A Rose by Any Other Name....

Michael has decided that he is only Michael sometimes. Sometimes he is Nuto. Or Coppy. Depends on the day. And on some days, I can call him Bud, but on other days I have to call him Sweetie. And Bud likes football, but Sweetie doesn't. It's bad news for Jeff when Sweetie is around on Sunday.

This has been the case for a few weeks. But now he has decided that Faith isn't Faith anymore either. Her name is Doop. I don't know where he came up with that one (I don't know where he came up with Nuto or Coppy, either). The other day while I was at work, he started calling her Doop. Jeff calls her Doop now, too. I think it's going to be one of those nicknames that sticks forever, and when she's 14 she'll ask why we call her Doop.

Last night was the ward Christmas party. Jeff was recently release from the Young Men presidency and called to Activities Committee (which is now comprised of three men). Last night was their first activity. It turned out really well (which, I'm sorry to say Jeff, is due in large part to the hard work of the women you guys enlisted to help). The decor was beautiful, and the food was good (funeral potatoes and cookies and ice cream are always good). The entertainment was a little strange, but better than I expected (they had a guy playing guitar to background music). Santa Claus was great. I would never have guessed it was Bruce Payne if I hadn't already known. The treat bags he gave the kids were fantastic (courtesy of the Primary, of course). But the best part of all (to me, at least) was that Michael, for the first time ever, was not afraid to sit on Santa's lap. He climbed up there and told him that he wanted presents for Christmas - trains, specifically. He even smiled at the camera while I took photos.

Michael was a little disappointed that there were no trains in his treat bag. But Santa (and the Primary) can't do everything. Faith had a turn, too, and she didn't mind sitting on Santa's lap (of course, I knew she wouldn't).

And here is Coppy (that's what he told Santa his name was) on the rocking horse by the Christmas tree.

Baby News

Ha, had you going there, didn't I? This post is a brief baby announcement, but not mine. Melissa is pregnant!!! Okay, so most of you probably already knew that. But I, who see her more than most of you, did not. So on the off-chance that you didn't know, now you do.

She's due May 28, which means she's about four months along right now. She'll find out what she's having the first part of January.

I'm excited for her. She really wanted to try for a girl, and Terrance said he was done after the two boys they already have. But then when they were buying a house, he changed his mind. So they were trying to get pregnant. Then their house fell through, and they quit trying. But what do you know, it only takes a month for some people.

Please, somebody tell me that you didn't already know this.

Thankful Thursday

1. Night time. I've been staying up really late these past few nights trying to finish all kinds of things - Christmas gifts, crochet orders, Christmas cards, and on and on. I know I'd never get everything finished without the time AFTER 8 o'clock, when the kids are in bed.

2. My bed time. I love my bed. It is so soft and comfortable, as long as Jeff isn't hogging the covers. Climbing into bed when I'm tired has to be one of my favorite parts of the day.

3. Sleeping time. Do we have a theme here? Faith is now sleeping all night, with an occasional exception when she's really congested or something. But it is SOOOO nice to fall asleep and be able to sleep all night.

4. My job. Another place where I get lots of projects done. Since I work at the front desk of a hotel, I have a lot of down time, and we're allowed to do our own thing during that time, which is really nice.

5. Blessings. Okay, so all of the things on Thankful Thursday really are blessings. I know that. But I'm thinking specifically this season of how fortunate Jeff and I are. We've been able to do Christmas for our family; gifts for neighbors, co-workers, and friends; fix our car and our furnace; and take advantage of good deals to stock up on clothes for the kids, food, and other things; AND we've been able to do all of that while paying off an enormous chunk of our debt. We're very blessed.

Family photos

Jeff's family arranged to have family photos taken last Sunday. We took them at the hotel where I work. To be honest, I'm disappointed. Besides the fact that Emily and Jessi didn't even show up (this is a very long story which gets me very, very angry) for the family photos, most of the family pictures didn't even turn out. The ones of Michael are good, as well as some of the ones of Michael and Faith together and a lot of the "candid" shots. But the ones of the entire family (minus Emily and Jessi) in front of the Christmas tree, as well as the ones of our family in front of the fireplace were ALL blurry - every single one of them. And the ones of our family in front of the waterfall out back were okay, but the photographer stood so far away that we really had no way to know when she was taking the photos, so in most of them we're not looking at the camera. And we're not posed very well for the purpose of the photos - which was to get updated 8x10 photos on Richard and Anna's wall for Christmas. Not going to happen. We have a retake scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Anyway, here is a slideshow of some of last Sunday's photos. Some are good, and some, well, not so much.

When we get the photos back from tomorrow's session, I'll post some of them as well. Hopefully, everyone will be there and the photographer will be in focus. Grrrr.

The Newest Version

The farmer in the Delta
The farmer in the Delta
I hope a dagobenz
The farmer in the Delta

Good to know...

Our furnace has been acting up lately. I keep the thermostat set at 70 degrees, and the furnace usually kicks on when it gets down to 69. But lately, it has been getting down to 65 or so and not turning on. So I called the repair man. The flame sensor was dirty. While he was cleaning it, I asked him if there was any way to run the furnace when the power is out (we don't have a wood-burning stove). There isn't. He said the best alternative is a gas fireplace. When he was finished cleaning the flame sensor, I asked him to take a look at a mystery contraption in our basement bedrooms. We have a unit that is installed in the wall between those two rooms, and it has a gas supply line to it and a spot for a pilot light. So he turned on the gas and lit the pilot light, and voila!! We have heat in our basement bedrooms! So Mom and Dad, you can sleep comfortably when you spend the night again! (Can I get a cheer?) And the best part is, this wall unit is set up just like a gas fireplace, that doesn't require electricity. So even if the power goes out, we have heat!! I am so excited. Dumb, I know, that something so stupid makes me so excited, but it does. I hate to be cold. Really hate to be cold.

Evolution of a Song

Michael's various versions of "Farmer in the Dell":

The farmer in the jail
The farmer in the jail
I hope the [mumble mumble]
The farmer in the jail

Then I said:
Michael, it's the farmer in the dell. D - D - D (making a "D" sound).

Michael:
The farmer in the jail, duh
The farmer in the jail, duh

Me:
No, Michael, the farmer in the dell. Dell.

Michael:
The farmer in the dell, duh
The farmer in the dell, duh
I hope the [mumble mumble]
The farmer in the dell, duh.

Me:
Almost. Hi-ho the derry-oh.

