Anniversary Musings

I am usually a private person when it comes to certain things. However, I have been feeling impressed to share some thoughts. I have found that it is good to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

The 21st anniversary of our family occurred this past week. In 21 years our family has grown from two people to nine people. We have lived in nine different homes in four different cities. We have had several heated disagreements over the years and we have had many wonderful times of great joy. The best piece of advice we got as we were preparing for marriage was this:

"Love one another. Love is a Verb." Love is not just some feeling of endearment or affability that you feel for a particular person. Love is work. Love is choice. When Jesus commanded us to love one another, He was not commanding us to be infatuated with one another. Love, in this context, was an action verb. Love is this context means to serve and help one another, to be kind and respectful to one another, to keep hanging on and being loyal and true to one another. The Commandment to love one another is vital in the marital relationship. There will be days when you honestly do not like the person that you are married to and you may wonder how you could have made such a terrible choice as to bind yourself to them. It is on those days and in those moments when things are hard that it is most important to remember what True Love is. True Love is service, helping, kindness, respect, loyalty, and fidelity to your partner. True Love sometimes requires sacrifice and often requires humility. True Love is hard work at times. Fortunately, True Love is usually rewarding work--though the rewards may take days, weeks, or even months to show themselves.

Jeremy and I have had ups and downs in our marriage. There have been days when we have both been ready to call it quits. And on those days we remember the advice we were given: Love one another. Love is a Verb."

Sometimes we've had to walk around the block a few times to calm down. Sometimes we've had to sit ourselves down in timeout. Sometimes we just had to ignore each other for a couple of days. But we always come back. We keep on Loving each other even on days that we don't quite Like each other. And that, I think, has made all the difference in our relationship. I think we are stronger today then we have ever been, both as a couple and as individual people, because we keep coming back. We keep trying. The Lord truly works all things for our good. He will turn our weaknesses into strengths, If We Let Him. He will lead us and guide us and walk beside us, If We Let Him. Because that is the other important part of all of this: The Lord needs to be a part of your relationship.

I hope this doesn't come off as preachy. As I said at the beginning, I have been feeling prompted to share certain thoughts. Celebrating Twenty-One years of marriage has made me a bit introspective regarding this topic.

Happy Anniversary Jeremy.

Hello Again

It has been a year and a half since I last posted. That is pathetic. The problem is I keep going back and forth on whether to post or not. Whether anyone really wants to read about my goings on. And then I start to feel really vain for wanting to post. But it truly is not vanity that brings me here. It is the thought that some of my family and friends from lands far away want to stay connected. And the way we connect is through blogs. So here I am again. Giving blogging another shot.

 

If you know me at all, you know that I like lists. I think a list is a good way to catch you up to speed.

 

1. Many of the trees I planted last year died! It was very sad for me. I lost some citrus to frost. I lost my peaches to a bacteria. I lost my plums and apricots to the heat. I lost a couple apples to a Haboob.

 

2. I have since replaced the dead trees. The new trees are doing much better.

 

3. Today, I planted two almond trees. One is a Ne Plus Ultra and the other is a Nonpareil. They look pretty cute.

 

4. We got goats. I have three Nubian goats. Desi is a 2 year old female. She is in milk currently. The kids and I have enjoyed milking her and using the milk in various ways. Fred is a 3 month old buckling. George is a 2 month old buckling. Those two boys are gorgeous! I am completely loving those goats. Some people warned that they smelled bad. But I have discovered that I like their smell. It reminds me of elementary field trips to the Phoenix Zoo and taking my own kids to that Zoo.

 

5. Hubby started his own law practice. He has been busy getting things set up. The business is really rolling along.

 

6. Rose will soon be graduating 8th grade and moving on to high school. Nonny will soon graduate 6th grade and move on to middle school. I am excited for them to enter this new phase of life. They are having mixed emotions: happy, scared, nervous, excited, overwhelmed, anxious, and so forth. It is kind of funny to watch them cycle through the emotions. I am SO glad that I am finished with that phase of life. It was a stressful time being a teenager!

 

7. Jim has been attending speech therapy preschool. His poor little ears were having some issues. We got those issues fixed, but he's got to go to speech therapy to correct some things.

 

Well, that is a good start.

Yard Progress, Part 1

First off, Hubby was able to fix our washing machine last week. Hooray! I really am grateful for the easy accessibility of having a working washing machine in my home. It makes life so much easier! Especially when children are sick and bed sheets need to be washed immediately, which is what happened just a couple days after Hubby fixed the machine. It was so nice to just throw the bedding in the washing machine and have the yucky smells and sicko germs be gone.

We have been working hard on our yard. The yard is the WHOLE reason we bought this property. We're not sure the exact size. The title company has it listed at 2.98 acres. The irrigation district has it listed at 3.09 acres. The exact size doesn't matter at this point. The point is...we have lots of land to play with!!

There was a lot of work to be done with this property. The acreage was covered with obnoxious weeds with deep roots, pitted earth, cow patties, and garbage. We took out so many loads of garbage! Two or three truck-fulls were loaded with just metal. METAL! Ei-yah! Those loads went straight to the recycling center. We also took several loads of garbage to the local refuse dump.

This picture is of the Northeast corner of the property. It's been cleared of trash. Only the weeds, cow patties, and pits remain.

This is a picture from the Southeast corner of the property. The East side of the property was not as bad as the West.

Jim loved helping dig.

In addition to clearing garbage, we had to get rid of all the trees on the property. I told one friend this and she was SHOCKED! She just couldn't believe that I would be getting rid of trees. Haha! I am a big tree-lover. However, I firmly believe that a tree should have a purpose...Fruit, Shade, Climbing, or Beauty. Only one tree on the property fulfilled one of those purposes: A Palo Verde in the Southwest corner of the property was beautiful. Unfortunately, it had to be removed. Palo Verdes do NOT like a lot of water. And it was sitting right next to the irrigation covert. As soon as we start irrigating, it will die from too much water. I checked into having it transplanted to the front of the property. I had two different tree companies come out to give an opinion and a bid. Neither would move it. They both told me that it wouldn't survive the transplant. So sad! It was a pretty Palo Verde too!

