The Comfort of Friends

I have just been reading blogs of friends from Minnesota, Texas, and good ol' Kaysville. I just had a horrible pang of sadness because I miss everyone so much. I have to admit I have not really made any friends here in Idaho. It is just not the same as living outside of Utah/Idaho. Church really made meeting people so easy. Everyone was willing to embrace newcomers as part of their lives. It was as if they were saying, Come into our circle. You belong to us now. We will get to know you and take care of you. The automatic inclusion into a circle of friends was wonderful.

My experience in Idaho has been a lot different. People are nice and friendly but it has been limited to a casual acquaintance and nothing more. It seems as if people already have enough in their lives and they do not need more. They have friends; they have family near. They are not looking for more.

I miss close friends. I miss play groups at the park. I miss going to church where everyone knows my name and asks how things are going and really mean it. I miss wonderful Enrichment nights. I miss friends calling and arranging play dates and get togethers. I miss book club! I even miss gourmet club which was also so stressful but so much fun in the end.

So dear friends, I miss you and I am so grateful for blogs. I grateful we can keep in touch.

Sometimes It Is Nice To Rent

One recent Sunday morning I walked downstairs to the basement and I noticed something unusual in the window well. Upon closer inspection I discovered 2 to 3 inches of water pooling in the window well. As I was standing there I also realized my slippers were getting wet. I called to Brad and informed him of the problem. As we were trying to figure out what to do, we realized, "Hey, this isn't our problem. Let's call Jake!" I couldn't help but breathe a sign of relief that we didn't just buy a house with water damage.

We made a speedy call to the owner of the house as we tried to do what we could to discover why this was happening. We had had heavy rains that night (the first since we had lived in Idaho) and I realized that the rain gutter was dumping the water just to the right of the affected window. I found a tube that I used to divert the water away from the window until Jake could take a look.

When Brad and Jake pulled back the carpet they found a river of water running right into the basement under the carpet. They bailed the water out of the window well and set up fans to dry out the carpet.
It took a while to dry everything out and the water had seeped much further into the family room then originally thought (I had to pull the carpet back much farther than what is shown in the pictures). I used a dehumidifier to help get rid of that damp, musty smell that comes following problems like this. It appears that this has happened before and Jake is working on making sure it doesn't happen again.

Hopefully, it won't happen again...at least while we are living here.

What Happens in Vegas...

Brad and I took our first "real" trip together since the end of residency. At first it was supposed to be a business trip-some medical meeting (business write offs, etc.) but it ended up as a just-for-fun trip. Two other couples came along with us-Steve and Tobie and Mark and Denise.

We flew to Las Vegas Thursday morning. Brad's mom took Ben and my mom came up to stay with Emily and Sam. It was a perfect fit.

We stayed at the Wynn which was a very nice hotel. That night we saw Momma Mia! I was so excited. I loved the movie and Tobie and Denise had previously seen the musical in Salt Lake and Las Vegas and had raved about it. Brad was a sport and came with me. He enjoyed the second act much more than the first. I enjoyed it all!!!

Friday was filled with SHOPPING!!!! I have never been much for designer clothes-I can't bear to pay exorbitant prices-but I tried on some FABULOUS clothes!!!! I have never had clothes fit so well. I have lost about 13 pounds since I moved from Minnesota and it was so fun to try on "skinny" clothes. I tried on about six dresses that were amazing. Tobie and Denise told me to buy one but I can't bear to pay $200 for a dress. But it was fun!

That night we ate at The Capital Grill which was very nice and delicious. We then went to see Ray Romano and Kevin James. They were so funny. My cheeks were sore from laughing so hard. I was a fan of Everybody Loves Raymond and King of Queens so it was exciting to see them perform.

