Snow in the spring

Well despite the snow yesterday, I was able to enjoy a bit of Sring. Aaron had come home from work on Thursday with flowers and chocolate!
As you can see we have already eaten some of the chocolate, and the tulips are beginning to open. It's time for the Tulip festival. It's a month long, so perhaps well make the trek up there.

This is what it look like out my window yesterday - you can barely see the little flakes.

It did stick to the lawns, trees and rooftops, but only for an hour or so. We had a rain/snow mix again last night, but it's not snowing anymore. It is however very cold, and I have declared a lazy day indoors. David and I have played Rummikub four times, and we've had a snack. David is now tearing the house apart looking for his ukulele - I don't know where it is, but I secretly hope he doesn't find it. He is finding all sorts of things he had forgotten about. We'll clean up later.

Bed time has been hit and miss. Two nights ago they were out quickly, some nights Timothy stays up late, sometimes David does. Last night they both were really noisy. Eventually (at 9:00) it was quiet, so I went to check on them. Timothy was asleep and David was laying next to him rubbing his tummy. It was so cute. So after David fell asleep I snapped a picture.

They never share beds at home. Sometimes Timothy tries to climb up into David's bed, but David will protest loudly. So it was precious to see him laying in his bed taking care of his little brother.

Aaron is on call today. It's his last call of this service (NICU). Then he has a week vacation (his first planned vacation). We are still working on planning what we are doing - we should have done this a long time ago. Then he's back at the University hospital on the Newborn service.

This morning David was excited and Aaron asked him if it was because it was Spring Break. David replied, "No, it's because I get to go to the dentist in a week." Is this my child???

Timothy is still trying to "look for the baby" under my clothes. And doesn't understand why my skin is covering the baby. He also got lost yesterday at David's school. I let him play on the playground until the bell rings, and then he has to come find me and wave goodbye to David. I had my eye on him until about a minute before the bell rang, then all of a sudden he was gone. I had four other moms help me look. I ran down the stairs to see if he went to the car already - No. Did he follow the kindergarteners down to their classes? - no. When I came back out one of the moms said he went into the school with another class upstairs. Apparently when the teachers tried to help him, he ran away - "I wanted to find you all by myself" is what he told me. He looked so dejected when I found him. I think, for once, he was actually frightened that he couldn't find me. Usually that doesn't bother him. I hope he learned something. I'm glad it was in a place that he was easy to locate, and I had a lot of help from moms who know that feeling. He moped all the way to the car, but was back to normal by the time we got to the store.

So now I have to plan a sharing time, and find a fun indoor activity for the boys, something besides movies!

Snow?

Ummm.... It's snowing.
Yeah, here.
At the end of March.
WHAT????
I guess I didn't believe the forecast when they said rain/snow mix. Well, they were right. I hope Spring break is a little warmer.

I probably jinxed it when David asked me on Tuesday when it was going to snow again and I said, "Hopefully not until at least December." Oops! At least I don't think it will stick. Did I just jinx it again.

Yesterday

Yesterday was Grandma P*'s birthday. Aaron's maternal grandmother turned 93 yesterday. she is amazingly talented. She has 4 children, 25 grandchildren, and over 30 great-grandchildren. She has served a few missions, including to San Diego and Houston. She is sweet and very talented. She has made quilts for each grandchild's wedding. There are still 5 to go, so I think she's working on those. She has had to slow down in the last few years because of her age, but she still lives in her own little house (near Aaron's parents). She still looks out for her older sister who is now 95. We love to visit with Grandma P* when ever we go to Idaho. I hope she had a great birthday!

Yesterday I also decided I was not crazy, and I really can feel the baby move. It happened when I was at David's school picking him up. I was signing him out and I felt some movement and all of a sudden, I really needed to go to the bathroom. Oh, I remember that feeling. I felt movement off and on yesterday. It makes me a little giddy. I also finally made the announcement to the other moms and dads that stick around until the kids go to class. I don't know why I waited so long to tell them. Maybe I thought they wouldn't be as excited or supportive. But they were, at least outwardly they were - who knows what they were thinking. It's also hard to find a good way to bring it up when you are only out there for 10 minutes or so every morning. I'm not one, to just say, "oh, by they way I'm pregnant" to a group of people. I figured I would start showing at some point, but since I'm still wearing a jacket - it was very cold today for almost April - they might not have found out until May!

No plans tonight, so here's to more March Madness tonight, and since my brackets are a mess it really doesn't matter who I root for. I might as well root for Aaron's picks!

Hip Hip Horray!

I found a new website that has tons of free (and more elaborate ones you can pay for) blogger templates!!! It is so easy AND I don't lose my widgets every time I want to change. So If you are looking for a change - or several- checkout this website Cutest Blog on the Block!
Thanks Julie for the link on your blog. I have been wanting to try it out.

Funny things kids say and do

I've been thinking about posting these things, but keep forgetting to include them. I hope I remember them all.

The other day while the kids were having a snack David said, "Timothy do this." Then proceeded to close his eyes and "enjoy his food". At first I thought they had seen a commercial of some woman indulging herself in a treat (I don't know when this would happen since they rarely watch commercial TV). But then I realized they were imitating Remy from Ratatouille.

Timothy knows his ABC's now, but when he sings the song he can't get the letters out and ends up saying "H, I, J, K, M, O, P..." He also can't say "W". I thought it was just hard for him, but when I tried to correct him I expected him to say, "That's what I said." Instead he said, "no it's Duh-Vee-You".

