Still no pictures, but sit down, I will tell you a story

Back before I started blogging I used to send out a newsletter via e-mail every month. It was a great way to keep track of our lives from month to month. Since our laptop died I haven't been posting because it is so lame to post without pictures... but I don't know when we will replacing the laptop so... I have to start somewhere, I feel so behind. Let's start in September, close your eyes and picture this... OK open your eyes now, you have to keep reading.

September was the last month of my pregnancy, there I was, big and pregnant, bossing everyone around. Calling the electrician and plumber and wearing maternity clothes so there was no doubt... this addition must get done... the sooner the better. It was a flurry of activity, everyday. I was feeling great and trying to get as much as I could done each day. I would stay up late painting, listening to my Ipod. Matt was also doing alot of painting but he was using a paint sprayer so he was getting ALOT more done than me, but with more profanity (just barn terms) because the paint sprayer kept breaking. My old rolling method never failed but took about 10 times longer.

We knew the cold weather was supposed to come so we (when I say we, I mean me) were pushing hard to get the outside of the house painted. Matt painted the whole outside of the existing house in a day. There was still SO much to be done. I was in denial about my looming due date (more about my severe case of denial later.) That Saturday my mom called and said, "What are you doing?"
Me, "Just trying to get all this painting done." heavy sigh.
Mom, "Are you washing the sheets of the guest bed?"
Me thinking, "no, mom, I just told you we are painting."
Me, "No, why?"
Mom, "Because I'm on my way."
Me, (I may have squealed with delight because she was coming days earlier than she planned.)

So the next day, after church (hey, the ox was in the mire) we painted the trim on the whole house (Jenn even came and joined us.) It was sunny and lovely but the next day, du, du, dun. It got COLD and might have even snowed a little, I can't remember the snow, just the cold.

So all week I called emergency girl's days in which my friends came and wielded paint brushes, caulk guns, and sanding blocks. (My mom is a stickler for sanding in between coats.) We taped, we caulked, we primed, we sanded, we painted, we sanded, we painted. In that order. It was so great to have the help. On Wednesday night a crew of people decsended on our house. It seemed news of our plight had gotten out and the young women and men had taken pity on us and made us a service project. Matt directed while they swept the garage, moved heavy stuff (treadmill anyone), taped stuff off, ate the pizza sitting on our counter (teenage boys will eat anything), we even had a few trusted individuals painting trim. It was chaos. Tom, the carpet guy was there until 8:30 laying carpet in what would be our new bedroom. All our bedroom furniture was in the front room, including our bed, in preparation for more new carpet the next day. At about 9:00 we were in the front room visiting with the last few stragglers who had come to help. I felt a twinge. "Hmm, " I thought to myself, "I better get my feet up and stop these pains, there is sooo much to do tomorrow." TO BE CONTINUED....

The Home Stretch

Well, here we are... on the home stretch. I am a week from my official due date and hopefully about the same from having the house mostly completed. I don't know about all this. I keep hoping the house will get done and the baby will wait. I just want to be able to enjoy that baby and some naps without all the distractions and interruptions. I feel like our lives have been on hold all summer while we did this project. I guess we haven't been completely on hold because a sweet baby boy has been growing inside...my kids keep growing outside. It has been a learning experience but I cannot wait to be done.

So here I am, 39 weeks, I can't bend over anymore without either a fierce case of heartburn or a Braxton Hick (contractions seems like too strong a word). But nonetheless, we keep making progress. Matt painted the house Saturday (it looks fab) after we (I get by with a little help from my friends) taped all the windows on Friday. I have had lots of drop-in/ much appreciated help. A few delicious meals here, a little painting there, some caulking around the edges... It adds up and I am so glad for friends who are willing to help.

Saturday, my mom surprised me by driving over (I wasn't expecting her until Monday.) I love that she still comes and rescues her kids when she knows we have reached our limit. She is sleeping on a mattress in the front room. I am so grateful for how amiable and happy she is. She always goes with the flow of our family, whatever that flow may be at the moment. I have come to appreciate her more all the time.

Somewhere in my random reading I came across the mantra "finish strong". That is what I hope for. On all fronts.

Back to the OR

No, don't worry, it wasn't me that had to go back to the OR... Bella was the latest member of our family to have the surgery experience. Bella had her tonsils and adenoids last Tuesday. She did so great. I was amazed because she hates shots and everything related to Dr's (she even hates the ear scope thing.) I wanted her to be premedicated, like 3 days before, when she had her bloodwork done. Oy vey. That wasn't fun.

The morning of her surgery she woke so early with Grace. 6:00. That is early for us. She and Grace were playing with little glow in the dark bracelets and were so cute and happy. It was a peaceful way to start our day. (Matt said it sounded like a parade.)

When we got to the hospital she started crying, "I want to go home." I thought, "Oh, no, Here we go." But as soon as we got up to pre-op she saw Jenn it was like a switch got flipped. She was darling, so sweet and cooperative. They took her away in the little red wagon happily chatting away. She did fantastic. She ate lots and drank plenty the rest of the day. She has been doing pretty well. I love her little squeaky voice but could totally do without the nasty breath. (That's coming from me, and we all know I don't smell that well. It must be bad.)

