Quote of the day - 12.14.09

Hannah recently learned how to roll over backwards, when she first managed to do it on accident last night. Just now, Hannah was trying to show me that she had gotten better at flipping. The following interchange took place:

H: This time is going to be awesome.
M: I'll bet so. Probably 100% awesome.
H: Maybe 105% awesome...
M: Maybe... Let's see.

(horribly ineffective roll in which she barely turned over on her side, as she failed to throw her legs back.)

M: (laughing) That was negative 5% awesome... Actually, that was so lackluster and hilarious that it was 100% awesome!
H: (laughing also) Yeah... I forgot to flail.

Quote of the day - 12.05.09

Today Hannah and I were driving back from a fun outing this morning - to the Festival of Trees - when she saw a Public Storage facility. Enjoying her growing affinity for reading, she was reading the sign aloud... and commenting:

H: (sounding it out slowly) Public... Storage... Public Storage. P.S.
M: Yeah. It's a bunch of storage units, like ours... but different.
H: Oh cool. It says "P.S."
M: Yep. P.S... Public Storage.
H: Or, like, 'P.S. - That happened.'

Or that.

Hannah on quick getaways

The other day, Hannah and I were walking into Mom and Dad's house through the garage. With only Dad's truck in there, Hannah must have been looking around more. At any rate, she soon noticed the entry point to the attic... (It's one of those escape-hatch-type doors way up in the ceiling that probably requires a ladder to reach it.)

Upon seeing the door, Hannah gasped and pointed, exclaiming, "MOM! Look! I found the emergency exit!"

Oh super. How convenient!

Quote of the day - 11.26.09

The following educational moment took place between my mom and Hannah. They were sitting at the table chatting after we'd all enjoyed food-coma-induced naps.

Hannah: I know what whipped cream is...
Grandma: Oh? What is it?
H: It has some fat in it...
G: (interjecting) uh-huh...
H: And it makes us whipped.

I must admit that I feel a little whipped... My pumpkin cake would not be as enticing without whipped cream.

Happy Turkey Day!

Here's a short list of things I am thankful for this year (in no particular order):

Wonderful friends
A great family
A beautiful little girl that I LOVE and that makes me laugh!
Finally finished my Bachelor's degree!!!
A new ward that I love!
A fun new calling that makes me be creative
A new house to get settled into (for now)
Finished the memory book for Mom's birthday (which turned out great - Thanks, Cindy!!)
Many options for continuing my schooling

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you had many things to be thankful for as well! Love and hugs!

Chatting with Hannah - 11.13.09

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Hannah and I were driving back from running a quick errand just now, when the following interchanges took place:

I was telling Hannah about Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, after she told me that she doesn't remember seeing them. I'm pretty sure we've watched them together, but it sounds like a refresher course is in order. At any rate, Hannah was trying to say Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but was muddling the words pretty badly so I said, "Be careful how you say that one."
H: Huh?
M: It's CHitty CHitty Bang Bang. With a C-H. Just make sure you say it right.
H: Why? Is it a bad word?
M: Not CHitty...
H: I mean "Bang Bang." Is that a bad word in another language?
M: Um no... Not that I'm aware of.
H: Because my teacher was reading us a story about a kid named Bang-Bang and some of the kids thought it was a bad word. (pause) Well, I thought it was a bad word.
M: Oh?
H: He was called Bang-Bang because he knocked on a lot of doors. And every time he knocked on a door, he pooped.
M: No he did not. You made that up.
H: Yes. I made that up... About the pooping. But he did knock on a lot of doors.

For the record, I have no idea what book she might be referring to.

Moments later - and completely out of the blue - she said, "I like people... ish."
M: (internal groan because we've talked about the proper comedic usage of "ish")
H: Well... I like people. I just don't like all grown-ups.
M: (short pause) That's ok. Neither do I.

And yes. Most of our deep and philosophical conversations take place in the car. Anyone wanna go on a road trip??

Hannah on Parenting

Yesterday, Hannah made new friends in the neighborhood. This is fantastic! Her observations about them were even more fantastic...

H: They smell really good. I mean, I didn't go up and sniff em, but I could just tell... I mean, my old friends (at our old house) always smelled sweaty and stinky. But these kids smelled real good.
M: Well that's nice...

(pause)

H: I like their parents' parenting style.
M: Oh?
H: Yeah. 5 o'clock to come in and quit playing with friends. That's a good idea. We should do that. I bet I know what they do after that... They come in, eat dinner, and take baths, and then brush their teeth, say prayers, and then go to bed.
M: You're probably right.
H: And they probably go to bed by, like, 7 or 7:30.
M: Maybe...
H: My bedtime is 8 or 8:30.
M: Yes it is...
H: We should change it to 7 or 7:30. That would be better.
M: Well, if you'd like to do that, I'm sure we could work it out.
H: (brief pause) I need to get in a habit.
M: You mean you need a routine?
H: Yeah. We need a routine.

