Life With Two

So I have not blogged recently not necessarily because I have two children now but because I have two children now. And the fact that I haven't even finished writing about everything in my journal yet so I haven't felt like I could blog. But here is a quick update. My dad stayed with us the week we got home when Brock went back to work. So I thought I'd take advantage of an extra pair of hands and got some more projects done. (There is always something to be done). Which Brock said to me today it is good that I am staying busy or else post par tum might kick in. I think this is in reference to yesterday where I didn't do much of anything and was moody. Then it was Christmas. Thank goodness I got all the gifts made and wrapped before the baby came. My dad went home on the 20th and moved back in on the 21st since he had no power, heat, or water (one of his pipes burst in 3 spots). So blessing in disguise for me because I don't think I was quite ready to be on my own. He went home the day after Christmas to fix his pipes and all is well. I did surprisingly well all by myself. I think I got all my emotional stuff out at the hospital. I have been really patient and calm with the girls (knock on wood). We'll see if this keeps up. I attribute it to not being pregnant and sore. I can deal with more when I can actually move with out it hurting. But still it seems bizarre to me. The entire delivery on has seemed bizarre. I am NOT complaining at all. In fact I feel very blessed. I hope all my deliveries and after follow suite of this one. Here is another bizarre point that again I am not complaining about. When we took Meghan in for her newborn check up (she was 6 days old) I decided to weigh myself. I had only gained 10 pounds this pregnancy and was curious to see if I had lost it all yet. Imagine my surprise when the scale said I had lost 22 pounds. I got back on and double checked and it was accurate. But still I was skeptical. After all, it was a scale in a pediatricians office. Granted it did say up to 350 lbs. on it. But I triple checked with a digital scale when I picked Emily up from Anna's. So hey don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I'll take an extra 12 lbs off any day. So now I'm starved of course and scared to eat. I don't want to lose the momentum. But I am eating and just making wise choices. If I can lose 1 pound a week from now until my birthday I will weigh what it says on my drivers licence. :-)
Emily is taking to Meghan really well. She is a big helper. Perhaps too big. (see quote of the week). I think she might choke her to death with the pacifier. And if I don't get a shower before Brock leaves for work, it's either nap time or after dinner. I am too scared to leave them alone together even if she is in the bassinet or crib. Emily is very agile and can climb into anything if she really wants to. But we are all doing well. It especially feels good that my wonderful husband walks around the house smiling and commenting on how he has the perfect little family. And that he says "we really do make the most beautiful babies." He is so great. Well ladies, Brock and Emily are at church, Meghan is sleeping, that means shower for mom. TTFN.

New Baby Fruth

Welcome to

Meghan Kruse Fruth

was born on December 9, 2008 at 9:23am.
She weighed 8lbs, 10.5 oz.

She has Brock's feet and nose, Emily's mouth, and Becca's toes!

This is Anna guest-blogging and since I got to be there, Becca said I could spread the news! Becca went in on Monday night around 11pm. She was getting checked out for a little bulge on her belly (uh...I guess no one mentioned that a bulging belly comes with the pregnancy:) and she hadn't felt the baby move much. She was 6-7cm and was admitted. She called me at 3am and said she was an 8 so I headed over. At this time, Becca had not had ANY contractions at all. No pain...at an 8!!! I couldn't believe it! The nurse broke her water at 5am and around 6 am she had a few contractions. Things got harder around 7am and she was having regular contractions...finally! Towards 9am, she started feeling "pushy" and really pushed from about 9 o'clock on. She was a trooper! NO DRUGS! Even though she was at an 8 for about 6 hours. The nursing student that was there throughout the birth said, "You are my hero!" and I know that I was thinking the same thing! Congratulations, Fruths!!!!


PS. I edited this entry because I spelled Meghan's name wrong earlier, it is now correct. Sorry, I am claiming lack of sleep:)

11 Days

So I have 11 days left until my official due date. I had an appointment on Thursday and I was dilated to 3 cm. and she said she could stretch me to 3 1/2 cm. And I am 70% effaced. She keeps saying that I will go early which is what she told my friends Abbey and Anna. (They didn't go early). So in my brain I am not buying in to the false sense of hope. I figure with my luck I will either go today because she is on call at the Main hospital and I am delivering at the North hospital. Or I will go on the 20th because that is when she starts vacation. But We're hanging in there and just waiting to see what happens.

Trains?

So I think I figured out why Emily is waking up in the middle of the night. She seems to be scared of trains. Every now and then you can hear one from our apartment. But she wakes up saying she is scared of the trains. Tonight I went in to see what the problem was and she thought there were trains in her window and she said it hurt her ears and made her cry. I don't know where it comes from because when she plays or when we drive in the car she makes sounds like trains and is not bothered at all. At least we know why and now have something to work on. Question for all you professional mothers....Do you think going to the train station would help or would it make the fear worse? I'd love your input.

Restless Nights

I am sure you thought that this would be about me and the fact that I get up to pee a bazillion times a night making my nights restless. But I need some advice. The past month Emily has not been sleeping well like she used to. I think it all stemmed from when she was sick and coughed and coughed and coughed and we had to give her medicine so she could sleep. However that has been over a month ago. Last night she woke up crying at 11:30, 3:30 and then was up for the day by 6:30. By 9 in the morning she is yawning. But will not take a nap until the afternoon. And just now (11:10) made some crying noise. I don't know what to do. I did let her cry it out last night and either it didn't last too long or I was so tired I fell back asleep and she eventually did too. Is this just my child or is it normal for 2 year olds. Do I have hope of fixing it before the baby comes or should I just forget it and deal with it all at the same time? What do you have for me?

Countdown to Twilight

So in just a mere 24 hours we should be standing outside freezing our bahoochies off waiting to get in to see Twilight. I am excited to see it. I just reread the book to familiarize myself with what happened. (It's been a while). But I am more excited to hang out with my friends, freezing together, laughing and having a good time. I am looking forward to the steak n shake rendezvous to analyze and talk about it. And I think I am going to wear my jammies. It will be great.

Four more weeks

Well I went to the Doctor today and I am 2 1/2 cm. Which whatever that means. I can hang out there for ever or I can keep going. I read the baby monitor to the right of my blog and I am actually contemplating that. The sooner the better. I don't particularly want a Christmas baby so we'll see what we can do. But she'll come when she comes.

All Worth it

So love my Emily and she really is a great kid. I realize that 90% of the time I am frustrated with her because of me and not really anything she is doing wrong. Granted there are those times I want to throttle her. But there are those times that she makes up for it and makes it all worth it. For instance after the Stake Auxiliary Training in Huntington I get home to get my "brain" (notebook in which I write everything down so as not to forget), and I realize I don't have it. Yeah pregnant brain I left it in Huntington on the pew I was sitting in. I get ahold of Bridget Deutch (sp) and arranged to meet her at the chapel in Huntington the next day after Emily's checkup. So the next morning we get ready and I go to grab the car keys. Can't find them anywhere. I am tearing the house apart and finally hormones take over I fall down to the ground and start crying hysterically. Emily comes over and says while hugging me "it's okay, don't you cry" in the sweetest voice. When I don't calm down she puts both of her hands on my head and says "Heavenly Father" I realize she is trying to give me a blessing. I stop crying, smile, take her hands down, and explain that that is something daddy's do but thank you and give her the biggest hug ever. She is the best. Then I call Bridget, reschedule the Dr. apt. and realize the keys must be in the pew with my notebook (I had carpooled the night before and didn't use my keys). Sure enough they were and Bridget so kindly brought them all the way up to my house. I owe her big time. There are lots of things Emily does which make it all worth it but I'll share one other for now. I love it when she talks to the baby. Tonight she, Brock, and I were playing on our bed and she pulls up my shirt to talk to the baby (Somehow this helps the communication process) and says "Hi baby, come live with us". She says it in the talking to baby voice people use its so cute. Tuesday Brock is off b/c banks close on Veterans Day. So we are scheduling a tour at Parkview of the birthing center and taking Emily to show her where mommy will go to have the baby and that she can come visit, etc... It should be fun.

