Meet the Bishops

To Sleep, or Not to Sleep?

2012-01-27T14:48:00.000-05:00

I laid my baby down for a nap 45 minutes ago. She had been fed, had a bottle, even had on a fresh clean diaper after filling her pants. I then went about my daily chores, and walked past her bedroom several times to hear lots of chattering, singing, occasional thumping on the wall. Finally, I opened the door to check on her and found this...

She looks so sleepy, doesn't she??

But who can be upset at such cuteness?!? (I think you can actually see her two little teeth on the bottom if you blow up this pic below)...

Even if she is completely unaware that her nap will now be a SHORT one, since she chose to play for the first 45 minutes, and we still have to go pick up Sammie in just over an hour...

Oh well... Luckily, she is a VERY happy girl most of the time, nap or no nap...

Since Natalie chose not to nap for the past while, I decided I'd choose not to nap too, and would blog a random update, even though it's a perfect rainy day outside, and soooo tempting to curl up in bed for a few lazy minutes.

Nope, instead, I present to you, pictures of our latest Snow Day from last weekend. Actually, it's been our ONLY snowy day since that crazy storm back in October that ruined our Halloween party. Weird weather here, but we're not complaining!

We thoroughly enjoyed our one day of snow and ice, and thought it was especially nice that it came on a Saturday! The kids ate breakfast, then we all bundled up to go out and PLAY!!!

Samantha is a die hard snow-lovin' girl! She was the first one out, last one in, and begged for more later in the day, as usual.

Spencer was not to be outdone by his sister this time. He got cold, but managed to stay out and get in almost as much snow time as Samantha..

And Natalie had her first snow adventures, so fun!

She got up close and personal with it, and didn't mind too much...

She was especially fascinated with her mittens, and kept watching the snow on them. I LOVE watching babies in the snow. She was wobbling all over the place, but kept her balance pretty well.

King of the Mountain!!

Snow Queen, with ice in her hair...

We even made it down to our pond, which was just starting to freeze over a bit. The ducks haven't left for the winter. Maybe ducks don't do that?? (5 secs after I took this pic, Nat tried to climb OFF the bridge and into the pond 8-10 feet below! they really don't have any common sense at that age, do they?!)

And back inside for hot chocolate to warm everybody up...

Natalie was VERY pleased by the hot chocolate.

And Spencer too, of course!

Just so you know they aren't always quite so perfectly cute, here's Natalie eating her dinner last night... totally COVERED in rice and gravy. It's a daily occurrence. Then she smells like whatever tasty meal we had, until bath time. Sigh...

As for the post-surgery updates... Good. and Good.
My mom had surgery on her left rotator cuff last Friday. It's been a rough week with lots of narcotics and rest for her. But she's doing well. She had a follow-up visit yesterday and the doctor was very positive and said it all looks great. Whew! It's just a long recovery process, and her arm is pinned to her side, which can't be very fun. Anyway, I'm just glad everything went well for her, and that she's now on the mend!

As for Spencer, his surgery went really well, also. We forgot the camera (can you believe?? -- guess blogging/documenting it for public consumption wasn't exactly the first thing on our minds, eh?) But luckily, Brian had his trusty Blackberry with him, to take this sweet picture of our little hospital goer...

He was a perfect patient, and has had a really smooth recovery. It's been much better than I expected. In fact, to go along with the title of our post, he's actually been sleeping BETTER since his surgery than he was before (knock on wood!). Even after he got off the tylenol w/codeine (which he only took twice!). Yay! Of course, at this precise moment he is a growly, whiny little bear because I turned off his Netflix so we can go get Samantha. Oh well... all is normal, which means all is good, right?!? We're just glad it all went smoothly and that he's our happy little boy again. Modern medicine is an absolute miracle to me. Miracle. And Blessing.

Anyway, bye for now! 56 degrees out there. In January. Weird, but I am NOT complaining!!

Nimpadoodee, Pope-ee-dope, and other randomness

2012-01-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

Wow! First, thanks for all the comments, sympathy, and encouragement from that last post. I know it sounded like I was practically BEGGING for some comments... well, thanks for coming out of the woodwork (or off your i-phones), to show your support. Along the lines of a "report" -- I DID indeed try to go to sleep early the night I wrote that post. But then there were lots of "interruptions" all night... wind, Spencer, Brian, Spencer again, more wind, etc. Sigh. Not all nights are as restorative as I might wish, eh?

Anyway, on to the title of this post: Nimpadoodee.
This is Spencer's own made-up word. I'm not exactly sure when it became a favorite -- maybe sometime this past fall? Well, he says it every day, many times a day, and it really has no meaning it all. He uses it to torment poor Samantha. In a soft little sing-song voice, he walks by Sammie and sings, "Nimpadooooo-dee!" -- holds onto the "dooooo" for emphasis.

Her reaction is hilarious, and somewhat over-the-top, I think. She first starts running away from him; then covers her ears as he follows her with his chant; then yells, "STOP THAT NIMPADOODEE!!"; then finally resorts to dramatic tears of frustration.

I feel kind of funny ordering Spencer, "No more nimpadoodee right now, okay?" But what else am I to do? I mean, it's a made-up word, but its soul purpose seems to be irritating his poor sister. Oh, the woes of siblinghood!

I have reminded Samantha that she also has a made-up word of her own:
Pope-ee-dope. (Not sure how one would really spell that one, so I'm just going with the phonetic pronunciation for ya.) Yep. Pope-ee-dope was her own creation way back in London. And its use was somewhat similar to Nimpadoodee -- she would say it when she got a little bit frustrated with us -- "Daddy! Don't be a Pope-ee-dope!" And we thought it was hilarious then, still do even now.

But unfortunately, it does not have the same antagonizing effect on Spencer... Spencer starts in with Nimpadoodee, and so Samantha smugly turns around and says "Pope-ee-dope" right back to him. He only smiles, and continues with his little sing-song, "Nimpadooooo-dee!" She tries another "Pope-ee-dope" but he seems completely unphased by her attempts. So then, she eventually resorts to running away, screaming at him, then crying... Poor Samantha.

Maybe I'm not properly mothering on this one. I mean, after all, Nimpadoodee and Pope-ee-dope could be considered by some to be name-calling -- which I try not to allow. (No "stupid," or "dumb-dumb face" or anything like that, ya know?) But well... Nimpa-doooooodee-- c'mon. It's a tiny bit funny, isn't it? I don't let it get too out of hand, and when she's really bothered, I do make him stop... time-out usually does the trick. Sigh. Always the referee, I am.

Samantha's best reactions have been, one evening, just before dinner, she yelled out from the living room: " SPENCER!!!!! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH NIMPADOODEE!!!!!"

And on her birthday, as they were laying in bed ready to go to sleep, he started his chant and she sniffled out: "You're making me have a BAD BIRTHDAY, with all your NIMPADOODEE!!!" -- I made him stop, that time. I mean, it was her birthday, after all, right?

Well, here's our Nimpadoodee man, himself, looking a little bit sly, hehehe...

He's going in for a minor surgery on Monday... he was born with a hernia (on his little boy parts, ahem). Weird, huh? It's an outpatient surgery, and the doctors have assured us that he should be "back to normal" within a week. But still, it's a big deal to the Mommy to have my Baby Boy go through this. Send us some prayers, please!

And while you're praying... might as well add a prayer for my mom, too. She's going in for a surgery on her rotator cuff (shoulder) this afternoon. It's been on my mind a lot lately. She had major back surgery back in November, and has been waiting to be well enough to do this surgery (which actually needed to be done before the back surgery, but the back surgery was more pressing.)

As you can imagine, it's hard being so very far away from her when these "big" events are happening for her. I feel a little helpless and distant -- wish there was more I could do for her. But I do believe in the power of prayer, and feel a lot of comfort there. I'll try to put up an update, in a few days... on both Spencer and my mom. Kay?

Bye for now... Nimpadoooooo-dee!

Up and down, or down and up?

2012-01-17T22:17:00.001-05:00

It's a bit of a rough ride around here, folks. And this little entry is possibly better suited for a journal instead of a blog. But, as I find myself in front of the computer tonight, and as I see that no one is commenting anyway (sniff sniff -- not a single person cared to write ANYTHING about Samantha's birthday??), I'll just use this as my attempt at journaling a bit of our latest.

It's about the Job. As in, Brian's Job. We all know it's unbearable, and we've all known that from Day One, right? (And by "we" I include all you lurking readers who have heard the ghastly tales in past posts.) Yes, we know it stinks. And really, it doesn't do to dwell on the downers. But sometimes, well... the glass seems far *less* than just half full. What's the optimistic way to say there's only a tiny little bit left in that darn glass?? I think we need a fill up, please!

I started off this new year with a "new attitude!!" I set a bunch of goals, and had a GREAT first week of 2012. Well, great, except for the fact that Brian was gone, gone, and more gone every day and most of every night. But I tried not to dwell on that... ate healthy food, did some yoga, read stories to the kiddos, cleaned the bathrooms, and even went to bed at a reasonable hour. For a whole week!

Then, it became Week Two. And well... Brian still wasn't home. At all. So, why bother going bed at a reasonable hour, if HE wasn't?! I had hardly lost any weight, so why bother eating quite so healthy? (Don't worry, I didn't binge too badly.) Also, aren't the kids just as easily entertained by Netflix as they are by stories from mom? And my body was pretty stiff, from all that yoga so... introduce a week-long yoga break. And who cares about laundry, let alone bathrooms?!? All this, for a whole week! (Yes, there were tears, on multiple occasions -- mine, and my children's! And maybe even Brian's, but he wasn't here for me to document it.)

A comparison?
Week One = good.
Week Two = bad.

Week One = happy wife tries to offer comfort and cheer to a very over-worked, weary husband.
Week Two = weary, lethargic wife can hardly roll out of bed to face the kids each morning, even stoops to thinking menacing thoughts about the over-worked husband who rolled into bed at 5 a.m. and is STILL asleep as wife gets up at 7:30! (Imagine!!)

Week One = checking things off lists.
Week Two = chucking lists in the trash.

Week One = making plans with friends, enjoying the occasional, necessary "break" (even though I do feel bad Brian couldn't take one, too)
Week Two = wallowing in front of lame-o Netflix movies night after night, willing myself to stay awake just that much longer, for no good reason.

The only REAL difference, I hate to admit, was the way I faced what was in front of me. I hate to admit it, because I like to blame my downer days on the fact that it really stinks that Brian has to work so much -- stinks for him, especially, and it stinks for me, too. And I like to think that Week Two was WORSE, because one can only take so much of this and then there's some hidden breaking point and I must have hit it as I started into that second week.

But if I'm totally honest?

I just got short sighted. I stayed up too late, and justified it by telling myself I was doing "necessary" things (that really aren't so necessary after 10 p.m., right?) Then I felt exhausted and short-tempered in dealing with kids, then guilty at the end of the day for what I didn't get done and how poorly I mothered my babies. Then I stayed up late again to "try" to get some stuff done, but ended up just feeling slumpy and watching more movies or sitcoms. Lame.

Of course, I like to blame all that on Brian's job. It's easier that way, isn't it?

But see, then I went to sleep at 9:30 p.m. last night (unprecedented!), slept all the way until 7:30 a.m., and -- like MAGIC -- I am back to Week One attitude! Magic, I tell you. I believe in sleep. I believe in goals. I believe in trying harder to maintain that "half-full" perspective, even though I sometimes think it might go against something in my very nature. So, I'm trying again... starting right now with another early night, and hopefully another productive, happier day tomorrow.

There's my journal entry for the night. And for the record, Brian's job really IS absolutely TERRIBLE -- no matter if the glass is half-full. It's just the truth.

But we're surviving. :)

Back-blogging: Princess Party for our Six-Year-Old!

2012-01-13T23:18:00.002-05:00

Guess who turned SIX?!?!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Samantha girl! I was just collecting pictures to write about her birthday, and I realized we haven't taken many pics of just Samantha lately. We'll have to fix that, in the next weeks, eh?

Well, I thought I'd show some pictures of her fun birthday party. She wanted to have a Princess Party this year, like her two other friends from church and school had earlier this fall. Funny, she's never actually had a "friends" birthday party; we were planning to do one when she turned five, but she decided she'd rather just have a family day and go to the Boise Children's Discovery Center. Fair enough.

So, finally, a "friends" party, and finally a princess party. It was low-key, but fun. She invited five girls, but in the end one couldn't come, one got sick... and it turned into a party of three. We played a game of "draw a beautiful princess." They all did a great job and really got into it. But they were mad about Spencer's scribbles (as you can see on the lower right corner of their princess poster, below)...

Spencer was promptly banished to his own coloring sheet. (And yes, he's wearing a tutu. I mean, it was a princess party, after all). After they finished their drawings, they coached me on drawing a HUGE princess on the other side of their poster, then we played "pin the crown on the princess." I was the one directing the blindfolded girls with their crowns, so no pics of that game. (And luckily, no pics of my fine artsy princess, who had "too puffy" of hair, they told me.)

Next, was a rousing game of musical chairs, Samantha's absolute favorite. I took a few vids...

Then, my most creative idea was to let them decorate Samantha's cake. I'm telling you, that was a hit!! They felt soooo privileged and excited to be able to put their own flourishes into the decorating... and eat some of the candies as they went.

They were very intent and serious about their work...

And the end result. Too much is NEVER enough!!

This is weird, but I was really worried the cake decorating idea was going to "go south" so I bought pink snowball cakes, and for some reason put her candles on the snowballs. Funny, eh? They didn't even eat the snowballs, but they LOVED the red velvet cake.

I know I took a little video of the "happy birthday" song, but it must have gotten erased, I guess. Darn. It was really cute. Imagine little girlies, all wanting to blow together.

And the presents... She got some really fun, sweet gifts from her friends, and from grandmas and grandpas, and Dad and Mom. This wasn't the whole stash, but it shows a few of her goodies, anyway...

To open the presents, we played this game called, um... "guess who said happy birthday while you're in this big box." Can you figure how that one worked? Well, yep... Samantha climbed in the box, we all danced around it singing Happy Birthday, while we spun the box in a circle. Then I pointed to one of the kids and they disguised their voice and said, "Happy Birthday!" When she guessed who said it, she got to open the present they brought. She loved it.

Then after it was over, we let each of the party goers have a go in the box. We sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to them, instead. Then someone said, "Merry Christmas!" and they had to guess who. I'm so creative, eh? ha!

Then we played Twister (one of her gifts), ate more cake and ice cream and special raspberry soda punch drink, and the girls went home. When her daddy came home a little bit later, we have a little more cake, to celebrate with him. And now... she's six!! We sure do love our Samantha girl.

Replaced??

2012-01-12T23:11:00.002-05:00

I didn't come to bed fast enough last night... looks like Brian found a new roommate?

Ha ha ha!! That's the big bear I bought for Brian (and really for the kids) for Christmas. Funny, huh? Just had to share. :)

Back Blogging: Empire State Building

2012-01-05T22:15:00.001-05:00

I know this is old material, but it's gotta make the blog because, c'mon -- it's the Empire State Building. Very cool, I promise. The evening after Thanksgiving (it wasn't THAT long ago, was it??), we decided to take the kids into the city to see some of the Christmas lights and go up to the top of the Empire State Building.

They love the train, even Natalie, so we headed down to Grand Central, then walked over to Bryant Park, where they set up a huge ice-skating rink, lots of holiday lights and decorations, and a whole village of shops, just for the holiday season. It was really pretty, unfortunately I didn't get a picture.

But I did get a picture of Minnie Mouse...

Not a bad gig, if you ask me... Some lady (or man??) dressed up in a Minnie costume and a Snow White dress, to boot. She waves at the kids, then charges Mom and Dad a couple bucks to take a picture with their little darlings. Not a bad way to make some extra cash, eh? Once I get me a Minnie suit, you'll know where to find me in my free time.

And on to the big event. Pretty cool, eh? I'm glad Brian thought to take this picture, because really, when you get to the top, it's not like you actually get to SEE what the Empire State Building looks like. Especially at night, eh? Our kids were super enthused (read with sarcasm), after the not-so-long-but-not-so-short serpentine line to the elevators...

And then, finally, the views...

Worth the wait, even though it was cold and windy, and dark. New York just looks really good at night, I think...

Looking "up" at the rest of the tower -- turns out they don't really take you ALL the way to the top, but it sure feels high enough, to me...

And down again. In the lobby, they had these really cool Christmasy displays -- not sure if they're there year-round, or just for the holidays? But they were really pretty.

The kids especially liked this one, because the entire "city" is made of candy -- like a giant gingerbread house. Awesome!! (I love Spencer's "smile" here... and Samantha's, come to think of it. Okay, and mine's a little forced, too. ha! But really, we were loving it!)

Brian was smart enough to take a picture of this cool display, highlighting all the "tallest" buildings in the world at the time the Empires State Building was built, and how they all compare...

And he also caught this picture of King Kong...

Seriously, there was a guy dressed in a gorilla costume, standing outside of the elevators on the 66th floor. (They make you change elevators at 66th and ride up another short elevator to the top.) We were standing in line, and we turned around and --WHOAH! Freaky and funny. He didn't say anything, but he looked pretty imposing. Luckily Spencer didn't see him. (He gets really freaked out about "costumes" -- among other things.)

And a few pics of the kids at the top. Natalie looks like she's crying right? Well, I think she was actually just smiling really big. I don't remember her being too upset by the whole adventure....

Spencer on the other hand...

Remember back at the first when I posted a picture of Minnie and me and the kids? Umm... I think that was Spencer's best moment. After that, he just wanted to go home. Part of it was that we mentioned Bryant Park (which is actually just a "square" in the middle of town), and he thought we were taking them to a playground. Oops.

Another reason for his not-so-happy attitude was that he was sick, but we didn't know it. Poor guy! He was wiped out on the way home, on the train. And by the time we got him into bed, he was running a fever of 103F. We took him to the doctor after a slow, miserable weekend, and found out he had bronchitis, bordering on pneumonia. Not good.

So, I guess he had a good reason to be a little sad for our outing. The worst of it is that he STILL isn't all the way recovered... He's been congested in one form or another ever since then. I just got him on another course of antibiotics for a double ear infection. We're hoping he makes a full recovery soon -- he's supposed to have a little minor surgery in a couple of weeks here (Jan 23). Prayers for a better boy, eh?

Anyway, that's our story of going to the top of the Empire State Building. Memorable? yes. Enjoyable? sort of. Advisable with three kids at night? ummm... I'm glad we went. Check it off the NY list, eh?

Back blogging: First teeth

2011-12-30T00:11:00.002-05:00

Can't believe we're already to the "loose tooth" stage of our kiddos. But it had to happen sometime, eh? So, here she is, our Samantha girl, on November 14, just one month before her sixth birthday... sporting a nice little hole on her bottom row.

She was sooo excited to lose a tooth, finally. She wiggled it around in her mouth for several days, twisting it back and forth, etc. I tried to pull it one night, before bed time. But it was kind of making me sick, so I told her just to go to bed and it would probably come out the next day.

