Niepraschk News

Sink Tub

2012-01-13T22:38:00.001-05:00

Madsen had a major, and I mean major-throw-away-the-onsie, blowout. A bath was in order. Wesley grabbed the shampoo from upstairs and I prepped the sink. The lighting was great so I just had to take some picture.

Making Apple Juice

2012-01-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

Wesley opened the fridge and said, "Let's make apple juice." We'd made orange juice before, so why not apple. I hauled the 30-lb juicer from the basement, cleaned it up, and started the process. Wesley got the apples from the fridge, washed them, I cut them, and he put them through the juicer. When the pulp came out the end of the juicer, Wesley said, "Hey, it looks like it's pooping!" He was kind of right. :)

We chilled the juice and served it with our vegetarian dinner. It made about 4 cups and tasted a bit like KoolAid green apple (probably because we used 2 fugi and 5 granny smiths). Yummy and a bit tart. Perfect!

Silly Wesley

2012-01-05T15:52:00.000-05:00

I'll let the picture speak for themselves.

First Food

2012-01-03T22:22:00.000-05:00

Madsen got his first taste of rice cereal today. He was so ready to eat, had been grabbing at our food and cups. So, today was the day. It was a success. He had no problem taking the food, I had a problem, however, keeping his hands away. We gave him spoons to hold himself, but wanted the one with the food.

When the time comes, I don't think Madsen will have any problem self-feeding.

Mmmm, yummy.

Look at him savor each bite.

HiYa

2012-01-03T21:56:00.000-05:00

Wesley started Karate today. He learned the three listening position, how to fall properly, and how to defend. His coordination is that of, well, a 5-year old which makes it fun to watch. He will practice twice a week and test every 8. I think he'll do well, he seems to like it. It will really help with his Jedi training.

Shhhhh

2012-01-03T00:38:00.000-05:00

Christmas There

2012-01-02T14:57:00.000-05:00

We arrived in ID after a direct flight SLC then a hopper to Boise. Nat and Adrien were at the airport, too (they had flown into SLC a couple days earlier, stayed with our oldest brother, rented a car and met us in Boise to help drive everyone to my folks). We made a couple stops on the way. First to my dad's favorite restaurant in the entire world with the most amazing dinner stakes (too bad it was lunch): Golden Coral. I also had to run in to Michaels to get some binding rings for my mom's gift. It was her birthday.

After getting settled and eating a nice dinner, Nat and I shooed Mom out of the kitchen and made an ice cream cake for her. It was lame, but fun! We scooped vanilla ice cream into a bowl, smoothed it down, then flipped it onto a plate to make a dome atop the already sliced bananas. Next we surrounded it with 6 cream puffs and placed frozen raspberries between them. Placing a candle in each cream puff and marking the center with chocolate sprinkles reading "60", we presented the cake to Mom with the traditional Happy Birthday song. She got a kick out of it.

She opened her gifts: Yummy chocolates from Nat & Adrien and a collection of 60 thoughts on my mom from 30 or so different people.

She was happy.

Wes loves book and Grandpa, so this is a perfect match.

Wes learned how to play Chinese Checkers. We played nearly every day.

Wesley fell asleep about 5-minutes into a show. I can't remember why he was so exhausted. Maybe it was just all the travel finally catching up with him.

My granma (d left out on purpose) is a hoot. We played a game and she had to perform a challenge of making the animal sounds of any animal we called out. She did good, but it got confusing after a few animals having to make their sounds immediately. When "monkey" was called out, she raised both hands above her head and began to scratch her scalp, "Oh, what does a money do?" It was funny because she was doing it!

Christmas breakfast was simple and traditional: Mom's cinnamon rolls.

After church (my Catholic granma came, too), we opened gifts. I brought one gift of each boy and a combined gift from ID just so they'd have something from us to open.

Wesley was happy to help.

He loves his Lego Star Wars little man pj's.

Dad got this head massager from Mom. It might look strange, but that thing really works!

Madsen's First Christmas

Cute couple.

My sister, Carrie, and her family came later Christmas evening and we enjoyed a nice dinner together. Andy and I made German food for Christmas Eve, we ate delicious turkey for Christmas, then Adrien made Peruvian food the next night.

Carrie's family opened gifts after dinner. I was bummed that my Amazon order was not complete for their family. Oh well. They have a tradition in their family that each child opens a gift in turn. I was amazed at how patient the other 5 were when one was opening. I guess I haven't had to even toy with that idea until now, now that we have more than one child.

Wesley loved playing with his cousins. Michael, James, Steven, and Wesley found lots of fun things to do around the farm. One of which was jumping in the bed of the truck. It was like a trampoline.

Granma loves babies and was more than happy to hold Madsen.

Dad got a new tractor (finally) and was able to take the boys for a ride. I had been telling Wesley every time we were traveling to ID that he could ride with Grandpa on the tractor, and, inevitably, every time the tractor was broken. This time I didn't say anything and he got to ride.

Dad use to take us up in the bucket and drive around the orchard when we were younger. It was like a roller coaster ride. He would raise and lower, tilt and pull. It was a blast. I am glad Wesley got to experience that with his grandpa.

Up so high. Hold on boys!

Woah!

Wesley is not scared, he just bonked his head.

Later that afternoon, Nat and I hiked the foot hills. I felt so out of shape, but I did just get over what I think was the 24-hour flu (aches, fever, dizziness) and still was coughy, not to mention the elevation is almost 2000-feet higher in ID. Enough excuses because we made it to the top of the highest ridge. Oh, and I threw an itty-bitty snowball at Nat on the way up (it didn't snow the whole time we were there - that's because we brought all our snow clothes!)

It was a nice hike. I am glad to live near Nat. We use to fight like cats and dogs, and now we can call on each other for anything. (But lets face it, I call on him more than he does me: Um, Wes has these bumps. What do you think they are? How bad does a cut need to be before I go to the doctors? I think I broke my ankle.) He's a good little (BIG) brother.

Dad is so good with Wesley. He is always sick, but pushes his pain away to play with his grandson. Anytime I lost Wesley, I could be sure he as with Grandpa.

We went to Walmart to get family pictures taken. I will NEVER have pictures taken there again! I'm sure different Walmarts have different standards, but this was terrible: the camera is fixed on a desk (point and click for any idiot), their backdrops are black or white and messy, pricing is terrible ($10 extra for every alteration - including cropping!!!) I bought the cd, editied them on my own computer, and printed them for $2.50 at Walmart photo center. (please excuse the sideways photos - Blogger seems to think this is how they need to be and won't let me change them even though they are straight in my folder)

This afternoon, both of them had played each other out. Just look at the sequence.

We played games together nearly every evening. Mom tried so hard to not make the tower fall.

Mom had marshmallows, candies, and skewers to make marshmallow characters. Wesley used an enter skewer, loaded it with about 8 marshmallows, put two candied sunflowers on the end marshmallow, and called it a caterpillar. Then, he ate it for dessert that night.

Speaking of eating marshmallows! (Don't worry, Dr. Sears, he didn't eat it, just got it slobbery and sticky.)

Andy and I love Taco Time. We don't have them in the East. For our anniversary we went to one. 14 years! The theme for 14 is ivory, but it's illegal, so I got Andy these:

Cheers! Oh, yeah, I broke my thumb on the 13th (pulling wires in the basement, smashed it on the joist, it's an oblique avulsion fracture, my orthos name is Dr. Sunshine :), he was kind enough to give me a removable cast so I could bathe my children, should come off the first week of January - here's hoping!)

This is the craziest game ever: Ratuki. It's like Speed mixed with SkipBo, mixed with the Tasmanian Devil! Do you see those dishes of salsa. Well, Andy and Nat decided to make salsa one night: mild, medium, and HOT (15 habaneros hot!). Nat was cleaning up his mess like a good boy. He rinsed off the cutting board he cut hit crazy peppers on with scalding water. That made the worst chemical reaction I have ever witnessed (experience). All the little particles of spiciness evaporated into the air leaving the air in the kitchen unbreathable! Our eyes stung, every breath resulted in a bout of whooping cough, it was bad - for hours!

I don't know why, but Wesley decided to eat his snack of yogurt very messily.

For New Years Eve, we went to Mom's friend's, Patty, house. She is one of the crazy light people, but it is merely a reflection of her character: she loves to decorate and is full of light. Her tree has to be at least 14-feet high. Wesley pulled Mom down to his level and this was their conversation:

W: Grandma? Where are the elves?

G: Well, there are some elf figurines over there.

W: No, I mean the REAL elves?

G: Well, they're at the North Pole getting things ready for next year's Christmas.

W: But Grandma, this IS the North Pole.

That has to be one of my all time favorite Wesisms.

We had fun watching a bit of tv and eating too much food. Madsen fell asleep shortly after arriving then Wesley joined him in the little room where he was sleeping to watch a movie. The ball dropped and we left.

After church, Grandma J and Grandpa Dale met us in town. They were coming back from WA (my cousin blessed her baby Christmas day) and were able to make a quick stop to visit. Andy wanted to take Wesley to the park because they still had a real snake slide (they've been taken out of parks around the country because they are "unsafe" - bah!). So, we met at the park. It was a nice day, a bit cold, but nice for a half hour visit. Besides her beautiful white hair, my Grandma J looks just like I've always remembered her. As for Grandpa Dale, he just uses a cane now.

Wes climbing up, uP, UP. (I know, not a great keeping the sabbath day holy activity - bad parents!)

Down he goes - so fast and full of static! Everything is full of static out West. Wesley rarely asks for anything to drink at home, but at Grandma's house, every 10-minutes he wanted a cup of water.

Andy even took Madsen down the slide.

Madsen didn't last the whole visit.

As tradition states, the newest baby must be photographed in the reindeer sleigh. Next year it will be Carrie's #7. We're trying so hard to get her to find out the gender. 6 times she's not found out. I told her to tell the tech to put it in an envelope and mail it to us so we could plan for gifts.

I love going home to ID, I also love going home to VA. Leaving was easier this time because my folks are coming in May for Adrien's graduation from college and Nat's graduation from Medical School. On the flight home, Madsen tested the Delta cookie for texture, flavor, and digestibility. Texture - check. Flavor - check. Digestibility - check.....uncheck. He hasn't had real food yet (and by real I mean rice cereal), but he has tasted things like yogurt, ice cream, marshmallows, and now a Delta cookie.

A beautiful sunset over the Great Salt Lake.

We arrived home at 2am. The next morning we slept in until 10am (blessings of still being on MT). The holiday was great. Seeing and being with family was even better. Now to start planning for our 2012 Christmas trip. Mexico, Belize, Honduras anyone?

Make New Friends but Keep the Old

2011-12-20T15:44:00.000-05:00

My best friend from 5th grade now lives across the world. I was excited to get the baptism announcement for their baby, Charlotte, saying she would be baptized in the states. I called Abby's parents who live .9 miles from Nat and asked what her schedule was like. We would be leaving Wednesday and I would love to see Abby and the girls. Turned out she was in town and we set up a play date for Tuesday. It was so wonderful to see Abby and her adorable little girls. It is so easy to visit with a great friend even though we haven't spoken face to face in a couple years, just like we'd never missed a beat.

You pull my hair,

I'll pull your binky!

Eileen, Abby's mom, with Claire and Wesley.

Look at us now.

(see Eileen's palm tree Christmas tree in the background! She cracks me up!)

Put Up the Brightest String of Lights I've Ever Seen

2011-12-19T22:56:00.002-05:00

Some people that this literally. Here are a couple houses in our town who go pretty overboard.
We've decided to make it a tradition to go light hunting the last Family Home Evening before Christmas. This was the first. We'll have to wait and see what lights we find next year.

Wesley's Birthday

2011-12-19T22:50:00.000-05:00

Wesley's actual birthday was today - a Monday. He ordered octopus on seaweed (sliced hotdog and green ramen noodles) and tacos for dinner. He opened a few gifts from us and was able to webcam the opening of his gift from Grandma and Grandpa Mann with them. We took him to his surprise gift: Karate lessons. We met the instructor and said we'd start in January after we got back from the holidays. He's pretty excited.

Handy Man

2011-12-19T15:47:00.000-05:00

Wesley received a miniture tool set from Andy for Christmas. He loves that the tools are real, just little.

Open Mouth, Insert...

2011-12-19T15:26:00.000-05:00

Ever since this little man discovered his feet, they have been a constant fixation. He's so silly.

Wesley's 5

2011-12-19T14:24:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it. I have a school-aged child now. Luckily, I get to hog him all to myself until September. I love Wesley for so many, many reasons, but even if there was no reason beside the fact that he's mine, I'd still love him just as much. There are some things I do love about him, though:

-He uses big words ("I guess the possibility of sledding is out!")
-He thinks things through ("Nana's a ninja, which makes you a half ninja, which makes me a quarter ninja.")
-He is an awesome brother (can make Madsen happy just by laughing at him)
-He is organized, at least when he's not making a mess ("Ugh! They put the strawberries in the bread basket and not the fruit and vegetable basket")
-He is helpful ("Would you like me to get you and Madsen a blanket?")
-He does his chores ("I'LL do the dishes, that's MY job!" - it really isn't, it is just to clear his dishes, but he does like to help load the dishwasher)
-He loves music (after playing a tune on the piano, he'll turn and ask me what I thought the song was about - it's usually about Jesus)
-He loves to dress up (ninja, snake, policeman, JEDI)
-He is learning so much about the gospel (Me: Why was Moroni so smart? Wes: Because he had God on his side. When we do what is right, Heavenly Father will help us.)
-He is a cutie ('nough said)
-He talks with his hands (half the fun of listening to him is actually watching him)
-He reminds us to have scriptures and family prayer (He often prays that he will be the only one allowed to say prayers - we have to tell him that Mommy and Daddy like to pray, too)
-He is a good friend (his best friends are Saben and Isaac Keller)
-He is polite (most of the time)
-He is learning to try new things (smelling dinner cooking: "Mmmm that smells yummy. I'm going to eat it all.")
-He has an incredible imagination (Wes: "Queen Amadala?" Me: [OK, I guess we're playing Star Wars] "Yes, Wesley?" Wes: "I'm not Wesley, I'm Yoda!" - he uses a fife as Yoda's cane)
-He is loving and kind

Wesley had this to say about himself:

Name: Wesley
Whole Name: Charles Wesley Niepraschk
Spell your Name: W-E-S-L-E-Y
First letter of Last Name: N
Favorite Color: Grey
Age: 5
Birthday: December 19th
Favorite Food: Carrots in Ranch
Favorite Meal Out: French Fries, Chicken Nuggets, Ranch
Favorite Toy: Cotton Eye Joe Truck
Favorite Movie: Scooby Doo Meets Batman (viewed at VCU when getting pin out of bum)
Favorite Game for Wii: 2 Star Wars
Favorite Star Wars Character: Darth Mal, Darth Vader, the Emperior
Friends: Lyndsey, Saben, Isaac, Aedan
Favorite Thing to Do when no TV: Play with Cotton Eye Joe truck, Pretend Star Wars, Legos
Least Favorite Food: King's Burger (Burger King) Chicken Nuggets
Favorite Restaurant: Chick-fil-A
Favorite Things When 4: Play with Cotton Eye Joe Truck
What Do You Hope to do This Year: Play Legos
Family Members: Mommy, Daddy, Madsen, and Me
People in Home: 4
Pets: 2
Pet Names: Tinker and Belle
Favorite Primary Teacher: Sis. Baum, because when I was 4, and I didn't know who Sis. Jones was, she (Sis. Baum) was nice. Sis. Jones was even nicer.
Favorite thing to do in Primary: Sing
Favorite Primary Song: The Truck (goofing around)

White Elephant Advent

2011-12-18T23:29:00.001-05:00

Our friends the Knox's, along with our other friends, the Niemi's, hosted the last Advent. After singing and dinner, we had a nice little White Elephant game. The kids all played in the basement and the adults started the exchange. The hottest items were a remote control car, some fancy bread dipping dishes, and Angry Birds paraphernalia. I ended up with movie tickets - maybe I'll use them to go see Hunger Games :). Andy got a foot massager - on of those fuzzy Siamese-slipper dohiggies that vibrates. We had a lot of fun and can't wait to do it again next year.
(Funny thing about this is that I've actually seen that Elvis bust in a magazine ad.)The kids got bags of little gifts Allison put together.