On Saturday Brad and I took it easy. We ate at the Wynn's Brunch Buffet and it was so delicious. It was so much better than any other buffet I had ever been to including The Davenport's brunch buffet in Spokane. (So much for those 13 pounds huh!). We browsed more shops and even tried on $20,000 diamond rings (Brad promised years ago to replace my wedding ring since we only bought what we could afford as poor college kids.) We didn't buy but it was fun to look.

That night we were supposed to go to The Comedy Stop at the Tropicana with the other couples but they decided it was too late since we had a 7:45 am flight back home the next morning. But Brad and I had taken it easy all day and we were ready to spend a night on the town. So after a few phone calls we ended up getting tickets to Phantom of the Opera. We paid for the cheapest tickets and they ended up moving us to the expensive seats. It was a great show. We had seen it before in San Francisco in 1995 but this one was so much better. Raoul's voice was amazing!!!

It was the perfect end to a perfect trip. We flew back early Sunday morning (a little too early in my opinion) and reunited with our children. They were happy to see us and enjoyed the cheap souvenirs we brought home for them. Thanks Mom and Dianne for watching our kids. We know they enjoyed it. We hope you have both recovered. Thanks Brad for planning a great trip! I really need a vacation.

PS We also stocked up on playing cards. Hand and Foot anyone....

Trick or Treat

Halloween was a highly anticipated event in our household this year. As with most children, the thought of buckets of free candy is one of the most exciting events of the year besides Christmas. Emily and Sam kept asking how many more days until Halloween. Emily informed me that we should have a countdown to Halloween just like we have at Christmastime. Emily kept asking when would we decorate, when would we carve pumpkins, when is it time for trick or treating, etc, etc, etc.

Here are the kids in their costumes. Isn't Emily adorable. Somehow she did not have her pom poms with her for the picture but she was in too big a hurry to get the picture over with so the fun could begin. I neglected to take a picture of her during her school Halloween parade (I forgot my camera, what was I thinking!) My neighbor took one for me but I haven't got it yet.

Here is my valiant knight in shining armor. He looked so handsome and brave in this costume. As you can imagine, the sword was the best part. This pose was his idea.

Now here is my adorable Benny. One thing about Ben-he LOVES dogs. I mean LOVES dogs. Whenever he is throwing a fit or being difficult all I have to do is say, "Benny, lets look out the window and see if there are any dogs" (our neighbors have two small dogs that occasionally are outside). His strong desire to see a dog usually saves my sanity. So when I was digging through the Halloween costume box, I was so happy to find Sam's old dog costume (he wore it when he was 2 years old). I knew it would be perfect for Ben.

Sure enough, Halloween night he allowed Brad to put the costume on him and was even delighted to be wearing it (he wore it all night without a fuss). When Emily stood in front of the door to have her picture taken, Ben waited for his turn and wanted me to take his picture as well.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the back of the costume. Isn't that tail the cutest? When I tried the costume on Ben, I pointed out the tail to Emily and Sam. Ben then turned to see and looked just like a puppy chasing his tail-around and around. What I wouldn't have given to have a video camera at that second. My kids were so excited to go trick or treating in our new neighborhood but we found out that the neighborhood does a trunk or treat instead. Our kids were soooooo disappointed. They did not want to trunk or treat. That was until I asked Emily's neighborhood friend if it was fun. She gave Emily the low down i.e. You Get Tons of CANDY!!!!!

Emily and Sam did not have school on Friday and so we spent the afternoon making paper bats and spiders and Kleenex tissue ghosts to hang up in our car for the Trunk or Treat activity that evening. The kids had a ball and made a huge mess. But it was totally worth it to see how hard they were working and how much fun they had doing it.

Brad's mom was able to join us for our evening festivities despite recovering from a nasty sinus infection. We had our traditional chili dinner, then dressed up, and headed to the Trunk or Treat activity. I thought the car looked pretty cool and we got many compliments on the decorations. I was surprised that we were one of the few to decorate. Party poopers!

