We have a Wii- if you know my house, you shouldn't be surprised. After all, its electronic, and its new on the market- so of course its a MUST HAVE. Although, I do admit its pretty cool, I just don't know how to use it very well. I end up looking like a Kindergarten student just learning to use a mouse for the first time. Half the time I can't find the cursor.
One of the treasures we have is a Wii Lego Star Wars game- its not violent, the characters just break apart into legos and then get put back together if they have any lives left.
Of course one of Grant's favorite things to do is playing this Star Wars game on the Wii. It is perhaps the only motivating reward I have for Grant at this point. Unfortunately for Grant, he can't read. And Ryan and Grace take full advantage of this.... because in our house, Star Wars is serious business- even if its the lego characters in the Wii game of Star Wars.
There are several things that make Ryan crazy...
First of all, Grant refuses to call R2D2 by his full name- instead he calls him R2-DEEE ( and when corrected, he calls him r2d2 deee. Its hilarious, I think he must know how much that bugs Ryan, but if not, he's sure to find out.
Then, the kid is only 4- so he's not all the great at the video games, I can totally understand, my skills are in the same arena. But, he loves the game, so he needs to feel like he's playing.
Grace will play the game and "use the force" on him to make him move out the way. He gets really upset, because he's figured out what she's done to him.
But, today, Ryan played with him, and I'm a little ashamed to tell you what low he went to in order to win at Star Wars. Ryan is a bit miffed anyway because somehow his "saved" game got erased.. not sure how that happenend, maybe when I was trying to figure out how to turn the thing on, maybe when I let Grant click random buttons on the screen... any of these are possiblities.
So, Ryan and Grant are playing. Grant accidently "kills" Ryan's character a few times with his light saver- and they are both "good guys" playing on the same team. This of course is not OK. Within a few minutes Grant has done enough hops and jumps off the steep cliff to use up all his lives. When a character needs to come back to life, you have to push an additional (+) button to become "active" again. Grant can't read remember... so he doesn't know this, and evidently Grace and Ryan take advanatage of this all the time. Now, it seems Grant's character has gained amazing skills, because magically he's following right along with Ryan's character ( probably Luke Skywalker), and has superior skills in defending himself and Luke against Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and every other nemesis in the game. This allows Ryan to keep on playing, and Grant thinks he's playing but his character is not active.......I can't decide if I should show him the (+) button or not. Ryan's ego seems to be in charge at this point. Whatever happened to Father- Son bonding.. maybe when it comes to Star Wars, that happens later, when you have competent skills. ( I've NEVER been asked to play Star Wars with Ryan.. I think that's a hint)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Hair Dye- Part II
I got my hair cut and colored this afternoon. Yeah, I know after the previous post, the timing isn't exactly great. I have a lot of gray ( it was shocking today! before the hair dye), so its a process- with an all over color, weaving of another color to offset the gray and give variety, and then a toner on top - not sure what that does, but in the end I think it looks pretty good. Anyway, I picked up Grace afterward from school- and she knew I was going to get my hair cut-
G: "Mom, your hair does not really look any shorter or trimmed".
Me: "Well, I did get my hair trimmed, and I think it looks shorter" (At this point I'm thinking, why do I have to justify this to you?)
G: "Mom, why is your hair so dark?"
Ok, seems innocent right? And by the way, my hair is really not dark- its a light brown color as usual with some blond streaks weaved in. Not a whole lot different that the previous couple of months.
Well, later tonight, my neighbor Holly comes to the door and tells Ryan " The girls just told me that Ashley's hair is black with white streaks, I had to come see for myself". ( this makes me sound like a skunk!) Ryan said at this point he was worried he had not paid attention to a major style change on my part- from the description it sounded terrible.
So, evidently, my hair became a neighborhood spectacle. ** by the way Holly said my hair was NOT black, and that it didn't look much different from a week ago. I can't wait until next color appointment when I change to chestnut. That will be a freak show for sure in Grace's eyes.
G: "Mom, your hair does not really look any shorter or trimmed".
Me: "Well, I did get my hair trimmed, and I think it looks shorter" (At this point I'm thinking, why do I have to justify this to you?)
G: "Mom, why is your hair so dark?"
Ok, seems innocent right? And by the way, my hair is really not dark- its a light brown color as usual with some blond streaks weaved in. Not a whole lot different that the previous couple of months.
Well, later tonight, my neighbor Holly comes to the door and tells Ryan " The girls just told me that Ashley's hair is black with white streaks, I had to come see for myself". ( this makes me sound like a skunk!) Ryan said at this point he was worried he had not paid attention to a major style change on my part- from the description it sounded terrible.
So, evidently, my hair became a neighborhood spectacle. ** by the way Holly said my hair was NOT black, and that it didn't look much different from a week ago. I can't wait until next color appointment when I change to chestnut. That will be a freak show for sure in Grace's eyes.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
These moments are few....
I recently found this photo from this Summer. This is one of my favorite activites. Napping.. and getting Grant to hold still enough to sleep. I love sleeping children and babies. I could of had a lot more children if they would just sleep all the time. I love to hold sleeping babies. So, I'm posting this so I can remember later a time when Grant would sit on my lap and sleep. Hair Dye
If you don't know already, Grace is a VERY VERY observant child. She notices that I have acne, gray hair and a host of other things. Yesterday was her first day of school in 2nd grade and her school has a new principal this year. ( Whom I met earlier, but that's another bossy parent story for another time)
Anyway, she tells me today that they had an assembly yesterday to introduce the new principal, Mr. Kingma, and he spoke to the students. This is what she deduced from his presentation;
"Mom, we met our new prinipal yesterday. He said he lived in Hawaii for 30 years ( I'm not sure that part is true), and he also said that he is OLDER than he looks. But, you know what, I think he dyes his hair just like you and grandma so he looks younger"
I had to bite my tongue big time! She has recently been obsessed with hair dye- we had a long discussion about my hair, my gray hair, why grandpa ( my dad) has always had white hair ( he grayed prematurely- thanks dad, for some reason it fell to me not my brothers), and why people color their hair.
It was close to an interogation. Luckily, she has no desire at this point to color her hair because she thinks you only do it if you have gray hair.
