I'm pretty sure my last bit of diet coke ran out yesterday afternoon. So, I'm officially in detox mode. I'll be utilizing some EFT to take care of any cravings or withdrawl side-effects. Wish me luck!
Church:
When we first moved to this neighborhood, we were thrilled to be attending the same ward as one of my newfound, amazing friends. Having another American family with kids around our kids' ages made a big difference. About seven months into our church-going experience out here, we happened to volunteer to take the missionaries on a little field-trip for their P-day. The missionaries from our ward live with the missionaries from a neighboring ward; so we ended up all going together. As we were chatting on our way to the ruins (I think I posted pictures of this trip a while back. . .Novemberish?) the unknown missionaries asked where we lived. Upon hearing the name of our community, he immediately informed us that we were attending the wrong ward and should, in fact, be in his ward. "Uh, I don't think so. We checked the ward boundaries with the missionaries a few months before we moved in." (Kyle has a sneaking suspicion that said missionaries had an extrememly outdated map.)
The following Sunday, we were greeted by the bishop from the OTHER ward and it was confirmed that we were, truly, in the wrong ward. OH SADNESS!!
So, for the last few months we've been attending a new ward. I use the term "attending" loosely. Its just so hard to go be the only Americans again. We spent most of the first two years here in Mexico as the only Americans going to our ward. We went through some periods of inactivity, followed by a determination to make it work (despite no nursery.) So, I guess we're back to that. (I originally typed out a long, whiny rant. Even I got sick of hearing me complain :p )
The good news is (I guess you could call it good.) that I won't be dealing with it for long. I booked plane tickets for the kids and I to come back to Arizona and stay with my mom for a while. I'm going to work for a few months, let G go to Kindergarten, and hopefully give Kyle time to study. I'd love to come back to find that the AMA has fixed all the drama with their licensing issue, Kyle's all done with major tests and has lots of free time, and maybe find that Sullivan is potty-trained. :) I won't hold my breath on the last one.
On the subject of Sully milestones; he's having a little verbal boom. He says so many words now.
Night night
bye bye
want drink/ball/bite/five/up/down/tv/elmo/book/hello (this means phone.)/buckle (car seat)
taint choo (thank you ;) )
uh oh
diaper
stinky
ewwwww-y
and my favorite wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow (kind of to the tune from "Wow Wow Wubzy".)
He has also changed from "mama" and "dada" to "mommy" and "daddy", which is pretty much the cutest thing ever. "Mommeeeeeee, want bite!" "Oh, taint choo."
G and A are at school now. I need to talk to the principal and break the news that we'll be leaving and won't be back until next school year.
I guess this was a pretty disjointed post. Mostly I'm doing it because Serin is sick of reading about my diet coke addiction. :p
January 29, 2008
January 24, 2008
This sucks.
I know you've got to be growing weary of my Diet Coke blog posts, so skip this if you'd like.
I was recently pondering all the terrible things about Diet Coke in *another* effort to get myself to hate it so much that I'll give it up.
My admittedly weak list:
1. Stains teeth
2. SUPER TOXIC aspartame is found in copious amounts
3. Caffeine-withdrawl headaches stink.
4. Kids see it and want it because I always have it.
Well, there's nothing I can do about the toxic aspartame (other than quit and I promise I'm working up to that.), the solution to the caffeine-withdrawl headaches is to just never stop drinking it and therefore never withdraw, and to keep the kids from wanting it, I have now resorted to drinking it in private while locked in the bathroom leaning out the window so they can't smell the fumes. (run-on sentence, anyone?) So, the only other problem is that drinking dark drinks stains your teeth. To solve this, I broke out the bendy straws. The downside to the straw??? It has significantly increased my consumption rate.
To quote my husband, "You're !@#$ing me! You drank 2 liters in 1 day!!!"
My response, "Well, if you'll run and grab another bottle, I'll get started on 2 more!"
