Sunrise, Sunset

Welcome back to Real Life!

2009-01-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

It is really hard to get back in the swing of things after such a long vacation, but we did it! We made through the 1st full week in 2009!

So what have I done this week? School, Job, Church, Kids. Yes all of the normal stuff and also a little more.

I have done my spiritual goal, all week! This may not seem like much to most of you but for me it is a big deal. Consistency is not my strong suit (I bet you never knew!).

I have kept in better contact with friends. I am really happy about this one because my friends are really important to me but I am not good at showing it. I am so grateful for modern technology.

I went to the temple with Daniel. I can't remember the last time we were there together. I'm so glad my mom suggested it and so thankful that she kept the kids.

I may not have done anything incredible this week, but I did do several little things that were really important.

FACEBOOK

2009-01-05T23:32:00.000-08:00

All I have to say is:

ADDICTIVE!!!

1st day in Nursery

2009-01-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

Today was Michael's 1st day in Nursery. Hurray!!!!!!!!!

All in all he did really well. Daniel dropped him off and he played until someone new came in the room and her realized that Daniel had gone. He cried for a little while after that but once they started snack time all was well again. That is until he saw me at the door checking on him (my mistake).
Once again, as soon as he started playing, I snuck out and he did great. Until the Primary President had to go in the room. That set him off again, but at this point I had already passed his binky on to the nursery leader. He gave it to Michael and started reading him a story. Within minutes Michael had fallen asleep on Bro. Gardners lap. It was the cutest sight. He slept that way until church was over and I came in to pick him up.
Not a bad beginning, I think.

New Years Day

2009-01-04T00:42:00.000-08:00

This New Years day will be one that we'll remember for awhile.
It started out great.
We had a really laid back morning and afternoon. I spend a lot of time going through pictures and posting some on facebook. Daniel took the kids shopping for model car paint and ended up spend a couple of hours just browsing though the stores (suprisingly enough they all had a great time. I didn't think Daniel really liked that kind of thing.) Then in the evening we went over to the Risenmay's for Dinner. Dinner was delicious and guitar hero, world tour was a blast.
Then at about 10:30 we got the phone call. In a panicked voice my mom told us that the basement was flooded and that we should get home quick. Daniel rushed over, but I took a little more time, assuming it probably wasn't all that bad. Well, I was wrong. The whole basement had been effected, some areas at least an inch and a half deep.
I guess at some point the power box to our sump pump got tripped and it stopped pumping water. The rain fall was a literal down pour, so it didn't take very log after the pump stopped to flood the basement. All we had to do was reset the switch and the pump came back to life, but the damage was done.
Daniel, my mom, myself, and George (what a saint!) spend the next 4 hours moving furniture, clearing gutters,and sucking water out of the carpets.
The next step was to get blower fans and call the insurance. Daniel was able to rental a couple of fans from Home Depot while I was at work and by the time I got home he had then going.
The fans did their job well and now our carpets are dry with very little permanent damage. What a blessing. We still have the emergency response guys coming out on Monday or Tuesday to check our walls and make sure there isn't any water damage to them. I don't think they will find much.
I just have to say what a blessing it is to have good friends. Jennifer kept our 3 oldest kids for the 1st night and George was a huge help. I seriously don't know what we would have done without them.

Validation

2008-12-28T14:36:00.000-08:00

Daniel's Dad sent us this link and I thought it was wonderful. You should really watch it.

End of Year

2008-12-28T13:12:00.001-08:00

It's so hard for me to believe that 2008 is coming to an end. Time truly flies. As I look over the past year there are so many things that I wish I had accomplished. But at the same time I see huge improvements in many areas of my life. For instance, this is the first time in my life that I have kept an accurate budget for any significant amount of time. I have also seen major growth in Daniel's and my relationship. Every year we grow closer and closer. Sometimes I think we must have got as close as possible and then am amazed as we take our relationship deeper still.

But as this is the end of the year, my thoughts seem to stray back to all the areas that I can improve on. One of the things that I wish I had done better was write more consistently here on my blog. So as I say good-bye to 2008 and welcome in 2009, I am recommitting to keeping in touch. I also really want to increase my knowledge of the scriptures. I feel that is key to my spiritual growth for this next year.

Photo Tag

2008-11-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

So Denise tagged me like a month ago, and I am finally getting around to it. At least I'm doing it, right?

So, it was a photo tag, and I was to go to the sixth folder in my photos and post the sixth photo.

Isn't she cute? This is a picture of Briona when she was 3. She fell asleep while reading a book. "Like mother, like daughter", as Daniel would say. He has taken very similar pictures of me (which I'm not going to post).

Okay, so I have to admit to a small falsehood. That really wasn't #6 of the sixth folder. It was actually #8. Here is #6:

If you can't guess, this is a picture of the rear end of an old time car (I'm pretty sure Christopher was the photographer). Our neighbor's have a pumpkin patch and every other year or so they have a group of customers come and visit in their vintage cars. It was actually pretty cool ( I just couldn't pass up the chance to post a picture of one of my kids.)

I tag Maralee, Chelsea, and Amy (again)!

Elections

2008-11-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

Well here it is election night and I am anxiously awaiting the final results. I still have several more hours to wait however. The way things stand right now, according to Fox News, is McCain 13 electoral votes and Obama 3.

It has only been the last three elections that I have cared at all about voting. My interest has steadily grown over the past 8 years however. I had my mind made up about who I wanted to win in 2000 and in 2004. But I have to admit that I wasn't extremely passionate about it. Yes, I hoped Bush would win, but beyond that I really didn't think I would be upset if he didn't.

This year is different. Not only do I really want McCain to win, but I really want Obama to lose.

Church Music

2008-10-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

Today Christopher and I were in the car together. I had put in a CD called "Not your Mother's LDS Music". As he was looking at the case he said to me, "Mom, I wish we had more church music around the house".

It made my heart happy.

Are Those All Yours?!!!

2008-10-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

That was the question we got several times as we walked around Disneyland will both our kids and the Huhtala kids.

Summer Update

2008-10-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, you all thought that I dropped off the face of the earth. Nope! I'm still here. The last few months have just been extremely crazy.

Here is a letter Daniel wrote to his sister a month or so ago. It gives a quick summary of our summer. I will make another post soon to catch you all up with us.

he kids are getting excited for our DisneyLand trip in October. We'll be on the road form the 7th to the 17th, visiting Marc (who lives in Northern Cali. right now; wasn't sure if you knew) for a few days, and staying at Disney for three days. We'll have to head home in time to be back for one of Christopher's rehearsals for the Singing Christmas Tree here in Portland.

The kids have been in school for a couple of weeks now, and they're liking it. Mostly. Getting up at 6:30 is not much fun for them, but they do pretty well as long as we get them to bed before 9:30. Robin and I are both teaching at the school this year: 5th grade Math for me, and 3rd grade science for her. It's fun, fits with our schedules, and also means that we don't have to pay anything for the kids to go to PHA.

Michael just started walking around last week. He's getting more and more steady on his feet, and he'll wander around in circles for minutes at a time just to practice. (At least, that's how it looks.) He's not saying a whole lot yet, but makes lots of noises that he expects us to understand. I imagine we'll get better at it soon.

Briona just barely turned 5, and just started pre-school. She loves her class and her teacher and, most of all, the snacks she gets at school. Not sure what she's learning yet, but that'll come.

Kira had a great time this summer. Just before her 10th birthday, she and Robin went to "Sisters' Camp", a three-day hang-out with lots of other girls her age and their moms (mostly), doing all the same kinds of things that Christopher has been doing at Scout camp: riding horses, shooting BB guns, cooking over a fire, tying knots, sleeping in a cabin and hiking all over the place. She loved it!

Christoper is nearly twelve, and will soon be ordained as a Deacon. He's pretty happy about it, but not quite as excited as he was, since I'm not working with the Deacons anymore, so he still won't be in the class I teach. He's doing great in school, and has a huge jump on his Math, since he tested through the first half (and then some) of the book.

Robin works at JoAnn Craft Store, staffing the cutting table and the framing counter. She loves the framing part, since she gets to work for long periods of time on one job, without being distracted by "Mom!" this and "Mom!" that every 2 minutes. Working the cutting counter, though, is no different from being at home, just with bigger and grumpier kids. We hope that with her working, and some of the other changes we've made. we'll be able to get completely out of debt (not counting the house) in a couple of years. It's a long road, but SO worth it.

I'm still working computer jobs, and loving what I do. Again, mostly. Office politics always make the job a little tougher, but it's a small price to pay for getting paid to do something I like so much.

Montana Memories

2008-07-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

We spent our 4th of July holiday in Montana. It was WONDERFUL!

Daniel's Uncle Chris and Aunt Linda live in Yorc (right outside of Helena). After a 14 hour drive we pulled onto their beautiful property. Talk about picturesque! (Of course we had to wait until the morning to actually see it because it was 11:00 pm when we got there).

Chris and Linda had a place all set up and ready for us (even though we showed up a day before they were expecting us). They have a large fifth wheel that they completely turned over to us. It was like a little home away from home. We had hot running water, electricity, air conditioning, you name it. We were so comfortable. It was parked right next to the stream, so we went to sleep each night to that peaceful sound.

The kids had a blast while we were there. They got to tube down the creek, ride the four wheeler, collect rocks from the river, hike, and best of all, play with their relatives.

If you notice there is a rope tied to the tube. Mic (Daniel's dad) thought this would be a safer way to ride. Linda and I kept trying to convince him that they didn't need it because the bridge would stop them from going to far, but he informed us that it was his right to be protective over his grandchildren. Of course the kids only wanted to play on the cautious side for so long . . .

Here, Brian (Daniel's brother) and the 3 older kids decided to try riding down the river all together. It kind of reminded me of the nursery rhyme "Rub-a-Dub-Dub", except there were 4 in the tub.

It was so much fun until they hit the "waterfall". There was a large rock in the middle of the creek that created a small dip in the water flow. Small though it was, it caused just enough of a tip to capsize the vessel. From our vantage point on the porch it was quite the comical scene. All of the sudden where 4 happy children use to be was the bottom of the tube. Then in the next second , Brian climbed off of Christopher, and then pulled Kira (bottom side up) out of the water. At the same time, looking every bit as much like a drowned rat, Briona crawled up onto the bank sputtering and crying. Later as we talked about the incident, she informed us that nobody pulled her out and that she "didn't survive".

As you can see the trauma didn't last too long.

Linda had gone out of her way to make sure that the kids felt comfortable and at home. Over the past few months she has been stocking her house with toys and games she thought the kids would enjoy. The tinker toys were a huge hit! Every one from Michael to Grandpa, got in on the action.

Of course we couldn't leave all the fun to the kids. In fact, on the fun scale I might have topped the charts. I got to set aside some of my usual titles, like cook, housekeeper, and chauffeur and trade them in for farm girl and biker babe.

I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite activity. My Aunt Linda lent me some of her biking gear so that Chris could take me for a ride on his Goldwing. Kira and I got to man the tractor. We moved rocks, smoothed out dirt, and had fun trying to learn the controls (now which way is up?). I sped down the road at high speeds (shhhhhhh, don't tell Chris) on the four wheeler.

I think my Father-in-law and Uncle were trying to convert me to farm life. They seemed to get almost as much pleasure out of giving me these experiences as I had doing them. It was a real treat!

I think Daniel might have got the short end of the stick, but he didn't seem to mind to much.

In the evening of the 4th we drove down by the reservoir and parked by a large field. From here we could see the entire valley. It was amazing how many different places were letting off large fireworks. It was impossible to see them all because they we being launched from one side of the valley to the other. It was definitely a sight to see!

RE School on Hold

2008-06-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of posts ago I said that I was starting Real Estate School. Well, actually that has been put on hold for awhile. It just isn't the right time for it. I really look forward to continuing my education, but with the way the economy is right now, Daniel and I just can't bring ourselves to sink a ton of money into it.

There is always tomorrow!

Costumer Service?

2008-06-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Be forewarned. This is a long post full of my rantings. Feel free to skip it without feeling any guilt.

I can't believe it! I actually had a positive experience while dealing with a business this week.

It seems like over the past years a lot of businesses have stopped focusing on costumer service. What ever happened to the motto "The costumer is always right". I think this has been on my mind lately because in the last month or so I have had two major confrontations with sales people. The first one was with Temp-A-Cure. I am going to discuss that one on a post all of it's own. The second was with Sears. So here's my story.

