I came across this picture today and it made me giggle...Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Kassie is 16!
My little sister is 16 today. It feels like she's been with us forever, but at the same time I can't believe she's already this old.
I was 14 when she was born, and so embarrassed that my mother, at the age of 34, was having a baby. Standing outside Orchard Mesa Middle School on April 12, 1994, I nonchalantly told my fellow eighth-grade friends that, "Oh yea, my mom had that kid last night."
I know....what a brat I was.
Kassie had about as rough a start in life as any baby could. She'd tossed and turned so much the placenta had torn away, and after an emergency C-section, she was born dead. The doctor knew he had to keep working on her, and by some miracle, she's here today after starting life without oxygen for 10+ minutes.
She has Cerebral Palsy and thus some physical and developmental delays. But, she's well aware of what's going on and sometimes her observations are funny and insightful. Like the time she noticed an Andrus truck next her and my mom at a stoplight. "Why is that guy driving Sam's truck?" she wanted to know. Or, like her birthday party today that she demanded be a surprise, complete with explicit instructions to my mom about where she would go and how she would enter the house.
I love my Sissy and yes, I'm glad now that my mom had "that kid."
I was 14 when she was born, and so embarrassed that my mother, at the age of 34, was having a baby. Standing outside Orchard Mesa Middle School on April 12, 1994, I nonchalantly told my fellow eighth-grade friends that, "Oh yea, my mom had that kid last night."
I know....what a brat I was.
Kassie had about as rough a start in life as any baby could. She'd tossed and turned so much the placenta had torn away, and after an emergency C-section, she was born dead. The doctor knew he had to keep working on her, and by some miracle, she's here today after starting life without oxygen for 10+ minutes.
She has Cerebral Palsy and thus some physical and developmental delays. But, she's well aware of what's going on and sometimes her observations are funny and insightful. Like the time she noticed an Andrus truck next her and my mom at a stoplight. "Why is that guy driving Sam's truck?" she wanted to know. Or, like her birthday party today that she demanded be a surprise, complete with explicit instructions to my mom about where she would go and how she would enter the house.
I love my Sissy and yes, I'm glad now that my mom had "that kid."
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Dad's Home
Sam came home yesterday. Three weeks the man's been gone.
This has been the story of our marriage. He was a truck driver when we married. He moved from a dedicated trucking route to being a member of a race team that travels the country seven out of 12 months. So, our marriage works that way.
On March 16th we'd been married eight years. He's missed probably six of those anniversaries. He's usually gone a full month out of the year during the summer.
I'm not complaining. I'm actually pretty independent.
But, it's getting harder.
Halfway through this last voyage, Matthew didn't want to play soccer, an admission that's way out of the ordinary for him. Milo's random meltdowns often got him a trip straight to his bedroom. And my too frequent dismissals of Cooper's clingyness left his "Mikey" (blanket) with a few new torns as he found comfort in dragging it everywhere.
I think we all had a good wake-up call about how much we need Dad around.
Today was a much more pleasant day. I needed a reminder of how I do enjoy my little boys. And how much any little boy needs his Dad.
This has been the story of our marriage. He was a truck driver when we married. He moved from a dedicated trucking route to being a member of a race team that travels the country seven out of 12 months. So, our marriage works that way.
On March 16th we'd been married eight years. He's missed probably six of those anniversaries. He's usually gone a full month out of the year during the summer.
I'm not complaining. I'm actually pretty independent.
But, it's getting harder.
Halfway through this last voyage, Matthew didn't want to play soccer, an admission that's way out of the ordinary for him. Milo's random meltdowns often got him a trip straight to his bedroom. And my too frequent dismissals of Cooper's clingyness left his "Mikey" (blanket) with a few new torns as he found comfort in dragging it everywhere.
I think we all had a good wake-up call about how much we need Dad around.
Today was a much more pleasant day. I needed a reminder of how I do enjoy my little boys. And how much any little boy needs his Dad.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The little AWESOME things
The "Reader's Digest" is the perfect size to sit on the back of the toilet. Ever notice that? That's where the literature sits in my house. And while perusing it the other day while having some "me" time, I came across a little tidbit of goodness I'd like to share. It's a website called 1000awesomethings.com.