Baby Update

So I had a checkup two weeks ago and they were talking about not letting me go past 38 weeks because the baby's kidney still is not functioning correctly. But I saw the specialist on Friday and he said besides the kidney not functioning he sees nothing else wrong with this baby and therefore sees no need to have her come early. Ride it out and she can come when she is ready. I was glad to hear this because I did not want drugs and now I have the freedom to do my own pain management techniques and use the hot tub etc... On the flip side I finally got used to the idea that the baby was coming in 3 weeks and that sounded great now I have to add 2 weeks back on. :( OH Well. I see the regular OB tommorrow and we'll see what's going on. I had finally gained 3 pounds. I owe it to vacation because I was either eating out or other people were cooking. And with this pregnancy nothing I make sounds good and I have to force my self to eat. If other people make it however I will chow down because that sounds the best. So while I was at the specialist I weighed myself just to see how much more I've gained and since I've been home I lost the three that I gained. So I will compare that with the OB's scales to see if it was an accurate weigh in. I asked the specialist if that was okay and that even though I wasn't gaining was the baby growing well. He said yeah she is actually a chub. Based on the estimate calculation they do she is in the 87th percentile projecting an 8 lb baby which can go a pound either way. So we are looking at a range of 7-9 lbs. She actually has chubby cheeks according to the last ultrasound picture I got. Too Cute. I haven't been blogging because I thought I had 3 less weeks to get all the stuff done I needed to get done before the baby came. Now I have those weeks back. But I am still going to be projecting. I'll try to update at least once a week.

Which will is stronger?

So obviously Brock thought about my comment (see entry below) because he raided the piggy bank and got PB Cups. MMMMM!

Addictions

So I just told Brock that I wanted some Peanut Butter cups as a hint for him to go to Walmart and get some. He replies with a "we need to stay away from those addictive substances." I retorted with a "well since I'm addicted to you I guess I'll stay away from you." Sorry honey.

Pregnancy Bliss?

So I went to the doctor for my 30 week checkup! Wow it has gone seemingly fast. Not as fast as Emily's it was a "retail" pregnancy. That made it seem so much faster 60 hours a week and before Valentines was over we had the Easter stuff out and before Summer was over we had the Halloween stuff out. You get the picture. It is coming fast 2 week visits followed by 1 week visits and then BABY!
So I haven't blogged much about this pregnancy because it has been kind of personal as well as stressful but now that we have some answers I feel better and feel like I can share. So here is the detailed version shortened. During my routine 19 week ultrasound we found out that "Baby Fruth" (not to be confused with a popular candy bar) has a problem per say with her right kidney. It seems to not be draining which can be caused by a couple of different things. Pinched line to the bladder or narrow opening. So I was sent to a specialist to follow up on that. When Dr. B. noticed the kidney problem she recommended that I get the quad screen which I had said no to a few weeks prior because it doesn't matter right? But I did it to be sure the kidney problem wasn't caused by anything else. So she called with those results and said my levels were a little elevated meaning I had a higher risk of down syndrome. Well yeah I am over 30 and that risk will increase with every pregnancy. Let's face it I'm not gettin any younger. So when we saw the specialist for a follow up and more detailed ultrasound they also went over my test results and the risks of having an amniocentesis done. We had to come back in a month for another ultrasound and decided we would let them know then if we wanted to do it. So we deliberated, prayed, went to the temple and decided to go ahead and have it done. We did and the test results came back. NO DOWN SYNDROME yeah!!! At the ultrasounds she had been breech but is now headed down the right track. Then I have had this weirdo bladder infection thing going on since Julyish. I have been on two antibiotics, the pee stick says there is something going on in there, I for sure can tell you there is something going on in there and 2 pee samples sent to the lab say nothing is wrong. Clearly someone is wrong and it is not me. So at today's check up sure enough pee stick dipped, bacteria detected. I told them not to send my pee to the lab b/c it was a waste of my money but what do I know? And off it went. Only this time they are not only doing the cultures but putting it under a microscope to see if they find anything out. 2 Check ups ago Dr. B said oh your cervix is soft, not open, but soft. But as of late it is okay. So the only thing left is to figure out what is floating around in my urine and figure out what is going on with the baby's kidney. Worst case scenario the left kidney also stops draining and they take the baby early. Next to worst case scenario the baby only has one functioning kidney. This is doable. Best case is that it clears up on its own by the time I deliver. Middle of the road it doesn't fix itself, she is born, does two weeks of antibiotics, still isn't working right and has surgery at 3-6 months to fix it. I think that is all. So we have had a lot of things cleared up and feel good, are still waiting on two others and on the bright side I've lost 10 lbs. The baby is measuring right on so I am not complaining. If this is the way every pregnancy will be (weight wise) I decided to be pregnant every year for the next 3 years and maybe I'll actually weigh what it says on my drivers licence.

Scatterbrained

So as I am crawling into bed last night I told Brock that I think we are done having kids because I would like to be intelligent again. Let me explain. I suffer from pregnant brain in a severe way. For instance...last night I am taking Anna and Carisa home and realize I left my purse at Emily's. So I go back and get it. No big deal. Then as I am driving home I realize I don't know where my house keys are. Brock and I had traded cars earlier and I had his key to the Chevy but he had his key to the Sebring so I didn't give him mine. They aren't in my purse so I call Anna to see if I left them at her house. No such luck. So I am hoping that I put them in the diaper bag and they are at home waiting for me. So I call home so Brock can unlock the back door. I let the phone ring 35 times (well 7 calls 5 rings each call b4 the machine kicked on). NO ANSWER. Well I know he is sick so I assume he's taken cold medicine and is dead to the world. Great. Now I am going to sleep in the car. But i decide to try his cell phone and he answers that. Hello!! I turns out both phones were down stairs and I never turned the ringer back on the one). He unlocks the door, I find my keys in the diaper bag and grumpily go to bed. You think it would be over oh no. This morning on my way to the OB for a check up I completely miss my turn into the hospital go past the next light before I realize that I missed it and I was already running late. Can I just say DUH! Oh well I guess it's just par for the course.

Too Excited!!

So, I got a really cool anniversary gift this year. Well my anniversary and the gift itself aren't until next month, but I know what it is. My super cute, super amazing husband got me a plane ticket to Utah to visit the Newtons. We had enough points saved up through National City to cash in for one plane ticket. I get to go childless (well, except for the one in the oven.) I am looking forward to a break. It will be lots of fun. To all those out there who are reading this, give me a call and maybe we can get together. We'll have to see what my schedule allows since I won't have a car. Is he not the best. Of course this means we won't be together on our actual anniversary, but who celebrates on the actual day anyway...