Two Christmases ago, Daniel bought me a watch from Sears. It wasn't exactly my style so I returned it and purchased a different one. When I was paying for it the clerk offered me their 2 year service warranty. I told her no thanks because I always lose the receipt, so it ends up just being a waste of money. She then told me that I didn't have to keep my receipt because Sears kept my info in their system. All I had to do was go to any Sears in the US and give them my name and they could pull up the warranty. I thought that was great, so I bought it.

Well, about three weeks ago I took my watch in to get the battery replaced because my indiglow light had stopped working. I took it to the jewelry counter and the clerk asked me for my receipt. I explained that I didn't have it and then explained why. She tried to pull my info up on the computer. No luck, she couldn't find me. She went to the back and tried there. Still no luck. She was pleasant enough to work with but after about 20 minutes she told me that she couldn't help me because their system only kept records for 1 year and then it dumped them. I asked her what should I do. She said if I could bring in the credit card statement that said that I had bought the watch from Sears that I could get a new battery.

I drove home slightly flustered. However when I got home I went back through my bank statements and found where it said that I had made a purchase from Sears. It didn't list what I had bought specifically but it was the best I could do. I knew that was when I had purchased it, so I knew it was the right transaction.

2 weeks later back to the store I go. I explain the situation to the lady behind the counter (a different girl this time). This lady was not helpful. In fact I would have to say that she was down right rude. Basically she told me that there was no way to prove that I was being honest and that it was stupid of me not to keep my receipt in the first place. I asked her if I could speak to a manager and she got all puffed up and informed me that she was one. After several rounds with her she finally told me that "just this once for customer satisfaction" (oh boy, was I NOT satisfied!) she would replace the battery. She gave me a little slip to take to the repair counter that stated that I had no prove and that they would not honor any other part of the warranty except to replace the battery this one time. Hello! Why didn't she just stamp the word lier on my forehead!

The thought occurred to me several times "Was all of this worth it for a new battery?"

And then wouldn't you know it? The technician informed me that the battery was not the problem. There was something else wrong with my watch.

I stormed out of there and on my way home I called Daniel and unloaded on him. Can I just say how much I hate confrontations (and how much I love Daniel). Daniel sat and listened and did what I could never have done. He sent an email to Sears Corporate office. They emailed us back to say that we would be contacted in a few days.

Two days later I got a call from the general manager of the store that I had gone to. Let me just tell you the experience was like night and day. He had me explain the situation to him and then he sincerely expressed his apologies. He said that he felt bad that I had to go though such an uncomfortable situation and that he planned to make it up to me. He then asked how much I payed for the watch. He then said that the next time I went into the store there would be a credit waiting there for me in the amount I paid for the watch. He said that I could us it for whatever I wanted.

WOW! I couldn't believe it. I guess customer service isn't dead. To bad I had to be made a fool of to get any. All that really matters to me though is that they did make it right, in the end.

At the ZOO

2008-06-30T11:27:00.002-07:00

We went to the Zoo today. Notice how we are dressed! It was so cold when we first got there. Finally it started to warm up around noon. Crazy! I thought by the end of June we were suppose to have packed away the jackets.

It was great fun though. We road the train, watched the bird show, visited the rose garden, and played at the park. It was a full days worth of fun!

Kiraism

2008-06-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Kira and I were spending some time together baking the other day. As I bent over to pick something up, Kira informed me that my bottom was wiggly and jiggly. I told her thanks for the information and let it drop. Then several minutes later, as she was bringing a batter filled cake pan to the oven, she said, "See mom, you bum wiggles just like this cake batter!"

I guess that's what I get for always encouraging my kids to be honest.

Little Miss Domestic

2008-06-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here is my little garden. This picture was taken on June 16th. The day after I planted. I know it doesn't look like much but these things have to start small.

We planted late because the weather has been so cold and rainy. We have 6 tomato plants, 2 zucchini plants, 1 squash, 3 cucumber plants, 2 sweet pepper plants, and 1 cantaloupe (I really don't have much hope that it will produce though).

Last year I planted a garden but was unable to keep it up because I had just given birth to Michael. I hope this year goes better. I'm pretty new to this whole gardening thing though, so we will see.

I also finished making 35 pints of strawberry jam. Isn't that a beautiful sight! And it tastes good too!

Mission Accomplished!

2008-06-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

(Jen is going to kill me for posting this picture, but it was the only one I had with the two of us together. I thought when you had a digital cam it was suppose to end the days of bad pics. Don't you just love that we match! We didn't even plan that!)

After almost a year and a half of little to no running, I decided that it was time to lace up my running shoes.

When I got pregnant with Michael I had just finished training for and competing in the Hood to Coast relay race. I was running 3-4 miles four days a week and then doing a long run on Saturday. I felt great. I had never stuck with an exercise program before and I surprised myself by sticking with this one. I had never seen myself as a runner. In fact before I started this training, the last time I had run any significant amount of time was in high school gym class (and back then I hated it).

The H2C relay was in August and come late September I was already starting to feel the effects of being with child. Because I was so sick and because my heart rate went through the roof every time I tried to run, I stopped running all together. I figured I would pick it up again after Michael was bone. It took me almost 6 months after his arrival to figure out how to find the time to exercise again.

So some time in January of this year I decided that I wanted to try and run another 1/2 marathon. Honestly I wasn't sure I could do it again, especially after not exercising at all for more then a year. But here it is, the middle of June and I have a finishers metal around my neck.

Jennifer (who was my running partner last time) and I decide to train together again for the Helvetia 1/2. Up until the weather got better we ran inside on treadmills, but once it got a little warmer we did all of our longer runs outside. Jennifer planned all of our routes. We started by running 7 miles, adding a mile each week, until we reached 13 miles.

Both Jennifer and I felt very good when we finished the race. We ran a little slower than we did in 2006, because we didn't push ourselves as hard. But the pace was much better for both of us. We finished the race in 2 hrs, 25 min. (about). In 2006 our time was 2 hrs, 21 min. So even with the slower pace we only finished about 4 minutes later. And this year we finished feeling wonderful instead of feeling totally spent.

I had a great time! So great in fact that now we are making plans to do a triathlon!

Give me that Wink

2008-06-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Michael was trying to wink today.

It was soooooooooooooo cute!

These are the best pictures I could get though. It's hard to capture the moment when it happens in the wink of an eye.

The Man of My Dreams

2008-06-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not much with words so this is going to fall sadly short on expressing what I really feel. However, I can't let this day pass by without trying to convey some of the love and appreciation I
have for the father of my children. Since I am much better at making lists than at constructing sentences that is the form this is going to take.

The top 50 reasons I love Daniel:

1. He loves me unconditionally
2. He plays with the kids
3. He is great at helping our children unfold the scriptures
4. He's forgiving
5. He's respectful
6. He never puts me down
7. He never complains
8. He is a wonderful father
9. He honors his priesthood
10. He gently encourages me to be a better person
11. He never pushes or pulls
12. He gets up with Michael EVERY night
13. He is a great provider
14. He loves reading to the kids
15. He's not afraid of hard work
16. He's so funny
17. He's helping me learn to enjoy life more
18. He is patient
19. He thinks more about me and our family then he ever does about himself
20. He's not afraid to try new things
21. He is continually working to improve himself
22. He's not afraid to recognize his short comings
23. He is an exceptional teacher
24. He loves to be near me, even when I can't stand to be near myself
25. He's supportive
26. He's hot stuff
27. Our priorities are the same
28. He's tender
29. He's the best dad in the world (and there is a difference between that and being a wonderful father)
30. He's in tune with the spirit
31. He loves to see me smile
32. He knows me inside and out
33. He never gives up
34. He is always willing to help others
35. He's honest
36. He is great with words
37. He's so darn smart
38. He never criticizes
39. He helped me learn to love reading
40. He doesn't like watching sports
41. He makes me laugh at least once every day
42. He's not afraid of getting his hands dirty
43. He's encouraging
44. He loves to cuddle
45. He lets me warm my cold feet and hands on his warm body
46. He's a deep thinker
47. He builds people up
48. He lets me sleep in
49. He never blames
50. We fit each other perfectly

He truly is the man of my dreams and so much more.

Happy Father's Day My Love!

She's Got a Good Eye

2008-06-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

A week ago Kira decided to mess around with my camera. This is actually a favorite pass time for all of my kids. Usually they take pictures of each other making funny faces or doing funny poses. In Briona's case, she likes taking pictures of totally random things. The garbage can, the side of the couch, the floor, you get the idea.

What made Kira's photo shoot different is that she decided to go outside and take some nature photos. When she came back in to show me her results I was amazed! Most of her pictures were incredible. And just so you don't think that is because I am biased, here are my favorites.

Aren't they great! On Sunday we had a Talent Show for Activity Days and I suggested that Kira pick out her favorites and put them in a book to display. She was surprised by how much everyone liked them. She didn't even know that taking pictures was one of her talents. But as you can see, she does have talent!

Spaghetti Dinner

2008-05-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love it when they start feeding themselves!

Birthday at the Beach

2008-05-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

For Daniel's birthday we spend the night at Newport Beach. It was beautiful! It was also a much needed break. Daniel and I realized that it has been over 4 years, possibly even 6 years, since we have spend a night away without the kids. As you can see in the pictures, we weren't completely without kids this time either, but it was still amazing to have some close time together, even if we did have a tag along.

This was the view from our hotel window

Michael and I outside our hotel

Michael in the wind

Daniel and I thought this was the coolest log

Daniel and I on the beach

Do I really think I can do it all?

2008-05-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty crazy in our household these past few weeks. Thus, why I haven't posted for awhile. Since my last post we have had a school over night field trip, 2 birthdays, attended a navy retirement, Mother's day, a visit from Grandma Marilyn, Memorial day, the last week of school, our big father/daughter activity for Activity Days. Those are the bigger calendar events.

Of course I have to also mention some of the little "to do" items. For example: being without a furnace for a week (still don't have one yet), dentist appointments, teaching primary, getting paperwork for scout camps turned in and collecting paperwork for Activity Days Day Camp, running an average of 18 miles a week, figuring out our budget, retraining a baby to sleep through the night, planning a garden, conquering the weeds (yeah right), working on being a supportive daughter, research papers, etc, etc, etc.

Needless to say blogging has become lower on my priority list. And I'm sorry to say that my post will probably become even more infrequent, because starting Monday I am going to Real Estate School. That's right, I'm going for my real estate license. I have 150 hours of class time to complete and then I will take all the exams. After that I hope to start working for Re max.

Daniel and I both feel like me becoming an agent is the best option for our family right now. Please keep us in your prayers as we undertake this new adventure. I will try and post when I can.

I am a Warrior!

2008-05-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

I did it!

I took the Hinckley Challenge and succeeded!

In memory of President Hinckley I read the Book of Mormon in 97 days (he was 97 when he died). It was so great to take part in this experience. Over 30,000 others took the challenge as well.

In order to complete the goal, I needed to read about 5 1/2 pages a day. I think I only missed reading three days total. There were many days that I read more pages because I was enjoying reading so much. Isn't that cool!

I have never had an experience like this before. I have always admired those people who say they love reading the scriptures and that they have a hard time putting them down. Honestly, there was a part of me that doubted them though. But now I know what they were talking about. It has been amazing.

I am really proud to have done something so worthwhile to honor President Hinckley. That is also something new for me. I have felt a great sense of purpose during this whole time. I am very grateful to the Brother who put this who program together. It has been fun seeing my progress and the progress of the group as a whole. Because of this challenge my view of scripture reading has changed. My life has been blessed because I took the time to feast upon the word.

Day of Firsts

2008-05-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today Kira bore her testimony for the 1st time! And it was completely her idea! We haven't even talked about bearing our testimonies lately as a family. About half way through the meeting you could tell that she was being touched by the spirit because she started to get a little fidgety and then she moved to the end of the bench. She then asked Daniel what time testimony ended and she started eyeing the clock. A few minutes late she was at the pulpit. Her testimony was short and sweet. I am so proud of her! It was a big feet for her to over come her shyness and follow teh prompting of the spirit.

Another 1st is that Michael started crawling today! He has been close for weeks but today it is official (of course I missed when it first happened because I was asleep). He is up on all fours moving across the floor!

What a great day!

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-04-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures I took of our Easter egg hunt last month. It was the only nice day in weeks.

