What a difference a year makes....

One year ago today I had a feeding tube removed from my small intestines.
In contrast: I'm running a half marathon this saturday. The human body is an amazing thing. I'm lucky mine is so resillient.

A great tradition

Steve's family has a fun tradition of getting all the women of the family together every year for our "NOW" (Nelson Organization for Women) convention. Have you ever noticed how whenever you get together with extended family that the women are too busy chasing kids and preparing food to be able to socialize much? This tradition is the solution to the problem. We have a great weekend of fun together without kids-- shopping, facials, theater, and good-ol' sitting around chatting.

"Practice Camping"

I grew up camping quite a bit. We were wilderness campers (not campground campers). Since getting married I've done very little camping since Steve doesn't have camping blood, and since having children we've done ZERO camping. Well folks, that is about to change-- we did a very successful test run of sleeping in a tent outside at 55 degrees. All went well. I'm excited to go camping when Dental school boards are over!!!

A clean house VS. loved and educated children

I doubt that when I near the end of this life I will look back and think, "I wish my house would have been cleaner". I do however think that there is a good chance that I will wish I spent more time with my children. I believe that is far more important to spend quality time with my children than it is to have a clutter-free house and the kitchen always spotless. While visiting my sister Christa and her family in Albuquerque, this was reienforced by watching her and her children. Below is a picture of Benjamin my 5-year old nephew (playing dress-ups with Kiera).

Benjamin will start kindergarten this fall but is already reading on a 2nd grade level. He can do math (including division), he plays the violin, he has a developing testimony from his mom reading to him directly from the scriptures every night, and he is a very happy child. Christa obviously makes quality individual time for him every day (as she does with her 2 younger boys). Her house isn't clutter-free, nor are the dishes always done immideately after the meal (although I'm sure she would love it if it was spotless like in the pre-children days) but these few short years of having young children will pass and someday she will once again have a clean(er) house. But her boys will be smart, confident, and feel loved because of the great beginning that she gave them.
I must insist on having a sanitary house (clean bathrooms, mopped floors, etc.) for health reasons, but if you drop in on us in the near future, expect to be tripping over toys and find dirty dishes in the sink.

Fun in "Alba-turkey"

I've been slackin' on my bloggin' lately since I've been hangin' in "Alba-turkey" (as Kiera would say) with my sister Christa and her kids. Kiera, Lydia and I have been here for just over a week now. We left Steve back at home to give him some space so he can focus on studying for boards (which are just over a month away). Coming here was a wise decision on our part. Steve has had lots of study time, and we have had a great time here. I'm convinced that I would like to live next to family who have kids similar to our kids ages. It is just fun and it makes life easier too.

Look at me I'm cavity free

Today was my first time ever being Steve's dental patient. All he did today was take x-rays and do impressions of my teeth but it was still kindof weird to have him scrutinizing the mouth that he kisses.
I'm happy to report that I'm cavity free though so he won't get the chance to drill holes in me yet. I think it is totally amazing that I'm cavity free since I haven't had a cleaning in 6 years and I didn't brush my teeth for 6 months straight (literally) during my first pregnancy.
So anyway, I believe I was Steve's 3rd patient at the dental school clinic. Oh, here is a little story. Steve and his classmates are all assigned a patient so they walk out to the waiting room and call their patient's name to bring them into the clinic. Well, Steve's first patient was a little old lady. When he called her back she said "Oh, I'm so glad you are handsome!". She's right-- he is quite a hottie-- espeicially in scrubs.

You know your toddler misses her daddy when...

For the past week or so Kiera has a new trick to keep daddy from leaving. She hides his shoes every morning. If he gets to them before she does she will grab the shoe that he is currently putting on and go scampering down the hall to hide it. If daddy doesn't have shoes he can't go to school, right? 2 more months Kiera-- Boards will be over in 2 months.

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs

Baby blue-eyes

I just have to show off my Lydia's beautiful blue eyes. I love them (she certainly didn't get them from me!).
Lydia is 8 months old and is as opinionated as can be. She is an easy baby as long as she gets what she wants. Don't take something away from her that she wants to play with (particularly paper) or you'll be sorry.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMBRIE!!!

