Don't mess with me

There is a very good chance I think these pictures are cuter than other people will. My little dude.

Independence Day

Pam and Popi

(Popi's house was home base and where we ended with our own fireworks.)

I love this time of year. It may just be the History Buff in me, but I love to reflect on our young country and all that makes it unique.

My family didn't make a big deal out of Independence Day until we summered in Utah. I only remember one time when we were in San Antonio at my grandparents house. We had a parade complete with tin foil Statue of Liberty crowns, flags and the William Tell overture coming out of the house. (Photos are MIA.) My parents attempted to take us to fireworks, but one of us was always scared.

So, all the photos below are from Utah and Heather is absent. (Obviously Carianne was too, but she has the excuse of living in a different state.)

Me, Pam, Annemarie (cousin) and my dad waiting for fireworks to begin behind the Manti temple. 1999

1999 Same location as above. l to r my mom, Annie, Aunt Marianne, Sara (cousin), Julianna (cousin), Christina (cousin) and Pam

1999 Since we were small we had photos taken with us stacked like this. (There is one on the wall in Popi's basement with Julianna as a toddler.) from top - Pam, me, Sara, Annie, Tina and J

2000 (see what I mean) From top, Me, Pam, Annie, J, Sara, Tina

2002 Marcus's first Independence Day in Manti, Utah

(thanks to a generous donation from Aunt Tummy)

2005 Anneke's First Independence Day; St. George, Utah

2006 Boulder, Colorado at family Housing l to r Andy, Stephanie,

Abe, Anneke and Marcus

In 2007 Andy was flying away with the camera and I was pretty emotional anyway being 4 months pregnant. Sadly I have no pictures from Luke's first Independence Day which was our first in Las Vegas. We actually spent it in St. George and it wasn't very exciting.

Andy is working a graveyard shift at the temple both Friday and Saturday nights, so our festivities will be limited this year. I am trying to figure out how to make it fun anyway. While I think, here are some little known facts that touched me. (Sorry it's the History Buff acting again. I should have done a separate post, but it cuts and pastes weird, so sorry this is long.)

*There are 13 folds when you fold the American flag and each fold means something:(as I understand it they go...) first is a symbol of life; second is the symbol of our belief in eternal life; third honor and remembrance for veterans; fourth our weaker nature because we trust in God; fifth tribute to our country; sixth where our hearts lie; seventh tribute to active Armed Forces; eighth honors death and mothers (weird combination in my mind.); ninth honors womanhood; tenth tribute to fathers; eleventh represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon; twelfth God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost; final fold reminds us, "In God We Trust."

*When the flag is folded in looks like a cocked hat to remind us of those who served under George Washington.

*21 gun salute because it is the numbers in 1776 added together.

*White signifies purity and innocence. Red signifies hardiness and valor. Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice. With the stars representing a "new constellation".

*Credit for designing the first flag goes to Francis Hopkins.

*Congress approved the design of the first flag on June 14, 1777. This day is still known as Flag Day. (And should be better celebrated if you ask me.)

*Until 1818 a new star AND stripe was added to the flag with the addition of each new state. This was changed when they realized the flag would become "unwieldy". The stripes would stay at 13 signifying the first 13 states. A new star would be added to the flag on the July 4th following each new state admission to the Union.

*The US government keeps its supply of silver at its military academy in West Point, New York.

*The USA has never lost a war where mules were used.

*Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of people that walk to work.

*Ohio is the birthplace of more presidents than any other state - eight.

Girls Camp

Okay, so I am not getting pictures anytime soon, so I will blog about Girls Camp anyway. (I left my camera with Andy to take pictures while I was gone. I wanted to see what I missed. Not a single picture was on the camera when I came home. Should have taken it anyway.) When I get photos, I will post some. I am pretty proud of what I did. I will elaborate more later, but here we go. Some things I learned at Girls Camp:

*It is easy to be happy and carefree because there is nothing you can do out there anyway.

*(1 Corinthians 6:19) Your body is a temple and treating it as such lasts throughout your life. Exercise, cleanliness, and eating right all fall under that.

*I still love canoeing and water.

*You can convince someone that is scared of water to go canoeing with you.

*It is good to trust your bishop when it comes to the zip-line.

