The Little Red Lighthouse

On our last video you may have wondered why we included a picture of a red lighthouse for our Griffin Productions slide. When we went to NYC we went on a tour that went around the whole island of Manhattan. Our tour guide pointed out this red lighthouse and also told us about a children's book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. We now own the book, of course. It's a cute book if you have been there. As we read it to Ami it reminds us of the fun time we had in NY.

There she goes!

On Sunday night Ami took her first steps. At first it was just one or two, or taking a really long transfer between the couch and the ottoman. So we decided to get the video camera and see if we could coax her to take a few more. She did and we were lucky enough to get it on tape. She hasn't cooperated again until this evening, when we were able to get her to take 5 or 6 steps at a time several different times. We were able to get it on tape again. She seems to do better if she is distracted. It won't be too long and we will be running around chasing her!

Tis the Season

Tis the season of bad luck for us. I think just about every year since Scott & I have been married something has been vandalized, broke into, or had car problems this time of year. Actually last year I don't think anything like that happened to us, but our flight back home was canceled. This year somebody broke out one of the windows in the Jeep.

I was at a Relief Society activity at somebody's house and went out to leave when I found one of the rear door windows had been busted out. Luckily this time they didn't take anything. The police said he didn't think that it was random since they succeeded on the second try. I think if that is the case they thought my car belong to somebody else. We don't have any problems with anyone.



I don't understand why people like to cause problems for others. It was probably some teenagers that had nothing better to do. That's the only people I can think that would think that breaking out somebody's window is remotely fun. The wires in their brains aren't fully connected yet.



Oh well, life is continuing on today. I am at home hanging out waiting for the window repair guy to come install a new window. Oh, what fun it is!!

Adventuresome Ami

Ami is getting more adventuresome every day. If she wants something or wants to get somewhere bad enough she will figure out how to do it. At this point I could live with out her being so determined. Later in life it will serve her well.

Saturday Ami realized what was behind the curtain. She decided she wanted to climb into the window. I went outside and took some pictures. They didn't come out as well as I hoped due to the glare off the window.

Today she learned how to climb up on the gate that blocks her from going into the kitchen. I think the purchase of a different kind of gate is in order. I tell ya no place is out of Ami's reach.

Teething...Ugh!!

Teething may make me revert back to some my old ways before I was a member of the Church. (I won't tell you my old ways, I"ll leave that up to your imagination.) Ami's first tooth broke through yesterday. I think another one may be coming in. She had diarrhea today which gave her a bad case of diaper rash. Poor little thing would scream and cry every time I would change her diaper. It made for a miserable day.



On a brighter note. It made me grateful for the happy little girl that she is most of the time.

Black Friday Crazies

With the temperature being 70 the week before Thanksgiving it didn't feel like the holidays were approaching us. But the day of Thanksgiving we weren't let down. I think it only got in the 40's. So, you are probably asking why am I giving you a weather report and especially for time that has already passed.



We went to T or C for Thanksgiving and ended up coming back that same day since I forgot the play pen that Ami sleeps in when we are away from home. We got to Albuquerque around midnight. Snow was coming down and it was freezing. We exited off the interstate at Eubank. Best Buy happens to be there, so we drove up to it to see the crazy people that were waiting for Black Friday. Sure enough we weren't disappointed.

We have video evidence!

So here's a little video of our baby King Kong. It's a little long, about 2.5 minutes, but it's worth it (not that I'm biased)!

The Next King Kong

In the past week Ami has been trying her climbing abilities out. The other day she had one knee up on the couch and the other foot a couple inches off the ground. (As you can see from the picture she had to climb out of pants because they were getting in the way.) Yesterday while our home teachers were over she managed to climb up on my chair since the ottoman was close enough to push off of. I have finally gotten use to her crawling and cruising and she throws something new at me. Can't she walk before she climbs?

True Church, Imperfect People

Hollywood Flakes, another blog has really gotten me to think about what we are willing to say when we can be anonymous. The writer wanted all of the comments to be anonymous. At this time she has 150 comments of people admitting to picking their noses to deep down they hate being a mom to their marriages being in shambles. People wrote comments that they would never have the nerve to say if anybody knew it was them.

A lot of the people commenting are LDS. There was a theme of women hating Relief Society, not the program but the other women. They felt like they are always being judged. These same women through this blog were able to state their true feelings and ideas without being judged. You can tell that it was such a relief for them to get things off their chest. Why isn't this the case when talking to their "Sisters" in Relief Society? Aren't we supposed to be there for one another?

As a convert to the Church almost eight years ago I think I have had some sort of goggles on that distorted my view.Up until recently I have had a wrong impression of people in the Church.I thought everybody was perfect, that nobody has any problems. I mean I know people aren't perfect that is one of the reasons we are here on earth, but people pretend to be perfect. I am sure I am one of them. I don't want other people in the Church to know that my life isn't perfect or that I am struggling. It shouldn't be that way. (Not that everybody and their brother need to know your business either.)

Yes, this is the true church on earth, but with imperfect people. We are just like everybody else in this world. We have problems and trials. The exception is that we have spiritual tools to use to help us through those problems and trials. But why can't we also use each other to bounce off of? I think people outside of the Church do a much better job of really talking to one another, becoming true friends' not mere obligations. Most of the time in the Church talk is superficial. We say what we think others want to hear. We don't want to be the one with the ideas that don't fit in the box.

I feel like we are robots in the Gospel. Be real, be who you are!! Life is more interesting that way.

(This opinion is a general observation not anyone or congregation specifically.)

What size underwear do I wear???

