THE MEYER MESS

Time passes too quickly...

2011-03-30T23:04:00.000-05:00

It is a special day today. Alexander is turning 3 years old. I have this little tradition with the kids, although only Lincoln has caught on to it, and that is I recount cute stories about my personal experience with them and my impressions of them from years past to remind them about how wonderful they are. Tonight as I anticipate tommorows birthday glee, I am reminded of the second night I spent with Alex. I was moved from my hospital room because of plumbing issues into a closet of a room in the back of the labor and delivery check in area. I couldn't page the nurse if I wanted to, and so I was only checked on about once the entire night. Alex also was having a hard time because he had swallowed so much fluid duriing delivery. He cried a lot that night. I remember however that when I sang to him he would calm down. So as exausted as we both were, I held him in my arms the entire night singing The Way You Look Tonight. So in honor of Alex's third birthday I thought I'd post Frank Sinatra's version of this memorable song.
Happy 3rd Birthday Alex. I really do feel a glow just thinking of you.

Greta is 1 today!

2011-01-11T08:59:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to post quickly and note the Birthday of cute Greta! I cannot believe she is already 1 year old. She is such a happy little thing. She is developing a little mind of her own. She will either smile like crazy at someone she likes or give the dirtiest look to those who freak her out. It is so funny, and it tends to keep the really dirty people from touching her at the store.

She loves to sing, and will babble along to just about any music; she'll cry in the car until I turn something on, then sing herself to sleep. She says "DaDa" when she's happy, and "MAAAAMAAAA" in the middle of the night.. go figure.

She really is so special. We all love her so much around here. Happy Birthday Greta!

Halloweentime!

2010-10-29T11:09:00.001-05:00

Okay I realize I have not posted for a while..sorry everyone, Here however are some cute pics of the kids in their halloween get ups this year. Lincoln insisted on being a newsie, Holly and Alex are super heros, and Greta is an owl. Happy Halloween. Ps- Greta doesn't always make that silly face!!!

Stupid little Birthday Blog

2010-08-07T22:24:00.001-05:00

So today I turned 30. Most of you know and have passed along very kind Birthday wishes, which have really made this birthday rather special. My Mom said something interesting on the phone to me today when I moaned the loss of 29, "The thirties are the best years. Your body hasn't given out yet, and you are old enough to have learned some life lessons...it's just a good time." I hope she's right...really I do, But I keep thinking of this one memory form College. I was sitting on a couch in my apt watching the snowfall with two awesome roommates, Kelley and Tricia, and I remember thinking that I should just enjoy this moment. I had good friends, little responsibility, financial freedom...to a poor student extent... and most of all an exciting life ahead of me...
As I think about this memory, I keep thinking about how that innocent part of life is over, and that life has been exciting, but not in all the ways I thought it would be. I don't think I mourn the age 30, but what comes with it. A mortgage for one, but more than that, I think about all the friends I have and how life has seriously taken it's toll on some of them. You are never prepared for that when you are young. You are never told that someday, this friend's house will burn down and that friends husband will leave her, or this person will die... I guess that is why I'm sad to see those carefree and worryfree, 20 somethings pass. I'm kinda worried about what the future may bring. And that being said, more than ever before I'm convinced that life is about the people we love, and why we love them. I think all of us eventually will be the person who..._____________ (you fill in the blank). But what will really matter will be who's there to support you, and who you'll be there to support. I have so many excellent role models in my life, and I'd like to thank a few. Thanks Mom and Dad, for encouraging me to live a virtuous life, thus far it has served me very well.
Thank you Hans for helping me learn to finish things I start, you are the best thing I ever started, and I hope we are one thing that never ever has a finish! Thanks to my sisters...all of you for being the best girlfriends a girl can have. You cheer me up and always make me laugh. Thank you Chad, for being a true brother, the sisters may not always get you, but you and I have something special.
Thanks to my kids who have been teaching me new depths of love, gratitude, irritation, and adoration.

It's nice to know you'll all be there when I become that person in your life that...____________ (only time will tell).

Greta's Growing.

2010-06-25T13:32:00.002-05:00

I Love that Greta is getting a little older. she is really starting to take off in the personality department. Most of all, like almost all of our children, she is always happy to be where everyone else is. I'm loving it!

I made shoes!

2010-05-24T09:20:00.000-05:00

I had a double baby shower to go to last week and needed a gift. Because I waited to long to think about what gift I would get, and I needed both a girl and boy gift, I decided to make something. Now usually I realize the rational goes the opposite way, However since I live in Athens where my buying options are limited to Big Lots and Walmart, I opted to make a gift.

So I started to look on Etsy for some cute ideas and came accross some really cute baby shoes. I bought a pattern. My mom also had a shower to go to, (shout out to Kristi, Congrats, I wish I could be closer to see the new baby...) and asked if I had any ides, so I told her about my ideas and she ordered a pattern as well. Anyway I made my shoes and here are a couple of the pairs I made.

Counting My Blessings

2010-05-08T20:24:00.002-05:00

I absolutely love Dianna Krall. I have been enjoying her music for a long time now, and I came across this and wanted to post it. Many times we hear it in association with Chirstmas because it was written for the show White Christmas, but I was listening to it today and was thinking about how much I love being a Mom, and how many blessings I enjoy because of that. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms I know, especially Mine!

Lincoln

2010-04-27T10:30:00.001-05:00

I Have been wanting to post about Lincoln for awhile now. He totally is at such a fun age and I wanted to share some pictures, and funny things he has been up to. Lincoln is doing really well in school. He is the oldest in his class and has taken a leadership role, which has tuned out to be wonderful for him. Every week he completes a packet of work that gets sent home on Mondays. In each packet he completes an activity titled  "squiggle writing". It is basically a piece of paper his teacher makes a squiggle on and Lincoln has to create a picture out of her squiggle and write about it. A couple weeks ago Lincoln created a picture that was a big green hill and at the bottom there is a man with a hook. Now here is what Lincoln wrote, "This is a man who wanted to climb this hill. However it was too steep for him to climb. Feeling confident he used his grappling hook to help him climb the hill. Finally he got to climb the hill and he climbed up so high that he broke the world record." I thought this was funny because I actually had to ask my first grader what a grappling hook was...
   Lincoln came home from school one day with instructions on how to make green eggs and ham. He kept asking to have them for dinner. When I read over the directions, I had a pretty good laugh out of his step number 2. here it is. "2. Mix together and add green foot coloring." I don't know where you have to go to get green foot coloring, but I'll pass.
   One last thing about Lincoln. We had the missionaries over for dinner about a month ago, and they convinced Lincoln that before he could get baptized this summer, he had to pass a very hard test about the Gospel. It was all fun and games, but Lincoln sat me down a couple weeks later and asked if I thought he could pass the test and if I could help him study.
   Lincoln is a great brother for Holly, Alex, and Greta and we love having him around.

Alex Turns 2!!!

2010-04-09T10:14:00.000-05:00

The last year has flown by in a blurr, and already our little Xander Mander is two. When talking with him about what he wanted in a cake, he said two things, Chokit (chocolate), and Pokemon. Well there you have it, the inner thoughts of a two year olds mind. We had a fun family dinner with ham fried rice because Alex LOVES rice, and a fun Pokeball cake after. Lincoln was nice enough to help Alex get all those gifts open and was equally as excited about them too...

This year Alex has started talking like crazy. He loves to play with Lincoln and Holly, and I catch him often by Greta saying, "hewwow coot gul" (Hello cute girl). It makes my heart melt.

He climbs on everything and gets pretty sad if someone leaves the house and he doesn't get to go. He really likes animals and will always dance in his car seat if I play any music with a strong beat. He really enjoys books, any books, and most of all, loves pokemon, a little too much. He usually goes to bed and wakes in the morning wanting to do something anything that has to do with pokemon.

Greta's Blessing Day

2010-04-09T09:21:00.000-05:00

Greta's Blessing day was so nice. We took pictures in her dress the day before and I'm glad because trying to get us all to church on time and leave time for pictures... is impossible. Hans gave her a beautiful blessing, and despite the fact that I had nightmares the night before thet he was going to change her name, he did not! :) We didn't have any family in town, but Hans had a friend who lives in the area come down with his family, and a friend from work and his family came to sacrament meeting as well. Also we live in a branch who is privileged to have the stake President. He is supper nice and funny, and I think it was special that he stood in the circle. One sweet thing happened. While blessing her, Hans mentioned that she was wide awake and cooing at all the men in the circle. I just want to say thank you to my mom for making Greta's beautiful dress. It is hard to see, but among other details, she embroidered a "G" on the dress in white. It was so cute and personal.

Bed head and Sunshine

2010-03-05T14:54:00.000-06:00

On Thursady at 2 am, I sat on the couch with Greta. She was wide awake, and we were cooing and talking together in the dark. Suddenly a pale light shined right on Greta's face. I whipped around to look out the window only to behold a beautiful gibbous moon. It was shining right on us, and we both just sat there staring at it. It was the first direct light we've had in days, maybe even weeks. I have been so gloomy lately without sunshine; it was starting to really make me grouchy and depressed. (I must insert a little shout out to my sister Susanna for enduring all the phone calls. I am sure I sounded a lot like Eyore, and she was so nice about it.)
But the Moonlght was so nice. I was grateful for the lesser light, and while Greta nodded off fairly quickly, I stayed awake as long as my tired eyes could to enjoy the dim rays.
Then to my surprise I awoke just before the sun was up only to notice the sky was blue...blue. There were no gray clouds in sight. And then it happened, the sun came up, and I about peed myself in excitement! It was so bright, and although I've been a bit under the weather, it didn't matter. Today is now day two of sunshine and we are forcast for two more days of it. I hope it holds out. I have enjoyed every minute of it. Last night I was so sad when the sun was setting. I simply can't seem to get enough of it. So for those of you who live in sunny places right now, thank you, thank you for sending some my way! Boy have I been missing that refreshing bright Mr. Sunshine!

Here are a couple new pictures of Greta and one of Holly. I think Greta is going to have curly hair, because it seriously has a mind of its own, just like Holly's. Here are my two cute bed head girls.

Answered Prayers

2010-02-23T10:20:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago, Alex got the flu. He threw up for two days, and had a fever for 4 days. I started to not feel so good myself, only my symptoms were swollen glands, sore throat, chills, all those yucky symptons associated with a bacterial infection...like strep throat. I called a local doctor associated with the clinic my kids go to, who agreed to squeeze me in even though I was a new patient, and he wasn't accepting new patients. He was great even though I drug three kids into the last minute apt. with me. He even rewarded their good behavior with a piece of candy, and not those dumb stickers that get stuck on my fridge or floor or table... After examining me, he decided the best course of action was a good dose of pennicillin. After 18 hours, I was feeling so so much better. But poor Alex was not. So I took him to see his doctor. I fugured once Alex's doc, Doctor N., heard I was on antibiotics, he would take that into consideration with Alex, who wasn't eating, sleeping or feeling well at all. I tried to give all the information I knew about Alex's symptoms I could. Doctor N. sent us down to the lab to have blood drawn to check alex's blood count. After the test, he simply said Alex had a virus, that is blood cell counts were normal, and that his fever would go away in a day or two.

