Long, boring journal entry about cleaning

We had a great weekend. Conference weekend is always a little like Christmas; we eat a ton of yummy food and never change out of our pajamas or make our beds. Of course the kids don't appreciate President Monson the same way they do Santa Claus, then again, once they find out the truth about Santa, that will probably change.

When we lived in Florida, Noel would bring cinnamon rolls over on Conference weekend and we would snack on them all day. Since we moved here, I thought it would be fun to continue the tradition. Especially when I found an awesome recipe using my bread machine (Thanks Tricia!). Seriously, these are yummy. You can find the recipe HERE. The kids had a good time helping me (Damon rolling out the dough, Allie mixing the cinnamon and sugar together, then spilling half of it on the kitchen floor), and we enjoyed them Sunday evening.

President Monson's talk about change was an especially meaningful one to me. I felt like he was talking right to me when he mentioned the fingerprints that cover every surface and the stacks of laundry that need to be washed (please tell me I'm not the only one!). I really loved how he encouraged us to make the most of today so we don't have any regrets when the children are gone. I know I want to do better with that. But I have also been reflecting on all the changes that have taken place just since Jeff and I got married and how our lives continue to change.

When we first got married, we lived in a tiny apartment close to campus. It was great and perfect for us. I made the comment early on that we would never live somewhere smaller than that, but would need more and more space as the children came. Even when we moved in with Jeff's parents the first time, we had just as much, if not more, space in the "love loft" as in our Cambridge Court apartment. When we moved to Ohio, we bought a 2 bedroom condo for $42,500. It was just under 900 square feet and sported the tiniest kitchen I had ever seen. And we were happy there. Damon was two months old when we moved in, and when we left, four years later, we had added Allie to the family. We were definitely beginning to outgrow our little condo, and I was anxious to get into something with three bedrooms before we thought about another baby.

In Jacksonville, we were lucky enough to rent from the best landlord ever--Jeff's dad. He bought a 3 bedroom house (our first time not sharing walls with anyone else!) and we thought we were moving into a mansion. We had plenty of space, even with baby Kyla, and I never felt crowded (well, except that one time my ENTIRE family came to visit. That was a great time, but it was crowded). And back here in Springville, in the basement, we have just as much living space as we did in Florida (and here we even have an "extra" bedroom for Kyla, aka, the storage room). It's perfect for us now, and really, we would be fine to stay here for quite a while, even if we were to have baby #4 join us (don't tell Jeff that, though, because I told him I really want to be in our own house before we have another baby. That gives us over 9 months, though, so hopefully that will happen).

Now, though, we are contemplating the biggest move yet (maybe ever). We want to buy a house that we can grow into, possibly staying in forever, if we love the neighborhood, schools, ward, etc. This is a big commitment, but I have talked to so many people who planned on being in a house for 5 years or so, but are still there because as kids get older, it's harder and harder to move. So I would prefer to buy a house that we can grow into, and won't feel small in a few years. And, while that's very exciting, it's also very scary. I don't know if I'm ready for that. I mean, I'm ready for the house, but I don't know if I'm ready to clean it.

I have never been the perfect housekeeper. My mom was quick to warn Jeff about how disastrous my bedroom was as a teenager (to be fair, Heather and I did share a small room and most of the mess was always clothes), and not to expect too much out of me. But for those of you who know my mom, you know she is a big time cleaner. She can scrub and scour with the best of them. And she always did her big cleaning on Saturday, especially Saturday night, so the house was spotless Sunday morning. She said she liked to start the day off right by inviting the Spirit to be there. It makes sense, and it was nice to wake up to a clean house, with Janice Kapp Perry playing in the background.

But I have come to realize that the messiest my house gets is always Sunday night. No one wants to clean on Sunday (when I say no one, I mean myself, of course), and long days with everyone home mean things get trashed. So, the most logical day to clean is Monday. That way I don't have to worry about how messy things get on Sunday, because I know I'll take care of it on Monday. So, I decided to make a change and do all the cleaning on one day. I also wanted to prove (to myself) that I will be able to handle the kind of house we are trying to buy (oh, and the fact that I want to keep my in-laws basement from getting destroyed helps out in my motivation). I hope that I'll be able to. Cleaning just the basement (and doing the laundry) takes, on average, five hours. But I'm usually okay with that, because I don't have anything else planned on Monday and I love the way the house looks (and smells) when I am done. I'm not sure that proves that I am ready for my own house, but hopefully it is a step in the right direction.

If I have to give myself a grade on how well I am doing in the cleaning department, it would be a B. Is that enough to get me the new house? Will that translate to a C in a bigger place (or worse)? Right now, today, I am feeling very grateful that we are here with the Trapnell's. Not only are we saving a lot of money, but I can rest easy knowing I don't have to worry about things like house payments. And scrubbing one more bathroom.

p.s. We are still looking at two houses in Springville. Both are brand new, never been lived in, and are short sales, which we are learning a lot about. Really, when listing a house as a short sale, the realtor should add in parentheses (there's nothing short about it. You'll be waiting for weeks or months to hear anything). At least then you wouldn't get your hopes up every few days. But we're hopeful that one of the two houses will work out, and that we won't be here until next fall. :) I'll let you know when I know.

Fall

Fall is definitely in the air. At least in the mornings, as we have still been getting up to around 90 in the afternoons, but I feel it coming. And the leaves are starting to change. It's magical. We have missed it. Fall is awesome in Ohio. Summer and spring are gray and cloudy, and winter is cold and miserable, but fall just about makes up for it. I'm not looking forward to winter, but I am really excited for fall.

Allie started a gymnastics class once a week at the Mapleton rec center. The best part is what she chooses to wear. This purple number is my favorite. Her teacher is helping her slide her hands across the bar. It's been really fun, but I must admit that she has been more emotional than I expected her to be. It's as if it's Damon sitting there, scared to participate, instead of Allie. But she's getting more used to it now and I think it's good for her.

Damon finished up his soccer season last night. Jeff and I were both amazed at how much he has progressed in just a few short weeks. He even managed to score a few goals, which I never would've thought possible when he started. Last night, all the players on his team got a trophy and you can't imagine how proud he is of it. Jeff wasn't home when he went to bed last night, so he crept in early this morning to show it to him.

He asked me if I have any trophies from when I was a kid and if he could see them. I wonder what I saved...all my stuff is in a box in storage, so we won't be able to get it out and reminisce, but I love that he cares.


These are Damon's cousins that played on the team with him, David and Sammy. You can tell that David was struggling with a bloody nose all day yesterday, and if you look closely, you can see Damon has dried blood on his arm. That's kind of disgusting.

What do you think of this face? Does it say, "don't mess with me?," or what? Kyla has become our little spitfire. She refuses to be pushed around and has learned to throw tantrums by screaming, "NO!" when she isn't happy. It makes me crazy.

