Ouch and GOOD JOB dad!

So a few quick bits of randomness...

I've been waiting forever for my insurance at work to kick in. They could never tell me what the price or coverage would be because the were going to change the policy. I finally found out. $97 per paycheck for me, $355 per paycheck for my family, yes you heard me- $700 PER MONTH with a $2000 deductible for each person. Ouch no thank you. I have to get it for me for the unknown fertility coverage but no way for Abby and Ernie. Pretty bummed about this news.

On the fabulous news- Congratulations Ern- he got an A in his Forensic pathology class. Now we have the countdown for his really hard histology class. Let's all pray he did real well.

And I have a few posts to catchup, but not right now. We went to Kalahari waterpark this weekend with the Mirci's and had a blast. Tomorrow I'm having a little dinner at my house, and then of course Christmas.

The Life of the Anovulatory

Today is a terrible day. I took a HPT test this morning and it was negative. Mind you, this is a regular occurrence over the last 2 years. But this month (okay last 7 weeks really) have seemed a little different. I've been patiently waiting for something to be different, but it's not. It's the same, only worse. I've been trying to let my body work, I've been giving it time. Until now, I haven't been stressing- I'm 3 weeks later than a "normal" cycle.

I despise feeling like crap over this. I wish I could change how I feel. I wish I could just be happy with what I have, but I can't, I'm not. I'm tired of obsessing over every body twinge, every ache, every could be symptom. I'm tired of my body playing tricks on me. I'm tired of seeing babies and big pregnant bellies everywhere I go, as if it was a reminder to me that I don't have that. Church was especially hard today. I'm tired of pretending everything is okay, it's not.

I'm tired of living my life because of the what ifs... I don't want to buy new clothes because what if?... I didn't fill out my insurance papers because what if?...I plan my future based on my what ifs- foster care, adoption, what if? I'm tired of crying myself to sleep.

I'm tired.

I don't want anything but a baby. Ernie asks me what I want for Christmas and I can't come up with a single thing.

I go to the specialist Jan 8th. I can't wait.

Abby Dancing

Abby had a music performance at her pre-school. It was really fun to watch the kids dancing as the teacher led them with different melodies and beats (leading to actions). Abby was doing a good job switching when the teacher prompted them with the music so she got to do a little solo around the circle showing how good she was at switching from front to back.

A blast from the past!

I found these pictures on the computer the other day and just thought I'd share! Abby was about 7 months old:

Which one?

So I bought some Holiday Plates and some chargers, I just can't decide which one looks the best. I'm enlisting your help!

Silver Plate with Red Cloth

Silver Plate with Blue Cloth

Red Plate with Silver Cloth

Red Plate with Red Cloth

HELP!

So Abby is sick, again. Well sort of- She has a cough, and during the night wakes up with really high fevers (last night topped 103.1). But during the day she is happy, full of energy and no fever...

This same thing happened just after Thanksgiving. 3 nights in a row. Currently she has had 2 nights.

The worst thing is that she can't go to school, which means I can't go to work. Ern usually can help out but he is stuck in the middle of finals this week. And I only had 3 personal days in my first 90 days- so right now I'm even unpaid.

Do I take her to the doctor? (also no insurance, dang those 90 days) I would if I really knew there was something they could do. But I hate to pay the money just for them to say- "it's only a virus".

Any words of advice?

On a postive note, my house is super shiny- I've done tons of cleaning. And I was needing a vacation from work.

One more...

Does anyone's else's kids play like this?

And lastly, more pictures of Abby.

Here is Abby in her new Christmas Dress. So cute, too bad you didn't get a shot of her sparkly silver high heels. And Ern's been playin' with the pictures of our tree- here's a new one.

I saw Diane kissing Santa Claus...

We had our Ward Christmas Party on Friday. It was a lot of fun. I'm still amazed we fit everyone in there (for those who don't go to church with me we have THE smallest church) Every Sunday we are busting at the seams. But we managed to fit and have fun. Of course the highlight was Santa Claus (aka Joe Mirci). Abby thought he was the GREATEST thing ever. He was pretty great. He came in the room and started calling the kids by their names and telling them whether they've been good or not. Somehow Abby managed to get on the good list.

Here's a few good shots!

Abby really liked Santa, she told him she wanted a Pet Shop.

Here's Bill!

Abby and her friend Taylor

And here's Cameron too!

