Mission Move Again...Accomplished.

Just so everyone knows, we made it through the move successfully. I still have some boxes to unpack, but AK and Roo have been extremely helpful in that regard and we've covered a lot of ground these past few days. I will be sending an email out shortly with our new address, just so everyone can keep in touch with us at our new place!!

For the Record...

...I hate, absolutely HATE, moving. Actually, I don't think hate is a strong enough word - Detest? Abhor? Loathe? Abominate? Despise? Disdain? Revile? Nope....still don't think any of these express words adequately describe my feelings on the matter.

I've been tagged...

...by my sister Cynth (thanks for catching me mid-packing session for our move next week - the house is a mess). ANYWAY - here are the rules of the game: 10 photos (minimum), take them right away, NO CLEANING UP FIRST, then you get to tag 5 people.

1. Dream Vacation: Doug and I have always talked about where we would travel if we had the extra money (and could find a babysitter for the extended period of time). Although it is not the most posh place to vacation, our dream trip would entail going to the Marshall Islands, where he served his mission. Doug often talks about going back and seeing the people who had such a significant influence on his faith and testimony. We would finish the trip up with a few days in the Florida Keys - fishing, scuba diving (me), and just lounging around watching the beautiful sunsets.

2. Self Portrait: Yup...this is me. Going on day 2 of the new hair cut...and feeling totally weird having to take a picture of myself. I feel much more comfortable behind the camera rather than in front (which is why you won't find too many pictures of me on this blog).

3. What My Kids Are Doing Right Now: I first started taking pictures for this photo tag after I put the girls down for their nap. Obviously, as the pictures display, they decided they were not tired and jumping on the bed would be more fun. When I finally got around to uploading the photos from the camera to the computer, the girls had finally dropped out of sheer exhaustion (about 2 hours after the first set of pictures were taken)

4. My Closet: Nothing too exciting here...one closet, two occupants, and a really BIG mess.

5. My Favorite Room: Is, in fact, not a room at all. I decided to turn our upstairs hallway into a family photo wall - it displays pics from before Doug and I were hitched to present. All-in-all, I believe there are 25 pictures total...it's a lot of fun to see how much we've all changed in just a few years. This is something I hope to continue in all our future homes (or apartments).

6. My Favorite Shoes: These flip-flops were bought about 3 years ago from the Rip Curl Outlet in Cabazon for about $5. They are definitely my shoe of choice six days out of the week - I do refrain from wearing them to church.

7. My Laundry Room: Or rather, our laundry closet. I cannot wait for the day when we live in a house with a full-fledged laundry room. In the meantime, however, we deal with the overly-crammed, accordion-door guarded closet...there is never enough room for sorting, washing, or folding, which is probably part of the reason I despise doing laundry so much.

8. My Second Bathroom: This is the girls bathroom, located upstairs towards the front of the house. I must admit, I will not miss this bathroom after we move - it is much too small to accommodate two potty-training girls, is has limited storage, and there is very little space to kneel while bathing the girls.

9. My Kitchen Sink: I am grateful for the double-divided sink, although I honestly don't think the entire thing has ever been empty since we moved into this house. I will miss the faucet greatly - it has probably been my favorite part of this whole house.

10. My Refrigerator: Here you have it - an inside and outside look at the fridge. Nothing too exciting...sorry about that. If I had done this a week ago, it would have been even more boring as our fridge was pretty much empty except for a gallon of milk, a carton of eggs, and some old fruit down in the drawers. Pathetic, I know...but I have to limit my shopping for the next week because I hate moving food.

So there you have it...these are the pictures of my life...today. Now I tag anyone who has the time, and the desire, to join in the fun!! (I always feel bad naming people because I don't want anyone to feel obligated).

A Much Needed Change...