But I love watching her personality develop. She is definitely the most adventurous of the kids at this age. She loves being outside, and is surprisingly capable for being so small. I peeked out the window and saw her throwing a tennis ball to the dog two days ago, and yesterday I saw her carrying a rabbit under one arm like she had been holding it for years (both pets are my in-laws, but they are right outside our door, so they feel like they are ours). She loves animals, and gets so excited when she sees them (and rabbit scratches don't seem to slow her down much).

Last weekend we stopped in Brian Head on our way to St. George so our budding photographer (Jeff) could take some landscape pictures. It was quite cold at the top of the mountain, and Allie only lasted long enough to take this picture before she headed back to the van to wait.

Kyla would've outlasted us all. Even though her hands were freezing and her nose was red, she didn't complain at all, but instead was THRILLED to be out of her carseat (which she doesn't care for at all). I love how tough she is, and I hope she will always be willing to tag along with us on fun adventures.

10 Years

I had my 10-year reunion over the weekend, and thought it would be a good time to fill out this little high school get to know you:

Did you date someone from your school? Yes, and I have written plenty on the subject HERE, along with all those embarrassing pics everyone loves to see. They aren't getting posted again. My high school sweetheart was Tyler Campbell, catcher on the baseball team.

What kind of car did you drive? When I first started driving, I drove the old Dodge Caravan. It was blue with faux wood paneling on the side. It also leaked power steering fluid and we carried it around by the case so I could refill it. My senior year Heather and I got a '87 Nissan Maxima with a sunroof and a voice we named "Joan" who reminded us that "fuel is low." It was a great high school car.

Were you a party animal? Hardly. I didn't have the time or desire. And I didn't get invited to parties.

Were you considered a flirt? Only if I were mistaken for my sister, Heather. :)

Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Choir. Concert Choir (the big show choir that didn't turn anyone away. At the state choir festival, we got the highest marks of any choir, and we proclaimed ourselves state champions!) and Trilogy (madrigal choir that had 7 of each part--28 total. We met as a zero hour class at 7 am. I still don't know how I made it, as it was very competitive. I was an alto, and I figure that they needed someone who could read music, wouldn't cause any problems and had a voice that didn't stand out. That was me. Trilogy was an amazing experience and I learned so much and was exposed to great music. One of the best things I did in high school).

Were you a nerd? Definitely. I took AP classes and dated the smartest guy in school for a while (before the baseball player). I loved to read and got excited walking down the aisles of the library. Wouldn't you say that was nerdy?

Were you on any varsity teams? Yep. I was the setter on the volleyball team, and we made it to state my senior year. I cracked my elbow in our first game and watched from the bench as we lost two matches and were out. I was a guard on the basketball team and considered not playing my senior year for a fraction of a second (we only had one other senior on the team after a series of events led others to decide against playing). It was a tough year, but we overachieved and took fourth at the state tournament, coming within one point of playing for the state championship! It was the best/worst experience of high school for me. I also played third base on the softball team and we weren't very good, mostly because we didn't have a good pitcher. But it was a lot of fun and I got to spend a lot of time watching the baseball team whose field was right next to ours.

Did you ever get suspended or expelled? No, but I remembered a time I got into trouble. It was Sadie's my senior year and the student body was voting on which boys would be on the royalty. My friend, Lacy, and I somehow got our hands on a bunch of extra ballots and we probably filled out 20 of them or so (was it more, Lacy?), mostly voting for our friends and boyfriends. They made the royalty, and word got back to the teacher in charge what we had done. We had to go apologize to him and for a second we were a little worried about what else might happen, but our punishment was that we couldn't vote on the king. Sadly, neither of our boyfriends won.

Who were your favorite teachers? Coach Higgins (physics teacher and basketball coach), Mrs. Jacobsen (English and Creative Writing), Mr.Lister (choir and Trilogy), Brother Passey (seminary)

Could you still sing the fight song? I just did the other night at the football game. "Pine View shall reign victorious, of this we have no fear..."

Where did you sit during lunch? With Becky.

What was your school's full name? Pine View Panthers

Did you go to Homecoming? Yes, I went with Mark Madsen (smartest guy). We had had an on-again, off-again relationship all during our junior year and this was the end of the line for us. One of my biggest regrets is the way I handled it. I should have been more honest with him than I was, and I feel bad that he had such bad feelings toward me for so long. Homecoming was at Tuacahn (outdoor amphitheater), and the setting was awesome. I just wasn't into it anymore, and I spent part of the night flirting with Tyler while Mark was getting Senior Class pictures taken.

What do you remember most about graduation?
John Mizukawa, our student body president, sang part of "Time of Your Life" by Green Day during his speech. I thought that was so brave, and I'll never forget it. All the seniors in choir and orchestra performed "No One is Alone" by Stephen Sondheim, which was just strange, but it was fun. We also gave Mr. Broadhead, our principal, little army men as we came through the PV. What was that about?

Where did you go senior skip day? Senior Skip Day was scheduled the same day we had a softball game and the baseball team had a baseball game (I still wonder if Mark did that maliciously), so I didn't get to go. Instead, I watched Titanic with Tyler at Holly Humphries house.

What was the best part of high school? Basketball, and I would say that it was the worst part of high school, too. I experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows playing. It was the hardest thing I did and it was also the best. Isn't that how life goes?

Over the weekend, we went to St. George for my 10-year high school reunion. It was a lot of fun to see people I haven't seen in years. It's hard to believe that 10 years have gone by, because it just doesn't seem possible. I only took a few pics, and somehow only came home with three of them, so here is the one group shot I got. It's a little blurry, but at least it's proof. Some of the people I was really hoping to see didn't show up, and that was a bummer, but it was fun to see the ones that were there.


This is me and Lacy (my partner in the Sadie's scam). We played volleyball together when we weren't rigging royalties.


This is me and Sara, who played basketball with me forever. She was one of the ones who didn't play senior year, but she had a valid excuse. Sara's husband was busy working (he pitches for the Diamondbacks), and Jeff was busy watching football, so she and I sat together during the dinner and reminisced. It was fun, but we both came away with headaches. Either from all the noise, or from remembering one girl who seemed to hate us both.

The story of the night is from the very end. We were in agreement that most people hadn't changed all that much. But one guy had changed a lot, and where he once was skinny with blond curly hair, showed up at the reunion looking like Hulk Hogan's younger brother. He had the hair, the muscles, everything. It was great. Apparently, he brought his own alcohol to the dinner, because by the end of the night you could smell him from five feet away and he was getting loud and silly. As I already said, Jeff wasn't with me at the dinner, and I found myself chatting with "Hulk jr." He asked me whether or not my husband was hot, and then said, "Because you're looking pretty good, and if he looks like you, then he's got to be hot!" I laughed, but he wouldn't let it drop. He just kept telling me that I looked good, and he was trying to be conservative because he didn't want my husband to hit him for saying it.

I walked away saying, "Was he hitting on me?" And then I thought, "I can't wait to tell Jeff!" He thought it was great, especially because he was obviously drunk. Oh, and he was married, too. That could've had something to do with my headache, too, I suppose.