Yes we do. Thanks, Bug.

Quotes of the Day - 11.04.09

Hannah: "I have to hold my pickle tighter."
Uttered after said pickle slipped out of her hand and onto the floor.

Melissa: "I can't even sew a skirt right, and look what they can make with leaves!"
Said while watching an old Destination Truth episode with Cindy, where natives performed a ceremony to ward off the dangerous Kikiyaon. The ceremonial dance was performed by an individual wearing a costume of the large avian monster - made out of leaves, obviously.

Whew!

The last couple of weeks have been CRAZY! Here's a rundown of what has - and has NOT - taken place...

1. I finished school!!!! I am officially a college graduate, with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology. Woohoo! Last Tuesday, October 27th was my last night of class... But I can only enjoy this reprieve briefly, as my Master's program is scheduled to start in January. Eek!

2. I completed all of the required assignments for finishing my class. This was not an easy task as I had to write 2 papers, prepare and present 2 individual and 2 group PowerPoint presentations, as well as an Ethical Inventory (with summary), and a peer evaluation over the course of 5 weeks... while fighting a nasty cough and cold! And I would have gotten 100% in the class, but I was sick one week (and the teacher asked that I please not bring my germs to class) and missed my 4 participation points for the week. In the end, I finished with a 96% in the class, and a 3.67 overall GPA.

3. I was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting last week at the new ward - the Sunday before my last night of class. Excellent, since I had nothing else going...

4. I helped Hannah get ready for Halloween. This included making a tulle skirt for her Rock Star costume, which ended up not being worn because she decided she liked her jean skirt with gold sequins better. Thanks for your help anyway, Nancy... At least she has a fun dress-up skirt now!

5. On Friday I helped out in Hannah's class, for their Halloween party. I should have been working to clear out the old place, but I won't always be free to volunteer in Hannah's class, so I jumped at the chance... And then worked hard and fast at the house later, thanks to Robin!

6. I moved out of my old apartment. Most items went to storage, but a few things came to the new (temporary) place while I look for work and save money for a new, more permanent, home. I finished moving the last few items to storage and then cleaned everything on the 31st... Just in time to run home and get ready for the ward Trunk-or-Treat... which was followed by over an hour of hiking around our new neighborhood for some traditional Trick-or-Treating. By the time I got to bed, my muscles were twitching and everything hurt...

7. Yesterday I filled in for the Music Leader in Primary. This was later made more permanent, as I was called to be the Music Leader for Senior Primary. If you have any creative ideas or good links for ideas, PLEASE send them my way!!!! (I'm going a little crazy thinking about it...)

8. And then, after church, we ran up to Salt Lake to have a fun celebratory dinner with family and friends... which I'm not sure I have pictures of... but we had a great time!!! Thanks for coming, Cindy! I'll have to download everything from my camera and add pics later if I find some... Hannah commandeered my camera for most of the evening.


Here's what did NOT take place...

1. Carving of pumpkins. The insides are gross and I prefer not to actually touch them. If I had any painting skills, we'd do that. Instead, Hannah got to be disappointed. Sorry!

2. Sleeping. That happened over the last few days, when my body realized that the deadlines were passed and it could finally relax.

3. Getting well. I've had a cold and cough for several weeks. Due to the litany of tasks over the last few weeks, I couldn't risk taking good medicine that would make me sleep and let me get better. So I've just stayed sick. The last few days of sleeping have helped in the healing process.

4. Finding a job. I am determined to find something soon, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this next week will be the one that yields something promising (that doesn't involve commission sales)...

5. Cleaning at the new place. I was focusing all of my time and effort on the old place, so the new place got no love. I finally took the trash out tonight. It was overdue. Oh well... that's the great thing about housework, right? It will wait for you...

6. Reading of blogs (and books). I'm finally starting to get caught up on things, so please don't give up on me! And now that I can think straight for longer than 30 seconds, I'll make efforts to add fun, picture-filled posts more regularly. Thanks for your patience!!!

Moving update - Robin to be named "Mover of the Year!"

As a reminder, Hannah and I are making a temporary move... and we're finally getting close to being done! But all the thanks goes to Robin, who has been a miracle worker!!! (But not the deaf-dumb-mute sort...)

Robin came down from Salt Lake three days in a row this week - and completely packed my house! Of course, my new neighbors will think that I'm a raving alcoholic, but what can I say...? The liquor store has great boxes!!!

