the grovers - patently awesome

Wardrobe malfunction

2012-02-10T13:58:00.004-07:00

I'm told all the time that before I know it, my kids will be all grown up. I don't think anyone had this in mind, though:

What's that new addition to your outfit, Miri?

Not one, but two bras! Back in my day, we didn't start wearing those until we were at least two years old ...

Project: Mack's birthday

2012-02-02T15:32:00.003-07:00

The girls have been invited to Cousin Mack's Harry Potter birthday. I tried in vain to find some Harry Potter Lego sets; apparently the stores decided to get rid of all of them after Christmas. (Since when did Harry Potter go out of style?) So along with the toy purchase we settled on, we made him a custom Harry Potter T-shirt using the same bleaching method as before. The best part: we bought the shirt for $1 on clearance at a secondhand store.

This project involved a bunch of detailed Exacto-knifing, but it actually turned out better than I expected. Now I'm wondering if a 29-year-old mother of three can get away wearing a bigger version.

Behold! Perfect for a 7-year-old HP fan, right?

FHE treats

2012-02-02T15:27:00.003-07:00

How do the members of the Grover family eat their Family Home Evening treats?

Miri likes to eat from the bottom of the cone up.

Ana likes hers au natural.

Bekah likes to eat them quickly so that she's finished by the time the camera comes out.

Seth likes to supervise while looking dashing.

Bekah's testimony

2012-01-16T09:18:00.002-07:00

Yesterday at fast and testimony meeting (Why are we having fast Sunday in the middle of the month? Because the first Sunday was New Year's, and the second Sunday was our stake conference. Anyway ...) Bekah asked if she could bear her testimony.

Seth and I want our children to wait and bear their testimonies during sacrament meeting when they're old enough to do it completely by themselves. At Family Home Evening every week, we allow time for testimonies so that the girls can hear ours and practice articulating theirs.

So when Bekah expressed interest in going to the pulpit, Seth and I quickly conferred and decided that yes, if she wanted to, she could.

Here is what she said:

"I'd like to bear my testimony. I know the church is true. I know that God has a plan for us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

She later said that it was a short testimony, but I reassured her that the length doesn't matter; it's the sincerity. And what a sweet, sincere testimony it was.

Bekahism #45

2012-01-16T09:06:00.002-07:00

This year in Primary, the theme is "Choose the Right." The Primary presidency has told the children that each week, a few will get the chance to share with everyone something they've done to choose the right. Yesterday, Rebekah was called on to share.

Bekah: Yesterday I chose the right by helping my mom make broccoli cheese soup.
Sis. Young: Yum! I love broccoli cheese soup! I think I'll come to your house to eat today. And helping your mom is definitely choosing the right.
Bekah: Yeah, I had to take over for my sister who cut her hand with a knife.

Not funny in and of itself, I know. But you can imagine my embarrassment as Bekah broadcast this information to the entire senior Primary. Who allows their four-year-old to handle knives in the kitchen? Yeah, that would be me. But it was a dull steak knife, and Ana has helped me chop vegetables in the past without sustaining any injuries, and the cut wasn't very deep. No, I didn't make Bekah help me or take over for her sister; she volunteered. And instead of using sharp instruments, Bekah helped by stirring the soup in the pot.

Project: Book of Mormon Quiet Book

2012-01-11T16:23:00.007-07:00

Remember this post? I meant to have the Book of Mormon quiet book finished in time for Christmas. Despite my best efforts, I still had one page to do on Dec. 25, so we didn't get to take the completed book for a test drive until stake conference this past Sunday.

Oh, well. That being said, check out the awesomeness below!

The front cover. You saw that before.

Page 1.

Who's in the ship? Nephi, his wife, Lehi, Sariah, Laman and Lemuel. Yes I realize that wasn't everyone on the ship.

They're finger puppets!

Page 2: Alma the Younger.

When you pull the cord, the page shakes. We sacrificed one of those buzzy baby toys to get the shaker out of it.

Page 3: Ammon. (Get it?! "DisARM"! Bwahaha! Sorry ... we couldn't help ourselves.)

The Lamanites' arms snap off!

And go in the little pouch.

Page 4: Alma and Amulek.

You get to help the prison walls come down.

And untie them.

Page 5: Captain Moroni.

The Title of Liberty goes up.

Page 6: Christ.

The clouds unzip so you can see the heavenly visitor.

I made sure to include marks on his hands and feet.

Page 7: The Jaredites.

The barges twist around. (The extra-observant ones will notice I had a change of hand models. Ana went up to take her bath, so the fresh and clean Rebekah replaced her.)

And they open up to show the glowing stones. This was my last page and took me so long because I couldn't decide if I should try putting battery-operated lights in the barges. I figured it would be too hard to design a way to change the batteries without little fingers being able to tamper with things.

Page 8: Moroni.

You get to bury the sword of Laban, the gold plates and the Liahona (with a working compass).

There they go! Until Joseph is ready to be led to them!

Despite the stray threads and uneven stitching, I must admit that I'm quite proud of the final product. Maybe if I'm feeling extra ambitious someday, I'll make an Old Testament quiet book. Who wouldn't love playing with felt plagues in sacrament meeting?

Project: Scott Christmas presents

2012-01-11T15:56:00.004-07:00

I've been meaning to blog about my recent projects, but I couldn't do some of them until after Christmas ... 'cause that would spoil the surprise. So since it's WAY post-Christmas, I figure I'm safe.

Rather than drawing names for Christmas presents in my family, we rotate. This year, we had the privilege of giving to my eldest brother Ethan, his wife Teressa and their three boys. Feeling inspired by Pinterest, I decided to make their presents this year.

First I asked my mom what the boys have been interested in lately. Then I looked for all sorts of boy crafts associated with that current interest. I didn't find anything that grabbed me, so I used a few shirt-bleaching tutorials and Star Wars-ized them. Here are the results:

A black Darth Vadar T-shirt for Sam, a blue TIE fighter T-shirt for Spencer, a red Boba Fett T-shirt for Mason.

Then I turned to the parents. What could I make for Ethan and Teressa? I considered their upcoming plans. After 14 years of marriage (hope I did that math right), five college degrees, one internship and three years of Army service, Ethan and Teressa are getting ready to finally settle down in one place for the foreseeable future. I thought it would be cool to document all the places they've lived in a cute way. Hence this:

Seven places of residence in five different states.

Where it all started: Rexburg, Idaho.

I found a chintzy gold frame at D.I., painted it cream, whitewashed it and then glazed it. I turned the art that came in the frame (cherubs or something) around and painted the back black, whitewashed that and then went over it with the same cream I used on the frame. We found the map at Barnes and Noble and the scrapbook paper and heart brads at Joanns. We traced a few bowls and plates to get perfect circles, cut them out and marked Ethan's previous, current and future homes with the brads. Voilà! A personalized present! The only trick was packaging the thing so it wouldn't break in transit.

So there you have it: Project 1. Stay tuned for more!

Lodgin'

2012-01-08T15:40:00.004-07:00

THE SITUATION: A year ago, Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks asked if everyone would be able to come to a post-Christmas family reunion at Bear Lake. We eagerly awaited the five-day, four-night adventure in St. Charles that almost everyone (44 out of the possible 51 family members) would be able to attend. Then, the day after Christmas (which I promise I WILL blog about), we packed the van 'til it was busting at the seams with sleeping bags, books, games, pillows, toiletries, food and children and made the drive to southern Idaho.

THE RECAP:

Playing in the snow. We had a day of sledding on the front lawn (and a little frozen swing set playing and tetherball) followed by a day of snowmobiling. The girls got to play with cousins and first cousins once removed in the white stuff to their hearts' delights. However, the snowmobile trip turned out to be perilous, if you asked our girls. "I almost fell down the mountain, I had to run away from a badger cave, and I didn't like the speed!" Bekah lamented. (The mountain part was thanks to Seth, who wasn't actually in danger of falling. The badger cave was completely Seth's fault, as he was the one who jokingly told Bekah that a pile of sticks belonged to a mean badger that she should punch if it chose to attack her. The speed thing was my fault.)

Playing in the lodge. Between the games brought by the lodge's temporary occupants and the games already present at the lodge, we had plenty to keep us busy. We played cards. We played MarioKart. (I'd like to point out that I won every tournament I played against Seth's cousins, by the way. Yes, I only played two tournaments and graciously ducked out once they got more competitive, but hey ... I still beat y'all. BOO YAH!) We played a seriously grisly yet intriguing and hilarious game similar to "Murder in the Dark" after the kids went to bed.

Ana and I broke out a game of Uno Moo one afternoon.

Secrets. The girls played a lot of "spy lab," which, I believe, consisted mostly of playing in a closet, carrying a few glow sticks and tiptoeing around the lodge. On the day when the wind threatened to blow away anyone who dared to venture outside, the girls and their cousins discovered a closet under the stairs full of sleeping pads. They were in secret fort heaven.

Bekah and Ana in their spy lab one last time before driving home on Friday.

Tournaments. The lodge came equipped with a ping pong table, a pool table and a foosball table. Grandma Hendricks and Aunt Anne arranged to have tournaments of all three. Names were drawn and written on a giant bracket that was taped to the wall. And the playing commenced. I lost on my first rounds of pool and ping pong. Seth fared no better. But Bekah represented our family well by winning the emotion-filled foosball championship. (The foosball, by the way, was meant for the youngest kids.)

Andrea playing (and losing) her ping pong match against Uncle Greg. Did I mention that Greg has his own ping pong table and has played more games more recently than I? Oh, and the fact that I'm just a horrible ping pong player.

Cameron and Jon hug after the ping pong championship. Jon bested Cam, but it was a very close match.

Uncle Jim plays Aaron for the pool championship. They played the best out of three; Jim won 2-0.

Bekah and Mack face off for the foosball tournament. Wesley, Ana, Aunt Anne (not pictured) and I refereed the championship game.

Festivities. Aunt Carol brought a pinata, and Grandma and Grandpa made sure it was full of enough sugar to send the kids to the moon. All the wee ones enjoyed beating it soundly. And every night after we tucked our kids in, we got to watch an installment of a family history video made by Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks and Aunt Cathy. We learned so much as we saw pictures of the young Hendricks family and heard Grandma's journal entries. On the final night, Grandma handed out prizes for the tournaments. All the participants received Cracker Jacks. The finalists got candy bars. The champions got a surprise gift.

Parker emptying the pinata's contents while the kids go crazy.

Bekah with her grand prize for the foosball tournament. I mentioned that the doll looks like a fisherman. Ana's sure he's a farmer.

Mishaps. Apparently Cooper has a vendetta against his younger cousin. Unfortunately, it's a physical vendetta, and unfortunately, his younger cousin is Miriam. We all tried to keep an eye on the two of them (who get along swimmingly when Cooper isn't laying the beat-down on Miri), but Miri still came away with a shiner.

Please ignore the lack of hygiene (snotty nose and Cracker Jack mouth, in case you were curious) and focus on the eye. That's right ... we appreciate your sympathy.

To see more pictures of the trip, click here.

Ana-ism #17

2012-01-05T18:08:00.003-07:00

After more than 25 minutes, Ana still hadn't eaten the allotted amount of food from dinner to be finished. Seth was starting to lose his patience.

Seth: Okay, Ana. I'm going to set the timer for five minutes. If you haven't finished eating your food by the time the bell rings, I'm going to pick you up. I'm going to put you in the bath. I'm going to put you straight in bed ...
Ana: (After furiously spooning in her mouth) Done!

FAME makes me famous

2012-01-04T16:23:00.003-07:00

I should be blogging about Thanksgiving. Or heck, even Christmas or New Year's. Instead, I'm blogging about FAME.

What is FAME, you ask? I'm officially certified to tell you (and when I say "officially certified," I mean, I signed up to teach it at Back to School Night) that it stands for Fine Arts Mini Experiences.

Someday I hope to be a super PTO mom. Or do like Seth's aunt and be the ever-present sub at Fairview where our kids attend elementary school. But for now with two young kids still at home, I will be involved with class parties and a few events without taking me away from home all the time. So when I saw FAME sign-up sheet at the PTO's table with one other name on it, I decided to take the plunge and added my name to it.

I didn't know much about FAME then. I understood that it had something to do with arts and music, which have both taken hits with recent school district funding cuts. And the only other name on the sheet inspired me. It happened to be the name of a lady in our ward who is smart and talented and whom I admire very much. I figured if Sheila had signed up for FAME, it would be golden.

After I had committed to it, I found out that Sheila would only be able to organize FAME and get it underway. From December on, I'd be flying solo. Although the thought terrified me, I decided I could watch how Sheila managed it, take careful notes, and be ready when my time came.

This is what I learned from watching Sheila teach: FAME is a parent volunteer-run program that exposes students to classical music and paintings and teaches them some of the elements of art and music. Every month, the docent (as the volunteer is called) uses lesson plans created by a company in California to introduce students to one painting by one artist and one piece of music by one composer. The program is designed to be taught once a month for six months (or seven, if you include the introductory lesson on the elements of music and art).

Each FAME lesson is designed to last 40 minutes (20 for kindergarten). That means the classes cycle through the music classroom and the docent presents the same material nine different times to the various grade levels.

