This week has been rough when it came to my running. I got a little behind on my weekly runs that allow me to add 1 mile to the "long run" on Saturday each week. I tried both Friday and Saturday mornings to get in the two 4 miles runs I had missed. Each time I made it about a mile before I felt sick, light headed, a side ache like I'd never had before, throbbing knees, and fighting to catch my breath. Each time I got about 2 miles out of my body, but only with some walking.
I was feeling so depressed. Saturday morning on my long walk home after my failed attempt to run I cried to myself thinking I'd just have to give up because if I couldn't do 4 miles there was no way I'd be able to do 13.1 in a short 6 weeks. I text Marcel when I made it home safe that I couldn't run anymore. He sent back "sad day." He was at a church work party and didn't have time to text, but I needed comforted and that wasn't enough.
I told him that I was so depressed and discouraged because I couldn't remember the last goal I had set for myself. In all honestly, it was probably school-related and I've been done for over 2 years, and here I was telling everyone about this goal and now I was going to fail at it. Talk about embarrassment!
Today around 2:30pm Marcel left our house to head back to church for the Worship Night, which I decided to skip for a few reasons, but mainly because I had already pushed my long run from Saturday to Sunday. I slept from the time he left until 5pm, ate something while icing my knees and then started my 7 mile run. Perfectly for me, that church is exactly 7 miles from our house, so I text Marcel that I thought I'd be there just about the time he was getting done and started on my way.
It was a hard run. I did decide to wear my knee brace which probably helped but both my knees still hurt. It was also hard because once I got past my normal route I didn't know the splits I should be making in my time (which I decided is very motivating for me). But I got to church in 71:13. After my 6 mile run last week, I posted on facebook that I was hoping for 7 miles in 70:00, but I'm very proud of my time. I did even have to stop and tie my shoe (I am going to try to always double knot them from now on) and also adjust my knee brace. I'm telling myself that without those 2 stops it would have been 70:00.
Now I can't wait for the big day on 10/10/10 (if I can figure out how to register for it) which is 6 weeks away from today. That also means my 25th birthday is just 4 weeks away!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
What Do We Do Now?
Snoh is no longer with us as of about 9:00 this morning. The day is already weird.
The last few days with him here we did nothing exciting, but the house is different. Lilli is still here crawling her little heart out. Marcel is home until school starts and he can start subbing again. It is simply a strange day at our house.
Hoping for a date night on Saturday, but only time will tell if other things don't come up before then.
The last few days with him here we did nothing exciting, but the house is different. Lilli is still here crawling her little heart out. Marcel is home until school starts and he can start subbing again. It is simply a strange day at our house.
Hoping for a date night on Saturday, but only time will tell if other things don't come up before then.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Day 31 (August 20)
Our morning started off way too early since we kept Snoh up until after 10pm with haircuts last night. But he enjoyed being able to see Brother and Tom this morning.
We had this conversation:
S: You only have 1 mom.
MB: Yes, you are right.
S: It's because you're already a mom, so you only need 1.
MB: I'm not a mom. I don't have any kids.
S: No, but moms take care of kids and you've been taking care of me.
MB: So, is brother a mom?
S: No, he's a dad. Wait, do you drink coffee?
MB: No, I don't like to drink coffee.
S: But real moms drink coffee.
MB: When can I be a real mom then?
S: Well the doctor has to tell you when your tummy is ready for a baby.
Then I had nothing else to say. The conversations you can have with a 5 year amaze me. He's so smart!
When Snoh talked to Mellissa and his mom this morning he was watching a movie which made it hard for him to want to talk but he did tell them that we're making brownies for them (not my idea, but we definitely will now) and that Wende Lady has a pool for them. He always says "call me when you are done with work" but they both told him that they weren't working today. He seemed confused but little did he know that they were already on their way here, a day earlier than he expected!
Brother got off early from work and we were able to go to Wende Lady's house to feed the cats while they are away camping for the weekend and also get an extra mattress for Coco & Mellissa, which Snoh has been very worried about. We got it home and settled into the small bedroom with Snoh, and then he insisted on putting his olive oil in his hair. I told him I didn't know how and that he'd have to wait for brother's help, but next thing I know, he is showing me that he can do it all alone (PICTURES ARE COMING!) When brother told him to rub it all in, he got "angry"and hid in the bathroom (at least it wasn't locked in, see we are making some progress). When I went to tell him that if he's angry he can choose to sit on his bed but we don't hide in the bathroom, Coco & Mellissa arrived. Should have seen his face when he saw them.
He was more than excited to see them and I'm glad I was cooking dinner, because he was on a whirlwind of energy showing them every possible thing he's done inthe last 31 days! It was overwhelming for me and I've been with him those days. They did notice that he's grown and believe he's lost his baby face since being here. We, of course, don't see it, but I guess that's a sign he's ready for kindergarten!
We had this conversation:
S: You only have 1 mom.
MB: Yes, you are right.
S: It's because you're already a mom, so you only need 1.
MB: I'm not a mom. I don't have any kids.
S: No, but moms take care of kids and you've been taking care of me.
MB: So, is brother a mom?
S: No, he's a dad. Wait, do you drink coffee?
MB: No, I don't like to drink coffee.
S: But real moms drink coffee.
MB: When can I be a real mom then?
S: Well the doctor has to tell you when your tummy is ready for a baby.
Then I had nothing else to say. The conversations you can have with a 5 year amaze me. He's so smart!
When Snoh talked to Mellissa and his mom this morning he was watching a movie which made it hard for him to want to talk but he did tell them that we're making brownies for them (not my idea, but we definitely will now) and that Wende Lady has a pool for them. He always says "call me when you are done with work" but they both told him that they weren't working today. He seemed confused but little did he know that they were already on their way here, a day earlier than he expected!
Brother got off early from work and we were able to go to Wende Lady's house to feed the cats while they are away camping for the weekend and also get an extra mattress for Coco & Mellissa, which Snoh has been very worried about. We got it home and settled into the small bedroom with Snoh, and then he insisted on putting his olive oil in his hair. I told him I didn't know how and that he'd have to wait for brother's help, but next thing I know, he is showing me that he can do it all alone (PICTURES ARE COMING!) When brother told him to rub it all in, he got "angry"and hid in the bathroom (at least it wasn't locked in, see we are making some progress). When I went to tell him that if he's angry he can choose to sit on his bed but we don't hide in the bathroom, Coco & Mellissa arrived. Should have seen his face when he saw them.
He was more than excited to see them and I'm glad I was cooking dinner, because he was on a whirlwind of energy showing them every possible thing he's done inthe last 31 days! It was overwhelming for me and I've been with him those days. They did notice that he's grown and believe he's lost his baby face since being here. We, of course, don't see it, but I guess that's a sign he's ready for kindergarten!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Day 30 (August 19)
I need to stop blog everyday about Snoh's visit because we're leading very boring lives lately.
We had another boring day at home. We watched 2 movies, because MaryBeth is over trying to limit TV & computer time when we have nothing here for a 5 year old to do and we both get on each other's nerves when he's running around crazy. Next time, I will plan out some more activities before he gets here, or make him bring more than books & movies to our house.
We went to Wende Lady's house for dinner. I ran there (well, most of the way, but at 5:30 it was still at least 95 degrees and I wasn't hydrated and I went way too fast) so before I got there he told Wende, "Let me tell what we're eating for dinner." And he opened the fridge and looked for something when she said "Tacos from the oven," and of course he said, "I'm still looking."
That was just like our conversation about lunch. He wants to pick out all of his meals but I still do it to make sure he's eating somewhat healthy. He had given me his choices for lunch: lucky charms, oatmeal or PB&J sandwich. So I said, Macaroni & cheese, turkey sandwich or spaghetti. Then he said, "Those were NOT the choices MaryBeth." but they were because he chose mac & cheese.
Hoping to see Wende Lady one more time before he goes back to Washington, but time will tell since her & Don are going camping this weekend.
He told Coco tonight what Brother's exit is. "Mom don't forget brother's exit is 3-3-A. See you in 2 days. Good-bye." He still doesn't know she'll be here tomorrow!
We had another boring day at home. We watched 2 movies, because MaryBeth is over trying to limit TV & computer time when we have nothing here for a 5 year old to do and we both get on each other's nerves when he's running around crazy. Next time, I will plan out some more activities before he gets here, or make him bring more than books & movies to our house.