We went home, and Alex didn't really get better. He would have times during the day when his fever went up, and he would go crawl into my bed and sleep (this happened more than once a day). He was cranky, and still not eating well. Last Friday he developed a red spotty rash all over his abdomen and chest. I started freaking out. I kept debating if I should see anothet doctor for a 2nd opinion, or just wait it out. When things didn't get better over the weekend I decided that on Monday I would call the doctor who saw me, and see if he would take a look at Alex. Well Monday morning came, and I noticed Alex's Lymph node behind his right ear was swollen to the size of a ping pong ball maybe. It was so swollen it was making his earlobe curl upwards. I freaked out, and called his current doctor for another check. The worst part was wondering if I had not explained myself well enough the first visit. I felt so bad for Alex, and I was so mad at myself. My poor child has been in pain, and I am his advocate, and I didn't do my job well enough. I felt sick inside. So this visit, I was a bit pushier explaining the symptons, and mentioniong that Alex had lost 2 pounds in the last 10 days, and still the doctor drew blood again to check his blood cell counts. Seriously, do you know how traumatic it is for an almost two year old to have his blood drawn...especially when they can't find a vein? He was such a trooper, and finally after having elevated blood cell counts, the doctor was sufficiently worried. he gave Alex a shot of strong anti-biotic right in his office, and sent us home with a prescription of oral antibiotic, and follow-up apt. for today.

Well last night, while pacing with Greta at 3 in the morning my mind started to go crazy. What if Alex didn't have a bacterial infection. What if it was sonthing worse? What if it would have been something worse and I hadn't been a big enough advocate for him? The thought scared me, and I said a prayer right then for help in two areas, first, that I would have help finding a new doctor for Alex. One that was confidant in his abilities, and that I felt listened to me. I wanted to change to the doctor I saw, but they are associated with the same clinic, and I don't want to offend Doctor N. And second, that the Savior wouldn't forget my stress and worry, and would comfort me and let me know he was there.

Well I took Alex into his follow-up this morning, and after yet another round of blood testing found his blood cell counts normal. So the anti-biotic is working. As I was checking out, the receptionist let me know that I needed to start thinking about finding another doctor because Doctor N. was LEAVING the clinic. Then as I was just getting home and walking in the door, a message was being left on my answering machine from the Stake president's wife who is in our Branch, calling to see how I was doing, and to tell me she was thinking about me. It is so comforting to know that even though I am a bit sleep deprived (and that is probably the reason for my small breakdown) that our prayers are taken seriously. And more than that, to know we have an advocate in our Savior who is always there.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-10T19:57:00.000-06:00

Two things have been happening this week in our house... We've been revving up for Valentine's Day and watching the snow fall...and the snow fall...and the snow fall. For some of you who live in the mid-atlantic states, you know what I mean. So if you live in sunny a warm place... wish us some Valentine SUNSHINE PLEASE!!!!!!

Okay so here are some pictures of the Valentine cookies we made, a Valentine banner I made, and the kiddos out in the snow. This was right before they came in , so they are pretty cold, and not as cooperative as I would have liked. Enjoy anyway, and Happy Valentine's Day from the Meyer Family. If we could send you all one thing, it would be a red plate with a white heart shaped doilie (sp) and One of these yummy cookies on it!

Greta

2010-02-06T03:53:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple new pictures of Greta. I know this in no way is enough, and really I have no excuse other than sleep deprivation and laziness. That being said, I am wanting to post more soon. But who knows when soon will be...

Welcome to the Meyers!

2010-01-12T00:25:00.000-06:00

Greta Elisabeth Meyer joined the family at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, 2010. She was nine days early, but weighed in at a respectable 6 pounds, 9 ounces. She and her mom are doing great and will probably be in the hospital for another day or two.

The Way Charity Really Works

2010-01-09T17:16:00.000-06:00

This last week has been both a good week, and long week. First worth mentioning before I go too far is the fact that I did not blog every day in December like Hans challenged me to, however, he did. So congrats Hans on a blog well done! Okay so this week it snowed. It snowed everyday. Not a ton, but enough to cancel school for Lincoln Tuesday through Friday. He had 4 snow days this week. I don't think I ever experienced 4 snow days total in my elementary experience. Lucky Ducky is all I have to say. On Thursday afternoon it started to snow pretty heavily. So heavily that by the time Hans came home from school, about 5:30, he got stuck in our driveway. Luckily he and Lincoln muscled the car out while I drove it into the garage. He didn't have plans on going in on Friday because he figured the driving would be too messy. He was planning on working from home, but when Friday dawned clear and sunny he changed his mind and decided to brave the roads.
I decided while he was showering I would get out the old snow shovel, and clear him a path in the drive to back out into and turn around. I didn't want him getting stuck again and having to push the car in his nice clothes. So I did just that. I dug a one car path leading from the garage door to a small area just big enough to turn around in. Than I figured the driveway goes downhill so momentum would do the trick. (I have to put a small disclaimer in here stating that I also did this shoveling in attempt to help myself dilate a bit. I am due on the 20th and not dilated, effaced, or anything.)
By the time Hans left the house the shoveling did indeed work, but I was so tired. I started on the stairs leading up to our front porch meanwhile thinking that maybe this charity wasn't worth it. My hands were cold and my ankles were red where the snow had worked its way up my pant leg... And then the spirit taught me a lesson about charity. A nice man down the street, whom I have never met, came driving up the street on a quad with a small snow plow ion the front. he must have seen me shoveling and decided to come help finish the job. He not only plowed the remaining portion of the driveway to the road, but cleared a path so that we could get both cars out. he then waved and left. I was touched and grateful for his charity, and simple gesture to help out. I kept thinking, "This is how Charity is really supposed to work." Usually we don't get to see the full circle of charity displayed before us, and I was humbled by this small teaching moment from the spirit.

The Popcorn Pumper

2009-12-22T18:13:00.000-06:00

This is quite a random post, but I think it is a good one, and I wanted to say thank you to my Aunt Mona for making it all happen!
So about 8 years ago when Hans and I got married, I started asking him for an air popcorn popper. I wanted one so bad because I remember my mom making delicious bowls of hot fresh popcorn, and caramel corn for our family. So naturally I felt I needed one; Hans must have thought it was of no value because he never did get me one when I asked. I watched for deals on them and occasionally debated just buying one at full price for myself, but I could never actually do it. So years went by, and occasionally I would bring it back up, you know, drop a hint or two.. it never worked. This summer while my mom was at Education week in Utah staying with my Aunt Mona she asked if there was anything I was looking for. You have to understand that my Aunt Is the queen of garage sale shopping. I think It helps that she lives close to Park City, Utah where all the richies ditch their stuff for dirt cheep. She is always finding the coolest stuff. So I mentioned to my mom I was looking for a popcorn popper.
When my parents came this last week my Mom had a large duffel bag I thought was full of Christmas gifts. But when she opened it up I realized that there were a bunch of small gifts, and a huge Popcorn Pumper box. It turns out that she mentioned to my Aunt that I wanted the popper, and my Aunt went down into her basement and pulled out a brand new, in the box, never been opened Popcorn Pumper that must have been at least 20 years old. I was seriously so excited. So thank you Aunt Mona and Uncle Tony for not getting rid of the Popcorn Pumper you were given and re-gifting it to me! I love it. My first order of business after finding a perfect spot for it in my kitchen is to make a bowl of caramel corn, Utah style!

Graduation is for Families

2009-12-19T07:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Hans graduated. Well he had really already graduated, but now that he's walked and officially flipped that tassle to the other side, and I guess been hooded, it's official! My parents wanted to be there and Hans had a sister and brother who also flew into town for the ceremonies. It has been a really fun couple of days.
One thing I wanted to share was about the lack of families. Now I realize that this is graduation and most families with kids simply called a sitter, but I wanted Lincoln and Holly and Alex to see the fan fare and watch as their dad, accomplished a huge goal in his life. I know years from now I will be reminding them of this time and what it really means. I am hoping that they will see the example of a goal set and achieved through hard work from their Dad, and follow in his footsteps. It was an interesting experience to watch and hear the cheers form other graduates. Those who were getting an undergraduate degree were usually met with cheers from siblings and mother and father, it was heart warming, but I noticed also a large gap in the family cheers among the doctoral graduates and Master's graduates. The cheers were less and as I tried to locate the family for each quickly, I was met with a spouse and no other family many times. So here is were I make my plug for families. Many students wait to have kids. They want to be settled or making more money or have a real job of some kind, So they focus on themselves and study like crazy. They miss movie night and wrestling time; they miss school plays and preschool graduation. They don't know what it is like to sit in a hospital room with their wife and new baby close by while typing the last bit of a paper due in 6 hours. I have heard them say they couldn't get it all done with kids, and that it will all work out later when they have graduated. I am here to say today, that is not the case. Hans is a wonderful example of a Man who completed his graduate degrees on schedule with others who put off children.
I look at where we are now, and I know that Hans did all the hard work, but I also know that our family has grown stronger for the sacrifices we made together. That isn't experience you can tell your children about in 6 or 7 years when you get around to having them. I hope Hans knows how much we love him. I hope Hans knows how grateful I am to be his spouse. It will not matter how many ditches we back into, how many lemon cars we buy, how many houses we have piered, because we only become closer and stronger as a family for each and every experience we go through. I loved that Lincoln took a picture of Hans as he walked out with the graduates. He was the only kid around, other than Holly and Alex, but you could see the pride in his eyes when his Dad stopped the line for a few seconds so his dad could pose for a picture. That moment will always be non-existant for others, and I think that is sad. When we get home I'll find that picture and post it with this entry. Congratulations Hans!

The Dreaded White Elephant

2009-12-16T21:51:00.001-06:00

I know I haven't posted in a few days. I have been busy, and well lazy. Today however something very blog worthy happened. Well maybe blog worthy is pushing it, but I thought it was funny. I went to our Relief Society Christmas meeting tonight where we had a white elephant gift exchange. I really am not a big fan of the white elephant gift exchange, because I generally do not want a bunch of junk from other people, and I never know if I should give something really good or something funny. Tonight I however received a gift that was quite interesting. After having my gift stolen by the last person, I took the last available gift and found a can of sealed tomato soup. Upon opening the can instead of tomato soup inside it was filled with triple A batteries. I was confused and it turned out the batteries were not just any triple A's. They were the triple a's from the Rockettes battery packs. One sister had a daughter who worked in Broadway production and happened to get all of the batteries from one show. It so happens the girls have the packs on their hips which supplies energy to the microphones on the girls shoes. So if anyone is interested ... Honestly I think I will just keep them. They get switched out after every show, so chances are they still have some good life left in them. I'll never have to buy triple a's again. What weird white elephant gifts have you all received?

Been Thinking About You.

2009-12-09T17:08:00.002-06:00

I've been Thinking about people for a couple months. I don't know why I have, but it seems all the long lost in my life have been resurfacing in my thoughts. And not just those I have sort of lost touch with, but those who live far away. I'll be folding laundry like I did this morning, and be wondering if Marley is still working for the NSA, or if Megan and Hugh are still considering graduate school. Is my music teacher from High school still in cancer remission? I wonder whatever happened to Kara or Jill or Kelley? Will they ever blog again? Could I convince Mallory to come stay with us for a semester? And so on and so on. I know you don't all know these people, and if I didn't name you it isn't because I haven't been thinking of you, most likely I have multiple times. So there really isn't a point to this blog today, only to say chances are I've been thinking of you.

