every kid is different

I can't believe Jack will be a year old soon. I remember thinking that Ana was so big and could do so many things at this age. Jack still seems like such a baby to me. I know that he can do just as much (if not more) than Ana could. He crawled at a lot younger age and is almost walking now. Plus has has a mouth full of teeth, and Ana had none. But still. He's still a baby to me. Ana has always been a little girl. I guess maybe part of it is that Ana has always been really expressive - even as a teeny little thing. Jack is a boy through and through.

a momentous occasion occured tonight

(This has nothing to do with the picture, but I thought I would post the pic anyway)

When we moved into this apartment 6 months ago, Ana moved from a crib to a normal twin sized bed. I didn't know what I would do for bedtime because up until this point I had put her in her bed to cry it out. So we tried putting her back to bed every time she got out - but that got old fast. We tried locking her in. We tried sitting in the rocking chair. One of the big problems was that it would take sooooo long for her to fall asleep that Jack would be ready to go to bed by then. But if he was asleep first, she would be too noisy and wake him up. Eventually we fell into the routine of putting Jack to bed, then laying next to Ana in our bedroom until she fell asleep. Its worked pretty well. I read her a couple stories, then turn the lights off and in about 15 minutes she falls asleep.

Tonight Dave was at his class. I had gone to the store and hoped that the kids would fall asleep on the way home, but they didn't. So, I told Ana that while I put Jack to sleep, she could sit on my bed and look at books. She actually stayed on my bed, which was a miracle in and of itself. After I read her a couple stories, she told me she wanted to look at books some more. What the heck, let's try this. I thought. So I walked out of the room and let her look at books.

15 minutes later she was asleep on my bed, with her arm wrapped around "Raindrop Plop" and her blanky snuggled up with her.

It was really nice.

I think I might try it again another night.

god moves in mysterious ways

Isn't it interesting how nothing ever works according to plan? As Shaela said:

1. It's good to have a plan.
2. Things will never go according to plan.
3. It really doesn't matter!

When we moved here a year ago we had a plan.

Dave had a job lined up.
We were going to buy a Suburban.
We would live with his parents for a month while his brother finished up the apartment.
We would get into medical school.
We'd move in August for our next great adventure.

We've been here a year now. Last May some crazy things went on with Dave's original job and he had to switch employers. We could no longer afford the Suburban, or any vehicle and have been a 1 car family all year. The apartment took longer to finish up and we ended up living with his parents for 5 months. And we didn't get into medical school.

Next month we're moving out so that Rick's boy can live in this apartment. We're going to be moving out in August anyway, so it all works out for everyone. Thinking about moving has made me really think about the last year.

Things definitely haven't gone according to plan.

I guess its one of those times when you really just have to have faith that God knows what he is doing. And I guess He does.

Because we saved money on rent and food last summer, along with the generosity of others, Dave was able to go to Peru for an expedition.

He also received a scholarship to cover to costs of applying to med school.

I have still been able to stay home with my two wonderful kids.

Ana and Jack have loved spending time with Rick and June and "the boys" and Grandma and Grandpa and cousins. Its been good for them.

Dave has a really good job, with good co-workers, and a great boss who does everything he can to make sure Dave is getting the hours he needs.

Now we have a month to move and I'm sure things will work out. I guess things are working out already. Perhaps they work out all along when we know who to put our trust in.

Everything else really doesn't matter.

spring has sprung

It finally feels like spring around here. The warm weather makes me SO happy and productive. I've hardly stopped, and even though my house still looks messy, I promise it is a lot cleaner...

Today I did laundry and hung my sheets on the line. I think it looks so idyllic. I love the country life!



We also washed the car. I won't tell you how long it had been... too long! It was a fun, busy day and I love this weather!

24 (minutes)

We have recently watched the first two seasons of 24. And I love the Simpsons. So, naturally I would love this -

18-21

I love the joke at the end.

adventures in babysitting

Jack woke up at about 6:15 yesterday morning. Just as he was drifting back to sleep two other kids woke up, so we were up for the day at 6:30. Maybe that's normal for some of you, but for me it IS NOT. We got Lucas off to school and made pancakes for breakfast. Ana was crabby. Jack was crabby. He went down for a nap at 9, but only slept an hour because of a poopy diaper. My fuse was already short for the day.

My sister's play group is at their neighborhood church (literally in their backyard), and so I decided we would go over there when Lucas got home from school. Just as we were getting shoes and jackets on I got a call from his school. There was a mix up with his ride home, and he was still at the school. "I'll come and get him," I said, starting to feel slightly overwhelmed.

So I put 4 kids in carseats that weren't quite buckled in all the way. Then I tried to open the garage. I couldn't find the opener, so I started pulling on strings and whatnot. Finally I called my mom. "How do you open the garage?" She directed me to the switch, but it didn't open the garage. It made the sound, but the door didn't lift. All the while, Ana and Alaina are fighting over what carseat they want to sit in, Jack is screaming in his seat, and Seth was just walking around the van.

By then I was feeling a little more overwhelmed. I tried to think of what to do. Finally I decided I would take the kids over to play group, and then go and get Lucas in their truck. Just then the phone rang. A neighbor of my sister's was at the school and offered to take Lucas home. Phew... So we went outside to wait for Lucas and lo and behold - its snowing. Well, Ana was in capris, Seth was in sandals, Alaina was in flip flops. Lucas showed up a minute later in shorts. But we trudged over the church for play group anyway.

