H1N1.... it is coming, I told you so

When I was in the 7th grade I saw the movie Outbreak. It became my favorite film. Then I read the Hot Zone around that same time, and I became interested in being an epidemiologist. What 12 year old knows what an epidemiologist is anyways? Somewhere inside of me this interests has remained, only to be rediscovered this week as the media pours out information about the swine flu. I think it is a lot of the worrier in me as well, that has me knowing the latest and most up to date info about the pandemic.

Here is a great link to track it. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147716.php
Here is another interesting map to see what other possible outbreaks are in your area.
http://healthmap.org/en
If you are somehow living in a bubble and don't know what I am talking about. Link here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_influenza

Yesterday I went to Wal-mart to make sure we had everything the CDC recommends you have in your home in case the swine flu comes to your area. Here is that link http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/individual/checklist.html .
I must admit, I am a little wary even though I am most likely more informed and more prepared than anyone else in town.
I am all for a stay-at-home government sponsored week starting Monday to prevent further spreading of the illness... not to mention that would mean Jake wouldn't have to go to work and could finish the kitchen remodel.:)

Kate's Family

Today Kate and I were coloring as we are bound to do each and every single day. She often asks me to draw things and dictates how they should be drawn. She will say what I am to draw, and then something like " and eyes... and nose... and hair" until she is satisfied with the final product. Today she started talking and dictating her family. Here is what she came up with.
"Daddy Jake", "Mommy Crysa", "Kate", "Baby Sam", "Grandpas"," Grammy", "Ali", "Amy", "Kaylie Baby", "Cola" with a "bone", "home", and then "Ariel"... yes the Little Mermaid. She even dictated that she have a green tail. I think the princess obsession has gone too far. She hasn't even watched that movie in a month I think. Whatever.

New Pictures

Sam is not too thrilled with a kiss from sis.

This is My Life.... and I like it.

This is the ultimate in "happy mom" blogging. My life is not always perfect, and I am far from it, but sometimes you just have days that pass and you can't think of anything that would make you happier despite the small upsets. Here is my day

6:45 am: wake up-feed Sam
7:00 am: shower, actually have time to dry hair, dress and make bed before Kate wakes
7:30 am: breakfast for Kate, laundry
8:00 am: bath the kids, feed Sam again
8:30 am: grocery's at Smiths- manage to spend under $100 for the week for the fourth week in a row. Kate has a meltdown in aisle 12 because I want her to sit down in the cart. She refuses so I make her walk, she runs away, I chase her down with cart in tow because Sam is in it still. Take all the groceries out, put Sam in the main part, buckle Kate in the top. Squish groceries around the kids. She cries for five minutes in the diary section. Some older woman tells me she is beautiful. Forgot three things because of all the crying.
9:30 am: feed Sam, 2nd load of laundry, clean kitchen
10:30 am: play date at the park. Visit with two great girls from the ward, notice Kate only plays with boys, sunburn my arms because we stay longer than expected. Kate eats picnic lunch with out argument.
12:00- visit with Jake who is home for lunch- discuss tile for the 8th time
12:30- 3rd load of laundry
1:00- feed Sam, mow lawns while Kate colors with chalk
2:00- put Kate down for nap- goes down without a fight after I sing Pinochio 8 times. Read 1 chapter in The Hobbit for book club. Its all a little "magical" for me.
2:30 pm: shovel dog poop from back yard. Play with dog- she is so neglected
2:50 pm: call Diamond Rental to rent a Jam Saw- chat with Jake on gmail
3:00 pm: Real estate agent calls "Can I show the house in 30 minutes?" - Clean house. Sweep, Mop, Vaccum, Beds, Showers, I am an amazing cleaner. Throw everything on the counters in the dryer to hide the mess
3:30 pm: wake Kate up, put kids in car, drive to Mom's to stall while the house is being shown.
5:00 pm: return home, make quick dinner. Kate throws a fit about coloring crayons. Jake pretends to throw them all away.
6:00 pm- Drop Kate off with Ali- When we took her on Sat. she threw a huge fit and I couldn't think straight.
6:45 pm: Realize I forgot the 10% off coupon. Drop Jake off at Home Depot- go home, get the coupon, return to Park City, feed Sam in car
8:00 pm: Pick out tile for the laundry, bath, entry, dinning and kitchen. Good luck Jake we are going to Phoenix this weekend.
8:30 pm: Realize after all that I forgot coupon in the car
9:00 pm: Have four gallons of paint mixed for the downstairs. Feeling ambitions
9:15 pm: Save $40 with coupon, glad I went all the way home to get it.
9:30 pm: Drive to get Kate. Jake and I have twenty minutes of uninterupted adult conversations on the ride home!
10:00 pm: Pick up Kate, get a summary about American Idol from Ali, come home, put kids to bed
10:30 pm: Clean up after dinner
11:00 pm: Decide to organize media cabinet- Wow we have a lot of music we NEVER listen too
12:15 pm: Finally go to bed.

