On Memorial Day this year, we experienced a loss that, by our reaction to it, might've led an observer to believe it was a death in the family. I nearly hyperventilated, Peter said a swear word for the first time I've ever heard him do it, and both boys were screaming with tears at the news that...
Our computer crashed.
Apparently, "F10" is not a friendly button. We were having a wonderful day off, getting ready to head out to some friends for a BBQ and swimming. I wanted to check my email, and when I got to my profile, it flashed me to a screen that I normally see at startup. Nothing was happening, but I DID see instructions along the bottom. I pushed the dreaded "F10", believing that the term "system recovery" would bring me back to my profile desktop instead of a blue screen that seemed to take me further away from it. Little did I know, that F10 would take me farther away than I ever dreamed from my beloved desktop...
Luckily, Peter has been able to recover many of the files I wiped out with my hasty move. Our main concern was our pictures, and all of those are still there. Now we are facing reconfiguration, reinstallation, blah blah blah of many of our programs and filing systems. I suppose it was a good lesson to learn about not procrastinating the day of your computer backup, and we were spared the worst. We will always remember Memorial Day as the day we nearly lost all of our memories...our PC, our friend.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Washington, Part I - Snoqualmie Falls
We just returned from a fabulous week-long escape to Washington State to see some of the Brown side of the family, and soak up as much PNW beauty as we could muster.
Our first stop was to see Snoqualmie Falls, a place we had never visited before but is a favorite of my sister Mollie & her family. It was breathtaking. We loved the falls and the grounds surrounding them. There were rhododendrons in bloom everywhere, and Peter & Karlin took a little hike down the rocky trail to take some up close & personal shots of the falls. Parker had a great time rolling down the grassy hill nearby and trying to climb the trees with his cousins Kennedi & Klare, and their friend Whitney. The Salish Lodge overlooks the falls and it was fun to explore this very posh little place. 
Our first stop was to see Snoqualmie Falls, a place we had never visited before but is a favorite of my sister Mollie & her family. It was breathtaking. We loved the falls and the grounds surrounding them. There were rhododendrons in bloom everywhere, and Peter & Karlin took a little hike down the rocky trail to take some up close & personal shots of the falls. Parker had a great time rolling down the grassy hill nearby and trying to climb the trees with his cousins Kennedi & Klare, and their friend Whitney. The Salish Lodge overlooks the falls and it was fun to explore this very posh little place. We also took a stop at the Seattle Temple grounds. It was a perfect day to be there, and we loved being able to hang out on the grass, sans chiggers.
The day ended at XXX Root Beer (no, it's not a Hooters wannabe...) in Issaquah. It is a fun, eclectic joint with a theme of old, classic cars & bikes. It reminded me of Serendipity's in NYC, with the low ceilings and paraphonelia-covered walls. This is definitely a "greasy spoon" establishment, as shown by the XXX burger being devoured by Peter in the picture. But it touts arguably the best-tasting root beer around. Gooood times.
The day ended at XXX Root Beer (no, it's not a Hooters wannabe...) in Issaquah. It is a fun, eclectic joint with a theme of old, classic cars & bikes. It reminded me of Serendipity's in NYC, with the low ceilings and paraphonelia-covered walls. This is definitely a "greasy spoon" establishment, as shown by the XXX burger being devoured by Peter in the picture. But it touts arguably the best-tasting root beer around. Gooood times. Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Gifts
For Mother's Day this year, I got:
- girly shirts from Peter, with a fabulous card. I also got waffles for breakfast and salmon for dinner...yum.
- girly shoes from Parker & Tyler
- a cute card from Parker, with three drawings: One of Daddy in the sun, holding a bottle of root beer, with a mousehole on the bottom; one of him swimming; and one of a tornado.
- a beautiful tablecloth & napkins from my in-laws
- a flight to Washington, with my family, from my parents
- released from my calling as Primary President
Can you guess which one was my favorite gift?