I mentioned that the thought of being in charge of FAME terrified me. It's not the teaching ... my degree is in teaching. I LOVE teaching. No, it's the thought of teaching ART and MUSIC that scared me out of my wits. See, Sheila is brilliant. She knows a lot about art and music. Oh, yeah ... and she's an extremely talented violinist who often plays in church and is part of a band.

I, on the other hand, have little to no experience in these categories. My formal music education includes a few years of piano taught by my mom while I was really young. Otherwise, I've held a few musical callings in church (which also terrified me) and occasionally sung with the choir. (Does watching Little Einsteins give me an edge? If so, I'm a musical genius.) My formal art education is nonexistent. I took Humanities 101 in college as a freshman, so I've at least heard of some of these artists and composers, but I can't even say their names right since they're mostly a bunch of French dudes.

So I was feeling some trepidation as I prepared my first Éponine lesson. (Get it? Éponine? She sings "On My Own" in Les Misérables. Yeah, I can do literature and theater, but music and art are completely foreign.) I read through the lesson plan, changed things, rearranged them, made them my own. I learned what a leitmotif is, downloaded "Imperial Death March," printed off pictures of a sultan and the ocean, learned how to use a die-cut machine, and generally steeled myself.

Here's the result of the first lesson I taught all by my lonesome. It. Was. AWESOME. I taught them about melody and color. They taught me what a ziphius is. We listened to music. We looked at art. We made art.

Perhaps the highlight of my first FAME adventure was a former teacher of mine expressing surprise that I had done so well. That's right, Mr. Bird. Be amazed.

All ego inflation aside, I'm extremely grateful to Sheila for getting all the materials together and showing me how it's done. If I hadn't had her to model my teaching after, my experience may have been very different. And the teachers at Fairview are incredible. They're nice, supportive and helpful.

I can't believe what I high I had after coming home from teaching FAME. And even though my next lesson isn't for a couple of weeks, I'm already preparing. If only I could figure out how to pronounce this crazy guy's name. "Camille," I get. But "Saint-Saëns"? Come on!

Bekahism #44

2012-01-03T18:33:00.002-07:00

Seth and Andrea had instructed the big girls to clean up their room.

Bekah: But I didn't make this mess! It was Miri!
Seth: You need to help clean it up.
Bekah: But Da-a-aad! Don't we believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for others' transgressions?

Bath time

2011-12-30T19:19:00.002-07:00

This is what happens when you leave your 21-month-old to her own devices. I guess her babies (and frog?) needed a bath.

Bekahism #43

2011-12-08T20:00:00.001-07:00

After tucking the girls in for the night ...

Bekah: Mom, I love you more than anything. I love you more than ... science.
Andrea: Wow.
Bekah: I love science a million batrillion and ninety-nine. I love you a million batrillion gazillion.

Ana-ism #16

2011-12-07T08:22:00.004-07:00

I've decided that -isms don't have to be spoken. Case in point ...

The other day, Ana asked for a picture of an angry tiger to color. (How DID parents function pre-internet? Thank you, Google image search.) Here is her finished product:

See, she needed the tiger's mouth to be open "so I can draw a bubble and 'GRRR' coming out of its mouth." The only problem? The tiger actually faced this way:

The real, non-flipped picture.

So, logically, the "GRRR" is flipped.

Ana-ism #15

2011-12-04T07:16:00.003-07:00

Driving home from the grocery store last night, Ana's looking out the window...

Ana: Dad, do you know why I'm looking at the sidewalk so much?
Seth: Um. No.
Ana: Because. I am just fascinated with sidewalks!

Funny girl

2011-11-16T08:28:00.003-07:00

Miriam is at that grand age when she can communicate so much with so few sounds at her disposal (she is, after all, not even 20 months old). Here are some current family favorites:

Whenever she sees Mickey Mouse--on her diapers, on the TV, on a book--she makes her piggy noise. Yes, my child mistakes a rodent for a porker.
Her "I'm finished" signal when she's eating meals is "Ah mama," meaning "All done please, Mama." A while ago when I was out and Seth was on meal duty, he asked Miri if she was all done. Her response: "Ah mama ... dada."
Miriam is wild about pumpkins. For the entire month of October and carrying on to November, she gets über excited every time she sees one of the gourds and exclaims, "Wah-co! Wah-co!" She even mistook Buddy's doghouse (Buddy is Grandpa Dennis' golden lab) for a jack-o-lantern. (Because it was dark outside and Buddy's orange heat lamp was on inside the doghouse.)
Lately Miri gets very upset when she's missing someone in the family. After dropping Ana off at preschool yesterday, we drove home and unloaded from the van. As I shut the door to the garage, Miri realized that she was minus a sister and shouted,"ANAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Miriam calls her pacifier a "baba" because that's what we've called such cry-halting devices since Bekah coined the term in her babyhood. But Miri has added a new term to our lovey vocabulary: "uh-oh." That's how she refers to her blanky.

Yes, folks ... she IS a doll.

Costumes and trick-or-treating

2011-11-02T14:40:00.002-06:00

From the time my kids have been big enough to talk, I've let them choose their Halloween costumes. Usually, their choices fit within a certain theme. (Although, not always, unless you could say the theme was "animals" that year.)

This year, we threw themes out the window. Bekah wanted to be Princess Leia. Ana wanted to be ... wait for it ... a walrus. Miri got to reuse the cow costume (which is reversible) to be a horse (since she always neighs VERY enthusiastically whenever she sees a horse).

The three hooligans on our porch before the neighborhood trick-or-treating.

As always, we trick-or-treated at all the Idaho Falls' grandparents' houses. First we visited Grandpa Wirkus.

Grandpa insisted they each take five pieces of candy. When Miri only got two, Grandpa had to put three more in the sack I held. "But Grandpa," I said, "she can't even count."

Grandpa Scott was helping Grandpa Wirkus put a new doorknob on his shop. While Bekah teased Miri through the screen door, Grandpa Scott sneaked up behind her.

Then we stopped at my parents' house.

Grandma was on the phone when we arrived.

While we stopped at home to eat a quick dinner and pick up Seth, Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis came over to borrow our computer to Skype with Cooper the Cowboy in Virginia. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures because I was busy warming up lasagna and making some last-minute flipper feet for Ana.

After throwing our dishes in the sink, we drove to Old Grandma's house to show off costumes and pick up some treats.

I told the girls we should have brought an eye patch for Old Grandma since she already had a parrot on her shoulder.

To see more Halloween photos, click here.

Ghoulish gourds

2011-11-02T14:26:00.002-06:00

In case you've been living in a hole (or you just don't read our blog regularly ... but that's about the same, right?), you know that we have a thing for pumpkin carving. We like it. We do it every year. So, of course, we couldn't NOT do it again this year.

Ana with her pumpkin (the one with Mr. Potato-like features), Seth with his pumpkin (the vampire), Miri in the general vicinity of her pumkin (the mini one in front with random marker markings), Andrea with her pumpkin (the vampire victim) and Bekah with her pumpkin (with her likeness).

Thank you, Berretts, for donating the pumpkins. As always, Seth is the mastermind behind the pumpkin carving theme.

This was a 1- or 2-minute exposure. I love the light glowing through the puncture marks.

(To view other years' pumpkins, click here, here, here, here, here and here.)

Home wrecker

2011-10-25T14:55:00.004-06:00

Seth volunteered us to feed the sister missionaries tonight. That's all well and good, but Bekah has dance until 5:15 and the sisters are due to arrive at 5:30. Since I can't whip up a dinner and table setting in five minutes, I knew it would take some pre-dance prep to get everything ready in time for our guests.

While Miriam napped, I finished making/baking the rolls, cut up lettuce for a salad and set eight places at the table. (In case you're counting, that makes five of us and three missionaries.) When I head Miri squawking in her crib, I got her and went back to work. I should have realized that my carefully set table was about to be ambushed by a 19-month-old.

I swear, juice is to Miri as blood is to a shark; she can smell it a mile away. Twenty bucks says I can't find that cup when it's time to sit down and eat with the sisters.

Shhh ...

2011-10-24T15:26:00.002-06:00

That title's purpose is two-fold: (1) This post is about a Christmas surprise I'm creating (mostly) for Miriam, and (2) it's supposed to keep the kiddies hushed during church.

Here's a sneak peek:

Here's the inspiration. I about died when I saw her Jedi Quiet Book and wanted to copy it page by page, but it just didn't seem reverent enough for sacrament meeting.

old

2011-10-20T06:12:00.004-06:00

Last night at dinner Andrea and I were telling Bekah about some of the cartoons and TV shows that were popular when we were kids:

Seth: And when I was your age, in about 1988 or so, there was this show I liked called-
Bekah: (Incredulous) Wait. What? You guys were alive in the nineteens?!?

Upon which Andrea and I fell about laughing. If anyone knows how to make you feel old, it's little kids.

Seth and Andrea in another 15 years or so

Pinning

2011-10-11T13:21:00.002-06:00

I couldn't help but "overhear" all the hubbub about Pinterest, so I signed up. And it's awesome. Where else can you find great ideas like this?

Sure you could follow the link and buy one of these from some chick on Etsy ... OR you could sew one yourself. Or three. Or two sets of three (one for your dad and one for you).

I can't wait until my next family shoot with wee ones!

Ana-ism #14

2011-10-06T20:39:00.001-06:00

Seth spots Ana at the top of the family room steps after we had tucked her into bed 40 minutes prior.

Seth: Ana, what are you doing out of bed?
Ana: I have to tell you something funny. ... My nose said, "Bubba." I didn't want it to; it just did.

Another furniture makeover

2011-09-26T16:50:00.002-06:00

In days of yore, my father built this headboard:

It served my parents well. I remember some of the functional and decorative items that graced the headboard's shelves over the years: the alarm clock, a box of tissues, a jar of Mentholatum (that, I swear, lasted for at least a decade), journals, scriptures, novels, reading lamps and wedding photos. The bottom shelves are also hinged so you can store things inside the lower half of the box-like compartment.

Then a few years ago, my parents got new bedroom furniture. The bookcase/headboard moved to an extra bedroom in the basement for a time. When my mom mentioned their plans to haul it away, I asked if I could have it instead.

For months, it's been in our bedroom. And because I'm on this furniture painting/glazing kick, I decided to give it a makeover while Seth was hunting wild beasts all last week. Here's the end result:

The green in the back is a little greener than I had anticipated (if that makes ANY sense at all), but overall I'm quite pleased with it. Here's a closeup so you can see how the glaze gets all the little knots and corners to pop:

Ain't she a beaut?

Two are always better than one

2011-09-26T16:33:00.003-06:00

Case in point:

Miriam says, "Please ignore my nap hair."

First hike

2011-09-12T15:48:00.004-06:00

Yes, our family has braved the North Menan Butte and Cress Creek, but we had yet to take any kid on a real hike (minus in a backpack or wrap ... and when they're not putting their feet on the ground, it doesn't count). That changed at the end of August.

Grandma Scott and I had plans to go hiking, but we didn't know where. Then Grandma suggested that we try out something in Yellowstone. She had read about a short jaunt to Fairy Falls, and I wondered if Bekah could manage the 5-miler.

Since she was eager to give it a try, Bekah accompanied us seasoned hikers.

Bekah at the trailhead.

Bekah enjoying a Push Pop and looking up wildflowers with Grandma Scott.

Andrea, Grandma Scott and Bekah at Fairy Falls. Bekah was feeling a little tired and worn out on the way there until she heard the roar of the waterfall. Then she bounded up the trail to see it. That was followed by some very happy flip-flop-clad splashing.

Andrea by the base of the waterfall. If I had hiked up my shorts, I think I could have waded all the way across.

Bekah and one of her (many) poses by the waterfall.

After a lot of time spent at the waterfall and some nourishment, we turned around and hiked back out. It was hotter than it had been before and Bekah was feeling it, but she was a trooper and made it back to the car.

Since it's not a true trip to Yellowstone without a stop at Old Faithful, we stopped by to see the geyser erupt and check out the new visitors' center. At that point, Bekah confiscated my camera.

Just a sampling of the pictures she shot. (Of course, I stole the camera back for the one of Bekah in front of Old Faithful.)

I hope this is the beginning of a great and glorious relationship with all things hiking for Rebekah. My parents instilled this love in me, and I hope to pass it on to my kids.

To see more pictures, click here.

She's BAAAAAAAAAACK!

2011-09-09T11:17:00.003-06:00

Just when I was lamenting the loss of our girls' imaginary friend, she made a surprise reappearance.

I had gotten out some cold weather gear for our trip to hunting camp this weekend, and Ana decided she needed to wear her winter hat on our quick trip to Wal-mart to get hot dogs. When we pulled into the garage, she told me, "Look, Mom! Water-Eye Weather-Goap is riding in the car!"

Silly girl.

Ana-ism #13

2011-09-09T11:12:00.001-06:00

While playing T-ball in the front yard.

Bekah: I'll bat. Ana, you be the pitcher. Mom, you're the umpire.

Later ...

Ana: Mom, this time you be the pitcher and I'll be the vampire.

Bekahism #42

2011-09-05T22:14:00.002-06:00

While at hunting camp, Bekah needed to answer the call of nature. Seth accompanied her to the latrine.

