Ten on Tuesday

1. Let's just make it official, we all know it's ten on Wednesday, even though it just doesn't have the same ring to it.

2. I can remember my friend, Desiray telling me that she likes to get all of the busy "work" for the holidays over in November so she can enjoy the spirit of Christmas with her family. I thought it was great advice and took it to heart, until this year. I must confess, I'm having a "HOLY COW, DECEMBER'S HALF OVER!?!?" moment. I see some all nighters in my future. Not the having a great time hanging out with your friends kind, but more of a giddy, working your butt off with your husband because "they are going to love this!" kind. Still fun.

3. The big girls have officially started their basketball season. The both love it, although Rachel thinks it would be much more fun without those two guys (the coaches) bossing her around all the time.

4. Remember what I said about Evelyn being a squishy bundle of joy last week? Well scratch that. This week it's more of a not sleeping, screaming ball of terror. I'm thinking maybe teeth? We'll see.

5. QOTD: (Susie is standing on a chair helping me make some bread and Annabel steps up to have a look) Annabel: That looks good! Susie: Smell your nose in it, Annie! It smells yummy!

6. Question: If I use fingernail polish remover to clean the pen ink art someone drew on the toilet seat, will it ruin the finish? Magic eraser did not work.

7. Look who's dressing herself these days:

8. Book recommendation from Ben: The Lego Ideas Book.

9. When I saw this, I died laughing, and immediatly wanted to call Joe and apologize for being such a girl. I do most of these things, especially the, "Are you by a computer...can you look something up for me?" It's humbling when we realize that we're not quirky and eccentric, more like a little annoying.




10. The little ruler demands my undivided attention, and let's face it, it's hard to say no to those eyes. Have a great week!

Flashback Friday

 While we were setting up our Christmas tree, I couldn't believe how big my girls seemed! I couldn't help but remember when we set up our tree in Maryland. It was our first Christmas as a family since Joe's deployment and it was a wild and crazy day! I posted about it on our family website, way back before I had a blog. I found the post and read through it, and I have to admit:  I got a little choked up. I even found the pictures from that photo shoot! Hope you enjoy:

December 2005

We did the decorating thing yesterday and Joe handled it all like a trooper.   He was a little tired before we could even begin the tree thing, because in an effort to avoid public embarrassment, I suggested that we do the girls Christmas Portraits at home ourselves.   We dressed them in their cute sweaters, curled hair, set up the tripod and rearranged the furniture for the best lighting.   With buckets full of candy to bribe them with, we set out to record forever them flopping around on the couch, bawling, grabbing each other in headlocks and pure pandemonium.   For a brief moment, we understood why some species eat their young.   Joe maintained his great attitude and somehow, we managed to get one decent shot of both of them.   this was quite a feat considering we only took about 500 pictures.

  When the photo shoot was finally over, we (by we, I mean Joe) rearranged the furniture once again to make space for our Christmas tree.   After much looking and thought, Joe let his dream of an artificial tree die, and we headed to Home depot for the real deal.   But first, we stopped at Ariella's house to see if she wanted us to pick one up for her (her husband is deployed).   Ariella did not want us to get her a tree, but did ask if we would take Nona with us.   So after a quick carseat swap, we headed out.   Home depot went surprisingly well.   We checked out about twenty different trees, had one minor tantrum in deciding who would sit where in the shopping cart, and only had to take 3 mile long trecks to the potty.   While we were gone on the last potty trip, Joe found the perfect tree. We loaded 3 toddlers and the tree into the van and headed to Chick fil-A for lunch. That went pretty well. The girls loved playing in all the slides and Joe was a great sport about crawling through all of the tunnels designed for 5 year olds to rescue Nona, who had climbed all the way to the top, but was too scared to come down.

We made it home and were so excited to bring the tree in.   Who knew that something that looked so small in Home Depot would look so huge in our living room?!   While I was thrilled to have such a great looking tree, I realized that our current floor plan would never work, so we (Joe) rearranged the furniture one more time.   The girls were delighted with the whole process and loved playing with all of the Christmas decorations.   Rachel particularly loved cuddling the Teddy Bear basket that Uncle Ray sent us years ago.   Annabel loved playing with the lights, and the lower right hand corner of our tree has an amazing amount of ornaments crammed on three branches.  All in all, a great day.

10 on Tuesday

1. The problem with being a slacker blogger is that once you miss a couple of weeks, all you can think about is all of the things you need to catch everyone up on. In my case, it's the end of summer, first day of school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc. It starts to feel overwhelming and then you just skip it all together, because who needs that? To save some stress, I'm skipping the catch up and starting right now. All those things happened and were great. Moving on.

