I've Moved!

I've moved my blog! I never really liked my url. And since I don't know how to change that and still keep all my stuff, I decided to get a new blog. So here it is The Best Things in Life Are...
There is also a new feature. A Followers feature where you can chose to follow my blog. I don't quite see the reason for this since I probably have most of you in my blog list but, hey, it's kinda fun!

Thank You Mr. Clean!

Here is my new table! Why did I need a new table? Well I didn't but it was such a good deal I couldn't pass it up. And I always wanted a round table to go in the kitchen area. And its one of those tall ones too. Which I've always liked, you know the ones that come to your waist.

So I was at sears looking at glasses for Audrey when I saw this table. I didn't see a price so I asked the lady. She said that it was on clearance cause it was a floor model and that she would look it up. Well about 10 - 15 mins went by and she still couldn't find the book. So the supervisor lady and her talked about it. She came back and said that I could have the table and 4 chairs for
$200! I was like NO WAY! So I told her that I would call my husband and check. While I was calling I overheard the sales lady say that she had found the book but that she had already told me $200.

When I got a hold of Big J I asked him how he was doing and he said that he Was happy cause he didn't end up having to do go on this job that was supposed to be really bad. (I thought great he is in a good mood!) I asked him if I could have $200 dollars and after telling him the story he said OK. I was so excited. Before I called him I figured that he was gonna say no and that I would have to walk away from this great deal. You should never walk away from a deal that good. At the time I knew that I was getting a good deal but I didn't know how good until I looked on the Internet and the chairs alone at regular price are $100 each! And yes it was a floor model and it looked dirty from people sitting on it but it was nothing that a little magic eraser couldn't fix. After getting it home and useing the magic eraser it looks as good as new! Thanks Mr. Clean!

Big J's Birthday

So Friday was Big J's birthday! Luckilly he was able to get the day off, so last minute we decided to go to Monterey and go to the Aquarium to celebrate. So we drove up on Friday afternoon and got to our hotel. The above picture is of the view from the Hotel Lobby. I was a little skeptical about the hotel until we got there. (I guess we've had too many bad experiences) But the rooms were clean and I had no problem staying there. After getting checked in we went down to the beach and played around. Unfortunatly right after arriving the clouds came in and it was a little cold. But we had fun anyway. We planned to go to the Aquarium the next day. That night was awful.... Lets just say that the gigantic windows that make up the outer wall of the room makes it really easy to hear when people are outside talking (or yelling) At about 10 pm a Mr. Bob OConnel (who I learned is part scottish, staying in room 135, 45 years old, there for the same wedding as the people in the next room, and a drinker!) and his friends showed up to sit directly outside of our room and drink and chat for and hour and a half. And with all the chatter I couldnt sleep. Big J could of course. I kept thinking that they would leave any second but they never did. Many times I was so close to calling the front desk and complaining but for some reason I didn't. I guess I just figured that there had to have been someone else that was more disturbed by this and would call or tell them to be quiet. So after having no sleep the night before we went to the aquarium. The kids had a lot of fun.
This above is a picture of a place that people can touch some things like starfish and a crab and urchins and stuff. Little A was not affraid to touch them and immediatly picked the starfish up out of the water to examine him.


Here they are Happy as Clams! He He. There was a cool little kids area right next to where this was taken that they had to crawl through to see fish and stuff.
Above is a shark that they had in their huge tank that was filled with Tuna, Sardines, Sun fish, Sharks and more that I can't remember.

That was the best part we decided and then came to the conclusion that this aquarium was cooler the last (and first) time we went. Our favorite was the Shark tank. We decided that if they took this Shark tank and put it in the Long beach Aquarium then that would be perfect. But in all it was a fun weekend and we would probably do it again. Maybe next time we will go whale watching. If you want to see more pictures from our trip see our flickr site.

Computer Illiterate

I thought that I had broken my blog trying to get a new layout. It took me about 5 hrs to figure out how to get this one. I'm still searching for the perfect one although when I find it I might be too scared to try and change it again. Oh well. We will see.

Our Night Off

So this month marks the 5th anniversary for Big J working for Schlumberger! (He said we would only be here for 2!) So to celebrate his work threw a Party in Long Beach at The Winston! Now it wasn't just for Big J it was for all the people in Schlumberger that had worked there for 5, 10 , 15 or even 20 years! There was about 60 or so people there.

