The joys of owning...

So let me tell you a little story... Okay so it is kinda long... so read on if you'd like.

After a nice weekend in Phoenix with family we returned home late Sunday evening. When I went into the bathroom I noticed that the grout in the tile was wet and then upon further investigation we realized the wall and carpet was wet too. Good times! It was late and there was nothing we could do about it then, so we went to bed. Monday morning we investigated further. The toilet was in order, the water was not coming in from the outside... but quiet... listen really hard... the water is coming from within the walls! YEAH! What fun!

David shut the water off to the house and we began making calls. David called the builder only to find out that the warranty to fix that expired 3 months ago! Are you kidding me!? Three months ago?! So we got the number of the company that plumbed the house and asked them to come over and look at it. When they came they started hacking away at the wall... nice! They started at the floor and worked their way up the pipe until they found the leak... which was almost near the ceiling... of course! I asked David if they could use a stethoscope to find the leak instead of hacking away at the wall until they find it. Guess not.

When they found the leak it was pretty obvious as to what caused it. If you can see from the pictures above, there are some nice BIG staples puncturing the water line. Apparently when they were putting up the chicken wire for the stucco they forgot to go around the BIG BLUE PIPE for the water. Hello! The reason it only started to leak now is fairly simple. When they stapled it, the staple itself created a plug for the hole. Kinda' like getting stabbed if you leave the knife you won't bleed until you remove the knife... In this case the staple had rusted away allowing water to spray out... 2 years and three months later.

David then called back the builder and said that they were going to pay for all the repairs including the plumbing and repairing the wall. A few pictures, emails, and calls later we had appointments for all to be fixed... by the builder. YEAH!

I guess this is sort of a blessing in disguise. First of all it could have happened in two weeks when we were in Yuma and gone un-noticed for a LONG time, creating more damage. Secondly, it was a mistake by the builder so we didn't have to fork out a penny to fix it. I was worried about forking out another 2K to fix the wall, floor, plumbing and whatever else. I guess things could have been much worse... little blessings and lessons in patience and long suffering. :)

I'm Gettin' Nothin' for Christmas...

Mommy and Daddy are mad....
Alexis has been quite the "personality" lately. She sure knows what she wants... and will do anything she can to get it. Today she decided to start opening Christmas presents. I wasn't home when it happened, but David swears he was watching the kids.... Needless to say, all the presents that were opened are disappearing.
Alexis has also become quite the enforcer for Timothy. She runs around the house shutting all the doors to make sure he doesn't get into her things. With Timothy's new found mobility I am just waiting for Alexis to slam his little fingers in the door as she shuts it. To try and explain to her why she can't close the doors, David and I took a cracker and placed it in the door and shut the door on the cracker. The cracker smashed into pieces on the floor. We explained that when a finger gets in the door it gets smashed too. Her eyes were huge when we did this demonstration... so we thought the idea sunk in. The next day, as Alexis was getting ready to shut the door, I asked her what we learned about doors. Her reply, "Don't put crackers in the door!" I think she missed the point. Any suggestions on how to prevent a broken finger in a closing door would be GREAT!
David has also been home the past few days. He was hoping to work for some money during his break, but that fell through... so I've been trying to keep him busy. I'm not so sure I'm doing a good job because I think he has masters quite a few computer games. I guess it is good for him to get a break every now and then though. I asked how he can play all those games on the computer and his response was pretty fair. He said, "You blog... I play games." Can't deny that.
I also finished a sewing project tonight. It is a cute fleece hooded shawl for my niece. It is SO cute. I'll have to get a picture with Alexis modeling it. I feel pretty proud of myself, even though it took extreme help from David deciphering the directions. Not sure why they make the directions so confusing. Thanks David for all your help.
We are off to Phoenix tomorrow for an early Mower Christmas. It should be filled of fun and food. Yeah. Well way past my bedtime... Goodnight.

Happy Birthday Alexis!

We can't believe how fast time flies. Alexis turned three years old today! It truly seems like just yesterday she was born. She is such a blessing in our lives. She makes us laugh so hard. She has an incredible personality. More recently her stubborn and sassy side have developed.

Alexis was born a tiny little thing at 6lbs. 1oz. but quickly grew into the little "Michelin Baby". She had hair that stuck straight into the air and looked like a long layer of fuzz. She has since slimmed down and has hair that makes one envious. She is a beautiful young girl who never ceases to amaze us with her quick wit and amazing memory. She definitely received her dads smarts and looks. We are so blessed to have such an amazing little person in our home. Happy Birthday Alexis! We love you!

So much to be grateful for

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel, parties, and the clean up that follows. We spent Thanksgiving in Phoenix. It was a long weekend of good times. We stayed with David's sister Kathy and her family. Thanks to Kathy for being such a wonderful hostess. We had a great feast with some interesting food. A turkey was barbecued (scorched) but had a great taste. The glaze had caught fire... poor turkey. Once the outside layer was removed it was a beautiful golden brown. Then there was the mashed or blended potatoes. David's brother, Wayne was in charge of the potatoes. Upon starting his potatoes he realized he had no potato masher so he went to ask his neighbor, who didn't have one either. His neighbor then said he could use his blender for the potatoes. Let's just say I had no idea potatoes could be that texture or consistency. All in all, Thanksgiving was wonderful and filled with friends and family... the thing that really makes Thanksgiving what it is.
Then there is the Friday morning mayhem. I don't know why I go... I guess I kind of like the madness. I never get to worked up about certain items, so it is just a fun time with the girls...
We hit up Joann's for fabric, Walmart, Target, Sears, and then MiMi's cafe for some great Hot Chocolate.
Because the girls were able to bond on Friday, the boys had to take time to bond on Saturday (a.k.a. golfing). Silly boys. They all had a great time and it is nice to see the guys getting along so well. It is hard sometimes when they all have such different interests and hobbies, but they all had a great time and came home ready to EAT!
While the boys were out golfing, Kathy, Dahm, Mom Mower, Alexis, Timothy and I all went to the zoo. The Phoenix zoo is HUGE! I think my favorite part was the monkeys. They sure are disgusting little creatures that mark everything as their territory, but they are cute at the same time. We did the little train ride and went in the petting zoo area. There is to much to see in one day, but we all had a great time.

