My Friend Jenn, and my Christmas Pot!

So I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but we've been really busy lately. So I finally figured out who this "mystery Jenn" is. It took me a Christmas Card from her to figure it out. Duh Anna! You see I know ALOT of Jennifers, but this particular Jennifer was my best friend in 8th Grade! So we haven't been in touch, until just recently, for about 16 years. So she didn't even cross my mind. So here's the story. During my 8th grade year I had a group of girlfriends. We were really close and did everything together. Well one day a couple of the girls were sitting with me during lunch and started talking about the "leader of the group (Holly)", saying how mean she was and blah blah blah. They said she was a B*$#! And of course the sweet gullible thing I was went right along and agreed. Later that week at assembly they passed me a note. I was of course excited to get a note and opened it. As I sat in the dark trying to read it, I read something to the effect that they set me up with the "Holly thing". They know that I called her a B! and that they wouldn't be my friends anymore! They also passed it around to other girls and had it signed. All in the space of about 5 minutes I lost ALL of my friends. When assembly was over they got up from their seats and walked away from me and said no more. Of course I was completely devastated!! To make a really long story short, Jennifer Carpenter was a cute red head new in my ward, who was living with her little brother and Grandparents until her mom could "figure it out". She stepped up to the plate and we became instant best friends. Anyway, here is a picture of Jennifer when we were saying goodbye. I was really sad. I had to include the picture of me too. LOVE the Tivo Shoes with socks!

Jenn and I with our "new" group of friends at a slumber party.

Jennifer Again! (Sorry Jenn, no permission, but you look FAB!)

Here she is now with her Husband (who by the way, is a chef and gets really good deals on cookware).

Assembly Required

Potentially this could be a really long post, but I don't want to bore you all since I'm sure you've all had a Fabulous Christmas. We put our tree up the Monday before Thanksgiving, so we've been "celebrating" ever since. This last week was full of "Festivities"! We went to a friend's house Sunday evening for soup and white elephant gifts...Total Blast! Monday, my Grandma's house, Santa Clause, Children's nativity, and a gift from Santa...another Blast! Tuesday, Gabe and Christy's house for Football and Food...Blast Again! Wednesday and Thursday, my Mom's, food, movies, games, ginger bread houses, gifts...Blast! Friday, maybe not such a blast. We had many "things" to put together, and we took all the Christmas stuff down. It took the whole day. Thanks to my brother Derek and his new wife Amanda, we had babysitters for a few hours so we could watch a movie at Gabe and Christy's house. It has been a fun week! Today we are kicking back while it snows! Here are some pictures of our week. Enjoy!

A Big Thanks to Jenn!!!...Whoever you are?

Some of you already know this story, but for those of you who have not, I thought I'd share. So this last week we got a knock on the door from the UPS man. My husband answered and the man handed him this very large box. It said it was to me, so naturally I ask my husband..."Did you order me something for Christmas?" He just looked at me a bit awkwardly and said with a smile "hmm, you'll never know" followed by an un-readable grin. Apparently he was just kidding. He didn't know what it was or who it was from, because when I was in the other room he opened the box and began to read the card out loud which said, "AFTER READING YOUR "BOILING WATER" POST, I DECIDED THAT YOU SERIOUSLY NEED A NEW POT! MERRY CHRISTMAS! LOVE, JENN". I say to myself..."what?" "which Jenn do I know that would send me something so thoughtful?" I mean folks this is a very nice pot! And she must have spent a pretty penny on it. Who in the world would do such a nice thing? I wasn't complaining about my "one big pot" was I??? Anyway, I did some asking around and finally came to the conclusion that maybe I don't know this Jenn very well if at all. So JENN, Thank you so much!!! I haven't opened the beautifully wrapped box yet to see your very thoughtful gift . I thought I'd save that part for Christmas morning! So weather you were feeling bad for me, or just wanted to do something for someone else, I will never forget your kind gesture. I will definitely use it. Merry Christmas to you too! May God bless you in your life.

