One month, but whose counting...

So today marks one month that Charles has been with us. So many things have happened. Charles was born, yep. Lizzy adjusts to having a brother. This is an ongoing process. We adjust to having 4 in a family. I had my 30Th birthday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Chinese food! Yum! So easy. Charles saw his pediatrician for the first time. He had to go to a Urologist to get circumcised.
Crazy story: So the Pediatrician would not let him get circumcised at the hospital stating that his boy parts were too small for the procedure. Ask his pediatrician in a week. So we do, she says it looks alright, but lets ask a specialist just to be sure. So we set up and appointment and go in after I wrote down the wrong address and we had to turn around. Needless to say we were late. The Urologist says it looks fine and they must have been worried about the loose skin. This makes no sense to me, but I am new to all this boy stuff. So we sign off to have him perform the procedure and wait for the scream. I hear it, but it isn't prolonged. about 10 mins later the Dr. comes out with him. Charles was sleeping nicely sucking on his sugar coated Binky. Then the Dr. proceeds to tell us that he put stitches in so that we won't hurt him when we clean him and that because of this "loose skin" issue, we need to be extra diligent in changing and cleaning him. At this point I'm a little freaked, but we take him home and Daniel volunteers to do the first diaper change. He opens the diaper and stares in astonishment. He then looks up at me and says, "Where did it go?" It looked like the doctor had cut his penis off! Now I am thinking, "OK, maybe that pediatrician was right, it was too small." Also we didn't understand exactly what the doctor wanted us to do to clean it. I wish I had the foresight to ask for a demonstration. I mean how dare they send two new parents out with an injured baby and not demonstrate what we should do to care for him. Really! Well, we more or less figured it out, I think.
So back to this month of milestones, Charles rolled over at 2 weeks and is smiling now. His cord stump was accidentally pulled off by me, (this must be my super power as I did the same thing to Lizzy.) What else? We braved the last minute Christmas shoppers to play at the Mills Mall with the Purdys. That was fun. I am just glad I didn't need to do a lot of shopping as it was quite mad there. Charles got to see both Grandmas and one Grandpa. Yep, I think that about covers it. All in all, a great first month!

From One Month

Table for 4

I am at last mostly on my own. Daniel is back to work and Mom is back in Washington so it is up to me now. Ahhhh!! Gasp, Deep breath. There. Exhale. I am also now out of those wonderful pain meds they gave me in the hospital. Ouch. But thanks to a very kind Heavenly Father I am mostly functioning and able to change 2 sets of diapers in a row. My biggest problem is refraining from picking up Lizzy. She wants to sit on my lap or get down from a chair and I tend to just pick her up. Big No No! I feel the pain immediately afterwards, so I keep reminding myself: You can't do that right now. Lizzy is mostly understanding and quite patient with me. Although she does occasionally walk hunched over holding her abdomen saying "I hurts." I'm not sure if I should be flattered that she still wants to emulate me or if it is all just mockery. Alas, who knows. Charles is a dear. He rarely crys and is just so sweet. Now if only I could nap during the day like him I'd be golden. Last night we were getting the kids ready for bed and there we were, Daniel and I each with a squirming child changing diapers side by side. I looked over at Daniel and thought, " Yes, this is the life!"

To the Hospital and Beyond...

What an experience! The morning was quite relaxed as we finished our preparations and headed out to the hospital. I was feeling a little anxious, but composed. We found the wrong entrance and had to ask for directions to the actual hospital. That was fun; it was a bit of a walk, but we made it. I said good bye to Mom and Lizzy and then Daniel and I headed into the maternity ward. I filled out the paperwork and then we went back to the prep room. Daniel left to give Mom some directions and I got all hooked up and prepped for the surgery. The next part was the worst, we had to wait for an hour before the actual procedure was to take place. Yea. I had to drink this awful stuff which was to minimize stomach acidity. It is much worse then the sugar drink you have to take for a gestational diabetes test. EWW! Then they rolled me down to the operating room and while the nurses counted all the various surgical equipment, I received my Spinal. Then I lay on the table and waited some more.... Do dodo to do.
After a while they put up the tent and let Daniel come in and sit next to me. Then the party really started. The anesthetist said that he'd warn me when they were ready to pull Charles out, but they were distracted so I heard and felt them pull him out before he told me. Charles cried a bit and then they took him and cleaned him up. I didn't get to see him of course, but Daniel did. Then they sewed me up and rolled me back to the recovery room where we waited some more. About 2 and 1/2 hours. I was beginning to think they forgot about us. I threw up and then they brought Charles in to us. I got rolled into my room and they took Charles to do his tests. We waited some more. I finally got to feed him when they came back. Mom and Lizzy came by and we enjoyed the visit. Charles was born at 1:34 in the afternoon, he weighed 6 lbs and 10 oz. and was 20 and 1/2 inches long. He is so tiny and perfect. He is a sweet baby too. We are so very blessed. Daniel stayed with us the first night, in the morning I asked how he was and he said it was like being back on the sub. Same amount of traffic and same hard bed. Poor thing. I told him to go home to sleep after that. The hospital staff were awesome and Dr. Lieberman did a wonderful job. He is a great doctor. I really lucked out. They let me go home Thanksgiving Day and we are here recovering. It has been an adventure, but well worth it. Charles is such a blessing. Lizzy is so good with him. And I am so glad to have my Mom here to help out. I couldn't do it without her.