But it was a fun weekend. A tad awkward at times, but still fun.

A TRUE gifted child

We got a note from Damon's school from the "Gifted and Talented" teacher ( do they still call it that?) with a list of characteristics of gifted children. A checklist, if you will, for determining whether or not our child is gifted. It was fun to read over the list and try to determine whether or not Damon possesses any of the characteristics listed. But it got me thinking about what a gifted child is. And I have come up with my own checklist.

What A Gifted Child Looks Like to Me

• Has mastered potty-training at an early age (read: 18 months), and never has accidents. Not even at night.
• Shows proficiency early in verbal communication, and doesn't ever resort to throwing temper tantrums or screaming at the top of their lungs "just for fun."
• Shows extraordinary ability in folding and putting away the laundry.
• Has an uncanny knack for cleaning and never has to be reminded to clean up after themselves.
• Easily grasps the concept of time, and can wake themselves up in the morning at precisely 7:00 on school days, 9:30 on weekends.
  
• Displays knowledge of foods and cooking of all types, and is willing to take over the household cooking responsibilities.
• Loves nature, and spends hours performing tasks such as weeding, edging and watering.
• Understands his/her own body well, and puts him/herself to sleep without complaint before he/she gets overtired.
• Is extraordinarily kind, patient and loving, and is able to be left alone with the younger children for hours at a time unsupervised.

Do you have a gifted child at your house? If so, I have three I would be willing to trade in exchange.

The Haps

I just got back from a fabulous girls weekend in Las Vegas, but am waiting for my mom to post some pics so I can swipe them to post here. Instead, I thought I would write about our progress in the sleep department with the girls.

You may or may not recall that we have been having issues with the girls at night. Kyla would go to bed first, and nearly every night would be awaken by Allie, who usually threw a fit at her bedtime. Neither one could fall asleep easily after that, and we had two tired girls in the morning. Kyla is also trying to transition to one nap, which is hard and leads to a lot of extra whining. So, I had finally had it. I checked out Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child from the library and read, trying to find a solution. If any of you are familiar with Dr. Weissbluth, he is all about early bedtimes (like 5:30 or 6:00). And while I knew I could never do that, I could commit to earlier bedtimes (Kyla was going to bed around 7 :30 and Allie at 8:00). So, we started Kyla in bed at 7:00 and she did great. Until she started waking up before 6:00 and screaming for Allie, which then woke us all up.


Back to the drawing board. I finally admitted that the girls are just not ready to share a room. But we don't have an extra room available for KyKy, so she got relegated to the dark, windowless store room in a pack n play. It has been wonderful! Because it's dark, she wakes up later, and because she's alone in there, even if she does wake up earlier, she doesn't get out of bed until the other kids get up. So, yay for KyKy. These pics are from Sunday, when Kyla found a cupcake with plenty of icing (I had scraped the icing off of hers, just to avoid this scenario). It was really quite humorous watching her enjoy the cupcake and I loved these pics.


Allie has a different struggle, in that she doesn't like to go to sleep and she gets herself overtired. So, following Dr. Weissbluth's suggestion, we came up with and earlier bed time, 7:30, and Allie's Sleep Rules. They are: Stay in bed, close your eyes, lay very quietly, go to sleep, stay in bed until morning. We made a chart and have gone over them repeatedly, until she knows them all. If she follows sleep rules, she gets a dum-dum in the morning. And she can choose the flavor. I also added in that she can have a dum-dum if she stays dry all night, because she started having trouble with that again. She's been doing great staying dry, but has probably only gotten 3 suckers for following sleep rules perfectly. BUT she's doing much, much better and there is far less fighting and crying. So, we are grateful for that.

Allie also started a gymnastics class on Wednesday and was the only one wearing a leotard with her undies sticking out the bottom. It was great. The first day was a little rough (she was especially emotional, it may have been one of "those" days for her!), but she told me yesterday that she is going to have a good attitude this week and follow the teacher. Jeff took this picture of her a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, this is how she looks most of the time. We still have intense battles over combing her hair, so if I don't feel that it is absolutely necessary, I don't fight her on it.

Damon seems to be doing great in school. He clings to his cousin, David, whenever possible, but he seems to really enjoy it and is doing well. His big news is that he finally lost his top tooth that has been loose for months. He had about wiggled it out and asked Jeff to pull it out, because it was hurting him. Jeff was having some difficulty, so I suggested the pliers. Damon wasn't so sure about that, but braved the tears and let him do it. It was the easiest tooth Jeff has ever extracted and we are all loving Damon's new grin.



Oh, and here are two funnies from Allie.

1. Yesterday Allie was listening to My Playlist and "Crush" came on. From the other room, I hear, "I love David Archuleta....and David Cook." Then she followed that up with, "I love Kyla and Damon." Then after a long pause, she said, "And mom." Well, at least I'm still making the list. I didn't hear any mention of Jeff.

2. My mom is finished with her chemo and on to radiation (yay! Check out her blog if you aren't already an avid reader). We talked to the kids about it and how now we can start praying for grandma's hair to grow back. So, Allie said in her prayer, "Bless grandma's hair to grow back," but didn't stop there. Next, she said, "And bless grandpa's hair to grow back, too." We may have to have a discussion with her about baldness...

How Would You Fare?

Thank you Kim for tagging me with this. Thankfully, it could've been much, much worse. The tag is this. Go take pictures of things in your home AS THEY ARE....RIGHT NOW, no "fixing" it before you snap the picture!

1. Mine and Jeff's closet. It's tiny, so we have some of our clothes scattered in the kids' closets.

2. The kitchen sink. It's actually odd that there are no dirty dishes in there. We don't have a dishwasher down here, so there are usually a few in the sink waiting to be washed.


I tag anyone who wants to do this. I don't blame you if you pass.
3. Toilet in our bathroom. The toilet in the other bathroom is new and has been installed, but is still waiting on a hose attachment before it is usable. It's sure fun sharing one bathroom! Moments before taking this pic (before the tag), I fished about 30 "kid wipes" out of the toilet (you can see one on the counter). I'm still wondering how that happened.


4. Laundry Room, which is also the bathroom that is "under construction." You can see tools on the counter waiting to finish the job.


5. Kids. Damon doing art, the girls doing something with books outside.



6. Pets. Jeff's lizard, a uromastyx. He has four of them.


7. Place you want to visit. Santorini, Greece. Someday.


8. Fridge/Freezer "Pretty dang exciting."


9. Favorite Room. I guess that would have to be our bedroom because the kids aren't in there very often. We love having a king bed, but it's too firm for me. I'm looking for a twin size memory foam for my side.


10. Favorite Shoe. These are several years old, but so comfy. And apparently greasy.


11. Self Portrait. Lovely.

To Whom it May Concern

When I went to Damon's open house at his school, his teacher had all of the parents write a little paragraph about their child, with information she might need to know to help her be a better teacher for them. I wrote a few things about Damon that I thought would be helpful, but I haven't been able to really stop thinking about that question. So, for posterity's sake, here is what I would REALLY like to tell her.

