La Familia Gonzalez

2010-12-25T11:35:00.001-07:00

Christmas 2010

2010-12-05T22:52:00.002-07:00

Disneyland

We took a fun trip to Disneyland just after Thanksgiving.
It was so nice just to get away and spend time together. The weather was about 25 degrees warmer than what we left behind and we had a terrific time.

My one goal for the trip was to get just one good photo of all three of us and that just didn't happen.

2010-11-06T00:00:00.002-06:00

Gross

Sam: Mom, I think I know why you sometimes call me Stinker.
Me: Why?
Sam: 'Cause sometimes I burp from my bum.

2010-11-05T23:50:00.003-06:00

Promise

Sam: Mom, I have a really big problem.
Me: What is it?
Sam: It's really big. Will you help me with it?
Me: Of course. What's going on?
Sam: I just don't know who to marry when I grow up. Will you help me decide?
Me: I absolutely will.

This is a promise I intend to make him let me keep.

2010-11-05T23:40:00.002-06:00

And It Begins

I was in a rush the other day to get Sam out the door for preschool.

Let's be honest: We're always in a rush and running late. One morning I told Sam that if he didn't hurry he'd be the last one to school. He replied that being last would be fine with him. The last one in gets to shut the door, so thank you Miss Jamie for that.

But anyway, we were running late.
I had a pair of old scrubs on that I use as pajamas. I figured that I wear scrubs all the time and nobody would know if I'd slept in these. So, I hurried Sam out into the garage. He looked me up and down and asked, "Is that what you're wearing?"
"Yes." I answered. "Get in the car."
"Aren't you going to get dressed?"
"Nope."
"Don't you want to go put on a cute shirt?"
"Nope."
"Jeez Mom. This is going to be embarrassing."

Next week I'm wearing curlers and a bathrobe.

2010-11-05T23:26:00.003-06:00

Paleontology and Visa

Sam has a set of dinosaur cards with dinosaur names and facts on them. One day he showed me this dinosaur's card.

According to Sam he has spikes and a club on his tail to protect himself from creditors.

2010-10-31T19:27:00.001-06:00

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T19:19:00.004-06:00

Fall Soccer

Daniel coached.
Sam played offense.
Sam played defense.
Sam played full contact.
He had so much fun and can't wait for spring season to start.

2010-10-31T18:56:00.003-06:00

Brave

We went to the State Fair this year and had a great time. We ate and ate and ate and looked at every animal and booth and exhibit. We even rode a few rides despite my distrust of traveling amusement parks and their employees (who I'm sure are upstanding citizens. I've got a great example for you one of these days.)

The whole time we were there Sam kept begging me to let him do this bungee trampoline contraption that allowed you to jump about three stories high. I told him it was too scary. I told him he wouldn't like it. I told him he could do it when he was older. I told him I'd buy him another caramel apple instead. He begged and begged and begged until I was sick of it and he wore me down. I told him fine, if he wanted to so bad then go for it.

He did great until they buckled him into the harness. Then he turned pale. His lips started to quiver. Tears welled up in his eyes and he begged me to get him down. I, the sympathetic mother said, "No freaking way Sam. You have been begging me to do this for three hours. I've paid seven dollars and you are going to jump as high as you can and if you pee your pants I'll kill you."

He jumped.
His pants stayed dry.
And he loved it.

He was so proud of himself and wants to go back next year and jump higher.

2010-10-31T18:27:00.004-06:00

Sam, not Samuel

We had the first day of "real" preschool back in September. Sam had been going to a preschool/daycare a couple of days a week for the last year. This year I decided it would be better for him to go to a preschool my neighbor teaches. It is still only twice a week and the teacher does a great job. He learns so much. The downfall is that I don't have a babysitter for the mornings after I work. This is where you all complement me on what a selfless mother I am. Go ahead, I'll wait.

So anyway, Sam informed his teacher that he is "Sam, not Samuel." He has made his preference known to all who will listen lately. We still call him Sammy, Samuel, and Booger, but he says none of those are his real name.

He has lots of preferences. I let him choose all of his new school clothes and there is a distinctly militaristic theme to them all.

He misses Juno while he is at school. They are becoming really good friends and they occasionally fight like siblings. Examples: "Mom, Juno is looking at me. I told her to stop, but she is looking at me!" "I told Juno that I didn't want to fight, but she started it." "Mom! Juno stole my toy/sock/underwear/bread. Make her give it back." "Mom! Sam is teasing me. He waves treats over my head and won't share his cookies." You know, the usual.

2010-08-20T15:38:00.007-06:00

Yellowstone

A few weeks ago we took a day trip to Yellowstone.

I love the Old Faithful Inn. It has always been a highlight for me.

While we were waiting for Old Faithful to erupt Juno attracted quite a following. She is very popular with her public. We kind of hoped someone would like her well enough to steal her out of the back of the truck while we weren't watching. No luck.

I know the expression on Sam's face doesn't convey the excitement of the moment. He really did enjoy the park and thought that the geysers were really cool. He is just very self conscious when his picture is being taken.

This is a drawing of our family by Sam.

2010-06-22T18:41:00.004-06:00

Thomas

Three years ago we went to see Thomas at Heber Valley Railroad.

Sam saw the ads this year and was so excited to go.

We enrolled Sam in a Spanish class at his school. He wasn't very excited about it. He told us that Sir Topham Hatt (a character from Thomas) wouldn't let him ride Thomas if he took Spanish. Daniel told him that his dad wouldn't let him ride Thomas if he didn't, so he would just have to take his chances with Sir Topham Hatt. As you can see it all worked out and Sam has doubled his Spanish vocabulary.

2010-06-07T21:46:00.004-06:00

Purple Jaguars

Sam had a successful spring soccer season. He averaged 2 goals a game and found that he is a great defender. He had an awesome time and is excited for this fall.

Of course three-year-old soccer is thrilling and full of well executed plays...

...and is also ripe with head trauma...
...inspection of various wounds...
...and temper tantrum time outs.
In the end everyone gets a medal it's smiles all around.

2010-06-06T20:44:00.003-06:00

Miss Juno

We became dog owners in November of last year. It was completely my idea and I was out of my mind. The first seven months were awful. She is a very dominant dog and ignored me completely (that is when she wasn't biting my hands and feet). We read everything Cesar Milan has ever published, we hired a professional trainer (who never showed up), we did puppy classes, we tried spraying her with water, we tried an air horn (and only damaged our own hearing). I was way ready to find her a nice farm to live at. And then we applied the shock collar. It is heaven. She is so good now that I am staring to finally like her. It may all work out after all.
I was talking to my Dad about the shock collar and said something to the effect of "Don't use the s-h-o-c-k word. We're trying to keep how it works a secret from someone."
Sam piped up, "Mom, someone already knows how it works. It's me!"
He is not, however, allowed to use the remote.

I wish now that I had been able to enjoy her more when she was little. She was so cute. This picture is her at 8 weeks, the day we brought her home.

About 12 weeks

Juno's crate comes in handy for controlling Sam as well.

Sam loves Juno and she puts up with a lot from him.

Juno at about 6 months

Juno at about 7 months
And now a test. Is this the same dog?The short answer is yes.
In May I took her to be groomed. I wanted her cut short, but I didn't expect her to be shaved.

I couldn't believe it was the same dog. She looks so much smaller. It's starting to grow out a little now. I was actually pretty sad. She was so pretty and now she is bald.
It's appropriate though that she has a new look to go with her new attitude.
Hopefully she'll grow out pretty again and stay likable.

2010-04-13T12:39:00.001-06:00

Owls and Bats

I wanted to take a nap the other day, but Sam had other plans for us.
He informed me, "Sleeping in the day is for owls and bats, but not for you Mom. It's not good for womens."

2010-04-11T13:18:00.007-06:00

Half a Year in Pictures

Several of my friends and family members are doing "A Year in Pictures". For these projects they have committed themselves to posting a picture every day for a year.
This year my goal is simply to not be committed to the crazy house.
It's going okay so far, although we've had some close calls.

I'm pretty happy to be able to showcase the highlights of the last six months.

CHRISTMAS!!!

FEBRUARY
Samuel and I with Grandma and Grandpa Orme.

Me and my buddy.

MARCH
We spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the dinosaur park

I had a hard time convincing Sam to come stand by me for this picture.
In the end he settled for trying to be scarier than the dinosaur.

Sam has started playing soccer. He is on a three-year-old team called the Purple Jaguars. They have had one game and one practice. The rest have been canceled due to snow. He has had a great time and is a really good teammate.

We made our first spring trip to the zoo.

My mom just had foot surgery, so Sam gave her a wheelchair ride.

Me, Sam, and Abuelita Julia

2010-03-11T11:15:00.004-07:00

Stuff Sam Says

I haven't posted anything in so long. We do have a new camera and I have taken a few pictures, so maybe I'll be a blogger again someday. I wanted to record some of the things Sam has been saying.

One day we were looking at pictures of cupcakes in a book. Sam asked me which one I wanted to eat.
I said, "I want the biggest one."
"No Mom, that will make you fat."
"Really? What's wrong with being fat?"
"It will hurt your heart."

Which leads directly to this next comment, said with all the intention of a great compliment.
"Wow Mom, you have the biggest bottom I ever saw. Wow, I mean wow!"

So, yeah. Anyone know a really great diet program that doesn't involve any exercise or elimination of calories?

Sam tripped and was crying. I asked him what was wrong.
He said, "I've damaged myself."

When we were visiting in Idaho we decided to watch a movie with my Mom and Dad and Lindsey and Jordan. We chose Prince Caspian, thinking it would be a good family film.
The beginning is a little bit scary and violent. It was late and so I suggested that we should just go to bed.
He said, "It's okay Mom, I'll protect you. I'll cover your eyes."
I said, "If this is too scary for me, then maybe it is too scary for you."
He answered, "No, boys like this kind of stuff."

I usually sit with Sam for a few minutes while he falls asleep. Generally it takes him about 15 minutes. Last night he told me that his eyes wouldn't stay shut. I told him I had to do some things, but that I would come back and check on him in a little while. A little later he came out of his room looking for me, asking why I hadn't come back yet. I told him that I had sat with him for quite awhile and that I had things I had to do.
He said, "I'm sorry Mom. I didn't know I was taking you so long."
I felt really bad about that.

2010-01-14T22:46:00.002-07:00

This is an article that talks about Suzanna's dad in Haiti.

Utah doctors on their way to Haiti

Posted using ShareThis

2009-12-10T10:44:00.002-07:00

Why My Life is So Hard

As I sit in my nice, warm, new, spacious kitchen and bake cookies in my two ovens while outside the temperatures dip below zero and many people are wondering how to feed their hungry children I would like everyone to know that my life is hard.

I would document this photographically, but I have no AA batteries for my camera.

I hate my great job.
It's extremely flexible. It pays pretty well. The other staff are really friendly and fun to work with. I like being an ER nurse...but sometimes the clientele, the job, and the company that provides it annoy me. I don't always get my way and sometimes I'm tired.

