'Sup Peeps!

Wow... sorry to make you wait a whole month for another post. People were starting to get on me about it--you know who you are--but now I have lots to write about!

First off, Josh tapped a gas line. Not in the way you would think (for those of you who know Josh) but an actual gas line to our house. He had help and motivation from his friend John Kendrick. John lives down the street and is always outside in his garage making something. (His latest: a canoe. Seriously.) They dug a trench, accidentally cut the internet cable (which Josh totally fixed, upping his sexy geek image in my eyes), and even welded copper pipe. I'm sure Josh will blog about it, but just so you know, it's good to have a John... he wants to tackle changing the joints on Josh's truck next. It's like over $1000 to get it done at our local automotive place, but John thinks all you need is a manual, tools, and some parts for a few hundred bucks. Go for it, John!

Now we have a natural gas grill in our backyard. We bought it for way cheap, already assembled from Lowe's without knowing that it was a natural gas grill. It was funny when we brought it home, dropped our jaws when we realized this, did some reasearch and discovered that our really great deal was going to cost another $800 in order to get used. I'm really glad that it never came to that since we have a John... and now we are able to grill dinner at least once a week. Woo hoo! I like carcinogens.

Next on my list of things to tell you, the boys finally got haircuts. I took them to Walmart after Sarah insisted that there was a salon there. Sometimes our brains can be so selective in what they remember, and I just couldn't picture it. So we went... and there it was, at the front entrance like always and the boys were stoked. It's not Snip-Its, but it will work. Zack is particularly vain about his hair and he really liked the short back and sides when he was done. Seth liked it, too, and kept getting called baby. The funny thing about getting their hair done there was listening to the hairstylists--all black ladies--tell their stories. I felt like we were in an Eddie Murphy movie. When we first got there they were yelling back and forth to each other, "What's the baby's name?" "Seth!" "What's the baby's name?" "SETH!" I had written my name with a two on the waiting list and they were trying to write in the boys' actual names. And when they started to cut hair, one lady would stop cutting to put her two cents into the conversation. Man, it took us a while to get out of there!

So the boys looked good on my birthday week. I got new nursing bras on my birthday. I went to the mall because JC Penney's has the best selection and I was happy to see that there was a bra sale going on. All of my kids (except sleeping Zoe in her stroller) were beside themselves when they found that I had dragged them to the lingerie department. The groans were felt before they erupted from their mouths, but I had a helpful girl that helped me get what I wanted and checked out in record timing. We were out of there quickly and headed for Bath and Body Works for some anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, and there was a sale there, too! Lucky me! I was born on St. Patrick's Day, afterall. I got Coconut Lime Verbena and Tropical Passionfruit--both are green! Josh met up with us and we hit Target before making it home for him to make dinner for me... what else? Corned beef and cabbage. It was a nice way to end my actual birthday, but my birthday week didn't stop there. I also got surprised with a rootbeer/cream soda float dessert night, time shopping for clothes by myself (and sleeping Zoe in her stroller), and a virus on my computer.

The virus on my computer was a blessing in disguise. Josh helped me kill it by reformatting my c drive. Then he painstakingly reinstalled all the programs that I need for work. It's so nice to have a geek husband. I highly recommend them.

Speaking of marriage... Josh gave a great talk last Sunday. He quoted his mom, he got choked up several times, and he talked about when he first resonated with me. All good stuff. I love my husband.

Last Sunday we also said goodbye to Nana 'Nita and Auntie Chole (pronounced cole-ee, short for Nichole). Nana 'Nita was able to come from Wednesday to Sunday. She brought her famous empanadas for Josh, made Chamorro Corn Soup (made with chicken and coconut milk and, of course, corn), Beef Cudo (included swiss chard that Sarah brought home from the fifth grade garden at school), and was constantly doing the dishes. She even swept and mopped the bathroom floors and cleaned the toilets. I kept telling her to stop, but she was determined to help me since she says that I do too much. I even got a massage sitting at my computer trying to finish my work. This all in addition to taking care of baby. Zoe is the main reason she came in the first place. She did spend time getting to know the bigger kids, too. We love Nana 'Nita!