Now that we are a week out from surgery she has been having a little bit of a rough time the last few nights, crying but not wanting to swallow the good stuff (Tylenol with codeine). She does pretty good if I keep the Tylenol in her every four hours but if I get behind, I pay for it. (Lots of drama.) All in all I would have to say she has done great. Probably bad timing but...c'est la vie.

stop the madness

I went to Twin to pick all the light and plumbing fixtures for our new addition/ remodel. I can tell you something, honestly. At this point, I don't care. I don't care if the finishes match (Well, we have brushed nickel in the existing house but I really wanted rubbed bronze in the new spaces, does it all need to be the same etc. etc.) I don't care. I don't care how much things cost (until I tell Matt how much I spent and he's like, "What?!" and I'm like, "I'm 37 weeks pregnant in Twin Falls, it's 91 degrees and I have shoes, socks AND jeans on, I've been dragging around a three year old everywhere I go." (I didn't say that but I sure thought it.) It kind of makes me sad because I have spent so much time and energy (not to mention $) on this project and here we are at the end and I can't bring myself to spend 200 dollars on a faucet. (I also can't bring myself to have different finishes in the same room...) so I guess I still care... a little. I am tired of making decisions. I should not have attempted today without a good Diet Coke on board. What was I thinking.

The crying episode

There I was, a 22 year-old Senior in college, only one semester left and only 1 chemistry credit standing between me and my bachelor's degree. Matt had already graduated and was working at Sun Valley, coming back to Pocatello on weekends.

I had dropped the 3 credit chemistry class in favor of a 1 credit chemistry lab I had convinced my advisor to accept. It was a week into the semester; I had missed the first day, never had a chemistry lab before, but... how hard could it be. It was only one credit after all.

I walk into the lab and people (students) are busy, wearing appropriate, protective eyewear and moving about carrying glass containers full of colored liquids. The teacher hands me the lab notebook and shows me to an empty seat. The objective of all the labs was to take an unknown substance and go through a series of steps to identify the aforementioned unknown substance. But all I saw were busy people, in protective eyewear who looked like they knew exactly what they were doing.

I started to read the lab notebook. It was written in a foreign language. Words I had no comprehension the meaning of like beaker and vial blurred in front of my eyes.

I started to cry. Quietly but unceasingly.

It wasn't just the protective eyewear, of which I had none, or the words I didn't understand. All I kept thinking was, "This 1 credit is going to keep me from getting my degree, I have worked for 5 years and this one credit is going to keep me from getting my degree."

The professor (who was the sweetest old man, typical tenured professor, complete with ear hair and cardigan sweater) kept trying to comfort me and explain things to me.

I was beyond comfort. Every time I would stop crying and think I had pulled myself together I would look around at the bustling, protective eyewear wearing students and the waterworks would begin anew.

I couldn't stop crying.

I took my leave of the class, cried the whole way across campus, started crying again as soon as I had Matt on the phone, cried myself to sleep on the couch while I waited for him.

My knight in shining armor with his own set of protective eyewear, drove 3 hours to Pocatello. I awoke in the dark, wrapped in Matt's fuzzy blanket to the sound of the door opening. We sat hip to hip on the couch as he carefully explained the lab, complete with pictures of a beaker vs. a test tube etcetera. He found me his old safety glasses (so much better than the safety goggles they had in lab that left that unsightly ring around the eyes and on the forehead.) And left the next morning at 5:00 am to get to work.

Well, needless to say, I walked into the next lab, confident in my own glasses with notes in the margins of the first lab assignment. The teacher was very kind (and probably a little afraid I might cry again.) I did so well that when I found out I was pregnant later in the semester the teacher pro-rated the remaining labs because he didn't want me around the chemicals. I got like a 97 percent.

And so I learned more valuable lessons:

#1 Personal protective eyewear can be very intimidating on other people and empowering on oneself.

#2 Sometimes we can't do it ourselves, no matter how strong our will we lack the knowlege we need to be saved. We need help from a higher power, one that knows far more that we do.

This is also a good life lesson. That day (and many days since) Matt was my rescuer. But what we all need in a Savior, someone who can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. And we have one. But only if we choose to give Him our burdens can He take them.

The wrong bus

When we move to Montreal when I was 15, Chase and I would have to take a (public transportation) bus from our house to the school it took about 30 minutes which felt like forever since we had moved from Billings, MT where our school didn't even have buses because everything was within just a 6 or 7 block radius. So. One afternoon I don't ride the regular bus home because I am at a friend's house. At about 5 or 6 (it's dark out) I get on a bus to go home. After we have been going for awhile I realize I had gotten on the wrong bus and I had no idea where I was. So. I got off the bus, not wanting to go further and further from wherever I was supposed to be.

I figured out a few things quickly; #1 My tears were not helping, best to stop crying, I was drawing attention to myself in a big city. #2 Even if I called home, (no cell phones in those days) I had no idea where I was so I couldn't even tell them where to come get me. #3 I could figure this out, I could do this (A little pep talk in my head). After the mental pep talk I started walking until I found a bus stop that went to a metro (subway). I rode the bus to the metro, got on the metro, (and off again if you want to know the truth because I was headed the wrong direction) I knew I shouldn't go to the Park metro which had a bus that went right by my house at night because I heard the missionaries say it wasn't safe after dark, so instead I got to the metro stop closest to my house (still kind of far). And I walked home. In the dark. In a strange city.

I was so glad and also proud of myself when I walked into the welcoming warmth of the mission home with all the lights on and my mom and dad anxiouslywaiting for me to return home. It was scary but I learned a few life lessons:

#1 Always look at the number on the front of the bus, it might be the right bus stop, but the wrong bus.