Then, this morning, several men from my old ward came to help move my things into storage, and we got almost everything! There's still some random stuff that needs to find a home, and several things that need to come to the new house, but the old place is finally more empty than it is full... (And not in a pessimistic, glass-half-empty sort of way.)

So until I find a more suitable one, Robin, please accept this trophy for Mover of the Year!

You're a winner to me!

Quote of the Day - 10.23.09

On Thursday, there were a couple different lines that were often repeated, so I'll share both...

Me (after my frequent coughing fits): *Hack - Hack* I'm ok! Ow... my head hurts!

Robin (while packing many boxes at my house): I can make it fit!

Quote of the Day - 10.20.09

Tonight, Hannah and I were driving back home and found ourselves next to some guy in an old car with flip-up headlights, which Hannah thought were super-cool! Unfortunately, she did not feel the same about his choice in music...

H: If that [music] is from that guy's car, then that is really stupid music.
M: Yeah... it's not my favorite.
H: (switching topics slightly) My dad, when I went to visit him, listened to Texas-boys singing.
To clarify... Hannah thinks that anyone with a southern accent is a Texas-boy or a Texas-girl.
M: Oh. Yeah. He likes country.
H: (after a short pause) Did you guys have anything in common?

Not enough, obviously...

Quote of the day

This was actually said a couple of days ago, while Robin and I were moving things from my old house to the storage unit...

"When did I buy THAT?!?!"

Don't worry, Dad, my days of impulse purchases are (mostly) over.

Life's Mysteries Revealed... by Hannah

About a week ago, Hannah and I went up to hang out at Mom and Dad's. Great fun was had... And amid the Dirty Cheater Championship between Robin and I, a very interesting conversation took place. Essentially, Robin asked Hannah to explain what different things were, or how they worked. These things including concussions, heart attacks, what a "plate in your head" is, and my personal favorite: how to kill and cook a turkey. I finally had to go get a paper and pen to start jotting things down as fast as I could. I'm sure I missed a lot, though, so Robin may have to fill in some blanks... [Where necessary, I will note the prompting questions that Robin (R) or I (M) offered.]

#1. Hannah, what is a concussion?
H: It's something in your throat or your neck, or in your stomach. And it sometimes makes the person choke. So you want to get 'em to throw up. Or... you reach your hand in.
R: How far do you reach your hand in?
H: All the way til the thing that's making them choke. And then get it.
H: It's kinda like a seizure (pronounced see-jur).

#2. And what is a see-jur?
H: It's where the person's face turns blue or purple because they're not breathing. It's kinda like a heart attack.

#3. Oh... And what is a heart attack?
H: It's where people choke. And they have to start moving to do signals, or do sign language if you know it. **Here, she starts waving her arms over her head, to show how someone would indicate that they were choking. My writing gets a little iffy here, and I had to lie about why I was laughing so hard. The perils of having a really intuitive kid.**
H: Then the person chokes real bad, which makes their heart get messed up real bad. It happens sometimes when you choke...
(Apparently, choking is a real fear... Moving on.)
H: When a person chokes it affects the rest of their body.
R: Like what?
H: Like their blood tube.
R: (asking all the questions because I'm still unable to keep a straight face, let alone speak) What's the blood tube?
H: It's the big tube with blood in it. Well your body needs it (blood), but if your blood tube doesn't work, then your heart might get hurt. Like it's being attacked.
R: Attacked by what?
H: By no blood.

#4. What does it mean when someone has a plate in their head?
H: It's when one guy stabs another guy in the head with a plate. OR... it's when you cut a whole in the head and then put in a imaginary plate. It's a plate made of air. You know... like when everything's going wrong and it feels like something's stabbed your brain.

#5. What are x-rays?
H: It's where they flash a x-ray on you and then it shows what happened in your body. Like if you heard a crack in your knee, then you go to the hospital. And you don't move your knee on the way, just in case. Then you sign up for an x-ray doctor... to see if your knee is cracked or if it got hurt or broken. If it's not broken, the you ask what can help if it happens again. And if it IS broke, then you ask what you have to do... Like if you need to sign up for a different day.

#6. (Offered randomly, by Hannah) I know what shampoo is!
H: Shampoo has hair soap. It's like normal soap and then a little tiny drop of coloring, sort-of, to look like different colors. Mine's pink. And then a tiny drop of smelling. My mom always smells me after.

#6. What about conditioner?
H: In conditioner, the main thing is hair smoothing. It also has soap, but it's not the main thing. And it has smelling too. My new one is ocean breeze. It's basically the same as shampoo, but hair smoothing.