Baby news

So this is the day I get to see my baby. I am so excited and feel so blessed to have this experience. My pregnancy has been good. There are the usual aches and pains, but on the whole I am actually healthier when I am pregnant. The only thing I really don't like is the fact that I don't really look pregnant. Here I am at 40 weeks and people still didn't know that I am pregnant. I get told all the time how I don't look pregnant. Alas, whats a girl to do? Maybe I should get a pillow to stuff my shirt just to shirk comments. Oh well, it is almost over. This is definitely going to be different then Lizzy's birth. It's like I'm going in for any other procedure. Arrive 2 hrs. early, be fasting, get prepped, have surgery, recover oh and here's your Baby. Thank you. How wild is that? I am so glad that we have modern medicine. I hope all goes well. I really like my doctor. He is really confidant and thorough. Well, that's enough chatter from me. Keep us in your prayers!

Doctor Doctor

Lizzy has been sick lately and on Sunday she got a bloody nose. So I took her to the doctors to see if there was anything wrong, or anything I could do to help her. With all these medication recalls I didn't know what to give her for her cold and cough. As we entered the doctors office Lizzy started saying over and over how she didn't want the doctor to touch her belly. I had no idea where this came from so I explained that the doctor was going to look in her ears and nose and mouth, not at her belly. She seemed pacified for the moment, but when the nurse came into the exam room she started up again. I explained again and showed her the tools the doctor would use to look in her ears and mouth. She said OK and we read a book and waited for the doctor. The prognosis was good, no ear infections! Yea! And no antibiotics needed. I was able to pick up some over the counter cold medicine and she is doing fine now. I still was confused about the whole tummy thing though. Well on Wednesday all was revealed. I took Lizzy to my weekly appointment at my Obgyn's office. She has been to nearly every appointment with me. And what do they do there? They check my tummy of course! Ha, no wonder she was concerned. She sees me get checked all the time. Too funny.

Halloween

Since Halloween was on Sunday we didn't do anything too festive. Plus Daniel was working again this year. Trick-or-treaters don't come to our door so it was a relatively quiet night. We had the Primary program and as a teacher I got to sit up in the stand and help. It was fun. the kids did great. Lizzy slept through the whole thing. A huge thank you to Sue for watching her for me! I made cookies for my class as a job well done. They were so tired. I think they must have all had a candy overload that morning. 3 were trying to sleep when we hit our second hour. Lizzy got a bloody nose during Nursery, I'm not sure what happened, but it started up again when we got home. So that was our Halloween scare.
Later Lizzy put her stroller basket over her head and said, "I'm a turtle, I in water." I laughed and told Daniel that's what she should be for Halloween. He said, "She is." It was cute. Quite appropriate.

All wet

Lizzy and I love foot soaks, but we don't do them too often. Perhaps this is why we find them so enjoyable, because they are a special treat. Yesterday while we were waiting at the church building, we sat under the picture of Christ washing his disciple's feet. I was telling Lizzy about the picture when she asked if she could wash her feet too. I said, "Sure, tomorrow." Well, here is the messy result:

In addition we are having our traditional Pumpkin dinner today and Lizzy helped me clean out the pumpkin. As you can see it is serious business! For those who are interested, here is the recipe:

Pumpkin dinner

1 sugar pie pumpkin, cleaned and seeded.

½ Lbs hamburger

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Large scoop of sour cream

1 cup cooked rice

Salt and pepper to taste.

Brown the hamburger and drain off fat. Add the cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Add milk if it seems too thick. Mix in the cooked rice. Stuff the pumpkin and bake at 350 for an hour or until a fork goes into the shell smoothly.

