Susie's Leaning Tower of Chocolate for 2012

(1) Sun Jan 01 2012 13:06 All in One: Happy New Year. We're sick.

Yesterday we went to see Puss in Boots in 3D at the (not)Dollar Theater with Jamie and her kids. We had our New Year celebration at Jamie's house, with pizza benders and board games. We stayed much later than anticipated, and got home just before 11. Had a good time, though I didn't get my fill of Boggle. I think Dave has been practicing...

2011 Reading Synopsis: 131 books, 42,616 pages. (plus various unpublished books via Rachel)

And last but not least, more Maggie funnies:
I found my other antenna shoes! (tennis shoes?)
She's insisted on staying 4 forever until just a few days ago. Then she decided her birthday was in 9 days. And yesterday while getting her hair cut, she told the stylist her birthday was in 8 days. I hope she isn't disappointed next week! This might be because she said she can't go to Disneyland when she's four, but we're going next week whether she likes it or not.
While driving by a fancy school (that shall remain nameless), the kind where preschoolers wear uniforms, I asked Maggie if she wanted to go there. She replied very matter-of-factly, "That school not good enough for me."

Speaking of games and Maggie being hilarious, last night at the party she got really into Catch Phrase. After the group finished playing, she stood on the couch with the game in her hand and described various things, mostly animals and dinosaurs, for us to guess. Sometimes she took the first letter of the actual word on the Catch Phrase game to inspire her thinking. It was adorable and very clever.

Tue Jan 03 2012 18:58: We're still sick around here. John was nice enough to sleep with Dalton the last two nights, since he now gets to sleep on a comfy hotel bed with no sick kids. I took Dalton on my errands today, and he conked out when we got home. He eventually woke up enough to ask for and eat half a piece of bread and play on the floor with Maggie for a little bit. Poor thing.

I guess that's about it!

(1) Wed Jan 04 2012 13:03 Even Sicker Kids: Around 5 am, Dalton told me "ear ouchie." Nice. When we got up, Maggie told me that her stomach was hurting, so I wouldn't let her go to school, which made her very upset. I hauled both kids to the doctor.

The doctor said that Dalton had an ear infection and RSV. Luckily his oxygen levels were fine, we just need to watch our for labored breathing. He's just 5 or 6 months older than Maggie was when she was hospitalized with RSV. I guess that "over 2" makes a big difference.

The doctor wrote a prescription for Dalton. Then Maggie threw up on the floor.
"That's why we switched to hardwood floors," the doctor said.
Good idea.

(1) Sun Jan 08 2012 17:01 Maggie Mix:
Drip, tip, top, little rainbow shower...

Blocks are a kind of Legos.

I tried to explain some of the puns in When I See an Elephant Fly.
Maggie: My baseball flies. If I hit it very far. Snoopy doesn't fly, but he thinks he can.

The deacons came to collect Fast Offerings after church today. I had just been explaining to the kids that we are taking a long drive in the car to California. Maggie went to get her puzzle map of the US when the doorbell rang. I could hear her in the front room talking to the boys. "This is Utah and we're going all the way to California!" One of the boys asked "what's that one?" and she replied, "I don't know. I think it's Bangkok where we went in India." When I went in, she asked me what it was and after I informed her it was Texas, she proudly announced such to the boys.

This morning, the kids and I checked out all the rides at Disneyland and California Adventure. Maggie is tall enough for nearly all of them, and Dalton can now go on Gadget's Go-Coaster and Matterhorn. Maggie was especially excited about Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain (since it has dinosaur bones). She is not planning to go on Tower of Terror, and I'm not planning to take her! However, she says her favorite is the Redwood trails.

We were last at Disneyland (in California) a year and a half ago, so I was impressed when she said things like, "that's right next to Mickey Mouse's house" and "remember the dinosaurs on the train?"

Sun Jan 08 2012 17:04 I Wonder Where He Gets It: Dalton is such a tease. Maggie totally falls for it every time, and he keeps doing it. The other day in the car, she was getting annoyed with everything he said.

John: Look, there's the geese!
Dalton: Geese! Geese! Geese! Geese!
Maggie: Stop, Dalton!
a few minutes pass.
Dalton: red car!
Maggie: Stop, Dalton!
Dalton: Geese!

(6) (1) Wed Jan 11 2012 19:31 Miscarriage: Let's Talk About it: Women don't talk about miscarriage. They don't! Well, I'm going to.

I had a miscarriage. There, I said it. (Well, wrote it.) The first time in my life I can recall hearing those words was when I called my doctor with a question the day after we discovered our baby no longer had a heartbeat. The nurse I talked to told me her personal experience. The second time I heard it? From the anesthesiologist prepping me for a D&C. The third time? The nurse in the surgery center. And yet, 15% of documented pregnancies end in miscarriage - that's pregnant women who have already been to the doctor! Here's our story.

