I Love...

Autumn
baby milk breath
chocolate chip pumpkin bars
Dove chocolate
eyes
funny things kids say
Grey's Anatomy
hot Italian food
jumping up and down
kids singing
leaves crunching under my feet
my little one and my man
oranges
pigtails
reading
reading
reading
snorkeling
the Temple
using my Michael's coupon
vampires named Edward :)
white t-shirts
writing about, thinking about, looking at my daughter
zoo day with the family

My Stupid Thyroid

So, I've been preoccupied and stressed about something for a month now. It's made me feel light-headed, nauseated, very sleepy, and gain weight. No, it's not that. I thought it was. I had the most obvious sign, or rather lacked the most obvious sign. But the results were conflicting. So, this week I had some bloodwork and found out my stupid thyroid is out of whack again. I have had a broken thyroid for ten years now and it was fine for the first eight. However, it's been hard to control ever since I had M. Coupled with lazy pill taking skills this past month, and ouila! I shouldn't be that shocked. Or disappointed. Nothing was there. But it's amazing how much it can feel like something's there when it isn't.

Your Weekly M Fix

I've been hogging the blog again! But I haven't been neglecting my camera duties either. So, here you go. A sampling of my recent favorites of my little one.
My crazy one running around before dinner!
Only 15 years to go!
Like Daddy, like daughter...enjoying peaches! yum!!!
her new backpack/leash-she loves wearing her doggie around the house
Football! She loves to sit with Dad and watch him play Nintendo college football

George

I'm an O'Malley fan. He makes stupid choices sometimes but he's such a nice guy. I'm proud of him for starting over his intern year even though it's humiliating and he doesn't want to. But I'm also annoyed with him for declaring his love to Izzy. He's married! Stay married! I can see it now, he ruins his marriage, and then we find out that Callie's pregnant. I like Lexi but I'm going to be sooooo disappointed if she and McDreamy get together with Meredith around. Wait! It's not real!!!! It's just a show!! A show that has me wrapped around its finger. Sadly. Because as I write this, I realize how much of a soap opera it is. But I will keep watching. Sad.

Peekaboobaby!

Hey! anyone reading this should head to Sugar&Spice tonight!!! There's a freebie up for grabs for a nursing cover! You just have to comment on the post! That's it! If you miss it tonight, you can also sign up for the same thing, doubling your chances :) at Tales From the Crib and do the same thing! Don't miss your chance!!!!

What one of my kids said to me yesterday...

I can't work when I'm hiccuping!

Eclipse Book Review

I just finished! I had to patiently wait for a month until my birthday to get my own copy of Eclipse ! I loved it! My favorite book in the trio so far is still Twilight, but I love all of Stephenie Meyer's books. I love the love story, I loved the unlikely alliance, I can't wait for more! I love how they have given a whole new twist on vampires and werewolves and I love how she keeps it clean by inventing "obstacles" so that I don't have to worry about reading them. It's a "quick" (for 600 pages) read but clever, suspenseful, fun and deep. I like how she's developing her characters. They're growing up, even the immortal, ageless ones! The second book, New Moon, spent a lot of time with everyone depressed, so it was a nice change to still have conflict but with everyone still in love. Once again, I hope there are more!!!

It's Starting...

The downfall to working with kids is winter illness and spreading contagions. Today, I had one kid come in with "just a hoarse voice" according to Mom who then proceeded to sneeze and cough on me and ooze green, thick snot from his nose the whole session...just a sore throat. Then, this afternoon, a boy walked in with a "mosquito bite" on his arm that made his arm get progressively more swollen, all the while with him itching his neck, tummy, legs and back. Mom said he'd been to Urgent Care, and poor kid just needed to get home and on some Benadryl.

I used to joke that I could predict my colds-kid with green snot this week, cold for me next week!! I try so hard to wash hands and be careful but it's inevitable at some point!

My Premiere Week

I love TV way more than I should.

