hair

My cousin-in-law, LeAnn, introduced me to hairdo blogs for little girls. SO fun! Thanks Leann! Chelse has fine, thin hair, so some of the do's don't work as well, but I've definitly improved over the side pony I used to always do! When I was younger, my sister, Tami, and I would argue over who would get to do my younger sister, Tawna's hair. Now, I have my own doll to play with! :) She likes to look pretty too, and as long as there's a movie on, I can play, play, play! I'll post more as I remember to take pictures...

Now, I want to learn how to make the cute hairbows for the cute do's!

Overheard at our house

Setting: Naptime.

Except, Michael's not napping.
He's been singing in his bed for 20 minutes, then emerges from his room.

Mom: Michael! What are you doing up? You haven't even slept yet!
Michael: I not tired, Mom! I awake! See, my eyes open!

"Where's Michael?"

This is a phrase often heard at our house. If Michael is not in eyesight, it is reason for concern. Why? Because this boy is nuttin but trouble! ...okay, and a whole lot of kisses and cuddles, and laughter. But man! Chelsea never did any of this stuff!



"Hmm...I wonder what this cool thing is?"


"OH yeah! It's that thing dad wipes all over his face in the morning!"


"Here, Dad. Let me show you...First, no need for water or shaving cream, just baby soft skin and a sharp razor. and Wahlah! Ruby red lips!"



"Mom, you're not mad at me, are you?"

FINALLY!

It's here! It's here! It's FINALLY here!!!



It took forever, but it's finally official.

Dan is a LICENSED dental practitioner!

Come on! Join us in the happy dance! Everybody over here is doing it!

Doot toot doot toot doot wooh! Doot toot doot toot doot wooh!

Need a Laugh?

You guys have GOT to check out this blog. Cake Wrecks

It's basically pictures of misspelled, ugly, disturbing cakes. The commentary on each is hilarious! This lady is so funny! It reminds me of my friend Janette's blog, the way she makes me laugh at the littlest details. I found it on my sister's blog and was hysterically laughing for at least 1/2 an hour and then snickering throughout the rest of the day.

'Course I'm just a big dork like that... Hope it makes you smile too!

Swimming in the Columbia River

So what do we do with our days full of sunshine? We go swimming in the Columbia river, of course!



So, I admit, I have only waded in. It hasn't quite gotten hot enough outside for me to get in the 70 degree water, but the kids loved it! (It's mainly in the upper 80's when we go...it's got to be much hotter than that...)

Although you can go swimming pretty much anywhere along the Columbia, there are boats coming and going all the time, so it might not be the best idea. We found a roped off area with a dock you could jump off of.

Michael, as always, loved the dirt.


Chelsea too, for that matter....


Dan was the man to get in the cold water to catch the kids as they jumped off.





I was there to warm them up when they got cold.

All in all, we make a pretty good team.

"Where am I?"

Pardon this post...as it is just a rambling....

I am a light sleeper, so I am usually the one to hear the kids crying if they wake up during the night. This past week, Michael and I have been sick. He will have a coughing fit in the night, so I'll get up with him, give him a cough drop, until he settles down enough to go back to sleep.

This happened last night. I heard him coughing, so I got up to take care of him. I met him in the living room, scooped him up, and took him to the kitchen to get a cough drop. I set him down on the counter by the kitchen sink, got a cough drop and started unwrapping it. All of the sudden, I felt extremely nauseous and knew I had to sit down. NOW! So, I grabbed Michael and walked quickly towards the couch...

"What are you doing?" I hear Dan's voice and Michael crying.
I feel all sweaty, then hot, and it feels like I'm laying on the carpet?

"What happened? Where am I?" I ask Dan.

As I come to, I find myself laying on the ground, just outside our bedroom door. Apparently, I never made it to the couch, but passed out...on top of Michael.

Dan had heard Michael crying, and came out to see what was going on. He found me, face down in the carpet, on top of Michael.
"Get off of Michael." He says he said to me.
I don't budge.
"GET OFF of Michael!" He says louder...he says.
Still...no movement.
So he has to pull Michael out from under me

"What are you doing?" I finally hear him say.
"What? Where am I? What happened?" I ask. I was so disoriented and confused, I couldn't stand up. Dan scooped me up and carried me back to bed, where I lay trying to process what just happened.

