I forgot the best part

Did I mention that I also have to slather #2 on a test strip for the lab to detect blood in his stool? Yes, all the joys of motherhood. This would make a GREAT Hallmark card for Mother's Day.
Thanks, mom, for inspecting my poop for me. I love you.

Solid Food

I have to rant. Joel is now eating solid foods. He made his way through orange veggies succesfully and his now happily on his way through the greens. My problem? What "The Book" says about the order of introducing them. You're suppose to introduce veggies before fruit so that they will like veggies. Well that's what I did, and I had constipation city! I introduced prunes and pears, and I have one happy, happy kid again! I think there is a reason God created veggies AND fruit!

[I'm not saying the name of "The Book" because I don't want to endorse it!]

Is It Summer Yet?

After 3 days of 70 degree weather, (yes, I know that is sweater weather for you, Jodi) I think I could get used to summer! I put shorts on Micah on Sunday. He protested saying they were baby clothes and that he was big boy. He thought they were pants for babies! I finally got them on him, and he touched his legs, in unbelief. Too funny. This goes along with the infamous sun story that almost every Mother has here. It happened to me around January. Micah: "Ooohh, my eyes, my eyes... Mommy, what is that bright thing in the sky?" Me: " That, my son, is a little known object seen here in Seattle. It is known as the sun. Repeat after me, SUN."

And from the "Why Buy Toys" department: his new favorite thing? Squirting water from a spray bottle. It entertained him for an hour outside the other day. He also likes to fill up the watering can and water all the plants outside. Nice!

We watched the newest movie version of Pride and Prejudice on Saturday. Yes, I actually talked my husband into watching it. My argument was that I watch 24 with him every Monday. I thought the movie was well done. They did a good job of getting the spirit of a long book down to a 2 hour movie. The major events were there, but the transitions could use some help. Several times I had to pause it to explain to Aaron what was going on. But, then again he wasn't paying TOO close attention. My all time favorite is the BBC/PBS version that came out in 1995. It is 6 hours long, however. I like it because there is time in that 6 hours to develop the characters, and that is my favorite part of Austen's books.

How Well Do You Know Me?

This is one of those emails that get passed around. I thought is was interesting:

4 Jobs I have had:
1. selling krusty pups at the fair
2. working at a plant nursery
3. receptionist/clerk for real estate services at the General Services Administration
4. library aide

4 movies I would watch over and over:
1. Pride and Prejudice (BBC version)
2. Sixth Sense
3. Walk the Line
4. Sweet Home Alabama

4 TV shows I love to/used to watch
1. Apprentice
2. The Office ( a new obsession)
3. How I Met Your Mother (the new friends!)
4. CSI Miami ( We love to make fun of Horatio)

4 places I have lived:
1. Taiwan
2. Monterrey, CA
3. Kadena AFB, Okinawa
4. Mililani, HI

4 places I have been on vacation:
1. Scotland/England
2. South Carribean
3. Puerto Vallarta/ Mazatlan
4. Rocky Mountain National Park

4 websites I visit the most:
1. this one
2. hotmail
3. www.the3day.org
4. www.grocerygame.com

4 of my favorite foods:
1. hot and sour soup
2. dark chocolate and strawberries
3. spinach salad with fruit and nuts
4. zip pac (i admit I have a soft spot for spam =( )

4 places I would rather be right now:
1. sleeping (doesn't that go without saying for all moms of babies?)
2. in Hawaii visiting friends
3. at PF Changs
4. getting a massage

4 things about me that most people don't know:
1. I went to 3 schools for 2nd grade
2. I was editor of my high school yearbook
3. we went backpacking for our anniversary once
4. I've read every Jane Austen book

Easter

We had a good Easter. Its so amazing to hear your child tell you the resurrection story. Its so neat to hear him repeat things he has learned either in Sunday school or from us. If he hurts himself, he says "I want God to heal it". And he really believes God will heal it! I'm beginning to learn what "faith like a child" really is.

Can you guess what I listen to in the car?
Micah, singing:
Holy, holy, hawewuyah, He wanes, He wanes; Gory, gory, hawewuyah, He wanes, He wanes.
--Repeat, ad nauseum
Its pretty, cute, though.

My Personal Challenge

My Mom

I have decided to do the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. This means I have committed to walk 60 miles in 3 days and raise $2,200 for Breast Cancer research. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Most of you know that I lost my mom this year. I am doing this walk in her memory; I want to do something to help eradicate the disease. I miss her so much.

If you'd like to sponsor me and donate to breast cancer research, click here.

Thank you!

Preschool Co-op

Today was preschool day:
Saying the pledge of allegiance













Circle time

Our Easter Baskets!





