Deep Conversation Over A Vanilla Pear Foot Rub

I have lovely memories of evenings spent with my mom and sister. My mom would wash our feet, and put lotion on them to keep them soft. We would talk about things that were important to us, share stories and memories, mom would tell us about her childhood.

Tonight as I was helping the boys get ready for bed, I noticed their feet were a little dirty, so I offered to wash them and put some lotion on them. It turned into a fun little time to chat with them. Then they started asking some important questions, and I have to admit I was a little stumped. It started out innocently enough, with Drew asking, "Where did I get my police helicopter from?" I told him he got it from Santa.

Then Drew asked me, "Where did you get me from?" Uhh... I told him he came from my belly. He asked, "How did I get out?" I told him he and Owen grew in there and when they were big enough, I went to the hospital and the doctor opened up my belly and took them out and sewed me back up. (That's one nice thing about having had a c-section; I really don't know how I would have explained a regular delivery to a four year old...)

Drew thought that sounded pretty funny. He said, "Guess how I got you?" Then he told me, "You were in my belly and I went to the hospital and they cut me up and took you out and then they sewed me up and gave me some medicine." And he laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. I guess I'm glad he thought it was funny and not scary.

I want my kids to feel like they can always talk to me, and ask me anything. And I want to always be forthcoming with my answers. Hopefully this is a good start.

Christmas '09, With Photos from My Camera Phone

We had a great Christmas! I got my present a month or so ago; a new vacuum that actually sucks, doesn't get stinky after I vacuum up a ton of dog hair, and I don't have to change the bag and clean out the hose after each time I vacuum the house. Yay! David also got himself a present; he's going to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in March. (I decided I'm all basketballed out, especially since we still have two more Jazz games lined up in January and March, so I won't be going to the NCAA games, but I plan on going down to Salt Lake to hang out.) So it was basically Christmas for the Kids at our house this year.

We started out the festivities with David saying, "Can you make some cookies? I need to do my home teaching." As if you can't go home teaching in December without cookies in hand. (You totally can!) But I made a couple batches of sugar cookies anyway, and we handed them out to neighbors and the families David visits. Drew was especially excited:

The kids each only had one item on their lists for Santa. Drew wanted a police helicopter, Owen wanted an ice cream truck, and Samantha wanted a spider. She is still confused about the holidays, and is remembering what she dressed as for Halloween. We also gave the boys ten bucks they could spend on presents for their other siblings. We never really got around to taking Samantha to buy anything for her brothers, but I don't think any of the kids noticed. So Owen got Drew a Mater the Greater toy and got Samantha a pocked-sized Strawberry Shortcake doll. When Owen and I got home from shopping, Owen asked Drew, "What do you want for Christmas, Drew?" I don't know what Drew told Owen, but then Owen started yelling, "No you don't! You want a Mater!" After David and Drew got home from their shop-for-the-siblings trip, Drew came running into the kitchen yelling, "Look what I got you, Owen!" Luckily, Owen didn't get a chance to look before David grabbed Drew and whisked him upstairs to wrap the gift. After that, whenever someone asked one of the boys about a present, no matter who it was for, they would answer, "It's a secret."

Drew got his police helicopter. He loves it!

Owen got his Ice cream truck (which was harder to find than I anticipated) in the form of Skids and Mudflap, from Transformers 2. He has only seen bits and pieces of the movie, and only because he kept sneaking into the room while we were watching it at a friend's house, and while he was supposed to be playing in the toy room with the other kids. He likes his Transformer, but doesn't know how to make it transform. So we keep it in ice cream truck mode and he plays with it that way. He also got an ice cream truck from Grandma and Grandpa Canfield, who took some trucks with trailers and put ice cream stickers all over them. He likes those a lot, too. (I don't have any pictures of him with any of his new toys.)

Samantha was so hard to shop for! She doesn't really play with dolls, and we decided there are far too many planes, trains and automobiles in our house, so we didn't get her any of those, either. We ended up getting a play kitchen for the kids to share and, so Samantha would have something to unwrap, we got some accessories for the kitchen--extra pans, and utensils and things. We shouldn't have worried about it, because the poor girl was too overwhelmed to unwrap anything. She ran into the kitchen and sat at the table with her chin in her hands. Every now and then, the boys would bring her something to unwrap, and she'd oblige, then put her chin back on her hands. She does love the play kitchen, though. All the kids do. This morning I was feeling a bit under the weather, so the kids went downstairs to the play kitchen and made me some "tea" with "gumdrops" (what Drew calls cough drops) in it. Obviously a miniature plastic cup full of air didn't cure anything, but it cheered me up.

