Interesting...

As I asked my kids the questions about me and their dad it occurred to me that they didn't know the real answers to many of the questions. Natalie and Drew really thought that giving silly answers was the best because it made everyone laugh. Justin and Trevor were more serious (in general) about the answers they gave, but they did not get all the answers right either. Some things are our children's true perceptions of us, but some of the things in the questionnaire were about things we could give the answers to. But it occurred to me that if they don't know the real answers, and they live with us and supposedly know us better than anyone else, how often do we make judgements and decisions about other people that are incorrect? I realized when I was in my early teens that I didn't really know a lot about my parents or siblings. I could probably have guessed their favorite color, and maybe their favorite food, but I didn't know all the things that I thought I should know as their daughter and sister. I have tried ever since then to try to get to know what people really like, what they're about, etc. instead of making snap decisions. I hope I'm doing a good job! And, if not, I'm certainly going to try my best.

What my kids think of Kent

What my kids think of Kent
Directions: Copy this note, ask your kid the questions and write down the answers exactly as they say them.

1. What is something dad always says to you?
Justin: Get your jobs done.
Trevor: Do your jobs. How was school?
Natalie: You’re a pain in the butt.
Drew: Monkey.

2. What makes dad happy?
Justin: When we listen to him the first time.
Trevor: Playing the 360 and going to bed on time.
Natalie: Me saying, “I love you without your glasses on.”
Drew: Doing hockey and, um, p-m-o-r. What does that spell?

3. What makes dad sad?
Justin: When we do something bad.
Trevor: I don’t know.
Natalie: When I call him stupid and dumb.
Drew: Hitting him.

4. How do you make your dad laugh?
Justin: Something funny.
Trevor: Weird things. Good, some weird things.
Natalie: When I call him pretty.
Drew: Tickling him.

5. What was your dad like as a child?
Justin: Perfect, I guess.
Trevor: He only had curly hair when he was a kid. I don’t know anything else. I don’t know his history!
Natalie: This is a hard one. I don’t know.
Drew: Hot corn, hot corn, hot corn.

6. How old is your dad?
Justin: 35
Trevor: 35
Natalie: 25
Drew: 35, 50

7. How tall is your dad?
Justin: 5’11”
Trevor: 6’3”
Natalie: 100 feet.
Drew: Bigger than you (Mom). How big? This big. (He put his hand about 6” above my head.)

8. What is his favorite thing to do?
Justin: Go riding. No, actually, hanging out with his family.
Trevor: Play Call of Duty and play with his family.
Natalie: Me sitting on his back, and he’s giving me a piggy back ride.
Drew: Play

9. What does your dad do when you're not around?
Justin: Work.
Trevor: Work.
Natalie: He gets ice cream for Andrew and him.
Drew: Work.

10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
Justin: Doing what he does at his job.
Trevor: How famous his company is, about how good he is for his company.
Natalie: A Disney character.
Drew: Because he’s rude.

11. What is your dad really good at?
Justin: Working with computers.
Trevor: He’s really good at working and playing Call of Duty. Well, not that good. And Halo 3, and being a dad.
Natalie: Giving me piggy back rides.
Drew: Call of Duty 4.

12. What is your dad not very good at?
Justin: Answering Mom’s phone calls.
Trevor: Strategy games.
Natalie: Doing pull-ups.
Drew: Mortal Kombat.

13. What does your dad do for his job?
Justin: He’s a sales manager.
Trevor: Works on the computer for other companies so other companies have electricity and stuff. And he can connect 3 buildings in one thing.
Natalie: Works at his working place.
Drew: Working.

14. What is your dad's favorite food?
Justin: Chinese.
Trevor: Steak.
Natalie: Burger King, McDonald’s and Sonic.
Drew: All food.

15. What makes you proud of your dad?
Justin: Everything he does.
Trevor: Getting promoted, getting awards for working, being nice for a week.
Natalie: When he gives me piggy back rides, gives me ice cream, lets me see a movie, we go to lunch, we go to dinner and gives me what I want.
Drew: Do not have a beard or a mustache.

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Justin: Jimmy Neutron.
Trevor: Mr. Krabs
Natalie: Pooh Bear.
Drew: Spongebob and Patrick and Mr. Krabs.

