Another week

It has been a pretty good week even though Brian has been gone for most of it. He went up to Utah for his MBA class reunion/conference and to do a little networking.

On Wednesday I learned how to dip my caramels (or other items) in chocolate and then it was off to learning how to make bread. I have done this but I have noticed that mine tends to be a little dense and dries out quickly. This class gave me some great tips. Both of these were courtesy of some Relief Society sisters. After devouring way too many chocolates it was off to Chick-fil-A for kid play time and mom talk time. My sweet friend who couldn't make it gave me 3 coupons each worth a free kids meal so lunch was completely free. You can't beat that. Then that evening I got to defy my husband and I mowed the lawn. I just kept thinking "when is he really going to have time to do this." One of the reasons I didn't mind taking on the challenge is that last year we purchased a new lawn mower and so in one pull it starts and it is self-propel so really easy. Also the weather has been beautiful (maybe heating up a bit too quick) so it was a pleasant way to enjoy the evening.

Thursday night I grabbed a babysitter and went to Great Clips to have my friend give me a haircut. I cut off 2 to 3 inches to prepare for the warmer weather and the eventual hair loss that comes 3 months after I have a baby. I think I like it. I still have some struggles and am looking for the hair product that will solve my problems. I know it is out there. I just haven't found it. After the hair cut it was time for a little girls night out. I went over to a friend's house with some other women, made her husband sit in the back bedroom (he was cursing the no basement idea that is common in Phoenix), and chatted and snacked. It was very relaxing and I love these women. After I came home to kids already in bed and asleep so I watched ER. I know. Nobody watches it anymore, but I came back to it last season and then found out that this is the final one so I feel a deep desire to finish off the series. I watched this show from its first days and then skipped several years and came back for the finale. I will admit I enjoy.

Late Thursday night was not so pleasant. Kelsey woke up at midnight and came into my bedroom because her tummy hurt. I put her back to bed and then started thinking that maybe she was hungry even though she ate a lot for dinner. I was hungry so it wasn't unfathomable. So I took her some cheese and pancake to share (that was what was quick). She shoved the cheese in like she was famished, then laid down to quick and choked. It all came back up. I cleaned things up and put her to bed. A couple hours later she came and told me she threw up again. So again I cleaned things up and put her to bed. This happened one more time, so I began to dread today. However, she woke up like nothing had happened. She was completely better. No moaning, no groaning. She ate breakfast and lunch. She hasn't had a fever. She was tired tonight, but that was probably because each time she woke up last night she was up for a little bit trying to go back to sleep. She is an awesome sick kid and I have no complaints. (Sorry, it seems that being sick is a common theme for our family lately. It hasn't been this way until this year. I have my fingers crossed that next year will be better.)

Since she woke up fine this morning we made it to the Primary activity and now I am watching kids for the weekend swap thing we do with friends. Hopefully tonight we all get a little bit better night's sleep.

New Clothes

Yesterday we received Grandma Carol's Easter dresses in the mail. The girls were so excited for the dresses that they had to put them on right away. They wore them all day long and even broke them in by spilling on them. Good thing I have time to wash them before Easter. Kelsey's favorite part of the dress was that it came with a matching dress for her doll.

The funny thing is Macy is not really a dress lover. I think it helped that Kelsey wanted hers on right away. Also Macy is slowly changing her opinion of dresses. She will now wear them to church instead of wearing just skirts. And on Sunday she wore her dress all day on Sunday. The bad part is she always wants to ride her bike while wearing her dresses.

Kelsey is my dresser-upper. She is always putting on dresses. Her catch is when it comes to Sunday she will only wear one particular dress, a pink hand-me down from her cousin (it is cute). I am tired of seeing her wear it because she has a closet full of cute dresses and she refuses to wear those ones in public. On Sunday I warned her that after that day the pink dress was going to disappear forever so enjoy it one last time. Is that awful of me?

(Not the greatest picture but I have never claimed to be a brilliant photographer nor a great hair stylist. Also Kelsey doesn't like me to do her hair anymore either so it is always in her face and if I do happen to do it she pulls it out an hour later)

Grandma Carol also sent some handsome outfits for baby boy and some cozy sleepers. (Obviously he has to wait to try them on.) She is so good to us and helps keep the kids clothed to good looking apparel. With her help I think we are on our way to having this baby clothed. Thanks so much grandma! We love you!

Raw end of the Deal

Do you ever feel like you get the short end of the stick lately? I do every time I want to buy ice cream and my favorite kind is now 1.5 quarts instead of 1.75 quarts and I still pay the same amount. I am trying to boycott my favorite ice cream to show them who is boss, but I have tried 2 store brands and they just don't compare.

