Busy, busy week

We have had an eventful week, but it has all gone so quickly that it seems hard to believe that it has all happened in just these seven days. Monday was MLK day and so M had the day off. We spent the day working on various projects around the house. The big success was that by the end of the day I had a new light in our master bathroom! It was so nice to have plenty of light to use while getting ready for bed. We also did all of our shopping and enjoyed being together for the day. It feels very good to be able to cross off things from the never-ending "to-do "list. To celebrate our hard work we went to a local restaurant that we really enjoy and had a fun dinner. It was a great way to end such a tiring day.

Tuesday was the Inauguration of President Obama. We decided to forgo the crowds and bitter, bitter cold and so instead we drove to Baltimore to go to the National Aquarium. The drive went very smoothly with no traffic. We parked and then had a cold picnic in our car before heading off to the aquarium. We had originally thought that we would take the whole weekend (since M had two days off) and go somewhere. But instead we thought we would work on the house, and then go do something that we normally wouldn't go. The aquarium was the perfect thing. It was all indoors and there we no crowds to deal with. We had only planned to stay for about three or four hours, but instead we stayed more than five! It was a great place for B-man. He could run and be loud, and we just let him set the pace of what we did. When he wanted to stare at something for a long time we let him, and when he wanted to keep moving we moved with him. We got to see lots of feedings, and B-man made friends with all the divers that go in the water. He also loved the dolphin show. It was probably his favorite part. On the drive home we stopped for some hot chocolate, and made it safely back home.

Wednesday was a quiet day. I can't remember much from the day. That night B-man and I had dinner alone (M had Spanish) and then headed off to the church for basketball. We met Mat the church, and M and I met with the Stake President before heading out to play basketball. It was very nice of the Stake President to take time and visit with us. I know how busy they are, and he was so kind and didn't seem like he was in a rush at all. After the meeting we went to basketball. We only had time for a quick scrimmage before we ended for mutual. Mutual was a combined activity, one of the Laurels was in charge and she organized a Book of Mormon game. Once we gave the kids something to eat they were quiet enough to actually listen… The one thing I have loved about mutual so far is that we end early! It's been wonderful to be able to get home so early on activity nights.

Thursday I had David. It was a busy day. I first took B-man to preschool. Then I was supposed to go visiting teaching, but the sister I visit forgot I was coming and wasn't home. I then went and picked up David and we ran an errand before preschool was out. We then picked up B-man and headed home. We had lunch and had a low key day.

Friday was a very, busy day. It's one of those days that make you tired just thinking about it before hand. It all started with me waking up about 4:30 a.m. getting dressed and then getting B-man up with me and driving to the house of a friend. She had to be at the hospital for a procedure, and needed me to watch her two year old while she and her husband were gone. I had decided that there was more of a chance for B-man to go back to sleep at her house, than her child at mine. We showed up at 4:50 they gave us a few instructions and then they were off. B-man and I went straight up to the bed and lay down. It took us both a while (maybe an hour?) but eventually we both fell back asleep! I was so relieved about that one little detail that it made the rest of the day seem easier. We woke up about 7:45 started breakfast and then their boy woke up. We all had breakfast, cleaned up, and then I took both of the boys back to my house. I needed to be there early because David was being dropped off early. He ended up being late, and I had to leave and take B-man to preschool. They had a princess and pirate party for the letter "P". When I got back to my house David and his mom were waiting for me. I then had two boys playing happily in my house. Of course I had not had time to shower and really get ready yet for the day, and it was slightly horrifying how many people were seeing me with bed head, but I couldn't really think about it. Around 10:00 my friend's husband arrived and picked up their son. From there on out the day was much calmer. M got home at his normal time, and I even got a quick cat nap in. While I was sleeping B-man and M were enjoying the unusually warm weather. (It was fifty degrees!) They had gone to the park near our house and B-man loved watching the big guys play football. He thought he was playing but mostly he was just watching what they did. At one point B-man reported that the big kid hit him with the football "but he was really nice and asked if [he] was okay." When he was taking a bath that night he reported this half an hour as his favorite of the day! After David got picked up M and I got ready for our date night. After dropping off B-man we went to our very favorite restaurant in the area. M periodically will get a gift card there from work when he does something above and beyond what is expected. We really enjoyed our night out. The restaurant never disappoints us! (I am actually a picky restaurant eater…)

