Saturday, April 19, 2008
James' Birthday
Here are the pics from James' Birthday. It was totally and completely Blue's Clues themed, down to the candy treats! He was a very happy boy! (On a side note, I had a total Michael Jackson Christmas one year when I was about 9. Every gift I asked for (and received) had to do with Michael Jackson. Yikes.) If you have no idea what the cake is, go watch an episode of Blue's Clues, ok!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
My baby is 2!
April 12th, 2006:
April 12th, 2007:
*Do we need to even mention Blue's Clues? He also loves Teletubbies and is a fan of Dora, Diego and the other nickjr toons.
*Has always been a very easy little guy! Quite laid back and fun to be around. Loves to bathe and does not oppose naps or bedtime. We LOVE HIM!
April 12th, 2007:
April 12th, 2008:
James turned two yesterday! I'll blog about the party and all that later. For now, I wanted to do more of a developmental 'record' of sorts. Or in other words, I want to remember what he was like and what he could do when he was 2.
Activities:
*His favorite thing to do is climb stairs and slide down anything. He also LOVES swinging, is obsessed with bubbles and will do anything to get outside. The park is his favorite place to go.
*He LOVES the nursery at church. He has never been sad nor anxious to get dropped off. He'll rarely take the time to say bye to us.
*He loves going to the mall, walmart, and albertsons. He is in heaven when he actually gets to walk and we don't put him in the basket or a stroller. People always stop and talk to him and fawn all over him, especially at Albertsons. This week at albertsons, the bakery lady came out to give him a cookie, someone from the deli gave him a chicken leg, the customer service manager always comes and asks if he can pick him up, all the cashiers spend way too much time with us, etc.
*Loves to wander the neighborhood and be with other kids. Is starting to show a bit of empathy. When another child or baby cries he looks at me with this cute little concerned face and ask me, "baby sad?"
Physical:
*Will climb up and down stairs, but needs a hand or a rail to hold.
*Prefers to run run run, instead of walking.
*Dances a crazy little dance by running in place when music is on.
*Climbs onto all furniture and into minivan and into carseat. Is no where near able to get himself out of the crib.
*Is no where near ready to start potty training. He will usually tell us when he is poopy and when he is peeing, but shows NO interest in the toilet.
*Is good with a fork for stabbing, but not very good with a spoon for scooping.
*Loves to sit in his high chair and draw. WIll do it for looong stretches of time. Tries to draw (and is pretty good at) circles, triangles and squares.
Verbal:
*Knows all the words for everything in his world and his daily activities. Has to name everything all the time. When we tell him what something is, he always remembers the new word. He's an awesome little live language lab!
*Has just started (Past two weeks) combining 2 words. (Diego cup, kick dad, no singing, one more book, bye mama, go outside.)
*Will answer the question, "What's your name?" correctly. Will ask where something went by raising his palms up and saying, "Go, go?"
Visual recognition:
*Can pick out the logos for Walmart, Albertsons, Target, and Sonic :) (He always sees them in the newspaper or their sacks and brings them to us and tells us what it 'says'. )
*Knows letters: J, O, W (Don't ask me why!?)
*Recognizes and will say blue, green, black, red, orange, yellow, purple, and pink. (Magenta and Periwinkle don't count because they are animals and not colors to him!)
*Recognizes and will say circle, square, triangle, and rectangle. Will also point out faces and say "happy" or "sad".
Favorite foods:
*Obviously kids love junk. James is a kid, ergo, James loves the regular junk. (His favorites are tator tots and suckers).
*LOVES: Tomatoes, green bean, carrots, rice, milk, breakfast meats!
*He will usually eat: waffles with peanut butter, dry cereal, hotdogs, noodles, crackers, chicken nuggets, stir fry veggies and any kind of fruit.
*Sometimes he'll eat: yogurt, the meat we're eating, potatoes, bread.
"Unique" things:
*Has been on 18 flights (9 roundtrips) and has been to 6 states.
*Has been hospitalized 2 times for croup and bronchiolitis.
* Has always been in the 100% + percentile for height and weight. (Currently at 45 lbs and 39 1/2 inches.)
*Is taking his first swim class right now.
*Do we need to even mention Blue's Clues? He also loves Teletubbies and is a fan of Dora, Diego and the other nickjr toons.
*Has always been a very easy little guy! Quite laid back and fun to be around. Loves to bathe and does not oppose naps or bedtime. We LOVE HIM!
Friday, April 11, 2008
James wasn't interested in giving the plants a little water everyday, he wanted to give them all a little dirt everyday...
His very favorite activity in the WHOLE WORLD!
His very favorite activity in the WHOLE WORLD!
James, Ben and Pawpaw at the Sea Center. Dad is trying to be naughty and torment the crab. James is just exited to dip!
James trying to understand the bunny decorations:
Showing us that he should be allowed to use the computer:
Just the sweetest face in the whole world:
Trying out pawpaw's shoes:
Trying out pawpaw's shoes:
Eating THE BEST KETTLE CORN IN THE WHOLE WORLD (from the farmer's market)
Learning how to read with Pawpaw:
Trying really hard to make a paper hat like on Blue's Clues. It looks ridiculously similar to one of those collars they put on dogs at a visit to the vet!
Easter Pictures
Here's some of the Easter Pictures. We had to hide those eggs away! He wasn't so keen on the searching, he was waaaaay more interested in the eating.
Well first things first! We are celebrating around here because today Ben successfully defended his Phd comprehensive exams! YEAH YEAH YEAH! James and I are very proud of him! He's so drained and senseless right now that he's practically like Patrick on SpongeBob SP. We do still have to get through the dissertation, but we'll ignore that for a day or two! Yeah for Ben!
We're also celebrating James' 2nd birthday tomorrow, but I'll post about that later.
Here are some of the 'long awaited' pictures from Spring Break and Easter. This is at Brazos Bend State park where the alligators live and we are stupid enough to walk amongst them. My mom doesn't look too excited, I think she's ready to run! That first alligator was 15 feet or so. FREAKY!
We're also celebrating James' 2nd birthday tomorrow, but I'll post about that later.
Here are some of the 'long awaited' pictures from Spring Break and Easter. This is at Brazos Bend State park where the alligators live and we are stupid enough to walk amongst them. My mom doesn't look too excited, I think she's ready to run! That first alligator was 15 feet or so. FREAKY!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Unprepared
I was unprepared this weekend.
I was unprepared for what would happen when I shared a Cadbury Creme Egg with James. (Just use your imagination. It wasn't as bad as when he had a flailing fit while holding an open Go-gurt, but it was as memorable.)
I was unprepared for the awesome words of support and advice that I got both on the blog and via email. I was really touched that so many people took the time to care about us and our sicky James. We have an appointment with the Allergist on Monday and the ENT on Wednesday. We got the referral for the allergist from our regular dr and the referral for the ENT from the Urgent care dr. He also has his 2 year appointment scheduled for wednesday, but I think we'll put that one off a bit as we decide what to do and who his new pediatrician will be.