Bekah: But Dad, I don't want to. The bugs will get on me.
Seth: Bekah, they won't get on you. And besides, they're just flies.
Bekah: Do you think when I grow up, I won't be so crazy?
Seth: Crazy?
Bekah: You know, being afraid of bugs while going to the bathroom at hunting camp. Cuh-RAY-zee!

the cycle is complete

2011-08-26T07:40:00.002-06:00

I know I don't blog as often as Andrea, but this was just too cool not to post.

Last night was Back To School Night for Rebekah. As you may or may not know, Bekah attends the same elementary school that I attended when I was a wee lad. As we walked down the hall to her first grade classroom to drop off her supplies and meet her teacher, I said, "Bekah, I wonder if you'll be in the same first grade classroom that I had first grade in." We stopped in front of the room, and sure enough, it was the same one. Cool!

We met her teacher, who told Rebekah to go ahead and find her desk so she could stow her supplies there. Bekah walked to one side of the room and started looking around. I said, "Bekah, wouldn't it be crazy if your desk was in the same spot as mine?" I walked across to the other side of the room to where I remembered my desk being, found the exact spot, then looked down at the nametag on the desk: Rebekah. That's right, not only is Rebekah in the same elementary school I attended, and not only does she have first grade in the same classroom in which I had it, her desk is in the exact same spot, even facing the same direction, as my desk.

Mind = blown.

Look out for the Wee-lass

2011-08-25T14:50:00.003-06:00

Sadly, Water-Eye Weather-Goap seems to be a thing of the past in the Grover household, but I'm still amazed at how long she lasted. After Bekah had finished having her as a regular playmate, Ana picked up where Bekah left off and had WEWG be her imaginary friend for a long time.

I think because both girls are old enough to (usually) play nicely with each other, they don't need to rely on a fictitious friend.

However, just as Superman has his Lex Luthor, Spider-man has his Green Goblin and Martha Stewart has her Securities Exchange Commission, the big girls in our house need an arch nemesis. And so they have the Wee-lass. The Wee-lass levels entire cities and leaves destruction in her wake. She's terrifying. She's horrifying.

But she's also pretty darn cute, if you ask me. See for yourself:

But as Bekah and Ana have their own opinions of the Wee-lass, I thought I'd let them share.

Andrea: Who is the Wee-lass?
Bekah: Miriam.
Ana: Miriam.

Andrea: Why is she called the Wee-lass?
Ana: 'Cause she messes up all our setups and takes things from our setups.
Bekah: "Wee" means little and "lass" means one. So Wee-lass--"little one."

Andrea: You only call Miri the We-lass when she's ...
Ana: Messing up our setups and stuff.
Bekah: Yeah.

Andrea: So what do you call her the rest of the time?
Ana and Bekah: Miriam.
Bekah: Most of the time, Miri.
Ana: But the rest of the time, the Wee-lass.

Andrea: You only call her that when she's messing up your setups. So is she kind of like a bad guy when you're playing?
Ana and Bekah: Yeah
Ana: She, like, captures people.
Bekah: And eats them.
Ana: The people scream, "The Wee-lass is here!" Then they run all around the house. Away from the Wee-lass.

Andrea: Is there anything else you'd like to tell me about the Wee-lass?
Bekah: The Wee-lass always eats your earrings.
Ana: And the Wee-Lass always eats your necklaces. And then, if she doesn't want to eat them, she runs off with them.
Bekah: And if she doesn't want to eat them, she runs off and eats our setup people.

So consider yourself warned.

Ingenuity

2011-08-25T14:46:00.003-06:00

What happens when this breaks ...

... and you're too cheap to buy one these?

You get creative.

See? I really don't need that $300 Kitchenaid. I've got my own mixing machine, thank you very much. Now if only I can teach Ana to whip and knead ...

Where am I?

2011-08-24T08:41:00.009-06:00

Today on the Grover blog ("Patently awesome since 2007!"™) we're going to play a little game. It's called "Where at the 'I' am I?" (No, that's not a typo.)

Here are the rules: View the images below and try to guess where on the BYU-Idaho campus Seth and Andrea are.

Any guesses as to which building has this groovy ceiling?

Here's a more obvious location within the building.

Have you guessed it yet? It's the new BYU-Idaho Center.

By the way, slide down the banister at your own risk. They've installed speed bumps.

Okay, next building.

They're remodeling in this basement computer lab.

Outside a room in which Seth spent many-an-hour.

Any ideas? It's the Austin.

Where they have such posters as this. I'm still not sure how I feel about it ...

Here's an easy one:

One administrator told me he expected many girls to be proposed to in this spot overlooking the gardens.

Of course, of course. It's the Hinckley.

Another easy one:

This is the exact spot where Seth learned that Ricks would be becoming BYU-I.

The benches, carpet and art should give it away. It's the Taylor.

If this one doesn't blow your mind, you haven't been away from campus as long as we had:

The west entrance.

Not recognizable at all. We think this is about the spot where Andrea entered this building about a bajillion times throughout her freshmen, sophomore and junior years.

What the heck is this place?

The approximate location of the corridor/office where Andrea spent many early Monday mornings.

Finally! A recognizable feature on the completely remodeled building!

Thank goodness the Little Theater hasn't changed.

Andrea reliving a moment.

Andrea originally living the moment. (Oops. Looked like I kicked with the wrong leg in the re-creation.)

If you haven't figured it out by now, you never will. It's the Manwaring Center.

Hang in there! Just two more:

Seth expressing his feelings for his first college-level calculus class.

Yes, this one is trickier because that's the only photo we got for you. It's the Romney.

Last one:

Outside another door that leads to a bit of Andrea's past.

A few of the remaining pieces of the original building.

Yup. It's the Spori.

Thanks for playing! We hope you enjoyed the game as much as Seth and I enjoyed our self-guided tour on the nearly deserted campus. Because it's between tracks, all the labs and offices were closed. But I'm sure the few students we saw around campus enjoyed our gasps and laughs as we checked out all the new additions.

New dresser

2011-08-21T11:27:00.004-06:00

I was feeling a little inspired by this lady and these guys when I went to D.I. months ago and found a dresser for $10. I figured it would be a good replacement for the dresser that Ana had been using and outgrown (her shorts had to be stored in an empty drawer in Miri's room).

So I set to work. I bought lumber from Lowe's (which I feel really out of place doing, since I'm a clueless chick, but I'm starting to get the hang of it). And I had my dad help me use the table saw to cut it to the right size. And I glued/nailed the new lumber to the sides of the dresser after ripping off the old, waterlogged wood. And I primed, painted, glazed and added new hardware to the bad boy (check out the links for some handy tutorials). Check out this transformation:

BEFORE

AFTER

Yes, I realize it's pink. (And if you don't know why I'm even mentioning this, you can read up on my past anti-girliness here.) But Ana chose this lovely shade of raspberry, and it beats painting an entire room pink any day. (I'll even admit that it looks pretty darn awesome in their bright green room.)

Next project on my list: redoing the awesome bookshelf/headboard my dad made when he was a spry newlywed and which he recently passed on to us. (The headboard, that is. My dad's still alive and well, thank you.)

Bekahism #41

2011-08-18T07:40:00.002-06:00

Bekah: Mom, I have a habit that I just can't break.
Andrea: What is it?
Bekah: Reading. I just can't stop reading.

Miri-ism #2

2011-08-11T17:58:00.004-06:00

If you disagreed with my argument that Miri-ism #1 was legit, you certainly can't with this one.

At dinner, Miri was going to town on a cob of corn.

Analee: Miri's like a dog with a bone.
Miriam: Arf! Arf!

Stay classy, Ana

2011-08-08T13:54:00.002-06:00

This is what happens when a four-year-old dresses herself:

Pretty pink bow, leg warmers on the arms, sparkly pink sandals with gems on them, no shirt, and a pair of (heavily patched) overalls that my uncles wore when they were little.

Bekahism #41

2011-07-25T13:28:00.002-06:00

Seth grumbling while putting on his sneakers (last worn when we climbed the North Menan Butte on Saturday).

Seth: Having stickers in your shoe is the worst thing in the world.
Bekah: How 'bout getting your head chopped off?

The list grows longer ...

2011-07-21T14:02:00.003-06:00

At this rate, we'll be seeing giraffes in our yard before long.

Of course, I'm referencing our ever-growing list of animal encounters in our lovely rural neighborhood. We've had the pleasure of entertaining wild animals, farm animals and your usual outdoor pets.

So when Seth came in yesterday to confide that we had a guinea pig hiding in the stack of wood next to the shed, I figured I had misheard him. I mean, come on ... a guinea pig? I was sure it was actually another rock chuck. Or possibly (shudder) a rat without a tail.

But sure enough, it was a guinea pig. A big brown guinea pig.

We tried cornering it, but it managed to slip past us and hide under some other planks. At that point, I figured some investigation was in order. I walked next door and asked the neighbors if they owned such a pet. The look on Tina's face could be described as utter astonishment as she exclaimed, "He ran away two weeks ago!"

Between Seth, Taylor (Tina's daughter and the owner of the delinquent pet), Bekah, Ana and I, we managed to chase the guinea pig into Tina's arms. And although the little guy (Bekah thought he was a Zhu Zhu) squeaked in alarm, he seemed no worse for the wear.

How he survived outdoors for two weeks is still a mystery. He must have used his innate ninja-guinea skills to avoid the owls. But if his main source of sustenance was my vegetable garden, no amount of stealthiness will protect him from me.

Bekahism #40

2011-07-20T09:51:00.004-06:00

While driving through downtown I.F.

Bekah: Mom! You just drove over a crosswalk!
Andrea: What was I supposed to do?
Bekah: (Thinks for a moment.) Jump over it.
Andrea: Well, when you invent a car that jumps over crosswalks, I'll drive it.
Bekah: Isn't there one already? It's called a jump drive.

Ana-ism #12

2011-07-11T15:06:00.001-06:00

Analee: Mom, can I jump on the little trampoline?
Andrea: Have you put all your stuff away?
Analee: Yes.
Andrea: What about that hat on the floor?
Analee: (Picks it up.) I want to wear it.
Andrea: No, I think you just don't want to put it away.
Analee: Did you just read my mind?!

A riddle

2011-07-11T14:58:00.003-06:00

Q: What do you get when you cross a toddler and a piece of licorice?

A: A stinkin' adorable mess.

Camping

2011-07-04T06:18:00.003-06:00

We had the pleasure of going camping Friday-Saturday with Seth's family in Island Park. I know what you're thinking ... "What the what?! The Grovers go camping in July? Impossible. They only go camping in September, and only when they're searching for elk." Well, folks ... what can I say? We're breaking out of the box.

Although I was paranoid that we'd never find a spot north of Ashton without having reserved it 364 days prior, Seth's parents knew of a little bit of paradise right next to the Island Park Reservoir. And so we were able to enjoy:

... some four-wheeler rides,

... some tasty s'mores,

... playing on the beach,

... shooting guns (Seth would like me to point out the brass that's been ejected from the gun and caught on camera),

... and (not pictured) sporadic sleep due to Bekah's nighttime freak-outs, Miri's sleepy whines, and Ana's painful bug bites; a friendly little leech that became attached to Bekah's arm; and the sand that Miri decided would be worth eating.

You can tell it was a successful trip by this photographic evidence, shot while driving home:

Bekah in the back seat of the pickup.

Ana in the back seat of the pickup. (Ignore the fuzziness. Apparently our mommy camera doesn't like being told to not use the flash.)

Miri in the back seat of the pickup. (Again, dumb mommy camera.)

Guess which kid got a nap before we left camp?

To see more pictures, click here.

Glasses

2011-07-03T16:12:00.004-06:00

When I took the girls to the optometrist last week for an annual checkup (Ana for the first time, Bekah for the second), I figured we'd just do some tests, read some letters and come home. Bekah sportingly did her exam first so Ana could see how it all goes.

When Ana took her turn in the chair, she started reading letters. And then stopped reading letters. My first thought was, "Have I not taught her the ABCs well enough?" But when she guessed the Y to be a V and the D to be an O, I realized it wasn't because she didn't know the alphabet; she just couldn't see the wall well enough.

The doctor said she could benefit from wearing glasses. He made sure we knew that they wouldn't be necessary, but beneficial. But if glasses would help our little girl and the insurance would pay for them, we decided it would be worth it.

Ana chose the frames all by herself. How do you think they look?

close call

2011-06-26T08:47:00.003-06:00

You've probably read about some of our other past encounters with wildlife, including pigs, goats and, recently, rock chucks. But none of these visits has filled me with fear like the experience I had last night.

Andrea was asleep, as I was up late irrigating the lawn and field. I finished up about midnight. As I walked along the ditch bank back towards the house, I was startled to see two glowing eyes reflecting light from my head lamp. "Oh," I thought, it's just a cat. But I soon realized it was not just a cat. This is what I saw:

That's right. Standing about 5 feet away on the grass below the ditch bank where I stood was a skunk, a polecat, a Mephitis mephitis. And he was mad. His tail was up in the air and he hissed angrily, ready to dispense his unique brand of stinky vengeance.

I froze. "What do I do?" I thought. As my life flashed before my eyes, I contemplated turning and running, or jumping in the ditch, or yelling at it to scare it off, but in my mind each alternative seemed equally likely to end up in me sleeping outside for the next month. So I just froze, eyes locked on the business end of this hissing nightmare.

Miraculously, a few seconds later the skunk lowered his guard and hightailed it across the yard into the darkness. My heart still pounded as I finished closing the head gates and went in to go to bed.