I had been thinking about homeschooling, so Aaron suggested I should try it out with preschool first. So myself and a group of friends who also didn't want to pay for preschool decided to have our own preschool. It has been so much fun! I am so glad that we have done it. It was pretty chaotic at first, but now I think we have a system going that is pretty good. It has been such a joy to see them mature since September. They are learning how to follow directions, listen to the teacher and work as a group.

Today we talked about Easter. We had an Easter Egg hunt with the Easter egg baskets we made. We also had special eggs that contained different symbols of Easter like a cross, a donkey, crown of thorns, a rock and of course, an empty egg! It was a great way to tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. You can see the set of eggs here . Its amazing how much they understand at age 3 and 4 about the death and resurrection of Jesus.

It was the flapper that did me in

I was gone for 2 1/2 hours.

You would think this would not be hard. Aaron had to feed and put the kids to bed. I had already laid the food out. Joel was giving him a hard time, spitting his food out, typical 6 month old. Micah ate, then was playing. All of the sudden, Micah jumps up and announces he has to go potty. At the same time, Joel dirties his diaper. As Aaron is cleaning Joel up, Micah says he is done. Aaron tells him to STAY WHERE YOU ARE, until he can get in there to clean Micah up. Aaron goes in the bathroom and finds most of the toilet paper roll in the toilet. At this point Aaron decides to make a gamble. Should I flush and then plunge or should it put my hand it and fish out the toilet paper? Aaron decides he's feeling lucky today, so he flushes. He says it was at this point that Satan intervened, because at THAT moment, the flapper decides to stay up. So the toilet water is slowly coming up then, it picks up momentum then just starts shooting out like a fountain. Meanwhile Micah wants to see what is going on and he is running around naked with a dirty bottom. Joel is screaming in his crib because Aaron had to put him down. Aaron throws down every towel from the linen closet and shuts off the water. However, next to the toilet on the floor there is a heater vent. Water is pouring into it. This can't be good, and he wonders where this leads. It didn't take too long to find out. Pretty soon he hears a waterfall downstairs; he goes down to see water pouring out of the ceiling into the downstairs bathroom. Great.

I came home to a quiet house with two kids asleep and two sparkling clean bathrooms. It was great for me!

Making Life Easier

So, first I get a robot. Now this. I had groceries delivered, courtesy of Safeway.com. Wow. I could get soooo used to that! It was worth every penny of the $5 it cost to have them delivered. It took about 1 hour, start to finish to do my shopping. No packing the kids into the car. No aching back from carrying the baby in the sling. No negotiations over whether or not to get animal crackers this time. No talking Micah out of getting the "car" grocery cart. (Its like driving a semi!) No baby falling asleep in sling, missing his long nap. No impulse buys. Just click here, click there, you're done. If you forget something, log on, click on that, you're done. Ahhh, technology working for me.

I also have a menu service called Saving Dinner. I get menus, complete with shopping list sent to me every week. So to do grocery shopping I just look on the list and find it on Safeway.com. Plus it makes you feel so healthy because you mostly end up buying vegetables. (The key is to then actually cook them....)

New Car

I guess this is a day for new things. Last weekend we finally got our new-to-us car. It is a 2002 Toyota Sequoia. You know, one of those gas-guzzling SUVs which will be the demise of all of the known universe. Well, until then, we will be riding in comfort. I love it.

Yesterday we went somewhere and Micah wanted a snack. I gave him some crackers, under strict orders he was not to get crumbs in Mommy's new car. Next thing I know I hear him " no crumbs, Mommy, no crumbs" as he is eating. Then, "Oh, noooo, I dropped one!!". "No crumbs, Mommy, no crumbs. God helped me have no crumbs."

Meet George Jetson

We feel like the Jetsons. We just bought a Roomba Robot. I was tired of sweeping 3 + times per day. just as I had the floor clean, along would come a mess machine in the form of a 3 year old. When Joel starts eating cheerios, I figured it would only get worse. It works pretty well, although it is louder than we expected. Does this count as my servant as in Proverbs 31?

I turned it on this morning and Micah followed it around, watching it. Later on I told him I had to do the dishes because there was a big mess in the kitchen. His reply? "The robot can do it for us." Yeah. I better get him doing chores, real quick.

Ski Day

Well I have made a full recovery, I am glad to say. Micah, however, is still a bit sluggish, which, is kind of nice in a way. (for a change)

Today Aaron and I got a day off from kids and work to go skiing at Crystal Mountain. It was a blast! I love that they named it after me too. It is a great resort because you can go all the way to the top of the mountain and ski greens all the way down. We had such a good time! My wonderful aunt and cousin got to take care of the kiddos for the day. A little plug to entice you skiers up here: Crystal Mountain was named 7th best resort in North America by Ski Magazine.

