It's a NICE bug!

Ever since the wasp sting incident before Hells Canyon, Caleb has been........a little paranoid. He freaks out at any flying insect, and he used to want to touch the crawling ones, and now he just wants to be held whenever he sees one. So we've been trying to teach him about different kinds of bugs. That some are nice, and some sting.

Well Parker found a prying mantis yesterday, and he decided to show it to Caleb. He was pretty freaked out. Parker made him touch it, and let it crawl on him and everything. He was okay, cuz he was sitting on Dad's lap the whole time, but you can see from his face on the pictures that he was still pretty nervous.

De-Cribbing the Two-Year-Old

Before I explain WHY I'm about to make this post, I guess it's about time I put this on the blog. I've been stalling......cuz I am not sure I wanted it broadcasted. But since my blog is kinda like my journal I guess I'd better just get it out there. Two weeks ago I lost my job. I know....I was only there for three weeks, so technically it was all probationary employment anyway. I don't think I did anything wrong (at least that's what he said) but he'd just bought the practice, and hired a hygienist way before he even thought about what it was gonna cost him. So, after three weeks he realized he couldn't afford me. And he let me go. So now I'm looking for a job again. And I have a husband in school, and a two-year-old......and no income! SUCH A GOOD FEELING! Not! So now I'm searching for a job again.....but the only problem is that while I "had a job" I got like three phone calls about other jobs....and I turned them all down, cuz I HAD A JOB! I don't even remember who they were, cuz I didn't write anything down....cuz....I HAD A JOB! So now that I don't, and I'm searching, there isn't a single dentist in the treasure valley that's looking for a hygienist. Thanks Apollo College! Since that stupid program started the Boise area has been SATURATED, and folks like me with a four year degree are powerless against the jobless market.
So on Sunday I was on the phone with Parker, and he was pretty lonely. So I decided, since I don't have work keeping me here....I can find a job in Burly just as easy as I can in Boise. I want to work in Boise, but that doesn't mean I have to be there. So I took the phone book with me and I've been doing all my job hunting online and on the phone so I can hang out with my husband for a week or so. (Or however long I want really).
So here at the in-law's the baby cribs are a little smaller than standard....needless to say, the kid gets out. So for the past three nights I've been lying next to Caleb on the queen-size for bed and naptimes to get him to fall asleep. And it takes forever! And then he never seems to sleep as deeply as usual, so in the middle of the night he just gets up and comes into our room.....like twice a night! I've always been so proud that my kid almost always sleeps through the night. But since he's not in the crib, that hasn't been the case. And after a few days of that.....it starts to take its toll on you as a mother. So now I'm here, with a sleepy headache (the one that feels like a constant pinch on the frontal part of your head) and I'm hanging out with a two-year-old who NEVER SEEMS TO RUN OUT OF ENERGY! He's so exhausting!
So that's what's been going on here. Boy I thought getting a job was gonna be a walk in the park....and it was......for the first one. You just never know what life's gonna hit you with next.
Okay, the next post will be better I promise.......pictures and everything. I just thought I should write about what things have been like lately.

Some Things About Parker

1. He loves getting his back scratched.....or his head. Don't touch his hair unless you're ready for a full-out head to back scratch for at least ten minutes. It's a daily ritual for us. If only I had nails.....poor guy. He hardly ever says anything though. Don't worry babe, I'm growing them out....or I'm trying.

2. According to my brother, he has one of the strongest grips EVER! The other day Derek and Parker wrestled for like a half and hour, and later on Derek told me that Parker has REALLY strong arms, and that out of all the people he's wrestled (wish is a lot...cuz he goes to a mixed-martial-arts gym) Parker has had the strongest grip BY FAR!! 3. He loves to read, just like I do. He doesn't always have time to crack open a book, but when he does, he's just as difficult to pull away as I am.4. He's extremely smart. One of the smartest people I know. He has a gift for math and physics, and a buncha other stuff that I can't even begin to comprehend. He hardly even has to try to do well in those things.

5. He loves baseball......and he misses it a lot. Now that he's all grown up, the only ball he'll get to play is coaching his son's little-league team. And it kinda makes him sad, cuz he loves the game, and he'd play for the rest of his life if he had the opportunity. 6. On our first date, he told me that he was one of the happiest people I'd ever met. And it's still true to this day. He's always telling me to lighten up, and he really does keep me laughing.

7. He talks in his sleep......a lot. When we first got married, he even spoke Spanish in his sleep. Now, it hardly wakes me up anymore....but sometimes he still gets me.....when he's freaking out about a spider in the bed that's not really there or something.

8. He'll never consent to watching a romantic comedy with me....but if I'm watching one when he gets home, he'll watch (and laugh) with me.

9. He's a DO-ER! He always has to be busy doing something, cuz he hates being bored.

10. Sometimes when he's showering, at the end he'll turn the temperature down till he can't stand it. He thinks cold showers are invigorating! I guess opposites attract on that one eh?
11. I'm pretty sure he can't stand it when I ask for something he can't give to me. I think it makes him feel bad....and then he always finds a way to get it anyway.

