Tremendous relief!

Wow! Everyone else I know has been just blogging their hearts out while I have become a recluse from the outside world. A lot has happened in a short time.

First, let's start with the fact that we have been moving in to our own house! We found a cute little rental in Palouse which is just what we wanted. When I say "moving" in I mean that it is still a work in progress. We've decided to move stuff in a little at a time to avoid the major stress of having all those boxes staring at us, just begging us to open them and get it over with. We are blessed to have a place to store our stuff free of charge, so slowly but surely is working out fine for us! Also, has anyone out there ever moved in sub-zero weather? Seriously, we've moved so much that I thought we'd done it all, but this has to be my least favorite condition for moving. *Ouch!* So cold it hurts! It has warmed up a little bit recently though and I feel another load of boxes coming soon.

Next, and actually slightly out of order, I somehow managed to skip posting about my daughter's birthday! Also, closely following that (and sort of in the middle of moving) was Thanksgiving. I think details on both of those, and pictures to correspond will have to come later.

Finally, the real reason for updating my blog today, and also the inspiration for my tremendous relief.......I passed both of the tests required to get my Washington Cosmetology license!!!!!!!!! My practical was two weeks ago. I had to drive to Fife, WA to avoid waiting until the January 25th date of the next test in Spokane. My mom went with me, and although it was slightly stressful and a minor pain in my rear-end, I survived. I got my result. An 84. Phew! Today, Greg and I drove to Spokane for the written portion of my exam. I studied for a couple of days, and continued studying on the drive up. Man was I cramming, just sure that I couldn't get enough of the facts lodged in my brain in time for my 9:30 AM appointment. They allotted me 90 minutes to answer 110 questions. I finished in 22. IT. WAS. SO. EASY. Good thing I studied eh?

I was more stressed about the whole thing than I realized. I feel like I can breathe a BIG sigh of relief!

Dancing Queen!

Cora decided a long time ago that she would be a ballerina for Halloween. GREAT! We had almost everything we needed already from hand-me-downs and such! So here is our beautiful ballerina. So precious!

We went to the branch "trunk-or-treat" on Friday night where she received plenty of loot.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to go to our adult session of Stake conference, thanks to my bro and his wife! They took Karra, Levi, and Cora trick-or-treating around Palouse. So now Cora has a bucket of treats at Grandma's house, and a bag of treats at Noni's house...lucky girl! K

arra and Levi decided to be pirates. I guess Cora was their ballerina stow-away?

I can't believe how nice it was on Halloween...50 degrees! That is unheard of here. I don't remember a Halloween when it wasn't raining, snowing, or just plain FREEZING!!!!!

All in all, a good Halloween. Cora is already planning her costume for next year!!

When I grow up

We went to a WSU Cougar volleyball game the other night (much better than Cougar football lately!). Cora always gets so excited to see Butch (the Cougar mascot). She started looking for him from the minute we arrived, and when we finally spotted him she begged me to take her over to say hi to him. She told me "I will give him knuckles mom!"

There were also cheerleaders at this game. I know how some people feel about cheerleaders, but I was one and my sister is one in the middle school. Well it must run in the blood because Cora watched them all night. She wanted to stand on my hands the way the cheerleaders did, and also informed us in a very enthusiastic way that she was going to be a cheerleader when she grew up!

Later, at home, Greg's dad asked Cora "don't you want to be a volleyball player too when you grow up?" Her answer was a very casual "yeah". Then he asked "What about a singer?" She thought about that one for a while and then replied "Grandpa, I already am a singer right now!" She sounded so surprised that he didn't realize this.....had he not heard her singing every single day for the last month? Silly grandpa!

Rainbow

Today was not a good day. Nothing exceptionally bad happened; I didn't get pulled over or get a ticket. I didn't fall on my butt in front of a crowd. I didn't mess up anyone's hair, or food order. Things actually went smoothly, there just wasn't much of my day that I actually enjoyed.

I guess I am feeling cheated having to go back to beauty school and work in a burger joint. I know life isn't fair, but I want something to be fair in my life right now! I guess what they say is true, when it rains it pours. There just better be a dang good rainbow after this storm....and a big pot of gold wouldn't hurt either!!

One year!

Yesterday was my one year anniversary of blogging. Not sure why I'm pleased about that except that one day, when I have put even more years of memories behind me, I will be able to remember all the sweet moments. Like tonight.

