Catching up --March & April

With May already here, I'll catch you up on a few things that happened last month. One word would describe April 2009 -- BUSY. Three trips to Utah, soccer practice 3 times a week and games on the weekends, various activities at the rec center, a trip to the county fair, and an SUU Ballroom Dance Company Reunion (has it really been 12 years) have kept Jenny running full time. I have been busy studying and prepping for the promotional exam at work since January and am happy to say that process is complete as of yesterday, a huge relief.

Rhett and Rebekah have been busy playing soccer. Rebekah is getting pretty good at it and I hope she keeps playing down the road. She is less than fond of practicing, and frequently reminds me that she prefers swimming. The good news is that swimming classes start for her next week. Rhett is hilarious to watch when he plays soccer. At this stage, it is mostly a bunch of kids running around aimlessly with about half paying attention to the game and the rest picking dandelions, or waving to mom & dad on the sidelines. Last game, when Rhett was subbed in.... instead of running to the ball and getting involved, he did a running forward somersault, popped up on his feet, and struck a pose much like a gymnast does when sticking a landing. The parents watching the game all clapped, promting several repeats and not much soccer from Rhett for the rest of the day. He does enjoy his tumbling classes, and has already started swimming lessons, along with Austin who takes a class with Jenny.

Here are a few pictures from the previous month:

2009, the year of the breakdowns?

So far, we have averaged one major breakdown/month since the beginning of this year. In January, it was our washing machine that went ka-put. In February, it was our microwave..... see the post below. Then in March, we got hit by a big one: The water heater went out and had to be replaced, and that was too big a job for even me. This month, we replaced the printer, another recent death in the household. What's next? Austin has already tossed one of our cordless phones in the toilet this month, and our DVD player is hanging by a thread. I'd say that we are fast running out of appliances to break, but that is tempting the gods of electronics to slap us down again.

New Family Photos!

I finally got everyone dressed and ready for pictures. We went to Portrait Innovations. I love this place because the take soooooo many pictures. Our photographer took 127 shots. About 3/4 of them were no good but it ensured that we got some good ones. I ordered way too many so watch out, you may be getting a picture of my cute family whether you want one or not.

New Microwave

The kids were asleep, Neldon was at work, and the house was all mine to enjoy some peace and quiet. I thought to myself, "Mmm, hot chocolate sure sounds good." So I go to my trusty microwave to heat some water and it sparked and died. What???!!!! I have to heat water on the stove??!! Who can live without a microwave?! This was a little sad because we have had the microwave for almost 12 years. It was the first thing we bought with our wedding money. Like I said, who can live without a microwave?! So the next day, I took the measurements and loaded up the boys and we went to Lowe's. I found a microwave, bought it and went home to plug it in. I hadn't paid attention to the depth of the cabinet. The microwave I bought was too deep to fit in the cut out in our cabinets. So I had to take it back. I looked at several stores and online and all of the microwaves were too big. Except for the little ones that look like they belong in a toy kitchen for little kids. Anyway, we decided to go for the over the range version instead. Neldon did a great job installing it and now I can enjoy my microwaved hot water again.

Let the games begin!!

I finally paid attention and actually checked the soccer sign ups on time this year. Bekah and Rhett are both signed up and so far they love it. We had to miss their first games but they are ready for the game today. They were so excited to get their new gear that we had to put it all on and go to the park to practice. Austin was thrilled.

Ain't It True?!

I found this while doing some blog stalking and found it to be quite hilarious.


Thinking of Having Kids?
Do this 15 step program first!

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child'sbreast-feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work(work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
1. Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
2. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle .
3. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower .

Lesson 7
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 8
1. Get ready to go out.
2. Sit on the floor of your bathroom reading picture books for half an hour.
3. Go out the front door.
4. Come in again. Go out.
5. Come back in.
6. Go out again.
7. Walk down the front path.
8. Walk back up it.
9. Walk down it again.
10. Walk very slowly down the sidewalk for five minutes.
11. Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way.
12. Retrace your steps.
13. Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you.
14. Give up and go back into the house.
You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Lesson 9
Repeat everything you have learned at l east (if not more than) five times.

Lesson 10
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a preschool child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 11
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air. You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 12
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know,you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 13
Move to the tropics. Find or make a compost pile. Dig down about halfway and stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for at least two years.

Lesson 14
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly.(Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 15
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 14 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it'sall worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don'thave kids. I guarantee they'll l get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

PAY IT FORWARD

Pay It Forward Exchange is based on the concept of the movie "Pay it forward". I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join the PIF exchange. All the gifts will be made and posted out 'sometime within the next year'. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive! What you need to do in return, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This Exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'PAY IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. I'd love for you to join me! Will you? Other comments are welcome, but only the first three will be my Pay It Forward recipients. Come and join me who doesn't love a gift or giving gifts???