To: Mrs. Wayment
Re: Things You Should Know About My Son

This isn't the first time I have turned my son, my sweet Damon, over to the care of someone for the majority of his days, but that doesn't mean it's not painful to do so. There are so many things I want to tell you about him, and I'm so excited that you get to know him. He's an incredible boy, and you're lucky to have him.

Damon is a happy boy with an infectious laugh. He is easily delighted, and his eyes shine with excitement for life. He has got the kindest, sweetest heart, and needs life to be kind to him. He has always been uncomfortable with drama of any kind, and can't bear to be a part of something that has the potential to end unhappily. He experiences anxiety frequently, but is learning to be brave.

Damon has always been more comfortable around adults than children his own age, and doesn't make friends easily. However, he craves companionship, and will be fiercely loyal to the friends he does have. He will be respectful of you and he will do what you ask of him.


While he may not get into trouble often, he does have a tendency to occasionally let silliness over rule his better judgment. It won't take much correction for him to feel remorseful. No one will be a harsher critic of him than he will be, and he will punish himself more effectively than you ever could.

Damon loves to learn, and will pick things up easily. He may, at times, act like a show-off, but realize he is only trying to impress you, the newest person in his life. He will usually give you a good effort, but will always need encouragement to do better. He's not going to push himself.

At times, he may get emotional, especially if he feels he is going to fail at something. But he is determined, and that determination will eventually win out. He is also very affectionate, and responds well to physical contact as affirmation of his behavior.



I love my son. And I know that you will, too. I hope that during this year, you get to know all about him. Because even though there are things about him that will drive you crazy, he will win you over with those big green eyes and dimpled cheeks. Thank you for taking on the responsibility of teaching him in this all-important year. Help him to be a better student and a better friend. And then, please, give him back to me. I can't imagine my life without him.

Sincerely,
Krystal Trapnell

"Those" Days

Yesterday was one of those days.

No, I mean one of "those" days. The one that occurs with regularity every month. You know the kind I'm talking about. You wake up in a bad mood. A small grouping of pimples pops up in a localized area of your face. Your body aches all over, and you hope you can sleep in an extra half hour to shorten the day somewhat. But your baby wakes up at 6:30 and stands in her bed yelling, "Allie!," and so you have to jump up and get her, lest she wake up your less-than-chipper-in-the-early-morning three year old. That's when you notice that your patience is already shot and you've only been out of bed for 30 seconds. Oh yes, it's going to be one of "those" days.

You would think that my family would be able to recognize the signs, and steer clear. But for some reason, they seem oblivious. On one of "those" days, Kyla should know that when she starts whining at 8:30 in the morning, she's going to end up back in bed. Allie should know that I'm not going to react well when she starts throwing a fit, deliberately unfolding all the clothes I have just folded. She should be expecting the force in which she was yanked into timeout, and not seem shocked to be handled so roughly. She should also know that when I tell her I am sick to death of reading "Dr. DeSoto goes to Africa" that she's not going to talk me into reading it. There's just no point in arguing. And the discussion is probably going to end with me tossing the book across the room.

Damon should know that when he wants a treat after dinner, and I tell him I need him to help me clean up, he should just zip his mouth and help, instead of whining and complaining. He shouldn't be too surprised when his after dinner treat gets yanked from him without discussion. And Jeff really should know better. He should realize that telling me it's going to cost more than a dollar in gas to drive to Maverik to return my movie is not what I want to hear when all I really want to do is get out. He should know better than to tell me I'm talking to him like a two-year old as I try to explain to him where my checkbook is. But somehow, he missed the signs, too, and had to ask, "what is going on with you?"

That's when I decided. I need a sign around my neck, something to give everyone who comes within 50 feet of me fair warning. Maybe it could say something like, "Mom's Raging," or "Proceed with Extreme Caution." But Allie and Kyla can't read, and it might not be fair to them not to be warned. So, maybe I could just lock the bedroom door, answering all knocks with, "take care of yourself today!" But that would leave Allie in charge, and that could only mean disaster. So I've decided. I think I will wear my Wicked shirt. That's something everyone should be able to recognize, and easily understand. And with any luck, it will ONLY be once a month that I have one of "those" days.

Fun Little Survey

1. Do you like blue cheese? No
2. Have you ever smoked? No, but I liked to pretend that I was on a cold day when I could see my breath. Why were we fascinated with smoking as kids?
3. Do you own a gun? No, and I don't really want one.
4. What flavor Kool Aid is your favorite? I am trying to remember...back in the days when we used to drink kool-aid (college), we had a favorite flavor in a pink package. Was is strawberry kiwi? watermelon cherry? I can't remember.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Always. I always worry that something will be wrong with me or my baby (usually that's why I am at the doctor--because I'm pregnant).
6. What do you think of hot dogs?Not my favorite. Will eat occasionally.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? The Grinch (the Jim Carrey version). A favorite of my family.
8. Favorite thing to drink in the morning? Milk with my oatmeal.
9. Can you do push ups? Yes, but not as many as I once could.
11. Favorite hobby? I love to read. I go through phases where I love to write. I love sports (watching and playing).
12. Do you have A.D.D.? No.
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? I have a hard time approaching people. I wish I were friendlier.
14. Middle name? Karen
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. 1. I wonder what Allie's doing. 2. I need to put my vacuum away. 3. Why am I not friendlier?
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? water and milk are the only things I drink regularly.
17. Current worry? Whether or not we're going to get the house we want.
18. Current hate right now? America's Got Talent. It has become a complete sham and we couldn't watch more than 5 minutes of it.
19. Favorite place to be? On a trip with Jeff.
20. How did you bring in the New Year? Party at Jeff's brother's house.
21. Where would you like to go? Greece, Croatia, Italy, the Carrie Underwood concert in November.
22. Name three people who will complete this:
23. Do you own slippers? yes, two pairs. A must if you live in the basement.
24. What shirt are you wearing? a WICKED t-shirt my SIL gave me. "It's time to try defying gravity!"
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No way. I can just imagine my dry feet rubbing across the sheets and that gives me the chills. Yuck!
26. Can you whistle? Yeah, but nothing to be too proud of.
27. Favorite color? Blue.
28. Would you be a pirate? Gross. Bad hygiene, terrible diet, worse teeth...no way.
30. Favorite Girl's Name? I have always loved Lydia. Jeff doesn't.
31. Favorite boy's name? When I was about 13, I would've said Zack. Now I don't really have a favorite. Maybe Damon?
32. What's in your pocket right now? No pockets.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? Kyla trying to say "pickle," and eating 3 at lunch.
34. What vehicle do you drive? Toyota Sienna. Yep, I'm a minivan mom.
35. Worst injury you've ever had? Broken foot, broken arm, appendix out...nothing too major.
36. Do you love where you live? I love being back in Utah (most of the time). I am anxious to be in our own house, but I love not having to pay rent!
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? Two, but only one is hooked up.
38. Who is your loudest friend? Daisy Commander.
39. Do you have any pets? Four lizards, but they are Jeff's, not mine.
40. Does someone have a crush on you? I think Damon does.
41. Your favorite book(s): Tough to narrow it down...Pride and Prejudice is always up there, Twilight before it got so madly popular, To Kill a Mockingbird, Stargirl, Austenland, The Giver, East of Eden...
42. Do you collect anything? children :) Is three a good enough collection?
43. Favorite Sports Team? Boston Red Sox and Utah Jazz, Ohio State Buckeyes and BYU Cougars
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? I have never really thought about that before. I'm thinking that Jeff will probably go before me, so probably something happy for a reunion between the two of us and our son, Chance. I think we'll swing each other around and around like Pam and Emily do in Saturday's Warrior. What would be an appropriate song for that?

