Yes, it's broken.
I can't talk about it right now.
I will tell you what I wanted to take a picture of.
For months I have gone on about Sadie and her 'spearamints. Yes, she is at it again. I am telling you - this child is going to be a billionaire chemist one day.
Today she made a fly catcher - one that is neither sticky nor smelly. In fact, her fly catcher smelled a lot like my Bath and Body Works Coconut Lime Verbena Sanitizing Hand Gel - which I love and which, since I do not not have a B&B Works close by, is hard to come by.
She dumped the entire 3 oz bottle of hand sanitizer into a bowl. She added equal parts water. This must have been right before lunch when I was otherwise distracted. After lunch we discover why she smells so nice.
Usually if there is "spearaminting" going on - it happens in the bathroom or her bedroom closet.
This time it was the bathroom.
In approximately one hour - she caught two flies.
So, if my digital camera were working - you would be looking at a picture of a storage bowl filled with hand sanitizer with antibacterial microbeads mixed with water and two dead flies floating in it - right at this very moment!
I hope you can bear the disappointment.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Welcome to the Friendly Skies
We drove, we flew, we drove some more . . .
Reunion time!
Too far to drive all the way, so 8 tickets, 5 suitcases, 7 carry-ons and a 12 passenger rental van later we arrived in Rexburg.
The flight out wasn't so bad. By the time we arrived at the airport, Matt parked one car - caught a shuttle, parked the other car - caught a shuttle, we checked in, checked luggage, got 9 people (8 of us and one nephew) through security and to the gate - they were actually boarding for our flight. The two car seats were a bit cumbersome. Always fun trying to squeeze sideways down a narrow aisle with a car seat held over your head trying not to hit someone in the head or catch the doors on the overhead bins. Add small children to be herded along as well and you have a recipe for small airplane fun! They had our seats all together - two full rows for the flight out. The return flight - different story.
We checked in over an hour before departure and were told we'd get our seat assignments at the gate. By the time we got to our gate (E-81 - yes, it was as far away as it sounds! I think we actually left city limits at one point) we still had a significant amount of time to kill. Matt went to the desk and requested our seat assignments and was told by the lady there that "she wasn't ready to do that yet" and she would page us. Well - we sat 10 feet from the desk and she never paged us. I sent Matt back to the desk about the time they should have been boarding us. He was asked how many people we had under the age of 12 (answer: 5 out of 8) and then handed our boarding passes with seat assignments. Not only did she put us in the third group (which is the LAST group to board) - our seats were midway and to the rear of the plane, and not all together. I would think you would want to board from rear to front - but then again, what do I know about planes and what makes aeronautical sense? Apparent also, was her belief that somehow the over 12's in our group would naturally want to sit as far away as possible from the under 12's in our group. Something I am sure would naturally engender many warm and fuzzy feelings from our fellow passengers - particularly those stuck next to said under 12's sans parents. Ummmm, no - this is so not going to work! We did the slide and squeeze with kids and car seats down the crowded aisle (did I mention we were last to board? No - they did NOT call for preboarding for children or those with special needs - which we certainly qualified on both counts there . . .). So, I am trying to strap in car seats, keeps kids in check and locate our scattered seats and figure out who is going where because obviously - much as I would like to - sticking Garrett or the baby by themselves 5 rows and across the plane away from me or another adult/responsible family member is just not going to fly (no pun intended - okay, well maybe intended!). Fortunately, the stewardess on the flight realized that there was a bit of dilemma going on and came to our assistance. With her help and the good natures of a few people willing to swap seats, we managed to get seated mostly together. Sadie was a little distressed that she was across the aisle, albeit in the same row, as daddy. She quickly warmed up to her seatmate who offered her a pen to draw with and was fine after that. You can see in the pictures below - Garrett was across the aisle from me and seated next to a man who was asleep for the entire flight. This worked out pretty good given Garrett's propensity for squirming and other such behaviours that a conscious person might find annoying. He kicked the back of Sadie's seat on occasion - which is infinitely preferable to kicking a stranger/non-relative from behind, at least in my book! The two littlest ones did fairly well - though I did have to bribe them back into their car seats and harnesses with lollipops for landing. Nathan did some low-level fussing for about 3 minutes, but found a sucker quite to his liking and decided that licking a typically forbidden treat was much more worthwhile than expressing any personal opinions.
All in all - the wear and tear of traveling aside, things went well. We had a great time at the reunion. Given that on neither flight no committees were formed to eject us at 30,000 feet - I'd say it was a rousing success.
Reunion time!
Too far to drive all the way, so 8 tickets, 5 suitcases, 7 carry-ons and a 12 passenger rental van later we arrived in Rexburg.