My single, jet-setter sister, Nichole, didn't come until late Friday night from New York City. We took the kids to pick her up from the airport and take her to the car rental place. Then we had a short panic drive through the woods around Bush Airport before finally making it to her hotel. She insisted on staying in a hotel and getting a car since it came in a package. Nana 'Nita stayed with her. And while we normally would have loved to go in to jump on the beds in their room, the kids were all crashed out.

We met up the next day for a reconnaissance* trip to the Galleria (an underground mall near downtown Houston complete with ice skating rink). There are lots of upscale shops at the Galleria and walking into Neiman-Marcus from the parking lot was like going through an incredible shrinking machine. I felt really intimidated by my surroundings at first, and then I remembered who I was and that the place was a living example of Lehi's dream of the great and spacious building with no foundation. Then it became comical... walking through the make-up and fragrance department to get out and into the mall... there were more employees than customers dressed up in striking suits and flawless make-up... I even saw a GUY with about a pound of make up on. He wore a black suit with a black shirt and black tie. It all worked in that setting, but taken out of context to say, the real world, it was just funny.

*Before I ramble on and forget to tell you why we were there... let me explain my sister's job. She works for J. Crew's art department as an assistant to a fashion designer. Everything in the store now she has seen a year before it came out. Her boss, an ex-model, circles stuff out of high fashion magazines and tells Nichole to go buy them. Thousands of dollars later and having visited all the top fashion stores in New York City, my sis completes the mission. This is my wide-eyed view of what she does, and if I'm wrong, please correct me in a comment! Lately, however, she has been entrusted with choosing the music for the J. Crew stores. This is HUGE. So we were there to listen to what stores were playing what and visit the J. Crew store at the Galleria. Josh bought a J. Crew bracelet for Sarah while we were there. Zoe decided she wasn't interested in sleeping in the stroller and wanted to nurse (and she usually gets what she wants). Seth heely-ed all over the place and Zack did back rolls over a cushioned bench.

And then we were done. It went so fast... we hardly ever go to the Galleria unless we have out-of-town visitors, and there really isn't much point in hanging out there when the thought of spending $8000 on a hand bag makes you want to cough up a lung. So we did the one thing Nichole wanted to do while in Texas... we went out for Texas BBQ. Completely satiated, we went home with leftovers and spent the rest of the day playing Wii. We discovered that Nana 'Nita really likes to bowl, Auntie Chole digs Guitar Hero, and that we are not the only ones that think the racing cow game on Wii Play is hilarious. We also nailed Nana 'Nita's Mii. It looks just like her.

We were sad to see them go, but it was a really great visit. Thanks for coming Nana 'Nita and Auntie Chole! We'll have to see if we can make it to California to see Tata and Uncle Rob's new baby, Devon. I like to call him Little Devo... like the band.

That leaves this last week for me to catch you up on... let's see... my allergies have really brought me down. I am coughing so much that I was unable to go on Seth's field trip on Friday. It would have been nice to go with him to the Children's Museum of Houston, but I prefer to hack away in private. When I'm up on my meds it's not so bad except for the occasional episode, and it only takes one of those in public to make you wish you had stayed home. So I did. Seth was mostly bummed that Zoe wouldn't be there. He got over it, though.

Yesterday we watched General Conference. It's the first one since President Hinckley died, so we tried to instill in the children the excitement of having a whole new prophet and presidency of the Church. Thomas S. Monson is the new president of the Church and prophet. His counselors are favorites with me already. I saw Henry B. Eyering at a stake meeting in CA back when we lived there. He is an especially tender hearted man when he speaks and very powerful with words. Dieter F. Uchtdorf is new to the Quorum of the Twelve, but memorable and very charismatic. How I am able to love these three men can only be explained by the way the Spirit touches my heart when I hear them speak. I will probably blog more on my impressions of Conference later after hearing the rest of the sessions today.

Before I close, I have to make mention of Subway. We've recently moved from Whataburger to Subway in our Saturday outings/slam tournaments. Right now any footlong sub is $5. We were there for a couple of hours last night drinking unlimited soda and playing slam. Sarah ended Daddy's winning streak--go Sarah, go Sarah, it's your birthday!

