Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Ben's Birthday!
Yesterday we celbrated Ben's birthday. Here is a picture of him playing with his new Little People house and one of him blowing out his candles.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Adam's new look
Sometimes it is adventuresome having a growing boy in your house. It seems he and his body don't always work together. Saturday Adam was taking a shower in our stand up shower. He slipped and hit his head right by his eye on the built in bench in the shower. When I heard him screaming frantically I went in to find him out of the shower with blood running down his whole body and him screaming hysterically. We got him cleaned up a bit and put a cold cloth on his head. I could see right away that it was going to need stitches. Greg was out running a quick errand so while we waited for him, we got some clothes on him and got the other monkeys out of the bath tub. Then when Greg got home, Adam, Curious George and I headed for the hospital (George is a stuffed monkey Adam's teacher lets each of the kids take home one weekend, and they are supposed to journal about their adventures together. Adam didn't think George had been to the hospital before, so we took him). At the hospital we discovered just how fortunate we were. It didn't appear Adam had a concussion and he didn't do any permanent damage to his eye. He did have to have stitches though. They put one stitch inside, and the doc who sewed him up said she could see the occular muscle but that it hadn't torn at all. Then she put 7 more on the outside, including 2 on his eyelid. Adam did awesome! The worst part was the numbing medication they had to inject all around his eye. It burned pretty badly. He said to me on the way home in the car, "I'll be the star of primary tomorrow. That is the one good thing about being sick or getting stitches, you get a lot of attention." Spoken like a true extrovert. I worry a little about the scarring on his face, but hopefully that won't be too bad. Also, he has to sit out from recess and PE for two weeks. I think that will be the hardest part of it all. Of course everyone teased Greg and I about how we treat our children, but Adam set them straight with the real story. The pictures aren't great, but it is what I have. Maybe I will try again later. 
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
More family pics from Labor Day
These are the pictures my friend Leah took for us. She did a great job. I especially love the one of Ben. 
Blah, blah, blah.
Well I have let another week slip by without a blog entry so now you get another verbose entry. I need to work on my brevity a bit.
First, I have a new calling at church. I am the new nursery leader. Greg says he removed himself from the decision and let his counselors decide. I have only done it one week so far. I think I will enjoy it once I get into the swing of things. I think it is going to be hardest on Liz. It is hard for her to have me in there but not devoting all my time and attention to her. She will be a Sunbeam in January, though, so that should help things a little bit. Ben is happy as long as he can see me. When I went in with him for the first time as the nursery leader, he started to cry and wouldn't stop for 10 minutes because he thought I was going to leave him. It took him a while to figure out that I was actually going to stay. I do miss my old class a lot, but I think this might be the best thing for Ben right now.
Next, I have a good friend, Leah Jensen, who likes to take pictures, mostly because she is a big scrapbooker. She was so kind as to take some of our family and of the kids, and they turned out beautifully. This is blogworthy because the last family picture we have includes me, Greg and Anna, and Adam. I will post some so you can see.
We have had a temporary pet as of late, which has been kind of fun. We have been taking care of some caterpillars. The first one we got was already a pretty good size and within a week he had made his cocoon and just today he hatched out into a beautiful monarch butterfly. Our other catterpillar started out teeny-tiney, smaller than a straight pin and he is now long and fat. I bet he is as long or longer than my index finger (but not that fat). It has been really cool to see him grow so much in such a short time. I think it won't be long until he is ready to make his cocoon though. It really is an amazing, and fast, process. The kids have named them oozie and poozie (don't ask me), and they have gotten a lot of attention. I have also had to learn what milkweed looks like and where to find it in Iowa. Lucky for me, it grows next to corn fields a lot. There are a few of those around here. I would highly recommend this little project for anyone who has young children.
Lastly, it was my birthday on Sunday. I am now 31 years young. Despite some babysitter troubles, Greg and I were able to go out Saturday night. It is always fun to have time just with each other. We had a really nice time. Then the actual day of my birthday was great too. It was stake conference so Greg was with us all day long. It was lovely. He helped get the kids ready in the morning, even bathing them. He took Ben out in the hall at church. He made me lunch. He let me have a nap and read. Then kids set up this great treasure hunt for me to find my presents. Greg surprised me by buying me a bike! We have a date to try it out this Saturday. Then we had some friends over for dinner, which Greg made, and cake and ice cream, you guessed it, made by Greg. It was just a relaxing day, which is exactly what I needed.
Well, that's all for now. Bland entry, but tells a lot of stuff. (Which you were all dying to hear about right?).
First, I have a new calling at church. I am the new nursery leader. Greg says he removed himself from the decision and let his counselors decide. I have only done it one week so far. I think I will enjoy it once I get into the swing of things. I think it is going to be hardest on Liz. It is hard for her to have me in there but not devoting all my time and attention to her. She will be a Sunbeam in January, though, so that should help things a little bit. Ben is happy as long as he can see me. When I went in with him for the first time as the nursery leader, he started to cry and wouldn't stop for 10 minutes because he thought I was going to leave him. It took him a while to figure out that I was actually going to stay. I do miss my old class a lot, but I think this might be the best thing for Ben right now.
Next, I have a good friend, Leah Jensen, who likes to take pictures, mostly because she is a big scrapbooker. She was so kind as to take some of our family and of the kids, and they turned out beautifully. This is blogworthy because the last family picture we have includes me, Greg and Anna, and Adam. I will post some so you can see.
We have had a temporary pet as of late, which has been kind of fun. We have been taking care of some caterpillars. The first one we got was already a pretty good size and within a week he had made his cocoon and just today he hatched out into a beautiful monarch butterfly. Our other catterpillar started out teeny-tiney, smaller than a straight pin and he is now long and fat. I bet he is as long or longer than my index finger (but not that fat). It has been really cool to see him grow so much in such a short time. I think it won't be long until he is ready to make his cocoon though. It really is an amazing, and fast, process. The kids have named them oozie and poozie (don't ask me), and they have gotten a lot of attention. I have also had to learn what milkweed looks like and where to find it in Iowa. Lucky for me, it grows next to corn fields a lot. There are a few of those around here. I would highly recommend this little project for anyone who has young children.
Lastly, it was my birthday on Sunday. I am now 31 years young. Despite some babysitter troubles, Greg and I were able to go out Saturday night. It is always fun to have time just with each other. We had a really nice time. Then the actual day of my birthday was great too. It was stake conference so Greg was with us all day long. It was lovely. He helped get the kids ready in the morning, even bathing them. He took Ben out in the hall at church. He made me lunch. He let me have a nap and read. Then kids set up this great treasure hunt for me to find my presents. Greg surprised me by buying me a bike! We have a date to try it out this Saturday. Then we had some friends over for dinner, which Greg made, and cake and ice cream, you guessed it, made by Greg. It was just a relaxing day, which is exactly what I needed.
Well, that's all for now. Bland entry, but tells a lot of stuff. (Which you were all dying to hear about right?).
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
More from last week
As last week was very busy, I haven't had a chance to post about some things that happened. First, let me start with my crazy 7 year old son. We have been doing a lot of yard work lately, trying to improve the outside of our house, so we have been digging in the dirt a lot. Worms live in the dirt. Adam has been threatening to eat a worm for a couple of weeks now. Thinking that he would never do it, I said it was fine with me. He would pick them up, sort of lick them and then toss them aside. Gross, eh? Well, last week he finally did it. He picked one up, said he was going to eat it, tossed in, and just choked it down. For real. I saw the whole thing, it was not a second hand story. Why? I couldn't tell you. I think he likes to do things that he thinks will shock me. What that means for us when he is a teenager, I don't know, but I am very afraid.
On a different Adam note (no pun intended), I started him with a different piano teacher, than myself. He had his first lesson last week. She is a sharp elderly lady that was recommended by a friend. Already I think it has been great. No more daily battles to practice the piano. I think he will improve much more quickly with her, and I think will even get back to where he enjoys it again. I am so glad that at least this first week has gone so well. It is hard to see the future and how worthwhile this could be when it is such a struggle every day. I do think it is worth it though. Some of you may not.