#2 Even if they don't speak great English, bus drivers are very sympathetic to tears. Tears are a universal language.

#3 Standing in one place crying is ok as a temporary solution, but not as a long term fix. Sometimes we have to believe in our own abilities to think and reason and then... we need to make a plan and then start moving in that direction.

The bus melt down

For whatever reason Grace occasionally has meltdowns over things. She has since she was very little, like when she was about 3 she cried in the car outside her music lesson. I tried everything, being nice, being stern, sympathetic, ... you get the idea. That day I had a dentist appointment or I would never have left her (more out of love and respect for Shalece who was teaching the class then for Grace who clearly needed to stop crying) Anyway to top that story off, after I had taken her into the music studio and left her (in hopes she would settle down with just a little distraction) another woman came in and said to Shalece, "The reason she is crying so hard is because her mom was yelling at her." Well.... Shalece defended me but I felt like saying to that woman, "you didn't see the 10 minutes I spent talking nice before I resorted to yelling" but.... sorry that was a whole other story. All I am saying is meltdowns run in her veins (Pretty sure she got it from me but again... another story.)

SOOOO, the 2nd day of school the kids are all set to ride the bus home. I am at Mindy's with her sleeping baby while she is picking up her kids from school when I get the dreaded phone call

"We have Grace in the office (I can hear Grace sobbing), she didn't get on the bus, can you come get her?"

"Yes, but it will be a few minutes." (Remember I'm at Mindy's with her sleeping baby.) "Would it be possible to pull McCade off the bus too."

"jfkhsdfjklhajklfh" I can't remember what she said but suffice it to say there was some radio static and I wasn't sure if she was too late to get McCade off the bus.

MEANWHILE... Sydney (Mindy's daughter) had seen Grace crying, had informed her mom, who had called me to see if I needed Grace picked up.

GRACE didn't want to get in the car... FINALLY I talked to her sweet teacher (who I will love forever because of her TLC of Grace) and Grace got in with Mindy.

IN THE MEANTIME while they are en route from the school, I get another dreaded call from the school;

"We have McCade in the office to be picked up, you told me to pull him off the bus."

yes, but remember, you never really got back to me about if it was too late to pull him off (Only spoken in my head, of course)

"I will be right there to get him" As soon as Grace arrives I hightail it back to the school to get McCade, who is standing outside with Grace's teacher Mrs. Mark (I hug her whenever I see her now, I can't help it, I feel like we have been through some kind of war together.) McCade is crying because he WANTED to ride the bus. Oh please, will this day just end already.

Maybe homeschooling should be a more carefully considered option, disregard that I lack the patience and diligence to do it and also that I can barely add or subtract without the use of an electronic device. If we homeschooled this would NEVER have happened.

At the end of the day all I can say is that we learned some valuable lessons;

#1 Mrs. Mark is SOOOO nice.

#2 Apparently there no longer is a bus #28 like it said on the paper they sent home.

#3 Also, apparently the 2nd day of school is soon enough for them to know where they are going. (Silly me, I thought they would still be getting a little help.)

What happened was, Grace got down to the bus line, didn't see the number she was used to and went back to her classroom, where her teacher took her to the office. SO the next day I walked her from her class, to the bus line, to the bus. But still.... why does life have to be so hard? Anyone? I guess this is how we learn those life lessons.

(P.S. remind me to tell you the story about the wrong bus I got on and one of my crying episodes.)

I miss blogging (with photos)

I have been catching up on all my real friends (i.e. people I have actually met and like) vs. my "would-be friends" (people I have never met but like anyway and I'm positive we "would be" my friends if we ever met or if they didn't live in places like Oklahoma and Provo. ) Anyway, all the checking of the other blogs and reading the comings and goings etcetera etcetera... made me wish I did have a computer that was working and that I had taken pictures...what pictures would I have taken? I'm glad you asked...

#1 We (Matt, Bella, and I) drove to Twin today to pick up cabinets and tile. I wish I had a picture of all the tile, weighing down the back of the truck, the cabinets, stacked inside each other and the back seat so full that (Christa, stop reading this) Bella had to ride in the front (no air bags don't worry). The backseat was full of tile and.... du du nana (kind of sing it in your head) a shop vac... Many of you probably own a shop vac and don't think it's a big deal. BUT it is a big deal because to own a shop vac you need.... a shop aka a garage... which we now have! YeeHaw! ( I would take a picture of the shop vac too, I named it C3po).

#2 Bella's greasy hair. She has gotten into Grace's makeup 4 or 5 times in the last 2 days, finally I threw it all away. But even though she has had 3 baths in the last 2 days, I cannot get the (obviously) oil based makeup out of her hair. Or the pink off her scalp.

#3 McCade and Grace getting off the bus together and walking home. I love those two hoodlums.

#4 Our sheet rocker; Byron. If I had a picture I wouldn't need to explain anything.

#5 My 36 weeks and 6 days pregnant self. I am praying I don't go early (that is why I feel the need to stretch it out and not just say 37 weeks, which feels so much closer to 40 weeks.) (Feel free to join me in this prayer.) But I would take a picture and post it for you all.

