Goodbye, Wyoming

It's taken me almost a year, but I am finally changing our blog address (since we no longer live in Wyoming). This will be my last entry on this blog, so make sure you bookmark my new one: www.mykidseatoffthefloor.blogspot.com. Don't forget!!

Alligade

Yep, you read that right. Alligade. Tempe's new favorite drink.

Let me describe it to you: it's usually an unnatural jewel color; marketed to athletes as a sports drink; it tastes like sweat mixed with fruit juice; and there are commercials with people sweating it.

Do you know what I'm talking about?

Today at the store, we passed a display of Gatorade and Tempe got very excited and said "Mom, can you buy Daddy some alligade? And he can share it with me!"

The cupboard under the stairs

After living in apartments, I never thought I would have enough storage space to consider using a closet for anything else. But our house has a 600 square foot crawl space that's pretty much an unfinished basement (with a 4 foot ceiling)--it is insulated, cemented, and has lights--so when Tempe asked me if the closet under the stairs could be her playroom, I said yes! We had a fun week putting it together.

First, we went to Home Depot to browse their "oops" paint, and found a gallon of robin's egg blue for $5 (Hint: If you aren't picky about the color for a room, "oops" paint is a great way to get paint for a fraction of the cost. Just go every week until you find a color that you like!) 

After I painted (and that was fun--trying to paint a ceiling that slopes down to ground level), I put the wire shelving unit that had already been in the closet down at the girls' level.  Tempe helped me choose some toys to put on it: books that wouldn't fit in their rooms and the books from the basket in the living room, some flash cards they like to scatter around, a game of "Go Fish", several photo albums that Grandma Lisa has sent, the doctor's kit, a few stuffed animals, and a basket of dolls and doll accessories. 

Finally, it was time to accessorize. We went to Wal-Mart, hoping to find a body pillow on sale (I have seen them for $10 there before). We didn't find one, but we did find two really cute throw pillows for $5 each, so we got them instead. Then we went to Robert's to get wooden flower cutouts. We also got a bird and a bumblebee. I painted green flower stems along the baseboard, then hot glued velcro to the top of the stems and the back of the flowers--voila! Interactive wall art! Helena especially loves pulling the flowers off, over and over.

Even though it is a very small space--probably about 3 feet by 8 feet, but will a ceiling that slants down in the back--we got a lot in there. I'm also going to add framed family photos on the wall, and Tempe and Helena are going to help me paint a few more wooden flowers to put on the flower stems. Maybe someday I will add a roll of paper to the wall so they can use it as an easel. It's really cute, and the girls love it! They play in there while I cook (it opens off the kitchen) and enjoy having their own little space. 

Here are some pictures:

Oh, and the trapdoor to the crawlspace is at the back of this closet (under the chair and pillows), so I couldn't put, say, a kitchen there. I needed to find something light enough that I could move easily whenever I need to get down to the crawlspace. That is why I decided to make this mostly a "reading nook" sort of playroom.

Yikes!

Before we moved into our house, a girl in my old playgroup told me that her in-laws live on Jennings as well, and asked which house we bought. When I told her it was the one on the corner, she said "Oh, that crappy little house?"

I brushed it off and chalked it up to the fact that I was so in love with my first house that I managed to ignore the badly neglected exterior. Jason and I still affectionately call it our "crappy little house", but now that my neighbors lawns are emerald green and their gardens are filled with blooming flowers, I'm starting to feel a little panic when I look at our yard.

Explanation: our house was vacant for about a year, and during that time no one came by to take care of it. No one raked the leaves last fall, which means that until about a month ago when the snow melted, we had a layer of leaves under a layer of snow, leaving us with mostly dead grass. No one pruned the drastically overgrown holly bush, no one weeded the gardens, no one painted the trim. So we are slowly getting our yard in shape, and it's a little overwhelming!

Tonight I went to Lowes to buy plants for our empty gardens and man, was it hard trying to choose things! I didn't know what would look good together or how to arrange things, so I just bought some things I thought looked nice and hopefully I will figure out where to plant them.

Here are some before pictures.... after pictures will follow in a few weeks!

