Natalie is 4

Natalie's a happy little 4 year old with all her new toys and leftover Costco cake to devour. I didn't realize it at the time, but I really did this one up big. I think I must come to this realization every year after the whole shebang is over. When I'm having a hard time ripping down the decorations that I spent literally HOURS coloring, cutting and pasting together, it dawns on me that maybe I went a little overboard. Maybe these big birthday bashes will make some amazing memories in my little girls hearts and the other stuff that I keep messing up on won't glare so bright and loud in their minds ten or twenty years from now. :-) We can only hope.

So, this year Natalie had her heart set on having a Tarzan birthday party. I know, Tarzan? In case you're wondering, the Disney version is over ten years old. We've actually been quite relieved to have a little obsession with Tarzan at our house lately. It sure beats pink, frilly princesses. We even found out the old cartoon plays on Saturday afternoons on Toon Disney. We've DVR'ed every episode and have watched them all frequently. You should hear Natalie's attempt at the Tarzan yell. Priceless. So, we weren't surprised when she told us that was the birthday party theme she most desired. I thought it would be fun until I hit the internet and realized there is absolutely NOTHING in the way of Tarzan anymore. Even Ebay in all it's "you can find anything you want here" glory didn't do me much good. My biggest concern was the birthday cake. She didn't want just a "picture" of Tarzan on the cake (an edible cake image), she wanted actual Tarzan toys. She was very specific about this. I was excited to find that there were small McDonald's Happy Meal toys from Tarzan on Ebay. After watching a few auctions, I was able to get a full set for under $20. It was more than I wanted to spend, but they would double as toys to play with after the cake was done serving it's purpose. With that done, I turned my attention to decorations and party games. I decided to go with a more general theme for the rest, a jungle/safari type theme. I found some great ideas on this site.

The best find of all was a totally unexpected one. I was shopping at OfficeMax one morning looking to buy new printer cartridges. As I was walking past one of those bins where they sell boxes and boxes of old software piled in a heap, one of the boxes caught my eye. It had Tarzan on the cover. It wasn't just an old Tarzan game either, it was Disney Tarzan Print Studio. A whole program completely dedicated to using Tarzan graphics to make invitations, crafts, banners, cards, coloring pages, etc. And it was only $7.99! I was so excited. I bought it up and brought it home and crossed my fingers that it's old Windows 95 self would run on our XP computer. After a few warning boxes, it installed! I was able to make invitations, a banner, coloring pages that I blew up to poster size and covered the walls with, and even stickers to decorate goody bags. What a find.

So, here's some pictures to sum it all up for you...

These were so fun to do. I know a bunch of boys would have been able to appreciate it a little more than my girls could. Since we had the party right after school and half of Natalie's guests were coming straight from school, we decided to have a snack first. And only fitting for a Tarzan party is some Jungle snack foods. I played this up, but mostly I just got shrieks of dismay and disgusted ewwws from the girls. For all the convincing in the world, I couldn't get my girls to try the "mud", which was just caramel dip in disguise. Ainsley and Chloe tried to convince them that it tastes just like candy, but to no avail. Even Natalie wouldn't try it. They loved that the grapes were called Snake Eggs, the raisins were called Dried Ants and our blue Kool-aid (not in the picture) was Jungle Juice which Nate claimed Tarzan squeezed from the hind ends of lightning bugs. Yeah, lovely. I guess we needed a few more boys at our party to appreciate it.

Here's a pic of some of the decorations. The girls helped me color the posters and absolutely loved doing so. I cut out the leaf shapes from poster board and put "point values" on each one for our sticky frog toss game. Unfortunately, I bought masking tape from the dollar store to put everything up with. Yeah, if you want tape to actually stick, don't buy the cheap $1 store knock-off. We were running around trying to re-stick everything the entire afternoon. Nate finally went around with some scotch tape in order to get things to stay put.

And some more decorations. I was getting burnt out by this point and only hung a few streamers with leaves to look like vines and a banner courtesy of the print studio software.

Not a real great picture of the girl's bedroom, but you get the idea. I spent the bulk of my time decorating this room with crepe paper and over 50 leaves I cut out from poster board. I covered the window with sheets to make the room dark and the floor with a green blanket. Natie and I made a sign with Tarzan fighting a snake on it and dubbed the room, "The Snake Hunt". I gave the kids safari hats, small flashlights and bags to gather up as many snakes as they could find. I bought a couple bags of small plastic snakes at the $1 store and tossed them at random throughout the room. It was too fun to see them all trying to "catch" snakes as fast as they could. They got to keep a few snakes, the hats and flashlights as goody bag loot at the end. I was able to find a really good deal on the hats, flashlights and sticky frogs at an online party store called iParty.com. The snake hunt was by far the most favorite game of the party.