The other trees on the property were nasty, pokey Mesquites and useless palm trees. A friend with a tractor plucked out all the Mesquites. We cut them down and hauled them to the refuse dump. As for the palm trees...

Two palms were about seven foot tall with a diameter of two feet. We referred to the palms as the "Small Palm Trees". Hubby decided to remove those himself. Please note the tall weeds in the forefront of the picture. The back of the property was covered in those. They have deep, deep roots and nasty stickers on them that not only poke your skin, but then set it to itching.

Hubby used his good old Chevy Pick-up and a big chain to remove the two small palms. He looped the chain around the trunk, hooked it to his truck back, and started pulling back and forth.

Being a big pregnant gal, my job was to sit several yards away and tell Hubby which way to pull. It was pretty fun watching the trucks tires spin and the tree teter. The job was harder than Hubby had anticipated. Even though palm roots don't spread out too far, they DO cling to the dirt around them. The first palm took about an hour to remove. Here's Hubby and Joe after they got the first palm out. They hauled it to the front of the property by the trash bin.

Waving "Hello" as they drive by me.

The second palm was more stubborn. It did NOT want to come out. Part of the problem is that it had grown in to the fence. That palm tree took about two hours to pull. During the process, Hubby tweaked his back again. Poor guy! He took it easy over the next few days, and, fortunately, his back healed up fine.

Washing Machine Woes

My washing machine hates our new house.

It is a fancy Samsung with all sorts of sensors built in to ensure the perfect wash. Hubby picked it out special just because of those special sensors. He has been so happy with his choice. It worked fine at our old house. But the thing does not work well here.

The problem?

Well water!

Our washing machine, with all its fancy sensors, despises the well water.

We've tried all sorts of different remedies. None have fully worked. Our last resort was to unplug the hot & cold water hoses and manually add water to the machine after it ran its initial scans. Then during the rinsed cycle, we would manually add water again.

It worked for a whole two days. And then it stopped. I don't know what happened, but the sensors are not loving our little trick and so have gone on strike.

Hubby says that he will get it fixed this weekend. I told him that, at this point, I'd rather he just buy me an old-fashioned washboard.

I've wasted three hours this morning trying to get ONE load of laundry washed in that finicky machine. If I had a washboard, I could have had ALL my laundry washed in an hour.

Oh well, Hubby is going to give it one more shot this weekend. In the meantime, there is always the laundrymat. :)

Differing World Views

Miss Nita is always asking questions. The darling girl has an insatiable curiosity. This fact, coupled with her life experiences, however, make for some interesting conversations. I want to record some of her world views here so that I will always remember.

------------------

Hubby and I celebrated our anniversary earlier this month. My kids always enjoy looking through our wedding album on our anniversary. They think it is hilarious that Hubby and I look "so different" now...since we are obviously super-old. ;)

As Miss Nita was looking at our wedding pictures, she asked "Where are Rose and Anne?" I explained that they aren't in the picture because they weren't born yet.

Miss Nita said, "What!? You got married before you had kids? Why would you do that?"

I started to explain, but only got one word out before Miss Nita continued...

"I think you should have waited until after you had your kids because then they could have seen your wedding. Didn't you want your kids to get to see you get married!?"

She went on to lament the fact that my poor kids did not get to see my wedding and how I had deprived them of that experience.

Hubby and I were doing our best not to laugh.

I explained that Hubby and I met before we had kids. I told her that it's okay for people to get married before they have kids and that some people prefer to do things that way.

She was not happy with that explanation.

I tried to console her by pointing out that my kids could always look at the pictures. She guessed that was alright.

Hubby had to leave the room at that point because his laughter was about to erupt.

Just for the record, my children really don't mind that they missed attending their parents wedding. They are content just looking at the pictures. ;)

------------------

A few days ago, I was at the computer working on homework while Cakes and Miss Nita were coloring. Out of the blue, Miss Nita asked me if Hubby and I were best friends or if we were husband and wife. Without looking up, I told her we were both.

She gasped!

Loudly.

I looked up from the computer and was met with a completely appalled and disgusted Miss Nita. Seriously! It was the funniest face I have seen in a few months.

Anyways, Miss Nita, still looking disgusted with me, informed me that you cannot be both. She confidently stated that you can be best friends OR you can be husband and wife, but you can't be both.

Trying to hold in my laughter (again), I explained that the best kind of marriages are when you marry your best friend. I told her that Hubby is, in fact, both my husband and my best friend.

She just stared at me. And stared. And stared some more.

Finally, she shook her head, gave an exasperated sigh, and went back to coloring.

Hilarious!

------------------

I almost forgot this last one! 

During Miss Nita's first week with me, while Hubby was at work, she asked me if Hubby was my boyfriend. I told her no, Hubby was my husband.

She said, oh. And went back to playing.

A few minutes later, she asked me if Hubby was my husband. I told her yes. We were married and he was my husband.

She responded by asking, "If Hubby is your husband, then who is your boyfriend?"

I told her I didn't have one.

She told me I needed to get one.

I told her that I was married to Hubby. I explained that when you are married that you don't have boyfriends anymore.

She informed me that her Mommy had a boyfriend when she was married so she knows that you are supposed to have boyfriends.

She told me, again, that I needed to get a boyfriend.

I told her I would think about it.

I told Hubby about this conversation when he returned home that night, including my acquiesence to Miss Nita. He just stared at me. And stared. And stared.

Then he informed me that he would be my boyfriend and my husband.

I told him I would think about it. ;)

They're Out to Get Me

Rose and Hubby are trying to kill me.

I thought we were all getting along just fine. I thought we loved each other. I thought we even, occasionally, liked each other. But recent events have proven that Rose and Hubby are out to get me.

I have been battling a major sinus infection. The same infection that I battle every year around this time. I have been working hard trying to stay ahead of the uckiness and hopefully avoid further pollup infestations and tiresome surgeries. To aid me in my battle, every day I use a wonderful Sinus Rinse nasal wash. This consists of a cute little bottle filled with 8 oz. of warm water and mixed with their pre-packaged solution of salt and baking soda. Simple, yet so effective!

