Technology Trip

I love technology.
Don't you?
Why do I feel the need to make this declaration right now?
Because I am blogging from my car in the middle of no where... literally somewhere just north of Death Valley.
It is 1:00 in the morning. Jake is driving us to his parents. Usually when we road trip and the kids fall asleep I just get frustrated- there is no light to read by, and I can't sleep due to an over active worry gene that causes me to startle from an almost sleep at every brake, bump, or move that Jake makes as he drives. So I settle for listening to Tom Petty and eating Pringles.
Not tonight though.
Earlier I drove and Jake worked on this computer. Meaning we got to start earlier and will be in a bed by at the latest 2:30 am.
So far this is the greatest trip ever.
Ever since Jake started working exclusively from home about two months ago we have the internet wherever we go. He has officially out fitted himself to be internet capable almost all the time. With this net book- or at the very least his phone.
Which is why we can take a trip for more than a few days.
He can work anywhere now- so we can go anywhere now.
I pretty much love it.
I just checked your blog driving through Baker.
Jumped on facebook, did some online banking, looked at Olympic stats on Yahoo near Tahachapi.
Now I think I might watch the Bachelor episode I missed.
Yup. I pretty much love it.
If only I could upload a picture for you. It was a beautiful day for driving.
The state is so gorgeous. You should have seen the way the snow looked on the red mesas.

Sam-I-Am is One (well almost)

Sam will be one this week.
On Tuesday to be exact.
I wanted to celebrate him and this past year.
Maybe add some fun to keep me from crying that my son is not a baby anymore.
I set out to throw him a completely irrational over-the-top one year old birthday.

It started with the Cat that Sam fell in love with...I had originally schemed up a super hero themed party for my little man.
I had intended to make all the guests dress up like their favorite super hero, and adorn all the children in home made capes.
Then I thought about how much Sam loves this cat.
How easy it would be to make a party around it.
So that is what we did.

A rhyme to invite our family to come for the invitations.
A welcome rhyme to welcome our guests on the door.
Add some Dr. Seuss themed decor
A collection of stuff usually adoring the walls and shelves of Sam's room made for some great party atmosphere.
Some "Sam says thanks" party favors.
I often see on blogs amazing personalized party decor.
But I am not a photoshop pro.
I do own scissors, glue, lots of Dr. Seuss books and a color copier.
I think my new plan for children's parties is to base them around a book they like.
It made the planning of everything from the menu, the invitations, the decorations, all so easy to come up with.
Hanging from the light are tags for each guest- a Dr. Seuss character that looks like them.
It made for a moment of interesting dinner conversation.
Add some food...
What was for dinner?
Green Eggs and Ham of course!
But I didn't want to just serve my guests eggs.
I made these tiny quiches and added some blended parsley.
That didn't make them green enough so they got a drop of food coloring.
They turned out delicious.
I did not attempt to dye the ham though.
Add some Cake of course....
That is suppose to be a cat-in-the-hat hat. But it also looks like a "1".
I made this cake last minute- very last minute.
I had made a beautiful five tier tall red and white cake to look like the hat, but it was a disaster.
First of all- it turns out that no matter how much red food coloring you add to frosting- it will only be dark pink.
I refused to serve my son a white and PINK cake.
I tried a few things to make it work, but it just because one huge, sticky pink, mess.
First I cried in frustration.
Then, I quickly made a new, simple cake.
Not so sure at first, Sam spent about five minute poking at it with one finger.
Don't you love the party hat?
He liked the cake for long enough for me to get this picture.
Add some presents...
I took Kate to the store to pick out a gift for her brother.
I wanted her to feel important too on his day, and not be jealous, so she helped me pick out all the decorations, make things, and chose this puppy for him.
When we picked it out together she said "and he's gonna love it" and he did.
A pretty sweet mitten dog from Aunt Amy will likely be loved to death.
Maybe it can inch out the Cat-in-the-Hat.
In love with his new car seat.
Now he will be able to see what is happening!
Add some family....
My parents, my siblings and Grandma Elaine and Tom joined us for the festivities.
It was a lot of people for really just being my immediate family.

Here is our little family attempting to get a family shot.



It made for one great party for a boy we dearly love!
We love you Sam. We really do!

There will be more concerning the 1 year anniversary of my son's birth to come after he is actually one.

my sweetheart.

BEHOLD!

I am not sure when they arrived in my grocer's seasonal aisle. Sometime late Sunday night I suppose after the last of the desperate had cleared out the predictable for their Valentine. I didn't discover them until Monday evening though. I wait for these all year. ALL YEAR! They are above and beyond any other treat in exsistance (don't hold me to that). I have already finished off the bag I bought just 24 hours ago. And I am not talking about the personal sized bags. "Some day" I tell myself "I will stop eating like an eight year old without parents." I try to eat more fruits and vegetables than dessert when I am with child/ nursing said child- which has been pretty much the last four years straight. Thankfully, -currently, I am only responsible for my own nutrition.... so I will try to limit myself to a bag a week... don't hold me to that either.