Saturday morning M got up very early for a 7:00 a.m. church basketball game. B-man and I met him there for the women's game later. Luckily our team won by forfeit, but we still were able to play a very competitive scrimmage, where our ward got killed. It was still good for us to be able to practice. We then hung out and waited until the girls' game. I was the coach for the girls' game since their regular coach couldn't make it. We had a very slow start, but eventually we got all warmed up and they figured out their positions and they ended up winning. They always get so excited, it is very cute. We had a relaxing afternoon and then we got ready to go to the temple. Our Stake always starts Stake Conference with a temple session. We picked up the babysitter, gave her all the instructions, and then headed off. We carpooled with a friend of ours and made it with plenty of time. The talks were wonderful, and then miraculously M and I made it into the first session afterwards. Unfortunately the Washington D.C. temple does not have very large rooms, so some people had to wait more than an hour! M and I were also able to do work for family names, which made it even more special. When we made it back to the car there were lots of messages from the babysitter and our next door neighbor. That's never a good sign. Turns out that she put the frozen pizza in the oven on top of the plastic cutting board that I had set out for her to cut the pizza on. Within two minutes there were horrible amounts of fumes and smoke coming from the oven. To make a long story short, they all ended up at our neighbor's house. They were SO nice and took them both in for FOUR hours and the husband tried his best to clean out our plastic filled oven and to get all the fumes out of the house. M and I were such a mixture of emotions. We were so horrified that it had all happened, but so grateful for our very kind neighbors. They acted like it was no big deal at all! We really have great neighbors! I took the poor girl home and M got B-man to bed. The whole way home she just kept saying how sorry she was about our house. You could tell she was very embarrassed. The good news was that our bedroom door was closed the whole time so it escaped most of the horrible smell; the bad is that we are still trying to figure out how to rid our house of the smell. We left the kitchen door open and the fans on until we went to bed, and did it all again this morning, but it still smells…

This morning we all had breakfast, and then B-man and I hid in my bedroom while M attacked the oven. He first turned on the oven very low to heat up the rest of the plastic and scraped out as much as he could. We then turned the oven to a self clean cycle. Before he left it to clean on his own there was one point where I looked out my bedroom window and saw a bunch of smoke moving up away from the house. We eventually got dressed and ready and made it to church. The big event for our family during church was that M was sustained as the Elders' Quorum President during Priesthood. He didn't have time to get any counselors called, so he will be flying solo for a few weeks. He is feeling all those normal feelings you have when you have a new calling to figure out. After church we went to the Stake President's office where he was set-apart. After church we had our home teachers come over, and then had a tasty dinner. I am practicing making gravy from pan drippings. It wasn't perfect, but it is getting better! I'm glad I watched my mom make so much gravy through my life! I can't help but think of her when I am working on it. After dinner we put B-man to bed early, and then M went to do some home teaching of his own.

We love you all! Any ideas on how to remove the smell of plastic from a house?

R, M, and B-man

Oven Disaster

Stake conference started yesterday, and ends next weekend. We love Stake conference, and love how it starts in the Washington DC temple. We have loved being able to go together to these events, even though getting a baby-sitter can be tricky. We were happy to find a baby-sitter, even though she was a little young. We don't mind using young baby-sitters, but we were a little hesistant about being gone for 5-6 hours.

1600 - R explained the complexities of our house; telephone numbers, bed times, how to cook a pizza, etc.