A gift from Thailand.

Thanks Rex and Heidi for thinking of us. As promised here's Abby in her cute little outfits!

Guess who finally learned her Primary part?

Last Sunday on the way to church, Abby blurted out, "Mom, I know my primary part, but I don't want to say it on the stage". Then she proceeded to say it "My faith in Jesus Christ grows when I follow His example and keep His commandments". And she helped me practice. So this was exciting, considering the program was 2 weeks ago. However I was really surprised because she never practiced it at home.

On a less positive note, Abby was terrible this weekend. She threw 2 of the worst temper tantrums ever. On was Saturday it was at the grocery store. Then today we went out the Shaker Ward for a baby blessing. At least it was at the end of Sacrament. We just decided to go home. Man it was a tough weekend.

In the end she calmed down. Spent an hour grounded on her bed, and she was back to her good 'ole self. Man it was good to have Abby back.

3 reasons why I love Cleveland...

1. The leaf clean-up. There are so many trees in Cleveland Heights, that fall clean-up is quite an undertaking. I was fortunate enough to witness the event on our street. There were 4 or 5 of these piles on the street in my neighborhood.



2. SQUIRRELS. I love these little critters. Abby makes up stories about them all the time. We've been feeding the squirrels our extra pumpkin we never got around to carving.



3. I've finally found a radio station worth listening too. It's a college station run at John Carroll University called The Heights Radio. It's still not as good as my old 101.9 The End in Utah, and the other morning they were playing rap. But it's way better than anything else I've found.
However- watch out for the RAP- I caught some the other morning and had to change it.

NOTE: Edited to add the pictures.

Let's bowl, let's bowl, let's ROCK 'N ROLL

Last Monday we went bowling with our soon to move neighbors the Noorlander's and our soon to be neighbors the Lee's- with all the kids in tow. We went to this "sweet" little bowling alley downtown. You get a little scared when the signs up to the elevator say "NO KIDS AFTER 5 PM" . Jared assured us it was okay, they had been here before.

The kids love the tradition that I brought with me from high school- that is when someone gets a STRIKE you 'high five' with an X made by your arms, if it is a SPARE, the you 'high five' with just one arm- same symbol as the score. The adults, especially Ernie, thought I was crazy! Good thing I didn't try to get them to roll up their pant legs for good luck.

The scoreboard read as follows:

Eric 57
Nataya 74
Ashton 74
Abby 59

Jared 153
Lefty (Ernie) 126
Bruce (Shawn) 141
Ralae 72
Misty 89
Celeste 70

I'm not sure why only Ern and Shawn got cool bowling names.
Unfortunately no one brought a camera to capture the great fun.

PS. As an interesting fact I used to be a GREAT bowler. In the 5th grade I was on a Saturday morning bowling league as a team with my sister. We placed second in the league and I had the all time high game of the season, I think it was 180something. I still have the bowling trophies to prove my coolness.

"I want to work here"

Little story...

We went to Target last night to get a new star for our Christmas tree and a few other items. As we were walking out here's our conversation:

Abby: "I want to work here when I grow up"

Me: "That's cool, really?"

Abby: "Yea, I want to be a worker. When I'm done being an artist, I'll be a worker here because it is REALLY cool here."

Oh, really. Good aspirations kid. At least I can get her worker discount right?

When we came home we watched "A Christmas Story" (recently acquired from Target for $5.98), decorated our Christmas Tree, and ate some Egg Nog and Peppermint Ice Cream. New tradition, it was a lot of fun. In addition to our star, we each picked out a new decoration for our tree, I got some sparkle red snowflakes, Ern got a snowman, and Abby picked out an Angel kitty. here's the finished product. Picture doesn't do our little tree justice.

And our sweet future Target worker, anytime we pull out the camera she always wants a picture of her.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

name them one by one...

Ernie... Abby... family... Mom... special friends... the Gospel... Sunny days and warm cars... easy dinners that are nutritious... real mail (or even a real email)... snuggling... phone call from a friend... good neighbors... warm home and more than sufficient belongings... a reliable car... memories... pictures... scrapbooks... a good book... nieces and nephew... sisters... being born in the gospel... hugs and kisses... Abby's artwork... conveniences of the twentyfirst century... education... freedom... visitors

I really felt the spirit strong in church today. It started during Sacrament meeting, we sang "Count your Blessings", I could hardly contain myself to finish the song. Sometimes I feel as if the Lord has forgotten me when I'm not blessed with what I desire. I really struggling right now with my infertility battles. I get to a good spot, ready to accept my challenge, feeling good and relying on the Lord, and realizing that it will come when the Lord sees fit for me. And then reality hits me and I know I'm not pregnant and it feels as if life sucks. So instead of dwelling on what I don't have (which completely preoccupies my every thought), I'm going to count my blessings. These blessings in no way encompass the only blessings I have, I'm sure there are many that I forgot or may not even realize I have.

