America's Got Talent?

Robert and I like to watch America's Got Talent. This week a group of kids performed (two brothers and one sister) called Voices of Glory. They're pretty good, but what people like best about them is their story. Their mother was in a car accident and left pretty severely disabled and they want to win so they can provide for her. However, I think that sometimes people are blinded by the sob-story of the contestants and fail to recognize their talent for what it really is--good enough for a church choir and community stuff, but not worth $1 million dollars and certainly not an act I'd go see in Vegas. Go to this YouTube link and watch their performance this week of "You'll Never Walk Alone" and tell me what you think. Like I said, they're not bad, but the judges (for the most part) praise them and fail to point out some of the biggest flaws in their singing. They start out rough (which on judge mentions), they do get better in the middle, but then at the end, to me, it was literally a train wreck. It starts when the boy on the right (watch him at the end) cracks on the "a-" of "alone" and sings the "-lone" before either of the other two. Then they get to the last phrase where they sing "you'll never walk alone" and the little girl (who's 9) is supposed to belt out the "ne-" of "never" and not only misses the note, but doesn't sing the word at all. Anyway, I know it's just a show and no big deal, but it seems that everyone thinks these kids are close to flawless, and Robert and I were wondering if we were just hearing them wrong. Let me know what you think. If this link up top doesn't work, I put it down below for you to copy and paste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMik73IHdTA

Bagels!

I attempted bagels a year or so ago with a recipe from someone's yuppie-I-think-I-know-how-to-cook-because-I-by-$90-cookbooks cookbook and they were a total flop--flat, hard, and flavorless. Nothing went right. A few months ago, I came across this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen and it seemed to have everything the other recipe didn't, so I gave it a shot. Here they are:

The recipe makes 12 so I made 6 plain (back left), 3 cheese (back right), and 3 cinnamon and sugar (front). They came out wonderfully. If you have a taste for authentic bagels but can't seem to find a good bakery, these are worth making. Robert even said he's never had bagels any better, not even from a bagel shop. They do require some patience, but they're not difficult at all. They also have to sit overnight, so they take two days essentially. But they are worth it. The first day is the most work. The second day they take probably 30 minutes total to prep and bake, so you can do them first thing in the morning and have fresh bagels for breakfast and not have to get up at the crack of dawn. Let me know if anyone tries them!

In case the link doesn't work, here it is again for you to copy and paste: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/bronx-worthy-bagels/

Something to post!

I was in the kitchen and heard Craig beginning his frustrated whimper. He usually does this when he's trying to open something and can't, or put a toy inside something it doesn't quite fit into. This time he came toddling over to me and pulled on my dress. I looked down and saw something like this:

He had put the container on his head and it got stuck. I thought it was the funniest thing, I couldn't stop laughing. I took it off for him, but since I had laughed, now he thought it was funny and kept putting in on over and over again and every time I have to pull it off. A couple of times he got it on there pretty tight. I almost had to get out the butter.

As a side note, this new fascination with seeing what fits inside where has led to me catching him trying to put things like crackers and toys in his ears. Right now, he hasn't figured out those are all too big, but sooner than I'd like, he'll figure it out and then it will be off to the emergency room. Sigh.

More Famous Mormons

Since there isn't really anything interesting going in my life, and since I have been forgetting to get the camera out of its hiding place in a locked cupboard, I am going to post another set of famous mormons, in case you were interested by the last one. After this I promise to try harder to post things about my life.

Aaron Eckhart



This one surprised me. And it seems as if he's active. He served a mission in France and says that he loves things about the church but doesn't want to be known as a "Mormon actor".

Katherine Heigl



From "Grey's Anatomy", "27 Dresses", and the current movie "Ugly Truth". This what she says about herself: "I'm not as disciplined about it was I once was, but I hope to find my way back as I get older and a little less selfish."

Rick Schroder



“Schroder is ... a religious man; four years ago, he converted to Mormonism, joining his wife, who was already a member.” Interesting.

Ted Bundy (infamous rather than famous)



Serial killer and converted to Hinduism on death row.

Butch Cassidy



Bank robber born in Utah to pioneer parents.

The website has famous Mormons in sports, writers, artists, and all kinds of categories. Check it out at www.famousmormons.net.

Famous Mormons

Someone emailed me this website that lists a bunch of famous Mormons from music, movies, media, reality shows, etc. Of course there were some obvious ones (like the Osmonds and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) but some surprised me. See how many you knew about.

The Jets (remember?)



They are active and had 17 kids in the family!

Derek and Julianne Hough



She's a country singer and they both are dancers on Dancing with the Stars.

Lacey Schwimmer



She was a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance and is now a dancer on Dancing with the Stars.

Amy Adams



Amy Adams, who grew up in a Mormon household in Castle Rock, Colo., the middle child of seven.

Amy Adams was raised Mormon until she was 11, when her parents divorced. She never practiced after that.

Wilford Brimley



Some of you might now him from something other than the Diabetes commercials he does these days. What was that 80's show he was in? Our House, or something?

Keene Curtis (for you Cheers fans out there)



He was a big time Broadway/Shakespearean actor. He was John Allen Hill on Cheers and Daddy Warbucks in Annie. He passed away in 2002.

Miss Utah 2008 Jill Stevens



I realize that most Miss Utahs are probably LDS, but this girl was a sergeant in the army was and actually a childhood friend of mine. Well, her sister Julie and I were the same age and little tomboy Jill was a few years younger. She was the only contestant in the Miss America pageant last year who wore a one piece bathing suit and a modest evening gown. Way to go!

