Memory of Children

Have you ever felt like a broken record telling your kids to stop jumping on the furniture or don't forget to wash your hands.... or something that you just can't figure out why they can't remember it?

About 6 months ago Dallin and I had a conversation about the Incredible Hulk. He wanted to watch it. Where he heard about him - I will never know. I told him that when I was a young child I wanted to watch the Incredible Hulk. (Now this is my recollection of what happened - that can always be a little skewed as I was quite young) My mother said that I couldn't watch it because I would have nightmares. I must have worked her down from No to Whatever, because I ended up watching it. Maybe I was being sneaky and now my mom knows... I don't remember all of those details. But, it turned out that I did in fact have nightmares about that handsome doctor who turned into the ferocious green hulk!

So I told Dallin about how I had nightmares because I was too little when I watched The Incredible Hulk.

This morning at breakfast, out of the blue, he asked if he was big yet. I didn't understand what context he was using "yet". So I asked him. He asked if he was big enough to watch The Incredible Hulk yet. How in the HECK does he remember that conversation from ages ago and yet as I am typing this I am hearing Scott say, "Dallin - we have talked about not jumping on the furniture!!!"

Is this payback?

Raising Children

I really really try to let Dallin make a lot of his own choices. I really do. But apparently I need to learn to ask just once if he needs his coat. This morning at 8:00 it was 8 degrees outside. Frigid! I have a fire going - so it's nice and toasty in the house.

As we were getting ready to go to the "movie store" to claim our free December movie rental I said, "Dallin, it is very cold outside. Would you like to wear a jacket?" Not to my surprise he says, "No fank you." As I am getting Maggie's jacket on, I asked, "Would you like to wear a jacket?" As if the answer would change... "No fank you." At least he is being polite about it. As I am putting on MY jacket I asked, "Are you sure you wouldn't like to wear a jacket?" He answered, "Mom, are you sure you wouldn't like to wear snow pants??" Point taken. I will only ask once from now on.

However - we weren't even to the corner and he was "FREEZING COLD!" I said, "I am sorry, honey. I get cold when I don't wear a jacket in the winter too." Maybe he will answer, "Yes fank you" next time....

Christmas

What a beautiful day!! We had a wonderful WHITE Christmas! Last night we had a pretty big storm blow through. But this morning it was blue sky and no wind! It was just as Christmas in my mind should be...

It started out with Dallin and Maggie in bed with us at 7:01 am. We did get Dallin to wait until about 7:30 before going downstairs... He was very patient... Waiting by the basement door...

We go downstairs to find that Santa was in a really big hurry and left the board covering the fireplace a little off. But that's ok - He left some fun stuff!!

It started out with stockings filled with light sabers! A purple one for Maggie and a red one for Dallin. Maggie was already hitting Dallin with hers before he had his out of the package.

Santa left Maggie a stroller that she promptly filled with a baby...

Santa left Dallin a castle with knights and pirates. It's just like Gramma and Grampa's in Indianapolis. Except ours comes with a decapitated knight!!!!

Scott and I made (with a TON of help from our friends) Dallin a train/car table thing. It is really fun and Dallin just loves it. So does Maggie...

We got Maggie a little cabinet set with pots and pans. It was in our neighbor's garbage pile and we asked if we could have it. They had used it for their kids, grandkids and great grandkids and were just cleaning house. So we got it and Scott sanded and re-varnished it. It is beautiful and Maggie just adores it!!

Then of course there were all of the grandparent and aunt and uncle gifts. Too many - we were totally spoiled. We went to Scott's parent's house for omelette's. It is their family tradition to do breakfast and not a dinner. I kind of like that idea since we just had dinner for Thanksgiving. Well, after a day filled with food, fun, toys and NO NAPS ~ this is what the drive home was like.

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......

Merry Christmas to all - and to all a goodnight!!!

Snow is falling all around....

I am sitting here at my computer with the primary song "Snow is falling all around" running over and over in my head. We have been having snow since yesterday. Very strange storm yesterday. The black clouds came rolling in over the Great Salt Lake. They were coming in fast - my friend very accurately described it as "The Nothing" from The Neverending Story. Then it started hailing. As I was prepping for dinner I saw a flash and thought, where would Maggie get a camera?? Well, thunder that shook the house rolled through the sky and scared poor Maggie out of her whits! Then the hail changed to rain and then finally snow. And it's been snowing ever since. This morning there is kind of a strange blue glow on the snow. Like the sky is saying - I am not even close to being done, Monica - So just get used to being COLD!!! ------So I come upstairs after posting this and the sun is shining - but it IS still snowing. Much prettier photo - but I am too lazy to go down and get the camera. --------------

I am sitting here on a snowy day, spoiling myself by sipping my Lindt hot chocolate (made by the Master Chocolatier Swiss since 1845 - he's pretty old) that Scott brought home from his gift exchange in Denver. I normally just get Nesquik. I am pretty sure that bunny is not a chocolatier... or from Switzerland. I am watching my daughter rip bows and ribbons off of gifts (with her teeth) that are overflowing the tree already.