It did. At school. At lunch, in fact. And... I think she must have swallowed it. She said she was wiggling it around when she was in line for lunch. But then she was eating and noticed it was gone! She looked all around by her lunch bag and on the floor. The lunch monitor even came over and had the custodian stop sweeping so a few teachers could help her look.

No luck. Poor thing. She was pretty sad about it. But then, her teacher helped her write a little note to the Tooth Fairy, explaining the situation. Both she and Mrs. Winter signed it, and Mrs. Winter showed it to me when I came to pick Samantha up from school. (btw -- she ONLY wants to be called Samantha at school, or at church or "any time we're out or people are at our house, Mom." Guess Sammie's a little kid name, now.) So anyway, the Tooth Fairy was very understanding, and took the note instead of the tooth, and left Samantha $3, for all her trouble of losing her first tooth -- and REALLY LOSING it!!

Not to be outdone by her sister, Natalie FINALLY cut her first two teeth a week later, at almost 14 months! Whew! We were starting to wonder if she'd be toothless forever, little cutie. (Actually, my mom tells me I didn't cut a single tooth until 14 months, either, so I guess that was in her genes, turns out!)

I have tried getting a picture of her tiny, darling little teeth (she cut two at once, yay!)... but she's not very cooperative yet. So instead you just get cute Natalie... tah dah!

Christmas Past

2011-12-28T23:08:00.000-05:00

Six years ago.
Pre-blogging time for me.
My first moments of motherhood. Tonight I want to share...

For some reason, I feel like I've been visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past this year. All through the season, I've found myself thinking and reflecting on the Christmas season the year Samantha was born. What sweet, overpowering memories I have of that amazing, new experience of welcoming our first baby into our life. Actually, I may be oversimplifying things when I say it that way. I recall some very tender, wonderful memories with that tiny new baby, but I also look at these pictures, and remember how completely, utterly exhausted and overwhelmed I was!

Samantha was born 11 days before Christmas. Her original due date was December 24th -- Christmas Eve. I was sooo worried I would have a Christmas baby. But nope. Ten days early, on December 14th... I woke up and knew my water was leaking. But I kept my dental appointment (nice to have clean teeth to deliver that baby, right?), then took the Tube over to the hospital. On that last stop before the hospital, I was sitting down when I felt my waters break. What to do? I just stayed seated, hoped no one would notice, then quietly excused myself and left a wet seat. (So gross, I know. But I certainly wasn't up for making an announcement. so...) I walked myself to the hospital, checked myself in, and got some lunch first thing. I wasn't making much progress on my own, so by mid-afternoon I opted for an epidural and some cintocen -- as they call it over there (pit). Brian packed up his stuff from work, went home and got my stuff for me, and came to be with me. He watched a movie while we waited, until I made him turn it off. Ha!

Samantha was born at 10:20 p.m. It was the most beautiful moment of my life. We had decided to have a "surprise" baby, so I didn't even know if she was a boy or girl. And I didn't care. Not one bit. In fact, it didn't even occur to me to ask, as I saw that little baby on my stomach. I was surprised to hear Brian whisper, softly, "It's a girl." Other than his soft whisper, the room was so quiet and still. Samantha didn't cry. At all. She just laid there, looking all around at us. Her hair was bright red, and her lips were, too... so pretty. So tiny. So perfect. The doctor kept telling us she was a really pretty baby, and that her head was perfectly shaped -- like a cesarean section baby.

Wow. What sweet memories of our first baby. First feedings.First baths. First long, endless, sleepless nights. I remember, the night before Christmas Eve, Samantha gave me the best present -- she slept for nearly six hours, in the middle of the night! I felt soooo refreshed on Christmas Eve day. I even insisted we go shopping, so we could buy a little Christmas dress for our baby to wear to church the next day. (We hadn't bought anything in advance, not knowing if she was a girl or boy, remember?) Ah yes, Christmas was a Sunday that year -- maybe that's why I'm having all these memories again? This is the first year since then that we've had another Christmas on Sunday.

I finally found a perfect little pink dress that was probably going to drown our newborn, but I didn't care. I was proud of it. We went home, and this darling, unpredictable newborn did not sleep. At all.
All.
Night.
Long.
Oh what a Christmas Eve we had, Samantha and I. Brian's brother, Reed, was living with us at the time, and I was so afraid my crying baby was waking him and/or Brian... I went downstairs to the couch, turned on the Christmas lights and a Christmas CD. For hours, I held my little Samantha, and cuddled her, rocked her, nursed her, etc... hours and hours. I remember feeling so exhausted, yet loving the feeling of holding my baby with only the Christmas lights and music. I loved thinking it was Christmas Eve, and here I was with my tiny little baby -- yes, a little like Mary, I thought.

Samantha loved looking at the lights on the tree, loved Amy Grant's Christmas carols, loved nursing me sore, loved being rocked at an extremely awkward angle right in front of my body perpendicular to me... all this she loved. But she didn't love sleeping.

In my journal, I think I recorded that she only slept about 1 1/2 hours total between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. -- only sleeping in 20-minute intervals. Which meant I didn't really sleep AT ALL. Finally, at 8 o'clock, as the sun was rising, we both drifted off to sleep. We missed church, and I cried and cried all Christmas day. Scott and Alicia called to tell us they were headed to the hospital to have THEIR Christmas baby -- and I slept through the call. Then I cried about that. Then cried about missing my family and spending another Christmas away from home. Then cried about having to nurse again. (ouch!) Mainly, I was just exhausted, I know. But I thought it was crummy trick to have a newborn at Christmas. ha! I kept sniffling, saying, "I hate that it's Christmas and I feel like this!!" Poor Brian and Reed. What to do with a hormonal, sleep-deprived new mother? They mainly left me to myself, and made me delicious soup for Christmas supper.

And, of course, Brian took his turns holding our little angel, as often as he could...

Oh, I look back now and wish I could tell myself to embrace that Christmas Spirit for that day. Remember the sweetness of that tiny, innocent little baby. Let Brian take more turns, like he wanted to. I wish I could tell myself to just savor it all, even though I thought that's what I was doing -- take more pictures, take more moments to look at those tiny red lips and itsy bitsy toes. Let her sleep on my stomach, if that makes her happy. Let her sleep in my bed sometimes, if that makes her Daddy happy. Let Jenny show me how to swaddle her properly -- much earlier than six weeks! Let that nursing consultant come back for a second round even though I stood her up accidentally that first time -- it's her job, after all. Kiss those perfect cheeks even more, and breathe in that new baby smell even more. Write it all down, make more paper memories, because she'll want to hear about them, all.

I loved that Christmas, (even the part where I was crying and sad), because I was finally, for the first Christmas ever, a mother -- what I always wanted to be.

Goodnight, Ghost of Christmas Past.

And goodnight, tiny newborn Samantha of six years ago...

Thanks for the memories.

Christmas, lovely Christmas.

2011-12-27T22:33:00.001-05:00

It was a lovely holiday, even though we're far away from home. It all got over too quickly, -- my only real complaint. What I liked about this Christmas was that I didn't feel a lot of the stress I normally feel surrounding the whole month of December. I shopped earlier than usual, and -- thanks to Brian -- had most of our presents wrapped BEFORE 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. It was nice. I still felt a bit overwhelmed and frustrated from time to time, but not that frantic, over-the-top kind of stress I sometimes seem to develop at high-intensity moments, like Christmas.

We had a little Christmas Eve party at our house with a couple of families we know from church. Let's be honest, isn't Christmas Eve mainly about the food?? Oh, we had some delectable-ness going on at our house... bbq wings, layered salad (the kind with bacon and peas), ham and cheese rolls, dill dip and veggies, slushie drinks, caramel turtle brownies, almond fudge on shortbread, peanut butter fudge, gingerbread cake... I'm sure I missed some other wonderfulness (but you can bet I didn't miss sampling ANY of it, abundantly, that night!!)

We attempted a little nativity play with the children. It wasn't our best ever -- two wanted to be Mary, two wanted to be an angel, no one wanted to be Joseph, the shepherd didn't want to wear a "hat", innkeeper kinda wanted to follow Joseph and Mary on their walk through Bethlehem, Natalie wanted to steal the baby Jesus from his manger (or add extra "babies" to join him), and we didn't even attempt to add wise men. But hopefully the kids got a something out of it. And they looked cute, for sure!

Christmas morning was quiet at our house. The picture above is from just before the kids woke up. I set my alarm for 8 a.m., thinking for SURE the kids would be up long before it went off. But nope. We ended up having to wake them, so they could open presents before we had to get ready for church. ha! I guess our Christmas Eve party wore them out!

It was a really sweet Christmas morning. Skates and art stuff for Samantha, a dump truck and cement mixer truck for Spencer, a big slide and a back pack and baby doll for Natalie, pillow pets all around ("Santa read the back of my mind about the Pillow Pet" was Samantha's exact quote.)... Happy kids! One fun gift... I got a HUGE stuffed bear from Costco for Brian. It was something we saw way back in October, and he just thought it was soooo cool -- a big ol' bear. So, I got it for him when I was grocery shopping with just Nat and Spence. Well, that very day that I bought it, when Daddy came home from work, first thing Spencer said to him was, "we got you a big bear from Costco as a surprise, Daddy." Nice. I had even hidden it away in the attic, where I was SURE Brian wouldn't find it. Oh well. It was really for the kids, anyway, right? I just thought it would be funny for it to be for "Daddy" on Christmas morning. :)

Brian got me/us a GPS for Christmas. Can I please say that again?? We got A GPS!!! HOORAY!! I'm so proud of him for taking my very blunt hints all month long, and coming up with EXACTLY what I wanted. :) (No more crying, helpless, lost, frustrated Kamber, wandering aimlessly around NY! whew!!) He also got me some other very thoughtful gifts... MAC make-up and gift card, a nice zip-up sweater, etc. And in turn, I picked up on his "we should get a Kindle" hint,, and got him a Kindle. Surprise! And some clothes (boring). And a CD.

The day went like this...

wake up. open presents with the kids. I shower while Brian makes breakfast for the kids. I eat peanut butter fudge for breakfast, again. hurry and get everyone ready for church. cry (just a tiny bit) on the way to church because we're running late and I'm supposed to play the organ. miraculously arrive 5 mins before the meeting is set to start and breathe a sigh of relief and an apology to Brian for my stress and tears. play the organ for the first half of the meeting then let the bishop play for the second half since no one let me know in advance that there was a "program" I was to rehearse. go home and play with Christmas toys. make a delicious green salad and head to the Anguses for a very festive, fancy Christmas dinner complete with ham, pork, lamb and turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes, and frozen berries in our ice cubes (so fancy my kids didn't know what to do with them, ha!), and cloth napkins and Martinellis and Australian pavlova. mmmm!! a sweet moment watching Natalie sit on Kerry Angus' lap, eating pavlova and waiting very expectantly for every "next" bite. a little Christmas program with some singing, stories and a lovely Christmas prayer. a cartoon video about the birth of the Savior (still to scary for Samantha, who couldn't bear to watch wicked King Herod). home again, home again for a few more minutes to play with toys before bed. quick "Merry Christmas" phone call home. early bed night for me -- 11 p.m! Brian kept talking to his parents and sister for a few more hours before turning in. A lovely Christmasy day. Kinda sad it's all over.

The day after Christmas we were lazy slugs, living on leftovers and fudge, playing with all our new gifts, etc. We went for a walk around the neighborhood so Samantha could try out her new skates. She is a bit daunted, sad to say. "I'll NEVER get the hang of this!" -- was her final comment as we headed back in the house. But I bet she'll try again soon. She's not one to stay daunted for long, we know! Here she is with Natalie, right after skating practice ended...

And here's one of Nat, in her big puffy pink coat, which she loves, and which makes her look even more adorable than ever, if that's even possible...

In the evening, we took a drive down to Brooklyn to check out some fancy Christmas lights I'd seen listed on someone's blog. Dyker Heights Christmas lights -- an entire neighborhood in the Italian sector has gone CRAZY with Christmas lights. And we loved it. The kids convinced us we'd enjoy it a lot more if we got out and walked around to see the lights. So we did. And it was worth the cold hands and runny noses. It was my favorite Christmas treat of the season, I've decided. I leave you with this bunch of photos, which really deserves its own post (but isn't going to get it tonight)...

(Yes, the kids were in their pajamas. Smart parents, eh?)

Kinda hard to see (below), but there are 30 foot-high nutcrackers in the background of this picture. They're real. Some lady standing next to us said she heard they were brought in with a crane!!

Giant Santa... almost a little bit scary, but cool, too. I like Samantha's quizzical look.

A more distant shot of the nutcracker house..

Three happy kids, ready to head home, fall asleep in the car, and be lifted carefully into bed by mom and dad at 10 p.m...

Pictures with Santa

2011-12-22T22:52:00.001-05:00

I already mentioned our ward party, right? It was really nicely done! They even had Santa Claus come for a visit. With free professional pictures! So fun!! Brian took the kids in to get their pictures and visits with Santa, while I was helping out in the kitchen. Samantha wants... a lot. Dollhouse (where will we put it??), sled, skates, teddy bear, umm.... Santa will have to look at his list for the rest.

Spencer wants a dump truck and a digger. And Samantha always instructs him that he should also ask for "some surprises," because, "you never know!"

Sadly, it looks like Natalie did not get a visit with Santa. Poor Brian was trying to manage all three kids while I was helping out in the kitchen. So, I think Nat stayed relegated to the stroller. Too bad. I LOVE seeing babies' FIRST real encounters with Santa. ha ha! Am I morbid? I think it's so funny how they usually start bawling like crazy.

We may be trying to take the kids to meet the REAL Santa down on 34th Street in the City tomorrow, so Natalie can have her chance to shine. We'll see. If not, well, at least the kids got some really cute pics, eh?!

My favorite new gingerbread

2011-12-21T13:27:00.002-05:00

I've fallen in love with this recipe. My friend's mom made these for a little "ladies' night" jewelry party we had last Christmas. I asked for the recipe then, but didn't get around to making this lovely little treat until just a few weeks ago. Oh my! I think I've made six batches, for various occasions, so far this month. I now have the recipe memorized, and have bought a new, bigger jar of molasses to continue my addiction. I know I said I wouldn't make this into a foodie blog. But trust me, you'll want to try this one... It's just that easy, and that good!

(We put m&ms in ours, just to make it festive. Red hots would be better, but CVS had none.) Enjoy!!

Quick Ginger Snap Bars

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. oil

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg

Mix the above ingredients together, then add:
2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp ginger

3/4 tsp cloves

Divide dough into two balls. Roll each ball into a log about 12 inches long. Put both logs on one large cookie sheet. Flatten each about 3 inches wide, sprinkle with sugar, bake 9-10 min at 375. Bars will spread to fill up the cookie sheet. Cool a little and cut into bars while warm.

(Thanks to Ann McDowell and her mom for this one!!)

Not Blogging

2011-12-19T22:22:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed -- I'm not blogging these days.
Just busy, you know?
And I never can find the camera to upload pics. And one computer is broken.

But if I were blogging, I'd blog about some of these things, in depth...

-- Samantha turned six. I am so excited to have a BIG six-year-old girl!! She's so cute and already seems so grown up. To me, it seems like she's been six for the past several months anyway, so I'm glad she finally gets to BE as old as she's seemed. ;) She had a great birthday -- got to wear a birthday crown at school, got to bring in treats (well, fruit, actually -- no REAL treats cuz everyone's allergic, apparently). And she had a fun birthday party with friends, followed by a fun party with family. I definitely have to give her a full post tribute. Soon. I promise.

-- Samantha was in her first school holiday program. It was so fun to see our girlie up there singing her little heart out. She knew ALL the words, and sang with great gusto. One funny thing... when they opened the curtains on the stage, all the kids were on the risers being so still and reverent, and all the parents in the audience were WAVING, almost uncontrollably, at their kids. It was so funny to me. Isn't is supposed to be the other way around? But no, those kids kept their composure, for the most part -- only three or four of the 100 kids that were up there actually waved back. Samantha didn't... not even once the entire program. But she did acknowledge that she saw us and our waves, with a bigger smile, an eyebrow raise, and a small upward tilt of the head. So proper, our little stage lady!!

-- Spencer is doing better at night. And is doing somewhat better with some of his other anxieties, as well. He still wakes almost every night, but is getting much easier to settle back, for the most part. Thank you so much for all your advice -- I've tried some of it and have found it very helpful. We're seeing progress, which means a lot.

-- At church this past week, we had our ward Christmas party. My good friend, Lindsay, was in charge of it. I wish I would have taken pictures of it, because it was really fun!! It looked really elegant and festive, and the food was delicious. They had a variety show, and Brian and I were on the program, believe it or not. You don't picture us the stage-y type, I bet? Well, we were actually the first act -- a magic trick, where we made a ba-dana disappear. hee hee. You'll have to ask the kids about it, they still can't stop talking about it, and keep asking me to retell them how we did the whole thing. (Brian told me to pick up a bandanna, but I picked up a banana, instead...)

-- The season is moving right along, and I have eaten more gingerbread than any one lady of my age should consume in such a short time. Seriously, I never even liked gingerbread until this year. I have found my perfect gingerbread recipe, and have probably made six batches of it in the last two weeks. Sooooo good. I will have to share the recipe. (When I'm blogging.)

-- My mom had back surgery. The big major kind where they used words like "grinding bone" and "locked vertebrae." It's a long, slow recovery, but she's doing really well. I got to go home and see her for a few days at the first of the month -- just Natalie and me. It was a great trip, though I hate to see her not up to her normal, best self. She's in my thoughts and prayers so much right now.

-- My parents like a fun book series that parallels "Pride and Prejudice." They introduced the series to me a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it, too. (It basically tells the tale from Mr. Darcy's viewpoint.) Well, my dad has read the series multiple times (yep. my DAD... the Louis La'Mour lovin' cowboy guy). I decided to get them the series on CD, so my mom could listen to it while she's laid up, and my dad could also listen to it while he drives around (which he does a lot). But they don't have it on CD. So I made my own recording for them. ha! I sound kinda nerdy trying to do all the voices and get the inflections right. But it's been kinda fun. I gave them the first book when I went to see them (7 full CDs), and plan to give them the other two for a Christmas gift.

-- For the rest of our gifts, I think we're almost finished. Hooray!! We have amazon.com to thank for a lot of our fun gifts we're giving (and receiving) this year. Nothing quite so personal as a package brought to your door, right?? :) I'm proud to say I've actually sent most of our Christmas cards this year. That's sayin' something, ya know?!?

Welp. That's all the time I have right now. My bed is calling me. And so is the ham soup that I left on the stove, that needs to be redished and put in the fridge for the night. So...
g'night, y'all.

I hope I'll be back to blogging for REAL sometime soon.