Mean Mommy

Yesterday we went to Robert's to pick up some things for the girls' new playroom (more about that later!) and as soon as we walked in the door, Tempe saw the helium balloons. She immediately started in with the "Mommy, can I have a balloon? Please can I have one? Please will you buy me one?"

I kept saying "No, you have a balloon at home... No, you don't need a balloon." But I guess the cashier heard us, because when she was ringing me up, she asked if Tempe wanted a balloon. Tempe's face lit up and she chose a pink balloon. As we were walking out to the car, she was babbling happily to herself and she said "And Mommy say, (in gruff, snarly voice) 'No you can't have a balloon!' and the nice lady say, (in happy princess voice) 'Yes, you can have one!'"

I couldn't help but laugh at how evil I come off when I deny a balloon.

Catching some Zzzzz's

Helena is a busy one-year-old. She has a lot she has to do every day: pull all the DVD's off the shelf, climb up the stairs, empty the basket of books in the living room, scatter the children's dishes across the kitchen floor, and, of course, get into big sister Tempe's things. With all that to keep her busy, no wonder she has to catch a few Zzzz's whenever she gets a chance (like in between  bites of graham crackers)!

Helena was finishing her lunch today while I was making my grocery list, and when I glanced over at the high chair, this is what I found! I quietly took this picture, and she woke up bleary-eyed, took another bite of graham cracker, and then rolled her head to the side and went back to sleep. She alternated sleeping and eating for about 15 minutes, and screamed bloody murder every time I tried to take her tray away and clean her up for a real nap. Finally, she finished all of her graham crackers and let me take her up to her crib.

I miss my old friends, too

Moving to a new area is hard, and I know it, but I always forget until I'm doing it again. I know that it takes about a year to really feel at home and make friends, but that year is so hard! I have only lived in our new house for two months, but it feels like forever, and I am just having the hardest time making friends. Our neighborhood doesn't have a lot of little children or stay-at-home-moms, like I thought it would. Our ward was really friendly at first, but there are never any activities or opportunities to get to know anyone better. 

I really miss my old friends in Laramie. A lot. I miss my old neighborhood. I miss going for walks with Denise. I miss going to playgroup (SO MUCH). I miss playing at the neighborhood park with the Smiths (both Smiths), the Meads, and the Faulkners. I miss going to the library and seeing people I know there. I miss knowing I would have someone to sit with in Relief Society every week. I miss not being nervous about going to Enrichment activities. 

I keep telling myself that I need to give myself more time and not worry, and remember--it takes a year. I tell myself that if I still feel this way in the fall, then I can worry. But it's still hard!

Doesn't anyone from Laramie want to move into my neighborhood? There are two houses for sale!

I miss my old camera

I really miss my old camera. It was a Canon. I can't remember what kind, but it was the best camera EVER! It took the best pictures with minimal effort on my part, which is what I want. It died in November, and I decided to go with something different. A Sony Cybershot. Yuck. I hate it. It takes awful pictures! They are either washed out from the flash, or grainy because I turn it off. I have done ALL the troubleshooting, basic and advanced, and I just can't get it to take good pictures. I know that the ISO affects the "noisiness" of the pictures, so I set it at 100. But the pictures still end up grainy, blurry, or washed out. It's really frustrating because I used to take really good pictures!

Anyway, I am trying to sell it. Not that any of you will want to buy it after this post, but it is listed on KSL and Craigslist. Hopefully someone will take it off my hands so I can buy another Canon.

Here's one of the pictures from my old Canon. Man, I miss it.

"Grandma Lisa, you gonna stay at our own home?"

My parents and brother and sister left today, after staying with us for the past 5 days. We had a great visit, and we were able to do a lot in such a short amount of time, including skiing (for some of us), the zoo, BYU, Temple Square, lots of walks, and a day full of yard work. My dad loves doing anything home improvement, and so (along with the majority of the yard work) he also hung a swing in a tree in our backyard, fixed the door to our shed, tightened some loose faucets, and (biggest project) hung bi-fold doors in our laundry closet. Yay! Now people don't have to walk past my laundry to get to our only guest bathroom.