There's more I'll post later.

A job!

I realized that I haven't written about Robert's job yet. He did get one (not up to his qualifications, but you take what you can get, right?). He's a manager at Sbarro's in the mall--you know, the pizza places. He's still training right now, but he'll hopefully be in his normal routine in a week. That means he'll get most Sundays off. He's worked the last two, so it's kind of stunk, but we're grateful he's working. He's still been trying to look and has had a couple other prospects, but nothing too promising. So, we're thinking we may just have to stick with this for a while. It's enough, but barely. The other unfortunate thing, though, is that he's been working 13 hour shifts. The overtime is great, but we never see him. And with only one car, Craig and I have to get creative with how we manage our days. Once the weather cools off, there are tons of places to go around here within walking distance.

I finished my online classes last week, hallelujah. I think I got A's in both! Considering how much time I didn't have to study, that's was a big accomplishment. Today was my catch-up-on-cleaning day since I haven't had the time or energy lately. It stinks to do, but it's so nice once it's done. Hopefully I'll only have to do one more big cleaning day before the baby comes. I can't believe I have less than a month. It's gone by so quickly and I feel totally unprepared as compared to my last one. Nothing is set or organized. We haven't gotten a frame for our bed so we can attach the co-sleeper to it or a double stroller, which I know I'll eventually need without having a car. We also need to start stocking up on newborn diapers and I need to go through the bajillion bags of baby clothes and at least separate out the newborn and 0-3 months ones. I'm exhausted just thinking about it all. :) But it's exciting at the same time. I can't wait to have another little cuddly baby, and to have the beginnings of a normal body back. Here are the things I look forward to the most, immediately post-partum:

-Peeing normally again
-Being able to see Craig when he's pulling at my knees
-Getting dressed without almost falling over
-Standing for longer than 5 mins. without my feet throbbing
-Bending at my waist
-Non-itchy and dry belly
-Turning over at night without the aid of a boon
-Being able to get up and down off the couch, or off the floor, easily

There are many other things that come later, too, that I am looking forward to. Not that I dislike being pregnant, but I'm just not one of those women that relishes the experience. I appreciate pregnancy more for the prospect of a new baby and see it as a means to an end, or a new beginning. Let's just say it's going to be a while before there's a third little Leal on the way.

37 Things About Me

I haven't had much to post lately, so I thought I'd throw this in. Copy and paste it into your blog and see if there's anything we didn't know about you. :)

1. Do you like Blue cheese dressing? NEVER!!!

2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? No (if I had, I wouldn't admit it on here!)

3. Do you own a gun? No

4. What flavor Kool-Aid was your favorite? Grape, maybe...it's been so long.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? No

6. What do you think of hot dogs? With mustard, ketchup, onions and pickles!

7 Favorite Christmas movie? Muppet Christmas Carol

8 What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Orange Juice

9. Can you do push-ups? Nope, never have (not even when I had my Pilates body!) and probably never will. (I don't know why the font changed on this question...weird.)

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? The earrings Robert got me for Mother's Day.

11. Favorite Hobby? It used to be reading, but Robert felt left out, then it was crocheting, but Craig felt left out, and now it's spending time with Robert and Craig, by default. But I do really enjoy going for rides and outings as a family.

12. Do you have A.D.D.? No

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? I should sometimes for distance, and I have some, but I don't wear them. I can pass the test at the DMV, so who cares.

14. Middle name. Lee

15. What are you thinking about at this moment? My middle name and how is sounds funny with my last name.

16. Name 2 or 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, juice, Coke Zero (it really does taste more like Coke than Diet Coke.)

17. Current worry? Money

18. Current hate right now? Robert's long shifts and not having transportation while he's at work.

19. Favorite place to be? At home, ironically.

20. How did you bring in the New Year? Went to a party at a friend's house with no kids. Played fun games, ate junk food.

21. Where would you like to go right now? California to visit (thanks Josephine for making me home sick! :))

22. Name three people who will complete this. Probably not anyone, but maybe someone will surprise me!

23. Do you own slippers? Yes

24. What color shirt are you wearing? I'm not wearing a shirt...;) I'm wearing my blue nightgown.

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No, kinda sweaty.

26. Can you whistle? Yes

27. Where are you now? On the computer (duh) in the kitchen.

28. Would you be a pirate? For Halloween? I have been, I think. In real life? Only if Orlando Bloom were there, too. And only if he dressed up as Legolas.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I find it difficult to sing in the shower--I have my face under water too often.

30. Favorite Girl's Name? Hmmm, I forget. I've been racking my brain for boys name so much lately.

31. Favorite boy's name? Ethan right now, maybe Isaac.

32. What's in your pocket right now? I don't have pockets.

33. Last thing that made you laugh? Craig spontaneously cracking up when he put the ties from my dress in his mouth (why would that seem so funny to him?) Or maybe it was watching The Office. They were both happening at the same time (Dwight's such an idiot.)

34. What vehicle do you drive? Jeep Grand Cherokee, occasionally.

35. Worst injury you've ever had? Sprained ankle from falling off a horse. Worse than the broken arm I had. One of the worst parts was it happened in Sweden and even though everyone at the hospital spoke English, all the paperwork they gave me to help manage the pain was in Swedish.

36. Do you love where you live? Sure.

37. How many TVs do you have in your home? One, and it's plenty (the stupid thing is the size of four friggin' normal T.V.s)

Do you live in the Phoenix area? Are you a "manscaper"?

