Tag

I saw this on my friend's blog (so fun amber!) and thought it looked fun. It wasn't really
set up as a tag, but it could be...
It was fun to see what I've done. It was also interesting to me to really think about what
I wanted to do (keep in mind I am tired and if I'd had more sleep some of these things might
sound more doable). Anyway, take a look, and if you want to - try it on your blog!

You indicate which ones you've done by colorcode...
The ones I've done are in GREEN
The ones I haven't done but would like to are in BLUE
The ones I will probably never do are in RED.

Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art form
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables
Slept on an overnight train (ask me about this sometime, CRAZY)
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping (I recommend NOT going with baby mosquitoes!)
Run a Marathon
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Michelangelo’s David
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance (it was for a pretend accident in high school)
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business (something I should stop doing!)
Taken a martial arts class
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Gone whale watching
Got flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Flown in a helicopter
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Been fired from a job
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published something a thesis, a newspaper article, some professional stuff
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Visited the White House just the outside
Had chickenpox
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Ocean
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
Seen Mount Rushmore in person
Learned to play an instrument
Held a tarantula
Touched an iceberg
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Ridden a roller coaster
Visited all 50 states (I think I'm pretty close to 30 right now!)
Taken a road-trip
Milked a cow
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Made cookies from scratch
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Performed on stage
Been to Las Vegas
Eaten shark
Bought a house (something else I need to stop doing!)
Been in a combat zone
Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
Touched a stingray
Broken a bone
Ridden a horse
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the newspaper
Gone back to school
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Dyed your hair - twice, and one of those was so bad I washed my hair 20 times in one night!
Caused a car accident (I was arguing with Trina when we crashed, so I guess I was 1/3 responsible, the black ice and Trina get the blame too!)
Saved someone’s life

I just realized that several of these are green because I've lived out here 'back east' for so many years. As hard as it is to be so far from family, it's also been an adventure for us!

Mike's not so fun Adventure

Last night Mike was unloading a few things from the back of our friends suburban (I don't even want to get into why we had stuff in their suburban, it has to do with completely redoing the bathroom for one of our rental properties. If I have to spend that much money on redoing a bathroom, shouldn't I have something to show for it?)

Anyway, he somehow slammed his finger in the hinge side of the back door. He came home around 9pm and told me he needed to go to the ER. I loaded Lilah up in her seat and on our way out the door I called some friends to come sit in our house with our sleeping kids. We took Mike to the nearest ER - which is notorious for long waits. I should've known better and taken him to the next closest ER. I dropped him off and waited until he went back (I was watching through the glass door from my car, I couldn't actually park and go in because I was in my PJ's and had no shoes on, Lilah was screaming, and it's a downtown hospital which means there is no parking) I drove home thinking he had been seen. I found out two and a half hours later that he hadn't been seen, he had been called back to fill out paper work and get a bandage from a nurse. There is no cell service in the ER, phones are not allowed. So he finally called me from outside the hospital to say he hadn't been seen and was in a lot of pain. Luckily our friends had hung around. I got dressed and went and picked him up. I took him another 20 minutes out and went to the nice ER. He was seen right away! They had a nice waiting room, free parking right outside the door, cell phone coverage inside and they were actually polite and helpful! It took over an hour to get him fixed up. Where the door had shut on his finger it had cut his finger nail in two, fractured the bone, and nearly took off the tip of his finger as well. They had to leave the fingernail on as an added protection while the broken bone heals. So they actually sewed his fingernail back together! Is that crazy? It will die and fall off and another one will grow back. He had his wallet, but no insurance card and I didn't have my wallet, but they still helped us and we were even able to fill our prescriptions without too much hassle (Mike will now carry his copy of our insurance card). What a crazy night. We got home close to 3am. Of course Lilah woke up at 4am - just wanting her pacifier, and again at 6 wanting her pacifier again. I had a great night, I think I got 2-3 hours of sleep. Anyway, his finger will be fine. He does need to go see an orthopedic Dr and get it checked out again. It was perfect timing - how are you suppose to tear out a bathroom and replace the floor with a broken and stiched up index finger? Tomorrow will be intersting to say the least. The moral of the story - don't go to the yucky downtown ER unless you are dying! Or - don't break your finger in car doors - either one works!