I was carrying Jack and Seth (who weighs more than Ana) and Alaina and Ana were crying about the cold and the wind. Man, was that a LONG 50 yard walk...

But we made it to playgroup.

No major mishaps have happened since, and I figured out what was wrong with the garage door and its working now. This afternoon I need to get a balloon for Lucas for school. That might be interesting.

Until next time...

five under six

I'm in Idaho Falls. My sister took a much needed vacation with her husband to Seattle and I offered to watch the kids for four days. They are 6, 3 1/2, and 18 months. Plus Ana and Jack. Today hasn't been to bad. Ana plays well with her cousins, and one of the babies is napping most of the day. Bedtime needs a little adjustment, but it'll be fine. Its fun to have a change of scenery anyway.

egg hunt

I'm really getting into Easter this year. I don't even remember what we did last year for Easter, but I'm sure we didn't do this much. Today some friends and I went to my SIL's house for an Easter Egg Hunt. It was Ana's first time and at first she didn't know what to do. Once she figured it out she was cute, but she was really quiet about it.






I think the Easter bunny will come tomorrow and we'll dye eggs either tomorrow or Sunday.

April Mix - Solar Power!!

I had a good time putting this together. This mix is kind of like a continuation of my last mix - Rainy Day. It's all about the sun breaking through the clouds. I am pretty sure it breaks out completely with the Beatles. I decided to post a tracklist this time. Some of the songs have a little ... and then the sun quote from the song. Some don't - their sun relation is a little more obvious. Also, there are two songs here with an explicit lyrics label. They are not explicit, but some other song from their CD was. Really. Don't be worried. It's all kid friendly.

Here it is - as always, let me know if you download it:
Click on the picture or HERE to download.

Why Does the Sun Shine? - They Might Be Giants
A wonderful intro about the sun and all its power.

All Apologies - Nirvana
...in the sun

Santa Monica - Everclear
... I just want to feel some sunshine

Don't Make Me a Target - Spoon
...with nothing left in the sun

Megan - Smoking Popes
...Where the air was clean and the sun never goes down

Who Feels Love? - Oasis
...thank you for the sun

Still Fighting It - Ben Folds
...sunny days and rain

Alpha Beta Parking Lot - Cake
...watching the sun set

Mariposa Traicionera - Maná
...y vuela cerca del sol,pa' que sientas lo que es dolor
It was a little harder to find a place for this one to fit because it was so different. But that's part of why I wanted it to be here.

Longtime Sunshine - Rivers Cuomo

Good day Sunshine - The Beatles
Ana has asked me a few times to play this song. She sings it all day. It's fun.

Sunshine - The Presidents of the United States of America

Island in the Sun - Weezer

It Must be Summer - Fountains of Wayne
...the sun is beating me senseless

In the Sun - The Special Goodness

ten months

Jack is ten months old today. I remember when Ana was this age, I though she looked and acted so big. She had just barely started crawling, but she hardly seemed like a baby. We took her camping for the first time at this age.

Jack still seems like my little baby. Maybe its because he's bald. He's standing by himself a lot now, and walks along stuff as much as he can. I think he'll walk before he's a year old, but he still seems so little to even think about.

*He likes to help me unload the silverware.

*He says "Ana", (it sounds like "Na-na") but not Mama or Dada.
*He is generally happy.
*He LOVES his Mama. He spends most of his awake time following me around waiting for me to stop and pick him up.
*I really want his hair to grow. I know he's a baby, and a boy, and so its okay, but I want him to have hair.

He's cute. We like him a lot.

It's my first day...

So, this is my first time posting all together with Erin over here. In honor of my first day I will share with you a small bit of THIS Simpsons episode.

Smithers: Uh, sir, we found the problem. Some idiot threw this in the
reactor core.
Homer: [sees charred doughnut] Success!
Burns: You did this? How could you be so irresponsible?
Homer: Eh... it's my first day!
Burns: Since I've never seen you before, maybe it is your first day.
Very well, carry on!
[Mr. Burns begins to walk off, when Smithers catches up with him.]
Smithers: Sir, that's Homer Simpson. He's been working here for ten years!
Burns: Ohh, really? Why did you think you could lie to me?
Homer: It's my first day!
Burns: Well, why didn't you say that be...[realizes] Yawoo! You're fired!

It's funnier when you watch it but oh well.

Also, I bought a song from iTunes today from The Special Goodness. I have been wanting this song for a long time. This video is goofy, as is Pat - the main man of the band.

time well wasted

I've spent many hours loving this little corner of the world. Sitting at my computer, catching up with friends - old and new. Some may say we're wasting time. Perhaps they are right. But I think it is time well wasted. So many people I've connected and re-connected with in this world. So many times I've felt supported, comforted, and loved here. What better way to waste time?

Off and on over the last year, Dave and I have considered joining forces in the blog world. I finally decided that it wasn't just MY front porch, it was ours. We belong together. We got the name "Time Well Wasted" from one of my favorite songs from Brad Paisley. Dave drug his feet committing to a "country" name for our blog, but he agrees that it suits us well. We may be changing some things up for a little while. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

drop a line

My good friend Shaela, who was my neighbor across the parking lot in Rexburg, blogs HERE. She is truly an artist with paper. Her scrapbooking pages, and scrapbook-y stuff, are absolutely beautiful and I'm always inspired to do more when I see her creations. She's doing a fabulous giveaway. Hurry, you only have until Monday to enter.

what march was good for

two things:

one weekend of decent weather

one perfect kite flying day.






April is here and it is cold! I'm hoping its an April Fool's joke.