So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it

2009-12-08T21:02:00.000-06:00

Today I was doing my Christmas math. I was listing my projects to be completed, and my days left, and then I was breaking it all down to decide when I needed to accomplish what, and well I became a bit discouraged. I realized that my parents are coming into town on Monday night, and I have to clean, and shop, and get everything ready for all of us to take a weekend trip to Missouri, and it all has to get done before Monday night.
So the question is, will Lincoln, Holly and Alex receive homemade pajamas this year? Will my mom get that other little project I have planned for her? Heck will the laundry get done? Yes, I think it can all be accomplished, but only if I don't keep falling asleep on the couch!
Okay so this entry, really is dedicated to Hans and his support and tolerance of my napping habits. I am can honestly say I am not a day napper. I tend to have a hard time falling asleep when the sun is up, or I can hear people having fun without me... But night time is a totally different story. Something about my body is programed to begin shut down when the sun goes down. I could easily go to bed at 8pm every night and be fine except for one little problem. I feel guilty going to bed to early. Night is the one time during the day Hans and I have to each other, to talk or watch movies, heck even play a game. I always feel like I am ruining that time when I fall asleep early on our very very comfy couch. And then I feel even worse when Hans says, "Just go to bed Sweetie..."

Oh I am such a bad boring wife. Tonight it happened again. I fell asleep by 9:00 and Hans told me to go to bed, but I have this running list of all the things I have to do before Monday and I couldn't do it. So I went to the kitchen instead of my bed and popped some popcorn, because munching keeps you awake right? first on the list, Blog. Second on the list, Sewing. ugh the thought is not exciting. So if I you don't see a new blog post tomorrow, it is because I fell asleep at my desk and sewed my fingers together. But even if i do, I know it will all be worth it when Grandma and Grandpa show up. the kids are already excited to see them and I am too!

Cough, Cough,...

2009-12-07T08:47:00.000-06:00

About 6-8 weeks ago, Hans came down with a cold. I felt so bad for him. He felt like garbage, and just kept going to work and teaching. Maybe he should have stayed home and rested but as a new professor, you don't really have the luxury of avoiding school for a chunk of time. I kept encouraging him to see a doctor... more like pushing him actually, because I didn't want to get sick. I hate being sick and pregnant.
Eventually he did call a doctor, but because we are new patients the first apt. Hans could get was in December. Well while waiting for his apt. to come, I did myself contract the sickness and now am coughing away just like he was. It is annoying, and even a little scary when people ask if I have H1N1 and am going to die... what support (I am not by the way going to die form this cough. I am way too stubborn). I did however call my OBGYN's office to get a consultation on the matter. Here is how the conversation went:

Me- "Hi I'm so and so and I was wondering if I might talk with a nurse or leave a message for one?"
Receptianist-"No. Our nurses are all with patients right now. What is your problem?"
Me- "I'm 33 weeks pregnant. I have a cough that has reached my chest and is not going away. I am having trouble breathing freely when I go up a flight of stairs or walk my son to the end of the drive to meet the bus. I was wanting to talk with a nurse so I know at what point I should worry."
Receptionist-"Are you Pregnant?"
Me-" Yes, 33 weeks." (I already said that...)
Receptionist- "You can take Sudafed or Robitussin over the counter. Have a good day."

And then she hung up and that was it. I have great medical insurance, and all I can get is free advice I already knew from a blasted receptionist. I found it interesting she didn't ask my name and barely didn't remember that I was pregnant. But more than that I was appalled that with pregnant women being close to the top of the list for H1N1 complications, she wouldn't refer me to a nurse when I say I'm having trouble breathing.
So I went to Walmart and purchased some sudafed and took it. I did notice a small improvement the first time I took it, but I also noticed less fetal movement, which scared the heck out of me. So although I didn't want to take it again, I finally broke down and took it again before church so I could get through my lesson with the sunbeams. It didn't do anything this time though, and since last Monday when I first called the doctors office I have noticed my cough is worse.
Now I called again this morning and talked with a very nice Receptionist who allowed me to leave a message for a nurse and took all of my personal information down, and was very nice.
I still cannot help being a bit irritated that I couldn't have the same service the first time I called. What practice actually allows their secretary to hand out medical advice? So far my medical care experience here is Ohio has been underwhelming compared to my experience in Missouri. Let's hope the nurse calls back and is helpful. Otherwise I will be using this expensive PPO plan to see my old doctor in Columbia when we visit in a couple weeks.

Here Comes the Sun

2009-12-04T15:35:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, Lincoln catches the bus at 7:30 am each morning. We are pretty lucky because school starts at 7:45 which means Lincoln is one of the last stops on the route. But every morning when my alarm goes off at 7:00 am on the dot, I find myself wanting to shut it off and just take him to school late. In fact, I would do that a lot more, but it is such a pain to go sign him in and the ladies in the office give me dirty looks, like they know I'm sleeping in. Why am I blogging about this? Each morning is becoming a little bit harder than the one before. The darkness is creeping in and now Lincoln is off to school before the sun rises.
This morning, after dragging myself out of bed and up the stairs, I just stared at Lincoln for a minute. I almost couldn't bring myself to wake him up. He looked so cute and sleepy, and warm in his feather bed. I actually wanted to climb in next to him and wait for the sun to rise, and then start the day.
I didn't do that, mostly because I could hear Xander down stairs jumping in his crib saying, "mom, mom, mom, mom..." And because today is FRIDAY and that means tomorrow I get to sleep until the sun comes up. I have been thinking about it all day. I think I might stuff cotton in my ears tonight so that when the "mom, mom, mom, mom" starts, it sounds like "Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad" to me. Happy Friday everyone I hope you get to sleep until the sun comes up!

Filled With Glee

2009-12-02T22:03:00.000-06:00

Hans has challenged me to blog every day this month. But as I sit here in my cozy bed, all I can think of is how I wish the rain outside would turn to snow, and how much I enjoyed tonight's episode of Glee. For those of you who didn't see it, I would highly encourage it, and for those who are followers, didn't that mattress dancing look so fun? I keep wondering what will happen in the last episode next week. I know this post totally makes me a geek, but I truly like the show. And I really want a Glee soundtrack CD to play in the minivan for me and the kids. My dad once told my sister and I that he didn't want us to get too immersed in the arts. He didn't want us to be like all those weird people... and I remember Emily and I looking at each other and saying, "We are those weird people." So for those of you who like the show Glee too, I hope you enjoyed tonight's episode as much as I did.

Sleepy Turkey, Swollen Pregnant Lady and Black Friday!

2009-12-01T20:25:00.006-06:00

Last year I posted a blog about how much I loved Black Friday. I think I included some shopping tips as well. You see after about 5 years of Black Friday shopping I have never not gotten an item I had set out to get on my priority gift list. Never ... until this year. Oh, how tables have turned for me this year. I don't ever want to hear the term Black Friday again.

For those of you still interested I will give the explanation. I really used to love B.F. (Black Friday) mostly because I love a good deal, and not the 10-30% off kind of deal, but the real, store-lost-money-on-that-one deal. For those who know me, you know this is true.

Last year was the best and most successful B.F. of all time. So I have been looking forward to this year for about 360 days. Well my B.F. plans started going south early on, and I should have known then to stop while I was ahead. Athens, Ohio is unfortunately not known for its shopping. I mean really, my B.F. options were Wal-mart, or...Big lots, or...Wal-mart. In an effort to save the day I decided to make it the best B.F. at Wal-mart possible. My routine of checking the ad started later than usual as I was up early preparing my first full Thanksgiving dinner for our family and Hans' sister's family who was in town visiting. I did prepare as much as possible ahead of time, but there is always a ton of work to do the day of, and by the time I got to bed, it was late, my ankles were swollen, and I still had not finished my shopping list. I hurriedly checked with Hans for approval and set my alarm for plenty of get-ready-in-the-dark time and driving time. I was all set. I even had my clothes laid out. Wal-mart opened at 5 a.m., and I was going to be there early to get what I wanted. I awoke in the middle of the night and checked the clock. It was 2:30 a.m. More time to sleep.

The next thing I know, I wake up to see the clock reading 5:04 a.m. WHAT? My alarm did not go off. I jumped up, much to the surprise of my poor sleeping fetus and still swollen ankles, and grabbed my clothes. I thought maybe I could salvage something. But honestly all I could think of was how mad I was. Did I eat too much sleepy turkey? Did I not prepare by resting enough on Thanksgiving? Yes and yes! Just before I flew out of the house I decided I had to go to the bathroom. I had consumed way too much Cranberry Sierra Mist and had so doomed myself. It was a good thing however, because when I got to the bathroom, I realized I had put my maternity pants on backwards in the dark. I couldn't catch a break!

Usually as I drive down the darkened roads I see lights just flickering on or people trying to get in their cars fast enough, or dark houses with cars in the driveway, and I think to them all secretly...suckers!!!! I'll get the deals because you are still sleeping, but this year all the empty drive ways mocked me.

When I got to Wal-mart, people were already leaving. I was almost crying, (mostly because I'm pregnant) and I just knew all the good stuff was gone. I had missed Black Friday. I didn't get two things on my very short shopping list. One of them was the main reason for participating. I roamed the packed aisles looking for my key item, hoping buyers had changed their minds and ditched it. Then I did the unthinkable; I considered swiping it out of a teenagers cart. What did a college student need a Furr Real Pet for? If she knew how much Holly would love it, wouldn't she just hand it over anyway? :(

It was at that point I put myself in check, checked out, and came home. I crawled back in bed with Hans and said four words I never thought would come out of my mouth. "I hate Black Friday!"

Maybe if I hadn't eaten so much turkey and woken up late, or if I hadn't taken time to pee and change my pants around, or even if I had driven a little faster, I would have that Furr Real Pet puppy right now. Sorry Holly. One day you'll read this, and I'll hope you know I tried.

A Few October Pictures

2009-11-10T11:41:00.003-06:00

Here are a few fun pictures form our Halloween festivities. The kids had a great time trick or treating, and once again, we didn't get the best pictures of their costumes. however that being said, Holly begged to be a witch this year in stead of the sweet little red riding hood I had planned. Since Lincoln was the mad hatter for me last year I promised he could choose any costume this year, and so I made him a ninja. Alex was supposed to be Mr. Peanut, but I when the week of Halloween rolled around and I hadn't started I decided to go with a scarecrow. One side note: Alex threw such a fit when I went to put his costume on that Lincoln and I had to practically hold him down while bribing him with Hershey kisses just to get him into it.

