2009!!

The following excerpt is from my New Year 2008 blog post.

I look forward to what 2008 has to offer.

*Kyle will finish his 3rd year of medical school and half of his 4th!
*I will finally get the perfect job that lets me work from home and take care of the kiddos.
*Guthrie will turn 6 years old which sounds WAY older than 5 for some reason. He will start his 3rd year of school in Mexico. He will become fluent in Spanish. He will improve his reading and writing skills.
*Adeline will turn 5(!!!) at the end of this year. She will start learning to read and will continue to do well in school. She'll learn even more Spanish. She'll learn to ride a bike.
*Both kids will learn to keep their rooms clean. MWAHAHAHA.
*Sullivan will turn 2 years old. He'll talk more and more and I'm sure at one point I'll wish he would go back to being a baby. He'll get interested in the potty and maybe he'll decide that its fun to watch 30 minutes of Sesame Street so Mommy can take a shower alone.
*I will keep up the jogging and finally run the 10k race that my friends and I keep talking about.


It is so crazy to look back at the last year and see all that we have accomplished and how we have all changed.


Kyle really did finish his third year of medical school and half of his fourth. He also passed his board exam and has started studying for the next exam that he will take this semester. He has learned so much and yet feels that he has so far to go. We went to New York and interviewed for the Fifth Pathway program.


I really did get the perfect job. It was a crazy experience as the first woman to hire me actually turned out to be pulling a little bit of a con job and was hiring newish transcriptionists on an independent contractor status and getting a couple of months of work out of them before they (meaning me) realized she was never actually going to send that check that got "lost in the mail." I looked at it as a blessing as the training was actually quite valuable and enabled me to get my next job working from home for a company based in Chandler, Arizona. I absolutely love that I can bring in a little money to help out, keep myself feeling productive, and still be home and able to take care of the house, kids and hubby. It pretty much rocks.


Guthrie turned six in June. He went to half the school year in Mexico and then finished up the year in Arizona at the Chandler Traditional Academy near my parents' home. He absolutely flourished in both English and Spanish this past year. He is fluent in Spanish and often teaches me some pretty complicated playground phrases. He not only learned to read, but learned to read well. He is also a champion speller and his handwriting has improved so much. He has quite the reputation for being a nonstop chatterbox. His Grandpa Hunter comments that his previously quiet, peaceful drives up to the cabin gained some pretty complicated conversation when he was accompanied by Guthrie. Usually the Guthrie Inquisition results in both parties feeling frustrated because the questions require an Encyclopedia Britannica and "I don't know" definitely does not cut it with this kid. He grew out of all of his jeans and shoes this year. For a few months he was wearing some serious high-waters. Of course he didn't care, but his dad and I were feeling a little embarrassed. We now have to find him pants in a size or two bigger with adjustable waists because he's so small around but has his mommy's impossible inseam. He thinks it is hilarious when his Grandpa Guthrie calls him "punk" in an endearing way. He also thinks his Uncle Dax is the funniest thing alive and likes to try to mimic his dry sense of humor. While playing video games with his dad recently, Guthrie came up with the phrase, "That was faster than a jackrabbit in August headed for December." We're still not sure exactly how fast that is. . .but it illustrates pretty well the kind of things he finds amusing.


I realize now that Addie may have been jipped this year. She did, in fact, turn five this December. Her mom and dad never got around to helping her learn to read all that much and she pretty much didn't even attempt to ride her bike. We're going to have to remedy that this year. She did continue to be the feminine source of childhood delight in our family. She is so sweet, gentle, and GIRLY. She can be found playing quietly with her toys at all hours of the day. She has an amazing imagination and doesn't require much assistance to stay entertained. She still loves to dress up, but her ability has been hindered by the weak seams of most of her play clothes. She has picked up a lot more Spanish this year and we love to hear her high, squeaky voice ramble in both languages. She loves to dance, though we haven't had the opportunity to sign her up for formal dance lessons. She has a natural grace that is fun to watch, nonetheless. Her Grandparents all get a kick out of her labels for them. They are affectionately known as "The grandma with brown hair," "The grandpa with white hair," "The grandma with yellow hair," and "The grandpa with black hair." I think it helped things out when my mom went back to blond after a short stint as a brunette. We like to keep things simple for Adeline.


Sullivan turned two in June. He is a constant source of amusement and fun in our house. He has thankfully stayed away from too much "terrible" in this two-year-old phase. He did decide that the potty was great and has been officially toilet trained for several months now. He learned to take his clothes off in the process and I think we're now the neighborhood joke because of the naked little "gringo" climbing the gate out front. He loves to talk and has acquired several phrases that make us chuckle. He did learn to appreciate the occasional children's show and is quite the fan of Sponge Bob now. We love to hear him sing the theme song while we're driving down the road. He is still our affectionate little baby and we haven't tried too hard to help him grow up.


I pretty much slacked on my jogging goal, but I feel like my pregnancy gave me a good excuse to find low impact exercise to replace it. :p


We found out we were expecting again while we were in Arizona for summer break this year. We are excited to meet our new son due in March. We are quite certain we will never find a name that makes us both happy but we enjoy finding creative reasons to veto each other's suggestions.


In 2009 I anticipate that. . .

*Kyle will finish with school the end of May. We will once again sell most of our worldly possessions and load the car and trailer with what is left to transport it back across the border. This time should be a little extra exciting as we will continue to the northeastern corner of our country and settle in Kingston, New York for the year ranging from June 2009 to June 2010. Kyle will take his next board exam this year and will apply for residencies and hopefully interview for a few as well.
*Guthrie will turn 7 years old. He will complete his first grade year of school and start his second grade. He will leave behind his school in Mexico and hopefully find new friends, fun, and learning in New York.
*Adeline really will learn to read this year. She will turn 6 years old. She will start Kindergarten in the fall. She will hopefully find lots of little GIRL friends to play with and will continue to be sweet to her brothers. She could possibly lose her first tooth.
*Sullivan will turn 3 and at some point will probably do some seriously "terrible" things, but we will continue to love him anyway. ;)
*Our new baby will be born in March and will have the pleasure of having dual citizenship. He will leave his birth country after only a couple short months and will travel with us to New York where he will drool, eat, sleep, and poop just the same.
*I will have a baby, probably try to lose a few pounds and then stop trying and just play with the kids instead. I will probably get frustrated with moving and packing again, but will also be excited for moving onto the next step in our journey.

Baby Blue

We had an ultrasound yesterday and found out that we are having our third boy! It was my first time having a 3D ultrasound and WOW. It was amazing and adorable at the same time. He was adorably using my(or is it his?) placenta as a pillow, which somewhat obstructed our view of one side of his face and his arm was shielding the other. A few times we got him to wiggle out of that position and we were able to see that he looks like Sullivan! He has Sullivan's (and therefore Kyle's) nose and chin and mouth. I can't wait to see the rest of him in person and see if the baby at least inherited my hands or feet or legs or ears or something. He already looked so rounded out - so I'm sure he'll be another 9-pounder+. (Plus I'm eating enough for quadruplets ;) Darn holidays.)

We head home on Friday and I'm crossing my fingers that two sick kids and one sick husband recover from their ummmmmm, glamorous illness in time to make the drive uneventful. I'm also praying that Sullivan and I are somehow spared from the horror at least until we get home and can throw up (and down) in comfort. Heeeeeeeere's hoping!

Several firsts

For the first time ever I. . .

* had a flight cancelled due to bad weather at our destination (Albany)
* rented a car and drove from Philadelphia through New Jersey to Poughkeepsie, NY
* experienced the cold of the northeast without a coat thanks to lost luggage
* spent three days in a row away from Sullivan
* travelled to the east coast
* saw the world post-ice storm in person
* ate at a Red Robin restaurant in Poughkeepsie while 6+ months pregnant :)

It was a good trip.

Kyle interviewed for the Fifth Pathway program and we selected the hospital in Kingston, New York. We spent today exploring the town and I think we can both handle it. There was a (very busy) mall, a crazy cool historic district, and really neat old houses. It seems to have most of the amenities I would hope for (minus Costco) and I am sure the year we spend there will pass quickly. We are so excited to move onto this next step.

Worst Blogger Alert!

I know a few people who did the post-a-day in November. I guess I went for the opposite approach and didn't post at all.

The Highlights:

* We had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner with our friends, the Sanders. Our kids + their kids = a lot of fighting on this particular day, but the food was wonderful and it definitely felt like a festive day.

* Guthrie lost another tooth (or two, I can't remember which tooth was the last one.) He now has a giant gap where three teeth used to occupy his top row. Its pretty darn funny to look at. Too bad he didn't wait a little longer to lose them because he would have really been toothless at Christmas. As it is, I think they'll grow in before the actual Christmas day arrives.