I have never fainted like that before! I've gotten dizzy and close to fainting lots of times, and the room twirls around me, but I can usually get to something, and let the spell past. This was nothing like that. I was clearly thinking "I've got to get to that couch"...and then nothing.

I've always wondered about people who have done that. Does it hurt when they fall? Wouldn't the impact wake them up? It's completely fascinating to me. And now, as I've experienced it myself, it's crazy! I totally don't remember anything! I wonder how long I would have laid there! I felt no pain. Luckily, I had just missed the edge of the TV stand. There's just no memory there, at all.

Just in case you are wondering, Michael is fine. He was ornery...as he usually is when he wakes up in the night, but physically fine.
This morning he says "Mom. Why you fall on top a me?"

I have no idea, but I hope it never happens again!

High School Tag

Clearly, I had way too much fun with this tag, so thanks Michelle! It all started when I pulled out my yearbook to check the name of my favorite teacher...then I found all sorts of momentos and pictures. I tried to scan some in, but it's not working so well. so, here's a little blast from the past!

Just a little background: I went to 9th and 10th grade at Owasso High school in Oklahoma. I went to Plano Senior High for the first semester of my junior year, then transferred to Plano East Senior High, due to issues with a teacher. This is the highschool I actually graduated from, so I'll try to focus my answers from that. And for those not from Texas, "Highschool" is grades 9 and 10 who meet on their own "Campus" and Senior High are grades 11 and 12 who meet on another campus. There were over 1000 kids in my grade alone, so you can see why they needed to do this.

1.Did you date anyone from your school? Yes

2.What kind of car did you drive? a tan cheverolet Celebrity...probaby from the 70's?
3.What was the most embarrassing moment of High School? Ugh, which one? One day I was mowing our lawn, but I was still in my running clothes, which were some pretty short shorts and a tank top. Some Mexican landscapers whistled at me as they drove by, and weren't looking ahead at the street. They rammed into a car that had slowed to turn. Since I witnessed the accident, I had to stand there and give a police report, when all I wanted to do was run inside and cover up!

4.Were you a party animal? No

5.Were you considered a flirt? No, I was too shy, but inside I wanted to be!

6.Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Band and Orchestra, but played flute in both.

7.Were you a nerd? Isn't everyone in band a Band nerd?


8.Were you on any Varsity teams? I ran Varsity Cross Country a few times.

9.Did you get suspended/expelled? Never.

10.Can you still sing the fight song? No, but I might be able to play it on my flute ...Except I might get the three high schools rolled into one!

11.Who were your favorite teachers? Ms. Griffith, English. I learned SO much in that class. It made my College English class feel like a breeze.

12.Where did you sit during lunch? we had off-campus lunch (where you can go anywhere you want for lunch) so I usually went with my band friends to different fast food places, although many times I just ate my sack lunch there. Golden Thursdays were the best though!

13. School mascot? Plano East Panthers, Plano Wildcats, and Owasso Rams!

14.Did you go to homecoming? Yes, I went both years. Junior Year was a blind date...don't even remember his name...it was an awful experience... Senior Year, I went with John Pawlowski.


By the way, ever seen a Homecoming Mum? They are mainly found in Texas. You wear these awful things all day long and they stretch out your clothes because they are so heavy! The guys wear mini ones called garters on their sleeves. This isn't mine...but it gives you an idea... Try googling it someday.
Cost? $45 to $250+!!! Ridiculous, isn't it?

15.If you could go back and do it again, would you? Hmm... mixed feelings. I would LOVE to go back to Owasso to experience the last two years of school there with my awesome friends, but not sure I want to go back being the "Newby" with thousands of strangers.

16.What do you remember most from graduation? It took FOREVER.

17.Where did you go senior skip day? Six flags. Except as I remember it, the school expected everyone not to show up, so they kind of gave us the day off.

18.Were you in any clubs? No, my schedule was pretty tight with band, homework, piano, and Cross Country

19.Have you gained any weight since then? Yes, a little.