The Trunk or Treat was a success and sure enough we got plenty of candy (and gave out plenty). Ben was SO EXCITED!!! After the first two cars, he realized that people were giving him candy. He would hold up his hand and they would hand him his candy and he would walk away giggling and giggling and giggling. He would not wait for Emily or Sam but continue on to the next car where he would hold up his hand or reach into the bowl, he was not shy at all, and get the candy. Then he would walk away giggling and giggling and giggling. It was a riot to watch him.

Sam said to me as we were walking around, "Mom, I really like Halloween."

After Trunk or Treating we headed over to Grandma T's. It was so fun to spend the evening with Dianne and have her a part of our holiday. Here she is with our crazy gang. Do you like my Hippie Witch costume? I bought it on clearance an few years ago for $2.90. I get so many compliments.After seeing Grandma at her house, we went to Steve and Tobie's to go trick or treating with their family (we promised the kids they could do some traditional trick or treating). Emily, Sam, Mikey, Ben and Sean had a great time trick or treating the neighborhood. I should have got a picture of them. What was I thinking! The fun continued with more candy, giggles, running from house to house, and more candy. Sam and Mikey got tired and all the boys headed home. Emily wanted to keep going and so Tobie and I walked one more cul-de-sac with her. She scored because every house gave her a handful of candy. I think it was because she was so darn cute.

It was a fun Halloween spent together as a family. As we drove to Steve and Tobie's, we passed the hospital and Brad laughed and said, "Ha, Ha I'm glad I'm not there." It hit me that even though Brad works hard all week long, his weekends and holidays are free to be with us. I am so happy about that!

Pumpkin Carving

My kids begged for days to carve their Halloween pumpkins. Finally on Thursday night we pulled out the pumpkin carving kit (it is really worth the few bucks for these handy tools) and set to work. Emily had previously decided that she wanted her pumpkin carved with the face of a cat (she saw it in a book at school). So we all got to worked pulling out the seeds and pulp of the pumpkins.I really don't like cleaning out the pumpkins so I'm glad that the kids are old enough to do the work.They had a ball sorting the seeds from the pulp (we never did get around to roasting them). Brad started carving one of the "decorative" mini pumpkins and it turned out quite cute. He even put a candle in it.
Here is Emily with her Kitty Pumpkin. She LOVED the pumpkin and would not let us put it outside because it might get stolen. She was horrified when Brad told her he was going to make it into pumpkin pie. She finally relented, it was either that or throw it in the garbage after it molded.Here is Sam with his pumpkin (please disregard his dirty face). He told Brad exactly what he wanted his pumpkin to look like. Can you see a resemblance?Here is a close up of our works of art. Pumpkin pie anyone?Sam's molded so fast. He picked it at his pumpkin patch field trip. It was already getting soft when we carved it so no pumpkin pie out of this one. This one is cute enough to eat.

Emily insisted on lining them up in order. The one that is colored is Emily's that she took to her school library.
Happy Halloween!

Ben's Pumpkin Experience

While we were carving pumpkins, Ben was:

• Playing with the little pumpkins
• Dancing
• Plundering
• Climbing on the table
• Trying to eat the pumpkins, pulp, and/or seeds
• Trying to grab the pumpkin carving tools
• Trying to climb back on the table
• Fussing
• Showing his tummy
• Being silly
• Getting in the way
• Being delighted by the carved pumpkins
• Awed by the lighted pumpkins
• Trying to play with matches
• Put to bed

Here are the pictures to prove it.

Toy Rotation

I am a firm believer in toy rotation. Not only because it is a good practice in home organization but because I am a recovering toy buying freak. It is true. I went through a period a few years back where I bought an insane amount of toys. Just ask Brad...or anyone else who visited my house. (BTW someone once asked me if I ran a day care because of all the toys)

Most of these toys were from the line of Fisher Price's Little People. I love these toys. I love the imagination they spur when children play with them, I love the memories I had playing with Little People toys with my sisters, and I love that Emily played with them for hours on end when she was younger.

