hi.

So-- a few friends have asked about the house we put an offer on. We haven't heard anything which means our offer will not be accepted. A bank will not even look at an offer than is contingent on the sale of an other property if it is a short sale. =(
I found out that this house was near the landfill...maybe a mile and half away. That bugged me...I wondered if you could smell it. I drove out there. The neighborhood is so gorgeous. There are a few pastures with in walking distance with a few horses. Open air. Lovely homes. Lots of land to explore. I pulled up to the house. I stepped out of my car, and a large shadow passed over my body. It was a vulture, flying directly over me....if that isn't a bad omen I don't know what is. Funny! Oh, I couldn't smell anything, and I couldn't hear anything. It was quiet and wonderful. Oh well, we have got to sell our home first.

If you clean it they will come.

I cleaned my house before primary meeting. Show ready. Then I came home, and got Talia off to preschool. The only thing left of my to do list was TAKE A NAP! I put Simone down, and I carefully lay on my bed. (It was made so nicely.) Then a few minutes later my phone rang and woke me up.

"An agent would like to show your home from 1:30 to 2:30."

I rolled over to look at the clock. It read 1:23.

Are you kidding me? I looked outside. Two vehicles were parked nearby. End of nap.

an earlier flight!!!!!!

He is on his way home! Yay. It has been a week and a day, and that was a long long time. As you can probably tell by my previous posts...I was starting to get a little frazzled by the end.

Some funny things.

I came home from visiting teaching two sisters on my route. I started fixing lunch immediately, because the baby was starving. While I was feeding Simone some yogurt when I saw two cars pull into my neighbor hood. They stopped and stared at the house. The woman in one car put her cell phone to her ear. NO WAY! She is calling to see if they can see the home. I had left the house ready, but ran to put away the lunch mess I had just created. Then my phone rang, and then there were people standing at my door. It was so fast. I am so glad I was ready. Simone still had a messy yogurt face as we swiftly exited.

Getting the house ready in the morning was a little crazy. I was late for my visiting teaching appointment, because I dropped a container of toothpicks on the counter. What a mess, and not very easy to pick up either!

Well, I returned home after my impromptu showing, and found a wet diaper (folded nicely!) on my bathroom counter. Oh brother! I am sure they laughed at that.

I forgot to mention another crazy thing. I was running down the stairs to stop a fight between Wyatt and his friend ( a few weeks ago) and I fell down the stairs. It was just the landing and the last two steps, but I FLEW so far I landed in my kitchen! I went at least 10 feet and most of that I was in the air. It hurt so bad! The fight stopped. (I can't say that I will ever use that method again. )

how much longer....

I don't know about this house selling business.

Today I had a showing from 1:30 to 2:30. Nap time. That is okay because Simone can nap in the car. Talia was at preschool so I was doing the last minute staging of the house while Simone crawled around. Her favorite toy is the dog dish, so I keep having to fish her out of that. She crawled up several stairs and I had to rescue her from there. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and put her in her carseat (she is still in her carrier). She screamed her little head off while I mopped the floor. Then we were out the door. I came back home to a message left at 1:49 that the showing had been canceled by the agent.



So Simone slept in the car for a very short hour, instead of like this.....

Pretty from far away.

Wyatt- "Mom you are pretty from far away, but then you get up close and there is all these bumps."

Me- "Wyatt that is the meanest thing to say! Never ever ever say that to a woman or a girl, you will hurt their feelings!" I start to cry. I guess if I am going to teach him a lesson in saying kind things to others-- this will help make it memorable. So I let 'em flow! I thought my skin was looking rather good lately. =(

Wyatt-"I am sorry. You are a pretty Mom. I think you are great." Then his tears start.

Pretty from far away......... my mind goes to the scene from the movie Clueless.

Tai: Do you think she's pretty?
Cher: No, she's a full-on Monet.
Tai: What's a Monet?
Cher: It's like a painting, see? From far away, it's OK, but up close, it's a big old mess. Let's ask a guy. Christian, what do you think of Amber?
Christian: Hagsville.
Cher: See?

I had to get someone to tell me it wasn't true. So, I called Lincoln. The one person on this earth that thinks I am a total hottie! I tell Lincoln the conversation I had with Wyatt, and my loving husband proceeds to laugh. Rude.

I think I am owed something. SOMETHING. A shopping spree. A new camera. A new house. His apology wasn't very convincing.

I'll change the subject that one is depressing.

I drove by a house.
I loved it.
The price was too good to be true.
It is a short sale.
I call my husband in Oregon. I tell him I want it.
We put an offer on the house.
We haven't even been inside it. =)
We will go see it this week.

I love to be crazy! I don't think our offer will be excepted, but still I love this whole crazy feeling. I will let you know what happens.

