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That is one tall dwarf ... err ... midget!?

*FYI: Melody (at 2 months) was in the 95% for height and 25% for weight = tall and slender*

So, a couple of weeks we "crashed" my dad's work party at Surf-N-Swim. They had super food (STEAK even!) and then free swimming w/ the tubes. It was raining pretty bad - but per Surf-N-Swim's rules, 30 minutes after the last lightening strike, we could swim! Yeah (sounds officially safe, right??)! And a whole ton of people had gone home due to the rain, so the pool was pretty open (there were about 500 at the barbeque and 100 or less swimming or watching kids). ...I.E. my estimates may be way off... I'm not a great guesser - so if my family would clarify, feel free. lol!

Anyway, I'm getting side-tracked. I do that. Often.

So, wherever I walk, I get complements on Melody's beauty. Yes, it is more fun to brag on the last baby - these are the last "baby complements" I'm going to get for heaven's sake! LOL! I was sitting in my swim suit on a bench holding Melody facing out. For reference, she was wearing pink pjs and no bow.

This lady comes up to me, and says, "Wow, what a beautiful little girl! Look at that face, just so pretty." Then, a very slight pause, "So, is she, what do you call it, a dwarf ... err ... midget?"

Ok. So my mind is thinking... "WHAT THE HECK? This lady is a hoot! Is she serious?" But, I keep my composure, and politely state: "Well, she is almost 3 months old." I'm hoping this clarifies that she is a baby -and supposed to be small.

Still convinced (I think), that I have a midget child says, "Well, she is just so small! Just little!"

Me, not getting this nutty lady says, "Yes, she's petite."

"Well, you should enter her in a contest. Yeah, like the Gerber baby contest! She would win for sure. So pretty. Wow, just look at her!"

Yes, this lady is the type to not just say, "What a cute baby." and then walk away. LOL!

Luckily, she did finally leave after a bit more cooing and telling me how much Melody smiled etc.

....

Later, I got the car seat and put Melody in it. I was walking by w/ her in the car seat and that lady was next to another lady. While I walked by she said, "Isn't that a gorgeous baby!? She is just so so SMALL! (emphasizing on the word small)"

I giggled in my heart, and walked to my dad. Told him about the experience, and he laughed. Apparently, it wasn't surprising she'd say what she said. I still giggle off and on about it.

Here is my cute, adorable, dwarf ... err .... midget baby!

Melody at 3 weeks... her first "pro photo shoot"

So, I love taking pics, but this time I let someone else have the pleasure of doing so! I haven't had them edited yet... cause umm, I'm busy taking care of four kids now! Even if I get to send 10 of them to be edited for free by the photographer herself. LOL! In fact, I may have expired that opportunity because I've forgotten to send them to her to edit. (and I just repeated myself! LOL!)

Anyway...
Here she (and some I) is at 3 weeks old! I swear, 3 weeks later, she still looks the same size...?

Mother's Day = I love Brian, my husband my forever friend

So, yesterday (Friday May 8th, 2009), Brian offered to take the 3 eldest to our Ward's "Father and Sons" at the Stake camp. Yes, Brooke isn't a "son" but she came too! My amazing husband took all those kids with him to an overnight campout (well, inside a cabin in the forest! lol)!

It was just me and my Melody all night last night, and this morning. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I walked over to a good friend's house (Rosann) and hung out with her for a couple of hours. Had a lot of fun talking to a "grown up" and also asking for some pointers on what is normal for a mom w/ 4 kiddos (my friend has five grown kids of her own + adorable grandkids). She said that she'd forgotten to tell me that with your fourth, your memory goes! 'Tis true. I called Brooke: "Bridger, Spencer, oh whateveryournameis, child come here!" when she wasn't coming back while riding her bike.

Anyway, what a wonderful Mother's Day gift - to be by myself. I did what I wanted. Didn't feel like I needed to go home to help with the kids or anything. I ate some yummy Farr's chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate chips sprinkled on top. Then, I watched the end of Lost (had begun it while the kids were awake and paused it due to their needs. ;-)). I also found a new show to watch called "What Would You Do?" ... and then fell asleep at about 1am. Sounds like a crazy night, eh? LOL!

When Brian called to say he was coming back this morning, he said I needed to hide in our bedroom so the kids and him could give me my gifts for Mother's Day (he's working tomorrow/Mother's Day). They got back, and Brian held my hand while I walked down the hallway to see what he'd gotten me.

It was time to open my eyes, and look what I saw!!!

Isn't he the most sweetest hubby?

I wanted the plant and the balloon was great - along w/ Dove Dark Chocolate Promises & Rolos. I was very happy with that - but the bike. Not 3 days ago did I say to him that I'd wish to "someday" have a bike so him and I (and perhaps the kids - if we got a bike trailer) could go biking together.

So, I'm thinking (not saying), "How in the world did he get any money for this bike!? It's sweet he bought it, but we can't afford it!"

I think he must have read my face (even though I was trying to politely hide it) -

"Just so you know," he said, "I won it!"

What a cool thing to win. A Schwinn Woman's bike! Thanks to plasma giving as a new form of income! The bike was a 3rd place prize. Happy day. Lucky woman to have such a lucky man! :)

Thanks honey!

Park Happiness Barometer

So, I braved it yesterday and took the kiddos for a walk in our neighborhood. We decided to make a pitstop at a small park behind our house. Spencer braved the first rings (he wanted me to help, but due to my C/Section, it's a major no-no for me. He was a great sport to just make due). Happy Boys: Spencer also liked to push Bridger in the swing for a little while, while Brooke dug in the dirt (in the background). Also, right behind the bench by her is sweet Melody in her carseat attached to the Sit N Stand stroller.
Here's happy Brooke digging:Bridger liked being king tiger of the playground equipment! What a smile!

