Giving a Bridal Shower with Children

Tonight I gave a bridal shower for my sister, Mary. My cousins brought their children and my children had instructions to play upstairs with their cousins. The idea was great, in theory. My children would have someone to play with and not have to be down in the middle of the activities. However, theories do not often reflect reality.

Bekah discovered that the 'girls' were having a party and wanted to be part of the activities. When asked if she wanted to go upstairs and play with the children, Bekah said no. She gave all of the women hugs and helped Grandma play the games. She even stayed out of the food and presents which was quite surprising.

Benjamin kept asking if he could come downstairs, but accepted the explanation that the girls were downstairs and the boys were upstairs. Until it was time to open presents, that is. After telling Benjamin no all day I told him yes to coming down to watch Mary open presents, forgetting that women often receive lingerie at bridal showers. Oops! When Mary opened one present he exclaimed, "It goes with your tiara!" He thought Mary had recieved a pretty dress as a wedding present. Good interpretation!

I think next time I will think twice before letting my son come to the opening presents part of a bridal shower.

TV Online

I have discovered a different way to watch TV, online. A friend of mine mentioned watching her favorite TV shows on hulu.com and I decided to try it out. I have become a big fan of watching TV online at Hulu and other free websites. It has been a good and bad thing.

Good because I can watch a variety of shows, most of the episodes of the current season, without the scheduling conflicts of feeling obligated to sit down at a specific time in front of the TV. The shows have less commercials and can be paused so interruptions don't cause loss of show time.

Bad because I find myself watching more TV than I normally do. It is so easy to turn on the computer and watch a TV show while I'm doing other things. The wonders of technology.

RSV

RSV season is upon us. Well, it started back in October, but it is here for its yearly duration. Here is my understanding of RSV in laymen's terms.

What is RSV? A bad head cold that affects the absorption of oxygen especially in children under the age of one. It does not typically hurt those that are older beyond the inconveniences and pain of a really bad cold.

What are the symptoms of RSV? Beyond being stuffed up and/or coughing, fatigue and lethargy accompanied by loss of appetite.

How is RSV diagnosed? A nose swab sent to the lab for testing (really specific, I know). The doctors can also run and oxygen measurement test to determine the oxygen saturation of the individual.

Why is RSV so dangerous? Loss of appetite accompanied by not eating hinders weight gain in infants. Low levels of oxygen saturation affect brain and motor function. Those who have experienced RSV in the first few months of life may manifest and/or experience asthmatic symptoms through age eight.

How do I know what I do about RSV? After Bekah was diagnosised with RSV at 5 weeks old I did my own research to determine what it was we were dealing with because all of the doctors and nurses were really vague in explaining what was going on.

Three days in the hospital watching your baby get her nose sucked out and have an oxygen tube across her face was absolutely no fun. The saddest part was that Bekah caught RSV at the end of May, long after RSV season is suppose to be over. Anyway, with so many friends having babies this winter I figured I would share a little bit of what I know about RSV.

For more information check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_respiratory_syncytial_virus.

Saving Money

With all the fuss about the economy lately, we have been looking for ways to reduce our expenses and save money in our purchases. It has been interesting and rewarding.

I've realized that there are something I am incredibly cheap about.

• I don't pay for a haircut unless it is in goods and services. I cut my children's hair and Michael cuts his own hair, I have even cut my own hair once or twice.
• I won't buy fruits or vegetables for more than $1 or $2 a pound, depending on the product.
• I shop in the day old bakery goods before I buy them fresh, and I only buy baked goods when I don't have time to make it myself.
• I take pictures of arts and crafts and figure out how to make them myself for less than half of the price.
• I only buy name brand items when they are on sale for like 50% off.
• I do a lot of my shopping online so that I know I am getting the best deal possible for a specific item.
• I use the library to checkout books and read them to determine if they are worth buying, then I find the best deal on said books before buying them.
• I do everything I can to avoid paying shipping on things that I buy online. Whether that means using a coupon, trying a new store, or only buying an item from a store that offers free shipping.
• I usually buy the store or generic brand item, rather than the big brand item because the difference is minimal and the price adds up fast.

