Not so Random Thoughts Thursday (Friday Edition)

I've debated about posting anything at all this week. My life obviously wasn't directly affected by last week's events, but my heart was. I have avoided the news much of this last week because I cry every time I listen. My prayers are with the families, first responders, and the community in Connecticut  My opinions, my civic duty and expectations of my elected representatives and my desires have been steeled in their resolve.

My blog is different. I conscientiously avoid posting my political or social opinions. It isn't that I don't have them or that I don't feel them strongly. But I want this blog to be for family and friends and a memoir to my children a peek into our life and the joy of our family. Not a place for debate or social commentary. There are plenty of venues for such discussions and I believe them to be important. This just isn't one of them. (Sorry, my house, my rules.)

However, this week I can't share flippant, random, or hilarious peeks into my life, for 27 families have lost the ability to have those moments. So consider this my (long and wordy but loving) moment of silence.

Random Thoughts Thursday

I actually sent out Christmas cards this year!! Most of you do this every year so it is no big accomplishment but I am pretty darn proud of myself. If you don't get one in the next few days it is because I don't have your address. Email me so I can send you one.

In the last week and a half I have paid for six doctor's visits, one chest x-ray, a myriad of prescriptions and finally....finally have no weazing children and only minimal coughs. But of course now Russ and I are sick. My voice switches between a man voice, a nine hundred number voice, and a squeaky mouse.

A husband of one of the random bloggers I follow was just diagnosed with cancer. I don't know this person at all. I found them by accident, and am still so incredibly saddened for him, her, and their family.

One of our Christmas traditions is to drive around and look at Christmas lights. A few years ago we started rating some houses to try to help the girls choose a favorite. But rather then helping them pick a favorite it has  devolved into them judging houses, and being concerned about how people will judge our house. "Mom! People will drive right by our house and give us a 0!" (We have no Christmas lights up at all.) Yes. Yes. Apparently I am not only teaching my children to judge others by their appearance, but also to be very sensitive to others' judgement. Because I am an awesome mom.

Don't worry,  I just keep racking up the mom points. While on the drive Abbie starts developing a scheme to sell her homemade crafts door to door. I try to turn the focus to cookies (which people will find value in) to no avail. After about a 15 minute discussion, Abbie sighs.."What I really want.....is money." Yup...I'm teaching materialism too.

That said I am getting pretty excited for Christmas. I hope, hope, hope, think I nailed this year!

Random Thoughts Thursday

I should probably stop being amazed at how fast my girls' room can go from being completely clean to total disaster but it still blows me away.

Last week a spider was floating down from the ceiling in the middle of the kitchen. I gently grabbed the thread and carried the spider over and put it in the garbage. Abbie lost it. "You killed it mom! You killed it!" Tears were streaming down her face. I haven't seen her that upset in a long, long time. When it comes to spiders in my house I am not humane...for Abbie, all life is precious.

We've had sick, sick, kids around our house this week. Fever, cough, and congestion. My only consolation is that maybe...maybe we wont be sick at Christmas. (fingers crossed)

Last night was our ward Christmas party. I have never seen someone go through so much decorating for an event that lasted an hour. To each their own I guess.

Sick croupy kids mean no sleep for me. I am SO very tired.

I at least ordered Christmas cards this year!  Maybe...maybe I can get them out!

Random Thoughts Thursday

First graders don't have a lot of experience with life, but like all of us they want to be a part of the conversation/story so Abbie's new favorite phrase picked up from school is..."I heard that...."followed by some random, and usually fictitious, fact that she has picked up at school.

Abbie has been asked to sing with three other girls at the ward Chirstmas party. And I have to teach that night. I am pretty darn bugged.

I got my student reviews for my class this semester. (No the semester is not over. I don't get it either.) One of the reviews mentioned frustration that I don't use power point or give out study guides. They said, "All we have [to study] for our test is our notes from class and the book!" I laughed out loud. Sorry kid...welcome to college.

We've been working with Nathan on helping him sleep through the night. We've gotten to where we will just give him a binki in the night and he wont wake up to be fed until 5 or 6. Now if we just weren't giving him a binki three times a night!

Savannah has been improving on saying her Ls. But the funny part is that she is doing it conscientiously. So she'll say bLLLLack baLLLL or coLLLor. It is awesome.


I weighed myself on the scale a few days ago and didn't like what I saw. However, I also don't like the thought of eating healthy during the holidays. Blast!


Our shower has had a leak into the basement. We had the plumber come out once and the easy fix didn't fix so we've been waiting for him to come out again. It's been over a week. And as much as I want my own shower back, what I really want is to know if this is a $200 problem or a $2000 problem. My Ebert mind can not handle not knowing.

Chocolate is calling my name....I think the scale is going to have to wait!

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!