The best part of being self-employed is taking a snow day with your kids!
We really need to figure out how to attach a snow shovel to the front.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Because we are going to learn to like fish
Joe, growing up in Washington, actually already likes fish. My early experiences included ... trout, so I'm not as big a fan. But I'm going to learn or die trying because we recently inherited one big fish. Apparantly, a tanker filled with fresh salmon rolled over on I-90 near Spokane, and a few people from our ward were lucky enough to happen upon the spill. So we got a share of the spoils. That fish is huge!
As a side note, we put the fish's head in the fridge right next to the milk. I can't wait to see what our kids say in the morning. We're going to tell them that it's for dinner. If all goes well, I might even go so far as to put it in a pot of boiling water in the evening to see what they do.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Harvesting
These last few weeks have flown by. I had multiple training meetings to take up my spare (not!) time. I recertified for ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support), which is like CPR on steroids. So drop dead in front of me...I dare you!! Okay, please don't. Survival rates suck no matter where you are or how good a nurse I am.
Joe is doing well at work. He keeps saying that he should have done this years ago, and I agree! Being self-employed is so different, and in a good way. (Except for health insurance). He's also enjoying being a part of the classic car club with all the old fogies in Moses Lake and his friend, Aaron.
Our ward's annual Harvest dinner was last week. I volunteered to make two pies. One of which was my famous lemon meringue, which went over quite fabulously. It was the first to be gone, and everyone raved (yeah me!!). I also made a cream cheese pumpkin that was pretty darn good. I put the whipped cream on too soon, though, and it melted all over, but still tasted good.
I took Natalie in for a check-up this week. She is 35 pounds, and 43 inches tall. Which is 10% for height, and below the 3rd% for weight. But she keeps growing, so we don't care that she's small. Interestingly enough, Brooklin is now 28#. She's catching up fast. All 3 kids got flu shots. Brooklin got hers first. She cried for a minute and got over it. I had to hold AJ down to get his, and he complained the rest of the day about how badly it hurt. ("Oh, I can't shut the door; my arm hurts so bad!" "Oh, I can't clean up my toys because my arm still hurts bad!" "Oh, I punched my sister because my arm hurts so bad!") Right after AJ's tantrum, it was Natalie's turn. She responded with, "I don't need your help, Mom. I'm a big girl. I know it will hurt a minute, but then, I'll be okay."
Joe and I are part of a babysitting co-op, so we actually got a date on Friday! We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant, so the whole date only cost us for the meal and gas. Babysitting is so expensive; it's no wonder we haven't been getting out regularly before this.
Joe's mentor/manager owns the movie theater in Ephrata. He invited us to a private showing of Megamind yesterday, and we obliged happily. It was pretty enjoyable, for a cartoon.
I went to the worldwide leadership training meeting yesterday. There were some very intesting changes made, including getting rid of all the committees and a huge push to get people at home more often, especially the bishop.
Joe is watching "Supersize Me", reaffirming how badly I hate fast food. Gross!
Joe is doing well at work. He keeps saying that he should have done this years ago, and I agree! Being self-employed is so different, and in a good way. (Except for health insurance). He's also enjoying being a part of the classic car club with all the old fogies in Moses Lake and his friend, Aaron.
Our ward's annual Harvest dinner was last week. I volunteered to make two pies. One of which was my famous lemon meringue, which went over quite fabulously. It was the first to be gone, and everyone raved (yeah me!!). I also made a cream cheese pumpkin that was pretty darn good. I put the whipped cream on too soon, though, and it melted all over, but still tasted good.
I took Natalie in for a check-up this week. She is 35 pounds, and 43 inches tall. Which is 10% for height, and below the 3rd% for weight. But she keeps growing, so we don't care that she's small. Interestingly enough, Brooklin is now 28#. She's catching up fast. All 3 kids got flu shots. Brooklin got hers first. She cried for a minute and got over it. I had to hold AJ down to get his, and he complained the rest of the day about how badly it hurt. ("Oh, I can't shut the door; my arm hurts so bad!" "Oh, I can't clean up my toys because my arm still hurts bad!" "Oh, I punched my sister because my arm hurts so bad!") Right after AJ's tantrum, it was Natalie's turn. She responded with, "I don't need your help, Mom. I'm a big girl. I know it will hurt a minute, but then, I'll be okay."
Joe and I are part of a babysitting co-op, so we actually got a date on Friday! We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant, so the whole date only cost us for the meal and gas. Babysitting is so expensive; it's no wonder we haven't been getting out regularly before this.
Joe's mentor/manager owns the movie theater in Ephrata. He invited us to a private showing of Megamind yesterday, and we obliged happily. It was pretty enjoyable, for a cartoon.
I went to the worldwide leadership training meeting yesterday. There were some very intesting changes made, including getting rid of all the committees and a huge push to get people at home more often, especially the bishop.