I have a wonderful son. He is smart and funny and remarkably well behaved. He will sit through a two hour staff meeting and not make a peep...but sometimes he doesn't mind me and although he now sleeps through the night (usually in his own bed) I don't think I've ever recovered from his sleepless first three years. And sometimes he is intentionally naughty.

My automatic dishwasher is BROKEN!
Actually it is fixed and works great now...but I didn't get to complain about it on the blog when it wasn't working so great.

I live in my new dream house, in a great neighborhood, in a nice city, in a beautiful state, in a blessed country, on an amazing planet...but it's too cold outside.

In two weeks we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World, the Son of a God who answers my prayers...but I don't have enough money to buy EVERYTHING that I want, only most of it.

We have a cute new puppy who has only had one accident in the house in the last 3 days (and that was in front of the back door because I didn't hear her quiet whining to be let out)...but she chews, she barks, she disobeys and may be possessed by an evil spirit.

My cookies taste good...but they are making me fat.

I am forced to lose my temper at Sam and the puppy. I yell a lot and have exhibited some ugly loses of control.
My house is a disaster. My bathrooms need cleaned. Laundry is sky high.
I still have Christmas shopping to do.
I still haven't mailed (an already wrapped) birthday present to a very good friend.
My great husband has to work all day everyday (at a paying job) and even though he is home before 7:00 now, he still doesn't get home until 5:30.

So, I submit my evidence that my life is way hard.

2009-11-30T14:05:00.002-07:00

Here's Your Sign

I caught Sam on the countertop the other day and reminded him that he wasn't supposed to be up there. He thought for a minute and then said, "Well Mom, maybe you need to put a sign up here to help me remember."

2009-10-16T12:04:00.005-06:00

The Goings On

Sam's been sick with a stomach bug that won't quit. He first got sick Sunday night, was fine on Monday, sick all Tuesday night, more quiet than usual on Wednesday, fine all day Thursday, and sick again Thursday night. He missed pre-school on Wednesday, so we told him he could go on Friday. We decided to keep him home though, so when he woke up this morning he asked, "Why I'm not at school?"
"You threw up last night, so Daddy and I decided not to send you to school."
He looked really annoyed and started to run to the kitchen, "Mom! Now I have to do lots of homework. I have to glue some papers and color and draw a dog house for the new puppy and..."

That's right. Did I mention we're getting a puppy?
Ours is the darkest curliest one on top. Sometimes I worry that we are going to really regret it, but I'm excited and she is so cute.
She is a golden-doodle. Her mom and dad are both golden retriever/poodle mixes.
We can bring her home around November 23.

I have some pictures and things that I've meant to put on here, but never got around to. The last 6 months have flown by so fast. We've been pretty busy.

In April we went to the zoo with Lindsey.

I was really proud of these Easter Eggs we dyed.

I took this video of Sam in February. I call it "Dramatic Interpretation of the the Life and Death of a Snowman" or "Once There Was A Snowman".

2009-09-30T11:24:00.008-06:00

First Day of "School"

Sam started preschool today. I have to work from 6PM to 6AM on Tuesdays right now and so we enrolled Sam in a preschool/daycare on Wednesday mornings. Today was his first day. Daniel took him on his way to work this morning. He has been so excited for this.

We toured several places and picked this school because it has a bowl of crackers at the front door. Sam was very impressed by this. I was impressed because it was clean, organized, well supervised and most importantly, clean.

Daniel said that when he left Sam was in dinosaur heaven.

The other night at dinner we were having a delicious pork chop dish with rice and mushrooms. Daniel picked up his fork and Sam yelled, "Look out Dad! That has mushrooms in it!"
He's not very picky, but he can't stand mushrooms. He can always tell if I've put mushrooms in something and he will not eat them.

Brag Item: Sam can add and subtract.
In the car the other day he asked me if I wanted to play a number game. I asked him what that was. He said, "You know. When you say if you have 3 apples and I take one away, how many apples are left?"
I've never played this with him and neither has Daniel. Maybe all that Playhouse Disney is finally paying off. He can add and subtract (all in his head) through number five. He did not get this from me.
They're probably going to have to move him to the 8 year-old classroom at "school".

2009-08-09T11:03:00.003-06:00

New House Pictures

We're getting close to moving day. The garage doors need painted and the front door stained.

The cabinets are installed, most of the appliances are in. We are having a debate over how to cover the vent duct over the stove. I want to wrap it in wood like the cabinets. The other option is to drywall it. Let's have a vote.

I can't wait to move in.

All that's left inside is some finish work, a good cleaning and we're set.

2009-07-09T21:31:00.005-06:00

A Wedding, Independence Day, and Some Really Terrible Photography

We spent about 10 days in Idaho for Lindsey's wedding and the 4th of July.
We took about 8 pictures and none of them were very impressive, but here are the good ones.
I really need to remember to get some batteries for my camera, and then remember to take it with me, and then remember to get it out and use it.
It's nice to have goals.

Sam looked very handsome in his suit for Lindsey's wedding. He got lots of compliments and told me that he wanted to wear it every day.
This is one of maybe three pictures I have of the three of us. No, I don't mean just at this event, I mean in the last 3 years. That is the pathetic truth. And keeping with tradition (see Jeris and Suzanna's wedding) I have no pictures of the bride and groom, but believe me, they looked good.

Sam's birthday was a success. We had an incredible turnout again this year and thanks again to Frank Vandersloot for Sammy's fireworks. (And thanks also to Steve Clark for bringing his camera.)

Sam requested a party, a parade, black(chocolate) cupcakes and a pinata. I made absolutely sure he got his wishes.
Now prepare yourselves for some amazing pics of the birthday boy.

Good thing he's naturally cute.

What I regret the most is that I didn't get any pictures of Sam and his pinata. He really beat the tar out of it. After about 5 minutes Daniel helped him liberate the candy. That's when I discovered that the cardboard (not paper mache) cement truck was held together with STRAPPING TAPE! What kid is going to get that to break open?

I hope Sam doesn't hate us someday for being so lame about taking pictures and documenting important events.

2009-06-18T16:52:00.002-06:00

Our New Baby
Framing is finished and the plumbing and HV/AC is getting underway.

I think this is a view from the front door.

This is the great room fireplace.
I am so excited, every day there are new things to see.

2009-06-13T14:51:00.005-06:00

Umm, So It's Been Awhile

Since my last post A LOT has been going on. Here are the highlights.
We put our house up for sale
10 days later we accepted an offer
Sam got stomach flu
Sam got potty trained
Sam got strep throat
I got strep throat, and a massive eye infection
I realized (yikes!) we have 3 days to pack (and figure out where we are going to stay) until we are officially homeless
We moved
We went to Wicked
We moved
And then
We moved
again

Just one more move (hopefully around Labor Day) and we'll be in our new house.P.S. A special thank you to all those who have made this possible. Thanks to Mike and Dottie, Israel and Melissa, and Daniel's parents for letting us invade your homes.
Thanks so much to Daniel for the years of hard work and the awesome remodel job that allowed us to sell our house so quickly and buy the perfect new place.

2009-03-03T13:47:00.003-07:00

I'm a Dancing Girl

Whenever I get dressed up in a skirt or dress Sam always says, "Wow Mom! You're a dancing girl!"
I'm not sure where he got that.
I can't help but think of those dancing girls when he says it and it makes me a little uncomfortable, and then I get the giggles.

Sam calls the place I work "The College".
I think that is because one time when we were driving past, Daniel asked me if it felt weird to work just a few blocks from where I went to college. (It doesn't feel weird.)
Whenever Sam sees the logo on billboards or commercials he says, "Look Mom, it's your work. It's your college." Today a commercial for Provo College came on. Sam told me, "I don't want to go to Provo College. I'm going to go to your college."

2009-03-01T17:52:00.003-07:00

FOR SALE

I'm serious this time ya'll.
Check us out on KSL.com

2009-02-23T13:32:00.005-07:00

Lately

We've been to a few BYU basketball games. Special thanks to Mike and Dottie for these great seats. We had so much fun at this game against UNM.

We've been to Idaho to visit Nana and Papa and Andrew.

We went to Playhouse Disney Live in SLC and saw Mickey and Minnie, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins and more. Sam loved it. He sang along and danced. It was a blast.

2009-01-27T14:07:00.001-07:00

I like my Banana Republic card

because it just allowed me to buy 6 shirts for 50 cents each. Yea!

2009-01-26T22:15:00.003-07:00

Sass

At home in Idaho Falls over Christmas Sam walked out of my Mom's pantry with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in hand. He brought it right to me, held it up and said, "See this? Don't say me no."

Today all was quiet so I went hunting for Sammy. I found him on my bathroom countertop. His feet were in the sink, the water running, and lotion was EVERYWHERE.
He says, "Be a nice Mom. Don't be upset to me."

I made cookies last night, but told Sam he had to eat a bowl of soup for dinner first. He replied, "No. I need to have a cookie first and no soup. Okay?"

2009-01-19T15:10:00.002-07:00

Lip Gloss Envy

Sam: I want some Chapstick too.
Me: This isn't Chapstick. This is lip gloss. It's just for girls.
Sam: Just for girls?
Me: Yep.
Sam: Not for boys?
Me: Nope
Sam: I'm a boy.
Me: Yep.
Sam: (Walking away, disappointed.) But I have lips.

2009-01-06T15:46:00.009-07:00

My Favorite Things 2008

As a Christmas gift my Mom framed my Great-grandmother's tatting for me and each of my siblings. I love it and am so excited to hang it up in my house.

Speaking of my house...It's almost done. I love the gaping hole in my ceiling which means the furnace is about to be finished. I know I've said this 2 billion times, but we are hoping to have the house up for sale this spring. I am so loving the progress.

Amazingly, I got tickets to Wicked in Salt Lake. I am so excited to finally see this show. I love the music.

I love my 2 year-old. He is so fun even considering his odd sleep habits. He is so sweet when he does sleep and so fun and funny when he's awake. He is my buddy.

I love my Magnalite roasting pan. It has made all the difference in the world for my roasts. My Mom's roast is the best and I've never had any luck making mine turn out right. The pan is the secret. I LOVE IT!
Glitter Toes. The actual picture of the feet was not so inspiring, but this year I sported toes as sparkly as Dorothy's red slipper and I loved them.
Peruvian Hot Chocolate. So yummy.
And of course I can't mention Peruvian Hot Chocolate without a shout out to Manolo's in Lima and the best churros ever.
The Fourth of July in Idaho Falls. There is no better place in the world to be on our nation's Independence Day. The fact that it is Samuel's birthday makes it even better.

Cozy cute slippers that Suzanna introduced me to. I wear them all day every day.

Our trip to St. George and the Bear Paw Cafe. I can't wait to go back this year.

2008-12-20T01:05:00.002-07:00

Night Owl

I worked a short shift tonight and came home at 11:45 to a dark quiet house. I tip-toed into my room as silently as possible, trying not to wake anyone up, and promptly had a heart attack when from the darkness a voice said, "Hi mommy! Shh, Daddy's sleeping"
I stifled a scream and as calmly as possible asked "Sam, what are you doing?"
"I in Daddy's bed. I tan't tose my eyes."

