Cold benefits

I have had the world's worst cold for the past few days, but I have found a few perks that have come with it. I can't smell anything, so I have been able to empty the kitchen trash can, I was able to spend some time in the garage with the kittens without even thinking about the stench, and the kids were running in and out of the house last week in the beautiful weather and I couldn't smell their sweaty little bodies. So nice! I have also decided that coughing is probably a more effective abdominal exercise than crunches. If you cough long enough you can definitely work up a sweat. =)

I think I am on the mend, and I am certainly happy about that. I slept much better last night (oh, that's another side effect -- it felt like I was in training for a newborn since I was waking up so much in the middle of the night with my coughing), and today I actually have been able to smell a few things. I'm not so sure I really want my sense of smell back, but I'll be very happy to be rid of the cough.

Through a child's eyes

It's always interesting to get a glimpse into how my kids see things. The other day Nikki was telling me she was cold, so I told her to put some socks on. She said, "No mom, my feet aren't cold, my body is cold." It dawned on me that she must think I'm crazy for all the thousands of times I've told her to put socks on when she is complaining about her arms or legs or something else being cold. To me, putting socks on would keep all of your body warmer, but that really wouldn't make sense to her unless I had explained it. It makes me wonder about what else I say to them that I think is clear but causes them to think I've lost my mind.

Egg Hunt

On Saturday, Nate hid a ton of plastic eggs all over the yard. The girls had a great time going to find them, and it was actually a really fun hunt because it was just the two of them. They each headed in different directions of the yard and ended up with buckets full of eggs. Last night JW & Alli came over with their kids, and they all wanted to hide and hunt eggs around the house. That was much harder with more kids in a smaller space. Lots of tears and "I didn't get as many eggs!" Fun times with children!

Easter Bunny

The Littles have the coolest Easter Bunny. He leaves clues around, and everyone has to go on a treasure hunt to find the present he brought them. It was always so much fun to do at their house that we asked our Easter Bunny to do the same for us. Hannah and Nikki love it. I think our bunny needs a little more practice coming up with good clues, but I think we have at least a couple more years until they figure out that our bunny has a really hard time finding clever things to say that rhyme.

We had our Easter Bunny come Saturday morning, so that our Sunday would be smoother and more focused on what Easter is about. I was sleeping on the couch when the girls woke up in the morning, and I heard them head to their baskets on the table. While Nikki wanted to dig right in, Hannah said, "No, let's wait for Mom and Dad." That kind of patience definitely had to be rewarded by going ahead and getting up.

Nikki finding her clues ...

Hannah hasn't decided yet that reading is fun, but she didn't even hesitate to try reading her clues.

She thought the Easter bunny was really silly for sticking her last clue in the dryer. She got a pretty good laugh over that one. He had also put one in the freezer, and one of their boiled, dyed eggs accompanied each clue, which meant that egg got frozen and cracked. Silly Easter Bunny, eggs go in the fridge not the freezer!

It was a great morning!

Dyeing Easter Eggs

It's a Boy!

It's official. Nate has believed it from the beginning, but the ultrasound today confirmed that we are having a boy. It's a new idea to think of having a son, but I am excited. Nikki, on the other hand, may just have to wait to meet the sweet little one before she likes the idea. I wish I had a picture of her face when I told the girls. Alli kept them for me during my appointment and when I got back Emma, Lexi, Hannah, and Nikki had all voted on whether it would be a boy or girl, and they wanted to know the verdict. Nikki's face was stricken like having a boy was a terrible disease. It was pretty hard not to laugh. Emma was really excited and so I think that helped Nikki temper her response a little bit. Now it will be fun to tell Nate when he gets home from work.

Kittens?!

Can you believe that Pearl had kittens last night? Nate told me about 2 weeks ago that he thought she was pregnant, and I said no maybe she's just overeating. But about a week ago I couldn't deny it any longer. We knew she would have them soon because it has been forever since she left our yard. And then it was only the first week that we had her in the garage that she ran around the neighborhood. Nate was pretty grossed out last night by all the mess, and the poor guy was the one who had to take care of the one that didn't live. I tried to go out there but I felt sick from the smell even trying to breathe through my shirt. At least we get to have our baby in a hospital and have the nurses worry about the mess. I left a message this morning with the lady who gave us Pearl, so I guess by this evening we'll know the fate of these poor cats. There is no way we can have four cats around while trying to sell our house. What a pickle we got ourselves into -- no, it was my idea so I got us into it.