Nerd Moment
Somebody call the geek squad...my favorite new toy is a LAMINATOR! I've been roaming around my house lately, just looking for new things to laminate...pictures, FHE visual aids, charts, etc. It's a Scotch/3M Thermal Laminator that laminates up to 9 inches wide, and up to 5 mil thick. I really wanted a thermal one because I think it does a better job, but they were always so expensive. My mother actually found this one at Wal-mart for $25 and the laminating pouches are cheap! So thanks for the tip, Mom. At least we'll be geeks together.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Officially a Toddler
Tyler is finally walking! We really wondered if he ever would, since he was so speedy at crawling. But now, just before his 14-month mark (exactly when Parker started walking), he decides to grow up on us. He spreads his feet out so wide when he takes off, that it is really hilarious to watch, and "toddling" could not be a more appropriate word to describe the way he gets from place to place.It amazes Peter and I to think that this is something that babies instinctively want to do, even if the previously-employed method of transportation is more than efficient for their needs. I am grateful for it, and that it's not a transition as painful to go through as potty training!
Mother Hen
For three days this past week, I looked after five of my favorite little friends here in Lawrence, the Heiner kids, while their parents took a trip out of town. Here's what I learned about being a mother of seven kids:
- Taking fifteen minutes to lie down in the middle of the day is no longer optional...it's necessary!
- Write everything down...and I mean everything. There is just no way your brain can retain the different schedules, needs, etc. of that many people and bring it to recall when you need it to. You need a paper brain to help you out.
- When one of them is mad at you for making them do homework, there is bound to be someone else there who wants to hug you. Seven kids gives you great odds at feeling the love as a mom.
- Always leave ten minutes earlier than you think you should.
- Driving a 15-passenger van is NOT as scary as it looks...in fact, everyone else on the road is afraid of YOU. It's great.
- Pizza buffets are the coolest places on earth.
- Scripture study is the best time of day. I love hearing everyone talking over each other to try and share the latest joke, accomplishment of the day, little concerns, and a few "Be quiet! It's time for Scrrrrripture study! Hel-LO!" thrown in between.
- Shelley is amazing. And so are her kids. And I will miss them terribly when they move in a couple of weeks!
Partners in Crime
This is a common scene around our house lately...two brothers, behind closed doors, making messy mischief.Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Evolution
I have had the greatest time lately watching my boys play. The winds of change seem to be blowing around here in the playtime department.
Although he still loves driving his cars and is mesmerized by anything with wheels, Parker is finally starting to notice what the rest of the world is all about. He has taken up great interest, at his own will, in the human body and how things work. He is fascinated by and soaks up every word of the books we've checked out from the library on the body's systems, organs, muscles, skin, hair and skeleton. There are some fun books out there, and one of our favorites is called The Busy Body Book. It's perfect for preschoolers.
Parker has also entered, with full force, into the world of imaginative play. This week we have played doctor, where he gives pretend babies pretend shots (with a medicine dropper), takes their temperatures, and listens to their heartbeats (with his headphones). He's also a big fan of playing astronauts, where the dining room table is our rocket ship, the game board "Blokus" is our destination programmer (he even shouts"execute!" upon entering our destination), and plastic hangers are our helmets. So far we've landed on and explored almost all of the planets in our solar system. We've also encountered the polka-dot planet, the cookie planet, the milky way, shooting stars and meteors. All at his own discovery. We've gone "fishing" from the slide in the backyard, using a jump rope and a football for bait. Right now he is playing playdough, and he just brought me a "meal" of spaghetti, meatballs, tuna and bread, that he's keeping warm in the "oven" for me. It's been so fun, and keeps me looking forward to our next "adventure."
Tyler, on the other hand, is just beginning in his fascination with cars. He is definitely following in his brother's footsteps. I feel a little bit like I've gone back in time, for there are things I had forgotten that Parker did, and then I will see Tyler do them and remember. Tyler loves to drive our little matchbox cars around, preferably on window sills or Parker's bed. He also "drives" remote controls, lotion bottles or anything else that strikes his fancy. The cutest part about it is the little noise he makes when he drives them. It's either a motor noise that he makes by tucking his upper lip under his bottom one, or a simple "mmmmMM, mmmMMMMmmm!" revving noise that he hums. The other day we had great fun as I hid the cars under a pillow and he would lift it up to discover them, then giggle. He likes to have us imitate his little noises, and then he laughs. He can say the words wow, whoa, what's that? (sounds more like wassaaah?), & see? He is taking steps, but not officially walking yet. He just got his first real haircut last week, after we decided he was starting to look like a mad scientist. He's such a fun little guy.