Nic, Kenzie, Chloe, Natalie and Ainsley all waiting for the last party guest. These three friends live just two houses away and are, by far, Kenzie and Natalie's best friends of all. It wouldn't be a party without all of them there. Since this made five kiddos, I told Natalie she could invite one more guest from preschool to make it an even six. With the way my girls can scream when they're excited, therefore getting all the others to scream, six was more than enough.

Here, the partygoers are decorating their goody bags with Tarzan stickers. Aren't they cute in their safari hats?

And here's Natalie taking a turn playing "Pin the Trunk on Tantor". Tantor is Tarzan's elephant friend. Since we didn't think "Pin the Loincloth on Tarzan" would be quite appropriate, we went with Tantor's trunk instead. The kids seemed to like it, although, we had a few tears over not winning the prize. Don't worry, it was all from my own children, of course.

Here they are playing "Sticky Frog Throw". I got a dozen little sticky frogs at iParty for just over a $1. I made leaves with point values on them, taped them up and the kids threw their frogs at them. This one was funny. We got a few sticky frogs stuck up on my vaulted ceilings after some very enthusiastic throws.

And here's the Tarzan cake. I ordered a blank costco cake so I'd have plenty of room for all the toys and I wouldn't have to bake something. We brought it home, shoved in the toys and wrote Happy Birthday on it. Natalie LOVED it.

She loves those Tarzan toys. Who knew?

So, all in all a good party. Now I just have to start planning Kenzie's which is the 29th of April. She can't decide if she wants a Craft Party or a Dog Party. We're leaning towards the Craft Party. I think I can manage that. Any ideas for a great cake?

On My Mind...

Grab a drink, a snack and sit back. This one is long.

Easter - Is it me or has it crept up on us this year? We totally missed the Easter egg hunts for both our church activity and Nate's work. Yeah, that would have been LAST weekend, not this. We did this last year too, so even though Easter is extra early this year we can't use the date as an excuse. We've spent the last few years doing our own Easter celebrations at home and they have been L.A.M.E. Of course, the girls love anything involving easter egg candy, plastic eggs and color dyes, but we've decided to forgo our own attempts this year and head to Nate's family on the west side of the state for some cousin fun. Besides having to drive the four hours there and back, it should be fun. And hey, at least we get to drive the new car, right?

Growing up I would get a new Sunday dress each year for Easter. This has been a tradition I've continued with my girls. The problem is, we're always broke and I never want to spend more than $10 on a dress. I know, we're so cheap...I get it...I'm a yard sale girl at heart. Needless to say, I often end up shopping late Saturday night for the elusive $10 or less Easter dress. Of course, this does me no good because I'm left to buy whatever is left on the racks, which usually isn't as pretty, isn't the exact size I need and isn't in my totally unrealistic price budget. So, this year when the Costco spring dresses came out in February (or was it even January?) I broke down and bought them immediately. Seriously, you just can't beat the $15 price tag, the right size for both girls and they get to match. How many years do I have left before they don't want to match anymore? I have been sitting pretty with those dresses in the back of my closet for weeks now, knowing I don't have to worry about THAT on Saturday night. Too bad I'll still probably be raking the remains of the eggs and candy and 99 cent useless toys at the last minute for basket goodies. Oh well, you can't get it all right.


Family Home Evening - A day late, a dollar short. Or whatever they say. I've been really trying to re-institute a "real" family home evening at our house lately. And what I mean by real is not the last minute trip to the store "together as a family" or a walk at the park or all sitting down together to play an hour or two of the Wii. I know, all of these can count as family home evenings (except maybe the store trip), but not ALL of the time. My kiddos need these lessons and we need the blessings. And when I mean I've been "really trying" to start up FHE again, I mean I've been thinking about it a lot, putting it on my to-do list on Monday mornings, maybe even looking up lessons on the internet Monday afternoon, but somehow never getting it done. After hearing a great talk about FHE on Sunday at church and realizing that perfection doesn't arrive in the form of family home evening, not even in the most perfect-looking families, I've decided to JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN from now on. Even if there is yelling, crying and gnashing of teeth, it's time to make the commitment and stick to it. While surfing the internet last night (after missing another chance to make it work) and hoping to find some good Easter ideas I found this great website. Check it out here.