I want a refund or something. This kid has never slept like normal kids are supposed to. If he naps in the afternoon, he does not sleep at night. I'm not talking about 3-4 hour naps past 4 PM. Today he napped from 1:00 to 2:30. Not unreasonable.
I don't want to take his naps away because he gets really cranky by 6 PM without one and I can't get anything done if I don't get at least an hour without him undoing everything I've accomplished, but seriously people.

More than once I have gone to bed thinking he was well on his way to dreamland and then have woken up to the sounds of his nocturnal activities. He occasionally greets me at the door at 3:00 AM after a night shift. He comes up with all kinds of excuses to not go to sleep. He tells me there is a big bad wolf in his bed, or a mean giant in his room, so maybe he's having some fears, but most of the time I find him up playing with toys or reading books.
I am starting to worry that there may actually be something seriously wrong. It scares me that he is up and into things when I am unconscious.
What do I do?

2008-12-19T11:20:00.003-07:00

Snow Fun

Sam and I are very proud of this snowman. I think it is the first complete snowman I've ever made.

2008-12-18T12:14:00.001-07:00

Hee Hee

this is funny

2008-12-11T14:16:00.002-07:00

According to Sam...

My name is Momuel. Makes sense I guess, when you consider that Daddy is Daniel and he is Samuel.
He has a make-believe-friend named Robin who likes to play trains and sit in the rocking chair. Robin is a boy. Sometimes he doesn't share and has to sit in time-out.
We do NOT throw balls in the house when the Christmas tree is up. Also, there is a big difference between inside basketballs and outside basketballs. It was a little pathetic that he had to remind me of these rules yesterday. I break a lot of rules apparently. Luckily he always lets me know when I screw up.
Santa is bringing him a garbage truck, a race car, and a violin.

Anyone know where to find a toy violin for a two-year-old?

2008-12-03T11:34:00.004-07:00

Just a Few Little Things

I'm not much into posting at the moment; lack of creative inspiration I guess. I do have a few funny things Sam has done lately that I want to document.

We got up early on Election Day, woke Sam up, and he asked where we were going. I told him we were going to go vote. He stood in line with us very patiently. He was so well behaved and I was proud and relieved. After I voted I was waiting for Daniel to finish up. Sam looked up at me and said, "Mom, I'm so EXCITED!"
"What are you excited for?" I asked.
"For the BOATS! I'm going to drink my apple juice on the boat." He answered.
Oh, poor baby! I had to explain that there were no boats. He lost it on the sidewalk in front of the school. He demonstrated a kicking, screaming, crying tantrum for all the elementary students and their parents as they filed into the school. Awesome.

One day in the car Sam says to me, "You know Barack Obama?"
"Yeah." I answered, thinking how does he know Barack Obama?
"I like him." Sam said.
Okay. That was one good campaign.

I asked Sam about three times to start putting his toys away so we could go somewhere. He completely ignored me. Finally he looked up like he was annoyed and said, "Mom, I'm not listening to you."
Oh, good. I thought maybe he had just lost his hearing.

2008-11-12T19:47:00.004-07:00

Artist Update

I had the sofa cleaned and most of the marker came out. I was happily surprised and the cleaning guy said he was shocked. The picture didn't truly demonstrate the gravity of the situation. The entire backrest of the couch was covered in drawings. There are still a few small spots, but I'm pretty pleased. However, even with Magic Eraser (thanks anyway Maria), the windowsill is still heavily decorated.

When it happened Sam knew I was upset and he locked himself in the bathroom. A few minutes later he went into his room and came out with some baby wipes. He said, "Don't worry Mom. I 'tean' it up. Makes you sad?"
I said "Yes."
"Oh!" with a concerned look, "Makes me happy."

2008-11-10T15:16:00.002-07:00

The Culprit:

The Crime:

So, is this one of the things I'm going to "laugh" about someday? Pretty much right now I'd just like to cry.

2008-10-30T13:22:00.009-06:00

Just For Uncle Paul
'cause we all know what happens when someone double-dog-dares me

8 Things

8 TV shows I love to watch

The Office
The Biggest Loser (while eating snacks)
What Not to Wear
Jon and Kate plus 8 (makes me grateful for my life)
Lost

Okay, sorry, I'm out. It's not that I don't watch a lot of TV, I'll watch whatever is on. I just don't have that many must see shows.

8 Favorite Restaurants

No worries; I've got this one covered.

Ottavio's
El Azteca
Cafe Rio
Kneaders
La Carretta
Olive Garden
Texas Roadhouse
Puerto Vallarta
Ruby River
...What? You only wanted 8? But I've got more. No Thanks? Okay.

8 Things that happened yesterday

Pumpkin Patch field trip (Where Sam got teased by some Kindergartners about his Halloween costume. These rotten little boys called him a "stupid pirate" and asked "Where's your stupid bird, stupid pirate?" Sam had no clue and was all like, "whatevs", but I went all Momma Bear on them with, "No you di'n't. Aw snap. Use your nice words." I showed those 5 year-olds.
Sam took a too short nap and I tried to join him, but couldn't sleep
Had my yearly evaluation at work
Planned what to make for dinner
Decided it involved a trip to the grocery store
Planned where to eat out instead
Went to the church Halloween carnival where there were several pirates, but none as cute as Sam and none had a parrot. So there, Kinderbabies! (Why am I still kind of bothered by them?)
Daniel and I listened to our Camry make a coughing death-like rattle and decided I would take it to the mechanic in the morning. Which I did today.

***Sidenote Alert*** I don't really trust mechanics. First off they treat me like an idiot. Granted, I don't know how to "pop my hood", I can't say with complete certainty what year my car is, and I don't know the mileage off the top of my head, but I can tell when I'm being talked down to, I do know where the serpentine belt is, I know the difference between a timing belt and a timing chain, and I'm pretty sure I could tell if someone was completely making up the name of an engine part (which a mechanic tried to do to me a few years ago), and I know for sure that this noise isn't my tires.

Me: My car is making a funny noise. It's coming from under the hood and I'm thinking it might be related to this belt because it gets faster when I accelerate.
Skinny Dude: (Rolling his eyes at the other guys at the counter). I'll come check it out. (Walking outside.) It's probably your tires.
Me: I don't think so. It's coming from under the hood.
Skinny Dude: You probably don't do a lot of work under the hood, do you.

So then he takes it back for a "diagnostic" and comes out to tell me that my 2 and a half year old Honda (it's a Toyota, skinny dude) has a broken water pump and that if I try to drive it out of the parking lot it's "gonna seize up" on me. And that it will cost $271.oo-331.00. I think this guy is a moron and using all kinds of technical jargon (BS) to prove that he knows more than me. I'm just about to call him on it when "Butch" walks into the room.

Butch: You the one with the Toyota?
Me: Yeah.
Butch: The bearings are out on the water pump. It's a pretty new car, so you should call Toyota and check on your warranty. It's probably covered.
Me: Thanks. Am I okay to drive it home?
Butch: Oh yeah, just don't take it too fast and get it fixed soon.

Butch is dressed in a jumpsuit and is head-to-toe grease and I am immediately relieved. Turns out skinny dude is basically just a receptionist. I hope he doesn't do a lot of work under the hood.

8 Things I'm looking forward to

My Birthday
Christmas
Going home for Christmas
The Office tonight
A walk to the park this afternoon
Someday moving out of this house
Daniel coming home from work
Sam's bedtime

8 Things on my wish list

new shoes
more money
warm weather
finished house
sold house
new house
a free fixed car
housekeeper

8 Tidbits about me
Oh come on! Isn't this entire blog about me.

8 Pet Peeves

People who break rules
Mechanics who lie and treat me like I'm stupid
The sound of Styrofoam. Just thinking about it squiks me out.
People who tell me before I've even poked them: "I'm a really hard stick", "I have bad veins", "you'll have to use the baby needle on me", "I want the doctor (manager, charge nurse) to do my IV" etc. Just so you know, telling the nurse how to do his/her job pretty much guarantees you an uncomfortable venipuncture experience. And by the way, the doctor hasn't done an IV since med school and I've probably done 10 just today, so chew on that.
People who come to the ER for really minor things (example:chapped lips. No, really.) or for a cold they've had for 2-3 days. Seriously? You decided it was an EMERGENCY right now? At 11:30 PM.? Why not earlier today, WHEN YOUR DOCTOR'S OFFICE WAS OPEN!
Reruns
My neighbor's chimney which blows smoke directly at my house. WHY?
Children unrestrained in a vehicle

Wow! That was a lot of work. I may not be able to blog again for at least a few days. How will you all go on without me.

2008-10-30T13:01:00.002-06:00

Witches Night Out

Last Friday I went to the Witches Festival at Gardner Village with my friends Emily and Ashley and Ashley's mom. We ate yummy food, window shopped, danced and generally had a festive time. We did miss out on the palm reading (which was a huge disappointment for me) but there's always next year.
I stole this picture from Emily's blog because I am too lazy to download my own pictures.

2008-10-26T18:47:00.002-06:00

Ridin' the Potty Train

Sam listened to a few conversations last week at my parent's house in Idaho about potty training. Friday morning he woke up and told me, "I want to ride the potty train."
Alright, all aboard...again.
Every so often Sam decides to pee on the potty. He does it for a day or two and then refuses to even think about it after that. So, Friday all day he peed on the potty, he wore big boy underwear and kept them dry, and then I left for "witches night out" (another story). While I was gone Sam peed on the floor twice and has been in diapers ever since. We're going to try again Monday morning. This potty train is sure a long uncomfortable ride.

2008-10-13T20:01:00.003-06:00

Things that Make Me Smile

Some of the things Sammy does just crack us up. Many of the things he does make us crazy, but later we can usually smile about them, and then there are the things that are kind of cute now, but won't be in a few years.

Sam came into the kitchen tonight while I was cleaning up dinner and asked for another cookie. He had already had several so I told him no. Then he said, "Daddy say, 'bring me a cookie." I knew that was likely, so I gave him a cookie to give to Daniel. Sam came back a few minutes later and asked, "Can I have a cookie? No? Okay." Then he just walked away. Wow. He sure took that well...for about three minutes. He is currently saying, "Can I have a cookie? Sure? Yes? Please?" and is frustrated by my lack of cooperation. Oh wait, he just took the cookies to Dad and returned with one in his mouth. I see how this works.

His imagination is in full force. It is so fun to watch him play. He turns ordinary objects into the most interesting props and has captivating conversations with his imaginary pals. Throughout the day I hear, "I'm the Jazz, Mom. I'm Boozer." "Woooooo! I'm the police. Put your hands up. Get in the police car. We're going to the zoo."

He almost always shares, but I've noticed that lately with food he is very careful to give me the smaller half.

He repeats EVERYTHING. He tells me, "Just a minute please. Can you see my hands are busy?"

I'm just so amazed as I watch Sam turn into a big boy. Time is going so quickly and it seems like he changes overnight. I want to remember all the little things he does that make us realize how much he learns and grows every day.

2008-10-06T22:57:00.002-06:00

Quirky

My cousin Challis tagged me to list 6 quirks.

