Who says Chicago is the windy city?

Well, can trampolines blow over in Chicago? They can here! It happened today, and I could not believe my eyes. I hope it's not broken now.

Julianna's Doctor Visit

Two things I want to share from Julianna's 5 year physical visit that made me smile:

1. I just found out that because Julianna is over 5 years old and not potty trained (not my choice, of course!), I now qualify for prescription diaper coverage. So, I pay a copay, and get a ton of diapers! Best news I've heard in a while!

2. Julianna had to get her final shots before kindergarten this fall. She of course did NOT want to do it, but finally laid down on the bed, screaming the whole time. The nurse did one leg, she screamed, and then sat up, very dramatically, and said, "Are you done??" I've never heard her say anything like that. Even though she was in pain, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

That's all for now. Sorry, I'm a little blog crazy this week. Just don't want to forget things.

Blake's funny comment

This morning I had to stop at Walmart to get a few things. As I was getting him out of his car seat, a young girl walked by wearing very short boxers, even thought it was still cold outside. Blake noticed her and said, "What's doin'?" (What's she doing?) I replied, "She's walking." And then Blake said, "Her bootie!" and laughed. I guess he could tell that her boxers were short! You couldn't see anything, but they were short boxers. Blake is so funny.

100 things about me

I've been intrigued by this post ever since I saw it on Lindsey's blog. I thought I would give it a try--maybe you'll learn something new about me.

