Why, oh why, oh why?

For my dining pleasure

2012-02-15T14:02:00.001-07:00

Well, Jeff is out of town again (he is currently on his second week of four in DC, although he does come home on weekends). And you all know what that means - PROJECTS!!! Last week I decided to paint the dining room. I've been debating it for a while, but Jeff wasn't too thrilled about the idea, as he says we get a lot of compliments on it. That's true, but it just felt too dark to me, and I'm pretty sure the compliments are more about the moulding/beadboard/etc. than about the color. So I went for it.

HUGE thanks to my friend Emily, who came over Monday night and helped me paint. I really hate to paint, and I was having a hard time getting motivated to do it. Having her come gave me just the push I needed. We got the previous dark red all primed over that night, and then over the next two days I put the color on. I also changed out the light fixture, installed shelves, and made a chalkboard to write the menu on (also inspired by Emily). Today, I finished it by taking the swivels out of our dining room chairs and just attaching the seat to the bottoms. I'm happy to have quieter meal times, since the kids won't be able to turn back and forth and bang their chairs on the table.

New light and new curtains (the flowers are from Jeff for Valentine's Day).

Do you think my table looks too dark to be in there? I'm considering painting it white. Actually, I want to paint the top of the table and the tops and backs of the chairs white, and then do the bottom of everything a fun color like turquoise (if I feel bold) - or maybe a more subtle color like gray. I'm still debating.

I kept my plates from Portugal.

New shelves with some fun thrift store finds (still adding to my collection, as you can see by the empty shelf), and the new chalkboard menu. I kept my FHE chart, but I need to figure out how to make the initials of our names stand out - I'm thinking something with Mod Podge and fabric scraps.

Can I just say, I am so in love with my dining room. I wish I had done this months and months ago. It feels a lot bigger, and I love having the color scheme match my kitchen.

Jeff still has the rest of this week plus two more weeks to be gone. Why is it that I'm so much more productive when he isn't around? Seriously, I stay caught up on laundry, dishes, and cleaning, PLUS I do things like this. I sure like having him around, but I guess it's good for my house to occasionally have him be away.

Next week? Who knows? I probably won't do anything this drastic again for a while (although I'm really starting to consider my floors....). I need to work on those dresses my cousin asked me to alter for her wedding. There will still be some big changes in our house though - this weekend someone is coming over to start putting a new shower into our basement bathroom. It will take several weeks, as he is only able to work on it on the weekends. But I am so glad to finally lose the 30x30 unsecured insert with no ceiling and insulation randomly falling down on me. Yeah, I won't miss it.

bedroom re-do

2012-01-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

While Jeff was out of town for work the week before Christmas, I took it upon myself to re-do Michael's bedroom. We painted the ceiling and trim on Wednesday, then painted the walls on Thursday. After the paint was dry, we ripped out the carpet. The wood floors underneath were in really good shape, but still needed to be sanded, then stained and sealed to match the floors in the girls' room. By that time, I was done. It had been an incredibly busy week. I was also on the committee for the ward Christmas party, which had been on Tuesday - we had spent pretty much all of Monday and Tuesday at the church, all of Wednesday and Thursday painting, and I declared Friday a day of rest. And also, I didn't really want to tackle the sanding. So when Jeff came home, that became his project. He sanded and stained, and I put the polyurethane on. A week after I planned to be finished, we moved Michael into his new room.

He has new paint, new curtains, a new floor, a new bed, a new dresser, and a new shelf to put his stuff that he just can't part with. I am so happy with how it turned out.

Jeff is going out of town again in February. I'm already thinking what project I can get done....

New Years Resolutions

2012-01-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Christmas and New Years Day landing on Sundays. Christmas, for the obvious reason that it helps us to remember and celebrate what Christmas is really about. And New Years, because it helps me have a more spiritual perspective when I'm making my New Years resolutions.

Before church today, my resolutions were:
1. Make my bed every day except Sunday.
2. Go to the gym three times a week.
3. Read my scriptures every day.
4. Take the Advanced Gumpaste class.
5. Finish my pile of unfinished projects.

But our lesson in Sunday School was on the Book of Mormon, since that is what we'll be studying all year. We read the scripture in Matthew, in the Parable of the Sower, specifically Matthew 13:22, which says,

"He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful."

I'm afraid I'm becoming "unfruitful." I know I have too many worldly cares, and I know I've certainly been "deceived by riches." I mean, who hasn't? I feel like I generally have the guidance of the Spirit in my life, but I don't feel like I've really been progressing.

This was a good lesson for me today.

So I've changed my list of resolutions to just one: Strengthen my relationship with my Savior.

Because no burden is too heavy if He is helping to lift it. And no pain is too great when He shares it. I know those things. I've experienced them. As someone in church said today, "You're bound to win if one of you is God." I feel like I've been playing for my own team of one a little too much lately, and not seeking out the counsel of my Heavenly Father.

If at the end of 2012, I can look back and say that my relationship with Christ has improved, and that I know Him better and that He is a more important part of my life, I'll consider that a greater accomplishment than making my bed every day and learning to make realistic orchids and Easter lilies from gumpaste.

But I still plan to do that, too.

Lauren's birthday

2011-12-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

Lauren turned two on December 1. For a couple of days before her birthday, I would tell her, "You're going to be two on your birthday!" Then when it was her birthday, I would ask her, "How old are you?" At first she answered, "I two!" But then it was "I three!" and then "I four!" So yes, she is learning to count - just not what those numbers really mean yet. (Incidentally, today she counted to 13 while I was getting her pajamas on.)

We had two parties for her. On November 30 we had Jeff's family over for dinner and cake and ice cream. Here is her cake:

Here she is with her cake:

She really has the present thing down. Look at her go!!

Inspecting the My Little Pony from Aunt Kari and Uncle Rich:

A new baby from Grandma and Grandpa Sabin! When you push its belly it laughs and says, "Momma!" Lauren kept making it do that and saying, "She say 'Momma!'"

That weekend, we had our Hansen family Christmas party at my parents' new house in Fountain Green. (As a side note, let me just say I have some serious house envy going on.) Since it was convenient, we also celebrated her birthday then with my family. My mom gave her a quilt for her bed, which she LOVES. As soon as she opened it, she lay down on it and just wanted to stay there. It was sweet. Even now, she frequently says, "Grandma made it for me - I love it," when she is on her bed. I love it too. It's perfect. I don't have a photo of it right now. I would go take one, but Lauren is currently asleep in her bed, and I don't want to wake her.

Some notes about Lauren:
-She sings her ABCs and counts.
-She LOVES her baby dolls. If I would let her sleep with all five of them, she would.
-She loves Michael and Faith and gets really upset if they are doing something she's just too little for. She really wants to participate.
-She has an enormous vocabulary for a two-year-old. I know neither Michael nor Faith talked so well at this age.
-She is Miss Independent lately. It's kind of obnoxious when we're in a hurry and she insists on getting her coat or shoes on "by myself," but I do love that she is able to do so much for herself.
-She plays really well alone and can entertain herself happily for a long time.
-She loves to color. I think I could leave her in her chair all day with an endless supply of coloring books and crayons, and she would never make a peep.
-She and Faith like to play dress-up and lots of make-believe games.
-She is mischievous. She is my little tease.

It's so fun seeing her personality develop. Love my Lolo girl.

What you get when you don't upload photos for three months...

2011-12-21T23:48:00.000-07:00

This is the cat we *almost* adopted. It spent a weekend trapped in our shed while we went down to Delta. When Jeff heard it and rescued it, it just hung out. The kids fell in love, and so did Jeff, and I was almost ready to give in (as long as it was an OUTSIDE cat). But then we got lucky and the cat disappeared. Hopefully it found its way home.

Lauren really does love her babies.

We went to Black Island Farms (yes, back in October - I'm THAT far behind). The kids (including the big one in sunglasses) had a great time on the slides.

Waiting for the hayride to the pumpkin patch.

On the train.

We painted (and Jeff carved) pumpkins. I love how the bottom two seem to be afraid of each other.

We had some sort of stomach flu bug that just would not go away. It left us all pretty much feeling like this:

We played in the leaves. Doesn't she look beautiful here?

I made cakes - this is a photo of a horseshoe cake that for some reason WILL NOT turn the right way.

So much more to post - so late at night. I'll really try to write about Lauren's birthday tomorrow.

33 things about Jeff

2011-11-07T11:43:00.021-07:00

1. Jeff is an Air Force brat. He was born in Florida, but also lived in San Antonio and Germany before his family came home to Utah.

2. While in Germany, his parents took the kids to see as much of Europe as possible.

3. Europe is where he also gained his insatiable taste for rum. (Yes, it is possible to get tipsy from the rum-soaked cake in .... France? I can't remember where that took place.)

4. Jeff hates to wake up in the morning. No matter what time it is or how long he has slept, morning is not his friend.

5. He almost always takes his pants off with one pant-leg inside-out and the other one right-side-out.

6. He has a gut of steel. Not abs of steel (working on that one), but a gut of steel. He can eat anything and it doesn't bother him a bit. He doesn't like everything, of course, but nothing makes him sick.

7. He'd rather play with his kids than hang out with his friends.

8. He loves fantasy football and World of Warcraft.

9. His nickname as a baby was "Jumping Jeffrey," because he used to sit in his high chair and make it bounce across the room.

10. Later, he somehow got the nickname "Gecko." I'm not sure how. His sisters still call him that sometimes, and he hates it.

11. He loves to play.

12. He tells me I don't play enough. He's right.

13. Soon after we started attending church in this ward, a speaker in Sacrament meeting mentioned that he hadn't received a calling for a long time, and that he thought it might be because his head was shaved. Jeff went home that day and shaved his head, and he's been bald by choice ever since. And by the way - it doesn't get you out of callings.

14. Okay, so in all honesty, he started losing his hair at 17 and didn't have any on top when this occurred anyway. But now he has no hair on the sides either.

15. He looks younger (and better) with a shaved head than with a partially bald head.

16. Jeff's degree is in history.

17. He actually started a degree in computer science first, but couldn't stand the computer geek-speak from all the other students, so he switched to history when he had a professor who sparked his interest in it.

18. Ironically, he is now a computer programmer. He is planning to return to school and get a computer science degree though.

19. His minor was Latin American Studies.

20. He hates Chinese food and seafood. He loves just about any other kind of food.

21. He's really good at helping me out when I've had a bad day. Even with the dishes, which are NOT his favorite chore.

22. He likes politics.

23. He used to call himself a "Utah Democrat," but since we've been married, he's become more moderate and now doesn't really align with either party.

24. He served in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro North Mission.

25. He really wants to go back to Rio. We've said we're going to the 2016 Olympics, but that probably won't actually happen.

26. Vacations are important to him. If we were millionaires, we'd probably keep our little house, but travel all over Europe and Central/South America. He'd also love to visit significant American historical sites.

27. He almost never gets cold.

28. He can be really, really, REALLY annoying.

29. He's on his third wedding ring. He lost his first one (expensive) at work, his second one (even more expensive).... somewhere. Now he wears a $99 one we got when Mervyn's went out of business. I think he's had it longer than either of the others.

30. He hates to drive with me in the car. He says I freak him out when I freak out because he's driving too close to the car in front of us.

31. He has a hard time sleeping if I'm not with him.

32. He is color blind. In fact, he didn't know his truck was purple until I told him. He thought "DPL" meant "dark pearl" instead of "dark purple."

33. Today is his birthday! Happy birthday Jeff!!!

Playa del Carmen, Day 8

2011-09-24T19:40:00.014-06:00

I shouldn't really call this Day 8 of our vacation. It was a sad day because it's the day we came home. It was pretty much a repeat of the way down, just in reverse. Except we were more careful about making sure everyone stayed fed, so we were all much happier. The kids were really good again through all the travel, until the end when Lauren just couldn't handle the plane anymore and started screaming. Fortunately, we were just about to land in Salt Lake when that happened.

We consider our vacation very successful - we came home with $27 and about 85 Mexican pesos, so we didn't go completely broke. And the kids are already asking when we can go again. The general consensus is that anywhere we go, it has to have a beach. That was the highlight for them.

Getting back into daily routine is going to be rough. After we got the kids a snack at home, I seriously thought, "Do I really have to clean up after them?" Ah, reality. But then we took the kids out to Chili's for dinner. I just couldn't jump back into that yet. Tomorrow.

Playa del Carmen, Day 7

2011-09-23T19:30:00.033-06:00

*This post was written by Jeff, as if it was me. In truth, I was so tired this night I couldn't stay awake long enough to write anything. I've added my own comments, too.*

Today Michael and I went shopping and spent way too much money while discussing last night’s “Mr. Iberostar” Good thing my husband loves me anyway.

*Cami's note: The Mr. Iberostar show was a Chippendale-type show they did at the hotel the night before. I did NOT attend, but the guy at the shop insisted he remembered me from it.*

Jeff stayed home with Faith and Lauren. They played on the beach, found sea shells, and buried their legs in the sand. Lauren really got into it, and thought it was great to be buried all the way up to her neck.

After we went home, the girls took naps and Jeff took Michael back to the beach. He had the biggest smile the whole time they were there, and kept saying how he wanted to stay for “like three more weeks.” He worked hard to make sure everyone in his class at school had a good seashell. Jeff went snorkeling and found some fish. Michael thought it was pretty cool when they ate bread out of his hand.

After that, we went to dinner at the Italian Restaurant. Faith sang about how she was eating her food instead of actually eating. When we pointed out that she was singing and not eating, she corrected herself and started singing about how she was NOT eating her food. A Mexican three-man band came in and started playing music at each table, which was also a lot of fun.

It will be hard to get into the flow of things back home. With all the buffet meals, Michael has been eating very well, and we’ve been able to just turn him loose and let him find food he will eat. He’s been great about eating enough food at each meal, and finding new foods he’s willing to try after that first difficult day after we arrived where he didn’t want to eat anything. Faith’s had her typical darling and devil moments, but for the most part has brought us a lot of smiles. Lauren has really warmed up to Jeff’s family after they’ve spent so much time helping us to take care of the kids, and they’ve all commented how fun she is to play with. And we’ve got to have a whole week with no laundry, no dishes, no work, and have all been treating each other much better as a result. Hopefully we can keep this friendlier spirit going once we get back into the grind.

*Cami's note: Since we've actually been home, Jeff has sorted all the stinky laundry, so the friendlier spirit is still going at least this long.* :)

*Cami's next note: One of the highlights of the day happened while we were shopping. There was a man with a small monkey, and for $5 you could have your picture taken with it. We had Michael hold it while we took his picture. He was a little hesitant at first, but once the man put the monkey in his arms, he was really excited.*

*Cami's note too: This is an ROUS. We later learned from a tour guide that it is called a tzereque, and is actually a member of the rabbit family. He called them Mayan rabbits, and said they taste like rabbit. I still think it looks like a rodent.*

Playa del Carmen, Day 6

2011-09-22T19:30:00.014-06:00

Our last day to see ruins. Jeff and I left the kids with Richard and Anna, and we went with Emily and Jessi to Tulum. This is the only Mayan city right on the sea, and it has an amazingly beautiful beach there. The rest of the city is enclosed on the other three sides by a wall. The site has been cleared out very well – there really isn’t any jungle taking over the ruins anymore – but the buildings themselves are still in the process of being restored. Again, we couldn’t climb anything (except up and down the stairs to the beach) and had to stay behind ropes. It was pretty, but probably my least favorite of the Mayan sites because the buildings were much smaller and the only real large building was roped off far enough away you couldn’t even really get good pictures of it.

