Yummy

Tonight I made Kimber's pizza pockets. It was a hit to say the least. Mike loved them and was so excited that there was enough to take to work the next day. I made half pepperoni and half canadian bacon/pineapple. I am usually a cb/p fan, but I really liked the pepperoni. The recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks Kimber!

Celia Garth

Well, I finished the book. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with Luke...(It's not that I didn't like Jimmy, Luke was just her soul mate). My only complaint with the book is that it ended. I wish we could see the rest of their lives as they try to figure out how to live together without all the adventure.

My favorite line was something Luke said, "Celia, when a man gets to the place where he doesn't care about his country nor his character nor his sense of duty, where he doesn't care about one single thing but a woman-then, Celia, hes' got it bad. And my dear, that's the way I've got it." Oh be still my heart. Is he the perfect man or what?! I hope that Mike feels about me the way Luke felt about her.

I loved the book because it really made me appreciate so many things in my life. Little tiny things like hot water, a refrigerator, pants, hospitals, sewing machines, etc. However, I mostly loved how tough Celia was. I love what Vivian says to her...that you just do it because you have to. How true. We all have things that seem impossible (for 2 sisters right now pregnancy may feel like one of them), but somehow we make it through; sometimes by luck, sometimes with help, and sometimes by sheer willpower.

Thank you girls for recommending it to me. I'm glad that I am now an official member of the Celia Garth club.

Progressive Dinner

Tonight Mike and I went to a progressive dinner with some people in our ward. It was so much fun (other than we ate in the wrong order; dessert, appetizer, then the main course). We were able to get to know some more people in our ward that are really fun. I also realized tonight that for the first time since Mike and I got married, I really feel like this is OUR ward. I have always felt like the Arimo ward was my home ward, but after tonight I realized that I finally have my own ward. I am no longer a transitory member, I have a home ward. It's a good feeling.

Proof

I'm pretty happy because I finally have a picture of me with my two little guys-and other than my shiny spots it is a pretty good picture. As the mom, I am usually the one taking all of the pictures and never in them. I have proof now that I am actually a part of their lives. Yay!

Housework

Today I woke up to the sunshine...the second day in a row now. :) I felt very ambitious and decided to get all of the laundry done as well as clean out our closet and dresser. Why is it that it is so hard to get rid of our ratty old t-shirts? I finally threw out the ones that we have just been hanging onto...you know the ones that you "might use camping", or "might need if we paint one of the rooms", or what if you happen to work out 20 days in a row and don't do laundry, then you might need those ratty old t-shirts. So I did it, I threw them out. I know I have mentioned it before, but I love to do laundry. Today was no exception. I had so much fun hanging up all of our clothes and getting them put into organized drawers.

I was able to get all of the laundry done by about 10am and decided to hop in the shower. As I was getting my hair wet I remembered that someone had told me it was easiest to clean the shower if you were already in there. Now, I may love to do laundry, but I HATE to clean bathrooms. I hate that as soon as you get them clean, they are guaranteed to get dirty again. It doesn't matter how careful you are brushing your teeth, you are going to get toothpaste flicks on you mirror. And the first time you use the sinks, you all of a sudden have a bunch of water spots again. UGH! However, I was still feeling ambitious so decided to hop out of the shower and get the cleaning supplies (very quickly because I was dripping water everywhere). I was feeling very proud of myself until I realized that I didn't have my contacts in and couldn't see what I was doing. Most of you know that I am practically blind without my contacts, but do you know how blind? I asked my eye doctor just recently what my prescription is based on the 20/20 thing, and he said that I am basically a 400/20. So even though I was in this little shower, I still couldn't see the soap scum. But I decided to try anyway. So I scrubbed and scrubbed and would just feel for the scum with my fingers. After giving myself a blister and the water was starting to get cold, I decided to finish washing up. I thought I had done a pretty good job until I got my contacts in and saw all of the streaks that I had missed. Blast! Now I had to clean the shower not once, but twice. I'm telling you, as soon as I am done nursing, I am getting lasic. On a side note, how does a blind person keep their bathroom clean? Just wondering. :)

Now that the shower had taken up so much time, I wasn't really in the mood to clean the rest of the bathrooms, so decided that I would cheat. I could kiss the person that invented clorox wipes. I hate to do bathrooms, but at least I have those trusty little wipes to help me. Although I do loath the bathroom cleaning, there are a few things that I do love about the chore. First, once they are clean, you know that if you happened to have a visitor and they happened to need to use the restroom, it would be clean. Second, I absolutely love the smell of windex (or in our case target brand glass cleaner). Finally, I don't know why, but for some reason I like to wear rubber gloves. I don't know if it is because I can brave any germ if I am wearing them or what, but I like 'em.

