LIGHTS OUT

SO THIS MORNING WHILE LEI WAS IN THE TUB THE POWER WENT OFF. SO I TELL HER SHE HAS TO GET OUT. SHE TELLS ME TO JUST TURN THE LIGHTS ON. I TELL HER I CAN'T THERE IS NO POWER/THEY ARE BROKEN. SHE TELLS ME TO "PUSH THE BUTTON, TRY MOM." SO I GO OK LOOK I AM TRYING TO TURN THE LIGHTS ON. I FLIP THE SWITCH DOWN AND THEN RIGHT WHEN I FLIP THEM UP THE POWER COMES BACK. LEI SAYS, "SEE I TOLD YOU YOU COULD DO IT", AND CONTINUES TO PLAY IN THE TUB.

My Knees

Kaleia last Easter and this Easter

Went to the Dr. today and he thinks I will be running very soon!!!!! I just have a Meniscus injury (some cartilage in your knee). I got a prescription today so hopefully in 2 weeks I will be good to go. If not I will get a cortisone shot. If that does not work then I will go in for an x-ray but I don't think it will go that far! I am so excited to run again, especially since the weather has been so nice.
Kaleia put my shoes on a few weeks ago and told me she was going running; then she asked how come I don't run any more. That is when I made the appointment to go back to the Dr.

*Have started getting Lei's Birthday together.
*Luke is in a very lovey phase. He will scoot over to where I am at and grab my skirt/pants and try to pull himself onto my lap-so cute!
*Lei's taste in music cracks me up, her top favorites
-Gwen Stefani-Sweet escape
-Led Zeppelin-Black Dog
-Three Dog Night-Joy to the world (Jeremiah was a bull-frog)
-Lion King-Hakuna Matata
*Luke is still not crawling yet

DR. PHIL

I was hoping that you guys would post and say how you all did on the Dr. Phil Test.
Come on!

Swimming in the COLD

How come it doesn't matter how cold the water is-if it is hot outside a child must swim. Lei loves the water and she swam for a good while before telling me she was cold and wanted to get out.

We OFFICIALLY can not put off buying a car for much longer. Luke's new car seat does not fit in our car. He is almost to big for the old one so we HAVE TO buy a new car in the next few weeks. We had a good run with one car and can now buy a new one without any guilt, it has become a necessity.

*New show on my DVR-on the food network I love the food network challenges. Currently it is THE LAST CAKE STANDING. Makes me want to learn to decorate!

*My allergies suck right now, dang wind.

*I am off diet coke and have switched to Diet Dr. Pepper

*Luke is not as slobbery as usual, hopefully he has dried out since he cut 2 more teeth this week.

*Went to an awesome baby shower yesterday, Yay for Amanda and baby Moose.

Do you ever feel old/er? I mean I remember thinking missionaries looked soo old (19-21), and this week we had them over and they didn't look old any more. Then I was taking this application and was thinking this guy looks kind of old, and he was a year younger then me. Most applications I take are 18 year olds. I am NOT saying I am old, I know I am young. I am just wondering when do you look in the mirror and look older, or realize you are not young anymore? Maybe this is a mid-life crisis-you realize you are old.

So I want a king bed. But when it gets down to it, it is not just the bed frame that will need to be bought, it is also the mattress and bedding, and that costs a lot more then I would like to spend at the moment. My bed gets smaller in the night when I wake up with a Kaleia at the foot of the bed. She climbs up the end and slips into our bed unnoticed. It is like sleeping with a puppy.

We took the Dr. Phil test and I scored 15 and Jord scored 17. Go us! What did you score?

Partner Awareness Quiz
Don't make the mistake of thinking that you already know your partner inside out. Instead, without judgmental attitudes and with an open mind, give your best, most objective attention to this fascinating enterprise.

Answer the following questions as honestly as you can. Remember that you need to do this without consulting your partner. The point is to assess how aware of your partner you are now. Make this an honest appraisal.


I can name my partner's three best friends.

True False
I know what accomplishments my partner is most proud of.

True False
I can identify the happiest time in my partner's life.

True False
I know what my partner considers to be his or her greatest losses in life.

True False
I can describe what my partner considers to be his or her greatest area of difficulty in interacting with each of his parents.

True False
I know what will be probably be playing on the radio when my partner is driving somewhere.