After walking around and taking all the photos we wanted, we left the site and did some shopping. We got our anniversary date written out in Mayan characters, and bought the Mayan calendar before getting back on the bus to the hotel. Jeff’s name is pronounced Yipili, and mine is pronounced Cami.

We spent some time at the beach with the kids:

and then left them with Emily and Jessi while Jeff and I had dinner alone at a Mexican restaurant here in the hotel. Dinner was delicious. I broke my diet and ate way too much, and even had dessert. And now I feel sick. Hopefully I’ve learned my lesson. I’ve been doing so well here and haven’t felt deprived at all. In fact, I have felt strong and had plenty of energy. The heat and humidity have been uncomfortable, but I haven’t struggled with them like I thought I would. Not one headache so far, which is very unusual for me. Yeah, I’m getting more and more convinced that sugar is evil.

Playa del Carmen, Day 5

2011-09-21T19:29:00.044-06:00

Our tour today was long, but we were able to see some amazing things. Our guide was Jose, and he took us to Chichen Itza and to Ek Balam. The public is no longer allowed to climb the pyramid at Chichen Itza, which is a bummer, but understandable. Jose told us that they have had problems with graffiti, so they no longer allow the public to go inside of the pyramid and see the inner chamber either. Basically you can just walk around and look at things from behind ropes. While we were there today, the ball court was having restoration done, so we couldn’t see that either. But Chichen Itza is phenomenal. You can seriously look around and just imagine the Mayan people carrying on their lives there. Today was the equinox (September 21), and so this afternoon, something like 15,000-20,000 people were there to witness the phenomenon that occurs when the light hits the pyramid just right and it makes a design similar to a diamond-back rattlesnake because of all the angles on the pyramid. We were there in the morning, however, so we didn’t have to deal with all the crowds – just 15,000-20,000 vendors trying to sell us silver necklaces for one dollar. I wish we’d had more time there. We didn’t even get to see the astronomy tower or the palace. But what we did see was amazing.

After Chichen Itza, we went to Xkeken, which is one of a zillion cenotes around here. A cenote is basically a sinkhole. The entire Yucatan peninsula is a flat bed of limestone, and wherever caves or pockets have formed, and water has filled the bottom, you have a cenote. Xkeken is underground, and you can see stalactites hanging from the ceiling – some nearly touching the water. It was beautiful. Several people were there snorkeling or swimming, but we just got our feet wet, saw some blind fish that bumped into our feet, and shopped in the stands up above ground. Jeff and I got some dresses for Faith and Lauren.

There were some girls there selling handkerchiefs and Mayan dresses for Barbies. After we walked away, one girl was hit by a boy who we assumed was her brother and started screaming. While everyone was taking a restroom break, I started talking to the girl and said that I had brothers too, so I knew how it was. She told me it was just a crazy neighborhood boy from her village. Well, we bought one of the Barbie dresses, and had a friend in her the rest the time we were there. She followed our group for the next hour, helping the other kids down the steps into the cenote, offering to take pictures for us, and then (of course) trying to convince us we wanted to buy some bottled water before we left, too.

Then on to Valladolid, which is a colonial-era city. Jose really just showed us the church there and then we ate in a restaurant. I don’t know about what the rest of the group had but my food was delicious. It was pork baked in a sauce of paprika, salt, and pepper, and served with pickled onions. I don’t even like pork, but I would eat that every day. I wish I could remember what it was called.

There was a plaza just across the street from the church, and in it, there were these cool seats where two people could sit and face each other.

Our last stop of the day was Ek Balam. This is another Mayan site, but it hasn’t been fully restored yet like Chichen Itza has. We could climb anything we wanted. There is a pyramid there which we climbed. The steps were much easier than Coba, because they weren’t so crumbled. This pyramid is 40 meters high – the second highest in the Yucatan. (Chichen Itza is 38 meters.) Ek Balam might just have been my favorite of the Mayan sites – mostly because of an area on the pyramid where the carvings are just phenomenal. This part has been restored, and the carvings are larger and more pronounced than in other sites. They were beautiful. And because the pyramid is so close to all the other buildings there, you can almost imagine how it would be to be a priest or other leader of the people, stand on top of that pyramid, and look over daily life there. It really was incredible. Unfortunately, we were kind of late getting to Ek Balam, so we only had an hour total at the site before it closed and we had to leave.

View from the top of the pyramid:

View of the pyramid:

Michael loved climbing everything he could:

Some of the carvings partway up the pyramid:

Our family at the top:

Highlights of the day: Authentic Mayan food for lunch; the little girl at the cenote; Faith and Lauren in their Mexican dresses for dinner; Faith letting Lauren hold her Barbie dress, and pointing out where Barbie’s head, arms, and legs would stick out from it; the kids singing in the back seat of the van; Kari and Emily singing songs they used to when they were growing up; Jeff throwing in his own goofy accompaniment; Michael, Faith and Amanda sleeping in the back seat.

Playa del Carmen, Day 4

2011-09-20T23:28:00.035-06:00

Booze Cruise. Remember that episode from The Office where the whole staff goes on a cruise, and it’s full of uncomfortable moments that only the sober people recognized? Yeah, that’s kind of how today ended up.

But to start at the beginning: We went to Coba today with Jeff’s parents. It was so nice to not worry about chasing three kids around. (They stayed with Kari and Rich.) From the main entrance to Coba, we rented a “taxi” – really a young man on a bicycle that was outfitted with a bench seat in front – and went to the pyramid. Coba has the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula. It is 42 meters high. We climbed to the top, took some photos, and climbed down. It wasn’t a very difficult climb – 120 steps is all. The hard part was coming down because the steps are fairly narrow and also kind of steep.

View of the pyramid from a distance:

People climbing (and descending). Richard and Anna are climbing in this picture - shall we play "Where's Waldo" with them? You can also see in this photo how a lot of the people climbed down - step by step on their rear-ends. Hey, whatever gets you down safely.

We made it to the top! Jeff says I have a certain smile I only do in self-portraits. Whatever.

Half of the ball court:

One of the steles here - this is the best example of any that we saw:

After Coba, we came back to the hotel and played with the kids for a while. Then we left the girls with Richard and Anna, and took Michael with us to “Captain Hook.” Yes, we had a 6-year-old with us on this booze cruise. Actually two 6-year-olds, since Kari and Rich also came and brought Amanda (and Sean) with them.

The concept was pretty cool – two pirate ships go out and have a battle on the open sea. Of course, dinner is also served. But in reality, it was just a bar and dance club on a boat. Between the beer-drinking contest and the dancing, it was not nearly as kid-friendly as it was purported to be. Thankfully Michael is still too young to quite understand what we took him to. And at the end, the two ships (The Black Pearl under the command of Captain Jack, and ours – The Red Boat – under the command of Captain Hook) came together and the crews “fought.” That part would have been fun in itself, but all the drunk middle-aged people yelling “Captain Jack! Captain Jack! Captain Jack!” just made it seem lame. And besides, by the time they got to that part, Michael had fallen asleep and totally missed it anyway. I found myself praying that the night would just get over quickly.

In front of "The Black Pearl"

Before we got on, Michael and Amanda got their photo taken with "Captain Jack," a mermaid, and another pirate.

Our boat. Even though I think we totally wasted our money on this one, the boats were pretty cool.

Highlights of the day: Listening to Mario (the travel agent at the hotel) repeat the phrase he was writing about four times as he wrote it. “Iberostar Quetzal. Quetzal. Quetzal. Quetzal”; Javier and his awkward pauses in the middle of phrases and sentences, and ALWAYS after he started the sentence with “Amigos”; Michael with his pirate headscarf, eye patch, and sword.

Playa del Carmen, Day 3

2011-09-19T19:28:00.050-06:00

Xcaret – It has to be the required stop for anyone visiting this area. It’s amazing! It’s part zoo, part adventure park. We saw spider monkeys, a tapir, pumas, jaguars, lots of iguanas, sea turtles, manatees, nurse sharks, stingrays, and butterflies. We swam in an underground river, and then Michael and I did a dolphin experience, where we actually got to ride a dolphin. Okay, I rode and Michael decided at the last second that he was too scared. But he did get to touch them and swim with them, and he loved it.

There was a Mayan village set up so you could see how they lived. The kids had fun in the hammock:

The jaguar:

Faith holding a butterfly. She was so cute with these. When they flew away she would say "Wow, so beautiful!" in this sort of hushed whisper voice.

The tapir:

Girls with an iguana:

We went to the night show, and had dinner there. Dinner was pretty good, except Faith really was done for the day. She hated the noise of the show, and didn’t want to sit still, and she kept screaming. Oh, the screaming. Somebody please tell me how to stop it. She screams when she’s tired, having fun, upset, hurt, bored, etc. Anyway, eventually Anna took her out because she was just beside herself, and she fell asleep outside the theater. I thought the show was awesome. They had papantla dancers, the dance of the old people, a Mexican Hat dance, and several other regional dances and musical numbers.

Highlights of the day: Faith's awesomely beautiful bed-head - it must be the humidity

Michael eating calamari (and liking it!!); me telling Lauren, “You’re beautiful,” and her saying, “Again!” over and over; Faith kissing Rosie goodnight and putting her to bed; Faith and Michael so excited about the hats Jeff bought them at Xcaret.

And then 10 minutes later looking like this:

The raccoon at lunch time (I swear, if a raccoon came right up to you in any restaurant in the U.S., it wouldn’t be cool – but here, it’s awesome)

The rush of riding on a dolphin. That was seriously cool.

Playa del Carmen, Day 2

2011-09-18T19:26:00.022-06:00

I’ve come to the conclusion that a vacation with kids is really just work in a different place. Sure, there is no cooking and cleaning, but trying to keep three small kids fed and happy and entertained just doesn’t amount to much relaxation.

Today was pretty laid-back. We walked the grounds of the hotel, checked out the gym and kids’ club, went to the beach, and booked our excursions for the next few days. Honestly, it was as relaxing as this vacation will get. Starting tomorrow we have a whirlwind of activities lined up for the rest of the week. We figure this is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so we’re going to take advantage of it and do everything we can.

We added to our list of animals. We have also now seen iguanas, toucans, tortoises, and a curious creature that has a monkey body but a head more like a…. ferret? I’ll have to ask someone about that.

Highlights of the day: Michael’s grin as Rich held him in the ocean and they jumped up over each wave that came; Faith’s face with her sunglasses and sunhat on; Michael eating a really big lunch and dinner; Faith drinking Fanta on the terrace (she had "her" chair out there that she always wanted to sit in while she drank Fanta); Lauren wanting to hold my hand as she fell asleep; Faith giggling as she runs through the waves and they knock her over.

Playa del Carmen, Day 1

2011-09-17T21:22:00.015-06:00

Today we arrived in Playa del Carmen. It was a long, long, long day, and we are so glad to finally be here. We woke up at 3:15, got a few last-minute things ready, then woke up the kids and headed out at about 3:50. Jeff decided to call his parents just to tell them we were on the road; and it’s a good thing he did, because they were still in bed.

The major frustrations of the day had to do with our seat assignments. On both flights, they had Faith assigned to a seat all by herself, far away from everyone else in our group. Since her ticket clearly states “Child” on it, I’m not sure how the airline could be so stupid as to put her by herself. We managed, however, by trading seats around so an adult sat alone each time. But when we get home, I will definitely be writing a letter to the airline about that.

I should note that all three kids were champions on the trip down here. We had several people comment on how well behaved they were. So true. I am very, very grateful for their positive attitudes and willingness to go with the flow today. Even near the end of the day, when we were all starving and starting to get all “emo,” they were SO much better than I expected them to be.

We flew from Salt Lake to Dallas/Fort Worth, where we figured we’d get something to eat before heading to Cancun. Well, Fuddruckers took FOREVER to get our food, and by the time we got it, our flight was boarding. So we had to dump our food in to-go boxes and eat on the plane. Anyway, long story short, that meal was the only thing I really had to eat all day. My blood sugar and tolerance levels were both very low by the time we arrived at the hotel. All the kids were hungry, and I was testy and irritated at everything that normally wouldn’t bother me a bit. Jeff’s parents decided to take us on the scenic route to our rooms, which seemed to take forever. Then we were all supposed to meet outside our room to have an orientation to the resort. Well, we waited, and waited, and waited. Finally Jeff and the kids and I just went up to the lobby, where we ran into Richard. He mentioned that there were monkeys outside our room, and seemed to be suggesting that we go see them before we ate. I was so bugged by this time that I wanted to scream, “We’re going to be here for seven days! We can see the damn monkeys tomorrow!!!” But I didn’t. I tried to be nice, but I’m sure it came out a little testy when I said, “Good. Where do we eat?” And then, come to find out, the only time when there is no food service available is from 6:00 to 6:30. And yes, it was like, 5:58. So we had to wait anyway.

Once we had some food in us, we were all much happier. We’ve been here just a few hours and we’ve already seen monkeys, flamingos, peacocks, ducks, swans, lizards, some kind of crane, and lots of ROUS’s. Yes, Rodents of Unusual Size. Not quite as large or vicious as the Princess Bride variety, but still, they are some member of the rodent family, and they are quite large.

At dinner tonight they had a clown going around making balloon animals for the kids. Michael got a tiger, and the girls both got puppies.

This is a beautiful resort. I am looking forward to relaxing tomorrow. We have nothing planned, which will be very nice for our first day here. We’ll hang out on the beach, swim in the pool, maybe check out some of the activities the resort provides. They have pilates and yoga classes, as well as a kids club that does crafts and games. Jeff and I want to go parasailing, although we haven’t looked into the cost of that yet. They also have catamarans. Maybe I’ll resurrect that sailing bug I once had and venture out on one.

Highlights of the day: Michael asking the clown to make him a sloth out of balloons; Faith telling a complete stranger on the plane that she was going to build a pink sand castle, but not a real castle, because no princess could live in a castle made from sand; Faith taking off her shoe in the plane and telling Anna she was going to do *this* with her toes in the sand (as she spread all her toes out as far as they would go); Faith holding on to Jeff’s hands when the first plane was taking off, and saying with a tremor in her voice, “Planes are so fun!” then holding on to her pet monkey’s hands to make sure she was all right too; Lauren falling asleep on Richard as we rode from the Cancun airport to our hotel.

to guard their psyche

2011-09-11T21:07:00.000-06:00

In regard to my previous post, specifically the comment about how I yell too much, my mom shared an experience with me.

A long time ago she went to have her temple recommend interview with Marlin Jensen, who was at that time our stake president. He asked her the question about whether there was anything in her relationship with her family members that was contrary to the teachings of Christ. She told him that she yelled too much. He advised her not to yell, and then said that it "will destroy their psyche." (I think those are the words she said he used.)

Anyway, when Mom shared that, it really hit me. I can tell that it affects the kids when I yell. I'm not abusive - I don't call them names or belittle them at all. But I definitely could do better about raising my voice.

So I made a goal. Starting that day, I wasn't going to yell anymore.

It's been about 10 days now, and I'm pleased to report that I have only yelled three times. Maybe four. But still, that's enormous improvement for me. And I'm also pleased to report that they have responded very well. As I have found other ways to get them to do what I need them to do, they have been more cooperative and helpful; consequently, we have all been happier. I could get used to this.

33

2011-08-26T21:24:00.003-06:00

Thirty-three thoughts on this day:

1. When Mom was my age, she had five kids, ages 4 to 13. She had been through what was (up until that point, at least) the hardest time in her life, when my family was in the process of moving to Delta and my dad actually moved down there first for several months. Mom and the rest of us stayed in Huntsville until the house sold.

2. I would not have been a very good mom of five kids. I already yell too much, and I'm pretty sure it would be a lot worse with two more kids.

