The surgery on Amelia's broken arm went well. It took longer than expected, because the break was complicated. There was just one break, but it was a curved break right above the elbow (see the x-ray from Tracy's earlier post). Moreover, the broken bone pieces were poking into the muscle, so that when the surgeon initially straightened it out yesterday, the muscle was pinched in there. No wonder Amelia had a very hard night of sleep.
Today the surgeon realized what had happened with the muscle, so he had to cut open the arm to sort everything out, which he was not expecting to do. We were told to expect one hour in the OR, which turned into three.
Now Amelia is asleep at home, still under the effects of the anesthesia. Tracy is out gathering medicines for when the anesthesia wears off.
Thanks very much to all well-wishers and especially to those families who have watched our boys today and yesterday while we have helped Amelia.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
What Gary Didn't Tell You...
...is that the orthopedic surgeon asked if he could take home a copy of this x ray for his wife and kids who are begging him for a trampoline. AND that they don't give you a "mild scolding" when you say trampoline in the emergency room. They tell you "trampolines should be burned to the ground!"On a more sentimental note, he also didn't tell you that this morning, Amelia woke up and said "I want to make everyone breakfast in bed, because they have been so nice to me." Even in her pain, she is grateful and she is thinking of others. (No, I didn't let her make breakfast in bed for the family. She can barely move.)
Pray for Amelia
Please pray for our little Amelia. She broke her arm in a trampoline accident yesterday. It's a 100% break of the humerus right above the elbow. She was and still is in a lot of pain. I am awake at this hour because Tracy and I just gave her a round of pain medicine.
Later this morning she will undergo surgery to put pins in her arm to help it heal properly. They were unable to schedule it yesterday. They were quite busy at the hospital with similar injuries from the first day of summer break...er, summer vacation.
Even though it's a bad 100% break (x-rays coming soon), at least it's a fairly clean break. The surgeon said he doesn't anticipate any complications, permanent effects, or healing time beyond four weeks.
If you ever have your child seen by an orthopedic surgeon and staff for a trampoline accident, you will endure mild scolding from each staff member and from the surgeon himself (or herself, but in this case himself). They are anti-trampolines, which is charitable of them given the business they get from trampoline victims.
Finally, yes, when Amelia is more cheerful later today or tomorrow, we will take her picture together with Simon, who gets his arm cast off on Thursday. :-)
Later this morning she will undergo surgery to put pins in her arm to help it heal properly. They were unable to schedule it yesterday. They were quite busy at the hospital with similar injuries from the first day of summer break...er, summer vacation.
Even though it's a bad 100% break (x-rays coming soon), at least it's a fairly clean break. The surgeon said he doesn't anticipate any complications, permanent effects, or healing time beyond four weeks.
If you ever have your child seen by an orthopedic surgeon and staff for a trampoline accident, you will endure mild scolding from each staff member and from the surgeon himself (or herself, but in this case himself). They are anti-trampolines, which is charitable of them given the business they get from trampoline victims.
Finally, yes, when Amelia is more cheerful later today or tomorrow, we will take her picture together with Simon, who gets his arm cast off on Thursday. :-)
Friday, June 19, 2009
Talky Baby
Simon is really talking a lot now. He is putting two or three words together frequently. But he really surprised me a few days ago with his longest sort-of-complete sentence I have heard yet, when cheerfully asking for one of his favorite delicacies:
"How 'bout that soymilk!"
Keep in mind that Simon is not yet two years old, so that's pretty remarkable in my opinion. Also, Simon is lactose-intolerant, so he's our only soymilk consumer.
I was trying to decide whether Simon had put together a sentence of four words or five. The brand we use calls it soymilk. But there are more than twice as many references on the Web to soy milk than to soymilk. So what say you?
UPDATE: it looks like Silk only uses soymilk when referring to Silk Soymilk, their capitalized brand. When they talk about soy milk without mentioning the brand, they do say "soy milk." I'm not saying they're right or wrong--because it appears that no matter how you answer the poll, they're both right and wrong!
"How 'bout that soymilk!"
Keep in mind that Simon is not yet two years old, so that's pretty remarkable in my opinion. Also, Simon is lactose-intolerant, so he's our only soymilk consumer.
I was trying to decide whether Simon had put together a sentence of four words or five. The brand we use calls it soymilk. But there are more than twice as many references on the Web to soy milk than to soymilk. So what say you?