After all of that, the sun was still out so I decided to get some shopping done, and surprise Mike by visiting him at work. All in all it was a very successful day.

A Good Sunday

Yesterday was the first Sunday since Christmas that our entire family has been well enough to attend church. It was also the first time that Korben got to wear his new Christmas suit. Isn't he a doll? He has already learned how to make the GQ pose. :) Everyone kept telling us how much he had grown. I can't believe we have been in this ward for almost a year now; it seems like we just got here!

Our ward has switched to 11:00 which I am really excited about. To start off the day, we were actually on time to church. This meant that we didn't have to sit on the front row, we weren't rushing in, and we were able to get all settled without making a scene. Then we made it through the entire sacrament meeting without a tantrum or having to leave once. Korben was an angel. He folded his arms for each of the prayers, didn't spill his sacrament water, and stayed quiet clear till the end. He also went to nursery and only cried for about 5 minutes (mostly because he wanted his frog and a nap). However, when Mike went to pick him up from nursery, he didn't want to leave, so hopefully he is liking it again.

I was able to finally get my lesson over with in Relief Society. I had been shaking all morning and felt sick to my stomach. I was so nervous that the women weren't going to comment and I would have to try and fill the time all by myself. They had told me that I would have to fill 30 minutes, but when it came time for the lesson, I had closer to 45 minutes left in the hour. Talk about pressure! However, when it came time to give the lesson, everything just came together. I didn't have a single off-topic comment, everything tied together nicely, and the entire time was filled. I had so many comments that weren't the typical seminary answers. They were deep thoughts that had been pondered. The spirit in the room was amazing. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to give the lesson, because it definitely helped me grow. However, I am also glad that during sacrament meeting they called two new RS teachers, so I probably won't get called to that position. :) I don't know that I could handle the stress. I did receive some compliments, but the best was from a little old lady that said that for being nervous I gave one of the best lessons she had ever heard. That made me feel really good, and made the 12 hours of time I spent preparing it last week well worth it. I was so excited to talk to Mike about it, but apparently in Priesthood the lesson turned into a debate about the Crusades somehow. Thank heaven for women! Thank you everyone that made comments on my blog last week. I was able to share some of the things that you said in the lesson and it really added to have some personal thoughts to it rather than just quotes from the lesson.

I think the biggest thing I learned from giving the lesson was that I need to make comments in RS when I think of them. So many times I just keep them to myself rather than sharing my thoughts, and I know as a teacher I couldn't have done the lesson without the contributions from the sisters. I'm going to make a better effort to not be so shy and just say what I am feeling. I'm already excited for next week.

Grins & Giggles

Logan has officially entered the fun newborn stage. Not only is he sleeping for 9 hours at night, but he is all grins and giggles these days. He is so much fun to talk to and play with, and he can make any day a good day with one little smile. Korben loves to sit and watch me get Logan to giggle. It makes him laugh too. I sure love my little guys!

Attachments

I swore when I had kids, that they would not have attachments. By this, I mean things that they just cannot live without. I was anti-pacifier, anti-blankie, anti-stuffed animal. Well all of that has gone to pot. Logan is definitely a pacifier baby. He loves to fall asleep with a pacifier in his mouth. This is rather convenient for times like church, but I wish he wasn't so dependent on it. Then we have the real trouble...Korben. Not only does he have one attachment, he now has 3. He refuses to sleep, eat, watch tv, or anything else without his "Melmo", "Bankie", and "Gog". Translation: the Elmo we got him for Christmas, His frog blanket, and a little stuffed animal frog. It is quite comical to see him try and carry all three of these items down the stairs. However, it is an accident just waiting to happen. More than once he has tripped over the dragging blanket, but luckily he had the huge Elmo to catch his fall.

