Four Days

Lots has been going on the last four days, but I think today is the day that I might get mostly caught up. A few reasons last Thursday was awful (mind you, it would not have been half this bad if we weren't so poor): paid $25 to the Dr. to tell them I had Shingles and what to prescribe, went to CVS to get the pills and the sav only to find out the pills were $13 but the sav was $65 for an itty bitty tube. I decided not get get it, got the pills (the PA told me I could take them if I was nursing) and went to the zoo. At the zoo, I read the package on the pills and noticed it said not to take while breastfeeding so I called the pharmacist and she said high concentrations of it go in the milk and it's not safe. I don't want to stop nursing and I wouldn't be able to "pump and dump" so after some convincing from Jason (after he said, "We can always get more money" he explained he meant for health costs, especially something that could affect my vision, he'd take a loan against his 401(k)), I went back to CVS, bought the sav and prayed it would stop the Singles from going into my eye. While at the zoo, I got a call saying we had to have our house in Utah unlisted for 30 days before we could get long-term financing. Fact: our loan matures Nov. 1st. Obviously we didn't have 30 days. I went to Chase and they said that is standard. I called my bank and explained the situation. By the time I called my realtor to tell her we needed to take our house off the market, I was emotionally exhausted and had a 45 minute theraputic phone call with her. She kindly told me, "It's just money." Actually, it's not just money, it's the risk of having a home foreclosed on not because we can't come up with the money to pay for it, but because of standards in the lending industry that very few people know about but them (the bank even admitted that to me). Anyway, long story short, it was all too much.

Since then, these are a few of the things we've been up to... We had our Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday night. I made Clara's Tinkerbell costume (wings, dress & shoes) with no pattern and I think it turned out just darling. Or maybe she's just darling... I borrowed some stuff from Kathryn too, so that helped limit how much I spent. It was a wee bit too tight on her belly so we'll see if I get around to modifying it before tonight. This is as close to a sucker as Clara got. Jason wouldn't let her have one and he even took this one away worrying she was consuming too much paper. Hopefully tonight I can sneak her a sucker.
One of Clara's favorite tricks is to ride the horse. I started it last week when she was super cranky and she LOVES it. I'm sure I look and sound like the biggest fool when I'm here alone with her, galloping around our house with her on my back as I nay, but she loves it, and that's what counts.

Also, we got pre-approved for our long-term financing for our house in Utah, so that is a relief. Hopefully it goes through as expected. If not, we have a willing co-signer, but the last thing I want to do is bring someone else into this disaster. Once it gets finalized, we will know just how poor we will be. Now, we are poor with the anxiety of not knowing how poor that is, so actually knowing will be better. Now we just need to keep bugging people to get it done. I was so frustrated yesterday realizing we were on the brink of foreclosure with this home and it wasn't because we didn't make payments, it wasn't because we couldn't come up with the money to make the payments, it was because the house still isn't done and now we are in a huge pickle of trying to buy (literally) just a few more weeks to get financing. If the house had been done months ago, we could have converted to long-term financing, saved thousands of dollars and not felt the stress of the crunch we're in now. So there appears to be a small light at the end of the tunnel

Foreign Concept

Yesterday I figured today would be better since unless a major catastrophe happened, I'm pretty sure it couldn't be worse than yesterday. Lucky for me, I was right! Don't get me wrong, it wasn't because of anything I did, but rather some of the sweet people in my life. Beka and Kathryn called to make sure I was alive, which I am. Alive and well? Not so much, but I'm alive. Angela brought me and Jason Golden Spoon and they happened to have the best combo every: Boysenberry and Cheesecake. I guess all of the bossing around when we were younger got Angela into a good habit... ;) She also brought me some seeds to plant to add to my happiness.

Then, Jason left work at Noon. Tomorrow he's taking the 'FE' (Fundamentals of Engineering) exam, so he came home to finish up some school work and to study. We also went to get his watch battery changed and get a few things at the store. It's been forever since we've done anything like that together, certainly a foreign concept as of late. Just our short little errand trip made me SO anxious for next May to come. I can't imagine having this luxury much more frequently than once a year! Oh boy, oh boy, it will be fun.