* We celebrated Addie's birthday with a few friends at Peter Piper. She is SOO happy to finally be 5, although she just told her Grandpa last night that now she can't wait to be 6 like Guthrie. Slow down, little missy!

* I'm an 80-year-old and have a newfound nerve pain problem in my left wrist. I made an appointment to have it checked out next week and hope they can help. Its getting seriously hard to work with this crazy pain in my wrist, not to mention that it causes some hot/cold sensations to come up at any moment.

* We had an impromtu garage sale that encouraged us to clean and organize our whole house. We ended up filling the back of the expedition and the entire second seat with random items for sale. Kyle drove it to the sale location and realized we were the only ones there. No problem - he couldn't even unload it fast enough and we made a nice chunk of change - not to mention the bonus of not having any of that junk in our house anymore. We feel pure.

* We're packing up and heading out to Arizona today!! We usually try to leave in the afternoon and make it as far as Mazatlan before stopping for the night (5-6 hours), but Kyle is feeling saucy and wants to push for Culiacan instead (8ish hours?) If we make it that far, tomorrow's drive will go a little faster and we will get to my mom's house in time to say hi and visit before crashing. We are SO excited to be going home to see everyone.

* Kyle and I are flying to NY next Thursday to interview for his pre-internship. We will be staying in a little town about 1.5 hours north of NYC, which also happens to be near the town that we're hoping to live in. It turns out that they opened a new hospital and the cost of living willl be so much more manageable. (Kingston, NY). I hope the town turns out to be a decent little place and somewhere we can be happy for one little year.

* The following week we are taking our kids to Disneyland for the first time ever. They are so excited, but I don't think they can be nearly as excited as Kyle and I are to see their cute little faces light up. Thankfully, we had my mom and sister snag us a new digital camera on Black Friday, so we can actually capture the moment to share with the world.

I just realized in typing this that I didn't pack swimsuits for any of us - MUST RUN!

Next post will be from American soil!

Murphy's Law

You all know the law, so I'll just share the most recent evidence of it in my life. The end of the semester immediately preceding Christmas when loans are running out, presents need to be bought, Disneyland needs to be saved for, and somehow we still need to keep gas in the car and groceries on the shelves and. . .my camera goes kaput! Luckily, I still have my webcam on the laptop. I'm trying to figure out how to use a baby sling to strap the computer to my chest for Disneyland. What do you think???



Example of fantastic camera quality:

One kid is missing but its because another child, who shall remain nameless, told said kid that he wished she had never been born. Most kids would respond with some type of "I'm rubber, you're glue. . ." comeback, but THIS kid has a soft shell and melted into heartbroken distress and was unable to recover prior to this picture. Maybe next time.

I discovered the broken camera earlier after Sully dressed himself. It was pretty much the cutest Sully moment in that hour. He brought me a shirt with tigger on it and asked for help putting it on the right way. Then he disappeared and put his own spongebob underwear on (I told you we are spongebob fans over here), a pair of airplane pajama shorts that actually belong to Guthrie, and his green Walmart knockoff crocks (on the correct feet, thankewverymuch). I wanted nothing more than to snap a photo of this endearing moment to preserve it for all time. Now I guess I just have to settle for the sure-to-fade but no less endearing mental image. In other Sully news, the potty training is over and he's a big boy now. Throughout the day I hear random calls from one of the three bathrooms scattered around, "Mooooooomm, I go pooooop." This is my signal to go help clean up, but I am NOT allowed to flush. Apparently that is his reward for a job well done. He even sleeps all night with his big boy underwear and has not peed in his (or my) bed yet. YAY for the first break from diapers in six and a half years!!! I'm quite enjoying it.

We leave for Arizona three weeks from Friday. I'm super psyched to get on the road and spend Christmas break without too much studying (though Kyle swears he is still going to have to keep up on Step 2 material), some Arizona winter weather, family, food, friends, fun, and Christmas. *Sigh* It just sounds heavenly!

Edited to add: I am also looking forward to Kizzy's jacuzzi - so move over and make room. :p

Halloween 2008

We had a pretty fun Halloween this year. The kids were super excited to get dressed up for school on Friday. For a split second when I dropped them off I found myself wondering if maybe I had assumed they would dress up and they were in fact supposed to be in uniforms. I was relieved to see a ghost climb out of the car in front of us and sent my little fairy and batman off to party at school for the day. (Couldn't find my camera that morning.) I spent the day getting things ready for our Trunk-or-Treat party that night.

We headed over to the party early so we could help set up and then settled in for the night. The kids had SO much fun and were completely overloaded on candy, of course. We hired a taquiza (kind of like a taco buffet) to come feed all of us and we rented a bounce house for the kids. We learned that we have too many kids between us all now and that next time we definitely need TWO bounce houses to accomodate them all.

This is just a random picture of Guthrie and Sully upside down - at the request of G.
Guthrie in his batman costume (sans mask) in the bounce house. There were so many little kids that we kept having to kick the big kids out and he eventually gave up and played Indiana Jones with his little friend.

Addie and her "bestest friend" Halle.

My friend told her husband that he absolutely could NOT wear a beer shirt to the Halloween party because it was a "Mormon church!" He layered over it. She had me ROLLING on the ground when she told me that because my VERY MORMON husband was wearing a Gallo Beer shirt.

This was right after Sullivan woke up from his late nap in the car. He was a little disoriented for a while. It took a couple of pieces of candy to get him in the mood to party.

I can't believe our last Mexican Halloween has come and gone! Our first year the kids and I went home for a little visit and enjoyed trick-or-treating American style. The next year Brooke hosted a great Halloween party for all of our friends here. The third year WE hosted a Halloween party. Rumor has it that it was enjoyable, but I'll admit I was just stressed. This year we learned from past mistakes and picked a neutral location so everyone could have fun. The LDS church worked out great because it actually has a parking lot (rare here) for trunk-or-treating and we had plenty of room to roam, visit and play.

On a different note, I think we finally settled on which hospital in New York we are going to be requesting. Its definitely one of the more expensive areas, but they're all expensive and the difference is minimal. The schools seem to be the best near one hospital and we hope we can talk a few of our LDS friends into joining us so we can maybe have some people we know in our ward. We'll see how that plays out. :)

Drama? What drama?

You may remember (or maybe not, I have no expectations of you) my posting about the AMA withdrawing their support from the oh-so-crucial Fifth Pathway program that helps students from UAG transition to practicing medicine in the states. This was a teeeeeeeeeny little hitch in our plans, as we were ALREADY two and a half years into this medical school journey and we DO ultimately plan to live in the US. I can admit that our first thought was to panic and jump ship (aka transfer as fast as our legs and our passports could carry us), but when that didn't work out we took the "wait and see and hold your breath and think positively while still trying to be realistic and plan for the worst" approach. That's basically our life motto, so this was nothing new to us.

Well, this past week, after a looooooong breath-holding phase, we found out that the ACGME (the people who make the rules regarding eligibility for US medical residency positions) decided that the AMA could take their "recommendation" and put it where the sun don't shine. This was really good news, in that it simplifies our pathway for us. But this is also the final, fork-sticking word on whether or not we will be moving to New York City in June 2009 (with that final word being "yes, pack your bags, NY is essential").

So, this is me getting PUMPED UP for NYC.

My top 10 reasons why living in New York will rock!
1. I hear there is a lot of garbage on the street, so it won't be much different than Mexico.
2. I hear people are really rude, so it won't be much different than Mexico.
3. I hear people scoff at young couples with lots of kids, so it won't be much different than dinner with the in-laws. (Love ya Kizzy)
4. I hear we can pay thousands of dollars a month for a small apartment with no washer and dryer - so we can buy lots of new clothes because we all know that I will be CRAP with a basement communal laundry room.
5. I hear my husband will be working 16-hour days, so we will never fight!
6. Ummm, I'm still thinking.
7. Nope, coming up blank.
8. Help me out here people.
9. I've got nothing.
10. It is ONLY for one year and its an adventure, right? Right?!

:)

Teeth and Tushies

Guthrie had his denstist appointment yesterday. Thankfully she was able to clean out the cavity and fill it. There was some talk of it being too deep to fill and possibly needing a crown. :O I was super happy they were able to fix it and G is pretty much the best dentist goer ever. I'm pretty glad it was him (brave) and not Addie (wuss). :p While she was doing the exam, one of Guthrie's OTHER loose teeth was knocked out (it was so loose that it couldn't have taken much to free it), and he was super excited to come home and show me. I love that Addie and G both had a lecture from the dentist about teeth and they were MORE than willing to swish and brush last night and this morning. We also used it as a good chance to limit junk food and have a one treat a day, followed by a brush session attempt going on in our house.