Gas is this way too. So crude oil is down in the $39 a barrel range and yet the prices at the gas pump are slightly inching their way up. I thought that the reason gas prices last year were $4 was because crude was above the $100 to almost the $150 mark. What gives?

How about the Wendy's value menu? The five piece chicken nuggets are not a $1 anymore they are $1.19 unless you are in the airport then you pay $1.29.

Stamps seem to be the same way. Every time I turn around there is another 2 cent increase so I have to buy special stamps. Okay I will splurge here and just stick on two $..44 stamps because I don't want to run to the post office, but I am paying for my laziness.

My latest grief came when I opened my box of girl scout cookies. Maybe my mind has been tainted but I swear there are less thin mint cookies this year (I didn't get a chance to purchase any last year so maybe that is when the number decreased). Even looking at the box and my mind seems to think that it too is smaller. I like helping out the girl scouts and my taste buds, but my pocketbook doesn't like it too much.

Oh what is my world coming too. I guess I will go console myself with my girl scout cookies.

The Polar Bear Club

Yesterday when I came home from my stake Relief Society activity this is what I found. Kelsey was in her swimsuit.

I had cleaned up the pool yesterday and they were with me so they knew it wasn't warm. Still they asked if they could go swimming. Thinking I am a smart mom I say sure, however I was not getting in. I truly thought that one foot in the water would send them running and I wouldn't have to worry about it for awhile. I was wrong. It was 80 degrees outside and the pool was 58 degrees. We spent at least 20 minutes outside and I had to force them inside because I was getting hot in my long pants (I had already showered for the day and didn't want to sweat because we were going out that night). They were very nice to me when I said I was getting hot. They came and rubbed cold water on my arms, feet, and neck. Kelsey laid flowers all over me. They certainly took care of me. But in the end I was still the mean mom and made them go in to bathe for Sunday.

Macy the Great

Macy's latest trick is to have me not look and then she does magic. Last week when the temptation became to great to lick her fingers while frosting cookies she told me not to look because she was going to do magic. She then ducked her head below the counter and then came up showing her hand and said "ta-da". Last night she didn't want to finish her apple skin so she goes to the pantry (where the garbage is) tells me not to look because she is going to do magic. She then shuts the door and comes out with a big grin and says "see its gone. It was magic."

Last night as I was getting ready for a night out Macy comes into my bathroom. She looks at me and says "when I get older I am going to do all your chores for you." I must have had a pleasant look of shock on my because she continued "I am going to do all your chores so you can take care of the baby." I then asked her if I can get that in writing and if she would sign it so when she is 13 and complaining about chores I can whip it out. She looks at me and says "I don't know what that is" (referring to signing the contract). I said she just has to write her name at the bottom. She agreed to do this. Now I need to get on top of it.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was pretty low-key for us, since Brian and I had the worst sore throats of our lives. Luckily for me my inflammation was subsiding a little and I felt great except for the throat

The girls woke up to a little Valentine from mom & dad and one from grandma and grandpa. They were thrilled and grandpa is showing quite the talent for scrapbooking and craft projects. Just kidding my mom made the cutest memory books for each girl and one for Brian and I. I asked her if she would do baby boy's first year scrapbook. I was turned down because he doesn't have a name yet. You can see a little of the books in the picture of the girls.


Now some people, such as Brian, lose weight when they are sick. Not me. In fact I could possibly gain weight because I am too stubborn and addicted to sugar to let anything hinder me from eating. So the girls and I snacked on Valentine's candy throughout the day. Then we made sugar cookies in the afternoon and we were very careful to use extra caution in regards to hygiene. Thanks to my good friend Ashley we had delicious cookies. We didn't frost them until Sunday because time slipped by us so quickly. Here Kelsey had to sprinkle her own cookie. There was so much frosting on the sprinkle jar.
Kelsey ate more frosting than cookie. I knew the knife would be too tempting (I have seen her fall to temptation before) so each girl had their own little bowl of frosting. Kelsey frosted one cookie with her bowl and Macy was able to do two. Macy did an excellent job frosting her cookies. Mom frosted way too many since we didn't hand any out to friends even though we were very careful with the germ thing. I have about 2 dozen sugar cookies in my freezer to help me avoid gorging myself (the other dozen are currently being polished off). If anybody wants to take a risk, you are more than welcome to a cookie.

That night we had a special Valentine dinner that I think will have to become our tradition. We had waffles with strawberries and whip cream.

After the girls went to bed Brian and I sat on the couch and finished watching the last few songs on GAC's Top 20 love songs. It was sad to say but for some reason we just didn't have the romantic spirit that night. I promised not to divulge the real kicker (besides being sick), but since this is my journal I want to remember why I was laughing that night. It had something to do with a cup. Hopefully that will jog my memory at some future date. Maybe next year when Valentine's Day comes around we will be healthy and have the romantic dinner we were planning.