Official Kickoff

Most people use football to officially kick off the Autumn season. I, however, use the DeKalb County Free Fall Fair as my marker. I am so excited! It starts this week; today actually. For Family Home Evening we are going up there to take Emily to see the animals and ride a pony. And experience her first corn dog. It is $1 ride night so maybe daddy will take her for a ride. This starts it all. Soon the leaves will be turning more and more and then Halloween will be here and then my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. (I love this one the most because of all the yummo food.) Then Christmas. Yeah!!! Then I am good until spring really. Not a big fan of cold winter days. But with Emily being older (2) it will be fun to play in the snow and build a snowman with her. I look forward to that.

Can You Believe it?

Well, I am not dead, our Internet has been restored (thanks to some good friends), and I am able to take a break from my projecting (if that is really a word) to blog. With the exception of the Baby's room we are completed unpacked and organized, Major Young Women Events are at a stand still until November (Young Women In Excellence), I have canned like 50 jars of salsa, did some spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, soup, carrots, yeah I think that is it. But Peaches are on sale this week at Kroger for 88 cents a pound so I might get $20 worth and do peaches and peach pie filling. And sometime next month I need to get some apples from the orchard and do applesauce and pie filling. What else have I gotten done in my hiatus? Ah yes got all the boxes of Brocks mission stuff sorted, now I only have the 2 suitcases left to sort so that I can scrapbook his mission. I am going to at least get it sorted before the baby comes and then put it all together after she is born. Oh yeah for those of you who don't know we're having a girl.
I know I've gotten more done but it's all a blur. My September Project Goals are to finish scrapbooking the last three years, read a book I borrowed called "Bitten", And find cheaper car insurance. Then in October I would like to finish the baby's room and sort hte suitcases. And for the rest of October and into November finish making all of my Christmas gifts and Cards so that by November 30th I am done with Christmas and will be able to enjoy two weeks or so without anything major except decorating for Christmas and wait for the baby to come. As a reward for myself for getting all my projects done I get to reread the Twilight series. So I still have a lot to do but will try to take a couple of days a week to update my blog.

Still Alive

Hello everyone. I am sure you have stopped visiting my blog since its been eons since I have written. However I am still alive. Brock and I should be able to get our internet hooked up this week sometime. (Fingers crossed). So I will be able to update more frequently and actually see what is going on in your worlds. YEAH!!! Girls camp is over. Youth Congerence is over. In the meantime I have been weeding and picking and canning. I did 20 quarts of green beans the night before youth conference and then I did 9 pints last night and 6 pints this morning. I froze the last 3 quarts this morning. My tomatoes should be ready in a week or two. Then I'll be elbow deep in salsa, tomatoes, juice and spaghetti sauce. Fun fun fun!!

Move Update

Okay, I am still going to have sporadic blogs. We don't have our Internet hooked up yet. We only have one cable jack in the apartment and now that we have more room I don't want the computer in the living room. So we have to buy a wireless router and wireless adapter to hook up to it and it is currently not in the budget. I will blog when I get to use Anna's computer or anyone else who will let me use theirs. :) I want to say thank you to everyone who helped us moved, watched Emily, helped clean, etc.. I couldn't have done it with out you. I must say I should be done unpacking and everything by Saturday night. Not bad. Packed, moved, unpacked, emptied storage unit, unpacked, organized in 13 days. (If I reach my Saturday night goal, that is). We ended up canceling our YW Camp Out this weekend due to a forecast of Thunderstorms 'til Monday. So instead they are all coming over to my apartment for food and movies and fun. (More motivation to get everything done). Congrats to my friend Gabi for her wedding. I am so excited you found my blog. I added you to my favs. I am excited to be able to keep in touch. It sounds like you had a great honeymoon. Marriage is GREAT!. Well TTFN.

On Hold

FYI I am going to be putting my Blog on hold for a week. We got a call from the office at our complex and someone didn't show up to get their apartment. Long story short we start moving in tomorrow. So that is what I will be doing all week if anyone needs me. When we are done I will resume blogging. I will try to keep notes in case anything worthwhile happens to blog about once I return. Have a great week.

TWILIGHT

In response to my buddy Mikey B. I am updating my blog so that he has not run out of reading material. So I know I am a little behind but I had to wait until I had finished rereading Harry Potter, and then I had to catch up on everything I hadn't done (house, calling, life, etc...) since I had been reading that and I had to wait until I could borrow the book from Anna. So I am just grateful that I have been sick since Friday because I got to do some GREAT reading. Which is no surprise to anyone because they have already read it and know that it is great. I took it with me on Monday to my Dr.s appointment. I have learned to never go to an appointment empty handed. I couldn't put it down. I was like a zombie. I even got annoyed when the Dr. finally came in to see me because I had to stop reading. I came home and took a nap well actually I finished chapter 5. Then I tried to take a nap but the phone rang as I was almost asleep. Then I was awake so I read chapter 6. Then I slept for about 1/2 hour until the thunder woke me up. Then I read chapter 7. Thanks to Anna for watching Emily. Then that night I just kept reading til 11:30. I read 310 pages on day one. Then this morning when I realized that Brock took off work today to take care of Emily so I could rest and get better (I have the best husband in the world), I reached over to the chest of drawers and started reading. I did get out of bed to eat a quick bite of breakfast then went straight upstairs to rest. This translates into I need to finish the book. So today I read the final 188 pages. I have a theory on why the book is so good. I wold like to know what everyone else thinks. My theory is that it is so good because it is every ones fantasy. Not so much the vampire part, but I think that every girl secretly has a desire to be with the "bad guy." The one that is kind of a rebel, dangerous, but yet you feel calm and safe with him. I know I did when I was 15. Fortunately for me that didn't last long. But I think everyone wants that. Especially little Mormon girls. So as you're reading you put yourself in Bella's situation and you live that through the book. I am dying to start the next one but I have a talk to write and a camp meeting to go to. If I start reading I won't get my talk done and will look like an idiot on Sunday. So I have to wait til Monday. KILLER. So does anyone else have any theories besides the fact that she is a good author? Oh yeah and I am thinking MAJOR GIRLS NIGHT come December. Movies anyone??

Jennifer Rocks!!

Thanx to my friend Jennifer for helping me add an update to my blog. I am not computer savvy and couldn't get it to work. She helped me out, well actually she did it which was a big help to me. What does everyone think of the new enhancement? ;-)

Life Simplified.

So at the zoo today we were talking and I decided that my life would be so much simpler if I rid of some things that seemed like a waste of time. For instance showering. How dumb because 1/2 hour later I am sweating like a pig after wrestling Emily down to get dressed. Plus our apartment doesn't have air so I just sweat all day. Also Cleaning. Big time waster because the house gets trashed in 20 minutes of toy playing. Anna did point out that I would have to do laundry. I'll give her that. Then I realized I would have a significant drop in friends and my husband probably wouldn't like me so much if I didn't shower. And I would go insane in a cluttery not cleaned house for more than a day. So I guess I'll just have to buck up and deal with it. ;-)

Scary Truth

So I have two Laurels graduating this week. I went to Jessica's on Sunday and I am going to Ceci's tomorrow. As I am sitting there doing the math I had a scary realisation. It is that Emily will graduated in the year 2025. Does that not sound like a year from a sci-fi movie? Its galactically far away sounding. And I will be 48 years old. So weird. I still feel like 22. Well most days, except when I am all tired and achy and feel 92. Wow!!!!

Not hers...

So Anna and I take the kids to the zoo today and we are walking in Australia and I see this lady with like 4 kids 2 in a stroller and two walking around her. This lady is really pretty nice figure etc. I look at Anna and say "why can't I look like that after having kids?" Anna replys with a "I don't think those were hers." I look at her confused and say "I wasn't talking about her boobs." Anna gives me a confused look and says "I was talking about all the kids." Needless to say we got a big chuckle out of it.