Problem with baby dolls

2011-12-08T23:24:00.001-05:00

Samantha was getting into bed tonight, and, after prayers and hugs, she cuddled up next to one of her favorite dolls. I was about to leave the room when she said,

"You know what the problem with baby dolls is, Mom?"
"What?" I asked her.
"I just can't stop nibbling at their cute little plastic hands and feet."

With that, she picked up the doll and gave her a nice nibble on the toes. I don't know why, but it was just so funny to me. Gotta love my little five year old (soon to be SIX)!!

ps. Thanks for all the comments and ideas for helping our little frightened Spencer boy. We're still working through it -- some nights are better than others. Last night was NOT better. But tonight (so far), seems to be pretty good. I do appreciate the support and suggestions!!

Terror

2011-11-30T11:14:00.001-05:00

So, here's just a quick post for today... looking for some suggestions, actually.

Spencer seems to have a REAL problem with being TERRIFIED of almost everything! He's to the point where he calls out frantically for me if I even leave the room. (Even if I'm in plain sight, sitting in the adjoining living room.) All. Day. Long. He can't STAND to be downstairs if I'm up, or upstairs if I'm down, and comes RUNNING to me, wherever I am. Showers and bathroom breaks happen for me with him usually standing right outside the bathroom door, calling out "Mom?" to me so I can reassure him that yes, I'm still in here and didn't crawl out the bathroom window (yet!).

Nights are even worse... he just won't sleep. Last night he was up until after midnight, calling out to me or Brian every few minutes, just to make sure we were still here, still upstairs, still awake. Of course, he had a long nap yesterday since he's been sick. But even on days when he doesn't nap, he has rough nights, wakes up screaming at 3 or 4 fairly often, has trouble getting back to sleep. He wants us to stay in the room with him, which we've tried -- waiting by his bed for him to go back to sleep. That's not a feasible option because then he just lays awake, checking to make sure we're still sitting there every 2-3 minutes. And, if he DOES fall asleep with us there, then he's even MORE terrified when he wakes up and we've left his side.

Hmm... Anyone else ever experience anything like this with their kids? Any advice? Any good books anyone has read about this? It's not "night terrors." He's fully awake and coherent when he gets like this, and calms as long as I'm right there with him. (Or sometimes Brian will suffice, though he usually continues to ask for me when Brian goes to him.) I'm just wondering how to best help him through this. Some days, when he's following me all around the house, I am very patient and indulgent and just allow him to stay in his 1-5 foot radius of me. Other times, I try to help him be "tough," telling him that I'm still here, I'm not going anywhere without him, but that I need to go upstairs, he can be brave in the kitchen by himself...

Ah, so sleepy and frustrated about this, after lots of nights of broken sleep lately. Just thought I'd send a shout-out to the blog world. Even though comments have been scarce lately, I'd really love some feedback on this one, if anyone checks in. Thanks!!

Today.

2011-11-29T12:05:00.001-05:00

Nothing out of the usual today, really. Sick kids -- I guess that's not too normal, but it's starting to feel like normal around here. Spencer has bronchitis, and Natalie has another ear infection. Samantha has missed it this time, thankfully. But she still seems extra sluggish from the broken sleep, since Spencer wakes her up a lot through the night with his coughing/crying, etc.

Just thought I'd blog today, to document the "normal" day...
Got up before the kids, so I got a few extra minutes to stretch and say a prayer. Put on some slippers and carefully woke the groggy Samantha for school, making sure she stayed quiet, to not wake Spence. Helped Samantha get dressed (ie. talked her into wearing the darling turtleneck dress that she doesn't really like), and got her breakfast. Did her hair, packed her lunch, found her coat, and got her out the door to her ride in good time.

Greeted my Spencer Boy, who woke up despite all our efforts of quietness. Got him breakfast, said goodbye to Brian. Took my Boy to the bathroom (let's hear it for potty training!! Dry all night!), got him dressed, got his medicine for him, read him four stories. Cleaned the kitchen, washed the pots and pans from last night's dinner. Got up my Nattie Baby (late sleeper, poor little sickie), changed her, dressed her. Read three more books to the Boy. Fed my Girl, got her some medicine, loaded the dishwasher and washed the counters. Read three more stories to my Boy. Put in a load of laundry, took upstairs the clean-and-dry load from last night. Changed my Girl again. Put on "Backyardigans" for Spence, showered while he watched it and Nat sat outside the bathroom door, knocking and talking to me until I was decent enough to let her in (and supervise her "bathroom time"). Got dressed, dried my hair, while both kids stood under me, put on some make-up, changed the laundry, made a sandwich for Spencer, tried to figure out what makes the fridge door stick (again) and cleaned out half of the fridge (again). Finally sat down, and here I am.

The dishwasher is now clean and needs to be unloaded, the laundry is now dry and needs to be changed over again, Spencer wants me to read some more, the baby needs another nose wipe, we all three need a nap. I should put in the spaghetti squash I was going to roast to go in a casserole for dinner, and the sticky, yucky kitchen floor always hangs over my head, needing to be mopped (again). Hmmm...

I have a sewing project I was eager to start "first thing" this morning. It's sitting up stairs on my bed, along with the Christmas gift idea I was making for _______ (did you really think I would tell?) Welp. I guess "normal" sometimes takes over everything else, eh? Not that anything I've done sounds THAT busy. But I sure do FEEL busy, doing my "normal." And off I go to wipe that nose, read that story, and remove something from baby's mouth...

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T22:31:00.001-05:00

I know I'm a couple of days late, and I don't even have any pictures to put up tonight. But I just had to write a word on the Thanksgiving-ness we've had around here. I went out shopping for a few hours by myself this afternoon, which was heavenly. (I mean really, how often does THAT happen!?! ALL. BY. MYSELF.) That was a blessing to be grateful for, right there!

Well, as I was driving home, I just felt soooo happy and grateful for all the blessings in my life. Even though I don't always "feel" it, I'm a really, really blessed person, I realize. Brian and the kids top the list, of course; he's always sooo good to me, and we really don't ever fight (because he just doesn't.) And the kids are really sweet, good, healthy, happy kids, for the most part. And they love me, in spite of my not-so-nice mothering moments. And then there's the rest of my family, too --the sweet relationships with my parents and grandparents, and all my siblings, nephews and nieces. Then so many friends, and people who have changed my life for the better... I was thinking about all these people as I drove along listening to sappy Christmas songs on the oldies station.

Then I started tearing up, thinking how lucky I am to live in a free country, drive a car, eat food every day, turn on lights, tick the thermostat up when it's cold, flush a toilet, buy coats for my kids (which I did today), feel safe when I go to bed each night, etc., etc., etc.... The list really does go on and on, doesn't it? Lots to be thankful for, indeed! (I can say "indeed" because I've been reading Pride and Prejudice lately! Indeed!)

To celebrate Thanksgiving, we got together with our friends, the Youngstroms, and the Moons. A two-bedroom house, two dining tables, six adults, nine kids (including 5-month-old squishy twins! so yummy!). It was really fun, if a little bit crazy at times. I was so excited for all the delicious "eats!" Our/my contribution was the mashed potatoes (loaded with sour cream and butter), the sweet potatoes (with pecan crumble topping), the stuffing, and a fresh pumpkin pie (yes, I really cooked a pumpkin, scraped it, mashed it, and put it in a pie. And it was worth it, I tell you!). I also made some kick-in-the-pants, stinkin-good cranberry sauce (best batch I've made yet, in my humble opinion!), to have with our leftovers. The stuffing was the prize... apple/sausauge/fresh-herb/dried cherries stuffing. No StoveTop here, people. (And nothing against StoveTop, for those who are feeling offended at my stuffing uppity-ness.) Sadly, the stuffing was so well received, that there was only about 1/2 cup left for leftovers! Oh well. We ate ourselves silly, played a few games, and stayed until the kids were crashing the party with their whining... all good things must end when kids get cranky, eh?

Then yesterday, we went into the City, and went to the top of the Empire State Building.
Oh yes, we did.
But that's another story... with pictures. I'm sure y'all can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you feel as blessed as I do!!

Can't Resist...

2011-11-22T21:15:00.001-05:00

Well, I was going to make y'all wait to get our Christmas cards to share these beauties. But... I couldn't resist! Our friend, Elisa Perry, took our family pics. (Check out her website: elisaperry.com.) And we LOVE them! Since there's no way we could possibly share of all of them in one Christmas card, anyway, I thought I might as well put a few up here. So... enjoy!

Worth Celebrating

2011-11-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

Hello, hello.
By way of an update, I thought I'd share a few things from these last few weeks at our house that I think are worth celebrating...

Brian's parents came to visit!
It really was sooo wonderful to have them here with us. They stayed for a couple of weeks, and just had a lot of every-day moments with us. We read stories, took walks, went to the park, went shopping, made crafts and projects, etc... all the normal stuff we do around here. We also had a few outings, to a museum, to Stew Leonard's, across the Tappan Zee Bridge and around the countryside, etc. One night when Brian was with us, we got in the car as it was getting dark, and drove downtown to see the lights. We drove in the city, and went across six bridges and one tunnel. (It only cost us $40+ in tolls, for our two-hour tour!) I really wish Brian could have spent more time with them while they were here. He was swamped, to say the very least. But we made do with what time we could snatch from his sleep.

Some fun pics the kids took with Grandma and Grandpa...

Natalie is walking!
It's not official yet, because she still crawls when she really needs to get somewhere. But she walks clear across the living room, or clear down the hall, or clear across our bedroom rug. It's adorable, as you may have seen in our cute video post. She is soooo pleased with herself; she claps lots of times when she finally topples to the floor. Yay for Natalie. Grandma and Grandpa Bishop got to be here to see her take her first steps, which was an extra special treat.

Blurry, I know. But she was walking toward me, so cute!

Spencer is potty training! For real!! FINALLY!
We have Grandma Bishop to thank for this one. While she was here, she was able to work with him (and me), and give us the extra courage to make it happen... First pee and poop in the toilet during the two weeks Grandma and Grandpa were here. We have a ways to go (like, the fact that he has only officially pooped in the toilet one time, sorry for the detail, if you're not used to potty talk). But if we're "baby stepping" then this last two weeks we went leaps and bounds.

Here's his "smile," if someone actually tells him to smile. So funny!

Samantha is reading!
Basically, she'll read anything she can get her hands on. We've been to the library for new books soooo many times in the past few weeks. She is supposed to keep a reading log and have us read at least one book to her every day. Well, she's advance far beyond that, and usually reads three or four books to me -- or to Spencer -- to pass off her log. It's sooo nice to have another reader in the house, especially when she decides to read bedtime stories to Spencer! (not so nice to have her reading email over my shoulder, sigh.)

Here she is, putting on a puppet show for Grandpa and Grandma...

Henry is gone!
Those you who know our history, know that Henry is the mouse that's been in our house. (Spencer is sure the mouse was actually named Peanut, not Henry, btw.) Well, I am happy to report, Henry -- or Peanut -- is no longer a household resident. His last sighting was more than a week ago. Hooray!! I don't know where he went or what happened to him. We never caught him in a trap, and I'm doubtful he ate any poison (yes, I caved and put decon behind the stove), because I saw him several times AFTER there was poison out. I think I'd start smelling him, if he really ate the poison. At any rate, he isn't coming out to say hello in our kitchen anymore. And we aren't finding any more "mouse evidence" around where it was before. So... yay! whew! good riddance! etc.

No pictures of Henry, after all. (Thank goodness!)

Brian's deal is close to launching!
Whew! This has been a doozy of a deal, for sure! He's been coming home so very late (I won't even post the times on here, for the shock it may cause). Then, he just gets up in the morning with the rest of us, and hits it again. I have to say, it was especially hard while his parents were here, just because we wanted to have some time ALL together, ya know? Well, anyway, it looks like things are finally winding down -- after three (or more?) weeks of work-to-death time. We are happy to look forward to a break! yay!

We got family pictures taken!
Those of you who go through the yearly ritual of family pictures know how crazy it can be, picking out the perfect outfits, getting everyone ready, hoping everyone cooperates, timing it between naps and meals, hoping for good weather, etc. Well! We did our family pictures today, and I think everything went quite well. The weather was GORGEOUS -- a real relief. And the fall colors were perfect. yay! I'm not sure I totally love what we decided to wear, but all in all, it wasn't so very stressful, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out in a few weeks or so. I'm sure I'll keep y'all posted. For now, I'm celebrating the fact that they're DONE for this year, eh!?!

That's the wrap for today, folks!
Bye!

Autumn Thoughts

2011-11-09T21:03:00.001-05:00

Today is one of those gorgeous, crisp, autumn days that makes me LOVE that we live in New England! The leaves are changing, the sky is blue, and everything feels so fresh. Yay! I took the kids for a walk this morning, just around the neighborhood. We took the double stroller, and Spence got off and on at his leisure -- picking up sticks and rocks, "feeding" leaves to the ducks in the pond, etc. Natalie kicked her little legs, babbled incessantly, and tried to grab any bushes that were close to the sidewalk. She kept turning around to grin and giggle at me, obviously happy to be on an outing. (Sammie was already at school, and missed out today, too bad.)

As we rounded the last corner before coming home, we could see the big oak tree in front of the house across the street was dropping lots of its leaves. Someone had swept/blown them into a big, long pile along the sidewalk. Here's the tree, I actually took a picture of it a few days ago, for my dad (who thought it was a "remarkable" tree when he was here -- "so big!") ...

The leaf piles around the tree looked so fun, as we got closer, I spontaneously decided to sit right down in the middle of the pile. Spencer caught on and started tramping through them. Natalie watched us from her stroller, giggling and reaching for any leaves I threw toward her. Finally, I got her out and let her sit in the leaves, too. She loved it. They both looked so cute, and were having so much fun.We were so close to home, I decided to go get the camera, so we could capture the moment -- and maybe the feeling -- on film. First shot says it all...

Spence was having a little snoozer...

Showing Mommy her pretty leaves (and prettier eyes, and adorable piggy tails)...

Buried boy...

Nattie, looking up, pointing (which she hardly ever does, and I didn't really catch it on the camera very well)...

Here's what she was looking at, in all its red-brown glory...

Tramping, tromping, smashing, stomping...

Closely examining...

Climbing the wall to sit on top, then jump of (notice the shoes on the wrong feet -- I pointed it out to him before we left the house and he told me, "It will be okay like this, Mom.")...

Giggling together...

Reveling together...

Trying to move to a new spot (unsuccessfully -- she kept heading toward the road)..

Ooooh... another pile, just across the street. Maybe we'll head to THAT one tomorrow!

Actually, in our neighborhood, they have these guys who come blow all the leaves out of peoples' yards and pile them up along the street or sidewalk, as pictured. I'm not sure if home owners pay for the service, but they even did our house, without saying a thing to us. We've wondered what they do with the huge piles -- would love to see the giant leaf vacuum guys come around and suck them up! We're also wondering if they'll come blow our leaves again in a few weeks, when the REST of the leaves are down. Who knows?!

Anyway, it was a fun morning. Samantha was sorry she missed it, so we went again this afternoon (but forgot the camera). We'll probably go again in the morning, so she can have her moment to pose for some pics. If you haven't crunched some leaves this fall, I highly recommend it; it's hard not to smile and feel like a kid, and definitely something to smile about! Welcome, Autumn!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-11-08T22:25:00.000-05:00

Hello, hello.
I have things to blog about, for sure. But my mind is tired tonight, and my creativity is lacking. So, I'll save my "real" blogging for another night, kay? Instead, you get the rare treat of reading my latest tasty recipe. I've never done a recipe post before, have I? Well, don't worry -- I'm not about to go all "foody" on my blog. (Other bloggers do a MUCH better job of that than I could ever be committed to!)

But, I did make this delicious soup on Sunday, for our after-church lunch. And it hit the spot on a beautiful autumn day. It was so good, that my mother-in-law asked for the recipe (not to brag, of course). But while I'm patting my own back here, I will also say that I got it off allrecipes and tweaked it substantially (as I often do, because sometimes, let's face it, I know how to make it better than the 5-star 2500+ reviewers on allrecipes). So, now that it's not really the allrecipes version, I'm calling it my own.

I'm sure you all will want to pull out your slow cookers and give it a try, right? Or at least make a mental note that it's out here for ya, for someday...

Kam's Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 1/2 - 2 pounds chicken breasts (lots of chicken made it really good!!)

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion, coarsely mashed

1 (10 ounce) can green enchilada sauce (Target brand is great!)

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 large green pepper, chopped

1/2 t garlic granules (or powder)

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn

2-3 tablespoon chopped cilantro

juice of 1/2 lime

Tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream and lime slices for garnishes.

Directions

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, and green peppers into a slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and lime juice. Stir in corn and beans. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Remove chicken breasts and shred. Return to cooker and add cilantro.
Simmer 15-30 more minutes to blend flavors.
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream and limes.

Kids update -- on video

2011-11-06T18:01:00.002-05:00

Just thought I'd share a few videos of the kids from the last few days, for your enjoyment.

First up, Natalie is WALKING. Sort of...

Er, at least she's taking a few steps here and there. I LOVE it!!!

Sweet Spencer boy. He was asking for a peanut butter sandwich the other day. It was so cute, and he was asking so sweetly, I had to get the video camera...

And Samantha...

We watched that Jimmy Kimmel post-Halloween special where he asked parents to tease their kids and tell the kids that they (the parents) ate all the Halloween candy. (Hilarious, if you missed it! Look it up!)

We decided to try it on Sammie. (Forgive my shaky camera skills... I couldn't resist looking at her "in person" which meant I wasn't manning the lense very carefully)... hmm... having trouble uploading. Hopefully I'll get it.

Happy happy Halloween... and some other pics

2011-11-03T22:57:00.000-04:00

Happy November everyone! Is it just me, or was October a really long month?! It seemed to last and last. At the same time, now that it's over, I'm wondering, how in the WORLD did it get to be NOVEMBER already?!?

Well. Anyway. We've had an October here, long and short at the same time. And here are some pics of our time...

Natalie, darling dear. Look at that hair. It's so cute, cute, cute. And curly, curly, curly. And red, red, red. Just had to put up a couple pics of our cutie...

Next up, Spencer's Joy School Halloween Party. Samantha was sick with a sniffle (bad enough to be home, but not bad enough to miss something fun, ya know?) So, she got to join in the party, parading around with the four Joy School boys, and eating cookies they decorated themselves...

Anybody hear the East Coast weather reports from this last weekend? This was what our back yard looked like last Saturday...

SNOW!!! Big, fluffy, wet, heavy flakes. It was absolutely GORGEOUS! And also one of the worst storms for our area in a LONG time, for all the damage it did! It was worse that Hurricane Irene, by a long ways. There are still people without power (five days later). Lots of towns cancelled Halloween, or postponed trick-or-treating until this coming weekend. What made it so bad is that the snow was soooo wet and heavy, and all the trees still have their leaves. So, the trees "caught" all that snow on their leaves, and huge branches were breaking off EVERYWHERE, crashing across roads, ripping power lines down, etc.

