Musings From Another Dimension

Yup, he's a boy.

2010-07-31T13:21:00.004-06:00

Sorry, this one is kinda long, but I hope you'll understand as we've had a bit of stress this morning.

Emily sings in a small group made up of Her dad, two sisters and, of course, her. They typically get together on Saturday mornings, and occasionally, Jeremy and the kids come along to play while the moms practice.

Today seemed no different than any other time the kids get together. Lots of running, jumping, screeching, hooting and hollering, with occasional weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth if someone does something another doesn't like. Just the usual kid stuff.

Anyway, Jeremy asked if we wanted to go to the park to get out of the house (and the hair of the aforementioned practitioners). So, we tried our best to wrangle the howler monkeys enough to get shoes on and head out the door.

Well, while I was trying to get the stroller out of the van for Henry, he escaped out the front door and decided to try his hand at going down the front steps by himself. Now, on a GOOD day, he still walks like a sailor who's had a bit too much shore leave, let alone when he tries to run sideways. He got the first step okay, but gravity and his momentum carried him down the other one where he hit a tiny pebble on the driveway.

Now, I have to give him a bit of credit. He did put out his hands to catch himself, which they did, but his noggin must weigh as much as a bowling ball because he tipped like a teeter-totter smacking his forehead (with his feet in the air) on the cement. I got a first-hand view in slow motion.

I got to him while he was still face down, picked him up and blood started flowing. ALOT. I kinda feel bad because Hank must've felt like I was torturing him. I grabbed the first thing I thought of to stop the bleeding, which was his shirt. I pulled it up right over his face. That didn't work. After that, I went to the front door to get Momma and everything else went by in a bit of a blur.

Nobody lost their calm or anything like that. Thank you to Jen and Grammy for helping. It took about 5 minutes total for his head to stop bleeding and then we could see that he didn't need stitches (thankfully). After we got it stopped he just went about his business like nothing had happened.

I think he was mainly annoyed with people holding his hands down and pushing on his forehead.

Yup, he's a boy alright.

P.S. Grammy just told us that while all the commotion was going on, Henry's cousin Eva, saw the blood and starting saying, "He's dead! He's dead!" at that point Josh chimes in with the same thing: "He's dead! He's dead!". I think that is HILARIOUS!

Absolutely priceless memories but, no I don't need more like this one, thank you very much. (But, I'm sure I'll get them.)

Spider-man

2010-07-28T21:08:00.003-06:00

Audrey likes to be my shadow and goes with me wherever she can. She likes to "help" me take the trash out to the dumpster or whatever errand I'm doing at the moment. Most of the time it's fun for me too.

Anyway, today we went outside to get the mail. No big deal, just out to the curb and back, right?

We had just finished lunch (Taco Bell, mmm...), and I had JUST put Henry down for his nap. I asked Audrey if she wanted to go with me and she obliged me (of course).

Well, I seemed to have picked up a hitchhiker along the way. We get back into the house and Audrey says to me in a bit of a scared tone, "Dad, there's a spider on you!" and runs off to go get Em.

Now, first thing is that she is almost deathly afraid of spiders for some reason.

(Well, we kinda know the reason. She got bit on the bum a couple of months ago while sitting on the toilet and now says there's a spider in the bathroom almost every morning even before she goes in there to pee).

Anyway, I stand in the entry way til Em gets there and Audrey is already starting to freak out a bit, so I just have to be the brave daddy and pretend that it's no big deal, while being totally still in case there actually IS a spider on me somewhere.

So, Em gets there and as she's looking for it, the poor little critter decides to silk its way to the floor from the bottom of my shorts. Em is bending over to try to get to it and Audrey gives the biggest scream I've ever heard from her.

Now, this wasn't a "I'm trying to get your attention" scream, or "I'm yelling for fun" scream, this was a "I'm about to get eaten by a two-ton tarantula" scream. I mean, her eyes were bigger than Dara's! (No offense Dara, but I just needed a point of reference.)

And, she screamed right into Em's ear. As soon as I saw it on the floor, I squished the little thing which couldn't have even been the size of my pinky fingernail. After that, we had to calm Audrey down and tell her that things usually get worse if you panic.

I think we'll have to work on that for a while, though.

Gumpy bottoms...

2010-07-20T09:37:00.004-06:00

My conversation with Audrey early this morning went like this:

"Audrey, go back into your room . It's not time to get up yet."

"But I want my doodle! I wanna play! I wanna play!"

I proceeded to close the door with her inside her room. After a moment I hear Henry start to get cranky. I then hear,

"HENRY!

YOU CAN'T CRY, I WANT TO CRY!!!"

Interesting Joke From a 3 Year Old

2010-06-28T07:49:00.002-06:00

Audrey: "Knock, Knock."

Em: "Who's there?"

"Willamina."

"Willamina, who?"

"I want some candy!!"

Audrey told Em this joke in church on Sunday. She just made it up on her own, as far as we know. She's really been going with her imagination recently and it's been great to see and hear how her mind works.