I was looking on craigs list for jobs for Robert and came across this. I don't think Robert would...um...be...um...willing, but if anyone else out there has this special talent, by all means, check it out!

Looking for somebody to shave my back for me, possibly regularly. I am overweight, if that is an issue please don't respond. I would prefer a male.

If interested, please let me know and include your rates.

Does someone out there actually have rates already set? How much would you charge?

Bon bons (shhhh--don't tell anyone)

So, I'm supposed to still be on this "no sugar" thing for 6 more weeks (any longer and I'll scream), or until the baby comes. But sometimes, you have one of those days: it's 110 degrees outside, you're 8 months pregnant, the only parking spots at Wal Mart are 100 yards from the store, and as you carry (because the cart guy just came through and there are no carts) your 14 month old 26 lb. son across the asphalt Sahara you notice half of the close spots are filled with people just sitting in their cars with the air conditioner going. And I had more to complain about that day, but I try not to complain. :) I just get ice cream. So, I found these wonderful little things in the ice cream novelty section. I tried to find a picture online, but I can't remember the name of them, so I will describe them. They come in a box of 12, there are a variety of flavors (I got strawberry), they are dipped in real, non-waxy dark chocolate (I think some kinds have milk chocolate), and there is a yummy, chewy, fudgy cookie on the bottom. I ate 6 on the way home, and the other 6 later that night. They're not cheap, mind you...about $5 for the 12 of them, but more than worth it that day, let me tell ya. Hope you find them and that they make your stinky days that much better!

A Day Away

Last week I had a doctor's appointment and it was going to last all morning. There was a lot of catch up work that needed to be done. The new Harry Potter movie came out the night before so Robert said, "Since you'll be gone a while anyway, you might as well go see Harry Potter." I was so excited!!! Neither of us have been able to do anything fun (date nights or anything like that) since we moved and Robert's been looking for work. For one, we don't know any baby sitters down here and on top of that, we haven't had any money to spend. But, Robert said I could spend $7 and see the movie. It was so nice to have a day to not worry about nap times and everything. Oh, and I really liked the movie.

What's the story about JK Rowling writing another book?

Monsoon!

Something I've learned about this area is they have this thing called Monsoon season. It starts pretty much in July and goes through the summer. Every night for the past couple of weeks, the clouds have rolled in and we'll get thunder and lightening in the distance, but no rain. Finally, last night for the first time, we got The Rain. It was quite the show. The thunder was so loud I was afraid it would wake up Craig, but it didn't. The cat got pretty freaked, though. The wind, the rain, all of it was pretty cool. I really love storms like that. I've missed it since Montana's primary form of precipitation is snow, not much rain and certainly not many summer thunder storms. By the way, I didn't take that picture, but you can pretty much see the lightening as clearly as that.

As a side note, we've decided that Craig isn't going to make his first words clear to us for quite some time. For now, he's content to speak his first language...Ewok.

Me: Craig, will you bring me the remote?
Craig: Yib wada wob doooooooooo! Daba dish?
Me: Thank you, love.

Yesterday, I asked him to find the calculator and bring it to me which I wasn't sure if he knew the word "calculator" or not, but he dutifully marched off with the gleam of a quest in his eye. A few seconds later, he came back and triumphantly thrust the bag of cough drops into my hands and smiled at me so proudly. I just said, "Oh, thank you Craig! What a good boy! You're so smart!" I can't wait until he begins actually speaking English. Oh the funny things he'll say. :)

Updates

Things have been kind of busy lately. Robert's been out doing the job search thing. It's tough right now. Since we've been married (and we've moved and changed jobs a lot) it has never taken Robert longer than two weeks to find a job. And we've lived in much smaller places than this. I know we hear about the economy and unemployment statistics, but until you live it, you don't quite realize how bad it really is out there. But we continue to be greatly blessed in many, many ways. I just keep thinking that this time is meant to build our faith and to literally put everything in the Lord's hands. Everyday I think of that scripture that says not one sparrow falls from the sky without Him noticing, so then we should feel confident that He will notice and take care of us, too. Don't worry, though, I'm sure something will work out. I feel oddly at peace. :)

On other subjects...I believe in karma. Right after I posted that last thing about men and colds and being sick, I got a cold. It hasn't been bad, but enough to tire me out and make sleeping difficult, especially since I'm limited on what medicine I can take. Now Robert is getting it. So far he's being womanly about it :). If it gets any worse, I may have to take my own video of him and his "man-cold", which we all know is much worse than what I have right now. Oh, I guess I shouldn't say that. Now I'll get the stomach flu or something.

Craig had his first little bleeding accident, the poor little guy. The other day he was squeezing himself between the recliner foot rest and the couch next to it and tripped on something. His body barely fits into that little space, let alone his head, so when he fell he really mashed his face along the side of the foot rest. We weren't too worried since the foot rest is padded, but he was crying really forcefully. I just held him and shushed him, then he pulled his head away from my shoulder and his mouth was covered in blood! We cleaned him up, gave him a Popsicle to eat and numb the pain, then he let us look. His lip must have caught on the edge of the foot rest because he had completely torn the flap of skin connecting his top lip to his gums! Wow, that must have hurt. He had a little fat lip for the rest of the day, and whimpered a few times when he accidentally bumped his lip a couple times, but he's fine now. We haven't looked at it again, but I guess it's healing. Those mouth wounds just bleed so badly, it really freaks you out. He's a boy, so we'd better get used to it. :)

Do you know someone like this?