Luckily, we didn't have it too bad. We never lost power, and the worst real damage we saw was a big tree that fell across our road, a few blocks down the street. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our church's big Halloween party for Saturday night. That was a let-down. We were on the planning committee, and let me tell you, it was going to be AWESOME! We had everything all decorated and set for a chili cook-off, a kids' carnival, and a trunk-or-treat... all set up with a monster theme, etc. And then... the snow. My good friend was in charge, and had been planning it for a month. So, it was quite the disappointment.

To make things better, we decided to have an impromptu chili/halloween party at our house instead...

Did I mention Brian's parents are in town? Here are the kids with Grandpa and Grandma, waiting for our party guests to arrive.

And here are most of the kids lined up, in their costumes...

We had two other little "monsters" but I'm not sure where they were for the photo shoot??

We just had two other families over (I don't think our little front room would accommodate much more). We ate chili together and let the kids play some games. Musical chairs was a bit of a fiasco, maybe I'll upload the video I took, if I can get it to work (which I usually can't!) It worked better when we just let them play "run-around-the-chair-like-crazies" to some Halloween music. Then we let the kids "trick-or-treat" upstairs, with all the grown-ups standing behind bedroom doors, or in the bathroom, or hall closet, handing out candy. Kinda fun. Here's Brian, dressed as a crazed BSU fan. He even let me paint "BSU" on his cheek.

On the REAL Halloween night, we got together again to take the kids trick-or-treating. Fun times!

Couldn't resist taking a picture of cute Clara... she was dressed up as a skunk! So stinkin' cute! ;)

So, our group went up and down one really nice long street, with lots of houses giving out lots of fun treats. Sammie led the pack, and Spencer brought up the rear. And yes, that's SNOW. Burrrrrr!

Brian and Natalie missed the "group" trick-or-treating party. So we did a little more afterward, to our nearby neighbors. And we got Natalie all dolled up, for posterity's sake, even though she didn't really have a clue what it was all about. She sure looked cute!! Aunt Melissa made her clown costume, isn't it so darling?

One last photo shoot, before they unloaded their loot, took off their costumes, and headed to bed...

In case it wasn't obvious, Samantha was a bee. (She actually went around saying "bzzzzz! I stung you!!" after she picked her candy out of people's trick-or-treat baskets.) And Natalie was a clown. (It took A LOT to get that red paint on her nose, just in case you wondered.)

Spencer was a dragon, and I bribed him to smile and wear his "hat" in this picture before he could have some Halloween candy. hee hee...

I'm sure I have more to write. But this was my Halloween post. So... ta da! It was a fun night/weekend. Now what to do with all this candy!??!

Mouse in the House

2011-10-28T23:33:00.000-04:00

Cough, cough. Sniffle, sniffle. At-choo!
Got a cold.
Got three kids who have colds.
Got a husband on a killer deal who's almost never home. (Unless 3 - 4 a.m. arrivals count?)
Got wonderful in-laws in town who aren't seeing much of their son.
Got a weekend full of plans that don't sound very fun when I'm feeling lousy.
Got a 3-year-old who wakes up screaming MOM!!! hysterically multiple times a night, most nights of the week.
Got a 1-year-old who doesn't appreciate the 3-year-old's screaming and lets us know she's a little upset.

There's my internet whining for the week. Now, for the really SERIOUS complaint.

I'VE GOT A MOUSE IN MY HOUSE!!!

I know.

Totally gross.

I'm in the kitchen, at the table right now. Brian and his dad are in the living room nearby, watching the BYU game. Lights are one, people are talking, moving... etc. And, get this... I've seen him come out from under the stove three different times as I've been sitting here. BRAZEN little critter!! He sniffs around the rug by the sink, crawls along to the hole by the dishwasher, and hops under our cupboards... heads back to the stove. A few nights ago, he came out DURING DINNER! Yep. I was sitting there with my little kidlins, have some rice, and he poked his little head out from the side of the fridge and wandered slowly down the hall. Gross. Gross. Double Gross!!!

We have ten traps set in our house. TEN.

They're loaded with peanut butter, cracker crumbs, raisins, butter, cheese, chocolate. We've had them out for several nights in a row. Just now, I watched him go up to one trap, within two inches of "the goods." He sniffs carefully, backs away slowly and heads a different direction. We've got snap traps, glue traps, fancy plastic traps... And, one smart mouse.

I'm about ready to break out the deCon. But that's nasty stuff -- not something I really want to use with kids in the house. Plus, what if he eats it (which he's probably smart enough that he wouldn't) then dies in the crawl space under our cupboards? We'd smell him for months.

Anyway. He's about to drive me crazy. I'm obsessing over him, how to get rid of him, what to do?! I clean the floor after every meal, pick up crumbs from every snack, etc. Natalie insists on leaving him a small feast every time she eats -- so I REALLY have to stay on top of it.

Last night, Brian came home at 1 and worked downstairs until a little after 3 a.m. I laid awake in bed, listening to every move, imagining I was hearing the trap snapping, finally. But nope.

Brian named him Henry. (No offence to anyone who knows anyone named Henry -- Brian was just picking an H name, to match with his London cousin, Humphrey, who frequented our first flat after we were married.) I guess we're just going to adopt him and make him part of the family. Expect to see pictures of him soon. I mean, he made the blog, right??

Camp Joseph, for the record

2011-10-23T23:44:00.001-04:00

Columbus Day weekend was perfect this year. The weather was spectacular -- 70s and warm. And the colors were FINALLY coming out. (Let's be honest, the very BEST reason to move to New England is the fall colors, right?!)

So, what better way to enjoy our festive fall spirit, than to invite some friends along, and introduce the kids to Camp Joseph, Sharon, Vermont...

What is this Camp Joseph I speak of?? Well... it's just one of the most perfect places on this beautiful earth, in my humble opinion. A hidden treasure. In fact, I hesitate to even blog about it, for fear that the secret will be out, and people will start MOBBING the place, ruining it's peaceful serenity.

But it can't be helped. It must be blogged about. In great detail. (And luckily for you, Brian was camera-happy all weekend and got us PLENTY of great "scenic" views of the place.) The fact is, I googled it, and tried to find any pictures/write-ups of the place before we went. Nothing. Zip. (Unless you count two lame blogs that gave very little detail and whined about the music at the memorial -- I don't.) So, I figured, if I'm putting it on the blog, I might as well do the place justice. For the record. Right?

Well then...

There it is, in all it's loveliness. The open meadow, the hills and trees, even the lake up the road, in the distance. And below, here's the lodge and the pavilion, if you're thinking "family reunion"...

And the darling little playground, complete with darling little kids. (To be honest, I didn't even know that playground was THERE, until this trip... wasn't on my agenda before, I guess!)

And now for the best part, the cabins! Ah... this is camping at it's BEST, folks!!

Two of the worst "down" sides of camping are completely eliminated with these little adorable bare-bones cabins: 1. no sleeping on the ground. Instead you get a less-than-comfortable, but not-rock-hard, somewhat-clean, wrapped-in-plastic BUNK to sleep on! Tell me that's not a BONUS?! And, 2. no bears... they still don't know how to open doors, and even if they DID, these cabins have keys and locks, so there! Also no other "creatures" venturing into tent territory at night.

Have another look... Aren't they just the cutest!?

Here's Spence (and Nat, in the stroller), in front of our place. They all have different names from the Book of Mormon. We got the Cabin of Aaron, and our friends were next door in Ammon.

We aren't the tidiest campers, so thankfully this is the only picture we got of the inside of our little abode. But as you can see, it's got the necessities. Even curtains and a little rug. (Pack-n-play not included.)

Another best part about Camp Joseph is that it's right behind the Joseph Smith Memorial and chapel. So, for Sunday campers, it's just a five minute trail walk over to the chapel for church. And then another five mins over to visit the memorial and visitors center. Said chapel, looking picturesque (good work, Brian!)...

And church-goers, as mentioned. (I was off galavanting with a sleeping baby who was NOT about to stay put for the entire church meetings, so... I missed the great photo-op. rats. I'm sure you're all so curious to know what I would have worn to church while camping... a mystery.)

Here's a close-up of the chapel, just because. They've remodeled it, since my last visit there (2004). One sad thing, it looks like they took out the little bushes that used to line the steps; they were the kind that turn VIBRANTLY red in the fall. I vote they replant!

From the chapel, it's just a short walk (or even shorter drive) up this lovely tree-lined avenue to the Joseph Smith Memorial...

And here is the memorial itself, quite striking, I think....

I have to say, we took "the tour" this time, with one of the senior sister missionaries (a first for me, in all these years!). It was lovely. I recommend it. Did you know that is one SOLID chunk of granite, all the way up!? And the man who commissioned it (way back around 1900) was the only church member who helped haul it?! He hired a bunch of locals (who thought he was a bit crazy to attempt the whole plan), and they dragged it to the site, uphill, with horses, mules and oxen.

The kids, of course, loved the hill across from the monument (also something I never even noticed, sans children)...

Right next to the monument is a nice tree and a little bench, along with the big, stone step where Samantha is sitting. Apparently that step was the front doorstep to the house that used be there, the house where Joseph Smith, Jr. was born on December 23, 1805.

We actually got all four kids to sit on the step, AND look at the camera at the same time! Well done!!

I tried to make an artsy picture with the monument and this darling tree with little berries...

I think I did better when I just focused on the berries.

Another favorite part of this place, for me, is the path behind the memorial, that leads back into the woods. So lovely... Brian and I walked in these woods together way-back-when, before we ever even had a first date. He picked up pretty leaves for me, since I was collecting them at the time. Memories, sweet memories...

Back in the woods is the site of the Solomon Mack home. Mr. Mack was Joseph Smith's grandfather -- his mother, Lucy's father. I like that place. So did Natalie, as you can see...

And further along the path, is the Old Stone bridge, where the old highway used to run back in the 1800s. Pretty cool, I think! (And don't let those sr. missionaries tell you it's too far a walk; we managed it with six kids in tow.)

So, how did the kids like our trip to Camp Joseph??

They loved it. So much, in fact, that we hardly EVER saw them. Here they are, having fun in the wood-hauling hand cart...

Poor Nat had to spend quite a bit of her time relegated to the stroller, which was not to her liking. But every time we let her down, she promptly put pebbles in her mouth, dug up handfuls of wet dirt, and headed for the road. Babies never learn, I guess. She would not honor me with a smile...

I know this is getting long, but it's going to get longer still, lucky you!

I thought I'd better throw in a few pictures of the nearby Quechee Gorge. It's tradition -- we always stop at the gorge and look over...

Here's a shot that includes the shadow of the bridge we were standing on, just to give you a better feel for it's "gorge-ness." We were the itty bitty little dots on the bridge. Wow.

Natalie really enjoyed looking at gorge, and I'm glad Brian kept a tight grip on her!

Awww... she even let me take her picture WHILE she was looking at the camera! (Seems to be a rare treat these days. rats!)

The gorge from the other side of the bridge... Too bright, I know. And even the postcards I bought don't really do it justice. It's GORGEous. ha. Get it??

What's a trip to Sharon, Vermont without an add-on trip to Woodstock, Vermont?? I don't know, actually, because I've never had one! ha!

Every time I've been to Sharon, we've always detoured over to Woodstock, just because it's one of the most darling little New England villages EVER. The sign probably even says that...

It's a little hard to capture all that Woodstock darlingness on film, but here's the General Store, which brings back memories of darlingness to me, for sure! Picture the quaintness of Cracker Barrel restaurant/store craftiness (ya know what I'm talking about?) Then, times it by four or five. Or maybe even six. That's the General Store. Soooo cute! We bought a giant checkers set for the kids for Christmas. Shhh... don't tell.

Oh, and it looks like Brian managed to sneak over to the covered bridge for a quick pic. Lucky us, again!

Of course, we were biased, but we certainly thought the cutest part of Woodstock this time was right here... Say cheese!

And everybody go CRAZY!!

And now, I know you were thinking I was done again. But no. If you've borne with me this far, you get the reward of hearing the back-story behind Camp Joseph and Sharon and Woodstock (I'll try to keep it brief, promise.)

A long time ago, back in the fall of 2001, I was living with bff Alicia in Boston, just starting our East Coast dream. Alicia got this idea of getting a group together to go up to Sharon, Vermont during our church's General Conference weekend. She'd stayed at Camp Joseph with her roommates the fall before (which happened to be before I got enough courage to move to Boston). So, she made the arrangements, promised us all we'd have a great time, and voila!! -- that's how I came to know of Camp Joseph.

Brian and I were both part of our first little group there. But it was a couple of months before we ever started dating (Round 1). So, that other girl that liked Brian at the time sorta had "dibs." No biggie. It was a great trip! In fact, the colors that year were the VERY BEST I've ever seen. No kidding. (As you may have noticed from these pics, colors this year were a little faded, due to the warmer fall than usual.)

We went again the following fall, again for General Conference weekend. That time, Brian and I had just broken up (Round 2) in September. It was a bit awkward, but we try not to dwell on that one. And then the next year, we were sort of somewhere in the middle of Round 3 of dating -- which consisted of me chasing him, and him not wanting to give me the time of day. Again, a bit awkward, but there was that nice moment where we went for a short run together, only to find everyone in our group ditched us and we watched a whole session of conference just the two of us. I thought it was nice. Brian did too -- I'm writing this, so I'm allowed to say things like that. right?? ;)

The next fall, we went back again, right after we were married, as we passed through Boston on our way to London to start Brian's new job and our new life together. Ah... the memories. See why I love Camp Joseph?!

Just a little note, for those who may be wondering, Camp Joseph is a church-run facility, operated by senior missionary couples, and is exclusively for members of the church.. (At least, that's what their list of "rules" posted in the cabin said.) It is often reserved for YW girls camp programs or other youth activities. It is open from May until Columbus Day weekend in October. (We were the last campers this season.) It does cost a bit, but it's worth it! Flushing toilets and hot showers are included, plus if you smile and ask nicely the host couple will let you borrow their can-opener.

Good stuff, folks. This is the good stuff that makes me happy to be in New England.

For HC

2011-10-21T13:35:00.001-04:00

I found out this week that I lost a dear friend. His name was Houston Clinton Gilbert. I knew him as HC.

I taught HC about our church when I was a missionary in 1997. He was baptized six months after I met him, at age 81. He was a great member of the church -- always on time for his calling as usher/printed-program manager. He loved BYU television and General Conference. He felt he had a lot in common with President Hinckley, for some reason -- and liked to watch Pres. Hinckley wave his cane around during conference. HC was a great home teacher, from what I heard. He also loved going to the temple, and enjoyed feeding the elders for years.

To me, he was a good friend, someone I felt close to as a missionary, when my all family was far away. He would occasionally meet my companion and me for lunch, or send a card with a bit of extra cash (let's face it, missionary support fund isn't that much to live on), just because he was thoughtful. As I was leaving my mission, he gave me and my family a big box of tangerines off his trees -- the BEST tangerines I've EVER tasted, I'm sure. After my mission, we stayed in touch. He came to visit me in Idaho and stayed with our family for Thanksgiving one winter. I went to visit him a few times, and we sent letters and cards back and forth. He even met Brian, way back in Round 1 of dating. (Tried to warn me to stay away from anyone who speaks Arabic. ha! Obviously I didn't listen.)

With all my moving around, we managed to keep up with regular phone calls every month or so. Even after I got married and moved to London, we weren't quite so regular, but still kept in touch fairly often. We talked politics a lot, and he told me about his wife, Lula, who passed away of Alzheimer's disease just a couple of years before I met him. She loved elephants, and had a collection of elephant figurines in their home, stacked on shelves all around their living room. He told me stories from his time in China during World War II. And he told me about his son and grandson, and later his great-grandson and great-granddaughter, who are the same ages as my kids.

I loved HC, and learned a lot from him. I miss him.

Sadly, he passed away in May, several months ago. I know. I'm especially sad and embarrassed that I didn't know until now. I knew it would be this way -- that he would be gone and I wouldn't know. I asked him once how I would ever know if something happened to him -- a hospital stay, an illness, etc. He shrugged it off, and I just knew that when he died, it would happen like this. But it still makes me feel so terrible that I didn't know for such a long time. The last time I talked to him was in March, right before we moved. I told him we'd keep our same number, and that he could still reach us same as always, but I could tell he was confused.

I kept meaning to call him all summer long -- got out the address book a few different times, but wanted to "wait till the kids were in bed," or "wait till I finished this project," or "after dinner." ... So, I finally called this week to wish him a happy birthday (he would have been 95 on October 15). His son answered the phone and told me HC had died of congestive heart failure on May 24. We had a long talk, both of us cried and talked about what good man HC was. His son said he would have called me, but HC didn't leave any kind of list for him, as I suspected.

Now I'm just left with that hollow space in my heart for a dear friend. I hope he is at peace, with his dear wife. I'm feeling an urgency now, to stay closer to so many people who make -- and/or have made -- my life meaningful. Life is short, and so many people mean so much to me. HC was one of them. A good man, a good friend.

Oh Boy! I've got joy!!

2011-10-14T22:42:00.002-04:00

Any Joy School veterans out there who read this title probably started singing the song that goes along with it. That's right, we're doing Joy School this year. Spencer and me. And so far, it's been really fun. Here's Spencer's little group, posing so sweetly for one of the other Joy School moms (who also happens to be a great photographer, obviously.)

Aren't they soooo cute?!?

Unfortunately, our lone girlie in the group just moved away. So now it's just the boys. For those who aren't so familiar with the Joy School program... it's a preschool group that focuses on values and principles, rather than academic learning. The moms in the group take turns teaching the lessons. We've set it up so that each mom teaches four different lessons at a time, over the course of two weeks.

I just finished my first week, and really enjoyed it. Our focus over the next few weeks is "Finding joy in the earth around us." Nature walks, seasons, planting seeds, harvest, etc. The first session, we made nature scopes and talked about the difference between nature vs. man made.

And yesterday, we talked about seeds and plants, and how things grow. And apples. The boys really loved talking about apples. We made apple sauce, sliced apples into stars, painted with apples, shared their seeds, read an apple story, etc.

The applesauce was a real hit! But then, what three-year-old-boy wouldn't like banging, smashing, splashing apple goop all over a jellyroll pan?!

We also read a story about rain, then used our "nature scopes" that we made on Tuesday, to look at the back yard in the rain. They stood at that window with their scopes with very little prompting for a good 3-4 minutes. I was surprised!

Okay, so dumb blogger has changed its format and now I can't figure out how to just type my stuff and add my pictures like I used to.

Anyway, the most loved activity was playing with Thomas the Train during free play time. Can you blame them, really? I didn't get great pics of it, but what I got shows how cute they all were, working together to build the track, taking turns with the different engines, etc.

There was only a little weeping and wailing when Thomas had to be put away before they left to go home.

We also made seed collages, which went well, except for the fact that they wanted to eat the seeds. I tried to steer them toward the sunflower seeds, but they were determined to sample all of them. Here are Spencer's finished crafts and applesauce...

