February 5th

It will forever be ingrained in my mind. The start of February comes and it hits me like a box of rocks. I miss my friend. It has been 12 years. The pain has subsided but the memories live on. I often wonder what life would be like if he was still around. Would Scott and I have stayed friends? Would my decision to commit my life to Christ have played out like it has? What a wonderful guy who lived a short life.

Like it was yesterday, I remember the details: the phone call about his accident. No brain activity, hearing that he died. The drive to the funeral, bawling like a baby when I saw his things on the stage. Visiting his parents afterwards, smelling his pillow, snooping through his desk with his dad. Wow. I miss my friend.

Reason #237 that I love Marriott

I had a reservation to stay at one of my favorite Marriott Hotels recently. I made the reservation for Wednesday night as I planned on scrapping with Jody and then attending a meeting in our state office. Then Tuesday night we got gobs of snow. I enjoyed a day home with my kiddos and cancelled plans to the capitol city. All day I kept telling myself that I needed to call Thursday to cancel my hotel reservations. Only, this morning while showering, I realized that I should have called yesterday. I instantly freaked out and then settled down realizing that I would just have to pay the fee for not cancelling. However, I called this morning and explained that I was confused on the date. After being on hold for two minutes, the Marriott employee let me know that she would cancel my reservation with no fee. Thank you Marriott, you will definitely keep my business.

Snow = Chains

Where I grew up, if you were going to the snow [you had to drive there because it didn't snow in the valley], you put chains on your tires. The highway patrol would sit on the side of the road and if you didn't have chains, you turned around and went back home. But out here in the midwest, people don't do that. It was so odd to me at first. The only time you see chains is when you drive past the tractor thats out in the field feeding cattle. Some people have studded tired though but no chains. Odd!

Ah, how sweet

yes, my husband is a stud muffin! Today at 4pm, the bell at the front desk rang as our secretary was gone already. Okay, farmers never hit the bell so that was odd in itself. Knowing it was a guy I'd just talked to at the counter, I jumped right up. Only, to my surprise it was Ryan with a pleasant surprise on his face. I jokingly asked him if he was here to bring me lunch as he unzipped his jacket and pulled out a red rose. Yup, a red rose, for no particular reason. It was so sweet. He was a few miles down the road on a call and went out of his way to come to town, buy a rose and bring it to me. It was perfect. And so sweet. I took a picture of it on my desk. I wish I would have taken a picture of him getting it out of his jacket or one of him giving it to me.

Cross Country Skiing

In the more recent years, my justification for doing things has changed [from exercise] to it being all about the photo op. Well, this day was a day of exercise but I did get a cool picture as well.

This was my photo op picture. It was difficult to get as my camera didn't like the cold! The next picture is of us girls. Three of us from work decided to have fun for a day. It was a ton of fun and now I have lots of bruising to prove it. Cross country skiing wasn't difficult but when I tried to make it become downhill skiing, it didn't go over so well. Its really hard for me to make corners with those big long skis. Oh what fun it was. It really works your hips, I found out. And by the end of the morning, I was using my arms to compensate for my naturally sore hips. My muscles were surprised to be used again :)

Pups

These puppies are so stinkin' cute. Steve, my coworker, raises Goldendoodles. They are cute little things. Ryan's uncle has one that's full grown and its a cool looking dog as well. Steve and I were chatting about them and I was amazed at how inexpensive they are. I guess his prices are cheap because we live in rural Iowa because they would cost TONS more if you were in the city buying them. One of the great things about goldendoodles is that they don't shed. So, people like me who hate animal hair don't have to worry about it. Poeple who have allergies don't have to worry either.

Anyone want a goldendoodle? I know where you can get one real cheap.

Funny Kid

A couple of funny things about Scott:

1. He loves soup. He'll spoon out all the juice first before he'll eat the rest. Doesn't matter what kind of soup it is. Sometimes, he even drinks the broth like you would the milk out of your cereal bowl. Only difference is that he's not eaten the food yet.
2. He loves to bake cookies. This was my sneaky attempt to get him on the potty. We baked chocolate chip cookies and then he couldn't have one until he pottied. Yup, it didn't work. I ate his share of the cookies instead. Last night I baked a few more. Gave one to Ryan, ate one and even let him have a bite. He really wanted a cookie. But when it came to going potty, he didn't want a cookie anymore.
3. He likes to tell you he wants to go potty. Get him in the bathroom and he changes his mind.
4. This kid is funny. When he poops, he doesn't want you in the room with him. I guess he likes to poop in private. However, since he's still in diapers, this means that he doesn't want us in the kitchen, living room or wherever he's standing. I have recently asked him to go in the bathroom when he poops. And he does it. But won't sit on the toilet!
5. He has to having "dippin' sauce". I don't think he cares what it is as long as he can dip into it. Scott doesn't want to eat something, ah, just squirt some ranch dressing or ketchup on his plate and he'll eat it.

He's not all fun and games. Last night he was up twice. Yes, twice. The second time he came in and told me he had poop. So, at 4am, I woke Ryan to change him. Thankfully, he didn't have poop. I think it was just his attempt at not getting scolded for being out of bed. He has been so tired lately but fights bed time so hard. Give up kid.

Snow

This picture is just a small glimpse of what I see every night on my way home. Nope, its not cattle grazing, those are white tail deer. Each night there are about 60 of them in the field right along the road. In order to get them to show up in the picture, I had to zoom way in and then you don't get to see the masses of them. I had several run out in front of me on the road yesterday. Please, please, feel free to come hunt up here. I know the farmers and

I remember the days when it was a huge deal if snow fell on the valley floor where I grew up. It might happen every 5 years and when it did there was hardly a covering of snow on the ground. That cracks me up now as we get snow on a regular basis.

As of right now, we are getting yet another snow storm. Expecting 2-3 inches throughout today and then some more over night. Will it ever end? Supposedly it's going to warm up over the weekend and maybe even hit 40. We'll be thinking we're having a heat wave for sure after having sub zero temps for a while.

Yes Mommy

She is so adorable. She is very attentive to those voices she knows and likes best: mommy, Scott and her Papa.

ADORABLE

Yes, I must admit that these two children are adorable. Not only that, they are well mannered children. Thank you God for that!

This morning, like every morning, Ryan helps me get out the door and headed to mom's. This morning was different though. Our kiddos stayed the night at my mom's. No, not what you were thinking; we had bible study last night and didn't want to take the kids out in the cold. After getting home around 1115 (way past my bedtime), I had to put away milk from the day, wash up the bottles, pump, wash again, take out my contacts, brush my teeth and head to bed. This allowed for a few minutes of conversation with Ryan. Apparently that wasn't enough though and we were awake for about an hour chatting while I tried to get warm. Anyway, this morning, as I headed out the door, my car was still in the garage. I figured Ryan just didn't back it out since I didn't have the kids to load up. Let me remind you that the temperatures are frigid and its nice to have a jump start on getting some heat in the car. Anyway, I get out to the car and it wasn't even running. I think my teeth were chattering as I drove to town! Figures... I must be chopped liver as it seems he only starts the car for the kids and not his wife! I'm just thankful that he does it most days and one day of cold helps me appreciate it even more.

I miss California

For several reasons lately I miss California:
1. My 10 year class reunion is around the corner
2. I haven't seen Cori for a long time
3. Yesterday I got an email from the associate dean who was responsible for me as a scholar. He had a very thoughtful email and was wanting updates from the scholars.

Why I miss California:
1. sun-kissed cheeks vs. frost bitten red ones
2. fresh citrus fruit vs. the crap in the store
3. fog that lifts vs. snow that just keeps building up
4. driving to the now for a day vs. hybernation
5. fresh clam chowder vs. deer meat
6. Tanned skin, sun-bleached hair vs. looking like a ghost

I did NOT sign up for this

The weather forcaster predicted a low of -15 last night. This morning when I looked at the temp, it said 6 degrees. Yes, that is cold but I'm kinda getting used to the frozen appendages after making three trips from the car to the house when I get home at night. As I dropped of the kids this morning, I left my gloves off. It was cold and I felt bad that Scott didn't have gloves on. He insists on not wearing them as they prevent him from getting a good grip on his hot chocolate and t-rex or whatever else he manages to carry outside. As I walked onto the porch, I looked at mom's thermometer. It was -20. Are you kidding me? I figured it was wrong. But how could it be wrong? Mine said 6. Yeah, it was cold but really what's the difference between zero (the temp when I got home last night) and -20? I so didn't sign up for this weather. I moved to Iowa, not northern Minnesota.