So Saturday Big J and I were able to go down to Long Beach. The drive was good and we didn't run into much traffic, so we decided to go to the Aquarium. When we got there we learned that it was 21$ per person! (Just a note: Monterey was about the same price and it was double the size) But.... we were already there so we went in. It was pretty nice. Our favorite part was the Tropical Fish. (of course) I liked the Jelly fish (pictured below) and the big reef tank. (pictured above)
So after that we went to our hotel (which by the way was fully paid for by Schlumberger) After we got checked in and rested from all the walking in the Aquarium it was time to get ready. Suddenly Big J asks, "Did you get my shirt out of the dryer?!!" I replied, "NO! (in shock) Didn't you?!" Now it was already 6:15 pm and the Dinner starts at 7:00 pm. So Big J asks the concierge where the nearest place to buy a shirt was. And was off. I stayed to get ready. At 7 I was just about to call Big J and ask where he was when he came in. Luckily the dinner was just downstairs so he could be dressed and in the elevator in like five mins. I set to ironing his shirt (which I don't do very well, cause I don't do it often) I turn around to a gasp! And there is Big J trying to put on pants that were 3 or 4 sizes too small! He had grabbed the wrong ones! Instead of grabbing the ones from his suit he had grabbed the ones from our wedding! So thinking maybe that he had grabbed both he frantically started looking for the others in the suitcase, but to no avail. I told him to suck it in and he tried but they were not going to button. so he zipped them up as high as he could and cinched his belt down and hoped that his jacket would cover and that his pants wouldn't fall down! Well we made it through the night without anyone losing their pants (which from what I hear probably will happen at a Schlumberger party one of these days)
When we got back to the room and had a big laugh because the room looked like it had been ransacked! It was an eventful day. But it was fun and I'm glad that we went even though leaving the kids was hard. But it was only for one night.

Little D

Well I finally downloaded the pictures of Little D's first day of school. Yeah, kinda took a while, but anyway he is doing great in school. Still loves going and riding the bus. Here is a picture of him with his teacher, Mrs. Greene.
He is such nice boy and everyone wants to be his friend. Here he is only five mins. into the first day and he already has a buddy.
So here is to my brave boy who is always kind and loving, and even when things are scary he pushes through the tears and learns so much. He's growing so fast and it makes me sad. But I am excited to see the man that he becomes.

No Tears Here!

Well I made it through the first day of Kindergarten and first day of riding the bus and I had no tears! I thought that I would cry but I think that because I cried over Pre-K last year there was no need for it this year. Plus its only half day so it kinda feels like its just Pre-K again. Needless to say Little D had no problem going and was so excited to ride the Bus. First thing he said when he got off was "That was Awesome!". He made friends immediately and even had one girl from church there that he knew.

1st Day Jitters!

As the first day of school approaches I find myself very nervous, sad, and excited. Little D will be going to Kindergarten in 5 days! I am excited for him because he is so ready and he is excited to ride the bus! But I am nervous because I have all these questions. Since he is my first to go to school I'm not sure what to do. How does this bus thing work? How does the bus driver know Little D will be with him? What supplies does he need? Does he need a snack? Will they be sending me a Your First Born Is Going To School Survivor Kit (for dummies)? The list goes on and on.... I am sad because not only is it his first day of school and he is growing up too fast but also he LOST HIS TOOTH!

Ol' Faithful

So on our way home from Montana we left a day early so that we could go down to Yellowstone Nat. Park. I can't believe that I lived in Montana for 18 yrs and never went to see it before! It was pretty cool. I only wish that we would have had more time and a sling! Carrying Little C everywhere was a pain!
Above is a picture of a spring/geyser that has built up all this colors rock around it from the minerals and bacteria building up.


This is a picture of Emerald Springs. We hiked to a lot of these springs filled with boiling spring water. Most of the walkways didn't have railings and they waved right though most of the springs. I was a little scared that one of the kids would trip and fall in. But luckily that didn't happen.

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This is a geyser that we walked to that was constantly going off pretty cool but I don't remember the name.

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This is a Mud/Paint pot. Basically boiling colored mud. When I saw this on the map it said Artist's paint pots and I thought that they would be super colorful and that there would be more so it would be worth the walk, but it wasn't. It might have been, if I would have had a sling!

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And then there was Old Faithful! Went off right on time. Pretty cool. Now I can say that I've seen it.

Going Rate for Teeth?