*When doing the flying squirrel only one person should say go. (A person is sent "flying" while in a harness above the tree tops by the strength of the people pulling the rope.)

*Just because the trouble maker doesn't come to camp that doesn't mean she won't find a way to cause trouble.

*My favorite young women value is Individual Worth. It helps that it is also red.

*Working together to pull weeds you can get the roots out.

*Stinging nettle is not too bad, but the crilly dog/lamb's ear sure helps the pain.

*When doing service an hour and a half goes by quickly.

*It is nice to have company when using the latrine in the middle of the night.

*Watermelon and hot chocolate make you have to use the latrine in the middle of the night.

*I still get car sick on windy roads, even in the front seat.

*Water is necessary when pulling up undergrowth and then canoeing. If not, you will get dehydrated.

*Chip Alvin Simon Theodore Bobby III is a great name for a chipmunk you find in the bathroom.

*I love singing and have a song for everything.

*Not everyone appreciates my singing.

*It is coldest between 3am and 5am.

*The less sleep you get, the sillier you are.

*The last day of camp the leaders have little patience left.

*1st and 2nd year girls have boundless energy until you ask them to do something.

*Showers feel so good in the wilderness!

*It is easier to focus on God and His creations when you are completely among them.

'Thanael's 7th

My internet was down yesterday, so I couldn't post about my nephew on his 7th birthday. Here are 7 things about Nathanael Edwin:

1. He is my oldest nephew. I was super excited Marcus had a cousin so close in age. I wanted them to be best friends.

2. He and Marcus are very similar. The things my sister posted about her son would match my son, too.

3. His favorite color is pink. (not the same as Marcus.) Which I think is great!

4. He is the middle child. He has an older sister and younger brother and he can hold his own with them.

5. I love to hear about him. He is so Christ like.

6. He enjoys reading.

7. He is left handed like his grandpa Bailey. Which means he is the only grandchild in their right mind?

Poor Marcus!

We had a fine dentist appointment. No cavities. However, Marcus had a tooth in the back on the left side growing in sideways. It was weird. He has been complaining of discomfort on occasion. (You would too if you had a tooth growing toward your cheek.) We noticed it a few months ago, but had to switch dentists and it took a while with everything going on to find a new one. Anyway, Marcus had to have 2 teeth extracted yesterday. He was still numb at dinnertime, so I made him a milkshake and then a smoothie. I have some skills in those areas if I do say so myself. YUM! I made a root beer float ice cream caramel shake; double strawberry, cookie dough malt and a peach smoothie. I am taking orders for when I open my bakery/ice cream store. ;) The tooth fairy may go broke coming to our house. That is 3 teeth in 3 days and Anneke has another very loose tooth!

Father's day, belated post

Marcus and Anneke came up with everything for their dad, except the belt. There is a candy-gram that says, "We lift our caps to you today because you are the Star. Your Dove gave you 3 Junior s that bring you Joy. The first Whatchamacallit had to start with an M. It has been great knowing you at work! at play! at lunch!" (They found the candy. I had to figure out how to make it work.) Marcus also made him a magnet and card. They drew him pictures that we covered in contact paper so they would last at his office/cubicle. The belt was in a wooden box that looked like a book. We also each picked out ice cream and made him guess the flavors while blindfolded. It was definitely an interesting day. Since he worked a graveyard shift the night before he got lunch in bed instead of breakfast.

Oh, come on

My daughter looks like a seven year old. Does she have to advance in other ways at that age, too? Anneke lost her first tooth yesterday and another isn't far behind. I thought she would lose it while I was gone honestly. Yesterday she got sick of if and asked her dad to "get it out of there". It was very ready to come out and didn't even bleed. Ironically we go see the dentist today, so it was good timing that way.

Dad

Marcus and Grandpa Bailey January '08

I miss my family a lot. It is hard living so far away from everyone. Last week at Girls Camp I really missed my Dad. I realized how much he taught me and did for me.

*My dad would gather all the items we needed beyond clothes and pack them up. (ie pocket knife, bedding, first aid kits, flashlights, etc.)

*He bought me a flashlight that turned into a lantern and I wished several times I still had it last week.

*He taught me how to hike and enjoy the outdoors. I shared many things he taught me.

