Sophie and Ian participated in a six-week enrichment program at school. At the end of the program, the kids designed campaign posters, political brochures and gave public speeches as if they were running for president of the United States. I wanted to record the things they wrote in the political brochures to save these words forever.
(Sophie)
If elected I will . . .
*Stop inappropriate use of guns
*Make second hand smoke disappear
*Make gas prices lower
"You should have the right person for the USA. You deserve better. I can do that!"
"Have a better life in the YoUSA. All people are created equal so I say LET FREEDOM RING!"
I can do anything, for example . . .
*I read a 734 page book in 5 days.
*I hiked higher than the Empire State Building
*I'm running for president
"I'm right for you!"
(Ian)
My Plan for America . . .
*Get out of national debt
*No more crime
*Taxes lowered
*Economy raised
*No more wildfires
*No more drugs
*No more homelessness
*Fuel prices lowered
My achievements . . .
*9 point krypto challenge (at the math olympiad)
*7.3 foot long jump
*Ran 2 5Ks
*Voted on class council
*Nominated for class mayor (edited to add - he was elected class mayor this month!)
*All of my grades are A+
Where I've been in the U.S.A
Ogden
San Diego
Las Vegas
Kennecott Copper Mine
Death Valley
Denver, Colorado
Boise, Idaho
St. George
Brigham City
Corner of Arizona
Through Wyoming
Issues of our country that I will fix . . .
*National debt
*Fuel prices
*Drugs
*Crime
*Nature
*Homelessness
*Taxes
*Economy
*Wildfires
Then Isaac brought home an assignment from school yesterday that said, "If I were president I would make everyone have $1,000,000."
Sounds pretty good, right?
Friday, December 7, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
"Oh No. Not the CDA!"
I have good news! Yesterday, I officially completed the 120 hours of classroom training needed to obtain my CDA. Brian always teases me with a reference to Monsters Inc. ("Halt! This is the Child Detection Agency! . . . Oh no. Not those guys . . .).
No, it's not that. It's my Child Development Associate. Now that I have put in the classroom time, I am working on a resource binder. It is about halfway complete. Once that is done, I will be 90% finished with the requirements. I will have a formal observation while working with kids, take a test and survey the parents I work for. But, those things will take a lot less time than the classes and the binder.
This is an extra credential you can get if you are a child care provider and I figured since I am licensed now, why not? Well, and there is a cash incentive. Once I get my CDA, I am going to cram in another 80 hours of classroom time so I can get another credential and a (bigger) cash bonus when I renew my license in May.
Some of the classes are kind of fun and yesterday I met a really cool lady who has been doing licensed child care in her home for 30-years. I could tell from talking to her that she runs a top notch program with daily art projects and a preschool program. She gave me lots of good ideas. And, I was encouraged by the rates she charges too (right here in Ogden!). She is pulling in some cash, but she is working hard for it and is open for longer hours than I am. It was encouraging because it gave me a vision of what my program can grow into with time and as my own kids get older.
I also got excited because she told me how to open a retirement account. I've always thought that was one of the greatest drawbacks to being self-employed -- no retirement. But, I didn't realize I could do it all on my own. Of course, when I told Brian this, he said he knew that all along. So, maybe I am the only person who didn't realize this?
Anyways, in other news, Isaac gave me a scare last night. He came home from school on Friday with a hoarse voice and barking cough. By bedtime he had a fever. When he was still coughing and feverish yesterday, we had to make some adjustments to our plans.
Brian's sister and her husband and five kids came in town for the holiday and were planning to spend Saturday night with us. In addition, we were hosting Sunday dinner for all of Brian's siblings and their families. I was pretty excited for these plans, but we didn't want to expose everyone to Isaac's sickness, so, to our disappointment, the cousins had to make a new plan for where to sleep Saturday night and the family party was moved to another sibling's house.
We were also planning to take the whole family (along with our out of town guests) to a concert in Logan Saturday night -- to see another one of Brian's sisters perform. Brian decided to take Sophie and Ian to the concert while I stayed home with Isaac and Katie. Around 6 p.m., I checked Isaac's fever and discovered it had spiked, so I got him up off his resting place on the couch to see if he could eat a sandwich and take some ibuprofen. Before we got to the sandwich, he had a coughing fit and was having a very hard time breathing. It was so scary! He was obviously struggling a great deal to take in breaths and looking desperately into my eyes squeaking out the words, "My breather isn't working."
It was, of course, croup, an illness that (thankfully) I don't have much experience with. I knew it was croup, but I also didn't know how severe his breathing was restricted, so I got a little panicked. I picked up the phone not sure if I should call the after hours doctor or 911, so, of course, I called my mom. She calmly told me to take him into the bathroom and run the shower. That reminded me that croup also responds to cold outdoor air. So, I bundled him in a blanket and sat him on a stool outside while I got the bathroom all steamy. After he sat outside for 10 minutes and in the bathroom for 15 more, he was breathing well enough for me to look up the urgent care clinic hours. They were open until 8 p.m. (hooray!) no emergency room visit needed.
I loaded up Katie and Isaac and a couple of PB&J sandwiches and we headed to the clinic. Illness almost never gets my Isaac down. He is a man of steel. But, I could tell he was pretty sick by the way he lay listlessly on the exam table (not at all like the way he usually explores every inch of the room and gets into everything when I take him to the doctor). He was still having such a hard time breathing that all of the nurses would say, "What are we seeing you for?" One look at Isaac and then, "Oh, never mind."
They did a strep culture just to be sure he didn't have that too (and they did it so deep and for so long it made him throw up), gave him some steroids and sent us on our way. By 9 p.m., we were back at home and he was sleeping soundly with much better breathing. I kept him in my room all night just to be sure. Today, he seems almost completely better, but I'm keeping him calm and resting so we don't have a relapse. Whew! I'm so grateful he is O.K.