True False
I can name the relatives that my partner would most likely try to avoid at a family reunion.

True False
I can describe the most traumatic event that occurred in my partner's childhood.

True False
My partner has clearly identified for me what he or she wants in life.

True False
I can identify the obstacles that my partner believes are preventing his or her getting what he or she wants.

True False
I know which of my partner's physical features he or she is least happy about.

True False
I can recall the very first impressions I had of my partner.

True False
I know what section of the Sunday newspaper my partner is likely to turn to first.

True False
I can describe, in some detail, the home environment in which my partner was raised.

True False
I know what makes my partner laugh.

True False
I know what my partner's parents would probably say is the thing about my partner that they are most proud of.

True False
I can describe two or three decisions my partner made before we met that my partner now regrets — and my partner can do the same about me.

True False
I know which part of a restaurant menu my partner is likely to look at first.

True False
I can quote three things my partner says to me that he or she says to no one else in this world.

True False
I am thoroughly familiar with my partner's religious beliefs. True False


Scoring:
Give yourself 1 point for each True answer.
0 to 9 - Miles to go, but the perfect opportunity on hand
10 or higher - Fairly accurate profile, but with much exploration and discovery ahead

Easter Fun

Easter was fun. Went to Cindy's for the family get together with Jordan's fam.


I am in soo need of a vacation. I am so emotionaly drained from this problem at work and can not wait until it is resolved. It has been difficult for me lately to turn it off and it just stays with me into the night. I was grateful for the dinner we had tonight and I was able to forget it for awhile, I think I would have cried from frusteration @ 5:00 if I had time to. :) And those who know me know I DO NOT CRY. I want to go to Southern CA. or Vegas I believe...Sondra are you up for Vegas? Let's plan a long weekend! And if we are that close maybe I will need to rent a car and spend a day in the motherland to see Suz, Steph, and Spence.

Ode to the reckless one

So my friend called me last week and said she was in the mood to do something reckless. She wanted to buy a motorcycle. She asked if I ever wanted to do something reckless. I told her yes, I think that is normal. We are cooped up all day with our children. I myself, always want to runaway to a vacation. I want to just book some incredibly expensive vacation to Hawaii or Tahiti. These two are usually the ones I surf online for discount package deals. I just want to tell Jordan, "oh by the way you may want to put in a vacation request for these dates because I just bought us a vacation." But I have decided that a motorcycle may not be reckless...but not smart. Spent all day in the emergency room Saturday (3 p.m.-9) (I am fine, stomach pains) and got to witness an ugly sight. A motorcycle accident was being brought in. Who was later airlifted to UC Davis for a specialist in shattered pelvis'. He also had broken legs and arm, a punctured lung, and a concussion, from what I was able to hear. Hey I was alone, bored, without book, in pain, without magazine (THERE WERE NONE IN THE WAITING ROOM!) no t.v....it was a long day. So I took up listening to the police officers explain the crashes to the families and the hospital staff give updates. So please my friend do not get a motorcycle! This guy was an experienced rider of 5 years and someone made a left turn on red and he hit them dead on.

Nothing in Particular

Okay first off I have changed the title of my blog, because really this is MY spot.

I have to say that a genius designed the store layout of Ikea. You HAVE to go through a maze to get anywhere. You can not just run in and grab what you need and you can not help but be side tracked by fun gadgets and accessories. Thankfully it is one of a kind in design and we do not risk getting lost in all stores for hours. Can you imagine a mall set up like that? It would be an all day adventure for sure.

Questions to self:
-Why is cable and a DVR box worth spending so much money on every month?
-Why do I feel self imposed guilt when I want to go out for a night of fun and leave my husband home with the kids?
-Why do I eat so much so late at night?
-When did chocolate and soda become a vice?
-When did I start saying "because I said so"? I hated that as a kid.
-Why do I (who has no sentiment for anything) have sentiment towards my TINY car?

Announcement-I am very close to (or was this morning) to going down to the next set of digits on the scale. A battle that has been going on since January.
GOAL-Loose the final 15 pounds before then end of the year.(I give myself some room to have a couple cheat days. LOL.) I want to wear my skinny jeans this coming winter. Please do not remind me of this post if I post something similar in December about loosing my final 15 pounds, but replace skinny jeans this winter with skinny shorts this coming summer.