Ei-ei-o

Lizzy has learned how to make a pig sound. I am proud of her, having never been able to do so myself. I think you will enjoy this:

From pig noise

Pumpkin Carving

For family home evening we carved our pumpkin. Daniel asked Lizzy for her opinion on the design: she wanted three eyes and a big smile. I think it turned out fine. She loved when we lit the candle inside. While cleaning the pumpkin Lizzy kept flinging the pumpkin guts around. Poor Daniel. Luckily most of it stayed on her hands. ;)

Fall Festival

Our ward had a fall festival last Saturday. Daniel didn't get off work till 7pm so I took Lizzy to the festival, but had to leave right away to pick up Daniel. Luckily Sister Hanson was willing to watch Lizzy so she could play. I picked up Daniel and then went back to the church. They were just getting the kids ready to trick or treat as we arrived. So I took Lizzy around. The halls were very dark and Lizzy was scared of a few rooms. Sister Jordan had gone all out. She had made cookies, punch and mini cupcakes. Along with candy and toys. Wow! It was fun. Lizzy is supposed to be Poison Ivy, but most people thought she was a tree. Oh well, nature themed I guess.

The Pumpkin Patch

I love fall! Every year we go to a pumpkin patch; this year we went with the Link group to Theis Farm. They have lots of activities for kids. We went on a hayless ride and Lizzy loved the slides. I got to see okra growing. The flowers are beautiful. There were animals and mazes. Lizzy and I enjoyed the corn maze. The hay bale mazes were very tight and dark. Lizzy didn't go into them much, for which I am glad. I don't think I could have followed her in. We had a lot of fun and I bought some produce there. The honey crisp apples were from Washington! So much for farm fresh. They were tasty though. A taste of home.

Kansas City Ren Fest

We went to Olathe to stay with my In-laws for the weekend and to go to the Renaissance festival there. This was our second year and it was much better weather this year. Since Stephen is in Utah this time we invited Tony and Susan to join us. It was a lot of fun. The joust was much better this year too. We routed for the bad guy: Judas the unforgiven. He won the joust. Yea for our side! Lizzy and I got to be in the children's parade. She made a crown and a wand. After making the wand there was a wizard there to make sure your wand worked. He would have the kids wave their wands and make things disappear. It was cute. I had made a doublet for Daniel and a Pregnancy dress for me since my other costumes would not fit. Daniel's doublet turned out great, but I wish I had put more red in the front of mine, I was very white. Alas. Well, next time I will know what I am doing. It was a fun weekend.

From KC Ren Fest

Here is Lizzy trying on Daddy's doublet:

From doublet

Babysitting

Lizzy has enjoyed having friends over that are her age. Nathan Purdy and Jared Carter have both come over recently. It's been fun.

From 2010-09-29 Lizzy and Jarod

Jared is allergic to wheat and I thought we were doing fine when I noticed that he was scratching at his neck. I hoped it was just irritation due to the rice and corn, but a little while later I could see hives forming. I quickly woke up Daniel and had him watch the kids while I ran to the store to get some benadryl. I consulted the Pharmacist on how much to administer to a 2 year old and then rushed home. I gave him half a dose and sent Daniel back to bed.(he was working nights) Not ten minutes later his Mom showed up. I think I was much more scared then she was. His hives were due to the Play dough we had used earlier. I had no idea there was flour in Play dough. Now I know.

Nathan and Lizzy "helped" me make Halloween cookies and decorate the house. They had fun, but didn't understand the whole concept of one cut out equals one cookie. I tried to get them out before they pressed more cookie cutters over and over again on a single spot. In the end I just let them play and then I cut out the cookies to bake. We made a fort too.

From fort

From fort

Irish Festival

Last Saturday Lizzy and I donned our green and headed out to St. Charles for the Missouri River Irish Festival. I love being Irish! Strangely the Irish fest was held at the same time in the same vicinity as the Mosaic festival. I was a little confused. We finally found the right place and it was lots of fun. The vendors were not expecting people to show up for another 2 hrs even though the fest started at 10. So we were able to peruse at our leisure. Lizzy liked the dancers, but wanted to go on stage and show off her stuff too. I have to say that I am spoiled. I have been to many an Irish fest in the past, and this one was mediocre at best. But we had a good time. The best part was the Irish civil war reenactors. I love reenactors, they make history come to life. I learned about their division that was based here in St. Louis and about the Sanitation commission in St. Louis. They were amazing.

From 2010-09-18 Irish fest

Pumpkin Famine

Since the Great Pumpkin Famine of 2009, my diet has been sorely lacking of the glorious orange squash. I have often wandered the empty baking aisle of Schnuks in hopes of a can of pureed goodness. I have asked the workers over and over again, "When will there be more pumpkin?" to no avail. The most distressing part of this whole saga is the fact that the rest of the country was unaware of the Great Pumpkin Famine. Why in other states you could enter a shopping center and purchase canned pumpkin... of the shelf...in say, July if you wanted. But no, I live next to the pumpkin capital of the USA: Illinois. So we are unjustly plagued by the lack of pumpkin, while no one else suffers. Is this fair, I ask you? But I digress. This week the Famine was called off. The pumpkin is back on the shelves, and more importantly, in my kitchen, I nearly bought out the store in my excitement. I went home and promptly made Pumpkin Cheesecake, which I sampled hot in my haste to consume the decadent dessert. Ahh sweet pumpkin! Nectar of the Gods I tell you! I went to bed with a burned tongue and a contented heart. What shall I make tomorrow? Hmmm.