It is just my husband, or do all men think that when their wife has a cold and he sees her still tending to her daily chores, taking care of the kids, and making dinner, that it must not be that bad, but then he gets the cold, and is bed-ridden for a week, he must have gotten something much worse because he couldn't possibly get up and do things for himself? Do all men think a stubbed toe, a lost night's sleep, or going up the stairs for the fifteenth time that day are somehow easier for us than for them? I think the answer is here (scroll down to the video after clicking on the link):

http://tokenasianfriend.blogspot.com/2009/07/on-my-mind.html

And then ask yourself this: Why did more women survive the Donner Party than men?

Whoop!

Still haven't heard from the Food Network people yet. Oh well.

I made some noise the other day and Craig thought it was hilarious. So I took a video, of course. I haven't really had anything else to post. I've just been really busy with my classes and I have a test to take today, so I have to run.

Update

Sorry it's taken me a couple of days to get back to this. I'm taking these online classes for the summer and they are consuming all of my extra time. I'm still not caught up and the house is a mess, too. Anyway, Robert's audition went well. They just do a short interview. He said the interviewers were really interested in him, though. For those of you who don't know, he has quite a story about how he got started working in restaurants and risen to the level he's at now. They said a couple of times that they wished they had more time to talk to him. They are doing callbacks within the next couple of days, so I think he might get a call. We'll see. Well, there's more stuff I want to post, but I have to run. I have some cute stuff about Craig, but I'll try to get it on here later.

Could this be the Next Food Network Star?

We found out last week that Food Network is doing auditions here in Phoenix today for next season's Next Food Network Star! Of course Robert wanted to go. Not only is it a great experience (and "positively providential") but he doesn't have a job where he has to get time off work either. (There's for looking on the bright side for ya.) This is no small feat.

First, there was the 11 page application. Then the laundry list you have to read of all the terms and conditions, where they tell you that if you are selected, you agree to sign a contract stating that Food Network owns you. (I am not exaggerating here.) They say that during the filming of the show, they can tape you anytime, anywhere, 24/7 and you have to let them. They also say that you are allowing them to use the recordings for anything that they want, including slander. Of course, I don't think they actually do tape you that much, and they probably don't want to slander anyone that is representing Food Network, in essence, but it's kind of a scary thing. Then they ask you to sign the application in your own blood.

They also require two pictures and an optional video. If you're attending a live audition, you don't need to come with a video, but Robert thought it would add a little oomph. So last night we stayed up until 11:00 (since we couldn't start until Craig went to bed). Robert demonstrated how to make Chicken Feta Ravioli with a Creamy Pesto Sauce. (Yeah, he made it up--what a stud.) He handmade the pasta, too. It went really well. You know, I think he has a shot, but I guess everyone thinks that. But we were tired and hungry by the end. Luckily, we had some awesome ravioli to eat. And it was so dang good, too. I'll see if I can post the video. It's about 30 minutes long, but you can skip the parts where he has to wait for the oil to heat up and when he's filling all the ravioli. They say that they don't want you to edit, so he had to do all that on the camera. If I can't get the video on, then I'll just try to post the recipe.

The next thing they needed was five original recipes. So, this morning we spent about 2 hours typing up his recipes since the last time we did that they were saved on the work computer in Montana, and they're still in Montana. Then they tell you to start working on 25 more recipes, because if you're selected, they ask for that many.

The auditions started at 10:00 this morning. He's there now and I'm anxious to find out what they have him do and how many people were there (and if any of the current Food Network stars are there)! I'll keep you posted!

Children's Museum

So I am finally getting these pictures posted. I was just so glad I remembered the camera! Last Thursday Robert and I met Josephine (some of you know her) at the library in Phoenix. It's an awesome place with a whole area for little kids to play and you can sit and read. It's also like 5 stories high and they have a ton of books. We got the pass wanted (to the Children's Museum) and it was just right down the road. First, Robert had an interview (also down the road) so we went down there and waited for him for a minute. (The interview went well--boy it's tough getting a job these days.)

Then we went to the museum. It was really neat. I can't tell about everything, so I will just narrate the pictures that I have.

This is hanging on the wall when you first walk in. There's a big open room that goes all the way up to the third story balcony. These CDs are all strung together and hanging all the way down from the third story. It was pretty neat idea, I thought.

Then there was the car wash area. They had trikes and little scooters for the bigger kids, but I just took Craig through in the stroller. Again, pretty darn creative!

I think this was one of our favorites. It was really hard to get a picture, though. The green things are those pool noodle things. They have a billion of them hanging from the ceiling really close together. You can't see anything and at first Craig was a little confused. But then he started hitting them and flailing his arms around and was laughing. I took this between smiles. We put him down for a minute and he liked walking through it on his own, but it was too easy to lose someone in there so we picked him back up.

They had an area for 3 and under, and this was probably his next favorite place. They had this tree-house type thing built in there and this was part of it.
Here he is with Matthew, Josephine's youngest. I think they are playing with kitchen stuff.

This is another part of the tree house.

He kept wanting to climb up the slide. His sticky little hands would get him about 1/4 the way up, then he'd slide down. I showed him how to go up the stairs and then slide down, but he still needed one of us to sit him at the top of the slide and give him a push. I love the concentration on his face, like he's calculating his landing.

This is the last picture from the 3 and under room. I think these were here for the really little guys, but Craig liked it. It was cushy (I wished they had something like this for the parents to lay in) and it moved. It was a bowl on a pedistal so Robert was rolling it around while I tried to get a picture. This was the best one I got of him smiling. He really liked it.