I guess I need to be grateful that he did it after 8 days of cleaning up bodily fluids from 3 of the kids and not during that awful week of the stomach virus. Atleast this is all coming one thing at a time - right? Don't tell me what's next, I don't want to know!

I told Mike I needed a picture for the blog - I meant a picture of his splint - he didn't realize that so he unwrapped it and took a picture of his finger. I didn't want to see it, but really it doesn't look that bad to me.

Kiddie College

Anna Elise started Kiddie College last week. She goes every Monday and Tuesday from 9:30 - 12:00 for 6 weeks. It's pretty low key and it's a perfect introduction to school for her. She has really enjoyed going and is coming out of her shell. She has made a friend. She even asked the girl her name! She likes her teachers and is teaching them her dance moves. It's been so much fun to watch Anna take this big step in her life. She isn't sure she wants to go to kindergarten all day everyday, but I think she will be ready by the time it comes. The county offers lots of other affordable classes like kinderprep, for after Kiddie College, dance classes, art classes, everything. I think we'll probably take a couple of classes so she has as much exposure as she can before real school starts. I don't have any pictures of her going to her class, but she looks the same as she does every other day!

Potty Training

I know, I know, you're thinking enough blogs already - but I'm on a roll!  Today we tried potty training Madeline and it was a great day!  I tried about 4 months ago before I had Lilah and she

was definately not ready.  So we've been talking about it and I've noticed she gets up from her nap and sometimes even in the morning she has a dry diaper.  So we tried it again and we had some success.  She went three times in the potty today and only once in her panties.  She did so well!  She did sit on the potty twice without doing anything - but she seems to know what's going on and that she can control it.  Such a good girl.  Now that I've posted about it I'm sure we'll regress tomorrow.  Tuesdays are grocery days - so we'll see how it goes - but today I'm enjoying it! By the way, Anna Elise and Calvin are great helpers.  They sit with her and help her read her books if I have to leave to help Lilah.  What a team! 

Family Pictures

While at my mom's my sister-in-law was in charge of family pictures. She did

a great job!

Happy Birthday Dear Madeline!

Madeline turned 2 on January 10th.  She loved the party!  We talked about her birthday all week but I don't think she really 'got' it until the day came.  We opened presents in the morning and she thought that was pretty cool!  After lunch we had cake and ice cream.  She had a special Hello Kitty Cake and promptly blew out both candles on the first try right on cue after we finished singing.  It was so cute!  The cake had a plastic Kitty on it and she take it to bed occasionally.  She got a nap that afternoon so we could all enjoy the whole day! 

Madeline just cracks us up.  She is the family comedian.  She likes to make us laugh and she and Calvin can sit and laugh at each other all day!  She is definately getting to be more '2' everyday.  She is becoming more independent and wants to do everything by herself.  We do have temper tantrums, but they are short and scarce.  So far she is the most laid back 2 year old I've had.  She is such a joy to have around!  She is our Bozo! 

Here she is opening presents - Mike only had the video camera out for the cake and I'm not going to be figuring out video clips tonight.  Sorry.

A White Christmas!

We spent two weeks in Washington state with both of our families and had a great time!  The flight out involved three flights, that's two layovers and took all day.  One of our flights left late and we literally ran (I mean we ran fast!) through the airport to make our connection.  They held it for us, but told us they wouldn't.  I was NOT going to spend the night in the Cinncinati airport with four kids.  The kids were all SO good.  They were well behaved and listened and were good sports most of the time.  Calvin lost my hand while we were running and fell, he did get pretty upset, but other then that, there was no crying from the big kids.  We had several people tell us how great the kids did.  It was fun to be met at the airport by my mom, two of my sisters and one niece, and Mike's mom as well.  

We went out to the car to be met by REALLY cold weather - it got down to the single digits and stayed that cold for most of our visit.  

We had a few days at my mom's house with just us and occassionally Nancy and then on Saturday everyone showed up.  It was so much fun to be at home with all 7 kids and spouses and cousins.  23 people makes for a large crowd, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  My kids had so much fun playing with cousins, playing with Tate, my sisters puppy, tubing and snowmobiling, making ginger bread houses, eating, and everything else.  Calvin and his cousin parker are only 5 months apart and were great friends!  Like my sister-in-law Jana said, I only saw the kids at meal times!  They just entertained each other.  

