Two "fighter monkeys," jumping on the bed... one fell off and split his nose open!
Harrison can't catch a break lately! He and Carter were naughtily jumping on our bed Wednesday night, and Harrison fell off and his nose landed on the corner of an old computer hard drive we're going to recycle. It bled quite a bit and we thought he had a nose bleed at first, but upon closer inspection, we found he had a deep, gaping cut in the "nasal fold," the little crack between his nostril and cheek. We called the advice nurse and she thought he might need stitches, so off we went around 9:30 PM to the after-hours clinic (Harrison's second time in 2 1/2 weeks). He wasn't happy at the thought of stitches, and worried that he'd look funny at school the next day, but we assured him that if he did get them, he could wear a bandage.
We didn't have to wait too long to be seen, considering how late it was. Once we were in an exam room and the doctor arrived, she decided that medical superglue would be just fine to help heal the wound. By then Harrison was fast asleep and didn't really care for being jolted awake by cold stinging alcohol cleaning the cut, followed by stinging superglue (why does it all have to sting?), but was happy about the "no stitches!" His face looks a little gloppy where the glue is, and it won't come off for the next 5 days or so, but we're so glad he didn't have to go through the trauma (and embarrassment) of stitches.
Thursday, March 9, 2006
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Hubby's Going to Mexico
Hubby will be off to Mexico City in a couple of days, to work at a golf tournament with his security company. He's leaving Thursday morning and will be back Monday night. He's excited to visit another country, try out his Spanish, and earn more $$. The great thing about the golf tournament trips is he can use his paid vacation time to take time off the other job, get paid to fly to the tournament, and make money on top of it. I've already warned him to not drink the water.
We will miss him, of course, and I worry about him being in Mexico. But he assures me he'll only be in two places: the golf course and the hotel. He'll probably be working 12- and 14-hour days. Sounds relatively safe, I guess. I'm not excited about doing the single parent thing but it's nothing we haven't done before. Everyone, please send prayers for his safe trip! Thanks.
We will miss him, of course, and I worry about him being in Mexico. But he assures me he'll only be in two places: the golf course and the hotel. He'll probably be working 12- and 14-hour days. Sounds relatively safe, I guess. I'm not excited about doing the single parent thing but it's nothing we haven't done before. Everyone, please send prayers for his safe trip! Thanks.
The Virus, Phase II
Yes... you get to hear the blow-by-blow details of my cold/flu thing. Aren't you lucky!
I've moved beyond the "too weak to do anything and everything hurts" and "drooling and eye-watering" phase into the "take a shower, then pass out afterward" phase. This is accompanied by the "drainage and hacking cough" phase. It's an improvement, but the whole thing reminds me of the song in the musical "My Turn On Earth" called "Oppostion": "You've got to be sick to be grateful for your health, you've got to need money to appreciate wealth." Amen to that, on both.
I'm still loving the NyQuil liqui-gels. Pop a couple of those and it's smooth sailing. I might buy stock in that company after this.
I've moved beyond the "too weak to do anything and everything hurts" and "drooling and eye-watering" phase into the "take a shower, then pass out afterward" phase. This is accompanied by the "drainage and hacking cough" phase. It's an improvement, but the whole thing reminds me of the song in the musical "My Turn On Earth" called "Oppostion": "You've got to be sick to be grateful for your health, you've got to need money to appreciate wealth." Amen to that, on both.
I'm still loving the NyQuil liqui-gels. Pop a couple of those and it's smooth sailing. I might buy stock in that company after this.
Monday, March 6, 2006
Monday Morning Musings
I am dead... tired. I finally caught the big bug that everyone in the household had been passing around for the last two weeks. I spent all day in bed yesterday (thanks Hubby for taking care of everything) and slept most of the day, on and off. I really hope this is the end of it and I don't infect everyone with some new bug that we'll pass around and around and around again. But I have to say, NyQuil liqui-gels totally rock. I hate popping pills so the fact that I am singing praises to pills, tells you how gross I feel. Hubby was such a good daddy, he took four of the five kids to church. He had to teach the lesson in Elders' Quorum yesterday so there was no staying home for him.