I'm grateful we live where we do, away from the city (really away from what most people would actually consider any sort of a real city) and a stone's throw from nature. But I'm also very grateful to have dodged nature's bullet last night.

A word about volleyball

2011-06-16T13:22:00.004-06:00

Okay ... I lied. It's not gonna be a word; it's gonna be a whole heck of a lot of words.

Back in the day when I was a wee lass, my dad asked if I wanted to attend a volleyball camp. It was the summer before fifth grade. My dad was (and is and always will be, I think) a volleyball coach. I didn't know a soul younger than 40 who would be there. But I told him that I'd go.

Thus started my love for the sport. I've had the pleasure of playing at summer camps, on school teams, on club teams and on college intramural teams throughout the years.

Then I got married. And got a "real" job. And quit my "real" job to be a mom. And had more babies.

Don't get me wrong--I don't regret any of those decisions. But as those infinitely more important things moved to the forefront of my life, volleyball sat on the backburner until it was cold.

Enter Brooke. Or, re-enter Brooke, as she is an old friend. Brooke asked if I wanted to join their stake in their open gym volleyball nights. So I started attending every once in a while. Once the agonizing pain of not having played in a decade had faded, I realized that the love I once had for volleyball is alive and well.

When Brooke extended an offer for me to play on a team for Apple Athletic Club's volleyball league, I decided to give it a go.

Although our team didn't have the most stellar win/loss record (4/9), designated positions (we just rotated around and played wherever we stood) or scholarship-level talent (I'm just speaking for me ... I honestly have no idea about the other girls on our team), we did have some awesome team shirts, support from our fans (friends, husbands, fathers, children) and a lot of good times.

Our team, "Serves You Right," during a time-out. It's hard to see everyone, but I promise we're all there (starting with me and going clockwise around the circle): Andrea, Brooke, Kim, Kylee, Melissa, Jessica, Heidi.

Andrea hitting the ball. And now you know why I chose a muffin to go on the front of my shirt.

Andrea and Seth at the game. Seth is a good water boy, photographer and joke teller (although I honestly can't remember what we were talking about).

Thank you, Brooke, for organizing the team, allowing me to play and acting as our captain. Thank you, Kylee, Heidi, Jessica, Melissa and Kim, for letting me play with you and putting up with my playing errors. Thank you, Seth, for encouraging me to play even though it meant that you had to put the girls to bed by yourself at least once a week. Thank you, Mom, for watching the girls for us a few times so Seth could attend a game or two and watch me play. Thank you, Dad, for taking pictures, giving me pointers on my passing and introducing me to the game.

To see more pictures of our last games, click here. (Although, be warned ... most are of me rather than the other players. That's what happens when your dad is a photojournalist extraordinaire.)

Bekah is 6

2011-06-16T12:11:00.003-06:00

Bekah feels that her birthday date is unfair. How can Miriam, Analee and Seth all celebrate their birthdays before her?! You'll notice that list doesn't include me. Yes, I magnanimously have THE last birthday of the year in our family. That's what you get for being born in the fall.

Despite the long wait, Bekah had a splendiferous birthday.

It started with a T-ball game in the morning. (Actually, it started the evening before when Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis took the big girls to the dollar store and out to eat for dinner since they knew they'd miss the festivities the next night. But I don't have pictures of that. So we'll start with T-ball.)

Bekah playing first base during her T-ball game.

And ended with a family picnic/party in the yard that included guests (Grandma and Grandpa Scott, Aunt Jessica, cousins Mack and Tav). Dinner ("pineapple pizza," just what Bekah requested) was followed by presents:

A box of Trios from Mack and Tav.

A personalized towel from Grandma Scott.

A fluffy tutu from Aunt Jessica.

Which was followed by a piñata. (You'll notice that this is a store-bought piñata, which is unusual for us. But when Wal-mart is clearing out old Hannah Montana piñatas for $2, I can splurge.)

Ana supervising while Bekah tries to whack the piñata.

Which was followed by birthday singing and cake (which, if you can tell from the picture, looks a lot like a previous birthday cake).

Bekah finally getting to blow out her candles. By the time we had sung "Happy Birthday," the wind had blown out all her candles. We had to re-light them and have Grandma Scott hold up paper plates to block the breeze so she could have the honor of extinguishing them.

To see more pictures, click here.

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks

2011-06-11T14:15:00.005-06:00

It's round two of Ucon T-ball for Rebekah. And it's apparent that she remembers a lot from last year. She can still:

... hit the ball,

... hustle around the bases,

... hang onto that helmet,

... beat her teammates to the ball,

... exhibit ninja-like skills in returning the ball to the tee and checking on the runner to make sure he's out,

... have a little fun,

... enjoy the familial support,

... and cheer for the other team when all is said and done.

(All pictures taken by my ever-faithful father. I was too busy keeping an eye on one kid on the field and two kids off the field and huddling under a blanket. Dang Idaho June weather.)

Near miss

2011-06-06T14:09:00.003-06:00

Today I was mowing our back field. It has grown to unruly heights, and since we don't yet have a beast to keep it under control (or a fence to keep the beast under control), I took it upon myself to take care of the mess of clover, dandelions, alfalfa and grass.

So there I was, rocking the sunglasses and Seth's hat (Sh! He doesn't know I borrowed it.), singing along with my iPod, driving the mower and enjoying the rare sunshine. I was just finishing the little strip of grass in the middle when something caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement on the ground. I steered sharply to the right to avoid decimating one of these:

Seriously. I wasn't sure if I should cry or laugh as I saw it bolt away. Who would imagine that a yellow-bellied marmot would take up residence in our back yard? (Looks like I need to add it to the list of animal visitors to our property.)

in the evening

2011-06-02T21:59:00.003-06:00

My wife

All the kids are in bed
And the lights are turned down low;
In the twilight of the evening,
This is how we roll.

Fishing

2011-06-02T12:32:00.004-06:00

Just like in years past, we drove north to go fishing at Henry's Lake during Memorial Day Weekend. This time, we stayed longer than the typical 1- or 2-night trip. That's right, folks. We stayed a whopping three nights at Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin. That means we got to fit in two fishing outings for the girls, a trip to Mesa Falls, a jaunt to Big Springs, three nights of cabin sleeping and attendance at the Island Park ward. Good times.

Highlights:

Bekah catching two fish on Saturday; Analee also catching two fish on Saturday. Yes, sometimes "catching" a fish meant reeling in a fish that had gotten hooked on somebody else's line, but it's all good.

Analee with one of her fish on Saturday. Yes, that is my finger over the cell phone camera lens.

Real men wear camo. And fish with a minuscule Disney princess pole.

The scene from the dock at Frome Park. The surroundings in Island Park are always gorgeous.

The girls' interest in gutting fish. These kids are learning the facts of life at an early age. I still don't like to stand too close to (let alone participate in) such things, but they don't even bat an eye as the entrails come flying out.

Uncle Doug talking on his phone while Grandpa Dennis and Seth gut fish and Rebekah and Analee watch.

Seth ripping guts out while Bekah watches. Go ahead and click on that picture to see it bigger. You know you want to.

Spending time with Seth's family. Aunt Rachel, Uncle Justin, Cousin Cooper, Aunt Melissa, Uncle Kent, Grandma Susan, Grandpa Dennis, Uncle Doug and Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks were all there at various times. Aunt Melissa got a healthy dose of lovin' (read: maulin') from the girls. Cooper and Miriam tried to show each other who was boss--Cooper through physical actions and Miri through verbal screeching. I got schooled by Kent, Rachel and Seth while playing Settlers of Catan.
Taking the little kids to Big Springs while the big kids went out to shoot guns.

Miriam at Big Springs. Although the big fish weren't camping out under the bridge, we still enjoyed the scenery.

Rescuing Ana from gravity. Okay, not really a highlight, but still worth mentioning. Saturday night after we tucked the girls in bed in the loft and were watching a movie downstairs, we all heard a giant crash. Seth and I ran upstairs and found Ana on the ground. Poor little girl had fallen out of the double bed she was sharing with Bekah. After some loves and considerable preventative bed-tucking, all was back to normal. So normal that Ana didn't remember the incident at all the next morning. (Also remarkable: Bekah and Miri slept through the whole thing--crashing, bawling and all.)
Taking the big girls to Mesa Falls Sunday after church while Miri napped at the cabin. Although it snowed ALL morning Sunday, it stopped long enough for us to enjoy the overlooks at both the Upper and Lower Falls.

Seth let the girls borrow his binoculars to look at the falls. Most of the time, they used them to look at more mundane things.

Rebekah, Andrea and Analee at Upper Mesa Falls.

Eating the girls' fish (and others' fish) on Sunday night. Grandpa Dennis makes scrumptious fish and potatoes.
Going back to Frome Park Monday morning to try our luck at fishing again. Everybody got skunked except Bekah who caught two fish completely by herself. As she reeled in the second fish, she even got an ovation from the fishermen on the other pier.

Bekah trying (in vain) to hold up her fish by the line. It was considerably colder Monday, so the girls wore their winter boots, gloves and hats.

To see more photos, click here and scroll down past the dance recital pictures.

Ana turns 4

2011-06-02T06:32:00.002-06:00

Yes, it's been over a week since Ana celebrated her birthday, but ... hmmm. I seem to be short on excuses. We were out of town for Memorial Weekend? (Post to come ... sometime.) We were busy with Bekah's final days of kindergarten? Aliens switched the bodies of Seth and me, and I had to flounder through a whole lot of Pascal and Linux at his workplace?

Anyway, here's how we celebrated Analee turning 4:

When Ana discovered that the afternoon kindergarten's end-of-the-year party (of which I was in charge) was the same day as her birthday, she was ecstatic and immediately began planning games (pin the tail on the donkey, a piñata, etc.). I informed her that we would do all sorts of fun things for her birthday as a family, but the games for the kindergarten party would be under my jurisdiction. So she got to rotate with Rebekah and play some Duck, Duck, Goose (due to inclement weather ... my original plan was to have the kids draw on the playground with sidewalk chalk), eat a homemade popcicle with a prize frozen inside, and supervise a craft that the kids made for Mrs. Campbell. (And I have no pictures of any of this. I was busy taking care of 17 kindergartners, after all.)

However, we did do her piñata the day before when the Grover clan had gathered for a family dinner.

Bekah and Ana with our homemade piñata. Ana painted it and colored the castle on it all by herself. I paper mached, duct taped and zip lined it all by myself. (Can you tell that both girls were pretending to be Pinkalicious that day?)

Seth manning the rope while Ana tries to whack the piñata. Cousin Cooper, Analee and Rebekah took turns battering the piñata; Bekah beat a fist-sized hole in it, and we let Ana finish it off so the kids could collect their prizes.

The Grover clan: Aunt Melissa taking a picture of Miriam and Uncle Justin, Analee eating her cotton candy, Grandma Susan and GRandpa Dennis watching Cousin Cooper, Bekah talking to Seth.

Then on the special day (May 24, in case you were wondering), after the class party, Seth's return from work and the arrival of grandparents, Ana got to eat dinner, open presents and eat cake.

Analee modeling the froofy tutu Aunt Jessica gave her while riding the inchworm she received from her parents.

Analee with her birthday cake. She had wanted me to make a recreation of Bekah's fourth birthday cake. But, unlike Ana, I remembered the terror that is fondant. So I looked for ideas on the Intertubes and came up with this happy compromise. I think Ana was happy with the results. In fact, Bekah has made me promise her that we make the same cake for her sixth birthday in less than two weeks.

In the end, I think her birthday turned out well. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been hopping up and down and saying, "This is the best birthday ever!", right?

To see more such photos, click here.

Busted

2011-05-25T15:04:00.002-06:00

The doorbell rang today, just like it does every other weekday at 3 p.m. However, the little girl that met me on the porch after walking home from the bus stop looked decidedly different than usual.

In her own words: "I tried to find the face-painter at field day today, but I couldn't. So on the bus ride home I used a marker and did my own face. I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorrier than I've ever been."

Ana's spill

2011-05-23T13:37:00.002-06:00

Friday afternoon when I found out that Bekah had to be wearing a very specific pair of tights for her dance recital the next day (and the store that sells the tights would close for the weekend in one hour), I carted the girls off to All American Dance to purchase said tights.

Everything was swell and dandy until Ana tripped on the sidewalk. We've gotta work on that kid's reflexes, because her face hit the sidewalk before she could catch herself with her hands.

I could tell that it hurt. But as she started to pull herself up from the sidewalk, we found out that we had a bigger problem on our hands than pain.

Blood poured from her nose and spattered on the sidewalk. I ran to the van, threw Miri in and rushed back to aid Ana.

She was terrified of the blood. I did the best I could with the box of tissues and the case of wipes we had on hand. It only took a couple of minutes to stop the bleed, but it was the longest two minutes of my life because Ana was in hysterics the entire time. I don't even want to guess what the lady sitting on the nearby bus bench was thinking.

When all was said and done, we had six blood-soaked tissues, three blood-soaked wipes, two blood-spattered shoes, and a pair of blood-spattered khakis. Oh, and a swollen lip and series of facial wounds.

Analee the day after her trip on the sidewalk. When Bekah told Ana she had "smoochy lips," it made the situation a whole lot happier.