The other things that made me happy today were: 1. Walking down the aisle in Wal Mart and seeing ONE peppermint Chapstick for 88 cents. There are only two Chapstick flavors that work for me (and the only two chapsticks I prefer): Medicated and Peppermint. The peppermint is so cool. A few years ago when I was in Show Low for work, I bought some. It's almost gone and I thought I'd never find any again, but I did, and it was EIGHTY-EIGHT cents! 2. Clara's costume is mostly done (the hard part anyway) and I think it turned out pretty good. I just hope it fits, I might have gotten it a wee bit too small. 3. Clara giggling when she got to ride the horse (aka me). 4. My Shingles starting to scab over: less pain and less risk of it going into my eye. 5. Knowing Emily and her family had a home to go into today when they were let back into Fallbrook. 6. Going to JIB (Jason's parents sent him some birthday money and that's what he spends EVERY $ he gets on: food) so I didn't have to eat spaghetti for a seventh time this week (no exaggerations). 7. Clara taking two super good naps. 8. Jason telling me I have a fun job (being a mom) and wondering how I don't sleep all day long, because that's what he'd do. 9. Watching Jason play with Clara (I loved this for many reasons: it meant Jason was home, it made me so glad I have a husband who loves kids, especially Clara and Clara was happy). and... 10. Eating a carmel apple for breakfast.

Is There Something on My Face?

I am soooooo thankful for the sweetest baby ever that makes the worst days ever (i.e. yesterday) endurable.

All Sorts of Stuff

Today I was so excited for Scouts. For the activity, I had the boys make these beaded Indian headdress neckerchief slides and I think they look so cool. The boys liked them too... I think it's the first thing I've had them do they really enjoyed.

Also, garden update: I must confess, I never actually planted radishes. I even watered the squares the first few days forgetting it was just dirt. Ha. I intended to, but when I went to the store to buy the seeds, they were all out and Angela reminded me I needed to plant Marigolds to keep the bugs out. End result? One of my radish squares became a tomato plant (not tomato season, but the plant was free) and the other is home for the Marigolds (not my flower of choice, but if it keeps the bugs out...) It's been one week and one day and I have at least one plant coming up of every kind. Most of them are itty bitty and when I went to take pictures tonight, I didn't even see them, Jason pointed them out, but they are there! How cool is that? Aren't seeds amazing? They do NOTHING until they are planted in soil and have the proper nourishment and then they become living plants and produce food. And to think just over a week ago some were as small as a little fleck of pepper. I also planted some other flowers hoping they'd make me happier. I love flowers and I love growing things, so obviously I'm enjoying my flowers.

Other than that, Clara is recovering from a cold and I'm hacking non-stop and waking up all night. I used to never get sick and this is our second round in the last few months. I think I'm just so worn down that my body can't fight off anything... Last night I could tell I was getting a cold sore under my nose and thought, just what I need. But I wasn't surprised: no sleep + sickness + maximum stress = cold sores for Anna. Well, apparently that wasn't enough, because today I sprouted a big FAT patch of Shingles by my eye. If you've known me long enough, you've seen the beauty of it. I know I haven't had Shingles since I've been married, but Jason told me he's never seen it, so it's been maybe six years or so. I'm pretty sure that's my body saying I can't handle anymore... because that was really the cherry on top! Looking on the brightside, I suppose I can now go as a Leper for Halloween. Ah ha ha. :)

Enemies

As I'm sure many people have, occassionally I have been very hurt by someone I consider a good friend. The first time it happened, I was very troubled by the way I felt towards the person that hurt me and so I did what I normally do when I have a problem: think about how to solve it, think of no solution, pray about it and then realize the answer is surely somewhere in the scriptures. So I did just that and you may not be surprised at one of the scriptures I read (Matthew 5:44) that gave a simple (not easy...) answer. Before I could do good to someone I felt had caused me such hurt, I first had to pray. So pray I did. Fortunately, I leared this lesson when I did and was able to apply it then and in subsequent situations. Today in Sunday School we were discussing one of Paul's messages (Romans 12) about not avenging and I was reflecting on the past (and current) experiences I've had in my life. I am thankful for this knowledge, especially now that I am in the middle of having to currently apply it in my life due to an apparent mix up that I have been involved in (how, I don't know, but I'm trying not to worry about that...).

