Time Goes By

I think it was yesterday that Jeff asked me, "Did you do Thankful Thursday this week?" I realized that no, it was Saturday, and I had not done my Thursday work. The weeks just go by so fast that I don't seem to be able to keep up. So I'm sorry, but I'll try to do better. Check back next Thursday for the latest on that one.

Jeff and I had to speak in Church today. Our topic was "Living worthy of your calling." Our ward does the same topic for the whole month, so since this is the fifth Sunday, I'm pretty sure everyone was just about sick of hearing about that topic. But oh well, they got four more talks about it today. I think Jeff did a good job, even though he doesn't think he did. My talk was too short, but hey, I'd rather hear a short talk that gets to the point than a long one that never does. I don't mind speaking in Church, but I'm also really glad when I'm done. I was the first speaker today, so that was nice.

We have decided to put our house up for sale. Actually, we decided a long time ago that we would need a third bedroom on the main floor before we have another baby (see note below), and since Melissa and Terrance have bought a house and will be moving out of Grandma and Grandpa's basement, I figure we can sell ours and move in there until we find another house. Of course, I'll have to run that by Grandma and Grandpa first. We were thinking we'd wait until spring to put it up for sale, but now I think we're just going to get all these miscellaneous projects done that we need to, and put it up for sale when they're done. So it might still be spring, but it could be sooner. Yesterday Jeff started sanding the outsides of some of the windows and the porch railing that needs to be painted. My project was cleaning out the bugs and dirt and cobwebs from between our front windows. We have four large windows in our living room that face the street. They're single-pane glass, so the previous owners - instead of replacing those windows - put a second single-pane window in about 4 inches in front of the previous one. So technically I guess we have double-pane windows. But that 4-inch gap had collected all kinds of gunk, so yesterday we took off the outside windows, washed both sides of all of them and cleaned out the gap, and then replaced the windows. I must say, having clean windows makes a HUGE difference. I didn't even realize that they were so dirty until they were cleaned. I don't even want to close the blinds now. I like looking at those pretty clean windows. I also replaced the leaky tub faucet and re-caulked the tub and toilet in the upstairs bathroom.

Tomorrow I plan to put a bi-fold door on a closet and finish installing the trim in the kitchen and touching up the paint on all of it. Hopefully Jeff will be able to finish painting what he needs to do tomorrow. The next projects include finishing a landscape rock wall and removing the wallpaper in our bedroom and painting those walls, and replacing that trim. Those are the biggest projects we have, and once they're done, it will just be small minor things to make everything look nicer - mostly clean-up stuff. I honestly don't know where we'll buy our next home, but I do know that it will work out.

NOTE: We are NOT expecting a baby at this time. We are not even trying right now. But we are planning to have more, and we are looking ahead to that time. Just had to clarify that.

Growing Up (Part Two)

So I'm 30 today. I'm not sure how I feel about that, except that I feel kind of old. I know I'm not, but it's hard to believe that I am officially completely out of my 20's. Now that I'm a 30-something, I feel like I'm entering an age where I have to be more concerned about life insurance, retirement savings, covering my gray hairs, and anti-wrinkle cream. What fun.

On a lighter note, for my birthday, Jeff let me sleep in. At least, that was the plan. Faith, however, had other ideas. She was up five or six times last night just screaming. She would wake out of a sound sleep screaming, and I don't know what was wrong. Maybe she just doesn't want an old mommy. Jeff said he wanted to do some kind of joke or something for my 30th birthday, but since his own 30th is coming up in 2 months, he thinks I'd get him back. I would.

Growing Up (Too Fast)

Today was Michael's first day of preschool. I can't believe that he's already old enough to go to preschool. He's only three, but because of his feeding problems and texture issues, he was accepted to the preschool here at Bonneville High School. I could send him up to four days a week, but I think I'm just going to send him two. The school bus will pick him up right at our house, but today I brought him. I was worried that he wouldn't want to stay there without me. But he surprised me, as he usually does.