This was not Melody's idea of happiness. But hey, she didn't even get to swing! So, I don't blame her one bit! ;-)

Hiding

Ya ever feel like hiding? Of course I think we all do.

Anyway, I'm hiding from my kids. Here I sit listening to my favorite LDS singer, Hilary Weeks sing some inspiring music - hoping it will give me some solace.

The kids are still eating their corn dogs in the kitchen, and I can hear screaming. I'm not up to taking care of the discord. So, here I hide.

Kinda long morning. Brian had school from 9am-12pm - just got home at 12:40-ish, and had to leave to work 15 minutes later. He's working from 1pm-10pm. So, I'm here by myself on a great warm Saturday by myself with my four sweet kiddos. I would have taken the car today (we just have one car - have been this way for years) - but Melody is still under 2 weeks old - so waaaay too young to take out in public.

Well, Brooke came up just now and cuddled up to my arm for awhile. Luckily no "report" on the discord! She's asked if she can snuggle with her little sis, Melody who is comfortable laying on my Boppy on the bed. So sweet. I love seeing two sisters together (and brothers too!).

Now Bridger has come up behind the computer chair to scratch my back. He loves doing this - even if I wouldn't pay him much if he were a masseuse.

Where's my Spencer? After calling for him, he comes and tells me that the movie started over again- so he's watching it. :-) I remember my brother Kyle could watch a movie over and over. Shaun and I would beg he watch a different show, but he usually wanted to stick to the repeat. :-P LOL!

I love my family. Why hide when they have so much to add to my life?

Reminds me of this song - by Hilary Weeks:

Melody Rebecca Holland!

Well, this baby girl tricked us into thinking we'd have her over the weekend. Today, we went to my Drs appt, and he had enough indications to send me in to have her right away (due to PIH (hypertension)! :)

Anyway, she is healthy and strong (at 38 weeks, 2 days). 8 lbs, 3 oz., 21" long. I'll add more info later - when I have time and I'm not on hospital drugs!

Hawaiian Sweet Bread recipe

Well, I had a few comments on my Facebook status about me making Hawaiian Sweet Bread, and a request for the recipe. So, here it is! It's easy and has always turned out perfect for me. :-)

Hawaiian Sweet Bread
Ingredients for one 9 x 5 loaf pan

*Note* This recipe is for a bread maker to mix it ("Dough" cycle), and then to cook it in your oven in a loaf pan. Make sure to add ingredients as directed in your bread maker manual. Mine calls for wet first, then dry - with yeast on top, but because I use potato pearls, I do it in a little bit different order. I have typed out the order *I* add the ingredients.

1 C Warm-Hot Water
2 TBsp Instant Potato Flakes or Pearls
4 TBsp Butter or Margarine
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Lemon Extract
2 Eggs
2 TBsp Powdered Milk
5 TBsp Sugar
3 C All-Purpose Flour (yes, all-purpose! :))
3/4 tsp Salt
3 tsp Yeast

Add ingredients, set bread machine to "dough". Place dough in 9x5 loaf pan in a preheated 350*F oven for about 30 minutes. The crust should be golden and bread should sound hollow when thumped.

Random High School Q & A

I've been "tagged" (on Facebook and Blogger) to fill out a few different questionairres, and will finally start with this one. I'll try to do the other ones as I get some time. :-P I write NOVELS! EEK!

1. Did you date someone from your school? Not really "date/go out". I do remember my Sophmore or Jr. year I held hands with Aaron Lanoy. I'm not sure if either of us ever decided we were "going out" or not. We were pretty shy about it, and didn't hold hands for every single thing. It was pretty funny. I bought an Eagles CD because he liked them - I didn't even know what they sang, really (other than "Desperado"). LOL! Awh, being a teenager. :-P

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Nope. Although I met him at a school - WSU - actually an LDS Institute activities group. He's from "Loos-ee-ana". :-P

3. Did you car pool to school? Yes. But not all the time. I gave rides to Marie Lawhead and Nancy Perkins. I think sometimes Keely Hemming and some others - can't remember..? I also got picked up by Marie I think - and some others maybe? I can't remember that either! LOL

4. What kind of car did you have? My parents lent me their blue Buick Park Avenue. Talk about a "smaller" grandma car! :-P But hey, it worked and was nice of my parents to lend out to us kids.

5. What kind of car do you have now? 2000 Ford Windstar LX. Yeah, a minivan. I swore I would never buy one - but it's what works for us. What can ya do? :-P We also have a non-working Geo Metro LSi. Yeah, it sits there collecting dust - and it could be a money saver! But, Brian walks to work, so that is saving us money in itself. :)

6. It's Friday night. Where are you? I don't remember choosing to make my own plans very often. It was more likely that if I got a call to do something, I'd go and do that.

7. What kind of job did you have in high school? I remember my mom and dad didn't want me to work at first. I think in retrospect they just didn't want to lose their lender car that often (I wouldn't either! lol). But, I got a job selling trinkets/decorations from a keyosk (sp?) in the Layton Mall during the winter Holidays. I can't place when I worked at Dairy Queen - but I did that for awhile too. A unique job I remember having was selling fireworks for Nancy Perkins brother's stand in front of DQ in Kaysville. That may have been the summer after Jr. or Sr. year.