Oh Deer!

2010-05-25T09:34:00.003-06:00

Do you ever have those moments where you have a near-miss event and you think of the one or two things you could have done differently and that would have been YOU in the circumstance?

I had that happen to me this morning.

I was on my way home from work in a pretty decent mood (because of how well things went for the first day of the week) and wanted to get home a soon as I could. I take a semi-rural route to and from work instead of the freeway because the scenery is better.

Today, the scenery almost got me.

I was coming up to a part of the road where it went from one lane to two for a bit to let traffic merge and there was a slower car two cars in front of me and an older red VW Jetta directly in front of me who REALLY seemed to be in a hurry. When we got to the second lane, the Jetta went around as fast as they could and zoomed off. I decided I wasn't in that big a hurry so I stayed behind the other car as the two lanes merged back into one.

About 15 seconds later a small herd (about 6 or 8) deer came running as fast as they could across the road in front of us. They were far enough ahead that I didn't feel the need to slow down much, but when the car in front of me got the the crossing point, they slowed waaay down.

I thought they were being a bit too overly cautious now, but realized when they went around the fresh accident scene that a deer had been struck. I didn't know it until they stopped a bit further up, but the red Jetta hit one directly and pulled off to inspect the damage.

I pondered for a moment as I passed by them and decided to turn around in case anyone was hurt. It turned out that they were physically ok, but the car was pretty well totaled. Not only had they hit a deer head on, but a SECOND one broadsided the driver side of the car.

I asked them if they needed me to call for help, but they had already done so and asked if I could give the passenger a ride to work. It turned out that his work was on my way home and I agreed. After giving him a ride he thanked me for stopping and helping and asked my name. I told him, and he told me his name was Moroni.

Interesting. (Not tooo out of the ordinary living in Utah, but still...)

Anyway, I was thinking about it the rest of the way home and came to the conclusion that we really are looked over if we listen to the still, small voice inside. Literally, if I had only made one or maybe two different decisions on my way home, it would have been me in that spot at the wrong time.

Making The Sign of the Cross

2010-04-30T19:09:00.004-06:00

Do you all remember the saying that Catholics sometimes use to remember the sign of the cross? You know, "Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch"?

Well, with the events of the last couple of weeks, each of those have been on the forefront of my mind.

First off, I got new glasses!

I needed them even though I've had contact lenses for the past few months. I didn't really have an adequate pair of glasses to back them up. I decided for these because I wanted a different look and I feel like they look cool.

I don't care what anyone else thinks, y'all can keep the negative comments to yo'selfs!

As for the second token in the phrase, Emily and I have had many discussions about them (or as one of my brothers-in-law call them- "Thing One and Thing Two"), and we decided it was time to "take me out of the gene pool" (As sung to the popular baseball tune) so to speak.

A week ago Friday I got the deed done and have been walking like I got kicked by a horse ever since. No exercise, no lifting and no relations of the husband and wife type for at least a week.

Ugh.

Things are slowly progressing and I'll be returning to some semblance of normal, and work, next week.

As for the wallet, it seems that things keep grabbing for mine lately. New tires for my car, new TV console, We almost needed a new TV because I PULLED THE CABLE ATTACHMENT out of our TV, but my Father-in-law had me check to see if there were the red,white and yellow Audio/ Video ports back there and now the picture actually looks better than it did before.

And as for the watch, well, TIME FOR SUMMER VACATION!!!! School's out til the last week of August when I start at U of Utah. I hope I fared well in my classes, but I'm ready for a good vacation and hope I'll get to do/ see everything/ everyone on my list.

YAY!

I Got In!!

2010-04-19T20:54:00.001-06:00

I've been waiting for the news for a while and it finally came today!

I got accepted to The U of Utah! Woo Hoo!!! I start in the fall and should (hopefully) be done by December of 2011!

Ode To A Gentle Giant

2010-03-24T19:35:00.006-06:00

Even though I moved almost a year ago, I still keep up with some of the happenings around the Q. Every few days I'll check the news websites and whatnot, just to see what's up. It's pretty interesting to me to see the contrast between the types of news that gets reported in NM versus SLC.

I was perusing the usual channels when I came upon this story.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1481058.shtml?cat=516

To say the very least, I was appalled. I can't even imagine how desensitized a person has to be at their job to do such a thing to any animal, let alone magnificent creature like a GIRAFFE!!

The reason I bring this up is that, just before Em and I moved our little family up to Utah, My family took a nice outing to the zoo. I took a couple hundred pictures (literally), and a good 40 to 50 of those were of Kashka and her 2 DAY old calf. She was calm but protective of her little one, and at the same time she seemed proud to show off her progeny. She was captivating.

There was something that seemed to connect me to her, as I had witnessed the birth of Henry only 3 weeks earlier. Something inside me seemed to feel like she knew I was in the same boat, looking out for my little one as he was learning the ways of this new existence.

