What a Day...

Lincoln is on the month to month plan with the doctor.  At his 12 month appointment he had fallen below the 5% for weight and now we have to take him back each month until he is a least back up to the 5%.  Unfortunately, we were not successful at the appointment today and have to back again next month.  :o(  I honestly think it is because he has had 5 ear infections in the last 5 months.  In addition to going back to see Dr. Dell in a month we will be going to an ENT to see if Lincoln with need tubes.  Poor Boy.

While Lincoln is on the fattening up diet I am still on the Jillian Michael's program and watching my calories.  The other day I visited the hungry girl website and found this great recipe called Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo Veggie Explosion.  Yummy and super easy to make!  I did not use the tofu noodles but did use the Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta.  It was delicious, filling, and wonderful for my calorie count.  :o)

During Lincoln's nap Payton and I sat down to play a game.  She wanted to play checkers.  She has never played checkers but was very insistant that that was the game she wanted to play.  So I started explaining how to play the game to her; when I told her about how to jump my pieces and take them she got a big smile on her face and said, "Now that's what I'm talking about."  All I could do was laugh, where did she get the from?  She is such a funny girl.

So Sick...

Why oh why do kids share everything?  The kids have been passing a bronchial thing back and forth for the past couple of weeks.  It was bound to happen...I am feeling aweful.  It has been getting worse and worse everyday since Monday.  A sore throat, runny nose, and a mean cough.  I was miserable enough to go to the doctor.  Yup, to have her tell me I had a bad cold...

Not that I wished I had been sicker but at the same time I kind of wanted some justification for how bad I was feeling.  Now I just feel like a wimp.

From the Mouth of Payton

"Mommy, you have to be nice.  You have to share your cookies with Lincoln."

Delicious...

I am so embarassed but at the same time can not stop laughing.  My sister and I have a very weird sense of humor when it comes to passing gas.

I am not sure if pregnancy wreaks havoc on anyone else's system but for my sister and I, it is insane.  Poor Dave came into marriage believing that girls never passed gas.  When I was pregnant with Payton I got the "Are you kidding me?" look almost every day.  With Lincoln he just pretended like he never heard or smelled anything, all the while I am trying to contain my laughter.

Anyway, I have been going to the Chiropracter because of my back.  Usually when I go it is just my mom and I there.  Today all the tables were full (instead of taking his patients to private rooms he just has one big room with three tables).  While he was adjusting me he was doing the adjustment where he twists your top half opposite your bottom half.  Well, when he pushed down to adjust me I passed gas...loudly...there was no pretending it didn't happen.  The lady on the next table was very chatty and commented, "Oh, that sounded delicious." 

Mortified!  As soon as it happened I my face flushed and I broke into a sweat.  I think laughter is more just a way to deal with the volume of embarassment I am experiencing.  I was barely able to contain my laughter until I walked out the door.  I immedeately texted my sister the story.  She texted back that she couldn't stop laughing either. 

I may have to change chiropractors...

Pink Eye

Payton woke up this morning with her eyes glued shut from all her eye gunk.  Nice!  It was sad but at the same time kind of funny seeing her come through my bedroom door, crying, and trying to feel her way towards me with her hands.  Was it mean of me to laugh just a little at the sight?

We got her to the doctor and sure enough...She has Pink Eye.

How in the world do you convince a 2 year old that putting eye drops in her eyes will make her feel better?  She is not on board...yet.

The Big Dora Adventure

Dave is such a great daddy!  He took Payton and her cousin Ethan on a "Big Dora Adventure" this afternoon.  They started by going down the Slipery Hill.

Through the Quiet Forest.

To get the the Big Meadow.

They had a great time!  Dave made the trail himself with snow shoes.  He was pretty tired when we got back.  I got to follow on the path he already made. :o)

When we got back from their "adventure" I went inside to warm up and they stayed outside and built snowmen.  Four of them to be exact.   Payton even had names for each of them.  None of which I remember except for the one that is very boxy, he is Sponge Bob... 

Payton is so funny, when she really wants to do something she will not stop until she gets to do it.  She had been talking about building a snowman since we got to Truckee.  I wonder how many she would have made if we made her wait another day to build them.  Ha! Ha! 