20.Who was your prom date? Mike Nixon

21. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? Probably not to Plano East, but I might go to Owasso, but I'll have to sneak in as I'm not exactly alumni.

22.Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? Do better with the academics, and don't be so intimidated by all the beautiful girls in the ward. They are very friendly!

I tag: Tawna, Allison, Rebecca M, Edda, Shannon

Cool dude

Need some eye candy?



At least, I think he's adorable!

First day...er...WEEK of kindergarten

(she's not crying, I promise! The light is just to bright and her eyes were watering)
So I know most of you have been in school for at least a week, some even more, but we finally started on Monday.
Apparently, Washington likes to help their kindergartners into school life by what they call a "soft start". Let me explain...

On the first day of kindergarten... Wednesday, August 27th Chelsea was assessed.

That morning she had a cram session. Here she is trying to remember how to count by 10's to 100 without peaking...Her left hand looks a little suspicious to me. What do you think?
We weren't allowed to go with her during the test, but talking to her afterwards, we know she did fine.


On the second day of kindergarten...Friday, August 29th


We found out which class Chelsea would be in. She is in the afternoon class, with Mrs. Martin. I was pretty bummed that she was in the PM class, but now I really like it. We get to do piano and school work in the mornings, and I get to make sure her hair is cute for school everyday. PLUS, Michael takes a nap while she is gone, so I still have ME time!

On the Third day of kindergarten... Tuesday, Sept 2nd
Mom got to go to school with Chelsea to meet her new teacher and for orientation. This lasted only 1 hour.

Chelsea and Mrs. Martin (who just had a baby in June! Doesn't she look amazing?!)

Her classroom...the kids were out to recess to learn playground rules.


On the Fourth day of Kindergarten...Sept. 4th
Chelsea went to school with her classmates whose last name starts with M-Z

Doesn't she look fed up with the whole process. This girl is READY for school to start!


On the 5th day of Kindergarten... Friday, Sept 5th
chelsea finally got to go to school with ALL her classmates, by herself...BUT it's a half day, so she only goes for 2 hours, instead of three.

On the 6th day of Kindergarten... Monday, Sept. 8th
Chelsea starts school!
For real.
All by herself.
All day.

When I went to orientation with her, on the third day, I was overcome with emotions. No, I did not cry...as I was trying to figure out just what I was feeling. Part of it was that I was old enough to have a child in kindergarten, and that Chelsea would be gone everyday, but for the most part, I was jealous! I loved elementary school and want to go back!!! 7th grade and up, NO thanks, but elementary school is just plain fun!! Wierd, huh?! I know! I was kinda shocked at the way I was feeling...

But, reality is, I can't go back. I'm old. For now, I'll just have to live the excitement of school through Chelsea and hopefully, be able to volunteer once a week. However, I think I've finally realized what I want to do...when I grow up. I really want to teach 1st through 3rd grade. I loved teaching that area as a substitute, and that day in Chelsea's class just confirmed it. So, when the kids are older (and there's more of them)...I hope to be the teacher in the classroom...not the jealous parent. :) I am SO excited for Chelsea, and now that I've met her teacher, I know she's going to have an awesome year. What more could a mom want?

Just in time!

I LOVE bottled fruit! Last year I bottled raspberries, peaches, applesauce, and pie filling. There wasn't much storage in our apartment, so I kept the jars upstairs in my closet. Every Sunday, we'd have a jar of fruit and popcorn. That was until January of this year, when our church time switched, and we started at 3 PM and didn't get out until 6 PM. By 6:30, there was just enough time to eat dinner and get the kids into bed, so no more popcorn and fruit.

When we pulled the jars out, as we were packing to move, they had mold on them! I couldn't tell if the seal had been broken and the fruit was bad, but I wasn't going to risk it. So, I dumped out hours of picking fruit and bottling it. It was VERY depressing. I think I ended up dumping about 30 jars.

The second week we were here, I went to a service project the YW in our ward were doing. I got chatting with another lady, and somehow got on the subject of canning. She had just been to Value Village and had picked up a canning pot for her friend, but she offered it to me. I felt bad taking it from her, but she insisted.