After Thanksgiving is all said and done, I sure hate lots to be grateful for. I have a wonderful family and in laws who love us no matter what. I have two beautiful, healthy kids who mean the world to me. I have an amazing husband who sees me in a way I only hope to be able to see myself someday. I have a roof over my head, food to eat, clothes to wear... an education... a car to get me from point a to point b. I have so many modern conveniences that I take for granted... I live in a free country where I don't have to live in fear every day. I have a Savior who loves me and knows all about me and comforts me and blesses me so much. I have so much to be grateful for. I am so blessed.

Sleep Deprivation

I thought I was the only person in this household who was sleep deprived. I am beginning to think that Alexis is also suffering from sleepless nights as Timothy howls. Alexis and Timothy are both in the same room and Timothy has not been sleeping much lately. I'm not sure if he is just still in recovery mode from his cold or if he has more teeth coming in or what... but it is driving us crazy. Nonetheless, Alexis has been a good sport about the nonstop crying. Some nights when I go in the room to get Timothy, I'll see Alexis laying in her bed with her hands covering her ears. Poor kid. I think it is taking its toll.

Just this week she has fallen asleep at lunch twice and even fell asleep on the potty! This isn't very common for her. She is always fighting sleeping and running around like crazy. She also asked to go to sleep last night... and we were happy to oblige. Can't beat it when a two year old says, "I'm tired... can I go to bed now?"

David and I were just talking and neither of us can remember a night where we were both able to sleep the entire night. If that were one thing I could purchase... I would pay whatever it cost for a good night sleep. I feel like most days I am sleep walking. If someone could bottle sleep, I'll be your first customer, and I'm sure David and Alexis would be next in line.

You know it is going to be a bad day when...

You know it is going to be a bad day when the first thing your two year old does is set off the house alarm when she opens an exterior door after being told multiple times not to. I should have sent myself and everyone else back to bed for at least a few more hours. I sure wouldn't mind. We've all had the cold over here so my body is so tired... and congested. And there is nothing worse than being sick and not being able to take anything for it.
Alexis has really been testing my limits lately. I have made a conscience decision to be more patient and soft spoken with Alexis but today she spent most of her day on time out. Between her beating up on me and her little brother and just refusing to listen it has been a long day. Nap schedules were also interrupted today which I'm sure makes a big difference too. I thought that we were ending the terrible two's but I think her independent nature might make being three just as frustrating.
She will sit at the table for almost an hour before she finally eats her full meal. And getting her to pick up her toys has been impossible too. I think David figured out how to handle that though. He grabbed a trash bag and started tossing Alexis's toys in. He said if it was on the floor it was disappearing. I don't think I've seen Alexis move so fast in a long time... or scream so loudly. It sure was effective. No... we didn't throw away the toys... but they have disappeared for awhile. Any other ideas? I don't want my child living on time out... and I'm worn out!

Recent Sayings and Doings of Alexis

"Dad... I pooed for your birthday!" Yeah!

Every time Alexis gives Timothy a hug she says, "mom take a picture, we're cute!"

Recent Phone Conversation between Alexis and Katelynn:Alexis: Hi Katelynn... I'm playing a game of cooking and circus, and mommy had a baby in her tummy but then the baby came out and I take her to the doctor, and I go to the zoo, and I go to timeout, and then there are butterflies, and I miss you Katelynn. I love you bye,Katelynn: Ok... bye.Alexis is quite a chatterbox.

"Grandma lost her marbles, Can I find them for her?"

"Ahhhh... Turn Green"

"The bugs will eat it" (in regards to her food)

"Timothy picked your nose" (said to her pediatrician who was holding Timothy)

"The poot woke me up"

Alexis puts all the balls from the house in a pile, sits on them and waits for them to hatch

"This is Ridiculous"

"Mom your picture is lovely"

Tagged

I was tagged... so here are seven things about me that not many people know.

1. I love architecture. Not sure why, but it has always fascinated me. I attempted this in college but found that I didn't love the math or physics/engineering involved.
2. I had never had my blood drawn until I had Alexis. When the time finally came, I begged David to come with me and I was hyperventilating. I am scared to death of needles and just seeing other people with them makes me freak out.
3. I don't like chocolate so much... but love white chocolate.
4. In fifth grade I was such a "tom boy". I played rugby with all the boys. One day I was tackled by the stake presidents son, and when I went down my front tooth hit a rock and chipped a big chunk out of it. Luckily the kids uncle was a dentist and he fixed it for me... but I went to church that Sunday missing half my front tooth. NICE! My mom was pleased as you can imagine.
5. I am double jointed in my legs/knees. When I stand my legs will bend backwards like a flamingo.
6. When I was little I was in a commercial for a wedding store and had to pretend to be a flower girl. I was in kindergarten and the family of the boy I liked asked me to be in the commercial with my sweetheart. I must have been quite the playground flirt.
7. I love roller coasters, but they scare me to death. I think it is the closest I'll get to doing something super dangerous.

Anything anyone else would like to share about themselves? Lets hear it...