8. What kind of job do you do now? Housekeeper, cook, nurse, CEO, counselor, educator, tutor, entertainer, van driver, laundress, and accountant= AKA SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) to "almost" 4 (the 4th is due in April '09) adorable children.

I also have a part-time job (approx 4-6 hours/week) putting books and magazines in stores such as Home Depot, Office Max, Babies R Us, Best Buy and Joanns. But, I get to do that when Brian is home to play with the kids.

9. Were you a party animal? I am one to "blend in". So, while I loved to be apart of parties, I usually would start getting a little "crazy/silly" if people that knew me well enough were acting silly themselves.

I LOVED F.O.M.A. club parties though! F.O.M.A. = Future Old Maids of America! It rocked. It made not being asked to a dance no big deal because we had our fun party instead. What was that murder mystery game we played a lot? I loved that game. :)

10. Did you get suspended or expelled? No way. But, I did have some funny things happen that had to do w/ getting into trouble.

Once near the end of Sr. year, I was chatting with I think Cindy Hansen in Mr. Harris' Physics class. We didn't usually talk when we shouldn't, but it was the end of the year and we were ready to go! Anyway, I can still see Mr. Harris' face. He acted so surprised and told us something about if we talked again he'd give us "F"s or something like that. Anyway, anyone that knows Mr. Harris knows that he would NEVER do that. In fact, our class had all the "jocks" that would take the papers in the in box and copy them so they wouldn't have to do homework. LOL

Also, in drivers ed, we were watching the slide show of all the wrecked cars. It was pretty boring. Anyway, I leaned up and it must have looked like I was talking to Becca (something? - she was a year younger), and he sent us out of the class. It was nice because we really didn't get into trouble, and we could talk and not have to stare at all the same stuff in a slide show. The teacher had forgotten about us anyway when we walked in after class to get our bags.

I think many people got bad marks (was it an N or U?) for being late to Mr. Wright's choir class. I had to organize the chairs and then I got to watch Dinner Theater practice until my time was up! It was fun. :)

11. Can you sing the fight song? Yep. Although I don't think I'd get it straight now. Pep Club was lotsa fun and really boring at the same time. I am so NOT a football fan - but it was entertaining for us to get up and help the crowd cheer with us. Basketball was a bit more fun because I understood the rules lots more.

12. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? I really liked Mrs. Robbins, my English teacher. We had a lot of writing fun w/ Ms. Spencer, but she was a bit over the top for me. She loved "her" state, Texas! Mr. Harris was a hoot. It was really funny and just a little bit creepy when he'd tell my parents each time at Parent/Teacher conference that I reminded him of an old girlfriend he used to have.
My favorite Seminary teacher was Brother Williams. He is/was so neat. :) Made a great impression on me.

13. Where did you sit during lunch? Mostly out in the commons area - near the side that they had Dinner Theater. I remember getting a bean burrito and cookies and cream cup of ice cream. What the heck was the brand - can't remember. Anyway, weird concoction nonetheless. And I was always racing to get all the icecream down. Talk about unhealthy choices! LOL

14. Favorite music group? I liked Celine Dione and most anything they played on B98.7 FM.

15. Where was your favorite hang-out spot? Wherever the F.O.M.A. party was at (usually Nancy's house). :)

16. What was your school's full name? Northridge High School

17. When did you graduate? 1998!

18. What was your school mascot? A Knight. I remember in 6th grade we got to give the school district ideas on what the mascot would be. I put Ranger. LOL! I like Knight lots better.

19. If you could go back and do it again, would you? For the most part, it was pretty fun and memorable. The only thing I'd do is get out of my shell a bit more. I had people asking me if I was mad at them - I realized that me being quiet and shy came off as snobby at times. I would have tried to fix that. :)

20. Did you have fun at Prom? I have no idea if I went or not. I'm not sure where all the pics are either. But, I did go to a few formal dances. I'm sure I had fun. I don't remember having a bad date. Except there was one guy I went with (NO, not on my friends list!) that took me to another school's Prom w/o letting me know ahead of time and he turned out to be a creep. So, I didn't have fun w/ that Prom - and stayed away from that guy for the rest of the year.

21. Were you involved in any school clubs/sports? Choir, Art Club, Environmental Club, Pep Club, Key Club... maybe some more? Oh, and some musicals.

22. Are you going to your high school reunion? I didn't know about the 5 year one. And I wish the 10 year one went through, but I guess things didn't work out. I'm all for an 11 year one. lol :-P

23. One of your favorite high school experiences: I'm so glad I ran for office. I don't know how I even decided to do it, but I'm glad my friends were so supportive and made it happen. I'm also glad I didn't win. I secretly didn't want to really - but just wanted to have fun running.

I also loved Seminary, Choir, the Musicals, and the clubs I was in. I had a lot of fun and am glad I was a part of what I was a part of.

Oh yeah - again, F.O.M.A. rocks! :)

The All-Night Baby Party

So, yesterday Spencer informed me that Bridger keeps him up at night.

I said, "Oh, so did he have a baby party?"

"Yeah mom, a baby party. It was crazy!"

Humored by his endeavour to go along with my silly statement, I questioned more, "What happened?!"

"Well mom, Jimmie came over (Jimmie is my brother's boy that is 3 mths younger than Bridger). Jimmie was really crazy. He was yelling and getting into everything!"

"So, what was Bridger doing?"

Spencer quickly replied, "He didn't get into as much stuff as Jimmie, but he was playing with Jimmie. Oh, and the other baby cousin (this would be Miley - an approx. 8 mth old baby) came too!"

