My Turn on the Basement!

I am SOOO excited! Scott took the day off yesterday (thanks Frank!!). He rented a machine to help him get the sheet rock on the ceiling. He cruised! Apparently he only rented the machine for 4 hours so he comes home and says, "I need to be down there without any distractions." (i.e. DON'T LET THE KIDS DOWNSTAIRS!) Luckily Dallin had joy school and I had grocery shopping that I had to do. So we left him to his business... I left to no ceiling and no upper part of the wall.

This machine is totally cool.

It cranks up to the ceiling and then he can screw the sheet in... Nifty, huh??

Can you imagine?? ME trying to hold up a 55 pound piece of sheet rock above my head while Scott is screwing it into the ceiling?? Ya - right.

So I get back and this is what I see!

Then I hear something familiar - but a little out of place... it's the washing machine. Monday is my laundry day. Apparently I didn't get it all done. Apparently my super hero hubby thinks he can do it all... Oh that's right! He can!!! The laundry is done now. Thanks dear!

So this is what our basement looks like now! Today being Halloween, I won't get anything done. But tomorrow - I will be taping off the seams, mudding, sanding, Scott will texturize the ceiling, I will be mudding, sanding, mudding, sanding... and then the fun part! PAINTING! A friend of mine even offered to take a day off work to help me paint! YIPEE!

Here is just a fun shot of Dallin from yesterday. I really try to let him be as independent as a 3 1/2 year old can be. He got himself dressed and ready for school yesterday. He has 2 left shoes on. What a nut! Is he flipping me off??

Oh - and we only had one injury! Pretty good! It looks tons better here - I should have gotten the shot right when it was fresh, but I don't do blood very well... Apparently Scott's finger came into contact with the claw side of the hammer. (ouch)

Pictures Pictures

Well, Maggie will be 14 months next week. As of one week ago I hadn't gotten her 1 year photos done. What a slacker mom on the 2nd child!! UGH! Well, finally on Monday I got them taken. They are totally adorable! I had them emailed to me. I am putting some here on our blog, but don't try to download them or print them. They are very low resolution and will look terrible. Besides... it might be illegal!

Differences in Children

I never really realized how very different children from the same parents are. I mean, I know I am not just like my brother ~ but it just didn't click until I had my very own.

Our little boy... He was pretty much a bruiser. 3 hours of pushing him out on his birthing day. Wanted to eat so quickly that he just wouldn't settle for the work of getting it from me. Eating food food (not the mushy baby food) by 6 months. Always in the 90 - 95th percentile on height, weight and head circumference. He just loves to eat and wouldn't even stop eating before falling asleep!!


Then there is our little girl... She is a little runt. 3 pushes and she came right out on her birthing day. Didn't want to eat from me or a bottle at all. STILL not eating food food. Never did eat mushy food. Oh that's right... She simply doesn't eat. She does love milk though and will drink between 25 and 35 ounces a day. (thank goodness!) She just broke through to the 5 - 10th percentile on weight. I can't remember on height and head circumference right now. Some of you may or may not believe this. My mother was out here a little while ago and I don't know that she believed me when I said that she doesn't eat. She does in fact put food in her mouth. She puts quite a lot of it in her mouth! She has these cheeks like that of a chipmunk and can shove incredible amount of food into them! Then she will chew it up. And then she will spit it out. If you do not believe it ~ just look what she can do with an apple!!!

And this is what is left over.

Scott asked if I would be cleaning it up or if HE was supposed to!

Also, here is a picture from our church Halloween party last night. Maggie wasn't being so cooperative!

The Basement... Continued

We are so close to drywalling.... SO CLOSE!! In fact, I think by the time today is over ~ it will be time! I am so excited! Scott finished making the wall that went over the foundation. Then we insulated it. He is doing some little odds and ends before it's time!


Our hallway floor is taller than our family room floor. So the carpet guy suggested that we either tile or pergo the hallway. We chose pergo. This is what we purchased. I think it will look nice.

Here is Dallin helping his daddy staple in the insulation. But be sure not to touch your gloves to your face or it will be itchy and Dallin will say, "I told you!". Do you ever feel bad realizing how you must talk to your children when you hear them say things back to you. I didn't realize that I said that often! Apparently I do! You can also see 2 of the paint colors that I am deciding between. I think the one on top is the winner though...