#7. (Another random offer) I know about lions!
H: Lions roar and look beautiful.
R: And do you know what a mane is?
H: It's the big, beautiful hair around their face, that poofs out real big.
R: Do all lions have a mane?
H: No. Only boy lions have the mane.
R: And which lions do the hunting?
H: The king lion does the hunting.
R: Actually, girl lions do the hunting. (A rare correction from Robin.)
H: Huh?!?! I thought they stayed home with the babies! Where they lick and clean them. But it's weird when it's a boy lion... cuz of the privates.

#8. (Last, but not least...) Hey Hannah, do you know how to kill a turkey?
H: You use a gun or a knife. You can stab it, but you might get blood on your hands. Or you can shoot it. But it's sad that most people shoot it in the head.
M: (getting my voice under control, but too busy writing to make eye contact) Yeah... that is sad.
R: (getting back to the task at hand) And then what happens?
H: Then, when it's dead, instead of picking it up with your bare hands, you can use a bag. A big, big bag. Like a leather bag that you can sew. And you'll want to use rubber gloves. [Thanks for being so safety-conscious, Bug!] Then you pick up the turkey and put it in the bag and take it home.
R: And how do you cook it?
H: Well, first you have to take off the fur.
R: And how do you do that?
H: You shave it or get it off with a knife or razor.
R: What kind of razor?
H: Like the kind my mom uses on her legs.
R: And then what?
H: Then you take off its head and feet.
R: And what do you do with them?
H: The feet, you can eat em. But you just throw away the head... Then you need to take out all the bones. And then you pull off the legs.
R: And what do you do with the legs?
H: You throw them away, or eat em.
R: And do you do anything else to the outside? What about the skin?
H: You leave the skin on. Well, sort of... There's lots of layers of skin, so you could use scissors to take off the fur, and then you leave just the one layer of skin.

We got interrupted here... too much giggling for such a late hour (sorry Mom!)... but I'm sure we'll be learning more from Hannah in the near future.

Thanks for taking care of the questions, Robin! You do much better at maintaining a curious, but calm composure! Did I miss anything?

Movin' on up!

Ok friends... For those of you that haven't heard, Hannah and I are making a temporary move. I'll still be in Provo for now (boo...), but just until I can find a job and relocate.

I'm super-excited, and am enjoying the time above ground. We'll miss our little place, though, as many fond memories were made there!

Still lots of adjustments, but things are mostly good. And, with any luck, I'll find a job that I love really soon, so that we can be on to bigger and better things.

Love you all! Will update again soon... Lots of packing to do. Anyone do chiro or back rubs???

Office jobs

And yet, I'm still looking for one...

Anatomy 101

Hannah apparently fell yesterday and hurt her hind-end. I only found this out this morning, when she reported that her bottom still hurt. (This will prove to be important...)

First, let me note that it is Saturday morning. I'd like to still be asleep. But Hannah woke me up around 8 am. Well, technically, my bladder woke me up. But Hannah kept me awake. So I decided to be productive - and started researching some information for my next homework assignment. Around 9:00, Hannah went to see if any of her friends were awake and ready to play. Knowing the parents involved, I reminded Hannah to avoid doorbells, and to leave quietly if no one answered the door after 3 knocks.

She returned home shortly, reporting that none of her friends were awake to play. And since I just so happened to be awake and available, Hannah decided that we would play Polly Pockets. Apparently, "nap-time" was not on the list of possible games to play...

So Hannah pulled up her stool and I sat on the couch to play. A little while later - after our characters had attended school, a hip-hop birthday party, and a dance-off (with Hannah's character as the surprise winner ~ "Well I am the best dancer in school...") - Hannah was getting ready to put her toys away. On getting up from the stool, the following interaction took place:

Hannah: Ouch... My butt-knuckle hurts!
Me: Your what? (starting to giggle)
H: My butt-knuckle.
M: (can't ask question... too busy trying to control the giggling)
H: What...?!? Lindsey [her Tuesday night sitter] told me that you have a butt-knuckle.
M: (still laughing) Oh?
H: (noting the laughter) Well, I guess it's just our joke.
M: Did you know it was a joke when she told you?
H: (small pause) Well no. I thought it was real.
M: (quiet giggle)
H: (mildly indignant) Well... there is a hard part right in the middle of your butt!
M: Yes. It's called your tailbone. The coccyx.
H: Oh. (pause) I like "butt-knuckle" better.

Me too.

FYI: The coccyx (aka: The Butt-Knuckle).

Only 12 left!

I am down to only 12 more weeks of class until I graduate! October 27th - HERE I COME!!!!

Long time, no post....