3. Now that I know we're done having kids, I've gotten "real" life insurance. (My patriarchal blessing promises that I will live long enough to see my children reach maturity, so I've always kind of jokingly considered that my "life insurance" policy.)

4. I hate waking up to a sink of dirty dishes. I hate it worse than just about anything. It's the surest way to have a rotten morning.

5. I have very mixed feelings about my parents moving away from Delta. Fountain Green is nice, too, but it will be very strange to visit my parents in a different town.

6. I fall in love with my kids again every day.

7. That being said, I also have moments where I really hate the word "mom." As my mom sometimes used to say, I wish I could change my name.

8. Why don't kids ever say "Dad" in the same whining/complaining/tattling tone that they say "Mom"?

9. I'm really grateful to be out of debt and have a solid savings plan. That makes me feel liberated and empowered.

10. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to rip apart my whole kitchen and replace the floors and cabinets.

11. Our ward has lost a lot of good strong families recently. I'm really bummed about that.

12. I've never been very good at keeping in touch with people.

13. Last night was Lauren's first night in a "big girl" bed. She did awesome. Probably because she's terrified of Jeff, so when he told her to lie down, she did what she was told. She probably didn't move all night long.

14. Unfortunately, however, she can now get out of bed on her own in the morning. Very, very early.

15. I really hate World of Warcraft and fantasy football.

16. I'm addicted to Pampered Chef. I got their knives, and I am a little obsessed with them.

17. Poor editing drives me crazy. But having worked at a newspaper, I know how hard it is to really catch everything. But still, I'm quite sure that a certain local paper could benefit greatly by having a couple of freelance, at-home copy editors. And I'd be happy to offer my services - for a fee, of course.

18. I've worked in hotels for nearly eight years. I've seen and dealt with some really strange things, but I've only been scared of a guest once.

19. I really want to go to law school.

20. I have mixed feelings about a lot of things - like Jeff's new job (same agency, different position). He has to work from the office again, which is a bummer. But I'm really kind of looking forward to a little more time and space in my sewing room.

21. I'm also really, really proud of Jeff and all the hard work he has done to get where he is in his work.

22. I once had my belly button pierced. I had it done a few months before I received my temple endowment. I took it out while I went through the temple, and intended to put it back in afterwards. But I couldn't get it back in; therefore, I now just have a funny little scar near my belly button.

23. I love our van. I would choose it over any SUV any day.

24. I have a sick and twisted desire to see Cowboys vs. Aliens. Because honestly, Harrison Ford AND Daniel Craig in the same movie? Even something as lame as Cowboys vs. Aliens just might be worth it.

25. I really love to read, but I don't know how other moms of young kids make time for it. I struggle to make time to read my scriptures. I can only dream of reading The Help just for fun.

26. I'm not at all emotional about my kids getting older and moving on to new things (school, etc.) - until THEY get emotional. Then I can't handle it anymore.

27. I really like the smell of coffee.

28. I sing at the top of my lungs when it's just the kids and me in the van.

29. When I was little and lived in Huntsville, Kathleen VanCampen and I were the founding members of "The Unicorn Club." Yeah, we were really cool.

30. I'm glad I'm not the Activities Committee Leader anymore, but I do kind of wish I'd gotten the chance to arrange that ward water fight.

31. I love NCIS. I really want to get all the seasons on DVD. But when would I watch them? Oh yeah, right after I read my scriptures. You know, with all that free time I have.

32. I'm seriously considering quitting my job. I've been telling Jeff for a long time that when he got his new job, I would quit mine. But now that he has it, I'm kind of waffling. Here come those mixed feelings again.... (Jen, just in case you read this, I wouldn't be quitting until at least the end of the year.)

33. I realized today that keeping up with all the dishes and laundry, over and over and over, is kind of like trying to fill the ocean with a tablespoon. No matter how much you do, it will never be done. Kind of depressing. Which is probably why I so like to wake up to an empty sink - it makes me feel like I've already accomplished something each day.

I'm lame, I know. :)

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-05T19:58:00.002-06:00

Haven't seen one of these in a while, huh?

1. Modern conveniences. I'm really thankful that I can put dirty clothes in my washer, move the clean wet clothes to a dryer, and then just have to fold them and put them away. And I love that I can put my dishes in a dishwasher, push a button and go do something fun while the machine does the work. I sometimes wonder how people ever had time to have ANY fun before these things were around.

2. Hot water in my house. Okay, so maybe this is sort of like #1, but indoor plumbing isn't as modern a convenience as the dishwasher (I don't think). While I was on my mission, I saw a lot of women and children carrying 5-gallon buckets of water on their heads from far away. They had to carefully conserve it to bathe, cook, wash dishes, etc. And it wasn't hot. So every once in a while when I turn on my hot water to rinse my hands off, or fill a pan with water, or wash Lauren's face, I just feel a little bit of gratitude for being able to do that without worrying about it.

3. Good-natured kids. Seriously. My kids have their moments, but overall, they are pretty darn well behaved.

4. Some extra hours at work, and opportunities to make some extra money on the side. Yeah, have to support my recent Pampered Chef addiction somehow.

5. The chance to try new things. In the past couple of weeks I've tried sushi, zumba, jicama, and yoga. Some experiences were better than others.

6. Jeff. I'm pretty lucky to have a husband who is so supportive of me. He encourages me to develop my talents. He tells me I'm beautiful. He lights up when he sees me, and I love it.

Before and After

2011-07-28T15:25:00.005-06:00

I *finally* got around to reupholstering my thrift store chairs. It was so intimidating to me that the fabric sat in the corner for about a year before I took the plunge. And you know what? It wasn't so bad. I did the green one first.

Before:After:
I chose to do this one first because I thought it would be harder. It was actually pretty easy, and I felt really encouraged when I went to start the second one. But the second one took FOREVER!!! Mostly it just took forever to get all the staples out. Like, twice as long as it took to do the whole first chair. Huge thanks to Jeff for taking pity on me and spending so much time yanking them out. If I had done this one first, I would have never done the second one at all. In fact, I would have chucked both chairs and all the fabric in the trash, and went and spent a whole lot of money on chairs that I liked just as they were.

Before:
Notice the blue dry erase marker all over the seat - compliments of Faith.
After:
After all that, I am really happy with how they turned out. Reupholstering doesn't intimidate me anymore. Not that I'll be doing my couch anytime soon.....

Slippin' and Slidin'

2011-07-28T15:00:00.003-06:00

Whoa, I am behind. I finally uploaded photos from my camera today, and decided to try to catch up a little.

I have some funny video of the kids going down the slip and slide, but for some reason, I can't upload them. So a photo of Faith will have to suffice.

What happens when Faith chooses her own clothes

2011-06-24T14:09:00.002-06:00

T-ball

2011-06-24T14:01:00.004-06:00

Lots of posts about Michael today. We signed him up for T-ball this summer, and his team was the Pirates. The first three games were rained out, so it was kind of a short season. He told me a few days before the first game that he didn't want to play. I asked him why, and he just kept saying, "I just don't want to," and, "I don't want to play any sports." Finally, he said, "I just don't want to be out." So after I assured him that you don't get out in T-ball, he seemed somewhat excited for his first game.

Which I missed. I felt so bad. I had a staff meeting at work, and it went a lot longer than I had anticipated. But Jeff took photos, and I talked to Michael about it afterward. His face lit up when he told me he had hit the ball three times, and he had run so fast. But when I said, "So did you have fun?" he lowered his eyes and put on a sort of pouty voice to say, "Not really." Whatever. He had just decided he wasn't going to like it, so no matter how much he really did, he couldn't admit it. Stubborn little terd.

Kindergarten Graduation

2011-06-24T13:55:00.004-06:00

Michael's Kindergarten graduation was on May 24. It was fun to see how much all these kids have progressed this year. They had a great teacher, Mrs. Thayne. I'm sad that she can't just stay with Michael for the rest of his schooling. She did so well with him and he just loved her.

This is his class. He is on the top row on the very right.Receiving his diploma. (Actually, going to sit down after receiving it. The camera batteries were dying and we didn't get a very good picture.)
Family photo after the shindig. Notice how happy the kids were to be there.

Kindy 500

2011-06-24T13:46:00.003-06:00

Every year Michael's school does a Kindy 500 for all the kindergarten students. This was over a month ago (yes, I'm that far behind.... again). Anyway, each student made a car or other vehicle out of a box, and then they paraded from place to place in the school and had different activities at each stop. It was really fun to see what all the kids (um, parents) came up with. Here's Michael in his jeep, talking to his friend Sam.Michael was really excited to have a jeep. Jeff overheard him telling Faith, "You know why I wanted a Jeep? It's because when we're in Delta, Grandpa Hansen sometimes wakes me up really early and we go for a ride in his Jeep just to be together." Sweet, huh?

I loved this VW bug.
I think this girl raided her dress-up box.
My favorite was probably this motorcycle.
But the rocket was pretty cool too.

Curlers

2011-05-16T22:30:00.003-06:00

I've been looking for some foam curlers for Faith, and finally found some. Her hair does have quite a bit of curl, but it seems to be straightening out as she gets older. That makes me sad.She's so stinking cute with them in that I think I should just leave them that way.

Mother's Day

2011-05-16T22:19:00.004-06:00

Let's just say I hope these get better as the years go by.

I'm not complaining, really. But when Michael refuses to go up to sing to his mom (me), it sort of makes me feel bad.

Then Jeff got really angry and after church, Michael tearfully apologized and told me about 15 times that he loved me. That was sweet.

I did love the vases the kids made at the Lowe's Build and Grow clinic.Faith wrote her name all by herself. Love it. And Michael made me a card at school that says he loves me because I am helpful. And he loves it when I help him. I just wish he realized that making him taste peanut butter sandwiches really is a way of helping him.

On another note, Jeff had asked me earlier in the week what I wanted for breakfast on Mother's Day. I sort of flippantly told him Belgian waffles with strawberries and cream. I wasn't that surprised to find that he was making waffles on Sunday morning. But what did surprise me was that he had actually found an authentic Belgian waffle recipe - which required yeast and allowing the batter to rise for about an hour and a half. He said he'll never make Belgian waffles again. They did taste good, though.

Spring dresses from Grandma

2011-05-16T22:16:00.002-06:00

A great photographer I am not. And subjects who sit still, I have not. These were the best I could get.

Random photo

2011-05-16T22:13:00.002-06:00

This is Faith after Amanda's birthday party, where a clown came. She painted the kids' faces and made balloon creatures for all of them. Faith chose to have Hello Kitty painted on her face, and a butterfly balloon hat.

Easter

2011-05-16T22:06:00.004-06:00

This year we spent Easter morning at home. It was pretty low-key, with the Easter Bunny not doing much that was exciting. He (She) brought a DVD and couple small treats for each kid. Michael got Horton Hears a Who; Faith got Little Mermaid; Lauren got Springtime With Roo; and Jeff and I got Snow White. Yes, Jeff and I shared a basket. That's because it was a stressful weekend and Jeff didn't get out to perform his duty of filling my basket. He was thrilled to get Snow White. Haha.

Here are the kids in their Easter outfits. We found them at Costco, and Faith is in love with her polka-dot dress.Michael has been on a kick lately of sticking his tongue out for most photos. Faith had to stick hers out too, of course. She has obviously just finished eating her blue raspberry ring pop.
After church we went over to Jeff's parents' house for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. It was a lot of fun, but did I get photos? Nope.

first date

2011-04-14T19:48:00.006-06:00

Today Faith and I had our first date. Jeff and I have started doing this with the kids, and it's been pretty fun to have the one-on-one time.

Faith was so cute all day. She'd say, "Are we going to a date yet?" When it was finally time, she announced to Jeff that she was going to her date. I was planning to take her for a cupcake at the Vintage Cupcake Shoppe - but believe it or not, there was a "sold out" sign on the door and there were no more cupcakes for the day. HUH? Someone's not managing that place very well if they run out with over two hours left during business hours.

So we went to the mall and got cupcakes from the coffee shop instead. They weren't that great, but Faith doesn't care. Then we went to the play area for a while before heading over to Claire's for this:
Yes, those are pierced earrings. She was ecstatic to get pink flowers. It was totally on a whim, and we'll see if I regret my impulsiveness after six weeks of cleaning them three times a day. She was a champ, though. She cried for about three seconds (until I stuck a sucker in her mouth), and then she was thrilled to see her cute earrings in the mirror.

Then we stopped by a booth and bought these for all the kids:
Pillow Pets. As you can see, they all love them. Michael can't stop feeling the soft fur. Faith does whatever Michael does, and Lauren just lays on hers. Michael and Faith have been wanting them for a while, and they were on sale at the booth, so I just gave in. So much for not spending money this week. I still haven't bought any food, though, which was the real goal. (The kids are drinking powdered milk just fine, by the way.)

Don't you love these?
We also rode the train in the mall. Faith kept saying, "I'm so excited! I love the train!" I love having some time just with her. She's my biggest challenge right now. The terrible 2's have nothing on a 3-year-old. But even when I just want to scream in frustration, she's also so cute that I want to fall over laughing. Love that girl.

Shutdown Shmutdown

2011-04-09T12:18:00.004-06:00

I just have to say, I don't understand why people were chanting "cut it or shut it." Seriously? You WANT to shut down the government? They must not realize that the things that would be shut down are those that actually MAKE money for the government, while the "essential" functions actually cost millions every day without any revenues made. I'm all for a balanced budget and fiscal responsibility, but the "cut it or shut it" thing just irritated me.

Besides, not that I have any problem with seniors getting their Social Security checks, but I'm just as concerned about families not getting any paychecks. Like mine. We would have been okay, actually - on an ultra-tight budget and not buying groceries (we do have food storage), but okay. But a lot of families I know would not be okay.

I guess in the end, this "close call" is a good motivator for us to manage our finances better and save up a little more. After all, they're gearing up for an even bigger fight in September.

So this week, I'm still not buying any groceries. I put our grocery money towards some debt. Maybe I should do that once a month or so just to have that little extra paid off that much quicker. We'll just eat out of our food storage for one week each month until we're done. It will help me rotate it, too! Look for future posts about how the kids like powdered milk, and powdered eggs and powdered butter. Should be good!

Updates on the Sidebar

2011-04-08T13:20:00.006-06:00

Closing Up Shop:
I closed my original etsy shop. I didn't like that the name of it was "csabin." I mean, how exciting is that? And I honestly got really tired of crocheting. I love to crochet, but to crochet what other people wanted was starting to get on my nerves. Add to that, the fact that there are dozens of people on etsy who are crocheting nearly the same things, and will do it for way cheaper, and it just wasn't worth it. I mean, when you consider the cost of the yarn and the time it takes to make a baby dress, I'm making like, $2 an hour. No thank you. If it's for my family or friends, I'll do it in a heartbeat, but strangers? I'm tired of it. (Seriously, if any of you want me to make something for you, I will. I love making stuff for people I know.)

But on the other hand, I opened a new etsy shop! This one has a much better name - Faythie and Lolo. And I've just been going through all those projects I've made and am storing for who-knows-what, and listing them on the site. I do have my name doilies on there, but that will be the only custom crochet I'll do, I think. Except hats. Hats don't take forever like dresses do. So I am still willing to make cute hats for anyone. And I'll probably post my original patterns on that site, too. Patterns are a lot of work to make, but once they're made, they're pretty easy to e-mail to buyers.

Resolutions:
I deleted my 2011 resolutions. I only had three: practice the piano every day; get out of non-mortgage debt; and attend the temple at least once a month. Well, the piano thing lasted one day. And the temple thing lasted one month (although we did go a couple of days ago). And the mortgage thing - we could probably still do that. If this government shutdown is short-lived.

