Not exciting

I am really sorry for my lack of posts lately. We are really not exciting. I think that is good because within the next few weeks, things will be. I am cleaning and organizing and cooking and being very hot. (It was 104 degrees yesterday afternoon!) At the same time I feel like I am running out of time to do my list of things before the baby comes, like typing up recipes, shampooing all the carpets, cleaning our storage room, etc. It's October (tomorrow) already?

My Ob appointment was annoying. I am contracting 2-3 times an hour, but they don't want to check me unless they have to. Believe me, I don't want to be checked either, but I wanted them to know. My last appointment I asked about preregistering at the hospital and they told me that wasn't necessary. (It wasn't in Colorado, so I didn't think anything of it.) Then, today they asked if I was registered. Huh? Since it was lunchtime I will make the trek back down there later. I saw a doctor for 3 minutes and had waited for 30. (Seriously, Luke had accidently dropped his 10 toys on the floor and started cleaning them up. The doctor came in and was gone when Luke put the last one in his bag.)

This week people are asking me when I am due and totally surprised I am pregnant. One girl said my demeanor is just so unassuming you don't notice. (Our land lady described me as an independent, private person in a slightly frustrated tone.) I am also getting belly rubs now. I have never had that before. I feel like those Buddha statues. They say, "Your belly is so cute," as they stroke it. Self esteem booster right there. :)

You are all invited to my baby shower October 9th from 1- 4pm. It is an open house style. I know most of you will be there because it is so important to travel thousands of miles to do so. Just kidding. But, if you are in the neighborhood...Not many people from around here seem to be able to come, either. See, that's my luck with these kinds of things.

Oh, Lukers

Let me preface this by saying that we teach our children the correct terminology for all body parts. It will help in case we have issues and they can tell me or doctors where exactly things hurt. They will not mix up a b with v and be embarrassed in 7th grade Health because their older sisters are mean. (Huh, Pam?) Sometimes the correct terminology can be just as embarrassing, though.

{Andy says someday Luke is going to say, "MOM!" to this post.} Luke asked me how old the baby was today. I told him that the baby is a fetus and not an age yet. He stared at me a second and said, "She's a penis?!" I said, "No, a fetus. That is what babies inside mommy's are called." "Is that what the baby is going to be for Halloween?" I then managed to change the subject and hope he does not remember this to relay it to his siblings later today.

Sigh

Anneke has been so stressed lately that she is having problems going to sleep and/or staying asleep. She is also complaining of stomach pains. But, not before school or anything, at night. I am trying to get to the bottom of it, but haven't figured it out yet. *Sigh*

Marcus is getting a 60% in Reading Strategies. That is bizarre since he is on a 6th grade reading level and understands what he is reading, big words, etc. When we asked him about it he got all huffy and defensive and we are no closer to understanding. *Sigh* What in the heck does "reading strategies" mean anyway?

Luke has decided that he doesn't like me or even love me most nights when I put him to bed. It has to be Daddy. *Sigh* I guess it will make things easier when the baby comes, right?

Stop, Drop and Think

Last night Andy was working a graveyard shift at the temple and I was getting ready for bed. I smelt a really strong smoke smell and got a bit worried. I felt the floors and wandered around the house outside. There was ash everywhere. It was reflected in the street lights like rain or snow would be. Again, I got a bit worried and tried to come up with a plan. Should I go to sleep, just in case, or should I stay awake? I decided sleep was best and made a list of things to grab after my children. That is when I paused to think. Everything else is replaceable, but not them. I would never even consider taking something out before them.

The fire in Boulder, Colorado hit close to home for me, literally. (I still consider it home like nowhere else has felt.) After last night our FHE will be on Emergency preparedness tonight. We have done it in each of our different houses, but not this one yet.

When I was in college we had to come up with a list of 5 things we would not leave behind. I am not sure what was on my list then when I had only one child and a husband. Here is my (current) list of 5 things I would want to take besides my family (and food) if there was an emergency.

1. Computers (all our pictures are on there)

2. Scrapbooks (the pictures not on computer)

3. Important documents (birth certificates, etc.)

4. Special Boxes (ie my children's clothes, artwork, etc. I have saved since their births with nostalgic meaning)

5. Scriptures

I was relieved to see what I chose and the reasons behind each item. I would add my wedding dress, but am pretty sure I would be okay if I got the rest. What 5 things would you take?

P.S. An abandoned gas station in North Las Vegas exploded. No one was hurt.

New thing

A while ago I mentioned Bountiful Baskets. Today I got up at 4:30am to volunteer. I am not sure why I enjoy it so much, but I do. Yes, I care that much about other people's produce.