But it was sad saying goodbye. I used to have a very hard time when it came time for a visit to end, but I've realized that for living 1200 miles apart, we actually see each other pretty often. And with cell phones and the internet, it's much easier to keep in touch than it was for my mom when she got married and moved 2000 miles away from her family. The hardest part about this afternoon was when Tempe realized that we were saying goodbye to her beloved Grandma Lisa and Grandpa K. She got a sort of worried expression on her face and said "Grandma Lisa, you gonna stay at our own home?" 

Following is a hodge-podge of pictures from our visit.

Jeff, Tempe, Kelsey and Grandma Lisa sitting on the "bench" in our backyard.

Me and my girls enjoying the swing that Grandpa K put up for us!

Tempe thinks the swing is just as much hers as it is Helena's (who actually got it for her birthday)

Helena on the swing's maiden... swing.

Tempe loved standing at this window at the LDS Conference Center and looking through the waterfall when we were there to see the international art competition. 

Dad going crazy with the clippers.

Tempe and a BYU racecar--two of her favorite things!

Spring has sprung...

...And Helena is one! We had her "Springtime" birthday party last night. It was quite a party! We had about 30 people attend, all family, including my parents and brothers Tyler and Jeff and sister Kelsey, who are visiting from Tennessee this week (more about them later). 

For Lena's party, Tempe helped me dye frosting all the colors of the rainbow for Lena's rainbow cupcakes. Margaret has some great pictures of the party on her blog. The problem with having a talented photographer in the family is that I no longer bother taking pictures at family events. So you'll have to check them out on her site instead! 

Today we have been very, very busy getting our neglected yard back in shape. My dad thrives on yard work, so he had a great day doing all kinds of stuff. We got so much done! I can't believe how beautiful it looks from just a few hours of work. We are so grateful that my family was so willing to help us in the yard on their vacation!

This last picture is the results of all our hard work: tree branches, grass clippings, even a dead tree that we took out of our planter area. It's pretty gratifying to see how much we got done!

It's April, so....

The summit just east of Laramie:
And here is a picture of Sinclair, outside of Rawlins. All of the trucks and cars you see lined up here are waiting for the interstate to reopen. It's been closed for 24 hours.

Oh, Wyoming. There's nothing like you (thankfully). It's weekends like this that make me so glad not to live there anymore!

*I don't want my Wyoming readers to be offended... I mean... seriously, the weather in Wyoming is ridiculous! But I do miss a lot of things about Laramie: the small town feel, all of my great friends, the way the wind howled so cozily outside my bedroom window...

Mainstream appeal? No, thank you.

I have always wanted to be part of a cult following. The best definition I could find of this elusive state is not really a good definition at all: "A cult following is a group of fans devoted to a specific area of pop culture. These dedicated followings are usually relatively small, and often pertain to items that don't have broadmainstream appeal" (from Wikipedia). How can something be part of pop culture if it doesn't have mainstream appeal? 

Anyway, after much contemplation, I have determined that I am part of a cult following. I cult-follow (?) "Arrested Development", Fox's short-lived, underrated comedy about the most horrible people in America, the Bluth family. Jason and I came to the conclusion that I can count "Arrested Development" as something I cult-follow last weekend after a conversation about whether or not it's fan base is small enough. My argument was that too many people like it; it seems like most of my friends and family think it's hilarious. But Jason pointed out that most of my friends and family have the same taste as me, and that they are not an accurate sample of the population. So... yay! I am part of a cult following after all! And I did it before my 30th birthday! (I should add it to my list)

ps I also wish that I was part of a secret society.

Five reasons why I love LOST

1. It's like nothing I've ever seen. Ever. I can guess what's going to happen next all I want, but I'm never right. It's totally unpredictable and doesn't subscribe to the mass media drama formula like most other shows on prime time.

2. There's something for everyone: drama, horror, suspense, comedy, even a little romance (although I wish the writers would drop the stupid love quadrangle).

3. Even with all of the different elements and story lines, in my opinion, the show is about people--their weaknesses and strengths, and the relationships that they form (and in most cases, ruin). What could be better than that?

