Crammin' It In

Nesting Instinct? I hope so! Last week it was all about getting the baby's clothes organized and getting Superkid and Abizella into their new beds in preparation for the new baby. This week it is all about getting as much fun and errand running in as I can before the baby comes (try not to laugh too hard when the baby doesn't come for another month).

Today I went to my last day of Body Pump at the gym. My membership is now on hold for 2 months. I pretty much just went today so I could bump into the crowd and have them tell me how amazing I am for sticking it out to the end (most of them are under the false impression that my due date has arrived...hmmmmm... I wonder who could have told them that?).

I also managed to get in 2 doctor appointments, 1 for myself (I bumped into the gorgeous M.J. I think I have seen her the last 3 times I have been to the doctor. We may have the same care team...but we see them at two locations. Maybe I will be seeing her at the hospital!) and 1 for Abizella (Yeah! No ear infection.).


We went BLUEBERRY PICKING! It was hot and humid but at least the bushes were tall and wet providing some shade and relief. The kids loved it. Superkid is an amazing blueberry picker! He worked like a champ. Although in the end I am not sure that he did not eat more than he actually picked! I was not about to stop him from eating something healthy. Abizella LOVED that the "boobewies" were PURPLE! But somehow managed to pick as many green berries as blue berries. She mainly enjoyed zipping up and down between the bushes.



I got my haircut! This may seem like not that big of a deal...but it has been so long since my last cut that the stylist forgot that I was pregnant. I am pretty sure that my hair has never been longer. She took off at least 8 inches in some places. I am cooler (and far less frumpy!) already! The best part is that I went all by myself while SuperPops took Superkid and Abizella to a T-ball game.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

Sorry Mom

After 9 years of walking in the footsteps of my Mom and being a true minimalist, I broke down and bought I Kitchenaid mixer. Actually the credit belongs to my good friend who not only graciously called me up last weekend to let me know that they were practically giving them away at Lowes, but also actually had her husband pick one up for me and delivered it to my house! I have been talking with her for over a year about wanting to buy one after she showed me how quick and easy it was to make bread in her Kitchenaid. I was SUPER excited to use it when she dropped it off... but I was EXHAUSTED last week and the thought of making ANYTHING that required more than 5 minutes in the microwave was beyond me. Well, Pops broke it out this afternoon while I was napping and we decided to give it a whirl. I gave it a once over and familiarized myself with the switches and such. I was ready to add the ingredients when Pops came in and suggested a different mixing arm. "Trust me Babe, I've been using one of these my whole life,” he said confidently. I had never used one, so after quickly referencing the manual, I switched arms. Little did I know that cooking with a Kitchenaid requires NO ENERGY from me. It was about the easiest thing ever to make a batch of cookies, in fact I kinda feel like I was cheating. Cooking with a Kitchenaid is analogous to using steroids for cycling. Call it what you will, get it in whatever cute color you like but it is a performance-enhancing gadget. Now you may say the same about a dishwasher or a microwave. But nobody ever got complemented on how amazing their dishwashing skills were or how fabulous they are at defrosting hamburger (outside their mother, who is just trying to instill feelings of worth). I have to admit, not only were they the easiest batch of cookies to make, they were some of my best cookies to date. So I am definitely keeping the Kitchenaid! And I will focus my energy on getting this little cookie monster (and her gooey hands) to eat at the table instead of hiding by the couch so she can see the TV.

Shopping Escort Service

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*Escorts require a meal (they most likely will not eat), snacks (for dumping on the floor), a beverage and play breaks every 10 minutes. Potty trained models also require unanticipated and IMMEDIATE potty breaks.

Ready Set Pop!

This morning I went to a baby shower for my friend M.H. who is having a baby GIRL!!! It was fun to see all of the little pink things that come along when a little girl is coming on the scene. Turns out that M.H. is expecting her baby 2 days after our little guy. Even stranger, we have the same doctor. We like to joke with one another about kicking out the baby first...or even better, ending up at the hospital at the same time. Only time will tell. It is all good fun with M.H. but after each of our discussions I smugly think to myself, "Ya, like she is going to have that baby first!" #1 I have history on my side. Superkid was a month early and Abizella was 2 weeks early. #2 M.H. isn't nearly as large as myself. Now in the picture above I have cleverly hid behind M.H. and S.K., but it is deceptive. I know better because my little joke at her shower today when people asked when I was due was to say that I was due 2 days before M.H. After their eyes fell out of their heads and they managed to lift their jaw off the floor I would say, "Now you know what M.H. will look like in 2 days!"