We also went camping last weekend. We went to Maquoketa Caves, which is 30 to 45 min. away from us. The weather was perfect, and we had a nice, secluded campsite. This did give us a little trouble though. After the kids were tucked away, Greg and I were sitting out in the camp chairs in the dark. The fire had died down so it was dark and quiet. I sort of sensed that something was near me and then I heard this rustling down by my ankle, where I had foolishly left a graham cracker box. I jumped up and screamed. Greg quickly turned on his flashlight and shined it right on a racoon who had now found his way on top of our picnic table and was rummaging through our trash. Greg ran toward him but the racoon quickly grabbed the whole bag of trash and dragged it into the woods, pausing just long enough to look longingly back at the table where we still had food out. We quickly put everything away and I went up to the restroom. While I was gone, he returned 2 more times. Both times he climbed directly onto the table and seemed hardly scared of Greg. Finally Greg took one of the camp chairs and ran after him screaming, shaking the chair at him. He didn't come back after that. I don't know if it was because he was afraid of Greg or because he had been there longe enough to realize there wasn't anything for him. I kept a flashlight on and shining in the direction he had come from the rest of the evening. He might not have been afraid of us, but I sure didn't like him!
The next day we took the family and went down in one of the caves. This particular cave, dancehall cave, seems more like a long tunnel because it is open on both sides. They also have concrete walkways and a little bit of lighting (we still used our flashlights though). It was a fun little walk for the older two. Liz and Ben didn't much like it though. That has been one of the challenges of our family lately. It seems there is now a division, widened since Anna has started school, between the older 2 and the younger 2. They just like to do different things, and their ability to actually do things is different as well. It seems we have a hard time doing much all together that everyone enjoys. Anyway, Adam and Anna loved it while we were there and wanted to stay longer (you know the crying and whining, why do we have to leave), while Lizzy was complaining that she couldn't walk any more and she wanted to go home. It was good to get out of the house and do something out of the ordinary though.
Well that about wraps up the week. I will have to post about this week sometime. For once, I actually have something to post!
On a different Adam note (no pun intended), I started him with a different piano teacher, than myself. He had his first lesson last week. She is a sharp elderly lady that was recommended by a friend. Already I think it has been great. No more daily battles to practice the piano. I think he will improve much more quickly with her, and I think will even get back to where he enjoys it again. I am so glad that at least this first week has gone so well. It is hard to see the future and how worthwhile this could be when it is such a struggle every day. I do think it is worth it though. Some of you may not.
We also went camping last weekend. We went to Maquoketa Caves, which is 30 to 45 min. away from us. The weather was perfect, and we had a nice, secluded campsite. This did give us a little trouble though. After the kids were tucked away, Greg and I were sitting out in the camp chairs in the dark. The fire had died down so it was dark and quiet. I sort of sensed that something was near me and then I heard this rustling down by my ankle, where I had foolishly left a graham cracker box. I jumped up and screamed. Greg quickly turned on his flashlight and shined it right on a racoon who had now found his way on top of our picnic table and was rummaging through our trash. Greg ran toward him but the racoon quickly grabbed the whole bag of trash and dragged it into the woods, pausing just long enough to look longingly back at the table where we still had food out. We quickly put everything away and I went up to the restroom. While I was gone, he returned 2 more times. Both times he climbed directly onto the table and seemed hardly scared of Greg. Finally Greg took one of the camp chairs and ran after him screaming, shaking the chair at him. He didn't come back after that. I don't know if it was because he was afraid of Greg or because he had been there longe enough to realize there wasn't anything for him. I kept a flashlight on and shining in the direction he had come from the rest of the evening. He might not have been afraid of us, but I sure didn't like him!
The next day we took the family and went down in one of the caves. This particular cave, dancehall cave, seems more like a long tunnel because it is open on both sides. They also have concrete walkways and a little bit of lighting (we still used our flashlights though). It was a fun little walk for the older two. Liz and Ben didn't much like it though. That has been one of the challenges of our family lately. It seems there is now a division, widened since Anna has started school, between the older 2 and the younger 2. They just like to do different things, and their ability to actually do things is different as well. It seems we have a hard time doing much all together that everyone enjoys. Anyway, Adam and Anna loved it while we were there and wanted to stay longer (you know the crying and whining, why do we have to leave), while Lizzy was complaining that she couldn't walk any more and she wanted to go home. It was good to get out of the house and do something out of the ordinary though.
Well that about wraps up the week. I will have to post about this week sometime. For once, I actually have something to post!
Monday, September 04, 2006
A new house
This week we actually had some excitement to report. After many months of anticipating and waiting we had the aluminum siding on our house painted. We love it! I wish that I would have taken a before picture, but as it is, you will just have to live with the after shots. I posted one that is close up so that you could see the colors (aren't they great?), and one that shows a more overall view. We waited so long to do the outside of our old house that we didn't get to enjoy it, so we thought we would do it sooner this time around. It makes such a huge difference. Our house is beginning to have curb appeal. Anyway, I am sharing the joy with you. Doesn't it look great?!! We are very pleased.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
India
Earlier this year, John Deere opened a new facility in Pune, India called the John Deere Technology Center - India. Most of our IT work is going to be done over there in the future and a lot of engineering support work as well.
On Monday, my boss asked me to take a trip over there in September to train a new team that will be assisting with my current project. Sooo...twist my arm...I said yes. How could I turn down a free trip to India???
I'm pretty excited about it - that's one place I've always wanted to visit. I've been working with Indians here in the states for about 6 years and have heard lots about the place. There's definitly some scary things about going - disturbing poverty, lots of petty crime, lots of people (Dehli has more than 10,000 people per square kilometer), crazy wild traffic, lots of strange food, terrorist threats, bird flu, and so on. Not to mention the 20 hours of plane riding each way. I'm not really too worried about it though - I'll be traveling with 4 others including one native Indian.
The flight will be horrible - I leave Chicago and land in Dehli 25 hours later (14 hours flying plus 11 hour time zone changes). We will get to spend the first weekend sightseeing in Dehli and Agra before flying to Pune for work the next week. We'll be able to see the Taj Mahal while in Agra. That's the stop I'm most excited to see.
It can't all be fun though. After settling in, I'll spend the next two weeks working with the team in Pune. They work different hours than we do - normally later morning (10 or 11 am) until late evening (8 or 9 pm) so there won't be much time for sightseeing during the week. I think they do that some because of culture and some because they need a little overlap time to work with extended teams in the U.S. I will hopefully have some more free time on the next weekend to see some more of the area.
All-in-all, I'm very excited to be able to go. I'll take lots of pictures and try to post about my experience frequently while I'm there.
On Monday, my boss asked me to take a trip over there in September to train a new team that will be assisting with my current project. Sooo...twist my arm...I said yes. How could I turn down a free trip to India???
I'm pretty excited about it - that's one place I've always wanted to visit. I've been working with Indians here in the states for about 6 years and have heard lots about the place. There's definitly some scary things about going - disturbing poverty, lots of petty crime, lots of people (Dehli has more than 10,000 people per square kilometer), crazy wild traffic, lots of strange food, terrorist threats, bird flu, and so on. Not to mention the 20 hours of plane riding each way. I'm not really too worried about it though - I'll be traveling with 4 others including one native Indian.
The flight will be horrible - I leave Chicago and land in Dehli 25 hours later (14 hours flying plus 11 hour time zone changes). We will get to spend the first weekend sightseeing in Dehli and Agra before flying to Pune for work the next week. We'll be able to see the Taj Mahal while in Agra. That's the stop I'm most excited to see.
It can't all be fun though. After settling in, I'll spend the next two weeks working with the team in Pune. They work different hours than we do - normally later morning (10 or 11 am) until late evening (8 or 9 pm) so there won't be much time for sightseeing during the week. I think they do that some because of culture and some because they need a little overlap time to work with extended teams in the U.S. I will hopefully have some more free time on the next weekend to see some more of the area.
All-in-all, I'm very excited to be able to go. I'll take lots of pictures and try to post about my experience frequently while I'm there.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
More vacation pictures!
Ben and Hairy Grandpa. Grandpa was about the only person the whole trip that Ben would trust to hold him!
On the trip home, Lizzy donned her goggles and fell asleep. She slept for a couple of hours like that!
Our handsome (and beautiful) kids in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Some of the cousins at Lily Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park.
Vacation Pictures
Tammy and Ben at a water garden in Boise. 
Adam taking refuge under a wooly mammoth at the dinosaur museum in Vernal.
Anna enjoying nature in Ashley State Forest near Vernal.
Beautiful Lizzy!