I have been so frustrated with Cora at dinner time, and completely at a loss of what to do. It seems she has designated dinner time as a good opportunity to show off her extensive vocabulary and talent for telling stories. I'm sure that the main reason for these antics is the fact that we are living not only with Grandma and Grandpa, but also with Aunt Kimmie. She loves the reactions she gets out of them when she says something that makes her sound alarmingly like a teenager! Or the way they all giver her a round of applause after a vigorous recital of the ABC song! Of course the grandparents and aunt cannot possibly be held accountable for their reactions as they've only just gotten the chance to see Cora everyday, and have not yet built up an immunity to her charm (as if there is such a thing)! Needless to say, I'm lucky to get half of Cora's dinner in her, which, as you parents know leads to the "I'm hungry" whining at bedtime!

So, in a nutshell, dinner time has quickly become my least favorite time of the day......until tonight. I made fried chicken, rice, gravy, and green beans for dinner. As we sat down to eat, Cora looked at me and said "Thank you mommy for making dinner!" (I have my husband to thank for teaching her this!) Then Greg commented on how good it tasted, and Cora responded "Ya, it's the best!" Throughout the rest of the meal, Cora kept up a running commentary on how yummy dinner was and that was her favorite, and at the same time shovelling food into her mouth!

Hooray! A successful dinner. Well, perhaps I should mention that everyone else was gone this evening, drastically cutting the size of Cora's audience, but I believe as a parent you've got to count your victories no matter the circumstances!

Blessings

Here I am! No, I did not fall off the face of the earth...We made it through the move home. We are safely in Pullman and settled into my in-law's house for a while.

Cora has handled the move fairly well. She had sort of a rough, emotional first week, but has settled in and is enjoying having all 4 grandparents at her beck and call!

Greg is surviving. Not much more you can ask for at this point. We are waiting to get in to see doctors and work on med management. Until then, he sleeps when he feels the need (which is more often than normal), and we are just happy for the times when he feels well enough to spend time with us. Keep him in your prayers please.

I am...hmmm...holding it together for now. I had a little bit of a fit when I found out that after doing hair for 7 years, that is still not good enough for the state of Washington. I have to take my practical and written exams all over again. Oh, but that's not all! In order to take those exams I need 550 more hours of schooling. That's right folks; I get to go back to beauty school! Ugh. Anyway, I am getting over that since I don't see another option, and throwing a fit didn't accomplish anything! In the mean time I am applying for my barber license (cutting only) so I can work some evenings after school.

I've been a little stressed (heartburn as a result), and of course worried about my husband. I know that everything is going to work out. Most of all I am just very emotional about all the wonderful people in our lives. We have been so incredibly blessed in our time of need. Even the simple act of saying a prayer on our behalf is so greatly appreciated. Thank you everyone for blessing our lives. I pray that you will be blessed in return.

John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Greg and I have experienced out share of tribulation in our family over the past 8 years. But perhaps our greatest trial yet started about a month and a half ago when Greg was diagnosed as bipolar. You may have also heard the term manic depressive. It is the same thing. Most people do not understand what this means. I grew up with a dad who is bipolar and even I didn't really understand. And although we are understanding more now, we still have a lot to learn. For those of you with no idea, bipolar disorder is a mood disorder.

Greg is doing fairly well right now. He has started treatment and is responding well so far to the prescription they have put him on. However, we are just getting started. Bipolar disorder isn't something that can be cured. I won't just go away. It is something that we will have to deal with forever. It is, however, manageable. People with bipolar disorder can lead normal healthy lives, and that is what we are hoping for. It may be a while before Greg is feeling good enough (emotionally and physically) to work again. This is why we have decided it is time to move home to the Palouse! I plan to go to work (hopefully somewhere that will offer benefits), and Cora will have the best daycare a girl could ask for...Grandma and Noni!!

We have been greatly blessed with wonderful, supportive family and friends. This would all be a lot harder without all of you in our lives. Thank you for all your prayers.

The incredible, edible egg

That's right ladies and gentlemen...you are looking at our very first home-grown chicken egg! HOORAY!!!!!! We came home from a week in Pullman/Palouse to this landmark occasion! It was perfect when I found it, Cora promised to be careful, so I let her hold it. She was actually doing very well until I decided to move the chair she was sitting on. She lost her balance and squeezed! Oops! We dried the tears and assured her that Big Mama would lay more eggs for us. No egg today...maybe tomorrow.

Amazing

A couple of things that Cora did today to amaze me.

First was when I found this book she has that she can color on with dry erase markers. In the past she has gotten frustrated with trying to trace the letters or shapes. Today when I found it, I couldn't believe how well she had done!!

Later, in the car, she wanted ice cream. We hadn't had dinner yet so I told her maybe we could go to the store and get some to have after dinner...she didn't like that, so of course she started crying. Then she said "Mom, you just make your child cry!" No kidding. Those were her words...oh. my. goodness.

Later still, after dinner and bath time, I put her pull-up on and she told me she could get her pj's on all by herself. She has been dressing herself for quite a while now so it's not a new thing, but for some reason tonight, watching her struggle, and then triumph by putting on those jammies all by herself made my heart swell with joy. And I am talking about serious swelling! I felt like I couldn't smile big enough and wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time.