Diaper deals

So yesterday as I was getting everything laid out to change Lizzy suddenly she exclaims that she can not be changed until her cuddle bear is changed first. I agree to change her bear. Then she lays down for me and allows me to change her diaper. Success! So I think. Not two minutes later she tells me that her bear has "pooped" and needs a new diaper. OK, I think, not a problem. She removes the Bear's diaper and proceeds to crumple it and head to the trash. I stop her midway after asking what she was doing, her reply: "it stinky, go trash." Like duh. What were you thinking Mom. So I rescue the diaper and fold it back up and hand it to her as a "new" diaper for her bear. No way was that going to fly with Lizzy! It isn't clean! So I get a fresh diaper and put the used one back in the pile of diapers determined to put it on her as soon as she needs a change. So calm and order is restored for another three minutes when suddenly the bear has gone "poop" again! I'm thinking, "how can she tell? and what is she feeding that bear?" So the ritual is repeated once more. As you can probably guess this is now a thing with her. This morning she was shocked to discover her bear without a diaper and had to remedy the problem before anything else. Deep Breath. It's going to be a long day.

From 2010-09-02 diaper bear

Click to view. Isn't it glorious?

Going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

We got to go to the zoo last week with some friends, it was hot, but lots of fun. Lizzy had great fun watching the Hippos check out this video:

From 2010-08-19 Zoo

Just click on the picture to play. We went on the merry go round and Lizzy was a little unsure about that at first, but once she realized they go up and down, her favorite thing to do, she loved it. And this time she was awake for the train ride!

THE GOOD NEWS

So after one botched ultrasound, we returned yesterday in high hopes. This time we were rewarded almost imediately! And drum roll please....... It's a boy! We are stoked! More to follow. Stay tuned. Same bat time, same bat channel....

Leather

We have been dabbling in leather working and Lizzy is a wonderful student!

A Capital Idea

Last Saturday we went to St. Charles to see the first state capital in MO. We have had three. The day was warm, but I prayed hard that I would be able to go with out fainting and the Lord heard me! The capital building is actually just the tops floor of three shops. The one with the flag. We walked right by it without knowing it was indeed the place we came to find. Missouri has an interesting past. It petitioned for statehood in 1820, but was denied due to it being a slave state. The government wanted a free state to even things out. They re petitioned in 1821 and were brought into the US. They were still a slave state, the majority of the slaves were Native American. Northern MO was anti slavery and this caused quite a rift.

From St. Charles

this back view was originally the front, the street that runs behind it was where the river was in 1820. The building is quite clever because it had passage through to the street in front of the building from the back. They were covered so goods could be kept dry during unloading. The senate had the best room. All the Senators were literate and there were only a few of them; conversely the House had several Reps, but most were illiterate. The rooms were also used as a court room and for other meetings. They used ink made of black walnut shell and water and it took a half hour to dry on its own so they used sand to quick dry documents. There were sand boxes around the room which doubled as spittoons, but the rule was once a session started you could not get up until it ended. So the men in the middle rows spat on the floor. I can't imagine how gross it was.
The Governor had his office on the other end and he didn't have quite the authority that he does today. As many of these Representatives were quite rough men fights often broke out during the sessions. one such fight brought the Governor out from his office to quell the anger and he was promptly shut in his office for interfering!
It was a most enjoyable tour, and thankfully not too long. We ended in a room that was a typical house of the time. It was bigger then most houses and everyone lived in one common room which served as kitchen, bedroom, parlor, etc. As there were various taxes on luxuries, but not on art, the people became quite creative. Painting on a mirror or clock saved them from a tax. Turning a table into a chair was also a tax dodge. Also many single men, trappers and traders would stay in Mo. so there was a Bachelor tax as well to encourage them to move on! They found out that by boiling down horns it would unravel and become translucent, this was then used instead of glass in lamps. There was even a fold-out couch bed. They used to have it unfolded, but someone jumped on it and tore the hundred year old fabric. Ouch! Lizzy loved the little rocking horse.
There is a garden out back that has native plants, the hops were particularly pointed out since most of the water was unsafe to drink and so beer and wine were the beverages of choice. I guess it was the lesser of two evils? In the dry goods store on the bottom they told us about how a beaver top hat cost $40 which would buy a house in those days. The Hatters used Mercury to bind the hats together which made them go mad. Hence the phrase: "Mad as a Hatter." The skunk pelts were not thought highly of, but they are and were quite abundant in Mo. so they were sold as Alaskan Sable instead for a higher price.