I am also perusing my Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Catalog that I got in the mail last week, dreaming of warm days that I can get out into the garden and trying to decide which of the totally cool veggies I want to try this year. I love this catalog!! It really makes me want to master gardening!!! Should I try purple tomatoes?

Or maybe some Tigger Melons?

Or maybe a banana squash??

Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Gingerbread House

We made our annual Gingerbread House last night. Last year we had my sister Robyn over to help with it. This year we invited our friends Steff, Syd and Mary over while her hubby was working. We ate Taco Soup and then got to work. We let the kids pretty much do it all this year. It was really fun!

This morning I made some brownies for Scott's work party in Denver tomorrow. Dallin wanted to lick the beater. I let him (bad mommy!) Then a little later Maggie managed to get a hold of it.

She has a pez dispenser in one hand and a brownie beater in the other. I guess it is the season of sugar!! I promise that I really do brush her hair on a daily basis. She is just doing the cute things before I get to the brushing part...

Then Dallin is doing his chores - and one of them is to feed and water the cat. We have put the food and water in the garage that IS insulated but still quite chilly. For some reason I didn't get a pair of pajama shorts put in the summer clothes box and Dallin found them last night. He decided to wear them to bed. But when he went out to feed the cat, it was a little cold. So he needed to get his jacket. After he got one on, he tried to feed the cat again and it was still a little cold. So he needed to get his boots on. I just couldn't resist taking this picture!!

I love my little family! All of our quirks included!

Sickness

We have been a house of sickness! Monday Maggie started throwing up. She continued through Tuesday. Then Tuesday night I was at a meeting at someone's house for church. Near the end, I asked if we could have this be the end because I wasn't feeling well. Before leaving her home, I threw up in her bathroom. That is a little embarrassing. I continued through the night. At my 5:00 am bout, Scott comes into the bathroom asking if I want him to stay home that day. I very quickly said YES! He had the kids all day while I slept and recovered. Maggie is just starting to eat well again, and I am still a little nervous to eat. Luckily Scott and Dallin haven't gotten it.

With the sickness plaguing our home and insane cold that we have been having, Dallin has had cabin fever like nobody's business! We were driving yesterday and Dallin says, "Mommy, I saw water shooting up into the sky and it fell on a really big pile of snow!" I looked around to see what he was talking about and this is what I found!

This apartment complex down the street from us has a fountain and they haven't turned it off this winter. So it is frozen over. I tried to get some pictures. I think I will need to wait for a blue sky day and try again. But these are still pretty cool.

Here are some cool cold shots of our backyard...

And here is Maggie after she started eating again - Malt-o-Meal.... good for cold mornings!!

Korea

I spent some time in Korea as a missionary when I was younger. 16 months actually. It was a time filled with all sorts of emotions. Happy to be there, hating to be there, loving the people, hating the people, loving the food, loving the food, loving the countryside, definitely loving the countryside. It was so beautiful. I was going through some books about a month ago and found one that I had started reading and pulled the bookmark out. I was quite surprised to see this...

It's a phone card I had bought in Korea. Still in the package! It has brought back so many memories. Especially since having received the adoption email from Asher. Awwwww... here he is at our Christmas party in 1993. I totally dig the napkin!

I feel like going back almost 15 years - Wanna come with??

We have a really good friend, Brian, who spent time in Korea too. He spent his time there in the army, at the DMZ. He doesn't have nearly the fond memories of Korea that I do. He was in snow and cold a lot. I saw snow once because I was on the southern tip on the coast of Korea and on the island Che-ju.

I remember the only time that I saw snow. The kids were ecstatic! It was the first time for some of them. I was in a town called Sam-chun-poe. The elders were having snowball fights. Even the police station had people on the roof throwing snowballs at people as they walked by! And yes... I am wearing high-top tennis shoes. IT WAS 1994 PEOPLE!!


Here is Fairfield and I after having run out in a rain storm at the MTC. I miss my long hair! But not my glasses...
Anyone want a Korean lesson???

This is my first area and how I remember the only big city that I was in - Pusan. It was full of neon lights at night. And of course the McDonald's!!!

Here is me hugging what I was told AFTER this picture was taken is the God of Fertility. It is supposed to help you have boys... Maybe a lame Elder just told me that... Who knows! I wasn't hugging it because I wanted babies at the time... Ya - I'll just shut up now!

