Not another laundry post!

Oh yes, it is yet another post about how much I HATE having to use a public laundry building. Tonight only reinforced my not-so-wonderful opinion of this process.

I do my laundry every Wednesday night. I know there are people around here who like to truck everything to the laundry building more often, but I think that's a waste of time, so I only do ours once a week. Plus, it's nice to get it all done in one shot and not think about it for the rest of the week. (If there is one little thing that I even could possibly enjoy about the laundry building situation, it's that--I can get all 4-6 loads done in 2 1/2 hours.) I have never had a problem with the washers being full on Wednesday night. Tuesday night, I always had TONS of problems finding an open washer. That's why I switched to Wednesday.

It worked really well, until tonight. Last Wednesday, the smaller, closer laundry building I usually go to was completely full. So, I packed the few loads I had carried with me back into the car and drove the the much larger laundry building that was completely empty last week. When I arrived, I saw that several washers were full, but one couple was moving their 15 loads, so I figured something would open up pretty quickly. (And, unless the couple got a baby sitter so they could BOTH go do laundry together, it's just them. Don't even ASK me WHY a couple with NO children has 15 loads of laundry! Maybe they haven't done laundry all summer? That's the only thing I can think of...)

Anyway--I quickly unloaded my 4 1/2 loads of laundry from the car and took it all inside. When I walked back in, I realized that there were literally 2 open washers, besides the 2 HUGE washers at the back. (I think the 15 load people started second loads in some of their original washers.) So, I piled 3 loads into one of the industrial sized washers, then added baking soda on top of the clothes and put 3 cupfuls of detergent into the detergent receptacle at the top. I would have used the other ginormous washer, but it required cash, and I use my BYU Signature Card because it costs half as much as cash. I sorted my other 1 1/2 loads into the 2 smaller washers on the complete opposite side of the laundry building.

I ran my card through the card reader to start the 2 washers and then went back to run my card through the card reader attached to the HUGE washers. I punched in the number without any problems and went to start the washer. I pushed the "warm water" button and started looking for the "Start" button, when I realized the display was flashing E. Thank goodness there's a handy little menu on the washer...otherwise I would not have known that E means "ERROR, (See attendant)." Since there are no attendants in the Wymount Laundry Buildings, and the office was WELL past closed at that point, I had to retrieve my three loads of laundry and forage for other open washers in the building. In the process of digging my clothes out, about 1/2 of the 2 cups of baking soda I poured onto the clothes ended up on the floor.

I headed back into the seemingly endless rows of full washers to begin my search. I really hoped that someone would walk in RIGHT THEN and take their clothes out of one of the washers that was just sitting there flashing "0 Minutes." No such luck. The washers had been sitting there for at least as long as I had been in the building, which was right around 15 minutes at that point.

I headed back to the front where there were a few finished washers with laundry baskets sitting on top of them. I figured if I was going to take clothes out of the washer, at least I could put them in a basket. Miraculously, one of the basket-topped washers was completely empty. So, I moved the basket and popped 1/2 of my 3 loads in the washer. I went around the corner and found a washer that said $2.00, (which is what is displayed when the washer has been opened after a wash cycle completes), so I checked it...full. Since I knew I hadn't been the first to check it and I'd been there for quite some time already, I decided that I was just going to have to pile the wet load of jeans on top of the washer and put my load in. In the process, the other 1/2 of the 2 cups of baking soda from the huge load ended up on the floor as I made the transfer. So, finally, after spending WAY too much time in the laundry building, I FINALLY had all of my loads going. Whew!

Just as a side note, when I went back to put them in the dryer, the jeans were STILL sitting on top of the machine. So, I transferred all my loads to dryers and put the jeans back in their washer. Really, if you're going to leave your clothes in the washer for over 2 hours, WAIT and do your laundry later! I'm sure this is only one very small irritation that I have yet to discover at the laundry building over the next 18-24 mos. of grad school.

101 Posts

Sometime today, I saw my blog entry count and realized that the post before this one was my 100th post! In the words of Kallie, "Ta-da!" (She says that any time she does something and she wants me to notice.) I should have had a party or something. Oh well. Hopefully, there will be a lot more where those first 100 came from.

Whitney's Accomplishments

This past weekend was a big one for Whitney. To start with, she finally got the hang of army crawling on Friday. I think she took advantage of the fact that Kallie wasn't bugging her every 10 seconds and decided to finally take off. It's a good thing it's still warm here because I've decided to keep her in onesies as long as she's army crawling. That way, she won't ruin her cute clothes...and we can replace the onesies, (which after the second kid probably need replacing anyway!).

Then, if that wasn't exciting enough, she started eating those Gerber puffs. (I can't remember what they're called.) She has been eating solid foods for a few months now, so I decided that it was finally time to try out a few finger foods. She had a great time learning to pick up the little stars with her thumb and forefinger. Now, when I get out the container, Whitney practically jumps out of her seat with excitement for them. I sat for quite a while on Saturday evening just watching her figure out how to get them from the tray into her mouth. I realize that's probably not too fun for anyone else but mom to watch, but it is such a miracle to see what these little ones learn in such a short amount of time!

Kallie's Cuteness

Today was one of those days. I would explain more, but I think that says it all. Anyway--I was so excited when Ryan got home because there was finally someone else to handle Kallie's boundless and unfailing energy. And, of course, as soon as he came home, she starting doing the cutest things!

Tonight, after dinner, we offered Kallie some watermelon. This sweet, red fruit is heavenly food for her--she just can't get enough. So, as soon as we mentioned it, she immediately said, "Ooooooooooo! Watermelon! Yummy!" And then she deliberately licked her lips, all the way around. It was totally hilarious and Ryan and I were totally cracking up.