Then about 10 minutes later, she related this observation:
History: (Grace really wants her ears pierced, I really don't care, Ryan cares BIG TIME and has set a ridiculous age for this to occur- so I'm taking the 5th here, or we'll end up fighting again)
G:Mom, I think Dad has a hole in his ear
Me: Really? Why do you think that?
G: Because I was looking closely at his ear and I saw it.
Me: Well, I'm not sure you can see a hole in someone's ear ( this is a big fat lie, I'm just trying to deflect here)
G: I'm sure I saw it. I can see right through it.
Me: Well, I don't think you can see right through it. Have you talked to Dad about this?
G: No, not yet, but I'm going to.
This is hilarious also because in high school, Ryan had his ear pierced and had a mullet- which was bleach blond and green at times from swim team. He tells it that people commented all the time on how much they liked his hair. Its a photo that doesn't even look like the same techno that he is today. If I can get a photo, I'd love to post it here. Its enjoyable. If Grace ever finds out about the earring, he is sooo dead.
Anyway, she tells me today that they had an assembly yesterday to introduce the new principal, Mr. Kingma, and he spoke to the students. This is what she deduced from his presentation;
"Mom, we met our new prinipal yesterday. He said he lived in Hawaii for 30 years ( I'm not sure that part is true), and he also said that he is OLDER than he looks. But, you know what, I think he dyes his hair just like you and grandma so he looks younger"
I had to bite my tongue big time! She has recently been obsessed with hair dye- we had a long discussion about my hair, my gray hair, why grandpa ( my dad) has always had white hair ( he grayed prematurely- thanks dad, for some reason it fell to me not my brothers), and why people color their hair.
It was close to an interogation. Luckily, she has no desire at this point to color her hair because she thinks you only do it if you have gray hair.
Then about 10 minutes later, she related this observation:
History: (Grace really wants her ears pierced, I really don't care, Ryan cares BIG TIME and has set a ridiculous age for this to occur- so I'm taking the 5th here, or we'll end up fighting again)
G:Mom, I think Dad has a hole in his ear
Me: Really? Why do you think that?
G: Because I was looking closely at his ear and I saw it.
Me: Well, I'm not sure you can see a hole in someone's ear ( this is a big fat lie, I'm just trying to deflect here)
G: I'm sure I saw it. I can see right through it.
Me: Well, I don't think you can see right through it. Have you talked to Dad about this?
G: No, not yet, but I'm going to.
This is hilarious also because in high school, Ryan had his ear pierced and had a mullet- which was bleach blond and green at times from swim team. He tells it that people commented all the time on how much they liked his hair. Its a photo that doesn't even look like the same techno that he is today. If I can get a photo, I'd love to post it here. Its enjoyable. If Grace ever finds out about the earring, he is sooo dead.
The Birthday phenomenon
The Northam side of this family has funny birthday phenomenon... Ryan's brother Jared was born on his exact birthday 3 years later- so they share the same birthday in May. I think there is also some of this in the older generations.
And now, today, my sister-in-law, Chelsea, has had her twins today- Aug 26th- ( she also has a 5 year old and now a 2 year old, along with newborn twins). Her youngest son Tate- his birthday is today- 8/26, so he now shares that with his new baby brother and sister. How odd is that? ( and the birth was not induced) Now all 4 kids have birthdays in August. Payton is earlier in the month.
Good Luck to Chelsea and Jared in so many ways!
How funny, my kids just have their birthdays on obscure holidays- Cinco de Mayo and Flag Day.
UPDATE: Ryan's Dad let me know that his Grandmother Northam had one of her daughters on her birthday as well, so they also share a birthday.
And now, today, my sister-in-law, Chelsea, has had her twins today- Aug 26th- ( she also has a 5 year old and now a 2 year old, along with newborn twins). Her youngest son Tate- his birthday is today- 8/26, so he now shares that with his new baby brother and sister. How odd is that? ( and the birth was not induced) Now all 4 kids have birthdays in August. Payton is earlier in the month.
Good Luck to Chelsea and Jared in so many ways!
How funny, my kids just have their birthdays on obscure holidays- Cinco de Mayo and Flag Day.
UPDATE: Ryan's Dad let me know that his Grandmother Northam had one of her daughters on her birthday as well, so they also share a birthday.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
I thought my children were sleeping through the night....
I really thought my children were old enough to consistently sleep through the night.. FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. But, apparently, not so. Grant is 4 and we have been wondering when he might be totally out of Pull Ups, and dry through the night. I was not in any rush to get this done, he wasn't dry, and really, I'm not great at laundry anyway, so why add a set of sheets or more each morning? But, he latched on to the idea when he saw that other friends and cousins were out of Pull Ups. OK, so we laid down the rules- you have to be dry for a set number of days before we're even attempting underwear. Now, don't think I'm being all mean on this subject, I know that all kids mature and different rates, and that boys take EVEN longer than girls to get a handle on this skill. So, seriously, I'm not getting my hopes up. But with the potty training, now we're back to 3 times a night practically!!! Getting him up before I go to bed at midnight ( this is really Ryan most of the time- but you have to agree this is the EASIER time to get up- you're not even asleep yet!)
Then, Grant wanders in at about 3am- mainly I think because he has to go to the bathroom, so like a crazy person, I tell him we have to get up and go to the bathroom before he can get in bed with me- he's not fully awake, so this takes SOO much longer than it should, and I'm practically fully awake before we get back to bed for a few hours. And of course, he gets more awake, so he doesn't fall immediately back to sleep, so I'm conversing with a 4 year old at 3am...
Update: We're still working on this little at a time, still haven't moved to the giant faith leap of underwear- I'm not caught up on my laundry yet. I pledge to have this under control by cub scout camp- and I think I have several years with that. We maybe can handle that. - He's now started to get into bed with Grace- but she's not awake enough to get him up to go to the bathroom ( maybe we can pay her to take him to the bathroom in the middle of the night)
The cruel thing about getting in bed with Grace is this... They ( grace and grant) always want to sleep together- and Grant insists on sleeping in his bed. So, he tells Grace that she can sleep in his bed with him- Then about 10-15 minutes later ( enough time for her to read him a story or 2), he tells her he doesn't want her to sleep in his bed- at first he might give her the option of sleeping on the top bunk, but sooner or later, he throws and all out fit, and tells her he doesn't want her in his room. I'm not sure how to handle this, because I really just want them to go to sleep and be quiet! Poor Grace is now crying ( even though this has happened about a thousand times), and sulks back into her room. Grant gets yelled at, and hopefully they go to sleep.