I realize that I have not posted anything for quite some time, as my last post was still while Hannah was at her dad's... and she's been home for over a month. Sorry!

As a symbol of my contrition, I offer you some pics from the last of Hannah's visit to her dad:

Hannah and Mikayla on a ride at the fair

The ride in motion

One of the puppies that were born while Hannah was there.
She got to name this one, and chose SnuggleBuddy.

And last, but certainly not least,
a self-proclaimed "sexy calendar" pic of Chris and the puppies.
This was taken and sent after Hannah came home.

Even if this picture were truly sexy - which the wife beater, ball cap, and the classic-yet-uncomfortable pose will not allow - I'm not sure why he felt compelled to send it to me... Maybe I should submit it for review.

Hannah pics

Good news! Hannah is doing much better and has decided that maybe she won't come home early. We'll see if she still feels that way next week...

So here are some pictures of what she's been up to so far:

She caught her first fish!
Well, Dad hooked it, but Bug reeled it in!
And yes, her hair is purple
Well, it has purple streaks... Something fun for summer

One of the new ducks at the house.
I think this one is Daisy... of Donald and Daisy.

Hannah and Dad (Chris) with one of the dogs... who's just her size!

She caught another - BIGGER - Blue Gill.
This one she hooked and reeled on her own! Nice job!

And she even hooks her own worms... Eeew!
I mean... Way to Go, Sweetie!

I'm so happy that she's doing better. I got several sad calls when she was bored, so having some fun activities with her dad and the kids has made a big difference. And she only sees them once a year... so I want her to have a fun time while she's there!

More pics to come... (Hopefully soon!)

Like Coldplay and Free Stuff?

If yes, then you'll be thrilled that Coldplay is offering a free download of their album Left Right Left Right Left this week (on coldplay.com) as a thank you to all their fans.

No, Coldplay, thank YOU!

Missing Hannah-Bug

Hannah has been gone for almost a week now... and she's probably called me over 30 times. Earlier this week, Hannah told me that she still hadn't gotten to see her older sister, Destiny. She proceeded to say, "If I don't get to see her soon, I might want to come home early... cuz what's the point?"

So I guess things are going pretty well, eh?

I'm Not Dead Yet!

Ok friends... (if there are any of you left)... I'm still here. I've just been swamped with schoolwork and job searching. And catching up on sleep... :)

I'm also gearing up to send Hannah to her dad's for 6 weeks. She leaves Saturday morning (May 30th), and returns July 16th. It's bittersweet, as usual. I'm excited to have a break, as it's the only one I'll get during the year; but I'll worry while she's gone. And I know I'll have to do damage-control and some re-teaching when she gets back... so that's always fun to look forward to.

Recently, I got to attend a conference for the Utah Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, which was fantastic. But it lead to a fun little Hannah-ism. She was inquiring about the conference and asking why I'd want to go to it. So I explained that this would be my profession (aka: career) when I finish school.
She said: "So you're gonna be a pear-a-thist?"
Yep. That's exactly what I'm gonna be! A pear-a-thist. Or a therapist. Whichever.

I'll miss my little Hannah-bug while she's gone!!!

More travel pics

Okay... so you suffered through the interminable post documenting our trip to California... Here are more pics - with less reading. :)

First, I must say that the worst part of a road trip (besides the fear of getting sleepy driving) is dealing with the speed limits. I did pretty well, though... MOST of the time.

I may have sped for a bit... but I got home faster!
Sorry about the dusty dashboard. It's time to detail.

Beverly Hills? In Nevada?
I have a feeling that it's just not the same...

Have you ever noticed that towns, especially in Utah, often put the letters for their city on nearby mountains? It appears that Battle Mountain drew the short straw in that situation...

Sorry, Battle Mountain!

I LOVED my time visiting Mark and Ellie. Their new place is great, and they were such fun to chat with! Plus, I got to hold cute little Sylvie and Hannah had a dedicated playmate!

Mark, napping with Sylvie. Adorable!

Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco
Yummy!!!

Cool sourdough bread critters
The kids loved them!

On Pier 39 with cousin Griffin

Did you notice that sign behind the kids?
Yep! Stay classy, San Francisco!!!


A cone at the Jelly Belly factory on our way to Sacramento

Not too many pics with Gecky and Shana, but we had great fun playing Guitar Hero and AI Karaoke. Love you guys!

We drove by our old house, to remind Hannah.
Not much has changed... except there's a stop sign there now.


Then we headed to Karin and Larry's
for Sunday afternoon Conference and family dinner.
Hannah, Becky, and Shana out front


Larry, Karin, and Hector the cat

Then we had to bid California and the fabulous weather good bye and head back to Utah... (wipe a tear!)