1. I bite my nails, still. Have since I was a little girl and really wish I could stop.
2. I don't color my hair--I only have twice--once my freshman year when a girl in my ward at BYU said she'd color it, and it turned out having a greenish tint because my hair has red in it. Then again I got some nice highlights done before I started dating Joel, and before we got married, I went to touch them up. The lady gave me stripes. I've grown them out and since then, never put color in my hair!
3. I've worn contacts since I was 12 years old. I'm pretty blind--the blindest in my whole family.
4. I don't like to be the center of attention. I'd rather be talking one on one with someone.
5. I obsess about my weight too much. It seems like I'm never satisfied.
6. I can do front flips on our trampoline.
7. I love rollercoasters.
8. I almost majored in Broadcast Journalism in college instead of English. I wanted to be the next Katie Couric.
9. I can't seem to be truly happy all the time. It's always up and down.
10. Sometimes I feel like being a really good mom is just too hard and that I can't do it. I always wonder if I'm at least trying my best.
11. My favorite color is brown.
12. I have a hard time spending any money on myself. I feel guilty when I do. I'd rather spend it on the kids or Joel first.
13. I LOVE teaching. I can't wait to have my own classroom someday with my own class to teach.
14. I feel happiest when I get to sleep--like taking a nap once in a while (which I could be doing now--yes, I'm still a koala, as my college roommates called me).
15. My favorite food I've decided is cereal. Any kind will do. I could eat it every meal and be happy.
16. I can't seem to ever balance my time. I wish I could stick to some kind of schedule with me and the kids at home.
17. I have a bad temper and need to be more patient. It seems to escalate as time passes.
18. I love wearing pajamas. I wish it were okay to wear pajamas everywhere--I just like to be comfortable.
19. My favorite holiday is New Years, because I love having a fresh start every year and thinking about what I can do better.
20. My least favorite chore is mopping.
21. My favorite chore is laundry.
22. I really don't have ANY hobbies. I wish I could find something that interests me enough to keep me motivated. I've tried and never finished many different hobbies.
23. I won a poetry contest in high school for a jewerly store and it was published in a little brochure. It was a poem about my mom for mother's day.
24. I don't think I use my talents enough--I know I have talents I could be using, but when I only get a few hours at night to myself, developing talents isn't the first thing on my list.
25. I was also in the Scriptwriter's Network in high school for a short story I wrote. I got to go to Universal Studios with 9 other high school students in Southern California and work with a scriptwriter/mentor to develop my story into a play. After two months, I decided to quit because I thought I didn't like scriptwriting. Now I wish I had stuck it out because it was a once in a lifetime experience that I'll never get back.
26. Surprisingly, my favorite subject in school was English.
27. I've played the flute since I was 11 and still love to play.
28. When I was little, I was VERY shy. I read all the time and wrote stories in a notebook that I still have, thanks to my mom for saving it!
29. I love my sisters and envy many qualities they have.
30. I have no fashion sense at all--probably stems from having trouble spending money on myself.
31. I also don't have an eye for decorating--also related to spending money problems. I think I'm getting better.
32. I love watching American Idol.
33. I want to audition for American Idol.
34. I'm almost too old to audition for American Idol.
35. American Idol is the only show I really watch regularly the whole year. I don't get into TV shows at all.
36. I don't understand why every movie has to have something totally immoral in it. Like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." It could have been so much better without all the garbage. I read the short story it's based on and it's VERY different. It was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
36. Every calling I've had in the church has been in the Primary, except for two, and I've had 7 callings.
38. I haven't given a talk in church in a LONG time. I guess I'm lucky.
39. I really like going to church and teaching my primary class.
40. When I was in 6th grade, I was waiting in line to get a drink and the boy in front of me said to another boy, that girl looks like a rat! And they laughed and walked away. I still remember how I felt when they said that.
41. I don't like all of my freckles.
42. I still vividly remember walking the little path from our tiny condo in Hayward to kindergarten, all by myself.
43. I also remember playing with ants on the sidewalk with a girl that lived across the way from that little condo.
44. I broke my head open when I was four--I did it on the corner of a table.
45. I've never broken a bone.
46. I've never had a cavity.
47. One of my favorite sounds is when I'm laying next to Blake on his bed and he's talking to me, and he stops to swallow--that little swallowing noise just makes me happy! Don't ask me why.
48. I remember riding my bike with my friends in Manteca right after I saw "The Little Mermaid" for the first time. I was singing like Ariel as I rode my bike. It became one of my favorite movies.
49. I wish I had longer eyelashes.
50. Halfway there! Whew...time for a break. (turned out a 4-day break). Here we go again.
51. I love to go to the gym. It's my stress reliever.
52. My favorite gym class is step aerobics, and then spin.
53. I am double jointed in my shoulders and hips. It's kinda gross.
54. I can touch my tongue to my nose--I could even pick my nose with my tongue if I wanted to, but of course I wouldn't. Sorry, that was gross, too. Sometimes I can be gross--but not too gross.
55. I am left-handed but my dominant foot is my right foot.
56. I love to play volleyball. I have a pretty good overhand serve.
57. I also love softball. But I am scared of soccer and basketball. No coordination there.
58. I've met Marie Osmond in person when I worked at the BYU Bookstore. She came up to me at the counter and asked where something was--I don't even remember what. I hope she actually found it. And she wears a lot of makeup.
59. I've also met Janice Kapp Perry in person. I talked to her about my music composition dreams--I still hope to someday write a primary song.
60. I LOVE primary. I love being with kids and watching them learn something new about the gospel.
61. I hate making phone calls about bill payments, especially to VERIZON! Don't get me started.
62. I like watching 20/20 or Dateline NBC--I'd watch that over any sitcom.
63. I'm a freelance editor--right now I'm editing a novel for an author--it's his second book, and I edited his first one.
64. Another person I edited for is getting his book published by Cedar Fort Press in Utah. I might get some credit for it.
65. I wish I loved reading more right now. For some reason it's not calming to me--I'm working on it.
66. I like writing essays--at BYU, it was my favorite thing. I would spend hours perfecting them.
67. I love all my college roommates at BYU. I admire them so much.
68. I wish I were better at keeping in touch with people over the years.
69. I also have dreams to write a great book. Hopefully I'll do it.
70. I wish I were better at reading the scriptures, at LOVING the scriptures. I like teaching them, but reading them is a different story.
71. I don't like to bear my testimony in church because I always cry and then mascara runs down my face in front of everyone.
72. I really didn't like high school at all.
73. I worked at Longs Drugs as a cashier in high school.
74. My first car was a Ford Festiva--they are super small and cheap.
75. My second car was a Dodge Neon and it died when Karina had it.
76. I now drive a Chrysler Town & Country. The back seat is never used but it makes me feel grown up to have that car.
77. I am very determined to help Julianna succeed and reach her full potential.
78. I don't like to drive at night--the lights in my face bother me and make me nervous.
79. I think I am lazy most of the time (see comment below).
80. I am content doing absolutely nothing sometimes. Just sitting and being alone in my thoughts.
81. I love to sing along to the radio in the car--until my kids tell me to stop.
82. I don't like to dance--I feel silly and stupid.
83. I'm happy I'm almost done with this thing!
84. I like blogging but I try not to be obsessive about it. I really should stick to once a week, unless something miraculous happens.
85. I like talking on the phone to people.
86. I appreciate my Mom for helping me out so much--she is so generous.
87. I wish I were better about planning get-togethers with people. To me it's too much work.
88. I was a dork in high school--I think I've changed a lot since then in many ways.
89. I like having long hair.
90. I was never asked out by a boy in high school--sad, huh? I didn't care too much.
91. I'm scared of getting older because I'm already getting wrinkles under my eyes!
92. I always get really mad when something falls unexpectedly, like a cup out of the cupboard, or dropping something on the ground.
93. I don't like to cook dinner very much. I like cooking desserts more.
94. I have been married almost 6 1/2 years. Crazy!
95. I am glad Joel is such a good example to me.
96. I think my impatience surfaced when Blake was born. He is a challenging kid!
97. I love sugary food--my favorite candy is Milky Way or 3 Musketeers Mint.
98. This is why I am on a low-sugar diet right now.
99. I don't like my feet--I have a big gap in between my big toe and pointer? toe. It looks like I was born with 6 toes.
100. And finally---I crack my knuckles too much! Bad habit.

