12 Months of Me

Because it’s the last day of 2007, I thought I’d do this little “Year in Review” survey I stole from Patti’s blog. Nothing like blogging while you’re watching bowl games on New Year’s Eve, right?

♥JANUARY♥
1. Who kissed you on New Years? If any one did, it was Ryan—but having a 2 week old baby, I think I was sleeping long before midnight.
2. Did you have a New Year’s Resolution this year? Nope. I actually don’t see a point to New Year’s Resolutions…
3. Does it snow where you live? Yep
4. Do you like hot chocolate? Love it! (Especially the Steven’s brand!)
5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? Nope—don’t ever want to either.

♥FEBRUARY♥
1. Who was your Valentine? Ryan!
2. When you were little did you buy Valentine’s for the whole class? Yep. I think I would have felt badly if someone was left out.
3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not? Definitely! It may not mean much, but I think it’s fun anyway.
4. What did you receive for Valentines Day? Flowers and other things I’m not writing on here.
5. What did you give for Valentine’s Day? Same as the last…minus the flowers.

♥MARCH♥
1. Are you Irish? Nope.
2. Do you like corned beef and cabbage? Yep.
3. What did you do for St. Patty’s Day in 2007? I think we ate dinner with my family.
4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over? Yeah—by the time each season comes to an end, I’m ready for the next one.

♥APRIL♥
1. Do you like the rain? Yes!
2. Did you play an April fool’s joke on anyone this year? Nope.
3. Do you get tons of candy for Easter? Nope.
4. Do you celebrate 4/20? I don’t. When I was a missionary, though, we were “grounded” on that day one year. Apparently, there were some interesting issues going on in Eastern Europe.
5. Do you love the month of April? Sure—why not?

♥MAY♥
1. What is your favorite flower? Gerbera daisies
What happened to 2 ?????
3. Finish the phrase “April showers…” …Bring May flowers!
4. Do you celebrate May 16th: National Piercing Day? Haven’t even heard of this day until doing this survey. So, I guess that’s a no.
5. Is May anything special to you? TONS of special things! Kallie’s birthday, Mother’s Day, our anniversary.

♥JUNE♥
1. What year did/will you graduate from high school? 1996
2. Did you do anything fun during this month? Moved to our current apartment, started our summer trip to Seattle.
3. Have a favorite baseball team? Hmmm…I’d have to go with the Diamondbacks.

♥JULY♥
1. What did you do on the 4th of July? Had a big picnic with Ryan’s family, then headed down to Puget Sound to watch fireworks—which was an incredible experience.
2. Did you go to the fireworks? Of course! Fireworks are my favorite!
3. Did you blast the A/C all day? Nope. We were at the park next to the Hood Canal. The weather was absolutely gorgeous!

♥AUGUST♥
1. Did you do anything special at the end of your summer? Not that I can recall.
2. What was your favorite summer memory of ‘07? Probably our Seattle trip.
3. Did you have a sunburn? Nope. I slather on sunscreen because I HATE sunburns. I’ve had enough to last me for the rest of my life!
4. Did you go to the pool a lot? Nope…just once or twice.

♥SEPTEMBER♥
1. Will you be attending college/school? Nope—graduated from BYU in 2000. But, Ryan’s still in school for another year, (or more).
2. Do you like fall better than summer? Fall is my favorite season!
3. Plan on anything to happen this month? Ummm…nope.

♥OCTOBER♥
1. What was your last Halloween costume? Ryan and I were janitors.
2. What is your favorite candy? Take 5
3. What was your favorite thing(s) about this month? My birthday!

♥NOVEMBER♥
1. Whose house do you go to for Thanksgiving? Depends on what’s going on—but this year, we went to my parents’ house.
2. What are you thankful for? My husband, my kids, my testimony…
3. Do you love stuffing? Yes! Especially after I started making it with apples this year.

♥DECEMBER♥
1. Do you celebrate Christmas? Oh yes!
2. Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? YES. J
3. Get anything special this year? Our “family gift” was a digital SLR camera. I’m looking forward to learning more about using it!

I've lost track...

It always seems to happen when I'm on vacation...I lose track of the days. Every morning this week, I've been surprised when I realized what day it was. You would think that with this happening every single day, I might be catching on--but no--I still wake up surprised. It's nice to not have to worry about being anywhere by a certain day or time and we're enjoying the flexibility.

As part of this relaxed mode, my SIL and I have been spending a lot of time playing "Zoo Tycoon 2". The kids are keeping each other entertained, so that frees us up to create our little zoos and complete the challenges associated with them. It has seriously been so fun! (Especially when our animals have their little babies...) In fact, we have had so much fun that I now want to buy Zoo Tycoon 2 so I can play it at home. But, I'm torn. Here's the dilemma: When I get home, there will be deadlines, no other kids for mine to play with, and I have to take care of all of the housecleaning and child development duties--which would mean that playing Zoo Tycoon could be a wonderful waste of time, most likely when something else was calling for my attention. On the other hand, it could be a great little distraction when Ryan is buried in home work, or an "incentive" for me to play once my normal duties and projects are done. Hmm...maybe I'll have to think about this a little more. It seems I have plenty of time to think for now.

I had to do it

I have never been one to go ga-ga over some movie star or even join any kind of fan club for anyone. But, today, I sent an e-mail to Josh Groban. As you know from this post, Kallie is currently obssessed with Josh, and I thought I might enjoy receiving such a letter if I were a famous singer. Here's what I sent:

Dear Mr. Groban,

I am writing on behalf of my 2 1/2 year old daughter, Kallie, since she has recently become your youngest fan. When the radio stations in our area began playing Christmas music at the beginning of November, songs from your beautiful Christmas album were among the mix. One afternoon while we were running errands, your version of "Little Drummer Boy" came on the radio and I mentioned to Kallie that Josh Groban was singing this song. Since then, she has become obsessed with all things Josh Groban.

Whenever she hears your music, within 5 seconds of hearing your voice, she yells, "Mom! This is Josh Groban!" (In fact, other singers don't have names to her, they are simply referred to as "Not Josh Groban.") When the song finishes, she will beg for more--which has prompted us to purchase one of your CDs. Kallie saw you on Oprah's Favorite Things as well as on Target commercials and pointed out that Josh Groban was on TV. She has even started pointing out young men she sees in pictures or at stores who look like you--and is a bit disappointed when I tell her it's not Josh. We are quite entertained by her new-found obsession and hope that you are entertained by it as well. Thank you for making wonderful music!

Sincerely,

Amanda (& Kallie) Segeberg

Paperless?

Tonight, since Ryan had a few hours of free time, he decided to mine in the office and see if he still had a desk in there. While he was sorting, filing, and tossing papers from the stacks living where his desk should be, he made what I thought was a profound comment. He said, "You know, people keep saying we're going to be a paperless society, but I think computers and printers have made it worse." I thought about it for a second...and then I had to agree. How many people will print up an entire piece of paper for something small at the top? How many businesses now use full page receipts when a 6-inch slip of paper used to do? Maybe it's because I don't remember much about pre-computer times, but when is paperless really going to start? Maybe some day, instead of receipts, businesses will just enter your e-mail address and send you a receipt instead. Until then, all of the paper in our home will somehow find at least a temporary home on Ryan's desk in the office. (Which, by the way, was eventally rediscovered under the mountains and mounds of papers, magazines, and other random things.)

All by myself...

Since Kallie had croup over the weekend, Ryan and I decided that I would stay home from chuch on Sunday while he took Whitney to church. Well, Sunday morning came and Ryan wasn't feeling too hot, so we decided that I would go to church instead. When the time came to go, Whitney was ready for a nap--so I got to leave her home, too--and I went to church with only my scripture bag. It was a weird feeling!

I decided to sit next to the 1st Counselor's wife, Elisabeth--who has 3 darling boys, including a baby she usually needs to take out and feed during the meeting. So, I thought I'd help out with her cute boys. Between answering questions and keeping track of both of them, I honestly didn't hear a word of sacrament meeting. And then, when there were about 10 minutes left, the 2 daughters of a girl I visit teach, (who are also friends with the little boys), came back to sit with us. So, by the end of the meeting, Elisabeth and I were keeping 5 kids quiet and busy.

I really don't mind at all that I don't remember much from sacrament meeting. I figure that I usually get to listen, so on days like that, I can help someone else enjoy the meeting. And, next time I go alone, I'm taking a fully-stocked diaper bag--just in case.

Mission Memories

As I was thinking about the fun times and incidents from college, thoughts of the craziness on my mission crept in, so I decided to make a post for those experiences.