And *that* my friends is why I MUST STOP! . . . as soon as I finish this 2-liter.
I was recently pondering all the terrible things about Diet Coke in *another* effort to get myself to hate it so much that I'll give it up.
My admittedly weak list:
1. Stains teeth
2. SUPER TOXIC aspartame is found in copious amounts
3. Caffeine-withdrawl headaches stink.
4. Kids see it and want it because I always have it.
Well, there's nothing I can do about the toxic aspartame (other than quit and I promise I'm working up to that.), the solution to the caffeine-withdrawl headaches is to just never stop drinking it and therefore never withdraw, and to keep the kids from wanting it, I have now resorted to drinking it in private while locked in the bathroom leaning out the window so they can't smell the fumes. (run-on sentence, anyone?) So, the only other problem is that drinking dark drinks stains your teeth. To solve this, I broke out the bendy straws. The downside to the straw??? It has significantly increased my consumption rate.
To quote my husband, "You're !@#$ing me! You drank 2 liters in 1 day!!!"
My response, "Well, if you'll run and grab another bottle, I'll get started on 2 more!"
And *that* my friends is why I MUST STOP! . . . as soon as I finish this 2-liter.
January 23, 2008
Fevers and Fun!
Poor li'l Sullivan isn't feeling well. I got him out of his bed yesterday morning and even though he wasn't warm enough for me to call it a fever, he just felt. . .off. I watched him during the day and saw him making some funny mouth movements that got me thinking sore throat(??). Sure enough, after his nap he had a definite fever. (Score 1 for mommy's intuition.) He was happy enough, so I figured I'd let the fever kick the illness'.
After school, the kids wanted to go to the park and for some reason Kyle actually agreed to go with us. We spent over an hour letting them all swing, slide, and ride bikes and scooters. I was hesitant to go because last time the playground equipment was tattered and there were spiders all over it. (Have I ever mentioned how much I HATE spiders?) We were pretty happy to see that the HOA fee has been put to good use. The toys had new canopies over them, had been refinished, and were completely bug-free. Sullivan was able to climb up the cargo net and slide down the slide all by himself, which meant that he did so at least 20 times in a row.
We came home and I made biscuits and gravy while Kyle fried some eggs. It was a lazy dinner, but it was fast and did the job.
We showered G & A while Sullivan played around the house. We all went into Adeline's room to get the kids' pajamas on. Sullivan started whining to get on the bed and as soon as he was up, he pulled the covers up to his waist, laid down on the pillow, and said "teetee." (This is baby-talk for TV). I thought it was hilarious, so I turned on the little TV that we put in Addie's room and let him "watch" it while we finished PJ's. (He doesn't really watch it, but at least he thinks he's cool.) We left the 3 kids playing and I went downstairs to chat w/ Kyle while he did some schoolwork.
About 15 minutes later (7:00 pm), Adeline came down and wanted to lay on the couch with me. I tucked her into a blanket next to me and channels-surfed. I ended up watching some of "Tombstone", and suddenly realized that the whole house was pretty quiet. I looked down and Adeline was snoozing in my arms (AWESOME!). I also realized that I hadn't heard a peep from Sullivan for the last 10 minutes. Kyle carried Adeline up to her bed and sure enough, Sullivan was fast asleep. I officially deemed this our easiest bedtime EVER.
I moved Sully to his crib, we tucked Adeline in, and laid G in bed.
I worked for a couple hours (did I ever mention that I found a job doing medical transcribing from home??? YAY ME!!!), did the elliptical, and then tried to unwind myself to fall asleep. I don't know if it was caffeine, working out too late, or just the endless night-wakings from my sick little Sullivan; but it felt like one of those nights where I never really sunk into a deep sleep.