When I read the article this morning I knew right away that it was her. I looked up my photos to check, and yes, those were the same markings. I wanted to cry. She was one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet and someone was so wrapped up in taking the short route to get done with his day that he desecrated her body for the sake of saving himself a bit of time.

I know she was already gone, but what does this say about how this person cares for the living animals in his charge? I know this is an isolated incident. I've met many of the zookeepers there and they are almost as passionate about the animals as they are about their own children.

Kashka was a great being and I know this world was made better by her being in it.

It's Been Fun, But...

2010-03-21T09:29:00.003-06:00

Well, it was a fun ride. I enjoyed the time together, but now I must bid adieu to the hills of the dancing sun. I wasn't expecting it to end this quickly, but I received a something better.

In other words, I have a new job.

I got a phone call on Wednesday morning from FedEx saying that they wanted to set up an interview. What? I applied more than two MONTHS ago, before I got the fire starting job, and hadn't heard anything back at all. I had the interview later in the day just before work. It went well and the interviewer said that, pending a background check, they would offer me a position.

I told my manager at work later in the day that I would most likely be quitting, that I would miss the work up there and that I was thankful for her giving me the chance to work for her. She said that she didn't like me anymore. Not really. She was glad to have me for as long as she could and understood that I was doing what's best for me and mine. She also said that she hoped she could find someone half as dependable and quick-learning as I was.

*gush*

Well, I started FedEx Saturday morning at 3AM, and then went to work at 2 in the afternoon. This will last til April Fools Day. Fitting.

The hours will be less, but the pay will be the same, if not a bit more. Also the schedule is Tues-Sat, meaning NO MORE WORKING ON SUNDAYS!!!

More for less is good these days.

The sights, sounds and smells of wildlife.

2010-03-15T12:14:00.011-06:00

I've told a few people about some of the interesting wildlife happenings at work a few weeks ago, but I figured I'd share with everyone since I haven't been on in a while.

It seems like most of my encounters happen after dark. The first one I had was with a momma moose and her yearling calf.

I was on the way home from work after 11 o'clock in the evening when I came across a couple of cars going RRREEEAAALLLYYY slow on the winding road from the resort. I was about ready to go around them when I spotted Momma and her not so small son. They had been fixtures on the upper portions of the canyon and they decided to take a shortcut down the road to get to their next destination.

The funny thing (well, not so funny for the person in the truck nearest to them) was then when truck closest to them tried flashing their brights at the beasts, momma got mad an gave a love tap to the hood of the vehicle. Eventually they tired of the raucous and detoured at about what seemed to be a 90 degree up slope on the canyon wall. (Spider-man has nothing on these guys)

Then, about 2 weeks ago, I was headed toward the van at about 10:30pm and heard a couple of owls hooting to each other, seeming to signal that spring is right around the corner. It sounded just like out of the movies.

Lastly, on Friday as I was finishing with one last request before heading home, I was talking to Em on the phone when I smelled the odoriferous emittance of a skunk. I asked her if they hibernate for the winter and she confirmed that they did.
Smells like spring is in the air...

My Lappy

2010-03-02T21:25:00.002-07:00

You know how when you take something apart, and put it back together, you almost ALWAYS end up having a screw or a nut or bolt laying around extra?

Ya, that happened to me today.

In case you were wondering, I dropped my laptop at work a few weeks ago. It only caused (mostly) cosmetic damage. Everything continued to work, but one hinge was busted and a corner of the lid was pretty mangled as well.

So, I waited as long as I could, (which was when pieces started falling off into my hand) and then went shopping online for parts. No big whoop, right? I've built computers from scratch before. I knew what I needed which was mainly a new lid and front bezel for the screen.

Well, 2 weeks after buying my stuff, I got a package in the mail and everything was only a little banged up after being on the slow boat from China (literally, Hong Kong). I had previously downloaded the service manual so I knew what to do.

I got everything torn apart and found that I needed a mounting bracket for the actual screen. I thought I remembered a piece of that in my hand earlier. Oh well, back online and luckily I found a guy in Texas that had a set so I bought them and got them on Monday.

After what I figure to be a total of four (4) hours over a three day period, I have my computer back together (a la Humpty Dumpty). I'm just glad I still have the know-how with computers. And, it saved me probably 200-300 bucks.

The only thing I couldn't figure out was where the last little screw was from. Oh well, we all need a screw loose at times, right?

Round Three!

2010-02-07T21:18:00.003-07:00

It was suggested a couple of days ago by Em's grandmother that we pin a big sock over monkey's cast to keep him from tugging on it. (By the way, the first night he had the second cast it got pulled down to where his fingers were barely showing.)

We tried this and it worked the first night. Well, this morning momma and I heard the usual hooting and hollering from the kids' room before we got them up and didn't think much of it until I went to get them up. I got in there and the sock was still pinned to his shirt, and it still had his cast in it, but it DIDN'T have his arm in the cast!!