David Beckham?

This may or may not come as a surprise to you, but I was very competitive as a child. Very. I always wanted to win, and I always wanted to be the best at everything.

I remember once in fifth grade (my most competitive year) when I wrote a report about Japan. I chose Japan because my dad had served his mission there and had a geisha doll with a tiny fan that we always wanted to play with. I remember pulling out the old-as-the-hills encyclopedia and reading all about Japan. I spent quite some time tracing a map of the islands, labeling each one. I thought it was a masterpiece and was sure I would get 100% on the report. And so I was devastated when I didn't. I cried when I got my score (if I remember correctly, I got 90%--a travesty). I'm sure my teacher felt horrible for me, because the next time I did a report (on Ted Williams), I got 100%. Thank you very much.

Not only did I want to be the best at everything, but I hated to lose. I was never a poor sport (I don't think I was, but I could be wrong), but I always had a hard time hiding my frustration when I lost. My dad was always giving me a very specific piece of advice: "Chill out!" And for the most part, I have. I have (unfortunately) had to deal with losing more than I would like to admit. I stopped crying so much about losing, and realized that it's okay if I'm not the best at everything.

But I still don't like it. And I am seeing a lot of that in Damon. He definitely wants to be the best at everything and gets instantly frustrated if things aren't easy. He participated in a free basketball class when he was 3 (in Columbus, where he was the only white boy in the class), and felt he didn't match up with the rest of the kids in his class. He refused to play and we took a hiatus from sports. But Jeff isn't ready to turn him loose to singing and dancing. He wants him to give sports a chance. And so, we signed him up to play soccer.

Damon was very worried about it, especially after his first practice. He didn't understand that just because you fall down, it doesn't mean you're a bad player. He had his first game last night, and Jeff promised him a special treat if he tried his best and didn't give up. And I have to say, we were pleasantly surprised with his effort. He wasn't the best on the team, but he wasn't the worst either. He held his own out there, and popped up every time he fell. And although he was still worried about losing ("I don't want to lose," he confided in me before the game), no one was keeping score, so he could try not to think about what the score was (although he knew).

He was thrilled for his teammates when they scored a goal, and is excited to go back. In fact, last night in our family prayer he said, "we're thankful I'm good at soccer." Yes, we are. Actually, we're glad he's not rolling around on the ground crying because he's not the best.

Allie van Gogh

I am in the kitchen listening in on a "conversation" Allie and Kyla are having. I don't understand most of it, but I did catch the part when Allie sang, "I kissed a boy, it's not worth it." That made me smile. An experience we had two weeks ago with Allie didn't make any of us smile.

I was in bed and Jeff came in with a tiny bottle of yellow paint. It was empty. "Do you know what this is?," he asked.

"It's paint from Damon's art kit. Why?"

"Allie painted all over Kyla's crib with it. What should we do?" I was still in a stupor, having been woken up. I am not the most chipper gal first thing in the morning, and it takes me a few minutes to shake of the sleepies. I didn't know how to respond to that question. I was barely processing the fact that Allie had done something bad, and my brain had no room to come up with a consequence for her.

"I don't know." I rolled out of bed and went into the scene of the crime. Yes, even to someone half asleep, it was obvious that Allie had painted the crib (and parts of the wall and door) yellow.


I found a very sad girl in there, too. I put her up on the rocker and asked her what had happened. Finally, after many many tears and claims of, "I'm scared," she confessed.

"I woke up and saw the paint." The rest follows logically. It only makes sense that she needed to use the paint to change the color of the crib to match the crib sheet and blanket. Why was that so hard for me to understand?



I know she may look contrite, and you may wonder how on earth we could punish such a sad little girl, but we did. Actually, I did, because Jeff was long gone by this time. We spent the morning cleaning up (it did come off, thankfully, as it was washable paint designed for kids), and Allie spent a considerable amount of time in that rocker as I iced my hand down after the hardest spanking I had ever given her. That is, until a few days later when we battled over something else.

I think she learned her lesson. I hope so. Yesterday I found her in the bathroom washing something purple off her hands. I asked her what it was. She wouldn't tell me. But I found an open bottle of purple paint in my bedroom. Yes, she learned her lesson. Or I caught her early enough that she hadn't had time to paint my furniture.

Highs and Lows

So, I tried to read slowly and make it last. I managed all of three days. I finished Breaking Dawn last night, and you can read my review HERE. Don't read if you don't want anything spoiled.

This week without Jeff has been full of highs and lows.

Lows: Allie having a very hard time obeying and receiving several spankings, Allie waking up wet again (after weeks of being dry every morning), Allie sneaking things and lying about it (are we seeing a pattern here?), doing a Tae Bo workout three days ago and being so sore that I could barely get up and down, the toilet getting clogged and there's no one here but me to try to fix it,

Highs: Damon laughing in delight as he sang "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain," specifically the verse that says, "she'll have to sleep with granny when she comes;" Allie getting to paint with watercolors while KyKy was sleeping and laughing in delight as she turned the water different colors; the kids eating dinner so great, even when they thought they didn't like it; Kyla doing errands for me, like putting her diaper in the trash or taking things to Allie; the awesome weather we've been having with just a tiny hint of fall in the air; and my favorite memory from the week, which lasted all of three seconds. Kyla was wearing Allie's purple dancing skirt (which she thought was so fun) and she came into the kitchen and found the broom and swept the floor. She looked so big (sorry no pictures, Jeff has the camera on his river trip), and I couldn't help but hear "Sing Sweet Nightengale" as she swept, my little Cinderella (and yes, I know Cinderella never wore her gown when she was doing housework, but it was just the moment).

So, it's been good. We'll meet up with Jeff tomorrow and head to St. George for the weekend. Should be fun!

Olympics

Thoughts about the Olympics.

How about some volleyball! With Ryan Millar and the men and Logan Tom and the women, U.S.A. volleyball is alive and well! And not to mention our dominance in beach volleyball. How awesome was that? I went back and forth who I loved more, Misty or Kerri. What must it be like to block like Kerri? But Misty is the better player. So I decided. I want to be Misty May. And I want Kerri Walsh to be my best friend. I love those girls!


