Mouse!

No we don't have another mouse, but I could use a new mouse!  I even thought I'd surprise my husband, and I went out and bought a new one...  I found one with out a tail for a good price!  Then I learned we actually needed a mouse with a tail...  And I haven't found one.  Josh isn't sure they even come that way now...

OK, for those who don't read my husbands blog, we saved a mouse a couple weeks back from a long slow death in our window well...  And with this cold weather we are having this week I sure hope he has moved on and not into my garage.  But back to my blog....

My kids use an older type computer to play on.  And in the evenings when Josh and I are both trying to blog at the same time, one of us will get on the "boys" computer.  However their MOUSE is in the process of a long slow death...  To put it more correctly...  It SUCKS!  You will often find me hurrying to the computer in hopes of "beating" Josh to the office and getting the better mouse.  So tonight as I was trying to come up with some thing to blog while I fed my sheep I came to this... Sorry :)

Seriously! Too much Hannah Montana!!!

My children watched a couple of episodes of Hannah Montana this evening after dinner.  And if you read my last blog on Hannah Montana I'm sure you can guess what happened next!  OK not really next, but you know later on...

We called the girls up for prayers and snack.  After snack we sent all the kids to brush their teeth (in shifts).  Some how the three girls (Myra was already a sleep, but I'm sure it wont be too long before she joins them too) ended up in the bathroom together brushing their teeth... or playing, it's hard to tell.  But from the family room you can hear... "Say Ahh..."  and then three girls screaming "AHHHHHHHHH"  and then "Jinx personal! No rhymes!"  It was hard not to laugh... the first 5 or 6 times.

Now fast forward to even later.  Teeth are all brushed (finally) and kids are in bed.  I go to tuck the little girls in bed to discover that they are doing another "fashion" show.  Catalina looks to be in pj's but if you look closely (I didn't look closely she had to show me) she has her new Ballerina tutu on under her pj's, with the actual tutu (it comes off) over the pj's.  And Savannah you can see has two dresses on... only she also has her pj's on too.  They would be under the dress (maybe we keep it too cold in the house and the girls feel they have to dress in layers...). 

Now lets fast forward yet again.  I am in the office (the other side of the house, a little ways away from the little girls room) working on my blog...  I hear through the baby monitor, Catalina singing!  The baby monitor is in the room next to Catalina and doors are closed to both rooms!  I snuck some video and will try to post, because Catalina is Hilarious!  So again I go back to my statement from Friday...  I think my girls have watched TOO much Hannah Montana!

We Have Spirit! Yes We Do!!!

Today has been a day!  I am eternally grateful for MANY friends and family members that helped me out today.  Without their help I would not have been able to do all the things that needed to be done for all the different kids.  So thank you!

Now on to my post!

We have spirit! Yes we do!  We have spirit! How bout you?  I got the opportunity to spend 2 and a half hours with my sweet 7 year old today watching a JV Basketball game...  OK I was actually with Myra, and Brooklyn was somewhere in the gym.  It was fun to see Brooklyn go out of her comfort zone and participate in Cheerleading.  She tried it two years ago, and was very cute but nervous.  Today she seemed much more confident and she actually looked like she was having fun!  I am so glad that she will try new things.  I was always a scared-of-my-own-shadow type of kid, and I don't think that I would have ever done something like this.  I am so proud of you Brooklyn! 

How do you know when you daughter has watched too much Hannah Montana???

How do you know???  When they start having fashion shows!

The last two Fridays my middle two girls have spent some time in the afternoon watching Hannah Montana down in the movie room.  Last Friday I caught them with a pile of Brooklyn's clothes and three or four pairs of her shoes.  Today they just raided their own closet.  It felt like every time I saw them this afternoon they were in different clothes!  Yep too much Hannah Montana!!!

My Ring!!!

I got a new ring today.  I am very excited.  I won a piece of jewelry from Lia Sophia a few weeks back, and I picked a ring.  And it is pretty!  It's always fun to get something new like this...

If you get a chance you should check out my friends blog

Colorado Springs Giveaways.  It is so easy to win, and always fun to get free things!

Volleyball

Volleyball!  What is Volleyball?  On the web I found these definitions...

a game in which two teams hit an inflated ball over a high net using their hands

an inflated ball used in playing volleyball

A couple of months ago I took up playing volleyball to get in some extra exercising.  And by took up I mean I go and play volleyball on the women's night at the stake center maybe every other week, but really I think it was more like every three weeks... OK I really only went three times... Once in November, once in December, and once in January.  But there were all the holidays in November and December.  And then the first time I went in January, THE very first Thursday of the new year...  I get hurt!!!

