the list, but since he has his flashcards he'll be okay.

So Jonah spelled each spelling word on the fridge with Seth's letters and we took a picture of him with each one and printed them out on a word document. Being creative quickly turned the evening around and the tears were gone and he was cooperating. I am worn out.

"Politeful"

Luke just expressed his disappointment that Seth is not "very politeful". This is true. He is a spoiled 4th child. He has no regard for anybody's person or property. He needs some serious tough love to get him to be a productive citizen. Right now I'm working on getting him to eat. Once we've ensured his physical survival then we'll start working harder on how we treat others.

Rachel got to ride the bus home with Sophie today. What a treat. The purpose of the get together was so that they could come up with some sort of routine for the talent show. Rachel came up with the fabulous idea that they could do a "soccer dance". They would pick some upbeat music to which they would do tricks with a soccer ball...dribbling and then heading it to the other person--things like that. The problem: I won't speak for Sophie, but Rachel is not capable of doing these kinds of tricks. In my mind I'm picturing soccer balls flying off the stage. Hitting someones Grandmother in the head and breaking her glasses. It would not be pretty.

I did not want to crush her spirit, so I encouraged her to arrange a time to get together with Sophie and "see what you can come up with." My hope was that within a few minutes they would discover that this was not going to work. It appears that my plan was successful. With some help from Sophie's mom, Carrie, we have successfully encouraged them to forget about the talent show this year.

Whew. I'm still worn out from last year...I'm sure Carrie is too. Last year they did "What Is This Feeling?" from WICKED. It was darling. They did a great job. But it was A LOT of work!

Rachel is Elphaba the wicked witch & Sophie is Glinda the good witch.


So I think we're off the hook.

So before I sign off...what is it with little boys and body parts and gross noises? Jonah has recently perfected the "armpit fart"--something he is quite proud of. He and Luke take every opportunity to make noises or talk of things I would like not to hear talked about. I've found that all my efforts the past 7 years were quickly thwarted when Jonah entered the 2nd grade. Dang public schools!

His teacher told me the other day that he was telling some story in class and it had something to do with underwear on someones head--sound's funny to me, NOT! She said she asked him to not tell stories like that in class--and then added to me "he sure was cute when he was telling it though!" She's been teaching a long time. I'm sure there's nothing he can do or say that hasn't already been done or said. She is a saint in my book.

So back to the boys...Seth got a Leap Frog Fridge Phonics thing from Matt & Suzanne and kids for Christmas. It it the one that has space for 3 letters to make 3 letter words. So tonight I hear the two boys laughing hysterically in the bathroom. I go to the door to listen in and I hear the fridge thing say "P-O-O" and then the two of them almost crying they are laughing so hard. Then I hear "P-P" and more laughter.

Am I missing something? I guess I should be grateful they were working together and having fun, right? I'm signing off. Jared is at Young Men's. I don't enjoy Wednesday evenings so much. It is a long day. But tomorrow is Thursday which means--school for Seth. I have 2 rounds of volunteering for me, but a lunch with friends in between. Hope you had a happy Wednesday!

Ya know it's funny...

I don't know if you can tell...but I love that around here the tree's are already budding before the last leaves fall. It always cracks me up!



I was just telling my mom that this is my favorite time of year in Houston. Jared arrived 7 years ago this week to start his new job at Compaq. Rachel, Jonah and I stayed in L.A. until February to tie some things up--and just so I could adjust to the idea of leaving.

When we got here in February it was so nice. About mid-70's. I remember buying a few things at Target for Rachel because all the clothes I brought were too hot! We lived in an apartment for 2 months while we looked for a house. The kids and I spent the mornings house hunting, and then the afternoons we'd go to a park or play in the parking lot with a blue's clues ball I'd bought--we were one of a half dozen people in these apartments. They were very new.

Anyway, this time of year makes me happy. It always feels like a fresh start. Today it was about 65. Just right. For FHE we planned our week. No school on Monday--MLK day. So we decided we'd plan a nature "hike" somewhere and some other activities.

I just checked the weather. Monday=35 degrees and 95% chance of SLEET!!! Tuesday shows a 65% chance of snow. Believe me I will be posting pictures if it pulls through. The kids were so disappointed 2 years ago when we went to SLC for Christmas and it snowed here on Christmas day. Yes, they had snow in Utah, but that was to be expected. To miss a snowfall in Houston was painful for them. What a treat it would be.

That is Houston. I'm guessing we need to come up with something else. Actually we'll probably wait until Sunday to make alternate plans...it could change 12 times until then. Happy winter!

11:00 Church...the upside and the downside...

New year new church time.

9:00 easily wins the best church time for me. All around I think it works best. For at least the last 5 years (in this ward) Jared has not been around to help to get people ready. As chaotic as it is to get myself and 4 kids ready to be there at 9--we did it (although, sometimes without shoes or combed hair).

Our ward had previously had the 1:00 meeting time for 3 or 4 years in a row. It was a matter of a new ward being made...no where for us to meet...we had to take what we could get I guess.

So not only do we get to sleep in a bit now...but Jared wisely delegated some of his Sunday meetings to his counselors. I guess they were complaining about feeling out of the loop--so now they are WAY IN! Jared will have meetings on the 3rd Sunday only. Which now that I think of it isn't that convinient as I am the 3rd Sunday teacher in RS. Oh well. I'll take it.