No, it's not that. It's my Child Development Associate. Now that I have put in the classroom time, I am working on a resource binder. It is about halfway complete. Once that is done, I will be 90% finished with the requirements. I will have a formal observation while working with kids, take a test and survey the parents I work for. But, those things will take a lot less time than the classes and the binder.
This is an extra credential you can get if you are a child care provider and I figured since I am licensed now, why not? Well, and there is a cash incentive. Once I get my CDA, I am going to cram in another 80 hours of classroom time so I can get another credential and a (bigger) cash bonus when I renew my license in May.
Some of the classes are kind of fun and yesterday I met a really cool lady who has been doing licensed child care in her home for 30-years. I could tell from talking to her that she runs a top notch program with daily art projects and a preschool program. She gave me lots of good ideas. And, I was encouraged by the rates she charges too (right here in Ogden!). She is pulling in some cash, but she is working hard for it and is open for longer hours than I am. It was encouraging because it gave me a vision of what my program can grow into with time and as my own kids get older.
I also got excited because she told me how to open a retirement account. I've always thought that was one of the greatest drawbacks to being self-employed -- no retirement. But, I didn't realize I could do it all on my own. Of course, when I told Brian this, he said he knew that all along. So, maybe I am the only person who didn't realize this?
Anyways, in other news, Isaac gave me a scare last night. He came home from school on Friday with a hoarse voice and barking cough. By bedtime he had a fever. When he was still coughing and feverish yesterday, we had to make some adjustments to our plans.
Brian's sister and her husband and five kids came in town for the holiday and were planning to spend Saturday night with us. In addition, we were hosting Sunday dinner for all of Brian's siblings and their families. I was pretty excited for these plans, but we didn't want to expose everyone to Isaac's sickness, so, to our disappointment, the cousins had to make a new plan for where to sleep Saturday night and the family party was moved to another sibling's house.
We were also planning to take the whole family (along with our out of town guests) to a concert in Logan Saturday night -- to see another one of Brian's sisters perform. Brian decided to take Sophie and Ian to the concert while I stayed home with Isaac and Katie. Around 6 p.m., I checked Isaac's fever and discovered it had spiked, so I got him up off his resting place on the couch to see if he could eat a sandwich and take some ibuprofen. Before we got to the sandwich, he had a coughing fit and was having a very hard time breathing. It was so scary! He was obviously struggling a great deal to take in breaths and looking desperately into my eyes squeaking out the words, "My breather isn't working."
It was, of course, croup, an illness that (thankfully) I don't have much experience with. I knew it was croup, but I also didn't know how severe his breathing was restricted, so I got a little panicked. I picked up the phone not sure if I should call the after hours doctor or 911, so, of course, I called my mom. She calmly told me to take him into the bathroom and run the shower. That reminded me that croup also responds to cold outdoor air. So, I bundled him in a blanket and sat him on a stool outside while I got the bathroom all steamy. After he sat outside for 10 minutes and in the bathroom for 15 more, he was breathing well enough for me to look up the urgent care clinic hours. They were open until 8 p.m. (hooray!) no emergency room visit needed.
I loaded up Katie and Isaac and a couple of PB&J sandwiches and we headed to the clinic. Illness almost never gets my Isaac down. He is a man of steel. But, I could tell he was pretty sick by the way he lay listlessly on the exam table (not at all like the way he usually explores every inch of the room and gets into everything when I take him to the doctor). He was still having such a hard time breathing that all of the nurses would say, "What are we seeing you for?" One look at Isaac and then, "Oh, never mind."
They did a strep culture just to be sure he didn't have that too (and they did it so deep and for so long it made him throw up), gave him some steroids and sent us on our way. By 9 p.m., we were back at home and he was sleeping soundly with much better breathing. I kept him in my room all night just to be sure. Today, he seems almost completely better, but I'm keeping him calm and resting so we don't have a relapse. Whew! I'm so grateful he is O.K.
Monday, November 12, 2012
This Makes Me Smile
A few months ago, I posted about my fears associated with running a full time child care from my home. Today, I want to say that, even though it has its ups and downs like any job, it's mostly been great.
There are lots of things that make it that way -- getting to still be with Katie all day is at the top of the list. My decision to become licensed was a good one despite the many hoops to jump through.
I've been taking lots of child development classes at Weber State University since May. They have a lot of good ideas and help me have a clearer focus and feel more of a sense of purpose in what I am doing.
Here is a story that makes me happy.
I started watching one of my babies when he was just 2-weeks old. That is the youngest baby I've ever spent so much time with (other than my own). When he was about 3 months old, I asked my mom to come to my house and help me one afternoon. It was Katie's 3rd Birthday and I wanted her to hold the baby while I got some things done for her party.
My mom held him, but she said, "I think he wants you." I said, "No way, he is too young to express a preference for me over you." But, it soon became clear that he was only happy if she was holding him where he could see me. That is the way my own babies were -- knowing who I was and wanting me over someone else even at a young age. But, that was the first time I realized that someone else's baby felt that way about me. It really touched me.
Now that baby is 8 1/2 months old and still as sweet as can be! I began watching another baby when school started. She will be 1 next month. I love watching them crawl around like little partners in crime. They always keep me in their sights. Again I was reminded of the bond we have when, the other day, one of the other kids needed a bandaid. I walked down the hall quickly to grab one and both babies came speed crawling right behind me.
I feel very blessed to get to watch kids who are so sweet. They make me smile.
