Happy Birthday Amanda!

The kids have been counting down to the day that Amanda arrives. That was more important to them than Christmas. Probably because it was happening first.

She arrived Sunday morning along with a nice snow storm. Because we missed her birthday on the 16th, we celebrated Amanda's 32nd birthday when she arrived. We had a nice little cake, a couple cute candles, much fun and singing. Amanda giggled. I love it when she giggles! It's a beautiful sound!

It was already pajama time when we lit up the candles. Isn't she a cutie?!

Midnight thoughts

I've been having a hard time sleeping lately. I wake up in the middle of the night... usually around 3 am.. and can't get back to sleep. I lay in bed thinking about everything I am going to do the next day and I can't calm down! I don't think that I am stressed so much, as I am just excited. Christmas is coming, Amanda is coming to visit, its been snowing (a lot!), and of course basketball and my kids take up the rest of my brain space. So anyway, here it is at 2 am... and I've been up for an hour already.

Doug and I went shopping for Santa last week. We had a few very specific requests for Santa this year (like always). Zane wants a power rangers helmet. When we asked him what else he wants from Santa, he said "Another power ranger helmet for Kyah." Kyah wants a Nintendo DS and a Mulan dress. After some shopping online, a few phone calls and stops at stores... we found everything we needed to fulfill their dreams this year. Did you know the crawl space in your house makes a great hiding place for presents? I just hope the rats don't walk away with that Nintendo before Christmas Eve.

We took Zane and Kyah out to buy presents for each other. I think they were both successful in finding something their siblings will enjoy... although it was like pulling teeth to get Kyah to look at toys for boys! (I was going to say "boy toys", but that sounded funny). Zane was the same way, he just wanted to look at cars for Kyah. We tried to explain that Kyah likes girly stuff... but he wouldn't buy it.

Tomorrow is Kyah's last day of school before the "winter" break. She is having a party in her classroom. I have volunteered to help so it should be lots of fun! Maybe I should dress up as Santa's little helper... in an un-0naughty way! Sorry, there goes my mind at 2 am!

By the way, the Freshman Girls are 3 and 0! We kicked some butt against Hanford last night... 33:13. Last week we played Pasco and won by a free throw shot with 1.1 seconds left on the clock. Talk about a nail biter! We finally get to play at home against Ike on Saturday and Hermiston on Tuesday. I wish I had someone to scout for me! I hate not knowing what these teams are like... and I get sick to my stomach on game days because I am so nervous for the girls!

He's Alive!

This is Gary.


We had forgotten about Gary since the summer. We didn't water or feed him. His little box has been on the counter, covered with papers and junk. Nearly every month we said "What should we do with Gary?" "Do you think he is still alive?" About two weeks ago we decided he must have died from our lack of attention, so we agreed to discretely throw him away.

But as I dumped him in the garbage, I could tell he was still alive. With the combination of the the Christmas spirit and my conscience I couldn't leave him in the garbage can. Sure enough, after dropping water and a carrot into his house he came out of his shell. He's been out ever since. I am amazed! This is the longest we have ever seen him hibernate.

So if you want a pet that is extremely easy to take care of and hard to kill... get a snail! You can literally ignore it for months.

He Smells Like Beef and Cheese!

THE BEEF AND CHEESE SANTA:

Our ward Christmas party was last night. I thought it was a strange date to pick for the party because it was also the evening of the Richland/Pasco basketball games. The girls and boys Varsity teams were playing back to back in Richland. But I guess not everybody is a high school basketball fan!

This created a scheduling conflict for us. Santa was coming to the party at the same time I was to be at the gym. The kids were really excited to see Santa. Doug wanted to come watch the game. Grandpa was going to be at the game (duh!). But Super Grandma saved the day again! She offered to take Kyah and Zane to see Santa. They were able to visit Santa, say hello to their friends and then come back home. The kids didn’t care about staying at the party as long as they were able to see Santa!

When we came home that night I asked Kyah and Zane about their visit with Santa. Kyah said it was good, but that he wasn’t the real Santa. Last year Kyah noticed that not all the Santas looked the same. The real Santa was at the mall in Provo that we visited. We explained to Kyah about how the real Santa sometimes has Santa helpers because there are lots of malls and parties he needs to attend to visit with the children. She decided the Santa at our Christmas party wasn’t the real Santa, but she wasn’t upset about it. Just very matter of fact. She didn’t go ballistic like Buddy the elf. “He smells like Beef and Cheese!”

BASKETBALL BRUISES AND AN ANCIENT LEGEND

Meanwhile back at the gym… Doug brought Cannon to the basketball game. They sat in the bleachers with Grandpa and watched the game while I sat on the bench with the team. Cannon kept busy by crawling on the bleachers and kicking the people in front of them. He took a few dives on the bleachers, which gave his head a few funny lumps. Doug moved up to the landing where Cannon had some flat space to walk around on. Coach Teverbaugh was up there too. If you know Coach Teverbaugh, he is a bit of a legend… a very old legend!! He remembered Doug of course, and even remembered which years he coached him in football. Amazing! How old is he … 95? While they were reliving the good ol’ days Cannon was running around, tripped and landed his face on the steps going up the bleachers. He scratched his nose and bruised his forehead. His head was covered in bumps! Doug took him to the car and waited for me to come out after the game. Cannon was ok, just bruised and tired. On drive home Cannon said to me “Mama, my nose. My nose.”

SUPERMAN IN THE ER

When we got home we talked with the kids about the visit with Santa and started to get them ready for bed. Cannon and Zane were playing in the bedroom when we heard Cannon scream. He came running out of the bedroom with a stream of blood coming down his face. He had “fallen” against the wooden frame of the bunkbed and split open his right eyebrow. Zane was hiding under the futon and wouldn’t tell us a straight story of how Cannon got hurt. He told me that Cannon was trying to tackle him and that Cannon pushed himself into the bottom of the bunkbed. It sounded kind of fishy to me!

We decided it was a large enough wound that we should take him to the ER to see if he needed stitches. We put the two kids in bed before we left. Kyah said “Mom, when you get home can you come in and tell us if Cannon got stitches?” I told her that she would surely be asleep by then and she said “Still, can you come in the bedroom and just check to see if we are asleep?” I agreed to that. J

So we braved our fresh snowy roads and drove to Lady of Lourdes ER. They were very fast and very friendly. Cannon didn’t want to keep the gauze bandage on his face while we waited, but other than that he was very happy. He played peek-a-boo with some of the people in the waiting room of the ER. Cannon seemed to like the nurse. She asked him if he new what Superman looked like. Then she said “Let’s give you a cape like Superman!” Then they slipped his arms into a pillowcase behind him. It pinned his arms perfectly to his sides like a straight jacket. Then they wrapped him in a warm blanket. He cried for a minute because he was nervous, but Doug talked to him and he calmed down. Cannon laid there silently while they cleaned his wound and glued it shut with superglue. No stitches and no shots… I don’t think I could have handled watching that!

It was nearly 10 pm when we came home from the ER. Cannon was still awake and babbling to us about who knows what. He could care less about his bumps and bruises… but he looks like he’s been through a war! Our little man of steel is bruised but not broken!

