One of my favorite things in the world is when I get home from work, walk in the door from the garage, and I am greeted by Lisa saying to Joshua, "Who's that? Who is it?" followed by a smiling, running, and delighted hug and subsequent kiss from Joshua. It is delightful.
And then, there was yesterday afternoon. I got home, walked in the door from the garage, heard Lisa say, "Who is it?" and then, nothing. Joshua was busy watching Blue's Clues. After a little bit of coaxing, I finally got him to come over to me. I was expecting the usual hug and kiss. Instead, Joshua got within about three feet of me, and then dove on the cat (Molly, in this case) who had come over to stand in front of me. It's always good to know where I stand on Joshua's importance list:
1. Mom
2. Blue's Clues
3. Curious George
4. Cats
5. Dad (unless there happens to be a dog somewhere in the vicinity, at which point I go down another notch)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Searing Pain
Last night, I was making salsa, pico de gallo style. I diced up some tomatoes and onions, chopped some cilantro, added some garlic, and chopped up a jalapeno. Sprinkle on some salt, add some lime juice, and voila. It's good times.
At least, it was good times until bed time. I went to take out my contacts, and as soon as my finger touched my right eyeball to remove the contact, I felt a searing pain. My eye got all red and filled up with tears. The stinging went away pretty quickly, but it was bad times. Then I went to take out my other contact, and the pain was even worse and lasted a bit longer.
I knew that there must be jalapeno residue on my fingers to cause that sort of pain. I just can't figure out how that residue remained after I had washed my hands at least three times between cutting up said jalapeno and taking out my contacts. I had even washed my hands one more time for good measure between taking out the right contact and taking out the left one. It seems that made the problem worse.
Apparently it is very resilient stuff, because whatever was on my fingers last night did not rinse off of those contacts last night, all night in their case, or this morning when I gave them an extra rinse before trying to put them in. A little more searing pain when trying to put them in this morning was all I needed to know that they had to be tossed. It's annoying, since that pair was less than a week old, but I am not willing to put in pepper-spray contacts to see if the searing pain lessens after a couple of minutes of wearing them.
Note to self: do not expect mere soap and water to get jalapeno death juice off of your hands. Apparently I need to get some food-grade latex gloves before I cut up any more jalapenos.
At least, it was good times until bed time. I went to take out my contacts, and as soon as my finger touched my right eyeball to remove the contact, I felt a searing pain. My eye got all red and filled up with tears. The stinging went away pretty quickly, but it was bad times. Then I went to take out my other contact, and the pain was even worse and lasted a bit longer.
I knew that there must be jalapeno residue on my fingers to cause that sort of pain. I just can't figure out how that residue remained after I had washed my hands at least three times between cutting up said jalapeno and taking out my contacts. I had even washed my hands one more time for good measure between taking out the right contact and taking out the left one. It seems that made the problem worse.
Apparently it is very resilient stuff, because whatever was on my fingers last night did not rinse off of those contacts last night, all night in their case, or this morning when I gave them an extra rinse before trying to put them in. A little more searing pain when trying to put them in this morning was all I needed to know that they had to be tossed. It's annoying, since that pair was less than a week old, but I am not willing to put in pepper-spray contacts to see if the searing pain lessens after a couple of minutes of wearing them.
Note to self: do not expect mere soap and water to get jalapeno death juice off of your hands. Apparently I need to get some food-grade latex gloves before I cut up any more jalapenos.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
First Trip to the Zoo
Joshua and I went to the zoo today with some friends. This was Joshua's first trip to the zoo, and it was a bee-yoo-ti-ful day! He was still feeling a little under the weather, so he wasn't very animated, but I think he liked the whales, walruses, and elephants the best.
Beluga whale
"What's that?"
"Oh, it's a walrus!"
Puffins
Sea otters
Polar bear
Reindeer
Fish
Jelly fish
A couple of monkeys just hanging out.
River otters
Tiger
"Oooo, elephants!"
Shark!
It was a great day for a trip to the zoo, and I think Joshua enjoyed it, too. We'll definitely have to go back again!
Walrus
Beluga whale
"What's that?"
"Oh, it's a walrus!"
Puffins
Sea otters
Polar bear
Reindeer
Fish
Star fish
Jelly fish
A couple of monkeys just hanging out.
River otters
No idea...
Tiger
"Oooo, elephants!"
Shark!
It was a great day for a trip to the zoo, and I think Joshua enjoyed it, too. We'll definitely have to go back again!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Here we go again...