2. The big news at our house: Susannah is potty trained. It was so easy! She said she was ready, and I threw some underwear on her and she kept them dry for days...and nights! I was ready to declare myself mother of the year until we went the the library and she said she had to go. I took her into the public restroom, and holy crap did she completely come undone. It was crazy. Screaming, bawling, sweat (mine), tears (ours), strangers checking to see if she was being tortured, and finally a promise to hold it until she got home. We raced home and Rachel ran to one bathroom, Ben to another and Susie peed her pants.

3. Evelyn is growing like a weed. She is a squishy bundle of pure happiness that we just can't get enough of. She can scoot/roll herself all over the floor and loves to find anything she can and shove it in her mouth. A zero tolerance policy for Lego's and other small toys has been implemented until further notice.

4. Yesterday, I drove back and forth to the school six times. It was pretty much how I spent my entire day.

5. We put up our Christmas tree the other day. It was so fun. The kids really got into it this year, and I thought they did a pretty nice job decorating. I just found this lovely blog, and she's inspired me to do a more in-depth post about our Christmas tree later this month.

6. Along with the Christmas tree, I set up the sewing machine. I'm working on several projects, all gifts and ultra top secret, so I'll save photos for after the big reveal. I'll just say that I'm very excited!

7. A Christmas treat. The recipe is from my sister, Jen (as most of my yummy ones are).

8. QOTD: (I'm picking the kids up from school) Rachel: I can't get this Hanukkah song out of my head! Me: Did you learn about Hanukkah today? Rachel: No.

9. This post made me want to throw caution to the wind and get pregnant as quickly as I could, just so I could birth the child at home into Joe's capable hands. I'm not pregnant, but it is a truly beautiful birth story and confirms my belief that bringing a life into this world is truly a glorious thing.

10. Yes, this is Wednesday. I did mention I'm a slacker blogger, right?

Best Day of the Summer

The best day of the summer was at the very beginning of summer. The kids had just finished school and we were preparing for our move later that week. Evelyn was only 4 weeks old and things were very crazy at our house. We were cleaning and packing and Joe said, "I don't want to do this, let's go on a road trip." I thought he was insane. I finally agreed and we quickly packed a bag for everyone and loaded up the car. We decided to do a loop around central Idaho, and our first stop was Craters of the Moon. The kids loved hiving around and exploring there.

Then we headed toward Ketchum and Sun Valley. We stopped at the hot springs where Joe did his Eagle Scout project and let the kids strip to their underwear and hop in. That was the highlight for them. We had a burgers in Sun Valley and headed to Red Fish lake. The kids played in the sand while I sat and fed Evelyn.

Then we went to Stanley lake and camped in a cabin near the beautiful Salmon River. The next day, we continued driving along the river and stopping to explore hikes and natural hot springs before we drove through Challis to home.

It was completely unplanned, but it was a beautiful, relaxing trip. We love Idaho and will always consider it home and this trip was a magnificent reminder of why.

Worst day of the Summer

First, a little back story. Because we aren't sure if we will stay here forever, we decided to rent for a while. The rental market here moves pretty fast and we were having a hard time finding a house that would work for us. Joe's company would pay for 6 weeks temporary housing while we looked for a more permanent place, so we decided to do that. So, when we first moved here, we lived in the apartment the company provided, and before long we found a house that would work. My parents came at the end of June and we had the movers bring all of our stuff. My parents helped get the beds set up and the kids things unpacked. That was pretty much all that was done. We decided to actually move into our new home over the 4th of July weekend. Then on Friday, Joe's work had a major breech in security and he pretty much worked 24/7 that whole weekend, aside from a few hours to go see the fireworks on the 4th. I couldn't stand the thought of a whole weekend of no fun for the kids, so I went crazy buying slip and slides, pools, and taking the kids to eat. Very little unpacking happened and the house was in terrible condition because we had partied there all day on Monday.

Tuesday morning, I load up the kids to go to the house and get it cleaned up and start getting things organized. As I pull up to the house, so does the Relief Society Presidency. I. AM. DYING. I know the mess that is just in the front door. We walk in together and try to make small talk. I apologize for the mess and try to explain. There isn't even really a place for them to sit. It is bad. They leave and I begin unpacking. The children are crazy. Susannah keeps taking all of her clothes off. When the next relief society sister stops by, the house looks better, but Evelyn is screaming and Susannah is naked.