UPDATE: it looks like Silk only uses soymilk when referring to Silk Soymilk, their capitalized brand. When they talk about soy milk without mentioning the brand, they do say "soy milk." I'm not saying they're right or wrong--because it appears that no matter how you answer the poll, they're both right and wrong!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Cidade Maravilhosa
In April I was fortunate enough to return to Brazil for the first time since my mission. I went to a trade show in Rio de Janeiro, also known in Brazil as "A Cidade Maravilhosa," the Marvelous City. Besides answering questions at our booth, I had time to see the city and take some photos with a super lo-fi camera phone.
Rio is very different from the parts of Brazil I lived in--Manaus, Rio Branco, Porto Velho--but I have a feeling that 11 years have made a lot of differences as well. It seemed so clean and prosperous, as compared to what I experienced in the North.
It also seemed a lot safer than I anticipated. The only Brazilian who I talk to on a regular basis nowadays gave me a Rio safety tip: "Never ever go to Copacabana Beach!" Good advice, except that that's where my hotel was. However, I did not feel threatened at all. I did use my money belt, I avoided going out after dark, and I looked over my shoulder frequently. And it was worth the trouble.
These photos are an insult to how beautiful Copacabana is. The beach, the water, the mountains, the buildings, and the people all make it a wonderful experience.
Of course, Copacabana is more than a beach. It is also a neighborhood, maybe not the fanciest in Rio, but decent, busy, and a nice place to be. The photo above is a nice little corner store near the hotel that had great deals on bottled water, cookies, drinkable yogurt, and other Brazilian staples. (Most of the time I did not drink bottled water. The hotel and conference center were modern enough that the tap water was fine.)
I stayed at the Pestana Rio Atlântica, which I can highly recommend. The room was not fancy but adequate and had air conditioning. And the view from the rooftop pool is incredible. Unfortunately my room faced the city instead of the beach...you have to pay more than my employer pays in order to get an oceanside room. If you prefer a purely American hotel, there's a Marriott down the street.
But any decent hotel in Copacabana will have English speakers, which I did not really need. My Portuguese was pretty rusty on the first day, but I caught on and did pretty well for the rest of the week. I'm nowhere near as good as when I lived in Brazil, but I can get by with relative ease to get around town. Brazilians seem to appreciate the effort to speak their language, and they are typically patient and willing to speak slowly as needed. Now, dealing with technical language at the trade show was a different story. That was very difficult for me, but fortunately we had a Brazilian at our booth as our go-to guy and me as an able backup, with our two gringos on Alert 5. (One of our "gringos" is actually less gringo than me, having spent half his life in Latin America. But Spanish is of little use in Brazil.)
After the trade show ended on Friday, my flight did not leave until Saturday evening, so I had most of the day Saturday to see the city. I saved some money and had a different experience by taking the subway and bus instead of taxis that day, and it seemed very safe during daylight hours.
There is a little train that you can ride to the top of Corcovado, the mountain that is the home of O Cristo Redentor--Christ the Redeemer. The train ride itself is fairly scenic as it winds through the Atlantic tropical forest and up the mountain more than 2000 feet high:
At the top is the statue of the Savior:
This was an inspiring moment for me. After being away from my family for a week, this was a good spiritual boost to have a very large reminder of our Savior and all he has done for me. I have read that many people see this statue and think "Welcome." In this place, in this land where I was one of His representatives for a couple of years, the impression I got from the statue looking down at me was "Come Unto Me."
The statue sits on top of a pedestal that has a little chapel inside. I thought the trilingual signs saying "no photos of the inside of the chapel please" were sufficient, but most people did not. The Christ has the marks in his hands and feet. He also has a little heart carved on his robes, which I guess must be a Catholic thing.
The view from the top is wonderful:
This photo is to the east. In the distance is Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain).
This photo is to the southeast. Beyond the little mountains is Copacabana Beach, where my hotel was.
This photo is to the south. To the west of Copacabana is a lagoon and Ipanema Beach.
This is to the south as well and proves that I was there.
I also took photos of Maracaná, the world's most famous soccer stadium, but it was cloudy that way and the photos on my lo-fi loaner phone did not turn out.
I took the train back down the mountain and took a bus back to Largo do Machado, where there is a nice square:
Largo do Machado also has a subway station, and I took the subway and another bus to arrive at O Pão de Açúcar--Sugarloaf Mountain. I took the Bondinho (tram) to the top of Morro da Urca and then to the top of the Sugarloaf, 1300 feet high, where the view is stunning. The view from the Morro da Urca isn't bad either:
That's Botafogo Beach, to the northwest, as well as a helipad.