Anyway, I checked out my classifieds to see if there were any orchards near by, and I got lucky. I bought 2 boxes of Elberta peaches from a farm about 15 minutes away. The man who sold them to me, said the peach season would be over in about 3 days. I was suprised that there were any peaches left! Two years ago, this same time of year, I called some orchards in POrtland about peaches, and they laughed at me! "Those were over a LOOOONNNNG time ago!"

Anyway, this is what I started with...



16 hours later (no, I was not canning for 16 hours straight)..here are the fruits of my labors. I'm SO excited to enjoy these on Sundays again, a tradition started by my Grandma Hadfield. YUM! I wasn't planning on doing any canning this year, but I'm so grateful everything fell in place and I can enjoy these until next canning season!

I lose

Okay, so only my sister agreed with me that Wentworth should play Edward.
Fine.
Whatever.
He's still WAY hotter than Robert Pattinson. Sigh, no hard feelings toward any of you...but I still think ya'll are crazy. But, I'll get over it.

I'm still excited to see the movie and hopefully I'll be pleasantly suprised... I just learned my mom has read the first three books, and both of my sisters, so it will be fun to see it with them when I go back to Texas for Thanksgiving!

Who should play Edward?

Wentworth Miller?


OR




Robert Pattinson?





I know what your thinking...Wentworth Miller! Hands Down. No contest! Sigh...WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!?
I really hope the movie is not a disappointment.

Tag

Rules: list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current goals, 3 current obsessions, and 3 random facts about yourself. Then tag at least 5 people at the end.

3 Joys:
1) being a mom
2) going outdoors with perfect weather and warm sunshine.
3) Friends: Old, new, and future!

3 Fears:
1)drowning
2) something tragic happening to ANYONE I know, but especially, my family
3) Hobos! I hate that they have no distinguishing features! They have been in my dreams since we moved here!

3 Current Goals:
1) Exercise more
2) drink more than 16 oz of water a day (I'm SO bad with hydration!)
3) Put on the parking break when I park the car. (It drives Dan crazy when I forget)

3 Current Obsessions:
1) learning how to make cute bows for girls
2) Trying to meet new friends
3) Laundry! I LOVE my washer and dryer! Where are all the dirty clothes?! I want to wash!

3 Random Facts About Myself:
1) I have a stumpy thumb
2) I covet long, thick hair, especially if it's naturally curly
3) I still dream about high school and middle school days. I know, I'm a loser.

I tag: Melinda, Brit, Melissa D., Jana, Tami, Nate-dawg

Guess who's reading Twilight?

***See Dan's letter to the editor below!***




Aaaaahhhhh, yeah!

It's MY boy!


This is so impressive, since he NEVER reads fiction books as they are a "waste of time" when he could be using his time to learn something. (Blech...learn!?) And despite the fact that he has to make fun of it all the time, this was my 4th picture I took of him...and he didn't even notice. I think he might be captivated by it, even though you'll never hear him admit it! I don't know if he'll make it through the whole series, but just had to capture this for posterity. (See Dan's comment below)

Letter to the Editor

While it may be true that I have indeed begun to read Twilight, I must refute the unfounded and inaccurate accusation of being addicted to the book. I did notice the 4 unsolicited camera flashes from the paparazzi as I tried to make sense of the endless rambling I was reading. I am currently on page 275 and let me summarize the book so far.

Bella: I hate Forks
Everyone: How do you like Forks?
Bella: I love Forks.
All the Boys: I Like Bella
Bella: No boys like me and I don't like boys
Bella: Who are you?
Edward? I'm Edward and I have creepy eyes
Bella: I like you
Edward: I'm dangerous
Bella: I like you more
Edward: You shouldn't like me we can't be together. I'm dangerous.
Bella: I like you
Edward: I like you too but I might kill you. Is that okay
Bella: I like you. Can I watch you kill a cougar
Edward: No

I can't wait to see how Jacob fits into this whole thing. I did like the first 150 pages or so but the middle is really starting to drag. I would like to see Edward smash a few more cars or man-handle a few more bears.

-Dan

Overheard at our house....

setting: Chelsea and I playing "memory". We had just finished the game.

Mom: Ya know what Chelse? I used to love playing this game when I was little.

Chelsea: I'll probably say that one day too!