Joe is watching "Supersize Me", reaffirming how badly I hate fast food. Gross!
Monday, November 1, 2010
When things go bump and BOO
These last few weeks have been pretty hectic. Holiday season is upon us folks.
Natalie's birthday was the 19th. I can't believe my baby girl is already 6!! (I know, that last comment was unbelievably trite. Get over it.) Natalie is Miss Popularity in her kindergarten class. Every time I drop her off, there's huge grins on the faces of the kids waiting for her to get out of the car. She runs towards them with arms outstretched as they all shout her name and join in a big group hug. No joke. Kindergarten is awesome. So she insisted that she needed to invite a lot of girls to her party. And I, for some inexplicable reason, agreed that she could invite who she wanted. I think we had 13 girls at her party that afternoon (if you include Brooklin...and I do because she's a force to be reckoned with). We made cute pictures of fairies, decorated a poster of Natalie as a fairy, decorated and ate cupcakes, played on Natalie's new bed, and opened a whole bunch of presents. Natalie is loved; that is for sure.
AJ had a recital on the 22nd. It was a costume recital, so he dressed as a clone trooper from Star Wars and played the Star Wars theme. The first song is "Pumpkin Party". So cute.
The next day we attended the Gimmeson's annual power-tools-only pumpkin carving contest. Joe and my pumpkins turned out great, but the contest was rigged. They ended up giving the trophy to a kid (who did not use power tools, by the way). We got ripped off.
Luckily, we didn't have to boycott Halloween this year just because it landed on a Sunday. The town opted to move its celebrations to Saturday, so we were able to fully participate. Every fall, I forget that I'm busy and decide that I want to make my kids' costumes. So they finalize their orders by the first part of September, and we start planning.
AJ decided to be a knight this year, which included a sword that is the best thing/toy he's ever seen and/or played with. He loves nothing more than using it to torture innocent victims (mostly, his sisters when his parents aren't looking.) We very smartly didn't give it to him until Saturday, and I think it's been in time out as often as it's been in his hands since then.
Natalie wanted to be Queen Clarion from Tinker Bell. Before you get all "Uh, Queen Clarion has a gold dress..." on me, let me explain that she wears a pink dress in one of Natalie's books. And since the pink fabric at Joann's was way cuter than the gold fabric, Natalie decided she'd better go with pink.
Here's where I admit that I'm a horrible mother. I didn't finish Brooklin's costume, so Brooklin wearing a hand-me-down from Natalie (that she wore when she was 3). She was terribly adorable as Dorothy, and it was incredibly fitting that the one word that Brooklin says consistently is "doggy", and she got to drag Toto around. But I still feel bad.
It's a good thing she won't remember how her mother slighted her in favor of her siblings. And none of you better point her in the direction of this post. I'll deny everything. I fully intend to finish her costume in time for Christmas. Joe insisted that we dress up as well, so I wore an 1800s style dress and crown. Joe pulled out the mullet for an 80s flashback. Oddly enough, we didn't manage pictures of either of us. I wish I'd brought my camera to the Bruneel's costume party that night though. There were some really great costumes. The First Councilor in our Bishopric was the Hulk. One teen totally committed to Superman, spandex and all. Our former stake Young Women's President was Wonderwoman. Joe had a lot of fun scaring teenagers in their haunted house.
Here's some fun Johnson Halloween traditions. First, one of us takes the kids trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We stop and dump out the kids' bags every so often and sort the good candy from the bad candy. The good candy (Snickers, Milky Way, Reese's, etc.) gets put up and away, and the crappy candy (anything generic, Smarties, and the like) goes into our own basket to regift. Second, we insist the kids pay "Mom and Dad taxes" on their goods. Actually, what we usually do is put all the goods into one basket and everyone gets to eat out of it. Although, the full-size candy bars generally end up stashed elsewhere... Third, when we're tired of giving out candy, we pawn off the last of the basket to whoever comes next. Sometimes, this means multiple handfulls of our cast-offs, which unsuspecting children are thrilled by, even though it's mostly Tootsie Rolls. This year, we had another party to go to, so Joe traded the rest of the basket for a full-size Snickers. It was great! We love Halloween!!
Natalie's birthday was the 19th. I can't believe my baby girl is already 6!! (I know, that last comment was unbelievably trite. Get over it.) Natalie is Miss Popularity in her kindergarten class. Every time I drop her off, there's huge grins on the faces of the kids waiting for her to get out of the car. She runs towards them with arms outstretched as they all shout her name and join in a big group hug. No joke. Kindergarten is awesome. So she insisted that she needed to invite a lot of girls to her party. And I, for some inexplicable reason, agreed that she could invite who she wanted. I think we had 13 girls at her party that afternoon (if you include Brooklin...and I do because she's a force to be reckoned with). We made cute pictures of fairies, decorated a poster of Natalie as a fairy, decorated and ate cupcakes, played on Natalie's new bed, and opened a whole bunch of presents. Natalie is loved; that is for sure.