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. The kids woke up and we had everything ready and under the tree. Grandma and Grandpa Canfield came over with loads of presents, and the boys had loads of fun unwrapping, and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over everything. I scored some new microfiber sheets, a wok, and a book about hair that I've been wanting to read for a while. As a totally unexpected surprise, David and the kids got me a necklace from a friend of mine who has opened up a small jewelry business. I got the cluster one listed first on the blog, but mine is grey, which will go with a lot more of my outfits.

On Christmas day, the kids and I headed down to Utah to celebrate with my side of the family. David had to work, so he couldn't come with us. We had a little Christmas party and gift exchange at my mom's house that was tons of fun. The kids and I stayed the night there, then the next day we headed down to Salt Lake to meet up with my good friend Noi who is from Thailand. I have to be honest: this was my one of my favorite Christmas presents ever. I hadn't seen Noi for almost six years, so I was so excited all week long. We met up at the visitors center at the temple, then we went out for some Thai food, then we just hung out and chatted and enjoyed each other's company. My kids love their "Aunt" Noi, and had a great time looking at the water fountains around Temple Square and the Conference center, and riding the escalators at the store (we had to go to Sears to get coats; I'd been needing a new one for a while, and we had left Samantha's coat at home, but she was growing out of it anyway so I justified buying her a new one, too. And Sears had great sales going on that day!).

Later we met up with a few other missionaries that served in Thailand, and we took a tour of the Conference center and walked around Temple Square some more to admire the lights. The grounds were absolutely beautiful! And it was fun to walk around with people I hadn't seen for a while and reconnect with them.

I loved the pool on the East side of the temple. I've taken various pictures here on various occasions, and it's always beautiful, but this time they had set up a nativity scene around the pool, with the main feature (Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus) in the center of the pool. So pretty!

Between the temple and the tabernacle, were bright red and orange lights on every branch of every tree. It was so bright! I felt like I had to squint all the time. But it was still very beautiful.

2009 was a good year. Even though my age is an even number, the year was an odd number, so it was all good. Hopefully I can make it through the first six-and-a-half months of 2010, which will be an even numbered year, and my age will still be even numbered. I've got high hopes, though!

My New Favorite Christmas Carol

I have listened to this song probably 10 times since I "discovered" it the other day. It's called "Come Darkness Come Light" by Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was on a play list that a friend of mine shared on her Facebook page. I couldn't figure out how to embed just a song (is there such a site as YouAudio or something?), so I tried to find a YouTube video for it and it came up with the following:

Kinda random picture, but feel free to open another browser window and do something else while you listen to this beautiful song.

Some Holiday Gift Ideas

New Holiday Fun

I saw an ad for a new Christmas Special that aired last night on ABC. I wasn't able to watch it when it aired, but I did find it on hulu.com. It's called Prep & Landing, and it's about the elves who get the houses ready for Santa to bring presents to. I thought it was such a cute show, so I watched it with Drew and Owen, who have enjoyed it so much they've watched it three times since. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out at here at hulu, or here at disney. It's just a half-hour special (23 minues, really, since there are only short commercial breaks on these websites). I really hope they make some more episodes, or make a feature length film.

Before I Forget: A Little Story I Can Use as Blackmail...

(If booger-talk grosses you out, don't read this)

I had an interesting conversation with Owen at bedtime. It all started with a piece of green fuzz from a blanket. The fuzz was sitting on Owen's shoulder, so I picked it off and said, "Hey Owen, there's a booger on you." A really perturbed look crossed his face, like he was about to cry. I told him, "I'm just teasing, Owen. It's only a piece of fuzz. Are you that scared of boogers?" Owen told me he was. The following exchange ensued:

Owen: I'm scared of Drew's boogers.

Me: Do you come in contact with Drew's boogers that much?

Owen: Drew puts boogers on my head.

Me: What?!

Owen: When he laughs. He gets boogers on my head.

Me: What?!

Owen: But I just put them back in his nose.

Me: That is just gross, Owen. You shouldn't put your finger in other peoples' noses.

Owen: [laughs] I don't put my finger in his nose! I put his boogers in his nose!

Poor Drew was fast asleep and unable to defend himself.

I Want My Six-Pack Back

I've been getting up early lately. I won't say what time, because I know most of you get up earlier than that every day. But I don't usually get up until later in the morning, so it's early for me. Especially since I haven't been going to bed all that much earlier.