Michael:
The farmer in the dell, duh
The farmer in the dell, duh
I hope the dagobenz (his new made-up word for ???)
The farmer in the dell, duh.

I guess you can't win them all.

The Christmas Tree

While I was at work one day, Jeff and Michael got the Christmas tree out from under the stairs and hauled it up to the living room. Michael found a scrap of wood paneling under the stairs, and being ever-helpful, hauled it upstairs, too. It was "Michael's tree," and he insisted on putting it right in front of the other tree, "so you can see it."

Currently, "his" tree is back down under the stairs, moved there after he went to bed that night. And "our" tree is fully decorated and lovely, but barricaded by our coffee table set on its side and other various items, to keep the ever-curious and over-active 10-month-old from ripping it apart.

Okay, okay

So I posted a comment on Riley's last blog post. Mind you, this post was made on October 29. That's over a month ago. And I'm tired of looking at the bald guy at the top of his last post. So I posted a comment, "Can we get a new post, already?" And lo and behold, what do I get on my latest post (a mere two weeks old now), but a comment, "Enough already. It's been nearly two weeks." So here it is, a post just to post.

Actually, I have some photos I've been meaning to download from our camera and post, but it just hasn't happened yet. I keep getting involved in other things. And those things usually involve buying, making, or wrapping Christmas gifts. So since almost all of my readers will be getting a Christmas gift from me (there aren't that many of you), you should be glad that I am spending my time being productive for you. :)

Since pretty much everyone who reads my blog also reads Callie's blog, I won't go into details of what we did for Thanksgiving. But can I just say, the turkey bowling (done with cornish hens - turkeys are just to expensive to throw around) was hilarious. I think we should make it a tradition, and actually keep score next time. We could have a little trophy that gets passed around from year to year.

In non-holiday news, Faith slept all night last night, for the first time in I don't know how long. And Michael did not come into our room either. He actually fell asleep downstairs, and we left him there. When he finally woke up this morning (at about 7:30), he came upstairs. But instead of coming into our room, which he always does, he went into his own room and laid down in his bed. He didn't even poke his head into our room. Nice. So for the first time in I don't know how long, I was able to sleep all night. Well, I would have, if Jeff hadn't woken me up when he came to bed. But I'll take it. Here's hoping for many, many, many more restful nights.

We decorated our Christmas tree on Monday for Family Home Evening. I promise to do a whole new post about that, because I have pictures, and the telling is not as good without the seeing.

Thankful Thursday - a day late

1. Tom - he's going to fix our car over Thanksgiving weekend. Yeah!!! And he's doing it for less than we would pay at the mechanic.

2. Dad - he arranged for Tom to fix our car. This is a big deal to me, because my check engine light has been on for over two months now, and the car is guzzling gasoline.

3. Lower gas prices - since the car is guzzling it.

4. Thanksgiving - I am so excited to go to Delta for a few days next week. It will be our first Thanksgiving in Delta (even though our family moved there in 1991). We've always come up to Huntsville.

5. Good co-workers - it's been a rough week at work, and I'm so grateful to everyone there who has stepped up and covered shifts.

6. Jeff - he just informed me that every thing I'm grateful for should be about him. So as you can see, everything that I'm grateful for on this day has ended with him. Hee hee hee.

It's About Time!!

Thanks, Audra, for hinting that I need to get my Heartfelt Creations site up. I've been working on it, and I'm proud to announce that I have made the beginning steps! Yeah!!! Click here to see what I'm talking about. I still have to add wedding cakes, crocheted toddler dresses, crocheted hats, other blessing/christening outfits for girls and boys, and headbands and bows, but it's coming!

And in other "it's about time" news, Faith now has two teeth! And she's almost crawling. Here's a video:



I think it's pretty cute. Not quite the rug burn that poor Matthew got when he was learning to crawl (if anyone wants to go down memory lane, click here). But still cute. If she could just get that chubby tummy off the floor....

And so it begins....

Michael has discovered "why?":

While watching "Beauty and the Beast" today he asked:
"Why did Gaston fall down?" (at the end)
Me: Because he was being mean to the Beast and he slipped and fell.
Why was he being mean?
Because he didn't like the Beast.
Why doesn't he like the Beast?
Because the beast likes Belle, and Belle likes the Beast.
Why does the beast like Belle?
Because she's nice, and she's pretty.

(he stops to think)

Gaston was mean?
Yes.
Why was he mean?

At this point, I see that we are going in a circle, so I say, "I don't know."
Why you don't know?
Just because.
Because why?

Does anyone know how long this lasts? We're on day four.

Have You Ever......

You are supposed to highlight the things from the list that you've done.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (Idaho)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights (we used to see reddish lights over the mountains at Grandma's and always called them the Northern Lights - I don't know if that's really what they were. Yes, I copied this word-for-word from Mandi)
16. Gone to a huge sports game ("Huge" is a matter of opinion, you know)
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty - actually, they don't let you do this anymore, since 9/11
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - not a physical fight, though
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job - never fired, but I was furloughed from IRS when the work ran out
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a boat trip that lasted more than 2 days - does a river trip count?
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions - actually, I did the firing
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book - if you count online publishing
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one - miniature golf, baby
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted (drawn)
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away - we used to "run away" to a spot on Grandpa's farm
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem (doesn't mean it was a good one!)
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long-lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Written a letter to the editor

Thankful Thursday

1. My Pampered Chef chopper - it makes it very easy to make just about anything into bite-size chunks that Faith can eat by herself.f

2. Honesty - this morning Michael came crying into the kitchen. I asked him what was wrong, and he said that Hunter had hit him. When I asked why, he said, "Because I hit him!"

3. April - yesterday morning my friend April called and offered to take my kids so I could go to the temple. I took her up on it, and it was so nice. Next week I'll take hers.

4. The temple - I did initiatories when I went, and it was so calming and reassuring to be reminded of the blessings that can be ours.

5. Opportunities I have - to work the polls, to go to the temple, to watch Melissa's kids, to teach my own kids. I'm really very blessed.

Happenings of Late

For Halloween, Michael was a monkey and Faith was a skunk. I was going to try to find a big yellow hat so that Michael could be Curious George and Jeff could be the Man in the Yellow Hat, but it didn't end up happening. The kids had a great time seeing Grandma and Grandpa Hansen, and Grandma and Grandpa Sabin, and then trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. It was fun. The day before Halloween, we went to our ward's trunk-or-treat, and Jeff took the kids around to the different cars while I handed out our treats. So many people told Jeff that he had cute boys. So when we dressed them up again to go trick-or-treating, I stuck a flower on Faith's costume so people would know she's not a boy.