We went to Wende Lady's house for dinner. I ran there (well, most of the way, but at 5:30 it was still at least 95 degrees and I wasn't hydrated and I went way too fast) so before I got there he told Wende, "Let me tell what we're eating for dinner." And he opened the fridge and looked for something when she said "Tacos from the oven," and of course he said, "I'm still looking."
That was just like our conversation about lunch. He wants to pick out all of his meals but I still do it to make sure he's eating somewhat healthy. He had given me his choices for lunch: lucky charms, oatmeal or PB&J sandwich. So I said, Macaroni & cheese, turkey sandwich or spaghetti. Then he said, "Those were NOT the choices MaryBeth." but they were because he chose mac & cheese.
Hoping to see Wende Lady one more time before he goes back to Washington, but time will tell since her & Don are going camping this weekend.
He told Coco tonight what Brother's exit is. "Mom don't forget brother's exit is 3-3-A. See you in 2 days. Good-bye." He still doesn't know she'll be here tomorrow!
Day 29 (August 18)
Yet another very lazy day at home. Nothing super exciting to report. Oh, except that I found Marcel's missing phone. I had forgotten it was missing, assuming it had made it to work with him, so I started laundry and once the load made it to the dryer it seemed really loud, like a tennis shoe had been in there. After 10 minutes I couldn't take how loud it was so I stopped it and discovered the back case to his phone. My mom instructed me to leave it in the sun to dry out which I did until Coco told me to put it in rice. It was in rice overnight and the phone looked dried out so we tried to turn it on the next morning and Marcel has a DEAD phone. I'm very glad it was just about 15 months into our married life before washing something not approved for washing & drying. Here's to hoping it is another 15 months!
Snoh is getting very excited for his Mom to come stay the night at Brother's house. At dinner, though, he said "I miss my mom, but I don't want to leave Brother's house because I'll miss brother and you too much." Talk about making me want to cry, which I almost did because we've watched him grow up here and soon he's leaving. When I asked him to go get his pajamas on, a few minutes later it seemed really quiet so I went to check on him. He was just sitting on his bed next to the pajamas he picked out (probably the 1st time they've actually matched!) with a big grin on his face. It was as if I had caught him being naughty. No he just said, "I'm smiling because it is almost the star day" which is how I marked on the calendar when she'd be coming...
Snoh is getting very excited for his Mom to come stay the night at Brother's house. At dinner, though, he said "I miss my mom, but I don't want to leave Brother's house because I'll miss brother and you too much." Talk about making me want to cry, which I almost did because we've watched him grow up here and soon he's leaving. When I asked him to go get his pajamas on, a few minutes later it seemed really quiet so I went to check on him. He was just sitting on his bed next to the pajamas he picked out (probably the 1st time they've actually matched!) with a big grin on his face. It was as if I had caught him being naughty. No he just said, "I'm smiling because it is almost the star day" which is how I marked on the calendar when she'd be coming...
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Day 28 (August 17)
Can't believe it has been 4 weeks already?
Today, Snoh was very excited for a blueberry poptart, a flavor I only bought to get another reward code from so that I can cash in our sugary-breakfast habit for a free movie ticket!
I made Snoh take a bath and brush his teeth this morning, and even though we've been doing them frequently (brushing teeth yes, morning baths it depends) he was so upset because "mom says we only do it at bedtime." Nothing like a good bribe of getting to put in a fizzy color into the bathwater to get him to do it!
He & brother played Scene-It again and he seemed to do a lot better than when I tried to play with him, but I was trying to sleep. However, even with Marcel's whole-hearted attempts to entertain baby & Snoh I just didn't get in a good nap. Then the kids both took quiet time and I couldn't sleep. Oh well!
We went to Target and got a steal of a deal on some pillows, which we've needed since, oh, probably before we moved here! We even used on of the carts designed for kids to want them but not the parents. I should have taken a picture, because Snoh & Lilli riding next to each other pretty much summed up their time together: they just can't get enough! Then we headed to Taco Bell to get FREE lime-ade sparklers (I think that is what they are called). I recommend the cherry flavor :) Snoh was very concerned that his Taco Bell wouldn't have the new drink, just like how worried he is that his McDonald's won't have the banana strawberry slurpees, which they won't because they have Strawberry Bananan Smoothies.
Snoh LOVED his chicken green bean casserole & salad for dinner. Again, no mention of ketchup! Success for Marcel, who ended up cooking because I did the dishes we got so far behind on. We then played Lighning McQueen War & Crazy Eights. Snoh won the game of war and the first game of Crazy 8's, and MaryBeth won the next game....
Today, Snoh was very excited for a blueberry poptart, a flavor I only bought to get another reward code from so that I can cash in our sugary-breakfast habit for a free movie ticket!
I made Snoh take a bath and brush his teeth this morning, and even though we've been doing them frequently (brushing teeth yes, morning baths it depends) he was so upset because "mom says we only do it at bedtime." Nothing like a good bribe of getting to put in a fizzy color into the bathwater to get him to do it!
He & brother played Scene-It again and he seemed to do a lot better than when I tried to play with him, but I was trying to sleep. However, even with Marcel's whole-hearted attempts to entertain baby & Snoh I just didn't get in a good nap. Then the kids both took quiet time and I couldn't sleep. Oh well!
We went to Target and got a steal of a deal on some pillows, which we've needed since, oh, probably before we moved here! We even used on of the carts designed for kids to want them but not the parents. I should have taken a picture, because Snoh & Lilli riding next to each other pretty much summed up their time together: they just can't get enough! Then we headed to Taco Bell to get FREE lime-ade sparklers (I think that is what they are called). I recommend the cherry flavor :) Snoh was very concerned that his Taco Bell wouldn't have the new drink, just like how worried he is that his McDonald's won't have the banana strawberry slurpees, which they won't because they have Strawberry Bananan Smoothies.
Snoh LOVED his chicken green bean casserole & salad for dinner. Again, no mention of ketchup! Success for Marcel, who ended up cooking because I did the dishes we got so far behind on. We then played Lighning McQueen War & Crazy Eights. Snoh won the game of war and the first game of Crazy 8's, and MaryBeth won the next game....
Day 27 (August 16)
Not much to report here.
- Marcel wasn't feeling good all day so he spent the day on the couch watching movies, well technically the special features
- MaryBeth & Lilli went grocery shopping
- Snoh played on the computer
- MaryBeth had from 5:15-6:15pm to take a nap before working 8pm-2am at Famous Footwear, but woke up at 5:55 to Snoh playing brother's drums and was unable to go back to sleep
- Snoh & brother played Disney Scene It, which is far too hard for Snoh because all the movies are too old for him. They also played Lightning McQueen Crazy Eights & Go Fish.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Day 26 (August 15)
A great morning at church--Marcel and I were able to FINALLY go together, a first since June 13th. It was wonderful. Snoh, again, had a blast.
After church we headed to my dad's house, which is full of company. Cindy's dad and both of my dad's parents are here visiting, helping with the girls since Cindy is back to teaching and my dad is swamped at work with back to school shopping.
Snoh had a blast chasing Payton & Presley around, well, actually it was more like them chasing him around and doing whatever he wanted them to be doing. We did send the 3 of them to the neighborhood park and he had a blast. He even came home and told us that a girl kissed him (it was one of Payton's friends) and that it made him "almost happy!"
We stayed there until 10:30pm so by the time we got home Snoh was up until about 11pm. Totally worth him having a GREAT time with new friends!
After church we headed to my dad's house, which is full of company. Cindy's dad and both of my dad's parents are here visiting, helping with the girls since Cindy is back to teaching and my dad is swamped at work with back to school shopping.
Snoh had a blast chasing Payton & Presley around, well, actually it was more like them chasing him around and doing whatever he wanted them to be doing. We did send the 3 of them to the neighborhood park and he had a blast. He even came home and told us that a girl kissed him (it was one of Payton's friends) and that it made him "almost happy!"
We stayed there until 10:30pm so by the time we got home Snoh was up until about 11pm. Totally worth him having a GREAT time with new friends!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Day 25 (August 14)
We enjoyed french toast and omelets for breakfast. It was just what I needed after my run this morning. We also enjoyed some nice time at home before heading to Wende Lady's house for swimming. We hadn't been there in a long time!