I was unprepared for conference, especially the solemn assembly. If you want to know the truth, I was hanging out in my pjs, wrestling James on the bed when Sat. morning conference came on. Ben came in the room and we watched as the sustainings began. I say I was unprepared because I had no idea that I would be given such a strong and beautiful outpouring of the Spirit as our new Prophet was sustained. I wasn't dressed, I was sitting in bed, I was entertaining a rowdy 2 year old and suddenly as the solemn assembly began I felt the Spirit stronger than I have in a very long time. It was an amazing feeling and I hope that it doesn't sound trite when I say that in that moment I received my personal witness that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet called of God. Our prophet. I cried, a lot. James touched my face and said, "Sad?" I just had to hug him and tell him that I was very happy because we have a wonderful prophet given to us as a help from Heavenly Father. I felt very blessed and undeserving of that experience since I had been a slacker in bed in pjs. But, I know that I was supposed to have that experience, surely with many others in southern NM because soon after the sustainings, the cable channel dropped the conference proceedings and didn't start again until noon on both days. (we just watched/listened online.)
I can't say that I heard and absorbed every minute of the 4 sessions; you can thank "Senor I'm-two-and-I-want-it-now" for the majority of the distractions. But I can say that I KNOW that President Monson is called of God, and is our prophet.
Oh, and I can also say, "I need a break, honey." Elder Ballard and President Monson said I should have one. Soon.
I was unprepared for what would happen when I shared a Cadbury Creme Egg with James. (Just use your imagination. It wasn't as bad as when he had a flailing fit while holding an open Go-gurt, but it was as memorable.)
I was unprepared for the awesome words of support and advice that I got both on the blog and via email. I was really touched that so many people took the time to care about us and our sicky James. We have an appointment with the Allergist on Monday and the ENT on Wednesday. We got the referral for the allergist from our regular dr and the referral for the ENT from the Urgent care dr. He also has his 2 year appointment scheduled for wednesday, but I think we'll put that one off a bit as we decide what to do and who his new pediatrician will be.
I was unprepared for conference, especially the solemn assembly. If you want to know the truth, I was hanging out in my pjs, wrestling James on the bed when Sat. morning conference came on. Ben came in the room and we watched as the sustainings began. I say I was unprepared because I had no idea that I would be given such a strong and beautiful outpouring of the Spirit as our new Prophet was sustained. I wasn't dressed, I was sitting in bed, I was entertaining a rowdy 2 year old and suddenly as the solemn assembly began I felt the Spirit stronger than I have in a very long time. It was an amazing feeling and I hope that it doesn't sound trite when I say that in that moment I received my personal witness that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet called of God. Our prophet. I cried, a lot. James touched my face and said, "Sad?" I just had to hug him and tell him that I was very happy because we have a wonderful prophet given to us as a help from Heavenly Father. I felt very blessed and undeserving of that experience since I had been a slacker in bed in pjs. But, I know that I was supposed to have that experience, surely with many others in southern NM because soon after the sustainings, the cable channel dropped the conference proceedings and didn't start again until noon on both days. (we just watched/listened online.)
I can't say that I heard and absorbed every minute of the 4 sessions; you can thank "Senor I'm-two-and-I-want-it-now" for the majority of the distractions. But I can say that I KNOW that President Monson is called of God, and is our prophet.
Oh, and I can also say, "I need a break, honey." Elder Ballard and President Monson said I should have one. Soon.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Well, if you're tired of posts about James being sick...
...just think about how tired I am of writing them!
Poor kid was sicker than I'd ever seen him. After his middle of the night vomiting escapade, he woke up sooo sad and lethargic. He threw up the sips of sprite that Ben gave him and was just pitiful. He started running a moderate fever and just wanted to be held--which he NEVER wants. It was like he had narcolepsy, he kept falling asleep just sitting on either of us and I really started to worry about the lethargy. At one point he looked at me and said, "ear owie". And those were about the only words he said all day long. We couldn't get him into his regular Dr, so off we went to urgent care.
He had yet another double ear infection. Since he was vomiting and what not there was no option but to give him a shot of Rocephin. The dr also prescribed a couple of suppositories for Phenegran so that he could stop throwing up and get some pain and fever relief, too. We have to go back today and tomorrow to get the follow up shots of the antibiotic. When we got home from Urgent care we gave him the phenegran and a nice little sprite/motrin cocktail. He was ready for bed and slept for over 12 hours straight. (I kept checking on him, worried about that little booger all night!) He woke up a new man! Back to his old antics, etc.
So the debate: Before he got sick, we actually had an appointment with an allergist set up for yesterday. He gets so many ear infections despite elevating his mattress, daily doses of zyrtec, baby echinacea, etc, etc, etc. His regular dr (who is not a pediatrician) said "we don't do ear tubes anymore. Well, not unless there's evidence of hearing loss". And so we set up the appointment with the allergist. The urgent care dr says, "why are you messing around with this? I see some scar tissue in his left ear, go see an ENT." Back to his regular dr today, "Why would you want to put ear tubes in if they're not necessary? I don't see any scar tissue. When are you going to the allergist?" I know that Drs have conflicting opinions all the time, but after we go see the allergist and consider getting an opinion from an ENT, who are we supposed to follow? I know, I know, I'll pray about it--but we can't see the allergist for another 2 weeks and we should 'give it some time to work', right? In the meanwhile, I don't know if I should see an ENT or what.
Oh, and Ann, we're all about the probiotics--but we've usually just given them at the same time as antibiotics. Maybe we'll start that year round.
Poor kid was sicker than I'd ever seen him. After his middle of the night vomiting escapade, he woke up sooo sad and lethargic. He threw up the sips of sprite that Ben gave him and was just pitiful. He started running a moderate fever and just wanted to be held--which he NEVER wants. It was like he had narcolepsy, he kept falling asleep just sitting on either of us and I really started to worry about the lethargy. At one point he looked at me and said, "ear owie". And those were about the only words he said all day long. We couldn't get him into his regular Dr, so off we went to urgent care.
He had yet another double ear infection. Since he was vomiting and what not there was no option but to give him a shot of Rocephin. The dr also prescribed a couple of suppositories for Phenegran so that he could stop throwing up and get some pain and fever relief, too. We have to go back today and tomorrow to get the follow up shots of the antibiotic. When we got home from Urgent care we gave him the phenegran and a nice little sprite/motrin cocktail. He was ready for bed and slept for over 12 hours straight. (I kept checking on him, worried about that little booger all night!) He woke up a new man! Back to his old antics, etc.
So the debate: Before he got sick, we actually had an appointment with an allergist set up for yesterday. He gets so many ear infections despite elevating his mattress, daily doses of zyrtec, baby echinacea, etc, etc, etc. His regular dr (who is not a pediatrician) said "we don't do ear tubes anymore. Well, not unless there's evidence of hearing loss". And so we set up the appointment with the allergist. The urgent care dr says, "why are you messing around with this? I see some scar tissue in his left ear, go see an ENT." Back to his regular dr today, "Why would you want to put ear tubes in if they're not necessary? I don't see any scar tissue. When are you going to the allergist?" I know that Drs have conflicting opinions all the time, but after we go see the allergist and consider getting an opinion from an ENT, who are we supposed to follow? I know, I know, I'll pray about it--but we can't see the allergist for another 2 weeks and we should 'give it some time to work', right? In the meanwhile, I don't know if I should see an ENT or what.
Oh, and Ann, we're all about the probiotics--but we've usually just given them at the same time as antibiotics. Maybe we'll start that year round.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
I am soooo not cut out for this.
The nifty thing about blogger is that I can jump on between vomiting sessions and pour my heart out into my online journal without being bothered to find paper and pen. I always know where the computer is. Yeah, I'm sounding pretty stupid at 2:40 am.