I've been getting up early so I can work out. My friend and I had been running a few mornings a week, but we feel like we're not just equipped to run in barely-above-zero temperatures. Also, we felt like we wanted to work out more often than just three times a week, which is about all I could do with David's work schedule. But my friend doesn't want to run every single day because she gets to skinny. Seriously; she has a really fast metabolism (I wish I had that problem), and she's already pretty thin.

We decided we would work out inside. I have some exercise DVDs that I purchased a couple years ago, and some that I inherited from various sources. So on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, we do aerobics with Kathy Smith. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we do Pilates with Denise Austin. We're only on week two, but I feel great! It's nice to have my muscles feel a little sore and it's really nice to be exercising inside and out of the cold.

We have plans to switch up our workouts, too. Today, for instance, we learned a couple break dancing moves before we started aerobics (I also have an instructional DVD for break dancing). We're going to learn new ones every aerobics day. We're also going to check out other DVDs from the library. I really want to sweat with Richard Simmons and the Oldies. I don't know what kind of workout it will be, since I think I don't really fit the target demographic for those videos, but it would be fun to try it out.

I really want to find the work out videos we used to exercise with in middle school gym class. They involved a girl with a massive ponytail and two other people, who were apparently interchangeable--they were different people every time. I liked the videos because even though each of the instructors was doing the same workout, they were doing different intensities. So not only could I pick how strenuously I worked out, it was also really fun to watch whoever was doing the most intense version. They always looked slightly ridiculous.

Even though I love working out (and it's especially fun to work out with a good friend), I really miss having six-pack abs with little to no effort. Those were the days...

Christmas Wishes

We went to see Santa at the mall yesterday. The boys were so excited--until we got there. Drew decided he didn't want to sit on Santa's lap. Neither did Samantha. Owen sat on Santa's lap, but he looked really nervous the whole time. He told Santa he wants and ice cream truck and a dump truck for Christmas.

I held Samantha while Santa talked to her. She told him she wants a spider for Christmas. I think she has her holidays mixed up. She remembers being a spider for Halloween, so that's now what she wants for Christmas. I hope Santa just brings her a doll like he mentioned.

Drew hid behind my legs and peeked out long enough to tell Santa he wants a police helicopter for Christmas. Santa asked Drew what else he wanted, and Drew looked around for a minute (to get some ideas, I guess) and finally decided he wants a toy reindeer. Santa told Drew, "Do you know I have real reindeer?" And Drew said, "Yes. Reindeer can fly. They pull your sleigh so all the kids can have toys." Santa looked pretty impressed.

When we were getting the boys ready for bed, David asked Drew why he didn't want to sit on Santa's lap. Drew told him, "I guess I'm just shy." He's pretty talkative for a shy-guy.

Free Range?

I was watching Penn & Teller's HBO program on Netflix recently (since we no longer have HBO in our house--I have to remind myself it's for the best). The premise of the show is that they go around and debunk popular myths, like aliens/UFOs, and colon cleansing diets to prevent cancer (they were talking about the extreme stuff like ingesting only cayenne and grapefruit juice all day for a month).

In the episode I watched online they took on the "Helicopter Parent" along with Things We Tell Our Kids. They covered things like "If you go swimming right after eating you could drown." The doctor they talked to said that swimming after eating is only dangerous if you don't know how to swim. They talked about the parent who follows within 18 inches of her child in case he falls off the monkey bars, so she'll be there to catch him. (That's only a little bit of an exaggeration; about two days after I watched this episode, I witnessed one of these ladies in person at the playground. She seriously followed her daughter around the entire playground. She was even hovering around other people's kids. She made a couple movements toward Samantha, who hates being helped on the playground, and who was at that moment standing on the edge of the jungle gym watching Owen climb up a ladder. The lady was driving me nuts; I can't imagine how her eight year old daughter felt.) Not that helicopter parents are always moms, just the one I saw was...

Penn and Teller also spoke with Lenore Skenazy, a lady who let her nine year old son, Izzy (isn't Izzy Skenazy the most awesome name ever?) ride the subway in New York City. By himself. I was fascinated with this lady. I mean, I don't think I'd let my nine year old ride the subway on his own--that seems a bit young to me--but I appreciated that she had prepared her son; she'd been on the subway with him countless times, she'd given him advice on what to do in an emergency. She'd given him maps and directions on how to get where he was going. Then she let him go.