AJ had a recital on the 22nd. It was a costume recital, so he dressed as a clone trooper from Star Wars and played the Star Wars theme. The first song is "Pumpkin Party". So cute.
The next day we attended the Gimmeson's annual power-tools-only pumpkin carving contest. Joe and my pumpkins turned out great, but the contest was rigged. They ended up giving the trophy to a kid (who did not use power tools, by the way). We got ripped off.
Luckily, we didn't have to boycott Halloween this year just because it landed on a Sunday. The town opted to move its celebrations to Saturday, so we were able to fully participate. Every fall, I forget that I'm busy and decide that I want to make my kids' costumes. So they finalize their orders by the first part of September, and we start planning. 
AJ decided to be a knight this year, which included a sword that is the best thing/toy he's ever seen and/or played with. He loves nothing more than using it to torture innocent victims (mostly, his sisters when his parents aren't looking.) We very smartly didn't give it to him until Saturday, and I think it's been in time out as often as it's been in his hands since then.
Natalie wanted to be Queen Clarion from Tinker Bell. Before you get all "Uh, Queen Clarion has a gold dress..." on me, let me explain that she wears a pink dress in one of Natalie's books. And since the pink fabric at Joann's was way cuter than the gold fabric, Natalie decided she'd better go with pink. 
Here's where I admit that I'm a horrible mother. I didn't finish Brooklin's costume, so Brooklin wearing a hand-me-down from Natalie (that she wore when she was 3). She was terribly adorable as Dorothy, and it was incredibly fitting that the one word that Brooklin says consistently is "doggy", and she got to drag Toto around. But I still feel bad.
It's a good thing she won't remember how her mother slighted her in favor of her siblings. And none of you better point her in the direction of this post. I'll deny everything. I fully intend to finish her costume in time for Christmas. Joe insisted that we dress up as well, so I wore an 1800s style dress and crown. Joe pulled out the mullet for an 80s flashback. Oddly enough, we didn't manage pictures of either of us. I wish I'd brought my camera to the Bruneel's costume party that night though. There were some really great costumes. The First Councilor in our Bishopric was the Hulk. One teen totally committed to Superman, spandex and all. Our former stake Young Women's President was Wonderwoman. Joe had a lot of fun scaring teenagers in their haunted house. Here's some fun Johnson Halloween traditions. First, one of us takes the kids trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We stop and dump out the kids' bags every so often and sort the good candy from the bad candy. The good candy (Snickers, Milky Way, Reese's, etc.) gets put up and away, and the crappy candy (anything generic, Smarties, and the like) goes into our own basket to regift. Second, we insist the kids pay "Mom and Dad taxes" on their goods. Actually, what we usually do is put all the goods into one basket and everyone gets to eat out of it. Although, the full-size candy bars generally end up stashed elsewhere... Third, when we're tired of giving out candy, we pawn off the last of the basket to whoever comes next. Sometimes, this means multiple handfulls of our cast-offs, which unsuspecting children are thrilled by, even though it's mostly Tootsie Rolls. This year, we had another party to go to, so Joe traded the rest of the basket for a full-size Snickers. It was great! We love Halloween!!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Of talks and primary programs
Today was our ward primary program. This being my first program while in the Primary presidency, it was a little stressful. We put together a practice/pizza party on Friday. I can't tell you how many kids didn't know their parts at that point, but it was most of them. And they had no idea when to go up to the podium. We were still working out getting kids where they needed to be to sing solos, play violins, etc. It was crazy.
But it somehow all worked out. The kids sang their best; they were fairly reverent (well, as reverent as 40 children ranging from 4-11 years old can possibly be when on display in front of 100+ attentive adults and various toddlers making googly eyes and laughing at them...that would be Brooklin, in case you're wondering), and most of them had miraculously figured out what they were supposed to say. Interestingly enough, Joe got more than a few comments about how our son apparently can't hold still to save his life. He was dancing to all of the songs. At least he wasn't trying to pretend fight with the other boys in his class like usual. I got roped into giving the introduction of the year's theme, which is "I Know My Savior Lives." I actually wrote the program, and when I presented it to the rest of the presidency, I told them I thought that one of us should introduce the theme. They said, "Oh, I'm sure you'll do a great job at it!" Thankfully, I only had to talk for a few minutes.
Other than that, Joe passed his final exam for work (Yeah!!!), so he is a full-fledged investment advisor representative. There are other designations he'd like to pursue in the future, but he can do everything he wants to for now. Now begins his hunt for clients. They even added him to their website. Check it out!