Actually, I waffle between wanting this baby to come NOW! And happily putting off the date. At my last Dr. appointment I was ready to get this over with. I was chatting with S.K. after the appointment and told her about this unfortunate lady I spoke to in the elevator that was a day past her due date. Her legs were so swollen that they looked like tree trunks. The women just had an ultra sound and the tech was predicting a 10 lb. baby. I commented to S.K. that after talking with her it put things into perspective for me, I really wasn't suffering and I could hold on another couple of weeks. I love S.K. she said back to me, "Oh, how good of you to patiently wait 2 more weeks and still have the baby two weeks early!" Seriously, who is going to keep me in line after S.K. moves this fall!

Then I have days like the last couple where I have enjoyed swimming and playing with my little ones so much and think of all of the fun things I want to do before the baby comes. Not that the fun ends when the baby comes...we all know babies thrive at the beach too. But things will probably slow down a bit.

Thanks M.H. and S.K. for posing with me, I wish that we caught M.D. for the belly shot before she took off!

Fabulous Friday Night!

Pops passed me as I was coming in from the gym (I had to drop that in for you Andy) and he was heading out for work and asked if I wanted to do anything fun tonight. Well, we both knew the answer was YES! but, it wasn't revealed until later that we had different ideas of fun in mind. He should know by now that I pretty much have one thing on my mind when it comes to the FUN department... a night at the beach! He is a good sport and didn't bring it up until we were sitting on the beach, watching the tide creep up on us, about half way through our large pizza. He said, "Ya, this is a great way to spend a Friday night too." I asked if he had something else in mind. He said that he was thinking about going to the new Simpson's Movie. He was right about not bringing up his suggestion earlier. Sitting through a movie with Abizella is about as pleasurable as sitting on an ant hill, and you get about as much sitting done in either scenario.

As it was, we had a great time. Pops and Superkid dug in the sand. Abizella and I took to the water. She raced back and forth through the quickly filling tidepool laughing and splashing. Everytime she got across she would turn and say, "Run again Mama!" And off she would go. I got to partake in my favorite passtime as well; taking pictures at sunset of my favorite subjects at the beach. Later we bumped into some friends and ended up going out for some ice cream. A perfect night. We'll have to send the boys to see the new Simpson's movie another time!

Happy Pioneer Day!

Even though we are 2500 miles away, we are not ones to miss out on a HOLIDAY! I wish I could say that I got up and ran the Deseret News marathon this morning (not really, I just like to say stuff like that when it is out of the realm of possibilities). We did make it to the pool for some fun (okay, it was motivated by swimming lessons rather than sheer recreational bliss). It is a little tough to find buffalo meat out here, so we had to pass on the buffalo burgers. But we did partake in a Utah fav; we went to Cold Stone for a little Holiday treat. Judging from the parking lot and the line at Cold Stone, Pioneer Day is spreading in popularity! The kids decided to spread the holiday joy into today by throwing their own DAYS OF '47 Rodeo! They are doing a really good job simulating the event too... it is hot enough and stinky enough to believe a Rodeo is going on in the play room!

Graduation Day

Last night Superkid and Abizella graduated to BUNK beds (pronounced by Superkid with emphasis on BUNK)! It was a lot of work, we had some serious dust bunnies that Superkid mopped up.

And we had to re-locate the "Study" (pictured here as a heap of junk on the kitchen table).

The kids actually crashed before the project was done. Abizella got bored of watching Pops assemble the beds and opted to watch a little Elmo's Potty Time while sitting on her potty. She fell asleep on the potty and gracefully transitioned to the floor (notice her feet propped up on her little pot).

But in the end it was all worth it, the kids are delighted with their new sleeping arrangement.

They look like little babies sleeping in such big beds, but they are entirely happy.