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

For the past couple nights I have been in desperate need to "get out". I love my kids, but sometimes I just need a break. Odd as it may seem, I'm not sure I have close enough friends that I can call and at the drop of a hat, just go out with for a girls night. I called my mom and she suggested that we go to a movie. So I checked movie listings and went out to a movie with my Mom and Dad. We went and saw this one I've never heard of called "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas". I guess it is a fiction dated back in the time of the Holocaust, based on a book. I really hate to say that I enjoyed the movie because it was quite depressing, BUT, can you honestly think of anything uplifting during that period of time? It was a well done story that portraits the Holocaust in the eyes of a child. It reminded me why God tells us to become as a little child. Only we as Adults could have ever created such horrible circumstances. I was left at the end with mixed emotions. Here is a clip of the trailer.

What do Ya do When it SNOWS?

You FINALLY invest in a snow shovel. We had one in Laramie, Alex thought it'd be nice to leave it to the new owners of our house there...since they were friends. We havn't bought one since. Our drive-way NEVER sees Sun the whole whinter, Therefore...it NEVER melts. It is also kind of sloped so you need a running start to get the car in the garage, as your tires will just spin when you go too slow.Alex shovled the neighbor's driveway....ours....and our other neighbor. What a nice guy.

Of course who could resist their first "taste" of fallen snow??? Mycah just wouldn't stop eating it! She loved that fluffy white!

Thanks to her big sister for teaching her that That is what you do with snow.

When we bought the snow shovel, we also had to buy Dejah some new snow boots. You see, my girls have this "oddity" of taking their shoes off wherever they go. Nice? You may think so if you like your newly layed carpet to stay clean. But my girls take them off in stores, cars, houses, churches, wherever...you name it! Socks too! And, they will do it when your back is turned, and you are making several stops. It makes for a very expensive "shoe budget"....And they aren't shoes for ME (which I REALLY hope Santa will bring me, since I am in desperate need...hint, hint, Alex :>) At some point in this last week...Dejah "LOST" her expensive snow boots. What do ya do?......

Just Eat Snow! Yum!

Dad Is Home!

Friday....the last day of the semester = NO More Homework! Friday....the last day of the semester = Alex off work for a month! So Friday came, and Alex came home singing songs at the top of his lungs. We are so excited to have him for a long Christmas break. The girls were climbing all over him almost the whole evening just squealing with joy. It was fun to watch.

We had some wintry weather this weekend. The forecast said it would come in Friday evening and snow all weekend long. This weekend was also Alex's brother Chase's Mission Farewell (if that made any sence). He's been called to Fort Worth Texas. They live about 3 hours away, and during bad weather, the roads can be pretty nasty. Since the entire crew of siblings decided to stay over, we hoped to be able to drive up Sunday morning to be there for the farewell. We woke up to snow and decided not to make the drive. I feel awful for missing it. So Chase, we are sorry. Congrats on the mission! We wish you the BEST experience and promise to be there when you get home!

No Big Deal

As I've had some days to think about this "Fifth Disease" thing, I'm not feeling as nervous or scared. I may have made it out to be a bigger deal than it needed. Thanks to all of you for your prayers. I guess I just didn't want to risk a miscarriage over a dumb kids virus. I guess the risk of miscarriage isn't that high. Its probably not a well known disease because it really is no big deal. I'm still not sure if we caught it in our house. Last night Mycah was getting a rashy pink cheek that wrapped around her chin and upper lip. This morning nothing....but she does have a runny nose. So just to be sure we don't "spread the love", we aren't going anywhere. Maybe the grocery store, but that's about it. I will treat it like chicken pox or a cold.

Here is Mycah with her "pink cheek"

Dejah wanted her Picture taken too....so beautiful before bed huh?
Here are my Monkeys!

"Slapped Cheeks" Disease!

So you have to hear this!!! This morning I was supposed to watch someones kids while she gets her 1st Ultrasound of this current pregnancy. I got a call from her telling me that I probably shouldn't come over because her son has a virus call "Fifth Disease". What the heck is that? Just that morning she was telling me that her son had some kind of rash and really pink cheeks and she didn't know what it was. I told her he may have really dry skin. When his speech therapist came over, she said that Fifth Disease was going around in the area that her OTHER son had pre-school, and that is probably what he has. So she took him to the Dr. and low and behold he somehow contracted the B19 Virus also known as Fifth Disease. Ok, so he caught a virus. There are no medications for it, and usually when the rash shows up they are just beyond the contagious stage. Well, did you know that about 50% of people get this disease and most adults who do, don't even know it. You don't know that someone has it until they are no longer contagious. Did you also know that in a FETUS that is under 20 Weeks development has a 10% chance of Miscarriage if the Mom gets it!??? So My sister has been exposed to it, and guess what....so have I. I was pretty freaked out last night. But at this point there is nothing I can do, other than get a blood test next week to see if I'm immune. Down below are some facts and statistics if you're interested. Keep us in your prayers.