Another get to know us...

I found this on another blog and just thought it looked like fun. It's supposed to be a tagging thing, but I'll just say anyone who wants to do it should, don't feel pressure or anything.

How long have you been together? We've been married 6 years and 4 months- together approximately 8 years (10 if you include the mission years)

How long did you date? dated 10 months before the mission, and 1 year after, we were engaged for 4 months

How old is he? 28

Who eats more? Ern for sure.

Who said I love you first? Good question, probably me because he is too shy.

Who is taller? Ernie

Who sings better? Ernie

Who is smarter? We like to debate this one all the time. I'm going to say me-My FIL and I used to say that between the 2 of us we knew everything. 50/50, then I conceded and gave Ernie 2% and me 48%, now I'll give him another 5%- he knows lots of new stuff from school.

Who does the laundry? Usually me, Ernie will do some switching for me if I ask him, or a load if he really needs something clean.

Who does the dishes? We both do, Ern will say he does them more, but sometimes I think I do.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? have the right side of the bed.

Who pays the bills? Me

Who mows the lawn? Our landlord pays someone to do it

Who cooks dinner? Mostly me, but Ernie ALWAYS helps me

Who drives when you are together? I do if I'm dropping him off at school, but otherwise he always drives.

Who is more stubborn? For sure ME!

Who kissed who first? Back to the "who said I love you first"question, same answer

Who asked who out? I actually remember this one and it was me. We worked together all summer, then he quit, I gave him a really bad haircut, it was so obvious we liked each other. But Ernie is a very shy boy. So I helped him out and asked if he wanted to go to a movie. I'm not sure if he knew it was a date (it was only the 2 of us) but I paid for myself.

Who proposed? Ernie- we were snowboarding during Spring Break. I knew he had the ring because I picked it out. My little bro and sis came snowboarding too. He sent them off together and had me play follow the leader. He took me into some trees, and popped the big question. The snow was really deep in the trees, and we both got stuck pretty good. Of course later when we retold the story to his Bishop, he was asked if he got down on one knee (impossible on a snowboard), Ernie told the Bishop he was on 2 knees, and the Bishop replied, 'so you had to beg her.'

Who is more sensitive? he's going to hate me for telling you guys but it is Ernie

Who has more friends? Is this a popularity contest? We both have enough friends

Who has more siblings? I have 3 sisters and 1 brother, Ernie has 2 sisters

Who wears the pants in the family? I would say me, I buy whatever I want, Ernie always asks me first

Thanks for reading and I hope you decide to play too. It's fun to think about when we first started dating and the things we have been through. I think Ern's a trooper for putting up with me. I love you honey!

Here he is with Abby, Ernie is an excellent Dad!

So silly!

So I keep forgetting all the cute things Abby says- here are a few:

Abby was taking a bath and taking a really long time. I wanted her to hurry up so I started washing her hair. After the shampoo was in, she was so upset and said, "Mom you've ruined my life forever" Man, she has started young with attitude.

The other day I was on the computer just goofing around, Ern asked me what I was doing and I didn't answer him specifically. Then Abby piped in "Mom, are you blogging?". Enough said.

This morning Abby sneezed and dad said bless you, Abby replied "I'm blessed."

Yea, another visitor!

I'm so excited for Ernie's sister to come. She's flying out very late on Christmas day and will get here early morning the day after. Then she'll leave on New Year's day! Since we are not going home for Christmas it'll be nice to spend some holiday time with family.

Rosie, we are so excited for you to come. And I have not told Abby yet-

I need ideas on something fun to do while she is here- HELP!

TAG- I'm it...

Well I've been tagged twice this week, one of them I've done before so I'll you'll learn 7 things about Ernie instead. So here are both of them...


