Recovery

We made it back to Arizona on Monday evening. A friend was kind enough to pick us up from the airport and then feed us that night because there was no food in our fridge. (That’s what happens when you’re gone for nearly a week.) Mama and I spent the rest of the week getting back to normal life. We’ve had a difficult time getting our house in order after being gone for a few days. It seems like we cannot get everything picked up and straightened up after our trip. We did come home from CA with a few treasures from my childhood.

On Saturday we went up to Phoenix to be a part of my nephew’s baptismal service. After the baptism, we went back to my sister’s home for a light luncheon and visiting with family and friends. Underfoot played with his cousins and had a lot of fun running around. He particularly liked jumping on a small trampoline and then jumping into a large bean bag.

Mama has been working hard to beautify our home. This week we ran some errands after work. We got some irrigation parts for our garden boxes. We also got Mama some plastic organizers for her sewing supplies. Mama’s talent as a seamstress is blossoming, and I insisted that we get her the tools she needs to expand her talent. My mom gave her some sewing supplies (including an old sewing machine) so Wendy needed a way to organize all her items. Plus, the Maud room (ask Mama who Maud is) is now much cleaner because all of her sewing stuff is in one place.

When we returned home from CA, we discovered lots of exciting growth in our yard. We have new growth on all of our trees, in our garden boxes, and on all of our berry plants. We hope to harvest berries this year and are excited about our apple and pit fruit trees. Both trees have been in the ground for less than a month, but are showing signs of life! It is exciting for us to see the fruits of our labors.

K2 has begun pulling himself up to a standing position whenever given the chance. Today in church he crawled around while Underfoot slept. During the third hour he began to stand up, using the grandpa seated in front of me. The kind gentleman (obviously a grandpa) picked him up. Within seconds K2 was asleep.

California

Greetings from California. We have been visiting L4’s family for a few days. We’ll sleep when we’re dead. On Tuesday we did a craft group. Underfoot was playing with K2 and accidentally gave him a bruise on his head. Daddy didn’t want to be left out of the fun, so he walked into the laundry room door early on Wednesday morning. They have matching marks.

This week was my birthday. Grandpa K. sent a surprise bouquet of flowers. They are beautiful! Many people remembered my birthday. I’m so lucky to share my birthday with my brother Scott and my Grandmother B..

When we left Pennsylvania, the front left tire of our car was making noise. The noise has steadily gotten louder over the last 18 months. After a trek across the United States and several trips to Idaho, it was time to get it fixed. On Wednesday we got our car fixed. It needed a new bearing and was leaking oil. The car sounds much better now that it is fixed.

We flew to CA Wednesday night and immediately went to bed upon arriving at L4’s parents’ home. Being on vacation is all about trying to cram as much site seeing as possible. On Thursday we went to the Ranch. We went hiking and watched A. cut up old tractors with his blow torch. On Friday we went to the Lawrence Hall of Science. L4 left the lights on so we had a dead battery. A kind person gave us a jump and we got home safely. Underfoot and K2 had fun. Underfoot especially liked playing with balls that were suspended in mid air by a jet of air. (L4 says it is a low pressure system- Bernoulli’s principle- at work.) Saturday we went to the steam train at Tilden Park in Berkeley. L4 used to volunteer at the Train park. We rode the train twice. Underfoot didn’t care for the loud whistle of the train. K2 loved every minute of it. We also road on a merry-go-round. K2 liked the merry-go-round until the very end. On Sunday (today) we went to church, visited with friends, and spent some time with my Uncle D. and Auntie K..

Underfoot, K2, and I have struggled with a cough throughout the week. K2 seems to be better now. Underfoot has been lethargic. We are on the mend now.

Tomorrow we will fly back. If there was anything worth taking from our home, tonight would be the night to do it. Have a great week.

Digging holes

Monday: We ate our own home grown broccoli. It was sweet to the taste - stalk and all.

Tuesday: We planted an apple tree.

Wednesday: Underfoot got his hair cut. K2’s tooth cut through the gum, and he started to sit up on his own.

Thursday: We ran errands. During this process, K2 decided to explode out of his diaper. It wasn’t a subtle explosion but a wamm-banger. We were standing in the checkout line when the lady behind me told me the baby was poopy. I thanked her and then she pointed out that it was dropping in clumps on the floor. Embarrassment swept over me like a ton of bricks, stopping all rational thought. The lady asked if I needed a diaper or some wipes. No I needed a tub! During this time Underfoot decided he wanted to be the clerk at a different register, which got us into trouble with the actual checkout clerk. He was very obedient and came to me the first time I asked. Upon his return, he ran through the poop that had just plopped on the floor. K2 is just kicking his legs and smiling like it is the most fun he’s had in a while. The clerk asks if I want to buy my item, and I tell her I’ll have to do it later. Because it is ingrained in me, I saw some abandoned pennies on the floor and told Underfoot to pick them up on our way out the door. I couldn’t leave 6 cents just lying around. Again another plop of poop. We made it to the car, get buckled in, and the same lady asks if I need any help. I appreciate her kind gesture but want to get out of there so I can leave the scene of shame. All ended well.