My first doctor appointment was at 10 weeks. Everything looked great. At 14 weeks, the nurse was unable to find a heartbeat with the monitor so she tried on the ultrasound, then called in the doctor. Obviously, by then, I suspected something was up. The doctor was able to find the baby's heart - not beating. The measurements indicated the miscarriage happened very shortly after my first appointment. This type of miscarriage - where your body doesn't immediately abort - is called a missed miscarriage. I had no idea that could even happen! Not only that, I spent another FOUR WEEKS waiting to miscarry naturally. I should have known; neither of my other babies came out on their own. During this time I continued to deal with morning sickness and none of my clothes fitting. Eventually I could tell I wasn't growing, and stopped "feeling" pregnant.

Since we are going on vacation this weekend (and I have good health insurance now), I finally scheduled a D&C (a surgical procedure to clean everything out of the uterus). Days before, I finally noticed a little bleeding and cramping, but not much. On Monday, my doctor performed a D&C. I'm still very tired, but I haven't really had any pain. This seems to be the way to go.

On to the emotional aspect of this. Things you shouldn't say to people who are grieving (and I'm not just talking about miscarriage):
You can always try again.
There must be something wrong with it.
It's part of the plan.
Your baby's smiling down on you.
You'll see her again.
Etc.

The only thing worth saying is "I'm sorry." I may think those things. John and I may even say those things to each other. But don't impose beliefs or possibilities or happy thoughts on me. Just say you're sorry. (John talked about this also)

I actually laughed at Leonard when he called. He said he was sorry and then there was silence. I told him it was perfect. There's nothing else to say. We chatted about it a few days later.

Leonard: who thinks saying that kind of thing will make you feel better?
but they keep doing it. when dad died and then again with mom
me: people who haven't experienced loss I guess
Leonard: maybe
people who say what they think they're expected to say

Now, let me clarify that if you have had a miscarriage and are willing to share your experience, feel free to mention that. But don't launch into your horror story without permission.

I'm one of those people who likes to keep pregnancy to myself (and my hubby of course). I waited for 12 weeks, and after my first doctor appointment before I told anyone, other than our family. And it didn't do any good! Sneaky.

Thu Jan 12 2012 20:24 It Takes a Village:

Thanks to Tasha for being there when I first found out.
Thanks to Brook and Erin for the late-night Gatorade.
Thanks to Linda for taking me to the hospital.
Thanks to my doctor for being as awesome removing this baby as he was delivering Dalton.
Thanks to Jamie for picking me up, listening to me talk about who-knows-what, and for not throwing up at the blood on the floor.
Thanks to Jodi for watching Dalton, spending the night - and the whole next day - and coming over again the day after that.
Thanks to Sara, Suzanne and Jana for watching Maggie.
Thanks to Jana, Valerie, Sara, Susan and Ginger for bringing us food.
Thanks to John for the Disneyland trip so we can put this behind us. And for being the best husband ever.

And, thanks to Dave for immediately saying, "Yes, I can do that" when he didn't even know it was me asking for help. The world could use more "Yes, I can!"

(1) Mon Jan 16 2012 08:55 Disneyland, Day 1: We got off to a slow start on Saturday, with Maggie complaining of an ear infection. John took her to the instacare, and I picked up a prescription after our drive to California. She survived. Sunday we spent All Day at Disneyland/DCA. Here are the highlights.

No rain predicted.
We go outside; it's raining.
See Mickey in Disneyland before it's even open. Dalton runs up and give him a big hug. Maggie runs away. Hmm. That's familiar: that's exactly what happened when we saw Santa.
We buy Dalton a $43 sweater.
M goes on Space Mountain with Mom. She doesn't like it.
M goes on Star Tours with Dad and loves it.
M goes on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with Dad and loves it.
M sees a pattern. Dalton cries at Woody and Jessie.
M goes on Splash Mountain with Dad and loves it (the pattern continues).
Dalton is persuaded to see Tigger, then Eeyore, then he gives up and runs to Pooh to give him a hug. Maggie, true to her word, is not afraid of Winnie-the-Pooh (and Friends).
Dalton goes on Winnie the Pooh for the third time and signs more (while Maggie gets Splash Mountain turns (and soaking wet)).
Maggie doesn't complain about her wet shoes, socks, and undies at all the rest of the day.
The tippity-top of Dalton's head barely touches the 35" mark (which amazes the cast members), and he gets to ride Gadget's Go-Coaster.
We see Mickey again in California Adventure and Maggie is persuaded to see him.
Maggie goes on Soarin' Over California (with Dad, of course) and loves it.
After Maggie and I go on Soarin' Over California, it is raining again, and John has left the park with the umbrellas and raincoats.
Maggie and I run to meet John and we have a $28 dinner from Wetzel's Pretzels inside the Disney Store.
Our kids do not beg for (or even ask for) toys.
As we walk back to our car in the rain, Dalton asks for his "racing ticket". He's been carrying the Autopia driver's license around all day, and falls asleep in the car holding it in his hand.

(4) Tue Jan 17 2012 19:59: Two more days of Disneyland. We spent most of the day yesterday, and a few hours this morning before driving to Pat & Alan's house. Dalton sent a kiss to Rapunzel during the parade, which she grabbed and held. He was just adorable.

