29 January 2009

Weekly Post

I feel like if I manage a post a week I'm doing well. Here are some of the things we've been up to since I last posted:



We got a pretty little snow storm a few days ago; didn't leave much on the ground, but the flakes were huge!




Riding the Wiggle Riders Asian-style.

New shirts from Grandpa (they say,
"One 'Vette, Two 'Vette, Red 'Vette, Blue 'Vette.")


Got out the ol' Bungee Bouncer. It baaarrrrely fits around her belly, and she's a little too tall for it. But she loves it!


Drew and Owen figured out a new way to wear their shirts.

23 January 2009

BZ*

It's been a while since I last posted; I don't have as much time for doing the fun stuff on the computer. Most of my time is sucked up taking care of school stuff, then I have just enough time to catch up on friends' blogs (thanks to Google Reader), but not to comment or write any new posts of my own.
School is going well. I'm enjoying my classes and I'm not feeling too overwhelmed yet. I am feeling a little ticked off because I got a 60% (yikes!) on my first Psychology quiz. I don't know what happened! I got a 95% on the practice quiz, and when I took the real thing, the questions were worded differently, but I felt confident that I understood the concepts and only had doubts about one or two questions. I missed eight. Grrr! So I'll have to make sure to spend more time with the ol' Psych book.
Drew and Owen are doing well. They are becoming more independent since I've been spending so much time doing homework. Owen even made his own breakfast:


Yeah, that's a hot dog in those Cheerios. We were out of bananas so he improvised, I guess... Oh, and he's wearing a pink bracelet on his left wrist, too.
Drew has been spending lots of time on the computer (whenever I'm not using it), and he's learning his letters. He doesn't know them in any particular order, he just knows 'D' for Drew, 'O' for Owen, 'W' for Westley, 'S' for Samantha, and so on. He knows about half of the alphabet.
Owen isn't as interested in the computer or in looking at letters. He spends his time playing with his Thomas the Train set, playing catch with whoever he can get to play with him, and riding his trike.
Samantha has turned into something of a terror. She has a very short fuse, and it doesn't take much to set it off. It's hard not to laugh at her tantrums because she plops herself onto the ground and just sits there crying with her chin on her chest, all dejected looking. She glances up every so often to make sure people are still paying attention, then resumes the chin-on-chest crying. The crying sounds kind of fake, too. It cracks me up. She has also taken to hitting her brothers, though, which is not funny. She pinches and scratches and grabs, too. Luckily she's not a full-time terror. She is very sweet much of the time. She recently learned to say "baby," "uh-uh"** and "all done." She likes to dance with Drew and ride bikes with Owen.
*My mom used to have a book about a bee. "C D B? D B S A B-Z B." I feel like that B.
**Yesterday Samantha was playing in the shower area while Drew was using the toilet. I was trying to get her out of there because I knew once Drew got off the throne, she'd want to play in it. She loves water with no regard to what else might be in said water. I said, "Samantha, come out of the bathroom." She said, "Uh-uh." I said, "Samantha, I'm going to count to three." She said, "Uh-uh." "One..." "Uh-uh." "Two..." "Uh-uh." Finally I just grabbed her and hauled her out of there. Of course once I set her down she plopped onto the floor and started to cry with her chin on her chest...

15 January 2009

Take That?

A bit of background: Owen often likes to pretend he's someone/thing else from time to time. His favorites are our cat, Merle, or our dog, Vito. Drew likes to pretend, too, but usually he pretends to be a dinosaur, a Corvette, a fire engine--anything loud.
The following conversation occurred between Drew and Owen (and me, because they always drag me into their heated discussions) this morning:
Owen: Mom, I'm Drew.
Drew: Mom, he's not Drew! [eyes widen] Am I Drew?
Me: [to Drew] Yes, you're Drew.
Owen: No, Drew. I'm Drew.
Drew: Well, babies are Drew.

