Picture a day Challenge--day 50

"Between the lines"

I was SO impressed with Jenna's art tonight--you know, those little coloring pages they give with the kids meals on it. Jenna actually did a really GOOD job! She colored the wings on the tropical bird (whatever it was!) different and looked like she was really attmpting to stay in the lines.

Turning point in art development for my little girl! Art school, here we come! :)

7 long months...

It has been 7 (SEVEN) long, LONG months since we have eaten a delightful plate of good ol' authentic Mexican Food...and we have missed it terribly. You know, once you think of it, that is almost an entire pregnancy long of not having real beans and rice...chips and spicy salsa...tasty meat and tortillas. Now THAT is a shame! :) It's sure a predicament to move and not know the great places to eat--you know, the ones that are off the beaten path and don't usually have more than a handful of restaurants to their name. We got a recommendation for a great place called Nuevo Acapulco.

One word...DELICIOUS!!

We went out with some of our friends (Dan & Amber & baby Grace, Lauren & Tyson & baby Ellie, and Adam & Laura & baby on the way) to celebrate the end of test week!!! It was a great evening--great food and great friends. We will be frequenting that place OFTEN!! :) yummmmmmmm......

Check out the size of this burrito! THEY WERE HUGE! It went the entire length of the plate and was STUFFED full. Needless to say, he brought home leftovers. I got the Carne Asada--SOOOO good!

I am not too sure why Kaden has this look, but it was really funny!! :)

The kids were great!! I was really impressed with how they behaved. I couldn't be more proud!

Thanks everyone! It was the perfect way to end our week!!!!!!!!!!!

When??

Today Kaden saw a commerical where a woman was putting cheese on something. There was a closeup shot and Kaden ran to the TV and started grabbing at the screen (he loves cheese). It was so funny...and he was SO upset.


And then later I put him and Jenna down naps. He was fussing and having a hard time but I was trying to let him cry it out. It got quiet and I figured he had gone to sleep. But a few miinutes later I heard Jenna SCREAMING. I ran to see what happened and Kaden had climbed OUT of his crib, OPENED his door, and got through to her room.

And to hear him "tickle" people...He LOVES to tickle Spencer. But he doesn't even actually TOUCH him...he just says "TICKA TICKA TICKA"...and watching him do that is way funnier than actually even being tickled.

And last night when Kaden was having a hard time sleeping I went in and picked him up to try to help calm him. His legs dangled way past my arms and he seemed like such a big boy all of a sudden...doing and saying and learning big boy things...

And so I ask you this....WHEN?....WHEN did my little baby boy start to grow up?

FREEEEE calls!

Okay--For those of you who are wondering what on earth the CALL ME button on my sidebar is, I'll explain--FREE CALLING! Once I signed up I was given an internet number (so nobody sees your real one) and all calls go through a Grand Central--connecting you for free on whatever phone you have. SO...all you do is click the button to call me, grand central calls YOU and then connects us both FOR FREE!!

You can screen all calls, have an online voice mail, can have it set up to call your home, cell, office...any phones you want and then choose where you take the call. VERY COOL!!

So, if you have been DYING to see if it works (like I have) CLICK THE BUTTON and give me a call!! You don't have to sign up or do anything special. Just click-- Old friends, new friends, blog browsers?? Would love to hear from you!!

Coming to the end....

It's snowing....AGAIN....not that I really have REASON to complain. We have had such a mild winter and I am so glad. But then again, it's SPRING break coming...and it feels more like Christmas vacation! :) Hmmm...oh well. We will find lots of fun things to do in the snow I suppose!

I just want to clarify super quick that I am not going to New York CITY--just the state New York. :) (though I am DYING to go to NYC!!) We are just doing the church sites in NY. Which is AWESOME, and I am excited. We are seeing the musical WICKED here in Cleveland this weekend--sorry, not the "official" Broadway. :)

It feels strange to say that of all the test weeks, this was by FAR the hardest for Brandon, but the best for me. Not the best as in EASY, but the best as in I really felt positive and tried to make the most of our week. I felt okay letting him be gone long hours--though I missed him terribly. Just feeling peace about letting life takes it's course and be how it needed to be was so reassuring to me. And if I were to write my report card for the week, I think we would have done pretty darn good, all things considered...