And Zoe slept in her stroller.

Strawberry Shortcake

Here's Zoe in the strawberry outfit that Auntie Kristen sent. I LOVE it! You know me and strawberries. It's hard to find cute strawberry stuff. I didn't think this outfit would be as cute as it is on her... comes with butt ruffle and strawberries all over. Why do I like it so much? It must be her personality. Nah, that can't be it!

For the last couple of days all I've done is hold her. She won't let me put her down for more than an hour, but usually only a half hour. The night before last I brought her to bed with me because I was so tired. She slept like a champ, and then I couldn't put her in her own bed last night either. I've started the trend that all my babies ended up taking. You know, the trend when you start wondering why in the world you spent money on a baby bed when they don't sleep in it?

This morning I was really desperate for a shower, so I popped her in front of the TV. Yes! I'm corrupting my child at 7.5 weeks old! The evil mommy habits are starting already. She was vibrating away watching Elmo's World so I left her there and got cleaned up. When I came back she was asleep. Woo hoo!! That lasted about 10 minutes.

So I picked her up and she had a poop that was a 6.3 on the richter scale. I had to change her clothes and everything. Then I held her some more, but I needed to type an email response so I put her on my bed for a minute. She voiced her disapproval of that arrangement, but when I was about to get up and get her again, I turned around and saw that she was asleep. This is how I'm able to blog... we'll see how long this lasts.

Woops, not long... there she goes again. By the way, the pumpkin hat is something Seth has been dying to put on her and I finally gave in.

Knight Rider

OK, so I've been mentally gathering material for blogs and now it's all coming out since I've finished my last calendar for the month... doesn't mean I don't have other things to do, it's just that none of it is due today. Oh, and baby happens to be asleep. I don't think I've ever posted more than two times in one day. Just consider your coupon tripled.

Josh and I watched the pilot for the new Knight Rider series last week sometime. I used to watch this every week back when David Hasselhoff was hot. Only we didn't say he was hot. We probably said he was "bitchen" or something totally 80's. I was 12 when it came out and could recognize the predictability of it... I was mature enough to know that a talking car that always wins would get old someday. My brother, Robert, was 8 (my Zack's age) and he loved Knight Rider more than air. I bet him $5 that by the time he was 16 he wouldn't love Knight Rider anymore, but he ruffled with indignation at the thought that such a thing could ever occur and declared "I will always love Knight Rider!" Of course, he turned 16, lost interest in KITT and Michael Knight, conveniently forgot the bet and I never got my $5.

So naturally, when I heard the theme music start on the new and improved Knight Rider, I thought of my brother. I liked that they didn't change the theme music, but only updated it a little. I also like that it's a continuation of the original show with lots of references to "25 years ago". And it really was 25 years ago when this show first aired... and I never thought I would reach a point where 25 years would fit in my life span. I can actually say, "I was there 25 years ago!" It doesn't make me feel old, it makes me feel accomplished! I've reached a milestone.

The new driver, Justin Bruening, is kinda hot... I could watch this show to see him in action--even though the predictability is still there. I really like the voice of KITT. And I like the new mustang diggs they've made KITT into. Mustangs rule Trans Ams any day. I thought the love interest was kind of eyeliddy... you know what I mean? She's like Clay Aiken with the slow blinking in her acting. It's kind of irritating.

Are there any Knight Rider fans out there? Anybody see the new Knight Rider and want to comment?

Zoe in Action

Here's footage of Zoe (at 6 weeks - meant to do this last Saturday) hanging out with Medo (Croatian for "bear" and named by Auntie Maria who is from Zagreb). She sneezes, she kicks, she punches, she makes baby sounds, she fusses. I tried to get her to do the sky diving pose she does when she's on her tummy, but it didn't get off the ground.

Blessing Baby

We are blessing baby Zoe on Sunday, March 2. (At 2:30pm, come if you can!)