I'm a little annoyed that baseball and softball are getting cut from the Olympics. I understand that baseball is pretty boring without any MLB players, and that the U.S. softball team is too good for the rest of the world, but really? There are many "sports" that I think should be cut before baseball and softball: The 20 k walk, trampoline, rhythmic gymnastics, field hockey, sailing, judo, Greco Roman wrestling, tae kwon do... And I really don't have anything against any of those events, I am just a little disappointed that baseball and softball are out. Okay, I don't care about baseball. I am sad that softball is out. And do you think the U.S. threw the gold medal game on purpose so softball could be reinstated for 2016?

There's nothing like a good controversy. Especially when it involves gymnasts from China and the U.S. I was fascinated by the U.S. computer hacker who found "proof" that He Kexin is only 14, and how that stirred up so much trouble. Everyone suspects that the Chinese gymnasts are underage, and yet we all knew that the Chinese government was going to provide any necessary proof that they were eligible to compete. Also, it seemed a little fishy that the Chinese gymnasts were getting scores that even Tim Daggett claimed were "a little high." And I don't care how good her first vault was, "Pug Face" didn't deserve a bronze on vault when she fell on her knees on the second.

Luckily, though, our two stars couldn't be stopped. It was another toss-up of who you love more, Shawn or Nastia. I'm just glad they both did so well. It was wonderful to watch.

The Jamaican sprinters were on fire! They all seemed to have their best races at the best time. I really hope they are all clean, because I can't help but be a tad suspicious. Now, I know none of them have ever failed a drug test, and I really do hope they are all doing it without drugs, because it was fun to watch. Especially Usain Bolt. The man is a freak of nature. It's not right to be that tall and to run that fast. Amazing!


New athletes I love: Tyson Gay (did you see the story NBC did on him where he said he could sit and sign autographs all day for kids because he was just so happy to be making a difference in their lives? Love him! And I'm so sad that his Olympics was so awful).


Dara Torres (not technically a NEW athlete, but definitely one of my favs--I told Jeff she should've gotten some fake nails put on before her race, she would've won gold! And then she made the fingernail comment after the race (about how she shouldn't have filed them) and I didn't feel very original).

Kobe Bryant (it was so fun to actually cheer for him instead of detesting him!)

Jason Lezac (we may never see a better finish to a relay than in the 4x100--it was amazing! And thanks to him we got to see Michael Phelps' abs in a way we never would've otherwise!).


So...what am I going to do now that they are over? Jeff is gone all week on a rafting trip, so I will be especially lonely. But I am prepared. I have been waiting for the perfect time to get reacquainted with my good friends, Bella and Edward, and I think this is the time.

Pictures at last

Sorry. I know I have really been slacking in the photo department and it's a wonder that anyone reads my posts without pics. So, here are a few that we have taken over the last few days.

Last weekend all the Trapnell boys took a bunch of the kids camping/fishing at Fish Lake for two days. Damon was so excited to go, and even let Jeff talk him into hiking another high point. Jeff, Damon, our nephew Michael and Greg's dog, Vegas, set off on an 8.5 mile hike. Yes, that's right. MILES. Up to an 11,000 foot peak. When I heard about it, I thought they were crazy, but Jeff said the book listed it as a moderate hike and he thought it would be okay. Five and a half hours later, he wasn't so sure. He said the boys did really well, but were both so exhausted at the end that he had to carry them (in shifts) the last couple of miles. This is Damon and Michael at the top of the peak. Damon carried this feather with him all the way. In fact, Jeff said he didn't put the feather down the entire trip.


In the meantime, Allie and I had a girl's weekend. We painted our toenails, tried on lotion and lip gloss, got ice cream from McDonald's and Dairy Queen, and watched Michael Phelps. Good times. Allie has added a new item to her wardrobe: a swimsuit. It must be easier to put on than anything else, because although we haven't been swimming in weeks, she wears one nearly every day. This one made me laugh. Jeff is wondering if I can get one just like it.


Damon and Allie made a "fort" under the stairs outside. They filled it with pillows and spent quite a while hanging out there. Damon even protected them from the spider by blocking its web with a pillow. I'd rather not know the details. This isn't the best pic of Allie, but I love it of Damon.
And finally, Damon started school on Wednesday. He seems to be very happy, but my heart still goes out to him. He told me that on the first day he didn't know that he could leave the cafeteria after lunch to go out to the playground, and just sat there waiting for his teacher to come back and get him (that's what they did at Fort Caroline). I also gathered that he was sitting alone, as he hasn't made any friends in his class yet. Finally, he found his cousin, Maren, in the cafeteria and she took him outside to find David, his cousin in first grade. Sad. Anyway, here he is the morning he left for school. He is looking so grown up! And the hair may be a little too short for those chubby cheeks.

Eight in '08

Like the rest of the Mormon world, Jeff and I celebrate our anniversary in August. We were married August 19, 2000, and I know you are dying to see pics of that day. Sorry, but they are all still packed, and will have to wait until we are moved into our new house (however long that will be).

In honor of our eight years together, I wanted to share eight memories from our time together. These are not necessarily the best memories, but eight things that stand out. In no particular order.

#1 This comes from when we were newly dating. Jeff and I used to spend a lot of time sitting on the couch in my apartment after my roommates went to bed (or just went into their bedrooms so we could be alone). One night, as he was getting up to leave, we were standing in the doorway (door open to the outside) and he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before he left. I shut the door and immediately began to analyze what had happened. It had totally caught me off guard, and I started to worry that he had tried to kiss me (for real) and I had turned my head. I didn't want him to feel like I had rejected him, unintentionally, of course, so I decided to ask him about it.

We were sitting in the Benson building watching the Tuesday devotional (our usual spot), and we started writing notes back and forth about it (yeah right, like I was going to bring it up in actual conversation!). He assured me that he wasn't trying to kiss me, and said, "I don't usually miss," and that "when the time is right, you'll know it."

I kept those notes for a long time. I hope I still have them. Just thinking about that really makes me laugh. And as a side note, when he did kiss me, I did know it was coming and he didn't miss.

#2 When we were first married, we lived in a little apartment on University, close to BYU. It was such a cute little place, and perfect for just starting out. There was one window air conditioner in the family room, which really cooled it down. But no air whatsoever made it into the bedroom and we really suffered at night. We started off spraying each other with a water bottle before getting into bed, hoping we'd be asleep before all the water dried. Finally, we moved our mattress out to the family room. There was just enough room to squeeze it in between the couch and the dresser that held our tv. We slept there, on the floor, for at least a month before we moved. Good times.

#3 I will never forget the first time I went through the temple, two weeks before we got married. It was overwhelming, and so much to take in. I remember going from the veil to the celestial room and Jeff was standing there waiting for me and grabbed me in the biggest hug. I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life. One of the temple workers said, "I hope you'll still greet her like that in 50 years!" Jeff said, "I will." I always love to find him waiting for me in the celestial room, and it seems like he gets there before me quite often!