Okay, so maybe I'm a little hormonal right now, but she brings me joy all the same, and I thank the Lord for her every day.

Wedding hair

This is Amy. My third bride of the summer. A simple, yet elegant 'do' turned out nicely. I only wish I'd seen her in her dress with the fresh orchid in her hair! All 5 of her bridesmaids had the same hairstyle without the veil or flower. It was fun and completely exhausting!!

Grow baby, grow!

Greg planted giant sunflowers last week. He planted them in a square and left a gap so that when they grow up tall, Cora will have a sunflower playhouse with a doorway! Here's the growing site.

Our little sprouts poking up!

Still the cutest little sunflower in the patch!

Hair today, gone tomorrow.

I'm finding myself posting out of sheer boredom...my house is very quiet.

Greg and Cora have gone ahead to Portland for the holiday weekend with Greg's family and, though a little alone time with some peace and quiet is nice, I'm finding myself sitting at the computer and listening to the crunch, crunch, crunch of Jayda eating her dog food....yep, I'm bored!

I figure I ought to be able to come up with something to blog about, so here it is.

Last weekend I did one of my best girlfriends hair for her wedding...it was tons of fun and turned out great! I also did wedding hair in the month of May for my brother Brody's wife Ashley. Also a success. Tomorrow, I am getting up early and driving a half an hour to Irrigon, OR to do 6, yes that's right, six, updo's for a wedding party!!

I see a business opportunity knocking...Wedding hair by Lilli! I'll hire out to go and do all the hair for weddings...sounds fun! What do you think?

Here's my girlfriend Annie. What a beautiful bride!!

And my new sister in law, Ashley. She looked gorgeous (and has a ton of hair)!!

Maybe I'll take some shots of my work tomorrow to post later. In the mean time, if you know anyone getting married, keep me in mind!

FRUSTRATION

I am feeling frustration from many angles at the moment.

Can't get the van to work, and grandpa can't come to fix it at the moment.

Gotta get to Pullman today or tomorrow for my friend's wedding this weekend but without the convenience of a second car it becomes a big production...grrrr.

Our dog Jayda bit Cora on the face. Apparently she didn't like Cora biting her on the neck....it wasn't unprovoked, but it's still not acceptable. Not sure what to do on that one.

On top of it all, I think I am just tired and that makes everything else seem worse. Not much patience...cranky mommy...need solutions...Cora needs me. Gotta go.

ATTACK!

Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit. Perhaps it wasn't a full on attack, but it could have escalated quickly! I'm talking about my encounter with the roosters this morning.

I went outside to water and check on the chickens. I remembered that Greg had unscrewed the hose from their automatic water bowl to water our budding sunflowers yesterday (lame that we only have one functional hose!). When I got out there I saw that their bowl was dry (oooh, bad mama) and they were waiting for me so I went into the coop to reattach the hose. Maybe it was my styling $5 WalMart garden shoes, or maybe they were just really pissed that I had let them run dry, either way I was surrounded by chickens. One of the roosters (the head honcho I'm

assuming) was particularly peeved. He kept pecking at my feet (again, maybe my shoes were just too appealing). I tried to nudge him away a couple of times, but this just seemed to aggravate him further. Every step I took, he was right there with me, watching me with those beady little eyes, and pecking at me. The other roosters were right behind him.....what? Waiting their turn at me? So I "nudged" him a little harder...okay maybe you could consider it a kick, but it was gentle as far as kicking goes! Anyway, it was just hard enough to get him out of my way so I could get the heck out of there!!

Needless to say, the roosters have GOT to go! Anyone in the market for some home-grown chicken?

Sweet girl

Today Cora was sitting on my lap and said "I like my mommy a lot."

That's good to know...I kinda like her too!

Twinkle Star

I've been hoping to catch this on video for a while now...it makes my heart smile!

By the way, one of the roosters crowed for the first time yesterday...tomorrow I have a friend coming to "adopt" them. Hope they taste good!

Love your chickens!

Rooster overload!

I'm no expert on the sex of chickens, but I've read enough to convince myself that we have 3 roosters in our flock. AAARRRGGGHHH! When I bought the chicks, it was supposed to be 90% chance that they were female. Well, I bought six, one died, and assuming that it was a hen would put our percentage at 50%! Not ideal. So now the question is what to do with 3 roosters? I'm almost completely sure that I will not be able to butcher them, pluck them and skin them, so I'm thinking of putting them on craigslist! They are about 3 1/2 months now and beginning to get aggressive toward each other, and toward me. Seriously, the other day I reached down and one of them bit me HARD!! 