But it somehow all worked out. The kids sang their best; they were fairly reverent (well, as reverent as 40 children ranging from 4-11 years old can possibly be when on display in front of 100+ attentive adults and various toddlers making googly eyes and laughing at them...that would be Brooklin, in case you're wondering), and most of them had miraculously figured out what they were supposed to say. Interestingly enough, Joe got more than a few comments about how our son apparently can't hold still to save his life. He was dancing to all of the songs. At least he wasn't trying to pretend fight with the other boys in his class like usual. I got roped into giving the introduction of the year's theme, which is "I Know My Savior Lives." I actually wrote the program, and when I presented it to the rest of the presidency, I told them I thought that one of us should introduce the theme. They said, "Oh, I'm sure you'll do a great job at it!" Thankfully, I only had to talk for a few minutes.
Other than that, Joe passed his final exam for work (Yeah!!!), so he is a full-fledged investment advisor representative. There are other designations he'd like to pursue in the future, but he can do everything he wants to for now. Now begins his hunt for clients. They even added him to their website. Check it out!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Celebrating old age (Just kidding Joe!)
I really like to tease Joe about being old. He's two years and four months older than me, which means he's ancient at 32, while I'm still in my prime at 29. And he has gray hair. I have a picture somewhere to prove it. His mentor at his new job says it makes him look distinguished. I don't know about that...
But today is his birthday, so I think I should say some nice things about him too. First of all, JOE PASSED HIS BIG TEST!!!! I'm so proud of my brilliant, hard-working, ever-patient husband for going after his dream career. Being an investment advisor is what he was made to do, and I know he'll be awesome at it. He starts bright and early tomorrow morning. Second of all, my husband is a fantastic father to our children. He sets a great example of a righteous priesthood holder in our home and helps me be a better wife and mother. Third of all, he just flat out makes me laugh. After going-on ten years together, he still surprises me with his humor and positive outlook on life.
We spent yesterday at Joe's parents' house canning applesauce. To keep things lively while we were working, Joe and his brother had a heated policital discussion about gun laws, the constitution hanging by a thread, the fact that Obama might be a terrorist (according to very reliable internet searches, according to Jeremy), and how Joe doesn't vote (not really, Joe just likes to spur his brother on). It was great fun.
Last night, we got our first date as part of a babysitting co-op. We got together with a few other couples in the ward and switch off babysitting for each other. We went bowling. I'm happy to report that I did not break any of my appendages. I did break my thumbnail in half, BUT it was much better than the last time I went and lost a toenail after I dropped a ball on it. I will not be posting my scores, but Joe got a 156!
Joe and I think this video is hilarious. http://vimeo.com/2042969 But don't watch it all the way to the end. If you get to CPS, you've gone too far. It's way funnier without that.
But today is his birthday, so I think I should say some nice things about him too. First of all, JOE PASSED HIS BIG TEST!!!! I'm so proud of my brilliant, hard-working, ever-patient husband for going after his dream career. Being an investment advisor is what he was made to do, and I know he'll be awesome at it. He starts bright and early tomorrow morning. Second of all, my husband is a fantastic father to our children. He sets a great example of a righteous priesthood holder in our home and helps me be a better wife and mother. Third of all, he just flat out makes me laugh. After going-on ten years together, he still surprises me with his humor and positive outlook on life.
We spent yesterday at Joe's parents' house canning applesauce. To keep things lively while we were working, Joe and his brother had a heated policital discussion about gun laws, the constitution hanging by a thread, the fact that Obama might be a terrorist (according to very reliable internet searches, according to Jeremy), and how Joe doesn't vote (not really, Joe just likes to spur his brother on). It was great fun.
Last night, we got our first date as part of a babysitting co-op. We got together with a few other couples in the ward and switch off babysitting for each other. We went bowling. I'm happy to report that I did not break any of my appendages. I did break my thumbnail in half, BUT it was much better than the last time I went and lost a toenail after I dropped a ball on it. I will not be posting my scores, but Joe got a 156!
Joe and I think this video is hilarious. http://vimeo.com/2042969 But don't watch it all the way to the end. If you get to CPS, you've gone too far. It's way funnier without that.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
What have Joe and LeiAnn been up to?
This seems to be the question everyone wants to know. Okay, so just everyone who cares about us. Well, the wait is OVER!!!
LeiAnn has been picking up extra shifts at work, so she doesn't always feel like keeping up a blog. She prefers to keep up on feeding children and husband. Why would she do such a thing when she clearly hates it and feels like death? Because...
Joe is in the middle of a job change, which many of you already know. He is taking his licensing exams to become an investment advisor, and will be soon starting at Waypoint Wealth Management. He spent the summer working full time and studying in the evenings. He took and passed the state life and disability exams. And recently, he passed the Series 7, which is a beast of a test (6 grueling hours, to be exact). And when I say passed, I really mean he kicked that test's trash!! Anyway, a few weeks ago, he decided to quit working at JRCC because he wasn't able to study very effectively, and he really just wanted to get done. So his last day was the 10th. His last test will be this week or next, depending on when he feels like he's ready for it. We're fine financially while he's in transition, but I have been taking extra shifts when they're available just to make sure we stay that way until Joe's income is steady. When Joe's getting discouraged, I like to show him pictures of his new office.