Despite the lack of sleep, we managed to get ready this morning and have the kids to school right on time. I managed to clean up the upstairs and have laundry going. Now, if I could just find the motivation to shower and get dressed. . . :)
After school, the kids wanted to go to the park and for some reason Kyle actually agreed to go with us. We spent over an hour letting them all swing, slide, and ride bikes and scooters. I was hesitant to go because last time the playground equipment was tattered and there were spiders all over it. (Have I ever mentioned how much I HATE spiders?) We were pretty happy to see that the HOA fee has been put to good use. The toys had new canopies over them, had been refinished, and were completely bug-free. Sullivan was able to climb up the cargo net and slide down the slide all by himself, which meant that he did so at least 20 times in a row.
We came home and I made biscuits and gravy while Kyle fried some eggs. It was a lazy dinner, but it was fast and did the job.
We showered G & A while Sullivan played around the house. We all went into Adeline's room to get the kids' pajamas on. Sullivan started whining to get on the bed and as soon as he was up, he pulled the covers up to his waist, laid down on the pillow, and said "teetee." (This is baby-talk for TV). I thought it was hilarious, so I turned on the little TV that we put in Addie's room and let him "watch" it while we finished PJ's. (He doesn't really watch it, but at least he thinks he's cool.) We left the 3 kids playing and I went downstairs to chat w/ Kyle while he did some schoolwork.
About 15 minutes later (7:00 pm), Adeline came down and wanted to lay on the couch with me. I tucked her into a blanket next to me and channels-surfed. I ended up watching some of "Tombstone", and suddenly realized that the whole house was pretty quiet. I looked down and Adeline was snoozing in my arms (AWESOME!). I also realized that I hadn't heard a peep from Sullivan for the last 10 minutes. Kyle carried Adeline up to her bed and sure enough, Sullivan was fast asleep. I officially deemed this our easiest bedtime EVER.
I moved Sully to his crib, we tucked Adeline in, and laid G in bed.
I worked for a couple hours (did I ever mention that I found a job doing medical transcribing from home??? YAY ME!!!), did the elliptical, and then tried to unwind myself to fall asleep. I don't know if it was caffeine, working out too late, or just the endless night-wakings from my sick little Sullivan; but it felt like one of those nights where I never really sunk into a deep sleep.
Despite the lack of sleep, we managed to get ready this morning and have the kids to school right on time. I managed to clean up the upstairs and have laundry going. Now, if I could just find the motivation to shower and get dressed. . . :)
January 18, 2008
I am thankful for. . .
Just to help things along.
I am thankful for. . .
* A husband who is a wonderful father, partner, and friend. I wouldn't be happy with anybody else.
* Kids who are full of personality, wit, and spunk. I would be bored with anything less.
* Health. Oh MAN, I am thankful for health. For kids with functional immune systems and energetic little bodies.
* Moms who give good advice and make big problems suddenly appear a lot smaller.
* Not being pregnant at times when a brownie and Diet Coke will make everything feel better. At least its only hurting me, right? :p
* The future. Its kind of exciting not knowing what will happen. I'll just concentrate on the fact that it will ALL be okay. No matter what.
I am thankful for. . .
* A husband who is a wonderful father, partner, and friend. I wouldn't be happy with anybody else.
* Kids who are full of personality, wit, and spunk. I would be bored with anything less.
* Health. Oh MAN, I am thankful for health. For kids with functional immune systems and energetic little bodies.
* Moms who give good advice and make big problems suddenly appear a lot smaller.
* Not being pregnant at times when a brownie and Diet Coke will make everything feel better. At least its only hurting me, right? :p
* The future. Its kind of exciting not knowing what will happen. I'll just concentrate on the fact that it will ALL be okay. No matter what.
Chain-breaking.
I actually broke down last night from the stress of all this school crap for Kyle. Its not that we don't have a lot of options, its just that each option has so many potential bumps in the road and its nearly impossible for us to make a decision right now without worrying that its the WRONG decision. We're in that 'hurry up and wait' phase of life drama.