1610 - We left B-man and baby sitter for the temple

1615 - Our friend, Erika, questioning our decision to leave B-man with an eleven year-old

1650 - Entered the Washington DC temple

1729 - (1st phone call from our house) - The babysitter was calling (you could hear the fire alarm in the background) saying that there had been a problem with the oven and the pizza. They were on the deck because there was a lot of smoke in the house.

1730 - Chapel Session started

1735 - (2nd phone call from our house) - Cyndi (our neighbor) was calling to let us know that they were over at our house, trying to help

1738 - (3rd phone call from our house) - Cyndi (our neighbor) saying that they had brought the kids over to their house and they were going to order pizza and let the kids watch a movie.

1815 - Endowment Session, happy to get into the first of the four session people would be getting into.

1916 - Jim (neighbor) calling to let us know that our doors were open, fans were on and that they didn't want to leave B-man and the baby sitter at home because of the smoke and plastic stench.

2045 - We noticed that we had received a lot of phone calls, so before we even listened to any of the messages we called home. Instead of our baby-sitter answering, Jim answered the phone. He filled us in on everything that had happened. We promised him that we would be home as quickly as possible - no stopping for dinner this time.

2120 - Parked the car in front of our house, and we could smell plastic at this point. (This is my fastest time yet; temple to home in 35 minutes...thankfully there were no police around. I was rehearsing what I would say, if I were to get pulled over)

2121 - Us examining the plastic puddle in the oven. She had decided that the plastic cutting board should go into the oven with the pizza...we thought that she would just put the pizza directly on the oven rack.

The cutting board (what she was supposed to cut the pizza on) before it got cooked

What it turned into (400 degrees for four minutes)

2123 - Apoligizing to our neighbors for having to watch B-man and our babysitter for the last four hours. (We were debating whether to pay them, instead of the baby-sitter....but that would never have really worked).

2145 - Turned off the heat, opened the doors even more and tried to air out the house

2200 - B-man finally in bed, three hours late....(yes he was cranky today....amazing on how that three hours makes such a difference)

2245 - We realized that the "airing out" hadn't done much at all - so we turned the heat back on, closed the doors and called it a day

2300 - We got into bed...happy to be away from the plastic smell

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

We drove about an hour on Tuesday morning to the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland to see the National Aquarium. It was a very fun excursion. We decided to go see it instead of leaving town. It's a pricey thing to do, but we felt it was worth it. They have exhibits showing what lives in water as it moves over land, and then eventually to ocean. There were plenty of beautiful tropical fish, and a great shark exhibit too. There was a diver in one section of the shark enclosure (it had a portion blocked off from the sharks) and B-man was more scared of the diver's mysterious legs in the water, then the huge sharks swimming around. There weren't a lot of hands on touching of fish, but they did bring out some animals periodically for the kids to see up close and ask questions about.

B-man loved the dolphin show the most. Who can blame him? They are so impressive. His favorite part of the show was when the dolphin jumped out of the water to touch a balloon that was suspended high above the tanks. We all loved the jumps and tricks that they did. We also made sure to steer clear of the splash zone, and we stayed nice and dry during the show. The thing that B-man loved best after the dolphin show, was watching the fish be fed. We first watched them feed the rays and some other fish. We then literally followed the divers into the elevator for their next feeding. Of course B-man was talking to them the entire ride in the elevator, and we had to stay and watch them feed the fish at the Atlantic reef exhibit. They would wave and try and show us what they were doing. It was fun to watch them and see where some of the fish were hiding. B-man loved every minute of it. And he talked to them again when they got out of the water and into the elevators. We finished the day in the Australia exhibit. We saw huge bats, and we got spit at by some of the fish. We also saw some crocodiles being very active and eating things. All of the volunteers kept commenting about how active the animals were and how lucky we were! I love coming on days where the animals are being cooperative! When we finally couldn't walk anymore we made it back to the car, and made the drive home. It was a great day!

