Compassionate Kierra

We were watching a movie with our babysitting group kids tonight, and it got a teensy bit scary (a turtle flying through the air holding onto a garden hose). One little girl said, "Mommy!" So Kierra tried to comfort her, saying, "Oh, it's okay, your Mommy will be back soon" (rubs her back) "It's late, huh. She'll be back soon, huh." By this time she was completely ignoring Kierra and watching the movie, but Kierra had to make sure that she was okay. I love her!

It's Been A Sad Day

Last week is behind me! Yeah!!! With all the cleaning for company, entertaining company, preparing a lesson for a mini-enrichment class, and planning a surprise birthday party for my dad, I was pretty well beat by the time Friday night was over. Whew! But it's all over and now I can resume house hunting (ugh).

Here's a recap (I'm sorry this is quite lengthy, but I'm treating this sorta as a journal page):

My dad's brother and his wife stayed with us last week (from Tues. to Fri.) while they visited their son and his family who are attending the Y. It was really nice to see them. The girls loved all the attention!

On Thursday night, I taught a mini-enrichment class on food storage and how to start obtaining your three-month supply of everyday foods. It's a topic that I'm pretty passionate about, so it was fun to prepare for, albeit stressful and bad timing. I am really loving my new calling!

Thursday was also a big day for Jeromy at work. He gave a 7 hour presentation to their biggest client and pulled it off so well that the boss gave everyone Friday off (partly because Jeromy was able to get through everything they needed to, and partly because they had all been working past 10pm the whole week). Way to go, hon!

So Friday was spent running errands for the big party (luckily, I had Jeromy there to help and wonderful neighbors to watch the girls- thanks again Wendy!), and getting the house ready for a new batch of company. My sister drove all the way from WA to make it just in time for the party (and I MEAN just in time- she got there a half an hour before my dad:). My dad had no idea! He showed up at the library expecting to take the girls to a cool puppet show. The library even put signs up and everything! He walked into one of their rooms to find: his brother and his wife, his sister and her husband, his mother, his sister-in-law and her husband, his in-laws, a few of his nieces and nephews, us, and even more surprisingly, his daughter and her children from Washington! It was great!! Happy 60th Dad!!!

Saturday was spent watching conference, going for a hike near Bridal Veil Falls, spending quality time with relatives, etc. etc. The guys went up to SLC for the priesthood session while us gals ordered chinese (one of my favorite family traditions!). My sisters and I even got to do a little shopping while Grandma watched all 6 grandkids. She's a trooper!

Sunday, more conference and hanging out.

On Monday, my sister and I took the kids to the Children's Museum at the Gateway up in SLC. They have a Sesame Street exhibit on The Body. It was really fun! We thought it was a little overpriced at $12 per person (over age one), but the kids had a blast.

Shelly and I went (with the kids, I might add, and yes, we're crazy) to Ikea on Tuesday. Loved it! They take your potty trained children for an hour for free! So we just had the babies and Kierra while we roamed the store. Then we picked up the other kids and had lunch at their cafe (yummy Swedish meatballs, mmmm). Awe-some! Then Jeromy took Audrey, Kierra, and my sister's 3-year-old home so we could go to Tai Pan Trading for awhile. And Cafe Rio for dinner! What more can a girl ask for?!?

So today my sister headed back home. And that is why it has been a sad day. We've just been kinda moping around all day because all the fun and excitement is over. It was fun while it lasted. Thanks for visiting, everyone!!!

