I Saved a Life!

I thought my previous post would be my last post of the year, but thanks to SDC it isn't. In my post a few days ago, when I revisited the list of 100 Things Survey, I indicated that I would like to save a life if I could. Well, today I did. I saved Nolan's cat, Beijing. We have a gas stove and I was using one of the burners. SDC was sitting on the counter (where she is not supposed to be). She flicked her tail and almost immediately I smelled burning hair. Her tail was under my pot and in the gas flame. She didn't realize she was burning. I grabbed her smoldering tail and ran my hand up it and ended up with a handful of burnt fur. Then Beijing got mad at me- how dare I mess with her tail! She angrily meowed at me, jumped off the counter and went about being a cat. I went and told Nolan what happened; he was upset and wanted to make sure his kitty was fine. He was very grateful that I helped his kitty.

Looking Back at 2008

2008 has been an exciting year. It started out rocky for me with a third consecutive miscarriage in January, but only to find out a month later that I was pregnant again. After a stressful 20 weeks, and 19 additional uncomfortable weeks, with 7 ultrasounds, several episodes of bleeding, and a trip to the hospital in Shanghai, Miles was born without incident on October 9th. It's been interesting going back to the "baby" phase. I am completely obsessed with being a new mom again and Miles brings me so much joy. He brings out the "dork" in all of us as we are willing to do almost anything to get him to smile or laugh!

We spent 11 days in China as a family this past spring. We toured from Beijing down to Shanghai. We hiked atop the Great Wall, visited the Summer Palace and Forbidden City. We were hurried through Tiannamen Square. We visited a park and many temples, saw the Olympic venues, visited Confucius's' grave, hiked a holy mountain (with the help of a tram!), and bartered with street vendors. We went to "chinatown" in Shanghai, walked the shopping district, rode the Maglev train, saw incredible skylines, and ate more Chinese food that you can imagine. I am surprised that Jonathan will still eat white rice after living on it for a week and a half in China.

Jonathan and Nolan continued to excel academically with near 4.0 GPAs. Jonathan had one A-. Jonathan was recognized at his junior high for his high GPA, and received an English Excellence award. Nolan received the Academic Achievement award for his third grade class.

Both boys had sports victories as well. Nolan won the under-10 boys 100 yard I.M. at the county swim meet this year. Jonathan won the overall youth title at the South Summit Triathlon.

Dan's work schedule changed this fall to 4 10-hour work days. He takes Mondays off. He traveled I think only once this year... our poor frequent flier account! He's been busy managing his engineering group, getting patents issued, and has been asked to be a contributing author for some materials book. Dan's year can be summarized by the words bike/run/ski/work.

Jonathan earned his Eagle Scout rank this year at the age of 13 years 6 months and 24 days. He has 42 merit badges and plans for many more. His Eagle Court of Honor will be held in February.

Nolan finally got his cat. He picked out a cat for his birthday and named her "Beijing" because she is beige and to "help him remember China". She is a wild cat and plays mean with her claws when harassed, but Nolan loves her!

I expanded my horizons this year with golf lessons. I had fun learning even in 100 degree heat and being 5 months pregnant. I played several rounds of golf with Nolan and Jonathan and had a great time, but learned not to let them drive the golf cart! I spent hours and hours this past summer and fall cross-stitching a blanket for Miles. I watched way too much daytime TV while stitching and because "friends" with people like Judge Alex, Judge Judy, Judge Christina, Judge Joe Brown, and Oprah. Now that the blanket is done, I don't miss my daytime friends!

Other recollections include having Amy and Leslie back in Provo for school. I've enjoyed observing directionally challenged Leslie! She's always good for a laugh when she's trying to go someplace new (love you, Les!). Amy discovered that she has a passion for making people better- she's an EMT and in the nursing program at BYU. Aly, my heroine, graduated from BYU... she has 4 kids and finished her degree. Watching her walk at the BYU summer graduation was awesome! Dad escaped another "date with death" as he had surgery for an abdominal blockage- twice. Mom continued to be her usual rock and held us all together in times of crisis. I cannot leave my buddy Zane, aka 'Saurus Rex, out of my year. Zane is my buddy and I love his random phone calls that his mommy helps him make, as well as the calls he accidentally makes when he gets a hold of his mommy's cell phone.

Finally, I will remember this year as the year an African American won the US Presidency and the economy collapsed. I'm so glad that Dan is nowhere near retirement so his 401K can recover. The morning after Miles was born, I watched the opening of the NYSE and the Dow plunge below 8,000 points. Housing markets have plunged, food prices are up, gas prices reached over $4 per gallon then dramatically dropped to below $1.50 per gallon. Thankfully, we have, thus far, not been terribly affected by country's economic troubles.