I asked his sister if she pulled on it and at first she said yes, then she changed her story realizing that she was in trouble. We finally got it out of her that she didn't think is was supposed to be on there. I have to keep reminding myself that even though she LOOKS like she's almost 5 years old, she's only two.

So, back to the doctor for the THIRD TIME THIS WEEK!!!

This time we got a casted splint with an ace-bandage so that if it comes off again, WE can wrap it and not have to worry about having to waste the doctors' or our time...

Ah, the stories we'll be able to tell from this one.....

Monkey Update

2010-02-03T23:51:00.002-07:00

So, ya...

The Doc says our monkey is supposed to keep the cast on for (hopefully) 4 weeks. He also said that most kids that age figure out how to get the thing off in about 2 weeks.

My kid must be REALLY advanced. Momma called me at work saying that she checked on the kids after putting them to bed this evening and he had gotten the darn thing off! It barely lasted 24 hours!!

Yay! We get another trip to the doctor for a new one!!

My Little Pew Monkey

2010-02-02T19:18:00.010-07:00

Have you ever had one of those days as a parent where you feel like the best parent in the world? The kids do everything you ask, they don't fight and all is well.

Today was NOT one of those days. In fact, it feels like the exact opposite. Today kinda made me feel like, well, NOT the best parent in the world... The biggest of today's challenges started on Sunday. I know it sounds weird, but as Ricky Ricardo says, "I got some 'splainin' to do!"

Sunday was a fairly normal day, or so it seemed. We had our usual routine in the morning and headed out to church. During sacrament meeting the kids were restless and buggy. We had to take turns wrangling the munchkins. As the meeting ended we started to head toward our usual duties and distractedly gathered our things.

And then it happened.

The 1/1000th of a second that neither mom or dad was watching, Henry decided the floor looked like a tempting place to be and tumbled off the pew. We both reacted to the instantaneous crying and picked the poor little pew monkey off the floor and cuddled him til he stopped crying.

Momma took him with her, and little was thought of it until later in the day when she called me saying he wouldn't crawl. At first we thought it was one of his legs because he'd get on his hands and knees, kick one of his legs back and scream.

Then, yesterday momma noticed that it wasn't his leg, but his hand. She'd move it around and our monkey howled as loud as the day is long. We didn't think it was that bad because other than when we touched his hand, he was fairly happy.

Today was his 9 month well visit to the doctor. He got two shots and a prick to his big toe, along with the misery he was already in. We mentioned his arm and, at the end of the visit, the doctor sent us to get some x-rays for precaution. We got into the lab and the tech had to hold the poor little guy in her lap and stretch his hand out.

I still shudder thinking about him screaming like that.

As soon as the picture showed up on the screen (digital x-rays are cool, btw...) I saw it. It was confirmed by the Doctors. He has a "Nondisplaced buckle fracture of the distal radial matediaphysis".

In other words, he broke his arm on Sunday and we didn't do a damn thing about it because he's fallen before, and he is so happy a kid that he was already getting around doing a half army crawl to avoid putting pressure on his wrist. I know I can't beat myself up for not doing something earlier, but I still feel like an ass.

Anyway, check-up was at 3pm and by 6pm our poor little pew monkey had a little blue cast on his arm that he has already learned to use as a club.

The doc says to come back in 4 weeks if the thing is still on by then. (He said he hopes it takes more than two for him to get it off himself... interesting.)

So, our little man got beat up pretty well this week, and it's only Tuesday.

Does this count?

2009-12-24T11:07:00.002-07:00

Em and I had a discussion this last week. We were talking about how it really seems difficult for this generation to keep a journal.

I can't think of very many of my friends that keep one on a regular basis. I'm always hearing someone say how hard it is to keep going and they always seem to need to catch up. The only person I've ever known to keep one on a consistent basis is my father-in-law. I really am amazed how diligent he's been at it for what, 40 plus years? Whenever I go into his office I look at the volumes he has on his bookshelves.

This made me think of something. Does writing a blog count as keeping a journal? I know a journal is supposed to contain your innermost thoughts and feelings but in a day and age where most people seem to be incapable of "inside thoughts", let alone writing something down in an actual pen and paper form, it seems that blogs just might be the next best thing.

I can count myself as a person who, for some reason, just can't seem to write things down in a journal. I tried for the first couple months of my mission, but fizzled out in spectacular fashion. Even until fairly recently I vowed never to keep a blog because I felt that they were a waste of time. Especially after talking to Em about it this week, my mind has changed a bit.

What do you think?

"S" is for...

2009-12-08T11:07:00.004-07:00

It seems to me that these last couple of weeks have been dedicated to things that start with "S".

School (Yay for finals soon!),

Siblings (We went to ABQ to visit my family for Thanksgiving),

Sickness (for me momma and Audrey) and

Snow (Welcome to Utah, buddy) all begin with "S".

The end of the school semester is next week and I've been ready for it since sometime in September. I wish I could say that I've done exceptionally well, but the last few months have been ones of change and a good measure of uncertainty in our household (Loads of fun, I tell ya...).