Monday- See what Chuck is like, Try Heroes again, Journeyman (fascinating but too tired to finish)
Tuesday-Biggest Loser
Wednesday-Private Practice, Bionic Woman, Life
Thursday-Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy

W's friend is coming over to help us with a home improvement project and i've already warned him that I'll be in the basement glued to the TV if he needs me! :)

Ponderings

I was talking to my SIL, T, last week and she asked if I thought some children are just evil. I don't think she thinks there are satanic toddlers out there but that some kids are just naughty from the getgo. I was thinking about that this morning. I found a picture kit like the ones you get with your primary teacher's manual and showing them to little M. It was mostly church history pictures so she loved seeing the oxen and horses, but she was entranced by the pictures of Jesus Christ and temples. At one point, she grabbed a picture of the resurrected Christ from me and said, "Jesus!" She looked closely at it, and said, "hi" like she was greeting an old friend. I believe little ones are a lot closer than we are to deity actually. I'd like to think she recognized a friend in Christ, even at 19 months.

Grandma Jan

I have a very sweet mother in law who is kind and extremely generous and loving. She thinks my little one is the most amazing thing on the earth...rightly so, of course! :) She has a huge test today that she has been preparing for months for. I feel like I've been watching myself prepare for the GRE all over again. She's worked so hard and deserves all the help she can get. So, please send kind thoughts, faith, prayers, whatever you've got, her way to help her today! We love you, Grandma Jan!

Uh oh!

So, M is walking around with her sippy cup and spills on the bed in the guest room. I'm in there on the computer and turn around as she's saying "uh oh!" I tell her to get a towel from the kitchen and she runs off saying "towel, kitchen....towel, kitchen?" and returns empty handed saying "where towel?" So I show her in the kitchen and we walk back and clean up the mess together. I'm back to typing and hear, "uh oh" over and over and what is she doing? Pouring her milk in little drops on the bed so she can practice cleaning it up! Why do I share this story? One, two new words in one conversation, wow! and two, gotta love making messes just so we can clean them! :)

#8

So I decided to be good about #8 (see below post) today and do my Firm video. Unfortunately, It wasn't until after I kicked M in the head and she fell off the exercise step that I decided it was a bad idea to do this while she's awake.

A 10 cow woman!

I went to a great Enrichment meeting last night. It was all about becoming a 10-cow woman. We had classes on developing spirituality, dealing with stress and finding inner peace. I went to the latter two and really enjoyed them. We got a list of stress busters that I liked.

1. Prioritize, focus on the essentials
2. Take a break from your normal routine
3. Ask for help
4. Just do it and get it over with
5. Eliminate nonessentials
6. Get adequate sleep; if you did not get 7 hours, take a nap
7. Good nutrition
8. Exercise, enough to sweat everyday; know your body
9. Do something you enjoy everyday
10. Read from your scriptures and pray everyday
11. Brain vomit

I've decided my blog is my brain vomit. Where I pour out my complaints, worries, thoughts, etc. so then I can process them clearly. So, if you read my blog and think, whoa, she's unbalanced and always stressed about something. No worries! I get it out here and then carry on! ...most of the time!

Nursery Bully!

My sweet cute little one got kicked out of nursery yesterday. We knew it was bound to happen. We call her Meggie Jekyll and Miss Hyde. When Miss Hyde comes out, it's screaming galore! Well, this week has been hard on her sleeping schedule and her attitude has plummeted with it! She screamed all through sacrament meeting and during nursery, she screamed at another girl. When the other girl screamed back, M attacked! She scratched the girl's face! I feel sooooo bad! I feel like I should do something for the other girl or something but I also want to take my child and hide, I feel so ashamed that her aggression has finally emerged at church. Now they know the real M! Sweet 99% of the time, and spice part is way spicy!!!

Feeling "Fall-ish"

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Autumn! I love crisp, cool air. I love cute little red button noses on kids. I love crunchy leaves. I love pumpkins and hay bales and cranberries. I love fall holidays!!! I love apple cider and apples! I love bonfires and fall camping. I love pumpkin soup, mmmm!

