Boring Blog

You know your blog is really boring when even your husband only skims them. Mario bought a mini computer with a camera before his trip so that we could Skype everyday. I feel bad for the kids, but with the 8 hour time difference, only I am home when Mario gets back to the hotel. So he and I get to chat for an hour or two in uninterrupted quietness before he goes to bed.

So today I asked Mario if he had read my blog about the boys' birthday yesterday. He hadn't and so he looked it up. He complained that it was too long. So then I started quizzing him on what I wrote. It was obvious he didn't read the whole thing.

So I apologize for writing a long, boring blog. But maybe 40+ years from now when I turn my blog into a book (since it is my journal) maybe he will appreciate my long entries. He complained when Eric and Erin were little that I took too many home videos. Now when he watches them he wishes we had more. So I know he will be thankful in the future.

BTW, I love Skype. It makes being apart so much easier and the best part is that it is free (except for the cost of the mini computer).

6th Birthday

Wow, I can't believe it has only been 6 years since I was lying in that hospital bed. I remember it was the most uncomfortable I have ever been. I wasn't allowed to move because the doctors had put a heart monitor on Zach.

Today started with the smoke detector beeping because of a low battery. So I was up at 4 in the morning researching how to take the thing apart to get the battery out. I figured I may as well stay up and do my exercise and then make the boys some biscuits for their birthday breakfast. While on my treadmill at 5:30, Erin came in the room and asked if she could make the breakfast to surprise the boys. Wow, it must be great to have a big sister like Erin! Plus it is great for me to have a daughter like Erin.

The boys got an early morning call from Norway (dad) to wish them a Happy Birthday. After breakfast, I thought the boys would beg to go to the store to spend their birthday money, but they didn't even ask and I didn't suggest it. We made fruit kabobs for them to bring to their class at school. The school doesn't allow junk food. I am not a fan of junk food, but I did think it would be easier and cheaper if I could just make cupcakes or brownies.

Zach had a hard morning. He thought that because it was his birthday, he was entitled to be a brat. When I threatened to send him to bed early, he told me that I couldn't send him to bed early because it is his birthday. Of course I didn't buy into his logic.

After school, we ordered pizza (which is a huge treat at our house) and watched the movie "Up." Instead of cake, the boys picked out ice cream treats at the store that I normally always say no to when they ask if we can buy them. The movie and pizza went well except I think the twins decided they like my pizza better than Papa Johns.

Zach found out that I was serious when I told him that I would send him to bed early. He started screaming and fighting with his siblings and I had to put him to bed. All the way up he insisted he shouldn't have to go to bed early because it was his birthday.

I went downstairs and read scriptures with the other 3 kids and then we began our annual tradition of counting down to Christmas. We wrap up 24 Christmas books and we open one each night leading up to Christmas. I felt bad that Zach missed out so I read scriptures with him in bed, but I wouldn't read him the Christmas story. Hopefully he will learn his lesson (or just go through life thinking I am the meanest mom ever.) Somehow he always seems to have forgiven me by the next morning (and I have forgiven him too...I am convinced this is why we go to bed at night...so we can like our children again.)

Time for Heat?

Erin has been begging for me to turn on the heat. She even offers me $5 to turn it on. I have resisted so far because we all have heater blankets to use while sleeping. But I became very tempted to turn it on when I looked at the temperature in my bedroom before jumping in the shower...61 degrees. I thought we were moving somewhere warm....burrrr! Fortunately the rest of the house is a little warmer than my room. The downstairs and kids' rooms are at 67 degrees. But it warms up during the day. I talked to Mario briefly this morning and he told me not to complain because it is freezing in Norway. But when I looked up the temperature, we only had 1 degree difference. I reminded him that he has a hotel with heat too.

Maybe I should stop being so darn cheap and turn on the heat. My house is one of the homes in the progressive dinner tomorrow night so maybe I will have to be a nice host and turn it on then.

Cry Baby

Today I was doing really well until Sunday School when the teacher asked if we would like to share a conference talk that has personally touched us. I recalled the night when Mario told me about his deployment. I had trouble sleeping that night. During that short time I did sleep, I had a dream that I needed to read Ann Dibbs' (President Monson's daughter) talk titled "Hold On." I knew in my sleep that her talk would bring me comfort. It also brought me even greater peace because that showed me that Heavenly Father was well aware of me and that he loved me and would help me through this.