Well, so, Joy School has been a good thing for us, so far. Spencer seems to enjoy the interaction with the other kids, and he has especially loved having it at our house. I was a little nervous about teaching -- mainly because things have just felt so hectic ever since Samantha started school. And with Brian's unpredictable schedule, I've felt... well, overwhelmed, I guess. Plus, we went camping this past weekend (pictures to come), and didn't get home until 11-something, the night before my first day of teaching. It takes some good prep time to make it run smoothly, ya know? But anyway, so far, so good.

Things I've been learning from Joy School, so far:
-- Masking tape Xs on the floor are not good "places to sit" for 3-yr-olds, but make great things to pick at while adults are talking/teaching.
-- "Guessing games" (I'm thinking of...) are out, and Joy Boy puppet figures are IN! Picture books are also IN, especially ones with lots of details in each picture. Wow! 3-yr-olds LOVE the tiny details. Who doesn't, I guess?
-- Bibs are a REALLY good idea when working with red paint. Red bibs are even better. Edible red paint would probably be even better, if you put it on apples. If it's not edible, you may find yourself saying "don't eat the paint" multiple times. To multiple kids.
-- If the kids make a craft, they want to take it home with them -- even if they're supposed to leave it for the next time.
-- I better be comfortable singing solos, if I plan to use music. They love to listen, but getting them to sing is like pulling teeth.
-- Bathroom breaks work best if they're allowed to bring one toy with them.
-- Expect some tears at clean-up time. And expect some of the kids to look at the ones who are crying like they are total freaks. (As if the onlookers have NEVER had a meltdown over a train set.)
-- It's handy to have four green cups, when four boys need drinks!
-- Outside play better be conducted in a contained area, or I better invest in some leashes. The phrase "it's like herding cats" comes to mind. ha!

Next round, we're doing a nature walk in the woods. Fun! I'm just happy to be doing something fun and good for my little Spencer boy. I feel like a good mom for doing this with him.

Next step. Potty training. For real. Stay tuned... ha!

Sammie Jr.

2011-10-13T21:49:00.001-04:00

Here's a picture of me and Natalie. I took it this morning...

And here's a picture of me and Samantha. I took it in March 2007, when Sammie was 14 months old...

Anyone else impressed?
Every day, I pick up Natalie and feel a strange sense of deja vu... or however you spell it. It's like we have a baby Sammie all over again. Only different.

I mean, Natalie definitely has her own personality, and her own look, too. But so much about her reminds me of Samantha baby. She has some general spunky-ness that's just like her big sis. And, she's going through those same phases that were so darling and mesmerizing with our "first." Getting to watch Natalie discover the same joys of babyhood as Sam, and having them look -- and act -- so like each other is... well, it's really a wonderful thing, to me. I love my little redheaded babies. (And Spencer, too, of course.)

They grow so fast. SOOOO fast. It's kind of nice, to feel like we get to relive the sweetness, noticing their similarities and differences as Natalie becomes her own little person.

Just thought I'd throw up a few more pics of both girlies, just for fun. All the ones of Samantha are older ones that you've seen on the blog before (if you track back far enough).

Natalie, loving the clothes drawers and the pull-everything-out-as-fast-as-I-can phase...

Samantha, an old pro at emptying her dresser (13 months):

Natalie, mugging for the camera. She knows she's cute, that's for sure!

Samantha (13 months), looking adorable with her baby blues...

Natalie, on the stairs...

Sammie, on the stairs...

Natalie, discovering the toilet paper...

Samantha, a little more mobile, discovering the toilet paper...

Anyway, I just love my girls (and boy). And thought I'd share some of the thoughts I have about having two babies who have a lot in common. It's fun!

Happy FIRST Birthday, Natalie!

2011-10-05T23:22:00.001-04:00

Guess who is one year old today!?!

Yay!! It's Natalie's birthday, and we had a great day. We started with a bit of a sleep-in, so she only got to open one present at breakfast... this darling little outfit for her birthday. She knew she was looking good, for sure.

Then we went to a nature center and farm up in Connecticut, to enjoy the perfect warm, fall day we had today. To be honest, Spencer and his friends may have liked it more than Natalie, since they got to be out and about.

But she seemed happy enough, even though I kept her in the stroller most of the time.

Spence got to see some sheep and pigs, and "pet" a tortoise. Lucky boy.

We even watched a couple of otters in a gorgeous little pond. Otters really are cute, I think. But in the water they look kinda creepy, like snakes.

And we found a secret "tunnel" that the boys loved.

I think they loved it because it led them to this...

Again, poor Nat didn't get much out of the playground, but she did get some lunch, and didn't get stung by a bee (they were everywhere). Then, more lunch at a restaurant (why do we moms take children to restaurants, anyway? We always know how it will turn out... chocolate milk spilled on the floor, half the food gone to waste, no one staying in his/her seat, not enough napkins. Ah, but we persist, for the other-mom company and the delicious salads that always taste better than homemade.)

Back to Natalie... She took a birthday nap in the car on the way home, and another nap after we picked up Samantha from school. When I went to get her from her second nap, she had ditched her shirt -- her newest trick. This is the second time this week I've found her topless after her nap. Show off! Isn't she a little young to already be figuring out how to undress?!?

We redressed her, so she could show another new trick. She's a little late on this one, but finally, she's a clapper! yay!!

Then we had a special treat... Daddy came home for dinner and present time! Um, but I didn't get a picture of him. oops. But look at the table. Four plates -- one for Brian.

Birthday cake. I made each of the kids their own little cakes in ramekins. She wasn't so sure at first...

Then Brian helped her get a good start, feeding her some bites with a spoon.

Oh. Hands. They'll do the job much more quickly than Daddy and the spoon...

Finger-lickin' good!!

Presents... Some lights-and-buttons toys...

And some soft puppets (so cute... they're like stuffed animals, and she laughs so hard at them!) I love how eager the kids are to help her "unwrap."

And a package from Grandpa and Grandma Bishop... a baby doll that she LOVES!

That wraps up the play-by-play of her birthday. It was a fun day. Hard to believe our baby girl is one!! She's a doll and we love her to pieces. Just a few more pics of her, just because...

And next time, I will do some serious back-blogging, to show the 300+ pictures I just uploaded from our last months of "stuff." Until then, just think of sweet, sweet Natalie, reveling in her birthday glory!

Random update

2011-09-16T21:43:00.000-04:00

First, you should know our computer is broken. Not this one, the other one... The one that has all our pictures on it, and has the right "drive" so I can upload pictures from our camera. Its battery has been dead for a year, and now its cord died. And the cord to our camera is lost, so there really is no other way to upload pictures. Hmm...

And next you should know that Mr. Fix-It (aka. Brian) has been so busy he can't see straight, much less find time to order a new computer cord or battery, or look for the lost camera cord. With that, I assume you already know that *I* am not responsible for the technological details of my blogging life: computer's broken, no pictures. That's just the way it works around here.

So, another photo-less entry from me. I have thoughts, and they need to come out somewhere. And now that you know how busy Brian has been (and probably will continue to be), you will just have to understand that right now blogging is going to be my "grown-up conversation" time. But since I've not been blogging for a long while (just waiting and hoping I can get the computer fixed), this blogging conversation is going to sound like someone who hasn't talked to anyone for days, maybe weeks, and finally has a listening ear... apologies in advance for the choppiness I anticipate in the coming paragraphs.

What to tell?
I've been sick with a little sore throat. I'm on antibiotics, but they're not doing a super job of knocking this, so I think it was viral after all, lucky me.

To help myself get better, I've been staying up very late, watching dumb netflix sitcoms, eating pudding or ice cream bars.

Also to help me feel even better, the kids have had school all week, and Natalie has been kind enough to start most of our mornings for us at 6:35-6:45 a.m.

Brian has crawled in bed in the middle of the night (even LATER than my very late nights) every. single. night. for the past two weeks straight... except for last night, which didn't count because he never even came home AT ALL the night before, so... anyway.

To top it off, my dad and mom (aka. the-person-I-vent-to) have been gone on a cruise to Alaska for more than a week, with no cell phone service, except for that one day she called me from Juno for a few minutes.

Whine, whine, whine. I know. I sound pathetic, huh? It's really just the lack of sleep. It's 9 p.m. and I really think I'm headed to bed when I'm finished with this, even though I just KNOW Brian will be home soon. He really will, tonight.

Actually, it hasn't been that bad, and I'm really trying NOT to be so whiny. We still managed a trip into Central Park one day this week, and a trip to New Jersey today to see friends. And we made it to the dollar store, and the post office, and the library, and Costco this week, as well. We've even stopped by the puppy store on our main street, to gawk at the adorable little cuties in the windows.

Have to keep going, keep doing things that make me smile, right?

One thing that has REALLY made me smile this week is Samantha's attitude about school. I don't know that it will always be this way, but so far, she is absolutely THRILLLLLLED to be in school!! She LOVES her days, wishes they were longer, talks incessantly (and I DO mean INCESSANTLY) about her friends, her teachers, her art projects, her locker, her backpack, ... just "all things school" with that girl. It's adorable, and I could listen to her -- or rather, I DO listen to her -- for hours on end!

We've been doing half-day kindergarten these first two weeks. Then next week we'll do two full days and three half days. Then, the following weeks, it's ALL DAY school for Samantha. She's counting down on the calendar for this blessed event. And she still vows she will NOT miss Spencer. He sucks his finger and looks sad when she says this, so I have asked her to please stop saying it in front of him.

More happy news... Spencer started Joy School (preschool program) this week. And he really enjoyed it! Yay!! I was a little more nervous about him, because he seems like much more of a home-body than Samantha. But he surprised me in a good way... really enjoyed being there, loved the other kids and his "teacher," and wants to go back again. He still brings his blanket with him (I know... I'm such a softie mom when it comes to that). But he leaves it in his backpack most of the time. I'm curious to know how things will go when Joy School is at OUR house. We still have a few more weeks before then. Phew!

What else? Well, I'm happy to report that I've finally found a book I enjoy reading. This is good news, because I've struggled to find good material lately. I can't do nonfiction right now, even though I generally enjoy biographies -- they just put me to sleep right now. So, I'm looking for good fiction.

I tried "The Uglies" and it was okay. But the ending was weak. So I looked on wikipedia for a synopsis of the next books in the set. Thoroughly disappointing. Disappointing enough in the 2-paragraph synopses that I'm glad I didn't waste any more of my time with that series. (Just my opinion, for any "uglies" lovers out there.) Anyway, so the book I'm reading now, that is NOT a disappointment, is for our book club from church. "The Forgotten Garden." I'm halfway through, and loving it. Delicious sentences, fast moving plot, lots of twists and turns, great character development. And so far, no "junky scenes" that I'd rather skip, if ya catch my drift. This author is good! (Kate Morton -- she's good enough I actually remember her name. That says something, right there.) Now, lets hope she can really "punch" it with the ending, right?

Another not-so-fun item to discuss... a mouse. In our garage. I saw it there this morning, first time. I can't knock the shudder that keeps running up my back as I re-picture it, trying to scurry up the corner of the concrete wall, then scrambling behind some boxes in the back. Ew. EEEWWWW! I bought some traps and put them out, in the garage and in the house. Yucky. Don't worry -- if I catch it, I won't put up a picture, okay? (Good thing the computer's broken, right?)

One more something, then I'll close for tonight. I found a great recipe for chicken in a recipe book my mom sent me. I "tweaked" it quite a bit and made it my own, -- made it even better. And it is delightful! And fairly healthy. I'm calling Italian Smothered Chicken. It makes me happy just thinking about it. It will be our dinner on Sunday -- better than the Eggplant Parmigiana we served to the missionaries two weeks ago. Now I can hardly wait until Sunday. Mmmm.... Here's hoping my husband is free to join us for the delectableness!!

Bye for now. I'm just going to read one more chapter in that book, while I wait for Brian...

First Day

2011-09-06T23:25:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm joining the throng of other mother bloggers, writing a post about Samantha's first day of school. She's been looking forward to it alllll summer long. She picked out her rainbow cheetah-print backpack more than a month ago (no Hello Kitty, Dora, or Princess pack for this girl, nosiree!); we got her school supplies three weeks ago; and she had everything all packed up and ready to go three days before school started. She had her clothes laid out the night before (including new Tinkerbell underwears), and was dressed in two seconds this morning. She even BROUGHT me the hair stuff and sat patiently while I did her hair!! (a first, in a looong time!)

Yep, this girl was EXCITED for her first day of school. And school did not disappoint, not today, at least! She came home beaming, talking about all the fun coloring and games and songs they did. "No learning or teaching or homework today, just fun!"

I have pictures to add, but I can't upload them tonight (technological difficulties). So, just picture her in her new little blue and pink hearts outfit, smiling and happy to FINALLY be in school!! (and check back later, because I DO plan to add some pics here).

I thought I'd be the weepy, sentimental mommy about all this back-to-school stuff. I mean, our baby girl is growing up right before our very eyes. Not to mention, this is the END of a lifestyle for us -- we're now TIED to a school schedule, like it or not. I've been anxiously anticipating what all this will mean, over the past few weeks... No more sleeping in if it was a rough night. No more pick-a-day-trip-and-lets-go time for me and my kiddos. Whoah. As you can imagine, I thought I'd shed some tears today. But nope; Samantha's enthusiasm must be contagious.

One quick wave and a hug goodbye, and she was off. We left her sitting happily next to a little girl she knows already from church. As I walked out of the classroom, I noticed another mom wiping away tears and looking so distraught. I looked at her and thought, "Oh, I wonder what's wrong with her??" Then it hit me -- oooohhh. She's a sad mommy of a Kindergartener. Poor her. I just couldn't be sad today.

I'm sure it will hit me three weeks down the road, at some very inconvenient time... I'll suddenly realize we've closed a chapter of our lives, opened a new one. Then you'll get the sentimental, sappy post I thought I'd be writing tonight. But for now, I say, HOOOORAY for Samantha's first day!!

Those random pics...

2011-08-25T09:07:00.006-04:00

So, I finally got those pictures uploaded, and thought I'd add a few of the recent randoms...

Turns out I CAN bake bread. Thanks, Marissa (and friend), for a great recipe!

Fender-bender, at the scene. Bummer...

Deer in our back yard, eating our landlord's pears. It stayed for a few mins, until our kids scared it away...

Girlie, attempting the stairs. She doesn't really go up them yet, but she's starting to think about it...

Chubby little leggers. So yummy I just want to eat them up!

Kids, sitting on the bridge at the pond on a Sunday afternoon walk...

Kids sitting on the stairs, "protecting" Natalie from falling down them...

She looks like me, I promise. Adorable, no??

Can't resist adding one more cute one of her...

Bike riders...

Their kind chauffeur...

These last "random" pictures are from Samantha. Always nice to see what she thinks is worth a photograph...

Self imagery...

More self imagery, only not turning out so well...

Natalie, covered in food, looking very enthused...

Mom feeding Natalie, from a distance...

Natalie's mohawk hair, up close...

Scripture-of-the-month, on the fridge...

Dishwasher, ready to wash...

Pencil jar, phone, and bottle insulator, from above...

Mom making dinner, up close...

Flowers on the table...

One last self portrait....

That's it for now. We're off for a weekend getaway to Upstate New York and Canada. Little country cottage, Palmyra, Niagara Falls, oh -- and we'll miss the hurricane here. Lucky. Sounds fun!!

Slumpy

2011-08-23T23:16:00.005-04:00

I'm still here, just not so into blogging lately, I guess. Not sure what I am "into" these days, actually. Feeling a little bit slumpy, I guess. It's not that I'm down or discouraged or anything. I'm just not really motivated to do whatever it is I "should" be doing, I guess. But at the same time, I'm not really concerned about this slumpiness. (btw, slumpiness is not a real word, and spell-check KNOWS it, and is quite bothered by it!)

I guess I'm just soaking up the last of the lazy summer days of August, while they last... sensing that change is around the corner: school is starting soon, the leaves are turning stale-green (which everyone knows is right before they change colors for real), and the humidity is finally going away (which means it's going to start to get cold soon). Ah, change... ready or not, here it comes. But before it's officially here, I think I'm going to just continue this slumpy phase, because it feels relaxing and comfortable, and I know it won't last.

Now you know what I've been up to -- not much.

Here are some recent random pictures of our slumpiness and other stuff...

oh, never mind. They're still on the camera, and I'm feeling slumpy enough to not get up and download pictures.

Instead, I guess you'll get the quick list of things I accomplished today:

-- emptied the clean, folded laundry baskets throughout the house (there were three, sitting half full from last week)

-- went to Target and got Samantha's school supplies and some mascara for me (and somehow ended up with a bunch of other stuff that totaled $64... and don't try to tell me that's never happened to you?!!?!)

-- turned in Samantha's updated Tuberculosis test waiver and updated immunization forms at her school.

-- mailed off a request for the accident report form for the little fender-bender I was in a couple of weeks ago (bad merge, slow traffic on the freeway, everyone was fine.)

-- talked to Dalana on her birthday, had a nice long catch-up chat.

-- made that delicious potato/tomato curry I've been craving, finally. Kids didn't love it, but I certainly did!

-- visited the afternoon away with my friend Debbie and her kids.

-- talked on the phone to my mom for a long chat this evening, while we both cleaned house.

-- blogged, while I waited for Brian to come home, but he's still not home and the blogging is winding down, I can feel it.

Yep. Pretty normal day here. Doesn't even sound too slumpy, does it? But nothing too thrilling, either. Honestly, the main benefit of this particular post is that you don't have to keep looking at that lame-o potty-training post! Hang tight, I'm sure there's better stuff coming soon, right??

Silver Lining

2011-08-16T17:49:00.004-04:00

Well, I'd put this on fb, but I don't really think my 300+ fb friends from high school or wherever else would really be interested. And I'd call Brian and just vent/explain to him about it, but I've tried calling him so many times today and I just get voicemail. And I'd call my mom, but I've already bugged her enough today.

So, hello blogging world. You get my story today. I'm calling it "Silver Lining" because I'm choosing to see the positive here... like working with Murphy's Law, or something like that.

Disclaimer: stop right here if you don't like reading about potty training.

Here's the story, short and sweet...

We went to the beach this afternoon.

Spencer pooed in his swim shorts.

After I took his fully-soaked diaper off.

Before I got a swim diaper on him.

The silver lining.... because he pooed in his swim shorts, he did NOT poo in the tub a few short minutes after we got home. Whew!!

Another one?

Spencer peed all over the bathroom floor and wall.

I mean ALLLLL OVER.

After the beach and the poop.

Before I could help him get his "potty training" act together.

The silver lining... this all happened BEFORE I mopped the bathroom floor. And YES, I was actually PLANNING to mop the bathroom floor today, just hadn't gotten to it yet. I mean, seriously, there is a silver lining to almost EVERYTHING, people.

Even potty training.

Knock-Knock.

