Happy #1 Lucy!

We are smack dab in the middle of our Spring/Summer birthday marathon.

Lucy turned the big #1 today and we have two more birthdays to

celebrate in the next two months. We are so happy to have this little girl in our lives.

She was such a sweet and mellow newborn,

and now she is turning into a sweet and spicy toddler.
To celebrate her birthday we went swimming.

John and I were a little hesitant to do this because we have a few little girls

that have absolutely no fear, and we were afraid we wouldn't have enough hands.

We had a few scares, but overall we all had a great time.
Lucy loved the pool, to her it was just a really big bathtub.



She's such a cute little thing,
We all love Lucy!

We're still here

Yes, we are still here. Things are moving along, but they are moving more slowly than anyone anticipated. We are very anxious to move, but we are glad that we didn't jump the gun and pack everything up yet. We are just waiting on paperwork and for the banks to transfer money from the sell of our house. Now we are just focusing on enjoying our friends and our ward and even our house--all of which we will miss dearly.

In the mean time I have been trying to take some time for a walk after dinner every night now that the weather is nicer. Hannah usually comes with me so that she can ride her bike. It is during these one-on-one times that I realize how completely random and sweet are the thoughts of a seven year old. Here are the topics we covered in our time together:

*a complete inventory of each friend who has broken an arm and how.

*How the name Beatrice looks like Beet Rice.

*what kinds of gross foods you could serve at a scary Halloween party

*what it means when somebody says you are HOT.

*how funny it would be if instead of having shirts labeled XLG for extra large, they were labeled RLG for ridiculously large.

*how much more fun it is to say the word "sclap" instead of the word "scalp."

...and many more that I can't even remember. I sure love these times with her--she makes me smile.

Sweet Thirty-One

Only when you are the mom, can you celebrate your birthday for 4 days in a row. I had such a wonderful birthday this year. It started on Thursday when John showed Johnny the birthday present he had gotten for me. Neither of them are very good at keeping secrets, so before I knew it I was opening my first birthday present--a GPS. Friday, John gave me the gift of going shopping for some new clothes, so he spent the day at home on child duty while I had a day on the town. Saturday, we had cake and went on a dinner and movie date. We went to Teppanyaki Grill and then to the new Star Trek Movie, it was such a fun evening. On Sunday to celebrate my actual birthday we gave talks in church and I was able to take a nap, thanks John! I had the perfect excuse to make another chocolate cake this weekend, but for some reason I was in the mood for Whoopee Pies. They took more time to make than the usual chocolate cake, and were much more unhealthy--if that is possible. They were so worth the pure unadulterated fat and calories. I stacked thirty-one little pies to make up for the one candle that I could find, we must have packed the others. I had to add this picture just because it shows Lucy,
and the silly look on my face made me laugh.
Here is the Tom-Tom GPS that John gave me, I have never been very good at directions, and he has been threatening to give me a GPS for a few years now. It will come in very handy. Now John will be guaranteed a wife who can always find her way home. This picture was taken after my Sunday nap, but unfortunately my hair looked like this before I laid down.


I just had to put in a plug for the D.I. I have made a goal to always go to the D.I. or Kid-to-Kid before I ever go clothing shopping at regular stores. I used to be embarrassed to shop at the D.I., but now I realize that it is just smart. I found some great clothes! Women go through so many size changes throughout their lives that I am usually able to find some pretty great clothes. Here is one of the cute skirts that I found, brand new for 5 dollars. I did have to go to some of my favorite clothing stores (darn) to find what I didn't find at the D.I. I was so excited about all of my SWEET finds that I had to try them all on one more time when I got home.

Just a quick long winded vent

I try so hard to be positive about motherhood, and I really do love the experience, but sometimes I just have to vent.

My sweet little two year old, Maddie, has recently been replaced by an almost 3 year old monster. I don't know who made the switch, but it seemed to happen overnight. I was amazed and thankful when she basically potty trained herself about 4 months ago. She was completely potty-trained, day and night, for a total of 3 months--now we are back in pull-ups. Yes, shame on me for letting this happen. She has decided to give me another lesson on being consistent because she will only stay dry if I diligently remind her every half hour, take her to the potty, sit with her, help her wash her hands and then give her a sticker and a chocolate chip when she is finished.

This is not all, she has started throwing major tantrums. Sometimes it is about normal toddler things, like not getting what she wants. I understand those tantrums well and know how to deal with them. But most recently it has been insanely annoying tantrums, like the one we had this morning while I was driving Hannah to school. This is how they go:

Maddie (sweetly): Mom, what is that?

Mother (sweetly of course): What is what?

Maddie (instantly screaming and crying): WHAT IS THAT?

Mother (trying to stay calm): I don't know, point to it.

Maddie: WHAT IS THAT!!?

Mother: What color is it? Is it this? (as I point to the air freshener)

Maddie: WHAT IS THAT!!!?

Mother: What shape is it?

