Live Feed

So, I was noticing this "live feed" feature on several blogs I've lurked on. It looked cool. So, I shamelessly stole and added it, just to see if there is any traffic here. Turns out there are people who come here! Whether or not what I write is being read is another matter! In any case, it's kinda cool. You can even get one for your own blog. (And you don't really need to "steal" it. It's free.)

What's for dinner.

Today I was craving soup. Don't ask me why on a hot, August day I would want a big, hot bowl of soup. It puzzles me, too. So, I pulled out one of my favorite recipes, that I got from a dear friend. It's called Mexican Minestrone--a very easy crock-pot recipe. (Or crotch-pot, if you're Stephanie's husband. ;) For those who might want to try it, here it is:

Mexican Minestrone Soup:

1 can of drained corn
1 can of Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 C of salsa (more or less, to taste)
1 can of chicken breast
2 cups water
2 chicken bullion cubes
3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced

Combine everything in a crock-pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or till potatoes are tender. You can also add chopped cilantro after it is done cooking (which I did tonight, to rave reviews). Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded cheese.

Not all my kids will eat this soup. I think I must have some of the pickiest eaters on the face of the planet. But it really is a very good soup, makes great left-overs, and is easy.

(I realize I should probably explain the crotch-pot comment above. My brother-in-law thought that crock-pots were "crotch-pots" for years. He only recently, within the last couple of years, realized that they are croCK-pots. Yeah, now no one in my family can say crock-pot with a straight face.)

Dentist

Last week I took my three "big" kids in to the dentist. It was a pretty good visit. Missy and Bug need sealants, and have small cavities in a couple of teeth. (Thanks to those deep pits they inherited.)

Today I took Lemur and Mister in for cleanings and check-ups. Mister cried the whole way there, in the waiting room, and in the room while Lemur was getting cleaned. Lemur was such a big kid! (Probably because it seemed easy after having been through surgery last week!) He opened big for the hygentist, let her do everything (polish, floss, clean, rinse, flouride--everything!) and the dentist said he's got great looking teeth and gums. Yay! He was so excited to pick a toothbrush and a prize.

Mister wouldn't even open up so the hygentist could count his teeth with her fingers. He wanted a toothbrush very badly (a purple one), but he was too anxious. So, I guess I'll keep talking to him about it. He tells me he'll let the dentist count his teeth when he's four. We'll see.

Help my friend!

One of my friends from my ward was on KUTV2 noon news yesterday, demonstrating a recipe she entered into a contest. She made Honey Jalepeno Beef and Broccoli with Sesame Udon Noodles (sounds yummy, doesn't it). The more hits she gets on her recipe on KUTV's website, the better chance she has of winning the contest. Help her out by clicking here! (You can also watch the video of her demonstration at the same link.)

1st day of school nerves

Today was the first day of school for my three "big" kids. Buddy and Missy started 6th grade (yipes!), and Bug started 3rd grade. Bug was so nervous for 3rd grade. None of his close friends are in his class this year, so he was quite scared. Bud and Missy wanted to ride the bus, but I was driving down to the school to pay for lunches so Bug wanted to ride with me. I walked him to class, and immediately his teacher (who Erik had for 3rd grade, too) asked if Bug's dad was out running this morning. I think it helped him feel at ease that his teacher knows who his dad is. I snapped this picture with my cell phone, because, of course, I forgot the camera (what kind of mom forgets the camera on the 1st day of school, I ask you?). He came home saying he had a great day at school. He loves his teacher already, and even was happy to practice writing his name in cursive at home.

As for the "little" kids...they go to a preschool "open house" on Wednesday, where they play while I fill out paperwork. Then school starts next Tuesday (after Labor Day). They're so excited--they have new, little backpacks (for all the stuff they're going to be carrying home from preschool ;) and can't wait for school to start. They'll go three days a week, for an hour and 45 min. I have to admit...I'm excited, too--maybe now I'll be able to get my basement organized (something I've been wanting to do since we moved when I was pregnant with them). Maybe.

H. Family Reunion

This past weekend we had a family reunion in Provo for my mom's side of the family--the Hs. I really had a great time, listening to stories, looking at family genealogy charts, seeing some of my Grandma Hansen's artwork, and visiting with cousins who I don't see often enough, or know well enough.

My mom is the youngest of 10 children, and didn't marry until she was 35 (I think). So, my sisters and I are the youngest cousins on that side of the family. Which means all my cousins were married and having children of their own by the time we were old enough to know any of them. I wish I knew everyone a little better. I love my mom's family, though, and always love the family reunions. (I just need a family tree in front of me, so I know where to place everyone!)

Another wish I've always had is that I had the opportunity to know my Grandma H. She was very ill when my mom was dating my dad, but when my mom got engaged she was determined not to ruin my mom's wedding by dying. She made a remarkable recovery, was able to attend my parents' marriage in the Provo temple, and even stood in their receiving line at their reception. Three weeks later, she passed away. I remember very little of my Grandpa H--mostly the peppermint ribbon candy he always had for us when we visited and his funeral--as I was only just shy of my 5th birthday when he passed away.

I heard many great things about both my Grandma and Grandpa H at the reunion. I'm positive they were with us there in spirit.