A couple of weeks ago I went into the farm supply to buy feed

 and they had some new baby chicks. They were so 

cute, plus I was feeling bummed about only having 2 hens left, so...you guessed it...two new baby chicks came home with us! They are a different breed than our Rhode Island Reds. I believe they are Barred Plymouth Rock. So cute. 

I got some good shots of the flock and some 

of the new babies with Cora. I can't believe how big the first batch has gotten! We also built a new coop for them which I will post pictures of later.

Enjoy!

 

One of the girls darting into the hen house!

World Traveler...well not quite!

In the last two months I have gone on trips to Arizona and the Oregon Coast, attended a wedding in Seattle and another in Portland with a reception to follow in Olympia, and another in Pullman. Whew! I am so happy to be home for the month of June (well the majority of it anyway)!

I've written about the trip to Arizona. The trip to the coast was the weekend after we returned from our fun in the sun, on Easter weekend. We travelled with Greg's parents (yes Greg finally got to take a trip with us!!) to Canby, OR where Greg's sister and brother-in-law and kids joined the caravan to Oceanside, OR. It was beautiful and sunny the day we arrived, and windy and cold the next. Only on Sunday when we were to depart did the rains tumbling down! We rented an awesome house a few blocks from the beach and just had a wonderful time. I told Cora the story of the Resurrection on Saturday night and she proceeded to tell it to everyone else at breakfast the next morning (with a little help). She has asked for the story several times since then and gets especially excited to chime in on the part when "Jesus came back to life!!" What a joy!

The weekend following Easter was a quick trip to Pullman for my future sister-in-law's bridal shower. After that I had a whole week at home before driving through Portland to pick up my brother Tyler, and continuing on to Tacoma, WA to the wedding of a dear friend from high school. It was a long drive, but worth it to see my friend and spend some time with my brother.

Then came my long and luxurious break with a whole week and a half at home before it was time for my other brother Brody to get married in Portland! Cora and I rode over with my parents on Thursday. When we arrived I found myself doing last minute haircuts for my brothers Derik, and Brody. Greg came later that night. The wedding was on Friday in the Portland, OR Temple and it was a beautiful affair! Greg and I hadn't been to a wedding in the Temple since our own in 2001 and it brought back sweet memories. That night Greg and I went out with his sister Debbie and her husband Greg, and my brother Derik and his wife KaBreena. It was so much fun spending time with family! The next day Greg drove home and Cora and I continued on to Olympia, WA to the reception. I had cut my finger badly enough the night before (right on the knuckle) to need a splint, so I got to do the brides hair with a bum finger! Besides that, all went well and Cora and I made it home Sunday evening.

On the following Saturday was the reception for the newlyweds in Pullman, WA. So home again I went and did Ashley's (my new sister) hair for the third time! I stayed 5 days in order to do some hair and make some extra money. Cora and I finally got home Wednesday afternoon and haven't done much of anything in the last few days!

I am staying home for the next four weeks spending some much needed time with my wonderful husband who puts up with all my random gallivanting, and stays home to work the majority of the time in order to make it all possible. Thank you Greg, I love you.

I will try to find time between the piles of laundry and finding my routine again to post again soon. Wish me luck!

Fowl update

Our chickens are growing at an astonishing pace! I am finding that I am quite chicken naive, so I bought a book (recommended by my friend Jenny) called "Keep Chickens!" and have been reading up on the art of chicken ownership in my spare time.

While Cora and I were in Arizona at the beginning of the month, we missed out on what Greg calls the UGLY stage. They started sprouting feathers and their wings appeared out of nowhere! We were still keeping them inside the house in a rubbermaid tote due to the unpredictable weather, and Greg informed me over the phone that they were really starting to stink. One day, while Greg was occupied at the computer, Jayda (our dog) was sitting by the chicken tote dreaming and drooling when suddenly Jayda's hopes and dreams were fulfilled...one of the chickens had flapped enough and managed to flap/flop/fly out of their safe haven and into the waiting jaws of a now VERY happy wiener dog!! Poor chicken. One down...5 left.

When Cora and I got home from our trip, it only took one sniff after walking into the house to decide that it was definitely time for the chicks to move outside. We have an unused, insulated dog house that serves as the new hen house, and a wire dog kennel up against the door of the house used as the chicken run. This is definitely a temporary setup until we can get going on a more suitable home for our girls, but it is sufficient for now.

The next surprise from our "girls" was the strong suspicion of a rooster in their midst! This little chicken's comb and wattles are growing at a much faster rate than the others and are bright red in color, and he is also quite aggressive for such a little guy. Oh well. We were trying to decide what we could do with him and I jokingly asked Cora if she thought we should eat him. Without batting an eye, she responded with a resounding "YEP!" Oh boy...on second thought, perhaps there is someone looking for a rooster on Craigslist?