I just wanted to share this cute photo of Hunter, Michael, and Walker. They were "making a job" on the couch (piling all the pillows on the couch and covering it with a blanket), and when they finished, they were proud of their work and posed for a photo.

And here is Michael in the leaves that he and Jeff raked up.

And finally, I just want to say something about the election. I worked the polls that day, and I was so touched to see how important it was to some citizens that they vote. There was a lot of confusion, because they have reorganized the districts in my area and now people don't vote where they used to. Some people were sent from one polling place to ours, only to be sent back to the first one they went to. The inconvenience to them was unfortunate, but even though some of them were upset, every one of them showed every intention of returning to that other place to cast their vote. One lady was not a native-born citizen. She must have been Vietnamese or Cambodian (last name Phuun). She came to vote, and since this is her first time voting, she had to show photo ID. She didn't have it with her, so she walked home (in the snow) to get it, then walked back. I'm sure there are many others all over who saw this same kind of commitment. But it just hit me what a great thing it is to live in this country. Whether you are happy with the outcome of the presidential election or not, you have to agree that it is a great blessing to live here where our voices are heard.

I have a lot of concerns about President-Elect Obama. My biggest concerns have to do with his stand on abortion, and that he will likely be choosing our next two Supreme Court Justices. But I am optimistic, because has proven himself to be a great motivator, and he has already made it clear that he will expect Americans to step up and do better. And if this country needs anything, it is motivation and high expectations. Even though I disagree with him on some fundamental issues, I believe that he is a good man. And I also know that no matter who is president, nothing he can do will have as much influence on me or my family as what I do. So things will be okay.

Funny Story

So Jeff decided to fix the fluorescent light in the basement today. It stopped working quite a while ago, and we found out that we had to replace the ballast in it. So Jeff went to the store and got what we needed. But while he was fixing it, he accidentally pushed a bolt that was hanging down up into the ceiling. There was no way to get it out, and we needed that bolt to fasten the new ballast into the fixture. So he looked at me and said, "We're going to have to get into the attic." Or maybe I said it to him. Getting into the attic has been a big fear of mine, for some reason. We have never actually looked in our attic. I have visions of me opening the entrance and having spiders crawl out all over me. So I haven't brought myself to take a look yet. Feeling resigned to finally do it, I went upstairs to change into a long-sleeved shirt so the insulation wouldn't make me itch all over. Five minutes later, as I'm coming back down the stairs, I met him on his way up. And you know what he said? "We don't have to get into the attic. The light's in the basement!" It took me a minute, but then I realized that the ceiling of the basement does not lead into the attic. Phew. No spiders today!! But we still had to figure out how to get the bolt out. Well, we never figured it out. We rigged up another solution. But yes, you'll be happy to know that I am indeed smart enough to figure out that I would never have gotten to the top side of that light fixture by getting into the attic.

Thankful Thursday

1. Moments like this one - Michael is at school, and Hunter, Walker, and Faith are all taking naps. Hmm. It's nice to be quiet once in a while.

2. Advance warning - I found out that a member of the Primary General Board is coming to visit our Primary on November 9. Now, I'm not particularly grateful that she's coming, but I am grateful that I know about it now instead of being surprised.

3. Fun cake ideas - I saw a fun spider cake in the newspaper, and then I saw the same thing in the grocery store. It was cute, so I made one for Jeff to take to work and some small ones for our neighbors.

4. Kids who like each other. Faith is big enough now that she doesn't really need her little bathtub. So the other day I gave both kids a bath together. Michael was really sweet and was helping me wash her back and belly. And Faith was so excited to be in the big tub with Michael. She was grinning and splashing at him. It was cute.

5. Fun times. A few days ago we went down to Jeff's parents house for a Halloween activity. We painted pumpkins and decorated sugar cookies. The bottom photo is Michael, showing off the cookies he smothered - I mean, decorated - with candy. The other plate has Jeff's cookies, which are almost as smothered. Jeff figured, since we were decorating cookies, he might as well put as much candy as he can fit on the ones he would be eating.

Does that make me Beauty, or the Beast?

This morning Michael has been so happy. He is all smiles, and helpful, and just happy. I asked him at some point, "Are you happy today?" And he said, "I am happy. I'm happy here with you." I know what you're thinking - aaaahhhh, how sweet. And that's what I thought. And then I realized that I've heard that somewhere before. And just as I opened my mouth to say something about it, Michael said, "Just like Beauty and the Beast!!" And I had to laugh. There's a scene where Belle says that line to the Beast. So I said, "Is Mommy Beauty?" And he said no. "Are you Beauty?" No. "Is Mommy the Beast?" Fortunately, he also said no to that one. Then he said, "We're Michael and Mommy!!"

Makes Me Laugh

Michael was hilarious this morning. We were watching the Curious George movie, and near the end, the man in the yellow hat tells George, "You brought adventure to my life." I'm sitting there, not really paying attention to the movie or to Michael, and I hear him say, "Michael brought adventure to your life." I wasn't sure I had heard him right, so I said, "What?" And he repeated, "I brought adventure to your life." Well, you're not kidding, kiddo. If he only knew how true that was.

Later, he was in his bedroom getting dressed. He started crying, and I asked what was wrong. He came into my room and said, crying, "I hurt my foot!" while holding up his left foot for me to see. I said, "You hurt your foot? Oh, no!" And he said, (with no whining or sadness in his voice at all, and now standing on his left foot and lifting up his right foot), "Not this foot." Then he again lifted up his left foot and with his whiny voice, said, "THIS foot." So I said, "I'm sorry you hurt your foot. What happened?" His answer? "It's okay. It happens," in his normal, non-whiny voice. Then he ran out and finished getting dressed.

And in Faith news, she finally cut her first tooth. It broke through yesterday morning. I'm glad she's finally started getting some teeth, but since I'm breastfeeding, I was just fine with her toothless, too.

Aaaaaahhhhhh

The sweet smell of freedom. Okay, maybe not "freedom," per se, and maybe not a "smell," per se - okay, maybe not the sweet smell of freedom at all. But aaaaahhhhh, the joy of knowing that the Primary program is OVER (can I say that again? OVER!! Can I emphasize it more? OVER!!!!!) Woo-hoo!!!! And the best part is that it won't come around again for another year. Woo-hoo!!!!