Every Hour

I so desperately want to be the creative, thoughtful and appreciative wife. And yesterday I had the perfect way of doing so. Ryan has an important appointment today and I want to make a point to pray for him every hour throughout the day and then the entire time of his appointment. But, what I thought would be fun was to make him little note cards, one for each hour to let him know what I would specifically be praying about. Yeah, I was going to stay up late and get that done. That didn't happen. Got home last night as youth kids were arriving. When that was over, I started laundry to wash Ryan's new shirt. Fed Bethany. Put away milk. Did dishes... it was 9pm, I stopped to eat supper. Pressed Ryan's shirt. Went to bed. I so wasn't motivated to do anything last night. Sorry honey, I still plan to pray for you though!

Will I Ever Be On Time Again

Some mornings I try really hard to be on time for work and something always gets in the way. I'm so lazy when its dark outside and cold in the house. I woke at 530, fed Bethany and should have started my day so I could, for once, wear make up, have some quiet time and eat breakfast before I leave. Nope, not this morning, I snuggled under a warm blanket for another hour before the rat race began. If it wasn't for my amazing husband, I would be so totally late. This morning moved right along. I even managed to press some slacks first. Headed out the door and was only 5 minutes behind. This is good. Got to the end of the driveway and realized I'd forgotten my contact solution and case that I'll need as today will be a LONG day. Turned around, went back home. Dangit, I was late again... but still earlier than my normal late. Thank you for flexible work schedules!

Bethany

If only I could read her mind. A picture is worth a thousand words. I could only imagine what she was thinking as her big brother held onto her by her ears.

She's growing like a weed. She throws a fit every time we eat. She thinks she has to eat too. The other night, every time I'd lift up my mug of hot chocolate to take a drink, she'd catch a glimpse and start fussing. She WANTED that mug. She's not tasted hot chocolate but she seemed to think that she needed it since I was putting it to my mouth.

In other news, she's absolutely adorable. Even when its way past her (and my) bedtime. She was laughing at everything we said and did last night. She was so giggly. It was fun. That is, until she realized she was in bed by herself, no more music, no more lights. Then she cried. And this morning, a bright and beautiful little baby who pooped some nastiness!

Got Milk?

Dangit, I forgot to turn the photo. Too bad now, I'm in a hurry. This is actually yogurt. Scott thinks that you're supposed to have yogurt with every meal. He'd even settle with it being a dessert. He's such a cutie.

Wow, look at that bed head. I gave him his 2nd haircut in two weeks last night. He's such a cute little boy!

I didn't sign up for this, or did I?

And this was considered warm in comparison to now! Cori, it was -5 this morning when I left for work. Today's high was 10. Yes, 10 degrees but we at least got above the single digits. My furnace ran ALOT in the last few days! I was outside yesterday scooping my walk and my fingers were COLD after just a few minutes. It is definitely winter weather. However, with that said, the snow fall was amazing yesterday. The landscape is beautiful. So crisp looking. Very cool (no pun intended). I remember trying to explain to Cori, my San Diego pal, how the fog sticks to everything when it gets below freezing. This was a picture that I took during that time. You can't really tell. I wish I had pictures of things covered in ice, it looks really cool that way too.

I'm loving the cold weather. So many native mid westerners are complaining about the cold. Yeah, its definitely cold but at least its pretty to look at. Could be worse, I guess. In the recent days, we ran out of wood for the main floor wood burner. That is, wood that is stacked on the porch. If we really wanted wood, we could bring some up from the basement. Anyway, this would be a good time to burn wood on the main floor but instead, while we were home all day yesterday, the furnace provided our heat! I know winters like this exist but this is the first one since I've lived here. My friends to the South, even 200 miles south, don't experience this type of weather typically. So, Cori, we're experiencing the Minnesota winter - it has apparently decided to cross over into our beautiful state. Its about time we get some real winter.

I can be bribed

Jody has her Valentine's bribing going on right now. Go over, check her out, but don't sign up because I want to win ;)

Weather

Yeah, Cori, I miss you right now. I miss your weather too. Having read your blog update, I really wanted to look for an airline ticket. I was laughing out loud and my mother in law commented that she hadn't heard me ever laugh like that before. I was certainly entertained.

You have 66 degree weather. That, my friend, is amazing. Our high was -4. Yes, I typed that correctly, NEGATIVE FOUR. Let me tell you what, that is cold! Fortunately when I was outside each time today, there was no wind. At anything negative for temperature, you certainly don't stand outside to chat or do anything else. This is one reason that when it becomes 30 degrees, I walk around without a coat.

I remember returning to Fresno after my house hunting trip to NE Iowa. It was 40 at home and I had my car windows open and didn't wear a jacket. Those were the days! I'm okay with cold as long as it doesn't last too long. We've had snow/ice on the ground since the first weekend in December. We're due for a few warm days to melt it all off.

In the mean time, I will stay all warm and cozy inside somewhere.

Do I Dare?

Do you ever dare write about your inlaws while one of them is sitting next to you? I guess you can when you have good things to say. With all of yesterday's events, craziness and cold weather, we stayed the night at the inlaws. Thursday night we packed up the kids and ourselves for an over night stay. Fortunately the only thing I forgot was a toothbrush, which is easy to come by when your father in law is a dentist. Following my dentist appointment, Mark was able to fit Ryan in a clean his teeth. A short time later I headed to my optometrist appointment. I was very nervous about not getting my contacts in and having to schedule yet another appointment. I even spent time begging God to help the process go smoothly. Things went amazingly well and I walked out with my new contacts. Praise God, he answers big and little prayers. That night, my new dentist and his wife treated us to pizza at the local joint. We went back to the house and eventually crawled in the guest bed.

That was interesting in and of itself. Scott was in the twin bed, Bethany was in her carseat and Ryan and i were in the guest bed. Let's just say that I didn't get a lot of sleep between the fussing, falling out of bed and sheet sharing.

With all that said, it wasn't the point of my post. My point was my inlaws, right? It has been lovely. Not only did I have a free trip to the dentist, but they mean so much more. They are wonderful and I'm so glad to have them near. No, they aren't my parents; they have their own qualities and quirks but they've been quite the blessing. Its fun to be comfortable staying at their house for a night (or two). Watching them with my children is a true joy. Eating the food my mother in law prepares adds a few calories to my diet but its yum, yum.

Today was a blast. I left for a few hours and met some of the girls in town for a chick flick, or girl porn, as we call it. Upon returning, my father in law polished up my necklace and wedding ring after showing me how to start the '78 toyota land cruiser of his. My mother in law hemmed up my two pairs of $5 slacks. My kiddos have been taken care of, our bellies fed. I'm glad to not only be blessed with a wonderful husband, but also his wonderful parents.

Not By Choice

Wednesday evening a beautiful snow fall began. Thursday morning was the typical morning - all except that I was up earlier than usual. According to the local radio station, we were to receive 4 more inches, with a total storm of 6 inches. Do the math and that means we got 2 inches over night. We had more at our house but assumed it was a localized issue so I headed to work. Driving on the state highway was decent and town was not so great - all to be expected. However, after dropping off the kids, I headed a different way to work as this way was half the distance to a highway. I could hardly get around the corner an up over the bridge. As I continued down the county road, it didn't improve. A beautiful snow was falling and as I drove, I continually hesitated to make the 25 mile trip to the office. Finally, I turned around and called the office. I figured the roads were only going to get worse and I would then have to drive back home.

Yes, I chose to turn around but based on the safety issue, it really wasn't a choice. I spent most of the day at my mom's house working on Bethany's baby quilt that I've ignored for the last 3 months. The road home that night was fine. I so could have gone to work but I'm glad that I have a job that allows for flexibility for such situations.

Thursday night while entertaining 10 guests, the phone rang. It was Ryan's dad. Ryan's mom was heading down Friday morning to keep the kids for the day. But because of some emergency at home, she would be driving down, picking up the kids and driving back to her house with them. Its a 50 minute trip one way. The next morning, I was again up early. Only this time I was thinking of my schedule for the day. I had an appointment with Ryan's dad to get my teeth cleaned (yes Merrit, you missed part of the story. My father in law is a dentist and just moved to the area) followed by an appointment with the optometrist. I would have to leave work by 1145 to get home, pick up my hubby and get to my appointment on time. Considering all the options (100 mile drive for my mother in law, 50 mile drive for me for less than 4 hours of work), I chose to stay home again. I guess I had a choicec on that one.

So, today, is day #3 of my weekend and I have 2 to go. Not by choice.

Class Reunion

For a while now I've been dreaming of my class reunion. In fact, for almost 4 years... since hubby had his. Well, more recently I've started talking to others about it. Since I have lotsa miles to travel to get there. I emailed the guy I thought was our president. Only to find out that he wasn't. But fortunately, I just saw a link to her brand new blog off of ashley's blog so I emailed her. I really hope that someone takes the initiative to plan something. I want to see some old friends. I plan to go home anyway and see those friends I talk to and see family but I'd like to see other classmates that I don't know how to get a hold of.