Late Night Stroll in the Graveyard

2008-04-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

It is almost 11:00 pm and Daniel and I just got back from a delightful walk. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather (who knows when it will be this nice again). I can't remember the last time we walked in the moon light. Daniel has been at scout camp for the past few days so we spent the time catching up.

The most notable thing about the evening was the location of our walk. We started out walking in the field that is next to our house, but since it has been really rainy lately, it was kind of mucky. Then we walked down and back up the road, but even at this hour, there was to much traffic. Finally we decided the best place to walk and be uninterrupted was the cemetery. I know walking in the dark in the middle of an old graveyard probably sounds a little creepy, but it was quite peaceful actually. The night was gorgeous! The stars were out, you could hear frogs in the distance, and the temperature was just right.

We did end up cutting our stroll a little short however. Okay I admit it, we got kind of spooked and decided to head home. What spooked us you might be wondering. The odoriferous smell of skunk.

7 Miles!

2008-04-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

I ran 7 miles today and it felt great!

This is the first time this year that I have ran outside. The weather was perfect! It was cool and slightly breezy, which is exactly the way I wanted it. Jennifer ran with me and she planned the route. It was mostly flat, which made it really nice.

I have been worried about running outside because usually it is harder than running at the gym. 7 miles is also the furthest that I've run since I got pregnant with Michael. But to my surprise I felt great. In fact I could have kept running I felt that good.

The Parable of the Rose

2008-04-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight at our training, this poem was given to each leader. I thought it was beautiful and hoped you might enjoy it too. It carries a message in it that I very much needed to hear.

The Parable of the Rose
by Ralph Gardiner

It is not recorded in scripture . . . Christ never uttered it as such . . . but it is evidenced by every word He spoke, in every deed He performed.

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully, and before it blossomed he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom . . . and he also saw the thorns. And he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?" Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and before it was able to bloom, it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose..the Godlike qualities planted in us at birth, growing amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns . . . the defect. We despair, thinking that nothing good can possible come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never reach our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone must show it to them. One of the Savior's greatest characteristics was that he was able to show people the Kingdom of Heaven within them. He was able to reach past their thorns and show them the rose.

This is the characteristic of love . . . to look at a person, and knowing his faults, recognize the nobility of his soul, and help him to realize that he can overcome his faults. If we show him the rose, he will conquer the thorns. Then will he blossom, bringing forth thirty, forty, sixty, or a hundred-fold as it is given to him.

Our duty in this world is to help our brothers and sisters by showing them their roses and not their thorns. Only then can we achieve the love the Savior wants us to feel for each other; only then can we become perfect as He wants us to be and blossom in the garden of His Father.

Let me echo the words that my husband posted a few days ago and express my deepest gratitude for having the friends that I do. You help me see past my innumerable thorns. You give me hope that there is a beautiful rose inside myself. Because of you, I know the Savior's love more personally. You help transform my life into a stunning garden. I love you!

Activity Day Training

2008-04-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to a Stake Activity Day training. It was great!

I have taught Activity Days for a couple of years now in this ward. I also held this calling in our ward in Provo (back when it was called Achievement Days). This is the first training meeting that I have been to, specifically for Activity Days. It was really nice to have so much attention focused on this calling. In the past it has felt like Activity Days was a "second thought" kind of a program and I was left pretty much to my own devices. I do pretty good on my own but service is much more enjoyable when you do it with others.

Our Stake Primary Presidency recently changed and the new group has really committed to providing more support for us leaders. This training is just the beginning. They put together a helpful records binder (although I do all my record keeping on the computer) and have set up a blog where all the leaders in the stake can share their ideas. I am also thrilled because they announced that they are going to be putting on a summer day camp for the girls.

It is so exciting to be able to feel connected with the Stake and know that we will all be supporting each other. I also can't wait to see what the leaders in the other wards are doing.

Christopher's 1st online Scrapbook

2008-04-20T21:52:00.001-07:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Kira's 1st online slide show presentation

2008-04-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Pencil Report

2008-04-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago Kira did a project on Inventors and their Inventions. Her assignment was to pick an invention she liked, and wanted to learn more about and then do a report on it.

Of all the inventions I thought she might choose, I never dreamed she would pick the pencil. When I asked her why she wanted to study about that, she said that she really likes pencils because they are so useful. "After all mom, if I didn't have a pencil it would be a lot harder for me to draw and write stories". Those are two of her favorite things to do. Leave it to her not to take the pencil for granted!

Here is the poster that she created to go along with her oral presentation.

One of the men she learned about was named Nicholas Jacques Conte. He patented the modern process for making pencils. The only picture we could find was this one with a band around his eye. Kira came up with several imaginative reason why he might have lost his eye (for her family's pleasure only) and she just had to pose for a picture with them wearing matching bands.

Let's Play Ball

2008-04-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is one happy kid!

A couple of weeks ago Michael figured out how to play ball. It is the cutest thing. If you roll the ball towards him he can hit it back to you. He gets so excited!

It was kind of tricky trying to get pictures of it but after several attempts I got a good bunch of them. I couldn't decide which ones I liked best so I decided to post several of them.

A Love Note for Robin's Friends

2008-04-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Despite the provocative title, this is not a creative way for me to hit on several married women en masse. Just bear with me.

It's not too often that I make the time to post. Amidst all the demands and pressures of life, it seems that I forget to make time for the important things, more often than I remember. A hundred other things dance, whine, beg or shriek for attention, and my skill at being distracted is as legendary as my ability to rationalize my way to a little leisure.

Robin is the same way, except that she doesn't get distracted (much) or rationalize (ever); she is legitimately doing the very best she knows how to do each and every hour of the day. This is one of the many reasons I married her, and it still humbles me to see.

Now, she'll be the first to tell you that a lot of things fall through the cracks, and that she never goes to bed without the feeling that she's left something undone. I will be the first to tell you, if you haven't noticed it on your own, that she's too hard on herself. She's carries a load I would find both foreign and insupportable, and she rarely puts it down.

So how does she do it?

If you're reading this post, then you are part of the reason.

Your posts and comments are a genuine source of strength, inspiration and pleasure for Robin. Of course, sometimes, they're also a bit intimidating, because you all are an impressive lot. But that too serves its purpose, and we shake our heads in amazement as you slip past problems or obstacles that keep tripping us up, encouraging us to try again. These snapshots of your lives help Robin (and I) to feel more connected, less distant, and better equipped to keep a much-needed perspective.

Thank you. You're a support to the woman I love, and so I love you for it. I know that each of you are just being who you are, and that makes the gift of your friendship all the better.

Unusually Busy? Only Slightly.

2008-04-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

Here was my day.

3:30-4:00 am- Nurse Michael (he's been sick so that is way I'm nursing him before 5)
4:00-4:15 am- Try to go back to sleep. Give up.
4:15-4:50 am- Make weekly menu and grocery list. Get dressed for gym.
5:00-6:00 am- Go to gym and run 3.9 miles. Cool down and stretch.
6:00-7:00 am- Go grocery shopping
7:00-8:30 am- Shower (my favorite part of the day). Get myself, Michael, and Briona ready for the day.
9:00-10:00 am- Visit Little Green Apple (a preschool we are checking out for Briona).
10:00-11:30 am- Teach 1st Grade Math at PHA
12:00-1:15 pm- Take Michael to the Doctors and find out he has a double ear infection.
1:30-1:45 pm- Run to Fred Myers to buy razors for Daniel's electric razor.
1:50-3:00 pm- Eye exam for me. (I haven't had my eyes checked since I was 12. They dilated my eyes and then everything was fuzzy for the next 2 hours)
3:00-4:00 pm- Deal with the fuzzy vision and ensuing head ache-and- Try to reassure my kids that they are the most important part of my day.
4:00-5:30 pm- Take my Mom to Fred Myers so she can go shopping for several things she had on her shopping list, and fill Michael's prescription.
5:30-6:15 pm- Make dinner and feed the kids.
6:30-9:00 pm- Go to Enrichment.
9:00-9:30 pm- Nurse Michael and get him in bed.

So I wonder why, after a day like that, I still beat myself up for not getting the house cleaned. I also see that homework didn't get completed, chores didn't get accomplished, and my children felt neglected. How I wish I could do it all. If I was only a "SUPER" mom.

Some days I think we are all too hard on ourselves.

Bathing Beauties

2008-04-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ice Skating

2008-04-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

For family night we spent the evening improving our talents. As you can see Michael and I are missing from the ice. We spent the evening improving our cheering skills.

Don't they look great out there? This picture was taken at the end of the night. Everyone was still smiling (well, I guess what I should call the look on Daniel's face more of a grimace. By this time his back was killing him. He never let on to the kids though. Isn't he the best dad?!)

Briona thought skating was a blast! This was her 1st time on the ice. She took one spill but got back up again and smiled the rest of the night.

Kira was really concentrating in this picture. She was focusing on improving her speed.

Christopher and Kira talk shop while taking a break on the side of the rink.

Look at my proud kiddos!

Picture Update

2008-04-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Over the next several days I am going to be posting some pictures that are from the last few months. Daniel switched our operating system over to Linux and we have had some problems getting everything up and running. One of the things affected was my ability to download pictures. I think we have ironed out most of the kinks now.

I will just put the dates the pictures were taken inside the post.

Darth, What's up with your hands?

2008-04-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Notice anything odd about these pictures? Besides the fact that Darth Vader is wearing lime green footie pajamas?

The kids had a blast with Christopher's old Darth Vader helmet the other night. They spent half the night wearing it backwards. They would walk around backwards talking to everyone in Darth's voice. The reason these pictures look "off" is because the kids are sitting backwards in the chair. So what looks like their chests are actually their backs, and so forth. That is why their thumbs are on the wrong side of their hands.

It was a hoot!

Dreaming of Disneyland

2008-04-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

Last year I promised the kids that this year we would take them to Disneyland. Since such promise was made, the kids think about it all the time. Now it's my turn.

I'm really excited about going. I've never been before and it's someplace I have always wanted to visit. I have high expectations for this particular vacation. Because of that, I'm anxious about the plans. I'm nervous that because I don't have any experience, I will miss lots of details and spend more money than I need to.

Do you guys have any pointers for me?

Who needs a routine!

2008-03-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

I don't usually blog at 5:30 in the morning. I usually prefer to be sleeping. However blogging is exactly what I'm doing. "Why?" you might ask.

Let's just say I'm not good at doing the whole single parent thing. I don't know how others do it. (I know Denise, I should just "suck it up").

Daniel and my mom left last night for Utah. (More on the reason for that below). They will be gone 3 days. Although I can do anything for three days, I still don't like it much (but in this case, it was far better than the alternative).

Daniel is always the one who gets up with the baby in the middle of the night. When it is time for me to nurse Michael, Daniel brings him in and lays him next to me. This way I don't have to get out of bed. This works out pretty well, because if I do get out of bed, I can't go back to sleep for several hours. Daniel however is fairly good at going back to sleep.

Luckily Michael is almost sleeping through the whole night now. He usually wakes up between 5-6:30 to nurse and then he goes back to sleep. This morning he woke up at a quarter to 5. He has eaten and is sleeping soundly in him crib. And here I am, blogging away.

The reason Daniel and my mom are in Utah is to transport the rest of my mom's things to Oregon. When she moved to Arizona, she put a lot of her stuff in storage in Utah. Ever since my mom moved in with us, we have been playing with different ideas about the best way to get her stuff here. We had discussed hiring a moving company; renting a truck here and driving it both ways; having my mom, myself, and the kids drive the van there and then drive the moving truck back; flying my mom, myself and Michael to Utah and driving the truck back; and lastly, Daniel and my mom flying and driving back. Thank heavens we decided on the last choice. That was definitely the easiest way for me. Thus I don't mind making the sacrifice of being a single parent for a few days.

Christopher and Kira are really having a hard time with their dad being gone though. Daniel does so much for and with the kids. He really is a major part of their lives (as it should be). Because of that, they really miss him when he is away. It's hardest for them at night, because that is when they get the best close time with their dad. He wrestles, teases, reads, and plays with them every night before bed. Both kids took turns shedding tears last night.

Because they were having a ruff time, I let most of the rules slide. We stayed up really late playing Wii. We didn't brush teeth, say prayers, or read scriptures. And to top it off, Kira is sleep right beside me, while Bri and Christopher are sleeping on the living room floor.

Oh well, one night (or maybe two) without rules or routine won't hurt.

Letters?