My Baby is 2!

How did this happen? I feel like I turned around and he has grown from a scratchy red faced infant into a giant cherub! He already weighs the same as his older brother. He is starting to act like Zane in the way he does crazy acrobatic stuff for attention. For his birthday, I have put together some things that I love and enjoy about Cannon.

I love hearing his giggle when I tickle him.

I love the way he babbles for 1 minute when we ask him a question (as if we can understand him). Then when we say "Oh really?" Zane says "Mom, what did he say?"

I love seeing him scoot around on anything with wheels.

I love the look of joy on his face when he is having a good time. Nothing beats those rosy cheeks, sparkly eyes and dimples! (Add a beard and he would be Santa!)

I love how he sings along to the radio when we are in the car.

I love how he brings me an empty bottle and a gallon of milk from the fridge and asks sweetly "Meelk?"

I love how he bows his head when we pray and tries to echo the prayer his brother or sister is saying.

I love how he throws his arms around my legs when I come in the door.

I love how he get so excited when he sees Doug after he comes home and cries "Daddy!" Its a perfect example from the song "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home."

I love how he sneaks out of his room at night when the other kids have fallen asleep. He stands outside the bedroom door and looks at us calmly as if saying "Don't pay any attention to me!"

He's too much fun!

And Happy again when he opened his new Tonka Truck. He stands in it, sits in it and pushes it around the floor like a madman. What a great toy!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

We had our first basketball game last night. I was awfully stressed about being ready... all the administrative stuff like finding a scorekeeper, who I was going to put in the game, and how the girls were going to play. I've seen my girls scrimmage against each other and against the sophomores, but I have never seen them up against any other freshman team. I didn't know what to expect and I think my expectations for my girls were pretty high.

The girls came out looking great, while the other team was very inexperienced. We definitely had things to work on... like not fouling, getting offensive rebounds, and running an offensive plays besides just a fast break! But they did great.

FINAL SCORE: Richland 61, Kennewick 9

Nope, that is not a typo.

Driving the dishwasher

I emptied the dishwasher today. When I was finished, I started to load it back up with the dirty dishes. But I realized the bottom rack from the dishwasher was missing. Where could that have gone? It was there a few minutes ago when I emptied the dishwasher!



I turned around and there was Cannon zooming through the house, pushing a large dishwasher basket like a big toy truck. The wheels on that basket really work. Mr. Potato Head had a fun ride!

Prayers of Thanksgiving

I just had to share a cute story about Kyah's prayer last night. It was her turn to pray before dinner. She did a great job thanking the Lord for the many blessings we have been given. And then she said "Please bless that it won't be too crazy at Thanksgiving!" To her credit, that has been the talk of the house lately... what do we eat, who is making what, how many people will be here and where will we sit everybody? I had to open my eyes to watch everybody's reactions. We were all smiling to ourselves. The kids still had their arms folded and heads bowed. Then she said "And please bless that Zane will calm down before Christmas." All of us adults were a little irreverant at that point. I don't think Kyah was even joking, but we were all silently laughing. I could barely hold it in. Afterwards Doug told her how nice it was that she prayed for her brother. And Zane says "I like to pray for Kyah too!" It was too fun.

Cheese Balls

Last year I was lucky enough to be part of a recipe exchange group. One of the ladies made an amazing cheese ball... cream cheese, pineapple, green peppers and onions. It is fantastic. I made it tonight to get ready for Thanksgiving. I am thankful for it! I've never been a cheese ball person myself, but I've been converted to this one.

Our home teachers came over tonight. I have to admit that in some months I think "Why do they need to come over?" They always have a nice message, and they are friendly, but wrangling the kids to listen to them, keeping the dogs away from them... its all extra work sometimes! I'm sure they have thought the same thing about visiting us before. I know that is the wrong attitude. But I digress... tonight they came over and I really enjoyed their visit. They read a snippet from the D&C about following the Lord's commandments and listening to the prophets and if we do, we will be immovable. I loved it. I don't know why it struck such a cord with me, but it was awesome. I am thankful for great home teachers. I know they are both very busy with their own families, jobs, businesses and church callings, but the message they brought was very helpful for me.

I am thankful that we are all getting over our colds. It seems like they have been traveling through our house, to all of our extended family and back again for the last 3 weeks. I am hoping this is the last round! We have much to do to get ready for Thanksgiving and nursing a cold is not on my list!

Heat, BBQs and snotty noses.

I am thankful for central heat. It is truly an amazing invention. I am especially thankful that we live in a country where this is available. It isn't even terribly cold here yet, but it is such a blessing to be able to come home to a nice warm house and a warm bed to snuggle my kids into.

I am thankful for BBQ grills. Whether summer or winter, rain or shine, we love to barbeque. Always makes a great meal!

I am thankful for soft kleenex. What did they do in the past when they needed to wipe their nose? Didn't they have terribly chapped upper lips?

"I Guess She Won't Be Coming Around After All"

Name that movie!! Dave decided he wanted to watch it in preparation of #3 coming out this week... Its just as bad as the first time I watched it! But those boys at Discovery Academy sure loved it! But I do like Jason Statham. He has some nice muscles.

I'm a little behind on blogging about my thankful items, but I think it will be OK. I have noticed that throughout the day I catch myself thinking about what I am going to write on my blog. I am spending more time looking around for things I am grateful for instead of complaining about what I am lacking and that is always a good thing!

I am grateful to be living in the Tri-Cities again. I miss quite a few things about Utah... Amanda, our friends and neighbors, the beautiful mountains, AMANDA and more. But I am so thankful that we can be near the rest of our family. I am grateful my kids get to spend so much time with their grandparents and cousins and I love that our parents and my siblings can really get to know our kids! I know my kids will have a close relationship with their grandparents and aunts. I love my grandparents and my cousins and aunts and uncles, but I am not real close with them. The more support my kids can get in life the better!

I am thankful I didn't have a heart attack today. 2 girls were missing from practice which left us with only 9 girls. Well, the thing is that you need 10 people to really scrimmage in basketball. So guess who had to fill in! I was proud of myself that I didn't keel over after running down the court once! I had a lot of fun. I will be sore tomorrow. It will be great!

I am thankful for good sport bras.... I don't think I need to say any more on that subject. Except, how did ladies ever live without them before?

Cannon & Tanner's High School Musical Photo

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The printer is magic!

Cannon has found the "copy" button on the printer. There is nothing on the scanner, so everytime he pushes the copy button, the printer makes funny growling noises and spits out a peice of clean white paper. He thinks it is awesome.

Hours of fun as long as the paper tray is filled!

Kyah's New Blog

Kyah has been bugging me to start a blog for herself. I haven't wanted to do it because I am worried about how much I will have to be standing over her shoulder helping her. Aren't I horrible? :)

But today she was really sick and I had my guard down because I felt so bad for her! She started her new blog today. She picked out her design, chose the title, wrote her own posts and decided which pictures to put on there. I showed her how to add a picture on the sidebar once, and she added all the rest by herself. She asked me how to spell a few words, and then I showed her the spellcheck button. She said "Mom, this is so cool! It tells you how to spell it the right way!" I thought that was funny.