Mischeif Maker

2009-10-20T09:09:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I am baffled by the amount of trouble one little person can cause. One toddler that is. We happen to have one right now that is all hands. I assume Alex dreams about what to get into next, and where to go find trouble. It could be pulling Holly's hair, taking apart all of Lincoln's legos, unfolding the laundry faster than I can re fold it, or going through every and any drawer in the house. He can find trouble anywhere. He doesn't like to sit still, or relax, just play. It is cute, but sometimes I end up scratching my head at the things he does.
Last week he appeared out of nowhere with a tiny chip on one of his front teeth. Where did it come from? What happened? Did he fall? No clue. He has always been a daredevil. When he was maybe 9 mo. old he fell down a babysitters stairs. We have no idea how, or if he was knocked out, we had to wake him up every couple of hours for 2 or 3 nights, to make sure he was alright.
I really had thought that he had experienced his share of the toddler trauma, but today he crawled on the kitchen table, because Holly was eating pineapple, and he wanted some. Instead of going off the way he went up, he decided dangle his legs off the side and jump right down. You may be thinking, where is the Mother...? Right here, watching it all. He crawls up there so much and is usually very methodical about getting down. I think I was in fact asking him nicely to get of the table, when he scooted right off, and did a nice big belly flop. He didn't get the wind knocked out of him, or break anything, but he did get a bloody nose. Something he's never had before. However I am sure more are to come. Because as nice and cute, and funny as he is, he is a daredevil through and through. Personally I think he gets it from his two Grandpa's! Really I do. And just for explanation, the picture of Alex in his car seat was minutes after we gave him ONE oreo cookie on a road trip.

ALDI

2009-10-12T13:43:00.002-05:00

Okay everyone, I had the most interesting experience today. For many of you, it may be no big thing, and you may be actually familiar with the process, but for me it was a bit, well interesting. There is a grocery store in the mid-west called ALDI. It has always been described to me as a discount grocer. There was one in Missouri where we lived and that is where I first heard about ALDI. We had friends who would talk about how much money they saved, and so on, but they also said that ALDI deosn't carry common brands, and deosn't carry everything from a regular grocer. Add on top of that you have to bring your own bags, or buy them on your way out. Okay so maybe you see why I never gave ALDI a try while I lived in Missouri. Mostely because I think bags should be free.
Well after moving here I was recommended to ALDI by a gal at church who raved about their cheap canned goods and produce. Well today I went to ALDI. First, I forgot to grab bags... seriously I am sure if I go back I will forget again. But after driving 15 minutes into town, I wasn't turning around for bags. I had Holly and Alex with me, and I was husteling up to the store because Alex is heavy, and it is cold outside today. Right outside the store there are a bunch of baskets chained together... and I couldn't get one. After like 5 minutes and pure confusion, a nice guy walks up sticks a quarter in a slot and hands me a basket, and a "you're a moron look". I say thanks, and put my kids in the basket, and all the time on my way in I'm thinking, this is so not worth the trouble. If that nice guy hadn't footed a quarter for my basket, I would have bolted and went to Kroger.
But I went in and was next surprised by isles made of boxed goods and old people. They didn't seem to have a problem with the quarter baskets. I grabed a few things I needed. Milk for 1.69 a gallon, canned pumpkin for .79 a can, a pinneaple for 1.49, and some frozen veggies at .89 a bag among other things. All in all I will say it was cheap. I came away with 27 items and my total was 29.76. that is including the two 10 cent bags I purchased. And then I noticed that the checker had put all my stuff in my basket costco style, with the bags on top. I'm carrying Alex at this point who seems to hate ALDI and realize I have to bag my own groceries. I guess they figure if you bought the bags you'd want to bag it all.
I strap my kids in the car, unload my groceries from the basket into the bags, into the car, and them find out there are no basket returns in the parking lot...none. So I run the basket back up to the store and realize that if you chain it back up in line you get your quarter back. Wow, how nice of them... to find a way to ensure people put their basket back. I left the quarter for the next shopper, and left feeling giddy about the deals, and so irritated by the lack of costomer service. And what does all this prove to me? You get what you pay for!! Will I be back to ALDI anytime soon? I don't know..the jury is still out on this one. Maybe if the pinneaple tastes good...

Got Christmas on my mind, and my mind on Christmas!

2009-10-08T14:51:00.006-05:00

Usually this is my favorite time of year. The leaves start to change colors, which I love to watch, pumpkins flood the grocers which I also enjoy. Plus it means Halloween is coming, and I spend hours planning out exactly how I'm going to make my kids costumes. I watch Nightmare Before Christmas and make pumpkin cake, and apple cider... I usually LOVE October. But this year something in my brain has gone haywire! I can't stop thinking about snow, and handmade gifts. Not to mention how excited I am to cut down a Christmas tree, and wrap gifts. I'm looking forward to Christmas music (which secretly I have already listened to this month..I know, despicable) in the car. So what is wrong with me. Well the last two weeks I have made it a priority to do things one can only do in the fall. I've brewed apple cider, I've made the pumpkin cake, Holly and I even listened to Halloween music today, but all I really wanted to do was search the internet for gift ideas and decorating tips. I really think I'm going crazy. So as a last ditch effort I am blogging about it all in hopes that once it is all out of my head it will be all out of my system. And just as an FYI I really wanted to attach a Christmas picture to this blog, but I am forcing myself to use a Halloween one instead!

Summer fun

2009-10-06T12:44:00.003-05:00

Here are pictures of our summer vacation. We took a trip to Disneyland with Uncle Chad's family, visited Aunt Emily, Uncle Tim, Owen and Henry, and spent some fun time with Grandma and Grandpa Packard. After California we had fun in St. George with Aunt Susanna and Aunt Mindy's families, and also had a nice visit in Salt Lake with Grandma Meyer. These are just a few of the fun pictures we took.

Summer pics 1

2009-10-06T12:08:00.001-05:00

Baby Update

2009-09-02T07:26:00.002-05:00

This post will hopefully be followed up with a bunch of pictures, thanks to Aunt Linda for sending us our camera so speedily! Thank you Linda. But for now I have a bit of interesting news. As some of you know Hans and I are expecting baby number 4. We have told family and a couple others but for many this is new news. We have known for some time, but have been so busy over the summer it was placed on the back burner and we just went about life. Well, now that we are settled and I have a new doctor, things are back on track. So here is all the info we know. I am about 20 weeks, with a scheduled due date of January 20th. From the view the doctors had we are told it is a GIRL!! Yay! Now for the interesting part. In the past we have given our baby a family middle name. We have a few we are considering but are open to suggestions. The first name is already picked out and top secret. I don't want anyone stealing it, not that any of you live close to me... but still I am weird like that. So if you can think of some cute family names you would like to suggest, please do!

Watermelon, Goldfish, and tractor rides!

2009-08-17T11:21:00.005-05:00

{This is the home we now live in. Some of you have
asked to see a picture. So here it is front and back.}

It has been so long since I blogged, I imagine most of you won't be looking anymore. But if you have happened to come across this little blog, I'm glad you visited.
We are officially settled in Albany, Ohio. It is green, buggy, wet, hilly, and at times feels like I am far from civilization. However we have had some really fun and new experiences since we've been out here. With three acres of lawn to mow, you can just guess that Hans invested in a riding lawn mower, and the kids Love it!!!!! He takes them for rides one by one and they patiently wait their turn for another.
We also picked our first giant watermelon out of our pre-planted garden, and it was so... not red inside; pink at best I would say. So it appears we have more to learn. Luckily we have more watermelons growing away and I imagine before the season ends we will learn the art of picking a ripe watermelon.
We went to the county fair on Friday, and had a load of fun. We saw plenty of livestock, and farmers... Lincoln and Holly both won a fish who they named Goldie and Jiggly. We bought a bowl and some food. It has been an interesting experience. RIP Jiggly and Goldie, it was a good 3 days.
Hans is moving into his new office, which secretly makes me jealous; it has a giant round window and a huge desk, and most appealing is the quiet location and lock on the door. I am really happy for him. He has worked to hard, he deserves it!
Lincoln starts school on Wednesday and I am really excited about that! The only interesting note about that is the small fact he will have to catch the bus at 7:20 am, and school will start at 7:45. Poor Lincoln is going to have a hard time adjusting to that schedule, and I don't think it helps that we have been out west most of the summer.
As I close up, I have to note that I would post gobs of fun pictures from over the summer, but I left our camera in Salt Lake. So maybe in a month or two. Sorry. I will post more exciting news soon I hope. Until then if you need any pointers on goldfish funerals, let us know. Lincoln had some particularly kind words he can share. Something about the great sewers of Heaven.

We've been to Ohio...3 times...

2009-06-09T07:02:00.005-05:00

As some of you know, Hans and I are preparing to move. When we first started the process I was very excited. I love looking at houses... or I should say I use to love looking at houses.
Hans and I took our first trip out to see Athens and found out you have to give 24 hours notice, even on empty houses, to get in and see them. Since I wasn't as prepared as I should have been we saw 2 or 3 houses... yikes. So we planned another trip. This one we drove, and this trip we took the kids... In 9-10 hours of driving, one way, I thought the kids were going to be so restless, and at times they were, but I have to say despite the mess in the back half of the van, the kids were really good, and we saw a ton of homes in our weekend trip. We also stopped in Chicago on the way home for a few days, Hans had a conference there and we took the opportunity to see a bit of the city.
After all this we still had not found a home that met the few requirements we originally set. So knowing we had 1 more week to get out of our house, last weekend we left Lincoln and Holly with friends, and Hans, Alex and I took an overnight trip out to Ohio for one last look at some homes.
We found one and we are busy making offers, and packing like mad so we can drive away on Monday morning. Here are some pictures of the fun family car ride... We have yet to tell the kids the trip out to Grandma's on Monday is 24 hours of driving. We'll cross that bridge when we get there...

Ben Folds

2009-05-30T14:05:00.002-05:00

Last Wednesday night, Hans paid a babysitter and took me to see a band we both love. Now I must say that I am not much of a concert person. I've seen some pretty sad things. I saw the Righteous Brothers at the fair grounds, the Osmonds during Mother's week at college, the American Idol concert (first season with Kelly), and Jim Brickman's Christmas concert... oh wait one more... Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd at a truck stop... wow, this list keeps getting more and more embarassing... However, despite this odd list a few rise to the top as better concerts, ones I would go to again, like, Harry Connick Jr. at the Hollywood bowl, and Art Garfunkel here in Columbia. But last week I saw the best, Ben Fol ds.
Hans and I have been patiently waiting for him to show up in this college town for a few years now, so when Hans found out he was coming, we bought tickets that day. Despite the drunken frat boys behind us, the chain smoking couple in front of us, and the loud mouth guy making out with his wife beside us, we had a great time. Ben Folds is amazing on the piano which is surprising since his instrument in college was precussion. He also had an incredible bass player,(Jared Reynolds) and the nerdiest drummer (Sam Smith) I have ever seen which made his band all the more enjoyable to watch. It started to drizzle, and I thought for sure there would be no encore, but they came out and played a couple more songs including Army (Hans' favorite).
Here are a couple pictures I took. I took one of them in the middle of the concert, and I remember thinking "he's looking right at my camera so I can get a good shot", and sure enough, I did! These picture are really for my Sister Emily. Emily it's time to trade in the Kenny Loggins photos for Ben! Wish you could have been there.

Lets hear a Quick shout out for Holly!