It can also be a huge mess. Remember the law of gravity? What goes up must come down. The same applies to liquids shot up one's nose. They come right back out, hopefully dislodging much nastiness in the process. 

Anyhoo, the other day Hubby offered to mix the wash for me. I was very grateful. It seemed like such a considerate thing to do! I really ought to have known better.

Hubby hands me the bottle and I promptly start pumping the wash up my nose. It burns!

I think, WHOA! I must have a serious infection. Or maybe the water went the wrong way. I shake it off and try the wash again. That water burned me again. It burned up my sinus, back behind my eyeballs, and down into my throat!!  It was awful!

I start spitting and snorting (yes, I know, very attractive) and calling for Hubby to help me. He comes rushing back in. I shout that my throat is burning...like an acid burn. And beg him to help me. And HE starts looking sheepish!  Turns out, he had added a whole capful of hydrogen peroxide to my nasal rinse. He thought that I wouldn't even notice. He thought it might help fry all the nastiness that has taken root in my sinuses. At least, that's what he claims...

But, I've got news for you Old Man! I don't believe that claim for an instance! There is no way that you could not have realized the dire consequences on the so-called love of your life's sinuses. NO WAY!  I know you were really trying to poison me! You can't fool me. And know this...I'm watching you! You won't have another chance to poison me. You should have gotten it right the first time. >:-(

And then the darling Rose.

A week ago the kids started talking about When We Have Another Baby!!!!

Excuse me? I just had a baby. You all have a little baby. Give your poor Mama some time to recover please. Aargh!

Despite my absolute shock at the topic they were discussing, I stayed quiet and just listened. It all seemed pretty harmless, until Rose confided that she has "been praying for Mom to have twins".

Ummmm.....

What did you just say?

I asked Rose when exactly she had prayed for twins.  Was it during her personal prayers?

Nope.

Turns out that for the past two months, during our family prayers she has been praying for me to have twins. And all of us have said "Amen" to each of her prayers.

That sneaky, conniving little...

The way she did it was by saying that part really softly and kind of covering her mouth with her hand. I just thought she was stifling yawns. It just goes to show that you should NEVER say Amen to a prayer that you haven't heard in full. Holy Cow! 

I told Rose that twins would kill me. She laughed and said, "No, they wouldn't. They'd be fun. I'd even help with them." 

Not only is she trying to kill me, she's laughing about it! Talk about adding insult to injury.

I told her to Get Some Guts! If she was going to pray for me to die during family prayers, she at least needed to have the courtesy to pray loud enough so that all the family members can hear what she is actually saying and then decide if they want to say Amen or not.

And you know what she did tonight? She prayed for twins loud enough that her siblings could all hear. And you know what those rotten twerps did??? They all said "Amen". I guess they all want me dead.

I just glared at them all. Even when they tried to kiss me good night.

And now I'm going to bed. I'm going to have to spend a lot of time praying tonight to try and counteract the prayers of my children. And I don't know that I'll win. My dear Father in Heaven has a soft spot for the prayers of children. 

Wish me luck. I'm going to need it.

Quick Update

The kids have returned to school. Rose is in 5th Grade, Anne in 3rd Grade, and Joe in 1st grade. Can I just tell you what a relief (and joy) it is to not have to worry about keeping these kids entertained, busy, and not fighting!

.
.

.

.

Now it's just Cakes, Jim, and I at home during the week. They are fun and silly little boys. We are working on Memory Books. I am only four years behind. :S

.

.

Jim had his four-month check this week. He is 27 1/2 inches long and weighed 14 lb. 11 oz. That puts him in the 98th percentile for height, but only the 45th percentile for weight. My doctor likes the percentages to be closer, but wasn't overly concerned because the Jim-boy looked super-healthy. My Mom and Hubby, on the other hand, think we need to fatten the boy up. Wish me luck!

.
.

.

I am completely flunking on my diet and exercise plan. The Hubby bought me an entire box of Mars Bars! That was my favorite candy bar when I was fifteen. But they stopped making them when Snickers decided to court almond lovers. That was fine by me. I haven't eaten a candy bar in about 13 years (the two bite-size bars my kids share with me at Halloween don't count. I only eat those to show the kids that we are polite and share. most of the time I will sneakily pocket them, while pretending to chew, and pass them to Hubby later.).

.

Hubby has, off and on, been tracking the candy bars on my behalf. That was always hilarious to me, because I really don't have a sweet tooth. I much prefer savory foods. For example, when we used to go to his parents' house for dinner, I would opt for an extra roll rather than eat cake and ice cream.

As often happens, my tastes changed with this pregnancy and they have yet to bounce back. I have serious cravings for chocolate that cannot be met! It is quite infuriating to me! I am doing my best to not cave in to the cravings. I was doing so well...

.

And then Hubby brings home an entire box of Mars! Turns out they never went out of production, they were still being made and sold in England. Only the U.S. stopped selling them. But now they are coming back, exclusively at Wal-mart. I laughed when Hubby unveiled the box. He was so proud of himself. He knew I had been craving chocolate and thought this would be a good remedy.

I was very proud of myself that I didn't spit in his eye.

.

After much cajoling, I agreed to try one, to see if it tasted as good as I remembered.

.

I wish I had just spit in his eye. :(

.

Oh. My. Stars!!

.

It was delicious!

.

And I couldn't stop at just one!

.

That rotten old man! Why did I ever marry him? Ugh!

.

I do not know what the Baby Jim did to my body, but it was something truly wicked to produce such intense cravings!

.

Someone please kill me now.

A Day in My Life...

I have been super busy. There are so many topics I would like to post about, but free time is hard to come by these days. Please know that I will still be posting a couple of entries regarding the LOST finale. I'll probably have time to post all my notes and thoughts next week. Those posts will take more than a few minutes to type out and a few minutes is all I currently have. And with that in mind, I thought that I would share the events of my day with you. Although the events of each day vary, this list will give you a general idea of where my time is spent.

.

4:00 am ~ Wake up with Baby Jim. He's a hungry little guy. Watch the World Cup match between "Holanda" and "Dinamarca" to stay awake. Laugh as the Danish team scores a point for their opponent. I thought that only happened on cartoons!