How easily we forget

For the past few years, my Christmas presents have been converting old VHS to DVD's of home videos. When technology changes, so must the memories. The nice part is that you can make copies for everyone. It is a long and tedious process, but well worth it. Part of this process is watching each and every VHS. It is so funny to see things that you'd forgotten about. Like a brother who is so adamant about building an igloo in the backyard. Or the fact that you tried to build a snow hill in your backyard for sledding.
Dating these videos is also fun. My first clues for dates are how many kids there are at the time. Then I look at the age of the youngest... and then if I still can't figure it out I refer to clothes and furniture. I know that I may be off by a bit, but it sure is funny to see those hideous and surely flammable 80's bangs. Good times. What makes this even harder to date is that we lived in Idaho at one point in time. For anyone who has ever been there, they know that they are 10 years behind in fashion anyway... so what looks like the 80's was actually the 90's. Refer to Napoleon Dynamite.
My mom also had 20+ rolls of undeveloped film. I snagged them from her and took them in to see what was possibly on them. Lots of the film was so old that it was no longer good... but some of the film turned out incredible. The funny thing is seeing pictures, being in them, and not having any idea what you were doing. There was one picture where I was surely old enough to remember the activity, but have no idea what we were doing. I showed my sister the picture, and she too has no recollection. It happened though, because we have the picture to prove it.
Amazing how we forget things. I guess that is why it is so important to document and write things down. My younger journals are pretty funny though. Not much more than, "so and so is hot and I hope he notices me..." If only I knew then what I know now. Maybe I wouldn't have spent so much time and energy on things that didn't matter. But the real question is... have I really learned? Or am I still spending too much time on things that don't matter... Time to take inventory and reevaluate.

New vs. Used

Yesterday was Veterans Day so there were lots of sales going on around town. Savers (a local thrift store) had 1/2 off all of its stuff... so I thought it would be a great way to get Timothy some warmer clothes without spending a bundle. I was very mistaken. I thought thrift stores were supposed to be inexpensive, or cheap. After browsing only a few racks of clothes I quickly realized this was not the case. Even with the half off sale it was still more than I'd pay for used clothes. I can't imagine anyone paying the full amount of what they were charging. I even found a button up shirt (size 12 mos) that they wanted $8 for! What? Are you serious? I could get a new shirt cheaper.
I guess my moms bargain shopping rubbed off on me. When I shop for clothes it isn't at the high end stores. I usually shop Walmart or Target... and when I buy clothes it is off the clearance rack or it has to be on sale. I refuse to pay full price. I buy off season clothes in larger sizes and wait for the bargains. Sure my kids don't have the name brands... but name brands are a rip off. I say cotton is cotton... so why pay more for a tag?
I wonder if things will change when I actually have money to spend on clothes? Will I buy it in the moment because I like it or will I still wait for the sale? I guess it also helps that I am not very trendy. Give me a simple t-shirt and jeans and I'll be happy. I don't need the latest styles...and it also helps that most trends are immodest... so I couldn't wear them if I wanted to.
So does anyone else have ideas on saving money on toys, books, clothes... anything? Other thrift store suggestions? Should I try garage sales? Or just stick to the clearance rack? Ugh... back to the same question of new vs. used!

Good idea? Bad idea?

Blue sand... good idea? Seemed good at the time. We found some fun blue sandbox sand at the store awhile ago and I finally placed it in the sandbox. They make the sand in all sorts of fun colors now and I thought it would be fun for Alexis. It is easier to spot when it gets tracked into the house at least. I guess it is one way to see if Alexis is still sandy. She loves it though... so I guess if she likes it, it must have been a good idea. Anything to keep her happy and occupied.
The weather has been great for playing outside, so we've been out every day playing in sand, picking flowers, and blowing bubbles. Timothy is mesmerized by the bubbles. He thinks they are great and they make him laugh.
Timothy is also starting to cruise around the house. He army crawls really good and when placed standing next to the couch he will walk his way around the couch. Look out world... and Alexis. His new found mobility is also incentive to keep the house more clean. He finds every little thing on the floor and uses his little pinchers to place it in his mouth. One might think he doesn't get enough to eat, but I'd have to beg to differ. Have you seen his thunder thighs...enough said.

The First Day of A "New World"

So yesterday was a really huge election, and I was proud to be able to vote. It is a privilege to be an American with freedom. Sadly though, my candidate did not win. There will be lots of changes in this countries future. Some I'm afraid of and I just pray that our country pulls together to survive some of our future trials. It will be interesting to say the least to see how this all pans out.
I am finding that talking politics can be risky business. One must be politically correct and tiptoe around true feelings, so as to not offend. Interesting how that works. I am happy though that some of the propositions I was hoping for passed! Yeah!
I also woke up this morning to TONS of graffiti. Gotta love it.
Not much else going on... just trying to survive and be more patient with a two year old that can hold up her end of an argument. Argh! Can't complain though... life is good... for now...

Halloween Costumes

So I guess I should post a few pics of the kids from Halloween. It was a fun year... just keep losing track of time. The years seem to fly by faster as we get busier. Here are the costumes nonetheless. We also have tons of candy if anyone is interested... any takers? Anyone?

Six Days and going strong

Hooray for Alexis! She is finally catching on to this whole potty training thing. It is now day six with NO accidents, and that includes night time! WOW! I thought I'd never see this day, but here we are. Once again... a modern day miracle. It has not happened overnight though. We've been at this for over a month now. We kept having setbacks, but she seems to have gotten this whole process down now... except she is obsessed with bathrooms. She will play in there all day if I let her. She has figured out the plug on the sink and keeps filling it with water and all her toys have been swimming lately. Kids and water. Oye! But I can't complain... she is a great kid.

