Where to put the baby.....

Let me preface this with, "remember, I'm pregnant, and the brain cells at this point are sparse."

So, we live in a 1500 + square foot home. 6 of us, soon to be 7. We are slightly cramped at this point, and that is why we are going to move, if our home ever sells. I really don't see our house selling in the next 6-ish weeks, so I am trying to figure out where to put the baby. Obviously, I want him in our room. But since we now own the jolly green giant's furniture, I'm not exactly sure how to make that work. Our bedroom is actually pretty good sized, but the furniture takes up a lot of room. So last night, I got on Walmart.com (cause they'll ship to the nearest store for free!) and looked at my options. I've narrowed it down to these 2.....

Holy crap, that picture came out tiny! Anyway...This fancy pants little bassinet is only about $35. The pros are the cute little basket at the bottom (I can store diapers, wipes, extra blankies, and burp rags down there!), and it will fit between the bed and the wall on my side of the bed. Also, it is portable, so it can be easily collapsed and put away prior to the showing of the house. The cons are, it's a bassinet, and therefore will only be used for about 5 months (if that) before the baby needs something else. And we are NOT having anymore kids, so we will never use it again.

This fabulous little contraption is about $90. The pros are, it can be used first as a bassinet, then later, as a play yard. It's portable. And look at that cute little mobile! (none of our kids ever had a mobile...does that make me a bad mom?) Also, for a pack n play, the price isn't too outrageous. The cons are, it's size. It will not fit between the bed and wall on my side of the bed. We could put it at the end of the bed, but that would leave only about a foot of space to walk through. We could put it by the sliding glass doors, but that would put it on top of the vent (not crazy about that), and it's always colder right there,(not the best for a new born.) and that would put the baby farther away from me. I always feel better when my babys are next to me. Also, even though it's collapsible, there are a lot of extra attachments on this thing, and I think that constantly taking it down and putting it up would be a PAIN!

So, seeing that my brain cells are on strike, I need help. Give me your opinions. What would you do?

Fabulous bed.....

We must have a fabulous bed. Apperantly there was an earthquake this morning. Epicenter was near Wells Nevada. Cory and I were laying in bed, listening to the radio, procrastinating getting up and ready for the day. The guys on the radio said, "Can you feel that? I think we're having and earthquake!" Cory and I didn't feel a thing. We both just lay there and waited. Nothing. I have a memory foam on our bed. We think maybe it doubles as a shock absorber. Our son, (who sleeps on the floor most of the time. Not sure why), said he felt it. He said it felt like Cory was shaking him to wake him up. Some people have been saying that before they knew it was an earthquake, they just thought they were crazy. I'm thinking I must be crazy because I didn't feel it. Did anyone else feel anything?

Stupid houses and another funny.....

So, we went to look at house yesterday. Not a whole lot to choose from in our price range. Actually, there are choices, just not anything where I would want my family to dwell. We saw one house yesterday that had been on the market for quite awhile. When we walked into the master bedroom, the realtor said, "Oh, this house will never sell!". Why, you ask? Well, when you walk into the bedroom and look to the left, you see an empty room. Normal. You look to the right, and you see a toilet. Nope, not kidding. A vanity and a toilet. No door. Not even a half wall. Whose bright idea was that? What wife in her right mind said, "Yes, dear. That's a great idea!". So, that's the kind of luck we've had with house hunting. Not a big deal, I guess. Especially since our house has only had 2 showings in a month. Hopefully things will pick up when Spring comes.

And now, I will attempt to post a video.

The audio is a bit funky. I don't know if that was something I did, or if it's the video. It was sent to me in an e-mail. I thought it was funny. I hope it doesn't offend anyone.

Snow funny....

I read this funny e-mail at my sister's house this weekend, and had her forward it to me. I am so ready for spring!

Diary of a Demented Snow Shoveler
December 8 -- 6:00 PM-It started to snow. The first snow of the season andthe wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours bythe window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9--We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snowcovering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place inthe whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had! Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12--The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such adisappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry-we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14--Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everythingsparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmedup by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15--20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16--Ice storm this morning. Fell on my butt on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was verycruel.

December 17--Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. Gosh, I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own livingroom.

December 20--Electricity is back on, but had another 14 inches of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling! Took allday. The damn snowplow came by twice Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying.Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22--Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 moreinches of the white stuff fell today, and it's so cold,it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutesto get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to pee. By the time I got undressed, peed, and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the a**hole is lying.