Lovely Weekend.

Kate ready for church on Valenines Day.
Trying to take a picture with my kids.
On Friday night Jake and I got to go on our Valentines Date. We kid swapped with some friends so we could be alone for the date. We went to Tucano's where I had my fill of red meat for the year. I don't eat a ton of red meat- except in Cheeseburgers, but I like to eat at this Brazillian meat grill anyways. Then we shopped for a new cell phone for Jake and went to Harmon's (where strangely enough we spent part of our second date) to grab some Valentine's for our little Valentine's. I enjoyed dressing up, eating out, but Jake and I both loved picking out something special for the kids. Both Sam and Kate have coveted the balloon's lining the grocery store checkout all month. A heart shaped mylar for each with a straw cup tied to the bottom. They couldn't have been more pleased with their shiny floating wonders. They have been playing with them non stop since.


This basketball Jake got this week and the kids can't leave it alone. Samuel's genetic height potential is not that great, but Jake played high school ball, so maybe I shouldn't give up hope for him yet. Though there is not a picture, for Valentine's Day Jake bought me a bread machine. You may be thinking- isn't it the first cardinal rule of wife presents to not buy her small appliances. But not in this house. I have been wanting one for some time- and three loaves of homeade deliciousness have already graced our table.
This last picture is of me and cuddly Sam. He has been even more so his Mama's boy this last week. Sam has a lot of funny little health things about him that he has had since birth. His silly kidney- that ended up being just fine- evident upon birth when he urinated all over the nurses as they were cleaning him up. He is tounge tied- just like Jake was when he was born, although they slit his at birth and now the practice is to leave it until is creates a problem with their speech, and then there is his nodes. He has several bumps or nodes on his rib cage. One that is larger than the rest, and freaks me out when I pick him up sometimes. We joke around that it is his extra rib, we are going to use to make him a wife when he grows up, but in reality it worried me. His pediatrician finally had some concerns about it as well so he and I headed to the hospital for an afternoon of test. My tough kid, was not nearly as tough or well behaved as usual. Each time they would take him, he would scream, but then they would hand him to me, and he would immediately stop. Although I was sad he had to have all the tests, it will be one of my most treasured moments of his first year, walking around the hospital, his shirt off and wrapped together in a warm sheet, him holding on to me tighter than he ever has before. He has needed me more ever since. And although the whining is hard, I don't mind being needed. It won't be long before he is saying Kate's favorite sentence " I do it myself".

Did you notice a balloon string in almost every picture? I told you they were a hit.

Happy Valentine's Day.

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Love,
Sam

The kids are obsessed with computers. Maybe that is because their parents are. All kids are obsessed with computers. Maybe that is because all parents are. Sam is constantly touching the keyboard and mouse. Today he managed to open a word document and type that above. He means "Hope your Valentine's weekend is super sweet" he just hasn't learned to spell.

Speaking of the day of love. My old "Bungalow of Love"- the house that Jake and I bought right before we were married was featured on a before and after blog. Oh how we miss this house and all that is was for us. Which was perfect. At least it's memory lives on via this post. Check it out here. I feel pretty awesome about this because BetterAfter.blogspot.com is my new blog idol.

Crap!

Why being her mother is so easy sometimes. It is now almost 4:00 pm. And Kate has literally been at this table for four hours today- with an hour or so break for lunch doing "crap" as she calls it. She means CRAFTS. Ten dollars of paper, glue, stickers, paint, pipe cleaner, scissors and pom poms placed in a tub is a treasure chest full of frogs and rainbow, presents, snakes and bunnies. At least that is what Kate has been creating today. I have tried to engage her in other things, and play crafts with her, but an hour or so and I was pretty bored. I like being creative, but her attention span for this project well exceeds mine. I don't think she will stop until every paper is cut, glued, painted, and embellished with googly eyes... or at least it is dinner time and everything has to be cleared off so we can eat at this table.

No need for Disneyland when you can ride tea cup style in a toy bucket.
Couldn't get cozier for this little man. His favorite pillow, bottle, and silly cat. I have tried to convince him to have a different comfort animal. Something smaller- perhaps less silly. Nope. He loves this cat with all heart. So much so that is was officially his sixth word. So much so that a Dr. Seuss themed birthday is just around the corner. Thanks Aunt Amy :)

"Wanna play trains?" "Lets make and tungle (tunnel or tounge?)"

Today was brougt to you by the Letter "I"

Remember when Sam roared then pounced at a picture of a Hippo. That was awesome. I am not sure if he saw the beast and figured it growled like everything else big and wild, or if he was acting out some kind of predatory play. I also like how he recently rediscovered his nursing pillow that had been hiding in the closet. It is now in the play room and he lays and cuddles it like a long lost friend.... dreaming of better days I guess.
Remember when Kate got the FRIEND in the mail and promptly "read" it out loud to me page by page for over 30 minutes. That was hilarious... or how she refers to her rear end as her "button".

Saturday is oh so sweet.