Time goes by so fast, and I've had many little epiphanies lately stressing the importance of my role as a mother to these bold, amazing little people. I've been reminded that the only things we will take with us from this life are the relationships we have, especially with our families. That in the end, the only thing that will bring us lasting happiness are those relationships. I went to our stake Women's Conference last Saturday and the lasting impression made on me was the reminder that it's "the kingdom of God or nothing." We were challenged by my Relief Society president to take a look at our daily activities, and in particular how we are spending our free time, and to ask ourselves at any given moment if what we are working on or doing is something that is building up that kingdom, in one way or another. Also, if that thing is something we will take with us after this life. It has really opened my eyes this week and helped me refocus on what counts the most.
With that said, Parker is now summoning me to play with him...so off I go to build the kingdom.
Although he still loves driving his cars and is mesmerized by anything with wheels, Parker is finally starting to notice what the rest of the world is all about. He has taken up great interest, at his own will, in the human body and how things work. He is fascinated by and soaks up every word of the books we've checked out from the library on the body's systems, organs, muscles, skin, hair and skeleton. There are some fun books out there, and one of our favorites is called The Busy Body Book. It's perfect for preschoolers.
Parker has also entered, with full force, into the world of imaginative play. This week we have played doctor, where he gives pretend babies pretend shots (with a medicine dropper), takes their temperatures, and listens to their heartbeats (with his headphones). He's also a big fan of playing astronauts, where the dining room table is our rocket ship, the game board "Blokus" is our destination programmer (he even shouts"execute!" upon entering our destination), and plastic hangers are our helmets. So far we've landed on and explored almost all of the planets in our solar system. We've also encountered the polka-dot planet, the cookie planet, the milky way, shooting stars and meteors. All at his own discovery. We've gone "fishing" from the slide in the backyard, using a jump rope and a football for bait. Right now he is playing playdough, and he just brought me a "meal" of spaghetti, meatballs, tuna and bread, that he's keeping warm in the "oven" for me. It's been so fun, and keeps me looking forward to our next "adventure."
Tyler, on the other hand, is just beginning in his fascination with cars. He is definitely following in his brother's footsteps. I feel a little bit like I've gone back in time, for there are things I had forgotten that Parker did, and then I will see Tyler do them and remember. Tyler loves to drive our little matchbox cars around, preferably on window sills or Parker's bed. He also "drives" remote controls, lotion bottles or anything else that strikes his fancy. The cutest part about it is the little noise he makes when he drives them. It's either a motor noise that he makes by tucking his upper lip under his bottom one, or a simple "mmmmMM, mmmMMMMmmm!" revving noise that he hums. The other day we had great fun as I hid the cars under a pillow and he would lift it up to discover them, then giggle. He likes to have us imitate his little noises, and then he laughs. He can say the words wow, whoa, what's that? (sounds more like wassaaah?), & see? He is taking steps, but not officially walking yet. He just got his first real haircut last week, after we decided he was starting to look like a mad scientist. He's such a fun little guy.
Time goes by so fast, and I've had many little epiphanies lately stressing the importance of my role as a mother to these bold, amazing little people. I've been reminded that the only things we will take with us from this life are the relationships we have, especially with our families. That in the end, the only thing that will bring us lasting happiness are those relationships. I went to our stake Women's Conference last Saturday and the lasting impression made on me was the reminder that it's "the kingdom of God or nothing." We were challenged by my Relief Society president to take a look at our daily activities, and in particular how we are spending our free time, and to ask ourselves at any given moment if what we are working on or doing is something that is building up that kingdom, in one way or another. Also, if that thing is something we will take with us after this life. It has really opened my eyes this week and helped me refocus on what counts the most.
With that said, Parker is now summoning me to play with him...so off I go to build the kingdom.
We're Jammin'
This past week I was at HyVee and was so excited when I found strawberries for 99 cents a pound! It meant that the wait was over. We could finally make our annual batch of strawberry jam! Delish.
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