On Saturday night, I spent a good three hours working on invitations to the Relief Society birthday party Enrichment Night on the 16th. It hit us Saturday morning, during my meeting with Sharon, Stephanie and Christi, that there were only two Sundays until Enrichment Night and we HAD to have invitations! I wish I had a PDA in my brain so I would think of these things a little SOONER! The whole thing's been kind of a mess, with the presidency changing, but that's no excuse. So there I was on Saturday night, making invites. They were pretty cute. I had Hubby take them to church so Christi could pass them out to the sisters. He helped me cut them out. Such a sweetie.
The meeting was a good time. We planned some fun, ongoing Enrichment Activities like sewing and walking and going out to Dairy Queen and stuff. I really like Stephanie, the new 2nd counselor in the RS presidency. She says she's only been to Enrichment Night five times in her whole life so this will be a fun new experience for her. It reminds me of when Claudia was put in on the Enrichment Committee and she told me she was getting a new calling... trying to help me guess what it was, she said, "What is the one thing in church that I hate?" Ha! It was Enrichment night. Seems like you either love it or hate it.
That's all my sick-ridden brain can think of for now... no crocheted blankets coming after anyone's fingers, no soccer or basketball, no wet chewed-on shirts, no Korn folks coming after Hubby. Just me feeling gross.... bleah...!!
On Saturday night, I spent a good three hours working on invitations to the Relief Society birthday party Enrichment Night on the 16th. It hit us Saturday morning, during my meeting with Sharon, Stephanie and Christi, that there were only two Sundays until Enrichment Night and we HAD to have invitations! I wish I had a PDA in my brain so I would think of these things a little SOONER! The whole thing's been kind of a mess, with the presidency changing, but that's no excuse. So there I was on Saturday night, making invites. They were pretty cute. I had Hubby take them to church so Christi could pass them out to the sisters. He helped me cut them out. Such a sweetie.
The meeting was a good time. We planned some fun, ongoing Enrichment Activities like sewing and walking and going out to Dairy Queen and stuff. I really like Stephanie, the new 2nd counselor in the RS presidency. She says she's only been to Enrichment Night five times in her whole life so this will be a fun new experience for her. It reminds me of when Claudia was put in on the Enrichment Committee and she told me she was getting a new calling... trying to help me guess what it was, she said, "What is the one thing in church that I hate?" Ha! It was Enrichment night. Seems like you either love it or hate it.
That's all my sick-ridden brain can think of for now... no crocheted blankets coming after anyone's fingers, no soccer or basketball, no wet chewed-on shirts, no Korn folks coming after Hubby. Just me feeling gross.... bleah...!!
Saturday, March 4, 2006
No More Crocheted Blankets!
While I was at a meeting this morning, the family had a frightening experience with Rozzie and one of the crocheted blankets she sleeps with. She was in her crib crying, and when they checked on her, they found that she had wound part of her blanket around her little finger. It was so tight that she couldn't get it off and her finger was losing circulation. It was dark purple. Dad finally got it unwound and watched anxiously as her finger slowly came back to its normal color. What a huge relief. Rosalind won't be using those blankets anymore! We're so grateful her finger is OK and nothing worse happened.
Sports Stats 2
The kids played soccer and basketball last week too, but Harrison's stomach was still bothering him. He had to come home early from one of the games because he was in so much pain. The stats sort of flew out the window.
Harrison's soccer team didn't do well today, due mostly to a lackluster goalie (not Harrison) who, poor kid, couldn't really care less about being on the soccer team. Dad said any time the ball came his way, the kid hit the floor, afraid to get hit on the head. Boy, can I sympathize. He was scored on no less than seven times. The Strikers were able to score two goals, however.
Then it was basketball, which was a much better time. Harrison scored his first basket today, contributing to the winning score of 34-24. He was excited to score and did a great job in defense. We were impressed at his level of energy today, so much better than it was last week. He did really well.