Since I didn't take pictures of the aforementioned things I hope you can try to picture them in your head. Love ya, miss ya. T

Back to School

So sorry this post won't have accompanying pictures because we still have no computer. (I am posting this at work.) Grace is in 2nd grade, McCade is in kindergarten (all day, wow.) My favorite thing leading up to school starting is all the sisterly advice Grace has been giving McCade. Last week I heard Grace telling McCade all about how the lunchroom works and where to stand for line and not to worry if he has ANY questions all he has to do is ask a teacher. But my favorite thing happened today after I picked them up (Grace went to McCade's class to get him and then they came outside.) While we were driving to McDonalds for our "debriefing" and they were telling me all about their day Grace said, "McCade I just couldn't stop thinking about you all day. I thought about you and worried how you were doing." (I'm pretty sure she worried more than I did.) Just the sweet way she said it and her expression were so ... priceless. Then she proceded to tell him that he really needed to pay attention whenever the teacher was talking. "I did." was his reply. Then she says, "No, I looked in the window one time and you were looking at your pencil and not listening to the teacher." It's true, not much gets by Grace. I really have to mind my p's and q's around her, as do the other kids. It's a good system, I like it.

Where to begin?

I don't even know where to start. Our Computer is officially dead (RIP) Sadly I haven't even missed it that much except that pictures are piling up on my camera which always makes me a little nervous. I don't even know when we will get a new one because there are so many bigger and better things to spend money on...


Bigger and better things... Since we bought our house 7 years ago we have dreamed of a garage and possible living space above it (translation: Matt dreams of a huge garage, I dream of a little more living space.) We have spent countless hours in the car discussing what we would love vs. what we can afford. (We never seemed to tire of the subject, going around and around.) WELL, this year we refinanced (rates were low, time was right) and started the process for a remodel/ addition (again, with the endless chatter; "If we replace the siding we really need to do the windows at the same time... but what about the roof, it leaked all winter and spring.... what to do? what to do?") So we met with our contractor/ friend Brian, drew up a plan and started getting numbers back in... oh my! Everything came back way higher that we could afford. Sniffle, sniffle, I thought our dreams had been dashed again. BUT WAIT... we started asking around and got some new bids.... Ahahahaha (you have to kind of sing this last part in your head to get the full affect.) Alas, we couldn't use a contractor (it was the first expense to go.) so Matt and I became co-contractors.

The first backhoe marks into the green grass were thrilling for me. (Honestly, not so much for Matt, he has been real worried if our yard would ever recover from all the lumber, tractors, digging etc.) I have never understood people who take pictures of the building every step of the way. Who wants to look at those boring pictures of holes in the ground, then concrete slabs and then a bunch of two by fours... I understand now. There have been times when I felt like this project was a boulder and I was pushing it ... straight uphill... by myself... pregnant... in flipflops. Other times I have basked in the loving support of my co-contractor. Still, so many hours of the wee morning spent worrying, second guessing decisions; if things would work out, supplies arrive, workers show up... etc. I had a dream that there were like 5 men walking around in the yard who I had never laid eyes on before, and in my head I said, "Oh no, I have no idea who they are and they've come to work on the house." It turned out they had just seen the mess and the huge dog and thought they would bring their dogs to say hi. " Weird, I know, I only tell you this story to illustrate how all consuming it has been for me. Another, really illustrating and true story: I am sitting in the kitchen with Val and Tami and I said something like, "So many people have told me that "If your marriage can survive building a house it can survive anything," but I just don't know what the big deal is, so far Matt and I have pretty much been on the same page." (I kind of shrug my shoulders like, "What's the big deal?") Then from the other room Matt pipes in, "That's because we've been on your page." Classic.

There has been some time for fun this summer; the kids have had fun collecting nails for a nickel each, they have enjoyed climbing on the pile of rocks in front of our house, and watching the cement truck pour, they loved climbing the stairs that went nowhere (it kind of stopped my heart before we yelled for them to get down.) You know, just the usual summer fun.

But seriously we had a few "summer type" fun days at Redfish with Matt's family. When they pulled up to the house before the fun began, there was a huge trench from the power pole to the new addition, it was kind of like a moat around the house, there was only a little spot to get to the house, nothing says 'Welcome" like a trench and no front porch lights. It all worked out though and the kids had a great time with their cousins.


Before all the madness and ripped up yard started we visited my mom and sisters in Billings, MT. I think it was the best drive ever, the kids did so awesome (Can you say Redbox?) Nana has a pool at her condo and there is nothing that spells fun like "pool". Matt had driven from Arizona to Idaho with our nephew the week before and then he drove to Billings. It was a lot of driving for him but it was fun to have him with us in Billings for a few day.

My cute niece, Meghan, visited from AZ so she could check out BYU-I. I got to go with her and take the tour of campus (alot has changed since Matt and I met and fell in love there.) The anat & phys classroom look the same and the lab where we use to flirt and get dark looks from the lab assistant (who clearly thought he was so mature.) was the same. I could almost see us sitting in the back of the class passing notes back and forth. Meghan and I checked out apartments and I drove her by where Matt lived when we were dating and the basement apartment we lived the first year we got married. I love that place! I wish it had been a four year school when we went there. I don't know if the trip was all that fun for Meghan but we enjoyed having her and can't wait until she is back in Idaho in January.