Dentist Drama

My father in law is my new dentist, again. Yipee. I waited to make an appointment until I knew for sure that he would be able to clean my teeth. Well, today I called for the appointment and the receptionist sweetly told me that mark would check my teeth and then the hygenist would do the cleaning. I gulped.

At lunch time, I called mark on his cell phone and explained the situation. he promptly went to the front desk and fixed it. He will be cleaning my teeth at 1pm on Friday. I hope the receptionist doesn't think I'm a brat. Well, I am, but not in this situation.

A Four-Eyed Failure

I haven't heard the term four-eyes in a long time so I thought I'd use it. Maybe, just maybe, glasses have become a cool thing, or a sophisticated thing.

i despise going to the optometrist

In my life, I have been a success at everything that I've put lots of effort into (except a job application one time). Going to the optometrist frustrates and stresses me out. I know what those little charts are for but I can't stand having to read them for two reasons: 1) after reading through the line one time, I basically have it memorized (cause I'm a nerd like that) which does me no good because I can cheat my way through the remainder of the exam without even trying and 2) because I feel like a total failure when I can't quite read the line. If in context of a word, I can make it out but when its random letters, I can't really tell if its a "C" or "O", etc. Albeit humbling, which is a necessary thing in my life, I don't like it one bit. And add to it that they ask me to read crap after they've been jacking with my eyes for 20 minutes. Who in the world can read after that?

All that to say that I couldn't get the contacts in. I was able to get the left contact in but not the right. It was frustrating to me. They require that you take them in and out 3 times before you can take them home. I had to reschedule another time to irritate the snot out of my eyes. Dangit. The tech said that my contacts are larger and round because of the stigmatism (as compared to someone who is near or far sighted) so that makes them more difficult to put in. And I have wonderful reflexes which make it even more difficult. I have to practice this week holding my eye open and touching it. However, I can do that, its getting the contact to stay on my eye before I close my upper lid. Friday could be interesting. I'll have one hour before closing to get it accomplished, which is probably a good thing as my eyes are super irritated now.

Update on the Pepperoni

I got on the hormel website and wrote a letter of complaint. They replied within 8 hours. That's amazing. I wish I would have saved the letter I sent them but I didn't think about doing so. Regardless I got a very appropriate reply from the company:

Ms Buitenwerf,
Thank you for reporting your experience with HORMEL(r) PILLOW PACK(r) Pepperoni. We can understand your disappointment with your package turning moldy so soon after opening. We do take numerous precautions to eliminate this type of situation from occurring. Unfortunately on occasion, between production, shipping and handling of the product a small imperfection can arise in the package allowing air to enter, thus allowing mold to form. Mold is certainly unappetizing but it is unlikely to cause a foodborne illness. In any event, we certainly apologize that you received a package in this condition. For future purchases know that pepperoni will keep in your refrigerator for 3 weeks after opening, the use by date on the package is obsolete once opened. Your method of freezing an opened package is recommend. Your report is extremely unusual and we appreciate having the opportunity to review the manufacturing process to prevent recurrence. We share your concern for quality and thank you for taking the time to contact us. We hope you will continue to purchase our products with confidence. We are mailing you compensation for your use.

Gina
Consumer Response Specialist

Now, how's that for customer service?

What a Stud

I know that I have a lot of room for improvement in my marriage. Not that things are bad, but they could be amazing. I'm trying to learn the fine line between being honest with my feelings and respecting Ryan. Its a hard line to find, let alone be aware of it. Recently, Family Life Today had a broadcast titled Baby Steps to a better Marriage. And it had some good info in it. That along with some other things recently (a new book from my brother in law, a prayer card on my desk that reminds me to pray for my husband) have me thinking about how I speak to him verbally and non verbally.

.... (I'm trying to make this brief)

All that to say, Ryan rocks! He's been a wonderful help around the house lately. Saturday he did lots of cooking. Last night supper was ready when I got home. We had taco soup. And after supper when I should have been cleaning, I was cold and snuggled up on the couch and fell asleep. Meanwhile, Ryan was watching a movie with Scott and folding laundry. Yup, he rocks. I'm so thankful for his willingness to help out more around the house. It takes some of the stress of my shoulders (which is a lot right now) and makes me that much more attracted to him. Did I mention that he also did the dishes? Yes, you may agree, what a man!

What do pepperoni and the web have in common?

I bought hormel pepperoni a while back to make personal pizzas with english muffins for lunch at work. Within two weeks the pepperoni was molding. I was ticked as I'd bought it to help reduce the price of my lunches and now I was throwing away a product that I couldn't use. I even checked the seal and it had been closed. So, why did it go bad when the date on it was mid march?

Today when I was in the grocery store, I approached the lady at the meat counter about. After a brief conversation, she suggested that I contact them via their website or 800 number. Having nothing to lose, I did just that. Yup, I went on the website and found the contact page and sent them an email about it. I buy several of their products and never have a problem before this. Do you think they will reply? Do companies really have good customer service any more?

I will give you rest

God, I'm counting on your promise to give me rest. Its been a wild and hectic last few days!

Saturday I made a quick trip over the river and through the woods and even past fantastagirl's house to the city. I had to return a few items and buy Scott some new jeans as his were getting snug around the center (if the kid would only potty train it wouldn't be an issue). The trip was a quick one compared to normal but still a long one as I took both kids down there. I ended up buying several baby gifts and lots of clothes at OldN*vy since they had a good sale going on. Anyway, got home and helped Ryan finish up the 2 weeks worth of meals that he was cooking. He finished up after 10 and then I made 3 chicken lasagnas and finished up at 1130pm. I was TIRED by time I climbed in bed.

Sunday was another whirlwind day. I was 10 minutes late to church to start with. And I'd even gotten up early however, I changed Bethany 4 different times AFTER Ryan had already gotten her ready for church. She must have had a yucky tummy. Following church was the potluck lunch, then the annual business meeting. My butt was so sore after sitting for 5 hours and have I mentioned that I have a problematic tailbone so sitting is very uncomfortable. I left there in time to run one of the lasagnas to a friend who just had eye surgery. I visited for an hour before having to leave for my next committment. I stopped by moms to feed Bethany and take the kids over to Sarah's where we talked about our Junior High youth group plans (lotsa change happening there... we have them reading Technical Virgin, How far is too far), making chinese food for supper, scarfing two plate fulls of that and hurrying off to my financial class. I dropped Scott off at mom's after the class, went home and wasted no time putting Bethany to bed and crawling under the covers myself.

All this plus the added stress of a wild few days at work. Some of it very frustrating but most of it just being plain swamped. I so need a vacation! God, I want that rest... maybe I need to go read about that and see specifically what your Word says about it.

ps: I get my contacts today. After actually wearing glasses all the time now, I don't like them getting dirty, fogged up, etc. I've had a cold for a few days and the dry itchy eyes but that seems better today. HOwever, I've been dizzy all morning so I hope this contact thing works today. I did NOT like them putting the contacts in last week. The nurse lady told me I had very good reflexes!

OCD about the pants

Okay, I really don't have OCD nor do I care that much about the pants. But now, this has become a fun game for me. Last night as I was doing laundry, I grabbed the brown pants. And for several seconds, I held them in my hand debating on washing them or not. If they don't get washed, then I can't wear them again. I do the same thing with one of Ryan's shirts. I hate the shirt. He knows I hate the shirt and continues to wear it. So, it often times finds its way to the bottom of the pile and doesn't make its way into the wash until I need something to help fill the last load!

Tina Suggests a Minivan

Tina, did you grow up riding in one of these:

I bet not. I did, only ours was red. If you were in the back, you never got the air or heat it seemed like. You couldn't open windows, it was like a jungle gym getting out, etc. I know they're different today but I still have that old opinion of them. Last night, every where I stopped, there was a new minivan next to me so I began pondering the idea. Now, let me clarify that I'm not getting soft to the idea of one, rather I was entertained thinking about how they've changed in the last 20 years. We had no folding seats, no hiding cargo space, no dvd players, no control of heat or radio, no fancy cup holders, etc. Times are a changin', I do realize. But, today, even with my paid off car and growing family, I am still 100% against them.

I would love to be a cool mom whose kids adore her and who drives an SUV or a truck! I found the perfect picture to summarize my thoughts:

Weather Hot Shot

In late November, I took a picture of the sunset view from my office. I posted it to my blog here and also sent it to KWWL, the news station that I like. Today, I got an email from the meteorologist saying:
Thanks for the weather photo. It will air on Today in Iowa tomorrow morning (1/10/08) around 6:25.
That's fun. I had long decided that they didn't use the picture. Now my husband isn't the only one with a picture that made the news!