After swimming, Snoh made brownies for us. They were really good, and not what I needed after running today! We had delicous spaghetti, green beans and garlic bread for dinner.
All day long, Snoh asked to play Family Game Night 2 on the Wii before bed, which is what we've been doing the last few nights but with Wii Sports. Little did we know we'd be at Wende's house until 9pm and still end up playing the game. Hope church isn't too early in the morning :)
After swimming, Snoh made brownies for us. They were really good, and not what I needed after running today! We had delicous spaghetti, green beans and garlic bread for dinner.
All day long, Snoh asked to play Family Game Night 2 on the Wii before bed, which is what we've been doing the last few nights but with Wii Sports. Little did we know we'd be at Wende's house until 9pm and still end up playing the game. Hope church isn't too early in the morning :)
50:52
I realize this post will probably get lost into my blog with the next few days of posting about Snoh's visit, but I need to write it anyway for myself.
This last week my half-marathon training had fallen off the deep-end. I missed my long run on Saturday last week and then didn't run again until Thursday night. I've modified this next's week schedule to catch myself back to where I should be to run 13.1 miles on 10/10/10. And that meant today I had to run 5 miles!
I did it in 50:52!
I got home and updated my facebook status to read this: "5 miles in 50:52! Pretty darn proud of that time, especially since that's the farthest I've ever ran in my entire life and that I didn't walk a single step. Although parts of it were hard I never thought about walking, that is what I'm most proud of! 10/10/10 is right around the corner and I'll be ready!!!"
I am super stoked about my time, especially since when I checked it just about every .5 mile, it seemed like I was a lot slower than 5 minute 1/2 miles, but I'm much more proud about not wanting to walk! I could have gone farther too, my body definitely still had gas left, which I never feel like when I run in the morning.
I don't care on 10/10/10 if it takes me 3 hours to finish that 13.1 miles, I will not walk a step! Back to hard-core running for MaryBeth. Now if I could just stop wanting sweets, so I could be losing a little bit of weight :)
This last week my half-marathon training had fallen off the deep-end. I missed my long run on Saturday last week and then didn't run again until Thursday night. I've modified this next's week schedule to catch myself back to where I should be to run 13.1 miles on 10/10/10. And that meant today I had to run 5 miles!
I did it in 50:52!
I got home and updated my facebook status to read this: "5 miles in 50:52! Pretty darn proud of that time, especially since that's the farthest I've ever ran in my entire life and that I didn't walk a single step. Although parts of it were hard I never thought about walking, that is what I'm most proud of! 10/10/10 is right around the corner and I'll be ready!!!"
I am super stoked about my time, especially since when I checked it just about every .5 mile, it seemed like I was a lot slower than 5 minute 1/2 miles, but I'm much more proud about not wanting to walk! I could have gone farther too, my body definitely still had gas left, which I never feel like when I run in the morning.
I don't care on 10/10/10 if it takes me 3 hours to finish that 13.1 miles, I will not walk a step! Back to hard-core running for MaryBeth. Now if I could just stop wanting sweets, so I could be losing a little bit of weight :)
Friday, August 13, 2010
Day 24 (August 13)
Just to note, for future reference, that today is Friday the 13th!
Snoh got lots of computer time this morning, WAY more than I ever give him but brother was in charge and it kept him behaving :) After lunch we went on a field trip to the Discovery Center. We had to drive right past the paddle boats he saw while we were at the zoo and he was VERY disappointed that that was not our field trip. After he got into Discovery Center, though, he had a blast! Today was free admission day (thank you Fred Meyer for a donation so they can have 16 free Friday's) so it waws CROWDED. Way too crowded for me to enjoy. There were little kids running around like crazy! Marcel let out his inner-nerd and saw just about every little thing there was to see, while I mainly made sure Snoh was touching what was allowed to be touched and not touching things that weren't supposed to be touched, oh and I was pushing Lilli around also. I should note that I'm not a good driver: I didn't push racks of clothes well at Banana, and I can't make a stroller go where I want it to. I'm getting better, but I still have lots of improvement to make!
Snoh then had playtime with his toys in his room while we were making dinner: steak, baked potato, and more corn on the cob. And now another night of playing Wii Sports before bed. Have to admit, that I got beat down in Boxing by the 5 year old!
**Again, there are pictures from the Discovery Center but they'll be added later
Snoh got lots of computer time this morning, WAY more than I ever give him but brother was in charge and it kept him behaving :) After lunch we went on a field trip to the Discovery Center. We had to drive right past the paddle boats he saw while we were at the zoo and he was VERY disappointed that that was not our field trip. After he got into Discovery Center, though, he had a blast! Today was free admission day (thank you Fred Meyer for a donation so they can have 16 free Friday's) so it waws CROWDED. Way too crowded for me to enjoy. There were little kids running around like crazy! Marcel let out his inner-nerd and saw just about every little thing there was to see, while I mainly made sure Snoh was touching what was allowed to be touched and not touching things that weren't supposed to be touched, oh and I was pushing Lilli around also. I should note that I'm not a good driver: I didn't push racks of clothes well at Banana, and I can't make a stroller go where I want it to. I'm getting better, but I still have lots of improvement to make!
Snoh then had playtime with his toys in his room while we were making dinner: steak, baked potato, and more corn on the cob. And now another night of playing Wii Sports before bed. Have to admit, that I got beat down in Boxing by the 5 year old!
**Again, there are pictures from the Discovery Center but they'll be added later
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Day 23 (August 12)
Yet another day spent at home and now I'm short on time.
Today, we
Today, we
- Made cupcakes and Snoh did all of it: pouring in all the ingredients, even the eggs (I only had to go shell diving once!), beating it, filling the pan with the cupcake liners, and filling them. I only have 1 muffin pan so the cook time made him lose some interest in it, but he still managed to fill them all again. He has yet to frost any, but I did most of the frosting for us already. They turned out so good. Good thing for a great sale at Albertson's; I think I'll be headed back for more cake mixes!
- Watched Monster's Inc which put Brother to sleep
- Were happy that Lilli finally took a decent nap. 1 hour is huge for her! Now to work on the timing because her sleeping during our lunch meant both kids weren't at quiet time together
- Ate dinner on the patio tonight, which the weather was perfect for!
- The boys played a few games on Wii Sports, while MaryBeth went running for the first time in far too long. 10/10/10 isn't that far away, I gotta get my serious face back on if I'm going to be running 13.1 miles that day without dying!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Day 22 (August 11)
Not much excitement here today...
Brother mowed the grass this morning and Snoh had fun for a few minutes following behind him. He was rather upset when brother sent him inside because it had started to rain. He chose to have Trix for breakfast even though we were out of milk.
After MaryBeth and Lilli had lunch they left for a girls-only shopping adventure. Sounds fun, huh? Well, it actually was so nice to get out alone (yes, I did bring Lilli, but since she's strapped in the seat and can't go anywhere it is a lot different than having Snoh with us!). We went to Albertson's, Target, and Walmart. Marcel laughed at me when I was bringing bags in and told him not to look in the Target bag because I started Christmas shopping for him. I didn't mean to, but when you find something you just have to get it. Plus the price was just right, which makes a gift even better on our budget!
I returned to the boys playing Wii and found out that Snoh was trying to have both Spaghettios and Lasagne for lunch and when he was told that wasn't an option he was unhappy. Brother made a compromise and said pick one to start with and when you finish that you can have some of the 2nd kind, so he enjoyed Spaghettios first and still had room for lasagne.
Dinner was homemade hamburger patties, french fries and corn on the cob, which has become Snoh's favorite here. He wouldn't even let us start dinner until we said a prayer, holding hands of course. He prayed for the food, our family and "that my mom will still come on the star day, maybe even the heart day". (On the calendar we're looking at to see when mom is coming I put a star on Friday the 20th, but now it has changed to her coming on the 21st, so I made the first star into a heart and made a new star. I told him that MaryBeth messed up and put a star on the wrong day, but he is still convinced Mom might surprise him and come on the heart day) I nearly put ketchup on my corn on the cob which disgusted me, but that's how he eats his corn and if he's eating it, he's eating it!