I also taught the kids "monorail" instead of just another old train. Dalton calls it a Mama Rail! Soooooooo cute.

We drove straight through on the 101 and it took less than 4 hours to get here from Disneyland. We didn't even turn on the DVD player. The kids loved seeing the ocean; I loved NOT seeing the ocean crashing up onto the freeway like it was last time I made this drive.

(2) Wed Jan 18 2012 20:47 Happy Day:

Bath with "new" bath toys
Boat-themed playground at the marina
Morro Rock
Montana de Oro
Windy beach
Smooth rocks
Huge seaweeds
Sandy shoes
Nice drive
Beautiful view
Happy day

Leah went running to say hi to Uncle Garry and Aunt Joan when they arrived for dinner and my kids happily followed suit, with hugs even. Never mind that the last time we saw them was in 2007. It was so good to see them again, though. Garry brought two boxes of Dewar's chews. Shannon brought adorable cookies, including a dinosaur one Maggie ate. Peach cobbler was involved. Need I say more?

Pat looks more like Grandma Rosie than ever (except not so old, of course) and it makes me kind of lonely. My kids are having a great time. More beaching will be happening tomorrow, I'm sure.

(1) Thu Jan 19 2012 21:05 Elephant Seals and Sand Dollars: This morning, Pat and I drove the kids up past Hearst Castle to see the elephant seals at Piedras Blancas. It's the height of birthing season and there were hundreds of seals lying on the beach - light-colored mamas, black babies and HUGE males. It was really interesting to watch, but it was realllly cold.

We had lunch (fish and chips for the kids!) with a view of the harbor seals and the rock. Then we went to the beach at Morro Rock and collected dozens of sand dollars in the low tide. The kids loved it. Maggie washed them all when we got home (Dalton was too grumpy after late nights playing with cousins and took a nap).

We had dinner with Shannon and Shaun at the golf club and the kids practically jumped into bed when we got back. Pictures from our trip to Los Osos.

(1) Tue Jan 24 2012 15:46 It Rained All Night the Day I Left: Just a few more notes and quotes from our California trip. I drove home yesterday through 3 snowstorms. Yay.

People keep asking me if my kids slept on the trip. 31 hours of driving later, I think it's safe to say the answer is "no." Dalton took a 1 hour nap on the way down, but that was it.

Seen on storage tanks on the side of the freeway: Gasoline. Diesel. Rocket Fuel.

Best Jungle Cruise joke ever: There's something you don't see every day. But I do. Every seven and a half minutes. Stay in school, kids.

Maggie when the Disneyland railroad pulled into the Toontown station. Right next to the Princess Fantasy Faire. "This is NOT our stop!"

Dalton woke up this morning and regaled me with all the rides we went on. "Dumbo fly! Pirate ship fly! Small world. Racing. Racing. Buzz. Light. Year." Etc. Too cute.

Pictures are up. Enjoy.

Thu Jan 26 2012 16:04 Keynote Speaker: Dalton has burst into full sentences over the past week or two. He's so smart! I love listening to him carry on conversations. He especially loves to chat about Disneyland. Here's a quote from our drive to the doctor's office yesterday.

Dalton: A food! Food! Hat food.
Me: Oh, that's Pizza Hut.
Dalton: Pizza. Hat.
Me: Yeah, they're asking for that.

(1) Fri Jan 27 2012 20:28 Taking a Step: My first semester at BYU I took a Career Exploration class. Since I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. In that class, we read a devotional given by John H. Groberg titled What Is Your mission? He says:

Start moving in some direction. Start doing something--take a course, go on a date, choose a major. Start somewhere, in some area about which you at least do not feel negative. If you feel negative about everything, start in the area about which you feel least negative. In other words, do not just sit and wait for a big revelation. Do not wait for a change, or a transfer, or a move, or a different situation. Start where you are, now.

I took this advice literally. I had the vaguest of interests in Psychology (hah!) so I declared that as my major and registered for appropriate classes. Even then, I knew that Psychology wasn't a very good major - you have to go to graduate school to make anything useful of it. However, I was taking a step.

Within a year, because of that step, two things happened that changed my life. First, I volunteered at the Utah State Hospital, and there discovered Recreational Therapy. I graduated with that degree and though I didn't work in the field very long, I loved it. And it's a useful degree.

The second thing was even more important. In a Social Psychology class, a group of students came in and did a brief presentation on the Romanian internship opportunity I ended up doing. Even just applying for that internship changed my life. It was a very volatile time of my life and this opportunity was something to hope for, something I wanted to do. Then, it was in Romania that I grew up, became grounded, developed my testimony, learned who I was, tested myself, and I came home less selfish, happier, and shining. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

(As a side note, I took over the housing contract of a fellow intern the next summer, which is where I met John. So, we'll call that a third happy consequence.)

If you "desire to know your mission and calling in life" don't tread water. Don't wait for a change. Start where you are, now.

Sat Jan 28 2012 09:43 Facebook: Here are a few of my recent Facebook posts. Must integrate with my blog!

1/23: You know that sign between Middle-of-Nowhere, CA and Middle of Nowhere, NV that says "Salt Lake City 537"? I hate that sign.