5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Kissing Ernie...
2. Pep Club at Highland High
3. Honors Physics, Concurrent Alegbra/Trig, Honors English and a 4.0!
4. Late nights with my high school girls causing ruckus
5. Driving the brown station wagon, but not very good it was a clutch
6. Dreaming about moving away for college (I had to add one more)

5 Things on my to-do list today (I'll put for the week, I got lots done today):

1. Finish Laundry
2. Send letters home (with Abby)
3. Update blog
4. Progress notes for work
5. Clean hallways in the house/bring in toys from outside

5 Foods I enjoy:

1. Fruit
2. French fries
3. Mom's meatballs
4. Seafood (all!)
5. Chocolate

5 Bad habits:

1. Being bossy
2. Always being right
3. Telling to much info about myself
4. Having to do things 100% (or not at all)
5. Not picking up after myself

5 of my favorite toys:

1. The Internet/blog
2. iPod
3. Books
4. Abby's toys
5. Scrapbooking

5 People I tag: (I chose 6)

Jana
Autumn
April
Aubrey
Ali Crookston
Diane

All about Ernie:

The Rules: Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves. At the end of the post the player tags six people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Have fun!

1. Ernie is left handed to eat and write, but does everything else right handed (scissors, bat, guitar, etc.)

2. Ernie is color blind. Don't ask his opinion if what your wearing looks good, he won't know. Also for half his mission he wrote to me with a purple pen thinking it was blue.

3. Ernie loves to play the guitar. He owns a acoustic guitar, a classical guitar and I recently bought him a mandolin.

4. Ernie speaks Spanish, he went to Southern Chile for his mission.

5. Ernie was a cheerleader in High School.

6. Ernie is certified in SCUBA diving.

For this one I tag Miriam, Rachel, Ali Day, Kristin and Elise- but the new thing is you have to tell us about your husbands too!

My neighbors are awesome!

So I told everyone about our plans for a dinner swap. Some of you voiced concerns that it would be too hard- but let me tell you I LOVE IT!

First of all I have FABULOUS neighbors. Kristin and Ralae are great people to hang out with, great mothers and great cooks. I haven't had a meal that I wouldn't want to eat all over again.

Second, it is so great to come home from a busy day at work and eat a nice hot yummy meal, that I didn't cook. On the days that I don't get dinner we are eating fish sticks or hot dogs.

Third, on my end I get to cook the dinners that are my mom's recipes for a huge family, or try out new ones from my sisters. So tomorrow I'm cooking Amy's Au Jous sandwiches- my little family could never eat a 4 lb roast. Really it's not stressful cooking for the 2 extra families, I just add a little extra food!

I would recommend this to anyone- and whoever moves in to Ralae's house better continue...

Since all of our food has been so good I tried starting a blog for recipes. Well it hasn't really taken off yet. Ralae's been super busy planning to move (so sad), and Kristin's computer has a virus. So I'm opening up the recipe blog to anyone who wants to join. Just email me your email and I'll send you an invitation to post. My email is mistysorenson@hotmail.com.

Willy Wonker and the Big Bag Woof!

Abby likes the Willy Wonka movie with Johnny Depp. The other day she asked to watch Willy Wonker, then last night she was saying that Willy Wonker has really flat hair. It's too cute to correct!

Also she was pretending to be the "Big Bag Woof" today, funny girl.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4 1/2

So Abby has been doing this for awhile- since she is 4 1/2, she loves that number and wants to do everything in 4 1/2's.

Tonight after bedtme stories she was giving us kisses goodnight- and she decided on 4 1/2- but she counts funny- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4 1/2- so we actaully get 6 kisses, which is okay by me!

Happy Halloween!

Here we are Frankenstien, a witch and her black cat.

Cute Abby and me at the Trunk or Treat the night before.

Ernie made a pretty scary Frankenstein, Abby was scared of him for quite a while. And aren't you impressed with his make-up, he did it himself!

Abby and her "Prince" Eric

Trying to get all the kids to pose while trick or treating. There's Abby, and Eric (now a magician), Shalee, Alex- also Noah came but wouldn't pose, and I think Lucy is just outside the picture range. And I tried 4 or 5 pictures to get them all to look, it just wasn't happening!

Parent teacher Conferences

So this is totally a "I'm bragging about my GREAT kid" post. Ern and I went to our first parent teacher conference today. Her teacher, Ms. Wisniewski had nothing but excellent things to say about Abby- she's such a great helper, listener, friend, kind to others, leader, role model, etc... She said last week when Abby was gone everyone missed her. She said Abby cheers her up when she's feeling a little down (in tune to others feelings). And she has never been in trouble at school. When I told Ms. Wiskiewski she throws tantrums at home she was super surprised.