Anyway, the really neat thing about the process is that as I pray for those who have hurt me (their well-being and if there is anything I know that they are specifically in need of), the feelings of hurt and resentment for what that person did fades away. I feel deep, sincere concern for the people. Then, even more amazing is when I realize I need help and I pray that I will be able to forgive this person and see them as God would. It is a very neat experience and the change of heart toward the individual is so real. Obviously, this doesn't change the person. It could effect them, but they are on their own to change. However, that's when we just have to know that we did our part and are not adding any of our own wrong doings to the problem. We have to trust that God will take care of anything not properly taken care of in this life. In situations where I have done this, I promise it made me happier and made any bad feelings towards the person who hurt me go away. I no longer felt anger towards the person, I hoped the best for them and had peace in my heart towards them. What a blessing the scriptures are in our lives when we liken them to us.

Bubble Wrap & Beavers

During finals week one semester at ASU they were handing out pieces of bubble wrap for students to use to de-stress. I got some and am going to pop every last one of those little bubbles. It works, I swear... I have been feeling great all day! And now onto to something highly disturbing... I've discovered we have a beaver living in our home. When I got Clara out of bed from her nap, I noticed a bunch of scratches on the top of the ledge. As I was looking at them and thinking how bothered I was that our beautiful crib is slowly getting destroyed, I noticed even worse scratches inside the crib. I don't know how I didn't notice this sooner unless it just happened yesterday (when she (the beaver is a girl, I'm sure of it) woke up from her first nap yesterday, she didn't cry, but babbled to herself for a good 20 minutes... so I'm wondering if there was a reason she wasn't crying...). I called Jason hoping he'd understand why I was so distraught and share in my sorrow. All he had to say after he got done laughing was, "Next thing you know, we're going to go in there and there will be a dam."

Finally!

Yesterday I had a good day, a really good day. It's been a while, but alas, a good day has come. I went to meet Erin and Karen (fellow co-workers as well) for lunch. I was all ready to go about 45 minutes too soon so I just took pictures of Clara. It's probably not a good idea to volunteer the blinds to her, but oh well. We ate at First Watch, thanks to Erin's ingenius suggestion. It is very similar to Crackers in Mesa and was very good. Clara's favorite part were the creamers... (sorry Karen, next time it might be you... :)) Who wouldn't love to suck on 1/2 & 1/2?
On my way home, I hit quite the milestone in my car and of course, was well prepared with my camera do document it. My car hit 100,000 miles. That's a lot! I've had my car for over 6 1/2 years and it still runs like a champ. I've never had to fix anything on it except the power windows and doors. Yeah for foreign cars (and people that didn't shoot me when I kept going slower and slower in the fast lane)!
After lunch, I went to the temple. It was a much needed trip and a rewarding experience. Too bad I can't go every day because during times like this, it is the ONLY thing that calms me down completely and not just for a few minutes. I love the peace. I don't forget my problems when I'm at the temple, but I find the peace to be okay with situations and feel comfort knowing everything will be okay.

My mom babysat Clara and had a great time. When I went to get her, I was visiting with my mom and Clara was trying to climb through the rails. She got half her body through and thought she was hilarious. My mom always feels bad if Clara gets dirty at her house so I have decided to start leaving her in onesies that can get filthy... good thing I did it this time! Yesterday I was so grateful for good friends, a reliable car, the temple, my mom and Clara that made my day really wonderful.

Zoo!