14 January 2009

First Day Silliness

It's always interesting to me how people behave on the first day of a new class. It takes a while for people to get comfortable in new surroundings, but it still makes me chuckle to myself. For example, on the first day, most people shuffle quietly into the classroom, take a seat as close to the back as possible, and fidget quietly until the professor gets there, then they take out their notebooks and try to write down every single thing the professor says. Personally, I like to sit in a middle row on either far side of the classroom. That way, I can still see just about everything in the classroom, and my teacher doesn't automatically peg me for a poor student just because I'm in the back. (I had a biology professor tell us that "studies show that students who sit in the back row are more likely to be 'D' or 'F' students, while those in the front are more likely to be 'A' students. Students who sit in the middle are generally average students." I don't know how much I believe that, but I get the impression that a lot of teachers do.)
It takes time to get comfortable with a new professor and his/her teaching style, too. I really like both my on-campus professors, and from my few interactions with them, my online professors seem nice, and competent as well. My Statistics professor speaks very fast, and is very animated. He even said, "what the hell" at a couple different points in the lecture. I didn't think much of it, but I thought it was funny that one of the girls sitting near me turned to her friend with this wide-eyed look like, what did he just say?
When I first got to my Statistics class, everyone was sitting outside the door, waiting for it to be unlocked, I assume; there were no benches or anything so I doubt anyone was sitting there to take a break or something. I had a 45 minute break between Statistics and Chemistry, so I found the lecture hall, then sat on a bench just outside it to work on my Stats homework (look at me, all diligent on my first day; we'll see how long that lasts). The lecture hall was open, and a few people went in, but I had snacks and didn't know if they were allowed in the room, so I just stayed outside. Not long after, a few people came and sat on nearby benches. Soon, there was a group of about 30 students standing around waiting. No one had tried the door, or asked if anyone else had tried the door; they were all just saw someone sitting/standing around so they stood there, too. I thought of telling them that the room was open, but decided not to for some reason. There were still about ten minutes before class started, but I packed up my books and headed into the lecture hall. A group of about 30 students followed me in. It made me wonder; would it be insulting to the people standing outside the classroom if someone were to go try the door? Why do people just assume it's locked because one person is sitting out there?
Well, these are just some silly musings I had while walking back to my car after class got out (these, along with, "Boy, this blister sure hurts." I got a blister on my first day! In shoes that I've worn many times before with no resulting blisters!). I'll post some Drew, Owen and Samantha updates as I get a chance.

12 January 2009

Glad I'm No Longer Part of the 'Dating Scene'

My friend Em sent me the link to this video. I found it hilarious! There are subtitles for those of you who don't speak Thai (I admit I had to peek at them a couple times).

11 January 2009

Post #300!

Drew refused to participate in class today. Since he didn't want to draw, his teacher drew a picture for him, of him. It cracked me up because it perfectly mirrors how he feels about Sunbeam class. It sort of mirrors how I feel today, too. Blah.


This being post #300 is probably the best thing that's happened all day. *sigh* It's just been one of those days. Drew and Owen are still scared of Sunbeam class so as soon as they realized today is Sunday, they felt all sick and tired and whiny and didn't want to go... So we were late for church and David is at work so I was all by myself with three grouchy kids (Samantha started out the day fine, but I think she absorbs the boys' grouchiness, or maybe she just can't let them out-grouch her).
I got the boys into Sunbeams okay, and headed to the library. I was by myself there today; the lady who is usually in there with me was out of town. I don't mind being on my own much, except that today Samantha went on a tear and spent the better part of two hours grabbing all the canisters of pencils and markers and tossing the contents all over the room, and I didn't have time to pick them up because there were lots of pictures to get for people and copies to be made. Until I jammed the copier, that is. Then there were no more copies to be made. I was making some programs for an Eagle Scout Court of Honor, and I neglected to let the copier know that I was using heavy paper (I actually didn't neglect it, I just couldn't figure out how to do it), so all the papers got stuck. And one paper got stuck where we couldn't pull it out. It's still in there at this moment.
We made it home from church with only a few more incidents of tantrums and general orneriness from Drew and Owen (including trying to escape from class twice by saying they need to use the toilet and refusing to let their teacher help them). We had lunch then I got Samantha down for a nap, and I'm going to let the boys watch TV while I make some comfort food.