No. 1--Would have to be that I compulsively look up words in the dictionary (like quirk) even if I am 100% sure of the definition. I have spent hours reading dictionaries. I don't know why. I think it's boring.
No. 2--I love balsamic vinegar and have been known to drink it straight from the bottle.
No. 3--I love blood and guts and pus. I really like to incise and drain infections.
No. 4--I cannot share milk with anyone, not even with Sam. I will freely share any other food or beverage. It has to do with the viscosity of milk.
No. 5--If I start to read a novel I cannot stop until I have finished it, even if it is stupid. I will read through meals and stay up all night if necessary. This is why I have to limit myself to just a few books a year. Good thing I'm a fairly fast reader.
No. 6--I'm a very competitive walker. If I am walking alone and there are people ahead of me I will speed walk to pass them. Sometimes it is really obvious and it freaks people out, so that's embarrassing, but I still do it.
No. 7--(Wow, I didn't think I'd be able to come up with 6.) I have a phobia of birds. I hate them and have been attacked by them on more than one occasion.

2008-09-25T16:12:00.004-06:00

High School Tag

I've always said that High School was okay, but that I really loved college. I think that after answering these questions I've realized why. I was super lame in High School.

1 Did you date someone from your school? Certainly not.

2 What kind of car did you drive? The big yellow bus. Oh, you mean the 3 times a month I was allowed to drive myself? A silver minivan. Awesome.
3 Did you pass your driver's license test on the first try? Yes, but I got a 3 month restriction for signaling too soon on a right turn. Our Driver's Ed teacher was a misogynist.
4 Were you a party animal? Not really. I've always been more of a small group person. I hate loud parties (especially dances.)
5 Were you considered a flirt? Pretty sure I wasn't.
6 Were you in a band, orchestra or choir? No, but I've always dreamed of having a good singing voice.
7 Were you a nerd? Obviously, and it's becoming more and more apparent the more questions I answer. (But my 17 year-old ego still imagines that I was cool.)
8 Were you on any varsity teams? Nope. I was a loser!
9 Did you get suspended or expelled? No. Again, can you say Mary Sue?
10 Can you still sing the fight song? Kind of, but the tune gets mixed up with the Cougar fight song. I still remember, "Hillcrest Knights! Show your might!"
11 Who were your favorite teachers? Mr. Kittle, Mrs. Bybee, Mr. Anderson.
12 Where did you sit during lunch? Hallways, or out to Albertson's for the "usual" (samples).
13 What's your school's full name? Hillcrest High School
14 What was your mascot and colors? Knight. Red Black and White.
15 Did you go to homecoming? I think so? I was anti-dance and anti-official-dates, so it's hard to remember, but I'm pretty sure I did at least once.
16 If you could go back and do it all again, would you? Yeah. There were lots of moron, lame stuff I did, that I would glam up the second time around.
17 What do you remember most about graduation? Meeting people I had never spoken to before and figuring out that they were kind of awesome and that I maybe should have branched out a little. And a weird 30 minutes at the end of the Senior all-nighter that I spent arm in arm with some dude whose name I can't remember and who I'm pretty sure I had never really spent any time with before and never saw again. I think we were just exhaustedly holding each other up during the prize drawing.
18 Where did you go on your Senior Skip Day? Which one?
19 Were you in any clubs? Health Occupations Students of America, but that was required with the Health Occ. Class. And I went to one Key Club meeting, got elected to some little office and never went back.
20 Have you gained some weight since then? Unfortunately. I just keep getting bigger and better.
21 Who was your prom date? I think our big dances were Homecoming and Commencement. Did we have Prom? I really do think I went to Senior Commencement, but I cannot think of who I went with. Ash, do you know?
22 Are you planning to go to your 10 year reunion? Been there, did that and it was actually pretty enjoyable. I can't believe how many people I recognized, but couldn't think of names. My parents told me that someday that would happen, and now I know how it is.
23 Did you have a job while in high school? Night Manager, Papa Kelsey's. Didn't love the job, but made some really good friends (and some friends who turned out to be felons. Go figure.)

I tag my high school friends (Ashley, Emily, Maria, Debby and anyone else who reads this.) And I think everyone else should do it too so you can show me how much cooler you were. It's okay. I can handle it. I'm the coolest now.

2008-09-18T10:27:00.002-06:00

I'm so Proud of this Child

Because I'm a nurse, I got a free ticket in the mail to "Bodyworlds III". It is an exhibition of real human bodies displayed and posed to show how incredible they are. Having been a TA in a cadaver lab and with my current occupation, you might guess that I am super excited about this and cannot wait to go.

There have been a lot of commercials on TV for this lately and the first time Sam saw it he got a look of horror on his face and said, "That scares me! It's yucky!". I had to give him credit for an instinctual response. Lately, though, when the commercial comes on he says, "Mom. I wanna go see that. I wanna go there." (Which is the same thing he says when the Disneyland commercial comes on.)
That's momma's boy.

2008-09-15T11:32:00.005-06:00

Tia Gloria

Daniel's Aunt Gloria came for a visit from Peru last week. We had a great time. I really love this lady, she is awesome. We were so sorry to see her go. We did lots of fun things.

We went to Peach Days in Brigham City.

We hiked up to Timapanogos Cave.

We did lots of shopping and eating yummy food. We wish that we could spend more time with Daniel's family in Peru. We love and miss them all.

2008-09-11T11:33:00.005-06:00

I'm Wondering What this Says about Me

This post is a really long personal commentary all about me. Things you probably didn't know and will probably wish you still didn't if you choose to read the whole thing.

I'm not extremely superstitious, but recent events have got me thinking.
I have a firm belief in fortune cookies. When Daniel asked me to marry him he did it through a message on a plate at a Chinese restaurant. The fortune cookies that came on the plate told me to "Say yes to an important decision" and "Any doubts you may have will be resolved by the end of the month". So yeah, pretty fortuitous right?
However, the last several fortunes I've received have been a little less than positive. Less fortune than dire warning. Along the lines of: Tonight is a good night to remain indoors; Beware of those you think you trust; etc. I'm not sure what to make of this.
For your enjoyment I've linked to a Collection of weird fortunes.

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm psychic. You see, I always know if I'm going to win something. I just get a gut feeling right before winners are announced in a contest or drawing and I know if I won.

Examples: 2nd Grade Essay Contest--I knew I'd won from the moment the school secretary walked into the classroom to tell my teacher.
Local Library Contest--You had to guess how many candies were in the jar. At the summer reading culmination party they announced the winners. I knew it was me, but then as the read the name: And the winner is Jenna Hobbs, tragedy struck. Another girl, named Jenny Hobbs, stood up and took my prize.
History Fair--Every year I just had that gut feeling just before they announced the winners for the place I'd won. 4th place the first year, 1st place another year. I just knew.

Well, after many years of similar experiences I decided to test my theory. I'm thinking that maybe I just always think I'm going to win and if I do I think "I knew it" and if I don't then I just ignore it. So, at a recent staff meeting they had a drawing for a stupid candy bar. I had that I'm going to win it feeling again. Well, they drew the name and it wasn't me. Okay, so I'm realizing that maybe I'm not psychic after all, but then...The guy who won it said he didn't want it, so they drew another name, MINE! I WON, I WON, I WON! AND I KNEW IT!
So, I'm pretty sure I'm psychic.

2008-08-22T00:22:00.003-06:00

Another Zoo Trip

Andrew is finally home from his bus driving job in Alaska and he came for a visit. Well, technically he came for a friend's wedding, but was gracious enough to spend some time with us. Sam loves his uncles and really loves to take them to the zoo (see here and here).

The day after this Sam asked to look at this picture of himself and Andrew about a million times.

We're always up for a trip to Hogle, so just give us a call and we'll meet you there.

2008-08-20T20:26:00.004-06:00

So Bugged!

We just got home from my new favorite treat place Hello Yogurt!
The idea is that you self-serve your frozen yogurt and toppings and then pay by the ounce. They provide sample cups so you can try all the yummy flavors.
Daniel and I watched a woman come in with two girls (I'm assuming daughters) and then were disgusted by her example. This Lexus driving, mani-pedi waving, designer duds wearing, $150 dollar haircut flaunting woman proceeded to overfill about 10 sample cups, sit herself down on the couch and eat them. I wish I could say I was shocked by her behavior, but really I was just super annoyed. Here all the rest of us sampled, decided, and payed and she...I'm out of words. Who does that!
And then on her way out she surveyed the toppings bar very carefully and then picked out a few pieces of candy and LEFT!
What?!

2008-08-20T13:57:00.004-06:00

I Wonder Where He's Heard This Before

We were watching the track events last night and Sam decided to lay down the law. He got close to the screen and said,
"No running please. Hey! Please stop running. Walk. Walk! WALK!"

It is a little creepy when you start hearing your kid repeat you.

2008-08-19T10:42:00.007-06:00

Outraged!
(Warning: PG-13 for Language)

We went to the big Cougar Kick-off here in Provo last week. It was basically a big pep rally and was a lot of fun. We hung out with Jeris and Suzanna and Andrew and, yes people, hang on to your hats, the famous quarterback Max Hall.

He signed Sam's book and that made Sam very excited.

We met Daniel's parents afterward. Sam ran up to his "Tata" and told her, "Tata, a Ass Hole drawed in my book!"
We've been working on the pronunciation and he can say Max Hall much better now.

2008-08-10T21:15:00.009-06:00

Happy 5th Anniversary!

This is what Daniel wanted, but did not get for our anniversary.

We did however have a very nice anniversary. We spent Friday night at a cabin with some of the people Daniel works with and their families. It was really fun.
Saturday we dropped the kid off with Daniel's mom and headed up to Salt Lake. We planned on dinner and a movie, but had a late dinner (9:30) and decided we were too tired. A little pathetic? I guess we're old. I was so tired I could hardly walk. A very drunk couple came into the restaurant halfway through our dinner and I was just as unsteady on my feet as they were. They were pretty entertaining. The man was actually reciting poetry and having mock sword fights. In a way it was better than a movie.
We stayed at the Little America Hotel and enjoyed their world famous Sunday brunch. It was amazingly good. Then we burned off some of the calories by hiking up to Ensign Peak. I'd never been up there and the view was awesome. We had a great weekend.

I feel so lucky to be celebrating 5 years of marriage to such a wonderful guy. I really couldn't ask for a better life.

2008-08-05T17:51:00.005-06:00

Commercialism Strikes

I was watching the evening news when a story about the newest Elmo toy came on. They were saying that it is expected to be the big toy this Christmas and that orders are already being accepted. I was thinking how glad I am that Sam is too little to get wrapped up in that kind of craziness when from behind me I hear: "Oh wow! Look! I wanna play with it toy. It's talking a Sammy."

And so it begins.

2008-07-29T16:41:00.001-06:00

Romi's Memory Game

1. As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

2008-07-29T16:29:00.004-06:00

"I Can't Understand the Words that are Coming Out of Your Mouth"

Sam had his 2 year check-up today. He looks just great according to the pediatrician, but then I already knew that. He is just great. We love this boy. He is just so fun to be around (most of the time.) We went to the zoo with some of my work friends yesterday and he had such a good time. He just giggled and got excited about every animal.