Okay, so we didn't actually go to the zoo, but today is Amy's birthday so I had some friends over for lunch. My house isn't very large so it was a little crazy considering how many kids we had there plus the adults. The kids were actually very good for the most part until I decided we needed to put them all on the couch for a picture and someone suggested Amy sat in the middle of them. We didn't get a picture (shocked?) but later had the moms sit in and I think we may have gotten one... but I'll have to wait until someone decides to share pictures with me to show. Everyone brought stuff and helped me so much so it was really nice not to be stressed and it all seemed too easy. Then Amy did ALL the dishes. I felt bad since it was her birthday (I love not doing a thing on my birthday) but she insisted. Adults: Kathryn, Shawna, Suzanne, Kiri, Amy, Anna (me), Jessie, Beka, Cherie and Maren. Babies (all but one were within six months or so of a year, plus or minus): Lucy & Elsa (twins), Jett, Jack, Adalyn, Clara, Landon & Braden (twins), Cailyn, Anna (not me) and Brynlee. Yeah, that's why it was a joke trying to take a picture... but don't worry, we all laughed at the joke! :)


Amy turned 25 (young little buck)... so here are 25 things you may or may not know about the birthday girl:

1. she's blunt 2. her matter-of-fact attitude 3. she's thoughtful 4. she's generous (even when she claims to be broke!) 5. her spotanaity (how many vacations has she gone on in the last few months??) 6. she's fun to visit with 7. she is always willing to hang out 8. we have many MANY memories 9. she's my cousin 10. she can take a joke 11. she's very sensitive to other's situations (yes, I speak on very personal experience here) 12. she always offers to help 13. she wishes she lived in ca 14. when we get together she, by far, always brings the BEST snacks 15. she used to tell me we had to live next door to each other so i could raise her kids... hasn't happened but she's doing a fine job all by herself! 16. she lived with us when they moved here from ca 17. she lived in hawaii 18. she is a good mom 19. she was on the swim team in high school 20. she encouraged me to buy a house when i first got married (i was afraid and she convinced me it wasn't as expensive as I thought) 21. second to ca, she wishes she could live in Snowflake (ha!:)) 22. she likes to help other people 23. she wouldn't be able to afford having a girl 24. she is very caring when she wants to be and 25. she's a good cook eventhough she pretends she isn't. Hopefully she had a very happy birthday!

Garden & Joy

Like I said, I planted our garden last night. A month or so ago I went to a gardening thing with my mom and Angela and they really talked about square foot gardening. We did this method as a family in California, but I never thought about doing it on my own until this meeting. I am convinced it's the way to go! The only problem is it's a little pricey to get started (you make the soil you plant in with equal parts of compost, peat moss and vermiculite, you have to buy your box, you need the weed cloth and of course you need seeds). Anyway, I decided to wait until next season but my mom said I could have her left over dirt. Hooray! The only problem was getting it to my house... lucky for me, they just built a Dippin' Dots by our house and my family decided that's what they'd do for family night Monday and brought my dirt by. All I had to buy was the wood (about $8) and the screws ($5). I had some seeds and my mom gave me EVERYTHING else. How cool is that? The next time around, the only thing I will need is more compost (I'm hoping to start my own soon, so I won't have an expense there) and seeds, which are pretty cheap! I just hope this works out like I imagine.

So yesterday Jason helped me screw the boards together (apparently our drill has a clutch and it wasn't on the right settings... who knew things besides motor vehicles had clutches??). We brought Clara's exersaucer outside and I felt pretty white trash. Mostly because our backyard looks like the desert. Actually, I think it's worse. I wish so bad we had grass. Hopefully someday. As we were laying the weed cloth down, it was so windy, so I was laying on it, trying not to let it blow away and not get weeds on it and Jason was getting the box. Jason didn't seem to be in a hurry and I was getting annoyed because it was killing my knees. My sweet husband was about to get the box and then turned around and walked towards the house and said, "Actually, first I'm going to..." and picked up the camera and took a picture of me. Funny... take a picture of your wife not only looking like a fool, but also in pain... okay, I'll admit, it made me laugh because that's totally something I would have done. We put the dirt in and later after Clara went to bed I planted my little seeds: romaine, spinach, beets, peas, carrots, onions, turnips and radishes. I'm SO excited!

Tonight I was playing with Clara on the floor and I had this total euphoric feeling come over me and it came to my mind that it was a glimpse of JOY. I wasn't just feeling happy, I was filled with joy that came from my sweet baby. How glad I was to experience just a little bit of joy when life seems like it pretty much sucks! And joy is what life is really all about... along with a little laughter, look at her GIANT eyes in this picture!