I think that my whole self is running on "get through it" mode now though...For example--Jenna got dressed today by herself. Pink shirt, blue jeans, and pleated plaid scotty dog jumper over. Blue socks, pink shoes. And I didn't even do her hair--I figured it looked pretty good still from yesterday and I just wasn't going to fight about it. That is how she went to school. :) Last night we had leftovers again for dinner (there were plenty of things to sitting around and I wanted them GONE) and I felt like I was constantly telling myself "you're almost there...it's almost bedtime...and after sleep comes the morning...and Jenna goes to preschool....and when she comes home it will be time for Brandon's test...and then he will be home..." I felt so lame by the end of the night. I know I probably didn't give my kids the kind of attention they needed last night. I really feel badly about that. But hopefully we can make up for my downer moment today when Jenna comes home from preschool. We are planning a big celebration welcome for Brandon--hearts, streamers...the works!

It has been like finishing a long race--which in real life I have never done--but this is what I would imagine. Don't most people get a big surge of adreneline towards the end?!?! :) Still waiting for that part.

I feel so blessed to have been given some kind of extra boost this week. Winter is starting to drag--I am SO glad this winter has really been so nice here. But I think anywhere you are in the world that it snows the weekend March is starting it would feel like winter was dragging...

WHAT A GREAT DAY to be coming to the end of this week!

24 hours--

I was going to keep up with my day by day countdown, but as of now it's out the window. I am just too excited!

In less than...

Brandon will be starting his LAST midterm! YEAH!!! And then Spring break begins---8 glorious days with the most wonderful man in our lives--

So, as a celebratory tribute, here are 24 things we have to look forward to starting TOMORROW!

1. Brandon finishing tests!
2. We are going out to eat REAL MEXICAN food (which we haven't had for the past 7 months)
3. The musical WICKED on Saturday
4. Getting to make a 5 minute trip to the store instead of a 50 minute trip!
5. Not having to pack everyone up to take Jenna to preschool
6. EATING MEALS together!!
7. EIGHT stink-free days away from the cadavers!
8. LOTS of laughter!
9. Stories at bedtime
10. going on a real date!
11. My mom and sister coming!!!
12. Going swimming
13. An overnight GETAWAY without the kids!
14. Going to New York for the first time
15. Going to the temple
16. Going to the Sacred Grove
17. A road trip with my sweetheart
18. MY BIRTHDAY
19. Cleaning my bedroom
20. Renting movies
21. Staying up late!!
22. Sledding
23. a little "me" time
24. Spending many, many great moments with Brandon!

I am so excited to make it through the next 24 hours...YEAH!

Picture a day Challenge--day 49

"GUILTY"

I am kind of ashamed to say that this was the ONLY picture I took today--my mind was just not into photography and I was really just aiming to be done with the day. SO, it is certainly not my finest--not even close. But the story behind was quite funny. Kaden got a hold of a snickers bar (I bought them for a dessert and Jenna has learned how to sneak them) and when I saw him and said his name, he looked SO guilty! :)

The day of 3's

Today's "theme" was to THANK my sweet little ones for all their lovin' this week while Brandon was gone. It was our midweek mark and once it's over, we'll only have 2 more days!! So to celebrate the big 3, I wrote 3 ways my 3 kiddos have been so great for me this week.

(If you can't read the little journaling spot, you can double click on the pic)

Picture a day Challenge--day 48

"After the Storm"

The sky was amazing tonight after the snow had stopped and things were settling in...wish I could capture it as it was and portray the peace that came over me when I saw it. What a beautiful testimony of God's love for us!

Wednesday KNIGHT

Today, today, today...it was the kind of day that you wake up with a headache that you just can't shake and you go through the day just struggling to COPE. :) That was me today--and so I focused today and trying to let the kids do things they like. Jenna dressed up, Kaden banged on pots and pans (after I pleaded with him to take them out of the kitchen!), Spencer hung out...the kids watched Toy story and ate popcorn at 9:30 a.m....and I don't remember ever officially putting makeup on or doing my hair. We really were just looking forward to the day being over! :)

Preschool was cancelled for the second day in a row because of snow. This is by far the worst snow we have had. And it came out of NOWHERE! Monday Jenna wore capris to the store and Kaden didn't need a coat! But now it is chilly, chilly, chilly and SNOW everywhere!! Brandon called me late in the afternoon and said he was ready take a break and that if I would pick him up, he could come home early.