Well, I'm looking forward to 2009... Leslie is getting married, Miles will reach many milestones, the big boys will continue with their awesome accomplishments, Dan will hopefully remain employed and stay satisfied with his bike. Me... well, I'm planning on plugging on, balancing the boys' lives, and staying happy!

100 Things Survey (Part 2)

Earlier this month I pasted a survey of 100 things that if you'd done, you were to bold the item. Well today I want to revisit the list and this time I will delete the things I've done and bold the items that I'd like to do!

9. Held a praying mantis- yuck, don't like insects. Actually, I have had a mantis on me before, but it was not intentional
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea- No, because that would mean that I'd be out on the sea in the storm, right?
15. Adopted a child- not in my plans, but not opposed to it
22. Hitchhiked- hello... it's called stranger danger...
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill- don't work outside the home so there is no such thing as a "sick day"
24. Built a snow fort- I hate being cold, but Nolan builds them regularly
25. Held a lamb- no- yes, I have a zoology degree, but that doesn't mean I like animals
26. Gone skinny dipping-
27. Run a marathon- no desire, but am considering a half marathon in August (if I can get off my lazy bum and train without injury this time)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice- romantic for some, but not a priority for me
31. Hit a home run- maybe I should start with a single first
32. Been on a cruise- someday...
35. Seen an Amish community- see #32 above
36. Taught yourself a new language- Miles and I are working on ASL now. I know more, ball, milk, water, dog, cat, mom, dad, and want!
39. Gone rock climbing- on a wall is good enough for me
41. Sung karaoke- spare the workd!
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant- maybe (this deserve a half-bold)
44. Visited Africa- must go on safari!
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight- see #28 above
47. Had your portrait painted- NO!
48. Gone deep sea fishing- I get sea sick!
55. Been in a movie- my ego is not that big
57. Started a business- no... let someone else do that and I'll patronize it!
58. Taken a martial arts class- does watching Kung Fu Panda count?
59. Visited Russia- Nolan wants this for the next family vacation
60. Served at a soup kitchen- I guess I just haven't wanted to do this bad enough... what's holding me back here?
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp- been to Yad Vashim in Israel. That was hauting, but to actually go to a camp...
67. Bounced a check- not yet and never plan to
72. Pieced a quilt- okay, I am actually in the process of cutting the material for a denim pieced quilt!
75. Been fired from a job- do mom's get fired?
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle- I prefer the safety of a steel framed car!
85. Read the entire Bible- cannot even get through Exodus
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating- I'm a veg!
89. Saved someone's life- but only if it presented itself to me
90. Sat on a jury- who wants to do this?
95. Seen the Alamo in person- is this still in Texas... I'll see it when it moves to somewhere I actually want to go

That leaves me only 9 things to do on this list. Maybe I should make my own list of things I want to do! I'll be back with that list in few weeks!

For Your Entertainment

Dan had Miles laughing like a loon tonight. I got it on video, of course after the best laughs were done, but at least I got some giggles. My question is what's funnier... Miles laughing or Dan's methodology to get Miles to laugh?

Christmas 2008

Well Christmas has come and gone, but life has not slowed down! We've had a good holiday season... but Dan has to return to work on Monday and it's time to pack up the decorations and dust the living room again!

Parley, Bona, and Lynn came over for Christmas Eve. Dan made pizzas. After dinner we gathered around the webcam and Skyped with Steve and his kids in Okinawa. Nolan entertained Steve's kids by putting on crazy costumes. After the big boys went to bed, "Santa" dragged out the stash of gifts and Miles got his picture taken in front of the tree. We were all in bed by 10 p.m.!

Christmas morning, Nolan was patient with all of us lazy people. He finally got us up at 8 a.m. and then we all had to drag Jonathan out of bag (he is such a teenager). The big boys tore through thier gifts and were, on the whole, pleased with their haul. The big gifts this year were a digital camera for Jonathan and Guitar Hero DS for Nolan. My parents gave us the coolest gift- a photobook showing the ever-growing Madsen family. It started with just my parents, then came Scott, then me, then Aly, then Amy and Leslie. They were followed by my wedding pictures, then Scott's, and so on down to the grandkids and all the way to Miles! It's fabulous. We spent the afternoon at Parley and Bona's just hanging out and visiting with Dan's family. And yes, we had a white Christmas with about 6" of new snow.


The day after Christmas, a ski trip was planned, but due to another incoming snow storm, it was pushed back a day. Dan, Jonathan, Nolan, Newell, and Spencer went snowshoeing. Last night the boys went swimming. This morning, the big boys got up and headed to Solitude for a day of skiing. Miles and I went to Aly's to Cole's first birthday party. Cole did an awesome job with his cake. The only after-Christmas shopping that I've done in person was a quick trip to the grocery store today. I walked out with 46 bags of good Christmas candy, 24 rolls of lifesavers, and a dozen chocolate oranges! I'd say we are candy-set for they next many, many months.