His language skills are getting better and better and that is also fun. I can actually have conversations with him that make sense. On the other hand his Spanish is not progressing as well as I had hoped. He says several words in Spanish and seems to understand Daniel and his family when they speak to him in Spanish, but take this for example: My mom bought him some DVDs in Spanish. I put Franklin the Turtle on for him and he seemed to enjoy it. A few days later he said, "Mom, I want to watch the turtles that say "Blabla-Blabla". Perfect! He knows they're trying to say something, but it's just not intelligible.

Vital Statistics: 27.8 lbs 47.9%
35.5 inches 79.7%

2008-07-26T00:50:00.005-06:00

I'm Just Wondering...

I was just at Lowe's and I observed that there are an inordinate number of handicapped parking stalls.

Really?

There are that many people with physical infirmities shopping at a do-it-yourself home improvement warehouse. Huh.

2008-07-25T23:12:00.011-06:00

Just Bein' Cute

We're having a pretty good summer and Sam is keeping us entertained just by being himself. I asked him today if he wanted "a little bite of brownie." He said, "No", which shocked me because he loves brownies. I said, "Really?" and he answered "No. I wanna big one."
What a relief. I was afraid he really didn't want a brownie. Crazy!

We went swimming a few weeks ago with Aunt Lucy.
Sam preferred the jacuzzi, which he named "the baby pool", to the big pool. I don't blame him. There were a lot of big kids in the pool and they were playing a little too rough with footballs and splashing a lot. The big pool was also a little cold for my preference.

(Don't worry! The jets weren't on and the temperature in the jacuzzi was not very high. Also, there was no posted age rule and he survived, so there.)

Not that Sammy spent a whole lot of time in the water.
He would get into the "baby pool", sit for a moment on the step, and then a very important thought would strike and he just had to share it with Lucy.

So out he went......Told Lucy what was on his mind......And resolutely returned... ...to continue his musings for a few seconds more......until the next very important and brilliant thought would strike.(Repeat ad nauseaum)

We're loving the pools this summer. This was at Daniel's company's summer party. We had good food and got to see (and hear) a lot of bad karaoke. (I know, is there any other kind? And these people weren't even intoxicated.)
Sorry ladies, he's taken.

My sister-in-law Melissa and I love ourselves a good carnival and so when we heard about Draper Days we knew we had to check it out.
When Sam saw the animal train he knew he had to check it out.
and the pony ride
The concert (Beatlemania) was great. Even Sam loved it. The fireworks were fun, but there was no funnel cake. Seriously people. Daniel said that was the only reason he came. We were all pretty sad about it.

Sammy has discovered the wonders of bubble bath.

We've had lots of fun times with Dad.
And Sam even came home from a boys night out with Uncle Jeris with a new tattoo. Sweet!
Yeah, this would be one of the two uncles who drew anchor tattoos on him when he was 2 months old. I need to keep a better eye on these guys.

2008-07-20T22:16:00.006-06:00

Samuel's Birthday

(and Independence Day)

Sam had an early birthday party with Daniel's family the week before the 4th because we were going to be in Idaho for the real thing.
Sam loves birthdays and especially likes to have "Happy Birthday" sung to him (it's his new favorite bedtime song) and then he always blows out the candles.
He's pretty obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine right now. He knows all the character's names and is crazy for anything Thomas.

Over the Fourth of July we had a Hobbs Family Reunion. It was fun to see all the family and spend some time visiting.
If you are wondering why Sammy looks nude in this picture it is because he had just jumped into the wading pool. He is diapered.
So we sang Happy Birthday again and he blew out the candle on his Thomas cake.

He got lots of nice gifts. Daniel and I got him a golf set and he LOVES it!

He has an excellent swing.
(Look how skinny he is! It's the Chokit Mook diet.)
The next day we went to Jackson Hole and had a good time. We saw the "shootout". (I have to say I liked it better when it was only 5 minutes and had no musical numbers. Now it has been sponsored by a local theater and it is just not the same.)I always wish I had taken more pictures. If anyone has more pictures of the family reunion please email them to me. I can't believe how few pictures I have of the whole weekend.

2008-07-12T23:51:00.006-06:00

In Honor of Those Who do this EVERY DAY all summer long: We Cub Scout Salute You

So we spent the day at Webelo's camp. My first thought is that whatever they pay the poor teens who work as staff at this camp is far too little. This is very likely the world's worst job.

Furthermore, my mom used to say that 10 was the golden age for boys. I do not believe her.

In addition, I have decided I am not a scouting kind of person. I may not even be an outdoor kind of person.

Here is the dialogue that took place countless times today.
Webelo: Can I do this?
Me: No. We need to be doing such and such right now.
Webelo: But I'm just gonna do it really fast, okay?
Me: No, and besides that is kind of dangerous.
Webelo: I'm just gonna do it for a second though.
Me: NO.
Webelo: Come on, please?
Me: I'm saying no, and it is time for this activity right now, so let's do that instead.
Webelo: Okay.
five seconds later
Me: What are you doing? I told you not to do that.

I had told the boys that at the end of the day Daniel and I would treat them to ice cream bars. Hence this conversation.
Webelo: How much do ice cream bars cost?
Me: I don't know. Don't worry about it. It's our treat.
Webelo: But how much do you think they cost?
Me: I'm really not sure. Probably about $1.50.
Webelo: Oh, well the pocket knives are only $2.50.
Me: Huh, well, we're getting ice cream.
Webelo: I'll just take the money and put it toward the pocket knife.
Me: That's really not an option.
Webelo: Why not?
Me: For two reasons. First I am not going to let you buy a pocket knife without your parent's permission. And second, when someone offers you something it really isn't polite to request the cash value instead.
Webelo: Well that's stupid.

I couldn't believe it! That little stinker was mad at me for the next two activities. He did finally get over it though. I, on the other hand, am still a little mad.

On the positive:
I returned home with a greater appreciation for my little terrible two-year-old.
(And a greater dread for his cub scouting years. I will kill him if he ever asks someone for cash in lieu of a gift.)
We won first place for distance in the catapult competition. Daniel is especially proud of this. The boys "built" the catapult last week and Daniel spent a few hours this morning tweaking it. It throws a tennis ball a good 75 feet.
There is a rumor that we're going to be released so that I can be called as a nursery leader. Yes, even that would be a welcome change as there is a definite lack of goodwill around here.

Law of the Pack
The Cub Scout follows Akela.
The Cub Scout helps the Pack go.
The Pack helps the Cub Scout grow.
The Cub Scout gives goodwill.

2008-06-20T12:31:00.006-06:00

Deja Vu

Motherhood is doing everything at least twice daily.

Child's daily bath...at least twice.
Fixing dinner...at least twice.
Fixing chocolate milk...at least twice.
Shoes on and off...at least twice.
Repeating yourself...at least twice.
Repeating mistakes...at least twice.
Responding "What?" to "Mom!"...at least twice in less than 30 seconds.
Fixing owies...at least twice.
Thinking "I told you so"...at least twice.
Watching/reading the current favorite TV program/movie/book...at least twice.
Singing the same song...at least twice.
Returning your child to his own bed...at least twice.
Getting up during the night...at least twice.
Wiping noses...at least twice.
Wiping bums...at least twice
Saying "Sit down"...at least twice.

And no matter how many times in day I think to myself, "I have so done this 100 times already today" I am always willing to do it again tomorrow. And that's what motherhood is.

2008-06-18T14:26:00.004-06:00

Have You Ever

Once again this is stolen from a friend's blog. I've done everything in BOLD.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (If my own disastrous version of The Baby-sitter's Club counts)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie (Really just a scene for a BYU film class, but I'm counting it.)
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth (Do humans count?)
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing (It was only about 45 minutes from Boise to Seattle)
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someones mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten cooked whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Played the game "Have You Ever"

What have you done?

2008-06-12T16:43:00.005-06:00

Zion Park

This last week we took a trip to St. George with my parents and Lindsey. Daniel, Sam and I took a bike ride up Zion Canyon. It was hard on the way up, but the way down was fast and easy. We had a great time. Poor Sam was sleep deprived for the whole week and fell asleep in the bike seat on the way down. Daniel has video of that. I'll post it later.

We rode up to "Emerald Pools" and took a short little hike just to the lower pool. Sam liked going up and down the hills. We saw several lizards and once we saw a lizard and a snake in a stalemate. Neither was moving, maybe because there was a group of about 20 hikers gathered around taking pictures of the standoff.

On the way down we found some wild turkeys. I have never seen them before and I was impressed at their size. Sam made turkey noises at them and fell asleep about two seconds later.

It was a beautiful day.

St. George

We had breakfast every morning at the Bear Paw Coffee Company. It was so yummy! I really wanted to try the Fudge Brownie Waffle with Vanilla Bean ice cream, but I restrained myself. Not that the Creme Brule French Toast, the Vanilla Strawberry Waffle, or the Blueberry Pancakes with Home Fries were healthier choices.

St. George has a fun little plaza downtown with a fountain and a little wading stream. Sam loved playing in the water.
He loves Aunt Lindsey. She played with him a lot and took him down a big scary slide at the playground at the hotel. Funnily enough these two have a little rivalry going on. They are best buds and then they fight over the same things. Sam would pretty much share with everyone but Lindsey. He knows she's the competition I guess.

This is a cute swim towel hand-me-down my mom made for Lindsey. I can't decide if he looks more like a boxer or a samurai. The only reason Lindsey is sharing this with Sam is because it is a little too small for her now.
The pool at the hotel was great. They had a kids pool that was only 2 feet all around and Sam had a great time in that. We've been going to swimming lessons and Sam loves to blow bubbles and "swim" with a noodle. He will even go all the way under the water.

Bryce Canyon

On our way home we went through Bryce Canyon. It was awesome. Sam was fearless and we had a death grip on him at all times. It is an amazingly long way down.

Here is our poor exhausted baby desperately in need of a nap. We really wore him out.

I wish I had remembered our camera for all the other fun things we did. We hiked up to see some petroglyphs and had a barbeque with Jeris and Suzanna at her parent's condo's pool. We went to Tuachan and saw the Sound of Music (Really good. It's one of my favorites) and Les Miserables with my grandparents. It was a fun and relaxing vacation. I think I'd like to make it a yearly event.

2008-05-12T16:26:00.003-06:00

It's Been Decided

People are always asking which one of us Sam looks like. We don't think he looks a whole lot like either one of us. The computer program couldn't make up its mind either. Maybe he's just a really good blend.

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Blank family tree - Free genealogy

2008-05-10T17:32:00.005-06:00

Travel Bug

I am in the mood to travel. I want to go somewhere new, interesting and far far away...or even close by. I don't care I just wanna go. There is a lot of the world and this country that I have never seen. Now all I need is a lot of money and a nanny ('cause really, who wants to travel with a toddler) and did I mention the money?

create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

2008-05-09T10:59:00.007-06:00

Random Things

Sam and I thought this was really funny. We watched it about a million times. Sam says, "Wanna sing. Watch "hey Dude". Click on the link.
Check this out

Sam got his first skinned knee on Monday. He showed it to me and said, "Mom, my knee is broken." He's very proud of his "owie" and of course he shows it to everyone.