Letter to the Car

Car, I don't like you. I've not liked you from the beginning. You will never compare to the Saturn. Yes, it was dumb to think buying you was a good idea. I was young, newly married, and thought I had money. You've been a waste of money. Why did I ever get rid of the paid for Saturn and begin paying for a new car? You're getting old now and have joined the 100,000 mile club. I still don't like you. You get decent gas mileage but you're tiny. You can be serviced locally but you don't like snow and ice. You have been safe and protected me but you show wear.

Dearest car, today is the first time I think I'm truly thankful for you. Today you are paid for. Now more draining my bank account for you. That payment will likely now go to repairs but at least I'm not making a payment and paying for repairs. As much as I like you today, I wouldn't expect a bond of friendship. You are not acceptable for weekend trips as you can't carry all the crap that I need to pack and the additional crap that I buy while gone. So my dear car, today, I will begin saving for a replacement. Keep up the good work in the mean time and you will remain on my good list.

Happy owner

Update on Pants situation

Jerelyn, you had a wonderful idea and I've even considered that. However, I laugh at the idea for several reasons:
1. Its easier to gripe about it
2. Its more fun, and somewhat entertaining to discover it each time
3. Who in the world has time to remove the button and sew it back on...
4. Bethany requires lots of attention
5. Scott wants me to read him a million books each night - actually only 2-3 books but we repeat them lots of times each night.
6. My maid has been on vacation since I got married
7. I have a stack of things to be mended which I've not got to... the most recent is the pants I got from NY&Company that are too long.

I know sweet friend that your life is busy as well and that you have ~20 kids. However, your kids go home after your work day whereas my work day ends and then I start my second job - the parent/wife/maid one.

again

I just realized once again that I'm wearing those pants with the different colored string on the button and its still frustrating!

William Edward Goat

William Edward Goat has been a part of the family since 2003. In a rural attempt at a weed-eater, I begged Ryan to let me have a goat. His purpose was to eat the weeds in the fence line as we were newly married and didn't have the time or money for a weed wacker. William Edward Goat, and to those who knew him well Bill E. Goat, had a wonderful personality and in more ways than one became dear to our hearts. When Ryan strung the hot wire fence and Bill E. chewed on it and his mouth turned black, my heart ached for him. It wasn't long that we figured out he was too stupid to fear the electric fence and we had to tie him up. Before long, I felt sorry for our precious little goat and would take him for walks. The stubborn animal would try to pull me all over so we put on a gentle leader leash and I was back in control as we walked/jogged the lane. And then, someone had the bright idea to put Bill E. on zip line so he could rotationally grazed the pasture. Ryan has spent many hours untangling, fixing and tightening the line. The goat has proved to be an important part of the composting process in the pasture. Some winters the goat has spent up close the the house, others in the barn and some out in the pasture. With his daily ration of hay and water, this time of year he stays happy in his little goat house. Until recently. Thursday night, he was making noise when I got home. I said "hi" to him and went in the house. Friday morning when Ryan went out to feed him, he was gone. Well, not really gone, but dead. William lay frozen solid with his head sticking out of his house.

Not sure what happened to our little buddy. But he was not around to make noise anymore. I've been so thankful that Ryan took on the goat chores this winter so I could keep my butt in the warm house. However, as of Friday, I wish that I'd been on goat duty so maybe, just maybe he'd still be alive. Scott will miss him this spring and summer.

My dear william, I'm sorry that I didn't get you over to Gail's barn so you could play with the donkey and horses. I'm sorry that you for some unknown reason, didn't stay alive. You made it through the cold part of the winter and as it finally warmed up, you are gone. May you rest in peace as you were taken down the hill across the fence where the birds can feast on you!

*we've not had the best of luck with our animals this year. Mocha was hit by a car, we gave Keller away and now William is gone. DJ the dog has sores on his body and the vet has started him on antibiotics. Cats, beware.

This is the Life

Right this minute I'm sitting on the couch at my inlaws. And its wonderful to be here for several reasons:
1. This is day 4.5 of my long weekend. I took off at noon on Friday and will go back to work tomorrow for a short week.
2. I'm playing on the internet while I sit my lazy hiney on the couch with a big screened brand new lap top in my lap.
3. Kris, a good friend of Ryan's family, just put Bethany down for a nap. She's a wonderful help.
4. Scott is currently being entertained by his grandma B. She's a blessing of a Grandma!
5. Did I mention that I'm lazily hanging out on the couch? The guys are happy watching another game of football and I'm happy not to be chasing my kids.
6. I had a simple ham and swiss cheese for lunch. It was perfect, I'm a simple girl - for the most part.

Gifts

Okay, so I try not to focus too much on gifts for Christmas but rather take time to appreciate the One true gift for which we celebrate. However, with that said, I love giving gifts. It's so much fun.

I was very spoiled this year, as I usually am. Ryan got me a practical gift but I'm perfectly happy with my new item... when it arrives. He also got me new headphones for my ipod which was another perfect gift. Mom made me a beautiful Christmas tree skirt which took plenty of her time, talent and money. She and Ralph also got me a few other little things - candy and a new shirt. Dad came to visit which is a wonderful gift as he'd not yet met Bethany. And be brought me freshly picked oranges. Yum, yum! My inlaws gave me a little wall hanging that she made. its really cute. So, not tons of crap that I'll never use but enough for me to appreciate. I'm thankful.

And now, I'm really curious. What did you get for Christmas?

Merry Christmas

More thoughts from my "break"

Not as exciting but just now as I was taking my "break", I looked down to notice that my very cute brown pants with the stylish brown button is attached with khaki colored string. OldNavy, you dissapointed me today. And how come I've worn these pants a million times and never noticed it before?

Opening Doors

Last week I was in the bathroom pumping during my work day. As usual, I locked the door, closed it and started in with my "break". As usual, someone comes down the hall towards the bathroom and as usual, I get nervous and look over to double check that I did lock the door. Once again I was safe. Only, this time, when the person grabbed the door handle, the door began to open. Within seconds, they walked away. Yes, God abstained from humiliating me at that very moment. Whoever it was almost got a view of my milkers and my gut! How sickening! I still don't know why the door never opened all the way, maybe they heard my pump making its wierd noise. You bet I stepped right over to the door and pushed it all the way shut, making sure it clicked shut.

As I type this, it takes me back to my senior year of high school. One of my brothers buddies was a class mate of mine. He practically lived at our house. Well, you can imagine how the rest of the story goes but I'll tell it anyway. I had just gotten out of the shower, went in my room and shut the door. Put on under garments and then sat on my bed to read my mail. Outside in the hallway, my brother and his buddy were screwing around, as usual. My brother shoved Albert right into my doorway. Yes, I'd made sure my door was closed and locked. Only, it appeared to be closed but hadn't clicked shut. Here comes Albert tripping over himself, in more way than one, as he looks up to see me sitting in my bra and panties on my bed.

Ah, the joys of being humbled!

Playing the #'s game

If you were to stare at your gut for half an hour each day, do you think it would motivate you to lose weight, eat healthier, excercise, etc? When I pump twice a day at work, the only location that works is right in front of the bathroom mirror. Not so exciting, but it is motivating. Last week, I had a random thought (which is very normal for me). I thought that I'd like to get back down to my pre-scott weight. Ideally, I'd like to be pre-marriage weight but I wanted to be realistic with myself. Check out these numbers:

Pre-marriage: 118-122
Pre-Scott: 125
9 mos pregnant: 167
pre-Bethany: 130, I think
9 mos pregnant: 153
just the other day: 125

Yee, flippin' haw! I was so excited. I've not been on the scale in a while and never expected to weigh that. However, I have noticed that my gut is smaller than pre-bethany and I can fit into slacks that were pre-scott again. Woo hoo! Maybe pre-marriage isn't unrealistic after all!

* the numbers above may be a little off here and there but they're my best guess according to what I started at and what I gained with each kid.

Scott, I am your mommy!

I think my son has basically lived at my mom's this week. Sunday night he stayed with her. Monday night we got home at 7pm and played a little together while putting up the Christmas tree. Tuesday night I met Ryan, the kids and his parents for supper and then they came home with us to decorate the tree. Scott played with his grandpa for the most part. Wednesday I came home late and he stayed at his grammy's. Saw him for a few minutes before work and a few minutes after work. I went to bible study and he stayed at his Grammy's. Tonight he will go home with his dad but I have a Christmas party to attend so I won't see him then. I'm really looking forward to being home Saturday with him. Sunday is a full day and after church my inlaws will watch the kids so I won't see him then either. I promise though. I am Scott's mommy and do love to have time with my son!

Shopping

The car got "fixed" and $204 later, I took it home. Only now it makes a funny buzzing noise when the fan is on.

I did finally go shopping. Tuesday all day to Rochester with one of my partners in crime. The weather was nasty but we headed north and had clean roads, spent lots of money, had a good time, bought ourselves gifts too, enjoyed the "butt warmers" (aka heated seats) and got a little Christmas shopping done too.