About halfway through his game, Dad took Bella to the indoor soccer place for her game. She and her friend Samantha traded being goalie, and did so well that Dad said today they are the only two girls he trusts in that position. They lost by 1 point, after leading the game for some time. The team they lost to was a year older and had won the state championship for their age group the year before.
Meanwhile, Harrison and I took a walk over to Winco to get a snack while we waited for Dad and Bella to come back (we're doing the one-car shuffle) for her basketball game. We bought a deck of cards and played "go fish" in the lobby, expecting that any minute they would walk in and find us and we'd go watch Bella's game together. However, they didn't see us, and we didn't see them, and before I knew it, here they came, telling me that her game was now over and it was time to go home!
For basketball, Bella arrived in time to play in the second half. She played well, despite her complaints that the boys on her team won't pass to her. Fortunately this is the last year that the teams are co-ed. She played great defense and seems to be grasping the concepts of basketball. They won 27-24.
Harrison's soccer team didn't do well today, due mostly to a lackluster goalie (not Harrison) who, poor kid, couldn't really care less about being on the soccer team. Dad said any time the ball came his way, the kid hit the floor, afraid to get hit on the head. Boy, can I sympathize. He was scored on no less than seven times. The Strikers were able to score two goals, however.
Then it was basketball, which was a much better time. Harrison scored his first basket today, contributing to the winning score of 34-24. He was excited to score and did a great job in defense. We were impressed at his level of energy today, so much better than it was last week. He did really well.
About halfway through his game, Dad took Bella to the indoor soccer place for her game. She and her friend Samantha traded being goalie, and did so well that Dad said today they are the only two girls he trusts in that position. They lost by 1 point, after leading the game for some time. The team they lost to was a year older and had won the state championship for their age group the year before.
Meanwhile, Harrison and I took a walk over to Winco to get a snack while we waited for Dad and Bella to come back (we're doing the one-car shuffle) for her basketball game. We bought a deck of cards and played "go fish" in the lobby, expecting that any minute they would walk in and find us and we'd go watch Bella's game together. However, they didn't see us, and we didn't see them, and before I knew it, here they came, telling me that her game was now over and it was time to go home!
For basketball, Bella arrived in time to play in the second half. She played well, despite her complaints that the boys on her team won't pass to her. Fortunately this is the last year that the teams are co-ed. She played great defense and seems to be grasping the concepts of basketball. They won 27-24.
O Korn-y Night
Dad had a most interesting time working security at the Korn concert recently. I am most definitely not a Korn fan. Hubby doesn't care for them either, but the money is always nice and he knew he would have a memorable experience.
And did he ever! He knew there would be a fair amount of skinny, dirty, methed-up freaky people - that group was certainly present - but what he didn't expect were the beefy weight-lifting types. He figured that in some of the cheaper, smaller exercise clubs, this is the kind of music that is played on the stereo so the clientele can be more motivated to pump *clap* themselves up. So there they all were, some really big guys.
Long story short: Fights galore broke out. People were handcuffed. One big guy had five of the security guys hanging onto him for dear life. Our friend Charles pinned a guy and told him to "get on the ground!" The guy answered, "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" and knocked Charles on his butt. Another guy jumped over a wall onto a moving escalator to escape the security guys.
This was pretty awesome: a victim of one assault was able to help Hubby identify his attacker as a registered sex offender on parole, who was now breaking the law by engaging in criminal behavior (violent acts)- violating his parole. Hubby called the cops, and the next morning, off to jail this guy goes.
AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!
And did he ever! He knew there would be a fair amount of skinny, dirty, methed-up freaky people - that group was certainly present - but what he didn't expect were the beefy weight-lifting types. He figured that in some of the cheaper, smaller exercise clubs, this is the kind of music that is played on the stereo so the clientele can be more motivated to pump *clap* themselves up. So there they all were, some really big guys.
Long story short: Fights galore broke out. People were handcuffed. One big guy had five of the security guys hanging onto him for dear life. Our friend Charles pinned a guy and told him to "get on the ground!" The guy answered, "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" and knocked Charles on his butt. Another guy jumped over a wall onto a moving escalator to escape the security guys.