I was so tired the other morning when Sam came in to wake me up. I told him I was so tired that I didn't think I could get up. He stroked my hair and said, "Come on Mommy, get up. Come on." I rolled out of bed and he said, "Yea Mommy! Bravo!" I had to appreciate the enthusiasm and encouragement.

Sam got pretty disappointed yesterday because I wouldn't help him get inside his Little People toy barn. He kept asking me to help him "get inside". It was hard for him to understand that he was just too big.

His new favorite drink is "Chokit Mielk" (Chocolate Milk)

Sam is terrified of Cosmo (BYU's mascot cougar). It's kind of a love hate relationship. He is always excited to look for Cosmo at games. He waves and calls his name, but if Cosmo gets close Sam scrambles for higher ground. He doesn't think I offer much protection so he goes for Uncle Jeris (who is tall) or Daddy (who is strong), but Mom probably wouldn't have a chance against Cosmo. We were having dinner with Mike and Dottie after a basketball game when Cosmo came walking into Brick Oven. Sam freaked out. Now he thinks Cosmo can show up anywhere. He looks for him at home, especially when it gets dark. He peers around corners and asks, "Momo? Momo?"

And just a parting thought. I'm hoping for a better Mother's Day gift from Sam this year. Last year I got two big bruised bite marks on my arm. Happy Mother's day.

2008-05-07T16:24:00.002-06:00

Sam's Girlfriend

We take weekly excursions to The Bean Museum (more on that later) and Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point. This trip we took with our friends Jackie and Elise.

Elise is braver than Sam and held his hand passing the scary goats.

Stealing kisses.

We had such a fun time.

2008-05-05T07:33:00.003-06:00

Workin' Out

Daniel and I have started doing a little bit of exercising in an effort to be healthier. Sam has picked up on it. Here he is demonstrating his moves with Uncle Pablo.

He counts out push-ups. He only consistently counts to three, so we do a lot of sets of three.

He likes to finish his workouts the same way I do, with a big treat. This was Daniel's mom's birthday. (Happy birthday Lucy!)

2008-04-30T00:18:00.004-06:00

Hogle Zoo

Jeris and Suzanna had Monday off, so we took a trip up to Hogle Zoo. Some of you may know that Sam is a little bit of a scardy-cat, but he LOVED the zoo. Every animal was exciting and interesting. His favorites included the meerkat (see video), a crazy black squirrel, the tortoises, and the great apes.

I need some better pictures of Jeris and Suzanna.

Sam played this game with the Meerkat for about 5 minutes.

2008-04-30T00:04:00.003-06:00

Tulip Festival 2008

We went to Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point this year, but sadly due to our freezing cold spring there weren't too many tulips. However, we did have a wonderful time just being outdoors and we got to spend the afternoon with some of our favorite people: Aunt Dottie and Sarah.

These were the best of the blooms and they were very pretty.

See last year

2008-04-07T10:14:00.003-06:00

Credit where it's due: I stole this outline from my cousin Challis's blog

Two years ago this month(2006): I was impatiently waiting for our little Sam to be born. I was already enormous and had three long more months to go. Pictures sent to Andrew when he was in Brazil at this time had him asking, "What are you guys feeding Jenna?" Nice.
Oh, and Daniel was "graduating" from BYU. (As an aside, that English class that he still lacks to be an official graduate will be completed this week! Hurray! And only two years later. That's some sort of graduation record in this household.)

Five years ago this month (2003): Daniel and I got engaged! The day after finals at BYU we went up to Idaho and I got my wisdom teeth out. The next day we decided to take a drive to Yellowstone. I was drugged (Lortab) and we were the only people there and I kept having Night of the Grizzlies flashbacks. I was sure some beast was just waiting up ahead on every boardwalk. When a jackrabbit jumped out of the bushes, I jumped out of my skin. Other than that it was beautiful and fun. Then I sent him off to Virginia for the rest of the summer and that pretty much sucked.

Ten years ago this month (1998): I can't believe this was 10 years ago. I was getting ready to graduate from Hillcrest High School. Ashley and I had picked out an apartment in Rexburg, which committed me to Rick's College. Yeah, I know. Most people pick a school first right? Good times ahead.

Fifteen years ago this month (1993): I can't even remember what grade I was in. I'm thinking 8th. (We all know math is not my strong point.) That would mean that I was probably just getting the cast off my leg. I broke that sledding at a Young Women's activity, prompting a ban on sledding at church gatherings. Actually, now that I think about it, that was 7th grade. Middle school was a wild rough place. Generally I thought I was pretty cool. We all know I wasn't. Let's all forget it.

Twenty years ago (1988): 3rd Grade? I have no clue.
Probably reading Little House on the Prairie for the hundred millionth time. I think this was the year my friend Tara introduced me to Watcher in the Woods. Scary stuff.
I remember my math teacher Mrs. Williams and something about fences. This could have been an effort to teach me about decimals. Hopeless, scary stuff.

Twenty-five years ago today (1983): My world changed. My little brother Jeris was born. Although I distinctly remember plotting his demise, I eventually have warmed up to him.
He is one of the nicest, most generous, easygoing, fun to be around people in the world. He is sweet to Sam and adored in return. He has a beautiful and kind wife, whom we all love. He is one of my best friends.

Happy birthday Jeris! We love you!

2008-04-05T22:51:00.004-06:00

Sam's new favorite pastime is"hoops". We had to get him a real hoop because we were tired of having to stand there, arms in "hoop" position, and let him aim basketballs at our faces. He can do this for hours. Daniel went out and bought this one night while I was at work. When I got home at 3AM, Sam came running into the living room to greet me and said, "Bastball, hoops!" and proceeded to show me his basketball moves, completely unaware the children should be asleep at this time of night.

2008-01-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

Big Boy Moments

Sam is turning into a big boy. He's growing up so fast. I've decided to document some of the new steps we've taken in the last few weeks.

Toddler Bed

Sam was doing fairly well at the whole sleep thing until we spent a week in Idaho over Thanksgiving. When we got home he started rebelling against the crib. He is pretty spoiled and wants to sleep in our bed. First we tried to let him cry it out, but he had a cough and would cry until he puked. Cleaning up throw-up all night long was less restful than letting him sleep in my bed. The final straw came when he began launching himself out of his crib and onto the floor. I decided that the safest move would be to set up the toddler bed, which he loves...just not at night. We're still doing the night time battle. It's not hard to get him to sleep initially, it's just that when he wakes up for the fourth time in one night and it's 4:00 AM, my resolve is weak.

Naughty Stool

We've been working on not hitting. He gets one warning and then has to sit on the naughty stool for 1 1/2 minutes. This worked brilliantly for a few days. He even went several days without hitting at all. The downside is that now he LOVES the naughty stool. He thinks it's FABULOUS, FUN, HILARIOUS! He pretends to, threatens to, and sometimes actually hits someone and then laughs and runs to the naughty stool for self inflicted time outs. Yet another parenting failure.

Self-serve Breakfast

One very groggy morning after a night shift I was dozing in bed with Playhouse Disney babysitting. (I tell myself that I am able to supervise while half awake and that Sam has learned a lot of very useful things from Mickey, Little Einsteins and the Wiggles.) I began hearing a strange plastic scraping noise. I peered over the edge of the bed and found Sam quietly sitting on the floor with an empty cup and a spoon, very diligently eating nothing. "Oh Sammy, are you hungry?" I asked. "Yeah" he said. Poor pathetic child. Poor pathetic mommy. But at least he is learning to be resourceful.

I guess he is officially a Big Boy now.

2007-12-25T18:07:00.001-07:00

Christmas in a Nutcracker Shell

This is life when you are an only child. Lots of attention from Mom and playing "Ring around the Rosie" with your stuffed animals.

Sam has been obsessed with horses for the past little while. He rides anything he can. This includes the arms of the couch, mom and dad, and even dishrags with pictures of horses on them. I knew Santa would have no trouble deciding what Sam needed for Christmas.

Dad gave Sam a Christmas Eve haircut and then we headed over to Israel and Melissa's for Peruvian Christmas. Dinner started at 10:00 PM and presents at midnight. After that we had hot chocolate and Pannetone (Christmas Bread) and made it home by 2:00 AM.

Sam caught on to opening presents pretty quickly. It took him a few tries to remember that there was actually a gift inside the box. Pablo gave him a new pair of shoes. I picked them up and put them away with his other gifts so they wouldn't get lost in all the shuffle. In the midst of playing with the farm toy that his Abuelitos gave him he stopped and looked around. "Shoes?" he asked. Right then and there he removed his "Old" shoes and wanted the cool new Converse sneakers on his feet. Then he had to show them off to everyone.

Christmas Morning

This expression is shock and excitement and wonder. Sam walked into the living room and stopped in his tracks and just stared at the horse. Then he went right to it and petted it and loved it. His expression never changed. He can ride it like crazy. He spent most of the day on it and takes it very seriously.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

We finally broke down and put up the Christmas tree. I don't know why we are feeling so scroodgey this year, but we just are not in the Christmas decorating mood around here. Sam on the other hand loves lights and Santa (HoHoHo) and always gets very excited to see everyone else's trees and decorations. In fact he woke up in the middle of the night and asked to go see the Christmas tree. He thinks it is so pretty. He knows he isn't supposed to touch it and is very careful not to. He does get as close as he can and then he blows on it. I think he thinks the lights are candles. (We've celebrated a lot of birthdays lately and he has the blowing out the candles thing figured out.)

We went to Sam's friend Gabe's birthday yesterday and brought home dinosaur stickers. Sam has been enjoying them.

2007-12-06T00:32:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving in Idaho

We spent Thanksgiving in Idaho and then Sam and I spent another week just hanging out while Daniel flew out to Virginia to help his mom move to Utah. Sam loved spending time with Nana and Papa and Lindsey and Andrew.

Sam especially liked playing with Gus. He fed Gus treats and shared his cup with him (Gross, I know). He loved to pet him and tell him to sit. Gus pretty much did his best to ignore Sam, but Sam had the best time.

2007-11-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sam and "Ballball"

We went to the BYU vs. TCU game on Thursday night and Sammy had the best time. He loves "ballball". The weather was perfect. No wind and the temperature was very mild. We didn't put our coats on until the second half. Sam really likes to yell "First Down!" and raise his arms for a touchdown. He also likes the cougar fight song and does the actions at the end.

2007-11-01T12:56:00.001-06:00

Halloween Tricks and Treats

Sam was a little frog for Halloween. One day we were at the store and he saw this frog costume. He pointed to it and said, "Oh wow! Wook! Wow!" I figured that if he used 75% percent of his vocabulary to express his interest it must be The Costume.

This is Sam and his friend Lincoln at Pumpkin Land. These pumpkins were ginormous, but they were also starting to rot. I'm thinking Pumpkin Land hit its peak around Oct 20th. But we still had a great time.

We wandered around the corn maze with our friends Caroline and Lincoln.

Sam loved running through the paths and scaring birds out of the corn.