Matching super-stripe soccer shorts; convincing the elders that we really couldn't play futbol americanski; Rita's; Lido; sugar day; hot, fresh cheese bread; leaving home in a hurry...and managing to forget a few VERY important things; Sister Pettit...and Sister Pettit; bathing out of pots (or the toilet, ewww!); Taaaaape; Ligo; Reenok (avoiding the elders at the reenok); watching the slippery spot in front of the Tallinn hotel; riding the glass elevator in Riga; wearing pajama pants under our tights; "Excuse me, but you are speaking very bad Russian"; matching slippers; stay off manhole covers!; don't eat ice cream on a hot day; our little stationary shop; pabkas; the motorcycle accident; the cyclist getting hit by a car; the man with 3 holes in his head; hidden valley in Vilnius; the creepy funeral in the creepy building; missionary vacation; alphabet scones; pauser/leaner; laughing too hard to finish the district leader call; couch cushions on the floor; double doors; morning study in strange places; the night the discoteque came to us; nakoma pietura; getting jaked by the bus; men in underwear--at the door and at baptisms; baptisms in the river; Jurmala; packed busses; roaches and banana bread; Bobs on the Tide; remonting; pulling the drunk out from under a train; Smints; listov; pillow room; Saturday night dates; Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's in the MTC; Pampers; Girls' camp at the dacha; Stockmann's; Minima, Media, Maxima; the man pooping at the clock tower in Riga; Statdogs; Estrella chips; Cido juices; yogurt and cornflakes; mouse cheese; Karunas; Kalev chocolate; The Compressor--(Oh, how I MISS this place!); Old Hansa; The Garlic Restaurant; harvesting; rose-mint tea; "Clayzer-blazer"; Texicana & smetana; Baltic tacos; New Year's at the Rigby's; sitting in the sauna; Christmas mass...in Estonian...with strange lit-up rocks...at a little church in the middle of nowhere; Romeo and Juliet on Valentine's Day; zephyrs; coat from Nina Adams; little yellow and dancing ducks; ...and there are more, but I'm out of time for the moment.

**OK--here are a few more: FLEAS, FLEAS, FLEAS!; the man pooping by the clock tower in Riga--so shocking and gross!; little boy pooping on the chapel floor in the middle of sacrament meeting in Vilnius; kids with green owies; mesh shirts/dresses to church...

The Good Ol' Days, Part II

(If you're interested, Part I is here.)

In the past few weeks, I have remembered a few more things that I wanted to write down here. So...here they are...hiking up Bridal Veil falls--not the path, the falls; Wingers trips; hanging out and helping Rog in the deJong; the KBYU lobby; apartment dates; blowdrying the freezer; YAY! hugs; walking to Storehouse for groceries; Sarah Lee Gibb, Chair & Maxwell, Table; bridal shower strippers; Betty Crocker; Muriel's fuzzy ketchup; carbon monoxide; the trash pile; near-death experience in the Land Rover behind Rock Canyon; camping in the rain with just the girls; learning to change a tire--thanks to a scenic drive; leopards in Alpine; finding random trails to hike; driving the Loop; BUBBA!; Fish, Leo, Rach & Amanda on a "Stormy Day"; Gwynethardo DiCaprio...SCOTT BAIO; 27's Heaven; Hunting Licenses...

O, Christmas Tree

O, Christmas Tree,

O, Christmas Tree,

You're laying on the floo-oor.

O, Christmas Tree,

O, Christmas Tree,

You're on the floor once moo-oore.

Right around the time that we put up the Christmas tree this year, Ryan and I acknowledged that, between the 2 kids, it was bound to topple at least once before the season was over. In fact, we purposefully decorated the tree with soft, unbreakable ornaments to avoid injury (and a huge mess) when the inevitable happened. As one week and then another passed and it hadn't come down, we started to think we just might avoid such an incident. Then, Thursday morning happened.

I was laying in our bed with Kallie and Ryan had just returned from running. He got Whitney out of bed and put her on the floor to play while he made a bottle for her. All of a sudden, I heard a muffled *crash* and Whitney started complaning. Yep--the tree was on top of her. Ryan and I laughed about it, I straightened the lower branches out, and rehung a few ornaments.

About an hour later, Kallie decided she wanted to play with her Little People ornament, and went to pull it off the tree. This time, I not only heard the muffled *crash*, but managed to see the whole thing as it happened. We stood the tree back up and I decided I should wait for a bit to straighten the branches and rehang the ornaments again, just in case of another mishap.

I'm happy to report that I straightned the branches that evening and it hasn't come down since. Although, since the incidents, it does look a little more lopsided and homely--the ornaments are clumped and the bottom is completely ornament free, thanks to the decorating skills of Kallie and Whitney. (Whitney pulls an ornament off and Kallie puts it back on--out of Whitney's reach.) Oh--there was one casualty, though. The only thing on our tree that was breakable, our star, won't light up anymore. Oh well...

One more thing...

A few days ago, I wrote about my attempts to simplify the Christmas season this year. It sure is a good thing I did! In the past few days, Kallie has come down with croup. It came on pretty suddenly, and I ended up taking her to Urgent Care last night because she was having a hard time breathing. They gave her a steriod shot to reduce the swelling of her windpipe and trachea. When it took effect, she was finally able to go to sleep without as much raspiness in her breathing. Needless to say, I didn't sleep too well last night! But, today, I'm really glad that I don't have a million and one things to get done and I can focus on comforting and snuggling my child.

My baby is ONE!

Today is Whitney's first birthday, and like every mother, I will eternally remember the day she was born. She was so tiny--much smaller and just a different build than Kallie was--and she was so healthy! (Because of my usual complications, that's always a concern.) She has been such a calm, mellow child right from the start--quite a balance to her energetic, demanding sister. I don't usually post pics on my blog, (as they are all on our family website), but this post seems to warrant a couple of "Then" and "Now". It's been a great year and I am grateful to have such a wonderful daughter in our home!

Then:

Now:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WHITNEY!

Opting Out

The weeks from Thanksgiving to sometime around the beginning of January really are the most wonderful time of the year. There is nothing like that Christmas feeling in the air. But, along with all of the wonderful things, it also seems that Christmas is the most stressful time of year--and we make it this way! Between Christmas cards, Christmas parties, preparing goodies for neighbors, shopping for gifts, wrapping the gifts, traveling, decorating, and all of the other fun and wonderful things we traditionally do each year, we kill ourselves off during the most beautiful and meaningful time of the year.

This year, I started December with a load of stress. My list included:

• Decorating the house
• Taking pictures
• Sending Christmas cards/letter
• Taking treats to neighbors
• Christmas shopping
• Wrapping gifts
• Celebrating Whitney's birthday
• Preparing to leave for Seattle
• Family Time

And, on top of all of this, I still have to do the daily/weekly tasks of cleaning the house, doing the laundry, caring for the kids, preparing meals, etc.

After thinking about all of these things for quite a while, I decided that I'm opting out. I am rebelling against the stress of the season by eliminating the unnecessaries this year.
Instead of worrying about how the decorations look, I did what I could and didn't worry about the rest. I decided that we're not taking pictures for now, (although I did decide on what I'd like us to wear). Christmas cards were also tossed onto the chopping block. Taking treats to neighbors was also done away with for now. Wrapping hasn't even started yet...and will most likely wait until we're in Seattle so I don't have to worry about damage in-transit. Next week is when I have slated to finish up preparations to leave for Seattle. Some things you just can't do weeks in advance...and this is one of them!

Obviously, there are some things that still have to be done--but by eliminating most of the higher-stress tasks, I am enjoying a much more peaceful Christmas season. I realize that I'm probably just too much of a perfectionist, so it's kind of an all or nothing thing with me. But, honestly, if doing "nothing" is what it takes for me to truly enjoy this holiday season, then so be it!

Go Figure!

Since being called to be a Relief Society teacher in my ward, I have given 4 lessons. The first 3, I read about a month in advance, thought about for a few weeks, and then wrote the lesson on the Sunday before I was to teach. Throughout the week, I would review my lesson and cut out or add to it as I felt was necessary. Doing this allowed me to feel like I had a great command of the lesson material and would be able to refer to any of it in response to a question, or if the lesson took a different slant than I intended. I would get occasional comments about how good these lessons were, but nothing major.

The 4th lesson, I taught yesterday. Between having a sick child, Christmas shopping, and all of the other random things that popped up in the past few weeks, I did not have as much time to focus on my lesson as I had hoped. One week before my lesson, instead of putting all of my thoughts together and writing the lesson, I was reading it for the first time--and I only got halfway through! During the course of the week, I once again found there were no decent chunks of time to read much of the lesson or to start organizing the thoughts that I did have into any sort of order. Friday night, I was able to read the other half of the lesson--but it was only after the errands and Christmas celebrations on Saturday that I was able to return to my lesson and get it down on paper. Normally, I would at least have Sunday morning to sit down and review it, but we had an earlier and longer choir practice and Ryan had a meeting, so I wasn't even able to review it until I was sitting in Sunday School. Thank goodness it looked alright at that point! During the lesson, I was a little nervous about how things were going, as there were several girls who looked totally bored or disinterested and only a few main people were making any comments at all. I was also concerned because I didn't feel like I knew the material as well as I should have.

Now, knowing all of this, it would make sense that this lesson would not be one of the best--that it wouldn't be the lesson to receive the most comments. Amazingly enough, the opposite was actually true! I think I've had more positive comments on this lesson than on any of the others I've given in the past 4 months. Of course, I think it's a fluke and I'll be starting my January lesson this next week.

Kallie's Christmas Cards

Several weeks ago, I posted about the Kids' Craft Weekly Card Swap and how fun it was going to be. And, so far it has been great! A few weeks ago, we made our cards--I did all of the cutting/folding and Kallie did the pasting. Here's how they turned out, (thanks to FamilyFun Magazine for the cute idea!):

When we got our list of families on Monday, I was excited to see that we were to send them to Australia, Singapore, and Dominican Republic, as well as several states in the U.S. We mailed them out on Tuesday--and now we're just waiting for our cards to arrive over the next few weeks. I put up little maps of the world and the U.S. so we can see where our cards come from. I'll post pics of the cards on my blog as we receive them.

Random-ness

Kallie has been picking up on so much more lately...and she's been totally hilarious...so I had to post about a few of the things to remember.