Miles Laughs and other stuff

Finally, yesterday, we heard the sound we've been waiting to hear. Miles laughed for real! For the past several days he'd been making a sound that we thought was laughter, but we weren't sure. Yesterday Miles laughed and laughed, leaving no doubt to anyone that he can laugh. What was so funny? Well, me, of course! Miles was propped in the corner of the couch. I went up to him and said "yes, yes, yes" while nodding my head. My hair was moving back and forth and that set him off laughing. "No, no, no" with head and hair going back and forth worked as well. Miles laughed for me. He laughed for Dan. He laughed for Jonathan and Nolan. Jonathan even commented how cute it was. Last night Miles was laughing like a hyena again. This time it was Dan zooming in on Miles while saying "goo". I ran to get the video camera, but of course, right as I was ready to film, Dan was no longer funny and Miles stopped laughing.

Today, being Christmas Eve Day, I had a few last minute errands to run. A quick trip to the bank, art supply store, grocery store, and of all places, the post office. I hadn't mailed our Christmas cards that go international because the lines at the post office had been so long. I figured today there wouldn't be a line since nothing mailed today will be delivered in time for Christmas. WRONG! There was a line, much shorter than its been though, but still there was a line. It was slow moving. One person was there because 2 weeks ago they mailed an envelope with about $1000 in it and it didn't arrive at its destination... ouch! Anyway, last of the Christmas cards were mailed today. The grocery store was insanely busy. The store owner has stores in nearby towns. He was shuffling stock from store to store via his pickup truck. Arriving at our store was a pallet of snow melt and several cases of sour cream.

Tonight Parley, Bona, and Lynn are coming over for pizza and a webcast with Steve and his family in Japan. Aly and her crew were invited but, as of now, aren't coming because Cole's nose is busy. Anyway, last minute stocking stuffer wrapping, a quick house pickup, and neighbor gifts still need to happen, so off I go... Merry Christmas Eve!

Belnap Fiesta!

Last night all the local Belnaps and Newell's family got together for a birthday party. Holly and Becky recently had birthdays and we had their birthday dinner- falafals and cake. Afterward continued with the tradition of Christmas hymn singing. We gathered in the living room and sang through every Christmas song in the hymn book. Parley played the piano and Jonathan accompanied on his sax. Jonathan is amazing... his sax is an E-flat instrument and he can transpose the music in his head to match the key that the song is written in. Miles got passed around from girl cousin to girls cousin... he didn't mind it at all.

And It's Snowing AGAIN

No snow this fall, but for the past week we've been getting slammed. I'm sick of it. Today it started to snow at 9 a.m. and hasn't stopped yet. We are approaching the 10" mark and the storm is supposed to be around for another 6 hours with flurries for the next 24 hours. We are supposed to get 24 hours off (so the roads can get cleared?) and then bombed again on Christmas Day. The city snowplows just barely came through our neighborhood, as we are a "low priority street". Some sweet man took pity on us and was out plowing our street with his own truck and blade. He did a better job than the city trucks! The city just plows a single lane down the middle of the street. This guy plowed a full two lanes. And to think Amy and Leslie are missing out on all of this...

SDC Strikes Again

Beijing has a new favorite place to play. It's actually kinda cool watching her leap up to the cabinet tops, leap from cabinet section to cabinet section, and run down the cabinet faces to get down. I don't like looking up and seeing her peering down at me... one of these days I fear she may use my head as an intermediate descent point. Beat that, Ron!

Big Boys at Midway

The big boys love going to Midway. I think they like it because of the slow pace we go, the lack of responsibility, and no chores while we're away. It's like they get to put their brains on "sleep mode". Here they are doing their "favorite" things. Nolan loves his DS and would like to play in 24/7. He does get frustrated when he doesn't get the high score (this weekend he was especially frustrated with his triple jump performance while playing "Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games"). Jonathan prefers the perennial favorite activity of teenagers... sleeping. This night he went to sleep dreaming of mid-February 2009- the start of the 2009 NASCAR season with the Daytona 500.

Our Winter Escape

We had our annual "weekend before Christmas" escape to Midway this weekend. It's fun to get away and have nothing scheduled during this hectic time of year. Our only plans were to sleep in and let the boys dictate the schedule. We arrived on Friday night, had dinner, then Dan, Jonathan, and Nolan went swimming and played ping pong. Miles and I hung out in the condo by the fireplace watching TV. Saturday morning we got up when we felt like it (except for Jonathan who got dragged out of bed around 10 a.m.). We drove to Park City where Jonathan spent the gift certificate he won from the triathlon in September. He got biking gloves, and small bike pump, and a patch kit. Then we went to Walmart because we forgot to bring our sleds. After lunch the boys went swimming and played ping pong again and then went tubing. We decided to see if Miles liked tubing so we bundled him up and found him a nice, gentle slope... he loved it! He tubed down the hill about 8 times before he got sad. Then it was dinner, the Las Vegas Bowl on ESPN, and more swimming for Dan and Nolan (who forgot their towels and had to spring back to the condo soaking wet in near zero degree weather). Today we got up, ate, packed up, watched the Sunday morning political shows, then headed back home. It was a lot
of fun.