While we have learned some new things about keeping chickens, we undoubtedly have much more to learn in the future!

Just like mommy.

I put Cora in bed last night then went to my room for some mindless tv. I didn't settle in until about 11:00 so I hadn't been asleep long when Greg came home at 1:40. Now, just for a little background here; I can sleep through some things, but when it comes to Cora I hear every little sound. It used to be that I would jump straight up out of a deep sleep and run check on her at the faintest little cry (first time mom here!). Now that I've got a couple years mom practice under my belt, I know that she is a vocal dreamer like her mom, and most of the time she just settles back in all by herself. Anyway, the point is that I still hear every noise she makes, but now I know a response is not always necessary!

So back to the wee hours of this morning. Greg came in about 1:40. This is something that I almost always wake up for as Greg is not the quietest person when it comes to entering a house! I glanced at the clock and then waited for him to come in the bedroom. When he did come in, he was holding Cora. I didn't hear her wake up, but Jayda had been barking so I thought he went in to check on her and couldn't resist a snuggle with his girl. Wrong. Oh so wrong! Greg handed Cora to me and said "Did you know Cora was in the kitchen?" "Excuse me?" was my not so polite response. Apparently Cora had sleep walked out to the kitchen (perhaps for a midnight snack?) and then curled up on the kitchen floor to go back to sleep. AAAAACK! Quite disturbing that I slept through it all (how long had she slept on that cold hard floor...poor baby!), and only a little disturbing that she seems to have inherited my ability to sleep walk! Is that possible? Is it genetic? Oh well...

Working on my freckles!

I am definitely having blogger withdrawals from my extended absence!

Cora and I had the pleasure of accompanying my mom, Karra, and Levi (younger sibs) on a leisurely 26 hour drive to the great state of Arizona to visit my big brother Derik, his lovely wife KaBreena, and their adorable little girl Krystonna! It was spring break for the kids, and mom and I figured everyone could use a little sunshine, so we spent a total of 4 days in the car in order to enjoy 4 fabulous days with the much missed Payne family. Okay, so the sun was just a huge bonus...the real draw was getting to see our brother and his family who live entirely too far away!

The 13 hour days were long, but the kids did amazingly well. We watched movies, listened to audio cds and music, and munched our way through. Seriously, I may be cured of junk food for a while! I couldn't wait to cook a real meal when I got home (although we did have some awesome lasagna- compliments of KaBreena, and killer BBQ- thanks to Derik, while we were there)!

Along the way in Utah, we had the pleasure of seeing (and taking advantage of, for free food and bed) our Uncle Brad, Aunt Deb, cousin Ashley, brother Daniel and his wife Emily! I think it had been about 13 years since I had seen this part of my family...it was so fun to catch up, although we didn't have nearly enough time in our race to make it to Arizona!

My Nana and Grandpa Roger provided a much needed break in southern Utah. The sun was shining, and we could tell we were getting closer to our destination! They had some very cool parks near their home, and the kids were able to expend some pent up energies before the last leg of our journey.

When we finally made it to Arizona, we spent our time in the beautiful sunshine, catching up with old friends (Brian and Kim Bower), going to the zoo and aquarium with another friend (Harleen!), getting pedicures, shopping, hiking, and most of all hugging and kissing on that beautiful Krystonna as much as she would allow!

We were late to bed and early to rise, taking advantage of every second possible that we had together! All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Thank you D and KaBreena for letting us invade. Thanks to mom for the ride! Thank you Brian and Kim for an awesome dinner at Margaritaville (You really shouldn't have!).

On the way home we stayed at a Super8 in Lehi for the sole purpose of letting the kids swim! No pools open yet in Arizona = disappointed kids. So we got to see my Uncle Will, his wife Meri, and their kids. We swam until 11:00, ate pizza, and had a fast and furious visit with them!

Wow! Isn't family wonderful? I thank God for the possibility of eternity with mine!

*pictures of this trip will follow in another post.

What 4?

Cora: Mom, I wanna hold you (repeated several times).

Mom: What do you want to hold me for? (I know, great english!).

Cora: Ummm...foreber and eber!!

We've adopted!

That's right, we have 6 new members of our family! They're only 4 days old, and just as cute and fuzzy as can be!! They are Rhode Island Reds to be precise and we have yet to name them (it's hard to come up with names for so many girls!) so we are hoping for suggestions from family and friends.