Abizella even came to terms with sleeping on the bottom bunk (after given the alternative of returning to the crib). Today was the real test. When it came time for naps, Abizella happily jumped up in her new bed and blissfully fell asleep. I was relieved not to chase her around the house, which was my biggest concern about moving her from the crib.

Swim Lesson Snob

So we have had a little drama in the swim lesson department this summer. A good friend of mine mentioned at playgroup that her town was holding swim lessons and they were only $50 for two weeks! I was amazed because I had been calling around since spring and lessons were running 2-3 times that amount. A few of us signed our boys up and anxiously awaited the first day of class. BUT before class began, we had to take the boys in for a "swim challenge" even though we assured the program director that these kids were definitely beginners. So one Saturday afternoon we pumped Superkid up and headed out for swim lessons. When we got there we walked down a forested path, passed a playground to the top of a small hill. From there we surveyed the scene and could see no swim pool and concluded we must be in the wrong place. As we bewilderedly headed down the path a nice lady at the park asked if we were lost. We told her we were looking for the swim pool. She said there was not swim pool here, so we continued to our car. She stopped us and asked if we were there for "the swim lesson challenge". We said we were and she said that lessons are held in the pond. We must have looked stupefied because she continued, "Ya, it is a chlorinated man-made pond... just up the hill on your left." Even though a "chlorinated man-made pond" sounded like an oxymoron to us we tried to play it cool and headed back up the hill. When we got to the top of the hill we looked down and sure enough someone had hauled in a ton of sand and dumped it in a pit. There was an old pipe dripping into the far end of the pond, and for being "chlorinated" it sure looked skeevy to me. There was only one other person at this oasis, the instructor. He waved to us and told Superkid to take off his shirt and his sandals and wade in up to his stomach. Even though I was still in shock, I had enough presence of mind to think to myself, "There is no way Superkid is going in that water!" Not because I would stop him, but because up until about 2 weeks prior he wouldn't even put his big toe in a swim pool. Well, my chin must have dropped to the sand when Superkid did take off his shirt and his sandals and wade in up to his ankles. At this point he turned around and looked back at the instructor, who was comfortably standing on the beach, and the instructor said, "Ya, it's pretty cold. Just wade in as far as you can." With this Superkid turned back to the murky unknown and waded in up to his shorts. I couldn't believe it. The instructor asked him to bend down and get his chest wet. This is where Superkid finally refused. The instructor then said, "Okay, come back Monday at 10:00, Superkid will be in the beginner class." With that Superkid waded back out of the water and we trudged back up the beach. Once Superkid was out of earshot, Pops said, "Well, what do you think?" I didn't know where to start with my list of grievances... the skeevy pond, the "swim challenge", and the instructor who sat outside the pond while my baby wandered into the murky depths. But in the end, Superkid ACTUALLY did what the instructor said which is more than he had done for me at the pool all summer. Thus I said we would go back on Monday and see how it all went. After all, it probably wasn't a good idea to limit Superkid with the same open water phobias that I have.

Well to make a long story short(er) we went back on Monday and we got rained out. Tuesday and Wednesday classes were cancelled because, "the water hadn't been tested". Turns out that the water hadn't been tested in at least a week (probably all year). We asked for our money back. My only regret is that I didn't get a picture of Superkid standing in that murky water all by himself. I couldn't decide at the time if it was child abuse or just really funny.

In the meantime I have related this story to many people. There are two distinct groups. Those who are horrified by the idea of swimming lessons in a pond (let's call them Westerners) and those who have told me that swim lessons in a pond or in the ocean is "a time honored tradition" and then proceed to tell me which pond they took their lessons at (let's call them Easterners). I definitely fall in the first mentioned group. Swim lessons in the desert are always held in a nice contained concrete chemically balanced pool. Now I realize that before pools people must have swam in ponds all the time, I just come from a land of no ponds so it is VERY strange to me that people still swim in them. Even more strange that the very town I live in actually closes the city pool in the summer and holds their swimming lessons in the ocean. I usually have a pretty good sense of adventure, but I am having a tough time shaking this one off.