On the tushy front, Sully is doing really great with potty training. He has the pee thing down pat and will even climb himself up to the toilet, do his business, and climb back down alone. :) He is deathy terrified of pooping though. I try to say stupid things like, "That is a good poop. Poop is GREAT!" lol - but I really just sound retarded and he isn't buying it. I remember a time when I was independent, smart and hardworking - and now I am telling a two-year-old that poop is fun! Getting him toilet trained is better than any paycheck I've ever received, so don't think I'm complaining. Its just amazing to ponder the way life has morphed.

Six weeks from tomorrow until the end of the semester. I hear there are some drug wars going on in MExico near the ARizona border. That could make driving slightly scarier than normal, but it would take more than a drug war to keep me from heading north. Nevertheless, I'll be praying for some serious peaceful resolution between then and now.

Weekend Update

Guthrie had a mega wiggler last week and we figured it would be falling out soon. He came home from school with a "surprise" to show me. This was his first top tooth to come out (his fourth tooth altogether). I gave him an unofficial dental exam and found three more teeth that are pretty loose - one that will probably fall out any day (the fourth on the bottom). He couldn't wait to put his tooth under his pillow.

G: Does the tooth fairy come check under everyone's pillows every night for teeth?

Me: Ummm, yep.

G: *pause* Immmmmmm-possible. (walks away)

Uhhhh - okay. He's a smart little booger.

On Friday we REstarted potty training with Sullivan. We have done this two or three times now and each time he does GREAT, no accidents for a few days, and then regresses and I get sick of pee on the floor and put him back in diapers. I hadn't actually planned to start again but I ran out of diapers and just seized the opportunity. He has done really well and only had a few oops moments. He doesn't like any of his own underwear and insists on wearing "spiderman un-wear" that belong to Guthrie. Good thing Guff is pretty thin and his underwear aren't too giant on Sully's mini-tush.

We had a few yummy dinners this past week while I tried out some new recipes. We were in a dinner rut and it was nice to change it up for a while. First of all we tried out this recipe that Ash posted on our family blog. I definitely recommend it, although when I remake it I need to remember that Mexican chili powder is a LOT spicier than what we buy in the states. Also, I will leave out the beer next time as the smell of beer simmering in a pot of chili made my house smell like a keg for about 12 hours and I was totally gagged. I went back and forth on whether or not to add it, and figured since the alcohol is all supposed to cook out, and the original recipe writer obviously seemed to think that the beer served a purpose, I would take a chance. It tasted great (albeit spicy) and we will make it again.

I also tried out some homemade tomato soup.

Boil the following veggies for about 15 minutes:

5 large tomatoes

1 zucchini

1 large carrot

1 onion

1 jalapeno (I seeded mine so it wouldn't be too spicy)

Drain the veggies and blend them in the blender until completely pureed. Bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil and add the pureed veggies. Salt and pepper to taste. I served it with some slices of crusty bread, but Kyle enjoyed his with grilled cheese. We also sprinkled some grated cheese on top. I only made this for me and Kyle, but I think if I had left the jalapeno out the kids would have liked it. It would be REALLY yummy with some shaped pasta noodles mixed in.

Today I remembered that I had bought the ingredients to try this recipe. I really liked it but even more impressive was how well the kids ate it. I doubled the sauce for the recipe and ended up with a pretty big portion for leftovers, but no worries because I know the kids will eat it and I am a big fan of leftovers. :P While we were eating Adeline told Kyle that "mommy makes the best food." Uhhhh - any recipe that gets me those kudos from my kids can stick around. (I should note that she also makes similar comments when we are eating macaroni and cheese with chicken nuggets - just so you don't get the wrong impression of me).

I've been feeling kind of blah, which isn't unusual for this time of the semester. We're kind of at that point where it feels like we haven't seen our families forever and we miss them and so many other people and things from the U.S. Not to mention that we feel like our Mexico time is winding down and ya'all know how time slows down when you're looking forward to something. I need some mini milestones to look forward to until we go home for Christmas break (Dec. 6thish). I also think it will be a little refreshing to see my mom this weekend. I'm excited to take her out to a yummy dinner on Friday night and spend the day with her and the kids on Saturday. Hurry up and get here, Tam!

Did you ever wonder what would happen. . .

if Spiderman refused to nap???


At 8 o'clock his mom and dad would come downstairs to find this:


I tried to find my old pictures of Guthrie in the same outfit but can't figure out where I hid the darn thing.

Good news and Bad news

I'm not giving up on Mexico (yet), but I do kind of feel like she's kicking me when I'm down.

I picked the kids up from school, spent 30 minutes waiting in gridlock traffic, received a call from Kyle inviting me to McDonald's to wait out the gridlock, and RUSHED at the chance to get us all out of the car.

We had a fun impromptu family lunch. When it looked like traffic was clearing up, we decided we better head out. Guthrie decided to ride with Kyle, so I buckled Adeline and Sullivan into my car. I put my seat belt on, put the keys in the ignition and glanced at the passenger seat. Hmmm. . .something seems different. What could it be???

OHHHHH, I remember. My purse was there - right underneath Guthrie's backpack. The empty seat was really confusing me, even though I knew right away what had happened. I tried to remember if I locked the car. YES, I am positive I locked it. I got out and looked at the outside of the passenger door. It looked perfect and my Expedition doesn't even have a lock on that side anyway. The only external locks are on the back door and the driver's side door. I checked the backdoor on my way around and it was perfect. As I walked up the driver's side, I could see the little black hole that used to be our keyhole. (Insert swear words).

Kyle was ticked - and I was too. But mostly I was just SUPER, swimming, flying high on a kite that I had JUST spent my last $100 pesos about an hour earlier and there was NO cash in my purse at all. I didn't have any passports in there, no social security cards, no visas (the traveling kind), etc. I did have 8 (eight) different credit/debit cards and one of my copies of my driver's license. . .but I purposely have three copies of the license so that one is also no big deal. I am sure the stinky thieves took one glance in my purse, realized they only got plastic, and tossed it in the nearest bushes. '

I checked around the rest of the inside of the car and other than Guthrie's backpack with his school sweater, nothing else was missing. (I'm a teeny bit ticked about the sweater.) I even found my old wallet in the console, along with our passports and visas :o, untouched!

We got home and I started calling each and every company to cancel the cards and get new issued. Suddenly I remembered that wallet in the car and wondered which credit cards were in there, thinking it might reduce the phone calls I had to make. I ran to the car and brought the wallet in, where I promptly found $3000 pesos in cash (more than $300 USD). JACKPOT! I had no clue I left that there.

I now feel like I got paid $150 an hour to make some phone calls. Take that, you stinkin' thieves.

The End.

Viva Mexico!

Did you know that in Mexico they don't have a city supply of natural gas to run to your homes, yet every home uses gas for water heaters, dryers, and cooking? What a conundrum, right?

The solution is that when you are building your house, you have to purchase and install underground (with adequate above-ground access) a large (if you're lucky) gas tank that is then run into the house after the fact by a hopefully proficient plumber. My plumber was not proficient and after we moved in we realized that the pipes were working just fine into the laundry room (dryer worked) and into the kitchen (stove/oven worked), but somewhere between the kitchen and the hot water heater three feet away (off the back of the house outside the kitchen), the flow of gas abruptly stopped. I'm not a big fan of cold showers or cold dish water, so we had to request the plumber come back and fix it. He couldn't figure out what happened, so he capped off the pipe after the stove and ran an entirely NEW pipe from the tank around the outside of the house to the water heater. We still have problems with our hot water because having the heater outside seems to pose some problems. When it rains hard (as it does daily for four months out of the year), the water often stream right on top of our un-roofed heater and puts out the pilot light. Or another time, we couldn't figure out why the pilot went out and wouldn't relight. The super awesome plumber came back and showed us where a spider had climbed in that little tube and laid an egg sack for us. Wasn't that sweet??

Well, overall the system seems to work and I usually don't even think about our gas or water heater or anything to do with it. Until days like today. I DESPERATELY need a shower. I mean, we're going on third day hair, 2 mm thick layer of oil and junk on my face, my feet are black from walking around barefoot yesterday, and frankly - I just stink.

This brings me to the fatal flaw of the system. When the gas tank is empty - it is empty. There is no backup. There is no warning that it is about to be empty. Its just empty and you're out of luck until you get someone to come fill it. No cooking, no showering, no hot water for laundry or cleaning. Nada.

I would rant a little more - but I have to go take a cold shower now.

TAGGED

I guess the point is to answer each question with a one-word answer. This almost killed me. I don't do well with limiting my speech.

