Our Life from our Children's Perspectives

(BTW: NO, they do NOT still drink bottles - or sippys - this is them pretending to be babies!)

A few quotes from the past few days:

As we drove by the hospital the other day, Grins said "Wook! Deuw's da hospital - dat's wheuw Daddy wivs!" (There's the hospital - that's where Daddy lives). Not really, sweetheart, it just seems that way. :)

And then there are Angel's constant questions:

"Why do Daddys have to go to work and school and Mommys and kids get to play and go do lots of fun things?"

"My dolly got hurt. I need to get her a CT scan."

"Can I go to the Doctor and get an Xray? I really want an Xray."
Me: "An xray of what?"
Angel: "All my bones."
Me: "Why do you want an xray?"
Angel: "I want to make sure all my bones are growing great."
Me: "Well, normally we only get xrays when we get hurt, to see if any bones are broken. I am sure that since you haven't been hurt and you are eating so well and growing so much that your bones are just fine."
Angel: "Well, I really want an xray. I really want to see my bones growing. Maybe I'll fall down today."

Angel: "Why do only Daddys run, and not Mommys?"
Me: "Mommys can run too, if they want to."
Angel: "Why does our Daddy run but our Mommy doesn't?"
Me: (Not wanting to fess up to my inherent laziness - especially in the department of physical activity) "Right now Mommy can't run very fast because she has a baby in her tummy."
Angel: "Why can't Mommys run with babies in their tummies?"
Me: "Some Mommys can - if it doesn't hurt the Mommy or the baby, the Mommy can run really fast with the baby in her tummy. It just hurts Mommy's tummy and her back right now, that's why she doesn't do it..." (I didn't get into the issues of preterm labor, bladder control or laziness...)
Angel: "Well, can we find a Mommy with a baby in her tummy and go to her house and see her run really fast? I would really like to see that."

Buchanan Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Yad Vashem research - Old photographs

Buchanan Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Roots - Family search

So Long, Dear Nutmeg

I almost feel like I've lost a family member...ok, that might be stretching it, but if so, it's not by much. I don't know how I became so sentimental but I seriously have such a difficult time letting go of certain things. The Mr. and I bought this car (which we affectionatly call "Nutmeg") just before celebrating our first year anniversary over 6 years ago! About a week after our purchase, Nutmeg took us from the West Coast to the East Coast and back again, with several stops along the way. She was with us while we served in the cast at the Hill Cumorah pageant. She was with us as we toured medical and PA schools. She has safely transported us to 18 different states and even another country! She has taken us to job and graduate school interviews, weddings, funerals and, most importantly, took us (VERY quickly) as a couple to the hospital, then brought us home (MUCH more cautiously) as brand new parents of a brand new family. She has been dependable and trustworthy, never causing us worry or trouble.

And now, suddenly, my dear husband has said it is time to move on. My expanding belly (and our expanding family) have led him to feel we need a bigger ride. How simply he casts aside our dear, sweet baby of 6 years for a 'bigger, better' model. Sigh. I suppose he is right, and yet, I cannot help but shed a tear at the loss of my dear traveling companion, my 1997 Mazda Protege, fender bender and all. And so, sweet little Nutmeg, I bid you Adieu.

Cuties

This picture was obviously taken a couple of months ago (July) but I just found it and since our camera is MIA I haven't posted a pic for awhile, so I figured this would do the trick. :) Aside from being adorable, these two are just the center of my world. I don't know what I did to deserve such great children. They are just too perfect. And now one of them is pulling at my shirt (I guess 'quiet time' is over for today...) and I've vowed not to use the computer while my kids are awake, so I'll have to finish this post later....

I Love My Family!

Friday the Mr. came home and announced that, since he is in between rotations, he got the entire weekend off! This hasn't happened in AGES (he has generally been "working" at his rotations 6-7 days a week, 16-18 hours a day and sometimes more) and is not likely to happen any time in the near future, so we took advantage, loaded up the car and kids, and headed for the mountains. We found ourselves a beautiful little secluded campsite on a stream, fairly close to a lake, and enjoyed nature and one another's company for a few days. It was WONDERFUL! Aside from my obvious lack of excitement about air mattresses and no running water, it was heaven! The kids were so excited to be outside and able to play in the water nearly 24 hours a day that they got along famously. I loved being able to prepare meals in less than 5-10 minutes with virtually no cleanup afterward. The Mr. loved being able to read a non-medical work and rely on his manly braun rather than his brains. And, best of all, we relished the time together as a family.

Since we had about 30 minutes to throw everything together and get on the road, I happened to forget socks for the kids and I, and the Mr. couldn't find his. The first night we all had FREEZING feet and none of us slept very well at all. The next morning we actually thought about driving into town and buying socks, we felt so desperate, but during the course of the day, the Mr. found the socks he had packed - 4 pairs to be exact - so that evening we each got a pair (in the kid's case, they were more like thigh-high long johns). Despite the thunderstorm and beating rain, we all miraculously slept very well that night. Who knew a little think like socks could change lives?!

I wish I had pictures to post, but unfortunately our camera is 'hiding' somewhere - we're hoping it will show itself soon! In the meantime, a couple of cute quotes from our little quick-wits:

Grins - Picked a dandelion and said "Daddy-lion!" Then walked to another, picked it and said "Mommy-lion". We all got a good laugh. The funniest thing was that he was dead serious.

Angel - Asked "Mommy, why does (name withheld) get frustrated more than you?"

Grins - Went inside the house and, after a minute, realized he had forgotten to remove his shoes (customary to do so in our home) - he clapped his hand to his head, as if exasperated, and said "Take shoes off, siwwy biwwy!" (his "L"s still sound a bit like "W"s)

Angel - "I met my husband (Grins) in Peru. We were loving it."

Angel - "Why does red mean stop?"

Angel - When we visited the Visitor's Center at Temple Square, we went to see the Christus. The Mr. went to ask the missionary if she could play the audio dialogue of Jesus speaking. Since the Christus is surrounded by stars, Angel asked the Mr. "Oh, did you ask them to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?" loud enough for everyone to hear.