***Funny story of the day... (because there always has to be one) We parked on the seventh floor of the parking garage, but unfortunately the elevator was broken. No big deal going down, but going back to the car it took a lot more energy. That gave us more time to notice our surroundings. We were in a very dingy, slightly scary stairwell. It was like a scene from too many movies, and both M and I commented on it. I am very glad there were no bad guys trying to chase me for several reasons. The biggest being that I am not very fast and they would have caught me or shot me for sure. As a bonus, when we got to our car it still smelled like lunch. We'd had an egg salad picnic (a very Linford/Clark thing to do) in the car before going into the aquarium. It was only about 28 degrees, but somehow the smell still managed to permeate the car.

Our Week

We’ve had a busy week that has flown by! Monday was the slowest day. We did our grocery shopping, and ran some other errands. That night we had FHE and talked about a story from “The Friend.”

Tuesday morning we had preschool at our house. It was fun for B-man to be back in preschool. We focused on the letter “O” and also did a little about Martin Luther King Jr. The time flew by and the kids all did great together. Tuesday night M had a basketball game for the ward team. They lost by just a few points, but were missing some key players.

Wednesday morning I watched a friend’s little boy while she went to a doctor’s appointment. After he was picked up I had just enough time to get a very basic shower in and get ready before David was dropped off. We never really go anywhere when David is over, and it was no different on this day. B-man really enjoys having him over though. That night M had Spanish and stayed late at work. B-man and I ate dinner alone and then headed over to the church where M met us for basketball practice. We let B-man run around for a while before M took him home. I stayed for Young Women’s. It was a class activity and I didn’t feel like I was contributing very much.

Thursday we woke up to our first accumulation of snow. It was seriously a dusting, not even enough to make a snowball, but we were all excited. The schools even had a one hour delay because of it. B-man was so excited that we pulled out all his snow gear and put him in it. He played out on the deck for about twenty minuets before deciding that he wanted to come in. There wasn’t enough snow (and it was bitterly cold) to keep him occupied for long periods. We then got ready for preschool. We had a slightly shorter day because of the school delays, but it worked out great for me. I was all planned out, but for some reason everything took way less time than I had anticipated. It worked out great with the shortened time, but I would have been in a pickle if we had not started late.

Friday was my busiest day. It started with me watching the same friend’s child while she went to the doctor. (She usually watched B-man for me, and we had an agreement to switch off when she needed it. It’s a great arrangement.) Then after he was picked up I again had just enough time to get properly dressed before David was dropped off. I then had my visiting teachers come over and visit. They brought a total of three kids with them, so there were five kids under five running through the house. They were all having fun! Then after they left I hurried and finished the lunch that I had been preparing (soup) for some friends. We try to get together during the winter once a week to eat and let the kids play. For some reason all the kids were extremely hyper or grumpy. It was slightly hilarious at times. We all just ignored as much as we could so that we could enjoy some conversation, but every occasionally we had to step in and stop the craziness; we also just talked over a lot of it too. I remember that when I was teaching the kids were like miniature barometers. We always knew when the weather was changing or crazy because the kids were always acting up more than usual. Friday happened to be the coldest day in the D.C. area that we have had in about thirteen years. It was just bitterly cold, with a very chilly wind blowing making it worse. When M got home he worked on some dry wall work, and we were able to finish fixing some blinds in our house. We inherited very nice blinds when we moved in, but two have been broken. Not wanting to replace them I contacted the company and they sent us the parts (for free) to fix them and assured us that it was a very easy fix… Well, it required an emergency run to the sewing store for an enormous needle, and we did get some more (much needed) practice at patience under frustrating circumstances. But after we hung it up we were surprised and delighted when the blinds moved up and down! Hurrah! That night we had a small family party and watched a fun movie with B-man.