In all honesty, the program went very well. We ended exactly on time, the kids knew their songs and parts (mostly), and there was only minor fighting over the best spots each time they had to come up to the front to sing their songs. Our chapel is not very conducive to a program. We have a small Primary (about 30 kids), and all the chairs are behind the piano and organ. So short kids can't be seen even when they're standing, and with so few voices, they get drowned out by the piano. So our solution has been to have the kids leave their seats behind the piano and come out in front of it, standing behind the pulpit but in front of the bishopric seats. We only had time to practice that maneuver twice today before the actual program, so I didn't go over the "rules" as thoroughly as I should have. I did tell them to let the little kids stand in front so everyone could be seen. But I forgot about "don't push other kids out of the way," and "don't balance with your hands on the wall and then kick it during the whole song," and "don't stand up and sit down and stand up and sit down while you're singing the songs," and probably a few more that I can't think of right now.

But at this point, I don't care what went wrong. I only care that it's OVER!!!!!

Random Picture Tag

This is the fourth picture in my fourth picture folder.

It is a photo of Jeff when he was growing up, in Europe somewhere. His dad was in the Air Force, and they lived in Germany for a few years when Jeff was young. While there, they traveled as much as they could in Europe. I have no idea where this photo was taken. Sorry.

Hunter

So I've been watching Hunter and Walker when Terrance has to work. And I've found that Hunter is sometimes hard to understand. He can't say "F" or "S," and instead he makes a "W" sound. So he says, "Where's my wone?" for "Where's my phone?" Here are some examples that made me laugh, or think:

• "I got applewauce on my wirt!" (applesauce on my shirt)
• "I want to go outwide."
• "Let me wee!"
• "I want to watch Wewame Weet." (Sesame Street)
  
• "I'm a big winner!!" (he really was saying winner on this one, although it made me think for a minute)

And just as an example of how well kids pick up on what we say, yesterday he told me, "Beanie lost her mind." Beanie is my grandma, his great-grandma.
I said, "Beanie lost her mind?"
"Yup, Beanie lost her mind."
"Where did you hear that?" (Thinking, who would say such a thing to him?)
"Beanie told me."

Jeff and I laughed about it at the time, and then today I asked Melissa where he'd heard that. She said that, yes, Beanie had indeed told him that she'd lost her mind. Not exactly what she'd want broadcasted to the rest of the world, though.

5 Things About Me Tag

The original is "8 Things About Me," but honestly, I don't think I even watch 8 TV shows EVER, so we're going with 5.

5 Favorite TV Shows:

1. The Office
2. NCIS
3. Saturday Night Live (during election season)
4. Antiques Roadshow
5. House
   

5 Things I did yesterday:

1. Watched Hunter and Walker
2. Bought fabric to make Ana's Halloween costume
3. Gave the paper route stuff back to Chay - yeah!! We're done subbing for this time!!
4. Crocheted around burp cloths
5. Kissed Jeff - but not enough
   

5 Things I look forward to:

1. Having the Primary program over with
2. My Christmas bonus
3. Kissing and hugging Jeff
4. Thanksgiving dinner in Delta for the first time
5. Nikki and Callie's baby shower
   

5 Favorite Restaurants:

1. Javier's
2. Boccia's d'Italia
3. Roosters
4. The Olive Garden
5. Arby's
   

5 Things on my wish list:

1. A new house
2. A dining room set
3. A king-sized bed
4. A recliner for Jeff
5. For Michael to start eating real food
   

I tag whoever wants to do this.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a couple of weeks since I've done this:

• Long, hot showers. So long, that they're no longer hot. Unfortunately for Jeff, sometimes I take my long, hot showers before he gets his quick cold one.
• People who remember Tori. I appreciate Jodi for taking me to lunch on her birthday, and Mom for sending blankets to Utah Share, and Jeff for not being upset that I paid more than I should have for flowers to put on her grave.
  
• Size 3 diapers. Faith has long-since outgrown her size 2's, but I'm too frugal to not use up the last of the package that was already open. So we've been squeezing her into too-small diapers for a couple of weeks now, and just this morning I used the last size 2. Yeah!! Now she can have diapers that fit.
• Size 12-month clothes. Can you believe that my 8-month-old little girl wears 12-month clothes? I had to go buy a lot of pants and other things for her so she'll be warm, and the 12-month pants fit those Hansen thighs best.
• Purple. I think Faith looks so pretty in purple.
• Clearance racks. Okay, it probably doesn't help my fashionability that I primarily buy my clothes off the clearance rack at WalMart, but honestly, I have a hard time justifying expensive clothes when I know they're going to be spit up on and stained. So the $3 shirts I found yesterday were quite welcome.

Two Years

Today is Tori's birthday. It has been two years since she was born sleeping, and even though it is true that time heals, there are still moments when it hits me all over again, and I find myself in tears that are just as real and painful as when it happened. As horrible as that experience was, I'm not sure that I would change it. Is that a terrible thing to say? I just look at my life right now, and I know that if Tori were here, I wouldn't have Faith, at least not yet. And I can't imagine life without her. So no, I don't think I would change it. I guess I just trust that it was what needed to happen at that time. And I know that I will have Tori again. Some people have expressed to me that because she never breathed outside of the womb, that she was somehow not a "real person" or something to that effect. But I know that she was alive inside of me. I felt her movements and I bonded with her even when she was that small, and I feel very strongly that the life she had - even though it was only inside of me - was enough to fulfill God's purposes for her and for us. So Happy Birthday, to my own little angel.

The Wedding Cake

As promised, I am posting photos of the latest wedding cake. Can I just say, this one was the most challenging yet. I had been told that square cakes are harder to cover with fondant, so I was expecting a little more difficulty. But the square cakes were actually not any big deal. What WAS a big deal was that the weather got very cold the night before I did the fondant, and I could not for the life of me get it to roll out nicely. BWAH!!!!!!!! I rolled the fondant for the bottom cake out three times, and it still didn't work well.

There were some ghastly gaps and ridges in the finished product, which necessitated the addition of wide ribbon and creative positioning of the flowers to cover it. But I think the end result turned out very nice. The lady who it was for seemed to really like it, so I guess that's what really matters. Callie did the flowers, and did a GREAT job covering my mistakes.

I really like the square cakes, and I hope I get to do another one soon.

Busy Busy Busy

I say busy busy busy, but right now it's more like tired, tired, tired. Too tired to clean the bathroom. Too tired to prune the rosebushes. Too tired to update my blog. I had one blissful night of straight sleep. One. It was so nice. But the kids are once again waking up at night (mostly Faith), and I'm too tired to listen to her cry, so I feed her, and put her back to sleep, and thus fuel this awful cycle of her waking up at night. Honestly, the last time I remember being so chronically tired is when I was pregnant with her.