Christmas Here

2011-12-18T23:15:00.000-05:00

We were blessed to have Andy's parents here for the weekend of Wesley's party and an Advent. Because they were here, we had an early Christmas with them before church today. Debbie always does way too much for us. Don't get me wrong, I am more than grateful, but I sort of feel guilty accepting it all. Here are some pictures from our early Christmas.

What do you get a kid that already has everything under the sun because his older brother is spoiled? Oh, a replacement piano toy for the crib (which still isn't set up because the basement still isn't done - that was my Christmas wish) because the old one bit the dust in the attic. Madsen loves it!
Wesley likes to play games so these two were favorites.
There were many gifts exchanged, smiles and thanks given, and the whole time, I just couldn't help but think how many others there are who are not even a quarter as fortunate as us. My heart goes out to those who have suffered much this year and I pray things work out better in 2012.

Well, that was depressing.

Christmas is a joyous time - with or without gifts. Honestly, my favorite is sitting around with friends and family shooting the breeze while playing a good game of Dalmuti.

Merry Christmas!

Pirate Party

2011-12-17T23:55:00.001-05:00

Wesley decided on a pirate themed party this year. We first read How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long (so cute), then they stuck the treasure chest on the map (pin the tail on the donkey style), then they created pirate gear (bandanas from orientaltradingcompany.com) and got tattoos, next was cake and ice cream (pirate cupcakes), and finally a treasure chest pinata. A friend of mine, bless her heart, volunteered to take pictures with my camera, but there were no pictures on the camera when I went to upload. This is the only picture I have and it was from my video camera. Oh well. I am just really sad I didn't get a picture of him blowing out the candles; maybe I'll try to capture one from a video, because I think I got that.
Back Row: Derek, Isaac, Noah, Saben, Nixon, Wesley
Front Row: Kyler, Laney, Aedan, Andy (Lyndsey left early)

She did, however, take a couple with her phone and e-mailed them to me.

Jimmy Kimmel Christmas Challenge

2011-12-09T16:49:00.001-05:00

(facebook entry)

So, Jimmy Kimmel (or how ever you spell it) asked for videos of parents giving their child an inappropriate Christmas gift early. So, Andy picked up one of those princesses with rubber clothes to give Wes. We told him he had been so good we wanted to give him a special early present to encourage him to continue his good behavior. He opened it with such anticipation. His face dropped when he was what it was. "This is a girl toy," he said.

We thought we had played a good prank. Well, it wasn't quite over. As Wes continued to look at the princess, he came to the conclusion that you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. We asked if he liked it. "Yeah, I like it.". We told him he didn't have to, that we were pranking him. We told him we had a real gift for him. He then opened the Beyblades. Then we asked which gift he liked better. He said, "I like them the same. It's just that I have a problem: one's a girl toy and one's a boy toy. Hey do you want to play with this (Beyblades) and I'll play with Sleeping Beauty?". Guess the joke was on us. Thanks, Jimmy, we'll be billing you for therapy.

status update : this is how he played with the princess : "Let's put the princess in the middle of the beyblades, and whoever knocks her down first wins". (phew!). :)

Sing, Sing a Song

2011-12-05T23:43:00.000-05:00

I like to have the Playground station playing on the TV at home. It's just music for toddlers. Today, Wesley, Madsen, and I were dancing to the music for a while then I had to go do something real quick. When I came back, Wesley was sitting on the bed, watching the little box on the TV bounce around, and singing "Sing, Sing a Song." He knew the words. I grabbed my camera and filmed him as he sang so sweetly. How did he know the words, though? Then it dawned on me...of course, I'd been sing it and choreographing it for my Musical Theatre students at the Studio. I never taught it to him, he just heard me singing and picked it up. Which goes to show, be careful what songs you sing and listen to - you're kids hear you.

Advent Event

2011-12-05T23:23:00.000-05:00

Andy is German, so we celebrate some German traditions in our home. Advent is one of them. Advent is a celebration of the coming of the Christ child. For the 4 Sundays before Christmas, families and friends gather together to sing songs of the season and then eat. We had 5 families host this year: 1st-Alex's, 2nd-Us, 3rd-Keller, 4th-Knox/Niemi. Each hosting family is responsible for the food whereas the songbooks which contain both English and German tunes travel from house to house. I was happy to host, thrilled to clean up, and am thinking about next year (maybe we could invite more people next year because our basement will be finished). Advent is just a fun way to celebrate the season and keep a focus on Christ. (Friends invited this year were the Wahlquists who are now "in" and will host a Sunday next year and the Pearses)

Tradition

2011-12-04T23:06:00.000-05:00

My mom makes the best sugar cookies. When my brothers and sister and I were living at home, ever since I can remember, we made sugar cookies at Christmas time. I am lucky to have married a guy whose mom did the same thing. The difference is frosting - me: NO WAY, him: a must. Well, after years of trying to get my moms recipe to work where I live, I finally got it perfect this year. We frosted 1/2 and just did sprinkles on 1/2. Wesley is not quite old enough to appreciate the art of decorating cookies, but he did enjoy putting patterns on a few then dumped colored sugar on others (didn't get any pics of the final product). If he's anything like me when he gets older, though, each cookie will be decorated with utmost care, and if he's anything like Andy when he gets older, each cookie will have a hidden message in it only certain people will get (heaven help us).

Christmas Parade

2011-12-03T22:42:00.001-05:00

The next town over hosts a really big Christmas parade. I think it's longer than Macy's Thanksgiving (it's like they just can't say no to some people - and they should). We sat by a lady who lives right behind our viewing platform who offered (and let me use) her apartment to change diapers and use the potty. It's great to still have kind, trusting people in the world. We had fun watching the floats and fire trucks and old fashion horse riding people and the little cheerleaders and stuff, but were glad to leave the cold and get home and to bed.

Family Christmas Pics

2011-12-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

Pics of pics, whatareyagonna do?

Instant Buddies

2011-11-26T21:52:00.001-05:00

I know I get on Belle a lot because she does such dumb things (barks at the delivery truck delivering packages 2 houses down, lays down in the kitchen right behind me so I step on her when I turn around, gets so scared when a thunder storm comes around she immobilizes us by trying to constantly climb her 65-lb self onto our laps), but the truth is that she really is a good dog. She did bite the FedEx man once (just a little scratch, enough to say "beware"), but in her defense, which I don't often come to, he did lunge that signing box at me rather quickly. When Madsen came home, she was not jealous or even curious. She understands her ranking in our home and, even more importantly, her job - to be a friend to the boys and keep us safe. She's alright.

Out of Proportion

2011-11-25T21:42:00.001-05:00

Babies are so cute. I remember seeing a Discovery show once that said babies had to be cute or else we might not love them so much (something about the mind being wired to love pretty and cute things), that we are drawn to their large eyes and tiny hands. Well, I'm pretty sure I'd love this baby no matter what he looked like. So smiley.

Holy Roller

2011-11-25T16:17:00.001-05:00

Madsen rolls over now. Even better than when this video was taken (11/21). He rolls to get wherever he needs to. I don't remember Wesley rolling both ways (left and right, back to front, front to back) right away. He would get the back to front down, then the front to back one way, then the other. I guess I always knew Madsen would be a mover - he was crazy in my tummy.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-24T20:30:00.000-05:00

G - Gift of Friends. We had 8 families here (about 30 people) for our Thanksgiving feast: Niemi (backdoor neighbors), Knox (next door neighbors), Swensen (newer family to the Branch, 3 boys, Wes fits right in), Mann (my bro and sil), Christiansen (Mann friends), Jones (Debbie was my last VT companion is is Wes' Primary teacher, Scott calls Wes Duuuude!), Niepraschk (across the street neighbors, bil and sil), Us

I - I didn't take any pictures; that could be thanks enough for some people :). Truth be told, I wish I had taken pictures, just too busy playing hostess.

V - Very, VERY Full. Each family brought something for the table. Some even brought somethingS.

I - Indoor Cafe. Our basement is still not finished, but that meant we could fit all 30 people there with tables and chairs borrows from friends and the church.

N - No Indigestion. Some people don't know when to stop, luckily, this year, I did :)

G - Games. The kids played upstairs (resulting in a broken white board, torn book, and trashed room), and the adults, blissfully unaware, played games in the basement.

T - Talking. Although busy with kitchen duties, I enjoyed talking with my friends and getting to know the better.

H - Helper. After the rush of dinner and dessert, I started to clean up. My backdoor neighbor's sister, Maggie, as a huge help - we got it all clean in about 20-minutes. Thanks, Maggie.

A - Arilissa's Cornbread and Salad. Ari Swensen makes the creamiest (yeah, that's right - cream-iest!) cornbread ever and her salads are not only beautiful but they are delicious!

N - New Faces. We had to babies at dinner (Madsen and Henry Niemi), and one in Ari's belly (we'll see his/her face around May).

K - Kilos of Leftovers. What's better than a turkey sandwich 2 days after T-day?

S - So Many Memories. Pictures help me remember things, but at least I have this blog to post.

In addition, I am thankful for America. I know God's hand was in the creation of this country and if more people would truly turn to Him, His hand would once again guide it. I am also thankful for my family, for the things (read "patience") my boys (read "including husband") teach me. I am also most thankful for the gospel and my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; without that, who knows where or what I would be.

Side note: The Swensens stayed later than everyone else. We played few games while the boys played in Wes' castle. They then invited us in to the front room (where the castle is) to watch a play they made up. The three younger boys (Kyler - 4, Wesley - 4, Derek - 6) were like the three little pigs while the oldest (Andy - 7) played the part of the bad guy and narrator. Andy was going to break down the castle. Wes' line was, "Oh no! Not our precious house!" His delivery would have earned him a Tony. The three boys prayed that the bad guy wouldn't hurt their house "too bad." Andy wacked the castle and one brick fell off. At this point I think, "What a nice play on answered prayers." No sooner did the thought enter my mind then, what should happen next?, all the boys completely destroy the castle. The end.

Land That I Love

2011-11-23T23:54:00.002-05:00

We are so blessed to live in a part of the country where there is so much to do and see in relation to the building up of this great land. Wesley, Madsen, and I traveled to DC with my brother, Nathaniel. We parked next to the hospital where Nat was interviewing that day. We walked to the only shop open at 6:30am. Nat generously purchased our meals and we enjoyed our breakfast at the quaint coffee/deli shop. Nat left for his interview at about 7:30 and the boys and I were on our own for the rest of the day. I wanted to feed Madsen before we headed over to the Metro station, so I sat at a table to nurse. Wesley started coughing dramatically then coughed so hard he threw up. One of the employees was quick to respond. He seemed worried that Wes might have a fever and be sick. I knew Wes was fine, that he coughed himself to the point of vomiting, and that he would be okay to go sight-seeing. So, after we got it all cleaned up, Madsen all fed, we bought our subway tickets and headed out on your adventure.

The boys and I safely navigated the rail system and stepped out onto the mall. The Smithsonian museums were still closed, so we headed over to the monuments. The Washington Memorial (closed still due to the earthquake damage) brings back memories of when I was a child and we would fly kites on the green in front of the memorial. Wesley loved how tall it was.

Next was the WWII memorial. I didn't remember visiting this when I was little, but that doesn't mean that I didn't. At either end is an arch-one labeled Pacific, the other, Atlantic-from sea to shining sea...get it? Clever huh? The most amazing thing was a wall of stars representing those who died in the war. I'm so grateful for those who fight, but would just about die if one of my boys had to do it (I'm already freaking out about sending Wes to kindergarten!).

The reflecting pond is under construction, but we were able to feed some goldfish to the ducks at a neighboring pond. Those silly ducks are not afraid of people in the least and nearly ate the little crackers out of Wesley's hand. I'm sure we would have spent our entire day at that pond if it was up to Wesley, but I was in charge (this time) so we moved on to the Lincoln Memorial.

The statue of Lincoln, though still really big, is smaller than I remembered. It was interesting teaching Wesley about our 16th president. "But why were people buying people?" "Why did people die?" "How did he die?" Simple answers were given, pictures taken, then a long trek back to the museums.

The weather called for rain in the morning before 8:00am so I decided against hauling around the umbrella and rain cover for the stroller. Well, the weathermen don't make the weather, they just report it, right? Right! It started to pour on our way from the Lincoln Memorial to . We made it safely to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, just a little more wet than intended.

Wesley was not too thrilled to be there; he wanted to go to the Air and Space museum. I was able to hold his attention for a little while. We saw things big and small, ancient and modern, alive and, well, not so much alive (some weird modern jelly fish display was Wes' favorite).
When I told Wes we were headed to the Air and Space Museum, we could 't get there fast enough. He was so excited to walk through a shuttle and airplane. This museum had a great kids section with a guy teaching a small audience about lift and drag. Wesley was able to do some hands-on things. Now, whether he actually learned, or if he just had fun playing, I don't know, but at this age (4), I thing the latter is more important. One thing I do know: he didn't really like the astronaut ice cream.

Nat hadn't called saying he was done, so we went to the National Museum of the American Indian. I was really surprised at all they had there, but I was most surprised with the kids section. You could weave a basket, experiment with snowshoes, and even build an igloo (Wes' absolute favorite of the day).

We still hadn't heard from Nat, so we walked to the capital. We didn't go inside because that call finally came, I was tired, and the wind had picked up. We took pictures then headed home.

No our country isn't run by perfection, but I firmly believe is was designed by it, and for that I am grateful.