I'm already thinking of what M should be for Halloween. I live with a Halloween humbug (I know, shocking, for those of you who know the hubby) :) but I do! So I have to start planting these seeds early. Right now, I'm thinking of these cute ones from Old Navy . Either the ladybug or the lion. Right now, she's really into acting like a lion, so maybe one of those. What do you think????

How's the new layout? Too busy???

My funny kiddos

My first ever client at the U of M had the best quotes ever. It's from him that I gleaned:
"Oh, I yuv my hay-uh, I just yuv it, I yuv it, i yuv it, i yuv it, i yuv my hay-o"

"dose are some spooty tatto-peeyos, spooty, spooty, spooty!"

and at Thanksgiving he was excited to make "turtey tooties!"

This boy was Hmong, and one session, he kept spouting off randomn gibberish at me, kind of angrily. I tried to ignore it and redirect it but wasn't sure what was up. At the end of the session, his Mom came running around from the observation room, yelling angrily at him. Apparently, he'd been telling me off and swearing at me the whole session, in Hmong. He was three!

A few others I've collected over my three years as a speech therapist:

"the tipsy tipsy spider went up the waterspout"

"you changed your clothes!" (with very exaggerated prosody from a kid that I'd seen week after week for months and was still amazed that every Friday I wore something different! :)

"what happen yo nose?" (this one requires an almost foreign accent on a blond kid with his head cocked to the side, looking at my colleague as she asked him to give her eye contact by pointing to her nose, to be funny)

I also get them in Primary: upon being asked, "what color are you thinking of?", a girl answers, "I'm getting grown up teeth!"

The closing prayer near Independence Day, "we're thankful for the fourth of July, and Halloween, and Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter!"

yesterday, my receptionist took it upon her to tell all my kids it was my birthday. so the newest is:

"it yours birsday!"

28

I turned 28 today. Not a big deal but I'm not always a fan of birthdays. I had a grumpy husband today so that wasn't the funnest but he improved and otherwise it was a good day. My lovely family and friends made me feel very loved with lots of emails, phone calls, facebook messages, and e-cards. I loved it!

M at play!

We have been enjoying the lovely weather with walks to the park. She's big enough now to climb and slide and play more. I love it!
My little artist takes her coloring very seriously.

The Top 35

1. What is your occupation? speech therapist and mom

2. Do you like banana sandwiches? my hubby introduced me to the fine art of "banana boats". slather peanut butter all over one piece of bread. peel banana. wrap bread around banana, eat and enjoy. they're yummy if you like the pb and banana combo.

3. What are you listening to right now? it's very quiet-the little one was singing herself to sleep a minute ago but obviously it worked.

4. What was the last thing you ate? the hubby's yummy BBQ chicken!

5. Do you wish on stars? i used to.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? it depends on the day.

7. How is the weather right now? lovely, cool, crisp fall!

8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? my little sister, Gracie, who is at her first day at BYUI!

9. Favorite T.V. shows? LOST, Grey's Anatomy, Ellen, American Idol

10. Favorite T.V. commercial?

11. Favorite drink? diet cherry coke, mmmmm

12. Favorite sport to watch? golf, gymnastics, figure skating

13. Have you ever dyed your hair? only once, a big chunk underneath where no one could see it

14. Do you wear contacts or glasses? nope

15. Pets? hallelujah no!

16. Favorite month? September, October, November, December, take your pick, although Feb. 2nd is now a favorite of mine...

17. Favorite food? homemade pizza

18. What was the last movie you watched? the Kiera Knightley Pride and Predjudice; after answering #27, i'm realizing i was mistaken and it's Better Off Dead

19. Favorite day of the year? Christmas

20. What do you do to vent anger? complain, complain, complain

21. What was your favorite toy as a child? my dolls, i really really wanted a light bright and finally got one when i was eighteen.

22. Fall or Spring? FALL!!!!

23. Hugs or kisses? if it's Hershey's, kisses! if it's affection, hugs! i love being wrapped up in my hubby's arms or the sweet hugs the little one gives as she pats my back.