This is looking down one side of the Morro da Urca. The white spot on the side of the hill is a rock climber.
Then I took tram #2 to the top of the Sugarloaf:
In this one, you can see the Cristo Redentor in the upper right portion of the photo.
There's Copacabana Beach.
The Pão de Açúcar has some nice walking trails with beautiful vegetation and lots of shade. I took advantage of some peace and quiet, and I even found places on the trails where I could neither see nor hear anyone else. It was very nice.
Soon it was time to take the trams down and go pick up my stuff at the hotel in Copacabana and then go to the airport, for the short flight to São Paulo and then the long flight home. What a nice week this was, but how wonderful to return to my family.
What else...the heavy traffic surprised me. They have a real traffic problem in Rio (worse than here by far) and the subway is not extensive enough. If you go to a convention at Riocentro, realize that it is a long taxi ride from Copacabana, so plan for an hour or more to be safe. And it will set you back R$77 (about $35) for a fixed-price taxi, R$50-60 for a yellow taxi...There are lots of good restaurants in Copacabana, and many of them have all kinds of delicious food and menus many pages long. There wasn't a ton of Brazilian food in that area, but there was a good churrascaria and an Amazonian restaurant with weird food unlike anything I saw in Amazônia...Most places take Visa and Mastercard. I tried lots of ATMs before I found one that would take my Visa debit card. The one that worked was a Citibank ATM...AAA in the U.S. is a great place to get an inconspicuous money belt. You don't have to be a member, but you get a discount if you are...That's all the random tidbits I have.
I had a great time in Rio de Janeiro, and I'd like to go back again someday.
Rio is very different from the parts of Brazil I lived in--Manaus, Rio Branco, Porto Velho--but I have a feeling that 11 years have made a lot of differences as well. It seemed so clean and prosperous, as compared to what I experienced in the North.
It also seemed a lot safer than I anticipated. The only Brazilian who I talk to on a regular basis nowadays gave me a Rio safety tip: "Never ever go to Copacabana Beach!" Good advice, except that that's where my hotel was. However, I did not feel threatened at all. I did use my money belt, I avoided going out after dark, and I looked over my shoulder frequently. And it was worth the trouble.
These photos are an insult to how beautiful Copacabana is. The beach, the water, the mountains, the buildings, and the people all make it a wonderful experience.
Of course, Copacabana is more than a beach. It is also a neighborhood, maybe not the fanciest in Rio, but decent, busy, and a nice place to be. The photo above is a nice little corner store near the hotel that had great deals on bottled water, cookies, drinkable yogurt, and other Brazilian staples. (Most of the time I did not drink bottled water. The hotel and conference center were modern enough that the tap water was fine.)
I stayed at the Pestana Rio Atlântica, which I can highly recommend. The room was not fancy but adequate and had air conditioning. And the view from the rooftop pool is incredible. Unfortunately my room faced the city instead of the beach...you have to pay more than my employer pays in order to get an oceanside room. If you prefer a purely American hotel, there's a Marriott down the street.
But any decent hotel in Copacabana will have English speakers, which I did not really need. My Portuguese was pretty rusty on the first day, but I caught on and did pretty well for the rest of the week. I'm nowhere near as good as when I lived in Brazil, but I can get by with relative ease to get around town. Brazilians seem to appreciate the effort to speak their language, and they are typically patient and willing to speak slowly as needed. Now, dealing with technical language at the trade show was a different story. That was very difficult for me, but fortunately we had a Brazilian at our booth as our go-to guy and me as an able backup, with our two gringos on Alert 5. (One of our "gringos" is actually less gringo than me, having spent half his life in Latin America. But Spanish is of little use in Brazil.)
After the trade show ended on Friday, my flight did not leave until Saturday evening, so I had most of the day Saturday to see the city. I saved some money and had a different experience by taking the subway and bus instead of taxis that day, and it seemed very safe during daylight hours.
There is a little train that you can ride to the top of Corcovado, the mountain that is the home of O Cristo Redentor--Christ the Redeemer. The train ride itself is fairly scenic as it winds through the Atlantic tropical forest and up the mountain more than 2000 feet high:
At the top is the statue of the Savior:
This was an inspiring moment for me. After being away from my family for a week, this was a good spiritual boost to have a very large reminder of our Savior and all he has done for me. I have read that many people see this statue and think "Welcome." In this place, in this land where I was one of His representatives for a couple of years, the impression I got from the statue looking down at me was "Come Unto Me."