But, now, we are finding that after Grace has gone to sleep in her bed, Grant has snuck in her room and is now asleep in her bed. What a manipulator..
Then, Grant wanders in at about 3am- mainly I think because he has to go to the bathroom, so like a crazy person, I tell him we have to get up and go to the bathroom before he can get in bed with me- he's not fully awake, so this takes SOO much longer than it should, and I'm practically fully awake before we get back to bed for a few hours. And of course, he gets more awake, so he doesn't fall immediately back to sleep, so I'm conversing with a 4 year old at 3am...
Update: We're still working on this little at a time, still haven't moved to the giant faith leap of underwear- I'm not caught up on my laundry yet. I pledge to have this under control by cub scout camp- and I think I have several years with that. We maybe can handle that. - He's now started to get into bed with Grace- but she's not awake enough to get him up to go to the bathroom ( maybe we can pay her to take him to the bathroom in the middle of the night)
The cruel thing about getting in bed with Grace is this... They ( grace and grant) always want to sleep together- and Grant insists on sleeping in his bed. So, he tells Grace that she can sleep in his bed with him- Then about 10-15 minutes later ( enough time for her to read him a story or 2), he tells her he doesn't want her to sleep in his bed- at first he might give her the option of sleeping on the top bunk, but sooner or later, he throws and all out fit, and tells her he doesn't want her in his room. I'm not sure how to handle this, because I really just want them to go to sleep and be quiet! Poor Grace is now crying ( even though this has happened about a thousand times), and sulks back into her room. Grant gets yelled at, and hopefully they go to sleep.
But, now, we are finding that after Grace has gone to sleep in her bed, Grant has snuck in her room and is now asleep in her bed. What a manipulator..
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
When it rains it pours...
It seems our house is broken.. well, not broken, just that several things have decided to break or need fixing/painting NOW. I had plans to have a door installed out the back deck that REALLY shuts. The current one has driven me crazy since day 1- its not set in the jam quite right, so if you don't work with it for atleast 2 minutes, you can't shut and lock the door. I've finally had it and I went to Home Depot and signed up for a measurement consult. I picked out a great door that has the blinds INSIDE! I know this seems simple, but if you consider that I'm a bit crazy with OCD when it comes to safety, you'll understand, that I take great comfort in turning on my house alarm, shutting all windows, blinds, and anything else I can secure. So, I was excited to get a door with blinds inside. That plan was going fine. With a few bumps... We've been looking at the exterior of our house and thinking that we'd need to repaint next year, but as summer has gone on, I don't think we're going to be able to wait until next year. Its starting to look really faded, and the longer we wait, the more damage may be done.
I'm excited for new paint, I have some great ideas on paint. The only problem is that Ryan and I will have to agree on a paint color, and that is probably harder than getting out of Iraq. My ideas will all get vetoed, Ryan will waffle on what he thinks may look good ( without any concrete ideas, I might add- this is the problem- he just wants to veto my ideas).
So this morning it looked like we were headed toward replacing a back door, and the side door out to the garage ( its had a cat door in it since we moved in, its also warped in the jam and needs to be replaced). I thought it would all fall in line with house painting, but, tonight Ryan BROKE the garage door. ( not really). The garage door has been shutting only with force recently, so we should have known we were on the last leg. Tonight I heard this very loud sound from the garage- I find this strategy works best: "Ask myself- where are the kids? Could they have anything to do with that loud sound? Is anyone crying - not whining, really crying like they're in pain? Is Grace running in here to tattle on what Grant has most recently done?- if all the above are answered with a "no", then I know its Ryan, and I know he's working with tools, and that tells me to stay away unless I hear him crying ( not shouting- thats just anger or frustration, I want to stay away then).
But I didn't hear any of that either, so I casually sauntered out to the garage, and he was calmly examining the garage door spring- which just broke. GREAT! The cascading domino of home improvment continues to go on.....
** oops, it looks like the photo is posted up top. I went on to the Sherwin Williams site and tried to find a house I liked to put virutal paint on. ( I know, this is not my house- and I'm not crazy about the brown shed color on the side, but I like the main color and trim)
Lobbying may not work, but if anyone has some ideas on color combos, let me know. I hate the color blue in house color. Don't suggest blue.
I'm excited for new paint, I have some great ideas on paint. The only problem is that Ryan and I will have to agree on a paint color, and that is probably harder than getting out of Iraq. My ideas will all get vetoed, Ryan will waffle on what he thinks may look good ( without any concrete ideas, I might add- this is the problem- he just wants to veto my ideas).
So this morning it looked like we were headed toward replacing a back door, and the side door out to the garage ( its had a cat door in it since we moved in, its also warped in the jam and needs to be replaced). I thought it would all fall in line with house painting, but, tonight Ryan BROKE the garage door. ( not really). The garage door has been shutting only with force recently, so we should have known we were on the last leg. Tonight I heard this very loud sound from the garage- I find this strategy works best: "Ask myself- where are the kids? Could they have anything to do with that loud sound? Is anyone crying - not whining, really crying like they're in pain? Is Grace running in here to tattle on what Grant has most recently done?- if all the above are answered with a "no", then I know its Ryan, and I know he's working with tools, and that tells me to stay away unless I hear him crying ( not shouting- thats just anger or frustration, I want to stay away then).
But I didn't hear any of that either, so I casually sauntered out to the garage, and he was calmly examining the garage door spring- which just broke. GREAT! The cascading domino of home improvment continues to go on.....
