Field Trip to the grocery store

Spencer's class walked to Ralph's grocery store for a field trip. Map quest lists the trip as .68 Miles. By the end, the Kindergartners were definitely complaining. We walked in groups with Adults assigned 3-4 kids to keep track of. All started out with jackets and sweaters. By the time we arrived, everyone had their jackets and sweaters off. I decided to get a cart and put all of the jackets in then followed all the kids around with the cart. We were quite the procession. The kids got to go through the produce section and into the refrigerators. The talked to the manager of the produce section as well as the managers of every section of the store. They saw the Diary/Deli section, the Meat/Seafood section, the bakery/fresh items section (with a stop in the back to see how the party trays were put together) and then they got to scan an item with a scanning gun. They liked that. The manager of the "Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf," stand made each of the kids a little chocolate or vanilla smoothie. The kids got to walk through the check out stand and were handed a stapled paper sack filled with goodies. They were told not to open it until they got back to school. Oh My Gosh! You would have thought that they were promised gold and jewels in the bag. There were guesses all the way back to the school...popcorn, candy, apples, string cheese, etc. etc. Each child was given an apple, fruit snack, juice and Rubik's cube like toy. The kids were so excited and could hardly stand it. Once back in the classroom they were allowed to eat their snacks. It was a party!

Making pancakes

Spencer got up this morning convinced that I said we would have pancakes for breakfast this morning. As you will recall, we had eggs yesterday. (See I like Oakes). I didn't want to make pancakes but with the help of his father, Spencer prevailed in his arguments. The deal was that he would, "help," me make the pancakes. How can a mother walk away from a moment where her child is begging to spend time with her? She can't because she is a sucker to those eyes that she gave birth to and those pleadings that tug at the heart strings.

I taught Spencer how to flip pancakes. He was so excited. We watched the pancakes start to bubble and rise and then cook a bit on the edges. Then I showed him how to turn a pancake. It really was a sweet moment to share with my son. He wanted to keep turning the pancakes instead of taking them out of the pan. That eventually became ok though because he learned there is always more pancake batter that can be poured into the pan and more pancakes to cook and flip. He was so proud of himself and his new skill that he gave the first two pancakes to his sister just so that he could keep fliping pancakes.

I like oakes

This morning I made eggs for breakfast. Spencer didn't want eggs for breakfast, he wanted pancakes. He decided eggs were ok though because they have oakes and he likes to eat oakes.

Goodbye elders

We love to have the missionaries in our home. They come once a week, usually on Wednesdays or Thursdays, to have dinner with us. I have always wanted to do a record of some kind keeping track of the missionaries who come through our ward and where they are from. This week we lost both of our elders. Elder Knudsen, an excellent and exceptional Elder in every way, completed his mission and went home yesterday. At this moment, he is waking up with his family for the first time after 2 years. We will miss him. Elder Knudsen is from Pochatello, ID.



His companion, who is transfering to another ward this morning, is from Gilbert, AZ. Cypress was his second area. He is a Cambodian language trained missionary. He was in a threesome companionship in his first area for 3 weeks. Then transfered here for 2 months. Now he is transfering back to a Cambodian branch in East Long Beach.

We will miss both of the elders.

How to break a toe

The doctor confirmed it on Friday, I broke my baby toe on the left foot. How, you might ask, do you break your baby toe? Well I have discovered a very effective way.

1. You should be half awake
2. It should be early in the morning say... 4:30 a.m.
3. Your bed needs to be up against a wall and you need to sleep on the wall side so that you have to climb over someone to get out of bed.
4. There should be all manner of items strune about at the foot of the bed. Kid's shoes, toys, your clothes from the day before and a wrapping paper container work nicely.
5. While trying not to wake up the person you are climbing over, attempt to locate a landing spot on the floor, avoiding anything too sharp.
6. *Now this part is critical* While making your move, catch the baby toe on something that will sufficiently hold it in place (enter the stand up wrapping paper container with a lip on the edge) as gravity and momentem continue to propel you forward. You will know this step is done correctly when you feel distinctive tug on your toe. Popping sounds and cracking noises are another sure sign.
7. *Extra Credit* Hop up and down on all manner of items strune about at the foot of the bed (see #4) and bit your lip with the pain. If you can make it out of the room without waking up the person you have climbed over (see #3), bonus points for you.