The statue sits on top of a pedestal that has a little chapel inside. I thought the trilingual signs saying "no photos of the inside of the chapel please" were sufficient, but most people did not. The Christ has the marks in his hands and feet. He also has a little heart carved on his robes, which I guess must be a Catholic thing.
The view from the top is wonderful:
This photo is to the east. In the distance is Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain).
This photo is to the southeast. Beyond the little mountains is Copacabana Beach, where my hotel was.
This photo is to the south. To the west of Copacabana is a lagoon and Ipanema Beach.
This is to the south as well and proves that I was there.I also took photos of Maracaná, the world's most famous soccer stadium, but it was cloudy that way and the photos on my lo-fi loaner phone did not turn out.
I took the train back down the mountain and took a bus back to Largo do Machado, where there is a nice square:
Largo do Machado also has a subway station, and I took the subway and another bus to arrive at O Pão de Açúcar--Sugarloaf Mountain. I took the Bondinho (tram) to the top of Morro da Urca and then to the top of the Sugarloaf, 1300 feet high, where the view is stunning. The view from the Morro da Urca isn't bad either:
That's Botafogo Beach, to the northwest, as well as a helipad.
This is looking down one side of the Morro da Urca. The white spot on the side of the hill is a rock climber.Then I took tram #2 to the top of the Sugarloaf:
In this one, you can see the Cristo Redentor in the upper right portion of the photo.
There's Copacabana Beach.
The Pão de Açúcar has some nice walking trails with beautiful vegetation and lots of shade. I took advantage of some peace and quiet, and I even found places on the trails where I could neither see nor hear anyone else. It was very nice.
Soon it was time to take the trams down and go pick up my stuff at the hotel in Copacabana and then go to the airport, for the short flight to São Paulo and then the long flight home. What a nice week this was, but how wonderful to return to my family.What else...the heavy traffic surprised me. They have a real traffic problem in Rio (worse than here by far) and the subway is not extensive enough. If you go to a convention at Riocentro, realize that it is a long taxi ride from Copacabana, so plan for an hour or more to be safe. And it will set you back R$77 (about $35) for a fixed-price taxi, R$50-60 for a yellow taxi...There are lots of good restaurants in Copacabana, and many of them have all kinds of delicious food and menus many pages long. There wasn't a ton of Brazilian food in that area, but there was a good churrascaria and an Amazonian restaurant with weird food unlike anything I saw in Amazônia...Most places take Visa and Mastercard. I tried lots of ATMs before I found one that would take my Visa debit card. The one that worked was a Citibank ATM...AAA in the U.S. is a great place to get an inconspicuous money belt. You don't have to be a member, but you get a discount if you are...That's all the random tidbits I have.
I had a great time in Rio de Janeiro, and I'd like to go back again someday.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
James
So what is Jimmy up to, you might ask. Rightly so. He does not appear on the kiddodiddo site so frequently as his siblings. He's not as outrageous, so he's not a headline maker. Looking over the last several posts, I realized something was missing: Jimmy's baptism (or more correctly: James's baptism)
It hurts to type it. He has always been Jimmy. Since the day he was born. I don't think I ever called him James in the hospital or anytime since. It feels foreign to call him James, but he insists. Or rather he is more polite about it and is very grateful if you remember "James."
James was baptized in March. It was a special occasion. He asked Gary and me to speak, about Baptism and The Holy Ghost. I was so surprised he invited us because he hears so much from us already. But it was his special day and I wanted to make sure the baptism program went the way he wanted it to. We sang:
"I like my birthdays every one, each brings a special joy to me but I can't wait until I'm eight for then I'll be baptized you see.
To be baptized as Jesus was by one who holds the priesthood true and thus obey God's holy laws is just the thing I want to do.
When hands are placed upon my head then I'll receive the Holy Ghost and if I listen carefully, I 'll have the blessing I need most."
and then he was baptized by his father. I am so proud of James and his decision to be baptized.
Many thanks to all who came to make it a special day for our family. (Don't you love all the bunny ears in this shot?!)Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Cool Places to Visit
Over Memorial Weekend, we went hiking in Shenandoh National Park. We climbed to the top of Hawksbill Summit. It was a lovely trail made even better by the lack of whining. The kids were super- duper hikers and I loved the whole experience. From taking pictures of wildflowers on the trail (they didn't turn out so well) to watching birds soar at the top. Thanks to Gary, for picking a great trail and to the kids for making it so pleasant!