4. Ben Linus. 'Nuff said.

5. It's a "smart" show. And the best part is that there is an allusion to a great work of literature in nearly every episode--from "The Chronicles of Narnia", to "Animal Farm", to my personal favorite book of all time "Slaughter-House Five". 

So if you already watch LOST, good for you. And if you don't, you should start. Just remember that you have to start at the beginning and watch in order or you won't understand anything that's happening.

Happy birthday, Lena!

Daddy helping Helena stand at the girls' ladybug measuring board.

Today is my baby's birthday. My baby is one year old! How did that happen?? 

Helena is a darling. She loves her big sister and follows her everywhere. She loves to play with things that make noise, like rattles and tambourines. She's a lot like me in that when she is happy, she is very, very happy; and when she's sad, she's very, very sad. She loves attention (hey, also like me) and she screams to let you know when she needs more. She makes everyone love her with her beautiful big smiles, her cute little wave, and her giggles and coos. We are so lucky to have her!

Here is some random trivia about Lena.

Her full name is Helena Louise Anderson. That's Hel-A-Na, not Helen-A. Jason chose her first name (My Chemical Romance, anyone?) and her middle name is after my sister Kelsey and my Grandma Allan. She weighed 6 lb, 8 oz and was 19 inches long when she was born. She was due on April 6th; but was born on March 30th, 2008, after my midwife convinced me to let her break my water. She has three teeth (two on the bottom and one on top) and is finally starting to grow some very fine blond hair. She had a bright red birthmark on the very back of her head when she was born, but it has faded away now, and you can't see it unless I point it out. 

Today we went to the aquarium to celebrate her birthday. She was a little nervous at first, but when I showed her that the fish couldn't swim out and get her, she really enjoyed it. She loved watching the tropical fish swim in their tanks and splashing her hands in the touch pool. (Tempe had fun, too)

Helena's "Springtime" birthday party is next week, so check back for pictures of our real celebration! In the meantime, you can find her official first birthday portraits on my aunt Margaret's blog.

Here are some pictures of us at the aquarium. As usual, Tempe wouldn't look at the camera and Helena is starting to follow in her footsteps. Nooo!!

Who would've thunk...

... that on my fourth anniversary I would have a two-year-old and an almost-one-year-old, a wonderful, considerate husband, a gorgeous house, and my very own minivan?

Yes, it has really been four years. And so far, it's been a good day. Jason woke me up at 7 with pancakes from McDonalds (yum! My favorite!) and I am going to surprise him after work with some ice cold Dr. Peppers. We are going to the Church International Art Competition and The Cheesecake Factory on Saturday to celebrate, but tonight I think we will just relax with our Dr. Peppers and The Office and 30 Rock.

Last year on this day: I was nine months pregnant with Lena, 4 cm dilated, and contracting all day. Not our best anniversary.

Two years ago on this day: The Cheney's babysat Tempe while Jason and I went out to dinner in Laramie.

Three years ago on this day: I was three months pregnant with Tempe, and we went to Ft. Collins for dinner at P.F. Changs. Super yum!!!

Four years ago on this day: We were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Click here to find out more about why Mormons build temples)

Best. LOST. Ever.

"Although we see Sayid shoot Young Ben exactly where his heart should be (if he had a heart), there’s almost no chance that he’s dead." from Kulturblog. 

Sorry, U fans

Tempe knows we like the "go, go, go Cougars!" but beyond that, I didn't think she knew what BYU is. Well, she at least knows what a university logo looks like. On Saturday we were driving up to the zoo, and when we passed Rice-Eccles Stadium, Tempe saw a red University of Utah "U" logo. She pointed at it and proudly said "It's a red go, go, go Cougar, Mom! A red cougar!"

I just thought all my U-fan friends would like that :) 

Roswell vs. Twilight

Stephanie Meyer totally ripped of "Roswell", the WB's late '90s show about aliens and the teenage girls that love them!

Watch the pilot (on hulu.com). There are a few similarities between it and Twilight that really jumped out at me, including Max telling Liz that they "... can't do this. It's just too dangerous."

Of course, I still love Twilight. I forgive you, Stephanie Meyer.

The opposite of my last post

Cari suggested that I make a list of the things I like about myself and I thought that was a good idea.