For those of you who know how very much I LOVE to cook - hopefully this picture will help you have pity on my sufferings in Korea. This was our kitchen. All three places I lived - this was our kitchen. Luckily our preceding mission president put full size stove/ovens in the missionaries apartments. This is Ruffner. But she isn't Ruffner anymore - and I don't know where she is - so she can't kick my butt for posting this picture...

I remember coming into this apartment at night and as we opened the door, just getting ready to turn the lights on we would hear the scurrying of huge roaches receding into the walls. Yes - it's true. And I slept on the floor. Amazing that such a priss as me would be able to endure such conditions! ;-)

And this is how I remember most of my mission - I wasn't in the city for most of it. And I had to travel by bus through the beautiful countryside to get to where we worked. So this is the view out the bus window that I saw everyday. It is so beautiful to me and I miss it so much.

It was kind of funny on our way home from Korea we travelled with returning sisters from Seoul. When we got to the Portland airport we all had to go to the bathroom. We walk in to a clean, brightly lit room with rows of sinks and stalls WITH DOORS!! I went to open a door and just smiled. I heard another sister (from the other mission) say, "Oh look! Paper seat covers!" My companion and I just laughed. I said, "Oh look! TOILETS that I can SIT on!!" We had to squat most of the time. Maybe that wan't the case up north?? Rachel - was it?

This is me the day I came home.

I remember the day that I got off the airplane when I first arrived to Korea. I thought that I would die. It stank HORRIBLY! I thought to myself, "How am I going to live here?" Well, apparently I got used to it. When I got off the airplane in Indianapolis, my family was there to greet me. I hugged my mom, my dad, my sister, then my wonderful brother, Jeremy. He hugged me and said, "YOU STINK!" Apparently that was the general consensus because I was required to leave my bags, coat, shoes, everything except the clothes on my back in the garage.

WELCOME HOME!!!

Thanks for letting me reminisce.

Shephard's Pie

Now, I am sure that everyone has a certain meal that they remember as a child. A meal that they recalled was eaten EVERY DAY and you never wanted to eat it again? Sorry, mom... Well, I am sure that we didn't have Shephard's pie EVERY day. But that is the meal that I remember from my small child days and swore that I would never in my life, ever, ever, ever eat again or subject my children to eating in their entire living existence. Several years ago, our friends that we miss dearly (Kevin from Texas and wife Kelley) invited us over to dinner. We were having Shephard's pie. I have to say - I was EXTREMELY nervous going over after finding out what was for dinner. Scott just laughed at me. A lot. It turns out, that I actually liked it and got their recipe!

I never actually made it since then... I just couldn't bring myself to do it and give up on my resolve to never ever, ever, etc... But it has been cold and snowy here and I thought that I might just have to try my hand at Shephard's pie (since I have never actually made it myself). So - here is the proof, mom! I actually made and ate Shephard's pie!!!

It is so much more colorful than I remember as a child. But as a small child, I probably didn't care as much about the variety in color of food as I do now as a mother.

Ya - I like to keep the skins on my mashed potatoes... Oh - and I added butter. A lot of butter!

I did in fact eat it. I don't have a picture of it... that would have required a photo being taken of me... eating... and that's not gonna happen!

It's 20 degrees outside!

UGH! I am not one for cold weather. In fact I am a pretty big wimp when it comes to cold weather. But then I don't like HOT weather either. Could Scott have anything worse to put up with than ME??!! Well - maybe - but he would probably say, "Been there - done that." In my perfect world... I think San Diego would be a GREAT place to live! Karen, can I come and live with you??!! Not that you don't have a full house already! With another coming quite soon! Try to make it to the hosptial this time!

It is OFFICIALLY December. It started out with a huge snowstorm!

It really is beautiful. Dallin has been having a great time. Although I wonder why it takes just as long to get the snow clothes on as he spends outside. And then we have to take them off to let them dry.


We had the missionaries over for dinner last night. They pulled up in a car and I said, "OH - I am so glad that you have a car. This would have been a miserable day to be walking around!" They looked at each other and asked, "This is a strange request... but can we take our shoes AND SOCKS off? We HAVE been walking all day and they are soaked!" Luckily we had a fire going in the fireplace and put their socks on the stove. After dinner they put them on and there were all sorts of pleasure groans. I would have thought that these two would have been used to this though. One is from England and one is from Sweden. Isn't it cold and wet there too?? Oh well. Of course I thought I would make Bar-b-que chicken pizza, Caesar salad and garlic bread for dinner. I would choose that when one of the elders is lactose intolerant!! Not really - he just gets an upset stomach when he eats cheese. OOPS! He just picked off most of the cheese on the pizza and still ate the salad. I am glad I didn't make cheesey bread!

It's officially Christmas time! I am SO happy! I love that we are having snow. It really gets me in the Christmas mood. Although I will be quite through with it on Jan. 1.

Adoption - It's about love...