December 23--Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the houset his morning. What is she, nuts?!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24--6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If Iever catch the son of a b**** who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the damn snowplow.

December 25--Merry Christmas! 20 more inches of the damnslop tonight - Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. Goood Lord , I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch 'It's A Wonderful Life' one more time, I'm not responsible for the consequences.

December 26--Still snowed in. Why the h*** did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27--Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him; he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28--Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The wife is driving me crazy!!!

December 29--10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30--Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches predicted.

December 31--I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8--Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

I'm Ba-ack!

Man, time seems to just speed by, doesn't it? And, thanks for the concern, Ashlee, but I'm all good. Just not enough time to do everything that needs to be done! And no, I haven't had the baby, yet. Still about 6 weeks left. I'm not really sure what happened last week...all I remember was a big blur. So I'll just start with Friday.

Friday.....

We left for Utah at about 2:30. We went to visit my sister in Springville (just past Provo, before Spanish Fork). My parents were there visiting, too. (from Burley). It's about 4 1/2 hours, especially if you're pregnant and have to pee all the time. The ride down wasn't too bad. The kids behaved pretty themselves, and didn't fight, so that helped. We stopped in Provo at Krispy Kreme to pick up some donuts to take for a treat. We decided to go inside (had to pee, again), and watch them make the donuts. The kids thought that was awsome, and when they are making fresh donuts, they usually hand out samples. Yummm.......So it was after 7pm that we got to my sister's house. So fun to see them. And it was really fun to have Mom and Dad there, too. The only thing missing was my brother and his family, from Omaha. We had so much fun!

Saturday.....

Woke up whenever the heck we wanted. Wendy had Dad put a new kitchen faucet in for her. She also got a new dishwasher installed that day. She was so excited. We almost got our wii. We called Best Buy, who had one left, but was told they couldn't (or wouldn't) hold it for us. Cory and Wendy left to get it, and it was gone by the time they got there. Crazy. Stupid Wii people. Manufacture more, please!!!! Anyway, My Dad and Cory went on a little trip to Cabela's, and I read, and the kids played the X-box. Basically just lazed around. Did a lot of visiting. Then, around 6pm, the guys (Cory, my Dad, my brother-in-law DJ, and my son Alex) left to go to the BYU/UNLV basketball game. And the rest of us went SHOPPING!! I got some couple new books, and the cutest Easter outfits for the two youngest. I love The Children's Place.

We got this cute dress....

....and this cute sweater to go over it, for Gabby.

And we got this very handsome sweater vest....

...with this stripped shirt to go under it, for Jake.

Wanted to get this adorable skirt for Madi, but they were out of her size, so we will have to order it online.

I still don't know what I'm getting for Alex. He's nine, and starting to form his own fashion opinions. It usually doesn't agree with mine. While I was buying the clothes, My sister and Mom took the kids to the Disney store. That's a fun little store! And Gabby spent some of her birthday money on a Build-a-Bear. An orange stripped Kitty, she named Lola. Lola went home naked, because Build-a-Bear clothes aren't cheap! All in all, we had fun shopping until the mall closed. The guys had fun at the game that BYU won by 3o some odd points.

Sunday....Once again, woke up whenever the heck I wanted! Church wasn't until 1pm, but we ended up skipping. I know, we should have gone. I' m a sinner. Instead, my sister brought out all tubs of baby clothes. They adopted their first baby a little over 2 years ago. She was given lots of clothes, some of which he didn't ever have a chance to wear. So, we came home with 2 garbage bags full of baby clothes and blankets, that we borrowed for the baby. Some of you may be thinking, she already have umpteen kids, why does she need clothes for this one? Well, we thought Jake was our last, and gave EVERYTHING away. So, this very generous lending by my sister has made me feel much more ready to have this baby. After a delicious dinner of crockpot ribs and au gratin potatoes, we played a game of Ticket to Ride, Europe. It was good fun. I love that game. I always come in last, but it is still fun! Then, the time had come that we had to leave. So we finally got on the freeway at 9pm, and drove to Pocatello. Cory had a work meeting the next day.

Monday...

Woke up whenever. Ate delicious German Pancakes made by my Mother-in-Law. Lazed about. At 2pm, we met my SIL Melanie and her two kids, and my Mother-in-Law took us to see The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, a Veggie Tales Movie. So funny. We are big Veggie Tales Fans at our house. My MIL enjoyed it, too. She didn't stop laughing the whole time. After the movie, Madi and I went shopping. Got her some cute pink sketcher at Ross Dress for Less, for only 12 bucks. Then, at JC Penny, they had a table of clearance that was only $2.97. So we got couple of things there. I love when I actually find a bargain. That never happens to me!! Went back to the in-law's, ate dinner, then played Mexican Train (a domino game). It's my FIL's favorite game. Then we came home. Just got home a little while ago, actually.