Snoozer

2011-11-09T22:28:00.003-05:00

You can tell Wes was up to no good before he crashed on his chair, but somehow I love him even more. :)

Underoos

2011-11-09T22:05:00.002-05:00

Wesley received his first pair of underoos today. We were in Target and couldn't resist. Of course, they didn't have any 5T (although he still fits nicely into 4T, we wanted something he could grow with), so we got 6T. They're big, but don't fall off. He loves them and I just couldn't resist taking pictures of our little super hero in action.

Never fear, Batman's here!

Super Secret Super Hero Roll.

Up, Up, and Away!

Gotcha!

PS. Don't report me for posting pictures of my child in his underwear.

Park Play

2011-11-05T15:18:00.000-04:00

Even though it is November, the sun was shining so bright we couldn't help but picnic at the park. Subway sandwiches and a brisk breeze made for a lovely afternoon.

Of course, Madsen didn't really participate.

Welcoming Committee

2011-11-04T18:29:00.000-04:00

Andy's work had a party for the two new babies from their offices. Eric is about 2 months and Madsen 3 (but 3X's larger). I took out my camera and took a picture then Andy told me I was not allowed to take pictures or even have a camera. Oops. Well, the cake was cute, and yummy.
His co-workers got together and gave us a generous gift card to Wal-Mart.

Cuddle Bug

2011-11-03T18:22:00.000-04:00

Mommy, I have an Owie on My Mouth.

2011-11-02T18:10:00.001-04:00

Halloween

2011-10-31T17:25:00.001-04:00

Wes-Luke Skywalker, Madsen-Ewok, Belle-Darth Vader

Wes drew the faces for both his and Madsen's

I am so grateful Halloween is over because Wesley will stop bugging me about whether or not he can dress up in his Luke Skywalker costume. Here's a little of our Halloween adventures:

Our Branch had a trunk-or-treat on the 29th. Dinner was served (chili cook off, I made a white chili - yummmm) then the kids played some games. Because it was so cold and a little rainy, we trunk-or-treated inside.

Trick-or-Treating happened in a friends neighborhood (no one comes to our street). Wesley, um, I mean, Luke and our little Ewok enjoyed their time - Wes: collecting candy, Madsen: uhh, being a baby.
Firefighters were there with their truck handing out candy, too. I am such a wimp, but I get so choked up and thankful for those who risk their lives for others.
When we got home, the loot was checked over. Wes made out, man: huge pixie stick, full sized Reese candy,
and this:
(strange gift, but okay).

All in all, Halloween was a lot of fun. Better start thinking of themes for next year...alien and astronaut anyone?

Halo-Scream & Pumpkins

2011-10-22T15:41:00.001-04:00

We took another trip to Busch Gardens for Halo-Scream. Wes loves it and if you go only for the afternoon, it's not that crowded.

Wes loves the ropes and tree house.

Check out that tongue.

Climbing

Madsen handles the park with much less enthusiasm.
Taking the Gondola is a great way to get across the huge park.

After we had accomplished all we had wanted to, we left for the pumpkin patch. It was a new place (we've gone to Belevedere Plantation the past 3 or so years) with just a few things for the kids, but it was perfect. Wes played on the bouncy house and slideand jumped on the hay bales. Then we went took the hay ride to the patch and picked out our pumpkins. Due to tons of rain this year, the pumpkins were not as big as they usually are (same at all the pumpkin farms around us), but we found some perfect for us. The owner cut us a deal because a couple of our pumpkins were smaller, so we got 4 pumpkins for $10...not bad.
Here's a funny story from the day: Wes had moved to the bouncy house from the slide and I was on my way over to monitor him. Well, it got there just a second too late. I looked up and heard Wesley say, "It's not nice to make fun!" then wind up a straight arm and wacked the little girl next to him. I immediately pulled him from the bouncy house and sat him in time out. He explained that the girls were saying he was too little (the girl he hit was probably 5...). We talked about the inappropriateness of hitting, especially a girl, and went on our way. I know it's not really funny to read, but when I look back on this story I'll still see his face and straight arm and then I'll laugh.

B'loonies

2011-10-21T15:30:00.000-04:00

Do you remember these? I saw them hanging on one of those strips mounted to an isle shelf at the grocery store. It was the only one and I just had to buy it (didn't even know the price) because it was something from my childhood that I, as a mother, had the duty to share with my own child.

I brought it home, made Wesley perform some menial tasks in order to "earn" them, unscrewed the lid, punctured the foil seal, and was almost instantly overcome with the toxic smell of acetate. No, acetate fumes are not harmful, but they sure smell like they could be. So, doing my best to avoid inhalation of these fumes, I blew the first bubble. Wesley was amazed.

Wesley blew a few, we played with them, Wesley pretended they were his muscles, then we put them away (before I really got a headache).

I can't believe these are for children! I can't believe I loved them as a child (of course, I had lead paint on my bedroom walls, played with magnets, and ate grapes uncut - I know, call CPS). I'm glad Wes enjoyed them, though, and am sure your kids would, too - just keep them away from open flames.

Story Time

2011-10-17T22:49:00.000-04:00

Reading to two boys is quite the challenge, but I love every minute of it. (Andy thought he was taking a picture, but was actually filming, so I had to grab a still from the movie.)

Luncheon Treats

2011-10-17T15:09:00.002-04:00

Each year I like to have a luncheon for the sisters I visit teach from church. This year my wonderful companion hosted and I made the goodie bags (buckets, really). I had a lot of fun filling the buckets with pencils, hand sanitizers, votive holders, and those crazy cake pops. It literally took about 12 hours to make all the pops (I made almost 80!) - my poor children were pretty much neglected that day. I don't know that I'll make them again (don't really like white chocolate - what they're dipped in - or frosting - what the cake is mixed with to create balls), but I'm glad I took on the challenge. Of course, several days later, I made cookie dough pops.

Great Grandparents

2011-10-15T14:25:00.000-04:00

Andy's Omi and Opi moved to UT when Wes was just little. It was quite a nice treat to visit with them shortly on their way to their son's house.

4 generations

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home

2011-10-08T23:17:00.000-04:00

Andy came home Friday and we headed down to Williamsburg this afternoon to spend some time together. Our plan was to go to Busch Gardens, but it was way too crowded. So, we left the park and headed over to Pirates Cove for some mini-golfing.

Wesley loved playing the game, though he really has no form or understanding of the rules. He would push the ball around until it fell in the hole. Andy tried to help, but it was actually more fun watching him play his way.
After golfing, we got dinner at a Japanese steakhouse where Wes got his favorite treat in the whole wide world: sushi.
Dessert was at a snow cone place that puts vanilla or chocolate soft serve between layers of your choice of snow cone. Don't diss it 'till you try it. I was shocked that Wesley ate his whole small (16oz!!) strawberry and vanilla "smash-up." Of course, the poor kid was freezing his tooshie off at the end; he was so cold, he wasn't just shivering, he was shaking, but enjoying every minute of it.

To end the day, we discovered we were right next to the famous Williamsburg Outlets. So, to state the obvious, we went shopping. Gymboree has an outlet there so I got Wes all his 5T jeans and Madsen some summer clothes. We then stepped inside the Croc's outlet where Andy got a $50 pair of shoes for $7.50! Gotta love a great deal.

We had fun with Daddy and were glad to have him home.

While the cat is away....

2011-10-06T16:04:00.003-04:00

Andy was away on business in CA presenting at a JAVA conference, Wesley, Madsen, and I decided to have some special mommy and sons days.

On the first couple of days Andy was gone (10-1 & 2), we (or rather I) watched conference. I loved the talks, especially the one about how fathers can show their daughters how much they love them by how they treat their wives. I suppose the same is true for mothers and sons.

Snoozing away.

Don't take it personally, Elder Packer
(great talk, btw, too bad not too many teens were listening Saturday a.m.).

Even Floppy fell asleep!

A couple days later (10-3), while running errands in town, we went to Splitsville for lunch. After lunch, Wesley bowled a game while Madsen ate his lunch. Wesley did a good job positioning the guide and rolling the ball down the lane at an amazing .25 mps (I was not able to help him with a heavier ball, so he had to use a 8-lber). He had a lot of fun. I loved the little shoes they had for him to wear.Good form!

Velcro! How cute is that?

We decided to take a day off and head down to Richmond to see the zoo. It is a cute little zoo, but I like it in some ways more than the National Zoo because instead of the segregated habitats at the Nat. Zoo, the Rich. Zoo had more integration of the animals. We enjoyed a safari ride where I learned that a gazel only sleeps for 1-hr a day in 5-min intervals! (glad I'm not a gazel!) I also liked that the zoo was really hands on. A petting zoo with the usual goats also had some deer, pigs, cows, some strange antlered thing, and even a camel. Wesley even pet and fed giraffes! They are so cool.

Future photographer.
Not so pink flamingos.
Who needs a spoon when you have a tongue like that?
These gibbons are to apes what howlers are to monkeys.
I just liked this picture; he seem to be talking to me.
Never smile at a crocodile (or alligator for that matter).
He's just to the right of the visor.
On safari
These antlers can get to be over 6-ft each!
Enjoying the safari, or at lease his fist.
White rhinos.
Galapagos tortoises always seem to be smiling.
Wide open spaces.
Charlie the Camel has two humps...

Busch Gardens

2011-09-24T23:22:00.002-04:00

We all love Busch Gardens (even Madsen, though he might not know it, yet), and today was a perfect day to go - just rainy enough to keep people away and the rides working. Wesley rode everything he wanted without standing in long lines. Andy and I are pretty much limited with our entertainment choices, but it is so fun watching Wes get so excited about the park. We did, however, surprisingly run into Alex's family and some friends (Brad and Nicole and their two girls) so we had some adults to hang with while the kids rode their rides.

Some of Wesley's favorite things at the park are the playground and rides in Sesame Street Forest of Fun (had to bribe him to ride the Elmo kiddie drop tower, but he liked it),the bumper cars (he's big enough to ride the "real" ones with an adult),airplanes,
and ice cream (Monster ice cream to be exact).

Madsen pretty much hung out the whole day under the rain shield and was such a good baby.Wesley tried out almost all the haunted trails and even got a funny hat from some guy who wanted to reward Wes for his bravery. Andy took Wes on the trails and said at one point Wes looked at one of the actors and said, "I'm not afraid of you; I just laugh at you."

Tired Baby

2011-09-15T17:11:00.002-04:00

Wesley use to fall asleep at the drop of a hat - never fought sleep, but welcomed it with open arms. Now, those days are far behind us and I think he has rubbed off on his little brother a bit. Madsen will rub his eyes, whimper, and fight it to the bitter end (but he's so cute doing it).

It's Been a Long Time Coming

2011-09-15T15:27:00.000-04:00

After 7 weeks, hours upon hours of work (did you know you can nurse while crocheting?) and re-work (Wesley pulled several rows out one day - rrrrrrgh!), pain and aches, Madsen's blanket is finally finished. It's a reversible shell crochet. I had to make up the finished edge because I didn't understand the pattern's directions, but this was the first thing I've ever crocheted using a pattern. My hope is that this blanket stays in his family for a long, long time.

McDuff Green Park

2011-09-15T15:18:00.000-04:00

Today was such a beautiful day, relatively low humidity, low 80's, so we went on a picnic to the park. I was surprised that we were the only ones there. Wesley played as much as he could by himself. We raced cars down slides, tried out the monkey bars (not quite strong enough yet), and took a walk down to the river. As you can see, the whole first trip to the park was exhilarating for Madsen. After about an hour, Wes was bored and both boys were sweaty, so we loaded up the car and headed the rest of the way in to town to run an errand. First, though, we went to the movies and saw Cars 2. Take my advice, you can wait until it comes out on DVD; heck, you can wait until it comes out on TV. Just not that great.

What was great, though, were my boys. They were both awesome today. Madsen's starting to sleep through the night, and Wesley is so helpful and obedient most of the time - don't know where he gets it.

Madsen Has Grandma's Hair

2011-09-07T15:05:00.001-04:00

at least when wet. Check out these curls.
When they dry, his hair just stands on end. Poor baby has a cowlick going to the right and one going to the left making mohawk making easy as pie. It's really too bad we're not mohawk people.

August 26, 2011 7:07 PM

2011-09-02T15:20:00.000-04:00

What a Pair

2011-09-01T16:30:00.003-04:00

Wesley has taken to being a fantastic big brother. Yesterday we went to Wegmans. Wesley sat in the car in the front of the cart and wanted Madsen to sit next to him. How sweet, but not possible. He even protested that he would hold onto Madsen so the baby wouldn't fall. I think that's a pretty good sign that Wes has accepted his baby brother.
The boys took a bath together on Tuesday. We even did crazy hair. Madsen's hair is pretty curly when wet and forms into a perfect mohawk. Wesley thought is was hilarious when Madsen peed in the tub.I had to run downstairs earlier that day and asked if Wesley would hold Madsen. He did and upon returning a couple minutes later, I found Madsen asleep in Wesley's arms. Wes thought he was somethin' else when I praised him for being so calm and gentle with Madsen.

A Dud

2011-08-28T16:20:00.000-04:00

Irene was suppose to be the storm of the century. I readied our 72-hour kits (something I really started to take seriously after the quake) and we preped our home. We had lost a tree across our driveway two days ago in a thunderstorm, so we were expecting more stuff like that. We cleared off our porch, took the swing down, picked up branches in the yard so they wouldn't fly around and break something. Then the storm came.

Storm, shworm! Although relieved it was was not bad, the hurricane was a dud. We had winds and rain, but nothing to worry about. We did lose power for 5 hours that night, but other than a few branches and lots of leaves in the yard and on the roof, not much of a hurricane. No church today.

Bummer, Dude!

2011-08-27T14:16:00.002-04:00

I was feeding the baby when Wesley waddled toward me. I thought maybe he needed his bum wiped, but no. The following was our conversation:

W: Mommy, my bum hurts.
M: Why? Do you need me to wipe it?
W: No. I put one of those pokey things with a head on it.
M: You put a what in your bum?!
W: You know, one of those pokey things with a head on it...you know? pokey thing? head?
M: (after a moment to decode his description) YOU PUT A PIN IN YOUR BUM?!?!!!!!
W: (real soft, almost shy) yeah.
M: Did you really?
W: yeah.
M: (checking for honesty)What color head did it have?
W: white.
M: Did you put it in head first or pokey end first?
W: head.
M: (phew)Well, lets take a look.

A few weeks ago I was sewing and he took my pins into his room, they spilled. I thought we had picked them all up. Guess not.

I never in my life thought I'd be trying to see my child's innards trough his rectum, but there I was, pulling and tugging, trying to find the pin. No luck.

I have Wesley sit on the toilet and we try to force it out, but nothings happening.

I call Andy. Andy gets real upset - mad, upset. That's not doing any good.

I call the pediatrition and they say take him to the ER. I decide to take him to Patient First to get an x-ray just in case it really isn't there (it's only a $20 co-pay v. the ER $100). We hop in the car. Wesley is fine, not feeling pain.