There are lots of things that make it that way -- getting to still be with Katie all day is at the top of the list. My decision to become licensed was a good one despite the many hoops to jump through.
I've been taking lots of child development classes at Weber State University since May. They have a lot of good ideas and help me have a clearer focus and feel more of a sense of purpose in what I am doing.
Here is a story that makes me happy.
I started watching one of my babies when he was just 2-weeks old. That is the youngest baby I've ever spent so much time with (other than my own). When he was about 3 months old, I asked my mom to come to my house and help me one afternoon. It was Katie's 3rd Birthday and I wanted her to hold the baby while I got some things done for her party.
My mom held him, but she said, "I think he wants you." I said, "No way, he is too young to express a preference for me over you." But, it soon became clear that he was only happy if she was holding him where he could see me. That is the way my own babies were -- knowing who I was and wanting me over someone else even at a young age. But, that was the first time I realized that someone else's baby felt that way about me. It really touched me.
Now that baby is 8 1/2 months old and still as sweet as can be! I began watching another baby when school started. She will be 1 next month. I love watching them crawl around like little partners in crime. They always keep me in their sights. Again I was reminded of the bond we have when, the other day, one of the other kids needed a bandaid. I walked down the hall quickly to grab one and both babies came speed crawling right behind me.
I feel very blessed to get to watch kids who are so sweet. They make me smile.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
I Love: Snowmen in my Yard
I love magical snowstorms. When the kids were little, starting from the first year Sophie could walk, I made it a point to take the kids outside and build a snowman when we got our first good snowstorm of the year. I love driving through the neighborhood after a storm and seeing all those creatively crafted guys staring out at the street.
I did this every year until Isaac was 3 or 4. Truth be told, I am a fair weather kind of gal and I don't relish getting all bundled up in my snow gear and romping around the yard. O.K. Truth be told, I actually do enjoy building snowmen with the kids, I just have a hard time talking myself into it because I don't like being cold.
My point is, I was kind of hoping that it would catch on and that one day, they would build their own snowmen.
This year, Isaac carried out the tradition unprompted and unassisted.
We had a magical snowstorm a few weeks ago. We had been having a lovely, mild fall when suddenly we were hit with a good accumulation of snow. It wasn't huge, but when it was done we had a good 4 or so inches standing on our front lawn. Isaac and his friend Jordan came home from school and before they even came inside they had built two beautiful snowmen together complete with stick arms, goofy faces, and one of them even had a narrow board for a tie. Cute. Cute. Cute.
I was so happy and I even snapped pictures.
This storm melted away as suddenly as came. In fact, the boys were out building the snowmen wearing snowpants, boots, short sleeve shirts and gloves. It was a sight! All of that snow and 60-degree sunshine beaming down on them as they worked.
Then we had the most beautiful fall weather I can imagine for a few more weeks. The warmest Halloween ever! I think we had a high of at least 70-degrees. The fall leaves were so pretty. I love living in an old neighborhood where the streets are all lined with ancient trees. It feels like a fairy tale.
On Thursday, as I drove around, the wind swirled the leaves around me like snow globe. And, then Friday, the snow came. And came, and came, and came. It snowed all day until, when I left my house at 6 p.m. to take Sophie and Ian and meet my mom for a production of "Footloose," there was at least 4 or more inches.
School got out early on Friday, and all of my kids had their friends over to play. I had the day off from babysitting since one of the kids I watch had a fever, yet I still ended up with 9 kids at my house for the afternoon. It is so wonderful that they all have such nice friends.
Isaac and his friend Birdie built another snowman and then spent hours making dams out of snow in the gutter. I love that Birdie. She likes to catch bugs too. Isaac's kind of girl!
The real surprise came when we woke up Saturday morning to at least a 12-inch accumulation! I love storms that dump.
I had a class at Weber State until 3 p.m., and Brian took the kids with him to Salt Lake to shoot an assignment for the newspaper. His second assignment got canceled and he took them all to IHOP. I was sooooooo grateful that he had them instead of having to leave them with a babysitter all day. Not that sitters are bad, but don't you think an outing to IHOP with your dad is the bomb?
When we all got home that afternoon, Isaac was immediately back in his snow clothes -- making snow angels and sledding down our front lawn. A truck parked in front of our house and I watched him repeatedly slide down and bump into the tire over and over. Sometimes he just lay in the sled gazing up at the sky. He looked like a man in paradise.
I was inside busily whipping up a cinnamon (with no nuts) cake and getting ready for Ian's big birthday party. He is turning 10 this week.
I did this every year until Isaac was 3 or 4. Truth be told, I am a fair weather kind of gal and I don't relish getting all bundled up in my snow gear and romping around the yard. O.K. Truth be told, I actually do enjoy building snowmen with the kids, I just have a hard time talking myself into it because I don't like being cold.
My point is, I was kind of hoping that it would catch on and that one day, they would build their own snowmen.
This year, Isaac carried out the tradition unprompted and unassisted.
We had a magical snowstorm a few weeks ago. We had been having a lovely, mild fall when suddenly we were hit with a good accumulation of snow. It wasn't huge, but when it was done we had a good 4 or so inches standing on our front lawn. Isaac and his friend Jordan came home from school and before they even came inside they had built two beautiful snowmen together complete with stick arms, goofy faces, and one of them even had a narrow board for a tie. Cute. Cute. Cute.
I was so happy and I even snapped pictures.
This storm melted away as suddenly as came. In fact, the boys were out building the snowmen wearing snowpants, boots, short sleeve shirts and gloves. It was a sight! All of that snow and 60-degree sunshine beaming down on them as they worked.