Tiny dancer

2011-05-23T13:15:00.002-06:00

Bekah has toiled long and hard this year at the dance studio. This is her first year taking lessons, and although she wasn't sure how much she'd enjoy it at first, she's definitely grown to love it. (Disclaimer: She was DYING to take classes; I didn't push her into it. She was hesitant only after I had signed her up and she realized that she didn't know anyone in her class. She's a very social creature. But after making some friends, she decided it was worth it.)

This last Saturday, we got to experience our first rehearsal/recital. Exciting times.

(Ironically, I got better pictures at the rehearsal than at the recital. So enjoy the little girls in their curlers.)

Bekah sitting with her class waiting for their turn on the stage at the dress rehearsal. I told her we'd do her hair all fancy later that day, but she insisted on at least wearing makeup for the rehearsal.

Being a scary tiger.

Skipping to her place.

Supposedly doing a toe-touch.

Skipping with her partner.

Her final pose with a couple of the other girls.

All ready for the recital. She had to show off her tail.

This is what happened when I asked her to show me how excited she was.

After the two-flippin'-hour-long recital, Bekah was rewarded with a bouquet of flowers from her daddy (who had sat in the Civic for six hours to save our seats). Seth was rewarded with a tired backside. I was rewarded with two extremely tired little girls, one of which had to be removed from the auditorium to carry out the rest of her tizzy fit. Despite the hardships, we were very proud of our tiny dancer.

Zoo

2011-05-17T09:00:00.003-06:00

After we finished all the housework and yard work Saturday, we figured we deserved a little break, so we packed up the wee ones and went to the zoo.

This trip's highlights:

Miriam is old enough to really enjoy the animals now. However, the zoo is either infested with snakes or Miriam doesn't understand that only snakes hiss. She pointed at nearly every moving thing and enthusiastically said, "Sssssss!"
Although several of the animals weren't on display yet because of the cooler weather, the number of baby animals on display almost made up for it. We got to see a baby ring-tailed lemur, a baby camel, two baby servals and a baby snow leopard.
Bekah wants to enter the zoo's annual photo contest, so she brought her camera and snapped photos all along the way.

Bekah taking Ana's picture on the lion statue while Seth watches.

Bekah's picture of Ana.

All right, all right. Miri DID hiss at most of the animals, but when Seth told her this was a monkey (which is hard to see because of Miri's reflection), she actually made the appropriate sound.

The serval kittens.

Bekah's picture of the zookeeper bottle-feeding the baby camel.

Bekah, Ana, Miri and Andrea atop the tiger statue. We were roaring like a tiger. Ana must have missed the memo.

To see more pictures, click here.

Lucky

2011-05-08T18:26:00.003-06:00

I'm a lucky momma. Lucky 'cause I have these:

Analee (trying to a princess pose), Andrea, Miriam (mesmerized by the flash) and Rebekah before church today. The girls are wearing the Easter dresses I made. I would have included Seth in the picture, but he was at pre-church meetings. And I tried to take a picture of him later in the day, but he politely declined to be photographed. The poor man is suffering from some nasty allergies and an equally nasty sunburn.

Lucky 'cause my husband gave me this:

A beautiful orchid. Let's hope it fares better than the orchid he got me several years ago ...

Lucky 'cause I received no fewer than four cards for Mothers' Day.

Yup. Like I said, one lucky momma.

Stairs

2011-05-06T11:05:00.004-06:00

Once upon a time, we had a baby. Her name was (is) Analee.

Ana at 3 1/2 months.

Now this wily kid knew that, being the second child, she needed to do something dramatic in order for her parents to remember her. So one morning while I was supervising Rebekah's bath and reorganizing the bathroom drawer with all the hair accessories, Analee rolled over. Although it was a brand new skill she had just acquired, Ana knew that wasn't enough to get her mother's attention. So she rolled over again. And again. Under normal circumstances, this would be exciting at most, but Ana wanted to be more than exciting ... she wanted to be daring. So she rolled until she was perched at the top of the stairs. With one arm dangling over the top stair.

Yes, I realize my carpet is incredibly green.

Needless to say, she got my attention.

Seth and I figured that would be our closest call when it came to children tumbling down the stairs. But Miriam has proved to be equally wily. She knew that, as the third child, she'd have to step it up even more.

Yesterday as I read stories from the Friend to the big girls on the living room couch, Miriam was busy looking things over at the top of the stairs. Yes, those stairs. But Miriam has mastered going up AND down the stairs. She's a pro. We've even taken down the gates because she's such a confident stair ascender and descender.

So it's a good thing I happened to glance up from the magazine in time to see Miri's attempt to one-up (or many-down, as the case may be) her older sister. She had leaned over to retrieve her beloved blankie without realizing how close she was to the top of the stairs. By the time I had thrown Ana off my lap and dashed up the stairs, Miri was using every once of strength in her puny baby-arms to keep herself upright. She had both hands one step down while the rest of her body was still on the landing. She was on the brink of tumbling down headfirst.

Gratefully, I prevented her from the possible concussion that would have followed. And so Miriam wins the title of Most Dramatic Near-Fall.

Miriam plotting another way to gain attention. Actually, she's doing her popcorn hands because I was singing "Popcorn Popping" to try and make her smile for the camera.

Analee dances again

2011-05-02T12:16:00.004-06:00

Following a ballroom dance fund raiser/dinner show at the high school, Ana took to the floor to show off some of her own moves. If it looks low-quality, that's because it is. All I had to shoot with was the cell phone.

Let's go fly a kite

2011-04-28T09:27:00.003-06:00

Months ago when we were all experiencing some serious cabin fever, the girls BEGGED me to fly kites with them. (It didn't help that I had bought each of them a $1 kite from Wal-mart.) I insisted that we wait until there was no more snow. And it wasn't too cold. And it wasn't TOO windy.

When I finally ran out of excuses, we gathered the kids and their kites up and drove to the church's field. And boy, am I glad we did.

Bekah took her Barbie kite on its maiden voyage into the wild blue yonder.

Bekah concentrates on keeping her kite in the sky.

Analee running to keep her Ariel kite up.

And tries out some unconventional kite-flying stances.

Despite her dislike of the grass, Miriam attempts to escape from the stroller.

When the front didn't work, she tried to go out the back.

Seth flies the pretty pink Barbie kite.

Recent past

2011-04-25T15:42:00.004-06:00

And just to overshadow the happiness and cuteness of the previous post, here are some pictures my dad shot the day Miri had her surgery. ('Cause you can never have too many posts link back to any "Miri's procedure" post. I'm going for a record.)

A drugged out Miri resting on Grandma Scott. After the surgery, I had to go to my parents' house to pick up the big girls who had spent the night at their house.

Me reading to Bekah, Miri and Ana before packing up to go home. I had planned on taking all of them with me, but my parents kindly insisted on keeping Ana so that I could spend the day alone with Miri once I had shipped Bekah off to kindergarten.

After Miri's tube went missing, all we could do was pray that her tear ducts would stay open so we wouldn't have to repeat anything we've already endured. Since then, I've witnessed one day when her left eye was a little crusty and runny. I was afraid that things had closed up again. However, her eyes since then have seemed to be clear. We'll keep watching and waiting and hoping and praying.

Easter, Easter and more Easter

2011-04-25T11:01:00.003-06:00

Because the girls can't have enough sugar (Bekah has nearly finished off her stash of trick her treat candy!), we attended no less than three Easter egg hunts this weekend. Count 'em, folks.

#1 The Ucon hunt
Bekah brought home a flier from school advertising this one. It was quite the adventure since we had to find parking at or around Simmons Park, hike all the way back to the west entrance of the park and then find an open spot on the edge of the field on the east side of the park. After the countdown, the girls scurried out and filled their baskets. By the time the deluge of children swept down from the west side of the park, we were finished.

Analee finding eggs in the field at Simmons Park.

Rebekah taking her pick from the Easter egg cache in the middle of the field.

Ucon likes to recycle their eggs, so we found an empty dugout to sit down in and empty the candy into our baskets. Along the way, I spotted two kids who were holding near-empty baskets and looking a little forlorn. I asked them if they had arrived late. They told them that they had. So I asked the girls if they could share some eggs with the boy and girl. Neither Bekah nor Ana hesitated; they immediately grabbed several eggs from their baskets and placed them in the girl's and boy's baskets. I'm not ashamed to admit it ... I was a very proud mama.

#2 The Grover hunt
For the past several years, the glorious Aunt Rachel has taken it upon herself to host a hunt for the wee ones. And since Grandpa Dennis' birthday is so close to Easter this year, we combined the celebrations and had one giant bonanza complete with pizza, an egg hunt, playing with Buddy, skinning elbows on trees, cake and ice cream.

Grandma Susan holding Miriam while Miriam holds a plastic egg and drops a jelly bean.

Seth helping Bekah play the "ocarina whistle" she found while egg hunting.

#3 The Scott hunt
Yesterday after church (where Ana gave her very first talk in Primary), we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Scott's house where we dined on ham and found more eggs. We also played a repetitive game of button, button (for Bekah and Ana's sake), a game of charades (in which Bekah and Ana acted everything out) and made easter baskets (well, Bekah and Ana did).

Analee and Rebekah finishing off the egg hunt while Grandma Scott supervises.

Bekah climbing the swing set while Ana swings.

Bekah and Ana play on the slide while Cousin Bennet watches.

To see more pictures of egg huntin' (and some funny expressions Seth pulls while giving underdogs), click here.

Miri-ism #1

2011-04-20T10:31:00.004-06:00

I know, I know. The kid's 1. She doesn't talk (besides "Mama," "Dada," and a few animal sounds). But perhaps an -ism can apply not only to words but also to actions? Sure it can! This is my blog, dangit! (To be said in a Picard-esque voice:) Make it so!

Note: Miriam has been reluctant to even try walking. She's taken a few occasional steps here and there, but mostly she resorts to crawling and cruising around the furniture.

Today after loading dishes, Andrea closed the door to the dishwasher. Miriam, who had been leaning on the door and exploring the contents of the dishwasher, was suddenly standing on her own in the middle of the kitchen.

Andrea: Miriam! Look at you! You're standing all by yourself!
Miriam: Slowly looks down at her feet and legs. When it dawns on her exactly what she's doing, she teeters, totters and topples onto her bum.

Ana the artist

2011-04-20T08:43:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Analee drew pictures of (most of) the family. Maybe it's because she has an older sister who models behaviors for her, but Ana draws and writes much better than I would expect from a not-even-4-year-old girl.

Ana made sure to point out that I have a heart-shaped mouth.

(Each of these is a separate piece of paper, but I scanned them and made a composite image.)

Bekahism #39

2011-04-17T13:48:00.002-06:00

Bekah had been invited to a birthday party at a restaurant. As Andrea was dropping her off, she reminded Bekah that she had gone to the restaurant once before with her cousins. Bekah tried to remember ...

Bekah: Was it when I was four? 'Cause 5-year-olds don't remember when they were four. That's the weird thing about 5-year-olds.

Miri's 12-month checkup UPDATE

2011-04-13T11:04:00.002-06:00

Who knew a 12-month checkup warranted an update?

Yesterday when I got home from chauffeur duties (picking Ana up from preschool, taking Bekah to dance, shopping and picking up Bekah from dance), I noticed that we had a message on our answering machine. I called the pediatrician's office back as they had asked and heard some surprising news. Apparently when the lab ran Miri's blood to check for lead poisoning (because our house was built in 1972), they saw that she's somewhat anemic.

What I don't understand is why that didn't crop up after the hospital's blood test from our recent ER visit. But hey ... maybe the hospital wasn't looking for that?

Anyway, it's a good thing Miriam is such a champ at taking medicine (unlike her eldest sister who always threw it up). We'll be supplementing her diet with iron for the next 30 days and then take her back in to the pediatrician's office to see if it's helping her.

Miri's 12-month checkup

2011-04-12T14:25:00.002-06:00

Lucky girl! Miri got to see two doctors in one day! The first was the aforementioned ophthalmologist (DANG! I'm getting so good at spelling that one! I did it on the first try!). The second was the pediatrician. Miriam got more immunizations yesterday (poor girl can't catch a break ... she's getting poked and prodded by everyone, it seems) and her 1-year checkup. Here's how she measured up:

MIRIAM (12.5 months)
Height: 29.75 inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 19 pounds, 5 ounces (20th percentile)
Head circumference: 18.5 inches (93rd percentile)

She still is shrimpy (but if you've seen her at mealtime, you KNOW she's not underfed ... she wolfs down everything in sight), but long and big-headed (as per Grover tradition). I'm still amazed she HAS head circumference percentile.

And because all good parents constantly compare and contrast their children, here are the other girls' stats from about the same time:

ANALEE (13 months)
Height: 30.25 inches (70th percentile)
Weight: 20 pounds, 15 ounces (35th percentile)
Head circumference: I don't have the exact numbers, but it was completely off the charts.

REBEKAH (12 months)
Height: 28 inches (25th percentile)
Weight: 18 pounds, 9 ounces (10th percentile)
Head circumference: See Ana's.

Miri's procedure, Part V (or "The case of the missing plug")

2011-04-12T09:39:00.003-06:00

Since the last chapter of the "Miri's Procedure" chronicles, she has been doing fine. No fever. No ER trips. No middle-of-the-night awakenings. We figured we were in the clear until Miri's 6-week post-op checkup when she would have the punctal plug and tube removed from her left eye.