Last of all, we went out through this big, noisy room. Craig loves to bang on things with other things, so he got the hang of this pretty quickly. Little Matthew there was a regular Ringo! He had one stick in each hand and went for it! Benjamin, Josephine's other son, is the one in background with his head cut off (sorry kiddo).

The Phoenix Zoo

Okay, so here are a couple of pictures from when we went to the zoo last week. These were taken by my friend (thanks Josephine) because, after frantically searching for the camera 15 minutes before we left, I still managed to leave it sitting on the kitchen counter. (I swear, if Craig didn't pull on my legs and whine every time he notices I'm leaving, I'd forget him, too.)

I'm not sure what we're looking at here--I think it was the jaguar. That's Robert's blue-shirted back on the other side of me and Phillip (Ludlow) in the background.

I look like I'm missing some teeth in this one--trust me, they're all there. This was in the monkey village. You actually go into the monkey enclosure here and they just jump all around you, swinging from ropes and leaping into the trees. They actually have zoo workers there with squirt bottles of water to squirt the monkeys if they get too close. I guess they've snatched people's hat and stuff before. Craig had a hard time seeing them since they moved so fast and camaflouged themselve so well, but he seems to be happy in this picture.

We met Josephine and her two sons, then our friends from Montana that moved here three days before us, the Ludlows, met up with us a little later. It was warm when we got there (about 90 degrees at 8:00am), but bearable. First we saw the big cats, who even got up and did a little strut for us. Craig did lots of pointing and ooohing. We saw pretty much everything we wanted to--monkeys, baboons, a bear, reptiles, killer attack ants (those preferred to wander outside an enclosure), giraffes, elephants, kamakaze squirrels who'd eat right out of your hand if you let them (or climb into the stroller if you didn't), and much more. It was really neat. By about 11:00 we were bushed, and the temperature had jumped to about 102. Our friends with the older kids went to the water areas to play, but we left.

I must say, it was a very nice, well planned day. We went early enough to be home for naps and lunch, and we seemed to manage the heat pretty well. I can't wait to go in the cooler weather. Despite all we saw, there are a lot of things we just didn't quite get to.

Arizona Museum of Natural History

So, the Phoenix Public Libraries offer these things called Culture Passes. They have them for all the museums and neat places in the valley (the zoo, botanical gardens, Frank Loyd Wright's summer home, etc.). If you get there and they are available for the places you want to visit, you can check them out and they get four people in for free. It's really neat. So, yesterday, I went to the closest Phoenix library right at opening and got the pass for the Natural History Museum (which happens to be right here in Mesa :)). We went after Craig's nap and it was really neat. It looked small from the outside, but I was surprised to see them fit this into the lobby:



They also had dinosaurs and prehistoric things, too, like this:



It was a lot of fun. I don't think Craig really got it, yet, but he was interested by the Mars room. They have all kinds of neat things to do so you can see what it's like to be on Mars. Our only complaint was the minimal air conditioning. Everyone else seemed comfortable--it was just the family from Montana that was sweating as they left the building. :)

Glacier National Park

As soon as I have the pictures from the zoo, I will post those, but these are from our trip to Glacier on Memorial Day. We never made it out there the whole time we lived in Montana, so we went while we still had the chance.

Here we all are (I'm surprised we got Craig looking at the camera!)

This is our picnic lunch. Part of the park was still closed due to snow, so there were a lot of people around. We weren't able to get much farther than this into the park, but the part we saw was beautiful!

Craig enjoyed walking around and exploring the great outdoors.


This was the river we drove along to get to the picnic area. Very pretty.

And now I will be posting pictures of trips we take to places with a MUCH different landscape. :)

We're back online!

So, to prove we are alive and well, here's a picture of Craig and me. I took this while still in Montana, but thought it was cute (and I can't find the camera right now--give me some time, I've just unpacked and can't remember where I put everything). I do need to find it, very badly, since we are going to the zoo tomorrow and don't want to miss recording Craig's first trip to the zoo.

Our internet got set up yesterday. I scheduled it a day or so after my last post but was told that the first available date was yesterday! There's been so much to do, it's nice and much simpler to have the internet back. Looking for a job these days is virtually impossible without it. Thanks to my dad, Robert was able to get some leads off of Craig's List last week and had some really great interviews that we should be hearing back from any day now. (My dad helped by checking out the new job listings every night for us.)

We're unpacked, expect for pictures and decorations, and we have even been able to paint the living room and dining room, so that looks great. We're going to slowly move on to the rest of the place, but that was our goal for the time being. The landlord is giving us a break on the rent for doing the work. We really like our place. We really lucked out for not having seen it before signing the lease. And it's great price and we a have a great landlord. There were a few things wrong with it (minor) like it really needed some fresh paint. The most serious thing was the water faucet in the master bath. When we got here late Wed. night (the 10th) there was no knob on the faucet and some weird jerry-rigged contraption controlled the water. We turned it on, but then couldn't get it to turn off. It slowly drizzled all night (and turning the valve off under the sink didn't work either), so we set our air mattress up in the spare room. In the morning, the bathroom floor was almost entirely covered in a thin layer of water. We called John (our landlord) and we found a new faucet, not yet installed, under the sink. Robert offered to install it since John had scheduled someone to do it but he wasn't coming till the next week. He figured out how to turn the water main off to the whole townhouse (it requries a special $15 tool that we bought and are billing John for :)) and changed it out. Now it's perfect, and there doesn't seem to be any water damage (yet). Other than that, it's everything and more we that we expected. The pool is practically right out our front door, beyond the lawn, and we've taken Craig swimming twice. He loves it. We have really been loving the conveniences of living in a "city", even though it's far less traffic than when we lived in Beaverton on the outskirts of Portland, and Mesa is really more suburban than city, to me. And we're about 10 minutes from the temple. Seriously. It's awesome. (Despite the fact that I realized my recommend expired in February--that's what happens when you move to a place three hours from the temple then have a baby). But once it's renewed, off we go!