I just bought a print of the above image. I love it. It is very small, just the size of a notecard. I am going to frame it and hang it in my bathroom. =)

(I am turning the comments off on this lovely post.)

What a week..

Pure sweetness! WHEN SHE IS ASLEEP! I have had the hardest couple of weeks with Talia. *She cut her hair.
*I caught her slipping a mini bottle of hand sanitizer in her pocket at the store.
*She dropped a huge hard toy on Simone's head. (this was an accident)
*She uses the word "no" more than usual.
*She quoted the Donkey from Shrek with this line----- "I'm SEXY!"----repeated several times.--We don't even own that movie...it is from a preview. I hate previews.
*She is very impatient, and wacks me on the leg if I don't respond to her requests quickly.
*She told me in the saddest voice, "Mommy, I am not beautiful." My reaction was, "WHO TOLD YOU THAT?" Where does a four year old get that? It makes me so sad.
*She came down the stairs tonight, with her baby doll and a big smile across her face. "I changed her clothes. Will you help me wrap her up?" I thought Talia was asleep...and had been for a long time. I wrapped the baby doll, and secretly was proud of her for changing the doll's clothes by herself!

I am trying to be a good Mom. What is a good Mom supposed to do in a week like this? I mostly have talked to her. I don't think it is sinking in! =) I love her. I want her to know that more than anything other thing right now. I think that is what she needs this week.



I know what you are thinking. The answer = Yep, while I was in Utah. They only make bows that big in Utah and Texas. Isn't she darling? She just had her 1 year check up. She only weighs 15 pounds 8 ounces. I know why...she got so sick in January and lost a lot of her weight. She is just trying to catch up. I get to spend the next month trying to fatten her up before her next weigh in.



We had a crazy Wednesday. I have to leave the house show ready every time I leave. That is the most daunting task. On Wednesday morning I had primary meeting. Then Simone and Talia had doctors appointments. Talia missed all but the last 10 minutes of preschool. Yes, I took her for those 10 minutes...so I wouldn't have to hear about missing preschool. Then we got Wyatt straight off the bus, and went to the grocery store. I had no diapers, not a one. There was a showing scheduled for the house from 5-6 and another from 6:30-8:00. I would have been really irritated with that last late showing BUT it was a second showing......and we just heard that they are interested. We shall see HOW interested they are. (fingers crossed) We ate dinner at Cheeburger Cheeburger, and fortunatly it was Family Fun Night for Talia's preschool so we had somewhere to go after dinner. What a non-stop day!

Tonight we had the Sister missionaries over for dinner. I made Rosemary Chicken, roasted veggies, whole grain bread, and a yummy fruit salad. The dinner was the only good thing...oh, and Talia. She was really good. Wyatt, on the other hand, embarrassed me so badly I bawled after the missionaries left. Naughty.

How can I end on a happy note?


Cake baby! This was too much fun!

Cake anyone?

More pictures to come........

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"I wanted to hold Simone."

"OH, would you look at me! I got my way! I am SO HAPPY now!"

"Mommy, Why are you knocking on the window? It is so loud and scary!"

I just wanted a St. Patrick's Day picture. Is that such a hard thing to ask for?

Happy Birthday Simone

Happy Birthday to our sweet Simone. I can't believe this day is here. This year has gone by so quickly. I remember how tiny you were on the day you were born, and how wonderful it felt to hold you. You are such a sweet little baby. We love having you as a part of our family!

At a year old...
You love music, and you "sing" along and nod your head. It is so cute!

You love your Mom. Too much. Lately you won't let anyone except your Mommy and Daddy hold you.

You also love your brother and sister. They can always get you to smile. They love to help me take care of you.

You love the new Gerber yogurt puffs....you go nuts if you see the bag. If you are crying, I can give you one and you will STOP immediately.

You love to play with my "bliss" necklace while I hold you. You broke it a few weeks ago. =( You are tiny, but you are strong!

You love to sleep with a little doll or a stuffed animal. No binky for you...you want something to cuddle.

You are crawling, and love to cruise on the couch. Lately you try to stand on your own, and fall. You know how to climb the stairs now.

You still don't sleep through the night. You keep getting sick. You were sleeping so well, and did it a total of FOUR nights. That means I have had four good nights of sleep in a year.

I wasn't watching you closely, and you ate a dead bug out of the track of the door. You also ate a paint brush covered in paint because I was busy texting two feet away from you. You got paint on the carpet, and it was all over your teeth- I wish I would have taken a picture. (I didn't put that brush there...nor did I know it was there!)


Here is how Simone spent some of her day.

Playing in the cabniets while I made little cakes.

A nice birthday bath.

A few tears.

Ready for a party!

Playtime.

Time for cake!

She loved it!