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Where is your significant other? Baking (see. . .doesn't that need an explanation?)
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? beeeautiful
5. Your father? manly
6. Your favorite thing? children (my own. . .sorry back to one word)
7. Your dream last night? realistic
8. Your dream/goal? persist
9. The room you're in? loft
10. Your hobby? napping
11. Your fear? death (really I wanted to say "terminally ill child", but that's not one word, is it?)
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? shopping
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? male
15. One of your wish list items? spa
16. Where you grew up? Idaho/Arizona (seriously. . .define "grew up")
17. The last thing you did? napped
18. What are you wearing? deodorant
19. Your TV? broken
20. Your pet? noway
21. Your computer? busy
22. Your mood? hungry
23. Missing someone? yes
24. Your car? dirty
25. Something you're not wearing? 2-carats
26. Favorite Store? Costc0
27. Your summer? sweating
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Tuesday

I tag: Serin, Ashley, Shanda, Mimi, and Keara.

Procrastinator!

Why does that word have a "pro" in it? Isn't that prefix usually reserved for GOOD things?? Protons have *positive* energy. The protagonist is the *good* guys in the story. Probiotics are *good* bacteria.

I have known since Friday at 11 a.m. my time that I had x amount of work to accomplish before Monday morning at 9 am. Well, here it is SUNDAY night at 9:30 pm and I can't find the motivation to finish it.

I think we had a pretty good weekend and I guess I'm not ready to admit that Monday is so near.

My mom didn't make it into town on Friday. We have rescheduled for the 24th. I told the kids she was coming and now she will be guilted into it. :p Not that she needs to be because she knows how incredibly awesome we are and she just can't wait to come spend 48 hours with us.

We decided we all needed some fun (which I realize is defined very differently depending on your status in our family, i.e. parent or child). We compromised on Carl's Jr, which just happens to be the most expensive and best tasting America fast food chain in Guadalajara, so don't think we're too cheap, mmmmmkay. It turned out to be a very good choice. The success of a family's evening out is directly proportional to the amount of time that mommy and daddy get to spend talking over a quiet table while the kids play happily (an equation that is helped out a lot by the presence of play places in nearly ALL restaurants, fast and slow food alike). We ended up staying at Carl's Jr for a ridiculous amount of time (bordering on three hours). Believe it or not, only ONE family that arrived before us had actually left at that point. Who knew it was such a hang out? Kyle and I enjoyed our conversation and repeated refills of Carl's Jr.'s giant cups (for $3 a drink, I definitely appreciate the size).

Saturday wasn't too bad either (if you can forget that I spent half my week's earning on a hair color and cut that left my hair the same color it was when I went in, regrowth and all, and a haircut that required ME to spend an hour of my time in the bathroom with my haircutting scissors and a mirror trying to straighten it out). Yeah, I couldn't forget that part either. Nonetheless, after THAT disaster was put to the back burner for a minute, we went to a baby shower/family bbq that ended up being a lot of fun. The kids played for almost four hours straight and Kyle and I again enjoyed good food and good conversation.

Somehow I realize this is sounding like Kyle didn't get anything done this weekend - but it should be noted that every OTHER minute. . .the ones that I am NOT blogging about. . .those were spent with me and the kids twiddling our thumbs waiting patiently for Kyle to geniusify behind closed doors. Okay, really we don't wait like that - but he always studies so that doesn't seem blogworthy. Work with me here.

We didn't really watch conference on Saturday (bad, bad, I know), but we were all set for Sunday. We had an easy breakfast and I made a cinnamon cake (that turned out so so) while we waited for the first session to start. Our friends, the Stilsons, ended up without internet this morning, so they joined us for both sessions (with a little break in between allowing naps for all). Overall, it was a pretty relaxed day. My mom was slightly disappointed that I didn't prepare our family's traditional conference breakfast. My reason was, "Its a lot of work when it is just our family," which I later realized sounds like I don't think MY little family is worth all that work. But really, I DO think they worth it. I was just lazy and its way more fun when my mom, dad, siblings and nieces and nephews are there to make and partake. Next conference I SWEAR I'll invite some people over and we'll keep up the tradition. Besides, I really like Honey Nut Cheerios. No really, I DO.

Shhhh!

This is the blog post that never happened. . .as I am "working" so hard that I actually just asked Kyle to run to the store for me (don't worry, he has been home alone all day getting in good study time). Maybe he isn't the only one who gets sidetracked. I vow to not make fun of him for ESPN.com.

For 24 hours.

So, the main motivator for this blog post is that I had thoughts on the brain and want to get them down before I forget, and nothing makes you forget about your own life faster than transcribing for hours on end, typing about other people's lives.

Yesterday started like any ol' average day. As Kyle's schedule wasn't so helpful, I drove the kids to school, came home, ate my second breakfast with Sullivan, worked for a few hours, yadi yadi yada. Sully started a little fussing (okay a lot) around noon, so I fed him quick lunch and dozed next to him for a few minutes to get him to sleep. Kyle came home for lunch, so we left the napper home with Joanna and grabbed a torta ahogada for lunch. Afterwards, I woke Sully, buckled him in the car and left to go get the kids.

Fast forward five minutes and ta-dah!!! Car crash + me = OH S#$%. I actually think I did say that. And I also hit the steering wheel really hard 'cause I was TICKED. I called Kyle and said, "I just hit someone right outside the community - come FAST!" I tried to call the insurance company but all of the phone numbers were saying "no existe". This was just a teeny fender bender, but I kind of had a clue that we were going to be sticking around for a while as I have heard rumors before about how much fun this could be. (I'm a sucker for first-hand experience).

The short version:
Kyle showed up quickly.
He called insurance company. They estimate 30-40 minutes until the adjuster arrives.
All occupants move to the side of the road (including the three small children who were riding unbuckled in the passenger seat of a two-seater nissan pickup).
We wait.
Police officer shows up and uses a can of spray paint to mark the lines on the road where each of our cars was located, thereby allowing us to all move them to the side of the road to clear the road for the miles of traffic that are jammed up behind us now.
We wait some more.
Insurance adjusters for other two cars show up after about 20 minutes. They start talking and trying to figure out who was at fault. Is anyone missing here?? Oh yeah - MY insurance adjuster.
We wait some more.
My insurance adjuster shows up after 50 minutes. . .meaning we have all been sitting out on the side of the road for an hour now. And my kids are still at school. And Sully will NOT stop crying. :(
Adjusters read all the written statements about who is at fault. My car is the only car undamaged, which means that if it IS my fault, I would be the only person who did not have to pay any $. I know it is not my fault - but tell the guy that I will take the blame if it means we can all go. He says I can't take the blame now because I already handed over my written statement and I cannot change it now.
Adjusters cannot agree on whose fault it is. They have to call the "Peritos". I have no clue what the American equivalent of this would be, but he is baiscally a mediator who has the final say as far as who is at fault in an accident. He comes down, looks at the position of the cars, assesses the location and degree of damage and makes his ruling.
We wait some more.
I call Brooke and ask her to PLEASE pick up my poor kids from school and take them to her house.
After 30-45 more minutes, the Perito arrives. He begins his assessment.
We wait some more.
He finally decides that it is my fault. His reasoning basically sounds like it is because I have the biggest car of the three. Whatever - can we go now??? (3 hours at the scene and counting.)
Paperwork must be signed. Show me where to sign! Paperwork cannot be signed until they fill it all out, by hand, on the hood of the car.
We wait some more.
3 hours and 45 minutes later we are signing the paperwork and told we can leave.
I climb into the car, turn the key and . . . NOTHING. Did you know that if you leave your hazard lights on it will drain your battery??? Yeah, me neither.
It takes Kyle and the police officer 10 minutes to hold up traffic enough for him to bring the truck around, facing oncoming traffic to help me jumpstart the car.
And we go.

That was SUPER fun. Kyle and I both felt like we had been assaulted (emotionally) by the time it was all over. I really appreciate the system in the USA. In the end I got the blame anyway. . .at least in the USA it would have been quick (if not painless).

AND - our old cell phone broke a few months ago and we recently replaced it. I forgot to give the school our new number. Poor G was sick at school all day and they had no way to call me. He laid down in the classroom for seven hours. Do I win an award for that kind of parenting?? I hope so because I pretty much felt like the biggest loser (and not in the 'I'm skinny and I used to be fat' kind of way). Is it Friday yet??? :p

It didn't work!

Apparently I can cross my fingers all I want, but its not doing much for Kyle's schedule at the hospital. They want him daily from 7 -3, which means he can neither drop off nor pick up, which also means we have 2 cars basically driving to the same location of the city multiple times a day. Its a good thing I love these kids so much, and that husband, and school, and driving, and spending money on gas. :) Kyle did have a longer shift yesterday (and Thursday), so he didn't get home unti 8:00. It was a good reminder to me that life is easier when he's home, even if he IS locked in the office. At least then we get to see him for dinner and bathroom breaks. The kids were in bed when he got home, and of course all three of them HAD to say goodnight, which extended bedtime to almost 9:00 p.m. (Okay Sully had two naps yesterday and really didn't go to sleep until nearly 11:00).