My little boy is growing up so fast! One day when we were in Montana, Mom and I were upstairs painting and Little D was downstairs eating toast. All of the sudden we hear a scream and crying from Little D. Figuring that he just bit his tongue we were not too worried. Aunt S was down there to comfort him. Then we heard her say "Let me see...tooth is loose". I was thinking ... no way he is barely 5! Then Aunt S confirmed and I was like No Way! so I ran downstairs and sure enough there he was with a bloody mouth and one loose tooth. I quickly re-explained the Tooth Fairy. After what happened with his cousin Commander C, I didn't want him to be frightened. The next day we went to a BBQ and he was eating watermelon and came up to me with his tooth in his hand! He had no tears just surprise. Big J was making fun of me saying that I was gonna cry. But its hard to come to terms with. So we told him to wait until we were back home to put it under his pillow. So Sunday I went around inquiring about the price for teeth these days, not only teeth but first teeth. I figured that the quarter that I got wasn't going to be sufficient in today's world. Well he finally got to put it under his pillow and the Tooth Fairy came! Above is a picture of what the Tooth Fairy brought. Although it seems like a lot we learned that you can't buy anything for 5 dollars these days either!

Crazy? I think so!

So while I was in Montana I told my friend that I would Paint her a picture. (Don't know what I was thinking! I hope she likes it!) So on the first day of painting it was going great and I was really excited about it. Then we started the poppies.... Some came easily but some were problem poppies! At one minute I think that it was going to work out and then next time we would paint I would say "I can't give her this!" I would go back and forth each time we worked on it. By "we" I mean my mom and I. I would have given up the second day if she hadn't been there telling me that it would turn out and that it could be fixed. That's what years of practice will get you I guess. Above is the (insert French accent here) piece de resistance! Fingers crossed that it's what she wanted!

We're Back!

We made it to and from Montana safely! It was a lot of fun to see everyone again. It was probably one of the best Montana trips we've had. Above is the view that Big J and Uncle J had after they climbed the Mount Pollock. Big J said that he barely made it, and thought that he was going to die up there! Uncle J is crazy and had little trouble scaling the vertical shale rocks that made up the top of the mountain. I told Big J that he would have to work out more so that next time he could keep up. It was so much fun to be back in Montana! All of you that are able to live there are very blessed to live in such a beautiful place!

Toes?

Here is a weird question.... They say that your ears keep growing your whole life. If this is true then does the same thing apply to your toes? Also, does each toe grow at the same pace or do they grow at different rates? Take for instance someone with one toe longer than the other, surely they were not born with one toe longer.... or maybe they were?

So the other day while my sister was in Hawaii she called and said that her room at their hotel was unacceptable and that she wanted me to find them a new place. So being the nice sister that I am, I looked on the Internet and found some bed and breakfasts. We came across one and it had a few pictures, one of which was of the owners. My sister of course was like "Ooh! Are they a cute little Hawaiian couple?" And I said sadly, "No they just look like Americans." At which she laughed. It took me a sec to realize why she was laughing. And as I was thinking about it I thought, hmm, Hawaii, although it is part of the US, feels like a totally different country. Maybe because its so far away. Or maybe because they have their own language. Whatever the reason it feels foreign to me.

Where is a Pen and Paper?

Last night I was lying awake, as I often do, cause my brain wouldn't shut off and I kept thinking of things that I needed to do or get. Then I started thinking of my Dad and how he has a pen and note cards tied to a string beside his bed so that when he thinks of something at night he can write it down. I think that he is wise for this because as I said that is often the case with me and I never have anything to write it down on. And almost never get out of bed to go find one. So unfortunately a lot of ideas and things I need to do are forgotten.

Fairy Princess Tea Party

So Little A was invited to a birthday today. It was the cutest little party I've seen. All the girls (3yr olds) dressed up like princesses. Little A went as Cinderella. First they danced while everyone arrived. Then they played the Princess and the Pea, where they had to find a pea (in this case a small ball) under their pillow. This was followed by a game of musical tea pot, where they passed the tea pot around and whoever was holding it when the music stopped received a necklace. Then it was on to the fingernail painting! This was where little A started to participate. She practically ran to the fingernail polish! (Amazing considering that through all the previous stuff she was glued to me)After nails they received rings, wands, and tiaras. After that little A was having a blast they sat at the little table and had tea (juice) and all sorts of little foods like fruit cups and chocolate and sprinkle covered giant pretzels and mini muffins! SO CUTE! Later they had cake and opened presents. Once the party was over they gave out little gift baskets which included a little mini princess tea set. Little A has not stopped playing with it. After that I wanted a tea party of my own!

Where have all the parties gone?