On a side note, Jodie, a family friend was there with us.  She was visiting from England and introduced me to afternoon tea while we were in Truckee.  We drank hot cocoa instead of tea but it wasn't really about what we were drinking as much as just taking a few minutes to relax and visit with friends and family.  I LOVE afternoon tea!  Who wouldn't love something good to drink and a yummy little treat in the afternoon.  It was amazing how those 15 minutes affected the rest of my day.  I didn't experience my usual afternoon moodiness.  Ha!  Ha!  I plan on making this a tradition in our home.  :o)  Thanks Jodie!

Heading to Truckee

Decided to head up to Truckee early this morning instead of last night because of the weather and all the road closures.  Dave wanted to leave by 5...we ended up getting on the freeway at around 6.  LOL 

We thought the kiddos would go back to sleep once in the car but that was not the case.  They were both wide awake and excited for the trip.

We didn't get very far before our happy car ride started to change.  We hit Pleasanton and Lincoln threw up.  Yuck!  I knew it.  We get the car seat with the cover that is not removable or machine washable and get a child the gets car sick.  Can I just say, "Dave I told you so!" :o)

Cleaned Linc up and started up again and about 20 miles down the road he throws up again.  EEWW!  This time I get chunks on me as I am cleaning him up.  I didn't gag or heave at all.  Yay me!  With Lincoln now in his 3rd outfit, we set out again.

Lincoln falls asleep.  Dave and I are relieved.  Hopefully we can gain some ground.  After all we have been on the road for about 2 1/2 hours and are no where close to Sacramento. 

To hurry this story along.  Lincoln woke up and threw up two more times on our journey.  I am starting to think he may just be sick and not have a problm with car sickness.

In the mean time, Payton is developing some nasty gunk in both her eyes.  Does she have pink eye?

We made it! Yahoo!

I have never seen so much snow in Truckee before.  The birms on the side of the road were higher than the car.  I am so glad they have great road clearing service up there holy cow!

Payton had been talking about playing in the snow for days.  I don't think she even went in the house before she was asking for her snow pants and boots.  She wanted to explore everywhere.  It was so cute.  I tried to follow behind her and Dave with Lincoln.  I took one step and was hip deap in snow.  Whoops!  Guess I did need those snow shoes.  :o)

The vacation has started, YAY!

Gym Compliment

This morning when I was at the gym on of the regular guys came up to me and said, "You remind me a lot of my wife when you work out, perfect form and core, core, core."  What a nice way to start off the day.  :o)

Dave and I had planned to leave for Truckee for the weekend when he got home from work.  However, with the weather being so bad and with road closures we decided not to go until the next morning.  It was a good thing we decided to wait.  When Dave got home from work he came into the family room and asked, "When did the leak start?"  I said, "What?"  He said, "There is a leak right above the slider door to the atrium."  Sure enough there was a leak and it had warped the door trim, leaked down through the track and all over the floor.  If that wasn't bad enough there was water leaking from the light switch to the side of the door and running down the wall into the electrical socket.  Yikes!

Where in the world is the leak coming from?  Where do you even start looking?

My Day in Court

The day that I was painting all our interior doors I happened to witness a car being stolen.  I didn't see the car actually being taken but I saw a guy walk down our street and then saw the same guy speed off in someone elses car.  Details...  Anyway, I received a summons to appear in court as a witness.  Yikes!  I really didn't want to go but didn't really have a choice in the matter.

I don't know why I was so nervous about going.  I wasn't the one that did anything wrong.

I walked into a courtroom, raised my right hand and swore to tell the truth, sat on a stand and had a person type everything I said.  I told them what I saw and then was free to leave.  Overall painless.

As I was leaving I walked out to the parking lot and walked to where I remember parking my car.  My car wasn't there.  Crap.  I walked up and down the row.  Looked down the rows on either side.  Where the heck is my car?  Just as I was reaching for my phone to call Dave and tell him the bad news, I remembered that I had parked one level down...Maybe I shouldn't be posting this.  :O)

Crazy Day

This month my visiting teaching routes were changed as well as my visiting teaching companion.  Today was my first day out with my new companion, Julie, to visit a couple of our new sisters.  I had planned on leaving Payton and Lincoln at home with my mother but unfortunately she got sick with the flu.  Let me just say that there must have been a full moon because it was like they were on something.  At first they were really good but as the first visit went on and the second visit started they became harder to handle.  They were all over  the place, I couldn't keep them corraled to the same room while holding a conversation.  The screaming, the fighting over toys...I was so tired by the time we were done with our visits and also a little embarassed.  Why oh why couldn't they have been perfect angels.