2011-08-12T18:10:00.003-04:00

Conversation at dinner tonight...

Samantha: Mom. Here's what we're going to do. I'll knock on something and say 'knock-knock.' Then, you answer and say "who's there?" and I'll say "-- well, I'll say a name or something." Then you say "the name or something and then 'who'?" then I'll say another name or something with the first name, and then if it's funny, we'll laugh. Okay??

Me: You mean, like we'll play knock-knock?

Samantha: Yeah, but I'll knock on something, too.

Me: Okay. I'm ready.

Samantha (knocks on her chair): Knock-knock.

Me: Who's there?

Samantha (pauses, looks around the dinner table and kitchen area): Umm.... Hunt's Tomato Ketchup.

Me: Hunt's Tomato Ketchup, who?

Samantha (another good "thinking" pause): Ummmm... Hunt's Tomato Ketchup and rice and oranges in a blender!!!!! hah ahahahah!!!?!!?!

Her "silly face" ...

Wow. Knock-knock IS the game of the five-year-old. And I get to be her frequent audience, lucky me!!

Tribute to Redfish

2011-08-10T13:26:00.007-04:00

So, believe it or not, life in near the big city gets a little rough at times. (Surprised?) And usually, when that happens, Brian says to me, "Wow. I just wish we could pack up and go spend a few weeks at Redfish Lake." And he means it. So, this summer, we actually did throw a bit of Redfish into our little vacation to Idaho. And it was wonderful.

This post is my quick tribute to Redfish Lake and all its loveliness...

We rented a little cabin suite for a night, the night before my birthday. I didn't get a picture of the outside, but here was the cute little bedroom inside...

Brian's Aunt Cindy (and our dear friend) works up at the lodge there, so we got to see her, and Janice (Brian's sis) & company. Sadly, I have no pictures of our fun tinfoil dinner night at the beach, but you'll have to trust me that it was really fun!

We all smelled like campfire, and had perfectly cooked and seasoned dinners, complete with corn on the cob cooked in the fire, and delicious sides of pineapple and feta salad. yum!! And let's not forget that Samantha and cousin Allie got SOAKED in the lake while "playing in the sand." They were freezing and begging to go home by the time we left the lake to go back to our cabins. (And a mother who TOLD Samantha NOT to get wet that night was somewhat satisfied that the poor freeeeezing five-year-old had learned her lesson the harder way, even though I tried to be sympathetic.)

So, I woke up on my birthday morning to this lovely, gorgeous mountain setting around me...

We ate a delicious birthday breakfast (blueberry pancakes, yum!!) at the lodge...

With this view out our window as we ate...

Then we swam all afternoon. Spence and Brian stayed in the water a lot, so I didn't get many pics of them (Brian thanks me for the lack of photo coverage, of course, ha!)...

Samantha rigged up her own "floatie" system...

Wondering how it worked in the water? Demonstrated below...

And Natalie? Well, I made sure to get some pics of her from all angles, since she was so cute in her little suit...

Gotta love that softie little back...

And her painted toes, tee hee...

Truth be told, she crashed out in her stroller for a lot of the afternoon, like a perfect baby doll...

I guess that's the end of my tribute. We had to end it all too quickly, to rush off for a birthday party/bbq/fireworks at my parents' house. (Can't complain about that, eh?)

Oh, but I also have to throw in our fun pics of our favorite ice cream parlor in Idaho City. We stopped there on the way up to Redfish; it's tradition...

Some close-ups of those darling ice cream faces...

Sprinkles, from her "birthday cake" ice cream...

And Natalie liked her cup of water (less messy when it spilled down the front of her shirt)....

My final word...

I have to say, if you've wondered whether you should put Redfish Lake on your list of "destinations" I vote YES!! It's worth it.

Workin' hard, at the office...

2011-08-03T21:37:00.011-04:00

Well folks, I have to say, my day job sometimes has its challenges. Yep, tough stuff goes down at the office every now and then. Don't get me wrong... I love it. I really do. But it sometimes gets a little overwhelming, being middle-management and all. Shall I elaborate a little??

I guess I just have a hard time being the supervisor, sometimes. Training and leadership has its perks, but only when you know how to do it right. Which I sometimes don't. So, I've been reading some training manuals lately and talking to some other managers, trying to pick up some tips...

Even though I feel like I'm constantly trying to implement new programs around the office, it seems like it's slow-going, hard to track progress and measure results, ya know?

But really, my colleagues are great -- all three of them. And they learn really quickly, even though I struggle to know how to "manage" them properly. My most adaptable colleague is sometimes also the most challenging. She's a really fast learner, but is also SUPER independent and "hands off!" when it comes to certain work aspects.

She doesn't deal well with direct orders, so I have to find ways to make her feel like what I'm asking her to do was really her idea. Does that make sense? It gets tricky, I'm telling you! Also, she's got quite the creative flair when it comes to "projects." But not a lot of follow-through on the "clean-up" side of said "projects." ...

We've been working together for 5+ years now, but she still has to be reminded about some of the most tedious things... like company dress standards. I mean, jelly shoes? (and that's IF I'm not telling her we have to wear some kind of shoes.) Plus, she gets stains or holes in most company uniforms, which is a bigger expense than you might imagine! C'mon! And I am constantly battling her about her hair as well. She seems to think the hairbrush never came back in after the '80s, I guess...

She also sometimes forgets that I'm the supervisor. I've overheard her ordering the other employees around when she thinks I'm not listening. Surprisingly, she uses many of my exact phrases -- be they threats or bribes. I guess this is teaching me what not to say when she's around??

She likes to eavesdrop on my conversations, then bring up certain "awkward" topics with my boss... like, informing him that I was expecting him back from his meetings much earlier, or reminding him of certain engagements that really have nothing to do with her.

But all in all, she's great! She reads my mind and moods and when she feels like pitching in, she's a REAL help to me -- which I really appreciate around here!

As for my other co-workers, well... My middle man is in need of some serious mandatory training right now. And he's really complacent about it...

No wait, I'm pretty sure complacent is the wrong word. He's actually quite adamant that he does not want to go through with this new training program...

Even though it means a wardrobe upgrade...

And he's been offered several incentive packages...

He seems to be perfectly content with his current plan, and it's hard to find the right motivation to convince him that this training will really improve his work options in the long run. He just has a hard time seeing the long-range vision behind this. As his direct supervisor, I'm struggling to know how to encourage him without getting frustrated. Maybe now's not the time to push back, I guess?

He's a hard worker, and gets a lot done, in spurts. We see a lot of fury-followed-by-crash. Here's a "crash" scene, happens almost every afternoon, after his fury...

He has a hard time expressing his opinions, and gets rather emotional at times, but isn't very communicative. When I ask him why he doesn't want to do certain things, his only answer is generally just, "because I don't." Hard to work with that, people. But I'm trying. I'd rather not be the "enforcer" with him at times, to be honest. He's very agreeable and loves to please, as long as he doesn't feel like someone is trying to force any issues with him. I have to walk a fine line there, as you can imagine.

But those baby blues... they win him points. All day. Every day...

Talk about communications struggles... I'm wondering if we should consider ESL for our third employee? She gets her point across alright, but it's usually through lots of gesturing, whimpering, or screaming. I've had to work hard to read her nonverbal cues. It seems she's prone to frequent meltdowns and needs lots of breaks, even more than the other two, imagine!

But she's pretty good at her job most of the time. She's GREAT at paperwork, and seems to genuinely LOVE it! She makes fast work of most any kind of paper -- can tear through books and magazines like a speed-reader, er, I probably mean speed-eater?

To be honest, she's a lot of work, when it comes to management. She's pretty demanding, and acts like the little "princess" around here. She takes some extra supervision, and TONS of extra programs and "equipment"...

But she's got charisma to match her complexity, so I guess we don't mind too much...

Anyway, it's a roller-coaster around here. Even though I love it, I feel like I spend so much time managing, supervising, and training, that I find myself working overtime just to do regular maintenance, like this...

Or this...

Any other "managers" relate? Yep, the home office is quite the work-place, I'm telling you!!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2011-07-31T22:07:00.010-04:00

Yep, that's us, after seven wonderful years of marriage. Yay!! Brian and I celebrated our anniversary today. Seven, my favorite number. And Brian, my favorite person. I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend.

I was looking for a picture from our wedding, but I think those disks are in Idaho. So, here are a few from our honeymoon. Oh wait, I guess this first one is our one month anniversary -- cake and martinellis at my parents' house. (The only cake we got, besides the obligatory "bite" we fed each other at our reception.)

Tekal ruins, in Guatemala...

Some ruins in Mexico... (hey, I'm liking these pictures! We're so young and skinny!! and look at all of Brian's hair! wow!)

Some secluded beach in Belize...

Ah, those were the days. I'm sure you're all wishing I'd just blog about our honeymoon trip, right? But no. Instead, I have to tell about our fun anniversary. This year we decided to make it a celebration of the anniversary of our whole family. So, we invited the kids along, and went to Playland amusement park for the day!

Good times!! Here we are on the big Ferris wheel. (I have to include this pic, because it was one of the only rides Natalie could ride)...

Our lovely view from the top...

Spence, on the dinosaurs...

Sammie and Spence on the kiddie-coaster...

And here they are with Daddy, on the Jumping Bean (which I think was their favorite, judging by their giggles and smiles the whole ride)...

But Spence said no, the motorcycles were actually his favorite...

I personally liked the spinning balloons...

I taught Spence how to really get that thing spinning, by the end!

And Natalie also loved the train, since she got to be out of the stroller again for a few mins...

It was a really fun way to spend our day! And in the evening, a friend volunteered to watch our kids so we could continue to celebrate. So... Brian and I went to a swanky little restaurant and had a delicious dinner (grilled swordfish, caesar salad, and blueberry pie, soooo scrumptious!). Then we went BACK to Playland to ride the big kid rides!

Of course, we didn't take quite so many pictures, but here's me on the Derby races carousel (it's been at the park since it first opened in 1929)...

It was awesome! Not your everyday carousel, I'm telling you! The horses go sooo fast, it really feels like you're galloping along. And, it's so loud... really sounds like you're in a race. We were especially excited because we just watched Secretariat the night before. ha! Go Red!!

And Brian never talked me into riding the Double Shot, but who would have got his manly picture before he started screaming like a girl? heheheh. (Kidding, Brian.)

So, we celebrated on Saturday, then our real anniversary was today -- Sunday. We went to church, took long naps, had delicious (or mediocre, since the chicken was dry and crispy) dinner, followed by a drive to a college campus nearby and a family walk around the grounds...

Did you notice Spencer's full-on winter coat, all zipped up? In case you missed it...

We told him it was pretty hot out there, but he was not to be dissuaded, since he had put a little hotwheels car in that upper zipper pocket, and HAD to bring the coat along, for the car. And Sammie's old flipflops are his new favorites, unfortunately. :)

One more of the coat, just because I think he looks so cute...

And at the college campus again, Sammie and Brian, playing "chase" or "race" or something...

And, it's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. Sadly, the day ended with Samantha getting stung by a hornet. It was pretty traumatic and terrible, poor thing. Am I a bad mom for taking a picture?

We were a long way from the car, so Daddy carried her part of the way, then we waited for him to bring the car around. Luckily she was saved by a insect-sting-relief pad in our first aid kit in the car (thank-you to Cindy!)

And, that's the end. A lovely anniversary, and a wonderful time as a family! yay!!

Utah = more family fun

2011-07-19T11:04:00.010-04:00

Most of this trip has been about being with family. And it's been sooo much fun! The kids have LOVED being with all their cousins again -- on both sides of the family. We started with a big camping family reunion for my mom's side of the family. Very fun, very dirty.

First, here's the lovely back-drop for our camping trip...

Gotta love Mt. Timpanogas. Someday I want to climb it. But not while being the single mom of three kids on a three-day campout. Just "someday," okay? :)

Here's Samantha with cousin Brittany, showing off their adorable dirty faces. They were BFF's, for a little while anyway. (You know how that love/hate girl-cousin thing can be, right?)

And here's one of my cousin, Hannah, with her little baby niece, Naomi (guess that makes the baby a second cousin or something?) I just thought it was too cute, this clean little baby in her white jammies, all covered in mud, poor kiddo! (and poor mom, too, I'm sure!)

Ah, the pinata. What's a family reunion without a pinata?! This is Spence, trying to hit it. After his turn, it started ripping, and one or two pieces would fall out every time someone hit it. We could NOT keep Spence from running up to grab those pieces, despite the bat still swinging dangerously around his head!

My dirty, dirty boy! I told him to look at his hand because it was soooo dirty. First, he had to wipe it across his face, of course...

End result... ha!

And Samantha... Well, she got so filthy her blue jeans turned black, not to mention her cute face. But she was embarrassed and kept hiding from me when I tried to take her picture. ha!!

But I did finally catch this cute one of my dirty girl...

Another baby cousin, Regan, munching some watermelon. Gotta love all the cute babies!

Somehow, Anna managed to stay pretty clean, and so did Grandma, surprise!! :) Actually, I think my mom looks just gorgeous in this pic, despite the fact that she was in terrible pain...

Another one who managed to stay pretty clean, but only for the fact that I never let her out of the stroller...

I gotta throw in this sweet one of Sammie, sleeping. She's such an adorable angel when she's asleep, isn't she?! Reminds me she's still such a little baby-kid, even though she seems so grown up. Precious.

Next stop, my brother and sis-in-law, Blaine and Lisa, had us over for the 4th. Good times! These baby girls got to be GREAT friends, whenever they weren't trying to steal each other's bottles, or poke each other in the eyes. Here they are, getting into Lisa's camera stuff, sneaky babies...

And here's Brianna, sporting her just-out-of-the-pony-tail hairdo, so cute!...

For the Fourth, I ran a 5K. "Ran" is a big overstatement, though. I was slow, and my lungs were burning. But I finished, and here's my after-pic, to prove it...

Yeah, Blaine and Lisa wouldn't run it with me (they preferred sleeping in on their holiday, can you believe?!), so I had to take my own sorry after-pic. Oh well! ha!

We took the kids to the Morgan town parade. It was great. Lots of candy. I didn't take tons of float pics, but here's the group, lined up to catch some candy...

Samantha really wanted to get that one stray piece in the middle of the road, even at the risk of being run over by the parade. I told her no, like a good mom.

Here's little Brianna, looking so very enthused and patriotic!

And Spence, well, he was all about how much candy he could shove in, and how fast...

He basically sat in his seat with his bag, and when they'd throw candy, he'd start to move but the other kids would get it faster than he could leave his chair. So then he'd cry, and one of the older kids would take pity on him and give him a few pieces. I think it was all a ploy... free candy and very little effort.

After the parade, we took the kids to a little carnival/fair thing. All they wanted to do was the bounce house, so we let them have a go for a couple dollars....

Spence sneaked in an extra turn when no one was watching, sneaky boy! Then he bawled and threw himself on the ground when I told him we had to go home.

Back at Blaine and Lisa's, the kids like the carnival idea so much that they set up some games of their own. Here's Bryson and BJ doing the ring toss over some soda pop bottles...

Here's Samantha and Britt, getting ready for the fishing pond in the window well...

And, well, here's Brandon. Apparently he dressed up as a... something?... and let the kids throw things at him. I'm sure that was a very popular game!

For the evening, we had a great bbq with Lisa's side of the family (delicious ribs, I'm telling you!) I didn't take my camera out for that one, but it was a fun time. Afterward, we went to watch fireworks. Natalie LOVED them!...

Really! This was her face almost the entire time....

I didn't get any great shots of our whole group, but here's Brianna, just chillin' -- and Lisa and Blaine, too...

Samantha was pretty happy to be with cousins...

And Spencer is not pictured because he got tired of waiting and asked if he could sit in the car. He was fast asleep in the car by the time things got started.

That's all for now folks. After UT, we spent a week with my family in Blackfoot... then back to Caldwell to hang with Bishop family. All that is still to come, I'm sure you can hardly wait!! For now, I'm off to get us packed for Redfish Lake!

New favorite pic

2011-07-18T12:01:00.004-04:00

While we were at my parents' place, on Sunday afternoon, my dad took it upon himself to walk a group of grandkids across the road to see Grandma Eva (his mom, my grandma), and Grandpa Doug. I was lucky enough to catch this sweet moment of the whole bunch...

Too cute!!

Cottonwood Lane

2011-07-18T00:14:00.004-04:00

I've been having a lovely vacation at home in Idaho these past weeks. And it's even better, now that Brian is with us! I have lots to write about our trippings and lots of pictures of all our outings and innings.... just hang tight, they're coming, okay? (I'm sure you feel the suspense!)

That said, I'm taking a little detour here tonight. I've decided this is a good night to put up a bit of a journal entry I wrote last week, while I was at my parents' house. It has a bit of a melancholy tone -- something that comes and goes with me. (It's gone now.) I guess I just like to remember some sentimental things sometimes, and thought I'd share. So, here's my trip down memory lane, er, actually, it's called Cottonwood Lane...

I'm sitting in my car down Cottonwood Lane tonight, watching the sun set from the top of the canal bank. There's a new home across the road, on the other side of the canal. But it's not so new -- a grove of trees is growing up fast around it, providing plenty of shade and even some privacy. Other than that, the place looks pretty much the same as I remember.

The head-gate on the canal was open when I pulled into the field road, and still is. I can hear the water letting down into the pasture below. The same big old single cottonwood tree is down the bank a ways -- where I used to sit and swat mosquitos, watching dozens of summer sunsets as a teenager, listening to the crickets come out, and the frogs. Across the road, upstream a quarter-mile, the old bridge is still there -- where we used to put in to float, or swim, or just sit and drink a pop and let the evening pass.

I don't remember who owns this lovely piece of property -- maybe I used to know. It's just a big winding strip of farmland, heading down toward the river-bottoms. I don't even know what they farm here, but it has always smelled so fresh and clean. Probably alfalfa? I wonder if the people who own this place know we found their swimming hole by the bridge, or if they would care if they saw me here tonight?

Something inside me feels so sad, so wistful -- almost lonely -- as I look out across the fields and hear the sprinklers going in the distance. The clouds are blocking the last rays of light as the sun disappears behind the trees. All the majestic pinks and purples are reflecting vibrantly, just as I always remembered them. I feel very alive as I watch the magic bursts of cloud floating across the dusky sky.

From this spot, I prayed for a witness that God is real, that Christ still lives. And in the wind, the water and the stillness of another evening like this, I felt my answer. Even now, as I look out over the scene, I can feel that sweet serenity once again.

On that bridge, I sat with my first love and threw rocks into the water during our first fight.

Down that field road, I walked with my best friend on a bright starry night, and forgave her all the pettiness of our shared adolescence.

I stand by my little Volkswagon now, listening to the water gurgle down into the pasture below, wishing Brian were here to cuddle me out of my melancholy reminiscence. But even if he were here, would he know what I'm feeling? Would he really understand?

Maybe it isn't Brian I'm missing right now.