By the time Joe gets home from work, my nerves are shot. He tells me someone is going to stop by to buy our fridge (we had an extra since the house already had one). I kick my way through the garage to clean it out. I open the freezer to find mold. What a mess. I am hurrying to get the fridge clean. Then I go to check on the baby who is asleep in our room and the door is locked. I go to get something to pick it and then I notice that it isn't a regular bedroom lock, this one takes a key. It is probably on the ring of keys the agent gave us that is sitting on the dresser in my bedroom. Needless to say, after the day I had, I did not take the news that my two month old baby was locked in our bedroom with the keys very well. Then she started to cry and I lost it.

So, I cleaned the fridge while Joe broke the door and rescued Evelyn. We sold the fridge and Joe has repaired the door. Susannah is keeping her clothes on much better now. The security problem at Joe's work is resolved and he even got a bonus for the trouble (if only they knew). No one in the Relief Society has been back and we are living proof that this too shall pass. Check back tomorrow for the best day of the Summer!

What we've been up to this summer

Here's what you've missed: The girls dance recital

The Memorial Day Campout (Evelyn with her namesakes)

Joe's graduation, acceptance of a new job, and a move to the Pacific Northwest.

Since we've been here, we had visits from both sets of grandparents. Gma Sharron was able to get a huge belly laugh from Evelyn and we aren't even jealous:)

Evelyn getting bigger

Rachel's Birthday (that's birthday money well spent)

Lot's of  backyard discoveries

That's the basic quick recap. Tune in the next few days for a more detailed account of the best and worse days of the summer. Quick heads up: worse is first.

Out of Town

So, I know I promised 10 days of posting, but I lied. We went out of town for the weekend, and I just couldn't fit it in. But we're home now and we will pick up tomorrow with a quick recap of the summer.

A new recipe

Sarah's Chicken Salad

This is one of our favorite "travel" recipes- we make it when we go on trips or picnics they make the perfect quick sandwich. Sarah is a great friend I met while Joe was in the military, and she made me this salad for lunch one day and it was soo good. I was pregnant at the time and a few weeks later, all I could think about was a chicken salad sandwich. Not only did she give me the recipe, but she and her family walked over to my house to bring me the celery so I could make it right then. That's the kind of friend she is.

Ingredients: 2 Chicken breasts cooked and diced in to small pieces
2-3 celery stalks diced small
a couple of handfuls of red grapes, halved
mayo
chopped walnuts
salt and pepper to taste

*be careful how much mayo you add because the grapes add quite a bit of moisture

enjoy:)

10 on Tuesday "To be Two again" edition

1. Susannah is two and acts like it. Don't get me wrong, I love having a toddler around, but this kid is crazy!

2. Exhibit A: "The toothpaste incident"

3. Exhibit B: ONE of the "Sticker incidents"

4. I really didn't remember any of the other kids having the terrible two's and then I thought a little longer:

5. Annie at 2:

Loves: playing with her sister, her stuffed dog, stacking all of Gma's cans of cat food and organizing all of her earrings on the side of the bathtub. Like to build beds in the bathtub and one time held the last bite of food I forced her to eat in her mouth all night long. Is famous for swallowing a small handful of change and the subsequent ER visits.

6. Rachel at 2:

Loves: the color pink, dancing, and dress- up. Gets into my lipstick, colors on walls, and sometimes sleep walks. Is famous for pouring an entire bottle of Hershey's syrup into measuring cups all over the kitchen and dining room floor. When I asked her who did it, she looked me straight in the eye with her hands and face covered in chocolate and said, "I don't know."

7. Ben at 2:

Loves: building blocks and cars. Is our earliest escape artist and can climb out of his crib faster than we can shut the door to his room. Once spilled an entire can of chip dip all over the living room floor. Is famous for moving the kitchen chairs and stools to climb and get into the cupboards. One time I found stash of food from our deep freeze hidden in his closet.

8. Susie at 2:

 

Loves: Her brother and sisters, singing, and little ponies. Has a thing for soap, especially liquid soaps like dish soap, baby soap, and the foam hand soaps (we've had disaster's with all of them). Likes to sneak into our room while we're sleeping and stare at us until we startle awake just for the joy of having us pick her up and carry her back to bed. Is famous for sneaking out of the house after I put her to bed and was in my room feeding Evelyn.

9. The good news is, I haven't seen a crayon in Annie's nose in ages, and when Rachel drinks the Hershey's syrup, she hardly spills any at all. And when Ben dumps a box of cereal, it almost all makes it in the bowl. And in 2 years, when Susie comes crying to me about Evelyn breaking into her school supplies and using her markers to tattoo her entire body, I can pull up this post and explain that she's just two and when you have a two year old in the house, you need to keep the markers, crayons, cat food, earrings, Hershey's syrup, cereal, chip dip, soap, stickers, toothpaste, loose change and dining room chairs all out of reach.