So the other day I made Korben lunch and called him to the table. He proceeded to bring all 3 of his lifelines to the table and then tried to get himself (along with them) into the chair. I don't know how he did it, but after about 5 minutes of maneuvering (he HAD to do it HIMSELF) he got into the chair. This would have been fine, except that then Elmo fell and he had to get down and start the process all over. After a lot of hard work he finally got to the eating part of lunch. However, because he was holding all of them in his lap, when he tried to use the spoon to eat his peaches, he ended up dropping the spoon on the floor. So now he had to get off the chair with all of them and try and get back up with all of them AND the spoon. Needless to say, after 10 minutes of watching him try to work around these 3 rather than eating his lunch, I had had it! I told him they could sit on the table and watch him eat, and that is when the waterworks started. I ended up just taking them all upstairs only to now have a sobbing little boy that still wouldn't eat his lunch. I decided that I would compromise and gave him his frog (the smallest of the 3), but this was not enough. He immediately hopped of the chair to go in search of his beloved Melmo and Bankie. I finally gave up on lunch altogether and just let him have them.

We then move ahead a few hours (oh say 5am the next morning) and I hear this sobbing that rips me from the wonderful dream I was having. It was Korben, panicking because he couldn't find his Gog in his bed! I was so mad I could have burned the stupid things (but I wanted to get back to sleep, so just found gog in the covers and gave it to him).

I haven't quite decided what to do about this dilemma. It really is cute how much he loves these things, and I think it will help him to not feel so deserted when we go on the cruise. However, I am sick of the tantrums and the tears and having to wash all of them because they are taken everywhere!

So there is my rant about attachements. Is this just an age thing that will go away, or should I just hide them all and make him grow up now rather than later?

Here are some pictures of him and his little items. His new thing is to lay on the floor with them when he is ready to take a nap. Gog makes a nice pillow, and hey, he already has his blanket. :)

Seven Random Things About Me

1. I was Marsh Valley Junior Miss

Yup, it's true. It still blows me away because my talent was a song called "cause I'm a blonde" from a movie called Earth Girls are Easy. However, I must have been blonde enough for them, cause I like won y'all! :)

2. I have a record with the State of Utah.
It all started because I was in a fender bender and didn't have my insurance information in the car at the time. Therefore I was to appear in court to prove I had it. Unfortunately due to a miscommunication, I missed my court date. When I showed up there wasn't anyone in the courtroom. I asked why at the desk downstairs, and found out that there was a warrant for my arrest because I hadn't shown up to my court date (which was the day before). I was cuffed and put in a cell until Kells could bail me out ($500.00). Luckily, it was all resolved with the second court date (that I did show up for). The judge said I had made a mountain out of a molehill, and then refunded the $500.

3. I have a Homeland Security Record
Another moment that we all refer to as "Kate Moments". I had been married for 2 months when the company I had been an office manager for asked me to set up one of their summer offices. I agreed to go because it was good money that would pay off our furniture. As I was going through security at the airport, they asked me if I had a knife in my bag. I laughed (thinking they were kidding) and said, "no". They then proceeded to take everything out of the bag until they found nothing other than a knife. After a long chat with a sheriff and the Homeland Security Director, I was released. Phew! They agreed that I didn't know the knife was there, that I was a silly 19 year old, and sent me on my way. That is after I received a $250 fine because the knife was one quarter inch longer than was allowed.

4. I hate noodles
There isn't a big story here, I just don't like the texture or taste. However, I want my kids to eat them so I do make them on occasion. I also have acquired a taste for alfredo, so will eat that if the restaurant has nothing else. :)

5. I love to do laundry
There is something very fulfilling about taking a pile of laundry and making it clean, smell good, and wrinkle free. Then comes my favorite part-the folding. I love to fold laundry. It is so therapeutic. I love to take the clothes basket of inside out and mixed up clothes and turn it into perfect little piles of folded organization.