Unfortunately, Joshua caught a cold from someone this past weekend. Too many loves and kisses with lots of family, I guess :) I hate that he's sick, poor little guy, but part of me is enjoying the break from trying to keep up with the busy, busy bee and enjoying the more cuddly, subdued version of my monkey. Does that make me a bad mom? I hope not... I'm giving him lots of loves and TLC, I promise!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A Weekend Full of Memories
My Grandpa Pratt's funeral was yesterday. I'm going to wait until I have more pictures to do a post about him, but in the mean time I can write about the weekend. (This picture is of my grandparents on their honeymoon at the Grand Canyon.)My dad is the oldest of seven kids. Two of his siblings and their families live in the Puget Sound area, and the others and their families started arriving on Friday night and Saturday. All of my grandpa's seven children, 21 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren were able to come, except for one of my cousins who was still taking finals at BYU. We all gathered at my parents' house for dinner on Saturday. Luckily, the weather cooperated all weekend and we had nice sunny days that allowed for all the cousins to play together outside. On Sunday morning, we all went to church at my grandpa's ward, and then spent the rest of the day at my grandpa's house (my aunt also lives there). The younger kids played while the adults talked about memories of Grandma and Grandpa and growing up. I love listening to those stories! On Sunday night there was a family viewing at the funeral home. My grandpa had nine sister, three of which have already passed on. Four of the remaining six sisters were able to come, along with a handful of my dad's cousins, which was very thoughtful. A few of my grandma's relatives were also able to come. We don't often see them, so it was nice to visit with them.
Monday morning was the funeral. There was a public viewing beforehand, followed by a family prayer, and then the funeral. It was very nice, with life histories by my Uncle Gary and my Aunt Catherine, then my Uncle Mark spoke, followed by a very beautiful musical number from my Uncle Ron and his family. Then the stake president spoke. A member of the Seventy was also there and said a few words at the end. It was a great way to honor the life of a wonderful and faithful servant of God. He was a diligent home teacher, missionary, bishop, stake presidency counselor, mission president, temple worker and sealer, and stake patriarch. He was trusted of the Lord and was given much responsibility. He always strove to live up to his heritage, and left a wonderful example for his posterity to follow.
After the funeral, there was a family lunch at the church (complete with funeral potatoes!), then we all went back to my grandpa's house for more visiting and playing with cousins. After dinner we sat in the living room and watched the Josh and Ryan show for a little while. They had had time to warm up to people and were running around from person to person like crazy monkeys giving hugs and kisses to everyone and each other. It was very adorable. We finished the night with a FHE filled with more memories of Grandpa and Grandma.
I love family reunions, and I had a ton of fun this weekend listening to stories and talking with my aunts, uncles and cousins. We miss Grandpa and Grandma, and that can be sad sometimes, but we know they are busy on the other side of the veil giving service just like they did while here on Earth. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for our happiness, and that plan includes being able to see our loved ones again who have passed on. Our life here on Earth is not the beginning, nor will it be the end of our existence. Our time here on Earth is a test, and I believe my grandpa passed that test. I hope I can, too.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Easter
We tried to get pictures before church. At first Joshua kept closing his eyes right when I would take the picture, and then he started getting really grumpy and we couldn't get many good pictures.
Joshua and Ryan sportin' their Easter vests that my mom made for them.
I'm grateful for Easter and the chance we have to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior and that He made it possible through His atonement for all of us to overcome spiritual and physical death and return to Him and Heavenly Father again. I am especially grateful for this gift this week as my Grandpa Pratt passed away yesterday after his battle with stomach cancer. I know his spirit is having a joyful reunion with his dear wife and family, and that someday his spirit can be reunited with his body in a perfected form, never to be separated again.
Happy Easter!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
23 Months Old!
Joshua turned 23 months old this past weekend. Aside from a couple colds, he has had a good month. It amazes me how someone so cute and little can also be so infuriating and patience-trying at times. He loves to play with his toys and with his little friends. He is talking even more. His new favorite word is "mine!" He is also experimenting with his voice inflections with the word "no."
me: It's time for night-night.
Josh: No-oo-oo (with the inflection going up in the middle)
He is also really good at saying "cars." He also says "I got it!" which is the first time I've heard him string together more than one word at a time. He is starting to get into Blues Clues and brings us the remote saying "ba-baow" and doing his best imitation of Steve's jazz hands. It's kind of funny, actually. He also like to "talk" on his play phones. He'll hold the phone up to his ear and babble in hushed tones, then turn and talk to us in his regular voice, then turn back to his phone and babble on in hushed tones again, like he's telling secrets or something. He also loves doing somersaults. He will bend over and put his head and hands on the floor and try to raise one leg while waiting for Adam or I to pick up his legs and roll him over. He can do it over and over and over again.
We didn't take many pictures this month, but I did take this one. I went to get him up one morning and found him like this:
I have no idea how it happened, but he was pretty stuck. Otherwise, he is a normal almost-two-year-old, complete with tantrums, big hugs and everything in between. The adventure continues!
me: It's time for night-night.
Josh: No-oo-oo (with the inflection going up in the middle)
He is also really good at saying "cars." He also says "I got it!" which is the first time I've heard him string together more than one word at a time. He is starting to get into Blues Clues and brings us the remote saying "ba-baow" and doing his best imitation of Steve's jazz hands. It's kind of funny, actually. He also like to "talk" on his play phones. He'll hold the phone up to his ear and babble in hushed tones, then turn and talk to us in his regular voice, then turn back to his phone and babble on in hushed tones again, like he's telling secrets or something. He also loves doing somersaults. He will bend over and put his head and hands on the floor and try to raise one leg while waiting for Adam or I to pick up his legs and roll him over. He can do it over and over and over again.