No hesitation there--but it took almost an hour of backbreaking work to dig ourselves out of our driveway--we haven't left this house since the snow started and it showed! Halfway through my shoveling frenzy a guy walked past and offered to shovel for $20. Hmmm--almost jumped at the chance to have it done for me...but decided I was almost done and would just stick with it...if only $20 bills grew on trees! :)

Kaden tried to help me--refused a coat--but soon after coming out he started panicking and trying to rip his hands off because they were hurting (it was VERY cold). Poor guy! :)
All I could think when I was making this path was "WHAT THE HECK?!?!" I am so surprised at all this snow that came so quickly!!!

SO, the KNIGHT part of my WEDNESDAY was when we finally made it out of our driveway and picked Brandon up from school. We came home and ate quickly and then I headed out to run a few errands. Brandon got the kids all ready for bed and got them to sleep while I was gone. He came to my rescue and was my Knight in shining armor! I desperately needed the time away. I have no idea what I looked like (though I am afraid to look at this point), but it felt so good to see that life still exists outside my neighborhood!! :)

Thanks Brandon for a small escape. I don't know if I could have finished the week without you!

Social Interaction for Dummies

I have felt lately like I just really don't have the social skills to make new friends. Don't get me wrong--I feel loved and surrounded by lots of great people and feel so blessed to know and meet new people all the time. My problem is that all the people I know and meet are in two places...at church, and online. I have MANY friends online (most of whom I have never met in person but are closest to me!) But living in Rexburg, we were surrounded by people we went to church with or met at school. I never really had to go outside in the community and meet people.

I have been thinking lately about being a mom in a new city where the only people I know are my landlord and people from church. I guess it has just finally crossed my mind that I don't know if I REALLY know how to go out and meet people! :) WHERE do you meet them?? I have tried to strike up a conversation here and there--grocery store, Target, Sesame Street Live...but it isn't like you say "hey, I'd love to finish this chat later--Can I get your phone number and call you later and see if we have anything in common enough to even GET together??"

It's like dating all over again....

Uncertainty
Self-doubt
And ALWAYS wondering what someone else is thinking of you!! :)

The funniest part of this predicament, is that I have a neighbor 2 doors down who has a little boy Kaden's age. Unfortunately, we have only been over there twice since we have lived here. The first time was because they were having a yard sale. The second time was to borrow a cup of sugar. That's it--no playdates, no babysitting exchange...WHY? Mostly because I cannot for the life of me remember her name! (Give me a little credit--I was 9 months pregnant when I met her!) I feel completely ridiculous and don't really know how to go over there and make something of this neighborly potential friendship. And there is another lady down the street who has a little boy Jenna's age--we met them at Halloween and she said we should let the kids play sometime. Sounds great! But what now?? I don't have her phone number--and I can't remember HER name either! (noticing a pattern??) Is it weird to just go down and ask when we can get together??

Oh, I feel so silly about all this. I would LOVE some suggestions--maybe this will be the beginning of a self-help "Social Interaction for Dummies" book....

Picture a day Challenge--day 47 (The Snowblob)

"The Snowblob"

Somehow when I was lined up in heaven before I was born, a little mishap occurred. When I was in the line for "things you should be able to do as a mom", they must have shorted me one very essential trait. I have recently discovered that I cannot make a snowman. It is true...I had these awesome intentions of making this INCREDIBLE snowman while the kids watched out the window (since it was snowing so much and they didn't want to go out at the time). So, I got them all situated in front of Jenna's big window facing the backyard. I geared myself up and headed outside. After 10 minutes of rolling this ball of snow, it was just not getting bigger. It was a serious failure in the snowman department.

But I couldn't show them that I didn't measure up! So, I made up the SNOWBLOB...lame you say? Hmmm...You are just jealous and you know you TOTALLY want one!! :)

One thing I did learn--don't use cookies as the eyes. Small children will eat them as soon as you turn your back. :)

Thinking of you Daddy!

Okay--another theme about Brandon today to help our day pass! I thought Jenna's Fisher Price "daddy" would be a great fill-in for Brandon today. So, we got to have "daddy" spend a little time with us today and took his picture every time we were thinking of him!!