Vacation, finally
Well it has been sooooo long since we had a real post, I thought I would dig in and try it. Even though it has been so long ago, I would like to post about our vacation a little bit. Maybe it will be better this way anyway. Now you won't have to endure the blow by blow version, but get the condensed version instead. Lucky you.
First stop: Boise, ID to visit our friends the Adams'. We haven't seen them for over 3 years, but things just seemed so comfortable and normal like we still saw each other every day. We enjoyed visiting with them, playing games with them, seeing a little bit of Boise with them, and planning grand trips with them. We also got to see what great chiropractor Jason has become. He adjusted both Greg and Ben. Ben was really having a hard time before that, and then was great the rest of our trip. Thanks Jason! It was fun that the kids got along pretty well too. We hope it won't be three years until we see them again.
Next stop: Salt Lake City, UT to visit various people. We spent one night with our friends the Staffords. The kids have been looking forward to this for months and enjoyed every minute of running around crazy together. We enjoyed catching up with Clay and Markell and seeing their cute, very sweet, adorable baby, whom we hadn't seen yet. It was also fun to see their new house, and visit with some other folks we knew from Iowa, the Hills. We went to the zoo together, where we had a good laugh over the Staffords 2 year old taking all her clothes off so she could properly play in the fountain! We enjoyed being with them and appreciate the good people that they are.
The rest of the time in Salt Lake was spent with my family. Swimming with grandparents, playing games with aunts and cousins, attending the temple, going to the Sweet's candy factory (which was very fun by the way, and they give free samples :)). I also found a little time to visit my mother's grave. The girls enjoyed playing with my cousin's daughter who is Lizzy's age and Adam enjoyed exposure to "Gilligan's Island" by my cousin Mark. We also spent lots of money at the Distribution center and Deseret Book. It was great! Oh yeah, one of my very favorite things was going to see the movie "The Testaments" at temple square. That movie is awesome. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. It was all a lot of fun.
Next stop: Vernal, UT to visit my dad and his wife, Nancy. By this time we were feeling pretty tired, but we still managed to have some fun. We went to the dinosaur museum, which is a must when you visit Vernal. We also got to see were they are going to build their new house, and eat lunch in a nearby very peaceful state forest. Then while I took a nap, Greg and my dad took the kids swimming at a nearby reservoir. Of course we enjoyed some fabulous food made by Nancy as well. I think by the end the kids weren't even afraid of all the animals anymore!
Next stop: Estes Park, CO for a Finch family reunion. The scenery was absolutely stunning! We enjoyed the mountains so much for their beauty. It is a busy place though, and I wouldn't exactly call it tranquil, but it was very enjoyable. We enjoyed being with Greg's family very much (even though we were TOTALLY exhausted by this point). We haven't seen his sister Tami and her family for several years. The cousins had a ball getting filthly together and we even managed a few short hikes, and a little shopping. This is a place Greg and I would like to return to by ourselves so we can go on some longer hikes, where it is bound to be more tranquil. I even told Greg I wanted to move near there because I loved the mountains so much. We will look forward to another Finch family reunion.
Last stop: Grand Island, NE. Why you ask would we stop here? Yes it was on purpose. I found a neat little water park that seemed just the right size for our family and only cost us $20 for all of us to get into, so we thought we would give it a try since it was on the way home. We loved it! It was so much fun. It was good for our family to have some time just for ourselves, and unbelievably, I think we all enjoyed it very much. Lizzy loved the lazy river. Anna loved the wave pool. Adam loved the big, huge, fast drop slides. Ben loved just being in the water. Greg and I just enjoyed all of us being together and having fun, and watching the kids have so much fun. It was a great stop.
Home again: We were utterly, totally, completely exhausted after vacation and were just dumped right back into life as soon as we got home. I think our next vacation won't be so long, and maybe we'll try to stay put longer than a few days. It was nice to escape some of the responsibilities we have here, but I am not sure if it was very restful and renewing. We loved seeing our family and friends though, and that made it worth it. Well if you made it to the end, congratulations. You now know how we felt after vacation. Tired of it. Ready to move on to something else ;) I know, I know, you are thinking, "This is condensed?! Yikes!"
First stop: Boise, ID to visit our friends the Adams'. We haven't seen them for over 3 years, but things just seemed so comfortable and normal like we still saw each other every day. We enjoyed visiting with them, playing games with them, seeing a little bit of Boise with them, and planning grand trips with them. We also got to see what great chiropractor Jason has become. He adjusted both Greg and Ben. Ben was really having a hard time before that, and then was great the rest of our trip. Thanks Jason! It was fun that the kids got along pretty well too. We hope it won't be three years until we see them again.
Next stop: Salt Lake City, UT to visit various people. We spent one night with our friends the Staffords. The kids have been looking forward to this for months and enjoyed every minute of running around crazy together. We enjoyed catching up with Clay and Markell and seeing their cute, very sweet, adorable baby, whom we hadn't seen yet. It was also fun to see their new house, and visit with some other folks we knew from Iowa, the Hills. We went to the zoo together, where we had a good laugh over the Staffords 2 year old taking all her clothes off so she could properly play in the fountain! We enjoyed being with them and appreciate the good people that they are.
The rest of the time in Salt Lake was spent with my family. Swimming with grandparents, playing games with aunts and cousins, attending the temple, going to the Sweet's candy factory (which was very fun by the way, and they give free samples :)). I also found a little time to visit my mother's grave. The girls enjoyed playing with my cousin's daughter who is Lizzy's age and Adam enjoyed exposure to "Gilligan's Island" by my cousin Mark. We also spent lots of money at the Distribution center and Deseret Book. It was great! Oh yeah, one of my very favorite things was going to see the movie "The Testaments" at temple square. That movie is awesome. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. It was all a lot of fun.
Next stop: Vernal, UT to visit my dad and his wife, Nancy. By this time we were feeling pretty tired, but we still managed to have some fun. We went to the dinosaur museum, which is a must when you visit Vernal. We also got to see were they are going to build their new house, and eat lunch in a nearby very peaceful state forest. Then while I took a nap, Greg and my dad took the kids swimming at a nearby reservoir. Of course we enjoyed some fabulous food made by Nancy as well. I think by the end the kids weren't even afraid of all the animals anymore!
Next stop: Estes Park, CO for a Finch family reunion. The scenery was absolutely stunning! We enjoyed the mountains so much for their beauty. It is a busy place though, and I wouldn't exactly call it tranquil, but it was very enjoyable. We enjoyed being with Greg's family very much (even though we were TOTALLY exhausted by this point). We haven't seen his sister Tami and her family for several years. The cousins had a ball getting filthly together and we even managed a few short hikes, and a little shopping. This is a place Greg and I would like to return to by ourselves so we can go on some longer hikes, where it is bound to be more tranquil. I even told Greg I wanted to move near there because I loved the mountains so much. We will look forward to another Finch family reunion.
Last stop: Grand Island, NE. Why you ask would we stop here? Yes it was on purpose. I found a neat little water park that seemed just the right size for our family and only cost us $20 for all of us to get into, so we thought we would give it a try since it was on the way home. We loved it! It was so much fun. It was good for our family to have some time just for ourselves, and unbelievably, I think we all enjoyed it very much. Lizzy loved the lazy river. Anna loved the wave pool. Adam loved the big, huge, fast drop slides. Ben loved just being in the water. Greg and I just enjoyed all of us being together and having fun, and watching the kids have so much fun. It was a great stop.
Home again: We were utterly, totally, completely exhausted after vacation and were just dumped right back into life as soon as we got home. I think our next vacation won't be so long, and maybe we'll try to stay put longer than a few days. It was nice to escape some of the responsibilities we have here, but I am not sure if it was very restful and renewing. We loved seeing our family and friends though, and that made it worth it. Well if you made it to the end, congratulations. You now know how we felt after vacation. Tired of it. Ready to move on to something else ;) I know, I know, you are thinking, "This is condensed?! Yikes!"
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Just a quick entry. Very cool.