That's right I got hurt playing volleyball!

No I didn't get hurt by making some fantastic save...  I didn't get hurt by diving hard onto the ground...  There was no spiking action that hurt my hand.  I just hit the dumb ball wrong!!!  And boy did it hurt!  But in true Case fashion (I learned from the best) and I kept playing... for maybe an hour (love you Josh)! 

So now almost three weeks later you'd think I would be feeling better and maybe up to playing volleyball tomorrow night (you know so that I could get a second time in playing one of these months).  But no...  I am still in a bit of pain...  So much that I actually went to the doctor today.  And they took many x-rays...  And now I have a super fun new brace on my hand and wrist...  But it is not broken.  Just a LOT of mad angry tendons.  And hopefully this new strong and powerful brace will help my little tendons to stop being mad and quiet down again, or I will have to go for a MRI!

So my plan to go and play volleyball to get in some exercise has made it so not only can I not do the exercising I was doing (besides walking, but that's not fun), I can't hardly lift much of anything, because it hurts too much... 

Breaking Down the Door!

I have tried for over an hour to upload a video for my post tonight, but I just can't seem to get it to work.  So I will have to go with plan B...

This morning Josh and I were talking in our room with the door closed.  Catalina decided at that exact moment that she need to check my room for Louie (her most favorite baby doll).  I looked around my room and told her that Louie wasn't in the room and to go check her room.  I guess she didn't believe me.  Soon you could here the sound of running feet and then a bag as my bedroom door shook!  Catalina was trying to "Break Down" my door!  She repeated this several times before she gave up and went somewhere else to find Louie.

A Dinner Game

My kids have started a new game that they play during dinner...  I'm not sure where it started, and most times I tell them to stop playing and just eat their food, but tonight I actually just listened to them play and enjoyed.  What got my attention tonight was Catalina's question...

"Vannah!  What is this?...  It goes in the water and sounds like this... arrrgh, arrrgh, arrrgh!"

Catalina was holding up her sandwich and making it "bend" in half as she made the "arrrgh" sounds!

That started the rest of the kids asking each other what their "sandwiches" were!

The answer to Catalina's question... An Alligator

What to Blog???

It's too late for my brain to be creative tonight.  And it has been a headache kind of day...  I have had a headache off and on all day now, with it being "on" right now.  I have several blog ideas, but I think they would take WAY too long.  So I will just give you some pictures of Myra to enjoy!  Goodnight!

I don't know how they do it!!!

I woke up this morning after Josh had left for work...  It was early (for me) at 6:30am.  I was a little sad that I had missed seeing him before he left for work...  OK I was actually a little scared when I couldn't find him until I remembered that he had wanted to be at work by 6.  Any ways I was sad that I didn't get to see Josh this morning because I knew it would be a LONG time before I got to see him.  Josh left work and went up to a basketball game with his dad and brother.  And he is still not home (it's 11pm).  If I went to bed now I wouldn't see him today.  And that goes back to my blog title...  I don't know how they do it.

By they I mean all the women and men who have spouses that travel with work or for the military.  One of my best friends husband was gone for about half of the year last year (and he is not in the military).  And she was left here with the kids...  Just the thought of a single day with out the thought of my husbands help has my stressed out, grumpy, tired, worried...  I could go on!

So back to what I was saying...  I don't know how they do it!  So to all my friends out there who's husband travels for work, or is gone with the military... If you ever need a break from your kids, or someone to talk to, or just a place to go...  Don't think twice about calling me!  Because I KNOW that I couldn't do it. 

Bedtime

Sleep? Who needs sleep?

It's late and after a short night last night, I am ready for bed...  However my baby is rolling around on the floor making all sorts of cute baby noises...  You'd think shed' be ready for bed since she has been up from her ONE nap today since 1:30pm...  She did take one cat nap in my arms for about 15 minutes around 4:30 and has zoned a couple of times while drinking her bottle.  But seriously!  She needs to go to sleep.  So good night, I am off to try and get one happy girl to give up and go to sleep :)

Question for you

Catalina came to ask me a question the other day...  Catalina - "Who are these people?"

I had been shopping and had bought a new frame for our family picture!

Killer Attack Cat!