In order to reduce our monthly expenses, we have made some other adjustments as well.

• We refinanced our car which is halfway paid off to lower our monthly payment.
• We changed insurance companies because we found a company that offered a better price and better service.
• We pay off our smallest debts first, then we pay off the debt with the greatest percentage rate.
• We pay extra to our debts each our month so that they are paid off quicker and accumulate less interest.
• We save a little bit each paycheck for emergencies and future expenses.

We have also tried to emphasize the reuse, recycle, and don't waste.

• Plastic sacks become garbage can liners.
• Empty detergent buckets are used for hauling dirt, storing potatoes, playing in the sandbox, or being turned into stools.
• Gift bags, boxes, and tissue paper are saved for future use.
• We recycle everything we easily can.
• Clothes are worn until they don't fit or are worn out, and then they are given to someone who can use them, saved for future use, or turned into rags.
• We try to throw away as little food as possible and only make as much as we can reasonably eat before the food goes bad.

Saving money takes time and effort. And while I am not as much of a penny pincher as I could be, we try to do the best with what we have and make the most of our life together.

"I want watch Frosty"

Bekah is talking in sentences these days. She has been learning at least two words a day for the last week or so. Today she asked to watch a movie by saying "I want watch Frosty." It was so well pronounced that I caved in and let her watch it to reinforce that she was successfully communicating.

She will be talking my ear off soon, I'm sure. But we are enjoying her growing ability to communicate using words and language. Bekah says juice, drink, go, more, snack, shoes, and so much more. It is great fun to hear her learn new words.

Guests in Our Yard

We came home from a family outing the other night to find deer in the front yard. Since the snow fall last month, the deer have been nibling on my roses and other bushes. This time we caught them in the act instead of just seeing the evidence that deer had been visiting our yard.

Family Bowling

Our children love to bowl. They had a lot of fun with us on our anniversary.

Our children were so busy the other night when we went bowling that iI had to video them bowling to catch what was going on.

Ye Here Pirate Ship!

Benjamin's friend Coulson comes over once in a while and they play "boy" games. When he came over last week, Benjamin and Coulson were playing pirate ship on the top bunk where little sister couldn't reach them. So in an effort to ease the tension this scenario created, I came up with a solution for both the boys and Bekah. We built a "pirate ship" on the extra bed in Bekah's room. This way the boys could play their game in a "real" ship and the bed was low enough that Bekah could climb "on board" with the boys. They seemed to have a lot of fun with the resolution and they were so cute I couldn't resist taking their picture!

Button, Button, Who's got the Button?

Benjamin has determined how to button up and unbutton his shirt! Last night Benjamin was taking an extra long time to get his pajamas on, and when he was halfway dressed he had something important to tell us.

"I did it! Look, Dad, I buttoned my shirt!" Benjamin exclaimed triumphantly. He has one pair of pajamas that has a button up shirt with a pair of pants. It has large, red buttons on it (thus, the picture I found on flixster and cropped to make it my own). I love to share his excitement when he learns how to do something new that he hasn't every done before.

The Subway Haunting

The other day when we were driving around Benjamin kept noticing the Subways. Each time he spotted a Subway the conversation would go something like this:

"Agh!" says Benjamin.

"What is it?" responds Mom.

"It's the five dollar sandwich!" growls Benjamin.

"The five dollar sandwich? Do you mean Subway?" asks Mom.

"The five dollar sandwich!" says Benjamin pointing emphatically. "There everywhere!"

"They are everywhere, aren't they? Are they bothering you?" agrees Mom.

"Yes!"

"It's just Subway," Mom tells Benjamin.

After that Benjamin was excited to see Subways everywhere, they weren't 'haunting' him any more. It sure was cute of him to recognize and point out the 'five dollar sandwich place' when he thought it was following him around.