And that is one way to break a toe.


Now, to make sure you have done the job throughly, (going with the theory - if once is good, twice is better) wait a few days so healing has just begun. Then proceed as follows.

1. Before going to bed, turn off all the lights in the living room, kitchen, hall etc. achieveing darkness.
2. Forget something in the living room. The book that you are reading is a good example.
3. Assume that you remember where everything is in the room and walk through like you own the place.
4. Forget (lots of forgetting is required for this scenario) that the car seat was put in the living room.
5. Catch your baby toe (same one just injured a day or two ago) on said car seat.
6. You will know the job is done correctly when your stomach flip flops from recognition of the distinctive tugging sensation (see item #6 in the above section) before the pain sets in.

At the rummage sale by Spencer

I liked this teranchula and it is very fun to play with. There was lots of people and we played with the toys a little bit. There was stacks of clothes and toys. And that is all. I bought a teranchula, a butterfly thing and I forget the other thing.

Cheap fun for a good cause.

Our elementary school's foundation had it's annual rummage sale this morning. All of the procedes go toward sending 6th graders to outdoor education camp for a week. Starting in 4th grade, students can start earning points toward camp. Madelyn is in 4th grade so, this is the year we start accumulating points. 4th - 6th graders can donate and earn points. They can earn more points by working and selling pancake breakfast tickets. Madelyn worked for 2 hours on Thursday and 4 hours on Friday helping to sort donated items. This morning, both Madelyn and Spencer counted out coins from their banks and purchased little toys at the rummage sale. I found a David Baldacci book, "Simple Genius," that I really wanted and paid a quarter for it. Gotta love a rummage sale. Everyone went home happy for under $5.

Death in Zanzibar

Well I have finished Death in Zanzibar. It was a murder mystery and I enjoyed it but there was too little romance in the story for me. The romance came on too late. Oh well. I enjoyed the story anyway. It was very interesting to read about Zanzibar. Makes me want to go visit. I am now working on Death by Peacock. I will let you know when I am done with that one.

Baby update

Ty LaMar Neilsen

The last time I wrote about all of the babies coming to our family, "Baby Explosion," (see December 2008) more has happened. Here is a refresher.

Lots of babies are coming to our friends and family
Friends:
Ben and Erin Tracy - Boy (May)

Family:
Cousin - Jon and Angela Williams - Boy - Landon Fredrick Williams (Arrived a week before Christmas)
Sister - Rebecca and Geoff Neilsen - Boy (January)
Cousin - Lisa and Joel Brown - Girl (March?)
Sister - Liesel and Cody Moultrie - ? (May)
Tod's Brother - Dan and Sherri Overton - Boy (May)
Cousin - Amy and Andrew Bang - ? (?)

Well here are the updates.
1. My sister Rebecca delivered a little boy (see above picture) yesterday, (1-20-09) the same day Barrak Obama was sworn into office. Thankfully my sister and her husband had the good sense not to use the names Barrak or Obama in the baby's name. His name is Ty LaMar Neilsen. The Middle name LaMar because both Geoff and Rebecca have grandfathers named Lamar. That is the big news.

2. Liesel and Cody have found out they are having a boy.

3. Dan and Sherri Overton have decided to name their son Keane Douglas Overton.

4. Amy and Andrew Bang have since found out they are having a boy.

5. My cousin Erin and Ben Abrams have announced they are expecting a baby.

The list should read like this.

Lots of babies are coming to our friends and family
Friends:

Ben and Erin Tracy - Boy (May)

Family:
Cousin - Jon and Angela Williams - Boy - Landon Fredrick Williams (Arrived a week before Christmas)
Sister - Rebecca and Geoff Neilsen - Boy (January 20, 2009) Ty LaMar Williams
Cousin - Lisa and Joel Brown - Girl (March?)
Sister - Liesel and Cody Moultrie - Boy (May)
Tod's Brother - Dan and Sherri Overton - Boy (May) Keane Douglas Overton
Cousin - Amy and Andrew Bang - Boy (?)
Cousin - Erin and Ben Abrams - ? (?)

