Bust a gut.

I probably shouldn't be posting to my blog, as I have to pack for a trip that we're leaving for in, oh, 2 1/2 hours. But, I couldn't resist posting this video of Rachel and Anna. All I have to say is, it is SO unfair that I have to do backflips to get Rachel to laugh the way Anna did in this video just by playing with grass clippings.

Coupon Clipping

Today I went to Albertson's and as the clerk handed me my receipt, he told me that I had saved $37. I thought that was pretty cool, since I had only spent a little over $27. What that really means is that Albertson's groceries are way overpriced. I got only what was on sale and didn't succumb to the temptation to buy anything else. Add to that the 6% cash back that I get on my Citibank Visa for shopping there, (and the free cookie that the girls got for behaving... sort of)and I have to give myself a pat on the back. Click here for ways that stores try to trick you into spending money.

Milestones.

Rachel has largely been a mute child up until this point. She mostly growls and screams. If you were to see her older sisters interact with her, this fact might not surprise you. They seem to think that because she can't talk herself, intelligible speech is wasted on her. We're trying to retrain them. In any case, this week, Rachel started saying "mama" with some regularity. AND, she waves hello and goodbye. Now we just have to work on her weight problem.



We had a major breakthrough with Lily this week. She has been waking up early in the morning with a bang. By bang I mean with blood-curdling, relentless screams for mommy(or daddy, depending on who was nicer to her the night before). We tried to explain to her that when she wakes up, if no one else is awake (as is always the case) she needs to go into the playroom and play quietly until someone else wakes up and can feed her breakfast. We didn't think that was too unreasonable a request for a 2 1/2 year old. Next morning: no change in behavior. So Tim decided to take her out to the garage and fasten her in her car seat until she stopped screaming. She has woken up like a lark ever since. Genius Tim.



Anna is just plain smart. She is constantly sounding out words wherever we go and has taken an interest in math. We think it's great that she is already identifying and magnifying her talents. Now, if we can only get her to put her skills to use by reading to her baby sister instead of growling...

Black Widows.

This is what I found on the side of our house yesterday. Well, okay, not this exact one, but a female black widow spider, nonetheless. I can't think of anything that scares me more than these little buggers. Except, maybe for dirty chopsticks manufactured in China.

Sharing a room.

We moved all three girls into the same bedroom about a week ago. This will have been the third time we have tried putting Anna and Lily in the same room. Is the third time the charm? I think so. Here's my secret: I threaten them. It's as simple as that. They have a limited supply of books and stuffed animals that they get to take to bed with them and if I catch them out of their beds or talking too loudly they lose one for every offense. Of course, it probably wouldn't work for any other family because frankly, I got TONS of advice about kids sharing rooms the last two times we tried it and none of it was effective. Why does every child have to be so different? Why can't I just read ONE parenting book and call it good?



Next project: Potty-training Lily. Wish me luck.

Our sixth anniversary.

Tim and I went out for dinner for our anniversary on Friday. Well, our anniversary was actually yesterday but the babysitter didn't work out so, we celebrated it a day early. (Tim, the engineer that he is, likes things to be precise and had issues with celebrating it a day early.) In any case, it was very exciting for me. No kids, I got to order an appetizer, not to mention a dessert... it was lovely.

We went to the Cheesecake Factory. Did you know that they have 250 items on their menu? How do you decide? I ordered fish, as I always do when we go out, since no one in the Egbert clan much cares for fish so I don't cook it much around the house. But the REAL joy was the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake that followed. Chocolate cake crust, chocolate cheescake with raspberry sauce and a layer of chocolate ganache on the top. Not quite as poetic as the description on the menu but, Mmmm. I am so glad that my husband can appreciate a good chocolate dessert. I'm not sure which was more enjoyable - eating it myself or watching him savor every bite.

Our big activity is a trip to Maui in November - can't wait. I'm not sure which I'm looking forward to more - the trip or the fact that I will be able to sleep through the night. (Please refer to previous post, entitled The all-natural way to speed up the aging process). On Friday, though, we did break out our wedding photos to reminisce about how much we loved each other then... and how much more we love each other now. Oh, and was I ever really as cute as my wedding pics would suggest?