So check out Kyah's blog! I thought she would want to pick out a pink or purple background, but I guess I was wrong!

Popcorn is a good snack

Kyah is thankful for Jesus, for the church and her little brothers.

I am thankful for microwave popcorn. What a great, quick and easy treat with no mess... until the kids spill the kernels all over the floor. It is a quick appeaser for the snackies.

I am thankful for the speech therapy Zane is receiving at school. He is very responsive in class and is slowly remembering to use the correct sounds in his everyday language. I am thankful that he is able to make all the sounds... and that he just needs to remember to use them! I am very happy we have him doing this now and that we didn't wait longer until he was in Kindergarten. At the rate he is going he will be out of speech by the time he starts elementary school. And we will all be able to understand him and I won't need to translate for others! Hallelujah! Thank goodness for this program and for the patience by his teacher! Mrs. Barber is awesome!

I am thankful that Cannon is so good when it comes to going to bed! All we do is give him a bottle, stick him in bed and he stays! Only recently did he realize he could crawl out of his crib. It took a bit of persuasion to get him to stay in there and nap after that, but still not so bad. We took the crib down to return to my sister Becky before Cannon broke it by climbing on it. Now Cannon is sharing a bed with Zane and so far so good! I am amazed at how he stays in bed! Today I said it was time to take a nap and he ran into the room, laid down and snuggled in before I even got in there to help him! I am amazed and thankful! (Now we just have to work on getting rid of the bottle... but that is a battle for another day). I am also thankful that the bed is so low to the ground. Last night Cannon rolled out of bed and landed on the floor. He was fine, but he wasn't too happy about it.

What do I do now?

So we made cuts for the basketball team last night. I had to cut 3 girls. Here is how it went... the first girl I talked to had a blank look on her face. The second looked upset and angry. The third took it like a champ. It was not the most fun thing I've had to do in life, but I am glad its over.

Now that tryouts are over.... I am not sure where to begin! Can anybody tell me what I do with the girls now? Ha Ha!

What am I thankful for?

Basketball started yesterday. I had one girl quit already. YES! I'm not real proud that I scared someone away, but it does make my job easier! I guess that means I ran them plenty. I told the girls that it is good news for them that she quit, because there is less competition. They just stared at me with a blank look on their face. I guess they didn't see the humor in that. I am secretly hoping that a few others quit by tomorrow so I don't have to make cuts on my own. I hope I made them run enough.

So far I haven't had to break much of a sweat at practice, but I did pop a blood vessel in my left ring finger. Aren't I pathetic! The girls seem to be a good bunch. Three new girls showed up today that weren't here yesterday. One will be an awesome strong post if she keep her attitude in check. (Like no walking while we are running lines! Especially on your first set. You can't be that tired!) One other is an amazing, quick, talented guard. She is awesome and an answer to my prayers! And the third is a sweet girl that is a little less talented. It was the first time I've seen someone on offense screen for their teammate and become completely open under the basket with no defender in site. But instead of looking for the ball, she went to find her own defender that she left behind and turn and defend them... while still on offense. It was pretty mind boggling and slightly hilarious.

I am thankful for my experience of giving employee reviews. I have to make cuts tomorrow on the basketball team. I will sit with each girl and tell them what they are good at and what they need to work on... and then tell them if they are on the team or not. Its not a comfortable thing for me or the girls, but I feel a little better having had some experience with this in the past. Unfortunately it doesn't make it any easier for these girls. At least they can go home and not be at school all day if they are feeling upset about it.

I am thankful for the opportunity I had to play ball as a kid. I feel bad that I have to cut some of these girls because I know how positive of an experience this could be for them. I recognize that I learned much more than just sports while playing. Some things I learned on the court, some things I learned on the bus with the girls, but most of what I am talking about I learned from my coaches. I am grateful for patient coaches like Wilbur, inspiring coaches like Jenn and cute, young coaches like Axel :). I hope I can live up to their standards! (Even being cute). And then there are some that I'd like to forget about... or laugh at their photos in the yearbook because they have chest hair coming out of their turtlenecks and look like Heff in the 70s. Ahhh the memories.

I am thankful for clocks. Sometimes I get angered because there doesn't seem to be enough time on good days, but on bad days the clocks seem to slow down. But all in all, I think they are helpful. Sometimes I am tired by 8 pm, and sometimes I am not tired at all and I look at the clock and realize it is after 11 pm. If I didn't have a clock I might not get sleep when I need it! So HOORAY FOR CLOCKS!

Doug is thankful for good friends, sick leave and a beautiful wife.

Oh yeah... and I am thankful I got a raise for basketball... almost 3 times as much as I made for volleyball. I would have done volleyball for free because I enjoy it so much, but I don't love basketball that much. :) There is too much running involved in basketball.

Cool school!

Quote of the day

I just read this last night and thought I'd share as it goes with the theme of being grateful.

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate"

Thank you Dove Chocolates for this insightful moment!

Which leads me into Thankful #1 today: I am thankful for chocolate. This really is a shallow item to be thankful for, but sometimes it really can make the world seem better!. Take this example from yesterday for instance. We were watching the last RHS volleyball game and were a little frustrated. My mom said "I can't handle this anymore, I need chocolate!" She hustled up the stairs to the concession stand and bought BIG snickers bars for us. It really did make me feel better!

I am thankful for comfy socks. I am a barefoot person. I can barely stand to wear socks, even when I am wearing shoes that require them. But for the most part I am in flip flops. (Again... thankful for no snow!) But I found some awesome ankle sport socks that I absolutely love. The bottom is padded and soft, the top is thinner so my feet don't get so hot and sweaty and they have the tighter stretchy ring going around the top of my foot so they don't slip off. If I knew the inventor of this style of sock I would hug him/her!

I am thankful for the unity in my marriage with Doug. I am extremely thankful for Doug, but I've already done that one, so this is a new twist. When I have a concern about our family, our plans for the future or anything, he is always right on track with me. It is great to know that I can share my worries and hopes with him and know he will support me. His patience is amazing!

Awesome Allie!

I just have to put in a plug for my little sis, Allie. Volleyball season ended for her today and I want to say how proud I am of her! She has been an amazing influence on the girls she coached. Allie is an awesome volleyball player and I hope the team and the coaches know how lucky they are to have her around! I will miss watching her coach, pump up, laugh and work with her team, all with her adorable pregnant belly!

Great job Allie! You are super awesome! You do a supercalifragilisticexpealidocious job of coaching!

How many days?

So far it hasn't been difficult finding things I am thankful for. Some seem more sincere than others... some are more materialistic than others, but I am honestly thankful for all of them.

Tonight:

I am thankful for an arid climate. I like snow (occasionally), but its nice to not have it yet. When we start having ice storms around here I'll wish for Utah's winter again, but for now I am enjoying the clear roads.

I am thankful for a healthy body. Although its not as healthy and strong as it would be if I took better care of it, I have been blessed with a healthy body that allows me to work, play and relax when I want to. Even with the lack of exercise in my life, I was still able to outrace one of the 13 yr old girls on my volleyball team. She said I cheated... but I was proud that I still beat her! I am grateful that my body has worked well all these years. I am blessed to be able to do nearly anything I have wanted to do physically.