Saturday morning we had a very leisurely start. B-man crawled into bed with us and then snuggled with us for a while letting us sleep late. B-man and I then went to help coach the young women’s basketball game. B-man loved being able to watch the game and play with some of the other kids that were at the game. The game went well. At times the other woman who is the coach and I just had to laugh. None of the girls really know what they are doing which lends to some hilarity. But there are several with just enough natural talent that we won! It slightly drives me crazy, because if those girls had been taught just a little when they were younger they could be really great players now. It makes me appreciate all those times my dad took me out to shoot, and all the times he coached my “Snuffy” basketball team. While we were gone M took advantage of the quiet and worked hard on a bunch of dry wall repairs that needed to be done. We are trying to use this weekend to finish some projects that we have had on our “to-do” list for a very long time. After a lunch break we all worked together to organize our storage closet. We got the Christmas boxes stowed away and reorganized some of the things that we had in there. I can now walk past that room with out cringing internally. After finishing that project I went to a Tupperware party. It was my first one ever! It made me think of my mom the whole time. Not that she sold Tupperware or anything, but we certainly had all their best stuff. (Knowing my mom she probably got a lot of it at garage sales for super cheap.) When I got home we had a few minutes to get organized before heading over to a friend’s house. They had a bunch of new electronic toys (blue ray disc player and enormous TV.) that they wanted to show us, and we interspersed everything with hot chocolate and some dinner. We came home and put B-man to bed, and M went to the birthday party of a friend. They played a couple of games and had a bunch of great food to snack on. I worked on finishing my lesson while he was gone.

Today has been a wonderful Sunday. We had lots of time before church, and we are doing a better job at being able to fill it and still be organized for things after church. We got dinner going in the crock pot and then were off to church. B-man didn’t have to be taken out once during Sacrament meeting. Hurray! My lesson seemed to go okay; I am still trying to figure out how much the girls know about the gospel. I don’t want the lessons to be too basic, but I also don’t want to talk about things that are way over their heads. Hopefully I can occasionally get somewhere in the middle. I was really trying to make my little table look like something that would be appropriate for the Young Women. The manual even mentioned I should do it to set a reverent mood, but when I set it up I realized all I had was a table with a table cloth on it, and a tiny picture of Christ propped up on the black board. It was slightly hilarious because it was so apparent that I was “trying” to make it look pretty, and failing horribly. We’ll keep working on that I guess. Maybe someday it won’t look like an afterthought… After church we rushed to get the house (and meal) ready for some friends. We had a simple dinner and got to enjoy the humiliation of watching your child steal from and beat up another child in front of their parents… Sometimes being a parent is just embarrassing! That B-man is such a rascal sometimes; it’s a good thing he can be so cute and endearing at others. Luckily we are good enough friends with this family that they didn’t really hold it against us, or B-man. Once they left we immediately put B-man to bed. M then had a presidency meeting for the Elders’ Quorum. We are now enjoying the peace and quiet and looking forward to several days off this week.

Secret Love

I have a secret love. I try to keep it under wraps for a multitude of reasons. Adults aren't supposed to love these chips. I have a weakness for all chips, but if I have a choice I always grab these first. The other day I was grocery shopping, and really wanted to buy some Cheetos. (I haven't had any for a VERY long time.) I never buy junk food at the grocery store because I eat them all and it is not great for the proverbial waistline. So I resisted, and passed them by. Then the other night at Young Women's they had delicious treats. We had chocolate chip cookies, but the Mia Maids, well they had Cheetos, and Hot Tamales! For the entire hour I was very strong. I felt myself sneaking a glance at the snacks every couple of minutes, and I seriously almost ate some off an abandoned plate. But I stayed strong. A wise woman once told me that Cheetos (and Doritos) for that matter are dangerous. Once you eat the first one, you are done for and you might as well eat as many as you want. There is no such thing as self control with those snacks once you have had one. It's so true. I feel like an alcoholic-- only my problem is cheesy chips. The kind that makes your fingers bright orange, and your breath smell awful. Why are they so tasty? I feel like an eight year old kid, but they are so good. In the end, I broke down and ate the Cheetos. And hot tamales for that matter. And I didn't just have one, although I did only eat the lonely ones left in the bowl, and did not break into the bag that was very nearby. Unfortunately like an alcoholic, now I can't stop thinking about when I am going to get my next "fix" of Cheetos. I think I may need help!