Here's another cool place you might like to go: Cheerios Land! I was upstairs f0lding laundry and Jonny came to tell me a great way to get rid of ants in my garden. Throw Cheerios all over for the ants to eat so they would leave the plants alone. It would be like Cheerios Land, he told me. "What a problem solver he is," I thought. "I wonder what brought that on?" When I came down the stairs, I didn't have to wonder anymore!Simon and his Cast
Simon broke his arm about 2 weeks ago. He and Jonny were chasing around and they crashed into each other, both landing on Simon's arm. He doesn't seem too bothered by the cast and broken bones, he is still full of energy and good times. I took a few pictures of him with his super cool cast, for those of you who have not seen it in person.
Here is Simon, he's wearing a splint he got in the emergency room. He is encouraging me to "break the pickle." He loves that game- I think we were at it for half an hour!
Simon loves this little push car he got for his first birthday. He also loves the purple cast he got at the doctor's office. I was surprised he chose purple. I had no idea he likes that color (probably because I am always trying to talk him into liking green.)
A few weeks ago, Jimmy pulled out a Santa hat and was doing a great impersonation of Santa for his younger brothers and sister. (Think A Christmas Story for the bigger ones, for Simon he was very sweet.) It was a fun time, not to be forgotten. Last week, Simon put on Gary's old graduation cap and marched around the living room, shouting "HO HO HO!" Apparently Santa wears all kinds of silly hats.
Simon loves this little push car he got for his first birthday. He also loves the purple cast he got at the doctor's office. I was surprised he chose purple. I had no idea he likes that color (probably because I am always trying to talk him into liking green.)A few weeks ago, Jimmy pulled out a Santa hat and was doing a great impersonation of Santa for his younger brothers and sister. (Think A Christmas Story for the bigger ones, for Simon he was very sweet.) It was a fun time, not to be forgotten. Last week, Simon put on Gary's old graduation cap and marched around the living room, shouting "HO HO HO!" Apparently Santa wears all kinds of silly hats. 
I was tucking Simon into bed the other day and could not resist taking this photo of the event. Ready for bed with his pal Mickey.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Trend Setter
Jimmy joined the cub scouts in March and has decided it is the coolest thing in the world. He has a great den and a great den leader. Since joining the scouts, he really likes to wear the uniform to school on meeting days. He told me he wants to start a trend. (When I was a kid, the girls all wore their scout uniforms to school, but Amelia doesn't do that. I don't think I ever saw a boy wearing a scout uniform to school.) One night, I went to check on him after bed time and he was so excited for scouts, he was already wearing his uniform for the next day. I didn't think that trend should catch on, I made him change.
Yesterday, the scouts went bird watching. He spent the rest of the day on the balcony bird watching with his binocculars. He woke up at 5:30 this morning for even more bird watching! I guess the early bird catches the worm!
Yesterday, the scouts went bird watching. He spent the rest of the day on the balcony bird watching with his binocculars. He woke up at 5:30 this morning for even more bird watching! I guess the early bird catches the worm!
the hard questions
I had the kids loaded into the van yesterday, dropping Jimmy off at scouts when Amelia rapidly fired off a series of questions that were so complex I was left speechless. Luckily, she also came up with her own answer. It went something like this.
A: How can you tell the difference between a caterpillar that turns into a moth and one that turns into a butterfly? What is electricity and how does it REALLY make things work? How does the body make hair? (slight pause) Maybe I should stop checking out princess craft books and start finding books to answer my questions.
A: How can you tell the difference between a caterpillar that turns into a moth and one that turns into a butterfly? What is electricity and how does it REALLY make things work? How does the body make hair? (slight pause) Maybe I should stop checking out princess craft books and start finding books to answer my questions.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Height of Entertainment
Ah Spring is here and Amelia has captured a caterpillar to entertain the family for hours. They love spending time with it on the balcony and when they can get away with it, bringing it in the house to show it stuff. (They put it on the TV and couldn't understand why it couldn't cling to the screen.)
The main reason I sat down to write this post is this. Amelia came home from kindergarten with VERY exciting news. Mrs. H. (the best kindergarten teacher on the planet) has brought chicks in to the classroom for the children to observe. They are only a day old. AND they poop! One of them pooped in front of her very eyes! Amelia was so thrilled to tell me that fact. Poop has long been her fascination. It was the first word that she ever wrote and spelled at the ripe old age of 3. (No, I did not tell her how- she just wrote it in huge letters across the welcome home sign I was making for Gary) So anyway there is a real, live pooping chick in her classroom and she could not be more thrilled. I can only imagine her reaction multiplied by 18 and WOW! Mrs H. must have had a hard time reeling them in after that.