No I am not talking about my three years old...  Although sometimes I do think she takes on the whole "Cat" thing a little too much...  But back to my blog...  Yesterday Cat was on some kind of roll.  I just finished doing Savannah's hair for preschool.  I was asking Catalina to come see me to do her hair...  She decided that she wanted something or other (I can't really remember what), and I had better give it to her "RIGHT NOW".  She then went on to say "If you don't give it to me right now I will get my attack cat".



The Killer Attack Cat!



She then ran out of the room...  Soon Catalina's toy cat she got for Christmas popped into the room... just the cat, no Catalina.  And then there was an "Mean Cat" sound as the cat shook.  And then Catalina ran into the room with her cat and "attacked" me, all the while making the same mean cat noise...  I laughed so hard.

That in it self would make a good story.  However it continues...  It was later in the day after the girls got home from preschool, and Catalina want the crayons down so she could color.  I wasn't quick enough for her, and so she told me "Get me the crayons right now or I will get my cat!  You want me to get my cat?"  She than ran off to get her cat. 

I guess I can expect to be attacked by Catalina's cat if I don't behave properly :)

Myra!!!

The days keep on flying...  Soon I will be posting that Myra is one :(  I just can't believe how FAST time is going...  Myra Jasmine Case is 7 months old!!!  Myra at 7 months...

*Myra Is crawling!!!  And is getting very fast at it.  Nothing is safe now...

*Sleeps good... but still wakes up at least once each night. 

*Loves to eat! Myra is enjoying the whole solid food thing more.  She even keeps most of the food in her mouth now...  except when she does her cool new trick (see blog from two days ago).



Christmas morning!



*Smiles ALL the time... unless she is tired or poppy or being picked on...  But over all she is a very happy baby.

*Laughs a lot!  Is very ticklish.

*Has started a new smacking/popping her lip thing... Is very cute... Unless you are in the middle of feeding her.



*Sitting up on her own...  She loves it, except she doesn't know how to get out of sitting up with out falling.

*Still long and thin... 

 *Her hair still looks red... There is almost enough in the middle ridge of her head to make a mohawk :)

*Eyes are still blue!!!  Let's see if they last!

*Loved Christmas!!!  But wasn't too happy that we didn't let her eat her candy that Santa brought her.





*Still most loved Baby EVER!!!



Not so happy tonight :(



Round Two

Josh posted on his blog a week ago about our family game of "Hide and go seek in the dark".  We started this game almost 7 years ago to help our two boys who were 4 and a half and 2 and a half get over the fear of the dark.  I think it started because the power had gone out and we couldn't even turn on lights.  We wanted to show them that it was OK and that you could still have fun.

Tonight we played another round of "Hide and go seek in the dark" for our activity in family home evening.  Myra was a sleep when we went to start, but was awake before we actually began.  I quickly fished her out of her bed and took her with me to hide.  She hid with me for two rounds (helping the seeker by making baby noises) all in the dark.  Josh was the seeker for the last round and he took Myra with him...  Allowing me a chance to really hide and not be found as fast.

This last round took for ever to get started (two little girls kept coming out of their hiding spots... still not their most favorite game).  And by the time it was all said and done with everyone found we had been playing "Hide and go seek in the dark" for over an hour.  That is an hour with no lights on...  Myra was ready to be out of the dark.  She was so happy to have lights on, and be put in her bouncer to just play!  She squealed, jumped and played for half an hour.  Enjoying being left to her own self...

Sleepy Juice

Sleepy Juice!  That's what I call it.  It's not something that you can actually drink, but if I could sell it I would make millions.  Sleepy juice is the aura that Myra emits when she is going to sleep and after she is asleep.  And this aura effects those around her.  OK mostly just those who are holding her.  Sleepy juice is powerful.  What does it do???  It puts you to sleep!  That's right, my sweet baby emits sleepy juice as she is going to sleep, and while she is sleeping, and this sleepy juice can put the person who is holding her to sleep as well.  It works on me ALL the time.  It has even been known to work on Josh too :)

Just this evening I was about asleep from her sleepy juice...  Then I went and laid her down... 3 hours later I am still awake!  Maybe I should have gone to bed...

New Tricks!

I noticed a week, maybe two ago that Myra has started to suck on her bottom lip a lot.  It is soo cute.  Well this evening that evolved.  During prayers with the kids tonight she started to... well... pop her lips... I wish I had video... She was sucking the bottom lip in and then popping it out.  So very cute, although not really appropriate during prayers, but she is only 6 months old.  Anyways...  So Myra started popping her lips...