Here's her note: "We thoroughly enjoy having Abby in class. She is a wonderful little girl. Abby has adjusted to the school routine in a positive manner and enjoys her time spent here. Abby is always willing to help out around the classroom and is always kind to others. We will continue to help Abby form the social skills needed to initiate peer interaction and to resolve conflicts with peers independently."

I guess she's not perfect, she does need some help initiating play with others, a lot of times she'd just rather play by herself, I think it might come from being an only child and playing by herself so much at home. But if others invite her then she'll happily play with them (good thing she's everyone's best friend!). Also we've been working at home and now at school about problem solving with friends on our own.

So we've always known we've had such a special daughter. She really is so cool. It's so good to hear it from other people and confirm that we are doing what's right as parents and teaching (and sticking)her good values.



Abby, we love you. You are a beautiful daughter and I cherish all my time with you. I'm really lucky to be your mom, and I know dad feels the same way too. I hope we can continue to raise you as a choice daughter of our Heavenly Father. Thank you for beng a really cool kid.

Love Mom and Dad

Niagara Falls

We headed up to Niagara Falls Sunday Night, overall a wonderful visit- the weather was perfect,and we had lots of fun!

The ride up there was fabulous. The trees were so pretty I couldn't believe my eyes. However we waited over an hour on the bridge to cross Canada- and I had indigestion from too much junk food! It was a miserable. We checked into our hotel room and hit the pool, Abby's favorite thing always. Then we went to dinner at TGI Fridays. I do have to say the the food there is very expensive, especially since the US dollar and the Canadian dollar are virtually the same right now. Then we drove by the falls lit up at night, and went back to the hotel for some good sleep.

The next morning we went off to be tourists. Our main attraction was Maid of the Mist. It was really fun and so cool to be in the water, the wind blew pretty hard when we were on the boat and so we got pretty wet. But well worth it, and since it was perfect weather we dried quickly. Then we went walking around, hit the Hershey store where we saw the best looking bar of chocolate (5 lb bar). Ate some more food, hit some tourist shops and went home.

Luckily the ride home was uneventful, and so pretty. By the time we got back to Cleveland the weather turned ugly. We just played cards and hung out the rest of the time! Amy headed out on Tuesday to get back to school.

Since we had too many pictures to post for this one, I made a slide show for your enjoyment!

Circus!

The first night my mom and sister were here we went to the circus with the Noorlanders! It was lots of fun. The clowns were funny, the animals were amazing and it was just so much fun! It really is the GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!

We didn't take a lot of pictures but here are a few!

My Sushi Chef

Ernie really loves sushi- but he doesn't have his sushi buddy to go out with anymore. So he decided he wanted to try to make it. We got this great book from the library, bought all the stuff, and tada- a California roll. I know it's not technically "sushi" as it is not raw fish, but it's a good one to start with and perfect. Plus it is mine and Abby's favorite!

Here are some pics of the work!

He made a few inside out rolls, but they are much harder than the regular ones, so he switched to making these ones.

And Abby LOVES it!

Overall a fun night!

We'll be doing this again and adventuring out into more daring sushi rolls for Ern's taste. But for the next cooking club, Ern has agreed to make California Rolls for me to take!

Thanks Ernie for the yummy sushi!

Update on Abby

So Abby's a normal girl today! No throwing up, no "headich", no fever.

She ate pizza, cake, and a bite of brownie. (That's really sticking to the BRAT diet)

She took a long nap but has been playing all day and driving daddy crazy!

She'll go back to school tomorrow, then she's off for a week to hang with Grandma Beck!

On a cute note, Abby asked me how her room got so clean, I told her I cleaned it, she was very appreciative and kissed me!

I'm behind in blogs...

Quick Preview of things to come:

Sushi making
Dinner Swap is wonderful!
Working mama
Artwork of Abby

Sick BABY!

I took Abby to the ER today. She bumped her head pretty good last night. Then today at school complained of a headache and then started throwing up, and had a mild fever. I was afraid for a concussion. I think she's okay. They checked her out and didn't find any red flags, but said to keep an eye on her and bring her back if she doesn't improve in 2 days or gets worse. She still hasn't really kept anything down. She just ate a little bit of rice and some grapes, we'll see how long that stays in her. Poor thing, just can't stay well.