All Fall Down

As Lizzy and I were watching a movie she was also bouncing on the bed. This is quite typical in our house, so I didn't think much about it. Suddenly I noticed that the bouncing was BIGGER. I looked at her and she was using my massage table(which serves as a head board when it's folded up) as a launching pad for her new exploits. I quickly told her to get down and not to use my table like that. She just as quickly pointed at the television and said, "Watch Vie" Which means, watch the movie Mom don't watch me. Ha! Like I was going to fall for that one. She was quite insistent for a few minutes until she realized that not listening to me was going to get her in time out, at which point she relented. I just had to laugh at her audacity though. She is so my daughter.

Pageantry

This past weekend we drove up to Nauvoo IL. For the Nauvoo Pageant. Never try to eat QFC chicken on the road. What a mess! Lizzy got the corn everywhere.

From 2010-07-11 Nauvoo

We met up with Denise and Jason and their boys, who graciously saved a camping spot for us. We set up camp and then drove over to the Pageant. It was a nice evening and we had good seats. The cast moves around the audience a bit so we got to see them up close. My favorite part was the instant temple.

From 2010-07-11 Nauvoo

Who knew it was so easy? After pageant we went back to camp and Lizzy experienced her first night in a tent. It took her a long time to adapt. I mean, there are BUGS there! She has a great fear of bugs. She fell asleep finally looking at the stars. It was a fine night, we left all the windows open and didn't put on the rain fly, because it was warm up until about 4 AM. Saturday morning, Denise and Jason kindly watched Lizzy so Daniel and I could go to the temple. We squeezed into the 8 AM session and had a great time. I wished I could stay in the Celestial room longer, but nature called and the bathrooms are a flight down and hidden from the casual observer. I finally asked for directions. Boy was I relieved! Then we joined the Blacks and went to the Wainwright and blacksmiths workshop where Ephraim got the horseshoe and then on an Oxcart ride. It was a wonderful day.

From 2010-07-11 Nauvoo

Later we tried to go to the museum there at the Nauvoo State Park where we camped, but I got overheated and had to leave. Getting out of Keokuk took some doing we went around it twice before finding the alternate route. The main road was out. When we got home I was exhausted, but glad we went.

Transporting

From 2010-07-01 Transportation Museum

We took a trip out to the transportation museum in St. Louis. It was fun seeing all the trains and old cars. One train is a snow blower!

From 2010-07-01 Transportation Museum

There were a lot of amazing things there. One steam powered car from the early 1900s.

From 2010-07-01 Transportation Museum

And a schoolbus that had been converted to a train!

From 2010-07-01 Transportation Museum

It was a fun day. More pics here:

Fly Catcher

 
We sent Lizzy on a fly hunt. She was terrified the whole time, but it was pretty funny to watch.

From 2010-07-01 Transportation Museum

Shout Hooray!

Lizzy turned the magic 2 on the 13th. We had a wonderful time decorating the house. Lizzy blew out the candles before we started singing, so we did it again. She let us sing to her the second time and then blew out the candles. She loved the frosting. She also loved the Winne the pooh card we got her. I love her face in the video.

2010-06-14 2nd birthday

Whirlwind

We decided to take a trip up to Kirtland Ohio since Daniel had a few days off of work. What we planned as a leisurely trip turned into a 3 day dervish. We went up to Ann Arbor to stay with Clinton and Janet on the 9Th, arriving just in time for a scrumptious dinner prepared by Janet. Then we took the walking tour of their neighborhood. It is a cute area with a house boasting an homage to the Greeks. Amazing. I wish I had taken a picture. Then we left the next morning for Kirtland. Luckily I had enough cash on me for the toll roads. That was fun. It was about three and a half hours down to Kirtland and when we arrived I was expecting something like Nauvoo, But it was a bustling town. It actually took us a bit to find the temple. We had come just in time for the next tour which was nice. The Community of Christ runs the temple and don't allow photography inside, but I got a few shots of the outside. Then we went to the LDS welcome center and toured the sites in the historic downtown. It was a lot of fun. We drove strait home arriving at 2:30 in the morning. That was a long drive, luckily we could rest the next day. I was exhausted.

Summer loving

So yesterday I took Lizzy to the pool for the first time. It is an outdoor pool that is more like a park with sprayers and a foot of water everywhere. I had never seen such a thing either. It took Lizzy a little while to warm up to the idea of sliding and playing in water, but once she did, boy I could not get her to leave! I slathered us both with sunscreen, but still managed to burn my back. Thank goodness for Lavender! It was fun, the place was packed! I thing everyone had the same idea. I saw a lot of friends there which made it all the more enjoyable, and Daniel got to rest in peace for once!