It is funny that such a simple day could make me so happy. Tired... but Happy.

Hilarious Kate!

Kate makes me laugh everyday lately because of the things she understands and says.
I just pulled some brownies from the oven and she started singing Happy Birthday (no Kate you don't sing for every cake. Other things she has said this week that amaze me include....
"Mom, put more corn on the plate" yes she uses 'the' now, and
" He close his eyes cuz he's tired"... what are you five?
Another one is "he crying I poked his eyes". Well she understands that if you poke the baby in the eyes he cries...unfortunately she doesn't see the problem with this cause and effect.

Project Prepared

The ward that I live in is obsessed with Emergency Preparedness! Not that it is not a worthy cause.... they are just a little overboard, like learning to spin your own wool....ekkk! I think I would cut up my couch cushions to make clothing before learning to make a sweater from a sheep. Anyway each month the enrichment focuses on one piece of being prepared. Yesterday was on gathering and securing important documents. I came home and didn't think much of it. But apparently all the talk of crisis got me thinking, and when I get thinking I can't sleep due to small anxiety attacks. My mind would wander to an almost dream sleep, where my children were being abducted, quarantined, or our home was burning in a fire. So I started this project around 11:00 last night and am almost finished as I write this, except for a few loose ends. It took me about $50 and six hours, but the piece of mind I think it will bring was well worth it.
I am posting this partly for Amy, because she was interested in what I have been doing all day, partly for my Mom who wants to tackle the project with her ward, and anyone else who is interested. Might I suggest you do it for your family members sanity even.... I have been on the not to fortunate end of trying to handle emergencies in my family while my parents are out of the country.... lets just say almost every time they go out of the country, and I have spent hours searching their den trying to find insurance and medical information. In the end this information will be quick and easy for you to find, safe, and helpful to family members who may try to assist you in an emergency.

What you will need to start
2 4-5"" three ring binders
ABout 200- clear sheet protectors
20-30 dividers
CD's, DVD's or flashdrives with lost of space
Access to Copy Machine

What to gather

Contact
A contact list of friends and family, addresses, and phone numbers (copy your cell phone book)
Emergency contacts- a second list labeled as Emergency contact with who should be contacted in an Emergecny and your Doctor's etc.
Don't forget to add and label your bishop and R.S. President

Family ID
Indiviual Family Member info
Current pictures of each family member
Child ID, DNA and fingerprints
Adoption papers
Birth Certificates
Marriage certificate
Drivers License
Military Record
Passport
Social Security Cards

Auto and Rec Vehicles
Auto Policy, Insurance Card, Registration
Auto Loan Documents
Copy of Title or Leases

Church:
Important Church Certificates
Blessing certificate
Marriage certificate
Patriachial Blessing
Baptizm and Priesthood ordination info

Employment/ School
Diplomas
Resume and reference sheet
Employment Info and Contacts
Professional Licenses
Retirement Pension, Profit Sharin Plan
Wage Statement/ paycheck stub
Social Security Annual Statement

Estate Planning
Advanced Directive
Power of Attorney for Health Care
Financial Power of Attorney
Living Trust and Will
Final Instructions
Documentation of prepaid fees fo cemetery and funeral home

