Update: 2/25/08

We've been quite busy lately so I feel like there are lots of things to catch up on. I'll try to be as concise as possible, but this'll still be LONG.

It turns out that the x-rays showed that Corey's feet are normal - so that's a relief. At least the doctor said there's nothing wrong with the bones. Peace of mind for only $302.

Corey had his first indoor soccer practice. He did well, the coach and the other kids on the team seem nice. They call themselves the Bullets.

I told Corey his fingers were looking like they hurt because he bites his nails down so far. I asked if he wanted to try Thum - clear, bad tasting stuff you paint on. We tried it, and sure enough, it tasted bad. But, he was more interested in the experience of having his nails painted than in the success he had at not biting them. He's not planning to continue the Thum treatment.

Randy is sick with a cold and cough.

One day Randy was just SO interested in what was under the lid of the piano. He kept asking me to let him see inside, so I finally conceded. I left the lid open so he could stand on the piano bench and peer in at will. Later, I heard Corey and Jenna laughing and came in to see Randy standing on the KEYBOARD trying to see the hammers (is that what they're called?) move as he pushed the keys. According to Jenna and Corey he got that idea from a Tom & Jerry cartoon where Jerry is running around inside a piano and Tom is standing on the keyboard trying to catch him.

Randy and Corey were wrestling around one day and Randy's glasses snapped right in half at the nosepiece/bridge. Luckily, the glasses are still under warranty, so we'll only pay $14 shipping. But, they won't be in until the end of this week. The poor kid has to wear his old glasses that are duct taped on the right side to hold the lens in and superglued to keep the ear pieces in place.

We went to the Tracy Aviary. Randy was excited to see the peacocks and mentioned it often. The minute we got there, paid admission and crossed a little bridge there was a large beautiful peacock sitting on a fence. Randy turned around, ran to me, tried to climb me and said frantically, "I want to go home! I want to go home!" He eventually settled down. Then, later on, there was a little free flight type exhibit where you could go in with the birds. Both of the boys were too nervous to try it, but Jenna went in. We could see and hear her because she was just on the other side of a wire mesh door. Some small flightless guinea fowl were wandering around inside a low gate, but one of them had managed to get out. It came up to Jenna and was pecking at her boot. At first it was cute, but then it started plucking at her jeans and Jenna started to get more flustered. It was following her around and keeping her cornered with her back to the mesh door so I couldn't push it open to let her out. I tried to calm her down but her weeping evolved into shrieking. Somehow we managed to get her out, but I was afraid I was either going to have to give the bird a little kick or decapitate it with the door to keep it from running out. (Visions of fines and jail time for cruelty to animals flashed through my head.) We got to see Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles, which was exciting because we'd just read a Zoobook from the library about Eagles. There were also condors, cranes, pelicans, many kinds of ducks, kookaburras, etc. The boots Jenna wore were too small, so by the end she was flat on the sidewalk saying she couldn't go any farther. We made it to the gift shop where I was nagged incessantly by all three children saying, "Can I get this?" We didn't stay long because I couldn't take it anymore.

The children and I also took a little trip to Pirate-O's, a gourmet market down the street. We've lived here 5 years and never ventured in. It was quite interesting, all sorts of unique food, kitchen utensils, some natural face and body products and the like. I let the kids choose one candy each and then we picked out some English cookies - which turned out to be from Canada -because we were going to try an English tea time. (We've read a couple of library books about England.) I quite liked the cookies - ginger and lemon creme - but the kids weren't all that crazy about them.

We also visited Elizabeth's English Bakery and Tea Shop with Dion. It's very near his work. Cute and quaint, feels quite English. I tried a Cornish Pasty (beef, onions, swede (rutabaga), and potato in a folded over pastry crust), which was just OK. There are other items I'd like to try next time. Randy got a tasty Cheese Bacon Puff, Corey got a Bacon Sarny (or sandwich; all the kids liked his, the bacon is imported and is different from our bacon), Jenna tried two herbed dumplings, which she didn't like, and Dion got a Beef and Onion Pie, which got a thumbs up. I also tried a jam tart. Anyway, it was a busy place! Having the three kids in a small restaurant that's kind of dainty was difficult. Plus, we ended up sitting on two couches on either side of a coffee table with a ceramic lamp on the end, which made me very nervous. There were no regular tables available because of the crowd. Then, we went across the way to The London Market and where I picked up some British Chocolate to make:

English rice krispie treats. This was my third try and they turned out well! They're different from ours because they're coated in chocolate.

Continuing the culinary theme: today Jenna wanted to make cupcakes for the Family Home Evening treat. So, we made some from scratch from this online recipe. They tasted good, but were flat on top. She also wanted pink frosting, so we made that, too. Then, the kids put sprinkles on. Oh, my! As a combo, it was MUCH too sweet for me, but they looked pretty.