I was thinking of him when I got online and checked the weather--and then found out preschool was CANCELLED....bummer. :)

Kaden thought of him when he was watching his favorite show "Superwhy" this morning...



And Kaden and I BOTH thought of him when we were eating our Monkey bread this morning...we were bummed they weren't ready before he left for school!



Daddy joined us for a little play--we ALWAYS think of him when we play

because he is SO good at it!

And we thought of him when we were playing dress up.



Jenna thought of him when she laid down--and ACTUALLY took a nap today.
That, in and of itself is newsworthy!

Daddy joined us for snacks. We really thought of him then because we had cheesesticks and goldfish--

HE LOVES cheesesticks! :)

And I was thinking of daddy when Kaden got all the pots and pans out and put them on the stove ready to cook.


I was also REALLY thinking of daddy when she turned around and saw this....

Disaster courtesy of Kaden...

I was thinking of Brandon when I washed dishes...I love to do them with him.

And daddy was brought to our thoughts once again when the exact SECOND that Jenna and Kaden went down for naps, Spencer woke up.

We thought of daddy when we changed diapers...he will have his turn soon enough!

(and he won't be watching then!)

And we ALL thought of daddy when we made our snowblob...daddy is the BEST at all things outdoors and probably would have made a REAL snowMAN...but this was all mommy could come up with.



We thought of daddy when we were making dinner/dessert...


And we thought of daddy when the Sister missionaries were here for dinner...



And the highlight of the day--the time mommy thought the MOST about daddy was when Kaden pooped in the tub while the missionaries were here for dinner. It was so gross...
(I tried to blur the actual fecal matter for those of you who might not care to see it in real life!)

We thought of daddy at storytime...he is the best reader out there!

Mommy thought of daddy when she got his new countdown plate ready--a chocolate chip molten dessert...yum! Tomorrow we hit the midweek celebration! ALMOST TO THE WEEKEND!

Jenna thought of daddy when she hopped into bed...and kissed him and hugged him as if he really were there. :)
And then, she insisted he snuggle in with her...

Sorry Brandon--Guess you're sharing the twin bed tonight!

This was a really fun little "challenge" for the day--it was so nice to have a little bit of "him" there, even though he wasn't in person. The kids loved carrying him around and calling the little doll "daddy".... :) Can't wait till he's really with us for a whole day--SOON!

The smell of death

I walked in the kitchen this morning and about puked...there was this....smell...I found it strange since I cleaned the kitchen yesterday with a good cleaning and I couldn't figure out where it would have come from. All morning I wondered. I could get close to something and smell it, but then smell it clear across the kitchen. So--I was baffled. It was that icky smell...the "some kind of animal has died and is rotting in your house" smell..

And then it hit me...Brandon's clothes were in the hamper on our washer, which is right by the kitchen. The culprit...

I suppose 16 hours at school with much of that time spent in a lab with dead bodies and formaldehyde can really put the stench in your clothes.

I hate to be wasteful with our water while doing laundry, but this was one time putting only 2 things in at once was probably okay...

All About Brandon--2007 Tax Return

I know I posted before what we were going to do with our "FUN MONEY" part of our tax return--buy a video camera. But soon after that post, I changed my mind. I have felt that really EVERY time we have fun money, we do something I want to do or buy something that really benefits me more than anyone. I wanted this year to be about Brandon...we'll just use our digital camera for one more year and then buy a video camera next time...no biggie.

I was SO excited to surprise Brandon--before we moved we sold our laptop because we didn't think he needed it here. But come to find out, it will prove to be much more beneficial than we thought. I found an AMAZING price on one--we talked about that purchase in advance. But the BIG surprise was the Nintendo Wii. I know what you are probably thinking--and I find it ridiculous that I am wondering how I can justify this to you all so that nobody judges me for this seemingly WAY frivilous purchase. Why do we do this to ourselves?!?! :)

At any rate, when I found it in the store for the regular price (instead of some outrageous EBAY price) I knew this would be perfect for Brandon. He really needs an outlet when he comes home at night and has wanted something that isn't just watching TV. He loves to be active and outdoors, but honestly in the Winter and at night, there are few things to be out and about doing alone. We have NEVER owned any gaming system--I NEVER had one growing up--I have strong feelings about most of them. Brandon has played the Wii at other's houses and loved it though! And after checking into this, I thought it would be family friendly, help Brandon keep somewhat active in the dead of winter, and give him an outlet for unwinding after long, long days at school.