One of my friends has decided to start a site and wants me to be her co-person/back-up. I am excited for that. I get to be involved and sort fruits and veggies every week. It will be super close to my house and I get FREE produce. But, I like Bountiful Baskets and am grateful I have discovered it. I try to spread the word because inexpensive high quality produce is hard to come by. This week we got acorn squash and golden melons. I have never tried either and am intrigued by them. Plus, the fresh mushrooms will be fabulous in Andy's cavatoppi recipe.

Cooking

Along with my previous post I need to share another of my neurosis. (or is that neurosi?) Anyway, I don't like baking or cooking for other people. Especially in this ward. (We have a lot of vegetarian and vegan people. Plus, organic or nothing, etc. I was not as hesitant in my last ward.) I am so worried that I will make someone sick or offend someone. I worry they won't like it. I know, see neurotic? I really enjoy cooking and baking, though. When the missionary sign up list comes around I get all anxious trying to figure out when I can make them a meal and what I should make. I stress until they come. People that are ill, or just had babies I worry about what to make AND if I will bring enough food. When family comes I stress about making enough that they will enjoy and remembering what everyone likes and doesn't like. Is it Pam that doesn't like pancakes and french toast or is that Heather? Does Dad not like tomatoes and onions all the time or is this okay? Etc. On and on. Wow, I have problems!

What do you say?

I just found out one of my good friends had a miscarriage. She was 15 weeks and at the point where she was telling people. It was especially hard because the baby was pretty well formed and she could see what she had lost. She spent 8 years between her first child and second trying to get pregnant again. She has had so many hardships in this area. I am so sad for her and feel a bit guilty that things are going so well for me. I have no idea what to say to her. She is so amazing and this is coming at a time in her life where there is a lot going on. I am at a loss. She is my visiting teacher, and she does so much for me. I wish I knew what to do.

Scorpions

When we got back from Texas there were 2 dead scorpions on our kitchen floor. A couple of days later Andy found one alive in the kitchen. The worst part is that they blend in with the wood flooring in the kitchen and master bedroom and the carpeting in the rest of the house.

I met the family that lived in our old apartment before us. She said they had a real problem with scorpions. Well, we never did. Now we do. I researched them and was excited to find that they eat cockroaches and black widow spiders. Score! Not so excited when one crawled up my leg and then one was on Anneke's ceiling the other night so she is having a hard time sleeping.

Today they came in and sprayed. There really is no way to get rid of scorpions, though. He is going to try. The one on Anneke's ceiling is called a bark scorpion and can be fatal to children 2 and under. Great! Just what I need with a baby on the way and scorpions that can climb walls and probably cribs.

Little Helper

As much as he has been driving me crazy in other areas, Luke is a really good helper. He loves to clear the dishwasher. This is his attempt at loading it. What a good helper! I appreciated it, but could not close it.

I have given over the naming of this child to Andy. It seems to change every day, so in 9ish weeks everyone will get to be surprised. It feels good, but funny enough, now I know what I want to name her and I can't take it back. ;) Anyone else like the name Hervor?

Also, I have almost reached my book goal for the year. Only 13 to go. I didn't realize how much I was stressing about it until I could slow down. Now, I really don't want to read anything. I hope that changes soon. (Maybe it is just that my current book leaves much to be desired.)

I am currently typing up the recipes I use regularly. I may post some on the family recipe blog, but we'll see. My goal is to type up the ones torn from magazines and newspapers so they don't get lost or ruined otherwise. I want to be done (or mostly there) before the baby comes.

I have been contracting a lot the past few days. I have tried taking it easy, but it isn't helping. I am scared to spend the next few weeks in and out of the hospital like I did at this time with Anneke. This baby has got to cook at least 6 more weeks. But, what will be will be.

For Sale - Slightly used

I have a toddler for sale here. He has a great disposition and loves the color orange. His favorite animal is a tiger and he loves to sing.

Reason for sale? He gets up between 5 and 5:30am and wakes up everyone else. He knows when he needs to go in the potty, but it is just too inconvenient, so I am cleaning up after him all over the place. He comes out at night (when he should be in bed) every few minutes until about 9:00pm. In short I am really, really tired. My "me time", ie devotional and exercise time, is supposed to be in the morning. My Andy time is supposed to be at night. I am only getting Lukers time and this is putting quite the strain on our relationship. Plus, this cannot continue in a few weeks when I have a newborn, too. So, I have decided the best solution for sanity and safety is to sell the child. Any takers? :)

(I am tempted to pay for my oldest sister to come out and stay to potty train my stinker. Yes, Luke is ready to potty train. I have gone through the checklist. How about it, Cari?)

Labor Day

Living in Las Vegas makes The Strip a lot less cool for us. However, our children love it. We have not taken them in over a year, so for Labor Day we spent a couple of hours on The Strip.

Of course a visit to the Bellagio garden. (There are huge ants, bees, snails, etc. that my children enjoyed.)

M&M factory movie is a must. (Incidentally, since we were last there they have remodeled and are still doing a bit of painting.)