Happy Birthday Baby! We love you Simone!

just funny

Yesterday I arrived at Target to get Talia's prescription. When I pulled in a parking spot, I noticed that all three of my kids were asleep. We all took a 25 minute nap in the parking lot. Maybe it was longer...I don't remember. =)

Wacky

Today was Wacky Wednesday. This is how I sent my son to school. As I watched him walking down the street I was laughing and scared. He looked...well....kind of rebellious. I told him, "Just because you have crazy hair doesn't mean you can have crazy behavior."

The sweet boy with the mohawk said, "I know , Mom."



He had some other fun wacky people in his class, but he said he was the craziest. His teacher sounded pretty wacky to me though....different socks, different shoes, and a single pigtail.

My whole day was wacky. First, I had primary meeting. I wasn't going to go because Simone's nose was so disgusting. I was wiping it every 5 minutes. I didn't want to go and make everyone sick. I was told, "it's okay with me if you come"...so I went. I told them I was going to be late. I had to get the house ready to show JUST IN CASE someone came to see it in the 2 hours I would be gone--on a Wednesday. I had enough time for cleaning or a shower. I chose cleaning, and I am so thankful that I did. As soon as I got to the meeting Lincoln called and told me there was a showing scheduled in 30 minutes. I almost cried. I was so close to leaving the dishes in the sink, not making the beds, and leaving a huge pile of cardboard from a photo order on the kitchen floor.

We had another showing in the evening. I took the kids to Costco. We had to get Cy a new dog bed, and garbage bags. I had Simone in the baby bjorn, Talia wanted to ride in the cart, and Wyatt walked with me. By this time the Mohawk had died, in case you were wondering. =) We got a sample of spinach ravioli with pesto sauce and as we slowly walked away Talia said, "Mom, is that a boy or a girl?" She was talking about the woman (I think) that had just prepared our samples. She didn't say it quietly either. All I could say in a barely audible whisper was, "Don't say that so loud. You will hurt her feelings." I don't know what else to say about that....geez.

Then....no that deserves a THEN!!.....We got home and the kids played in the basement while I folded laundry. Talia was dancing around, and she asked me to help her with a back bend. I told her to push her arms up and get her head off the ground. She told me that it hurt her neck. She has been complaining of a sore neck for a few days. Every time I touch it, or Wyatt is too rough, or if I dry her hair with a towel too hard she would complain. I thought she had a crick in her neck from a nap without a pillow. Then I saw it. A lump. Lump doesn't describe it. Humongo mass should I take her to the emergency room??!!!----there, that describes it. It is under her jaw (lymph node) and is swollen clear up behind her ear. It is about 2.5 inches long and rock hard. Scary. I called my pediatrician, my Mom, and Christie's husband, Dr. Brent. They were on there way home so they made a stop here. He felt it, and looked at her throat. He told me to watch her tonight, and take her to the doctor tomorrow. He called it a raging lymph node. =) I should mention that I feel the worst sore throat coming on, and Wyatt has had one for a few days. It wasn't Simone that should have stayed away from the primary meeting.

Wacky day.

snow day

We woke up to this.

I love a snow day. Not because of the snow, but because Wyatt gets to stay home. I get my family all to myself the whole day.

Simone has a bad cold. Poor darling baby. She got a front row seat for all the snow fun.

I took these today. They were having fun throwing snow.

Wyatt was sposed to throw it behind her....as you can see that isn't what happened. She hated it.

A lovely couple of days.

There I am.....

A long time ago I did a post about the contents of my purse. I have a confession....I cleaned out my purse two days before I was tagged to do the "bag tag." Lucky me, because in the rules of the tag it said "no cleaning". I didn't have to. =)

I was cleaning out my diaper bag a few days ago and thought I would show what I really carry around. My favorite = the three check books. Yes, three. I don't know how long I have had them all in there. I also loved the two half chewed coffee jelly bellys. I love being a mom.

24th love

Yep, I am behind. I makes me so mad I think that next month I will post a picture of something I HATE everyday.

On to the love.....

I went to buy some new flatware. The set we had was in bad shape. I had only two teaspoons, so we were using the big soup spoons for cereal and such. Many of the pieces had a match with the garbage disposal, and a few of them had lost- but were still being used.

I walked in to Macy's with a 20% off coupon, and gazed at the display of Oneida flatware. I immediately grabbed a style that I liked. It would go well with my plates. I still skimmed over the other styles, and read their names. Then I thought, "What is the name of the pattern I am holding?". I looked down at the box in the crook of my arm and saw the name "Lincoln". I stopped looking at flatware and went to pay for my little gem.

Every time I open the drawer to get a small smooth spoon my heart leaps. Wyatt (whose first name is Lincoln) and Lincoln are also very pleased with the choice I made. =)

16th love

one on one.

