Here's Trouble....

Yesterday, Ellie decided that she was ready for a snack. So she opened the pantry door and helped herself to an apple...BITE! Apparently Ellie is a little like Goldilocks, and decided there was something wrong with the 1st apple(too crisp?), so she bit into a 2nd apple....too juicy...so on to the third...JUST RIGHT! Then she put them all back in the box. I have to give her a little credit for two things though:

1. She came and got me, led me into the pantry, and showed me her apple...s.
2. She performed this little apple tasting fest while I was putting a load of clothes in the washer...in all of, oh, TWO minutes?!!

I'm so excited that she's almost 2.....

Election Day!

Everybody, do your civic duty, and go vote. Your voice needs to be heard. Honor our forefathers by taking advantage of the opportunity they created for us in this country. But most importantly, if you don't vote, don't whine about what our government does that you don't like! ;)

Yesterday's Hallo-fun!

I did it, I finished Nicole's costume. Next year, I VOW to find out what they are going to be in September and if any sewing is required, I'll do it then. I did better this year though, as I bought Jared's costume at the end of AUGUST! Mainly because I found the costume he wanted in the correct size at Costco in AZ....they hadn't had the right size in UT, and I was a little worried I might miss out.











The kids had fun at their respective school activities. Jared came home telling about how he went "caroling" for treats to some of his preschool teachers neighbors. He then sang his little song about a witch with a pointy chin, broom, and cat, and then yells BOO as loud as possible at the end.





Thankfully my sister-in-law had the BYU cheer outfit and it fit Ellie. Much easier to borrow it than have to drive to the BYU bookstore and hope they had the right size! By the end of the night, Ellie was pretty understandable in her wants. We kept trying to get her to say "Trick or treat", but she'd just shorten it to "TREAT!" She knew what she wanted and told them. None of this trick garbage for her!




She got "thank you!" down pretty well, although it sounds more like "dee-doo!" most of the time. She refused to go home after a few houses, and had to stick it out and go the whole time. Poor Jared and Nicole had to slow down for her. She wouldn't let us hold her either, SHE had to do it! So sad to see my baby demanding to be a big kid....









It was a fun night, and the kids are now alternating between sugar crash meltdowns and "I need a nap" fights! Hopefully things will even out tomorrow!


**Edited to add: I forgot to write that Riley, again, refused a picture...She just wore her Jack Skellington hoodie, and did her face up like a zombie. She didn't go trick or treating, because we got her a huge bag of candy! So she stayed home and handed out candy for a while, then watched a movie. Oh, the tragedies of growing older!**

Thursday, NOVEMBER 1st, and I've been tagged...for a while!

Well, I believe it was more than a week ago that Crazymama tagged me, and I'm finally getting around to it! It's been busy around here. I should be doing other things today as well, but I'm giving myself some down time! ;)

So, 7 random things about me....

1. I love Dr. Pepper and drink way too much of it. Enough that I get headaches from lack of caffeine if I skip it for a day. At least I have switched to Diet recently, to try and avoid making myself diabetic from all the sugar. I hate most diet drinks, but diet DP seems to have less of an aftertaste, especially the cherry vanilla variety.
2. I met my husband on the internet. LDS Singles online. Yeah, kinda nerdy, but if we hadn't met that way, we would have never met since I was in Utah and he in Texas!
3. I went to Israel 12 years ago and LOVED it. I would adore to go back....when it's a bit safer...but that may not happen! It was an amazing place.
4. I have never been to Hawaii but would love to go. Now. With no children in tow.
5. I once said "no" to a church calling...scout den mother...I had a 5 week old baby, a 2 year old, a 4 year old, was teaching coop preschool in my home twice every 3rd week, and still had 25 hours of volunteer hours to put in at Riley's school. After I declined, the counselor said they questioned themselves if this was a good calling for me...my first thought, although I kept it to myself, was, "If you wondered that, why did you extend the calling at all?"
6. I used to snow ski. I don't anymore. I decided I don't really like being cold, and find myself that way when I ski. I am also afraid of getting hurt and not being able to take care of my kids. It has also become way too expensive!
7. Waaayyyy back when I was a kid, Donny Osmond moved in two houses down from us while his "big" house was being finished. His little boy, Donald, would come down and watch my dad mow our lawn. Apparently a dad that actually mowed their own lawn was fascinating to him! Later, Jimmy moved into the house, but was usually not around. He had a cool Back to The Future Delorean (sp?) in the garage though!

I don't know who to tag...how about I just do one...I tag Nurse Heidi!

Where HAVE I been?!?

Yes, I'm still alive....barely!

This last week I have been the poster child of what happens when you let procrastination rule your life....as I do. It is my absolute worst habit. Well, aside from swearing, but that mostly happens in my head so people don't know about it. (Until now! Thanks to my tattletale fingers!) But the putting things off....it is obvious to everyone!