Second Wind

Tonight around 8:30pm I realized I was SO tired. However, I had lots to do so I couldn't go to sleep. I had to prepare a sales tax return, clean, do dishes, organize the guest room, make dressing for tomorrow and get something ready for Scouts tomorrow. Luckily, if I make it through my sleepy phase, I get a second wind. I didn't get everything done and I should be doing dishes, but my legs are SO achy. To calm down, I decided to blab. Who knew, blabbing is the solution to SO many moods...

Clara is extremely interested in anything that I open (cupboards, dishwasher, fridge, etc.) I don't mind her playing in the cupboards that don't have anything real fragile in them. She just pulls everything out and in this cupboard, there are her bottles. So, now she'll take the nipple, clamp down on it and crawl around with it hanging out of her mouth. Her left front tooth came in the other day (Monday? if I haven't mentioned it, it was Monday) and she loves to bite. Last night she started gritting her teeth and I freaked out. It sounds awful! I remember reading that it's not a big deal and it sounds much worse than it really is. My mom said not to give her attention when she does it but it's SO hard not to squeeze her cheeks because it sounds just awful.
Clara's favorite toy from the fridge are my 35mm film rolls. I decided I was just going to take all my film with my old camera and get rid of it, but the battery is dead. Now I need to decide if I should buy a new battery. And then what? Do people really still use these cameras? It seemed to ancient and big, but that's probably because I've had my current camera for almost four years!Tonight I finished planting my garden. I am so super duper excited. But, I'm feeling my eyes get heavy, so I better go to sleep while I'm ahead and I'll be sure to talk all about my new found love: the garden, at a later time...

Consumed by Work

Next Friday is our "Fantastic Friday" which is basically "Super Saturday" on Friday. Anyway, the thing I signed up for is very time consuming so the person over it asked me and a bunch of other people to make our pictures early so we could learn and help others with theirs. Mine was going pretty good until I made a purple swipe in the sky and apparently my picture was too dry so it left a very defined lavendar brush stroke. The blue stayed put, but as we worked more and more water into it, the red came out (if someone that understands chemistry can explain this to me, I would definitely appreciate it...). After I put all the finishing touches on it, I do think it turned out pretty good. I think I should sell these to earn some extra money.

I had to come home and feed Clara in the middle of making mine because it took much longer than planned and sure enough, had a voicemail from work I had to respond to. Monday is my client's absolute deadline for his taxes so the tax partner needed my help. Luckily, it was quick. After I finished my picture, I ran a few errands, went home and Clara took a nap. I had great plans to clean my house in the afternoon, but right after Clara woke up, I got another call from the tax peeps... this time, it took me a few hours to get what they needed and Little Miss Clara had a grand time in our room. I realized something needs to change when I didn't mind that she was eating hole punch papers and wrapping paper and I heard her dump out the box of envelopes. I was just glad she was content... some mom I am! I am just excited for when I don't have to work this much. I love to work and I woulld go crazy if I didn't have something to do, but some weeks (like this week, when I have payroll for KS and lots to do for MBP) I feel like I am working full time and that's not what I prefer to do. Oh well, I guess that's life.After I got work taken care of, I made dinner. My lesson learned from dinner: it isn't costly to have a colorful and healthy meal and you don't need meat to be happy (Jason didn't even complain about our vegetarian meal). Corn on the cob: 25 cents, green beans: about 40 cents each and sweet potatoes: cheap... I threw away the receipt. Anyway, for anyone that needs inexpensive meal ideas, there you go. Oh, and it was quick and easy too.After dinner we went to Babies R Us to get diapers (they were having a big sale) and I ran into an old friend from work and his wife. I was telling him how I thought once I quit CBIZ I wouldn't get work calls on Saturday anymore but I keep getting them because they are doing my client's taxes. And just as I said that... I got a call and it was them again at like 7:30pm. HA! I just laughed at the coincidence. I know they are trying to get the taxes done so I don't really mind them bothering me. Plus, they aren't annoying and are justified in their demands.