I was going back and forth about whether to head over to the Bernal Ward Play Date or just go home and put them to bed.  I ended up being a little selfish and went to the play date.  I wanted adult conversation and wanted them to burn energy running around.  The play date was at the ward building because of the rain.  For the most part I think they really enjoyed themselves.  And they did burn energy!

Tonight as I was making dinner Lincoln was toddling around the kitchen just minding his own business.  When all of a sudden he walks over to the drawer we keep the placemats in, opens it, takes a placemats and throws them up on the table.  He did it over and over again.  He was trying to set the table.  How cute is that?

Later on when I was putting some laundry in the laundry basket he walked over and started helping me do that too.  What a helpful little boy he is turning out to be.  :o)

Screams heard through the night...

I wish I could say that I had the best night's sleep last night but that was not the case for anyone in our house last night.  Around 1:30 in the morning I heard Maddix scream out and he continued screaming for at least 30 minutes.

I almost went out and tried to see if they needed any help.

Jen said that nothing she tried worked.  She tried everything she could think of.  I guess Anthony was the only one who could calm him down at all.

Weird.  Wish someone knew what was bothering him.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

These pictures were actually taken yesterday after church.  Not to bad considering it is nearly impossible to get a picture of either of them looking at the camera these days.

Today we had my friend Aimee and her two boys over for a play date.  We had such a great time!

Look at what my sister caught them doing...Ha! Ha!  Reading books on Payton's Nook.  Isn't is cute how they are all huddled around the Nook?  I am so glad that my sister was able to capture this.  They had no idea she was even taking their picture.

Aimee and I cut up a bunch of hearts and hid them around the front room while the kids were playing (or reading) and then had them hunt for the hearts.  So simple yet so entertaining.  :o) 

We had heart shaped grilled cheese sandwhiches for lunch with fishy crackers and grapes.  I think grilled cheese sandwhiches are Payton's favorite lunch.  That is what she asks for everyday.

After lunch we made heart shaped rice crispy treats.  The kiddos decorated them for their daddy's, while sampling the toppings and a number of rice crispy treats as they did.  It was so cute, they just couldn't help themselves.

Visiting with Aimee was so nice.  We used to hang out or talk almost everyday when we shared a backyard fence and now I feel like I never see her.  I miss her!

For dinner I found an idea for heart shaped Calzones.  So I decided to try and make them.  Overall they were pretty good but not sure they were worth all the effort.  Maybe for a special occasion such as Valentine's Day but definately not to repeat as one of our regular meals.  Anyway, everybody said they were yummy.  :)

Enchiladas indeed

Today was Second Sunday Dinner with my family.  Enchiladas were on the menu and boy did we have enchiladas.  There are a few of us that either have food preferences and/or limitations and so we had four different kinds of enchiladas.  My sister made a big pan of the normal everyday ones and was also kind enough to make a small pan of the low calorie ones for me.  My mom has extreme limitations to what she can eat so made two whole pans of two different kinds of vegan enchiladas.  I don't think I need to comment that there were a ton more enchiladas than we could eat.  YUMMY!

Leadership Training

At the begining of this year I was called to be a counselor in the Primary Presidency in our ward.  I was and am very excited about this calling.  But boy oh boy do I have a lot to learn.  There are quite a few areas that I have absolutely no idea about cub scouts, acheivement day...  Yikes!  Where do I begin?

This morning I attended a leadership training at church.  I loved it.  It was so refreshing to be able to sit and focus all my attention on what was being taught instead of having my attention split between the message, Payton, and Lincoln.

The thing that stuck out the most was when they talked about spiritual deposits vs. withdrawls.  They probably didn't use those exact words but because I have been reading the Love and Logic parenting books and they talk about deposits vs. withdrawls...  I went away feeling that I have really got to step up my game and be making as many personal spiritual deposits as I can so that I can be a better leader, teacher, parent, spouse, etc...

Gilroy Valentine's Party

My friend Jessica is an excellent party thrower.  She thinks of everything from the cute decorations to clever and fun food.  Thank you for planning such a fun play date!

Payton and Lincoln had such a great time playing.  I love her play room.  I wish I had one, it is a great way to contain kid toys to one area of the house. :o)  I am definately going to have to rethink our office when Jen and Anthony move out.  Ha! Ha!