We didn't take many pictures this month, but I did take this one. I went to get him up one morning and found him like this:
I have no idea how it happened, but he was pretty stuck. Otherwise, he is a normal almost-two-year-old, complete with tantrums, big hugs and everything in between. The adventure continues!
Monday, April 13, 2009
I thought something smelled stinky...
So it was my birthday at the beginning of the month, and my brother gave me this card.
He laughed for twenty minutes in the card aisle before buying it.
Friday, April 3, 2009
It's Been Long Enough
Well, after seeing that neither Lisa nor I had posted anything on the blog since March 19th, I decided it was time for another post to keep everyone updated.
The San Antonio Relocation stuff is in a holding pattern right now. We know all of the details of what the company is willing to pay for and we know what we need to do to get our stuff ready--mostly getting the house ready to rent out. We are looking at our rental options for our house here. If we can find someone that we know and trust to treat the place well, then we will act as absentee landlords. If we can't find someone that will treat the place well, then we will have to go with a rental management agency. I really want to avoid this if possible, since it would mean less rental revenue each month. However, if that's what we have to do, then we will do it.
Stuff down in San Antonio is looking pretty good. I have found internet listings for several different places that would meet our needs, and would fit our budget. I have no idea what they are like in real life, but I will be flying down there pretty soon to get that part sorted out. You know, check out neighborhoods, see how loud the planes flying overhead are, see if we are likely to be shot in the face in the neighborhoods where I have seen rental listings, etc.
This has been the Winter of Illness in our household, and the official onset of Spring did nothing to stem the flow of viral issues. Joshua picked up a cold and a nasty cough (that was later determined to be croup) from some of the kids that Lisa babysits. After a trip to the pediatrician and instructions on how to treat the croup effectively at home, he is doing much better. Thank goodness. He is such a happy, fun little guy when he is not sick, and I miss that when he is not feeling well. Also, I picked up whatever nasty bug started Joshua's cold and croup issues. Since adults almost never get croup, I didn't have to worry about that. However, it resulted in just about the worst head cold I have ever had. All the congestion and runny nose issues were very annoying. Thankfully, it looks like much of that has passed, and my ears are the only congested area still (which makes everything sound like I have cotton balls in my ears). But with the help of some Sudafed--the real stuff that you have to ask the pharmacist for now--and a couple of sick days from work, this is clearing up.
It is fun to see things starting to come back to life around the house. The tulip bulbs I planted a year and a half ago are sprouting lots of tulips, the daffodils are coming up again, and the rose bushes are starting to get their groove on. Which reminds me... I need to prune those bad boys before they get too much going. We plan on replanting the lawn within the next couple of weeks so that all the spring rain can give it a good, healthy head start for the summer. I hope that whoever rents our house when we move will appreciate and enjoy all the work that we are going to have to do in the yard.
The San Antonio Relocation stuff is in a holding pattern right now. We know all of the details of what the company is willing to pay for and we know what we need to do to get our stuff ready--mostly getting the house ready to rent out. We are looking at our rental options for our house here. If we can find someone that we know and trust to treat the place well, then we will act as absentee landlords. If we can't find someone that will treat the place well, then we will have to go with a rental management agency. I really want to avoid this if possible, since it would mean less rental revenue each month. However, if that's what we have to do, then we will do it.
Stuff down in San Antonio is looking pretty good. I have found internet listings for several different places that would meet our needs, and would fit our budget. I have no idea what they are like in real life, but I will be flying down there pretty soon to get that part sorted out. You know, check out neighborhoods, see how loud the planes flying overhead are, see if we are likely to be shot in the face in the neighborhoods where I have seen rental listings, etc.
This has been the Winter of Illness in our household, and the official onset of Spring did nothing to stem the flow of viral issues. Joshua picked up a cold and a nasty cough (that was later determined to be croup) from some of the kids that Lisa babysits. After a trip to the pediatrician and instructions on how to treat the croup effectively at home, he is doing much better. Thank goodness. He is such a happy, fun little guy when he is not sick, and I miss that when he is not feeling well. Also, I picked up whatever nasty bug started Joshua's cold and croup issues. Since adults almost never get croup, I didn't have to worry about that. However, it resulted in just about the worst head cold I have ever had. All the congestion and runny nose issues were very annoying. Thankfully, it looks like much of that has passed, and my ears are the only congested area still (which makes everything sound like I have cotton balls in my ears). But with the help of some Sudafed--the real stuff that you have to ask the pharmacist for now--and a couple of sick days from work, this is clearing up.
It is fun to see things starting to come back to life around the house. The tulip bulbs I planted a year and a half ago are sprouting lots of tulips, the daffodils are coming up again, and the rose bushes are starting to get their groove on. Which reminds me... I need to prune those bad boys before they get too much going. We plan on replanting the lawn within the next couple of weeks so that all the spring rain can give it a good, healthy head start for the summer. I hope that whoever rents our house when we move will appreciate and enjoy all the work that we are going to have to do in the yard.
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