a blended life

In case you were worried about the condition of my house and the health of my kids living in my house--not much has changed. Maybe tomorrow. It's been hard for me to blog the past few days because my dear friend's (Shannon) husband passed away. It's been a harsh and terrible reality to deal with-she is now a widow, with a toddler, at age 30. It seems so inappropriate to write about mundane things life my new chest cold or Leah's halloween costume. I've learned a little in the past couple days from Shannon, who has way more faith and a much better attitude than I could dream of owning. Life doesn't stop-you have to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving, but more importantly, everyone has a plan. It was Ron's (the husband) time to go, even though it hurts and he will be missed enormously. Shannon-you're my hero for getting up in the morning. This week will be a bit different for us-Brian took some paid time off to study for the LSAT, which is ...

My house is super nasty right now. This is a brief description of what going on: 1)I can't tell the difference between the ants and the oreo crumbs. 2)Hannah keeps picking stuff off her feet 3)There's a petrified sweet and sour ball behind the rocking chair (go ahead and look now, Brian. I left it there for you) from last week's Chinese food splurge. 4)The Polly Pockets have created a community under the couch cushions, making friends with the animal magnets and feasting on hot dog bits. 5)The toilet is flushing itself 6)We don't have any clothes is drawers or the closet-we are picking through the laundry basket (there are dirty baskets and clean baskets.) 7)Brian couldn't tell if his glasses were dirty or the air was hazy. Both. 8)The crusted jam on the table has been there so long it's now a permament fixture.

Random Piece of Info #1 I got called to translate for a mom whose baby is getting physical therapy-he was born at 24 weeks. It was nice to get out and work a little, but the appointment was in Tremonton, which is over the mountain and about 35 miles away. The only way I could make it was on the scooter--to make a long, windy, bugs-in-the-face story short, let's just say I won't be doing that again. I really felt like me and the scooter were going to blow off the road at 55 miles per hour. The best part of the trip wasn't when I got lost for a half hour in a county that I neither care for nor am familiar with, but when I arrived at home and decided to try to jump the curb. I got stuck, back end of the scooter swaying back and forth, with the mailman watching. Thank goodness for cell phones-I called Brian, who was 20 feet away, to come and bail me out. For some reason I thought it was a lot funnier than he did. I also figured out that I could play rock paper scissors with my ...

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now about two topics, so I thought maybe writing would be therapeutic. Or I could bottle it up and take it out on Brian tomorrow :) Topic #1 Our Financial Situation It's no secret that since we are wrapping up a phase of life and trying to move on to another that the bank account has been a little unsteady. I'm not embarrassed to talk about it because I really feel like we're trying very hard to make things work. Anyway, I decided to start teaching piano lessons. It was a tough decision because it will cause us to rearrange our humble abode to accomodate students, and the going rate for piano lessons in Logan is abominable. I got my first student today and I've been advertising, so hopefully my 'studio' (that's a music nerd term) will grow. Also, my former empoyer called and wants me to translate for about a month while they are finding a new social worker. Long story, but I think I will do it. Topic #2 Too much to...

I need to throw a word or two out about Hannah. Her first year of life was very difficult-so much crying!-but as she is growing up, she's brightening our house and really bringing us a lot of joy. That sounded super corny, but I don't know how else to say it. She is developing so differently from Leah; I usually tell people that it's like having a first baby all over again. She says three word sentences 'no more beeps' (read: I don't want any more grapes), she is into everything, she rips books, eats play dough and crayons, sucks on marbles, and wears everyone's shoes. It's exciting to us because these are things that Leah didn't do-she wasn't curious about her world and the whole concept of 'entertain oneself' is still something we really struggle with. One of the most adorable things to us is the relationship between the two girls. They are constantly taking care of each and trying to keep tabs on the other. Hannah gives Leah a kiss whe...