Monday was Family Home Evening and I gave a lesson about the importance of names. We read the accounts of how John the Baptist and Jesus received their names (Luke 1:5-14, 26-33). Names are important to Heavenly Father. I asked who should bless the baby and why is it like Jesus blessing the children in Mark 10:16. Zack said that Daddy was going to bless Zoe. Sarah said it was because he has the Melchizedek Priesthood. So I pointed out that this was the same authority that Jesus used when he blessed the children. Priesthood holders still need to keep their lives clean and pure to be able to use this authority... they have to be worthy, and I said how grateful I was that their Daddy blessed each one of them. I told how I cried at each of their blessings because it was such a sacred and important event. I told them to pay attention to the feelings they have when Zoe is blessed next week.

We talked about their names and how they received them and why, and then we let them look at some baby pictures of themselves. They really liked seeing themselves as the baby--totally different perspective with Zoe in our lives now. Seth especially was carrying the pictures around with him until it was time to eat dinner. Zack's pictures were of him just weeks old on the day he was blessed. He was blessed the youngest since we had so much family and friends in town, we decided to do it while everyone was there. What a great day that was.

Then, I let them help decide what Zoe should wear. I showed them Sarah's blessing dress that Grandma Niki bought 11 years ago which looks like a traditional Catholic christening dress, a cute pink dress with tiny black polka dots that the Bowens gave us because it was so cute Brooke couldn't resist it, and later (after I dug it out of a box in the attic) I showed them a white cotton dress of Sarah's that I bought for her blessing day.

Even though babies don't have to wear white for their blessing day, a lot of people still do it. There's like a cultural pressure to do it. The rebel in me wants to put Zoe in the pink dress, and as cute as it is, Josh thinks the dots might make the dress irreverent/too casual for this big event. I could go the sentimental route and use the same dress Sarah was blessed in, but it's a big fancy white dress and not rebellious at all. Then there's the simple white cotton dress with emboidered flowers. It's kind of a mix because there are colored flowers and a pink scalloped edge on the collar, but it's still white to appease the cultural demand. It happens to be everybody's favorite, but this is not a democracy... Josh says I get final say no matter what everybody wants... so what do you think I should do? Let's hear your words of advice and opinions on the matter.

Girls' Night Out -- Oh Yeah!

All my California friends went out to see 27 Dresses for a girls' night out weeks ago. I was so bummed that I couldn't go with them, but I kept my "Debbie Downer" negative comments to myself. I think I even wished them a happy day. I didn't want to ruin the perfect happiness of my girlfriends by throwing out a guilt trip for my being in Texas. It's not like their lives have to be morose or stop completely just because I'm not there. And now I can happily report that I've seen 27 Dresses with a couple of girlfriends! No one need pity me! (Read: I no longer feel sorry for myself!)

Susie's sister Nancy came from Utah for a visit, and last night we went to see the movie--just us girls (and my Zoe). It was fun to meet Nancy in person--she's way cool, but I already knew that from reading her blog. Anyone who can have six kids (which include an adorable Downs Syndrome boy and a set of twins) and still have their sanity intact is way up there on my list of cool people to know.

We all enjoyed the movie... it was the perfect chick flick. No matter what the critics say about the lack of originality in the script, it was way fun to watch. Girls just wanna have fun! We're not thinking about how smart the script is. I loved the bar scene (when Jane goes "outside" to unleash obscenities in one big breath), the yoga scene (where sidekick homegirl gets to show her true colors and make us laugh), and when homeboy admits that he cried at a wedding. Benny and the Jets was hilarious, too--talk about the perfect song to muck up the lyrics to. Who even knows what the heck Elton John is singing about in that song anyway? Be honest... if you know without googling it, do tell.

Zoe slept through the whole movie. She's a big one-month-old and I was a little worried about how she would do, but she slept in my arms through the loud movie, bouncing up and down when I laughed, and merely fluttering her eyelids during the baby crying sounds in the commercial where they politely tell you to keep quiet during the movie. I was very happy that I didn't have to bust it out during the movie. She waited until we got home before making me pay the full price of going out (read on).