2008-03-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

I got to talk to Marc on Sunday. It was so good to hear his voice, even though it made me cry. The reality of his situation hit me pretty hard. My heart aches for him. I am so grateful that he has the gospel because I don't think he could get through this without it.

During our conversation, I asked if he had got any of your letters. He said that the only one he had received was from Marilyn. (Mom, he asked me to please pass along his thanks. It really meant a lot to him! I could tell by his voice that he was very touched. I also really appreciate you doing that.)

Alena told me that she had wrote him a three page letter. But I talked to her before she sent it, so I'm not sure if she got it in the mail or not.

So, I just have ask? Did anybody else write to him? If you didn't, it's OK. However, if you did, it makes me wonder what happened. Has the army been keeping his mail? Did I give you guys the right address? If there were letters, where are they?

Kira In Stitches

2008-03-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today we had a little adventure. It included tears, blood, and a trip to the ER.

We had a busy day planned today because our PHA formal was being held tonight (more about that later). The kids and I were at the church building helping with the preparations (at least, I was helping; the kids were running around and playing), when I got a call from my mom telling me that it was time for us to come home because Michael was awake. I started gathering my stuff and taking it out to the car. I figured I would let the kids play for a few more minutes while I did that. After I was all loaded up I came back inside and called for the kids. That was when I noticed Kira in tears.

From what I eventually gathered, everyone was playing tag and Kira accidentally got shoved into the corner of the wall.

She told me her head hurt and that was when I noticed the blood. At first, I thought she had scraped her hand, or her ear, or something. It only took me a few seconds to discover it was much worse than that. I think it was the amount of blood that tipped me off.

I picked her up and sat her on the counter where I could get a better look. As I pulled her hair back I could see that she had a deep gash, about the width of her thumbnail, on the side of her head. I figured she was going to need stitches.

It was at this point that I realized how lucky I was to be surrounded by friends. I must have gone into shock because I couldn't remember where the closest hospital was. Donna said she would take us. Then Michelle told me not to worry about Christopher and Briona, she would take care of them. I called my mom back and told her we wouldn't be home for awhile and asked if she could take care of Michael until we were done.

Everyone was there helping me get Kira taken care of. Someone handed me a cold, wet towel for her head. Someone else gathered Kira's shoes and coat and handed them to me as we got into the van. Donna dropped us off at the emergency room and then parked and came in and waited with us until they took us back to a room. I don't know what I would have done without everyone's help and compassion. After the fact, as I look back, I don't even know if I could have found my way to the hospital (even though we were only one exit away). Donna reassured me later that I handled the whole situation very calmly. I raised my eyebrows at her and then admitted that on the inside I was a mess. I didn't realize that I was actually in shock until after Kira's head was sewn up and I felt myself get dizzy.

The time at the hospital was typical. They took down Kira's information and said they would take us to the pediatric unit shortly. Luckily the ER wasn't busy. They had me put Kira in a wheel chair, which she wasn't to happy about (she felt more safe in my arms). The whole idea of going to the hospital was pretty scary for her. I think it was mostly the fear of the unknown. When they actually started working on her, she was very brave and didn't fret at all.

Daniel made it to the hospital in good time, we had only been back in the room about ten minutes. Then the doctor came in and assessed the damage. He said that stitches would be best. They numbed her up using this gel stuff first and then gave her shots after she was already mostly numb. Thank goodness for that gel. I remember the first time Kira needed her head sewn up, and they didn't have that stuff. It was awful! They cleaned her head (no shaving needed, another blessing) and gave her three stitches.

I was so proud of my little girl. She handled the whole ordeal very well. She even admitted that stitches weren't that bad.

Dan here: Later, after we were home, Kira told me that she was actually glad she had gotten stitches. "That way," she said, "when my kids need stitches, I can say 'I had stitches when I was a kid, and it wasn't too bad!'" What a girl. :-)

Sweet Sleep

2008-03-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Michael has got into the routine of waking up at night every 2 hours to nurse. He doesn't even nurse that often during the day, but for some reason that is his nightly pattern. So after months of sleep deprivation, Daniel and I decided to bite the bullet and teach Michael how to sleep through the night.

So two nights ago we made our game plan. I would nurse Michael around 10:00 pm (his usual bedtime) and then I would not nurse him again until after 5:00 am. When he woke up, Daniel would go in and give him his binky and offer him a drink of water from a sippy (and check to make sure he was okay and didn't have a messy diaper or anything). Then he would leave the room. After 10 minutes, if Michael was still crying, Daniel would repeat the process. All the while I would stay in bed with a pillow over my head. We discussed the "what-ifs" and "buts" and finally felt like we had it all figured out.

That first night wasn't so bad. Michael woke up at midnight and cried until almost two (can I just say that Daniel is the most patient and loving man on the planet). After he went back to sleep, he slept until 6:00. I nursed him and then he slept until 8:30 am. All in all pretty good for the first night. I didn't know what to expect for the second night, but I hoped Michael wouldn't have to cry as long before he could get himself to sleep.

Once again he went down at 10:00 pm. It was a few minutes before midnight when he started to fuss. Daniel got up to give him his binky, but before he made it to Michael's room, Michael stopped crying (he had found his binky on his own). Daniel and I both looked at each other and raised our eyebrows. That was a first.

I headed to bed, totally expecting to hear him crying within the next few hours. Can you imagine my surprise when I looked at the clock at the first sounds of his fussing, and saw that it was 6:00 am. He slept the entire night!!! Miracles do happen. What a blessing. Last night was the first full nights sleep I have had in over a year. My body barely knew how to handle it.

Could it really be that easy? Here's hoping!

I'm Alive and Running (behind that is)

2008-03-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

So that my big sister doesn't worry, I just wanted to leave a quick post to let you all know that I am alive. Things have been pretty busy around here since my last post. I didn't realize that it has been almost 2 weeks since my last post. Time flies when you're running behind.

You know what I think? I think that when a mom gets sick, all of her responsibilities should not be allowed to stockpile. I have been playing catch up ever since the other week and I still don't feel like I'm even close to being on top of everything yet. It's funny, right before I got sick all I could think about was how badly I needed a break. It seemed like I was on overload. I had no idea! Now all I can think about is all the things I need to get done and praying for more hours in the day. I definitely don't have time for a break.

What have I learned from this? Be glad for what you've got! It could always be worse.

Beautiful Spring

2008-03-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

We may get a lot of rain here but come spring it is all worth it.

So here it is the beginning of March and spring has already arrived in Portland. It's Wonderful! The flowers are in bloom, the birds are singing, and the sun has been shining for more than two weeks. I know that the sun won't last, because after all, it is Portland, but even still, Spring is here to stay.

Briona's High

2008-03-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Briona: Mommy my high for the day is that you have a fever.

Me: Why is that sweetheart?

Briona: Because it makes your skin all nice and warm.

At least someone is getting some enjoyment out of it!

On a side note, she has been so sweet over the past few days. She comes in on a regular basis to check on me and give me kisses. I was supposed to take her in to check out a preschool this morning. She has really been looking forward to it. I didn't want to disappoint her so I tried to get up this morning. I couldn't even make it through eating my cereal before all my energy was spent. I didn't have the heart to tell her we weren't going so I asked Daniel to tell her. I thought for sure she would be really upset but she wasn't. She told Daniel that it was okay and that I would feel better in a couple of days and then we could go. She's really starting to grow up.

Not My Week

2008-03-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

This week has definitely not been one of my bests.

Monday was normal enough. In fact it felt like the beginning of a good week. The kids had all their homework completed and ready to turn in on Tuesday (which is quite the accomplishment. We usually spend all day on Monday working on homework). I had already made a remarkable dent in my to do list, and we were all happy and well.

Then the rest of the week happened.

Tuesday:
I was excited because our weather has been really good and that meant that I could start working on our property. I told my mom she could have free rein on the yard, so I decided to make our field my project. This field is about 1/4 of our total property, making it just under 1/4 of a acre. Right now it is covered in weeds, dead stocks from last years garden, and a couple of huge piles of yard debris. Burn season just started at the beginning of March so I decided I would start by burning one of the piles of pine needles. I was pleasantly surprised by how well it took off. I was keeping the fire small and playing it cautious, just to be on the safe side. I had my gloves on and my pitch fork handy. I looked just like the country bumpkin I always dreamed of being :). In all honesty, I really was having a good time. I love working outside and seeing the fruits of my labors. Not to mention the state of the field has bothered me all winter, and it felt great to finally be working on it.

So I was standing there watching it burn when out of the pile burst a huge burning coal. It flew towards my face and landed inside my mouth. I spit it out as quickly as I could but not before it had burned the inside of my upper and lower lips and also my tongue. I think I was in shock for a while because it didn't seem to cause me to much pain. It wasn't until several hours later that it really started to hurt. And then it kept hurting for a couple of days.

Wednesday:
Driving home from school I hit a garbage can that was to far out in the street and totally ruined my passenger side mirror.

A few hours after that I noticed that my left breast was really starting to hurt. I figured that it was probably a plugged duct (which has happened a few other times since I've been nursing Michael). I hoped that it wouldn't develop into mastitis.

Well today is Friday and I have spend the last two days lying in bed either burning up or freezing to death. My whole body aches and I barely have the strength to walk around. Then on top of that nursing is so painful it brings tears to my eyes. Mastitis it is indeed. This is the second time in three months that I have had this. It's interesting that I never got it with any of my other kids.

Needless to say this week hasn't been the best. However a few very good things did happen in the middle of all of this. First, I got to talk to one of my friends who I haven't spoken to in a very long time and second Daniel had his annual review at work and they told him that he was doing an excellent job. Then they gave him a raise and told him that within the next little while they were going to be expanding his group and that they hoped he would consider being a manager of the QA department. What a blessing.

It has also been a blessing having my mom here so she could take care of the kids while I've been down. Really, now that I look at it, it really has been a week filled with blessings. I guess the tribulations just bring those blessings into sharper focus.

Revelation is pure, but words are translation

2008-03-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

I read a very good article about Revelation. It is by Orson Scott Card. My mom actually came across it while she was reading the Deseret Morning News and she pasted it on to me. It really made me stop and think.

In my scripture reading I am in the middle of the Isaiah chapters in 2nd Nephi. It has always rattled me that Nephi refers to these scriptures as plain. Actually I just looked up the exact reference and it says:

4 Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy.

I guess it doesn't say that the words of Isaiah are plain. For some reason I always thought that was what he said. It seems to me now that I reread the above scripture, and after reading Card's article it makes a lot more sense to me.

I've never understood the words of Isaiah and I have always felt two things. While reading I've felt kind of dumb for not being able to figure it out and slightly annoyed that Nephi put them in there. I couldn't figure out why they had to be sooooooo cryptic. Usually I just bulldoze my way through it. Now I feel a small glimmer of understanding. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gives us all kinds of ways to learn and grow.

Searching for a Preschool

2008-03-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

It became clear to me this week that it is time to start researching preschools for Briona. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

When Christopher and Kira went to preschool it was no big deal. I didn't do any real interviews or comparison shopping. Christopher and I started a "Mom and Me" gymnastics class at the Little Gym when he was 2. I loved the staff there and so did he, so when it was time for him to go to preschool (age 3) it was a no brainer for me to send him there.

When Kira was ready for preschool Christopher was going to school in Springville and so I picked a school that was close to his school. That made it really easy because there was only one real preschool that I knew about in that area.

Now that it's Briona's turn we are in a totally different situation. There are literally hundreds of preschools to choose from. And I'm just finding out that the "good ones" are hard to get into. They all have wait lists. Luckily the waiting lists are fairly short on my top choices and I now have Bri on the list, but still it's a waiting list. I can't believe it, especially since it's only February.

My next dilemma is that now I need to go in and interview the schools. I've never done this before and I don't know what to be looking for or what questions to ask. I could really use some pointers! So do any of you have some advice for me?

How do I find the "right" school. Oh the pressure!

Oh! for Such a Low!

2008-02-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we had the missionaries over for dinner. As is our custom now we were taking turns telling about our highs and lows. When it came time for Briona to talk about hers, she rambled on about her 3 different highs for the day and then she said with directness:

"And my low is that I'm sitting next to a missionary!"

Elder Larsen turned bright red and in the midst of much laughter informed us that his low just happened.

HELP!

2008-02-26T22:12:00.001-08:00

Hey everybody, I need your help.

