Face Fun

My sister sent me a fun link- myheritage where you can upload your picture and it tells you what celebrities you look like. Using this picture:

I got the following results:
Annette Bening (74%)
Claudia Schiffer (72%)
Norkys Batista? (70%)
Toni Morrison (68%)
Christie Brinkley (66%)
Cat Deeley (66%)
Jang Nara? (66%)

This site is my new best friend.

Frustrated

I am so ticked I could spit. Yay imagery! This whole girl scouts thing is driving me crazy. We have a troop treasurer, and so far her only job has been to open an account. She got the position in May. We still have no account. I have asked her several times, and have even said that if she was too busy (since she's the PTA treasurer for our local school), I could open the account, no problem. Now we have a problem. We had 3 girls join the troop and they aren't registered because we had all the parents make out checks to the troop. And so the checks sit in my house. With all the paperwork, ready to go. I have already written a check to cover one of our activities that the troop was going to pay for, and now it looks like I'm going to have to do the same for this. My service unit director is going crazy, and rightly so, because the new girls aren't covered by girl scout insurance. I'm going crazy because I delegated and what's the point of delegating if I have to basically do it myself through nagging? I've emailed her several times, asking what she needs. I emailed her one form, then she finds out that she needs the checks to open the account. I've offered to drop them off at her house or at the school, whatever works for her. Then my co-leader forwards me an email the treasurer sent her, basically saying that she (the treasurer) is confused at what we need to do. I'm done. I called the service unit registrar to see if she has a membership form that I need, but no one has called me back. Now it looks like I have to call the service unit director who isn't too happy with me to get the form from her. I'm just not in the mood to be in trouble, especially since it isn't my fault.

Pretty close

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have low extroversion. You are quiet and reserved in most social situations. A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you. You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people. Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have medium neuroticism. You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic. Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy. Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is low. You're a pretty conservative person, and you favor what's socially acceptable. You think that change for novelty's sake is a very bad idea. While some may see this as boring, many see you as dependable and wise.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Four years

Four years ago I went into the hospital to give birth to baby #3, our second son. Joshua has been such a joy in our lives. My mother told me I could stop after Michaela, since I had a boy and a girl. I'm so glad I didn't. Josh Josh has been more of a joy than I could ever imagine. He is so happy, and that happiness is contagious. He's probably gotten away with more than he should have over the years. He loves his video games and can sing everyone's theme song in Star Wars. He loves to look at animals, but doesn't want them within a 10 foot radius of himself.

A thank you, 8 Brownies, and a belated birthday and anniversary

I just wanted to say thank you to all those who have served in our military. Some of you have been to hell and back, just so I can have peace of mind when I tuck my kids into bed on the other side of the world. Thank you.

Last night my Brownie co-leader and I took our girls out to Target for our service project. We adopted 2 little girls from the Appalachians. Six of the girls were ours, 2 were older sisters of two of the girls. Near the end, it became more of a "ooh, I want that" trip, but we ended up not being kicked out of Target and our two little girls are going to have a really great Christmas.

Yesterday was a complete beast. I helped Caleb's teacher do some copying in the morning. Came home, ate, and went to a neighbourhood playgroup. We ended up staying til it was almost time for the kids to get off the bus, then it was time to clean up a little, make dinner, then head out to Target. Needless to say, having a few minutes on the computer were hard to come by. I wanted to wish a belated birthday to the Marine Corps. Semper fi!

Yesterday was another big day. 16 years have passed since I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I can't believe it's been that long. I can't even imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't been baptized. Well, the baby's crying on me and grabbing at my arm, so typing is next to impossible. I'll have to write my conversion story another time.

Stone Mountain

The kids love going to Stone Mountain. We had a family pass last year and it was well used. We didn't do it again this year, and so when Perry's office picnic was being held there, the kids were all excited. We had a really great time. Michaela participated in the dance contest and there was tons of great food, and Joshua won a round of BINGO.

A Miracle? For Me?

I was reading my sister-in-law's blog the other day. She had experienced a miracle of her own. Perry and I were thrilled for them, as they deserve all the good things that come to them. Da Momma at Motherhood Is Not For Wimps had been experiencing some pretty awesome things in her life, too. Little did I know that I was next in line to have that touch of divinity in my life. Now before I tell you about my miracle, I need to set the stage. Being Election Day, there is no school. Four kids home. It's pretty much going to be a rainy day all day. Perry is going out of town this afternoon, so he has to vote in the morning. I went with him, and we took turns going in and sitting in the van with the kids. Since he went in late, and is leaving early, coming home to help me really isn't an option (I know, you'd come if I really needed you, but I'd feel so overwhelming guilty, Honey). I had had some flu-like thing over the weekend and had spent yesterday lying on the living room floor, so queasy I almost thought I was pregnant again. Today, however, all I had was a sore throat. So, the scene is now set. Three bored kids (Michaela insists she wasn't bored), stuck in the house, and a mom that, although feeling better, is having that getting better energy drain thing going on. It was at this moment in my life that God blessed me. And He blessed me-













with poo.

