Where's the Nearest Vent? I Need One!

The last 30 minutes of my life were a little bit hectic.

Oh wow, even just sitting here and getting ready to type...I feel so relieved already. Maybe I shouldn't tell the last little whiles happenings. Nah...it's kind of funny.

My day had, up until 1:30, been perfect. Here's what took place:

Went to the gym
Had breakfast with Abi (Connor had already eaten)
Gotten Connor, Abi & Carly dressed
Helped Abi with the Shape Sorter
Made the beds & straightened the bedrooms
Fed Carly
Cleaned up the family room
Sat down and watched "Word World" with the kids
Washed and folded 3 loads of laundry
Ate some of Connor's pretend chips
Checked my email
Made a menu & grocery shopping list
Put all three kids down for naps

Okay, so Todd comes home for lunch every single day. It's nice to have him here to break up the day. It makes it go by much faster. He arrived today, like any other day, at noon. On the dot (he is a very prompt & reliable guy).

One thing, you may have noticed, was that I had not gotten myself ready for the day. So when Todd arrived we had our usual greetings and he asked if I was going to eat lunch (I usually have bread or something out and ready to eat or make). I told him I wasn't hungry, I was considering taking a shower (for the first time since Sunday...yuck...I know. Em I have been trying hard to take your advice, but I am just lousy at it). He said he'd listen for the kids.

I loved my super duper hot shower. You know the kind where it's so hot, when you step out of the shower, it still feels warm. It was fantastic.

I brought my make-up upstairs to visit with Todd while "putting my face on." He mentioned that he had seen my grocery list and the menu. We had $100 taped to the fridge to spend on groceries. Todd said, "There is no way you are going to get all of the stuff on your list for $100." He had obviously been living in Hawaii for too long.

Taking the kids to the grocery store would take me over the edge. So Todd and I began discussing when a good time would be to go to the grocery store. I had to go tonight...we needed food. But Todd has Cub Scouts tonight.

During this discussion Ike came home and heard Todd ask:

"Where are you going to do the grocery shopping"

"Harmon's."

"No...you can't go to Harmon's. We can't shop there."

I know the history...so then he goes into this whole story to Ike as to why we can't shop at Harmon's....which then led into a story of why we won't fly American Airlines. I knew this story would take forever, so I said:

"I will go to Smith's right now...this story will take at least an hour and it won't take me that long to do the shopping."

I reminded Todd that the kids were all in bed and he said "see ya" as he went into his/our American Airlines story.

So I went to the Smith's closest to our home. I got a great parking spot by the front of the store and next to the cart return. I love those spots. As I was entering the store, I saw my reflection in the glass door. I wanted to turn around right then and go home.

I was wearing high-waters. Yeah, my pants were totally above my ankles and you could clearly see my HUSBANDS white socks (his are warmer and perfect for this wintery weather. Normally my pants cover the socks, so it isn't so noticeable(don't worry, the heels don't bulge out of the back, they fit fine). I thought (in anger) to myself, "Why hasn't anybody told me that I look like a total idiot in these pants."

I quickly got through my grocery shopping. I swear it was AARP day at Smith's. The sweet lady in front of me slowly unloaded her cat food, depends and toilet paper onto the rotating belt. I didn't mind that it took a while. This was a nice break for me. I could catch up on all the gossip in Hollywood by reading the magazine headlines.

Someone came to help the cute cat lady out of the store, and I walked up to the little stand where you sign things. I smiled and talked to the cashier. I started to load the items she was bagging into my cart, when I noticed that there was a package of Depends in a bag. I grabbed the bag and ran after the cute old lady in my high-water pants. I may look like a dork...but I'm a dork with a big heart ready to save the day!

When I returned the cashier gave me my total....$68! I couldn't wait to go home and show Todd the receipt. And I got a ton of stuff that wasn't on the list. I LOVE grocery shopping on the mainland. I loaded everything into the van and journeyed home.

