New Calling or Old Calling Revived

You know when the Lord has something for you to learn, and you don't learn it very well the first time?  Well I couldn't just move and get out of the YW calling that was challenging me.  I am back in YW.  But I am excited.  I feel like I learned so much that I can apply to my calling.  And I still hadn't gotten totally used to being less than insanely busy.  So I might as well keep it up, right?  At least I am a legitimate 1st counselor this time, and not a 1st counselor/president.  And, I get to work with an amazing group of women.  I will meet the YW today.  Can I just say I LOVE 11:30 church time.

Elisabeth's Stats

Somehow I think I never blogged Libby's stats from her well-child check in August.  So here they are...
On 8/14/2013 Libby's stats were:
Weight:  38 lbs.  10 %
Height:  43"  15%
BMI 14.5  25%

She is tiny.  She has a new friend in our new ward (for which I am SO thankful!).  This friend told her mom, "You know how sometimes you call people 'whippersnappers?'  Well I think Libby is a whippersnapper like me!"
Emily, I agree!
We had a bit of a battle over her decade day outfit yesterday.  But in the end  she was a great 1980s girl with pink streaks in her straightened hair.

Stats and Sinus Infection part 3....

I am suspicious of flu shots.  Seriously.  I feel like they make me & my kids sick.  And you never will know if you would have been better off without.  Anyway, Sarah went in for a well child check on Monday, got a flu shot, and had a fever by Tues.  BLEH!  I think it was coming anyway.  Both the other kids had it.  They share food and drinks constantly.  But still.  Her little immune system was fighting it off until I exposed her to the flu shot!
Anyway, she is feeling better thanks to an antibiotic and some time.
Her stats are STELLAR!  (I can take no credit for this, it must be the Norton genes.)
Weight:  52 lbs.  94%
Height:  41.75"  85%

Her vision is 20/30, but nothing to worry about at this point.  The doctor had her draw a picture to see how well she is drawing--she rocked that.

She is also starting to try and read things on her own a bit.

Unless you are asking her to do something she doesn't want to do (like walk to school or shop at Lowe's or HomeGoods) this girl is one even keeled bunch of fun!

Ben's Christmas Photos

This kid is so cute.  He wants to survive entirely on chocolate milk and the occasional chip or cracker lately.  That makes me crazy & him grumpy.  He is going through a strange phase where he doesn't want to go the childcare at the gym or nursery.  So last week he went to part of Elder's Quorum with Derek.  The adults were talking about buying things.  There was a lull in the conversation and Ben chimed in..."I just bought a new bed.  It has a slide."  The guys were astonished and got a good laugh out of it.  

Christmas Picture Sneak Peek

I got some great Christmas pictures of the girls yesterday (Ben put himself down for a nap on the family room floor, so he didn't get in on the action until it was too dark.)

Quotes of the Week

It was a rough week for some members of the family.  Ben got on an antibiotic for a sinus infection last Saturday, so he was feeling better for several days.  Then the teething kicked in.  He is throwing some pretty good tantrums these days.  But overall he is really fun to have around.  We were in Target yesterday and he said, "Oh mom, look at that baby over there!  Isn't she cute?"  (And she was a very cute baby!).  He also has been eating string cheese a lot lately.  I cut it up for him and often pretend I am going to eat the last piece as I am cutting.  He laughs and demands that I don't eat it.  A couple of times this week I forgot to pretend.  He reminded me.  So funny.  He also doesn't want to eat anything unless it is in a bowl.  He also uses a fork and spoon very well.  I feel like at this age I still didn't dare give my girls bowls or plates for fear that they would just chuck the whole thing on the floor.  My favorite Ben quote of the week was in the middle of the night on Friday.  I went in to his room because he was crying.  I asked what was wrong.  He said, "I need to say a prayer."  "Of course," I said.  "...(He usually skips the dear heavenly father, and if you haven't heard his prayer voice, it is high and whiny.  So adorable.)..."Bless Clark and Maren. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen."  And he went right back to sleep.

We were driving somewhere with Sarah this week we told her something.  She said, "I'll remember that because I have a smart brain."  Sarah also wanted to play movie theater this week.  I had to come and sign up for a ticket.  "How much," I asked?  "$30,000."  (I had to stifle a laugh).  "And here is your change.  $54 dollars."  (Which she gave me in Chinese money from Emily.)  We have obviously been talking big numbers around here lately!

Libby was home on Monday for Veteran's Day.  Then also Wed and Thurs for a high fever (that actually got going while she was at school on Tues, so I had to give her a piggy back home on Tuesday).  Finally after she moaned most of the night on Friday, I took her to the dr. and she was diagnosed with a sinus infection also.  Hopefully she will be feeling better soon because she has been a bit of a pill this week.  But she had some cute moments this week.  She loved her bedroom and was very thankful.    

Finally!!!!