After that we went to Angela and Clint's so Jason could help them put up their fan. If only they still lived next door, but with the freeway, it takes less than 10 minutes to get to her house, so I probably shouldn't complain. Once we got home, I got to work all night... lucky me!

Little Beka Blessing

Lately I have been having a rough day pretty much every day. I've whined about it before, but it seems like if it's not one thing, it's another. And this has been going on for some time. I try to be happy, I really do, but sometimes I feel so drained and overwhelmed. Beka, being the good friend she is, could tell and came to my depression rescue. Some people have a gift of recognizing these things, others, myself included, do not. I am grateful for those that do and apologize that I am not that kind of friend... Anyway, Beka and Danny and their boys came over to hang out. Plus, they brought us pizza for dinner. How sweet is that? Beka and I had a wonderful time reminiscing as we looked at old pictures. We had a lot of fun in high school, that's for sure. Some of the highlights of the night included:

: Danny wiping off his paper plate he used for pizza to use it for his brownie (oh how I laughed at this.... we're poor, but not that poor, not yet anyway!)
: The never-ending jokes about cleaning the paper plates: would you like me to rinse your plate for you? do you want me to put that in the dishwasher?
: 2%, Skim or fresh?
: Is that a real sweet potato?
: Breast milk is like fresh squeezed OJ, but you don't have to go pick it off the treest.
: B: Do you guys buy that movie? A: Yes, we do.
: B: If we forgot anything... D: Just e-mail it to us.

Oh I wish I could remember more. Danny and Beka are funny and it seems like we always have a good time with them. Maybe someday we'll live closer (you know, when our UT house sells and Danny wins Wheel of Fortune...)

When they got here with the boys, Clara wouldn't leave them alone. She kept trying to claw them, climb up them, pull their hair, etc. I know it's hard to take two babies places, especially to stay after bedtime, but it was just what I needed: to take a break. I got some good food, had several good laughs and wasn't stressed about work because I wasn't working. Thanks Bek! Someday I'll be that kind of friend... hopefully.

Forgotten Thoughts

A few thoughts that got lost amongst my busy week...

In between conference sessions on Sunday, Chris, Nylene & Caleb (Clara's future husband) made their "Happy Conference" sno-cone visits. They have a big sno-cone machine and frequently use it to bless other's lives. Clara LOVED the sno-cone. I fed it to her for a bit and then put some on the tray of her booster. She would try to pick some up and would get so frustrated because it kept melting so she was never able to eat it. A few times she grabbed a fistful instead of trying to pick it up with her thumb and pointer, but clearly more melted on her clothes than in her mouth.

Look at Clara's big girl teeth: finally two on the bottom. About a week ago her top right one came through to accompany her bottom right. Then her bottom left one FINALLY broke through like Wednesday or so (thank goodness she didn't have just the top and bottom on one side for very long)! Her top left one looks like it will be in any day. It is weird that one tooth came in and then a month or so later the other three all sprout within a week or so. Clara is getting very fiesty. She throws fits every chance she gets and lately she has been very opinionated about her food. If she's in her seat too long and hasn't had a good nap, she is just a turkey. The other night she kept squishing her head into her shoulders and making her face turn bright red. It was hilarious! I think she starts out doing things as she discovers her body and then she realizes we laugh at it so she continues to do it for a reaction.

Tuesday night I went to the gym with Angela. It's been almost two months since I've been and even though I didn't have time, I know I need to exercise, mainly to get more energy and to feel better. It felt great and I wish I could go three times a week... but I haven't been back this week. It's just been a busy week, LOTS of work (payroll & quarter end for KS). Plus, Jason has been getting home so late; he didn't see Clara Mon-Wed and last night I had a horrendous headache and could barely swallow because my throat hurt so bad.

On Wednesday, we "lost" Clara's pacifier. By "lost" I mean I couldn't find it after she threw it out of her crib during one of her naps. I didn't actually look that hard for it because I've been wanting to wean her from it and didn't know how to do it. I gave her the pink one that is super hard and that didn't do it for her. It has been interesting. She doesn't cry at night when I put her to bed, but her naps are totally unpredictable. Sometimes she goes right to sleep, sometimes she screams for a few minutes before falling asleep and sometimes she doesn't sleep at all. Hopefully it gets better, otherwise I may give in and "find" the pacifier under the table in her room... :)

Grass Allergies?