.

5:00 am ~ Return to bed.

.

7:06 am ~ Jolt awake when I sense a presence hovering inches from my face. No burglars. Just Hubby trying to see if Baby Jim was breathing. Baby Jim has had a hard few days so he slept in the crook of my arm last night. (And before you think I slept in until 7:00, please know that I didn't even get to bed until after 11:00 pm and then had to get up twice with the dear baby, each time staying awake for at least an hour.)

.

7:10 am ~ Nurse the baby.

.

7: 30 am ~ Feed the troops. All seven of them. Take my morning meds...Wait thirty minutes to feed myself.

.

7:45 am ~ Get Mr. J ready for daycare while getting laundry started. (Mr. J attends daycare as part of his case plan...it's supposed to help him socialize better. Mostly it's just taught him how to say "mine" and how to bite and spit.)

.

7:50 am ~ Fold laundry. Remind Miss Q of her orthodontic appointment.

.

8:00 am ~ Wonder why Hubby hasn't left for work yet. He's supposed to take drop off Mr. J on his way...

.

8:05 am ~ Search out Hubby. Not in the garage. Not in the backyard. Hmmm....

.

8:07 am ~ Find Hubby in our room. He has changed back into his pajamas and is lying in bed!! Stand dumbfounded in the doorway for a couple of minutes.

.

8:09 am ~ Ask Hubby what in the world he is doing in his pajamas lying in bed. Listen patiently as the decrepit old man explains that he has thrown out his back. He can't go into work or take Mr. J to day care.

.

8:10 am ~ Refrain from killing Hubby. Remind him that he has known for eight years that he ought to take care of his back. Refrain from saying anything further on this subject as it will only lead to harsh words and murder.**

.

8:15 am ~ Hand him Baby Jim, they can lay around together.

.

8:20 am ~ Pair the kids off. Rose she is in charge of Mr. J, Anne is in charge of Cakes. Inform them that Dad is home, but is limited in his helping capacity. Drive Miss Q to her orthodontic appointment.

.

8:30 am ~ Make my monthly payment ($$$) for Miss Q's braces while Miss Q gets her braces adjusted. Sit and wait while she is being seen. (I usually have the little boys with me during these appointments. It was nice to be by myself for once.)

.

8:40 am ~ Remember that the Jim's pediatrician is in the same plaza and even though they don't answer their phones until 9:00 am, their doors open at 8:30!

.

8:41 am ~ Briskly walk to their office.

.

8:50 am ~ Make an appointment for Jim.

.

9:00 am ~ Return to orthodontist office and wait for Miss Q.

.

9:30 am ~ Appointment over, drive home.

.

9:45 am ~ Check on Hubby. Rose took pity on him and brought him a drink and some meds. Call around to find a massage therapist who can see him ASAP.

.

9:55 am ~ Load Mr. J and Jim into the van. Take Mr. J to day care first then head to the pediatrician's office. Order the children to have my kitchen and living room clean by the time I get home!

.

10:15 am ~ Follow-up appointment for Jim. He was admitted to the hospital over the weekend for breathing problems. It was pretty scary for a few hours, but he's fine now. Breathing great!

.

10:40 am ~ Return home to a clean kitchen and living room. Thank the kids.

.

11:00 am ~ Eat lunch.

.

11:20 am ~ Clean and organize house.

.

1:00 pm ~ Load the van with Goodwill items

.

1:30 pm ~ Swim Team for Joe, Rose and Anne. Drop them off at the pool and run to Goodwill to drop off donations, the bank to deposit a check, and Dillard's for wedding clothes.

.

3:00 pm ~ Massage therapy appointment for Hubby...that I have to drive him to. The man can barely walk let alone drive himself. The poor decrepit old man! It took him about fifteen minutes to walk to the car.

.

3:30 pm ~ Pick up kids from Swim Team. Pick up Mr. J from day care.

.

4:00 pm ~ Pick up Hubby from his appointment. On our way home swing by the orthodontist's office to get paperwork for CPS then pick up Hubby's prescription for muscle relaxers.

.

4:30 pm ~ Finally reach home! Chill out for a while and feed the baby. (Don't freak out thinking I haven't fed him since the morning. He eats every three hours. I just didn't feel like including all his feedings.)

.

4:40 pm ~ Return a call from CPS. Mr. J is not attending the wedding with us after all. Spend the next thirty minutes on the phone coordinating his stay.

.

5:10 pm ~ Start dinner. Repeatedly get distracted.

.

6:00 pm ~ Give a tour of my home and yard to the dear Young Man who graciously agreed to care of our dogs and trees while we attend my sister's wedding.

.

6:30 pm ~ Finally serve dinner.

.

7:00 pm ~ Realize that it's still light outside. Order the kids to throw on their swimsuits.

.

7:10 pm ~ Wash the van and the truck. Rose, Anne, Joe, Miss Q, Cakes, and Mr. J all help.

.

8:00 pm ~ File inside. Get little boys into their pajamas. Everyone else can do it themselves.

.

8:10 pm ~ Prayers. Tell Rose and Anne to wait for you. Put boys to bed with a song.

.

8:15 pm ~ Return a phone call from Miss Q's YCL leader. She's attending YCL camp this week!

.

8:20 pm ~ Have Rose and Anne try on the wedding clothes you bought at Dillard's. Discuss which dress they like the most. Set them aside.

.

8:40 pm ~ Put girls to bed.

.

8:45 pm ~ Call bishopric member who is conducting church this week. We'll be gone, but I'll still have the bulletin ready if he would please print it out and make the copies.

.

8:50 pm ~ Check on Hubby and Jim. Jim is asleep.

.

8:54 pm ~ Start updating my blog.

.

10:06 pm ~ SHEESH!! It took me more than an hour to type up the events of my day. Now this is why I don't update more often. I don't usually have an hour to type. I only have five minutes here and there. And now I've wasted a whole hour of Jim sleeping in which I could have also been sleeping. Alright. That is it. I am going to bed.

.

Good Night!

.

.

**I actually did pretty good about not getting mad or killing the man this time. I really wasn't too mad. Mostly I just laughed and told him that it served him right for not taking care of his decrepit old self.