I am so embarassed, so I make Wesley tell the nurse and doctor what he did. An x-ray is taken, and, sure enough, there it is - but it's horizontal. They send us to the ER.Look close. It's there between the hips at the bottom of the spine.

The ER has been told we were coming. When I go up to the counter to check in, the lady knows who we are (4-year old with mother and baby - easy to spot) and tries to hold back a laugh while she gets papers together.

We go to a trauma room. Wesley gets his vitals taken and a sweet lady comes in and gives him a beanie baby frog which he names Luke Skywalker. His x-rays are reviewed and it is determined that our local hospital, although really great, is not equip to handle this. We need to see a pediatric gastroenterologist. "North or South?" the doctor asks. We choose south since that's where Nathaniel works.

Everyone loved Wes' lobster underwear.

A kind nurse comes in (she's in training) and preps Wes for his IV. She explains everything to him, lets him touch the tubing, shows him the needle and catheter. Finally, she pricks him. Does a good job and Wesley only fusses. She's going to be a great nurse.

Andy is brought in to town by Allison. He comes to the trauma room with a big black cloud. I tell him I've already given Wesley the lecture and his negative attitude was not appreciated - turns out he's had a terrible day a work and this didn't help.

The transport team comes to take us to MCV in Richmond. Madsen and I ride with Wesley in the ambulance and Andy drives behind. We've called Nat to tell him we're on our way.

Up, up and away! (This is coming out of your savings, little guy!)

Wesley and Madsen (and the EMT in the back with us) sleep the whole way. I don't know how they did it; I'm pretty sure ambulances don't have shocks.

We get to the hospital in Richmond and go the the pediatric ER, Nathaniel meets us in scrubs (it's easier to get around the hospital in scrubs, he tells us). More x-rays are taken. The needle is still there, but shifted.

After returning to Trauma Room 8, Wesley goes for the ride of his life. After being seen by the surgeons, one of whom is a friend of Nathaniel's, they decide to try to probe. Wesley is given Ketamine that made him relax, but not go to sleep. They turned him on his stomach, propped his knees up, and went hunting.

Nothing.

They tried again. More Ketamine and, this time, Versed into his IV. The poor kid was probed like nothing else until the surgeons decided it would be best to stay the night and go to the OR in the morning. (It was already 8 o'clock.)

As Wesley was coming around, we couldn't help but record it on phone (no camera). The nurse, Heather (awesome - let Wes play on her iphone), told him to say hi. I said, "Hi, Wesley." To which he responded, "Hi, Wesley." He kept closing one eye because the medicine makes you see double. It was sort of funny.

Uncle Nat has 4 eyes.

Around 10:30 or so, we are visited by the pediatric gastroenterologist. He says he'd like to try to lube Wesley up and get the pin out without surgery if possible. We're glad to hear that is an option - no one presented it to us prior to this doctor.

At midnight we were moved into a real room. The view was beautiful. The huge room overlooked the city of Richmond. With fog, rain, and wind rolling in with Irene, it reminded me of a Thomas Kinkade painting - the lights sort of hazy, but vibrant all at the same time.

The new nurse, Beth - Barbie Beth as I will forever remember her, brought Wesley the first of 3 doses of Miralax. Actually it was 2 doses in a 12oz bottle of Gatorade. Wesley hadn't eaten or had anything to drink since about 9am (we had to keep his stomach clear for possible surgery), so he guzzled that drink right down. Then right back up it came, exorcism style. We took longer, an hour, to drink the next one, but, again it all came back up. I asked Barbie Beth if he was going to need to redo those two, she said no. She came back around 2am to give him some more crackers and some anti-nausea medicine the pharmacy FINALLY sent up. The 3rd Gatorade came and Wesley was passed out. We woke him up at 2:30 to sip some. Again at 3, 3:30, 4, 4:30. By 5, Wesley was awake, sleep deprived, but awake. He slowly downed the last of the drink.

So tired.

Around 6 Wesley said he needed to go potty. Several times during the night he had used the bathroom, but no poops. This time I had him try again and (insert angelic song) out it came.

At 6:30 the surgeons came in to check on Wesley and were glad to see he'd passed the pin. We were sent home a little after 8 - they wanted to make sure Wesley could eat and not get sick again before we left.

We stopped by Nat and Adrien's apartment to return some dishes from the most delicious dinner Adrien made Andy and I which we had to eat in secret because Wes couldn't eat, then headed home before the storm came. Of course, in our hurry to leave, we lost Luke Skywalker - he's in the mail, though.

Wesley remembers a lot of what happened, even the probing. We're hoping he's learned his lesson.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

2011-08-23T15:41:00.000-04:00

"What the heck!" That's what I thought after it was all over. You see, I was sitting at my kitchen table, working on my laptop, when I felt a rather strong vibration. "Hmm," I thought, "that's a mighty big truck going by." But then the vibrations turned into shaking and things began to rattle (some things even rolled). I realized, probably much sooner than it felt (because these things seem to last forever), we were having an earthquake! An EARTHQUAKE! We don't get those in VA!! (Well, apparently, we do.)

Madsen was sleeping in the baby swing about 7-feet from where I sat. I went to grab the baby, but remembered Wesley was playing upstairs, so I turned to get him, but instead grabbed the baby and yelled for him. I met him as he was coming down the stairs with a look on his face that I cannot describe but will not soon forget. I didn't feel as though I was thinking, but we ended up in the right place - in the door frame between the kitchen and front room (a load-bearing wall). I held on to my two boys and watched as our house shifted and swayed. It was unreal. It literally felt like I was at sea.

The quake ended (I'm told by news reports that it lasted 90-seconds) and we went outside. One neighbor down the street was already outside and I called to him, "Did you feel that?" (Uh, duh! of course he did.) My neighbor just across the street came out of his garage. I asked if he'd ever felt an earthquake in VA before. He said he did when he was a kid, but nothing like what we had just experienced - said his toolbox fell over and a shelf came off his garage wall. Wesley, Madsen and I walked to my sister-in-laws. They were all fine. She tried to call out on her cell, but all circuits were busy. I went home and called from my landline. I got through to Andy's answering machine.

It wasn't until about 30-minutes after the quake that the lines were open enough to get through every now and then. Andy was fine and he was being sent home so people could check for structural damage. I tried and tried to get ahold of Nathaniel and Adrien in Richmond (they were closer to the epicenter, Mineral - approx. 45-minutes from our house), but no one answered. My mom called to check on us. She said she had just walked in the house from visiting teaching when my dad called her to the TV. "There's been an earthquake in Virginia." I told her we were fine, just cd's fell over and my pregnant Willow Tree fell and lost her head. She said she had spoken to Nat and they were fine - they were touring Monticello and then went to Laray Caverns (crazy kid - goes underground after an earthquake! who does that?).

I think the whole nation was pretty shocked by the whole event. Luckily the 5.8 earthquake was 3 miles underground. Any closer and there could have been some serious damage. I am so grateful that we were safe. It is amazing how quickly we turn to prayer in stressful situations. I started praying for safety the moment I realized it was a quake. That night as I said my own prayers I realized just how rattled (excuse the pun) I was about the whole thing. I hadn't had a chance to talk about it with Andy because he came home and we headed into town for a friends birthday dinner. But as I was kneeling, I couldn't help but sob. I know, I know, what a big baby, but when I really thought about that had happened, what could have happened (what if the TV fell on Wesley, what if I couldn't safely get both boys, what if I had to choose, what if, what if, what if), and reports that a bigger one could be on the way I just couldn't stop. I took a shower - it was around 1:30/2 am - to try to calm down. I shook and cried silently in the shower until I felt calm. I climbed into bed and after a while fell asleep.

Although a possible once-in-a-lifetime experience, it's one I wish I never had. I'm thankful for those earthquake drills we had in Washington and having a clear mind to remember what to do in an earthquake. I'm thankful for the calm tones I used when speaking with Wesley, calming him down while we stood together in the door frame, when instructing him that if he felt the earth shake again that night he was to get in his door frame and wait for me to come get him. I'm of course thankful for our safety, that the plates are 3 miles underground and not 2.5 miles, and for prayer.

What a Blessing

2011-08-21T17:10:00.000-04:00

I guess this is our first family photo.

Back Row: Chris Wahlquist, Jared Kleine, Nathaniel Mann, John Monteith, David Keller

Front Row: Michael Niepraschk, Marcus Niepraschk, Andy and Madsen, Willie Niepraschk, Michael Knox, Alex Niepraschk

The Family

Madsen was blessed today. We we fortunate to have all our Virginia family present with the exception of Andy's youngest sister. Because the circle was already so large, Andy chose just a few (3) close friends from the branch to join in as well, but the Branch President assumed he was part of the circle and joined in even though we are merely acquaintances - oh well.

Madsen wore Andy's blessing outfit. I had it dry cleaned and had to replace the elastic around the legs, but other than that, it was perfect. Andy gave a beautiful blessing: (for my family out west who were not able to be here)
By the power of the holy Melchizedek Priesthood, and by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, we gather together today to give this child a name and a blessing. The name upon which he shall be known on the records of the church is Andrew Madsen Niepraschk. Madsen, your Heavenly Father wants you to know that you chose the family that you were given to, a loving family that will raise you in the gospel and teach you correct principles. Heavenly Father wants you to take advantage of this as you learn about the gospel, as you prepare to go on a mission, and live a life where you can get married in the temple where you will have a wife of your own and a family of your own. Andrew, your Heavenly Father wants you to know that He has blessed you with keen intellect and, as you choose to do so, you will go far. Andrew, there are many, many blessings that await you and you will see these blessings in your life. As you grow, you will see all the many things that your Heavenly Father does for you and has prepared for you - all of the wonderful, beautiful things that He has laid out just for you. The Lord admonishes you to obey your parents and get along with your siblings and be an example to your family and your friends and those in your neighborhood, show them that by living the gospel
and being obedient, that there are many rich blessings. We prounounce these blessings and all others that your Heavenly Father has in store for you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

After church, everyone came to our house for chicken enchiladas. I made 4 9x13 pans and had just under 1 pan for leftovers. It was great visiting with everyone, but I enjoyed the moments of peace when Madsen and I slipped away into the bedroom to feed.

We are so thrilled to have another little boy join our family and are excited to see all the many, many blessings that await him.

Stationery card

2011-08-14T21:53:00.001-04:00

Picture Frames Blue Birth Announcement

Shutterfly has cute birth announcements and Valentine's cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Playing with Grandma

2011-08-05T00:41:00.004-04:00

I loved having my mom here for a couple weeks. She arrived in VA on the 20th, stayed in Richmond with Nat for a day and a half then made her way to our house. She was so great to have around. The biggest help she gave (besides in the delivery room) was playing with Wesley. She'd do anything with him that he asked, provided she knew how - he asked her to play the Wii a couple of times, but she doesn't know the first thing about gaming consoles. Wesley loved playing in his castle and pretending the light-up ball was a fireplace and Grandma would warm her hands and feet at the fire. They painted sun catchers together and once, we did play the Wii(we did Wii Dance to try to get labor started - didn't work - didn't even dilate me).Thursday, before going to the hospital, I took Mom to the nail salon where she received her first pedicure ever.
While Andy, Madsen, and I were in the hospital, Grandma cooked with Wesley, cleaned with Wesley, read stories with Wesley, just included him in everything. After we came home, she said she bought cookies for him at the store. I just couldn't help myself, so I said it: "You are so different as a grandma than you were as a mom." (She would have never bought cookies for us - go ahead, vocalize your astonished gasp and feel my pain.) Wesley loves his grandma and I do too.

What do you get with 6 failed IUI's and 2-months of miracle Clomid?

2011-08-04T16:48:00.013-04:00

A little cream cheese, of course.
Oh, and a little baby boy. (The nurses and doctor kept saying they were amazed at how "cheesy" he was, especially for being over due.)

Our newest addition arrived Friday, July 29th, 2011 at 7:40 am. Just like with Wesley, we went to the hospital to be induced and I went into labor on my own. I was to get Cervidil Thursday and when the nurse initially checked me, I was still 1.5-cm and good to go with the medicine. My mom brought Wesley over to see us and then Nathaniel showed up, which was nice because Nat took Wes back home and my mom stayed for the delivery. It was a good thing she did stay and not go home because a short while later, after a shift change, the new nurse checked me and found me to be 3-cm. No Cervidil necessary. They'd just start Pitocin in the morning as scheduled. Well, I guess this baby wasn't going to have anyone tell him what and when to do things, so my water broke at midnight. Andy went out the get the nurse, Jan (greatest ever!), and she confirmed it was amniotic fluid. I wasn't feeling any contractions up until now. They were pretty easy to handle at first, but the intensity soon picked up and around 2:30 am I called for an epidural. You see, because my water had broken, I was not allowed to walk around which I know would have alleviated some of the pain, but just lying in bed, all I could do was feel them.

Jan talked up Mr. Ivy, the nurse anesthetist, and boy was she right. He pricked me once and the medicine kicked in in about 15-minutes. I was relaxed by 3 am. Jan checked and I was 5-cm. Jan came in again at 3:30 to see how I was doing and discovered I was at 9-cm, but still +2. I dilated 4-cm in 30-minutes! Those must have been some strong contractions. Thank you Mr. Ivy!

I was a complete 10 by 4 am. Jan let the doctor on call know that it was almost time. Nearly (to be read really slow) f-o-u-r--h-o-u-r-s--l-a-t-e-r, only 15-minutes after Jan changed to Jamie (sort of wanted Jan to be there since she had been with me through the whole labor), I was -1 and it was determined that I could push if I wanted. My ob, Dr. Kil had wanted to deliver me (which I guess was relatively unheard of so I "must be a special patient," at least that's what the nurses all said), but he wouldn't be in until 8am. I decided that although it would be nice to have Dr. Kil deliver, I was done. I didn't feel the urge to push since he was still a little high, but Jamie said that I might be able to push him down. Dr. Mercado was called in and I began to push. I pushed 3 sets of 3 and out he came. 9-lb, 6-oz and 20-inches of cheese and boy. :)
Andy was able to cut the cord this time (they had to whisk Wesley away because of assumed head trauma). A NICU team was called in because there was some meconium preset at the time of birth, but they were quickly dismissed when it was apparent Madsen was fine. Andy held his son with pride, trying not to let the tears fall.
Jamie gave Andy, Madsen and me bracelets confirming we all belonged to each other.
Finally, my mom got to hold Madsen. It was so special to have her with me through the delivery. She said such reassuring words to me and helped me focus.
Nathaniel brought Wesley to the hospital later Friday morning. Wesley was so excited to see Andy and me, he sort of ignored the baby, but was thrilled to give Madsen the dog he made for him.
Wesley was pleasantly surprised to receive a gift from his new brother - a Transformer Iron Man!
Uncle Nat got to hold the new baby. Although a big baby, Madsen looks tiny in giant-Uncle-Nat-arms.
I had really wanted to go home Saturday, but Madsen's jaundice levels came back high, so he was put on a biliblanket to break down the biliruben and we had to supplement with formula to help him poop more to get the biliruben out of his body. He took to the formula just fine.
My mom and Wesley came to visit our little glowworm after church and Wesley finally felt comfortable enough to get closer to Madsen. (Wesley would not touch the baby Friday, put a finger on his head Saturday, and managed to stroke his head Sunday - baby steps.)
Madsen's bili levels were not dropping and there was hightened concern among the nurses and nursery staff. I was beginning to get stressed out. Andy called our wonderful high council representative who lives in Fredericksburg and asked if he would be willing to assist in giving a priesthood blessing to Madsen. Andy had to leave a message and when Bro. Hubbard called back, Andy was getting dinner so I answered the phone. I could barely ask him for his help because I was so choked up and crying (dang those post-birth hormones). Of course, because he's so awesome and really loves Andy, he came. Andy and Bro. Hubbard blessed our baby and Andy commanded his little body to begin to work right. Following the blessing, Bro. Hubbard asked if I wanted a blessing of comfort. I said I would like one. He and Andy gave me a lovely blessing and assured me that things would be fine. Then, Bro. Hubbard told, no asking this time, but told Andy he was going to give Andy a blessing as well. Bro. Hubbard really gets Andy and understands that he does have a testimony of the gospel and the priesthood and blessed him that he would use this experience as a turning point in his life to really strengthen his desire to more fully express and use his faith. The blessing was just beautiful and all three of us (Madsen was asleep) were in tears because the Spirit was felt so strongly.