So now there seems to be this movement toward "Free Range Parenting," as Skenazy calls it. She even has a website devoted to it. A couple weeks ago, I got one of my periodic emails from WebMD. It contained a link to an article on "The New Hands-off Approach to Raising Kids."

Yesterday at the grocery store, this cover of Time Magazine caught my eye. I'm too cheap to actually buy a magazine, so I went home and looked up the article, The Case Against Overparenting, online. I highly recommend reading it. Even if all you do is skip to page four and read the conclusion, which just reiterates teaching your kids, then letting them put it into practice, and letting them learn from any mistakes.

The thing that really gets me is that this "new movement" really isn't that new. I feel like my own mom was a free-range parent. She taught my siblings and me how to behave, taught us right from wrong, then she let us practice on our own. It allowed me to develop self confidence, and learn from my own mistakes. And it was fun. I love reminiscing with my siblings about things we did when we were younger, and adventures we had. And I love it when my mom pipes in with "Where was I?" Who knows? But looking back, it doesn't really matter, because it allowed my siblings and me to create our own pickles and work through them.

After reading all the articles on "overparenting" and "free-range parenting" I've come to the conclusion that I am more of a free-range parent. Not that I let my kids run amok (okay, sometimes I do), but I give them lots of time to play and imagine. I'm usually nearby somewhere, because at their age, I can't really trust them to not break things, but I don't dictate their play. The can do pretty much whatever they want for this time. Sometimes it's hard to stand back. They get into quarrels over toys, but I've been trying to get them to work it out amongst themselves. If Drew comes whining to me, "Mom! Owen took my toy!" I tell him,
"Go talk to Owen about it." I just feel like, at this point, I've told them time and time again, We don't take other people's things without asking. It's time to let them practice it. They're getting better at it. Owen is usually the one who tattles, and it drives me crazy. But we're working on it.

There are rewarding moments, like when the kids are all playing together and I hear something similar to the following:

Owen: Would you like some cookies that I made?

Drew: Yes, please.

Samantha: Peease!

Drew: Here, Samantha, you can have two.

Samantha: Theek-oou.

Owen: You're welcome. That is two tickets, please. [Tickets are their currency.]

Who Woulda Thought?

I have memories in my brain of slumping down in a kitchen chair, being anywhere from nine to fourteen years of age, plunking my head down onto the table and wailing, "Why do I have to learn this? Cooking is such a pain!" My always-patient Mother probably said something like, "You'll want to eat when you grow up and move out, so you'll need these skills." There were similar episodes involving sewing, ironing and other "boring" household chores.

Turns out I learned to cook anyway, mostly because of my mom's incredible patience, and also partly because of a job I had when I got out of high school as a short order cook in a cafeteria.

Now, I have been invited to be a contributor on a cooking blog that my friend started called Saltbox House Cooking Exchange. I've only posted two recipes so far, but I still want to invite you all to go check out the blog whenever you need some ideas on what to cook for dinner. There are some good recipes on there.

Just today I posted a recipe for an old fashioned soda; a lime freeze. I made up the recipe (didn't invent the dessert, though) and I'm pretty pleased with it. It tastes pretty close to the real thing. It is tasty treat, even when it's cold and snowy outside. Go check it out!

Bittersweet

I've sat down a few times to type up an entry on the ol' blog, but I just can't seem to get my thoughts together in any kind of cohesive, coherent way. There's been a lot going on around here, but I just wanted to write a few things that have been on my mind the last week or so.

Thanksgiving is always a thought-provoking holiday. This year seemed more so than usual. David's great uncle passed away a few days before Thanksgiving. We went to his funeral on Wednesday. I had met the man only a handful of times, but each time he made me feel like a welcome addition to the family, as do his wife and children still. The eulogy, given by one of the sons, went into greater detail and further confirmed my initial impressions of what a good man this uncle was.

He was a good son. He was a good brother. He was a good husband. He was a good father, grandfather, uncle. He worked hard and taught his children to do the same. He appreciated the earth and its beauty. He was a rancher and a cowboy. He was a poet. He played the ukulele in a band (his band actually played one of the songs he wrote at the funeral). He fought in the Korean War. He drove a horse drawn wagon every Summer for a reenactment of travelling the Oregon Trail.