The flight out wasn't so bad. By the time we arrived at the airport, Matt parked one car - caught a shuttle, parked the other car - caught a shuttle, we checked in, checked luggage, got 9 people (8 of us and one nephew) through security and to the gate - they were actually boarding for our flight. The two car seats were a bit cumbersome. Always fun trying to squeeze sideways down a narrow aisle with a car seat held over your head trying not to hit someone in the head or catch the doors on the overhead bins. Add small children to be herded along as well and you have a recipe for small airplane fun! They had our seats all together - two full rows for the flight out. The return flight - different story.
We checked in over an hour before departure and were told we'd get our seat assignments at the gate. By the time we got to our gate (E-81 - yes, it was as far away as it sounds! I think we actually left city limits at one point) we still had a significant amount of time to kill. Matt went to the desk and requested our seat assignments and was told by the lady there that "she wasn't ready to do that yet" and she would page us. Well - we sat 10 feet from the desk and she never paged us. I sent Matt back to the desk about the time they should have been boarding us. He was asked how many people we had under the age of 12 (answer: 5 out of 8) and then handed our boarding passes with seat assignments. Not only did she put us in the third group (which is the LAST group to board) - our seats were midway and to the rear of the plane, and not all together. I would think you would want to board from rear to front - but then again, what do I know about planes and what makes aeronautical sense? Apparent also, was her belief that somehow the over 12's in our group would naturally want to sit as far away as possible from the under 12's in our group. Something I am sure would naturally engender many warm and fuzzy feelings from our fellow passengers - particularly those stuck next to said under 12's sans parents. Ummmm, no - this is so not going to work! We did the slide and squeeze with kids and car seats down the crowded aisle (did I mention we were last to board? No - they did NOT call for preboarding for children or those with special needs - which we certainly qualified on both counts there . . .). So, I am trying to strap in car seats, keeps kids in check and locate our scattered seats and figure out who is going where because obviously - much as I would like to - sticking Garrett or the baby by themselves 5 rows and across the plane away from me or another adult/responsible family member is just not going to fly (no pun intended - okay, well maybe intended!). Fortunately, the stewardess on the flight realized that there was a bit of dilemma going on and came to our assistance. With her help and the good natures of a few people willing to swap seats, we managed to get seated mostly together. Sadie was a little distressed that she was across the aisle, albeit in the same row, as daddy. She quickly warmed up to her seatmate who offered her a pen to draw with and was fine after that. You can see in the pictures below - Garrett was across the aisle from me and seated next to a man who was asleep for the entire flight. This worked out pretty good given Garrett's propensity for squirming and other such behaviours that a conscious person might find annoying. He kicked the back of Sadie's seat on occasion - which is infinitely preferable to kicking a stranger/non-relative from behind, at least in my book! The two littlest ones did fairly well - though I did have to bribe them back into their car seats and harnesses with lollipops for landing. Nathan did some low-level fussing for about 3 minutes, but found a sucker quite to his liking and decided that licking a typically forbidden treat was much more worthwhile than expressing any personal opinions.
All in all - the wear and tear of traveling aside, things went well. We had a great time at the reunion. Given that on neither flight no committees were formed to eject us at 30,000 feet - I'd say it was a rousing success.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie . . .
It started with a jug of milk and a little boy who wanted a drink. I try to economize my trips to the store and had stocked up with an adequate amount of milk to get us through the weekend, that is, until my 8 year old decided he needed a glass of milk. Make a mess - clean it up.
With a significant portion of our weekend milk on the kitchen floor, our milk supply quickly "dried up". Not to be deterred from a tall cold glass, they - meaning those milk drinkers in the house - turned to the jug of whole milk that the baby drinks. And then there was none . . .
So, off to the store we go!
Adam decided he wanted to go along with me. I often take a kid to the store with me as this is how I get one on one time with the kids. One on one time is not easy to come by in a houseful. I grumbled a bit as I had to strap in his car seat. Matt had taken all the van seats out for his latest project. I put one of the captain's chairs back in, latched it down. Grab a car seat - adjust the locking clip and strap that in. Now get the kid strapped in and I am now ready for a nap!
We had the best time. We wandered around the store - no hurry. We sampled; we browsed; we chatted. We found a ladybug. Adam is my little bug boy. He can find even the tiniest of insects and will squat and examine them - absolutely fascinated by this tiny legged creature skittering across the floor. While I don't share his particular fascination with these multi-legged life forms, I do however, find HIS fascination, fascinating! Adam was captivated by the ladybug. It crawled along his hand, along the shopping cart and eventually flew away. Though for a good fifteen minutes, Adam was entranced. There is something so engaging about the wonder of a child. My eyes have viewed the world for almost 40 years now and while I cannot say I have seen all it's many wonders, most things within my view I've seen before, many times. Yet, today, despite the hundreds of ladybugs I am sure I have seen over the years - this one was special, because it held captive the wonder of a little boy precious to me - he was amazed and I was in awe.