Am I worried about him becoming addicted and not wanting to do anything else? No...Why? Because it has been sitting here since last Thursday still in it's box so he can study and focus on tests. :) Does he want to play? YES! He is SOOOOO excited! But I am so impressed that he has set boundaries and is really sticking to his guns! WOW! :) I am certainly not that way.... :)

So, here's his goodies--the laptop just came in the mail and I got even more excited! He will have so much fun over Spring Break learning to use his new toys!

And as for the rest of the Tax Return...bills, bills, bills...PAID OFF! YEAH!!

Picture a day Challenge--day 46

To celebrate the countdown this week until SPRING BREAK, we made Brandon's plate special--with a little candle so he can blow out day #5 and cross it off the calendar as a day he finished with success and one more day closer to being finished with midterms! 4 MORE DAYS--HERE WE COME!

Every hour of Every day...

Today Brandon left before we even woke up, and was out the door at 6:00 a.m. He has been gone almost 16 hours today...still not home. He must be so exhausted! When all the kids were awake by 6:45 this morning (VERY rare here!) I knew we were in for a long day. I was feeling overwhelmed and almost in tears when within an hour of waking up Kaden had fallen and got a small gash in his head (along with a shiner) and Jenna had locked both the kids' bedroom doors and then shut them behind her. I had a change of heart--and somehow found the strength to turn things around...and so our little clock game began. I'll explain.

It is said that watching the clock makes time stop, but I was hoping that watching the clock would give us something to focus on besides that fact that Brandon was gone SO long.

So every hour, at 10 minutes after, I took a picture of a clock in our house and whatever was going on at that exact time. Within a few hours, I was struggling to keep up with taking pics of the time! The day was FLYING by! It really helped me to take the focus off the hard and really take a look at what we DO during the day--

So, here ya go..proof of what we do every hour of every day...(now you will all see we really aren't as exciting as you think!)

START: 8:10 a.m....no clothes, paper plates...scrounged up some breakfast. :)

9:10 a.m. Kids playing dress up nicely together (WOW! NICELY!) Yes, Kaden is in a dress...sorry Brandon, that's how things roll when you aren't here! :)

10:10 a.m. Blogging steps in--I had to take a little break while the kids were playing and Spencer was just hanging out watching me. He is so mellow and easy-going. Love that guy!

11:10 a.m. Kaden and Spencer both go for naps, Jenna watches a movie, and I start the dishes and cleanup...
12:10 p.m. Made lunch--I make a mean macaroni and cheese...and just so happened to be the only one who ate it. Jenna wasn't interested in eating and both the boys were still sleeping. Hmmm...gourmet adult lunch, alone.
1:10 p.m. Finished the dish process...and did a couple catch up things around the house. Boys still sleeping...Jenna asks to lay down and listen to a story on CD. Okay--no prob!
2:10 p.m. Finally the boys both wake up--GLAD they had long naps! We then started the getting ready process--yep, FINALLY getting dressed for the day and it's after 2:00 p.m. Yikes...

3:00 AND 4:00 hour were spent packing the kids in the car and heading to Walmart and shopping with 2 rested, well-behaved kids and 1 struggling 3 year old. She REALLY doesn't do well without a nap, but is getting to the point where she won't take them anymore.

5:10 p.m. Kids helped me make dinner while Spencer was hanging out on the table. I love how he looks like he is waving hello! Makes me laugh...

6:10 p.m. With dinner cleaned up, the kids head for the bath. Spencer and Kaden went first and were out and ready for bed at this point--but Kaden can't resist heading back into the bathroom any chance he gets. :)

7:10 p.m. Spencer went to bed at about 6:30 p.m. He was EXHAUSTED! The kids and I cleaned up their toys and read scriptures. They drank their warm milk and ate popcorn while we read stories--and then hit the sack.

It has been a nice evening--just mainly missing my husband and worried about him and how he is holding up during all this studying!! I am so blessed to have him in my life...and so blessed to have these precious little children who fill my days with a variety of things. I am grateful for every hour of every day because it is one more day we are together...