Cigarettes and Tampons

Thanks to my friend Sara for sending me this I laughed. Read on....

CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS

A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles.
The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him.

He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife.
She directs him down the correct aisle.

A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter.

She says, confused, 'Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife?

He answers, 'You see, it's like this, yesterday, I sent my wife to the store

to get me a carton of cigarettes, and she came back with a tin of tobacco

and some rolling papers; cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper So,
I figure if I have to roll my own .......... so does she.

The Middle Wife

'The 'Middle Wife'by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacherI've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself,But the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second-gradeClassroom a few years back.When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessionsWith my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, Show-and-tell is pretty tame Kids bring in pet turtles, model Airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that.And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If theyWant to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid,Takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow Stuffed under her sweater.She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke , my baby brother,And I'm going to tell you about his birthday.''First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol o f their love, and then DadPut a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for ninemonths through an umbrella cord.'She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to Laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh,Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans.'She walked Around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' Now this kid isDoing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn'tHave a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie Down in bed like this.' Then Erica lies down with her back against the Wall.'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in Case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilledall over the bed, Like psshhheew!' This kid has her legs spread with her little handsMiming water flowing away. It was too much!'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, Breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten.Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yuckyStuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, so there must beA lot of toys inside there.'Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat.I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's Show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in caseanother 'Middle Wife' comes along.Live every day as if it is your LAST chance to makesomeone happy!

Sorry in Advance

So I'd like to apologize to any one who Emily got near today at church. When we came home we discovered she had a fever of 101. We don't know what is going on and hope it gets better as she "sleeps it off" tonight. SO in case she was contagious and she breathed on anyone sorry.

A little Embarassing

So I'd like to share a little anecdote that was a tad embarrassing. So I had a chiropractic appointment last week and I took Emily with me. She was migrating around the room; at my feet by my head and then she would try to mess with the levers that adjusted the table. So one time while she was up by my head I reached out to make sure she wasn't touching any levers and started to rub her tummy. I hear "no that's me." It turns out it happened to be the doctor's knee I was rubbing and not my daughter's belly. I am just glad my face was down on the table so he couldn't see how bright red it was.

Nature vs. Technology

So last night during that crazy wicked cool Thunderstorm I learned that nature is truly more powerful than technology. I am laying in bed trying to sleep and a HUGE clap of thunder hits and I hear these sirens go off. I freak out and grab some clothes to throw on so I can grab Emily out of her crib and hide out in the bathroom because I thought what I heard were tornado sirens. I look out to see if I can see a twister and realize that the thunder had been so powerful that it had set off a car alarm in our complex. Crazy huh and it happened a couple of times after that. Pretty amazing!

Weekend Recap

So let me tell you about this last weekend and the wedding Emily was in. So thanks to Anna and George for watching Emily overnight on Thursday so Brock and I could celebrate my birthday since we couldn't on Friday. I left Friday night for Archibold, Ohio around 4:30 about 1/2 hour late. Nothing like holding up the entire rehearsal. And as we are driving I think that I smell poop but I'm like ah nah I passed a field. Emily is eating crackers in the back and fairly content. Then she drops her sippy cup and freaks out. Well I obviously can't stop because hello we are late so I'm reaching around on the floor trying to find it, Emily is crying and saying "reach" and my arm gets stuck in between the console and the pack n play which was put in by my loving husband perpendicular to the back seat instead of parallel for some odd reason. I finally manage to break free and save the sippy cup. A little later I hear crys of hunger emitting from the back seat. So I bust out and pass back a banana. Again I think I smell poop but pass it off for the other field I am driving by. Emily is picking at the banana peel and then I hear "ewww" so I assume she has gotten banana gunk on her. I pass back a napkin and she passes it back up. I look at it and this is not any color that should have come from a banana. And like a good mom, I smell it and almost puke because it is POOP! I knew I smelled it. I look back and Emily has resumed eating her banana. I am praying there is no poo on it (no time to stop and check). Finally we get to the church and then she wants me to carry her. I don't think so. Her overalls had come unsnapped in the crotch and her diaper had leaked out and that is how the poo got on her hands. (Maybe that will teach you to stop putting your hands down there kid). So glad that I packed a spare outfit I hold her hand and drag her into the church and head straight for the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later we bustle into the chapel of the church. (I made really good time so we actually arrived on time but the diaper incident made us 15 minutes late.) So there is no way that Emily is going to walk down the aisle and the little ring bearer was a little intimidated by this too. Fortunately there was a back up plan of a little wagon that he could pull her in. We practiced three times and each time Emily looked around crying "mommy." I walked down the aisle beside/behind her and we decided that is what would be best for the wedding too. I am so thankful that Brock's cousin was not a bridezilla and was really flexible. Then we went to the restaurant for the dinner and again I smell poop. Mind you this is the 5th poopy diaper that day. So of course I head straight for the restroom. And it is so small, and there is no koala changer, and the counter is big enough to hold the sink. So I lay her down on the floor and hope no one else has to go potty because We take up the whole floor in this restroom. We get everything taken care of, eat, blah blah blah. (Brock didn't come with us because we found out a week and a half before the wedding that his graduation ceremony was also the day of the wedding but in the morning. So he stayed home to attend that and then came to the wedding with his mom and stepdad. ) Instead of driving all the way home Em and I were staying at Brock's dad's house in Ohio. But they weren't home as they were at Cedar Point. So they left me a key and Em and I crashed there. It was so scary by myself there. Emily freaked out crying and said "dark, scared". I didn't know she new what scared meant but I guess she does. We were sleeping in the same room so I went out into the living room to wait until she fell asleep to get into bed. I had taken Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Thank goodness I didn't read any scary chapters or I wouldn't have slept at all. Not that I did anyway. I got to bed at 11:00. Woke up to pee at midnight. Emily rolled over I woke up. A train went by, I woke up. I had to pee again at 3:30. She was half awake so I couldn't get out of bed as to not wake her up all the way. Plus I didn't want to get up and tried to hold out till morning. No such luck. At 4:30 I got out of bed to pee. Realized I was hungry and had a small helping of Lori's Oreo dessert in the fridge. Went back to bed. Emily rolled over, another train went by finally around 5:30ish I fell asleep. Emily woke up at 6:20 for the day. Hmmm. Then we did the whole breakfast, nap, bath, leave for wedding pictures thing. I just re dressed her in the spare outfit on the way to the church for two reasons. One I wanted the dress to last looking as nice as possible for the ceremony and two the whole leak out and "stained" her car seat with this liquid poo smelling stuff. GROSS. After I get her changed and ready we attempt pictures. I think they might have got one where she wasn't crying but had a whimpering look on her face. No smiles though. So now its 2:10 and the wedding doesn't start until 3:30. So what are we supposed to do. Fortunately this church had a nursery at the back of there chapel and we played in there for a while. About 3:10 I decided to check the drawers and sure enough POOP. I am changing this diaper and it is like Bright Green. I have never seen anything like this in my entire life. So I wrap it up in a bag and save it in case we need to go to the doctor and they need to see it. (I threw it away today by the way). So the bridal party is lining up and I tell Emily its almost time for her wagon ride and we need to put down the pretend juice and cup from the kitchen play set. That was dumb. Wails wails wails. So I said whatever, gave them back to her and put her in the wagon once the crying had subsided. She didn't throw any flowers but she didn't cry or try to get out of the wagon. (go juice cup). I am walking behind the wagon stifling these tears. What the?!? Can you imagine what it will be like when she actually gets married? I mean she was just a flower girl for crying out loud! So once Emily was done in the wagon I took her out and took her to the pew where we to be (front row) I hear "we are gathered here .... Yep looks like its the nursery for us. So I spent the entire wedding in the nursery watching Baby Einstein and playing with Emily. I did get to open the door a couple of times and see what was going on until Emily came running to the door. That night was spent at Brock's dad's again and we went to Church in Ohio. They have this little branch in Bryan that we arrived 1/2 hour late too and left 15 minutes early thanks to our sweet little girl who was not so sweet at the time. Nursery was a no go. She was the fourth of four kids in there. I snuck out and during the opening prayer of Sunday School hear "Mommy". 5 minutes later I hear the door to the class room open. I knew it was for me. I go and get my puffy eyed tear stained child and go back to class. 15 minutes later we are out in the hall. (This is like a phase 1 branch building remember those? Super Small). She is pounding on the door leading to the outside and I harshly whisper "stop it." I am returned with a loud "STOP IT." I scooped her up in my arms walked into the class, grabbed my purse and headed to the car. I had decided to drive her around for a nap the last 15 minutes of church and come back to pick up Brock but he just followed me out and we went back to his dads. It was the most exciting adventure I have had in a long time. Not too sure I want to repeat it very soon but memorable non the less. All in all I had a really good time.