*He always had sunflower seeds, Starbursts and water with him when we went on outings. (Did you know they now have flavored Sunflower seeds? What's the point? It's just the shell that's flavored.)

*He was the lifeguard at Girls Camp in Texas and everyone thought he was so cool.

*He taught me how to paddle a canoe and took me tubing down the Guadalupe river several times.

*He went to Scout camp a lot and was often called as the Scout master. He was good at that calling, though he didn't particularly enjoy it all the time.

*He has a great talent when it comes to basically all "Parks and recreation" type stuff. I didn't realize how much it effected me until last week.

I love you, Daddy! I hope you had a great Father's day.

I'm back

I have no pictures, though there are literally about a thousand out there from our ward at Girl's Camp. I will post in more detail later. I am still not 100% coherent and trying to stay awake until 10:00pm. (I need to get back on schedule.) I slept maybe a total of 15-16 hours this week. I was freezing every night.

I had a fabulous time and an amazing attitude for most of it. I hiked 6 1/2 miles for the 2nd year hike (my amazing attitude slipped a bit here around mile 5 when the cars didn't come pick us up), had a tree branch go through my HOT pink camping chair, experienced stinging nettle through our service project, went canoeing and thought of my Dad, went on a broken zip-line because I trusted my bishop (and didn't get hurt), let people do my hair and cried like a baby as I put beautiful prism necklaces on my young women. (Tomorrow is my last Sunday with them.)

After a very spiritual testimony meeting I walked over to a group of leaders talking. They were talking about how amazing I am. (Luckily they were able to see me coming and quickly change their words. Just Kidding!) Bishop Wells had been teasing me all week. (He put the branch through my chair two hours after arrival by the way and then tried to fix it with duct tape.) He told me two things that made me smile.

1. Andy and I are like Pete's Dragon we stay as long as we are needed bringing something amazing and then move on. (Paraphrased)

2. Andy and I were meant to be together like chocolate and peanut butter. Bishop told me that I get to be the chocolate. ;)

Summer projects so far

I am going to be gone to Girls Camp, but I don't want you to miss me, so here is what we have been up to this past week.

Andy does science projects with the children twice a week. (Any project ideas would be nice.) This day they were talking about surface tension and water. Here they were poking pencils through a bag full of water without it leaking. Don't you love Luke's safari hat?
To get ready for a static electricity experiment I had them make modeling clay monsters. (Clay $1 at Michaels.)

The creations. (The little ones are a cat, dog and mouse.)

My pipe cleaner creations, a girl, white dinosaur, duck and penguin.

Marcus pretending to eat his pipe cleaner candy cane. In his lap from L to R a dinosaur, guy with glasses and penguin.

Anneke and her pipe cleaner red bird.

Our food project was making Sweet Sushi. They each had pound cake cut into circles and rectangles, Swedish fish, fruit leather, frosting, coconut and sprinkles.

Some of the tasty sushi. Doesn't look too bad.

I will post more of what we do this summer. We probably aren't going on vacation, so our lives will be spent here. We may have people visit, though. Any project ideas?

Oh, also at Michael's they have a whole area with projects to do for less than $5. Most of which are $1 or $2.

The ghost of Girls Camps past

Once upon a time in Utah there was a thing called Girls Camp. In Texas when the thing called Girls Camp came around there were cabins and showers. In Utah there were tents and Port-a-potties or "Honey pots" as we led the first years to believe they were called. Anyway, I am going to Girls Camp with my girls here in Nevada, but it is in Utah. We are sleeping in tents, but have running water and showers.

Here is a trip down memory lane for any interested party. I somehow have no pictures of my Texas Girls Camps, but plenty from Utah. That also means, no pictures of my sister Heather who very carefully avoided Girls Camp at all costs. In Texas my parents always went. My mom as a cook and my dad as lifeguard. It was during Spring Break and not the summer. I loved having my family with me at camp. (This is my first one without family.)

Wow, Cari. Can I just say total early 90's flash back here? I only know my older sister Carianne on the far left.