Maddie: WHAT IS THAT!!! WHAT IS THAT!!! WHAT IS THAT!!! WAIL WAIL WAIL!!! (continued for another 10 minutes)

I still don't know what THAT was, but Hannah and Johnny have discovered that sometimes if you tell her it is a nonsensical word like a "plinkelplopper" she will sweetly say "oh" and that will be the end of it.

Sometimes this doesn't work though, like the time Johnny didn't come out to be picked up after school. I was the last parent waiting, and Hannah couldn't find him in his classroom or the office. Hannah was in tears and I frantically was going through all of the worse case scenarios that only a mother can conjure up--like what if he didn't come in after recess and nobody noticed. Right at this moment Maddie decided to play one of her miscommunication games where she desperately wants to know something, and I have no idea what she is talking about. I ended up having to carry a shoeless, kicking, screaming Maddie in one arm and a pre-walking Lucy in the other as we made our trek to the office. By the time we reached our destination we had a tearful Johnny who must have just missed Hannah and was "tired of waiting", a tearful Hannah who was sure something terrible had happened to him, a screaming Maddie, a tearful mom, and a crying Lucy--she's just a very sympathetic baby. Luckily one of my friends saw me struggling across the parking lot and came to my rescue. She asked what she could do to help me. She took Maddie in her arms and instantly my screaming two year old started smiling and talking to her in her own little sweet voice. Uggh, the humiliation!

This is when I realize that four children is definitely enough. How am I supposed to keep track of them all, and give them the attention that they need?

Ahhh, I feel better ;) Thanks.

An apple a day!

I am starting to wonder if there is any truth to the old phrase "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Maddie ate "twenty-twelve" apples today and she is still sick! She wipes even the most slightly runny nose until it glows red. I had to laugh when she lined her apple slices up so nicely on the table and told me that she ate twenty twelve of them. My older two both knew how to count at least 20 objects by the time they were her age. I have been slacking off quite a bit in the teaching area with my third, but I'm sure she will learn it eventually with my help or not. We sure have fun with this little girl.

Bob bird

On Saturday, Bob was introduced into our family. After breakfast, Hannah and Johnny decided go into the back yard and enjoy the beautiful morning when they noticed a baby robin being chased back and forth underneath the fence. He would run into the neighbors yard, just to be frightened by their little chihuahua, then he would run back into our yard to be terrorized by our cat. The mother robin was frantically chirping on top of the fence. This is where Hannah, our little bird expert decided to step in. She got her gloves on, picked the little bird up and made a nest for him in our apple tree (previously known as our sock tree). Hannah and Johnny promptly named him Bob and spent the morning finding worms for the little guy. His devoted mother also brings him worms and grubs every hour or so. His mother and Hannah are both still devotedly feeding him, even 3 days later. I think that he will be so fat that he will not be able to get off the ground when he does get old enough to fly.

My Last Duty

On Wednesday the 13th I performed my last duty as enrichment leader--I made sprouts. I sprouted some wheat, lentils and garbanzo beans. The lentils turned out the best, they taste almost like fresh peas out of the garden. It was a very informative activity which our very knowledgeable preparedness person headed up. I have been taught so much these past 2 1/2 years about communication and love and utilizing the talents of others and I am grateful for that opportunity. I have not officially been released, but the next activity under my jurisdiction would be June 17th and we are planning on being moved my then. Happily, the people who are buying our house are letting us rent it until we close on our next house. We don't have to be homeless during the closing process, in return we have decided to thank them by tidying the yard. This is something that we really should have been doing all along, but we were hoping to be moved by the time the weeds started getting out of hand--no such luck--well, onto the next duty.

Another un-birthday for Lucy

A few years ago John made a computer program to calculate your age in seconds. Last Wednesday the 13th I got an e-mail from him. This is what it said:

Lucy turned 30,000,000 seconds old yesterday. She also turned 500,000 minutes old.

...and he thought that I was funny for celebrating her half birthday.


In this picture, we are celebrating John's 1 billionth second which happened in August 2007, for me it was another great excuse to make a chocolate cake. He lit the candles in binary code and it caused a small bonfire on one side. He really likes fire. We sure love you John, there is never a dull moment with you around.

And for dessert we'll have a lesson on electrolysis

At dinner last night, Johnny started asking about the makeup of water. I was happy about this because it meant that maybe we would go one meal without the mention of certain bodily functions. Johnny and his dad have had many a conversation about molecules and atoms, and surprisingly he finds the subject very interesting. Well, one thing lead to another and soon the three of them were on the back porch doing an electroplating experiment. John decided to show them how they could split water molecules and transfer atoms from one fork to another. He quickly threw the experiment together by collecting a car battery, a glass of water and two forks. He hooked one fork up to the negative side and one to the positive side and tried to show how the plating of one fork could be transferred to the other. I was worried about the safety of our kids mostly, not that I don't trust John, but sometimes he does get a little carried away in the excitement. He said that as long as they were in a well ventilated area and the two jumper cables didn't touch they would be fine, so naturally I let them carry on. In the reaction the water turned a lovely green color. he said that it would have worked better with distilled water and less salt. Here he is modeling the forks, both of them were pretty much ruined, but one is definitely shinier than the other. The glass was also permanently damaged, so we had to throw it away.