Here's the glowworn at night. So peaceful. Madsen's levels did come down enough the next day to be sent home on light therapy.
So, after we got the biliblanket squared away, Madsen officially discharged, and the room cleaned up, we readied the baby in his newborn-take-home-from-the-hospital outfit (barely fit, notice the snaps pulling), and headed out the door Monday afternoon.
We got home just after lunch time and settled in nicely with a quick feeding and nap. Then the storm came. Was it a sign of what was to come? Gosh I hope not. Huge gusts of wind blew massive branches around our lawn (one barely missed the shed, only knocking off a couple shingles), the rain pelted the ground, thunder and lightening wreaked havoc in the sky, and to top it off - hail! (that's a cherry tomato and we grow them kind of big.)
As quickly as it came, the storm ended. All was calm, and all was well (minus the few shingles from the shed). I guess it was like the jaundice - a storm, then calm. Madsen had his levels checked again Tuesday before his first ped's appointment. Dr. Kost said to keep supplementing, but to try to take the blanket off and retest Wednesday. So, Wednesday, my Mom packed her stuff, we all loaded the car to take Wes to his third day of swimming lessons, headed into town after the pool, went to the hospital to get hopefully one final heal prick, found the wait to be about 1-hour (we were seen immediately Tuesday), went to their satellite lab, got the heal prick, then headed to Richmond to meet up with Nat for a late lunch then took my mom to the airport. I had to call the doctors office to get the bili results and it was good news. No more need for the biliblanket and to just continue to supplement until Madsen's color was better - no more heal pricks (I think he's had over 10 from birth - poor baby).

I guess to repay us for sticking him so many times, Madsen has been consistent in sticking me with more and more laundry. Who'd of thought one little guy could make so much laundry in 2-days!

And, look, he just laughs it off.

Crafts

2011-07-24T21:51:00.003-04:00

My mom arrived in VA on Wednesday night and Nathaniel picked her up from the airport. She stayed with Nat and Adrien until Friday then all three of them came up to our house that evening. So, naturally, Saturday was a "special day," and the three ladies in the house got down to buisness reading some non-essential baby/kid stuff. We painted frames for the darling water colors my friend Dari did of the two boys, then painted and decupauged Madsen's name letters for his room (which won't be ready until after the basement is done and we can move Wesley out of the nursery and into the other room).
No progress as far as delivering today (the due date), but have a sonogram tomorrow and hopefully they'll say, "Send her to the hospital right away!" (but with everything still okay). I'm swelling like a bloated whale (it's really quite disgusting), but my blood pressure is great all the time (that's because I'm basically dead when I'm not pregnant - really low bp).

Hope to post some more soon. Maybe something about the birth of Andrew Madsen. Like...TOMORROW!

Almost Done

2011-07-19T23:21:00.004-04:00

I went to the doctors today hoping to be told I was 5-cm. dilated, go to the hospital. I did not hear those words. Instead, I heard, "We'll schedule you for an induction next week." So, if labor doesn't happen by next Thursday, I'll be in the hospital (hopefully) by 4pm and having a baby the next day. I hope he comes earlier so my mom will have more time with him (she leaves on Aug. 3rd).

To commemorate this pregnancy, we had pictures taken. I can usually look at the list of photos and say, "this one, this one, and this one," but it took much longer for me to choose from this session, and it wasn't because they were all so wonderful; all of them were just mediocre. Oh well. Here they are for you viewing pleasure, mediocre as it might be. :)

Water Country

2011-07-18T22:45:00.000-04:00

I was hoping walking around the park might put me in labor, but no luck. The good news is that we all had fun.

We had a really large group: Our family, Alex's family, Tammy and Lyndsey Knox, Anna and Rich McConnell and Landon, Debbie and Willie, and Heidi's Family. We were able to do pretty much everything (I only rode the slides where I could sit in the tube and not use my stomach muscles too much). Andy tried the new slide, Vanish Point. He shot down the slide and skidded across the water at the bottom - quite funny. Wesley loved all the slides; I don't think he has a favorite this year.

Hangin' out in Hubba Hubba Highway.

Cow-a-Bunga, Dude! (and dudette, Lyndsey)

Landon and Wesley loved playing together.

First year on Jet Stream - he went on it enough to make up for all the times he couldn't.

Rich and the kids ending Big Daddy Falls.

Putting our feet up.

Tubing with Daddy at Cow-a-Bunga.

Cutie Parker practicing his splash.

Nitro Racer racer.

Struggling to get out of the tube at Cow-a-Bunga.

Pooped!

2011-07-16T14:58:00.002-04:00

Wesley had almost had a full blown accident in his pants, so I made him sit on the toilet until he pooped. Well, he pooped alright - pooped out!

Blog Book 2009

2011-07-03T18:41:00.004-04:00

I received a promo code from "The Cutest Blog on the Block" to book my blog. I used Blurb last year to make my 2008 book and loved the way it turned out. I decided to give these folks a try for 2009. The program is Shared Book. It's super easy and fast, fast, fast!

Here are the pros and cons of each company:
Cons-
Shared Book
-Not editable (is that even a word)
-Layout is fixed as far as I could tell
-No creative pages
Blurb
-Smaller book although both ordered as portrait 8x10 books
-Takes a long time to edit the way you want
-Their program sometimes has glitches when editing

Pros
Shared Book
-Larger
-Automatic Table of Contents
-Can add pages (I added Wesisms)
-Puts your posts and pictures on the page just like your blog (captions stick with pictures)
Blurb
-Allows more creativity in creating the book
-User friendly program (when it's not glitching), meaning I could easily manipulate pages (I couldn't easily see how to do that, if it was possible, with Shared Book)
-Option of paper quality
-Great resolution on photos (can't tell with Shared Book since they're all the same size)

If you want to blog your book quick, use Shared Book. If you have some time (time? what's that?) use Blurb. I usually work on the Blurb book (what I am using for 2010) when Wes is asleep.

Wesley's Temple Talk

2011-07-03T17:34:00.002-04:00

Wesley gave a talk today in Primary. He spoke about temples. We practiced a few times as home over the last couple days, then once more in the Primary room before church today where Andy filmed it.
(Sorry about the sound quality - there was a lot of white noise so I had to try to reduce it.)

Here's what he said:

Heavenly Father wants us to build temples.
Temples have been on the earth for a long time.
Moses build a temple like a tent.
King Solomon builded a temple because he was a righteous man.
Nephi build a temple like King Solomon.
Joseph Smith build temple in Nauvoo.
Brigham Young builded temples in Utah.
Spencer W. Kimball was prophet when most temples were built.

Temples are the House of God.
I can prepare to go to the temple when I...
eat good food,
pay the tithing,
and say a prayer,
and go to the chapel,
and love one another,
and obey our mommies and daddies.

I love the temple. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

He did a great job presenting in Primary. I am so proud of him.

The National Museum of the Marine Corps

2011-07-01T15:48:00.001-04:00

Today we spent the afternoon at The National Museum of the Marine Corps (just thought I might clarify that in case you didn't read the title) with Andy's parents and sister's family. It's shaped like a modern Iwo Jima sculpture.
Anyway, the museum is set up in a way that takes you from the start of the Marines to the present time. You walk through the exhibits and watch the swards change, the uniforms transform, and the weapons advance.
When we went to Russia, the room was cold and snowy, when we went to the Philippines, it was humid and hot. The mannequins were awesome and the little interactive stations were fun for Wesley. He enjoyed listing on the phone to stories of Marines,
trying to train like a Marine,
and playing around on the landing craft.
After the museum, we went to IKEA where we bought a toy storage shelf thing and a kiddy table for what will be Wes' new room. Can't wait until that basement is done so we can start shifting things around.

Branch BBQ at the River

2011-06-25T22:17:00.004-04:00

Our HP leader lives in a neighborhood with access to the river. We had a picnic last year as a branch, and he organized it again this year. The kids all loved swimming in the river. Wesley had a ton of fun getting wet AND dirty. When we got home, I rinsed out his swimming suit and rash guard - it turned the water brown. I ended up soaking it in detergent and Clorox 2 for about 45-minutes. The nice once-white-shirt is still a little brown, but much better than it was. I hope it isn't ruined (sure it was $5 on Gymboree clearance, but still!!). Now I know to put him in ragged clothes next year.

Noodling, Wesley style.
Digging a mote.
Throwing sand (what kid doesn't?).
Wading out to his neck!

Diapers and Wipes

2011-06-25T21:45:00.006-04:00

My neighbor (and friend, of course), Miriam, wanted to do something for me and came up with a cute idea for a Diapers and Wipes Party. Since we pretty much have everything we need for another boy (just a few purchases because they are opposite seasons), this was a great idea, and so kind because she just had a baby 2 or so weeks ago and I never expected anything for a second baby.

Because it was a diaper-themed party, she said she just couldn't resist playing the poopy diaper game where you melt chocolate bars in diapers and guests have to guess the candy. It's disgusting, but fun. I love this picture (sorry about the lighting) of Tammy (left) and Dari (right) examining a particularly nasty diaper. "This one's a blow-out," Dari said.
Those in attendance were Tammy and Dari, Sandy (right),
Kathy (left), Debbie (m-i-l, center), Allison (s-i-l, right),
and Miriam (right). I'm in the crazy striped orange "mu-mu," as Andy calls it, but my other clothes are just getting too tight (the stripes camouflage my growing belly well). You can see the train of diapers and wiped I received.
Dari also drew some awesome pictures that I will frame and put up in the play area.

"Super Heroes"

"Caught"

"Best Friends"

"Alien Attack"

Dari said, "Madsen had better be blond like Wesley." :)

Build-a-Bear for Madsen

2011-06-24T21:10:00.001-04:00

Not being quite sure if we'll have a baby or not next week (depends on the placenta), I decided we'd better get a gift for him from Wesley. Wesley, Laney (niece), Nana (m-i-l) and I were in the mall today and figured there's no time like the present. Wesley had already expressed a desire to make a Build-a-Bear for his little brother, so we headed into the little shop.

Picking out the animal was the most difficult. Wesley decided he wanted a camo-bear. I had to nix that; the green on green on green was too much (was that bad of me). So, he settled on a dog which he later named Spot. Wesley was having too much fun at the sound station, so Nana picked out a lullaby to be placed inside the paw and the kids moved on to the stuffing station. Laney and Wesley both were able to press the pedal and test the huggability of the dog.They then prepared the heart to enter the dog by rubbing it on their heart so the dog will know it is loved and on their tummy so he will never go hungryand holding the heart tight and making a special wish for him.After all that, the dog was stitched together and Wesley and Laney headed over to the grooming station.Finally, an outfit was picked out (police man, since Wes already has a fire fighter) and a birth certificate was printed.I wonder what it will be like when Wesley brings Madsen his gift. I'll probably cry...I started to at Build-a-Bear! That might seem ridiculous and all, but I am so excited Wesley is going to have a brother.

Madsen Moves

2011-06-24T08:53:00.002-04:00

This little man moves a lot, and it's not just gentle rolling, it's pushing - hard. I tried to capture it on video, but of course, he played nice. I didn't capture any jabs, but believe me, he's gonna have one sweet right (or left) hook.

Captured 6-5-11

Media Lesson

2011-06-20T23:09:00.004-04:00

Today I finally got my act together and prepared the long thought out Family Home Evening lesson on media. Its focus was the amount of time spent on TV, computer, and the Wii.

Here's what I did:

First I shared a story from the Jan. 2011 Friend magazine about a girl who was "in the zone" while watching TV and finally kicked the TV habit. She found out she actually like playing outside and with new friends.

Next, we talked about the scripture in D&C 60:13 which reads, "Thou shalt not idle away thy time." We identified what it meant to be idle and that Heavenly Father wants us to be busy with good activities.

Then, I read Berenstain Bears "Too Much TV." We talked about how TV and computer games are not bad, but when we spend all our time with them, we miss out on other fun.

Finally, it was agreed by our family that we needed to cut back. Wesley received 7 TV Tickets (30 minutes of TV time), 7 Computer Cash (30 minutes of computer/Wii gaming), and 2 Movie Medals. He can cash them all in in one day or spread them out over the week. He understands, at least in talking, that once the Tickets, Cash, and Medals are gone, they are gone for the week. I read that you should not use TV as a reward or punishment because that puts importance on it, so Wesley will not loose his TV Tickets or Computer Cash due to poor behavior choices, but he can loose Movie Medals.

We'll see how this works. Maybe we'll have to revise our plan in the weeks to come, but we are all guilty of spending too much time being idle in our house and I have plans to start a structured pre-school time with Wesley in the next couple months, so the less idle media time, the better - for all of us.

Busch Gardens

2011-06-17T22:10:00.002-04:00

I had a doctor's appointment Friday morning and we were going to a graduation party in Virginia Beach Friday night, so I suggested that Andy just take the day off and that we should hit up the park on the way down. Turned out to be a pretty good idea.

The park was not crowded and the rain held off all day. It was hot and a bit muggy, but, for the most part, it was a great day. We pulled up to the parking window and right next to us was my friend (Sandy), her brother (Don?), and daughter (Eilee). I yelled to get their attention, but they didn't hear me, so I watched for them at the park entrance while we were reprinting our passes (I washed them - oops!). We spotted Sandy and crew and were able to hang out at the park together. Eilee, 6, is so good with Wesley; it was nice to have a playmate for Wesley.When we entered the park, we got a wristband for Wesley indicating what rides he could go on. When my friends brother and Andy went off to ride a coaster, Wesley, Eilee, and Sandy went on a 4D ride that took them on a tour of Europe. I was sad that I missed experiencing it with Wesley (no prego ladies on any rides), but glad he got the chance to ride. While inside, a lady measured Wesley and said he needed the next higher wristband! Hooray! That meant he could ride more rides.