"So, how did Miley get there? She can't walk yet."

"Oh, Santa gave her magic so she could walk!"

"Why didn't Santa tell them to stop having a baby party? Didn't he think they needed to go to bed?"

Spencer paused, "Oh. Well, uh, umm... ... ... Santa did it far away. He didn't see them."

"Wow. That is cool that Santa can do that, Spencer!"

"Yeah."

"They were flying too!"

"Flying! Wow! How did they do that??? Did they have airplanes?"

"Mom, like Peter Pan!" (he was serious - I mean why didn't I catch onto that!? lol)

"Like Peter Pan!? Really?! Did they get fairy dust?"

"No mom, Santa gave them some magic from his magic bag!"

"So, do you think that Bridger will have another baby party?"

Then he stated with much sincerity, "I hope not. I want to sleep."

"I can understand that, Spencer." :)

Bumbleride Stroller

This stroller looks pretty cool. There is a contest to win one here: http://inevergrewup.net/giveaway-25-bumbleride-indie-stroller/

Here's hoping by some miracle I win it! Bridger, this baby girl and I would truly benefit from it! lol

Tackling a Lateness Addiction

So, I wouldn't really call it a lateness addiction, but it's something that has become ingrained in me now.

I'm going to talk about an embarrassing fault of mine: being late to things. I'm late (or exactly on the dot of 8:29:30 am) to getting Brooke to school. Poor girl.

My mom made a good point (and she doesn't "mother" me in an annoying way or anything), "Brooke will probably not like the negative attention of her teacher and classmates when she arrives late. You don't want her to feel badly in any way, so drop her off in time."

I've tried to drill this thought into my head, but I'm still late. I've tried to go w/o me getting ready (only done this a handful of times because it drives me nuts not to be ready), but I'm still late. I've tried to do it w/ Bridger in his jammies, but I'm still late. Even when I pick out the kid's clothes the night before, I'm still late.

Also, I swear it is meant for me to get in the car, and then have to get out because I've forgotten something. Drives me nuts!

So, I looked online to see how I could fix this in a different way, and here's what I found:

Being Habitually Late is Force of Habit

For the Chronically Late, It’s Not a Power Trip:
New Insights Into Why People Are Late

The latter one I posted has keys on how to not be late. I'm posting them and then my thoughts on each one:

HAVE A STRATEGY Make a commitment to work on the problem every day for at least a month.
>>>I'll try. Ok ok, I'll DO. I'll be ok w/ myself if I slip, because I know I am doing my best<<<
RELEARN HOW TO TELL TIME Late people tend to underestimate the amount of time their activities take by 25 percent to 30 percent, she said. Write down all your activities and clock how long they actually take.
>>>I don't know about this one. When I write up a chore schedule for the day, I usually DO overestimate time. But, I'll do it for our morning schedule anyway! :) <<<

NEVER PLAN TO BE ON TIME Instead, plan to be early. Punctual people build in extra transit time because they know that unexpected delays can occur. Many tardy people — in their naïve optimism — have never learned to do this.
>>>So, I've tried doing this too (but need to try harder). I "plan" on leaving at 8:15am so I can get her there by 8:20. I've also tried to set the clocks 15 minutes fast, but it only works for a couple of days, then I just read the clock for the "right" time (see the first link on this).<<<

WELCOME THE WAIT Bring a magazine, a book or some language tapes so that you can entertain yourself and get something done while you wait.
>>>Not really sure how this comes into play, but I guess I could do this for Drs appts. I usually come to a Drs appt either 5-10 mins early, or 5-10 mins late (yes, I range that much!).<<<

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, anyone else have any thoughts? :)

(Online) Computer Help Needed

Hey - anyone know why I'd have a site show up like this (it's been this way for about 10 days now)?


It shows up this way on Mozilla Firefox and I.E. Any suggestions???

Announcement

So, we have a dainty little baby preparing to join our family in just less than 20 weeks now (see "ticker" above - there are 40 weeks total). Of course, they are already a part of our family, but they won't get the "real experience" until they are born and out of my oven of a tummy (P.S. I am showing now).

The announcement is that this dainty baby is a GIRL! We are so excited, and finally am starting on names. She was pretty darn modest the first ultrasound we tried to see if she was a s/he. Even this time around, her legs are pulled up pretty cutesy.

I told Brian, and the first thing he said is, "See, I was right." Yes, him and the kids have been convinced it was a girl from the start (with no push from dad mind you). I knew we'd have a girl, but wasn't "sure" it would be this time, but it was! So, I guess this is my "sign" of sorts that our family is complete. I knew we needed a girl to complete the family, and the Dr is getting hesitant with any more C/Sections after this one (which will be my 4th - not by prepared choice though!).

She is active, but less active than Brooke was in the womb. We will see how her personality fares to her less activity (my 2 oldest are extremely active kids). Wouldn't it be fun if she came out red headed like Bridger? Awh. Well, I know she'll be cute and adored however her genetic makeup determines. I am just excited.

I would also say this has been my most difficult pregnancy. I was the most sick I've been, but the meds helped take some of the edge off. I was tired, but that is pretty normal - just moreso because of the 3 kids and their 2 different schools and schedules. There's a few other medical things that have been a bit tougher this time around, but I am so happy to be having the last of our kids. Well, not happy to say I'll never have any more kids, but happy to know the decision is made (if that makes sense). It's been a bit of an emotional road for me though, but Heavenly Father has given me strength every time I ask for it.