On Christmas Eve we followed the usual Allen tradition of having our appetizer dinner and acting out the nativity.  It was fun to have all the cousins participate. Anna Elise got to be Mary and after Calvin changed his mind three times he was Joseph.  Madeline didn't want to particpate until she saw Joseph and Mary enter and Mary's donkey was her daddy!  She yelled "I ride horsey" over and over until she got to ride the horsey.  Lilah even participated as the baby! 

Christmas morning was a lot of fun with lots of kids opening presents.  We had some fun adult presents too!  

After a great breakfast we packed everything off and borrowed my parents suburban and set off for Kennewick.  Once there we had Christmas all over again.  It was so good to see Mike's family, we hadn't seen Jenny or Dan & Raeleen and their kids for over two years.  It had been too long! Matt and Sarah were also there and the kids LOVED aunt Sarah!  I tried to tell Anna Elise that aunt Sarah is having a baby, but because Sarah is still so skinny she didn't believe me!   We enjoyed slightly warmer weather so we went sledding, ice skating with their ward, we went to the movie, played lots of dress up and dancing, ate more really good food, did a little bit of shopping, and stayed up way too late talking.  The girls got reaquanted really quickly and had a great time.  Calvin had fun too, he is used to playing with girls!  My niece, Faith, has cystic fibrosis and for her treatments has to wear a vibrating vest for 20 minutes twice a day.  Aunt Raeleen let my kids all take turns trying her vest - Anna Elise actually liked wearing it and I think she had a turn everyday!  They all tried to sneak in on Faith's TV time when she wore her vest.  The last day before the cousins left the weather warmed up enough to play outside and the kids all had a great time in Pop's backyard. 

I don't think we took enough pictures, especially at the Russell's house, but here is a sample of what I did take.  

Nativity

Anna Elise tubing
Calvin riding our neighbor's little snow mobile - Thanks Kent for helping all those little boys have a turn!
Anna Elise making a ginerbread house with her cousin Talia's help

Madeline playing outside - she was looking for the dog!

Calvin went down with Aunt Jenny and they slide right off of their sled!

Mike took several rides down with both kids
Niether of the kids liked the powdery snow blowing in their faces - here is a sad and cold Anna

Here is her solution to a cold face!

Anna Elise skaing with her aunts, they were really good about helping her skate while I took pictures and avoided anything slippery.

Happy Birthday to Me!

So the marathon catch up begins...with me!  I turned 32 on December 21st.  I spent my birthday at my parent's and I had a great birthday!  I got most of my presents well before my birthday and I actually went out and bought them.  I got a new coat from my mom and some jewelry from Mike.   My mom made an amazing chocolate cake (the female family favorite) several days before my birthday so we could all actually have more then just a sliver of a piece since the family was all showing up on Dec.20th.  It was great.  When my birthday actually came I didn't expect anything, I'd had it all.  I was pleasantly surprised by a card and a candybar from Mike, a gift from Trina and a really pretty necklace from my mom.  It was great to be remembered and to be able to spend my birthday with my whole family!  I don't have any pictures - sorry!  If you look at my family picture from Novemeber and the new family picture I will post from December, I am wearing birthday jewelry in both!  I'm really feeling ok with being 32, the only thing really bothering me is the gray hair that is starting to come in.  Thank you so much for your help in finding all of it Trina!  I think I can continue to pluck it out a strand at a time for now.

Top 10 Reasons I haven't Blogged in a Month!

10. 2 Weeks in Washington State visiting family
9. 3 hour time change to adjust to
8. 4 kids and 2 adults with colds in December
7. 3 kids throwing up in January (cross your fingers that it's doesn't increase)
6. 2 Businesses with end of the month, end of the quarter, and end of the year reports, taxes and W4's due!
5. Sleep deprivation
4. No internet or phone connection for 4 days (one of which was Sunday, my blog day)
3. Planning a family vacation
2. Two birthdays
1. A feeling of being so far behind that I will never catch up, so it's not worth trying (that actually fits most aspects of my life right now)

It's coming - I promise - I have Christmas and birthday blogs that I plan on doing. Just be patient.