(Picture taken from video of Wesley excitedly telling me about flying over the mountains.)

Andy took Wesley on Dark Castle another 4D ride (a little scary, and "the water shot me in the eye"),

Roman Rapids,
Catapult, and the big bumper cars - all rides he couldn't go on the last time we were there. He loved the Rapids and had a blast on the bumper cars.
Other than that, Wesley enjoyed the regulars like Dragon Land
and the horses (I could walk faster than those horses!).
We'll probably hit up the park again this summer, but I hope we go to the water park next time - kankles anyone?

Chasing Lightning

2011-06-14T21:58:00.001-04:00

Was it late? Yes. Should he have been asleep? Yes. Was it worth breaking the rules for one night? You bet!

Lightning bugs are magical. Magical because, well, come on, they glow!, and magical because of what they bring out in a child. Wesley chased the little bugs around our yard with increasing excitement. The bugs were out in full force, lighting up the woods around our house like blinking Christmas lights, I just wish my camera could capture them. What I did capture were a lot of back-shots of Wesley as he ran around. :)

"Whoa!"Chasing Lightning

Last Day of Smart Start Soccer

2011-06-13T21:31:00.001-04:00

We (finally) had our last day of soccer today. With the heat advisories going on lately, soccer was canceled a lot, but today was a perfect, low 80's, min. humidity day. The kids were to put all their knowledge to work with a scrimmage - first, against each other; second, against parents. This was their first "game" and it was hilarious! Yes, they know how to "tick-tock" (dribble), pass, use their feet not their hands, kick, but it all went out the window as a mob of 4 and 5-year olds chased a ball around the field.

Way to tackle, Wes!

Keeping up with teammate.

The crazy mob.

Wes and Coach

After the scrimmage, the participants enjoyed a treat and received certificates.

Wesley enjoyed soccer and I think it might be something we'll try again.

Dancing Through the Decades

2011-06-04T09:57:00.002-04:00

Wesley had his dance recital today. His class danced to "On the Good Ship Lollipop." They all looked so cute. This picture was actually taken by a mother while the professional snapped shots for purchase. I bought 2 pictures from the photographer, but this one was the best, by far! Anyway. The girls (left to right: Katherine, Joanna, Wes, Harper, Carsen) all love Wesley, especially Joanna - I think she has a crush on him, that little cougar! :)

I have included 3 clips from the show (please excuse the low quality; Blogger was having a difficult time loading the higher quality videos). The first is the dress rehearsal. You can tell he's warming up to the stage. It went pretty well.

The second is of the actual performance. Before you watch, you must understand that Wesley is a very particular child when it comes to certain things like where toys are suppose to go, following rules, staying organized, so when Harper stopped on his number, it totally threw Wesley off. He just stood there, confused. I just had to laugh (glad I got a recording of the dress rehearsal, though).

Finally, the bows. Carsen (turning 4 this month) is so gosh darn cute. She started picking up glitter and stole the show at the last minute.

After the recital, Wesley received Toy Story 3 Lego train set (roses just didn't seem right) and we went to "the Chef's" (that's what Wes calls a Japanese Steakhouse where they cook in front of you) for dinner.

This might be Wesley's last recital, at least for now. He's decided he wants to take up karate, which is perfectly fine with us, but it's about 4x's the cost! Not about, actually, it IS 4x's the cost. Oh, well. He'll probably need the skills when mean kids find out he took dance :).

I am proud of Wesley for his year in dance. He really is a great help to his teacher, Ashley. She has told me on many occasions how polite he is, that he raises his hand to speak, and follows directions well. I wish his dance room had a window so I could have observed him more than just 15-minute parent days, but I am grateful for the patience and instruction of his teacher.

I will still teach at The Studio next year, but hopefully just an hour class and earlier (it was 7-9pm!). My students did really well at the recital, but the mics, though running perfectly for a final sound check 40-minutes before showtime, stopped working one-by-one with each of their 3 songs. It was a bit disappointing because the girls really worked hard on their numbers. They sang their hearts out and danced up a storm, I just wish more people could have heard them. What can you do?

Private

2011-05-26T14:41:00.003-04:00

I was hoping I would never have to do this, but I recently had someone spam my blog! Who does that? I know, right? Anyway. I would love to still have you view my blog, so please send me your e-mail in a comment (I've changed my comment setting to be so I have to review it before posting it, so no one's e-mail will be shown). I know this is sometimes a hassle, and I'm sorry, but I don't need my hubby breathing down my neck when a virus comes through my e-mail with a comment someone/thing posted on my blog. Have a nice day.

(I'll go private by June 11th)

Imagination Movers

2011-05-13T09:53:00.003-04:00

Several months ago, I purchased tickets to see Imagination Movers. We didn't tell Wesley about it, keeping the show a surprise for him. Wesley enjoys watching the show every once in a while on Disney, so I was excited to see how he'd react to a live production.

Yesterday, we let Wesley know that we would be going to dinner with Uncle Nat and that we had a surprise for him, so when he woke up today, he asked if it was time for dinner and where was his surprise. Wesley was pretty patient throughout the day, but I think his excitement kept him from napping on the 1.5 hour drive down. After a short 30 minute nap, we had to wake him up and take him into the theater. It wasn't until we entered the building that Wesley saw what we were there for. You could see the excitement behind his eyes, but he was a little shy around all the people.
Andy bought some popcorn to kill the time before the show started, then the doors were opened. Our seats were not what I thought they were when I bought the tickets, but the good news was that it wasn't as packed as I had anticipated, so we were able to move up about 10 rows to the front of the mezzanine.

Choo-Choo Soul came out first and performed some songs. At one point, Genevieve asked the kids if they could spell. She spelled out some word for the audience to shout back to her: Are you having F-U-N? and the kids would yell "FUN!" She spelled out several word and then asked, "How many of you are H-O-T?" HOT! "How many of you are wearing P-O-L-Y-S-T-E-R?" Of course, the parents where the only ones who shouted POLYESTER! Then she said, "I wear this outfit (a train conductors uniform - pants, vest, long-sleeve shirt) to show you that you can still be cool without showing skin!" I liked that little message on modesty. (One of the best things I've heard from Disney in a long time. Now if we could only dress Pocahontas.)Finally, it was time for the Imagination Movers to come on stage. Now, let me digress a moment and tell you about the incredible show we saw last year with Thomas the Tank Engine. It was a real musical - storyline AND songs. Now, back to today's show. Although the guys were great, full of energy, actually singing and playing instruments, and the songs were fun, I felt like I was more at a rock concert than a kids show. There was a little story going on about a Fun-O-Meter and how they could light up all the faces, but for the most part, it was just singing. I was a little disappointed, more so because it lost Wesley attention about 30 minutes into the show. He did pretty good, but I could tell he wasn't really following the show. At one point, he was semi-dancing and fell through the bars onto the landing about 2 1/2 feet below and hit his head pretty good. I was afraid his crying would disrupt the show as I took him out to the foyer, but it was so loud in the theater, I don't think anyone noticed. He was fine.When the show was over, we asked Wesley how he liked it and he said he had fun. We bought a Warehouse Mouse souvenir and headed over to Uncle Nat's apartment.

We hung out together for about 45 minutes then headed over to the home of some old friends, the Davis' (their daughter and I have known each other since 5th grade). Dinner was served with great conversation and catching-up.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-07T08:58:00.001-04:00

Easter

2011-04-24T20:14:00.003-04:00

Yes, we totally commercialize Easter in our house. I guess that's what happens when you only have one child (guess that will change). So, Saturday night after starting the irrigation system in our garden, we dyed eggs with Aunt Christi who came down for the weekend. When I told Wesley we were going to dye eggs he said, "DIE EGGS!" So I explained to him the homonym, much to his relief and understanding.After the eggs were dyed, we went upstairs and de-commercialized for a while with family scripture study of the Easter story. It's always neat to hear the questions asked by my literal son regarding the whole thing. His questions are to the point, but it's not that easy to give a direct answer all the time. How do you explain why people wanted to kill Jesus to a 4-year old? I'm not sure I completely understand it either, but knowing what I know about the Savior's mission on earth, it's easy for me to see him as the Messiah, but hind sight is 20/20.

Sunday morning came. I set my alarm for 5:45 to play Easter Bunny, but stayed in bed for a little while. Good thing, too, because Wesley woke up at 6 (early for such a late night last night). He climbed into our bed and went back to sleep (hooray). I waited about 30-minutes then sneaked out and hid the eggs. When Wesley woke up, I was getting ready for church and he walked to the kitchen and found an egg. We told him that sometimes the Easter Bunny gets awfully tricky and takes our eggs and hides them. Well, when I walked into the kitchen, Wesley was standing next to counter holding an egg saying, "That tricksy Easter Bunny. How did he get our eggs. He's so tricksy!" Wesley found the rest of the eggs (18) in about 5 minutes. (Guess that Easter Bunny needs to get a little more tricksy!) The final egg was hidden in his Easter basket which was also hidden. He was so excited to get a new Star Wars game from the Easter Bunny and a big chocolate rabbit.We dressed in our Easter clothes that just happened to match and headed off to church. I could tell a lot of little people ate Easter candy for breakfast; it's hard to keep your kid reverent when others are bouncing off the pews. (I exaggerate...a little.)After church, we ate a quick lunch and put Wesley down for a nap. While he slept, I took eggs over to Alex's for the neighbor boys to hide. It was 3:30 and the egg hunt started at 4:30. The kids enjoyed finding their 15 eggs, but in that one hour of sitting in the lawn, the chocolate had melted (it was 90-degrees!). Wesley opened up one of his eggs and some Robin Eggs fell out and spattered on the deck. I took the basket and put it inside - the chocolate's fine now, I tested it just to make sure. :)Dinner and the egg hunt was shared with Alex's family, the Knox's, and some friends from church with boys the same age as the Wes and his cousins. We ate, and ate, and ate. So much food, you would have thought it was Thanksgiving. What a blessing to be full.

With as much commercialization as we put on Easter, I am grateful for what it truly represents. I love teaching my child about the Savior. I love this beautiful time of year when the earth springs anew, constantly reminding me of the resurrection and atonement.

Fossil Beach

2011-04-21T20:56:00.000-04:00

We have an awesome place just a few miles down the road. It's called Fossil Beach. Here you can find fossils of fish, shells, bugs and some people have even found shark teeth. My friends (Ames and Keller) and I took our kids there today (it was Spring Break).I knew it was going to be chilly, but I had no idea the wind would make it down-right frigid. The kids didn't mind, though. In fact, many people came to the beach today dressed in shorts and t-shirts! At first, I didn't want Wesley to take his shoes and socks off because it was so cold, but surprisingly, the water was warm, so we nixed the footwear. We dug around for fossils, found a few of shells, but nothing take-home-worthy. The tide was high, so that cut into our exploring area, but Wesley still had a lot of fun just digging in the sand and throwing things into the water. After a while, we decided (or rather the kids decided) we were cold and hungry, so we headed back up the trail and ate a picnic lunch at a park. I think we'll have to try it out again, when it's warmer.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

2011-04-18T17:43:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, Wesley was not interested in eating his lunch, so I said, "You have two choices: you can eat your lunch, or go down for an early nap." Wouldn't you know it, he chose the nap. At dinner, it was the same story, "You have two choices: you can eat your dinner, or go straight to bed." He chose bed. Well, because he took and early and long nap and went to bed early, Wesley woke up at about midnight, came downstairs to our bed, and tried to sleep with us. It wasn't working apparently because he left after about an hour and went back upstairs. Upon leaving our room, however, Wesley made the mistake of closing our door - not good because the cat might need to get out to go potty. Well, the cat indeed did need to go and started pawing at our door at 5:30 to get out. Andy let her out and noticed Wesley was not in bed. He went upstairs to check on Wesley and found him locked in the computer room watching cartoons. We figure he never went to bed again and was up all night. Andy brought him back to bed with us so we could make sure he slept, but I couldn't sleep then, so I went upstairs and a couple hours later my day began (luckily it's Spring Break and I don't have Seminary).

So, today, I wanted to keep Wesley awake all day to get him back on schedule come bedtime. We went into town to run some errands.

First it was to the barber shop to get Wesley's hair cut (he didn't want the hair cut at all, but when I offered him my lap to sit on, he was perfect for the lady). Next we went to Target to get gifts for cousins birthdays and sneak in a few Easter gifts. We went to lunch, then headed over to the mall for pictures. It was good timing because Wesley was fed and happy and had played at McDonald's. I have always made an appointment even though I am a member and don't need to, so today I decided to test that "no appointment necessary" clause. Well, it doesn't work. I thought, "Oh, great, now he's going to be grumpy when we come back in 90 minutes." I took him to the play place in the mall where he did play for about 90 minutes and even told me at one point he was done playing and ready to get pictures.

When our appointment time came, we walked back to the studio and into their bathroom where I began to change Wesley out of his "I dressed myself today" clothes into something a little more appropriate. It was then that the waterworks started. "I don't want to wear those pants, I want to wear my red shorts." "I don't like that shirt, I want to wear my green robot shirt." "I don't want to wear those shoes, I want to wear my [florescent green] crocs." "I don't want to wear my tie." (I gave in to that one.) When the tears were finally gone and we left the restroom, a mother in the studio across from the bathroom door gave me that one look that said, "I'm sorry, I hope your pictures go well, I know how you feel, Don't stress too much." Gratefully, after a few games of "Don't You Dare Smile" and "Attack of Stuffed Rabbit," Wesley put on a show for the photographer. My stress decreased, Wesley was on a second wind, and when it was all said and done, I was really pleased with Wesley's behavior.

I love pictures, wish I had the talent to take them myself, but am grateful for the ones I get - smiles, tears, joy, whatever - I'll take what I can get.
(This is his "I'm really serious" face. He opened the eggs and told us, "There's only air in here, I'm really serious," and the photographer caught the face that I know I'll never be able to capture.)

For Your Amusement

2011-04-15T16:43:00.001-04:00

We are so excited park season has opened. Andy took Friday off and we hit up the park on the way to Nana's. It was so empty - perfect!
Wesley enjoyed all the greatest kid rides and even a new one for him this year: the swings. Andy had tried to talk Wes into going on the big swings but Wes was "just not in the mood." So, we watched a show, ate a snack, then Wesley had a change of heart. He and Andy raced to the swings (more like Andy rushed Wesley to the swings so Wes wouldn't have time to change his mind) and they got settled into tandem chairs (required for 40" and under). I was a little nervous for Wesley because the last time we put him on swings was 2 years ago and he balled his eyes out AND the swings just went around in a circle - no height, angle, or speed. I was ready to welcome a hysterical child into my arms at the completion of the ride when I saw Wesley race for the exit. To my surprise, he got back in line and they rode the ride a second time! He loved them!
We entered the bird house just 5-minutes before it closed, but Wesley loved the birds he saw and said he wanted to go there again. This little bird only had one leg, but stood strong. There were birds of all different colors and sizes, some with mohawks, some with hooked beaks. It's a pretty fascinating place.I was able to ride the Carousel with Wesley, but for the most part just manned the camera. It was nice to see Andy and Wesley playing together.