We had an FHE last week on Easter and resurrection. Saturday morning I was talking to the kids about how we celebrate Easter with fun things on Saturday - like Easter eggs huts etc. and On Sunday we celebrate the real meaning of Easter. I asked them if they knew what Easter was about and Timothy said "Yes, that's when Jesus dies and was resurrected." I was surprised that he was listening, that he remembered and could vocalized his thoughts so well. I was impressed enough to have him repeat his answer to Aaron when he got home that afternoon. He repeated his answer and then added, "He died on a T." I think he meant a cross.

The kids each have their own favorite number. Timothy says things happen "100 times". i.e. "I fell and cried a hundred times" or "I wanted to play the game 100 times", or "Not 2 more minutes, 100 minutes."
David's favorite number 99 billion. He even knows how to write it "with 9 zeros". Although he doesn't have an idea of how large that number is. He wanted to know if he would be alive for 99 billion years. I told him he would even be alive for 99 billion seconds. He didn't believe me.

I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of them right now.

Just for laughs

My Dad just sent this to me.

When Grandma Goes To Court

Lawyers should never ask a Mississippi grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer.


In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know me?' She responded, 'Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.'

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?'

She again replied, 'Why yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.'

The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said,
'If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair.'

Easter Sorrow and Joy

Saturday is the day the Easter Bunny comes to our house. since Aaron was post call, and I didn't feel like getting up early, we asked the Easter Bunny to come later in the afternoon. David is a little skeptical and wants to know how we talk to the Easter Bunny. Timothy on the other hand doesn't care about the Easter Bunny, just as long as he gets his candy. He thinks all rabbits are the Easter Bunny. So we spend Saturday morning cleaning the house. I was surprised that the boys kept them selves busy helping me clean and playing nicely together all morning. We never turned on the TV or computer (usually they beg for one of those things when they are "bored" or "boring" as David says it). I turned on some upbeat music, one CD for them and one for me. Playing the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack made David want to watch the movie - which they did later. The thought my 80's songs were funny. And I snapped this video of them.





Then we made a snack. When I suggested celery and peanut butter David said we should use pretzels and raisins to make a boat with people on it. Here he is explaining to Timothy how to make the boat.



And a few shots of the finished product.

David's masterpiece

Timothy was saying cheese to the camera, and turned at the last second.

My boys enjoying their snack

When Aaron came home around noon the kids were excited. Apparently it wasn't because he was home, but rather because I told them the Easter Bunny wasn't coming until after he came home. So we ate lunch and while we were out looking at an apartment (we aren't moving - the place was not what we are looking for) the Easter Bunny came. I was told he was going to go easy on the candy, but there was a lot more than I expected. That is probably why I had to eat some. I don't know why I didn't take any pictures. Maybe it's because there was only 6 eggs per kid and it didn't take very long.

But they had fun gorging themselves and then watching Beauty and the Beast while Aaron slept. Timothy claimed it was too scary, but promptly fell asleep half way through the movie. 4:00 naps are awful. At least it only took him about 45 minutes to fall asleep that night.

Easter morning we had the R* family tradition of Creamed Eggs on Toast. When I woke Aaron he said - "I thought we were just having boiled eggs." No way! When he finally got up he got a phone call to give a blessing at the hospital. So his breakfast had to wait. It was for a girl whose family we have gotten to know for the last month or so. The kids have been going to primary in our ward for the last few weeks and we played with them at the park. Aaron's seen them in the Hospital a few times. She was going in for a very complicated and risky surgery. I thought about them throughout church, especially as Julie's husband gave a fabulous Easter talk. Although she survived the surgery, the bleeding was too much, and her lungs were destroyed from the infection, She died around 5:00pm on Sunday. It was not easy to get the news when Bishop called Sunday night. But I couldn't help but think of the significance that she died on Easter, when we celebrate that Jesus Christ was resurrected and that made it possible for everyone to be resurrected. We will live again, just as He does now. Katie will be reunited again with her family someday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the H* family.

Sunday evening we enjoyed a simple Easter dinner, and time together since it is Aaron's last day off until his vacation starts. David's Spring break and Aaron's first 1 week vacation overlap slightly, so we are planning to do a small get away for a day or two. It's still in the works so we'll see if it happens.

Last night Julie called and asked if I wanted to join her at a class she won in a radio contest (just an online entry). We had no idea what were getting ourselves into. Aaron got home around 4:00 and since the class started at 6:00 we had FHE around 5:00, and I ate leftovers - Aaron fixed something for himself and the boys after I left. So we thought it was a home decorating class - ideas for decorating your home. It was in fact a sewing class. Where we made this lovely pillow.