1/25: Dalton learned something from riding Heimlich's Chew Chew Train 5 times in a row. He just burped and said, "Scuse Me!"

1/26: drove 1200 miles this week, only to get a speeding ticket on the way to the zoo.

1/27: spent $70 at Wetzel's Pretzels last week...

1/28: Maggie went on a special field trip to the Planetarium to see a film in its last week showing. Her favorite planet is now Pluto. I think I know why they're discontinuing the film...

Tue Jan 31 2012 20:11 What We Did: A while ago Maggie asked to play "Away in a Manger." I eventually realized she was talking about the Fisher Price Nativity set Kyli has. Yesterday she wanted to play that game again, but she meant acting it out. I was assigned to be a camel.

The kids love to hide and yell "Surprise!" (Or in Dalton's case, "Dubrise!") Dalton hid himself in the pantry and shut the door. I was focused on something else, but eventually noticed him calling, "Mommy! Oden door!" and came to his rescue. Or tried to. I had to try several closed doors before I found him. When I opened the pantry door, my first thought was that my onions had gone bad. But nope: Dalton had used his time in his hiding spot to make a dirty diaper. In my pantry!

Maggie tucked Dalton into bed last night. I heard a lot of:
"Airplane!" "Yes, Daddy's working."
"Night Night! Say Night Night!" "Night Night!"
"Here's Mickey Mouse so you can't have to be scared."
"Scoot over so you don't fall off."
Etc. The whole process took two reminders that it was her OWN bedtime, and about 15 minutes.

Today we went to the ward playgroup, IKEA for free kids lunch on Tuesdays, storytime at the library, and Jo-Ann (for the first time since we came home). Then, my cousin Jill came over and we made some Valentine's Day projects. She made a cute pillow cover, and I made a couple heart garlands. My project didn't turn out nearly as cute as I envisioned, but that's pretty typical. At least it got me using my sewing machine.

Maggie made an elaborate Valentine gift for me during that time, using, among other things, an entire tube of glitter glue and a Pooh Christmas sticker. I love it.

Fri Feb 03 2012 17:41 "Like this, Mommy!": Dalton's favorite phrase this week is "Like this, Mommy!" usually followed by a sound. His favorite sound is ketchup. "Ketchup like this, Mommy! Thbbbbbsth!"

We watched Kyli today. Maggie was at school and Ky and Dalton played so well together. Kyli says "Dalton" so cute. They both sat down on matching blue chairs watching "Dumbo" while each holding their elephant snugglies.

Also today, Dalton made the smallest mess possible involving a boy and an open container of Vaseline.

Thu Feb 09 2012 21:00 Boys, Girls, and Otters: We went to the aquarium with Jodi and Kyli today. They have some adorable new otters. They also had free Otter Pops!

Maggie finished writing out her Valentines this morning. She wrote her name on each of them, and all of her classmates' names. We practiced writing lowercase letters, and she did great. Tonight we did another activity where I drew half a heart on folded paper and had her cut it out. I am very impressed by her scissors skills.

Dalton is a fruit & veggie lover. He had black beans, strawberries, and pineapple for lunch! I can't even get Maggie to eat carrots and apples anymore. Dalton also said a cute sentence today. He bumped into Kyli so I told him to say, "sorry." He did, then ran over to me and said, "I said sorry, mommy!"

(1) Sat Feb 11 2012 16:42 Everybody Clean Up: Last night I told myself I'd clean off the kitchen counters (ie. catchall) before I went to bed. So I did, and you know what? It really only took 2 minutes. I always say, "well, I can just take that next time I go downstairs" or "I'll put that in the car next time I go out" but when I just went and did it right then, it looked so much nicer!

Today John and I did a little shopping and went out to lunch for Valentine's Day. We went to CPK, and only paid $15 since we had a gift card. Yum! We also popped into a party store that we always just walk by - wow! They had everything from individual colored M&Ms to 48-packs of dinosaurs. They also had tux rentals and a life-size cutout of G.W. Bush. I was looking online for somewhere to buy food coloring for Maggie's birthday and I couldn't find anything, but they had that, too. I'll definitely be going back.

After we picked the kids up from Grandma & Grandpa's, we went to the park. Since it's 60 degrees. I told John, "I think we got more snow last winter before we left for India (on Dec. 4) than we have this whole winter."

Sun Feb 12 2012 18:35 Someone Loves School: Bless Mommy and Daddy and Dalton not to miss me when I'm gone. Bless me to have fun. Bless all the things to not be tricky. Bless all the kids to not be noisy at school.

(1) Wed Feb 15 2012 18:33 Hello February 15th: Bless that we can put up our Easter decorations. Bless that the Easter Bunny will come on Easter. I think he will but we'll have to wait and see.

I'm not even sure we have any Easter decorations.

Sun Feb 19 2012 14:10: Dalton has gotten into the habit of saying "thanks" to the young man passing the Sacrament to him. Aside from my son's adorable politeness, this made me think about who we should really be thanking for the Sacrament. Thanks to Christ we can repent of our sins every week. Lucky us to be so loved.

