I just realized that I keep blogging about all the American Idol copycats around the world, and I don't even watch the real American Idol (...very much. I just like to know who gets kicked off even though I don't watch them sing).
So this may only be interesting to a couple of my sisters or high school friends who actually know Benji. We went to a year of jr. high and all of high school together. I wouldn't say we were friends...mostly just friendly acquaintances. But now we are Facebook and blogging friends, and I enjoy watching his progress on Taiwan's Super Idol. Here's a clip of him on the show:
I don't understand most of what is being said (I do understand "thank you", but that's it), but it's fun watching him every week. He always posts a link to his performances on his Facebook page, so go be his friend if you want to follow along.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Real Reason People Read this Blog
Most people read this blog for one reason: Sam. For our many friends and family who live far away, here are some pictures of our cute little man. He's growing up so fast!
We were so sad the other day when he finally starting saying "alligator" instead of "evigator." We miss all the old ways he used to pronounce words, like these ones, for example:
He is growing so fast. Many of his new clothes he got for Christmas are already getting sort of small on him. His fat little brick feet are too big for his sandals and church shoes. He's tall enough to climb onto the counters and get into cupboards, or to reach all the cookies and muffins at work.
He loves to play pretend. His favorite things to be are race cars (specifically Lightening McQueen), a dog, a baby fish(when he's in the bath, I have to go "fishing" to get Sam out of the tub), and a bird. Sometimes when I wake him up in the middle of the night to use the potty, half asleep in his little tired voice, he says "tweet tweet." He also likes to get under the covers on "the big bed" and pretend to fly an airplane. His favorite destinations are to Grandma's house, Dad's work, and Paris.
And speaking of Paris, it's been so fun teaching him bits of French. Our neighbor across the hall is from France, and it melts her heart when Sam says "bonjour" or "au revoir" to her. His counting is great! And when he sees snails, he calls them escargots. And especially when he doesn't want something he'll say "non merci." So fun!
Here are some of his favorite things:
About a week and a half ago, the fire alarm went off at our apartment complex. We had already put Sam to bed, so we had to get him up, put on some warm clothes, and go outside. The fire trucks and fire fighters came, and Sam thought it was the coolest thing ever. He still randomly jabbers off about that whole night. I think he dreams about it too because that'll be the first thing he talks about when he wakes up.
I love his prayers. We get him up twice each night to use the potty, and every time we put him back down, we have to say a prayer. He prays for Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, the missionaries, the other missionary (we think that's his Uncle Jordan he's talking about), Tigger, Piglet, McQueen, fire fighters, airplanes, birds, rocks, his blankets... Sundays we usually get to church a little early so I can prepare stuff I need for singing time in Primary. Sam likes to get up to the podium in the primary room and give talks. They always start out "Brothers and sisters..." and end "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." After sacrament meeting he often runs up to the stand and gives some more talks. Maybe he'll be weird like me and actually enjoy public speaking.
We love our little man! He's such a sweet and happy boy. It's so fun to watch is little mind at work. What a joy it is to have him in our family!
We were so sad the other day when he finally starting saying "alligator" instead of "evigator." We miss all the old ways he used to pronounce words, like these ones, for example:- wan-gun-gun (motorcycle)
- kun (car)
- snuggin (snuggle)
- teet (tweet)
He is growing so fast. Many of his new clothes he got for Christmas are already getting sort of small on him. His fat little brick feet are too big for his sandals and church shoes. He's tall enough to climb onto the counters and get into cupboards, or to reach all the cookies and muffins at work.
He loves to play pretend. His favorite things to be are race cars (specifically Lightening McQueen), a dog, a baby fish(when he's in the bath, I have to go "fishing" to get Sam out of the tub), and a bird. Sometimes when I wake him up in the middle of the night to use the potty, half asleep in his little tired voice, he says "tweet tweet." He also likes to get under the covers on "the big bed" and pretend to fly an airplane. His favorite destinations are to Grandma's house, Dad's work, and Paris.
And speaking of Paris, it's been so fun teaching him bits of French. Our neighbor across the hall is from France, and it melts her heart when Sam says "bonjour" or "au revoir" to her. His counting is great! And when he sees snails, he calls them escargots. And especially when he doesn't want something he'll say "non merci." So fun!