2009-04-29T06:09:00.004-05:00

I'd like to make a really quick post for Holly! She has her tonsils and adenoids out today! Holly is the sweetest person I know. She is always willing to share and help, and of course hug and kiss. Leave her some support, and I'll read the comments to her when she comes home! So shout out for Holly Girl, you are going to do great! Now, who else needs a shout out?

Catching up

2009-04-21T06:48:00.003-05:00

Lots of things have been happening in the last little while. First, here are a few pictures I took on Easter. We went to Stake conference in the morning, and the kids were sick by the time we came home. That is why there are no pictures of an egg hunt. We did have one in the house, and the kids were good about rallying their strength, but it was a pretty sad little affair. They are feeling better now, lets hope it stays that way for awhile.

2009-04-03T07:09:00.004-05:00

On March 31st, We celebrated Alex's first Birthday. He was such a good sport when we had other things going all day, (we'll celebrate more on Sunday with friends between conference sessions) . One funny thing, he snuffed out his one candle with his finger tips. After the initial cry from hot wax he was fine. He had a small little cake, and after fingering the frosting, he dug deeper and found chocolate cake. he liked that a lot! Then he watched Lincoln and Holly open his gifts...I mean help him open his gifts. He had a good time. I'll try and post more pictures from Sunday. the movies is of Alex eating his cake. You can hear the coughing all around, as this was the beginning of a family cold..yeah... Oh and if you watch, it is a bit uneventful, but the end when he smiles makes it worth seeing.

HUH?

2009-03-20T14:45:00.002-05:00

I had to post this, I thought it was really funny. this conversation took place on the way to drop Lincoln off at school.
"Mom, I really want to have Aiden over for a play date."
"I know, I'll e-mail your teacher today and get his mom's number and call her. Maybe he can come over one day next week since it will be spring break."
"No Mom he can't. He has to go to his Grandma's house and build a 6 legged walker."

Okay I have no idea what a 6 legged walker would look like, but it would cost a fortune in tennis balls! Have a great weekend!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-18T10:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a bit of a blurr for me. Carpool and preschool, plus the doctor took most of the day. For dinner I wanted to do something fun for the kids since it was St. Patrick's Day. I remember my mom making us special breakfasts on such holidays. Since my kids don't really like Corned beef and cabbage, I didn't make it; It's a bit salty for my liking as well. Instead of that I made the kids Green eggs, Green juice, and Green Chocolate chip pancakes. They loved it and ate it while deciding the best way to catch a Leprechaun. Oh and in case you noticed, Alex didn't wear green. The poor kid was pinched by every elderly person we passed all day. They thought it was so funny. Good thing he's tough!

Get Twisted!

2009-03-16T13:08:00.004-05:00

My sister Susanna introduced me to this awesome little product, Twisted fruit from Clif It is a yummy dense fruit rope made of real organic fruit. The best thing about it though, is that my kids love them. There is one serving of fruit in every rope.
After trying them the first time at my sister's house, Hans found them on sale and we bought some, I didn't know if the kids would really eat them again or if the first time was a novelty. (If you can call a fruit rope a novelty..) But the family ate them quickly. We all had our favorite kinds and needless to say, since then we have enjoyed them.
The down side is they are a bit pricey. I think my sister gets hers from Costco for a much better price than a regular grocer.
Anyway I thought it might be a fun product to pass on to those who have yet to try them. They are yummy!

Facebook Smacebook

2009-03-13T12:35:00.003-05:00

During Christmas break my family and I had so much fun visiting loved ones. It was nice to sit and laugh with the people I miss. However on more than one occasion I was encouraged, poked, and prodded to join my profile with thousands of others on Facebook. It didn't start at Christmas however, it started with Hans gently encouraging, and hinting that he would like it if I joined facebook so that he could link me or reference me as his wife on his page. Well if you ask him now he'll probably tell you I have been stubborn in my cause. I don't want to join facebook. I can hardly keep up with my blog, and honeslty, I don't really like reading all the little status thoughts... "So and So is feeling very lonely right now..." Blaaahhh! I'll pass. It was a decision I made a while ago, so over Christmas when a few family members kept pushing (gently) I just ignored it. So what has changed? Not much.
Hans has recently set a goal to have 200 friends on Facebook. If I joined I could give him one more, and who knows if people find me, they may want to be his friend too.... and then I stopped myself. Facebook is not something I want to do. It is just something everyone is doing. Like having TeVo or wearing Uggs. Well I did look it up, Facebook, and I learned a bit about it. How it started, what it's really about. I think I am going to stand by my original decision. I never really enjoyed high school anyway. Maybe in the future I will give in and set myself up with a facebook page, but for right now I think I'll just stick to the blogosphere. So on that note, "Merilee still won't join facebook." No interventions please. :)

Eternal Rewards last Forever

2009-03-05T22:25:00.007-06:00

I've been thinking a lot today about selfishness; and more so, about what role it plays in my life. Well, two hours ago, Holly went in the bathroom to brush her teeth, gagged herself, and threw up in the hallway. Eight hours ago, Hans left to fly out to attend one of his best friend's wedding. (We are so excited he could be there to support Jon.) Doesn't it always seem to happen when the dad's are out of town? I just stood there frozen for a half second, and then I jumped in helping hold her hair out of her face, and rubbing her back. While cleaning the mess up, I had one question running through my mind... the same question that has been running through my mind most of the day. How would my life be different if I could be totally selfish? Would I have kids? A spouse? Would I be traveling the world? That is something I have wanted to do for a very very long time. I couldn't really come up with an answer that put my mind at ease.
I came downstairs to check my e-mail, and I decided to load some pictures I had lost last month. And then if clear as a bell, it dawned on me. If I were to be totally selfish in everything I did I wouldn't know how it feels to hold a cool cloth on a child's head while they throw up. I wouldn't know how exciting it is for a 10 month old to play Crocodile Dentist.
I would have missed watching my son come home on top of the world, and then listen to his account of how he had won the Valentine box contest at school with his Love machine, and received 4 candy grams from his friends.

I would have no idea how exciting school spirit is for a 6 year old. (Or how long it takes to count out 100 feathers for a cardinal!)

I couldn't have comprehended how fun it could be to pick out girl toys with my daughter! (Shout out to Aunt Susanna for the birthday gift card. Holly lost it, but found it later and just recently found some serious deals at Toys R us. Thank you Aunt Susanna!)
I would be totally oblivious to the fact that for a kid, there is nothing better than stripping down to t-shirts and underwear, crawling in a Military sleeping bag (super warm) after playing in the snow, while waiting for warm hot cocoa.

And I would never have known that after having two kids I love so much I could have just as much love for a third little puddin' head!Everybody has different dreams, and desires, and while at times I still find myself daydreaming about traveling to distant countries, or what it would be like to run a company... I can honestly say that having an eternal family is worth any sacrifice, ten times over!

Anyone up for some cookies?

2009-02-18T13:58:00.003-06:00

I have an old roommate named Emily. She was great, and she collected jeans. She recently posted on her blog a picture of her collection of jeans. She had a ton of pairs. I couldn't believe it. She asked to see what others had an abundance of. I kept thinking, hmm... I don't know. I really don't collect anything.
Now that we know we are moving in the summer, Hans and I have been de-junking and cleaning out the house. This morning I decided to clean out my baking pantry... wow, I found what it was that I collect. Sprinkles. There are some really cool Amish shops our here that sell sprinkles and every time I go, I buy more. So here they are. Nice and stacked. I have everything from jimmies to non Perilles. I have colored sanding sugars, pumpkins, snowflakes and Easter chicks. They are fun to have and go on whaterever I make to take to the ladies I visit teach. It was so fun to see them all together. There are a total of 39 different kinds.
So I ask you all the same question... What is in your closet? what do you have loads of? Do tell...

Okay... You Win!

2009-01-24T06:05:00.005-06:00

For some time now, Lincoln and Hans have been ebbing away at my resistance to getting a pet. More specifically, a dog. I really don't want one. Hans may think I don't like dogs or animals, but really my argument is quite the contrary. Despite my common complaints of too much hair and poop on the rug, I do actually have a bigger issue. The first dog I really ever remember as a child was a big red bone coon hound named Red. I loved that dog, a lot. He would always play out side with me and keep me company. He didn't have extremely annoying habits like licking your hands or knees... and he wasn't hyper. But in that is the problem. I remember the night he died really well. He had been pretty sick, and my dad made him a bed at the end of the hallway. I remember checking on him a lot. I didn't want him to be sick and alone. Being a teenager however I was swayed into going to the movies, and told myself he would be better in the morning, but when I got home, he was gone. I have always felt bad that Red died alone at the end of the hallway.
Okay that little story out of the way, I will now tell you that Hans' niece Jennifer was given a new puppy for Christmas. After seeing my kids with that dog I realized I was probably denying my kids of some seriously good memories. So I am conceding, and when we move to Ohio, our family may grow a bit. Maybe we'll find a Red Bone puppy. Who knows...?

GO BOBCATS!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-11T23:44:00.006-06:00

A couple months ago, Hans flew out to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio to interview for a tenure track position in the journalism Department. He was competing against 3 other applicants, one of which is also a Missouri student. The decision could go anyway, however, when Hans came home I knew he had a great shot at the job. I could tell that his research presentation and teaching presentation had gone well just by his demeanor. So we sat back and waited. While we waited, Hans visited Oklahoma for an interview, had a phone interview with the University of Michigan, and talked a bit with a University in Arkansas.
Hans did get an offer from the University of Ohio, and after a small amount of negotiation, and some serious area research, Hans will be joining the faculty in Ohio this September. YAY!!!!!!
Now that is done, I will freely admit that I was so worried about moving even farther away from both of our home states, and families. Not to mention I know nothing about Ohio. Really. First thing was to get out the map and have a look. then I went to the Athens Chamber of Commerce website and did some searching. Not much close, and definitely no Costco... but alas they do have a small restaurant downtown that serves crepes. After praying and pondering I have really come to feel great about our decision. It will be a great experience for our family, and provide yet one more interesting destination for our friends and family to visit. So please PLEASE come visit us (and have crepes)! And most of all, thank you all. Your love and support have helped us feel not quite so far away from home. GO BOBCATS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alex can clap!

2008-12-13T08:23:00.004-06:00

Hans encouraged me to post a blog entry about Alex, and we have recently been working on teaching Alex to clap. We caught this cute video of Alex doing his best, and thought we would share it. These days Alex is getting into everything. Holly didn't crawl until 10 months, so this crawling thing at 6 1/2 mo. with Alex feels too soon. His favorite activity is to sneak into Holly's room and play with her doll house. Well he mostly likes to chew on the people! He is super cute and much happier now that he has cut two little bottom teeth.

When we decorated our Christmas tree, Alex was enthralled with the string of lights.
One night we let Lincoln watch a movie in bed. He and Alex decided to watch together. Alex has always gravitated to wherever Lincoln is. Lincoln was the first to get Alex to laugh, and occasionally at night we hear Lincoln and Alex in their room belly laughing at something Lincoln is doing!

This is one of Hans' favorite pictures. This was a bowl full of pumpkin guts, that Alex couldn't keep away from. He actually got that fist of goo in his mouth right after Hans took this picture.