When I walked into the house, I was greeted by Connor who said, "Hi Mommy. OOOOHHH! Trudels.....my favorite." Yeah, I bought he and Ike Toaster Strudels...they weren't on the list. I love that cute little boy with his messy face and his droopy diaper. He was happy, so I was happy.

Todd helped me bring in the last few bags and I asked how things were. He said great (as I surveyed the "Guess Who" game taken apart and strewn about the living room). I know I asked him to watch the kids, but that doesn't mean "watch them tear the house, that I just cleaned this morning, apart."

I started putting the groceries away when I noticed Connor opening a candybar...that I had bought for his dad. So I quickly took it from him and said "this is for your daddy...I owe it to him." I handed it to Todd and he had just the cutest and happiest expression on his face. It made me feel good. But after the next few events that took place, I don't think he deserved it.

Todd told me he needed to get back to work, so I said "Thanks" and "good-bye." He flipped on the baby monitor...I heard a whaling little baby Carly.

I ran down as fast as I could to get her, and I heard a crying Abi. At that point, it was no big deal. They could have both just woken up.

When I went in to get Abi, the smell was overwhelming. Then I saw what was on her face and hands. I quickly put Carly into her swing and went back to get Abi. She had a poopy diaper and (because of the super cute outfit she was wearing that doesn't involve a onesie) had stuck her hands down her pants and wiped her face, blankets and crib with it.

The thoughts in my head began swirling (these are all sarcastic, okay...I'm really not this mean...maybe I m if I actually had these thoughts...oh well, I never said any of it out loud)...Todd wasn't even watching the kids. Because of me going to the grocery store, I had now just created more work for myself. If I had never left, I would have felt that motherly instinct when Carly cried and she wouldn't have been wailing for hours (hours...I was only gone for 30 minutes and she most likely had just woken up because of the horrid smell coming from across the hall). I also would have heard Abi (no one can hear Abi when she wakes up unless you are right outside her door, or if she is pounding on the file cabinet...that's another story) and retrieved her from her bed before she could have stuck her hands down her pants and eaten poop (I was sure, at this point, that she had eaten her poopies. There is nothing irrational here, except for maybe an irrational me).

I whisked Abi up and ran upstairs to start the tub. I began running the water, it felt fine when I ran my hand under it. I began unclothing Abi (I could hear Carly screaming from being put back in her swing against her wishes) and then placed her in the tub. At the same time the nerves in my hands screamed "OUCH!!!! THIS IS HOT!!!" so did Abi. I cuddled her in my lap and wanted to cry myself, I felt so bad. Then Todd had to come in (thankfully he was holding Carly, so she was no longer crying) and he had to put in his two cents on how I burn Abi all the time (I'm being sarcastic again...just writing how I felt...mostly beating myself up) and how I am such a bad mom (see above). She had clung to my shirt with her poopy hands and soaked my stupid pants with her squishy little bottom. That's okay...I gotta chuck those pants.

I ran some cold water with the scalding water and she calmed down. I got her bathed and when my mind came to, I looked into the hall and saw the Jenga game scattered on the floor, as well as the Uno game. AAUUGGHH!!! Watching the kids involves WATCHING the kids. Not just letting them do what they want to. Just one more thing for me to clean up.

Todd left after I got Abi dressed. I was fuming. I stormed around the house cleaning up the games (which I should have made Connor clean-up...he made the mess after all). I got Abi in her high-chair to eat a very healthy lunch of chips and chocolate milk (something healthier will come along later. I really wanted to type out this stuff). I gave Carly her bottle and put in "Over the Hedge" for Connor.

In my frustration I grabbed a bag of "Flipz" (you know, the white chocolate covered pretzels) and a glass of water and began typing this away. I have, single-handedly, eaten that entire bag of pretzels (now I'm glad I went to the gym this morning, cancels them out...now it's like I didn't go to the gym or eat the pretzels).

Isn't it totally stupid that I got so frustrated. It took me ten minutes to clean everything up. The kids are all happy again and the whole fiasco from start (me coming home) to finish (picking up the mess and getting the kids settled) only took 45 minutes out of my day.