Oh yea! Another example of reaching out. My cute visiting teachers left a heart attack on my door. It was a pleasant surprise and sure made me feel loved.

Reaching Out to Others

Sunday I taught a lesson about reaching out to others. I felt like it went really well, but I had a hard time coming up with personal examples that I haven't used before. I know I had some but my mind drew a blank. Of course after the lesson I have seen so many kind acts in this week alone that would have been perfect for my class. I am sure I drew a blank so the girls could pull from their own experiences.

When I think of all the kindness that has been extended to me I have to stop and think if I do the same sort of things for others. Sometimes I am a little disappointed in myself because there are instances in which some acts would never cross my mind. Then I hope to log it in my brain for a future time when I can extend someone else a similar kindness. Hence, the reason for my post. Hopefully by writing about this I will remember more readily.

There were a number of people who remembered my birthday and made it special. In fact someone last year did the same thing and brought me flowers. Somehow I manage to remember birthdays either two days before the event or two days after and then I never get around to doing something kind. I hope I can change this.

I have also received sweet cards of love on days that I needed them. I wish I did more as Pres. Monson does. In the Church News, he stated that he immediately acts upon inspiration. If I did this instead of throwing the inspiration on my "to do list" and never getting to it, then I might be the help that someone else needs at the time and a tool in Heavenly Father's hand.

So thank you to everyone that has been an example to me and reminded me of the importance of reaching out to others. Thank you for being an instrument in Heavenly Father's hand.

Magical moments

Since the last post wasn't uplifting I am going to bury it with others that I wanted to do earlier this week.

Monday the girls and I had to go to Costco for a few things. We all had ice cream after (I said it was the early FHE treat). I couldn't help but smile when Kelsey asked me if her face was messy and turned around in the car to see a big grin on her face. I gave her a napkin and said it was. So then she wiped off her lips and then asked me again with a big grin. She had missed almost all the ice cream because it was all over above and below her lips. These are the special moments when I take the time to realize them.

That same day I dropped something off to a friend's house. The friend's five year old daughter came to the door with her. My friend was telling me how nice and good I looked for being pregnant. Her daughter responded after with, "You look huge!"

I must have had a different spirit about me that day because the next event took place on Monday too. We were at home and I was preparing dinner. We had turned on the TV and GAC (Great American Country channel). It was music videos so Macy had to run and get a microphone. She tried to do some karaoke, but it was mostly just syllables trying to mimic the voices. It was so cute. She was oblivious to me and in her own world. When a commercial would come on she would ask me to get the next song. She is growing up in a DVR world. The whole thing just made me smile.

Another week gone by

So we have had to come in from the patio, but I guess that is okay because we were warming up way too fast and I was starting to get some swelling because of it.

It has been another week of happenings. Not necessarily the funnest nor my best moments, but still events in our life.

Last Friday Macy brought home a virus. Of course right before she got sick she was playing with a friend. The minute I shut the door from her friend leaving she started the moaning and said she didn't feel good. I won't go into details but I washed too many loads of sheets that weekend to make anyone happy. Part of the sheet washing came when we forgot to change Kelsey into her special underpants twice.

My Christmas present was Saturday night. Brian had given me Lion King tickets and I was worried I would have to miss the performance. Instead we did what any good parent would do. We called up one of the older girls to babysit our sick child. We did make sure that Macy would only have to be awake for about an hour. The performance was good, but was not my favorite play. The costuming was innovative and spectacular and there was a lot of different dancing. I did feel like that was the focus of the show was the costume and dance instead of the plot and deliverance of the lines. It is also hard to beat the movie. We had never been to this theater and opted for the second balcony which equaled the nose-bleed section at the Delta Center (or whatever it is called today). We now know, pay the extra money to sit closer.

Macy still wasn't feeling too much better on Sunday. Her throat was really bothering her so we took her to the urgent care to be told it was a virus and there was nothing we could do but wait it out.

Monday she was getting close to normal and Tuesday she went to school. I also figured that the rest of the family was in the clear.

Wednesday was my birthday. I woke up to a gift from Macy, a sore throat. It wasn't too bad so I still went to the gym in the morning and then to lunch with some good friends for my birthday. Luckily the throat wasn't bad enough to stop me from eating Chick-Fil-A and some cookies. After that I took a turn for the worst. But I couldn't stop because I was helping with the YM/YW activity that night, so it was on to Costco to pick up the cakes and then to the church to set-up. After being at the church for an hour and a half I knew I would not make it through the night. My throat hurt so bad I couldn't eat. I went to make sure the activity got started okay and then it was home to bed for me.