Snoh loved church again tonight and was very excited to show us his picture, teach me the new song he learned and tell me that like on Sunday he made new friends. Today we were looking at the pictures I finally uploaded to facebook and he saw that I had taken a picture of his ladybug drawing from Sunday School. He said, "I did that in my 5 year old class." And I told him, yes at Sunday School. He out-smarted me and said, "It's called Sunday and Wednesday school." How could I argue with that?
Brother mowed the grass this morning and Snoh had fun for a few minutes following behind him. He was rather upset when brother sent him inside because it had started to rain. He chose to have Trix for breakfast even though we were out of milk.
After MaryBeth and Lilli had lunch they left for a girls-only shopping adventure. Sounds fun, huh? Well, it actually was so nice to get out alone (yes, I did bring Lilli, but since she's strapped in the seat and can't go anywhere it is a lot different than having Snoh with us!). We went to Albertson's, Target, and Walmart. Marcel laughed at me when I was bringing bags in and told him not to look in the Target bag because I started Christmas shopping for him. I didn't mean to, but when you find something you just have to get it. Plus the price was just right, which makes a gift even better on our budget!
I returned to the boys playing Wii and found out that Snoh was trying to have both Spaghettios and Lasagne for lunch and when he was told that wasn't an option he was unhappy. Brother made a compromise and said pick one to start with and when you finish that you can have some of the 2nd kind, so he enjoyed Spaghettios first and still had room for lasagne.
Dinner was homemade hamburger patties, french fries and corn on the cob, which has become Snoh's favorite here. He wouldn't even let us start dinner until we said a prayer, holding hands of course. He prayed for the food, our family and "that my mom will still come on the star day, maybe even the heart day". (On the calendar we're looking at to see when mom is coming I put a star on Friday the 20th, but now it has changed to her coming on the 21st, so I made the first star into a heart and made a new star. I told him that MaryBeth messed up and put a star on the wrong day, but he is still convinced Mom might surprise him and come on the heart day) I nearly put ketchup on my corn on the cob which disgusted me, but that's how he eats his corn and if he's eating it, he's eating it!
Snoh loved church again tonight and was very excited to show us his picture, teach me the new song he learned and tell me that like on Sunday he made new friends. Today we were looking at the pictures I finally uploaded to facebook and he saw that I had taken a picture of his ladybug drawing from Sunday School. He said, "I did that in my 5 year old class." And I told him, yes at Sunday School. He out-smarted me and said, "It's called Sunday and Wednesday school." How could I argue with that?
Day 21 (August 10)
I can't believe it has already been 3 weeks! To think about it it has been both a fast and slow 3 weeks, but either way we are still enjoying having him here and will miss him dearly when he goes home.
Today was Family Day at Zoo Boise, thanks to KTSY, the local Christian station. Admission was reduced, not sure by how much but it made it seem to be in our budget! Snoh loved using some of his own money so that he could go see lots of different animals. I think a zoo is a zoo so there isn't much to write until I add photos and put in the captions, but I was very disappointed not to see an elephant. Snoh made no mention of seeing an elephant so at least he wasn't disappointed. We visited the gift shop and Snoh bought a lion on a stick that has a handle to let you open and close his mouth (picture: a "grabber" to get things off high shelves) and a small drinking cup with a crocodile tail that serves as the handle with his own money. He told the lady at the cash register that his favorite animals were the lions (who were asleep), the tigers (who were also asleep) and the snakes. Thankfully for me, Marcel had been to the zoo this summer with work and was able to warn me about cages with snakes in them. I did, however, watch while Snoh touched a snake that a zoo volunteer had around her wrist. He thought it was cool and as we began to move away from the touchable snake Lilli starting being fussy, so Marcel tried to let her touch it, she didn't think it was cool and pulled her hand away before she could touch it. Smart Girl! Snoh didn't understand why I didn't touch the snake!
Him and brother then watched special features of Transformers 2 while I cleaned up from our day and started getting dinner ready. After dinner, they watched the movie, while I layed in bed and fell asleep around 8pm!
Today was Family Day at Zoo Boise, thanks to KTSY, the local Christian station. Admission was reduced, not sure by how much but it made it seem to be in our budget! Snoh loved using some of his own money so that he could go see lots of different animals. I think a zoo is a zoo so there isn't much to write until I add photos and put in the captions, but I was very disappointed not to see an elephant. Snoh made no mention of seeing an elephant so at least he wasn't disappointed. We visited the gift shop and Snoh bought a lion on a stick that has a handle to let you open and close his mouth (picture: a "grabber" to get things off high shelves) and a small drinking cup with a crocodile tail that serves as the handle with his own money. He told the lady at the cash register that his favorite animals were the lions (who were asleep), the tigers (who were also asleep) and the snakes. Thankfully for me, Marcel had been to the zoo this summer with work and was able to warn me about cages with snakes in them. I did, however, watch while Snoh touched a snake that a zoo volunteer had around her wrist. He thought it was cool and as we began to move away from the touchable snake Lilli starting being fussy, so Marcel tried to let her touch it, she didn't think it was cool and pulled her hand away before she could touch it. Smart Girl! Snoh didn't understand why I didn't touch the snake!
Him and brother then watched special features of Transformers 2 while I cleaned up from our day and started getting dinner ready. After dinner, they watched the movie, while I layed in bed and fell asleep around 8pm!
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| MaryBeth's favorite at an elephant-less zoo |
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| Snoh had just taken his turn petting the bobcat fur. It was so soft |
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| Wallaby Walkthrough walk freely with the wallaby, all 6 of them actually |
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| Pointing out the zebra |
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| The Zebra! |
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| The penguins Plus I have about 10 pictures of the water in their tank from Snoh trying to take a picture of it as it swam by |
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| Lunchtime and getting very comfortable! She had both legs propped up just seconds before this picture |
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| An oatmeal cookie and some pretzels. Who knew the zoo was so family friendly they allow you to bring in outside food? |
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| The coolest turtle in the zoo! |
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| Getting food to feed the goats We also tried to pet the sheep but as soon as he tried to touch them they pulled their heads back through the fence, as if to say "no food, no touching" |
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| By this "chair" was one just like it that was the actual size of the male tiger in the exhibit. Snoh wanted to climb on it but the sign we read him clearly said no. He said "but there was a big kid that did" and he was right I saw that kid breaking the rule. Here he is enjoying following the rules! |
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| Seals |
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| He loves Snakes |
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| Lilli loved getting a ride this way compared to being in her stroller, which she actually doesn't mind. She did great spotting all the animals in the cages, but I love this picture because it shows so clearly what our 3 weeks have been like. If Snoh is around her, she has to be watching everything he is doing! |
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| "Brother, after Lilli is back in her stroller, can I have a turn?" |
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| $1 of his hard earned money! |
Monday, August 9, 2010
Day 20 (August 9)
Snoh was very excited to see that Lilli's mom Jen brought us some of her kid movies to borrow. He also is very excited that his brain remembers her name and Tom's name. He even says it like that, "my brain knew her name!"
We enjoyed Bolt this morning and as soon as he turned it off he was ready for another movie. He also immediately asked what day we get to go to church again. I'm so happy to see him enjoying it!
Marcel only worked until about 11am but was super productive and went and got signed up for subbing to start in August so when he got home around 12pm, Snoh was super energetic and I had a free pair of underwear at Victoria's Secret calling my name. Smart brother Marcel decided we'd all head to the mall and then to Settler's Park.
This is an awesome park. It was recommended to me by a friend (thanks Teri!). We didn't tell Snoh about the water fountains so when we were on our way to the bathroom to change him into his swimming suit he said, "we should have brought my swimming suit." He was so excited when we had it for him. He enjoyed the water, making music, climbing very big rocks, a HUGE playground, swings, and some more water fountains before it was time to come home. We had more time to play but the water had gotten turned off for a few minutes, and Lilli decided to be her own fountain through her swim diaper and soak MaryBeth. Not a pretty sight :)
Came home to send brother to the store to make an exchange and buy a vacuum part. Little did Snoh know that the first store wouldn't have the part and they'd have to go to an actual vacuum repair store. They were gone for a long time! Lasagne for dinner, which is the first thing Snoh told me was his favorite, thanks to Wende Lady!