We got there and found out that a girl from our ward is going to be an aide in the classroom. He sort of knows her, so he was fine. He hung up his backpack in his little cubby and then went to play with the toys. He didn't even say goodbye to me until I told him to give me a hug. I think I needed the hug more than he did. Then the school bus brought him home. The aide on the bus said he liked school so much that he didn't want to leave - he cried when they put him on the bus. He had a great time today, and he really likes his teacher, Teacher Shell (her name is Rachelle, but that's too hard for some of the kids to say), and the aides, Teacher Jill and Teacher Jessica. He is so excited to go back to school on Thursday. I'm glad that he likes it so much, but honestly, a little part of me wishes he at least pretended to not want to go. I'm not sure I'm ready to let him grow up like that.

Bear Lake

I just have to post a couple of photos of our trip to Bear Lake. Mom, Dad, Michael, and Callie picked up Faith and me on Friday afternoon and we all rode up together (Jeff didn't come home from New York until very late that night). I was so excited to see Michael after being away from him for the whole week, but he just said hi and walked right past me into the bathroom. Kind of a letdown.

Anyway, it was fun to see everyone up at Bear Lake. We were the last to arrive at the campground, and we got there just in time for dinner. We ate chicken tacos and listened to Uncle Chris play the guitar and sing the same two songs about 35 times (something about wanting to be a dog - I don't know, I blocked it out after hearing it 10 times).

The next morning, Jeff drove up to meet us and we spent the day at the lake. Michael had a great time playing in the water, although he only went in up to his ankles. But he splashed and played and ran around. It was fun to watch him. Here he is having a "water fight" with Jeff. Grandma was helping him.

Mom and I took Faith out in the little tube. I put her toes in the water, and she wasn't sure what she thought about that. I don't think she liked it much, but she didn't complain about it, either, so I put her farther into the water. Finally, I just put her in the tube. The water came up to her armpits, and it was kind of cold. But she just looked around a little bit, and then put her head on her arm and looked like she would fall asleep. It was really funny.

Here she is hanging out in her Bumbo chair. She loves that chair. She likes being able to sit up and look around. Her thighs are so fat, though, that she gets stuck in it.

Overall, it was a good weekend. I've always loved Bear Lake, and it's always nice to spend some time there.

Thankful Thursday

I have a lot to be thankful for today:

• Smooth, easy flights. All of our flights went really well. I never ended up between two big men who hated babies. In fact, on that first flight, I ended up in an aisle seat with no one next to me. Nice. And on the way home, we were in window seats both times. That was a little cramped, but it was okay. And Faith did so well. She just looked around and smiled at everyone and then napped. Phew.
• Long, hot showers. Aaahhh. I especially love it when they're in a bathroom I don't have to clean, and with water I don't have to pay to heat or use, and when there are no little ones trying to peek in to make sure I'm there. Jeff tries to peek in, but I don't feel bad about locking him out of the bathroom.
• Green space. Even though Jeff and I wish we had a bigger yard, going to NYC made me remember how grateful I am to have a yard at all. Our house is bigger than most NYC apartments, and it's certainly a lot less expensive. And we have a lawn and a garden and a strawberry patch and flowers and two big trees and a sandbox and a swing and a storage shed and a barbecue grill and..... All that stuff would never work there. There's no room for it. The only lawns I saw in Queens, where our hotel was, were so small it would you could probably cut them with scissors faster than you could get out a lawn mower to do it.
  
• Nice New Yorkers. I mentioned this in my last post, but it is so true that everyone I ran into or asked for help or directions was SO nice. In fact, the only rude people I met were in the airport terminal heading back to SLC. So there's a great commentary for you about stereotypes.
• Prayer. I hate to fly. Something about being enclosed in a little space 36,000 feet in the air just turns my stomach. And don't get me started on turbulence. I once had the misfortune of being in a plane when it was hit by lightning. That was an awful experience. But the last several times I've flown, I have said a little silent prayer to calm my nerves. I just pray that I will feel peace and know that things will be okay. It works every time, and it works immediately.

I Love New York

Can I just say, I love New York City. I could live here. Except for the stinky smell that comes from all the garbage in the street. What's up with that? But seriously, I love the big city. Of course, when I really think about it, I prefer visiting big cities to living in them.