As for siblings, We had a really good time in Albuquerque visiting with my family. It'd been five months since we left for Utah and it was amazing to see what had changed and what had stayed the same. Audrey had SO much fun with her cousins that when we got home she kept asking to go play with them and she STILL asks to go see her nanny, grandfather, grandpa T and gramma Linda.

On a side note, if you find yourselves flying a fairly short distance, make sure to check what type of plane you're going to be in. We got a Delta Connection CRJ200 Operated by SkyWest Airlines. I don't know for sure, but it seems the longer the name, the smaller the plane. Luckily it wasn't a Turbo-Prop like someone I know that flew from Denver to ABQ.

Ours only had 52 seats with 2 seats on each side, one (1) flight attendant and not enough room inside to change your mind let alone room to change a dirty diaper mid-air BOTH trips..... Oh yeah, we had to check one of our carry-on bags because the overhead compartments weren't the standard size. The plane must've been built with elves in mind. I guess the "S" for this part could stand for SMALL!!!!!

Unfortunately, during our trip Audrey got some sort of 24 hour bug and gave it to momma who gave it to me. Ick. There is ALOT of detail that I could go into, but I won't. Suffice it to say having to run to the bathroom for reasons other than the normal ones isn't one I'd like to experience again anytime soon.

Lastly, we got SNOW this week!! Yay! I like Pudding cups! Er, I mean Snow is fun to play in. Momma and I took the kids to the park to go sliding down the hill and I took Audrey with some of her cousins later in the day as well. I think we've gotten about 8 inches total in our area with more expected later this week. Looks like winter is here to stay.

I'm looking forward to one more "S" over winter break. It stands for SLEEP!!!

Pain in the Neck

2009-11-24T12:37:00.004-07:00

Disclaimer: I know this isn't Monday and I've already posted this week, but I feel wordy today. Sorry it's so long.

So, ya.

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking from class toward the bus when I passed by a bunch of tables/ booths that were showcasing different companies that work hand-in-hand with UVU. This is a fairly frequent thing since there are plenty of companies that like to pander to college students. Most of the time I ignore them and head on my merry way, but sometimes I like to stroll and look for free junk (mainly pens).

On this particular day, for some reason, I resisted my urge to bulldoze my way through the crowded hallway casting my usual furtive glances that, if someone caught me checking out their booth, might have the look of "Don't talk to me!!".

I decided to stroll in a non-hurriedly type of pace and actually check some if this crap out. Maybe some of it won't actually be crap. It seemed unlikely since the first unsuspecting fellow to attempt to gain my attention was from Wells Fargo. Poor guy never saw it coming. As soon as he asked if I had a checking account I spun around, grabbed him by the coattails of his suit, pulled them over his head, sucker-punched him a couple times and stomped his foot for good measure! Not really, but I did tell him of the last experience I had with his company which could have felt like that to him if I hadn't been in a decent mood.

After I left the poor sap in a bloody heap (figuratively) on the floor, I walked further on and saw a weird contraption of two poles with a couple of strings going between them and a guy standing there looking like he needed something to do. It looked strange enough for someone like me to actually be interested in it so I decided to stop and talk for a moment.

It turned out that the guy was from

"The Official Chiropractor of the UVU Athletic Department!!!!"

Uh, ok... Anyway, his little contraption has you stand as straight as you can and it measures the alignment of your hips and shoulders. I always knew I was crooked as a question mark, but I figured I'd see if my body was as well. Turns out that my left hip was about half an inch higher than my right, and my left shoulder was a full inch LOWER than my right. Yup, I figured as much. I was nice to the guy and wrote down my contact info just for the fun of it and proceeded to now RUN to the bus since I lolligagged too long.

Well, about a week later I got a phone call from the chiro place and as luck would have it, I won the little drawing they had from their little expo. (I entered into a drawing?) The lady on the phone said I won about $200 worth of chiro tests and such, no strings attached and wanted to set up an appointment.

About a week after that phone call I went to my appointment and filled out the usual new patient paperwork while asking A COUPLE of times to make sure this was really free. Then I get in to see the chiropractor and tell him my aches and pains and whines and cries (or that's what it felt like cuz hey, I've never been to a place like this for myself before...). So, after the pity party, the Doc fondled my head and neck, took some x-rays and told me that was all he could do that day and he'd see me at the follow-up appointment. (A-HA! That's where I'm gonna have to pay!)So, I set the appointment and ask AGAIN what it was going to cost me, and again the answer was "Nothing." Nice!

So, I got to my next free date with the bone dancer yesterday. We exchanged pleasantries and he told me that it looked like someone tried to screw my head on the wrong way. My atlas bone was about 1/2 inch to the right of center and my C5 and C6 vertebrae were compressed giving my neck only 15 degrees of bend when it should have 35 to 45. I always knew I was stiff-necked.