12. His almond eyes are a dominant trait that will, I'm sure, pass on to nearly every single chile we have...........and I absalutely love them.

13. He loves his red down-feather blanket I gave him while we were dating.

14. He falls asleep in front of the TV all the time, and once he's out....he's IMPOSSIBLE to move.

15. He's the BEST gift-giver in the world! Every Christmas and Birthday he manages to surprise me with the GREATEST gifts! And of course it's always something I always wanted, but never asked for. 16. He loves to play board and card games too.When we were dating.....we spent HOURS and HOURS playing cards together.

17. He always has to be bouncing a foot, or a leg when he's sitting. He's a fully-grown man and he still can't sit still.

18. He did an AWESOME job taking care of Caleb this summer. He is an amazing dad. 19. He has a beautiful testimony and I love to hear him share it. It makes me cry almost every time.

20. I know there is nothing more important to him than me and Caleb. And he is also so glad that we will be together forever.

Additions....

I've added some more to my "Some Things About Me" post....check it out. As I got myself thinking, I remembered a lot more cool stuff I wanted to write. Don't worry, I'm currently working on my "Some Things About Parker" post. It'll be up soon.

My Little Butternut

Yesterday my dad decided we needed to eat some things from the garden. So we went outside and picked some corn, an eggplant, and a butternut squash. We told Caleb what everything was and he, of course, repeated it perfectly. Then we brought everything back into the house and started cutting up the squash. He kept saying, "SQUASH!" over and over again. Then when we turned around we saw that he had picked up a piece and tried chewing on it.

We just started laughing, because the poor kid doesn't have any teeth, and he just sat there knawing on it. So I took some pictures, since I thought Parker might wanna see this. He'll try to eat anything, he just can't bite it. He eats all kinds of things outa the garden, cuz Grandpa helps him. One time he walked in the house holding a stick of ruhbarb and he was just chewing on it.! Thanks grandpa! He also eats fresh green beans, and of course his favorite.....tomatoes! He'll bury his face right into those things to try and get a bite. He ends up covered in juice. Usually we'll just bite into it without completely breaking away the bite from the tomato, and then we let him bite it off. He's pretty good. What a cutie! He's such a joy!

Some Things About Me

I'm not sure why, but I have been thinking lately about all of these random things about me that I just wanna write down.

1. I am a die-hard chocolate lover, but even more than that it's WHITE CHOCOLATE. Don't ask why, that's just the way it is. I absalutely LOVE white chocolate.2. I HATE standing up while I blow-dry my hair. I'd rather sit cross-legged on the floor or on the toilet than to stand up while I wait for my hair to dry.

3. I am VERY proud of my college diploma. It was a lot of work to get it, so I display it proudly.

-NOTE: I was just about to scan my diploma do display on this blog, and since the scanner/printer is out of ink it won't even scan. AND it won't take the replacement cartridge that we have cuz it's EXPIRED! And the stupid printer knows the expiration date and it simply won't accept it. I'm SO annoyed! I don't even want to print it! I just wanna scan it!

4. I love board games. And I finally bought my favorite one today! Anyone up for game night?
5. I love shopping. I spent quite a bit of time trying to deny it, cuz goodness knows I can't afford it. But that's the truth. I love to go shopping, and I love shoes, bags, jewelry, and clothes just like most of the girls out there.

6. I love music, and I miss singing in a choir. I guess I should join ward choir, but it's not even the same. I'm not sure I'll ever get that back.

7. It's a good thing I have a family to take care of, cuz if I were alone, I'm pretty sure I'd eat cold cereal for every meal of every day. I really don't even mind, and I'm not a huge fan of cooking.

8. I love to water ski. It's the only sport I'm good at.

9. I'm a night owl. I think night is the funnest part of the day, and although I am capable of rising early and going to bed early....I'd rather not.

10. I love to read. I've always got a book I'm reading. Right now it's "Jayne Eyre". I've decided after the Stephenie Meyer marathon this summer that it's time to do some of the classics.

11. I never get sick of Disney Movies. I always turn them on for my son, and he loves them, and it never bothers me that I see them over and over and over again. It bothers everyone else I live with, but not me.

12. I'm a die-hard Harry Potter fan. They'll probably always be my favorite books in the world. I like the movies too, and I could sit and analyze the characters and the plot all day and not think a thing of it.

13. I love ice cream. I am never not in the mood for ice cream. And my favorite is of course....chocolate!

14. I don't care for video games, but I DO love tetris. Tetris 64 to be exact. I'm almost as good as David, and it's super fun.

15. I love my husband, Parker and I miss him a lot. 16. I love my son, but naptime is still my favorite time of day.

17. I love blogging! It's like scrapbooking, but funner cuz it doesn't take as long.

18. I always want pizza after I go swimming. I'm not sure why that is.

19. My mom is my hero. She knows how to do so many things that I wish that I could.....like cooking, sewing, she can drive the boat, and she can pull the boat and drive it backwards down the launch ramp. (I sure can't do that). She is the most giving person I've ever met, and I owe so much to her. I love it when people tell me I'm like my mom.