** oops, it looks like the photo is posted up top. I went on to the Sherwin Williams site and tried to find a house I liked to put virutal paint on. ( I know, this is not my house- and I'm not crazy about the brown shed color on the side, but I like the main color and trim)
Lobbying may not work, but if anyone has some ideas on color combos, let me know. I hate the color blue in house color. Don't suggest blue.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Mom, I"m ready for the beach
( 8/12/2008)
Tonight after a long struggle to get the kids to bed, I hear Grant come downstairs at 9:45pm. *He needs very little sleep for a 4 year old! Bedtime is usually around 8 or 8:30 and sometimes like tonight he doesn't fall to sleep until 10- then he's up at 6 or maybe 7, if we're lucky and wants to eat- NOW.
Anyway, he says "Hi Mom, I'm ready for the beach!"
Tonight after a long struggle to get the kids to bed, I hear Grant come downstairs at 9:45pm. *He needs very little sleep for a 4 year old! Bedtime is usually around 8 or 8:30 and sometimes like tonight he doesn't fall to sleep until 10- then he's up at 6 or maybe 7, if we're lucky and wants to eat- NOW.
Anyway, he says "Hi Mom, I'm ready for the beach!"
I said "What do you mean?" Meanwhile I'm looking more closely at his chest, there appears to be some white stuff smeared all over his skin ( he was only wearing shorts).
I'm thinking at this point, that this must be sunscreen that he has gotten into.
I say in my mean mommy voice " Show me where the sunscreen is!"
I walk with him upstairs, and start to smell something "minty". Hmm, I wonder what that is from?....
I tell him at this point to show me the sunscreen... turns out he had found a tube of Colgate toothpaste, and smeared it all over his chest, arms, and even some on his back. He said " but mom, you said we're going to the beach" ( we arent' leaving for a few days- next time I'm not saying a word)
He also added a few more thoughts while I was cleaning him up-
"Mom, (pointing to my deodorant) I also put that on, you're wiping it off right now"
* I just kept saying " we do not put toothpaste on our bodies, it only goes in our mouths, you do not go into mommy's bathroom and get into stuff"
Then, he pointed to a glass of water solution that holds my retainers. "Mom isn't that cool, you have dinosaur teeth in there! See that, that looks like a big dinosaur mouth".
I seriously don't think this even phased him.
I'm thinking at this point, that this must be sunscreen that he has gotten into.
I say in my mean mommy voice " Show me where the sunscreen is!"
I walk with him upstairs, and start to smell something "minty". Hmm, I wonder what that is from?....
I tell him at this point to show me the sunscreen... turns out he had found a tube of Colgate toothpaste, and smeared it all over his chest, arms, and even some on his back. He said " but mom, you said we're going to the beach" ( we arent' leaving for a few days- next time I'm not saying a word)
He also added a few more thoughts while I was cleaning him up-
"Mom, (pointing to my deodorant) I also put that on, you're wiping it off right now"
* I just kept saying " we do not put toothpaste on our bodies, it only goes in our mouths, you do not go into mommy's bathroom and get into stuff"
Then, he pointed to a glass of water solution that holds my retainers. "Mom isn't that cool, you have dinosaur teeth in there! See that, that looks like a big dinosaur mouth".
I seriously don't think this even phased him.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Ryan,,, funny memory
Thinking about Ryan, I remembered a funny moment.
It was a Sunday, and he was teaching the 3 year olds ( Sunbeams) so he was sitting on the front row with them in Primary. Grace was a baby and I had come to just outside the Primary door to get his attention so I could hand her off to go to the bathroom. At that moment, an adult was up front speaking, giving a serious talk about feeling the Spirit or something. Ryan quietly got up and decided to walk behind the person speaking, the only problem was that he tripped on the microphone cord and ended up falling on his face, sliding out the Primary door. The adults had to bite their tongues to keep it together. He just crawled the rest of the way out into the hallway. It was too funny!
It was a Sunday, and he was teaching the 3 year olds ( Sunbeams) so he was sitting on the front row with them in Primary. Grace was a baby and I had come to just outside the Primary door to get his attention so I could hand her off to go to the bathroom. At that moment, an adult was up front speaking, giving a serious talk about feeling the Spirit or something. Ryan quietly got up and decided to walk behind the person speaking, the only problem was that he tripped on the microphone cord and ended up falling on his face, sliding out the Primary door. The adults had to bite their tongues to keep it together. He just crawled the rest of the way out into the hallway. It was too funny!
Memory Lane Tag
Help me with my Memory Loss!
As you know, I have a terrible memory on my own, but love to hear what others remember about us ( any of the 4 of us). I will also try to remember some of the funniest moments from past experiences.
As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you have of me or the monkeys ( R, Grace or Grant). It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
* Ryan deserves to be a monkey- last night he was explaning to Grace that my maiden name is "Gibbons" ( it is) and that it comes from the Gibbons Monkey ( it does not!).
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments
As you know, I have a terrible memory on my own, but love to hear what others remember about us ( any of the 4 of us). I will also try to remember some of the funniest moments from past experiences.
As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you have of me or the monkeys ( R, Grace or Grant). It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
* Ryan deserves to be a monkey- last night he was explaning to Grace that my maiden name is "Gibbons" ( it is) and that it comes from the Gibbons Monkey ( it does not!).
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments
Luke Skywalker...
Church is usually a struggle with Grant. The first hour ( Sacrament meeting) we are all together ( families). This is a time to stand on my head trying to get my kids to be reverent and not fight. We have yet to promote ourselves past the very back row- which makes for a quick exit if needed. I have just recently discontinued any snacks, so we're on a new learning curve without any bribery.
Anyway, it usually appears that our kids- especially Grant - are not listening to the speakers. But, yesterday, he happened to hear someone refer to "LUKE"- meaning the Book of Luke in the Bible- and he shouts out "Dad, they said LUKE SKYWALKER!., Dad, they're talking about LUKE SKYWALKER!". We have a long way to go, and Ryan is somewhat to blame, if we didn't have such and obsession in this house with Star Wars...- but only the "old" Star Wars- is that episodes 3-6? I don't know, I'm barely able to identify the main characters, unlike the rest of my family. We even have a Wii game that is Lego Star Wars. This is a big motivator for Grant. Unfortunately, he has yet to figure out how to make his figure move through the game. He usually spends most of the time figuring out how to get out of the corner. The other day Grace got impatient with him ( he was R2D2), and decided to "use the force" on him to make him move out of the way. He was so upset! This made R2D2 nod off to the side and go out of commission for a few minutes. Later that day he said "I can't believe you used the force on R2D2!" Again, showing my lack of Star Wars knowledge.. I didn't know you could use the force on the good guys......