Sat Feb 25 2012 17:39 Sledding: We went sledding at the cabin today. It was exhausting. I'm sitting in the bathroom while Dalton takes a bath and he is sedately playing with the bath toys and bubbles. It must have been exhausting for him, too.

We had some good runs, both at the flat and just near our cabin. Dalton was scared and kept saying "no more sledding" but he had fun. We tried to build a snowman. Somehow, John got one ball rolled, but that was all we managed. It was just perfect for some twig arms, pine cone eyes, and baby carrot nose.

I made BBQ pork sandwiches for dinner and John loved it. Every time I eat something with an egg in it he says, "I thought you didn't like eggs." Maybe I should remind him that he doesn't like pork.

(1) Tue Feb 28 2012 18:40 Party in the Works: We went on a birthday-shopping spree today, for Maggie's birthday party next week. We went to FIVE different stores! We got air-dry clay, wood shavings, paintbrushes, food coloring, and chocolate rocks, not to mention party hats and paper plates. I decided not to spend $10 on the dinosaur pinata and instead spent some of that money on stuff to fill a DIY one with. I don't want to do candy. My kids get enough candy and I'm sure everyone else's do, too. Of course, I don't want junky toys either (dinosaurs are not junky toys in our house) so I did non-candy consumables. Hah!

All I have left to buy is dino chicken nuggets and day-of balloons for the birthday girl.

Wed Feb 29 2012 10:49 Dalton's Sillies: February was short but filled with lots of silliness. I tried to write the kids' silly sayings down as they happened (in my phone, in my notebook, on a scrap of paper, or a blog post draft). I may have lost a paper or two, but there's plenty to make you smile. See Maggie's here.

2/14: Bye guys! Dinosaur man! Hour! (Maggie got in the habit of saying "bye house see you in half a hour" whenever we leave. And "Dinosaur man" is "We're going to the Dinosaur Museum."

2/14: Mommy, happy face! Which was his way of asking for lip gloss.

The kids have a new game for the car where we each take turns picking a song and then we all sing it. This may or may not have been born out of hearing "Songs! Wiggles!" requested too many times. Dalton invariably chooses "Jingle Bells" or "ABCs". We sang ABCs twice on the way home from preschool today. Except once he said, "Cake." "Cake song?" "Cake." Okaaaay. So I sang "Happy Birthday."

His favorite Wiggles song is "Gulp, Gulp, Drink Some Water." He also really likes "it's a small world" and I've overheard him singing it to himself a few times.

2/21: Dalton burst into tears when he got up and found out Daddy was "on an airplane."

2/22: Every time I notice that Dalton is sitting nicely at the table I realize it's because I buckled him in.

He says "kitty" super cute still. It sounds more like "teeny" or "teengy". Video here.

(1) Wed Feb 29 2012 10:49 Maggie in February: I think kids get sillier as they get older. When does that stop? See Dalton's silliness this month here.

2/1: When he see his shadow, Pissmas will come.

2/8: Pretending to be a superhero, she called herself "Heroman." Superheros was kind of a theme around here this month.

2/13: Eating hummus: "It tastes kind of yuck but it's good.

2/22 Mommy. When I'm big and married and there's a baby in my tummy, is it a boy or a girl and what name can we call it?

What kind of store is that?
It's a boat store.
Is it for boats that are out of stamina?
... It's to buy a boat.
Why are they out of the water? Why you laughing???

When she pretends to serve me food at a restaurant, or be a librarian, she does voices. She just makes her voice a little deeper.

"Look what's in this book! It's a duck Buddha!"

Dessert = "bessert" - I love it!
Hood = "hoof"

She invented something called a "Gradual Seahorse." It looks a lot like a regular seahorse (and you can call it that, she allows). And it does a lot of the same things a seahorse does according to the 20 minute lecture I received on the topic.

She is still obsessed with her pretend dinosaur, Whatasaurus. He's as tall as six tall, tall, buildings in the whole world each stack on each other (Burj Khalifa). He has "all the things" (spikes, toe claw, hump on his head, etc.)

Two words/concepts Maggie has learned at school are "pattern" and "collection". Except when she says "collection" it sounds like "question."

M: Can you get me more sun seeds?
Me: They're sunflower seeds.
M: Can you get me more flower seeds?

Both of the kids, but especially Maggie loves to "play parade" with Daddy. As far as I can tell, this involves swinging the kids around, turning them upside down, and generally dancing about, with crazy music playing.

2/26: During a video chat with Aunt Rachel, Maggie went to get her US map puzzle. "Where's London on this map?"

2/27: Reading That's Not My Mermaid
M: That's a India one.
Me: Why? (Thinking because she's wearing bangles.)
M: She's brown.
D: Bangles!

(2) Sat Mar 03 2012 07:22 C25K: I am halfway done with the Couch to 5K training program. (ETA: I'm actually a week farther along than I thought - week 5 out of 9. yay!) I'm doing it on the elliptical, so maybe that's cheating, but it's better than nothing. I was actually sore for the first time this week, but it might have had more to do with the giant snowball Maggie and I pushed across the backyard, or shoveling 6 inches of snow off the driveway.