17. What do you and your dad do together?
Justin: Work out.
Trevor: Play the 360, go out.
Natalie: Gives me ice cream.
Drew: Play air hockey, and hockey too.

18. How are you and your dad the same?
Justin: We both like to go riding.
Trevor: We both like buzzes (haircuts), we both like Call of Duty 4.
Natalie: We both have blue eyes and blonde hair, and he has straight hair just like me.
Drew: I don’t know. We both have yellow hair.

19. How are you and your dad different?
Justin: He likes quads and I like dirt bikes.
Trevor: I like strategy games, and he doesn’t. He has blue eyes, and I have hazel.
Natalie: We don’t have the same exact skin, and I’m not hairy.
Drew: I have a lot of hair, and he doesn’t.

20. How do you know your dad loves you?
Justin: The way he acts.
Trevor: He tells me what to do, and tells me that he loves me.
Natalie: He gives me chocolate and ice cream.
Drew: Because we play.

21. Where is your dad’s favorite place to go?
Justin: Home.
Trevor: Home.
Natalie: Someburro’s, Chick-Fil-A, Panda Express.
Drew: Someburro’s.

Trevor's 10th birthday

Holy cow! Trevor's birthday is today, and he's my second child to be in the double digits. He's an old soul. He loves to theorize and talk about things in philosophical terms as he sees them. For his birthday we did a bunch of fun things. First we went to the ward Easter Egg hunt. Justin was still at scout camp out so he didn't join us. Trevor helped Natalie and Drew get their food, find their eggs and collect their prizes.

Maryann and DrewKent actually smiled for his picture!!!

Natalie and Trevor checking the eggs to see if they won a prize egg.

After that we went home for a while, woke Justin up and then went to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3-D. We all enjoyed that. When we finished there we dropped Trevor off at Peter Piper Pizza for his friend's birthday party. When he came home we ate dinner and gave him his gift. He's been asking for it for months so he was thrilled to get it. We got him Halo Wars, and he had me open it so he could run right upstairs to play it.

On Sunday we had the family party. Trevor opted for a donut cake again this year, so I didn't have to bake anything. (When I find my USB cable I'll pull those pictures and post some of them.) Trevor really loved having everyone over, and even got his uncles to play Rock Band 2 with him before they left. (I don't think that took much convincing!)

What my kids think of me

What my kids think of me
Directions: Copy this note, ask your kid the questions and write down the answers exactly as they say them.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Justin: Do your jobs.
Trevor: Good job. Nice work. Try better. Do your jobs. I love you. Do your jobs so you won’t get in trouble. You would’ve been done with your jobs by now.
Natalie: I love you.
Drew: You’re my favorite baby boy in the whole wide world.

2. What makes mom happy?
Justin: Being nice to you and listening to what she says.
Trevor: Seeing little babies smiling and having fun.
Natalie: Hugs and kisses.
Drew: Giving you a prize.

3. What makes mom sad?
Justin: Whenever I don’t listen to you.
Trevor: Whenever someone is crying or whenever someone hurts me.
Natalie: When I call you stupid and idiot.
Drew: Hitting.

4. How do you make your mom laugh?
Justin: Kicking your butt on Rock Band 2.
Trevor: I haven’t made you laugh.
Natalie: Funny stuff.
Drew: When I do funny stuff like push ups.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Justin: Strong, hard worker, smart kid.
Trevor: Kind, the smartest in your family, she wanted everyone to do jobs in her family, not just one person. She cleaned up after her. And she was nice to her brother and sisters. Got all “A’s”.
Natalie: Barbies
Drew: Surprise.

6. How old is your mom?
Justin: 35? (Snicker, laugh.) 32? 33?
Trevor: 21
Natalie: 21.
Drew: 21

7. How tall is your mom?
Justin: 5’9”
Trevor: 4’5” I mean 5’4”.
Natalie: 21 feet.
Drew: 4 feet long

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Justin: Play video games and read books.
Trevor: Play Guitar Hero and Text Twist, have fun with your family and see the house clean.
Natalie: Play and play with Andrew.
Drew: Watch me playing the Incredible Hulk.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Justin: Cleans the house.
Trevor: DS, take care of the kids, have fun, clean, and play on your computer.
Natalie: Do fun stuff.
Drew: Make cookies and brownies for me.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Justin: Being such a smart, independent person.
Trevor: How smart you were and are. If you were in a movie then that would be a good reason because if a lot of people saw it they would like you for the actor, and want you to do it more.
Natalie: Cause you’re famous on a tv show.
Drew: Because you say the password.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Justin: Reading and editing writing.
Trevor: Text Twist, Guitar Hero, singing, cleaning, taking care of the kids, cooking, piano, loving, caring, and honesty, smart. You’re really good at helping people with projects.
Natalie: Playing Rock Band 2.
Drew: Doing passwords