After dinner Marcel decided we needed to finally rearrange our bedroom. We assigned Snoh the job of moving all our pillows and our blanket to the living room and folding the blanket super good. He did do great until he pulled it down the hall to show us! But we moved it back to the living room and set him up with Over the Hedge (thanks Jen!) while we finished. He even loved having our blanket as his pillow!
We enjoyed Bolt this morning and as soon as he turned it off he was ready for another movie. He also immediately asked what day we get to go to church again. I'm so happy to see him enjoying it!
Marcel only worked until about 11am but was super productive and went and got signed up for subbing to start in August so when he got home around 12pm, Snoh was super energetic and I had a free pair of underwear at Victoria's Secret calling my name. Smart brother Marcel decided we'd all head to the mall and then to Settler's Park.
This is an awesome park. It was recommended to me by a friend (thanks Teri!). We didn't tell Snoh about the water fountains so when we were on our way to the bathroom to change him into his swimming suit he said, "we should have brought my swimming suit." He was so excited when we had it for him. He enjoyed the water, making music, climbing very big rocks, a HUGE playground, swings, and some more water fountains before it was time to come home. We had more time to play but the water had gotten turned off for a few minutes, and Lilli decided to be her own fountain through her swim diaper and soak MaryBeth. Not a pretty sight :)
Came home to send brother to the store to make an exchange and buy a vacuum part. Little did Snoh know that the first store wouldn't have the part and they'd have to go to an actual vacuum repair store. They were gone for a long time! Lasagne for dinner, which is the first thing Snoh told me was his favorite, thanks to Wende Lady!
After dinner Marcel decided we needed to finally rearrange our bedroom. We assigned Snoh the job of moving all our pillows and our blanket to the living room and folding the blanket super good. He did do great until he pulled it down the hall to show us! But we moved it back to the living room and set him up with Over the Hedge (thanks Jen!) while we finished. He even loved having our blanket as his pillow!
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| Having so much fun! At this point Lilli and I were in sight and Lilli found this very amusing |
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| The side MaryBeth told Snoh to go down. It worked, but would have worked better if Snoh or brother was taller |
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| It is just a little too small for brother |
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| Just her size |
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| Her hat was in her eyes too much on my lap. This is probably about the time where I magically had a huge wet spot on my shirt :) Oh and she had fallen asleep on the swing with me but woke up as soon as I stopped |
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| I've had so much fun! |
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| And just because she is so stinkin' cute! After the park, Lilli and I were sharing grapes, but I just absolutely love how she crosses her legs when she's sitting |
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| Movie time (don't mind the laundry all over the love seat and the messy couch) |
Day 19 (August 8)
Snoh got out of bed, found me in the bathroom and asked, "Where is brother?" to which I told him that brother was already at church. He got very sad and said, "but today we get to try to get a slurpee again." Oh he remembered!
As we were putting on lotion this morning, Snoh was looking at all our movies. This is how our conversation went after that:
Snoh: Why don't you have any kid movies?
MB: Because me and brother are grown-ups.
Snoh: But grown-ups have kids of their own. You should have a baby.
MB: Why should we have a baby?
Snoh: Because you and brother love each other!
I guess if the 5 year thinks we should...just kidding, we're still NOT on the baby train yet!
Church went so good today for him. He was greeted at the door by 2 teachers who were VERY happy to see him. When I got there to pick him up he was sitting with all the other kids waiting for his turn to get picked up and the teacher told me how wonderful he is and how much they enjoy having him in class. He also spent the ENTIRE day singing the songs he learned at Sunday School: Our God is an Awesome God & Everlasting God. He only sung about 1, maybe 2, lines from each but it still warmed my heart to see how much he is getting out of Sunday School in just a short time! Also, he has always come out of Sunday School saying the kids didn't want to be his friend or he couldn't remember who he played with, but as soon as I picked him up he said, "my friend's name was Andrew." He told me that he didn't play with any other kids (boys or girls) because Andrew was "just too friendly" and that they got to play toy cars on a carpet that looked like a road!
We enjoyed a little bit of computer games and then watched Flushed Away, mainly because MaryBeth needed an excuse to lay on the couch! After Brother got home from getting a flat tire fixed, we headed to McDonald's for our smoothies. I'm very glad I decided to stick to what I like and not try the Wild Berry kind, because I had a sip of Marcel's and it was not good.
Brother and Snoh read a few books before Marcel went back to church for a special Sunday night service. Snoh played more in the backyard with his squirt guns. We made pancakes and scrambled eggs together which required a major clean-up but it was worth it, especially since we had gotten so far behind on the cleaning! He also said our prayer. The first night he said "thank you for the food" because we told him we tell Jesus thank you for providing us food. Last night his prayer had a few sentences! It went like this, "Thank you Jesus for our food. Thank you for toys to play with and for being healthy. We pray MaryBeth's friends come back to play. Amen."
I asked who MaryBeth's friends were, and here again is our conversation
Snoh: They are Hannah+Matt (which is said like one long name) and Emily.
MB: Those are my sisters.
Snoh: But they are your friends too. Brother is my brother but we're friends.
MB: You are right they are my friends.
Snoh: When are they coming back?
MB: You might get to see Emily when your mom is here, but Hannah lives very far away.
Snoh: Well, what is her exit? We can find it.
I then told him that if we leave for Hannah's house on Monday we won't get there until Tuesday, and it didn't seem to sink in how long of a car ride that is even though he wasn't a big fan of our 7 hour drive to Idaho!
As we were putting on lotion this morning, Snoh was looking at all our movies. This is how our conversation went after that:
Snoh: Why don't you have any kid movies?
MB: Because me and brother are grown-ups.
Snoh: But grown-ups have kids of their own. You should have a baby.
MB: Why should we have a baby?
Snoh: Because you and brother love each other!
I guess if the 5 year thinks we should...just kidding, we're still NOT on the baby train yet!
Church went so good today for him. He was greeted at the door by 2 teachers who were VERY happy to see him. When I got there to pick him up he was sitting with all the other kids waiting for his turn to get picked up and the teacher told me how wonderful he is and how much they enjoy having him in class. He also spent the ENTIRE day singing the songs he learned at Sunday School: Our God is an Awesome God & Everlasting God. He only sung about 1, maybe 2, lines from each but it still warmed my heart to see how much he is getting out of Sunday School in just a short time! Also, he has always come out of Sunday School saying the kids didn't want to be his friend or he couldn't remember who he played with, but as soon as I picked him up he said, "my friend's name was Andrew." He told me that he didn't play with any other kids (boys or girls) because Andrew was "just too friendly" and that they got to play toy cars on a carpet that looked like a road!
We enjoyed a little bit of computer games and then watched Flushed Away, mainly because MaryBeth needed an excuse to lay on the couch! After Brother got home from getting a flat tire fixed, we headed to McDonald's for our smoothies. I'm very glad I decided to stick to what I like and not try the Wild Berry kind, because I had a sip of Marcel's and it was not good.
Brother and Snoh read a few books before Marcel went back to church for a special Sunday night service. Snoh played more in the backyard with his squirt guns. We made pancakes and scrambled eggs together which required a major clean-up but it was worth it, especially since we had gotten so far behind on the cleaning! He also said our prayer. The first night he said "thank you for the food" because we told him we tell Jesus thank you for providing us food. Last night his prayer had a few sentences! It went like this, "Thank you Jesus for our food. Thank you for toys to play with and for being healthy. We pray MaryBeth's friends come back to play. Amen."
I asked who MaryBeth's friends were, and here again is our conversation
Snoh: They are Hannah+Matt (which is said like one long name) and Emily.
MB: Those are my sisters.
Snoh: But they are your friends too. Brother is my brother but we're friends.
MB: You are right they are my friends.
Snoh: When are they coming back?
MB: You might get to see Emily when your mom is here, but Hannah lives very far away.
Snoh: Well, what is her exit? We can find it.
I then told him that if we leave for Hannah's house on Monday we won't get there until Tuesday, and it didn't seem to sink in how long of a car ride that is even though he wasn't a big fan of our 7 hour drive to Idaho!