Fifth disease during pregnancy is not something to take lightly. If you are pregnant, it can be a wonderful and exciting time, but if you become ill whilst pregnant you may worry that your baby is at risk. If you have never had fifth disease then you are still susceptible to it, and if you are at a high risk of contracting the virus that causes it (Parvovirus B19) then you will undoubtedly wish to know about any added complications caused by fifth disease during pregnancy. You may, for example, have a child that is infected with the virus, or may work with children as a healthcare professional or teacher, raising the chance that you will become infected.
Most women who become infected by Parvovirus B19 whilst pregnant still deliver healthy babies. It usually does not cause premature birth or defects of any kind. If you become infected with fifth disease during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, however, there is around a 10% chance of miscarriage or stillbirth occurring. Infections after the 20 week mark have a much lower chance (about 1%) of this occurring.
In some cases, developing fifth disease during pregnancy can lead to anemia or inflammation of the heart in the fetus. If this is severe it can lead to hydrops which can cause death, although even in these cases it is still possible for the fetus to be born healthy. Rarely, babies can be born that are unable to make necessary red blood cells. These babies will need blood transfusions to keep them alive.
Unfortunately, there are no preventative measures for fifth disease, and if you become infected there is no instant cure. Hydrops can be detected by ultrasound so if you become infected during pregnancy regular scans are advised. If your baby shows signs of hydrops in the later stages of pregnancy, an early delivery may be considered in order to treat it. Also, successful fetal blood transfusions have been done for babies suffering from severe anemia and hydrops in the second and third trimesters.
If you are not immune to fifth disease, your chances of catching the disease from an infected family member are around 50%, and if you work with children on a daily basis your chance of getting infected is around 20-30%. It is important to note that the human Parvovirus is unrelated to the one that infects pets so if your dog has a Parvovirus infection, for example, this does not mean you are at risk of infection. If you are unsure whether you have previously had fifth disease and want to check your immunity to it, it is possible to have a blood test which looks for the antibodies to Parvovirus B19.
If you think you may be infected by the Parvovirus B19 or you are at a high risk of developing fifth disease during pregnancy, you should talk to your family doctor. If you are not immune and work with children, he will be able to advise you on the best ways to minimize the chance of infection.

Boiling Water

What do you do when you don't have enough money left over to buy Food Storage? I say, do what you can when you can. Over time I've been saving up our Apple Juice containers to store water in. I finally broke down the other day and began boiling water......and boiling....and boiling .....and boiling....and boiling. This here is my ONE and only pot. It boils just enough water to fill one of those smaller apple juice containers. I learned from my mom, who learned from her mom, that these heavy duty plastic containers have the ability to re-seal "One More Time". So instead of sending those nice plastic containers off to the dump, you can rinse and clean them after being used, boil water, fill it up, seal it tight...and whala! Water Storage!

We don't go through Apple Juice quickly, my girls only get one glass a day....if that. So these have been saved over time. We store them in our garage, that just seems to be the best place for now. We haven't collected much as far as food storage goes, but we do have a bucket of wheat and a wheat grinder. Some bags of beans, and rice, and WATER. That's about it. We want to do so much more. My Mom and Grandma are great examples of this, it is just something that will take us quite some time to accomplish.

A Van Fam!

This is Anna....for some reason, when I logged in it logged me in under Alex and I didn't notice until I already published this. So if you are wondering...this is MY post, not Alex's.

Ok so we did it. We broke down and bought a "new" car. With our family increasing in size, there was no way we would survive long in our little car, and beastly truck. The car is too small, and the truck....well it likes gas. I've been looking at Boise Craigslist for quite some time now. I've seen quite a few "deals" on vans. This last week while I was looking I noticed a new posting for a 2005 Dodge Caravan for $4950! I looked over the pictures and the thing was a beauty (when it comes to vans). It looked nice so I took the girls to look at it. I pretty much told the guy I wanted it but I had to talk to the bank that day about a loan. Alex trusted my judgment, and we proceeded. We will pay about $97/month until we can come up with enough just to pay it off completely. So a day later we were approved and closed on our first "new" vehicle since....
EVER! Now we have a nice reliable car, that gets great mileage and will fit our growing family!