I've had this scripture running around in my head lately, and I think it that have been a motto for how this man lived his life: "...never be weary of good works, but...be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls." Alma 37:34 (This uncle wasn't LDS, so I hope he doesn't mind that I used a scripture from the Book of Mormon. :) )

As I listened to the eulogy, of all the things this man had done, I looked around at the family and friends and the thought came to my mind that even though a funeral is a sad thing, especially the day before Thanksgiving, most people in attendance were probably feeling grateful that they had a chance to know this man and learn from him and be inspired by him to be a better person. That's how I felt, anyway.

Halloween Pics

I posted some of these on my Facebook page, but some of you don't have Facebook, so I thought I'd post them here, too.

Jack-O-Lantern Sunset

We went trick-or-treating in Old Town Pocatello. It was a little disappointing. I had a couple friends tell me they go every year and it's a great time and they get good candy. I guess this year was an off year. Plus, it was a Saturday, so it was really crowded. There was a line almost two blocks long at a cell phone store. We bypassed it, so for all we know they were giving out free minutes or something. It must've been something good; I can't imagine standing in line for a Tootsie Roll.

Drew and Owen didn't care about the crowds and the lame candy. They were just excited to be getting something.

Owen wanted to be a wizard this year. I made a funky little hat, too, but he lost it before we went trick-or-treating.

Drew wanted to be a crayon. He was so excited about his costume.

I decided to make a spider costume for Samantha. I used the same pattern for the pumpkin I made last year then I added some extra arms and legs. It was a lot of fun to make, and I was pleased with how it turned out. Samantha was not as pleased. She cried and cried when I put it on her. But after people said how cute she was and gave her candy, she decided it wasn't so bad.

Reasons to Get Rid of A Dog*

Sure, there are a few Reasons to Not Have Kids on this floor, but those were much smaller and blended in with the floor much more nicely.

*This picture could also be titled Heather Has Too Much Spare Time.

A Pinch of Procrastination With a Helping of Hypocrisy

I've got all sorts of cleaning to do today. Drew and Owen want to watch videos on the computer, but I told them no computer until the chores are done. Here I am playing on the computer. My rationalization is I'm just going to "get it over with" and then I won't compute any more today (because I've also got lots of good library books waiting for me once the housework--or at least most of it-- is done).

I just wanted to record a few funnies from Drew and Owen--you know, for posterity's sake. Those boys are super interested in how things work and where things come from lately. I'll answer as many of their questions as I can and things I don't know I'll look up so I can give them straight answers. So now Drew and Owen know little gems like the following (which they have put into their own words):

"Honey is bee spit."

"Eggs are baby chickens."

"Milk is made out of cows." (I keep telling them milk comes from cows, not that it's made of cows, but they don't see the difference, apparently.)

And Owen surprised us at dinner the other day with this classy explanation on digestion: "Water goes into your body and turns into pee." He actually learned that one from the neighbor boy who has been paying attention in Kindergarten class. Smart kid!

Staying Home

Some sad news: I got let go from my job. I just wasn't picking up on the assisting as fast as the dentist (and I) would have liked, so I got the boot. I was pretty devastated on Friday, my last day there, but I feel much better now. Honestly, I was a horrible assistant. I did well with the cleanings and x-rays, and I really liked that side of things, but I was no good at assisting. So I totally understood where the dentist was coming from. Still, I really enjoyed my time there, I really liked my coworkers, and I felt like a big failure, so I cried for about three hours on Friday afternoon. And now I'm over it. Mostly.
I'm kind of relieved, in a way. I haven't been a very good wife or mom since I've been working full time. My house is a mess and my kids are going nuts. So I'm looking forward to staying home for a while and getting the house scoured and ready for winter. And maybe I'll have a little more time to write on the ol' blog. That'd be nice.

Some very glad news: David and the kids and I were sealed in the temple last Saturday, October 24. It was such a neat experience to have the kids all dressed in white and hear the promises of being a family forever. I was worried that the kids would be loud and misbehave inside the temple, but they behaved really well, with the exception of Samantha, who cried during most of the ceremony. But the officiator was really nice and said to her, "We wouldn't have it any other way, sweet girl." Drew was very excited about the whole thing and when it was over he asked, "Mom, are we married now?" He was so cute. Owen was pretty shy, which is totally in-character for him. But he was excited, too; I could see it in his eyes. And the boys loved their white ties that our sweet neighbor bought for them to wear.
It was so great to have friends and family come up for the occasion, too. My brother and his family came from Colorado, my amazing sister agreed to watch the neices and nephews, and we had friends and cousins come up from Utah, too. Thanks, everyone, for your support!
My favorite Heidi-cousin took some pictures for us. Here are a few (okay, a lot) that I like the best:

Granola bars make good bribes... "Hey, kids, let us take your picture and you can have one!"

