Betty Crocker here I come

So for Memorial Day, Brian packed us into the car again for another road trip. Monday we drove to Prescott. The kids were a little antsy this drive. I am not sure what was with them because we even set-up the DVD player. Maybe it is because I made them watch Sleeping Beauty and Mary Poppins. Sleeping Beauty was not their movie. It has not stopped Macy from including Sleeping Beauty in her infatuation with Disney princesses. (I had to buy the Disney Princess cereal at the grocery store the other night.)

Up in Prescott we went to the Annual Western Art Show. The weather was very pleasant to walk around in. Of course neither one of us had cash on us, so we had to pass up the chocolate covered caramal apples at the food tents. We ate at In and Out Burger along with everyone else. Then we took a scenic route home.

This scenic byway took us past a family orchard. They had a sign up offering fresh peaches that you picked yourself. Of course we made the U-turn to go back and have some good old fashion fun. I think the owner did most of the picking for us. He also did most of the talking. He was very proud of his land with all the different varieties of trees. He showed us the apple trees, black walnut trees, apricot trees, and the shade trees. There could have been more, but I can't remember. He was also excited to mention the fact that you could eat the fruit right off the trees because he used no pesticides of any kind. Macy took him up on that offer. She ate several peaches as we picked. She did do her fair share of picking. Kelsey did her best to help, but she liked the ones off of the ground the best. She kept trying to give those ones to me and I would have to try to tell her to grab them from the trees. In the end we had 14 lbs. worth.

As I was paying, Brian had to take the kids back and take pictures of them in the orchard. I am sure the farmer and his wife were laughing at us city folk thinking we were so cool doing the country thing. They were probably laughing at the amount we bought thinking that we could never use that many peaches.

You too may be laughing, but that drive is what led to my Wednesday night. So what did I do with the 14 lbs. of peaches, you ask? Well I was the domestic goddess. I did 2 and a half loads of laundry, made dinner, made peach jam, and sliced up 3 bags of peaches for the freezer. Of course Brian helped by getting the kids ready for bed.

During the day we went swimming again in the pool (the kids went twice; one time with mom and then again when dad got home). Macy actually did some swimming. She would jump in and swim to me over and over again. The strokes definitely are not perfected, but at least she is having fun and likes to hold her breath and put her face in the water. Kelsey just sits off in her own little world drinking the pool water. She kind of sings to herself and blows bubbles, but nothing seems to bother her when in the water. She is like a little frog. Macy has even taught her to kick.

Anniversarys

Last Thursday was my wedding anniversary. Some couples have set traditions for this special occasion. Brian and I seem to just go with it. Our first year of marriage we celebrated with friends at Lake Powell. The second year we took a cruise the week of our anniversary. The third year our daughter was a newborn so we booked parents as babysitters and went out to dinner at Tuscany. The fourth year Brian was interning in San Jose while I was in Utah working. I was able to fly out for the weekend and we stayed in Monterey for a little getaway. The fifth year we spent the actual day driving a moving truck to our new home. We did stay in a hotel that night, but only because of closing problems with the home. Actually, last year wasn't so bad. We had went on a cruise the week before with friends. This year we went to a really nice restaurant and then to a performance by Cirque de Soleil. Upon this reflection there appears to be no set tradition. If I had say one tradition that we use to celebrate our anniversary it might be vacationing. What traditions do you have? Who usually plans it?

On a final note, I would like to express my love to my husband. He is the most fantastic person. I am happy to claim him as my best friend. He is probably worried about what I am typing because I made him leave the room while I type this up. He is the adventurous type and likes to get out and see the world and I want to thank him for making me get out of my little house. If you ever need a trip planner or a deal finder he is the man. He is one of the smartest people I know and I can trust that he won't laugh at me when I am dead wrong (at least he won't laugh for long). He is a wonderful father. I haven't had to worry about leaving the kids with him for the day because he does his best to know what is going on with the kids. I really appreciate the breaks he gives me. There is so much more and I don't know if he will every read this, but at least you all know how lucky I am to have him. I love you Brian.

Scissor mistake

Well last night I caught Macy trying to give Kelsey a haircut. I stopped that game immediately. Macy then asked for me to cut her hair because the wind was blowing it. I seized this opportunity as quickly as I could. I have been trying to convince her to go to the salon to have a professional give her a trim. I asked her about the salon, but she said I had to cut it. So with my pride I agreed to it. I saw the hair stylist cut hers last time and thought I could have done that myself and saved me 10 bucks. So I went and grabbed my sewing scissors (the only use they really see is cutting hair). Let's just say I should have learned my lesson in high school when a guy friend made me cut his hair. By the time I was done I think I chopped off 2-3 inches of hair. It wasn't quite even because I didn't wet it at first, so this morning I had to do some minor corrections. She still wouldn't go to a salon to have it fixed. I think she looks cute with short hair. It makes her look a little like Makalah. Next time I will pay to have someone do it.