Man, I feel better. Thanks guys. Here's to hoping that you all have had a day like this one too...or that you will. Don't leave me alone in this pity party!

One Man's Journey to DArch (or was it ArchD)

I dedicate this post to my sweet Todd. This road we call "school" has taken almost 10 years. I post it for those of you who may be considering an education in the field of Architecture, going to the University of Hawaii or for those who just want to know exactly what is going on with this whole school thing right now.

Let's start back in 1997...when Todd and I first met. At the time, he was at Salt Lake Community College (a fine institution). He was focusing on his generals and had planned on attending the University of Utah once he had received his Associates Degree.

Todd has known since he was a very young lad that he wanted to be an Architect. Interesting that we should marry with such similar interests (I was at SLCC studying Interior Design before we "met").

Todd graduated from SLCC in May of....I can't remember. I think it was 2000. We had plans for him to go up to the U in the Fall of that year. He enrolled in the classes that are pre-requisites for the Architecture program and in the fall he took them.

He didn't enjoy the classes as much as he thought he would. Knowing that he still wanted to be an architect, he thought that if he found a different school he could have a different experience than he thought he'd get at the U. So the search began for other architecture schools.

In November of 2001, we put our cute little house in Taylorsville up for sale. The schools we had selected to apply to were all out of state, so we wouldn't be needing our home anymore. Where did Todd apply to?

University of Washington
University of Idaho
The New School of Architecture in San Diego
Arizona State University

January came and we were still waiting to hear back from each of the schools Architecture departments. Todd began having phone interviews with them and we were leaning more towards Idaho State University.

In February (after we sold our home and moved in with Ken & Tonya) Todd's brother Adam was telling Todd that Idaho "was lame" and that "we should move somewhere warm and tropical."

"Wouldn't it be cool if there was an Architecture school in Hawaii?"

So Adam and Todd looked into it, and behold, the University of Hawaii had an architecture department. Todd called me up at work and asked if I would mind if he applied there. I replied, "no, I don't care." In my mind I knew we were going to move to Idaho, it was just a fun way to fulfill Todd's (or Adam's) fantasy.

Todd heard back from each of the schools in April as to where in the program he would be accepted. Washington, Arizona and San Diego would all have him starting out fresh and new...it would be a 5 year Masters program. We were still waiting to hear back from Idaho.

We turned those three schools down while waiting for our reply from Idaho. Hawaii would call almost weekly encouraging Todd to join their "new" program. They were experimenting with an Architectural Doctorate program. They were doing away with the Bachelors and Masters. The ArchD program would be 7 years and they would accept Todd as a 3rd year student. They assured him that he could complete his ArchD within 3 years, if he took a full-time load every semester including summers.

It was so enticing, or as Adam put it "a no brainer." So we accepted the offer. How wonderful it was going to be to live in warm, sunny, tropical Hawaii over cold, dreary Moscow Idaho. The tuition at UH was cheaper than the other schools and we knew it would be a great experience.

In July of 2002 we sold all of our belongings (cars, furniture, clothes, kitchen stuff, sewing machine, taxidermy, artwork) and flew to Hawaii with just our clothes. That was all we owned at the time. When we arrived in Hawaii it was not what I had expected.

The weather was nice and balmy. But we landed in a concrete jungle. We began the house search. House isn't the best word. Apartment search. We (by a miracle of the Lord) found a two bedroom apartment quickly (this truly is a miracle for anyone living in Hawaii). We payed the unbelievably low price of $825 monthly (that is how much our house payment was). We were floored, but after seeing what our other options were, we were blessed and grateful.

The school was kind and accomodating to Todd. He got registered quickly and for classes he was interested in. He made friends with his class members and the education began.

Each semester came and went and with each semester promises were broken. The plans changed. Classes that were supposed to be offered in the summer weren't. The ArchD program wasn't accepted by "the board" then it was, then it wasn't. Then it was changed to a DArch. Whatever. In the end, 3 years turned into 5.