First of all, Kallie has imaginary friends. A few weeks ago, she started playing with the "Einsteins" (of Little Einsteins fame) and at any moment, Quincy, June, Annie, or Leo may be anywhere in our house. A few days ago, they were living in our pantry and Kallie had to keep going in and out to get them out or put them back. Oh--and as a side note--all of the Einsteins are miniature people. They fit in the palm of Kallie's hand, so hard to avoid stepping on them, throwing them away, or leaving them in a room, (all of which I have been accused of doing recently). Probably my favorite Einsteins "oops" I've been in trouble for lately happened yesterday. We have this pitcher-looking machine called a "Cocomotion" that we use to make hot chocolate. It was sitting on our counter after being washed and I was putting it together to put away. As I carried it to the storage location in our office, Kallie started yelling frantically, "No, mommy! Come back! Leo's in there, mommy!" Apparently, Leo had somehow crawled into the Cocomotion while it was in the kitchen. I walked back to the table, and "poured" Leo into Kallie's hand. Before went to put it away, I double checked with Kallie to make sure he had really come out and wasn't going to sit in the Cocomotion for days all alone.

I recently posted about Kallie's interest in perfect pronunciation...and I'm happy to say that she still doesn't have all of her words right! Today, while I was doing the dishes, Kallie came and asked me if I had the "pick-ups," her word for hiccups. I was so happy to hear that she wasn't saying it right! I love seeing my kids grow, but I love that they're still little and I hope they stay that way for a while!

One more story on that subject: Tonight, we had spaghetti for dinner. Kallie announced that she was eating her basketti--and then shouted, "I said it right!" I laughed and, even though I knew she hadn't said it right, I said, "Good job," (At this point, Whitney started clapping), "You did say spaghetti!" And, two seconds later, she tried again and actually said spaghetti! I was impressed. I don't think I've ever heard a little kid pronounce that word correctly. I'm sure there are quite a few who do--but I'm almost positive it's one of the words most mispronounced by children.

Kallie's Latest Interest

Last Saturday, despite the terrible weather, I decided to run errands and took my sisters and Kallie with me. And, as everyone knows, you cannot run Christmas errands in the middle of a snowstorm without listening to Christmas music on the radio. (Thanks to the 3 all-Christmas stations here, we're never at a loss for holiday tunes in the car.) So, after finishing up at one store, we were leaving the parking lot when Kallie shouted, "Mom! It's Josh Groban!" And, surely enough, he was belting some Christmas tune on the radio. I'm really not sure how her mini-obsession with Josh began, but every time she hears him, she makes sure that I know who is singing. When the song ends, she never fails to request more Josh Groban and is just a little disappointed when I tell her that we don't have any of his music to play on demand. Who knew that a 2-year old could even have an affinity for one particular musician's music--let alone even recognizing him by voice?

Show Me A Sign

All of my hard work is paying off once again...Whitney has started signing! She actually started picking up on it almost 2 weeks ago, but then got incredibly sick and did nothing but sleep and barf for a week, so that slowed it down a little. But, now that she's back to being her sweet little self, she's started signing "eat," "milk," and sometimes "daddy." And, she started waving bye-bye about the same time. Oh--my other favorite thing she does is clap her tiny little hands. Any time I say "Yay!" or "Good job!"--even if I'm talking to Kallie, Whitney claps. It is incredibly cute! I love watching her start to put two and two together and show me what she knows.

December 5, 2003

This morning, I was thinking about December 5...and remembered that it's David Smith's birthday. To anyone else, this is not a big deal, (nor should it be), but I always remember because of what happened on this day in 2003.

My former mission companion, (and roommate), Elizabeth, started dating David several weeks before I started dating Ryan. When David's birthday rolled around, she wanted to decorate his office, but wasn't sure how to go about getting it done. Since Ryan and David worked at the same place, things worked out for Ryan and I to go decorate David's office together while Elizabeth kept him out of the office for a while.

I remember Ryan went to the temple and I went to the MTC to help the missionaries learning Russian--and we met up in the Provo Temple parking lot when we were both done. We drove to Ryan's office so he could start the weekly computer back up. When we got there, he opened my car door and I headed toward the door of the building. When I turned around, he had a rose and a card for me to congratulate me on my new job. (I had just been hired either that morning or the day before to be the office manager at KBYU.) It was so sweet--and honestly, exactly what I had hoped for. I know--I'm a silly girl. :)

After Ryan started the backup, he told me he was going to take me to dinner to further celebrate my employment. I remember telling Ryan that I didn't care where we went to dinner...and then he said he wasn't going to pull out of the parking lot until I chose a place. So, I chose one of my favorite places, Winger's. When we walked in the door of the restaurant, the hostess looked up and said, "Are you two together?" When I said yes, the hostess replied, "Good because you're standing under the mistletoe--and you get a dollar off each meal if you kiss." Not really knowing what to do, I said, "OK," and kissed Ryan on the cheek. We were both so twitterpated that evening that we totally forgot to remind our server about the discount.

After dinner, we went over to David's office, (he usually works later in the evenings), and decorated up a storm. I don't remember much about that part of the evening--only that we had fun "trashing" his office together.

When we finished the decorating, we went back to my parents' house to wait for Elizabeth and David to show up for cake and ice cream. We had little strawberry shortcakes and then went downstairs to watch, "Maid in Manhattan." I really don't rememeber much about the movie, but that was the first time Ryan and I held hands. I knew before then that our relationship was probably going somewhere more permanent, so it was extra exciting for me.

The next day, (Saturday), I had a date with a guy who had asked me out six weeks previous. As much as I did NOT want to go on that date now, I felt like I couldn't back out the day of the event--especially when the guy had asked David and Elizabeth to double with us at my suggestion. Before Ryan went home on Friday, I made sure he knew where I stood so that he wouldn't wonder about what was going on. The date was OK--but the entire evening, I was thinking about and wishing I was there with Ryan. I'm sure my date probably didn't understand why I wasn't into the whole thing.

Sunday rolled around and I was anxious to see Ryan again. After holding hands on Friday night, I wondered what was going to happen at church in our singles ward. I came in a little late and grabbed the first empty bench I could find. Elizabeth and David had arrived earlier and were motioning for me to come sit by them, where Ryan, who was passing the sacrament, had put his things. I didn't want to cause more of a distraction than I had already caused, though, so I stayed put. I was a little bummed that I wouldn't get to sit next to Ryan, but figured it would be fine. Well, much to my delight, when the sacrament portion of the meeting was over, Ryan picked his things up and came to sit by me. Honestly--that made me feel so important to him. He wasn't afraid of what other people would think--he wanted to make sure I knew where I stood with him. I loved it!

The next day, I received an e-mail from the guy I went out with on Saturday night. He explained that he wanted to talk to me about a few things and would throw in dinner and bowling for fun. I wrote back and said that I was willing to talk to him, but would have to decline the invitation for dinner and bowling because I was dating someone. In his next e-mail, he said that I had answered his question and he hoped I would let him know if I was ever available again. When I read that, I turned to Elizabeth, (who was also checking her e-mail), and said, "I don't think I'm ever going to be available again!"

And, I was right. A week or two after David's birthday, Ryan and I sat in the living room, lit only by colored lights on the Christmas tree, and started talking. Even a week or two later, neither of us remembered how it came up, but in vague terms, we discussed our future together. We knew that we were going somewhere--although neither one of us was ready to say it yet. When Ryan left for the Christmas break and we talked on the phone and IMed every day. I remember telling Ryan that I hated him not being there and I was never doing that again! He replied, "Next time I come to Seattle, you're coming with me." He was definitely right! Later in that conversation, we talked in very specific terms about getting married. We went ring shopping for the first time on New Year's day and were engaged 3 weeks later. (Which, for those who are interested, was about 8-9 weeks from our first date.)

From the time I realized my interest in boys, I had always hoped that I would have a boyfriend around Christmas time. As I got older and started dating, I dated a few guys, but was never "lucky" enough to have it happen during the Christmas season. That year, I certainly was lucky enough! The memories of that magical time have enhanced my Christmas season every year since then--and I enjoy falling in love with Ryan all over again each year as I remember.

Pee-MAN-oh

Kallie has had this thing lately about pronouncing words properly. It's nothing I said or did--but just her own little "self-improvement" area for the week. I has actually been somewhat entertaining listening to her practice certain words that she has finally realized she hasn't been saying right.

So, today, Kallie was climbing on the piano bench to sit and play for a while. When she finally got up, she realized that she had pushed the bench too close to the piano. She hopped off and started to move the bench. As she was pushing the bench to a better location, she said, "The bench is too close to the pee....peee...Oh! I can't say the right word!" Listening to this whole thing, I said, "Piano?" and Kallie goes "Pee-MAN-oh" and I repeated, "Piano." Kallie, with an air of determination said, "Pee-AAAA-noh!" Then, as soon as she realized she'd said it properly, she called, "Mom I said the right word!"

I have to admit, I'm a little sad that she's starting to say words the right way. I guess Whitney needs to start talking in preparation to take the "mispronouncing words in a really cute way" hand-me-down that her sister is ready to give up.

The Good Ol' Days

Friday night, Ryan and I set up one of his best friends since junior high, Lance, with my college roommate, Rachel, (who also happens to be one of my best friends). Word to the wise: Unless you want someone to get to know you REALLY well on the first date, don't double with your college roommate! This is especially true if you have some great memories from that part of your life. I say this because Rachel and I sat and laughed completely through our entire meal remembering the crazy and fun things that happened during college.