James had a special April Fools joke for us tonight. Long story short: after being crazy and awake from 10:30 pm til 2am with no apparent explanation he started throwing up. I am proud to say that I was holding him at the time and used my body as a shield: I "caught" (um, and absorbed) all the vomit, with no need for floor cleaners, yeah!
We bathed him, I showered, we started laundry and now Ben is back to bed. I'm staying up on guard at least for a while. Don't worry, I already negotiated a great sleeping in time with Ben. The main thing I'm worried about is getting the bug. James and I have been "sharing" things all day, every day. Here's hopin...
James had a special April Fools joke for us tonight. Long story short: after being crazy and awake from 10:30 pm til 2am with no apparent explanation he started throwing up. I am proud to say that I was holding him at the time and used my body as a shield: I "caught" (um, and absorbed) all the vomit, with no need for floor cleaners, yeah!
We bathed him, I showered, we started laundry and now Ben is back to bed. I'm staying up on guard at least for a while. Don't worry, I already negotiated a great sleeping in time with Ben. The main thing I'm worried about is getting the bug. James and I have been "sharing" things all day, every day. Here's hopin...
Monday, March 31, 2008
As Seen on TV
Its normal to be skeptical of those "As seen on TV" products, right? I can say that I've never picked up the phone and ordered one (or two because IF YOU CALL NOW BUY 1 GET 1 FREE) of anything for sale on the tv. However, about 1 1/2 years ago we broke down and bought THE MAGIC BULLET, mostly because I thought the infomercial was so stinkin cool and we figured we could save a bundle on baby food. (Which we did! We pureed a lot of stuff for James, including favorites such as roast with potatoes and carrots, yum!) We continue to use the Magic Bullet almost daily for smoothies and such. It truly does occupy 'only the space a coffee cup would take up', which is important when we LITERALLY only have 1 foot x 2 feet of counter space. I do recommend this product! (We bought it at Target.)
Ok, so today I bought my second "as seen on TV" product and I LOVE IT MORE THAN THE MAGIC BULLET!!!! I went to Walgreens (the ultimate source of 'as seen on tv' items) this morning and on an impulse bought the PED EGG. I was a bit skeptical 'cause I've tried a lot of stuff on my oft callused feet. However, after a few minutes with this little gadget my feet are AWESOME! So soft and lovely! I am so exited that I can't stand it. I highly recommend it! One caveat: it is NOT mess free, as advertised. But, who cares? Small price to pay for super sexy summer sandal feet! :)
Ok, so today I bought my second "as seen on TV" product and I LOVE IT MORE THAN THE MAGIC BULLET!!!! I went to Walgreens (the ultimate source of 'as seen on tv' items) this morning and on an impulse bought the PED EGG. I was a bit skeptical 'cause I've tried a lot of stuff on my oft callused feet. However, after a few minutes with this little gadget my feet are AWESOME! So soft and lovely! I am so exited that I can't stand it. I highly recommend it! One caveat: it is NOT mess free, as advertised. But, who cares? Small price to pay for super sexy summer sandal feet! :)
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Home again!
We just got back from Texas--that's why I've been so lame on the blogging front. We enjoyed ourselves with family and friends and alligators. I don't want to post any pictures yet because I still need to get a bunch from my mom's camera. I know so many of you (um, like 2, maybe) will be breathless waiting to see our pics!
We took James to his first movie. I figured it couldn't be too bad with 4 adults there to keep one toddler in check. And since he's not two yet, he was free! The only animated movie out right now is "Horton hears a Who". My short, critcal, non-supported opinion: it was LAME. James was VERY nervous for the first 20 minutes or so because of a 'scary' preview for Ice Age 3. After he realized that he had a sprite and popcorn in his lap, he felt a lot better :) He paid attention to the whole movie, but in particular he totally fixated on Jojo. WHO KNOWS WHY? Everytime Jojo was in the scene he just kept repeating his name and whenever he wasn't in a scene he kept asking me, "Jojo go?" When the movie was all over he wasn't very happy about leaving and when we put him in the car he started WAILING for Jojo. And I mean sad, mournful wailing. He kept crying Jojo's name over and over and I thought, "That kid has never missed anyone that much." When we got home he was still so upset that I found a bunch of Jojo clips on youtube and played them for him over and over til I couldn't take it anymore. Then we distracted him with bubbles.
Bubbles are another major theme of this trip. My parents have a screened in back patio, and James would sucker each and everyone of us into blowing bubbles with him for hours and hours a day. The only thing that he loved more than bubbles was the garden. Particularly, grabbing handfuls of dirt and dropping them on top of each and every one of papa's plants. And his own head, etc. Which led to the other favorite activity: baths in the giant tub. The kid got a lot of baths.
We went to Brazos Bend state park so we could walk among the alligators. Its no zoo, people. Its walking along the swamp and please-keep-your-pets-on-leashes and children-close-to-you so we don't have an alligator tragedy park. I've been a few times over the course of my life and have seen a good number of gators, but this time we saw a GINORMOUS 15 footer. Right on the side of the path. I'll post a pic later. My mom and I went to get pics while Ben, James and my dad stayed way-the-heck-back. Then we turned around and went another way, thank you very much! There were others, but none of the rest were like this one.
We hid (read:threw all over the grass) eggs for James to collect on Saturday before Easter. He picked up the very first one and realized there was something in it (4 m&ms). He opened it and would not move until he had eaten the 4 m&ms. Then he moved on to the next one and would not move until he had eaten those 4 m&ms. Repeat, repeat, repeat. We had to put a stop to it eventually, but from then on, anytime he saw any kind of egg he would start yelling, "canny canny canny" until we could prove to him there was no candy.
We all had our fair share of seafood, barbeque, mexican food, Easter ham and Diet A&W rootbeer. We played a lot of cards with my parents and blew more and more bubbles. James became reaquainted with his cousins Allie, Chelsea, Aaron, Chyna, and Kasey. Also, his aunt Mel, aunt Candy and Uncle Darryl, whom he also called cousins. A good time was had by all.
But alas, here we are back in reality. Ben's back to school and I'm back to the 'stuff' I do. Actually James and I start swim lessons tomorrow and I'm really excited about that. I'm actually concerned that the lessons only last 30 minutes, though. They told me its because children lose interest after half an hour and I thought "WHATEVER! I am going to have to drag that 45 lb child out of the water every week for 8 weeks. Greeeaaaat!"
I hope all of you are well and happy. I'll post some pics as soon as I get the rest from my mama.
We took James to his first movie. I figured it couldn't be too bad with 4 adults there to keep one toddler in check. And since he's not two yet, he was free! The only animated movie out right now is "Horton hears a Who". My short, critcal, non-supported opinion: it was LAME. James was VERY nervous for the first 20 minutes or so because of a 'scary' preview for Ice Age 3. After he realized that he had a sprite and popcorn in his lap, he felt a lot better :) He paid attention to the whole movie, but in particular he totally fixated on Jojo. WHO KNOWS WHY? Everytime Jojo was in the scene he just kept repeating his name and whenever he wasn't in a scene he kept asking me, "Jojo go?" When the movie was all over he wasn't very happy about leaving and when we put him in the car he started WAILING for Jojo. And I mean sad, mournful wailing. He kept crying Jojo's name over and over and I thought, "That kid has never missed anyone that much." When we got home he was still so upset that I found a bunch of Jojo clips on youtube and played them for him over and over til I couldn't take it anymore. Then we distracted him with bubbles.