Anyway, I fit into some of my regular-sized pants now, so I can do laundry less often. Which means, my fitness program is successful.

Sun Mar 04 2012 20:01 Party the 1st: We had a family birthday party for Maggie and Hannah tonight. As we headed home Maggie said, "I'm so happy! I got Legos just like I wanted." It doesn't take much to please her. Though, she did get some pretty awesome Lego sets (Lego Friends Olivia's House and Olivia's Inventor's Workshop). She is super excited for her birthday. She gets a mini party at school, a dinosaur party at home, and then on her birthday, a special date with Daddy to see Toy Story 3 Disney on Ice. I haven't actually told her she's going to Disney on Ice, though I showed her the flier. She's going to love it.

(2) Tue Mar 06 2012 21:13 Top 5 Reasons to Move to California: We decided back in September to move to California. Actually, we decided in 2007 when we left California that we'd only be in Utah about 5 years - though moving back to California wasn't necessarily the plan. The career opportunities here weren't viable, even at the time. This move's been in the cards. And the time has come. Or will come, this summer. Here are just a few of the reasons I'm looking forward to this move.

5. Disneyland. Like you didn't see that coming. When my baby boy wakes up in the morning and says "Small world today!" I want to be able to say, "ok!"

4. The weather. This winter's been so mild, so this isn't a complaint, but I shoveled 6 inches of snow off my driveway this morning. Nuff said. We love going for walks, and doing things outside, so it's frustrating when several months of the year that's not possible.

3. Downsizing. Since coming home from India, our house has felt too large. We have too much stuff. We're not "herded". We have more money. More money isn't a bad thing, but I look forward to a challenging budget in California, along with other simplifying changes that will come.

2. It's not Utah. Sorry, Utah. You've got some things going for you, but I don't want to raise my kids here. The goal was to be out before Maggie started school. Check.

1. My husband works there. It's a long commute. The good news is, once we move, his commute will be shorter than it would be if he lived and worked in Utah!

Fri Mar 09 2012 17:47 Maggie Turns 5: Happy Birthday to the silliest of silly girls! We had a great dinosaur party yesterday. Now she is off at Disney on Ice with her Daddy, the most exciting part of which was that she got to ride in the blue car! Let's celebrate with a round-up of the latest Maggie Quotes.

3/1: "On my next birthday that's a Lego birthday I'm going to order (invite) James to my party cause he love Legos. After that is my Princess birthday." (Since then, she's decided on a Superhero birthday for her 7th.)

3/1: Maggie thinks she's doing me a "flavor" by getting herself and Dalton a treat...

3/2: "Dalton's birthday is Draper what?"

3/3: Maggie just threatened to clobber me.

3/5: "Your tummy look a little big."

3/6 "Mommy, after lunch I want to play chores."

3/7: (at the bank) Don't forget to tell them two lollipops for your two kids!

3/7: When I get up can I be a mommy just like you?
Yes. When you're a mommy, I'll be a grandma.
I don't think so that's a good idea. How about two mommies?

3/7 M: Oh yeah, yeah yeah, I'm on a diet!
Dad: Do you know what "diet" means?
M: It means you don't eat so much food you're on a diet!

3/9: "Good. But I wonder if there's anymore presents." (There weren't. And she was mad. Sheesh.)

(1) Fri Mar 16 2012 20:21 So Smart: I can't help it. She's just so funny. More Maggie quotes.

3/10: A girl's heart is pink and a boy's heart is red.

3/10: Grandma: We're going to change time tonight. Did you know that?
Maggie: No, but I know a lot of things. I know a lot about dinosaurs.

3/10: When I'm right I will be really smart.

3/10: Trying to make friends at the park: "Hi, I'm nice! Wait for me, I'm nice!"

3/11: M is trying to hide the fact that she is playing with a Cinderella doll (in her "Barbie Lego" house).

3/15: Our family's not big enough in our house.

3/16: Are you getting all the seaweeds out so the ladybugs will be safe? There won't be any scary spots?

Sat Mar 17 2012 19:18 Moab Day 1 (Arches): We left a day early for our trip to Arches to take advantage of today's awesome weather. It was around 70 with a nice breeze/howling wind (depending on where we were). We carried the kids on the hike to Delicate Arch (3 miles). As we rounded the corner to the view, Dalton started chanting in my ear, "Edna Mode. Edna Mode." He loves E! We had a snack at Delicate. It was pretty windy up there.

Next we went to Sand Dune Arch and played, and finally hiked 1 mile to Landscape Arch. We decided to go up a bit (hah!) further to Partition Arch. Climbing up the sand fins with the kids was fun. I love that view though, and the kids liked that one, too. Maggie was a great sport and walked the whole way back down to Landscape. Climbing on the "red mountain" was the part she'd been waiting for.

The 1 mile back to the parking lot from Landscape was horribly windy right in our faces. We were carrying the kids (sans packs) and practically running to get out of it.