Valentine's for Grown-Ups

I went to a planning meeting this morning for our Stake's Relief Society Celebration. I am helping with the humanitarian aid room. It is going to be fun!

.

On my way home from the meeting, I turned on the radio. As I was scanning through the channels I heard the funniest advertisement. The commercial began by saying that giving flowers or candy to your sweetie fro Valentine's Day is, basically, boring and overdone. Instead, you need to get your sweetie something really special. Something that will let her know just how much you care.

.

And just what is that special something they were advertising?

.

I thought it would be jewelry or a dinner date.

.

Nope.

.

The special something to get your Grown-Up sweetheart...A Vermont Teddy Bear!

.

That's right. A teddy bear.

.

I thought maybe I wasn't understanding the commercial correctly. Maybe the commercial was really telling you to buy a lingerie-style teddy. That type of gift seemed more inline with grown-up tastes to me. I came home and looked the company up online. No misunderstandings on my part. They were advertising actual Teddy Bears. To give to your adult sweetie. Hahaha!

.

To their commercial, I respond: I am not five. I am a grown-up woman. A WOMAN!

.

In all honesty, I don't ever remember having a teddy bear. A doll, yes. Never a teddy bear. And I received that doll before I entered kindergarten.

.

Rose has a teddy bear. She was quite enamored of it for many years. Rose is ten now and yes, the bear still has a special place on her bed. It holds sentimental value for her. But if she received a teddy bear at this point in her life, I think she would be a bit offended by the immaturity of the gift.

.

So....if a ten-year old thinks she is too old for a teddy bear gift, do you really think a Grown Woman would be happy to receive one??

.

Haha!

.

Personally, I'd prefer the candy or flowers. ;)

The Great Date Debate

Hubby and I are having a disagreement. During this disagreement Hubby has proven himself to be the most embarrassing Dad that ever was!!! At least he would if I let him have his way.

.

Miss Q is 17. Old enough to date. She is a quiet, shy girl who is just learning to come out of her shell. She is interested in dating, but because of past experiences she is very, very timid around boys and pretty awkward. She and I are working on this. I have taken her on a couple of dates, to show her the ropes and have some fun. Hubby would like to help our process along. His idea...call up one of our neighbor boys to take her on a date. Let me say that again...Hubby would be asking a boy to ask Miss Q out!

.

Hubby was quite surprised when I vehemently said NO! He was also surprised when I informed him that asking a boy to ask out his daughter would be one of the worst things he could ever do to her socially and emotionally. Hubby assured me that he would pick a nice boy and would give him plenty of money so the boy could take Miss Q somewhere nice. At that point I was a bit dumbfounded and at a slight loss for words. How could my dear Hubby be so dense?

.

I've tried explaining to the man that paying someone to go out with Miss Q in wrong. I've stressed the importance of a boy asking her of his own accord. Hubby still doesn't get it. He thinks it would be fine. Fortunately, when we decided to be Foster Parents we also decided that I would have the final say in all matters regarding the children. It is this fact and this fact alone that has stopped Hubby...so far.

.

He really thinks I'm wrong on this topic. He is really scoping out the Priest Quorum at church, trying to decide which boy he think would be best for Miss Q. Aaaah!!

.

Help a girl out and back me up! I think if I have a few more ladies on my side it would convince him that YES! It is absolutely wrong to ask a guy to ask your daughter out on a date. Especially if you pay. ;)

Into the Woods

Well, I am finally posting about Into the Woods. I was originally waiting until the CD drive on my computer could be fixed, so I could put up a bunch of pictures of the other cast members. But it looks like my CD drive is dead and gone for good. That means you only get pictures from my camera. Which means lots of pictures of Hubby.

.

They didn't allow pictures to be taken during the performance. Being my guilty self, I followed this rule, even though my sister-in-law was unashamedly taking picture after picture. She promised to share and true to her word she sent me copies...on a CD. Grrr. ;)

.
.

Hubby heading out the door.

No make-up, No costume. Just his plain, old self.

.
.
.

Turning into the Wolf!

.
.
.

His metamorphosis helpers

.
.
.

The Wolf!

Hubby is wearing a prosthetic on his nose and chin, to give him a more wolfy look. His hair was better the first day. It was gelled into place to look like wolf ears. The lady who helped him do it was sick the day I took this picture.

.
.
.

Full Wolf Costume-Front View

The ladies who made this did a fantastic job!!

.
.
.

Full Wolf Costume-Back View

.
.

The Wolf costume looked so good on stage! I had no idea what it would look like. When he first came on stage, I yelped and covered my eyes. Haha! It was such a surprise. And the way he moved while in this costume...Wow! It was very animalistic and kind of creepy. I could hardly watch his scenes with Little Red and Grandma. He was just too creepy for me. Haha!! What a funny thing to say about your husband. ;)

.

The ladies who made the costume were cursing the fur fabric. It did not cooperate at all. I think it turned out great! It's already been borrowed a few times for other shows.

.
.
.

Look out Little Red! He's trying to eat you!!!

.
.
.

Now he's pretending to be nice.

.
.
.

His true colors coming out again!

Watch out Granny! Run Little Red!

.
.
.

What big eyes you have Grandma!

The picture cracks me up.

.

After singing Hello Little Girl, Hubby only has a few minutes to take off his wolf coat and pants, throw on his Prince pants and Granny's nightgown, and jump into bed pretending to be Grandma. Again, this picture cracks me up. Seeing it in real life though, absolutely Hilarious!!

After he's killed, crew members wheel him (still in the bed) off stage. He then had to quickly scrub his face, tame his hair, and don his Princely attire.

.

.

.

The Prince Brothers

The man who played Rapunzel's prince directed Hubby and the girls in Annie!

.

.

After the performance ended, we were able to meet and greet the cast. I left Cakes home with a babysitter. There's no way he would have sat through the entire play. Joe, Anne, and Rose were so excited to see their Dad performing!

.

.

.

Prince Charming and his adoring family

pictured are Joe, Anne, and Rose with my Grandma and Aunts

.

.

.

Hubby and the Baker

Showing there are no hard feelings, even though Hubby totally macked on the Baker's Wife!