The down side to 11:00--too early to feed the kids lunch before, too late to eat lunch after. Nap time is tricky.

Other than that I think it will work well.


We took the kids to take some pictures after church. The place I wanted to go was closed on Sunday, so we drove around to find another location. We'll have to try again another day. It is nice when Jonah and Luke are pals. It's been a nice day.

Oops, I did it again!!

Just as I was lamenting that I didn't have anything to post about recently...

I was coming out of the grocery store this morning and GOT INTO THE WRONG CAR!!!
This time is was not next to mine, but in the same spot one row over. Had I gone out the door I came in I would not have made the mistake (I hope).

You may wonder what is wrong with me, but again I say WHO LEAVES THEIR CAR UNLOCKED IN HOUSTON?!?

After I drove off I wondered if it was the same car, and somehow magically my remote also opens it. Yeah, you're right...probably not.

The "Wall-O-Friends" blossoms

I think my love of mail developed when I was doing my 6 month program at BYU in London. The mail came twice a day and I got lots of it. People used to get cranky that I got so much, but I wrote a lot of people. So I would say to them, "If you write it...it will come."

Today was a successful mail day. Only because we've been gone for 2 weeks. We got more Christmas cards (44 to be exact) than Credit Card Offers--which means "Good Mail"--what we used to say in London if you got more than one letter. They came from family, friends in Califoria, Chicago, BYU friends, Disney friends, High School friends, Mission friends, Study Abroad Friends...and others we've made along the way.

Thank you all who sent cards. We love reading what your families are doing. I am amazed at how many creative friends we have. Please be flattered when we copy you in years to come. ;) Our cards will be sent out shortly I hope. I need to get unpacked first though.

I'm still waiting for a picture of the Pearson Family--you're being put on notice. And to Sarah Jones--I put you smack dab in the middle for good measure. Keep sending 'em!!

Last post for the day...FONDUE!

We didn't have our Christmas Eve Fondue this year, so we decided to do a little chocolate on New Year's Eve. The kids loved it.



I'll share my favorite recipes. FYI...I do not even use a fondue pot anymore. The chocolate is prepared in the microwave and I just serve it in the dish I make it in. The Cheese I do on the stove and then serve from a dish...heating if necessary after a while. Then you don't have to deal with scorching on the pots and stuff. It's not as pretty though.

*Note: Yesterday I did half the Chocolate Recipe and it was the perfect amount for us--no leftovers.

Chocolate Fondue
Andrea Weaver
12oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk (skim okay)
1 cup peanut butter
dippers: mango, kiwi, strawberries, bananas, apples...

Melt in microwave stirring every minute until well blended and smooth. All sugar should be dissolved.

Cheese Fondue
Becky Hansen

6 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
4 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
4 oz Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 ½ Tbsp flour
1 c ginger ale
1 tsp dry mustard
Dippers: cubed ham, French bread, steamed vegetables, tater tots.

Combine cheeses and add flour. Mix to coat. Bring ginger ale to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat and add cheese by handfuls. Stir until melted. Add dry mustard.

Happy 2007!

We went to the Larsen's last night for a bit. Jared stayed home. When we got back he was worse off than when we left him. I'm hoping he'll feel better today--we've got lot's of unpacking and undecorating to do!! And of course I want to feel better for unselfish reasons as well.

We wore out our welcome pretty quickly. Actually I should say SETH wore out our welcome. He pulled the butterflies off Olivia's pretty netting over her bed--I'm told they can be easily replaced--I'll be watching! Then Ken Hubnik found him sitting in the foyer with a 2 liter of root beer--chugging it. That was when it was time to leave. We got home and the kids got to watch a movie and bring in the new year.

A picture of Note...

Seth helped himself to Grandpa's office a few times. His favorite item to play with was my dad's notary stamp. He stamped the entire desk (all 3 times) but on one occasion stamped a perfect seal on his stomach. My dad signed him.

Flying Grandpa's plane...

This was one of Grandpa's toys that he got for Christmas. Mt parents house is about 50 yeards from the entrance to the park which houses my Elementary and Jr. High Schools. A couple of summer's ago we took some little planes and tried to fly them. Within a half an hour we'd lost both. They caught a good currant and went up and up and up...it was much like the Chevy Chase loosing his new dog on the movie "Animal Farm". This plane was not lost, but it did crash. They had a great time though.

Boise

We headed up to Boise on the 26th. All of Jared's sisters were there with their families. The kids had such a great time with their cousins. Seth had Reyna and McKinley to pal around with. Cade and Jonah had lots of fun, and Luke could not get enough of Ethan! Rachel loved all the little ones…and Aunt Sarah taught her how to do the worm!!

Fun with Friends...

The number of friends we visit while in town is dwindling. We were able to see the Taylor's, Walter's and Banta's. It is nice to keep the friendships going.

We met the Taylor's at the Planetarium in SLC. We had lunch and saw a 3D IMAX. I'm stealing pictures from Jane's blog. Thanks Jane! We miss having them in Houston. (yes...all those kids were with us!)




We stopped in Tremonton to see Matt & Ida Walter’s and their kids. Matt and Jared lived on the same floor in Helaman Halls their Freshman year at BYU.


It was fun to go to lunch with the Banta’s on our way back from Boise. The kids pick up right where they left off. We can’t wait to see the new baby in March when we go back up for Karen’s wedding. We miss having them next door, but are glad we've been able to see them often when we're in town.