6. I love sugar
Mike laughs at me, because I will put jam on a waffle and then top it off with syrup. I love to make things as sweet as possible. I like having a little cookie with my icing if you know what I mean. My biggest weaknesses are oreos, m&m's and swedish fish. If it is in the house, I will eat it. Giving up my candy and sweets is the hardest part of trying to lose weight.

7. I have had 3 surgeries
When I was fifteen I ruptured my appendix giving me a 2 inch scar on my lower right abdomen. I have also had two c-sections which have left a six-inch half-circle on my lower middle abdomen. Put the two together and I have what I like to call my winking smiley face.

Most of you already knew these things, but it is fun to laugh about our little random facts anyway.

Date Night

Tonight Mike and I were able to go on our first date alone since Logan was born. YIPPEE! We decided to go see National Treasure 2. We both really enjoyed it. It was a clean, fun, and an absolutely ridiculous movie-just what one needs to take a break from their kids. However, after only 2 hours, I was desperately wanting to get my babies back. I may not be a genius, but I think that means that the week long cruise might be a tad hard on me.

Yesterday I was asked to give the lesson in Relief Society next week. It is on God the Father. I have been wondering how I want to approach the subject and what part of the lesson I want to focus on. I think after tonight I have decided. In the lesson there are some quotes that I love: "...the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; He views them as his offspring...His love is unfathomable, his wisdom infinite, and His power unlimited..." "When we comprehend the character of God, we comprehend ourselves and know how to approach Him."

After our date, I was thinking about how hard it was for me to leave my little ones for only a few hours, and how I am sure I am going to miss them like crazy on the cruise. I then compared it to our Heavenly Father. He sent all of His children to this earth knowing that some would not return to Him. Still He let them go. Then He sent his Son to die for them. I would say that that kind of love is definitely unfathomable. I didn't understand that parental love until having children, and more importantly, leaving my children(if only for a short time). I can't compare my 2 hours to the eternities, but I think I can compare my love of my boys to His love of us. His" fatherly care and paternal regard"..I love that. I love thinking of Him as my Father rather than some distant being. Like it says, because I can comprehend his character (and I'll add feelings), I know how to approach Him better. I don't know if that all correlates and makes sense, but I know it does in my mind, I just need to piece it all together. :) If any of you have thoughts or ideas to add, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

Breast Milk

I know what you might be thinking. Why would I write a blog about breast milk? Well, I didn't really have any events to write about, so thought I would share a part of my life that is very prominent right now - breastfeeding (or the lack thereof).

I don't want to gross anyone out, but suffice it to say that I have been VERY blessed in the breast milk department. I have so much milk that I sometimes wonder if my body thinks I had triplets or something. Because of this, Logan had a really hard time breastfeeding. I tried for six weeks, and after a lot of tears and frustration, decided that I was going to pump rather than continue to breastfeed. This may sound horrible to some of you that have used a really crappy or slow pump, but it has actually freed me. It is so nice to be bottle feeding because Korben was always getting into trouble when I would nurse. I still wanted Logan to have the breast milk, so we bought a dual pump. The thing is amazing. It can drain both boobs in about 4 minutes. :) It is actually faster to pump, feed Logan, wash the attachments, and store the extra milk, than it is to just breastfeed him. I have even pumped in the car and then fed Logan a bottle of fresh breast milk while walking through Target. I also never have to miss more than a few minutes of church which is a huge blessing. Here is a picture of the wonderful invention that has made my life so much easier.As I mentioned above, I have tons of extra milk. I started storing it so that I could take a frozen pack to church, or have some milk for a babysitter etc. When I decided that I was going to go on the cruise, I knew that I wanted to have enough breast milk stored that Mom wouldn't have to depend on formula. This way I can "pump and dump" on the cruise, and then still give Logan breast milk when I get home. I was worried at first that I would need to up my milk production right before so that there would be enough milk for him. As it has turned out, having enough milk has not been a problem. In fact, I will probably have way more than he will need. Currently, I have 345oz stored. What does 345oz of stored breast milk look like you wonder? It looks like this...