.

.

.

The full Cast in one set of costumes

.

.
.

Full Cast in another set of costumes

.
.
Some cast members only had one costume they wore the entire show. Others had quite extensive costume changes! Cinderella was the worst. She had her dirty cinder clothes, ball gown, wedding gown, and pretty peasant clothes. Luckily, her make-up stayed about the same through the show. She only had to remove some ash after the first set of songs.

.

Even though Hubby only had three costume changes, he had to deal with cleaning all the wolf make-up off and applying more princely make-up in a matter of minutes. Granny had a tough time too. She played three characters, Granny, Cinderella's Mom, and the Giant. She also made many of the costumes (including the Wolf). She is a trooper!!

.

The show was great. I am so glad that I was able to see Hubby perform in it. The entire cast did a superb job. I absolutely love the theatre and am very grateful to have two active production companies in my city.

A Quick Review

Place Your Bets!

.

Tomorrow afternoon is my "official ultrasound" appointment. The one where you have to drink 32 oz. of water then do your best not to die while a technician firmly presses the ultrasound wand all over your abdomen. It's also the one where they tell you (baby's position permitting) if your having a Boy or a Girl. Anyone want to take a guess??? Personally, I am not placing a bet. Being 0-4 kind of puts a damper on the guessing game. The family, who have guessed correctly on occasion, have already put in their opinions. So far the results are 3 Girl, 3 Boy. Cross your fingers that I'll find out who's right tomorrow.

.
.

Hubby's Busy Schedule

.

On a side note, even if I do find out what I'm having, I might not tell. Why?? Well, I don't want you to tell Hubby.

.

See, Hubby's work is super busy right now and he won't be able to attend the ultrasound. I think this is the first one he'll miss. I love Hubby dearly and can honestly say he's my best friend. However, in our relationship we have a lovely time harassing each other every so often. And now I will have the perfect ammo to get him and get him Good! It will kill him to know that I know the gender and he doesn't. Oooh! I can have such fun. Mwhaha!

.

Of course, I might let him earn the knowledge. I'll have to think up something good. Something like back rubs on demand for a month or taking me out for a dinner at some yummy place. ;)

.

.

Morphing Studies

.

As part of my Bachelors, I studied marital relationships. In one class, a study was reviewed that claimed the married couples, as they age, grow more and more similar in taste, personality, and appearance. Scary!! I laughed at the time and kind of shuddered to think about morphing into my Hubby. Bur Horror of Horrors!!! The morphing has begun!!! Thankfully it has only reached the taste buds and I'm praying will only last the duration of my pregnancy.

.

I have never in my life eaten a Big Mac. I prefer a petite hand-formed patty loaded to the brim with veggies. However, during my first trimester when I was so sick and everything I ate sat wrong, I saw a billboard for a Big Mac and it looked good. I chided myself and kept driving. But a week later, I found myself in the drive-thru ordering a Big Mac. I took it home and ate the entire thing. It was delicious. My tummy and my mouth felt so happy, and my heart felt like crying. I called Hubby practically in tears to confess my grievous behavior. He didn't believe me. When he came home and saw the wrapper, his eyes bugged out of his head. I have since had at least one Big Mac a week. Usually two or three. It's disgusting and delicious all at the same time. I am really at odds with myself. This is definitely Hubby's child.

.

Other things I now eat that I didn't eat before:

1) Dill Pickles. I can't get enough. They used to give me heartburn.

2) Mayonnaise. I never used the stuff. Just mustard and a little ranch and I was happy. Now I'm slathering my sandwiches with mayo.

3) Soda or Lemonade with my Big Mac. I never ordered drinks. I always got water. But now I need the sugary junk!

4) Pepperoni Pizza. I always ordered a small veggie pizza for myself. But now I can't eat mushrooms or bell peppers. Those are two of my favorite foods!!! I am so sad. For the first few weeks I kept trying to eat them. Thinking that a different recipe wouldn't make me sick. But no. Mushrooms and bell peppers are no longer my friends. And I miss them. A lot. :(

.

I tell you, my taste buds have morphed. Hubby still can't get over me eating a Big Mac. He thinks me eating Mayo is even weirder. He was seriously concerned about my mental state when he saw me slathering that white stuff on a slice of bread. :(

.
.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

.

This book has been on my "to read" list for years. Once I started college, extracurricular reading was put on hold. By the time I started reading for pleasure again, I wanted to read light and happy stories. Life was just too emotionally demanding for me to read anything dark or heavy. I must confess that I become very obsessed when reading. I really get into the stories and become quite invested in the characters. I also notice (and am irritated by) typographical and grammatical errors, inconsistencies in storyline, and other fun stuff like that. Books I have read lately include the Lightening Thief series, re-read the Anne of Green Gables series (except the last book about Rilla...it's sad!), and the ever popular Magic Treehouse, Captain Underpants, and A to Z Mysteries. All fun, light, and easy reads.

.
Then I read about Tess. It was AWFUL and INFURIATING!! The writing was superb. The story well-thought out and executed beautifully. It was thoroughly engaging, moved at a nice pace, and had an actual conclusion (something many of today's authors think is optional). The awful part was everything that happened to Tess. Holy Cow!! I don't want to give anything away, so I won't elaborate on the awfulness. Just know that when you read this story you are going to hate a man or two passionately and curse their names every time they appear in their self-righteous glory.
.

My kids were laughing at me because every so often I would put the book down and start storming about the room yelling about those awful men. I gave Hubby an earful when he asked me what I was talking about. Lecturing him on the values of a good man and condemning arrogance, self-righteousness, and hypocrisy. He made no further inquiries after that. ;)

i is busy.

I haven't posted for a few weeks. I keep meaning to, but I have been super busy. And when I finally do have a break, I want to read about YOUR life not write about mine. I don't think my break would actually count as a break if all I did was re-hash everything going on in my life. But my little sister wants an update. And I love her. A lot. So I will comply with a list of all the things keeping me busy.

1. I has been Painting.

My living room, dining room, and kitchen are now completely painted.

Next on my list are the kids bedrooms. I've already started the girls' room.