Joys of Motherhood

Last Saturday we had a stake women's conference at church, and our Stake President's wife spoke about the joys of motherhood. She said that sometimes we all want/need to be told we're doing a great job, and that she feels like Heavenly Father sends us these small moments of joy in our mothering that let us know we're doing the job we should. She shared several examples that showed what she was talking about and had everyone laughing and crying. It was a really great talk, and I've been thinking about those moments where I have felt that in my own life. It's actually hard to remember a lot of them because I haven't written many down. I know the feeling well, but it's hard to think of specific instances. But I have thought of a couple of them.

One night, maybe it was just before Christmas, Hannah and I were going out together. We were trying to decided what we wanted to get for someone at the store, and she said, "I just love giving things to other people to make them happy. It just makes me feel so joyful." That was a moment where my heart surged with joy, and I thought that maybe I have been doing something right.

I love how snuggly Nikki is in the mornings when she first wakes up. She reminds me of myself in that it is really hard for her to get going. So, while she normally gives great hugs in the morning, one day last week while she was snuggling up with me she got the sweetest smile on her face. And I just felt so much love for her and was so grateful to have her as my daughter. It was a great reminder that I love being a mother and this really is the most important role I can fill.

Well, that's a couple that I can remember off the top of my head. I'm going to start taking better notice and recording them in my journal more often, so I'll be able to remember them.

I tagged Nate, too.

Nate thought being tagged was such a girl thing that I made him do it, too. And although he says I can't make him do anything, here are his answers.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. On a mission in Argentina
2. What else am I going to do besides be on a mission?

5 Things On My To-Do List
1. Finish filling out our will.
2. Taxes
3. March madness
4. March madness
5. work

5 Snacks I enjoy
1. Nachos
2. Nestle Crunch bars
3. Oranges
4. Carrot sticks
5. Hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows (he tried to say yogurt, but this is more truthful)

5 Places I've lived
1. Pleasant Grove, UT
2. Argentina
3. Chesapeake, VA
4. Sumter, SC
5. Pikeville, NC

What I Would do if I became a billionaire:
1.Primary answers: pay my tithing, etc.
2. Invest the rest and live off the interest
3. Buy a house with cash
4. Give
5. Travel

5 Bad habits
1. This is a tough one.
2. Indecisiveness.
3. Working too much.
4. Watching too much sports.
5. Biting my wife's nose when I lose to her in games. (i.e. -- too competitive)

5 Jobs I've had
1. Janitor
2. Built Kitchen-champ blenders/mixers/wheat grinders
3. GIS Technician
4. GIS Project Manager
5. GIS Specialist

People don't know about me...
Hmm... I fell off my bike and hit my head on the road when I was 7 and got three stitches in my lip. Then, on the same street, when I was 17 I flew off the back of a car and hit my head again. This time I ended up in a coma for 2 days and in the hospital for 2 weeks. But the doctor told my mom that I was smart enough that I could afford to lose those few brain cells that were damaged. So, if you wonder why I'm slow to catch jokes and things, now you know. =)

I thought he did pretty good!

Tagged

So I don't know how many Susan's Brigette knows, but I'm going to pretend that she meant me when she wrote my name on her blog. =) This was fun to think about.

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago
1. I was a senior in high school.
2. I had only been out of my turtle-shell backbrace (which I had to wear following my back surgery) for a couple of months.
3. I was probably skipping (or sluffing as they said in Utah) AP English.
4. I was annoying Jim with my piano practicing. Hopefully he's forgiven me. =)
5. And I was excited about heading to BYU in the fall.

5 Things On My To-Do List
1. Put away the laundry Nate folded last night.
2. Cut the grass -- just with the riding lawn mower, I actually have a good excuse to let Nate push the ditches this year. =)
3. Finish a chapter in my History book.
4. Clean the house, as always.
5. Practice my flute for a song I'll be playing at church on Saturday. Yikes!

