1o years ago I...
1- Had recently returned from my mission.
2- Was working at Nordstrom in Salt Lake City.
3- Could never have predicted how my life would be right now.
4- Went to Moab and road a mountain bike on 10 miles of slick rock.
5- Remember watching the news about the Columbine shooting for hours.
5 things on my "to do" list today (or tomorrow...)
1- Bake gingerbread cookies for Sophie's kindergarten class.
2- Clean the bathrooms.
3- Jog 5 miles.
4- Start packing and getting organized for our trip this weekend.
5- Mend some of the kids' clothes.
5 Snacks that I enjoy...
1- Chocolate Turtle Chex Mix
2- Raspberry smoothies
3-Toast with peanut butter, honey and bananas
4-Special K Vanilla Almond with Vanilla Soy milk - I eat it every single day. Yum.
5-Almond M&M's
5 things I would do if I were a millionaire...
1- Design and build a new home - a log cabin style on some acreage near the Snake River in the mountains.
2- Go on a family vacation to Hawaii.
3- Get piano lessons for all my kids.
4- Make regular visits to family and friends in Michigan.
5- Send Chris to baseball camp.
5 places I have lived...
1- Keflavik, Iceland
2- Concord, Tecumseh, and Westland, Michigan
3- Rialto, Upland, and Apple Valley, California
4- Provo, Lehi, Orem and Murray, Utah
5- Caldwell and Inkom, Idaho
5 jobs I have had...
1- McDonald's - for over 3 years in high school!
2- Nursing assistant in a convalescent home.
3- Marketing Secretary
4- Caretaker of twin girls with cerebral palsy.
5- Retail at Nordstrom.
Now I tag: Lindsay, Jennifer G., Jen Y., Jenny W., Elizabeth, Angela B., Jan W. and Suzanne! Have fun, ladies.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Two for the price of one!
Yesterday Sam finally lost his two front teeth. They'd been barely hanging in there for about a month. I love it when the kids lose those teeth because they look so cute with the big gappy smile! Unfortunately, we've been dealing with vomiting and other unmentionable unpleasantness around our house for a couple of days. I think Chris and I are coming down with it today, since we both have upset stomachs. It seems to have been a 24 hour bug with the kids, so I'm really hoping it passes quickly.Friday, September 26, 2008
Some days you have it, some days you don't.
I swear someone must have spiked my morning smoothie with extra caffeine today, because it seemed just one thing after another, going all day, and I'm finally just now sitting down. I started out with 5 miles on the treadmill, that is, after I was up at 6:45 to take the puppy out for his morning business and a run around the yard to get some of his cooped up energy out. Then the kids had friends over to play. We had lunch, made cupcakes, the kids went through the sprinkler, then made their way to the hot tub, then we did arts and crafts. I have to admit I went a little crazy with the hot glue gun. We made hair clips, flower pots and other misc. artwork. Then the kids raided my closet to play dress-up, even Nick got in on the action and put on his cowboy getup. All the while I did several loads of laundry and took the dog out every 30-60 minutes to, again, do his "business". Then, after the kids' friends went home, we loaded up bikes and headed to the park. Noah just started riding without training wheels and he'd been begging me for days to take him to ride at the park. So we ran the dog around the track, played with balloon rockets, and then headed home for dinner at about 7pm. Then all four kids took a bath, then reading time, then I vacuumed the downstairs, gave the dog a bath, did the dishes, and now here I am! Phew!
Mmm, cupcakes!
Arts and crafts!
Sophie and Clarissa - the "Cute girls with glasses club". It's new, members only.
Dress up time.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Yeah!
Well, we made it through another week, and my ploy seems to have worked, at least for the most part! Sammy did great at school this week, although he did briefly cry once. Hey, I'll take any small victory. The kids all love the dog, and having him has been kind of therapeutic for me, as well. It's been fun to focus on the challenge of getting him house-trained, and teaching him to obey. That way I'm distracted from how much I hate when Chris is in school. He's SO busy, and I get a little lonely for my partner in crime! It's a good thing there's never a dull moment around our household, with these four highly animated munchkins, and now a little puppy, running around! And notice the above picture? Noah was reading over my shoulder the other day as I was posting a blog, and he read what I wrote about not having any pictures of Sophie or Sam with the dog. He told the two of them that:"Mom put on the computer that you guys are afraid of Zipper!" Well, they wouldn't have it, and immediately demanded I photograph them in their fearlessness!
On another note, Noah came home from school last week with a book he borrowed from his teacher. It was from the "Beast Quest" series, and he loved it so he asked me to get him all the books. He already is responsible for reading at least three books a night for school, that he is tested on every morning, and he has also been bringing home a longer chapter book for pleasure reading. The day he brought home the Beast Quest book, he finished it in about 2 hours, after reading his 3 books for testing and a Goosebumps book. I am amazed at how fast this kid can read. Anyway, I ordered him the series of books, and he immediately set to reading them and has already finished two of them. What cracks me up about these books is that they are about the quest to find different mythical creatures (minotaur, yeti, giant squid, etc.) and the harrowing events that take place along the way. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at Noah's interest in them, as he, thanks to his father, has become a huge Monster Quest fan (a series on the History channel which documents expeditions to find and prove the existence of various creatures, such as Bigfoot, the giant Octopus, vampires, gigantic snakes, Lochness, etc.). He informed me recently that when he grows up he's going to go to college to be a scientist so he can hunt for Bigfoot and be the first one to catch him. I love it!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Just more puppy shots!
He (the pup) can only walk for a bit at a time and then tires out, so Nick held him on his lap in the stroller. 
One of Nick's first attempts to pick him up on his own.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Groomer has it!