My first year at Girls Camp in Utah one of my Texan best friends came for a visit. My parents wouldn't let me miss camp, so she came with me. Summer was a very good sport even though she got Altitude Sickness and I didn't know it at the time.
Pam and I always had a great time at camp. This was also from my first Utah experience. Shannon (center) was a lot of fun. We had Coolio concerts after lights out because of our hair. I saved everyone by not posting pictures of those. WOW!
Don't be jealous of my pink pants. They are stunning. I melted them at camp my last year because of sparks from the fire. It was sad day. I should be wearing them this week.
In our stake we had to do lashings every year as a ward. The stake leaders would drop off a bunch of wood and rope and we had to come up with something. This is our lashing as a table in our 5 Piggies skit. That is Pam on the right "going wee wee wee all the way home". (I think Pam and I came up with the lashing project every year. We are sooo creative.)

L to R Aubrey, Me, Becca and Pam

Our lashing was really intended as a litter fit for a queen. Doesn't Pam look lovely?

From L to R: Thora, Becca, Pam, Heidi and Aubrey

My favorite tradition from camp was Singing in the trees. One night at Girls camp each ward would gather in a designated spot and one by one each ward would turn on their flashlights pointed into the trees and sing a spiritual song, then turn off their flashlights and the next ward would turn on their flashlights. It was beautiful and left such a great spirit. This isn't Singing in the Trees, but it is singing with Carrie on the guitar.
Because there was no running water we would shower and braid our hair the night before we went to camp. My last year I realized that it hurt my head to sleep on the braids, so I started the trend of small buns on top of the head (see below). It caught on and I must say it was fashionable. This is my cute baby sister, Pammy, in her Teddy Bear night gown.
My last year at Girls Camp we made a giant fly swatter for our lashing because there were so many flies. We even made a large fly out of tape and permanent markers. In this picture are Britney and Jaylynn. I loved my Beehives!

Okay, so I tried not to post photos that are too embarrassing. (That is why there are none of my friend Hayden, though I did have some.) I think it is an unwritten rule that camp pictures stay sacred. Anyway, I am looking forward to my week. I am not taking my camera, so unless someone sends me pictures you will not have the privilege of seeing me in all my camping glory this week sans the pink wind pants.

Diapers

My little sister and friend both devoted a whole blog entry to how great Pampers diapers are. I had never really thought about it much. I just bought Huggies. Well, when I was in the store yesterday and buying my monthly diapers supply I looked at the Pampers and thought, Both Pam and Anna swear by them and my boy could use a change (Hee Hee). So, I bought a big box.

Marcus and Anneke got Luke out of his crib this morning. They told me it looked like he threw up. I was feeling guilty for not listening to his whines at 5:00am and making him fall back to sleep. No, not vomit, he had just leaked all over his bed including Puh and Bank. It was just urine though. But, wow. It just reiterated to me how every baby is different and different diapers work on different children. Now, I am doing laundry and trying to figure out if "the ox is in the mire". I am guessing not. Anyone need 69 size 5 Pampers diapers?

Book club

For book club this week we read The Hunger Games. I was leery of this book because of the premise. It is basically about a reality TV show in the future where children between the ages of 12 and 18 compete to the death. The last one living wins. The government draws the names of 24 teens through a lottery, 2 from each area. It is supposed to remind the citizens who is in charge and that they will kill more than just the 23 if necessary. I realized before reading it that society could come to this point again (ie Rome/gladiators) and I didn't want to read about it. It was slow getting started too. But, I continued on and really enjoyed it. It was not offensive or overly detailed in those areas. I am excited for the sequel in August.

The book had so much potential for discussion and I was super excited for book group. I feel like an outsider with my group and like I dominate a lot. But, it is hard to have real in depth analysis or conversation. I would bring something up and they would dismiss it. It was not as intellectual as I would like. I want a book group like in Boulder. We all had different experiences and points of view to add, yet they were all knowledgeable in some way. Make sense? *Sigh* I would like to be able to chat with people other than my husband on a level that stimulates my brain. Is that too much to ask? So, Stacie, I need you to start coming. I am begging you for the 7th time...Oh, for next month we are reading the play, The Crucible. Should be stimulating...

New place

So, we have been in our new apartment for two weeks. We plan on staying here until we leave the city, but we say that a lot. It is smaller, but doesn't feel like it. I love it. Do you want to know why?