But don't get your hopes up, Dad - I'm NOT pregnant, and won't be anytime in the next few months, at least. I'm just tired. Maybe I need to start taking the iron supplement again. Or maybe I just need to sleep.

So what has kept me so busy? I've actually had an order from my etsy site (to see it, click here). Etsy is a site that sells handmade articles, and I listed name doilies and crocheted dresses on it. So I made a name doily, crocheted a dress, and made another name doily for Grandma to give to her friend. My Primary presidency was reorganized, so I've been updating all of our Primary lists and such to give to my new counselors, and I've been figuring out the last details of our program in two weeks. I will be SO glad when it's over.

I did a wedding cake with Callie, had un-Thanksgiving dinner with the whole family, and a Columbus Day / birthday party for Jeff's dad with the Sabin family. I also worked a couple extra shifts so my day person could take a vacation. Thanks, Callie, for watching my kids, and Jeff for being so good and taking them the other days.

I've started babysitting Melissa's boys on days when Terrance has to work. She lost her daycare spot because now that Terrance is laid off, she doesn't take Hunter and Walker to daycare everyday anymore, and Theresa (the daycare lady) told her that since she is depending on that income, and since she has a waiting list, Melissa needs to either pay for daycare even when her boys aren't there, or she needs to find another provider. So Melissa called me, and I've been taking them. So far I've had them twice. They are so much fun, and I've enjoyed having them. But four kids is CRAZY. So for any of you doing your family planning, don't plan on having 3-year-old twins, an 18-month old, and an 8-month-old. You'll go bonkers. You'll have fun, but you'll go bonkers. Especially if you don't have a vehicle that can transport all four of them, and you have to stay home and find activities for them. Of course, if I did have a vehicle to transport all of them, I'd probably still stay home, because where do you take four little kids without going bonkers?

Tomorrow I promise to post photos of the wedding cake Callie and I did on Saturday. Of course, tomorrow I'm also going to a craft fair, and going to a Halloween activity with Jeff's family, and taking the kids for a while so Jeff can do some work outside. So no guarantees. It might be Sunday before I post the photos.

***************
I have to write just a note here about my friend April. Her mother died yesterday of brain cancer, and even though I never met her mother, I love April and my heart is aching for her. If any of you want to read a truly tender blog, click here. This is her blog, and for the last few months April has been sharing her experiences and thoughts through her blog. It is sometimes very sad, but it's also very uplifting. She has an amazing testimony. I don't want to go through what she's been through, but I do want to have her level of faith.

Bathroom Humor

Jeff took the kids to Lowe's yesterday to pick up some stuff for the house. While they were there, Michael said he needed to use the bathroom. While Michael was going potty, another man came in and was doing his thing. Michael said to Jeff, "He going potty?" Jeff said yes, he was. Then Michael said, "What's his name?" (Michael wants to know everyone's name lately.) Jeff said, "I don't know." Michael thought about that for a minute, then he said - very loudly, and very slowly - "MY.....NAME.....IS.....MIIIIIII.....CHAEL!" The mystery man cracked up. He left before Jeff and Michael exited their stall, so Jeff never actually saw him. But when they walked out, a man was standing outside the bathroom. As they walked by, Michael said, "He go potty?" Jeff didn't know whether to laugh or be embarrassed.

How's that for toilet humor?

On ...

Michael on worms:
"Heavenly Father put the worms in the dirt. I want the worms out of the dirt."

Michael on making money:
"I need some money."
"Mommy and Daddy work for our money. When we do work, we get money. What work can you do to get money?"
"Please?"

Michael on anything that is missing:
"Grandma took it to her house."

Faith on dill pickles:

Confessions

I can't call this "Confessions of a mid-20's woman," because I no longer fit in that category. So let's just call it "confessions," okay?

1. I blog-stalk total strangers. There are two blogs that I have bookmarked, and I read every new post, even though I've never met the authors. They are personal blogs about these people's personal lives, but I find them fascinating. One of them is very inspirational and uplifting, and the other is just a very well written, usually humorous, entertaining blog.

2. When I get a new hobby or interest, I have to have EVERY supply for it. Like when I started to crochet, I bought every size and style of crochet hook. There are some that I've never used, but at least I know I have them if I ever decide to do a project that calls for them.

3. I am very orderly about the way I eat my food. I eat all of one thing (usually my least favorite thing on the plate), then all of the next thing, then all of the next thing, etc., until I reach my favorite part of the meal. Last the best of all the game, right? If I have a handful of M&Ms or something like that, I eat all of one color, then all of the next color, then all of the next color, and so on.

4. I count stairs. I know how many steps are on every staircase that I regularly use, and a lot that I don't. If I went up to Weber State and walked around, I could probably still remember how many steps are in each section of the walkway.

5. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't quit working when Michael was born - would it have been SO bad to keep working? I just loved that job so much, and I really do miss it.

6. I have a secret crush on Peyton Manning. There, Jeff, it's true.

7. I don't like to ride in the car when someone else is driving. I have to have control. I'm good with either of my parents driving. That doesn't bother me. But if it's anyone else (even Jeff), I get really tense. I don't like to not be in control.

8. I don't have a lick of fashion sense, which is bad because Jeff is color-blind. Between the two of us, we don't have a clue what looks good.

9. I have a recurring dream about driving into Pineview Reservoir just above the dam, with Michael in the car. Every time I drive past the spot I dream about, I breathe a sigh of relief.

10. I love how Michael talks and sings all day long, but I also really love it when he stops and I can have pure silence for a couple of minutes.

11. I believe that Michael and Faith see things I don't. There have been times when I come into a room and ask Michael what he is doing, and he tells me he is talking to the kids. I ask where the kids are, and he points to a certain spot and tells me they were there. He can tell me how many and if they were boys or girls. Sometimes I like to think that Tori comes to visit them.

12. Now I am crying. And I am at work. This is not good.

13. I still don't know who I will vote for in this year's presidential race. To be honest, I'm not thrilled with either choice.