I love this one; I just wish I had an editing tool that would let me erase the nose-juices and the granola crumbs...

"Look, mom! Leaf angels!"

This is by far one of the best pictures ever taken of Drew.

This is the least-squinty one we got at this spot. And it was such a gorgeous spot! I think the scenery in the background looks fake, but it is totally real!

A cute family pic.

"Okay, okay. This is the last one, I promise..."

Where Did October (Not to Mention the Last Four Years) Go??

This month has flown by! We've been super busy, which helps the time pass. I hope we can keep this pace up through the winter; I'd like that season to just be over with--and it hasn't even started yet! We did get a small taste of it a week or two ago, but thankfully that disappeared quickly. The kids enjoyed the snow while it was here, and their excitement kind of rubbed off on me making it easier to stay upbeat.

Above: Drew and Owen making snow angels.
Below, Left: Drew and Owen playing. Below, Right: Samantha couldn't decide if she liked the cold or not.

Below are some pictures of Samantha being her cute self. She cracks me up lately. She hates to be told "no." If I tell her no, she puts on this really cute smile and she pats my face or hugs my legs depending on what she can reach, as though I'll let her off the hook just because she's cute. If anyone outside the family tells her no, it apparently hurts her feelings; she'll cry and cry, very loudly, squeezing out big ol' tears. She did that in church today and I had to take her out into the foyer where she decided in about two seconds that crying was a waste of energy and she'd rather play with all the babies out there.

Above: a cute little dress she got for her birthday (and Drew's hand creepily grabbing her shoulder).

Below: Sometimes I read a magazine while we're having snack time. I got up to clean the snacks, and Samantha stayed at the table to "read." She was so cute and serious about it, I had to snap a picture.

Not too long after the snow melted, the days warmed up again in typical Idaho fashion. We took advantage of the sunshine and headed to the park for the afternoon. Owen headed strait for the jungle gym, shimmied up and jumped down. It must be a ritual of some kind because he does that every time we go to the park, then he doesn't play on it again the remainder of our time there.

The swings are by far the favorite park activity for Drew and Owen, but Samantha usually cries if I even attempt to put her in a swing. This day, though, she actually laughed (it sounded a little forced) and we all played on the swings for almost half an hour.

This digger is another preferred toy at the park, but the boys rarely get a chance at playing on it because they don't understand the concept of waiting their turn. Usually if someone is on it and they want to play on it, they come crying to me and something similar to the following ensues: Child: Mom! That boy won't let me play on the digger! Me: Did you ask nicely? Child: I can't! I need help! Me: Go over there and ask nicely if you can play. If he says no, just wait until he's done. Child: [walks back to the digger, says something, comes running back] He's screaming at me! Me: He's not screaming at you. Child: [starts screaming at me] I want to play! Me: Then you'd better quit crying, or we'll go home. Child: [still screaming] I don't want to go home!! Me: [gather my stuff and the other two kids] Okay, lets go home. [Scene.]

Samantha gets more and more brave every time we go to the park. She has to keep up with her brothers and all the other kids at the park. She also likes to invent her own fun, such as hanging from the top of the slide for a minute before she slides down it.

It always nice when the kids play nicely together, which happens on rare occasions for about twenty seconds at a time. Owen and Samantha like to play in/on/around this tunnel together, and it keeps them happily occupied for at least 40 seconds, which is twice the norm.

So here we are, in the latter part of October. Next Sunday is Drew's and Owen's birthday. They will be four already, which I absolutely cannot believe. It makes me a little verklempt, because I remember sitting on our couch with my hubby the night before we went to the hospital for the delivery. We both got a little teary-eyed thinking about how much our lives were about to change. We had no idea.

Brush Your Kids' Teeth!

I really like my job. I feel like I picked up on the hygiene side of things pretty quickly; doing cleanings, taking x-rays, et cetera. But I feel like I'm struggling still as far as assisting with fillings and crowns (or Ops as we call them). I have shaky hands, and they feel large and in the way. I dropped a couple things today, and I handed the wrong thing at the wrong time once or twice. I realize it takes practice and I've only done it a handful of times, but still--it's frustrating. So with that in mind, here's a Public Service Announcement from your friendly newby Dental Assistant:

I've been up since 5:45 a.m. for the second day in a row. Most Wednesdays or Thursdays the dentist I'm working for goes up to the hospital or the surgery center to do work on kids who just have a ton of work to do and who won't sit still for the work (we're talking thrashing and screaming, not just a few flinches here and there). The kids are put under general anesthesia so the dentist can work on them.