Cora and I went to the farm supply store with the intentions of looking at the new baby chicks. Well, let me just say that it didn't take too much work for the employees to convince me that we needed to bring some home with us. Besides the fact that Cora is getting really good at that face that you just can't say no to! So we got up to the register with our 6 chicks, a 25 lb bag of feed, food and water dishes, a heat lamp and bulb, and a bag of sawdust (ma'am, that IS the small bag!). As the guy was ringing up my grand total, I was getting out my wallet to hand over my debit card, only my debit card was not there. Oh crap! I knew I was out of checks because I just wrote my last one the other day and then reordered, and I never have cash. Well thankfully we know the owners of the store, so after I finished blaming my no method of payment problem on my card-stealing husband (pretty sure he had gone to get milk for me the night before, teeheehee) we took our free-for-now chickens and chicken paraphernalia home. Of course we returned later, as promised, to pay up.

We have been having a lot of fun with our new charges. Greg only makes fun of me a little bit for the fact that I can just sit for an hour and watch them. They are so entertaining! They are already starting to grow their feathers on their wings, and I'm sure before we know it we will have to move them into a bigger home (howtobuildachickencoup.com?). I'm posting a video so that you can all enjoy the latest antics of our chickies! Cora loves to pick them up and for some reason today, my favorite chick (the chubby one) was biting at the poor chick whose legs were left dangling by Cora!

We'll keep you all updated on the progress of our chicken raising (especially when it comes time for eggs!).

Who "nose" what this picture is?

Our dog Jayda is extremely patient with Cora.

This picture is an example of Cora's idea of something fun to do with the dog. Not fetch; Tug-of-war is out; She doesn't even want to give her a good old fashioned tummy rub! No, Cora is much to creative for that!

Her other favorite thing to do with Jayda (when she's not burying her in a pile of blankets) is to pull her around the house by her collar. The entire time, Jayda's tongue is hanging out the side of her mouth as she gasps for air. When I finally hear Jayda gagging and coughing, of course I rush to her aid and she looks at me as if to ask "How much longer must I endure this torture?" or "can I bite her now?" Poor dog. I'm afraid that Cora's love will do her in one day!

Top of the Charts

Okay, my life seriously seems to be turning into a country song. Don't get me wrong, Country is one of my favorite kinds of music, but they do seem to sing a lot about certain things going wrong. The chorus to this song so far includes the following lines:

My dog just died,

the car won't run,

and the wind blows on and on.

So I already wrote about the passing of our beloved pet. Well a few weeks ago, we were visiting Greg's parents and their neighbor (a college kid) backed into the side of our car. Not too much damage done...at least it didn't look too bad. The quotes came back between $1,400-1,900! Dang inflation. So now this guy's parents have called and want us to cut them a break because their insurance rates will go up and they just lost a job etc. I told her I would call her back. What I should've told her is about all the times that we've been out of work. Or maybe that our insurance rates just went down below $100/month, but only after paying close to $300/month for years because of all of our driving mistakes. Now that our only car is in the shop due to mechanical failure (not from the backing incident), I feel like suggesting that she revoke her son's driving privileges and just give us his car...then we can call it even!

Last night poor Cora did a face-plant on the asphalt. It was so sad and looks even worse today!

Today the wind is blowing. No, seriously blowing. Gusting at 54 miles per hour! We live on a farm so there are severe dust clouds. I think we'll make the best of it and go buy a kite!

Crimson and Gray

Here are the pictures I promised to follow the Cougar game videos.

Here she is again with her superman eyesight. It's a Butch sighting and he's on the opposite side of the Coliseum!

Butch wasn't nearly what she imagined up close! She informed us that he is scary and she thought he would bite her, but as soon as we returned to our seats, she was searching him out again!

Anything to get a smile from his girl!

Some pictures of the girls.

Cora LOVES her grandpa!

In memory of...

Today while we were in Pullman (again), we got a devastating call from our neighbor and friend telling us she was afraid our dog Shasta had been hit by a car. It wasn't until 3 hours later, when we arrived home and confirmed the awful news that it really hit me. And boy did it. Thankfully Cora was sleeping so I could let it out, and figure out what I was going to tell her. When she woke up, I told her that Shasta was gone and that she went to live with Jesus. She wanted to know where Jayda (our other dog) was. I told her she was still here in the yard. After she knew where Jayda was she asked me, "Shasta with Jesus?" I told her yes and she said that was okay. I'm sure in the next few weeks we will have to remind her, but I am thankful for the faith of little children. Yes she was spared the details of Shasta's death (which is what really hurts me, thinking of her hurting), but as soon as she knew that Shasta was with our Father in Heaven and Jesus, she knew that that was a good place for her to be.

Many friends had the "privilege" of hearing me whine all the way through Shasta's puppy stage about the chewing and peeing in the house! Well it turns out that she grew out of that stage, and grew into a beautiful, sweet, and friendly dog. Shasta found a very special place in our hearts where she will always remain. Although her life was short, it was a happy life and she will be missed.

So here's to Shasta and the happiness and love she brought to our home. It's goodbye, but just for now.

Coug Kid

Just some cute videos of Cora at her first Cougar basketball game! Pictures and complete story coming soon.