Hi. I know we haven't posted in a while. It is on my list of things to do. This was too good not to post though. Greg's cousin has spina bifada and is in a wheelchair. He doesn't let this slow him down though. He rides at skateparks and stuff all the time and is amazing. He just got in the Guiness Book of World Records for doing the first wheelchair backflip. Here is a link to the Las Vegas news who did a story on him. Seriously you have got to watch this.
http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=5285116&nav=menu107_2_9
http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=5285116&nav=menu107_2_9
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
A big toothless grin
Adam lost his third tooth 2 nights ago. It is one of his front, upper teeth so it left quite a gap in his smile. He is changing so much! The dentist assures us that he will need braces. He lost his front bottom two several months ago and they have come in very crowded. He expects these top ones to do the same. He had quite a battle with this one and was up 'til 9:30 fighting with it, but he finally pulled it out himself. Enjoy!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
The kids and stuff
I thought since I haven't blogged for a while, I should do it. It seems hard for me to blog unless there is like an event or something to blog about, but I thought I would give everyone some updates on some things.
First, the kids. Things have seemed a little better since the last time I blogged, or else I am dealing with it better or something. Here is a rundown on each little Finchling.
ADAM-- He continues to ride his bike often and loves playing with our neighbors. He recently was excited to pass his level 2 swimming class and absolutely LOVES to swim. He has also inherited his father's desire for adrenaline rushes and loves the fast waterslide at our local swimming pool. He is growing up so much and always asks such intelligent questions. Just today, Greg had to look up the answer to one of them.
ANNA-- Is as sweet as ever. She is always willing to help. She is the first one to comfort and console. She is most aware of others' needs of all the kids. She is great at making friends, and has a variety of them. She even gets along well with hard-to-get-along with kids. She is feeling pretty nervous about Kindergarten and will occasionally have a break down along those lines.
LIZZY-- She is our silly goose. She knows what she wants and does not hesitate to tell you, over and over and over, even before you can respond. She loves playing with Anna and Ben. She is very bright and is starting to draw stick figures. She makes us laugh everyday (and cry some days too!), and she is so interesting to talk to. She loves to spend time with me.
BEN-- Is at an incredibly fun age right now. He is talking so much more, and will try to copy just about anything you say. I love that he says thank you and love you. Earlier this week he was calling Greg, honey (I guess I must do that a lot). He would say, Papa, honey, and then laugh. He loves to sing and does amazingly well. I think he has some of our Scripture Scouts tapes down pat (at least when he is singing along with them). He also loves "Scripture Power". On the other side of the age, he is great at dumping things out. He finds a cup and dumps it. I must say though, that he is getting good at getting a towel and cleaning it up (sort of). He can also stand on the toilet and turn on the water, which is great fun (for him, not me). He loves to "wash up" and would do it all day long if I let him. He loves to snuggle and rock with me. Oh yeah, he is also TERRIFIED of loud noises. He absolutely freaks if I try to vacuum. He cries, he shakes, he screams. I have gotten to where I won't vacuum unless Greg is home. Even if I am holding him while I vacuum, it is no good. Same reaction to the fireworks. He screamed and shook with terror the whole time. Tonight we had these balloons someone gave us that screech really loud when you let them go, same thing. It's bad. He is such a smiley, happy boy most of the time, just terrified of loud noises. We love it right now, though.
Greg is as busy as ever. There has been a lot going on at church, and he will get to conduct his first funeral this week. Then shortly after vacation he will be doing his first wedding. Work is also crazy busy right now, and promises to be so until the end of the year. He is also still trying to adjust to his new cpap machine for his sleep apnea. It hasn't been the instant fix for his tiredness that we hoped it would be, but it is in improving gradually as he gets used to it. He also tries to help at home as much as he can. He is supportive of me and tries hard to spend time with the kids, even though he is so tired. I am so proud of him for all he does to help people and the good man that he is.
I keep busy with chasing after kids, feeding kids, keeping the kids clothed ( I have come to loathe laundry), arranging activities for the kids, driving the kids around, setting up play dates for the kids, doing swimming lessons with the kids, putting the kids to bed, and starting all over again in the morning. Occasionally we have time to have friends over.
I feel thankful for my good family. I feel thankful for my membership in the Lord's church. It gives my life direction and strength and joy. I am thankful for good friends who are loving and supportive. I am thankful for my temporal blessings. How nice it is to feel comfortable. I admit my life can be challenging at times, but the joy far outweighs the trouble.
So there you go, us in a nutshell. Now you won't have to read our blog for another month or so (just kidding, we should have some fun things to post about soon... you'll see (no I am not pregnant, I was talking about vacation!)).
First, the kids. Things have seemed a little better since the last time I blogged, or else I am dealing with it better or something. Here is a rundown on each little Finchling.
ADAM-- He continues to ride his bike often and loves playing with our neighbors. He recently was excited to pass his level 2 swimming class and absolutely LOVES to swim. He has also inherited his father's desire for adrenaline rushes and loves the fast waterslide at our local swimming pool. He is growing up so much and always asks such intelligent questions. Just today, Greg had to look up the answer to one of them.
ANNA-- Is as sweet as ever. She is always willing to help. She is the first one to comfort and console. She is most aware of others' needs of all the kids. She is great at making friends, and has a variety of them. She even gets along well with hard-to-get-along with kids. She is feeling pretty nervous about Kindergarten and will occasionally have a break down along those lines.
LIZZY-- She is our silly goose. She knows what she wants and does not hesitate to tell you, over and over and over, even before you can respond. She loves playing with Anna and Ben. She is very bright and is starting to draw stick figures. She makes us laugh everyday (and cry some days too!), and she is so interesting to talk to. She loves to spend time with me.
BEN-- Is at an incredibly fun age right now. He is talking so much more, and will try to copy just about anything you say. I love that he says thank you and love you. Earlier this week he was calling Greg, honey (I guess I must do that a lot). He would say, Papa, honey, and then laugh. He loves to sing and does amazingly well. I think he has some of our Scripture Scouts tapes down pat (at least when he is singing along with them). He also loves "Scripture Power". On the other side of the age, he is great at dumping things out. He finds a cup and dumps it. I must say though, that he is getting good at getting a towel and cleaning it up (sort of). He can also stand on the toilet and turn on the water, which is great fun (for him, not me). He loves to "wash up" and would do it all day long if I let him. He loves to snuggle and rock with me. Oh yeah, he is also TERRIFIED of loud noises. He absolutely freaks if I try to vacuum. He cries, he shakes, he screams. I have gotten to where I won't vacuum unless Greg is home. Even if I am holding him while I vacuum, it is no good. Same reaction to the fireworks. He screamed and shook with terror the whole time. Tonight we had these balloons someone gave us that screech really loud when you let them go, same thing. It's bad. He is such a smiley, happy boy most of the time, just terrified of loud noises. We love it right now, though.
Greg is as busy as ever. There has been a lot going on at church, and he will get to conduct his first funeral this week. Then shortly after vacation he will be doing his first wedding. Work is also crazy busy right now, and promises to be so until the end of the year. He is also still trying to adjust to his new cpap machine for his sleep apnea. It hasn't been the instant fix for his tiredness that we hoped it would be, but it is in improving gradually as he gets used to it. He also tries to help at home as much as he can. He is supportive of me and tries hard to spend time with the kids, even though he is so tired. I am so proud of him for all he does to help people and the good man that he is.
I keep busy with chasing after kids, feeding kids, keeping the kids clothed ( I have come to loathe laundry), arranging activities for the kids, driving the kids around, setting up play dates for the kids, doing swimming lessons with the kids, putting the kids to bed, and starting all over again in the morning. Occasionally we have time to have friends over.
I feel thankful for my good family. I feel thankful for my membership in the Lord's church. It gives my life direction and strength and joy. I am thankful for good friends who are loving and supportive. I am thankful for my temporal blessings. How nice it is to feel comfortable. I admit my life can be challenging at times, but the joy far outweighs the trouble.
So there you go, us in a nutshell. Now you won't have to read our blog for another month or so (just kidding, we should have some fun things to post about soon... you'll see (no I am not pregnant, I was talking about vacation!)).
Thursday, July 06, 2006
4th of July
We had a nice, very exhausting Independence Day this year. We started the day off at a ward pancake breakfast at the park. There was lots of good food and fun games for everyone (I even got to bomb Tammy with a water balloon). Right after the breakfast we walked downtown to watch the parade. Bettendorf's 4th of July parade is pretty small - it's mostly made up of politicians and commercial business advertising their cause (including the ACLU and gay rights march). But there's plenty of candy for the kids so they were entertained - especially Ben who must have eaten 30 pieces of candy while we were watching.