My Day

2am: Go to sleep after spending way to much time on the computer (stupid, stupid, stupid)
10am: Wake up and feed kids, nurse baby, dress kids, talk to sis on phone, find necessary coupons for today's shopping
11:30am: Start getting kids in car
Noon: Arrive at Wal-Mart to get oil-changed
1:15pm: Pick up car, Jacob's still asleep, kids doing OK
1:30pm: Get lunch at "Old McDonald's"
2:15pm: Arrive at Costco
3:45pm: Get back to car after much whining and chasing, Jacob has fallen asleep again (thank you!)
4:00pm: Arrive home, put food away, change diapers, send kids downstairs to play, feed Jacob
5:00pm: Do dishes that weren't done all weekend, tidy up a little
6:00pm: Make and eat dinner, feed baby again, change Kierra again
7:30pm: Realize that Jeromy is not going to be home in time for me to go out again on a necessary shopping trip, start getting kids in car, top Jacob off
8:04pm: Drive by Staples (to use my $10 off anything $10 or more coupon that expires today) and read the sign on the door that says it closed 4 minutes ago
8:15pm: Arrive at Smith's to get prescription and deli meat deals, etc., deal with MUCH whining and yelling and hitting
9:15pm: Go to checkout with a screaming 4-year-old, crying 5-month old, and a scared 2-year-old, try to convince the checker that yes, I did buy that item so just scan the stupid coupon!
9:30pm: Get the kids and groceries in the car and pace the freezing cold parking lot talking on the phone with hubbie to calm me down before getting in a car of unhappy children (okay, child- betcha can't guess which one!)
9:45pm: Talk with Audrey and leave for home
10:00pm: Get home, unload kids and food, start getting kids ready for bed
10:15pm: Jeromy gets home and finishes putting kids to bed, feed and change Jacob
10:45pm: Have snack with Jeromy (who hasn't eaten dinner yet)
11:00pm: Jeromy goes to bed, I feed Jacob to sleep
11:15pm: Check email, blog, try to see straight
Midnight: Hilary, just go to bed already!!

Happy Anniversary, Hon!

Wow, 7 years! It's flown by! I really don't know what to say about how wonderful my sweet husband is. I think Shannon Hale was actually talking about my hubbie (except for the baldness and Star Trekkie stuff) when she said this:

http://oinks.squeetus.com/2008/03/an-ideal-husban.html

Thanks for the past 7 amazing years, Jeromy! I love you!!!

We're the Wishy-Washy Wilsons

(Say that 5 times fast)

If you ask us how the house hunting is going, the answer is different every day. It's so discouraging to look all over the place and not find anything remotely likeable AND affordable! So last week we heard a rumor that the ward had a calling in mind for me, so we thought long and hard about staying here because maybe the Lord needed us here for a little bit longer. By Friday, we were pretty set with that decision, so we took it to the temple on Saturday. Our answer: probably not a good idea: the kids need their dad around more often after all (plus they really could use a yard). And then Sunday I got a new calling (Relief Society Provident Living Specialist- I'm so excited!). So now we're back to the drawing board to find a house, and meanwhile I'll work hard at my calling until we find somewhere to move. And while all of this is going on (house hunting, organizing 2 activities per month, potty training Kierra, dealing with a baby who won't sleep more than 45 minutes during the day, etc.), my house is in shambles.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope everyone had their fill of corned beef and cabbage! Although, I think I've decided that it's not that great, it's just a tradition that I feel like I have to do every year to remember my Irish heritage. My poor cousins, we made them all a big corned beef dinner last night, and I'm sure that nobody really liked it. I didn't really. I'll have to make it up to them and have them over for something actually yummy.


I made it up to the husband and kids tonight by having everything green (huge hit)! We had green eggs (eggsaroneous, actually- Shelly we'll always be grateful for that recipe!), bacon (okay, that's not green, but oh well), pears, broccoli w/ Asiago sauce (thank you Costco!), green jello fruit salad, and green Kool-Aid. Oh, and Lime Chiffon for dessert. All on a nice green tablecloth with green plates, etc. and gold napkins. What can I say, I LOVE holidays!!


Kierra didn't like the whole "pinching if you're not wearing green" thing, so she was very quick to put a green shirt on. She was so stressed about it that she tried to find some green pants to go with it, just in case. Then the rest of the day, she would point at random things and say, "We don't pinch the couch, that's naughty, huh Mommy?" Yes, sweetie, that's naughty. But I don't think that quite calls for a time-out:)

Skincare

I need a new skincare regime. Any recommendations?

The Park

It's been getting so nice outside, so a few of us neighborhood moms decided to meet at the park this week. It seems like forever since we've been! As luck would have it, it was cloudy and kinda cold the day we chose to go. Oh well. The moms still had fun chatting! I wasn't all mean though, I made it up to the girls by having hot cocoa as soon as we came home.


Kierra tried to warm up in the stroller.

Salsa Stew and Avocado Salad

We tried a couple new recipes this week and everyone enjoyed them! The stew was actually called black bean soup or something like that, but I tweaked it a little and changed the name to Salsa Stew just for Jeromy (he has this weird thing about not liking soups but loving stews. Example: I told him that soup was on the stove for dinner and he said, rather sadly, "Oh. We're having soup for dinner?" and I replied, "Actually, we're having Salsa Stew!" He then said, "Oooooooh, that sounds good!" He's silly:)


Salsa Stew
(By the way this would be a good food storage recipe, minus the sour cream and cheese. I have GOT to figure out how to make sour cream and cheese with powdered milk!)