2. I is in a turf war with a pigeon couple.

Several weeks ago, Hubby and I knocked down their nest containing one egg. Good job us. The pigeons kept coming back. We kept shooing them away. This went on for a few weeks until I realized they'd probably laid another egg. Hubby and I knocked the second nest down to discover zero eggs, but two little chicks. Hubby is a baby-killer and I is his accomplice. :(

We figured that would be the end of it. But no, within a week the pigeons built another nest and laid another egg. We knocked that one down too. And the pigeon couple keeps coming back.

3. I is supporting my Hubby.

The whole family went to his work's summer BBQ. I am usually wary of events like this because even though they say "family-friendly" or "family oriented" they are usually referring to things teenagers would like, not little ones, and are often held in confined spaces where the voices of my children are echoed and amplified to the tenth degree.

Well, Hubby's work BBQ was completely family friendly. It was held on a football field. They had an alley of games for the little ones to earn prizes. And they had a giant slip and slide manned by a bunch of firefighters. We will definitely be attending next year.

4. I is being a baseball mom.

I am chauffeuring three children to weekly practices and games. I am helping at the concession stand, cooking up hot dogs and hamburgers, handing out candy and Gatorade and chips. And I am now trying to plan end-of-the-season parties for our teams. Funny thing is, I LOVE IT! And my kids are having a great time. If the kids all want to sign up again next year, I will totally do it.

5. I is getting sunburned.

First I got a funky tan line from sitting at the baseball field each Saturday. I've been wearing jeans rolled up to just below my knee, socks that go above my ankle, tennis shoes, and a high-necked t-shirt. I'm sure you can imagine how funny that must look when I actually don a swimsuit. But this past week, I wore a wider-neck t-shirt and got burned. Funny thing is, my sock line is still in place.

6. I is celebrating Popeye's birthday.

The Babycakes turned two. We celebrated with cupcakes and a visit to Chuck E. Cheese's.

7. I is being creeped out by Hubby.

He is rehearsing his lines and movements for Into the Woods. He plays Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf. The director has given Hubby some creep-tastic moves to perform as the wolf. He keeps trying to practice them on me. He is giving me the heeby-jeebies. I sure feel sorry for Little Red. :(

8. I is sewing costumes!

Into the Woods is feeding my sewing addiction. They have provided me with material, patterns, notions, and free reign to produce three costumes. I was very excited. This is the material for the first costume I made, a Steward. It was almost done, but the man I made it for is extra-wide and whoever took his measurements told me he was 50 inches in his chest & 56 inches in his waist. So I gave the guy a few inches extra when I made the costume. Well, somebody measured wrong and I need to add 8 to 10 inches somewhere. But no worries. I has a plan. ;)

9. I is helping the Hubby get in shape.

Yes, I know this book has a picture of a girl on it. But it's not just for girls. it was recommended to Hubby by a male coworker who is ripped to the extreme. Hubby is trying to follow it diligently. He does not want to be a pot-bellied Prince Charming. So far he has lost ten pounds and his tummy is looking firm and toned. His wife is very pleased. :)

Hubby is also growing his hair out for his role. I am liking that very much too. I have never seen him with hair longer than an inch. And I am loving the new length. It's about four or five inches long in some places now. Hubby looks HOT with his longer hair. I am doing my best to convince him to keep the length, but he has informed me that he is shaving it all off as soon as the play is finished. :(

10. I is tending my orchard and grove.

I purchased three citrus trees within weeks of moving to my new home. A couple months ago I added five fruit trees, two citrus, and four hibiscus. The look of the Nursery Worker's face cracked me up when he saw my mini-van. He told me that the 7 trees and 4 plants wouldn't fit in a mini-van. Good thing I have a Safari. I fit everything in plus myself, two kids, and two bags of mulch. And I could still see out my mirrors. Safari's rock. I hope GM will still make them...

I added another hibiscus a few days later for aesthetic reasons. :) I currently have 5 hibiscus: 1 white, 2 red & 2 hot pink; 5 fruit trees: 1 Anna apple, 1 Dorset apple, 1 plum, 1 apricot & 1 peach; 5 citrus trees: 1 Mexican lime, 1 lemon, 1 ruby red grapefruit, 1 sweet orange & 1 tangerine; plus an Indian Laurel in my front yard along with three giant hedge bushes that produce orange flowers. We also have carrots, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers growing. I love, love, love the outdoors. :)

Oh! When we moved a year ago, we left our lawn mower with a neighbor. So when we arrived here, we got to buy a new mower. Hubby just wanted to get a regular old mower. I insisted we get a self-propelled mower. It turned into a bit of a heated discussion, but I won in the end. The new mower is fabulous and so easy to use. I never mow the lawn. I tried to once, about six years ago as a surprise for Hubby. Yeah. That was stupid. Severe asthma and allergies do not like Bermuda grass. I managed to get the backyard done before collapsing into a wheezing, hacking, sneezing, itchy mess. That's how Hubby found me when he got home. Surprise! It took a round of steroids, albuterol, multiple breathing treatments, a shot in my bum, and a week resting to recover. I vowed to never mow again.

A couple weeks ago, Joe wanted to mow the yard. I helped him get the lawnmower out and started the thing for him. He took off like a rocket. The next week, I tried that mower while Hubby was pulling weeds. It was a snap! And the new mower didn't affect my asthma or allergies at all. Hooray! Except now I am a vow-breaker and a baby-killer accomplice. *sigh*

11. I is registering Joe for Kindergarten!

He is so excited. He can hardly wait to start. The only downside...his first MMR shot was given to him three days before he officially turned one. So it doesn't count according to our State's educational health policy. Meaning Joe had to get an MMR vaccination. Poor little Joe. He cried. A lot. Which is super funny to me because when he was a baby, he never cried while getting shots. Not once in his two years of getting vaccinations. He just always gave the doctor and nurse dirty looks. I guess he's making up for not crying back then. ;)

12. I is being held up in the grocery line.

For a long time. This would not be unusual except that the lady in front of me already had her groceries bagged while my groceries were sitting on the conveyor belt ready and waiting while she and the clerk discussed the Twilight movie! So I got to wait and wait while they gabbed about Twilight. Ugh!