10. Until then, here's a 2 year old quote of the day: It's 3:00 am and I've just been startled awake by her eery stare. I pick her up to take her back to bed. Susie: I'm soooo tired!!

When Evelyn was Born

After being induced with Susannah, I was determined to let things happen on their own this time. I didn't like being induced or having the epidural for so long. I started having Braxton Hicks weeks before the due date and some of them were so strong and so long, I started to think she might come early. We had family over for Easter and Jen even stayed an extra day because we were so sure delivery was imminent. Every time the contractions would stop. On Tuesday, I went to the Dr. and the resident checked me. She said that I hadn't progressed at all. I told her that I thought it would be soon, maybe that night or the next day. She looked at me like I was crazy. That night, I was cleaning the house and then I ran to the store to pick up a few things. While I was there, I had a couple of contractions and they had a little bit of a kick to them that made me think I was beginning labor. I got home and asked Joe to call a friend from school to see if he would sleep at the house if we did go in to the hospital. Neither of us were sure if this was really it but after a few contractions, Joe was ready to go to the hospital. My mom called and said she could come that evening if we wanted her to and I said, "sure, you can meet us at the hospital."

We head to the hospital and arrive around 10:30. The resident checks me and says I am at a 4 or 5. They tell me the Dr. will be in soon to check me. I argue with the nurse about the necessity of an IV. I tell her I want to go natural and she rolls her eyes. We get a new nurse a little after 11:00. Around 12:00, I'm rethinking my whole natural plan. I ask the nurse to check me again. She tells me I'm at an 8 or 9. Then I have a huge contraction and I tell her the baby is coming. The Dr. still hasn't been in to see me. The nurse sends for the Dr. and tells me not to push. The Dr is busy, so the resident comes in. They tell me not to push. I tell them the baby is coming. The nurse calls for a Pediatric Dr. and the ER Dr. The room is full of medical professionals all telling me not to push. The nurse is yelling down the hall for the OB. I start pushing. Joe begins to panic. No one wants to step up and deliver the baby. He tells me not to push. Finally, the resident decided that they couldn't make me wait any longer, and I pushed and at 12:32 am, our beautiful daughter, Evelyn Kay was born. She was our smallest baby, weighing in at 6 pounds 7 ounces. We both loved the name Evelyn right away and her middle name, Kay, is after two of my favorite people: my Grandma Kay and my sister, Jennifer Kay.

Aside from my irritation with the staff, I have to say it was one of my best deliveries. Evelyn has been a dream baby and is already almost 4 months old! More on Evelyn later this week.

And I'm back.

I realize it's been forever since I've posted and so much has happened in our family since my last post including Joe's graduation, a new baby, several road trips and a move. Yikes! I've been a little busy and, since the move, a little lonely...So I'm reaching out to you, my internet friends, to reconnect and make up for my lacking real life friends right now. There's so much to share, instead of a 10 on Tuesday, I'm doing 10 solid days of posting. It's going to be awesome. Just to be clear, this totally counts as one of my days. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a detailed record of the birth of Evelyn Kay:)

10 on Tuesday

1. What a great week! We've been busy. We celebrated Ben's fifth birthday. We had balloons, cupcakes, Army Guys, McDonalds, and best buddies over to play. For the evening: enchilada's and a birthday cake made entirely of jello. It's great to be five.

2. Was able to connect with Lucy and chat for hours the other day. We are taking an online scrapbooking class together over the next few weeks and I am so excited! I need a fun project to keep me busy for the next couple of months.

3. Here are some recent paper crafting projects.

4. Monday was a busy project day for all of us. I made lists for everyone. We all worked and worked until we could work no more. Much was accomplished. What a great feeling.

5. One of my jobs yesterday was to clean the van. It took hours and I wanted to weep as I vacuumed up cracker crumbs, washed sticky finger prints off of windows, scrubbed grape juice stains, and scrapped melted crayons off of carpet. These children of mine! I should have taken photos. In case some day they have the audacity to ask us for a car. THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!!!

6. QOTD: Annie: "What are we having for dinner?" Me: "Pork chops" Annie: "I'd rather eat a dead rat."

7.We spent our spring break traveling to Washington State. We are preparing for a possible move there. The children hated the looking at houses part, but loved the swimming at the hotel/ shopping with their hard earned money/ playing with cousins part.

8. The Dr. has been concerned about my growth for this pregnancy, so he scheduled another ultrasound. We were relieved to learn that everything was right on track and our little girl is due to arrive....Easter weekend.....again. We're really good at timing. We have a Thanksgiving baby, a St. Patricks Day baby, and 2 Easter babies.