Stacey Tagged Me! :)

So, I've been officially tagged (back in mid-Nov.)! :) Here's my answers:


Both hands in writing something

So, I wrote this up in mid November ... and took a pic of my writing then, but I'm too lazy to upload it now. ROFL. Just visualize writing decent/nice with my right hand, and not as well with my left hand. Ok - now you've "seen" the pic. ROFL!


5 of my 50/50's..

1. What is my favorite color? It is either TEAL or PURPLE. I love them both, and I switch back & forth as to which is my favorite.
2. Facebook vs Blogging.
3. Girls or Boys (in terms of preference of sex of child). ... Although right now I am looking forward to change as I've had a girl then 2 boys in a row. LOL
4. Dove dark chocolate or any chocolate thing Mrs. Cavanaugh's has (there is a local shop with a Cavanaugh family member that runs it). ...Mostly this has to do with money though. I'd get a bag of mixed chocolates from Mrs. Cavanaugh's if it cost the same as a bag of delectible dark Dove chocolate.... Ok - maybe this one didn't count - but I can't delete it now that chocolate is involved!!!
5. Amazon.com shopping or in the store shopping.
6. *Bonus* (if the chocolate one didn't count - or made you mad cause you don't have any chocolate around!) - The aroma of Wassail or the aroma of Apples & Cinnamon.

5 pet peeves

1. Anyone talking on cell phones in a line at a store.


2. Anyone texting more than once while you are doing something with them.


3. Anyone using the passing lane as a lane to "hang out" in indefinitely (until they have to get off an exit).


4. Anyone that is a very obvious bad listener.


5. Anyone that stares at a parent that is honestly trying their best to be a parent at the time.

5 things that don't mix well (mine are mostly food-oriented lol)

1. Rice and soy sauce or rice with "stuff" in it (i.e. "Fried Rice").


2. Pancakes and loads of syrup.


3. Hot foods and cooked nuts.


4. Cats & Mice (Cats & Rats - more likely ok together lol)


5. Lucky Charms - the mix of weird tasting cereal with really dried up marshmallows doesn't mix well - especially when you add milk!

***If you've read this, you've been "tagged"! Post on the same topics - with your own answers. If you have time, show us your handwriting with each hand. :)

Tip Junkie

I just discovered these new sites: Tip Junkie and Tip Junkie's ShopAThon. Just thought I'd add the URLs and let you all know that there are prizes being given away, so enter the contest! :)

November 21, 2008 @ 5:10 PM

If the title didn't spark a light in you, please still read on.... if you know what is good for you! :-P

If the title did spark a light in you, you are still reading... and you know what is good for you already! :-D J/K!!!

On the above date and time I'm going to go drag Brian with me to see Twilight. I've been a bit surprised with myself because I'm getting more and more excited to see it.

Possible reasons:

• It is a date with Brian. :-)


• "Everyone else" is excited - I mean, the tickets are getting SOLD OUT!


• I liked the book more than I had thought. >>>EEK<<< (I'm still leery of that conclusion)

So, onto why those that have not read the book (or had no interest in even touching them). Well, I was kind of in that category. There are a slew of different reasons why some of us don't/didn't want to read it. Mine was mostly that I had stopped reading a long while back because I'd get so much anxiety from having to reread a sentence (yes, a sentence) because my brain doesn't always run as smoothly as I'd like. Other than that I have always LOVED English (I've been known to write a few things on my own now and then) as a kid. I also thought it was a silly craze, and didn't want to be a part of the madness.

A great friend of mine had mentioned her interest in the book, and that is when for some odd reason, I decided to give it a go. After some deal searching, I went to Amazon.com to get it. I read it in about 9 days. I am not a read-the-book-all-night person. I did stumble on more than I'd like, but I read it.

My quick review of the "Worldwide Best Seller" would highlight these main points:

Negative - or at least quandaries that bug me:

• This first novel was no winner of fantastic awards in literature writing talent in my book. Off and on it actually kind of bugged me... I mean you'd think the editor would have said something to tweak parts to help the storyline flow with ease.


• This is a "teen" novel. I knew this in the beginning - but I hadn't accounted for the situations that would be involved considering much of the time was centered on High School activities and teens hanging out. What was I thinking? LOL Duh, it is a TEEN novel, Marian! :-p


• Bella. Hmm, well I just don't know what to say. "They" say we girls all relate to Bella, but I cringed at her non-reluctance with associating so closely with a young/OLD Vampire. I still cringe. I mean I know she is clumsy and a teen that needs a bit more direction in her life, but I'd hope she'd be a bit more smart. I know... "But what about Edward's eye soothing looks and gaze?" ...


• Edward. Why would he be interested in a teen? I mean he's built all this time in his "life" gaining experiences that have matured him... why would that make him stop where he is in life to be with a human teen? Yes, I know he'd never been in love before, but ... well, I dunno - I'm actually a little puzzled about how I feel about this.

Positive:

• I've not read a vampire novel of any kind, so it was fun to delve into something new.


• The story becomes addictive. There is action, fantasy, drama and sappiness which encouraged me to keep reading!


• I love the back stories of the characters. I think this is one of my favorite parts. They all have their angles in life that add tremendously to the story. They are the story.


• I read the first novel (Twilight) - so it passed my anxiety test. That is something for myself and the author to be proud of.

If you'd like to know some of the details in the movie/storyline go HERE. There is a lot of info - and my favorite was stuff about Stephenie Meyer's vampires.

Metamorphosis

Brooke learned yesterday in school about the coolness of tadpoles turning into frogs = metamorphosis. From what I got from the teacher, they looked in a book showing the stages, and were told to draw the stages and the names of the frog in that stage.