So, after feeling for months that I needed to do something to change my appearance and give myself a much needed esteem boost, I decided to cut my hair. Doug aided my endeavor by taking the girls out to dinner and the mall tonight after he dropped me off at a hair salon. I went in feeling embarrassed by my tired, run-down appearance, but the stylist (Kristen) was absolutely WONDERFUL and provided me the much needed boost I desired.

I pretty much gave her free reign on my hair, and even though it turned much different (blonder and shorter) than I intended, I have to say I LOVE IT!! Here are some quick pics I took after I put the girls down to bed...I hope you like the results!

Fun times with Toddlers...

Or, with the way today went, maybe not so fun of times. Roo decided that putting money in her piggy bank just wasn't fun enough, so she decided to try her luck and swallow some herself. Yup. For the second time in less than a week, Roo ingested some change she discovered lying around the house. The first time around, I was able to do a finger sweep down her throat and get the coins out with a little bit of throw-up. Today, however, was a different story. I tried the finger sweep again, but the coin was lodged too deep in her throat and Roo's gagging and throwing up only resulted in pushing it further down.

I called the pediatrician triage line, who immediately ordered us to go get x-rays. Fortunately, the x-rays showed the coin avoided passing into to the lung and had safely passed through the esophagus into the stomach. That was a relief, but now I get the fun job of inspecting all of Roo's bowel movements for the next 4-5 days in hopes of locating the swallowed coin (which, the doctor commented looks much larger than a nickel). If the coin isn't passed by the end of the week, then we'll have to take Roo back in for another x-ray to view its progress.

So, here's to fun times with toddlers...and swallowing coins, x-rays, medical emergencies, and inspecting poo for the next week. Aren't you all jealous?

Happy Be-lated Father's Day

So, I know I'm a little late on this post, but I still wanted to wish a Happy Father's Day to all the Papa's, Daddy's, Fathers, and Grand-dads out there. Thank you, to all the male figures in my life, for your examples of strength, wisdom, patience, dedication, hard-work, and love.

Happy Father's Day!!

On the move....again...

So it's official. We will be moving (again) on Tuesday, June 24th to some apartments about 5 minutes south of the home we are currently in. We love the neighborhood we are in, and these apartments will also keep us in the same ward - which we also love. So, even though it means we will be down-sizing, the move will ultimately allow us to save up much faster for our own home.

Oh, and another TOTAL benefit of the apartment is that there are NO scorpions. NONE. That fact alone was pretty much the deal-winner for me. Wa-hoo!!

It's all Good

Even though it has not been the full 8 hours the Poison Control Center cautioned us about, I think it is safe to say Roo is feeling much better after suffering from a very minor scorpion sting. When I went in to check on her toward the end of her nap, I found both of my darling girls jumping joyously on Roo's bed. As as soon as she saw me, she beckoned "C'mon mama, c'mon! Jump with us!" and was quickly joined by AK in saying "Yeah mama...c'mon!"

We are lucky it was a very minor sting, but just to set the record straight, I still hate scorpions with a passion. They are nasty, creepy, vile creatures and the world would do just fine without their existence.

The inevitable has happened...

Maybe it was karma due to my endless worrying about the scorpions in our home, or maybe it was just a higher being's way of telling us the time is right to get out of this house. Either way, for whatever the reason, the inevitable has happened...today, Roo stepped on a scorpion tail.

I was out in the garage putting some things aside for our garage sale next week, and Roo came out to join me. She didn't have shoes on, so I quickly shooed her inside saying I didn't want her to step on anything. Well, as I said that she picked up her foot and said "Ouch!" I didn't have my glasses on at the time, and thought I saw just a small stick under her foot, so I picked her up and took her inside. About two minutes later, I went back out in the front room and Roo was sitting on the floor scratching at her foot....the look on her face was one of total discomfort so I asked her what was wrong. "Ouch mama. Foot hurts. I need nurse. Go to doctor, mama" was her reply. I looked where she was scratching and couldn't see any prick point, but I went and got soap, a wet paper towel, some dry paper towels, a cold compress and quickly cleaned her entire foot then blotted it dry. She said it still hurt, but she wasn't scratching at it as much after I cleaned it. My mother's intuition must have been ringing loud and clear, because I decided to go back out to the garage and look where she had stepped. Sure enough, there was a scorpion tail right at the spot where she had stopped and said "Ouch." I picked it up with a straw and put it into a plastic baggy, then I called poison control just to find out what should be done.