Yes, poo. And I was happy with the poo. Now that I've lost any reader that doesn't know me, or isn't a mommy, let me explain. This wasn't my poo. Oh no, I'm not into spilling every secret that happens to me. This blog exists more for the future. Like when my kids' friends are googling their names, Anneliese will forever be linked to poo. Anneliese is weaning herself from nursing and eating more and more solids. However, she really hasn't started to up her liquid intake all that much. Lately, you can tell when she's filling a diaper. 99% of the time, we giggle at her little face, all focused on the task at hand. This time, however, was that dreaded 1% of the time. Poor little Anneliese was having a hard time at this one. She was crying and moving all over the place. She didn't want to be held, couldn't be distracted, anything. It was heartbreaking to me. When I went to her, I could smell what was bothering her. By this time, 15 minutes had passed and she was exhausted, so her crying had stopped. I went to change her diaper, and it looked like she was giving birth. The poo was crowning, but it wasn't going anywhere. I put her diaper back on and nursed her, feeling like that might be enough pain relief and relaxation that she could finish the job. Nope. I called a friend of mine who has 4 kids, thinking the more kids, the greater the likelihood of a mutual experience. She hadn't, but luckily her friend with 5 kids was over and she said that she had used a Q-tip dipped in Vaseline to lube up the area a few times and that had always worked. I had both of those things in the house (yay! no going to Wal-Mart in the rain!). Nada. About 15 minutes later, I gave her a triple dose. Nada. Michaela came over and suggested we pray. She prayed for us. I tried to gently scoop some out with the Q-tip, hoping to get rid of the stuck point. I succeeded in letting it slide back in. Relieved of the obvious pain, Anneliese quieted down and I nursed her again. She slept for about 30 minutes. I'm trying to look up on the internet anything else I can do, short of taking her to the doctor (that phone call would grant us instant name recogition for the next 16 and a half years of Anneliese's pediatrician-going life). After her nap, she went right back into the crying and crouching again. I started looking up things in my parenting books, and they give the Vaseline thing and to call the doctor before giving an enema. Before I call the doctor, I picked her up around her middle, hoping to give some help through pressure. It worked. I am now the proud grandma to a Snickers bar. That poor kid! She was up and dancing and singing minutes after I changed her diaper, so her little tushy doesn't seem to have any long-lasting soreness going on. I proudly announced to her siblings that we had a successful poo, and Michaela started telling me that this was a miracle. And although most miracles are small, and not very easy to notice when they're happening, God knows how to give us exactly what we need. I would start thinking of a way to need a new car, but I would probably end up with a couple of miracles bringing me to my living room floor again with a new 15 passenger van sitting in the driveway. No thanks, I like my poo. And I am very thankful for it.

Quick quiz

***Your Career Personality: Detail-Oriented, Observant, and Hard-Working***
Your Ideal Careers:
Designer
Family counselor
Independent store owner
Interior decorator
Museum curator
Nurse
Preschool teachers
Social worker
Stay at home parent
Teacher
The Quick and Dirty Career Testhttp://www.blogthings.com/quickanddirtycareertest/

Baby Kisses

Is there anything better than a baby kiss? Especially since she's learned the closed mouth technique, lol!

Lookie What I Did!

I made a dress! And it lasted the whole day without coming apart (which is more than I can say about anything I made for my poor Barbie dolls!). My stepmom is teaching me how to sew, and even with Perry being gone over a month (I went to her house on Wednesdays), I got this done in time for Mischa to wear it! Yay me!

Happy Halloween!

Anneliese was a butterfly, Mischa was Princess Genevieve, one of the 12 Dancing Princesses (Barbie edition), Caleb was Darth Vader, and Joshua was a gingerbread man. We had fun at my dad's church's family fall festival.

1000 Words

I'm slowly adding pictures to my previous blog entries. My goal is at least one entry a day, if I have something to go with it, and probably some new entries to go with the pictures I do have. Poor Poor Anneliese, Run to Grandma, and The Weatherman Must Die are done. Let's see what Joshua has to say about the new upgrades...