Update: She didn't keep her grapes or rice down, and then she wanted to eat again. She's finally asleep on the couch.

I ended up cleaning her room because Grandma's coming and staying in there- she did get out of that one! She does need to get better because we have a busy weekend planned- the circus, birthday party, carnival and Niagara Falls!

A woman?

Yesterday after we picked Abby up from school, she informed us she was a woman. I tried not to laugh too hard and figure out what she meant by that, I couldn't. I guess we'll just never know.

I did find out that I was a woman too- and dad is a man. Since when do 4 year olds say woman/man vs. girl/boys?

Now I need some Ritzy chicken...

I posted the recipe, then went blog surfing, and have been dreaming about it since! Tonight I'm starting a dinner swap with some neighbors and it is my turn to cook- so I think I know what I'm going to make!

I'll tell you about our dinner swap and how to organize your own...
Pick 3-4 friends who are reliable to make you dinner
Have everyone pick a day of the week to cook- we 3 choose Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Then you cook enough food for everyone's family, split it up and deliver it to them.

You cook 1 time- and get 3 different meals! We are just starting it so I'll let you know how it goes!

Ritzy Chicken

So this one isn't your typical weeknight dinner, it is however very easy, and it presents well if you are having company over. You have to buy celery salt- but once you cook the recipe, it WILL become a family favorite. This one is thanks to Ali- who made this in high school for a party we once had, my family and friends have been enjoying it since!


Ritzy Chicken

1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoons paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
5 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and halved
1½ cups crushed Ritz crackers
½ cup butter
top with poppy seeds (optional)


Combine sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper, with chicken breasts. Marinate at least 15 minutes but up to 24 hours refrigerated. Remove the coated chicken from the mixture and roll in cracker crumbs. Arrange in a single layer baking pan. Melt butter and pour half over chicken. Bake uncovered 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Spoon remaining butter over the chicken, sprinkle with poppy seeds and cook 15 minutes.

Some hints... I usually try to marinate for at least 1-2 hours.
I crush the ritz crackers in a ziploc bag, then pour into a bowl to dip chicken in.
Usually the chicken is done within the first 45 minutes, I usually only cook it for 5 or so minutes after the 45 minutes.

This one is for Elise...

Here's a recipe for you Elise, I actually have a few more easy dinners I should type up and send your way. I promise they are all fool-proof.

Chicken Nuggets

As much chicken as your family eats- mine is usually 2-3 breasts, cut into small pieces (smaller for Abby)

1 bowl with a cracked egg (2 for more chicken) and 1 TBS Worchestershire sauce

1 bowl with flour and seasonings (I vary this, but usually salt, pepper, season salt)

Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, and fry in Olive or Canola oil. A few minutes on each sde until the chicken is done.

In my old days when I didn't care so much about what I ate I used bacon grease- which makes them really unhealthy but yummy.

We just cooked some up for lunch and ate 30 minutes from when we got home from church.

ENJOY!

PS. Jana does this look familiar- do you guys still eat them?

I'm just turning BLUE!

I picked up Abby from school yesterday. She had blue stuff all over her hands, I asked her what's on her hands, she replied "nothing, I'm just turning BLUE!" What a funny girl.

The Tribe at the Jake?

We went to our first major league baseball game at Jacobs Field. It was Dental School Night and some friends got us cheap tickets and pretty decent seats. Since it was Dental Night, almost everyone we knew was there. It was lots of fun. Apparently the Tribe (Cleveland Indians) are in first place.

Do I sound like I live in Cleveland yet?

Here are some fun pictures!

Me and Abby

Olivia, Eric and Abby- Eric was so excited when he saw Abby at the game, he had to come sit with us for a few minutes.

And here they are cheering. Abby's favorite part of the whole game was clapping to the beat. She's actually pretty good, maybe I'm not teaching her my uncoordination.

Scripture Power!

We had the missionaries over for dinner tonight, during dessert, Abby disappeared. Then she came back and said "Mom, I turned on the computer with scripture power". The Elders thought it was funny, as did we. We did sing "Scripture Power" in Primary today, and Abby still has her power.