Timothy is also advancing. He is getting around the house much faster now. He is army crawling and will follow me around the house. He keeps up pretty well. He is also getting his top four teeth in. They are coming in funny though; from left to right. His grin sure makes me grin. He is also waving and clapping. So many new, fun tricks. I forgot how much they learn in such a short amount of time.
Poor Timothy also had to get shots last week. It was another long day sitting in line waiting for our turn. Midway through our wait Alexis saw the bathrooms and said she had to go... so I took her in and she said, "I am fine mom... I'll try later". I about lost it! We had lost our place in line for nothing! AHHHhhhhhh! I pray for patience every day... but truly needed it that day. Alexis didn't get a nap that day either... so come dinner time we found her asleep on the table. Poor kid.We took Alexis and Timothy trick-or-treating in a private neighborhood party last night. Alexis loved it. She was so excited that people were giving her candy. She can't wait to go again tonight at the ward party. She is quite the pro. She dressed up as Lilo from Lilo and Stitch and Timothy was a rock band star. We spiked his hair. He is so cute.
Speaking of cute, my cute hubby has now finished his Kino Psych rotation. He learned lots, realized we aren't as crazy as he thought, and worked hard. His rotation preceptor was a pain in the rear though. Papers that are only supposed to take 30 min to 2hrs to complete have now taken over 30 hours to get done, and are still not approved. It makes me angry when people have nothing better to do than make others lives miserable. His next rotation starts Monday at a compounding pharmacy. After that rotation, it is off to Yuma for his final two rotations... then... GRADUATION! HOORAY... for Dr. David! Actually the correct term will be PharmD... but whatever... he'll be graduated. Then we have no idea what or where we'll go. Lots of decisions to be made here in the next several weeks. Sell the house? Rent the house? Stay in Tucson? Leave Tucson? I vote LEAVE Tucson... Anyway... enjoy some pics below... Long entry... I know...

It's official... I am old!

Nothing makes you feel older than scrubbing a tile floor on your hands and knees, then having your two year old come over and hand you something and saying, "here you go old lady!" What? Are you serious... old lady? Where did she get that one? It was said with such love though... so I couldn't get that mad. I sure do feel old some days. Since starting to exercise again, I feel much older. Waking up the day after a good workout and I can barely walk. Nice. I am improving though. When I first started the boot camp I could barely make it around the soccer field, and now I can jog over a mile without stopping. Now to some people this would be nothing... a mere mile... but for me it is HUGE. Guess I really am an old lady.

You say Hello, I say Goodbuy

Have you been to the store lately? I think this is the first year I've seen the Halloween and Christmas stuff side by side. Alexis loves it though. She is so into the lights, pumpkins and TOYS. This year her birthday and Christmas will be very different. She is already talking about her birthday cake, presents and requesting a pinata. She loves looking at the toys in the mailers too. She goes through page by page and says, "I need this for my birthday, and this, and this..." and then says stuff like, "It is only $7.99 mom". She is going to have to learn to earn some money soon if she really thinks she's going to get all those things. It is fun nonetheless.
She loves to shop and when it is time to go home she whines, "I don't want to go home!" Maybe I could get her a job at Target... she does know their theme song after all...

Modern Day Miracles

When times seem tough it can be hard to see the little miracles, but they still do occur. David found out he is getting a scholarship he applied for at the beginning of summer. He had kinda' forgotten about it... then an email arrived saying, "Surprise!" Family is a miracle in of itself. It is amazing how family all pulls together to help when someone needs it. I am truly grateful for a good family who will always catch me when needed.
Timothy is also starting to sleep better now... and that is a miracle. He has four teeth coming in and it was to the point that he wouldn't sleep more than an hour at a time all night long... but Motrin seems to do the trick and he is sleeping better. HOORAY!
The weather is also cooling down, which is a huge help on the cooling bills. Other parts of the country are worried about heating costs... we worry about cooling costs. I've even been able to open the windows in the morning to let in some cool air. It is nice not to live in a cave.
So to whomever says miracles no longer exist... I have to say otherwise! Yeah for miracles.

Teething... or not...

My dear little Timothy has been SO cranky lately.  I thought he was just going through a phase or having some bad days, but turns out it was teeth.  Makes total sense now, because he wasn't sleeping or eating well either.  At least there is an end in sight now that I know it is his teeth hurting him.  The funny part is the teeth that are coming in are in a different than normal pattern.  He has his bottom middle two teeth, and usually the next to come in are the top two in the middle.  The teeth that are currently coming in are on the top, but the teeth on the sides of the middle.  He is going to have a funny smile until those other teeth come in.

Alexis has also continued her funny streak.  A little friend of hers was over playing and she was trying to share a toy with this friend.  Her little friend was still a little shy as she had just awaken from a nap.  She did not take the toy that Alexis had offered.  So Alexis offered the toy and when it was not taken she said, "Or not..."  In other situations during the day she continued to use the same phrase, "or not..." and always in a correct manner and attitude.  I couldn't figure out where she could learn such a thing, until later that day I said the exact same thing.  Oops! Now I know.  :)

We've also had fun with Alexis's hair.  I was trying to find a way to keep her quiet and contained during conference.  So we (Alexis and I) decided to put lots of little braids in all her hair.  She doesn't have a ton of hair so it wasn't that many braids but it was fun.  So here is a picture after the braids were done and another of after we took them out.

Then here are a few pictures of Timothy eating his first teething biscuit.  What a mess!

Living on Faith and a Prayer

I love how conference comes at a time in our lives when we need it most. With this financial crunch spreading like wildfire we are currently living on faith and a prayer. I didn't think we would be personally feeling the effects, but I was wrong. As students living in debt and "financial aid" (aka. loans) we are finding out fast that loans are near impossible to get. We have super credit, but seeing that we (David) are finishing a "professional graduate program" we have accumulated debt to get this far. And since David is working for free (aka rotations) our debt to income ratio is... well... we have no income and have significant debt. We are so close to finishing, but student loans we were expecting are not coming through.
Some days you feel like just sitting down and crying, and today was one of those days. Then you hear things on the news like the AIG conglomerates going on a "retreat" to a San Diego resort and spending $400,000 getting treated like royalty on my dime. We bail out their company with billions of taxpayers dollars and then they go on a vacation with my money, when I can't even pay my own bills! It makes me irate and a little... okay... a lot crazy! I want to scream! Don't they get it?! When will someone stand up for the little man and get rid of all these corrupt government and business people. They say if you want to fix it, you have to do it yourself... maybe I should run for office! For now I will just have to vote... not like it will make a difference though... still choosing the lesser of two evils.
Back to conference though... I keep thinking about the talk Pres. Uchtdorf gave about his mom during WWII. When she thought she had lost her family she didn't just sit down and cry... she acted in faith... not just had faith... but acted! That is what I need to do. Find a solution to the problem. That is what I have to do. I know things will work out... I just have to be proactive in the solution. Practice faith and PRAY! I definitely think things change when you have kids... you make sure they have what they need at any price... you make it happen. Now I understand how my mom must have struggled when things got tough... you want to give the world to your children, but sometimes you can't... but I know that as long as I am here for them that they will have the essentials. That is all that matters for now.
Wow... what a long emotional day. Sleep deprivation hasn't helped either. Here's to hoping Timothy sleeps better through the night and that things work out financially.

