The Big 3!

My little girl is 3!! I'm blown away by how short a time it's been and, at the same time, how 2 minutes feels like an eternity while sitting by her when she's on the potty.

We got together to wish her happy birthday. She'd been talking about her birthday for WEEKS before, so she was good and ready for the cake, candles, song, gifts and family.

She had a little difficulty with the candles. It took several tries to get them all blown out and, in the end, she needed a little help. There's always next year, right?

Audrey asked for a pink cake with pink frosting. I wish I could report that she loved it immensely. I wish. There's always next year, right?

As a side note, here is a glimpse at what my new haircut looks like. :)

Audrey was the consumate gracious gift-recipeant. She ooh'd and aah'd and squealed in all the appropriate places. She hasn't been very good at the sharing aspect, however.... There's always next year, right?

We were glad when it was all over. It's exhausting to have a birthday party. Thank heaven we didn't do a proper kid party with invited friends. There's always next ye-... er.... century, right?

So easy, even I could do it...

Shy and I have decided to have a craft night; monthly, bi-monthly... we haven't quite figured it out yet. We had our first one last Saturday. We excitedly ran off to the craft store with one idea in mind. When we got there, they didn't quite have the materials that we were wanting to use. So, we ran off to a different section to get materials for another craft. Hmm... they didn't have that stuff either. We wandered for a bit (see: nearly an hour!) trying to come up with something that we could take home and work on. Shy finally mentioned the headband idea that I'd been looking at doing but dreading at the same time. (I'm not terribly confident with a sewing machine yet.) So, we sat on the floor and looked through remnant fabrics. Half an hour later, we ran around the store looking for elastic. We eventually asked an employee who looked at us blankly and pointed at the rubber band balls. Uhh... yeah. One super-speed trip to Walmart later and we were on our way home with our goodies.

I've been hunting for cute crafty ideas for quite some time now. I found this fun headband idea here.

The boys left for 4th Meal and we started cutting up our fabric. When it finally came down to braiding, Shy couldn't find her safety pins, so we used push pins on the wall (not the best technique). I managed to get one headband sewn together before Ben came over and announced that he was ready to go home.

"I'm almost done with this one," I said as I pushed the fabric gently through the sewing machine and promptly got it stuck in a huge, tangled thread mess. Shy patiently picked apart the mess while my Post-Surgery Honey-Bunny gave me a too-tired-to-give-you-an-irritated-look-but-I'm-going-to-try-anyway stare. I smiled apologetically and got back to sewing my rescued mess together.

A couple of days later, I finished off the lot and I now have six cute headbands to wear. (And I have been nearly every day.) Dad wandered into the kitchen while I was sewing the batch up and asked if I was going into business with Shy.

"What?"

 

"Are you going to make some big bucks selling those?"

I informed him that the possibility was rather unlikely at which he turned back to his spring rolls with a grunt.

Anyway. I think they're adorable! Don't you?

I'm wearing this one today:

I have enough fabric left over to make about 50 more... I still need to make smaller versions for little Aud. Still... Christmas Gifts anyone?? :)

Haircut, Sky Donut, My Shoes

Henry's mohawk was starting to get out of hand. It was hanging in his face and wasn't nearly as cute as when we first cut it, so we buzzed it off. Looks pretty good, eh?

We've been having interesting spring weather. Warm one day, snowing the next. This was an interesting cloud formation that Ben snapped a picture of. Looks a bit like a funnel cloud trying to happen. Not something you'd expect to see in the shadow of the Rockies...

And... my shoes... I LOVE these shoes. I think they're super cute and, since I got them a size too big, pretty comfortable.

The reason I bring them up is that Ben participated in the Walk a Mile In Her Shoes walk-a-thon a couple of weeks ago. And, yes, he wore my smashingly cute shoes! Good thing I got them a size big, or he wouldn't have been able to wear them. I was slightly disturbed yet intensely amused by his enthusiasm.