Story Time Parade

Now that Bekah has discovered she can walk, she does not like to sit still for story time at the library. However, she does love to play with the puppets and sing the songs in between the stories. So when they do these activities Bekah will at least stay in the story time area instead of wandering around the entire library. I'm still learning how to use my camera so I thought a video would be a good way to demonstrate the fun library activities because still frame pictures don't quite do justice to them.

Five Years

This month we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Five years ago we were married in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple. We have a hard time believing it was five years ago that we were married because so much has happened since then.

• We have added two beautiful children to our family.
• Both of Michael and I have graduated from LDS Business College and BYU.
• We survived 4 moves and 6 wards.
• We bought our first home.
• We have learned the value of having food storage, savings, staying out of as much debt as possible, and paying those debts off as quickly as possible.
• Our families of origin have increased by 3 nieces, 1 nephew, and two brothers-in-law (as of the end of this month).
• We have gained a lot of experience in parenting, though we are far from experts at it.
• We discovered that continuing to date after becoming parents is vital to maintaining and building on the relationship that we started when we decided to marry each other.

Just to name a few of the things we have done and experienced.

For our anniversary we ended up doing a variety of things, thanks to an unexpected refund we received in the mail. We started our day with yummy cinnamon rolls, one of our favorite breakfast foods, but I love breakfast foods that are warm and sugary.

Then we went to the where we bought some FABULOUS raspberry fudge. After that we wandered around the outdoor mall, enjoying the crisp winter weather that was not bitterly cold.

For lunch we ate at , a Brazilian steakhouse. I think this is my new favorite kind of restaurant. This type of restaurant has an unlimited salad bar of soups, pasta, rice, fried bananas (absolutely yummy!), salad fixings, and different types of cold salads. The best part is the meat. The meat servers bring around different kinds of barbecued and slow roasted meat for you to eat. It is an all you can eat buffet of sorts and the food is delicious!

After an afternoon nap, we went bowling, out for ice cream, and rented a couple of movies. I wouldn't have wanted to spend our day any other way.

I felt Pioneer-ish Today

Today I felt pioneer-sh because I was doing a lot of domestic stuff that the pioneers would do. The major difference was that I had indoor plumbing and electricity to complete my tasks instead of needing to haul water (and break the ice), cook and boil water on a wood burning stove, and sew by hand.

I started the day with baths and a haircut. Then I made stew from scratch. All I had to do was assemble the ingredients as listed in the recipe and turn the crockpot on high for 5 hours. Then I made bread. After which I worked on a quilt and did some ironing. I am very grateful that I had electricity to help me in my tasks or it would have taken me twice as long to get everything done.

By the way, here is the stew recipe. It was absolutely delicious and super easy!

Beef Stew

3 carrots, cut up
3 potatoes, cut up
2 pounds beef chuck or stew meat, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes (I used a bone-less pork roast)
1 c water or beef stock
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic OR 1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika OR 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
3 onions, quartered OR 1/2 c chopped onions
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
1 stalk celery with tops, cut up

Place all ingredients in crockpot in order listed. Cover and set to LOW for 10-12 hours or on HIGH 5-6 hours.

Sword Play

Benjamin is very fond of playing swords. Bekah wants to be just like brother. Dad is the honorable foe because Mom has been hit too many times playing swords with Benjamin. This is what the rest of my little family did with the swords they received for Christmas.

Cabela's

We are always looking for inexpensive entertainment, and Cabela's is great if you have small children! Why? Because there is no admittance fee to the store, they have lots of life size, stuffed animals on display, and it is has the perfect temperature climate regardless of the season.

Cabela's is mostly a hunting, fishing, outdoor clothing kind of store. The Cabela's closest to us also has a restaurant in it, but we go to look at the animals. It is like going to the zoo except you get a lot closer look at the animals in a smaller space (not as much walking and trying to spot the animals). At the front of the store is the "Aquarium" that contains fish native to the United States that are alive and well (Trout, Pike, Bass, and Catfish to name a few). At the base of the mountain are more live fish living in a "stream" that the children can fish (okay, so that costs $0.25 a handful) and upstairs they have a firing range with laser guns and targets.