This is a partial list of the little things in life that just can make my day. So, here goes the things that make me pull my arm back at the elbow with a fist and say "YES!":
This is a partial list of the little things in life that just can make my day. So, here goes the things that make me pull my arm back at the elbow with a fist and say "YES!":
- A cool leather couch to lie on during a hot summer day
- Finding a new gas station that sells crushed ice for my Dr. Pepper
- A poopy diaper that requires little to none bum wiping
- A just warm enough car to take a nap in
- Finding an Idaho Spud at a gas station and not having to wipe the dust off
- The other side of the pillow
- A shopping cart with a seatbelt that actually works
- Finding a TV episode of my favorite show I haven't seen before
- Not having to sing the last hymn during church because the speaker went over
- A new razor
- New underwear
- Putting on underwear right out of the dryer
- Discovering random clearance items at Target
- The warm slide on the swing set - it's just right to lay on and talk on the phone
- Socks that are not inside out
- When Peeps are in the stores
- Speeding and not getting pulled over by the cop who looks right at me
- A full DVR
- Grass that can go another week without mowing
- Having just enough contact lens solution for one more day
- Finding that Cooper peed on the hardwood floor and not the carpet
- Getting suckers at the bank
- Coupons
- 15 copies of one coupon insert I get from my mom at the Daily Sentinel
- Finding a new issue of People, US, or Star Magazine in my mailbox
- Feeling the mist of a neighbor's sprinkler in the middle of a sweaty jog
- Discovering a random water fountain works while running on a St. George City trail
- Finding a sucker at the bottom of my purse when I desperately need to put it in my child's mouth at the store
- Getting a cushioned chair in Sunday School
- Being close to a heater vent on a cold day
- Sore muscles
- When the lawn mower cleanly picks up a pile of dog poop
- Clipping my toenails
- Calling someone and them actually sounding excited to talk to you
- Calling someone who owes the towing company money and them actually being pleasant about it
- Getting ahold of someone who owes me money
- A crisp dollar bill
- Any dollar bill
- Waking up to find no children got up to ask for a drink in the night
- Reading a blog and laughing out loud
- My hot pad with a long extension cord that will reach anywhere in my family room
- When Cooper says "Oh, man!" or "OK, mom," when I was really expecting a fit
- Sharing a funny story or website and having my audience be equally amused
- Making someone who intimidates me laugh or smile
- Realizing my PIN for almost everything is the last four digits of my high school best friend's phone number
- When Matt reads
- Learning a new function in QuickBooks
- Feeling OK when I look at the huge knuckle on my right ring finger that I got playing volleyball
- The clock when it reads 2 am and I thought it was closer to 5 am
- A full battery on my cell phone/IPOD/laptop
- When I tell Milo we have to drop something off to a guy and he asks, "What guy? Jason or Erik?" all the time (those are his uncles)
- A sharp knife to cut carrots
- Looking at all the hair on the floor after a haircut
- Being on track with my LOST theories
- Taking my ponytail/braid out and rubbing my scalp
- A song on the radio I haven't heard since 1996
- Turning on the dim lights after the kids have gone to bed and the house is clean
- Thinking that my driver's license photo is actually a great headshot
- Discovering I can throw away papers I'd been keeping forever
Thursday, February 18, 2010
My Next 30 Years
Today I turned 30. To celebrate, I'd like to take a look back at my last ten years with a quick review:
Age 20: Graduated from Dixie College, worked at Houston's in Kanab, went one semester to the University of Utah
Age 21: Moved back to St. George, met Sam, got engaged
Age 22: Married Sam, moved to Santa Clara home
Age 23: Finished college at SUU
Age 24: Baby #1 - Matt
Age 25: Ran my first marathon
Age 26: Baby #2 - Milo, moved to current home
Age 27: Baby #3 - Cooper
Age 28: Can't recall anything, survived?
Age 29: Ran second marathon
But being the realist that I am, I have to concede that while these were all pretty big events in my life, they weren't without some hardships, as well. So, since I HATE blogs about perfect husbands, children, hobbies, color schemes, and yummy treats, I have to interject some realism into my "20s List" (to help out all those folks that, like me, need to know that everyone else does NOT have a perfect life).
Age 20: Was so confused about where to go after Dixie, I felt lost
Age 21: Felt like I had to compete for Sam's affection, I won, but what was this, "The Bachelor"??
Age 22: Felt like a failure for not getting married in the Temple
Age 23: Gained a significant amount of "we're in a comfortable routine now" marriage weight
Age 24: Did not know what the joys of motherhood were all about with a new baby that screamed for hours and hours every night for two months
Age 25: The year of the mouse invasion in our home - I didn't sleep for weeks
Age 26: Found out I was pregnant when Milo was 5 months old, cried for months because the smells in our new home made me want to vomit and I felt like the old owner's dirt, and bird droppings, would never leave no matter how much I cleaned
Age 27: Threw a flower pot at my husband in front of his friends because I was very emotional
Age 28: Was consumed with three little kids, two of which weren't ready for Nursery at church
Age 29: Ran a marathon and didn't lose a damn pound
Life's not always great, but I am so thankful for the opportunities I've had to finish my education, have a family, and live in a place I like. As Tim McGraw would say I'll "drink a little lemonade and not so many beers, huh, maybe I'll remember my next 30 years." OK, so the beers haven't been a problem, but I can always "do it better in my next 30 years."