My brother left for boot camp two weeks ago. From his letters it sounds like life is really hard. He needs support from the outside world. I've heard that one of the only way soldiers make it through those horrible months at basic training is because of the mail they get. He can't call or email. Mail is our only form of contact. My family is trying to write to him almost everyday but I'm sure it would do him a lot of good if he heard from some of you as well. Many of you know my brother, but ever for those of you who don't, I know he would value a message from you. He warned me not to send any packages (I guess the drill sergeants don't look favorably upon those), just letters.

Here is his address:

PFC Reading, Marc
A co I/48 INF Regt 3rd PLT
495 Iowa Ave, Unit 13
Ft. Leonard Wood, MO 65473

on the back of the envelope write a 3 with a circle around it over the fold.

I am so proud of my brother and his choosing to do this. It is not something I would have ever picked for him but my heart swells with pride knowing that he is doing what the Lord wants him to do.

Let me tell you a little about my brother, for those of you who have never met him. His name is Marc. He is two years older then me (although most people think it is the other way around). He has a wonderful wife and four beautiful children, whom I adore. He has a strong testimony and a very strong commitment to his family. He loves to play games and has dreams of owning his own gaming shop one day. When he has the time he loves to do things outdoors.

My brother is my real life hero. He has been there to support and take care of me through out my entire life (even when I didn't think I needed it). My brother's love was one of the only things that I could count on when I was young. I don't know what I would do without him.

PS. If any of you have some suggestions on ways that I can help support him or his family during this time please let me know. I need all the ideas I can get. I have been trying to find poems and such online but haven't been able to come up with much. There is just so much I want him to know but I don't know how to show him.

Thanks for your help. Anything you can do will be a blessing to my Brother.

1st tooth

2008-02-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

Michael's first tooth broke through today! Happy Valentine's Day!

Two of My Favorite Pic's of Michael

2008-02-08T23:02:00.000-08:00

All About Christopher

2008-02-08T21:57:00.002-08:00

Favorites:

Song: Another One Bites the Dust in Tagolog (pronounced Tagalic)
Book: Harry Potter Series
Candy Bar: Take 5
Vacation: (will be) Disneyland
School Subject: Math
Sport: Soccer
Things to do with free time: Play Wii, Read, Draw

Scripture Story: Ammon and King Lamoni
Color: Lime Green
Movie: Pirates of the Carribean
Food: Fettuccine Alfredo
Outdoor Activity: Camping
Fruit: Clementine Oranges
Heroes: President Hinckley, My Uncle Randy, and My Dad

Animal: Ferret
Friends: I have a million
Vegetable: Cucumber
Snack: Sun Chips
Game: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Things to do with my Family: Play Wii
Thing that has happened to me lately: I got a Web Camera

Looking to the Future:

What I want to be: I don't know
Some Ambitions: Swimming, reading, drawing, game inventing
Where I would like to go to school: BYU
Where I would like to go on a Mission: Sicily, Italy
Something Crazy I would like to try: Sky diving
Someone I would like to meet: Johnny Depp
Temple I'd like to get married in: Hawaii Temple
What I would like to be in the Newspaper for: Making the coolest game ever
Some Goals I have for This Year: lose weight, make music

A Few of My Favorite Pictures of Daniel

2008-02-08T21:57:00.001-08:00

A Few of My Favorite Pictures of Myself

2008-02-08T21:56:00.001-08:00

(This may not be the best picture I have ever taken but I love the look on my face. I am so happy. I am about to do something I have never done before. I have my family there cheering me on with all their hearts and I feel great!)

All About Kira

2008-02-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

Favorites:

Song: ????
Book: Secret Garden
Candy Bar: Twix
Vacation: Disneyland or Spain
School Subject: History
Sport: Gymnastics
Things to do with free time: Read, Play Games, Have Fun

Scripture Story: Noah's Ark
Color: Yellow
Movie: Little Women
Food: Sushi
Outdoor Activity: Riding Bikes
Fruit: Mango
Heroes: President Hinckley and my Family

Animal: Fox or Red Panda
Friends: Reagan, Bailee, Camrahn, Jessi, and Alex
Vegetable: Cucumber
Snack: Cheese
Game: Magic (maybe)
Things to do with my Family: Play games, Go Out, Play
Thing that has happened to me lately: Found Kylee's Homework in my Sleeping bag

Looking to the Future:

What I want to be: Vet, Author, Artist
Some Ambitions: Go on a cruise, get a puppy, start babysitting
Where I would like to go to school: Hawaii
Where I would like to go on a Mission: Spain or Hawaii
Something Crazy I would like to try: Sky diving, Rock Climbing, ? ? ?
Someone I would like to meet: President Monson, Ashley Tisdale, and Jesus
Temple I'd like to get married in: Salt Lake Temple
What I would like to be in the Newspaper for: Writing a Story
Some Goals I have for This Year: Don't buy anything, Not picking fights

All About Bri

2008-02-08T14:34:00.001-08:00

Favorites:

Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Book: Duck on a Bike and books about Elephants
Candy: Lolly Pops
School Subject: Art and Snack Time
Sport: Swimming
Things to do with free time: Play in the Sun and Play on the Computer

Scripture Story: Nephi
Color: Purple, Green, and Orange
Movie: The Wiggles
Food: Pizza
Outdoor Activity: Riding Bikes
Fruit: Orange

Animal: Cheetah
Friends: Haddie, Page, Kate, Rainee, Rocky, Kayla, Kellie
Vegetable: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots
Snack: Granola Bars
Game: Amazing Island
Things to do with my Family: Play games and Game Cube
Thing that has happened to me lately: Gave my 1st talk in Primary

Looking to the Future:

What I want to be: Princess
Where I would like to go to school: PHA
Where I would like to go on a Mission: Brazil (like Todd)
Someone I would like to meet: President Monson
Temple I'd like to get married in: Salt Lake Temple

Riverdance

2008-02-02T22:32:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago I was looking at our ward bulletin and I noticed that the BYU alumni association was offering discount tickets to Riverdance. I had heard that this was going to be their last year touring in America. Riverdance is one of my most favorite productions. I knew the kids would love seeing it and I didn't want them to miss out on that chance. So I ordered tickets. The prices were actually pretty good for the limited viewing seats. I had never ordered tickets this way and so I emailed the contact person to find out the procedure. He emailed me back and told me to just make the check out to him and send it to his address (which was in Washington). He then told me that he would send me the tickets but not to expect them until about a week before the performance. This kind of made me nervous. It seemed strange that he would have a Washington address and yet got the post into our ward bulletin. I asked Daniel if he thought this was legit? He told me that I was probably worrying to much and he was fairly sure that it wasn't a scam. (I use to not be this paranoid, I promise).

So I sent him the money but didn't tell the kids about it just in case we ended up not getting the tickets. I waited and waited but no tickets. Of course he had told me not to expect them early but I was hoping. Then on Sunday the 20th of Jan. he called me. (Actually he called me about a week before that and left me a message saying he didn't have my money, and wanted to know where it was. A minute later he left me another message saying he was sorry and that he had made a mistake and that he did have it after all. This did not boost my confidence any).

So back to his call on the Sunday. He told me that he had sent the tickets but if I didn't get them by Tuesday afternoon to give him a call and he would get in touch with will call and have them waiting at the ticket office. I thought this also a little strange. Why did he want me to call on Tuesday? The show wasn't until the next Monday so there were several more days before the show. Or so I thought! Monday came, no tickets. Tuesday, no tickets. I thought I would give the mail one more day and then I would call him.

Wednesday afternoon I went out and checked the mail and to my surprise the tickets were here. I tore open the envelope and to my horror the date on the tickets were for that very night. Daniel and I had just got back from cutting wood and we were covered in mud, not to mention the state the van was in. Christopher had a friend over who was staying until 7:00. It was mutual night and Daniel had a planning meeting scheduled for just before. I didn't have babysitters set up for Bri and Michael, and it was 4:30. I panicked.

All I have to say is thank heavens for good friends. Jennifer came to the rescue and watched the kids for me and let Christopher's friend stay at her house until his parents arrived. Daniel rescheduled his meeting and got another leader to cover him at mutual. He quickly put the van back together. I told my mom about the date mix up and then we all scrambled to get ourselves and the kids ready in time.

Miracle of miracles we made it on time. In fact we had enough time to spare that we ran over to Quizno's and had a quick bite to eat before the performance.

The production was amazing! Both Chris and Kira thought it was great. Kira sat on my lap the whole time and asked me what each number was trying to say. I tried to explain the best that I could but mostly I ended up telling her that we would have to look it up later. She was enthralled. Christopher said he was really impressed but it was harder to tell with him. Here are some pictures we took while we were there. After the first shot an usher came rushing up to us and told us that we were not allowed to take any pictures of the performance and that we couldn't even point our camera in the direction of the stage.

What a Night!

Briona by the Fire

2008-02-01T23:09:00.000-08:00

We have a wood burning stove downstairs which we use to heat our entire house. Consequently the basement is the only warm place in the morning. By the afternoon the rest of the house is pretty warm too (mostly). This morning when Briona got up she grabbed a baggie of cereal, a blanket, and her stuffed dog and headed for the fire. Within moments she was sound asleep again.

First Biter Biscuit!

2008-02-01T22:47:00.001-08:00

He may not like fruits and veggies but he LOVES cookies!

Tag, Your Husband is It!

2008-01-31T15:50:00.000-08:00

This has taken me some time to finish but I feel the time was well worth it. Daniel and I worked on it together. For any of you who haven't done this yet, I strongly encourage you to. It was loads of fun!

What’s his name? Daniel (no official middle name, but it's Othello to us) [ For the record, she chose the middle name, not me! I told her that if her compulsion to use middle names in anger required me to have one, it should at least make my initials spell something useful. For a brief moment, I was nearly "Ignatio." At any rate, you can put your Shakespeare analysis away; no homicides are planned. -- DG]

How long have you been together? Since 1992. 3 1/2 years dating. 12 years of marriage. Wow! That's 15 1/2 years. That's half my life! [ And not quite half of mine. Which means that she's been with me longer than I've been with her! -- DG]

How long did you date? Daniel and I started dating when I was 15 and he was 19. I think we had both just turned those ages around the time we met. So that means that we dated for 3 1/2 years.

How old is he? 34

Who eats more? I don't know for sure. Probably him. He eats more at meals but I bet I snack a lot more during the day.

Who said I love you first? Daniel. We were at Daniel's Grandparents home in the "Blue Room". We were sitting on the blue couch. I don't think we were talking much (we were still too new to the whole relationship thing. Remember I was only 15 and Daniel was afraid of girls). Mostly we were just holding hands being near each other. When very gently Daniel leaned over and said it. I was so happy that tears came to my eyes and I threw myself at Daniel, saying "I love you too" in the process. Somehow in the confusion Daniel missed my words and spent the next several minutes trying to figure out what my reaction meant. [ I think that was the first time I really understood what a "cold sweat" was. -- DG]

Who is taller? Daniel at 6 ft. I'm only 5'6" (even though in my dreams I'm 5'8). [ We're both pretty sure this is due to a childhood hormone deficiency. Robin really was intended to be two inches taller. True story: when I was 15 I had a dream about my future wife. I didn't remember the dream until we'd been dating for three months, at which point it came back in total clarity: it was Robin to a tee. That two inches was the only thing missing. -- DG]

Who is smarter? No question there. It's Daniel by a long shot. But I will admit in the wisdom department we're about even (on some things anyways). And when you talk common sense, there is no contest (what guy could win that contest I ask you?). [ I could argue the "common sense" thing, but that would just prove her point, wouldn't it? (And probably disprove her initial answer, too.) -- DG]

Who does laundry? It used to be me, but now it's my mom (am I lucky or what?).

Who does the dishes? The whole family takes a part in it (If I'm being totally honest, my mom does them the most often. It's Christopher and Kira's job to unload. Daniel and I rinse and load some of the times, but really, dirty dishes in the sink seems to bother my mom more than either of us. Not that I'm complaining).

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? That depends on which side is closer to the door. Daniel always sleeps on the side next to the door. It's a protection thing. Ever since we got married Daniel has liked sleeping next to the door because then if there was ever an intruder they would reach him first (I think it's romantic).

Who pays the bills? I do.