5 Snacks I Enjoy
Oh, there are so many!
1. Chips and salsa
2. Oranges
3. Graham crackers and milk
4. Peanuts (I used to love it when Granddaddy would roast them on a cookie sheet and serve them hot.)
5. Oreo milkshakes

5 Places I've Lived
1. Edenton, NC (and now Pikeville)
2. Orem & Provo, UT
3. Rincon, GA
4. Chesapeake, VA
5. Sumter, SC

What I Would Do if I Became a Billionaire
1. Pay Tithing and donate lots to the Church's humanitarian aid and Perpetual Education Fund
2. Have fun figuring out who could use some anonymous help and just what would be the best to do for them, because it's not always just getting money that's good for people.
3. Watch my compound interest grow and grow.
4. Travel with Nate to lots of places, especially to Switzerland and Paris. I'm sure he'd want to go to Argentina, which would be neat to see.
5. Enjoy not worrying about gas prices.

5 Bad Habits
1. Napping in the afternoons.
2. Leaving my shoes wherever I am when I take them off.
3. Misplacing my car keys.
4. Neglecting just about everything when I get into a good book.
5. I don't brush my hair. =) On our first date, I don't remember what the conversation was about, but Nate made some comment about hair and looked at me and said "You brush your hair don't you" like every normal person would do that. I think he was pretty shocked when I said that actually I don't. It would be worse if I did.

5 Jobs I've Had
1. Working in the greenhouses
2. EFY counselor
3. data entry for library card catalogues
4. Softlines at Wal-Mart
5. Mother

People don't know about me ...
When I get up from a laying down position I always use the log roll. I had to do that after my back surgery, and I still do it today. I have to roll over onto my side like a log, keeping my legs and body in line, and then push up to a sitting position before I can stand up. Bet you were really interested in knowing that! Also, most of the foods I don't like aren't really because of the taste. I have a hard time with weird food textures. I couldn't tell you what a mushroom tastes like, but I know they feel gross. The same goes for coconut. I like the taste of that, but I don't like how it feels when I bite it. Raw tomatoes are disgusting because of their feel, too - both firm and slimy together. Except I did try some collard greens at Nell's at Christmas, and I think the biggest problem there was the aftertaste. I won't be trying those again any time soon. Everything else was wonderful, though, Nell! So, there you have it.

And I tag Kellee, Kristen, and Alli (but I don't think Alli will do it :-}).

The Aquarium

Hannah had a field trip to the aquarium today. =) We all had so much fun together.

We watched a show about turtles. The lady had several different kinds that are found in North Carolina that she showed us and talked about. Afterwards, the kids could go up and touch them (with the exception of the snapping turtle of course). I was a little surprised that Hannah and Nikki wanted to. I sure didn't.

There was also a 1/2 mile nature walk that we enjoyed. It was such a beautiful day. We saw some birds, a couple of squirrels, and we even identified some poison ivy.
This bridge didn't bother the girls walking across it, but there was one bridge that was a floating bridge that I wasn't sure they were going to get over. If they would have gone on by themselves it would have been fine, but they got a little nervous that the boards moved around when they stepped on them. And when I came and added my weight to the mix the water started seeping up over some of the boards. It wasn't a big deal. It was just marshy land, so it's not like we would have been swimming out, but they were sure glad when we finally got to the other side.
This tank was neat because they had quite a few sharks in it. A couple of them were a pretty good size.

A very fun day. Hannah said her favorite part was seeing the jellyfish, and Nikki said her favorite was ... I can't remember. I'm tired and very glad to be home.

Yes! It's Over!

I did it! This morning was my appointment at the skin center to finish getting the mole on my back removed. Nate came with me, which was very comforting to not have to worry about driving myself. It ended up that I was okay, though. No fainting spells this time. On the way home afterwards I was telling Nate how relieved I was to have it done, and he just started laughing at me. He said, "I can't believe you had a baby naturally and you were all stressed out over that." I had to laugh, too. It really was so simple of a procedure. In fact, Nate missed it. He had a magazine out when the doctor came in, and by the time he looked up the doctor was done. I don't care how silly it is, I really am glad it's over!

So the chocolate background wasn't cutting it for me anymore. I'm a woman and I'm pregnant and I can change my mind as much as I want. Nate usually just nods his head when we get to that point in the conversation. He's a good man.