For example, there was the time that Rachel had 2 guys, Brian and Rich, vying for her attention. I remember we went on a double date with both guys to SLC--and we have a picture where both guys are trying to lean in toward Rachel. Then, our group of friends went to see Titanic. And, of course, Rich and Brian both wanted to sit next to Rachel. I ended up sitting next to her and another friend sat on the other side. Rich, the more inventive of the guys sat in the seat right in front of Rach, while Brian sat next to me. At the end of the movie, Rich, who couldn't STAND Leonardo DiCaprio, turned around, put his hand on Rachel's knee and said, "Thank you so much for bringing me to see this movie." Rach and I have laughed about that many times! Here we are about 10 years down the road...we have no idea where Brian is and we still see Rich, (along with his cute wife and darling daughters), from time to time.

And, we can't talk about the good ol' days without remembering Valentine's Day 2008. Rachel and I had no plans, and neither did Rich or his brother, Roger. The four of us were very close friends, (still do things together every few months or so), and so we decided to spend the evening together. We went out for Little Cesar's Pizza and then went back to Rachel's apartment, where we made the boys watch figure skating with us. Earlier in the day, Rachel had made a white cake with red and blue sprinkles in it in honor of the Olympics. We all sat on the floor eating cake straight out of the pan. (Floor sitting and straight from the pan eating negate the calories...) :) It's one of our best Valentine's memories!

While on the subject of Rich, I also have to mention that he used to paint our toenails for us. Every Thursday night, we watched ER and painted our toenails. Rich would sometimes paint his, but more often would use acrylic paints and his artistic talents to grace our toes with artwork. Around the time of the Olympics that year, we had Olympic rings on our big toes and stars, stripes, and other patriotic designs on the remaining toenails. Oh--and Rich gave great ear massages. If I remember correctly, he learned about them on his mission. We have a picture of all of us sprawled out across the couch and chairs, giving each other ear massages.

During our sophomore year, Rachel and I lived in apartments across the hall from each other. Our bedroom windows faced each other and were about 2-3 feet apart. I remember when we came home from dates, we slid our window open as a signal. If the other one was still awake, we'd have our little informational chats across the rooftop. We also used to leave signs for each other in our windows. If there were big tests coming up, or just any random jokes, chances were a sign would appear for a few days...or weeks.

There are so many more things I could write about here, but don't have the time or space to do so. Just for the sake of remembering...here is a list: fresh blue polish meant the Cougars would win; 27's Heaven; Hell Yeah!; two block walks; hot tubbin'; movies at the Larsen's; "You'd better shape up...Doo, doo, doo...'Cause I need a man"; sneaking Great Harvest cookies in to Anastasia with Rich and Rog; Taco Bell and Sugar n' Spice; "Pepsi"; cuddling on the Larsen's couch; Pepe, the little black Audi; late, late nights at Food 4 Less; the Swatch phone; watching the 70's TV together; "watching" movies without a VCR; SATAN!!! (Man, I miss that)...

WE WON!!

It's a good thing I washed those windows yesterday--I would have been embarrassed to be a Ute fan by the end of the game. OK--let's be honest, I would be embarrassed to be a Ute fan anyway--I'm definitely TRUE BLUE! It was definitely an intense game and I'm thrilled that BYU came out on top. There's nothing like rooting for the winning team and then being able to talk about it for days, months, or even years afterward. (I say years because last year's victory over the Utes was phenomenal and even though we've seen it over and over during the past year, I know it will be shown many, many more times over the coming years.)

The best part of yesterday's victory was that we are now undisputed conference champions AND we moved up in the BCS rankings. We're now 19th in the BCS standings, which puts us one spot away from having a wild card opportunity to go to a BCS bowl game. Not a big deal when your team is in a major conference, but coming from the Mountain West, it's a really big deal! GO COUGARS!!

Vandalized!!

This morning, I woke up and went about my business. Ryan left for his morning run and I was tending to the girls. As I usually do, I went to look out the blinds of our front window to see if I could see Ryan returning from his run. When I didn't see him, I glanced to the other side of our parking lot...and saw, to my HORROR, "I (heart) Utah Football!" written on half of my car windows!! I threw on some decent clothes, grabbed a bottle of Windex and a roll of paper towels and almost RAN out to the car to scrub those horribly dirty words off. As I looked around, I realized the "vandals" tagged almost every single car in our parking lot and other lots around us. And, I really have to admit, it was a very creative way for them to show school pride. They didn't damage any property and encourgaged me to clean windows that needed cleaning anyway--but it was definitely a shock to wake up to on the day of the Utah vs. BYU Holy War.

Amanda

Tonight, I went to get my hair cut by my sister who goes to the Paul Mitchell School here in Provo. (BTW--she did a great job!) While I was sitting in the chair, the song Amanda, by Boston came on. As I was listening and half-singing along with it, I realized how much I love that song! I definitely have memories associated with the song but I even love the lyrics by themselves. I know there are a lot of "name songs" out there and some of them are totally cheesy. In fact, a lot of people probably think Amanda is cheesy--but, I don't care because this Amanda loves it!

That Christmas Feeling

I absolutely LOVE this time of year. There is something about the chill in the air that makes you want to snuggle up with a steaming mug of hot cocoa in front of a beautifully lit Christmas tree in a dark room. Just the image conjures up a few meaningful memories for me. But, one of the things I have come to love the most about this time of year is the anticipation of Christmas. Not for what I will be getting, but for what I am giving.

Ryan and I went to the toy store tonight to get some Christmas shopping taken care of before the retail explosion next week. Even a week before Black Friday, the parking lots were packed and there was an almost tangible electricity in the air. As I walked through the store, I could see and hear the excitement of kids "auditioning" toys for the all important, yet somehow too few spots under the Christmas morning tree. Parents pusing shopping carts overflowing with boxes of gifts wandered through the store, hoping to find a good deal on just one more item from the carefully written letter to Santa.

I realize that there are plenty of things to despise about the Christmas season. Pushy shoppers, crowded stores, constant bell ringing, you name it--someone probably can't stand that part of Christmas. But, on the other had, what other season or celebration causes us to focus on other people as much as Christmas does? When else do we have that "holly, jolly" feeling that just won't go away? What other time of year do we so readily recognize that while we are very blessed, others have not been so fortunate? And, when else do we happily open our hearts and anything we can offer to share our blessings with others? It seems that while other events or activities throughout the year cause a simliar feeling here and there, Christmas really is the only time that we're all in it together. Take advantage of this Christmas feeling and be a little more charitable and a little more forgiving as you enjoy the electricity and excitement of such a wonderful season.

Juice-capades

Last night was our ward's Thanksgiving party, which was basically a typical Thanksgiving dinner. As we lined up to get our food, Kallie wandered over and got a very large, red, plastic cup from the other end of the 4 banquet length tables that had been pushed together. She brought the cup back to me and told me she wanted a drink of apple juice. I guess the gallon bottles of amber colored apple juice strategically placed near the cups caught Kallie's attention when she grabbed her cup. I assured her that we would get her a drink of juice when it was our turn. But, for now, we needed to wait in the line. And then, I made a fatal mistake.

Ryan had come over and put Whitney in my arms so he could run out to get the stroller for Whitney to sit in while we ate. Somehow, during the transfer, I averted my eyes from Kallie for a minute. When I looked up again, there she was, walking toward me with a gallon of apple juice hefted on her little shoulder. And then I realized the almost full gallon of juice was OPEN. Juice was sloshing out across the wooden gym floor as Kallie proudly carried her beverage over for me to pour into her cup. Ryan sprinted to the rescue, grabbing the bottle before she spilled TOO much juice on the floor. After he cleaned up what had managed to escape the precariously perched bottle, he took her to "help" him retrieve the stroller. You know, I'm really glad that Kallie is smart and independent, but sometimes I wish her reasoning abilities would speed up just a bit to keep her out of too much trouble.

Double Tagged

Wow--I've been tagged by 2 people recently for almost the exact same post. I guess this is one (very rare) example of procrastination actually paying off! Sara tagged me to post 7 things about myself...and Patti tagged me to post 6. So, I'll do 7 and call them both fulfilled.

1. My best friend in college was a guy. When he met and was dating the girl who became his wife, he would call me and tell me everything that was happening. (This was after I graduated.) I became good friends with her, (she started calling me for advice), and was the best man/maid of honor at their wedding 3 mos. after I returned from my mission. They live about a mile from me and we still hang out from time to time when our schedules line up.

2. I have a scar above my left eyebrow that was caused by tipping over my baby walker into a wrought iron aquarium stand before I was a year old. Most people don't notice it--and I've had it so long I forget it's there.

3. I have to watch a movie or TV show while I'm folding laundry and I hate folding it in the family room. Only problem is that we don't have cable in our bedroom...although we do have a TV, VCR, and DVD player in there, but we don't have many movies that I haven't seen recently.

4. Ryan and I celebrate our "month-iversary" every month. OK--maybe not a full-blown celebration, but we at least acknowledge the day to each other and Ryan usually brings me flowers.

5. I love lip gloss. Well, anything lip glossy, chapsticky, lipsticky, etc. One of my favorite things is to buy a new lip product when I'm feeling blah. I may never use it again after the first week or so--but I love having a wide variety to choose from.

6. I do not own an iPod or anything similar. I love interesting gadgets and would love to have one, but I really don't know when I would ever use it--so I'm waiting for now.

7. I love making crafty things. I usually have about 5 projects in the queue, but can never quite find the time I need to work on them.

"One-a Time..."

Kallie has recently become a voracious reader. She's always enjoyed books in the past, mostly for their colorful illustrations. But, within the past month or two, she has started to better understand the story lines and reproduces them with great accuracy. She now starts stories and/or explanations of each page with "One-a time...," which means "Once upon a time" in Kalleese.