The lady's check finally cleared, but they kept gabbing. Then I coughed, kind of loudly while looking away, trying to be discreet but get the line moving at the same time. Well, I looked in the wrong direction. I looked at the magazines as I coughed and the ladies assumed I was looking at this magazine. *exaserbated sigh*

They then felt the need to include me in their conversation. Yes I have seen the movie and yes I have read the books, but I so did not want to discuss it with them. I just wanted to get my groceries and leave. Fortunately, the first lady's husband finally got sick of waiting and told his wife to get moving. Actually, he said it in Spanish so I'm not sure exactly which words he said, but I understood the tone and whatever he said...it worked!!

13. I is visiting the doctors & dentist.

I think this picture says it all.

14. I is being amazed by Hubby's skills.

Turns out Hubby can sing in his sleep. I just discovered this talent of his last Sunday. His sacrament job is to hold the snoozing Babycakes. Unfortunately, Hubby sometimes falls asleep too. This past Sunday he started falling asleep while singing the rest Hymn. It was hilarious! We were singing "The Spirit of God" and Hubby's voice would fade as his eyes drooped then I would pinch him and he would come back singing full volume for a few seconds then start to fade again. Best part was he always came in with the right words on the right note. My man has skills! Hahaha! And I will never let him live this down.

15. I is screening books.

Rose wanted to read the Lightning Thief series. It was highly recommended by our local bookstore. Since it deals with the Greek gods, I figured I better read it first because those Greek gods were not very moral and got up to all sorts of trouble. We now own all of these books. They were a great read. Very compelling story and I loved how the author wove the Greek gods into the story. Wonderful. Rose just started the fifth book this morning. But I'm not going to let Anne read them yet. She'll need to wait until she's a little bit older.

16. I is supervising cake making.

Rose made this cake all by herself. It was a chocolate double layer with cherry frosting.

I think she did a pretty good job. I especially like the decorating job.

17. I is teaching preschool.

We learned the 70 phonograms using the Spalding education technique. We executed many science experiments including blowing up various objects, making volcanoes & goop, growing salt crystal gardens, watching yeast rise and bread bake, and mixing chemicals to watch the reactions. It was great!

18. I is in a talent show.

Rose, brave girl that she is, decided to be in her school's talent show. She sang "Every Star is Different" and I accompanied her on piano. Rose did a great job. She has a beautiful voice. Her school held three sessions: two during school and one evening performance. I showed up for each one. Another busy thing here was the dress she is wearing. Rose is at that wonderfully awkward stage where she is too big for the little girl section but too little for the women's section. And since she is not a stick-child, Miss clothing is definitely not an option. We found this beautiful dress thanks to a JC Penny saleswoman who actually knew her inventory. Knew what clothes she had, where they were located and what the best options would be for my daughter's body. Thanks to her we were out of the store in under an hour and the Rose-girl looked beautiful for her talent show.

I wish Hubby would have told me I would be in the shot. I would have sat up straight and sucked in my gut.

19. I is encouraging male bonding.

Hubby took the boys on a Father & Sons outing. They had a blast.

20. I is watching the harvest.

The boys and I have faithfully watched cantelopes grow in a field near our home. We were excited to see the harvest. A medium-sized John Deere tractor pulled this huge trailer and attachment while workers walked behind it picking the melons and tossing them up. I love agriculture.

21. I is dealing with my Ugly Daughter.

That's right I said ugly.

This girl pleaded with me to let her grow out her bangs. I agreed on the condition that she keep her hair out of her eyes. Psh. She completely diregards that condition everyday. Her hair hangs in her face. She refuses to put it in ponytails or headbands. If I try, she cries and says she looks ugly. For example, this picture taken this past Sunday. I put my foot down and and got her hair up and out of her face. As soon as she lookd at herself in the mirror she dissolved into tears, crying over and over that she looked so ugly. Excuse me? I can finally see her face. I think she looks great. She immediately tried to pull it out, but I threatened her with no dessert and a hundred sit-ups, so she left it in. This picture was taken after church. That's why she's smiling. She knows she getting ice cream soon.

22. I is watching movies with my Hubby.

We saw Star Trek in the theater. It was phenomenal. So great. A great cast. A great stroy. Good flow. Good sound effects. Such a satisfying movie to watch. They better be making a sequel or five.

Hubby also convinced me (I don't remember how or why I agreed) to watch some movies he has been wanting to rent. Um. That was not a good idea. He picked some pretty intense shows. First we watched Benjamin Button. That was alright but not my type of show. Then we watched Quantum of Solace. That gave me a headache and freaked me out a bit. And lastly, we watched Taken. That was intense and creepy-sick. Ugh! He wants to rent a few others, but he will have to watch those on his own.

23. I is watching the sun set.

Driving back and forth from ball games has a few perks.

Watching the sun set over fields filled with wheat and alfalfa is a beautiful thing.

24. I is eagerly watching the Airbender fan sites!

There are pictures available now. Hooray! I was so excited when I first saw these. The first picture is Prince Zuko played by Dev Patel. His scar isn't as apparent as I thought it would be, but other than that I think he looks fantastic. I love the facial expression. The scowl is a Zuko trademark and Dev has it nailed. The second picture is Aang played by Noah Ringer. There have been no pictures of Noah available since his name was released. At one point someone tracked down a baby picture, but other than that, no one had any idea what he looked like. And now that we do all I can say is WOW! M. Night nailed the casting. Well, the re-casting. (Thank goodness Dev is in and Jesse McCartney is out. That was just a little weird.) Noah is the perfect picture of Aang. I am so excited to see this movie. The trailer is available in only 20 more days. Hooray!

25. I is visiting teaching.

Umm. Yeah. I totally didn't do my visiting teaching this month. I was so busy with other things that my brain got confused. I thought about calling my ladies a few times then "remembered" that I had already gone visting teaching for May. Well, no. No I didn't. I went in April and then my brain fell out. I am going to need to bake some seriously delicious goodies to make up for my lack of visiting. Sorry ladies! I'll do better next month. I promise. Oh wait. I mean this month. This month. Yeah. I'll do better.