*I can do laundry every day if I want to, without paying extra for it.

*No smoking neighbors!

*We just got a dishwasher that actually works!

*We have a play room that, in theory, contains all the toys and games.

*I finally have the internet.

*It does NOT have a one bum kitchen like my past several places.

*This move put us back in the ward we started out in here, so we are at least familiar with it. (But, I will miss my ward very much.)

*Anneke can go out and play and I don't worry.

*There is a place my children can learn to ride bikes.

*We are right across the street from a park.

*Tile in the kitchen and dining room. (Carpet is stupid. Food gets in and doesn't come out.)

*Lots of storage space.

What I don't like:

*No pool.

*All three children in the same room waking each other up and keeping each other awake. (Is the playroom worth that?)

don't hate me...

Just FYI:

A few of my friends have decided to make their blogs private after having them public. I usually don't ask to view it. It is not because I am offended or lazy (though the latter may be a factor) it is because I don't remember. I have a certain amount of time that I spend on the computer. I look at my blog to see who has updated and read those blogs. Private blogs cannot be put there, so I forget to check them. I still really care for you, but knowing myself I won't check in often, if at all. Sorry.

Missed me?

I am sure you have all been missing me and my frequent posts...I feel as if I have been away from blogging forever instead of just a couple of weeks. Maybe that is a sign of something.

School is out for the summer. Andy is taking an Old English class and preparing to teach next month. I am still watching Baby Marcus and getting ready for Girls Camp. (All of my things need to be at our camp director's house by tomorrow night even though we don't leave until next Tuesday.) Marcus has big plans for his summer. Anneke loves going outside to work in her "garden". Luke is a handful.

I have been putting together my Secret Sister gifts. It is a big deal here. They have theme days and when you draw the name, it has a whole questionnaire attached to it with favorite color, temple, scripture, etc. with a budget of $25. I have been finding thoughts to go along with my gifts. Also, since the girl has a name from the bible I have been finding scriptures with her name in them for the tag. (Nothing bad...)

Marcus loves science. So, two days a week Andy is doing science activities with the kids. Yesterday he did baking soda and vinegar experiments. We are going to get them notebooks to write/draw what they observe and questions they may have. Plus, Marcus went through my preschool file box and we pulled out all the things he wants to do. Now, we have theme days 6 days a week. Monday - food activity; Tuesday - science; Wednesday - games (large motor); Thursday - science; Friday - arts and crafts; Saturday - songs and stories. The last was because Marcus liked the alliteration.

Anneke and I are working on reading. It gets very frustrating because she loses her focus quickly and stops really trying but guessing. She has started saying "Oh, cheesecake" as an exclamation. (It is pretty funny that Baby Marcus and Luke say "Cake" now when they see bubbles.) She loves being able to just go outside and dig in the dirt. She calls it her garden.

Andy is still corrupting my children. Luke now says, "Go Joe" when he sees GI Joe or his siblings say it when playing. He calls any super hero "Bangin'" or Batman. Now, Andy is trying to teach him "Thundercats, Ho". He has got the "Ho" part down. I am waiting for the day when the boy says, "Father, I am your Luke". Oh, my baby has said his first sentence..."I like read". I am so proud.

Unintended internet holiday

Hey. This is Andy posting for Heidi. Our current apartment doesn't yet have the glories of the internet and it hasn't yet become a high priority for our landlord to fix it.

We're learning to have patience, but until he gets things worked out Heidi's most likely going to be offline for a bit.

Happy Day 8

Day 8 - My happy for today is my parents and sisters. Get ready for cliche, "I don't know where I would be without them." I love that I can call them and they can help me, or make me laugh or tell me they love me. I have a very supportive and close family. I am happy.

Happy Day 7

My toddler is my happy for the day. He smiles and cuddles and loves books. He yells, "Go Joe" now and can just make me smile by looking at me. Luke = Happy

Happy Day 6

Anneke is what makes me happy today. She loves to cook and cleans the toilets for me. She will wash windows, mirrors and doors without being asked. Anneke is my only daughter and that makes me happy.

Happy Day 5

First, I am happy because I have a smart, cute 7 year old. He is always happy and optimistic. He tries to find ways to help and it is awesome.