I saw this cool old truck on the road home and had to snap a quick pic!
Isn't it gorgeous?!!

Traveling Hannah-isms

On our trip, we watched the Sunday afternoon session of Conference at Shana's parents' home (Larry and Karin). After Conference, Larry went to get Grandma (Karin's mom) for the regular Sunday dinner. Upon entering the home, Grandma came to sit on the couch in the living room. Hannah immediately came over to me and said not-too-quietly, "I didn't know they could get that old!"

In her defense, all of my grandparents passed away long before she was born and she was too young to remember meeting her dad's grandma in Memphis. So "Grandma" usually refers to my mom... We all enjoyed a hearty laugh.

Hannah, Karin, and Grandma

On the drive home, Hannah was finding ways to keep herself entertained. At one point, she asked if she could look through my purse. No problem. So she starts going through my wallet to look at the cards, etc. Then she sees the "Important Numbers" card that I hadn't ever taken out. So she says, "What's this card?"
M: It's a card to put important numbers on.
H: Important numbers? Like what? Three?

I'm not even sure if I ever explained it any further... I was busy laughing.

The culprit

Travels and triumph!

Hannah and I took our first real road trip this last week. Hannah kept telling me how much she enjoyed this "LIFE ON THE ROAD!" I just enjoyed getting to California and back in one piece... as driving typically makes me sleepy. And now I know that I can successfully make the trip alone. Yay!

So here's the low-down and the highlights (I'll pepper in pics to hide the length):

Tuesday was my birthday (31 on the 31st!) and I had class that night... So I agreed to let Hannah skip school to have some time together during the day. That night, Bug stayed at Mom and Dad's while I was at class, after which I went out with a few friends from class for some celebrating and karaoke. I even got up and sang for the first time. I was told that I have to sing alone next time... We'll see.

Anyway, I got home about 1:30 am - not too late - and tried to fall asleep, but Hannah woke up and was too excited to sleep. This meant that I didn't actually doze off until somewhere between 4 and 4:30 am. The original plan included Robin coming on the trip - and driving the first leg so that I could sleep a little - so I wasn't too worried. As is often the case though, things don't always go according to plan , and Robin didn't come with us. So, instead of heading out in the wee hours of the morning, I got up around 8 and we were on the road by about 9 am.

Hannah had a great time in the car, and loved watching movies and eating snacks all day. I mostly listened to music, and called Mom and Shana to let them know that I was alive and hadn't fallen asleep at the wheel. ;o)

Hannah, licking peanut butter off her fingers. Protein, right?
Mr. Snugglebug is keeping an eye on things.

A little bit of snow in the beginning, followed by LOTS of high winds, and work zones with low speed limits slowed our progress, but we made it! I think we ended up rolling into Mark and Ellie's around 10 that night (???) and headed to bed pretty quickly thereafter.

Yay! We made it to California!
PS - Taking a picture while driving is harder than it sounds.

The next morning we got up bright and early (since my cell phone hadn't switched over to Pacific time, so my alarm went off at 8 am Mountain time...). Mark headed out for a crazy day at the office (see proof here), so Ellie and I decided to take the kids on a little day trip to San Francisco. PS - I've determined that you get to learn a lot of cool stuff about a city when you go with a local. Thanks Ellie!

Hannah and Griffin in the car on the way to San Francisco.

We spent a little time perusing shops on Pier 39 and even saw some seals out in the windy sunshine. After sitting through the Keith Show (think ShamWow + juggling) to escape the wind, we made our way to Fisherman's Wharf for some fresh seafood. The kids both had delicious fish and chips, and I had Garlic Crab and Shrimp. It was super yummy, but I think I like my food to involve less work.

Coming down from their sugar highs.
Standing in the wind, looking at the seals.

Plus, I'm fairly certain that Ellie stifled a giggle when I didn't know quite what to do with peel-and-eat shrimp. I couldn't imagine why people would want to eat shrimp with the legs still on them, but I figured what the heck... try something new. Thanks for stopping me!!! Next time, I'll stick to the crab cakes. All the deliciousness, with none of the mess (or work).

We finished off the trip with a sundae at Ghirardelli, and made it back by mid-afternoon.

Yummy!

Hannah and Griffin spent most of their time crusing around in his not-Barbie Jeep, going on various missions and fighting a lot of bad guys. These efforts were aided by the contents of Griffin's weapons box, including a bow with foam arrows, various guns, and a big stick or two. Luckily for everyone, Hannah is good at bossing and Griffin is very good at driving the Jeep and saluting. This worked out very well, and only a few tears were shed. If I can figure out how, I'll load a video of one such mission.