The nice lady on the phone told me exactly what to do (cleaning with soap and water and putting a cold compress on it were two of the first things she told me....guess that basic first aid instinct from all those years of girls camp and 2 years of Medical Assisting courses at Palomar finally came in handy!) and what symptoms to look for. Since most of the symptoms of scorpion stings are felt and cannot be observed (such as numbness and pain), it is somewhat difficult for the mother of a toddler to measure just how much pain her daughter is in. The symptoms escalate in the first 6-8 hours after the initial sting, but after that they are supposed to subside. The main things to look for were drooling, twitching of the eyes, scratching at her throat like it was itching or she was having difficulty breathing, and difficulty in swallowing food or water.

We are lucky that Roo only suffered a minor sting. She had some slight drooling and is favoring her foot a little, but other than that she seems to be all right. I have been watching her breathing patterns and observing her eyes, and (knock on wood) those appear to be normal. She hasn't had as much water to drink as usual, but she isn't scratching at her throat or saying that its hurting her, sooooo....I'm hoping that means she will be okay and we won't have to go the ER today. We are going on 4 1/2 hours since the sting...I'm a nervous wreck inside, but I am trying to think positively and hope that my quick reactions helped a little bit.

Bottom line, I just wish I could take over whatever pain she is feeling...I would take it from her in a heartbeat, without any question. And the next time I see a scorpion, it better say a quick prayer before it meets the sole of my shoe because there will be NO mercy from this mother.

P.S. If you ever come across a dead scorpion, or pieces from a dismembered scorpion, PLEASE do not decide to play with the nasty thing. Even though it's dead or detached, the poison can still hurt you if you poke it just right. I seriously think scorpions are the spawn of the devil - I mean, honestly, how many other things can still inflict serious physical harm on people even after they're dead?

It's creepy...and unnatural...and I hate those nasty little things more than ever.

Infatuated

in·fat·u·a·tion /[in-fach-oo-ey-shuh n]
–noun
1. A foolish, unreasoning, or extravagant passion or attraction.
2. An object of extravagant, short-lived passion.
Synonyms: attachment, craze, crush, fascination, folly, love, madness, obsession, passion

So, it seems that part of being 2 1/2 years old is becoming infatuated with seemingly anything and everything that the girls come into contact with. Just to fill you in on some fads that have lasted longer than others, here is a collection of AK & Roo's most recent infatuations:

Money: We have had piggy banks for the girls ever since they were first born, but it wasn't until lately that they realized the profound joy of having money. They can now correctly (usually) identify pennies & quarters, but we're still working on dimes (which they call "baby monies") and nickels. They don't really care much for "paper monies," but I'll occasionally put a dollar bill or two in their bank just because. Roo has a knack for finding money everywhere we go - whether it's to the store, the bank, the car...whatever our destination is for the day, she usually ends up bringing home some kind of change she discovered along the way.

Horseys: Ever since we visited Fallbrook this past March, the girls have been obsessed with horses. They love watching them, talking about them, playing with them, and seeing pictures about them. Any mention of Paga Hoopes (Grandpa Hoopes), and there is bound to be cries of "I ride horsey in California. I like horseys, mama." These pictures are of the girls playing horsey with their wonderful Uncle Bryce.

Cheese: This is nothing new, nor has Roo's infatuation with cheese

diminished...at all. She loves it - in all varities, shapes, colors, flavors, etc. As long as it is cheese, she'll eat it. Period. And it doesn't even matter what time of day. Cheese is usually the first thing she asks for in the morning, and the last thing she asks for at night.