I am still gestating nicely, growing another little fantastic human being like the three we have. We have his name picked, some of you already know... Riggins Val Parke, if you don't like it, pretend you do. It shouldn't be hard since you are just reading this and not talking to me face to face and making comments like.."It sounds like a disease." And if you need further convincing call us and I will have McCade and/or Bella say it for you in their sweet little voices and you will be less wary if not completely convinced. I have felt really good the last few months (thank goodness) and I am loving the feeling of the baby moving and the kids laying their heads on my big belly asking if Riggins is moving and can they feel. I love being pregnant and hope I stay this way for the next 8 weeks as nature intended, I wouldn't even mind going a wee bit over since I am sure there will be lots to finish up. (so many projects, so little time.)

I know this has been a freakishly long post... but it has been a freakishly long time since I posted. Sorry about the lack of pictures but...you didn't really want to see pictures of the holes in the ground and two by fours. Did you?

It's been a long time

More than a month since my last post... sad. First my mom was here and I thought it might be rude to spend a bunch of time on the computer, then one of the kids tripped over the cord while it was still plugged into the computer so now the computer has no power unless I sit there and hold the cord with one hand, (I love blogging but, not that much.) So, I just wanted you to know... in case you care... I have a call into a computer repair man. Until then... Happy summer. (Kind of a joke since it has been raining for weeks, but don't even get me started on that...)

Bella's Halloween

Bella has a navy blue velour skating outfit that she calls her "Halloween" (pronounced How-een). I don't actually know why she calls it that, she's never worn it for Halloween, maybe she is planning in advance for next year. She wears it all the time.

She loves it.

Here she is at the park...in her Hoween, I forgot to put sunscreen on her back and she got a little circular tan/burn on her upper back. See- here we are at the store, Bella is in her Hoween, I did insist that she put on some pants..this time. Going to the store with mom is fun. She will let you eat a big sugary donut.

Ok, she did have shoes on too, but they kept falling off,

really, she had shoes. I promise.

Same outfit, different day.

If you come to our house Bella will put her Hoween on and do a beautiful dance for you.

Happy Birthday Matt

Happy Birthday! Thanks for being a great husband and dad! We love you so much and appreciate all you do for us.

Today is a crazy day

Woke up to snow falling outside...more snow. How delightful, we surely haven't had enough.

This is a bright spot on this cold, damp morning a cheery pot of flowers in my warm, cozy kitchen while the big fat flakes fall outside.
Bella was naked in her crib when I woke up this morning. Then she put on her swimsuit. As you can see, I just went with it.

My tulips are covered in snow, Matt was all, "Oh goodie, more moisture. This will be good for the yard." (Of course he didn't say "oh goodie" but he might as well have from the delighted expression on his face.) I'm thinking... I know what else would green the yard up...they're called sprinklers. I'm a little bitter this morning, can't help it. I long for warm, sunny days.

Spring in Idaho- ya gotta love it. It's 10:12 and I'm still in my pink striped pajama bottoms. That's just not right.

Our baby boy!

That's right, we are having a boy! We are so exited.

I know sometimes it's hard to tell what your looking at on ultrasound pictures. This picture is a little leg, in side profile, labeled for your convenience. I think the flex of the little tiny foot is so amazing. He was all over the place when we scanned him last (I guess I should have held off on the ice cream.) We didn't get a good side profile picture of his face, but I thought this was still pretty cool.

What are we having?

Can you tell from this ultrasound picture what the baby is?
Can't tell? (Seriously?!) Stay tuned...

Glorious Easter

We had such a fun Easter. The weather was beautiful, Matt's sister Pam and her kids came from Twin Falls. The food was yummy ( I love ham.) We had plenty of time to do everything because Pam ussually runs at least an hour late. I even had time to get my Easter decorations out.

Here are some fun pictures of the kids enjoying the day:

Bella got to fly (with cousin Travis).
Bella got a ride with Aunt Pam
The Easter Bunny brought Grace this cool fairy kite.

The wind kicked up enough for McCade to fly his dragon kite (with help from his cousin Candice).

Bella was adorable finding her eggs and putting them in her bunny purse.

Grace's Bunnies from The Bunny.

The Easter Bunny brought Bella wings...so cute!

It just wouldn't be Easter without dyed countertops..I mean Easter eggs.

It was a great day. I love celebrating this holiday that represents the literal breaking of the bonds of death for all mankind. Easter has more meaning for me personally since my dad and father-in-law have died. President Hinkley said, " These simple words—“He is not here, but is risen”—have become the most profound in all literature." I agree. Those simple words fill me with hope and peace as real as the feeling I get when I feel the first warm breeze on my skin and know Spring will come, no matter how long the winter has been.

Matt's rehab: update

The boot:

Matt had another doctor appointment and an appointment with his physical therapist. He is now mostly wearing shoes but with a lift in the heel, he only wears his big boot when his leg gets sore. He got exercises to do. The best thing is that he got the go ahead to start on the exercises bike. He and McCade drove to Pocatello yesterday and bought an Airdyne (the bike that has the arms that move) they found on Craigslist. McCade was so cute getting ready to go with him. He packed himself his lunch box full of snacks and water for the road (and assured me he would share with Dad.) He told me when he got home that he didn't even get bored. (5 hours in the car).

Matt is building up his time on the bike and was so happy to be sweating again. I don't entirely get it because I'm perfectly happy without getting my heart rate going, but clearly Matt has a little more stress than I do on a regular basis. I mean seriously, probably my biggest stress is what we are going to eat for dinner and what book I am going to start next (Ok, the book thing doesn't stress me out at all I just said that to get my point across about my relatively stress free life.)