The Biggest Loser

I am definitely a Biggest Loser fan. There are lots of reasons that I like the show, but the biggest right now is that it motivates me to work out. Sometimes I feel like the trainers are talking to me and encouraging me, and that is a great boost when I feel like I just can't exercise. I have always cared about being in shape, but as some of you know, my timetable of wanted to get my pre-baby figure back has been moved way up. We have won a week long cruise that happens to leave the last week of February. I initially didn't want to go because I would be leaving my 2 boys behind. However, with Mom coming to watch them, I am not worried and know that they will be fine. But I still haven't been excited to go because I don't really like my body right now. I know, I know, how lame am I to even think about complaining about a free cruise-but I would just like to feel good in a swimming suit, and maybe have more that one pair of pants to wear while I'm on it. So the point...

I have been working out here and there, but haven't been really dedicated to it. Yet I keep saying that I'm not going to be in shape etc. On the Biggest Loser last night, Jillian (one of the trainers) was talking to a guy about why he was having a hard time working out with them, when they were changing his life. She said that she thought he was so worried about getting thin because then he wouldn't have any excuse for things anymore and that he was worried about failing in some way, so it was easier to give up. I can totally relate to that. I have been feeling like there is no way that I am going to get to the size I want by the cruise, and those thoughts have set me up for failure. It is easier to just complain that I can't do it, rather than try my best. So today I set some goals. Not unrealistic goals like losing 30 pounds in the next six weeks, or not eating anything yummy, or working out for hours at a time. I know that those won't happen right now. However, I have set the goal to simply try my best. To stop complaining and simply DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! That way, when I look back at this time, regardless of how I look on the cruise, I will know that I did everything that I could to be in shape.

How great that there is a decent show on right now that makes me feel really positive afterward.

Comfy Pants

I have been trying to find some really comfy lounge pants lately, and a few days ago I hit the jackpot. I thought that some of you would be interested in them. They are perfect for pajama pants, work-out pants, or just lounging around. I like them because they aren't tight, they have a straight leg so are slimming (2 things that are great after having a baby), and they are REALLY soft. I found them at Costco. They have lots of different colors. They are a decent price as well ($16.99 for 2 pair). I liked them so much that I went and bought another set today. Here's a picture of them in case any of you are interested.
Now if only I can get my body to look like hers...

Shots

Today (in my opinion) was one of the most dreaded days that a mother of a newborn has. Shot day. Yup, today was Logan's 2 month appointment. I want to know who the heartless person was that decided that the mother should be the one to hold down the baby while the nurse gives him 3 shots. Shouldn't it be someone that he isn't completely attached and bonded to and dependent upon? What is Logan thinking as he is giving me grins and cooing at me only to have me hold his arms and free leg to let the other woman torture him? And is this really fair to the mothers that have to feel the guilt of letting their baby suffer?

These were all thoughts that I had today after feeling like I tortured my youngest child. However, after most appointments, these thoughts go away pretty easily because they seem to forgive you and the pain is nothing that a little Tylenol can't handle. This was not the case this afternoon. After a long nap and him seeming fine, he woke up in hysterics, screaming till he was red in the face. I took off his tiny jeans and found that his leg was swollen, red, bruised and stiff. Not good. This had never happened with Korben...so now I am in panic mode. I call the office, praying that someone is open at 7pm other than the ER. Luckily, there was a "same day service" office open until 8pm. So I drove back to the clinic to find out that he wasn't going to die, but would probably be a little ticked off for a while. Lucky me. Here is a few pictures of his leg as well as one of him right before the hysterics started. You can tell he is not happy. Poor little guy.

As you can imagine, I was in a pretty sour mood on the drive home (although happy that Logan was okay), only to have the gas light turn on. I stopped at Costco to get gas and amazingly enough, my night made a complete u-turn.