The Bucket List:
Let's face it. I will never run a marathon. Or a half. Or probably even a triathlon. I've decided that the "runner's high" is totally relative. For me, it means not hating every second of running. Yeah, if I'm thinking, "This sucks, this sucks," half the time instead of the whole time I'm running, then I'm on a runner's high. Blech. Deleting that one off my bucket list. And have twins? Nope. Three is enough, thank you. My marriage might not survive another one, much less two more at once.

So there you have it - the answers to the mysteries behind the small changes on my sidebar. I know you were wondering.

20 years ago....

2011-03-27T21:24:00.005-06:00

March 27, 1991 - My family moved from Huntsville, Utah, to Delta, Utah. Best thing we ever did. Okay, so getting sealed in the temple in 1981 is the BEST. But moving to Delta is a close second.

I'm pretty sure we would all be a lot different if we hadn't had the experiences we did there. I probably would never have been so involved in high school. I definitely would have never worked at Bear Lake. I wouldn't have met Shelbee, or Jamie, or Stephanie, or Saronna.....

But then I also wouldn't have snuck out and gone toilet papering with the neighborhood boys. Actually, I still might have. They just would have been different neighborhood boys. (Yeah, nevermind. I wouldn't have snuck out with Mitch Montgomery - in case you were wondering, Mom.)

I wouldn't have learned to play the clarinet. I would never have been in the band, much less the marching band. I wouldn't have been on Seminary Council or the debate team or in FHA or the YCC. (Yes, I'm totally revealing my nerdiness here.)

I had a fantastic ward in Delta. We had a huge group of kids my age. When I was on my mission, we had something like 23 of us out at once. I had leaders who encouraged me and set me straight, and one who wrote me a thank-you note every time I did even the smallest thing. I love writing thank-you notes because of her. When I go back to visit my parents, there are a lot of new people in the ward. But most of them are pretty much the same. They still know my name, and my previous bishop even remembers Jeff's name.

I had amazing teachers at Delta High School. Mr. Sanders and Ms. Beckwith and Mr. Hansen - they were all teachers with tough reputations. To be honest, I didn't always like Mr. Hansen. But he of all of them is the one that believed in me the most. Those three challenged me, and I know that I am better because of them.

I only lived in Delta for about five years. I was in seventh grade when we moved there, and after high school graduation in 1996 I left for the summer (to work at Bear Lake, of course), and then moved to Ogden for college.

But when people ask where I'm from, I say I'm from Delta. I can't imagine a better place for me to have lived during those five years.

growing up

2011-03-23T21:30:00.006-06:00

All the kids have been growing so much. It's crazy how fast the time goes. Here's a quick update on them:

Michael: lost his first tooth on March 7. He was super excited. He told me earlier that day that his tooth was loose, and I wiggled it, but it didn't seem to be all that loose. I told him it would be at least a few more days before it fell out. But when I came home from running some errands, he excitedly showed me his new gap. I guess teeth don't really have to be that loose.

The tooth fairy brought him a dollar, which seems like a lot until you consider that most things have more than doubled in price since the tooth fairy visited me 25 years ago, so this is probably a much lower rate of inflation.Faith: has started calling herself a princess. She always tells me "I need a pink ____ because I'm a princess." Hmm. This is one of her "princess shirts." I love this one, because when she puts it on, she says, "This princess has my head!"
She likes to put her dolls down for naps and take pictures of them.
And then take pictures of herself.
She has been fully potty trained for a couple of months now. It's really nice to only have one kid in diapers.

Lauren: Jeff decided she was too old for a binky, so he put her down for a nap one day without one. She did fine, and we just never gave it back to her. A few days later, I took the kids down to Delta. I forgot her bottle and milk. The first night was rough while she tried to go to sleep, but once she did, she slept just fine. When we came back from Delta a couple of days later, I threw the bottle away and she's been great. I know, I should have gotten her off of it a long time ago.

She has also finally started walking!! It's so cute to see her toddle around and lose her balance. She isn't really stable yet, but she's getting better every day. I'll have to take a video one of these days.

She is getting so big. We moved her out of the high chair and into just a booster at the table. I think she likes that a lot. I took the saucer, the bouncer chair, the high chair, the play mat, the jumparoo, the music table, and the walker to Kid to Kid. Lately she wants to read books, play with dolls, and put all the headbands on her arm like bracelets and toddle around. Love her.

projects

2011-03-23T20:05:00.002-06:00

Lest you all think I haven't been doing anything in these long weeks that I haven't blogged:

I finally got my tall closet organized. I'm not going to put a door on this closet, but I wanted it to look decent. I was going to make some fabric bins, but then I found these baskets at Hobby Lobby (LOVE that place).
I got the ribbon and thread organized in my sewing room.
Found a frame for my large doily. I was having such a hard time finding a frame the right size. I found this one at a thrift store, but it was $30, and I was having a hard time paying that much at a thrift store. But when I went to JoAnn and priced what it would cost to have the doily framed there ($350+, and that's WITH a 50% off coupon - ACK!!!), I decided that $30 was a steal. It originally had horrid Chinese characters in it, and the frame was gold. I ripped it all apart, painted the frame, covered the mat with a nice fabric, and mounted my doily. I love it.
Then I found these doilies that a lady I taught in Portugal made for me. I don't like to use doilies under things, because I think they just collect dust and look dirty. But I do like them framed. Jeff's not such a fan, but he usually lets me make decorating decisions.
And I FINALLY finished my Family Home Evening chart and hung it up. I'd had the board painted and the vinyl on it for a long time, but I couldn't figure out what to hang as names, or how to hang them. Then I saw these knobs at (of course) Hobby Lobby, and suddenly.... it all made sense. I am in love with these knobs. The letters, I'm not sold on. I'll probably change them out for something else some day. But the knobs - love them.
Let's see, what else? Jeff and I got most everything moved out of the storage shed and back into our house. Then we did a serious purge and moved a lot of it back to storage, to await a yard sale (hopefully at the end of April). I am in the process of reorganizing our food storage and implementing a better rotation system. Which brings me to the current question weighing on my mind:

What do you do with empty #10 cans? I'm sure there must be some wonderful use for them that I haven't seen yet.

Faith

2011-03-02T22:20:00.003-07:00

No, not this Faith, although she is darling, and certainly worthy of her own blog post.I'm talking about Faith - as in, Faith in God. Faith in Jesus Christ (the Faith pictured above would say, "I'm in Jesus Christ!?!").

A couple of weeks ago I heard a story on NPR that made me a little bit angry. Actually, it was just one statement that really upset me. The reporter was interviewing a couple who are Atheists. I only caught a little bit of the interview, but at one point the man being interviewed said, "I mean, what is faith? Faith is believing something without having a good reason to believe it."

That isn't so different from what so many of us believe - that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). But without a good reason? I got a little peeved. I mean seriously, who is this guy to decide what is a "good reason" for me to believe something?

Doctrine and Covenants 88:118 says that we should "seek learning, even by study and also by faith." Of course, in order for a person to learn by faith, they must first have a belief in God. Joseph Smith taught that in his Lectures on Faith. Since this man refuses to believe in God, he cannot understand how faith could possibly teach him anything.

But not having faith narrows your possibilities - and in a way, your potential - so much. Are we to believe that there is nothing non-scientific that is worth knowing? Is there nothing valuable that cannot be experienced with our five senses and evaluated in the laboratory? I believe that science tells us the how, and religion (i.e. faith) tells us the why. Given that, I've decided to write down a few things that I (and others) have learned by faith.

Through faith, I have learned that God is merciful. Even when the understanding of men cannot take away confusion, grief, and doubt, His voice can speak peace to our hearts and guide us to an understanding of what will be.

I know that He is real. An woman I taught in Portugal said it better than anyone else I've ever met - she said, "I see God every day. Not with my physical eyes, but with my spiritual eyes. I pray, and He answers my prayers. I need help, and He sends it. I see Him everywhere." What scientific explanation can there be for all the miracles that happen every day to so many faithful people all over the world? Coincidence? I just don't buy it.

I know that He loves me. At a very difficult time in my life, I prayed and confided in Him that I didn't think I could live with the pain I was feeling. I asked Him to take the pain away from me. And He did it immediately. Immediately. What a blessing that was. He didn't change the situation, but He replaced my pain with a beautiful assurance that the thing I desired most would happen when it was time for it to happen.

I have learned that He expects me to be better, and He will always help me be better than I think I can be. His guidance has led me to make decisions that completely contradict what "most people" would do in the same situation. And so far I have no doubt that those decisions have been correct.

Through faith I know that Jesus knows what I feel. I've never really liked it when people say, "Jesus suffered all things, so just remember that when you go through these trials, He went through even worse things." Really? I mean, He certainly went through worse things than anything I have experienced, but is knowing that really supposed to make me feel better? I've never understood that logic. However, to know that He loves me so much that He suffers with me is a great blessing.

I have learned that He has a personal interest in me and in what goes on in my life.

I wish that man who was interviewed could know half of these things. I wish he would open his spiritual eyes and see the enormous potential to learn Truths that were previously unknown to him.

What have you learned by faith?

Basement!

2011-02-19T23:22:00.009-07:00

Challenge: bring trim down the stairs into the basement.The Clarks are pretty much the coolest people ever. Not only did Chay install all of our trim, but April took the kids while he was doing it so that Jeff and I could go on a date. Love them!

A nail gun makes the job about a thousand times faster. Never again will I hold up crown moulding and fumble with a nail with one hand, while trying to hammer the nail in with the other hand. No. A nail gun is the way to go. Wish I'd learned that about four rooms ago.

Dremels are AWESOME. And dangerous.The smell of new carpet is so good.
We pulled the recliner out of storage. The kids had a blast rocking, putting the footrest out, putting it back in, etc. Okay, so Michael and Faith had a blast. Lauren would pretty much prefer to not be on it.
I think we're done with home improvement projects for a while - at least until the weather is warmer, when we have a fence to put in, a patio to build, grapes to plant....

Birthday Girl!

2011-02-11T21:23:00.004-07:00

Faith turned three yesterday. Her birthday has been kind of a week-long affair, with celebrations with both extended families, as well as our own immediate family. Last Sunday we went down to Jeff's parents' house and had cake while watching the Super Bowl. She REALLY wanted a "horsey" cake after seeing these pillars in my cake closet.
(No, that isn't ALL cake. The bottom is actually a cake dummy. Only the top is cake.)

She woke up yesterday morning and informed me that she was three. Then she proceeded to want three of everything all day "because I'm three." She wanted three ponytails in her hair, three pancakes for breakfast, etc. It was pretty funny.

I've never made much of a big deal for birthdays before, but really, it's like their very own holiday. So I want to make them special. This year I let Faith choose what we had for breakfast. Then we had Kenzie and Julia over for lunch, which was mac and cheese, veggies and ranch, and cake for dessert. (Thanks for coming, April. It was so fun!) Of course, I didn't get a single photo of the three of them.When Michael came home from school we gave her some birthday presents. Michael gave her a little Strawberry Shortcake doll that has cute dresses and accessories, and a book of "Stories for Three-Year-Olds." She was really excited. Jeff and I gave her a dollhouse, which has been a big hit. She wants to play with it constantly. Actually, she wants to play with Strawberry Shortcake in the dollhouse constantly, so it's really cute.
We went to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner that night. Isn't that the look of a happy girl?
Tomorrow we are going to Gunnison for a Hansen family quarterly activity. We will have cake again. Faith is crazy about ladybugs and flowers, so here's what we came up with.I can't believe she's already three. She is so much fun, so darling, and so frustrating all at once. She makes me want to scream one moment and then hug her the next. She definitely has her own ideas and opinions. She's spicy and sweet, and pretty much the funnest 3-year-old I know!

HAIR!!!!

2011-01-25T22:18:00.003-07:00

It took over a year, but I was finally able to get Lauren's hair into a little tiny pigtail for church on Sunday.

things I laughed at lately

2011-01-25T22:12:00.002-07:00

I was trying to get the kids to clean up the living room (we go through this routine several times a day), and Faith was standing off to the side shaking her hips back and forth like she was dancing. After I reminded her (AGAIN) that we were supposed to be cleaning up, she said, "Let's just do this instead."

Today we had Family Home Evening (yes, a day late - story of my life lately), and we were talking about our bodies and how we take care of them. I asked Michael to tell us why our bodies are so important. He said that they are important because if we didn't have them, then when we ate food, it would fall all over the place. True.

Then Faith piped up, "This is the best body I ever had!"

The other day I was eating a fudge popsicle. Faith asked for a bite, so I gave her one. She ran out of the room. Not 10 seconds later, she was back. "How 'bout I have two bites?"

Faith is always saying she is hungry, but when it's time to eat, she won't touch her food. The other day she asked for a cookie and I told her no. I told her that if she was hungry, she should eat her lunch. She started pretending to eat a cookie and said, "This is the best cookie I never had!"

exciting news

2011-01-23T22:16:00.002-07:00

Lots of exciting news around our house. First is that Jeff is almost finished with the sheetrock! Yay!! He actually thought he WAS done, but then realized that he didn't finish all of it around the window. So he has a few more hours of work to do this week before exciting news number two comes.

Which is, that the mudding and taping will happen starting on the 31st! I'm thrilled that we are finally to this point. I am SO tired of remodeling. The contractor said it will take about 4 days. Then we can prime, paint, hang crown moulding, install carpeting, install the other trim, and move the furniture back in. My goal is to have the family room finished and functioning by Valentine's Day. Of course, the original goal was Halloween, so my goals are usually pretty flexible.

Exciting news number three is that Lauren is starting to stand on her own. Today she stood up in the middle of the floor all by herself, and balanced on her own (while drinking out of a sippy cup, no less), for about 10 seconds before she lost her balance. She'll be walking very soon.

Exciting news number four is that I did 39 push-ups in one minute. I'm quite proud of myself, especially since Jeff could *only* do 36. And yes, these were "real" push-ups, on my toes.

And exciting news number five is that I followed a prompting and just might have set up a part-time job during the summer helping a lady do wedding cakes. More about it later. I'm seriously falling asleep as I type.

What I'm loving lately

2011-01-14T23:26:00.005-07:00

Lately, I've been loving the bright colors in this crib.Seriously, love that pink and orange blanket that my mom made for Lauren. And the flannel sheet is pretty cool too.

I'm loving marshmallows and powdered sugar, because I finally got around to making my own fondant, and it was sooo easy, and sooooooo much better-tasting than the store-bought stuff. Faith and I made a "princess cake" just for fun. (I found your card, April. Thank you.)
And I have totally been loving Lauren FINALLY getting a little more hair. I'm thinking I should style it like this all the time.
I'm loving this racetrack that my parents gave to Michael for Christmas. Michael could seriously spend all day playing with it. He and Jeff have set up a system where they keep track of how many times each of his cars makes it through the loop, and then they rank them. It's neat that he can totally entertain himself doing this. It really fits his slightly OCD personality. (Did I say slightly OCD? That's kind of an understatement.)
I'm loving Faith's dress-up outfits. I wish I could find the photo of her in her princess dress, her snowboots, and her bicycle helmet, crouched behind the piano bench with a Nerf gun. But I can't. So you'll have to settle for this one.
And finally, I'm loving this:
Our new Ninja blender. It's awesome. It purees squash like nobody's business (we puree a lot of squash for Michael, and I've never had a blender that actually did it well). Jeff was skeptical and didn't want to pay that much for a blender, but an unexpected gift card to Target softened the blow. Love it.