Maybe it's my past.

I have so many memories here, in this place I call home. Even years after I've left it behind me. It's still home, still a part of me. Not just Cottonwood, but this whole place where I was a girl. I have so many dreams and plans that I left here when I moved on, grew up, left home.

And yet, whenever I return, those old girlish dreams are still here waiting for me, almost haunting me with a sweet sadness for the path I didn't choose.

It's not that I wish I'd taken whatever unknown path I left behind me. I love the place where I am today -- and the choices that have brought me here. But still, some secret part of me just cherishes my past so dearly that I sometimes ache for its irretrievable loss, while loving the memories.

should be sleeping

2011-07-15T01:18:00.002-04:00

It's getting late, and I should be sleeping. But I thought I'd go ahead and blog a bit, since I've been browsing around on the computer tonight. We've been in Idaho for a few weeks now, and it's been a lovely vacation so far. It's soooo nice to be home. I mean, New York is fun and all, but well,... I just really like being close to family. So, this has been nice.

I'm working on a quilt. My third one ever. And quite possibly my last. I'll have to put up some pictures of it, once it's finished. Did you know quilting is A LOT of work?! This is just a twin, for my niece, and it's been a fun challenge, since I'm not really a quilter or seamstress (I started to write sewer, and realized what that spelled. ha!)

That's all I'm going to write about quilting, because I know for the non-quilter any more than that could get boring. But it's what been filling my time of late, in case you were wondering.

I've also been worrying about my mom. Her back has been hurting her so badly. The whole time I have been here, she's been laid up in bed, on pain killers -- or off to visit doctors to see what to do about it. I feel so sad, and wish I could do something to help.

I've also been very excited to see Brian again. He stayed in NY and I brought the kids to Idaho to be with family. He's been VERY busy, and he's finally joining us here tomorrow, for a week and a half. I have plans of putting him straight to bed for several days, after all his many late nights, poor thing. Think he'll let me? ha! It will be very nice to be with him, and have him here with us. We have a fun Bishop reunion planned, and a trip to Redfish Lake. And a birthday party for me, with my family. Good times ahead...

And the kids. Well, they're little darlings and I love them. I have a hard time being the single mom, but I think I've managed a little better than I expected on this trip. (I say this when they're all fast asleep in their beds, of course.)

Spencer is LOVING being here! He told his cousin yesterday, "My dad lives in New York. But I live in Caldwell." Oh boy. Sounds like a "split family," right?! We may have some "adjusting" to do when this vacation is over.

Samantha is so occupied playing with all her cousins that I hardly see her. She totally loves an adventure, as usual. So, she's making the most of her time here.

And Natalie is on the move, finally. She's really caught onto crawling, and loves exploring around. She is a regular little vacuum and picks up anything off the floor and shoves it in her mouth, like a good nine-month-old. Her all-time favorite snack is paper. She attacked grandma and grandpa's Yellow-pages yesterday, was working her way through the "B" section when I caught her. She's also found her voice, and is quite assertive! -- Reminds me more of Sammie everyday. I hope that's a good thing?? ;)

As for me, I'm tired. I keep staying up too late -- tonight is no exception. But I have plans of changing my ways... after this vacation, probably. :) I also have plans of running again. I was hoping to keep it up while I was here, but I've been lazy. I did that 5k on the Fourth, and the altitude almost killed me. So, I've mainly just taken some brisk walks since then. Maybe once I'm back to the sweltering humidity of 6 a.m. mornings in NY I'll get my enthusiasm back?? (Sounds inviting, doesn't it?)

You can probably tell my brain shut off quite awhile ago? I guess I'll try sleeping now. Someone doorbell-ditched us a few nights ago at 1 a.m. and I've been "jumpy" since then. bleh. I just have to wait until I'm SUPER sleepy, then I can zonk out without thinking too much, ya know? Only one more night, then Brian can fight my boogy-mans.

G'night!

More vacation highlights

2011-06-27T20:46:00.013-04:00

My absolute favorite day of this vacation was our day at the beach on the Outer Banks. In fact, if I could redo, I'd probably book a place for three days there, and just park in a beach chair on the sand. And then, of course, we'd just have to high-tail it home at the end, skipping the extras we did on our way back up the coast. Hindsight, eh?

Anyway, after Kittyhawk, we drove down the Outer Banks to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. We got to the lighthouse just after it had closed, so we had a good excuse NOT to climb the 200-something stairs to the top. (ha!) But we got some fun pics...

I'm sorry, but sometimes I just think my kids are so stinkin' cute. I mean, look at that cheesy little grin, and those bare feet, just dangling... adorable!

So, here's the lighthouse itself, in all its lighthouse glory...

Melissa, (and anyone else who has a lighthouse obsession) you've GOT to get to this one; it's gorgeous! Really, it's one of the most impressive ones I've seen.

From the base, looking up...

The "crew" on the steps at the base...

And, looking back at it from the beach...

Another nice shot from the beach...

Ah yes, the beach...

It was completely dreamy... the kind of beach I adore: warm water, medium waves, soft fine sand, piles of sea grass and a few dunes. Like I said, adorable...

Had enough yet?

We all really enjoyed it. Here's Samantha and Grandma, looking for shells...

Grandpa, sketching a beach scene while he watched Natalie, with Spence in the background, "digging," ...

Spencer and Sammie, after Brian buried them...

Brian and me, trying to convince the kids that the water really IS just as fun as the sand...

Spencer was NOT convinced. A sneaker wave knocked at him, scared him half to death and sent him high-tailing it back to the shore, poor guy. Oh well... he has time, right?...

And just a few more fun shots from my little stroll along the beach, while the sunset...

Some funky rusty old metal jetty thing made for some interesting shots...

And, I've always wanted to try to replicate that "Footsteps" picture that goes with the poem. Here was my best attempt...

Ah, lovely, lovely beach. I could go on. You know I could. But I won't.

The next day, we toured the US Naval Base in Norfolk, VA -- a "guy" thing. It was actually pretty interesting, only, we didn't get to go on any of the ships, so I was a bit disappointed. I mean, couldn't they just let us take a quick stroll on the deck of one of those aircraft carriers? Nope. We were confined to a bus, with a super cool pregnant, 22-year-old navy girl private tour guide person. (I'm sure she had a title, but umm... lost on me. sorry.)

Anyway, here are the few pics we were "allowed" to take of the ships...

We drove right up close, but couldn't get out our cameras until we were about a mile away. Some security stuff, I guess?

I was hoping to get a picture of the second busiest McDonalds in the world, which is part of the base (1st busiest is in Times Square, which I now have a goal to visit!) Well, the bus didn't pass by McD's, too bad. Maybe another "security" thing??

We did get some fun pics of some of the officers' houses. Looks like they live in style, eh?

Our tour guide said the privates aren't even allowed to go on the street where the officers' houses are, except if they're "summoned" or invited to special parties, or giving tours. Interesting, eh?

We also saw some of the fancy air craft parked on the lawns all across the base...

Brian or my dad could probably tell you their names. To Spence (and me), they're just "big, fast, airplanes"...

After Norfolk, we started making our way home, up the outside of the Chesapeake Bay. Point of interest: Did you know there is a 20-mile-long BRIDGE across the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay? Oh yes there is! And we got to drive across it! Super cool!!

In case you were wondering what it's called, well, it's the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Tunnel. Original, no. But descriptive enough, I guess.

Our handsome driver, as we set off over the bridge...

There's a fancy fishermans' pier right at the start, with some fun diagrams and a little restaurant. We stopped to get the scoop on what we were undertaking. Here's the detailed map of the bridge, including the two miles of tunnel, allowing ships to pass through...

Here's the entrance to the tunnel, taken from the top of the fisherman's pier...

On the pier, watching the fisherman...

One of my favorite pics of the trip -- Grandpa and Nattie Kay. (She just woke up; please forgive her the sweaty-head look.)

I just love pics of my parents with my kids. It makes me feel so happy to see the generations together, I guess.

Another bridge shot, with the sun setting...

And, goodbye sunshine. Goodbye, bridge.

After that, we were pretty much on the way home. And, to be honest, there's not that much going on up the coast of Delaware -- in case you wondered. But we did stop in Dover, to see the capitol building there...

Overrated. It doesn't even have a dome on top, can you believe?! ...

At least my kids were cute!...

Quick stop over in Philly, to see the lovely Liberty Bell, always nice...

We (or at least Brian) also wanted to go into Independence Hall, but all the tix for the day were gone. Too bad, but it was under construction anyway, and do you think our kids really would have cared? hmmm...

We also did a drive-by of Trenton, NJ, to see its capitol building. More impressive than Delaware, even though it's kind of crammed in the middle of the city...

At least it has a dome...

And Natalie loved it. Errr, at least loved getting a diaper change and a quick roll on the grass...

So, by that time, we were just about "tripped" out, and were ready to go home.

So we did.

Just a few extra random shots to remember from the trip...

Our "haul" up to the hotel rooms every night.

Ha ha! Poor Spencer. Look how Sammie thinks she's sooooo funny!!

Natalie, kickin' back in her car seat in the car, and my mom, snapping pictures of her every 20 minutes or so...

For those of you who know what this is, umm... yeah. We saw a lot of this on the trip. Six days, poor buddy. For those of you who DON'T know what this is, umm... you really don't want to know.

The man on vacation. Yay!! Nine days. Nine blessed days and no work. It was nice to see him sleep and relax, for a change!

And one last cute one of the babe...

Vacation over. Next one is on the horizon...

Back to the homeland I go, with three kids in tow. Tomorrow. Wish us luck!!

What a vacation should look like...

2011-06-26T17:18:00.009-04:00

If I don't put up some pictures and details now, they will be lost forever, I fear. So... here are the highlights of our vacation down the coast a few weeks ago...

First stop, Ft. McHenry, in Baltimore. Yep, it's the place where Francis Scott Key penned the Star Spangled Banner. Quite a pretty place. We did a quick visit, on our way down to D.C.

Here's Old Glory, flying high...

The kids, acting very interested in the signage about cannons. Spencer wanted to pick up the lead balls...

Nattie, eating her "straps" -- always tasty!

The harbor. Oh, how fun to sail, brings back lovely Boston memories!!

Running by the seawall... I added this one because this is how things were for much of the vacation: "Sammie, come back!"

We stayed in the D.C. area for a couple of nights, with our dear friends, the Becks. We knew them in London and share Idaho ties, so we've kept in touch pretty good through the years. Sadly, I got NO pictures of them, or our other friends, the Eliesons, who we also saw while we were in D.C. How unfortunate!

But I did get some "we were in Washington D.C." pictures, such as...

And this one, recognize it??

We did a hour-long "run by" of some of the Smithosian Museums (which, let's be honest -- that's about all we'd really want with three tots in tow, right?) Here's Spence and the dinosaurs... he was a little scared, can ya blame him?

Samantha, admiring the Hope Diamond. This girl's already got some taste...

Sam's been studying about minerals lately, so she LOVED their mineral collection! She took this one herself, not bad for a 5-yr-old, eh?...

Spencer was really impressed with the Air and Space Museum. (for about 10 minutes, of course)....

We lucked into a Memorial Day concert in front of the capitol building, pretty cool!!

Here's the crowd and the stage...

They sang some patriotic songs and talked about our vets. The kids lost the plot after awhile, so we didn't stay for it all. But it was fun to be part of it, for a half hour or so.

Brian took this lovely shot of the capitol at dusk, from our spot on the grass...

We took a little night walk around the city. I just have to laugh at this pic of the White House (that tiny spec, way in the background). We were totally exhausted by the time we got there, and it shows. Check out Samantha's nice scowl...

After D.C., we drove down through Virginia to Charlottesville to see Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's estate). Quite the place!! A few pics...

No pictures allowed inside, such a shame. But here we are on the back lawn...

And then, Brian got up really early to see the campus of University of Virginia there in Charlottesville, while the rest of slept. No, this isn't part of Jefferson's estate, but it was designed by him, can you tell?? ...

An artsy doorway, for those who love college campuses (Brian). I'd like to photoshop out those handrails, fyi...

After Virginia, we swung by Raleigh, North Carolina to see Duke and pick up my parents, who joined us for the rest of our trip. Fun! Here's a quick look at Duke. (I have to throw these in, for Brian)...

That bell tower (above) was playing some lovely hymns while we were there. I LOVE bells!

Here are the little darlings, at a fountain in one of Duke's botanical gardens...

Another part of the gardens...

Just to prove that we were really at Duke, ha ha...

And from there, on to the Outer Banks and Kittyhawk, NC. Anybody know what happened there?...

That's right, the Wright Brothers first flew their plane at Kittyhawk. How exciting!! My dad really wanted to see it, so we were glad to add it to our plans. Did you know, that grassy knoll was NOT there when the Wright Brothers flew? They actually chose this spot for the great sand dunes. But of course, a memorial needs grass, right? So... well, so much for authenticity, eh?

We really should have gotten a picture of my dad at Kittyhawk, but he was off reading all the plaques and taking pictures and buying a 200-page book about it. So... all you get is us...

Inside the visitors center, they have a full scale replica of the Wright Brothers' plane -- named the Flyer (original, no?) It was pretty neat to watch the demonstration and see how mechanical the different parts of the plane were.

And, inside a replica of their little hanger...

Well, this is getting so long. I think I'll do a vacation, part 2. Hold tight!!

Let's talk about the kiddos...

2011-06-22T14:06:00.005-04:00

We haven't been out of the house enough this week, I guess. Or maybe it's the humidity? Or maybe I just keep waking up on the wrong side of the bed? Whatever it is, it's been making my day job less desirable, at times. But I'm trying to maintain a somewhat positive attitude. So, I'll try not to whine too much here, kay?

First, let's start with this little dimple darling...

Oh yes, she's super-duper cuter than ever, and we just love her to pieces. But I think she must be teething or something. These past few days she's just been so... unpredictable? Her naps are shorter, her appetite is hard to read, and she's developed a VERY loud "yell" of sorts that she uses almost constantly. I mean, between bites at meals, during most diaper changes, and even when she's drinking a bottle or sucking a pacifier -- she feels it's her duty to pull the "sucker" out and give a good yell every now and then. Not so amusing after a few hours, let alone a few days. Oh, also, she has a great love of paper. She finds any little scrap, and into the mouth it goes. Today she was munching the American Express statement. It's kinda cute and funny, except she REALLY yells when I have to take away her "toy" and dig the remnants out of her mouth. hmm... Any thoughts on teaching her some better baby manners?

Well, at least she's very cute, even when she yells at me nonstop!

Then there's this little sweetheart...

Samantha really is pretty sweet these days, and she tries very hard to be my helper, a lot of the time. She has her moments, though. And they are not fun... Like, the big wide eyes and instant tears running down her face when I tell her she's played on pbskids long enough today. Or the stomping feet and sassy, demanding voice when I don't get her a snack "right this second." Or the whiny, sniffly way she acts so bothered if I do something without her (like, go running in the mornings, for instance). Yeah, these things usually get her in time-out, and leave me feeling wound up, irritated, then later guilty for being less than patient.

But she's my sweet little friend, most of the time, of course...

Now, let's get to the real "discussion" of the day: My Second Baby...

Who me??

Me????

That's our boy!! I am having the hardest time figuring out what to do for Spencer these days. I think I've mentioned it before, but he really does want to be a baby again, and I'm not at all sure how to handle this "stage." Let me give some details...

When we first moved here, Spence would occasionally say to me, "I want you to hold me." I thought it was sweet, and, when I had a few extra minutes, I'd sit down with him and cuddle him a bit. Well, that was every once in awhile -- like once or twice a day, maybe. And now? I hear that every five to ten minutes. All. Day. Long. If I can't hold him, he bursts into tears and sobs, then says "I'm too tired. I'm just too tired." Then... "I want BaBa (his blanket)." This happens at meals, in the car, when I'm working with Natalie, when we're out for walks...

I'm sorry, but this is the whiny part. Skip it if you want to. But I am going cr-aaaiizy! And I'm not sure what to do. I go back and forth between feeling like I should just give him a lot of extra attention, you know -- reassure him and just sort of "love him" through it... to feeling like I should just ignore it altogether -- so I don't encourage him. And when I'm not actively trying to deal with it through one of those methods, I also sometimes find myself throwing up my hands in exasperation and frustration. (Maybe I do more of that than the other two, actually.)

It's not just the "hold me" stuff that's puzzling/frustrating/annoying (can be any combo of those three, depending on how I feel at the time. ha!). He really does seem to be reverting back to babyhood? for lack of a better word. He tells me all the time, "I grow back little now, like Nattie." He rarely dresses himself, at meals he often wants me to feed him bites, he has virtually NO interest in toilet training. And if I push any of these things, I better be willing to put up with a nasty tantrum and lots of tears. I don't know if maybe he's sick or maybe he's not getting enough sleep? Or maybe he's just having a harder time adjusting to everything (Natalie, the move, the absence of Daddy, etc)??

Anyway, it's been rough. And I'm honestly not sure what to do for our poor little Spencer boy. Any suggestions? I'm open to whatever!! Actually, I should probably get off my blog and get online and find some "expert" ideas on how to help my toddler grow up, eh?! Just thought I'd vent a little bit here, hope ya don't mind.

Ciao for now...

In Connecticut, and other random conversations

2011-06-21T22:12:00.003-04:00

I know I'm behind on my blog.

See, what happens is I tell myself I HAVE to put up all the pictures and tell about our awesome vacation before I write another word about anything. And then... welp. There I am again.

But while I continue to put off some major blogging, I thought I might as well jot down some fun conversations with the kids we've had lately...

-- We went shopping in Connecticut last week (about 20 mins drive from home). When we were coming back, Samantha noticed the big "Welcome to New York" sign on the freeway.

Sam, very surprised: "What? Welcome to New York!??! Mom!? Did we leave the country?!"

Me: No, Sammie. We were just in Connecticut.... but it is another state.

Sam: Oh. Connecticut. (pause for thinking) Well, that explains why everyone in the store was speaking Spanish!!

???

-- Samantha, while my parents were visiting, felt it her duty to tattle-tell on Spencer: Mom, Spencer said he has a servant.... and it's Grandma!

-- At Applebees, after a very big meal, Spencer lifted up his shirt and examined his stomach studiously, then said: hmm.... My tummy is spilling over!

(I think I know the feeling, buddy!)

-- Brian, trying to teach Samantha about manners, since she kept interrupting everyone: Sammie, it's really not polite to interrupt people in the middle of a conversation.

Sam: Oh. Okay. [thoughtful pause] Dad. I don't even know what a conversation IS!

All for now... wish I kept better track of some of the other things they've said lately. They make me laugh all day long!

More Park Pictures

2011-06-05T23:57:00.005-04:00

I can't resist. I just have to put up some more of the pictures from our park outing a few weeks ago. I was messing with the camera, trying to get some cute pics of the kids... maybe even "wall" worthy. I liked some of them enough to share...