I also realized that either our two-year-old was ending up in our bed too often, or my husband got tired of being locked in the dungeon that we call "office," because a little suggestion of *maybe* moving the twin bed into our room for Sullivan and putting his desk in that bedroom turned into ACTUALLY moving the twin bed into our room and converting that bedroom into a study space. I actually like having Sully in his own bed in there . . . and he's still close enough to oooh and ahhh over how cute he is while he is sleeping. Kyle appreciates having an "office" that actually gets some natural light and has room to scoot the chair back from the desk. We've committed ourselves at least until after his big exam, which means that we'll give it a month before we decide if we want to re-kick Sully back to his own room. The other plus-side is that now his old "office" is empty and freed up lots of room for me to sort laundry. . . and pile laundry. . .and now store dirty laundry that previously had no place to be stored therefore forcing it to get done. I love to be enabled in my lazy ways.

I also love how all the comments on that last post were to claim that butt as their own. Even my mom called me to say that she tried to leave a comment but couldn't remember her login and password. Her comment basically consisted of, "You all know that is really MY butt, so quit claiming it and get back to the gym." You people crack me up.

My butt really used to look like that. Once upon a time. I don't have any proof, of course, because who takes a picture of their butt like that. ;)

swimming and spankies

Wow, I think this has to be a new record for my least bloggy month. Things have just been busy busy busy with working, kids' school, mischievious two-year-olds and husbands who lock themselves in offices for hours/days/months at a time "studying". He thinks I don't know that he spends 25% of his time on ESPN.com and Foxnews.com, but I do. I know everything.

A few weeks ago, our group here arranged a day to go to a local waterpark. I hemmed and hawed over whether or not I would go. It sounded fun but it also sounded like a lot of work (three kids + water + one adult = more work than fun?).

Well, I am happy to say it was cheap, safe, super fun, and Kyle went with me so I would have nothing to worry about. I'll apologize in advance to anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of super hot me in a super hot swimsuit. I was the one behind the camera. You're welcome.

They had this slide with four tracks so everyone could race. G was frustrated that he never won. The poor thing was too light to get any speed going down the hill.

Sully up at the top of the hill watching the race. This super safe railing with 2-foot gaps was all that separated his body from a 50-foot drop. I heart MExico.
She chickened out and wouldn't race and then proceeded to pout for 20 minutes.

That's G about to crash into the unsuspecting child below.



We have a little over two months left in the semester. Kyle will finish up nutrition and endocrine this week and then moved onto internal medicine next week. He managed to get assigned to a hospital right by the kids' school, so here's me crossing my fingers that his schedule matches up nicely with the kids and he can take them at least one way each day:

Woah, that is a REALLY big picture of my butt and it is completely cellulite-free and totally cute in my hot little spankies. It is also probably going to be blocked soon since I snagged it from some random website and left it hosted there. You're welcome.

Since my butt is looking so good, I'm not really sure what else to say. I figure it is always best to leave things on a high note.

Tam and Sam (my parents) are coming to visit next Friday, so let's go ahead and use the comments section to remind me of items that will fit in a suitcase that she can bring with her that I cannot live without that are NOT liquids greater than three ounces and could possibly help me have a happy Americanized Thanksgiving in Mexico.

Catch up:)

I kept waiting for some cute pictures to magically appear on my memory card so I could accompany a blog post with some distraction. . .but apparently you have to USE the camera to get cute pictures on there. I wonder if I can get a refund.

The kids are adjusting so well to school this year. It is amazing how quickly we transitioned from sleeping in until 9:00 am every day and watching more SpongeBob than can possibly be healthy (side note: Its so cute to hear Sully say 'spong bob squay panz'. *sigh*) to waking up at 6:45, doing our morning routine as fast as possible and getting on the road by 7:25 - before the sun has risen. The week just flies away from me now and I'll admit that with only a little over nine months left here in Mexico, it is scary to see time slipping by. I knew this would happen, but just when I actually appreciate what we have going on here, it seems like the end is nearing too soon. When else in my life will I have a maid at my beck and call? A husband home every night for dinner and at church every Sunday (I'm imagining what his schedule will be like for next year's internship or first year rotations - gulp)? Two little kids in a private school learning a foreign language and making memories that will last a lifetime? My little "baby" Sullivan home with me to keep me from taking too many naps or having too clean a house?? Hmmm, sorry if I got a little euphoric there. Just a minute ago I was firmly returning Sullivan to his crib for the upteenth time tonight and wondering when life would get easier. Buckle your seatbelts folks.

That actually reminds me of last night. I called my mom to check in and see what I was missing in her life. I bragged that my biggies were tucked into bed and the short one was playing quietly. Not 30 seconds later, Guthrie comes walking down the stairs (I use the term "walking" loosely here) and thud-thud-thud. . .he somehow misses the last three steps and is rescued by his left jaw and chin coming into contact with the extremely sharp corner of the shelf at the bottom of the stairs. "Uhhhh. . .I'll call you right back." It was immediately purple and bleeding and the poor kid was traumatized. I felt SO SORRY for him on one hand and SUPER annoyed with him on the other. Didn't I ALREADY tuck you into bed once tonight? Ice for the face and water for his mouth, which was apparently what prompted the trip (pun) down the stairs in the first place.

My days have been spent working, hanging with friends, working, cleaning a little bit, enjoying friends who come rescue me and help me clean, eating, napping, working, and I'll admit we still watch a little SpongeBob in all of this.

Our previous maid, who was incidentally the best cleaner I have ever known, up and quit on us when we cut back her schedule a bit. That meant that for the last two weeks I haven't had to pay a maid (and I also haven't had a clean house, but that is another story), we haven't had a date night, and I have actually been cooking our meals each night. I figured that deserved a treat and let Kyle know that Chili's would be served promptly at 6:00. ;) I enjoyed my chips 'n salsa and Buffalo chicken salad and the kids enjoyed a few bites of food and a LOT of playing on the slide/jungle gym. Genius. . .every Chili's should have a play area. Why don't they do that in the states?

Don't worry, we found a new cleaning girl who is happy with the reduced schedule. . .and she's not really a girl - she's 42- but who's keeping track. I am hoping she is just automatically a good cleaner because I'm not picturing myelf as capable of correcting anything or pointing out any flaws in her work. We'll just go with it. She's cheap and I'm pretty much the worst housekeeper this side of the border.

Kyle's rotations are going well. They're doing Endocrine and Nutrition right now. Not too exciting, but probably pretty useful. He starts Internal Medicine in a couple of weeks.

I'm thinking that catches things up for us. . .did I leave Addie out? Um, she's cute, her hair is growing, and she loves to inform us of all the things that 4 and a half year olds can do. Today Guthrie was noticing a billboard advertising for a gym with a picture of an oily, sculpted woman flexing and posing. Adeline said my legs looked like hers. Guthrie disagreed and said that the lady had really small knees and really big thighs and that my legs did NOT looks like hers (compliment???). He laughed his head off and said, "Mom, why does she look like that." I could not even answer before Addie said, "She got her dream body from exercising." Yes - she said dream. I think there must be a SpongeBob episode about that.

Day 1 of School 08/09

I swore I was going to wake up to the alarm at 6:30, shower and be one of those beautiful moms dropping her kids off at school on their first day. . .but it just seemed so early to get out of bed. At 6:45 I finally pulled on my stretched out jeans from yesterday and a t-shirt and washed the mascara out from under my eyes - voila! Beautiful, right?

I dressed Guff and Addie, got them started on breakfast, loaded backpacks, filled out paperwork, laid out lunchboxes, cleaned out the backseat of the car, loaded Sullivan+banana into his carseat and away we went - at the extremely early, still-dark-outside hour of 7:25. I don't want to admit it, but it felt a *Teeny* bit good to be awake before 9:00, which has been my usual wake-up hour for the last little while.

Here they are on their first day :p Don't they look super-psyched?


Because he feels left out if I don't act like he's a big deal too. :)

The school had someone dressed up as a giant Tigger to welcome the kids on their first day. Last year Tigger handed out giant chocolate covered marshmallow suckers. This year he was a little more appropriately handing out yoghurt drinks. I wonder who the brave sole was that mentioned that little nugget to the PTA. :p

Sully and I are rolling around the house, trying to remember how we kept it real all last year with just the two of us. Something tells me that we'll fill the void just fine. It sure is peaceful here.

Aiming at my foot.