( Update: Grace is reading over my shoulder, and says "Mama, its 1-6, not 3-6. I'm allowed to watch 1,2,4,5,6... but not 3)
Anyway, it usually appears that our kids- especially Grant - are not listening to the speakers. But, yesterday, he happened to hear someone refer to "LUKE"- meaning the Book of Luke in the Bible- and he shouts out "Dad, they said LUKE SKYWALKER!., Dad, they're talking about LUKE SKYWALKER!". We have a long way to go, and Ryan is somewhat to blame, if we didn't have such and obsession in this house with Star Wars...- but only the "old" Star Wars- is that episodes 3-6? I don't know, I'm barely able to identify the main characters, unlike the rest of my family. We even have a Wii game that is Lego Star Wars. This is a big motivator for Grant. Unfortunately, he has yet to figure out how to make his figure move through the game. He usually spends most of the time figuring out how to get out of the corner. The other day Grace got impatient with him ( he was R2D2), and decided to "use the force" on him to make him move out of the way. He was so upset! This made R2D2 nod off to the side and go out of commission for a few minutes. Later that day he said "I can't believe you used the force on R2D2!" Again, showing my lack of Star Wars knowledge.. I didn't know you could use the force on the good guys......
( Update: Grace is reading over my shoulder, and says "Mama, its 1-6, not 3-6. I'm allowed to watch 1,2,4,5,6... but not 3)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Death seems to be a theme...
I woke up this morning to this question first thing from Grace:
"Mom, how old do you think you'll be when you die"
Me: " I don't know, everyone dies at different times, it just depends if its time..."
(My bubble thought: "Is this going to get really philosophical, or exactly what has prompted this?)
Grace: "Mom, just guess, pick a number, on how old you think you'll be when you die"
(My bubble thought: " Has she had a premonition, does she know something I don't,.. is she preparing me, or herself for my demise! Where is this coming from?........ Don't overreact. Don't overreact... I'm sure everything is fine)
Me: Ok, maybe 85, I don't really know. I hope to be healthy"
Grace: OK, hold that number in your head, and when you die, you can see if you guessed right.
Me: (Doing the math in my head quickly, OK, I'm 35 now, so that means I have 50 years to think about dying at age 85... how crazy is this conversation!)
Later in the day.... along the same theme and brought up in the same direct way-
Grace: "Mom did you know that black widows eat their husbands? "
Me: No....( I hate spiders! Horrified, no I did not, but again the death theme... )
Grace: " The mom doesn't kill her babies, but she eats her husband. I wouldn't want to eat my husband".
Me: "Ok, thats good, I don't think that would be possible."
and then we left for art class.... just like any other normal day. Except, I can't figure out where the death theme came from. Ryan recently found a spider in the garage ( possibly a black widow-I can't think about it..). Grace had some questions, but evidently the fact about them eating their husbands, she learned on her own because Ryan swears he didn't tell her that-
( Imagine Twilight Zone music here as we leave this post.....)
"Mom, how old do you think you'll be when you die"
Me: " I don't know, everyone dies at different times, it just depends if its time..."
(My bubble thought: "Is this going to get really philosophical, or exactly what has prompted this?)
Grace: "Mom, just guess, pick a number, on how old you think you'll be when you die"
(My bubble thought: " Has she had a premonition, does she know something I don't,.. is she preparing me, or herself for my demise! Where is this coming from?........ Don't overreact. Don't overreact... I'm sure everything is fine)
Me: Ok, maybe 85, I don't really know. I hope to be healthy"
Grace: OK, hold that number in your head, and when you die, you can see if you guessed right.
Me: (Doing the math in my head quickly, OK, I'm 35 now, so that means I have 50 years to think about dying at age 85... how crazy is this conversation!)
Later in the day.... along the same theme and brought up in the same direct way-
Grace: "Mom did you know that black widows eat their husbands? "
Me: No....( I hate spiders! Horrified, no I did not, but again the death theme... )
Grace: " The mom doesn't kill her babies, but she eats her husband. I wouldn't want to eat my husband".
Me: "Ok, thats good, I don't think that would be possible."
and then we left for art class.... just like any other normal day. Except, I can't figure out where the death theme came from. Ryan recently found a spider in the garage ( possibly a black widow-I can't think about it..). Grace had some questions, but evidently the fact about them eating their husbands, she learned on her own because Ryan swears he didn't tell her that-
( Imagine Twilight Zone music here as we leave this post.....)
Monday, August 4, 2008
I got my braces off today!!!
I got lucky today. At my ortho appointment... I went in today to argue with the orthodontist about when the braces were going to come off, fully intending to schedule a date in the far future ( and to be really mad about it). BUT as luck would have it, the schedule was light and they were able to get it done today! So after 13 months, I have once again had my braces taken off ( the other time was over 15 years ago). Yipee. Somehow I don't think this latest development will make me any more photogenic.. it doesn't make sense that all the ugly pictures of me have only been taken in the last 13 months.... that I will somehow not continue to smile like I'm in pain or constipated,... that my left side lazy eye will become stronger... but I can hope. Maybe after some surgery.
Adding to our resume, HAM radio operator
Believe it or not, Ryan and I are adding yet another preparedness skill to our list. We are going to take a class to take some test to be certified as HAM radio operators. I don't even know what HAM radio operators do. I just know that anyone I've met who is a HAM radio operator is a bit odd, and they tend to put their "call" letters on their license plates. The call letter starts with a "K". that is really about all I know. Which is scary. And, the big question, WHY, WHY are we doing this? Well, its a Mormon thing... not really, but there was a class advertised for anyone interested, I had signed up Ryan, but evidently he felt this was a "couples" activity. I told him yes, but I draw the line at going to any weird HAM radio conventions, meetings, or campouts.