Jessica always makes the best food too.  She made these little pizza balls.  Lincoln loved them I think he ate three of them.  That is big considering he has turned into one of the pickiest eaters I have ever seen.  She also made these conversation heart, cookie, lollipops.  So cute!  Of course Payton loved hers but Lincoln also enjoyed his. 

I forgot to put the memory card back in my camera so never got any pictures.  Jessica did take pictures and even sent them to me but for some reason blogger is not letting me access them.  :o(  You will just have to take my word for it that everything was cute.  LOL

Tonight we decided to go to Baja Fresh for dinner with the kiddos.  I got a gift card for my birthday, thanks Rich and Sarah.  :o)  Everything tasted so good!  Again Lincoln ate really well.  He must have been really hungry today.  We did finish up with some Sweet Retreat.  Yummy!  I am really enjoying our date/family nights.

Bernal Clothing Ward Swap

Our ward had a clothing swap today.  Boy oh boy was I mistaken about how many things were going to be there and how early everyone was going to show up.  It started at 10 and I got there at 10:15.  People were already leaving with boxes of clothes and other items.  I did find some really cute things and had a lot of fun visiting with everyone that was there.

There were a bunch of kids there running around and it was so fun to watch Payton join in with them.  I even watched her run up to a group of girls that were playing with one of the toys being donated and say, "Hey girls, watcha doing?"  It was so cute.  She is breaking out of her shell.  Yay!

I Lost 10 Pounds!

I stepped on the scale this morning and my jaw dropped...I have lost 10 pounds!  Yay!  Thank you Jillian!

Today was the Bernal Ward Valentine Play Date.  It was so fun.  I am so glad we went.  We haven't been able to go to a Bernal Ward play date for a while for one reason or another.  Today there was a potluck lunch with lots of yummy food (I love Ela's Chicken Chili).  After lunch the kids played some games and decorated little bags to put their Valentine's in.  I loved watching Payton hand out her Valentine's.  She was so cute and so excited to give all of her friends little treats.  She would run right up to who she was giving her Valentine to and lean in close and say, "Happy Valentine's Day!".  She is such a sweet little girl.  Lincoln had a blast too.  My little man just toddled all over the blast.  He is so quick, I thought I was doing a good job at keeping an eye on him but there were a couple of times when I would look over to where he was and he would just be gone.  Yikes!  I need to put a leash on that boy.

Tonight I went to a Pampered Chef party at my friend Aimee's house.  I really like Pampered Chef things.  When I was going to school at BYU, my roommate had a bunch of Pampered Chef things and I remember really liking how they worked.  I would love to have a bunch of Pampered Chef stuff but it is so flippin expensive.  :o)  I will just have to add things piece by piece.  Tonight I got some of their measuring items.  Since I have started "Making the Cut" I have been measuring EVERYTHING.  I know it seems silly to be excited for measuring cups and spoons but I can't help it.  :)  I AM SO EXCITED!!!

A Sleepy Boy

Lincoln, Payton, and I sat down to eat lunch.  As usual I give Payton and Lincoln their food and then I get my food ready and sit down and finish lunch with them.  Well, I went to sit down and poor little Lincoln was falling asleep while he was eating.  It was the funniest thing ever.  I have never actually seen a child fall asleep while eating before.  Sure I have seen pictures of kids asleep in a highchair with food all over their face, but it is a whole different story to witness it.  LOL.  Not to worry I grabbed my camera to document this momentous occasion.  :O)

A little later in the day after his nap, he and I were sitting in the rocking chair and he looked up at me and said "Biaper" and I said "Diaper?".  He said it again and pointed down the hall.  I asked him, "Do you need a diaper change?  Show me what you are wanting."  He slid out of my lap, ran down the hall pointing and saying, "Biaper, Biaper", ran into Dave and my room, picked up a diaper and handed it to me.  Amazing!

Date Night

Dave and I have not been out on a date in I don't know how long.  I feel so guilty leaving Lincoln and Payton at home while Dave and I go out.  I guess I feel like they should be with us since we really don't get to spend very much quality time all together.

However, I am also recognizing that Dave and I need some quality time with just us too.  I know, I know this is something you hear all the time but sometimes it just doesn't sink in right away.  Tonight we went out to Outback for dinner and then went to see Sanctum. 