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| Snoh told me "the teacher didn't even have to tell me what color to color my ladybug." |
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| Storytime with Brother I should have waited for 1 minute to take the picture because Marcel only read the first page |
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| Trying to catch up on some much needed cleaning |
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| "Hi Mom, I made this new picture. I'm glad I got to wash brother's car yesterday. I'm so so happy and so so excited to dream about being in the sky. The end." Snoh just looked at all the new pictures with me and wanted to tell me what to type, hence above. He took this picture by himself and I didn't even have to rotate it for it to face the right way! |
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Day 18 (August 7)
After breakfast, we all enjoyed Alvin & the Chipmunks again and he was very excited to show us his dance moves through the entire movie! We then made good on our promise to join him in running through the sprinklers. I'd say he had fun but he still wasn't the most excited about actually getting wet from the sprinklers. We did finally get out the water guns Wende Lady bought for us so long ago (in June!) and had fun getting each other. I didn't like it when Snoh and Marcel were on 1 team. They were too good!
We enjoyed more water time and washed our car in the driveway after that. Snoh said he'd never done it before. We're enjoying having him do so many things for the 1st time at our house. I think that brother had a hard time letting it me a kid-washing at first, because he is such a perfectionist about washing the car but in the end it worked out (and turned out!) really well.
Then we had a trip to Famous Footwear and McDonald's planned. Snoh was very upset that we went to FF first and was upset about having to get shoes for kindergarten because he just wanted a banana strawberry slurpee. We told him if he was good picking out shoes we'd still be able to go to McD's. Well, after him not being good and refusing to put his own shoes back on after many nice requests, Marcel told him No McD's and took him out of the store.
Afterwards, Marcel told me I shouldn't have even paid for the shoes and we'd try again tomorrow, but the managers were expecting me today because I was using my employee number for FF (yes, I have an employee # because I'm technically working for my dad for the back to school season they just haven't gotten busy enough yet) without having my discount card. Snoh cried through getting gas at Costco, the whole ride home and then still after getting home. Most of what he was trying to say, I couldn't follow, but once we got home he asked if the policeman was going to come get him because he had been a bad boy. So sad. He asked for his slurpee a few more times but then he and Marcel went on a trash run to Wende Lady's house and that seemed to make him happy!
We're trying again tomorrow for our slurpees!
We enjoyed more water time and washed our car in the driveway after that. Snoh said he'd never done it before. We're enjoying having him do so many things for the 1st time at our house. I think that brother had a hard time letting it me a kid-washing at first, because he is such a perfectionist about washing the car but in the end it worked out (and turned out!) really well.
Then we had a trip to Famous Footwear and McDonald's planned. Snoh was very upset that we went to FF first and was upset about having to get shoes for kindergarten because he just wanted a banana strawberry slurpee. We told him if he was good picking out shoes we'd still be able to go to McD's. Well, after him not being good and refusing to put his own shoes back on after many nice requests, Marcel told him No McD's and took him out of the store.
Afterwards, Marcel told me I shouldn't have even paid for the shoes and we'd try again tomorrow, but the managers were expecting me today because I was using my employee number for FF (yes, I have an employee # because I'm technically working for my dad for the back to school season they just haven't gotten busy enough yet) without having my discount card. Snoh cried through getting gas at Costco, the whole ride home and then still after getting home. Most of what he was trying to say, I couldn't follow, but once we got home he asked if the policeman was going to come get him because he had been a bad boy. So sad. He asked for his slurpee a few more times but then he and Marcel went on a trash run to Wende Lady's house and that seemed to make him happy!
We're trying again tomorrow for our slurpees!
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| He loved the hose and getting to spray the car! |
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Day 17 (August 6)
After getting myself, Lilli and Snoh ready we headed on a few errands mainly because Lilli was refusing to nap and she always falls asleep in the car and because the last 2 days of staying at home all day weren't our greatest days.
We started off at Fred Meyer, getting 6 boxes of Band-Aids (Snoh picked out Lightning McQueen & Scooby Doo ones) for just $0.30. My coupons were worth more than the band-aids so I only had to pay part of the tax. SCORE!! Then we went to the Karcher Mall and would have loved to walk around more but I forgot the baby stroller, but we did stop by the pet store. Snoh was very excited to see a guinea pig, just like in G-Force. We also saw kittens and puppies, a rabbit, rats, frogs and lots of fish. The tanks were labeled things like community, semi-aggressive, aggresive and of course he needed an explanation of them each time he recognized the word from the last tank. So I explained many times that the aggressive ones are the mean ones; seems that was just about all they had. We also stopped by Bath & Body Works for a free 2 oz bottle of their new scent: Dark Kiss. Snoh did everything there. He had even helped me print the coupon this morning, get it to my purse safely, carry it through the whole mall, and then hand it to the cashier at BBW. He thought it was so nice that they gave it to us and we didn't have to give them any money :) Then to Albertson's for some cheese & trail mix. Random, yes, but it is what is a GREAT deal this week and that's how I shop now. The trail mix will be awesome for Marcel's lunches once he's back to subbing and has to pack a lunch everyday. Because Snoh was good during all of our stops, he got to pick a movie from the Redbox and he picked Alvin & the Chipmunks 2. He watched it during rest time and did a WONDERFUL job at staying on the couch watching it quietly. Now we want to watch it again in the morning with brother to teach him all the songs.
After rest time, we walked around the subdivision to a nearby yard-sale. It was probably one of the weakest yard-sales I've ever seen but Snoh found a Diego lunchbox to take to kindergarten for just 50 cents. He even asked the lady how much it cost and then gave her one of his dollars and waited for his 2 quarters.
We also ran in the sprinklers in the backyard. When Lilli and I were out there with him he was too shy and ran in any direction he could to avoid getting wet. However, Lilli and I came inside for her to take a nap and when I went to check on him he was standing directly in front of the sprinkler getting very wet. He wants Brother and I to join him tomorrow.
Dinner was a success! He didn't ask to put ketchup on anything :) I made Velvetta Chicken Pasta and like every night, he got sad at me about dinner because he promised he didn't like it, but after he took one bite he ate the whole bowl before he ate his salad (which he even asked me to put green peppers on) or his banana. I was so excited that he ate something the same way the rest of us did! When Brother got home the play wrestled and Snoh hit his head on the corner of our bed frame. He cried, wanted a hug and then said all he needed was a Scooby Doo band-aid! Then the 3 of us all played Wii Bowling, Marcel almost lost to Snoh which made him very sad.
We're excited for the weekend to have brother home with us for a few days!
We started off at Fred Meyer, getting 6 boxes of Band-Aids (Snoh picked out Lightning McQueen & Scooby Doo ones) for just $0.30. My coupons were worth more than the band-aids so I only had to pay part of the tax. SCORE!! Then we went to the Karcher Mall and would have loved to walk around more but I forgot the baby stroller, but we did stop by the pet store. Snoh was very excited to see a guinea pig, just like in G-Force. We also saw kittens and puppies, a rabbit, rats, frogs and lots of fish. The tanks were labeled things like community, semi-aggressive, aggresive and of course he needed an explanation of them each time he recognized the word from the last tank. So I explained many times that the aggressive ones are the mean ones; seems that was just about all they had. We also stopped by Bath & Body Works for a free 2 oz bottle of their new scent: Dark Kiss. Snoh did everything there. He had even helped me print the coupon this morning, get it to my purse safely, carry it through the whole mall, and then hand it to the cashier at BBW. He thought it was so nice that they gave it to us and we didn't have to give them any money :) Then to Albertson's for some cheese & trail mix. Random, yes, but it is what is a GREAT deal this week and that's how I shop now. The trail mix will be awesome for Marcel's lunches once he's back to subbing and has to pack a lunch everyday. Because Snoh was good during all of our stops, he got to pick a movie from the Redbox and he picked Alvin & the Chipmunks 2. He watched it during rest time and did a WONDERFUL job at staying on the couch watching it quietly. Now we want to watch it again in the morning with brother to teach him all the songs.
After rest time, we walked around the subdivision to a nearby yard-sale. It was probably one of the weakest yard-sales I've ever seen but Snoh found a Diego lunchbox to take to kindergarten for just 50 cents. He even asked the lady how much it cost and then gave her one of his dollars and waited for his 2 quarters.
We also ran in the sprinklers in the backyard. When Lilli and I were out there with him he was too shy and ran in any direction he could to avoid getting wet. However, Lilli and I came inside for her to take a nap and when I went to check on him he was standing directly in front of the sprinkler getting very wet. He wants Brother and I to join him tomorrow.