I am thankful for alone time with Doug. Its fun to be with family, friends and with the kids, but every once in a while I crave the alone time just with my hubby. We sound like an old couple, but we've started taking walks around the neighborhood in the evening. (Again, I am thankful it hasn't snowed!) It's usually only a half hour, but I treasure the 30 minutes alone with him. What a great time to recap the day, let off our worries and enjoy each others company without any other distraction.

Color schemes... designs.... giving in

So I've given up on creating my own design for the blog. I just haven't been happy about what I've come up with... too dark, too light...

I gave in and used a pre-made blog wallpaper. I am considerably happier with it so far. Sorry for the changes again. This is much more my style I think but stay tuned because it could change at any moment again! :)

Thankful for the written word!

Can you imagine not being able to read? In the history of this world, the average person has only been given the right to learn to read for a very short time. I am so grateful for the time period I live in today when I am not only allowed to read, but I have so many different things to read. (Probably too much).

So here is my thankful list today.

• Book of Mormon. Yes, I'm a fan! If I didn't put this first on my list, it would be rather shameful. Its a great source of peace and answers that we need! I'm sad to say I should read it more often than I do. After the experience watching the news yesterday I decided I really need to make this a better habit and love in my life which will help me and my kids. I'm still working on my goal to finish it this year. I better get with it.
• Funny fictional books with a touch of romance! I don't know why these are so enjoyable for me. I end up speed reading through most of it, skipping paragraphs and pages at a time. Sometimes I feel dumber after reading them, which is probably not a good sign. But I love the escape that keeps me from doing chores around the house... like laundry!
• How-to books. This has been especially helpful to me in the last few months. When I started coaching I was feeling nervous that I would be inadequate, so I checked out a number of books on volleyball from the library. The entire time I was reading I kept thinking "Yeah, I know all this stuff!" I didn't learn a whole lot from them, but they at least gave me confidence. Now I am scouring at least 6 different books on basketball. I am feeling even more inadequate for this sport. I've been spending even more time looking at drills and offensive and defensive tactics. Only 3 more days until my life gets extra crazy! Tryouts begin Monday.

And one more freebie for the day. I agree with Allie on the subject of James Bond. Check him out! And no drooling!

Blog color scheme

Wow - thanks for the comment Bill.... I'll work on the color scheme some more. I guess the colors were reflecting my mood lately!

Coaching, Gospel Truths and Computers

Kyah is thankful for Thanksgiving and Atticus and Baxter.

I am thankful for the opportunity to coach. I have missed the fun, competition and excitement from playing team sports. These are some of the reasons I decided to start coaching volleyball. A few weeks into the season, my reasons for coaching changed. I realized I was coaching not as much for my sake, but for the sake of the girls and for the sake of the sports program. Its been an eye opening and awesome experience!

I am thankful for the gospel. I am watching the news and EVERY SINGLE TOPIC tonight is anti-God. The days are here that evil is made to seem good and good is made to seem evil. I am so grateful that we have the gospel to help us understand which is which! Of course, I am feeling slightly angry and not so Christlike about everything that I saw on the news just now. I guess I have a ways to go until I'm perfect! :)

My computer. It was even more important to me while I was living far away from most of my family because it was the main source of communication. Sad to say, but I spent much time on my computer, just waiting for a reply to an email from someone far away! I am not a phone talker... I have a hard time having a normal conversation on the phone. But communication is not the only thing I use it for... I love that I can save my life on something that doesn't have to be packed away in storage and it fits on my lap. Photos, journal entries, sports drills, practice plans, letters, goals, house plans, party invitations, graphic design for shirts I'll never make... I love it!

November 12th... I am still thankful!

1. DVRs!!! Can I say more? Those that don't have them can't even imagine the freedom that these babies bring! Hooray for technology to give me the freedom from my TV! I could go on for an hour about the benefits.
2. Dinners I don't have to cook. I really do try to cook often so my mom or my mother-in-law is not always feeding us, but since school and volleyball started its been tough. And now that volleyball is over I haven't been taking over again like I should. But I have to say, this has always been one of my loves in life... to have a meal that I didn't have to prepare! Thank you!
3. Cell phones that work. Doug's phone bit the dust yesterday and we ordered him a new one. Meanwhile I know that he is feeling stranded even though he has his phone at work. Its amazing how we get so used to things in life... like texting!

Rat Race Is Hilarious

We are watching Rat Race. It is one of our favorite movies. Hilarious!

1. This is cheating because it's the holiday today, but I am thankful for the people that serve in our armed forces. Any war story involving honor, loyalty or sacrifice brings Doug to tears, although he might not want to admit it! I too am truly grateful for our veterans, for all the people that have given and sacrificed so much to help us keep our freedoms and to help others in the world have the same freedoms. I am grateful to all the spouses that allow their husbands and wives serve because I know they sacrifice so much as well. I give my sincere thanks to them.
2. Laughter. Where would we be without laughter? It is the cure all. It comes in millions of different shapes and sizes. It can be contagious, annoying or downright enjoyable. It can turn your mood around in a heartbeat. As Uncle Albert says "I Love To Laugh!"
3. A good dog. We love Atticus. She has a few faults (as most dogs do), which include shedding, barking at the neighbors when they mow their lawns, eating diapers... well, I better not recite all her faults because I might not be thankful for her anymore! She is great. Petting her relieves stress. She is a great tool for cleaning up after the kids eat dinner and she helps keep the floor clean. She is usually very calm unless its playtime and I can get her to come back inside the house when the kids let her out on accident. Hooray for a good dog!

Doug is grateful for funny movies, hot dogs and dollar menus.

Aarrghh!

So I am trying to redo the colors and design on my blog and I can't figure it out! I have tried nearly 15 different combinations and I just can't get what I want! So, sorry for the difficulty in reading and the constant changes... I'll try to get it soon! Thanks for your patience!

Today I Am Grateful For:

1. Tylenol PM... even the generic brand! I've had a splitting headache all day and when we came home tonight Doug gave me a cup of Dr. Pepper and a Tylenol PM. I am already feeling better and can't wait to snuggle in to bed with a pile of pillows!
2. Fast Food Restaurants with Playlands... its a great place to take a break. The kids play while the adults can sit, drink a pop, talk about anything they want and not be outside in the elements! Although it can be loud, it is a great place to go around 2:00 in the afternoon!
3. Chainsaws... We spent most of the day choppping down tree limbs in my parents backyard today. There were a few branches we had to cut by hand with saws. (When I say we, I really mean Doug). Watching him work so hard I kept thinking... "can you imagine how hard it was to build houses back before there were power tools?"

Doug says he is thankful for nunchucks, samarai swords and throwing stars.

The PM part of my Tylenol is kicking in... Whoo Hoo!