The Joys of Parenting

I am so glad for all the experiences I have that remind me how much fun it is to be a parent. For instance. I was taking a nap last week and Emily and my dad came home from the store. I heard her coming up the stairs. When I opened my eyes I saw this little cutie pie head peeking over the edge of the bed with a bouquet of flowers (Stem side up) with a little voice saying "wowers mommy, wowers." Then she climbed on to the bed and stuck them in my face for me to smell. Then she smelled them and went "mmmm." As I am unwrapping them from the plastic almost all the leaves fall off from the stems as they had been dragged up the stairs and onto the bed. But they still looked beautiful. Example number two: The next day we were out running errands and Emily was singing very loudly "lead me, guide me, walk side me," It was so cute I almost starting crying. I love being a mom. It is the greatest thing in the world and thank goodness for great friends and the zoo to help with those days when you want to throttle the little cuties.

Life Pending

In request of Abbey I am updating my blog because she's right Stake Conference was a long time ago. However this is just an update to let everyone know that everything in my life is boring, however I haven't had time to write about the great stuff. How does that work? I am leaving today to go out of town for the weekend and I promise I will update Sunday night/Monday morning on everything that has been going on. So be prepared for some posts.

Stake Conference

I love conferences. General, Stake, Women's whatever the occasion. I thoroughly enjoyed Saturday night and thanks to Jana for help with that. Before the session started she says "Hey Jessica and the kids are in the nursery do you want Emily to go with them?" So I ask Emily if she would like to play with Jessica, Spencer, etc... and she reaches out her arms to Jana and says "k". So a BIG thanks for a quiet and enjoyable Saturday session. Sunday, mmmm, not so much but what I did hear and got a chance to jot down notes on was wonderful. Oh by the way Jen, great minds think alike. We dressed the same again today. Jean skirt and brown top. We are way too cool. I love listening to President Misken. He always tells the best stories and they relate so well to gospel subjects. I loved president Shumard's counsel and reminder of the importance to Family prayer, scripture study, and family traditions. The gospel is a wonderful thing. I am so thankful to have it in my life. Then to help with the spiritual high for the weekend I had the greatest opportunity to speak at Spencer's baptism today. What an honor that me of all people was chosen to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. I hope he felt the spirit and the things I said stick with him. The gospel is TRUE! Life is beautiful. I love those opportunites to experience celestial things.

SATURDAY

Okay for all you Non-Stomp Stompers. The actual stomp starts at 9:00 so I thought it would be cool to do it at the same time. So lets meet at the front doors of the Dupont Y at 9:00 a.m. YEAH!!! This will be so fun.

Mastadon Stomp

So the annual IPFW Mastadon Stomp is this next Saturday, the 26th. And since I don't have any money left in the budget thanx to the Bi-Annual Baby Resale today. So I decided in place of the Stomp I am going to walk the outdoor "track" at the Dupont Y twice which is about a 5K. I can't run because of my back but I can walk so if anyone is up to join me let me know.

Favorite Find

Since my steamer basket is in the storage unit this is my new favorite product. It is the easiest thing I have ever used in my entire life. The times are on the bag depending on a full or half full bag, you can do chicken, fish, veggies. LOOOOVVVVE IT! If you haven't tried it do and let me know what you think.

To Bake or Not to Bake

Yes, that is the question. Wednesday I was looking through a cookbook and saw a recipe for no bake cookies. I thought to myself, "I haven't had these in a long time that sounds great." I asked my wonderful hubby if he would make them while I was at mutual. When I got home he was getting everything ready to do so. We don't know what happened but they weren't no bake cookies. They become a big cement block, a burnt cement block. In Brock's defense he has only ever made them on his mission and they had bar chocolate not powdered cocoa so that is the only way he knew how to make it. And since we only had cocoa and no bar chocolate....
We have the end result on video but unfortunately I can't put it on the cd until we finish filling an finalize the disc. Brock was so sad. I asked him what was wrong and he morosely said "I wanted to make these for you." :-(
Bless his heart. I really have married the sweetest man in the whole wide world. Sorry ladies. So I'm off to Aldi's for milk (It's only $2.39) and more oats so we can try again. Too-da-loo!

Fun in India

Well, sort of. Last night a bunch of us went to A Taste of India Restaurant, so we weren't exactly in India. But there was mood music and the food was authentic. It was so much fun to just get out with the girls and enjoy good food. I would suggest an every other month restaurant outing where we do a family style sample of everything like last night. I don't know about any one else but I need those times to just be with other women and enjoy. Don't get me wrong I love my husband and daughter but it is so nice to do something just for me. If I need it with only one child I can imagine how everyone with say 2 or more needs it. Thanks so much ladies it was too much fun.

Who Will Win?

So We are Biggest Loser fans at the Fruth home (I guess this is something interesting I could at least have been blogging about; the finale is next week). Anyway Ali and oh my gosh her name escaped me the other girl, oh yeah Kelly, were above the yellow line. Roger and Mark fell below. But the show changed it this year and they didn't vote who would be the one to go to the finale; they are letting America decide. So I couldn't vote because I couldn't make a fair decision. I really want Ali to win. She is kicking bahoochee (pronounced ba-who-chi-like ti-chi) and she would be the first female winner. So I couldn't vote for Roger because he has the most weight to lose so he would beat ali even though Rog is my favorite between him and Mark. And I couldn't vote for Mark because at the last challenge he won meals prepared for him everyday by the Biggest Loser until the finale. He would have a huge unfair advantage. So in lieu of being the deciding factor vote I decided to not vote and let America decide who it would be and hold out for Ali. I can't wait to see. I get so nervous at the weigh ins every week. It is very nerve racking watching it I couldn't imagine doing it. That would be super stressful. Here is what happened last week. (wait til the lameo commercial is over. )http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser_5/video/#mea=238205