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Justin: Kicking my butt in Rock Band 2.
Trevor: Running, bending your back, riding motorcycles. You’re not good at ignoring most of the time.
Natalie: Sitting on a chair.
Drew: Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Justin: Watches the kids, scrapbooking, I guess.
Trevor: You take care of the kids, you do baby showers, you cook food for us so we cannot be hungry, you help us out, you clean us up, you take responsibility of us. That’s like the entire job.
Natalie: Clean up everybody’s room and the whole house.
Drew: Making dinner.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Justin: Salad? I’m not sure.
Trevor: Someburro’s.
Natalie: Chick-Fil-A and Mexican food.
Drew: Cheese pizza.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Justin: How you can always help me with all my work and everything.
Trevor: Hmm. Let me see. Working in Cub Scouts, reaching goals, reading your books, being nice all the time when we’re nice to you, and sewing. That impresses me a lot because you see the blankets you make for other people, and that shows love, and I’m produ of you for that.
Natalie: Do crafts and take us out to dinner and a girl’s night, and take me to watch a video.
Drew: Doing tricks.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? (Can you tell we were watching Scooby Doo at the time?)
Justin: Velma.
Trevor: Daphne.
Natalie: Scooby Doo
Drew: Shaggy.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Justin: Work on projects and play video games, go shopping, a lot of stuff.
Trevor: Drive, go shopping, help each other out, sometimes we take naps at the same time, we eat at mostly the same time.
Natalie: Go on girls’ night, get pedicures, go to dinner, go to movies and get lunch. And get crafts!
Drew: Sorry sliders. (What?!)

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Justin: We both know a lot of things.
Trevor: We both have the same color hair. We were both cute when we were babies. Our eyes are hazel, but my eyes they are mostly brown.
Natalie: We have the same shirts sometimes.
Drew: We smile the same.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Justin: I don’t know, actually. We’re not the same person. We don’t have the same medical problems.
Trevor: I had brown eyes and you didn’t.
Natalie: We have different hair.
Drew: I have yellow hair and you have brown hair. Hey, I want you to have yellow hair!

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Justin: The way you help me and treat me.
Trevor: You take care of us. You don’t let us do everything that we want to do. You let us do what we should do, not what we shouldn’t do. You let us do some stuff.
Natalie: You give us hugs and kisses and buy us stuff.
Drew: Kisses.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Justin: Hawaii.
Trevor: To cold areas.
Natalie: Mexican food.
Drew: Someburro’s.

Addition to Spring Break post

You might already know that Natalie is currently obsessed with taking as many pictures as she can with my camera. She gets really upset when I take my camera back. (I don't let her use my digital SLR, only my small, pocket size camera.) While we were at the cabin Natalie wanted to use the camera to take pictures while she went hiking. When I pulled the pictures off the camera I found at least 10 different pictures of this...

What is that, you might ask? No, not small nuts or pine cones. No, no. This would be deer poop. Does Natalie have an eye for what's in nature or what? (Snicker, giggle, turn slightly pink with embarrassment.) Maybe this indicates that she will pursue a degree in zoology or biology? (Hopeful smile.) My dad has numerous degrees in the sciences so it wouldn't be too far off the mark, right?

And, for Katie, here is a picture of the little bird in the towel. We seriously thought this thing was outside. I have no idea how he got in the cabin or how we didn't notice him fly in.

Jazz/Suns game

Kent and I... I'm wearing blue to support my Jazz. Too bad I don't have a jersey...