Anyway, after calling around looking for lessons it became clear to me that I either needed to sign the kiddies up for swimming lessons months ago, or take matters into my own hands. While I would NEVER have considered coming out of retirement a couple of months ago, Superkid was very disappointed that swim lessons were cancelled day after day. I asked my friends if their kids wanted to join us for some swimming lessons. Miraculously, a friend called and asked us to come over and use their newly refinished pool anytime we wanted. So far (besides the rain all week) it has worked out pretty well. I have someone to watch my kids when it is not their turn for lessons and my kids actually are heeding my instruction because they are in a group setting with their friends. Actually it is definitely better this way for me for the following reasons:

1. I am pretty sure that there are few instructors that could live up to my expectations.
2. I get to make up the rules, which means that there is no age restriction and Abizella can swim too!
3. I don't have to chase Abizella around during Super kid’s swimming lesson and then try to explain to her that she is too young for lessons and then listen to her cry all the way home.
4. Teaching lessons 8 months pregnant turns out to be easier than sitting (or chasing Abizella) poolside because of the buoyancy factor (and am I ever buoyant!).
5. The water is nice and cool, which is great for this baby oven (maybe not so nice for the chattering kiddies).
6. It is FREEEEEEE!

Season Opener

Yesterday was the LOOOOOOOONG awaited little league season opener. Superkid has been asking when this blessed day would occur for about a month (since we signed him up). I found a little baseball outfit on the clearance rack for the occasion that I busted out. He was pumped. When we pulled up to the park Superkid ripped off his seatbelt and readied at the door of the minivan. When he finally got out of the car he tucked his mit under his arm and tore off across the field. He has been waiting for this moment ever since we showed him Sandlot more than a year ago. Being on a baseball team is the pinnacle of boyhood.



For me, the best part of Little League is seeing Superkid so intense and so happy at the same time. A close second is the location. The games are right out on the peninsula and it is impossible to drive by and not stop at the beach on the way home. We happened upon a few friends that were enjoying a pizza and the sunset. I actually think this is the best time to be at the beach, nice and cool and refreshing and HEALING. I was really bummed to come home from chruch Sunday with puffy ankles. After a walking across the cool sand and a quick dip in the icy Atlantic I woke up to ankle bones this morning!

Be Careful What You Ask For and Pancake Day!

I was lying on the bed when Abizella came to find me. She climbed up on the bed and as always went after my belly. But this time she stood up and placed her hands on my belly and with all of her force pushed down and said, "I push baby out Mommy!" As it did not feel that great, I pushed her aside and told her to stop. She stood up and said, "No! I push baby out Mommy!" Give me a couple of weeks and I will be begging for her assistance. I am pretty sure that the novelty of the baby will wear off quickly for Abizella. She still doesn't like to share me with Superkid. I remember Superkid asking for the baby to come out when I was pregnant with Abizella. I can't remember exactly how he put it, but it was clear he wanted the baby out (but probably not as badly as I did). Superkid took to his sister right away. I don't remember too many jealous episodes with him. Hopefully the same will be true with both kids this time around!

Earlier this week, Superkid met me on the back porch as I pulled in the driveway from swimming. I was surprised to see him; usually he doesn't get up until about 8:00a.m. He had a big smile on his face and he said, "Mom, it's a new day! It's a PANCAKE DAY!" How can I deny a request like that? He said he would like chocolate pancakes. I asked him how we should make chocolate pancakes (Superkid is actually a great cook). He told me we should spread chocolate frosting on the top, and we actually had some from the day before so why not? Turns out Superkid does not like chocolate frosting on his pancakes, but I do! They kinda reminded me of Dunkin Donuts glazed donut with chocolate frosting. I have to admit that I would probably like anything with chocolate frosting on it.

No Better Way To Spend a Saturday!

Great Surf!


Great Food!


Great Shade! (Thank-you Grandma Sandi and Grandpa Bob!)