He came home with a t-shirt, new found respect for those of us who sacrifice comfort for beauty and very, very, very sore feet. He said he didn't understand how women could do it and that it cured him of any passing interest in trying out my shoes.

The t-shirt has joined the ranks of Audrey's pajama drawer and the shoes are back in my shoe trunk. The respect is still there in his eyes every time I put on a pair of high heels.

He also got a lot of comments and pictures taken while he participated in the walk. His physical fitness instructor even toyed with the idea of giving him extra points for actually wearing those shoes.

Today, when I asked him to put the shoes on so I had actual proof of the fact, he refused saying he'd never wear those shoes, or any other women's shoes for that matter, again.

I suppose I should be immensely relieved instead of mildly disappointed.

Remember This??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFpcTGJwvZ0

Okay, since some "power that be" removed the video embed (which Youtube allows for crying out loud), I have included the link. It's well worth the visit.

BTW - Shy - you won't have seen the video before, I was talking about the imagery being familiar. :)

Old Friends and New Craft Projects

Why do I always want to start my blogs with "Okay..." or "So..."? What in the world is wrong with my brain?!?

Anyhoo.

A week and a half ago, you would have found my little family attempting to keep ourselves busy in the front room. We almost never go in there unless we're having some sort of festive occasion or if we're visiting with someone. In this case it was both.

I fussed over the kids while Ben took pictures of me... fussing over the kids.

Why do things you're anticipating always take freaking FOREVER?

And of course, the moment our guests arrived, we were trying to get organized with a couple of neighbors who had come for a short errand. So, our rather weak facade of relaxed welcome was shattered. Oh well.

Scott came!!! Yay!!

We only found out he was going to stop by about two hours before he did, so it was a lovely surprise. He and his dad were making a big trip through Utah and Idaho to see family and friends.

We visited for about an hour. Scott is doing REALLY well. He's getting through his rehab faster than anyone expected. He's looking like his old self again too, which is wonderful! He's talking about what he would need to do to get back to work at a regular job and he's going to school (which is basically occupational classes preparing him to get back into the workforce).

His sense of humor is back and the only obvious residual effect of his accident is that he sounds like he has a deep southern drawl.

It also didn't take long for Ben and Scott to get back into their old antics.

The visit was far too short and Audrey has been asking to see "Uncle Scott" ever since. A trip out to good ol' Cali might be in order if we can scrape up the green.

We're so excited for Scott and can't wait to see how improved he is the next time we see him!

I stole (uh, borrowed) this idea from Jenn. I loved it so much, I just had to do it myself. It was super easy and I have enough screen left over to do about 50 of these things. Hmm... Christmas is only eight and a half months away.....

LOVE IT!!

The Scrapbooking Beast and Taking Time to Dance

So the Scrapbooking Beast has taken over my brain and my room for the last month or so. It took a short hiatus while I attempted to scan all my old negatives with my new handy-dandy negative scanner. (If you look at the second picture, you can see my new scanner under a pile of miscellaneous papers, candy bags and a box of Kleenex.) After I finished that, I  scanned some VERY, VERY OOOOOOLD pictures of me and various family members. After I did that, I decided that I just HAD to order some prints. When the prints came in, I just HAD to start scrapbooking again, even though I still have my professional wedding pictures to scan (I know, I know. Copyrights, blah, blah. But our photographer DID give us the negatives and, I'm sorry, my scanner doesn't take the larger size negatives.) and both my babies' ultrasounds to scan.

After getting all the pictures I (currently) have scrapped and in binders, I remembered rather suddenly that I have over twenty years of old cards and letters that I could put in the scrapbooks too. I mean, what else am I going to do with them? Honestly? Why did I keep them?, you say. If you don't already understand, I'll never be able to explain it to you.

So, I have spent about 6 hours during the course of this day sorting, dating, cropping, adhering and sheet protector-ing all those cards and letters (for the first 20 years of my life).