In addition to studying, Joe got the particularly lovely experience of going to jury duty. He had to report two of the three days he was scheduled in September. The first one was a case about a DUI, assaulting a police officer, obstruction of justice, and hit and run. The lawyer asked Joe if he would be biased if the defendant didn't testify in his behalf. Joe said he would automatically think the guy was guilty if he couldn't look the jury in the eye and say he was not guilty. So he got to go home. The other one was a case of pedophilia (and yeah, the guy lives not that far away from us!). Thankfully, Joe was able to get himself disqualified for that one as well. We are constantly amazed at the serious lack of efficiency in the government. This was a prime example. Joe and 44 other jurors were forced to take 2-3 whole days off work this month and were compensated $10 a piece. Honestly, the $10 is more of a slap in the face than compensation. But the lost productivity is ridiculous. Not only that, but it took an entire day to disqualify almost all of the people there and narrow down the numbers. Dumb!
AJ read a whole bunch last spring and won a ticket to Silverwood (the largest/only amusement park in the Northwest). We were really proud of him, and we promised to use it some time before it expired. Well, Silverwood, being in Northern Idaho and all, is not open all year round, for good reason. We waited and procrastinated and waited some more until we really just had to make the time. Also, we made it halfway through the Book of Mormon and needed a place to celebrate with the kids. So we skipped a few other activities and took off last Saturday. It was a little drizzly and about 50 degrees, and perfect!! We didn't wait more than a few minutes for any of the rides, even the really big coasters. And we were well prepared for the weather, so we were fine. The kids absolutely LOVED it!! Natalie was barely tall enough to ride the roller coasters and more than a little scared, but she bravely rode all day long. AJ just loved it. And they even had great rides for Brooklin, who loved it to death.
Natalie is working hard in school. She is OBSESSED with twinners lately. She insists on picking out Joe's clothes, so they can be twinners in color. And she and her friend, Emily, at school (who, by the way, is the girl with the pink marker) have to plan their hair every day to be twinners. And Natalie is absolutely thrilled that she and Brooklin are both going to be fairies for Halloween this year. Here's a picture of her and AJ doing their homework.
Our activity this quarter for primary was singing at the nursing home. They were very gracious, and the kids enjoyed performing their program songs for the residents. They also got to perform solos, and AJ played "Star Wars" on the piano. I wish I had a picture of his face. He was so proud of himself!!
Brooklin is well on her way to being bigger than Natalie. I measured them for their costumes. Brooklin's chest and waist are officially an inch larger than Natalie's. So I'm making their costumes the same width, just lengthened for Natalie. Brooklin still doesn't talk much, but she signs to us quite a bit. She likes to be helpful by picking things up (most of which she randomly deposited on the floor, but who's counting?) and taking her dirty diapers to the trash outside. She very dutifully folds her arms through the prayers. She knows all of her body parts and thinks it's hilarious to poke people in the belly button. I wish I had a picture of her the other day. She was trying to get out of her high chair and fell head first into the trash can. I would have taken a picture if she hadn't been crying. Luckily, the trash can had been recently changed, so it wasn't gross. And she wasn't hurt, just mad. I realize that I'm a bad mom for laughing at her, but it was just funny.
LeiAnn has been picking up extra shifts at work, so she doesn't always feel like keeping up a blog. She prefers to keep up on feeding children and husband. Why would she do such a thing when she clearly hates it and feels like death? Because...
Joe is in the middle of a job change, which many of you already know. He is taking his licensing exams to become an investment advisor, and will be soon starting at Waypoint Wealth Management. He spent the summer working full time and studying in the evenings. He took and passed the state life and disability exams. And recently, he passed the Series 7, which is a beast of a test (6 grueling hours, to be exact). And when I say passed, I really mean he kicked that test's trash!! Anyway, a few weeks ago, he decided to quit working at JRCC because he wasn't able to study very effectively, and he really just wanted to get done. So his last day was the 10th. His last test will be this week or next, depending on when he feels like he's ready for it. We're fine financially while he's in transition, but I have been taking extra shifts when they're available just to make sure we stay that way until Joe's income is steady. When Joe's getting discouraged, I like to show him pictures of his new office.
In addition to studying, Joe got the particularly lovely experience of going to jury duty. He had to report two of the three days he was scheduled in September. The first one was a case about a DUI, assaulting a police officer, obstruction of justice, and hit and run. The lawyer asked Joe if he would be biased if the defendant didn't testify in his behalf. Joe said he would automatically think the guy was guilty if he couldn't look the jury in the eye and say he was not guilty. So he got to go home. The other one was a case of pedophilia (and yeah, the guy lives not that far away from us!). Thankfully, Joe was able to get himself disqualified for that one as well. We are constantly amazed at the serious lack of efficiency in the government. This was a prime example. Joe and 44 other jurors were forced to take 2-3 whole days off work this month and were compensated $10 a piece. Honestly, the $10 is more of a slap in the face than compensation. But the lost productivity is ridiculous. Not only that, but it took an entire day to disqualify almost all of the people there and narrow down the numbers. Dumb!