ABC and 123's

Yeah I got tagged. Someone likes me. Thanks. Sorry it took so long to do. I haven't blogged ro read blogs in a week. But here it is.
ABC's and 123's
A - Attached or single? Attached! Forever!
B - Best friend? Aside from my wonderful companion Brock. I'd have to say Anna J.
C - Cake or pie? White Cake with Raspberry filling and my homemade wedding cake frosting. MMM Boy!!!
D - Day of choice? Every other Saturday because Brock doesn't have to work. YEAH!
E- Essential Item? Chap stick
F - Favorite color? Yellow it is so happy
G - Gummy bears or worms? I Love gummy bears. I agree with Abbey they are a classic road trip item. However I have sensitive teeth so I can only eat a few at a time. Its a LOTTA sugar.
H - Hometown? Auburn, Indiana
I - Indulgences? I have far too many. I would have to say ice cream all the way.
J - January or July? Hello July!! Cookouts Cookouts Cookouts
K - Kids? Little Emily Kay.
L - Life isn't complete without? Good Friends and Family
M - Marriage date? October 15 (Fall Wedding)
N - Number of brothers and sisters? One, Little Brother
O - Oranges or apples? Apples
P - Phobias or fears? I've got a few but I have a fear of dying in a way I can feel it i.e suffocation, drowning, etc..
Q - Quote?" Thought is action in rehearsal" -Sigmund Freud
R - Reason to smile? My husband
S - Season of choice? Fall
T - Tag six: Deb, Stephanie, Shanna (everyone else is already tagged)
U - Unknown fact about me? My life is pretty much an open book, however I peed my pants in the first grade. Actually it was a blue velvet dress with a lacy white cover thingy and black patent leather dress shoes.
V - Vegetable? Peas, hands down.
W - Worst habit? Well according to Brock I have a lot lets take our pick. Chewing with my mouth open (my nose is stuffed half the time so I have to breath hello, or breathing like Darth Vader at night (again the nose) or well lets just leave it at that.
X - X-ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y - Your favorite food? Just about anything, but my two favorites would have to be ice cream and the London broil meal at Johnny's in Chicago you know the place 1/4 mile from the temple right by the bookstore. (it is worth the 3 hour drive just to eat the London broil.
Z - Zodiac sign? Taurus
1 - # of children I have
2 – # of minutes I have to finish this and go to bed
3 – # of months til my disc is healed hooray.
4 – # of burners that work on our stove. The last one we whittled down to 1 1/2 functoning burners.
5 - # of days til I get to go to the temple.
6 - # of birthday cards I have to mail out this month
7 - # of days til we go to my in laws for dinner.
8- # of hours of sleep I wish I could get.
9 - the time I wish Emily would sleep in til.
10- # pounds I'd like to lose in the next 2 months.

Conference

I love Conference weekend. I love even more that we live in a world that has marvelous technologies at our fingertips. For instance the fact that within days you can re watch conference on the Internet so you can see all the talks that you missed while your child kept you out in the hall or mothers lounge. I love that it is printed in the Ensign so that we can re read the inspired words of our leaders. I love the fact that it was 65 degrees today and we have the windows open in the apartment. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love that it has been restored and that there is a living prophet on the earth today to give us counsel and direction. I love that the priesthood is on the earth. I love my Heavenly Father. I love my Saviour, Jesus Christ. I marvel at what He has done so that I can return and live with Him again. I love that families can be together not only in this life but in the eternities. I love that if we strive to do what the Lord has commanded that He will bless us. Life is a wonderful thing. A great opportunity to learn and grow more like our Savior. I am grateful for all those I know that have touched and enriched my life to make me the person I am today. I love being alive.

Miss Idaho

In the previews I have seen for the upcoming Miss America Pagent I don't remember seeing Miss Idaho look quite like this. Thanx to my frined Beth for the funny photo.

This makes me smile

For all you Harry Potter Fans or not so Harry Potter Fans out there. This makes me laugh everytime. I thought I would share. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4 Enjoy one on me. :-)

Tickles and Giggles

Faster Please

So today is Fast Sunday and I am having a really hard time. It has been FOREVER since I've done a full 24 hour fast. First I was pregnant, then I breastfeed, and to tell you the truth I have tried the last 3 months to last the full 24 hours and succumbed to my weakness. But I came close. These last 35 minutes seem to be dragging on and on and on. But I will prevail. So I need to focus on something else. Oh heres an update on my back situation. It turns out I do have a bulging disc. Dr Lyons and the tech guys missed it (mind you this is their job). But to give them the benefit of the doubt it is small. Anyway two weeks ago I could hardly move and had to take a vicadin to get to bed. Brock said this is it you are not going back to this guy. He took off work and we went to a Dr. Cox. He came highly recommended by 3 friends. All of which have not had to go back since. He actually fixed their problems. So I started with 4 times a week treatments and have done this for the last two weeks. I have now graduated to the twice a week visit. Yeah. He says I am moving right along. When I go back Tuesday I am going to ask how he knows this. But my regiment is as follows. I am not to sit longer than 30 minutes at a time. I have to do specific stretches 2-3 times a day and ice pack my back twice a day. I am not allowed to lift, bend, twist. Thank goodness my dad is able to be at my house everyday and thank goodness for Anna, Carisa, Jennifer and Jana who have helped out when my dad couldn't. It can take up to 3 months to heal so I am really looking forward to July 1st. That is giving myself an extra 2 weeks. Okay only 30 minutes left. I am going to go start dinner.

$4.00 Well Spent

One of the best investments I've ever made are the bubbles at Gymboree. They entertain for hours on end.

Creative Easter Goodies

We went to Ohio yesterday to celebrate Easter with Brock's side of the family. At his Step dad's family they had tons and tons of desserts. One of them was this Easter Bunny Car. It was made out of swiss cake rolls with lifesaver tires and steering wheel, jelly bean headlights, and the marshmellow bunny driver. Too cute.

Naked Baby Fixes

Upon sharing my naked baby story I have learned some creative ways of dealing with this in case the situation arises again. 1). Put a safety pin at the top of the zipper. 2) Put the jammies on backwards and zip them up the back. 3). Put jammies on and duct tape around the waist. The zipper can only go half way down and can't get past the tape barrier. (I think that is my personal favorite). Any other suggestions?

Not so Innocent

Do you see this face? Most of you are foiled by the innocent looks you see on Sundays or at the stores. But I know better (Anna you do too). This is the look of the not so innocent. This is what I see daily. Cute it is...innocent it is not! This morning Brock got Emily out of bed and she was completely NAKED! No jammies, no diaper, no nothing!!!. At least it was only wet. No poo messes. I think we have stepped into another dimension of parenthood.

Wonderful Day

Today is lovely. Church was great. It is extremely beautiful outside. The windows and doors are open allowing a wonderful and refreshing air to waft throughout the apartment. Dinner is in the oven creating this intoxicating aroma, (roast and potatoes yummo)and the baby is sleepi....oh just joking. Pause while I go get her. False alarm she either fell back asleep or is contentedly playing in her crib. I can't hear her crying so I assume all is well. Why mess up a good thing. I love spring. I love the feeling of rejuvenation it brings not only for the earth but for myself. I love days like this. It always makes me more appreciative and grateful for the things around me. Emily was super good in church today and that was most helpful. I have to go back tonight for BYC/BYSED so I am taking the next couple of hours to relax and enjoy. I'm going to just kick back with a heating pad, my current read(Counseling with our Councils), and the Ensign.

Parenting Predicaments

So when do the eyes in the back of your head develop as a parent? I clearly have not received mine yet. The other day I am giving Emily a bath. She is contentedly playing with her bath toys and so I decide to multitask and am cleaning out my Young Women's bag. All is well. I am sitting by the tub just in case when I look up and Emily has my razor on her mouth and her top lip is bleeding!!! (Not badly, she just "nicked" it). Nonetheless. I freaked out. Note to self remove everything from tub that could pose a potential threat and no more multitasking.

