Movie

Here is the gorilla movie from long ago.  I still think it's funny!  Hopefully it works.  You have to click on the "Elena" movie or else it will sit there with a question mark until you get tired of waiting.  Does it sound like I may have done that when I was testing it out?!

Lazy Days

Here are a few pictures of our kids being sweet.  I realized that in almost 2 months, we have taken 8 pictures-2 of which were of the computer.  I'm guessing that was Eli's doing.  We need to get with it!  

So when I started this month, I had such high hopes.  Ambition was running through my veins, I was ready to work.  Now as I look back, I can barely remember the beginning of this month.   I guess I had to take a few days to input a year's worth of transactions for a client.  I remember that took me a lot longer than I expected because I just didn't feel good.  Then it all went downhill from there!  It seems like our whole family has been sick for the entire month.  Except Daniel-somehow he has missed out on the fun.  (He is starting to get a little something now though I think-I tried not to kiss him!)  So the house has gone to pot, Ema has stayed home from school for 3 days now.  I thought she was getting better this morning, but she still has a pretty high temperature.  The four of us are on antibiotics.  I'm still giving tylenol and motrin to Ema, but I had to have a chart for a few days to try and remember what I gave to who.  We are having Elena's birthday party on Saturday-just for family.  I am hoping I won't be rushing too much just to get the house clean.  I would never expect my parties to be as good as Kristi's, but someday I'd like them to be at least a little organized!  Kristi has that knack for putting together great parties with a theme and games and the whole shabang!  It could possibly be because she starts planning it before a week before the date-that's just a guess-I don't know!  Anyway you do a great job, Kristi!  

I'm trying to stop complaining so much, but sometimes it is such a habit for me-I guess I just think I am informing people of what's going on, but really it sounds like I think I've got the worst possible situation.  I really don't think that, so I will try to put a more positive spin on things!  I was talking to Daniel about something happening and I said, "If I do it, then I'll just start complaining about it," and he said, "yea, we wouldn't want that to start up."  I hope you can catch the sarcasm in his voice.  Anyway-I'm going to work on it. 

 

Other things that have happened this month:  Ema lost her first tooth.  She was expecting $100 from the tooth fairy, because after all, it was her first tooth.  But she was very satisfied with the $2 her cheap tooth fairy gave her!  (I can remember only getting a quarter. . .)   Elena is pretty close to being potty-trained.  It depends on how lazy I am being.  If she doesn't have a diaper on-just panties or pants (she likes going commando which is a little disturbing) she does really well.  She was pretty proud of herself today when she found some panties and put them on.  Nothing was covered, they were pulled up to her waist, but she had them on.  I guess she just put both legs into one hole and pulled them up.  She came to me and said "wook!" with a big grin on her face.  A couple of weeks ago, I hadn't gotten her dressed yet, partly because she does well potty training that way, and partly because of my laziness.  My client called and needed some checks made.  He said he'd be there in 20 minutes.  I thought surely I would have time to make the checks, the envelopes, brush my teeth, and get Elena dressed, but the envelopes wouldn't print right and he only gave me about 10 minutes.  So I was trying to hide a stark naked kid behind the door while trying to talk "professionally" to him, without exposing my disgusting teeth.  I was so embarrassed!   Maybe someday I will learn!

Happy Birthday Jonathan!

We just wanted to wish our sweet nephew a Happy Birthday today.  It is hard to believe that it's been that long already.  So much has happened in that time too though so I guess it's possible!  We hope you have a wonderful day!  Sorry we can't make it to your party, but maybe sometime soon we'll be able to see you all.  Elena has finally started calling him baby dondan.  And she recognized him too before I said who it was!  Of course, their pictures are up on our refrigerator, so I guess she sees them more than I realize.  Happy Birthday sweet boy!  

Technology Issues

Well folks, I can't get the video to upload to the blog.  I don't know why it won't.  It is in Quicktime format and is only 16 kb.  Kristi, do you have any ideas?  I know you've posted one on your blog before.  It's a little frustrating.  Another thing that I'm not sure about yet-when I want to respond to people's comments, do I just add the comment on my blog, and then they will check back to see if I've responded?  Or is there a way to do it where it gets emailed to the person like the comments get emailed to me?  

I will just respond right here real fast.  After all, I haven't procrastinated enough today!  Shellie that's funny about the What is love song?  Except for the fact that it's in my head now!  I can't understand why James didn't go against his parents' wishes and watch an immoral show!  I also remember taking that little black and white TV into our room after everyone had gone to bed, and sitting at the very end of the bed with it so close we almost couldn't see the entire 12 inch screen or whatever it was, and watching Picket Fences.  It didn't seem bad for a while, but I do remember one disturbing part that made us decide not to do that anymore.  I think.  Oh and it's okay that we didn't clean or organize anything-I didn't feel much like doing it just yet!

Kristi, when I saw David's name and the comment left, it really surprised me that David said that!  It just didn't sound quite right!  But then I read it again in your voice and it was all much clearer!  I sure hope Jonathan is feeling better.  You've been having quite a time with those viruses.  Elena thinks the pictures of him on our refrigerator are "baby" and not Jonathan.  She says "ninanin" or something for Benjamin, but Jonathan is still very adamantly a baby.  They don't get names until they can prove they are not babies anymore I guess.  