Then we had the most beautiful fall weather I can imagine for a few more weeks. The warmest Halloween ever! I think we had a high of at least 70-degrees. The fall leaves were so pretty. I love living in an old neighborhood where the streets are all lined with ancient trees. It feels like a fairy tale.
On Thursday, as I drove around, the wind swirled the leaves around me like snow globe. And, then Friday, the snow came. And came, and came, and came. It snowed all day until, when I left my house at 6 p.m. to take Sophie and Ian and meet my mom for a production of "Footloose," there was at least 4 or more inches.
School got out early on Friday, and all of my kids had their friends over to play. I had the day off from babysitting since one of the kids I watch had a fever, yet I still ended up with 9 kids at my house for the afternoon. It is so wonderful that they all have such nice friends.
Isaac and his friend Birdie built another snowman and then spent hours making dams out of snow in the gutter. I love that Birdie. She likes to catch bugs too. Isaac's kind of girl!
The real surprise came when we woke up Saturday morning to at least a 12-inch accumulation! I love storms that dump.
I had a class at Weber State until 3 p.m., and Brian took the kids with him to Salt Lake to shoot an assignment for the newspaper. His second assignment got canceled and he took them all to IHOP. I was sooooooo grateful that he had them instead of having to leave them with a babysitter all day. Not that sitters are bad, but don't you think an outing to IHOP with your dad is the bomb?
When we all got home that afternoon, Isaac was immediately back in his snow clothes -- making snow angels and sledding down our front lawn. A truck parked in front of our house and I watched him repeatedly slide down and bump into the tire over and over. Sometimes he just lay in the sled gazing up at the sky. He looked like a man in paradise.
I was inside busily whipping up a cinnamon (with no nuts) cake and getting ready for Ian's big birthday party. He is turning 10 this week.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Halloween 2012
Ian exclaimed upon arriving home from hours of trick-or-treating, "This is the most candy we've ever gotten!" Which is what the kids think every year. So, yay for success in their minds.
Sophie was Harry Potter's wizard friend Hermione. I read the first three books with the kids over the summer and Sophie has finished 4, 5 and 6 on her own.
Ian was General Grievous from Star Wars Episode III. Last year he was Luke Skywalker.
Isaac was the Transformer Bumblebee.
Katie chose a horse costume from the costume box (with straps so it looks like she is riding a horse). It was perfect with Isaac's old Sheriff Woody shirt and vest. She wore that a few times and then discovered Ian's old monkey costume. She was a monkey from then on. A cute monkey too.
Brian was Lucha Libre (he looked awesome), and I borrowed a pirate costume from my sister for one party. I was suppose to come up with a cool costume to go with Lucha Libre for a couples costume party, but I guess I was too busy putting the kids' costumes together and planning their school parties and one hour before the party I realized I dropped the ball on getting my own costume together and ended up going in my pink bunny pajamas. We were almost the only couple that didn't match. I had a bunch of great ideas after the fact. I could have been his agent! Oh, well.
On Halloween, I saw one of my friends in a super sassy pirate costume which was actually this -- nice khaki pants, a darling silky blouse, a way fun leather vest and boots like I have been wanting forever. I decided that next year I need to buy my own pirate costume.
And, it will definitely need those boots.
Brian will need one of those Jack Sparrow hats from Disneyland with the fake dreadlocks too.
The kids ate a ton of candy at school and from their trick-or-treating bags on Halloween. The next day, we began to examine their loot. Sophie decided to trade about 75% of her candy for Taylor Swift's new "Red" album. Isaac decided to do the same for a new Star Wars lego set -- but, only after clarifying that the legos had to come from the Sweet Tooth Fairy (which, I guess is something he has heard about from friends at school - where a magical fairy comes and takes your candy away in exchange for a cool toy).
Ian decided that he wanted to keep all of his candy. Katie hasn't seemed to notice that her candy stash significantly decreased while she was sleeping. She is addicted to C-A-N-D-Y!!! That is all she wants now. She is so cute how she pulls out each new treat and says, "What is this one?" before she gobbles it down.
We also carved Jack-o-Lanterns as a family and roasted the seeds. It turns out that Isaac shares my love for this treat and Sophie enjoys pulling out the pumpkin guts while Ian hates putting his hands in the sticky dark pumpkins (just like me!). Sophie got ambitious and tried to carve Tinkerbell's face into her pumpkin. I was proud of her for trying.
Halloween = Good times!
Sophie was Harry Potter's wizard friend Hermione. I read the first three books with the kids over the summer and Sophie has finished 4, 5 and 6 on her own.
Ian was General Grievous from Star Wars Episode III. Last year he was Luke Skywalker.
Isaac was the Transformer Bumblebee.
Katie chose a horse costume from the costume box (with straps so it looks like she is riding a horse). It was perfect with Isaac's old Sheriff Woody shirt and vest. She wore that a few times and then discovered Ian's old monkey costume. She was a monkey from then on. A cute monkey too.
Brian was Lucha Libre (he looked awesome), and I borrowed a pirate costume from my sister for one party. I was suppose to come up with a cool costume to go with Lucha Libre for a couples costume party, but I guess I was too busy putting the kids' costumes together and planning their school parties and one hour before the party I realized I dropped the ball on getting my own costume together and ended up going in my pink bunny pajamas. We were almost the only couple that didn't match. I had a bunch of great ideas after the fact. I could have been his agent! Oh, well.
On Halloween, I saw one of my friends in a super sassy pirate costume which was actually this -- nice khaki pants, a darling silky blouse, a way fun leather vest and boots like I have been wanting forever. I decided that next year I need to buy my own pirate costume.
And, it will definitely need those boots.
Brian will need one of those Jack Sparrow hats from Disneyland with the fake dreadlocks too.