A battle worth fighting?

Bella has always needed a special something to get her to go to sleep. When she was a baby she HAD to be wrapped tight as a burrito. When she got stronger and started busting out of the burrito (and waking up) we put her in this fleece snowsuit. Just like that, habit formed. It was fine, our nights get cold here but my in-laws all thought I was nuts when she had to have it even at naptime in the car, in Arizona. Well, she obviously outgrew the suit. So now... she has a blanket. She LOVES it. That's ok, right, lots of kids have blankets. But now she wants it all the time. Watching T.V. (fine), long car rides (fine), short trips into the grocery store , church, (whoah, hold the phone, we have to draw the line somewhere) (don't we?)
Today she wanted it when we were driving Grace to school.

I said no.

She cried almost the whole way to school.

When it was time to pick Grace up from school, I caved.

So my question is... does it really matter? Obviously she can't take it to Kindergarten. I need to decide if this is a battle I'm going to fight. Otherwise she just keeps winning these skirmishes. That is no good.

Have you an opinion on the matter? Do tell.

March

My favorite flower is the crocus. They are the first to bravely peek their heads out of the frozen ground, the first hopeful sign that winter may possibly end.

March has gone by so fast, I can't believe it. Not to be rude, but March and February have to be the worst months here. It is a lovely, sunny day out today but everything is so brown and muddy it makes me want to crawl back in my bed. (Granted, it doesn't take much to make me want to crawl back in my bed, I'll give you that.)

Matt is healing well, his incision is healed and he has been able to get around with just his walking boot. That is so nice.

I have been doing ok. Good days and bad days. I finally broke down and bought some Unisom and B6. For those of you who don't know this trick for morning sickness, it really is the best. I love it because I sleep great and don't feel sick the next day. I don't know why I waited so long. The upside of being sick is that I haven't gained any weight yet. Silver linings and all that.

Matt and I were both feeling a little stir crazy from all the time we have been in the house so yesterday during Sunday school we decided to skip the rest of church and drive over to Eastern Idaho (Shelly) to see Matt's brother Val (& Tami, Katelyn and Sadie). We all loaded up, exited to get going. It started snowing about Arco. Snowing Sideways! Not to be deterred we kept driving. It was like a full blizzard by the time we got there. It snowed the whole time we were there, one of those nasty snowstorms that you say to yourself, "I'm so glad we don't have to go anywhere." Except of course we did. Right when we drove out of Shelly it stopped snowing. The roads were crummy for while (I take for granted our awesome snow removal here in Blaine County) but then we drove out of it and into a beautiful sunset. All's well that ends well.

New calling

I have a new calling, well I got it over a month ago but I haven't made any comments about it here so...new to you right? I am the Primary chorister. When I was sustained Matt leaned over to me and said, "You don't know anything about music. Do you?" I shook my head happily, "no". I love Primary songs, how hard can it be. Well... factor in an amazing pianist that knows every song but sadly follows the chorister (WHY? For the love...Why are you following me, isn't it obvious I'm just flapping my arms around up here?") and a little morning sickness, then throw in a round or two (FYI, rounds: way harder than they appear when someone else is leading them.) It's a recipe for a disaster. So what can I do? I just keep bringing chocolate every week and hoping for some kind of miracle.

Daylight Savings

We (Me and Grace) are having a hard time adjusting to daylight savings time. Grace does not want to go bed at her usual bedtime (8:00) but then she is like a hybernating bear the next morning. So one night last week I told her that for Spring Break we would pretend Daylight Savings didn't happen, she could go to bed an hour later and wake up as late as she wants in the morning. She liked that idea, even told her teacher about it the next day.

So...a few days later her friend Dani (Merrick) is over. I am asking her if she is exited about going to Hawaii for Spring Break, (she is.) etc. etc. Grace pipes in excitedly, "Guess what we are going to do?" "We're going to pretend Daylight Savings never happened. "

Hey. Some kids go to Hawaii. Some kids get to pretend D.S. doesn't exist. I guess attitude really is everything. (Also, I think it helps if you've never been to Hawaii so you have nothing to compare it to.)

PS. I have decided since Carrie likes D.S. so much not to be such a hater.

Clarity and Insanity

In case you hadn't heard or didn't believe it because I hadn't posted about it yet, I'm pregnant. In a moment of clarity and insanity we decided to have another baby.

You know those brief moments in life when it seems the stars are aligned just so and time slows down just a bit and in that instant when everyone is calm and happy you see a glimpse of eternity, realize what is really important, like family. Perhaps say to yourself, "I can handle this, I can do this. Our family is clearly not complete." Clarity.

In the next instance things are spinning wildly out of control, children are whining, Matt is on crutches, the sight of food is nauseating, the only comfort is the thought of sleep, sweet sleep... I think to myself, "What was I thinking?" Too late now. Insanity.

I am so grateful my first trimester yuckiness doesn't last my whole pregnancy like it does for some of my friends. I have emerged a little early (knock on wood) feeling good, slightly tired, and ridiculously optimistic.

Fully clothed

So, I'm in the tub, reading a magazine, enjoying the peace and quiet.

McCade comes in, leans over, starts playing in the water, goes and gets my plastic gloves so he can play without getting wet. Pretty soon his whole front is soaked. (Big surprise.) Then he says, "Can I get in with my clothes on?" Why not? I'm clearly done with my relaxing soak. He wanted to be sure I got a picture with his floating pants (He thought that was hilarious.)