Then, for the activity portion of Family Home Evening tonight, we played "Go Fish" with Kallie's Crayola Mix-n-Match game cards. She has been begging to play Go Fish for a while now, so I knew she would be excited. She was actually so excited that she started stamping her feet really fast. When I told her she needed to sit with Daddy to play the game, she informed us, "I shaking my booty!" Once again both Ryan and I completely cracked up!

Kallie is much too smart for her own good--but just funny enough that it makes the frustrating times worth it!

The Trouble of a Little Tooth

Whitney is teething. And, actually, it's not just one little tooth, but FOUR little teeth coming in at the same time. The only problem is that they're coming in one at a time. So, just as one breaks through, the next one is at the painful part of cutting through the last little bit. Whitney is such a mellow baby that teething really hasn't been much of a problem for her. In fact, teething has been much harder on Kallie than on Whitney! Let me explain...

Since Whitney's first tooth began the cutting process last week, she has not wanted to eat as much. Can you blame her? Since they are her front teeth, she doesn't like to suck on her bottle for very long. As a result, she's been eating a little less than normal this past week. Well, when she doesn't eat as well, she doesn't sleep as long. So, instead of getting up around 7 or 8 like she's been doing for a couple of weeks now, she's waking up around 5 or 6. And, because she's awake and making noise, Kallie wakes up. When Kallie wakes up early, she is incredibly grumpy and fussy all day long...and, honestly, listening to a whiney 2-year old can really grate on your nerves after a while. So, Kallie has been spending more time sitting on her bed as she learns how to use a happy, sweet voice to her mom. (Is anyone else thinking of "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie"?)

Hopefully, the teeth break through quickly and we can stop the sleepless cycle and get back to normal soon!

Teaching Tomorrow!

Tomorrow will be my first teaching opportunity in my new ward. I was called as a Relief Society teacher a little over a month ago--and I'm finally teaching! I was actually supposed to teach 2 weeks ago, but the sister who normally teaches on the 4th Sunday got to take her husband back to where she served a mission. (I'm totally jealous of that! I can't wait to take Ryan back to the Baltics!)

Anyway--I'm teaching on President Faust's and Elder Uchtdorf's talks on forgiveness. I feel like I've worked hard to prepare, so I hope the lesson goes smoothly. Last week, we were in the Bishop's office and he asked if I had taught yet. When I told him I was teaching this Sunday, he said that he might just have to attend Relief Society tomorrow. Talk about pressure! Hopefully, I'm able to be calm and relaxed and just enjoy teaching like I usually do.

Tuddle Mommy

This morning, Kallie woke up with a fever. At first, it wasn't too high...but as the morning progressed the fever did, too. When it got to about 101.5, I gave Kallie some Children's Motrin, after which she immediately fell asleep. About 45 minutes later, after the Motrin kicked in, she decided to get up and play. Keeping a 2-year old down when they feel well enough to be up and around is quite a challenge. So, she played for a bit and then wanted to "tuddle mommy" while we watched Sesame Street.

After her afternoon nap, her fever wasn't too high, so I held off on the Motrin for a while. I figured that not feeling well was a signal for her that she needed to rest. And, rest she did. Her only request was, once again, tuddle mommy--so I sat on the couch with her for the rest of the afternoon. Once again, as the afternoon progressed, her fever followed. After dinner, (and right before bed), I gave her another dose of Motrin and continued to tuddle her on the couch. She finally fell asleep in my arms. My mom told me that the only time she got to hold and snuggle me when I was little was when I was sick...and Kallie is the same way. The fact that she fell asleep anywhere that wasn't in her bed is a definite sign that she's not feeling well. I have to admit, although I don't like her being sick, it's nice to be able to tuddle and hold my very busy 2-year old. Those kinds of moments are only going to become fewer and further between as she grows--so I'm trying to enjoy them while I can.

The Weekly Parade

Every weekend since we moved in, starting about Thursday afternoon, moving vehicles begin parading up the street. The large trucks from various moving companies can be seen throughout the weekend dotting the streets and parking lots. It seems as though someone is always moving in or moving out of somewhere. I presume since the BYU Housing website has no available apartments listed, the trail of moving vans will trickle off and become very scarce during the semester. Right now, though, moving season is still in full swing at Wymount!

Fall is in the Air

Tonight, I went grocery shopping pretty late...not as late as I did when I was a student, but later than I normally do. Anyway--as I walked into the store, I smelled that distinctly Fall smell in the air. I don't know what it is, really, but it took me back to many previous Fall seasons and reminded me of watching football all day on Saturday, driving on the Alpine Loop to see the changing colors, driving with my windows open, and various other Fall memories. I honestly have to say that Fall is my favorite time of year. I used to say Fall and Spring--but that smell and those feelings tonight made me realize that it's just Fall. I am so excited that all of my favorite Fall things are just around the corner.

Two months...

...Is how long we went without having upstairs neighbors. But, just as we thought would eventually happen, a couple with 2 boys moved in last Friday. I've talked to the wife a couple of times--and she seems so nice! The boys are 3 and 5, and she explained that some of the "thunder" we hear from upstairs is due to the 5-year old's autism. Her husband is starting law school in a week or two. Although we were really used to having upstairs neighbors in our condo, it's strange to have them here now. Just today, I heard some noise that I thought was thunder, but it was coming from the upstairs family room. I think they were moving furniture. Even with the new noise, I think it's fun to have another family up there. It's nice to see the lights on in the window and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.