Since it happened a couple times and I never got them fixed, (Car wreck 5 years ago and falling out of a tree about 15 years ago), I've done some semi-permanent damage and he wasn't sure how much he could do. We'd have to bone dance to find out. Well, I get to the chiro table and he does the usual once over to make sure there isn't anything else wrong with my back, hips and such. (Ok, not too bad.. I could get to like this..)

Then he gets to my neck.

A little wiggle to make sure I'm good and loose and the next thing I think of is that someone just crushed a soda can right next to my ear, and WOW that felt weird! Then he does it again the other direction. Same thing. The lady in the hallway calls out, "Wow! I heard that out here!"

Glad I could provide some entertainment for the place.

Long story short, The doc says he can work things out and I should be a bit sore for a bit. We'll see. I have my next appointment with the bone dancer today.

Time Flies!

2009-11-23T20:49:00.002-07:00

On Wednesday our little family flies back to Albuquerque for the holiday. We get to spend almost a week visiting with family and friends that we haven't seen in almost 6 months. It really seems weird to me that it's already been that long. In some respects, it seems like we only left a few weeks ago and in others it feels like it's been years.

I've been looking forward to seeing everyone again, finding out what's changed (probably not much) and what's stayed the same (most everything). When we left, Henry was barely a month old and was just a little baloney loaf. Now he has quite the personality and is starting to feed himself Cheerios!

Audrey has really learned how to express herself (and be defiantly independent as well), and is completely daytime potty trained! How wonderful the joys of only changing diapers for one child again.

As for momma and me, I might be a bit more bald and Em claims to be growing white hairs by the day, thanks to the kids. Other than that, it'll just be good to see everyone we've missed for the last while. Man, time flies.

I'm Thankful For Heroes

2009-11-16T20:14:00.005-07:00

I like heroes. I don't care too much for the comic book type stuff. I prefer the real ones.

I know he says he was only doing his job, but there are 154 other people on-board US Airways flight 1549 who owe Capt Sullenberger their lives.

I can also say that there is a distinct possibility that the situation could have turned out much worse for people on the ground if the plane were in the hands of a pilot with lesser talents.

For those who are into real-life heroes or just have a morbid curiosity, I found a site that has a video reconstruction of the flight from take-off to splash down.

As we reach the height of the travel season, I plan on doing my best to say thank you to those who see to it that we get to our destinations in a safe and preferably mundane manner.

http://www.exosphere3d.com/pubwww/pages/project_gallery/cactus_1549_hudson_river.html

By the way, there is no sound for the first minute or so, but it really is fascinating to get to see the inner workings of an airplane crash without having to actually GO THROUGH the experience.

Ahh... Sleeee....zzzz....

2009-11-09T20:54:00.003-07:00

This last week was a decent week.

First, Buttons' potty training is going pretty well. She's only had one(?) accident in the week and at times has done an ok job at letting us know when she needs to go. Other times we have to ask and she'll still fight us tooth and nail because she doesn't want to stop what she's doing or playing. In other words, it's still a work in progress, but progress none the less.

In other news, The H-bomb let momma and me off the hook for a few days. For three (3) straight nights he slept completely through the night! It was kind of nerve wracking the first night. I thought something might be wrong when I got up at about 6am and there was NO sound at all from the other bedroom. I even had to sneak a peek just to make sure he was still there. I crept in as quietly as I could and saw him with his head in the far corner of his crib as tight as it would go. (Oh good. He's still breathing.)

The next night we were a bit more relaxed and on the third night, oh, it was HEAVEN. Then came last nights crash back to reality. Ten minutes after 1 in the morning, (We had gone to bed after 11pm thinking we might get to sleep through again) we wake to an almost blood curdling scream. Oh yeah. He's teething and we forgot to give him his tylenol before bed. He screamaed for 2 solid minutes while momma got herself ready to feed him. Ok, good. back to sleep by 1:30.

Then at 5am, up again and shows no sign of going back to sleep. *sigh* Luckily he goes back after being fed again. Of course I have to be up by 6:45 to get ready for school. We'll see how tonight goe.........zzz...zzz...zzz...

Sass-a-fras

2009-11-02T09:50:00.005-07:00

I find it interesting as to what a child picks up on and who they get it from.

Our little A-bomb has learned how to sass. And she does it alot. Part of it is, I think, just going through the terrible-two's. But I also think that a portion of it has been picked up from observation of those she interacts with. The main thing she does is like any typical toddler exerting her independence, meaning that whenever we ask her to do ANYTHING, the answer is always, "Waant to!". In other words, Thanks, but no thanks. Then comes the more stern call, again with resistance. Finally, we get to the "NOW!!" yell that parents are accustomed to. That has worked up until recently.

Lately, she has started to yell back at us with whatever she's doing, or if we tell her to do something like eating her food, we get the response of "eat YOUR food!" Since this we've had to introduce the intimidating threat of a spank on the bottom which may or may not work depending on her mood.