Ok - Kevin from Texas! This one is just for you! I had actually been meaning to get another entry on here - just trying to get things done around the house and for Christmas. I have been having lots of thoughts that I want to share... But you have made me get to it!!! (He sent a comment that I can TOTALLY hear him say in my head!)

1. I think it is funny how people are telling us that our family pictures are "so cute" or "just wonderful". When I look at them I just think, "Do Scott and I REALLY look that tired??!!" (No comment necessary - Kevin!) I guess that we do and will for a long time. Did I sign up for that part? I just wanted the cute kids that Scott makes! Not the tired part! (hehehehehee)

2. Maggie - SHE IS FINALLY EATING! Nothing HUGE... but since Thanksgiving she has been eating some. I can tell too because her diapers have changed. Sorry if that was too much information! I love how she holds her pinky up when she eats! She does that with her bottle too!

3. As most of you know, Scott and I have had a lot of issues with having a family. As we both were a little older than our friends in getting married, we started trying to bring children into our family fairly soon after the wedding. It took a Hystosalpingogram, Laporoscopy, Induced Menopause and Chlomid to get Dallin. (I dare you to say THAT 3 times really fast!) It took 4 years to get him. We had even signed up with LDS Family Services to adopt a baby because we just didn't think that we would be able to conceive a child. So we put in the application, paid the money, met with a counselor, made our picture collage, wrote our letter to potential birth mothers, re-wrote it and re-wrote it again, had a home check to make sure that all of our Pine-Sol and 409 cleaners were in a lock box (even though any joe schmoe can have a baby and leave those things under the sink!), and then got approved. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. Then we conceived Dallin. So we got kicked off that waiting list. We were SO blessed to have Dallin in our lives! Then when he was 9 months, we decided we ought to start trying again. After about 6 months we decided to start the adoption process again, just in case Dallin was a fluke. So we contacted Family Services in the county that we had moved to since the last time. A few months later we found out we were pregnant again, but then lost it. Then we got Maggie just a short 2 months later. Then of course, we lost this last one. We seem to have issues with this.

The reason that these things have been on my mind lately is that my favorite Elder from my mission (Asher) and his wife have been married now for 10 years and they haven't been able to birth their own children. They have decided that they would like to pursue children through LDS Family Services. They sent me a link to their adoption website. I would like to let anyone reading this know that if they know someone who is expecting a baby and not able or wanting to raise their child that there are so many couples out there who would LOVE to do so! Having been one of those couples longing for a baby to hold and raise - I know how grateful Asher and Amy or another couple would be to have a little one to care for. Do with this what you will. It has just been on my mind a lot since receiving Asher's email and wanted to share it with you all. (Don't worry - Asher said I could!!)

http://www.providentliving.org/ses/birthmother/viewsingleprofile/0,12272,2133-1-8069-1-1,00.html

Please take a look and keep them in mind if you happen to know of someone or know of someone who knows of someone or something like that! Have a great day!!!

Turkey Day and Christmas Trees

Dallin and I prepped lots on Wednesday before Thanksgiving - so we could have a relaxing Thursday. We made mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies and gingerbread cookies. The mashed potatoes and pies were for Thursday and the cookies are for Dallin's friends for Christmas. They are the Nauvoo gingerbread cookies and are better if they have been frozen and then thawed. So that makes for an easier Christmas-time too!

I had to try the pie. It was REALLY good!

Dallin decided he needed to try the cookie dough. It's really good too!

We went to Scott's parent's house for Turkey Day. It was fun to get together with as much of the family that could get together! It was a beautiful spread - the don't put in the dishwasher china, silver and crystal.

Miles fired up the dutch oven and cooked the turkey outside...

It was really moist and yummy! Maggie decided that she needed to carry an old record player around the house. It must weigh close to what she does!!

We talked and laughed for hours. It was really nice. I got to see my sister, Lynnette too! She and her boyfriend came over about 4 (for their 2nd dinner!!). But they saved room!

Then of course the day after Thanksgiving - UGH! I thought I would run out to Kohl's to take advantage of some really great prices! I didn't get up at 3:30 to get there by 4. I thought - It can't be THAT bad! I got up at 6:45 and got there at 7. The lines went from the registers to the back of the store and met in the middle. I thought to myself that I would just wander and the line HAD to dwindle down. Well it did - but I still waited for 1 hour 5 minutes. Although I don't feel too bad about it. I got several Christmas gifts done! I will be a little more strategic next year. I will see if Lynnette can sleep over and play with the kids while I take Scott. He will stand in line while I shop. When I am done, he should be pretty close to the front of the line!!!! HA!

And last but not least - we had to put up our Charlie Brown fake tree! IN OUR NEWLY COMPLETED BASEMENT!!!!!!!! I think we need to get a new star. Maybe not quite so heavy??