Black Friday

2008-11-27T07:14:00.006-06:00

Every year there are two things I only do once. Pull out my long underwear, and leave at insane hours of the morning, to wait in the cold for a 5 dollar Carebear. I'm getting ahead of myself though, so let me tell you how this started. About 4 years ago, after moving to Missouri for grad school, Hans and I found ourselves POOR! That really is an understatement. We realized we would have a pretty sorry Christmas unless we found some incredible deals. So the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we sat down and poured over the 2-day, biggest shopping day of the year, day after thanksgiving sale ads. We didn't know there were such good deals. We were so young.... I decided to go out at 4 am and to get some cheap swag for the kiddos. I really thought it would be that easy. I figured that if you actually got up at 4 am, you would get what you wanted... Oh man was I surprised. My first year I lucked out and got all the things on my list... but luck really is the key here. I made all the newbie mistakes, including stopping to look at things that weren't on sale...and getting a basket when I didn't need one just to set my purse somewhere. Well I learned quickly that I wouldn't get what I wanted this way, and that I would probably be shopping on this day for many moons to come, so I decided to develop my own little Black Friday method! First of all let me add a small disclaimer: I do not go banans and purchase my kids everything on sale. If I was the kind of person that did that, I would never be the kind to shop on
Black Friday.

So Tip No. 1 is to keep the list simple, and as small as possible. So say you want a wii one year, and a bunch of hot cheap toys...well you probably won't get both... so pick wat you want the most and keep your list small.
Tip No. 2, Like I said in the beginning, my first year I wanted a 5 dollar carebear for Holly. But after getting all the other stuff on my list I couldn't find the carebears... and neither could the other ladies. We were all standing around pointing at the add, wondering about the carebears, when a man came through giant swinging doors with Huge Plastic wrapped pallet of Carebears. Well he was maulled. He couldn't go a step more. I saw ladies trying to cut the outside plastic with their keys. I however was so far back I couldn't even touch the bears. This poor guy had to climb on top of the pile and hand down bears to get the ladies off of him. So my tip 2 is that if you don't see what you want out...it is still in the back. Go wait by the double swinging doors, and it will come out and you will get one. By the way, the guy on the carebear mountain noticed my patience and asked if I wanted a bear. I nodded and mouthed "Yellow one" back and after digging down, he pulled it out. Only nobody had gotten a yellow one yet and all the ladies went Beserk! He looked at me and did that pumping motion with his arm. I backed way up and he footballed it over the crowd into my waiting arms!
Okay tip No. 3. People are stupid at 4 am. You have to be smart and play off of that. Look at what is in their baskets... One year I really wanted a cabbage patch newborn for I think 7 or 8 dollars. they were gone so fast. All they had left were black ones, and while cute, I wanted a blondie for Holly. However I glanced off to the side and saw a lady standing in the makeup section with a basket full of newborns. At least 10 of them. I walked over and she said to me... I don't need all these cabbage patch dolls. she totally got wrapped up in the frenzy. People do crazy things. They see everyone dying to get them, so they try and take them all. But at some point they just don't need a basket full of dolls. Be there to get what you want. I took a cute blond off her hands, and got what I wanted.
Tip No. 4, which I just discovered last night. Hans and I went out on a date, and on the way home swung into Target just as they were about to close. we went to see if they had what we wanted, but what we discovered was that they were setting up for the Thanksgiving sale. I realized that I couldn't buy that stuff early for cheap, but stores line the aisles with stuff, and sometimes the thing you want the most is in a totally random part of the store. So my tip is to go just before closing the day before the sale, or if they are closed on Thanksgiving, the Wednesday before. Now this year I know exactly were to speed walk to first when the doors open!

I hope these tips help someone or if nothing else provide a laugh. Happy shopping and most of all Happy Thanksgiving. I am so grateful for all of my friends and family. I wish you could all be closer. So with that...

Tip No. 5, there is nothing better than a great wing man on sale day! If she's slow it will be like carrying an anchor, but if she's fast... you can work together and accomplish twice as much! Good luck!

Odds and Ends

2008-11-23T20:12:00.004-06:00

Okay well let me start off by saying, sorry for not posting in awhile. It has been pretty busy here since the first of November, So this post will be a bit of an update on our crazy lives at the moment. Hans has been traveling a bit for job interviews, and will be leaving again next weekend for another. So please please pray that the Universities we apply to will not have hiring freezes as some universities are. Also this month we celebrated our 7th Anniversary with dinner and the chef had just finished cooking our bananas foster table side when our babysitter called to alert us that Alex had fallen down a whole flight of stairs. Luckily the kid didn't have a scratch on him. We spent a couple nights having him sleep with us, and waking him every so many hours to make sure he was okay. And after some obvious soreness, he is back to his mischievous little self.
I have recently taught an enrichment class for church on Handmade gifts, and although it was fun to make all the cute things I did, it was more time consuming than I anticipated. I won't give away what I made, as some items will be given to family members. Lincoln is still loving school and doing well; Holly just got accepted off the waiting list to a small preschool here in town that meets twice a week for a few hours in the morning. She is already fitting in well. I have Thanksgiving cards going out asap (like tomorrow hopefully) that include a current picture of our family. If you have moved in the last year...or two or three, please comment with your address so that I can send one out to you.
I will try to be more diligent with the blogging. To leave you with something so cute, I am posting this video of Lincoln practicing the talk he gave in our ward's primary program. He did a marvelous job. We hope you enjoy. Oh yeah and sorry about Halloween pictures.... we totally forgot our camera, and well we didn't get anymore. But we had a great night (sorry Mindy)!

A Sneek Peek at Halloween

2008-10-25T14:00:00.003-05:00

As most of you know I have been sewing costumes like crazy for about three weeks now. Last night was our ward party at church. I thought I would post a couple pictures. There will be more to come next week after Halloween, I promise. And yes I realize that the under side of Lincoln's hat needs a bit more covering. I have until Friday to get it done! Until then I hope all of you who are making costumes of your own get them done with time to spare. Happy Halloween!

If the shoe fits...

2008-10-16T10:50:00.004-05:00

I realize that it has been awhile since I have blogged. It seems it has been drama city here in Missouri. I feel like I have been running kids around non stop as of late, and when I do get an extra minute, I am sewing Halloween costumes (pictures to come soon). Well they are coming along nicely, I am still a little worried about getting them done on time , but I know myself. I'll get them done if it means I have to stay up all night.
This morning I was out at the salvation army looking for shoes I could paint, and a wig I could use, just for these wonderful costumes. Well I didn't find either, however I did look up and see a beautiful pair of Black knee boots. let me just insert here how bad I have been wanting a pair and have not been able to find the right size, fit, heal height, toe shape, and what not. So I walk over and pick them up.... just my size, They look brand new, and so I grab them thinking they might be pricey because this particular salvation army tends to be very pricey..odd I know. But low and behold it is sale day, and I get the boots for 6 George Washingtons! I took them home and they fit like a dream. Most of you know I am a bit of bargain shopper, and these made my day!

Backyard Sleepover

2008-10-04T22:00:00.007-05:00

At the beginning of this year, Hans and I bought our first family tent with the intentions of camping a couple times this year. Well Spring passed us, and summer too, the only thing the tent was used for was the Father/Son camp out. In Hans' defense I must say, that he was always willing to pick up and go find a camp ground, but I was the hesitant one. The thought of trekking tons of stuff and what not out to the middle of dirty nowhere didn't appeal to me.
Well Hans and I came to a great solution. We really wanted the kids to have a small camp out experience, well close to that, and I really wanted them to be close to a potty... Tonight we set up our tent in the back yard on the soft green grass. It is chilly outside but not to cold. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over some Sterno and had a lot of fun! I opted to sleep in the house with Alex, and Hans agreed to sleep outside with the kids. (I consider this good practice for next year when we really do go camping away from home.)

Time for Smoooores!!!!
Did somebody say Smoooooores?????

Alex thought the Sterno was a bit weird!
I took this picture right before I said goodnight and zipped them in. I'm hoping nobody needs to use the restroom!

He Passed!!! He Passed!!!

2008-09-28T19:11:00.003-05:00

I am writing this, and taking the chance that Hans forgives me, but I have to write and say how incredibly smart Hans is! This Summer started, Hans had a rough plan to go in, buckle down and study a few hours a day for his upcoming comprehensive exams. He talked about it, checked out a book here or there, would briefly read some articles, and so I started panicking. Really, I was all freaked out. I kept having this dream (that I never mentioned to Hans) about not being able to find the freeway entrance, and staying in Columbia forever. I know I kept nicely bugging Hans about studying. I know that if I was taking those exams, I would be flipping out and cramming every day. But that is not Hans, and I will admit now to you all, that I, more than anyone forgot the fact that this was Hans, and he KNOWS how to write! As the dreaded week approached I was worried, but he had it together, and he knew what he needed to know.
Well here is the happy ending! Hans passed his exams. He did an amazing job. I know he did because his committee deliberated and made their decision faster than Hans could run to use the restroom. So I just want to say, Sorry Hans for freaking out on you. I am so proud of you. You really are the most intelligent Man I know. Happy ABD (all but dissertation)!!!
PS- I used this picture because not only is Hans smart, he's also a great Dad that does funny things to make us laugh and show us that we are his priority in life. Thanks sweetie.

Sport Parents: Old news?

2008-09-19T21:05:00.012-05:00

This Fall Lincoln started T-Ball; I know I know, old news you all say. However the sentiment old news has another meaning today for me. We have all heard, and seen to an extent, the wrath of the Sport Parent. You know, it's that guy directly behind the backstop in baseball who has his fingers entwined in the chain link screaming at his kid.. or the coach, or Umpire, or in some horrendous situations, another parent. Old news. Well Lincoln's last game was a bit comical from my point of view. Well it was at least for the first 15 minutes of the game. We had a Father who was most likely under the influence of an illegal substance, yelling stupid stuff during the game. "That's my son! He's the best one out there swing the bat son just like I taught you, you know how to do it just like we practiced in the back yard, you know how to do this, look at me son I'll show you....(yes all that in one sentence). After that I just wanted to knock the guys cup of soda (totally laced with alcohol) in his face. Add to the fact he had to pull his cigarette out of his mouth to yell to the coach to give his kid a practice swing. Okay so first of all, It is T-Ball, and the kid never strikes out. Props to the coach for saying "He's just fine." to the parent by the way. Secondly, it is obvious this parent who claimed that he had practiced with his kid for "at least 16 hours this week already" (the game was on Tuesday) was totally lying, because his kid couldn't even hit the ball off the tee... And third I can't see a Dad, who didn't even know the t-ball rules after 5 games, and was wearing slippers, outside playing a little catch with his son!
So why is this old news new? Well for me I suppose it because this is my first son to play in a little league sport. For other more seasoned parents, who have a hard time letting the coach coach, I am guessing it is because they haven't learned from others mistakes. I did a little research and found an interesting article about this Sport Parent syndrome.

According to the National Alliance for Youth Sports — a Florida-based organization that provides training to adult volunteers for youth sports teams — adults seemed to have learned nothing since the deadly encounter between Junta and Costin during their sons' hockey practice in July 2000.