Sometimes I think I am my own worst enemy when it comes to simplifying my life. We went to all this trouble to find and hire someone to help with kids - one of the main reasons being that without family here, I don't have that quick help you need when you have an appointment or errand that really can't handle kids. Well, yesterday the kids' school supply lists were looming over my head all morning. I convinced myself that I really needed to use the morning wisely and get some work done instead of heading out to tackle the list. Lunch rolled around and if I had decided to start the shopping then, I probably would have had time to get it done before Joanna needed to leave. But nope - I decided to keep working, thinking I could leave the kids with Kyle later in the afternoon and go shop. Kyle comes home and I am still working. He mentions he needs to run to the campus to get our financial aid check (yay for another anchor around our necks!). I have this bright idea that he can study first, and then we can *all* go at the same time. He can run in and get his check and afterwards we can stop by Walmart and try to look like we made an effort on the list. (I have no intention of getting everything on the list - it is RIDICULOUS the things they ask us to buy and I start to get the feeling that they are using us to stock their supply room. Why am I paying thousands of dollars a year for this??? And other parents are paying twice that. Nu-uh - ain't gonna happen.)

So, Kyle studies for a few hours. I finish working and get kids shoed and cleaned up. Around 5:00, we take off. The older two start fighting in the car right away - and the baby gets mysteriously quiet. *glance back* "SULLIVAN! Stay awake! Do NOT go to sleep. Guthrie, play with him, tickle him, anything - don't let him sleep." We get to listen to crabby Sullivan squeal every time someone tickles him or talks to him obediently. I knew it was a bad idea to skip nap-time.

Kyle manages to be fast at the school and we drive away with half of our student loan proceeds in our pocket. We drive 15 minutes to Walmart, circle the parking lot for another 15 minutes, remember that 6:00 on ANY day is pretty much the craziest, zooiest time to attempt shopping in Mexico, but we park anyway. One hour, lots of Addie whining and drooping (man, she is looking tired now), a little Guthrie complaining ("Why does *she* get a puzzle?"), and a surprisingly pleasant Sullivan later, we are done checking out and just waiting for the world's slowest bag boy to finish his job. I can't help but wonder what possessed me to think I didn't need to do this earlier when I could have left all THREE (four if you count the husband who HATES this stuff) at home. *Sigh* Read it on my forehead people - S.t.u.p.i.d.

Now, it is 7:00 and tummies are rumbling, babies are fading, and mommy's blood sugar has dropped like nobody's business. Our lifeline appears to be Costco right across the street. One cheese pizza sounds like just what the doctor (or fourth year med student) ordered. Kids + husband = stay in the car. I run to the counter, order our pizza, get myself a pina colada smoothie (instant happy) and a couple of drinks for kids and husband. And I wait. and wait. and wait. I crane my neck to see if the pizza could be nearing the end of the pizza oven. Nope. So, I stupidly wait some more. and a little more. Finally, Kyle is exasperated and tells me to talk to the employee. "Is my pizza coming?" "Of course." "Are you sure because I'm watching the oven and there are no pizzas coming." "Oh its coming, I assure you." "Uh, okay thanks," I say as I sneakily follow her with my eyes to see her go check and realize no pizza is actually coming and watch as she slips a cheese pizza onto the back of the pizza oven. *sigh again*. She must have read my forehead when I ordered. Must get thicker bangs.

30 minutes after arriving for that- "they always have one waiting," says Kyle in response to my "we need something fast" comment - pizza, we are back on the road. Kids drank half my smoothie instead of their own Sprite, but the half I did guzzle has made me feel temporarily peppy and I enjoy the time to chat and relax with husband while kids play. And then the quiet. *glance back* "SULLIVAN - wake up baby! You have to eat dinner. Do you want some cheese???" (Burn my fingers as I pull off a chunk of melty cheese and hold it in front of the A/C vent to cool it off.) "Here's some cheeeeeeese, Sully!!" Older kids: "Hey, why don't *we* get cheese?" Sully takes the cheese, puts it in his mouth and promptly falls back to sleep - only this time with the added bonus of a choking hazard lolling about his tongue. *sigh again* I hate when he goes to bed without dinner. He always wakes up hungry in the middle of the night.

We get home, baby in bed, kids eating pizza, fun. After dinner and a super healthy dessert of a donut, we lay kids in bed, Kyle is off to finish studying and I sit down to wrap up work (yes, after ALL of that, I still hadn't finished the work part of things).

Fast forward to 2:30 in the morning. Little hand is patting my arm, "Mommy, mommy, I ann eat betfast." Crap - he's hungry. One sippy with milk, pull him up in bed and pray he sleeps (he does). Wait, I'm hungry too. (no joke.) Try to ignore it, surely I am stronger than this. 20 minuets later, no go. Must eat something. This is a joke, right? Stomach is now convulsing in anger and lack of food. Raisin Bran. Ahhh, NOW sleep is good. Back upstairs. Addie is curled up on the end of the bed under Kyle's feet. That cannot be comfortable. Carry her to her bed (man, she's huge.) Now sleep. Here comes Guthrie. "No G-man - you have got to sleep in your own bed. I'll talk to you in the morning." Back to his bed. NOW sleep. *beep beep beep beep beep* Elbow Kyle before alarm wakes up Sullivan who is the ONLY one getting sleep at this point. After three snoozes, Kyle gets out of bed, just in time for Adeline to come wandering in. I threaten her with her life, "Sleep - don't talk." She sleeps on Kyle's side - although still curled up at the bottom of the bed.

Now sleep - its starting to get light outside. Ignore. Just sleep.

Back to School

Whenever I say or think "Back to School," I can't get Adam Sandler's voice out of my head - and I am suddenly in the mood to watch Billy Madison. But the *real* point of this post is the official school update!

We checked out the most amazing school the other day. For a mere ten thousand a year, we could enroll our kids in an eco-friendly, adorable, super chic school close to the house. Since that is more than we spend on groceries and clothing for our whole family combined in an average year, we figured we better pass it up and see what we could do about getting a discount at their old school.

Really I got a lot of comfort from the thought of sending them to the same school this year. We all kind of have a crazy life and it certainly can't hurt them to have a little stability in this one facet, right? (On a side note, we have officially lived in this house for almost 15 months - three months longer than we have ever lived anywhere - cool, eh?)

We drove to the school this morning around 10:45, waited until close to noon for the administrator to have a chance to talk with us, and were able to negotiate a deal that *hopefully* has us all feeling satisfied. While the discount this year ended up being significantly more than last year percentage-wise, we will still be paying close to the same amount because of the increase in tuition cost that comes with advancing a grade and the annual inflation rate. Aren't you all feeling a little smug with your kids in their academically advanced, publically funded charter schools?? Anyway, our original intention was to try to really get a good deal and play a little hardball - but when we realized how much costs had increased, we started to panic that maybe we were going to end up paying MORE than last year and that is just a *no go*. Kyle and I both feel pretty good about the situation and we're super excited for the kids, who are ready to bounce off the ceiling at the thought of starting school. On Tuesday we go to buy their supplies and meet the teachers, and school starts on Wednesday. The school really did take advantage of Addie's cute little mug. In the conference room (where they meet potential new students and their parents every year), there is a poster-sized picture of Addie, framed and mounted on the wall. The administrator even made a joke when we were trying to negotiate a price - He said, "Well, since I exploited your daughter, we should give you a good discount." HA! I was thinking it, but I didn't say it. He did alude that they *really* want the kids back and of course our kids can't wait to go back - so win/win. Between now and Tuesday I just need to pull out last year's uniforms, see what still fits and what can be handed down, and go buy the new items (the stinker-school changed their polo on us, so we definitely have to get all new shirts :( I was thinking I lucked out and wouldn't have to buy much of anything for Adeline.)

Our new maid/nanny is really working out well (if you forget that she has missed two out of six days of work. . .and I did forget, I promise.) Its a whole new feeling to be able to actually run an errand and not drag three kids with you to un-kid-friendly places. I totally love her affect on Sullivan too. Hearing him tell her "gracias" and "adios" is pretty much the cutest thing ever.

Dinner is in the oven (roast for French Dip - drool) the kids are happy, and its time to work - but blogging was more important.

Its almost Friday -sigh of relief-!

Being Four

I simply cannot believe that another week has gone by. It wasn't exactly fast - but I still wonder where it all went. I've been slightly overwhelmed with working from home while the kids are out of school. The catch-22 is that school is supposed to be starting on Monday and I've been so overwhelmed with working while they're on break, that I haven't had a chance to figure out where they're even going to attend school. :( I'm trying not to allow myself the constant US v. Mexico comparisons - but this is one that is too obvious to ignore. I sure miss the sweet, close, free, amazing public elementary school that Guthrie was able to go to last year for those few months in the states. I'm about to start my quest to bargain the principal down from $6k+ for the year to hopefully around $4k. It was just too much last year and we couldn't keep up with the payments. Keep your fingers crossed for us that they'll give us a discount for all the free advertising they got out of us last year (the billboard with Addie's picture at the mall, her face splashed over the front of their brochure and her cute little mug on the front of their website).