Wednesday I was working near the city and got done a little early. So, I headed over to the city to finish my shopping. It didn't quite get done but that's okay. I hate not being done, I'm usually done in October. Anyway, after a few hours and another fun purchase for myself, I met up with my girls. We shopped for our own version of Operation Christmas Child. We went to 7 stores. When Target was closing at 11pm, I decided to head home. I'd been walking around for 7 hours and my feet and hips hurt. So, I headed home. The girls finished shopping there and headed to another store. I got home at 1230 and was in bed by 1am. The rest of my girls however got home at 330am. They're crazy! Although, I don't know that I was much different on sleep time. I'd had a caramel frapp and don't usually drink coffee so I was pretty wired and didn't sleep.

The good thing is that we're almost done shopping. The bad thing is I got charged for the wrong ornament and paid $5 more than the price. The other bad thing was that Sam's no longer had the item I wanted to get for my brother in law for his gift! Oh well.

So much for shopping

Who in the world would want to drive 85 miles on half decent roads to shop in a super busy mayhem? ME. And who in the world would decide to go at noon when kids had yet to be fed, would need to be dropped off, etc? Me again. And what kind of sucker husband would agree to go? Yes, mine. Of course, he was just supporting his wife and is not at all really a sucker husband.

A quick changed of clothes and brief stop at moms to drop off the kids and we were on off to the city we go. Its now 1pm and we've not eaten. So we get to the nearest town with a BK and stop for a quick bite to eat at 2pm. Wait a second, let me back up a step... this was the same town that gave me hope for BK being open on Thanksgiving only to find out they were closed. Anyway, so we pull into BK drivethrough and I flip off the defrost/heater. As we leave, Ryan flips it back on. This is a necessary part of our trip since the hour drive down was freezing rain. With just our luck (I really don't believe in luck but couldn't think of another word), the fan wouldn't turn back on. Ryan continues driving towards the highway and I'm thinking this could be a problem. So, we pull over at the big blue store next the highway. After lots of phone calls to my dad, messing with fuses and relay switches and freezing our butts off, it still didn't work. We even went into the store to buy new fuses (and warm up a little) but that didn't help either. We spent an hour in all trying to figure out the problem before giving up and driving back home.

We never made it to the city to do the shopping. Instead we drove an hour in a toasty warm car to go through the BK drive through, buy new fuses at wally world, then drive the hour back home with no heat except what came off the running engine in 12 degree weather. Fortunately, we didn't hit freezing rain at all on the way home.

Eventually I'll do my Christmas shopping :) Until then, I might be using Christmas budget money to pay for my car to get fixed - for the 2nd time this week.

Andrew

For the past 25 days many of us having been praying for little Andrew. He was born with some heart complications. After two successful major heart surgeries, we continued to pray for healing. It was this morning at 955 that the little guy passed. He was 25 days old. My heart aches for Andrew's family. I couldn't imagine walking out of the hospital without my child. Multiple times this morning, I've found myself crying while grieving their loss. And now as I prepare to eat my lunch, there is a newborn in the lobby crying and I'm crying again.

I'm so glad we can home in an everlasting life with our risen Lord and Savior. What a gift, and a free gift at that!

My Life This Week

- I moved back in with my parents. Okay, not quite like that. But I did stay the last two nights there as I'm not able to traverse my own driveway. Ryan has 4wd and was able to go home, heat up the house and get me some clothes.
- Having one 4wd vehicle that fits 3 people sucks! We are a 4 person family and with our driveway, we need another 4wd. Although my husband would disagree, if I can't get down my driveway, something is wrong with that picture.
- Scott doesn't like the "pokey" Christmas tree and would only help his grammy decorate it after I put his gloves on him. What a goober!
- This was my weekend to clean and get ready for bible study at my house on Thursday. Yeah, I didn't get squat done since I left the house Saturday morning and haven't been back.
- Busy week ahead (as if we ever have a slow week). I have to work lots but also have to pick my kids up on time this week and will have a crappy drive to work this morning and will get started late. Not sure how I'm gonna make anyone, let alone everyone happy this week.
- My inlaws didn't make it here yet

What a View

While I was busy staring at this:

I almost missed this:

Fortunately, as I was preparing to leave the office I looked out my office window and caught it just in time. Just 5 minutes later when I did leave, there's only a slight hint of color left.

Allergic Reaction

Okay, so for a while now, I have this occasional allergic reaction. Not sure what the deal is or what causes it. In a matter of about 5 minutes a civil war goes on inside my gut and then all my food finds its way through my intestines. And on top of that, my throat swells to make breathing a little more work, my ears itch and my nose gets stuffy for a while. This goes on for about 45 minutes and then my sinuses drain and my throat goes back to normal. I've tried to pay attention to the food I consume right before hand but nothing makes sense. This happened yesterday as we were walking out of the house for Thanksgiving. Our two hour drive took 3 hours and included several potty stops in between. The only things I had to eat were a slimfast and granola bar which is what I eat every morning. I didn't change my skin care products at all either so who knows.

This morning I'm feeling refreshed and ready for a busy weekend. Tomorrow morning we're serving the college basketball team brunch, then going to their game. Later that evening is LivingStone which is usually followed by an activity with our junior high kids. I told Ryan that I was too tired for the youth activity this time. I imagine some of the junior high and high school girls will come home with me Sunday for a few hours between church and our financial peace class. I think I'll be ready for Monday to come along - being swamped at work sounds like less work than our weekend plans.

Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for:
1. My husbands driving skills on slushy, windy roads
2. Each breath
3. Diaper rash cream
4. Walmart being open when I needed a potty break
5. Family
6. Mom's open door policy
7. Sleeping kids

There is truly so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful for the Pilgrims who were willing to cross the Atlantic to the new world. When all odds were against them, God sustained them and provided exactly what they needed. I'm thankful that the Indians were able to see how God worked to provide for them when they called on his name.

p.s. I'm thankful for those stores who were closed on Thanksgiving and allowed their employees to spend time with their families. At the same time, I was really hungry on the way home from Iowa City and nothing was open except a buffet in Big City with an airport. Who needs a buffet after a Thanksgiving meal. I was so excited when I got to Gotham City (home of Fantastagirl) and the BurgerKing sign read "OPEN THANKSGIVING". And then the dissapointment came as we drove through the intersection and saw the bottom of the sign which read (8-noon). Dangit.

Snow

We're getting our first snow and its beautiful big flakes!

chile rellenos

I love mexican food. Maybe that's because I'm half Mexican. Anyway, last night Ryan and I were in the check out line (aka "swipe" out line) at the grocery store. In front of me was a younger woman with lots of groceries. Only I couldn't help but notice that she had what I'd consider mexican foods: chorizo, tortillas, chiles, limes, etc. And I specifically noticed what are commonly called anaheim chiles which my family uses for chile rellenos. I was dying to ask her about them. And finally, the quiet person that I'm NOT, I walked up to her and asked if she would be making chile rellenos. She smiled real big and said yes. I told my husband I'd be going home with her so I could eat some real food as I've been homesick anyway. Ryan said I was stalking her. In any case that woman is about to fix some good food in the near future and I'd love to be eating at her table!

makeover

I was thinking yesterday that I could use a total make over but then again, maybe not. Maybe I just need to take the time to blow dry my hair and put on make up. For now, I'd rather spend that time playing with my kiddos, snuggling with Ryan or staying in bed till he gets the fire started and I have a warm house!

On another make-over note, my blog needs a facelift. I want more space on it for the text and less for the sidebars. I need to redo the whole thing but honestly don't have the time to mess with it!

Sassy Senorita

It was a typical shopping trip to the city with the usual stop at the kids clothing store that I prefer. We found the cutest shirt ever. Since this shopping trip occurred last March-ish, we didn't know yet that we'd be having a girl. The shirt was so cute, I just could pass it up. Tuesday, Bethany wore the shirt and it was adorable on her:

Make note that her shirt reads "Sassy Senorita". The reason I find this so cute is that my children are 1/4 mexican and therefore the "senorita" is fitting. I wonder what she would be referred to in the Dutch language. Anyway, my little girl is absolutely precious and we love her dearly... even when she screams for the 5 minutes it takes for me to pump before I can feed her! Last night she wore black tights, a jean skirt and a black shirt that said "milk addict". It was cute but I didn't get a picture. She is adorable. For those of you who've not met her or been around her for a while, I think you're going to fall in love with our smiling, grinning little girl who's just starting to say "dada".

Thanksgiving Kids Craft

Okay, I'm looking for a simple kid craft for Scott (28 months old) to do for Thanksgiving. I've seen a few things online but now I'm hoping you can share a great idea or link with me. I want him to have a little something to do and at the same time remember that Thanksgiving is more than turkey, its about the Europeans who sailed over on a boat for religious freedoms.

