What on Earth is going on in my house today???
Halloween has been over for a week. Daylight savings ended today -- so we actually GAINED an hour. I've been trying to be pleasant all day. But
each of my children are acting as if they are going to spontaneously combust today!
Nels went to work this morning at 6:30. I got up early and got ready before the girls got up. - We were off to a good start. I got all five of us ready and we made it to church before the Sacrament was passed. All four girls acted like maniacs during Sacrament Meeting. Crawling all over the chairs, under the chairs, talking full-voiced, squealing, whining, bothering. We finally made it through but Violet whined all during Sunday School and wouldn't take a nap. I finally stepped out into the hallway to try to get her to sleep as Relief Society started. She did, thank goodness! Lilie needed to give the scripture in Primary today. With Nels gone, I got to help her, while holding Violet. I step up to help her and she starts grabbing the microphone, making weird noises and kneeling down so that no one can see her. I semi-wrestle her (while holding my sleeping baby) to get her to stand up and let go of the microphone - telling her that it's her turn to share the scripture and I'll help her. I finally hand off my baby to my friend, but Lilie still won't stand up straight and refuses to talk. Lovely. I just said the scripture for her and carried her into the hall to talk to her. She starts crying. My friend brings Violet out as well, who is now awake and starting to whimper because I'm not holding her. We get through church and walk out to the parking lot, while Hazel is asking why I won't let her go into the gym to run and play. All three of the older girls whine all the way home. We get here, they keep whining. Now Lilie is bawling like a maniac in Elsie's bedroom because I put her in there until she stops crying about nothing.
We've only been home for 45 minutes!!!
{{sigh}}
Man, these days don't come very often, but I sure don't like them when they do.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Let it be known . . .
. . . I am not, nor have I ever been a weenie. However.
Today.
As I was screeching talking to Nels on the phone
I realized that I sounded like a hysterical Lilie.
And I couldn't help myself.
Nor did I care.
Here I was, at my computer. Minding my own business and talking to the optometrist's secretary on the phone, when I glance up to see a small, dark shape streak from behind my bedroom door and scurry down my hall and into the kitchen!
AHHHhhhh!
Enter this guy . . .
What??!! Oh no you didn't! just run down my hall!
(Luckily I was on hold, as what came out of my mouth would have sounded very strange to the secretary.)
I quickly finished my business on the phone and went directly to get a mouse trap. I can't have MICE running through the house with my little children crawling on the floor! No mice in my house. It's a standing rule.
I immediately set it with some peanut butter and put it next to the dishwasher. I called Nels to make sure that peanut butter was the best choice and figured that I'd just go downstairs and if Mr. Mouse actually came out and got trapped before Nels got home, well, he could just wait and die and I wouldn't have to see it.
NO!
As I was talking to Nels on the phone, that stupid mouse came right out from under the dishwasher WHILE I WAS STILL STANDING 3 FEET AWAY!! and started eating it!!!!
Enter hysterical little girl screaming/talking.
Long story a little bit shorter, as I am screeching in Nels's ear, the trap goes off. I try to convince Nels that he needs to drive the 15 minutes home from work to pick it up and put it in the garbage can. --- (Because, after all, I'VE SEEN NELS KILL A MOUSE WITH HIS BARE HAND BEFORE!!!)
He won't come.
I resolve to just leave it there -- but am secretly thinking that I might ask Lilie to cover it with a piece of paper or something. You know, because what if it's brains are squished out or something???!!!! When all of a sudden Lilie, who has been attracted by my hysterics says that it's not in the trap and it's MOVING!!! I then decided that while it was still stunned, I'd let Gertie in and she could just eat it. After all, she catches mice all the time (and leaves them dying in the grass or on my back doorstep). However, because I'm acting so crazy and talking so loud, she runs away from me and won't come back.
Therefore.
If I am to save my family from a bloody mouse running all over my house, I must take care of it myself ----- with the assistance of Lilie.
A broom, a dustpan, a lot of screaming (from me and none from Lilie), to the backyard garbage can, to remembering that the garbages are in the front yard, with a live mouse skittering around in the dustpan!!! {{sigh}} He is gone.
Well. Technically he is still alive, but now trapped in my garbage can. Where he will die a sad and hot, long and hopefully agonizing death. Thank you.
And I saved all my family from the plague.
Thank you very much.
No thanks to this guy ---
Who just wanted to put me on speakerphone for all the guys in his office.
Today.
As I was screeching talking to Nels on the phone
I realized that I sounded like a hysterical Lilie.
And I couldn't help myself.
Nor did I care.
Here I was, at my computer. Minding my own business and talking to the optometrist's secretary on the phone, when I glance up to see a small, dark shape streak from behind my bedroom door and scurry down my hall and into the kitchen!
AHHHhhhh!
Enter this guy . . .
What??!! Oh no you didn't! just run down my hall!
(Luckily I was on hold, as what came out of my mouth would have sounded very strange to the secretary.)
I quickly finished my business on the phone and went directly to get a mouse trap. I can't have MICE running through the house with my little children crawling on the floor! No mice in my house. It's a standing rule.