We have Melissa and Craig to thank for a FABULOUS day at the beach! I feel like they kinda got the short end of the stick because it all started out when I invited them over to dinner. After some e-mailing about the details, Melissa suggested we have a BBQ at the beach near their home. Now ANYONE who knows me will tell you that I would trade anything for a day on the beach. This was SOME beach too! White soft sand and refreshing (code word for cold) water. Just what my ankles needed (they looked a little pudgy when I woke up this morning). I hate to admit it, but it has probably been 3 weeks since I have been to the beach. The best part was that this was an adventure too. We got the last free parking space left. Craig picked us up in his truck (4-wheel drive) and drove us across this rickety long wooden bridge spanning the water from the mainland to a sandy peninsula. Next we bounced across the sand dunes to the beach. Craig then backed the truck up to the spot that Melissa was reserving for us on the beach. That's right, we didn't have to lug ANYTHING across the parking lot, down stairs, across the sand etc. etc. We just hopped out of the truck into our beach chairs. Craig and Melissa say they like to go down in the evening after work and grill up some dinner, build a bon fire and roast marshmallows. They are living the dream. They mentioned the permit to drive on the beach was about $250. I figure it would cost us about $20,250 because we would also have to throw in the 4-wheel drive vehicle. Either that or now that we know where Craig and Melissa are in their spare time, and we have their cell phone numbers...

Snuggle Buddies

I know I post a lot of pics of the kiddies sleeping, but seriously nap time is my favorite time of day. Mostly because it means the occasional nap for me. I actually was part of this happy sleeping clan, but we have my daily 2:00 p.m. phone call to thank for this pic. It has been a while since we have all crashed together, I really enjoyed stroking Abizella's head and watching her fall asleep and then reaching over to Superkid, who joined us, and stroking his head a few times while he fell asleep. I have been known to strictly gaurd this time of day, yanking the kids from many an activity and singing wacky songs all the way home in the car (so no one falls asleep) to get back home in time for a good nap. In my opinion, there is little that is worth missing a nap.

Askin' For It

I was indignantly listing all of the offenses that have come to me throughout my pregnancy to S.K. today. I told her that I was going to start making a list of all of the incredibly rude things people have said to me, mostly from my fellow early morning swimmers. This is where S.K. astutely pointed out that I was "Asking for it" (her words) by cramming my 8 month pregnant body into an ever-tightening-not quite-big-enough Speedo and strutting onto deck and then attempting to swim with a competitive Master's team (my words). This is how I know S.K. is a true friend. She is not afraid to bring things back into perspective for me. She did then stroke my ego by telling me that I was amazing (my words) for still working out.

Well here are a few of my favorites anyway:
"That baby better come soon, I don't know if that towel will fit around you much longer."
"You sure don't sneak up on anyone, do you?" (after seeing me come across the deck)
"Have you lost weight?" (ha ha ha)

I actually think it is pretty funny. I would rather hear comments like that than the well intentioned, "You're still pregnant?" "Ya, I've got 2 more months you jerk." Or being patronized by my fellow Body Pumpers who like to set my weights up for me or offer hoisting me up after a weight lifting set on the bench. I know it is all well intended but I am there to lift weights for crying out loud.

Oh well, as long as there aren't too many mirrors around, I can go on believing that I am a long sleek pregnant lady with a small bump on my belly. I remember laughing with Glama and Nersey at the pudgy water aerobics instructor who was leading a class on deck in her little swimsuit. I may be in the same category, but just keep telling me that I am amazing.

P.S. As this is a family friendly blog (and the camera would have been destroyed anyway), there will be no picture of me strutting across deck in my skimpy Speedo.

Party In the Kiddie Pool

Swim lessons cancelled AGAIN today (more on this soon to come). So our buddies came over for an impromptu pool party. I was kinda laughing to myself that the kids had such a great time with a busted hose and busted sprinkler head, wading pool, and popsicles. It reminded me of the time last summer we drove ALL THE WAY TO RI to swim an even smaller wading pool. I am glad to have friends that like a little spontaneity (and evidentially don't have very high standards)!



We were also treated with a play date with A.K. We have missed hanging with her.

Cute!

We were driving to church this morning when we heard Abizella in the back of the car giggling and saying, "Cute!". I turned back to find her admiring herself in the reflection of the window pointing and giggling at her own cuteness. The girl has good taste!

After church Abizella and I retreated back to bed where we pumped up the AC and kept calling to Pops to refresh our big bowl of Doritos (I cannot deny the fetus). Abizella was pretty funny. When the last Dorito was eaten (which she fed to me) she would adoringly tilt her head and sweetly say to me, "More Mommy?" I would say, "Sure Peach." She would then scream in her loudest, most demanding voice, "DADDY! MORE CHIPS!" And then we would both sit like to bumps on a log waiting for the Dorito fairy to come bestowing more cheesy goodness. Seriously those things are adictive!