Day 3 - a little early

I am not due to write until tomorrow, but I have the time now. I'm the one making the rules so I can break them... right? :)

Today I am thankful for:

1. Voting Rights. We've felt the anticipation and stress over some of the candidates and issues that were being decided upon in the polls last week. But even with all the drama, I am grateful that we live in a country that gives us the right to vote and the freedom to vote how we want! (even if it doesn't go our way!)
2. This goes along with #1, but I am grateful that Prop 8 passed in California. Yes, I know I don't even live there, but its a subject close to my heart. Its great to see that the majority of voters in California stood up for something moral!
3. The beautiful colors of the autumn trees! I never thought I'd say this, but the Shelter Belt looks so pretty right now! The mix of red, gold and brown leaves next to the Evergreens is really breathtaking. There are also a few gold trees in the gully of the Yakima river, just North of the bridge on I-182. They are gorgeous out there. If you are in the area, drive by soon because the leaves are falling fast! For some reason the colors really put a smile on my face this year.

Chuck E Cheese

This is from a few weeks ago, but I realized I hadn't posted any pictures from it yet. We went to Chuck E Cheese to surprise my niece, Autumn, on her birthday. Although we knew we were going for about a week, we had to keep it a secret from our kids so they wouldn't spill the beans for Autumn before the day came. Kids are generally bad at keeping secrets like that! As we were driving there they were guessing where we were going and we were throwing out answers like "the dentist" and other odd places that kids wouldn't ordinarily have that much fun. It was pretty funny. Even when we parked, we parked right in front of Roys Western Smorgy. Its a buffet place in town that is older than me and seems to cater to an older generation on the verge of heart failure due to arterial blockage. Picture lots of old men wearing suspenders over their big bellies waiting in line for skin topped gravy and and fatty roast. That's Roys!

Anyway, we parked in front of Roys and the kids had no idea where we were. However, it didn't take long for Kyah to look across the parking lot to see the Chuck E Cheese sign. They were still unsure if we were going or not, but they were more excited than ever.

We did get the kids to settle down and eat some pizza and cupcakes, but mostly they were busy running around playing games and collecting tickets so they "buy" items at the Chuck E Cheese Store. We figure it would have been cheaper to just go the dollar store and let them pick out 5 toys a piece and eat pizza at home, but the whole atmosphere was fun and chaotic and they enjoyed it! We have many more pictures of the little boys because we were watching them the entire time. The other kids were pretty much running around without supervision. It was great!

Tanner is enjoying the bus ride.

Watch out for hop ons! There is one on each side!

Kyah with Autumn enjoying her toilet goo she earned with her tickets! This stuff actually came in a small toilet shaped container. That's what she chose from the prize counter under the supervision of her dad! LOL

This pictures cracks me up. He did smile once when he was going around this thing. For the most part he looked completely unexcited.

Cannon was irate when the basketball game stopped feeding him balls and we were out of tokens! I had to drag him away kicking and screaming so other kids could have a turn!

Love the Eyes

Check out those peepers!

Day Two

Its the middle of the night or early morning, depending on how you look at it! I am having a hard time sleeping, so I thought I'd get up and do something constructive rather than lie awake in bed. Besides, Doug is taking up my foot room on the bed because the dog is taking up too much space on Doug's side of the bed and I can't stand it!

This morning I am thankful for:

1. My mom. I've always looked up to her and I'm constantly in awe of how much she knows! When I am with her I want to be a better person and she shows me how to do it by how she lives! Its so great to be living near her again. Being with her gives me a sense of calm that I need in my life. She has become a good friend and I love being with her.
2. My mother and father-law. They are some of the most openly giving and caring people I've ever met. I am so grateful for the personal relationship I have with them. Its extra special because I know not all daughter-in-laws have this blessing!
3. Hot Cocoa. I better start buying sugar free because I seem to be growing more attached to this stuff as the weather gets colder. Its the perfect thing to be sipping at night or in the morning as the chill is in the air. It helps my throat feel better. How can you go wrong with this warm chocolaty goodness? And when you mix it with other favorite flavors like mint, caramel or hazelnut it is especially snuggly. Thank you to Jessica on my volleyball team and her family that gave me a Starbucks gift card! The hot cocoa there is wonderful! If there were no hot cocoa, what would I drink when I need something warm? There aren't any choices that match up to hot cocoa.

Feeling Thankful

Today I am starting the first entry of my “I am Grateful” series. I will try each day to write 3 things I am grateful for. (Thanks Katie for the idea!) Just in time for Thanksgiving and to help heal my heart!

Let me start out by telling you what the kids said. Kyah is thankful for Christmas, Halloween and her Princess Belle Dress. Zane is thankful for Christmas, Halloween and the park. Sounds good to me!
Doug said, “You know what I am thankful for?” Kyah quickly responded “Us?!” How do you say no to that?
Of course, the first day of this the easiest, but that doesn’t make it any less sincere!
I am thankful for:

1. A wonderful husband that loves me all the time. He never stops hugging and kissing me even when I think I’m too busy for it. He is there whenever I need him even when I am too proud to admit it. He has an amazing amount of patience for me and is ready to take over whenever I need a break. He is my best friend. How grateful I am for his support and how thankful I am that he is my eternal companion! I love you!
2. Three busy kids that remind me every day the importance of laughing and playing. Some days I wish I had more time with them and some days I wish I had less! But it’s a great blessing to have so much love from them in our home. There is nothing better than giggles and hugs from my kids.
3. My sisters and sister-in-laws. I am so impressed with your love and patience for your own kids and how much you love mine! I learn so much from each of you and I am secretly jealous of your talents that I lack! When I meet people and they ask if I am related to any of you, I proudly say “YES! She is my sister/sister in law!” You ladies are my best girlfriends. I am so grateful to have you in my life!

Fun times with the doctor!

When we get sick, we like to share our germs with the whole family. Not really, but it always spreads. Cannon always holds on to it longer than everybody else. He wheezes and coughs constantly. I took him to the doctor yesterday and they hooked up the nebulizer for him. He was very good and sat through it. He thought it was fun that I was taking pictures of him with his funny mask on. The picture looks a little pathetic but don't let him fool you! He was up and running around within minutes afterwards.

Day of Discipline

We took the kids to the high school volleyball game last night. The kids had a great time. They ran around the upper balcony of the gym and played with friends the entire time. As we left and got in the car, Kyah asked if we could stop for ice cream. We said no because it was too late. She was very upset and said "I didn't get to do anything fun tonight!" She told us the volleyball game wasn't fun and she wanted to do something else. We talked with her about being grateful rather than always complaining for more. Unfortunately its been a common issue with her lately. Doug said, "Ok, since you didn't have fun at the games, then you don't get to go anymore, which includes the football games." Kyah sat quietly for a minute then said "You'll just let me go to the football game tomorrow anyway!"

After that comment we looked at each other and knew we couldn't let her go under any circumstances! So this is why they say to not use punishments that you can't follow through with!

Needless to say she was not happy this afternoon when we talked with her about missing the game. She cried and cried and ran to her bedroom and cried some more. I wanted to give in! I started thinking of other consequences she could have rather than missing the football game. At that moment I realized how much of a pushover I was! But in the end we stayed strong! Grandma was sweet and stayed with her at home while the rest of us sat in the cold and watched the Bombers painfully lose. I don't know who had the better deal!