Here's some randomness that probably falls into the 'family journal' category, so not terribly interesting to the average reader. Sundays are always a little tough for us because: 1)Brian works late on Saturday, so he's no help with getting out the door for church. I'm not bitter about his--it's just hard 2)Hannah is not a good sleeper. She got up at 5:30 today and my eyes are still burning from lack of sleep and extreme weekend fatigue 3)Both girls struggling with sacrament meeting and we usually cause a big nuisance. Today wasn't too bad, though, and I have to give Leah credit for not screaming or throwing something. 4) There's something very weary about thinking of what the coming week will bring. But on the other hand, Sundays are a very good day and something I really enjoy, despite the not so fun aspects: 1)I've made some good friends in my new neighborhood and at church, so it's really nice to go and see some familiar, caring faces. 2)Leah...

We just got back from the gym and saw this sign posted: POOL CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY DUE TO DRAINING AND CHEMICAL MAINTENANCE. Have you ever read the book Marley and Me? I hate to compare Leah with a dog, but her pool incident (is that what we can call it now?) reminded me of when Marley (a dog) went to a beach, drank a bunch of salt water, had major diarrhea, and eventually the beach was closed. We have a slow weekend ahead of us-I knew when Hannah got up at 4:00 am this morning that whatever we had planned would need to be thrown out the window due to fatigue and cranky kids. That sounded negative and I didn't mean to. All I'm saying is I need to rethink our plans and maybe just sit around and enjoy each other's company. Right? Any takers? Anyone?

One time Augustus Gloop fell into a chocolate river... I love food too much to lose my appetite very often, but today it happened. And if you have a weak stomach I would recommend skipping this post. Leah takes swimming lessons at the gym where I go for Pilates. I showed up, with Hannah in tow, for the last few minutes of her lesson and saw her refusing to participate. This is VERY strange for her because she's usually so well behaved in a class setting. I had to coax her out of the pool and she announced that she had pooped in her suit. She doesn't wear a swim diaper. I peaked in the back end quickly-not wanting tomake a scene-and saw a small mountain of brown rocks up her backside. I was too mortified, embarrassed and grossed out to have a teaching moment so all that came out of my mouth was "Bathroom. Now." I rushed and she waddled a penquin-like shuffle to the handicap stall of the locker room (big enough for the three of us, plus the elephant turd in her suit). S...

You have to check out this other hilarious waste of time. Here's a little of how Brian and I turned out:

I've been caught up the Facebook bug-it's been a great way for me to contact some people I've lost touch with or who have forgotten about me, like mission companions, teachers, and friends from another life.

I had to blog tonight for two reasons 1) To get that embarrassing song of the front of my blog and 2) I'm sure everyone cares about my busy week and has been dying to hear the details of my boring life. First some randomness: Is anyone else excited for Christmas?! I hate mustard. I'm glad I'm still married to Brian. I wouldn't have it any other way. Back to my long week-- Leah started preschool. Hooray! She's out of the house a little more! We are all much happier, including her. Most of our week has been consumed with these little guys. Someone would only agree to babysit twins if they are: a)Stupid b)Bored c)Poor I definitely qualify for a and c. The mommy needed me for this week, and then Tuesdays and Thursdays for the semester. I'm not going to complain about the money we earned, but the 30 hours they ate up was so tiring. Brian was a great help with the circus. Don't be fooled-they aren't as innocent as a look. Left-Jocelyn, Right-Kedin. Sara is L...

We made a fairly horrible rendition of 'Happy Birthday' for Grandpa Ron's birthday-so enjoy! And we love you and hope you had a great day! You don't look a day older :)

I'm still trying to recover from a jam packed weekend. We had my niece Rachel over to make monster cookies, which is a delicious recipe that makes 20 dozen. You have to mix it with your hands. The girls had a great time together! We left Saturday morning with my parents to Boise for my cousin Jared's mission homecoming. Here's Grandpa, who's probably going to get married to some chica from Colorado. We're happy for him. It'll be no surprise that Leah spent her time 1)jumping on the trampoline and 2)crying. Stephen (Jared's dad) has always been my favorite uncle. I know it's uncool to have favorite family members, but I can't help myself! He's great. Diane (Stephen's wife) is famous for her treats. Without fail I gain what weight when I go, mostly because I can't stop eating her scotcharoos. Coming home from a missions is really hard, but Jared did a great job of holding it together. He gave a talk in church and it was really good. Hannah ...