My Purple Peachy Pie

PURPLE! Definitely Abizella's favorite color. She likes to point it out to me everywhere. Whenever faced with a decision (or not) she chooses purple. She will demand, "I WANT MILK MOMMY!" After coaxing her to ask a bit more nicely, she will tip her head to the side, smile and sweetly say, "I want milk PLEASE Mommy." When I walk towards the cupboard to fulfill her request she gets really excited and jumps up and down and says, "I want PURPLE cup Mommy!" Once I pull that out she adds, "I want PURPLE lid Mommy!" It goes about the same for everything. "I WANT TO COLOR!" "I want to color PLEASE" "I want PURPLE crayon" "I want PURPLE paper" "I want PURPLE shirt... underwear...etc"

As for Peachy Pie, that is my little pet name for Abizella. What is really cute is to hear Superkid diminutively say, "Peachy Pie, do you want a blanket?" I have a little song (probably never sang the same way twice) about my little Peachy Pie. About a month ago I was taking Abizella out of the car about dinnertime and she was saying, "Pizza Pie, Pizza Pie" in a sweet little voice. I asked her if she wanted pizza for dinner and she looked at me very puzzled. Then she started to talk about Pizza Pie all the time. It wasn't until she started singing, "Pizza Pie Pizza Pie" that I realized that she was singing about herself, "Peachy Pie Peachy Pie." I mostly hear it when she is playing with her toys or talking to herself. I love it!

We REALLY Are Back!

We had a fabulous time on our trip this week to Maine. We spent the first part of the week at Sugarloaf ski resort and the last part of the week in Bar Harbor. It was so nice to be together as a family and just be lazy. One thing that we learned is that we need to take a family vacation every year. Thank-you Glama and Bampa for sharing your time-share with us! Sugarloaf is absolutely beautiful. It was so nice to be in the nice cool mountains after a scorching week in MA. There was a series of unfortunate events for young Abizella. She took a dive in the hotel bathroom scraping her face on the granite countertop on her way down. And then there was her little tumble out of bed that same night that gave her a nice shiner on the other eye. We spent the rest of the trip gaurding her from further falls and treating her especially nice in public as to not raise suspicion about her being abused.

Some highlights from or trip:
1. Swimming every morning. It turns out the pool at the resort was pretty cool, which I appreciated, but the kiddies (and Pops -see the pic of the Superkid giving him a gentle nudge to get into the pool) DID NOT! But fortunately there were a number of hot tubs that were set at kid-bath-water-temperature. Superkid and Abizella thought the jets were pretty cool and liked that they could stand without the water coming over their heads. Superkid liked to come and sit next to Pops or me and say, "Let's talk." "What should we talk about Superkid?" "Robots". Then we would talk about how all Transformers are robots but not all robots are Transformers. Or how the Decepticons are the bad guys and the Autobots are the good guys (this is all news to me). Superkid recently acquired a "Jazz" Transformer for his good efforts at the potty.



2. Cruising through the mountains in the purple minivan. Since the kids are a little too young, and I am a little too big for a serious hike, this was the next best thing. The bonus was the kids took some much needed car naps! The mountains are more rolly and smooth than the jagged Wasatch and Rockies that I scampered across in my youth. But it was like coming home to be in the mountains again.



3. Lounging around the hotel watching movies and eating junk.



4. Hiking (or sauntering) around the ski runs. This was my favorite part. The wild flowers were fabulous and I really enjoyed picking (don't tell) a few flowers with the kiddies. Abizella is truly a child of nature. I had a fun time imagining mother-daughter hikes in the future. She liked to point out the rocks and tell me what color flowers she saw.





5. Jumping on rocks down by the river. I knew this would be a top rated activity for Superkid. He is a regular Billy goat. It was fun to watch his agile little body scamper across the rocks. Abizella enjoyed this too, although it was frustrating to her to be smaller and not be able to make the distance that Superkid could, but she WOULD NOT be left behind. I could appreciate her frustration and thought back to my childhood and how I HATED to be left behind my big brother, or left out of fun motorcycling trips because I was a girl (I'll save that for another blog).