Financial
Bank Name, Account Number, deposit slip
Credit Card, Debit card be sure to write the customer service # on the copy
Investments- stock certificates, bonds, CD's IRA's
Mutual Funds, Money Markets
Safe Deposit box # and location and list of contents
Tax Returns for last 3 years
Book of Checks

Housing
Appraisal
Mortgage Statement
Deeds
Home Insurance and Coverage Info
Property Tax Bill
Land survey and Title Polity
Home Inventory (video, photo or list)
Receipts and Warranty of Expensive Items

Insurance
Disability Insurance
Life Insurance Policy
Long Term Care Insurance
Travel Insurance

Medical
Doctors, Hospital, and Vet contacts
Dental Records
Immunization Records
Prescription list including eyeglasses
allergies information
Copy of Health Insurance policy and cards
Pet vaccinations and license

Keepsake
Photo''s and home movies backed up on Disc
Important files from computer backed up on Disc

What to do
The process after the gathering is easy.
Copy everything (some things like credit cards, car registration, things you have to have in a wallet of car make two copies of)
Put all the copies in one binder
Put all the originals plus the copies of things you can't have in a binder in the other.
Put the "originals" binder in a safe deposit box or fire safe combonation lock box
Put the other somewhere in your home and tell key family members or a close neighbor where it is. I made my binder red so it is easy to find.

I can't say that I am great at tackling the food storage projects of emergency preparedness, I do all right I guess. This project was much more manageable for me. Something I could almost completely accomplish in one day. We previously had things in two different places in the house, and in a file cabinet mixed in with other not so important things. It feels good knowing that everything is safe and organized. Oh how I do love thing organized after all. I hope this post is helpful to you.

Is it Spring Yet?

We finally got to go outside today, it was above 50 degrees. Kate enjoyed coloring with chalk on the driveway, watching a cat across the street and just kicking back.


Easter Sunday- obviously- we haven't even put our candy eggs down from the Easter baskets in the morning.

Ilove Sam's reaction to his Easter Basket... well who knows what he was reacting to but the face is great either way. Everyone said he looked cute in his Easter sports coat.... I think he looks like a used car salesman.

More Birthday Girl

To start the day Kate and I made her cake together. I know it may sound mean making someone make their own birthday cake, but Kate loved it- especially when I let her pour on an entire three dollar bottle of chocolate sprinkles. Mmmmm doesn't it look delicious. She was pretty excited about the cake- well the sprinkles. Then we went with Jake to "Choo Choo Lunch" according to Kate. She has only been to Dairy Keen maybe five times in her life, but has caught on that they have trains there. It is a train themed burger joint where an electric train drives around, and there are trains to ride and play with. Then we went to the library, read books and checked out new ones. In my attempt to not have a crying child on her birthday after that I drove around in a well heated car til she fell asleep so we didn't have to fight about a nap.
Kate has been in love with stickers since last Halloween when Amy sent her some in the mail. Since then she has collected a large selection of stickers- literally over a thousand easily. So we let her decorate paper plates and cups for us to eat dinner off of. It was a simple idea, but she thought it was pretty awesome.
Kate opening presents. It has been a constant stream of presents in our house since Sam was born. Gifts for Sam, gifts for Kate so she didn't feel left out, Easter gifts, Jake's birthday. Presents aren't so hard to come by lately so I wondered if Kate even understood that it was something special.
The thing she reacted most excitedly to was some shoes. She was terrified of a automatic Hello Kitty Bubble Blower (and still is this morning).

We let Kate blow the candle out three or four times. She liked to do it and that way I could get more than one picture. We also showed her how to take a bite out of the cake with no hands.
We finished the day playing with some new things, coloring and watching Madagascar- Kate's pick. I guess we wore her out because she coughed all night and has a cold today. It is funny but even though she doesn't really understand what a birthday is at this point, I wanted her to be so happy and have the greatest day. It snowed a little in the morning so anything super fun like the zoo or even the park were out as options. We made other plans and other than the scary Hello Kitty toy, I think it was a pretty good day.

They say its you birthday!

Kate is two today. What? It is hard to believe. It has been birthday city around here. Sam, Jake and Kate all celebrate their birthdays in a 6 week period. I am the only one who has to wait. Here is Kate today. There will be much more posting about the birthday after it is over I am sure.
Kate at her 1st birthday.