We'll no doubt have many more days like this throughout the summer. Hopefully, we'll be able to choose days like this one with fewer people at the park, but even when it's crowded, we manage to enjoy ourselves.

37

2011-04-14T17:23:00.000-04:00

Andy's birthday couldn't have been a busier day, so Wesley and I met him for lunch, gift in hand.
The gift bag was packed with essentials, treats, and a special surprise. Andy doesn't like cake, but loves cheese cake, so we brought him a little one, some Capri Suns for his lunch cooler (he's fazing out soda! yeah!), some black licorice (his favorite, but we have yet to find some hard enough), then he opened some athletic socks - this is weird because he only owns argyle socks, but the surprise came when he found his long awaited for Merrell tennis shoes (he says he wants to walk more and needed good shoes).It was a short party. Two of his office friends accompanied him (his boss Mike, who bought him lunch, and Joy, his office mate). We'll leave tomorrow for Nana's and hang out there through Saturday, probably go to Fuddruckers for dinner since they went out of business here.

Happy Birthday, Andy!

Some things you might not know (or notice) about Andy:

-Andy absolutely loves his job.
-Andy has "the most unbelievable blue eyes I've ever seen" *
-Andy takes his calling as councilor in the Branch Presidency seriously and respectfully
-Andy has a great sense of humor
-Andy doesn't hold a grudge because things just bounce off him (he's rubber, your glue...)
-Andy is great with handiwork
-Andy loves to wind down with an aggressive computer game (I don't get it either)
-Andy loves that we're having another boy, but wants to try again for a girl ("because when we're old and decrepit, she'll be the only one who will take care of us")

*can you name that song?

Soccer

2011-04-07T14:55:00.004-04:00

Wesley was selected to participate in soccer through the parks and recreation department. The group is made up of 13 participants ages 4-5. This is a beginning-learn the basics-kick the ball around with mom and dad with the assistance of the coach-soccer practice. Andy and I were both able to attend his first day (I'll be teaching piano every other Wednesday, so it will be a father and son activity some days - I'm a little jealous, but it will be good for them).

The coach first taught them how to kick the ball. So, Andy stood with Wes at the line and I stood in the "gate." Wesley then planted his left foot right next to the ball and kicked with the side of his right. He kicked it a few times with his toe, but for the most part got the right idea. We did get the classic video, though, of him completely missing the ball, throwing his foot way high in the air, and landing on his rump. Luckily, he was a pretty good sport about it (sometimes when things don't go the way Wes plans, he shuts down, but he laughed it off this time).
Next they were taught how to "tick-tock" (dribble) in place. Although using the smallest ball (size 3), Wesley still has a hard time getting his legs far enough apart and balanced to really make it a true dribble, but he tried his best.
The most difficult skill taught was stopping the ball with their foot. Wesley understood what to do, but his coordination was a little off. It will take some practice to stop a rolling ball, but we played today and he is already getting better.
Last, they learned how to throw the ball in from out of bounds. It's a little tricky to hold a ball with both hands directly behind the head and lob it forward when you have little arms, but Wesley did his best. Most of the balls went off to the side because he couldn't get both arms back over his head at the same time, but the right idea is there.
I really loved being out there with Wesley and watching him learn and have fun. The 50 minutes were over before we knew it and we headed out to Wal-mart to purchase a ball (he is suppose to get one from P&R, but the kits haven't come in yet, so we just bought one for now) then went out for ice cream.

Wesley really had a lot of fun, he got goofy at times, but stayed focused for the most part. The father and son duo to my right were, sadly, quite dysfunctional - it didn't help that the dad was kind of demeaning and I felt bad for the little boy. I am glad Andy is encouraging and that the coach is really great with the kids. Can't wait for the next practice.

Georgie Porgie

2011-03-27T15:02:00.005-04:00

Church was extra long for us today, but for good reason: a little girl was baptized right after the meetings. Wesley sat up front with the other little kids, I sat in the second row ready to get up to conduct the music when the baptism started, and Andy was somewhere else. I looked down at Wesley who was sitting next to his friend, Saben. Wesley leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Saben said, "He kissed me!! Wesley just kissed me!" I stood up to address this with my child, but before I could get to him, he was kneeling in front of a little, but older than him, girl trying to kiss her. She had longer arms than him and was holding him at bay when I pulled him away. I explained that we can hug our friends, but not everyone is comfortable with kisses so we'll just keep those for family. He seemed to get it, but just to be sure, I sat my not so tiny hiney in a little person chair and kept a close eye on him. Apparently, it wasn't a close enough because immediately following the actual baptism when the little girl and her dad were getting changed into dry clothes, another girl, Skylar (2 months younger than Wesley), asked him, "Can I have a kiss, Wesley." I thought he'd say no. He didn't. He leaned right over and kissed those little puckered lips waiting in front of him.

Oh, and one more thing. We woke up to some freak snow - about an inch or so. Wesley came running downstairs, "It's Christmas! It's Christmas! Let's set up the tree. IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!" Andy and I both got a good laugh out of him today.

Follow-up: The girls mother sent me a message about her conversation with Skylar:

Wanted to let you know what Skylar said on Sunday before I forget. Clint told me about her kiss so I asked her about it.

Me: Skylar, did you kiss Wesley? S: Yep. Two times! (proudly holding up two fingers) Me: Do you like him? S: I love him. I want to marry him. He is my bestest friend. (pause) Mom, I think I heard him say something very important. Me: What? S: That he love me!

Oh, and when I asked her about him trying to kiss Madelyn first, she goes "oh he loves her, too." It didn't seem to bother her in the least that she wasn't his first choice. =)

Making a Splash

2011-03-25T15:08:00.002-04:00

I was mopping the kitchen floor and Wesley was outside playing. I went out to get the mail and saw that he was having the time of his life.

The garden hose was out and on and when you have dirt, that means only one thing to a little boy - mud!

He sprayed the ground,created some puddles,
and went in for the big splash! (over, and over, and over again)
Yes, it was messy. Yes, he got soaked. Yes, it was only 48-degrees. But, I just couldn't stop him (at least not right away). He kept saying how much fun he was having. When I decided it was time to be done, take a bath, and get in bed for his nap, I said, "Ok, Wesley, you have 5 more minutes." "How about 8?" he asked. "How about 4?" I replied. "OK - Thanks Mom!!" (no concept of time - it's great)

I stripped him down on the back steps, sprayed off his clothes, carried him across my mopped floor and recently shampooed carpets and put him in a warm bath. He's asleep now and I expect a good, long nap from that crazy kid.

Can't wait to have 2 boys splashing in mud puddles. Of course, maybe next time it will be warmer.

Spring Is For the Birds

2011-03-25T10:42:00.003-04:00

If there's one thing I love, but don't take enough time to enjoy, it's all the birds around here. This morning I think I had 5 different varieties in my backyard. I was only able to take picture of a couple because as soon as I tried to oh-so-quietly open my back door to get a clearer shot then through the window they all flew into the trees. Blue jays, cardinals, woodpeckers (yep, even on the ground), wrens, sparrows, finches and more provide music for our outdoor adventures throughout the spring, summer and fall months. Having lived in the west, east, and central US, I must say that the most beautiful and sing-songy birds live here.

At the Grind

2011-03-23T10:36:00.001-04:00

Wesley loves to help make bread. Well, actually, he likes to grind the wheat then run off and play until he can eat a hot slice of homemade bread with butter and honey. Anyway, today he asked if he could try a wheat berry. "Sure, why not." He popped one in his mouth. "Mmmmm!" he said, but I didn't believe him. That was until I looked at him again and saw this:a mouthful of wheat berries! He ate them all and would probably have had some more if we weren't done grinding.

Crazy kid!

Art and Nature

2011-03-21T13:34:00.004-04:00

Today, Wesley and I traveled to DC to visit the Art and Natural History museums. I was not sure how Wes would handle the art museum because, well, he's 4. However, he loved the fountains and kept wanting to throw more money in (I gave him a dime, my smallest coin, and told him it was worth 10 wishes - he wished for one of the flowers surrounding the fountain), sculptures (these hands were amazing, Wesley found his favorite set and tried to mimic them [I filmed that moment], my favorite set were the I Love You hands), and finding his all-time favorite picture (probably this one because he could have made it and it made sense to him). This picture was made by finger prints. I walked by it the first time without noticing, then was amazed at what a thumbprint can become.
There was also a very friendly squirrel outside the art museum that a young man was feeding a pbj to, so I let Wesley feed the animal some raisins. The squirrel placed his paws on Wesley's hand and took the raisin! It was probably not the safest thing to do, but it was so fun and Wesley got a kick out of it.
The Natural History museum was a little more interesting for Wesley. He liked touching the rocks and was amazed at the different shapes rocks can make, enjoyed the skeletons of the reptiles (this is a leatherback turtle - huge is an understatement), watching a living hive, and seeing a huge elephant.
We really saw a lot in a little time, and there's still so much more to see. I've been to the museums up there many, many times, but love to revisit. I hope Wesley will love museums as much as I do.

When the Moon Hits the Sky

2011-03-20T10:25:00.000-04:00

This time of year, we'll use any excuse to have a bonfire and invite friends over. Last night we had 6 families over for a celebration of the Super Moon. Apparentely, the last one happened 18 years ago and won't happen for another 18. Of course, the full Super Moon wasn't visible until 2am after everyone had gone home, but, thanks to a rolly-polly little man growing inside of me, I was up and took a few pictures. I must say I was a little disappointed. I thought it was going to appear gigantic, like "Joe Versus Volcano" gigantic, but it looked like an extra bright full moon to me. Oh well. We still had lots of fun with friends at our Super Moon Bonfire and will probably have another one in 18 years, so mark your calendar.

Note: Here's a tip for s'mores: instead of using graham crackers and Hershey's bars, use those fudge striped shortbread cookies or chocolate covered graham cracker cookies (Keebler or store brand). Yum! Perfect every time.

St. Patty's Day

2011-03-17T10:01:00.000-04:00

Today is St. Patrick's Day. I came home from teaching seminary and whipped up a batch of green shamrock pancakes. Wesley loved them (shape anything and I think a kid will eat it). Wesley also wanted colored water (water with food coloring - it turns out that if you put a drop of each into a purple cup, it looks green). And that was the extent of our St. Patrick's Day celebration, besides wearing green. I had planned on making an Irish dinner of Dublin Coddle, Irish Fondue casserole, and Oatmeal Lace cookies, but our neighbors invited us over for some delicious All-American BBQ. (I did make the cookies later, and they are delicious!)

For All You Nerds Out There

2011-03-14T15:25:00.000-04:00

Happy Pi Day!

I made some pies today, one for a friend and one for us. Now, if I had truly thought my weekly meal plan out, we would have a had chicken pot pie for dinner tonight instead of on Saturday. Oh well, we enjoyed the berry pie for a FHE treat.Now, for my nerdy musician friends. Go to this link and listen to pi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYM6UEk_ywk

"They" Say That...

2011-03-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

if you are in your 30's, you're more likely to have a girl.
if your pregnancy is different from the first, you're having the opposite gender.
if you develop pregnancy acne you're having a girl.
if you dangle your wedding ring over your tummy and it swings back and forth (not in a circle) you're having a girl.

I say that if all your prediction tests are telling you one thing, you're really having the other.

Yep, Wesley is going to have a little brother.

We had our 20-week ultrasound today. The baby was lying facing my spine, so his spine was really easy to see. The tech studied his spine, then his head (we saw the cerebellum and other parts of the brain). Then she moved on to the belly. She went a little low and I thought I saw a little stick, but didn't say anything. We looked at the kidneys, liver, bladder, stomach, and umbilical cord and it's 3 veins/arteries. Then, the tech went to check out his femur. It was then that Andy saw what I saw earlier, and sure enough, spread eagle, not shy at all, there was our little boy.

My immediate reaction was, "Phew, we don't have to buy anything!" I had been stressing about how we were going to budget in a bunch of girl things with only one person working as compared to the two we had when Wesley was born. I am really excited we're having another boy, and not just because it will be convenient, I really think Wesley will have a lot of fun with him. I asked Wesley what he was going to teach the baby. "I'm going to teach the baby how to fly!" Oh, boy.

We visited with our doctor for a little bit afterward. He said everything looked great. My placenta is really close to the cervix; I don't have placenta previa, but he wants to make sure the placenta moves north, so we'll have another ultrasound in 8 weeks. He's not concerned, so I'm not concerned, but that was the only thing "wrong." So, we're all doing great.

The tech called this the "Grinch" shot - it's a picture of what it would look like
if the head was cut in half vertically.

Scratching his nose.

Profile. The tech said he was very well behaved
and rolled right into position for each shot needed.

Andy's Trip

2011-02-17T09:35:00.001-05:00

Andy had an endoscopy today. Afterward, we went to McDonald's for some food since he had been fasting for the procedure. When we arrived, he asked me if I knew about the sun. I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. Our conversation went something like this:

A: Did you hear about the sun?
S: No, what about it?
A: It's going to try to kill us. Tonight.
S: (Not sure what's going on) What?
A: Oh, did I just make that up or did I read it somewhere? I think I'm high.

Now inside the restaurant, speaking to the cashier:
A: Have you heard anything about the sun?
C: No.
A: It's going to kill us tonight because it's mad at us.
S: (Looking at the cashier, indicating Andy's hospital bracelet, and praying that the kid is understanding my looks of "don't take him seriously, he's on meds") There have been solar flairs, but that's all.
A: No, the sun's really mad.

Andy continues to talk about the sun and how it wants to kill us, that it is mad, and that there will be power outages and sheer pandemonium, but "it will be beautiful" with lights in the sky.
I figured out how to film it on our phone.

But, wait, that's not all. He then goes on to tell me:

A: I feel like I weigh a ton.
S: That's because you do (mean, I know, but like he'll remember)
A: But I'm really strong. My arm weighs 500-pounds, but I can lift it. See. (He lifts his left arm.)
S: Oh, you are really strong.
A: Yep. But I weigh a ton.

It took him about an hour to fully recover. It was funny and unreal all at the same time. He seemed okay when we left the doctors, but the loopiness set in about 5 minutes later. I really thought he was faking, but I know Andy can't act that well.

Hope you enjoyed this little bit of entertainment at my husbands expense.

PS Everything looks good for the most part: the ulcers have healed, but he still has esophagitis. I'm wondering how much it will cost me to bribe a doctor into telling Andy he has to give up soda?