After the parade we went home and had lunch. Tammy stayed home with the younger kids for nap time and Adam and I headed out geocaching with a friend of ours. By the way, this friend of ours we introduced to geocaching a couple of years ago has now found nearly 1400 caches - he's crazy about it. He took us to a remote forest wildlife preserve where there were a few caches hidden. Below is a picture I took of Adam - the picture doesn't really do the location justice - it was a very beautiful area. We found 1 of the 3 caches we hunted for.
After geocaching, we headed home in time for supper. We invited our geocaching friend and his family along with another family with young kids for a barbeque. We all went together after dark to watch the fireworks show.
All together, it was a fun day! I really just wanted to blog SOMETHING (ANYTHING!) to get that awful picture off the top of our blog!!! Hope you all had a nice holiday too!
After the parade we went home and had lunch. Tammy stayed home with the younger kids for nap time and Adam and I headed out geocaching with a friend of ours. By the way, this friend of ours we introduced to geocaching a couple of years ago has now found nearly 1400 caches - he's crazy about it. He took us to a remote forest wildlife preserve where there were a few caches hidden. Below is a picture I took of Adam - the picture doesn't really do the location justice - it was a very beautiful area. We found 1 of the 3 caches we hunted for.
After geocaching, we headed home in time for supper. We invited our geocaching friend and his family along with another family with young kids for a barbeque. We all went together after dark to watch the fireworks show.
All together, it was a fun day! I really just wanted to blog SOMETHING (ANYTHING!) to get that awful picture off the top of our blog!!! Hope you all had a nice holiday too!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Where's Maldo?
Do any of you guys recognize this guy? This is a picture of the new bishop of our ward. Do any of you have a bishop that looks like this?! You can add this picture to the collection of Greg's bad pictures this week.Our youth group at church played a fun little game tonight called Where's Maldo?. They asked some of the people in the ward to dress up in disguise and then walk around the mall (not in the stores themselves) and blend in. The kids then had to search around the mall to find all the people on their list. They had to approach each person and state who they were. In return they were given a sticker to verify that they had found that person.
Greg chose the urban cowboy look. His wonderful, full head of hair is actually the hood of a halloween costume I made for Adam a few years ago. It is a wolf costume. He just taped down the ears, and kind of pulled it together in the back to make a ponytail. He pulled out a little of the faux fur and stuck it on with a glue stick to make the nice little whiskers under his lip. I bought the hat at Goodwill and some cheap glasses at Wal-mart. Then I used some mascara to darken up his goatee area. The look was completed with a grungy t-shirt and a longer pair of cut off jean shorts. The kids and I went to the mall just to see everyone dressed up and to see their reactions to Greg. We of course did not walk around with him, but it was fun to see the others in our ward dressed up too. It did make for another scary picture of Greg though. What do you think?
Adam's new skill
Greg has been working with Adam the last couple of weeks teaching him to ride a bike. Just yesterday he finally got to where he can start himself and stop himself. He still has a little trouble steering and stopping (he has crashed several times into our light pole and Greg's car which is sometimes parked on the street), but I think he has finally gotten it. It has taken a little while and many, many crashes. As a mother it was hard to watch him, especially at first. He would really bang himself up sometimes and just cry and want to quit. He has perservered though, and I think it is safe to say that he can now officially ride a two wheeler. We are so proud of Adam and what a hard worker he is. This seems to have brought him new freedom and an increased desire to be outside. It's great!Here he is rounding around our cul-de-sac. At least he didn't wait 'til he was on a mission to learn, like some people I know:) It makes you want to go out and ride a bike doesn't it?
Monday, June 26, 2006
Bad picture day
Okay, so Tammy made me feel guilty enough to finally sit down and do this! What's been going on in my life ...
About a month ago I had a sleep study done. A simple explanation of a sleep study is where you go to a sleep center, they hook a hundred wires to your body, jam a tube in your nose, strap a microphone to your throat, turn on a video camera, and tell you to go to sleep. If you're lucky enough to actually fall asleep in that environment, then they monitor you as you sleep. They track eye movement, knee jerks, teeth grinding, breathing, heart rate, oxygen levels, snoring, and so on.
The results came back a couple of weeks ago and it turns out that I have severe sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is essentially when you stop breathing while you're sleeping. It's typically caused by throat muscles relaxing as you enter deep sleep to the point that your airway is closed off. Your body has to wake itself up in order to start breathing again and so you never really enter deep sleep and never get as good of rest as you should.
It's pretty common to have some apnea's when you're sleeping. I think they said that they don't worry much if you have 10 or fewer in an hour. During my study, I averaged almost 60 an hour. The average length of time that I wasn't breathing was 23 seconds per apnea. So if you do the math, I'm only breathing less than 2/3 of the time that I'm sleeping. One apnea lasted 48 seconds and my blood oxygen level dropped to 80%. Kind of scary to think about!
So, to treat sleep apnea, there is a machine called a CPAP that pumps air into your nose all night long. The constant air pressure holds your throat open so that you can achieve a deeper sleep. Problem is, having a machine pump air into your nose isn't all that fun and not so conducive to sleep.
CPAP machines only work on some patients so I had to go back last night for a second study wearing a CPAP mask. It was a LONG night. Not only was I totally uncomfortable, but every time I did finally fall asleep, the nurse would come in and have to wake me up to fix something (a wire falling off or whatever). It was an awful night! If I opened my mouth on accident, my lungs would collapse from the loss of air pressure and a breeze would start blowing from my nose down my throat and out my mouth. They say you get used to the machine after a while and a lot of people that I've talked to that use them absolutely love them. They say this discomfort of wearing the mask is far outweighed by the benefits of getting better rest. We shall see!
So, here's the first bad picture of me for the day. This is me all rigged up with the CPAP jammed up my nose.
Enough of the bad news. Here's some very nice news, but an equally bad picture. For Father's Day and my birthday, my good wife bought me a brand new Lazy Boy recliner. She's of course in big trouble for spending way too much, but I love it! It is soooooo comfortable - I would sit there all day if I could! She had it sitting in the driveway and blindfolded me to go out to find it. I wondered if I was getting a new car when we went outside. Here's the picture...
Aside from that, my life ticks along at a hundred miles an hour getting pulled in every direction. But all-in-all I'm happy and am looking forward to getting a good night's rest tonight before I have to start wearing that machine every night!
About a month ago I had a sleep study done. A simple explanation of a sleep study is where you go to a sleep center, they hook a hundred wires to your body, jam a tube in your nose, strap a microphone to your throat, turn on a video camera, and tell you to go to sleep. If you're lucky enough to actually fall asleep in that environment, then they monitor you as you sleep. They track eye movement, knee jerks, teeth grinding, breathing, heart rate, oxygen levels, snoring, and so on.
The results came back a couple of weeks ago and it turns out that I have severe sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is essentially when you stop breathing while you're sleeping. It's typically caused by throat muscles relaxing as you enter deep sleep to the point that your airway is closed off. Your body has to wake itself up in order to start breathing again and so you never really enter deep sleep and never get as good of rest as you should.
It's pretty common to have some apnea's when you're sleeping. I think they said that they don't worry much if you have 10 or fewer in an hour. During my study, I averaged almost 60 an hour. The average length of time that I wasn't breathing was 23 seconds per apnea. So if you do the math, I'm only breathing less than 2/3 of the time that I'm sleeping. One apnea lasted 48 seconds and my blood oxygen level dropped to 80%. Kind of scary to think about!
So, to treat sleep apnea, there is a machine called a CPAP that pumps air into your nose all night long. The constant air pressure holds your throat open so that you can achieve a deeper sleep. Problem is, having a machine pump air into your nose isn't all that fun and not so conducive to sleep.
CPAP machines only work on some patients so I had to go back last night for a second study wearing a CPAP mask. It was a LONG night. Not only was I totally uncomfortable, but every time I did finally fall asleep, the nurse would come in and have to wake me up to fix something (a wire falling off or whatever). It was an awful night! If I opened my mouth on accident, my lungs would collapse from the loss of air pressure and a breeze would start blowing from my nose down my throat and out my mouth. They say you get used to the machine after a while and a lot of people that I've talked to that use them absolutely love them. They say this discomfort of wearing the mask is far outweighed by the benefits of getting better rest. We shall see!
So, here's the first bad picture of me for the day. This is me all rigged up with the CPAP jammed up my nose.