Posted in the wrong place...

2011-01-05T07:03:00.002-07:00

I don't usually post my cakes on this blog. I just put them on the other site. But this one has been taking up a LOT of time lately, and I'm so happy with the final result. Just have to share:Those snowflakes took FOREVER to make. But I absolutely love how they turned out.

Okay, Jeff. I'm back to real life now. I'll get caught up on the laundry today. Right after I finish that transcription file and get the kids fed and run those errands and do that pilates class at the gym.

gratitude

2011-01-02T22:36:00.002-07:00

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.

That was a quote shared in our Relief Society lesson today. I like it.

Have you ever gotten a random thank-you note for something you didn't really realize you had done? Didn't it make your day?

I'm just going to write a few things that made me grateful today.

I'm thankful for April. She's a good, true friend who has her priorities in order and helps me to have mine in order too.

I'm thankful for the new sister in our ward. I can't remember her name, but when she bore her testimony in Relief Society today, she compared her conversion to searching for other people who tried to be a light, and her baptism to a reunion. Isn't that a beautiful analogy?

I'm thankful for Sister Doubleday. She's new in the ward, too, and I noticed that she signed up to help clean the building. She also helped take dinner to a family who just had a baby. I love that she is just jumping right in and getting involved - it's a good example.

I'm thankful for Rachel. I know she doesn't feel like she's on top of things, but she is seriously one of the best moms I know and one of my favorite people in the ward/neighborhood. I will really miss her if/when they sell their house. I love that she is so genuine and honest.

I'm thankful that I'm not the only one whose 1-year-old is still drinking from a bottle.

I'm thankful for the ladies on "widow row." They are such a great example of sisterhood and love.

I'm thankful for royal icing and all the awesome things you can do with it. (I'm doing a wedding cake later this week, and have been making the decorations for it - fun stuff.)

I'm thankful for old friends who find me on Facebook.

I'm thankful that Jeff loves me even when I'm not very lovable.

I'm thankful for the hymns. Today we sang two hymns that were very special to me as a missionary - There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today, and Teach Me to Walk in the Light. I always sing them in Portuguese in my head, because in some ways, that will always be the native language of my spirit.

I'm thankful for an empty sink and an empty dishwasher. Somehow having all the dishes done makes me feel so much calmer and more..... accomplished? I know, I'm weird.

What are you thankful for today?

m.i.a.

2010-12-21T21:59:00.007-07:00

Missing in action. That's what my blog updates have been. Not that we haven't been doing anything - we've just been so busy that by the time I HAVE time to update, I'd really rather sleep. So here are a few pics of recent activities, and hopefully I'll update some more later.

Faith had a blast catching raisins that my dad was dropping into her mouth. I love how you can see the raisin in this picture.
We went to Christmas Village on 25th Street.
Faith developed a love for her snow boots. So much so, that she decided one day that they should comprise her entire outfit. Yes, her ENTIRE outfit.
Michael took photos of the Christmas stockings.
A little closer.
And just the nose.
Faith saved the world (this is a favorite game of the kids - they run around with laundry baskets on their heads and "save the world!"). Don't you feel safer knowing there is a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old protecting you?
Lauren turned one! She had two parties - one with Jeff's family.
And one with my family.
Jeff turned Faith into a snowman using a roll of toilet paper. (I did this with Michael, but we didn't get a picture of him.)
That's all for today!

some favorite photos

2010-11-24T06:55:00.010-07:00

Yes, there are a lot of favorites. I have a hard time choosing.

new family photos

2010-11-20T13:28:00.002-07:00

We had my friend Whitnie take some photos for us last week. I was so excited to see them up on her blog! Check it out. I'll post some here after I get them from her.

http://whitniestarkimages.blogspot.com/

Boys are Gross!!

2010-11-19T21:47:00.002-07:00

Maybe it's because he's five. Or maybe it's because he's a boy. Either way, I find myself surprised that my son could be so, well.... yucky. A couple of examples:

He thinks it is totally okay to leave rotting banana peels in the van, next to his seat - where he can see it and we can ALL smell it.

His room reeked. Seriously, reeked. It smelled like something died in there. Then by chance, I saw him tucking his wet diaper (yes, he still has not been able to get the all-night potty training down) into a cardboard shoe box and closing the lid. When I opened up the lid, I saw that the box was packed full of wet diapers, from like, the last two weeks or something. I was totally grossed out. He was devastated that I would chuck his entire "garbage can" into the large garbage can outside.

He started peeing without lifting the seat, so I was frequently finding pee all over the toilet seat. I told him that was gross, and he needed to lift up the seat. Later I was cleaning the kitchen and said something about not being able to find the dishrag. He ran into the bathroom and came out with it. Yeah, rather than lifting the seat, he had been using my dishrag to wipe his pee off.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Somebody please tell me why boys are so gross! And please, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me that he'll grow out of it!!!!

30 days of thankful

2010-11-16T23:09:00.003-07:00

I was going to do a post each day this month about something for which I am grateful. But yeah, you can see that didn't happen. So I'll put 30 things into one post. Some of these are serious, most of them are not. Not that I'm not grateful for the big serious things too, but I'm also grateful for a lot of little things.

1. A husband who lets me be me and loves me that way.
2. Five-year-old knowledge (The pilgrims got sick because their water was thick and yucky. So they drank beer, and it didn't make them sick).
3. Two-year-old curiosity (Mom, do you have a bum? Where is your bum? Does Michael have a bum? Does Daddy have a bum?....).
4. Almost-one-year-old smiles, babbles, and belly laughs.
5. Gospel perspective and blessings.
6. My ward - I love living around people who are not clique-y and who really reach out to others.
7. Vitamin Water Zero - sweetened with Stevia. The acai-blueberry-pomegranate flavor is delish.
8. Comet, OxiClean, and Tide With Bleach.
9. Peanut butter. Mmmmm.
10. Utah Truffles - especially the almond or the mint ones. But really, I'll take any of them.
11. Personal revelation and insight and direction that helps me improve myself.
12. Progress on the basement remodel.
13. Jeans that fit. Hooray for Fashion Bug! For once, I don't have to take the waist in on jeans that fit everywhere else perfectly.
14. Crafty people who come up with good ideas.
15. The ability to copy said ideas.
16. Friends who are true and just say it like it is.
17. NPR.
18. Discussions with Jeff about things we hear on NPR or in other media.
19. Green salad with lemon juice and salt.
20. Guacamole - just avocados, lime juice, salt, and tomatoes.
21. Two part-time jobs with fantastic co-workers at both of them.
22. Craft shows and boutiques.
23. Facebook and blogs.
24. Not having a pet.
25. Being an American, and having my native language be English.
26. Indoor plumbing and hot water.
27. Memories of cobblestone streets - and the fact that I don't have to eat feijoada, cachupa, and bacalhau anymore.
28. Mexican food.
29. A dishwasher.
30. Snuggles with the 5-year-old, the 2-year-old, the almost-1-year-old, and the 32-year-old (although not all at the same time - that would get kind of suffocating).

What are you thankful for this month?

Developmental Stages

2010-11-03T22:11:00.002-06:00

Lauren:
She is now 11 months old, and has figured out how to pull herself up to standing. It's still new to her, so she isn't great at it yet, but I'm sure that will come quickly. She has four teeth, and even though she knows how to crawl on all fours, she prefers her faster "army crawl."

Faith:
She has been using the toilet like a champ for a couple of days now. I still put her in a pull-up at naptime and bedtime, but she usually wakes up dry. She is so proud of herself whenever she uses the toilet and gets excited to put a sticker on her chart. Of course, I catch her at random times putting stickers on her chart when she hasn't used the toilet, too.

Michael:
Big news on the Michael front. As of November 1, he is only allowed to eat 2 "easy" foods a day. That means he can eat yogurt for breakfast (because just try to tell him he can't) and one other easy food. The rest of his food has to be "real," or foods that he has to chew. So far he's done spectacularly. Of course, it helps that we've planned our menu this week around foods he likes and can eat well. I'm loving not having to prepare a separate meal for him every time we eat.

Me:
The other day I was at Ross with the kids. I tried on a sweater, and Michael said he really, really liked it a lot, and I should get it. When I asked him why he liked it, he said, "Because it looks like Grandma Hansen." So I've become my mother, which is a developmental stage all kids go through as adults, right? And she has nice style, so that's okay. (I did buy the sweater, by the way.)

New Rules

2010-10-31T21:00:00.003-06:00

Jeff and I were talking a couple weeks ago and I made some joke about my hair always being in a ponytail. He shrugged and said, "You just look like a mom."

Hmm. Not what this mom wants to hear.

In Jeff's defense, he wasn't being rude. He tells me often that I'm pretty, and he says he likes my hair in a ponytail. I believe him. But I still don't want to "look like a mom."

So this mom has made some new rules.
1. No more ponytails unless I'm going to the gym.
2. I will wear some piece of jewelry or other accessory every day.
3. I will wear at least mascara every day.
4. I will wear make-up on Sundays.
5. I won't wear sneakers unless I'm doing something sneaker-worthy.

I gave myself a mini-makeover with a new haircut and some new clothes and shoes. It's been about a week, and so far I'm liking these new rules. I feel like (gasp) more than a mom. And really, I think my kids are worth looking nice for. Most days.

Here's a somewhat scary sneak peak. I'm not a great self-photographer.

Halloween decor

2010-10-25T22:46:00.002-06:00

We finally got around to carving our pumpkins tonight for Family Home Evening.From left to right is Faith's, Michael's, mine, and Jeff's. Lauren doesn't have one. She was too involved in eating apples and strawberries to be bothered. Jeff worked really hard on that Elmo, and I think it turned out great. My ghost was super easy. Of course, after doing Faith and Michael's (they weren't much help), I was pretty much done, so the ghost was perfect.

Here are some luminaries we made at some family activities.
We have them on the piano, where they spookily light up the statue of Christ. Kind of bizarre, but hey, keeping them out of the reach of a particular 2-year-old limits my choice of placement.

self-promotion

2010-10-25T19:18:00.003-06:00

As part of my long-term goal to run a successful home business, I have decided it's time to ramp up my cake decorating portfolio. So I am shamelessly asking any of you who need cakes for anything in the next couple/few months to consider me. Check out my other site to see some examples.http://heartfeltcakesbycami.blogspot.com/
Seriously, cakes for anything. Birthdays, weddings, work parties, holidays, whatever. From now until the end of November, I'll apply a 25% discount to any cake scheduled. If your event isn't until January, you can schedule it by the end of November and still get the discount.

And even better, the first two cakes that are scheduled will get an even bigger discount - 50%.

Refer your friends and family! I'd appreciate it!!

what we're up to

2010-10-24T18:35:00.005-06:00

Making cupcakes for Jeff's co-workers.
Putting vinyl sayings on the walls.
Playing dress-up.
Wait just a minute, let's pan out a little bit.Oh dear. Our little cross-dresser. I'm thinking blackmail photos. Check out the shoes.Today was the Primary program. Our little cross-dresser (not during church, fortunately) did a very good job with his part. He had it memorized, but I think he froze a little bit, because he had the Primary president help him read it. But it's still a million times better than his emotional breakdown last year.

Lauren now has her two bottom teeth and one top tooth. A second one on top has almost broken through. She is starting to eat a lot of chew foods, which I am so relieved about. I can't tell you how much stress I have over my kids' eating, and once they start eating "real foods" it is like a huge load is lifted from my shoulders. She also does a funny little trick where she gets up on both hands and both feet, but she keeps her feet together. So she looks like she's doing a push-up. But since her feet are together, she just pivots down and falls over. It's funny to watch. She has also started to crawl, although she prefers to army crawl because it's faster. She still has only a little bit of hair, but she has a GREAT smile. And her laugh is totally infectious.

four years

2010-10-20T09:48:00.002-06:00

Today would be Tori's fourth birthday. For Family Home Evening on Monday, we drew pictures for her and then bought some flowers and visited her grave. Michael drew a picture of her surrounded by lizard stickers (hey, we're using what we have on hand). He kept asking questions about how she could see the pictures if she was in Heaven, because Heaven is way up in the sky. And about what she would look like when she "comes back to Earth," and when that will happen. We've had some talks about death when Jeff's grandparents died, but this is harder. He wants to know why Tori died, and when he will die. I try to explain as thoroughly as I think a 5-year-old would understand, but it's hard sometimes.

I'm grateful to know where she is and what will happen. I'm grateful that I can answer Michael's questions. It would be so much worse to really have no idea.

I still sometimes ask myself why she couldn't stay with us. Recently I've decided it's because God knew that I would stop at three kids, and so if she stayed, I would never have had Lauren. (This conclusion is greatly influenced by my feelings of inadequacy at motherhood these days - so I don't know how much truth there is to that. But I do know that three is just about all I can handle, at least for now.)

As the scriptures say, "This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God." And this life is also the time for my family to prepare to meet Tori. Maybe by the time we have her again, I'll have this motherhood thing figured out, and I'll be better prepared to raise her.

We love you, Tori!

today

2010-10-19T14:04:00.002-06:00

I've had mommy issues lately. In fact, I've been telling people that I'm pretty sure I wasn't meant to be a mom at all. And I'm almost positive that I wasn't meant to be a mom to boys. My poor kids. I don't think I'd want me for a mom.

But I'm sure my problems are really more about my attitude than they are about my kids. So I've decided to change my attitude and see what happens.

Today, I will not expect the 2-year-old to stay out of anything that is within her reach. And I'll try harder to keep the markers and other writing tools out of her reach so that she doesn't write on my chairs anymore.

Today, I will listen to Michael when he's talking. The whole time.

Today, I will not yell. I will use nice words like I tell my kids to do.

Today, I might not get the dishes done. And I will not get angry with anyone else because my sink is full of dirty dishes. (That doesn't mean, however, that I won't ask you to do them, Jeff.)

Today, I am choosing to be a better mom. Because my kids deserve it, and because although I still sort of think I wasn't meant to be a mom, I am a mom. And I'm going to be a mom for the rest of my life. So I might as well be a happier mom.

Because if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

surprise testimony meeting

2010-10-17T18:30:00.004-06:00

Our bishop occasionally throws us a curve ball. Like today, in Sacrament Meeting. He had "to be announced" on the program. Not a good sign. Then he asked all of the people in the room who speak a foreign language to come up and bear our testimonies in that language.

When I found out, I started shaking. Is that weird? I was just profoundly grateful to have that opportunity. I kind of think of Portuguese as the language that my testimony was born in. I mean, I had a testimony before my mission, but that's really where so many things were solidified for me. I haven't spoken Portuguese really at all since Jeff and I went to Portugal in 2004. And I haven't really used gospel language in Portuguese since my mission. I'm pretty sure half of it came out Spanish (since Michael is learning Spanish in school, I've been trying to brush up a little on that). But it still felt good. And it was fun to hear everyone speak all these cool languages - we had Tagalog, Vietnamese, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and at least two languages that I didn't even understand the name of the language - from Malaysia or something. It was neat.

What I wish I could say, but can't for various reasons

2010-10-17T16:54:00.002-06:00

Dear ____,

First of all, I want you to know that Jeff and I care about you a great deal. We think of you and speak of you often, and we are heartbroken over some of things that you have had to deal with in your life. I know that we can never understand.

But I also know that Jesus Christ understands. I know that you know it too. You once had a testimony. I've heard you bear it. You know that living the principles Christ taught is the only way you'll ever truly be happy. You were so happy. So happy. The joy used to shine from your eyes and face. Do you remember that? You glowed. But it's gone now, and that breaks my heart. I believe, however, that your testimony is not gone. It's still in there. You may fight it, but it will keep rising to the surface, inviting you to change and to return to the happiness you had.