I love going to the games in Phoenix and cheering for the non-home team. Some people might think it's obnoxious, but I'm not a native Arizonan, and I am loyal to my teams. (So are Cubs' fans, Yankees' fans and Lakers' fans...) I did not and will not adopt the Cardinals because despite this year's performance I think they suck! (Mom, for you, they "vacuum"...) Fair warning to anyone who might go to a game with me- I cheer for my team even if my team isn't from Arizona. I grew up in Utah , and started cheering for the Denver Broncos when I was 9 or 10, and have been a fan ever since. When we moved to AZ we didn't have a professional football team so there was no conflict. I grew up cheering for the Jazz. We didn't have a hockey team or a baseball team in Utah so I willingly cheer for the AZ teams. I would normally cheer for the Suns when attending a game here, but since they were playing the Jazz, I had to cheer for the Jazz.
Kent and I were sitting behind #26 Kyle Korver's parents. The 3 of us were probably the only Jazz fans in our area. (Sorry, Kent...)

Getting ready for a jump ball. The guy on the far left is the son of the couple sitting in front of us.

We were in the 17th row behind what was the Jazz's hoop for the 1st half, and the Suns' hoop for the second half.

Here's the Phoenix Suns gorilla at half time.

Shaq going for a free throw. He actually made it. He didn't make his other one.

Spring Break Cabin Trip

The kids and I (minus Kent) were able to go away for a few days last week. We went to my in-law's cabin up north. It was so fun. We took my sister Katie and her daughter Melia, and the DeTemples (minus Derek) with us. We drove up, stopped in Payson for lunch and groceries, and continued to the cabin. The moms got to relax while the kids went on hike after hike. Some of them were convinced that they saw coyotes and bears. (They didn't, but it was fun to play along with them for a while.) Drew told us about this 4 legged creature that was really small and would crawl up your leg and cut you, and then give you a Band-Aid to fix the cut. He didn't specify if it was an insect or an animal, but he was sure intent on telling us, and tried to keep everyone inside so this creature couldn't hurt any of us. It was hilarious.

Jenn and I worked on our crocheting, and Katie, Jenn and I read. Katie and I took turns playing Guitar Hero on my DS too. When it was early morning or evening (Believe it or not, I was the first adult up each morning- 6:00 on Thursday and 5:45 on Friday) the kids would put out nuts for the birds and squirrels. We only had one squirrel brave enough to approach because some of the kids couldn't keep quiet, but they were excited nonetheless. The last day while we were packing and cleaning up, a bird flew into the window, and stunned itself pretty good. It just stayed on the small ledge for the window. None of us initially realized that the bird somehow made it into the house, and was sitting on the ledge inside. Carter tried to get it down, but the bird kept scooting away from him. I was trying hard not to bust my gut laughing. It looked so funny. Just as he would get close the bird would scoot just beyond his reach. It finally hid behind the planter that was up there. (Smart bird.) I got a broom to see if we could reach it using that, but that didn't meet with success either. I suggested we take a break so the bird could come out of its hiding place, and then I went back into my bedroom to finish getting ready for the day. Probably 3 or 4 minutes after I went into the room Katie came downstairs and asked for a towel. She reached right up there and got the bird in the towel then took it outside where it flew away with all its might.
When we were leaving the cabin Drew got very upset. He didn't want to leave. He followed me around and was crying and pouting quite a bit. Katie and Jenn had corralled the rest of the kids to the stairs out front to take pictures. Drew would NOT go there without me, so I moved as close as I could without being in the picture (I hope). Drew wouldn't move any closer, and Jenn said that in all the pictures Drew's head was visible with a morose expression. She said it looks like his head is floating there without a body. I can't wait to see that.

Spring Cleaning- Oh, I mean, Spring Break is Upon Us Again!

Natalie and Rylie played while I worked upstairs. A win-win situation for all of us!

I LOVE this time of year almost as much as my children dread it. I always get a little extra energy to redo the parts of the house that bug me the most. For the last several months it has been in my mind to reorganize my closet and bathroom. This came as a big relief for the kids... until they found out that I expected them to pull the weeds in the back yard. Some of them were as big as regular bushes! Drew followed the girls around and followed me around throughout the day.
As for my closet and bathroom, though, I redo those things on my own. (Kent's office is on my list, but with the recent acquisition of our new bed our old king size bed got moved to his office, and I can't do anything now!) It always looks worse before it looks better. Currently my bathroom is a maze through which I have to carefully maneuver. Everything is out from under Kent's sink, tons of stuff is out from our closet, and after my lunch break I have to get everything out from under my sink. I hope no one comes in while I'm working! Here's a little bit of the mess after I started decluttering.
I have found a lot of Kent's clothes that lost their hangers somehow. I also found various computer and electronic cables and components. I have vacuumed shelves and floors, and decided that since we no longer have a cassette player that I can throw away the cassette tapes. I reorganized all the towels and sheets again. It seems that I am forever doing those things only to have them undone within a matter of days. It's a good thing I enjoy organizing! Did I mention I would love to be a professional organizer? Dream job! I should take a picture of what it looks like, but I'm afraid what people would think. Ah, nice and organized now. I'm still trying to get Kent to work in his office to get it all cleaned.