I am always up for new easy sewing projects. Julie, who doesn't having a sewing machine, and doesn't want one either, was a little hesitant. But we both had a lot of fun and ended up bringing home a souvenir from our night out, plus a bunch of stuff from the radio station. We got to use an embroidery machine (a Disney Brother -all you have to do is put the hoop on the machine and press start), a hot iron tool (reminds me of a soldering iron, but not that hot) to put he jewels on, and then a sewing machine (mine was a Viking) for the rest of it It was fun to use a machine that has buttons for everything - one to put the foot up and one to put it down, one to go backward, and even one to cut the thread for you! They also provided cookies and coffee - we opted for just the cookies. We were expecting the class to finish at 8:00 and it was over at 7:30. If the dads were putting the kids to bed why go home, right? Target was about 5 blocks away so we stopped by there on our way home. Easter Clearance was slim pickin's but we spent about $3 anyway, and got home around 8:00. It was fun to get out of the house, do something new and enjoyable, and spend time talking and hanging out with a good friend. Thanks again Julie.

test results

Last week I got a message on my answering machine from my OB's office. "Emma, this is Dr. L*, Dr. O*'s (my OB) partner. I just wanted to go over some test results with you. So give me a call at ***-****"
So I call, and leave a message with an office staff person. Well, Dr. L* never called me back. I kept meaning to call him back earlier this week, but half the time I knew I would be leaving the house, and didn't want to miss the call again. Today I wasn't planning on going anywhere so when I had a quiet moment I called Dr. L* again. About an hour later I get a call from Dr. O* who apologized. When I said, "That's OK." She said, "no it's not. Your phone calls should always be returned." So she explained that the nurse could have told me that the test results were negative, but they have a Dr call to interpret the results. My risk for Down Syndrome was higher than "normal" for my age range, but not high enough to warrant more tests (i.e. amniocentesis). So unless something shows up in my ultrasound we are in the clear. I was pleased to hear this especially since I know someone who did have to get an amnio, and is waiting for results from that.

Easter Eggs and more

Wednesday night we colored Easter Eggs. The kids had fun, but didn't like waiting. I had bought a kit on last year's clearance. Usually I don't have a problem with that, but it was a cheap one in the first place. I won't do that again. So even though I only paid 20 cents for it last year, this year I'll probably get a better made coloring kit, on clearance of course. The little tablets didn't ever dissolve completely which meant the colors weren't bright, or even. Oh well. I guess the kids don't care anyway.

Later we went with Aaron up to the hospital as the residents put together the boxes the send out to the incoming interns. I remember when we got that box last year. It had all sorts of fun stuff about the Northwest. Key chains, coasters, post cards, a great map etc. So we all helped put together the 29 boxes. They addressed them the following morning after the match results were released. The kids had fun filling the boxes and eating the food, and playing with the Mr. Potato Head.
Towards the end of the evening Timothy came to us with a white chalky substance around his mouth, spitting, and making faces. He gave a Aaron a huge pill that he had taken a bite out of. Luckily only a 1/4 of it was gone, and it was gross enough he didn't eat the rest of it. There were no markings on the pill, and it looked like one of my prenatal vitamins (It wasn't mine, I don't carry them in my pockets). So Aaron got some ice cream for the kids to drown it. And there was no vitamin for Timothy that night.

Last night there was another dinner on the chiefs. It was at a New York Style Pizza place. The pizza was very good. The kids love to eat out, but as David noted last night it is hard to wait for the food. We were the first ones there since Aaron had another meeting to go to after dinner. Our drinks came quickly and the salads, and finally the pizza. In the meantime the kids were glued to the huge flat screen TV on the wall. I have no idea what channel it was, but the show was about a bunch of skateboarders, and I was glad there was no sound. About the time the food came they changed it to CBS so we could watch some March madness. My picks have been pretty good so far, except I really had hoped BYU would at least get to the 2nd round this time, but no. As Timothy was finishing his pizza (with a fork, because it was "hot and too big") he started to fall asleep. It was pretty funny. After he amused us for a while I took him for a walk around the restaurant to wake him up. We had to leave so Aaron could go to his meeting, Timothy gladly put on his jacket as soon as I asked him to and was heading out to the car. They were ready to go, but were sad that Daddy wasn't coming home with us. We dropped him off, went home and got ready for bed.

Aaron got home a little before 10:00 and I went to bed soon after while he worked on a presentation. As I was trying to go to sleep I think I actually felt the baby move. I have thought that a few times, but it's hard to determine whether it's the baby, or just the effects of the chili I had for dinner. However, last night it was a punch, or a kick, or a head butt. I don't think indigestion does that. But since I haven't felt anything since, who knows. I may have created it in my mind, because I wanted to feel it.

Today David has the day off and went for a bike ride with Dylan (the neighbor boy), and he and Timothy played at his house for a bit, which is how I got this post done in the middle of the day.
Now I have to figure out what to do with them for the rest of the day since Aaron is on call. I don't know how I got two boys who don't want to watch basketball with me. At least I know they will play air hockey with me.

Match Day Memories

Tomorrow is Match Day for 4th year med students. It's when they find out where they are going for residency. I am so excited to find out where all of my friends are going. I don't think any of them are headed out my way though. It brings back lots of great memories for me. We had a fun morning hanging out on the campus even though the kids had way too many cookies, and the weather went from chilly to too hot rather quickly. It was a year ago (on the 15th) that we found out that we were moving to WA, and we were very excited since it was our first choice. The transition hasn't been easy for us, but I know that this is where we are supposed to be right now. We miss our friends in TX even though half of them don't live there anymore. It's been fun to get to know people here, and I expect things will change when half of them leave this summer. But there's always an opportunity to make new friends. Good luck to all the MS4's (and their families) tomorrow! I hope the day has wonderful news for you.