Sunday, during sacrament meeting, we pulled out the "Jesus Book" that Aunt Carissa made for Kallie in Young Women's a few months ago. It's very simple--just small pictures of Jesus throughout his life glued on cardstock, then laminated and spiral bound. As Kallie turned to each picture, she would say, "One-a time..." and then describe whatever was happening in the scene. When she turned to the picture of Jesus on the cross, she said, "One-a time, Jesus naked." And, at that moment, Ryan and I were glad that the nursery leaders, (who LOVE Kallie), were sitting right behind us...because they giggled right along with us.

Women of the Church

Yesterday, I taught my lesson on Women of the Church. I tried to prepare WELL ahead of time, but no matter how much I read, thought about, or otherwise moved forward with the lesson, I still felt completely unprepared by the time I was to teach. In the end, I think it went well--not the best lesson I've given--but well. As part of my lesson, I used 2 songs from a CD called "Women of Destiny." Someone sent me this CD when I was a missionary and has some of the most amazing songs inspired by the Relief Society Declaration. Seriously, it reminds you why being a woman is one of the most incredible and worthwhile things you could ever be. I highly recommend it for any woman who has moments where she questions her purpose and worth--it will definitely shore you up during those times.

Potty Training Update

So, Kallie did GREAT on Thursday and Friday. Then, Saturday rolled around and she decided she didn't want to use the potty anymore. I was SO frustrated I wanted to scream. It really didn't help that the normal daily routine was totally off and I wasn't home all day. Sunday morning before church wasn't going so great either. Finally, I stopped asking her if she had to go and miraculously a little while later, she announced she was going potty and ran to the bathroom. And then, she stayed dry almost all the way through church--which was amazing. Today, she's doing great again...and I'm SO relieved!

Just as a side note--we needed to pick up more Pull-Ups on Saturday and gave Kallie the choice of Lightning McQueen or Disney Princess designs. Guess which one she chose? Yep--Lightning McQueen. So, my sweet little daughter is wearing blue Pull-Ups with Cars on them. I have to say that the Cars Pull-Ups have been more of an incentive for her than the Princess Pull-Ups ever were.

I so did not plan on this...

...But I am NOT complaining! Yesterday, I went to the library to get more books for Kallie. I was short on book ideas this time, so I picked up a few "going potty" type books to help encourage Kallie along that path. We also borrowed the DVD "Bear in the Big Blue House: Potty Time." I figured since she's 2 1/2, it couldn't hurt to start her thinking in that direction.

Then, last night, after watching the video and flipping through one of the books, I was getting her ready for bed and noticed that her diaper was dry. I knew I had to take advantage of the moment and asked her if she wanted to go potty...which she did successfully. She got some m&m's and went to bed.

Fast forward to 5:15 a.m., Kallie comes walking into our room and tells Ryan that she needs to go potty. He gets up, takes her into the bathroom, and she goes potty...and her diaper was still dry! She, of course, got more m&m's at that point...and then again an hour later when she successfully went potty once more. She has been dry ever since then--even during a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up panties and more m&m's. I'm so proud of her!

Somehow, I stumbled into potty training, even though I wasn't planning on moving forward with it for at least a few more months. I'm a little nervous, as we have only been dealing with #1 and haven't encountered a #2 opportunity yet. But, she's catching on REALLY well and I'm loving it, since it has all been her idea so far. I just hope it continues to go as well as it has these first few hours.

Kallie's Testimony

This past Sunday started off much like our usual Sundays. Spending time as a family before church, then putting the girls in the stroller and setting off. Even with the time change, Whitney did her usual routine--lasting almost all the way through the sacrament before she got too cranky. I finally had to take her out just as people started bearing their testimonies. With about 3 minutes left before the closing song, I was standing at the back of the chapel when Ryan headed up to the podium with Kallie. I was extremely surprised that they were going up because Ryan's not a huge fan of speaking in front of large groups. I was even more surprised when Kallie stood at the microphone and, with Ryan's help, said, "I love my mom and dad. I love Jesus. I love my nursery leaders. Jesus, Amen." And then, with her daddy in tow, she walked back down to the bench where we were sitting.

When I got back to the bench, Ryan explained that Kallie had seen another little boy bear his testimony earlier in the meeting, (a very rare occurrence in our ward), and asked to go up there, too. Neither Ryan or I realized that Kallie was paying attention while the testimonies were going on--and neither of us ever expected her to ask to go up there! While it won't be even a once-a-month happening, I was really proud of my little 2 1/2 year old with her sweet desires.

My Anniversary

Today, November 7, is my anniversary...not ours...just mine. It was 6 years ago today that I entered the MTC as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Just thinking of all that has happened as a result of that brings tears of joy to my eyes. There is nothing that I have experienced in life that is quite like being a full-time missionary. Being married in the temple and having children are also incredibly amazing experiences--but are very different from what you experience as you boldly wear that little black tag for a year and a half.

I remember that feeling of incredibly happy anticipation, yet being scared out of my mind at the prospect of giving up 18 months of my life to live and talk to everyone I met in unfamiliar places. If I had been able to see into the future and know how those experiences would change me for the better, how I would see those places as home, and that I would forever see my mission as an incredible blessing, I wonder what I would have felt that day? Maybe much the same as I do now.

I think about my mission experiences every day. Whether it's longing for an hour in the pillow room in the MTC or longing for the people I care so much about in the Baltics...something brings those pieces of my life to mind on a daily basis. They are all pieces that I will hold in my heart and celebrate forever.

Christmas Card Swap

I subscribe to "Kids Craft Weekly" which e-mails tons of great craft ideas to me each week. It's great to have ideas on what to do with Kallie to keep her busy on a daily or weekly basis. Tonight, I got an e-mail from them announcing their Annual Handmade Christmas Card Swap. The idea is that you create 10 handmade cards and send them around the world to various families. Other families do the same, and the end result is that your family receives 10 handmade cards for around the world. The cards in the gallery are very simple, as children are the ones who have made them. If you're interested in joining such a fun experience, check out this link: Kids Craft Weekly Card Swap

Leaps and Bounds

Remember how I said a few posts back that Whitney was growing by leaps and bounds? Well, I wasn't kidding. Just a few days after my last post, she started pulling up all the way to standing. And, now she does it at the couch, in her bed, under the kitchen table on the chairs, even on random walls and doors. She hasn't quite figured out how to get down yet, though. So, much of my day consists of "rescue missions" to get her down from whatever interesting prop she pulled up on.

Amazingly enough, even with getting MORE teeth and mastering pulling up, Whitney started crawling on her hands and knees today! I'm really hoping that she keeps it up because I'd rather worry about dirty knees than dirty elbows, tummy, knees, and toes. (Hmm...that sounds almost like a primary song.)

On the tooth front, Whitney now has seven teeth--and judging from her behavior the last day or so, number 8 is cutting through as I type. Unfortunately, numbers 9 & 10 don't seem too far behind. Maybe they'll stall for a bit and give her a little break. At least she's not normally a fussy baby, right?

Last of all, this is something kind of funny, Whitney has discovered her finger-holders, (a.k.a. nostrils). I was holding Whitney the other day and someone was telling me how cute she is. Just as I turned to look at her, I saw her stick her finger up her nose. Yeah--real cute. She has her fingers in her nose all the time now. I hope she grows out of this phase relatively soon.

All Grown Up

Recently, Kallie and I have been having discussions about my wedding ring. She started to notice it a couple of weeks ago...and then started telling me that she wanted my ring. I told her that it was my wedding ring and I have it because I'm married to daddy. I explained that when she was a grown-up, she could get married and have her own special wedding ring.

Fast forward to today. She was helping, (read playing), while I was straightening in her room. Suddenly she announced, "Bye! See you later!" So, of course, I asked her where she was going, to which she replied, "To, bye-YOU." (BYU) I asked her why she was going to BYU and she told me, "Because I'm a grown up." Then, wanting to know whether I fell into the grown up category or not, I said, "How do you know you're a grown up, Kallie?" Her response: "Because I'm married." I asked who she was married to, and she said she didn't know. A few minutes later, she found some shiny object and told me it was her ring. She was just cracking me up. She really is 2 going on 20 these days!

YUM!

Yesterday, my parents babysat Kallie and Whitney while Ryan and I went to dinner for my birthday. Kallie LOVES having Maa-maw and Craa-paw, (her version of "Grandpa"), come to play with her. Around the time they were supposed to arrive, we started watching for their car. When they finally pulled up, I said, "Kallie, would you like to go outside to meet grandma and grandpa?" To which she replied, in her "mommy, that's silly" voice, "No...I don't want to EAT them!" I just wish I could bottle the best of 2-year old Kallie--she is so cute that I just want to keep these little bits forever!

Dancing Queen

This past week, during one of those "Hmm...the kids are bored and I don't feel like doing anything elaborate" moments, I stumbled upon Kallie's new favorite activity. I popped a CD in and when the music came on, we started dancing. Kallie really hasn't stopped since then!

Even this morning, as we were all baking my birthday cake together, (I was mostly supervising my kitchen-inexperienced husband), Ryan turned on some Sunday music. And, of course, Kallie started dancing. She even came and pulled her daddy onto the dance floor to get him moving, too. She spins, twists, jumps, and anything else she thinks her little body can do. It fascinates me to watch her move as she figures out just what her 2-year old bones and muscles are capable of doing. Now, if I could only get my old body to have the energy and capabilities of her newer model, I'd be set!