There's an Eagle in my House

A few weeks ago I posted that there was a Bear in my house, now we add an Eagle to the collection of wild beasts roaming my halls. Last night Jonathan had his Board of Review for his Eagle rank. It was a frustrating night from my point of view. He was told to be there at 6 p.m. with paperwork in hand and in uniform. Done! Well, at 6 p.m. one guy from the council wasn't there, nor was the advancement chair of Jonathan's troop. They waited "forever" for these men then finally decided to start without them (about 6:30 p.m.). Jonathan was pacing around the whole time showing classic signs of nervous energy... once he got into his BOR he was fine and knew it all. Dan got to sit in on the BOR and said the reviewers were impressed because Jonathan has done so much in scouting at such a young age (one man offered to take him to dinner if he earned 50 merit badges- he's at 42). Anyway, after a while Jonathan was sent out into the hall so the reviewers could "discuss things". Poor Jonathan's nerves... he was worried because there were concerns about the number of personal hours he spent on his project. Anyway, relief came a few minutes later as Jonathan was told he was now an Eagle. We're not done yet though and this is where my frustration comes in. Evidently, 2 required forms are missing from his paperwork. It's frustrating because I talked with 5 people about what we needed to have ready for the BOR and I got 5 answers. I talked with Dan (who didn't know), and man in our ward who has been through several Eagle things and got 1 set of answers, talked to another man in our ward who gave me a different set of answers, talked to the guy over scouting in our ward who had no clue, and talked to people at the scout office who gave me a completely different set of answers. I checked the BSA web site and there again is another set of answers. I asked the scout office about the BSA web site listed requirements and she told me to ignore them and they do things different in our council. GRRRRR! Shouldn't somebody know what forms are needed? Anyway, I've been told that Committee Chair will get me the necessary forms to fill out. I told him that all this paperwork stuff should be in a packet that goes out to every scout as they earn their Life rank and prepare for Eagle so this confussion can be avoided. Anyway, all is well that ends well. Jonathan has achieved the highest rank the BSA offers. He's learned a lot and loved scouting. I love that he says that just because he's earned his Eagle doesn't mean that he is done with scouting. He says he want to be earning merit badges and Eagle Palms as a Priest. Good for him! Oh, and as for the missing members of the Board of Review... one made it around 6:45 p.m., the other said he was never told about the BOR.

Miles Meets Santa

There's a nasty snow storm outside right now. That made me think that it would be a great time to take Miles to meet Santa. I was thinking "only a nut would drag their kids out to see Santa in this weather... there shouldn't be a line." Well, I was right! It did take 35 minutes to get to the mall, but Miles was the first kid of the day to see Santa. So 35 minutes to get to the mall, 5 minutes to get into the mall, 30 seconds with Santa, 5 minutes to get back to the car, 30 minutes to get home (the roads were in better shape)... what a good use of my time and gas! I did get to watch 3 consecutive cars spin out while trying to turn onto State. Oh, and no, Miles didn't care one bit about seeing Santa, but he was mad that he had to get back into his car seat again so fast.

Student of the Day

Yesterday Jonathan was selected as one of the Oak Canyon Students of the Day (there are 2 per day). He was nominated by his algebra teacher for being a great math student and helpful in the classroom. They announce the students of the day during morning announcements then at some point during the school day, one of the assistant principals came into his class and presented him with a certificate and some coupons good for Wendys, a free yogurt, a "fast pass" for the lunch line, a coupon for a free soda, a candy bar, and a pen. His picture will be hung in the foyer at the school for a week. He was flying high when I picked him up yesterday.

Must Be Like Everyone Else!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Pictures

I Can Copy Aly

... but can answer the questions all by myself!

Holiday Survey

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper- bags are for lazy people and the element of surprise/anticipation is lost... remove tissue paper... see what's inside; no fun
2. Real tree or Artificial? Fake, allergic to real, my skin gets spotty and my nose is stuffed until the tree gets thrown out, also... no need to hunt for the perfect tree... it's in a box under my stairs
3. When do you put up the tree? after Thanksgiving, within a day or so, but NEVER before
4. When do you take the tree down? After Baby New Year comes
5. Do you like eggnog? Never
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hawaii was cool, so were my skis
7. Hardest person to buy for? Parley
8. Easiest person to buy for? me
9. Do you have a nativity scene? more than I have Santas
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail, yes email would be easier & cheaper, but how impersonal... pick an e-card, email to everyone in your address book, total time involved= 2 minutes, but totally tacky
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Anything Aunty Helen bought
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? They are all so lame...
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I've got a few things for Miles for NEXT YEAR!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yep- neighbor gifts...
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Toffee, Chocolate Peanut Clusters
16. Lights on the tree? white
17. Favorite Christmas song? Christmas is a Time to Say "I Love You"
18. Travel or stay at home? stay home- traveling with kids + gifts= nightmare
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, but is it Donner or Donder, and what about Rudolph?
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Nothing
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning, chaos style, no turn taking!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Christmas carp in stores before Halloween this year
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I'm into the snowflakes on my tree- metal, rhinestone, crocheted
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? anything I am not cooking
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? We renewed our Christmas truce... I really have all I need and hate spending money at the moment. Okay- world peace.. bu tI really need a new wire wisk