14. If you ramble when you are talking to me, chances are I will totally tune you out. Get to the point, already.

15. With that said, I'm done.

Thankful Thursday

• I'm really glad that Jeff understands computers. I've been trying to figure out how to set up a website where I can maybe sell some of the dresses and other things I crochet, and I am WAY out of my league.
• I am thankful for tag games on blogs. Stupid, huh? But it's fun to find out new things about people - like, Callie, I did not know that you shave your arms. And I think that's totally weird.
• I'm glad that I got to watch the vice-presidential candidates debate tonight. I'm still just as undecided as I was before, but at least I learned more about them and where they stand.
• I love KSL classifieds. It's so fun to find great deals - even if I don't buy them.
• I love that Michael loves to ride the bus to school. Today he ate all of his lunch without complaining and then ran to get his backpack so we could go wait for the bus. It's so cute to watch him get on and off the bus.
  

onions

James is the man who lives across the street and drives the black SUV. Michael is always looking out the window to see if he's home or not, and he always lets us know. Usually it sounds something like this:

Michael: James is not home.
Me: No, he's gone.
Michael: He went to the store to buy onions.

Let me point out that James never buys anything else at the store. He ONLY buys onions, according to Michael. Later:

Michael: James is home now!! (With a big smile and looking excited.)
Me: Yup, he is.
Michael: He bought onions?

So rather than go to the store to buy onions to make another batch of salsa, maybe I'll just go ask James for some of his.

Tag, You're It!!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30 AM - after five (yes, I finally got FIVE) hours of sleep; it was so nice.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds for rings, pearls for necklaces.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Errand of Angels - it was okay, but not great.
4. What is your favorite TV show? The Office.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? What's breakfast? J/K. Lately I've been having cottage cheese and peaches from the bottles that didn't seal.
6. What is your middle name? Ann.
7. What food do you dislike? Chinese.
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? Hmm. The only CD I listen to is Raffi.
9. What kind of car do you drive? Chevy Malibu.
10. Favorite sandwich? Probably a good BLT with mayonnaise - or just standard PB & J.
11. What characteristics do you despise? I have a really hard time with people who have to complain about everything. Like, can't you just choose to be happy and go with it?
12. Favorite item of clothing? Lately I've been living in my yoga pants that I cut off. So they're not cute - I know that. But they're super comfy and they're GREAT for doing all my projects around the house, like canning.
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? I'd go most anywhere with Jeff, but druthers would be Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, or Washington DC. Or a road trip up the west coast into Canada.
14. Favorite brand of clothing? I don't know anything about brands of clothing. I like my Old Navy jeans and my Ross or WalMart shirts.
15. Where would you retire to? I would love to own a little bed and breakfast on the beach somewhere - southern Portugal or maybe even Bear Lake. I guess in the end I'd rather be near family, though.
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? I got to go to NYC with Jeff the week before my birthday this year, and Jeff said it was for my birthday. So that was definitely memorable. Can't forget hauling Faith and her stroller up and down 90 gazillion flights of subway stairs, and waiting for Jeff for an hour in the stifling heat of a subway station. Or the look on the face of that man who sat down at our table at Ben & Jerry's when I started nursing Faith. Or Jeff's excitement at going to the Giants game. Or the feeling of reverence I had when I saw Ground Zero. Or how heavenly it is to sleep in a king-size bed without children. Hmm. Yeah, that was a good birthday. Thanks, Jeff!!
17. Favorite sport to watch? Football - NFL, that is. Not college.
18. When is your birthday? August 26, 1978. I turned 30 this year.
19. Are you a morning person or a night person? I used to be a morning person, but lately I'm up late at night, and then up all night, and so I'd prefer to stay in bed all day if I could.
20. What is your shoe size? 10.
21. Pets? My last pet was a beta fish, Rudy. When he died, it totally freaked me out to flush him down the toilet. I don't think we'll be getting any other pets until Michael is old enough to take care of them. And we'll never have them in the house. I don't do pet smell and pet hair.
22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I'm going to get my act together and put some of my crocheted things in local boutiques, online, etc. I just need Jeff to help me get photos taken and some things listed online.
23. What did you want to be when you were little? That would depend on what you mean by "little." At various times I wanted to be a teacher, a mathematician (what was I thinking?), a writer, an artist..... I'd still like to write and teach, and maybe dabble in painting just enough to do some creative pieces for my home, but mathematician? Not so much. I have to ask Jeff to do even simple math problems for me.
24. How are you today? I feel really good today. Like I said, I got five hours of uninterrupted sleep. And, even though my house is a disaster area and I have a TON of work to do when I get home from work today, I feel good, and I'm actually looking forward to cleaning things up. Probably because I know that the canning is done and I won't have to clean it all up again until next year.
25. What is your favorite candy? Chocolate. Come on, is that really a question? I especially love Hershey's Special Dark chocolate.
26. What is your favorite flower? Most anything orange. I think orange flowers are so pretty.
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? October 27, 2008. The day AFTER our Primary program. Can you say stress-free?
28. What is your full name? Cami Ann Hansen Sabin
29. What are you listening to right now? The coffee pot at work. And some show on the television. I'm really not listening, it's just background noise.
30. What was the last thing you ate? I drank some tomato juice before I left for work. I love tomato juice. Jeff made some for me yesterday. Thanks, Sweetie!!
31. Do you wish on stars? Not since I was 15 or so.
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Something bright - orange, maybe, or bright purple.
33. How is the weather right now? Perfect.
34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? A guest calling to say she wants to stay another night.
35. Favorite soft drink? This is terrible - but I love Coke. I try not to drink it unless I have a really bad headache, but sometimes I give in.
36. Favorite restaurant? I've become quite fond of a little Italian place here called Boccia's D'Italia. I also really like another little place called Bagels-n-Buns.
37. Real hair color? Brown.
38. What was your favorite toy as a child? My Jenny doll. It was actually a Mandy doll, but since my sister was Mandi, I couldn't have a Mandy doll. So we changed her name to Jenny. It must have been my favorite, because it's the only one I can remember.
39. Summer or winter? Summer.
40. Hugs or kisses? Kisses AND hugs from Jeff and Michael. Hugs from everyone else. Someday I'm sure I'll love kisses from Faith, too. But right now she's just mostly slobbery.
41. Chocolate or Vanilla? If we're talking ice cream, vanilla. Or a twist cone.
42. Coffee or tea? To smell - coffee. To drink - herbal tea.
43. When was the last time you cried? In the middle of the night on Thursday night. Michael was wide awake and wanted me to lie in his bed with him, and I just wanted to sleep - in MY bed with no little legs kicking me.
44. What is under your bed? I don't want to know - probably LOTS of dust bunnies.
45. What did you do last night? I worked until midnight, then got home just as Faith woke up. So I fed her and put her back to bed, and then I went to sleep.
46. What are you afraid of? Mirrors in dark rooms. Have you ever played Bloody Mary? That stupid game you play at sleepovers when you're 12? Yeah, I still can't get over that. I am also terrified that I'll lose a child - not that one will die, but that one will be lost, and I won't know where they're at or what's happening to them. I'm not sure I could deal with that.
47. Salty or sweet? Either.
48. How many keys on your key ring? Four - the house, the car, the truck, and the shed.
49. How many years at your current job? Almost two this time around. I worked here for almost a year from April 2001 to March 2002, and started here again in October 2006.
50. Favorite day of the week? Saturdays, because Jeff is home. Sundays, too, except that they stress me out because of my calling.
51. How many towns have you lived in? Ogden, UT; Huntsville, UT; Layton, UT; Delta, UT; Setubal, Portugal; Amora, Portugal; Mindelo, Cape Verde; Mountain View, WY - That makes eight, as well as extended stays in Provo, UT (MTC) and Michoacan, Mexico (study abroad).
52. Do you make friends easily? It takes me a while. Lots of people have told me that they think I'm stuck up when they first meet me. I think I just take a little time to warm up.
53. Worst habit? You should ask Jeff this one. I'm sure he could come up with a few. For me, I'd say impatience. That, and a lot of times my mind wanders when I should be listening.
54. Are you getting sick of this survey? Yup.