This is the part of my blog that I am going to call "An Ode to Washington":

As I got out of the car, the attendant came over and cheerfully asked me how my night was going. He was in such a good mood that I didn't have the heart to tell him it was kind of going rough. Instead, I told him it was wonderful, and (here's the amazing part) it didn't feel like a lie. I took in my surroundings and went over the latest events of the day in my head. I realized that every person I had just seen had been very friendly. The doctor didn't treat me like an idiot for worrying about my son, instead he praised me for being worried about him. He even told me it was a good thing to bring him in even though I knew he was probably fine. The receptionist didn't charge me a copay since I had just been there a few hours before. The drive home was calm and I didn't get cut off once, or honked at, or have anyone ride my bumper. And as I was standing there watching the gas meter run, I realized that these were all reasons that I loved Washington. Then I realized the biggest reason that I loved this great state. Here I was standing outside in only jeans and a hoodie and to my great joy, I realized that it was January 7th, 8pm....40 degrees. I love it here!

Weekends

I have been wondering lately why I hate Mondays, and I have figured it out. Now I don't want people to think I am a weekend grinch or something, because I adore weekends. I love knowing that Mike will be home, that we don't have a schedule, and that we can just enjoy family time. However, it seems that every single weekend the house goes completely to pot. Somehow I manage to keep it clean all week long, but when the weekend rolls around, housework is thrown out the window. As a result, I spend all day Monday cleaning up the weekend mess. I'm not posting this looking for some great answer to my problem-I know that answer. I know that my job isn't a 9-5, weekends off job. I'm just wondering if I am alone, or if this is normal for a young mother of 2 to want to enjoy a free weekend (even if it means a harder work day Monday)?

Now that my first weekend of the New Year turned out the same as all the rest, and my Monday has been awful, I want to make a resolution to be better about the weekends. I want my Monday's to be the start of a wonderful week, not the day I wish didn't exist. Wish me luck!

A Hair Affair

So I woke up on the 4th and I had had it! I couldn't stand my hair. It was in desperate need of a cut, and I had to have some color. It's funny how you can hate it everyday, but just deal, until one day you snap...and this was the day.

So to make a long story short, I got my hair colored and cut. However, this is not the reason I posted this blog (although I woke up the next day and was happy with what I saw in the mirror, so WOOT!). It was what happened AFTER the hair appt. that was the true Kate moment.

After reading Kimber's blog, I had decided to get the hair products that she mentioned to see if they would tame my mane. The hairdresser tells me my total (including products) and I wince a bit, but look at my handy tip card to see what 20% of that total would be ( I like to give good tips so they always treat my hair nice :). I write the tip amount and as I'm signing my name I realize that I tipped on not only a haircut and color, but on $30 worth of hair products too. However, it's too late to change my tip because she has already seen the amount, not to mention it would be a little tacky to scribble it out and write a smaller amount. So I leave it. Now my hairdresser either thinks I am an extremely generous person...or an extremely stupid person. Good goin' Kate.

As I'm driving home, I realize what is bugging me. You see $20 isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things right? But now I have set this ridiculous precedence that I don't want to be held to. I'm in a lose lose situation. I wont ever tip that well again, and when I don't, she will realize (if for some reason she thought I was the generous person rather than the stupid person) that the last time, I was just stupid.

I wish I could minimize these Kate moments, but alas I think I am doomed. :)

Happy New Year!

I decided that I would be like Kimber, and make this blog my journal for the year. Therefore, I thought it was only right to start at the beginning of the year.

We started our 2008 with John, Jake and Jess, and Kathy and Jed. John had been staying at our house for the week which I can honestly say was a blast. I have complained that I hate having an extra bathroom to clean, but I am now so grateful for that blessed bathroom! With all of the guests we have had lately, having an official guest room and extra bathroom have been a huge blessing. As a result, I was sad to see John go, even after having him for an entire week. Rather than feeling like my home was being taken over, he had his own space, and we could just enjoy spending time together. So if you are going to have visitors, I highly recommend having a room and bathroom for them. :)

On his last day here (Jan 1) we decided to take him to Powell's Bookstore. It is the largest independent bookstore in the United States (how cool is that!) They sell used and new books on the same shelves. We only stayed for an hour or so and all I saw was a section of the children's books! It's so cool that Mike and I are planning a date without the boys just to go browsing for a few hours. Needless to say, John was in heaven-I don't think we could have taken him to anything he would have liked more.

After the bookstore, we went to see the Portland Temple and then ate at Chili's. We then proceeded to pay games all night and in true Fullmer fashion, stayed up way too late. What a fun way to start out our New Year.