Well, I have unofficially joined all of the wives out there that are part-time single moms. Yes, I'm talking about women whose husbands travel. Michael called me today to give me the "good" news. Next week, he'll be gone for just one day to California. Then in another few weeks, he'll be going to Germany for a week. Then he'll be gone to Germany or the Netherlands for about a week every month for the next year or so.
Mom, would you like to move in? I promise I won't make you cook or do laundry or change any diapers. You can even have my bed while Michael's gone. I wouldn't even mind the neck ache from sleeping on the couch.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Christian's Vocal Chords
Christian and I (plus Timmy and Katie) just got back from the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. I think the hardest part for Christian was getting cotton put in his nose. It had stuff on it to numb his nose and throat (he was NOT happy when he learned he'd have to wait two hours to have lunch). That had to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Then the doc put a small tube in his nose and looked at his vocal cords while Christian took several deep breaths. The doctor let me look and showed me how in the middle of a deep breath (just before exhaling), his vocal cords totally closed up. They should stay open. Next we have to go to a "breathing coach". Basically, he has to learn how to breathe using his diaphragm. So continues the saga...
Ahhh, Memories...
Lately I've been thinking about last summer when we had a family reunion in California. We went there first and foremost to see my paternal grandparents. My grandpa was not doing well health-wise and we didn't want to wait any longer to go and see them. We left on August 23 and flew into San Jose. We spent the evening with my aunt and her children and grandchildren at my aunt's house. The next day, we drove down to Monterey and stayed in cottages. One 
of the nice things about that was we had two bedrooms and an eat-in kitchen. We stayed there for a few days and got to see Grandma and Grandpa several times. We had our "big" family reunion at "Wild Things" and got to see a bunch of animals that are trained to be in movies and commercials. Then we had lunch in their picnic area and took a bunch of pictures. The next morning we went out to breakfast (a long standing tradition whenever we see them).
One of the highlights of our trip was driving down to
Los Angeles and going to Disneyland. We stayed in a Hilton with suites. Even though we had a kitchen, we mostly ate breakfast at their complimentary breakfast and their (Mon-Thu) complimentary dinner. One morning, we went to Disneyland and did one of the character breakfasts. It was so worth it! The characters that we got to see were: Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Captain Hook, the Fairy Godmother, Gepetto, Chip and Dale. We had a wonderful time! The food was pretty good and we have it on good authority (because she told my niece, Ashleigh) that Minnie made the Mickey-shaped waffles.
Timmy on the carousel
Michael & Eliza on a spaceship ride in Tomorrowland
My brother Chris, Nathaniel, Jonathon, Christian, Eliza, & Timmy on the Mad Hatter ride
Eliza in "It's a Small World"
The parade that goes down Main Street
Christian, Jonathon, & David watching the show
Eliza, Timmy, Mandy, & Nathaniel on the pirate ship
Both of these were taken at Disney's California Adventure
On September 1, we drove back up to Grandma's and Grandpa's and saw them one last time. We stopped at the coast a couple of times and got to enjoy the Pacific Ocean a little. We stayed in a hotel in the area and the next day went to church. Then we drove up to San Jose to catch our flight home.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Make-sure-everyone-has-their-share Boy
One of the things that makes Nathaniel unique and special is that whenever we have a treat or some kind of dessert, he makes sure that anyone that isn't there gets some.
For instance, when he goes to Cub Scouts and there is a treat, he asks if he can bring home extras, usually enough for his brothers and sister (the one that eats solids). He loves to share treats with them.
Yesterday, I promised Eliza and him that we would stay and play on the playground after
school. That would've been great, except there was a huge thunderstorm in the morning. It stopped raining just before school got out. So I told them that instead of playing, we would go home and make cookies (one of their most favorite things to do with me). When we were finished making them, Nathaniel put two cookies in a bag and put a note on it. Then he went outside and put it on the hood of my car. He sat and watched the bag of 
cookies on and off (mostly on) for about two hours. He said he didn't want anyone to take them. When it got dark and Michael still wasn't home (he went to "Back to School Night" for the elementary school), Nathaniel went out and got the cookies and brought them in. As soon as Michael came home, Nathaniel handed them to him. He wanted to be sure that he got them. And I have to admit, sometimes Michael doesn't get treats because he doesn't eat them the day that I make them.
I love you, Nathaniel!
For instance, when he goes to Cub Scouts and there is a treat, he asks if he can bring home extras, usually enough for his brothers and sister (the one that eats solids). He loves to share treats with them.