Thankful Thursday

• Food storage. Okay, so we haven't had to actually USE our food storage, but I'm grateful for the peace of mind that comes with knowing it's there. I don't have a full year's worth yet, but we're working on it.
• Free food storage. Even better! This week Jeff and I have been canning up a storm - salsa, pear sauce, peaches, and still to come, applesauce and more peaches and more salsa. Now, I know you can't live on salsa, but you have to admit, it can make rice and beans quite a bit tastier. We're also drying plums and freezing corn. Anyway, we were fortunate to get peaches and corn from Grandma and Grandpa, plums and tomatoes from Richard and Anna (Jeff's parents), pears from Jodi, and apples from a family in our ward. It's a lot of work to prepare it and can it and all that, but it's kind of fun. And then there's that whole peace-of-mind thing that comes from knowing it's there....
• Reduced-price food storage. Is this getting a little repetitive? I've been able to get some group rates on some items, which is really nice. And the case lot sales are great.
  
• pinchingyourpennies.com This website is AWESOME!!! Thanks, April, for turning me onto it. It tells you where the best deals are for groceries or anything else. It tells you how to use your Sunday coupons to get even better deals. All very good for food storage, or whatever.
  
• Nap time. No, not my own nap time (I wish!!!), but Faith's nap time. I got lots of pear sauce made while she was snoozing today, and Michael was actually pretty helpful. He loves to help.

Okay, so can anyone guess where my focus has been lately? Did I hear you say Food storage? DING DING DING DING DING!!!!! All this freakishness that is happening with the economy is making me realize how wise the prophet's counsel is - get out of debt and get your food storage. We're still working on the debt part, and the food storage part. But at least we're making progress. I'm currently brainstorming creative (but legal and ethical) ways to make money and pay off our debt faster. Any wise ideas out there?

Overdue Update

Feeding Faith is like target practice. She does this funny dive-bomb kind of thing toward the spoon, and you'd better have good aim so you get the food in her mouth while she's going head-first into the table with her mouth wide open. She is a pretty good eater. She loves peaches, bananas, pears, pineapple, blueberries, cherries, applesauce, and avocado. I obviously haven't done many vegetables yet, but soon to come is squash, sweet potatoes, and maybe green beans. She gobbles up pretty much everything we give her, except plain yogurt. She's not such a fan of that.

Michael and Faith are both sick. They have croup. Tuesday night, I was up most the night with one or the other, and Wednesday morning, I wasn't feeling so hot either. I was so exhausted and overwhelmed that I asked Jeff to go in to work late so he could help me with the kids. Thank goodness for husbands. I went back to bed, and he got breakfast for Michael, loaded the dishwasher, cleaned up the kitchen, and made breakfast for me and him, all before 10 AM. I was impressed. Thank you, Sweetie!!

Jeff decided not to go to work at all on Wednesday. Instead, we took the kids to Beus pond, up by Weber State, to feed the ducks. Michael loved it. It was so funny to watch him, because he would throw the bread as hard as he could, and it would go way up in the air and fall down about two feet in front of him. But he didn't care. He had a great time.

I took Michael to the doctor today just to make sure that he had croup and nothing worse. He was so sad - he didn't get to go to pre-school today, and he won't be able to go to the zoo tomorrow. We promised him we'd take him to the zoo another day. I think we'll take him up to Willow Park Zoo in Logan. It's cheaper and smaller than Hogle Zoo, but I think he'll like it just as much.

Enjoy a slide show of their latest photos!!

Thankful Thursday

• The cool-air humidifier that will hopefully help Michael and Faith to breathe better at night, so hopefully I can get some sleep, too.
• Wal-Mart, which sells the cool-air humidifier, and everything else we need all in one place. One-stop shopping is so nice, especially when it's cheap.
• The sleep sack that Faith wears at night. It's like a blanket that she can't take off.
• Fresh peaches and concord grapes that Jeff's mom let us pick from their garden.
• Jeff, for picking and washing the concord grapes so that I don't have to see the earwigs.
  

NOT Thankful Saturday

I spent a lot of time yesterday weeding one of our flower beds, and as I did, I realized that although I am very thankful for a lot of things, there are some things that I am definitely NOT thankful for. For example:

• Bermuda grass. What's up with grass that you can't kill? Well, I guess you can kill it with grass killer, but you can't put grass killer all over your nice grass, now, can you? Of course not. So instead, we get stuck with ugly, scratchy grass that spreads by runners and puts down roots everywhere. And it's almost impossible to pull out. Yuck.
• Thorns on rose bushes. Why can't we have pretty roses without the thorns? I can't tell you how many times I got poked in the fingers, hands, arms, back, shoulders, etc., while I was trying to get the weeds out from behind the roses.
• Owies. Michael got two owies while he was helping me. First, he dropped the pruning clippers on his foot and cut his big toe (I know, I should not let him hold the clippers - but try telling him that). Not a major cut, but still, I think it was the most blood he's ever seen, and it kind of freaked him out. Then he fell down and skinned his knee. He was really sad about the knee. After we had cleaned it up, he crawled into my lap and kept telling me to look at his owie. I asked if he wanted me to kiss it better, and he said no, just to look at it. Then he'd try to push my head down to about two inches from his knee so I really could look at it carefully.
• Centipedes. This is by far the worst of today's unthankfuls. Just the sight of a centipede gives me the willies. I can do worms, snakes, and most spiders and bugs, but things that have more than eight legs just should not be. Other creepy-crawlies that should not be: crickets, cockroaches, and earwigs.
  