By the way my birthday was still pretty good. The girls made me a card and Brian and them gave me a new MP3 player (I keep breaking or losing mine). My sweet friends planned a lunch and gave me fun gifts. I had plenty of phone calls and cards too.

Thursday my throat hurt even worse. I have never had a sore throat as bad as this. Macy had a fun Thursday at school. It was her Valentines Party at school. She loved receiving her Valentines and all the candy.

Today I went in to the doctor with the hope it was a bacterial thing so I could take some antibiotics. My hopes didn't pan out, so now I wait it out. Actually right now it is feeling better than this morning. Maybe it was the popsicle for lunch (why I didn't think of this for Macy, instead she suffered). The bad thing is last night Brian started to feel crummy. That is my fault because I kissed him on Tuesday night. He is at home from work today feeling achy and has a sore throat. He might have it worse than me because he has a stomach ache to go along with it. Poor guy.

I hoping it skips Kelsey. I didn't notice Macy coughing in her face like she did mine and I know I haven't kissed her on the lips recently. Of course I thought we were in the clear earlier in the week and I was wrong.

Ahhhh!

Tonight was splendid. The only thing missing was Brian because he had to work late. (We are still trying to figure out why they let him go when there is so much work to be done.) The girls and I ate one of my favorite meals out on the back patio. The meal was homemade cheeseburgers, corn-on-the-cob, fresh vegetables with dip and fresh cherries. The evening was perfect and the temperatures were even, not too hot and not too cold. It was relaxing. Like I said the only thing missing was Brian because the conversation might have been a little more adult and then I wouldn't have rushed through dinner because I would have had someone to really chat with. I tend to eat fast when it is me and the kids (I have to keep up with them) and then I feel bloated and way too full (a slight complication of pregnancy). After I devoured the meal I did sit back and relish the outside a bit.

Now the evening is completely still and quiet. The kids easily went to bed tonight. Sometimes I love the bedtime routine. It is always good when I don't have to fight them into bed and it takes 30 minutes instead of an hour. The routine is pajamas, brush teeth, read 2 stories, scriptures and pray. My favorite part is reading to them. Sometimes I am impatient and hate it, but I love to read to them and it seems that I only make time for it at night.

I do have one warning for parents. Be sure to buy books that you will enjoy reading over and over again. Last year I made a mistake of buying a Strawberry Shortcake Valentine book for the girls because they love Strawberry Shortcake and it was cheap. Well I can't tell you how many times I have read that story this year, let alone this past week. There are other books that we read over and over again, but this one sounds like a sixth grader wrote it. It is wordy and long. I am tired of the word "berry" replacing everything such as "berry cool" for "very cool", "berrilicious" for "delicious", etc. Luckily they tore the book months ago (from over use) and a page or two is missing. Otherwise I might have to shoot myself. I would much rather read a Dr. Suess, Fancy Nancy, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Me First, etc.

Something for me to Remember

The other night at dinner my kids were talking about their bellies. Macy said she shouldn't eat any more or else her tummy would get big like moms and then she would have a baby in it. Kelsey said hers is already big and she has a baby inside.

They have also decided to decorate his room with pictures for him. The have taped up a slew of them on every wall. All are meant for him. They have even colored some pictures for him that they placed in his dresser. I hope he can survive the mauling that is soon to come.

The poor boy might also be stuck with the name "Baby Boy" or "Boy Baby" because we have gotten no where with the name. My girls now refer to him as such. If any one has suggestions, we are open. I don't like way out there names, but I don't have to be traditional either. At one point in our lives we thought about using the name Cole. The idea has kind of worn off.

The Run-Down

Why does life have to be so busy? These are the times when I wonder if farm life is any slower.

Here is a quick run-down:

Party Central last weekend. Friday night was our turn for our babysitting swap, so the girls were up late playing with their 3 friends. Saturday night was a get together with friends that had moved from our neighborhood. It really could have been counted as a ward function. And then Sunday night of course their was the Super Bowl. We went to some friends house at 6 PM for the game. Got to love DVR! I spent the whole time eating and talking. I guess the commercials weren't that great to call me over and re-watch. I did pause from filling my mouth to watch the 3-D half time.

This week I have printed out over a hundred papers for the upcoming murder mystery activity for the YM and YW. We have over 80 youth and most are planning on coming. I still have to add in 2 more parts.

Yesterday I went to a short sale class for Realtors. It was very informative and made me want to jump on board and get into business.

Today I just want to take a nap because I keep staying up later than I should. Alas, there is no rest for the weary right now because I have a lesson prep. calling and house issues to take care of.