Sickness. Blehhhh

Micah and I came down with a nasty cold Sunday afternoon. This was, of course, after going to church and exposing everyone. It always works that way, doesn't it? Micah was so sick that he refused to eat dinner and asked to go to bed. Most of you know that Micah usually is a bottomless pit! Even as a baby he would eat 2 1/2 jars of baby food, 1/4 cup rice cereal and nurse at EVERY MEAL! If you're keeping track at home that is 7 jars of baby food a day! No wonder I made my own food! He never went through the " doesn't eat anything except air" toddler phase either. When I was pregnant he would eat more than me on occasion! Boy, I can't wait for the grocery bill when he's 13!

Anyway, I have had my fill of Dora, Blues Clues, Veggie Tales and Baby Einstein. All we did yesterday was lie around and alternately watch videos and read books. Today he seems like he is on the mend. Maybe we will venture out!

Goals and Desires

I learned something new a few weeks ago that I wanted to share. I am taking a Kay Arthur Precepts course. I really enjoy precepts because it teaches you how to study the Bible for yourself, not just "filling in the blanks". After we discuss the lesson for the week, we watch a video of Kay Arthur teaching on the subject. She explained the differences between goals and desires. Goals are something you have complete control over completing. Desires are something that you don't have complete control. For example it is my goal to be a good and loving wife and mother. A desire would be for my sons to follow Christ. I can raise them to love Jesus, but ultimately it is their decision, and I do not have complete control over that. We are to pray for desires, but no goals. If I am following Him, God has already given me all I need to be a good wife, I need to just do it!

Today is My Half Birthday!

I'm 6 months old today!

See what I have put up with? My brother put this on me.

Ski pictures

Here is Joel's imitation of A Christmas Story. "Help, I can't move my arms! He looked like a zit, ready to be popped!" No we did NOT stick out his arms like that on purpose.











Here is the skier stud. Bode Miller, watch out!

Skiing

I started downhill skiing this year. I have to say that it is alot of fun. The first and only time I had been skiing was about 12 years ago. We went to Big Bear and Aaron tried to teach me. Big mistake. It took 12 years for me to try it again. I decided to try again now that we live so close and because Aaron likes it so much. This time I bought 3 lessons. Much better. I liked it the first day. I just completed the 3rd lesson on Saturday and I actually can see a future with skiing. I don't know if I'll ever make it off the blues, but I think it will be fun. I always thought skiing was something you had to start as a kid to enjoy. However, my instructor this past week was over 70 and didn't start until he was 40! He was great!

We have also been taking Micah skiing on the bunny slopes. When I figure out how to post pictures I'll post one of him skiing. He is so cute in his ski bib, goggles and helmet!

Memory (or lack thereof)

I think there exists Menehunes who steal your memory brain cells when you have a child. I don't have scientific proof, but I'm pretty sure they exist.

I have this problem. I want to put Joel's too small clothes away. However, I put them in the wash first. Then when I am folding them I forget which outfits were too small, so I put them back in the drawer saying that "I'll figure it out when he wears it again". Then he wears it and I think, I need to put this away. But, you guessed it, I wash it first, and the whole cycle starts over again.

I wish those Menehunes would start doing my laundry.

Mommy Was Screaming

Tuesday I and the two kids took some friends back to the airport who were visiting from Southern California. Their family was driving the rented minivan and they followed me in my car. They had borrowed a car seat from me during their visit which is why I had to go with them to the airport.

Anyway, we pulled in to the curb at check-in. I parked and locked my car. The mini-van was directly in back of me. I helped my friends unload their bags, meanwhile the 2 boys are in my car. I was parked in front of the skycab station and they noticed the kids in the car and didn't realize it was my car, so they called security. Now, I can understand why they did that--they didn't realize that I was standing less than 10 feet away. The security guard comes up and asks what's going on. When I explain that I was just getting back a borrowed car seat he says "oh, okay" and leaves. I stand by the car for a few minutes, then I walk back to the minivan (about 5 feet) and retrieve my locking clip and "mighty tight" from Tom. In the corner of my eye I see the skycab fume that I walked 5 steps from my car. I then go back to the car and help get the car seat out. Mind you I am no more than 10 feet from the car, I can see it at all times and it is locked. I go back to the car and the skycab threatens me that if I walk away from the car again he will call CPS on me.

I was so angry that I raised my voice ever so slightly. I think the words Micah used was "mommy was screaming". It took me about half the day to calm down.

Name my blog

So here it is. What you've all been waiting for. Now it needs a really good name. So, for all you creative people out there, I'm accepting any and all suggestions.