Please, accept the invitation. And soon. We miss you.

Chuck E. Cheese's

2010-10-05T07:23:00.004-06:00

Last night for Family Home Evening we took advantage of a coupon to Chuck E. Cheese's. We had never been there before. The kids LOVED it. They had such a good time. We had 50 tokens, which was plenty for our night. One of the hits of the night was the air hockey table. They both had so much fun.
And a video of Faith riding the race horse.

Sporting her new glasses from the prize counter.
As we were leaving, the kids asked when we could go back. Anyone want to go with us sometime? We have more coupons.....

new toys for the girls

2010-10-04T12:35:00.004-06:00

Lauren has a new hang-out. She loves it. This video was her very first time in it.

I was cleaning out my cedar chest and came across some of my old dolls. I gave them to Faith and Lauren. Faith is completely obsessed with her Strawberry Shortcake doll.And Lauren likes Esmerelda, too. (Can you believe I really named her that?)

finishing touches

2010-10-04T12:27:00.005-06:00

I finally got the curtains hung up in our bedroom.Yes, the bedspread doesn't match the paint. I'll get to that another day. Here's the smaller window.
To be honest, I don't love them. It's not what I envisioned. I don't hate them, either, so that's good.

I hung up a couple of corner shelves in the girls' room (a set of three shelves for $3 from a yard sale - but there was really only room for two of them).
Faith loves having her animals on the shelves. And I love that they're not on her bed.

In other renovation news, here are current photos of our basement family room.Here we go again. Ugh.

cute kiddos

2010-09-27T10:38:00.001-06:00

Here are the three kids all ready for church yesterday. Michael got this suit as a hand-me-down from a friend in Delta, and it was the first time he wore it. Faith just moved up to size 3T clothes, and Lauren is in 12 month clothes, so it was the first time they wore their dresses, too. I just feel like they are all getting so big! Faith looks like she should be scrubbing floors with her scarf in her hair. Wouldn't she be the cutest floor scrubber ever? (I realize it's a big leap from 2-year-old mess maker to floor scrubber, but still, she'd be a cute one.)

carnival

2010-09-27T10:19:00.001-06:00

Michael's school held its annual Carnival fundraiser last Friday night. The kindergarten classes performed a dance to some Brazilian music. Jeff was concerned when he dropped Michael off in his classroom before the performance, because he started to have a breakdown. Fortunately, one of his teachers seemed to recognize it and she took him and helped him through it. We were thrilled to see that he was happy and that he did what he was supposed to during the performance. I have a video of part of the performance, but I'm having a hard time getting it loaded. So here's a photo. It's like playing "Where's Waldo?" Can you spot Michael in the crowd of other 5-year-olds wearing blue jeans and white shirts?
The rest of the carnival was a lot of fun too. The kids had a great time buying glow in the dark bracelets and tattoos, and doing other activities like a fish pond, bowling, decorating paper bags, and throwing a ping pong ball into a cup for prizes. Jeff and I had a good time eating tacos from Sonora Grill. Oh. My. Goodness. They are yummy. The only real downside to the evening was that we forgot to bring the stroller for Lauren, and she's getting pretty heavy to lug around on my hip all night.

the performer

2010-09-26T22:44:00.002-06:00

thoughts of lately

2010-09-26T15:25:00.002-06:00

I've had a lot of things running around in my head, and I feel like I need to write them down, if only to not forget them.

It seems in every church meeting lately, I've felt a quiet invitation to do more, be better, seek out the Spirit. I think I am too "at ease in Zion." And I feel like I am being invited to step up, to prepare for something better. (Or maybe I'm being prepared for something horrible and I will need the added strength that stepping up will give me. Either way, I should do it.)

I've been grieving for someone else's lost marriage. Every time I drive by their house (at least twice a day) I ache. Even though I know there's nothing I can do for them, I feel there are lessons to be learned from their experience. (Granted, I don't know all of the circumstances here, but I DO know that I can do better to protect my own marriage.)

Watch and pray. I think this is going to be my motto. I'm going to write it on my walls (or get vinyl lettering and stick it to my walls). I need to be more vigilant, more dedicated to things like personal prayer and scripture study, Family Home Evening, and teaching my kids correct principles.

I feel like above all else, I need to guard my testimony, my covenants, my marriage, my family, and my home. Anything that interferes or weakens any of those things should be eliminated from my life.

The General Relief Society meeting last night was so good. I loved the call to charity from President Monson. As he said, (quoting Mother Teresa): If you judge people, you don't have time to love them. I have become a lot better about judging others as I've gotten older. In principle, that is. In truth, I still judge people, a lot. But at least I am recognizing it now and seeing that my judgment is often incorrect or misinformed, and most certainly unnecessary and unproductive.

I've learned that I shouldn't question motives or circumstances, but just to love and serve others where they need it. (However, "should" and "do" are not always the same thing - I'm working on this.)

As anyone who reads my blog knows, my favorite job I ever had was as the editorial assistant at the Church News. But I was often blown away by the comments we received from our readers, about every cover photo we ever ran. "That woman is too fat. She doesn't represent LDS women." "If she followed the Word of Wisdom, she wouldn't look like that." "That woman is obviously wealthy" - they had plantation blinds in the background of the photo - "and her perfect blond hair and blue eyes and perfect home aren't representative of LDS women." "He works on Sunday, why are you writing about him in the Church News?" "She's obviously not wearing garments." And on, and on, and on. So I LOVED what President Monson said last night about such judgments. I know I won't get the wording right, but it was something like, "If your attitude and judgment were reflected in your countenance, which of you would better reflect the spirit of Relief Society?"

I just feel like the Lord is inviting me to better reflect His light to my family and others around me, and to be a better servant to them and to Him. As my good friend April likes to say, "It is time." (Okay, so she got that from Rafiki in The Lion King, but she still likes to quote it.)

It is time.

my personal experience with the First Presidency

2010-09-26T15:10:00.004-06:00

Last night was the General Relief Society meeting, and President Monson spoke. I loved it. His sense of humor is so wonderful. It made me reflect on the few times I have had the privilege of meeting him personally.

When I worked at the Church News, one of my duties was to deliver copies of the editorial each week to the Church Administration Building. One went to President Hinckley, one to President Monson, and one to President Faust. I delivered each one personally. They were usually not in their offices, but occasionally I would catch a glimpse of them. When you enter the Church Administration Building, the office of the First Counselor (then President Monson) is on the left, and the Second Counselor's office is on the right. When you enter either of these offices, you first enter the office of their secretaries. They each have two secretaries, whose desks face each other on either side of an aisle that you have to walk through in order to reach the interior office. That door is usually closed, so you never knew if they were there or not. One day, I entered President Monson's office and was surprised to find him in that outer office, sitting on the desk of one of the secretaries, and chatting with them. He greeted me warmly and shook my hand. I handed him the folder with the editorial in it, and he invited to me eat some nuts out of the candy dish that was on one of their desks. I took a couple, and we chatted for just a minute about who knows what (I'm embarrassed that I can't remember). What I do remember, though, is that before I left, he invited to me eat some of the nuts from the other secretary's candy dish, and advised me to "work both sides of the street."

I met him on other occasions. Members of the First Presidency came to the annual Deseret News Christmas dinner. Since the paper is owned by the Church, one of them sits on the Board of the paper (at that time, it was President Monson). They were always very friendly toward all the staff members.

I only saw President Hinckley in his office once. I didn't get the opportunity to speak to him, but I remember being touched by how tired he looked. These men really give themselves, their time, talents, and everything to the Lord.

And just one more experience - this time with President Faust. A Church News reader had called our office and spoken with me. He stated that he had heard that President Faust had stated it as his opinion that the Second Amendment should be repealed. This reader wanted to know if that was true. I told him that I highly doubted it, because the Church as a whole upholds the law of the land, but I would take his number and find out for sure, and call him back. Then I went to the editor, Gerry, and asked her if she had ever heard such a thing. She said that no, she couldn't imagine that he would, but she would call President Faust's office and ask. So she did. She called and spoke with one of his secretaries, who said that no, President Faust had never said such a thing.

I was just about to call the reader back and tell him this, when the phone rang again. It was President Faust himself, and he asked to speak to Gerry. After a VERY short conversation, she got off the phone and came to tell me that he had said, "I have not ever said such a thing, nor do I believe such a thing." Of course, I relayed this to the reader when I called him back. I know that there are so many rumors that go around about the Church leaders and the Church in general and the policies and practices, and I just thought it was neat that President Faust thought this was of enough importance that he took the time to correct a false belief of one of the Church members.

another round of boot camp ends

2010-09-25T16:45:00.000-06:00

I have finished my second session of boot camp, and it has been so successful that Jeff is going to do the next one! I'm excited. That means I won't be doing the next session (paying for two of us is a lot, plus there's the fact that we'd be leaving three kids home alone..... not so good). But I'm thrilled that Jeff is going to do it.

During this second session, I lost an additional 2 percent body fat, 6 more pounds, and 3 more inches. I've reached my weight loss/fitness goals, now it's just on to maintenance. Which will probably be the hardest part.

So I'm taking suggestions: I might finish the couch to 5K program and run a 5K; or I might just go do the weight program that Becky put together for me; or I might do yoga classes with April. Actually, I'll probably combine the three of them. There's a 5K trail run at Snowbasin on October 9, and I think I'll do it. The yoga classes worry me, because they're at 10 am, and I'm not sure I could get home in time to get Michael lunch before he had to leave for school.

In any case, I am still committing to get to the gym at least 3 times a week. After Jeff completes this next session of boot camp, we might switch off sessions, or do them concurrently but just on different days. We'll see how he likes it and how it works out.

Faith's new bed

2010-09-15T13:55:00.002-06:00

With the bedroom and sewing room/office finally being finished, we are in the middle of moving everyone around. We're moving Jeff's work stuff into the sewing room, our stuff into the basement bedroom, Faith and Lauren's stuff into our old room, and many of Michael's toys into his room. I was so excited to FINALLY be able to pull out the stuff to make Faith's bed. We bought this bed at a yard sale. It actually has a matching footboard that is the same height, but we're saving that to use as a headboard for Lauren when she is big enough. Two headboards for $20 - can't complain about that. Especially since they are so cute and girly.

The quilt is one that I made for Faith for Christmas last year. I love, love, love how it looks in their new room.Faith was so excited to have her new bed. She loves it. Now if we could only get her to stay in it all night (she's been waking up at horrible hours and thinking she needs to play).

sock puppets

2010-09-15T13:50:00.000-06:00

Jeff decided he wanted to make sock puppets with the kids. He decided to tie it in with Family Home Evening, so he talked about making choices, and how we can choose what we do. But puppets can't choose - they can only do what the hand makes them do. So we should make good choices and not just do what others tell us. (I guess that's what the point was. The real point for Jeff was making the puppets.) The kids LOVED it. In case you can't tell, Faith's is a bug, Michael's is a monkey, and Jeff's is a hairy cow.

Word of the Day: Excessive

2010-09-12T23:57:00.001-06:00

The excessive time it took to finish this project. Remember, we started in December..... way back in December.... can you even remember last December? It's when this girl was born:
And look at her now:Excessive frustration trying to get the new door frames level and the doors to close properly.

Excessive trips to Lowe's.

Excessive number of cuts I had to make to get that stupid crown moulding right.
Excessive amount of sawdust in my carport.

Excessive gratitude to Chay and April for letting me borrow their miter saw. (I promise I'll get it back to you this week.)

Excessive amount of caulk to hide my crappy cuts.

Excessive number of "little jobs" that had to be done to make it really complete. (Hang blinds, touch up paint, make curtains, install door knobs, hang mirror....)

Excessively tired of home improvement projects.

Excessive list of projects still to come. (sigh)

Excessive excitement from this guy, at the prospect of organizing his own room.

(Please excuse the excessive use of the word excessive.)

trilobites

2010-09-12T23:34:00.005-06:00

Last weekend (yes, I'm behind... still) we took the kids to Delta. There is a place out west of there to dig trilobites, which are basically fossilized bugs. Sounds delightful, huh? It was actually pretty fun. Michael had a great time and thought he was so cool to ride in Grandpa's truck with "just the boys" (my dad, Jeff, and him). The girls rode in the van. We are not so cool.

Anyway, we dug for trilobites. That basically consists of hitting shale with a hammer until it splits, and then you look between the layers for a trilobite.We found quite a few. After we had done that for a while, we drove around. Dad took us to a hermit cave, where (if I understand correctly) someone who had returned from WWII lived. He built this cave out of an overhang in the rock, and he had a fireplace, gardens, ponds, etc. It was pretty neat, although I am quite sure that hermit life is not for me.
Michael also saw his first ant hill. He had been eager to find one since I told him that some ants live in the ground and build hills. That kid loves animals, and wants to know everything about all of them. It's exhausting. Thank goodness Grandma Sabin knows so much about them. I just tell him, "Next time you see Grandma Sabin, you can ask her."

That weekend there was also a "fly in" at the Delta Airport. They were having a candy drop, so we drove out to let the kids pick up some candy. It was fun to see the ultra-lights that were on display, and the kids had a great time.

Silly kids

2010-09-01T23:28:00.002-06:00

After bath time, this is how we find Michael and Faith.Jeff has gotten Faith to sing George Michael's "Faith." It's so cute when she does it.

Michael also felt the need to sing. After all, you can't have a Faith without a Michael.

Playing catch-up.... again

2010-09-01T23:04:00.005-06:00

I just can't seem to stay on top of all the stuff going on! Life is busy. It's good, but definitely busy. Going back a couple of weeks:

We went camping with my family up above Ephraim August 13-15. It was a fun weekend. The highlight for Faith was Averie's jeep.Dad helped Michael learn to skip rocks.
It was fun to hang out with family. The following Monday, Michael started kindergarten. I know, slacker mom who waits 2 1/2 weeks to post about his first day of kindergarten. We are sending him to Ogden Preparatory Academy, which is a charter school here. Kindergarten is half-day, and he goes in the afternoon. His teacher is Mrs. Thayne, and his friend Jacie from our ward is in his class. Michael loves, loves, loves kindergarten. He told me that he likes it SOOOOO much better than pre-school. He has homework almost every day (simple stuff like writing his name or sorting things in the kitchen), and so far he has been more than willing to do his homework. One day we did it in the morning before school. When he got home from school that afternoon, he asked me if he could do homework two times in a day. I didn't know whether to encourage his nerdiness or tell him that his friends will make fun of him for being such a nerd. In the end, I let him do homework again and made no mention of nerds or nerdiness.

I do have a photo of him on the first day of school, but Jeff took it with our other camera, and I can't find it right now.

The following weekend, we went to Elk Meadows, which is a ski resort above Beaver. We stayed in some condos with Jeff's family for the weekend. Michael and Faith thought it was cool that they got to sleep on a pull-out couch.I thought these mushrooms were cool.
We decided that condos are definitely preferable to tents. Temperature controls, TV, stoves and refrigerators, and no tents to wrestle with when it's time to pack up.

The big 3-2

2010-08-26T09:18:00.001-06:00

Yes, I'm 32 today. Here is a long post, "32 random things about me." Some of them are common knowledge. Others, you might be surprised....