The kids ate a ton of candy at school and from their trick-or-treating bags on Halloween. The next day, we began to examine their loot. Sophie decided to trade about 75% of her candy for Taylor Swift's new "Red" album. Isaac decided to do the same for a new Star Wars lego set -- but, only after clarifying that the legos had to come from the Sweet Tooth Fairy (which, I guess is something he has heard about from friends at school - where a magical fairy comes and takes your candy away in exchange for a cool toy).
Ian decided that he wanted to keep all of his candy. Katie hasn't seemed to notice that her candy stash significantly decreased while she was sleeping. She is addicted to C-A-N-D-Y!!! That is all she wants now. She is so cute how she pulls out each new treat and says, "What is this one?" before she gobbles it down.
We also carved Jack-o-Lanterns as a family and roasted the seeds. It turns out that Isaac shares my love for this treat and Sophie enjoys pulling out the pumpkin guts while Ian hates putting his hands in the sticky dark pumpkins (just like me!). Sophie got ambitious and tried to carve Tinkerbell's face into her pumpkin. I was proud of her for trying.
Halloween = Good times!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Family Pet
This is the story of how we came to have a rabbit for our family pet.
We can't have a dog. Brian is allergic to dogs. And, before you say, "I am allergic to dogs too, but I still have a dog" -- I must add that he is deathly allergic. Not just in an itchy eyes and throat sort of way, but in a closed off windpipe sort of way. So, we can't have a dog.
We also can't have a cat. I personally wouldn't mind an outdoor mouser, but Brian doesn't care for the company of felines and has firmly put his foot down.
Fish? Meh.
Bird? Maybe.
Hamster?
Here is a story about a hamster.
When we were living in China, Ian celebrated his 4th Birthday. A friend gave him a pet hamster, complete with cage and all, for his gift. Brian and I were a little unsure at first, but what could we do?
We named the little guy Joey and he turned out to be one of the best things about our days in China. The kids would get him out and play with him for hours. He was friendly and cute. We had a large, shallow, cardboard box and the kids would build playlands out of duplo legos for him to climb around on. Joey was the perfect family pet.
Unfortunately, airline restrictions made it too complicated for us to bring Joey back to America. So, we found him a nice home to stay at in China.
We moved back into our house in the summer of 2007 and it seemed obvious to me that a hamster was the perfect family pet. So, I ran right out to the pet store, bought a fancy cage, and picked out what seemed like a nice hamster.
I was wrong. He needed an exorcism. He bit (and drew blood from) the first hand that tried to play with him. He went straight back to the store. They accepted him back and refunded my money, but sadly they told me that most hamsters from pet stores are mean like that because they can't be sold until they are older and they miss an important window when they could become socialized like Joey was.
I meant to shop around for someone who sold hamsters from their home, but I never got around to it. Eventually the hamster cage was given away and here we were, five years later in the summer of 2012 still thinking about what our perfect family pet would be.
Ian said "bearded dragon." But, I'm sorry, I just don't do reptile care. Not that I have anything against them. I'm just inexperienced in that department.
In fact, about the only pet department I am experienced in is rabbit. When I was twelve-years-old my grandparents sent me $15 for my birthday and I took the money to the pet store and bought a gorgeous, tan, lop-eared rabbit named Christopher. He lived on an enclosed deck right outside my bedroom (on the second floor). It was the perfect arrangement and I loved that bunny. He wasn't very tame and never let me carry him. But, I loved to pet him and watch him hop around. He lived for about 10 years and died after I had moved away to college.
I have been convinced for a long time that a bunny would be our perfect family pet, and Sophie became obsessed with the idea a little over a year ago. But, we put it off because, first, Brian was not convinced, then, we were in the middle of moving to a new house. After we got to the new house, we had no yard (and, Brian was not convinced) . . . you know how these things can get put off.
Right after we moved to this house, someone offered me a free rabbit hutch and I hauled it home. It has been sitting there empty, just waiting for a rabbit to move in, and I have been waiting for the right opportunity -- which came to us when we went to the State Fair last month.
At the fair, I love to take the kids through the different barns to look at all of the animals. When we got to the barn that houses the rabbits, I noticed that several of them were for sale. There were exotic ones and purebreds, giant rabbits and tiny dwarfs, and all different colors with long ears or short, lop ears or tall, fuzzy hair and sleek -- so many different rabbits.
It just so happened that one of the ladies who was sitting with the rabbits while we were there was selling a tan bunny that she had purchased one year ago when he was a baby, thinking he was a lion head, but later discovered that she was wrong. He was a mixed breed and she keeps show rabbits, so he had to go. He was cute and friendly and neutered and best of all, he was only $10. He wasn't what Sophie had envisioned -- she wanted a black and white baby -- but, after some convincing she agreed to make him ours.
So, we brought our new rabbit home and changed his name from Nugget to Caramel. We set him up in the hutch right outside our kitchen window, gave him some food and water, and wallah! We were pet owners.
Over the next few weeks, we brought him inside to hop around about once a day and I even bought him a tiny harness and leash so Sophie could let him hop around in the grass in the front yard. He was so calm about being held. My childhood bunny would have torn my arms to shreds if I had tried to carry him around the way the kids carried Caramel around.
Then, one day, we had to move the hutch a little ways away from the kitchen window and I couldn't see Caramel every day when I worked on my computer. Then, we turned the hutch so that Brian could back a load of gravel into the yard to get ready for phase two of our patio. I felt guilty because I had to actually walk outside to see Caramel and make sure he was doing alright, but I didn't do anything about it right away.
A couple of days after that happened, Isaac went out to play on the Thursday morning of UEA weekend and came back in to announce, "Our bunny is gone."