Allstate is a Rip-off

We've had Allstate insurance for about 15 years. We've never had a homeowners claim and haven't had an auto claim in nearly 9 years. We got our automobile renewal notice... they are jacking our auto insurance rate by $100. Six months ago they raised it $50. So in all, they raised our rate $150 in a year. Well, I thought that was a bit ridiculous and called my friend who works for State Farm. She told me to stop in for a quote. I did this morning. For the exact same auto insurance coverage, State Farm was $403 cheaper per 6-month period. I had her check homeowners... for better coverage than we now have, State Farm will insure us for about $100 less per year than Allstate. Guess who is going back to State Farm on Monday to switch insurance companies...

Two Month Check-up

Well, 3 shots and one "drink" later, we are home for the pediatrician's office. Miles was great. He got 4 vaccines for 8 diseases (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, pneumo something, hep b, hib b, polio, and rotovirus). He didn't spit his "drink" out- that was the rotovirus vaccine. He cried with the shots but stopped as soon as I picked him up. His immune system is getting a rev-up. He's definitely growing, but is still my smallest. At 6 weeks Nolan weighed 11# 10 oz. I don't have his 2 month stats for some reason. At 2 months, Jonathan weighed 12# 14 oz and was 23.5 inches long. Miles is 11# 12 oz and 23 inches long. He's grown 3.5 inches and gained 4# 7 oz. That puts him at 50% for length (notice... it's not height!) and 48% for weight. His head is in the 32nd percentile (but I don't track head growth). He's doing great!

Nolan...

Nolan is a nut! This blog entry is being written at his request. So he is becoming more accepting and attached to Miles lately. Last night they had another bonding experience. Nolan was going to bed and I brought Miles in to say good night to Nols. Nolan wanted a Miles "kiss". I put Miles' big open mouth on Nolan cheek and just then Miles spit up a little, leaving a curdy present on Nolan's face. I told him not to freak out and I'd be right back with something to clean him up with... Nolan says "No! Get the camera. Take a picture of it and put it on your blog." Strange boy... I thought he'd be grossed out and mad, but no, he wanted "Nolan gets barfed on" preserved for the future.

Blog Stalking

I admitted in a post the other day that I am a blog stalker. I think it's fun to see what other people put on their blogs. The blogs I stalk are done through blog links of blogs that my sister follows. Most of the people I know, but a few I don't. Well, I'm honored to say that I have some stalkers as well. I have a tracker embedded in my blog that shows me how many hits a day my blog gets (it's not many...) and a map of the world with pinpoints showing where the hits are from. I think it's cool. My blog has had hits from people all over the U.S., from Peru, Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and from most of the Western European countries. Now, granted most don't return to my blog (the tracker shows me which visitors return as well), but it's cool to see the map showing me the various hit locations. So don't go away because now you know that I know that you've seen my blog... everyone is welcome to read about me and my family.

He's Changing

Yesterday Miles was 2 months old! Look how much he's changed! I love his chubby cheeks! The pictures are at birth, 2 weeks, 1 month, 6 weeks, and 2 months. His 2-month check-up is on Friday... I'll update his growth then.

100 Things Survey

Stole this from a blog I stalk...

RULES: There are 100 statements and I bold the ones I have done.