AJ read a whole bunch last spring and won a ticket to Silverwood (the largest/only amusement park in the Northwest). We were really proud of him, and we promised to use it some time before it expired. Well, Silverwood, being in Northern Idaho and all, is not open all year round, for good reason. We waited and procrastinated and waited some more until we really just had to make the time. Also, we made it halfway through the Book of Mormon and needed a place to celebrate with the kids. So we skipped a few other activities and took off last Saturday. It was a little drizzly and about 50 degrees, and perfect!! We didn't wait more than a few minutes for any of the rides, even the really big coasters. And we were well prepared for the weather, so we were fine. The kids absolutely LOVED it!! Natalie was barely tall enough to ride the roller coasters and more than a little scared, but she bravely rode all day long. AJ just loved it. And they even had great rides for Brooklin, who loved it to death.
Natalie is working hard in school. She is OBSESSED with twinners lately. She insists on picking out Joe's clothes, so they can be twinners in color. And she and her friend, Emily, at school (who, by the way, is the girl with the pink marker) have to plan their hair every day to be twinners. And Natalie is absolutely thrilled that she and Brooklin are both going to be fairies for Halloween this year. Here's a picture of her and AJ doing their homework.
Our activity this quarter for primary was singing at the nursing home. They were very gracious, and the kids enjoyed performing their program songs for the residents. They also got to perform solos, and AJ played "Star Wars" on the piano. I wish I had a picture of his face. He was so proud of himself!!
Brooklin is well on her way to being bigger than Natalie. I measured them for their costumes. Brooklin's chest and waist are officially an inch larger than Natalie's. So I'm making their costumes the same width, just lengthened for Natalie. Brooklin still doesn't talk much, but she signs to us quite a bit. She likes to be helpful by picking things up (most of which she randomly deposited on the floor, but who's counting?) and taking her dirty diapers to the trash outside. She very dutifully folds her arms through the prayers. She knows all of her body parts and thinks it's hilarious to poke people in the belly button. I wish I had a picture of her the other day. She was trying to get out of her high chair and fell head first into the trash can. I would have taken a picture if she hadn't been crying. Luckily, the trash can had been recently changed, so it wasn't gross. And she wasn't hurt, just mad. I realize that I'm a bad mom for laughing at her, but it was just funny.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Validating my Cricut's expense
Even though I use and enjoy my Cricut for scrapbooking purposes, Joe has accused it of being slightly overpriced. Okay, he might have used the word "ridiculously". But I maintained that it would prove itself. And to establish its worth in my husband's eye, I made him something for his car out of vinyl in about 5 minutes and saved him quite a bit of money.
I had so much fun with vinyl, I also made Peggy some stuff for her house, and I made a Family Home Evening assignment board (which I kind of promised I would do when I got the Cricut...for Christmas a year and a half ago).
Excuses, excuses
AJ is the king of excuses for why he has not or will not be able to accomplish what he's been asked to do. And while mostly annoying, some of them are pretty creative.
"I can't!"
"I tried!"
"It's hard!"
"Because Natalie was distracting me!"
"The TV was distracting me!" (Even when it's off?)
"The computer was distracting me!" (Also turned off)
"Brooklin made me forget about it!"
"I was going to, but Natalie made me play with her!"
"My brain was distracting me!"
"My brain told me not to!"
"I can't!"
"I tried!"
"It's hard!"
"Because Natalie was distracting me!"
"The TV was distracting me!" (Even when it's off?)
"The computer was distracting me!" (Also turned off)
"Brooklin made me forget about it!"
"I was going to, but Natalie made me play with her!"
"My brain was distracting me!"
"My brain told me not to!"
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Because school is still fun
I had good reasons to request for Natalie to be in morning kindergarten. It turns out afternoons work better for babysitting anyway, but this morning, I'm reminded about those reasons. Let me list a few now.
7:10 am Natalie - "Mom!! Today is school!!!"
Me - "Not till this afternoon, Natalie."
Natalie - "Ohhhh...."
8:10 am Me - "Bye AJ! Have a great day."
Natalie - "Can I just go on the bus with AJ?"
Me - "No, your school doesn't start until after lunch."
Natalie - "I know, but I can just wait there until it starts."
8:15 am Natalie - "Mom, is it the time yet?"
Me - "No, there's still four more hours."
8:16 Natalie - "Is it the time to go yet?"
Me - "No!"
8:30 am Me - "Natalie, where are you?"
Coming in from outside, Natalie - "I was just thinking maybe I should just walk to school."
Me - "You can't walk to school because you would have to cross the highway, and it's too dangerous, and it's still not the time."
Natalie - "Can I go in three minutes?"