Something I have noticed about my boys - they are great company and have always been my bestest buds when they were little. Together they are loud and destructive, smelly and messy. Seperate them from the pack and they are delightful company, engaging and intelligent, loving and sweet.
So, for a jug of milk, I had a lovely hour and a half with an engaging little man.
With a significant portion of our weekend milk on the kitchen floor, our milk supply quickly "dried up". Not to be deterred from a tall cold glass, they - meaning those milk drinkers in the house - turned to the jug of whole milk that the baby drinks. And then there was none . . .
So, off to the store we go!
Adam decided he wanted to go along with me. I often take a kid to the store with me as this is how I get one on one time with the kids. One on one time is not easy to come by in a houseful. I grumbled a bit as I had to strap in his car seat. Matt had taken all the van seats out for his latest project. I put one of the captain's chairs back in, latched it down. Grab a car seat - adjust the locking clip and strap that in. Now get the kid strapped in and I am now ready for a nap!
We had the best time. We wandered around the store - no hurry. We sampled; we browsed; we chatted. We found a ladybug. Adam is my little bug boy. He can find even the tiniest of insects and will squat and examine them - absolutely fascinated by this tiny legged creature skittering across the floor. While I don't share his particular fascination with these multi-legged life forms, I do however, find HIS fascination, fascinating! Adam was captivated by the ladybug. It crawled along his hand, along the shopping cart and eventually flew away. Though for a good fifteen minutes, Adam was entranced. There is something so engaging about the wonder of a child. My eyes have viewed the world for almost 40 years now and while I cannot say I have seen all it's many wonders, most things within my view I've seen before, many times. Yet, today, despite the hundreds of ladybugs I am sure I have seen over the years - this one was special, because it held captive the wonder of a little boy precious to me - he was amazed and I was in awe.
Something I have noticed about my boys - they are great company and have always been my bestest buds when they were little. Together they are loud and destructive, smelly and messy. Seperate them from the pack and they are delightful company, engaging and intelligent, loving and sweet.
So, for a jug of milk, I had a lovely hour and a half with an engaging little man.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Read at Your Own Risk
I saw a new commercial the other day - one that said we should read to our children for at least 15 minutes every day. The benefits were numerous - none the least of which were increased intelligence and a better relationship overall between parent and child. My mother read to my siblings and I growing up and we still remember fondly our trips to the library and our favorite stories. Perhaps my perspective is skewed by being the "read-ee" instead of the reader and my memory is a bit more selective - because I think I was a much more accommodating and receptive audience.
Hours of chasing my wild children around the house after dinner and finally getting them to actually sit on the couch instead of jump on it later . . .
ME: "Mommy's going to read you some stories before bed!"
THEM: "Oh goody!"
ME: "Pick out some books and let's sit down and read them."
Most of the books brought to me are rejected by the majority for being too long, too boring, not enough pictures, too many pictures or just plain "we don't like that book".
Finally, we have a book or two and settle in for some nice, calm, enjoyable family time . . .
ME: "Once upon a time . . ."
One of Them: "MOM! You already read that one!"
ME: "No I didn't - this is a different one. They all start this way."
Another one of Them: "No they don't!"
ME: "Okay - how about, sometime a long time ago, I don't know when . . ."
Them: (Deep sigh and rolling of eyes)
ME: " . .. there was a princess . . ."
One of Them (usually Garrett); "Not again!"
Another one of Them (usually Sadie): "MOM! Nathan is turning the pages and now we're on the wrong page!!"
ME: "It's okay - I know the story."
One of Them (ALWAYS Sadie): "No you don't - you always get it wrong!"
Me: "Adam! Come back! Don't you want to read a story? No, Nathan - don't eat the book!"
Two of Them: "Ewwwwwwww, the book is all slobbery now!"
ME: (deep sigh of frustration) "On a day somewhat like this day, there was a crazy Queen . . . "
One of Them (probably Garrett) "It doesn't say that mom."
Me: "Look at the pictures and be quiet and listen. On a day kind of like the one I am having today, the crazy queen made an awesome dinner that nobody liked and someone even threw theirs on the floor which was very naughty. The wicked children ran around and around and around and made loud noises like wild animals. They threw paper on the floor and left their shoes and toys everywhere! The crazy queen got so tired of it that she locked them all in the dungeon and didn't let them come out until they were all grown up and polite and did their own laundry. The end."
Them: (Stunned looks of disbelief and concern that their mom is off her rocker.)