After paying too much for orange, pink and purple and peanut butter M&Ms we saw these guys and waited a while to get this pic.

Later that day we took advantage of the sale at Smith's, $.79 popsicles. Lukers was super excited about this find.

Harry Potter Questions

I just finished rereading the Harry Potter series. Marcus is reading them and I want to know what he is reading and when to have him stop. (I think he can handle until the end of book 4 and then we will wait to let him continue.) I realized that since Harry was born in 1980 (like me) the books all took place before the first one was even published. I also realized he was born the exact same day as my friend Katie. Weird. Things stood out to me that are inconsistencies. Considering the author wrote over 4,000 pages with thousands of words I am impressed this is all I could see. Oh, and the last book is better the second time through.

But, I do have some questions: SPOILER ALERT

*In the first book it says students can bring a pet to school, a cat, a toad or an owl. Why does Ron get to bring a rat?

*Harry saw his parents die when he was a baby but he can't remember, right? How come he can't see the thestrals until the 5th book? (The end of book 4 when he should have been able to see the thestrals because of Cedric, it mentions the "horseless carriages" instead of describing the creepy creatures.)

*How does Harry get the Marauders Map back from the fake Mad-Eye Moody to use it in the 5th book?

*Fred and George Weasley are 15 in book 4 because they can't compete in the Triwizard Tournament unless they are 16. However, they are "of age" the beginning of book 5 which means they are 17. (That is the age you can apparate and do magic outside of school.) How old are they?

*How are all the secret passage ways at Hogwarts known all of the sudden in book 7?

I have other questions that I just wonder about, that can't be answered by anyone other than the author. Still, just wondering...

Orange you glad?

My toddler has a new obsession. I have been working with him on his colors for a while. It was evident after our Texas trip that he does know them and has chosen a favorite. The color was an odd choice to me. Orange. Luke's favorite outfit is orange shorts and shirt. He loves when he sees orange cars. He will only drink out of his orange straw cup and eat out of the orange bowl. While potty training him we have been using M&M's. He chooses brown or orange every time. (So, while we were at the M&M factory on Monday we let him get a small bag of just orange candies.) I have never seen a child act like this about a color, well, maybe Noah. Anneke likes pink, but it isn't like this. Marcus changes favorite colors by day. So, I guess being born in the Autumn makes orange a good choice for him. Orange you glad you know this? Hee Hee.

Who am I?

Andy gave each of the kids back to school blessings, including Lukers. It reflected each child's personality. He gave me a beautiful blessing, too. One part was interesting, "Each of your children was sent to you by Heavenly Father at a specific time for a specific purpose." The problem is that a part of it is stressing me out. It said in effect that this baby wanted to come to our home and is very excited to have me as her mom. I don't feel like a very good mom.

In church yesterday the lesson was called, Who Are You? I have never had much of a self image. It hasn't changed. I always thought that when I got married I would feel better about myself. Imagine my surprise when nearly 10 years later, things haven't changed. ;) I used to look up scriptures about divine nature and individual worth. I would read them a lot for comfort. I am not sure why I feel so worthless a lot of the time, but it has always been so. I sometimes wish I could see my life like he does in It's a Wonderful Life. It is not that I am depressed, but I can't seem to figure out what is so special about me. Someone else can do the things I do (and have done) and probably better. I know I am a daughter of God. That should be enough.

Finally

Three months ago I posted about Anneke's dance recital. I know since then you have all been waiting impatiently for the real dance pictures. ;) This is mostly for my mom. Anneke started dance again yesterday and her class is half the size. It is a lot more personable and she loves it. (She towers over all the other girls, though.) Of course, her shoes are hurting her feet, so tomorrow I get to go buy her new ones.

Looking a bit surprised in the middle back row. (She had just fallen off the stool she is on.)

She had some cute smiles, but they wanted her pose right, so it slipped. I still think she is so cute, though.

Realizations

With school starting my brain is working overtime I think. I have come to some weird realizations.

*Marcus will be starting middle school when Luke starts kindergarten.

*Anneke will be in 4th grade when Luke is in kindergarten.

*Marcus will be starting high school when this baby starts kindergarten.

*The baby will not even be out of elementary school when Marcus goes on a mission.

*I never got one-on-one time with Anneke during the day. While Luke was resting, yes, but there has always been someone to share my time.

*I have 2 months of one-on-one time with Lukers.

*We will have lived in Las Vegas the same amount of time that Heather did when we leave, but have totally different feelings about it.

*The space between my oldest sister and youngest sister is less than the gap between Marcus and Luke.

*Marcus was born on a Monday in Mount Pleasant. (I can fudge and say Luke was born in Longmont, but it is not the same.)

*All my children expect Luke were born in even years and I have a hard time remembering his birth year.

*I will be the same age delivering my youngest child that my mom was when she delivered hers.