Who mows the lawn? We take turns. We both really enjoy the way it feels when we are all done. Daniel is very meticulous about it. He is reluctant to start but once he gets going he can be a little obsessive about it. He likes to mow in diagonal lines, so that when he is finished the lawn is striped like a barber pole. I on the other hand mow any way that suits me at the moment, usually changing directions several times during one mowing. It's beautiful when Daniel's done, when I do it, it just gets done. [And, truth be told, more often. -- DG]

Who cooks dinner? This is my job. I love to do it (most nights). Cooking is one of my passions. I would get more pleasure out of it if my kids appreciated it more, but that's probably expecting to much. Daniel is great at fixing cold cereal and pretty good at nachos. Anything above that causes him a little anxiety. On a side note: Daniel use to be an incredibly picky eater but when we got married he promised me that he would at least try everything that I made (is that love or what?). Over the years he has developed a wide range of tastes and I am so proud of him. (There have been times when I don't even what to eat what I have cooked and yet he still won't turn his nose up at it.) [ Small personal triumph: I once completely failed to burn water. -- DG]

Who drives when you are together? Sometimes Daniel and other times me. On long trips I do most of the driving because it suits me better. I get really car sick so all the turning around to take care of kiddos just doesn't work for me. So Daniel takes the hard task of dealing with them while I get the peace of the road. [ I also get to read out-loud more often for those times when we agree on a book to pass the time. -- DG]

Who is more stubborn? That would have to be me. I can be so bullheaded at times (big shocker huh?)

Who kissed who first? Honestly I can't remember but Daniel can so I'll let him tell it. [ Huh. I'll be the first to tell you that my memory is a little strange. As I recall, it went something like this (cue Peter Falk):

Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.

Oops. Wrong story. I'm sure there were no Sicilians or 6-fingered men involved. Pretty sure.

Really, though, Robin's much better at setting the context of a story. I remember a dark night in a park, the hum of a too-bright street lamp and its attendant moths, the smooth-ridged-smooth pattern of the aluminum picnic table (slightly chilly, which is why I'm shaking), the creak of the merry-go-round that her friends are using to pretend they don't notice we've wandered, the perfect fit between the ridge of her jaw and my ring finger, the whisper of hair on my earlobe, the desperate cardiac flailing that turns my nonchalance to vertigo, the smell of leaves and loaves and loves and laughter, a sudden whirling sense of depth, and a small, warm and silent moment.

It's pretty much like that every time. -- DG]

Who asked out who first? What on a date? No, we didn't do things that way (Probably because I was only 15 and I wasn't allowed to "date" until I was 16. Of course I moved out on my own when I was 16 and I think that wasn't allowed either). We went out plenty of times but there was never a 1st date. I do remember the first time he paid for my dinner. It really freaked me out actually (that age thing again). I had this idea that if he paid for me, I in some way owed him something and I also felt like it took away some of my independence. One of my friends forcefully tried to set me straight, warning me that I was going to screw up a good thing if I didn't cool it with that kind of thinking. So I listened to her and have been hopelessly dependent on him ever since. [ I don't think you can call it "hopelessly dependent" if the one you're supposed to be depending on still needs help picking a tie that doesn't make people sick, and has to call you up for directions to a place less than 10 miles from home. Just hypothetically, of course. -- DG]

Who proposed? Daniel. We had known for a long time before the actual event that we were going to get married. We had gone out looking for rings several weeks before he actually proposed. I had shown him two or three different rings that I liked but I wanted him to be the one who actually picked it out.

We were on the USU campus getting our engagement pictures taken when the photographer had me sit on a small stone bench. He told Daniel to kneel down by my side as if he were proposing. The photographer asked me if I said "yes" right away when Daniel asked me to marry him. I laughed and then turned towards him to explain that he had never officially asked me. When I turned back towards Daniel he had a tiny black ring box open with my ring inside. "Will you marry me" he said. It was great. How many couples have a professional picture of the actual proposal? (On a side note, when we went back to the studio to look at the proofs, that picture wasn't with the group. We asked his assistant what happened and she told us that she had taken it out because my foot was blurred. Lucky she still had the negatives. That picture was our personal favorite, blurred foot and all). [ "All" here also includes a couple of atrocious sweaters, some bad hair, and a couple of baby-faced kids who have no business looking as happy and in love as they do. Here in 2008, though, a couple of things have changed: I'm no longer baby-faced, and Robin has some very nice sweaters. -- DG]

Who has more siblings? I do. I have 1 brother and 3 sisters. Daniel has 1 sister and 1 brother. It's interesting to note that neither of us have a full blood sibling. Not that that matters in the slightest, it's just interesting.

Who wears the pants in the family? What does that mean now a days anyways? If you want to know who runs the family, well that answer is just like most of the rest, "We both do". Daniel and I almost always share the same values, same parenting styles, same pants (no just kidding). [ I will say that she looks a great deal better in my pants than I look in hers. -- DG]

As I've been answering these questions I've noticed that when I was tagged the questions and answers were all about me. However now that I am doing a "tagged" blog about Daniel the questions are mostly about "us". So here is some info just about Daniel.

5 things he would do with 6 weeks off of work:
1. Read. A lot.
2. Begin building a metal shop from scratch.
3. Take the family to the beach. Three weeks in the sun and sand sounds about right. See item #1.
4. Visit family and friends in Utah, and get in some training time, too.
5. Work on some pet projects.

5 things he wants to do (well) before he dies:
1. Speak a foreign language (probably Chinese)
2. Play piano
3. Dance the waltz
4. Publish something worth reading
5. Create something worth passing on

5 things people don't know about him:
1. He didn't know how to tie his own shoes until he was 13. [ It's true! She still says I do it funny. -- DG]
2. He did a recording session with the guy who was the lead sound engineer for Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
3. He worked at a 5-star resort, and enjoys describing the job as "telling people where to go, and what to do when they got there."
4. He once seriously considered moving to Ohio and studying honest-to-goodness authentic ninjutsu with the only authorized American teacher of this misunderstood discipline. Luckily, he got married instead.
5. He once lost an entire toenail. He considers himself lucky, and is very careful around horses now.

5 of his best traits:
1. He's not afraid of working hard.
2. He is quick to apologize and even quicker to forgive.
3. He is non judgmental
4. He loves to make others laugh (and he's very good at it too).
5. He is strong enough to lead our family with a gentle hand, and humble enough to let God lead him.

5 things I love about him:
1. The way he is with our children. The way he plays, teaches, directs, inspires, loves them.
2. How, no matter how late he has stayed up, he always gets up with the kids.
3. How he has taken care of, and kept alive the little bamboo plant that Momi gave me 5+ years ago.
4. How when I need to let off steam he lets me, even if it is hard on him.
5. The way he loves me unconditionally.

Love for a Prophet

2008-01-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

This post is to all of you who also posted about President Hinckley.

I was going to leave comments on each blog but then I realized that I pretty much wanted to say the same thing on each. So to save time I decided just post my comments here.

Thank you for sharing you thoughts and feeling about our great Prophet. I enjoyed getting to see each different perspective. It's not often we all write about the same subject. Especially a subject we all feel passionate about. Each of our posts were expressed differently, in our own style, but the means were all very similar. How grateful I am for your testimonies.

Words I Needed to Hear

2008-01-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

My friend Jenny posted the lyrics to a song on her blog that I think every women should read. It addresses issues that I think we all deal with from time to time. It touched my heart. The timing of her post was perfect and I have to look at it as one of the tender mercies the Lord so often sends.

Thanks Jenny!

It was Just Snow

2008-01-29T00:30:00.000-08:00

Ryan Shupe and the Rubber band have a song called "Snow". I don't know who they intended the song to be about but I have always thought it could be talking about the death of one of our prophets. This is what it says:

it was just snow soft and white
it was just snow falling so light
it was just snow soft and white
falling so light,
falling last night

no it wasn’t a lightning storm
ripping leaves and
the limbs off of trees
and it wasn’t a massive earthquake
the earth buckling from beneath

because he wasn’t quite that sad
and he wasn’t quite that mad
but his messenger died yesterday
and he wanted us to know

so it was just snow soft and white
it was just snow falling so light
it was just snow soft and white
falling so light,
falling last night

no it wasn’t a giant tidal wave
drowning every man
woman and child
and it wasn’t a huge hurricane
wind and rain whipping
‘round us so wild

because he wasn’t quite that sad
and he wasn’t quite that mad
but his messenger died yesterday
and he wanted us to know

so it was just snow soft and white
it was just snow falling so light
it was just snow soft and white
falling so light,
falling last night

This morning I sat contemplating President Hinckley's death. As I did so I looked outside and saw that the ground had been covered in beautiful white snow. I smiled to myself as this song came to my mind. "How appropriate" I thought. My heart was at peace. Soft and peaceful just like snow.

I am not good with words and I know this will not compare with so many beautiful things that have already been written about our Prophet, but I have to take a moment and record my feelings about this wonderful man.

I love President Hinckley. I'm sure anyone who has ever known him feels the same way.

I admire the relationship he and his sweet wife shared. I have always hoped that Daniel and I would be able to have the same kind of connection when we got to be their ages. I am so happy that they are together again. That thought alone brings me much happiness.

friendship. It didn't matter what religion, what age, what back ground, President Hinckley loved all.

I loved his sense of humor. He always had a smile in his eyes. I love how he joked and laughed all the time. One of my favorite quotes from him is "in all living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured".

I am astounded by all that he had done for our Church. I am grateful for the innumerable sacrifices he has made for us.

He has been the Prophet for most of my adult life. In fact when I think about him I think of him as "My Prophet". Sometimes you hear people talk about the prophet that has touched them the most. That would be President Hinckley for me. I love each prophet that I learn about but President Hinckley will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Sweet Sounds

2008-01-23T06:03:00.000-08:00

Sounds I Love to Hear:

the sound of Christopher playing the piano for no other reason than he loves doing it,

the sound of the back door opening around 6:00 pm because it means Daniel is home from work,

the sound of our sump pump turning on and off in the middle of the night (long story there, but truly the sound brings a smile to my lips every single time I hear it),

the sound of Michael nursing the moment after he has just stopped crying,

the sound of rain on our roof top,

the sound of my children's laughter as they wrestle with their dad.

An Angel named Beth

2008-01-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

To My Mom:

We had an angel move into our house during December. Her name is Beth but she is more commonly called Grandma or Mom. Since she has come, she has blessed this home with her generous ways. I am so grateful for her and all she does. Our home is cleaner than it has been since I had Michael. The kids are happier because they now have another adult paying attention to them. Daniel and I have actually been able to go out without the kids a couple of times. Since she has come I have been able to accomplish many tasks I have had to neglect. Getting more done always makes me happy and everyone benefits from that.

She gives so much of herself, everyday. Thank you mom! We love you!

High and Low

2008-01-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

My friend Amy has a post on her blog that explains how she stimulates dinner conversation with her family. During dinner each member of the family shares their highest point of the day and then their lowest point.

I thought this was a wonderful idea so we tried it last night. It was great. Daniel started out and then it was my turn. After that we went in order around the table. My mom and I had the same high point and Christopher and I shared the same low point. What was really neat was that talking about our highs and lows gave a few of us the opportunity to ask for forgiveness for wrong doing, and others of us to express appreciation for kindness given.

After dinner we were all happy and everyone seemed content. Dinner time is usually such a stressful time for me. In fact it has become one of my least favorite times of the day. This totally changed that around. I hope we can keep it up. Thanks Amy for talking about that on your blog. You just made my day a whole lot brighter!

12 Wonderful Years

2008-01-19T10:25:00.001-08:00

Today Daniel and I have been married 12 years!
These have been the best 12 years of my life.

We have had ups and down, highs and lows.
We have shared everything from laughter, tears, t-shirts, and toothbrushes.

There have been times when we have each tripped and fell.
There have been times when we have each lifted the other.

He is my breathe.
He is my strength.

We are only whole when we are together.
When we are together we are one.

Because we have been together through it all everyday is wonderful!

12 years
626 weeks
4383 days
105,192 hours
6,311,545 minutes
378,692,700 seconds

Blog Therapy

2008-01-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

Amy this one's because of you! ;)

A few days ago I, and maybe a few of you, were wrongly accused of having too much time on our hands. I laughed! But then I started to ponder.

My life is insanely busy. Not a day passes that doesn't end with me recounting the day and finding all the things I didn't accomplish. Not because of laziness or poor time management skills (well, OK, better time management would probably help), but mostly because there is just not enough time in the day.

So here is the question that I was pondering: Why do I spend what little free time I have blogging and reading my friends blogs? Here is what I came up with.

Because I love it!

Question #2: Why do I love it? That answer takes a little longer to explain.