Of course, talking to my mom makes me realize that EVERYONE is having trouble with something (parents, sibs,extended fam, etc.) This makes me feel not alone, but doesn't really make me feel BETTER. I've never been the 'misery loves company' type. Knowing that other people are struggling mostly just makes me feel worse because now I'll lose sleep over them too.
So anyway, I woke up this morning feeling kind of down, but also determined to not have the day be a total bust. So, imagine my surprise when my mom called me laughing to say that my little brother won a 60-second run through Best Buy. (Basically, everything he could load onto his cart in 60-seconds is his to keep for free.) He did it this morning and walked away with a 50-inch flat screen TV, a new digital camera, a PS2 and a laptop. I decided this must be good news for the rest of us, because if one person gets so much positive energy coming their way, SURELY it will trickle down to the rest of us. Laughing, I called my brother to congratulate him and while I'm on the phone with him I hear a voice over a microphone in the background call out his name. I hear him say (to someone else), "I just won WHAT?" and then CLICK. He hung up!
A minute later he called back to say that he won an additional raffle for a Nintendo Wii. This sealed the deal in my mind. Good things are coming my way too :p Lucky for Heavenly Father, I don't need TV's, cameras, or Wii's. But, I would LOVE some guidance, certainty, and encouragement. So - I placed my order and will be waiting patiently to get it.
I'd like to thank my bro, Gavin, for breaking the negative chain that has been holding us all down. Way to "make it rain!"
Hope you are all having a GREAT day!
Of course, talking to my mom makes me realize that EVERYONE is having trouble with something (parents, sibs,extended fam, etc.) This makes me feel not alone, but doesn't really make me feel BETTER. I've never been the 'misery loves company' type. Knowing that other people are struggling mostly just makes me feel worse because now I'll lose sleep over them too.
So anyway, I woke up this morning feeling kind of down, but also determined to not have the day be a total bust. So, imagine my surprise when my mom called me laughing to say that my little brother won a 60-second run through Best Buy. (Basically, everything he could load onto his cart in 60-seconds is his to keep for free.) He did it this morning and walked away with a 50-inch flat screen TV, a new digital camera, a PS2 and a laptop. I decided this must be good news for the rest of us, because if one person gets so much positive energy coming their way, SURELY it will trickle down to the rest of us. Laughing, I called my brother to congratulate him and while I'm on the phone with him I hear a voice over a microphone in the background call out his name. I hear him say (to someone else), "I just won WHAT?" and then CLICK. He hung up!
A minute later he called back to say that he won an additional raffle for a Nintendo Wii. This sealed the deal in my mind. Good things are coming my way too :p Lucky for Heavenly Father, I don't need TV's, cameras, or Wii's. But, I would LOVE some guidance, certainty, and encouragement. So - I placed my order and will be waiting patiently to get it.
I'd like to thank my bro, Gavin, for breaking the negative chain that has been holding us all down. Way to "make it rain!"
Hope you are all having a GREAT day!
January 11, 2008
Dusting her off.
I took a little break from my blogging duties these last few days. We were trying to enjoy our last week of Christmas break. We also had the "fun" news that an essential program to licensure (for Kyle) will probably be kaput in the next year. Luckily we have several options, but not-so-luckily neither of us feels entirely qualified to make any major decisions anymore. Not to worry, we'll definitely get through this.
In BETTER news, we enjoyed a great 3 days in Manzanillo last week. We spent 90% of our time at the beach. I've come to realize that when going to the beach, one will always enjoy oneself more if one has the privelege of being accompanied by native Californians. Now *they* know how to hang at the beach!
I took a few pictures, but of course I'm too lazy at the moment to upload them; so check back later.
The kids went to school all this week and they are thrilled beyond thrilled to have friends and learning to keep them occupied. I'm afraid that other than the beach and the zoo, we managd to bore them to tears this Christmas break. They both enjoyed their presents from us (few) and from their grandparents back in Arizona (plenty.)