The teacher hadn't looked at the drawings of the kids very much, so when Brooke was showing me hers, the teacher did a double take, "Wow, Miss Brooke, I should have used your pictures for the example instead!"

Here is Brooke's example of the metamorphosis of a frog:


She made sure to tell me I needed to take notice in the changes of color in each stage:
Tadpole is light green,
Frog with tail is a little bit of a darker green:

And the frog (check out the FLY!) is a dark green:

And here is how she set it up to make a "book". Fold down both the top sides, then have the backs of the bottom ones touch. When the left top side is folded down you see the "frog eggs". It opens backwards for a book, but I thought it was pretty cool she tried to make a book in the first place. :)

Mom, Bridger's Doing Something VERY Bad...

So, our mornings are crazy. But, any mom that has ever had 3 kids and herself to get ready by 8 am, then driven to 2 different schools (and I think this could apply to many mothers) can relate easily. Well, during this craziness, I gave myself 10 minutes to take a shower, get dressed and do my hair.

10 minutes is a very long time for a child... apparently. They can find the dardest things to do in only 10 minutes = 600 seconds!



For example:

• Bicker with siblings while hollering, "Moooooooooooom!"


• Eat an entire box of PopTarts


• Reprogram your computer


• Turn the TV channel to some awful "adult" show


• Let the dogs loose outside ... front or back


• Climb on the counter/table/dog crate/desk/etc


• "Do" the dishes


• Get crafty... This is fun stuff! Permanent marker, pencil, crayon, colored pencil, pen on walls, decor, important papers, electronics etc. Or etchings of your name works great too!


• I'd rather not add more because I am concerned for the fear I may be putting into potential mother's mind/heart. It is great being a mom, I promise!

So, for today, Bridger did something especially fun. He broke the alt key in half on the laptop keyboard, and removed 15 total keys on the left side. Yes, you read that right. I put the esc, shift and ctrl keys back in place, but you can see the shift key is at an angle. I can't get the others on...

Yes, I still love this precious Child of God. In fact, let me add this experience to add to this thought:

Wednesday, I went to the baby Dr (everything is great), then to the store with Spencer and Bridger. The boys were being a bit of a "handful", but not being screamy or horrible... I still had much patience with them. Anyway, we were waiting at the Deli, and this lady kept giving me "the look". You know, the one where you wonder if she ever had any kids of her own (turns out she did - 2 sets of twins a couple of years a part!). So, I'm just smiling though, and trying not to read into the stares.

She then says, "I almost feel bad for you."

I was taken back, but quickly smiled and replied, "Oh, don't feel bad, I love them."

And I do! ALL of them. :)

Six-Year-Old Brooke's Drawings October 2008

I don't know if I've mentioned it to you all, but Brooke LOVES drawing! Of course her favorite animal is a horse, so her drawings tend to start with a horse. She has other drawings of other animals - and I will make a video of them when I get a chance. But, this is current! October 2, 2008 she drew these. :)

Other YouTube videos of ours posted here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/maidmarian4

Flurry Day

So, this is delayed... but who cares, right!?
October 11, 2008 we had our first snow here in Utah! The kids were excited and ran outside as I ran to my camera. Here are the pics from that "storm".

Fetus Super Travel and 18 mth old Heights!

I just finished playing with the kids in "Brooke's room" (before, we had all three kids in one room, and used the other for a playroom. Now, we have the "Boys room" and "Brooke and the baby's room")...

Anyway, they had fun talking to the baby in my tummy. Brooke made a "scary" noise, and Spencer told the baby to run away.

I said, "Where is the baby going to run away to?"

Spencer replied matter-of-factly, "To your toes!"

I laughed, "There's no room in my toes for the baby!"

"Mom, it was a joke", Spencer stated.

.......In Other News........

Bridger has now mastered the ladder on the bunk bed! I'm terrified! We got the first bunk bed when Bridger was born. So, Spencer would have been 3 1/2. I've not dealt with a tiny 1 1/2 year old on one yet! Any ideas on detering him on either bunk bed (both have "built in" ladders)??? I'm thinking of adding some blanket or something that goes down the entire side. Except that doesn't work so well when the kids or I forget to put it down when they are not using it! YIKES!

April 18th

April 18th, 2009 my dad is celebrating his 51st Birthday! He doesn't even look that YOUNG! My mom threw the most fun 50th Birthday for him this last year at the SLC Bees game. He got special attention from the "Bee" him/her(?) self, got to play one of those halftime games along with some other stuff. Needless to say, I think he had a blast, and we all shared quite a memory with him. :-)

Well, little did any of us know that a year away, we would be welcoming a new addition to our family. Yes, we are expecting, and this baby is due on my dad's Birthday, April 18, 2009. I am about 12 1/2 weeks along and am finally feeling a bit better. I've found the things to stay away from so my tummy doesn't do any rejecting. I've also found that I can take a one hour nap, and still be really tired by 10pm. But, I get those naps about 1/week due to my busy schedule with the kiddos. :)

Ok, enough about me! I'll post the ultrasound that was taken this morning (I'm spoiled and get an ultrasound every visit). Have a super day! Gotta pick up Brooke soon to take Brooke and Spencer to the Dinosaur Park on the "last" "warm" day of the year! Bridger is spending his first night all by himself with my mom and dad. :)

Going Public

Well, I've decided to "go public". I'm a little nervous about the "outsiders" that may start reading my blog. I'm thinking most of them are harmless like myself that sometimes comes across a stranger's blog, but I still have my apprehensions about it.