Natalie's "Girl" Play Date

Natalie came home with a little greeting card yesterday, and couldn't wait for me to open it up and read it. It was from a little girl in her class named Kylie. She had given all the girls in the class a card with an invitation to meet at the park to play. So fun. I haven't ever done this for Natalie, so it was a whole new experience for me. I've been to plenty of play dates for my boys, but this is the first time for a "girl" play date. I crocheted my baby blanket like a mad woman while talking with the other moms. The kids all played on the jungle gym, in the sand and on the soccer field. It was so quiet compared to boy play dates. Drew and 3 other little brothers were there, but they were even pretty quiet.

Finishing the front yard!

I started working on the bougainvillea yesterday. I love how they look, but they are so messy! I last this plant down to about 4' tall and 4' wide. Not too big, right? I'm the only one who will go near it because of the thorns. (My nail polish really is that bright.)(For those of you unfamiliar with them each branch is covered in thorns. They cut deep, and are more painful than paper cuts.) The worst thing about them is they drop leaves like crazy. They end up under the plant, and all sorts of other yuck collects there too. Last time I cleaned it out I found the rotted remains of 2 dead birds. Gross! I think I found another one yesterday, but I didn't want to look at the feathery mass again. I decided I've had enough of this plant so instead of trimming it back again I started hacking away. Maybe hacking is too strong a word. I had to be careful of those thorns. (This is after working on it yesterday. That green bush in the bottom right corner is a weed that was almost completely covered by the bougainvillea, and then some of the clippings.) Today I spent another hour cutting it back. I still have more work to do so that it will be small enough that I can poison it and have Kent rip it out. I'm putting a nice, non-messy plant there in its place. (Tina, I might need your help again!) Unless I don't mind getting thorns in my arms, legs and torso I can't get those top branches.

This morning I got out the hose and started watering all the plants we planted yesterday. It was then that I realized that all but 7 of the 24 flowers we planted yesterday were stuck just below the gravel line, and the roots were exposed. I had to have the boys fix this, of course! After working on my bougainvillea, and having been pricked multiple times in each finger, I decided I could stop for the day and help the boys. I looked over at Justin who was "working" on the flowers while I was working on the bougainvillea, (who I had left like this) and realized that he'd not finished replanting even one flower. He was riding bikes with Drew. (Natalie was our photographer for their little ride. And for several shots of my rear and chest. Nice. She was mad when I posed for this picture. Apparently it's not as much fun to take pictures of people when they can see you're snapping away. ) I got down on my hands and knees with the kids and helped them replant the flowers. We got them all planted and watered, and I think they should all survive. This is the only picture I could use for planting flowers. All of Natalie's other pictures prominently featured butt shots of me while I was working. She was giggling giddily the entire time she was snapping away.

My second day of Kent's trip

One of the hibiscus we planted today.

I woke up almost an hour before the alarm went off. It was well before 7:00 a.m. This is not normal. I am not a morning person, and I try not to wake up until my alarm goes off at 7:20. Oh well. I got up, put my gym clothes on, woke the kids and got them ready for school. The older two boys were already awake and ready for the day. I took Natalie and Drew to school, dropped off my early voting ballot and went to the gym. Drew came home a few minutes later after I came home, and we went to Lowe's so I could get some plants for the yard and supplies for scouts. Then we got Natalie from school and came home to start planting. Since I am trying to document what I do while Kent's gone we snapped some pictures.

Drew and I. This is part of the reason why my back hurts so much tonight.

Notice Natalie's cute outfit. I talked Natalie into wearing my favorite outfit of hers today. She, of course, hates it. I got her to agree to wear it by arranging for a park day... which didn't end up happening... because 5 minutes after we got out of the car to play Drew had to poop. Of course. Never mind that he went potty just 20 minutes earlier... At home... Where we had access to a toilet. Oh, well. I guess when nature calls you need to answer it.