After Scouts, we've been sitting in the grass in front of Nylene's just enjoying this 'cool' weather. Of course I talk Nylene's ear off and prolong going to my empty house as long as possible (note: other than Jason giving Clara her pacifier mon and tue morning, he hasn't seen her since Sunday) Anyway, Clara is around grass ALL the time and other than trying to eat it with amazing determination, it's never really bothered her. However, today was a little different. After about ten minutes of playing in the grass, she began sneezing... twice, four times, six times, etc. After each one, she had a lovely stream of snot running down her face. Nylene suggested we go inside, so we did, hoping that'd help. It didn't stop there; her eyes started getting red and the sneezing continued. Nylene and I were in the kitchen while Caleb and Clara were playing and I heard her coughing a bit, so I poked my head around the wall to make sure she was okay. She coughed a bit more and then sneezed again and Nylene asked me what was in her nose. I picked her up and there, embedded in the latest snot trail running from her nostril to her top lip, was a bright green blade of grass. Apparently eating grass and having it get lodged into your nasal passageway causes similar symptoms as grass allergies... (I'm still annoyed I don't have a picture of it, because the blade was still partially in her nose... HA!)

Bouncing Bean

On Friday, the little Bean and I were at Genny's house. She has this bouncer you hang from a doorway that her son (now four) absolutely LOVED when he was younger so we put Clara in it to see how she liked it. She didn't go crazy, but she had fun and we got some cute pictures of her enjoying living life as a bouncing bean. I think Joseph had just as much fun watching Clara as Clara had jumping. He likes to get really close to her. At first, Clara was just staring at him. Then she realized he just wanted her to suck on his nose, so she figured, if that's what he wants, then the nose it is!

Birthday Boy

Today is Jason's 29th birthday, man that's old, or should I say, that's an old man... Either way, Happy Birthday! I'm pretty sure that means next year he'll be THIRTY. That just seems old, eventhough he says he still feels like he's 18 (I believe him since I feel about that old myself...). Birthdays are fun, even when you're poor. Last night we went out to eat while my mom watched Clara. We had a $25 Chili's giftcard and Jason's choice was On The Boarder. The food was, eh, but it was so fun to go out alone to dinner. We obviously don't get out much because I kept taking pictures like going out to dinner was a first. I told Jason if he would take me out to dinner more, maybe I wouldn't act that way. Of course a birthday celebration isn't complete without the obnoxiously loud birthday song from the wait staff. HA! We discovered it's even more embarassing when it's just two adults that get sung to, no kids, no friends... we laughed. :) Or rather I laughed out how uncomfortable it made Jason.

Afterwards, I was planning on going to a movie at the new IMAX theater, but I asked Jason what he wanted to do and he said he wanted to stop. He's been so busy with life that he's always going. So stop we did... no homework... no work... just us... We watched The Prestige BUT not before we built a sweet place to watch it from. Our couches are SO uncomfy when we both try to lay on them and we don't have a TV in our room. We considered the air mattress, but instead set up our chair with our 'ottoman' and it worked great. I actually stayed awake through the movie. I love cuddling and watching movies. :) I didn't like this movie as much as The Illusionist... too much to the plot that it makes it somewhat ridiculous and I didn't like the greusomeness. But, I did enjoy watching a movie with Jason and neither of us worked or did homework. This morning we opened presents and sang since it was the only time Clara would be awake when Jason was home. Yes, even poor people get presents for their birthdays. Jason about to blow out his candles. Three? Well, he's 29 and 2+9=11 and 1+1=2 and then there is an extra one because I love him (everything I do has a reason...)Jason was THRILLED to get another box of candy... :) I got them for the movie, but we ate too much dessert at dinner... He wanted a cot now that he'll be camping monthly, but I couldn't find him one. So I bought some DOTS and told him when he had more time, we'd go look at COTS. Ha ha.I love my OLD hubby and am glad I married someone I can always have fun with... because when you are poor, that makes all the difference in the world. :)