I have never been good at staying in touch. I would go so far as to say that I stink at it! (let the snarky comments begin :) ). This particular short-coming is something that I have truly been trying to overcome lately. But it's hard; really hard. It's just not in my nature. Then I got introduced to blogging. For the first time in my life (seriously) I feel like I am making some real progress towards staying connected with my long-distant friends. I love that I can read about the day-to-day life of my friends and that they can read about mine, if they want. I love being able to write one post and know that several people can read it whenever they want, on their own time schedule. There is no pressure. I feel more involved with those of you whose blogs I read than I have since we each moved. It's great! I also think it is really fun when someone who has been reading for a while without commenting, suddenly decides to pop in and join the conversation. It's like a welcome surprise visit.

Now, for those of you who don't have blogs of your own or who don't ever leave comments, please know that I am not slighting you at all. This just works for me, and I'm really excited about it! I know that this kind of communication doesn't work for everyone; far from it. It's just so fulfilling to finally find a solution to a problem I thought I would always struggle with.

The next thing that I discovered as I pondered this new pastime was just how touched I have been by many of your posts. I am astounded by the range of thoughts, ideas, and feelings I experience due to the things we share in our blogs. I have felt my testimony grow as I read about your testimonies. I smile at your kids' antics. I sympathize with your concerns. I laugh out loud at the fun things we all do. Overall, reading each of your blogs gives me hope, perspective, and a growing desire to be a better person. Thank you!

I guess the skinny of it is that blogging is like therapy to me. I need it right now.

The last issue I want to mention, just as a post-script, is about the time we spend making our blogs look pretty. After all, Amy, I know this is what you were really talking about. Making my blog look nice is kind of like putting make-up on in the morning (not that I ever do that, but you get the idea). This is the face I am presenting to the world and I would like it to look its best. I also want it to reflect who I am. I want to accentuate the positive. So it's worth spending a little extra time on it.

Tagged

2008-01-09T22:28:00.000-08:00

I've Been Tagged!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago: (Jan 1998) I was pregnant with Kira and sicker than a dog. Christopher was 15 months old and one of my greatest joys. Daniel was working at Novell and being the most loving and patient husband ever (some things never change). I was taking care of Kaylee while Charity (one of my close friends) worked. We were packing up our apartment to move into a bigger apartment that we were going to share with my mom (she had separated with her husband). I was team teaching 5 year olds in primary with Daniel. I hated it and knew it was going to force me to become inactive (look how much I've grown up).

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Go to the gym and run
2. Teach 6 unruly 1st graders how to use flash cards
3. Help Kira finish her Spain report
4. Talk to Daniel to devise a plan of how to keep me from going mental
5. Drive my mom around to pick up job applications

Snacks I enjoy:
1. Cinnamon rolls (especially from Cinabon)
2. Potato chips with ranch dip
3. Red Swedish fish
4. Cheese (most varieties)
5. Chocolate covered pretzels

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay off our debt
2. Build a new building for our school
3. Visit Europe
4. Take Kira on a cruise (she wants to go on one so badly that she is saving up for it. She already has $34.00)
5. Start the process of making my dream come true of running a program to aid homeless people to get back on their feet.

3 of my bad habits:
1. Procrastination
2. Committing to do more then I am capable of
3. Biting my finger nails

5 places I have lived:
1. San Jose, CA
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. Tremonton, UT
4. Provo, UT
5. Hillsboro, OR

5 jobs I have had:
1. Pizza Delivery Person
2. CNA (certified nursing assistant) at Bear River Nursing Home
3. Phone Operator and Customer Service Rep. at Granite Furniture
4. Book Seller and SPT at Borders
5. Celestial Housekeeper at the LDS Portland Temple

5 things people don't know about me:
1. During my childhood my family was homeless for over a year.
2. I am very insecure with my level of intelligence and I often feel uneducated.
3. I was the drama club president at my high school during my junior year.
4. I have traveled through all of the continental United States except for Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
5. I don't know who my real father is and probably never will.

I tag Maralee, Dori, Ariana, and, Kylene (4 is all I can come up with because everyone else I read has already been tagged).

Bowling

2008-01-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

Family Bowling Saturday Night

Beautiful Blogs

2008-01-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have a question. There are several blogs that I read and each of them are amazing to look at. How do you do it? I have tried to make it so that my blog doesn't just look like another template but I can't seem to figure it out. How do all of you make your blogs so beautiful? Can you give me some pointers?

Lumberjacks

2008-01-03T17:08:00.001-08:00

Living in the country is so much fun!!! We heat our house with the wood burning stove that is in the basement. We have not had to turn on our furnace at all this winter. That's not exactly true. We did use the furnace during October but after we got the $469.00 power bill we decided the stove was the way to go. Buying fire wood is not economical either. In fact it costs more to buy firewood then it does to run the furnace. Luckily last year our wonderful neighbors gave us a large load of wood to get us started. It kept us warm for almost 2 months. But now the real adventure begins. The only way to really save money on heating is to cut down wood ourselves.

Daniel went out and bought a chainsaw (scary, huh?). I didn't really think about the danger of it all until Daniel was describing these chaps he could buy that are made from a special fabric that will jam the teeth of the saw. A friend gave us a tip on a place that has tons of downed trees that we could cut for free. The owner of the land is clearing it for some reason. There are probably 50 or more acres out there with tons of trees.

On New Years Eve and then again on New Years Day Daniel, Kira, and I went out and sloshed around in the mud for 3 or 4 hours and cut wood. It felt so good to be doing something that we knew would benefit our whole family. You know that old adage "Burning wood warms you twice" well that is true enough. Actually as Daniel pointed out it's more like it warms you 4 or 5 times. Once for cutting, once for loading, once for splitting, once for re stacking, and finally for burning.

Of course this wood won't be ready to burn until next winter, but that doesn't diminish the happiness I feel each time I look at it. It feels so good to look in our shed and see all the wood piling up. Daniel and I both love feeling self reliant. We still haven't cut enough wood to last through all of next winter yet but we plan on making several more trips. Daniel wants to wait until it drys out a little bit (actually I think it's fun playing in the mud. I love the sound it makes as it tries to steal your shoes.)

Here are a few pictures.

My Views on Internet Safety

2007-12-30T23:43:00.000-08:00

Daniel and I have this on going dialog about Internet safety. Not a week goes by that I don't ask him something along the lines of "Do you think that's safe enough?" or "Do you really think it matters if . . . ?". To help educate me a little on the topic he has had me read several articles about Internet safety. In many ways this has been very helpful and I am grateful that he is who he is.

When we first got married I took no precautions what so ever to protect our information. Daniel was quite the opposite. He was very cautious. Over the years we have both moderated our views and now we come closer to agreeing. (Truth be told he has infected me with a small amount of unhealthy paranoia. But for me, convenience trumps paranoia most of the time.) Daniel still takes more steps at protecting our personal information then I do (you might have noticed when he first started this blog he didn't even list any of our names) . However, I agree that some safety measures are wise. This is why I didn't use any part of our name in our title (thanks for the suggestions anyways, Denise). We feel it would be best if we don't include last names on any of our posts. This is a small precaution, I admit, but I figure since we talk about where we live and about the kids in detail it would be best if that bit of information be withheld. Thus making it a little harder for just anyone to find out more about us then is healthy.

Sunday Journal Writing

2007-12-30T14:31:00.001-08:00

"So what can I do on Sunday?" This is a common question at our house. It's not just the kids that ask it either. It seems like Daniel and I are continually trying to figure out what "Keep the Sabbath day holy" really means. Every few months we revisit the issue and I find myself reading articles on LDS.org. Today I came across this one. Another resource I use for ideas on things to do on Sunday is here. I have always liked the idea of writing in our journals on Sunday. In the past I printed out whole list of questions to help the kids come up with things to write about. Then we cut these questions into strips and placed them in a jar: a "journal jar". We haven't been too successful with the actual writing. So, a couple times a month, we'll post one of those questions here on our blog and then have each of us answer it.

On to the first question!

Journal Jar Question: What do you think about when you can't fall asleep?

Robin: Mostly about all the things I need to get done. (This is usually what keeps me from falling to sleep in the first place.)

Chris: I think about what is going to happen tomorrow, such as will I be able to play the Wii, or will I find a heirloom of my mom's or dad's? Anything like that.

Kira:I don't know. I don't usually have problems falling asleep. I think I think about nothing.

Briona: I think about stuff. (Actually she doesn't ever have a problem going to sleep. Once she is in bed she falls right to sleep. If we have let the kids stay up late she falls asleep where ever she happens to lay her head. Staying asleep is another matter.)

Daniel: Aargh. That's a tough one. I never fall asleep right away, and the things I think about have changed a lot over the years. It's one of the few times when I completely ignore constraints and obstacles and think solely about possibilities and potentials. Occasionally, I even remember that stuff in the morning.

6 Month Check Up

2007-12-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

Michael had his 6 month check up today. Doctor says he's doing great! He now weighs 18 pounds and is 27 inches tall. He can sit up by himself (for a few minutes at least) and he is grabbing for everything. He's not really rolling yet. He does roll from his back to his tummy but he hasn't figured out how to roll back. He hates being on his stomach for any amount of time so it shouldn't be to long now before he gets it. Actually I'm glad he's not rolling yet because after he figures that out it's only a matter of time before he will really start to move.

I can't believe that 6 months have already past since he took his first breathe of air. He has brought so much happiness into our lives. Babies are such blessings!

Christmas Morning

2007-12-25T15:58:00.000-08:00

Daniel and I woke up this morning when Kira climbed into bed with us at 8:30. She snuggled with us for a little bit and then we decided to get up and see who else was awake. Briona and Grandma we making hot cocoa in the kitchen and Christopher was still snoozing. Since Chris was still asleep we decided to have breakfast before we opened presents (this was Kira's idea).

It is our tradition to have green waffles with red strawberries and white whipped cream for Christmas breakfast. We have done this every year for the past 7 years I think.

After breakfast it was time to open presents. We always start with our stockings (that way we can start on the sugar high 1st thing). Briona was adorable. She emptied her stocking one item at a time. She would pull out each little toy and piece of candy one by one, with a gasp of delight in between. She gets so much enjoyment out of the little things.

Gift unwrapping at our house is a slow and relaxed process. After all, we have to play with each new gift before we can move onto the next. Everyone watches with

anticipation as we take turns opening and exploring our new things. I am not trying to brag but I have to say that my children amaze me. Each year I wait for pushiness, greed and impatience to creep their way into our home on Christmas morning, but my kids keep them away.

Some of the favorite gifts this year are:

Footie Jammies
New Coats
New Bike
Mini MP3 Players
and of Course
the Wii

And the icing on the cake, it started snowing!

The Nativity Story

2007-12-25T15:30:00.001-08:00

The Complete Cast

We got together with some friends and did the Nativity Story. I loved it!!! This is something I have always wanted to do but since we don't have either a huge family or extended family close by, it just hasn't worked out before. This was Great!!! Exactly how I always pictured it!

Mary (played by Kira) and Joseph (played by Rocky) (Michael was suppose to play baby Jesus but he wasn't in the mood)

The Angel (played by Briona) and the Shepherd (played by Brittani) and the sheep (not pictured, played by Phoebe the black standard Poodle)

3 Kings (played by Chris, Reagan, and Bailee)

The Narrator (George)

The Nutcracker Tea

2007-12-23T19:37:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night the whole family went to see "The Nutcracker Tea". This is a production that is put on by the Northwest Dance Theatre. It is a shorter version of the original ballet thus making it more "child friendly". The choreography is also geared towards children. We had a wonderful time. We ended up sitting on the very front row because we had some troubles getting to the theatre but the kids thought that was perfect.

I had to leave during the second act because Michael was getting a little talkative. Luckily there was an exit door right by my seat. I snuck through it. The door opened into what looked like a stairwell and hall. It was fairly dark inside. As I pasted through I was surprised to see some clothes on the floor but didn't think too much about it. Their were two people with head sets on at the side door (I figured they must be security). They gave me directions to the back auditorium and so Michael and I continued to enjoy the performance from there.

After several numbers, Daniel joined me at the back so that he could give me a break. I noticed a really mortified expression on his face. Then everything clicked! I asked him if he had used the same door I did to get here. Then I asked him if by chance the ballerinas were using that stairwell as a dressing room. I couldn't help but laugh. You can only imagine how he felt about the whole experience (Thank heavens it was dark!).

I asked the kids "What things did you enjoy most about the ballet The Nutcracker Tea?"