In this first video, Cora has just spotted Butch the Cougar mascot on the complete opposite side of the coliseum! "He's over there!"

Cora must have gotten a little bored at this point. Either that or that booger was just really bugging her! Grandpa got her going with the fight song though.

Happiness is....

Just wanted to share some of Cora's latest catch phrases with everyone. These are the smiles in my day!

"What da heck?" -Why is that funny? I should be appalled, but since she most likely heard it from me I can't get mad at her. Besides, she says it with such volume and emphasis, and such a look on her face, I just can't help myself!

"I wub it, wub it, wub it!" -Of course "wub" translates to "love" and the last thing she was referring to when she said this was the kitten that she was mauling!

"That's my fabowite." -She obviously has no concept of what this means because she will say it about any random thing, although I think she is starting to catch on. This is often paired with "wub it!"

"Dude!" -This is another one that I can take credit for. I didn't realize how much I say it until she started up; what can I say, I was raised in the 90's! "Dude" is her replacement word for words like stupid, dumb, etc. Really any word that she says and gets a glare and shake of the head from me is usually substituted with "Dude!" Pretty sure she considers it a swear word that is approved by mom.

I'm so thankful for the moments in my day that keep me smiling (especially since they are often closely followed by something likely to make me want to pull my hair out)! By the way, today was officially my last day of work! Now begins my journey as a full-time Mama! YIPPEE!

Oblivious!

Here is an example of Greg's idea of multitasking. He was so completely involved in his video game, that when I came in and asked why he was holding Cora's baby Elsie, he had to look down and see what I was talking about! Apparently Cora had employed him as a babysitter without his knowledge! Next time he is distracted he may end up with bows in his hair and makeup on his face!

Position filled!

Hooray for me! After the 20th of this month I will be accepting a new position as a FULL-TIME MOM!!!!! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love doing hair, and sometimes the salon is my only opportunity for conversing with another adult, but how fabulous to be able to fulfill my divine role as a mother and homemaker! I've always secretly envied my friends that have been able to stay home and devote their time to their families. Now I have the opportunity to do that very thing, and I have my wonderful, hard-working husband to thank for it. He'll be working long, crazy hours (not to mention the 45 mile commute) to make this possible. Ask my mom and she will tell you that since I was a little girl my dream was to grow up and be a mommy. Greg, you've made my dreams come true...thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now that I've nauseated you all with my mushy public display of gratitude, I would like to list a few of my goals and ambitions as Suzy Homemaker!

1. Learn to bake bread

2. Learn to knit something besides a scarf! This was inspired by my good friend Jenny. She is an amazing and talented woman and gives me all sorts of ideas for new and crazy things to try (like a worm compost!)

3. Mop my floors more often than every 6 months!

4. Take up quilting and learn to sew some CUTE clothes for Cora (and maybe me too!)

5. Start exercising

6. Teach Cora her alphabet!

So those are just some of my aspirations for my new job. I'll be sure to keep you all posted on my progress! Wish me luck, I just may need it!

Cheers!

I was reading in a parenting magazine on ideas for beating the winter blues and this was my favorite. Cora loves it! First came pink,


then blue,


and our latest was green.

You just add a little food coloring to the water and VIOLA! Bath time is super fun and exciting! For those of you worrying about turning your toddlers into Smurf or Hulk babies, don't. Just add a little at a time and leave it at a pastel shade. Cora was her natural color after every one! Cora did have me a little worried with the green. She wanted to help squeeze the bottle and it turned pretty dark, but I just filled the tub a little more than usual and everything worked out great. We both had a lot of fun with this, so come on and live on the wild side. You know you want to!

Just a "wee" note!

Don't want to jinx myself or anything, just thought I'd drop a little good news minute. We've had a couple of really good days in panties! Cora seems to like being a big girl. In fact, now when we run to the potty, she has taken to telling me "mom, get out, go play." So independent! And I, being a tad OCD at times, find it difficult to let her do it alone in fear of messes. But I know I must let her learn, and I know messes clean up. In fact the most recent mess resulted after we ran to the bathroom and as I was helping her get her britches down she plopped her foot right in the toilet! Boy was she surprised!! I love being a mom. Messes and all.

Frazzled

WARNING: This is probably going to turn into a huge venting session solely for my benefit and therapy! Do not continue reading if listening to others woes makes you nauseous!

Now, after fair warning, may I just say that being a mother to a two year old is EXHAUSTING! Cora just spent a week with my mom and spent most of her time arguing with Karra or Levi. They find it hilarious to rile her up until she gives them the look of death and threatens to "spank you butt!" So now that we are home, Cora wants to argue about everything. I know a lot of this is just her two year old self testing boundaries, but I'd just like to publicly thank my little brother and sister for giving her that little jump start! I feel like my whole day was spent correcting behavior, when normally she is at least somewhat cooperative.