#4 When I was pregnant with Kyla, I really wanted to get a new crib. The crib we had used with Damon and Allie was a hand-me-down, and while very nice, I wanted something white. I had been looking at cribs, but I knew we didn't have the money to buy one, so I just thought it was a dream that wouldn't happen. On Valentine's Day, Jeff called during lunch and told me to go look outside. He was there with his brother's truck, a white crib with a big red bow in the back. I was so surprised! He had called several consignment stores and found one that had what I wanted. He spent his lunch hour figuring out how to get it into the baby's room and put together. There was no better declaration of his love for me than that. And it proved to me that he still had it in him to plan a few surprises.

#5 When Damon was a baby, we took a trip to Chicago (about a six hour drive from Columbus). We had gotten tickets to a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field, something Jeff had always wanted to do. We got stuck in traffic and the game started long before we got there. We listened on the radio as the game progressed, praying that the dark clouds hovering over Chicago would cause a rain delay. And it happened. With the game tied in the seventh inning, rain caused a delay and we FINALLY made it to the park. After an hour, the game resumed, and even went into extra innings. And because of the big delay, most fans had gone home. We got to sit anywhere we wanted, and we ended up just a few rows up on the third base side. The game went 14 innings (we got to see the last 7) and the Cubs won in the end. AND Jeff caught a ball thrown into the crowd by Moises Alou, the left fielder (he ended up giving the ball to a little kid). I'm so glad we got to experience that together.

#6 When I was pregnant with Allie, we took a trip to Washington, D.C. for Spring Break. We stayed with some friends, and had one of the best trips ever. We got to go to the D.C. temple, which was amazing, and enjoy perfect weather as we walked around town. On the way back to Columbus, we stopped to see Falling Water (Frank Lloyd Wright's home, built right on the water) and took a tour. It was awesome!

#7 When we were engaged, I worked as a Sports Camp Counselor at BYU. Most campers went home on Friday, but a few stayed and so a few counselors had to stay Friday night as well. It was my turn to stay a Friday night, but Jeff told me to get someone to trade with me, because he wanted to take me to dinner at The Roof restaurant in SLC. I managed to find someone to stay for me, and I called to ask him what to wear. We had been there once before (and spotted Sheri Dew there on a date!) and I remember feeling underdressed. He acted a little funny and told me I didn't need to wear a skirt. I was confused, but said okay, and wore pants.

While we were driving to SLC, he told me that I had something on my face, and I pulled down the visor so I could look in the mirror. An envelope fell into my lap, and when I opened it, inside were two tickets to the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill concert. For that night. I was so surprised! We had an awesome time at the concert, and it will always be one of my favorite memories with Jeff.

#8 Allie's birth. I have good memories of him with the births of the other two, but Allie's really stands out in my mind. Jeff and I spent the evening sitting in recliners at Babies R Us, talking about how glad we were I wasn't being induced that night because we were both tired. I hadn't had any contractions, so I was very surprised when I found myself in labor at 12:30 am. After only 15 minutes, I knew we needed to get to the hospital so I woke him up. It was just like in the movies, where the husband jumps up and tries to hurry, but is so disoriented it takes him a few minutes. I distinctly remember both he and my mom laughing at me as I suffered through the contractions on our drive to the hospital, throwing the seat belt off my shoulder. They had no idea that I was REALLY in labor, and thought I was just being dramatic. Once we got to the hospital, and I got to pushing, it was another scene from a movie, where the wife squeezes life out of her husband's hand as she tries desperately to rid herself of the child within. And even though I never want to do that again, I'm so glad we got to experience that together.

It's been a great eight years. Nothing has been perfect, but yet I wouldn't change a thing. All of our adventures have brought us closer together, and I can't wait to see what the rest of our journey has in store for us.

Advertising

Allie loves to watch commercials. And since we are currently DVR-less and have been watching a lot of Olympics, she has seen a lot of commercials lately. It always amazes me how much she remembers from commercials. You may recall the time she said Kyla needed Lipozene because she was too chubby. Well, her latest comment goes along with that one. She asked me if I was sad, and said, "if you're sad, you need Cymbalta." Really? It's that easy?

Night Thoughts

Poor Kyla. She was sleeping so peacefully until Allie went to bed and woke her up. Now she is having a hard time falling back asleep, and the only time I don't hear her crying is when the noise of the Olympics drowns her out. I'm sure she just wants to be out here enjoying it with me, even if she has no idea why I'm so dang excited.

The whole family has caught the Olympic fever. I have a few pics I want to post, but Jeff has the camera this weekend (the Trapnell boys took a bunch of the kids camping), so that will have to wait. But we all have been thoroughly enjoying watching every day and we won't know what to do with ourselves once they finish next week.

Today has been a very up and down day, and for no reason in particular. It's just part of being a girl, and dealing with all the emotions that surge through our bodies day after day. I love being back here in Utah. It is so nice to be surrounded by family, and to finally be done with school. But it is strange to be back. It's been six years since we last lived here, and I'm not used to "happy valley." Here are a few things that I have had to adjust to since I've been back:

1. HUGE Utah wards. Our ward here in Springville is completely out of control. In Jacksonville, we never filled the soft seats in the chapel, and everyone knew everyone else. Here, if we don't get to church 15 minutes early, we don't get a "soft seat," which makes things ten times harder with the kids. Jeff and I are in primary and we teach half of the nine year olds, and we have nine of them. Senior primary fills the entire primary room, and we have opening exercises in the chapel, where we fill all the "soft seats." It is insane!

2. All the "Mormon movies." There is one coming out right now about sister missionaries called "The Errand of Angels," and the previews feature the song "As Sisters in Zion." It catches me off guard every time I hear it.

3. There are so many Mormons everywhere we go! It's not uncommon to overhear people talking about missions and church at the bank, the grocery store...weird.

4. There are churches everywhere! I knew that, but it's still funny to see them all. There are three within walking distance of the Trapnell's (maybe more, but I haven't actually walked enough to know for sure).

5. While we have lots of family around, and I'm never really lonely, I don't have any friends close by yet. I miss having friends. I miss book clubs, and girls nights out, and park outings...I know it takes time, and mostly it doesn't bother me, but today I just started feeling sad. I'm praying that in our next house, and next ward, I will find some girls I can relate to, that have kids who will bond with my own instantly. Is that too much to ask? Damon is not very good at making friends (never has been), and does better one on one than in groups. There's got to be another six year old boy here in Springville that needs a friend as badly as he does. I'm hoping that he will find one, too.

Speaking of homes, we have spent a lot of time looking at neighborhoods and like several. There is a possibility that we'll end up here in Springville (more to come on that later), which I wasn't expecting, but I know that wherever we go it will be right. And thankfully, we aren't in a huge rush to get out of the basement, so we can wait for just the right situation to come along.

Okay, here's a final thought tonight (Kyla has finally stopped crying, so I can now fully enjoy the rest of the Olympic programming). I would love to be Michael Phelps for one day. It would be amazing to experience what it's like to be the best swimmer in the world. And it would be awesome to be "forced" to eat 8,000-10,000 calories a day.