Here's some pictures of us one year ago:

A better night

The kids both went right to sleep tonight. Thank goodness. I forgot to mention that Aaron set up our new digital TV antenna. Since next year all TV reception will be digital and our TV is old, and doesn't receive digital, we had to get a converter. Luckily the government realized this would be a hardship for a lot of people, so we applied for a voucher - I really don't know what it was called. But anyway we got a converter for free. Aaron spent a couple of hours setting it up on Saturday. We get e few more channels now, not that I would watch any of them. But what I love is that the picture is clear. No more fuzzy pictures. Even Fox!!! Although we have to have our antenna in an odd place to get Fox, it comes in clear! He had to move quite a few cables around and now we can't play the VCR or DVD player while the digital antenna is plugged in. So I have to switch the cables when I want to use the VCR. But Aaron taped the cables together (and labeled them) so I can switch them easily. I'm so grateful to have a handy electronically knowledgeable husband!!!

I haven't really talked about his NICU experience so far. So far it's pretty good. He didn't get any new patients on his first call, but since then he hasn't gotten much sleep on subsequent calls. He hasn't shared much about his experience, other than a few things he's been able to do, like intubating, and resuscitating. It's got to be hard working with tiny babies who need help to survive.

I also forgot to mention that it was my BIL Aaron's birthday yesterday. He is married to my youngest sister Becca. He is just about to graduate from BYU-I. First he is working on an internship in CA while they get to hang out at my parents' home. Aaron grew up in SoCal, and now his family is in Montana. He'll make a great business man, in whatever he decides to do. He's worked hard the last few summers installing security systems and was the company's top installer. He's a fun guy to hang out with, treats my sister well, and is a fabulous father to my little niece Hali! Happy birthday Aaron!

Selection Sunday

So this may not be a very reverent Sunday post, but it is March madness after all. I'm a little disappointed because BYU lost their tournament game yesterday. They were predicted to be as high as a #5 seed, but with the lost they got stuck with a #8 seed. One of the worst possible scenarios. So now not only do they have to beat Texas A&M, if they win they have to play #1 seed UCLA next. Be realistic - UCLA is not likely to lose to MVSU (Mississippi Valley State University). So much for BYU going far this year. They've had a great season, but I don't expect them to go far in the Big Dance. I'll still cheer for them, and hope they win. But I hate to be disappointed, so I don't expect much. I'll fill out my brackets tomorrow - I just couldn't resist finding out the results of Selection Sunday.

In other happy news Aaron's idea of coloring plain chocolate chip cookies green for our linger longer apparently was a hit. They had prizes for "the most creative" green foods - 2 or 3 of prizes, I think. And our cookies won one of them. Now I have some cool spreaders for the next time I serve cheese ball or something of the sort. They were a couple of green Jell-o salads, and pistachio pudding - yum! Someone even had a cheesecake with a lime topping. There were also Lofthouse sugar cookies with green frosting, green veggies and dip, green Rice Krispie treats, and chips with guacamole and a cilantro lime dip. The drink wasn't green, but it was lime flavored, had slices of lime in it and was really good.

And lastly another gripe about day light savings. My kids have not been sleeping in any later, but for some reason they are having a hard time going to sleep at night. They have been really good for the last few months. Most nights they are asleep by 8:30 (I'm usually done with their last story by about 8:15.) However the last four nights they have been awful, especially Timothy. They are laughing and talking, and playing, and climbing into each other's beds. And now it's at least 9:00 or even 9:30 before they get to sleep. I thought I was finally done with that. The one exception in the last four nights was that on Friday David fell asleep quickly, but Timothy stayed up well past 9:00. It's exhausting for me especially since they are still getting up before 6:30. And David will try to wake Timothy up, even thought he's exhausted. So then I have to get up and stop them from yelling at each other, and I can't go back to sleep. Hopefully they will get over this soon, because I am so tired.

Fun on a rainy Saturday

Today Aaron and David helped out with cleaning the church and then did some shopping. They found a small air hockey table on clearance. It was a floor model, but it still worked and had all parts. With the "sweet saver coupon" he got it for $8. The kids have had fun playing with it all morning, OK Aaron and I have too.
David and I also made some green cookies. Tomorrow our ward is having a linger longer with a green theme. We made plain chocolate chip cookies with green food coloring in the dough and green swirl baking chips. They came from a Christmas bag and we just took out the red ones. We added semisweet chocolate chips and semi-sweet and white chocolate swirl to make the full batch.

We now know Aaron's basic schedule for next year. We don't have vacation dates, but we do know what services he'll be on and when. Vacation requests are due in a week. So we know for sure we will be in Idaho for July and August. We don't know what we will do with our apartment here, but we'll figure that out sometime. Aaron will probably take a vacation week at the end of August so we can come back two weeks before my due date. Then he can take his paternity leave during September. They scheduled him for a low key cardiology elective in September, it will be easy to get time off.

And just for fun here's a picture of Aaron reading to the kids after he woke up from his nap yesterday - he was post-call!

Happy Birthday Mom

Yesterday was my MIL's birthday. I won't reveal her age. She is an amazing woman, with many talents. I love that she is willing try new things and consequently attains lots of new skills. Her newest adventure is being the librarian at the local elementary school. She started out as a sub part time, and now is a permanent sub full time. She really enjoys it, even though it keeps it her very busy. I am amazes at all she has been able to accomplish, especially raising 11 kids. Happy Birthday Mom!

Boy or Girl?