Today I maneuvered my way through Walmart. It is not my most favorite place. I never know where things are. I spent a half an hour looking for Crayola washable water paints. We finally found them and also found swimming goggles Macy had to have in the process. The other thing I hate is the conversations I over hear while shopping. #!@#&%, @#$@%. Should explain it. The nice thing is they do have good prices and if you need to pick up a few extra grocery items to get you through the week you can do that at the same time. If you have the whole day to spend there you can get a manicure, get a pedicure, get a hair cut, do some banking, see a financial planner, and get your eyes examined. Who knows what else. It is a one stop shop.

Big Sisters & Skinny dippers

Kelsey is quickly finding out that big sisters can be quite a pain. Macy is really enjoying her swim lessons, so last night she thought she would teach Kelsey how to swim on the couch. Macy had Kelsey climb up on the arm of the couch, place her toes on the edge, extend her arms above her head to dive, and then jump. Macy being the good big sister would catch her. I was not home at the time but when Brian realized what was going on Kelsey had already done this at least once. He thought it was funny and tried to capture it on camera, but this only made Macy stop paying attention. Well Kelsey was all set and still took her dive and landed on her head. Yesterday, Macy helped Kelsey put on mascara when I was busy with something. She only got to one eye before Kelsey came crying to me. Today after the shower when I was doing a 5 minute blow dry on my hair, Macy decided Kelsey needed to be a work of art. I couldn't hear Kelsey crying until I stopped the blow dryer. When I found the two of them Kelsey had blue pen all over her face, her back, her arms, one leg and both feet. I wasn't real happy since they had just gotten cleaned up.

Today I decided to be the fun, really neat mom. The girls and I decorated foam crowns. I purchased the sticky foam things and let Macy have at it. She was so excited. She loves to do crafts. She piled the flowers at least four deep. I had to convince her to save some for another time. Kelsey like to put them on and take them off. She also liked to chew on them. I now know why things have labels that say items are a choking hazard for 3 and under. Macy never put anything into her mouth so we didn't worry to much. Kelsey on the other hand finds anything she can to shove into her mouth. I keep thinking that this habit has to start to taper off, but at least 5 times a day I am telling her spit something out.

For those of you wondering about the pacifier, I think Kelsey has kicked that habit. We have gone 2 days without it. Up until yesterday the 2 binkies were laying around the house. She would find them and bring them to me and say "broke". She would try to suck on them but they were to short. Yesterday when she brought one to me and I told her to go throw it away because it was broken. She then walked off towards the garbage. Shortly after she returned with the other one. I told her to throw that one away too. She again walked off towards the garbage. I haven't seen them since.

On last thing. This morning temperature was very pleasant, so the kids and I went outside before swim lessons to do some yardwork. Of course I needed to spend some time in the pool area, so I stripped the girls down to their diapers. They got in and splashed around (mind you this was around 8:30 AM). Macy even tried to help Kelsey put her face in the water to swim. After awhile Macy got out because her diaper was a balloon. She wanted it off. I told her she couldn't get back into the pool if I took it off. Then Kelsey had to have her diaper off. Of course we all know there was no stopping them from getting back in, so we had our first full moons in the pool.

1950s Drive

Sunday afternoon Brian loaded up the car to go for a drive. We took along a picnic dinner because the plan was to find a beautiful mountain area to stop at. As we got on our way I told Brian that this drive felt like something from a 1950s TV show. The only thing missing was an old station wagon and maybe a few more kids. I have a feeling that these drives of his are going to be something that the kids will laugh about in their adult years. It will go something like this: "Do you remember when dad would make us all climb into the car for those silly drives of his to who knows where?" Then there will be laughter and someone will mention that they remember this time when he drove to the mountains to take in the beauty and the place he chose to stop and eat at was a burnt forest.

That is what happened Sunday. The kids had awaken from their naps and were antsy to get out so we started to look for campsites. Brian turned off onto a dirt road that had a sign to Black Canyon Lake. We passed some beautiful lush pine trees to get to the lake. Once we got to our destination I noticed that the trees surrounding the lake were all black and dead (there were some trees that survived the fire). The area had been consumed by a wildfire in recent years. It was still pretty and cooler than home. I had to put on long pants and a sweatshirt. Brian had to put on his sweatshirt and the girls didn't seem to be bothered so we left them in their shorts and t-shirts (Macy wouldn't wear her jacket).