These sure are cute and happy kids!
Nice how Hannah's providing an unimpeded view
of her huge tonsils and her new front teeth.

And while the chilluns were entertaining themselves in the gorgeous California sunshine, I got to hold a VERY CUTE Slyvie!!! I loved it! She was happy and chubby and absolutely adorable! I miss her already!

Who could resist this little bundle of cute?!?!?!

Friday (April 3rd), we spent the morning with Mark and Ellie and then headed towards Sacramento to see Becky and Shana. We made an obligatory stop at the Jelly Belly factory where we got loads of yummies for friends and family, as well as a few goodies for ourselves.

This way to certain weight gain...

We stopped at Panera's for dinner (yummy soup and sandwich place we don't have here), and then got to Becky and Shana's around 8. The weekend was fairly uneventful, though we did play some American Idol karaoke and Guitar Hero World Tour. I felt adequately prepared by my recent karaoke activities, so I had great fun. Hannah didn't know many of the songs, but she danced her heart out nonetheless.

We got to go to Chevy's (another favorite we don't have near Provo) and had lunch with Becky, Shana, BrAngela, and Karisa. The food was delicious, and it was great to sit and catch up with everyone. We also got to attend a breakfast-themed recipe exchange, so I added some new yummy recipes to my breakfast options.

In fact, the only restaurant I didn't get to stop by (that we don't have here) was La Bou. I was really looking forward to a baguette with dill sauce. I guess I'll have to visit again soon!

Yesterday, we had to leave and head back to Utah... hoping the sunshine would follow us home. The drive was long, but speeding helped. We made the return trip in about 9 hours, but it will probably take me a couple days to get caught up on my sleep.

Sorry for the novella. More pics to follow.

If you made it this far, you deserve a treat. Come on over, we have Jelly Belly's!

More Hannah-isms

#1 - Yesterday we went to go visit baby Eva in the hospital, as it was her last day there and she was finally getting to spend more time in the room with Mom and Dad. After loving on her for a while, it was time for Eva to go back under the lights for a while... Sunbathing to get her billyrubin count back down to normal.

As it was time for us to head back home anyway, we followed the nurse and Eva's crib out. I had a bit of a time getting Hannah to stay with us rather than follow Eva's crib all the way into the nursery, but I managed... barely.

Since we were still waiting for Miss Chats-a-lot (aka: Mom) to leave the room, Hannah was watching Eva get situated for her "tanning session" through the window. I decided to join her while we waited. That's when I noticed that she was leaning really close to the window and breathing on it, so that she could draw a heart in the fog with her finger. Knowing how irritating it is to clean fingerprints off of windows, I told her to quit it.

She promptly replied, rather sassily I mist admit, "I'm just doing the same thing I always do." She started to walk away and then she turned back and said over her shoulder, "It's called breathing."

Thanks Bug. I can't wait til you're 15 and really get in touch with that sassy side...

#2 - On the way home from the hospital, Hannah was expressing her frustration with grown-ups in general. She especially dislikes that they ignore little kids (like her). In particular, she was upset that she was being ignored at the hospital because it was "all about Nancy and Will, but she only wanted to see the baby." At least she's comfortable being honest...

After some frustration, we settled into a brief irritated silence. Then, out of the blue, she says

H: At least I don't live in the '80s.
Me: (quiet, trying to figure out what she could mean and how this could relate to her frustration at the hospital)
H: Then I'd have to wear ugly clothes.

Perhaps no relation to the previous conversation about her feeling ignored, but I can't argue with the truth. Good riddance wall-bangs and shoulder pads!

Babies make Friday the Thirteenth even better!!

For those that don't know, my sister Nancy has been expecting a little girl - after 4 years of unfulfilled efforts to grow their family. Yesterday, she finally arrived!!! So here are the stats:

Eva (pronounced Ava) Marie Hale
born March 13, 2009 at 8:06 pm
weight: 8 lbs., 0 oz.
length: 19 1/2 inches

Look at those chubby cheeks!
And her skin feels like velvet. So kissable!!!

LOTS of soft hair!


And cute little feeties!
The pinkie toe curls under... apparently just like Daddy's.


Mommy and Daddy Hale
Recovering from the C-Section... and so happy!!!

The sign over Eva's crib in the nursery.


An Eva-burrito. Nummy!

*Unwrapped*
Check out this cute little nugget!
No worries... The IV is just for glucose since her sugars were low.
All better now!

Welcome to the family, Eva!!!

Cynic's Clubhouse?