Lots of fun for our family. So many babies!

Book update

I wanted to give an update on the books I am reading. So the last book post said
"The Manning Grooms (2 books contained within)
1. Bride on the Loose (Finished)
2. Same Time Next Year (Currently Reading)"

Well I finished reading Same Time Next Year and I really liked it. I am now a Debbie Macomber fan. At the beach, I returned the Manning Brides and the other Christmas book to my mom and sent with her two of my books, "The Manning Grooms," and, "Peter and the Star Catchers."

Peter and the Star Catchers is c0-written by humorist Dave Barry and Ridley Pierson. It is their version of how Peter Pan came to be. I enjoyed it. Who doesn't love Peter Pan. It was fun to romp around in that world again. I bought the book a few years ago and therefore doesn't count as a current read.

On with the business. I am currently reading, "Death in Zanzibar," by M.M. Kaye. I am really enjoying this book it is a romantic murder mystery. The timing is just after WWII and a young woman, Dany Ashton, finds herself being framed for murder. This all takes place with the backdrop of the beginings of commercial flight and how that opened up the world to travel and adventure. Dany can think of nothing greater than to see Zanzibar. It sounds exciting and exotic to her. She also begins to fall in love and has to lean on others to help her out of this very sticky situation she had found herself in. It has been a fun read. Still working on it though so I will make a note when I am done with it and moving on to the next book. Thanks Christina for such a great Christmas present. I love my box o' books.

At the beach by Spencer

When we were at the beach we got to see dolphins and I got to get a gumball. After that we went down to the sand and we made a wall of China. And we went scootering on the black top. And then we went to get french fries. We fed them to the birds. They had some of mine. And then we went back home and we cleaned up our room. At the beach again, we digged for water and we almost did it. Then we got to see dolphins. They were cool. After that we got lunch. We had taquitos and burritos and hamburgers. Then we fed the birds with french fries. And then we got to see the fisher people and the surfboarding guys. Two of the fishies were dancing. One was dancing in a towel. And the other one was dancing out of a towel on the floor. And then, after that we saw a car on the pier. And then after that, I got a gumball. And then we came home and the next day we ate cheerios. And then I played with Madelyn.

At the beach by Madelyn

At the beach we saw a pelican. It was really big. It was on top of a roof where no one could get it. It just sitted there and it pecked it's feathers. And we fed birds. Opa was really good at getting the ones in the sky. We also saw dolphins. I thought they were sharks at first but dad said they don't come out of the water every second. Finally I had a crispy snack, french fries yummy. That is what we fed to the birds. We saw fisherman and all of the fish that they caught. One of the fishes was doing the motorboat. The fishes were slimy ewww. We saw a lot of people getting in the cold water. I felt sorry for them. And we saw this man doing spray paint art. He made a bunch of paintings about 20 or so. And we went scooter riding. We took turns riding around. Sometimes it would be with opa and mommy, other times it would be with Oma and Abuela. Finally we went to the sand where everybody else was. Out of sand we made a model of the great wall of china. And we made this really deep hole. We almost hit water. And we had lunch. Taquitos and shaved ice, delicious. We had snacks too. Veggie straws. They wern't exactly straws, more like rectangles. And we had some good snacks like toosie rolls and water and beef jerky.
(Spencer just interjected "It's not beef jerkey, it's beef turkey")
And that was my day at the beach

Day at the beach

We had a great day yesterday. Our family, my parents, my parents friends the Briggs and my grandparents all went to the beach. Please note...it is the middle of January and the weather was beautiful. The temperature was about 80 Degrees. We didn't go into the water but we went for long walks, rode bikes and scooters and played in the sand. Spencer kept saying this was the best day ever. It was so nice to walk and walk. There is a motorhome/trailer section at the beach where people come and camp. It was awesome. I loved that idea. Someday, I will have a motorhome/trailer and camp at the beach. I have also decided that I want a beach cruiser bicycle. I haven't had a bicycle in a long time and it is time again. Maybe I will start checking craig's list. Tod also suggested that we check the local bike store and look for used bikes. Ahhh. I love California. We experience beautiful weather while the rest of the nation is blanketed in snow.