Sam Rocks! and climbs! We call him godzilla. He's getting even fatter and more muscular than ever before. I think it may be related to the introduction of meat to his diet. This past week he ate two entire chicken thighs by himself and begged for more.Kate offers me a bouquet of children's utensils. Just what I always wanted.... we'd better get that in water.
We headed to the Bean Museum at BYU. Just for something to do with the kids. They liked just as much as the zoo it seems. We like it more than the zoo this time of year... it is free and indoors.
The kids thought this Liger was the best.

Kate sadly relates the animals she sees to Disney movies. IE... (an ostrich) "That is like Up" or "Bambi runs and runs" when checking out the deer. We really don't let her watch that much tv... really.
Jake always tries to convince me that he if we happened upon a bear in the wild he could most likely take it. But even he agreed he'd be no match for this beast.
Thanks Bean- your gave us the joy of hearing our children squeal in delight all Saturday afternoon for absolutley free.
I think next Saturday may include letting the kids dance themselves to sleep at a free Big Band concert here in town. Saturday is oh so sweet...especially when it begins with you sleeping in until 9:00.... well sleeping in is a funny way to put being up all night with kids, then handing them off to Jake at 6:00 for three hours of sleep. But that sleep is often the best sleep because I am not even subconsciously listening for the kids because I know Jake is awake and in charge.

Life is getting Simpler Still.

#1 Homemade laundry bag the size of a small adult woman
We have gone through so many hampers and laundry type bags the last few years. I don't know what the architect genius who designed our home was thinking when he decided to put the laundry room on the main floor, and all the bedrooms on the 2nd floor. This decision leaves me hauling loads and loads of laundry up and down the stairs every day. My life is so rough huh? I am complaining about moving laundry. After another worn through bag I decided enough was enough. I took a sheet sewed it into a long rectangular bag and used some scraps for handles. Not only did it cost me nothing it is actually big enough to fit a day or two of laundry in it.... which is somehow like seven loads of laundry. Remember when we didn't have a washer or dryer for the first four years of our marriage. What were we thinking?
All I know is- Laundry Bag I can fit in = a few less trips up and down the stairs.

#2 1 TB of external memory.
If you asked me what the most valuable material possession I owned was I would answer you in under one second flat that my pictures are what I prize above any other THING in my house. Jake and I headed to Best Buy on Saturday to pick him up a new netbook and we found this on sale for $99. That may seem like a lot for something I may never use- but it helps free up just one more ounce of energy I spend stressing out every time my computer seems to be on the edge of malfunction. I loaded every picture I have since 2002 which was around 6,000, every home video, my journal (which I have been keeping in a word file since 2002 which I highly recommend), digital copies of the scrapbooks I have created for the children, and anything else that seemed mildly important to me onto it in one simply hour. Then whisked it away to my fire safe and locked it up for safe keeping. I also went ahead and loaded the 6000 + pictures to shutterly.com for a back up to my backup. Now I will surely never have to rely on my own memory to remember the last wonderful eight years.
This 1TB of memory looks like a beautiful bar of minted silver but I would say it is worth it's weight in gold.


#3 A Garlic Press
This may seem like such a simple thing. And it is. The rest of the universe likely received one as a wedding gift and didn't think twice about it. I cook quite a bit, especially since I quit working and became a full time wife. I use to spend the time dicing and pressing my garlic for recipes by hand. Likely once a week. A few months ago, I purchase a garlic press for myself. Yup- I caved and spent all of $6.00 or so on a simple kitchen utensil. It has changed dinner prep in a minor way- but one minute a week for a year is almost an hour a year doing something as pointless as prepping garlic. I think I will be browsing the kitchen utensil selection at Smith's on a more regular basis for more normal modern kitchen conveniences.

What is new in your life making it that much simpler?

Genetics are Incredible!

Most people just go on and on... and on about how Samuel is a mini Jake. This week I was going through a box of my old stuff at my parents and found a picture of me as an infant. Jake and I both- when we saw it -though it looked so much like Sam. So I thought I would put some pictures up for comparison. In the defense of the "my children look like me too" argument I am constantly making.
I do see why people are always saying that Sam looks like Jake though. That perfect head, tear drop eyes and handsome grin declare the paternity of this child without a doubt.
Kate looks like she belongs in a peanut butter commercial to me in this picture- and a lot like Jake. I'm fair but I would classify Kate's ivory skin more on the level of her father's nearly allergic to the sun skin. Those luscious eyebrows and eyelashes she'll have to thank her Dad for too.
Hmmm, more Jake I think. This and the picture below I think are of similar ages of Kate and Jake.
Kate around 15 months old.
Not sure how old Jake is here- but I would guess around 18 months.
Those dimples sure do show up in our children's genetic strands with power. How lucky are they? I actually saw that creating dimples is now elective cosmetic surgery- costing thousands of dollars.
I'll leave you with a couple of this weeks favorite shots... and let you decide for yourself.
I think we can all agree either way that our genes meshed together to create a super breed of incredibly attractive children.