A special shoutout to our friend The Hawkes for keeping us entertained this Christmas break. It would have been only a fraction of the fun it was without you guys.
Now, we're back to our regularly scheduled semester. Kyle starts at 7 am on Monday morning.
In BETTER news, we enjoyed a great 3 days in Manzanillo last week. We spent 90% of our time at the beach. I've come to realize that when going to the beach, one will always enjoy oneself more if one has the privelege of being accompanied by native Californians. Now *they* know how to hang at the beach!
I took a few pictures, but of course I'm too lazy at the moment to upload them; so check back later.
The kids went to school all this week and they are thrilled beyond thrilled to have friends and learning to keep them occupied. I'm afraid that other than the beach and the zoo, we managd to bore them to tears this Christmas break. They both enjoyed their presents from us (few) and from their grandparents back in Arizona (plenty.)
A special shoutout to our friend The Hawkes for keeping us entertained this Christmas break. It would have been only a fraction of the fun it was without you guys.
Now, we're back to our regularly scheduled semester. Kyle starts at 7 am on Monday morning.
January 1, 2008
Bring it on!
I think that for the last 3 years I've had a journal entry for January 1st titled "Bring it on!" It pretty much sums up how I feel about the new year. There's a crazy sense of excitement this year as I feel like we're making some headway in medical school. We're halfway through our 3rd (!!!) year. I remember talking to other students and their wives when we were med-school babies (aka first semester) and thinking that 6th, 7th, and 8th semesters were lightyears away. But alas, here we are and I have enough experience now to know that this semester will fly by like the rest of them.
2007 was a pretty great year.
Guthrie turned 5 years old!!! How on Earth do we have a 5-year old. He's so mature (sometimes excessively so and I wish he would slow down a bit.) He started his official "Kindergarten" year of school, which felt anticlimactic because Mexico starts school earlier than the U.S. and technically he was in school all of last year. His Spanish has blossomed like I never thought possible and I can confidently say that he knows more Spanish than I do at this point. I might have him beat in proper vocabulary, but he's WAY over my head in slang and playground talk. He has started reading and writing. His drawing skills have improved so much and now he tells us that he wants to be an artist when he grows up. (He also wants to be a rockstar, a doctor, and a garbage man;) ) He has his own fashion sense, which usually involves a t-shirt with a button-down short-sleeved shirt layered over it. He loves to "surprise" us and lock the door to his room only to emerge fully dressed. He tells us that he looks "sharp". If you know his Grandpa Hunter, you know where that phrase comes from. Overall its been such a fun year watching him reach a new level of childhood. I love that he's at the age where everyday holds the potential for a lifelong memory. I try to keep that in mind when I want to lose my cool with him. I hope he always remembers this point in his life as a great one! I know I will.
Adeline is just Adeline. I know Kyle will agree with that. She is hilarious and frustrating and endearing at the same time, all the time. She has the highest (pitch) voice you'll ever hear and no one we know can hear her talk without telling us its the cutest thing they've ever heard. She has the wildest imagination. Give her a My Little Pony and a plastic cup and she'll make up adventures all afternoon. One of my favorite things is the lurk around the corner and listen to her made-up dialogue for her little toys. She's finally starting to use her Spanish a little more, and while its not exactly accurate, the mistakes just add to the cuteness factor. She wants to be a princess when she grows up. She has an impressive collection of princess dressups and these things have seen better days. Most of the seams are ripping out now and all of them have some tatter and wear to them, but that doesn't stop them from being "byooooootiful". She also has a little pair of tap shoes that a friend handed down to her and she wants to wear them with every outfit. I made the mistake of letting her wear them to church one day and the entire congregation was chuckling as she crossed the (tiled) floor over and over again. They're no longer allowed outside of the house. :p
Sullivan has just grown leaps and bounds. I can hardly believe that one year ago he was just my teeny 6-month old baby. As a matter of fact, I can hardly believe that it was only this past July that we returned to Mexico from our visit home, and at that point he wasn't even walking! Now he holds his own with his big brother and sister. Not only did he learn to walk, but he learned to run, jump, and climb. He can scale our front gate so high that I can't even reach his feet anymore. Needless to say he's not allowed in the front yard of the house anymore. He says quite a few words in babytalk and just melts our hearts every minute of the day. Just today I was watching him in his PJs as he played with toys and his siblings. I told Kyle I just wanted to roll him up in a ball and take a bite out of him because he's JUST SO CUTE! Kyle said he knew just what I meant.