The main reason I sat down to write this post is this. Amelia came home from kindergarten with VERY exciting news. Mrs. H. (the best kindergarten teacher on the planet) has brought chicks in to the classroom for the children to observe. They are only a day old. AND they poop! One of them pooped in front of her very eyes! Amelia was so thrilled to tell me that fact. Poop has long been her fascination. It was the first word that she ever wrote and spelled at the ripe old age of 3. (No, I did not tell her how- she just wrote it in huge letters across the welcome home sign I was making for Gary) So anyway there is a real, live pooping chick in her classroom and she could not be more thrilled. I can only imagine her reaction multiplied by 18 and WOW! Mrs H. must have had a hard time reeling them in after that.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Charades
I thought it would be fun to play charades after dinner last night. I explained the game to the kiddodiddos and off we went.
Round 1:
Me: reading a book
Jimmy: Jerry Pallotta (a children's author who came to the kids school, apparently, he is bald and used a laser pointer excessively)
Jonny: running to church naked
Amelia: going on the monkey bars
I re-explained the rules and how it should be something we can actually guess. Maybe that's wasn't the best explaination because we DID actually figure out everything from round one (but it took ages.)
Round 2:
Me: fishing
Jimmy: I'm bored with my life- he did this by sitting on a cardboard box with a sour expression on his face
Jonny: running to the store naked
Amelia: it was a string of made up words that we couldn't guess
Better luck next time I guess!
Round 1:
Me: reading a book
Jimmy: Jerry Pallotta (a children's author who came to the kids school, apparently, he is bald and used a laser pointer excessively)
Jonny: running to church naked
Amelia: going on the monkey bars
I re-explained the rules and how it should be something we can actually guess. Maybe that's wasn't the best explaination because we DID actually figure out everything from round one (but it took ages.)
Round 2:
Me: fishing
Jimmy: I'm bored with my life- he did this by sitting on a cardboard box with a sour expression on his face
Jonny: running to the store naked
Amelia: it was a string of made up words that we couldn't guess
Better luck next time I guess!
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Eight is Great
My wonderful and amazing bloggy friend Tracie tagged me for this quiz of 8. Really, when I read her blog I am so inspired by her uplifting attitude and the positive spin she puts on real life. Some days I think I just need to be a little more like Tracie. (enjoy Germany for the next few years, but hurry back!)
Here's how to do this 8 THINGS thing:Mention the person who tagged you.Complete the lists of 8's.Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends
8 things I look forward to:
1 sleeping in someday (for some reason the kiddo diddos wake up super early on days when there is no school)
2 my anniversary this summer- no big plans I just want to be able to say I've been married 10 years.
3 "Jennifer Conference" (AKA General Conference)
4 relaxing at the beach/pool (I know this one is a LONG way off- the kids are prone to drowning and I am in a state of panic most of the time we are there but I know the day will come when they are water safe and I can be water sane.)
5
6
7
8
8 things I did yesterday:
1. Fall asleep after the alarm went off at 5:50- woke up at 6:20 instead and only had 10 minutes to exercize.
2 Get Jimmy and Amelia off to school. Wave really hard as the bus drives away and notice that all the other children have flowers for their teachers. Whoops! I forgot about teacher appreciation.
3. Tell Jonny that we have NOTHING to do today and I'll do anything he wants for the next few hours. He chooses go to Wegmans "so we can buy apples" (the kids know apples are my favorite and often request trips to the store to buy them when they feel like going out.) What he really wanted was to play video games in the kids club.
4. Jonny is the only kid in the kids club and has the video games all to himself. We don't really need apples, so I bought a cookie to share with Simon and we eat it in the cafe upstairs- a little date for me and my youngest son.
5. Kindergarten pick up.
6. Go and check out the garden plot I rented for the season. So far, I've only got 4 zucchini sprouts and lots of weeds. I wasn't thinking when I applied the fertilizer to the entire plot (instead of just to my seeded rows)and really, I think I've got the best looking weeds out of all the plots!
7. Watch the kids ride bikes in the church parking lot while Jimmy did cub scouts inside. Well, mostly I chatted with the other moms doing the same thing.