9. One of these is not like the others:

10. Guess who found a red marker and colored shoes on both feet today?

10 on Tuesday

1. So it's been a crazy few weeks, with a nasty flu bug making it's way through the entire family. The worst day was when Susannah had a febrile seizure and ended up in the ER. Of course, Joe was out of state for a job interview. It was not my best day.

2. Luckily, she has since recovered and is back to being Queen of the house. I have never seen a child so bossy and able manipulate 3 older children into serving her every whim. Having a new baby will be a huge shock for that one.

3. I was very pleased with myself for my organization this Valentines Day. Little cards and treats were prepared for class parties, Presents were wrapped for the children, a babysitter was hired and arrangements were made for a hot date with Joe. And then, 40 minutes before I was to drop Ben off for preschool, he said, "What about my Jello Jigglers?" Right. I was supposed to bring red heart shaped jello jigglers to the preschool party. It was a little scary in that kitchen for a while, with me digging through cupboards and screaming at Joe to find me directions for making them fast online, then to clean a spot in the freezer for them to set. But we did it. And they were a hit.

4. Joe and I managed a much needed date for Valentine's Day. It was a fun night, but I must admit I was a little disappointed in the lack of movie selections. How is it on the one night I have a babysitter, that my entertainment options are limited to: casual sex with no strings attached, exorcisms, psychotic roommates, or a biography about a 14 year old that believes he coined the phrase, "Never say Never". We settled for Adam Sandler, and both laughed out loud, so I'd say it was a success.

5. New book recommendation: You know when the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon. It's a collection of short stories about women surviving deployments in Fort Hood. I really enjoyed it. I couldn't believe how well she portrayed life on an Army Base, and could not believe how many of the stories I recognized from people I knew in the military. I would love for some of you other military wives to read it and share what you thought.

6. After giving it much thought, I've come to the conclusion that life would be better if February ended on the 15th. Is it just me or are the last two weeks just excruciating?

7. Most annoying Valentine treat: the temporary tattoos. Rachel has three on her face as we speak.

8. Last week, we had a special Family Home Evening on bathroom etiquette. Joe was very supportive although he did raise his eyebrows a few times at some of my demonstrations and attention to detail. While it may make some uncomfortable, I find that with children it is best to be very specific, never assume something goes without saying. We've noticed a huge improvement since.

9. Joe and I caught an episode of this the other night. We watched the whole thing with our jaws hanging open. YIKES!

10. Warning: Any comments defending Justin Bieber will be deleted without publication.

Have a great week!

10 on Tuesday

1. So my New Years resolution to do better at my weekly blog post is not off to a great start!

2. We had a wonderful holiday season, filled with family, friends, lots of time off, Legos, and American Girl Dolls. It was like a dream. Reality has never been so shocking.

3. We were able to postpone reality a little bit and ditch the kids on Jen and Jason, while Joe and I traveled back east to look at job and housing prospects. It's exciting to think about moving on to the next phase in our lives, but a little overwhelming to realize all the changes that will be happening in the next few months.

4. Did I mention I'm 6 months pregnant? I am. We're very excited:)  Did I mention it's a girl? It is. And...contrary to popular belief....we're still very excited!!

5. The best thing about being pregnant: elastic waist pants. I'm a fan.

6. Susannah recently lost her standing as favorite child by dropping a 5 pound weight on my toe while I was getting ready the other day.

7. Joe got me a nook for Christmas and I've been reading a ton. It's one of my favorite gifts ever. Here are some of the books I've enjoyed recently: "Remarkable Creatures" by Tracy Chevalier, "Major Pettigrew's last Stand" by Helen Simonsen, and "Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman.

8. I've also been sewing a lot lately. Mostly for the new baby. I know I have tons of girl things, but I'm a firm believer in something newly handmade for each baby. Or seven things newly handmade for each baby.

9. Right now I'm piecing a quilt. My helper is slowing me down a bit. It's a little annoying how she likes to pile all the fabric and squares on her lap, but I let her get away with it because she always says things like, "CUTE!" and "SOOO DARLING" when she picks them up. 

10.Our vacuum died the other day. It had been bad for a while. It started getting louder and louder, and then the other day, Joe went to vacuum the living room and it literally sounded like an Airplane was landing in the middle of the floor. Then it started to smoke, and stink. Then the lights started to flicker and sparks started to fly and Joe yelled, "Open the door!!!" and ran and threw it in the back yard just before it caught on fire. What can I say...we live an exciting life.