Sundays - Sundays can be a rough day for us. I know it's not supposed to be that way. In fact, it should be the day of rest, right? Resting is a stretch with two kids under the age of 7, but we could use a little more peace at least. My girls don't like going to church. Kenzie has issues that make going to church difficult to say the least. Her sensory issues and church dress don't mesh well. Clothing in general is a tough one for her. I'm constantly looking for the "perfect" outfit for her. Something that isn't too tight or too loose, too scratchy or itchy or has tags or decals or bows or ANYTHING that could potentially bug her. I could literally write a couple posts on the agonies of shoes for Kenz. In fact, I've had a few rolling around in my head for months now. Let's just say church shoes aren't a favorite around here, either. And my goodness, let's not even go to tights at our house. Yeah, that's not a pretty sight. Kenzie trying to wear tights. Imagine wrapping a puppy in saran wrap... Except lots more tears and nobody's laughing. Sooo...by the time we walk in the doors of the church building we're exhausted and Kenzie is barely containing a melt-down or else she is in the midst of one and we don't make it past the foyer. Natalie has taken to mimicking some of Kenzie's behaviors. She, too, HATES church because Kenzie does. She, too, thinks her shoes itch and that her socks are too tight and her dress is too small or too big or too whatever. They both complain that church is so BORING and they're STARVING and beg to go home. It doesn't help that we've had to miss so much this past winter. Heck, this past life. With all the sicknesses, trips out of town and my monthly week of horror, we average getting to church twice a month. This breaks my heart. I am not a less-active person. Not in my heart. I grew up going to church EVERY Sunday. Nate grew up going to church EVERY Sunday. This is where we need to be, no matter how difficult it feels. Sooo...of course I've been thinking about ways to make it easier for the girls and therefore, easier for me. After hours of searching on Sunday night, I found quite a few fun ideas for things to do in Sacrament meeting and lessons to teach in FHE. If you've got any tips on how to make this day easier, send 'em my way. And if you're needing a few ideas yourself, try going here or here or there.


Moving - Moving has been on our minds for over a year now. It's no secret that Nate's been looking for work in Albuquerque. It's also no secret that we've not found anything at all. Obviously it isn't supposed to happen right now. We're okay with that. Well, most of the time. We love it here in the Tri-cities. We've made great friends, we have a comfortable home, Nate has a great job and he's almost done with school. Kenzie is going to a wonderful school and loves her friends. It has crossed our minds many times that maybe we're supposed to stay right here. We miss our families. We want our girls to grow up with cousins. Nate is antsy and ready to change the scenery. I outgrew this little house before we ever moved in it. So, yeah, we're looking for change, but who knows when it will come and in what form. We can't help but be curious about it now that we're rolling closer to another summer here and only two classes between now and Nate's degree.

Nate's parents are in the midst of moving this week from Idaho to Arizona. Their lives have been up in the air for months...or is it years, you two? They have found work that will give them some consistency for a few more months and some sunshine. Two of my family members in Albuquerque are moving this week. My sister, Jen and her hubby have FINALLY been offered a position and Rick is off to get training while Jen moves from parent to parent biding her time before the new baby comes. They are moving this week. My brother, Nate and his wife Heather are moving this week, too! I know, how crazy it all is at once. They are building their dream home and after a spiritual family fast, they were able to sell their home in one week! They are going to rent until their new home is completed. We get to go visit them in a couple weeks for Spring break and we can hardly wait. So...moving is on my mind. Good luck to everyone who is packing up and moving this week, wish we could be there to help!


Exercise - So, yeah, health is a big topic at our house. Not necessarily having it, but our lack thereof. It's been weeks of sickness for us this winter. The girls and I are finally over the pneumonia and sinus infections, but Nate got hit hard again. He's been so miserable. He's had three doctor appointments in one week and lots of prescriptions to fill.

We were finally able to get him back into a sleep doctor. He has sleep apnea. Years ago he was diagnosed and spent a night at a sleep clinic only to come running home proclaiming his hatred of the sleep apnea breathing machine. We lost our insurance soon after and so there went our effort to get his sleeping problems fixed. After two miserable sicknesses this year, though and problems with his oversized tonsils, we decided it was time to go back in to the specialist.