I am really good at school without much effort.

I keep my house super clean.

I am relatively good (not great) at lots of things: scrapbooking, writing, decorating, teaching...

I am really, really good at documenting memories for my family (like this blog).

I am a very good cook! And decent at baking as well. And along with that, I am pretty good at budgeting our food money and grocery shopping. I have a system.

I think I am a pretty good mom. I am good at thinking of fun activities for us to do together and fun place to go together.

I am pretty good at making new friends when we move (I guess because I've gotten a lot of practice).

I am good at making other new people feel welcome.

I am (usually) a good driver.

I like LOST and 30 Rock and I think those should count for things that I like about myself.

So, I feel better after this post than I did after the last one. Cari, you are the best! Thanks for the suggestion!

Frustration

Lately I have been feeling very frustrated with myself. There are so many things that I want to change and that I don't feel confident about; yet, for some reason, I don't ever change!

I wish I was a nicer person. Sometimes I am just mean. I think mean thoughts and I mutter mean things. I don't want my children to grow up to be mean-spirited like me! I want them to be kind and loving and patient and to remember that everyone has a mommy that loves them. I know that the best way to teach them is by example, and I am afraid that I don't set a very good example for them.

I wish I was more patient with Tempe and Helena (mostly Tempe). 

I wish I was more responsible with our money. I am prone to financial weakness, especially when it comes to food.

I wish I had better priorities. There is so much that requires my attention, things that can only be done while the girls are asleep--yard work, homework, housework... but by the time they go down for their naps, all I want to do is crash in front of the tv. And then I end up feeling guilty that I didn't get as much done as I could have. 

I wish I was more on top of our non-existent food storage.

I wish I had a talent. 

I wish I was better at doing my scripture study, planning family home evening, teaching the girls about the Gospel in our every day life, and doing my visiting teaching.

And those are only the weaknesses I am going to admit--there are more.

A simple children's activity

1. Smear one-year-old with peanut butter.

2. Allow two-year-old and one-year-old to roll around in a pile of birdseed.

3. Hang in a tree for the birds to enjoy! 

Grateful

I was blog surfing, and came across one that really touched me: www.thegledhillfamily.blogspot.com. But I am warning, you DO NOT read it if you are pregnant, are the parent of young children, or have a heart. I just spent the last half hour crying as I scrolled through to read about the trial this family has had to endure.  I read through sad blogs like this pretty often--I just can't help myself, and then I always feel sad--but this one really got to me because the little girl that this family lost was almost exactly the same age as Helena. I can't even imagine holding my Lena in my arms and saying goodbye, and knowing that it would be the last time I ever got to hold her. In this life.

Because that is the silver lining to a tragedy like this. Their daughter is gone from them for now, but someday they will be together again. Heavenly Father has given us such a wonderful gift--the gift of forever families. Someday we will all be reunited with our loved ones, and all of the mothers who have had to say goodbye to their children will be able to hold them and love them again. That is the only thing that could ever help me through losing a child--although it's something I hope I will never, ever have to do. I don't think I am strong enough. I don't think I could bear it. 

Grumpy

Today I am a little down in the dumps, for more reasons than one, but only one that I am going to share on here: my Adolescent Literature teacher.

She keeps sending back my assignments with biting, sarcastic comments in the margins. Comments that do not help me understand what she would like me to do differently in the next assignment. Comments that are not at all constructive criticism. And even though I know I shouldn't let someone I don't even know get me down... I do! I hate reading what she writes on my assignments. It makes me feel so bad about myself and about the quality of my work. I have always done really well in school--it's my "thing". I'm not good at sports, or art, or music, but I am good at school. So it's really hard for me when I do not do as well as I like to.

Here are some strange things. My first five assignments were all graded 97. Now, all of a sudden, six and seven have been graded 83 and littered with mean comments. But really, I don't think the quality of my work has changed at all. Also, she accidentally graded assignment six as assignment eight and gave me a 97. When I called to point out it was graded as the wrong assignment, she re-graded it and gave me an 83! Isn't that strange?

Even more Tempe-isms

[Mis]quoting "The Little Mermaid": "Lena is six years old, Mom! She is not a child!"