Please, please share any ideas you might have.

the non-creative mommy
T

IOWA

I grew up in California, didn't know any better and loved it. I grew up in a great community with a wonderful family and survived through my college years. California has so much to offer - the coast, the mountains, the redwoods, fresh clam chowder, not-too-cold weather, year round sports, year round farming, etc. What an amazingly diverse state.

While in college, I got a taste of Iowa. It is not flat. The potatoes grown here are in gardens. Rural life is a blessing. We do have "cities". There is more to life here than football. Its wonderful. Although I miss the amenities of my home state, I love Iowa. Its a well kept secret and I kinda like to keep it that way (unless you're a buddy or family member then I'd like for you to come out here).

Anyway, there's a new magazine out. It's fun! Upbeat! And different from any magazine you've ever seen! Our Iowa, the magazine that celebrates all that's great about living in Iowa. You can order a subscription for a very reasonable price or head on over to IowaGeek to sign up to win a free subscription for her monthly bribing contest.

What a Weekend

I was so looking forward to my three day weekend but things quickly changed. It was a typical Saturday morning with Ryan at gone. Ryan headed to town to fix the Ford. This was after he thought that I could take him to get the Ford which was out in the timber. I quickly reminded him that with two kids, we’d have to take the car and the car might not make it through the corn field. Jerry and kids came over and gave Ryan a ride to the Ford. Ally stayed at the house and played with Scott. Scott got his usual breakfast – a nutri grain bar, which he didn’t even finish. I just figured it was because Ally was there to play. After about half an hour, Ally went home. I changed his diaper and put big boy underwear on him. Every ten minutes after that we stopped for a potty break. I even tried the cheerio trick but he wanted to fish the cheerios out and eat them instead of pee on them. The next thing I remember is lunch time. I was desperately trying to get my house clean (which is hard to do when you go potty every ten minutes) on Saturday so I could enjoy the remainder of my long weekend. Trying to make the best of my time, I put Scott in his high chair in the living room to allow him to eat lunch and watch a movie while I folded clothes. He is the SLOWEST eater and don’t pay much attention as I’m in no hurry and his slow eating is buying time and entertaining him. However, after some time, I see that he’s finished a full cup of juice and not touched his burrito. The kid is engaged in Veggie Tales and nothing else, almost like a trance. So, I remind him several times that he needs to eat and he continues the trance until I pause the movie. This gets his attention and he begins to whine. After about half the burrito is eaten, he stops eating and continues whining – which goes over real well when I’m not appreciative of a whiny child. So, I treat him like a baby and begin feeding him. And after about the second tiny bite he took, he puked! Yes, my child puked. Kinda gross but I’ve seen a lot worse. It was mostly [hope you like details] watery and it was contained on the tray of his high chair. Fortunately his burrito was in my hand and it was saved. I figured he’d just overdone the running around like a crazy boy earlier in the morning and it was no big deal. He does this occasionally and was acting normal. He took two more tiny bites and then wouldn’t finish it. I’m such a good mom – who in the world forces their kid to eat right after they puke?

Fast forward a few hours. Scott has peed through his underwear and I’m a bit frustrated but he’s two. There was just a little bit of urine so I decide that he can just wait a few minutes and feel the wetness. I’m finally having lunch. All of a sudden I notice that Scott has peed AGAIN. Yes, we’d just discussed this issue and the importance of telling me when he has to pee. This time it has soaked through the underwear and sweats and he’s trying to clean it up with a broom. Okay, I saw him cleaning with the broom a few minutes before as I scarfed my food but he likes to clean so I thought nothing of it. But when he came in the kitchen and announced that he was cleaning his mess, I had to investigate. There was a puddle in the lving room on the wood floor that he’s kindly swept up and spread everywhere. Now that I’m finishing up dishes, Scott is forced to stay in the kitchen with me where he can’t cause a bigger mess. Ryan comes home. [Thanks to Chris and $60 later the Ford is fixed. Bethany is such an easy going kid and I’m so thankful for that, especially on a day like this one.] Ryan wants to go back to the timber to load wood. I actually enjoy that on occasion and volunteer to go help. We head upstairs for a quick bath for Scott and to get the kids dressed for the unseasonably warm weather. As I pull off his wet underwear, I notice something. Did I mention that I smelled something earlier but didn’t feel anything when I patted him down? There’s some brown in the chones. Yipee, not only has my child puked, peed through his clothes, smeared it all over the floor, now he’s also pooped in his underwear. As I pull his clothes off, I see that the mess is larger than I realize. Slightly disgusted, I let the bath water out of the tub as this one will require a shower, not just a bath. He’d not only pooped in his underwear but the poop had managed to slide down his leg, smear all over and hang out at the cuff of his sweats. Thank the good Lord for an elastic gathered cuff!!! I shower off the colorful stuff and then give him a quick bath. After dressing Scott, I begin hand washing poopy clothes. Okay, its one thing to wash poopy clothes for Bethany that are typically very liquidy, but for Scott, it was gross! Sparing some of the details, I’ll just say that I got the clothes clean and headed to my own room.

I’m in the room changing quick while Ryan and Scott play airplane on the computer. As I walk into the room with the boys, Scott, bored, starts to slide off Ryan’s lap. And then begins round 2 of the puking. This time all over the wood floor. The poor kid has no clue what’s going on or how to stop it. He managed to cover about 30 square feet of floor, himself and a bit of my shoes. To the bath we go AGAIN and Ryan begins to clean. So much for loading wood! Now I know he’s sick and am not going to ask him to eat anything. I ask Ryan to stay home as I’m not feeling the greatest anymore either – probably a result of washing pooped in clothes and cleaning up puke several times. Ryan heads to the store for Sprite as we cover the bed for puke protection, turn a movie on and lounge. The remainder of the afternoon includes intermittent drinks of sprite and eventually a few crackers which he puked up. Starting over with the liquid and eventually we move to a little apple sauce since the child was begging for food. Again, he gave us reason to launder our bedding. All in all, I think he puked five times usually within 40 minutes of eating a solid food. We put Scott to bed in his new Cars pajamas which he was excited about and finally made it to bed ourselves, with clean sheets and less than normal blankets. About 20 minutes later, we hear a rustling over the monitor as Scott crawled out of bed. He’s the cutest thing in the world when he walks in the room with his blanket in tow saying “mommy, I’m awake. Snuggle in your bed?” And again, it was cute, even though he’s done in multiple times now. Only this time, I notice the top of his new pajamas look like there’s something around the shoulders – either lint or puke. And yes, it was a little bit of the remainder of apple sauce that was still in his stomach. It apparently didn’t bother him at all, nor was it a big deal because we didn’t hear it over the monitor. However, at this point, I decided that Scott would camp out on our floor for the night. Ryan layered blankets on the floor and we covered him up and finished watching our movie.

One story, I must include occurred during the middle of the night. He would occasionally make random comments in his sleep which I quickly picked up on and began ignoring. Only this one time, he called out to me and I heard a thud. Again, he said “mommy” followed by a thud. And hardly awake, I about laughed. I sat right up and answered him back. This continued two more times before I was in the floor pulling him out from under our bed. The kid is a wiggle worm and had managed to get his upper body under our bed while asleep. He must have woke up, not known where he was, tried to move and found himself hitting his head on the under side of our bed. It was hilarious. I moved him back onto the pile of blankets, covered him up and he fell right to sleep as I crawled back into my own bed.

I know this is getting lengthy and detailed but part of me wants to record the details so that I can embarrass my son with the memories later on in life.

Sunday morning I made a pad on the couch for Scott to lay on and watch TV. I’m not a fan of the TV babysitter idea but the child was feeling miserable and it was a good way to entertain him and keep his mind busy on something besides food. Ryan was thoughtful and offered to stay home with Scott so I could get out of the house for a bit and go to church. I rushed to shower and carry Bethany out the door with me. It was a much needed break. That afternoon, we slowly introduced a liquid diet. He slept a lot and never really moved off the couch. I don’t think he took twenty steps all day. In the late afternoon, we had one puking episode. That night, like the good mom I am, we took him to town (it was a slow drive over the hilly and windy gravel) and dropped him off at my mom’s so we could attend our financial peace class. Needless to say, he didn’t not want to go nor did he want to be without his mommy. At mom’s he managed to keep down about six crackers. After the class, we picked him up and took him home to put him in bed. I was so glad to know that he was finally over it and holding down food. My three day weekend would end up with a nice day after all, even if that meant finally get the house clean.