After the movie, we went out for appetizers and dessert. I got fried mushrooms, fried cheese, and fried twinkies. I think I'm good on the fried food for a while. Susie and Nancy got "Death by Chocolate" which reminded me of the Mud Pie from a Kaneohe, Hawaii restaurant... (the Chart House? I can't remember the name.) The Mud Pie had an Oreo cookie crust, a layer of Kona Coffee Ice Cream, a layer of Chocolate Mac Nut Ice Cream, then a thick layer of hot fudge over the top. The slice ended up being five inches tall... it was glorious. Well, I think Nancy was trying to hit all her old haunts and the dessert wasn't like she remembered it. It had an Oreo cookie crust, one giant layer of Rocky Road Ice Cream, and a thick layer of Magic Shell chocolate over the top. Susie agreed that they had changed something and it wasn't as good.

Before we left, I took Zoe to the bathroom for a diaper change and she got to use the Koala changing table thingy for the first time. She looked like she was digging it. It was fun being "out on the town". I even carried her in her car seat. Technically, I'm supposed to wait one more week, but I didn't feel any pain at the time. Today, however, is a different story. I'm so sore! Zoe's amazing adventures last night didn't help, either.

We got home around 10:20pm. Guess what time Zoe went to sleep? 3:40 in the frickin morning! She was so exhausted that she slept for 8 hours... hallelujah, right? Wrong. Sleeping 8 hours is great when it's like from midnight to 8am. That would have me singing with the choirs of angels, but getting up at noon is not something to get excited about. Plus, my boobs were like rocks. I had to wake her up to save me... and it hurt when she finally did wake up and get latched on. I had to purposefully tell myself to relax my arms when I was feeding her... my arms were clenched so tight. Normally, these days, nursing doesn't hurt much at all. We just have to stay on a regular schedule and I will make it through OK.

So I hit the Tylenol today to cope. Zoe is sleeping soundly at the moment. She slept earlier so that I could clean the fridge, and now I have to go finish the job. There's nothing like splashed soda all over the inside of your fridge to motivate you to clean out the entire thing with soapy warm water.

Man! It's dinner time and I haven't had lunch yet.

Daddies Make the Best Beds

I'm not talking about a male person with progeny putting sheets and blankets on a bed in a pleasing manner. I'm talking about the progeny sleeping peacefully for hours on said male person in a blissfully comatose state. The picture says it all...

Zoe is doing very well and having lots of firsts this weekend.

Friday night she had her first viewing of Avatar The Last Air Bender... well, we watched and she did what babies do... eat, burp, poop, sleep, repeat... but we noted her presence and congratulated her on being in our family for Avatar night. We are in the final book of the series, so she is coming in late, but we'll happily watch it again with her from the pilot... we love this show!

On Saturday, she experienced her first trip to our neighborhood Whataburger (Texas fast food chain that started in Corpus Christi)... she slept in her carseat while we mourned the loss of our regular table which is now too small because we have added a Zoe to our family. So we ate our burgers and fries at a new table on the other side of the restaurant. Nobody remembered to bring the cards, so we learned a new game from Sarah and Zack (the two have wildly different versions of the same game) called Chopsticks. You use just your fingers, so you can always have this game "handy" wherever you go. It has been our family tradition for the last year or so to go to Whataburger to play cards, eat and drink copious amounts of free refill soda... Josh started it. We have begun to see the fruits of our labor because there was a lady eating by herself who struck up a conversation with us. She first asked how old the baby was, then if all the children were mine, and then she said that our children were so well behaved. Way cool... and very successful night out. Of course, right after she left is when the beatings began.

And today, Zoe went to church for the first time. It was my first time in five weeks, but a whole new ball of stimulation for Zoe. She ate before we left, but stayed awake when we got there. She noticed the ceilings, made grunting noises during the opening prayer, cried during the sacrament talks, and was quiet when I took her to the foyer. It makes me think she's 4 weeks going on 13 years of age. I voluntarily held her for most of the time and ultimately had to feed her again, but she still did not sleep. Josh wanted to keep her with him while I went to Primary, and I thought he was very brave because Zoe was fussing a little and still wide awake. I later found them parked in the foyer... Daddy being his best tempurpedic self.