Enough of the bad news. Here's some very nice news, but an equally bad picture. For Father's Day and my birthday, my good wife bought me a brand new Lazy Boy recliner. She's of course in big trouble for spending way too much, but I love it! It is soooooo comfortable - I would sit there all day if I could! She had it sitting in the driveway and blindfolded me to go out to find it. I wondered if I was getting a new car when we went outside. Here's the picture...
Aside from that, my life ticks along at a hundred miles an hour getting pulled in every direction. But all-in-all I'm happy and am looking forward to getting a good night's rest tonight before I have to start wearing that machine every night!
Boring old me
I thought I should post since I haven't posted in a long while. Part of the reason that I haven't posted is that I am so boring. Nothing out of the ordinary happens much. I do have lots and lots of the same old, same old. Greg on the other hand has lots of things happen to him, but he doesn't have time to post about them. If you didn't know, he had his birthday last week. He turned 32. He has had a couple of sleep studies done recently. He continues to help people as the bishop. He got some really cool presents for his birthday and father's day. I don't want to tell too much because I keep thinking he will blog about it one of these days, and I don't want to steal his thunder, although, he would probably say he would LOVE if I would do it for him.
Anyway, I am looking for some parenting advice. My kids have been fighting a lot lately. It seems our home is often filled with screams and shrieks these days. There is also a lot of she did this and he did that going on. It has been my experience thus far that usually that means one or more of them is in need of more personal attention from me or Greg. It continues to be very difficult to find one on one time with each child, though. How do you do it? Lizzy is particularly struggling. She always feels like she is put off and ends up screaming at me to get her things and do things for her. My unforunate response to this is that it makes me want to be around her even less. My head aches from all the screaming! I have this book that I have been intending to read, called "Siblings without Rivalry", but I haven't gotten to it yet. I am up for any suggestions. I know family life can be more pleasant than this.
One quick story about Ben. He is becoming quite independent these days, not all in good ways. He pretty much helps himself with whatever he can, whether I want him to or not. It is not uncommon for me to find him rummaging through the pantry with an open box of crackers at his feet. Anyway, we went to the grocery store the other day. Our store has those little carts that are like little cars where the kids sit up front and down low, like they are driving. The only bad thing is that Ben usually screams and pushes out all the other kids. So we were in the checkout aisle putting our food on the conveyor. Ben was down in the truck cab and the other kids were helping me load everything on. I leaned over to get something out of the cart and I heard Ben say, "Mmmmm". I looked down in there and he had swiped a candy bar off the shelf (it was Baby Ruth if you want to know) and managed to open the thing and had started to chow down. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. I just took the wrapper and put it on the conveyor empty so we could pay for it. The other kids of course got candy as well. The checker, and I. got quite a kick out of that. Ben continued to "mmmmmmmmmm" his way through the whole thing, peanuts and all.
Well, sorry I am so boring. If you are not asleep yet, feel free to make a comment. Oh another side note. I listened to the "Thief Lord" on tape. I really enjoyed that. I think some of you have read the book. Anyway, ciao. Boring people rock!!
Anyway, I am looking for some parenting advice. My kids have been fighting a lot lately. It seems our home is often filled with screams and shrieks these days. There is also a lot of she did this and he did that going on. It has been my experience thus far that usually that means one or more of them is in need of more personal attention from me or Greg. It continues to be very difficult to find one on one time with each child, though. How do you do it? Lizzy is particularly struggling. She always feels like she is put off and ends up screaming at me to get her things and do things for her. My unforunate response to this is that it makes me want to be around her even less. My head aches from all the screaming! I have this book that I have been intending to read, called "Siblings without Rivalry", but I haven't gotten to it yet. I am up for any suggestions. I know family life can be more pleasant than this.
One quick story about Ben. He is becoming quite independent these days, not all in good ways. He pretty much helps himself with whatever he can, whether I want him to or not. It is not uncommon for me to find him rummaging through the pantry with an open box of crackers at his feet. Anyway, we went to the grocery store the other day. Our store has those little carts that are like little cars where the kids sit up front and down low, like they are driving. The only bad thing is that Ben usually screams and pushes out all the other kids. So we were in the checkout aisle putting our food on the conveyor. Ben was down in the truck cab and the other kids were helping me load everything on. I leaned over to get something out of the cart and I heard Ben say, "Mmmmm". I looked down in there and he had swiped a candy bar off the shelf (it was Baby Ruth if you want to know) and managed to open the thing and had started to chow down. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. I just took the wrapper and put it on the conveyor empty so we could pay for it. The other kids of course got candy as well. The checker, and I. got quite a kick out of that. Ben continued to "mmmmmmmmmm" his way through the whole thing, peanuts and all.
Well, sorry I am so boring. If you are not asleep yet, feel free to make a comment. Oh another side note. I listened to the "Thief Lord" on tape. I really enjoyed that. I think some of you have read the book. Anyway, ciao. Boring people rock!!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
KANSAS!!!
I was recently assigned to work on a new project at work. The sponsors of the project are located at John Deere's marketing office in Lenexa, Kansas. I found out a week and a half ago that I would be traveling to spend a week in Lenexa working with the project sponsors. Since Lenexa is only about 30 minutes from my hometown where my brother and sister and grandmother (and various other relatives) still live, we decided that Tammy and the kids should travel with me. So, we spent Tuesday through Saturday last week in Kansas and had a great time! During the daytime, I worked in the office while Tammy and the kids played, then in the evenings we traveled to visit family.
My brother and sister, Jeff and Sandee, live next door to one another. Tuesday evening we traveled to their homes for a barbecue. Jeff and Sandee each have four children so together with our four there were 12 little ones (ages 10, 9, 7, 7, 7, 5, 5, 5, 5, 3, 2, 1). It was quite a party! We didn't get back to the hotel until after 10 p.m. so everyone was a little fried the next day.
Wednesday we ended up staying at the hotel to get the kids to bed at a normal hour - otherwise we would not have survived the week. The hotel we were staying at (company paid) was very fancy - one of those you feel uncomfortable having kids at. Also one of those where they take as much money from you as they can knowing your company is paying for it ($7 for 30 minute internet access, $5 per min phone usage, $30 breakfast, and so on). We did venture out of our room Wednesday evening to try out the pool. Other than Lizzy nearly drowning, that was an enjoyable time.
Thursday during the day, Tammy and the kids went to Science City (a hands-on kids science museum in Kansas City) and Kaleidoscope (a kids art gallery sponsored by Hallmark where they do some simple art projects). Thursday evening we spent the evening with my Grandmother visiting and playing games. Adam now believes he is the world champion Skip-bo player.
Friday I wrapped up work around noon. The rest of my project team was traveling that afternoon back to the Quad-cities, so I took off to spend time with family. We, along with the 12 kids and their moms, headed to the zoo. It was a very hot day (95 deg plus high humidity) but we survived and had a fun time. Friday evening was spent back at Jeff and Sandee's houses. We also moved to a cheaper hotel with free breakfast, free internet, and free phone calls since the company was no longer paying.
Saturday was a very enjoyable morning. We took Grandma out to the community where I grew up and where my dad grew up and where Grandma grew up and where her dad grew up and where her Grandpa settled in the 1800's (yes, there's a LOT of family history in that area). We wandered around the cemetery where my dad and grandpa and great-grandpa and grandma, and great-great grandpa and grandma are all buried. Grandma's grandma was named Lizzie and when our Lizzy discovered that, she couldn't stop talking about it! Grandma told stories of many of the fine people buried there (such as the man who delivered her at the local country hospital and who eventually became her uncle and whose deceased wife's headstone rolled over and nearly crushed Grandma's brother). It was so much fun - many of the stories I had never heard before! At one point Grandma said that she thinks she knows more people buried at that cemetery than she knows still living in the rest of the world! I very much enjoyed that time with her and felt a new and stronger bond to that part of my family than I have ever felt before.
After lunch with Grandma, we started the long drive home and it was a LONG drive home. The kids were all tired, but we finally made it around 8 p.m. and got to bed at a decent hour. Aside from the drive home, it was a very nice week. Fortunately, we forgot to bring the camera. Otherwise, you would have to put up with more pictures of our cute children. Sorry!