But, I do know it is probably easier to find my new posts (not that there are many lol) and not have to log in or whatever it is you have to do. :)

So, I am spraying "creep away" all over the pages of my blog. Hope it works! lol

Cat Nap...

So, I laid Bridger down for his nap at 1pm (usually it is in between 11:30 am-12:00). I walked by his door about 20 minutes later, and heard contagious giggling. Afraid it may become too contagious and keep him from napping, I opened the door to see what was so hilarious.

It was Merlin. No, he's not exactly a wizard, but he is a pretty cool feline. He makes me think of "the cool kid on the block that was nice to everyone but had some suave style you just can't pin down". Well, at this moment in time, Merlin was being uproarlessly funny to Bridger. Merlin loves to play, so it was a little tough getting him to leave the room so Bridger could recover from the giggles quick and go to sleep. Luckily, that is what he did... another 20 minutes later. :)

An Inspiration, To Say The Least

You may have seen this before, but it doesn't hurt to see it again!

These lectures by Randy Pausch are incredible and very memorable. He has left a legacy to live by for people that don't even know him (including myself). I am attaching his talks titled, "The Last Lecture", "Time Management" and his surprise appearance at Carnegie Mellon's 2008 Commencement ceremony.

The Last Lecture:





Time Management:





Commencement Ceremony:





Lastly, ABC made a remarkable piece on him that is definitely worth watching:

http://abc.go.com/player?channel=125264&video=125213

Also, here is a link on his "Alice" project (pretty cool - and a free program): http://www.alice.org/

And here is his link Carnegie Mellon University has for him: http://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/

Sincerely,
~Marian~
*A Tigger!*

It's True, Boys & Girls Are Very Different - Even At 4 Years Old!

So, I have been "shopping" for a new tent the last couple of weeks. I finally found the "best" one at Shopko during a sale. The kids have been so excited and patient. They knew I was going to get a tent because they saw me looking at some online and in newspaper ads. Finally, mom is going to get a tent to go camping in!

Well, the last day of the sale, I rush around doing errands. I had to complete 3 "mystery shops" that took less than 5 minutes each. The kids were great to wait while I ran in and out of the 3 different stores I had to evaluate ($8 each! Yeah!). Lastly, we went to Shopko. They were looking forward to this and kept asking me how long it will take to get there. :)

Finally, we park, and the kids break out of the car, tagging along my side.
"Where is the tent? Where is the tent?" they question me repeatedly.
I pointed the way, and they happily walked 12 feet ahead so they could help me find it. We finally got to the camping section of the store, and I showed the kids the tent that was in the ad. They help me place it in the cart, and then I move onto another area of the back of the store.

Spencer, puzzled, looked up at me, "Mom, what are we doing?"

Confused, I said, "We're shopping."

"But Mom, we already got the tent!" he insisted.

I started to giggle. Boy was my boy a boy in body and MIND!

"Spencer, I just want to look around."

"For what Mom?"

"Umm, nothing Spencer. Umm, I just want to look at what deals they have here."

"But why Mom, we have the tent."

"Spencer, I understand that this doesn't make much sense. Girls just like to shop. We don't always have much direction either, we just 'shop'"

"Ok." was Spencer's reply. However, I think it was more of a, 'Well, it still doesn't make much sense, but I'm here and having fun, so whatever you say is fine.'

• Girls= Shopping Queens - Get a great deal on something, then spend more time looking for more deals.
• Boys= Practical - Buy what you plan on buying, and leave ASAP.

"Out of the Mouth & Actions of Babes" at Grandma/pa's House

My dad recalled the cutest story about Spencer to me and I told Brian of my desire to see my dad's journal page on it. Well, low and behold, without my dad knowing of this desire, he sent me this e-mail:

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Having the grandkids over for the night, its’ early Saturday and they are still sleeping. When I got up this morning and got ready to leave for a walk, Spencer was just giggling as he slept. Funny to watch.

Yesterday I took off work. We are celebrating Brooke’s birthday. Have some presents and do what the kids want. So as we go and get the kids at Holland’s Spencer holds out some change that he has gathered up and says he is going to use it for a game. He doesn’t know what game it is, he just knows that the wants the change for when we play a game. Becky and I talk with him as we drove home about games we could play. When we get home we hurry to get on the road and he is either holding the changes in his fist or kept it in his pocket with his hand down in the pocket or over the top of his pants, holding the money.

We went (Amy, Grandkids and Becky) to the Pioneer State Park. I wasn’t really excited about it, had hoped to go to the zoo instead. But it was a fun thing and glad that Becky encouraged us to go there. I’ve learned long ago even if I’m not excited about something, just to keep it quiet and go along. Becky never leads me astray. Some things are more fun than others, but she never does anything to make my life worse and usually it is better.

At the Pioneer Park they have either brought in the old pioneer buildings from around the state or recreated them. They are many farm houses, (small wood frame buildings), social building, general stores, school houses doctors offices etc. All around the time of 1850 – probably 1880. They have people in the various buildings in period costumes and they will tell you stories about the time. Maybe about a specific person who lived and worked in that building or about the kind of life that a person in such a building would have.