Miri just had a plug on the bottom since her upper tear duct is obstructed by bone.

However, somewhere along the line, Miri took care of the plug herself.

I'm not sure when, how or where the plug and tube went missing, but I do know that when I pulled her lower lid down Sunday to have a peek at the plug, it seemed to be missing. I called the ophthalmologist's office yesterday, and we went in to see the doctor today.

The good news: Even though Miri somehow got her grubby fingers on that tiny plug and pulled it out early, her eyes appear to be just fine. As long as we can keep her sinus-infection free for the next month or so, she should be in the clear. (A sinus infection would cause inflammation that could close up her lower ducts again.)

The bad news: I have no idea where that plug and tube are. Did she ingest it after yanking it from her eye? Is it hiding in her bedding somewhere? Have the big girls found it and used it as an accessory for their Barbies?

We may never know.

Toothless

2011-04-06T15:52:00.003-06:00

Bekah's had a loose tooth for ... let's see ... probably months now. I swear, this was the slowest loosening tooth ever. And in the meantime, she was evolving into a shark--a permanent tooth had sprouted up behind her loose tooth.

Although I told Seth that it couldn't be THAT bizarre (after all, I remember my bottom permanent teeth doing the same thing), he was skeptical at best. Finally I decided that it couldn't hurt to call the dentist's office.

The nice lady on the other end of the phone assured me that it wasn't uncommon for that to happen, but she did recommend that Bekah see the dentist because sometimes when the permanent tooth comes up behind, it makes it difficult for the baby tooth to come out.

Bekah was as happy as a clam as we went to the office. "I might get a tooth pulled!" I didn't tell her what that would entail (blood, pain, etc.) just in case it didn't have to come out today.

But the dentist deemed both front teeth worthy of extraction. So Bekah endured the numbing goop. (See how dentistry savvy I am so know such a technical term?) And then the needle came. She squirmed. She cried. She asked for it to stop. When the dentist came in and started moving the baby teeth around, Bekah could still feel it, so the needle came out again. "Not the needle again!" Bekah shrieked. This time around, it took a little more work to keep her still in the chair.

In the end, she survived the trip and came out better for it. Not only did she get to keep her baby teeth and a packet of gauze, but she also got a balloon, a ring and a snazzy tooth-shaped container to put her baby teeth in (one of which she has already lost).

The gaping holes where her teeth used to be. ::Shiver:: Honestly, I don't know how you do it, Jon (my older brother who is a dentist, for those of you who don't know). Even though she's my beautiful daughter, I REALLY don't like looking at those pits in her gums. Kinda gross.

Minus two baby teeth, but plus one permanent tooth. We hope it moves up where it's supposed to go.

Despite her sobbing at the dentist's office, she's all smiles now.

Doing better

2011-04-06T11:09:00.004-06:00

I'm happy to report that Miriam has been without a fever for a whole 72 hours now. She's definitely on the mend. However, somewhere along the way, we discovered that she had cut another tooth on the bottom. I wonder what could have distracted us from noticing that ...

Here's a picture to illustrate how happy she's been:

While I was making broccoli cheese soup yesterday, Miriam crawled into the drawer under the oven and played with the pots, pans and spoons that were in there. Why were there spoons in the drawer, you ask? Bekah had been asked to put away all the pots and pans she had gotten out for her "band" the previos day, and apparently she put the "drumsticks" away with the "drums."

Miri's procedure, Part IV

2011-04-03T09:14:00.003-06:00

This post isn't actually another step in the procedure. In fact, it would probably be more accurate to call it another update of Part III. But a four-hour trip to the ER deserves its own Roman numeral, don't you agree?

Remember Miri's temperature of 104.6? I thought we had reached the upper limit of her fever at that point. However, the following early morning (Saturday at 3 a.m.), she woke up again with a high fever. Our thermometer read 105. We called the ophthalmologist who asked if she showed any signs of seizing. We told him she wasn't. We gave her more ibuprofen, a sponge bath and finally a full-body lukewarm bath. That brought her temp down to somewhere around 101. We put her back to bed.

The next morning, she acted better and felt less fevered. She had her usual morning nap, and when she woke up, Seth retrieved her from the crib. She felt horrendously warm again, so we checked her temp and immediately packed up the kids, dropped the big girls off at Grandma Susan's house and rushed to the ER. Miri's temperature was 106.

Considering our last ER experience, I figured we were in for a long wait. But after we told the receptionist what Miri's temperature was, we went almost straight to triage and then back to see a nurse and the doctor. The Motrin they gave her brought her temperature down, but the doctor was (rightly) concerned with the height of her fever and number of times it had spiked in the last couple of days. He ordered a chest x-ray, a blood test and a blood culture.

The nurse and I hold Miri still on the bed while another nurse takes an x-ray.

When the results came back, the doctor was confident that Miriam did not have meningitis, which was the worst-case scenario. He and our ophthalmologist agreed that the fever had probably been caused by an infection that had been already present and "stirred up" during the surgery. (Which makes sense since we had to postpone the surgery in the first place due to Miri's sickness.)

The doctor ordered IV antibiotics, and 45 minutes later, we finally left the hospital.

Seth holding Miriam while she checks out her IV.

Gratefully, we all slept through the night last night. And although Miriam still had a fever of 100.5 this morning, the acetaminophen brought it down and and she started acting like her cute self. We'll keep praying for her, but we really think (and hope) that the worst of this is behind us.

Miri's procedure, Part III UPDATE

2011-04-01T12:20:00.004-06:00

I figured the day after the surgery (yesterday) would be the worst. Apparently I was wrong.

Miriam had a bit of a fever yesterday, so I took her to a 24-hour care facility since she woke up from her very long afternoon nap after our ophthalmologist's and pediatrician's offices were both closed. The doctor there looked in her ears and mouth and listened to her lungs. He reported that everything looked good and that it's not unusual for babies to get fevers post-op.

Then this morning at 1:30, we awoke to Miri's screams. Seth responded more quickly than I, so he lifted Miri out of her crib and exclaimed, "She's burning up!" I gave her ibuprofen, and Seth and I debated whether one of us should take her to the ER. Instead, we decided to try and lower her temp (104.6°) ourselves by stripping her and putting in a lukewarm bath.

The bath was torturous for everyone involved. Miri screamed like a banshee. I cried. Seth asked if I needed to leave. Then Seth gave Miriam a priesthood blessing of healing. We kept her in the bath a little longer, and then we took her out, dressed her in just a diaper and onesie, and checked her temperature again. We're not exactly sure what it was (we need a new thermometer--her temp ranged from 98 to 101°, according to it), but it had definitely gone down.

I held her for a while in the rocking chair as she snuggled in my arms. The poor girl was exhausted from all the screaming, bathing and fever-having. Eventually, I put her back in bed and she slept until 7 a.m. Remarkably, she didn't have a fever when Seth brought her in to nurse this morning. However, she has one now, so she's been medicated all day, and we're going to go to the ophthalmologist's (INTERRUPTION: That's the first time I've spelled that word correctly without having to use the spell check/suggestions!) office to get an antibiotic later on this afternoon.

Right at this moment, she's acting a little more like herself, but most of the morning she laid around and didn't show much of an interest in anything. We hope she can bounce back to being our sweet, happy little girl soon.

Miri, two days post-op. The bruises have darkened, and she's not as perky. The only thing she's shown much interest in is the camera lens (notice the blobby thumb in the foreground on the left side).

MIri's procedure, Part III (or "The end?")

2011-03-31T08:53:00.005-06:00

I'm happy to report that Miriam is alive and well ... um, at least in the process of getting well from her surgery yesterday. I was much calmer this time around since we had already had the dress rehearsal. The anesthesiologist gave her lungs a green light, so the nurses took her back to the operating room as scheduled at 7 a.m.

Miriam hanging out on the baby hospital bed. We kept her entertained with her book and monkey before the surgery.

She also did a bit of exploring before being taken back.

When the doctor was finished, he came out to talk to us. Apparently our kid is even more screwed up than we thought. They couldn't put the tubes in the upper and lower ducts to make a loop because her upper ducts are obstructed by bone that never opened up the way it was supposed to. So, as far as I understand it, the doctor was able to probe through the bone on the right eye in the upper duct, and we put a tube and plug through the lower duct on the left eye.

After that, I don't know anything the doctor said. Miriam had woken up in recovery, and the nurse handed her to me so I could comfort her. I heard something about her possibly needing more surgery later to correct the left eye, but maybe not because some people live whole and happy lives with their upper duct(s) obstructed. I wasn't trying to ignore the man, but I was too wrapped up in caring for my baby.

She was inconsolable and incredibly doped up at first, which is a weird combination. She would squirm and cry, then snooze on my shoulder only to wake up again to squirm and cry some more. After the nurse gave her two different forms of painkiller (IV and oral), she settled down.

Miriam sad and hurting after surgery. She had a drippy, bloody nose for the rest of the day.

Miriam dozing after surgery. Since she hadn't eaten anything that morning, I tried nursing her after surgery; her nose was too stuffy to stay latched on, so we had the nurse fill her sippy cup with apple juice. During her non-dozing moments, she would take a drink from the cup before falling asleep again.

I brought her home, and she slept until about 3 p.m. Then she acted more or less like her cute little self. I could tell she was getting tired after dinner, but I didn't want her napping that late, so we kept her up until 7 p.m., fed her, and put her down for the night.

She woke up this morning at 5:30 crying and with a little bit of a fever. With more ibuprofen and some cuddling and Cosby, she settled down but didn't go back to sleep until her regular morning nap time.

Today was an ordinary day except for the looks I got from people in Winco (I swear, people ... I don't beat my 1-year-old) and Miri falling asleep in my arms while I was visiting teaching.

We'll go back to the ophthalmologist's office to remove the tube in the left eye's lower duct in 6-8 weeks. This time, I won't be too preoccupied to ask the doctor some questions about what happened and what happens next.

Miri, one day post-op. She's swollen and bruised, but she's still smiling (and eating, if any of those crumbs did, in fact, make it into her mouth).

Miriam is 1

2011-03-28T10:54:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated Miriam's first birthday with an ocean-themed party. We wanted to make sure that we made it a night to remember, so we flew out to the coast and rented a yacht big enough to accommodate all 100 of our closest friends and family members. The glass-blowing classes I've taken turned out to be very useful since I wanted to have custom-made centerpieces that reflect different types of oceanic life. The sea turtles proved to be the most difficult to create. I also made a seafood buffet complete with caviar. Miri delved into the seven-tier cake (one tier for each of the seas). The trained dolphins did a marvelous job of using bike horns to play "Happy Birthday" so that we could sing along.

All right, so the above paragraph is all one huge lie. Wait ... that last sentence is a lie. Because the first six words were true.

We did, in fact, celebrate Miriam's birthday yesterday by going to church, letting her take a nap when we got home, eating dinner together and then having the grandparents over for presents and cupcakes. Behold!

Analee and Rebekah help Miriam open her presents while Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis watch. (Grandpa had shoulder surgery two weeks ago, hence the sling.) I had to keep retrieving Miri and putting her back in front of the presents; she was too interested in saying hello to everybody.

Analee helping Miriam try on her princess bath towel that Grandma Scott made. Miriam wasn't too interested in wearing the towel. Ana, on the other hand, pranced and swayed in it all night.

Miriam sucking on the bottom of her cupcake. She held this pose for five minutes. Notice the big smear of frosting on her tray along with the drops of dried wax from her candle. Seth had to yank it out of the way when she reached for the flame.

The face of a happy one-year-old who loved her cupcake.

Grandma Scott holding a now clean and undressed Miriam while she plays with the English/Spanish radio she got from Seth and me.

To see more pictures, click here.

Miriam is scheduled to have her one-year checkup this Wednesday, but I have to reschedule it because she's also scheduled to have her tear duct intubation the same day. So I'll post her weight and height later.

Miriam knows how to say "bye" (and wave), "oo ah" (what a monkey says), "getcha" (which is accompanied by her opening and closing her fists to demonstrate that she wants you to tickle her) and "mom" (which she says if she wants anybody, not just me). She cruises all along the furniture, and she has taken a few steps on her own, but usually she chickens out when we encourage her to walk and crawls instead. She has been able to climb up the stairs for some time now, but in the last few days she has figured out how to go down the stairs as well. She has the most incredibly ticklish feet. Miriam loves to tell people what a fish says (done by pushing the lips together and pulling them apart quickly to make a popping sound) and amuses herself by clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth.

She's a sweet, mellow little girl who loves her sisters, parents, grandparents and other family members. She also loves her jungle animal blankie and sleeps with it every night; we often find corners of it wet from where she has sucked on it.

The cutest albuterol treatment you'll ever witness

2011-03-17T08:59:00.001-06:00

How to keep your kid from screaming through a whole treatment: Hold both her hands in your own. Turn on some Baby Einsteins for her to watch. The end.

Getting my craft on

2011-03-16T16:51:00.004-06:00

Lately I've been inspired by some craft blogs to pull out some of my scrap fabric and create ... stuff. Here's what happened:

Ana in a twirly circle skirt (instructions found here) made with the leftover fabric from her shirt. That's right. I made all three girls matching shirts months ago, and just now I used the rest of it for a skirt for Ana.

The skirt in all its twirly glory.