It was a fabulous weekend. We all had so much fun! I didn't want it to end. Thanks, Wendy and DJ. We had a blast! I only wish we could have stayed longer. You were probably glad to see us go, since we sorta took over your house! And thanks, Lois and Merlin, for a swell President's Day! As much fun as we had, though, I am so glad to be home, and sleep in my own bed tonight! So this post is kind of rambling, but my brain is too tired to make much sense. Hopefully I didn't bore you to death, and at least you know I'm still alive!!

Warming trend....

Today was warm. Well, warmer than we've had in a while. 45ish degrees is warm, since we've been in the teens with wind and snow for the last couple of weeks. It was total jacket weather! My Mom is visiting my Aunt in Boise, and said it was 55 there. Holy Cow! Break out the sunblock and lets have a pool party! Of course, this is Idaho, and it can go from 55 to 25 in .5 seconds, right? So I'm not holding my breath, but it was so nice to have a semi-warm, non windy day. I even saw a few people wearing shorts today. I'm not that crazy! Here's hoping for a few more of these days before we revert back to the freeze your nose hairs kind of cold!

Time for me....

This week has been crazy. Not really anything new, or extra stressful. I think I have just been tired this week, and that makes me not want to do anything, and that means my housework gets neglected, and that makes me crazy. But last night was my reprieve. My friend Ashlee invited me to her Girls Night Out. It was sooooo much fun. Love my family, but it is so nice to every once in a while have a conversation with an adult that isn't your husband. It's nice to connect with other women living the same life as you. There were 4 pregnant ladies there last night, so there was a lot of talk about labor, lol. It was held at Montay's house, who was a fabulous hostess. We had virgin margaritas and ate nachos and lots of desserts. I met lots of new friends. We played the Wii. We talked and laughed. I feel rejuvinated. How have I survived without this? I was a better mommy this morning, more patient. I blame that on Girls Night. Thanks, everyone, for the great fun. Can't wait till next time. If I'm in labor, we'll just have to do it at the hospital!

A game of tag with tunes....

My blog pal, Ashlee, has tagged me again. This time, I am to share my favorite music. I love love love music. All kinds. Well, not everything I guess, but almost everything. I am becoming less fond of "popular" music. I usually fall in love with the tunes and the rhythm, then find myself singing words that make me feel uncomfortable. So, I have started listening to country music again, and lots of other types of music, too. I absolutely love Christmas music. And "church" music. And the kid's Disney music....Oh, this is going to be hard to just pick 5 faves!

The rules of this tag are simple...pick 5 songs from your Music Collection. Whether its' from your iTunes, CDs, online, whatever...the music you listen to. And then explain WHY. Why you love it. Post your picks and tag a few people of your own. Simple right?

So here are 5 of my favorites, in no particular order:

1. We love Brad Paisley at our house. One of his latest songs is Letter to Me. Even though it's impossible, I love the idea of writing a letter of encouragment and advice to my younger self. Sure would have made life easier! Cory's favorite Brad Paisley song is Ticks.

2. This is They Might Be Giants. TMBG for short. I love TMBG. If you have young kids, you would recognize them as the ones that sing the theme song to Higley Town Heroes. They bring back memories of my Junior and Senior years in High School. I had recently become close friends with Lisa, and we took a road trip to visit my sister in Utah. We listened to these guys the WHOLE trip. They sing crazy weird songs, but who isn't crazy wierd in high school? I honestly don't know if they even made music videos of their songs, but on YouTube, I found a home made video of Particle Man . Birdhouse in Your Soul was another fave. Now, they've written music for kids. They have Here Come the ABC's, and more recently Here Come the 123's. My kids love these songs. You can listen to snipets here.

3. Church music. Once again, so hard to just share one. I have hundreds of favorites. So I will just share the one of my favorite albums. Women at the Well. Just click on the little speakers to the left of the song titles, and you can hear snipets of the songs. I love all the songs, but my favorite is He Came For Me.

4. Christmas Music. LOVE IT!!! One of my favorite songs Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant. It always makes me emotional when I hear it. Especially when paired with The Nativity. Good stuff.

