2007-02-13 Michelle's update

February 12, 2007

Hi Everyone,

Katelyn is 3 today! She is such a big girl and so excited to be "a new number." She keeps telling me, "I will never be 2 again, mom." It makes me sad everytime she says it. I just remind her to enjoy 3 since she only has one year to be 3. It's a good reminder for me as well to enjoy 28. Katelyn is still an artist and got all arts and crafts for her birthday and is having an art party tomorrow night. She can't wait. Today we have already colored pictures of fish, cut many things, played play-doh, and glued stuff. I often find pictures glued to my walls. She is just so fun and so cute. Everyone loves Katelyn. She is full of joy and isn't afraid to show it. When she is excited about something her voice drops to a loud whisper and her face shakes while she talks. She follows me around telling me she loves me. She is so fun.

I had a fun birthday trip. Thanks for the phone calls on my birthday. I was impressed with Tarmy and Dad for reaching me and wishing me a happy birthday. I appreciated it:) Melanie and I skiied and sat in the hot tub and shopped at the outlets. It was a fast trip and fun. The girls loved seeing Aunt Melanie and Katelyn wanted Melanie to hold her, not me. Ashley was away from me for 2 nights and on the second night she had a breakdown and told Hans that she missed me because "I just love her too much." Very cute. They were excited to have me back. Justin was wary of me, as Melanie was there. I did successfully wean him while away, which proved more painful then I would have imagined, but he is now just bottle fed. It was bittersweet for me.

Today we are just getting back into our routine. We are going to the diner for Katelyn's birthday tonight and she has her friend Kaylee over to play. We rode bikes and played Zingo and lots of other games so it's been a fun day. I missed playing with the kids while I was gone.

Justin is pushing 11 months. Crazy stuff. He slept until 5 last night. He goes up the stairs whenever given the chance and then I panic when I can't find him and find him stuck in the laundry room playing with the vacuum. He loves the vacuum. He chases it around while I am actually vacuuming. It feels kind of dangerous for me. The girls were always terrified of it. He says mama, dada (it's more like daddy), more, and gong (which Hans thinks means hungry), Maybe so since he loves to sit in his highchair and eat. He can eat an entire peanut butter and jelly, two eggs, as much oatmeal as I eat, and probably more pancakes then I can. I'm wondering if this is how it's going to be or if he is just going through a growth spurt. He's not really that big. I didn't take him in for a 9 month well-baby so I need to for his 1 year. Poor guy will probably get lots of shots.

I hope everyone has a happy valentines day and that Paula and Rennald have a happy anniversary. We're thinking of you.

Love, Michelle

2007-02-10 Mindy's update

Sarah is cuter than ever. If I play the piano she will stevie wonder through the whole song. She has "so big" down and loves it. She loves the slide at the playground and is cruising really well. She had a rough two weeks with a cold and ear infections but seems to be on the mend.

Will has learned to snap. So now I get snapped at and have to jump to attention. "Mom, I snapped my fingers so you have to come here now." He has takent to game cube and would play for hours if he had a nicer mother. He has made a few friends in our neighborhood and has been enjoying playdates. Our yard is thawed out to complete mud which is pretty fun too. Our three year old can now go to sleep in his own bed by himself and stay there all night. About time. Took some bribes but it was well worth it.

Abby lost two more teeth. That puts her ahead of Jonathan. Her teacher had all good things to say about how well she was doing in school. Her piano is coming along well too. She is becoming a great skiier and enjoyed a day at Sundance with Coray yesterday.

Jonathan had a great birthday with too many friends at his party. His soccer team is undefeated (or undefeatable as he says). But his basketball team needs a little work. They are all beginners and still working on the basics. He is a natural athlete and is getting the hang of it though.

Our car accident wasn't a big deal. I was driving abby to dance and was rear ended. Our car is banged up but everyone is okay. We will fix it this week.

We look forward to getting our landscaping in and general settling in now that it has been over three months.

Love you guys,
Mindy

World of Islam

I read and enjoyed this book.

"In Islam's anguished heartland, some fear, lie the bitter seeds of global conflict."

The world of Islam / edited by Don Belt.
Washington, D.C. : National Geographic Society ; 2001.
Call #: 909.097 Wor

ISBN: 0792268946 (pbk.)