The Depths of Winter

In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
- Albert Camus

We are in the depths of winter here, except it is a sort of winter hell. It is bitterly, bitterly cold (especially with the wind chill factored in) and there is not a speck of snow anywhere. What is the point of being twenty degrees outside, if there isn't something beautiful to look at, or fun to play in outside? I feel like I am trapped, and it will never be warm again. I have one solace, and that is dreaming of spring and summer. I signed up for my farm again, and am already dreaming of fresh fruit, berries, and vegetables. Then, to add to my day dreaming I got a plant catalogue in the mail. I have looked through it several times. My yard is the size of a postage stamp, which is good because if it was even slightly normal size I would be forced to buy way too many plants. But how can you say no to such beauty? (Apparently I can't because I have three hydrangeas in my tiny yard.. .) Someday I hope to have my own garden of Eden in my yard. But maybe it is good that for right now I can just start small and dream and practice for whenever I will have the space for all of this...

Somehow all of that will just not fit in this...

Quality over Quantity

Häagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut

If you really want to splurge, this is worth it!  We usually stick with Carmel Cone but this was really, really good.  I was worried that there would be too much coconut in it, but it was the perfect balance of cream, pineapple and coconut.

January 11, 2009

The highlight of the day on Monday was me going to the dentist to get a cavity filled. I guess if you start the week off with a visit to the dentist for a filling it can only get better. I asked a bunch of questions about how I could have avoided the cavity, and ended up with a “nothing.” Although reassuring it really is frustrating to not be able to prevent cavities. That night after the feeling came back to my mouth we had a dinner and then for FHE we had a lesson on an article from “The Friend”.

Tuesday was a quiet day. In the morning we went to a planning meeting for the preschool that we have been doing for the school year. We got a lot accomplished while the kids were busy playing. The rest of the day we didn’t do much besides work around the house and play together. Wednesday B-man really wanted to have a friend over, so we called a friend, but in the end he went over to his house. He was still very happy about it. That evening after dinner B-man and I went to the church for basketball practice. B-man kept telling me how much he loved me for taking him to the church. I think he was a little desperate for some time to run around like a crazy man. After the practice Matthias came and took B-man back home while I stayed for mutual. We had all the young women together and worked on a personal progress.

Thursday morning B-man and I got up and going. We were able to make it on time to a speech screening that had been recommended by his pediatrician. As we were checking in I was reminded about several papers (like a birth certificate) that I had completely forgotten. So once B-manwent in for the evaluation I drove home, got the papers, and then came right back. In the end they said that B-man is fine for his age group. He is missing some sounds, but apparently that is age appropriate. They did give me some ideas of things I could do at home to help him. They also talked a lot about his “character” voice and how it made it harder to understand (he’s a sound affects man) and how great he is at imaginative play. Not a surprise to me, since I am usually the one he eventually gets to be a part of his imaginative world. When we were done we then went to a friend’s house for lunch. It’s always a great way for the kids to play and the adults to be able to visit with each other. After lunch we made it back home, and enjoyed some quiet time.