1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
2 C. salsa (use mild- I accidentally used medium and we had to dump a ton of sour cream in it for the girls, well, for us too actually;)
1 C. water
2 small cans chicken chunks
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. taco seasoning

Mix all ingredients in a big soup pot. Simmer 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips.

(Oh, and it was also really good the next day with grilled cheese!)


Avocado Salad
(I actually got this from my friend Johanna, but I didn't have all of the ingredients. She uses a packet of Zesty Italian salad dressing mix and fresh lemon juice, both of which I didn't have. Still good:) Also, olives might be a good addition.)

2 avocados, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 can black beans
1 can corn (or use the Mexicorn for more flavor)
About 4 squirts Ken's Steakhouse Lite Northern Italian with Basil and Romano salad dressing

Stir together and serve as is or with tortilla chips.

Storytime at the Library

Can I just say how ANNOYING some people can be!

I recently promised myself that I would try really hard to take the kids to the library once a week for storytime. They love it and it gets us out of the house. It was kind of a rough morning waking up late, finding clean clothes that match, and trying to get the kids out the door. You know, the usual. So I'm in a sour mood by the time we all get into the car, and then Jacob cried the whole way to the library (ok- so it's only 7 minutes away, but still). So I was trying to plan it all out: Take Audrey to her storytime class, find a seat on the comfy chairs and nurse Jacob happy for a few minutes before Kierra's class starts and I need to pay attention to her. Okay, go!

So I get Audrey to her class, find a comfy seat, get Jacob out of the stroller, and wait! Kierra where are you running off to!!! So I put the stroller behind my seat and put the nursing blanket on the seat to save my place while I try to catch Kierra who keeps running farther and farther away (sooo unlike her). I find Kierra on the other side of the library who says, "Leave me alone, Mommy," which usually means she needs to poop. So we head to the bathroom while I'm trying to figure out how to take her diaper off and get her up on the potty and wipe her, etc. all while holding an infant. Luckily, they had a baby bench seat thingy next to the pot complete with a strap. Phew! That'll hold him for a few minutes if he doesn't squirm too much. So Kierra does her business (yeah, Kierra!) and we go back to the storytime area right before they start. What do we find? The whole library is absolutely full, standing room only, and someone is SITTING ON MY BLANKET!!

How am I supposed to feed Jacob and keep Kierra close enough to me but where she can actually see what's going on? I'm so peeved and fuming. How could someone not see that I was saving that place? And then just sit down on top of someone's blanket? After a few minutes, she looks around and sees me standing beside the stroller and trying to keep Kierra entertained (because she can't even see what's going on and it's not like we can just leave because we have to wait for Audrey to come out of her class) and then she notices that she's sitting on something, so she KINDLY removes the blanket and hangs it over the back of the chair. Oh, thanks, don't overdo yourself. I've only got a hungry little boy to nurse and it's just so easily done while standing! LUCKILY, he was in good spirits and was just fine to be held. But what to do when I have to put him in his seat to go home and he's still hungry, so he cries the whole way home too? Ugh. Finally it was all over, and I was trying to show Audrey where we were without moving into the crowd, and in the process lost Kierra. Yikes! Get me out of this madhouse!! Did I mention that I can get pretty claustrophobic around crowds, especially if I'm stressed out?


Whew. Vent over.

I guess if I had been better prepared (i.e. had clothes actually clean and put away, kids fed and happy, etc.) before we left, the blanket incident would've just rolled off my back. Oh well. And the kids all enjoyed themselves, so all's well that ends well, right?

Twilight Moms Website

For any current or future fans of the Twilight series books, you have GOT to check this website out! The description on the home page is hilarious!!!

http://www.twilightmoms.com

Awful Reading Habit

Do any of you have a hard time putting a book down even if it's awful? When I read a book, I have to read every single page for some weird reason. I guess I think the author deserves it or what if I miss something important and don't get all of the context?!? I don't know. I'll pick up a great parenting book that I think will help, but if the chapter that will really help me is chapter 7, well, I've got to read 6 chapters first even if they're of no use to me. By chapter 2 or 3 I'm beginning to think that maybe this book isn't for me, and so I put it away, full of guilt for not finishing. Yet had I just read chapter 7 it would've solved my problem!! Ugh. I only have myself to blame.