Camping - All Work and no Play?

We went camping last weekend in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. I had a great time. Tim seems to think that camping pretty much goes like this: Pack: 2-3 hours Drive there: 2 1/2 hours. Set up tent, air mattresses, etc:1 1/2 hours. Get dinner ready: 1 hour. Eat dinner: 15 minutes Clean up dinner 1/2 hour. Play with kids:1 hour Get everyone ready for bed: 1/2 hour. Make and eat s'mores: 1/2 hour. Clean up s'mores: 15 minutes. Go to bed: 1 hour, unless you have a daughter named Lily who keeps you up until 2 a.m. Get breakfast ready: 1 hour. Clean up breakfast: 1/2 hour. Play with kids: 1 hour. Take down campsite: 2-3 hours. Drive home: 2 1/2 hours.

In other words, camping is pretty much all work and no play. And this from the man whose sole responsibilities were setting up the air mattresses and washing the camping dishes. I think as a parent, you have to get used to the fact that most activities are going to seem like more work than they are worth. But Anna remembers every camping trip we've ever been on. Yeah, all 4 of them. Those wee moments when we were able to take a dip in the pool, go for a nature walk, sing songs around the campfire that we weren't allowed to build, and wade in the Boise river definitely make it worth all the work... at least for me. The jury's still out for Tim. Here are a few more pictures: (aren't they cute in their bandanas?)

This pool was heated by natural hot springs in the area. Thankfully, it was drained each night since most people were using it as a makeshift bathtub. Nevermind the sign reading "no soap or shampoo". This shot was taken in the morning. The night before you could barely see your feet beneath the 3 foot deep water.

The all-natural way to speed up the aging process.

Last night I went to bed at 9:00 p.m. and woke up this morning at 7:00 a.m. I then went back to bed at about 7:45 a.m. and was woken up at 8:30 to feed Rachel. I went back to sleep almost immediately and slept until 10:15 a.m! If you're doing the math, this means I got a total of 12 1/2 hours of sleep. You might be thinking... what a lazy mom! Let me give you a little perspective.

Friday night we went camping. Lot's of fun. I'll post pictures soon. I don't think any parent expects to get any amount of sleep under those circumstances. I'm pretty sure I got around 3-4 hours total. Add that to the 365 days straight where I have not had a single uninterrupted night's sleep and it makes for a pretty exhausted Susie.

When I was a missionary, perhaps my biggest trial was the sleep deprivation. Sure, the rules say lights out at 10:30 and wake up at 6:30, but who REALLY gets 8 hours of sleep out of that. Long story short, I slept for about 2 weeks after getting back home to make up for the loss of sleep in that 18 months. I wonder how long it will take me to recover from all the years of motherhood I have ahead of me...

There's a girl I go to church with who is approximately my age (30) but many people have commented that she looks like a teenager. (Note: she has one child who sleeps through the night) I don't recall anyone ever saying I look younger than my age. I guess I can chalk it up to the fact that I am a mother. And I can't think of a better reason to speed up the aging process than that.

Piggy Bank

Last night I was reminded about the time a few months ago when Lily almost choked on and then swallowed a penny. I wonder what happened to it... I mean I change her diapers every day and there's been no sign of it. Did it somehow get digested? Or is it like the old chewing gum myth (or fact) that it stays in your stomach indefinitely? Maybe someday when I'm really hard up for cash I might get desperate. After all, she will probably have attempted a quarter by then.

Just for Me

I met up with a few of my high school girlfriends this past weekend and was reminded of how fun I used to be. If you talked to anyone who knows me now, "fun" would not be the first word they would use to describe me. "Nazi", "controlling", or "structured" at best. But fun? Not sure what it is about motherhood that has transformed me into a Nazi. Maybe it's just me, but last time I checked, picking poop out of air vents and scrubbing egg out of the carpet was not exactly a rip-roaring time. So I spend most of my time trying to avoid such calamities. Not exactly fun, either. This is my attempt to do something just for me. Here's to blogging!