My brother and sister, Jeff and Sandee, live next door to one another. Tuesday evening we traveled to their homes for a barbecue. Jeff and Sandee each have four children so together with our four there were 12 little ones (ages 10, 9, 7, 7, 7, 5, 5, 5, 5, 3, 2, 1). It was quite a party! We didn't get back to the hotel until after 10 p.m. so everyone was a little fried the next day.
Wednesday we ended up staying at the hotel to get the kids to bed at a normal hour - otherwise we would not have survived the week. The hotel we were staying at (company paid) was very fancy - one of those you feel uncomfortable having kids at. Also one of those where they take as much money from you as they can knowing your company is paying for it ($7 for 30 minute internet access, $5 per min phone usage, $30 breakfast, and so on). We did venture out of our room Wednesday evening to try out the pool. Other than Lizzy nearly drowning, that was an enjoyable time.
Thursday during the day, Tammy and the kids went to Science City (a hands-on kids science museum in Kansas City) and Kaleidoscope (a kids art gallery sponsored by Hallmark where they do some simple art projects). Thursday evening we spent the evening with my Grandmother visiting and playing games. Adam now believes he is the world champion Skip-bo player.
Friday I wrapped up work around noon. The rest of my project team was traveling that afternoon back to the Quad-cities, so I took off to spend time with family. We, along with the 12 kids and their moms, headed to the zoo. It was a very hot day (95 deg plus high humidity) but we survived and had a fun time. Friday evening was spent back at Jeff and Sandee's houses. We also moved to a cheaper hotel with free breakfast, free internet, and free phone calls since the company was no longer paying.
Saturday was a very enjoyable morning. We took Grandma out to the community where I grew up and where my dad grew up and where Grandma grew up and where her dad grew up and where her Grandpa settled in the 1800's (yes, there's a LOT of family history in that area). We wandered around the cemetery where my dad and grandpa and great-grandpa and grandma, and great-great grandpa and grandma are all buried. Grandma's grandma was named Lizzie and when our Lizzy discovered that, she couldn't stop talking about it! Grandma told stories of many of the fine people buried there (such as the man who delivered her at the local country hospital and who eventually became her uncle and whose deceased wife's headstone rolled over and nearly crushed Grandma's brother). It was so much fun - many of the stories I had never heard before! At one point Grandma said that she thinks she knows more people buried at that cemetery than she knows still living in the rest of the world! I very much enjoyed that time with her and felt a new and stronger bond to that part of my family than I have ever felt before.
After lunch with Grandma, we started the long drive home and it was a LONG drive home. The kids were all tired, but we finally made it around 8 p.m. and got to bed at a decent hour. Aside from the drive home, it was a very nice week. Fortunately, we forgot to bring the camera. Otherwise, you would have to put up with more pictures of our cute children. Sorry!
Friday, May 26, 2006
A Graduate and Four Eyes
Congratulations to Anna - Class of 2006 Old Blues Preschool. Today was her graduation ceremony and performance. She is quite a good tap dancer!
Here is Anna inspecting her diploma.
The other big news of the week is that Adam has glasses! We've known for quite a while that he was needing them. I think it's from all those nights sneaking books into his room and reading in the dark! We think he looks rather handsome! Since Tammy and I have neither one ever had glasses, this is a whole new experience for our family.
Here's a shot of Ben just a few hours ago. He's really growing up - starting to talk quite a bit and getting into everything! He's developed a healthy temper and must have things his way.
Finally, here's beautiful Lizzy. This was taken today at Anna's graduation. She's not feeling well today with a fever but otherwise is as sweet as ever!
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Released??
We have some good news and some good news to report today. After five (sometimes long) years serving as a counselor in our ward bishopric, I was released today.
The other good news is that I've been called to serve as the new bishop in our ward. It's been an interesting, sometimes difficult and sometimes wonderful week. I can't honestly say this wasn't expected; we've been thinking it was a possibility for quite a long time. We've known for several weeks that we would be released today and as the time drew nearer, we were beginning to feel more and more relieved thinking it wouldn't be us. A week ago last Thursday evening Tammy and I were talking before bed. Tammy said, "Well, at this point I'm pretty sure you won't be called as bishop."
Friday I arrived home from work at the normal time. As I was walking up to the door a thought entered my mind, "Tammy is going to say we need to meet with the stake president." I opened the door and she looked at me somewhat pale and said, "Let me know when you're ready to talk." She didn't have to tell me what it was about. I can honestly say that I was not a happy camper that night. Angry and depressed would more accurately describe how I felt. Tammy was good and encouraging and all, but I was lost. I couldn't believe "they" would do that to me.
So Saturday came and we went to our scheduled appointment with the stake president. I think I may have scared him - I was still pretty concerned. Toward the end of the time with him, I asked him to give me a blessing which he did. From that point on, something inside me changed - I no longer felt the bitter and angry feelings. The next morning I woke up and went to church. I stood in the foyer greeting members of the ward as they arrived and as I did that I was filled with a feeling unlike any I have ever experienced. I felt so much peace and so much reassurance and so much love toward these people. I knew then that this calling isn't something "they" were doing to me; that truly I was called to this service by the Lord. The rest of the week was wonderful - I felt completely at peace and completely sure that this was the right thing.
Today the ward showed so much support and sustaining and love that I was reminded that I'm not in this alone. There are a whole lot of people ready and willing and able to help. I know that there will be many very difficult and very trying times ahead, but I know that the blessings associated with the sacrifice we are making will be well worth the challenges. I'm very grateful for the experiences of this week.
Through it all Tammy has been wonderful. Especially during those first couple of days when I was not feeling good, she was so supportive and encouraging. I know I wouldn't be able to do it without her by my side. Last night, we sat down with the kids to let them know what was happening. Immediately, Adam burst out in sobs saying, "Papa, I don't want you to be in the bishopric anymore." Adam's crying triggered Ben and Lizzy to start bawling (I'm not sure they really understood why). Anna sat quietly off to the side with a peaceful look on her face. I asked her what she was thinking and she simply said, "I think this is a good thing." I do too (and I think Adam will as well).
The other good news is that I've been called to serve as the new bishop in our ward. It's been an interesting, sometimes difficult and sometimes wonderful week. I can't honestly say this wasn't expected; we've been thinking it was a possibility for quite a long time. We've known for several weeks that we would be released today and as the time drew nearer, we were beginning to feel more and more relieved thinking it wouldn't be us. A week ago last Thursday evening Tammy and I were talking before bed. Tammy said, "Well, at this point I'm pretty sure you won't be called as bishop."
Friday I arrived home from work at the normal time. As I was walking up to the door a thought entered my mind, "Tammy is going to say we need to meet with the stake president." I opened the door and she looked at me somewhat pale and said, "Let me know when you're ready to talk." She didn't have to tell me what it was about. I can honestly say that I was not a happy camper that night. Angry and depressed would more accurately describe how I felt. Tammy was good and encouraging and all, but I was lost. I couldn't believe "they" would do that to me.
So Saturday came and we went to our scheduled appointment with the stake president. I think I may have scared him - I was still pretty concerned. Toward the end of the time with him, I asked him to give me a blessing which he did. From that point on, something inside me changed - I no longer felt the bitter and angry feelings. The next morning I woke up and went to church. I stood in the foyer greeting members of the ward as they arrived and as I did that I was filled with a feeling unlike any I have ever experienced. I felt so much peace and so much reassurance and so much love toward these people. I knew then that this calling isn't something "they" were doing to me; that truly I was called to this service by the Lord. The rest of the week was wonderful - I felt completely at peace and completely sure that this was the right thing.
Today the ward showed so much support and sustaining and love that I was reminded that I'm not in this alone. There are a whole lot of people ready and willing and able to help. I know that there will be many very difficult and very trying times ahead, but I know that the blessings associated with the sacrifice we are making will be well worth the challenges. I'm very grateful for the experiences of this week.
Through it all Tammy has been wonderful. Especially during those first couple of days when I was not feeling good, she was so supportive and encouraging. I know I wouldn't be able to do it without her by my side. Last night, we sat down with the kids to let them know what was happening. Immediately, Adam burst out in sobs saying, "Papa, I don't want you to be in the bishopric anymore." Adam's crying triggered Ben and Lizzy to start bawling (I'm not sure they really understood why). Anna sat quietly off to the side with a peaceful look on her face. I asked her what she was thinking and she simply said, "I think this is a good thing." I do too (and I think Adam will as well).