"I think we should.... I think we should... buy a bumpy ride." (She calls the ATVs at Grandpa's cabin "bumpy rides")

Missing her paci: "Mom, I not want to grow big and strong. I want to grow little. Can I grow little and have me paci?"

Tempe is a big girl--but not by choice

Today is the third day Tempe has gone without her pacifier. Woohoo! She was down to one paci, and she kept chewing on it, so Jason told her that when she bit it and it broke, we were going to throw it away and not get a new one. Well, Tuesday she bit through it and so I reminded her what Daddy had said. She remembered what I was talking about it and took it into the bathroom and put it in the trash herself. For the rest of the day she kept saying "I don't need me paci, I put it in the trashcan!"
But then at bedtime... She was ok while I was reading her a story, but towards the end of the book she interrupted me and said "Mom, can I have me paci? Just one more paci, please?" It broke my heart to see the worry on her face when she realized she wasn't going to get her paci! Even after that, she did ok. She yelled a little bit, but went to sleep without it. In the middle of the night, she woke up crying for it. Jason went in and tried to console her--she was insisting she needed it--so he said "Here, suck on a pony's nose instead" and put a pony in her mouth. It worked! I laughed and laughed when I saw her sucking on her pony's nose the next day.
So, she is officially "off" pacifiers--but not by choice.

I want to go to Disneyland

I want to go to Disneyland. I really want to go to Disneyland. I really, really want to go to Disneyland. I can't even say how much I want to go to Disneyland.

And if our tax return is really as big as we think it will be, we might be able to go!

But not until fall. I can't wait that long. Six more months? I'll go crazy!

Until then, I have to be content with planning our trip and finding the best deal on a hotel. Any tips? I've never really shopped around for a hotel. We need a family-friendly hotel with a suite (separate bedroom and living space) and a complimentary continental breakfast. We also want a refrigerator and microwave or kitchenette in our room so we can save a little on food costs by eating at the hotel instead of going out every night. The hotel needs to be relatively close to Disneyland--walking distance isn't necessary, but we will need a shuttle that doesn't take too long. And of course, we don't want it to be too junky or dirty.

Do you think that's too much to ask?

I just keep picturing the expressions on Tempe and Lena's faces when we walk through the gates for the first time and they see the castle, the characters, the rides... and I keep imagining which rides they will like best. Dumbo? Winnie-the-Pooh? Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? Peter Pan? Tempe might even be tall enough to ride Splash Mountain--she just needs to grow 4 more inches!

Some more Tempe-isms

Watching tv with Mom. "I feel sad..."
(Mom) "Why, sweetie?"
"We don't have a doggy..."

[Several days later] Watching "Pinnochio" with Dad. "I wish I had a kitty cat."

After hearing me leave a message on my sister-in-law's phone inviting her over: "Rachel gonna bring the girls [cousins Maddy and Libby] over to play?"

Reproving her sometimes-not-so-nice mother: "You need to be nice to other people, Mom."

Grocery shopping with Mommy before Uncle Tyler comes to spend the weekend: "We gonna share the eggs with Uncle Tyler?"

Typical two-year-old response to my demands for obedience: "No, Mom! You be-have! I not have! I Tempe Joanney!"

Untagged wedding tag

I wasn't tagged, but thought this looked fun:
1. Wedding Date: March 26, 2005
2. Where did you get married? Salt Lake LDS Temple

3. How long did you date / were engaged? We dated for 3 months and were engaged for 5 months

Jason proposed to me at the Timp Trailhead on October 30, 2004 (this picture was taken the following spring, after we were married)

4. Were you a Bridezilla? Maybe... I worried about everything the entire time we were engaged because I wanted everything to be perfect

5. Wedding colors: Orange and pink

6. How many bridesmaids? My sister Kelsey and my sister-in-law Morgan; sisters-in-law Corinne and Katelyn were flower girls
7. Where did you honeymoon? We spent our wedding weekend at the Homestead in Heber, Utah, then went to New Orleans for a week a few months later

Jason caught these two vampires on our vampire tour of the French Quarter.