I get to post tonight since Aaron is at his journal club (which means I'm missing my book club, but oh well). I probably won't get a chance to post on Thursday while Aaron is on call because I also have Enrichment that night and it doesn't start until 7:30!!! That is just crazy. The kids are going to be exhausted. Again, oh well, I'm not missing Enrichment.
So I had another OB appointment yesterday, and it went well. I was kind of paranoid, that something was wrong. Mostly because I didn't feel pregnant. I had no nausea, my hair is still coming out like it usually does, and I don't feel like I am showing. I can still fit into my regular pants, and I know I was into maternity clothes at this point with Timothy. And I haven't felt the baby move yet. My fears were calmed on that one when I finally pulled out my copy of "What to expect...." and realized that it's usually around 18 weeks (I'm at 15) that you can feel the baby, unless you are slender, which I am not. When I got on the scale at the office I hadn't gained any weight. That is very unusual for me. Even my OB joked, "you can still button those pants all the way? This must be the good baby, not that the other ones aren't." But of course the heart beat was there, going strong. My next appointment is in 4 weeks (April 7th) and I'm going to schedule my ultrasound on the same day, just before that appointment. As soon as the orders arrive I can make the appointment.

So I have a new poll that will be up until that appointment. We will be finding out the gender, so what do you think? Are we having another boy, or will we finally have a girl? Comment, vote, or both!

Since I didn't gain any weight this month I guess that means I am not eating too much, like I did with my other babies. Hopefully I can have a moderate weight gain this time!!! Losing 40 lbs is not easy, especially when I needed to lose more before I started gaining! Think I can keep it to 25 this time? We'll see.

What a day!

This is a really long post, so I'll put the picture at the beginning if you just want to look at it and skip reading this!This is a picture taken at David's "Meal with Manners" on Valentine's Day. In the picture is Chet, David and Claire. Aaron scanned the picture a week ago, but I forgot to post it.


Aaron is working in the NICU this month, so I am back to my posting every 4th night, and maybe some days in between. It's a little different since it's a little further away. He has to ride his bike about 1.5 miles, so he has to leave a little earlier than walking across the street. He also has to take a lunch since there is no noon conference. There are also some unexpected benefits to this service. He only has 4 patients right now (compared to the 8 or 9 he had in Heme/Onc). He actually slept 4 hours straight on call, and then 2 hours more - although it was more restless. Since there is no noon conference, he gets home earlier on post call days. Friday was his first normal day on service so I was pleasantly surprised to have him arrive home at 3:00 pm! This might not be a bad month. Although I'm sure he'll get one of those middle of the night "get here now!" calls, eventually. We'll see how much sleep he gets tonight. They had him practice intubating on ferrets, because that's the closest you can get to a preemie. Crazy huh?

Saturday we took the boys to Lowe's to build periscopes. They love to go to the building workshops. David went with Aaron to help someone move. It was mostly just the big furniture. Since he was moving in with other people he had a kitchen table with 6 chairs that he wanted to sell. Aaron asked "How much?" Peter answered - "For you? Nothing, you've helped me move twice already, and you wouldn't take the beer I offered." So we now have a new(er) table and 4 chairs (the other 2 will come when he's finished moving into the new place). We gave our old table (that was given to us 8 years ago) to Nathan and Amy. They just had a tiny table and two chairs. After the move we went and visited the museum up the street (the one they visited last week and subsequently became members). It's free parking after 12:00pm on Saturdays on campus. I guess that's when we will be going. The kids loved showing me everything they saw last week, but were disappointed the stations from last week weren't there. It will be fun to see the new exhibits as they come.

Saturday evening we decided to have a little BBQ. I was craving red meat. I seriously haven't had any in my house for about 2 months. The only red meat I've eaten in the last 2 months has been when we've eaten out - counting the two church activities I think that is a total of 4 servings of red meat. I just wanted a hamburger! So we grilled some hamburgers.

Today was a little crazy. Daylight Savings is a pain sometimes. The kids woke up early today! It was 6:20 according to their internal clocks. So even though the clock said it was 7:20, I knew I really didn't get to sleep in. At least the boys got to see Aaron off before he went to work. (8:00 since there is no morning report on weekends.) Getting to church was fine, even though I had to bribe Timothy to get dressed - this is why it's so much easier to just do it myself - but I need to let him be more independent! Sacrament meeting was pretty good. I left during the closing song to help with a special set up for nursery - that didn't work. My kids "helped" by undoing what I was trying to do. Timothy actually sat in his seat for opening exercises, but had a hard time sitting still for the rest of primary. At one point I saw him wrestling with one of his teachers and had to pull him out in the hall and we had a talk. He wasn't the only one having a hard time. I was conducting and I don't have much of a voice right now because of a scratchy throat and cough. It was really hard to try to get the kids to settle down because they couldn't hear me. The last hour went pretty well, except I could hear Timothy crying in his class, so I looked in the window, and he was having a hard time, and hit the kid next to him. His teachers took care of it, so I didn't interfere. But that class had 3 different kids crying that hour, at different times. I bet they were glad to go home.

We've been trying to emphasize how important it is for parents to come pick up their children right after Primary, and for the last two weeks it has gone well. So as soon as all the Primary kids had been picked up today I told David and Timothy we were ready to go, but I had to get my bag first. I turned around and Timothy was gone. I didn't worry at first because I thought he'd gone back into the classroom where the kids were blowing bubbles, nope. Then I figured he was down in the nursery, since that's where he likes to escape to. I had to pick up something down there anyway, so I left David upstairs with my bag, and ran down there. He was not there. He could be anywhere by now, so I head to the front door. I see him running around the foyer by the front doors. Phew!!! Then just as I saw him he pushed the door open and walked out!!!! I grabbed David's hand and we raced out the door, David began scolding him before I could. I was glad we'd found him, but it worries me, that he would just leave like that. I guess he really wanted to get out of there.