I was proud of Doug and myself. Kyah may not have learned that she needs to be more grateful, but we sure learned that we need to stick to our guns more often! Especially when the kids point it out to you!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

So here is the story on the Halloween costumes this year.

Doug was Tony Stark, you can't see his light on his chest, but it was awesome thanks to some engineering with LED lights and a sink drainer. Kyah was a vampire. Her makeup was totally smeared by the end of the night when this first picture was taken so she looked a little crazy. Zane chose to be a power ranger at first, then two weeks after we bought the costume (and he had played in it a lot!) he decided he just wanted to wear his superman costume from last year. Thats ok, because we hadn't planned anything for Cannon. We were going to just have him wear Zane's skeleton costume from 2 years ago. So Cannon wore the power rangers costume (which fit him very well except it was a little long in the legs). I didn't wear anything special, but put on a long black wig and fake eyelashes for part of the day! I love Halloween! It was a long day and the kids were exhausted and cranky the next day, but we had lots of fun!

The Kids found the camera

Zane found our camera, switched it to video mode and took about 20 short mpegs. Most of it was 1-2 second bursts of nothing. Anyway, I thought a few of them were kind of funny. Warning! Don't get nauseous watching these! I am starting to get queezy myself!

One more thing about Volleyball

Thank you Allie!

I forgot one of the funniest things I dealt with this year in volleyball. Here is a quote from Allie's comment...

"You forgot to add to the list:-girls wearing maxi pads while wearing
spandex and having to excuse themselves to the bathroom because it had shifted
and looks like a male genitalia."

No joke.

Surprise!

Kyah came home from school a few weeks ago and told me she had a surprise for me. She kept talking about it all the way home, like it was something really big and special. She wouldn't tell me or show me until we were back at the house. When we got home, she pulled up her sleeve of her shirt and said "LOOK AT THIS!"



Her arm was covered in neat handwriting from her wrist to her elbow. It had a two names written on it, and then some numbers. (Not phone numbers, but jersey numbers). I was surprised! She said they were names of football players. Her cousin Cierra had her arm autographed by a few of the RHS football players that visited the elementary school that day. Of course Kyah didn't want to be left out, so Cierra translated the autographs and wrote them neatly on Kyah's arm as well. She thought it was so cool!



A few days ago I was on the school district website and a picture flashes up on the screen. I see Kyah and her friend Sadie standing in front of a line of football players. Apparently she had a number of pictures taken with them and she never told us. I asked Kyah about it yesterday and she just smiled, blushed and ran away from me down the hallway. Should I be worried already?

I guess its ok for her to be excited to see the high school football players. This whole experience takes me back to 3rd grade when Sara Gonzalez and I had pictures of dogs all over our shared desk and we named them after the RHS football stars. Ahhh... Keven Welsch (kicker), Nate Holdren (QB)... and a few others that I wouldn't be able to recognize if I saw their faces or their names. They seemed like giants back then. Oh the memories!

#4 is Ben Jacobs boy, Brett. Doug just told me that he has a picture of himself standing in front of Brett when Brett was about Zane's age. He was their bat boy for baseball.

Deer Jerky

Yum yum! Its deer jerky season! That's how I have to think about it. I don't have the stomach to think about the transition from a beautiful living deer to a bag of jerky in our kitchen. Its not to say that I am an anti hunter, but I am just more sensitive than I used to be about it!

Doug went bow hunting this year for the first time. He had a great time practice shooting in Conrad's backyard and at a local target range. He did lots of push ups to get his arms/shoulders/back in shape so he could pull and hold the bow back. Hottie!

He went up into the Blue Mountains for two seperate weekends and camped with his buddies. The second weekend he was there he had a great shot on a nice sized buck. He was 32 yards away when he took the shot. It was dead on his target. They took the deer back to camp, skinned it, wrapped it in a tarp, stuffed it in the back of the van and brought it home. That afternoon Doug hung the deer in the garage while he used his awesome butchering skills. We sent a lot of meat home with Darrell Dabling and he made us a few bags of delicous deer jerky. It was fantastic!

Kyah and Zane were a little fascinated with the deer. They wanted their picture taken with the deer head. Isn't this so sweet? :)

Bomber pants

Cannon and Zane have some cute green & gold bomber pants to wear to the football games. They didn't have Kyah's size, so I improvized and made some for her.

I added green/yellow ribbon stripes on the side of the pants and embroidered BOMBERS across the rear end. The picture doesn't do them justice, but they look awfully cute on Kyah! My next project is to learn how to get the R and the cloud to embroider on the sewing machine!

GO BOMBERS!

Snuggle time

Nothing to say. . . I just love this picture!

Volleyball fun

This year I coached the middle school volleyball team. It was a challenge for me at first deciding if I was good enough to be a coach, wondering what I would do at practice, praying for patience to deal with the girls and hoping that I could successfully hide my fear of these pre-teen girls!

I have 17 girls on my team. They are a good group of girls and at the risk of sounding sentimental, I look at these kids and see all the possibilities for their futures. Even from the first few days I could pick out the kids that have unstable and even sometimes unsafe homes. My heart goes out to them. I feel so blessed to have had the childhood I had. I barely know these girls and I find myself wanting to give these girls some positive influence that they'll remember!

They've worked hard and we've had a lot of fun. They won their first 3 matches, then we tragically lost our 4th match to a really good team. There were many tears even before the game was over. It was good to lose because I could tell they were getting cocky. I was a little too happy that we lost. I was so excited I was up all night thinking about all the drills we could run to practice the skills we were lacking the day before. It was great! We lost a few more matches after that one, but it was wasn't so devastating for them. Less tears, but at least they didn't give up. They also starting working harder at practice. When we won our last two matches, I could tell the win was much sweeter to them! We have two matches left next week, then we will be done for the year.

I feel like I am constantly after the girls about something or another, but I haven't scared any away yet. They keep asking if I am going to coach their basketball team, or if I can coach their volleyball team next year. So I guess I haven't been too hard on them.

Its been a great learning experience for me. I've had to deal with various issues including:

• one bloody nose (1st game)


• 2 girls with pulled groin muscles


• 1 girl with back/shoulder issues


• 1 girl that seems to have an ailment worth crying about during every practice


• 1 girl that thinks people are always talking bad about them (same girl as #4 above)


• girls skipping practice and writing fake notes from their parents


• girls lying to me and to their parents


• girls with menstral cramps


• name calling/backstabbing


• giving equal playing time even if they aren't as good, aren't as committed... etc.


• boys hanging out in the gym during our practice after telling them to leave at least 5 times in one afternoon


• girls skipping games


• girls being physically abused by family members


• teaching that they win and lose as a team


• teaching personal responsibility instead of blaming someone else


• teaching them to support team members even when they don't feel like it


• teaching mental toughness


• teaching work ethic


• teaching respect for authority/coaches


• parents that force their kids to play


• parents that think I am too easy on the girls


• parents that feel sorry for me having to coach these girls!