Hopefully we will settle back in quickly and get through this "phase," or whatever it is, before mommy loses her mind!

P.S. I love you Karra and Levi, but watch out when you have kids one day!!! Hehehehe!

I feel better now. Wow, cheap therapy!

Balanced

It may sound slightly OCD but isn't there just something wonderful about a balanced checkbook and a successful budget plan? Maybe it's just me, but anyway...I feel great! Just thought I'd share that little bit of inspiration before I head off to bed. Happy balancing!

What the heck would YOU do?

So the title and picture are just a tribute to one of my favorite movies, but seriously, what would you do if the following TRUE story happened to you?

We have one inside dog (Jayda) and one outside dog (Shasta). When it gets too cold we let Shasta sleep inside but she has to be in her kennel because she is still a puppy and I don't like waking up and searching the house for things she may have chewed up!

Anyway, about a week ago we were having a heat wave here in Hermiston so Shasta was sleeping outside. I woke up to Jayda growling next to me in bed. I told her to knock it off because I could hear it too...it was just the wind. Well she wouldn't knock it off and the wind was really blowing by now and getting really loud! Then all of a sudden I heard a whining coming from the bathroom so I sat up in bed and I could see Shasta cowering on the bathroom floor. Jayda was growling at her, which is quite normal because Jayda is the queen and doesn't allow other dogs in HER room ;). Then as I woke up a little more I realized that this wasn't completely normal because Shasta was outside when I went to bed...right? Oh boy I must be losing it. Or maybe Greg is home REALLY early from work? What time is it anyway? So out of bed I go to calm Shasta and look for Greg. Around the house I go (which doesn't take long) and Greg is definitely NOT home, so how the heck did Shasta get in here? That's when I turned around and saw the back door in the living room standing wide open! Okay...that's creepy. So I close the door and dead bolt it, take one last look around, and head back to bed wide awake. The wind is blowing really hard, it probably just blew open. So I called Greg to tell him my tale. First he says "You got out of bed? What if there was someone in there?" Uh...didn't think about that. Of course, being a security guard, he also wanted to know if there were any muddy foot prints anywhere. Well I'm a hairdresser, not a private eye. All I wanted to know was if Greg was home and how the dog got in. That is as far as my investigation went! My conclusion is that the wind freaked our big guard dog out and she (with a little help from the wind) pushed open the door that doesn't exactly latch that well.

I hope that I can count on our dogs in the future to be a little more reliable against REAL intruders. Perhaps on windy nights Shasta will start out in the house to prevent further false alarms!

Sleep-eating!

Cora just couldn't quite stay awake...even to finish her tootsie roll! The funny thing is that her cousin Krystonna does the same thing in her car seat with her chicken nuggets!

New 'do!

I decided to give myself bangs. I'm not talking a little bit, or swept to the side bangs, I'm talking full front bangs! Yay! Something new. I think I like it! Maybe it makes me look to young (the last time I had full front bangs was 7th grade!) but oh well, I'll probably have a whole new hairdo a month from now....ah, the life of a hairdresser!

SWEET, FUNNY & HEARTBREAKING!

How can my little girl be all three things in one day?

When Greg was getting ready for work tonight, we had a family hug and passed kisses around and around in a circle. Cora leaned back and said "We happy fammie!"(family). Melt my heart. She can be so sweet!

A little while later I was outside waving goodbye to Greg when a naked Cora comes and peeks out the door. Lilli: "What are you doing Cora?" Cora: "Um, I go poop!" L: "Okay well run to the bathroom." So we run to the bathroom and she sits on the BIG toilet and starts grunting and making funny faces, so I say "Are you a little bit constipated?" Cora: "No, I Cora Miskin!". Thank you very much! She makes me laugh so much! :)

Now as I sit here writing down our eventful and emotional day I am listening to her heartbroken sobs over the intercom. You see, I am trying out a super-nanny technique because Cora has always been rocked, held, or snuggled to sleep and I have been feeling a little worn out from it. I have never been able to let her "cry it out" which is why we are in this situation. So as I am sitting here listening to her I can almost deal with it (I made it last night!), until she says in possibly the saddest voice in the world "I not feel good." Okay rip my heart out. Next she says she needs to poop so I am a sucker and let her come out for that. As she is sitting on the pot I hug her and tell her I love her. She looks at me with big teary eyes and the crying hiccups and asks "Mommy love me?". Ouch. Okay that did it, out came my tears. She already ripped it out, why not tear it in two?

Being a mother amazes me every day. You never realize how much love you are capable of until this sweet spirit child of God comes to you and shows you what it is all about. I love my job, even the painful parts!