Nikki keeps coming up to me and kissing my tummy. She is so sweet. She also asks all the time how big the baby is right now or if the baby is hungry or if he's making my tummy feel sick. I think it's adorable how interested she is about it.

Hannah told me that next year she doesn't want to take piano lessons. I have always thought that I would require my kids to take at least one year of lessons and then let them decide if they wanted to continue. But she wants to take gymnastics and art lessons. That's a physical sport along with something cultural, so I think that is enough. And she loves art so much that I would really be excited for her to do that. But then I think will it be too late in a few more years for her to get a good start if she wanted to do piano later? I'm feeling a little torn because I think gaining a beginning understanding of music is so important. I also feel bad because I ruined her excitement about piano this year when I gave her a few lessons but never pushed her to practice. I shouldn't have even attempted that. I knew better to start with. Well, I guess we'll see if we can even find art lessons.

I played the organ for a funeral yesterday. I went to church Monday and practised for the first time in a very long time. I was reminded of how much I really enjoy it. That was the best class that I took, and I have felt tempted to just continue studying the organ rather than work on my bachelor's degree. I don't have the time or money to do both. I even went as far as to look online for practice organs that have a full pedal board that would fit in a home. I have an old Hammond organ that was given to me, but it only has one octave of toe pedals which are basically worthless if you're trying to learn to play correctly. I could find one that's nice enough for about $3500, which I thought was pretty good. If we had $3500 to throw into an organ. Just a crazy dream.

Every day Hannah asks me what we have for lunch, and every day I tell her the same things, and every day she says she doesn't want that. She says she doesn't like sandwiches, but she will eat peanut butter and jelly when she has to. She actually really likes them, but won't admit it. She won't try any kind of sandwich meat. This past week I told her that she would have to decide what she wanted for lunch on her own because I'm tired of the routine, and there were at least two days where she didn't eat at all. So that didn't work. What do your kids eat for lunch? She would choose macaroni and cheese everyday if I let her, but I won't let her.

CINNAMON ROLLS

Last Sunday while I was taking a nap I dreamed that we had some cinnamon rolls and Nikki and I each ate two. We were going to save the others for Nate and Hannah, but I wanted to eat the others before they got there. Then I woke up really hungry. I've wanted cinnamon rolls all week, and yesterday I finally made some. These are not just ordinary cinnamon rolls. These are CINNAMON ROLLS!

This is what they looked like when I put them in the pan. The recipe said to let them rise for another 45 minutes, but I decided my pan wouldn't hold them if I did that and went ahead and cooked them. Notice the butter being squished up between them? Oh my goodness.

And here they are fresh out of the oven and smelling oh so good. I actually had to cook them for about an extra 20 minutes after this to get the middle cooked. I wonder if I had used two 9" cake pans if they would have cooked through easier?

And with the frosting, drum roll please.... the biggest and yummiest and most time-consuming cinnamon roll I have ever made.

A friend of mine when we were living in South Carolina gave me this recipe, and I've never made it before because of the intense amount of butter and sugar and work that go into them. But when you have a week-long desire for cinnamon rolls, you're a little more willing to try something extreme. I'll post the recipe and you'll see what I mean.

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Mix together sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 cup 110 degree water

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water; set aside.

• 1 cup warm milk
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cups melted butter
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• up to 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Mix together milk, sugar, butter, salt, and eggs; add yeast mixture and 4 cups of flour to mixture; beat until smooth; stir in enough flour to form a slightly stiff dough. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 8 minutes.

Place dough into a large greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll dough out onto a floured surface into a 15" X 20" rectangle. Brush 1/2 cup melted butter over dough; sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over dough.

Tightly roll up dough and pinch edges together to seal; cut the roll into 12 - 15 slices using dental floss or thread.

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup sugar

Coat the bottom of a 13 X 9 pan with melted butter; sprinkle sugar evenly in the bottom of the pan. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the prepared pan; cover pan and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

For the frosting (this is a maple icing, which is good, but I think I prefer just the regular white icing for cinnamon rolls):

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup melted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp maple extract
• up to 6 Tbsp hot water

Stir together powdered sugar, 2/3 cup melted butter, and extracts; stir in hot water 1 Tbsp at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

Can you believe I did all that and used all that butter?! Oh, but they are good.