Speaking of Primary... I was in there today as a substitute, and I just have to say how impressed I am with how good Abby has done. When she started Primary I was the President and she wanted to sit on my lap the whole time, she never sang and hardly participated. Today she stayed with her class the whole time (well behaved may I add) and she also passed off her second Article of Faith, she sang it to the Primary. I didn't even know she knew the first one. It was really cute and I almost cried. Then Eric got up and passed his Third Article of Faith, 4 year olds amaze me!

8 things you may or may not know about me

So I've been tagged by my friend April to tell you 8 things you didn't know about me... here's my attempt.

1. I am a perfectionist. So while this is great because it makes me do things really well, it is also one of my greatest flaws. See, if I can't do something 110% I tend not to do it at all. Like cleaning the house, if I don't have time to do a super job, then I don't really want to try. It also makes it tough to appreciate Ernie because if he doesn't do something as well as I would have, then it's like he didn't do it.

2. I love to sing and dance, but can't do either well, AT ALL. I'm totally in the closet on this one. At my house Abby and I sing all the time and dance- but I can't really do it in front of people I don't know well. Especially since I have no rhythm. Remember pep club anyone? And I feel really bad that I'm teaching Abby my uncoordination. She loves to sing and dance as well, maybe she'll get her father's genes.

3. I love to scrapbook. I love to show my albums off. I feel I'm pretty creative with this one. And I actually do it too. I have 4 pages to do when Ern and were first married, and then I have to start my 2007 book- although now I guess I'm about 9 months behind.

4. I tell people too much about myself. Don't get me started on certain subjects or I'll talk your ear off- like infertility, Abby, food, etc.

5. I have been struggling with infertility for about 21 months now. They did diagnose me with PCOS, but I'm still struggling. Sometimes I think I know what I want to do, other times I'm lost. I'm willing to try anything at this point, but I don't seem to have enough in me to keep trying.

6. I stink at being a stay at home mom. Since we moved here I haven't worked. We had fun, I just never cleaned or cooked. I think Abby also watched too much TV and played computer. Sometimes I feel as if I'm a better mom when I can devote my time to her.

7. I love to cook, but not dinner everyday. I do love to have people over, and both Ernie and I have started to try to make more gourmet dinners, but really we don't know how. We've invested in a few cookbooks, but it is really tough to fin good ones we'll really use, any suggestions? But I don't bake- Abby doesn't know how good homemade cookies are.

8. I'll have too think of something else and edit...

So I'm tagging my sisters, Amy and Kelly. Janelle and anyone else I forgot that hasn't done one of these.

I'm going to be a working woman!

So many of you know my quest for a job here has been pretty tough. I'm pleased to announce that I have a job. I had an interview last Wednesday, and was offered the job about 3 hours ago!

I will be a case manager for a Psychiatrist's office doing wrap-around aftercare. I'm pretty excited. It's close by in Beachwood, a pretty flexible schedule, and I'll get paid about the same I made in Utah- with the potential for a raise soon.

It really was a blessing to get this job. It's in the Social Work field, getting paid what I'm worth, and not having to deal with the poverty and poor public social work system here- and I'll be working with people who want my help!

Best of all- I get paid in money. Things have been a little tight around here and with being out of a job for 4 months. I knew things would work out, but it was a little scary.

Anyway, I go fill out paperwork tomorrow and start on Wednesday!

That was a close one...

We went out running errands today. Abby had to go number 2- well the Walmart bathroom was out, so we went home. We were getting close and Abby says, I can't hold it much longer. So dad speeds up, oops- mistake. Then he saw a police officer, and of course we got pulled over. The officer asked for license and registration, etc. Dad gives him his license and says, "I know I was breaking the law, but my daughter is ready to poop her pants and we just live down the street", the officer looked in on Abby, gave Dad back his license and said to go home.

Boy was that a close one...

One more...

We are waiting for our dinner to be done. I look over at Abby, she has some books on the couch and is reading. Since I had the camera out I snapped a quick shot, then she said, "Mom, I'm reading" in a very annoyed voice.

Since both Ernie and I read alot, it's good to see that we instilled that in Abby. Here she is,

OOPS, I did it again!

Sorry folks, I keep you waiting weeks to hear an update from us, then I bombard you with posts. Keep scrolling down I think there are 3 or 4 new ones, starting at the airshow. I promise I'll be better next time.

HELLO NEW FRIEND

So Abby learned a little sign language at school. Here she is demonstrating the signs for hello new friend. She's cute, huh?