Here are the first "after" pictures for our new house.  I finished the girls' bedroom.  These pictures were taken before I put the finishing touches up yesterday (a magnetic strip for their art work which is being produced in mass quantities) and one more sweet frame (thank you Target) and the giant thumbtack photo hanging thing that is over the Barbie house.  But I did those last night with Jen and it was too dark to get good pictures.  These give  you the general idea.  I took one of Ben's dressers for their room, since I have always hated the Ikea one they had.  I couldn't understand why Ben was so attached to his dresser.  He followed me from his room crying as I pushed it out.  Then he immediately rushed to it and took out some toys from the drawers.  Aha!
If you remember the girls' room from our old house, this is a similar color, but better.  The E and S on the walls are new.  (Libby chose E for Elisabeth rather than L for Libby.)  The coat hanger is new too as is the hanging lamp in the corner.  But I reused almost everything else from their old room.  Score!

This is the light fixture Sarah chose.  I was going to get more of a chandelier style.  But she told me "I hate it.  I won't have that light in my room."  So we compromised on this one.  And, I like it.  She made a good choice.

The Adults

I had one goal this week.  To finish the girls' room.  Okay and I also wanted to get an entertainment center, TV (the storm and power outage last week killed our old one), work on my "command center" room, get Ben's bed put up, put everything back in our master closet, get the garage emptied, and feed my family relatively healthy meals.

Command center start...check.
Entertainment center....check.
TV...check.  (Thanks to Derek and Mike).
Ben's bed...check.
Master closet (after mopping the tile 3 times to get all the final grout cleaning stuff off)...check.
Garage emptied...not quite.
Girls' room?  Well you would think so, if you consider I went to Sherwin Williams 1 time, Home depot at least 9 times and Lowe's twice.  But, no.  Alas.  I am SO close!
But remember how bad it was?

Here is Jen helping me scrape the paper (with a little help from Ben)

Here is the removal of the 2 top layers of paper

  And I have the painting all done.  Derek cut the baseboards.  The doors are all painted and hanging again.  But I somehow managed to purchase 2 defective compressors from Home Depot yesterday to try and run the nail gun to put up the baseboards.  So, I was foiled.  (You may be saying Operator Error?, but they both had different problems.  One I googled and is clearly a common issue.  The second one seems to have died internally.  Crazy.)  Anyway, it is kind of like a cliff hanger in the season finale.  You will have to tune in next week to see the rest of the before and after pictures of the girls' room, command central, among other rooms!

Libby

Libby is adjusting to her new school socially JUST FINE.  When I drop her off she greets everyone by name (crossing guards included).  She is making friends.  So many that apparently her teacher had to move her 2 times already to find a seat where she wouldn't talk so much.  I love that she is great at socializing.
We set up a conference with her new teacher though, because it seems she is still having trouble focusing on her work.  Not surprising.  But I am super proud of how quickly her writing skills are improving.  She is able to write more quickly and neatly every day.  She is really into writing books right now.  She says she wants to be an author.  It is crazy having her in full day school though.  I feel like I don't even see her very much.

She auditioned to be a Bon Bon in the Nutcracker version put on by our dance studio...and got a part!  She is dancing in 3 shows in addition to the regular holiday recital.  I hope I can handle all of it!  It makes her seem so grown up!

She is really into knock knock jokes (and has been for awhile).  Here is her current favorite.  Learned from her father.
Knock Knock
Who's There
Smell Mop....

Figure out the rest?
OOOHHH grosss!

We have a really spectacular walk to and from school.  We walk through a fun park and on sidewalks full of crunchy leaves (or soggy depending on the day).  It is beautiful.

Sarah

Sarah is growing like a weed.  She stepped on the scale the other day and weighed in at 56 lbs.  She is so sweet.  She loves her preschool 2 days a week.  She is kind of bored on the other days.  I feel bad but there isn't really anyone to playdate with or anything because all her friends are in either preschool or kindergarten.  It is really an in between year for her.
She entertains herself pretty well.  Her favorite things to do are play with playdough, draw pictures (like the one I included), watch movies (which she would do all day), play with the Hugly (Ubooly) which is an interactive iPhone toy that is really awesome, bug me for a movie, play with her princess toys, etc.
Her least favorite thing to do is walk to school.  She whines and complains before, during and after.  Unless, I discovered on Friday, there isn't a stroller.  Derek was home, so the two of us just walked over and got Libby.  She whined once or twice, but was basically good the whole walk there and back.  So she can do it.  She just needs to have no other option.  Aha!

In the new house I have placed the markers and paper where the kids have access.  They are loving it!  Sarah draws about 50 pictures a day.  All the women have veils like this.  One she drew of  Derek he had fairy wings.  I didn't show him that one :)

Anyway, Sarah is quick to help (most of the time).  She helps Libby very often without any complaint.  She gets a little tired of helping me.
Last Saturday night she had an ugly surprise when I heard her yelling from the bath, "Mom, Ben pooped in the tub!!!"  That was  first.  Gross!!!!  Then as I was getting them out, she slipped and fell on Ben causing him to knock his chin on the tub and bite his tongue.  Comedy of Errors.