We could no longer afford the Hawaiian lifestyle or the schooling. So with just one year left, a dissertation to write and a final project to complete we prayed for help and guidance. We were granted Todd's request to complete his dissertation and project from the mainland.

As of right now, Todd has completed his dissertation. His board has reviewed it and we are just awaiting their revisions. Once Todd receives them, he will make the necessary changes and if he can get them to the head of his board by Tuesday, Todd will graduate in May of this year. If not...he won't graduate until August of this year.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us.

I must say, this whole experience has been incredible for us. Our Heavenly Father has directed our path the entire time (even when we weren't watching or paying attention). Because of Him, we have not had to accrue the debt that most students do when in a doctoral program. We had sold our home and our belongings and with that money, we were able to survive the first year in Honolulu without taking any loans and without Todd working.

When money ran low, Todd quickly found a great job with a flexible and understanding employer. I was also able to find two jobs that were flexible (one at the Institute Building across from Todd Architecture Building) and in great environments.

Here are some of the things I am most grateful for that have come out of Todd attending the University of Hawaii:

~Being quickly welcomed into the amazing Makiki Ward Family
~Watching friends with children struggle through school...I supposed we could do it too...so we did.
~Learning that as long as you have friends, you can have a family anywhere in the world (especially when involved in the church)
~Living in humble circumstances and then being forced to move to even humbler circumstances...with a newborn baby
~Learning through a bed-ridden friend that life is beautiful no matter where you are at. It's all in how you look at it.
~Being a part of the organization of a new ward, the McCully Ward
~Visiting Singapore with Todd's Architecture Studio Class
~The chance to visit different types of scenery when I wanted to
~Todd being able to go on his Practicum's (and take us with him) and get once-in-a-lifetime experience from HKS in Dallas and Sasaki in Boston


I have so much gratitude in my heart right now. We are so close, I can finally taste it. Thanks especially to our families for supporting and encouraging us through this all. We truly couldn't have done this without you.

Man, this post made me nostalgic for these memories....I think I will post about those for posterities sake. Hope you all are looking forward to a walk down memory lane.

One of those Days

Despite being awakend by Connor at 3am with a fever of 102.3, I am loving my life right now.

Carly is on an awesome schedule and has started sleeping for 8 hours at night. She has also begun to laugh. She is quick to give you the biggest smile and will talk back to you when you visit with her.

Abi has started talking more and the word she uses most...."thank you." Where did that come from? Amazing. She is still taking 2 naps a day (though very short) and sleeping through the night. She and Connor seem to be getting along better and are great at entertaining one another.

I cannot get her to sit still long enough to get a decent picture. Not only that, but I have to do her hair three or four times a day..it never stays "done." She is just so busy and happy and funny. She has the most contagious smile and laugh. And Abi is so quick to give big hugs and cuddles. When she does, she pats you on the back.

Connor comes up with the funniest things. Most often times they are lines picked up from a movie (lines I shouldn't be laughing at...I should be throwing the movies out). The other day he told Ike to "Shut-Up Fool." The shock and hearing something like that come out of a two year old just made me laugh. Ike wondered why I didn't scold him right away...I had to leave the room. Now I just need to determine what movie he picked it up from and hide it for a while.

Connor is the sweetest brother and is always concerned about "baby cah-ree". I wish he was so concerned with Abi...he's more concerned about Abi being a playmate and someone to beat-up on. (Sorry the pic is sideways...I am afraid that if I stop now and try to fix the problem, this post will never be posted)

This little boy wonder has finally mastered putting himself to sleep at a decent hour and spending the whole night in his own bed. It's a miracle.