05 January 2009

Just Find

Yesterday was Drew and Owen's first day in Sunbeam class (3 and 4 year old kids) at church. They were pretty upset about the whole thing. I guess it's the lack of toys and snacks that has them all riled up. And maybe they feel a bit intimidated by all the bigger kids in Primary.
Right after Sacrament Meeting, Drew started saying, "I'm sick. My tummy hurts." We figured he was faking it, and took the boys to Primary. David sat with Drew and Owen for singing time, and when he tried to sneak out, Drew started screaming bloody murder. So David took him to the back of the room. Owen followed them and started crying, too. When Drew calmed down, David took him back to join his class. Drew finally started participating, so David was able to sneak out without Drew paying any attention.
About 15 minutes before church ended, the Sunbeam teacher came to get me out of class. Drew and Owen had to use the toilet. As we were walking to the restroom, Owen said, "I don't want to go back to class." Drew said in his most sugary voice, "I don't have to go to class, if I want." I told him he sure did have to go to class and that's where I took the boys when they were finished doing their business. I sat in there for a couple minutes, then I told them I had to go to the library and I'd be back later. They seemed fine with it. I think in a couple weeks they'll get the hang of things and go to class without any problems.
When we got home from church, I asked Drew if his belly still hurt. He said, "No, it's just find." I have a feeling it was "just find" the whole time.
Samantha is less than "find", today, though. She puked sometime during the night or early in the morning before I got her out of bed. Drew actually tried to claim the mess as his, saying he was sick again, but I didn't really believe him. And when Samantha lost her breakfast, my suspicions were confirmed. I hope she doesn't have anything major. She's pretty much behaving normally, except that she climbed up on my lap and snuggled and sucked her thumb for a couple minutes, which she never does during play time.
Samantha has also been crabbier/feistier lately. I think it has to do with the age she's at. She can't really communicate, so she squawks and screams and throws a fit when she doesn't get her way. And lately she's been smacking my neck with both hands if I happen to be holding her when something makes her mad. She stands up for herself with Drew and Owen, more, too. If one of the boys takes her toy, she employs the usual method of squawking at them and grabs her toy back. Drew and Owen haven't quite figured out what to make of it yet. I'm not sure what to make of it, either. I miss my sweet, quiet little girl and hope she returns soon.

02 January 2009

2008: The Year in Review

Samantha:






  • January: 4 months old. Cute as a button.
  • February: Behaved really well for Dad's cousin while Mom and Dad took a much needed vacation in Florida. Got to meet Great Grandma Archibald (Mom's paternal grandma) for the first time.
  • March: 6 months. Still adorable, interested in everything around me.
  • April: Have perfected the ability to sit up on my own.
  • May: Love going outside to play, explore and eat dandelions.
  • June: 9 months. Life is great.
  • July: Went on vacation with the family to Seattle. Had a lot of fun, got to meet Dad's aunts and uncles for the first time (well, the first time that I actually sort of knew what was going on).
  • August: Saw a girl two months younger than me walking around at church. Thought I should at least try standing up.
  • September: Happy First Birthday to me!
  • October: My big brothers are always really good about sharing their toys. Especially if I throw a fit and Mom makes them back off. Not that I've ever tried that...
  • November: Time to learn to walk. That pile of leaves and sticks seemed like a good place to practice.
  • December: 15 months. Have almost perfected walking. Still the cutest little girl in the family, and everybody loves me!
Owen:






  • January: I like to borrow Samantha's stacker rings and wear them as shoes.
  • February: I can still be cute even when covered in chocolate.
  • March: Went to the rodeo with Mom, Drew, Grandpa and the cousins. Enjoyed about every minute of it. Except when they put the pink cowboy hat on me.
  • April: Got into the Vaseline in Samantha's room. Mom flew off the handle, but I heard her trying to suppress her laughter when she thought I wasn't paying attention.
  • May: Went to Salt Lake to get Roz's Bagoda-dog. He was pretty patient while I practiced shooting my water gun at him.
  • June: All I want to do is play outside on my four-wheeler.
  • July: Gotta wear safety goggles or the Ramen will flick juices in my eye when I slurp it up.
  • August: Went camping in Mackay with the family. Got to ride the four-wheelers.
  • September: Helped Mom make Samantha's birthday cake. Had to make sure it tasted good before I let her bake it.
  • October: Turned three on the 25th.
  • November: I always want to be outside, even when the weather cools down.
  • December: My family can't imagine life without me, whether I've got Playdough in my hair or not.

Drew:



  • January: Everything is a party. Unless something makes me mad.
  • February: For some reason Mom thinks it's hilarious when I get food on my face. As though it doesn't happen every time I eat.
  • March: Went to the mall to see the Easter Bunny. Wouldn't sit on his lap, but did take the hat he gave me. Then I ran away.
  • April: Matchbox cars are my life.
  • May: Always getting into Mom's stuff (not that it's hard, 'cause she leaves a lot of it out). Her shoes are especially fun.
  • June: Corvettes are my life. Mom has been toilet training Owen and me, and Grandpa bribed us with a ride in his 'Vette.
  • July: Had a lot of fun in Seattle. Nice to be home where I can kick back and relax.
  • August: Went to American Falls Reservoir. Acted really brave until we got to the water's edge. Cried a bit, then just went for it and had a lot of fun.
  • September: Mom taught me how to have fun with a cereal box once the contents are gone.
  • October: I'm finally three!
  • November: The cat never plays with this thing. I often take it upon myself to make sure toys don't go un-played with.
  • December: The family would be incomplete without me. And cars are still my life.
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