Toddlers and Tiaras

Have any of you watched this show? I oddly record and watch it weekly. I find it humorous. I am not judging, I hold pageants in the same category as home school/public school, breast/bottle, athletics, etc. BUT PLEASE do not try to convince me a 22 month old just LOVES to do pageants. Or a 4 year old would not be as happy doing a pageant in their own living room with friends and tiaras. The mom's at this age are enjoying themselves a bit more then the kids; but they are spending time with their kids none the less.

What I enjoy watchin is the money being spent. With the amount of money put into this "sport" you would think that A LOT of prize money was at stake. However, most pageants do not have a cash prize, and the ones that do, there is only one winner who gets it and it is only $1,000. (According to the show. I have not researched this, nor do I plan on wasting time doing so.) Which would be a good chunk of change if it not for--dresses range $1,000-$3,500, there is also a "choice outfit", swimsuit outfit, talent outfit & props, coaching, make-up, REAL hair pieces (these are super expensive), flippers (fake teeth), tanning, accessories, shoes, and admission to the pageant. Whew! Plus the stress of getting ready fast, running to get into the next outfit, blah, blah, blah.

What I do like though is that there are clear winners and losers. It is usually not sugar coated. And this I respect. Not like our school system where you may not announce honor roll students because someones feelings may get hurt. No not keeping score at a baseball game so "we are all winners". I mean come on, what kind of generation are we raising?--you know because where you work everyone gets paid the same, no one is ever fired, promotions don't exist, and you are praised for trying.

Comparables

I think Kaleia is a little older then Luke in this shot, but pretty close.

As I was going thru old pics I found myself thinking how different of a mother I am now then I was the first time around. Life, kids, jobs, school, all these factors are so different now it has totally changed how I mother and who I am. Not sure it is for the better. I remember reading to Lei for hours and doing all these exercises to get her to sit, crawl, and walk sooner. Now I am thinking, "please don't crawl Luke I am not ready for you to be mobile. Do not start to scoot Luke or I am going to push you over." I can count on my fingers how many times I have sat and read to Luke (that is sad to admit). I was counting down to the time I could feed Kaleia something new, go do something new, show her something new; now I am kinda am like whatever. It happens when it happens. But as such I can see how much further Lei was at this age, not that Luke is behind but that Lei was so FAR ahead of the game. That girl KNEW every letter of the alphabet and could recognize her name before the age of 2. And now she knows all the sounds and some words. Not sure I will be able to spend an hour each day outside with chalk going over letters with Luke. Don't see myself walking circles around the pool holding his hands while he learns to walk multiple times a day. You just can't have that much focus one child when you have two. I am beginning to see why first borns are such over achievers. They are PUSHED from day one. Not sure if I am better mom now (I have always thought I was a better mom of one) but one thing I do know for sure--both my kids are LOVED and feel LOVED, and I am doing the best I can. They are growing up in a home with two happy parents who love each other and really that is all that matters. So when I loose my patience over something stupid, over react, yell, make the situation worse do to laziness, I will recall all the good things I do. I do play on the floor with my kids a lot, I do surprise myself with on heard of patience once in awhile, and I have finally accepted that poop does sometimes happen in the bath.

POOP

I really think I no longer can smell poo. I changed a diaper today and was thinking, "my this looks like it has been sitting on his butt for a bit." Never smelled it...and while I was changing it I still couldn't smell it until I concentrated and took a whiff. I have developed an immunity to the smell of poo! However, I can always tell what kind of poo it is...carrot, prune, pea, banana; color and texture give away it's origin and I know just how long it took the food to work it's way thru his tiny body.

I think I come in direct contact with poop AT LEAST 5X a day...When did poop become such a large part of my day? I know that my poo expertise will have gone to far when I know what foods make poo float or sink in bath water.

Kaleia quotes from the last 24 hrs.

"Mom look! Look at the cute catapillar."--it was dried dog poop

"Mom! I have to poop I have to poop."--she yells running across the park holding her bum.

"Mom, I have a crack like Nana."--she says examing her heels.

"Mom, the sun woked up and now I can get in your bed."--she says climbing in; seconds before sunrise, the rule is she can't get in our bed until the sun is shining.

"Mom, my tummy is rumbling just like pooh."

"Mom, my pee is yellow...I need more water."--this one is said daily

"Tatata, mom I have to go!"