Natalie couldn't get enough planting.

We (Natalie, Drew and I) dug holes for the 3 hibiscus and 1 Japanese something or other plant. I put Natalie in charge of turning on the water, and later the photography duties. Drew helped me keep the rocks out of the holes we dug. And I found out that Natalie LOVES earthworms. We had so many in each hole. I guess we've got good soil. Yay!

I don't know what Drew is doing with his hands.

This afternoon when the boys came home from school they got to plant the flat of flowers I bought. They usually fight over who gets to plant the most flowers. Natalie brought out the spray bottle to very carefully spray each petal and leaf to "make sure they were clean" (of course), and Drew told the boys where to plant the flowers. Trevor planted most of the flowers, which everyone knew about. Justin planted a few flowers, and then decided to goof off with Drew. They didn't finish until my Cub Scouts were about to leave. Alas, I did not have my camera outside so no pictures of that. But there are a couple of flowers that need to be replanted so I'll get some shots of them working tomorrow.

Friendship Dinner and cleaning

We had our Friendship Dinner on Saturday night. I'm so glad that we did it. I've heard from so many people that they had such a good time getting to know other ward members better. I think it's especially good for people who are in auxiliaries that don't get to attend RS or Priesthood on a regular basis.
Kristen and I set up at her house. Well, Kristen already had most of it done when I arrived so I put out my dishes and we tried to figure out if we had forgotten anything. Desserts had been delivered to her house throughout the day, and I brought 2 of my own when I went. I made chocolate chip cookies for those who wanted something simple, and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake for those who wanted something a little springy. We were just going to order pizza for ourselves and our husbands, but Mindy Judd stopped by with her dessert and invited us to join them. To say our husbands were thrilled would be an understatement. Steak fajitas vs. pizza? Not a tough decision for them.
Sunday I was supposed to meet with the bishopric before church so I could get a blessing. I was up an hour before my family, curled Natalie's hair with the flat iron (which she promptly washed out after church) and got everyone ready. Then I realized I hadn't gotten myself ready. I totally missed my appointment.
After church our home teachers came over. We have Joel Ackley and Brian Washburn. They are great home teachers. I don't think they've ever missed a month, and always remember everyone's birthdays. This makes them favorites in the eyes of our children. Bro. Washburn calls to check in on us, and is willing to help us in any way we need. We're so grateful for them.
Later that evening I got a call from Julie Daniels to come to her house. Her mother, Joann, was there, and taught me how to finish crocheting the baby blanket I've been working on. I was so excited. I've been so busy that I haven't even finished an entire side, but what I do have done looks great. I'm so lucky that I had such a great teacher!
Kent was packing while I was at Julie's, and was ready for bed when I got home. He had to leave this morning at 4 a.m. to make his flight. In his absence the kids take turns sleeping on his side of the bed. I had to kick Trevor out in the middle of the night last time because he's a mover and kept hitting me with his arms and legs. I'm not sure if I dare let him sleep there again. I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is. Justin decided that he was too old to sleep there, but he wants to have the younger kids sleep in his room on the floor. We'll see about that. They do it all the time anyway so I don't know that I can stop it.
And as it always is while Kent's gone I got a ton of stuff done today. I cleaned out the bins by the front door, cleaned out the refrigerator and did all the laundry. Tonight I cleaned out the freezer. One of the kids (apparently named "Not Me" or "I Don't Know") left the freezer partially open, and the raspberries, strawberries and all the ice cream (everything in the door) melted. I could barely open the door, and had a hard time getting the bags separated. I thought I was getting frostbite because my fingers were so cold. After I cleaned that up with Justin's help I mopped. I had to mop under and around the entire laundry room 3 times before I got it all cleaned up.
I have grand plans for the rest of the week. I should have taken before and after pictures of the freezer earlier because it was such a dramatic difference, but I didn't. Maybe some of my other projects will be good for before and after pictures. Even if they aren't blog-worthy, they should help me feel good about the difference I'm making in my own home! Have a great week!