Kate on her first day of life!

A little about Kate at two.

She weighs only 23 lbs..... insane that Sam only weighs 9.5 lbs less than her
She still hates eating obviously.
She also hates sleeping and can easily make it on only 8 hours a day of sleep... no nap
She loves to color and would color all day everyday
She loves stickers, the dog, the library, elmo, princesses, lighting McQueen, hello kitty, trains, bubbles, outside, cooking, cookies, pediasure, Little Nemo fruit snacks, swimming, singing, dancing, going to grandma's, hiding from Dad, watching movies, playing the piano, playing with friends, going to church, peeling crayons,reading, cleaning, hats, boots and necklaces.
She can say anything and everything and makes us laugh everyday. She knows her alphabet and the sounds each letter makes, all her colors and can count to ten (Except for the number seven). It is amazing to me what she can figure out.
We love you Kate and couldn't imagine life without you!

There are a few....

of my favorite things as of late.
1. Easter candy.
I could easily refuse candy the rest of the year (well that is a bit of an exaggeration) as long as I could eat Easter candy. More specifically Cadbury creme eggs and mini eggs. It is almost a tradition that Jake buys me my season supply for Valentines Day- when they are usually first out and then hides them in the house so when I am having a bad day later on in the year they exists to bring some cheer. Often times they disappear before Easter arrives and I buy a second supply. I have even attempted to buy these online in the summer. These are single handedly ruining my attemps to loose the baby weight from Sam.... I should just know better than to try before Easter is over.


2. Adam Lambert.
I have been a fan of his from the start despite AI producer's early attemepts for me to prefer the taste of widower Gokey. My unsympathetic palett told me the unexpected and pure tenor voice of Lambert was a sure bet for success. Glad that the judges are more on board now. Even his more dark version of Walk the Line had me singing his praises (and song choice) all week. I don't vote, but if those that do are casting their votes on the college dorm looks of Kris or the never ending eyewear of Gokey, I hope they come around and vote for this theatrical sexually confused genius instead. I can't wait to see what kind of albulm he will put out and hope it is not too loud for my listenting enjoyment.

3. P90 X.
I am sure many of you have heard of this hardcore workout. Tony Horton and his band of merry muscle men are all the rage right now .Jake and I had seen the informercial, and like every infomercial, were sold by "how to orders" end. We looked online and found that it retails for between 90-110 dollars normally. We found it new from some Chinese manufacture for 40. Almost certain we were going to get a pirater pointing his video camera at a television while his girlfriend talks in the background version, we decided it was worth the risk. We were pleasantly suprised when it arrived new, real and not a knockoff in just days. Yesterday we attempted the Core Synergy disc. It was a hardcore workout as promised, one reason we loved it. Reason 2- We found ourselves rolling on the floor in laugher as we attempted some of the unusal push-ups and situps impossible to such out of shapers as ourselves.

What's Up Team?

The Team has been busy lately. The kids were sick and then I have been showing the house a ton. Almost everyday lately and that can be exhausting leaving no time for blogging.... so we are behind a bit. Here is a quick recap of the past two weeks. Kate and Sam are still getting cuter by the day. Love this shot of Samuel above. It looks like he is shooting me a "whaz up" as he relaxes in his chair. Kate will be Two on Thursday (and is learning how to pose for the camera) and I can't think about it or else it makes me cry. I always say to Jake..." That is 1/9 of the time she will live with us" It is going by too fast.
Sam learned to suck his thumb. and no Sam doesn't always sit in this chair like my pictures may depict.
We celebrated my wonderful Husband's birthday. I threw him a suprise party- fiesta theme, complete with Mexican Food, Mexican Soda, a Pinata, and some sombrero's. I can't believe he is 30 now... and never looked better might I add. I have tons of hilarious pictures from this and really should give it its own post.
We went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. It was pretty neat, especially for kids of course. Kate enjoyed the dinosaurs but wouldn't go near this shark and is yelling because Jake is taking her near it. How does she know that sharks are scary... just the other day she was in love with them???
I'll try to be more on top of it posting wise, because you all missed out on a ton of fun stuff.
Team -OUT!