Age 20: Graduated from Dixie College, worked at Houston's in Kanab, went one semester to the University of Utah
Age 21: Moved back to St. George, met Sam, got engaged
Age 22: Married Sam, moved to Santa Clara home
Age 23: Finished college at SUU
Age 24: Baby #1 - Matt
Age 25: Ran my first marathon
Age 26: Baby #2 - Milo, moved to current home
Age 27: Baby #3 - Cooper
Age 28: Can't recall anything, survived?
Age 29: Ran second marathon
But being the realist that I am, I have to concede that while these were all pretty big events in my life, they weren't without some hardships, as well. So, since I HATE blogs about perfect husbands, children, hobbies, color schemes, and yummy treats, I have to interject some realism into my "20s List" (to help out all those folks that, like me, need to know that everyone else does NOT have a perfect life).
Age 20: Was so confused about where to go after Dixie, I felt lost
Age 21: Felt like I had to compete for Sam's affection, I won, but what was this, "The Bachelor"??
Age 22: Felt like a failure for not getting married in the Temple
Age 23: Gained a significant amount of "we're in a comfortable routine now" marriage weight
Age 24: Did not know what the joys of motherhood were all about with a new baby that screamed for hours and hours every night for two months
Age 25: The year of the mouse invasion in our home - I didn't sleep for weeks
Age 26: Found out I was pregnant when Milo was 5 months old, cried for months because the smells in our new home made me want to vomit and I felt like the old owner's dirt, and bird droppings, would never leave no matter how much I cleaned
Age 27: Threw a flower pot at my husband in front of his friends because I was very emotional
Age 28: Was consumed with three little kids, two of which weren't ready for Nursery at church
Age 29: Ran a marathon and didn't lose a damn pound
Life's not always great, but I am so thankful for the opportunities I've had to finish my education, have a family, and live in a place I like. As Tim McGraw would say I'll "drink a little lemonade and not so many beers, huh, maybe I'll remember my next 30 years." OK, so the beers haven't been a problem, but I can always "do it better in my next 30 years."
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
A Shamu Christmas
A Shamu Christmas...and no, I am not talking about the way I, myself, continue to feel after the holidays.
No, we did spent part of the holidays with Shamu and friends at Sea World in San Diego. Grandma Mary treated the Andrus family to condos and two-day tickets to the marine habitat. And we all know there is no better way to observe sea creatures than in their natural cement ponds behind glass panels.
I must say, this is by far the best Sea World trip I've experienced since my last trip there circa 1993. There was nary a speck of bird poop and not a single seagull attacked my churro. Upper management at Sea World got smart and installed this crazy wire strings (I can only describe as resembling something that might come out of the top of a Who's head from Whoville) that come out of the top of every light pole and possible bird nesting sanctuary at the park. Die evil birds!
Matt, Milo, and Cooper were great for the trip, surprisingly. They sat in awe of the whales and dolphins jumping out of the pool, clung tight to us at the shark exhibit, and sat quiet during "The Polar Express" 3-D film. We hardly had to chase Cooper around the cement bleachers during the sea lion show. But keeping track of three little ones in a crowded park is exhausting work. We managed, though, and are thankful to Grandma and Grandpa Andrus for the fun trip.
All of Sam's brothers and sisters were there. One evening we made gingerbread houses. That was an experience. Between the timeshare's strict quiet policy and trying to calm kids' tempers and tears over Hurricane Katrina type dismantled gingerbread homes, we just had to laugh. Believe me, building gingerbread houses can be quite a dramatic experience.
The kids saw the ocean for the first time. Matt even braved the cold 50 degree water for a swim. He did have a look of total fear, though, when a wave crashed over his head and he lost sight of the beach. Milo and Cooper, however, were content to play in the sand. In two-year-old Cooper's words as he looked out toward the ocean: "Not me, Mom. Not me."
We came home two days before Christmas as we wanted to be near our tree and enjoy the kids waking up to their presents. I realized this year that I am clearly about traditions. I want to be home at Christmas. I want to enjoy the day of Christmas Eve putting last minute gifts together and enjoying the anticipation. I want my kids to wake up and see what Santa left on the couch.
Christmas Day was nice....eerily quiet as it was just us....but nice. We went to Mesquite later Christmas Day with Sam's sister, Shaquel's, family. We missed having a large gathering of family, but it was good to realize that just our little family can make it just fine on our own, too.
No, we did spent part of the holidays with Shamu and friends at Sea World in San Diego. Grandma Mary treated the Andrus family to condos and two-day tickets to the marine habitat. And we all know there is no better way to observe sea creatures than in their natural cement ponds behind glass panels.