Surgery

Today Lemur had his hydrocele surgery. We had to be at the hospital at 8:30 to check in. They took him to the OR at about 9:30, and by 10:30 he was in recovery. The doctor said the hydrocele was "huge" and had a lot of scar tissue in the scrotum. He closed off the opening (letting the fluid in) and removed the hydrocele, but some of the tissue in there will remain thickened. It won't have any effects on the function of the testicle, though. What a relief! He's not been in any kind of pain since being home, so that's a relief, too. We just have to keep him from running, climbing, or jumping for a few days. All in all, it wasn't as bad an experience as I was expecting. I thought he'd be cranky and irate about not having breakfast, but he was fine. He was a little fussy in the recovery room, but I don't think he even remembers it.

Clocks

Today we made clocks. Didn't they turn out wonderfully? Everyone's turned out so cute! I can't wait to deliver the ones I made for family and friends. Kristin made two--one large one, and a smaller one that she painted red and will say "Red Sox". (I didn't get a picture of that one.) I made one of the smaller ones for Missy:

When I saw the pink and brown one, I just couldn't resist making it for her room. She just got a new comforter for her bed that is pink, white, and brown (it was called "neopolitan" in the catalogue). It looks darling on her light pink wall. Of course, now my boys want clocks, too.

We had great teachers--Mandolin and Sheri. (Contact Mandolin if you'd like to host or join in a party mandolin@ticktockcollection.com ) Learn more about these beautiful clocks here.

Thanks to my fabulous sisters-in-law and sisters who made my party possible!

ARGH!!!

I just found out that the long-awaited Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is NOT going to be released in November. Seems like Warner-Brothers thinks they'll be more successful in releasing it next summer. Yes, 11 more months before it'll be in theaters. Frustrating...especially since it seems they're doing this only to be able to make more money.

Family Reunion

This last weekend we had a M family reunion. This was my first one for Ben's side of the family. It seems like for the last one, I was sick, or the little ones were sick, so I stayed home. We camped at Bear Lake, another first for me (Bear Lake, not camping). We had tons of fun, even though we didn't have a boat. The kids played in the shallow waters for hours--swimming, splashing, building sand castles. It was also really neat to meet Grandpa M's siblings, and Ben's cousins.





A and K-bug

buried in the sand

Bug

Missy and H building a sand castle, complete with moat and tower.

Jog log blog

I've decided to keep a jogging journal (at the bottom of my blog, for those who are dying to read it). Some people, like Ben, keep running logs, but not me. Mine is a jog log. When we were dating, I once made the mistake of asking him if he was going for a "jog". He told me, "it's really offensive to runners to say they 'jog'". But I'm not too proud to say I jog. I am a jogger. A very slow jogger. My jogging pace is a brisk walk for Ben. But he humors me when he "runs" with me, saying that I'm doing well, and he's really getting a workout. Even though his heart rate doesn't climb above 75. And he's not sweating. And he can hold a conversation like he's sitting on a couch. By contrast, I am gasping for air, beet-red in the face, sweating like a stuck pig, and looking like I'm 100 yards away from a stroke. I don't enjoy jogging, but I've come to the conclusion that it (or some other form of exercise) is a necessary evil in my life. So, I'm going to blog about it...not to bore you all to death, but to hopefully motivate me to keep at it.

Can't Wait!!!

Is everyone else excited about the new Harry Potter movie? The Half-Blood Prince is my favorite book in the series,so I can't wait until November 21st! The trailers for it came out this week--WOW! If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch it here.

Oh, the frustrations of a three-year-old...

I've always said this kid is three, going on six. He's adorable, yes. But, boy, can he get frustrated and throw a tantrum! Last night we had a melt-down at bedtime. More on that in a minute. Let me back up a bit, to last summer, when he decided he was done with diapers.

I had tried to get him (and his twin) to show some interest in the potty several times. Neither one of them would have any of that. So, every once in a while, I would say, in a casual, off-hand sort of way "want to go sit on the potty?" Well, one night before bed he took me up on the offer and he actually produced. It was all easy-sailing after that. Night-time dryness is a different story, though. He's only stayed dry at night a handful of times since being potty-trained. Which is fine...been there/doing that with another one.

Lemurr, on the other hand, took another long 9 months before he decided to use the potty. After much anxiety and screaming, I might add. And, once he had the potty down, he started staying dry at night. So, to make a long story short (I know, too late!), he wears underwear to bed, while Mister wears a diapey.

So, last night when I was trying to get him into his PJs, I took his underwear off. He immediately started throwing a fit, saying he wanted his underwear back on. I told him he could have it on over the top of his diaper, but that he was not going to bed without a diaper. Let the (naked) crying and screaming begin! Trying to juggle getting both boys into their PJs, I said to Mister "do you want to be first?" (The night before, his fit was because I brushed Lemur's teeth first, and Mister wanted to be first.) So he screams "YES!" but won't stop crying and screaming. So, Lemur ended up getting Mom's attention with PJs, teeth-brushing, and story-time. Mister was put into time-out in the bathroom, and told he could come out when he stopped crying.

It took him two tries before he could do it, but he eventually came out and curled up, naked, in my lap to listen to the rest of Lemur's story. Then he complained his head hurt.

Like I said: the kid is three, going on six. It's pretty funny to watch him with Lemur...he's the "big brother" in the relationship, planning what they play, setting the rules, and telling him what to do. But, watch out when Lemur has an opinion on any of it!