I immediately set it with some peanut butter and put it next to the dishwasher. I called Nels to make sure that peanut butter was the best choice and figured that I'd just go downstairs and if Mr. Mouse actually came out and got trapped before Nels got home, well, he could just wait and die and I wouldn't have to see it.
NO!
As I was talking to Nels on the phone, that stupid mouse came right out from under the dishwasher WHILE I WAS STILL STANDING 3 FEET AWAY!! and started eating it!!!!
Enter hysterical little girl screaming/talking.
Long story a little bit shorter, as I am screeching in Nels's ear, the trap goes off. I try to convince Nels that he needs to drive the 15 minutes home from work to pick it up and put it in the garbage can. --- (Because, after all, I'VE SEEN NELS KILL A MOUSE WITH HIS BARE HAND BEFORE!!!)
He won't come.
I resolve to just leave it there -- but am secretly thinking that I might ask Lilie to cover it with a piece of paper or something. You know, because what if it's brains are squished out or something???!!!! When all of a sudden Lilie, who has been attracted by my hysterics says that it's not in the trap and it's MOVING!!! I then decided that while it was still stunned, I'd let Gertie in and she could just eat it. After all, she catches mice all the time (and leaves them dying in the grass or on my back doorstep). However, because I'm acting so crazy and talking so loud, she runs away from me and won't come back.
Therefore.
If I am to save my family from a bloody mouse running all over my house, I must take care of it myself ----- with the assistance of Lilie.
A broom, a dustpan, a lot of screaming (from me and none from Lilie), to the backyard garbage can, to remembering that the garbages are in the front yard, with a live mouse skittering around in the dustpan!!! {{sigh}} He is gone.
Well. Technically he is still alive, but now trapped in my garbage can. Where he will die a sad and hot, long and hopefully agonizing death. Thank you.
And I saved all my family from the plague.
Thank you very much.
No thanks to this guy ---
Who just wanted to put me on speakerphone for all the guys in his office.
San Diego 1: Sea World
FINALLY! I'm recording our wonderful, wonderful vacation! Hopefully I can remember some of it after being home for several weeks now. :)
Our little ladies have been asking for YEARS to go to Sea World. You would think that with as young as they are, "years" would be an exaggeration, but I can honestly say, it is not. Lilie in particular has been asking since she was at least three. Our girls have an incredible fascination with dolphins and killer whales. What better place could there be than Sea World? You all know that no one is going to have to twist my arm to go see some of the most amazing aquariums in the world and Nels was just happy to be going to the ocean and away from work. :)
Hazel's school had the entire week from October 11-15 off of school for their Fall Break. It seemed like a perfect time to pull Lilie out of school and head to California. Nels needed to work that Monday, but was able to steal away early. We packed the van to the brim and headed off at about 3 in the afternoon. We stopped for a breather at my sister Wendie's house in Kaysville, where she very graciously fed us dinner before heading out again to make it to Las Vegas at about 2:30 in the morning! We took what seemed to be a very brief pit stop in Vegas --- with our kids entirely waking up as we got into the hotel and then an uncomfortable few hours' sleep with a hard pillow and a squirmy baby in bed with Nels and me (when in doubt, just bite the bullet and bring the port-a-crib into the hotel!).
The next morning, we made it to San Diego by about 4:00 in the afternoon. Our kids did a pretty good job throughout the drive, but we were so happy to be there and to be able to smell the ocean! We got checked in to our hotel, which the kids thought was the "best hotel ever!" :) We'd gotten a suite that had a kitchen, a sofa sleeper, and a separate bedroom with a king bed. :) It was heavenly. :) After getting situated and making dinner, we decided to make a quick trip down to the beach. In so doing, we also found that California is not the same as Utah, or even Idaho for that matter, and even if you know the direction that something is located in, it does NOT necessarily mean that you will be able to GET THERE without directions. :) It's amazing to me that finding something as big as, say, the OCEAN, is difficult. :) We finally made it down to the beach as is was getting really dark. We walked out onto the beach, let the water lap up to our knees, and Lilie promptly lost her flip-flop to the tide. :)
Wednesday we got up bright and early and after a brief stop at the beach, we made it to SEA WORLD.
We also had a great time at the dolphin interaction pool. The dolphins can swim right up where you can pet them and watch them. They are very playful animals and not ones to take splashing lightly. :) As we were watching, a girl in front of us flicked a bit of water at one as he swam by. Before we could blink, he'd turned back and splashed an entire tail-full straight at Lilie, Violet, and me. :)
There are so many wonderful things to see! It would be great to be able to spend an entire day at each exhibit. :) We loved the sharks, the fish, the sea lions, . . . Everything was just so amazing.
We all had a great time at this exhibit (well, except for Elsie who ran away at one point to go see the eels by herself :), but Hazel especially loved the rays.