Ugh

Welcome to the sick house. The baby and I are suffering from some sort of cold/sinus thing. The whole head of cotton and runny nose thing. Then, today, Caleb got sent home with possible pinkeye. Quick trip to the doctor, followed by a trip to the pharmacy. He gets to stay home with me tomorrow. Maybe I'll have him be my babysitter while I spend an hour or so in a hot shower to clear up my head. My friend has the flu, so I guess it could be worse. Except I was talking to her yesterday, so I'm hoping I stayed far enough away. Perry isn't feeling so hot, so I guess the odds aren't so good for Mischa and Joshua. Of course, everyone sick and sleeping it off sounds pretty good...Who am I kidding, it would last a whole 30 minutes, then they'd be fighting and cranky.

Baptism

What a wild weekend this was! Four adults and nine kids- all together for Caleb's baptism. It was a whirlwind getting it all put together- most of the planning happened a few days before, but it all came together in the end. We have such a wonderful ward that supported Caleb (or Calem as was printed in the program, lol). Seeing Caleb in that little white jumpsuit with rolled up pantlegs overwhelmed me with such wonderful feelings and memories, both of my own baptism almost 16 years ago and the previous eight years. Caleb hasn't always been the easiest to raise- he has a massive stubborn streak and quite the temper (I think it's to show that my sister Toni wasn't adopted- those genes have to be linked somehow!), but he can be the sweetest and most caring kid out there. I love how his mind works and the connections he makes. I loved the face he made when his Uncle Dave offered him some frosting in his talk on baptism, and right before Caleb got to it, dipped it in dirt and asked him if he still wanted it. Remember, frosting with dirt isn't good. His excitement in making this covenant with Heavenly Father just showed in his face. As a mom, you wonder sometimes if your kids will ever "get" certain things. You can explain something until you are blue in the face and get that blank look on the face staring back at you. I have no doubt that Caleb felt the Holy Ghost that day, testifying about the joy Heavenly Father felt about Caleb making this step, and that this was the right thing to do.
I was also in awe of the Priesthood power used for this baptism, and to know that my husband is a worthy holder of it. I have been blessed by the priesthood many, many times, and know it has been restored on the earth today, but to see it in use to bless the eternal life of my child was just amazing. Wow.

Alone

I miss you honey!! I hope you have a great time in Spain, if all I have for solace is that you have to wait until 9 p.m. to have dinner, lol!

You know your 3 year old plays video games too much

When your 17 month old is starting to sing the Star Wars theme. Of course, it doesn't help when the 3 year old knows 3 different Star Wars songs and sings them over and over and over and over. And over.

Eight Is GREAT!

Caleb turns eight today. Sigh. Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday that I was going in for my second day of induction (followed by a c-section at 11:54 p.m.). Having a baby was such a crazy experience. There were many times that dinner wasn't until 9 p.m. that first few months. He has been such a source of amazement and wonder. He's also been a source of total frustration, but I guess that goes with the territory. He has such a good heart and sweet spirit. He's really excited to get baptized next month. He had his bag packed the day after we came back from Baptism Preview in January. He starts Cub Scouts on Wednesday, and after a year of going to Daisy Scouts with Michaela, he's more than ready for something for him. I couldn't ask for a better son, frustrations and all. I love you, Caleb!!

Free Chocolate!

Thanks to Kristine I found out about this free bag of chocolate promotion. I've been curious about making a molten chocolate cake, so maybe this will be the thing that gets it done.

Nestle Chocolatier

Not Too Sure About This One

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

I really don't see myself as Animal, although he was one of my favourites. Maybe a little of my life is seeping into my subconscious. Between being in charge of tracking volunteer hours at the school for PTA (I did get a permanent name tag for that one, though!), being a small group discussion leader for MOPS (luckily that starts in 2 weeks), co-leading a Brownie troop (next week was supposed to be our first meeting, but the school moved Curriculum Nights to that week, so we have a week to figure out what needs to get done), being guilted into taking a room parent job two days ago (and I have to have everything ready before above mentioned Curriculum Nights), making Upside-down cupcakes with Umbrellas for the Letter U themed snack for Mischa's class, having Perry out of town, and recovering from a bad week headache-wise, banging on some drums sounds pretty good.

Mom, It's Still Alive!

I was getting everyone's snack ready this morning when Caleb yells down the stairs that there is a cockroach in his room (and it's a cockroach, not a roach, he informs me). I told him I'd get to it in a few minutes. In the hustle of last minute hair/teeth/shoes/bug spray, I forgot about it. I was brushing Michaela's hair and in the mirror I see him in the dark bedroom behind me. "Mom, it's still alive!" He dangles the roach, sorry, cockroach by the antenna. Ack! I yell at him to drop it, so now it's in my room! Double ack! Luckily I had a plastic cup (see Honey, my OCD is useful!) nearby, so scooping and flushing was painless.