I think he is hilarious.

I know, that is a really full tub.

A handicap sticker AND a minivan

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, but seriously things have been painfully boring around here. (Get it, "pain" full.) Matt has been hobbling around on crutches. We found out the the walking boot he gets today isn't really for walking...yet. He will be on crutches a while longer. Still, it could be worse.

We have gotten into a new routine with his injury. Like... I have to let Toby out in the morning and put him in his kennel at night. I have to take out the garbage. I am finding that Matt did alot more around the house than I thought. When I was really sick, he took care of everything: he worked, cooked, fed the baby at night, bathed the kids, kept the house clean, took me to doctor's appointments. I don't know how he did it all. That is so him. Alot of times I think of us like a team of oxen, no matter what, Matt always pulls his weight, alot of the time he pulls mine too. I am more interested in side trips to meadows full of flowers. I tell myself life would be so boring without me.

The thing is I have been reading alot of books lately. And when I get into a book, I am beyond boring. Don't even try to talk to me. Well you can but I will just respond with noncommittal sounds like, "uh huh" and "in a minute" which even my kids know means "you should try to do it yourself, it's gonna be a while."


We went to Twin last week and left the kids with Matt's sister Pam while we went to dinner (Jakers = so yummy) and Costco. When we got there his brother-in-law, Tom, said, " A handicap sticker and a minivan? Travis (my 19 year old nephew who has always looked up to Matt but hassles us endlessly about the minivan.) will love that." Yeah, that pretty much sums up our life for the next little while.

I'm sure once the sun starts shining again and the kids stop coughing it will breathe new life into our little corner of the world. But until then... have you read any good books lately?

Recovering nicely

Matt's surgery went really well. I think he might have set a record for how fast he got out of there post op. He was highly motivated. Now we are just kicken' it around the house. Matt is a good patient, he's staying on top of his pain meds and doing more than he probably should (moving around, not doing more drugs... just wanted to clear that up). It's making him a little crazy having to stay down so much. I have noticed a little extra naughtiness with the kids, maybe they think dad doesn't have what it takes to lower the boom. (He's still got it, they found out the hard way.)

OUCH

Last night while Matt was playing basketball at the church he ruptured his Achilles tendon. Darnit. It hurt really bad. He is having surgery tomorrow to have it repaired. I am at work right now. He took care of the kids tonight with a bum leg and crutches. I am actually looking forward to taking care of him for a change.

P.S. Tell your husbands that stretching was important when they were 16 and it's just as (way more) important now.

Happy Valentine's Day

Will you be my Valentine?

Grace (for the moment)

Grace is such a contradiction. On the one hand she is so helpful, kind to others (especially those younger than her); smart; obedient. She takes care of Bella and other babies. She comes up with fun activities for the kids to do; she eats what I give her; she sits reverently in church for the full sacrament meeting.. Other times her moodiness makes me want to scream. Yeah, she is really helping me clean, not just posing for this picture.

Other things about Gracie Loo- She is saving up for a Nintendo DS; she has decided she wants to collect Pet Shops (they are so darn cute.); Has been waking up early so she can watch T.V. before school (I know, bad huh?); loves to do projects with me and go to Enrichment meetings with me; loves rice with her favorite dressing on it ("You did put a little too much dressing on this mom, but that's ok, I love this stuff so much I could drink it."); Wants to grow her hair to her bum and then cut it for Locks of Love.

She is my favorite seven year old in the entire world.

Bella- this month

Kids change so much from week to week, day to day; their obsessions, their greatness, their naughtiness... Just yesterday I was reading some notes I had written about Grace at this age for her scrapbook. I use to write a newsletter that forced me at least once a month to record the kid's quirks. I am going to attempt to keep doing it on my blog. So here is Bella- for now anyway.

She is talking and is so much easier to understand now, but occasionally we still have those words that I have no idea what she is saying ( I love her voice so much I wish there was a way to keep it fresh in my brain forever). She is such a cuddler especially with with grown-ups (sometimes when the kids try to give her hugs she pushes them away with a mean face) (it makes me mad.); her blanket; string cheese; her "ooh ahh" jammies (they have monkeys on them, she calls them that because that is what a monkey says); sitting on the vacuum while I am pushing it; playing with "Tay Tay" (Taylor); dressing up in a leotard and dancing; wrestling with Matt; she loves juice and tells me all the time "My tummy hurts" because I drink Gatorade when I have tummy problems and she thinks will get juice. She still has to sit in the "happy girl" a lot. She hates it when anyone tells her no (she crosses her arms and "humphs")and when people (McCade or me) tell her she is "grumpin".

She had to get a couple shots and started to cry when she saw the nurse who gives them. When we were done her leg hurt so she wanted me to carry her everywhere for the next few hours. ( I obliged of course) After her nap she came walking out of her room and said (very excitedly) "I can walk!"

While she was on the phone with my sister, Wynn, last week I told her to say "love you, bye." She said, "I love you, Uncle Val!" (It sounded like, "Wa you, unco Bow." She does love her Uncle Val a lot.)

She is my favorite 2 1/2 year old on the planet.

Where do they learn this stuff?

It's a mystery.