Its almost overwhelming when I think of how much I LOVE these munchkins. I sometimes feel bad for them that they have to put up with me for their mom, but I'll keep trying to work out the kinks.
Anyway, 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.
(thanks Serin for the idea:p)
2007 was a pretty great year.
Guthrie turned 5 years old!!! How on Earth do we have a 5-year old. He's so mature (sometimes excessively so and I wish he would slow down a bit.) He started his official "Kindergarten" year of school, which felt anticlimactic because Mexico starts school earlier than the U.S. and technically he was in school all of last year. His Spanish has blossomed like I never thought possible and I can confidently say that he knows more Spanish than I do at this point. I might have him beat in proper vocabulary, but he's WAY over my head in slang and playground talk. He has started reading and writing. His drawing skills have improved so much and now he tells us that he wants to be an artist when he grows up. (He also wants to be a rockstar, a doctor, and a garbage man;) ) He has his own fashion sense, which usually involves a t-shirt with a button-down short-sleeved shirt layered over it. He loves to "surprise" us and lock the door to his room only to emerge fully dressed. He tells us that he looks "sharp". If you know his Grandpa Hunter, you know where that phrase comes from. Overall its been such a fun year watching him reach a new level of childhood. I love that he's at the age where everyday holds the potential for a lifelong memory. I try to keep that in mind when I want to lose my cool with him. I hope he always remembers this point in his life as a great one! I know I will.
Adeline is just Adeline. I know Kyle will agree with that. She is hilarious and frustrating and endearing at the same time, all the time. She has the highest (pitch) voice you'll ever hear and no one we know can hear her talk without telling us its the cutest thing they've ever heard. She has the wildest imagination. Give her a My Little Pony and a plastic cup and she'll make up adventures all afternoon. One of my favorite things is the lurk around the corner and listen to her made-up dialogue for her little toys. She's finally starting to use her Spanish a little more, and while its not exactly accurate, the mistakes just add to the cuteness factor. She wants to be a princess when she grows up. She has an impressive collection of princess dressups and these things have seen better days. Most of the seams are ripping out now and all of them have some tatter and wear to them, but that doesn't stop them from being "byooooootiful". She also has a little pair of tap shoes that a friend handed down to her and she wants to wear them with every outfit. I made the mistake of letting her wear them to church one day and the entire congregation was chuckling as she crossed the (tiled) floor over and over again. They're no longer allowed outside of the house. :p
Sullivan has just grown leaps and bounds. I can hardly believe that one year ago he was just my teeny 6-month old baby. As a matter of fact, I can hardly believe that it was only this past July that we returned to Mexico from our visit home, and at that point he wasn't even walking! Now he holds his own with his big brother and sister. Not only did he learn to walk, but he learned to run, jump, and climb. He can scale our front gate so high that I can't even reach his feet anymore. Needless to say he's not allowed in the front yard of the house anymore. He says quite a few words in babytalk and just melts our hearts every minute of the day. Just today I was watching him in his PJs as he played with toys and his siblings. I told Kyle I just wanted to roll him up in a ball and take a bite out of him because he's JUST SO CUTE! Kyle said he knew just what I meant.
Its almost overwhelming when I think of how much I LOVE these munchkins. I sometimes feel bad for them that they have to put up with me for their mom, but I'll keep trying to work out the kinks.
Anyway, 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.
(thanks Serin for the idea:p)
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