Back, Blanket and Bed

My back has been hurting terribly since Tuesday night. What a drag. Thursday night was especially bad. I hurt so bad I didn't fall asleep until 7 a.m. Friday morning. I woke up at 9:30 so I could be ready when Drew got dropped off from school. So yesterday was a hard day. But we our new Sleep Number bed arrived! It was nice because they said they'd be there between 12 and 4, they were here shortly after 12, and set it up within 20 minutes. Great! Also talked to my next door neighbor. He has a bad back so he showed me how to use their hot tub and told me to use it whenever I want/need to. So last night I did. It was so relaxing. I slept great last night. I think it was a combination of the new bed, the hot tub, the medication and the ice packs.
Thursday evening was fun before I bedtime I went to our enrichment leader's house again to learn to crochet a baby blanket... well, more specifically to crochet around baby felt. It looks like lace. It's not especially difficult, but the effect looks like it should be. I'll post pictures when I'm done. I am really excited to see how it turns out. I'm excited so far!
I was so overtired and sore I couldn't wake up to go to the Pinewood Derby this morning. Whoops! I am a new den leader, and I was supposed to be there. I chose to put my health first, and I felt guilty doing it, but I did it anyway. I do feel a lot better so I think it was the right decision. Trevor had a great time. Kent said that Trevor won all his races. Trevor was happy. Kent took pictures, so I'll post those when he gives me the camera.

Reality check and random musings

Kent is leaving us for a week to go to training for work. I am really grateful he has a job... especially after his office was hit with massive layoffs on Monday. He said that some of the people that lost their jobs came as big surprises, and others weren't such a surprise. But is has definitely made for a stressful week. His boss announced that after these layoffs there will be another round in May, and that everyone who stays will be taking a significant pay cut. I hope that Kent isn't among those who lose their jobs, but I am not looking forward to a pay cut either. He's very well trained, and he got this job because a headhunter called him. I still don't like the trips, though. And although I'm not a fan of all the training I am grateful that he has it because it makes him that much more valuable to his company... or to other companies should the need arise. (It's the same systems that they use on 24- high tech geek speak.) He personally scheduled training for the week of spring break, so now the trip we had planned is either not going to happen or I'll have to do it myself. On the one hand we had promised the kids that we'd go on a trip because we took away the Fall Break trip. It would be a lot of fun, it would probably help me alleviate some stress, and I know the kids would love it. On the other hand, do we want to do a family trip without the entire family? Do I want to be the one to drive us everywhere? Would I/we feel guilty if we left Kent behind while he did his training? We wouldn't see much of him anyway because training days are long days. I guess I'll have to think about it and pray about it, then think some more to see what to do.
While Kent is gone next week I have scouts for Justin and Trevor, plus my den will have a meeting too. I may or may not be able to attend the PTO meeting at school. I'm supposed to go to an enrichment meeting, but it's the same day as my next SI joint injection, so I'm not sure if I'll feel up to going. (Another thing I'll have to consider for the trip too.) We have 3 doctor's appointments scheduled for next week, plus 2 eye exams. And these are just the things that we have to do. There are several other things that we'll need to do so it's going to be busy as usual!
I have a confession to make. I love giving service to my friends, neighbors and family. It makes me feel so peaceful when I am able to help someone, even if it's just something special. HOWEVER, I have the hardest time accepting and asking for help for myself. If you need help I'm your gal. If I can help I will. If I can't I will try to help out the next time.
For instance, my mother-in-law, Julie, is helping me when I get my injection next week because Kent will be out of town. I know that I'll need help that day. But we can't bring Drew to the hospital with us because there is no way he'll last the 2+ hours without driving everyone in the waiting room crazy. And because of the time I have to check in we have to leave the house by 7:40. SO I had to call a friend to watch Natalie for a few minutes then take her to school, and see if she could watch also Drew while we're gone.
I have some friends that I feel like I ask for help all the time. These are my close friends that I've known for years. But I feel guilty for calling friends to ask them to watch my kids for me. I try not to do it unless I have no alternative, but I don't want them to resent me or my kids because I ask for help. Mind you, I wouldn't feel that way if I was helping them out, but I feel like they might feel that way about me.
I sucked up my pride and asked a friend to help out, and she was totally willing to do it. (But I still feel guilty for asking.) I know that Drew will have fun because he'll be playing with a friend. He would not enjoy sitting in the waiting room with CNN on, no kids magazines or toys, and where he would have to keep the noise level down. So this will be a good thing for him. And I will get over my guilt. And my MIL is staying the day so I can sleep off the medicine they'll use to sedate me, and she's making dinner before she leaves. (Including her homemade rolls. To. Die. For. Y-U-M-M-Y!) I bought her a 2 liter of Dr. Pepper, and will make a yummy treat for while she's here.
BTW, did I mention I hate shots? I do. Not fun at all, unless you like the feeling that someone is sticking a long nail into your hip. It's not my favorite feeling, but if it works it will be worth it. If it doesn't work... well, at least I tried. Hopefully it doesn't make it worse. It shouldn't.
Anyway, I have been learning to crochet. Our enrichment leader, Julie Daniels, and her mom are our teachers. We had a blast last time. I actually made a hot pad, and I'm making a wash rag now. I don't know that I will ever use them because they're pretty, and I did light colors... I know, I know, but I didn't know that's what we were making so I just bought pretty yarn. Tomorrow night is our next class. We're going to learn to crochet borders (look like lace) for baby blankets. I got enough fabric to make 5 blankets. Wouldn't it be awesome to learn this craft and to be able to get good enough that you could make gifts for people? I am totally excited to learn.
All righty. I've got to work some more on my, I mean Justin's, social studies homework. He got it yesterday, but didn't do much until tonight. His study habits have taken a nosedive recently, so it has meant many late nights for me helping him to finish his work. We've talked about it extensively, and instituted punishments, but nothing seems to work right now. The tween stage is killing me! Over and out!