I love the alone time I get with Simone. We played together so much today. She has mastered pulling up to standing, and is starting to cruise on the couch. We had a fun time laughing and playing while the kids were at school, and we got to sneak up stairs for a little while in the evening. She was being so silly and happy. I love her to bits.

I get a lot of alone time with Talia. I don't get any with Wyatt. The other night Talia fell asleep on the couch and Simone went to bed a little early. I finally had some time to talk with my sweet boy. He is a crackup! I think I will try to put the girls down early more often. We had a good time talking together. He was not happy with the idea of moving. It was affecting his behavior at home and school. I was able to talk to him about how you make friends throughout your WHOLE life. You don't have to lose friends, you just keep adding more. I opened up my facebook page, and read him all the well wishes I got for my birthday. There were SO many...I still can't believe it. I mentioned how I knew each person. It went as far back as my best friend in Texas when I was three years old. He is not worried any longer! I had to fill out his "spotlight" form for church, and there was a question about what he was looking forward to. His answer was, "making millions of new friends."

15th love

I love my baby cradle.

My Dad made it for me when Wyatt was born. It is one of my prized possessions. We put it in storage last week. I hated that. I love seeing it around even if it is empty. The picture is of Simone on her first morning home. Having her home and safe and sound was like a dream, I had to get my camera so I could remember how wonderful it felt to have her in my room.



I took this picture next. I remember thinking, "This is what I wake up to." Simone in her cradle, and Talia in a backwards sundress in March. If you could have heard the giggle that accompanied this picture. Heavenly! We were all so glad to have her home.


I remember how quickly Wyatt grew and filled it up, but also remember how small he looked the first time I put him in it.

I would untie one of the bows on the bumper, and would sleepily hang on to it from my bed and slowly rock Wyatt by pulling the string.

I remember how happy I was with 10 day old Natalia sleeping the cradle, and I could hear Wyatt and Lincoln playing in the front room. We were still new to Maryland, and I felt so homesick and a little lost- but I was so happy!

I remember the first night we moved into this house. We were all in our bed room with boxes piled everywhere. Lincoln was hanging some cheap blinds to give us some privacy. Talia was in her carseat. I buzzed around the room looking for sheets, pillows, and toothbrushes. I looked at my sweet baby and scooped her up to lay her in her cradle. A few minutes later a stack of boxes with two boxes of blinds balanced on the top fell over. The blinds came slamming down (on their ends) into the carseat where Talia's little head was just minutes before. I can't remeber exactly what Lincoln said but he either asked me why or when I had moved her. I don't remember why I moved her...but I remember it so clearly. It was definatly inspired. The feeling in this house afterward was so peacful as we both took turns holding our new little bundle. We thanked our Heavenly Father for her, and for keeping her safe.

I remember when I walked in the room and Natalia was on her knees peeking over the edge. That was the last time she slept in the cradle! (I have a picture of this...I can't find it right now!)

14th love

Just love.

My Valentines Day plans were ruined by the stomach flu. We spent it together, which was still memorable. Lincoln made us filet mignon, and I added some loaded baked potatoes with white cheddar sauce, green salad, and garlic bread. We had a lovely dinner. (Well, some of us!)

13th love

I had to take photos of the house. As I looked at these rooms I was a little teary as I remembered a few of the memories we have made here.

I love good happy memories, and fortunately I have a lot of them!!

12th love

I love when my kids are healthy and happy.

We have had a hard night. I took Wyatt and the kids to Family Math night at the school. Lincoln had to work late. I quickly showered at 6:15. We had painters here all day, and I never had time to before. I fed my kids some yummy homemade soup while I dried my hair, and then we ran out the door. I got home and got them all into bed, and then I heard Simone cry. I went to pick her up and noticed her head was soaking wet. I turned on the light and discovered the worst thing ever. Do I even need to say it? Throw up. She has thrown up ELEVEN times since then. ELEVEN! After a bath, many pajama changes (myself and Simone), dirty sheets and towels, tummy rubs, and rocking the sun came up. A sick baby is the saddest thing. I do love that I can rub her feet and she stops crying, if I set one foot down she lifts the other in the air as a little hint to keep going.

11th love

I love my iphone! I love my husband and his crazy, over-the-top, well thought out gifts!!! This time he put an iphone inside a baskin robins container. (He dumped the icecream out at my neighbors house.) I was completely content with icecream as a present, until he had to hint for me to open it. The first word out of my mouth was, "naughty!". He also made candy parfaits in some of the baskin robbins cups, with balloons instead of straws. So CUTE! Oh, I didn't get the baskin robbins thing.....even though there was a big 31 on it. I wonder why....I am only 29....what is this 31 business?