I understand why they wanted to use her face because she's pretty "american" looking, and it is the American Academy after all. While I agree that she is cute, lately I'm thinking she's funnier than anything.

Guthrie has been taking some Tae Kwan Do (sorry - how the heck do you spell that?) lessons with our neighbor. Adeline is SO jealous and tries to mimic everything Guthrie does when he comes home to show us what he learned. His teacher has told him that he needs to practice saying "Yes, sir/ma'am," and "No, sir/ma'am." A common dialogue in our house will now go something like this:
Me: Guthrie, get your shoes off the stairs and put them in your closet please.
G: Yes, ma'am.
A: Yes, lady.
G: No, Addie. You're supposed to say 'yes, ma'am.'
A: No, I call her 'lady.' She's a lady.
G: That's wrong - say 'yes, ma'am.'
A: Fine - (yelling) Yes, man!
No wonder she was resisting - she knows I'm not a man.

She also cracked me up yesterday when we were parking the car before church. Kyle refuses to pull into the small church parking lot because the next ward isn't very courteous about making sure we can get out after church. He parks along the curb outside the church instead. Yesterday Guthrie expressed concern because when we came out of church to get in the car, we would be headed the wrong direction on the road. Addie: "Don't worry Guthrie, we can do a flipayoowee." ummm - what? That's right - a "flip a U-y." I just love that her little four-year-old mind is showing some independet thinking and trying to figure things out on her own - even if she gets it wrong sometimes.

Guthrie was always very different. He would ask a billion questions to make sure he got something right before he expressed himself. Even now I can tell when he is asking leading questions and fishing for just enough information from me, without me giving away the whole point of his questioning. He's not big on the whole "learn from our mistakes" idea. He just wants to get it right the first time.

Anyway - I finally found a girl to help nanny/clean so I should be able to run to the school today and see what I can figure out. The kids probably won't be ready to start school Monday because it will take me longer than that to go get uniforms and supplies (remember this fiasco from last year?) but hopefully we'll at least be able to get them enrolled.

Picture Catch-up!

Kaylea will get really excited and think this means that I'm going to post our new family pictures - but really I'm just unloading random junk off my camera. The family pictures WILL go up tomorrow - promise!

Not sure when this was - I just think he looks way too old to be my baby.

This picture was the morning we were leaving Arizona to drive home. Don't they look excited.



This was Guthrie's wasp sting. The quickest way to get a kid to stop crying is to grab the camera and document it for posterity. Too bad I wasn't around to try this trick an hour later when Adeline got 2 (two) wasp stings from the same hive. Don't worry, the men finally took it seriously and went on a search and destroy mission. We're hoping the wasps found a new place to build their hive.
Sully is taking some chick for a ride.
With no pants on! He's a free spirit.

This is why I'm pretty sure that Heavenly Father sent me the coolest kid available. Need to go to Bed, Bath & Beyond at naptime?? No problem. (All our summer travels came in handy - I found that ghetto blanket in the back of the car.)
Group shot from Gavin's wedding. Aren't they cute? The bride and groom look okay too.

Ash and Fam. Apparently I need someone to email me some pictures because I am sure I posed for a few with my family too. :p

working hard or hardly working

I went to bed last night knowing that this morning I was on a tight schedule. I need to get some work done, but I also need to get the last our junk put away so the cleaning girl can come whip the rest of the place into shape (and help scrape off that final layer of dust that I have YET to clean from the endless vacay). Somehow I am finding myself perusing blogs rather than working, which I originally scheduled to be completely finished by noon. Its noon, and I have to stop now so I can clean. and I didn't work nearly enough. and now I'll have to work later. when I didn't want to. *sigh*

Last night Kyle was on one of his eternal phone calls to the cable company to complain about our internet being down. all. day. Suddenly his eyes get wide and he motions for me to come stand by him. I'm pretty confused, but I'm also very obedient. I walk up to him and he points for me to look in the corner. I am still not seeing what he is pointing at when he whispers, "Black widow." EWWWWWWWW! The most giantest, disgustingest, poisonest spider is just chilling butt-side up to show us his lovely red hourglass shape. Of course, I'm freaked and determined that we must kill it. Now. but not me. him. Of course, Kyle just keeps on keepin' on with the cable company. It was my self-appointed job to sit there and stare at the spider to make sure that it didn't plan a stealthy escape and crawl immediately up the stairs where it would ravage my three innocent children - or me - gag. For some reason, I wasn't worried about it biting Kyle. I guess he's just the big, strong, invincible man in our lives. Or it would serve him right.

Finally Kyle finished with the Tele-CRAP-le (Telecable) and whipped out his trusty can of raid, which coincidentally had just finished off a half-dollar-sized distant relative of this spider's yesterday and we proceeded to watch in some kind of sick pleasure as the spider died. Now I am adamant that the whole house needs sprayed but of course we can't do that because I have no way of knowing what the heck chemical they would be spraying and there's no way I'm letting a bug guy, in a country that still uses known carcinogens for pesticide on their crops, spray my entire house with invisible poison. (Yet, I have no problem using Raid for isolated incidents. go figure. risks and benefits, my friends).

Now that it is 12:04, I'm going to have to move on to phase II of this morning - operation clear clutter.

Thanks for being my time-suck, dear blog.

Question:

How was your first full day back in Mexico??

Answer:
Lonely.

Probably not what Kyle was expecting, but I was getting pretty acustomed to having friends and family around ALL the time to keep me and the kids company. I guess I have to start entertaining my kids again - it was sure nice when other people did it for me. :)

I got a lot done today - but not nearly enough. Most of the suitcases and boxes are unpacked but I have a million piles everywhere of things I can't figure out where to place.

We're having pepper-crusted maple salmon for dinner tonight. I even made black beans because I just read an article about how they are one of the seven super foods. Super, eh?

The hospital seemed to go well for Kyle and now we're back to the study grind.

It will be nice when all the semesters get started and our lunches get going again. The kids have another month of summer break - we're going to need to keep busy.

Home Sweet Home

We actually made it. I was worried about this drive because we brought another car back and that meant I had to drive a car the entire way myself. I won't surprise anyone who knows me by admitting that I have never done that before (nor wanted to). I felt like I did pretty well, although the right side of my lower half went completely number for a few hours at the end of both days. I tried sitting on a pillow and that would help for about thirty minutes, then back to tingles and numbness. Its much better to be a passenger and be able to shift position at will.

The kids were AMAZING, especially considering the amount of time we had them buckled into the car. We were on the road for about 14 hours the first day and 13 hours the second. We stopped each day for about an hour to let them play and eat at McDonalds/Burger King - then it was right back into the car. Sully took two very long naps each day and Adeline took a couple herself. It turns out she wasn't feeling well but thankfully it was only this morning that the throw-up hit her. We made it through our first long trip without any throw up at all from her. The secret was putting her in the passenger seat of the truck (no worries- no air bag and she was in her five-point carseat). She had such a good view of the road that she never once complained of being nauseated.

We arrived home last night (Saturday) at about 11:00 local time. I was able to change the sheets on our beds and unload the back of the truck before I practically blacked out in bed. It was all I could do to not kill our restless Sullivan before he finally crashed from exhaustion.

It feels so good to be home. Of course all day today was spent dusting, organizing, vacuuming the rug over and over again, and sucking up about a million spiders and their webs. The downstairs is feeling pretty good but I haven't even begun unpacking the six suitcases or the boxes that came home with us.

I am in heaven having my own bed back (not to metion kitchen, bathroom, couch, remote control, and desk). I didn't even realize what a difference it is to sleep on my comfy bed with my six pillows and my heavy comforter. I'll never leave you again, bed, I promise. (You either, Kyle.) :)

Tomorrow starts Kyle's fourth year of medical school. Wow.

Still Kickin'

I know you thought I was dead but no worries. I always end up taking a break when Kyle is in Arizona with me. Something about the combination of husband and vacation just keeps me from taking pictures, writing anything, and otherwise slowing down. That guy keeps us on the move. In the meantime, I spent a good hour doing that pretty li'l' blog list over there so take some time to admire it. If I messed up and left yours out, will you leave me a comment so I can fix it? It got a little complicated to keep them all straight.

We're heading back to Mexico a week from Thursday. Kyle starts school on the 21st. We cannot believe we're in our last year of medical school. We're only 11 months away from the ridiculously expensive title of "Doctor Hunter."