So, when all of you walk to my house during the next earthquake, flood, fire, natural disaster, we will have food, water, and now outside communication via our HAM radio. If you've read "THE HOST" by Stephenie Meyer (good book by the way)- its scary how many similarities are in the book between the storyline in that book and what I envision as our convent that forms when the world comes to an end.- except that book is about aliens taking over, which I guess could also qualify as a natural disaster......
So, when all of you walk to my house during the next earthquake, flood, fire, natural disaster, we will have food, water, and now outside communication via our HAM radio. If you've read "THE HOST" by Stephenie Meyer (good book by the way)- its scary how many similarities are in the book between the storyline in that book and what I envision as our convent that forms when the world comes to an end.- except that book is about aliens taking over, which I guess could also qualify as a natural disaster......
I want a deer....
If you are from Oregon, or possibly this crazy story made the news in other realms, you might remember the story of SNOWBALL the deer that a family was raising in their backyard and then through a turn of events that I can't clearly remember, the deer was removed, but was not able to return to the wild... thats about all I remember about Snowball- I'm not a pet lover remember...
Anyway, driving home today on some semi-country roads, Grant and I spot a beautiful fawn crossing the road with her baby close behind, luckily I stopped and the opposing car stopped so they could cross safely. Grant eyed the deer, and here is our conversation that follows..
Grant: Mom I want to get a deer, can you get me that deer?
Mom: No, we can't keep deer as pets, they belong outside in the "wild" ( he probably did not know what this meant)
Grant: But Mom, I want to get a deer so I can ride on it, PLEASE!
Mom: Grant, that is not possible, we can't keep deer in our backyard, they are not meant to be pets.
Grant: But Mom, you can have all my monies to buy the deer and I have a lot! ( He has the equivalent of about $4 in loose change)
Grant: Mom, I even have money I "found" from Grace, we could use that to buy a deer.
Note: Grace recently lost another tooth, the fairy gave her $1.50 I think... and since Grace is not really obsessed with money, and therefore leaves it around the house, Grant must have "found " it and put it in his collection. I choose not to police this...
No, we are not going to take in another animal, and definitely not an animal that is not meant to be a pet.
Anyway, driving home today on some semi-country roads, Grant and I spot a beautiful fawn crossing the road with her baby close behind, luckily I stopped and the opposing car stopped so they could cross safely. Grant eyed the deer, and here is our conversation that follows..
Grant: Mom I want to get a deer, can you get me that deer?
Mom: No, we can't keep deer as pets, they belong outside in the "wild" ( he probably did not know what this meant)
Grant: But Mom, I want to get a deer so I can ride on it, PLEASE!
Mom: Grant, that is not possible, we can't keep deer in our backyard, they are not meant to be pets.
Grant: But Mom, you can have all my monies to buy the deer and I have a lot! ( He has the equivalent of about $4 in loose change)
Grant: Mom, I even have money I "found" from Grace, we could use that to buy a deer.
Note: Grace recently lost another tooth, the fairy gave her $1.50 I think... and since Grace is not really obsessed with money, and therefore leaves it around the house, Grant must have "found " it and put it in his collection. I choose not to police this...
No, we are not going to take in another animal, and definitely not an animal that is not meant to be a pet.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Christmas in July... er, maybe August
Every year I make a good faith effort to write a Christmas letter to send out. I don't know why this is so hard. Some years, I have gotten the letter copied, and even gathered the address labels, but didn't get it out until after the holidays.. which is really not a big deal, I mean what do you have to look forward to in January anyway?
Well, I wrote the letter for last Christmas ( of 2007), and I had it copied, I had good intentions to send it out around New Years, then in January, then for Valentines Day... well, it still here, copied, even folded in thirds, but the envelopes are not addressed. So, much to my husband's chagrin ,I'm going to post it here, for all of you. Then I can start with a clean slate for this coming holiday. I told him otherwise, I felt I might send the 2007 letter with 2008.... ( no comment from him).
December 2007 Christmas letter....
December 2007~ Northam FamilyI’m not really sure if last year’s letter even got sent out! I read over it and is says I sent it out in January. Hopefully that happened. Well, it’s the first of December and if I’m working on the letter already, there are hopes of getting it out before Christmas. We have friends and family spread far and wide and I personally love getting Christmas letters ( it’s the voyeur in me), my family might say I’m just nosy and want to know what everyone is doing. I also like the reflection part, because I’m not a scrapbooker or journal keeper so hopefully this will suffice for a bit of family history for now.We have had an eventful year. We are blessed to not have an tragedies or unfortunate events( that I can remember at least).Because my memory is shot, the crazy moments that have happened just recently are fresh in my mind. If you know me at all, when I tell you that “you know who” is bringing Grace and Grant a PET you will think that “Oh my, HELL has actually frozen over”. Well folks, that may be the truth. When Ryan and I got married, we had a informal ( but serious) pre-nup stating that we would not have pets. I was the creator and enforcer of the pre-nup if you’re curious who Cruella is at our house. My children will often even tell others that we can’t have pets ( we do conveniently have allergies to dogs and cats, we did try fish when Grace was a baby but they quickly died). So, we have up until now been a “NO PET” family. We had Grace’s classroom hedgehog home for a weekend visit and over the course of 3 days, I decided that this might just be the perfect pet- it doesn’t have hair, its quiet, you can leave it for days on end without anyone needing to come in and “feed” your pet, and the quills make it so that your kids won’t maul the poor thing, but it is interactive- somewhat.I started checking into where to find a hedgehog, and found a breeder online in Eugene (PETCO does not carry hedgehogs I found out). I had to fill out an application just to “apply’ for a hedgehog which included a 200 word essay on what I knew about hedgehogs, how I was going to take care of it etc. I lied of course. I had done a ton of research before moving in this direction, so I had all the right answers or so I thought. After several emails, I found out I was REJECTED! The breeder felt it was not a good fit for our family!!! So, I started calling around, found a great little pet shop in Newberg ( 45 minutes away) that carried small exotic pets. So on a Saturday, I drove to Critter Cabana to check out a hedgehog. My neighbor had agreed to keep it until the grand unveiling on Christmas Day. The pet shop asked if I wanted to hold each one to get a feel, I said “I don’t want to touch it, I just need a male”( so we can breed it with the class pet). They found a male, put in a very small box and after picking out all cage and paraphernalia, I was on my way. I got out without touching it.The hedgehog got carsick on the way home over the mountain and threw up in the box. This should have been bad sign #1. My neighbor called me about 4 days later. “The hedgehog hasn’t been moving, and he’s not eating, and we think he’s having seizures”. She had already called the petshop and they wanted to take a look at it. The pet shop owner thought it might have brain damage ( didn’t even know there were special-ed hedgehogs) So I made trip #2 back to Newberg. They nicely agreed to keep the hedgehog and have the vet look at it later that week. I was told to call back every few days to check on it. A week and a half later, it was finally ready to be released after the entire litter was put on antibiotics. At this point I know all the employees at the pet shop because of the frequent status reports. So, finally, I drive back to Newberg #3 and pick up the hedgehog. This time the ride home is much better, but I swear the little bugger is going to get out of the box and we are both going to die if it gets loose in my car. We made it home and all seems well at the neighbors until next week. I’ve managed to get away with not holding the hedgehog yet….