We never really eat lunch on Sundays. They aren't hungry enough for lunch at 10:00, so I try to have a healthy, relatively clean snack, since they are usually in church clothes by then. By the time we get home it's usually 2:30 and pretty close to dinner, so it's another snack. Well today there was a baptism at 4:30 for a Primary child, whose mother I also visit teach. So I really wanted to go to the baptism. I asked the boys if they wanted to go. They did, so we went over the ground rules: (Refreshments are at the end if you behave. If not we go home before they are served!) I brought books and notebooks, and that went over pretty well. Timothy got a little restless at the end, I had to remind him of the ground rules, and he did much better. In the midst of getting refreshments Timothy had to go to the bathroom. I told David to get his food and go back to our seats. My mistake, I knew I shouldn't have let him get whatever he wanted. So he had way too many cookies and ate half of 3 strawberries. I got the kids to sit and eat, while I met with my new VT companion. I kept and eye on the kids and they were eating quietly, although making quite a mess. So I had to rescue the carpet, clean up my drink that David spilled and attempt to clean up Timothy's clothes. I hope it all comes out in the wash. I quickly talked to Miste (mother of the boy being baptized) -David snagged some grapes and 2 more strawberries in the meantime - and then I took my kids home. It was almost 6:00 by the time we got home, the kids were full, and I was exhausted. So we didn't have dinner. The only real meal we ate today was breakfast. And that was just toast and cereal! Oh well. We played some games and the kids and I were exhausted. Apparently they weren't affected by Daylight Savings Time. Timothy was cranky when I told him it was time to get ready for bed and insisted that he needed to play "one more game." He wouldn't clean up his room or get his PJs on. So he lost his chance to pick a book for bedtime. Timothy conked out on the couch during Scripture time anyway (we usually do that after dinner but since there was no dinner....), so he missed the books anyway. David fell alseep soon after I left the room. I immediately went to my room, got my PJ's on, put on my new cozy robe (that Aaron found on clearance at Fred Meyer - Thank-you!!!) and plopped in front of the computer.

So finally this long day (and post) has come to an end, and I am going to bed now. Good night!

Random Thoughts

I just posted, but I feel like I have to play catch up already. We decided to tell the boys about the new baby as part of FHE on Sunday (Aaron was working until 8:00 on Monday). On Friday night we told David that we had a surprise for him. He was excited and started asking questions. He mostly thought it was a treat. He asked questions all day Saturday. I tried to convince him it wasn't a treat, then he thought it was a toy. I tried to convince him that we were going to tell him a secret. The questions he asked were hilarious, since I knew what the surprise was. He wanted to know how big it was. "Very small" I told him. "Then I'll use my magnifying glass to find it."
"Is is hiding?"
"Yes"
"Where?"
"I can't tell you, until tomorrow."
"Is it in your room?"
Since I was in the kitchen... "Not right now."
It went on and on like this all day. After all the hype, I wondered if the surprise would be a let down.

So finally we started the lesson talking about how we are all children of God, and remembering how each of them were born. Halfway through David's story Timothy said, "Are you having a baby?" I was shocked, and said, "Hold on a minute, let me finish" - trying not to laugh. So I told Timothy about the day he was born. And then I said, "Are you ready for the surprise? Mommy is going to have another baby. There is a baby growing in mommy's tummy." David was very excited and started asking more questions. Timothy started pulling at my shirt and skirt saying, "Where is the baby? I wanna see. Can I see the baby?" At least David knew he couldn't see the baby right now. I tried to answer all of his questions. He knows the due date, and tells everyone that the baby is coming on August 30th. I asked them if they thought it would be a boy or a girl. David said he wanted another brother. Timothy thinks it's a girl. But later David said it would be great to have a sister. So while he goes back and forth, Timothy still thinks it's a girl.

Saturday Aaron took the boys to a museum up the street (OK it's probably a mile away and up a steep hill), for their Dino Days. They walked and took the double stroller. It took longer than expected to get there and another 20 minutes to wait in line. The kids had fun dressing up in dinosaur costumes, looking at dinosaur bones, and finding fossils - they got to break open shale and take home the fossils they found. They both found fossils of leaves. They got a little dinosaur stencil and a plastic magnifying glass.

They were gone longer than expected and I got a lot done around the house (which is why I also got four posts out that day- I found ones I saved and hadn't posted yet). When they got home Aaron cooked them up some homemade fries.

We've enjoyed the dun for a couple of days. It was cold for a bit, but we've been able to go out and enjoy the nearby park. I've become stingy about driving lately with gas prices the way they are. Saturday evening I took the boys to the park and we met up a family staying in town while their daughter is in the hospital. They boys enjoyed walking to the park yesterday and pointing out the few blossoms on the trees and the buds emerging on the other trees. I took these pictures about 2 weeks ago.
This is right outside of our apartment between the front gate and our car. The flowers are all dead now. I don't know what they are or why they were only here for a few weeks, but we enjoyed them.