I got a haircut, it's just OK.

My back is feeling great! If I sit on it wrong for a long time it gets sore. I do need to get back to an exercise routine, though. I'm out of the habit and my pants are starting to get tight. (Speaking of which, Dion bought me a nice pair of jeans and a cute shirt while he was in San Francisco. Our roles are so reversed in this area - I do NOT like shopping but he does, so he ends up buying me clothes instead of the wife buying the husband clothes.)

The chiropractor I've been seeing has to have surgery - he has an intestinal problem related to Crohn's disease he had when he was younger. He'll be out of the office for several weeks. Everyone in our ward is praying for him. He's in our ward bishopric. So, since my last blog post I haven't been back to see him, which worked out fine (for me).

All three kids had dentist appointments. Jenna had one small cavity that had to be filled. She did great. She's always so brave about stuff like that. The experience was a good one. The dentist did a nice job and she didn't even need a shot!

Dion's Dad stayed with us for a few days on his way from Albuquerque to San Francisco. He babysat a couple of times. On Saturday he took the kids to Provo to see their cousins so Dion and I had the whole day to ourselves! We went to the mall, ate at The Cheesecake Factory, went to REI, walked to Blockbuster and rented Ocean's Thirteen. We wanted to play miniature golf, but they weren't yet open, still too wintery outside, I guess. Plus, Dan refinished the top of our kitchen table. I didn't realize how beat up it was. It looks much better now! Thanks!

I wish I was more of a picture taker. As I read through this I realize that there are so many opportunities for fun photos here!

A house in our neighborhood has a large skull of an ox or something as a decoration in the front yard. Jenna is intrigued by it. Today when we drove by she said, "An ox must have died there." I explained that the guy probably bought it or found it in the wilderness. She asked what the wilderness was. I pointed out that we were surrounded by man made things - buildings, cars, roads. None of that is in the wilderness. I said it was where there weren't people, it's out in the open, like a large plain or up in the mountains. She said, "Like Logan?" Me: "No, that's a small city." J: "Like Provo?" Me: "No, that's a city, too." How sad is that? She can't even picture a wilderness. We went on several hikes last summer, so I know she's had some chance to be out in nature, at least a little bit. She's been in MT and that's open and wilderness-y. And, we drive through the mountain pass when we go to Logan - maybe that's what she meant. Anyway, we NEED more of that outside, communing with Mother Earth time!

Sunbeams has been heavenly the last two weeks. Two weeks ago my co-teacher and her daughter were gone. She called a sub, but the sub didn't show up. (I later found out that she'd left a message on our phone early in the morning saying her family was sick.) Another lady came in to help. There were only 5 children, so that made it easier. This week my co-teacher was back, and there were only 3 children! (Randy was coughing so much and had such a runny nose that Dan agreed to come home with him after Sacrament meeting.) The "sit smart" is working well. Plus, we've been keeping the lessons shorter and we have books and puzzles at the end, which free time they enjoy. Ahh, yes! I think we can do this. Well. . .we'll see if the confidence continues when all 8 show up again!

Last, we got a book from the library called "Meredith, The Witch Who Wasn't" by Dorothea Lachner. I really like it. This little witch is no good at magic, forgets her spells, messes stuff up, would rather walk than use a broomstick. There's a witch gathering for an annual assessment and the head witches kick her out because she's no good. She's actually relieved and goes home and thinks of all the stuff she can do since she doesn't have to study magic all the time - bake bread, plant a garden, climb a tree. She decides to build a tree house with her own two hands. She builds "it in a tree that had grown slowly ring upon ring, year after year, until it was steady as the earth and timeless as the moon." The head witches come to visit her a while later. She serves them peppermint tea from plants she'd grown and a cake she'd baked herself. The head witches are so impressed.

"Hauntingly delicious," Melusina declared. "Anyone who can build this house and bake this cake certainly has a magic touch. I hereby rectify you as a witch."

"But I didn't use any spells," Meredith said.

"Spells, bells," Melusina Firebird scoffed. "Your magic is more powerful than mere enchantments."

"It's awfully slow," said Meredith, beginning to feel proud.

"But it's long-lasting," said the wise old witch. . .

I'm not actually sure how I'd interpret the message. Just that what we can do IS wonderful and quite amazing. We're just so used to it we don't see the value sometimes. Plus, it kind of has a little bit of homeschool ideology. Instead of sitting around all day studying what you don't enjoy but will, supposedly, eventually need to know, you could spend your time learning it by actually DOING it.

OK, that's it! Sleep tight!