After dinner we walked along the lake. Brian began to skip rocks and so the girls joined in. I think they threw rocks in for at least a half an hour and would have gone on longer if we hadn't gone back to the car. Macy had to scour the land for the best rocks. I guess the ones at our feet weren't good enough. For Kelsey anything worked including wood. One time she found a rock as big as her head. Of course that was the one she wanted. Macy helped her pick it up. We were afraid that it would drop on their toes, but somehow the rock made it to the water.

Overall it was a good day trip. Macy's only complaint was that she couldn't watch a movie. We didn't bring the DVD player. It would have taken away from that old time feel. I think the next adventure Brian has on tap is Monday, Memorial Day.

Pictures

Macy's pictures litter the floors in my house. I never thought I would be the mom that would secretly throw pictures away. I have to wait until naptime or bedtime and then I round them up. Sometimes I slide them under other pieces of trash or I take them out to the big, black can. This is so she doesn't find them and say "Hey, my pictures" and then pull them out of the garbage can. Sometimes she is so in love with them that I place them on top of the refrigerator and wait a couple days to see if she misses them. If she doesn't ask I know I can chuck them. The other day I decided to clean out inventory. I had her sit down and pick some out to send to her grandmas. I figured grandmas are more excited to have this kind of stuff. She was excited to do this because she is usually coloring them for a grandma and because she got to lick the envelope and place the stamp on it.

Mom and Carol, look for your gift in the mail. I sent them yesterday. Do what you may with them. Grandma Bonnie and Grandma Lue, don't you worry because the way she colors you will probably see some come your way too. When she talks of grandmas her list is not just limited to my mom and Brian's mom.

Good hygiene and pacifiers

Hopefully Macy and Kelsey will have great hygiene in the future. They are both obsessed with toothpaste and brushing their teeth. They only like to brush their teeth so they suck off all the minty flavor. Kelsey literally cries when we are in my bathroom and I won't give her any. She carries the tube around crying "paste, paste". I have had to call poison control once because when Macy was little she got into the toothpaste and I wasn't sure how much she ate. The operator just told me that if they get too much fluoride then they get nauseous and sometimes throw-up.





Today Macy picked out her own outfit. She didn't do too bad. You should have seen yesterday. I had to let her wear it to the Kidzone (a public place) because it wasn't worth the argument and she was so proud of herself. One of the things she was proud of was that her shirt and shorts were both matching pink.

This week we have been weaning Kelsey from her binky. On Monday I noticed one of them was breaking so I thought now was as good a time as any to get rid of the pacifiers. This might sound rude of me to say this but it is one of my favorite things to do to the youngsters. Our bishop's wife was the one who clued me in on the secret. Each day for a week you snip a small piece from the nipple. Eventually there is not enough there to even stay in the mouth. Some kids don't like it from the first day and get rid of it, but my girls are addicts. The first day Kelsey was so confused and had to try and re-try each binky before her nap. I just had to look at her and say "they're broken, sorry". She picked one and went to sleep. When she woke up she came to me with them and said "broke, broke". It is so hard to hold a straight face because she really doesn't understand what is going on, but somehow they keep getting a little shorter. Each day she uses them less and less and I know they are not staying in her mouth anymore when she sleeps. But everyday it is "broke" with the sweetest puzzled look. It sounds mean but it is a lot easier on me than going cold turkey.

I get to teach Young Womens on Sunday and the lesson is on temple marriage. Some of the topics I am going to touch on are: it is ordained of God, it is the beginning of an eternal kingdom, and preparing for one. If anyone has any good thoughts or stories I could use, pass them along.

Block fun

With the thermostat set at a cool 78 degrees, the air conditioner still seems to come on every half hour during the afternoon and early evening. I am not looking forward to the summer electricity bills. The electric company notified us last month that in May the summer rates return. That translates into an increase.

To all the concerned loved ones, we seem to be over the illnesses. The only remnants to remind us of the recent events would be my flaking rash and the girls amoxicilian. They have to take it for 10 days. I swear that they upped that from the old week timeframe.

I have taken the liberty of forcing my favorite childhood movies upon my children. I bought Pete's Dragon the other day and yesterday the girls and I sat down and watched it for a second time. Macy is good for about a half an hour of movie watching, but she says she likes the dragon movie and we are never allowed to stop the movie once it is started.