I went outside to inspect and found that the bottom of the cage had given way and fallen out, probably sometime during the night. The cage was old and I guess we hadn't realized that it was close to falling apart like that.
The kids, their friends, and I searched the yard thoroughly. We searched the next door neighbor's yard. We looked up and down the street. We sent out an alert to the neighborhood e-mail. At first I felt hopeful. But, then I started to lose hope.
I thought about dogs and cars and wondered how our little Caramel could have possibly survived?
Luckily, my mom had picked Sophie up that morning and taken her shopping in Salt Lake, so she was gone the whole day. She had no idea her bunny was missing, or I would have been dealing with her broken little heart too.
As it was, I found myself mourning the loss of this new family pet. By afternoon, I was shedding actual tears. I kept telling myself, "Calm down. It was just a $10 rabbit." But, myself would shout back hysterically, "But, I don't want another rabbit. I want that rabbit! I miss his funny little hair that sticks up around his ears and I will never find another rabbit as calm and pleasant as Caramel."
Then I would think about having to tell Sophie that Caramel was gone and that is when the tears would come.
But then a little miracle happened. At 5 p.m. I went out to my car to go pick Ian up from Scouts and just at that moment, Caramel came hopping up our driveway!!!
I could not believe my eyes! He came back! With a little effort, I caught him and put him in a box. I took him with me because I could not let him out of my sight. The kids were so happy. I was so happy. Sophie was so happy later when we told her the whole story (and, blessedly, she didn't have to know about it until after we had the happy ending).
We enclosed him in our dining room, which has tile floors and not a lot of furniture, and there he would stay until we could mend his cage or buy a new one. We all held him and made a big deal over him and fed him his favorite food - bananas. That night, I held him for an hour until he started to grind his teeth (the rabbit equivalent of purring).
Over the next few days, we learned that an indoor rabbit roaming free (even enclosed in one room) can be trouble. There was the mess of cleaning up after him (of course), but the other trouble was that he could open the door to the boys' bedroom, right off our dining room, and it turns out -- he is quite good at chewing up carpet. So, after a few days, I decided that a family pet as adored and wonderful as ours was worth investing in. I figured since he only cost $10, it was O.K. to buy him a decent cage. So, I did.
Now, he lives in a cage in our family room. And, if we ever want to, we can move the cage outside. But, for now, we seem to like him to be indoors where we can keep an eye on him. We don't want him wandering off in search of his next big adventure now that he's had a taste of freedom.
We can't have a dog. Brian is allergic to dogs. And, before you say, "I am allergic to dogs too, but I still have a dog" -- I must add that he is deathly allergic. Not just in an itchy eyes and throat sort of way, but in a closed off windpipe sort of way. So, we can't have a dog.
We also can't have a cat. I personally wouldn't mind an outdoor mouser, but Brian doesn't care for the company of felines and has firmly put his foot down.
Fish? Meh.
Bird? Maybe.
Hamster?
Here is a story about a hamster.
When we were living in China, Ian celebrated his 4th Birthday. A friend gave him a pet hamster, complete with cage and all, for his gift. Brian and I were a little unsure at first, but what could we do?
We named the little guy Joey and he turned out to be one of the best things about our days in China. The kids would get him out and play with him for hours. He was friendly and cute. We had a large, shallow, cardboard box and the kids would build playlands out of duplo legos for him to climb around on. Joey was the perfect family pet.
Unfortunately, airline restrictions made it too complicated for us to bring Joey back to America. So, we found him a nice home to stay at in China.
We moved back into our house in the summer of 2007 and it seemed obvious to me that a hamster was the perfect family pet. So, I ran right out to the pet store, bought a fancy cage, and picked out what seemed like a nice hamster.
I was wrong. He needed an exorcism. He bit (and drew blood from) the first hand that tried to play with him. He went straight back to the store. They accepted him back and refunded my money, but sadly they told me that most hamsters from pet stores are mean like that because they can't be sold until they are older and they miss an important window when they could become socialized like Joey was.
I meant to shop around for someone who sold hamsters from their home, but I never got around to it. Eventually the hamster cage was given away and here we were, five years later in the summer of 2012 still thinking about what our perfect family pet would be.
Ian said "bearded dragon." But, I'm sorry, I just don't do reptile care. Not that I have anything against them. I'm just inexperienced in that department.
In fact, about the only pet department I am experienced in is rabbit. When I was twelve-years-old my grandparents sent me $15 for my birthday and I took the money to the pet store and bought a gorgeous, tan, lop-eared rabbit named Christopher. He lived on an enclosed deck right outside my bedroom (on the second floor). It was the perfect arrangement and I loved that bunny. He wasn't very tame and never let me carry him. But, I loved to pet him and watch him hop around. He lived for about 10 years and died after I had moved away to college.
I have been convinced for a long time that a bunny would be our perfect family pet, and Sophie became obsessed with the idea a little over a year ago. But, we put it off because, first, Brian was not convinced, then, we were in the middle of moving to a new house. After we got to the new house, we had no yard (and, Brian was not convinced) . . . you know how these things can get put off.
Right after we moved to this house, someone offered me a free rabbit hutch and I hauled it home. It has been sitting there empty, just waiting for a rabbit to move in, and I have been waiting for the right opportunity -- which came to us when we went to the State Fair last month.
At the fair, I love to take the kids through the different barns to look at all of the animals. When we got to the barn that houses the rabbits, I noticed that several of them were for sale. There were exotic ones and purebreds, giant rabbits and tiny dwarfs, and all different colors with long ears or short, lop ears or tall, fuzzy hair and sleek -- so many different rabbits.