The drive down went as well as could be expected. Moving is always a pain, as is traveling 20 hours with a one year old and a freaked-out cat. We left Tuesday morning early (about 6:30, I think). Craig did well...he just required frequent snacks, a new toy to throw on the floor every 5 to 10 minutes, and a 20 minute snooze every couple of hours. The cat, however, struggled for the first few hours. After bellowing and crying from her cat carrier in the back of the Jeep then getting so anxious she pooped herself (have you ever cleaned poop off a cat's paws with baby wipes in the parking lot of a gas station?) we finally let her loose in the car. She settled into a cozy spot on the floor behind my seat and there she stayed, content, the rest of the trip. She never ate much (which means she never used her litter box much :)) and was quiet.

We stopped in Rexburg to have lunch with some friends. That was fun, and such a flashback. Things are changing so quickly there. We went to good ol' Craigos to eat. Yeah...snort...right. The dumpy little building two blocks from my old apartment with the dim lighting, worn out college-dorm-couches, and suspicious bathrooms down a dark hallway has become a striking establishment, walking distance from WalMart, with a fabulous salad bar-pizza-pasta-dessert buffet! I'm telling ya, if you get to Rexburg, and if you ever hung out at Craigos before, you need to check this out. You'll be stunned.

Okay, enough retrospective, except I do want to say how incredible the Rexburg temple is. Moving on...the rest of the trip was uneventful, aside from the occassional cranky toddler and fighting the dreaded road hypnosis. Robert and I had to drive separately since he drove the moving truck. We would just talk on the walkie talkies until they were close to running out of battery power or if Craig feel asleep. After that Robert would suck on sunflower seeds while I prefer corn nuts. We stayed in Nephi, UT in a disappointing Best Western. The next day we watched the temperature climb as we got into Arizona and then Phoenix at about 6:30pm. By the time we got to our place in East Mesa, it was closer to 7:30 or 8:00. We painted on Thursday and unloaded the truck (much thanks to our friends from Montana-turned-Arizonians, the Ludlows, for their help) and on Friday went out and bought a bed. (It's awesome--king size, soft, comfy, and for the first time in months my hips don't hurt every night.)

I think that's pretty much the story. I'll post about our zoo trip later and once I find the camera, I think there are some pictures on there I need to post, too. Until later!

We're here!

So, we made it. I have some pictures to post and our story to tell, but it might be another few days or so before we get the internet set up. I'm on a friend's computer right now. Take care and stay tuned!

Internet problems, again

We are having problems with the internet again, so unfortunately I won't be able to post much, if at all, until we get to Arizona. We will have our own internet set up there. Sorry to all of my loyal fans, however few you may be. :)

Update on the move

We found a home in Arizona! We were debating about renting a house in a more distant suburb versus renting something (an apartment) closer into the city. After looking at a lot of different factors, we found this:

I think this compromise between a house and an apartment is great (it's a townhouse). There is a community pool and all yards are maintained by the home owners association, which dues are paid by the landlord. It's also in Mesa in a really great area--only a few blocks from where Robert stayed when he was down there with the bus stop near by and shopping centers within walking distance. It looks like Robert has to stay here to finish up some work and get one last paycheck, then we're off! I'm guessing it will be the week of June 8th. I'm excited and anxious to get to our new home.

He's home!

Robert came home on Monday! I was planning a good dinner and cookies (for him) for that night, but he's been struggling with a sore throat/sinus trouble since about Wednesday of last week. On the way back, he called me and said he wanted to get checked out and see if he needed some antibiotics and to (hopefully) keep Craig from catching whatever it was. (Craig always seems to catch everything.) He also said his throat hurt so it would be hard to eat much. So, since they were driving through Hamilton and that's where the walk-in clinic is, the guy he was riding with dropped him off there and Craig and I drove down to meet him. Our reunion was in a hospital hallway in Hamilton. But that's okay. The best thing was that he was afraid Craig wouldn't remember him after a week, but as soon as Craig spotted Robert down the hall, he toddled has fast as his little legs would carry him right into Daddy's arms. It was really sweet. :)

They checked Robert out and he has some virus. It's not strep and it's not a flu (phew--coming from Arizona I was a little worried that he had caught something from the locals that's been big in the news--begins with "s" and ends in "wine"...). But it is the worst sore throat he's ever had in his life. As a result, this is what Robert looked like yesterday, trying to recuperate from the trip and rest up:
The worst thing about it all is that we went through the time being apart, he got this nasty virus, and he didn't find a job. At this point I tell myself, "There's a plan. I don't know what it is or what we do next in it, but there's gotta be a plan." And I push on. At least he's home, he's safe, and we're still planning on moving by June 1st.

A day to appreciate each other

Since Craig is still not totally recovered from his ear infection, we only went to Sacrament today to avoid all the little viral incubators in primary. But I still didn't feel like going home early, so we had a very nice Sunday drive. I went down some roads I'd never been down before and they were beautiful. I figured this might be one of my last times to enjoy this valley and this is the best time of year. Everything is green and in bloom but there's still snow in the peaks.

The rest of the day was uneventful, but upon reflection I realized it was a day for Craig and I to spend time together and bond a little more. Here are some fun little things that I want to remember from this time in our lives.