Cryin'

Remember when I said Allie has gotten so much easier, and I went as far as to proclaim that she is happy 75% of the time? I would like to retract that statement. While she has gotten easier than she was a year ago, I was far too optimistic about the actual percentages. And for some reason, nights have gotten rough again. Just as she is finally consistently staying dry at night, she has started waking up and crying that cry that can only be described as inspired by the devil. Last week, she was up several times, crying and making us want to jab chopsticks in our ears, and Jeff said, "I can't stand her." And even though that sounds awfully harsh, cold and unfeeling, I couldn't help but agree. I certainly couldn't stand her then, either.

Last night really took the cake, though. As we were watching our nightly Olympic coverage upstairs with Jeff's parents, it came to our attention that someone was crying. When I determined it was Allie, I lay down next to her and asked her what was wrong. "I don't know," she blubbered. Great. I don't know the cure for that. I stayed for a few minutes, assuring her everything was fine, and left with her going back to sleep. Or so we thought. A few minutes later, she came out of the room crying, this time complaining about her ear hurting. And listening to her cry, you'd think someone HAD been jabbing chopsticks in there. I gave her a little ibuprofen, hoping mostly for the placebo effect to kick in, and sent her back to bed. Not five minutes later she was back, complaining that the medicine wasn't working and she needed more. I coaxed her back to bed again, telling her she needed to give it more time.

This went on for a while until Jeff and I finally went to bed (after watching the American gymnasts salvage the bronze medal!), and we hoped the worst was over. It wasn't. Five or six times throughout the night this scene continued. At one point she decided to sleep on our floor, but that didn't last either. And the crying was just terrible. Jeff and I took turns trying to reason with her, telling her we could either take her to the hospital or she needed to go back to sleep. Finally, Jeff explained to her that he had to work early in the morning and she needed to leave him alone (this was much nicer than the "I can't stand her" comment from before). I guess that did the trick, because around 4:00 we were able to fall asleep for good. Unfortunately, Kyla woke up at 6:50 and started her morning ritual of crying until I feed her everything in the kitchen.

Isn't motherhood great?

Wish List

I am a fairly simple girl. I don't need a lot to make me happy. Or at least content. As we have been looking for a house, I realize that there aren't a lot of things that really matter to me. But occasionally I find myself thinking about things that would be NICE to have. They aren't critical to my happiness, and I'm not in a big rush to have them, but I will put them on my "If We Have Extra Money Someday List." Here are a few items from that list:

1. A Sleep Number Bed. I like my bed soft, Jeff likes it a little more firm. And for the last year or so, I have been the one to get my way. I bought the pillow top memory foam from Costco for my birthday and I loved the comfy softness. But now that we are in the basement, we are sleeping in a huge king bed and the memory foam doesn't fit anymore. I am missing it. Jeff is not. So, my conclusion is that it would be nice to have a bed that we could each set however we wanted.

2. A hot tub. With a really good cover that children can't remove. While maintaining a pool seems like way too much work for me, I think we could handle a hot tub. I have always loved a good soak (we had a special relationship with "Mr. J," Alisha's hot tub, in high school), and I think it would be so nice to put the kids to bed and relax on a cool fall night. Or in the middle of the day during the winter.

3. A Yamaha digital baby grand piano. Ah, the piano of my dreams. And what an amazing thing it is. I will definitely have to wait for that one, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that the owner of a piano store has a house full of teenagers who need braces. Maybe we could work out some sort of trade.

4. A really sweet set of pots and pans. For the past eight years (almost), we have used nothing but wedding gift pots and pans. They are nothing special, and I am looking forward to the day that I can replace them with something better. I asked for some for Christmas and then found out the ones I really wanted were $300 at Costco. That didn't happen. Just before we left Jacksonville, I showed Jeff one of our bigger pots, and how the bottom that was once black was now scraped silver. "That can't be good," he said. "We need a new pot." So I went and bought one at Target for $15. I haven't seen it since we moved to Utah. So, I'm still using the wedding gifts. Only we're down one medium size one pot, and the rest are threatening to break at any moment.

5. A Mac. Our pc is less than two years old, and at times I am ready to throw it out the window. It has major problems with printing, and at times will refuse to work for reasons I can't fathom. I have heard such good things about Macs and how virtually problem-free they are, and I am dreaming of the day we say good-bye to computer problems for good!

6. A sweet washer and dryer. I watched this demo about the Whirlpool Cabrio and I was sold. Too bad they are so dang expensive!

7. This really awesome water filter/softener system that was presented to us in Florida. Seriously, the water was amazing. I was sold when I saw how great pure water cleans anything and everything! Jeff was sold when he tasted the water. If someone comes knocking, offering a free gas card for listening to a water presentation, do it!!

That is a short list. I reserve the right to add anything at any time. It is MY list after all. What things would be on your "wish list?"

Beaver Mountain

We had a great time in St. George, although it was hot, hot, hot! I'll focus on the cool, cool, cool!

Jeff had planned a camping trip with the boys, but once he got up to Beaver Mountain, he called and asked me to come and to bring Allie. We got talked into it when my sister said we could leave Kyla behind.

Damon and Jeff spent the first day hiking and fishing. They hiked the highest peak in Beaver County (and sixth highest in the state), Delano Peak. Damon snapped this shot of Jeff at the top.


They saw a herd of mountain goats at the top and got pretty close to them. My dad was jealous.


Then they went fishing and caught about 20 fish! Jeff thought he had died and gone to heaven. Damon was pretty happy, too.


Allie and I drove up with my BIL, Wayne, and my dad. We drove around looking for the mountain goats (no luck) and tried fishing again (no luck). Allie did manage to fall into the stream and cried for the next hour or so until we got back to camp and out of her wet clothes. You can see in this pic she is wearing Damon's t-shirt and her clothes are "roasting" over the fire. By this time she had cheered up. Jeff had everything set up, and took care of everything, including all the food. He cooked up four of the trout he and Damon had caught and we had a yummy dinner.


The night was rough. We were in the middle of a deer migration (as Jeff claimed) and were awake for several hours listening to the thumpety thump of our deer visitors. At one point we heard a hissing sound, followed by the quick retreat of a deer. That's when I started to get a little scared. I had to pee, but tried to wait it out as long as I could, as I didn't want to face whatever was hissing (do racoons hiss? What else would've been capable of scaring off the deer?). Finally, when all was quiet, I ventured out. It was a little spooky, but I didn't encounter anything out of the ordinary. Damon and Allie slept through it all, which was great, but Jeff and I didn't feel very rested in the morning.

The kids got impossibly dirty for being there such a short time (Damon didn't change once in the three days he was there), and, although Allie didn't have a bad night sleep, she was still pretty tired.

Camping is fun. But it sure is a lot of work. I have been working on getting this mountain of stuff put away. My hair still smells like campfire, but it was definitely worth it. As Damon said, "I love camping because I can get away from home and see the pretty things in nature." He sure must have a lot of pressure here at home if he can't wait to get away.