School: This is probably a reflection of the intense workload from my last class (which I barely passed, but a passing grade is a passing grade, so I won't complain). Anyway, AK's latest thing is to climb up to the computer and proudly declare "I do homework mama. Go away." She will even grab a notebook and pen and act like she is scribbling notes while typing away at the keyboard. It is seriously, the cutest thing to watch. I just hope this diligence in her studies will continue when she's older.

Pumpkins: This one is also all Roo. For whatever reason, she has become attached to her pumpkin shirt from last Halloween. She asks to wear it every day, and every night...she would even wear it in the tub, if we would let her. I guess it's a good thing we bought two, because I usually have to switch her from one to the other just so I can wash the darn thing for the next day. The other night we came home from Walmart, and we had stopped for some french fries on the way home. Roo happened to find a little pumpkin pail from our Halloween decorations while I was unstrapping AK from her carseat. She immediately ditched the french fry box and put them in the pumpkin pail, then came running around the car saying "I found it mama! Look it!! I found the pumpkin pail!" She was so proud of her discovery - I just had to take a picture. I've heard of Christmas in July...is there such a thing as Halloween in June?

Band-aids: Anytime the girls get a bump, bruise, scrape, etc., they get a sad/disheartened look on their face and declare "I need nurse mama," which translates to "I need a band-aid." Usually, a band-aid is totally unnecessary, but they still ask because they love the sticky things. And, if one of the girls gets a band-aid, then of course her sister demands one too...and how can you say yes to one and no to another?

Chipmunks: Since we do not have cable, and since I was getting tired of watching the same 3 movies over and over with the girls, we have started a new weekly ritual of going to Blockbuster and picking out one movie for the girls to watch for the following week (sometimes I pick it out, sometimes they come with me). We only keep the movie one week, but the girls can watch it as much as they want. Well, the last movie we rented was Alvin and the Chipmunks and I think we are going to have buy this one. AK has become completely enamored with the three talking/dancing/singing rodents, and she refuses to watch any movie but Chipmunks. It is actually quite funny to watch, because as soon as a song comes on she hops up and starts dancing around, and she insists everyone else gets up and dance as well "C'mon mama. Hold hands mama, please."

Nail polish: The girls, especially AK, LOVE getting their "toe toes" (toenails) painted. They are so proud of their pink polished nails, they display them any chance they get, to any person who may be passing by. It doesn't matter where we are, or what the person may be in the middle of, the girls will fearlessly approach the unsuspecting person and declare "Look how cute! My toe toes are so pretty." Of course, they are usually rewarded with smiles of adoration which only serve to encourage them more, but it is so funny to see how happy they are with something as simple as toenail polish.

Girls Night Out

So, for those of you who may not know, Doug picked up a second job so that I could quit working the night audit shift at Hyattplace. Of course, adding a second job on top of UOP, school, and his calling (which requires one night a week at the Stake Employment Center), means that the four of us don't get to hang out together as often as we would like. Last Friday night, while Doug had to work, the girls and I went to the mall for dinner (you gotta love Hot Dog on a Stick) and some fun on this totally sweet, 2-story carousel.

I forgot to take my camera, but I had my cell phone handy to snap some quick pics of the girls. They had a blast, and two rides each on the carousel were not NEARLY enough for them. I was finally able to coerce them off the "am-i-mals" by promising them we'd get some ice cream cones. Terrible, I know...but it worked. AND, it meant a yummy treat for all of us.

AK munching on "fench fies" (her favorite) - Roo about to sip some lemonade

The carousel - OF COURSE the girls wanted to ride on the second level.

AK on the "big birdie" - Roo riding the "pretty horsey"

The only thing that would have made it better was if Doug had been able to join us. Thank you, papa, for working as hard as you do. We really appreciate it...even if we don't say it often enough!!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

It seems that AK and Roo