First, I want to show you something cute and kind of funny. I bought this:

a few weeks ago and Craig has loved playing with it. I tried hiding it from him because it was never where I needed it when I needed it. But then I couldn't find it for a few days. I worried that maybe I put it somewhere that he wouldn't see it and forgot. But then I saw this:

This is the back of the couch (and Craig's knee). See that little bulge at the bottom? That fabric on the back is a flap that velcros underneath the couch but there's a space between sections that serves as a very good hiding place, apparently. When I found this, I had to laugh.

Next, I took this picture to remember Craig's cute/annoying habit of throwing toys, socks, tummy butter, tupperware, sippy cups, and anything else over the gate into the bathroom. Today's collection was especially eclectic (and large).


Sometimes it makes it hard getting in and out of the bathroom. (By the way, we leave the door open and put the gate there because the cat's littler box and food and water is in the bathroom. People always ask.)


Another typical thing for us that occured today (but was something I wanted to document) was bathtime. The last time I posted a bath picture, Craig was still in his little ducky tub. But he has long since outgrown it. Here he is, loving bathtime as usual. He still loves to splash and sometimes he likes to stick his face in the water.


One last thing. I've been meaning to catch this on video for a long time. He used to go around all day doing this, but the magic has worn off so I'm glad I caught him today. He may not do it much longer. Craig knows how to whistle! Sort of. :) Check it out. What a cutie.

What we've been up to

Just to give a quick update of the last few days, I decided to post for ya'll. Sorry, there are no pictures because nothing has been that interesting. I think Craig and I have been coping well by ourselves. We seem to have been able to stay busy every day, but somehow this week still seems long. :(

Let's see, I last talked about Tuesday (my "single" day). So, Wednesday Craig and I had to go back to Missoula (which we rarely do two weeks in a row let alone two days in a row) but it was fun to have something to do. We ran some errands, had dinner, etc. Thursday I had some house work to catch up on and, it turned out, I had volunteered to make a dessert for dinner that night for a family in the ward. The grandmother (who was in our ward and I used to visit teach) passed away on Sunday and her daughter (whom I also visit teach) was hosting all the family. Someone else was providing the other portions of the meal, but since there was something like 18 people there, they asked me to do the dessert. I decided to make this. I didn't get to taste it of course, but it looked really good. I plan to ask about it when I go visiting teaching next week. Let's hope I get a sincere "It was fabulous!" and not a forced enthusiastic "What did you say it was called again?"

Friday was the funeral for the woman mentioned above. It was very nice and timed perfectly with Craig's naps. They had a lunch with ham and funeral potatoes--how appropriate. During the eulogy, her son-in-law said that when her daughter asked her what she wanted for Mother's Day this year, she said, "I just want to be with Keith [her husband] again." Sure enough, Someone was listening, and she passed away sitting peacefully in her favorite chair Sunday morning. I thought that was such a touching story. It reminded me how the Lord rewards his faithful, diligent servants, and how much their will is naturally in tune with His.

Today we went to the farmers market and picked through some garage sales. Not much. Cleaned the car and am getting things ready for Sunday and Daddy's return on Monday (afternoon, I think...I hope). Oh, and Craig has another ear infection, so we aren't sleeping well. But I think it should be getting better soon since he's on some antibiotics now.

So, only one full day left to get through and we're home free! I think I'm going to make one of Robert's favorites as a "welcome home" meal: chicken enchiladas and peanut butter cookies.

Conversation with a Cupcake...

...is the name of the new Mommy Blog I added to my list in the sidebar. I've only read one post, but it was pretty darn funny and it looks like she has some awesome recipes. I figure since I'm not super interesting or witty, I will keep you all linked into the cutest, funniest blogs out there so you have a reason to keep coming back and occasionally reading my blurbs on my life and making my efforts worthwhile. Let me know if you have any favorites that I can add. I love to have new ones.

Days one and two without Robert

It has now been two full days since Robert left. It's been a little strange not having my normal time schedule. Usually, I plan my errands around nap times (approx. 9am and 1pm) Robert's lunch hour (12-1), and Robert getting off work (5pm). With all that, I usually get out to the store, library, or for a walk everyday at about the same time. Plus I'm not as focused on making a real dinner. Not having that schedule, it makes the time go by slower and I have more time to miss him. So, I've been trying to do things to distract myself. Somethings that I know he probably wouldn't be too excited about if he were here. For example, I did this on Monday night:


Chick flick and quiche--something every guy hopes his wife gets out of her system while he's away. :) I've also been working on this:


It's a maternity dress for summer. I've been looking all over and haven't found anything that is long, light, and breezy for summertime. So, I decided to make it. Actually, I'm going to make another one, too (different fabric). This one requires quite a bit of alteration in the top, so I still have a little ways to go before it's done.

Yesterday, Day Two, was a lot of fun. I had an appointment in Missoula that I needed a babysitter for and then it turned out that I had to take the car in for its 30,000 mile service, which takes pretty much all day. So, I called on my visiting teacher. She was so thrilled to get to spend the whole day with Craig. I took all his stuff (toy box, food, stroller, pack n' play) to her house at 8:00am and took off to Missoula for the day. I was sad to leave my baby boy, but he got over it pretty quickly, so I figured I could too. (Apparently, when you're 1, a wiggling, licking dog is a happy replacement for Mommy.)