And this is a reminder to me of why we don't have nice things. It's worth it for education right?

Mud

...what a great way to unwind after a long day at school.

We have discovered that sometimes water conservation needs to be

sacrificed for the greater good.

John is telling them to say the word "mud" here.

Here goes nothin'

On Saturday we started packing up all of our non-essential items. John taped the boxes together and packed up the garage supplies while I packed our storage rooms in the basement. On one occasion, I came out to find this tower of empty boxes waiting for me. flabbergasted, I asked John how to get a box. "Like this" he said as he pulled one from the bottom of the pile. The whole tower crashed to the floor, and of course he got a huge kick out of it. Why do I get the feeling he was just waiting for me to ask?

To end a long day of packing, we decided to fire up the fireplace one last time to roast marshmallows. We are going to miss the bonfires John makes for us here. We are pretty sure that there won't be as much tolerance for John-style fires in our next neighborhood. There will be a few trade offs, but it will be worth it. I am sure we will have a fire pit again, but we will try to keep the fires a little more modest--we don't want everyone knowing that we are hicks at heart.

We all had a great time, we live for nights like this!

Black-eyed beauty

Maddie got her first shiner this week. Monday, during nap time, she heard me coming to her room to make sure she was in bed. Knowing that I wouldn't be happy about her playing again, she started running full speed ahead towards her bed. Just at the exact wrong moment she tripped and slammed face first into her bed rail. I know that accidents happen, especially with an active 2 year old, but I am still suffering from a serious case of mother guilt.

She has made me laugh so many times this week, what an active imagination she has. As I mentioned before, Madeline likes to talk to herself. But until now, I have never met a child who argues with herself.

The other day I was listening to her sing "Old McDonald" this is how it went:

"Old McDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O, and on that farm he had a --what?--a fish--hmmm, how about a chicken?--NO A FISH!--okay a fish. And on that farm he had a fish...."

John is always having problems with pens and papers disappearing from his drawer, we found the culprit. Pretty sneaky isn't she?

Home again, Home again

Four days after John returned home from Germany, he was asked to go to California for last minute emergency work trip. Two business trips this close together are rare, and we were glad that it was only for a few of days. While he was gone, Hannah and I were invited to a birthday party for my friend's daughter. Since I was alone, with no husband to watch the others, she invited all of us to come along. She had an excellent party at the park, and Johnny seemed to be oblivious to all of the pink stuff. He proudly sported this piece of the pinata as a hat, and who could say no to a helium balloon and a tasty heart shaped sucker?

In three days, John was able to fly in, fix a job, and fly out. Great job being speedy! As always, we're glad to have him home again.

Thanks Vera...

For the craft you brought over Sunday night, it made such a fun activity for tonight! Our kids are so lucky to have an aunt like you!

The things that make me smile

We have year-round school, and Hannah and Johnny have been off track for the past four weeks. We have had some great times together, and a few "I-want-to-wring-your-neck" times too. I love the memories we make when time is not an issue. Here are a some of the moments that have made me smile these past few weeks.

This is Lucy's first extreme hairstyle. Hannah and her friend, Kayla, styled Lucy's hair just before Kayla's mom came to pick her up. The looks her mom gave Lucy while we were talking were classic, we both laughed--how could you not.

We actually had all of the ingredients needed to make a recipe out of our Kinder-Krunchies children's cook book. I love watching these kids gathered around the table working on something they can all enjoy. Hannah has a crusty look on her face because Maddie kept eating the "Moon Munchies" before we had a chance to cook them.

I had to take a picture of John with our Frankenstein Lawn Mower before he put it away. It will probably be a while before he gets to use it again because our next house has no lawn as of yet. John converted this electric lawn mower to a battery operated lawn mower. He wanted to test a few of his electric car parts on the lawn mower before he used them on the real thing. This is what he came up with. Pretty ingenious I thought, the ease and noise level of an electric mower without the hassle of a cord. As you can see we are just maintaining the yard, I hope the future owners of our house don't curse us for the weeds we left for them in the gardens.

Hannah made a "Bird's only--super fun club" She sure loves these birds and showers them with plenty of affection, adorning their cage with only the best tree twigs. She is still putting all of her birthday and tooth fairy money towards a Gray Parrot. We told her that if she saves enough and if she can take good care of these parakeets, then maybe she can buy one when she is twelve. John and I have the hope that she will change her mind before then, but she has had this goal for two years and has not lost her focus yet.

Here are a few pictures of them enjoying our collection of moving boxes, it won't be long before we start filling them up with our less valuable, but necessary, possessions.

When we decided it was time to move, we quickly changed out all of our mismatching doorknobs that came with the house. We had planned on doing this when we remodeled the upper level. That was this year's winter project, had we decided to stay. Hannah and Johnny decided to fill a lazy afternoon making doorknob Robots. They had so much fun creating them and wished that we had more. It is amazing what they find to keep themselves busy. Both of them were a little sad to start school again today.