24. Cherry or Blueberry? fresh? cherry. pie? blueberry

25. What is on the floor of your closet? shoes and a bag of stuff to go to goodwill

26. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Tiff

27. What did you do last night? folded laundry watching Better Off Dead

28. What are you afraid of? the dark

29. What bugs you? feeling like we're one step forward two steps back sometimes; rude people;

30. How many states have you visited? 30, i'm really lacking on the eastern seaboard-my two saving graces are a vacation to NYNY and a short stop in the atlanta airport!

31. Favorite car? i LOVE our new Honda

32. Number of keys on your key ring? 5-two cars, our house, in-law's house, and office

33. How many years at your current job? 3 years, wow!

34. Favorite day of the week? Monday, it's my catchup day

35. How many states have you lived in? Minnesota, California, Arkansas, Utah, Arkansas, Minnesota...i'm into repeats

Test Video

I've never posted a video so let me know if it works! I get too impatient with uploading it to Google. Silly me. M LOVES football! We shot this video five minutes too late because she was totally into the game on the radio and yelling out "touchdown!" with Daddy right before she got into her coloring. Now she even requests "football?" when she walks by the TV!

Makes a Music Leader Proud!

We had some friends from church over for dinner last night. They have two boys- a kindergartener and a boy two years older than M. I was in the kitchen cooking and heard the older boy in the living room playing and singing. He was singing "This is My Beloved Son", one of the songs for our program this year! YES! Some of the kids actually listen to me in Primary on Sundays! I was so happy that he knew the words and was singing voluntarily (obviously his Mom deserves credit too of course)!

Quality of Life Days

My parents call them the "Minnesota quality of life days". The glorious fall days before it gets cold and when the mosquitos have mostly gone away. My house is currently 65 degrees! The windows are open and the A/C is off! I LOOOOOOVE it! We spent the morning outside playing, mowing the lawn, weeding, and cleaning out the garage. M had fun as we cleaned because all of her gear was out in the driveway-she spent several hours riding her car, pushing strollers and dragging her "baby" around.My little day dreamer watching the airplanes
Getting her baby ready for a walk

pretty hair

This morning, M had a bath. She was sticky from head to toe, and while baths are usually a night ritual, I couldn't get her hair unsnarled to save my life! After her bath, she was brushing her own hair and I laid down on my bed next to her. She started brushing my hair and patting it saying, "pretty hair". She's not that good at brushing, so she'd usually brush it into my face and then lean over and wipe it away from my eyes and say, "hi". I love having a girl!

My Latest Creations!

I'm making one of these for Hazel too! (Happy very late birthday, Hazie!)

My Nostalgic Weekend

We had a very busy Labor Day weekend. We helped Will's sisters, Becca and Sarah, move into their new apartment in Dinkytown. It's a great apartment, close to campus and we hope they really enjoy it there. Being that close to campus kept reminding me of my U of M time. We drove home on the 10th Street bridge that parallels the 35W collapsed bridge. It was amazing. I used to drive over that bridge every single day and it was very moving to see the destruction. I loved driving through campus and by the Institute. It made me miss a few things and also feel so glad I don't have to go back either!

Five years always seems like a nice round number. Well, five years ago, last weekend, I had just moved to Minnesota. I drove up alone with my Suzuki packed to the hilt to come to orientation. My parents were going to bring up the rest of my stuff on Labor Day. I remember driving up 35W and rounding the corner where you see all of downtown for the first time. After a whole day of driving, I was exhausted and it was dark and I saw this huge downtown and burst into tears, thinking, "what in the world have I done moving here by myself?????" I was so scared! After the week of orientation, I was lonely with a new room mate who had a life and a big, hot, muggy apartment to myself. (No A/C in Uptown but lovely charm! :) Rather than face a hot, lonely Saturday, I drove across town to the temple. It was the only place besides Barnes and Noble where I could imagine spending a free, relaxing, air-conditioned Saturday. And I figured i needed the spiritual boost with the coming weeks. I went to an endowment session, and afterward they asked if I would like to do sealings. I hadn't really done that before so I thought it would be fun. I was paired with a quiet boy who worked at the temple and the sealer knew my grandparents. At the end of the session, the boy told me I had to go back the other way rather than the way I was turning (actually, he tripped over his words so his friend said it for him :) The next day at church he introduced himself as Will Holman. And the rest is history.