Yesterday, I promised Eliza and him that we would stay and play on the playground after
school. That would've been great, except there was a huge thunderstorm in the morning. It stopped raining just before school got out. So I told them that instead of playing, we would go home and make cookies (one of their most favorite things to do with me). When we were finished making them, Nathaniel put two cookies in a bag and put a note on it. Then he went outside and put it on the hood of my car. He sat and watched the bag of 
cookies on and off (mostly on) for about two hours. He said he didn't want anyone to take them. When it got dark and Michael still wasn't home (he went to "Back to School Night" for the elementary school), Nathaniel went out and got the cookies and brought them in. As soon as Michael came home, Nathaniel handed them to him. He wanted to be sure that he got them. And I have to admit, sometimes Michael doesn't get treats because he doesn't eat them the day that I make them.
I love you, Nathaniel!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Terrible or Terrific Two's?
Sometimes I think I am raising twins. Not because he gets into as much trouble as two kids (okay, so sometimes he does). Anyway, there are times he is this screaming kid that I don't recognize, just because he can't have what he wants (see video in "My Two-Year-Old") or he's tired or someone older is bugging him or I help him when he doesn't want help.
So this is how he looks when he's tired:
This morning he was mad because he didn't want his picture taken.
Other times he is the sweetest, cutest kid on the planet. He gives the sweetest (and juiciest) kisses.
Also this morning, this is him being cute and hiding from the camera behind the curtain:
There's no way I can be frustrated with him when he looks at me like this (even if he's just spilled his entire bowl of cereal on the floor again)!
He's my terribly adorable, terrific Timmy!
So this is how he looks when he's tired:
This morning he was mad because he didn't want his picture taken.
Other times he is the sweetest, cutest kid on the planet. He gives the sweetest (and juiciest) kisses.
Also this morning, this is him being cute and hiding from the camera behind the curtain:
(That's his breakfast on his pants)
There's no way I can be frustrated with him when he looks at me like this (even if he's just spilled his entire bowl of cereal on the floor again)!
He's my terribly adorable, terrific Timmy!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Day 1 of 180
I sure hope ALL school mornings aren't going to be as stressful as this morning.
Actually, the most stressful part was trying to get Jonathon and Christian out the door before the bus came at 7:35. Katie wanted to eat half an hour after I hoped she would, Jonathon was finishing up his summer work, I made scrambled eggs for breakfast, and my mom came by with donuts (now a tradition - thanks mom!). I was finishing packing the kids' lunch when the bus came, so Christian took a lunch and Jonathon bought his. Luckily, the bus stop is just a couple of houses down, so they made it to the bus in time.
Nathaniel and Eliza were up at about 7:00, so they had plenty of time to get ready. We took the stroller and walked them to school at 8:30. I took Eliza and Nathaniel inside to sit with their classes in the gym. Eliza did fine and didn't look upset or anything when I left.
I guess Timmy had a hard morning. He fell asleep at 11:30 under Katie's swing of all places!
When Jonathon and Christian got off the bus after school, they ran home. They looked pretty happy to be back!
As soon as Jonathon and Christian got home, I left to pick up Nathaniel and Eliza. Both Timmy and Katie were still asleep, so I didn't want to wake them up. When I picked them up, both of their teachers said that they had had a good day.
It was nice to have an early closing on the first day of school, but I'm really looking forward to six whole hours of mostly peace and quiet!
Actually, the most stressful part was trying to get Jonathon and Christian out the door before the bus came at 7:35. Katie wanted to eat half an hour after I hoped she would, Jonathon was finishing up his summer work, I made scrambled eggs for breakfast, and my mom came by with donuts (now a tradition - thanks mom!). I was finishing packing the kids' lunch when the bus came, so Christian took a lunch and Jonathon bought his. Luckily, the bus stop is just a couple of houses down, so they made it to the bus in time.
Nathaniel and Eliza were up at about 7:00, so they had plenty of time to get ready. We took the stroller and walked them to school at 8:30. I took Eliza and Nathaniel inside to sit with their classes in the gym. Eliza did fine and didn't look upset or anything when I left.
I guess Timmy had a hard morning. He fell asleep at 11:30 under Katie's swing of all places!
As soon as Jonathon and Christian got home, I left to pick up Nathaniel and Eliza. Both Timmy and Katie were still asleep, so I didn't want to wake them up. When I picked them up, both of their teachers said that they had had a good day.