This was pretty awesome: a victim of one assault was able to help Hubby identify his attacker as a registered sex offender on parole, who was now breaking the law by engaging in criminal behavior (violent acts)- violating his parole. Hubby called the cops, and the next morning, off to jail this guy goes.
AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!
The Strong Man
Yesterday I was driving around doing errands. We were headed for the store when, in the rear view mirror, I happened to notice 4-year-old Carter sitting in the back seat with no shirt on.
"Carter, put your shirt back on!"
"I can't. It's wet."
"Why is it wet?"
"Because I chewed it."
Whaaaa? What a weird kid.
"OK, well, we're going in the store in a minute and you have to put your shirt on."
"Why?"
"Because you can't walk around naked in the store!"
"I'm not walking around naked!" He flexed his little muscles. "I'm walking around STRONG!"
"Carter, put your shirt back on!"
"I can't. It's wet."
"Why is it wet?"
"Because I chewed it."
Whaaaa? What a weird kid.
"OK, well, we're going in the store in a minute and you have to put your shirt on."
"Why?"
"Because you can't walk around naked in the store!"
"I'm not walking around naked!" He flexed his little muscles. "I'm walking around STRONG!"
Friday, March 3, 2006
Temple Trip
Brennan is old enough now to go to the temple and do proxy baptisms for the dead. He's going today for the first time with the ward young men. We're all excited about it - probably me more than him. Understandably he's a little nervous.
When he goes today, he'll take twenty-two little blue cards, on which are printed the names of grandfathers, uncles and cousins. The Ackley family in particular will have three generations of men receiving their baptisms. I've come to love this family as I've researched their lives and tried to imagine what earth life must have been like for them. Henry and Martha Ackley died within two years of each other while in their thirties, leaving four young children to be raised by friends and relatives. Their little family had such a short time to be together here on earth, and to think that today, we are helping to facilitate their being a forever family, brings great joy to my heart.
I hope good things for Brennan today. I look forward (for him) to experiencing the beauty of the temple, the wonderful peaceful feelings, the newness of the experience, and an increased testimony of the holiness of our temples and the importance of work for the dead.
When he goes today, he'll take twenty-two little blue cards, on which are printed the names of grandfathers, uncles and cousins. The Ackley family in particular will have three generations of men receiving their baptisms. I've come to love this family as I've researched their lives and tried to imagine what earth life must have been like for them. Henry and Martha Ackley died within two years of each other while in their thirties, leaving four young children to be raised by friends and relatives. Their little family had such a short time to be together here on earth, and to think that today, we are helping to facilitate their being a forever family, brings great joy to my heart.
I hope good things for Brennan today. I look forward (for him) to experiencing the beauty of the temple, the wonderful peaceful feelings, the newness of the experience, and an increased testimony of the holiness of our temples and the importance of work for the dead.
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
"How was your anniversary?"
We had an interesting anniversary celebration. First there was the car, which decided that today was the day to have the starter act up, so we drove around to Les Schwab and various other car places to figure out what was going on. It was now 6 PM and nothing else was open, but we did spend enough time inside Les Schwab to have the tire smell burned into our noses so bad, we could taste it. That took us to Burgerville for some dinner – I seriously wanted some onion rings to kill the tire taste, but apparently at Burgerville, onion rings are “seasonal” because they only use Walla Walla sweets. WHAT??? This is a burger joint! Where are the dang onion rings! Hubby was amused by my temper tantrum.
Following the Burgerville trauma, we went home. By now the kids had trashed the living room, so we made them pick it up before we left for our night on the town. First we headed to Target and bought the 2nd season of the TV show “Arrested Development” on DVD… it was on sale. Hooray! We love that show! The cats are suffering from a flea infestation (which means we soon will be, too) so we bought some flea collars and a new kitty brush, and a $2 green T-shirt for Bella. Then it was off to our favorite book joint, Barnes & Noble, where we had fun browsing and I bought a Mary Engelbreit magazine. Finally Winco, where we bought groceries and a Cyrus O’Leary chocolate cream pie for our anniversary dessert. We are tired out and ready to collapse. Ah, the joys of being married 14 years.