I'm so thankful I moved here, and I'm thankful for my quiet boy who talked to me five years ago this weekend. My mother warned me not to fall in love with the first boy who looked twice at me. I failed that one. Oh well. At least it was worth it!

I'm so excited!!!

Meggie is getting a new cousin! And Hazel's going to be a big sister! I've been busting to write about it since I found out and Joe gave me permission today. Luckily, Teriney (my SIL) is feeling better this time because she knows what to expect. Hazel of course doesn't have a clue! Oh well! :) Hooray hooray!

Things You Might Not Know...

My cousin didn't really tag me. She basically said, if you're reading this, you're tagged. But I've never been tagged before so I decided to do it anyway.

4 Jobs I've had
1. Speech Therapist
2. Preschool Teacher
3. Office Manager, Medical Receptionist, Medical Transcriptionist, Janitor for my Dad's clinic
4. Clinic Assistant at a Voice Clinic

4 Movies I Can Watch Over and Over Again...
1. Ever After
2. The Interpreter
3. any Harry Potter or LOTR
4. Better Off Dead

4 Places I Have Lived...
1. Crystal, Minneapolis, Hopkins, Eden Prairie, MN
2. Cupertino, CA
3. Little Rock, AR
4. Orem, Sandy and Logan, UT

4 Favorite TV Shows...
1. LOST
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. reality shows (SYTYCD, American Idol, I'm a fair weather watcher of shows like this, NOT big brother)
4. hmmmm....

4 Places I Have Been On Vacation...
1. London
2. NYC
3. Paris
4. Hawaii

4 Favorite Dishes... (no particular order)
1. Enchiladas
2. Chipotle burritos
3. homemade pizza
4. my two brothers' Indian and Thai dishes and sushi

4 Websites I Visit Daily...
1. Sugar and Spice
2. work email
3. Facebook
4. friends blogs

4 Places I Would Rather Be Right Now...
1. Arkansas
2. in Utah with my Mom and sister
3. Eating at a nice restaurant with my hubby (I'm keeping that one from Claudia's-like that idea!)
4. back in Europe or Hawaii

Now here are 4 people that I am tagging...
You can if you want...

Hello Goodbye

I really don't think I said never. I'm pretty sure I didn't say, "I'll never let my baby have a pacifier past twelve months." But I did make it an earnest goal! Then, I was very sick around her birthday, followed shortly by my surgery, then vacation, then her ear infections, then vacation, and well, now she's 18 months. Don't get me wrong, she only uses it in bed. She hasn't used a pacifier outside of nap and bedtime for a looooooong time! But it's still here and I really wanted it gone. So, on Friday afternoon, I put her in bed for her nap and told her they were gone, that she was a big girl now and didn't need them and she still had her bear and blanket and she'd be okay. Yeah, it didn't go that smooth. I did say all those things, but they were shortly followed by lots and lots of screaming!!!! That nap it was only 15 minutes. That night it was only 20 minutes and then she gave up.

Then came Saturday. Three short catnaps and a crazy day later, she didn't really make it to bed until 9:30. Any of you who know my baby know that is NOT enough!! Well, this time, stress, exhaustion, and a runny nose helped her cry for oh, an hour! And we're talking screaming! Every time when I'd try and go in and comfort her, when I'd leave she was worse. Finally, she calmed down but awoke during the night a few times and started fussing this morning at 5am! I'm determined we can't go back. Even though, I'm pretty sure she is getting a cold, we can't go back!!! I just hope we survive! W and I are wimps in this department because she's always been an amazing sleeper!! So, now we have to survive this hopefully brief but very painfully loud hiccup!