Now, she has introduced to us the whine. Grr... Don't get me started on the whine. It feels like we have to tell her not to do something more than we have to tell her TO do something. I know she's just being inquisitive and trying to test boundaries, but it grates a bit when you tell a two-year-old NOT to do something you get the whine, "I NEEEED TOOO"

On a better front, the potty training is going well, aside from when we ask her if she needs to go potty she says no. But, when we get her to the toilet she likes to hear the sound. It's like she gets a kick out of "going on command".

Oh well. Could be worse.

Let The Fountain of Joy Begin

2009-10-26T21:32:00.004-06:00

Ok.

We decided that it's finally time to attempt to potty train our daughter. Again. We tried briefly before we moved. We decided to strip her down to her naked butt, let her feel the pee dribble down her legs and she won't like it, right? Um... not quite. It didn't work too well, mainly because we felt she was too young to grasp the idea yet. WE got the clue that she wasn't ready when, right after sitting on the potty to try unsuccessfully to use it, she ran down the hallway toward her room and proceeded to squat and drop a smelly load of joy on the carpet.

Since then we've gotten various ideas on what has worked for other parents and I'm still open to suggestions, but I feel the best one is still to let her uncomfortably spread the warmth down her legs. So, starting Sunday afternoon, we put her in big girl undies and let her run around. We dutifully asked her if she needed to "go potty", and invariably she'd say no, and we'd drag her to the toilet. At first she thought it was a novel idea, but more and more she has begun to resist. We DID manage to get her to use the toilet 4 times with NO accidents!

Today was almost the exact opposite. Almost. Momma got her up and asked her if she needed to go, and with the usual answer momma put her on anyway, just to be sure. No dice. kept checking, nothing. Then, just before I got home from school, someone flooded her pants. "Wet... WET!" came the cry. Momma put her on the pot, but she had already created the dark butterfly pattern in her pants. (*$^&*!!!) Oh well.

So, on through the morning we kept trying to get her to go without ANY progress. We put her in Pull-ups for her nap (which she pee'd in OF COURSE), and refused the bathroom after getting up. Then while we were cleaning up after dinner she was playing behind the chairs, and then came the cry, "WET! WET!" again. So I immediately grabbed her and got her to the bathroom as quickly as possible where she let a small tinkle in the toilet and gave a big, bright, happy "I DID IT!" type smile. Unfortunately, she did pee her pants a bit, but she ALSO knew to hold the rest of it til we got to the toilet.

Maybe there's hope for this potty business yet.....

Hello Me, It's Me Again...

2009-10-19T13:50:00.003-06:00

Things look a bit different around here.

Not only am I referring to the layout to my online persona(s), but my physical locale as well. It has now in fact been 5 months since I've even LOOKED at this page and I've finally decided to do something about it. This is not only at the behest of the Mouse in my life but also because, at times, I might actually have things to say once in a while.

I said this in the former life of this space, but this time I mean it...

I hope.

It's been... (ahem)... a while...

2009-05-21T08:14:00.002-06:00

I think I have to agree with Jen A. that time definitely seems to have been speeding past like a subway train missing a stop. Em has been saying how I should start blogging again, but I just haven't been motivated to because I've been a little busy getting this "life" thing taken care of a bit.

So, we'll see how it goes.

Happy fun times til later.

Hooray! Last year is over!!

2009-01-04T13:31:00.012-07:00

I know it's been a few days (ahem... weeks) since I last blogged but hey, I've been busy... had alot on my plate... had better things to do... er, OTHER things to do...

Anyway, anyone who knows how the latter half of last year went for me, especially with school, will understand just how abysmal it was. One of the things I kept sayng was that with everything that happened, I could write a country song. That is, I could if I cared for country music at all. Most people are aware of what happened to Scott and how much time and effort that took out of life, let alone the time it took from school work.

Aside from that, some of the distractions from school included finding out about a new bun in the oven,

getting my bike stolen,

getting my car sabotaged

and getting hit by a car among other things.....

But enough about me, how are you?

Anyway, let's just say I got a new perspective on things and I'm now ready to head in a new direction. It's hard not to dwell on things past, but I'm trying to look forward to this year and the exciting events to come. Unfortunately, that no longer includes trying to get into nursing school at this point, but I'm happy with the choice I've made and that's what matters. Plus, I get a present at the end of this semester...

...A SON!!!

Maybe I'll post more frequently in the future... we'll have to see.

Play Naked!

2008-11-24T12:44:00.004-07:00

Within the last week or so, Buttons has learned a trick of the trade.

Zippers!

Her footie pajamas have a nice long zipper for her to play with all night, so we have been finding her in the mornings clothed only in her diaper.

This morning we found her in nothing but her birthday suit!
Let the naked phase begin!!

btw... She has also learned to destroy the blinds in her room...

"I hate waiting."

2008-11-19T15:46:00.005-07:00

Have you ever noticed that the more you are anticipating something, the longer it seems to take for it to happen? I've had that feeling for this entire semester, unfortunately. It seems like I've been waiting for this semester to end even before it began. Plus, since Scott had his mishap I've been waiting anxiously for him to get back to at least some semblance of normal. Even though he is definitely better off in California with his family at this point, I wish I could have been there for more of his actual rehab process. Just when I was seeing some really great improvements, *poof* off to Cali, almost that quickly.