8. Where was your reception? The Orangerie at Red Butte Garden--it was really neat. It's a glass building that was once used to grow orange (so kind of like a greenhouse) and it was like being outside without having to worry about heat, cold, wind, rain, snow, or anything else. We also got to do pictures all over the grounds of Red Butte Garden.
9. Is there anything you regret or would like to redo? I wish I had worn colored shoes instead of white. I wish we had danced to "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes instead of "What a Wonderful World". I wish I hadn't worried about things so much. I wish our photographer had given us digital proofs instead of a proof book.
10. Did you save your cake top and eat it on your first anniversary? Nope--but we did eat leftover wedding cake for several months after the wedding.


11. How long have you been married NOW? Four years in just a few weeks!

More generosity than we deserve

Due to the very giving, generous nature of both sets of our parents, the Andersons now have two luxuries that we thought we would have to live without: a second car and the Internet at home!
The car came first. Jason's wonderful father helped us find a great second car--a 2000 Toyota Sienna. That's right, I am a minivan mom. And I love it! Tempe does too. She asks me every day if we can go for a ride in the new van.
The Internet was just hooked up a few hours ago, although I can't figure out how to get the wireless to work. My mom knows how much I love blogging, and I think she missed reading about the girls, so she and my dad decided to get the Internet for us for an early birthday present. Aren't they wonderful?

Trying to blog without the internet

Since this is my Internet night (I go to my in-laws to use their wireless on Tuesday nights), I thought I would do a short update. We love being in our new house, but we do miss having the Internet at home! Living without the Internet and without a car can be kind of isolating for me, but I am lucky that I have two little girls to keep me company, a sister-in-law and nieces that like to come over and play, and several nice parks within walking distance.
Tempe and Lena are getting to be better friends every day! They are actually starting to play together now, and Lena adores her big sister and follows her everywhere. Lena just learned to wave and is trying to figure out clapping. Tempe is learning more colors every day, and even tried to arrange her blocks into a circle the other night! The shape she made was more like a squashed oval, but it was a closed figure, so that's pretty good! I hope to start her in a Joy School program this fall when she is three. We also have not yet started potty-training... but now that her bathroom is painted and put back together, I really have no excuse!
Now that the weather is warming up (our last bit of snow melted today!) Jason and I need to get cracking on the yard. The house was vacant all fall and winter, so our lawn is matted with rotted leaves. I'm afraid to see what the grass is like under them all! After we get the leaves up, we need to haul out a brush pile in the back yard, take out several overgrown, ugly bushes, and add some flowers. It will be a busy spring!

Some Tempe-isms

Holding Katelyn’s My Little Pony that got mixed in with our toys when we moved out of Jason’s parent’s house and subsequently became Tempe’s My Little Pony. “E [Katelyn] got this pony to me. It is so special to me. E got this pony to me!”

Dancing around her bedroom in her Sunday dress and singing. “A sunbeam, a sunbeam! Jesus wants a sunbeam! A sunbeam, yeah, yeah!”

Answering the next door neighbor’s question about where her Grandma lives. “Grandma Lisa live at Grandma Lisa house.”

At the park with Daddy. “You know awesome, Dad? Dad, you know awesome? This playground is awesome!”

Surveying her newly unpacked bedroom. “I got new toys! Look at all me new toys!” [While we lived at Jason’s parent’s house, our stuff was in storage for over eight months, and Tempe apparently forgot all of her old toys in that period of time.]

Coming into the kitchen where Helena is crying while I try to make dinner. “It’s ok, Lena. It’s ok! I’m here. Someone hurt you, Lena? Mommy hurt you?” [I tried to assure Tempe that I did not hurt Lena, but she wondered why else Lena would be crying.]

Discovering that Jason had put her Polly Pocket away in the wrong place before bed the night before. “Hey, this not go here! It go here!”

Wanting Jason to toss her in the air. “Throw me up to me bedroom, Dad!”

“Read me a story, Mom. A real story.” She pats me on my chest. “You!”
“Tell a story about me? When I was big or when I was little?”
“Little, just like Tempe!”

Bringing her green Gideon Bible into the bedroom where I am reading scriptures. “I got my scriptures, Mom! I reading my scriptures!”