1. Started your own blog- you're reading it
2. Slept under the stars- on a trampoline
3. Played in a band- go Mendenhall!
4. Visited Hawaii- 3 times
5. Watched a meteor shower- from the front porch
6. Given more than you can afford to charity- I guess... depends how you define "afford"
7. Been to Disneyland- several times
8. Climbed a mountain.- Mt. Timp
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo- music class at BYU
12. Visited Paris- twice
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch- crochet, embroidery
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning- not fun
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty- twice
18. Grown your own vegetables- tomatoes and peppers
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France- it's small
20. Slept in an overnight train- Spain and China
21. Had a pillow fight- in Spain!
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)- summer of 1991
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset- who hasn't?
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person- from the New York side
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors- birth country...England
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied- thankfully
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person- and tried to hold it up
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David- Dan wondered where the fig leaf was
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt- yep
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance- an expensive & uncomfortable ride
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person- 1994
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris- and it was fogged in at the top
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling- Catalina and Hawaii
52. Kissed in the rain- not so romantic... don't like rain in my face
53. Played in the mud- in Virginia when I was told not to
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China- 2008
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies- hated doing this!
62. Gone whale watching- and got seasick
63. Got flowers for no reason- Jonathan used to pick them for me
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter- and got airsick!
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy- Ann is in a box under my porch
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial-have pictures to prove it
71. Eaten cavier.- Not on saltines!
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square- yep!
74. Toured the Everglades- via canoe
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London- once... second time, we saw the queen instead
77. Broken a bone- toe and bone in wrist
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person- North & South Rim
80. Published a book- Heritage Maker's books
81. Visited the Vatican- 1994
82. Bought a brand new car- a Neon and a Prizm
83. Walked in Jerusalem- in 1999
84. Had your picture in the newspaper- preschool!
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House- twice
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox- kindergarten!
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous- does Governor Huntsman count?
92. Joined a book club- it is now defunct
93. Lost a loved one- 1 grandma, 1 grandpa
94. Had a baby- 3
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake- don't remember it though
97. Been involved in a lawsuit- class action style
98. Owned a cell phone- yep... who doesn't
99. Been stung by a bee- stepped on one on Florida when I was 7
100. Read an entire book in one day- regularly... picture books are short!

Well, I got 60% and since my life isn't half over (based on average life expectancy), I'm doing good! I just noticed... #54 is missing!

More Cat in the Tree...

By popular demand, here's another picture of Beijing in the tree...

Nolan is Coming Around

After several episodes of Nolan shouting mean, potentially hurtful phrases at Miles (though Miles is oblivious to it all...), Nolan is coming around, at least for now. All it took for Jonathan to come around and accept Nolan was a few weeks for jealousy build-up and then the jealousy release of one good bite! Anyway, even before Miles was born, Nolan has had Miles jealousy issues... the baby shower was especially hard for Nolan to deal with (I did tell him he could choose any of the baby gifts for himself... he declined). Today I picked Nolan up from art. Miles was chillin' in the backseat in his car seat. Nolan got in the car, sat next to Miles as usual. But for some reason , Nolan greeted Miles with "Hi, My-Mi" and Miles responded by giving his big brother a huge smile. Nolan shouted out- "Mom, he's smiling at me!" I told him to smile back. Nolan did. Miles looked and smiled at Nolan the whole way home. Tonight at Pack Meeting, Mr. Cubmaster asked the cubs what acts of service they performed last month. Nolan volunteered "I helped my mom with my baby brother." He's coming around.

Christmas Tree Decoration

So my house is ready for Christmas, except for the tree. The fakey is up in the living room, but hasn't been "fluffed" and decorated yet... I'm too busy and lacking the motivation. Kitty doesn't mind though. I just got back from a milk run to Walmart and here's what I found when I got home. It reminds me of a "Wee Care" song/chant about apples in a tree. Here's my modified version of it... Way up in the Christmas Tree; two little eyes peered at me. I squirted that cat as fast as I could; down came that cat.. why can't she be good?

Band Concert

Jonathan's winter band concert tonight. He plays in the combined 7th and 8th grade band and in the jazz band. He plays clarinet in the "regular" band and alto sax in the jazz band. His "regular" band played first... Raider's March (theme from the Indiana Jones movies) and a medley of 4 Christmas songs. Then the jazz band played... All of Me (which is stuck in my head), Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, and It Don't Mean a Thing (if it ain't got that swing). Then the 9th grade band played followed by the drumline. Then all the bands combined for the "Cougar Fight Song". I thought the jazz band sounded the best followed by the 7th/8th grade band. Jonathan was surprised that I thought his band was better than the 9th grade band. Anyway, he did great and feel great about how he did. Miles was awesome... one poop, and then he impressed us all by falling asleep during the drumline performance.

Miles' Blessing

It was a busy weekend. We arranged to have Miles blessed in church on November 30th instead of on the traditional first Sunday of the month due to my family being in town. After the blessing, I invited everyone (both sides of the family) over for dinner. I began preparing for that meal on Friday with a shopping trip to Costco. I planned that there would be 25 people coming over for dinner (we had 28!). Dinner would be Chicken Fajitas, Spanish Rice, Cuban Black Beans, and brownies. I bought 10 pounds of onions and 4 bags of red bell peppers (24 peppers) and we used them all! I also learned how to cook/use dried beans! I made a sheetcake pan of dark chocolate brownies. Saturday was food prep night. I got the onions and peppers for the fajitas cooked. I made the black beans and rice. I chopped up the chicken and stuck it in crockpots so it would cook overnight. Sunday morning I got up to make guacamole (but used all the onions the night before so I just cut up avocado) and chocolate frosting. I set the tables (now finding space for 28 in my house was fun... the living room couch went into the guest room, 2 small Christmas trees went there as well. The rest of the furniture got pushed against the walls. A card table and "table for 6" went in the living room, as well as the food serving table. We squished 9 around the regular table, put 4 people at the kitchen counter, and Cole was in a high chair in the corner of the kitchen!). Anyway, I planned food for about 25 adults and I think I could have fed about 100. We had leftovers and more leftovers (of everything except for the brownies... gone!). We'll be eating leftovers for a month! It was fun though.