Here are some of his favorite things:
- Food: hotdogs and cheerios
- Blanket: his green blanket that is falling apart. The blue one my mom got him as a spare for her house is in second place
- Book: Winnie the Pooh
- Toys: his 3 favorite cars: Lightening McQueen, Doc, and Mr. The King
- Song: The Wise Man and the Foolish Man
- Game: running away from the invisible alligators and baseball
About a week and a half ago, the fire alarm went off at our apartment complex. We had already put Sam to bed, so we had to get him up, put on some warm clothes, and go outside. The fire trucks and fire fighters came, and Sam thought it was the coolest thing ever. He still randomly jabbers off about that whole night. I think he dreams about it too because that'll be the first thing he talks about when he wakes up.I love his prayers. We get him up twice each night to use the potty, and every time we put him back down, we have to say a prayer. He prays for Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, the missionaries, the other missionary (we think that's his Uncle Jordan he's talking about), Tigger, Piglet, McQueen, fire fighters, airplanes, birds, rocks, his blankets... Sundays we usually get to church a little early so I can prepare stuff I need for singing time in Primary. Sam likes to get up to the podium in the primary room and give talks. They always start out "Brothers and sisters..." and end "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." After sacrament meeting he often runs up to the stand and gives some more talks. Maybe he'll be weird like me and actually enjoy public speaking.
We love our little man! He's such a sweet and happy boy. It's so fun to watch is little mind at work. What a joy it is to have him in our family!
Keep Pete in Your Prayers
This was my sister's husband. Please keep him in your prayers. And always remember to wear your helmet!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Blogging in My Sleep
Hopefully I'm not the only one who does this--maybe I'm just crazy. When something interesting is going on in my life, I spend time thinking about how I will blog about it. I come up with a title, and then start thinking about exactly how I will explain my story. I eventually try to actually type it all out after I have it all outlined in my head, though many times it never gets written. I don't blog all that often compared to some people, but I sure do it a lot in my mind.
The other night I was dreaming about something exciting--I don't have a clue what it was about, but I do remember that it was exciting enough to be blog-worthy because I started outlining it in my mind in my sleep. I have been known to sleep talk and sleep walk on occasion; that would be really interesting to read how my sleep blogging would turn out.
The other night I was dreaming about something exciting--I don't have a clue what it was about, but I do remember that it was exciting enough to be blog-worthy because I started outlining it in my mind in my sleep. I have been known to sleep talk and sleep walk on occasion; that would be really interesting to read how my sleep blogging would turn out.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
No More Diapers!
Several weeks ago we were coming to the end of the package of Pull-Ups, and we had two options: buy a new package that we would likely only use a portion of, or just stop using them cold-turkey. We're on a pretty strict budget, so we decided that occasionally doing laundry was cheaper than paying for Pull-Ups. He's been staying dry during the day and during his naps for months; it was just going through the night that we were worried about. So we are waking Sam up once around 11pm, and then again when Chris goes to work at 3:45am, and we've only had a couple accidents! He's such a rockstar--a totally potty-trained rockstar!
We witnessed proof that Sam is listening to us! While watching one of our friends' kids the other day, Sam was getting after the little boy when he was doing things he wasn't supposed to be doing, like pushing the buttons on the TV, opening the fridge, and throwing the ball in the house. Now if Sam would just listen AND obey, that would be fantastic!
And speaking of Sam and pushing buttons, the other day Sam was pushing buttons on our remote and somehow ordered the movie Twilight from the On-Demand menu! He cost us $5.00! He is no longer allowed to touch the remote.
We witnessed proof that Sam is listening to us! While watching one of our friends' kids the other day, Sam was getting after the little boy when he was doing things he wasn't supposed to be doing, like pushing the buttons on the TV, opening the fridge, and throwing the ball in the house. Now if Sam would just listen AND obey, that would be fantastic!
And speaking of Sam and pushing buttons, the other day Sam was pushing buttons on our remote and somehow ordered the movie Twilight from the On-Demand menu! He cost us $5.00! He is no longer allowed to touch the remote.
Happy Anniversary!