The girls and I also painted our toenails yesterday. Macy has been dying to do this ever since Aunt Steffie's polish wore off. I had to go buy some because all my others had become old and gross.

The blocks that Kelsey received for Christmas have been the best toy. The girls love to play with them. Last night while dad was on the computer, we pulled out the blocks to play. Even Kelsey has gotten into the tower building. It is somewhat comical to watch them with the blocks. Macy will be building her road and Kelsey will have her small tower, but Kelsey likes to steal her materials from the road. She is so innocent when she does it and Macy flips out. The funniest part last night was Kelsey. She thought it was funny when I tried to balance blocks on her head. They usually fell off the minute I set them there partly because she would start bouncing away. She giggled and giggled with this new trick. She kept bringing me blocks to do it again and again. As soon as they fell off she would laugh and dance around in a circle on her tip toes and then bring another block. Well Macy had to join the fun to. She only thought it was funny because Kelsey was getting a kick out of it. We found that Kelsey has a flatter head than Macy and that elastic hair things help hold the blocks better. Kelsey holds the record of three seconds and that is with walking around.

Dancing through the Summer Heat

Nothing new is really going on in my life. I am just trying to avoid the of chores waiting for me.

We are starting to get back into the swing of summer. Macy is just finishing up her third week of swim lessons. She really enjoys them but she still is afraid to let go of your arm to do "big arms" and she won't jump in without hanging on to a finger or hand. Maybe the next three weeks will change that. After her swim lessons we came back to our house and jumped in the pool to cool off. By 10 AM we were 90 degrees, so definitely swimming weather. I read a couple of pages from my book while the girls played in the water and then I jumped in. I decided that I definitely have the good life and wouldn't change it any other way except for maybe a maid to do my laundry, clean the bathrooms and floors, and do the dishes after I cook.

For Mother's Day I received 4 private dance lessons and 1 group lesson. This is so Brian and I can join in with the older couples in the lounge on our next cruise. They look so smooth and graceful gliding across the floor. We don't really watch "Dancing with the Stars" but you might see us there right after the cruise.

Your welcome Walgreens

I am really new to this blogging thing, but in the past month I have had 2 friends ask me if they blogged and incidentally they both used blogspot. It made me think that I should try it out especially since my grandma talked about how she enjoyed reading my cousin's blog. So here it goes...

This may seem negative for a first posting but I am tired of illnesses that trap me at home. It all started Sunday, April 29 when my youngest daughter, Kelsey, had a high fever. Monday she was feeling a little better but the fever had turned into diarrhea. That is when the diaper rash came. By Wednesday afternoon my other daughter, Macy, caught the viral infection and wasn't feeling so well. By Thursday, Kelsey's bottom was blistered and we had our first doctor visit during this time period. When we left the doctor I thought we had to be coming to the end of a long week, but the next day green goop started to accumulate around my girl's eyes. The culprit was conjunctivitis otherwise known as pink eye. We had to call the doctor again and get a prescription. Then I had to call the babysitter and cancel my date night. The family was stuck home all weekend.

Monday, May 7 I again jumped to the conclusion that we were finally over all the sickness (except for the finally trailings of green goop). I tried to make it back to the gym and resume normal life. But other things would soon arise. Wednesday night a sudden sore throat and headache came upon me. I kept telling myself it was not strep throat. I awoke Thursday morning feeling better but was achy that afternoon and a rash appeared on my trunk. I went to bed that night still trying to convince myself I did not have strep. We were going to the splash park the next day. I couldn't be sick. On the way to the park I stopped by the urgent care just to be sure because the nagging sore throat was back. The Doc took one look at me and said strep throat. Then when she found out about the rash she labeled it scarlet fever. We still went to the splash park. We were already packed and I promised. By Sunday, May 13 I told myself we have finally made it to the end but it was not so. That night my ear plugged up and it hurt terribly.

This brings us to today. This morning I found myself a primary care physician and made an appointment for my ear. But first we went to the girls already scheduled 18-month and three-year well-child check-up. Kelsey had some build up in her throat so a strep culture was done. Guess what? It came back positive. So both girls had to get antibiotics. Then it was on to my appointment. I now have an ear infection to go with the strep and scarlet fever. I will now say "Your Welcome" to Walgreens. So after 2 weeks of this I have to spend at least one more day at home tomorrow. I really hope that we have paid our dues to whoever hands out illnesses and we don't have to visit the doctor for a long, long time.