I've always heard about how rude New Yorkers are. But that has not been my experience at all. Everyone we have met has been so nice - from the lady who carried Faith's stroller around, to the NYPD officer who got me some tissue paper so I could change Faith's diaper on the subway floor (don't ask), to the bus driver who went out of his way to help us get to the Giants game, to the man at the cookie stand who gave me the cookies for $4 instead of $4.25 when I couldn't find a quarter. It's been a hard trip, honestly. Hauling Faith around by myself in a city that I'm unfamiliar with is hard. I have to haul her stroller up and down stairs at the subway and figure out where we're going. But I feel totally comfortable here. So even though it's been hard, it has been a great experience. I've been blessed. Today I was supposed to meet Jeff at 5:15 in a certain spot. Well, we had our wires crossed about exactly where that certain spot was. After an hour and a half of waiting in the sweltering hot subway station, I said a silent prayer, and I immediately had the thought that I should walk out a certain way. I did, and there was Jeff. He had been waiting there for the same hour and a half. Should have prayed sooner, huh?

I have a lot more to say, but Marriott charges 49 cents a minute for me to be on this computer, so I'll wait until I get home to write about everything else.

Off We Go.....

So Jeff and Faith and I are leaving early tomorrow morning for the Big Apple. I'm really excited, but I'm also really stressed. Unfortunately, me being stressed means that I'm ornery and kind of a jerk. Sorry, Jeff. I really don't mean to be so witchy. Mostly I'm worried about getting there. I'm not sitting by Jeff in the plane, and I am in a middle seat, holding Faith on my lap. So here is a random sampling of my thoughts:

• What if I get stuck between two large men who don't like babies?
• How am I going to discreetly nurse Faith between those two large men who don't like babies? I have a little blanket that I'll use, but still....
• What do we do with the carseat? We're taking it, but we have to check it. So every time we get in a cab, we'll haul the carseat with us. But what about when we get out of the cab? What do we do with the carseat while we go to the Giants game and this or that museum? I'm starting to wonder if people in NYC have babies. How do they do it?
• What if I have to go to the bathroom during the flight? Those little airplane restrooms are a big enough hassle without having to hold a baby while you do your business. I guess I could let one of the two large men hold her.... Actually, I guess I could go give her to Jeff. Maybe he'll be between two skinny ladies who love babies. That would be awesome.
  
• What if Faith screams the whole flight? She isn't a very fussy baby - she's actually really mellow and happy. But in a strange situation with two large men that she doesn't know on either side of her, it might be a different story.

Okay. So my real fear is that I'll get stuck between two large men who don't like babies. Is that what you got out of that?

I really am very excited. Michael is staying at my parents' house this week. I'll come home Thursday, but Jeff won't be back until really late Friday night. We're going to Bear Lake this weekend for the Whole Hansen Family Bear Lake Trip. My parents will pick Faith and me up, and they'll have Michael with them. I'll go to Bear Lake with them, and then Jeff will come up early Saturday morning. I'm really looking forward to going to Bear Lake, too. As happy as I am with my life, my husband, my kids, there is still some part of me that longs for those days when the most complicated thing was how I would get to Laketown or Garden City on the weekend. Ah, the memories....

Thankful Thursday

1. Government-funded vacations. Jeff has to go to New York City next week for a class, and since his airfare and hotel and meals are paid for, we decided that I'm going too. Yay!!! I'm really excited. We just have to pay for my airfare, and then whatever activities we want to do. The only thing we know for sure is that we're going to the Giants game Monday night. Jeff is so excited.
   
2. Family who will take care of Michael. Mom agreed to take Michael next week while we're in New York. Thank you, thank you, thank you. There is no one I'd rather have him stay with.
3. Dill pickles. Yummy. Need I say more?
4. Uncle Jerry. Our car still isn't fixed - one of the spark plugs keeps misfiring. Jerry thought it was probably bad when Jeff bought it and put it in, so Jerry took one out of his own car and put it in mine so I could go home instead of waiting even longer at the shop for the part to arrive. Of course, I still had to pay for a new one so that he could drive home that night, but I figure it's a small price to pay to get two ornery children out of there and home so they could eat and take a nap.
   
5. Pine trees. I was reminded while we were camping last weekend how beautiful pine trees can be - not when you have one pine tree in your yard that kills the grass and dumps needles all over the place - but rather, lots of pine trees together. Thanks again, everyone, for a great family campout.
   