Friday we had a very quiet morning, and afternoon. That evening we had our first date night with our old babysitting co-op. After dropping off B-man we went to the Palmer’s (some friends from our ward) and had dinner and then played Scrabble. We hadn’t played in a long time, and it was fun to play again. I especially enjoyed it since I won…

Saturday morning we were up and going early. I went to the basketball game. I wasn’t feeling great, so I didn’t play, but I was a great cheerleader/coach. This is the toughest team in the stake, (huge post players) and we only lost by about four points, so we are hopeful for another good season. After the game B-man and I took advantage of an Eagle project going on at the Stake Center and got an id card for B-man. He loves it and asks to look at it all the time since I got it. I also helped coach the young women. There is only one person that has played any basketball before, so there are a lot of things that they need to learn, but we actually won! They came back from ten points behind (which is the equivalent of thirty in a real game) and won by one point. They were all so excited. We had ten girls come and hopefully we will be able to keep the excitement going. After a long morning at the church B-man and I went back home to be with M and eat some lunch. We had a very relaxing Saturday. We worked around the house a little, and just enjoyed being lazy. That evening B-man and I drove a carload of girls to a stake activity. We then came home and had dinner and then watched a short kid’s movie with B-man before he went to bed. I enjoyed dreaming about the spring and summer while perusing the perennial catalog that had come in the mail. After B-man was in bed M and I watched “What Happens in Vegas”. We thought there were some very funny moments, and it did have a good message about marriage.

Today has been a great day. I spent the morning finishing the details on my lesson and B-man got to play with M all morning. Sacrament meeting went really well with B-man, although he was loudly whispering his concern over not being able to find one of his Primary teachers. I think he has also learned the “I need to go to the bathroom!” trick as a way to escape for a few minutes. I was a little nervous for my lesson, but the girls were really quiet (almost too quiet) and I got through everything that I wanted. I guess I’ll be getting a lot of practice with teaching in the coming months! After church we had a tasty dinner and then a quiet evening.

We hope that you all are well. We are so grateful for such wonderful friends and family!

Catch me, Dad!

This is a daily request for B-man. He will climb on to any surface and wait for me to catch him. He always is asking me to back up - he doesn't want me to be too close to him. He started to jump off the stairs to me, sailing over ten steps before landing on me....with R shaking her head. No fear at all.

Trying to fill the five hours before 12:30 church, I was encouraging him to jump to me so that we could document his long jumps. I got him on the countertop and then we proceeded to the stairs. He pretended to jump a couple of times, so that I could get the picture of how far up the stairs he had gotten. R was going to take the picture of when he actually jumped, to see how he flew through the air. On this jump, maybe it was performance anxiety, but he didn't go as far as he usually does - and hit his legs on the stairs. Other than some bruises, nothing broken, he's going to do fine. He did say that he doesn't want to jump from so high anymore....we'll see how long it takes him to start jumping again.

(R never got the picture of him in the air...and we won't see another for a while)

SCRABBLE!!!!!

We are playing Scrabble tonight with some friends. R and I haven't played for a really long time. We used to play Scrabble while we watched a movie or while watching must-see-tv on Thursday night. We had to call it quit when we were both getting mad when the other person won.

The good thing about playing with other couples is that either they win (and we are good sports, since we act better at others houses) or we win and we're happy.

Our friends know that we are both competitive, and they share our opinion - if you're not competitive while playing games, why play?

*This wasn't our best game of Scrabble ever, but I went out first with a good word on a triple word spot, and Rebecca won the game.

Happy New Year!!!!!!

Happy New Year!

I feel like I was just celebrating the Millennium, and here it is 2009, it's crazy! We started off the week in a very slow manner. I was still recovering from my cold and to let me get a little extra sleep M got up with B-man and helped him instead of heading into work early. Then he just stayed home and helped all day, which was a great way to get better. It certainly made a difference for me. That night for FHE we implemented a new reward system for B-man. We were sick of several things, one his insistence on explaining why he didn't need to listen to us, and the other thing we wanted to get rid of was his insistence on climbing into bed with us at night. The night before it had risen to an absurd level, with him trying to sneak into our bed about five times. Enough was enough! So we split the jar into three different rewards, and then every time he listens or does something good he gets a bean. If he stays in his bed all night he gets ten beans. (Can you tell we wanted to really get him sleeping in his own bed…?) That night as he was going to bed we really prepped him. We said, "Okay, what are you going to do when you wake up and want to come get into Mom and Dad's bed?" And he responded "I will think, beans, beans, beans!" So far it is working like a charm! He hasn't come into our bed once! We are both amazed at the power of a bean. He of course wants to be rewarded for every time he says "okay" to us, but it has been so great. Why didn't we start this sooner?

