Oh YEAH! I totally called it!

I am so good! The Bachelorette came through for me! This is at least the 5th season that I've had the top two from the second I saw them. I'm tellin' ya! My first impressions of people are rarely wrong! I picked Jason as my number one and Jesse as my number two from the moment they walked out of the limo at the first hello. Now I don't care who wins. I love knowing I'll be totally happy with the outcome. I seriously did a big woohoo out loud and scared the crap out of Flower. It was pretty funny. (This excitement was good timing considering what you'll read below.) Now bring on the bitter men. I love watching the men/woman tell all shows. I can hardly wait till next week!

Today was a weird day. The day was going smooth. It was fairly busy but that's not a big deal. I was movin' right along with my bad self. And then BAM! I hit a wall. Right about 6, after meeting a lovely woman which you'll read about shortly, I started getting a weird headache. I didn't get done working till 6:30 so by the time I got home I just felt so moody. Then I end up feeling bad and crying because I wasn't a nice wife and mom and raised my voice. I finally ate dinner and that helped for about a half hour or so and then it was back. I know everyone has their days but it just makes me feel like the worst mom and wife. Ugh. And let me just say, if there had been anything remotely tempting to me in this house, say a bag of mini butterfingers or ice cream for example, it would be gone by now! Then I'd feel even worse tomorrow! I am so glad I set myself up for success by not having the crap in the house! It's actually kind of a good thing when I have days like this because it forces me to deal with the emotions. Sunday wasn't moody but was filled with cravings! I came home form church and yoga and really nice long talk on the phone and it helped so much to calm my mind. I take the time to figure why my first instinct is to do the unhealthy rather then something healthy and constructive. I'm much more impulsive in these situations so this is taking lots of practice so I guess these kind of days do help.

Lynnette's sister Patti came into town yesterday and we met for the first time. She is very cute with obvious similarities that she is Lynnette's sister. :) I am so glad she came to town so they could be of support to one another. They decided to fly out tonight for Italy. I am so glad! He is still stable but they need to be with their dad and he needs them. It's amazing how healing it can be to have loved ones there to hold your hand, hug you, and talk to you, even if your not conscious. Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

Last night was super fun. We went to John and Lisa's for yummy lasagna and homemade breadsticks. They always spoil us with good meals. We invited Amanda to come along so she came to our place and hitched a ride with us. I am SO glad she came. If any of you have hung out with John you know he's obnoxious. That's why we love him. It doesn't matter if it's your first time around him, he treats you just like everyone else! Amanda was no exception and she held her own fabulously! She made some comebacks to John that will not soon be forgotten! Some of them I'm still laughing about as I write this. Ahhh, she's a funny gal! We used Sp-Uno to initiate her into our game playing circle. She had no trouble being aggressive, fighting madly for a spoon or two and winning the game. Thanks for coming along Amanda! The kids also had a blast in their brand new, hugest one I've ever seen, sandbox. It's seriously out of control and the kids were in heaven! We finally told the kids to come inside because it was after 9:30 and dark. We set them up in the boys room in the basement with a movie. About a half hour later we went to get the kids to go home, only to discover they had climbed out the window and were right back outside. We're talking 4 kids that are 4, 3, 3, and 2! How cute is that?! I thought it was great and it reminded me how much I loved to be outside at night when I was a kid.

Tonight I did a move-out inspection with a gal that I've talked to before and has the CUTEST son. He turns 5 tomorrow and I could have talked to him all night. But instead, I talked to the tenants mom, whom she brought along. I knew that the tenant was part Asian but as soon as I saw her mom I new she was Chinese! I was so excited to talk to her and get her story. You're never going to guess where she lives now! Portland! Yep, exactly where we're going this weekend! She was born and raised in Hong Kong. She moved to Portland 20 years ago and that's where my tenant was born. Her mom was in town to help her with the move. We talked all about China and then moved right in to talking about Portland. She wrote down the best Chinese restaurant in Portland and gave us a list of places to see. What would have been a 10 minute meeting due to the apartment being in perfect condition, turned into a 40 minute delightful conversation. They were so excited that we had adopted a Chinese girl and to hear Flower's story. I think elderly Chinese women are so stinking cute and am sad that by the time Flower is that age, I likely won't be around. :(