I must say, this is by far the best Sea World trip I've experienced since my last trip there circa 1993. There was nary a speck of bird poop and not a single seagull attacked my churro. Upper management at Sea World got smart and installed this crazy wire strings (I can only describe as resembling something that might come out of the top of a Who's head from Whoville) that come out of the top of every light pole and possible bird nesting sanctuary at the park. Die evil birds!
Matt, Milo, and Cooper were great for the trip, surprisingly. They sat in awe of the whales and dolphins jumping out of the pool, clung tight to us at the shark exhibit, and sat quiet during "The Polar Express" 3-D film. We hardly had to chase Cooper around the cement bleachers during the sea lion show. But keeping track of three little ones in a crowded park is exhausting work. We managed, though, and are thankful to Grandma and Grandpa Andrus for the fun trip.
All of Sam's brothers and sisters were there. One evening we made gingerbread houses. That was an experience. Between the timeshare's strict quiet policy and trying to calm kids' tempers and tears over Hurricane Katrina type dismantled gingerbread homes, we just had to laugh. Believe me, building gingerbread houses can be quite a dramatic experience.
The kids saw the ocean for the first time. Matt even braved the cold 50 degree water for a swim. He did have a look of total fear, though, when a wave crashed over his head and he lost sight of the beach. Milo and Cooper, however, were content to play in the sand. In two-year-old Cooper's words as he looked out toward the ocean: "Not me, Mom. Not me."
We came home two days before Christmas as we wanted to be near our tree and enjoy the kids waking up to their presents. I realized this year that I am clearly about traditions. I want to be home at Christmas. I want to enjoy the day of Christmas Eve putting last minute gifts together and enjoying the anticipation. I want my kids to wake up and see what Santa left on the couch.
Christmas Day was nice....eerily quiet as it was just us....but nice. We went to Mesquite later Christmas Day with Sam's sister, Shaquel's, family. We missed having a large gathering of family, but it was good to realize that just our little family can make it just fine on our own, too.
Friday, December 18, 2009
A Knife and a Boy
I got a call from Principal Mitchell the other day. "You may not know this, but Matthew brought a knife to school today."
OK. First meeting with a principal with my first child who hasn't even made it through his first half of kindergarten yet.
Mr. Mitchell: Matt, why did you bring the knife to school?
Me: (silently praying for a reasonable answer)
Matt: I wanted to show my friends.
Mr. Mitchell: What were you going to do with it when you showed your friends?
Me: (still in fervent prayer)
Matt: I don't know, cut weeds.
Me: (whoa, good answer, son!)
And so what followed was a little explaining about why we don't bring knives to school, how they can hurt, ladeda....Whatever happened to those good ol' days when you could bring a 12 inch knife to school for Show-n-Tell, pull a bullet out of your pocket on the playground, or your dad could drop you off at school with an unloaded gun on his back windshield rack?
Too many people have just ruined the fun for the rest of us, I suppose.
But, it's OK...Matt can't be trusted with a knife or even running with a pencil in his hand. (I'm just overprotective about that kind of stuff...blame the local news).
I blaimed Sam for the incident at first. After all, Matt said he found the knife out by dad's truck. Then he showed me where by dad's truck.
Yea, it was my fault. I used the knife to cut string to hang Christmas decorations outside and forgot to put it away.
Bad Mom.
Hopefully, Matt and I have both learned our lessons. But, somehow with three boys I don't think this will be my last encounter with Mr. Mitchell.
OK. First meeting with a principal with my first child who hasn't even made it through his first half of kindergarten yet.
Mr. Mitchell: Matt, why did you bring the knife to school?
Me: (silently praying for a reasonable answer)
Matt: I wanted to show my friends.
Mr. Mitchell: What were you going to do with it when you showed your friends?
Me: (still in fervent prayer)
Matt: I don't know, cut weeds.
Me: (whoa, good answer, son!)
And so what followed was a little explaining about why we don't bring knives to school, how they can hurt, ladeda....Whatever happened to those good ol' days when you could bring a 12 inch knife to school for Show-n-Tell, pull a bullet out of your pocket on the playground, or your dad could drop you off at school with an unloaded gun on his back windshield rack?
Too many people have just ruined the fun for the rest of us, I suppose.
But, it's OK...Matt can't be trusted with a knife or even running with a pencil in his hand. (I'm just overprotective about that kind of stuff...blame the local news).
I blaimed Sam for the incident at first. After all, Matt said he found the knife out by dad's truck. Then he showed me where by dad's truck.
Yea, it was my fault. I used the knife to cut string to hang Christmas decorations outside and forgot to put it away.
Bad Mom.
Hopefully, Matt and I have both learned our lessons. But, somehow with three boys I don't think this will be my last encounter with Mr. Mitchell.
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