I took Benjamin and Bekah yesterday to get out of the house and purchase something for our 72 hour kits. By the way, they have a two burner camp stove for 50% off. This time I had my camera with me and I remembered to take some pictures. Usually, I forget it because my mentality is that we are going to "the store" rather than we are going to "look at the animals."

I forget who this guy is suppose to be. All I know is that when you push a button he moves his head and "talks" about wildlife facts. The children love to push the button and see what he does. Another kid friendly interaction activity.

I wouldn't want one of these guys coming at me anytime soon. Ouch!

Most of the displays have a variety of animals from one geological landscape as you can see with the River Otter standing in front of the Mule Deer. On the mountain at the center of the store they have one section for the Arctic animals, another section for forest animals, and a third section for more desert like animals. There are also some really BIG fish on display in the fishing supplies section. They even have an African (I think) exhibit with Lions, Zebras, Kudus, etc.

This Elk is coming down the "canyon" in the middle of the mountain. I didn't remember my camera until we were back down at the base of the mountain so I didn't get a picture of the Caribou coming up the "canyon" at the top of the mountain.

Feeding the fish in the "stream"

Catfish. There was an albino (white) catfish as well, but I had a hard time taking a good picture of it because the catfish weren't moving around much and the other fish were.

The fishes eyes don't really glow. The brightness is a reflection of the flash on my camera.

Checking out the fish in the Aquarium. "I saw a big fish, Mom!" exclaims Benjamin upon entering the fish tank area.

Bekah wanted to touch them through the glass. I wonder what she would do if she could feel how scaly they really are. Gross!

I do have a couple of funny stories about visiting Cabela's.

On Wednesday, I went to look at some of the things that were going on sale this week without Benjamin. He was playing at a friend's house. When I stopped to ask one of the workers a question he asked me if I was lost (not in so many words, but that was the general meaning) since I was at Cabela's with my daughter. I don't think he realized that my daughter loves the animals and I am just as capable of shopping for outdoor equipment as a man. Oh well, his reaction made me smile because he was just trying to be helpful even if he didn't know me very well.

When I went back yesterday, Benjamin begged me to taking him shooting and the range on the second floor. I do not like guns, but my philosophy is that if they have correct exposure as to what guns are suppose to be used for and how to handle them properly and with respect then my children will be less likely to abuse or misuse them later in life. So I took Benjamin and Bekah to the shooting range and we even hit a few targets which made the target (animal, can, bush, etc.) move. The funny part of the story is the strange looks people gave this woman in her dress coat helping her two small children shoot targets at the shooting range. Is there some kind of bias that I am not aware of? Why is it so strange for a mother to share something with her children? Oh well, maybe it is because my children are so young.

I find some people's reactions entertaining when I do something out of the ordinary. All I can say is "I was ordinary once, I didn't like it."

We have a lot of fun visiting Cabela's and find it just as amusing as a museum or zoo, especially when it is really cold or really hot outside.

I Rediscovered my Sewing Machine

Okay, so I know I haven't updated the blog very well this week. Sorry. It has been because I have been sewing up a storm. I finished Aunt Joyce's quilt and pillows early this week and then I proceeded to make this vest for Benjamin.

Yes, I made this green vest from a pattern and fabric I bought at Walmart. I even learned how to make a button hole (Thanks, Joy!), something I have never done before. I have to admit that I am quite amazed the my first attempt to make an article of clothing with more than straight seams turned out so well. Usually, I stick to skirts or pants with elastic around the waiste. I was brave and determined and it paid off.

Now, Benjamin has something new to wear to Aunt Mary's wedding at the end of this month just like all of the girls (including Bekah) do. He is way excited. He was patient with letting me try the pattern and pieces on him to make sure it was going to fit and when it was all done he had to do poses to show Daddy his new attire. Watch out Superman!