Lost at the Faire

For Daniel's birthday we went to The Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire at Wentzville. In preparation for this event I had made Lizzy a gown to wear and then started on my own gown. I wanted to make an Irish style over dress. I had made one for my sister a few years back and had wanted to make one for myself since then. So I pulled out the patterns and got to work. All was going well, Lizzy was even participating. She would perch on my lap and pull out the pins when I told her to and put them in the tomato. As I finished the top and pinned it to the bottom, a problem presented itself. They didn't match. The bottom was about 3 inches too short on either side. Oops. I didn't have enough remaining material to correct the issue. So I went online to find a solution. I did find one. Use a different material as an addition, this might seem like a Duh moment to you, but I wanted my outfit to be as traditional as possible so until I found similar dresses I was not about to make a blunder like that.
So armed with new confidence off we went to the store for some material. Luckily there was a remnant of leather looking material on sale. It was more then sufficient for my needs so I purchased it while Daniel chased Lizzy around the store. Home again I proceed to finish my masterpiece. I was quite pleased with the out come. Then as I was now in the sewing frenzy I also made another top, this time with side lacing's instead of in front. I made it reversible which was fun. Anyway so now we were ready. Then Daniel tells me that the dress I had labored on was not becoming on me! What? Tomorrow is the faire and you don't like my outfit? So I pull out my skirt from our trips previous, and there is a rip in the side. So scrambling to finish I tear through my material boxes looking for the same material. Luckily I had kept some and proceeded to remake the top portion of my skirt. I succeeded sort of. I could wear it but don't any one look too close!

Any way, off to the faire. It was out in Wentzville which is about 45 min west of us. We took the long way there and Lizzy slept most of the way. It is in a big park and luckily had lots of shade. We saw a bird show and artisans and took in the sights. Due to the mud the joust was without horses which made it quite ridiculous, but it was a fun day overall. I'm glad we went. Unfortunately I have no pictures of my outfit. I hope to remedy that soon and then I'll let you judge which was better. Hee he.

From 2010-05-22 St Louis Ren Fest

From 2010-05-22 St Louis Ren Fest

A day in the life

So I have an awesome daughter and just to prove it I am blogging about her. Oh and I have pictures! On Tuesday the school district had a vehicle fair. There were a lot of neat cars and emergency vehicles. A book mobile and a few other interesting vehicles. We got to sit in them and learn about them. Pretty neat until the barrage of honking horns scared the living daylights out of Lizzy. Oh well. To make up for it we hiked through the foot high grass to a park that seemingly no one ever plays at except us. This park is just poorly planed in my opinion. There is a huge expanse of rolling grass. A real airplane you can't touch and then way out in the back is a little play area. No trash cans or bathrooms in sight. About ten feet away are the swings. Yes, defiantly made for toddlers. Alas. Upside? No waiting to take a turn on the slide! After wards we went to the Whistle Stop, a cute little restaurant and train museum. Lizzy loves it. Then after all of this we went to the dentist. Lizzy sat on the hygienist's lap as she cleaned my teeth and then Lizzy got her very first cleaning herself. I am so proud of her. She sat there with her mouth open like a pro. She even let the dentist use the pick on her! Told ya...Awesome!

Flower's festival

Florissant has very few festivals and this one last all week. For all the hype I must say we were a little disappointed, but it was a fun day and there was a Mexican bakery there with the best empanadas ever! We saw a ventriloquist and magic shows as well as an old time medicine show. It was great.

Cinco de uh oh..