Monday morning bright and early Ryan headed to work. I fed Bethany in bed and we snuggled under the warm blankets until Scott woke up. He came in the room and crawled in bed with us girls. Before too long, he started to cough and gag a little. I assured him that he was fine and that it was just a cough now that he knows what puking is. He told me he was fine and pushed me away. But sure enough, it started to come up. It was really gassy sounding and I thought maybe it was nothing but I was wrong. I couldn’t get around to the other side of the bed fast enough. It was nasty, green and all liquid. It went everywhere. His shirt was soaked as was Ryan’s pillow, blanket and sheets. Fortunately he’d not got much on himself that couldn’t be cleaned with a wet wipe. After cleaning him up and changing him, we headed downstairs to the bed on the couch. Only, on the way down the stairs, he puked again. This time, as I was carrying him and so it ran down my shoulder before puddling on the stairs. We improved from the slimy green to just slimy. And I share those details to say that I thought maybe it was just an upset tummy from drainage and that we were done with it. My nice quiet day turned to more laundry, more small short drinks of sprite, more begging for food from Scott and still more puking. One incident soaked him all over, soaked the blanket on the couch, soaked my leather couch and went everywhere. That one required a bath which was not appreciated by the little man. Anyway, the day progressed, he stayed on the couch for the most part. I was able to take care of Bethany, keep watch over the sick kid and get my house cleaned. Halelujah! Throughout the day he chugged juice while I was preoccupied (that little stinker), ate numerous crackers, begged to eat a box cake and came back alive. He even helped me fix a cake but was quite the brat when I wouldn’t let him lick the spoon. He scarfed down soup for supper although I was nervous that he would begin puking in front of our dinner guest. And then, as promised, I let him have a small piece of very rich cake. For the remainder of the night he was his normal stubborn self and begged for food. I’m so glad the weekend is over.

This morning I woke up, glad that both kids slept through the night, no puking, nothing eventful. And I was thrilled to have a morning to sleep in and go to work. Several minutes later Ryan woke me up saying “babe it’s 637” and the realization came to me that my long weekend was over and I did indeed have to go to work!

Fun Fall Day

Doctor's Office

Bethany's newest stats are:
25 inches long
16 lb 9 oz.

The nurse that assisted with shots today was my nurse from last Friday. She had just called me with the results. They came back CLEAR. Amen!

Life at a Glance

I feel like I'm running in fast forward - constantly. Here's life in fast-forward:
1. I'm swamped at work which wears me out!
2. Ryan says milk production also takes a lot of energy which might explain why I'm so tired.
3. Saturday was our first night at home alone as a family in 5 weeks. It was lovely!
3.5 I didn't know what to do and was tempted once to invite friends over. Seriously.
4. Had a b@@b biopsy on Friday. Couldn't feel a thing. Pain later. Nasty bruising.
4.5 [For my ADXers and Cori] I think I'd now be chair of the NBTC now rather than the IBTC.
5. Bethany had her first food on Saturday. She kept spitting it out. Totally not like her brother who was a little bird when we fed him.
6. Played in the leaves on Saturday. Lots of fun. Super cute pictures. Only bad thing - no Bethany, she was napping in the house.
7. Keller (the deaf and partially blind mini aussie) is gone. Came home last night and Ryan asked me if I noticed anything different. After a quick look around I embarrassingly (is that a word) said no. Ryan told me the people we planned to give Keller too finally took him.
7.5 I didn't get to say good-bye to the pup, not that he would have heard me anyway :)
8. Bethany is 17 pounds now. She gets shots in the morning.
9. I have a follow up appt for the biopsy on Friday. Hopefully they have the results back by then.
10. I'm swamped at work and am missing two half days this week. Does that make sense?
10.5 Monday is a federal holiday. Woo hoo! I might work though to get through some of the stuff on my desk.

Oops, Must leave now. Thought I had 15 more minutes, but that 15 minutes includes a 30 minute drive and picking up my kids :)

Happy Halloween

Our town moved Halloween since tonight is a church night...

Happy Halloween!

By the way, I'm in no way endorsing Halloween, in fact, I don't even like it one bit. But, now that I have kids, I use every excuse to dress them up and show them off :)

Dads - DON'T READ

Dear Cori,
Hello sunshine. Just a reply to your comment...
- yes, my IBT's have doubled in size - its called breastfeeding. This is my second leave of absence from the IBTC. I fully expect to be back within a year :)
- Ryan would have loved to check for mastitis only I don't really let him anywhere near those things. They have become a source of food, not a source of fun!

A few Thoughts

1. I just looked back at previous posts and one title said "lying still gets me in a predicament". By that I meant to say that after many years, I still can't get away with lying. I did not mean anything about lying down anywhere.
2. I was checking my blog to see if I'd previously mentioned the lump in my breast. I didn't. However, I just wanna update that he doctor thinks that everything is just fine. However, after just hearing that a local lady just found out she has stage 4 breast cancer after being told the last 8 months that it was just mastitis (she was breastfeeding), I'm going to make sure. So, a biopsy will be done next week on that.
3. Why do doctors think that the world revolves around them and their schedule? Seriously, I can't make my appointments wait at work nor do I think its appropriate to do so. Yesterday I waited for 30 minutes in the lobby while I watched 3 others that arrived after me get called to the back. After 30 minutes, I went back to the desk and questioned the waiting. Some minutes later I was called back. And in the end the doctor didn't have time to do the biopsy that I was told would be done. Grr!!! Now to give him some credit as I do really like the guy, my referral from my doctor said "consult" and didn't spell out the biopsy details. However, he is the specialist and should have thought right away to have enough time to get that done. Grr.
4. One day each week for 3 weeks I'll be taking off a half day to do something at the doctor's office. This is ridiculous!

Beautiful Day

It was a beautiful day yesterday. A tad bit windy and a few bugs but otherwise perfect. We played outside for quite a bit yesterday. Even when I went inside to feed Bethany, the boys stayed outside. At one point, I looked out the window and the boys were sitting next to each other and Ryan was telling his son a story. It was the cutest thing ever and I would have taken video of it if my camera wasn't charging at that very moment!

Junior High Girls Night Out

I work with the junior high awana program. So, we recently had a girls night out. The plan was to hang out and watch chick flicks. It was fun, we ate lots of food, saw a few new faces and some stayed up way too late (6am). But the reason behind my post is this:

One of the girls picked out a few movies to choose from. One was the movie dodgeball. We immediately told the girls that they couldn't watch that one because of the content (in fact I'm embarrassed that we own it and don't think we even watched the whole movie). If you're not familiar with this movie, check out Plugged In's movie review. Anyway, when I was cleaning up after the girls yesterday, I saw that the movie case was out of the cabinet and the DVD was in the player. It appears as though they watched it after all the adults went to bed (3am) even though they'd been told they couldn't. Needless to say I'm quite dissapointed in them. I'm not sure how to discuss it with them. Do I simply tell them that I'm dissapointed? I told Ryan about the situation and he shared that this week we start the "peer pressure" cd for teaching time and we could possibly tie it in with that. I guess I just don't want this to be completely ignored nor do I want to come across as super mean. We're trying to build relationships with these girls. Regardless of how raunchy the movie is, the fact is that they had it in the DVD player after they were told not to.

Thoughts?

WT moment at our Hous

White trash moment at our house on sunday... Ryan was clipping his toenails. And I look over at him to see that he's clipping his toenails through the holes in his socks. Yes, it was bad. But then I did a double-take to see that not only was he doing it through the whole in his socks but he was doing it with the scissors on his pocket knife. Crazy! I had recently begun throwing away the wholy socks. They get wholy so fast with his steel toed boots. But I knew it was time to get rid of the socks; I get embarrassed when others see his nasty socks. So the day before I had thought that I needed to put socks on my shopping list. And after our WT moment, I went right to my list and added socks!!! How's that for a good laugh?

He beats my child

Last night I put Scott to bed early and went downstairs to the youth group. Over the monitor I hear him greet the barking dog. Sure he was out of bed, I went back upstairs to find my child sitting up in his bed and now greeting me with "I'm awake mommy". I coaxed him to lay back down and promised to check on him in a few minutes. Usually he falls right to sleep and I check on him before I go to bed. This time, he stayed awake and began to cry when I didn't come back soon enough. Ryan rescued him from his bed and brought him down to youth group. Okay, my kid really needed the sleep after being up super late at Erin's birthday party (which he was the star of). But, what can you do?

Ryan brought him downstairs as youth group was ending. Well, my husband starting screwing around with another leader. He picked up a shoe and was pretending to hit the other leader. Ryan raised his hand as if to threaten Ben with the shoe, only he was holding Scott. As he raised his fist, he nailed Scott in the face with it. The edge of the shoe caught Scott on the bridge of the nose and in the eye. He screamed. For awhile. So much for getting the kid to bed. Ryan felt horrible and we stayed up for another few hours watching Veggie Tales and snuggling all the while his eye was swelling and he wouldn't even use a cold cloth on it.

This morning I stayed home to let the kid get some sleep. Poor baby. It gave me some time to clean up from the party since I didn't get to do it last night as Scott wanted my full attention.