One of Them: "Mom, can we go to the library tomorrow and get some better books?"
ME: (mumbling under breath) "Will you keep your clothes on this time and not streak through the juvenile fiction again?"
Fifteen minutes and two hours later, the noise is dying down and I am contemplating a warm bath and literature without pictures or rhyming prose . . ..
Adam: (who is out of bed with a board book in outstretched hand) "Book!"
I think the commercial forgot to mention that you are supposed to read to someone else's children instead . . .
Hours of chasing my wild children around the house after dinner and finally getting them to actually sit on the couch instead of jump on it later . . .
ME: "Mommy's going to read you some stories before bed!"
THEM: "Oh goody!"
ME: "Pick out some books and let's sit down and read them."
Most of the books brought to me are rejected by the majority for being too long, too boring, not enough pictures, too many pictures or just plain "we don't like that book".
Finally, we have a book or two and settle in for some nice, calm, enjoyable family time . . .
ME: "Once upon a time . . ."
One of Them: "MOM! You already read that one!"
ME: "No I didn't - this is a different one. They all start this way."
Another one of Them: "No they don't!"
ME: "Okay - how about, sometime a long time ago, I don't know when . . ."
Them: (Deep sigh and rolling of eyes)
ME: " . .. there was a princess . . ."
One of Them (usually Garrett); "Not again!"
Another one of Them (usually Sadie): "MOM! Nathan is turning the pages and now we're on the wrong page!!"
ME: "It's okay - I know the story."
One of Them (ALWAYS Sadie): "No you don't - you always get it wrong!"
Me: "Adam! Come back! Don't you want to read a story? No, Nathan - don't eat the book!"
Two of Them: "Ewwwwwwww, the book is all slobbery now!"
ME: (deep sigh of frustration) "On a day somewhat like this day, there was a crazy Queen . . . "
One of Them (probably Garrett) "It doesn't say that mom."
Me: "Look at the pictures and be quiet and listen. On a day kind of like the one I am having today, the crazy queen made an awesome dinner that nobody liked and someone even threw theirs on the floor which was very naughty. The wicked children ran around and around and around and made loud noises like wild animals. They threw paper on the floor and left their shoes and toys everywhere! The crazy queen got so tired of it that she locked them all in the dungeon and didn't let them come out until they were all grown up and polite and did their own laundry. The end."
Them: (Stunned looks of disbelief and concern that their mom is off her rocker.)
One of Them: "Mom, can we go to the library tomorrow and get some better books?"
ME: (mumbling under breath) "Will you keep your clothes on this time and not streak through the juvenile fiction again?"
Fifteen minutes and two hours later, the noise is dying down and I am contemplating a warm bath and literature without pictures or rhyming prose . . ..
Adam: (who is out of bed with a board book in outstretched hand) "Book!"
I think the commercial forgot to mention that you are supposed to read to someone else's children instead . . .
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Happy Birthday Monkey Man!
This is Garrett. Garrett is, well, a monkey. Garrett turned 8 on May 21st. Garrett was old enough to be baptized, so we had him dunked. We wanted pictures. This is what we got. Enjoy this fabulous photo montage Garrett helped to put together for your viewing pleasure.
and finally . . .
From this . . .
May 2000
To this . . .
May 2008
and finally . . .
Some birthday pictures
From this . . .
May 2000
To this . . .
May 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
A Birthday, Baptism, Road Trip and a Graduation
I am way behind. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity and road trips and so now I get to play catchup.
I'll post the pictures and write-up separately of Garrett's 8th birthday and subsequent baptism on the 21st and 22nd respectively. We were blessed to be visited by both sets of grandparents. Shortly after the baptism though, my parents and I loaded up the van and headed out to Kentucky for my baby sister's college graduation. I'll have to beg a picture or two from my dad as he held the camera duties during the trip. I am so proud of my sister! She graduated in 5 years as a single mom with two kids. I'm a bit jealous as I am still who knows how many years out from my own college degree still AND also because she is planning on moving back to Colorado now. I miss the mountains - though we do enjoy where we are living at the moment.
I'll post the pictures and write-up separately of Garrett's 8th birthday and subsequent baptism on the 21st and 22nd respectively. We were blessed to be visited by both sets of grandparents. Shortly after the baptism though, my parents and I loaded up the van and headed out to Kentucky for my baby sister's college graduation. I'll have to beg a picture or two from my dad as he held the camera duties during the trip. I am so proud of my sister! She graduated in 5 years as a single mom with two kids. I'm a bit jealous as I am still who knows how many years out from my own college degree still AND also because she is planning on moving back to Colorado now. I miss the mountains - though we do enjoy where we are living at the moment.
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