Recent Pictures

Above is Timothy with Grandpa Harris. Grandpa is already getting him to watch "The Glenn Beck Show." Good ol' time with Grandpa talking politics and world happenings!

Timothy and Aunt Kathy are having some definite bonding time. He LOVES those sunglasses and getting tickled by one of his favorite "aunties". Thanks for the fun times!

Alexis making silly faces. She works so hard to make sure she gets quality camera time now that Timothy is around trying to be cute too. She LOVES it when she hears the clicks of the camera. The camera loves you too Alexis.

What a handsome little guy! And take a look at those little chompers. He can't get enough food, which might explain why all the pictures of him lately have been of him in his high chair.
You can't see in this picture, but they are holding hands watching their favorite show "Super Why" together. Alexis is such a wonderful big sister and you know that Timothy adores her too. His face lights up whenever she plays with him. My two little cuties... oh and I can't forget my other cutie...
Here is my other sweetie... Happy Late Birthday David. My guy is getting OLD! 31 years old this year... but like he said, he had to wait for me to grow up so he could marry me. Sweet! And yes, "Everyone Loves a Pharmacist"... or at least I do!

Crawling?

My Mr. Timothy is getting big fast. You'd think with his chubby little thighs and "kankles" he must not be able to get around much... but you'd be very mistaken! On Tuesday he will be seven months old and he is getting much closer to crawling. He now gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. He gets this big grin on his face, like... watch this! He will get across the room pretty fast now, especially if there is something out he is not supposed to get to. Funny how that works... they love things they can't have the most... like electronics.

He also likes to pull himself to standing up. He will sit at his little piano and try to pull himself up but ends up pulling the piano on top of himself. I keep thinking he was just born, but he is really getting to be such a big kid. It is kinda' sad that they grow so fast. I miss my little baby some days! I guess that is why it is so important to treasure every moment while you have it because tomorrow they'll be a whole different kid. Thanks for the daily joy Timothy!

Imagination

My dear little Alexis has an overactive imagination. She is always coming up with some super funny stories. Most of the funny stories are started by placing a phone in her hand. Something about that phone just makes her wild. She will tell stories of going to the zoo and the lion chasing her around. Then before you know it you are being chased by a man with a wheelbarrow... who knows where she learned that word. But look out... because here comes a shark that will turn you into a little nemo.
Each of her "owies" has an elaborate story as well. Let's just pray a stranger never asks why she has the band aid. More than likely her answer will be a made up story consisting of someone jumping off a car whacking her, or some other extreme thing. The days of kissing her injuries are also over. She now wants a band aid for EVERYTHING! We decided that she would only get a band aid if there was blood. She really wanted a specific band aid, and exclaimed, "I will bleed for that one!" Have I created a hypochondriac?
She also loved the show on PBS called "Super Why". She will be playing and get frustrated. I'll ask her what the problem is and she will say, "My story says I can't cook!" She will then proceed to ask me to "ZAP" her story so she can cook. She will point her finger in the air as if to point to the words floating in the air that need changed. I then humor her and "ZAP" her floating words in her story to say she CAN cook instead of CAN'T cook.
What a fun age... I love Imagination.... I love my little comedian.... I love my little Alexis!

Growing up

Alexis and Timothy are now sharing a room. So far so good... knock on wood. They haven't waken each other up yet. Alexis has figured out how to climb on top of her bed and get into Timothy's crib. I heard her calling from her room the other day saying, "Mom, I'm a burrito baby!" When I arrived to her room I see her pretending to be a baby in Timothy's crib. She is so grown up one minute and then I turn around and she is trying to be a baby again. I don't get it...Timothy is also eating more real food now. He eats bananas, sweet potato puffs, and then his rice and oatmeal cereals. He makes some classic faces when trying new foods... I have yet to capture them on "film". He loves to eat real food and every time I eat he looks intently at me food. I think he is ready for more things to eat...
David finished his rotation at Target and is now in the psych ER at Kino. So far so good, but they aren't allowed to wear ties... I can't imagine why. He is writing many more papers right now. On top of his rotation he has a research project and several papers to write. He has to investigate different drugs and how they work, interact with other drugs and other such things. Not really sure exactly what he does... but I know it is more than I could ever understand... and he works really hard. He also heard back from his Yuma rotation preceptor and was told that we would be on our own for housing. That really stinks because now we'll be bunking at my folks house and sharing one bathroom between several people. It will sure be interesting.
That reminds me that Timothy is now a "big boy" and in a real car seat and pulls himself from sitting to standing now. He is also on the verge of crawling. For some reason I think that Alexis grew up much slower... but then again I was working and she was with a sitter lots of the time. I must say that being home this time is a much different experience, but in a good way. No longer hearing... "guess what they learned today?" instead I get to see it first hand. I can see how it can be hard on dads though. David works all day and comes home to me saying, "Guess what Timothy did today!?" Maybe I ought to get out the video camera and start to document these first moments so David can see them too.