So knowing all this, the one thing that really sticks in my mind, is the look on that poor little boy's face. That face I have seen a hundred times on my old sports teams. It's the,"Do I listen to my coach or my Dad" face. That is why more secure parents want to throw soda laced with alcohol in faces. My opinion, Let the kid play and have fun! That Dad should have been A LOT more embarrassed about wearing his old man slippers to a T-Ball game, then about his son not being perfect on the field!

It's Your Special Day

2008-09-16T11:24:00.009-05:00

When summer comes it is Birthday season at our house. We have Lincoln on the 24th of August, and Holly on September 15th. We decided that since this would probably be our last summer in Columbia, we would let them both have parties. Yesterday we celebrated Holly's birthday. When Hans and I found out we were going to have a little girl. We decided that there would be no Princess loot at our house. In general we don't like light up shoes, and character clothing, so when Holly picked out Princess birthday invitations at the store...well I tried to interest her in other invitations... even the more expensive ones... It didn't work. Not even a little. Once she was set I decided to get on board. A ONE day princess extravaganza! She had a great time with her friends. Happy birthday Princess Holly Girl! At Lincoln's party we invited quite the crowd. They had fun with some water games and bean bag toss. We played a game of animal charades, and all the kids took turns. At both parties we let the kids decorate their own cakes. All in all it was a very long and Super fun 2 hours! Later we had a small family birthday party for the kids with just us! Happy 6th birthday Lincoln!

Funny Funny Kids

2008-09-05T22:51:00.006-05:00

I know I tend to be like most other Moms when I say, my kids have been doing the funniest things lately. This time we caught some of it, and after watching it more than once, we figured we better share so that our families don't think we never have any fun around here! just kidding!

This is a short clip of Lincoln hamming it up for the camera at his first t-ball game, instead of paying attention to the runners.

This clip we call the jump and ready. I just thought his enthusiasm was very cute, and made me laugh a bit as well.
This last clip is of Holly singing "You're a Grand Ol' flag". Hans and I thought it was so cute that 1. She was giggling so much, and 2. She sings "you're a grand ol flag, you're a hot doggin flag..." Hope you all enjoy!

We took our first and last trip to Branson

2008-08-25T07:52:00.000-05:00

This summer we really debated about going home during summer vacation. We really wanted to see family, and we...well I, have been quite homesick all year. With gas prices they way they have been, we decided it would be really expensive. We still wanted to get out of town though, and when the opportunity to go to Branson came up, we jumped. Short drive, lots to do, sounded fun. We did our homework and found out that the Branson Chamber of Commerce offered a wide variety of deals and incentives. We were given some Celebration city passes for showing that we received our tax incentive this year, and a coupon book for bringing in a gas reciept.
I can officially say for myself, that Branson is a weird little town. A friend of ours got it right when he said, "Branson is great if you like stupid stuff." Despite all the stupid stuff, we did have some family fun.

2008-08-25T07:35:00.003-05:00

Here is Alex Just hanging out and being super cool. I thought he would have a harder time with the schedule being out of the norm, but he did great!
Does anyone else think that Holly looks way too small for this ride? I certainly did, but she made the height requirement, and loved every minute of it, especially with dad on one side, and Lincoln on the other.
Who knew riding a bee could be sooo exciting? Hans and I had a great time just watching them.

At the end of the night we were literally on out way out, and we got caught in a rain storm. The employees of the park were shooing guests into shops to wait out the rain. While it was a bit boring, Hans and Holly made their own entertainment. And we ended up running in the downpour anyway because we wanted to go home.

Billions of Berries for Blackberry Bramble

2008-08-17T09:19:00.005-05:00

Just around the corner from our house there is a little farm run by a retired farmer and his wife. Every year they have produce the community can come and pick. In May I took my parents and we picked Strawberries...tons of them! And after my kids ate and ate, I still had plenty to make enough freezer jam for the next year. Next up was Blackberries. We decided it would make a fun Family Home evening activity. It would have been perfect if not for the unbearable humidity. We picked quickly, sampled quickly, convinced a nice girl to take our picture and left with about 4 lbs of the biggest blackberries I have ever seen! (We had some delicious cobbler that night!)
This week I found out that Raspberries are ready. So it looks like another trip out to the Pick n Pick is in order! Here are some cute pictures of our sweaty hot Blackberry pick!

The Youseum

2008-08-07T07:39:00.005-05:00

We have been hearing about a new museum here in Columbia. We have even driven by it a couple of times, and finally Hans and I decided the Summer has too hot and boring to stay at home. We packed up the kids went down down to discover the "Youseum". here is our little trip.

We learned all about our bones, and how many glasses of milk it takes to keep us strong!
Lincoln loved this! He was a little surprised when we talked about blood and Veins.
Holly loved it too, and Hans and I both laughed like crazy.

We spent a bit of time in the gift shop looking at body books. I may have to go back, they had an awesome selection. I didn't realize that Alex thought so too.

Alex eats ice on a hot day.

2008-08-01T23:36:00.003-05:00

Susanna has been asking me for some pictures of Alex. I figured a short movie clip of Alex eating ice on a hot day would be better than a picture. Alex is exactly 4 months in this little clip. This is for you Aunt Susanna!

Lucky Duck!

2008-08-01T23:21:00.003-05:00

I don't know how other people feel, but I can honestly say I don't feel like a lucky person. We all know those kids in school who won the prizes; It was the same kids every time it seemed (ie- Jill Nielson in the blowing money cage) , and I have to say I was worried when Lincoln started summer school. The schools here give away prizes every day to kids enrolled in summer school. Lincoln would eye the prize cabinet in the school hallway, and want to win so badly. So when summer school was drawing to a close and Lincoln was yet to win anything, I was starting to worry. He didn't need to win, but I knew he would be so happy. Well... after watching many of his friends win, the day before the last day of school, Lincoln had his name announced over the PA! He won!!! What a lucky little duck. Here is a picture of the big winner!

Ahhh The Juki Garnet, She's a Gem!

2008-07-24T23:45:00.007-05:00

The kids are in bed. Everyone is asleep and it is so so quiet. I get myself a nice cold glass of water, I head downstairs and begin a sewing project. I tell myself it's a way to relax, and do something for me (even though 99% of my projects are for the kids). Well it all worked, and worked well. I have a hand me down serger from my mom that I won when she pulled my name out of my Dad's hat. It has been so nice to have a serger, and I have a basic sewing machine my parents gave me for my birthday like 5 or 6 years ago. All have been wonderful to have. I have sewn Halloween costumes, quilts, dresses, Christmas pajamas, diaper bags, curtains, and more all with these two wonderful machines. But the Meyer sweatshop has come to a stand still. About a month ago I started having trouble with my serger; one of the threads kept breaking. After much pseudo swearing, and many a phone call to my mom (my personal sewing machine doctor) I have still yet to get her back on line. So sad, so so sad. I have resigned myself to sewing with only my simple basic machine. I decided to make Lincoln and Holly a couple small bags for overnight trips. I started the first, and tragedy struck... again! My thread keeps breaking, my zig zag stitch isn't working, my tension will not loosen no matter how I turn the knob...

I am sorry to tell you all "project christmas present kitchen apron" has been aborted, and Project, "Sweet talk Hans into a new Serger for Christmas" has begun. Wish me luck.

UPDATE: Hans is leaving town this week for a conference. He will be gone for my birthday so he and the kids threw me an early birthday party last night..and guess what? Yep! Thanks to Hans LaWanna, Agnes, And Susanna, project Christmas present Kitchen apron is back on! The juki Garnet is all mine. Can you guess who may be the first to receive an apron? Thanks you guys. --- now don't be alarmed if I stop blogging for awhile... I'll be sewing!

Casey the Balloon Guy

2008-07-14T22:00:00.006-05:00

On the fourth of July, Hans and I packed up the kids and went to a tiny little park in the middle of downtown Columbia. The city was holding a free carnival for community families. Everything was free (which was so awesome); Lincoln and Holly played in the bounce house, got faces painted, ate cotton candy, hot dogs, and various beverages. But the last thing we did was stand in line for at least an hour watching Casey the balloon guy. We've all seen good balloon artists, but this guy was incredible. We watched as he made aliens, crocodiles (with all the teeth), Dragons with wings, a motorcycle on top of a hat, an octopus, a fitted football helmet, and much more. Our kids deliberated in line for some time before coming up with what they wanted. Casey the balloon guy heard us talking in line about a sword for Lincoln and he encouraged us to get one, so we did, and Lincoln was not disappointed. He not only made the sword, but a fitted sword belt to hold it in. Holly was next and she asked for a lady bug. We all thought it was so cute, and she was so excited when he bent down and put it around her wrist like a coursage. Here are a couple pictures of Lincoln and Holly that posted in one of the local papers. Thanks Casey!!!

LET FREEDOM RING!

2008-07-03T22:05:00.005-05:00

I wanted to say happy Independence day to everyone I know. I absolutely love the 4th of July, and so do my kids! I taught this song to Lincoln and he wanted to share it with all of you. I think it is so cute! Sorry that it is sideways. I was obviously not thinking when I filmed it. I hope you all enjoy Lincoln's song, and your 4th of July Parties!

5 Random or Wierd facts about me

2008-06-29T07:16:00.004-05:00

I am not much of a tagging kind of person, but I'll do it because Kristi tagged me. Thanks Kristi...

1. I hate going to the lake. I know people love it, but I always feel like I am swimming around in nature's sewer. Well that, and If I know that someone has drowned in it, I am always afraid that I am going to have a dead arm bumping into me. So gross...

2. I bungee jumped while I was in college. I loved it; it didn't scare me at all. But oddly I didn't scream or make any noise at all. Silent bungee jumper, who would have thought.

3. I'm a weather junkie. I love the weather report, even if it is going to be 90 and humid, I'll watch the weather report.

4. I like planting flowers. Garden items, not so much.. but flowers I love. I find it pretty and therapeutic.

5. I don't like calling or introducing myself to people I don't know. You know those people that just go up and and say "Hi, I'm so and so, I don't know you..." I am NOT one of those people.

I tag Tricia

Lincoln's Big Day

2008-06-16T11:59:00.005-05:00

Today is a great day! A great day for many reasons. First, Holly and Lincoln are over the fever cold. I haven't had to administer any pain reliever in over 24 hours! Second, last night Alex slept for seven and a half hours before waking. Until you have a child, you have no idea how good it feels to wake up before your baby! And lastly... It's the first day of KINDERGARTEN summer school!!!!!! After missing the Kindergarten cut-off last year by 24 days it feels good to know that we made it...I made it; Lincoln made it! Last night Lincoln could not sleep. He was so excited! And this morning he came downstairs at 7:00 am fully dressed with his backpack on! He was so cute. We'll see how he does. Kindergarten in Missouri is all day. 8:45- 3:45. Hans snapped this picture of Lincoln outside of his school. We were sad to see him go in, but are so excited for him! The mom in me right now says... ahhh, today is a good day. So live for the good days because boy are they good!