9:00 am Me - "What are you doing?"
Natalie - "I'm looking for some bread to make my lunch."
Me - "It's not lunch time."
Natalie - "I know, but I need it for school."
Me - "You don't get to eat lunch at school. You eat at home, and go to school afterwards."
Natalie - "Well, Mom, I think I should just go now, so I don't miss it."
10:15 am Natalie - "How much longer?"
Me - "Two hours."
Natalie - "Can you just set a timer, so I know how long?"
I set the alarm on my phone.
10:15:30 Natalie - "Can I see your phone to see how much longer?"
Etc.
After school, Natalie was very excited to tell me that she had made a new friend. She doesn't know her name, but she was kind enough to pass a pink marker to Natalie, so they're instant friends! AND! Her teacher's name is Ekko just like Natalie's best friend and neighbor, so that was another point for how cool school is. Her disappointments included (shock and awe) the bus does not have seat belts!! And her teacher did not even ask her what 5+5 is, and she already knows that it's 10.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Of Big Trips
Joe and I decided to spend some of our tax return on a big family vacation this year. We had limited time and a big agenda; hence, big trip.
The first adventure was at "The biggest dinosaur museum in the world" at Thanksgiving Point. Since our oldest is semi-obsessed with dinosaurs (he literally brought home a different dinosaur book to read every day of the school year), we had to stop. He said, "It was the funnest thing of my entire life!" AKA put a check in the "We're good parents" box. The kids left with a shark tooth fossil (AJ), a pink stuffed snake (which Natalie promptly named Pinkalicious Snakey), and a cute little white owl (which Brooklin named "Baaa..."drool).
We spent the next few days in Monticello, where my youngest brother, Ben, just returned from an LDS mission to Bolivia. He can barely speak English. He gave a non-homecoming talk in church on Sunday. He said he wasn't going to speak Spanish to bear his testimony, but my Mom said he had to.
Here's my kids tackling their Grandpa Muhlestein.
Joe and I got to take a great RZR ride over the mountain to the cabin while the kids rode out with Grandma and Grandpa M. FYI: the RZR can jump, but you have to go pretty fast. Oh, and the governor is between 55-60 MPH :) We had a nice cookout at the cabin and shot skeet while we were there.
Joe kept complaining that we have driven by Arches dozens of times on our way to Monticello, but he had never been. So we broke down and drove up there one day. AJ was so funny. We didn't have time to hike to all the arches, and he really wanted a good hike. So on one of the stops, we had to walk on a pathway between two of the sites between the parking lots. We told him that that was the hike. He didn't think that was okay. He told us when you hike, you have to go somewhere, not from cars to more cars.
The next day, we drove to Las Vegas and stayed on the Strip at Treasure Island. That night, we attended Cirque do Soleil's Mystere show. It was a lot of fun. Even Brooklin was kept entertained the whole time. There's so much to look at; you can't keep track of it all. This particular show is geared to children and has a lot of slapstick humor. The kids thought it was hilarious.
On the way to Las Vegas, our new car was acting up, so Joe brought it to a dealership while we swam in the pool the next morning (thank you warranty). Brooklin didn't like the water, at first. However, by the time to go, she didn't want to get out.
We headed down to San Diego next and spent the evening on the wharf next to the big boats. Joe stayed near there for one of his conventions while he was in school and has wanted to go back ever since. AJ was just disappointed that he couldn't get a ride on the submarine.
The next day was dominated by Sea World. My brilliant husband suggested we buy waterproof cameras for that day, and I think they were worth it. When I get the pictures back, I'll let you know. At least I didn't have to worry about my camera on the 3rd row of the soak zone at Shamu's show. We got absolutely soaked on the Shipwreck Rapids ride. I was still wet when we were driving away.
The next adventure was fighting LA traffic to drop off Brooklin with my cousin, Haley, who very graciously offered to watch her for the day. She might be mad at me when she's older. But per several recommendations and based on her reaction to Sea World, she would not have enjoyed Disneyland. And it would have been a big pain to have one parent sit out of every ride with her.
Disneyland was probably my favorite part of the trip. It is the happiest place on earth, you know. Seeing Natalie meet the princesses was so great!! I think I enjoyed it more watching my kids see it for the first time than I did as a kid. AJ's favorite ride was Splash Mountain (that's my boy!). Natalie loved the Merry-Go-Round. Joe laughed the entire ride through Space Mountain.
I think we've mentioned before how our kids are totally suckered by any and every commercial. The one that has made a big impression lately is "Pillow Pets" (i.e. it's a pillow. No, it's a pet. No, it's both!!!) One of the gift shops had pillow pets, and the kids just HAD to have one. We checked the ol' internet to make sure they weren't a total ripoff and finally gave in. AJ and Natalie are thrilled with them. And we haven't heard the end of how amazing these things are yet.