Anyway, between the two projects, starting a quilt for Mary & Gary, and trying to keep our family life running smoothly and cleanly I have been finding it hard to find the time to blog, that I needed to download some more pictures. Hopefully, I will be able to make up for lost time in the coming week.

Aunt Joyce's Quilt is Done!

The hand stitching patterns.

I made some cute pillows to match from the leftover fabric.

After 3 1/2 years and 1,000s of hours of work, I finished the quilt I promised to make Aunt Joyce the year Benjamin was born. This is the most detailed quilt I have done and I learned a lot of things about quilting and piecing while completing this project.

I also discovered that while it only took me 3 to 5 days to cut all of the pieces out and 30 days to piece it together, it took me the better part of 11 months to hand quilt the designs seen on the back. I think if I every do such a detailed design again I will do it using a quilting machine.

During the course of making this quilt, I stopped working full time, went to school full time for 18 months, completed my Bachelor's degree, had a baby, planted and maintained a garden, and moved 3 times. Hopefully, the next quilt I make will not have as many complications or interruptions because it is something I truly love to do.

I have now completed 3 queen size quilts and look forward to making more in the coming years. I am so excited to have completed this project! It is quite the accomplishment for me to finish something this complex and detailed. I hope my aunt will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it for her.

Building a Snow Castle

I took this video while Michael was "helping" the children build a snow castle. They obviously were having a blast in their fortress. They even hid behind the walls after launching snowballs at me while I was videoing them out the basement window.

My Children are Growing Up

I know, I know, they are still tiny, but it always amazes me when they reach a new milestone in their little lives.

Benjamin started Sunbeams on Sunday. That means he goes to a class, singing time, and sharing time with all the other children ages 3 through 11 instead of going to nursery where they play toys and have snacks in addition to songs and lessons about Jesus Christ. He was so excited to be a Sunbeam that he got himself dressed for church before Mom and Dad were out of bed. We had been talking to Benjamin about going to Sunbeams and what was expected of him for a couple of weeks now and we were pleasantly surprised to hear that Benjamin was the "best Sunbeam ever" as the substitute teacher put it. Grandma Donna said that Benjamin listened, participated, raised his hand, and was nice to the other children, all of which we had been trying to emphasize over the last couple of weeks. We were excited because he did so well (and because we knew he was listening to us)! I am still having a hard time realizing that Benjamin is 3 years old. Time is passing too swiftly.

Bekah is still our little mimic. She loves to copy her brother and pretend that she is as big as he is. This morning I realized that she has grown at least two inches over the last few weeks. With the busy holidays and having company at our house I failed to notice that she is now tall enough to close the doors from the outside. She just stretches a little and grasps the handle to pull the door shut. Amazing! Now she doesn't lock herself in rooms because she pushes the door shut, Bekah can close the door from the outside so I can't blame Benjamin for shutting the doors all of the time. I called to tell my Mom about Bekah's new ability and she giggled and said that Bekah was doing that while they were here, "No wonder she was so delighted to do that. It was something new."

Our children never cease to amaze me with the new things they learning and doing. I love this part of being a Mom!

I Survived Choir Practice

So in an effort to improve my Sunday activities, I attended choir practice this morning. Not a small feat when you have small children and 1 o'clock church, whereas choir practice is at 9 a.m. in the Relief Society room at the church. That means I have to get up and get ready for church way early rather than taking all day to do it, and I have to convince the children that I am not leaving them out of attending church so that I can leave the house alone.

Anyway, choir practice has not been very enjoyable since we moved into our house and I have not found time to attend. I did go once back in December and was unpleasantly surprised to find that there is a member of the Soprano section who thinks she knows it all and thinks everyone else should too. And, the choir director seemed to be of the assumption that we only needed to run through each song twice to be able to sing it well.

Unfortunately, I usually sing Soprano (thus the overbearing Soprano upset me) and I do NOT read music. I know that the notes go up and down, but I do not know what the notes sound like and it takes me a minute or two to name them. I've taken a basic music class so I know what most of the notations mean and I know where the parts are, but I cannot correspond the sound of a note with the written notation. I sing by ear. If I hear it, I can sing it. If it is complicated, I need a lot of practice. Anyway, I love to sing but if I feel the least bit unwelcome or pressured I do not have any desire to sing in a choir which has been the case for the last few weeks. But today, I decided to be brave and go to choir practice and see if I could overcome my own misgivings.