I hope everyone's super bowl parties were fun.  We didn't have one-we went out to eat with some friends after church and came home to watch the last 51 seconds of the game.  Really, that was all you needed to watch.  If Daniel doesn't watch sports, it doesn't really bother him, but when he does, he gives a play-by-play.  Pretty loudly too.  I was laughing to myself last night.  NOW I BET THEY ARE GOING TO DO AN OFF-SIDE KICK.  OH WHY DIDN'T THEY DO THAT.  THAT WAS DUMB, NOW THE PATRIOTS ARE GOING TO. . . .!  I can't remember all that he said, but it was kinda cute.  Like that obsessive sports fan that I've been trying to suppress is coming to the surface!  

Now I've got to get stuff done.  I've been lazy all day.  We went to lunch with some friends for one of their birthdays.  Then we went to the park for 30 minutes and about got blown away.  I'm going to have to pick up Ema in a few minutes so there is just no time to do anything in between except this.  I haven't gotten to cross anything off my list yet which is a little disappointing.  I had such high hopes last night when I was thinking about it!

Babbling on and on and on

It's February 1st and I am still here.  I finally got all my reports done and that is such a great feeling.  I still have a year's worth of transactions to input in the next week, but for a minute I can breathe a sigh of relief.  So I've been thinking for a while now that I am naming February as my official organizing/decluttering and potty training month!  I know the last one doesn't really go with the other ones-well maybe it does.  Have you seen how many diapers a kid can go through when she HAS to take one off right after she goes?  I hate to sound like a bad mom, but really those things last through the night, so to save time and money, she really should only go through 2 maybe 3 a day, right?!  I'm kidding.  Whenever Samantha is around my kids, she usually ends up saying, "um, I think she needs a new diaper."  To which I say, "I just changed her 3 hours ago, she can go a little longer!"  Really-she has been going on the toilet since December I think, but not regularly.  She'll go if I take her, but as of now, sometimes she tells me right before and I can get her in there in time, and sometimes she goes and then tells me about needing a new diaper.  So that's a goal for February if she is actually ready.  I'm not trying to force the issue-she just seems to want to be like a big girl.  If you call her a baby she says, "NO, I a DIRL. . . otay?!"  I have to remind her of that sometimes when she wants to stand up and go potty though!

So my plan is to go through each room in my house (and I'm writing about it so I will be held accountable!) I need to go through clothes that have been grown out of, toys that nobody plays with anymore, things that I've been saving for no good reason.  I just think it would get a huge weight off my shoulders to simplify my life.  An update to our health things from last time-we are all pretty good aside from colds and stuff.  My thyroid tests came back fine which means I have to work harder at having a routine.  (Honestly I was hoping for the pill that would completely change the way I felt-that seems like the easy way, but I'm sure it has it's drawbacks!)  I have been getting to bed a lot earlier and usually around the same time.  I have also cut way back on my sugar and have been taking vitamins for my vitiligo.  That is also supposed to help my immune system because it's all related.  And we've been eating at home more instead of grabbing fast food.  I haven't felt near as tired as I had been before.  I've been trying to think of things I can cut back on too.  Right now, I'm teaching 2 bible classes, one on Monday nights, and one on Wednesday nights.  I only have 4 more weeks on Wednesday and then I'm going to stop that.  I thought about giving up cleaning the church building, but I seem to have it handled a little better now.  It helps when I'm not exhausted.  I'm trying to keep from offering to do too much.  I like to stay busy because it keeps me from being lazy, but I have to set some limits for myself.  Anyway if anyone would like to come help me organize my house, you have an open invitation!  You would have the reward of helping a mother in need keep her sanity.  I would give you a big hug and a pat on the back.  I know it all sounds too good to be true, but I am actually offering it to you all out there!  My sisters are coming this weekend.  How convienent is that?!  I may have to enlist some help!  

Here's a funny story about Elena.  Typing it may not do it justice though.  They were at my parents' house last week and my mom has a gorilla costume.  I don't know what had been going on, but it was laying on one of the beds.  Elena didn't want to go back to the bedroom where we were because she would have to pass by that costume that she's afraid of.  She finally came in and was crying for Grama.  I saw that her arm was bleeding a little and asked her what happened.  She kept crying, but was saying something at the same time.  We took her to the living room and she wanted to get the gorilla put away, so mom put it in a bag in the closet.  She kept pointing to the closet and her arm and saying "bite."  We finally figured out that she thought the gorilla bit her.  "Rugga, bite me."  "The gorilla bit you?"  With her eyes so big, she said, "YEAH, rugga bite me."  I guess it was so funny because she was just so adamant.  Then it was funny to kind of egg her on and say that the gorilla didn't do that, and she came back with the same response.  I video taped her doing it, but with the camera, she wasn't nearly as animated as she had been without it.  She was too interested in seeing herself in it.  I might edit it down and try to post it on here later.  She still remembers it very well though.  She points to her arm and says "monkey do dat."  

I guess I've used up my allotted time at the computer because Elena is sitting on the desk trying to keep me from seeing the screen.  I hope everyone has a great day and stay away from those gorilla costumes!