It just so happened that one of the ladies who was sitting with the rabbits while we were there was selling a tan bunny that she had purchased one year ago when he was a baby, thinking he was a lion head, but later discovered that she was wrong. He was a mixed breed and she keeps show rabbits, so he had to go. He was cute and friendly and neutered and best of all, he was only $10. He wasn't what Sophie had envisioned -- she wanted a black and white baby -- but, after some convincing she agreed to make him ours.
So, we brought our new rabbit home and changed his name from Nugget to Caramel. We set him up in the hutch right outside our kitchen window, gave him some food and water, and wallah! We were pet owners.
Over the next few weeks, we brought him inside to hop around about once a day and I even bought him a tiny harness and leash so Sophie could let him hop around in the grass in the front yard. He was so calm about being held. My childhood bunny would have torn my arms to shreds if I had tried to carry him around the way the kids carried Caramel around.
Then, one day, we had to move the hutch a little ways away from the kitchen window and I couldn't see Caramel every day when I worked on my computer. Then, we turned the hutch so that Brian could back a load of gravel into the yard to get ready for phase two of our patio. I felt guilty because I had to actually walk outside to see Caramel and make sure he was doing alright, but I didn't do anything about it right away.
A couple of days after that happened, Isaac went out to play on the Thursday morning of UEA weekend and came back in to announce, "Our bunny is gone."
I went outside to inspect and found that the bottom of the cage had given way and fallen out, probably sometime during the night. The cage was old and I guess we hadn't realized that it was close to falling apart like that.
The kids, their friends, and I searched the yard thoroughly. We searched the next door neighbor's yard. We looked up and down the street. We sent out an alert to the neighborhood e-mail. At first I felt hopeful. But, then I started to lose hope.
I thought about dogs and cars and wondered how our little Caramel could have possibly survived?
Luckily, my mom had picked Sophie up that morning and taken her shopping in Salt Lake, so she was gone the whole day. She had no idea her bunny was missing, or I would have been dealing with her broken little heart too.
As it was, I found myself mourning the loss of this new family pet. By afternoon, I was shedding actual tears. I kept telling myself, "Calm down. It was just a $10 rabbit." But, myself would shout back hysterically, "But, I don't want another rabbit. I want that rabbit! I miss his funny little hair that sticks up around his ears and I will never find another rabbit as calm and pleasant as Caramel."
Then I would think about having to tell Sophie that Caramel was gone and that is when the tears would come.
But then a little miracle happened. At 5 p.m. I went out to my car to go pick Ian up from Scouts and just at that moment, Caramel came hopping up our driveway!!!
I could not believe my eyes! He came back! With a little effort, I caught him and put him in a box. I took him with me because I could not let him out of my sight. The kids were so happy. I was so happy. Sophie was so happy later when we told her the whole story (and, blessedly, she didn't have to know about it until after we had the happy ending).
We enclosed him in our dining room, which has tile floors and not a lot of furniture, and there he would stay until we could mend his cage or buy a new one. We all held him and made a big deal over him and fed him his favorite food - bananas. That night, I held him for an hour until he started to grind his teeth (the rabbit equivalent of purring).
Over the next few days, we learned that an indoor rabbit roaming free (even enclosed in one room) can be trouble. There was the mess of cleaning up after him (of course), but the other trouble was that he could open the door to the boys' bedroom, right off our dining room, and it turns out -- he is quite good at chewing up carpet. So, after a few days, I decided that a family pet as adored and wonderful as ours was worth investing in. I figured since he only cost $10, it was O.K. to buy him a decent cage. So, I did.
Now, he lives in a cage in our family room. And, if we ever want to, we can move the cage outside. But, for now, we seem to like him to be indoors where we can keep an eye on him. We don't want him wandering off in search of his next big adventure now that he's had a taste of freedom.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Summer 2012
A post I started mid-August which I will now finish . . .
I regret that I haven't taken the time to write individual posts about all the fun things we have been doing this summer. One long post summing it up will have to do since we are practically on the eve of a new school year.
June brought outings, swimming, summer reading programs at our local library and the track club for Ian and Isaac. Sophie started a 6-week drama camp which turned out to be one of the highlights of the summer (they performed Peter Pan in July and it was fantastic!). Then came the 3-weeks of camping trips. It started with a mom and me Girl Scout Camp with our troop at the gorgeous Trefoil Ranch.
I just realized that all of the good pictures from this trip are on Brian's computer. But, here is one with a funny story. When I asked the kids what treats they wanted me to buy for the trip, Sophie and Ian both said, "Starbursts to roast over the fire." You see a couple of years ago, the kids ran out of marshmallows and started roasting Starbursts instead. I almost denied their request, passing it off as silly, but then humored them by buying a pack of Starbursts to take along. On the first night we were there, all of the kids (from the other families) pulled out Starbursts to roast over the fire. And, then I realized - they have created their own tradition. Awwwww.
I had just one day to wash all of the laundry, re-stock the groceries and re-pack the van before our third camping trip in three weeks -- the annual Nicholson family reunion at Moosehorn Lake in the Uintahs.
We had such a wonderful time, canoeing on the lake, sleeping under the stars in our tent, playing a wild game of wiffle ball and making a mean chuck wagon breakfast in the mountains on the 4th of July.
And in between all of our camping trips and outings, there was plenty of this going on . . .
I regret that I haven't taken the time to write individual posts about all the fun things we have been doing this summer. One long post summing it up will have to do since we are practically on the eve of a new school year.
June brought outings, swimming, summer reading programs at our local library and the track club for Ian and Isaac. Sophie started a 6-week drama camp which turned out to be one of the highlights of the summer (they performed Peter Pan in July and it was fantastic!). Then came the 3-weeks of camping trips. It started with a mom and me Girl Scout Camp with our troop at the gorgeous Trefoil Ranch.