Then here is what Maggie did while we were working! That and cry in her crib for over an hour. We finally got her up without her sleeping at all today. That will help to make the ward Halloween Party just really fun tonight, don't ya think??!!

Anyway... I just HAD to let everyone know how excited I am to start drywall! I know most people hate it - including Scott - but that means we are almost done!!!

Disciplining Children...

Ok... My friend in Denver has this on her website - I laughed so hard that I was almost crying. In fact I STILL have a smile on my face ~ wondering if this might actually work! Some of you may have already seen this. I am sure it's one of those emails that goes around. And someone may have even sent it to me before. But I just don't remember things quite as well as I used to.

Some have wondered what I made myself for my birthday dinner! Well - it's called Cafe Rio. I decided that I didn't want to cook. I also decided that I didn't want to fight with 2 kids at a restaurant. So I called for mexican salad take-out! After dinner we got the kids down for bed and then Scott banished me to the bedroom to read Frankenstein while he cleaned up the kitchen! It was quite nice! I will be going to Kohl's to spend my birthday money tonight after Maggie goes down at 7. They are having the "Lowest Prices of the Season" sale today. So I better get there quick before they don't have another one! ;-)

By the way ~ Frankenstein is a very good read if you are in the mood to reflect on your actions towards others. It's been extremely enlightening. It really makes you think how your actions help to mold other's actions. Enlightening...

So... Back to the purpose of this post and hopefully you will laugh as hard as I did!!



Tough Love vs. Spanking


Most of America 's population think its improper to spank children.

So I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of "those moments."

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk.

They usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,

A Friend

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Well, my house hasn't been picked up, the laundry hasn't been done, I did finally get a shower and my hair dried by about 3:30 this afternoon! I haven't quite decided what to make for my birthday dinner! :) Scott says whatever I want because it's MY birthday - Does that include going out??!! Actually I think I want to save that for a no kids night! I did get to lounge on my bed during naptime and read Frankenstein uninterrupted! It was very nice... I hope Karyssa's birthday was just as loungey - but I doubt it! She had to go to school today!

I also got a call that I have been waiting for a long time to get... The baby that we lost was a boy. There weren't any chromosomal (sp???) problems ~ so we don't know what happened. I didn't realize that I would react quite as I did when I got the call. It wasn't out of the nurse's mouth a half a second before I was bawling. I so very much wanted a boy and kept calling this baby a "he" even though we hadn't found out yet. I guess I just had a gut feeling. Well, at least on our family history we can put Baby Boy Romney instead of just Baby Romney.

Last week I was teaching Joy School and our one lone girl was out of town. So I had 5 boys to teach about the letter E. It was very interesting to watch the boys. We have 4 very rowdy and uncalm ones and then one that is just shy and a lover of books... During play time the 4 rowdy ones were making play dough space ships and crashing them...


Then there was our calmer one. Just reading his books. He was quite happy though when it was time for clean up! He didn't have to pick up the little play dough pieces that were all over my kitchen floor! (One of which Maggie put in her mouth, swallowed, and then cried uncontrollably! And of course the 4 boys thought it was hilarious!)

This is the first time I have taught this year with this group together. It was really fun! For those who don't know, Joy School is a pre-school that rotates around to the different moms. So 2 days every 6 weeks I get to teach about whatever letter we are on that week. I did switch with another mom for week after next. So I will get a turn again then. They basically have free time, then lesson, art, snack, rest time, song time, story time and then outside playtime and then they go home. It's really neat to see the boys interact. During song time last week we did the hokey pokey and the boys LOVED it! I think I did something screwy to my hip though! It's been hurting ever since! (no old jokes from the peanut gallery!) I really didn't think much of it until Dallin was telling someone that I hurt my hip doing the Hokey Pokey... Then I felt REALLY old!!!

I guess that I ought to get to figuring out what I want to make for dinner! And planning my birthday dinner out with just my incredibly handsome hubby and no kids!!! Anyone want to come and watch 2 adorable children for me??? This one gets some really funny hair at the end of the day. Sticks up all on it's own!



This one is just busy busy! Here is thinks he is king of the blackberry bush! (We went and dug them out of Luanne's yard to plant in ours ~ do you think we should tell her??)

It would be a very fun night for you!!!