We hiked about 6 miles today and are definitely feeling it. We wanted to do as much as possible today because it's supposed to rain. Rain + slick rock = scary. Rain + red sand = clay. (Been there, done that.) So we just have a few little hikes and the visitor's center for tomorrow. We're also going to Dead Horse Point State Park. Yay!

Mon Mar 19 2012 20:22 Moab Day 2 + Prehistoric Museum: On Sunday we went to Arches again. It was threatening rain, so we quickly visited the Windows, and then went to Double Arch. We were practically running so we could enjoy some time up in the shelter. It sprinkled a couple times, but we made it back to the car before the rain really began. We got some cute pictures of the kids, too.

We next stopped at the visitors' center where Maggie did the Junior Ranger program. I think this is her third one, and she actually did everything this time, including the writing.

After that, we drove to Dead Horse Point State Park. I'd never heard of this park before, but it's pretty awesome for a State Park. It's a peninsula of a plateau, with a 30 yard wide neck. You can walk all along the rim and look down on nearly 100 miles of scenery and the Colorado River (2000 feet below). Unfortunately, it was cold, which we weren't prepared for. The kids were good sports, though, and no one fell off the cliff. There were some awesome views.

Today we lazed around (We all slept for TWELVE hours last night!) and then headed home. We stopped in Price on our way to visit the Prehistoric Museum of the College of Eastern Utah. Sorry, BYU; CEU's dinosaur museum is much better. They didn't have much by way of mounted skeletons (the main diorama was dismantled) but they had lots of bones, and a really great hands-on area for kids. There were coloring pages, puzzles, stuffed animals, puppets, and two digging areas. They also had phosphorescent rocks, a tipi, and lots of interesting displays on the Fremont Indians. Highly recommended if you're in the area.

Sat Mar 31 2012 17:02 You're Not in Asia Anymore: Here's a quote from me for a change. Driving through Moab.

Is that the hotel we canceled? But they have grass! Oh wait. That's not a selling point for me anymore.

Mon Apr 02 2012 14:27: Remember the olden days where a nice, sunny April day meant you could wear flip flops? It's a deceitful 43 degrees outside, and my toes got very cold.

Also: Of all the trouble my kids could have caused when I fell asleep on Dalton's bed, he decided to poop in the potty for the first time, all by his big boy self. So big!

Sat Apr 07 2012 10:52 Easter-y: Happy Easter! We celebrated by waking up early to take the kids to the egg "hunt" at Smith's. They had free donut holes and chocolate milk. Each age group had section taped off with candy all over the ground. Maggie filled up her entire Easter bucket with candy! Just what we need! The kids got their picture taken with the Easter Bunny as well.

Afterwards, we realized we had enough time to get breakfast and still go to the Draper City egg hunt. So we did. It was really cold outside and we had to wait half an hour. The kids got to see Elmo, Darth Vadar, the Easter Bunny etc. This egg "hunt" lasted about 2 minutes. Maggie got 8 eggs, Dalton a few more. We went back to our car and sat for 25 minutes waiting for the traffic to die down. And remembered why we decided to do the Smith's event this year.

John joked that the Draper hunt had better candy because Smith's had to buy their own. We were just getting our tax dollars' worth.

We went to lunch at a Mexican place, then used some free ice cream coupons we got at the Draper hunt. Still have at least three more - they were handing them out like crazy! Love free ice cream.

Mon Apr 09 2012 09:21 If it Ain't Broke: Ham and potatoes, ham and potatoes, and for dessert more ham and potatoes.

(1) Wed Apr 11 2012 20:31 C25K Complete!: Today was my last day of the Couch to 5K program. You run 20-30 minutes 3 times a week for 9 weeks and at the end of it you can run a 5K! Just like that!

Well, I'm pretty sure I can't run a 5K. And I haven't lost a single pound. And the one time I ran outside on the trail with Dalton, the stroller, and a lollipop, the lollipop stick was in better shape by the time we got home.

BUT: I can "run" for 30 minutes straight on the elliptical. I fit into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, and I couldn't help but admire my legs in a store window the other day (we don't have a full-length mirror at home).

As I told Rachel, laundry is my motivating factor in working out. I was tired of only having one pair of pants that fit. So I'd call it a success. For me, it's not about the actual 5K. I thought about signing up for one, but changed my mind. I'm happy with the level of physical fitness I achieved in the last 9 weeks. And since I started the program after an unhappy ending to my pregnancy (during which I gained 12 pounds combating morning sickness), all the better.

Also, I watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy and a couple other movies while I worked out. I finished The Return of the King tonight along with my last workout. Awesome. And by "last workout" I don't mean I'm stopping.

Fri Apr 20 2012 15:31 Dalton: 2/29: He always says "big" with his arms spread out vertically. Big bite, big cat, big shoes.

3/8: 9 kids at birthday party. One drink spilled. One Dalton sitting at the table. Two drinks spilled. This is why we still use sippy cups.

3/8: (re: chocolate cake) Milk! Want milk on it, too. (We know he's in the right family)

3/17: It's sand! It's sand! (In Moab at Sand Dune Arch)

3/17: Hiking to Delicate Arch: Edna Mode. Edna Mode. (Dalton's favorite character in The Incredibles.)