The first time I went was pretty tough to watch. We were setting up all our equipment and supplies when the first kid was brought in to be put under. This poor girl was crying for her mommy and then the meds kicked in and suddenly she was just laying there. Now I know why they don't allow parents back there; it's kind of heart-wrenching!

Even more heart-wrenching, though, is the amount of decay in these kids' mouths. Of course cavities happen, even with good hygiene habits; that's part of why dentists exist. But putting a bunch of fillings and a couple crowns in a three or four year old kid is just crazy. That happens when kids are eating lots of junk, and going to bed night after night without brushing.

So please brush your kids' teeth, especially at night, so I can do more of the cleanings and x-rays that I love and less of the Ops that make me nervous!

Here are some helpful guidelines for helping your kids take care of their teeth:

ADA Website

A Helpful Book You Can Check Out From the Library

Primary Program

Drew and Owen participated in their first Primary Program* at church today. Maybe "participated" is a bit of an overstatement; they did say their short little lines (Drew said, "I can keep the Word of Wisdom." And Owen said, "I can pay my tithing."), but other than that, they just stood there during the songs. Didn't even sing one word. Drew did smile and wave at me from the pulpit, which was really cute. The program went off without a hitch this year, which was a little disappointing, because it's always kinda funny when the kids misspeak or when they sit up on the stand poking each other and making faces at their parents and siblings in the audience.

I'm not usually overly sentimental, but I did get a little teary-eyed when my boys said their lines. I was so proud of them (I honestly thought they would chicken out and not say anything at all)!

*For those who are wondering what I'm talking about: In our church the kids ages 3-11 go to Primary every Sunday to learn about the Gospel (and honestly, to give the parents a break so they can learn, too!). They study different themes every year. This year's theme is Strengthening the Family. And toward the last part of the year, they put on a program to let the parents know what they've learned. It's always very sweet, and sometimes quite funny!

Little Miss Mantha

From this...

To this...

in two short years!

I can never get over how fast time flies. My baby is already two years old! It was funny to me how different she looked on Wednesday, the day before her birthday, compared to Thursday. Suddenly she looked so much more like a toddler and less like a baby. And suddenly her tantrums got so much more volatile, too! She's always had a bit of a temper, but it flares up then dissipates much faster now. Last night she got mad for some unknown reason and she actually jumped into the air, both feet off the ground, kicked both legs out and sat down hard on the kitchen floor. Then she sat there and screamed. When no one did anything, she repeated the maneuver. Still no one did anything, so she climbed up on her chair and started eating her dinner. Less than a minute later she was laughing and making animal sounds with Drew and Owen. Silly girl.

We didn't have Mantha's birthday party until Friday, the day after her birthday, because of conflicts with work, soccer and volleyball games. Good thing she's too little to know the difference. I snapped a few pictures of Mantha on her actual birthday, for my own sentimental reasons. Here they are:

In the playhouse.

Coloring in the fresh air.

Special birthday hairdo.

I had a lot of fun making Samantha's birthday cake this year. I wanted to do a Samantha Cake, so my sister Roz helped me find pictures to copy. I liked this one the best:

I wanted the cake to be just about Samantha, though, so when I copied the picture I left out the little boy.

First, I sketched the outline in the frosting with a toothpick.

Then I traced over the outline with black icing.

I added stripes around the edges to sort of complete the old-fashioned look, and to add a "pop of color," as they say on What Not To Wear. It didn't look exactly like the original picture, but I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Samantha liked it, too!

Samantha liked her presents, too. She was so funny when we took her to the store to pick a toy. We would show her a toy and ask, "Do you like this one, Samantha?" and she'd say, "Nooooo," then she'd laugh and run to the next toy. There was a little learning center that she played with the most, so that's what we got her.

She also got some new clothes and a new bed from Grandma and Grandpa Canfield! She loves it now, but when we first set it up and showed it to her, she started crying and wouldn't go near it because she thought we meant for her to go to bed, and she'd just woken up from her nap twenty minutes before! I don't have a picture of the new bed; it's a very cute antique bed that Grandma C. fixed up and bought bedding for. Samantha got sick last night, though, and all that adorable bedding is in the wash so I'll have to get a picture some other time.

If anyone needs a crib or know someone who does, let me know. We have two cribs, but only one mattress (one of the mattresses was really old and falling apart so we junked it).