Oh yeah... the main point of this post was Miles' blesssing. Dan (with the assistance of 11 other men) gave Miles a beautiful blessing . He blessed Miles to be able to have a good relationship with his older brothers who will be good example for him; to have the strength to accomplish all he needs to do; to be a light in the darkness; to learn and do his duty; and to feel and know the love of God in his live and to use that love as a source of strength.

PIE!

We like pie. Thanksgiving dinner is just a prelude to the real event... Pie! This year we had 8 pies for 19 people (including Miles, Cole, and Jonathan who don't eat pie). Taking out the non-pie eaters, there was a half a pie per person. We had 1 apple, 2 chocolate, 2 pumpkin, 2 lemon cream cheese, and 1 coconut cream. Yummy!

Thanksgiving!

This year I am thankful that Thanksgiving is over! Ha ha! Just kidding. We had a lovely afternoon hanging out at Aly's house with my family, Pieter (who will soon be family), Sean (Amy's dude) and Jacob (Leslie's BFF). We had the standard dinner (which is my least favorite meal of the year)... turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, rolls, yams and sweet potatoes (I always thought that the words yams and sweet potatoes were interchangable... I learned that yams are the orange things I usually call sweet potatoes and sweet potatoes are yellow... maybe I got that backwards, I'm still learning). We all drank Martinellis until we were drunk. The proof is in the pictures...

Wordless Wednesday

Major Meltdown

Nolan had a meltdown akin to a nuclear reactor last night. All of a sudden he completely came unglued and went over to Miles (who was minding his own business while being held by Dan), got in his face and yelled "I HATE YOU" to Miles. Well, I don't know what kind of reaction he expected to get from Miles, but Miles just looked at him and didn't reply. The Big Green Envy Monster has been stalking Nolan for several weeks now and yesterday it reared it's ugly face. Dan and I asked Nolan why he felt the way he did (it's so fun to be able to be so calm because you find the whole situation ridiculous and mildly entertaining). Nolan says it's because we are always "hold Miles", "carry Miles", "sing stupid songs to Miles", and "read him lame stories". It also isn't fair that Miles had more money than him. Well, all his points are true; can't disagree there. So I asked Nolan if he'd like me to hold him all the time, carry him everywhere, sing him stupid songs, and ready him lame stories. He hostilely yelled "no". And then we started reasoning with him. Why do we hold Miles...so he doesn't cry as much (Do you like it when he cries... no). Why do we carry Miles... because he can't walk or crawl. Why do I sing stupid songs to Miles... because I get bored and it keeps my brain semi-active. Why do I read him lame stories... well, I'll be happy to ready those stories to you... go get me Tykosaurus or Jamberry. I told him Miles was bankrupt...totally out of money and not a penny to his name. Yes, at one point he had over $100, but what did we make him spend it on? Not Pokemon cards, but diapers, wipes, and pacifiers. Now his money is gone. He can't buy anything. I asked him if he thought that buying diapers, etc. was a fun way to spend money, and he of course said "no". That was the end of the discussion. Nolan didn't really want to express/analyze/constructively deal with his feelings so he dealt with them his own way... going to his room and not slamming his door, but closing it with added emphasis. Poor Nolan. Today he is over it... he came down to our room this morning and greeted his little brother and in his high pitched baby voice said "Hi Mies!"

Why am I Awake?

Today is a "B" day for Jonathan. He doesn't have to be at school early so he doesn't get up until 6:30 a.m. That means I get to get up later as well. So why, beginning at 5 a.m., am I awake? Everyone here has had a very restless night. Dan was on the computer at 3 a.m. Miles has been wiggly and grunting all night long. I keep hearing loud thuds (too big to be caused by a cat) from upstairs. No one is sleeping well. Were we all overtired last night? Are we anticipating the Thanksgiving school and work breaks? Is it because of series of storms will soon be rolling in? I don't know, but it sure annoys me to be awake early on one of my sleeping-in days. Well, being up early gives me a chance to think through the day without interruptions... boys to school, Coscto, Walmart, begin hauling out the Christmas boxes and planning how to decorate this year without having the cat destroying everything. I am anticipating being annoyed with her until January. Well, littlest native is restless again and vocalizing it...

Super Scout!