6. Overhearing Superkid's conversation with some Hell's Angels at the little country store. He must have heard them talking about catching a plane somewhere when he interrupted, "Excuse me. I went on an airplane to Utah. That is where my Grandma and Grandpa live." Then having the Hell's Angels look up at me with the expression, "Is this kid for real? Are you REALLY going to let him talk to a couple of scary guys like us?" Little did they know that I go way back with the Hell's Angels, as about 50 of them lived in 2 small houses around the corner from me growing up.

7. Celebrating Pop's B-day by playing games at a video arcade and enjoying a piece of layered chocolate cake with whipped cream and raspberries for Pops (his fav) and a piece of blueberry pie a-la-mode (my fav). The kids had their spoons in there too.

8. Driving through little towns on the 4th of July as we made our way to Bar Harbor. It really made me feel patriotic to see these small town productions complete with parades, blueberry pancake breakfasts, strawberry shortcake fundraisers, and carnivals. I would have loved to stop at one of these, but Abizella was slumbering in the car, and nothing is more important than a nap.

9. Returning to Bar Harbor. This is where Pops and I took our honeymoon 9 years ago! I will always have a soft place in my heart for this place. It is the home of Acadia National Park and where Pops and I fell in love with New England. I can't believe that we have lived here for 6 years and are only getting back now.



10. Sharing the best bowl of chowdah with Pops, Abizella and Superkid at our favorite honeymoon restaurant. As if this wasn't the best ever moment, a man dressed in full Scottish regalia climbed up onto a rocky bluff over looking the ocean and played his bagpipes in the misty afternoon. I only wished Bampa was there too, the chowdah and bagpipes would have brought him to tears.



12. Shopping in Bar Harbor. After we got into town, Pops gave the kids a much-needed break from the car by letting them jump from bed to bed in the motel room. I wanted to stuff the afternoon full of exploring beaches, the "Fire Hole" and Cadillac Mountain. Which in reality would mean more driving for the kids. Pops was right, the kids needed a break. But I am not one to sit around in a motel room on vacation. So, I took off for a little shopping down the street. It was great fun to actually go into shops with fragile items and only have my big belly to worry about breaking items. Sometimes I would go into rooms marked, "No children allowed" just because I could.

13. Watching Abizella's show while we waited for the fireworks to start. We were seated at the foot of a big hill crowded with firework-goers. There was an expanse of pavement in front of us that Abizella made into her stage. She entertained the crowd with her dancing, jumping, spinning and standing on her head, the whole time fully aware of her adoring audience.



14. Watching the fireworks over the Atlantic Ocean. This was a real treat. It reminded me of the small-town fireworks my family went to in yesteryear (except with the ocean). It was fun to watch people scurry around lighting the fireworks rather than having a guy sit back with his computer pushing a few buttons. The fireworks were not perfectly timed and the crowd burst into applause a few times because there was enough of a pause we thought the show was over. But I had those nostalgic feelings of snuggling in with my parents, brothers and sisters, Aunt Jack and Uncle Zella and watching fireworks back at Central Jr. high. Part of the fun was putting out small fires after the ashes fell on our blanket or wondering who's van would get blown up this year (I think Glama actually tried to position our van to be the lucky strike each year). One time Bampa actually let me hang out with him behind the scenes as he helped light the fireworks. One of my classmates was back there lighting fireworks. I have never liked fire, so I am pretty sure I didn't light any myself. I think the most patriotic I have ever felt was the year "Coming to America" by Neil Diamond was played during the finale. I am always a little disappointed this piece is overlooked at other firework displays.

15. Sitting on our little blanket with our little kiddies during the fireworks. Even though Superkid fell asleep leaning up against me 10 minutes before the fireworks started and Abizella decided the fireworks were, "Scary!" after about the second bang, I enjoyed my family's company immensely. Abizella ran into Pop's arms and played opossum for the rest of the fireworks. I was surprised she never cried. She rolled up her hands and put them over her eyes and once and a while would even peek out to see the fireworks. It was funny to see her metamorphosis from out-going showgirl to meek protected opossum in less than a minute. As I carried Abizella back to the motel she kept saying, "Mommy, firework scary!" Even just now after Pops tucked her into bed she heard some bangs from the neighbors lighting fireworks down the street. She called Pops back into her room to tell him, "Daddy, fireworks scary!"