Following the Burgerville trauma, we went home. By now the kids had trashed the living room, so we made them pick it up before we left for our night on the town. First we headed to Target and bought the 2nd season of the TV show “Arrested Development” on DVD… it was on sale. Hooray! We love that show! The cats are suffering from a flea infestation (which means we soon will be, too) so we bought some flea collars and a new kitty brush, and a $2 green T-shirt for Bella. Then it was off to our favorite book joint, Barnes & Noble, where we had fun browsing and I bought a Mary Engelbreit magazine. Finally Winco, where we bought groceries and a Cyrus O’Leary chocolate cream pie for our anniversary dessert. We are tired out and ready to collapse. Ah, the joys of being married 14 years.
Bella's Night with the Portland Pilots
Last night, Bella had the opportunity to go play basketball with her team as a halftime show for a Portland Pilots game. Everyone met at a bus transit center here and carpooled to Portland. The kids got into the game free.
She said: "At first the Portland Pilots were behind 20 points, but then they pulled ahead and won. The score was 91-78. I had a good time watching the game - it was great. Sometimes the Pilots didn't do very well because the other team kept getting shots. But then, they were victorious! Sometimes during the game, when the other team fouled, the dudes from college (I think she means the students) would yell, "Boo You! Boo You!" and they kept chanting stuff. Nice. During the game, the coach pulled us out and made us go practice by the bathrooms. It felt cool to be playing out on the big court. It was a great, great game."
She said: "At first the Portland Pilots were behind 20 points, but then they pulled ahead and won. The score was 91-78. I had a good time watching the game - it was great. Sometimes the Pilots didn't do very well because the other team kept getting shots. But then, they were victorious! Sometimes during the game, when the other team fouled, the dudes from college (I think she means the students) would yell, "Boo You! Boo You!" and they kept chanting stuff. Nice. During the game, the coach pulled us out and made us go practice by the bathrooms. It felt cool to be playing out on the big court. It was a great, great game."
Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast
What do green eggs taste like? They taste, strangely enough, like regular scrambled eggs with just a hint of mint. Just kidding... all they did was throw in some green food coloring. We had an awesome time this morning celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday with Harrison and the kids at school. Hubby even won a $25 gift certificate for food from a local restaurant (the one that provided breakfast)! Our friend Christi D also won one, so we joked that he and she could go on a date together and it would be free. What a lovely thought on your anniversary. *wink*
After we ate, we went back to class and the kids heard "Green Eggs and Ham," and each got to pick out a new book as a birthday gift. Our friend Kailyn D, who helps in class, told us that Harrison, when it was his turn to choose, seeing all the "little kid" books, he asked if there were any chapter books instead. Hubby whispered to me proudly, "That would be Big Sister's influence on him!"
It was a very enjoyable morning. We took lots of pictures of Harrison and his friends, his teacher, and other friends and ward members who attended with their kids.
After we ate, we went back to class and the kids heard "Green Eggs and Ham," and each got to pick out a new book as a birthday gift. Our friend Kailyn D, who helps in class, told us that Harrison, when it was his turn to choose, seeing all the "little kid" books, he asked if there were any chapter books instead. Hubby whispered to me proudly, "That would be Big Sister's influence on him!"
It was a very enjoyable morning. We took lots of pictures of Harrison and his friends, his teacher, and other friends and ward members who attended with their kids.
Brennan and Homeschool
Today we added structured PE classes to Brennan's schedule, which he will attend at the community center down the block. Every Tuesday morning at 8:00, he will attend rock wall class, and Thursdays at 8:00 is swimming. He is very excited. Patti, our teacher/home school consultant we meet with weekly, is so awesome. Today I had to restrain myself from impulsively hugging her and telling her I love her - she's THAT encouraging and supportive. After all the years of hearing that Brennan isn't doing well at this or that, to have someone sit there and be so wonderful is very comforting and exciting at the same time. I did tell her that I appreciated all the great stuff she does for us. I probably worded it differently.