Heritage Maker Book List

Okay, so most of you know that I have been making some books through a company called Heritage Makers. It's an awesome company, and I've been loving it. Anyway, they recently added a new feature to their site where I can now put links to my projects on this blog. So in the sidebar on the left, there is now a list of "My Books." These are most of the books that I have done. I thought it might be interesting, especially for those of you who are far enough away that you don't get to see the book we recently did for Grandma and Grandpa Hansen. The bad part about these preview images is that you can't zoom in. On some of them, the writing is too small to read very well. But at least you'll be able to see the photos. Maybe soon they'll add a zoom feature.

A Report on Last Week

Phew!!! The crazy week is over, and we all survived. Everything actually went really well. I got a new person hired at work, and I think he'll be good. The car was fixed (sort of), and the cakes turned out really well. Here are a couple photos of the wedding cake:

They had a western-themed wedding, so I made the ivory fondant look like stucco and added fondant ropes, felt cowboy hats, and icing and gum paste flowers. It was a lot of fun to do, but it was probably way too big. Everyone filled up on the other food, and so nobody ate cake. They have carrot cake to last them a really long time.

The wedding was really nice. A lot of people came, which I'm not sure they expected, since it was such short notice. Grandma and Grandpa's house looked great. Jill and everyone else up there did a fantastic job. The ceremony was very nice, and the food was yummy. How could a wedding be better?

Here is the birthday cake I did for Julia's first birthday. Julia is my friend April's little girl. This week I'm doing another birthday cake, for Hunter. He wants a track-hoe like his daddy drives at work. I am excited about it.

This is me, Michael, and Faith at the wedding. Faith's dress was given to her by my friend Becca in Michigan. Becca, if you read this, I LOVE IT!!! It's so cute on her. Thanks again.

After the wedding, we left to go camping. We went to a campground called Ledgefork, near Oakley. It was a really nice campground (good job, Mom!). Mom had activities planned and assigned, and everyone participated, which made it so fun. The only thing that could have made it better (other than Mandi, Burke, Matthew, and Riley being there) would have been if Jeff hadn't been sick.

As promised, here is the video of Michael singing "Three Little Ducks" to Faith, as well as a photo of the two of them together.



And that's all for today. Time to go do another load of laundry.

Thankful Thursday

1. Ana - Thank you for coming to my house today to play with Michael, so that I didn't have such guilt about neglecting him.
2. Jeff - Thank you for calming me down when I was all freaked out because I had just "ruined" Richard's wedding cake. You were right - I was able to fix it and it wasn't too big a deal.
3. Mom and Dad - Thank you for bringing a tent and the portable kitchen for us for this camping trip. It will make packing easier.
4. Jodi - Thank you for taking Michael to the fair today. He had a great time.
5. Michael - Thank you for being so happy to see me when you got home.

Craziness

AUGH!!!! And BWAH!!!! That pretty much sums up my week. I don't think it's possible for a week to be any more hectic. Between a birthday cake, a wedding cake, a baptism, a wedding, getting my car fixed, hiring a new person at work, preparing for a camping trip, preparing a family activity and a musical number for the camping trip, not to mention taking care of two kids (who I must admit were sadly neglected today while I baked seven cakes), I NEED A BREAK!!!!! Unfortunately, I won't get it for several more days - until after we come back from camping and do all the unpacking and laundry that comes with that kind of trip. My calendar looks happily blank next week, except for Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday...... Good. That means I have Tuesday and Thursday to catch up on all the cleaning I didn't do this week. Thank goodness for Jeff. He's taking care of some of the family activity planning and preparation, he did some laundry, and he did some of the work to fix the car, and he's been great to take the kids while I made flowers for the wedding cake. And he's good comic relief, if nothing else. :)

I have taken lots of pictures of the kids lately, but I haven't had time to download them onto the computer. I plan to do that before my next post. I have a video of Michael singing "Three Little Ducks" to Faith. It's really cute. I'll also post photos of Richard and Shannon's wedding cake, and Julia's birthday cake. Even though I'm totally stressed out this week, I'm really excited to do these cakes. Stay tuned to see the results!