Conversations with Michael

Me: Look, Michael, there's an airplane.
Michael: Yeah, there is a airplane. Somebody is flying?
Me: Yup, somebody is flying.
Michael: They have shoes on?

************
Michael: The black truck is gone. (Our neighbor across the street drives a black SUV.)
Me: It is gone. He isn't home.
Michael: He went to work?
Me: I don't know. Maybe.
Michael: He not at work. He went to JoAnn.

************
Me: Michael, you get to go to the zoo with your preschool. Won't that be fun?
Michael: Yeah, that be fun.
Me: You'll get to see zebras and crocodiles and elephants and tigers....
Michael: And ducks!!

************
And I overheard him singing:

Monkey in the tree top,
Swinging with ease.
Scratching his back
And picking at fleas.
Eating bananas
While he swings by his knees.
We are a happy family.

Apparently, he combined two songs that he often sings ("Monkey in the Tree Top," and "We are a Happy Family") into one new one.

Faces of Faith, and other funny stuff

Faith has started doing this goofy thing with her face, where she squinches up her nose and lips and breathes in and out really loudly. It's so funny looking. I had to take some photos.

Okay, and then I have to put one of her smiling in here too, lest you all think that her face has stuck that way:

She has figured out how to jump in her bouncer, instead of just kind of wobbling all over the place, and she loves it. It's fun to watch her.

Michael totally cracked me up this morning. He was sitting at the table eating breakfast, and he started singing "How Great Thou Art." He doesn't quite have the words down all the way, but he does know the tune (more or less). So he's belting it out, and he missed a couple of words. I was at the sink doing some dishes, and I started to sing with him to help him get the words right. He yelled at me, "NO MOM!!! Only sing in the spoon!!" I turned and looked at him, and he was holding the spoon up like a microphone and singing into it. Where did he learn that? I have no idea. Preschool, maybe? Or maybe Jeff sings into the spoon when I'm not around? Either way, it was hilarious to watch him, and hear him, although I can think of a couple of people who would cringe at his performance of a hymn. I'd like to record it, but I'm not sure he'd do it in front of the camera.

And since today is Thursday, I have to do my Thankful Thursday:

• Leaf Blowers. I wanted to take some photos of our house before the lawn and flowers start dying this fall, so Jeff used the leaf blower and blew all the dirt, leaves, sawdust, etc., off our patio, driveway, and sidewalks. It looks SO much better. I took lots of photos today, and I think they turned out pretty well.
• Peace and Quiet. An unexpected bonus of Michael going to preschool is that I get a little (very short) break when Michael is gone and Faith is sleeping. Today I got to make a phone call and read some blogs. Then Faith woke up. The quiet is gone, since she is bouncing in her bouncer and breathing loudly through her squinched up nose and mouth.
• The word "squinched." Could any word better describe what she is doing right now?
• Baby feet. I have to say I LOVE Faith's feet. They are so fat that there is a ridge on the TOP of her feet where her toes begin. I actually have to clean it out. Okay, so that doesn't sound very pleasant, but her feet are really cute.
• Mr. Gabaldon. He is our neighbor, and the other day he gave us a darling desk and chair for Michael. Michael promptly sat down at the desk and drew two pictures, which we brought over to him. He acted thrilled to get two multi-colored scribbles from a three-year-old. Michael spent much of the rest of the day saying "Mr. Gabaldon" over and over, with a big grin on his face. It was so cute.

Signs your child is potty-training, and other stuff

So I was thinking today about Michael being finally potty-trained. It's wonderful. He doesn't make it all night yet, but I can handle a pull-up at night. But we were running around doing some shopping today, and in every single store, he wanted to go potty. Not that he needed to - he just wants to. Maybe he needs to see for himself that every store has a bathroom, or maybe it's just the novelty of going somewhere other than home. Anyway, here are some signs that your child is being potty-trained:

1. You always have at least one extra pair of underwear and pants with you.
2. When they say they have to go potty, you drop everything and go.
3. You can list from memory which stores do and do not have public restrooms.
4. Not only do you know which ones have public restrooms, but you also know how many stalls are in each of those public restrooms, whether each stall's toilet is installed high or low, and whether the toilets flush automatically or not.
5. You stand with your hand over the sensor on automatic flushers, so that they don't scare the crap out of your kid when they go off, and you repeatedly say, "It's okay, I won't let it flush until you're ready." (Michael refuses to go in one particular bathroom in our church, because the automatic flushers scare him so badly. In fact, when the church was remodeled and they installed the automatic flushers in that bathroom - which happens to be the one by the Primary room - we often heard kids screaming and crying when they went off unexpectedly.)

In other news, I took the kids to have their pictures taken at Target today. They turned out so good. I am really excited to get them back. I wish Target had the "take home the same day" thing that Kiddie Kandids does. Maybe someday. In the meantime, I think I'll continue to wait two weeks to get my photos, and pay less than half the price.

Michael has now gone to four days of pre-school. He really enjoys it, and I think it's been good for him socially. I know that pre-school isn't really necessary, and I know that a lot of people think that 3 is too young for them to be going, but I feel like it's the right thing for him. He and I have too many power struggles over his feeding and over his sensory issues, and so it's good for him to be invited and encouraged by others (not mom or dad) to participate in activities that will help him to progress in that way.

Faith is starting to show a lot more personality, and let me tell you, I am in trouble. She has no patience at all. If she drops a toy and can't reach it, she starts yelling at the top of her lungs. She's not crying, just yelling, and she continues yelling until you pick the toy up and give it back to her. It will be nice when she can move around a little better and pick up her own toys. Of course, then she'll move around better, and be harder to contain.

We went camping at Bear Lake over the weekend with Jeff's family. It was really fun. Jeff's parents have a membership at CamperWorld, so we all stay free at any CamperWorld. Other than cramming the campers in like sardines, they're really nice. This weekend, we were actually almost the only people in the CamperWorld, since Bear Lake season is about over. Jeff's dad brought a heater for us to use in our tent, which was really nice. Camping with his family is certainly not what you'd call "roughing it." We always have flushing toilets, hot showers, electricity, a refrigerator and microwave in the trailer.... The only difference between camping with them and staying in a hotel is that the bed is not as comfortable. Of course, this time, I actually slept better than I have in weeks. So maybe it's the hotel bed that's not as comfortable.