Above are a few pics from a recent visit to the zoo with aunts and Timothy rolling in his blanket... making himself a burrito baby... Enjoy!

Catching up is hard to do...

So much to write about and so little time. I recently started attending a "boot camp" to get back into shape. It has been challenging and rewarding. My friend Christine runs the boot camp and makes sure none of us can walk the next day. A few weeks ago we even worked out in a storm as lightening got closer and it was raining and blowing pretty hard. She is pretty hard core, but that is what I need right now. I am not very self motivated at the time. I am truly grateful for those who are motivated and push me to be and do better.
In other news... Alexis is still potty training. She did great for a week and then decided she wanted to go back to diapers. I knew this was going to happen and be a challenge because Alexis is a super stubborn little girl. She has a problem with getting "backed up" and then she reverts back. So this week it is like we are starting over. She does enjoy the bathroom being open now though. It used to always be closed, but now since it is not, she cannot get enough of that room. She is always washing her hands. Toilet paper is also as new thing for her. Last week she overflowed the toilet with a whole roll that she tried to flush down. As if that wasn't enough time out for her she decided to see what happened to the toilet paper in the sink. Let's just say that a plunger doesn't work on the sink and TP really clogs up the sink.
She also has to use every bathroom everywhere we go. That has been challenging with having Timothy too. At Walmart she had to stop at the bathroom a couple times... and did nothing when we finally got all situated. She just says, "Mom, I'll try again later!" If only she understood what it takes to get her in that darn bathroom. I think she is truly trying out her independence. Oh and she also learned to lock the doors on the bathroom. I've now had to break into my own bathroom several times as I know she is getting into some kind of trouble. I'm just waiting for her to lock me out of the house now.

Well enough of my rambling... I just needed to get caught up on our mundane life. But life is good.

Potty Training Becomes A Religious Experience

Potty training has been a slow process, but Alexis is doing good. Sunday at church during sacrament meeting Alexis said she needed to go to the bathroom. I dismissed it as another excuse to get out of the meeting, but I couldn't ignore the request. We walked across the building to the bathrooms, where she surprised me and did in fact have to go to the bathroom. Upon finishing she looked up at me and said, "I make Jesus happy! He is smiling like this (smiles a big smile)." I'm sure He is happy and I am happy too.
Then during nursery hour they brought Alexis up to me because she was asking to use the bathroom again. Again we went to the restrooms and she proceeded to be a big girl and when she was done she said the same thing. I'm not sure where or why she learned these things but it is cute to see that she has such a relationship with Christ.
She prays very well on her own now too. When it was stormy she said that Jesus can make her not be scared. I think, rather, I know, I underestimate the understanding she has of her Savior. If I could only become like her and rely on Him for help on even the small and seamlessly unimportant things. He rejoices when we rejoice.... even with potty training. I guess it is true... you can learn more about the "BIG" picture from anything... including potty training.

Holy Caterpillars

My poor little grape vine is under attack. I have never seen such an array of bugs on a plant in my life. I was seeing leaves slowly get eaten up and disappearing... and then LOTS of leaves were disappearing. I started to investigate and as you see from above we had quite a few friends on the vine chomping away. We found about 15 of the BIG juicy green caterpillars and then about 60 of the small blue and yellow caterpillars. They are so gross. We placed them in a big tub and Alexis was feeding them all sorts of yummy leaves. She kept saying that we had to watch them because they were going to turn into butterflies. The little blue and yellow caterpillars I found out do turn into butterflies, but the big gross green ones turn into huge, ugly moths. Icky! I must say I enjoy nature... but I don't like to pick up the slimy, wiggly, bugs. After Alexis tended to her new friends we gave the caterpillars a little help over the wall to eat the city's plants. Alexis went to look into the tub the next day to find it empty... and was so excited because they "all became butterflies and flew away." I didn't have the heart to tell her that yes... they technically did fly away... but not as butterflies. My grapevine is slowly recovering but I'm sure it'll be fine.

Potty Training Update

What a difference a few days can make. Alexis is doing so well. She now requests her "Princess Pull-ups" instead of her diapers. She also is taking more initiative to use the potty. Before I had to push her into the bathroom, and now she runs and is excited. Perhaps the toy bribery is working. Yeah for progress. A glimmer of hope... for now at least.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Sometimes life can get a bit redundant, but this past week was anything but. So much going on. We finally talked with a Realtor about our house. The news was not the greatest. Basically he said we need to play the waiting game and see if the market in our area improves at all. We technically could sell now but we would lose ALL the equity in our house. That really bites. I guess this is another lesson for me in patience.
We made it through one week of potty training. I haven't been to intense with it yet. I basically try in the morning and then let her be for the afternoon. She is still fighting the idea. Every time I sit her down on the potty she says, "I will try tomorrow mommy". I get her to sit the longest with distractions like books. It is a very time consuming process and I just don't know if I'm ready to fully dedicate a whole lot of time to it if she doesn't seem ready. Oye!
Timothy has had a long week. He got shots last week. We waited in line for over two hours at PCH and I was about to go postal before the event was over. I wonder why it takes so long, and then when I finally get my turn in line I know why it takes so long. It is the same thing as the DMV... lots of employees sitting around doing NOTHING! I wanted to smack some of the employees. They were just sitting at the table talking about their weekend... while the line went throughout the building and outside. We waited 30 min in 100+ degree weather (no shade) before we even got in the building where we would wait another hours and a half. Poor Timothy can't control his body temp yet and Alexis was sweating like crazy. I quickly became a mad woman. When they brought me all my paperwork in Spanish, it about put me over the top. We live in America right? And I can't even get paperwork in English? What is happening here? Another conversation for another day... Nonetheless, Timothy got his shots. He didn't even cry. He was such a good kid.
We also started Timothy on "real" food... if you can call Rice cereal real food. He has been eyeing our food for months now and will reach for it. We tried to wait until he was 6 mos before feeding him, but decided that he was good and ready. He sucks down that cereal. He gets so excited and starts going crazy in his seat. So funny. Never knew food could be such a joy.
David's sister Kathy also came over this past week. It was a nice visit. Alexis loves to give her "kitty kisses" which are basically a wet soggy tongue lick on the face... like a cat. Ick! Alexis loves the attention and I enjoy the conversation. Trying to converse with a two year old just isn't the same as with an adult. A lot less explanations needed at least. I also learned a new "Mower" family recipe that I will now add to the dinner rotation. Thanks Kathy.
We also spent lots of time this weekend working on the yard and doing chores. I picked another ten cucumbers from my plant. That thing has produced over 40 cucumbers! Amazing. I end up giving most of them away, but it is cool to have actual food growing in your own backyard. I can't wait to have a yard big enough for a real garden. Until then I'll settle for my little cucumber plant.
Well Timothy is up from his nap... back to work...