I took the car in and got a rental for the day, did some shopping at WalMart (which can be a treat when you are normally with a toddler and constantly picking stuff up off the floor that your son has taken out of the cart and thrown over the side for the 53rd time). I went to my appointment (which only lasted 30 minutes) and had the rest of the day to myself.

I went to the mall. I had a great lunch at Red Robin (I love that place), I window shopped--which was my only intention at first. But then I wanted to buy something for my visiting teacher for watching Craig. I went to Bath and Body Works, and then it started. I walked out of the mall a few hours later with fabulous handsoap, a DVD for Craig, a denim maternity skirt (that I've been hunting down for quite a while), and a pair of black flats. I just kept thinking of all the stuff I needed, and it was all on sale! Let me just say it was really nice to not have to worry about nap times, entertaining a little boy, pushing a stroller in and out of cramped dressing rooms, and feeding anyone other than myself.

Despite my enjoyment, I found myself feeling extremely excited, almost giddy, as I went to pick up Craig. He may not have thought about me for one second while I was gone, but when I walked in the door, getting to me was more important to him than eating his cheerios. And that topped off the day.

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm glad I got to spend so much time yesterday doing fun things and being with Robert because this afternoon he had to leave for Phoenix. :( He drove down with a friend and he'll be there for a week. We miss him already. This morning, though, he gave me my presents. I got this:

which I have been dying to have for a long time. He also got me very pretty pair of earrings that I forgot to take a picture of but I did wear them to church today. Along with these items, he decided to splurge and get a couple other things we've (mainly he) been wanting for a while, but are definitely fun and useful. One is an awesome, large food mill (the little plastic baby food ones just don't cut it) and a panini press. :) The food mill he got mostly with me in mind, but the panini press was mostly for him. I figure he's already taken care of Father's Day for me. :) Just kidding (but I do need to start thinking about it).

Anyway, I'm happy about the cool stuff, but it was hard watching him go. I think I even saw him shed a tear or two, which is a VERY rare thing. I just have to keep Craig and myself busy all week so the time flies by quickly.

March for Babies (final post)

Yesterday was the March for Babies. Here I am as I triumphantly finish the walk (which was only 1.6 miles :)). There was an option for a 3.7 mile course, but being 6 months pregnant and grossly out of shape, the short one was plenty long. Some friends of mine also threw me and two other girls we know who are having their second babies a triple baby shower. Yesterday turned out to be a great day to celebrate Mother's Day Eve.

No MMR or Rabies for us!

Yesterday, I took Craig to his 1 year check up and, of course, he received his immunizations again. He actually did pretty well. I felt like a sadist as I held him down while he was stuck with the needles and watched him pass through the stages of shock, disbelief, then denial that I, his mother, would allow (and help) something like this to happen. However, as soon as I was allowed to pick him up, it was all over. He stopped crying really fast. That's my brave boy. :) He didn't develop a fever or any other side effects.

Unfortunately, the kitty wasn't so lucky. We've neglected to get her vaccinated under the excuse that she's strictly an indoor cat. But, now that we're moving and she is going to be exposed to the great outdoors and who knows what else, we decided it was time we get our act together.

I took her in on Wednesday. First of all, the poor thing is terrified of everything beyond the threshhold of our front door. If you take her outside, she reverts to being a helpless, needy little kitten and clings to you like white on rice ("in a glass of milk on a paper plate in a snow storm"--name that movie quote!). It's really pitiful. Not only did she have to go outside, but she had to go in a strange box (cat carrier) and she had to ride in a car! Then, if that's not enough, she goes into this office that smells like dogs and other predators, gets handled by a stranger, and stuck with a needle--twice! Poor girl. Needless to say, she was freaked. (On the positive side of all this, Craig was highly amused when he realized who was in the cat carrier and entertained himself by squatting down, looking at her through the gate, laughing at her, and poking his fingers through the holes.)

On the way back, as I just pulled into the driveway, I caught a whiff of something that smelled more like cat ick than baby ick. Sure enough, the poor girl had pooped herself. I took her into the bathroom and found her trying to step around it and scratching at the towel I had laid out in the carrier to try and cover it up. But it was too late. There were poopey paw prints all over. And she had it on her belly (the slightly overweight one that hangs down a little too far, as the vet pointed out). There was no getting around it--she needed a bath. Now, due to a bad childhood memory of bathing a cat (once) I rejected any suggestion Robert ever made that I bathe her. Cats really don't need it like dogs do. I envisioned puncture wounds up and down my arms and a wet, soapy cat running around the house. But it had to be done this time. So, I did it, and after all she had been through, and despite how feisty and rowdy she gets when she's her normal self, during her bath she never once retaliated. She was anxious to get out, I could tell, but she didn't fight me. That night we let her sleep in bed with us, and with one more full day looking like this:


she seems to now be herself again.

Now we have to figure out how we're going to get her into a car and survive a 19 hour drive to Phoenix.

Just something funny

I love how the chick looks jealous...and the puppy is sound asleep.

The hen just looks determined.

Free KFC!

No, I'm not kidding. To promote their new Kentucky Grilled Chicken (and in cahoots with Oprah) KFC is letting people print these coupons, either off of Oprah's site or KFC's. They're for two free pieces of the grilled chicken plus two sides and one biscuit per coupon. It's good from May 9th to May 19th, but not on Mother's Day. I tried the link from KFC's site, but it didn't work, but the one from Oprah did. I've had some trouble getting links to work lately, so if it doesn't work, go to the Mommy Blogs list on the right side bar and click on Bargain Moms. She has it there and that's where I got it. I can also email you the coupon to download, if you want. Just let me know. Happy eating!