Bekah in a pillowcase dress (instructions found on various websites after I Googled "pillowcase dress") made from ... no, not a pillowcase. Made from fabric that Grandma Hendricks gave me. The red fabric is leftover from Miriam's stocking.

Another pillowcase dress made from Bekah's leftover quilt fabrics.

I must say, it's been very satisfying making these cute clothes, but nothing else has been done around the house today. Oops! Well, nothing besides taking Miri to the surgical center, followed by the pediatrician's office followed by the pharmacy. Okay. Maybe I deserved a little creative time.

Miri's procedure, Part II UPDATE

2011-03-16T16:47:00.003-06:00

I took Miriam to the pediatrician, and we found out that NOT ONLY does she have another ear infection, but she ALSO has bronchiolitis. She endured a 10-minute albuterol treatment with the nebulizer (which she screamed through) and an antibiotic shot that I was promised would be beefier than the amoxicillin she received for her other two ear infections.

We're hoping this will clear things up for her so she can have her surgery in a week or two.

Miri's procedure, Part II (or "Psych!")

2011-03-16T08:59:00.004-06:00

The tear duct probe didn't work. Less than two weeks after the experience, Miriam's eyes were tearing up again. But rather than calling the ophthalmologist's office right away to schedule the intubation, I held off hoping that the problem would take care of itself.

In the meantime, Miriam suffered from several ear infections. We realized that her recurring illness was probably linked to her blocked ducts, so I finally bit the bullet and called the office. Monday morning, Miri saw Dr. Affleck again, and he explained the surgery to us and helped us schedule a time at the surgical center.

Today was the day. Since we had to be to the center by 6:10 a.m., my dad came over to be with the big girls as they woke up. Miri didn't like waking up before 6; she complained the whole time Seth changed her diaper and strapped her in her car seat.

Then we had the usual pre-surgical experience: signing papers, having our insurance card copied, answering questions, changing the patient into mini hospital gown and waiting.

An awesome cell phone shot of Miri in her hospital gown at the Idaho Falls Surgical Center.

Seth keeping Miri entertained by allowing her to play with his watch.

When the anesthesiologist came into our room, he did the typical pre-op check. But after listening to her lungs, repositioning the stethoscope and listening again, I could tell that something was up.

Following a thorough explanation of the whole anesthetic process involved with the surgery, he told us what I thought he'd been leading up to all along: he didn't want Miri to go under today. She's had a runny nose and junky cough for days now, and he could hear the nastiness in her lungs. He was afraid the anesthesia could pose a risk with her body already weakened from the sickness.

So no tubes for now. Instead, we're making a trip to the pediatrician's office to see if they can prescribe something to clear her up so we can try again in a week or two. It's a vicious circle--her sickness is caused by the blocked ducts that we were trying to have fixed but can't because she's sick.

However, I am extremely grateful to the anesthesiologist for suggesting that we wait. On Monday evening, Seth and Grandpa Hendricks gave Miriam a priesthood blessing during which Seth said that the doctors would be blessed with the skills and knowledge necessary to perform the procedure. I know that this morning's experience is a result of that doctor's knowledge. I would much rather wake up at 5:20 another morning (which is saying a lot) than do something now that could hurt my baby.

You're older than you've ever been, and now you're even older ...

2011-03-15T09:17:00.002-06:00

I'm getting old. I know, I know ... everyone is thinking, "What?! Andrea, how is that even possible? You're a spry 28!" But I feel it comin'. The terrible march of time does not stop for any woman ... even a woman who is only in her upper mid-twenties.

Case in point #1: My eyes. I got glasses my senior year of high school, which some may think would put a crimp in my superior-senior ego. However, I was a Grade A nerd, so the glasses just exemplified that. I was down with glasses. I wore them in class and to drive, but I didn't need to wear them at home or when I shot photos (I hated the frames butting up against the viewfinder).

Fast forward four years. Seth and I were newlyweds, and I was shooting a wedding reception. I confided in Seth that my camera lens must not be working properly: I could get everyone NEARLY in focus, but not entirely. He suggested that I wear my glasses to shoot. I told him my eyesight didn't warrant that. But, considering the fact that it costs nothing to put glasses on but mucho dinero to ship a lens off to get fixed, I put them on. Magically, my lens was working! Since then, I always shoot pictures with my glasses on. (And my lens always works.)

Fast forward seven more years. Now I find that I have to wear my glasses when I'm reading at night. And when I watch TV at night. And when I'm on the computer in the morning. And when I'm grocery shopping during the day. And when I'm reading and eating breakfast in the morning ... which drives me crazy because (for some dumb reason) I HATE wearing glasses while I eat, but unless I put them on, I find myself squinting at Joel Stein's column and eating a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats.

Case in point #2: The rest of me. Back in the day, I played a lot of volleyball. I was on the school team. I was on the club team. After high school, I took a wallyball class, participated on several intramural volleyball and wallyball teams and played once a week during open gym time in the fieldhouse. But since getting married, teaching school, having babies and the like, I quit playing for many-a-year.

Until a few months ago when a beloved high school friend invited me to participate in her stake's volleyball nights. The first time I came home from our pickup volleyball game, I was SORE. So sore I couldn't go up and down the stairs without moaning. So sore it hurt to laugh. So sore I would have cried if I thought it wouldn't have hurt.

I'm happy to say that my body doesn't scream in pain after volleyball night any more. But the other night, I had to dive/kneel to receive a floating serve that had dropped suddenly. I landed hard on my right knee--the one I had injured in high school and had to have surgically repaired. After passing the ball, I knew my knee was going to hurt. And it did. Even though it didn't hinder my playing for the rest of the night, I was careful with that leg.

The next day, my knee just didn't feel right. I couldn't explain it. I knew I hadn't blown a ligament or torn cartilage like the last time I'd hurt it, because I could at least WALK. But I felt uneasy about it.

When I explained it to Seth, he had the answer: "You're getting old."

And ain't that the sad truth. Even though I feel like I finished high school yesterday, the kids currently attending Bonneville still had most their baby teeth when I graduated. They consider Green Day's "Time of Your Life"--a song that played pretty much nonstop on the radio throughout my high school experience and was featured on every slide show--to be an oldie.

So for now I'll wear my glasses. And I'll try to take care of myself while I'm being active (my knee is fine now, by the way). And I'll try to remember that I'm no longer a spring chicken.

As for you, you just wasted two minutes of your life reading about my aging woes. Those are two minutes you'll never get back. In the words of the ever-wise They Might Be Giants, "And now you're older still."

Ana-ism #11

2011-03-13T13:38:00.002-06:00

At Primary today, Ana was asked to give the opening prayer. Before she bowed her head and closed her eyes, however, she had to take advantage of the microphone to give a little impromptu speech.

Ana: I remembered to bring my CTR ring to Primary today. Isn't that so good?

(Side note: Seth had found the CTR ring on the floor of the chapel before church started, and since it had been left there for a week, he thought it would be okay to give it to Ana.)

Bekahism #38

2011-03-13T13:35:00.002-06:00

While driving in the van one day, Bekah and Ana were busy playing with their Slinkys. Bekah's Slinky was the daddy, and Ana's Slinky was the mommy.

Bekah: Hi, baby.
Analee: No, my Slinky is the MOMMY, not the baby.
Bekah: Sometimes husbands call their wives "baby" because husbands love babies. And their wives are like babies to them.

Cabin trip, winter 2011

2011-02-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

I told Seth I wouldn't have anything blog-worthy to report on during our winter retreat because the pipes didn't freeze (like last year), the pipes didn't freeze (like the year before), we opted not to sleep on the "black-hole bed" (like the year before), and we didn't get stuck in the snow (like the year before (P.B. (pre-blog)).

So ... we went to Island Park last weekend. We stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin (and we love them so much because they let us). We went sledding on a nearby snowmobile trail. We drank hot chocolate and apple cider. We played in the snow in the yard. We watched movies (Unstoppable for us, Elmo in Grouchland and "Elmo's World" for the girls). We attended church in the Island Park building. We packed up. We came home.

In short, a good time was had by all.

Except ... what should have been an uneventful first night. Miriam slept in the bedroom downstairs. Seth, Andrea, Bekah and Analee all slept on the beds in the loft. Andrea took two Benadryl to (hopefully) make up for the lack of a humidifier (to create white noise) and the closeness of the sleeping children. Turns out, I needed something stronger than that.

Bekah woke up three times throughout the night in what can only be described as "freak-outs." Seriously. The first time, she startled us awake by yelling, "Mommy, Mommy!" After I bolted to her bedside, it didn't take me long to figure out that the child wasn't really conscious. So after I reassured her that everything was okay, I tucked her back in and spent the next 20 minutes trying to fall back asleep. This was repeated twice more ("Daddy, Daddy!" then "(Mumble, mumble, mumble) need more light!") with a similar routine of reassurance.

Needless to say, I was tired the next day. And the ever-sweet Seth took the girls out in the afternoon to play while Miri and I took afternoon naps.

Anyway, you're not here to listen to my sleeplessness woes; you're here to see cute/fun pictures:

Miriam's opinion of sledding has not changed. Please excuse her runny nose; the poor kid is getting over an ear infection, and she just cut her two top teeth.

Bekah hiking back up the snowmobile trail/hill while Seth pulls Ana in the sled.

Analee playing in the snow at the side of the road by the snowmobile trail.

Back at the cabin, Seth dug out a snow cave for the girls to play in. That is, they played in it until Seth walked through the roof of it.

Bekah playing in the "fort" she discovered on the side of the cabin. There is so much snow in Island Park that the drifts reach up to the slide-off from the cabin's roof.

Didn't believe me about the amount of snow? Here is the truck in the plowed-out driveway. And there is Rebekah on top of the unplowed-out yard.

To view more, click here (and skip past the first four pictures ... they're from a previous sledding excursion).

This is what happens ...

2011-02-25T12:22:00.002-07:00

This is what happens when your baby's hair is long enough that it falls in her eyes so you use a clip to keep it out of her eyes but her hair is still so fine that it doesn't stay in very well so at naptime the clip slides down in her hair and she falls asleep on her tummy with the clip on her forehead being smashed into the mattress. (Dare you to say that five times fast.)

Math genius

2011-02-21T10:08:00.002-07:00

Bekah came out of her room last night after we had tucked her in to ask a very important question.

"Is five times two plus five times two twenty?"

As my mind was still trying to put everything together, Seth answered, "Yes, Bekah. Now go back to bed."

He then repeated her question to me ((5 x 2) + (5 x 2) = 20) so I could understand what had just happened.

I just hope Seth is brushing up on his calculus so that when she brings her third-grade math home, he can help her. Because heaven knows I'm not gonna keep up with her.

First (okay, second) ponytail

2011-02-10T09:06:00.008-07:00

Miriam's hair is starting to get a little out of control. If she were a boy, we'd shave her head and be done with it. But because that's socially unacceptable for a baby girl, we're doing what we can to keep it out of her eyes. (We did her first ponytail for church on Sunday and I didn't take any pictures of it, hence the admittance in the title.)

If you look closely, you'll see that her tear duct-probe turned out to be unsuccessful. Sigh. ... We'll wait until after she turns 1 to see if she needs the tubes.

Bekah had much more hair when she was born, so by the time she was a few months old, she was being subjected to the silly top-of-the-head ponytail.

Bekah sporting the top/side pony when she was less than five months old.

Ana took her time growing her hair out. And since it's not stick-straight like her sisters, she got away without the ponytail or pigtails for a long time. When we did resort to it, it was super-cute because of her curly hair. It was like little fountains on top of her head.

Ana with pigtails at 21 months.

Poor Rebekah and Miriam ... they're "blessed" with their momma's straight hair that falls straight into their eyes. But when you're an adorable baby, you can get away with having antennae.

h-e-double-hockeysticks (Ana-ism #11)

2011-02-05T20:48:00.002-07:00

Setting: Seth and Analee are playing with Miri and her little toy telephone
Seth: Hello? Hello? Is Miriam there?
Ana: Daddy. Miriam is too little, she can't talk yet. She can't even say "Hello."
Seth: She can't?
Ana: Babies can't say "hello." She can only say "hell."

Bekah Grover ≠ Bear Grylls

2011-02-02T16:07:00.004-07:00

My kid is smart. I mean, she's halfway through kindergarten, and she has already earned 9.7 AR points. Her teacher tells me that she's pleased that Bekah still enjoys school because she already knows everything that they're working on right now.

So how come she's not smart enough to survive the winter?

Here's the story:

Today the doorbell rang right after 3 p.m. just like it does every day. Only, instead of finding a cheerful little girl excited to be home from her day of kindergarten, I found a poor little girl with tears running down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?!" I asked, alarmed.

"I'm cold!" she whimpered.

Of course she was cold. It's currently 4 degrees outside. No, I didn't skip a digit. It's F-O-U-R degrees outside! But she was a heck of a lot colder than she could/should have been. Because her coat wasn't zipped up. And her hood wasn't up. And her mittens were nowhere to be seen. And in her hand, she held a shiny, red apple. A juicy, shiny, red apple. With its liquid contents seeping over her bare little hand.

So I rushed her inside. And I made her stand next to the fireplace. And I tried to assess how cold she really was. When she told me that her fingers hurt and screamed when I touched them, I immediately ran downstairs to ask my good friend, webmd.com, just how bad the situation was. I looked up "frostbite symptoms" and "how to treat frostbite" as quickly as possible. And I made her put her hand in a pitcher of warm water.