This season has been a short 10 weeeks, but I feel as though the only coaching issue I haven't dealt with is "how come my daughter isn't getting more playing time?" I have to give each one equal playing time unless they have missed practice before the game. Then its pretty much up to my discretion of how much they play. The parents either don't care or they understand the equal playing time rule, so they don't bug me about it. My theory for the B team is that if they are excused by their parents from practice then I'll let them play in the game. I was talking with the amazing Coach Phil Neill and he said "but you need to add one thing to that rule... if they are your best player, you let them play, if they aren't, then you bench them!" I love it!

A few weeks ago I made volleyballs for the girls. It didn't take as long as I expected and they turned out really cute. Thank goodness for my mother's embroidery sewing machine!

Pregnancy

I haven't blogged in months. My only excuses are that I've been busy and haven't really felt like pouring out my thoughts into a permanent form. They haven't been real friendly! :)

Because I don't keep another type of journal, I thought I'd post the letter I sent out to friends/family after my miscarriage last month.

"I hadn't had any symptoms of a miscarriage, so it was a bit of a shock when I went in for my checkup and we couldn't find a heartbeat. A few ultrasounds over the past week and some blood work confirmed our fears. I would have been 14 weeks today. It was a tough week emotionally, but we've been keeping busy and that helps!

Because the baby was so far along, the doctor recommended to have surgery. Not being a regular in a hospital, I was rather nervous about having the procedure done. We went in just before 11:00 this morning, had the surgery done by 12:30 and I was home by 3:00 this afternoon. Everything went like clockwork. The only excitement we had was Doug playing with all the medical gadgets in the hospital room. The nurse said that was the first time she's had anyone shine the big overhead light in her face from across the hall.

The other "exciting moment" was when my first nurse tried to get the IV in my hand. I have a few bruises and bubbles on the back on my hands because she kept popping my veins. They had to bring in a second nurse to get it done right. But the hospital nurses, doctor and anesthesiologists were great, the drugs were fantastic, the procedure went quickly and I was impressed with how quickly I got out of there. I am feeling great, with a very small amount of discomfort. Nothing that a couch, some chocolate and some nice painkillers haven't cured!

The kids are doing well. Zane has no clue... and Kyah has been a real trooper. She was devastated when we finally talked to her two days ago about losing the baby. I wasn't quite ready because I hadn't figured out how to explain everything to her. She put on her brave face while Doug and I talked to her, but she couldn't hold it for long. All three of us had a good sniffle session on the couch that night. That was probably the hardest time for me in the last week. Seeing Kyah so sad broke our hearts all over again. She was very happy and relieved to see me home today after school. She was a little stressed by the entire thing."

"Love Them Back!"

It looks like the Incredible Hulk became a new sponsor for Cesar's dog food.

I often have weird dreams, but when I am pregnant my dreams are 100% more crazy. I've been toying with the idea of blogging about them when I remember them. Anyway, this picture is a tribute to one of Amanda's funny dreams! (And she isn't even prego). Isn't he a cutie! Apparently Amanda unconsciously believes I give out weird, but very cute and sometimes neon green gifts. Sweet dreams Amanda!

Quick Campout

We went to our ward camp out last weekend. I was really looking forward to it because it was a chance to get away from the heat for a day. The other great thing was that the leaders decided to provide dinner, games and breakfast for everyone, so I didn't have to worry about bringing or preparing food while we were there.

We went to Teancum Timbers, a church 0wned campground just a few miles outside of Bluewood ski resort in the Blue Mountains. It was really beautiful up there and we saw about 15 head of deer and 10 wild turkeys on our way to the campsite. We thought it would have been much cooler up there, but even as we pulled into camp at 6 pm on Friday, it was still 100 degrees outside.

We ate a great dinner that I didn't have to prepare (always makes it taste better!), the kids ran around with the other kids from the ward and enjoyed a few small hikes up the hill across the river through camp. In the evening, the bishopric set up a movie with their laptop, projector and a sheet hung up in the pavilion. The movie lasted until about 10:00 pm, but the kids were totally pooped by 9 and asked to go to bed. Cannon was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as Doug put him on our bed and was getting ready to change his diaper and get pjs on him. Cannon woke up while Doug was changing him, then he walked to his crib and tried to climb in by myself. That's a first!

In the middle of the night Cannon woke up and had a hard time going back to sleep. If he knows we are in the same room as him while he is sleeping he really fights going to sleep. Doug and I had been up for an hour or so with Cannon crying and the moon was so bright outside Doug decided to go for a walk. Cannon started crying when he left him behind, so Doug decided to take him too. As soon as they got outside and walked by Kyah and Cierra's tent, Cannon started calling to Kyah. He is not a quiet child! He has quite a set of lungs on him. So here at 3 am they are walking past all the other tents of the people in our ward and Cannon is yelling "Kyah Kyah Kyah!" Doug decided to forgo the walk and they ended up sitting in the van for an hour. He did finally bring him back to the tent and Cannon slept until 8:30 in the morning while everyone else was already up and moving.

That morning we ate breakfast and drove up the road to where the Weikums used to have an old cabin. It is no longer there. When the lease on the land was up the government took the land back. They said they were going to clear cut that area and use the cabin land for a hub where they could put logging trucks, but they never did. Instead, they ripped out the old cabin and left a bare spot of dirt. Except for it being in the complete sunshine, it was a good place for target practice with the 22s. So we stayed there for a while and Doug helped each of the kids fire off a few rounds at some pop cans and red tape on branches.

A huge fire came through that area a few years ago and burned out a lot of the trees. They have cut down many of the larger damaged trees, but there is a lot of new growth. The hills were so beautifully colored while we were there. There were wild yellow, purple and white flowers growing alongside the road, and all of the undergrowth around the trees were bright green and lush. I wish I had taken more pictures while we drove. It was spectacular. Here is a picture of the place where the cabin was and also the hillside behind it.

After our drive up the mountain we went back to camp. Most of the other families were packed up and leaving by the time we got back. We had a great site right along the river, so we let the kids play in the water while Doug and I packed up the tents. The water was cold, but the kids didn't mind. Cierra brought her tube and they had a fun time riding down the "rapids" on it. By the time we had cleaned up and the kids were done playing in the water, we were the last people to pull out of camp at noon.

This is about as far in as Zane would get...

The water was only about knee deep for him, but it was too cold for his skinny little body! He was perfectly happy playing in the mud on the side of the river.

Cierra going down the "rapids"

It was a great camping trip. Not much packing, only had to sleep in the tent one night, plenty of playing time and we were all ready for naps when we got back that afternoon! Yay!

Hot Days

The last few weeks have been hot. Its been in the 100s most of the time. If we are not inside enjying the cool air of the AC, then we've been in the water. We took the kids to the sprinkler park the other day. It was hot, but with the breeze, the refreshing cool sprinkles from the water, and slushies from Sonic, we ended up staying for hours. The kids had a great time and I had plenty of time to sit around. It was great! Here is Kyah doing pushups on one of the sprinklers.

We've been to this park before and Cannon wouldn't even go near the sprinklers. This time he decided it wasn't so bad and was running through the water with all the other kids. Check out that belly!

And of course Zane loves any place he can run free and be his crazy self.