On one of Aaron's days off we went to another nearby park and tossed home made parachutes with little toys attached. The boys had fun, but it was a little too windy.
So we went to the playground about 15 minutes later. Later that week Aaron bought some kites for the kids and they flew kites that day.

One last thing. David was so excited about the baby news he had to tell his teacher on Monday. So when I went to pick him up after school yesterday she congratulated me and we talked for a minute. He apparently didn't tell his friends yet, either that, or their mom's haven't heard it from their kids. Sooner or later I'll have to spill the beans to them.

Oh, and I thought of one more thing. Aaron is done with the ED and is now in the NICU at the University Hospital. That's got to be a tough one. And he's on call tonight - his first night - hence the long post. Hopefully he doesn't get any new patients, that would mean only healthy babies were born in that hospital today.

So thats pretty much what we have been up to.

In other baby news....

My SIL Kimberly had her baby late Saturday night. She was 11 days late!!! Wow. They were worried about a big baby, even being on time. She was relieved when she was only 9 lbs 1 oz!!! She missed being a Leap Day baby by about 24 hours!
I am excited to have another little niece! Congratulations Kimberly and Joe. I can't wait to see pictures!

A boring journal of the last few months

You don't really have to read it. I am more posting it for posterity's sake.

December 31st: Feeling horrible today. My first thought- "I ate too much junk over the last couple of weeks." My second thought - "What if I'm pregnant?" Aaron and decide to take a pregnancy test in the morning. He heads off to work, I only feel worse. After the kids are in bed I take the test. When the results are positive I cry. Mostly out of joy. We have been trying for almost 2 years at this point. When Aaron comes home 2 hours later I kiss him hello, smile and lead him to the bathroom. He knows instantly. "I couldn't wait" I try to explain. He was there for all of my other positive pregnancy tests.
He immediately finds a pregnancy tracker online and according to that I am 7 weeks along, due August 20th. We both doubt the results considering my irregular past. I guess we'll find out with our first appointment.
January 1st: I'm feeling back to normal. I'm glad I took the test last night. If we had waited I would have brushed it off and said it was my poor eating habits. We start researching OB-GYNs. January 4th: We think we have found an OB-GYN. We decide to enjoy the holiday.
January 7th: I call the OB-GYN office to find out none of the 8 OB-GYNs can take on anymore patients due in July or August. She insists that it is very unusual. I plead, telling the office manager that I highly doubt I am that far along. She suggests that I go to my PCP and get a BHCG test. That will give them an idea how far along I am, and if I am due in September then they would love to take me on. Considering my past trouble with BHCG, I declined.
January 8th: I found a new OB-GYN. They want to see me between weeks 8 and 10, in other words, next week! So the only open appointments are in the afternoon on a call day. Great. So I scheduled it and hope I get to meet my OB-GYN the first time I go in.
January 10th: I'm feeing awful today. I've come closer to vomiting today than any time during my past pregnancies (gagging while brushing my teeth and a 24 hr stomach bug with David don't count). After dinner I sacked out on the couch. I told David I wasn't feeling well. He came over and rubbed my back and later put his blanket on me - I think he actually noticed that I was cold.
January 14th: I've been up and down, but some times I have no appetite at all. I'm starting to have to eat small meals through out the day. Saltines sound really good most of the time. I really don't have any food aversions, I just can't stand leftovers.
January 16th: My first appointment was today. All went well. I could see the little heartbeat (and only one of them). Though it measured smaller than they expected, so my due date is a little further away. The new due date is August 31st. I didn't meet my Dr. today since she was delivering another baby. I will meet her on my next appt. on Feb 11th. Hopefully Aaron will be able to come too. I scheduled it for 2:40, so hopefully he'll be able to get to work by 5:00. All of the other available times interfered with picking up or dropping off David. 8:40 - I wouldn't be able to drop him off. 9:20 - I wouldn't get there in time after dropping him off. 11:40 - I wouldn't be there in time to pick him up. Unless I have him stay late that day.... I guess that's an option, I'd have to pay the $9 or so, but it's feasible.
January 26th: I've had good and bad days. I've taken more naps than I have in a long time. At my appointment the NP asked me if I wanted to do prenatal screening. I declined thinking that the results wouldn't change what I did with my pregnancy. When I was discussing this with Aaron he made a good point. It wouldn't change my actions, however, if it was determined that our baby would be fragile or needed immediate medical attention we would want to be in the best facility possible. I would much rather deliver here in than in ID. If there were complications and the baby was in the hospital for a long time I would only be 2 blocks away. So if in fact the screenings came back positive and the subsequent diagnostic tests were also positive then we wouldn't (or at least I wouldn't) spend 2 months in ID this summer just to be safe. Now I just have to call the Dr. back and let her know I want to do the screenings (I hope they are covered by insurance).
January 27th: This is the best I've felt in four weeks. I actually made it through all 3 hours of church without eating a snack (well except for the few goldfish Timothy shared with me).
February 12th: I've had more good days than bad. I think that is because I have decided that if I have cereal for breakfast I am nauseous all day. So now I have a hot breakfast every morning. The kids love that. I had my second appointment yesterday. Aaron was able to come, and we met my Dr. She's really nice, not too chatty though. I'll have to get used to someone other than Dr. P*. Basically we just talked and heard the heartbeat. We set up an early screening for today. Normally I don't think I would have done this, except for the aforementioned reasons. Nothing was glaringly wrong on the ultrasound, now they have to compare it with the labs and more labs again at 16 weeks. At least I got a good look at the 2 inch baby growing inside.
March 1st: I guess things have been going pretty well, since I haven't had anything to complain about. I'm into the 2nd trimester now, and feeling much better. We began telling family a couple of weeks ago, and now it's starting to get around. I think it's time to let the world know!