Enjoying Homework too little too late

Well, now that Madelyn has more intense homework, I am having to help her more. We sit down and do multiplication of two and three didget numbers, identify parts of speach and examine why explorers searched for the Strait of Anian, (the fabled water route from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Americas). I am really enjoying myself and I can say I am smarter than a 4th grader. I look forward to her homework. Wish this could have been the case when I was actually in 4th grade.

Remembering the day - January 7, 1995

In honor of our 14 years married, I am posting this picture. My goodness we were young, thin and georgeous.

Book update

Well I finished the books I mentioned earlier. I have also finished three others. To be fair, they are short books, no more than 300 pages, but I am enjoying them anyway. All are by Debbie Macomber. After I finish this one, I am on to the box of books Christina gave me for Christmas. Thank you Christina. I can't wait to dive in.

So here is what I have been reading...

The Manning Brides (2 books contained within)
1. Marriage of Inconvenience (Finished)
2. Stand-In Wife (Finished)

The Manning Grooms (2 books contained within)
1. Bride on the Loose (Finished)
2. Same Time Next Year (Currently Reading)

I love romantic stories. Ahhhhhh! Makes my heart feel good.

As a side note, yet still related, In the game, "Imagine If...," One of the questions was directed toward me..., Imagine if Michelle was a Holiday would she be 1. Christmas, 2. Thanksgiving, 3. Valentines Day, 4. Labor Day, 5. 4th of July, 6. Ground Hog Day. Everyone had to guess. Tod, my sweet insightful husband, was the only one to guess right. Everyone assumed 4th of July being that I was a Poly Sci Major and that I love History, but Tod knew better. He guessed Valentine's Day. He knows what a hopeless Romantic I am.

New Year's, "Committments and or Corrections."

I really dislike the word resolution, possibly because I am so bad at keeping them. I have decided, "Committments and or Corrections," better fits what I want to do. I can commit to doing something for a while, probably not a whole year, and I can make little adjustments to course correct. Yes, yes, that is much more comfortable for me to use those words. Heaven know one shouldn't be uncomfortable in making change.

So with that said, I am committing to
1. Work for 1 hour a day on the house
2. Read one book a month
3. Watch less T.V.

Here are my course corrections
1. Read the Scriptures/Pray more reguarly
2. Listen to my children more
3. Take my husband's suggestions/concerns more seriously

So there it is. Maybe I have a chance at sticking to these a little better. Happy New Year. May this year and all that follow provide each of us with the opportunity committ and correct ourselves more exactly to the teachings and example of the Savior.

Beef Turkey

Yesterday, Tod took the kids into the 7-11 and got them a treat. Both kids came out showing me what they had choosen. (By the way, Tod says Spencer has the Michelle disease when it comes to picking out treats, he takes forever to decide) Spencer kept going on and on about his treat but Daddy was going to let him have a bite of, "Beef Turkey." I couldn't figure out what he was saying until Tod gave me that look. You know the look one parent gives to another when the child is saying something really cute and you don't want to draw attention to the flawed word because it is so cute the way they are saying it so you just go along with it? That is what Tod did with me as he held up a piece of beef jerkey. I had to turn away my head and silently laugh at Spencer and his word.

Thank goodness children give us so many things to laugh at.

Our Anniversary celebration

Tod and I had planned to go out to a nice resturant for our anniversary last night (Saturday). Plans changed and we ended up spending the evening in a little different way. We took the kids with us to Chili's and then went to Walmart. On the way home Tod and I laughed and said this is what 14 years of marriage gets you. Oh well we had fun.

I'm a lego maniac

For Christmas, Mom and Dad gave Spencer a Star Wars Lego set. Spencer really enjoys playing with Robert's legos when he is at Mom and Dad's house. This set is a little advance so, gosh darn it, I have to help Spencer put it together. I am really enjoying watching the pieces come together and form the chassiy (?) and frame of the space ship. Fun Fun Fun.

And then there was none.