Now I have the space to display all these toys but not the desire to either
A) See them scattered about my entire house while I freak out that the construction set is getting mixed up with the airport set and the airport set is mixed up with the zoo set, etc. (I am a little compulsive that way.)

or

B) See them sit there while no one plays with them and than I feel bad that they are not being used and memories are not being made creating fun Little People adventures with each other.

So to make sure the above mentioned things do not happen, I store each set with ALL the pieces (if a piece is missing I can't rest until it has been recovered-I know, I know-totally compulsive). Then I store the sets in plastic bins and place them in my storage room until the time is ripe for toy rotation. I had the house set out but now no one is playing with it so I packaged it up (no missing pieces, much to my relief) and stored it away for another playtime in the future.

A few days ago, I needed to get a few things done so I took out the Little People Amusement Park and Construction set bin and let Ben and Sam have fun. Here they are digging in. Sam had exclaimed, "MOM, I forgot about these. I LOVE THESE!" It was just like Christmas morning but in October and it didn't cost me so much.
Sam can hardly wait to figure out what adventures the Little People will experience today.
Ben is thrilled with new toys. Although, every toy is new to him.

So the moral of this post is that toy rotation is a great thing. I makes your old toys new again. Brad told me we didn't need to buy anything for Christmas, we just needed to wrap up their old toys and give them to the kids again. As much as I would like to do that, I do still have that insane toy buying freak deep inside of me. It sometimes sneaks out at Christmastime. Oh boy, oh boy!

Sam's New Shoes

While shopping at the huge superstore in my neighborhood, Sam stuck his foot in the shopping cart so forcefully (why he did such a thing is beyond me) that while pulling it out, his cheap copy ($5 at the aforementioned superstore) of a Croc broke. Tears and sobs erupted. I told him it was okay because he has another pair of shoes at home. But he was not consoled. He was teary all the way to the car and eventually it came out that his other shoes were too hard to put on and now he'll never be able to get his shoes on again.

I unloaded the groceries into the car and turned around to go back into the very huge store with two upset boys in tow. We don't want to have a barefooted boy in Idaho now that winter is looming.

After about a mile of walking, we arrived at the back of the store where the shoe department is located. We found a few shoes similar to the ones he had broken but they were unacceptable until we found these: Once he saw them he could not be persuaded to select another pair. I don't know if it was the cozy fleece lining, the transformer symbol (he saw a Transformer DVD, the cartoon version, at my mom house), or the bright yellow that was so enticing. Whatever it was, it was love at first sight.

Now every morning Sam comes upstairs dressed and wearing his bright yellow transformer shoes. At preschool he made a point to tell his teacher and all his classmates about his new shoes. No longer do we spend time looking for his shoes because he rarely takes them off. As you can see from his cheesy grin he is a happy boy!
I'm glad you got something you liked buddy and $10 wasn't too painful.

A Can of Worms

One day while I was trying to work at the computer, Ben was persistent about climbing onto my lap so he could pound on the keyboard. I gave up all attempts at working and decided to let Ben sit on my lap and "play on the computer". The pounding grew more fierce and in an attempt to distract him and save my keyboard I decided to let him view a YouTube clip of a childhood favorite, Cookie Monster singing "C is for Cookie".

Here is brief clip of Ben's excitement. The clip starts out with a cow mooing then the song starts.

We watched Cookie Monster about a million times. After I decided it was time to watch something else (Elmo's Song), I left the room for a minute and when I came back he had used the mouse and clicked back onto Cookie Monster and was watching C is for Cookie again. I was shocked that he had figured out how to use the mouse on his own.


After a few more minutes it was time to pick up Sam from preschool but Ben REFUSED to leave the computer. I carried him upstairs kicking and screaming. I think I opened a can of worms.

Here are few shots of Ben at the computer. He is mesmerized. (Please ignore the messy computer desk.)
One more time please!
Ben dancing and jiving to the music. I love those chubby arms!