Dinner was a success! He didn't ask to put ketchup on anything :) I made Velvetta Chicken Pasta and like every night, he got sad at me about dinner because he promised he didn't like it, but after he took one bite he ate the whole bowl before he ate his salad (which he even asked me to put green peppers on) or his banana. I was so excited that he ate something the same way the rest of us did! When Brother got home the play wrestled and Snoh hit his head on the corner of our bed frame. He cried, wanted a hug and then said all he needed was a Scooby Doo band-aid! Then the 3 of us all played Wii Bowling, Marcel almost lost to Snoh which made him very sad.
We're excited for the weekend to have brother home with us for a few days!
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| Standing directly in front of the sprinkler |
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| Getting ready for Wii bowling, sporting Scooby Doo on his face |
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Day 16 (August 5)
Another calm day spent entirely at home...
It did start off with some excitement though. I decided to put Snoh in the bath this morning, since I'm home anyway and we always fight to have him in bed by 8:30pm. I told him he needed to play until I came to help him get soap to wash his body. Meanwhile I was feeding Lilli. Probably 2 minutes later, he came out to the dining room wrapped in his towel, saying that I let his bath water get too cold and asking for spaghettios for breakfast. When I told him no, he lowered his head, told me he's sad and left. I assumed he went to his room like he always does when he has a feeling (he goes there when he's angry, upset, mad, sad...) but as Marcel was leaving for work and I was trying to throw away Lilli's diaper, I discovered that we had been completely locked out. Snoh was not in there, but he had locked both doors to the bathroom and then closed the doors. Marcel tried to fix it but didn't have time because of work. I tried and was unsuccessful. He told me, "I locked the doors because you were mean." Was it about the spaghettios or the cold water that he chose? Who knows but we spent the entire day with just 1 bathroom. Later in the afternoon, he told me that he does it to mom too and they just call a guy that comes with a key to fix it so I just needed to call the guy.
There was a lot of door slamming today as well when he'd run to his room with a feeling and no matter what I did he continued to slam doors. Brother wasn't very excited about today's report and had a GREAT talk with him about being nice to people and treating their things nicely, etc. It about made me cry listening in on their conversation. Marcel is going to be a GREAT dad one day!
Nothing much more exciting at our house today, except to say that he did get Spaghettios for lunch! Oh, and tonight was leftovers for dinner because I got 10 strikes (we get strikes for kissing when it isn't allowed, and it turns out it isn't allowed to kiss him when Lilli is at our house) and he told me I didn't have to cook dinner! How kind :) He was so upset when the leftover spaghettios wasn't one of his choices for dinner! At least he chose 2 types of fruit and a yogurt to go with his chicken nuggets.
It did start off with some excitement though. I decided to put Snoh in the bath this morning, since I'm home anyway and we always fight to have him in bed by 8:30pm. I told him he needed to play until I came to help him get soap to wash his body. Meanwhile I was feeding Lilli. Probably 2 minutes later, he came out to the dining room wrapped in his towel, saying that I let his bath water get too cold and asking for spaghettios for breakfast. When I told him no, he lowered his head, told me he's sad and left. I assumed he went to his room like he always does when he has a feeling (he goes there when he's angry, upset, mad, sad...) but as Marcel was leaving for work and I was trying to throw away Lilli's diaper, I discovered that we had been completely locked out. Snoh was not in there, but he had locked both doors to the bathroom and then closed the doors. Marcel tried to fix it but didn't have time because of work. I tried and was unsuccessful. He told me, "I locked the doors because you were mean." Was it about the spaghettios or the cold water that he chose? Who knows but we spent the entire day with just 1 bathroom. Later in the afternoon, he told me that he does it to mom too and they just call a guy that comes with a key to fix it so I just needed to call the guy.
There was a lot of door slamming today as well when he'd run to his room with a feeling and no matter what I did he continued to slam doors. Brother wasn't very excited about today's report and had a GREAT talk with him about being nice to people and treating their things nicely, etc. It about made me cry listening in on their conversation. Marcel is going to be a GREAT dad one day!
Nothing much more exciting at our house today, except to say that he did get Spaghettios for lunch! Oh, and tonight was leftovers for dinner because I got 10 strikes (we get strikes for kissing when it isn't allowed, and it turns out it isn't allowed to kiss him when Lilli is at our house) and he told me I didn't have to cook dinner! How kind :) He was so upset when the leftover spaghettios wasn't one of his choices for dinner! At least he chose 2 types of fruit and a yogurt to go with his chicken nuggets.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Day 15 (August 4)
Today was a weird day. MaryBeth turned off her alarm in her sleep so got woken up by Lilli's dad calling me from my front porch. I learned that I NEED MaryBeth time in the morning to be able to deal with anything!
Highlights
Highlights
- Snoh and Lilli having quiet time at the SAME time!
- Enjoyed Cars
- Made brother a surprise: he cut out things he liked from some newspaper ads
- Enchiladas and homemade spanish rice that he ate like me...if I had a bite of spanish rice on my chip, he did too. If it was a bite of enchilada for me, it was for him too
- Wednesday church to make up for not going on Sunday
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| another picture of the 3 of us per Snoh's request |
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| Last night, Snoh asked if he could have one of these like me. I told him he was too little, but then he said, "But Maya has one." Maya had been in my profile picture from a family reunion picture. So I had to change my profile picture to one that had him in it |
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| I wanted to take this picture without being noticed, but was unsuccessful. I just wish that I could lay comfortably when my legs bent like that! |
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Day 14 (August 3rd)
I have to start by saying that I have absolutely no idea where the summer has gone. I can't believe it is August already!
Today, was fairly laid back while we were at home. He chose to have left-over alfredo for lunch, as long as he could still put ketchup on it. Lunch was after a super long shopping trip to Albertson's & Walmart. Double coupons always get me into Albertson's and Walmart is where I do my grocery shopping for items I don't have coupons for. Snoh (and Lilli) did so great through both stores, so after we were done with Walmart we crossed over to the non-food side to find some tablets to put into bath water to change it colors. When we FINALLY found them (I don't know where anything is in that store), he said, "I'll just get one. Wait, how about 2?" And because I had printed 3 coupons to get them for FREE, he got 3 packages! I may have to print some more of the coupons and stash them away for a Christmas gift :) Yes I just said I can't believe it is already August, but I'm already starting to think about Christmas. I wish I would have started earlier, but I'll get there! Yesterday, Snoh told me one of his favorite dinners is pizza that you get from the pizza man. I told him that brother and MaryBeth didn't have extra money for the pizza man, but that we could go to the store and buy stuff to make our very own pizza! He was so excited to help me chose what to buy at Walmart for them. He chose pepperoni and pineapple on english muffins. He had a blast making them and has already been asking me if his Walmart will have the right stuff so he can make them at his house. We enjoyed a night of swimming at Wende Lady's house, which we hadn't done in a few days. Snoh was able to dive down to pick up a toy that was past the stairs, which he hadn't done yet. He was so proud of himself. After swimming, MaryBeth ran back to their house. On the run, Snoh & Marcel caught up to me and sang me brother's favorite song (I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas), which would be more accurate to say it is Snoh's favorite song but he always insists that it is brother's. A bath in orange water and off to bed with brother!
Today, was fairly laid back while we were at home. He chose to have left-over alfredo for lunch, as long as he could still put ketchup on it. Lunch was after a super long shopping trip to Albertson's & Walmart. Double coupons always get me into Albertson's and Walmart is where I do my grocery shopping for items I don't have coupons for. Snoh (and Lilli) did so great through both stores, so after we were done with Walmart we crossed over to the non-food side to find some tablets to put into bath water to change it colors. When we FINALLY found them (I don't know where anything is in that store), he said, "I'll just get one. Wait, how about 2?" And because I had printed 3 coupons to get them for FREE, he got 3 packages! I may have to print some more of the coupons and stash them away for a Christmas gift :) Yes I just said I can't believe it is already August, but I'm already starting to think about Christmas. I wish I would have started earlier, but I'll get there! Yesterday, Snoh told me one of his favorite dinners is pizza that you get from the pizza man. I told him that brother and MaryBeth didn't have extra money for the pizza man, but that we could go to the store and buy stuff to make our very own pizza! He was so excited to help me chose what to buy at Walmart for them. He chose pepperoni and pineapple on english muffins. He had a blast making them and has already been asking me if his Walmart will have the right stuff so he can make them at his house. We enjoyed a night of swimming at Wende Lady's house, which we hadn't done in a few days. Snoh was able to dive down to pick up a toy that was past the stairs, which he hadn't done yet. He was so proud of himself. After swimming, MaryBeth ran back to their house. On the run, Snoh & Marcel caught up to me and sang me brother's favorite song (I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas), which would be more accurate to say it is Snoh's favorite song but he always insists that it is brother's. A bath in orange water and off to bed with brother!