I told her that Brenna had been drawing lately, and that on President's Day we checked out a book for kids on drawing Utah's signs and symbols - seagulls, the state capitol, etc. Along with "serious" pictures, he drew a great picture of the capitol building being attacked by a flying saucer, with a chunk shot out of the side of the dome. It cracked me up. Patti suggested that Brennan should take a shoebox and decorate the sides, inside and out, with Utah stuff and make a little Utah box, and that each side could represent something different - geography, flora/fauna, art, history, food, natural resources, etc. That has me really excited. Gee, twist my arm. You want Brennan to make a Utah shoebox? I am SO there. We still have pangs of homesickness for Utah, especially Cache Valley.
The whole staff is completely great. I can't think of enough positive adjectives to describe these people. Just think of your favorite one and that's what I think of them. I used to think about homeschooling my kids and the number one thing I thought of was, I couldn't possibly do it. I wouldn't know enough, have enough resources, be able to keep him busy enough, but these people make you feel like your kid will be the next Nobel Prize winner with YOU as his teacher. No public school has ever made me feel like that.
I'm not knocking public school - Bella and Harrison are still doing well there and I love their teachers - but if it doesn't work, it just doesn't! Thankfully there are great homeschool programs out there now - I especially love that the school districts are involved. I talked to the mom of one of Harrison's classmates today and she said she'll be pulling her little boy out of public school too, because the kids at school have been picking on him and he's just miserable. This week is probably his last. Poor guy, he looked like he felt terrible - like he was just hanging on for dear life, emotionally. That's no way for a kid to learn. It's great that we don't HAVE to send our kids to school anymore if they're not doing well. We have great options. And that *sniff, weep* is why I love homeschool.
I told her that Brenna had been drawing lately, and that on President's Day we checked out a book for kids on drawing Utah's signs and symbols - seagulls, the state capitol, etc. Along with "serious" pictures, he drew a great picture of the capitol building being attacked by a flying saucer, with a chunk shot out of the side of the dome. It cracked me up. Patti suggested that Brennan should take a shoebox and decorate the sides, inside and out, with Utah stuff and make a little Utah box, and that each side could represent something different - geography, flora/fauna, art, history, food, natural resources, etc. That has me really excited. Gee, twist my arm. You want Brennan to make a Utah shoebox? I am SO there. We still have pangs of homesickness for Utah, especially Cache Valley.
The whole staff is completely great. I can't think of enough positive adjectives to describe these people. Just think of your favorite one and that's what I think of them. I used to think about homeschooling my kids and the number one thing I thought of was, I couldn't possibly do it. I wouldn't know enough, have enough resources, be able to keep him busy enough, but these people make you feel like your kid will be the next Nobel Prize winner with YOU as his teacher. No public school has ever made me feel like that.
I'm not knocking public school - Bella and Harrison are still doing well there and I love their teachers - but if it doesn't work, it just doesn't! Thankfully there are great homeschool programs out there now - I especially love that the school districts are involved. I talked to the mom of one of Harrison's classmates today and she said she'll be pulling her little boy out of public school too, because the kids at school have been picking on him and he's just miserable. This week is probably his last. Poor guy, he looked like he felt terrible - like he was just hanging on for dear life, emotionally. That's no way for a kid to learn. It's great that we don't HAVE to send our kids to school anymore if they're not doing well. We have great options. And that *sniff, weep* is why I love homeschool.
Harrison's Blessing
Harrison's stomach pains went on for over a week, including the weekend before Hubby took him to the doctor on the 20th. We watched what he ate and tried to monitor him so he didn't eat too much or eat things that we thought would bring on more pain. We kept giving him Mylanta liquid, which he hated, but took the pain away within 10 minutes. In between times, he was listless and cranky. It was hard to watch - we knew he didn't feel good, but we couldn't do a thing for him since the tests on Monday evening proved negative for anything wrong.