8. Fell asleep at 9 on the couch. Ah that felt good.
8 things I wish I could do:
1 carry a tune
2 decorate my home- I wish someone would swoop in and tell me how
3 walk gracefully in high heels
4 say the right thing at the right time (instead of thinking of the perfect response when I'm lying in bed that night)
5 ride a bike with the helmet off (I have to wear one because I make the kids, but I miss the wind in my hair!)
6
7
8
8 tv shows I watch:
18 and counting
the office
fox and friends (mostly to keep me company while I exercize)
(okay really, I'll watch anything when Gary's away on business. I just turn on the tv to hear people talk sometimes. But those are the only shows I actually seek out)
8 Bloggy friends:
Leslie
Vivian
Chelsea
Holly
Danielle
Okay I know this is lame. I can't think of 8 things for most of these lists, but I 've got a stack of receipts to take care of and I want to go to bed. Maybe some other time when I am in a soul bearing mood, I'll be able to knock out the rest of the lists.
Here's how to do this 8 THINGS thing:Mention the person who tagged you.Complete the lists of 8's.Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends
8 things I look forward to:
1 sleeping in someday (for some reason the kiddo diddos wake up super early on days when there is no school)
2 my anniversary this summer- no big plans I just want to be able to say I've been married 10 years.
3 "Jennifer Conference" (AKA General Conference)
4 relaxing at the beach/pool (I know this one is a LONG way off- the kids are prone to drowning and I am in a state of panic most of the time we are there but I know the day will come when they are water safe and I can be water sane.)
5
6
7
8
8 things I did yesterday:
1. Fall asleep after the alarm went off at 5:50- woke up at 6:20 instead and only had 10 minutes to exercize.
2 Get Jimmy and Amelia off to school. Wave really hard as the bus drives away and notice that all the other children have flowers for their teachers. Whoops! I forgot about teacher appreciation.
3. Tell Jonny that we have NOTHING to do today and I'll do anything he wants for the next few hours. He chooses go to Wegmans "so we can buy apples" (the kids know apples are my favorite and often request trips to the store to buy them when they feel like going out.) What he really wanted was to play video games in the kids club.
4. Jonny is the only kid in the kids club and has the video games all to himself. We don't really need apples, so I bought a cookie to share with Simon and we eat it in the cafe upstairs- a little date for me and my youngest son.
5. Kindergarten pick up.
6. Go and check out the garden plot I rented for the season. So far, I've only got 4 zucchini sprouts and lots of weeds. I wasn't thinking when I applied the fertilizer to the entire plot (instead of just to my seeded rows)and really, I think I've got the best looking weeds out of all the plots!
7. Watch the kids ride bikes in the church parking lot while Jimmy did cub scouts inside. Well, mostly I chatted with the other moms doing the same thing.
8. Fell asleep at 9 on the couch. Ah that felt good.
8 things I wish I could do:
1 carry a tune
2 decorate my home- I wish someone would swoop in and tell me how
3 walk gracefully in high heels
4 say the right thing at the right time (instead of thinking of the perfect response when I'm lying in bed that night)
5 ride a bike with the helmet off (I have to wear one because I make the kids, but I miss the wind in my hair!)
6
7
8
8 tv shows I watch:
18 and counting
the office
fox and friends (mostly to keep me company while I exercize)
(okay really, I'll watch anything when Gary's away on business. I just turn on the tv to hear people talk sometimes. But those are the only shows I actually seek out)
8 Bloggy friends:
Leslie
Vivian
Chelsea
Holly
Danielle
Okay I know this is lame. I can't think of 8 things for most of these lists, but I 've got a stack of receipts to take care of and I want to go to bed. Maybe some other time when I am in a soul bearing mood, I'll be able to knock out the rest of the lists.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Monkey See, Monkey Do
I really enjoy a quick card game with the kids. (I must emphasize the word quick. I have a hard time settling down to play lengthy games.) I enjoy quick games of any kind. I have a problem with games at the moment. It is 20 months old and very grabby. Yes, you guessed: Simon. To prevent Simon from ruining games/stealing pieces etc. the bigger kids and I have a coping technique. It's not so complex. Anything that is not in use, we sit on. (well, not ANYTHING, just cards) That way there's less for Simon to grab.
Jonny and I were playing Book of Mormon Battles (a Book of Mormon themed game that is very similar to War.) Simon was no where to be seen, so we thought we were safe. We got lazy and left our discard piles, captured piles, etc untended. Along came Simon who thought he would join in the fun. He waddled over and plopped down next to us and immediately grabbed everything he could and shoved it under his bottom. He laughed with delight at the size of his stash.