WARNING! WARNING MEN! The following is about women's underwear!!





Have you ever wondered why women's underwear don't coincide with any measurements or pant size? Last night I was on the phone with my mom and she really likes a certain brand of underwear at JcPenny's. She told me her size and I know it's not the same size of pants that she wears. It got me thinking why in the heck they make it so complicated for women to purchase underwear the right size. It's not like you can try them on!! (eehw!! Who would want to buy underwear somebody else tried on?)



Since gaining weight years ago, losing weight, getting pregnant, and having a baby I have no idea what size underwear I wear. Can somebody tell me how you figure this out? Do you take the derivative of your waist to the x-2 power and subtract 10?



My conclusion is that a man must have invented women's underwear and how they are sized. If I remember correctly is was a man that invented the bra. What does he know about wearing a bra unless he's a cross dresser? And still he doesn't have the equipment to put a bra through the full test. Men!!

Happy Belated Veteran's Day

The other day a friend and I were at the mall when she noticed the clerk was wearing a pin that indicated that she had a loved one in Iraq. Katie started asking some details and found out it was her son. The clerk told us about her grandson turning two in a couple days and that his dad will have missed both of his birthdays.



Now having a child of my own I can't imagine not seeing her everyday let alone on her birthday. It causes my heart to ache and tears to roll down my face to think about this family.



On the Today Show they had a segment that a soldier surprised his two sons by coming home a couple months early for a visit. He will have to return to Iraq in a couple weeks for seven months. Since he has been gone his youngest son has learned to read and write. Children grow and change so fast that being away from them has to be one of the biggest sacrifices I can think of.



Both of these stories have caused me to reflect upon how grateful I am to the men and women that serve our country. I am grateful to them to be willing to sacrifice watching their kids grow up, so that I can be with mine in safety. I am grateful to them being willing to serve in a time when things are in disarray. Up until this point I was grateful for them but it didn't dawn on me the sacrifices that they make, so we can live in a free country.

What to Wish for at 3AM?

We are going through sleep training with Ami again. The first time it only took one night to break her of her bad habits. This time with her being older we are on day 5, and she still has one long period of crying in the middle of the night. So, as I laid there at 3 o'clock this morning I was thinking about if I could have wishes granted to me what would they be.



1. Ami would be sleeping and I wouldn't be thinking about this.



2. I would be sleeping.



3. Cats weren't nocturnal creatures. Flash always seems to wake me up in the middle the night somehow. He purposely jumps on my night stand or scratches at the door. I think he thinks it is a good habit for me to keep, getting up in the middle of the night, whether it be for him or Ami.



4. My bladder would work the same way it did previous to pregnancy. It forces me out of bed for I swear one ounce of pee.



5. Our bedroom door didn't make noise, so Ami wouldn't know that I was up. Problems of living in a small house.



6. A snoreless husband. Or maybe this is a good thing to drown out the crying.



7. A heater that doesn't make clanking sounds.



8. That I was a man and could sleep through our house being bombed.



I know you are only suppose to get three wishes, but I think for getting up in the middle the night for the past 12 months I deserve eight. I realize Ami is only nine months but let's face it, I got up every night for at least the last 3 months to go to the bathroom when I was pregnant with her.

Monkey See, Monkey Do, Monkey Get In Trouble Too!!

Today Ami is officially 9 months old. Time has really flown by. Before we know it she will be getting her drivers license, dating, going off to college, getting married, and then making me a grandma. Ok maybe time doesn't go by that fast!! Some days I wish it did, but we'll take it as it comes. It is fun to try to see the world through her view as she figures out how things work.





This morning I was folding up blankets and putting them in this large basket like thing when Ami decides that she is going to climb in. Literally climb in. The basket is as tall as the couch. She used the lid for traction and climbed right on in. I couldn't grab the camera fast enough to catch her in action, so the following will have to suffice.









She amazes us everyday somehow. Scott bought her a shirt that says Monkey See, Monkey Do, Monkey Get In Trouble Too. It is really fitting. She isn't afraid of anything.

New Pictures are Posted

FYI.

MOMs Club

Yesterday was the first time that Ami & I went to one of the MOMs Club activities. We went to a playgroup that had about 10 babies under the age of 1. Ami was the most mobile . She went around stealing toys, poking the other babies in the eyes, and taking their bottles. (I told Scott she must get this aggressive behavior from his side of the family, since our nephew can be aggressive.) I was a little scared that she was that aggressive with these babies we just met. There moms' were fine, but I don't want to be know as the lady with the violent baby.



Anyways, today we went to a new member breakfast and she played and climbed the stairs. She seemed to enjoy herself so much that she tuckered herself out into a nap. Yay!!



I wanted to let others out there that need to get out of the house with their kids about this MOMs Club that I found on the internet. They have activities that are for you and your kids, girls night out, and even family activities depending on the chapter. The website to find out if there is one in your area is momsclub.org or you can start one.

Scott Growing Up!?!

Scott informed me that it is time that he grows up seeing as he is no longer a college kid. He claims that since school is no longer in session for him he doesn't have anymore excuses.



I noticed on Thursday that he was clean shaved. Any of you that know Scott know that this is not normal. He said, "I have decided that I am going to shave on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday." "Why," I asked. He replied, "It's time I grow up and act like an adult." I just smiled because I like to kiss him more when he has a smooth face.



He still has his occasional out burst of juvenile behavior. I blame this on his father's genes and the fact his calling requires him to hangout with twelve year old boys all the time. I threaten him that I will call the Bishop to release him from his calling if he doesn't start acting his age. But to no avail.