McCade- currently

Direct quote (I couldn't make this stuff up...even if I wanted to.) " I'm a pancake chef, I can make anything in the whole world...even Satan, even Jesus, even Heavenly father, even eyeballs, mouthes (pronounces mouth-es), even teethes, everything in the whole entire world!" Seriously, where does he come up with this stuff?

Has a full set of jammies under these clothes.

McCade-for now... is such a fun, happy, helpful boy. He rarely whines; gets himself dressed in the morning and makes his bed; says the cutest things; is tough; worships his dad; loves to dress up in "boyish" costumes (Power Rangers & dragon suits); is sad almost every night that he has to sleep alone without a baby brother; loves his friends Luke and Dallin; is noisy and wild at preschool when he gets around other little boys; points out what a good boy he is being when the girls are "grumpin"; came up with the term, "grumpin"; wants to know what is real and what isn't i.e. "Mom, are bad guys in real life?" "Are dragons in real life?" "Are_______ in real life?" Just fill in the blank, I'm sure he has asked it.

After a walk with Matt at night he told me, "We could see the planes were shooting stars and we could see the plane's breath." (The jet stream.)

He is my favorite boy in the whole wide world.

The dryer is making a thunking soud

I wonder why? Could it be there is a Bella in there.

*No actual Bella's were harmed during the making of these photos.

Organizing Toys

When I am feeling very sluggish (January, February, March, April) and I need a pick-me-up, I organize. When you think about it. This is the perfect time of year to organize your house top to bottom... 1. The holidays are over, nothing to do 2. You are stuck inside 3. The walls are starting to creep in on you. 4. Better to do it now so once those warm months hit you will be ready to play outside!
So, in light of these observations I have decided to go through step by step organizing. Most of my closest friends are already very organized and therefore not in the need of my services. So...do you want to be my friend? Do you need me to organize something for you? Please.

Lets start with toys. If you are at all like me the toys have exponentially grown over the holidays and are threatening to take over you life and your sanity. I have a plan.

First: gather all the toys in your entire house to one central place for the sort. (It is optional for your kids to be there. I find it helpful if they are NOT. After all, I know best what they play with and what they just scatter around for someone (me) to pick up.) Dump them all out and start sorting into piles: blocks, legos, dolls, tea party, dress ups, trucks, Pet shops, etc. *Don't forget another important category: Garbage/ Donate.

Some categories will be obvious and some will be "to unique to classify" (Like the Micky mouse ears that light up) or if you only have a few of something then they can be clumped together.
Sorting is great because it puts things together the way they use them. For example: My kids love to play with their dogs, they put them on leashes, they play vet, etc. So instead of keeping the dogs in with the stuffed animals I put them all together in their own tote. *Don't be stingy about getting rid of things. If your kids don't play with it anywmore or it's broken, or it came from McDonalds or the dollar store, etc.

A repectable pile of garbage

One of the most important things I do with our toys is store half of them... This serves two purposes; it cuts down what is in circulation by half and it gives the kids a chance to see what they have and play with them, when they are tired of what is out, we switch them around. You would think it was Christmas morning when we open the toy bin up. (I guess that was 3 things.) They could be stored high in the kids closets, in the garage, in a spare room...

Our toy space is in our main living space so I like it to be neat and tidy. I took pictures of each of the groups of toys while I had them out (before putting 1/2 in storage) to go in the front of the canvas totes. Since Grace is the only one that can read, this works well so all the kids can help with the cleanup.

There are lots of different ways to store toys; in big plastic drawers, on shelves, even in bags for each category if everything gets thrown in a big toy box. The reason it is good for each thing to have a 'home" is that it gives a defining space where it should be and makes it easier for the kids to play with and pick up when they are done.

Pretty neat huh?

Any questions?

I love Bags

I love bags, I collect them the way some people collect shoes and . . . well, the way I collect scrapbook paper (but that is another post for another day.) I love them so much that I thought of a little poem, my own "Ode to bags." Bags, Bags! Of every kind

the more I love,

the more I find.

Big bags, small bags,

sizes galore

I sew them, I buy them-

it's bags I adore!

What could I possibly do with them all?

Why, one for Winter, Spring,

Summer and Fall.

Church bags and book bags,

beach bags and more.

Who cares - if they're cute bags

I can always use more!

Cousins = Fun

Last weekend Matt's cousin, Darin and family (Jessica, Dallin, Owen and Kora) stayed overnight with us (They live in Carey.) The adults went out Friday night to Cowboy Cocina, my favorite but they were out of sweet potato fries (gasp) and we had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated (very unusual) Still it was fun and I was glad they were so busy because that means they will stay open which means I will be able to continue my addiction to SPFs. When we got home we played cards.

The funnest thing about Darin and Matt is that they have been friends for so long they have so many hilarious stories from growing up. I have heard most of them but every once in a while there will still be a new one. Darin was still single when Matt and I started at ISU. He used to come over to our (cold, dark, depressing) basement appartment and sit on the floor (the only furniture we had was a little rocking loveseat). And we would get to laughing so hard. Sometimes when Darin would side with me on an issue Matt would say, "Darin, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." It became a joke. Darin would usually side with me for the sheer fact that it bugged Matt so bad. I, of course, didn't mind. I remember one time it got so bad that Darin said, "I think I'm going to have to ask myself to leave." Good times.

Matt drove his snowmachine around the backyard pulling the kids on the tube.
McCade and Dallin

Grace is facing backward while the boys faced forward. I love is how tight she was holding on to both of them. She is so protective.