Tuesday was a normal day. M worked all day, and had Spanish that evening. B-man and I ran a few errands, and stayed close to home. That night M went home teaching.

Wednesday M was off to work early. The good news was that he got to come home early for New Year's Eve. He got home just in time to take care of B-man while I went to a doctor's appointment. After finishing with the doctor I ran to the grocery store. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. M took a nap in preparation for a late night, and B-man and I baked and played some games. That night after dinner we all went over to a friend's house. We put B-man to sleep at their house, and then enjoyed a party with three other couples. We played a bunch of games. We started with girls against boys in Pictionary, and the women won! Then the rest of the games we were in couples and competing against each other. There was even a "trophy" for the couple that won. We didn't end up victorious, but it was a fun night. We took a break in the games to watch the ball drop and celebrate the New Year. When it was time to go home we packed up, and then transferred B-man. Thankfully he went right back to sleep, so the night was a success. We were so happy not to have to pay for a babysitter. (Plus they are hard to find on New Years!)

Thursday we all slept in and had a lazy morning. Eventually we wanted to figure out what we could do for a fun day. It turns out that everything is closed on New Years! Seriously, everything was closed. If we had gotten an earlier start we could have gone to the District, but we didn't have the planning in place. Instead we decided to take B-man bowling. The first game was fun, although slightly low scores. It's amazing how much we used the bumpers that were supposed to be for B-man… The second game B-man lasted about two frames and then decided that the arcade games were more interesting, so M bowled for him. I improved greatly the second game (and won!) and then we went left. We ran a few errands on the way home, including washing our car. It felt good to have a nice clean car for the New Year.

Friday was back to a normal day. M had a full day of work, I watched David, etc. I worked throughout the day in little snippets on getting the Christmas decorations taken down. I got more done than I thought I would. That night for our date night M and I watched "The Hulk" and had some fun ice cream. It was a good movie, although a little too violent for my taste.

Saturday was a slightly strange day. After a leisurely morning with waffles M needed to work, and instead of going into the office worked from home. It's hard for B-man not to want to play with M when he is around (no office for him to escape to) so B-man and I ran a bunch of errands all in a row. We started with taking Primary things to the new person who is doing my calling. She is a friend of mine, so it was great to get to chat with her while our boys played. We then did a bunch of other errands. So many, that B-man was begging to go home and be with Dad by the end. We came home for lunch and some play time, and then we ran a few more errands with M that afternoon. M kept sneaking in little bits of work when he could, and was finally able to be done a little after B-man was in bed. He is glad to be done with the reports he was working on.

Today has been a great day. We had a lot of extra time in the morning because of our change in meeting time. At church M got to participate in the baby blessing of a family friend, and then right before Sacrament meeting ended we left to go pick up two different families that we knew from the airport. They were both arriving on the same flight, and before we knew that we had committed to picking them up from the airport. It all worked out in the end, and was okay. I did forget that B-man was supposed to give the scripture. I'm not sure what they had him do, but I think he did something because he was talking about it after church. Whoops! In Young Women I had another week to observe before starting to teach next week. It will be a fun adventure. After church we came home and then started working on dinner. We realized that we didn't have as much time as we thought, so we ended up having guests over for a completely improvised dinner. It turned out okay, but it could have been bad… Luckily they are good friends, and we knew they wouldn't hate us if the food was gross. B-man had a blast with their kids; although we haven't quite figured out how to get him to eat when we have people over. He is too anxious to play and impress them with his antics.

We hope you all had a safe and Happy New year!