Benny

It has been too long since I have posted actual info about what my kids are saying and doing (which is one of the key reasons I blog!).  Here are some updates on Ben.

-He is sick.  He has had a nasty cold/cough for at least a month.  It has been a hectic month, and he never had a fever, so I just kept waiting for recovery or a fever.  Finally the fever came.  So I took him to the doctor and they gave us antibiotics for a sinus infection.  Hopefully it clears up quickly.  For the most part he has been cheerful through it all.  He is a trooper!

-He is so picky about his clothes.  I think I have mentioned this before, but we are currently having giant tantrums (this may be related to the sick thing) if I put any clothing item on him that he doesn't want to wear.  What he does not want to wear includes all Sunday clothes.  So as you can imagine, Sunday mornings are fun around here.

-He is excited about his new bed!  I bought him a fun loft bed on Craig's list with a slide.  We finally put it up on Friday night.  It was a night the fever was coming on, but he enjoyed sliding and playing on it (after Derek went and found some bolts to replace the ones that should have been with it but weren't...I can see why he hates Craig's list).  

He is showing me his muscles (without prompting)

-Ben is also talking up a storm and saying the cutest things.  (Except when he occasionally says "NO MOMMY!" and punches me...but anyway) I was listening to him play yesterday and he was putting his 3 "guys" Hulk, Spiderman, and Ironman to bed.  He was saying, "Goodnight, sleep tight."  "Oh, you want a story?  OK."  Then he said, "Once upon a time, there was a ....." and he filled in the blank with several different things.  He would start over and say "Once upon a time" again each time.  Finally he settled on "Crocodile."  "And there was Peter Pan, and Wendy and ...."  He was a great little storyteller.  

-We have also been unpacking toys.  He found a little plush picnic set from the Hills family.  He has been loving it and offering me all kinds of delicious "food to eat."  

He is quick to give hugs and kisses.  He is great at saying sorry after an offense.  He is a great little guy!

Thriller Flash Mob

Photo by Larry Vogel

This year's Thriller flash mob did not go off with out a hitch.  First, the DJ told me he had the song.  I shouldn't have trusted him.  It was a bad, very bad, cover.  But we danced to it.  Confusedly.  Luckily we had already planned to do it twice.  The second time I made sure he used the real song.  This picture really captures why I chose these pants.  Perfect for dancing in!  If you watch both videos, you can see the lame cover version and the better actual song version.  Happy Halloween!

Halloween!!!

I love Halloween.  I have always loved costumes and dressing up.  This year it was a struggle to get everything ready with the moving stuff still ongoing, but we pulled it off.  Barely.  Derek's wig didn't quite fit, and Ben's hat never came, but except for the headwear, we looked authentic!  After the flash mob we had a few friends come over and dance in our new living room.  It was a fun holiday!

Thanks to Grandma Debbi, the girls both had amazing Disney Princess costumes for Halloween.  

Ben wanted to be Fix it Felix.  He played the role very well.  When we got in the car after he was dressed up he was singing (from the party scene in the movie), "Fix it Felix Woo Woo, Fix it Felix Woo Woo."

Libby was a striking Merida.

My friend Susan and I at the Flash Mob...I was a haunted Hippy (costume totally based on the pants I bought at Value Village).

Sarah was Rapunzel.  

Ralph Wrecking and Ben fixing.  Derek's wig was a mad scientist wig that I spray painted.  Thanks to Grandpa Brion for lending the overalls.

Showing off their skills.

Seriously, these pants are more amazing than you can see here.   They were perfect for the Flash Mob.   

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Last year Sarah's preschool went to a pumpkin patch...the same one we went to this year, actually.  But what a difference the weather makes.  Last year, rain, miserable.  This year, sun, fun!  Also, Clark watched Ben and Libby was at school, so I got to go with just Sarah.  A mommy daughter date!  It was super cold, but the sun kept me going.

Beach Time

I got interrupted last week and didn't finish posting about the trip.  One more post...the BEACH!  It was a warm day.  Not warm enough for me to get in the water.  There were too many fun pictures to take, not to mention that the waves were pretty serious. I watched Derek get tossed upside down by a really big wave.  When he came up, his face was covered in blood.  I was worried for a minute.  But he was fine.  His face looked DISGUSTING for about a week, then totally fine.
The kids coated themselves throughly in sand.  Luckily the beach had showers so we could rinse them.  I watched Sarah scoop out about five handfuls from inside the crotch of her swimsuit.  Yuck!

And of course, you don't go to Balboa Island without eating a Balboa Bar!  Yum!