Partied Out

For the last 3 weeks, we've had something going on each night of the week. I'm tired and ready to hang out on my couch with my family and my blanket and maybe even a movie or a book.

Lying Still Gets Me in a Predicament

Erin's birthday is today. Another girl and I planned a surprise birthday party for her at my house. To help with the surprise, I was taking Erin out to supper and then back to my house for the party. Sunday I spoke briefly with Erin, enough to know that we were still on for Tuesday night. Monday and Tuesday I called several times to finalize times, locations, etc since we had to be back at my house by 7pm. Erin isn't the best at returning phone calls and I felt like I was stalking her. I even sent her a text message which is so not my thing. I was getting a little nervous when Tuesday rolled around and I'd still not heard back from Erin. The cake was made, food at my house, decorations up and friends planning to come over. The following occurred:
mid morning - sent a text message to Erin
1143am - text message from Erin asking to reschedule since she now had to work that night
1144am - I freak out a bit and google Kristen's work phone #
1144am - call Kristen and chat about options
1150am - text message Erin asking if we can reschedule to 7pm (I thought she would work till 9pm but wanted to make sure)
noon - googled Erin's work # and called her supervisor for help. Opted not to leave a voice mail
after lunch - called her several times and impatiently waited
130pm - tried calling her supervisor again
215ish - sent text message to Erin saying "I need to talk to you ASAP, call me"
230pm - text from Erin saying she'd call at 245
3pm - picked up the phone to call her again, she was calling at the same time

The poor girl thought that something was seriously wrong with me or the kids since I'd called so many times. I assured her that I was fine but that I couldn't reschedule. She, of course, was confused since I'm not a high maintenance person. So, I finally told her the truth, that she was about to ruin her surprise birthday party if she worked. Simple enough. Things work so much easier when you tell the truth. Erin was able to reschedule her work which caused a written warning and made it to supper and her surprise birthday party.

Amazes Me

I remember my first trip to Iowa. It was the middle of the summer and foggy. I was quite surprised by those conditions as it is only foggy in the central valley of CA during the dead of winter. I have since become accustomed to the summer fog although I still think its a bit odd. It was a beautiful morning to sleep in - dark outside, a light fog covering the crop land. This morning I was again amazed by the "different" weather. As I drove to work, it was raining and slightly foggy. Now how does it rain and still be foggy outside?

Hmm, foggy weather makes me think of Christmas time and fresh oranges. Oh how I'd love to click my heels and be back to the town I grew up in for a few days!

My kids are so adorable!

We had a nice, and for the most part, quiet weekend. Hubby was home, I was home and we had fun with our kiddos. I asked Ryan not to go cut wood, go mow his folk’s lawn, etc. I just wanted to be home with my family. We did a whole lot of piddling around. My house didn’t get super clean, in fact I didn’t even vacuum. But, I had a great time with my husband and kiddos. We even slept in both days! But, the noteworthy things from this weekend are about my growing little girl and her adorable big brother.

Saturday we played with Bethany. I was tickling her and she laughed out loud several times. Ryan could hear her from the other room and came in to watch her laugh. She didn’t laugh too much but it was cute to see. Another fun moment happened after Scott and Ryan had been gone taking recycles and other errands. Scott came home and usually makes a big deal of his sister. Curious of what his reaction would be, I said “scott, Bethany really missed you while you were gone”. His response was priceless. He ran over to her, practically lay on her and started talking to her. He kissed on her and told her “Bethany, I love you, I missed you”, etc. And then last night in the car he told her “Bethany, you’re so beautiful”. Now maybe he’s repeating things he’s heard us say before but its so stinkin’ cute!

Pike's Peak

We headed to Pike's Peak on Saturday. It's a beautiful place set along the Mississippi River just a few miles off the main highway. There are walkways and waterfall and even a few indian burial grounds in the shape of animals. The mosquitos were taking a break (thank the good Lord) but the "no-see-ems" were out in the sunshine. As long as we kept moving, we were fine. Just wanted to share a few pictures from my adventure with two kids and Sarah.

* for some reason my pictures won't load, I'll try again later

"Yep"

We've had several people move into town from Kentucky. I joke that the South is taking over. But each of these individuals are wonderful and we're glad to call them friends. The other day Chris was pointing out all the words we say differently around here. And he commented that the others from Kentucky had really noticed how much people say "yep". As we chatted, he had his own Texas-ism (he's originally from Texas) and we all got a good laugh. This week I've really paid attention to how often I say "yep". I say it A LOT!

Yesterday I was on the phone with Sarah (from KY) and in the conversation said "yep". Immediately I clenched my teeth as if I shouldn't have said it. So I laughed and explained to her that I knew she noticed how much it was said and had been watching how often I say it. She really didn't care but thought it was sort of entertaining. As we got off the phone, the following was said:
me: okay, I'll talk to you later
S: yep
And then lots of laughter as it has rubbed off on her too!

Nine Days

Nine days since I've posted, wow. Here's a quick glimpse into my past week:

- Bethany held her own bottle the other day. Its not a regular thing but we caught a picture of it.

- Bethany also really enjoys standing now and is pretty good about putting weight on her legs for a short while.

- Scott has learned parts of two new songs in the last two days. He can now sing ABC's, count to 19, sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jesus Loves Me and the Vegies Tales theme song.

- My cousin Sarah came to visit last Friday and left Thursday morning. I was a bit unsure of how the visit would go since we've not seen each other in a while but it was a great time. I love my cousin and was bummed to see her go. We visited Pike's Peak State Park, shopped in Decorah, hung out with my friends, ate a lot of good food and chit-chatted a bunch. Good times.

- My evenings have been cram-packed with activities. Last Tuesday I had a work meeting. Wednesday is youth group, Thursday is bible study. Friday-Tues morning I had my cousin and last night we went to a friend's house. I'm tired today! Tonight is youth group and tomorrow is bible study. I can't wait until Friday

- I have a doc appointment today. My c-section incision is not normal. I originally thought it was just irritated from my jeans rubbing and my belt pressing against it when I sit. But, its getting worse. So Dr. Ryan will check that out and we're also going to discuss my tailbone issue. Its been painful since February and I'm so sick of it.

- I've been out in the field for work a few times lately. That's been nice to get a break from my desk. I'll be out tomorrow and Friday so I'm hoping it warms up a tad here.

Hard working Hubby = Tired Family

Another weekend when my husband was hard at work helping out our check book. Because of how we choose to prioritize our finances, we try to watch how we spend our money and make sure we're not being wasteful. One way Ryan does that is by cutting wood to burn during the winter. For a while it seemed like every free hour was spent out in the timber when it was hot and muggy. But he's been able to cut wood for free and save us some serious cash by being able to use the wood burner in the evenings.

This weekend he had another idea. While up mowing his parents lawn on Friday, he stopped at the neighbors apple orchard and gathered about a 55 gallon barrel's worth of apples. Saturday, after cutting wood all morning, he started in on the apples. He spent 5 hours making apple sauce. All the while, I was in the house cleaning and preparing for our company next weekend. He did all his work outside which limited the mess. Scott stayed outside all afternoon and had a blast playing in the water and helping his dad. Sunday afternoon was much of the same. He made quite a bit of apple sauce but its a long and laborious process for the amount of apple sauce you get.

The good thing, we have lots of organic apple sauce in the freezer that didn't cost us anything. The bad thing, I would have loved to pay for the apple sauce and have Ryan at home working on my honey-do-list.

Both nights we had company for supper. And each night things got a little crazy around 630. Saturday wasn't bad but we were hungry and had to prepare a different meal as I was missing an important ingredient. Instead of Chinese food, we had grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli and something else. Sunday afternoon at 430 I decided we should have company again since our house was still clean. I called a few friends, made a run to the nearby grocery store and made it home just before it started to rain. I was inside trying to make grape salad, do dishes and pump before our guests came when it began to pour down rain outside (where Ryan was working). Thankfully our company arrived and was able to help Ryan. Ali, who'd been over all afternoon helping, was a great help with dishes and the grape salad while I did other things. In the end, we had 7 adults, 1 HS kid, 1 Jhi kid and 5 little ones eating grilled brats, chips and salad. The 3 younger boys picnic'd on the living room floor. I was thankful that I put down a blanket for them as all 3 spilled their drinks and chips and one managed to get ketchup everywhere. After the meal the guys headed to the living room to play xbox and us ladies sat around and visited.

It was late when everyone left and I was more than ready for bed. We finished up the apple sauce labels quick and I took the kids upstairs while Ryan took apple sauce to the freezer. Gave Scott a quick bath, fed Bethany and headed to bed. It was just after 11pm. The alarm was set for 5am - I knew I'd be tired. During the night I woke up twice with Scott (Ryan got up with him the first time while I layed there) and 3 times with Bethany. Fortunately, they seemed to coordinated their awake times pretty close to each other. Today, I'm tired.