Let's see...what other random thoughts are running through my head. Oh yeah, tonight, before my final meltdown of guilty tears, we were out in the bus. We are trying to 'remodel' Crush to be more conducive to what we need and make travel more enjoyable. Especially for the amount of time we'll be spending together as he drives us through Oregon. We need him to be perfect. We already removed a shelf that we kept smacking our heads on while in bed. Nothing like a gash in the forehead each time you get out of bed. We want to hang brackets to hang the speakers from. Right now we have to move them each time we transition from seat to bed. Then we lose leg room when we sleep because they sit on the bed. We are also taking out the shelves/cabinets that are currently in it and replacing them with ones that will suit us better. The ones we have now open up towards the seat. When you have the bed pulled out you can't open the door. That doesn't really work when all your food, cutlery and supplies are in there! And it's a pain to have to turn the bed back into a seat multiple times during the day. It's not that the seat/bed is difficult. It's because we have a Tempur-Pedic mattress topper to make sleeping more comfortable, plush good sized, really lush blankets. That has to be folded up and all blankets removed before you can turn the bed into a seat. That's where the annoyance comes in. Otherwise, if the bed is empty, it's a piece of cake! KG's dad is the master at the cabinet stuff so as I was putting Flower to bed, he drove it to his parents house to get his suggestions on cabinets. I really wanted to reupholster the seats by the time we left but it wasn't in the cards. Soooo, I'll post photos when it's done. :) Oh, and we're removing the carpet and replacing it with laminate wood flooring. Much easier to clean, especially considering it's going to be caked with sand in just 7 days!

I tell ya, this blog is therapeutic. After writing half of this post I felt better so I was able to read Flower a bed time story. Conversations on the phone, depending on the person, also help tremendously. It gets me out of my own head and thinking about other stuff and that always helps!

Ok, I'm off to bed to get some much needed rest. Hope your Monday was awesome!

June Glad List

Here are the simple things that made me smile in June.

1. Playing Candyland with Flower
2. having a pool to use
3. playing make believe
4. really cool graphic designs
5. camping
6. the strength of my friend Amanda
7. the pond at the cabin
8. Flower's new found swimming confidence
9. fruit
10. dad's
11. Justin, Birgitta and Adam
12. SYTYCD, Bachelorette and The Mole
13. being healthy
14. my new short hair
15. errands with Flower (double smiles when KG comes along)
16. our adoption social worker
17. chillaxing
18. planning surprise parties
19. laughing with my nieces
20. selling the car
21. new sandals
22. fun lip gloss
23. inner peace and strength
24. happiness that comes from true connections with friends
25. Friday the 13th
26. lunch at Olive Garden with Amanda
27. painted toe nails
28. Pita Pit
29. free tickets to the Burn game
30. new watermelon fragrance drifting through our home

BURN baby BURN!

Flower and Kas continued to have fun today. They got along great the entire time. That is a first. They were getting a little annoyed with each other by the time my sister picked her up at 2:30 but they didn't fight. It was a relief! They played dress up all day which meant that every piece of Flower's clothing was taken out of her drawers and out of her closet. Nice. I'm not sure what they were looking for in the underwear drawer that they thought that needed to be on the floor too! They sure seemed to be in search of the perfect something. Not sure they ever found it. Of course everything was too small for Kas since almost everything in was is a hand-me-down from her! She just kept dressing up Flower but eventually that bummed her out. She finally came and asked if I had anything. I found a couple of skirts and a dress I don't like, knowing she'd basically be walking on them! I am kicking myself for not taking a single photo of them today. They were just too cute. They played with the doll house, played dress-up, watched The Incredibles and ate popcorn, and read lots of books. It was nice to have someone here to play with Flower.