Bubbles are another major theme of this trip. My parents have a screened in back patio, and James would sucker each and everyone of us into blowing bubbles with him for hours and hours a day. The only thing that he loved more than bubbles was the garden. Particularly, grabbing handfuls of dirt and dropping them on top of each and every one of papa's plants. And his own head, etc. Which led to the other favorite activity: baths in the giant tub. The kid got a lot of baths.
We went to Brazos Bend state park so we could walk among the alligators. Its no zoo, people. Its walking along the swamp and please-keep-your-pets-on-leashes and children-close-to-you so we don't have an alligator tragedy park. I've been a few times over the course of my life and have seen a good number of gators, but this time we saw a GINORMOUS 15 footer. Right on the side of the path. I'll post a pic later. My mom and I went to get pics while Ben, James and my dad stayed way-the-heck-back. Then we turned around and went another way, thank you very much! There were others, but none of the rest were like this one.
We hid (read:threw all over the grass) eggs for James to collect on Saturday before Easter. He picked up the very first one and realized there was something in it (4 m&ms). He opened it and would not move until he had eaten the 4 m&ms. Then he moved on to the next one and would not move until he had eaten those 4 m&ms. Repeat, repeat, repeat. We had to put a stop to it eventually, but from then on, anytime he saw any kind of egg he would start yelling, "canny canny canny" until we could prove to him there was no candy.
We all had our fair share of seafood, barbeque, mexican food, Easter ham and Diet A&W rootbeer. We played a lot of cards with my parents and blew more and more bubbles. James became reaquainted with his cousins Allie, Chelsea, Aaron, Chyna, and Kasey. Also, his aunt Mel, aunt Candy and Uncle Darryl, whom he also called cousins. A good time was had by all.
But alas, here we are back in reality. Ben's back to school and I'm back to the 'stuff' I do. Actually James and I start swim lessons tomorrow and I'm really excited about that. I'm actually concerned that the lessons only last 30 minutes, though. They told me its because children lose interest after half an hour and I thought "WHATEVER! I am going to have to drag that 45 lb child out of the water every week for 8 weeks. Greeeaaaat!"
I hope all of you are well and happy. I'll post some pics as soon as I get the rest from my mama.
Friday, March 14, 2008
One Semester of Spanish - Love Song
I had to take ONE MINUTE in my crazy, crazy week (ben's phd exams- too much young women's stuff- lady I visit teach in an accident-leaving for tx in the am) to post this HILARIOUS VIDEO that Brett just sent to me. Que lo disfruten.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
You're just going to have to be ok with the fact that there are no pictures. He won't stay still for a picture. Wait, I do have one of him sleeping this week all wrapped up with his lovies. Here you go:
He's cute, huh? Even when he's sick. Again. Sigh. This time (another double ear infection) I asked the Dr. about ear tubes and she said, "ear tubes aren't really popular anymore, but let's send him to an allergist." This is good news, but I dread the thought of having his poor little back or arms being shot up. This is going to be a bowl of cherries. Sigh. In better news, we REALLY REALLY talked to our dr about how he vomits anything we put in his mouth and she called the pharmacist who recommended cefaclor and YEEHAW it hides very well in Mott's Mango Peach Applesauce. We are several days into it and he's taking it twice a day. What a huge relief!
In other news: I'm stupid. I'll be flying alone with James again this Saturday. Ben will join us later next week in Texas. I haven't been home for Easter since I was in High School. It should be lovely and humid.
In ESL news: I helped them through the VERY painful process of writing a paragraph about what they did last weekend. Some students volunteered to read what they had written and one lady reported that she had eaten at "Hopi". I didn't quite understand her so I asked her to repeat and then write it on the whiteboard. I had never heard of that restaurant and after some Q&A about menu offerings and location I realized that she was talking about "IHOP". All of the students wanted to know what that word meant and I had to expain that it was an Acronym. "What's an acronym?" Ok explain what it means. "What does IHOP stand for?" International House of Pancakes. "Why is it international? Do they accept other currencies? What do they serve? Why is a house made of pancakes? What is a pancake? I do not eat bacon. I do not eat sausage. I do not eat pork. I am a muslim. " AAAHH CALGON, seriously TAKE ME AWAY. I bet I could make some kind of money recording myself and posting it online. One of these days my boss is going to come in to observe me and its not going to be pretty.
Ben is going to teach my class for me next week when I am gone and I am seriously going to make him explain something like osmosis or how a bill becomes a law or whatever.
He's cute, huh? Even when he's sick. Again. Sigh. This time (another double ear infection) I asked the Dr. about ear tubes and she said, "ear tubes aren't really popular anymore, but let's send him to an allergist." This is good news, but I dread the thought of having his poor little back or arms being shot up. This is going to be a bowl of cherries. Sigh. In better news, we REALLY REALLY talked to our dr about how he vomits anything we put in his mouth and she called the pharmacist who recommended cefaclor and YEEHAW it hides very well in Mott's Mango Peach Applesauce. We are several days into it and he's taking it twice a day. What a huge relief!
In other news: I'm stupid. I'll be flying alone with James again this Saturday. Ben will join us later next week in Texas. I haven't been home for Easter since I was in High School. It should be lovely and humid.
In ESL news: I helped them through the VERY painful process of writing a paragraph about what they did last weekend. Some students volunteered to read what they had written and one lady reported that she had eaten at "Hopi". I didn't quite understand her so I asked her to repeat and then write it on the whiteboard. I had never heard of that restaurant and after some Q&A about menu offerings and location I realized that she was talking about "IHOP". All of the students wanted to know what that word meant and I had to expain that it was an Acronym. "What's an acronym?" Ok explain what it means. "What does IHOP stand for?" International House of Pancakes. "Why is it international? Do they accept other currencies? What do they serve? Why is a house made of pancakes? What is a pancake? I do not eat bacon. I do not eat sausage. I do not eat pork. I am a muslim. " AAAHH CALGON, seriously TAKE ME AWAY. I bet I could make some kind of money recording myself and posting it online. One of these days my boss is going to come in to observe me and its not going to be pretty.
Ben is going to teach my class for me next week when I am gone and I am seriously going to make him explain something like osmosis or how a bill becomes a law or whatever.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
33 Things that make life liveable
Ok, stealing ideas from karla and danalee. I present for your consideration 33 things that make my life liveable! I'm not talking loved ones, the gospel, or significant things here, I'm just naming things that I could live without, but I certainly wouldn't want to:
1. Washing machine. I've lived without one and I'm not saying "oh poor me I had to go to the laundrymat" I'm saying washing your clothes by hand on a rock or washboard totally stinks.
2. Dryer. Yeah, same as above, except I hate hanging clothes out to dry-I do not enjoy the smell my clothes get from hanging outdoors and I'm not into crunchy clothes either.
3. 75-90% off Sales at Dillards or anywhere for that matter. I almost always buy clothes off season and YES I HAVE A UNDER THE BED BOX FULL OF BABY GIRL CLOTHES.
4. Hand Sanitizer. I mostly use it in the car after I've been to the store, teaching or church. I use it on James, too. Ben humors me occasionally.
5. Clorox wipes. Mostly to clean up after raw meat (I won't use a kitchen sponge for that) and between major bathroom cleanings.