Our little ladies have been asking for YEARS to go to Sea World. You would think that with as young as they are, "years" would be an exaggeration, but I can honestly say, it is not. Lilie in particular has been asking since she was at least three. Our girls have an incredible fascination with dolphins and killer whales. What better place could there be than Sea World? You all know that no one is going to have to twist my arm to go see some of the most amazing aquariums in the world and Nels was just happy to be going to the ocean and away from work. :)
Hazel's school had the entire week from October 11-15 off of school for their Fall Break. It seemed like a perfect time to pull Lilie out of school and head to California. Nels needed to work that Monday, but was able to steal away early. We packed the van to the brim and headed off at about 3 in the afternoon. We stopped for a breather at my sister Wendie's house in Kaysville, where she very graciously fed us dinner before heading out again to make it to Las Vegas at about 2:30 in the morning! We took what seemed to be a very brief pit stop in Vegas --- with our kids entirely waking up as we got into the hotel and then an uncomfortable few hours' sleep with a hard pillow and a squirmy baby in bed with Nels and me (when in doubt, just bite the bullet and bring the port-a-crib into the hotel!).
The next morning, we made it to San Diego by about 4:00 in the afternoon. Our kids did a pretty good job throughout the drive, but we were so happy to be there and to be able to smell the ocean! We got checked in to our hotel, which the kids thought was the "best hotel ever!" :) We'd gotten a suite that had a kitchen, a sofa sleeper, and a separate bedroom with a king bed. :) It was heavenly. :) After getting situated and making dinner, we decided to make a quick trip down to the beach. In so doing, we also found that California is not the same as Utah, or even Idaho for that matter, and even if you know the direction that something is located in, it does NOT necessarily mean that you will be able to GET THERE without directions. :) It's amazing to me that finding something as big as, say, the OCEAN, is difficult. :) We finally made it down to the beach as is was getting really dark. We walked out onto the beach, let the water lap up to our knees, and Lilie promptly lost her flip-flop to the tide. :)
Wednesday we got up bright and early and after a brief stop at the beach, we made it to SEA WORLD.
Our first stop was the dolphin show. We absolutely loved everything at Sea World, but the dolphins we definitely a favorite!
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| "So long, and thanks for all the fish!" |
We also had a great time at the dolphin interaction pool. The dolphins can swim right up where you can pet them and watch them. They are very playful animals and not ones to take splashing lightly. :) As we were watching, a girl in front of us flicked a bit of water at one as he swam by. Before we could blink, he'd turned back and splashed an entire tail-full straight at Lilie, Violet, and me. :)
Vi got the worst of it with her soaked onesie, but she was still in high spirits. :) I wish I could claim that the water was the only thing that made my hair look a bit . . . unkempt :), but while humidity can do beautiful things for many people with curly hair, all it does for mine and my children's is undo all the work that I did with the straightener that morning. :)
Don't they just look so happy?! :)
The Shamu show was a lot of fun and we all loved it, but as far a the killer whales went, I think even more than the show, I liked standing on their viewing deck and watching them swim around their pools. Those beautiful animals swim with such incredible grace and agility. I honestly think I could just sit and watch them swim for hours on end. :)
There are so many wonderful things to see! It would be great to be able to spend an entire day at each exhibit. :) We loved the sharks, the fish, the sea lions, . . . Everything was just so amazing.
We all had a great time at this exhibit (well, except for Elsie who ran away at one point to go see the eels by herself :), but Hazel especially loved the rays.
It was, all in all, a fabulous day with lots of walking and even more wonderful memories with our sweet little children!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Little Bummy!
I love this little bummy! :)
Violet is such a good and happy baby. She is learning and growing so much every single day and she continues to bring so much peace and joy into our family. She is just such a pleasant little bug.
Well. Except for the fact that she really doesn't like teething. She is finally working on getting some more teeth. She's been doing this for at least two and a half weeks or so. Last weekend Nels was out of town and I had both a Relief Society "crafty" activity and it was my turn to teach on Sunday. Violet wouldn't go to another person without screaming her beautiful little head off. Sunday I broke down and decided that she'd just have to cry it out at my friend Stefanie's house rather than in my arms while teaching. Poor baby. Stef was a champ and said that she was really very good up until the last 15 minutes or so. (I love you Stef! Thank you SO much!)
Thankfully, even though her teeth have yet to break through, the last few days she seems to have been feeling much better.
She is a very fast crawler, she sits and pulls up well, she occasionally stands! for a few moments on her own, and she also fairly consistently says "mamamama" "dadadada" and "babababa" about the correct objects. :) Meaning: Mama when she's sad, Dada when she's happy, and Baba when she's hungry or tired. :)
She is such an angel and we all love her to pieces.
Just can't get enough of that cute little bummy!
Monday, November 1, 2010
This and That
This past month has been crazy busy! Between birthdays, getting ready for vacation, Nels's crazy work schedule, Nels being out of town, school, vacationing, Halloween, parties, cleaning, getting the house and yard ready for the cold weather, and just life in general, it seems as if we've been running constantly. However, I'm now going to attempt to catch up on my sweet little bloggy.
This post is just a bunch of random pictures that have been waiting patiently to be shared.
With the exception of this last week, we've been blessed with a really lovely Fall. Temperatures have been gorgeous and we've also had some really nice rainy days, complete with amazing double rainbows in the late afternoon. Above is the view out my bedroom window on one such day about a month ago.
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| Mel, the Goldwing, and the iMac. :) |
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