Tonight John and Lisa picked us up and we headed for downtown. We walked to Pita Pit for a yummy dinner to go and ate at The Grove! Then we went to a Boise Burn game. We got free tickets from Jared. We love Jared. It turned out that he also gave tickets to Raeaunn and Steve so they were sitting in front of us. Flower loved that because she kept asking for popcorn so Steve played the hero and bought her some. Flower had the best time playing cheerleader. Towards the end of the game she was playing beauty parlor and played with everyone's hair, using the empty seats behind us as a sink and counter for her shampoo and color. It was really cute. The ladies gabbed and the men watched. I did happen to pay attention long enough to see a touch down. I missed several though because we won and totally kicked butt! We all had a great time checking out the cheerleaders ta tas as some were almost bouncing out of their skimpy little tops, debating on which one was cuter and who won for best rack. Steve and Raeaunn left after the second period. Is that what they're called? After that we acted like the riffraff of the place. John was making and throwing paper airplanes to see who he could hit. Lisa has always been good at paper airplanes so I told them to compete. She made the plane and I threw it. It was awesome! We, as well as the people in front of us, were amazed at how far and well that thing flew! It was so slow and smooth and just hovered in spots. We were in the upper section. Had the net not been in front of the field, it would have landed on the field. They were laughing right along with us when another one of John's tagged a guy right in the ear. Ah, they are so fun and we love not acting our age! ;) We had a good time and it would have been even more fun if a certain someone had come! Yeah, you know who you are with your quick texting fingers!! ;)

Lynnette's Dad.

Please continue to keep them in your thoughts! He had to go into another surgery this morning. If you are interested in the latest details, click here. He is really a super good guy!
Thank you!

Friday was jam packed!

My sister dropped Kas and Spencer off bright and early yesterday. I also worked early so it was kind of fun. They came to the clubhouse with me and watched Alice In Wonderland. I LOVE that movie and they had never seen it. They liked it. Kelly, a tenant who helps out around the property, came to take care of the pool. There was a mama duck in the pool with her three babies. She could get out but the babies could not since the sides of the pool were a bit to high and they don't fly yet. It became Kelly's mission to get them out with the help of her son John. It was actually quite entertaining for all of us! We would each be at a different section of the pool to keep them in one place. After making a ramp that they wouldn't use, Kelly finally had to jump in and use the net to scoop them out.



The mama was NOT happy about that and attacked Kelly with her wings spread wide each time to scooped up another baby. The photo isn't great but you can see the mama in the net trying to intercept and save the baby. John is holding his mouth and gasping because it then went after Kelly. Of course he freaked out and left his mom to handle it!

It was hilarious for those of us not being attacked. :)
Poor things were terrified.The kids also got to accompany me on some apartment inspections. They loved walking around the property. We then went home and waited for Spencer to be picked up. He went to KG's parents cabin with them and Adam. He was so excited to hang out with Adam all weekend! The girls and I then had lunch and much needed naps. When KG woke up I went back to work and he took them swimming. A gal at the pool brought pool noodles and allowed Flower to play with one. We were shocked at how well she did with it! She was swimming the entire length of the pool and going all the over the place. It made it easier for her to kick which she definitely needs to pratice. We will be getting some of those. If she were to let go she'd be in trouble but she never did.


The girls had a great time! We got them out at 6:30, got dressed and headed out for another adventure.
We dropped them off at Rhonda and Eric's to play with their five kids so we could take them to dinner for their birthdays. We went to Applebees and had a really nice time. After a full day with extra kids it was good to have some adult conversation! After that we went back to their house and had time for one game of Aquire before KG had to go to work. I had never played the game before and it was pretty fun. Kas spent the night for her birthday and the girls actually went right to sleep! :)
We had a really busy and fun filled day!

It's been one month! :)