Finally on Sunday night, he had another attack and was in great pain. We finally thought to have Hubby give him a priesthood blessing. It was really amazing - he IMMEDIATELY calmed right down and went to sleep. He went to school yesterday and while he was tired from being awake during the night, he was perfectly fine. He slept through the night last night and is his old happy self today. The best thing is, we haven't heard the words "My tummy hurts" since his blessing, not one time... and we'd heard it about 3 times daily since Friday the 17th. We know blessings work! Hopefully next time, our poor kids won't have to wait 10 days before we think of it!
Finally on Sunday night, he had another attack and was in great pain. We finally thought to have Hubby give him a priesthood blessing. It was really amazing - he IMMEDIATELY calmed right down and went to sleep. He went to school yesterday and while he was tired from being awake during the night, he was perfectly fine. He slept through the night last night and is his old happy self today. The best thing is, we haven't heard the words "My tummy hurts" since his blessing, not one time... and we'd heard it about 3 times daily since Friday the 17th. We know blessings work! Hopefully next time, our poor kids won't have to wait 10 days before we think of it!
Happy Anniversary (Kind Of)
When I say "kind of," I mean that it's KIND OF our anniversary, not that it's KIND OF happy. Today Dad and I are celebrating fourteen years of wedded bliss. Since we were married on February 29, we've only had three actual anniversaries (and five kids - wow, we work fast). To celebrate, we went out to dinner Saturday night at Olive Garden (thanks Mom) and we had our usual stuff, and I had chocolate lasagna for dessert. I think I'll try making it sometime... so good. Dad had the black tie cheesecake, his favorite.
Today we'll attend Harrison's "Green Eggs and Ham" first grade breakfast at his school, and tonight we'll hang out, make something fun to eat and possibly go to Borders or Barnes & Noble for fun and maybe buy each other something. Vague enough for ya? It's fun having our anniversary every four years... it's definitely a conversation-starter. We figure right around midnight between February 28 and March 1, our little day is stuck in there somewhere.
Today we'll attend Harrison's "Green Eggs and Ham" first grade breakfast at his school, and tonight we'll hang out, make something fun to eat and possibly go to Borders or Barnes & Noble for fun and maybe buy each other something. Vague enough for ya? It's fun having our anniversary every four years... it's definitely a conversation-starter. We figure right around midnight between February 28 and March 1, our little day is stuck in there somewhere.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Carter and the Spiky Cat
This morning Tasha, our eccentric old orange tiger-striped kitty, got it in her head that she MUST flop herself onto our tan recliner, no matter who or what stood in her way. This time it was Cartr and he didn't really think he wanted company, so he kept pushing her off. She wasn't happy and would "meow" rather grumpily at him. The last time she tried it, I was ready, and I pushed her off rather rudely so she would finally get the point. She ran for the bathroom to pout. Carter started to cry and I hugged him and asked, "Are you scared?" He said, "No - her spikes hurt me!"
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Oregon's Tax Dollars at Work
Dad and his crew enjoyed a hard day's work yesterday when, in the name of team building, they went to a "retreat," AKA an all-day Lasertag extravaganza. A continental breakfast, lunch, and cookies were also provided. They played Lasertag three different times throughout the day and before they left, the employees were all rewarded with a lovely new black canvas bag for carrying guns, ammunition, and supplies, and each had their first initial and last name embroidered on an outside pocket. Dad has sore thighs today from all the running around, but otherwise he thoroughly enjoyed himself (who wouldn't?).
There's some evil part of me that would love to send this post to Oregon's Governor Kulingoski. But I won't. He might freak out and then we'd be out of a job.
There's some evil part of me that would love to send this post to Oregon's Governor Kulingoski. But I won't. He might freak out and then we'd be out of a job.
Movie-Making Kids
In the tradition of my family's tape recorder parodies, our kids have discovered a new outlet for their creativity: the DIGITAL CAMERA. Our new camera also takes videos and saves them on a memory card for copying onto the computer hard drive or burning on CDs. Last night when Hubby came home from work, we enjoyed some of Brennan and Bella's hard work. Here's a typical on-camera exchange:
Brennan: You have disgraced my people! Prepare to die!
Bella: It is not I who have disgraced your people, but you who have disgraced my people!