We had an interesting appointment yesterday. The doctor we saw was quite forthright and blunt. I couldn't help laughing at his way with words. Nate is headed back for another sleep clinic in a couple weeks and has been promised that it will be better this time. He was also told that in no uncertain terms he has asthma and should be treating it daily. We also got the not-too-unexpected pep talk about weight. Sleep apnea gets worse with weight gain. In Nate's case, he had it even at a healthy weight, but it has grown worse with each extra pound. In no uncertain terms, he was told to lose it. I need to lose it too. We've needed to lose it for years. Not just for cosmetic reasons, but for our health. For some reason, losing the weight for Nate's health makes the task seem much easier than doing it just for mine. I got back on the treadmill last night. I'm going to keep getting back on that treadmill again and again. Even when I fail for weeks on end, I'm not going to quit. There, I said it. We're on a mission. A mission to get healthy. Too corny? Oh well, it's the truth. :-)

Is that enough thinking for today? I think so. The End.

The "Off" Weeks

So I guess these are my "off" weeks of the month. I keep thinking I should blog, but I can't seem to keep a straight thought process long enough to come up with something decent to say. I've never in my life been a very paranoid person, but that seems to be a recurring theme in my month-to-month PMDD lately. Ugly, it is. I seem to get completely wrapped up in these pointless thought-circles. I become convinced that I'm this total loser with only total loser things to say. I worry if people like me anymore. I worry that Nate is mad or sad or annoyed or frustrated...you name it. I'm sure I even help him get there when I constantly ask him if he's upset over and over. I seriously get sick of my own brain. Is that possible? Can it just stop for a few minutes? What makes me even more annoyed? Knowing deep down inside that I don't really feel this way about any of this stuff. You'd think that would help, but no...it just makes me feel more crazy when the thoughts just keep coming. It's a relief when it all calms down and then finally goes away after the period is done. Still, it's shocking to me that something as simple as my hormonal chemistry can add up to all this craziness in my head. If it wasn't so cleverly clockwork, if I didn't have a husband on the outside watching and reminding me, I'd have to commit myself or at least come to the conclusion that I just like to shake things up every few weeks and be someone else for awhile.

So, last week I was trying my best not to be sick anymore. I caught another cold from the kids. What is this, like my 74th this winter?! I went to bed for an entire Sunday and figured that should be good enough, right? Back to business, as usual. After pushing through two days in total denial, I ended up right back in bed. My pushy husband (thanks, Nate) sent me to the doctor and sure enough, it was my 2nd or maybe 3rd sinus infection this year. After two days on the antibiotics and two kids home sick with their own colds, I decided enough was enough. I could barely see the floor in any of the rooms of my house. We were all going to have to resort to wearing recycled underwear (a very disgusting, but sad truth) if I didn't do laundry soon and the fast food dinner containers were making more of an appearance than real food at our house. I got myself up, sick or not and started to clean and cook and do laundry. Somewhere into the laundry piles and heaving and hefting of laundry baskets, I pulled something nasty and mean in my lower back. I literally fell to the floor in pain. I tried to stretch it out, but that was some serious pain. I took some ibuprofen and then hit the floor on my hands and knees. Surely, I could get the family room looking halfway decent without hurting myself too much. Not so much. I ended up attaching myself to a heating pad and recliner for the day, only getting up to tend to two sick girls. Which happened a lot more than my poor back could handle. Again, I spent the weekend moping around in bed. The heat seemed to help and so then I'd try to do some light stretches to help more, but as soon as I tried to resume any normal functions the pain was up and searing again. After some heartfelt praying, I woke up Monday morning feeling much better. If I don't bend too much or try to lift anything, it hasn't been too bad. Monday night though, I tried to do too many things and pulled it again. So, it's been slow-going for us this week. I've been cooped up in this small house for way too long.

We finally took Kenzie to the doctor yesterday afternoon. She keeps acting pretty chipper and fine, but the cough on her sounds like death itself. Turns out the girl has pneumonia! I know! I was so shocked. We've been ordered to surrender ourself to the house for at least two more days. Talk about feeling like a failure in the motherhood department. I let her go to school on Tuesday on Dr. Seuss day even though she was hacking like that. She wanted to go soooooo bad. She seemed fine otherwise! Sorry to all of you who may have been in contact with her. You can now file me away in the folder marked "inconsiderate mommy's who send their children to school when they're sick". Really, I didn't know it was that bad!

So, now you know why I haven't blogged. Do you think I'll make a post rambling about my excuses every month, apologizing for my absence? That could become monotonous fast. Oh well, it IS my blog, after all.