The Singing House

I have decided that we have a "singing house." No--our house doesn't burst into showtunes at any given moment. Instead, those of us living here seem to sing all the time. We sing before bed and we sing while we're playing, or cooking, or just doing whatever. Just yesterday, Whitney crawled over to the toy bins, pulled herself up so she was sitting on her knees and started singing to herself while she was playing with the toys. I loved it! And, it occurred to me that a 10-month old doesn't know to sing unless she's been taught. I love that she knows how to sing! Kallie loves to bring her copy of the Children's Songbook over, select a song, (she knows several of them by their pictures), and ask me to sing it to her. I recently realized that I actually know most of the songs in that book!

Also, a while back, I realized that Kallie has memorized every song we've sung during her bedtime routine. So, I decided that I would start singing one of the Articles of Faith songs every time she went to bed, (including naps). She loves this because she gets 3 songs, instead of the usual 2, and I love it because she's learing to sing them! Last week, I started with the 1st AoF and Kallie had it memorized within a day or two and sings it by herself now. She has even started asking for the Faith song because she likes to sing it!

I'm really grateful that we have a singing house. I'm grateful that my sweet husband isn't afraid to join in the fun as well. And, I'm really glad that my girls are learning to love music.

I've been tagged!

I think this is the first specific "Tag" I've received. So--here it is:

Places I have worked:
1. KBYU - Office Manager (and I was the Receptionist there during college)
2. Wencor West - Temped as an airplane parts seller
3. Southwest Ambulance - Human Resources Assistant
4. Apollo Group - Corporate Operator
5. BYU's Cougareat - I have no idea what my title was there...I mostly ran the register.

Movies I can watch over and over:
1. Ever After
2. Singin' in the Rain
3. Meet Me in St. Louis
4. While You Were Sleeping
5. October Sky

Places I have lived:
1. Los Angeles, CA
2. Mesa, AZ
3. Provo, UT
4. The Baltic States, (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia)
5. Orem, UT

Favorite TV Shows:
1. The Office
2. SuperNanny
3. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
4. Planet Earth
5. Curious George (This one I love because it gives me sanity time!)

Places I've been:
1. Seattle, WA
2. Victoria, BC
3. Southern CA
4. Of course, The Baltics
5. Lander, WY (It's GORGEOUS there!)

Favorite Restaurants:
1. Cafe Rio
2. Pizza Factory (They have AMAZING breadsticks)
3. Wallaby's
4. Ottavios
5. Los Hermanos

Places I'd rather be:
1. Hawaii
2. Finished w/ Ryan's grad school
3. Seattle
4. The Baltics, (we're allowed to use an answer more than once, right? I've definitely worn that one out!)
5. Exploring London with Ryan

Weird things about me:
1. I LOVE college football--in fact, even if Ryan's not home, I'll turn on the TV on Saturdays and flip through the channels to find a good game.
2. I can touch my tongue to the tip of my nose.
3. I can tie cherry stems with my tongue.
4. I recently bought huge sets of markers and crayons for myself that my kids aren't allowed to touch. There's something about using beautifully sharp crayons and markers that haven't been smashed or the colors mixed.
5. It's really hard for people to surprise me because I pay attention and notice things that most people don't even think about. I really like surprises, though, so as I've gotten older, I've learned to purposely not pay attention so I can be surprised.

Two Funnies

OK--really, these probably aren't funny to anyone else but me. But, they always make me laugh--and I wanted to get them written down before I forget.

A few weeks ago, after I put Whitney to bed, I heard a strange noise coming from her room. Since we leave radio static playing while the girls sleep, I thought it might have something to do with that. I popped my head in to check--and realized that the sound had nothing to do with the radio. Whitney was snoring! This girl gets some great volume on her snores. At least I don't have to go check and see whether she's awake or not--I can hear her baby rumbles all through the house. Ryan and I laugh every time we hear it because it's so cute and funny to hear her snore!

Kallie is STILL totally in to Cars...she loves to watch it, play with her cars, etc., and along with this Ryan and I have taught her what the red, yellow, and green lights mean. So, today, as we were driving to the library, Kallie was telling me that we should stop or go, depending on the lights. Every time a light turned green after we had stopped at a red light, Kallie got very excited and said, "We're racing!" She doesn't get that you can just drive. Hopefully, she knows the difference between driving and racing by the time she's old enough to drive.

Random Facts

I thought I didn't have very many random facts about myself--but now that I've written a short list, I've got more than I thought! So, inspired by Ashby, Emily, Jessica, and Ashley, here are my random facts:

I was homeschooled from 5th thru 8th grades.

I minored in Business Management in college.

I was an Oil of Olay sample girl in a grocery store once. I hated it, left early, and never accepted the offer to do it again.

My favorite movie is "Ever After," but I haven't seen it in years. I can't watch any of my favorite movies more than once a year or so—I don’t want the favoritism to wear off.

I can touch my tongue to the tip of my nose.

I played violin in 4th and 5th grade. I stopped when my orchestra teacher started pushing me too hard.

My favorite game is Apples to Apples.

I have read only the first 2 Harry Potters and don’t plan to read any more any time soon.

I hate asparagus.

I ate wild boar and rose pudding (separately) on my mission and quite enjoyed them.

Random strangers will come up to me and spill their life stories—even ask for advice.

I took dance lessons for 9 years. The last 2 years, I focused on ballet.

When I was about 12, I secretly wanted to be a Mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club.

I would like to live in England for a few years.

I love college football…mostly BYU…but I just like watching the games.

I enjoy trying to interpret the meaning of dreams.

I want to take photography and flower arranging classes.

I hate folding laundry without watching TV or a movie. It’s just too mundane.

I don’t have a middle name.

I've never seen an episode of Survivor.

Whitney's Updates

It might be obvious by now that Whitney doesn't get a lot of press on this blog. That's probably because her sister is, at the moment, at lot more active and conversational. But, Whitney has made some progress lately, so I thought I'd post all about her for once.

Whitney is seriously one of the sweetest babies I have ever known. She is so happy all the time and very rarely fusses. She has learned, though, that when her sister does something she doesn't like, crying is an effective way to get mom's attention. There have been many times in the recent weeks that I've been been watching the girls as Kallie wonders, "What will happen if I hit my sister?" (Which she then does and covers her ears so she won't hear her cry.) Even if it wasn't a hard hit, Whitney will still make sure to get my attention by fussing or complaining.

She has also started giving everyone totally adorable cheesy grins. She scrunches her face up so you can barely see her eyes and smiles as big as she can, showing off her 6 tiny teeth, (with #7 and #8 coming in very soon). It's one of my favorite Whitney faces! If she can keep it up, she will be able to get a LOT out of her mom in coming years.

Whitney is also starting to pull up on things. She loves to climb on my kitchen step stool or the toy bins and lay on her tummy on the top. Today, I heard Kallie getting into the fridge. When I went in to see what was going on, Whitney had pulled herself to a standing position with the door closing on her. It was too cute! She's starting to try to pull up in her bed as well. She is 10 mos. now, so I guess it's time for that! (Although, she still refuses to crawl on all fours. I think she'll army crawl until she walks.)

She's just growing by leaps and bounds--and it's so fun to see her little personality develop more and more.

Kallie's Mishap

I don't know how it happened, but I really wish I'd been there to see it. Saturday morning, as Ryan and I were getting ready to go run errands, Kallie was running around from room to room trying to find something interesting, (interesting meaning that she's not supposed to), get into. Then I heard it. A muffled cry growing in volume the closer she got. Now, you have to understand that our apartment is not very big--so she wasn't even crying very loud in the first place. But, judging from the blood oozing from her bottom lip, I felt like her cries weren't doing the injury justice. Turns out she bit her lip on the inside AND on the bottom edge of the outside, too. The inside cuts are healing up very well--but the outside one still looks awful. There's a thick blackish scab on it and her lip is still a little bruised and swollen. Today, she told me that she fell into my nightstand drawers and that's how it happened. But, like I said, I wish I'd been there to see first-hand what actually caused such a ruckus on Saturday morning.

So, THAT's what uncles are for!

A couple of weeks ago, I bought Kallie a cheap little "magnet book," as she calls it. It's just a little folded piece of cardboard, (and apparently metal), that has a farm scene printed on the inside. It came with several little magnet animals and farm implements to place on the scene. We took it over to my mom's house, where Kallie proceeded to show her aunts and uncle her new toy. My brother, Jesse, took one look at the dog magnet and told Kallie it was a pooping dog. He's right--it looks like a VERY uncomfortable or unpleasantly surprised dog.
Well, fast forward to our adult session of Stake Conference tonight. I took the magnet book to keep Kallie busy during the 2-hour session. Toward the end of conference, we hand Kallie the toy. All of a sudden, she starts saying, in a louder-than-usual voice, "Pooping dog! Pooping dog!" Ryan and I were trying not to bust up laughing while instructing Kallie that she at least needed to whisper. She kept repeating it, decreasing her volume each time--until she was finally whispering--but it was incredibly funny! I have no idea if the people around us knew what she was saying, but I'm sure her Uncle Jesse would be proud!

A Mommy Must-Read

This morning, I received an e-mail from a sister I served with in Latvia. She related a story of a girls' night out where the topic, of course, turned to pregnancy and motherhood. (It's just that stage of life, right now!) She was reminded of an essay called, "Take, Eat" by Tessa Meyer Santiago, and sent the link. After reading it myself, I wish I could forward it to every mother in the world! Whether you have given birth or been blessed through adoption, this essay makes you realize all that you are truly giving for your child. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! Here's the link:

http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=2484&CISOSHOW=2468

Celebrity Morphs

OK--I was having way too much fun tonight with all of this MyHeritage.com stuff. Anyway--here are Ryan's and my celebrity morphs. What do you think?