We got to go horseback riding - which was pretty cool.
I LOVE THIS GIRL!
And, of course we spent lots of time in the arts and crafts room (here we are making rag dolls).
It was a fun three days in the mountains spending some quality one on one time with Sophie. Here is a funny story -- We had to be careful not to take any food into our tents because of the critters, but I forgot that I had an unopened pack of gum in the side pocket of my backpack. In the opening meeting, they told us not to even have gum in the tents. That is when I remembered. But, by the time I got back to my tent (it had been about an hour), something had already crawled into the pocket and chewed the gum into itty bitty pieces!
The very next week, we took the whole family up to our friends' gorgeous cabin on the water's edge at Bear Lake. This is one of our favorite summer traditions that we have been enjoying for about nine years now.
I had just one day to wash all of the laundry, re-stock the groceries and re-pack the van before our third camping trip in three weeks -- the annual Nicholson family reunion at Moosehorn Lake in the Uintahs.
We had such a wonderful time, canoeing on the lake, sleeping under the stars in our tent, playing a wild game of wiffle ball and making a mean chuck wagon breakfast in the mountains on the 4th of July.
Sophie and Grandma Nicholson show off their matching Moosehorn t-shirts
 |
| Isaac poses by the beautiful lake |
 |
| Isaac and Katie |
It was the summer of putting in the yard. Here is a photo of our back patio -- or, what was left of it after Brian jack hammered it to pieces. It was a really nice patio and I was sad to see it go, but Brian had a vision for a lovely patio coming off the back sliding glass doors of our family room (north of where the old patio was) and it was just too complicated to bring together the new and the old. They landscaping deserves a post all of its own. For now, I will just say -- it was the summer of putting in they yard (oh boy!).
In August, we headed back to Bear Lake for a huge extended family reunion on my side. My mom and her three siblings take turns hosting a reunion every other year, which means this was my mom's once every eight years turn to be in charge.
Katie and I flew to Indiana two years ago to attend the last one which was hosted by my mom's brother, and, boy was it one BIG party! I think the reunions (they started about 10 years ago) get better and better each time, so the pressure was on for something really spectacular.
I am happy to say, my mom pulled it off with amazing style.
She and my dad rented a gorgeous cabin near Bear Lake, and packed about one ton of food as well as every possible thing we could have ever needed (beach toys, sunscreen, an elaborate first aid kit - there was no scenario left to chance) and we spent a long weekend enjoying delicious food, great company, the fabulous beach and gorgeous water.
It was wonderful to see aunts and uncles that I only see every four or so years (I can usually only make it to every other reunion since two of the four require flying). And, I am always grateful for time with my beloved Pappa (that is southern-speak for Grandpa, he's from Kentucky you see).
Then, it was back home for a missionary farewell. Brian's parents are off to the Philippines for two years to serve a temple mission. We sure do miss them, but they are having a wonderful adventure.
To top off the summer, Isaac turned seven in the middle of August. And, then, the kids went back to school a week and a half later. Isaac is seeming more grown up all the time. He sure has grown up (literally in height) a lot in the past few months. And, he is transitioning to first grade beautifully (I was a little worried.
There was never any question about his academics. He is at the top of his class in every subject. That boy is so smart! That's probably the problem. Haha. No one warned me how tricky it is to raise such intelligent kids. But, seriously, he loves to play and he loves to do things on his own terms. So, I was a little worried about how sitting at a desk all day would sit with him. So far -- it's fabulous (oh, this is the October 26 me writing now).
I guess that wraps up our summer. I wish I had documented all the details. But, this will have to do. Summer of 2012 was a fantastic time and so far Fall of 2012 is even better . . .
In August, we headed back to Bear Lake for a huge extended family reunion on my side. My mom and her three siblings take turns hosting a reunion every other year, which means this was my mom's once every eight years turn to be in charge.
Katie and I flew to Indiana two years ago to attend the last one which was hosted by my mom's brother, and, boy was it one BIG party! I think the reunions (they started about 10 years ago) get better and better each time, so the pressure was on for something really spectacular.
I am happy to say, my mom pulled it off with amazing style.
She and my dad rented a gorgeous cabin near Bear Lake, and packed about one ton of food as well as every possible thing we could have ever needed (beach toys, sunscreen, an elaborate first aid kit - there was no scenario left to chance) and we spent a long weekend enjoying delicious food, great company, the fabulous beach and gorgeous water.
It was wonderful to see aunts and uncles that I only see every four or so years (I can usually only make it to every other reunion since two of the four require flying). And, I am always grateful for time with my beloved Pappa (that is southern-speak for Grandpa, he's from Kentucky you see).
Then, it was back home for a missionary farewell. Brian's parents are off to the Philippines for two years to serve a temple mission. We sure do miss them, but they are having a wonderful adventure.
To top off the summer, Isaac turned seven in the middle of August. And, then, the kids went back to school a week and a half later. Isaac is seeming more grown up all the time. He sure has grown up (literally in height) a lot in the past few months. And, he is transitioning to first grade beautifully (I was a little worried.
There was never any question about his academics. He is at the top of his class in every subject. That boy is so smart! That's probably the problem. Haha. No one warned me how tricky it is to raise such intelligent kids. But, seriously, he loves to play and he loves to do things on his own terms. So, I was a little worried about how sitting at a desk all day would sit with him. So far -- it's fabulous (oh, this is the October 26 me writing now).
I guess that wraps up our summer. I wish I had documented all the details. But, this will have to do. Summer of 2012 was a fantastic time and so far Fall of 2012 is even better . . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