I'm reading a juvenile lit novel right now that I'm just not getting into, and I'm pretty easy to entertain! Only I'm half way through it. I figure I've invested so much into this book, I might as well see how it turns out, but it's almost painful to pick it up again. I have so many books on my "To Read Next" list that are just sitting there waiting for me because of this stupid book, so Jeromy is trying to convince me to just forget about it and get a different book. But I just can't. I'd rather drag on this torture even longer so I can feed this weird neurosis of mine. Ya, I'm crazy.

Honorary Mainiac

I just spent the last week in the state of Maine visiting a customer. I asked several people what they like to be called. The majority said they prefer Mainiac over Mainer or Mainian. It wasn't a conclusive study and I am not suggesting you should start every or any conversation with a native from the great state of Maine by saying, "Oh, so you're a Mainiac?"

While there I was able to experience freezing rain. When we woke up the next morning I found our rental van covered in a 1/2 in. of ice. We chiseled at it for a good half hour and finally got the two front doors and one of the side doors to open. My first ice sculpture... da da da da... a mini van.

We were able to have a little fun. We went to the the huge L.L. Bean outlet there outside of Portland Maine and shot some arrows in their indoor shooting range.



Being in Maine with the locals was a real treat. They took us to several fun and tasty Maine restaurants. I was able to enjoy real Maine oysters, mussels, clams, and mmmm mmmm lobster!


It wasn't all fun and games though, I was there on business you know...

Crock Pot Recipe Request

Does anybody have any fabulous crock pot recipes they'd like to share? It's so nice to get dinner done during the day when Jacob is having a sporadic nap, and then I don't have to stress as much when everyone is getting cranky in the bewitching hour before Daddy comes home. Please share!

To-Do List

Does anyone else battle with a mutant to-do list that just keeps growing and growing no matter how much you hack at it?

A New Toy

Jacob got a new toy this past weekend. He loves it, yet I think his sisters might like it more. Jeromy went a little camera happy with the new camera. Sorry. But can you blame him? Jacob's so cute!! So can you tell the difference between the old photos and the new? Oh, and excuse the nakedness, the doctor has assured us it's just a phase. And is it a rule that the baby stops smiling as soon as you turn the camera on?


"Help! I'm feeling a little overwhelmed!"


"Ooh, what's that?"


"Are they done playing with me yet?"


"I'll just tune them out."

Cookie Monster

The other night we were having a calm dinner (strange, I know), waiting for Daddy to come home, and Audrey said this out of the blue:

"So, Mommy, what is UP with Cookie Monster on Sesame Street?!? Ca-RAY-zee!!!"

Leave it to Audrey to liven up an ordinary meal. She cracks me up.

Babysitting Club Puppet Theater

As a lot of you know, we are part of a babysitting club with some friends. We babysit 8 kids (plus little Jacob) once a month, and then have 3 Friday nights to ourselves while everyone else takes their turns. We highly recommend it! Anyway, these pictures are from our turn a few weeks ago. My mom made us the wonderful puppet curtain for Christmas and it was a huge hit with all the kids, especially when it was Jeromy's turn to do a show. Lots of fun.

Plus, I wanted to show the difference between our old photos (taken on my phone) and our new photos (taken on our new camera- yeah!). These are with the phone, the next post will be from the new camera! I know, you can't wait, can you?!



Digging for something, Kierra? Lovely.



The captivated audience.



The puppeteer.

House Hunting Update

Thank you all for your encouraging comments about our house hunting woes. I have such awesome friends!

We have been all over looking at houses this week. It's been crazy, and my disheveled house can testify. We've been having a hard time finding a neighborhood we like that we can afford and vice versa. It seems that the more we look, the pickier we get about what we want. And then when we can't find what we want, we almost feel like staying put for a couple more years would be okay (and a whole lot less stressful). We are really running out of time before our great quote isn't locked in anymore, but Jeromy is going to be gone all next week. So it seems that we are going to take a little break from home shopping, at least for a few days. I think it'd be good to sit back and ponder about it all before plunging in again. But I will let you know of any updates. Thanks for the love!

New Camera

Our new camera came in the mail today! I'm so excited that I can take good pictures now! So you can all be expecting some better pictures in the near future. Yeah!!!