Brennan: Bring it on, babycakes....
This is followed by Brennan making "punch" noises, Bella flopping around crying "Oh!" and lots of camera jiggling. Eventually Bella is shown on the floor, passed out from the "beating" she just received.
Another movie shows a giant, snarling, Bella-resembling monster wearing a knit ski cap terrorizing a small town, with Brennan reporting at the scene. At one point the monster comes toward Reporter Brennan, who shouts, "Oh no!" followed by a long beep and a crudely-drawn "Please Stand By" sign blocking out the scene.
Brennan also stars in "The Clumsy Spy," which features Bella, the cameraman, singing the James Bond theme while Brennan, brandishing a spoon, tries to stalk an imaginary bad guy but instead trips on the carpet or hits his head on the wall.
We can only hope that this kind of thing might turn into a lucrative business someday. In the meantime, they keep us laughing.
Brennan: You have disgraced my people! Prepare to die!
Bella: It is not I who have disgraced your people, but you who have disgraced my people!
Brennan: Bring it on, babycakes....
This is followed by Brennan making "punch" noises, Bella flopping around crying "Oh!" and lots of camera jiggling. Eventually Bella is shown on the floor, passed out from the "beating" she just received.
Another movie shows a giant, snarling, Bella-resembling monster wearing a knit ski cap terrorizing a small town, with Brennan reporting at the scene. At one point the monster comes toward Reporter Brennan, who shouts, "Oh no!" followed by a long beep and a crudely-drawn "Please Stand By" sign blocking out the scene.
Brennan also stars in "The Clumsy Spy," which features Bella, the cameraman, singing the James Bond theme while Brennan, brandishing a spoon, tries to stalk an imaginary bad guy but instead trips on the carpet or hits his head on the wall.
We can only hope that this kind of thing might turn into a lucrative business someday. In the meantime, they keep us laughing.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Queen of the Undies
Miss Rosalind is big into underwear lately - not hers, but her siblings'. Along with increasing her vocabulary by leaps and bounds every day - today the new word was "juice" - she's figuring out how to dress herself. Last night she'd pulled Carter's T-shirt over her head and was wearing it like a hood, with her little face poking out of the neckhole. Today she brought me a pair of his new SpongeBob underpants and fussed at me insistently until I put them on her, over her little sweats. She walked off, satisfied, but a few minutes later was heard fussing again as she realized how tight they were making the rest of her clothes. One of the kids took them off for her. A while later she was spotted dragging around a pair of Bella's underwear. This kid is just like the others - SO MUCH FUN!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Harrison's Visit to the Clinic
Every so often for the last few days, poor little Harrison would fall on the floor, writhing in pain and crying about his hurt tummy. Usually the pain would subside and he'd bounce up and go back to what he was doing. The pain was in the wrong place and he didn't have a fever, so we figured it probably wasn't his appendix, but it was still worrisome.
This time it didn't go away, so Dad scooped him up and took him to the walk-in clinic. They left this evening (Monday) about 6:00 PM. After a number of tests, they concluded that he had an old-fashioned stomach virus, but there could be some gas associated to it as well. So some Mylanta might come in handy. Harrison was very tired and the blood draw was a "yucky surprise," but in all he was a very brave boy. They did bloodwork, X-rays and the whole shmear. Dad and Harrison had to wait quite a while to be seen by a doctor, and then wait for the results of the tests, so they made it home after midnight. We're grateful that it's nothing serious (and that we have awesome health insurance).
This time it didn't go away, so Dad scooped him up and took him to the walk-in clinic. They left this evening (Monday) about 6:00 PM. After a number of tests, they concluded that he had an old-fashioned stomach virus, but there could be some gas associated to it as well. So some Mylanta might come in handy. Harrison was very tired and the blood draw was a "yucky surprise," but in all he was a very brave boy. They did bloodwork, X-rays and the whole shmear. Dad and Harrison had to wait quite a while to be seen by a doctor, and then wait for the results of the tests, so they made it home after midnight. We're grateful that it's nothing serious (and that we have awesome health insurance).
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