I tried all day long to get a good picture of Sam, smiling in his costume. It never happened. He was happy, but so interested in his costume, his shoes, the leaves, the candy, and whatever else was going on that I could never get him to look at the camera.

The church had a Halloween carnival on the 30th and we all had a good time. Sam likes to carry around his Pumpkin (Bapum) and especially likes candy.

The Young Women had a fish pond and Sam won a monster finger puppet. He was super excited. He ran around the gym saying, "RAaar!" and showing everyone his new toy.

...And now for the tricks
While we were eating dinner on Halloween night we heard a strange noise and then the whole house shook. We opened the front door and the whole neighborhood was out on porches wondering what in the world had happened. Once again disaster has struck our little house. We have these monster elm trees that we want to have trimmed, but it is so expensive! We're talking several thousand dollars. So every time we have a storm we hold our breath, afraid that some enormous branch is going to come crashing through the roof. Well last night there wasn't even a breath of wind, but a huge limb from one of the trees fell down into the tree below it, sending other branches into the power lines across the street. I was so scared. I was relieved that no one was hurt especially considering that it was Halloween and there were a lot of people on the street and in our yard just moments before this happened. The power grounded through the tree and into the ground and shook the whole neighborhood. The fire department and the city power trucks all showed up and closed the street.

Sam thought the whole thing was great. The lights, the trucks, the firemen. I was mortified and worried. It has all turned out okay though. We had called the city last year to ask them to cut the branches that hung out over the street. They said they wouldn't do it because they didn't touch the power lines and it wasn't a hazard. So then last night they worked until almost midnight cutting branches.

This morning they came with the chipper and took away most of the debris. They were really great. Very professional and safe last night. I assumed they would only do what was essential and then leave the rest for us, but they went out of their way to cut extra branches and they did a great job.

The good news is that everything is okay and I think that now it might not be as expensive to have the rest of the branches cut. In other good news Daniel got a promotion and a raise yesterday, so does anyone know any good tree cutters in the area?

2007-10-23T14:03:00.001-06:00

It seems like we have been so busy lately, but I have no idea what we have been doing. I'm working about 16 hours a week. Usually I work in the evenings from 7 PM to 3 AM. It works out really well because Daniel is able to be with Sam and I do get a little bit of sleep. Sam has gotten to be really good at going to bed and sleeps through the night, usually. One night I got home at about 4 AM I found this:

It looked really funny before Sam moved his arm because they were sleeping in the exact same position. Sam must have not been sleeping well that night. I was so tired that I just scooted him over and crawled in next to him. Awfully cozy.

Saturday we took Sam to the BYU game. The weather was threatening so we decided to come late and leave early if necessary. We watched the 1st quarter from home and arrived at the game toward the end of the 2nd. Sam was a little overwhelmed. We thought he would love it because when "ballball" comes on TV he loves to watch and cheer. We watched the half time show and by the time the 3rd quarter started Sam was really into it. He was yelling and cheering. He had everyone around us entertained.

Then the snow began and we decided to leave while we were still having a good time. We watched the very end of the game from home. It was snowing like crazy. The entire field was white. We had a great time. We'll have to go again when it isn't so wet.

2007-09-08T19:51:00.001-06:00

Game Day Before...

...(Doesn't he look so big in his jersey!)...

...and After

He's either very disappointed by BYU's loss to UCLA or bearing his testimony. He likes to wear Daniel's missionary name tag.

2007-09-07T13:43:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Daniel!

It was Daniel's birthday on Wednesday. We went to PF Changs to celebrate with Daniel's brothers (Israel and Pablo), Israel's wife Melissa, and Jeris and Suzanna.

Blowing out the candle.

Sam loves to show off his belly button. Can you blame him? It's awfully cute.

The Gonzalez boys.

Jeris and Suz

Israel and Melissa

2007-09-07T13:22:00.001-06:00

Sammy believes in cleanliness.

He loves to sweep and mop the floors.

I submit this as evidence that he has seen this done.

He loves to throw things away (i.e. Daniel's shoes), and then un-throw things away. I am constantly finding garbage strewn about and things that don't belong in the garbage thrown away. One afternoon he dragged the kitchen garbage bag out of the can and down the hallway to the back door. He wanted to take it out to the big garbage can.

Then after a hard days work he climbed into the bathtub and scrubbed himself. Now that's a kid committed to clean.

2007-09-05T08:57:00.001-06:00

Last of the Peru Pics

These are the last of our pictures from Peru. We have a lot more pictures from the first half of the trip. We got way behind on picture taking. This is at the Temple of the Sun at some ruins just outside of Lima. There were several cultures that built this city of worship over many many years. The Incas were the last group here. This is Daniel, Sam, Jenna, Carlos and Judy.

This is inside the Temple of the Mamacuna. It is a temple dedicated to women. Young virgins were selected from the people (mostly from nobility) and taken to this temple to be raised by priestesses to either be wives for nobility or sacrifices to the sun god. It was really interesting.

The architecture is really amazing. There was a lot of symbolism in the building.

I saw this dog at the ruins and I thought at first it was diseased, but it turns out that it is just a super ugly breed of hairless Peruvian dog. All the dogs I saw in Peru that weren't strays were dressed up.

These are friends of Daniel's from high school.

2007-08-17T07:32:00.001-06:00

We have news from Peru. All of Daniel's family in Lima are just fine. Daniel's grandfather in Ica is fine. Some cousins we had visited in Ica lost their house, but are not hurt. Many of their neighbors were killed. Thanks to everyone who has called us in concern. We are waiting to find out if there is anything we can do through LDS humanitarian services. What a scary thing!

Link to News Article

2007-08-16T10:11:00.000-06:00

Last night there was a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in Peru. Its epicenter was in Ica. Here is a link to an article about it. They estimate that over 300 people were killed. Buildings were destroyed in many cities including Lima and Ica. A church I remembered seeing in Ica was damaged and is in one of the photos from the article. The Panamerican Highway we took from Lima to Ica was heavily damaged. Phone lines are down so we haven't heard anything yet from Daniel's relatives. I'm hoping everyone is doing okay. Please keep them in your prayers. I'll post an update when I find anything out.

2007-08-13T23:13:00.000-06:00

Last Day in Ica

We met Daniel's grandfather on our last day in Ica, the town where Daniel's mom grew up. We have always talked about how suprised we were that Sam has such light colored eyes. Even though there are a lot of light eyes in both Daniel's and my families, we just assumed any of our kids would have dark eyes. Abuelito Julio looked at Sam and immediately said "He has my father's eyes". So there you have it, Sam's eyes and his middle name come from his great-great grandfather Nieri.

Meeting Abuelito Julio was a very happy and emotional moment. Even when they lived in Peru Daniel didn't get to see him very often. Sam loved him and warmed up to him right away.

We met at an oasis call Huacachina. It was a really pretty lagoon in the middle of sand dunes. There is a legend about a mermaid who lives in the water. We didn't see her, but we did see a statue and read a poem about it all, so that is pretty much proof that she exists.

2007-08-05T11:52:00.001-06:00

Tuesday June 26: Ica and Nazca

We traveled to Ica very comfortably. I wish the plane ride from Atlanta to Lima was as deluxe as this bus. It was about 4 hours to Ica and two more to Nazca.

I only post this picture in the spirit of honest journalism. We were so tired! We had gone to bed late as usual and had to be on the bus at 7:00 AM. Sam stayed in his sleepers and the rest of us looked like we should have. But check out how comfortable this bus was. Tons of leg room, huge cushioned seats. I even got to nap. It was wonderful.

This is Hotel Austria. We stayed here in Ica. We dropped off our bags and went to Nazca for the rest of the day. It was $30 a night and actually quite comfortable. I love the prices in Peru. The owners remembered Daniel's family from when they used to visit when they were younger. Ica was so warm and sunny. We were able to thaw out from the coldest winter Lima has seen in 30 years. (Of course the lows were only about 40 degrees, but with the humidity it was cold to your bones.)

Sam is wearing his Nazca shirt that his Abuelita Lucy bought him. He stayed safely on the ground with his Abuelitos while the rest of us adventurers took a little plane ride over the lines.

Here we are, pre-flight at the Nazca Airport. The Nazca lines are thousands of years old. They were rediscovered in the 1930's when airplanes first started to cross the desert here. They were created by pushing the top black layer of sand to the sides revealing the lighter colored sand underneath. It never rains and so the lines are never disturbed. When the wind blows at night the lines seem to clean themselves. It is really fascinating. I had seen several documentaries on the History Channel about them, so I was super excited to see them in person.

Double click on the pictures to enlarge them. This is "The Hummingbird".

These figures are called "The Tree" and "The Hands"

This is "The Trapezoid". This is the line that prompts some people to suggest that these lines were created by aliens and that this is a runway. There are lots of figures in the shape of animals, plants, and humans, but there are also hundreds of incredibly straight lines that seem to go from horizon to horizon.

This is called "The Astronaut" Daniel and I think that it was created later by copycats. It is really different from the other lines and it is on the side of the mountain and visible from the ground unlike the other lines. That is our amateur opinion.

Here we are after the flight, a little airsick, but also STARVING! We hadn't eaten all day because we had to rush to make it to Nazca and take one of the last flights of the day. We had a great pilot and a fabulous time.

2007-08-05T11:32:00.000-06:00

Monday June 25: Bembos and Visiting Friends

This is Daniel's favorite hamburger place. It was pretty good. The burger I had was called the Peruano. It had sweet potatoes, onions soaked in lime juice, and chopped yellow pepper (ahi amarrillo). But the drinks were not intended for Americans. You got one tiny drink with your combo meal. It did nothing to satisfy my Coke addiction.

Lucy had this burger. It had plantains and I think pineapple.

This is the Aleman family. We visited them Monday night.

Sam loved it when we visited families with little kids.

2007-08-05T11:11:00.001-06:00

Church in Chorrillos and more Eating

Chorrillos is the district in Lima where Daniel grew up. One of the houses they lived in was just down the street from this chapel.

This is the Stake President's family. They invited us over for dinner after church. The food as usual was fabulous. Sam even took a nap here and Sister Aguilar made a bowl of homemade chicken soup just for him.

That night we visited some of Daniel's Dad's cousins. They were so nice. Sam is eating a miniature banana called a manzanita. It tastes just like an apple which is what manzanita means. Sam loved them.

More eating by Sam. People told us all the time that they have never seen a baby eat as much as he does. It's an inherited talent.

Sam found this truck in a bedroom and they gave it to him. I just can't believe how generous everyone was to us. We met a lot of very good people.

2007-08-04T22:30:00.001-06:00

Family Dinner, Miraflores and a Gastronomic Tour

We've been so busy trying to get our house ready to sell that I haven't posted anymore pictures of our trip to Peru. On Saturday we had a big dinner with all of Daniel's mom's family. It was so yummy.

Earlier that morning we visited some of Daniel's dad's family and the house Daniel's parents lived in when they were first married. There were some neighbors who fed Sam saltine crackers. I think he ate about 15 all by himself. What a little piggy!