Library

So, Maggie just deleted half of my post so I am going to try to do this again... I do love the library SO much! We took a long hiatus this summer while I was so sick during our pregnancy and then after we lost the baby... But it is so wonderful to get back! Dallin has found a love of audiobooks. The Magic Tree House specifically. He got the first one in a Wendy's Kid Meal this summer and has been listening to it and one about a mouse named Geranamo Stilton who goes to Egypt pretty much non-stop while we are in the car. So to his delight (and mine to get some variety in our minivan entertainment) they had 3 of the books at the library on cassette. So we checked it out and promptly after getting in the van asked to put it in! Good thing Toyota hasn't given up on putting cassette players in their vans yet!!!

Then - My most favorite find EVER!!! Catalina Magdalena Hooten-something something something! If you don't know - our Maggie's name is actually Magdalena. Well - it's an old family name. Not one that you really hear often, er - ever... So when I saw this book by Tedd Arnold at the library I HAD to check it out! It's HILARIOUS!!! My favorite part: She has two holes at the bottom of her nose. One for her fingers, one for her toes! If you are library goers and have little ones, you must check this one out. This is one that I will HAVE to purchase for our family library!!!

It is so wonderful to get back to going to the library - Is this a lame post?? I hope not! It's how I am feeling today!

May the force be with you~

Last night as we were getting Maggie ready for bed, she picked up a light saber and Dallin decided he wanted to fight with her. They do this frequently... But last night Scott went to get the camera!

I love that our kids love each other! Well - at least most of the time!

PS... Maggie took 3 steps without holding on to anything today!!!!!!! Then later took 3 more!!!!

Renovations continue

Yesterday was HUGE for us as far as work on our basement! We started out with a family room that had a doorway into it... hallway to the guest bedroom and bathroom. Today we have a completely open family room!!! I have to admit - I was EXTREMELY nervous! Especially since the wall that Scott was tearing out was a weight bearing wall. But our home is still standing today!

This is what the area started out like...

Then Scott built a wall to keep our house together while he tore out the existing wall... (notice Dallin hammering quite diligently!)

Then with a few bangs of the hammer and saws of the saw... VOILA!!

Finally with some help from his dad and a neighbor he put in a beam to keep our upstairs, well - upstairs... And this is our semi-final product!!! I absolutely LOVE it!!! It totally opens up our basement!

This is coming from the stairs...

This is looking from the guest room...

It is coming along great! We are so very excited!! And fret not ~ the red and black carpet is GOING to be replaced!
We had Scott's parents up for General Conference this weekend. It was really fun for us to have them stay over last night and have breakfast this morning. Dallin especially LOVES having his grandparents come to visit! All of them! Unfortunately my side only gets to come over once in a very long while! We sure miss them!

Our house this week ~ Boring...

Dallin has his chores done and is waiting patiently for Joyschool to start. I am transferring pictures from our camera to our computer and Maggie is playing in Dallin's room (of course).

As I am just starting to put the pictures on a new posting so that I can type while Maggie is napping, Dallin asks if he can play his computer games (www.starfall.com). I said, "Just a minute, honey. I need to put pictures on-" He interrupts with, "Our blog." I really didn't think that my son was paying THAT much attention to what I do on the computer. But apparently he does!!! YIKES!!

So we haven't been doing all that much. Just trying to recover from the sicknesses around our house and emotionally recover from the snow that we received on Saturday. But only in Utah could it be 40 and snowing on Saturday and then warm enough for Scott and Dallin to clean Scott's bike on Sunday! Well, maybe elsewhere it could do that...

Maggie has been having some REALLY tough nights. Can you believe something this sweet could be up screaming and crying until 2 or 3 in the morning for multiple nights in a row??!!

Last night she finally slept through and I got my first full night's sleep since I can remember. Thus I am able to type coherently.

Dallin is just thrilled to be back in the land of the living (going to Joyschool and playing with friends). And Maggie is thrilled to have her OWN toothbrush! She has been watching us so closely brush our teeth that we thought it was time that she have her own.

Anyway - nothing really exciting happening here. I just thought I would post SOMETHING this week! We are supposed to have a beautiful but windy 83 degree day today and then all weekend our highs are to be in the 40s and 50s. We are going to start up the wood stove this weekend and make lots of soup! YUM!!!!