20. I love my sonicaire toothbrush, I'll never go back to Oral-B, or manual. It just feels too good!

21. I love taking hot showers. I'm not talking really warm....I'm talking HOT! I turn the water on and get the temperature perfectly warm before even getting in the shower. Then once I'm in, and I'm used to the temperature and my hair's all wet....I turn it up. I like it just hot enough before you can't stand it. I just keep turning it up and up throughout the entire showering process, till it's almost scalding. My skin is usually red from the heat when I'm done. I think someone told me it's not really good for you to take hot showers....but I just don't see how that can be true. If I like it....then it's good right?. And when the shower's over, I get the towel and dry off while in the shower, then I wrap the towel around me before stepping out, so that I won't get cold from the shock of the temperature change when I step out. I do NOT like feeling cold before, during, or after my showers. I think I'm like the frog, you know if you stick it in a pot of boiling water, it'll jump out.....but if you turn the temperature up and up it'lljust stay in there till it boils to death. That's me. I'm the boiling frog I guess.

22. I love to crochet (i'm not sure if I spelled that one right, but oh well) but I only know one pattern. I wish someone would teach me something new. I've been told there's patterns on the backside of the yarn paper....but it's like a different language. And I don't know how to read it. 23. I am a PAJAMA sleeper. Not in my underwear, not in something light and flimzy like shorts and a tank-top...I'm talking sweatpants, long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt, and warm socks. I'm not sure how or why it happened, but I like to be bundled when I sleep. I like lots of blankets too....no I don't ever get too hot....unless I'm pregnant.

24. I've always wanted to learn to play the organ, except I know that once I do, I'll be sentenced to be the ward organist for the rest of my life. Once an organist, always an organist. They just aren't that easy to come by. So....I'm kinda stalling on learning that one, but I know it's inevitable.

25. Parker says I'm a neat-freak. And I guess it's true. I like things CLEAN. I hate clutter, and I'd much rather throw something away than keep it lying around for months and months. It's such a great feeling when you get the bathrooms scrubbed, the floors mopped and you sit in your living room of your clean house that now smells like bleach and pine-sol, and the baby is STILL asleep, cuz you got it all done in an hour and a half. And it's just quiet. No music. No T.V. Just clean and quiet. I love that feeling. 26. I'm a dental hygienist, but I don't floss every day. It's not that I don't believe in the concept, I try, but I forget............a lot. Just like the rest of you.

27. I love patterned socks. During dental hygiene school, one of the dress requirements was solid colored scrubs and WHITE socks. I didn't even OWN a pair of white socks until two months before I graduated. I wore patterned socks every day and never got in trouble.
28. I am NOT a confrontational person. I don't like speaking my mind or standing up for myself....especially to authority figures, and especially if I think it's gonna cause a fight. I get VERY nervous if I have to ask for time off from work, or have to tell somebody something I think they're not going to like. I will speak my mind if someone asks me to, and I have strong opinions, I'm just not vocal about them. I'd wrather write my thoughts in a letter than speak to someone face-to-face. I guess I'm a chicken, but I've ALWAYS been that way.

29. I'm not sure I could ever pick a favorite movie...there's too many. And it changes with my mood.

30. I love my family and that we're together forever.

Hells Canyon Reloaded

Labor day is the last HURRAH!! The family went back to Hells Canyon again for some skiing, camping, and fun. On the last day we went to the dam for some fishing. It was really pretty up there.

Caleb was really cute while we were at the dam. He threw rocks into the water and said, "Oooooohh!!! Splash!" This trip was truly an improvement from last time. He is really starting to get better with his fear of water. We took him to the beach and at first he just wanted to play in the sand, and not touch the water, and then he got his feet wet, and then he got his legs wet, and then his tummy and before you knew it, he was saying, "Swimming!" Even though the water was still kinda cold.
These pictures are all from our trip to the dam. Everybody did some fishing, and it was REALLY windy, but it was sure pretty. Caleb kept trying to take his shoes off and stand in the water. He'd say, "feet?" But for some reason the dam water is way colder than the water at the beach. I'm so glad he's getting better with the water, he just has to get used to it. He doesn't like being thrown in.

Here's a picture of the boys fishing. The luck wasn't as good as last time, but it was still fun.





Well now it's official. Labor day is over, and so is all the fun. Now we welcome AUTUMN! My favorite season by far. It's a time for sweaders, scarves, long pants and boots. And lets not forget....football. I've never considered myself as the sports type, but it is true that I love football. Not so much professional, but college and high school games are the best. Something about that cold air just makes me wanna paint my face and go sit by the band.

Sorry my updates are so sparce. It's been tough to get on the computer when you're camping for five days. I sure do love hells canyon though! I got some serious water skiing in, and I even managed to recover from a minor hand injury (boy was that scary! It was my left hand too!) But it was better in a day, and I was able to ski three more times before we left. I must say, I think I'm finally getting good (or at least I hope so). Sorry no pictures of skiing this time....I forgot the camera. Okay I'm out!