Before the dinner we took a walk to Miraflores (another district in Lima). We stopped at an ice cream shop and it was "buenissimo". Really my favorite things in Peru were food. I guess I know where Sam got his instincts for gluttony.

Speaking of food, this is Manolo's. They have the best churros and some really huge sandwiches.

The girls from Daniel's Mom's family posing with all the wonderful food they prepared for the family dinner. It was delicious.

Picarones (basically scones with molasses) from a street vendor in Parque Kennedy. We visited this park several times for food, shopping and entertainment and did I mention the food?

2007-07-16T17:10:00.001-06:00

Colegio Dalton

The morning before we went to El Bosque we took a tour of Daniel's old school. His mom and aunts actually attended this same school.

Daniel's sister Lucy, Tia Gloria, the Headmistress, and Daniel's mom Lucy

Students in PE class

This little boy in class made me imagine Daniel attending here when he was younger. We made quite the disruption. They had a professional photographer there to document our visit and gave us a full tour of the school. All the students were so distracted. I felt bad for the teachers, but many of them remembered Daniel and his family and came out to greet us. Sam was a big hit.

This is one of Daniel's former teachers.

Here is Daniel's mom at a fruit cart. The avocados and cherimoyas were so delicious.

2007-07-16T16:48:00.000-06:00

First Day in Lima

I finally got together with Israel and Melissa and got a copy of their pictures so I can fill in the gaps on the days I forgot to bring our camera. These are pictures from our first day in Lima when we went to "The Bridge of Sighs" and the ocean lookout in Barranco, the district where Tia Gloria lives.

Barranco is a very artsy part of Lima. The buildings are older (much of the architecture in Lima is really modern) and it is a center for folk music and art. It has a reputation for being very romantic. While we were in this little plaza a group of street musicians played an old song and everyone started to dance and sing. It was kind of cool.

This old church is famous, there are pictures of it on Google Earth, there are always a lot of Gallinosos (big, vulturey, chicken hawk birds) perched all around it. I cannot remember the name.

Here we all are at the lookout. It is strange that Lima is so close to the ocean. I would forget how close we were, and then all of a sudden there it was.

One of my favorite parts of the trip: eating. This is "lunche". It is an evening snack of some type of bread and something hot to drink. I have to appreciate a culture that schedules about 6 meals a day. Yummy!

2007-07-10T22:40:00.003-06:00

Mirabus Tour of Central Lima

We left El Bosque at about noon and had lunch at Pardo's Chicken and then we took a double decker bus tour of downtown Lima. It was beautiful.

I loved the colonial balconies built by the Spanish colonists. They were very jealous about their wives, so they built elaborate balconies that the women could see out of, but nobody could see into. Many are in disrepair, but there has recently been a movement to restore downtown Lima. A lot of the balconies have been adopted and restored by individuals and companies.

I think this was either the congress building or the library. (My Spanish is sometimes not so good.)

We had the best seats on the bus.

2007-07-10T13:50:00.000-06:00

For a change a pace I thought I would answer the meme Cassie sent me forever ago.

Four Things About a lot of Things

4 Jobs I Have Held

1. Registered Nurse at Utah Valley Emergency Room. Oh the stories I could tell you. People are weird, really weird.
2. Loan Shark. Well, not really, but I was the assistant office manager at Quik Check. Giving high interest loans to those who can least afford them.
3. Intern at the Naval Reactor Facility. Early mornings, long days, creepy guys; ahh memories. But it was good money and sometimes kind of interesting.
4. Night Manager at Papa Kelsey's Pizza. Actually more fun than I had expected. I worked with fun people and got to come home every night smelling like grease. (Okay, the last part not so good.)

4 Movies I Can Watch Over and Over

1. Gone With the Wind. "After all, tomorrow is another day." I love that show and still fantasize about wearing a hoop skirt.
2. Return to Me. Love the music, love the old guys, good memories, good show.
3. The Gilmore Girls series. I own them all thanks to my wonderful husband who always gives the best gifts.
4. The Godfather I and II. Violent, I know, but there is something fascinating about the mob isn't there.

4 Places I Have Lived

1. Our Little House on Twelfth North. It's been an adventure. Amen
2. Our Little House in George Washington's backyard. Alexandria, Virginia for the summer. We stayed in the basement of a beautiful house less than a mile from Mount Vernon. It was pretty cool.
3. Our Little (little) House. Our Provo apartment when we were first married was tiny, but we lived right next door to some good friends and it was just perfect.
4. My Little House on Leona Circle. Where I lived most of my life. I love Idaho Falls. It's a good place.

4 Categories of TV Programming I Enjoy

1. Cop shows: I know! I love Law & Order, but my dirtier secret is that I even like COPS and all those shows where the cops chase people and I like those shows on court TV with the deep voiced announcer who tells you all about Suzy Homemaker and her secret life that ended in Murder! I just can't help but get sucked in.
2. LOST: Not really a category, but in reality, a category within itself. Confused? Yeah that's right.
I am a Lostie. I love it. Daniel and I watch it together even if we have to tape it and watch it later. It's our thing.
3. Comedy: The Office, Scrubs, Frasier, Becker. I have lots of favorites
4. Gilmore Girls: Again, not a category and yeah I already mentioned it in the movie category, but I Luhove this show. I think it is hilarious and one of the wittiest best written shows ever.

4 Places I've Been on Holiday

1. London: When I arrived in London after my all night 16 hour flight I was a little giddy. I was excited and TIRED! The customs officer had the funniest accent (everyone had a funny accent, they were British, I was sleep deprived, and I found it unbelievably funny). He asked me, "Wot is the purpus of your visit?" and I laughed and said, "What?" He repeated himself, very seriously and I laughed again and said, "What?" Then he said "Are you on 'oliday?" And I said, "No, I'm here on vacation." He rolled his eyes and stamped my passport. Stupid Teenaged American.
2. Peru: So fun. We are already planning our next trip there.
3. Oregon Coast: A beach house with all the family, yummy seafood, walks on the beach. If it was warmer it would be paradise, but it is almost as good.
4. Pella, Iowa. My own little Amsterdam. I really like this little town. Visited the first time with my family on a road trip to Nauvoo. Daniel and I stayed in a bed and breakfast there on the way back to Utah from Virginia.

4 of My Favorite Dishes

1. Corn Chower, Blue Cheese Walnut Salad, and a Pumpkin muffin from Mimi's. Yummy.
2. Grilled Steak Alfredo from Olive Garden. Balsamic glaze and blue cheese is so, so good.
3. Arroz con Pollo or Lomo Saltado. Peru has good food.
4. Shredded Chicken Salad from Cafe Rio.

4 Websites I Visit Daily

1. yahoomail.com
Nobody ever emails me though.
2. blogspot.com
I visit Lindsay and Cassi and Courtney and then I always feel like a voyeur, but I visit the site of a friend of Lindsay's. I don't even know this person, but her blog is so funny. I read it every day and I feel like we're friends. She has no idea who I am. Is that creepy? I hope not.
3. ihc.net
Stupid work
4. livejournal.com
My friend Ashley is so funny and I don't feel like a spy when I read her goings on. My friend Debby from high school has a journal here too. I like blogs for keeping up with people. It's so convenient.

4 Places I'd Rather Be Right Now

1. Vacation. I like it so much better than real life.
2. Visiting my family in Idaho
3. Visiting Daniel's family in Virginia
4. Ikea: It's my new Mecca. I really like it.

4 Friends to Tag with this Meme
1. Ashley
2. Debby
3&4 Everyone else

2007-07-09T16:45:00.000-06:00

Horses and the Playground: El Bosque Day Three

They had an awesome playground that Daniel remembers from when he was little. Sam loved the swings.

This was a really cool pirate ship.

Sam and I rode Penguino.

Melissa and Israel

Israel, Tia Gloria, Sam and Daniel, Tia Mary, Abuelita Lucy, Tia Lucy, Abuelito Israel, Jenna and Tati

2007-07-09T16:26:00.001-06:00

Feeding Geese in El Bosque: Day Two

Everyone loves me! I am so loveable! I am so cute! Give me kisses! Everyone loves me!

Melissa and Israel with the crazy geese. These geese had creepy blue eyes and would attack your boat for bread. They actually bit Melissa and Israel.

Daniel was our boat rower. He did a good job staying ahead of the mob of geese.

Sam wasn't sure what to think. He liked them, but they were a little scary.

Walking around with Tia Gloria

2007-07-09T15:39:00.001-06:00

Swimming in El Bosque: Day Two

The second day in El Bosque we went swimming. It was actually a really nice day, warm and sunny, but the water was FREEZING! Sam seemed to like it though.

He was really excited and splashed a lot. He only swam for about five minutes because I didn't want him to get hypothermia. I stayed in for a while and had a blast.

Daniel wasn't so brave. He never got in, but he and Sam soaked up the rays poolside.

The brave swimming babes: Jenna, Lucita, Melissa, Lucy

Sam and Abuelito Israel bonding

Here we are eating yummy lunch. So good! I miss the food.
We ate at the snack bar (which had the same menu basically as the restaurant) because it was convenient and also because we were still in our swimming suits and banned from the restaurant upstairs.

2007-07-09T00:03:00.001-06:00

El Bosque Country Club: Day One

When we first got to Peru it was about 6:00 AM, so we went straight to bed and that afternoon had lunch at Tia Gloria's and walked to a really cool bridge and ocean lookout. We of course didn't have our cameras that day, so we are waiting to trade pictures with Daniel's brother who didn't have his camera in El Bosque. We went to the country club the second day in Peru. It is about an hour away from Lima and it was so nice. We had such a great time there that we wished we could have stayed longer.

Sam and his Abuelito feeding the geese.

Sam and Aunt Melissa

Sammy was fascinated by the stones in the pavement. He tried to step only on the circles. He liked to touch the little stones and slide his feet like an ice skater. He also liked to chase the pigeons.

This was a yummy restaurant where we had lunch the first day. The food in Peru is so good and so cheap. The entrees were all less than $5.00 (and this is the fancy restaurant where you aren't allowed to come in your swimsuit. More on that tomorrow)

2007-07-08T23:14:00.000-06:00

All Hail The Birthday King!

Sammy's first birthday was on the Fourth of July. We celebrated a few days early in Peru. Daniel's aunts threw an amazing party for Sam and we all had a lot of fun. Everyone was so kind and generous to us during our stay in Peru. We can't thank them enough.

Look at all the yummy treats. There were so many good things to eat. This is a picture of Daniel's grandmother "Tati", Tia Judy, Tia Mary, Tia Gloria, and Sam's "Abuelita".
Sam loved being the center of attention. He now expects applause for every little thing he does.

Here's Sam cutting the cake. In the picture from left to right are cousin Angela, Tia Lucy, cousin Silvana, and Tio Aldo

Sam really had a good time. He crawled on all fours for the first time and then entertained everyone with some pretty great walking. He walked to and from people for a good 45 minutes, giggling the whole time and soaking up the applause.

One of the best things about our trip was being able to spend time with Daniel's parents. They loved getting to know Sam and he loves his Abuelitos.

This is Tati and Tia Judy decorating Sam's cake.
(We have lots more pictures to post, but I thought I'd start with the birthday party.)