After church today the kids and I took Zipper to the park for a walk. I wish I'd brought my camera. Nick was so funny, he insisted he had control of the dog's leash, and he jogged the entire 2 laps around (one and a quarter miles) just so that the puppy would follow him. When we came home, I gave Zipper his first bath, then a little fur trim. I have never bathed a dog, well, at least not since I was a little girl helping my grandma who worked for a veterinarian. I was expecting a lot of thrashing and flailing about, but the pup was exceptionally calm and seemed pretty complacent about the whole thing. I think I've discovered my new calling in life! (Haha!) The kids thought it was pretty entertaining when he ran around the house shaking the water out of his fur. 
You may notice that so far there are no pictures of Sammy or Sophie with the dog. That's because, as much as they both love to sit and watch him and talk about how "adorable" he is, they haven't quite warmed up to the idea of letting him jump, lick or wiggle anywhere near them!
You may notice that so far there are no pictures of Sammy or Sophie with the dog. That's because, as much as they both love to sit and watch him and talk about how "adorable" he is, they haven't quite warmed up to the idea of letting him jump, lick or wiggle anywhere near them!
Friday, September 19, 2008
These are the days to remember.
(The title is a throw-back to an old Billy Joel song, I know, it's been a while.)
Today went surprisingly well, though I feel a tad more tired than usual. Having a new puppy is somewhat like having a new baby in the house, at least as far as the "mother" waking up and frequently worrying throughout the night. But little Zipper did well, only one accident this morning, then the rest of the day accident free. He also did quite well with the kids, despite their rowdiness and hyperactivity. I've researched to death on the Internet about housebreaking and general obedience training of puppies, and I anticipate things will go well over the next couple of weeks. Let's hope I don't have to eat my words.
On to another subject, my husband. Again we are in the throws of another semester at ISU. He is taking 18 credit hours while still working full-time. He will graduate in the spring, so the end is in sight, but I know that sometimes for him, that can be of little consolation when he is too busy to make it to all of the kids' activities, or just be able to spend time with us and relax. Right now he can't do it all without the stress of pending schoolwork bearing down on him, or feeling so overwhelmingly tired that the idea of keeping up on home and yard work seems an impossibility, let alone spending quality family time. All this and during his favorite time of year, nonetheless, yes, that's right - Football season! Oh, the trauma! Anyway, he is such a hard worker, and not one to complain much, so when he does, I know it must be bad! Tonight he is working the overnight shift, so I hope that he finds himself reading this at about 4 or 5 in the morning when he feels on the verge of crashing (mentally, not literally, knock on wood!). I hope he knows that he is adored by his family and supported in his valiant effort and hard work to make the best life for me and the kids, and to be the best, most well-rounded person he can be. He is the best husband I could ever ask for, and sometimes I don't think I deserve all that he is for me. He is also the greatest dad, willing to do and give anything for the welfare and benefit of our children. We love you, Chris.
Today went surprisingly well, though I feel a tad more tired than usual. Having a new puppy is somewhat like having a new baby in the house, at least as far as the "mother" waking up and frequently worrying throughout the night. But little Zipper did well, only one accident this morning, then the rest of the day accident free. He also did quite well with the kids, despite their rowdiness and hyperactivity. I've researched to death on the Internet about housebreaking and general obedience training of puppies, and I anticipate things will go well over the next couple of weeks. Let's hope I don't have to eat my words.
On to another subject, my husband. Again we are in the throws of another semester at ISU. He is taking 18 credit hours while still working full-time. He will graduate in the spring, so the end is in sight, but I know that sometimes for him, that can be of little consolation when he is too busy to make it to all of the kids' activities, or just be able to spend time with us and relax. Right now he can't do it all without the stress of pending schoolwork bearing down on him, or feeling so overwhelmingly tired that the idea of keeping up on home and yard work seems an impossibility, let alone spending quality family time. All this and during his favorite time of year, nonetheless, yes, that's right - Football season! Oh, the trauma! Anyway, he is such a hard worker, and not one to complain much, so when he does, I know it must be bad! Tonight he is working the overnight shift, so I hope that he finds himself reading this at about 4 or 5 in the morning when he feels on the verge of crashing (mentally, not literally, knock on wood!). I hope he knows that he is adored by his family and supported in his valiant effort and hard work to make the best life for me and the kids, and to be the best, most well-rounded person he can be. He is the best husband I could ever ask for, and sometimes I don't think I deserve all that he is for me. He is also the greatest dad, willing to do and give anything for the welfare and benefit of our children. We love you, Chris.
On to another subject, my husband. Again we are in the throws of another semester at ISU. He is taking 18 credit hours while still working full-time. He will graduate in the spring, so the end is in sight, but I know that sometimes for him, that can be of little consolation when he is too busy to make it to all of the kids' activities, or just be able to spend time with us and relax. Right now he can't do it all without the stress of pending schoolwork bearing down on him, or feeling so overwhelmingly tired that the idea of keeping up on home and yard work seems an impossibility, let alone spending quality family time. All this and during his favorite time of year, nonetheless, yes, that's right - Football season! Oh, the trauma! Anyway, he is such a hard worker, and not one to complain much, so when he does, I know it must be bad! Tonight he is working the overnight shift, so I hope that he finds himself reading this at about 4 or 5 in the morning when he feels on the verge of crashing (mentally, not literally, knock on wood!). I hope he knows that he is adored by his family and supported in his valiant effort and hard work to make the best life for me and the kids, and to be the best, most well-rounded person he can be. He is the best husband I could ever ask for, and sometimes I don't think I deserve all that he is for me. He is also the greatest dad, willing to do and give anything for the welfare and benefit of our children. We love you, Chris.
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