Now lets fast forward an hour...  Myra is acting hungry (again!  Man that kid eats a lot).  And since she hadn't had any solid foods today I grabbed a jar of applesauce to feed her.  The first few minutes of eating were going just fine, until Myra decided that she was either one, too tired to eat.  Or two, not really enjoying the applesauce.  Or maybe three, she remembered the popping the lip thing and thought she would try it out again.  Regardless of her reason, Myra started the popping the lip trick while I was trying to put food in her mouth.  The result... applesauce all over her face!  It was amazing how much she could get off the spoon, and how high up she could get it on her face!  And Myra was so proud, she just sat there with a big sucked in lip grin... until I wiped up her face!

Needless to say after two or three more bits with the lip popping trick (I had to show Josh), Myra wash wiped down and given a bottle to feed the hunger, and she was a sleep before the milk was gone!

Time

What is time?  Really?  It is all relative.  You can lose an hour here or gain an hour there... We do every year.  Tonight I lost two hours... and then got them back...

Myra decided that 2:40am would be a good time to wake up for a bottle...  I being the lazy mom gave her her pacifier.  But a couple minutes latter I was up fixing her a bottle...  Which I gave her in her bed hoping she would drink it and go back to sleep (I already pointed out that I was a lazy mom).  I quickly laid back down and was immediately a sleep and dreaming...  To be woken at 3:00am by a fussing little girl.

I thought about getting her out of her bed (I did have animals to feed), but I soon discovered that she had merely dropped her bottle.  Now I still being in a half sleep state gave Myra BACK her bottle and headed BACK to bed...

I was quickly a sleep again (have I mentioned that I am sleep deprived and that I also have a medical condition that makes me more tired???).  Sadly this too would not last (if your surprised just look at what time I posted this blog).  And I was soon up giving Myra her pacifier...  I finally gave in and fixed Myra a couple more ounces, thinking that the smallish bottle I had started her with had not been enough.  I then laid back down in hopes of sleep.  Did I sleep???  It didn't feel like it, and I was soon up giving Myra her pacifier again... and again...Now it was on the second or third time of this that I looked at my watch...  And I was very surprised to see that it was now 5am. 

It HAD not felt like two hours had passed...  And it had not felt like I had slept THAT much.  But obviously I had.  In thinking this I figured that smallish bottle I had given Myra at 2:45 had gone through her, and that the extra two ounces were gone as well (she is a growing baby), and that she was indeed hungry again.  Not wanting her to flood the bed, I fixed another smallish size bottle... And then went back to bed, hoping that she would go back to sleep, knowing that if I had to get her out of bed now (at 5am) that we would not be back in bed before the alarm would go off...

It felt like I had just gotten comfortable (again) when Catalina started yelling (and I do mean yelling)!  I quickly ran to quiet her down (you know in case Myra was actually going to sleep). Cat wanted her heating pad warmed again... And so did Savannah who had woke up with all of Cat's yelling...



Sleep???  Who needs sleep???
It's time to PLAY!!!



It was while I was standing there in the kitchen waiting for two heating pads to warm, that I realized the clock on the stove said 3:23... What???  How could that be???  I quickly checked my watch and discovered that I had bumped a button on it, and it was not displaying the actual time, but rather the "timer" time...  It really was 3:23 (AM)!

So long story short, Myra won.  I gave up trying to keep her in bed.  And here we sit at 7:12 (at least that's what the watch says)...  Animals have all been fed (a couple of times) and I'm beginning to think we are not going back to bed tonight (day)!  So I lost two hours, and then got them back to discover that if I had lost the hours to sleep, I should have been happy with that...  Because I have lost them again, but this time I was awake for it :(

What's she trying to say???

One afternoon a few weeks back (before Christmas), Josh and I were talking in our bathroom with the door locked (so little kids would leave us a lone and let us talk).  Catalina had something VERY important to show us from school.  And she kept pounding on the door for us to come out.  Finally she gave up and just slipped the paper uner the door (briefly) for us to see...

She told us if we wanted to see it again we would have to come out...  I'm not sure what she was trying to tell us!!!

Advancements in Roles



Queen Savannah at 16 months old!



I mentioned a few days back on facebook that Catalina had tole me "Vannah is the princess and I is the servant.  I do what ever Vannah want me too!"  Well I was informed today that the two little girls have had an advancement.  Savannah is now the Queen!  And Catalina is the Princess! 