Poor sick kids

2008-06-12T15:19:00.004-05:00

Saturday afternoon Lincoln kept saying his head hurt when he walked. That night he developed a fever. It continued through Sunday, and on Sunday night, Holly joined him. Since then I have been trying to keep track of which kid had which pain reliever at what time, and if they have been drinking enough liquids. On top of that I have been feeling the baby's head every 30 minutes waiting to freak out a bit. On Wednesday morning I decided that the fever should be gone, when it was not, I called for Appointments. Lincoln, who protested the ENTIRE time, has a raging (that was the word the doctor used) ear infection in both ears, and inflammation in his lungs. Holly has an ear infection in one ear, and still has a very high fever. I snapped this little picture of her this afternoon. She fell asleep on the couch watching The Goofie Movie. I feel so bad. Current Temperature: 100.6, and highly medicated... Lincoln seems to be fine. He's been playing x-box with dad! Gotta love summer vacation!

Alex's Blessing

2008-06-05T14:14:00.004-05:00

The first night Mallory, McCall, Lincoln and Holly All slept in Holly's Room. With the air matress on the floor, there was no room to walk..at all!
McCall took a moment to Paint Holly's finger nails. Holly Showed anyone who would look at them. Thanks Cousin McCall for being so nice!
Grandma and Holly show some love to little Alex.
Cousin Mallory and Lincoln playing with Alex
Saturday we had a feast. Grandpa of course did the grilling! Thanks Grandpa...it was delicious!
We Blessed Alex on Sunday in church. He was really quite good. Although he didn't cry during the blessing, he did cry just before and just after. We had some family in town with us. My parents, Hans' Mom, Uncle Scott, and Cousin Mallory and McCall. We had so much fun! Although I don't think any of us will be playing Uno Attack in the foreseeable future, we still had a great visit. Thanks Doug, LaWanna, Agnes, Scott, Mallory and McCall for making the trip out!

Alex smiles

2008-05-29T15:12:00.006-05:00

Thought I would post a few pictures of Alex that I took this morning. I hope this appeases the sisters who want new pictures. Keep in mind that Alex was trying very hard to talk to me the entire time, arms swinging and mouth open!Does anyone else think his hair has red in it?

Preschool Graduation

2008-05-23T07:27:00.005-05:00

This is a short Video of Lincoln getting his Preschool diploma from his teacher Mrs. Kemble. The first girl you see is some snob going to a private School, But Lincoln is next! And this is a picture of Lincoln with his friends singing a song at graduation. We were told by a few parents after how good Lincoln could sing. Ignore the candles in the background. His Graduation was held in the Sanctuary of some odd church.

Deja Vu

2008-05-17T15:42:00.003-05:00

I swear I feel like this same thing keeps happening to me. I tend to complain often about not having any good friends. I have friends of course, like everyone, the ladies in Relief Society, the other gals picking up kids at preschool, the same women you see every week while waiting for swimming lessons to end. You get it; but eventually I start to need a friend. One I can talk with about the latest fads, and comings and goings of life. Someone I can call and rant to, or vise versa. Well I seem to find these friends just fine, but they keep leaving. One to California, one to Kansas, one to Utah, and the most recent, to Arizona. It stinks. I watch them anticipate a leave and a job change..I am happy for them... really happy for them, but in the end, when they leave, like drive away, which somehow I have been there to see them all off, It sucks! I hold back the tears, I smile and wave, and thats it. This morning I watched a good friend leave. Probably the best friend I have made here in Missouri. I totally am going to miss her a ton. She is nice to my kids, she has always been there when I needed her, she comes for dinner, and brings desert... So this is my blog entry, and the point is simply to say, Heres to friends; The fun kind that keep you laughing, shop with you, talk with you, and eventually become family. Congratulations Professor Dawn. Good luck in Arizona! We'll be missing you.

Lincoln and Holly

2008-05-04T14:53:00.003-05:00

Here are just a few cute Spring pictures of the kids. Please excure the furry grass...
we just re-seeded.

Ahhh.. the Sunshine!

2008-05-04T14:40:00.004-05:00

I always look forward to Spring in Missouri. Partly because I am anticipating a lot of sunny days, and partly because the winter is so long and blah here. However I tend to be disappointed. Yes I will admit that Spring in Missouri is so much more colorful than Spring in the Desert, However it always comes with, what seems to me, massive amounts of rain. Oh I occasionally enjoy the Lightening and thunder storms, but the gray cloud cover that can sometimes last day after day, just kills me. Today we awoke to the most beautiful cloudless sky! As soon as we got home from Stake Conference I made the kids pose for some quick sunny pictures! I thought I would share. Happy Spring! It finally made it to Missouri.

Alex is Three Weeks

2008-04-21T11:18:00.005-05:00

Emily has been asking for some new pictures of Alex!
Here are some brand new pictures, taken at 3 weeks old!

Tired little Alex!

Lincoln in Hiding

2008-04-21T09:54:00.003-05:00

The night we brought Alex home a funny little thing happened. After putting Lincoln and Holly to bed, we heard a Lincoln yelling from his room, "Can I give Alex one more hug and kiss?". Of Course we yelled back no, and told him to go to bed. You may think us mean, but poor Alex had already been completely mauled by the two at family prayer. We went on with our night, and my mom commented that when she changed into pajamas Lincoln wasn't in his bed. So I asked her to look around for him. She did, and couldn't find him. I assumed he had snuck downstairs to play with dad on the computer. Hans came up a couple minutes later without Lincoln, and so I thought it was so weird. We started to look for him, and could not find him anywhere. we looked up and downstairs in the garage, all the kitchen cabinets, and were yelling his name. Holly, mind you, was in bed already asleep. I was starting to panic, then Hans sees him, and I see him, and there he is, hiding under Alex's cradle as quiet as can be. We were so mad! Here we are yelling for him, and he is just hiding away ignoring us. So we drag him out and start lecturing him, and when we ask what he has to say he starts to cry and responds. "I was just waiting for you to put Alex to bed so I could give him another hug..." Needless to say we felt a little bad, let him hug Alex AGAIN, and put him back to bed.....

Someone clogged the toilet!

2008-04-10T14:22:00.000-05:00

My sister encouraged me to blog about an interesting incident I had while at the hospital. However I must warn that there is no way to properly relate the experience unless you are currently inhaling raw sewage... Prepare your noses... I had Alex as you all know Monday afternoon. I was moved to a lovely 3rd floor private post partum room Monday evening. It had a nice big TV and a huge window view over the front of the hospital, which was so nice for the claustrophobic in me. I never sleep well in hospitals, so Monday night was spent watching visitors and sick people come and go outside all night. Tuesday evening Hans and I were being served that celebratory hospital dinner for two..you know the one with chewy surf and turf, or boxed chicken cordon bleu... Well Hans asks me what I flushed down my toilet. Of course nothing I say, which is the total truth, and he informs me that the toilet is plugged and we are going to have to tell the nurse. "GREAT!", I am thinking! "Just what I need." So we go on eating our dinner, and the nurse comes in and informs us that someone down the hall plugged the toilet, and that is why we are all having problems. about 10 minutes later, we look out our big window and see roto-rooter pull up. The next 2 hours were nothing but the sound of the plumbing snake in a room nearby. Hans left at about 8:30 to go home and see the kids and sleep. and I am thinking, "Please don't leave", but of course I don't have the guts to say it because I know the kids want to see him... so he goes, and I am left with the snake sound. After about 3 hours of that, a growing stench, and a ton of crappy tv programs, my nurse comes in and says, "The toilets are blowing up one by one, and the plumbers informed me that yours is next. We are going to move you." She helps me gather my things, and I find that my backpack, which was in the bathroom, has already fallen victim to gray water...nasty! Alex and I get led out and are taken back to the labor and delivery wing were we enter a small door in the dark that is the triage area. We walk down the hall, around a dark corner, down another hall, to a tiny, and I mean tiny windowless room, that I swear was exactly like a jail cell. The nurse kept saying how lucky I was to have a room with a door, a giant piece of sliding plexi-glass. I have a bathroom to share in the hallway with a bunch of pregnant women, and a tiny box tv on a hinge arm that I can swing away from the wall. Alex and I spent the night listening to the triage fill up, and the growing sound of fetal heart rate monitors being put on women waiting to be officially checked in. In the morning the pediatrician can't find me without an escort, and the breakfast doesn't come at all until I ask my nurse if I can have my scrap of bread and water... Needless to say I survived, and I was even given a 30 dollar walmart gift card from the head nurse for all of the trouble, but between you and I, if given a choice, I'd rather have had the room with the giant window. Oh and in case you were wondering, yes, I did wash my back pack!

A few pictures

2008-04-09T13:35:00.001-05:00

This picture is is of the first time Lincoln and Holly
Got to see Alex. They couldn't get enough of him.

The first thing the kids wanted to do when we
got home from the hospital was hold the baby.

This little baby yawns like you can't believe.
Sometimes he yawns so big he gags himself.

Gone Grandma Gone...

2008-04-09T13:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning at 6:30 I got up just in time to see my mom duck into our bathroom to get dressed. Her shuttle to the airport picked her up at our house at 7 am. When she came out rolling duffle in hand, I made her hold baby Alex one more time before leaving. Then I also made her go give the kids a last hug and kiss. Holly of course slept through the goodbye, Lincoln however did exactly what the rest of us felt like doing. He started to cry. I don't know exactly what it is about living more than a days drive away from our closest relatives that makes it really sad when they leave; that is how it is though, like it or not, we watch them leave, wave goodbye, blow some last minute kisses, and then inevitably we all go back inside and sink on the couch. It is as if we can feel the distance growing as they drive away. Of Course the feeling is merely one of knowing that in the end we have just our little family to rely on. Not that we don't have great friends here, but more that they don't really know us. That being said, we are so grateful for Grandma's visit. She was doing the laundry the night before she left, and there is no way to say thank you enough for that. Life with a new baby is different, more kids hanging on you, more diapers to change, and less sleep as well. We have rounded the corner for Alex's jaundice and he actually slept for 4 hours last night. It was luxurious, until Holly crawled into bed with us.

Seriously...

2008-03-26T14:21:00.000-05:00

So this post is mostly to rant my irritation, shake my fist you might say, at those who appear to be clueless about such things. I had a message on my answering machine from a sister in our ward who wants me to substitute for Lincoln's Primary class on Sunday. Here is the funny catch, Not only is Sunday my due date, but if that were not enough reason NOT to want to chase a bunch of 5 year olds around the church, there is that other thing... I am the Relief Society President; Generally I think that means you are unavailable to substitute for Primary. Intriguing thing is, this is not the only thing that has happened.. I Personally think that when a woman crosses that 37 week mark of pregnancy, you leave her ALONE. Obviously here in Missouri the thinking comes as slow as the driving. Last Sunday we had to give the opening and closing prayers in Sacrament meeting, not generally a big deal unless you are about to pop! By the time I got to the podium I was totally out of breath. And the day before on Saturday we were informed we had a cleaning assignment at the church building. My own toilets have been semi-neglected for 2 months now, like I am going to go clean the church's. SHAKING FIST!

Blogging with a purpose

2008-03-25T17:40:00.000-05:00

I don't really like blogging, but I like reading people's blogs... it's like looking in a person's medicine cabinet. I always think, "Did they read that before posting it?" However in an attempt to stay up with the times I have decided to let you all into my personal medicine cabinet. Hope you enjoy looking through what is sure to be the most random blog you've ever seen.