And there you go! Anyone can do it! It was hard, though. Whew!

Julianna's Park Angel

The park angels are really watching out for us right now. This time, for Julianna, and it was an invisible angel. We never saw it, but it sure was there, helping Julianna. She has loved the swings since she was little--it's the first thing she wants to do at the park, and she never wants to get down (she swing a lot in her OT sessions). The last few months she has made very slow progress in swinging on her own, without being pushed. She really just goes through the motions of pumping her legs, but it never gets her anywhere. Well, lately I have been praying a lot more for Julianna to progress and succeed. I'm trying to have more faith in her and more hope for her potential, despite her many special needs. Well, I think my prayers were answered through the park angel today, because, out of nowhere, she just started swinging, all by herself. All I had to do was give her a little push, and she just took off swinging, without me telling her to do anything. I've never seen her do it before, and the last time we went, she wasn't even close to doing what she did today. Unbelievable! So, congrats to Julianna for mastering the swing! I was so happy for her I almost cried right there at the park! I always get emotional when she reaches ANY kind of milestone, because it's always huge for her!
ps...The first pic of Julianna is her on the trampoline, having lots of fun. The other pics, and the ones from the previous post of Blake, were taken one night after they ate bubblegum ice cream, with real bubble gum in it. They swallowed theirs, but I blew bubbles with mine, and they both thought it was the funniest thing in the world to pop my bubbles. Hence, the great pics of them smiling!

The Park Angel

Here's a little experience I've been meaning to post, and finally got around to it. Enjoy.

We went to the park as a family a few weeks ago. Lately Blake has been afraid to go down slides for some reason (we're talking months, here). Well, there was this really big family at the park--they had older and younger kids. Blake had climbed the stairs and was kind of lingering by the top of the big winding slide (the one that does loops to the bottom). Joel and I were just watching him there. All of a sudden, the mom from this big family, seeing Blake hesitate, climbs up the stairs herself, and says to Blake, "It's okay, you can do it! Go down the slide and your Mommy will be there to catch you at the bottom." So, without any hesitation this time, he goes down the slide, no problem! And he keeps going down, over and over, by himself. So, this park has 3 different playgrounds. One has a HUGE slide that loops to the bottom, probably 4 separate loops. It's very high off the ground. Normally we just go down with him on that one. But after this "Park Angel" instilled confidence in him, he later went all the way up to this HUGE slide and went down without warning. We were a little nervous, but he did it just fine. And again, he did it over and over. Since then, he has no problem going down any slide now. And that's the story of the Park Angel.

We have a winner...

It's going to be Four Redheads and a Fish. I don't know why I didn't think of that before. Joel hasn't looked at our blog for a while, and right when he saw the blank, he said "fish." And I said, "YES! That's it!" So that's our new title. No other big news here. Thanks for your ideas.