Chris Said:
These are things that I liked about the Nutcracker Tea:
I liked the Russian Faberge Eggs dance. The reason I liked that is because the dance is so energetic. I also liked the part at the beginning of the dream where the rats are trying to take the Nutcracker. The reason I liked that is because the rats are running around like crazy maniacs! There are more reasons, I just can't put them to words.

Kira Said:
My favorite part was when they were in the land of sweets. My favorite sweets were either the gingerbread men, the French Marzipans, and the dance of the Turkish Delight. I liked their outfits the most. The gingerbread men were girls about 6 years old and they had brown suits on that were like footie jammies with hoods and red buttons. At the end of the dance they popped out of the oven. The French Marzipans were teenagers and they were wearing short blue dresses and fancy blue hats with a blue feather in them. In the Turkish Delight the main dancer was immodest. She had on a top that looked like a sparkly gold bikini top. Her pants were a bit see through but she had on a bikini bottom under the pants. All of the other dancers had those same pants except they were wearing gold sparkly leotards. The main dancer had dangly things that sounded like bells. My favorite dance was the Turkish Delight because that dance was the best. My least favorite dance was the Chef and Chefettes because the chef, which was actually a girl, had a big bottom (that was actually a pillow) and she shook it a ton. It was really really really really (etc.) weird.
I really loved it. Next year I want to see the complete ballet with just me and my mom.

Briona Said:
The little angels.
The fairies. I liked their dresses.
The dragon.

New Title

2007-12-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

Okay the first thing to go is the title. I asked Daniel why he chose Little Kidlets and he said he didn't know exactly. He mainly was thinking about this being a blog about them so he wanted a title that felt like them. I quickly pointed out that they were not going to stay little for long (in fact have you noticed how tall Christopher is now?).

Ever since Dory made a posting on her blog about how she felt about titles, my mind has been chewing on possible titles for this blog. So this is what I have come up with for now. Sunrise, Sunset. If any of you are familiar with the movie Fiddler on the Roof you'll probably already see some of my reasoning. The chorus goes:

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Time flies so fast. So fast that we miss it a lot of the times. The first lines of the song goes:

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he get to be so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday
When they were small?

I want to remember! Writing here is one way that I see that happening. It's through the things we record that our memories are strengthen.

I can't change how swiftly the days fly, but I can make an effort to capture a little of the beauty of the sunrise before it is gone. No doubt the sunset will be magnificent in it's own right, thus worthy of capture as well. Then how grand it will be in those times between when I will be able to pull out those memories and "remember".

New Direction

2007-12-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

Warning!!!!

This Blog has been Hijacked! Well maybe not exactly hijacked by the dictionary's definition (to seize control of (a moving vehicle, usually) by use of force, especially in order to reach an alternate destination), but you get the idea. Now that I'm the one behind the driver's seat I have a new destination in mind. I think I'll let the original driver come along for the ride (because after all, he is kind of cute), but he's riding shotgun now. I won't be too controlling with the steering wheel. He can drive sometimes, too, if he wants. Then there are those backseat drivers as well. I'll give them a turn behind the wheel too, we'll call it "driving lessons". I figure with this much driving power this blog will definitely go places. Get ready for some big changes (like posts on a regular basis)!!!

Three hours in the car, one hour at the beach

2007-07-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

Robin took Beth and the kidlets out to the coast earlier today. Weather here in Portland hovered in the high 90's. Temperature at the beach: Brrrr! Everyone had a good time, though, even if was nasty, brutish and short.

The pictures do a better job than I do, so I'll let them tell the rest!

The week in review

2007-07-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

We've been home from the hospital for a week and two days, and there's been lots of changes. We've been enjoying our time together, and we've gotten a little less sleep than we're accustomed to, so this is my first post since we've been back. (Of course, it also helped that I magically turned our computer into a paperweight for a week. It's all fixed now, but it wasn't pretty. I was less than popular until the right part came in the mail. :-P )
M. has gained back all of his original weight! He's not as chubby as C. was at this age, but he's packing it on pretty well. It sure is fun to watch him grow. The other kidlets love to hold him (especially K.), and they all tell him how cute he is.
Yesterday, M. was lying on the bed, waving his little fists, and blinking at the ceiling. B. ran into the room, saw him there, and came over to the side of the bed. She kissed him on the cheek, and said, "I love you, M!" It's little moments like that that make the whole parenting experience so incredible.We've had lots of people over the last week or so say something like, "Wow! Four kids! You guys must be experts by now!" Err . . . no. We're certainly a lot more relaxed, but there's always surprises and imperfect memories to contend with. You'd think, for example, that I would remember the little techniques that make it harder to get squirted during a diaper change. You'd be wrong. Some things come back faster than others. :-)
The 4th of July was a busy day for all of us. We started with an 8:30 pancake breakfast at the church, where M. was passed around and around and around. Later, everybody but B. went to see Ratatouille, and the whole family went to see the fireworks in the evening. All of these things were loud, bright and crowded, and we were anxious that M. might get a bit overwhelmed. He did great, though, even through the crash/flash of the fireworks. (Better, in fact, than B. did. She collapsed into a little ball and made me cover her head with a blanket and hold her until she fell asleep, about five minutes later.)

In Which Children Get Hold of the Camera and the Baby

2007-06-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

We had lots of visitors yesterday, effectively tripling the number of people M. has met.

Probably like lots of parents, I tend to think in terms of "firsts" a lot for the ... um ... first little while. As in first meal, first cry, first morning, and others, both mundane and significant: first lift of the head, first startle reaction, first real pain I've been unable to do anything about, first time hearing a laugh.

All these things happened yesterday, and M. weathers them with calm acceptance. His cries are intense, short-lived; he quickly returns to gazing and blinking.

He is learning, though, that crying gets more results than simple gasps. I predict, with all my parently insight, that this trend will continue.

Sleeping has not been a problem so far, either. He's twice as old as he was yesterday, and still sleeping soundly at night! He was up until 2 a.m. (my shift), and again for a little while at 5:30, but slept very well until 8:00 or so (!) when a procession of variously-robed strangers came to poke and prod.

He's very strong, holding up his head, grabbing the edge of the bassinet and escaping, Houdini-like, from any swaddle we care to try. Those hands like to be waving around!

So, what do you think? Are early traits a sign of things to come? And, which way? Does a calm baby mean a Terrible Two-ster? Or will he always be a little meditative?

It's easy to remember these foreshadowed traits in the other kidlets. C. has always been interested in doing things on his own: a good sleeper, teaching himself to play piano, lots of time reading. K. loves to be held and loves to tease (she would always feign sleep until you sat down, and then squeak to be picked up). B. has always been a talker, and just slightly on the adventurous side.

It's tougher to remember the things they don't do anymore, though a few stand out. C. used to whack his head on the wall. K. no longer wakes up screaming about lobsters in the middle of the night. B. used to switch random words around in sentences. These all seem to be developmental traits, though, not characteristics.

We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose!

We're checking out this morning, and expect to be home by lunch-time. More to come...

First morning

2007-06-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Last night wasn't too bad, actually. M. was up until 2 a.m., and we took hour-long turns staying up with him. Here at St. V., they're pretty specific about how the baby sleeps, which is a good trait for a hospital, I suppose. In particular, they don't want the baby to sleep in the bed with mom, because they don't want anybody falling out onto the floor.

M. has having none of this, though. He squawked and squeaked and rustled and rumbled until mom curled him up in the crook of an elbow. Then he fell fast asleep, and didn't wake up until 7:30 this morning. Woohoo! We got only a mild reprimand from our pediatrician for not waking the little guy up in the middle of the night to eat. We kept our response private, and everybody felt that duty had been done.

We're taking it easy today. Robin had the option of going home today sometime, but after .3 microseconds of consideration, she decided to stay until tomorrow morning.

Welcome note and pictures

2007-06-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

Here's the welcome note we sent out to everyone (with some personal data omitted, for public consumption). If you didn't get a copy directly, please forgive us! We tried to get everyone, but we're also relying on our great network of friends and family to get the word out.

Dear friends and family,

Please join us in welcoming M. born Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 at 2:44 p.m. He weighs 8 lbs, 1 oz, measures 20" long, and 14" around the head.

Mother and baby are doing very well. The delivery was exceptionally smooth, and went fairly quickly. We'll be here in the hospital until Friday morning, if all continues to go as well as it has.

For those of you who may be interested in all the details (both past and future) you are welcome to follow Robin's delivery blog at:

http://little-kidlets.blogspot.com/

We've attached some pictures, and more can be found on the blog.

Thanks so much for all your support and love. Please forward this on to anyone who may want to know!

Love,

Robin, Daniel, C., K., B. and (finally!) M.

Official details

2007-06-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the skinny on our little guy: He weighs in at 8 lbs., 1 oz., is 20 inches long, and measures 14" around the head. He's had his first bath, his first three (or four!) meals. He's still very calm, crying only when he got his shots and his bath (just like his dad!), and seems to be very content just to gaze at anything that comes along.

Mom's also doing great! She's wolfed down her first post-partum meal, and is busy making phone calls. Did I already say that I won't be able to do pictures until later? A little later this evening probably.

He's here!

2007-06-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

He's here (2:44 p.m.)! Just as Robin thought, once things got moving, they sure went fast! He looks great, and has a good set of lungs. His color is We don't have stats yet, as he's having a little snack. They'll do measurements in a bit.

All is well, and our family's just a little bit bigger. More to come soon!

Just a bit of down-time

2007-06-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

The nurse just came to check up on us. She had Robin do a "test push", and suggested that maybe we take another half-hour to wait for the epidural to fade just a little bit. They really gave her a big dose last time, and now she can hardly move her legs! M. is in the right spot, she says, but it's not quite time to call the doc. Robin's just resting for a bit, getting ready.

2007-06-27T13:53:00.001-07:00

We're in the middle of it now. Robin's between contractions, which, after a third dose, are finally becoming manageable. Probably last post for a while.

Epidural time

2007-06-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

Epidural is in, just as the contractions are ramping up. There's still a little bit of pain (the nurse calls it a "hotspot") where the epidural doesn't seem to be taking effect. They're giving her a second dose to hopefully pick that up as well.

Robin's not one of those pregnant ladies they show on movies, who need their back or their feet rubbed all the time. Quite the opposite, actually. She'd rather be stoically stood near, a task for which I am very well suited.

Dr. B. will probably be back in a few more minutes to check on progress. Contractions very regular at 2.5 minutes.

Here we go...

2007-06-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well, Dr. B. just broke Robin's water. She's at zero-station, 95% effaced, dilated to a 3+. Dr. says baby's heartbeat is great, and Robin's patterns look good. He recommends that if Robin wants an epidural, that she get it as soon as she feels the contractions kick up, which should be about 15 minutes.

Meh

2007-06-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Still nothing. Dr. B. will probably come back around noon to check again, but so far we're still holding at 3 minutes between contractions. Robin's not in much pain, which is the only thing that would bring Dr. B. back any quicker. I'm going to step out for lunch, and hope that nothing happens while I'm gone.

Moving along

2007-06-27T10:11:00.001-07:00

M. is quite a little acrobat. The monitor keeps losing his heartbeat, but he seems to be doing great. The Oxytocin is really kicking in; Robin's contractions are about 2.5 to 3.5 minutes apart, and she's really starting to feel them. No real pain so far, she says, just some noticeable discomfort. We're just passing time.

Delayed action

2007-06-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Dr. B. says we're not ready to get moving yet. Robin's cervix is not faced quite the right direction (around zero station), and she needs a few more contractions before breaking her water is a good idea. She's dilated to a three, though, so that's good news. We'll wait a bit longer, I suppose.

The phlebotamist was taking bets from us on when Robin will deliver. I told her 9:00, but that was in 5 minutes, so nobody believed me. Robin says by 2:00 p.m., which she also didn't believe. 2:30 maybe? We'll see.

We're all checked in

2007-06-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

So, we're here and checked in. The hospital staff has been great so far; very friendly and helpful. The room is very nice and big, and most importantly, has free wireless internet access! :-)

I forgot my USB cable, though, so I can't upload the cute picture of Robin smiling and happy in her very nice looking hospital gown. Or the adorable little pink and blue velcro straps that hold the monitors on her tummy.

Dr. B. has already been by, just to let us know that we'll get things started in 30 minutes or so. The nurse just came in and started Robin on the Pitosin, and Dr. B. will be here to "rupture membranes" soon.