End of Summer Update

Haven't been to the ol' blog in a while. I still read all my friends' blogs, even though I don't often comment, so I don't feel completely out of the loop. When I first started blogging I thought of events and things that happened in my life from the viewpoint of "I could blog about that." Now I'm so out of the habit of blogging I don't even know where to start. So I'll post a bunch of pictures that I've accumulated over the summer and describe them a little. That should do the trick as far as keeping a record for posterity...

What kind of summer would it be without plenty of ice cream and Popsicles?

We had a family reunion at my house, but not everyone was able to make it (including myself) so we had a second reunion at Bear Lake. It was loads of fun, and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins!

My kids are suddenly fearless when it comes to water (compared to last summer when they would hardly go near it). Drew is especially brave when he has his life jacket on.

Owen, Drew and cousin Ellie on a merry-go-round. If I remember correctly, they all bailed before the ride was finished, which made for some tricky kid-juggling.

We also went to American Falls Reservoir. I don't know why we keep going back there. I guess because it's free and it's close to our house--just 20 minutes away. But the water is always so filthy!

Samantha didn't want to go in the water, so she sat on the shore chucking rocks into the water the whole time.

After we go to the reservoir, we go visit David's grandma. She always brings out this little car garage, which has been around forever and which the kids absolutely love.

I found this bug while cleaning the BLM building one evening. I have no clue what it was. It's body was shaped like an ant's, and it had six legs that it actually used, plus two appendages that just sort of did nothing, and two long antennae on its head. Its head and legs were reddish-brown, and its body was gray. Legs and all, it was about two and a half inches diameter. Huge! I couldn't bring myself to squish it, so I just took pictures, cleaned around it and left the room as quickly as possible.

I had some time off so I took the kids to visit my sister Roz. Roz lives not far from my Grandma Archibald, so we went to visit her, too. Drew was being a pill and wouldn't look at the camera. Oh, well.

The day after we visited my Grandma, we went wakeboarding. Our friend's boat is super nice; even I can wakeboard successfully behind it. (By "successfully" I mean that I can get up and ride. I can't do any tricks or anything.) This is just a picture of the full moon that rose as we were cleaning the boat at the end of the day. It made me think of James' Giant Peach. It was gorgeous and this picture does it no justice whatsoever.

Yesterday we went to a Railroad picnic. They had a firetruck there, which was the boys' favorite part.

Owen hopping down from the firetruck.

Drew sitting in the truck.

Samantha's favorite part was the playground. That girl is fearless! She'll shimmy up all the steps and ladders, and go down all the slides. The bigger the better! This little slide is surprisingly fast, but she seemed disappointed at how short it was.

We had the scare of the summer yesterday. Samantha and the boys were playing on the playground while I helped out with the Railroad picnic. I turned around to check on the kids and none of them were where I left them. A few seconds later I saw Drew and Owen. I asked them where Samantha was. Drew said, "That man taked her." Panic!! My heart almost stopped. I started running around trying to find her. Finally I saw my friend's mom holding her. My friend's brother had seen her on the playground crying and bleeding from the forehead, so he "taked" her to his mom who is a nurse. The mom was on her way to the announcer station when I found them. I'm just glad that the kid who found her happened to be someone we knew, and we got her back safe and sound (if a little bloody from the playground).

Samantha turns two this coming Thursday. I can't believe it! My baby is not a baby anymore! We're going to make a Samantha cake, and I got her some really cute clothes (which she helped pick out) for her birthday. I'll make sure to post some pictures before she turns three!

Oh, I almost forgot to even write about this: I got a new job. Yay! I started working as a Dental Assistant last week. In Idaho, you don't have to be certified to be a Dental Assistant, and a lot of dentists like to hire people with little to no experience (that's me!) so they can train them to do things a particular way. I love my new schedule: it's Tues-Fri, with varying hours depending on when the first and last appointments of the day are. Also, the dentist takes days off every so often, so I have days off dispersed here and there, including an entire week in October (too bad it's without pay). I like the work, too. It's pediatric dentistry, and it's fun to work with kids. A lot of them are scared, which can be tricky, especially with their parents hovering around, but they're all so cute. And it's fun to talk to them about keeping their teeth clean and healthy. I think this will be the start of a good career. I still want to do Dental Hygiene, but it will probably be a while before I get back to school since David's job still doesn't feel very secure yet. But at least working at the dentist office, I know that I'll be dumping all that tuition money into a field I enjoy.