5. Last but not least, Harry Connick Jr. I really enjoy listening to this type of music. The first album of his that I heard was the albumWe Are In Love. My sister, Wendy, introduced me to his music. It's late, and my brain is shutting down, and I couldn't find the song We Are In Love anywhere on the internet. So, that's your homework. If you've never heard him, go find him in cyberspace. And let me know where you found it!

So, I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my music likes. Now, I'm it, and I tag more people that I don't know, and one I haven't seen or talked to to a loooong time. I'm tagging different people this time, and hope I don't offend someone, or that I don't get completely ignored like last time. No pressure.

1. Amber- Love her blog! She has such fun ideas!

2. Bobbi- My favorite Canadian that I have never met. Wish I had her photography and digi scrappin talent!

3. Tami-A favorite Canadian that I have met. She was my roomie at Ricks. Never kept in touch, but recently found her blog, and she is still one of the coolest people ever!

Great Weekend-long post!

We had a fabulous weekend! So nice to just get away, and not have to worry about keeping the house clean so realtors can show it. I think our house showed once this weekend. Not bad, I guess. I didn't expect anyone to really be interested until the spring. Anyway....
The roads Friday were clear and dry all the way to Poky, and on to Idaho Falls. We dropped the kids off at Cory's parents, and then headed on up to IF for the Glenn Beck thing. It was awesome! He is soooo funny. The program was a benefit for the Clark family from Rexburg. You can read all about this family here. Basically, they are a familywith 5 kids. The youngest, a girl, died a few years ago from a rare disease. The other four, all boys, are all living with muscular distrophy, and are all wheelchair bound. One is married, and the other three live with Mom and Dad in a small, non-wheelchair accessible home. Mom is the only one who can work, as Dad has medical problems as well. Glenn met them a few months ago on a trip to visit BYU Idaho. I think his daughter goes there. He was very impressed with their attitudes, and with how happy they were, making the best of the situation, and not letting the disease affect their lives any more than just physically. So Glenn talked about the family, and about how much he loves Idaho, and the "realness" of the people who live here. It was a really personal show. Talked alot about local places, and people. It was great. He has recently had some surgery with some pretty serious complications, and was actully supposed to be on bedrest, but he had made a committment, and didn't want to let the family down. Every penny of the ticket sales is going to the family. The benefit raised around $100,000. John Huntsman also donated $100,000 to the family, so they should be able to make there home more wheelchair accessible, and a little bigger, too! It was a great night, and I'm so glad we went.

After the show, we decided we would take advantage of the free babysitting and have our Valentine Day dinner at Ruby River Steakhouse. If you've never been, you should save your pennies and go. It's a little pricey, but for special occasions, we all splurge a little, right? It was sooooo tasty! I had the Creamy Parmasean Pasta and Salmon, and Cory had the Ribeye. The steaks there are fabulous. And my meal was to die for. I shared my leftovers with my kids the next day, and they even loved it.

On Saturday, Cory's Dad was taking the YM in his ward ice fishing. Cory decided to tag along. I don't know why the male species think this is fun. I think it looks miserable. But, apperantly they had fun. Cory loved it, and he caught 3 fish. While the men were off doing manly things, Grandma decided to take us to the movie. We went and saw Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was pretty funny. The movie, with the combination of popcorn, kept my 3 year old entertained the whole time. He laughed out loud pretty much the whole time. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but worth the $2 ticket price.

On Sunday evening, Cory's brother and his wife hosted a Superbowl party. It was fun. Lots of good food and good compay. I didn't watch the game at all, but I love visiting with my family. I love the picture of my nephew Isaac, wearing my other nephew's wrestling head gear. I did watch the last 30 seconds of the game, which was awesome. I don't really follow the NFL, but I love when the underdog wins. The roads on the way home were pretty good, with the exception of a few spots. All in all, we had a wonderful weekend. Thanks to everyone who helped make it that way!

What Does It Take?

Okay. Seriously. We should be having a snow day, today. Every school district around us(except Kimberly) is out today. Filer, Jerome, Gooding, Minadoka, Cassia.......I think our Superintendant needs to go back to snow day school. I guess the roads weren't horrible this morning, but we live in town. As hard as the wind blew, and it snowed yesterday, you can't tell me there aren't road issues for those who live in the country. Maybe I'm just jealous.
Glenn Beck is coming to Idaho Falls tonight for a charity benefit show. Cory loves Glenn Beck, and so, we bought tickets. Now, I don't even know if we can go. The road from Burley to the Interchange has been closed since yesterday. Last night the road to Poky was closed. Makes me nervous to travel. I just love winter.