Our overachieving Boy Scout has added to his loot. There was a Court of Honor last night and Jonathan added 5 more merit badges to his collection. Going clockwise from the top, he earned Art, Woodworking, Computers, Woodcarving, and American Cultures. Jonathan has now earned 42 merit badges; you only need 21 to be an Eagle Scout. His extra merit badges qualify him for 4 Eagle Palms, which he can't have until he gets his Eagle, which he isn't even eligible for until December 16th; then he can only be awarded one palm each quarter. I asked him if he has earned enough merit badges to be "done" he says no- he still wants to be getting Eagle Palms when he's a Venture Scout... well, he can only earn badges for another 4.5 years!

How Ironic

Nolan did not know what I was blogging about today. He followed me into Miles' room to watch me clean out Miles' nose (I don't know why that is entertaining to him since I hate to do it). The Halloween costumes are stored in Miles' closest, but are currently on the floor. Nolan looked at them and complained "we don't have any dress-ups." My poor, deprived son. I told him to look through the costumes and see what he could come up with. Here it is! Let's see- it's a combination of a monster costume, Utah Jazz wig, General Grant's jacket, sash, and Leonato's knee pants.








A few minutes later, my cross-dresser came out wearing the monster costume, a fighter pilot helmet, an Indian buckskin, Leonato's cape,vest, and boots, and my pioneer trek dress. Notice... he's also pregnant!

Nolan, oh Nolan

Nolan is all boy- 100% boy. He loves dirt, football, riding his scooter, Pokemon cards, etc. He likes blue and hates pink. He climbs mountains, skis down steep slopes. He wants to go on a real backpacking trip as soon as he can carry his own load. He likes to rake leaves, play with dogs, and dig holes. Yep, he's all boy. There is also a silly side of Nolan. He loves to tease. He loves to tell jokes. And sometimes, when "silly" collides with "all boy", the silly side prevails.

Aly's kids closest to Nolan in age are both girls. When we go play with the cousins and Jonathan isn't with us, Nolan is happy to play with his girls cousins and go along with their games and ideas, is long as the play is open to Nolan's interpretation. That is when his silly side emerges. The other day, Nolan came up from Aly's basement... he'd been playing dress up with Avery and her friend. Here are the results...






Yes, "silly" definitely trumped "all boy"

It's a Slow Day

It's been a slow day around here. Miles decided to wake up when Jonathan had to get up... 5:45 a.m. and then did not want to go back to bed. Good thing he wasn't being ornery! He and I hung out together until Nolan got up... 7:30ish and we got Nolan off to school an hour later. Miles was ready for a nap then. He slept until I woke him up... 10:30 a.m. He is six weeks old today and he had a picture appointment scheduled for 11:20 a.m. I had to get him dressed and fed before leaving at 11 a.m. He made it! I am feeling cheap right now so I took him to Target for pictures. The girls there do an okay job. They are more focused on getting the baby looking at the camera instead of smiling. Needless to say the girl took some great pictures of Miles looking at the camera, but his facial expressions were odd, to say the least! I bought the picture that you see. Not bad, and it only cost me $9.50 for a big portrait package. The posted picture is a high resolution scan of a low quality thumbnail B&W print. His pictures will be back in 2 weeks.

After the portrait session, Miles and I went to Costco. I forgot how much I hate going to Costco with Miles. Miles was screaming so I was carrying him while trying to load a case of diapers, big box of oranges, etc. into the cart and then out of the cart and on to the conveyor belt, then out of the cart and into the car. Ugh... maybe this post will remind me to have a second set of hands with me next time.

We got home around 1 p.m. and Miles still had not gone back to sleep. We picked up Jonathan at 2:20 p.m. Nolan walked home today so we didn't have to go get him. Miles finally passed out at 3:30 p.m. and hopefully will stay asleep for another hour or more! Nolan is at art now. He's working on a scratchboard project of the Roman Colosseum. His big news of the day was that he caught 2 interceptions at recess and ran them both back for touchdowns. Jonathan is frantically trying to finish his homework so he can go to the BYU basketball game tonight with his scouts. I use the term "frantically" loosely because he is really having a hard time motivating himself. He needs to make a "word web" for an upcoming English composition. He has to write a mystery and has decided that it will be about a farmer who thinks his pumpkins have been stolen. After interrogating the Gingerbread Man and Peter Peter Pumpking Eater, he will remember that it is Thanksgiving and that Mrs. Farmer turned the pumpkins into pie.s I thought he came up with a cute idea. Anyway, I am downstairs blogging right now because I am sick of harassing him to do his homework. If he finishes by 6 p.m., he can go to the game; if not... too bad for him and he will probably try to punish me for him not finishing his work by acting like a teenager for the rest of the night. As for tonight, I hope to have a quiet night with Dan and Jonathan gone (Nolan may get to go too!) I'll fill the evening by boiling a couple dozen eggs, finding my kitchen table and counters, and making it to bed early (hopefully). Is anyone still reading? Truly, a slow day makes for a boring blog entry!