Grace: Grace is in 1st grade this year. She has so far lost 2 teeth with more on the way. She personally pulled out the first one ( do we have a future dentist here?) much to her mother’s chagrin. She continues to have a very creative streak with a perfectionist side which makes for a very interesting combination. She has started to read and enjoys it very much- the other day I discovered a down side to being able to read- we were in a public women’s bathroom and she started to read the labels on the “dispensers”. I held my breath as she sounded out “napkin” and “tampon”. Wishing it would end, she then proceeded to ask questions, I tried to downplay it and give a vague explanation- of course this didn’t work, she then countered with various “theories” on what these things were for… some of which were surprisingly close. Is this the conversation I’m really having with my 6 year old? Grace continues to make us laugh, she is a very observant child with a gift of logic- we find ourselves having to logically debate with her on various issues daily. At this point, we’re feeling like the brainwashing of “finish high school, go to college for a very long time and graduate, then consider getting married” might actually be working.
(Page 2- Christmas 2007 letter)
Grant: I don’t know if our children could be more different in personality. Grant continues to be a happy go lucky child, but he is starting to show some independent streaks and asserting his own free will at times. For some reason, Grant does not need much sleep- which makes his parents crazy. As a baby he was a fabulous sleeper, but now as a 3 year old, he might actually fall asleep by 9:30 or 10, and be up at 6am asking for breakfast NOW! The doctor assures us, this might be the sign of a brilliant mind, I think that might be just to pacify us. We’ve recently discovered that Grant is allergic to his own hair.—after fighting to get his hair cut, I took off his shirt immediately afterwards and discovered welts all over his chest and back. Any suggestions would be well received….. Grant is in preschool this year, and loves it. He is very social and outgoing, and seems to be taking a bit of a class clown role, which is concerning….
Ryan: Ryan has been able to travel a bit this year. He has been to Geneva, Switzerland twice since October. He has a few more trips to make in the new year. Under the guise of these “business trips” for Intel, he has been able to travel to Paris, Milan, Germany and other parts of Switzerland. I told him to stop telling me what he’s eating for dinner. He did bring home the quota allowed in Chocolate though to ease the tension.
Ashley: This would be the debut of my “Ugly Betty” year. Ryan actually asked if I was turning into her. I got braces this year, and more regular reading glasses. So I am on my way. I just need a poncho. The braces are on for a year, they are coming off in June if I have to take them off myself. The dentist said I could have braces or dentures… so I chose braces. They are much more of challenge than I thought, and I now have very little credibility with my stuttering and speech clients as I too have a speech disorder for the time being. I’m still enjoying my work as an SLP and teaching at Chemeketa CC. On a personal note, we were fortunate enough to do some fun traveling this year. In August, the kids and I went to Yellowstone National Park with my extended family, we had a great time and it was an adventure! We saw lots of animals and had some crazy problems with the rental car, so I had to drive back halfway through the visit and exchange the car, hoping it wouldn’t overheat. As a family, we went to DisneyWorld in September ending with a 3 day cruise on the Disney Cruise line to the Bahamas and Disney’s Island. It was a fabulous vacation; we all had a wonderful time and felt very relaxed. We have been very blessed this year, we are grateful for the support of family and friends. We hope all is well with you and your family and that the new year brings you a renewed focus in your life with joy and peace.
There. Now I feel better. Maybe if I start now on the letter, there is some hope.
Update: I still have the blasted braces, they are supposed to come off this month! Grace has lost even more teeth ( its kind of painful to look at the gigantic teeth mixed in with the petite baby teeth- there is a baby tooth stuck behind one of the very large central incisors.. I hope that comes out soon)
I hope this means we now might be eligible to be on your Christmas letter list.....
Well, I wrote the letter for last Christmas ( of 2007), and I had it copied, I had good intentions to send it out around New Years, then in January, then for Valentines Day... well, it still here, copied, even folded in thirds, but the envelopes are not addressed. So, much to my husband's chagrin ,I'm going to post it here, for all of you. Then I can start with a clean slate for this coming holiday. I told him otherwise, I felt I might send the 2007 letter with 2008.... ( no comment from him).
December 2007 Christmas letter....