Attention Everyone!

We have an announcement! After almost 2 years of waiting, we are pleased to announce that we are finally expecting baby #3! For those who want details I am going to post a really boring journal I have kept for the last couple of months. But for those who just want to basics here ya go:

We found out New Year's Eve. When I went to my first appointment we found out I was only 7 weeks along. I am now about 14 weeks along which puts my due date at around August 30th. Our timing on babies has never been good. David was born a week before finals, Timothy the day before Aaron's first year finals, and now we are planning to make a temporary move to ID for 2 months for Aaron's residency. His last day there would be August 24th, which is cutting it pretty close. We are working out the details with scheduling and the chief residents.

As for how I have been feeling - I can't complain. I've been a little more nauseous than my previous pregnancies, but not bad enough to lose my lunch. I've been a little tired, and nap at odd times of the day. And there's some reflux, that's bothering me, but no heartburn. No food cravings, but a few food aversions, namely leftovers and cold cereal. Those are both staples in my diet, and very odd things since it wasn't a particular food. But I'm pregnant, so not much makes sense anyway. But my food aversions are gone for now, as is the nausea. The reflux and tiredness are still here, but I really can't complain.

Yes, we will find out what we are having. If I have to buy I new wardrobe for a girl I'd better have plenty of time to look for clearance deals! And we are telling the kids tonight. We knew once we told David, he'd spill the beans before we had the chance. So more on their reactions later.

If I've left anything out or if you have any other questions let me know!

My time of day

I think I saw this on Angels B's blog

More about me

I found this on Melissa J*'s blog.

1. What's your best summer memory? camping with my family, every year!

2. Your chosen form of exercise is: None right now, I know I'm horrible. If I could afford it, I would join a gym. Then I could do my fave workout from High School. 1)10 min. warm up on stairmaster, or treadmill 2) stretch, 3) 30 min. of cardio (whatever I felt like that day) 4) weights 5) 10 min cool down. Although, my knees have been giving me trouble in the last few years, so I may have to take up swimming or something.


3. What was your mother right about? Lots. Being consistent, being patient, having fun with kids, reading to kids early, I could go on and on.

4. If you suddenly came into $1000 in spare cash and had to spend it all on yourself, what would you do with it? On myself??? Get the above mentioned gym membership, new shoes, take myself out to lunch, buy some books, and save the rest to buy clothes, after I get in shape.

5. What's one thing you refuse to eat? nothing really. I don't like green olives, or tapioca pudding, but I will always try something new.


6. Describe a party you would throw if the tab were taken care of. Does that include buying the house I would host it in?? ;) I would hire someone to decorate (I'm not too good with that stuff), and serve the food and clean up, but I would still make some of the food myself. But I would make things I've never had before with really expensive ingredients. Other wise I would serve delicious comfort food. BBQ, potatoes, fun salads, lots of chocolate, fruit etc. Can you tell I like food? Maybe I'd hire Bobby Flay and Paula Dean! I'd invite friends nearby and fly in friends who wanted to come (all expenses paid right?)


7. The big decision I'm currently wrestling with is.... how to get everything done that I need/want to while still having "me" time.

Ice Cream personality

I saw this on someone's blog. I think it was Natalie's

Tagged again!

My former roomie Heather tagged me, and I've sen it around a lot lately. So I guess it's my turn. I don't know if I've done this before, but since I have time, why not?

10 years ago -

Almost exactly 10 years ago I had finally broken off my long-term, long-distance relationship, for good. The day after I wrote the letter (he was overseas in the Army and I couldn't call him) I got asked out on my first date since coming back to BYU that year - I took that as a sign I was doing the right thing - even if it was from a guy who was dating another girl (but not exclusively obviously), and I actually was interested in his roommate. But life was good. I was finally back on the right track.

5 things on my to do list today:

Clean my room
Clean the bathroom
Write monthly newsletter
Make cookies for Easter service project
Spend time with Aaron on his day off

Snacks I enjoy

Chocolate

Cheese

Ice cream

popcorn

avocados

Things I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire

Typical stuff I guess: Pay tithing, pay off student loans, buy a house, new car, get a gym membership, pay off relatives' debts, travel - especially to see family and Italy!

3 of my bad habits

Wasting time on the computer

slacking on the house upkeep

getting frustrated too easily, or not taking things seriously enough - two extremes, I know.

Jobs I've had

babysitting

Boy Scout Camp assistant cook

Cub Scout Day Camp Head cook

MTC custodial

Food server (waitress)

Beehive Clothing seamstress

Mom

newspaper carrier

mobile maker (Thanks Matt and Kathryn!)

5 Things people don't know about me

I ran track in high school (hurdles nonetheless, and have the scars to prove it)

Since I worked at a BSA camp I was a Boy Scout - technically an Explorer

My toes are nimble and I can pick up things, open and close things (included Aaron's Leatherman) with them.

I like really hot showers.

I am a really light sleeper and I haven't slept through the night for over 12 years (I can't blame the kids). OK maybe once or twice in the last 12 years.

I now tag anyone who hasn't done this that wants to.