It was hard to get Samantha to hold still long enough to pose, but I did get a few cute ones, I think...

A little too much sun, and too many shadows, and she's got that funny bite going on, but I love it, for some reason. Mama's bias, I guess...

Also kinda "squinty," but I like this one, too...

Spence's new smile... a little scrunchy, but so cute...

Love those lashes and those baby blues!

Also love this one, but darn that green thing on one corner of his head. If I knew photoshop.... oh well!

And now, more of the little lady who quite decidedly steals the show when it comes to photos right now...

Oh so yummy!!

hee hee... I love that little tongue!

Hard to get anything but cuteness when I'm taking pictures of this girlie! She just makes me smile!

And this last here.... It's from a different day, but every time I look at it, it makes me giggle inside. Thought I'd add it to the collection for blogger consumption...

ps. darling dress and matching bow compliments of our dear friend A. (hope she gets to see it!)

pss. Just back from a lovely, week-long vacation, WITH Brian and the kids. And with my parents, too! Oh yes, there is much to blog about... stay tuned!

Special Days

2011-05-26T21:18:00.007-04:00

A few weeks after we moved here, I was telling Samantha and Spencer a "story from when I was little" as their bedtime story. I told them about a trip I took with some of my cousins, and how, in their family, they had Special Days. These cousins of mine had seven kids in their family. So, each day of the week it was someone's Special Day. That meant, the "Special" kid could pray or choose someone to pray at meals, sit in the front seat of the car, and pick a little "special" something he or she wanted to do (like, play with a friend, play his/her game of choice, eat some kind of treat, etc.)

Well. The idea was FASCINATING to my kiddos! And so... we now have "Special Days." Samantha's is Tuesday, and Spencer's is Thursday. At first, I kind of wondered, what did I get myself into?! But actually, it's been kind of fun. We don't really do that much stuff we wouldn't normally be doing already. But the kids look forward to it, and they feel like they're helping to make the plan for the day.

Here's some of the things we've done for Special Days...

-- Found a new park, with some VERY cool toys

Natalie's first swing ride... she was a BIG fan!

-- Walked to the bridge to see the turtle in our pond

He's kinda hard to see, but I promise, there's a HUGE turtle in that pond, about as big around as a large trash can lid. And he has a really long neck, too. I think you can mainly see his neck in this picture...

-- Rode our bikes at the beach

(my personal favorite, and probably theirs, too)

There's a great boardwalk, all along the beach near our house. Perfect for biking!

Oh, and, Samantha's friend from church gave her this little two-wheeler, no training wheels. She got on and had no trouble whatsoever riding it, from the very first try! Wow.

-- Took a "just for fun" bath in the middle of the day

(one of their last all-together baths... Samantha's starting to take them on her own now... growing up so fast. sniff sniff.)

-- Read extra stories together before bedtime

And, some other "Special Days" we didn't catch on film...

-- Walked to Dunkin Donuts for pink donuts with sprinkles

-- Played at McDonalds playland

-- Went to Central Park to play in the sandbox

-- Watched a movie in bed with mom, even staying up after bedtime

-- Went to the library

It's fun. And, actually, it kind of helps with some of the little sibling fights... "Spencer gets the red one, because it's his Special Day." "Samantha gets the last jelly bean, because it's her Special Day." "Spencer can go first, because it's his Special Day." "Samantha can choose which she wants, it's her Special Day."

I even claim my own Special Day, occasionally... I tell them we're going to go shopping and they have to be extra good even when we're just looking at boring mommy clothes and such, because it's my Special Day. They're very good about it, a nice surprise!

The only drawback is when we can't actually do what they'd like, for their Special Day. Like, umm... Spencer seems to think it's a "Make a Wish" list. Several times a day, I hear, "Mom. You know what, on my special day??Umm... go to McDonalds." Then five minutes later, again, "You know what on my Special Day? Umm... go to Wal-mart." And again, "Umm... watch Thomas the Train." And my favorite so far, "Ummm... go on an airplane." ha! We'll save that last one for a few months, eh?!

Anyway, Saturday is Brian's first Special Day: he starts a week of vacation! Yay!! Wish us luck, making it very extra Special!!

Money Matters

2011-05-25T20:38:00.005-04:00

Wow. First, thanks for the feedback about what I should blog about. I know this blog is mainly for me, right? But I'm always interested to know what others find interesting. So, thanks!! :)

This post is a little different than my normal stuff. Since we moved here, it seems like I've had money on my mind a lot more. It could be that Brian's so busy that I've (begrudgingly) taken over doing most of the bills -- so I "see" the money a bit more? It could be that I'm constantly comparing what things cost in Idaho, to how much they cost here. It could be that New York is just an expensive place, and I've still got "sticker shock." It could be that we're finally MAKING money instead of just burning our savings away, and yet we're still not really gaining much. It could be that we moved into a VERY affluent area and I'm much more aware of how some people spend, because they have it to spend.

It could be a combination of all those things. Most likely, it is. Well, whatever the reason, I just feel like some of my observations are interesting, maybe somewhat amusing, and worth sharing. But it still feels a little weird for me to be talking about money, because I don't usually do it. So, if you get embarrassed for me on some of this...

well, a-hem.

First little story...

A few weeks ago I looked up a few consignment stores in the area and took the kids with me to check out one of them. It was an upper-end clothing and shoes consignment store, with prices ranging from $5 - $100 for gently used items. It was just me, my kids, and the store owner in the store -- super nice lady. She started helping me find clothes that will fit my body, even though I'm not a size 4, 6, 8... She pulled out several pairs of capris and jeans, and lots of tops. Each time she pulled out a new top, she'd say "oh, and here's another Anthropologie, here's a Testament that would fit you, here's a Puella that's kind of cute..." $15 for one shirt. $22 for another, and so on.

I smiled politely and took all the clothes to try on, even though the only name I recognized was JJill. Am I so disconnected with fashion that I really have no idea what the hot brands even are?? Apparently so. I was browsing through the "grab bag $5 bin" at the back of the store before I left, and I saw a cute black jacket that was my size. Not bad for $5, I thought. I decided to get it, along with some $3 Sonoma t-shirts (Kohls, of course), and a few other shirts that were some of those name brands she'd mentioned. As I put the jacket on the counter to pay for it, the owner lady got all excited for me and said, "Oh!! Is that that Eileen Fisher jacket?! What a steal, eh?! I'm so glad it fits you! Can't beat that, -- just take it to the cleaners, or press it yourself, and... wow. Eileen Fisher for just five bucks, huh?!"

I acted like I knew what a find I had found. Even though I was clueless and, again, had never heard of Eileen Fisher. (Have you??) So, I looked for her line online the other night. Found a jacket like the one I just got, only mine's black, and a little bigger :) ...

And how much is the online catalog price for this little beauty?? $278.

Wow. Who knew? And the testament shirt I got for $18. I love it (and thanks for the compliment, Alysa)...

I know, this was in my last post, but I had to put it up again, now that I'm actually talking about the shirt. It's pretty cute, I think. I looked online and found a similar cut Testament shirt for $98. For a t-shirt.

Wow. I'm just not into spending like that. Nor do I ever plan to be. It kinda blows my mind that nice, designer clothes actually cost that much. And that people have money to buy clothes off the rack at those "new clothes" prices. And that they actually SPEND it on that.

And at the same time, I have to say, that shirt fits really nicely. It hangs well and feels so light and comfortable. So do the others that I bought. It makes me want to go back to that little store and see if she has any more like it (which I bet she DOES). Maybe she even has some more Eileen Fisher stuff ... now that I know what that means. ha! Not that I don't like the designer clothes -- just not the prices.

I remember having a conversation with a friend once -- not anyone really close -- about clothes and shopping. She said, "I never thought I'd like to spend a lot of money for nice, good quality clothes. But then I tried on some nice, good quality clothes. And they fit me so much better. They just felt good on me. Now... it's really hard to *not* by the good stuff."

Hmm... lucky for me, fashion isn't really my thing. And really, I'm okay with my ignorance of the fancy brands. But being here, being surrounded by a really high fashion standard, it does give me pause for thought... and for blogging. ha! You should see the lovely shoes on some of the ladies at church, oh my! I could write a post just about the shoes... but not this post.

Next little story...

I went to drop off some paperwork to the school nurse at Samantha's new school. She (the nurse) was super nice and friendly. She gave me a referral card for her family's dentist and was telling me about our town and surrounding area. "Have you got your daughter signed up for a summer camp yet?" she asked. I kind of shrugged, so she gave me a booklet about "Summer Fun in Westchester County." She started telling me about how there were lots of different camp options, but it'd be kind of late to get registered for most of them. Then, she said, "Oh, actually, Harrison City offers a camp that has a later registration. It's nothing great, but it's so cheap. It's only, like, $300 for the week. So, if your daughter didn't want to go one of the days or it got really hot or something... well, you know... you wouldn't be out any money, right?"

Umm... okay. Except, yes, we would be out $300. I'm sorry, but that still feels like a lot of money to me. For a five-year-old. For a one-week summer day camp thing that's "nothing great." The school nurse went on to tell me that "some of those private day camps can start to get a little bit pricey... You know... $5 or 6 THOUSAND dollars."

Umm... okay. So now I understand. ... I guess $300 is "so cheap" in comparison. But really, to me, it's still $300! -- Five fill-ups with gas (also on the pricey side, now that I think of it), three weekly grocery trips, or two month's worth of utilities.

It's the same with the community pool here... $700 for the summer. Means me and my two kids can swim at two different outdoor pools all summer long. And that's "such a deal" according to a mom in the park, because it's so much more reasonable than the nearby Rye Country Club, which is $3000 -- as in THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS to swim in their outdoor park and pool. (And, of course, there's an out-of-city additional fee we'd have to pay at Rye, since we live in Harrison -- a lady we met while we were out walking tonight told me about that nice little add-on, thanks.)

It's the same with preschool prices... A lady in our ward is doing preschool right now, charging $150 per month for two days a week. She's on the lower end. Someone else is doing one next year and will be charging $185. But either of those options is soooo much more reasonable than any of the private preschools around here. I hear they charge in the thousands. per month... haven't actually verified that yet, so I could be wrong. But still, I guess I really do have sticker shock. Sammie's Spanish Immersion program (back in Caldwell) was pretty pricey to me -- $90 a month. Sorry Spence, you're getting Joy School. :) Or, maybe *I* should start teaching preschool???

I know, I know... New York is just an expensive place. Yes, it's true. But the fact is, my same dollars still mean as much to me here as they did in Idaho. And yet they don't buy nearly as much here, at all! Those dollars just seem to stretch so much farther, almost anywhere besides here, eh? Seems almost wasteful, to spend more for less. But that's what it feels like here. Kind of a downer, when I stop to think about it. (But don't worry... I try not to!)

I'm sure I had more to say about this, but it's not coming easily. Probably because I don't write or talk about money very often. And probably I don't talk about it much because we all see money from a different vantage point, depending on how much we have, how much we need, how much we spend, etc. Right? Well, then. Enough said, for now.

The Beach.

2011-05-24T23:06:00.008-04:00

It happened, finally! Brian had a WHOLE WEEKEND where he didn't have to work. At all! Well, actually I think he may have checked his email a few times, but it was on the sly and didn't involve hours of isolation. So!!! We finally had some time together as a family. And it was wonderful.

We slept in Saturday morning. (Actually it was mainly Brian who slept in, since Natalie didn't get the memo, and the kids -- and I-- wake up as soon as they hear her.) We made delicious french toast for breakfast (Brian kinda missed that part too, but we saved him some). Then, we packed up a picnic lunch and went to the beach. It was lovely. And here are the pictures, to prove it.

First, here's our beach, so fun! With Long Island off in the distance...

And, presenting.... the man of the hour! Not even toting his Blackberry (at least not visibly!)...

Happy Lady. VERY happy.

Water was cold, but the sand was what the kids came for anyway...

I love her smile... She didn't even know we were taking this one, but she was just in a really good mood. (Aside, all those cute little "parts" in her hair for her twisty braids got sunburned. Ouch and oops.)

Natalie wasn't quite sure what to think of the beach.

Or the sun...

Or the sand...

She got her fill in the first half hour, then crashed out in her stroller...

Brian and the kids build a sand tower. It was going to be a castle, but that was proving to be a very tricky endeavor. So, they opted for a tower instead. Here's Brian, carefully packing the bottom layer, with Spence in the background, bringing him another bucket of water to firm things up...

And, um, I accidentally knocked the tower over before we got a picture of it. Oops. But it was cool. Looked like a three layer wedding cake, and Samantha even decorated part of it with seashells.

Then Daddy buried them.

They LOVED it!

Then Samantha helped Brian bury Spencer up to his neck.

He thought that was the cooooolest!

Until Sammie "broke his sand" and ran off like a bandit. Hahaha...

Ah, what more can I say? It was a lovely afternoon. We ate a picnic lunch, stayed until it got a little bit chilly and overcast, then packed up and drove home (5 minutes, no joke!) It started to rain just as we got home... perfect timing!

Blog ideas? Let's vote.

2011-05-23T17:50:00.002-04:00

Kay, so I have lots of ideas of things I'd like to blog about, but I'm not making time to blog these days. Anyone noticed?? Well, I was thinking, maybe I could put up some of my topic ideas, and see if any of my faithful readers might have suggestions about what I should do for my next posts. Any takers? Well, here's my list of topics I'm considering right now:

-- Money Matters

-- About Blogging

-- Kids' Stats, and other random stuff to remember

-- Beach and Other Outings

-- "Special" Days

-- More about the Neighborhood

-- Internal Anxieties

I've seriously been thinking of writing something about each of those topics. Any that would be more interesting than others? I guess I'm curious what it is people like to see on my blog. Not that I have THAT many readers/followers. But maybe there's something that you'd like to hear about??? Let me know...

Neighbors

2011-05-23T14:27:00.004-04:00

We've been in our house for a month and a half now. Time to write about our neighbors, though I'm not sure there's all that much to write, really. As you know, our house is a duplex, you probably remember from "the tour," right? That means, we have neighbors right through the wall on one side.

At first it kind of bothered me. I woke up at 6:30 a.m. every day, listening to someone next door creeping down their stairs and out the door to work. And at bed time I was super self conscious, knowing they could hear me raising a motherly voice at my less-than-cooperative children on those not-so-easy single-mom nights. I guess I'm now used to all that, and I'm less self-conscious about my "pitch" after overhearing a doozy of an argument through their bedroom wall one night.

Anyway, one of our first afternoons in our new place, Samantha looked out the back window and saw a little girl getting on a two-wheeled bike, and an older man putting a toddler in a stroller. Sammie was running for the coat closet, ready to grab her jacket and go meet them. I held her back, because the little "party" was obviously off to somewhere. I told her we'd wait a few days and then probably meet them.

Next encounter, I was pushing the kids in the trusty sit-n-stand, and we were just getting back from CVS when I noticed our neighbor was getting into his car -- the same older gentleman. I hurried my pace, so I could ask him about the garbage cans (two cans, which was ours, when was garbage day, etc.) I waved at him, just as he was closing his car door. He looked at me, waved back, and sat waiting to back up his car. I motioned toward the garbage cans and shrugged, as if to ask "can you tell me what the garbage situation is??" and he just looked at me, didn't roll down the window or anything. I gestured again, and he waved briefly and drove away. Okay. Maybe the gesturing about the garbage was the wrong tack??

This was weeks ago. We still haven't really met. But the kids have, of course. I mean, we share a back yard. It was inevitable, right? Turns out the family is from China, and the grandparents are living with the family. The older man in the car? he's the grandpa, speaks no English other than "thank you" and "cookie," as far as I can tell. (Guess that explains why he wasn't too eager to explain about the garbage cans?) The girl is Kathrine and she's 7. The toddler is Justin, he's 2.

Kathrine and Samantha hit it off. They started playing together in the afternoons after Kathrine gets home from school. At first, it seemed like it was just the two of them-- and Spencer on the side, doing his own thing. And then, after a few days, I noticed some other little girls would join them. Now, they're over here fairly often -- at least two or three days a week, if it's not rainy.

Usually, I sit in our living room with the patio doors open to the back deck while they play. I listen to them, and occasionally go out to make sure they're doing okay. They play a lot of hide-and-seek, a tag game called "witchy," and sometimes pretend to "plant a garden" or "bake a cake" out of leaves and twigs from around the yard. It's been fun to see Samantha light up when she's with her new friends.

Only, there's the down side... Samantha is the youngest. And she's the new kid. And she's not allowed to leave our yard (mean mom!). So, she sometimes gets the raw end of the neighborhood friends deal, especially when the other girls run back and forth between several houses that are right next to ours. But she puts up with it okay.

Sometimes the older girls don't want her to play, or she's just a little young for their games (jumping rope is a tricky one for her). So, she's had her feelings hurt a few different times. That's ROUGH for a mom to watch. But I gotta hand it to Samantha --- she's really resilient! If some older kids had told me I couldn't play when I was little, I'm sure I wouldn't have shown my face for weeks. Not Sammie; it's happened a few different times. Each time, she comes inside, has a little cry, changes her clothes, tells me "it's okay, I'm just the new girl, and they're not used to me." And she's off again, laughing and playing with them like nothing happened! Wow. Is she really mine?? ;)

I took some pictures of the kids playing in the back yard a few weeks ago. Can you pick out Samantha? heeheh...

Kinda funny --Sammie's the only pasty white girl from Idaho. All the other girls are Asian (mostly Japanese, some Chinese). I find it interesting to watch them play and I've learned a bit about their cultures from the way they play together.

On this day, I counted nine little dark-haired girls, and Samantha...

Okay, so I guess I'm finally getting to the real reason for this post...

See, I didn't grow up with neighbor kids. It was just my brothers and me, and our two cousins who lived next door. Other than that, we were on a lane with lots of farms and lots of older people. Frankly, I'm still not sure how to handle the whole "neighbors" thing. I feel extremely protective and nervous about having my babies out there interacting with the other kids on the block. Is that normal??

I mean, I watch these little girls traipsing back and forth up and down our road, playing games and wandering back and forth together and I wonder, do all their mothers know each other? Are they comfortable letting their daughters go into each others' houses? Am I just the overprotective small-town mother who wants to keep an "ear" on every game they play? I mean, none of their mothers knows me -- does that matter?

I'm just not sure what I think about this whole "neighbors" business. But my instinct, for now, is to go ahead and be the mean mom who doesn't let my kids leave the yard. And go ahead and be the mom who is always within ear shot and often "checking in" with my babies. Am I right?

Oh, I'm sure I have more to say on this subject, but writing about my motherly responsibilities reminds me that my kids are downstairs, plugged into "Super Why" on Netflix while I blog. Better get back to mothering for now. But here's my introduction to our neighbors. Stay tuned...

why we have a bed rail...

2011-05-18T02:02:00.002-04:00

I know he looks slightly uncomfortable, but I couldn't resist getting a picture or two of him!

I repositioned him after I was done with the camera.