A few days ago, Hannah was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney Channel while we were getting ready in the morning. For those of you that do not have children, or if your children are too young/old for this, let me explain. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is a 30 minute computer-generated cartoon where Mickey and his pals get together for unrealistic adventures. There is always some kind of problem, which is promptly solved by the use of their Mickey MouskeTools. The tools are hailed by calling out "Oh Toodles!" which is apparently the name of their mobile toolbox who flies over when called. There are usually 3 visible tools and a "Mystery MouskeTool" which are used during the episode.



So I was putting my face on in the bathroom when I heard the characters call out, "Oh Toodles!" during the thick of another predicament. Hannah then made the following comment (paraphrased here because I could not find anything to write on fast enough)...

H: You know, on one of these episodes, one of those tools shouldn't work. Because then it makes kids think that if they have a problem and they just go, "Oh Toodles" then it will get fixed. And their life will be perfect. But it isn't. So why do those tools always work?!
H: (after hearing me chuckle at her comment; mockingly) Yeah... next time I have a problem I'll just go "Oh Toodles" and we'll see what happens. (She then proceeded to do so, quite sarcastically I might add.)

Hannah's comment parallels a similar comment made by my nephew while we were visiting them over a year ago. He was watching Bob the Builder and gave the hilarious (and honest) reply of "No we can't!" to Bob the Builder's familiar call "Can we fix it?!"

So are we raising cynics or realists?

Startlingly funny

The other day I got a text from my friend Ryan during class. Hannah spends time with Ryan, his wife Becca, and their little son on Tuesdays while I'm at school - and she loves it. So, the other day I got this text. The only struggle was not to burst out laughing in the middle of class:

"... she came in tonight and said JESUS CHRIST really loud... i was stunned until i realized that she was talking about the [tapestry] of Christ we have hanging on the wall. she had just see it. we started laughing. it was so funny. we enjoy her being here."


Chalk it up to another Hannah-ism!

Note to self...

...Save the more random explanations for a time when you're not drunk with fatigue.

Hannah and I went to IKEA the other day, to cheer ourselves up. It had been a long, difficult day already, and IKEA is one of my favorite discount shopping and decorating centers on the planet. And I desperately needed a reason to smile. So, after letting her go play in the playroom for a while - so that we could both say we enjoyed the trip - I finished shopping and checked out. After picking Hannah up from the playroom, and getting in the car, she asked if I had gotten her anything. (Typical.) I told her that I actually had - a little chandelier that we might hang in her room, but probably not until we get into a new apartment. So we continued chatting about how much fun that would be. After a few minutes, Hannah said, "Ok... But I don't even know what a chandelier is!"

M: Oh! Well, it's a hanging light. But it's all fancy.
H: Ok...?
M: (in a stammering sort of explanation) You know... It's a light, but it's more pretty than it is useful...
H: Uh-huh...?
M: I mean, it's got the light that hangs, but then there's all these crystally things that hang down and make it look real pretty.
H: You got me a diamond light!?!?!?!
M: Well, no. It's not diamonds, but it's cute. You know... little crystals... some are different colors. (blah blah blah... trying to explain it so that it made sense, but I was rather tired so I wasn't thinking real clearly. Normally, these explanations go a lot more smoothly.)
M: (finally) Does that make sense?
H: Yeah. (pause) Well, no. That doesn't make sense, but I don't want to hear any more.

Awesome. Can't fault her for being honest.

PS - She loved the chandelier, once we got home and she could see the picture on the box. Now she can't wait to hang it somewhere!

Isn't it cute? :)

Happy Late Birthday, Bug the Second

Hannah celebrated her 7th birthday on Saturday! Yay!!! She's pretty proud of her new pierced ears. Here's a sneak peek:


Here are 7 things you might not know about Hannah:

1. She writes songs and then performs them for me (after leaving the room and then announcing her entrance). She is too shy to perform for other people, though, so don't expect a performance anytime soon.
2. Her lyrics are actually pretty good. I'll post a sample when I find one. Hannah had me write a few down for her and then she put them somewhere "safe."
3. She has excellent inductive AND deductive reasoning skills.
4. She has a fairly impressive vocabulary, but doesn't always use it properly.
5. She is GREAT at cutting paper, as is evidenced by the copious amounts of paper shards that I find every time I clean. She likes making little books with the tiny squares she cuts.
6. She knows to be honest with me, and does so to a fault. "I love you, Mommy... even if you have a big tummy." Thanks, Bug.
7. She REALLY wants a baby sister. She even informed me that one of the kids in her class wished on a star for one... and GOT IT! I told her that I need a hubby first, so she decided to ask for a boyfriend-turned-hubby for me next time she wishes on a star.

I love you, Hannah! You're the best thing in my life, and I only hope that I can be worthy of you!

Hugs and Smooches,
Mommy