As a proud decedent of Mexican heritage, there are few holidays I like better then Cinco De Mayo. It is a day of fun and usually family. This fifth of May proved to be the exception to the rule. Daniel was called in to work at 3 AM.
"Great, just means he will get off early so he can spend time with his family." I thought as I went back to sleep. The Blacks, Tina and little Anne were coming down for the day. They came by around 1:30 and we went off to the magic house for some great fun. On the way I get the call from Daniel:
"So that problem they called me in for this morning? Yeah, um we are just starting to work on it. I won't be home till after 7." Great. So much for my plans of Hispanic revelry. Oh well. The magic house was great fun as always. After a few hours we headed back home and since the family had to get back to Columbia, it was just Lizzy and I for dinner on my third favorite holiday of the year. Well I'm going to celebrate dang it! So I changed Lizzy's diaper and debated about bringing the roll up. Nah it's right next to our house, no big deal. And with that left the apt. to walk to chili's. We got seated right away and I was feeling good. We put in our order and waited for the food. They were out of crayons so I dug a pen out of my purse to keep Lizzy occupied. That didn't last too long, but luckily the table had ample entertainment in a little blue container filled with sweeteners. Joy! Out they all came in a rush! All over the table. I, being the great parent that I am tried to get Lizzy to sort them by color.
"See this one is blue, can you find a blue one?" Right, she threw a pink one at my head. Not a good game I'm thinking. So we just mix them around when I smell something... Uh oh, she is Poopy. Well, it can't be that bad, we'll just eat and then I'll change her when we get home. No problem.
A little while later I notice that her shirt hem has poop on it. Ugh. Now I need to do something.... So off to the bathroom we go. I get her on the changing table to assess the damage. Well, to my horror, the damage was being pushed out the top of her diaper every time she moved. Not good. Think, think. Ok maybe I can just scoop some out and then clean off her shirt. Yeah, that should work at least till we eat. In retrospect at this point I should have just found the waiter and make a quiet exit, but alas I was determined to celebrate at all costs!
So we return to our table and soon there after our food arrives. Yea food! Half way through our meal I realize my previous solution is not holding. So back to the bathroom we go, I remove her diaper and clean her up as best I can in the stall. Then I throw the diaper away tell Lizzy quite firmly that she can not go Potty till we get home. Roll up a few paper towels as a substitute diaper and we head back to our dinner.
Not one to listen to good advice or commands given by her mother Lizzy soon gets up from her booster and demands that she get down. I ask her what is wrong and try to entice her to sit back down. As this is getting me nowhere I get up to investigate. Sure enough there was a puddle in her booster. And some on the bench... Yuck. Ok, no dessert, check please! We are going home! I try to clean up the sodden mess with napkins and explained to the waiter what had happened. Paid the check and corralled my soaking toddler home. Luckily the day was hot enough that she was moderately dry when we got home. I dumped her clothes and all into the tub and started to clean the whole mess. Lizzy was a trooper. Somewhere along the way we lost the towels. Oh well. Needless to say we were both ready for bed when Daniel came home.
Que dia mas divertido no?

Travel and tell

So we have been vacationing for a while now. My sister Tabitha went through the temple in Utah on the 27th of March so Daniel, Lizzy and I went out to support and go through with her. Well, Lizzy didn't of course, but Daniel and I did. We got to stay with Normarae and Alan Johnson, Daniel's Aunt and Uncle. It was nice getting to know them and also seeing Tabitha. My Grandma came down as well as my Aunt and Uncle.
During the course of our stay Lizzy got to see all three Great Grandmas. How crazy is that? We also had a bout of illness. Daniel and Lizzy both threw up. I took Lizzy to a doctor and found out that she had ear infections in both ears! Poor thing. This delayed our trip up north. Daniel flew home and Lizzy and I went to stay with my Aunt in West Valley. We finally were able to travel back to Washington with my parents on Easter Sunday. We listened to conference on the radio until we hit Boise. Then the signal died.
We stopped in Baker City Or. for the night. I love Baker City, it's the halfway point between Salt Lake City and Seattle. An old gold boom town it is full of history and quaint buildings. Mom and I had always wanted to walk down town and we finally took the opportunity. At dinner in the Sumpter Junction(noted for the trains that run through the restaurant) Lizzy threw up again. =( Our waitress was pregnant and in danger our vomiting herself at the sight. Poor thing. The Geyser Grand Hotel was indeed a grand sight. We breakfasted there. We had the whole place to ourselves. The food was wonderful and nicely priced. Then off to Bremerton!
It is so nice to be back. I love Washington. Lizzy and I settled in and Mom and Dad washed laundry and repacked to go back to Idaho and pick up my brother Sal from BYUI. I took the opportunity to visit some friends. That was nice. I got Lumpia from Ani Brower, a truly awesome food. We had it today for dinner. Joy! Lizzy is finally off her antibiotic and hopefully we have said goodbye to illness for a while. All is well except Daniel is not with us.
The day after I got here we visited my Sister Jessica and found her daughter Taylor in tears. Michael Pitcher had died. I couldn't believe it. Jessica and I went over to Michelle's house to offer our condolences and were promptly put to work. I cleaned the bathrooms and Jessica took on the laundry. Michelle was at her in laws so after we finished there we went over to the Pitchers and had a nice talk with Michelle. I have known her for years. She got married 6 years ago and has 4 children. I talked to her two months ago and was excited to get together during my next visit. It is just so sad that this happened, but I am glad that I am here for the funeral and able to help.
Saturday Jessica the girls and I went on the kitsap Live Steamers in Port Orchard. It was so fun. We took three rides around the tracks and then explored a Candy Shoppe down town. It is tiny, but packed with any kind of candy you could think of.
So that is my trip thus far. Pretty action packed.

Baking

Lizzy tried her hand at making cookies and then we made some rolls. Both turned out fabulous! She is the perfect little helper perched up on the counter waiting to add the next ingredient. It makes cooking much more exciting.