The lady in the school house was about 45 years old. She (like others) was dressing in period costume and did a good job of “being” the school teacher. She described the school, when it was built, when students would come due to working their farms, how she got paid and where she got supplies. Each desk that we sat at had a small slate (chalkboard) used for writing. She told that there wasn’t money for paper and pencils and so the kids used the slates. And if she didn’t have enough slates the kids would go outside and with a stick draw in the dirt to do their school work. To get paper she would have to pay a lot of money and have someone carry it across the plains in their wagons, and she didn’t have that money.
Spencer raised his hand (being so quiet as he sat in the school desk) and she pointed to him asking what we wanted. He had the most pleasant smile on his face as he slipped out of his chair and walked to the front where the teacher was. He held up his fist and she held her hand underneath to take what he was giving – unknown to her what it was. Hen he opened his fingers and into her hand dropped 42¢ - all the money he had.

For a moment she just looked at it, very taken back. Getting her composure she then thanked him. He was already back in his seat, but she called him back and gave him a special present from her bag – a marble.

She said that she has been doing this for 17 years and never has anything like that happened. “That’s a journal entry” she said, speaking of her own journal.

More anecdotes added a day later in e-mail:

Spencer has a sun burn on his shoulders, probably from our work party the other day that they kids came to. Becky said something about it, asking if it hurt and then reminded him that he needed to remember to ask for sun block. Spencer says with some tone of frustration “I told my dad, ‘Dad, I need sunscreen!’” I suspect this conversation happened after the fact, but cute.

I had just showered, put a towel around me and went into the bedroom to get my cloths. Brooke was in the bedroom with Becky at the time. As I come out of the bathroom and Brooke sees my chest and back she says with big wide open eyes, “Grandpa! You have a lot of hair. You need to shave!"

I love my kids so much. Hope you read the stories, and got a kick out of all of them as I did. :)

Well, my grandparents are busy in the Nauvoo and Quincy areas of Illinois helping to hopefully prevent futher flooding - and trying to protect LDS sites from the waters. They are joined by "people working for Nauvoo Restoration Incorporated, (other) missionaries serving in Nauvoo, and members of the BYU Folk Dancers"

To read the whole story and see video coverage:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3562849

Please pray that those making efforts to protect homes, business LDS sites and anything else that they will be safe. I also hope that their efforts will not be in vain.

I am so proud of my grandparents serving an LDS Mission in Nauvoo. They are being such great examples to their family. I look forward to their return. :)

My Treasures on a Hunt!

So, when we got to Layton park (same day as the pictures below), the kids scurried to the merry-go-round, and Brian disappeared. I sat on a swing with Bridger and kept my eye on the kids. I had no idea where Brian had gone. I was getting a little concerned after it'd been about 15 minutes. Where the heck did he go? Why didn't he tell me what he was doing?

Well, after 20 minutes of disappearance, he reappeared! He was excited and intense while carefully hiding a paper in his hand. "Where are the kids?" I pointed out that they still hadn't left the merry-go-round. "Well, I've got to hide this somewhere." I am completely confused. "Hide what? Where were you? I was worried. Is everything ok?" He is pretty focused on something and just says, "Yeah. I gotta hide this though." I reach my hand so I can steady his. I finally see what he is frantic about (other than the paper part). It is a map he's drawn. "Awh, cute. You drew a map! Is this what you've been doing for 20 minutes?" Brian is still in a one-track mind set, and replies, "Well yeah, that is what I was doing. I told you I was leaving." I think he got that I was still a little confused. "I drew a treasure map for the kids. I need to hide it." I'm thinking, Awh cute. Wish I knew he was leaving me for 20 minutes, but this was worth the worry and confusion. What a sweet daddy move!

So, he takes Bridger and places him under the slide platform. After trying to bury the "treasure map" in 2 inches of loose sand, he gives up and hollers to the kids excitedly, "Kids, come here! Look what Bridger's found!" The kids come roving over, and when they look at the map, they get pretty worked up. Brooke congrats Bridger while Spencer starts to study the map. Brian points out the pictures and asks if anything looks familiar. "The slide is here." he remarks. Brooke takes her eyes to it, "Hey look, the merry-go-round is there too!" "Well, let's go there!" Brian says encouragingly.

At the merry-go-round Brooke immediately tells a brown haired four year old girl about the map her baby brother dug up. She is so excited, "You can come too. Want to find the treasure?!" I quickly let Brooke know that the girl's parents need her to stay with them.

Next, the map said to "dinosaur stomp" to the rendition of a bathroom. Stomp stomp stomp! Rrrrrr!

Where is the "W" shaped tree that this map shows??? Hmm... "Is it over there?" inquires Spencer.

Dad steps in, "I think it's over there, guys. Do you see it?"

"Oh yeah, over there!" they say as they run to the "W" tree.

Per map: "Run to the big pine tree."

Were running! But, there are many pine trees here, and they all seem so big! Which one?

"It's the one on the right, kids." directs Brian.

Okay. Now we are at the big pine tree. Where next? What does the map show?

Duck pond. Where is the duck pond? There is a duck in the grass over there!

"Kids go to the water with the ducks." Brian says.

Here are the ducks! Quack Quack!

Next: "Walk slowly over the bridge."

...Daddy looks like he is going to tip over with Bridger! Just kidding!

We are close to the treasure! Where is it? Not in these trees near the water.

Oh look! It is in the rocks! Skull and crossbones - must equal TREASURE!

What could be inside? What would pirates have in here that would be so special to them that they would hide it???

YEAH! Pirate "gold" and gum! Always what any pirate needs. :)

Thanks for going with us on this treasure hunt. I'll have to tell them about this post. They will be so proud that everyone knows what great treasure hunters they are. I think Brooke and Spencer will always make sure to tell others about this special treasure hunt.

I am glad to have such great treasures in my life; Brian, Brooke, Spencer and Bridger (and any other family member(s) in the future).

Happy "Treasure" Hunting to you!