6. Paper towels. I am very wasteful when it comes to these and you can't make me stop. Not even my mom can make me stop.
7. Chick-fil-a. This is the best ff restaurant EVER. Except the quality is not-so-great outside of TEXAS!
8. Diet A&W root beer. The best tasting diet drink ever created.
9. Peanut Butter M&Ms.
10. James' nap time. 2-2 1/2 hours of peace--and a shower.
11. Nursery at Church. The is kind of a love hate relationship. I LOVE it and it keeps me from wanting to be less active. I hate it because I'm convinced that all of James' sickness comes from there. (yeah, he's sick again).
12. Heart Shaped pink frosted Valentine's cookies.
13. Easter Baskets.
14. Christmas Stockings.
15. Trial Sizes. I AM A TOTAL SUCKER for things that come in tiny little packages. They are soooo cute!
16. Dry erase markers. Very important for teachers and I HATE CHALK!
17. Graduations ceremonies. Yes, they may bore the life out of everyone else, but they make me so happy and almost emotional. I think about all the effort that all the people graduating put into all of their degrees and it's awesome!
18. Email. My lifeline to my loved ones far, far away.
19. Blogs. My lifeline to stalking my loved ones far, far away. Actually it's really weird because blogs almost give you a sense of intimacy. You know all these things about people but you never see them in person. It's kind of weird.
20. Cell phones. Reach out and touch someone.
21. Kitchenaid stand mixer. No, it's not named like danalee's but it rocks! I actually make it a point to wander around the kitchen while I'm mixing so I can think "look, I don't even have to be there". It was worth the saving and amassing of gift cards!
22. Pride and Predjudice. A&E version, nothing else will do. Hello Mr. Darcy!
23. Sound of Music. Probably my favorite movie of all time.
24. Walmart. Just not on the weekend.
25. Albertsons. Just the sale items. Actually, I love going there and so does James. Seriously, half of the employees know us (ok, james) by name and they spoil him and heap attention on him. Its soooo much better than going to walmart.
26. Online banking. My debit/occasional checking account is always balanced and I love it!
27. LOST. Yeah, the show. I don't ever remember liking any TV show this much.
28. Indoor plumbing. Important, but not nearly as important as a washer and dryer. I've lived without this too, and it's a pain in the butt. (ha ha ha ha ha) I would like to add toilet paper in here too. I lived with a family in very rural Mexico that wiped with the kids' old homework, school books, church records (I AM SO NOT KIDDING) etc. After a few weeks of that I made it a point to always bring toilet paper to them when I came back from the city.
29. Greeting cards. For any occasion! Someone actually sent me a Barmitzvah card once.
30. Water Cooler. I love having icy cold water and boiling hot water at my finger tips!
31. Naps/sleeping in. I love it when I can get the occasional nap, but I love it even more when I can sleep in. Thanks, Honey!
32. Lean Cuisine/Healthy Choice frozen meals. Lunch for the lazy.
33. Travel/flying. Love to do it--even sometimes with a toddler.
1. Washing machine. I've lived without one and I'm not saying "oh poor me I had to go to the laundrymat" I'm saying washing your clothes by hand on a rock or washboard totally stinks.
2. Dryer. Yeah, same as above, except I hate hanging clothes out to dry-I do not enjoy the smell my clothes get from hanging outdoors and I'm not into crunchy clothes either.
3. 75-90% off Sales at Dillards or anywhere for that matter. I almost always buy clothes off season and YES I HAVE A UNDER THE BED BOX FULL OF BABY GIRL CLOTHES.
4. Hand Sanitizer. I mostly use it in the car after I've been to the store, teaching or church. I use it on James, too. Ben humors me occasionally.
5. Clorox wipes. Mostly to clean up after raw meat (I won't use a kitchen sponge for that) and between major bathroom cleanings.
6. Paper towels. I am very wasteful when it comes to these and you can't make me stop. Not even my mom can make me stop.
7. Chick-fil-a. This is the best ff restaurant EVER. Except the quality is not-so-great outside of TEXAS!
8. Diet A&W root beer. The best tasting diet drink ever created.
9. Peanut Butter M&Ms.
10. James' nap time. 2-2 1/2 hours of peace--and a shower.
11. Nursery at Church. The is kind of a love hate relationship. I LOVE it and it keeps me from wanting to be less active. I hate it because I'm convinced that all of James' sickness comes from there. (yeah, he's sick again).
12. Heart Shaped pink frosted Valentine's cookies.
13. Easter Baskets.
14. Christmas Stockings.
15. Trial Sizes. I AM A TOTAL SUCKER for things that come in tiny little packages. They are soooo cute!
16. Dry erase markers. Very important for teachers and I HATE CHALK!
17. Graduations ceremonies. Yes, they may bore the life out of everyone else, but they make me so happy and almost emotional. I think about all the effort that all the people graduating put into all of their degrees and it's awesome!
18. Email. My lifeline to my loved ones far, far away.
19. Blogs. My lifeline to stalking my loved ones far, far away. Actually it's really weird because blogs almost give you a sense of intimacy. You know all these things about people but you never see them in person. It's kind of weird.
20. Cell phones. Reach out and touch someone.
21. Kitchenaid stand mixer. No, it's not named like danalee's but it rocks! I actually make it a point to wander around the kitchen while I'm mixing so I can think "look, I don't even have to be there". It was worth the saving and amassing of gift cards!
22. Pride and Predjudice. A&E version, nothing else will do. Hello Mr. Darcy!
23. Sound of Music. Probably my favorite movie of all time.
24. Walmart. Just not on the weekend.
25. Albertsons. Just the sale items. Actually, I love going there and so does James. Seriously, half of the employees know us (ok, james) by name and they spoil him and heap attention on him. Its soooo much better than going to walmart.
26. Online banking. My debit/occasional checking account is always balanced and I love it!
27. LOST. Yeah, the show. I don't ever remember liking any TV show this much.
28. Indoor plumbing. Important, but not nearly as important as a washer and dryer. I've lived without this too, and it's a pain in the butt. (ha ha ha ha ha) I would like to add toilet paper in here too. I lived with a family in very rural Mexico that wiped with the kids' old homework, school books, church records (I AM SO NOT KIDDING) etc. After a few weeks of that I made it a point to always bring toilet paper to them when I came back from the city.
29. Greeting cards. For any occasion! Someone actually sent me a Barmitzvah card once.
30. Water Cooler. I love having icy cold water and boiling hot water at my finger tips!
31. Naps/sleeping in. I love it when I can get the occasional nap, but I love it even more when I can sleep in. Thanks, Honey!
32. Lean Cuisine/Healthy Choice frozen meals. Lunch for the lazy.
33. Travel/flying. Love to do it--even sometimes with a toddler.
Monday, March 03, 2008
What could be better?
What could be better than having a happy child? At this point in his life, James is sooo easy to please and making him happy (DOES NOT = Spoiling him or buying him everything I see that I think he would like) is so rewarding. Yeah, he has his moments (namely wailing yesterday at church when I had to go get him down from the choir seats right before the meeting started) but overall, I'm loving the toddlerhood. He's just so funny and I love to see the little wheels in his GIANT head turning as he processes and associates things. Oh, I love that boy!