It started out about the same as before. Granted, the choir director was less pressuring when she called me last night to remind me about choir practice and we were only singing one song, so that made it a little bit easier. Then the obnoxious Soprano sat next to me and was singing higher than the music was written, and so I decided to go sing Alto with the loan sister in the Alto section. Again, no easy feat for some one who naturally sings higher and does not read music, but I did it. And you know what, I actually enjoyed choir practice even though I was more than a little off from time to time and still need a lot of practice. So I guess the moral of this story is that I needed to change my attitude, challenge my fears and insecurities, and change my location in the choir so that I could enjoy my time there instead of having it be burdensome.

* * * * *

The other reason I have a hard time with our current choir has to do with the choir director in our previous ward. I learned and grew a lot in regards to singing and understanding music and I always felt welcome and wanted. Shannon never judged anyone on their ability to read music, or lack thereof, and she encouraged everyone to discuss where they felt improvement so that the choir could improve as a whole and no one had to feel uncomfortable about what they needed to work on. Her attitude and approach to teaching really helped me be willing to acknowledge my weaknesses and work through them instead of remaining stunted so to speak where I was.

We would sing the same song over and over during our hour practices until she felt like everyone knew their parts and the music as a whole. This made it easier for me to really learn and become comfortable with the songs we sang because I was able to hear the songs a lot and really learn the music. I really came to love and appreciate being a part of a choir and the choir members. I am forever gratful to Shannon for her love of music and her efforts to share that love with others, and I don't think my experience with choir will ever be the same.

Zoo Lights

For New Year's Eve we went to Zoo Lights at the zoo. It was a lot more fun than I expected it to be. We decided that we will make it a tradition to go to the Zoo Lights whenever we are home for the New Year.

We discovered a lot of "active" lights. This bear was climbing the tree. We also saw a spider catching a fly, a bear catching a fish, an orangatun jumping for the walking path, a fox chasing a rabbit into its hole, and many more.

We actually were able to see the cats better at night in the snow than during the day time in the summer. They were gorgeous (even if they were sleepy)! The leopard turned its head to look at us right after I snapped the picture.

The tiger had its head hidden right behind the pole so I found it easier to take a picture of the rest of it. Benjamin is still as much into tigers as ever and this is his favorite part of the whole zoo. We also saw the cougar prowling from one end of its cage to the other while checking out the people observing it. The lynxes were also as interested in the people checking them out as the people. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before I could get a picture of the wide-eyed animals looking at the people.

The Spider Monkeys were jumping and chasing each other around their cage, some of the few animals that were up and about at night. We saw some other monkeys that were curled up in groups, sleeping.

Benjamin loves the sneezing elephant! This life size statue plays the music to "Pop goes the Weasel" and makes sneezing noises. In the summer, it sprays water when it sneezes. Benjamin thinks it is quite entertaining and Bekah giggles at it from a distance.

We tried to keep our Munchkins bundled up, but there was too much to look at to convince them to stay in the stroller bundled up in blankets. By the end of the evening they were very glad to have blankets to bundle up in because they were so cold.

Ornaments hanging from the tree by the elephant exhibit.

Inside the "swamp" exhibit there were flowers and butterfly lights. It was so warm and humid in there that my camera lense fogged up creating the glowing effect in this picture.

The deer were "hiding" in the trees.

We totally enjoyed ourselves and going to the Zoo Lights was a good early evening activity for the children. After the Zoo lights were over at 9 p.m. we went home and put the kids to bed. Michael and I attempted to watch a movie through the new year during which I fell asleep. Michael was sweet enought to wake me up at midnight to wish me a Happy New Year and take me to bed. All in all, we really enoyed having a quiet New Year's celebration.