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| Working so hard making our dinner |
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| Since only 3 pepperoni fit on each crust, he would only put 3 pineapple per pizza |
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| This is how I found them after I was done getting ready for swimming. It doesn't look like it but Snoh was really stuck there and fighting with everything he had to get out. |
Days 12 & 13 (August 1-2)
Sunday, August 1st
Monday, August 2nd
We had a pretty calm morning of Snoh being perfectly content just playing with his toys in his room. After lunch, we all headed out to Rite-Aid for some coupon shopping. Lilli slept and Snoh was a great helper until he found his mouthwash except that now the logo has a magnifying glass which made him "need" it. Telling him no, resulted in him sitting down in the aisle saying, "MaryBeth, you're making that choice" and being sad at me. When I told him that Lilli and I were going to pay so we could go home, he instantly got up and helped push the cart towards the registers. We went to McDonald's and each got a Strawberry Banana smoothie with a free coupon I had. He loved his "special drink". We also used my free redbox code for it being the first Monday of the month and rented G-Force. The first redbox only had 3 movies under the genre "Kids" and so he picked G-Force, but when the machine didn't read my card and we had to go to a new redbox (now I appreciate them being directly across the street from each other) there was a HUGE selection of kid movies and I was hoping to have him pick Alvin & the Chipmunks because he sings the songs all day long and I've never seen it but he was already sold on G-Force. He watched it during quiet time. At dinner, we made him try a bite of his fettucini alfredo before putting ketchup on it since he said he'd never had it before. He said it tasted good but still wanted ketchup, so ketchup he got! A little bit of time at Wende Lady's house and then it was time for bed!
I had planned for us to go to 2nd service at church because last week waking Snoh up to be on time for 1st service was no fun. However, he woke up with plenty of time and instantly asked "is it Sunday so I can go see my friends at church?" I was so happy he was excited to go this week. We get ready, head out the door, get to the car to notice that we don't have a carseat. Marcel has it with him at church. I had to majorly disappoint him and say we'd have to go to church next Sunday to see our friends. We enjoyed Free Willy (I had forgotten how good of a movie that is) and lunch waiting for Marcel to get home. Marcel then took us to Steve's house while he floated the Boise River with work. Snoh was very excited to jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler, but it didn't last long. He noticed Cindy had a separate hose near her and so off the trampoline he went to start watering the grass. Soon, he was also watering the plants, the fence, and MaryBeth! He thoroughly enjoyed putting his thumb over the end of the hose to make it spray everywhere because that made me have no choice to get wet. Next we tried a slip & slide, which he didn't like. He couldn't grasp the concept of running and jumping onto his belly. It was more like: run as fast as he could, get to the edge of the slip & slide, stop, and then fall onto his belly. Needless to say, he quit that activity and was right back to gardening, even getting to feed the plants. He also made cookies, even getting to frost and sprinkle them. He beat MaryBeth at Memory, Trouble & Candy Land. After dinner, which of course required ketchup, he played Super Mario Galaxy until he let MaryBeth have a turn.
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| at least this plant was big and strong enough to withstand his watering. It is the poor little ones I think he might have done in! |
We had a pretty calm morning of Snoh being perfectly content just playing with his toys in his room. After lunch, we all headed out to Rite-Aid for some coupon shopping. Lilli slept and Snoh was a great helper until he found his mouthwash except that now the logo has a magnifying glass which made him "need" it. Telling him no, resulted in him sitting down in the aisle saying, "MaryBeth, you're making that choice" and being sad at me. When I told him that Lilli and I were going to pay so we could go home, he instantly got up and helped push the cart towards the registers. We went to McDonald's and each got a Strawberry Banana smoothie with a free coupon I had. He loved his "special drink". We also used my free redbox code for it being the first Monday of the month and rented G-Force. The first redbox only had 3 movies under the genre "Kids" and so he picked G-Force, but when the machine didn't read my card and we had to go to a new redbox (now I appreciate them being directly across the street from each other) there was a HUGE selection of kid movies and I was hoping to have him pick Alvin & the Chipmunks because he sings the songs all day long and I've never seen it but he was already sold on G-Force. He watched it during quiet time. At dinner, we made him try a bite of his fettucini alfredo before putting ketchup on it since he said he'd never had it before. He said it tasted good but still wanted ketchup, so ketchup he got! A little bit of time at Wende Lady's house and then it was time for bed!
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| He calls it Banana Strawberry Slurpee. Either way he enjoyed it and he's looking forward to taking brother with us next time to use my last 3 free coupons. We both decided we're going to try the other kind |
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Days 10 & 11 (July 30, 31)
Friday, July 30
We went to the park for lunch for the first time this week. Unlike all the other kids, Snoh enjoyed the lunch: a "soup" with noodles, ham and pineapple. He also shared his apple and grape juice with Lilli. Wende Lady, Hannah, and Matt met us there and then we were off to the fair. Snoh liked seeing all the animals, but was much more excited for the rides. He was the only one who rode any rides, but that didn't bug him one bit. We headed to Wende Lady's house for dinner and Snoh LOVED making his very own steak kabob until it came time to eat it, because "I don't like barbecued chicken." Also I made him eat the pepper he chose to put on, he didn't like that either. Once there was ketchup on his plate he ate everything! We swam one last time with Hannah & Matt and had a good time playing tag. Then we went home and played a few rounds of Apples to Apples with Snoh before he watched a movie in the other room. The grown-ups played a few more games before it was time for bed.
Saturday, July 31
We had a very low-key day. I don't think Snoh even left the house. I had a lot of catching up to do on coupon clipping, cleaning, budgeting, etc. Marcel was awesome to help dust the whole living room with more detail than I've probably ever given to it combined! He then decided to rearrange our living room which I already like and he had Snoh vacuuming the carpet everytime furniture got moved. The boys enjoyed Garfield: The Movie while I cleaned the bathrooms and then after dinner (BBQ Chicken Legs, to which Snoh again said, "I don't like barbecued chicken") we all enjoyed Buzby before bedtime.
We went to the park for lunch for the first time this week. Unlike all the other kids, Snoh enjoyed the lunch: a "soup" with noodles, ham and pineapple. He also shared his apple and grape juice with Lilli. Wende Lady, Hannah, and Matt met us there and then we were off to the fair. Snoh liked seeing all the animals, but was much more excited for the rides. He was the only one who rode any rides, but that didn't bug him one bit. We headed to Wende Lady's house for dinner and Snoh LOVED making his very own steak kabob until it came time to eat it, because "I don't like barbecued chicken." Also I made him eat the pepper he chose to put on, he didn't like that either. Once there was ketchup on his plate he ate everything! We swam one last time with Hannah & Matt and had a good time playing tag. Then we went home and played a few rounds of Apples to Apples with Snoh before he watched a movie in the other room. The grown-ups played a few more games before it was time for bed.
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| There are a few pictures of him and the animals but I think he looks the happiest here |
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| I love this picture |
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| The 10 minute swing ride. The attendant had a 1/2 full ride and kept them all waiting until he got every seat filled. Snoh entertained himself by swinging his seat and then pushing off the guy in front of him until we finally got his attention to tell him to stop |
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| I was amazed by all the "big-kid" rides he went one |
We had a very low-key day. I don't think Snoh even left the house. I had a lot of catching up to do on coupon clipping, cleaning, budgeting, etc. Marcel was awesome to help dust the whole living room with more detail than I've probably ever given to it combined! He then decided to rearrange our living room which I already like and he had Snoh vacuuming the carpet everytime furniture got moved. The boys enjoyed Garfield: The Movie while I cleaned the bathrooms and then after dinner (BBQ Chicken Legs, to which Snoh again said, "I don't like barbecued chicken") we all enjoyed Buzby before bedtime.
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| Vacuuming down the hall to help brother |
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