16. Sleeping in our own beds again after two weeks!

Hair Affairs

We have had a few "hair" crises lately.
Chapter 1: Blonde Beauty
The first came when Superkid had an itchy head a few weeks ago. I had him come over so I could take a look at his head. Upon inspection I found (gasp!) a brown hair!!!! Actually I found a few of them scattered amongst his brilliant blonde locks. I should have played it cool, but apparently I didn't because Superkid raced to the bathroom mirror to inspect the situation himself. He was definitely not happy with the prospect of "itchy brown hairs" entering his head. I tried to ease the blow by discussing all of the people who he loves in his life that have brown hair i.e. Daddy, Abizella, me etc. I ended the discussion by saying, "Won't it be great to have brown hair like us?" Superkid was not fooled, "No! I like my blonde hair!"

Chapter 2: Mystery Solved
The other crisis is with Abizella. About 3 weeks ago I noticed that when I brushed her hair it was coming out in clumps. After all of the fun I have had primping her hair with cute little piggy tails and blows, I have never noticed her hair in a comb before this point. Even worse than the overall thinning of her hair, she has developed two bald spots on both sides of her head. At first I thought I was imagining it, until Pops confirmed my suspicions and asked if I noticed her bald spots. Well this sent me to one of my secret passions, internet diagnostics. I am so happy the internet exists because I get to realize my dream of being a doctor after all. I concluded that the most likely reason she has been loosing her hair was due to the tight little piggy tails I have been putting in her hair. To my defense, Abizella asks for her "Bows! Bows! Bows!" everyday. But the unexplainable phenomenon was that her two bald spots are too far forward on her head to be included in piggy tails. I was just about to conclude that she had some strange disease, when I noticed she often had her hair stuck on her sticky little hands. I thought it was strange because I never saw her pull her hair. Pops caught her in the act. Just sitting around in her car seat plucking hair out. You will be as delighted as I am that this condition actually has a name "trichotillomania".

We're Back!!!

After a week of lotsa-kids and lotsa-heat, the Tidepooltoads are back to the internet (they have it on computers now)!!!! We spent last week with some friend's kids while they were off Alaskan cruising. S.K. spent the week with their cousins, together we watched 13 kids (one was absent for the above picture) S.K. had 7 and I had 6. So now I know, I am not a great blogger with lotsa-kids. The week was busy with its highs and lows. In fact here is a list:

Lows:
HEAT HEAT and MORE HEAT!!! Broken air conditioning. The kids were fine, but this 8-month pregnant oven was beyond boiling!

When the nursery leader pulled me out of RS last week to spread-legged Abizella who said, "Mommy, I pee pee!). I asked if she had a diaper on, she said, "No diaper!” I went to find Pops who was sitting in the hall with a sleepy Superkid. Pops, when questioned, said, "Abizella, I told you to remind me to tell Mom you needed a diaper!" Apparently she went to the potty during sacrament meeting and her diaper did not get replaced. Pops got the pleasure of going back to nursery to retrieve Abizella's sandals and apologize.

No 2:00 nap for the kids or me

Highs:
Going to the house that S.K. was babysitting at everyday for a dip in their pool (which saved my sanity, if not my life!)

Watching Abizella play with E. and J. she LOVED having big sisters!!!!

Going to Cirque de Soile with 2 of the girls, people can do freaky amazing things with their bodies.

I would say that we are happy to be home... but we are not home! My parents hooked us up with some time-share property and we are vacationing in Maine!!! We got off duty this morning at 1:00 a.m. and turned around and hit the road about 12 hours later.

Probably the best part of the trip up to Sugarloaf was when Superkid took over the map and gave Pops directions like, "Dad, when the road goes straight it means go straight." And, when Superkid said, "Up here I see the left side of the road." Pops, "You mean up here on the left?" Superkid, "Ya, I see it on the left." And, "When you see a bridge say, 'bridge' then I will say, 'bridge!'" Pops and I had a fun time yelling, "BRIDGE!" everytime we crossed a creek. Superkid was not amused. He wanted LOOOOOONG bridges.

So check back here for more vacation fun!