It was nice to have an early closing on the first day of school, but I'm really looking forward to six whole hours of mostly peace and quiet!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Summer Comes to an End
The past couple of weeks before school starts has been expensive, but fun too.
The expensive part was shopping for school supplies (for 4 children it was about $300). We also went shoe shopping (almost $200). I took Eliza to get a haircut yesterday, but that was only $10. I've also started stocking up on food to go in their lunches.
The fun part was somewhat pricey too, but well worth it. We didn't go on vacation this year since we have a new baby, but we managed to have fun this summer anyway.
On Saturday, August 23, we took the kids to the shore. Our only trip to the ocean this year. Our beach umbrella broke last year and since this was our first trip this year, we tried to buy an umbrella. Unfortunately, every place we looked were sold out. It was a nice sunny day with a cool breeze, so we were comfortable, although the sun was a little bright. All of us, except Katie, ended up with sunburn somewhere on our faces. Michael looked like he had leopard legs.
I stayed by Katie (she slept most of the time in her car seat) and Timmy stayed by me the whole time. He didn't seem to have any interest in the water (whew!). All in all, it was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed ourselves...that is until we had to drive home. Michael had to pull over for a short nap and my car was making some weird noises, so I pulled over for a few minutes, too.
Last Tuesday, Ashleigh spent the night. She and Eliza had quite a bit of fun (as was obvious looking at her bedroom floor). Then on Wednesday, I took the kids to Chuck E Cheese and got 3 pizzas and about 350 tokens. Whitney, her kids, some friends met us there. We had a great time spending all the tokens! Eliza liked playing a racing car game.
Then, on Thursday, we went to the park and had a picnic. The kids found a small grove of trees and climbed them. Nathaniel got the highest.
On Friday, we went to the ward campout. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, so I don't have any pictures.
This summer, we bought package season passes to Six Flags Great Adventure, Hurricane Harbor, and the Safari. Michael has taken them several times. On Labor Day, Michael took the 3 oldest boys to Great Adventure. They left at 10 a.m. and got back about 11 p.m. They had a great time!! Jonathon's favorite ride was the Great American Scream Machine (and Medusa and Batman), Christian's favorite was Superman (and Medusa and Batman), and Nathaniel's was "all of them". This picture was taken on the Great American Scream Machine.
So, it's been a fun-filled couple of weeks and I think we're ready for school to start!
The expensive part was shopping for school supplies (for 4 children it was about $300). We also went shoe shopping (almost $200). I took Eliza to get a haircut yesterday, but that was only $10. I've also started stocking up on food to go in their lunches.
The fun part was somewhat pricey too, but well worth it. We didn't go on vacation this year since we have a new baby, but we managed to have fun this summer anyway.
On Saturday, August 23, we took the kids to the shore. Our only trip to the ocean this year. Our beach umbrella broke last year and since this was our first trip this year, we tried to buy an umbrella. Unfortunately, every place we looked were sold out. It was a nice sunny day with a cool breeze, so we were comfortable, although the sun was a little bright. All of us, except Katie, ended up with sunburn somewhere on our faces. Michael looked like he had leopard legs.
I stayed by Katie (she slept most of the time in her car seat) and Timmy stayed by me the whole time. He didn't seem to have any interest in the water (whew!). All in all, it was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed ourselves...that is until we had to drive home. Michael had to pull over for a short nap and my car was making some weird noises, so I pulled over for a few minutes, too.
Last Tuesday, Ashleigh spent the night. She and Eliza had quite a bit of fun (as was obvious looking at her bedroom floor). Then on Wednesday, I took the kids to Chuck E Cheese and got 3 pizzas and about 350 tokens. Whitney, her kids, some friends met us there. We had a great time spending all the tokens! Eliza liked playing a racing car game.
Then, on Thursday, we went to the park and had a picnic. The kids found a small grove of trees and climbed them. Nathaniel got the highest.
On Friday, we went to the ward campout. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, so I don't have any pictures.
This summer, we bought package season passes to Six Flags Great Adventure, Hurricane Harbor, and the Safari. Michael has taken them several times. On Labor Day, Michael took the 3 oldest boys to Great Adventure. They left at 10 a.m. and got back about 11 p.m. They had a great time!! Jonathon's favorite ride was the Great American Scream Machine (and Medusa and Batman), Christian's favorite was Superman (and Medusa and Batman), and Nathaniel's was "all of them". This picture was taken on the Great American Scream Machine.
So, it's been a fun-filled couple of weeks and I think we're ready for school to start!
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