Needless to say, my kids were feeling an eensy bit neglected. Oh, I wasn't ignoring them, but I'm sure that the "Don't TOUCH that!" and "Rwaaar!" responses from Mama didn't make them feel especially loved.

I decided that a short break in the kids' room might make everyone feel a little better. I turned on the radio, fixed Audrey's snap beads and sat back in the recliner.

I was treated to an interpretive dance show by my daughter who happily told me "Yes!" when I asked if she wanted to be a ballerina.

Eventually she got into a hip shaking groove and the ballerina was all but forgotten; replaced with the Rock Star.

All this time, Hank was just looking for a little attention.

I love the funny little skeptical looks that he was giving. Truth told, that was just his reaction to the flash of the camera. Cute anyway, though.

After the playroom boogie was over with, we adjourned to Mama and Dad's room where, in spite of all our efforts, has turned into the kids' domain as well.

Why are all the free toys the favorites?

We got this moth cutout at the Rio Grande Botanical Gardens. We took a night tour the year Audrey was born. It has lost the Popsicle stick it was taped to, but the kids fight over it and carry it around everywhere.

Working too hard and hardly working.

Okay, so I teased you guys a bit at the end of my last blog. So here is the news whether you find it good or not, depending on your fondness of Ben's occupation.

Three months after he applied, Fedex called Ben for an interview. We talked it over and determined that the pay would be similar to what he is currently making, however, the commute would be a third the distance. So, he went in for the interview and they pretty much said he had it as long as he could pass the background check. I hate waiting...

He got a call this morning. As it turns out, Ben isn't a criminal and Fedex invited him to work tomorrow morning. And by morning, I mean MORNING.... 3am, morning. This is after working his full day at Sundance. Ah, to be young again, when sleep was optional and kids were something that OTHER people had... and we laughed about both...


Anyway.

For the next week and a half, Ben has two jobs since he wasn't about to leave Sundance high and dry during the last part of the busy season. He'll be working four or five nights a week there until about 10pm, come home, try to sleep, get up at 2am (or so) and head over to FE for four hours (or so).

The benefits as I see them:

1. Ben will no longer have to work on Sunday. YAY!!
2. Ben will be home for dinner every night, which means I won't have to flake out on helping with dinner and I also won't have to pack Ben a lunch. Woot!
3. Ben will be home to help get the kids in bed.
4. Date Night now becomes optional again.
5. Less wear and tear on Ben's car. (Yes, he has his own car. I'll let him tell you about that.. a car is a personal thing, you know.)
6. He'll be sorting packages, so his arms are going to get BUFF... oh, yeah.
And the list could go on...

The downsides include no more Sundance discounts, Ben has to get up at 3am, he'll have to figure out when he can catch a nap during the day, and this MIGHT cause some tricky scheduling with school in the fall... oh, and did I mention that he has to get up at 3AM?!?

On to the hardly working...

Yeah, my thyroid hardly works.

I finally went to see an endocrinologist today (well, her nurse, anyway). I've been trying to piece together the scattered information I've been getting about my issues and I finally decided that I needed to see a specialist.

After filling the nurse in on over ten years of medical history, (yes, she was impressed) I was pleased to find that not only does she not mind that I've been taking the ever so controversial drug Armour Thyroid, she was more than happy to give me the information for a compound pharmacy in Provo where I could get a compound variation of Armour any time the big chains run out of the still-spotty supplies of the brand name. I am thrilled, to say the least!

She also sent me for more blood work (um, yay...) which included antibodies testing. I don't think I've ever had anyone check this before, the goal being to find out what is actually causing my hypothyroidism. No one has ever given me a clear explanation.

I also have an ultrasound scheduled for next Wednesday. They mostly want to make sure that there aren't any freeloading nodules wearing out their welcome. Hopefully, they won't find anything other than my lazy thyroid hanging out in there.

After about 6 weeks, I'll go for more bloodwork and then another appointment with the nurse. So, more to come. Wish me luck. I'm not freaked out about it... yet.