Determination

Determination is... pulling yourself up on the couch over and over and over to try to touch the computer, trying to crawl away during a diaper change even after the attempt has failed miserably many times before, pulling yourself up on the swing eventhough it could be the most unsturdy object in the house, crawling to eat the shoes even after they've been taken away the 100 times you've tried before and my personal favorite: FALLING OUT OF THE CRIB FOR THE SECOND TIME. That's right, this morning at 545, Jason jumped out of bed and I sat straight up when we heard Clara SCREAM, not just cry. I could tell by the sound something happened and when Jason brought Clara into our room (she doesn't get out of bed that early), I knew what happened. Sure enough, Jason tells me: "She was on the floor". I didn't think she had enough upper body strength to pull herself up and over the top of her crib now that we lowered it, but apparently I've underestimated my little monkey. Her bumper isn't in there so she doesn't have anything to stand on. After Jason felt her arms and legs to make sure nothing felt wrong (LOL) she fell back asleep in bed with me. Normally she doesn't fall asleep when I am near her, but I'm glad she did because she's all stuffed up and needs some rest. So I'm just thinking even when we lower her crib all the way, she's going to be in a big girl bed in like six months! Okay, so this picture, not really related to my story, but I set her up against the wall to take a picture and she put her hands on the wall and just started scratching, loving the noise she was creating.Other things that have been going on: Monday night I got a call at 730pm from my client asking me to join a conference call at 800pm. Oh my, I was annoyed, but being the good accountant I am, I called at 815pm (mind you, I had to use Genny's phone since we are almost out of minutes). ONE HOUR AND FORTY-FIVE minutes later, I hung up. I took the phone back and the Kirby vacuum salesmen were there. I learned one important lesson: never ever ever let them into your house! I kept thinking they'd leave and it wasn't until 1130pm they finally did, so I visited with Genny for a few minutes and came home. Clara woke up at midnight and didn't go back to sleep for good until 2am and then I was up until 330am working (wah wah). On Monday her top right tooth came in (still no teeth on the left side) and she got a little cold so I'm guessing she was just miserable.

Tuesday I worked, went to the staff meeting (I was very tempted not to go since I was up so late), made dinner for my dinner swap (which I love, by the way) and then came home and went to bed early (well, 1030pm, that's early, right?). Wednesday I woke up at 645am and noticed I had a voicemail. My client called me at 630 am and left a message. Are you joking? Who does that? I was so annoyed I didn't want to call him back. Lucky for him, I do have a heart and I do feel bad for him although ignorance only gains my partial sympathy. I called him back (again, had to use Genny's phone) and this time we had four people on the line and talked for ONE HOUR. This could very well be what drives me to insanity. What's ironic is once our home in Utah sells, I'm sure we'll be caught up with this client, so it won't require this much time.

This week I have been thinking about a few random things I'm grateful for while trying to counteract my negative thoughts by looking on the bright side. First, my Bosch. I was making bread Tuesday and realized how hard it must have been to make bread long ago. With how much kneading is involved... surely they had some strong arms. Second, a baby that sleeps good at night. Clara waking up (if she ever even went to sleep in between crying) four or five times within two hours was by far the most she's cried at night, even when she was a tiny baby. It made me appreciate a good night's sleep, even if she's now into waking up at 630am (ever since we lowered her crib, I think she misses her bumper).

Finally, I am very thankful for my college education. I hate working as much as I do and wish I could cut back, but I can't until we sell our house in Utah. I am, however, glad that I have the education and experience that allows me to work from home and make a decently hourly rate. I couldn't imagine leaving Clara and feel sad for all those moms that HAVE to leave their babies. (Notice emphasis on the word HAVE... like in MUST...)

And now I am ignoring a voicemail from my client that I probably won't return until tomorrow and I feel pretty good about that. I am NOT on call 24/7 and definitely don't get paid enough to let him think I am. He's out of control and I am going to clean my house today, so there! :)

Quack! Quack!

And this whole time I was calling her GOOSE.