I figured I'd wait till it's been a month before I get too excited. So, once again, for anyone that knows me, sugar is my biggest weakness! I'm pretty sure it's part of the cause of some other issues I've had with food in general throughout my life. Not to mention contributing to weight, concentration, low energy and blah blah blah. I made it for two weeks with no sugar (this of course doesn't include natural sugars such as fruit and I also didn't worry too much about jam and such). I made it for about two weeks with no sugar in 2004 when KG and I both changed our eating habits in an effort to be healthier. I did a detox and it really helped me not crave it constantly. But after 6 months, a 60 pound weight loss and pretty strict guidelines and not working through some issues, I lost control and I binged and the cycle started over. It was like trying to get my hands on everything I hadn't had. I put weight back on but it was pretty gradual and it's only been 30 pounds. That's a lot but considering I'm still down 30 from my highest, I'll take it. I did get things back under control about a year later but then last year, with the depression I was having with various things that happened and with my thyroid being out of whack, I kind of slipped back into things. Well now, somehow I have the strength to work on it again. I know I can't be as drastic as I was then or it will back fire. The problem is, I have a hard time just having one piece. The amazing thing this time though, is I've set some guidelines for myself. We don't have anything in the house that is a temptation for me. But if I'm and offered something or am going somewhere that I know I may want something, I'm careful throughout the day and then I have a small bit. For the most part I'm trying to keep it out of my day. However, I made KG cookies for Father's Day and I allowed myself one cookie and then made sure I didn't have anything else sugary that day. I have never been able to do that! For the last two weeks it's worked really well. I don't feel like I'm depriving myself and each time I do want something, I'm able to ask myself if this going to get me to where I want to be and do I really need it. That is huge because I tend to be impulsive and don't think about it. That has helped a lot. The other thing I'm going to do is if in time I find myself having the major cravings again, I'll detox again. The other thing that I have been completely amazed with is how it's made it easier to watch my portion sizes with everything else. I have more energy, my mood is more stable and I just feel better. I am really happy with the results and I am so proud of myself. I know I've lost weight too. That's not my main concern though. It's definitely a nice bonus but we don't have a scale and I'm not keeping track. I can just tell in the clothes I put on.
I still loath that sweets have to be involved in everything. Every birthday, holiday, traveling, and movies. It's always been associated with those things for me and so I've got it in my head that those things can't be fun without it. Well not any more. I'm really trying hard to break that cycle. But the cool thing is, at the last 3 birthdays and Father's Day, I found myself not wanting all the desserts and wasn't bothered or feeling sorry for myself. I hardly noticed. I also use it when I'm bored or trying to avoid something or feelings. I'm trying to discover who I am without it. I'm feeling huge inner strength right now and just want to be healthy and feel good. I hope I can keep the momentum going and think past what I want in the moment! Every night when I'd sit down to watch a show or if I thought about watching a movie with KG, my first instinct was to think about what I'd make, like caramel popcorn or mother goose popcorn for example, or getting ice cream. It's ridiculous! Well, now I'm craving fruit! I have eaten so much more fruit and in turn vegetables since I've cut the crap! Our fridge and counters are now full of healthy stuff.
The one thing I am loving about this whole thing is that now I feel like I'm in control. I am no longer being controlled by cravings. I also feel so much better about myself and my confidence has been boosted. I look back at last year and even the first part of this year and I feel like a different person! Now if I can just keep remembering all the positives I've been feeling tp keep this going in the future! :) I love that we always have that choice to change!

p.s.-Thanks to some special people, KG and Kris, (and Jer for some awesome council and wonderful blessings) that knew all my issues and loved me through them without judgment this past year. I wouldn't have my strength now without all that help and love. You rock my world!

Peace.

Yahoo! We sold the car!

You have no idea how happy I am about this. Just this week, as I've been going through the finances, I've been having buyers remorse about the Jeep and wondering if we made a mistake. I'm getting nervous about the enormous adoption fees, our upcoming two week vacation that at this point we shouldn't pay for and thinking we need to stop having a life so we don't spend any more money and on and on. I just tend to get a little panicky. Except when it comes to buying new sandals that my doctor recommended of course. ;) Both of my docs did actually. I have been wearing flip flops for a LONG time because when I wear tennis shoes it puts too much pressure on my ankle and just makes it worse. I was kind of sad about that this last fall because I love my Converse! They completely understood that so they said if I'm going to wear flip flops I at least needed to get some that had a bit of structure, some cushion and some give. They recommended either Fit Flops or Crocs sandals. I went and checked them out yesterday after researching online. Well shoot, once I find out that my ass and calves would be all tone and smokin' hot with the Fitflops I was sold! Yeah...not buyin' that crap! How the heck are shoes going to make me lose inches in my butt and legs? I don't have my hopes up so I'm sure I won't be disappointed when it doesn't happen. :) I did choose those, only because they were cuter and felt more comfortable. The only thing I'm not loving is the gigantic logo on the front! I am not a fan of wearing name brands across any part of my body thank you. But what do you do? I have already felt a difference in the ankle and that's all I care about. But hey, I'll keep ya posted if my backside starts magically disappearing!
So back to scraping pennies. :) We got the full asking price for the car! Sooo excited! That will help out so much! The down side. They are making payments to us but we got what we wanted so we are willing to work with them. I would be much happier with a big fat check right now but we'll take what we can get. We'll have all the money in three months. Now we just need to sell the truck and then we really only paid half price for the Jeep!