The weather has cooled down this week so we haven't been out in the sun and water as much. We've enjoyed a nice thunderstorm and 70 degree weather that we haven't seen for months. Hooray!

It must be in the water!

After announcing our pregnancy to our family we found out that Allie is pregnant too. I couldn't be more excited. Me and my two sisters are pregnant at one time. It should prove to get interesting as time goes along! Becky is due Christmas, Allie is due early February and I am due early March. When I told my parents, my dad started to cry. What a big ol' softie! It was real sweet.

Becky and Allie have both had ultrasounds around 12 weeks and so far it looks like theirs are boys. I would love to have a little baby girl, but she may feel left out! Kyah is rooting for a girl,

Zane said he wants twin brothers, and that they can all sit together and play.

Kyah is very excited. She is often rubbing my tummy. Zane has asked if the baby is still in my tummy. Every few days I have to explain to him that the baby is going to be in there for a long time until he is much larger. His favorite word is "why?" Does he really want to know, or is it just a habit to ask?

School starts again in 3 weeks. I can hardly believe the summer is nearly over. Time seems to go by much faster the older I get! Kyah is excited to start 1st Grade. Zane will be happy to be in preschool again.

Here is a picture of Doug's birthday cake. We were celebrating his and my nephew's on the same day and my nephew was getting a Mickey Mouse Pirate cake. So I figured I better make a special one for Doug! We decided to model a cake after something he loves... pop! I chose a Pepsi can rather than Dr. Pepper because there were fewer letters to cut out. I got tired of adding food coloring, so it ended up looking like a light blue diet pepsi can rather than regular pepsi. In any case, it turned out pretty fun.

Here is a view from the top of the can after we cut the cake.

8 weeks

Tonight I just feel like rambling. Doug and David are watching a loud movie..I just got back from softball and its kind of hard to hop in during the middle of the flick. I'm not quite in the mood to watch TV anyway, so here I am spilling my thoughts onto the computer. What a great thing about blogs... I can say whatever I want and the people reading can stop reading whenever they want! And I won't even know or be offended. Fantastic.

I scrubbed the bathtub/shower with Barkeeper's Friend today. It looks beautiful. Zane helped me too. I also finished all the laundry. When I do chores in the morning, I feel like I can do whatever I want for the rest of the day and not feel guilty! We had Papa John's pizza for lunch and then played at the pool for a few hours. Cannon slept for about half an hour while I swam with the kids, then he woke up screaming and didn't stop while we showered, drove to Pasco, stopped at the storage shed to put away sleeping bags and tents and came home. I put him back in bed for a few hours. He was super cranky! We had garlic grilled shrimp, corn on the cob and rice for dinner. It was tasty!

I had a decent softball game tonight. I am chicken behind the plate since I got whacked in the faced with a foul tip a few weeks ago. Oh well... at least I'm there to play! The only other person that plays catcher is a gal that has a tendency to say nasty things to the players and the umpire. They say they play me there so she doesn't get in trouble. Ha ha. This is the same girl that I previously spoke of when I hurt my knee a few months ago. I told her she was Debbie Downer tonight because everything she said was a negative comment about herself. Of course, I said it in a nice, laughing kind of way, and she laughed about it, but she didn't sit next to me the rest of the game while we were in the dugout. Too bad! I don't think I was the only one who was thinking it!

We are happy and excited to have joined "club prego". (This club is not related to spaghetti!) This morning I received a high pitched cheer and hug from Becky as the initiation so I am feeling good. Deanna, I will not pressure you to join this club too! There is no hurry! Others reading this.... (you know who you are!) you better jump on the bandwagon soon! Just kidding. It seems to be a popular thing to have babies... or at least to make babies! Whoops, is that too naughty for a family oriented blog? Sorry. :)

We have thought for some time that we were pregnant. We took a test when I was only a few days late and it came out negative. Of course, it was a test from the dollar store, so it wasn't one of those that is "the most sophisticated piece of technology you will ever pee on." Remember that commercial? I thought it was great.

Anyway, with all the fun this last month with Deanna here, I never went and got another test. We talked about it a few times, but just forgot about it for the most part. By the time I finally took another test, I realized that I was nearly a month late! So here I am 8 weeks pregnant and we just found out for sure. Doug is really excited. I am still getting used to the idea of being pregnant and having a fourth child!

I am having my famous weird pregnant dreams... chasing mermaids that stole other people's kids, dreaming about people with dwarfism climbing over boulders that are in the middle of the freeway. Each night its a new adventure!

Now the fun begins with choosing a doctor here in Washington. Do I go with the one my sisters are going to? Do I choose a new one? I'm sure there are good ones here, but I already miss my doctor in Utah. I'm seriously considering going back to deliver the baby. :)

So my baby is the size of a kidney bean right now. Although she is so small, she already has webbed fingers and toes and is losing her tail. She is developing neural pathways and has breathing tubes that go from her head to her developing lungs. How can anyone say this isn't a living thing? It amazes me every time. (Thank you Babycenter for the info on how my baby is developing!)

I am calling the kidney bean a she because I want another girl. Most of the Weikums are rooting for another girl too, except for Doug. He is content with either a boy or a girl, but he is not wishing for another one. He is perfectly happy with only having Kyah! Kyah will be awfully disappointed if its a boy. She and Cierra could start a support group. We've already talked to Kyah about how Heavenly Father chooses if we get baby boys or baby girls so its out of our hands! We haven't told her specifically that we are pregnant yet, but we've been talking about some things out loud around the house. Every once in a while she gets a thoughtful look on her face like she is trying to figure out something she is missing from our conversation. I think she will be very excited. We will probably tell the kids in a few days.

Well, its off to bed... or off to eat some homemade ice cream! Yeah!

What does two lines mean again?

Pretty Princesses!

Cannon the Caveman

Why is it just so natural for a kid to pick up a bat and hit things with it? I think it goes back to the old caveman club.

Pain killers

Dad's knee replacement surgery went great. I went to visit him this morning and watched as the physical therapist got him out of bed and into a chair. It was a lot of work for the both of them. I think Dad was a little frustrated he couldn't walk yet, but I also think his femoral block was still in effect, so he didn't have much control over his legs yet. When he started to get out of bed, I decided to leave the room so I didn't get flashed. My original vantage point was behind him looking at his backside in his untied hospital gown. I decided that is not a side of my dad that I wanted to see. However, I think he has the same attitude as I do when I am in the hospital... come one come all! If you don't want to see... don't look!

He is still a little loopy on his pain medication and he is very sleepy. I think he took a few naps in the middle of our conversation. During our conversation, he kept saying that 2001 was 11 years ago. I corrected him a few times, but he kept going back to that 11 years. It was weird to hear my dad get a simple math problem wrong. This is Mr. Super Engineer we are talking about!

Mom visited him this afternoon and he didn't remember me coming to visit this morning. I wondered if he would. He could also not remember what he ate for breakfast... not so different than me sometimes! Allie visited him this evening and she said he was even worse and wasn't putting full sentences together. The nurses say its normal from his pain meds... I was starting to worry he had a stroke! I am not taking the kids to see him until he is on a lower dosage!