#1 put off item: Nicole's costume. Poor kid wasn't able to be Dorothy at Saturday's party at her cousins. Good thing her witch costume from last year still fit. But as of this morning at 12:30AM, I snipped the last threads of her costume and ironed it so she is the best-pressed Dorothy around. She was very excited to put it on this morning. She is now at school having fun with her friends.

#2 put off item: Card group and all that goes with it. It was at my house this time, so I was triply stressed, as I not only had to get cards done, but my house decluttered and cleaned, and a dessert made. Amazingly, it happened, although I now have a box of papers and junk to go through, since the method I employed of decluttering my countertop "hot spot" involved my dumping it all into a box. I'm sure there are some important things in the pile somewhere, like bills, that need to be taken care of! I even finished my cards, although I am still one set behind...sigh!

My poor husband had to listen to my emotional breakdown Monday morning. Those are always nice! But I'm feeling a bit better now....that two things are off my list!

Time to get Jared in his costume and off to preschool, and then I guess I should help Ellie carve her pumpkin! Umm....yeah, we're still working on that too!

Pictures later....

Julie.....I'll get that 7 random things up later as well....maybe next month! (tomorrow;)!)

Top Ten Tuesday

An idea I borrowed from Crazymama's blog:

Top Ten things that make me feel sick:
*in no particular order*

10. Old sippy cups.....like when the baby takes off with her sippy, and leaves it behind, only to be found by me days/weeks(?!) later? The last three were found under my bed, in the playroom, and behind the couch....old, curdled...I didn't even open them to attempt washing....they went straight to the trash.

9. Stepped on dog poop. YUCK! I hate trying to clean it off shoes, but worse is when the kids(or myself) are running around barefoot and manage to find a nice pile to step in. It makes Jared sick too. Whenever he has done it, he sits there gagging and dry heaving as I'm cleaning it off his foot. When it happens to me, I do not feel clean again until I have scrubbed my soiled foot with a Lysol sanitizing wipe. Just a little OCD coming out...

The next few are from when I am pregnant, which I am not, and never will be again!

8. Raw meat. I could not handle raw meat and then eat it after it was cooked when pregnant. Chicken and hamburger were the worst. It took me a good six months before being able to eat a burger again after I had Ellie.

7. Cilantro. For whatever reason, I could not eat(or smell) cilantro when pregnant.

6. Cleaning up kid vomit. I can handle it when not gestating, but anytime the kids got sick while I was pregnant, I could not do anything except bathe them after their clothes were stripped! Good thing it only happened when Ron was around to help!

5. Rye. As in the spice. Seasoning. Whatever it is. I hate rye bread. Smell, taste, YUCK!

4. Mushrooms. gack! Small, cooked, non-overwhelming taste mushrooms are okay, but big ucky pieces of MUSHroom. Yucck. Just the thought that they are a fungus that grow underground in manure...no thanks. And since we're on food...black-eyed peas. Might as well eat dirt.

3. Cleaning the bathroom without rubber gloves. I'm afraid the germs and dirt might get on me without the rubber glove layer?! (Not to mention the skin eating properties of cleaning solutions!)

2. Taking children to/helping children that are not my own in the bathroom.

1. The nastiness that clogs bathroom drains. Just the thought of it....

Okay, what makes you sick? What can you not handle, or do you have a stomach o'steel?

A visit to the Vampires

The American Red Cross loves me! They call, alot, to set up appointments for me to come donate blood. I set the appointment up, but for the last year, I get to the point where they measure my hematocrit, and then I get the heave-ho. Apparently they have certain standards for their blood donations....like they want you all nice and healthy with lots of oxygen carrying capacity. I almost felt guilty one time because the happy lady who scheduled the appointment cheerily told me that I'd (well, my blood) had been approved for pediatric use. Then I of course got rejected for my crit....great, some kid that needs blood isn't gonna get it, but I got over it. Oh, and you don't have to be special or anything to be approved for ped use, just CMV negative.

So today, another appointment comes for the blood-letting. We got through the preliminary stuff, and the guy opened the centrifuge, read my hematocrit, and I steeled myself for yet another goodbye, try again. But then he told me my crit was 39%.....WHAT! Thirty-nine percent! No wonder I've been feeling so good! Hooray! I finally got to donate. I know, I'm weird, only I would get excited about having a 16 guage needle jabbed in to my arm and a pint of blood allowed to drain into a bag! So the vampires got their wish, and they got their blood from me, and I am happy because someone out there is gonna get something they desperately need, my blood.

Even better, look at what I got after I donated! BLING! I have now officially donated 1 gallon of blood. Not that I'm gonna go around wearing it....but I am kinda proud of it. :) I'll put it in my jewelry box next to my bone marrow donation pin. Just to look at. Maybe I'll collect them all! Here I come 2 gallon pin!

Disney FUN!