Tonight I had an enrichment meeting. It was really fun. I think I felt the most comfortable out of all the meetings we've had so far. I am just at a way better place with confidence and everything right now (ever since they got my brain/thyroid working properly) and that makes all the difference! I'm bummed I won't be here for the activity we were planning for but I'll get over it quickly since I'll be on the beach in Oregon! :)

While I was at my meeting KG took Flower to a family thing. Now this is where you're all going to hate me and think I'm a terrible example and mother and yada yada. Hey, I'm human and realize I need to work on a few things. I get a text from KG that says, "She is definitely your daughter!" I smile and can't wait to hear the rest. He proceeds by telling me that she fell on the playground and hurt her foot. She was walking with a limp and saying damn-it every time she stepped down on the right foot. Oops. But it gets better. He told her we don't say that. When he was getting her out of the car she said it again and then she looked up and said, "we don't say damn-it". She takes another step on her hurt foot and says, "shit!" He had to turn his face so she wouldn't see that he was laughing. I laughed out loud to myself all the way home! I know it's bad and we shouldn't laugh. I do feel a tiny bit bad. I really don't say it that much around her but she is a sponge! Strike me down now. When I finally got home, this is how I found her.
Daddy fixed her up with an ice pack. It really is hurt. It's all swollen on the top. When she went to bed she was still limping and trying not to cry with each step. Poor baby. :( We'll assess it in the morning.

I also want to ask for prayers and good thoughts for Len Welter, the owner of the company I work for, and Lynnette, my boss(an their whole family). Len is Lynnette's dad. He is in Italy right now and was in a pretty serious accident a couple of days ago. He was jogging and was hit by a motorcyclist. He has swelling in the brain and they just decided to do surgery to relieve the pressure. I believe he may be in surgery now. If you want more details pop on over to Lynnette's blog. Just keep them in your thoughts! Thanks!!!

And finally.....you know the feeling you get when you make a connection with someone that is just so cool and 'gets' you? Every time you see them or talk to them you just feel happier inside. You feel more understood. And when you replay conversations in your head that you've had with them, you smile or even laugh. And any differences there may be on a superficial level don't matter because there are so many similarities and parallels. And somehow there's a natural trust that makes you spill your guts. I love that! And I love good friends! ;) And then I get paranoid and wonder if I'm being imposing or annoying. And I hope this isn't weird. I guess the hope is that it's mutual. :)

Oh wait! I guess there's one more thing. I am so sick of this cough and what comes along with it...wetting my pants a little every.time.I.cough. Well not every time but almost. But even once is too many! Give me a break already!

TV show obssession updates and swimming.

The Mole: There aren't many shows that KG and I enjoy together. I was excited that he wanted to watch the Mole with me. Unfortunately both of our first picks left the same day. KG had picked Ali right from the start. Two weeks ago they offered $30,000 before the eliminations to anyone that was nervous and thought they might be going home. She took the money and ran. I guess she wasn't the Mole. Then they still did the elimination and wouldn't you know it, my first pick Bobby was booted. There was something seriously wrong with that guy. He was so dang skinny! He either had male anorexia or had a fairly serious illness. He couldn't walk a block without being completely worn out. He was only 25!!! And then in one of the challenges he just couldn't make it and the GIRL on his team pushed him the entire challenge in a wheel barrow! The dude should be humiliated if he's not sick and in fact just a gigantic wuss! Both of our second picks, and by far our favorite player from the start, is Craig. Oh man, the guy is hilarious! He just constantly has one liners. During one of the challenges when the contestants had to walk around town in their underwear, and when we truly became aware of just how skinny Bobby was, Craig was walking next him. Craig is a big guy and he says, "We are the walking version of the number 10!" We about died laughing. (Bobby being no bigger then a number 1 and Craig being the 'big' round zero) It was so true! Women were yelling from the streets begging Bobby to eat. That's how bad it was. Last night we were sad to see Victoria go. She was super cute! Always nice to everyone and had a fun personality. :( The ones we really want to see go are Paul and Nicole. He is such a schmuck! He's a jerk to everyone and so hotheaded. She is just a diva. She is exactly the type of girl I have a hard time being around....TOO HIGH MAINTENANCE. She is such a whiner and so snotty. If either of them are the mole it will ruin the game for me!