1. I have to be in a really particular mood to enjoy music. Usually, I just prefer silence.
2. Unless, of course, it's Faith singing. I'm always in the mood to hear that.
3. I don't really ever want a pet. And then I see how much Michael wants a dog. It almost makes me change my mind. Almost.
4. I really just don't want an indoor pet - pet hair, pet smell, pet slobber... on my couch, in my laundry, in my food.... uh, no thanks.
5. I once had my belly button pierced. It only lasted a couple of months.
6. I also once had seven holes in my ears. Now I just have one in each ear.
7. I have a hard time delegating.
8. I've had two minor surgeries - one to remove a piece of glass from my finger, and one to have a keloid scar removed from my earlobe. But I can't remember which earlobe.
9. I've totaled three cars.
10. But I haven't had an accident or ticket or anything since August of 2001.
11. I have secret dreams of being a writer.
12. I would also love to own a cabin at Bear Lake.
13. I'm not a natural-born mom. Being a good mom is a huge challenge for me.
14. I love, love, love to teach.
15. I'm not a very good party planner.
16. When I start a new hobby, I have to have EVERYTHING for it. For example, I have every size and type of crochet hook possible. Same with knitting needles. And I don't even knit. I just started learning once and went a little overboard. You should see my cake decorating closet.
17. I am hatching a plan to rent a booth at Quilted Bear.
18. I'm not very creative. I can copy anything, but I don't come up with many good original ideas.
19. I went parasailing in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. I would do it again in a heartbeat - even over Pineview. But especially in Mexico.
20. I also did the Sky Coaster at Lagoon. It was awesome, but I think the friend I did it with has permanent hearing loss from my screaming.
21. My passport is expired, but I really want to renew it.
22. I don't care how much debt I go into - when they build a temple in Cape Verde, I am going to be there.
23. I think computer games are the biggest waste of time e.v.e.r.
24. But I still spend plenty of time on the computer - just not playing pointless games. I do important things like check e-mail and facebook and blogs.
25. I had a facial for the first time yesterday. It was nice. Really nice. I almost fell asleep.
26. I don't get much sleep at night; therefore, anytime I lie down for more than 5 minutes, I just might fall asleep.
27. My dream job would be editing a magazine or newspaper.
28. I have a weakness for Reese's. And Hershey's Special Dark chocolate. And Whoppers. And Utah Truffles (the mint ones). And cinnamon bears. And licorice. Okay, just sugar in general.
29. I once botched what would have been a super-cool video of my dad doing an endo on the Lochsa River. Just as he started tipping over, I swore and put the camera down.
30. I can tie knots like nobody's business. You name the knot, I can probably tie it. And faster and better than you can.
31. I inherited my dad's ability to pack. That's a good thing - no wasted space.
32. I have a hard time coming up with 32 things about me.

Paranoia

2010-08-25T23:17:00.003-06:00

Recently I had a dream that really freaked me out. It prompted a Family Home Evening about safety. Specifically about "stranger danger." We talked to Michael about what to do if he gets lost in a store (find a mom with kids and ask for help), what to do if someone besides us comes to pick him up from school (ask for the "secret word"), and what to do if someone tries to take him (scream at the top of his lungs, "You're not my Mommy/Daddy!" and fight back).

I've never been one to worry much about strangers. I know there are bad, horrible people out there. Believe me, I know. But I really believe that almost everyone is good. At least, they're not out to hurt my kids. But it's kind of been in the back of my mind for a while that we should talk more about what to do in various situations. So when I had this bad dream, I think I overreacted. Michael will probably now be terrified of anyone he doesn't know. That's not what I was going for. I just want him to know what to do if he gets lost, or if some freak tells him he's supposed to pick him up from school. I don't like living with the idea that everyone is out to get you, and the last thing Michael needs is to have that feeling.

Just a side note, though - even though I don't want him to be constantly worried about strangers, I think we're going to have to talk about this a lot more with him. When I asked him what he should do if he and Faith were outside playing and someone started to take Faith, he said, "Say, 'please give me my sister back.'"

At least we've taught him to be polite.

Thankful Thursday

2010-08-12T13:04:00.002-06:00

1. I'm thankful for the lock on the bathroom door.
2. I'm thankful that the key to said lock is out of reach of little hands.
3. I'm thankful for naptime.
4. I'm thankful for movies that entertain Michael during naptime.
5. I'm thankful that after putting the kids in the van and closing the door, I can walk around the long way and get just that much more silence.

It's been one of those days. Can you tell?

bittersweet

2010-08-10T22:26:00.002-06:00

You are going to think this is a lame post. But I have to record it, because it's kind of a big deal to my lame mind.

I sold one of my crocheted baby dresses on etsy. Big deal, you say. I've sold other crocheted dresses.

But not this one.
This one took me about two years to finish. Mostly because I got overwhelmed by it and didn't work on it regularly. All in all, though, I probably spent over100 hours on it.
It was listed for a lot of money. But definitely not 100 hours worth of money.
Goodbye, pretty dress that has been hanging in my closet for so long. Safe journey to Australia. *sniff* I hope that baby that wears you won't spit up on you.

Binky Fairy

2010-08-04T09:23:00.003-06:00

The binky fairy came to visit last night. (I know what you're thinking - it's about time, she's two and a half.) Faith left her remaining two binkies in a bowl on the kitchen table, and the binky fairy took them and left a surprise - four butterflies that grow in water and a new ring. Faith was thrilled. So was Michael. I think he's enjoyed checking on their growth more than she has.

We started two nights ago with no binkies, and told Faith she was a big girl now and didn't need them. So far she's done really well. She has only whined one time for her binky, but stopped when I reminded her that she's a big girl. Then she just repeated, "I'm a big girl." It is taking her longer to fall asleep, and she wants me to lay down with her more, but I'm thinking that will soon pass.

Yay for big girls!!

Smiling for the camera (why can they never show their good smiles when they're trying?)
A good one.

Sample Workout

2010-08-03T20:54:00.003-06:00

I've had a lot of people ask me what we do at boot camp. The new session started today, so I figured I'd write down our workout so you (whoever "you" might be) could see.

Today Becky had eight stations set up. We spent three minutes at each station, repeating each thing as many times as we could in the three minutes.

1. Rotate between 10 double-unders (jump rope) and 15 push-ups.
2. Rotate between 30 bench presses and jumping up a set of stairs two at a time.
3. Harness sprints.
4. Rotate between 15 platform jumps and overhead tricep presses.

Then we ran 3 laps, which is about a third of a mile. Then back to the stations:

5. Shuffle down the basketball court and back, throwing an 8-pound ball back and forth to a partner. Repeat that three times, then do 15 push-ups.
6. Throw a 15-pound ball as far as you can, long jump to the ball, then drop and do a push-up. Repeat that down the length of the basketball court.
7. Holding a 10-pound weight, do 20 step-ups on each leg on the bleachers, then 30 tricep dips.
8. Holding a 15-pound weight, long jump the length of the court, then lunge back while holding the weight above your head.

We ran 3 more laps. Then we did our ab workout, which today consisted of 4 sets of 20 full sit-ups and 20 reverse crunches, holding a weight.

We have three workouts a week, for eight weeks. Becky sets up a different workout for each time, so we never repeat the exact same one. I was worried that after two weeks off, I'd have a hard time getting through the workout, but it wasn't bad at all. I felt really good.

Summer Fun

2010-07-30T08:34:00.005-06:00

We have been busy! It hit me the other day that Michael starts school on August 16 - just over two short weeks from now. I can't believe how fast the summer has flown by. The kids and I went to Delta for a few days in July. It was a nice change of pace, and so fun for the kids to see Grandma and Grandpa. Michael thought he was the coolest thing ever because he got to ride with Grandpa all over central Utah one day (he later told me they went to 16 towns, and then he proceeded to name them all). I'm sure he kept Grandpa entertained by singing every song he knows and chatting about every movie he's ever seen. I'm glad Grandpa's such a good sport - because it drives me bonkers after a while.

They had chicken week at Maceys, and the kids got these awesome hats.
We've broken out the Slip-n-slide a couple of times. Neither Michael nor Faith is a big fan of having water spray them in the face, so Michael prefers to run down the side.
He finally actually got to where he would run through the water instead of alongside it.
They especially like to crawl on it with no water at all. Here's Michael facing down the shark.
Faith's turn. Michael informed her that she had to stop and ask the shark for permission to pass. But he doesn't.
Lauren watching the fun.
I've been taking the kids to school lunch during the summer. I was trying to get Michael accustomed to lunch at school. Let me just say that it's a good thing we are having him in half-day kindergarten and we still have a year before he'll have to eat lunch there. I don't think there's any way he would be able to eat enough food to get him through the rest of the day without some major meltdown trauma.
Michael and Faith like to show us how big they are (which means they stick their bellies out as far as they can).
And let me just say, Faith is turning into a sassy little thing. This morning I asked if she wanted some toast, and she said "yup." I've been trying to get her to say "yes" instead, so I said, "Yes or no? Do you want some toast?" She responded, "Yup." So I repeated, "Yes or no?" She yelled at me, "I DON'T DO YES!"

And after breakfast, I told her to put her leftover food back on her plate (she likes to spread it all over the table). She stalled for a while. I kept telling her. Finally, she said, "You can do it!"

Boot Camp Wrap-Up

2010-07-15T07:43:00.003-06:00

I know how much you all love reading about boot camp. But hey, this blog is as much a journal for me as it is an update for you, so bear with me. This is my last week of boot camp. Actually, it's the last week of this session, but I like it so much that I've signed up for the next session as well. I won't take the diet class again, but I will continue to follow the plan.

We had a timed strength test at the beginning of this session, and then we repeated that same test last week. Basically, we counted how many pull-ups we could do in one minute, then how many push-ups, then how many sit-ups. Here are my results:

Pull-ups: then, 1; now, 9
Push-ups: then, 8; now, 21
Sit-ups: then, 9; now, 23

So I've definitely gotten stronger. I was thrilled, because I didn't even realize how much I had improved until we did that second test.

And about the pull-ups, don't be too impressed. We use huge rubber bands to help us. There is no way on earth I could actually do 9 pull-ups without that band. Maybe 1. Maybe.

I also had my final weigh-in and body composition testing for the diet class. Over the last eight weeks, I've dropped 11 pounds overall (lost 14 pounds of fat, but gained 3 pounds of muscle), 5% body fat (I'm now in the "healthy" range for body fat), and 6 overall inches (1 from thighs, 1 from hips, 1 from chest, 1 from arms, and 2 from waist). My lean muscle mass increased by 3 pounds. Becky says that after measuring your lean muscle mass, women should add 20-30 pounds to that number to get your ideal weight. I'm still not in my "ideal weight range," but I'm close. I love that we don't go by the traditional charts, because I just don't fit into those. If you look the charts, I should weigh 142-156. But my lean muscle mass is currently 138. That means that I'd only have 4-18 pounds of fat, which is less than healthy. (Yes, I just told you that my ideal weight is 158-168.)

Boot camp makes me tired. I often take naps on days when we have it. But overall I have a lot more energy. And I almost never have headaches anymore. When I do, it always goes away when I drink some water. I haven't taken anything for a headache for a long time. I just feel better. And I really like that my clothes are baggy - although that means I have to spend money to get new ones that fit. Today I plan to spend some time altering a lot of my pants and shorts and see if I can make them last longer. I did buy a new swimsuit, and (TMI alert for you male readers) I'll need to get some new bras. I'm pretty sure about 3 pounds of weight came off of that area.

New fridge!!!

2010-07-14T21:01:00.004-06:00

Our refrigerator has been one of my not-so-favorite things for a while now. It's just too small to fit all of our food - especially since I've been doing Bountiful Baskets and have a boatload of produce every week, as well as up to four gallons of milk (yes, I have one or two gallons of milk for the kids and one or two gallons for Jeff at any given time) and one or two half-gallons of goat milk (for Lauren). And then the food on one side of the bottom shelf would freeze, which was really frustrating, because that's where I keep my produce. So I was throwing a lot of stuff away.

Anyway, after some sweet-talking Jeff, and compromise involving an iPod Touch, I bought this:It's my dream fridge! Isn't it pretty? The kids are most infatuated with the water dispenser. We've never had one before. Getting that water line installed was interesting. It only took me two trips to Lowe's and four holes drilled in my floor. (Yes, I thought I measured correctly, but apparently not - twice. And then I had to move the line anyway because it was too far away from the wall and the fridge would sit on it and kink it.) But hey, the holes are all under the fridge, so it doesn't matter, right? (Please say right.)

I am infatuated with the child lock that prevents Faith from pushing all the buttons and changing all the settings, and also the filtered ice. Jeff is infatuated with his new iPod. And he says that since the kids are now drinking enormous amounts of water, that it was totally worth it.

And Riley and Nikki are getting our old fridge. Hopefully it will be big enough for them. And if they don't put their produce on that one side on the bottom, it should work well.

Bear Lake

2010-07-12T22:46:00.005-06:00

On Friday, we went to Bear Lake for our annual Hansen family outing. It was a lot of fun. The kids all had a great time.

Averie ate lots of sand.Faith was a busy-body all day long, and Lauren spent some time chillin' in the kiddie tent.
Faith liked this blow-up turtle so much that she didn't even care if she stayed on the beach with it.
Michael and Grandpa walking out as far as Michael could (he went pretty far).
Poor Faith was so worn out from all the fun. After leaving the lake, we showered and went to Garden City to get a shake. She insisted on having her umbrella in the van. By the time we got to Garden City, this is what she looked like. (You can see that her right eye is already a little swollen from the mosquitoes.)

Baseball game

2010-07-12T22:43:00.003-06:00

We took the kids to the Ogden Raptors baseball game on Thursday night. It was Warren's/Dylan's night, and we picked up some free tickets there. Michael was kind of interested at first, until he realized that it moves a lot slower than baseball on the Wii does. I think we only stayed through five innings, and the only reason we made it that long was because of a frozen lemonade drink.

Faith's new trick

2010-07-12T22:41:00.005-06:00

Faith has started climbing up to the top bunk, where Michael sleeps. She's pretty good at getting up and down. She likes to wear his "sleeping hat."

4th of July

2010-07-12T22:31:00.004-06:00

This year we went to Huntsville for the parade on the 3rd. I would have liked to go to Delta to watch my brother Tom in the demolition derby, but I had to work that night, so it didn't work out. We had a good time at the parade, though. Charlie and Stevie helped Michael and Faith get a lot of candy, which made the whole experience much better than it has been in previous years (when they pushed all the little kids out of the way to get the candy themselves). Then we went over to the Huntsville park and walked around the booths, got some kettle corn, etc. It was a fun time.

Jeff took the kids to his parents' house in Layton while I was at work. They set up the slip-n-slide and lit sparklers. On Sunday evening, we did sparklers again at our house. It was fun to watch the kids play with them. Next time we'll wait until it's actually dark.I love Faith's smile in this one. Michael is being goofy, but Faith looks so cute.

More photos

2010-07-12T22:21:00.004-06:00

Cuties going to church.Lauren loving her saucer.
Bull rider (at the Treehouse Children's Museum).
Rodeo princess.
Milking the cow.
Swimming lessons. Michael and Faith both did swimming lessons this year. Faith and I did the Mom and Tot class together, which is why I don't have any photos of it. The first two lessons, she pretty much screamed the whole time. Then she loosened up and realized it was fun, and other than floating on her back, she loved it. Michael did a great job in his lessons. He had a WONDERFUL teacher, and he ended up much more comfortable with the water than he had been. By the end, he was even willing to stick his face in the water, which he's never been okay with before.