Ok, "And then there was none," might be a bit of an exageration but, there is a lot less than there was. The last time I had my hair cut was nine months to a year ago. Melinda my mother-in-law gave me a nice gift of, "pampering," for Christmas. I scheduled an appointment with Sherri my sister-in-law. She works at the Hyatt in Huntington Beach. With a little bit of die (I have more gray on top than I care to acknowledge) and a sharp pair of scissors, I am now a new woman. I was so excited to have my hair cut and colored. Sherri did a great job and now I have a hair style. (Long is not a hair style. It is the lack of a cut.) I love my hair. I loved my pampering experience. I can't wait to do it again. Thanks Sherri! Thanks Melinda!

Made it through the Desert, aka Life after Twilight

So, I have been having a hard time reading anything other than the Twilight series. I love Twilight so much that nothing else seemed to appeal to me. I really wanted to find other stories to read but just couldn't imagine anything else capturing my attention like Twilight did. Well, I am happy to report that I have begun reading other things. So here is what I have been reading.

1. The Wednesday Letters - Wow! What a story.
2.The forgetful Bride by Debbie Macomber - Fun Story
3.When Christmas Comes - Debbie Macomber - in the middle of it right now but I like it.

Christina Overton, my sister-in-law, gave me a large box of books for Christmas. How cool is that. What a great present. I will be diving into that box as soon as I am done reading When Christmas Comes and one other book by Debbie Macomber that mom lent me. I am pleased that I am enjoying reading again.

I absolutely love Twilight but it did ruin reading for me a bit. I have made it through the desert and enjoying reading once again. There is life after twilight. Who knew.

Things I have learned in the last week

For the last week, Tod and I have been kid-less. It has been wonderful. Don't get me wrong, I love my children. I love being a mother. I have decided though, there is a difference between the kids spending the night at Grandma's house and being gone for a week. When the kids are gone a week, you can really get into being without kids. While the kids were gone, I observed a few things and learned a few things...here they are.

1. I like my husband.
2. The living room stayed clean for 5 whole days. No kidding.
3. Tod and I could not make enough dirty dishes to do a load of dishes in the dishwasher.
4. There is such a thing as sleeping in.
5. Sleep comes much easier and long in the mornings when the T.V. isn't on, no one is arguing with anyone else, or coming in to see if we are awake yet.
6. Cleaning the house goes quicker without kids.
7. You can see progress when cleaning the house.
8. When it is all said and done, (raising the kids that is) Tod and I will still have lots of things to talk about and we will both genuinely enjoy eachother's company.

Just a few things I have learned this week. Let's hear it for Melinda for taking Madelyn for Grandma camp and Jared and Christina for taking Spencer to visit with his cousins. I feel refreshed and see a bit of a different perspective on life. Thanks.

Popping in the New Year

Just 15 minutes ago, Madelyn, Spencer and I rang in the new year with Poppers and pots and pans. Both of the kids were very tired and, although they protested, were put to bed at 7:45 p.m. and promptly went to sleep. I told they I might wake them up to watch the new year come in. Well as the time got closer, I decided they would really want to participate so I woke them up about a 1/2 an hour before midnight. Madelyn said she did not want to get up. Spencer said he did and quickly got out of bed. Amazingly, Madelyn decided to get up too. Maybe she decided if her brother was going to participate, she wanted to also. In the time it took me to blow my nose in the bathroom (battling the beginings of a cold) both of my children were up and out of bed and wrapped in blankets on the couch. They watched the Jonas Brothers perform on TV and watched the count down. They we went and got our poppers and pots and pans and went outside and let off 2 full packages of poppers. I guess I didn't give an accurate tutorial on how to properly set off a popper because Spencer pulled the string on his popper with the part that should be aimed up, aimed down...right into his pj sleeve. When it was all said and done, I was pulling streamers out of Spencer's sleeve. Funny Huh?

Madelyn remembered a New Year's we spent in WA with Tod's family. She remembered that Grandma had poppers and noise makers for New Year's celebration. I am glad that she rememberd that. It was 2 years ago when she was 7.

Well Happy New Year. Who knows what this year will hold. Well, off to blow my nose again.