What kind of Flower are you?

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

So this was really fun to do. I actually saw it on Lorie's blog, who got it from Shanna's blog, yadda, yadda, yadda. So what kind of flower are you? I know you want to know. So go on.... find out.... it's only a click away. :-)

What The????

My little brother was over and got the coolest new cell phone (it is the envy). It has GPS in it and does all these new things. I could never own one because I would spend more time reading the instruction manual to figure out how it works than actually using it. But he took this picture of Em. I don't really know what she was doing. I think she just had eaten something really good.

Lame-o

As I have perused every ones blog I have realized that I am a lame blogger. My life is currently fairly boring and I am not as clever as the rest of you. Since I started the "blogging craze" late I have to get ideas from other people and then I just look like a copy cat. I do have some ideas but don't know how to implement them. Oh well. You like me anyway right?
Brock just left for Indy. He'll be out of town for 3 days. Fortunately my dad moved in to help with Emily (you know things like picking her up). I did get my MRI results and do NOT have a bulging disc. (YEEEEEAAAAAH!!!!) But that means they still don't know what is wrong and are still trying to decide. I go back Monday for another treatment. On the flip side though; it feels better than it did 2 weeks ago. Which translates into I haven't had to use drugs in 3 days. Tomorrow after my treatment my dad and I are going to take Emily to get some new shoes. I can feel her toes at the end (not quite sure how long they've been like that) but we've lasted (this is a relative term) 5 months in these shoes instead of the normal 3. But that's what tax returns are for. Wowzers!! It's 9:00! If I'm going to reach my study/reading/life goals I need to get off the pc and get to readin'.

Patch Preparation

I know it is only March 2nd however I am increasingly anticipating Spring. I am ready to be able to play outside with Emily. It has been either too cold or too muddy. I am also excited to implement our plans for our new garden. Growing up my mom had a 60 foot by 120 foot garden plot. Since then it has been too much for my dad to maintain so he uses about 1/3 of it and in the last two years has shared it with us. Last year was tough because I only made it up every 7-10 days. There were times when I'd spend hours weeding and barely making a dent. And everything came "due" at the same time. So I have devised a plan this year which I will experiment on and tweak over the next few years.
I plan on having my dad till up more of the garden making 1/2 of mom's plot useful. I then plant on expanding what we plant (for more variety), plan on planting in phases (3 to be exact). The first part of May(or end of April depending on weather), the end of May and Beginning/Middle of June. This way I can continuously reap what we have sown and enjoy it all summer long instead of trying to get it all canned at the end of the year. Last year I did Green Beans, Tomatoes, Green Bell Peppers, Lettuce Carrots, Broccoli, Peas, and Onions. Not so much luck on the carrots, broccoli, peas, and onions. (It was my first time for those). So I am keeping the same as last year and adding jalapenos, spinach, cauliflower, squash, honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon, squash, cucumber, zucchini, cabbage, red, yellow, orange Bell Peppers, potatoes and corn. ( The potatoes, corn, melons, and squash I'll share with my dad). Then here at the apartment I'll do a container of tomatoes and lettuce for easy access and eating. I'm freaking out!! (This all of course is dependant on my back. Its kind of hard to garden when you can't bend. But I am optimistic!) So this summer if you need to get a hold of me try me at my dad's.

Happy Birthday Baby

Well, today is my adorable husbands birthday. He is turning 28! How exciting for him. We've extended the celebrations into an entire weekend. (It's always fun to celebrate longer.) His dad and dad's girlfriend came to town yesterday and took us out to the Olive Garden last night. Emily did surprisingly well considering there was a 40 minute wait. Today his mom, step dad and my dad are coming over after church. His mom is going to make her "famous" enchiladas accompanied by a salad, vegetables, and chocolate cake with fudge frosting (Birthday boy's favorite). He isn't spoiled by any means. (It's tough having a birthday on a fast Sunday though. I'm dying just thinking about it. We could eat beanie weanies for his birthday dinner and we'd think it was the best meal ever.)But just to give him a birthday shout out and let him know how much I love and appreciate him. And let him know he truly is the greatest thing in my life. I am grateful he chose me out of all the other choices. Thank you. I love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!!

60 Things About Me

So I saw this on Shanna's blog and Emily's blog so I thought I would do it too. If you don't care that's fine don't read it. I am just killing time until Brock gets home from Home Teaching.
1. A car seat, blanket, a pile of things I need to take into the house, trash, you know the usual.
2. When was the last time you threw up? About 4 or five months ago. We were still at the house I remember.
3. What's your favorite curse word? Probably hud. But I must say shoot alot because Emily said it the other day.
4. Name 3 people you made smile today. Emily, Anna, Joan Newton
5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Feeding Emily breakfast and breathing a sigh of relief because my dad had just arrived.
6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?Reading my scriptures and eating 3 mini peanut butter cups (my treat for the day)
7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? An ice treatment on my back and watching the extras of Sense and Sensibility.
8. Have you been to a strip club? No
9. What is the last thing you said aloud? Bye, I love you. As Brock was going out the door.
10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Edy's Double fudge brownie.
11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Milk to go with my pb cups.
12. What are you wearing right now? Khakis and a long sleeve pink shirt.
13. What was the last thing you ate? See number 6.
14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No but I did two weeks ago. Khols has 85% off items!! YEAH!
15. When was the last time you ran? Well, considering my back situation it's been since December.
16. What's the last sporting event you watched? Does the commercial for the Olympics count.
18. Who is the last person you emailed? My mother in law
19. Ever go camping? Yes, but not much at all since I’ve been married. It is my personal goal to go at least once this year.
20. Do you have a tan? No, I wish, it makes me look thinner.
24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? I don't usually drink soda.
25. What did your last IM say? Don't do it.
26. Are you someone's best friend? I've been told I was.
27. What are you doing tomorrow? Going to Sam's Club with my dad so he can carry all the boxes
28. Where is your mom right now? With Heavenly Father working feverishly.
29. Look to your left, what do you see? Love seat with a scarf hanging over it that needs put away.
30. What color is your watch? Silver
31. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Kangaroos and Crocodile Dundee
32. Would you consider plastic surgery? If I had enough money.
33. What is your birthstone? Emerald
34. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? I try not to frequent them at all but I if I do its the drive thru. It's not worth the unbuckling/buckling of the car seat. 35. How many kids do you want? Well, my original number was9, but that was when I was lots, lots younger. So we'll see what my body can handle. A minimum of three.
Do have a dog? No
37. Last person you talked to on the phone? My daddy
38. Have you met anyone famous? No.
39. Any plans today? Luckily my day is about over
40. How many states have you lived in? 1
41. Ever go to college? Yep
42. Where are you right now? Family Room
43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Bad back
.44. Last song listened to? Opening song on I Robot (It's on TV right now)
. Are you allergic to anything? penicillin, red food dyes, some preservatives, molds, pollens, etc..
47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Shoes? What are those?
48. Are you jealous of anyone? Well, there are qualities I admire in other people that I wouldn't mind having in myself.
50. Is anyone jealous of you? I doubt it.
51. What time is it? 9:11 pm52.
Do any of your friends have children? Most
53. Do you eat healthy? I try, I really do
54. What do you usually do during the day?Normal stay at mom routines.
55. Do you hate anyone right now? No
56. Do you use the word "hello" daily? yes
58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 31
59. Have you ever been to Six Flags? No
60. How did you get one of your scars? I have one on my tummy from when I got my gall bladder taken out.