Silly pictures at home

Last night after the kids were all home, friends had gone home for the night, and we were watching Nacho Libre I snapped a few pictures of everyone. Except Drew. He would not cooperate with me until I agreed to let him take a picture of me. My picture wasn't allowed to be one where I smiled sweetly at the camera. Oh no. I had to make a face before it was good enough. I really don't normally have pictures like the one on here.

Justin always sits like this to watch movies. It cracks me up. That's Natalie trying to scootch into the picture.

Trevor had been really upset before this. We finally got him happy, all wrapped up in the blanket I made him. Natalie's trying to get in his picture too.

Natalie still had her hair and makeup on. And she wanted to show me her lollipop that Miss Katie gave her at the competition.

Silly Drew. This is the picture he made me take of him. And it was an example of how my picture was supposed to look.

I improvised a little as you can see. Natalie managed to get in my picture too.

Kent was not inside while we were taking pictures. I'm not sure where he disappeared to. He may have been giving Smokey a hair cut still. He really needed it. Somehow he got a huge dingle berry earlier in the week and it's been growing and growing. Now it's gone so he can come inside again!

Video of Natalie's performance

It's short. Since Kent and the boys missed it I wanted to record it so they could watch it. I wanted more still photos than I wanted video so this is what I got. Natalie is in the second row.

Natalie's Dance Competition

Natalie's dance company was in a competition today. She is in the Divas company (5-7 year old girls). We had to drive and drive and drive, and then we finally got there. It took us more than double the time to drive there and back than we spent there. (It was really far, and since the freeway was shut down for a 3 mile stretch it took even longer.)

Here's Natalie with her "Big Sis" Megan.Natalie, Lily and Valerie

All the Divas before their performance. (Milea is in a sling because she broke her arm yesterday.)

The Divas performing "Dreamgirls."

The girls tapping. They did such a good job, and looked so cute!

I forgot to add... before we left to drive out to the HS where it was held I had to get my girl ready. Everyone had to match so I put brown eye shadow, black eyeliner, black mascara, blush and red lipstick on Natalie for the performance. No biggie... we even added glitter. (I had to go buy red lipstick this morning. Red lipstick and I do not look well together.) We also had to do her hair a certain way. (She got her barrette and jewelry when we got there). We did her hair and make-up, and as soon as we came downstairs I overheard Trevor say, "Natalie, no offense, but you're freaking me out like that." I came around the corner and asked him why, and he said, "Her eyes- looking like that... I just don't think she should do that. Ir's freaking me out. She doesn't even look like her."

Then a little while after we came home Natalie had her friend Devon come over. He's such a nice boy, and they were playing the Wii together. Eventually Drew and our next door neighbor Gaven came in to watch them play. Kent popped his head in and asked Drew who his friend was. He was talking about Natalie! Every time I think about it I laugh. She didn't look that different. I thought it was so funny!