Subject: Islam -- History.
Islamic countries -- Civilization.

Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying

Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying
(from the NY Times)

Relationship experts report that too many couples fail to ask each other critical questions before marrying. Here are a few key ones that couples should consider asking:

1) Have we discussed whether or not to have children, and if the answer is yes, who is going to be the primary care giver?

2) Do we have a clear idea of each other’s financial obligations and goals, and do our ideas about spending and saving mesh?

3) Have we discussed our expectations for how the household will be maintained, and are we in agreement on who will manage the chores?

4) Have we fully disclosed our health histories, both physical and mental?

5) Is my partner affectionate to the degree that I expect?

6) Can we comfortably and openly discuss our sexual needs, preferences and fears?

7) Will there be a television in the bedroom?

8) Do we truly listen to each other and fairly consider one another’s ideas and complaints?

9) Have we reached a clear understanding of each other’s spiritual beliefs and needs, and have we discussed when and how our children will be exposed to religious/moral education?

10) Do we like and respect each other’s friends?

11) Do we value and respect each other’s parents, and is either of us concerned about whether the parents will interfere with the relationship?

12) What does my family do that annoys you?

13) Are there some things that you and I are NOT prepared to give up in the marriage?

14) If one of us were to be offered a career opportunity in a location far from the other’s family, are we prepared to move?

15) Does each of us feel fully confident in the other’s commitment to the marriage and believe that the bond can survive whatever challenges we may face?

2007-02-05 Natalie's update

Hello All,

So first things first, GO COLTS!! It has been crazy with the Superbowl
frenzie, you would think that with all the news coverage, the event took
place in Indianapolis. IT is lots of fun to see the excitement EVERYWHERE
we go. As you know, Brian and I aren't huge football fans. We'll watch an
occasional game. But with the Colts success, we've been more into the
games. Elsa and Ava had blue and white day last Thursday at preschool. I
didn't have any royal blue, which is shameful considering it is also BYU's
colors. I did find some ribbon that was royal blue with white polka dots.
It was enough for Elsa to tie bows in her hair, I thought. I got to
preschool to find all the kids dressed in Colts cheerleader uniforms or
football jerseys. At the least, they were wearing blue shirts. Friday
afternoon, we decorated sugar cookies with one of Elsa's preschool friends.
Her mother, Suzin, is a professional cookie and cake decorator. It was lots
of fun and the girls loved it. We actually painted the frosting onto the
cookies. Elsa did a good job with the pastry bag accenting her cookie
decorations. I was impressed. I attached a picture to show you our
afternoon creation. They tasted good too!

We are surviving the extremely cold temperature here. I guess it was our
turn to have dry cold weather. Unfortunately, it has come at a time when we
are in the middle of potty-training, which means frequent, very frequent,
hand washing. Poor little Ava's hands are chapped, cracked, and bleeding.
I try putting lotion on them, but that stings her hands. Elsa has chapped
lips and gets frequent bloody noses. We now have a humidifer running
non-stop. It doesn't seem to be helping too much. It is interesting to see
the impact of the weather on the inside of our house. Our moulding has
cracks in the edges. The humidity makes it swell in the summer so you don't
notice it. Interesting, don't you think? Maybe I am just a bored housewife
to notice these kind of things. We are definitely feeling homebound. Today
especially. The schools were either cancelled or given a two-hour delay.
They (meaning the schoolboard and city officials) claim that it is due to
the extreme weather. I, however, know it is because everyone has hangovers
from partying so hard during the superbowl. Anyway, speech therapy and
playgroups were cancelled so we really have no reason to go out. Maybe I am
a party pooper, but even the thought of going out for my birthday seems like
too much work. Am I really that old? Don't answer.

I introduced our new enrichment program yesterday. I got a pretty good
response, so that is something to look forward to. I now need to start
organizing groups. I am looking forward to a successful year. I enjoy
being in Relief Society, more than I thought. I first thought that I would
miss being in primary. I substituted last week with just half the number of
kids from my class that I taught last year. Still, by the end of class Zach
Richards was on the bottom of the dog pile with James Gerstner, Wyatt
Anderson, and Cathy Davis piled on top. Each was pulling the cheeks of the
person below them. It was total chaos, and our room was right across the RS
room where all their mothers were listening quietly to a nice lesson. I no
longer miss primary(well sort of). The Elders Quorum took over for the
Young Women and Primary so all the women could attend the Enrichment
kick-off. Elsa loved having Brian in primary playing the piano. He says it
is his dream calling. It would be my worst nightmare, but that is because I
don't play the piano!