Riddle me this...

Maybe I have to much time on my hands I don't know, but do you know what is an interesting word? Extraordinary. It doesn't make sense. Let's break it down.

The word extra means: beyond or more than what is usual, expected, or necessary; additional. larger or better than what is usual.
The word ordinary means: of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional: plain or undistinguished: somewhat inferior or below average; mediocre.

So in essence wouldn't the word put together mean more commonplace, more mediocre? Yet it does not. It means beyond what is ordinary or usual: extraordinary authority. Highly exceptional; remarkable: an extraordinary achievement. Please someone explain this method of thinking to me I just do not understand.

Ever Growing

Pardon me a proud parent moment. My little Em is not so little and is growing up so fast. A couple of weekends ago she just started saying all the animal names, she picked up two new signs (stop and go), accredited to baby Einstein, and has added pickle, taco, and snuggle to her vocabulary. Oh yeah, and "ashes" when she plays ring around the rosie with her baby doll. And today she said her first two sentences. She said "where's the ball?" and "there it is" once she found it. Her new favorite thing to do is to climb into her booster seat high chair and buckle and unbuckle herself. Which really means she buckles herself in and starts loudly protesting because she can't get it unbuckled and screams until someone does then buckles herself back in. What a vicous cycle. It is so fun to watch her grow up. It is also scary.
Since the "stair stymie" entry we have now taken down gate. This all came because she learned how to squeeze between the railings on the stairs and was trying to straddle the gate to get down. I figured it was much safer to take the gate down then have her try to get over it and break her head open. But she is doing much better going up and down with out being watched like a hawk.

Thank Goodness For Family

My dad is the greatest!!!! On Monday I was performing an everyday life event that I didn't think would be so difficult or cause such havoc in my life. As I was getting ready to go to my physical therapy appointment I lifted my leg up to TIE MY SHOE!! (not too difficult people) and it seized my back up and rendered me useless. I could hardly stand the pain. So the moron that I am lifted my other leg to tie my other shoe (I might note would not have needed done had Emily not untied them) and more shooting pain and tight muscles. So in the next 15 minutes I hobbled out to my car. Cried the whole time I was putting Em in it. And went to my appointment. Needless to say 2 weeks of treatments and 4 1/2 weeks of therapy and a simple thing as tying my shoe has actually put me in worse shape then the first time. Actually I believe it was an accumulation of events over the weekend but the shoe was the straw that broke the camels back (Literally). Tomorrow I have an MRI to see if I have a bulging disk and then get it all checked out on Monday.
The point of this is that, as I said in my first sentence, is that my daddy is the greatest. He comes down every morning after Brock leaves for work and takes care of me and Emily until Brock gets home from work. I am not allowed to lift or bend which pretty much means I can't do anything for my baby girl. She is having a hard time with it of course and is more clingy and whiny than ever. I must say though that I have been blessed with raising one of the sweetest spirits that Heavenly Father has. When I do my ice treatments she lays on the floor and snuggles with me. When I am in a lot of pain she taps my back, arm, leg, whatever she can reach at the time and says "mamma otay, otay". And the first day she got a pillow for me (with out being asked). My in laws are wiling to take over when my dad can't and Brock has been wonderful; helping with my ice treatments and massaging. I am also thankful to have a husband who holds the priesthood and can be called upon at any time to bless me if needed. Again I say thank goodness for family. If it weren't for them I would be in a real pickle.
I am also thankful for the technologies and advancements in medicine we have today that enable people to get healed. I am looking forward to that. Oh yeah, and I am also thankful for the fact that I have only gained one pound in the last 2 months instead of 20 since I haven't been able to exercise. But I think there is some kind of conspiracy that needs to be looked into. On my scales at home I lost a pound. However, at the doctors office I gained a pound. Hmmmmm.

Home Again

My beloved husband has been gone for 2 1/2 weeks for work. And he is home. I am so excited. Emily is too. She has been hanging on daddy for days. The mornings are hard. I have to reassure her that he'll be back that same day. I am so appreciative of him and am glad he's back. Power to those women whose husbands travel all the time. I don't think I could do it.

I Now Understand

Some of you know this story so sorry, but I now understand why some animals eat their young. Emily has been doing this crazy annoying loud screaming for no reason and throwing huge tantrums instead of just telling me what she wants. I am in the middle of reading "The Soft Spoken Parent" and it has lots of good ideas and insights. So for two days I stayed very calm and was very understanding, never lost my cool. However, on day three, the book went out the window. I couldn't handle it anymore. We were couped up in the car for ever that day. I remember it like it was 2 days ago , oh yeah it was. After hours of incessant high pitch screaming, I finally grabbed on to the steering wheel, white knuckles and all and screamed at the top of my lungs. Afterwards I felt horrible of course, Emily had this look of What?!?! and I apologized. Then I thought that was the dumbest thing ever. She is still screaming and now I have a headache. The next day Brock and I went to the temple (screamer free) and today has been good. I have already emotionally and mentally braced myself for tomorrow. We have tons of errands, appointments, etc... and it will be mid afternoon before a nap is an option. I am ready. Bring it on baby!

Stair Stymie

Why is it that when Emily is at other people's homes she properly will go down the stairs (backward). However, in our home, she tends to 1. hold on to the rail ultimately falling down the stairs head first because it is too tall for her. 2. She will also start to go down correctly and then laugh and go back up the stairs taunting me. Or 3. she will sit on her bottom and go down holding on to mom. (If I'm not in front of her we revert back to Stair Descent number 1). Does anyone have the same problem? Does anyone have a solution?

Back to Back to Back to....

Back in October I was carrying a bunch of things out to the car and talking to Brock on the phone at the same time and missed the bottom step, fell, scraped my knee to bits, and wrenched my back. And life goes on. Well a couple of weeks ago my back killed to the point it was tough to function. (For example to even lift the toilet seat I'd have to spread my legs wide and squat straight backed because I couldn't bend and picking up Em or Putting her in her crib brought me to tears.) So I went to the chiroproactor and got x-rays yada, yada, and am currently in treatments that are 3 times a week for 4 weeks. However, he said that I am doing much better and this upcoming Tuesday I get reassesed ( I can't spell that word) and maybe will be able to move on to the next step of treatments. YEAH!! I just want to be able to go to the Y again. Hopefully he'll give me the go ahead. I'll give a medical update next week.

Look at me!

Someone wants to follow in her father's footsteps; or at least wear his shoes.

Young Love

It seems that Emily has a suitor. A charming young man by the name of Sam. He is clearly smitten by her and appears to be proposing. I am not sure if she is quite ready...only time will tell.

Happy New Year!

Today to ring in the New Year, we had Brunch with George, Anna, and the kids. It was yummo! Emily decided to let Anna and me wrestle her into her snow suit and therefore got to experience snow for the first time. She would have done so earlier this winter but we waited too long to get her snow boots and the snow had melted). Go figure. My friend Jana once said that if you want to play in the snow in Indiana you have to do so right away because you never know how long it will stay around. That is so true.
We are excited to see what the New Year has in store for us. Brock is now graduated and hopefully will find a local accounting position. If not I think the grandparents will get upset with us. But it will be exciting no matter where the job takes us.
We have set some new years goals that we plan to achieve this year. My friend Beth will appreciate the goal I have set to get my scrapbooking done. For sure I will get our wedding done which is 2 years overdue and I will get Emily's first year of life completed. ( I am actually am almost done with that.) I am also going to relearn how to sew and learn how to quilt. I am excited.
We wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. Have a great one!