The drive home through California and Oregon was fairly standard. We took about a dozen pictures of Mount Shasta because the kids were fascinated with the fact that it's a volcano (they're on Joe's phone; I haven't uploaded them yet). AJ told us he thinks it's going to erupt tomorrow despite it not showing any symptoms of such activity. So we had to drive really fast to get away from there.
We even managed to see Andrea and Scott on their way back home where we crossed paths on I-84. We're looking forward to seeing them for AJ's baptism on the 17th.
While we had way more puke than I like on a road-trip, I'm proud to say there were no other bathroom accidents this time. And we made it home with all the children/gear we came with (and more)!
The first adventure was at "The biggest dinosaur museum in the world" at Thanksgiving Point. Since our oldest is semi-obsessed with dinosaurs (he literally brought home a different dinosaur book to read every day of the school year), we had to stop. He said, "It was the funnest thing of my entire life!" AKA put a check in the "We're good parents" box. The kids left with a shark tooth fossil (AJ), a pink stuffed snake (which Natalie promptly named Pinkalicious Snakey), and a cute little white owl (which Brooklin named "Baaa..."drool).
We spent the next few days in Monticello, where my youngest brother, Ben, just returned from an LDS mission to Bolivia. He can barely speak English. He gave a non-homecoming talk in church on Sunday. He said he wasn't going to speak Spanish to bear his testimony, but my Mom said he had to.
Here's my kids tackling their Grandpa Muhlestein.
Joe and I got to take a great RZR ride over the mountain to the cabin while the kids rode out with Grandma and Grandpa M. FYI: the RZR can jump, but you have to go pretty fast. Oh, and the governor is between 55-60 MPH :) We had a nice cookout at the cabin and shot skeet while we were there.
Joe kept complaining that we have driven by Arches dozens of times on our way to Monticello, but he had never been. So we broke down and drove up there one day. AJ was so funny. We didn't have time to hike to all the arches, and he really wanted a good hike. So on one of the stops, we had to walk on a pathway between two of the sites between the parking lots. We told him that that was the hike. He didn't think that was okay. He told us when you hike, you have to go somewhere, not from cars to more cars.
The next day, we drove to Las Vegas and stayed on the Strip at Treasure Island. That night, we attended Cirque do Soleil's Mystere show. It was a lot of fun. Even Brooklin was kept entertained the whole time. There's so much to look at; you can't keep track of it all. This particular show is geared to children and has a lot of slapstick humor. The kids thought it was hilarious.
On the way to Las Vegas, our new car was acting up, so Joe brought it to a dealership while we swam in the pool the next morning (thank you warranty). Brooklin didn't like the water, at first. However, by the time to go, she didn't want to get out.
We headed down to San Diego next and spent the evening on the wharf next to the big boats. Joe stayed near there for one of his conventions while he was in school and has wanted to go back ever since. AJ was just disappointed that he couldn't get a ride on the submarine.
The next day was dominated by Sea World. My brilliant husband suggested we buy waterproof cameras for that day, and I think they were worth it. When I get the pictures back, I'll let you know. At least I didn't have to worry about my camera on the 3rd row of the soak zone at Shamu's show. We got absolutely soaked on the Shipwreck Rapids ride. I was still wet when we were driving away.
The next adventure was fighting LA traffic to drop off Brooklin with my cousin, Haley, who very graciously offered to watch her for the day. She might be mad at me when she's older. But per several recommendations and based on her reaction to Sea World, she would not have enjoyed Disneyland. And it would have been a big pain to have one parent sit out of every ride with her.
Disneyland was probably my favorite part of the trip. It is the happiest place on earth, you know. Seeing Natalie meet the princesses was so great!! I think I enjoyed it more watching my kids see it for the first time than I did as a kid. AJ's favorite ride was Splash Mountain (that's my boy!). Natalie loved the Merry-Go-Round. Joe laughed the entire ride through Space Mountain.
I think we've mentioned before how our kids are totally suckered by any and every commercial. The one that has made a big impression lately is "Pillow Pets" (i.e. it's a pillow. No, it's a pet. No, it's both!!!) One of the gift shops had pillow pets, and the kids just HAD to have one. We checked the ol' internet to make sure they weren't a total ripoff and finally gave in. AJ and Natalie are thrilled with them. And we haven't heard the end of how amazing these things are yet.
The drive home through California and Oregon was fairly standard. We took about a dozen pictures of Mount Shasta because the kids were fascinated with the fact that it's a volcano (they're on Joe's phone; I haven't uploaded them yet). AJ told us he thinks it's going to erupt tomorrow despite it not showing any symptoms of such activity. So we had to drive really fast to get away from there.
We even managed to see Andrea and Scott on their way back home where we crossed paths on I-84. We're looking forward to seeing them for AJ's baptism on the 17th.
While we had way more puke than I like on a road-trip, I'm proud to say there were no other bathroom accidents this time. And we made it home with all the children/gear we came with (and more)!
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