Model

I have been working on some french colonial costumes for quite a while now. Sad to say, with out much headway, But I have an adorable little model to work with!

Just for fun

Spring is indeed in full swing and we took advantage of it by exploring a new park. It is next to the library and has a tank you can climb on! It was fun.

News

So as many of you may not be aware, Daniel and I have been trying for a while now to get pregnant. Well, to day it is offical. We are pregnant and I am so excited! More to come. :)

Gymboree

Missouri has a wonderful program for parents. On Thursdays Corina takes Lizzy and I to a program called Link. Mothers meet and guest speakers from various organizations help us become better parents. The children get to play in a playschool setting. I have enjoyed it immensely. During the year they organize various field trips. This one was our first. We went to a local gymnasium for free play. It was a lot of fun.

A Little More Magic

Denise and the boys, came over for the weekend and kindly took Lizzy and I to the Magic House for the day. There is so much to see and do there. It was so fun! Here are a few pictures:

New addiction

So our lap top finally bit the dust. Sad day at the Bartholomews. Sniff. Daniel went a head and ordered a new computer and we decided on a desktop this time. It arrived this week and I am proud to say I got it all hooked up and running. Daniel had to install a few things and get the Internet working and we are cutting edge again.
Now I am figuring out all the new things our computer can do. It came with a remote and that is loads of fun to play with. I am in shock. A remote for my computer. I never would have dreamed it. Not only does this new fangled contraption have more bells and whistles then I ever thought possible, (yes folks I am not a computer wiz at all) but it also comes with an impressive array of games. My new favorite is called Mahjong Titans. it is kind of like a Chinese version of spider solitaire. I love it! So long slow, dying laptop! Hello Titans!

lastest and not so great

So there's something about Sundays. Not the ice cream variety. Last Sunday as we were getting ready for church, Lizzy was spinning with great abandon in our room when suddenly she falls and hits her head Smack on the corner of our bed. CRACK, next thing I know she is wailing and bleeding profusely form her mouth. I grab a washcloth and start dabbing to check the injury. I expected a busted lip, but no, she had split her upper gum. Daniel gave her a blessing, I gave her a frozen gogurt and she settled down. She recovered quickly and was tender, but fine. Great. Wonderful. Daniel had to work these last two Sundays so the Johnsons kindly gave us a ride to church. Which was cut short due to the restrooms overflowing. We had sacrament and then were sent home. Gratefully I couldn't smell very well (I heard the stench was quite overpowering even on the next Tuesday). Also the hose for the steering fluid in the car busted, so Daniel had to muscle his way to work. Luckily we got the fixed on Monday.
So we are trucking along and then Tuesday, BAM, Lizzy does the exact same incident again. Spin...mouth meets bed...Bloody mess only this time she has knocked her front tooth down a bit and ripped up the gums. I called Daniel in a panic, he was on his way home, but that was fruitless. I gave her another frozen gogurt and she calms down and goes to sleep. Whew. Needless to say I a total wreck. Daniel comes home only long enough to say Hi and ask if I need him to stay. Since it is Tuesday he has Young Mens to go to. Lizzy is still sleeping so I told him to go ahead and go.
On Wednesday we took Lizzy to the dentist. She cried her way through an xray. Not a great picture, but no one wanted to do that to her again. Basically Dr. Boain told us to just watch it and if it worsens to come back in a weeks time. Since then Lizzy has learned to eat without the use of her front teeth. She will eat anything left out. Especially the Andes mints I put on the table! But I can't really blame her.
Then this Sunday Daniel lost his wallet. He drove to work anyway hoping it was in his uniform at work. It was in his locker. Yea. Luckily there were no more bloody Sundays thus far. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Here are two pic of Lizzy's teeth.

Shen Yen

Daniel was so sweet, he took me out to see Shen Yen a Chinese dance company based out of New York. Some time ago we saw a promotional video in Global Food's and thought it looked neat. unbeknownst to me, Daniel got tickets for yesterday's performance. We got all dressed up and Lizzy really wanted to go with us, but she did great for the babysitter. The performance itself was a bit disappointing, there was a lot of propaganda about communist China in it. The traditional dances were fun and the costumes were amazing. I think the BYU dancers have them beat hands down, but it was a fun evening. Happy Valentines Day!

Helping hands

I love this picture! Lizzy likes going to the kid workshops at both Lowes and Home Depot. I prefer the Home Depot ones because their projects are useful around the house, where as the Lowes projects are mostly toys. You can tell we were having fun!

19 going on....

My little girl is growing up and seeking all sorts of adventures. Yesterday I was putting the clothes away that she has grown out of. Lizzy decided they were for climbing and burrowing in. She is so cute!