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Who are they more like?

These are some pics of my girls from this past summer...it's fun to see that they're good blends of Ryan and me!

For those who say Kallie looks like me…you’re right—but not by much!


And, Whitney appears to be a perfect blend!

Mother Goose Avenue

Today I decided to fold laundry...which was all piled in my room...and I needed to entertain Kallie while I was getting it done. I've tried to do the "Kallie why don't you help mom with laundry" before and it just doesn't work for us yet. So, I pulled out the old standby: A movie! The only problem is that Ryan and I didn't have kids until DVDs were the thing...and we only have a VCR in our room. The choices were limited to a couple of Disney movies I bought while I was in college and the recording of a children's musical presentation I was in my senior year of high school. Knowing that Kallie has seen all of the age-appropriate Disney VHS movies we own, (several times, in fact), I decided to branch out and show her "Mother Goose Avenue." After all, it was based on nursery rhymes, has some cute music, and mommy was in the movie. It held her attention for a while and sent me down the road of reminiscing.

Mother Goose Avenue was written by an ASU music professor and given to my choir teacher to perform in local schools and for the music faculty at ASU. There were 6 of us in the show, Keith, (Little Boy Blue), Me, (Mary had a little lamb), Cheeri, (my lamb), Heather, (Little Bo Peep), James, (Humpty Dumpty), and Jenny, (Chicken Little). Watching the high school versions of us made me think about what we wanted out of life at that time--and how things turned out for each of us. I don't know what has happened to each person and I won't go into detail on the stories I do know because it would take far too much time. Watching the show also made me wonder why I was so self-conscious as a teenager. Why did I worry about what people thought or how fat I was? And, why was I chosen for that part? I know I didn't have the best voice and I certainly was NOT the best actress. But, I'm really grateful that I got to be part of it. It wasn't a huge deal, but was a bright spot in a year that was otherwise very difficult. It's amazing how life changes and how the little things, in the end, can mean more than you thought.

My Patience Meter

I have recerntly discovered that I have a Patience Meter. There are situations that quickly crank it up to the red zone, like having to tell my 2-year old to stay out of the street for the 15th time or having to put her in time out for the 6th time in 10 minutes. But, there are also situations that diffuse the meter to the green level--time works really well for this.

Take today, for example...I took the girls out to run errands this afternoon. We first went to the naturopath's office to pick up more supplements. Kallie was all over the place--even after I asked her to sit in a chair--and my patience meter started to climb. When we left the office, Kallie decided that she didn't want to come get in the car, but instead wanted to stand by a tree and listen for the ducks that she saw last time we were there. By the time we drove away, the meter was right in the middle of yellow.

After the 7-minute drive to Costco, the meter was comfortably back in the green zone. And, I have to say, both of my girls did really well while we shopped. Kallie did, however, ask for her "picture" about 200 times. (She has been carrying around a tiny picture of her cousins all day today.) She thought she lost the picture, even though I assured her it was probably in the car. By the time we finished shopping, my patience meter was hovering between green and yellow.

I got both girls strapped into their car seats and hopped in the front seat just in time for Kallie to ask about her picture for the 201st time. I glanced to the back seat and saw that it had fallen in the space between car seats...and knowing that my patience meter was only going to crank up if I had to listen to the question 500 more times, I hopped out, grabbed the picture, and gave it to Kallie. As we drove off, she did the smartest thing she could have ever done...she said, "Thanks, mommy! You're the BEST!" And, she repeated, "You're the BEST!" about 60 times.

Now, I realize that she probably doesn't really know what that means. But, that cranked my patience meter down to the bottom of the green. Even hauling two kids in a double stroller though the Columbus Sale at Joann's could not crank up my patience meter after that. Even having to put her in time out literally 4 times within 15 minutes when we got home couldn't make it budge. It's amazing what a few simple words from a 2-year old can do for a mom!

St. George Marathon

First of all, every time we go on vacation, I swear I'm never going to do it again...and then a few months later, I'm ready for a break and do everything in my power to go somewhere. This time was no different.

The trip down there was great--except somehow I managed to get a cold the day before. So, that part wasn't great. But the girls were really good and we didn't have to stop once. We went right to the convention center and got Ryan registered for the race and then headed back to my Grandma's house in Hurricane.

After a not-very-restful sleep, Ryan got up at 4 a.m. to get to the bus on time. The girls were nice to me and slept until almost 8 a.m.! (That was really nice, since I didn't sleep well either and woke up several times that night.) We tried to watch conference--but let's be honest--when you're in a place your kids don't know and there are so many new things to explore, you can't concentrate on anything but keeping them from destroying everything. So, I don't remember much of conference.

I am so incredibly proud of my husband! His goal was to complete St. George in a shorter time than he completed SLC. And, he did it! He came in at 4:59:44...which was a 35 minute improvement over SLC. I was so thrilled for him! And, he's been sore, but not nearly as wiped out as he was after his first marathon. Before the maration, he said he planned to take next season off--but I suppose we'll see what happens in a few months...

The rest of the weekend was very uneventful--except as we were packing to leave. Somehow, it always seems that while we're trying to pack the car, both my girls absolutely cannot live without both parents paying very close attention to them. It makes things very chaotic and hectic...so that's when the "I am NEVER doing this again!" comes into play every single time. But, we got the car packed and I survived.

I really did not get to hear conference at all. I did manage to hear a few talks while we drove on Sunday, but I definitely feel like I missed out on it. I'm really glad they will have the talks online and I look forward to listening to them in the next few weeks and then reading them.

It was really nice to stay with my grandparents. They were very accomodating and didn't seem to mind the craziness of the kids--so that made the stay really great. It was a pretty good weekend...and I'm just really proud of my wonderful husband!

It never works

Today, I told myself that I was going to go to bed early. Nine o'clock sounded great to me. As soon as the girls went to bed, (at 8), I decided to work on a little project for a few minutes, which I did...then I found the October Ensign. After reading for about 30 minutes, I decided that I didn't want to get ready for bed *quite* yet and went blog hopping. Before I knew it, almost an hour had passed. I found several blogs of people I went to high school with--which was really a lot of fun for me. BUT--this is why going to bed early never works. I think that I'm going to take 5-10 minutes for something and end up taking at least an hour. And, to make it worse...I'm now sitting here typing on my own blog! At least I know this really will take about 5 minutes. Maybe tomorrow I'll make it to bed early.

Relief Society General Broadcast

I realize I've already posted about 100 new posts today...but you get one more anyway. :)

Tonight, I was able to go with a group of girls from my ward to SLC for the RS General broadcast. I have to say, I was not in the best mood when the meeting started. I was tired of women who thought that getting a good seat was important enough to forget kindness. It seemed like there were so many ladies who decided that waiting in line was not for them, or that waiting for the ushers to guide them to a seat, (which we had been asked to do), was not what they were supposed to do. I mentioned my frustration to a friend and she commented that a lot of LDS women are the take-charge-get-it-done kind of people. What a positive thing! It really helped change my perspective when I thought about what great leaders LDS women are...it took a little longer to get over it, though. :)

The meeting was great. I appreciated the comments about offering relief and look forward to exploring more what that means in my own life. I also really enjoyed President Monson's story about the man who walked into a bookstore looking for a book called, "Man: The Ruler of Women," and was directed to the Fiction section. I really appreciate when the leaders of my faith are candid and let their personalities show through. The choir consisted of women from the South Jordan, UT area. Knowing that my aunt lives there, (and that she's a singer), I scanned the choir. I was surprised to find she was one of the first people I saw! I didn't know she was going to be there--but what a fun thing to see her singing in the choir.

After the meeting, all 12 of us went to Denny's in SLC. And, just as with all other Denny's across America, our food was super slow. But, we had a great time chatting with each other there, as well as in the car on the way there and home. I'm now convinced that we need a girls' night at least once a month!

As a result...

One of the benefits of feeling better is that I've had the desire to read again. So, when I took the girls to the library on Thursday, I decided to get a couple of books for myself. I had NO idea what I wanted to read and wandered up and down the aisles for a while (with two whining kids in the stroller) trying to see if anything caught my eye. Nothing.

So, I finally decided to look at the library computer and found lists developed by the librarians. I found a book called "The Friendly Persuasion" and then I remembered that my mom had recommended "The Secret Life of Bees." So, I picked that one up as well.

I just finished reading "The Secret Life of Bees" and absolutely loved it! Since it's on the New York Times best seller list, I'm sure I'm about the last person in America to figure out it's such a great book. It really enjoyed the style of writing and I'm thinking about getting "The Mermaid Chair" next time I go to the library. Has anyone read it? I'm loving this rediscovered love of reading...and did I say I LOVE feeling better? :)

What a feeling!

Some of you know that I've been going through kind of a hard time these past few months. I think it actually started before I weaned Whitney, but that event really set things in motion. I have not been myself at all. I had terrible mood swings at any moment and the tiniest things would set me off. I had no motivation to do anything and getting out of the house seemed like a big ordeal I couldn't accomplish on my own. I had no idea what was going on and felt like the darkness would last forever.

About a month after this started, I went to a naturopath doctor in Provo. He prescribed sleep and supplements to help me start feeling better. And, it worked most of the time. I still had some mood swings and my motivation was still lacking. Then, almost 2 weeks ago, I went back for some further testing. They adjusted the dosing of supplements I was already taking and added a few more to the mix. The first week was still a little rough--but this past week has been AMAZING!