Be Loose, Have Fun, Give Generously to Others, Bake Phenomenal Bread, Run Fast to Help Customers
That is our motto at Great Harvest. We're working hard to meet each one of those points. We're trying to get creative with our marketing to help the community realize how yummy our food is and how good it is for your health. We just wish the economy would turn around already, but realize that it can't change overnight.We broke down and finally fired one of our employees yesterday with whom we had been having issues since we hired her a couple months ago. We hope her performance didn't deter too many customers. In our time as owners, we have only had to fire one other person. We still have three employees who have been with the bakery since the previous owners, and two girls we hired who are doing great.
April 1st was our one year anniversary of owning our business. The time has flown by so quickly! We have learned so much, and are starting to feel like we actually know what we're doing. I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again: this has been such a huge learning experience!
This was the little gift our cute employees gave us for our 1 year anniversary.
Parade of Homes--Everett Style
I've been working as a leasing consultant at our apartment complex for about four months now. It's a good job, pays OK, and the best thing about it is once my workday is over, I don't have to think about it anymore (unlike teaching or owning a business which require constant thought and effort). I enjoy interacting with our residents and meeting new people.
A few weeks ago we did our annual all-apartment inspections to make sure there were no major maintenance issues that have gone unnoticed or unmentioned. I was excited to go inside each apartment and see how people have decided to decorate their little homes. It was going to be like the Parade of Homes, or something. Well, it didn't quite turn out the way I had imagined...and how really could it have been? We're just in small apartments where all the walls are white and the floor plans and appliances are basically the same. Yes, there were some with nice furniture, but I was surprised how sloppy and messy many people are! Also it was interesting to smell how different each apartment and each floor was. For a few I had to hold my breath because it either smelled like tobacco or alcohol, or even worse, cat litter. One apartment was so bad that we ended up kicking the guy out: there was poo from his cat, vomit in the bathroom, and junk and trash all over the apartment. In another, we could hardly walk because the counters and floors were piled up with trash with a narrow path throughout the apartment. We had to ask them to clean it up so we could come back and do the maintenance checks.
Something I have realized since working here is just how grateful I am that I haven't ever done anything stupid to screw up my life. We get so many people applying that have evictions, really bad credit, or criminal issues in their past that keep them from getting approved. Being dumb and irresponsible will follow you and limit your options for basically your whole life, and it's pretty much impossible to get stuff like that off your record. So everyone out there in blog-land, be smart and play it safe. Like the hymn says, "Keep the commandments, in this there is safety and peace."
One more thing I've realized since working at my job is that I have no self-control. OK, really I've known that for a long time, but it's still a problem I'm trying to overcome. I figured that since I would no longer be working at the bakery regularly that I would lose a few pounds since I wouldn't be surrounded by so many tasty treats. Well, now every time I drop Sam off at the bakery with Chris, I grab all my old favorite treats. And then I go to work, and there is a candy jar that sits on my desk, and a plate of cookies near the front door. I can't help myself! The candy isn't even my favorite stuff (until recently when our manager bought some of the Reese's Easter candies...I'm in big trouble!), and the cookies are dry and hard--nothing compared to our Great Harvest cookies! Yet I still eat them. If it's in front of me, I eat it. For dinner the other night we had tacos, and I accidentally put on way too much hot sauce. It was killing me, but I ate it all anyway because it was in front of me! I think the reason I've never in my life been offered drugs, alcohol, or tobacco is because if I tried it, I wouldn't be able to resist it. Ah jeeze, I have a problem!
So there you have it: a pretty random update about me and my job. Stay tuned to an update about our bakery!
Sixth Picture Tag
OK, I know most people have already done this, but I'm just a little slow. So here's my 6th picture from my 6th folder:
I believe this was after Caleb's baptism, and a bunch of us went bowling. Eliza and I had the pregnant-lady-power and beat everyone else (if I remember right). Good times!
I believe this was after Caleb's baptism, and a bunch of us went bowling. Eliza and I had the pregnant-lady-power and beat everyone else (if I remember right). Good times!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Open Invitation
Attention all friends of ours living in Washington!
Now that we have cable, it is much easier to watch General Conference (last time our internet connection wasn't very good and we missed a lot of it). So we invite anyone who wants a place to watch it to come on over! Kids are welcome to play with Sam in his room if they get bored. Just give us a call if you're interested.
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