Today's random thoughts

While watching the Olympics I asked David about where in the world some of these sports came from.  We were watching the men's gymnastics and I asked specifically about the pommel horse.  Have you ever wondered these things?  Where did the pommel horse get started?  Did someone just get bored and start twisting around on a log and before you know it, it became an Olympic sport?  Well thanks to Google I'm here to tell you it is something like that...

Pommel Horse originated from Alexander the Great.  His soldiers would train horse mounting for battle on wooden horses.  The two little bars were like the saddle marks.  Over time other soldiers who were training evolved the horse to look more like it does today.  Then it went from training soldiers to training horse riders and they started to get fancy with their mounts and started practicing tricks.  This over time became a sport of its own and evolved into the Olympic sport it is today.  Did you also know that they used to use the pommel horse for vaulting in the Olympics until about 1991.  They would just take off the metal handles from the top, turn it lengthwise and put it at the end of the "runway" for vaults.  After one to many injuries they decided to create a special mechanism specifically for vaults... like the one we see today.    Crazy... Now I know.

The other question I have is... How does one discover they are good at such sports?  There are some random sports in the Olympics... like the trampoline, or table tennis or synchronized swimming.  And then how do you find a coach in said sport?  Just some random thoughts. 

Anyway...
I have to take Timothy to get shots tomorrow.  Not going to be fun.  He has been so snuggly and cuddly lately.  I'm not complaining... don't get much done without use of my hands/arms... but I feel bad for him.  He slobbers like crazy and I think his teeth are hurting him real bad.  Poor kid. 

Oh yeah... and today was day 1 of potty training.... and day 1 of my patience training.  Alexis did good for today... just have to keep it up.  Wish us luck.  I am just so grateful for another day to be surrounded by little loving children.  So blessed.

A sad goodbye

Today my sister Katelynn left to go back to Yuma. When we started to think about it, she has lived with us for over two years now. She has been Alexis's big buddy and as far as Alexis can remember, she's always lived with us. It was sad to see her little car packed to the rims with the last of her things. Her "den of doom" as she so lovingly named her room was empty and looking down the hall to see the door open is weird. Her room was Alexis's favorite room in the house so we always had to keep the door closed or we'd find Alexis going through all her things.

It was a sad goodbye. I didn't think I'd be so sad, but when it came down to it... I couldn't hold back the tears. It is weird how you can grow up in the same house as a person, but feel like you "really" got to know them so much later in life. She is an amazing person and any young man that wins her heart is going to be a LUCKY guy. She is genuine and can make anyone smile. We are going to miss her dearly in our home... especially Alexis. She has already gone to Katelynn's old room and said, "Where is Katelynn?" followed by her classic, "I will miss her SOOOOooooo.... much!" So far we've only been able to say that she went to visit Grandpa and Grandma... we'll see what happens in the next week.

Meanwhile tonight we went and purchased another crib mattress so that we can put both kids in the same room. We'll try it for a week and see how that goes. If the kids wake each other up there may be a massive re-structuring in the house furniture. I can handle one kid at a time during the night... but not both at the same time.

Also today, during dinner David gave Timothy some paper to play with... and when I looked over at him, there was a corner of the page missing. I felt in his mouth and couldn't find anything but then when I looked in, sure enough he had bitten the corner off and it was in his mouth. The fishing began and we eventually fished it out. You'd think this kid never eats, but he has huge rolls and eats pretty decently. I guess it is time to get out the "real" food. He seems to be telling us to get to the food already.

Another funny Alexis moment today... Alexis passed gas and then promptly said, "wasn't that neat?" Oh dear... what have we got on our hands. What a day!

Laughter IS the best medicine

Alexis was hilarious at dinner tonight. She gets into these moods where she just starts saying the most funny things of all time. Even better is how she says them. During bites of food she suddenly pounded her fist on the table and said, "this is ridiculous". I followed with the question of, "what is ridiculous". She then goes into detail about the foolish man. She sings the primary song about the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish man who built his house on the sand. Apparently the foolish man was ridiculous.... but then again... what two year old goes around using words like ridiculous... and in the correct way.
Timothy has also joined us at the dinner table now. It used to be that the second we sat down at the table for dinner he would start howling... so we though maybe he wanted to be included. Poor Alexis was ousted from her booster chair and Timothy moved in. She luckily was okay with this. Timothy LOVED being at the table. No more howling. Yeah! Turns out he really did just feel left out. Now our new dilemma is the seating arrangement. Alexis sat next to Timothy tonight and all she wanted to do was make him laugh. She played peek-a-boo with him and made numerous funny faces. When Timothy did laugh she was thrilled. When he did not laugh she promptly instructed him that he needed to laugh. Such a good, instructive, big sister. Dinner was quite entertaining tonight.... glad that we can all sit as a family to bond at the table. Good Times.