When we get back home, life and blogging should go back to normal. Until then, I am always checking my friends' and family's blogs in my downtime. Miss you all and love ya!

the awesomest things about two-year-olds

I have known a few two-year-olds in my day. I have even mothered a few of them. I think this qualifies me to compile a list of my favorite things about two year olds, but more specifically *my* two-year-old. Happy Birthday Lee Sullivan Hunter.

I love that whenever I hear someone mention the "terrible twos," I roll my eyes and tell the closest willing listener that there is no such thing - the "terribles" don't hit until three years old. Then when you manage to write on the furniture, dump and break several bottles of fabric softener, bleach, toilet cleaner (with ammonia) and white vinegar all over the laundry room floor (yes I said BLEACH and AMMONIA. . .mixing), pee on the rug, pull the dog's ears, break all the crayons, and run out the front door naked to the street - all within the amazingly short time span of 15 minutes- I am handed a gentle confirmation that the "twos" can in fact be "terrible."

More than that, I love that when I show even the slightest inclincation to be angry about any of your "terrible" actions, you have this amazing ability to sense it and you tilt your head to the side, opens your eyes wide and croon, "I lub you, Mommy." Man, I *love* this age.

I love that you apologize to people even when you didn't do anything wrong. If Guthrie hurts Adeline and I am trying to help them work it out, you give her hugs and tell her "sowwy, Addie."

The only thing I love more than hearing you tell me that you love me, is hearing you tell Guthrie and Adeline that you love them.

I love that even two years later, if you're tired and nothing else is working to get you to sleep, I can tuck you into our Mei tai and you'll be snoozing in five minutes. You are a baby who loves your baby carriers. We have gone through so many different kinds since you were born and I have held onto five of them that have too much emotional significance for me to get rid of them:

*The blue and green pouch sling that Aunt Ashley made for us when you were only a few days old. I had my hands full with Addie and Guthrie in those first few weeks while daddy was still in Mexico. It was so wonderful to drop you in the pouch and know you were happy and safe while I was busy.
*The old, ugly, Mayan ring sling that was a hand-me-down from Adeline's baby days. She never really liked it much but you and I have recuped our money's worth, so much in fact that even though it is the ugliest carrier I've ever seen, I can't handle the thought of getting rid of it and I'll wear it with any outfit and not even care that I look like a homeless hippie.

*The Ergo that has carried you up ruins, around museums, through domestic and foreign cities, in underground caves and through too many airport trips to count.

*The old Mexican rebozo that I picked up for $4US at the Mercado del Sol in downtown Guadalajara. Its super authentic and kind of cool looking. Sometimes we like to use it in the states just to remember the smell of Mexico.

*And of course, our trusty ol' Mei tai. I can't remember exactly when this came to us, but I think it was around your 6-month birthday. Here's a picture for daddy so he can see how you looked tonight before I tucked you into bed on your second birthday! He misses you so much. When I told him that you are almost completely potty-trained he was so sad to think that he would never get to see you in diapers again. I think he feels like I took a baby away from him and I'm trying to bring him back a little boy instead.

We know its a bad picture - but we're just glad there was a cell phone around the grab it!

Sully, you are truly amazing. You have brought out a whole different dimension to my personality, my heart and my life - a part of me that I truly never knew existed. You make our whole family brighter and happier just by being your happy, bubbly self. Sometimes Guthrie, Addie and I will be laughing about something you've done and they will both go out of their way to tell me they love you so much. Adeline sometimes thinks it would be a good idea to trade you in for a girl baby, but that's just because you won't play fairy princesses with her.

And the most amazing thing about two-year-olds has to be how quickly they get there.

It seems like just yesterday, I was anxiously waiting for you to come. Your due date was June 6, 2006, which made for lots of laughs about your name being Damion (6/6/06) and all the trouble you would cause. I was so uncomfortable at the end of your pregnancy that I was fantisizing about ways to "accidentally" break my own water to cause labor to start. I had contractions every night for weeks that would come five minutes apart. Each night I would try to sleep but would be awake with contractions until the early morning. I would eventually doze off and nothing could stop my sadness at waking up pregnant later that morning.

On June 4TH, 2006 my contractions seemed to get stronger and by 11:00 that night I was pretty certain you would be coming soon. I even called Grandma Hunter to let her know that you would most likely make your appearance that night. I tried to rest but I was just too excited to think that I would get to see your face soon. In the early morning hours, when I just couldn't sit still anymore, Grandma Guthrie walked with me in circles around the neighborhood to try to speed things up. By 8:00 a.m., the morning of the 5TH, I was exhausted and you didn't seem to be any closer to coming out. The contractions were still coming but I couldn't keep my eyes open any more and Grandma sent me to bed to "try to sleep." I didn't think it was possible, but somehow I slept. I woke up several hours later to contractions that had all but stopped and I'll admit that I cried and cried.

Grandma convinced me to take a long shower and get myself as ready as a nine-months-pregnant woman in the heat of an Arizona June day cares to be, and we met for lunch at a restaurant near Grandma's work. It was while we were having lunch that my contractions picked up again and they finally began to take on the intensity that signaled to me that this really *was* going to happen.

Aunt Ashley decided it would be fun to go walking around the mall to see if we could really get labor going. I always thought it sounded fun to be out in public with your little secret labor going on. I was having a hard time keeping it a secret at the mall, though. The contractions were very regular and began to turn into real labor pains. I realized the LAST place I wanted to be as I prepared to birth a baby was at the mall. Ashley drove me home where I alternated between the bed with the massager on my back, to the shower for as long as the hot water would last, and back to the bed. I *really* wanted to sleep at this point and was pretty mad at myself for not trying harder to sleep through the night before.

At 7:00 p.m. I was feeling tired and unsure if any of my hard work was helping. I called our midwife and she agreed to meet me at her office for a quick check. She said she knew I wasn't far along just from looking at my face when I greeted her. I made a mental note to scowl more next time I was in labor. She found that I was about 4 cm dilated and all the way effaced. We were definitely in labor but the hardest work was yet to come. We all realized I hadn't eaten since lunch much earlier that day. Marla, our midwife, gave us strict instructions to go eat something light and to call her when we were ready to go to the birth center. (She later told me that she figured I would "tough it out" for a couple of hours and we would meet at the birth center around 10:30.)

I asked my mom to get me a salad from Sonic and I actually ate it right there in the car. It was almost 8:00 p.m. when we got back to Grandma's and I told her that I was NOT going to be able to work so hard for much longer. I promised I would try to make it until 10:00 and then we were going to call Marla. I started my rotations between the shower, the bed, and the massager. At 9:30 p.m., while I was in the shower, I had a very long contraction and just as it was starting to relax, I felt it climb back to its peak again. I realized that I had just done the VERY thing that I wanted to avoid. I waited too long to go to the birth center and now I was going to go through transition in the car. I no longer had any doubt that you were coming soon. I climbed out of the shower and told Grandma that we needed to go - NOW. We called the midwife while Grandpa loaded the car. As soon as we made contact, we started the 30-minute drive to Bethany Birth Center.

We arrived at the birth center at 10:40 p.m. according to your medical chart. Marla commented that based on my exam earlier, she had been estimating we would be meeting at the birth center around 10:30. What she didn't expect was that I would be 9 cm dilated and ready to welcome you into the world right then. We had just enough time to fill the birth tub, take my blood pressure, and turn on the video camera before the final contractions did their job.

I started pushing at 11:13 and your chart says you were born at 11:20. Grandma held her cell phone by mommy's head so daddy could hear everything that was going on while you were born. He said he only heard a "little scream" from mommy. Don't worry, mommy was just excited to have you coming and she had to yell about it.

You were squishy, round, and perfect! I kept telling daddy, on the phone, that you were cute. But I realized a moment later that I hadn't even looked at your face yet. Right then, I started to lose a little blood so Grandma held you while I got cleaned up and put on my warm jammies. The nurse weighed you and said you were only 7 pounds 3.5 ounces. We were all shocked because you looked like such a big baby. We later found out that you were really 9 pounds 3.5 ounces. The scale had a broken display!

The midwife and nurse told us to settle in and get some sleep but I just wanted to take you home and snuggle in our own bed. We fell into bed exhausted and we BOTH slept all night long. And. . .now that you're two, I'm going to ask you to start sleeping all night long again.

I imagine Guthrie will always be protective of you. He is so concerned about you all the time. He tells me when he thinks you're hungry, bored, in trouble, or just needing me. You are so lucky to have him as your big brother.

This was your first trip to Puerto Vallarta. You were only two months old and didn't care about much, other than when your next feeding would take place. The rest of us enjoyed the sun, pool, and the beach. Daddy had fun showing you off at his medical clinic.


And in the blink of an eye - you were walking and talking. Now we can't slow you down or shut you up!! Happy Birthday Baby Sully!