So I have to tell about the cutest party that I went to but first about parties. Why is it that no one has parties anymore? I'm not talking about birthday parties. I'm talking about just plain old fun get together parties like dinner parties and big Christmas parties and Halloween parties and parties like that. I know that there are probably some people out there that throw them (at least Christmas ones) but you hardly ever see them anymore. I want to go to dinner parties. There need to be more get togethers and parties! This is one reason I wish I lived in the 50's!

Chocolate fiasco!

So after my Shower Success! Big J decided that we should have some friends over to eat from our chocolate fountain. so we were reheating the chocolate. I was stirring the chocolate and Little A was on the table dipping her finger in the chocolate and Big J was apparently turning the fountain on cause the next thing I know the tiers are lifting and BAM! Chocolate all over all of us and my dining room chair cushions! After standing there in chocolate covered shock. We decided that the wiggly one needed cleaning first so Big J took Little A to the bath tub. I followed and gave her a bath and then took a shower as well. All the while Big J was trying to clean the carpet and the chairs. Alas our carpet was saved(Wish it wasn't. I've been wanting wood floors forever... I mean, who puts carpet in a dining room anyway!). But not out dining room chairs. (I didn't much like the fabric anyway) An now that is one of my projects recovering the chairs.

Baby shower sucess!

So I threw my friend, Selena, a baby shower the other day and I guess the hard work paid off. People actually came which was my main worry. I guess Saturdays are just too buys to throw parties... at least in the summer when there are vacations going on. Although next time I will choose games that are not as interactive, because the women didn't seem to like being blind folded. (They were mostly in they're thirties). But the chocolate fountain that I searched high and low for was a big hit. And get this... one of my friends that was there was like "oh I have one you could have used!" and I was like should have told me before I went and bought one! But oh well my husband and I think that it will be fun to have people over to use it. And they also liked the Diaper raffle and adored my bee hive cake. Selena seemed to enjoy it so that is what really matters.

29! NO WAY!

Our anniversary is today! Yea! 6 years! Anyway, last night I was lying awake in bed and my brain wouldn't shut off. I kept thinking of all these different things, among them was the thought that our wedding anniversary was tomorrow and my thought process went like this.... 'tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. Hmm... how old is little d? 5, so we've been married 6 years! Wow 6 more til 10 ....no...wait..... 4 more. Wow ten years. In 4 years little d will be 9. Little a will be 7. Little c will be 4. I will be 29... WAIT 29! I can't be 29! How old am I? 25? no 26? no 25.' Then I start silently freaking out cause I will apparently be 29 in 4 years. I don't even feel 25. Then today as we were going to dinner I was thinking that I don't feel any particular age. I just feel like me. And that no age comes to mind when I think of me. But I guess that's probably how everyone feels....... Right?

A little lesson in patience

So yesterday I lost my voice! To the point that all I can do is whisper. Yes this is very frustrating! Especially when on the day that you can't talk everyone calls and comes by. The Missionaries came by and asked for referrals and so did a real estate agent. Big J called like 3 times and could hardly hear me. He kept telling me to talk louder! (he was trying to push my buttons) I felt so helpless whenever anyone came over or called. And Little D kept asking me why I had to be quiet. But trying to get the kids to clean up their toys and to stop fighting and eat their food was a little lesson in patience! I'm used to trying to scream over them to get there attention, but now all I can do is wait for them to stop or get in their face. But its sure is funny when after I do get their attention and Little A replies in a whisper "No, I don't want to!"

Fears and Phobias

I have a fear of spiders. They are gross and hairy and eew! What brings this up you might ask? Well there have been a few encounters lately. 3 main encounters. The spiders here are not daddy long legs either. They are big and black and hairy and they jump! Yes I said Jump! One might mistake some for a Black widow. (minus the red hourglass of course) They have those here, Luckily I have never seen one. Since those 3 main ones I have seen 3 baby spiders in my kitchen.
My fear is probably like most other spider fears in that you don't like to touch them and don't like them crawling on you or how when you find one you feel like they are all over you! But my fear is getting close to paranoia. After I find one I am convinced that there will be another close by. If one were to jump on me or if I were to find one on me. After the long shrieks and hyperventilating, it would take a long time and a lot of convincing for me to get off the table. Sometimes I think that I would never be able to sit on anything or touch anything in my house. Looking for a picture to post this with almost made me lose it!
So I understand how people can have a fear of something so much that they won't go in a car or out in the back yard. Hopefully it never comes to that.
Since there have been so many encounters lately my husband wonders why he never new that my fear was so great before. Its always been there. There just has never been so many encounters so close together. Needless to say the bug man will be called first thing in the morning!