We are looking forward to warmer weather, which seems so far from right now.
But life is good. The girls are doing great! Ava is slow, more than slow,
in really embracing the joy of being potty-trained. We have at least one
"accident" a day, usually pooping in her underwear. (Maybe too much
information.) I get frustrated. I feel like I can't quit because I've
invested the last three weeks in potty-training. We stay home as much as
possible. When we are out, we frequent the disgusting public restrooms. It
is a battle to keep the girls from touching every germ infested part of the
toilets and other contraptions in women's restrooms. Ugh. Or more like
YUCK!

I am grateful for my darling girls. They keep me happy, enthused, and busy.
What would I do without them? I hope you're all doing well. Thanks for all
the phone calls and birthday wishes. Family is the best. Brian just
surprised me by coming home a couple hours early. So we'll go out to dinner
afterall. We are heading out. We love you.

Love,
Natalie

2007-02-04 Michelle's update

February 4, 2007

Hi Everyone,

Things here are going well. Everyone has been healthy this week. It's been so wonderful. Justin is over the intestinal virus and has been eating like crazy to make up for it. This morning he ate half a bowl of my kind of oatmeal and an egg. And he slept 10 hours straight last night for the first time in his life. I'm so excited. He slept from 8-6. It we hadn't been awake with Katelyn in the night it would have been awesome. We're holding out hope that eventually everyone will sleep all night long. I don't think my body will know how to function sleeping 6 hours straight. Justin likes to say "gong gong gong" over and over. He always says it in threes. It's interesting. He also loves the bottle now and kicks and gets really excited when he sees one. He is still nursing but only 3-4 times a day now. It's liberating. He takes 3 bottles a day as well.

The girls are happy. They both are great bike riders as they've been practicing in the basement. Katelyn picked it up quickly.

Hans has been busy fixing the radon problem in the basement, installing an in-home humidifier (which I LOVE), and buying power tools and wood to make us a TV stand and do crown moulding. I'm grateful he's so handy.

We have a busy week coming up with doing Katelyn's birthday party and Ashley gets to celebrate her half-birthday in pre-school this week. We are getting our treats ready and valentines for the party at her school. It's all very exciting. The girls love stuff like this.

Hope all is well there,

Michelle

2007-02-04 Melanie's update

Hi. We had a busy and fun week here. We got to have Joy School at our house and learn about making good decisions, which is a good review for me. Jeff also mastered his fear of heights and spent the weekend painting our 20 foot walls. It is very nice to have it done.

The kids are doing well. Anna is still sick 3 weeks later, so that is annoying for all involved. She did use her first sentence on Saturday--she said, "mama, hungry-me, want snack." Very cute. She likes to push bar stools over to the pantry and fish around for what she wants. She really likes to climb. She also sets the table for me and helps me unload the dishwasher. She loves our plastic plates and yells "green" when she is setting the table, since that is the color Andrew and Elizabeth fight over. Andrew's favorite color is green and Elizabeth naturally wants that color just to bug Andrew.

I took no pictures of Elizabeth this last week, which is a shame because she is so cute. We went to the Aerospace museum on Saturday and she picked her favorite jet and told me that she wants to fly it when she gets a lot older, "like maybe when I'm seven, mom." And on Monday when we were at the doctor, she told me that she would like to be the mommy when "I get at as old as you mom, like 13." We're hoping she waits longer.

Andrew refused to go to preschool on Friday because he "hates coloring and cutting." He has been using the word hate all week and I've been doing my best not to draw any attention to it. I'm hoping the phase will pass. Andrew tells me that Miss Angela tells him he needs to do lots of cutting to practice for kindergarten, but he doesn't enjoy it much. But he can use them fine. I don't get it, but I didn't make him go to preschool so he stayed home and built forts for his pet dog Droozy. I'm hoping he will go this morning.

We hope you are doing well.
Love, Melanie