I shared this with the class and before I knew it I was crying like a big baby. I finally regained my composure and went to Relief Society where the first person I saw said, "Hi, I heard your husband was leaving for awhile." I don't think this would normally make me cry, but because I had just been crying in Sunday School, it started my tears again.

I again regained my composure and was fine until my phone rang after church. It was a brother from the ward that I had never met before. He was calling to say to please call him if I needed anything at all. He has deployed twice and his wife received a lot of help while he was gone. Now he was looking for an opportunity to pay that back. I hung up the phone and thanked Heavenly Father for looking out for our family.

Zachary's shower

Zachary has been playing games on his new camera all day. Finally this evening I told him that he needed a shower. He refused and I told him that he couldn't play with his camera until he was done with his shower. He quickly ran upstairs and within a minute or two he was back downstairs with slightly wet hair. I asked him if he had taken a shower and although he wanted to lie, he told me no. I asked him if he just wet his hair and he admitted to wetting his hair but he was proud to say he wet his feet too.

I was glad he told the truth, but disappointed that he was trying to pull a fast one on me. I am going to have to keep my eye on that boy.

6th Birthday

Horse pinata(they chose a horse because Erin loves them so much)

Picture taken with Zach's camera

Another picture with Zach's camera

Zach's new camera

Nathan and Zachary were waiting for us to return from our shopping trip so they could open their birthday presents. For some reason we always let the kids open their gifts first thing in the morning. I got Zachary a new camera (to replace that piece of junk from the other day.) This one was a lot more money and it doesn't take good quality pictures, but at least it works (and plays cool games too.) I gave Nathan the remote control helicopter that I picked up for half price at Toys R Us. He was thrilled. Normally I get the twins identical gifts. It makes it much easier that way. But now they are starting to develop different likes/dislikes. Erin got Nathan a lego set and Zachary a Bakugan.

We spent the late morning playing and eating at Chuck E. Cheese. Then home to break the pinata and eat Mario's yummy ice cream cake.

It has been a good day, but we will all be sad to say goodbye to Mario tomorrow when he has to fly out to Norway for 2 weeks. Mario was told today that he will be the General's Aid in Afghanistan. He wasn't thrilled with the news, but he said I should be. Now he will have the General's security also. I was hoping he wouldn't ever have to leave the NATO compound. But at least he will be traveling by helicopter instead of jeeps. Mario will be extremely busy, but it is better he does this job when the family isn't with him and he can work 18 hour days if he has to. This job may change (as with everything else in the Air Force.) So we won't really know until he gets there. But that's what he has been assigned to do.

OK, I Lied

I said I was sleeping in for Black Friday and I really intended to. But then Eric found a great deal on a Lego set at Toys R Us that he really wanted to get for Nathan (he drew his name in our Christmas exchange.) So Eric and Erin begged me to take them to stand in line so we could be there when they open at midnight. I am not a night person (and neither are they) so I said no. But I am a morning person so I agreed to get up at 4 and take them. I ended up waking at 3 am so I shopped for some Black Friday deals online.

First stop, Old Navy. We stood in line for at least 30 minutes to buy 2 pairs of jeans and a t-shirt. I was thinking that this was definitely not worth getting up at 4. Next stop, Target...we left after standing in line for about 2 minutes. The line was wrapped around the entire store and it wasn't worth standing there for a $17 scooter. Then we decided to go to Toys R Us even though we knew the Lego set would be long gone. Since we got there 6 hours after it opened, the crowds were gone. We immediately checked the Lego aisle and walked away disappointed. But then I went to check scooter prices and while over in the bike/scooter aisle, Eric spotted the Lego set on a shelf by the scooters. Someone must have tried to hide it to come back for it later. Eric was so excited. The only problem being that Eric was buying the set for Nathan but he really wanted it for himself. I figured he will get to help Nathan put it together (it's over 1,000 pieces.) But who knows, Nathan is getting really good at Legos. We found the scooter for $20 and I happily paid the extra $3 and didn't have to stand in line at Target. We also found a remote control helicopter for half price.

Next stop, Walmart. We looked around and enjoyed watching the crowd pick up nice, big televisions. I was a little sad to see so many people picking up big ticket items knowing that most of them were probably going into debt to buy them (I am really big on sticking to a budget lately and paying cash for everything...thanks Dave Ramsey!) The crowds was much worse than Target and so we left. We finished off our trip at Michaels and Sports Authority.

I was so happy that we found what we wanted at Toys R Us. I was glad that I didn't regret my decision to get up early today. But now I probably have 2 big kids that are going to want to go out every Black Friday.