I'm happy to report that she's now fine. Her fingers warmed up and stopped hurting. She's even using them again.

I just hope my genius child can remember her mittens and keep her fingers long enough to ace her future spelling tests.

Sledding

2011-01-21T08:24:00.002-07:00

We had promised the girls that we would go sledding as a family, but it just wasn't working. If we didn't already have plans on the weekend, it was much too frigid to venture out. Last weekend, however, we had the perfect combination of warmer temps and an open schedule.

Bekah was super gung-ho about the whole thing. As soon as we got to Freeman Park, she took off running to the hill with her saucer, zoomed down and ran back up again exclaiming, "Wa-hoo!"

After Seth pointed out the jumps that other people had built up, Bekah positioned her sled to hit one every time. She even thought the huge berm that had been built up in front of an electrical box to keep people from hitting it was a jump as well.

Ana was a little more reserved. She enjoyed going down a few times, but she also spent a lot of time sitting on the little fence at the top of the hill. Or checking out the picnic shelter.

Or pulling the little sled around.

Miriam was the least-enthused of all. She tolerated going down the hill a few times, but mostly she just whined.

Seth and Miriam after a run down the hill on a saucer.

This next picture pretty well sums up Miri's feelings for sledding.

Meh.

Analee Dances

2011-01-19T21:48:00.003-07:00

Analee dances. More photos are available in the album.

Miri's procedure

2011-01-12T09:04:00.004-07:00

Miri has been a crybaby since the day she was born. It's not that she's overly emotional or fussy; she's actually a very mellow baby. Rather, she had blocked tear ducts. Sometimes people would comment on how sad our baby must be because of her watery eyes or tears running down her cheeks.

I brought up the issue with our pediatrician when Miri was just weeks old. He prescribed eye drops to get rid of the extra gunk her eyes were producing, and he told us to wait. Apparently, some plugged ducts clear up on their own.

When that didn't work, the pediatrician suggested that we massage the inside corners of her eyes to help them open up.

When that didn't work, I had to schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist to see if we could take care of the problem before it became a bigger problem.

At our appointment yesterday, he explained that in some babies' tear ducts, the membranes that are supposed to open up and become valves don't. Miriam's problem was her upper valve. He told me that probing the tear duct is the next step in opening up the valves, and if I wanted him to, he could do it right then and there.

Since the big girls were happily watching a movie with my dad at his place and I'd have to shell out an extra co-pay to schedule another time to do the procedure, I gave the doctor the okay.

A lovely diagram I borrowed from webmd.com.

His assistant came in and strapped Miri to a papoose board and held her head while the doctor administered a numbing eye drop, then used a tool to open up the tear duct before inserting a thin, flexible wire into the canal. Of course, Miri was none too pleased. She screamed and cried like I haven't heard before. After the doctor flushed the canal with water, he had to repeat the steps with the other eye.

Once free from the board, Miri glared at the doctor and happily accepted her pacifier and some snuggles from me. The doctor sounded positive about the probing. He said that sometimes babies have a lot of bone around the upper valve, which leads to unsuccessful probing. He didn't feel that with Miri's eyes, however.

We're hopeful this took care of the problem. Already, Miriam's eyes are less watery, and yesterday she cried her first real tear; it came from the inside corner of her eye instead of welling up until it overflowed from the middle. The doctor said to give it two to three weeks to make sure that the valve stays open. If not, we'll have to go to the hospital and have tubes inserted to force the valves open. Blech. I'm hoping we can avoid that.

Miri the day after her tear duct probing. She's a tiny bit swollen and red under her eyes, but otherwise fine.

A quick trip

2011-01-12T08:48:00.003-07:00

Four days after Christmas, we braved the nasty roads to go to Salt Lake. My brother's wife and kids were there visiting her family, and since Salt Lake is SO much closer than San Antonio, this was a great chance to horn in on a Genetti family get-together to see our Texas family. (Ethan was in Iraq at the time, but he's home now! Huzzah!)

It was a quick there-and-back trip with just one night in the hotel. But we managed to pack in a lot of fun things along the way.

Before the Texas cousins showed up, we took the time to view the Christus at the North Visitors' Center at Temple Square. Here Analee and Seth view the statue.

Grandpa Scott tells the grandkids about their ancestor, Henry Grow, who helped to design and build the domed roof of the Tabernacle.

The grandkids on the temple steps. Mason, Samuel, Spencer, Rebekah and Analee. (Miriam was asleep in the stroller.)

After dinner that evening, Teressa, her boys and Grandma and Grandpa Scott stuck around Temple Square to see the lights. Since it was blizzarding and we have a wee one, we opted out and went swimming at the hotel pool instead. Miriam LOVED the water! She kept splashing and splashing and didn't even mind when it got on her face.

Analee in the pool. Last year, she was fearless in the pool. Now she's older and wiser. She wouldn't go in the pool without two forms of flotation.

The next day, we visited the planetarium at the Gateway. Bekah was an insatiable appetite for learning about all things science-related, so she really enjoyed all the displays. Here she is bouncing on the moon-like landscape.

Miriam getting a shoulder ride from Andrea. This baby is obsessed with hair. She loves pulling it and laughs merrily as she does.

After the planetarium, we grabbed some lunch before heading home on dry roads. Analee enjoyed her Dairy Queen ice cream cone at the Gateway food court.

To see more pictures from our trip and Christmas, click here.

Christmas festivities

2011-01-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's mid-January and I'm JUST blogging about Christmas?! But here's the deal. I was waiting on pictures. And I'm lazy. And you know how the holidays get crazy-busy. And I'm lazy. And I'm lazy. Did I say that one already?

So, without further ado, here's how we spent our Christmas!

Christmas Eve was 100 percent perfect. We started out the day by visiting the Museum of Idaho's free Christmas exhibit. We let Bekah loose with the camera, and here's what she documented:

Various nativity displays, gingerbread houses, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah decor, Idaho history displays and a few self-portraits.

Next we drove to a neighbor's house for a sleigh ride.

Seth, Bekah (behind him in the silver coat) and Miriam riding on a two-horse open sleigh driven by our neighbor, Blake Ford.

Ana and Andrea on the sleigh. Bekah and Miri liked the ride, Ana ... not so much.

Then I had the pleasure of taking a 2-hour nap while Seth entertained the girls. (Like I said, a PERFECT Christmas Eve.)

Afterward, we loaded up the girls to go to Grandpa Wirkus' house for an evening of German fare and pajama presents from Grandma and Grandpa Scott.

Miriam getting a bite of red cabbage. She loved it.

Bekah and Ana modeling their new pajamas.

After dinner, we went to Seth's parents' house for more present opening and a Skype call with Seth's brother in Boston. (Unfortunately, we didn't have our camera with us.)

Christmas Day, I woke up too early (good thing I had that nap) and had to sneak downstairs to "read the Internet" (as Seth and I put it) before everyone else got up. I must have been too noisy, because shortly thereafter, the girls woke up. We had told them they weren't allowed out of bed before 7 a.m., but with everyone awake, we decided to go down 30 minutes early.

After the general unwrapping and gift enjoyment, Seth's parents came over and brought even more presents. Then we packed it up again and went to my parents' house for yet more presents.

Bekah looking at the fairy mermaid she received from Grandma and Grandpa Scott.

Analee inspecting her fairy mermaid.

Miriam the man-eater. She got a hold of the Ken doll Ana received from Santa.

Seth, Andrea and Ana reading on Grandma and Grandpa Scott's couch. Did I mention that Seth gave me a Kindle for Christmas? I'm not nearly cool enough to own such a device, but I must say that I love it.

9-month checkup

2011-01-03T16:02:00.003-07:00

Two days after Christmas, I dragged all three girls in to the doctor's office to get flu shots (actually, mist for the big girls) and to have Miri's well-baby checkup. The doctor said she's on target developmentally, but she's a little underweight. He suggested that I increase the number of times I nurse her a day. I nodded my head, yet disagreed internally. I know the way ours girls are: skinny and big-headed. Case in point:

Miriam at 9 months
Weight: 17 pounds, 10 ounces (29th percentile)
Height: 28.5 inches (82nd percentile)
Head: 18.25 inches (97th percentile)

Bekah exhibited our family's growth tendencies to the extreme:

Rebekah at 9 months
Weight: 15 pounds, 9 ounces (5th percentile)
Height: 26.5 inches (5th percentile)
Head: don't have the exact measurement or percentile, but it was off the charts

As long as my girls are happy and healthy, I'm happy too. And Miriam is obviously both--she eats well, sleeps well and fills her diapers. Who could ask for anything more?

What's that? You could ask for something more? All right, name it. I see. ... You want to see an extremely cute picture of all three of our girls getting cleaned up in our hotel room's bathtub following a splashy dip in the hotel pool on our recent excursion to Salt Lake City? Happy to oblige:

And while I'm at it ...

2010-12-27T14:59:00.002-07:00

Here are a few outtakes from our Christmas card shoot:

Seth and I have super powers. I can make my eyelashes disappear by blinking hard.

Seth can touch his chin with his tongue.

Christmas project #2

2010-12-27T13:28:00.003-07:00

So while I was busy with the Barbie house (see previous post), I was surprised when this showed up near my work space:

Back story: A while ago, Seth's mom gave us the pieces of a cradle that her father had made for her as a little girl. She thought maybe my dad could fix it up for our girls. I had nearly forgotten about it until it showed up unexpectedly. Apparently my dad had found the time (or made the time) to finish it.

Since it was so close to Christmas, I thought it would be perfect to finish it up for the girls as a present from Great-Grandpa Hendricks, Grandma Susan, Grandpa Scott, Seth and me.

You can distinguish the original pieces from the new ones in this shot.

Close-up of the headboard.

Lately I've become a craft-blog junkie. I've read all about refinishing furniture on this blog, and I really wanted to try her glazing technique on something. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity. I'm rather pleased with the results.

The family heirloom doll cradle, all fixed up and purdified. I made the quilt out of scraps of fabric given to me by Grandma Hendricks.

I stole another idea (scroll down to see the addition of the decorative wooden scroll) from the aforementioned blog and bought an extra piece to add to the headboard to give it more detail.

Now that I know how to glaze and have a nearly full quart of the stuff, I think other pieces of our furniture might be undergoing some changes ...

Christmas project #1

2010-12-27T13:04:00.003-07:00

Months ago (like, pre-Halloween) when Bekah was writing her first of many letters to Santa, she put "Barbie house" at the very top of her list. I knew that a store-bought house would cost anywhere from $50-$250, and I figured I could do better than that. So I Googled "Barbie house tutorial" and found this little beauty. I think I searched for a month before I found a five-drawer chest of drawers at a garage sale and snatched it up for $15.

After hours of hammering, priming, painting, wallpapering, upholstering, caulking and carpeting, it finally came together. (Good thing Bekah's kindergarten and Ana's preschool times overlapped so I could work without the prying eyes of little ones.) I wish I had "before" pictures, but alas ... I don't. So imagine a brown, stinky chest of drawers and then feast your eyes on this:

I can't claim all the glory; my dad helped, too. He built the peaked roof for the top.

Yeah, it doesn't have all the little extras that come with a licensed Barbie house (elevator, jacuzzi, flat-screen TV), but it will hold up a lot longer than a glorified hunk of plastic.

What's that you say? You want to see some close-ups? Happy to oblige.

The bedroom. Notice the jellyfish chandelier. I don't care how aquatic it looks; there was no way I would redo it. You don't realize how many hours it takes to thread beads onto floral wire and cut and shape them until you try it. The bed is made out a shoebox lid, four empty ribbon spools, part of a Kleenx box, scrapbook paper, an old sheet and some luxurious costume satin. I found the little dresser at a craft store and painted/Mod Podged it. The mirror came out of an old compact of mine.

The living/dining room. The table is a pre-cut wooden rectangle with an empty curling ribbon spool glued to the bottom of it. The couch and chairs are foam I already had with more luxurious costume satin. The tea set I found for $2 at Fred Meyer.

Pretty sweet, if you ask me. Especially since I found the wallpaper at D.I. ($2) and the carpet samples on clearance ($1/each).

Seth kept saying that one of Santa's elves must have worked really hard to make such a neat Barbie house. I'll tell you this: one of Santa's elves smiled extra-big as our girls saw the house Christmas morning and squealed with glee.

Christmas spirit

2010-12-27T05:31:00.003-07:00

The other day, I let the girls watch some TV while I got ready in the morning. They were spellbound, as always.

Just ignore Ana's finger placement. We're going to assume that her finger is NEXT to her nose.

Some of the shows they like to watch are annoying at best, insanity-inducing at worst. But I wholeheartedly approved of their choice that morning.

It just isn't Christmas without watching the Grinch.

From the other member of the Grover family

2010-12-24T21:04:00.003-07:00

This one has visions of sugarplums stuffed in his head.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Elf Yourself 2010

2010-12-22T18:56:00.001-07:00

(apologies for the low-quality rip/encoding...)

The Book of Grover

2010-12-22T08:48:00.002-07:00

The hard copies are in the mail (minus just a couple, but I'm getting more stamps today!) so here's the grand virtual unveiling of our annual Christmas card and newsletter. Enjoy!