Terrace Days

2010-07-12T19:36:00.002-06:00

This is really late, I know, but I just downloaded the photos on my camera, and realized I haven't posted any photos for a really long time. On June 19, we had Terrace Days. We took the kids over to Rohmer Park and let them play on all the blow-up slides, bounce houses, etc. It was a lot of fun for them. Just a couple of pics:

Faith's shiner

2010-07-12T15:26:00.002-06:00

We went to Bear Lake over the weekend, and Faith was bitten by mosquitoes. She swells up pretty bad. We came home yesterday, but this morning when she got out of bed, she had this shiner.I'm not sure if it's from mosquitoes or if it's from falling out of bed. She did start crying in the middle of the night and was out of bed when I went to check on her. But it was dark, so I didn't notice anything.

When she smiles it looks a lot worse. Her right eye is definitely swollen from mosquito bites, but not too badly. Her left eye, though, is almost swollen shut.

Thankful Thursday

2010-07-08T21:51:00.002-06:00

Here's a challenge for you: write a brief note about five people who have had a good influence on you. But no family members or friends you see or talk to regularly. I've been thinking a lot lately about some good examples in my life. In no particular order:

1. Bishop Wadman from the student ward - he was one of the best bishops I've ever had. He loved everyone no matter who they were, what their situation was. He had a special sense of what people needed, and he did whatever he had to in order to meet those needs.

2. Wende Call - she was the general manager at the Days Inn when I was the Front Desk Manager. She taught me that being a good person has little to do with religion, and everything to do with character, integrity, honesty, etc.

3. Jamie Jepsen - what do I say about Jamie? She knew how to have fun! She made friends everywhere and was really good at making me forget whatever was wrong. She showed me that it's possible to have fun and still work hard and get the job done right.

4. Becca Winder - my favorite mission companion. She showed me what Christlike love looks like. She was so good at lifting those around her, and she never had to put others down to make herself look or feel better. She was amazing and humble. And she made some killer apple pie.

5. Terry Hansen - my high school debate coach. He believed in me, encouraged me, challenged me, sometimes knocked me off my high horse. He also introduced me to BLAB, which became a huge part of my life in high school and the early college years.

There are others, of course - too many to name. My life would be much different if it weren't for the influences of these people. Who has influenced you?

Funny Michael

2010-07-08T21:15:00.000-06:00

Just had to write this one down. Michael was playing with Lauren today, and I heard him say, "Mom, thanks for getting this baby. She's cute!"

Yup, I just went and got her. You know, from the Cute Baby Store. That simple. (I wish.)

Melt my heart...

2010-07-01T08:48:00.002-06:00

Last night I was sitting on the couch, and Michael came and sat down next to me. He snuggled up really close and said, "Mom, I really love you." Awwww. Is there anything sweeter than that? Well, maybe if he had brought me a bowl of ice cream too ....

Feeding issues part 2

2010-06-30T08:51:00.002-06:00

Burke came up on Sunday morning to test Lauren. I had been making the rice milk formula for her (rice milk, brown rice protein, cod liver oil, olive oil, and supergreens). I would make it fresh each morning, but by her third bottle each day, she wouldn't eat it anymore. I'd put the bottle in her mouth and she started gagging. So I'd switch to goat milk, because she does need to eat. She never threw up at all, so I know she was okay with the rice milk formula, but I was worried that it might not have all the nutrients she needed, and I figured that by the third feeding, the formula must have somehow changed chemically or something, and that's why she wouldn't drink it. I really believe that the body knows what it needs - as we get older, though, I think that instinct gets stifled. Probably because we fill ourselves with things that clog up our bodies and muffle those signals. So we think we need to eat some chips or some candy when what we really need is to drink a glass of water. (But I digress.....)

Anyway, Burke worked his magic, and we found that the best combination for her was goat milk with the addition of the supergreens (thank you, thank you, thank you, April). So we've been doing that since Sunday, and she has done really well. She is no longer scratching at herself, and she isn't constipated anymore either. She is still a little bit congested, but is sleeping longer and longer at night without waking herself up with coughing fits. Last night she actually went until 5:30 this morning, which is the longest she has slept without coughing in a really, really long time. So she is improving. Now I just have to get me some supergreens of my own.

Feeding issues

2010-06-22T21:46:00.002-06:00

So my little Lauren is having some feeding issues. She has pretty much always had really bad eczema, and when I was breastfeeding, it got better when I eliminated some things from my diet. But now, I'm not breastfeeding anymore. I just dried up and have nothing.

I'm kind of anti-formula. I just don't see how something that is primarily made up of corn syrup can be good for a baby. So we put Lauren on raw goat milk. That's what we did for Faith, and she really thrived on it (although it is deficient in some things - like folic acid and B12 - so we have to supplement as well). Lauren, however, is having a harder time. She is getting constipated, and she is congested, and her skin is breaking out. She is always scratching at her head or her belly or her legs - whatever she can reach. Her congestion isn't really bad, but it's enough to make her sound like she's growling when she breathes, and she wakes up several times at night coughing. But she isn't sick. She doesn't have a fever, or even a runny nose.

I took her to her six-month appointment last Monday, and the doctor suggested that I try a soy formula for a few days, to see if her congestion and skin would clear up. So I did. At first she seemed to do okay. She spit up a little more than normal, but it wasn't too big a deal. But after a day or two, she started to throw up everything she ate. Everything. On that day, she only kept about three ounces down. So about a day later, I switched her to a different formula - milk-based, but with the proteins partially broken down to make it more gentle. And same thing. She just puked everything up for another day or so. But the scratching and the congestion seemed to clear up.

So I put her back on goat milk. And guess what? She hasn't puked since. But she's congested and scratching again.

And hence my frustration. Just try to find a reasonable, affordable, healthy alternative to breastmilk, that isn't milk- or soy-based, isn't primarily made up of sugar/corn syrup, and doesn't involve pureeing raw liver. (Seriously - besides the fact that liver tastes disgusting, why would you want to take the body's filter and feed it to your baby? It's like going to your furnace filter and eating it.)

Thank goodness for Mandi and her resources. I got some great ideas for making a rice milk formula, or a coconut milk formula. I did the rice milk one today, and Lauren drank it just fine. Except she still drinks from a bottle, and the protein powder I had to add kept clogging up the nipple. So I need to figure out how to get her to drink it more easily. I tried a sippy cup, and she did okay, but not really that well. So I guess I'll just have to work with her on a cup and eventually get rid of the bottle altogether.

But in the meantime, how do I get her to drink enough? I finally gave up tonight and gave her a bottle of goat milk again. It's just not very effective to take the bottle out of her mouth every minute and clean out the nipple. Not very conducive to falling asleep at night. I considered straining the formula, but then I would be straining out the proteins and stuff that won't dissolve completely, and that just defeats the purpose of making the formula in the first place.

I'm really bugged. Surely there are more kids than just mine in this world who just don't tolerate dairy or soy, and whose moms just aren't happy with feeding them corn syrup. (Seriously - milk, soy, and corn are some of the major allergens. Surely they can come up with something better.) Oh, and if they could come up with something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, that would be better. It would be nice if we could afford to feed the whole family, and not just the baby.

Yeah, just venting right now. Like I said, I'm frustrated.

But thanks, Mandi, for your help. And thanks, April, for suggesting in the first place that I make my own formula. (I still might come up with my own avocado-based formula. We'll see.)

The skinny on boot camp... sort of

2010-06-18T22:23:00.002-06:00

HA! I crack myself up with the bad puns I come up with for titles.

So boot camp is now halfway over, and I am really enjoying it. Okay, so I don't enjoy getting up at 5:30 to subject myself to voluntary torture. (Running backwards up a hill... 300 crunches after each workout... And the worst - pull-ups.) But I am really enjoying having more energy, and feeling stronger (I now have some muscles that are almost visible in my arms).

At my second weigh-in I had gained a pound. I was disappointed - especially after losing 2.5 pounds the first week - but Becky (the trainer) said it isn't unusual for women to gain weight at first, because they are building a lot of muscle they didn't have before. I was feeling better and my clothes were looser, so I didn't worry about it too much. And at my last weigh-in (yesterday), I had lost 4 pounds! Yay!!!! I've been working my tail off and following her diet (almost) perfectly, so it had better work. I totally fell off the wagon when we had Michael's family birthday party. I just like chocolate cake and chocolate icing and neopolitan ice cream too much to not have any. But to be fair, I had a lot less than I normally would have.

I feel like I'm eating all the time, but that's good, because just as one meal wears off, it's time to eat the next one - about every two hours. We're just really focusing on eating protein at every meal and limiting our sugars. Also, eating proper portion sizes. I knew that restaurant portion sizes are out of control, but seriously, one serving of pancake should be the size of a CD. Anyone eat at Jeremiahs? Yeah, theirs are a just a little bit bigger than that. And one of their omelets is three servings. *sigh* I love Jeremiahs breakfast. But even at half-price, I'm not sure it's worth buying an omelet to only eat a third of it.

Look who's (FINALLY) five!!

2010-06-13T21:47:00.004-06:00

Oh my goodness. After a year and a half of having a 4-year-old (see here if you need an explanation), we are so happy that Michael is finally five!

I decided to do his first friend party this year. We rented a bounce house and invited everyone his age from the ward, as well as some of his friends from pre-school and all of his cousins. We had about 32 kids come to his party. It was a lot of fun. But being the great mom that I am, I didn't take one photo of the kids or the party. Just one of the bounce house (after everyone had left).And of course, I took photos of the cupcakes (which, by the way, are WAY too much work for any 5-year-old's birthday; NEVER AGAIN).
Yes, sugar cookie pirates, candy palm trees, rice krispies boats.... cute idea, but after about eight hours of work, I vowed I would not subject myself to it again.
Here is Michael on his new scooter (his gift from Jeff and me).
And here is Faith on the scooter. She thinks it's pretty fun.
We had a family party also, mostly for grandparents. It was fun. Michael had chosen a cake that looked like a rocket. It was a 3-D cake and would seriously have taken me HOURS. But after my cupcake episode, I talked him into something much simpler - a hot air balloon. Two round cakes, some licorice, and done.
Blowing out the candles (yeah, he won't be getting his wish - it took him three puffs).
Some things to note about Michael:
* He is a GREAT helper to me. He sorts laundry, unloads the dishwasher, pulls weeds, and helps vacuum and dust.
* Now that he is 5, he has his own chores to do each day and each week. Each day he cleans up before going to bed, and he puts his own shoes and clothes away. Each week he vacuums and dusts his own room. So far he's done really well.
* He now likes every food "except sloppy joes and bacon." He doesn't really, of course, but he used to tell us that when he was 5, he would like them. And when he's 6, he'll like sloppy joes and bacon too.
* He is doing really well at eating new foods. Our new rule is that he has to eat a hard or new food at every meal, and after a couple of initial temper tantrums, and some adjustments to our rule (he now has to eat the hard food FIRST), he has accepted it and is doing well.
* He is a very good big brother to Faith and Lauren. He takes good care of them, although he often crosses the line into bossy. (But oldest kids do that, right?)
* He knows all his letters and the sounds they make, can count to 110, has four Articles of Faith memorized, and loves loves loves to learn new things. He does not, however, know how to write his letters very well, or even how to hold a pencil correctly. He just can't get it. But I'm going to buy some of those pencil guides that are supposed to help kids, and we'll just have to practice.

We love this kid. What a great blessing it is to be his mom. (I do have to add, though, that our greatest blessings are often our greatest trials, and vice versa.) He is a handful, and learning to help him flourish and thrive has been very difficult for us, but we're so happy we have him.

Lagoon

2010-06-10T09:30:00.005-06:00

We took the kids to Lagoon yesterday. It was our Stake Lagoon Day, so we decided to take advantage of the discount tickets and take them for the first time. They LOVED it. I was so glad. We just bought tickets for Michael, Faith, and Jeff. Lauren and I just did the free entrance pass. It was a lot of fun, even getting rained out at 7:30 didn't ruin it.

First ride ever. We went for the boats - not too fast, no going up high, pretty tame, and a bell to ring. Faith kind of freaked out on Puff, but Michael did great in the seat by himself.The helicopters and sea planes were a hit.Michael enjoyed the swings. Faith was too little for this ride.
Faith freaked out again on the Kontiki, which is a kiddie version of the Tidal Wave, except it rotates as it swings back and forth.
Loving Bulgy the Whale.
And this is how Lauren hung out all day. She was a trooper, and didn't cry at all. It was a good day.

Bowling

2010-06-04T09:22:00.003-06:00

Michael and Faith LOVE to go bowling. But we have learned that two games is one game too many. Michael loves the orange balls at Fat Cats, and Faith loves to be a big girl and do it "ALL BY MYSELF!!!!!!"

Six months!!

2010-06-01T21:15:00.003-06:00

Can you believe she's already six months old? I can't. Here's what's happening:
* She is a pro at rolling from her back to her stomach, but can't quite figure out how to get from her stomach to her back. (Backwards, I know.)
* No teeth yet. Or hair.
* She has completely stopped nursing. I just totally dried up, and my efforts at pumping, taking fenugreek, etc., didn't work. So she drinks lots of goat milk. Lots.
* She likes avocados okay, and was a huge fan of bananas. But then her skin broke out and I remembered she's not supposed to have bananas. We'll try sweet potatoes next.
* She still has eczema, but it's getting a lot better.
* She is a HAPPY baby, most of the time.
* She is starting to get into a nap routine, which is very nice.
* She just gets more and more fun all the time.

Love this girl!!

Week 1 results

2010-06-01T17:47:00.003-06:00

For my diet plan this last week, all I've had to do is eat breakfast every day. Whatever I eat must include protein and whole grains, and have no more than 4 grams of fat. It hasn't been too difficult. The hardest thing, honestly, is remembering to eat at all, because I tend to get so busy (especially in the morning) that I forget.

Anyway, I had my first "weigh-in" today, and over the last week, I've lost 2.5 pounds! I was so happy. For the next week, I'm still supposed to eat breakfast, but also make some changes to my lunches. The whole idea is to reprogram the body to expect more frequent, smaller meals, and to burn stored fat as energy. This is a pretty easy plan to follow, and I especially like that it isn't a fad where you entirely cut out one food group. There is an option at the end to cut out carbs completely for one week, but that's for people who have a large amount of body fat or weight to lose, and the instructor is pretty adamant that you ONLY do it for one week.

Today's class was all about sugar and carbohydrates. I already knew and do most of what she told us (thanks Mom). What I didn't know is that some of the excess sugar we eat winds up in our blood, and creates a sticky substance which increases our risk of heart attack, stroke, etc. She said that scientists used to warn about consuming cholesterol, but more and more, they're finding that it's actually the sugars that we need to eliminate (or at least drastically reduce). She gave us some good guidelines to follow as far as how many grams of sugar and carbs to eat each day. This is a good class.

A couple of ideas

2010-05-28T18:52:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the post overload today, but I'm at work (bored because we're slow), and I've had a lot of things running around in my head. But I'm wondering if any of my 2nd Ward friends (or anyone else who lives in this area) wants to get together for a couple of activities. Here are the ideas:

1. A monthly crafting/sewing/whatever group. We'd have a specific thing we were going to make each month, and we could meet at my house or someone else's, and basically just socialize while we do something fun. I'm thinking we'd make assignments for each month, so that we rotate who chooses the project to make. That way we'd have more of a variety of things to make - aprons, flower headbands, cards, whatever. It would have to be a simple project that can be completed in the one day.

2. Summer camp! This was actually Shari's idea, but we think it would be fun to organize a few families with younger kiddos (maybe ages 2 or 3 up to ages 7 or 8?) to do our own sort of summer camp. We'd pick a week (probably in July?) and each mom would be in charge of some sort of activity. We'd split the kids up into age groups, and do crafts, scientific experiments, service projects, gardening, whatever. We're thinking of a simplified version of this idea by My Mix of Six.

If anyone is interested in either of these, please let me know!