Friday: We dug holes in anticipation of Saturday. Underfoot helped pick up rocks. He also played with a ball in the back yard.

Saturday: We got up early. It was going to be a busy day. In the morning we got ready for bountiful baskets. L4 added drip irrigation to our latest grape vines, a honeysuckle, and the tree we planted on Tuesday.

We went and did bountiful baskets. It took a little longer than usual. This week our site distributed 68 baskets, the most we’ve done to date. (The site maximum is 96!) We learned that some sites were filling up so fast that they were crashing the system. While distributing baskets, a friend loaned us their electric jack-hammer. (L4 described it as the most manly tool he has ever used- it weighs just under 80 lbs!)

We came home and had lunch. Super D. (this is what Underfoot calls our friend because he knows that she is so super.), Uncle, and children came to can spaghetti sauce and pear butter. While we canned, L4 planted a 4-in-1 pit fruit tree (peach, apricot, plum, nectarine), 2 gooseberry bushes, 4 raspberry stalks, garlic, and onions. We canned until 1 am with the fruits of our labors being 20 quarts spaghetti sauce and 11 1/2 pints pear butter plus 18 quarts spaghetti sauce for Super D.. The saucing machine saved us so much time so we didn’t have to manually deseed all of the tomatoes.

We will be traveling to California this coming week. If you live in the area, we would like to invite you to L4’s parents’ home on Sunday, February 14th between 6 - 8 pm for some conversation and treats.

Week of the Barf

The week of the barf began about 2:30 am on Monday morning. It went down hill from there. Bad dreams are one thing but having sickness spread from one family member to the next is not as fun as playing dominos. In spite of the barf, the triumph from the week is that my continuing education credits are DONE! (At least for 2 weeks until I get to do 20 more credits for 2010.)

Here is a detailed story of day one from L4’s perspective: “This morning around 2:30 am, we woke up to K2 screaming for his customary midnight meal. His cries weren’t getting any softer, so I stumbled my way to the boys’ bedroom. Upon opening the door, I was greeted by that smell which all parents dread- the pungent aroma of vomit. As I came to my senses, I was surprised to find Underfoot clutching my legs. I flipped on the light and saw that he (and his bed) were covered in dried goo. I picked up both boys and carried them down the hall, alerting Mama that now was the time to get up. She asked what was wrong... I told her... We did our best to get K2 fed and Underfoot cleaned. (I’ll let you figure out who took which role.)

After getting Underfoot cleaned up and into a new pair of pajamas, I foolishly set Underfoot on our bed while Mama and I surveyed the damage. A few moments later Mama asked me where I put Underfoot. On our bed, of course. At that instant I was rewarded with another round of vomit, only this time it was all over OUR bed. We got K2 back into his bed and Mama started to rock Underfoot. He erupted again while in her arms. She got him into the bathroom, but not quite far enough. At least it was the linoleum and not the carpet.

We then got down to the business of cleaning up the mess. We rinsed out his blankets and sheets in the shower and then started laundry. We vacuumed and cleaned the floor in the boys room so that at least K2 could sleep in peace. Underfoot vomited again so we decided to give him a shower. In the process of bathing him, I was rewarded with a warm sticky sensation down my back, just as I was finishing my shower. I cleaned him up again. Around 3:30 we decided that I wasn’t going to work today, so I sent an email to my boss letting him know my situation.

We made our bed up, we all (Mama, Underfoot, and I) got back into our bed, and we kept a bucket right next to Underfoot for the rest of the night. He didn’t have a fever, but whatever nastiness that haunted him caused him to vomit about every 15 minutes until around 8 am. Mama would hold Underfoot up so he could hit the bucket and I would fetch the rag to wash off his face. Underfoot begged for water several times. Each time we gave in to his request, he puked again. It was very difficult to tell him no.

Underfoot finally fell asleep around 8. He slept until 9:30. By that time K2 was awake and ready to start the day. I stayed home from work. Mama spent the day finishing her Continuing Education Credits required for her Counseling License. In the end, I went through two pairs of pajamas, Underfoot went through three, and Mama changed her shirt once. K2 came through the ordeal unscathed.”

So L4 thought that K2 was unscathed. As mentioned above, the illness spread like dominos. I was next then K2 and finally L4. L4 stayed home from work three out of five days this week.

Fortunately the sickness past before a Sunday School party on Friday night. L4 teaches the 13 year-olds at church. He has about 16 students. Eight came to our home for homemade ice cream and games. It was a lot of fun to listen to them banter with each other. Underfoot learned how to play “Duck, Duck, Goose” by observation and then by participation. K2 got a lot of attention too.

On Saturday, we felt the best of all and decided to get some UV rays and worked outside. Projects completed: lights replaced in the garden area, soil rotated in a garden box and then replanted with beans, peas, lettuce, and broccoli seed, debris from old plants cleaned up, turnips picked and preserved, and flowers transplanted, and weeds pulled. Underfoot and some neighbor children helped with the digging in the dirt.