The Bachelorette: Yahoo! I just watched this today and was so happy! My two guys are in the top three, just like always! I am so good at first impressions! I'm glad Graham went home. I just don't get her with him. I don't like who she is with him. And he will never change! SHe would have ended up hurt. I still can't stand Jeremy. There is something very fake about him. Everything is just too perfect and he seems like the type that would become crazy, psycho possessive husband the minute they got married. It's just weird. But, ahhh, Jason. That moment with his son was so sweet and my eyes got a little watery at the good-bye! I LOVE how she is with him. She seems so much more natural and at peace when she's with him. Then there's Jessie. They would be rockin' together. He's still my second choice but as long as my top two make it to the top two, I don't really care who wins and it won't be very intense for me. I just don't want to see her with Jeremy!

SYTYCD: I loved the first dance and it started the show off right for me. I still love the same two couples as last week. This morning I watched it again with Flower. I just fast forward it and only watch the dances, no talking. She is mesmerized with it. She laid on the bed next to me holding my hand. It was so sweet. After the show she gets up and dances in front of the mirror, trying to repeat some of the moves she saw on the show. It makes me smile.

And last but not least. Last night KG had Cub Scouts here to go swimming. My two nephews and my niece joined them. Adam is KG's brother's son from Arizona. Spencer and Kas are my sister's kids. The Scouts, which included Adam and Spencer, did so well. Our pool is huge. It's an Olympic size and they swam the entire length several times. They were also more well behaved then I've ever seen them!
Now, I think I'll end this post with some lovely visuals for you. One of the scouts younger siblings came, a 3 year old. He first pulled down his pants and pee'd on the cement shortly after arriving. Not a huge deal to me as it can be washed off with the water. His mom freaked out, grabbed him, pinched off his penis, which doesn't work and pee ended up in her hand and then she held him over the garbage can to finish his business. It was a hilarious scene. We had a good laugh. THEN! Oh it gets better. About 10 minutes later, she took his pants off him to put his swim trunks on. He squatted and took a dump on the cement! Right by the hot tub. Fabulous. Now, not so funny. We wanted to barf. It was a lot too! She was mortified. But then we found out he did it in the Sturgill's grass the night before and in his own yard last week. He also didn't listen to her at all when she would tell him not to do something which is pretty normal and she lets him get away with it. What a little shit! I am so glad that Flower has never done that to me. This is also the little boy that Flower doesn't get along with in nursery. They just butt heads and he's mean to her so she's mean back. Ironically they did fine last night.

Yesterday and Today.

I finally had my appointment with the fabulous Dr. Desh about fashioning me a custom ankle brace. This was definitely a better experience then at Kristensen's office. I still don't really want to go into it because I'm just not ready but suffice it to say this was much less frustrating. Still embarrassing but I can handle that considering things went so well. And she had so much fun with Flower. :) At this point it looks like I won't be getting it until after our Oregon trip on July 23rd. She REALLY wants me to have it before I leave so that I can actually walk on the beach and enjoy myself without too much pain and without making things worse. She has to get what she needs from Kristensen, the insurance company and then have a cancellation because she's completely booked. Hopefully all that will happen so I can go in before July 3rd. The cool thing is she REALLY wants to make it happen. It felt nice to know she is willing to go the extra mile to help me out. Fingers crossed.
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After the appointment I went and picked up my two nieces, Lauren and Torta. We hung out all afternoon and watched Sydney White while Flower took her nap. Then they went to the clubhouse with me while I worked. They also went swimming with Flower. Torta insisted she wasn't going to swim because she had been swimming all morning so she didn't bring her swim suit. Of course when the time came, she wanted to swim. I pulled out my swim suit from last year and after TONS of safety pins, I think it worked well. Especially since she's at least 4 times smaller then me! :)
I think they had fun. I just love this swim suit on Flower! She has 5 swim suits to choose from because she gets hand-me-downs from TWO cousins. We love hand-me-downs!