At dinner at Jason’s parent’s house before we moved out. “Doodle-oodle-oo!” [Gibberish] “You know that, Grandpa?”

Walking the aisles of the dollar store after her very first haircut. “I found the perfect toy, Mom! It’s a ball!” [I told her that she could pick just one toy if she was good for her haircut; she was.]

Driving home from church and pointing at the different houses. “That not me own home, that not me own home, no, that one not me own home!”

At dinner one night. “Hey, I have the idea. How ‘bout we all go outside and play! Hey, I have the idea. How ‘bout we go to the store. Hey, I have the idea. How ‘bout we get a treat. Hey, I have the idea. How ‘bout we all play dinosaurs. Hey, I have the idea. How ‘bout we take all Tempe’s clothes off!”

Talking about whether she is obedient or disobedient. “Mommy, I make you happy… but sometimes I make you sad.”

A very bold choice

I watch enough home decorating/real estate shows to know that the color we just painted our bathroom is not going to be popular, and is probably going to reqire us to repaint if we ever want to sell our house... but before you make any judgements, let me explain. We only paid $5 for the paint. I found it in the "oops" section at Home Depot, and so, really, it's not too bold of a choice, because it was a $5 choice. Besides, me and Jason like it--we just don't think anyone else will!

And notice how the blue in the shower curtain is the precise shade of blue on the wall. Crazy, huh?

Also, bathrooms are very hard to paint. Especially ours, because the wall slopes up on one side--the side with the toilet--and so it was hard to get the ladder close enough to reach the highest corner. But, we perservered, and if we got a little paint on the ceiling, well... they're high ceilings so no one will notice :)

Want a present?

This is how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to leave a comment on my blog, you have to post this on your blog first. (That means that sometime during this year you will send a gift to 3 people as well.) Get it? So, the first 3 people to comment on this post will be the lucky ones! Good Luck!

Reading and why we love it

Last night Jason and I had a fun conversation. It started because we no longer had a couch to sit on to watch tv--we moved the loveseat that had been our tv couch upstairs in preparation for the delivery of our new red sectional (see previous post). So instead of sitting on the cold hardwood floors just to watch reruns of "Man vs. Wild", we played Rummicube and then just hung out in the living room together. I was looking at our bookshelf, which is pretty well stocked, and I turned to Jason and said "Which of these books on the bookshelf here is your favorite?"
Well, that stumped him, because he couldn't narrow it down. And so we spent quite a while taking turns naming our favorite books and discussing them. Most of them we had both read, but there are a few that just one of us had read. Here is a partial list of the books we named, and who chose them as a favorite:
"Slaughterhouse-Five" (Kate)
"The Brothers Karamzov" I probably spelled that wrong (Jason)
"The Scarlet Letter" (Kate)
"Blood Meridian" (Jason)
"To Kill A Mockingbird" (Kate)
"The Grapes of Wrath" (Jason)
"East of Eden" (Kate)
"Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" (Jason)
"The Count of Monte Cristo" (Kate)
"The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (Jason)
"Kinfolk" but only as a Pearl S. Buck token--if we owned "The Good Earth" that would be on the list instead (Kate)
"On the Road" (Jason)
I know there were more that we talked about, but it's hard to remember them now... we also came up with a few that we thought we had but don't have, and want to buy: "Animal Farm", "1984", and "Fahrenheit 451".
So, if anyone is looking for something to read, there are our recommendations!

The Great Room

Isn't it great?

We just got this couch on Saturday as a Valentine's Day present to each other. We went to RC Willey just for fun, not planning on buying anything, when we saw this gorgeous suede sectional for only $800!! Can you believe that price? I didn't think it was right. But it was, and so we bought it.

A word of e.xplanation

We are now living in our new house and we don't have the internet there :( So I have to limit my blogging to once a week when I go to the library. Next week I will actually write a real entry, but LOST is starting soon so I have to GIT!

Living room

This is it, the room with the giant mirror. I have given up hope of ever getting the mirror down, but we do want to paint the room brown to warm it up a little. We got that cute little brown chair for $50 on Craigslist! Score!