Besides tomatoes, rice, and Blue's Clues, James has two new obsessions:
1) "Steps" This would be anything from real stairs, a curb, a box turned over, ladders at the playground, etc. He chants "steps steps steps" and HAS TO CONQUER the object to be climbed. (thus his little church problem that happens all the time!) He gets very serious and finds some way to help himself up the 'steps'.
2) Slides or what he perceives as a 'slide'. Of course the real, tall slides at the playground are his fav, but sliding off the couch or even our car driving down a ramp will elicit "sliiiiiiiiide" from him. He often will climb up 'mount Ben' and then slide down.
When you combine the new two favorite things, you know that playground=heaven. We've taken him a few times in the last week and man he is ALL SERIOUS BUSINESS when we are there. He will not stop to take a drink or wave or whatever. He is a very serious little climber and slider. He is 100% engrossed in climbing and sliding the whole time we are there. When it is time to leave, it is soooooo sad. He says some very sad, moaning, "nooooooo" and starts to wail and cry big, fat tears. It is so sad as he reaches and says "sliiiiiide sliiiiiide" and cries some more. He doesn't get mean and tantrumy he just gets sooo sad. I hate it, but I can't justify living at the park while we are paying rent elsewhere.
Besides tomatoes, rice, and Blue's Clues, James has two new obsessions:
1) "Steps" This would be anything from real stairs, a curb, a box turned over, ladders at the playground, etc. He chants "steps steps steps" and HAS TO CONQUER the object to be climbed. (thus his little church problem that happens all the time!) He gets very serious and finds some way to help himself up the 'steps'.
2) Slides or what he perceives as a 'slide'. Of course the real, tall slides at the playground are his fav, but sliding off the couch or even our car driving down a ramp will elicit "sliiiiiiiiide" from him. He often will climb up 'mount Ben' and then slide down.
When you combine the new two favorite things, you know that playground=heaven. We've taken him a few times in the last week and man he is ALL SERIOUS BUSINESS when we are there. He will not stop to take a drink or wave or whatever. He is a very serious little climber and slider. He is 100% engrossed in climbing and sliding the whole time we are there. When it is time to leave, it is soooooo sad. He says some very sad, moaning, "nooooooo" and starts to wail and cry big, fat tears. It is so sad as he reaches and says "sliiiiiide sliiiiiide" and cries some more. He doesn't get mean and tantrumy he just gets sooo sad. I hate it, but I can't justify living at the park while we are paying rent elsewhere.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Another Haircut
I think I need to learn how to cut this little boy's hair. (And my big boy too, for that matter.) We cut his hair about a month ago and it was already shaggy city. He did very well for the cut and just laughed everytime the stylist touched him with the clippers. And no, I won't post EVERYTIME he gets a haircut. And yes, his dad IS a geek. And yes, I know the pics are too dark. I am in serious need of some photo help. It doesn't help that I can't take pics of James anymore without him running towards me and yelling, "babies babies babies" because he wants to see the 'babies' (meaning him) in the camera.
This was the before pic:
Monday, February 25, 2008
Where do I sign up to stop an Ebay addiction?
James loves Blue's Clues in the toddler/obssesive way. It's a deep and abiding commitment that only wavers in the face of tomatoes. I was thinking that it was sad that he loves them now--the show is no longer being made and therefore there are no more Blue's Clues products being sold in stores. And then I saw a commercial for Ebay.
In the past few days, I have bid on (and subsequently won) many a Blue's Clues item on ebay. Let's just say that soon we'll be in posession of everything he needs for his Easter basket, Birthday, Birthday Party, Flag Day, 4th of July, Christmas and possible High School Graduation with a Blue's Clues theme. We're talking personalized candy wrappers, dvds, a sleeping bag, toys, books, etc. Somebody has to stop me. Help. Ok, its not that bad. I got lots of the stuff for 99 cents plus shipping, so we're not talking about being financially irresponsible, we're talking about crazy lady on ebay.
In the past few days, I have bid on (and subsequently won) many a Blue's Clues item on ebay. Let's just say that soon we'll be in posession of everything he needs for his Easter basket, Birthday, Birthday Party, Flag Day, 4th of July, Christmas and possible High School Graduation with a Blue's Clues theme. We're talking personalized candy wrappers, dvds, a sleeping bag, toys, books, etc. Somebody has to stop me. Help. Ok, its not that bad. I got lots of the stuff for 99 cents plus shipping, so we're not talking about being financially irresponsible, we're talking about crazy lady on ebay.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
I had to explain diarrhea to my ESL class yesterday(We were going over vocabulary you would use at a Dr's office). Yeah, the spanish speaking students recognized the word, but the students who speak the other 6 languages in the class did not. I am so glad no one is recording my words nor my actions in class.
In other ESL happenings--yesterday a male student declared that for Spring Break he was, "going to the BEACH". This caused several of the ladies in the back to gasp and give him quite the evil eye. I asked them what was wrong with going to the beach and basically it all came down to this: they thought he said that he was going to the "b****". Truthfully, it was funny. Before I knew it they were asking me to write both words on the board, trying to pronounce them, telling Father Rene to 'close his ears', etc. I did NOT humor all of their requests-other than writing both words on the board for comparison and teaching them about certain vowel sounds, etc. Once again, good thing no one is recording me.
Speaking of recording things though, I have to make a secret confession: I am totally stalking the readers of my blog. I haven't wanted to let on, but I figure that everyone should have the joy of seeing all the stats of who visits their blog, when, where, why, how, etc. A waaaayyy old friend of mine, Brett, told me about statcounter.com. Its a free service that gives you an HTML code to put on your blog, and in turn you go to their website to see the IP address, city/state, time visited, pages visited, etc., of whoever is visiting your blog. Its way cool! I can usually recognize who it is simply because I know where most of my friends live, you know. But a lot of times people will stumble on your blog from someone else's blog or after doing a search and it tells you that, too! Anyway, maybe this is old news for a lot of you. If it's not, happy stalking :) Now you'll know that I hit everyone's blogs about 2x a day!
In other ESL happenings--yesterday a male student declared that for Spring Break he was, "going to the BEACH". This caused several of the ladies in the back to gasp and give him quite the evil eye. I asked them what was wrong with going to the beach and basically it all came down to this: they thought he said that he was going to the "b****"
Speaking of recording things though, I have to make a secret confession: I am totally stalking the readers of my blog. I haven't wanted to let on, but I figure that everyone should have the joy of seeing all the stats of who visits their blog, when, where, why, how, etc. A waaaayyy old friend of mine, Brett, told me about statcounter.com. Its a free service that gives you an HTML code to put on your blog, and in turn you go to their website to see the IP address, city/state, time visited, pages visited, etc., of whoever is visiting your blog. Its way cool! I can usually recognize who it is simply because I know where most of my friends live, you know. But a lot of times people will stumble on your blog from someone else's blog or after doing a search and it tells you that, too! Anyway, maybe this is old news for a lot of you. If it's not, happy stalking :) Now you'll know that I hit everyone's blogs about 2x a day!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Five Food Groups...
...according to James are 1) Tomatoes 2) Dry Cereal 3) Tator Tots
4)Rice 5) Chips and Salsa.
He is still feeling a little bit delicate after last weeks GI problems, so we're trying to keep him on a safer diet. Last night, I realized that he had requested and eaten Mexican rice for 3 out of the 5 past meals so I reluctantly gave him a few cherry tomatoes. He ate them in probably 1 minute and said, holding up his pointer finger, "one mo". It's too funny, he will hold up that little finger and say 'one mo(re)' when he wants more of anything from another episode of blue's clues to another spin around the room. It's hard to resist.