K2 had a tooth break through and is not eating very much. He purses his lips together and refuses to eat at times.

Winners

The Christmas tree is put away!!!! It was a happy day and clean front room!!!! The garage attic storage has now met the measure of its creation! We are happy to have found a bag big enough to put the tree in.

Underfoot has learned how to make his bed. He now has the new job of making his bed in the morning, and when it is time to change his sheets he gets to help with stripping the bed too. He is very concerned about his Mama and checks in with her often by giving her a hug or asking if everything is okay. He likes to line things up in a row and even built a fish with chocolate chips. He has started to sleep in his own bed every night and is rarely in our bedroom anymore. Yippee!! On Monday he decided he was going to wear underwear and made it to the potty every time. He then decided that it was too much work and has asked to wear diapers the rest of the week.

Underfoot was sooo tried he curled up and fell asleep.
K2 has improved in his crawling and is going farther and faster everyday. He likes to take baths. In the bath, he loves kicking and then getting brave and rolling over to crawl around. He sticks EVERYTHING in his mouth and has been a big help in keeping our home cleaner. He loves to watch the marbles from Underfoot’s marble game. He watches a marble go down and then jumps to get it at the bottom of the track. He doesn’t get discouraged when he doesn’t get the marble. He goes for it again and again and again. He must have a lot of determination in his personality. He also is a grabber and grabs at anything in arms reach. He got his food bowl this week, and the bowl fell to the floor shattering into little glass shards. He was a little upset that he couldn’t finish his lunch.

L4 worked on the cars and wishes he were a better mechanic. He wants to tinker and be the hero by fixing all the oil leaks on the Scout. He is enjoying his work more each day.

I made a huge batch of granola, won a contest, and got the ironing done (until we did laundry last night). Here is my winning entry. This is what I won (an iron-on for shirts).

It rained a lot in our neck of the woods this week. It has been cooler outside, but our house is nice and toasty after L4’s insulation work. L4 and I taught our friends how to play Cities and Knights (a Settlers of Catan variant). We really enjoyed their company.

Another Busy week

It is hard to believe that we’re already half way through January! It seems like Christmas was only a few minutes ago. Where did all the time go?

On Monday we enjoyed Family Home Evening with some friends from Church. They helped us get our trap door installed in the garage. It is finally done! We discovered that the Christmas tree box (one of the main motivator for doing the project in the first place) is just a little bit too wide to get up into the attic through the trap door. The good news is that we’ve put up most of the baby clothing and a bunch of toys. It has been helpful to have a place to put things.

On Tuesday and Thursday Mama and Underfoot did school. Underfoot really likes doing school and asks for it frequently. On Tuesday after work I fixed an irrigation valve that was stuck on.

Wednesday was a homeowners association board meeting. The meeting was very heated because HOA dues were raised this month. A lot of people showed up. Some people were very angry. There were a number of tense moments. In the end I think most people went home with a greater level of awareness about the financial challenges of our community.

Thursday Underfoot chose the menu for supper- ice-cream. On Friday morning we all had appointments at the dentist. Underfoot did a great job sitting in the chair. We also learned that Underfoot has a cavity. (I guess that means no more ice-cream for supper.) After the dentist we headed north to spend the day at the Mesa Temple. We enjoyed the wonderful 70 degree weather. We picked lemons, oranges, and grapefruit at the temple. Contrary to rumor, there is delicious fruit on the Temple grounds, and they beg people to pick it. There are a few sour orange trees, so we always taste the fruit before pick a bunch. In all we came home with about 30 pounds of fruit.

On Saturday we did what we always do- work our guts out! Mama worked on cleaning house. Daddy and Underfoot hung lights in the garage, replaced a solenoid on an irrigation valve, and did some maintenance on the cars. In the early evening we went on an adventure to get Mama some church clothes. At the mall Mama strapped on K2 while Daddy chased Underfoot. Underfoot discovered the joy of riding the escalator. He and Daddy went up and down at least 30 times. At one point, a store employee admitted that she had watched Underfoot for some time. His squeals of delight were so funny to her that she couldn’t help but watch.

K2 started to crawl on all fours on Saturday at approximately 2:43 pm.

Ho-Hum

This was a ho-hum week. Here’s a quick list.
 L4 returned to work on Monday. We returned to home chaos.
 The computer got fixed on Tuesday.
 Thursday we got a passport for the baby.
 Friday L4 fed K2 too much. He returned the favor by vomiting on Mama twice.
 Saturday we did bountiful baskets in the morning. We spent the afternoon cleaning and preparing for the Sabbath. In the midst of it Underfoot determined to have a little snack of brown sugar.We had supper with friends. After the boys went down, we got our first batch of items up into the attic storage space.

We picked a few HUGE turnips from our garden. They are quite good. The house still hasn’t returned to a blissful state of cleanliness. However, we are much closer to our goal.