I seriously marvel every single day at how well I suddenly feel. I cleaned the house, ran errands like crazy, took the girls to the library, and am once again finding joy in the little things of motherhood. Every night I pray that this feeling will not go away because it feels so good to be back in this place! I finally feel like myself again--like I can take on the world--and like I have something of myself to offer once more. I cannot believe the night and day difference in me from even a month ago. I am so grateful for this amazing change. I live every day just incredibly thankful for the light again.

Good morning, birdies!

This morning, I was laying in bed...well, actually, I think I was sleeping...but then I heard a tiny little voice in the other room that woke me up. It is extremely unusual for Kallie to wake up and not come into our room to get us. But, maybe telling her that she can get up when the sun does is starting to work! Anyway--I wasn't really ready to get up, so I just sat and listened to what was happening.

Kallie was talking to birdie. She said, "Yellow birdie, come here! Oh no, little birdie, come back. Come back, yellow birdie!" Then she sounded sad...and quickly got happy again and said, "You heard me!" At that point, Ryan came home and Kallie got out of bed when she heard him. When Kallie came in to our room, she held out her hands and said, "Look Mommy!" I squinted very closely at her little outstretched hands, (I wasn't wearing my glasses), and saw that there was nothing there. So, I asked her what was in her hands. She proceeded to tell me that she had birdies in her hands...one red one and one yellow one. I thought it was so cute that she was pretending so early in the morning to keep herself company until the sun woke up, too.

He's Still Got It!

This afternoon, on his way home from school, Ryan was walking through the Heritage Halls area of campus. (For those of you who don't know, Heritage Halls are dorms where mostly freshmen live.) There was a girl walking a little bit in front of him...and all of a sudden, she turned around and said, "Hi! My name is Brittany, what's your name?" Ryan told her and then she said, "Do you live in the dorms?" He replied, "No...I live in married student housing." Amazingly enough, the conversation quickly ended and they parted ways. I guess that's one more freshman who has learned to look for a ring before she gets too far into the converstation. And, what can I say, my handsome hubby has still got it!

The information age

I'm sure that we've all heard the same old, same old reports on this amazing age of technology. We have been told we have so much information available to us now, we can quite easily develop information overload at any moment.

The problem is that we bring it all on ourselves! We are the ones who click the link...we are the ones who turn on the TV, the radio, etc. We are seeking information that will somehow make us feel better, worse, happier, depressed, or any sort of feeling we seek at any time. While I feel that all of this information at our fingertips is quite a blessing, (like searching for conference talks from who knows how long ago), I also think we can become too wrapped up in the craziness of it all. I mean, really, how many articles on motherhood or marriage or housecleaning or exercising or health or...(I could list a million things)...do I really need to read? After about 3, I have read that I'm doing everything right--or wrong--and that either way, I don't need to worry about it. What a simpler time when you didn't know what every single authority on any subject said simply because you didn't have access to more than the local library.

I'll admit, like I said earlier, I know that by seeking out more information than I could possibly need, I am bringing any feelings of triumph or guilt on myself. It's about this time that I wonder if such a realization is normal. Hmm...maybe there's an article about it on-line...

How great shall be your joy

Today, I had the incredible privilege of going to the temple with a girl I baptized on my mission five years ago. Edita is getting married next week to a great guy who lives in SLC, so she received her endowment in the Bountiful Temple today and then was sealed to her parents, (who were baptized I think about a year and a half before she was). What an amazing experience to know that this incredible girl is still living the gospel and worthy to attend the temple. I was almost bursting with the joy I felt all day today. To know that she is an eternal family with her parents and she will begin her own eternal family next week is such a sweet, sweet feeling. I'm just incredibly grateful that I was able to be a part of it all.

Kallie's Prayer

Tonight, Kallie was rather grumpy and seriously ready for bed. I can't remember what it was, but something happened that made her cry as we were getting her ready for bed. And, her nose started running. She started freaking out that her nose was running, which is actually unusual for her to point out. We wiped it like we always do when it's running and went about the rest of the routine. Well, fast forward a few minutes to bedtime. Kallie was kneeling by her bed saying prayers and this is what she said..."Hebelly Fahdder, geen boogers in my nose..." and then went on to say a few other things. We have NO idea what she was really saying, but apparently the green boogers in her nose made a big impression on her tonight.

ABC's of Me

I am having one of those "I don't feel like doing anything" days. We were up VERY late last night canning peaches...so I'm taking the day "off." (If you can call changing a million diapers, fixing breakfasts and lunches, doing dishes, giving my girls a bath, going to the playground, and caring for a teething baby a day off!) Anyway--so I thought I'd post this fun ABC game I stole from Patti's blog.

A is for age: Almost 29

B is for Breakfast: A bowl of Kashi with berries

C is for Career: Before Kids--HR Assistant/Office Manager, After Kids--Full-time Wife and Mother

D is for my Dog’s Name: Kaebi

E is for Essential Item I Use Everyday: Scriptures, mascara, Kallie's Time Out chair

F is for Favorite T.V. Show: The Office, Supernanny

G is for Favorite Game: Apples to Apples

H is for Hometown: Growing up--Mesa, AZ; Right now--Provo, UT

I is for Instruments I Play: Piano

J is for Favorite Juice: Cido Multifruit, (From my mission--unfortunately, not available in the U.S.)

K is for Kitchen, What Color is it?: Red and white (cherries) with black accents

L is for the Last Place I Ate Out: Cafe Rio

M is for Marriage: 3 years and it just keeps getting better!

N is for my Nickname: Amanda Bubba or just Bubba

O is for Overnight Hospital Stays: Just 2--when my kids were born.

P is for People I was With Today: Kallie, Whitney, and a few girls from my ward at the playground.

Q is for Quote: Nothing is so terrible that complaining about it won't make it worse.

R is for Biggest Regret: Spending so much energy worrying about how my life would turn out.

S is for Sport: BYU FOOTBALL! Go Cougars!

T is for Time I Woke Up Today: 8:15 a.m.

U is for Favorite Piece of Undergarment: My shaper

V is for Last Vacation you Took: Seattle in July

W is for Worst Habit: Picking at my arms

Y is for Yummy Food You Ate Today: Kashi

Z is for Zodiac: Libra

Whenever I hear...

Every time we put Kallie down to bed, we sing her a lullaby and rock-a-bye before we put her in bed. We have been doing it since she was born! And, we always sing, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me," (Whenever I hear the song of a bird, or look at the blue, blue sky...we call it the Butterfly Song--because of the phrase "He gave me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings." It also went along with the bedtime story we read to Kallie every night.). The past couple of times that I have sung to her, she has started singing along with me. I can't tell you how sweet it is to listen to her sing, in her little two year old voice, "her" night-night song. She tries to mimic me with her pitch and it's precious to hear her sing.

And--this is an old story, but not written down yet and on this topic, so I figure now is a good time to write it down! At October conference, almost a year ago, on Saturday afternoon, (I think that's the session...), the choir sang Kallie's "Butterfly Song." A few measures in, she asked for her lahlahk and doggy and then sat on the couch quietly listening to the rest of the song. When it was over, she asked for bed and went down for a nap! Ryan and I thought it was pretty funny--and we're interested to see what will happen when they sing that song in Primary.

So excited!

For the longest time, I have wanted to subscribe to FamilyFun magazine. It always has such cute ideas in it to do with or for kids. But, I've either not had kids or my kids have been too young. Now, I think Kallie's just barely getting to the age where this magazine will actually be applicable. So, I finally subscribed tonight! I got a great deal through the UPromise website and got another magazine called WonderTime for just a little more. I'm looking forward to starting to receive both of these magazines!

Costco

Yesterday, after the Stop Talking incident, as we were driving past a shopping center, Kallie started asking, "Where Costco?" Kallie LOVES Costco. At first, I wasn't quite sure what she found so fascinating about Costco. But, I think she loves what everyone loves about Costco. The HUGE shopping carts, aisles so wide you could use them as an airport runway, and, of course, the free samples. She, like the rest of us, has learned that going shopping at Costco on Saturday afternoon means free lunch. The samples range from meat to veggie to drink--and there is usually something sweet for dessert.

Whitney even had her first Costco sample last Saturday. The girls were hungry and we still had a few more places to go. (It's times like those that I'm super grateful for the free samples.) So, Whitney enjoyed some yummy french toast. And, Kallie tried and enjoyed some green juice--which for those of you who haven't tried it--the Superfood (I think that's what it's called) Juice at Costco is delicious. It looks like swamp water, but I doubt swamp water ever tasted that good. And, who would have known if there hadn't been free samples at Costco?

Stop talking!

Last night, the girls and I picked Ryan up from school so we could head straight over and pick peaches at Ryan's brother's house. Peaches which, by the way, Ryan says we're canning tonight. And I'm going visiting teaching. And I'm planning to be in bed by about 9:30 or so. And Ryan has homework. So, we're OBVIOUSLY canning peaches tonight. There isn't a better night this week to do them...so I guess we can at least start on them tonight, right?

But, I digress. What I'm really planning to write about has nothing to do with peaches. So, Ryan got into the car when we picked him up and, as usual, he and I started having a conversation about our days. Somewhere in the background, we could hear Kallie talking. Neither of us had any idea what she was talking about. Suddenly, she says, "STOP TALKING, DADDY!" Which, of course, Ryan did immediately--because he was laughing so hard that he couldn't keep talking. But, both Ryan and I lost our trains of thought and Kallie proceeded to tell daddy what ever it was that she felt was important enough that he needed to stop talking.