Alcoholics Anonymous

Hey everybody,
Alex Here!
I thought that I would give an update of what has been going on in the last 4 months. I have been running like a chicken with its head cut off. I am looking forward to my break. My kids are really great. I have come to the conclusion that I really don't mind if we have a boy as much as I cared for one in the beginning. My girls are awesomely entertaining and do a great job of challenging us. One of them even seems to really like me. I guess Mycah asks mom every morning where I am. Lately when I have come home after they have gone to bed, Mycah is still asking mom where I am. It is awesome. I also like the way Dejah treats me. She is more like me in personality, in control and very independent. Well, I thought I would share something with you all. I have been working really hard on an assignment this last week. I was asked to attend 12 to 15 hours worth of a community organization that builds upon adult education principles. Due to my own procrastination, I left this assignment until the last two weeks of the course. This means that I was not able to be creative about what I could observe. Basically, I decided to attend Alcohol Anonymous due to its regular daily meetings and varieties of locations and times. To be honest, I never would have thought that I would have enjoyed and learned so much. Yes, the meetings got really old, but some of these people are very courageous and have had to battle alcoholism their entire lives. I guess I just really enjoyed hearing their stories and realizing the many blessings that the gospel brings into our lives. I finish today at noon. This will be my last meeting. Anyway, it has been a long week. We're going to be very busy. We hope to see you all on Sunday next week. Later.

Grey's Anatomy Addiction

Ok, Thanks a bunch to my two fabulous Sister-in-Laws...I am TOTALLY Addicted to Grey's Anatomy, and had the HUGEST Sobfest last night while finishing Season Two of the Series. I literally cried like a baby! Usually I limit myself to about one episode a night, but Alex has been really busy and gone lately, so I have been squeezing in as many episodes as I can. Here is a very dramatic scene that was so intense at the time...check it out.

So of course..."good looking sick guy" as I call him, otherwise known as Denny, died and I couldn't help to contain myself. I was SOOO Sad I'm still having a hard time getting over it. I really wanted to post a You Tube video of "the best of season 2", but couldn't really find one that was "right", so I guess you'll all have to watch Grey's Anatomy. Yes, its a bit scandalous but...I love it anyway!

No Picture Venting

So I will warn you now...this won't be an uplifting post, so feel free to stop reading there because I just need a few moments for VENTING. First....can I please throw away every dumb toy in my house!? I am just two seconds from doing exactly that. I will fully admit that my girls don't have many toys as it is, considering the lack of space in our house, but the ones we have seem to rule my world. Constant clean up, and I can't seem to inspire my daughter Dejah to clean it all by herself since 80% of the "dumping" is caused by her little 1 1/2 year old sister. I think I need to invest in some SERIOUS BINS and put all but 3 at a time away...this may solve some...but Mycah seems to pull out EVERYTHING...not just toys. Ok, on to Number Two. I have a neighbor who is moving. She has asked me to watch her daughter the past couple mornings, which is fine. I'm ok with that. She asked if I could feed her daughter lunch. I'm ok with that too. Ok, so she calls me the other day and askes if I could feed her family Tuesday for dinner....tonight. I told her "of course, I'd love to help". Of course I HATE cooking...especially when I'm Prego, but I accept anyway. Today comes around and I told her Alex wouldn't be here for dinner, but I could bring it to them. They said they would pick it up at 3:30 before they head to Boise to stay with mother-in-law. So of course, I start making a nice dinner to be ready by 3:30, and wouldn't you know it...NO SHOW! Who does that? Ok, on to Number Three. Alex has two weeks left in the semister, which means TONS of homework for his Masters. I know he is doing this all for us and would rather be here, but he has "classroom observations" for the next week and a half with homework on top of that, so I pretty much won't be seeing much of him until NEXT Friday. I know I can handle it, I'm tough, but sometimes Mommies need breaks from their messy tyrants. Maybe if I get rid of EVERYTHING in my house, I will never have to clean it again??? HUH? :> So anyway, there are a few other things that involve "assignments" that I won't mention that I'm feeling a bit bitter about, but I guess I can't complain much since my trials are WAY, WAY, WAY easier than others. I guess I'll take em'.