When I was done working we went back home, made nachos and watched last weeks America's Got Talent. Then we watched Wipe Out and I Survived a Japanese Game Show. The TV shows and the ensuing laughter were the reasons for the sleepover in the first place. Wipe Out was so damn funny. I have been having trouble with my lungs ever since I was sick a couple of weeks ago. I pretty much cough a lot if I breath too deep. I have to just consciously make quicker shallow breaths. Laying down is the worst and I cough all night long. Well, laughing, whether my lungs are doing well or not, has always done a number on my lungs. As much as we laughed last night, it wasn't good. I hacked my way through the entire show, then had trouble sleeping and am paying for it this morning. Just painful. I love laughing like that though so it's worth it! We rewound and watched the funny parts over and over!
When we finally went to bed, Flower didn't make things easy. She had a bad night and came in crying at 1:30 am. We stuck her in bed with us. Four in a bed=not fun. Plus she woke up crying every half hour. Uggh. She developed a stuffy/runny nose sometime after 9:00 last night so that didn't help. Oh I hope she's not getting sick. Anyway, none of us slept well. I'm trying really hard to be happy, chipper and patient with her this morning!
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Today is going to be busy as well. KG took them home first thing this morning because Torta had to watch the boys while Lauren and Alyse went to a service project at the D.I. I am really looking forward to a lunch date with my friend Amanda this afternoon. And tonight, the Scouts are coming over to swim with KG. My two nephews and my niece are coming to join them.
KG will then go to karate. He is working really hard to get his Green Belt before we leave for Oregon. That means lots of hours at the studio. He was there most of last night and will go there tonight after Scouts. That means Flower and I will have lots of time together today. I also have a much needed date with the laundry for the rest of the evening!
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I think I'm going to get dressed and take Flower for a walk. Perhaps if I have her walk rather than be in the stroller, I won't over do it. :) The outdoors and sunshine are calling our names! Oh maybe I'll take her to the playground we always pass on our walks. She begs to play but I always go out to exercise and that doesn't quite do it. She'll be so happy!
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I hope your day is lovely.
Peace.

Happy 30th Birthday Lisa!!

We couldn't let Lisa's 30th birthday go by without doing a surprise party! We remembered on Friday that her birthday was Sunday and got busy making plans. We were finding it difficult to make plans because we couldn't get a hold of John. We later discovered, after talking to Lisa's sister Rhonda, that John and Lisa went camping without the kids for their anniversary. How dare they go out of town without notifying us! ;) So we made all the plans with the hopes that Lisa didn't have anything going on. Then John got our messages on Sunday and informed us that Lisa had a softball game and there was no way she's bail on her team. John came through for us and contacted a gal on her team who then called Lisa and told her the game was canceled! :) Perfect. Everyone showed up at the clubhouse at 5:00 and Lisa showed up at 5:45 for what she thought was a Family Home Evening BBQ with just us. We all yelled surprise! It was fun and she had no idea which makes it that much better! We had a BBQ and went swimming and then played Quelf. Oh and KG and I had so much fun buying decorations for the party, everything that Lisa is not: Barbie! We had pink and purple balloons and a Barbie table cloth and banner. Plus we bought her a tiara and forced her to wear it throughout the party. She got a kick out of it and we all had lots of fun.
Erica and Madison.
Flower jumping to KG.
Isaac with his super rad goggles.
Isaac, Josh, Kyle.

Flower getting strapped in to Madison's floaty device.
It took her a few minutes to get the hang of keeping her feet under her so she wouldn't roll.
Flower jumping to KG. This time he let her go under.
KG finally took the birthday girl into the water.
Cliff was apparently quite the sight because everyone in the hot tub couldn't quit staring.