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
DaVinci Cryptex
If any of you use Google much, you may have seen that they have been sponsoring the "DaVinci Code Quest" in anticipation of the upcoming movie. It is just a game with a series of puzzles to solve. So, since Tammy and I like puzzles, we decided to tackle these - they were fun to do in the evenings before going to bed. There were 24 daily puzzles (one released each day) that became increasingly more difficult as you went along (although they never got all that difficult). Anyway, the first 10,000 people to finish the 24 puzzles won their very own replica of the DaVinci Code cryptex. Those 10,000 people are also finalists and can compete for the grand prize (several trips to different places around the world and a bunch of other stuff). Tammy and I are proud to announce we did it! Now you can say you know one of the DaVinci Code Quest finalists! Our cryptex arrived in the mail today - we had to figure out how to unlock it to find out how to compete in the final (it wasn't too tough). The final challenge is this weekend - fastest to finish five puzzles wins. Wish us luck - 1 in 10,000 is better odds than most games you see!
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Mother's day
I just wanted to write and let everyone know what a great family I have. I have had a super Mother's Day. Really it has been over the last couple of days. The kids got pretty anxious and couldn't wait to give me the things they had made for me, so this past week I received several gifts. Adam made some bath bead stuff and a worry rock for me to rub. He also made some nice cards. I was surprised about how much he seems to like me!! It is just nice to have those feelings written down. Maybe I can recall them the next time he is giving me a hard time (which really isn't that often, anyway). Anna painted a beautiful watercolor painting for me and it is all matted and ready to frame. She also gave me a card with her picture. Lizzy and Ben both made cards in nursery today for me that were very sweet. They all worked together to clean the basement (which is no easy feat!) and they put on a little play for me of their own creation. Greg said they had been practicing for weeks. He also said that cleaning the basement was their own idea, too. They also let me have a nice nap this afternoon and brought me lunch in bed. I am so thankful for my good little children. We have such a great family!
Greg was also great today. The bishop cancelled meetings before church so he was here in the morning to help me get the kids ready for church. We even made it to church by 8:30 so he could unlock the building and things (Adam had the thrill of his life as he handed out the programs for sacrament meeting today). He was so helpful to the kids, but let them do the things that they wanted to do for me today, not what he thought they should do for me. He offered to cook me a gourmet meal for dinner. I declined, and asked him to make me rice krispie treats instead:). He did. They were yummy! He also game me a new board game, the Marklin edition of Ticket to Ride. I hope we will be able to try it out tonight. He also recorded the play the kids presented to me and then set things up so we could watch some old family videos starting when Adam was little. It was a great day. A peaceful, restful, loving day. I love being a mother and I love my wonderful family who take such good care of me.
Greg was also great today. The bishop cancelled meetings before church so he was here in the morning to help me get the kids ready for church. We even made it to church by 8:30 so he could unlock the building and things (Adam had the thrill of his life as he handed out the programs for sacrament meeting today). He was so helpful to the kids, but let them do the things that they wanted to do for me today, not what he thought they should do for me. He offered to cook me a gourmet meal for dinner. I declined, and asked him to make me rice krispie treats instead:). He did. They were yummy! He also game me a new board game, the Marklin edition of Ticket to Ride. I hope we will be able to try it out tonight. He also recorded the play the kids presented to me and then set things up so we could watch some old family videos starting when Adam was little. It was a great day. A peaceful, restful, loving day. I love being a mother and I love my wonderful family who take such good care of me.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Life is fragile
I traveled up to the University of Iowa hospital this afternoon because a friend of mine is hospitalized there. She is just 2 or 3 years older than me. She is a single mom, who also does a lot in caring for her mother. Her son is 8 years old. She works the 3rd shift and often struggles to make ends meet. She was out mowing her lawn and felt really funny. She went in the house and fell down. Her mom called an ambulance and she was rushed to the hospital and then life flighted to the University hospital. She had a stroke. She is alive, but it remains to be seen what her condition is. I wasn't even allowed to see her, but I visited with her family that were waiting there at the hospital, along with another friend of mine.
This has really shaken me up a bit. She is not that much older than me. She is overweight like I am. She has a lot of responsibilities; so do I. I just can't believe it is all happening. Her son and her mother will really struggle if she doesn't make it. They may really struggle if she does, if she needs a lot of care, and isn't able to work anymore. It seems so unreal. And of course there are thoughts of, "that could be me".
I don't want that to be me. I am still too young. I need to be healthy. I need to do what I can to prevent this from happening. I need to be there for my family.
I feel grateful to know that this life is not the end; this is just a small part of our existance. I am glad that my family knows that too.
My life is so good. I walked into that waiting room and there were so many families there. Waiting, hoping, praying for someone they loved. My family is home, safe and healthy. There are so many people that are facing big problems. My family only has little ones.
I am glad to be alive. I am glad for my health. Even though life is fragile, it still goes on.
This has really shaken me up a bit. She is not that much older than me. She is overweight like I am. She has a lot of responsibilities; so do I. I just can't believe it is all happening. Her son and her mother will really struggle if she doesn't make it. They may really struggle if she does, if she needs a lot of care, and isn't able to work anymore. It seems so unreal. And of course there are thoughts of, "that could be me".
I don't want that to be me. I am still too young. I need to be healthy. I need to do what I can to prevent this from happening. I need to be there for my family.
I feel grateful to know that this life is not the end; this is just a small part of our existance. I am glad that my family knows that too.
My life is so good. I walked into that waiting room and there were so many families there. Waiting, hoping, praying for someone they loved. My family is home, safe and healthy. There are so many people that are facing big problems. My family only has little ones.
I am glad to be alive. I am glad for my health. Even though life is fragile, it still goes on.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Butterflies
On Friday, the kids and I (minus Adam) went to the Family Museum for their annual spring event. Every spring they have a screened in cage thing were they first grow caterpillars, then then the caterpillars make cocoons and finally break out as butterflies. In this case they are Painted Lady butterflies. Since Anna has preschool at the museum we watched the whole process, checking up on them every couple of days. After all the butterflies have broken out of their cocoons
, they have a big release event where they release the butterflies into the wild. I thought it would be a great thing to see, so we made sure we were there.
Things did not turn out how I imagined them, however. I thought they would open the cage and all the butterflies would just come flying out going out into the sky, but that was not so. They were not so sure they wanted to come out. They were each coaxed onto a stick and then handed out to a waiting child. There was one class of older grade school children that were there that made it quite difficult for any of the rest of us to see, or get close enough to get a stick with a butterfly on it, not to mention the annoying media people who thought they needed to me up front. After picking up both Liz and Ben for several minutes (no easy task t
hese days), we made it up to the front where we acquired a stick with a butterfly on it. Anna was with her preschool class, but I took Liz and Ben away from the crowd so we could get a better look. Lizzy held the butterfly for a little bit, but didn't like it when it started crawling on her, so held it most of the time. Ben mostly just ran around. He just wanted to play. I brought the butterfly over to Anna and her class as they too were having a hard time getting to the front. Anna would not hold it though. I got too close to the flowers and it finally flew away.
It was a fun and interesting thing to watch the changes over the weeks, and then be able to hold one of the butterflies. Hope you enjoy the few pictures I was able to take.
, they have a big release event where they release the butterflies into the wild. I thought it would be a great thing to see, so we made sure we were there.Things did not turn out how I imagined them, however. I thought they would open the cage and all the butterflies would just come flying out going out into the sky, but that was not so. They were not so sure they wanted to come out. They were each coaxed onto a stick and then handed out to a waiting child. There was one class of older grade school children that were there that made it quite difficult for any of the rest of us to see, or get close enough to get a stick with a butterfly on it, not to mention the annoying media people who thought they needed to me up front. After picking up both Liz and Ben for several minutes (no easy task t
hese days), we made it up to the front where we acquired a stick with a butterfly on it. Anna was with her preschool class, but I took Liz and Ben away from the crowd so we could get a better look. Lizzy held the butterfly for a little bit, but didn't like it when it started crawling on her, so held it most of the time. Ben mostly just ran around. He just wanted to play. I brought the butterfly over to Anna and her class as they too were having a hard time getting to the front. Anna would not hold it though. I got too close to the flowers and it finally flew away.It was a fun and interesting thing to watch the changes over the weeks, and then be able to hold one of the butterflies. Hope you enjoy the few pictures I was able to take.
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