I really didn't want him to have any more tomatoes (thinking of his poor stomach) and so I tried to distract him with other options. I'm probably going to mommy he** for this conversation:
James: One mo
Me: (ignoring his request)
James: One mo
Me: Do you want green beans?
James: Matoes!
Me: Do you want juice?
James: One mo. Matoes.
Me: Do you want a cookie?
James: Cookie! (Takes a bite, puts it down.) Matoes! One mo.
Me: Do you want a popsicle?
James: Matoes.
Me: Ok, One more. (I get him 2 little cherry tomatoes)
James: (eats them in 2 seconds) One mo!
Me: Do you want to watch Blue's clues?
James: No! Matoes!
This went on for a while until I could convince him to get out of his high chair and soon after Ben gave him a bath, which is a very happy alternative to all the things I tried to do/give. All that to keep my poor child from eating 'matoes.
4)Rice 5) Chips and Salsa.
He is still feeling a little bit delicate after last weeks GI problems, so we're trying to keep him on a safer diet. Last night, I realized that he had requested and eaten Mexican rice for 3 out of the 5 past meals so I reluctantly gave him a few cherry tomatoes. He ate them in probably 1 minute and said, holding up his pointer finger, "one mo". It's too funny, he will hold up that little finger and say 'one mo(re)' when he wants more of anything from another episode of blue's clues to another spin around the room. It's hard to resist.
I really didn't want him to have any more tomatoes (thinking of his poor stomach) and so I tried to distract him with other options. I'm probably going to mommy he** for this conversation:
James: One mo
Me: (ignoring his request)
James: One mo
Me: Do you want green beans?
James: Matoes!
Me: Do you want juice?
James: One mo. Matoes.
Me: Do you want a cookie?
James: Cookie! (Takes a bite, puts it down.) Matoes! One mo.
Me: Do you want a popsicle?
James: Matoes.
Me: Ok, One more. (I get him 2 little cherry tomatoes)
James: (eats them in 2 seconds) One mo!
Me: Do you want to watch Blue's clues?
James: No! Matoes!
This went on for a while until I could convince him to get out of his high chair and soon after Ben gave him a bath, which is a very happy alternative to all the things I tried to do/give. All that to keep my poor child from eating 'matoes.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Mmm, the cheesiest!
I don't know why we keep neglecting to take pictures when my mom and dad are around. Here's a few of my mom drawing things for James and James practicing his cheesiest smiles. We never coached him to do that, where the heck does it come from?
Notice the poor, neglected horse in the background? James got it for Christmas and he really couldn't care less that it exists. Its taking up precious space in our living room and I'd like to get rid of it if he's never going to use it but I can't bear to part with it! Ben keeps telling me that maybe he'll use it when he gets older. In the meanwhile its a monumental waste of space!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day!
Nothing says, "I love you" like a house full of vomit. James and Ben send each of you their love, but not their illness. I think we'll save the presents and treats for another day!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
First, my apologies to the R.S., Kelly, Annette, Karla, Melody and my inlaws who all sent lovely cards! Yeah! Second, I really did love the emails and ecards and phone calls! Thank you! Third, I'm still old :)
Yesterday we had our ESL Valentine's party. We did everything from talk about the history of VD (that would be Valentine's day, not a social disease!) to writing about the people we love to eating to playing games. It was awesome! Some of the students wanted to contribute, and the highlight were the spring rolls/egg rolls that the Vietnamese bro/sis brought. They were soooo good. I did have to ask them what meat was in them--I needed to prewarn my muslim students about pork stuff. My mom and dad were here for a few days over the weekend and my mom helped me make about a million decorated heart shaped sugar cookies, homemade heart suckers, chocolate dipped strawberries and treat bags. (my dad played with James and tried to spoil him rotten and teach him words like "mine!") The students were so excited and appreciative and all the work was definitely worth it.
The best part of the party (IMO) was when we played, "Honey I love you but I just can't smile". Does anybody remember that game? Anyway, I taught them how to play and ohmygosh it was the funniest thing you have ever seen. Remember, I've got 18-85 year olds and 8 different countries represented. And a Catholic priest. (Who, by the way, was really excited to receive the SpongeBob valentine I gave him! ha ha ha ha ha!) They were trying to be really creative to get each other to smile and laugh-dancing, singing, funny faces, etc. It was way more entertaining than playing with a group of kids.
Like I mentioned above, my mom and dad were here for a few days and left yesterday. We played cards every night after James went to bed, made lots of treats for my class, spoiled James and hung out. The sum total of their touristy moments were buying more vanilla and pecans and visiting walmart. Yeah, we're THAT exciting.
James is sicky again. Not really sure what it is, but I do know that if you eat red fruit snacks and then throw up, it stains the carpet. So far no luck with resolve OR oxyclean. If there are any suggestions out there, I'd be happy to hear them!
Yesterday we had our ESL Valentine's party. We did everything from talk about the history of VD (that would be Valentine's day, not a social disease!) to writing about the people we love to eating to playing games. It was awesome! Some of the students wanted to contribute, and the highlight were the spring rolls/egg rolls that the Vietnamese bro/sis brought. They were soooo good. I did have to ask them what meat was in them--I needed to prewarn my muslim students about pork stuff. My mom and dad were here for a few days over the weekend and my mom helped me make about a million decorated heart shaped sugar cookies, homemade heart suckers, chocolate dipped strawberries and treat bags. (my dad played with James and tried to spoil him rotten and teach him words like "mine!") The students were so excited and appreciative and all the work was definitely worth it.
The best part of the party (IMO) was when we played, "Honey I love you but I just can't smile". Does anybody remember that game? Anyway, I taught them how to play and ohmygosh it was the funniest thing you have ever seen. Remember, I've got 18-85 year olds and 8 different countries represented. And a Catholic priest. (Who, by the way, was really excited to receive the SpongeBob valentine I gave him! ha ha ha ha ha!) They were trying to be really creative to get each other to smile and laugh-dancing, singing, funny faces, etc. It was way more entertaining than playing with a group of kids.
Like I mentioned above, my mom and dad were here for a few days and left yesterday. We played cards every night after James went to bed, made lots of treats for my class, spoiled James and hung out. The sum total of their touristy moments were buying more vanilla and pecans and visiting walmart. Yeah, we're THAT exciting.
James is sicky again. Not really sure what it is, but I do know that if you eat red fruit snacks and then throw up, it stains the carpet. So far no luck with resolve OR oxyclean. If there are any suggestions out there, I'd be happy to hear them!
Friday, February 08, 2008
What did I ever do without an Ipod?
Ok, so the birthday fairy (um, Ben) brought me an ipod for my birthday on Tuesday! (oh, you missed it? If you are feeling badly, 1800 flowers.com is always open!) Anyway, I feel like I'm a teenager again and that I actually have a cool toy! Seriously, who has time to mess with CDs? The only problem is that I asked for a 4GB one-that should be big enough, right? No way, I'm sad that I can't fit much of my music on it. But its soooo stinkin cool. Ben even bought me different headphones since my ears are stupid and can't use the regular ones! And the most adorable pink case in the world! I love it!
In other birthday news: I'm old.