I am considering putting he and Abi in the same bedroom now so that they can have the whole "bedtime ritual" thing together. Maybe not...maybe it's best to keep that as a one-on-one thing for Connor. Besides, the last time the slept in the same room together, they spent most of the time playing. Then I could put Carly in the laundry room where Abi was. Oh wait, if Connor and Abi slept together, Connor might teach her how to crawl out of the pack 'n play. I do not want her having that kind of freedom yet. I guess it wasn't a good thing to consider.

Writing out your thoughts has a way of putting things into perspective for me.

FHE Chart

Yesterday we were discussing amongst the household who had what for FHE. None of us could remember. So I quickly threw together this super easy FHE chart.

*Thanks to GG Digital Designs for having the cute eyelets and handprints in their Finger Painting Kit.

I cut off the hands and punched a hole into the top of them. I also punched a hole through the center of each eyelet. Then to attach (and re-arrange) each of the hands, I twisted a paperclip apart and strung them through the hand and chart.

Wah-lah....cheap, and easy. Now it just hangs on the fridge ready for each Monday.

Happy Birthday Connor

Yeah! We have survived the first three years of Connor's life! To read more about his birthday, check out his link on the side of the page.

We love you little buddy! Thanks for making us laugh every single day.

Carly's Blessing

On Sunday (a very blistery Sunday, might I add) my brother and his wife blessed their beautiful little girl, Misa. Then as soon as her blessing was done, we drove as safely home as we could. It was time to get Carly dressed in her gorgeous dress (read more about it on her blog).

Here are some pics from this Sunday



Connor & Abi aren't in any of the pics because they were both taking nap before church and I didn't want to wake them.

Year in Review

One of my friends did a look back at 2007, and I loved the idea...so here are the major happenings of our lives in 2007:

In January we returned to Hawaii where we spent the first month living in one of our Bishop's apartments. So it was Todd, Myself, Connor & Abi in a 400 square foot, 1 bedroom apartment. Thankfully our kids were so young at the time, they didn't mind at all. The one drawback was that with just one room, Connor got very accustomed to sleeping in the bed with Todd and I (this is a habit we are still trying to break him of). Here is a view from that apartment:


We also celebrated Connor's second birthday in January. What better place to go, than to Chuck-E-Cheese!!!


In February, after one month of living in Hawaii, we finally made it to the beach. This was to be Abi's first dip in the ocean, so we wanted it to be at a calm and warm location. Here is the little flab-meister at KoOlina:


We also moved into a larger 2 bedroom apartment in a high-rise right along the Ala Wai canal. The view was amazing...we looked right into the Manoa Valley. Being on the 33rd story with kid was a little frightening (there were no screens on the windows and I had nightmares of Connor climbing out of them).


The month of March came quickly...along with the announcement of another little one joining our family.

April and May went by quickly. Todd and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary on the 30th of May by going to a very fancy steak house. YUM!!!

In June, we learned that our newest addition was going to be another GIRL. Let the name game begin...it didn't take too long and we knew that our next little one was going to be Carly.

July brought about an adventure I had never been on....a flight in a helicopter! It was amazing and I didn't get nearly as scared as I thought I would. Thanks Brian!


August brought about the biggest shock for us. We had ran out of funding and the school was not going to give us any more money. We had to either move into a studio apartment or win a lottery. The thought of returning to Utah hadn't even crossed our mind, but Ken offered his home and the preparations began to see if Todd could complete his dissertation in Utah. The Dean said yes and we moved two weeks later.

In September we took a road trip in our new-to-us van and visited Adam and Angie in Colorado. Connor and Tyson become escapees and we lost them for about 10 minutes. The longest 10 minutes of my life. Todd found them in a different neighborhood. Tyson was pushing a truck and Connor was pushing a stroller. Neither of them had any idea they were missing.

October slipped by with a trip to Logan and the exciting Halloween Holiday.


November 2nd our little Carly Belle made her grand entrance into the world.

One week later, I was hospitalized with appendicitis and had that organ removed.

In December, Connor enjoyed his first bout in the snow. We went sledding and made a snowman.


We also partied hard and constantly for this incredible Christmas Season. Nothing like family to make the holidays right!


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!