Princess Catalina
ready to fight the
wicked witch!



They spent the morning playing with a sun shade for the car.  And I admit that I let them "ride" it down the stairs for a little while (it kept them busy and gave Myra a MUCH needed break from being loved on).  The sun shade latter became their castle wall and they played behind it.

I became the mean wicked witch when I made them stop playing and go and get bathed.  And when Catalina wouldn't come, I took the sun shade away.  She proclaimed...  "You destroyed my castle"!!!  I told her... "That's what wicked witches do :)

Pictures

I did 6 month pictures of Myra today.  And they turned out great!!!  She was perfect.  I can't wait to share them, so come back in a couple of weeks!

Myra at 3 months!

Memories...





El-el



I was trying to come up with something for tonight's blog, but Josh has already blogged about our day, so I have nothing...  Since I didn't get to blog the memory I was going to the other night I thought I would just do that today.

The other night when we were eating dinner the kids started calling the broccoli trees.  I'm sure many kids besides mine call broccoli trees.  In calling them trees, it lead to the story of Josh Jr when he was three and him eating broccoli.  He would cal himself an "El-el"... his word for elephant (he LOVED elephants when he was three).  And Josh Jr. would be an elephant eating the "trees". 



Josh Jr, at about 9 months



This memory reminded me of a little earlier in Josh Jr.'s life.  Josh Jr. has always loved animals, for as long as I can remember.  We were frequent visitors of the zoo (like at least twice a month if not more).  And when he was two and three the elephant was his favorite, it is now the tiger (I think).  But he still loves animals.  But back to the memory...  When Josh Jr. was under two and fussy in the car I would talk to him about animals.  I would ask him what sounds the animals would make.  This "game" continued on for many years.  But it would always help make him happy while we were driving (especially when it was just him and me in the car).  During the "game" Josh Jr. and I would make the different sounds for all the different animals.  I can imagine now how funny I must have looked to other drivers as I was howling like a wolf or growling like a bear.  Especially if they couldn't see Josh Jr. :)

Never send a three year old to do something you need done now!

She might be little,
But don't mess with her



Whose the boss???
That's right it's ME!



Never send a three year old to do something you need done now!  Or any other child under the age of... I guess 12...  This morning I was in our office and realized my husband needed to get up if he was going to make it to choir...  Now there is no real good reason I didn't just go and wake him, except that I was being lazy...  I had been up for three hours already and was wishing I could just go back to bed...  And so instead of going and waking Josh for choir I sent Cat.  I asked her if she wanted to go wake daddy, and she quickly jump up saying yes and ran out of the room.  She was gone for a few minutes and then came back to playing near by...  It was a several minutes later when I asked her... "Did you wake up Daddy?"  She looked at me and answered...  "You thought I did, but I did not."   Needless to say Josh did not make it to choir!  :)

Why can't they just be friends?

Now you might think from this blog title that I was writing about Josh Jr. ans Brooklyn...  and after a day like today it could very well fit the two of them (they spent about two and a half hours handcuffed together while doing chores because of all their fighting...  and they had MANY more chores to do as well, because of fighting).  But I am actually talking about my kids and their friends... or sometime friends.

See sometimes they can play with their friends, or cousins and get a long SO well.  And then other times they rub each other the wrong way, and fight ALL night long.  And many times the fighting leads to crying...  ALL night long.  Who knows???  Not me!

I love my husband!

I know...  you've got the idea... since I have posted about him a lot recently...  But I really love him... A LOT!!!  I got the chance to go out with him tonight to go do a session at the Temple... something that we haven't done in a while (thanks Helen and Grandma Julie for watching ALL those kids for us).  And we got some extra time to just sit in the beautiful quiet of the Celestial room and just talk... with out being interrupted... thanks Jodie for missing our session and allowing us some extra talking time :)  It was a nice evening.  We even got to go and get a bite to eat after.  Thanks Josh for a great night out!!!  I love you!

Five more done!

Cat modeling one of my hats



Brooklyn's new hat!



Thats right!  Five more hats since the 14th of December...  I think I need help!  I have a terrible addiction!  I just can't seem to stop myself!  But it is fun, and somewhat productive.  And very satisfing...  Except that as soon as I finish one I am figuring out what to make next.  Oh well!  Enjoy some hats!

Boy's hat with earflaps



Savannah's Hat!





Brooklyn's hat!



Josh Jr's hat