Remember last year when you thought being 26 was old??? If you want any dental cosmetics, let me know and I can make you look 10 years younger...so what if I haven't taken that class yet on cosmetics. I can always fix it later. Happy birthday my love!!!

Me being crafty (not to be confused with artistic)

I copied these aprons from some I saw at a mall a while back. I had fun trying to immitate.
Ok folks-- you have to use your imagination here. Imagine that Kiera was 4 instead of 2 and therefore the apron fit her. Imagine that I was a cute little model and not a frumpy mom who despirately needs a haircut. Also imagine that I had taken the time to iron the aprons.

As you can tell, there is absolutely no artistic talent involved in the flannel board pieces below! But despite the lack of talent, they seem to be a hit with Kiera. Cheap and easy way to help a toddler be creative.







I made this Toddler Calendar. I made the actual calendar a year ago but don't have a the stuff I want to display it correctly so it is temporarily a toddler calendar thanks to some laminated clipart. It has been quite helpful in teaching Kiera about time "tomorrow we get to eat Mac n' Cheese!" "We went to feed the ducks yesterday didn't we!" She loves to steal the little disneyland picture down off the calendar and haul it around. Anyway, no artistic talent involved here but it was a hit.

Happy Easter

It is a good thing that the Easter bunny brought fruit loops and fishy crackes because Kiera wouldn't touch the candy (other than 1 dum-dum which she shared with Lydia).
Kiera loved dressing up in her "princess blankie dress" (it is made out of pink satin just like her beloved blankie so she loved it) Thanks Grandma Groneman!

A good easter was had by all!

Dream house

I think everyone has a dream house. I don’t want a big fancy house on the hill (like the one pictured) but I do want a few random luxuries. Maybe someday.....

Outside
Large backyard for sports with automatic sprinklers.
Artificial turf or desert landscaping in front (low maintainace)
Fruit trees
Small garden 15 ftx15ft
Preferably in neighborhood with large mature trees

Inside (general house)
Blinds and windows that automatically open and shut when programmed.
Laundry shoot from upstairs hallway to downstairs laundry room.
Very large kitchen /living area that is out of sight from someone standing in the front doorway.
SMALL “hometeacher room”
Basement storage with storage room for food
Large island in the kitchen with 6 barstools so we can eat our meals there most of the time.
WEST facing house
Double padding under a shaggy soft carpet in the family room (perfect for laying on the floor)
Low maintenance tile and Formica throughout the house (NOT a solid color).
An intercom system so that nobody has to yell in order to find someone.
Double sinks in master bathroom.
An unusual amount of storage space in the kitchen as well as built-in shelving/drawers in all bedrooms/office.
Tons of storage space in bathrooms
Pantry off of kitchen
On of those over-island-pan-hangy things in the kitchen
A drinking fountain with a stepping stool for little people : )
A gas fireplace/stove in the family room
A large walk in closet between the master bedroom and master bathroom
2 car garage with finished attic for storage space
Ceiling fans in all rooms

LAB RAT

I made $200 in 2 1/2 hours this morning. How? I was a lab rat for medical research. This is the third time I've participated in research studies. Other studies I've been paid to spit in a cup and answer questions but this time was a bit more invasive (needles). But hey, I just laid there for 2 hours and dreamed of the cruise that I'm going to go on with the $200 and all of the lobster that I'm going to eat. I'm going to do it again in 3 months.

Half Marathon Training

Now that I've finished my class, I'm officially now in half-marathon training mode. I'm planning on running the Fontana half-marathon "The world's fastest half-marathon" on June 6th.

I do have to say that training for a half with 2 kids (and a busy husband) is a lot more challenging than it was with 1 kid in the jogger. Somebody once told me not to bother buying a double jogger because you only get to use it for about a year (if you plan on having more kids). I guess that leaves me with waking up at the crack of dawn to go exercise before my family wakes up. Or I guess I could always send my kidlets to my local babysitting co-op. Now THAT is dedication.

If anybody out there is in the mood to run a half, feel free to join me.