Jonny and I were playing Book of Mormon Battles (a Book of Mormon themed game that is very similar to War.) Simon was no where to be seen, so we thought we were safe. We got lazy and left our discard piles, captured piles, etc untended. Along came Simon who thought he would join in the fun. He waddled over and plopped down next to us and immediately grabbed everything he could and shoved it under his bottom. He laughed with delight at the size of his stash.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Here's a mom who knows how to treat her babies right!
http://timesandsorensens.blogspot.com/2009/04/sweet-request.html
http://timesandsorensens.blogspot.com/2009/04/sweet-request.html
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A Surprise Encounter
I was shopping with the kids today and ran into a member of the primary presidency. She was talking to the kids about their participation in last Sunday's meeting when Jonny suddenly had something important to say.
It took a few tries understand completely, but here it is:
The only people who can walk on water are God and Mario.
(yes- that's Super Mario)
It took a few tries understand completely, but here it is:
The only people who can walk on water are God and Mario.
(yes- that's Super Mario)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Happy Tax Day
I guess I am a sucker for TEA parties, because I took the kids to another one today, this time at Baron Cameron park in Reston. (I didn't feel like hauling the kids down to DC in the pouring rain.) I just wish the government would get the message and learn to spend within their means.
Here are some shots of the event:
The sign behind Amelia and Jonathan made me laugh. I had forgotten all about Steve Urkel! I used to love playing "Urkel Eights" with my siblings.
Jimmy's expression is pretty funny, I think.
When the kids had dumped their tea into the "Boston Harbor," we skeedaddled. It was almost (but not quite) freezing and pouring rain. I probably made the kids wildest fanstasies come true when we stopped at McDonalds to get them apple pies to warm them up for the ride home. (I know, that's not very wild, but I'm a cheapskate. I NEVER pick up fast food for the kids so they were shocked.)
General Conference Weekend
Here's a few photos from our General Conference weekend. One is a photo of the kids huddled around the computer, rivitted to the speaker. The other is of a few surprise visitors we had: Uncle Ben, Aunt Cami and cousin Liz. We are so glad they came and hope they come again!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
That's my boy!
Last week I went shopping at Costco, and in a moment of weakness, purchased a pound of "Fudgie Wudgie." It's delicious. We ate some for dessert on Easter. I wrapped the rest and put in back in the box and stuck it in the vegetable drawer, so that we could enjoy it together at a later time. This afternoon, Jonny came running to me like he had won the greatest prize. And he had- he was looking for a carrot and found the fudgie wudgie!
I was just impressed that he was looking for a carrot... and that he didn't just get a knife and fork and finish the Fudgie Wudgie himself.
I was just impressed that he was looking for a carrot... and that he didn't just get a knife and fork and finish the Fudgie Wudgie himself.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Sneaky!
Tonight Jonny put on his own pajamas. He often does, but tonight he went the extra mile and wore not one but two pair of pajama pants. Actually it was a pair of pajama pants with a pair of pajama shorts on top, which made it easy to see.
What was not initially easy to see was that he was not wearing any underpants. Tracy discovered it somehow. I don't know if he meant to do it or not, but he was pretty pleased with himself and had a good laugh at our expense.
But just to remind you of what a cute little boy he is, here is a photo of him taken in January of this year, having a different and less devious wardrobe malfunction:
And for good measure, here's one of all four of the kids in February, dressed for church one Sunday (and not cooperating for the photo):
From left to right, that's Amelia with a goofy grin, Jonny not smiling, Simon attempting to flee, and James, who recently announced that he prefers James instead of Jimmy--we'll see--giving bunny ears with his blue woven mittens. By the way, the dinosaur bolo ties on Simon and Jimmy were made by Tracy. Good idea!
What was not initially easy to see was that he was not wearing any underpants. Tracy discovered it somehow. I don't know if he meant to do it or not, but he was pretty pleased with himself and had a good laugh at our expense.
But just to remind you of what a cute little boy he is, here is a photo of him taken in January of this year, having a different and less devious wardrobe malfunction:
And for good measure, here's one of all four of the kids in February, dressed for church one Sunday (and not cooperating for the photo):
From left to right, that's Amelia with a goofy grin, Jonny not smiling, Simon attempting to flee, and James, who recently announced that he prefers James instead of Jimmy--we'll see--giving bunny ears with his blue woven mittens. By the way, the dinosaur bolo ties on Simon and Jimmy were made by Tracy. Good idea!
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