4/20: M, handing out pretend hot dogs: Do you want mustard or ketchup on yours?
D: On yours.

Fri Apr 20 2012 15:32 Maggie Sue: I guess the kids aren't as funny lately.

3/18: Wind, go make some arches and leave us alone!

Early March: Me: You're the one who was peeking when I said "no looking."
Maggie: I keep trying to do that but it's hard. I try and it keep not working!

4/20 (reading): Puh... Pop! Like "purple."

(1) Sat Apr 21 2012 18:39 Peach Cobbler: I'm having peach cobbler. For dinner. I've been craving it for a few days thinking of the peaches I canned a few years ago that should be used up before we move. Today we went out and got vanilla ice cream and I whipped up a cobbler and YUM. The best part is, I can have some for breakfast tomorrow! I haven't forgotten my roots.

Hmm. Looking at my recipe again, I DID forget the half stick of butter in the biscuit dough, and you know what? I can't even tell! Hurray for low fat.

(1) Tue May 01 2012 17:33 Superlative: Dalton has been saying "very, very" for a few days. He started off using it correctly. "I'm very, very hungry" or "That was very, very funny (fun)" or "Very, very sunny eyes!" Then today, he took off and is applying it to everything. "That's very, very mine", "Very, very not that!" and "Very, very bacon!"

Mon May 07 2012 16:35 The Hunt is On: John and I have begun the search for a place to live in CA. Mostly John. He's even taking care of all the phone calls to realtors, which is awesome. We've found quite a variety in our price range, close to work, close to schools (in the good district), close to the grocery store, close to parks (since we don't want a yard). In four days, we're driving down to see what we can in person, make a choice, and of course invest in Disneyland annual passes.

I'm so excited to move! We've been getting rid of tons of stuff. We made three trips to the DI containers when they were at our stake last week, and we already piled up more in the garage since. We're downsizing, which basically means cutting out all the space in our house that we currently don't use. And less "herding" needed. Not looking forward to packing, but everything else is going to be great.

Wed May 16 2012 14:52 Spending to Save: I'm not sure we've gotten $175 out of our Thanksgiving Point membership, despite my best efforts. We usually do something there at least once a week. I guess a museum visit would normally cost $17 and we've probably been close to 10 times, but I wouldn't have gone 10 times if I had to pay full price.

But anyway, today I used the reciprocal membership to take the kids to the Discovery Science Center, where I saved $28. Who would pay that? Yikes. The kids are still a little too young to thoroughly enjoy it, but we had fun.

Wed May 16 2012 19:36 You Can Laugh at Me: This afternoon we went back to our future new house to take some measurements and a few pictures. It always looks different the second time, but we are still very happy with it. It's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath in a really great neighborhood, right, RIGHT next to the San Diego Creek Trail. We're going to really love living there.

Here's a hilarious anecdote from the day. After house checking out, we grabbed some dinner and went to the beach. We went back to our old haunt, Newport Beach, because we couldn't find anything to eat at Laguna Beach. Dalton played on the playground while Maggie and I went walking down by the water looking at shells.

A wave surprised us and got one of Maggie's feet wet and dirty. Naturally (stupidly) we decided to dip her foot in the water to rinse it off. Next thing you know, a big wave came and stole THREE of our flip flops! I ran up the beach, dumped our stuff and my remaining shoe on the dry sand, then hurried out in the water to try to catch them. Not only did I not catch them, I got wet. Luckily, when I turned around, Maggie was picking up her sandals from the sand where they'd already washed up, and then picked mine up. I called her a hero, which she loved. All flip flops saved! And we made a really fun memory.

Thu May 17 2012 18:27 Privateers: Dalton talked in his sleep quite a bit last night. One of the things I caught was "pirates". Maggie informed us that she had a dream about pirates in Utah, but she paused it because she had to wake up and start a day.

(2) Mon May 21 2012 12:59 First Stitches for Dalt: Dalton got his first stitches last night, after tripping down the porch steps and getting his sunglasses smashed into his face by the cement. I think this event proves how abnormally well-behaved and laid back Dalton is. He only cried about 2 minutes after he first hit his head, then was perfectly fine. I took him to the urgent care, but they sent me to Primary Children's. They mumbled something about possible brain injury, but the urgent care can't sedate and I think they just didn't want to stitch up an unsedated 2 year old.

Primary Children's didn't end up sedating him anyway. He was so calm they decided to try it with just the shots. They just straight-jacketed him with a pillow case, wrapped him up like a burrito, and had a nurse hold his head while they gave him a couple shots and stitched him up. Oh, and they put on Toy Story and brought someone in to blow bubbles (seriously). He actually almost cried at one point, then I suggested busting out the bubbles and that worked. He kicked at them with his feet while the doctor finished stitching.

The head ER guy kept thanking me for letting them do it without sedation (I guess some moms can't stand to watch their kid be awake while being poked?) and for not making them do a CT scan when he was obviously fine.