I said I had pictures, and I wasn't kidding! I think I'll separate the pictures and post in three installments, according to what it's about!

So, installment 1, Disneyland:

We arrived Tuesday morning at 7:30 am, rented a car, and drove straight to the hotel and walked to the Magic Kingdom. That morning was a killer! We left our house at 4:15, that's AM folks, to catch our flight to CA. The kids loved the flight, it was Nicole and Jared's first airplane ride, but I was so tired I forgot to take any pictures on the plane...oops!

Disneyland was fun, but very crowded dang it! The park workers told us they were having record crowds for this time of year, and even extended the hours a couple nights. Perfect. We were there with half the state of Utah (I'm serious), and the rest of the people there were from AZ!

Riley liked all the big rides, Tower of Terror, California Screamin', etc.


Nicole was again the bravest 5 year old I know and went on EVERYTHING she could! She did Tower of Terror twice, and California Screamin', and all the roller coasters at Disneyland.


Jared was tall enough this year to start going on some of the bigger rides and roller coasters. He didn't like Space Mountain or the Matterhorn, but loved Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Grizzly Rapids, and Star Tours. Both he and Nicole loved the "play area" in California Adventure, but the name escapes me....Something redwood?!?

Ellie loved Pirates of the Carribean, Small World, and was barely tall enough to go on the little roller coaster in Toon Town....so being the abusive parents we are, we took all 21+ months of her on it! I couldn't help but laugh at her face as we went down the first hill! Absolute terror! But by the end of the ride, she was laughing and having a grand time, so I guess she forgave us.

Ron and I did most of them. I hate Tower of Terror, so Ron did that, and Ron didn't want to get wet, so I went on Grizzly Rapids and got soaked....I even got wet the next day on Splash Mountain. I went on California Screamin' and thought I was going to die....I didn't feel the need to repeat that one! We were both sad that Indiana Jones was broken the whole time we were there...it's been 7 years since I've done that ride since the last 2 times I've been at Disneyland I've been pregnant. The Haunted Mansion was all done up for Halloween in a "Nightmare Before Christmas" theme, and it was fun.

All in all, a great trip! Although there are no pictures of Ron....he was there! He was behind the camera in all these.

Installment 2: Our Kids, the JEDI'S!!

I'd heard about this new show at Disneyland, "Jedi Training Academy," and since Nicole and Jared are addicted to the Lego Star Wars game, and the Star Wars movies (old and new), I thought we'd check it out.

It's a really interactive show, where they start out by picking about 30 kids out of the audience to come receive "Jedi training" and then get to test out their skills.

We arrived at the last show of the day about 30 minutes early and got almost the last spaces right up front. So we sat and waited, and I thought how funny it would be if either got chosen. The show started up, and once the "Jedi Master" moved to our side to start picking recruits, the kids were all screaming and jumping excitedly up and down. Nicole was the 2nd kid he chose! (I think they picked almost all the girls there!)
So then I was hoping, hoping Jared could go out too. He picked a bunch more kids, then moved back to where we were. By now Riley and I are standing behind Jared pointing at him with pleading looks on our faces, and sure enough, he got picked TOO!
They dressed all the kids in Jedi robes and gave them light sabers, then taught them a combination of moves to use with their light sabers.

At this point some storm troopers run out, and the stage rises up, smoke and music and all, and out comes Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Jared was SO into it! Vader tries to convince the recruits to (insert Darth Vader voice here!) "join him on the Dark Side," and then the Jedi says their force is too strong, and Darth will have to fight them!





Nicole got put in the group to fight Darth Maul, and Jared in the group to go against Vader. Each kid took their own separate turn with the help of the Jedi masters.








Nicole got a bit freaked out because right as she went up to fight Darth Maul, he backed up and then did a spinning jump in the air right in front of her so she backed WAY up! But then she timidly did her moves.


Jared just marched right up to Vader on his turn, activated his light saber, and did his moves! He was great!
I think I was more excited they got chosen to participate than they were, but they had fun!

Other California Fun....

Since you can only go to Disneyland so many times in one week.... ;)

We did spend one day seeing some other sights!

Balboa Island and the beach, and San Juan Capistrano. No swallows there, they had returned to Argentina for the winter, but the flowers and buildings were beautiful. We were even able to gt the kids interested in a bit of the history. Ron had fun taking pictures at Capistrano, and the shots would have really turned out fabulous if we had a "real" camera!

Here you go!












Isn't Riley just a sweetie with the rabbit ears on Jared?!























Jared didn't wait for us to change him into a swimsuit...he ran straight for the water, not realizing that the waves will come up, knock you down, and drench you head to toe. So he played in his clothes and changed into his dry swimsuit for the rest of the days activities!
















The Mission at San Juan Capistrano...told you it was pretty!





























When did I start looking so OLD?! ugh....I should delete that picture, but I had to prove Ron did go on vacation with us!































Hopefully all these pictures didn't cause this response in you: