Thankful Thoughts Thursday (Friday Edition)

In no particular order.......

I'm thankful for Russ, Abbie, Savannah and Nathan.

I'm thankful for yesterday. We went to the zoo in the morning and watched various animals pig out on pumpkins. My personal favorite was seeing the gorillas eating pumpkin innards. Then we raked leaves and the girls jumped in the pile. And then we feasted with Russ's family Mmmmmmm. Focused family time is always a blessing.

I'm thankful for our home. Last year we were squatters in my parents basement for Thanksgiving. While we were truly blessed for their help it is so nice to have a place of our own again.

I'm thankful for good schools and good teachers for my children.

I'm thankful for toilet paper. No seriously...aren't you?

I'm thankful for good, good books.

I'm thankful for the Spirit that brings me closer to God.

I'm thankful for our friends. I've been blessed with some true and close friends thoughout my life. We've also made wonderful friends since moving here and are excited with what the years will bring.

I'm thankful for wonderful parents.

I'm thankful for my job and Russ's job.

I'm thankful for good knives. I use my knives every day and they make me happy.

I'm thankful for naps. Love naps.

Random Thoughts Thursday

I just resent our family pictures to Russ's mom. So Laura, if you're reading this I promise they are in the mail. With the correct postage this time.

I just got offered the option of teaching a mostly online course...hmmmm less time away from home, same pay...worth considering.

Any thoughts on how to keep a nine month old from pulling down the Christmas tree and/or ornaments? I need a solution by the day after Thanksgiving, when the tree goes up.

These pictures pretty much show each child's personality perfectly.

I am already playing "Music Man" this year for Christmas by talking my kids into the gifts I bought for them by saying things like, "Yeah, your bike doesn't work too well, wouldn't it be nice if Santa bought you a new one?" Or more accurately, " A slightly used but new-to-you one?"

Random Thoughts Thursday

I spent an hour raking leaves yesterday. I filled five bags. I got blisters. Looking out the back window this windy morning you would never know that anything had been done.

I voted early last week. All the perks of voting, including the all important sticker, with none of the line. Genius!

Abbie learned about the candidates this week. She learned the important issues for the first grade demographic, their families, favorite foods, and their hobbies. Who did she vote for? Mitt Romney. Why? Because he's a grandpa. Grandpa's will always trump dads.

I made meatloaf this week. This wasn't some glorified hamburger. It had ground beef and ground pork. It had Ritz crackers, Worcestershire sauce, fresh parsley, garlic, onion, and an amazing ketchup brown sugar glaze. Abbie's response, "This is the grossest food ever.....Well except for worms."

Yup. I beat out worms.

His nicknames include Nate, Nater, Nathy, and Happy.

He, thankfully, liked the meatloaf. And he likes lasagna, and pasta. Finally, a kid with an appetite.

Savannah has not adjusted to the time change at all. She is content to wake up an hour early (5:45). She would actually be content to entertain and feed herself but she is unable to pour her own milk. Blast this time change!

Random Thoughts Thursday

Happy Halloween from our family to yours!

Right after this picture was taken we discovered that Nathan had a rash all over his belly and back. That combined with the fever since last Saturday equals Roseolla. Honestly, I'm just glad we are on the tail end of it. Fussy babies aren't much fun.

This morning I (clearly selfishly) wanted to take a shower uninterrupted  So I locked the bathroom door. Almost the minute I got in the shower the knocks began. After repeatedly trying to explain that I couldn't hear my children while I was in the shower and to please wait the five minutes it would take me to finish showering, they got down and started yelling through the crack in the door. The needs that were so urgent they couldn't wait? Abbie wanted to play on the computer and Savannah wanted me to put toothpaste on her toothbrush. Awesome.

I've spent the last 20 minutes trying to download the video of Abbie's choir concert and for some reason the sound, which plays fine on my phone, wont play once I download it. Sorry, I don't know what else to do.

 
Honeycrisp apples are one of the few things that I think are worth the more than double the price of regular. They are yummy.  

Random Thoughts Thursday [UPDATE]

Sorry we were out of town last week so there were no thoughts, random or otherwise, to be had.

We went to St. George and Las Vegas (to visit Russ's sister) for fall break. We enjoyed swimming, rock climbing, napping, playing at the park with cousins, and enjoying 85 degree weather. Right now it is snowing outside.

The girls saw the snow outside and it was only a matter of minutes before snowmen were built in the front yard. Abbie had her's completed before the bus came....at 8:30. And Savannah and I finished her's shortly after. It was awesome

I stole this picture off of my brother's blog. It was taken last Christmas. I don't know what is the most disturbing. My dad doing the Beach Boys pose or knowing that Erica had Psy's Gangnam Style down before it became famous.

The best part of the vacation for me was taking our family to the pool. The girls have been taking swimming lessons every Saturday for the last few months. I decided that each summer we do swimming lessons and then don't go often enough in-between and we loose and gains we'd made so we have been making up for it. It was fantastic! Savannah when down the big slide at the pool with Russ and loved it! She went over and over again. Abbie was swimming back and forth on the benches of a little alcove! If you've been swimming with my girls you know this is BIG progress from where they've been in the past. Nathan, thankfully, just loved being in the water and having so many faces smile at him.

We also learned on the mini-trip to Vegas the following.
 1- Abbie and her cousin Mackensie really are the same person. It was so fun seeing them get to know each other.
2 - Savannah is at her happiest when she is pushed in a swing. And at her saddest if you forget to order olives on her Subway sandwich.
3 - Nathan, although the smallest member of the family, has the ability to double (yes double) the amount of time it takes to return from Las Vegas to St. George because of his powerful lungs. Bless you boy!

[Update]  The easiest and science experiment ever. Abbie called me a genius after I showed her. I needed that today.

Random Thoughts Thursday

My son ate spaghetti, with sauce. For 90% of the world this would probably not be a big deal. But I'm taking it as a sign that he wont be a picky eater like his sisters. May I be right.

So...Night Circus is a fantastic book. Until the end. The end is lame. Not bad. Not inappropriate. Just anti-climatic and not as satisfying as the rest of the book. Bummer.

Today I've been grading papers. Is it sad that while I'm doing it I'm half hoping that most of my students don't vote. Not because of an particular views expressed, but because most of them lack the ability to write an organized thought, much less an organized paper.

That sounds harsh. I'm sorry. I'm a little burned out from it.

Last week Savannah lost some puppets she had made. She was heartbroken. Abbie's little friend Dutch (who is the sweetest boy on the planet and I would totally love to just arrange their marriage right now if I could) got very focused and said, "Savannah, I'll help you look.....where's the first place you had it?" Awesome.

Nathan had an ear infection, we got the medication on Tuesday. I could kiss the inventor of amoxicilin, he is getting me sleep again.

Sorry...gotta run.

Random Thoughts Thursday (Friday Edition)

Abbie and her friend Dutch after we cut down the bamboo in our yard

Abbie has been telling us about a spider she heard about from a boy in her class. It is called a Death Cracker. And it eats lava. I vacillate between not wanting her to be scared about this imaginary spider, and being highly entertained at the imagination of first graders.

My class was so disappointed that we didn't watch the presidential debate during class last night. I would have if the school hadn't canceled classes last week making me a week behind. And I have class on Halloween and really, really, want to cancel it to go Trick-or-Treating with my kids. So I can't skip out on two lectures.

Okay so I started this yesterday and then life got crazy and now it is Friday. Sorry.

Savannah's family prayer this morning, "Dear Heavenly Father, Please bless dad to have fun at work, bless Abbie to have fun at (her school's name and mascot) because of her new boots, and bless mom and Nathy and me to have fun on our bug hunt."

It almost made up for this incident. Savannah has been asking all week to make snickerdoodles. I've had to put her off until today. So this morning (after the bug hunt, which did turn out quite fun) we rushed out with the sole purpose being to get cream of tarter for the cookies. Just as we were leaving the store she said, "Mom I don't want to make snickerdoodles, I want to make chocolate chip cookies." We had all the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies at home. Try as I might I couldn't convince her to return to the original plan of snickerdoodles, and because I actually like chocolate chip cookies better anyway, that is what we made.

Nate the Great has a cold. And possibly an ear infection. But I wouldn't know for sure because last night was the first really bad night. And of course it is Friday.




I am reading The Night Circus. It is like the best chocolate I've ever eaten. So good and consuming but I want to take is slow because I don't want it to end too soon. Its that good.

Random Thoughts Thursday

One of the many things I love about Russ is to watch him work. To see the creative process is something so foreign and amazing to me that it thrills me every time. I will think something looks fine, and he will continue to work for hours to take it to fantastic! Because he never talks about the work he does I want to show you some of the stuff he did that just came out. (This is mostly for his parents and siblings.) Go to this link and scroll through the catalog. Russ's new stuff is on pages five and six.

Abbie has been invited to three birthday parties this week. I would say the making new friends aspect of the move is going a-okay!

So my thing this week went well, and I didn't trip. I did however forget the diaper bag so when I had to drop Nathan off, I had to make a last minute stop at the store to buy formula/bottles/baby food and was literally racing around Harmon's. Thankfully, I decided to wear ballet flats to the thing and only change into heels once I got there. I seriously would have broken my ankle.

Has anyone seen my old big spiral bound piano book? I think I lost it in the move and I am SO sad.

So another show that I've come to like is Dr. Who. It starts out a little lame but the writing is fantastic and The Dr. is hilarious.


Sorry, gotta go for the day!

Random Thoughts Thursday (Friday Edition)

I have realized that you shouldn't try to accomplish anything that requires focus when you have a six-month-old around. Mindless stuff no problem. Things that require attention, no way. Nathan isn't crawling yet (but very, very close) then I think even the mindless stuff will need to go.

I have a thing next week where I need to look nice and very professional, which I've been told by my fashion forward friends means.... heels. So I at my mid-30s went out and bought my first pair of real heels. I am completely unable to walk in them. Sadly, because I really, really, don't want to pull a Sandra Bullock at this thing and completely humiliate myself, I've been practicing. So today, as I was picking up toys around the house...I was wearing heels.My inner feminist was throwing a tantrum.  I decided that if the women in the 50's actually did wear heels while doing housework, then I'm surprised that the feminist movement wasn't more violent.

Now my legs really hurt. I really might back out of this heel option before it even gets started. Ballet flats here I come!

Last week I said that I thought I would have more time with both girls in school for at least part of the day. I feel like the problem is only getting worse. I feel like I barely have two minutes to rub together.

Sherlock Series 2 is now on Netflicks!! Now if they would just get done filming The Hobbit so they can return to making Series 3 I would be happy.

It kills me that sometimes people hire professionals who are particularly skilled in one area and then proceed to not trust any of their expertise and micro-manage them.

Savannah has been saying the most adorable prayers lately. Some of the lines included, "Bless us to have more blessings...bless dad to be safe at work for today......thank thee for the blessings and blessings...bless us to choose the right and not the wrong."

Abbie told me today that she likes school more than home. While part of me was a little sad, I am so grateful because she hated her old school and was starting to hate learning.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Last night was the first night of class for me. I wore heels for three hours. I really just want to sit for the rest of the day.

We are having the most perfect weather we've had in months. It is low 80s, sunny. Finally we can enjoy being outside again.

Savannah was celebrating Grandparent's Day in preschool. Each child was supposed to bring a treat that one of their grandparents ate when they were young. I'm so glad Laura liked Snickerdoodles. One kid brought saltine crackers and butter. (Which I have heard of but don't want to continue that tradition.)

I just finished reading Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. I liked it, but still don't think it was as good as Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

Nathan is in the 95% for height.....and 50th for weight.Hmmmmmm I told Russ he needs to brush up his basketball skills.

Sorry this is short. I need a nap. My brain isn't working.

Doctor vs No-Doctor

I would have thought that by my third child I would better understand when a baby has an ear infection. Unfortunately, I am still completely clueless regarding this aspect of parenting.  For the amount of money I have spent on going to the doctor for what I thought was an ear infection, but was really just a fussy baby, I could have purchased one of those ear-checkers myself.

So last night the scenario repeated itself again. Yesterday after lunch Nathan refused to take more than 20-40 minute naps, for the rest of the day. He would be exhausted, I would lay him down, and about a half hour later he would wake up. Happy as can be......for another hour before he would get fussy again and the process would repeat itself.

Last night he woke up  a total of five. Yup five times. Beginning at 11:00 and continuing throughout the night. Why don't you let him just cry it out? You may ask. We have. Oh, we have. During that painful process he has lost his voice twice. Started only waking up once a night for a few days and the digressed back to twice a night. Then repeated that cycle over again. But never in a good long while has he woken up five times.

This morning, his nap only lasted 30 minutes. Again.

So do I take him to the doctor? Or do I wait? Of course, this happens on a Friday (It is always a Friday!) I usually like to wait, because one night could be a fluke, right? But if I wait and there is a bad night then either 1- I have to pay double the co-pay to go in on weekends. Or 2- Wait until Monday and get no sleep this weekend.

And if I wait until Monday, then why not wait until Wednesday because I have his six-month appointment scheduled then anyway? But do I really want to put up with a fussy baby until Wednesday? Or should I take him in today? When, in all likelihood they are going to find nothing wrong. Again

Pity my family. They have to actually deal with me like this.

Random Thoughts Thursday

First days of school for everyone!

Abbie's First Day at first grade!

Savannah starts preschool!

I thought with both girls in school (Abbie in first grade, Savannah in preschool) I would have more time for myself. If anything I feel busier.

I believe heaven tastes like fresh peaches.

Abbie's artistic flare has exploded. She has been making paper dolls, with paper beds, blankets, and accessories. She's been writing, illustrating, and making books. She is always coloring, drawing, or painting. She asked if she could have the old toilet paper roll so she could color it. It's like the creativity is just searching for an outlet.

Savannah has developed a very.....specific style. She insists on wearing only dresses and doesn't want to wear leggings with them. Her solution? Wear a skirt under the dress. Not that this helps with hiding her underwear, but she is insistent. I hope her teacher understands.

On a related note, I don't know when to intervene on my daughters' clothing choices. I really don't want them to think fashion is the most important thing, but I also want them to know how to make themselves presentable. Currently we are a long way from understanding concepts like not wearing two completely unrelated patterns, what really can go with everything, and not wearing your same dress every single day despite the fact is is covered in stains. Some days I mention something. Most I don't.

I just got the Joann ad in the mail. It says September is National Sewing Month. Oh, brother.