Superheroes

My kids truly are my superheroes. They make the world a better place and I don't know what I'd do all day without them. We don't usually get much accomplished during the day as far as cleaning goes. As you can see, my dish towels usually end up as capes or baby doll blankets or other such things. I am learning to let go. At the end of the day, my house is a wreck and I have so much left to do... but at least my kids are okay and that makes it the best day ever.

I also have the best husband ever. Sorry to all those who didn't get him... but he is mine. :) He is so good with the kiddos and loves to get them wound up and laughing. I unfortunately have to be the "mean" one and bring them back down to earth and say the cursed words of "bed time". Oh well. He is such a good man and works really hard... or as he says, "hardly works". I truly am blessed to have so many superheroes in my life.

Pray for Heat

Okay... so I know it is crazy for me to say this in Arizona of all places... but yes I dare say... "Pray for heat". David is working on his graduate project and it requires that Arizona be, well, HOT. With all the recent storms it has been keeping us below 100 degrees, but David needs it to be 100+ degrees. He basically is seeing if insulin that is sent to patients in the mail is compromised due to the heat. Insulin is meant to be kept cool, so he is trying to see if it is left in an Arizona mailbox, that it starts to lose any of its qualities. I need him to graduate... so pray for heat. I'll let you know when he is done with his experimentation and then you can pray for storms/rain again. Thanks! ;)

Paranoid

Am I really paranoid if everyone really is out to get me?  Just a thought... but yesterday something REALLY WEIRD happened.  When David got home he asked if I had left the water running on the tree again, because the entire side of the house was flooded.  I hadn't turned on the water... but we do have one hose attached to a drip line for the plants that is on a timer.  I thought maybe it had built up to much pressure and burst... so I went outside to take a look.  The hose had been disconnected from the drip line.  I thought that maybe somehow the threads had become stripped and thus disconnecting the two hoses... but NO... they had been manually, by a person, disconnected.  David didn't do it, I didn't do it, the kids or my sister didn't do it.... so who did it?

I know for a fact that people have been in our backyard.  Not only because one has been arrested back there... but weird things like this happen all the time.  Like the day David and I found a pair of keys in the yard... with a car clicker on them.  They weren't any of the neighbors and that isn't something that you just toss over a wall for the heck of it.  All I can imagine is that some punk jumped the wall and it fell out of a pocket... never to be found again.  Kinda' serves them right though.  Maybe it is the same punk that stole our stereo. 

I am tempted to line the top of the walls with glass.  That might do the trick... but then again, I'll probably get sued by some punk jumping the wall because they'll get hurt.  The craziness of the world we live in. 

The graffiti is also increasing.  It is not just on the perimeter walls of the neighborhood... but working its way in.  I'm just waiting to wake up one morning to find our cars and garage doors tagged.  The most irritating part is that it isn't just gang names, but profanity too... Also knowing that there is someone outside my doors doing such things bothers me.  The graffiti is also accompanied by gun shots most times too.  Can't wait to leave this place.

We hope to put our house on the market come Sept./Oct.  but we'll see.  I just can't honestly say... "Hey come see this awesome house, in an awesome neighborhood.  Great place to raise a family".    It reminds me of that commercial of a car that had been through a hurricane and the owner was trying to sell it.  And their description went from, slightly damaged car for sale... to... new paint and upholstery.  As David would so kindly put it... "You can gold plate a terd... but it is still a terd".    Don't get me wrong... I love our house and if I could, I'd just pick it up and move it with us... But you can't pay me enough to stay living in this area.

Wow... so that is the end of my venting for today... so am I just being paranoid?  Hmmmm?

They grow like weeds!

I can't believe how fast they grow. This morning I was surprised to find that Timothy has TWO teeth now on the bottom. He's not even 5 months old yet... is this possible? He's been super drooly... but I thought it was just part of who he was... not because he had teeth coming in. Life is about to get more interesting. The Dr. said to wait as long as possible to introduce him to "real food", but I think we may be doing that sooner than later.

It seems like they grow to fast. Alexis has become a real little person. She brought me her baby doll the other day and said that I needed to take care of her baby, and she would watch my baby. She then proceeded to run to Timothy and hug him and play with him. Such a sweet big sister. She also decided he needed to learn to pray. She had folded his arms and was teaching him what to say. Then she came running to me excitedly saying, "He said amen!" I don't think I could ask for cuter or more wonderful kids. I am truly blessed. Need I say more.

Empathy

I always find words fall short when trying to tell a loved one you are sorry. How do you truly express to them that your heart hurts for them and you wish you could make it all better. With my daughter I can just kiss it and make it all better, but I find that is really isn't that easy. Words seem so inadequate in expressing feelings sometimes. What can one do to truly show they are hurting for another when they are so far away. Hugs don't transfer so well over the internet or phone line. It is times like these when my heart hurts for another that I am so grateful for loving arms of one greater than myself. My only fear is that the person who needs the loving arms of their Lord so dearly, may not reach for that all extending hand of love. I pray that we all know we are never alone when the world seems to suffocate us. I am grateful for the one who has the truest empathy of all... without Him I'd be lost.

Photo Tag

My old roommate tagged me. The rules are you have to take ten pictures of the following things. And you have to do it right away. No straightening, cleaning or wiping your child's nose. Then you tag five others. So here it goes:
1. The sink. I don't think this will ever be empty... unless we get a live in housecleaner.

2. The toilet. Our bathroom is partially clean... right?
3. The laundry room.

4. Inside of the fridge. Another task to yet be finished...

5. What are your kids/spouse doing right now? Sleeping and playing computer games

6. Favorite shoes. Love Reefs!

7. Favorite room. family/living room that always looks like the play room... oh wait that is how every room in the house looks. :)

8. Your closet. Poorly designed... note to self for future homes...

9. Dream vacation. Anywhere... but i'd love to go to Hawaii.

10. Self-portrait. Oye... does this count?
I tag Kathy C., Allison M., Allison A., Brittany C., Eevi