It was so nice going out to eat and not having to worry about preparing it or cleaning up after it.  :o)  We will definately have to do that more often.  LOL  The movie was OK.  Kind of depressing actually.  I think someone died every 10 to 15 minutes.  Kind of a downer and definately not the feel good movie I usually enjoy.  I have seen some trailers for upcoming movies that look pretty good, defiantely a possible future date night.

It was so nice just being able to hang out with no other real distractions.

A New Car Seat

Lincoln has a new car seat!  Yup, he is forward facing, and very excited about it.  Everytime I turn around and look at him he gives me the biggest smiles.  He is the cutest little guy ever.  Unfortunately, his mommy has gotten very lax about taking pictures of things like this.  :(

Food.  I love food.  I feel like I am obsessed, especially since I have started "Making the Cut".  I am definately seeing results but man it is hard to be good when there is so much good food out there.  :O)

Tonight Jen and Anthony were taking Anthony's sister, Joyce, to Spaghetti Factory for dinner and invited us along.  Of course I said yes but then I had to go to work figuring out what I was going to eat so that I would not go over my calories.  Spaghetti Factory has a dish that I absolutely LOVE.  In fact, everytime Spaghetti Factory is mentioned my mind goes straight to Browned Butter and Mizithra Cheese Pasta.  This option is not low calorie...but I wanted it sooooo bad.  I sound like an addict.  Anyway, I opted for the Manager's Favorite with the Meat Sauce and Browned Butter and Mizithra Cheese Pasta.  When the plate came I immedeately divided it in half.  I ate one half and boxed the other.  Although, the meal was higher in calories than I would have liked I did not go over on my claories for the day.  Yay me.  :o)

Happy Birthday Grandma Draman

Happy Birthday Grandma Draman!

Today the kids got together and made birthday cards for their Great Grandma Draman and their Uncle Rob.  They all love to color and love stickers so it was a fun activity.  Even Lincoln joined in on the fun.  :o)

Nap and Dora

I put Payton and Lincoln down for a nap and started my free time activities.  :o)  When all of a sudden I started hearing music, sounded like hispanic music.  I couldn't tell where it was coming from.  I was standing in the kitchen and our atrium door was open so I thought that maybe it was our neighbor, who is a DJ, playing music.  But the more I listened the more it sounded like Dora the Explorer.  I though, "There is no way the neighbor is playing Dora." 

That is when I realized the music was coming through the monitor and Payton was in fact watching Dora the Explorer on her Nook...How the heck does she even now how to do that?

S'mores

Today it was just Payton, Lincoln, and I at the house.  Jen went to work, Caeden went to daycare, and Maddix went with Jen.  All in all it was very quiet around these parts.  :o)

I thought it would be fun to make a yummy treat with Payton.  Last night while I was getting ready for bed I was thinking about making the same peanut clusters that my grandmother makes and then thought, "Hey there is no reason why I couldn't use the same chocolate and add marshmellows and graham crackers to make little s'more bites."  It was a great little activity to do with Payton.  They are quick, easy, and best of all it doesn't really matter what they look like when you are done.  :o)  I melted the chocolate and Payton crushed and added the graham crackers and added the marshmellows.  Then we took turns stiring.  They were a hit with Payton and Lincoln! 

After we started making the s'more bites I wondered why in the heck I was tempting myself with goodies like this.  I am doing so good on Jillian's "Making the Cut" program.  I have lost 8 pounds so far!  Yay.  At least I am seeing some results, that makes it a little easier to stick with it.

So we have been asking everyone that comes to our house, what the heck do you think we should do with our atrium.  What about a catatarium?  :o)  What is a catatarium?  Well, it is like an aquarium but for cats.  LOL  The weather was so nice today that I just opened the door to the atrium and let the cats wander in and out as they pleased.  Dave and I are trying to think of things we could put out there that the cats would enjoy but that would not enable them to escape, like a cat tower.  They LOVE being outside!

Dave and I needed to run by the mall tonight to look for a gift and decided just to go out to eat while we were there.  Since Payton insisted on having a grilled cheese sandwhich we decided to go to Cheesecake Factory because that was the only place I knew that made them.  Well, my brother-in-law, Anthony, and Caeden ended up meeting us there for dinner.  The kids were a little crazy but still were really good.  It was so funny though, the hostess kept trying to sit the table right next to us and time after time the people would glance over at us and ask if they had a booth open.  Six couples refused the table.  Ha!  Ha!