Flower learning to tread and use her arms to propel forward.
She finally made it to KG.
We love you Lisa and hope you had a great Birthday! :)

Sunday Chillaxing

KG is always telling Flower to chillax instead of relax or chill. Well that's what this Sunday has been about and it's awesome.
We didn't wake up till 9:30 and then I made us pancakes and eggs that we ate in bed. Flower watched Futurama which is one of her favorite cartoons.
We enjoyed church. Sacrament meeting had some irreverent laughter which I always enjoy. The three speakers were excellent as well. I got some super nice comments on my hair, the sweetest probably being from Jerry. :) We sloughed class, which isn't that unusual for Sunday School, but this time it was the second meeting as well. We chatted in the foyer through Sunday school with Kris just talking about her birthmother experiences. I love to hear people's stories in that area. I particularly enjoyed hanging out in the nursery with KG during Relief Society. We went in there to get Flower to go home but she wasn't happy about that so we got to know the teachers. They were so interesting. We learned that Jessica Walk is Korean and she was adopted by a New Jersey family when she was 6 and her biological brother was 3, so they were adopted together. I regret that I didn't ask her what the situation was with her biological parents that she was adopted at that age but I forgot. That gives me good reason to hang out in there next week. ;) Her husband, Jeff, wants to adopt really bad but she wants their first child to be biological if possible. She has had difficulty getting pregnant and they are now embarking on the endeavor of testing to see if there is a problem with either of them and what the next step should be. That's such a tough road! As we were all leaving she was telling Flower her name and this was the exchange: Jessica-"Flower, my name is Jessica." Flower-"NO!! You're Chinese Food!" What? Where on earth did that come from? We all had a good laugh. We also got to know Collin and Ciarinna. I'm probably totally botching her name but I asked her how to spell it and I'm pretty sure that's what she said. Anyway, she works for an adoption attorney and wants to take our profile to their office. They occasionally have birth mother's go directly to them to place their baby for adoption. They want to adopt as well and that seems to be their first choice. She just seems like such an intelligent person with a fresh, chill personality. We learned that they are strict vegetarians and have some hippie ways about them but they are running the Nader campaign in Idaho which is very conservative. They were just such an interesting mix of values. I would love to get together with both couples and they were so fun to get to know.
When we got home I made linner (lunch/dinner) while KG taught Flower how to make Popsicles. (By the way, this is all because of the Jacobs and the Sturgills. Apparently the Jacobs went to the Sturgills at some point during church and came back with Popsicles. When we were leaving Flower saw them eating theirs and was asking for a Popsicle all the way home.) :) This was a fun thing for them to do together and she can hardly wait to eat one. They should be frozen by the time she wakes up from her nap. Plus these are 100% fruit and veggie juice Popsicles so I can have some too! :)Flower is now napping and KG and I are each on our laptops in bed. :) I plan the rest of the evening to consist of watching tv/movies, reading, cuddling and eating Popsicles. Hmmm, maybe even a bubble bath.
Perfect.
Oh and I loved the Bucket List. I finished it last night and thought it was great. I loved seeing Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman together! Good team with a great storyline!

Happy 6th Birthday Kas!

We celebrated Kassidee's birthday last night with a big party at the clubhouse. It was set to be a pool party and all looked good when we arrived and it was 100* outside! Then, while eating our nacho bar, the clouds came rolling in, the wind roared and down came the rain. Everyone that was outside(not from our party-we were inside)bailed quickly! We waited it out while enjoying our food, watching Kas open her gifts and having cupcakes. Soon enough it was back to sunny and warm and the kids spent the rest of the night in the hot tub and pool.
Isn't this a cool cake? It's actually cupcakes frosted together to look like a cake.

Zach eating his nachos.


Lorelai and Amanda.Amanda's cute new haircut!
I love this photo!
Kas opening her gifts.

For a short while we had the pool and hot tub all to ourselves.
Lorelai was not having it and wanted nothing to do with the hot tub!
Annie enjoying the pool.
Cute little Royal.
As you can see, the weather didn't keep people away for long. Half the complex was back at the pool and they all wanted to be in the hot tub.
KG left the party early to go to the XFS Cage Fights at the Qwest Arena with Jared. We went once together and it was fun but too much 'crap' in between the fights. KG said it was so much better this time! He is on a four day weekend so I'm so happy that he was able to go do something fun!