Other than missing a good friend, I've mainly been waiting for this next week. Thanksgiving is always a welcome respite from school, but this year we're headed to UTAH to visit family. I like going out of town because there's usually extra time away from the usual daily activities/ resposibilities. (YAY!!) So, We get to spend almost an entire week up in the "frozen tundra" of Northern Utah. I know I've been waiting, but I also know that Dara has been counting down the weeks and days til we get there to Emily. I need to tell her to stop, cuz it's making ME think even more about how close it's getting as well.

The other thing I am eagerly waiting about this trip is to see how Buttons will handle it because we're FLYING. No book-ending the trip with 12 hours in the car with an unruly toddler!! (For those who have forgotten, or don't have kids, just ask about our trip to California this summer...)At this point I'm willing to pay more money for a shorter time of a bored/tired/cranky/wired/loud little kid trying to get out of her chair. Plus we're flying in the morning and she does really well that time of day.... My luck, I'll end up chasing her through the security check point and get the "extra" search and seizure process at the airport....

"Yay! Memories!"

What IS a name, anyway?

2008-11-14T07:55:00.003-07:00

I've been hearing through the grapevine that there have been a few inquiries as to the nature of the name of my blog. I thought it fairly obvious (or oblivious, whichever the case may be) as to where I got it... I even included a small picture on my blog page that I thought would give it away.
So, if you haven't been able to figure it out, (or you don't care and figured I'd tell you anyway,) I got the name from the movie Multiplicity, with Michael Keaton.

A VERY brief synopsis goes as such: A guy named Doug finds himself stretched to the max when it comes to having the time to get things done (work, play, family etc..) So, he finds himself with the opportunity to duplicate himself, and it works! Everything goes too well, and he ends up with three versions of himself. Well, one of his duplicates doesn't like getting stuck with all the work, so he goes back to the Doc (who can't tell if he's the original or the duplicate) and replicates himself. Well, as the saying went in the movie, "You know when you make a copy of a copy? It's not quite as sharp as the original." The 4th "Doug" comes out a little on the "slow" side, and calls everyone Steve. Hilarity ensues. (In my opinion)

Anyway, That picture has always stuck in my mind, so...

"Now you know the rest of the story."

Holidaze

2008-11-11T08:50:00.003-07:00

I've decided that I'm ready for the holiday season, and this one in particular. Not only because I get to escape the rigors of school and escape to the mindless bliss of vacation, but because this will be the first season for my big "buttin". Audrey is getting old enough to enjoy holidays, even if she isn't going to remember much of this one exactly when she's older. I think it will be really fun to see the look on her face when she gets a gift and will (hopefully) be more excited for what's INSIDE the wrapping paper, rather than the paper itself.

Moreover though, I think that her favorite holiday will probably be Thanksgiving. At least for the next year or two. This little girl can EAT! I've never seen a girl this young:

Down an entire corndog for a regular lunch
Ask for more
Down ANOTHER corndog
Get mad when we won't give her more to eat!

We had Subway for dinner last night and I almost considered having Em get a six inch sub to give to the little beast! It will be interesting to see how she handles a full course Thanksgiving dinner. I've been pondering the little Bun that will be her new sibling and I hate to think how much this one would eat if it turns out to be a boy!

Anyway, enough rambling for now, back to the subject of Glomerulonephritis...

yay.

Yes, it's true

2008-11-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

It was weird... while I was sitting in class yesterday, I was looking at everyone's blogs (yes, instead of paying attention to my professor who was droning of about kidney failure), and decided it was time to share my thoughts in amore formal setting rather than just commenting on various blogs from time to time (which I'll still do by the way).
Anyway, after the results of the election came out last night, the first thing I thought was, "Well I guess it's time to move to Canada." Then, after a few text messages back & forth to Emily, I was feeling so bad that I needed to pull out my scriptures to get me into a better mood. I usually let them fall open and just start reading unless I'm following a particular train of thought. I thought it interesting that it fell open to the beginning of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon.
As I started to read, I thought of the similarities and differences to our time. The big similarity that came to me was that King Benjamin is getting ready to pass on, and he wants to gather his people for one last speech and introduce Mosiah as the new king. I immediately thought of the election and how everyone was getting together yesterday to elect a new leader of our country. Then I thought of how at that time there was no discord among the people of Zarahemla and everyone was on the right path. I then thought how with the way things are headed in our time, we aren't too far off from perfect harmony as well. (after alot of turmoil, that is...)
As I kept reading I noticed a good verse that was able to help me look at our time in a new light. Mosiah 2:22 says, "And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you." It told me that no matter what happens in this country, as long as I do what I'm supposed to, my family and I will be taken care of.
I didn't need to read much further.

I don't think that all my blogs will be this poignant, but I felt I should share my thoughts. (And yes, I'm writing this in class.)