I got plenty of birthday greetings via email and phone, but is it terrible and selfish for me to say that I'm sad that the only physical, tangible cards I got in the mail were from 1)Southwest airlines 2)My insurance agent 3)My chiropractor and 4) My dentist. Well, I guess they'll keep gettting my business! Yes, I love technology, but cards from loved ones make me giddy!
I had to teach on my birthday so I decided to make and take some cupcakes to my students and talk about birthdays for a bit. Yes, I made them from a box, DanaLee. A lot of the students really loved them, especially the lady from Russia. She asked for the recipe and I told her I would bring 'it' on Friday. So today I took her a box of Betty Crocker Cake mix, told her where she could find more in Walmart and that they were about a buck. She was VERY excited. I'm going to have a valentine's party with them on Tuesday of next week, and I think it will be very fun to show them (and give them) everything from Conversation hearts to heart shaped sugar cookies to Spongebob valentines. I'll report on it next week!
In other birthday news: I'm old.
I got plenty of birthday greetings via email and phone, but is it terrible and selfish for me to say that I'm sad that the only physical, tangible cards I got in the mail were from 1)Southwest airlines 2)My insurance agent 3)My chiropractor and 4) My dentist. Well, I guess they'll keep gettting my business! Yes, I love technology, but cards from loved ones make me giddy!
I had to teach on my birthday so I decided to make and take some cupcakes to my students and talk about birthdays for a bit. Yes, I made them from a box, DanaLee. A lot of the students really loved them, especially the lady from Russia. She asked for the recipe and I told her I would bring 'it' on Friday. So today I took her a box of Betty Crocker Cake mix, told her where she could find more in Walmart and that they were about a buck. She was VERY excited. I'm going to have a valentine's party with them on Tuesday of next week, and I think it will be very fun to show them (and give them) everything from Conversation hearts to heart shaped sugar cookies to Spongebob valentines. I'll report on it next week!
Bad pics are still pics, right?
Despite all my best efforts, this is all we could get out of James. I thought he looked really cute so I tried to get some pics and they are baaaaaad! Mostly due to photograper error!
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
JUST SOME of my favorite sad songs of ALL TIME. I can't say much about the videos, but I love the songs.
Don Henley, The heart of the matter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FglsDQguWow
Level 42, Leaving me now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jra1nGY8gws
Gianluca Grignani: Mi historia entre tus dedos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrgYlGWj9Qg
Don Henley, The heart of the matter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FglsDQguWow
Level 42, Leaving me now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jra1nGY8gws
Gianluca Grignani: Mi historia entre tus dedos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrgYlGWj9Qg
Mana: No ha parado de llover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7k7s2gvHbE
Enjoy! And don't be too terribly weepy!
Sunday, February 03, 2008
The weekend
Usually our Friday night 'date night' consists of one of us going to pick up take out and we all hang out at home until James goes to bed and then we'll play a game or watch a movie or whatever. Once a month or so we'll get a babysitter and go out and that is soooo nice. This Friday night we decided to be brave and take James out with us to dinner. We braced for the worst... but he did sooooo well! We went to Chili's and he was so happy to get crayons and a paper menu. We ordered chips and salsa because that is seriously one of his favorite foods. He sat there and happily dipped his chips and ate tons of salsa while the ladies at the next table just oohed and aahed at his adorable self sitting there in a high chair helping himself to the good stuff.
When our meals came he acted as if this is what we do everyday-he ate his chicken and dipped his fries and kept it up for the longest time. We actually got to enjoy our meals and not have him yelling, "Done! Down! Done! Down!" It was a fun time for all of us and we were so proud of him. (then we got home and he threw some sort of major fit because he wanted to watch Blue's Clues.)
Finally, Saturday night I scheduled a block of 'uninterruped' time to watch the season opener of "LOST" that we had recorded. I am seriously addicted to that show. I know which ones of you out there are adicted right with me and those who are disappointed in me liking such a show. Its totally a love/hate relationship... I can't WAIT til it comes on, and then everytime its over, I look at Ben and yell, "I HATE THIS SHOW". I get sooo frustrated because 'not enough happens' but I am back every week for more! I am also ticked that the writer's strike has made it so there will only be 8 episodes this season. Sigh. I guess that's what I get for being worldly. But seriously, its the ONLY show I watch on TV besides the news and Nick jr.
Today in Sunday School, the teacher was talking about Jerusalem around 600 BC and how wicked everyone was. He said, and I QUOTE "They were comitting adultery, idolatry, obesity" I seriously almost choked on my spit I was trying so hard not to laugh. Man, if they were wicked for 'committing obesity' I am sooooooooo going to outer darkness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When our meals came he acted as if this is what we do everyday-he ate his chicken and dipped his fries and kept it up for the longest time. We actually got to enjoy our meals and not have him yelling, "Done! Down! Done! Down!" It was a fun time for all of us and we were so proud of him. (then we got home and he threw some sort of major fit because he wanted to watch Blue's Clues.)
Finally, Saturday night I scheduled a block of 'uninterruped' time to watch the season opener of "LOST" that we had recorded. I am seriously addicted to that show. I know which ones of you out there are adicted right with me and those who are disappointed in me liking such a show. Its totally a love/hate relationship... I can't WAIT til it comes on, and then everytime its over, I look at Ben and yell, "I HATE THIS SHOW". I get sooo frustrated because 'not enough happens' but I am back every week for more! I am also ticked that the writer's strike has made it so there will only be 8 episodes this season. Sigh. I guess that's what I get for being worldly. But seriously, its the ONLY show I watch on TV besides the news and Nick jr.
Today in Sunday School, the teacher was talking about Jerusalem around 600 BC and how wicked everyone was. He said, and I QUOTE "They were comitting adultery, idolatry, obesity" I seriously almost choked on my spit I was trying so hard not to laugh. Man, if they were wicked for 'committing obesity' I am sooooooooo going to outer darkness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, February 01, 2008
Here and there
My ESL class is soooo cool! I know I raved about it before, but the combination of people is so diverse that it makes me laugh. Today, almost as if to complete the comedy, I got a new student: a catholic priest from Mexico City. We he introduced himself as a priest (he was wearing street clothes) a couple of ladies in the back crossed themselves. I wonder if we'll have the kind of conversations that happened last semester... :) From the 18 year old Russian girl to the 85 year old Chinese man and everyone in the middle, you gotta watch out for a lot of confusion!
James is doing a lot better, though I really don't feel the urge to take him back to church (meaning nursery) ever again. Would it be wrong if I walked into the nursery with a bottle of "Clorox anywhere spray" and hosed down the toys? I'd probably get kicked out, oooh, or maybe they'd make me the nursery leader and I could disinfect the world and the ward and teach the kids about handwashing hahahahahahah! Note to self and others: the fabulous antibiotic shot does cause all kinds of gastric disturbances. If you don't know what I mean, you don't want to know...
James is doing a lot better, though I really don't feel the urge to take him back to church (meaning nursery) ever again. Would it be wrong if I walked into the nursery with a bottle of "Clorox anywhere spray" and hosed down the toys? I'd probably get kicked out, oooh, or maybe they'd make me the nursery leader and I could disinfect the world and the ward and teach the kids about handwashing hahahahahahah! Note to self and others: the fabulous antibiotic shot does cause all kinds of gastric disturbances. If you don't know what I mean, you don't want to know...
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