December 2007~ Northam FamilyI’m not really sure if last year’s letter even got sent out! I read over it and is says I sent it out in January. Hopefully that happened. Well, it’s the first of December and if I’m working on the letter already, there are hopes of getting it out before Christmas. We have friends and family spread far and wide and I personally love getting Christmas letters ( it’s the voyeur in me), my family might say I’m just nosy and want to know what everyone is doing. I also like the reflection part, because I’m not a scrapbooker or journal keeper so hopefully this will suffice for a bit of family history for now.We have had an eventful year. We are blessed to not have an tragedies or unfortunate events( that I can remember at least).Because my memory is shot, the crazy moments that have happened just recently are fresh in my mind. If you know me at all, when I tell you that “you know who” is bringing Grace and Grant a PET you will think that “Oh my, HELL has actually frozen over”. Well folks, that may be the truth. When Ryan and I got married, we had a informal ( but serious) pre-nup stating that we would not have pets. I was the creator and enforcer of the pre-nup if you’re curious who Cruella is at our house. My children will often even tell others that we can’t have pets ( we do conveniently have allergies to dogs and cats, we did try fish when Grace was a baby but they quickly died). So, we have up until now been a “NO PET” family. We had Grace’s classroom hedgehog home for a weekend visit and over the course of 3 days, I decided that this might just be the perfect pet- it doesn’t have hair, its quiet, you can leave it for days on end without anyone needing to come in and “feed” your pet, and the quills make it so that your kids won’t maul the poor thing, but it is interactive- somewhat.I started checking into where to find a hedgehog, and found a breeder online in Eugene (PETCO does not carry hedgehogs I found out). I had to fill out an application just to “apply’ for a hedgehog which included a 200 word essay on what I knew about hedgehogs, how I was going to take care of it etc. I lied of course. I had done a ton of research before moving in this direction, so I had all the right answers or so I thought. After several emails, I found out I was REJECTED! The breeder felt it was not a good fit for our family!!! So, I started calling around, found a great little pet shop in Newberg ( 45 minutes away) that carried small exotic pets. So on a Saturday, I drove to Critter Cabana to check out a hedgehog. My neighbor had agreed to keep it until the grand unveiling on Christmas Day. The pet shop asked if I wanted to hold each one to get a feel, I said “I don’t want to touch it, I just need a male”( so we can breed it with the class pet). They found a male, put in a very small box and after picking out all cage and paraphernalia, I was on my way. I got out without touching it.The hedgehog got carsick on the way home over the mountain and threw up in the box. This should have been bad sign #1. My neighbor called me about 4 days later. “The hedgehog hasn’t been moving, and he’s not eating, and we think he’s having seizures”. She had already called the petshop and they wanted to take a look at it. The pet shop owner thought it might have brain damage ( didn’t even know there were special-ed hedgehogs) So I made trip #2 back to Newberg. They nicely agreed to keep the hedgehog and have the vet look at it later that week. I was told to call back every few days to check on it. A week and a half later, it was finally ready to be released after the entire litter was put on antibiotics. At this point I know all the employees at the pet shop because of the frequent status reports. So, finally, I drive back to Newberg #3 and pick up the hedgehog. This time the ride home is much better, but I swear the little bugger is going to get out of the box and we are both going to die if it gets loose in my car. We made it home and all seems well at the neighbors until next week. I’ve managed to get away with not holding the hedgehog yet….
Grace: Grace is in 1st grade this year. She has so far lost 2 teeth with more on the way. She personally pulled out the first one ( do we have a future dentist here?) much to her mother’s chagrin. She continues to have a very creative streak with a perfectionist side which makes for a very interesting combination. She has started to read and enjoys it very much- the other day I discovered a down side to being able to read- we were in a public women’s bathroom and she started to read the labels on the “dispensers”. I held my breath as she sounded out “napkin” and “tampon”. Wishing it would end, she then proceeded to ask questions, I tried to downplay it and give a vague explanation- of course this didn’t work, she then countered with various “theories” on what these things were for… some of which were surprisingly close. Is this the conversation I’m really having with my 6 year old? Grace continues to make us laugh, she is a very observant child with a gift of logic- we find ourselves having to logically debate with her on various issues daily. At this point, we’re feeling like the brainwashing of “finish high school, go to college for a very long time and graduate, then consider getting married” might actually be working.
(Page 2- Christmas 2007 letter)
Grant: I don’t know if our children could be more different in personality. Grant continues to be a happy go lucky child, but he is starting to show some independent streaks and asserting his own free will at times. For some reason, Grant does not need much sleep- which makes his parents crazy. As a baby he was a fabulous sleeper, but now as a 3 year old, he might actually fall asleep by 9:30 or 10, and be up at 6am asking for breakfast NOW! The doctor assures us, this might be the sign of a brilliant mind, I think that might be just to pacify us. We’ve recently discovered that Grant is allergic to his own hair.—after fighting to get his hair cut, I took off his shirt immediately afterwards and discovered welts all over his chest and back. Any suggestions would be well received….. Grant is in preschool this year, and loves it. He is very social and outgoing, and seems to be taking a bit of a class clown role, which is concerning….
Ryan: Ryan has been able to travel a bit this year. He has been to Geneva, Switzerland twice since October. He has a few more trips to make in the new year. Under the guise of these “business trips” for Intel, he has been able to travel to Paris, Milan, Germany and other parts of Switzerland. I told him to stop telling me what he’s eating for dinner. He did bring home the quota allowed in Chocolate though to ease the tension.
Ashley: This would be the debut of my “Ugly Betty” year. Ryan actually asked if I was turning into her. I got braces this year, and more regular reading glasses. So I am on my way. I just need a poncho. The braces are on for a year, they are coming off in June if I have to take them off myself. The dentist said I could have braces or dentures… so I chose braces. They are much more of challenge than I thought, and I now have very little credibility with my stuttering and speech clients as I too have a speech disorder for the time being. I’m still enjoying my work as an SLP and teaching at Chemeketa CC. On a personal note, we were fortunate enough to do some fun traveling this year. In August, the kids and I went to Yellowstone National Park with my extended family, we had a great time and it was an adventure! We saw lots of animals and had some crazy problems with the rental car, so I had to drive back halfway through the visit and exchange the car, hoping it wouldn’t overheat. As a family, we went to DisneyWorld in September ending with a 3 day cruise on the Disney Cruise line to the Bahamas and Disney’s Island. It was a fabulous vacation; we all had a wonderful time and felt very relaxed. We have been very blessed this year, we are grateful for the support of family and friends. We hope all is well with you and your family and that the new year brings you a renewed focus in your life with joy and peace.
There. Now I feel better. Maybe if I start now on the letter, there is some hope.
Update: I still have the blasted braces, they are supposed to come off this month! Grace has lost even more teeth ( its kind of painful to look at the gigantic teeth mixed in with the petite baby teeth- there is a baby tooth stuck behind one of the very large central incisors.. I hope that comes out soon)
I hope this means we now might be eligible to be on your Christmas letter list.....
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