Banana Split

2011-02-15T15:15:00.002-05:00

Our library is hosting a winter reading program focused around monkeys. Tuesday was the half-way point; if you read 30 books, you could come to the library and turn the youth librarian into a banana split.
Wesley was confused at first, but after he saw other kids throwing ice cream on the young lady, he joined in the fun.
When given a fist-full of marshmallows to toss in, Wesley ate them! oops. But he was able to get some more.

When all was said and done, the librarian was covered in ice cream, marshmallows, sprinkles, cherries, chocolate, whip cream, and, of course, bananas.

Side Note: Is it sad that the library only requires 60 books in a 30 day period to complete a non-readers (preschool) reading program. I'd think it should be double that!

Valentine's Weekend

2011-02-14T14:38:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day was celebrated for the entire weekend it seemed at our house. Andy telecommuted Friday so he could watch Wesley while I taught a make-up class. While I was gone, the boys went to town and purchased gifts. When they got home, Andy presented me with my gift from Wesley - new slippers. Wesley picked them out all by himself - gray with purple lining. I don't care for the color gray or even semi-like purple, but I love them. Why, because Wesley picked them out. (He's been saying lately that one of his favorite colors is gray - who likes gray? silly kid.) Then Andy asked if I noticed my other gift. Unobservant me had been stepping over it since I came downstairs. I'm always stepping over one thing or another - monster trucks, little shoes, swards... When I saw what I had been stepping over I remembered another reason why I love my husband. You see, he always asks what I want for gifts and when I tell him things I need he gets a little frustrated with me and says that I can get what I need whenever, but what do I want. Of course, the things I need are the things I want which he doesn't understand completely. Anyway, when I looked down and saw a Swiffer-Vac, I got really excited. Now, most wives would be disappointed, but me? I was surprised and grateful and loved the gift. I had mentioned a few days earlier after having a 17-month old throw rice all over my kitchen floor that I wish I had a Swiffer-Vac. Andy heard that, remembered, and surprised me.
We enjoyed a Valentine's dinner on Sunday since I teach piano Mondays and barely have time to plan a FHE lesson, let alone a nice meal. A heart-shaped pizza and pink/red sides of strawberries, red grapes, and watermelon (now that was a splurge - $8 for half of a watermelon is not my typical cup of tea, but Wes loves watermelon, so I spent the money) filled our bellies.

On Monday, I made a breakfast of smoothies and pancakes. Andy received a box of his favorite candy and Wesley was surprised with his gifts of a new playmobile, one of those throw-the-ball-on-a-string-in-the-air-and-try-to-catch-it-in-the-wooden-cup toys, and gummy lifesavers.
Later that day, while Wesley was napping, the Love Bug paid him a visit and left him a game for his Leapfrog and new Playdough.
I might not be the best gift giver or even the best at expressing my feelings, but I do love my boys and the things they do for me. Andy works really hard at his job, uses his skills around the house, and loves to cook. Wesley is so patient and loving, he says the funniest things and asks the most sincere questions. I love them both and thank Heavenly Father for them daily.

Welcome to the Tickle

2011-02-03T14:31:00.000-05:00

Wesley asked if we could make a puppet theater. I said sure. This is the result:
I did all the cutting and taping and Wesley chose the colors he wanted. We used some foam sheets I had and hot glue. When it was all done, I asked Wes what he wanted to name his theater. "The Tickle," he replied without hesitation.

We played puppet show for about an hour. I would put on a show, then he'd come in with his animals and put on a 30-second version of the show I just did. Then I'd do another and he'd copy. It was quite fun.

Valentine Monster

2011-02-01T15:47:00.003-05:00

I saw a similar shirt in etsy for $22! I was like, I can totally make that. Well, after going to 3 stores (I hate our Wal-mart - they didn't have any solid long sleeve shirts! IT'S WINTER!!!) to finally locate all I needed (which wasn't much, but Wesley wanted certain colors), I started last night and finished today. The one on etsy was a combo of calico fabric and felt. I called my mom and asked how the two would ware together. It was determined the felt would probably not last as long (especially since the etsy maker had hand stitched it on). Also, the etsy maker had just straight stitched everything, I decided to straight stitch some things, and zig-zag the major edges. If you want to try this yourself, might I suggest the temporary spray adhesive...it was a life saver - no cutting of bonding, ironing, stiff fabric.

Hairball

2011-02-01T14:35:00.006-05:00

( Well, at least now it is true as the baby is growing lanugo hair all over. )

Even if you don't care, I book my blogs and am, therefore, going to write about how I found out we were expecting.

In August, I decided to just ask my ob/gyn if, since we were saving for IVF because the last 6 IUI's didn't work, I could just try Clomid again for a few months. He said that would be fine, but reminded me that it didn't do it's job the first time I took it (years! ago).

I picked up my prescription and started taking it the next month. And according to my BBT, it actually worked, however it did not result in a pregnancy. No new disappointments there. I did notice, though, that it really made me moody and unlike myself. Despite the side effects, I started the pills again in October. This time the side effects were not only nearly unbearable for those around me for I was getting really annoyed with myself.

Finally, I took a pregnancy test, about a week after most others would have. I didn't tell Andy I was taking it, I just thought that when my mind realized I was not pregnant, it might regulate itself. So, I did the deed on the little pink and white stick, went to finish cleaning the kitchen, came back to view the stick and, oh my, I don't think you can even imagine my surprise. I fell to my knees crying - dramatic, I know, but remember, the meds messed with my head :) - then crawled over to my bed and, still kneeling, prayed the best prayer I could of thanks and gratitude to Heavenly Father for this amazing miracle.

After I had pulled myself together, somewhat, I decided I didn't want to call Andy, but wanted to tell him in person (besides, he was involved in a major presentation that day - suit and tie presentation), so I called my mom. No one answered. Okay. I called Carrie, my sister. No one answered. I called Nathaniel, my brother. No one answered. I even called my friend Katie in Ohio. Again, no one answered. Finally, I decided I had to make a doctors appointment, so I told the nurse! Take that, family. That's what you get for not answering :P.

(on the phone with the doctor's office)

After the appointment was made, I put the "stick" in a bracelet box and wrapped it with baby paper. When Andy finally did come home, I told him I had a little gift for him because he'd been working so hard. I apologized for the baby paper saying it was the only scrap paper I had in the gift wrap box. He didn't mind, or even suspect. He took off his jacket and opened the gift. He looked at the stick like he was trying to figure out some strange puzzle. He even asked, "What does that mean?" Then it dawns on him and he says, face beaming, "It means you're pregnant, right?" "Yep" "Seriously?" (No, Andy, I'm a mean, mean wife, and I like to pull dirty little stunts like that!) I just kept laughing. "That's freekin' awesome!" he exclaims and hugs me.

So, who do we tell now. I get the web-cam up and we tell my mom who goes wild. Quite fully. It was a bunch of waving arms, jumping legs, shaking head. I had Wesley tell her, "I'm going to be a big brother" (of "broder," as he says). "Really?" (Why do people doubt me?) "Really?" she asked again, and then, cue the crazy. Andy called his mom who was driving home from work and she had to pull off the road she was so excited and crying so much.

That all happened on November 18, 2010.

(Enjoy the reactions of Andy and my mom)

A few days later, we headed to my appointment. I was really nervous about the appointment because I had been experiencing some pretty bad pain that could be pinpointed on my right side. After talking with Dr. Kil for a little bit, I told him about the pain. He went from "We'll get an ultrasound within a week" to "We need to get you an ultrasound today - ASAP." Of course, that did not calm my fears of ectopic pregnancy.

After a few calls to all the techs around town and outside, I was finally given an appointment time of 2:30 at a lab 45-minutes north of my doctors office. That gave us time to stop at Chic-fil-A to eat lunch - I had absolutely no appetite; I was physically shaking because of nerves. Wesley played for a while and Andy and I talked "what ifs." Finally, it was time to go, and with belly full of water, we all entered the room where we saw our little baby for the first time. What a relief it was to see that little "hairball" (5-weeks), Wesley nicknamed the baby such, snuggled safely in the uterus. It was determined that the pain I felt was from a ruptured ovarian cyst. I had two more pretty good sized cysts that would just have to stay if we wanted to keep the baby - which we did/do :).

The next day, I took some banana bread over to a friend of mine. I knew Dari had honestly been praying for our family to have another baby. I felt it in my heart every time she said she was praying for us. It was like the desire for us to have another baby was as much hers as it was ours. Anyway, Wesley had dozed off, so I left him in the car and walked up to the door. I hadn't called ahead of time, rude I know, so I was hoping she was there. Dari opened the door and I handed her the bread and told her, "I just wanted to say thank you for all your prayers on our behalf these last years." All of a sudden, Dari's expression begins to change from "Awe, thanks for the bread" to "and, And, AND??" She then asks, "Are you...?" "Yes." She cried, I cried because she cried and she never (and I really mean it, never) cries in front of people. We hugged. I knew even more then that she had truly been praying for us. I am so grateful for friends like her.

(8 weeks - strong heart)

Wesley and I went to my 12-week check-up (Andy had a meeting). It's always nerve-wracking until you actually hear that little heart beat. Everything looked "perfect." Phew! I think I am so nervous this time because it has been such a shock - a welcome shock, but a shock nonetheless.

I am currently 15-weeks and should be feeling the baby move in the next few weeks. That's always exciting. We will find out the gender of the baby in 5 weeks. I think it would be convenient to have a boy, but fun to have a girl. I honestly don't care one way or the other, really.

I can't believe I'll be half-way done in 5 weeks! I bought some diapers and wipes yesterday (store coupon plus manufacturers coupon! woot-woot!!) and will begin stashing such over the next few months. After we know what we're having, we will need to get some winter gear since this baby will be a summer (July 24) baby and Wesley was winter. Other than that, we only need to finish the basement, move the stuff from our makeshift family room (really a bedroom) to the basement, paint, assemble the nursery, then bring home a baby :)

Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts as we struggled to give Wesley a sibling. I believe in the power of prayer, I have felt it work in my life, I have seen my prayers answered, and I have seen others prayers answered as well. Those answers don't always happen when we want them to, or even how we want them to, but the Lord knows us, and, Father knows best.

Our Holly, Jolly Christmas

2010-12-28T06:11:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve was spent half at our house and half at the in-laws. We opened our gifts from my family at home. I found Stratego for Andy last summer and hid it away for all those months. He always wants to play it when we go to my parents house, but I don't really like the game. However, when I saw it (at a thrift store, unopened, $3 - it's thought that counts, right?) I wanted to surprise him. Now, I guess I have to bite the bullet and play a few rounds with him until Wes is old enough to understand the game. Andy was pretty excited about the gift. He also received some much needed slacks. Andy was very thoughtful with his gift for me this year. I had mentioned a couple months ago that I wanted some pearls. My sister and I had each inherited a string of pearls from our great-grandma when I was little, but when we moved to Idaho, neither strand was found. Andy went to the jewelers and purchased some pearls. I guess the jeweler asked, "So, how old is your wife?" I know some people think peals are for old ladies, but I think they're timeless, elegant, and just plain beautiful. I was thrilled and teary-eyed when I opened the gift. Good job, Andy.
Wesley loved the legos and playmobiles he received. Notice the age on the legos: 7-14. Andy has this thing about wanting to make Christmas extra special for Wesley because his birthday is 6 days before and he doesn't want Wesley to think we roll the one into the other, so when we were going through my attic supply of gifts gathered throughout the years meant for age appropriate times, Andy insisted that he get everything! I finally gave in, but I don't want to hear Andy complain when next years Christmas is smaller because we gave all those gifts this year. I guess, as long as Andy plays legos with Wes, it's all worth it.
This is a funny story. After opening some games, books, and toys, Wesley began to open another rectangular gift and said, "More legos?!" He was pretty sure it was another toy. When he opened the box, he said, "What? It's just clothes!" Brings back my own memories of socks and underwear for Christmas, although necessary, not so much fun for a kid.
Belle usually receives rawhide bones (plural, meaning 3 or 4 6-8" bones), but when I sent Andy to PetSmart for the bones, he came home with the largest bone I have ever seen! Belle even has difficulty carrying it. She did manage, after several tries, to carry it upstairs the other day, but just as she placed it on the landing, it teetered on the edge of the top step and slid back down to the bottom. I don't think I've ever seen an "Oh crud!" expression on a dog before. It was funny.
Papa was more than willing to let Wesley have some candy Christmas morning. Wesley knows who to go to for goodies. If you ask Nana, she'll ask if he asked his mommy, but Papa just says sure :)
Harry the Dirty Dog was the one book this year Wesley repeatedly asked for at the library. He thinks it's so funny. Thanks to my visiting teaching companion who told me about it last spring.
I'm sharing this picture because of the game: Bulldog Dozer. It was a hit with all the nieces and nephews (again, another bargain find at a consignment sale). If you chance to find it anywhere and have kids 8 and younger, I'd get it. (Notice the lego castle to the right - yeah, it's for 8 and up!)
I think Wesley's favorite gift by far was his lego camera from Nana and Papa. Wesley constantly takes my camera off my desk and I find random photos taking up space on the card. Now, he has his own and loves to point and click. It is digital, charges with a USB cable, and has a viewing screen and flash. The pictures turn out pretty good, although, Wes gets really close with the flash on sometimes and the images are a bit ghostly. He's learning and maybe he'll take me on one of his tours of Africa when he's a famous National Geographic photographer.
Christmas night, snow began to fall. It continued through Sunday and into the early morning hours on Monday. My in-laws have a neighbor dog that Belle loves to play with through the fence. We'd let Belle out to do her business which she would promptly do, then she'd sit, perfectly still, at the fence and wait for her friend. The other 5 dogs in the house (2 live there, 1 is my s-i-l's, 2 are my b-i-l's) would come outside and play around in the snow for a while then want back in, but not our crazy dog. She would sit all day if we let her. Just look at the accumulation on her back.
After all was said and done, we had an average of 14-inches on the ground. This was record snowfall for the area. We knew the weatherman called for snow, so we packed our gear and were prepared. However, 14-inches is a lot for a little guy to play in.
Here, Wesley tries to get out of his snow angel.
I had picked Wesley up several times and tossed him backwards into the snow. He loved it. So, when Andy was finally dressed and came outside, I told him about it. He then took a shot. Obviously, I failed to mention that I threw Wesley in a nearly seated position. Andy just threw Wes and the poor kid ended up head first in the snow. It is safe to say Wes did not want to be thrown anymore.
Can't forget the "eating snow" photo. They're always classic. Don't worry, we played in the front yard - no dogs.
This was definitely a Christmas to remember. It will be the last Christmas with just the three of us. Yep, if you remember the Hairball Wesley was thankful for in November, well, it's not a real hairball - it's a baby. We're expecting in July. I'll post about it later with a couple cute videos and maybe a picture or two.

I love Christmas and the presents and the family and the time together. I'll be honest, I love the festivities and secular part of it all, but the peace I feel at this time of year knowing what I know about the gospel, Jesus Christ, the plan of happiness, et al outweighs the tangible gifts I receive or give.