Our Icky Little Secret.

We have been waging an epic battle against athlete's foot. Matt and Sam both have it and Sam's feet have been so bad they've been cracking and bleeding. But he never complains that they hurt or itch. He's such a good kid.
I'm pretty sure the problem is due to the fact that his boots just aren't water proof like we thought and so he has spent several months at school with wet feet. We've ditched the boots and he has orders not to get his feet wet while at school. He has and extra pair of socks and shoes in his back pack just in case.
We started with some spray on powder which surprisingly enough didn't have the odor I was dreading. They went through two cans in five days! The bottle said it could take up to four weeks. This stuff is not cheap people! Matt talked to the pharmacist who told him the cream is faster, but it's twice as much money. We switched to cream and there is serious improvement. We are about $150 into this battle and by the time we win, and we have vowed to win, we will have easily spent over $200.
We have a strict regimen to follow. In the evening we have added foot washing to the bedtime routine. Then Matt applies the cream and the socks are put on. In the morning Sam has to take a shower and then I apply the cream. EWWWW!
I can't complain because the cream is working but honestly, I liked the spray better because I didn't have to touch his feet. Sam says he likes the cream because, "it's like getting a massage."
This morning he told me to put my back into it. I kinda wanted to smack him.
Last night after he washed his feet, he was sitting by me on our bed waiting for Matt to put the cream on. Matt called from the bathroom asking Sam if he had dried his feet. Sam rolled his eyes and said he had. Then Matt asked him if he dried between his toes. Again, eyes rolling he says, "Yes." Then Matt asked him what towel he used, and Sam says, "Yours". I started laughing so hard I cried and so Sam started laughing too and then he was laughing so hard he could barely get the words, "I don't even know why we're laughing!" out. Am I the only one who finds this hilarious?

He cracks me up.

The other night, Sam and I went and got our hair cut by the beautiful and newly licensed, Leah. Matt waited at home for us and when we got home he took us to Red Robin. This isn't a restaurant review, though I do find Red Robin to be mediocre.
Sam ordered a corn dog and french fries. When his food came the french fries were nestled on a huge piece of lettuce. Purely for decorative purposes. Sam said, "Oh, look mom, I got a salad with my dinner. " He picked up the huge piece of lettuce and flapped it around like a flag and then proceeded to eat it. I asked him how his salad tasted and he said it was really good. He didn't seem to notice the lack of other veggies and dressing.
About 15 minutes later, after several minutes of quiet, thoughtful eating he said, "I think that in the past we are just getting here." Matt and I stared at him for a minute and then I said he was thinking deeply. Then he looked around like he was confused and said, "Where are we?" I said, "Don't you mean: When are we?" His eyes got really big.
As we were gearing up to leave, paying the check and stuff, Sam noticed that all that time Matt had been sitting under a big TV. He pointed at it and said, " If there is an Avalanche you and dad should run out that door because your supposed to get away from electronics in an avalanche." I asked him if he meant an earthquake and he said no... I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. Walking out to the car he called shotgun, which besides being really cheeky, kicking his mom to the back seat, I didn't get because he knows he can't sit in the front. He still sits in a car seat for crying out loud.
On the way home Matt asked him what we are doing in the past now and he informed us that we had just gotten our orders.

We are so lucky to have these pictures!

Don't we look great?!!! I haven't been pleased with myself in a picture since...EVER! And I like these pictures. We look like models!!! And I can't believe we have about five that turned out. What a miracle.

They look nice, right? Cute, happy, maybe even a little trendy. AND COLD!!! Following are some of the ones that didn't work out.As you can see the snow was falling sideways due to the wind. It was blowing the flakes right into our eyes!

In this one, you can see,there are some treacherous icicles over head, just yearning to fall on us.

IT WAS SO COLD!!!

Our photographer was a real sport. I wouldn't have wanted to work in that weather.
And he caught this awesome shot of Becky! We don't know what she's doing... Maybe trying not to blow away. She and I laughed sooooo hard the first time we saw it!
And we got a few shots of the whole family. I love this picture. I think it turned out great. What you can't see is a four foot tall pile of coats to the the left. Everyone one took there's off, threw them on the pile and quickly posed. We had been there the longest and felt like our coats were nice enough to be in the picture. It was a fun memory to catch on camera...even though that was the whole purpose.

V-day Tag

I stole this from my friend Emily's blog....

How long have you been together?
Since we started dating - a little over ten years. Married for 8 and a half!!!

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
3 months.

Who asked who out?
Matt asked me after I told him I liked him... I said I would go out with him but that I was bringing my sister Becky along with us.... What was I thinking?! We went to Chili's.

How old are each of you?
Matt is 31 and I'm still 30 for one more month.

Whose siblings do/ did you see the most?
It's probably about equal now that Becky lives in NE.

Do you have any children together?
One boy and six angels.

What about pets?
We ave a beta fish that we have managed to keep alive for ONE YEAR! Amazing.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Halitosis.

Did you go to the same school?
No, never.

Are you from the same home town?
Yes. Though it wasn't always my hometown.

Who is the smartest?
We are pretty evenly matched, but don't tell Matt I said that. I like him to think I'm smarter.

Who is the most sensitive?
Matt is way more considerate of other's feelings, but I cry more often... I guess that doesn't mean I'm sensitive, just emotionally unstable. So, yeah, Matt.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We love Chili's and Tucanos but with our budget, mostly fast food.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Disneyland.

Who has the craziest ex’s?
Definitely Matt, since I don't have any and one of his was CRYING at our reception.

Who has the worst temper?
Me.

Who hogs the bed?
I'd have to say him because I am very territorial and he is constantly getting on my side... But he'd probably say me because of my territory issues.

Who is more stubborn?
Matt says it's me. We argued about it for 30 minutes and I still don't agree.

Who is more jealous?
That's easy, me.

Who does the cooking?
Me. But Matt does too once in a while.

Who is more social?
Me, by FAR.

Who is the neat Freak?
Matt, and it freaks me out.

Who wakes up earlier?
Matt, I hate waking up in the morning.

Where was your first date?
Without Becky? We went to Christmas In The Park in downtown San Jose. He was on crutches because of a broken foot he acquired during church ball, and I had a broken shoulder I acquired in an auto accident. We gimped around for a while and then went to Taco Bell, then over to his families house to play Nintendo. Did I mention he farted?

Who has the bigger family?
He has a bigger immediate family. I have a bigger extended family.


Do you get flowers often?
More often than I expect them.

How do you spend the holidays?
With one side of the fam or the other, sometimes both.

How long did it take to get serious?
For him or me? and what is the definition of serious? I was serious about him before we started dating.

Who does the laundry?
I do mostly. But he helps a LOT when he can.

Who drives when you are together?
He does, until I freak out too much and then he pulls over and we switch.

Is your family still growing?
We'll see.

I tag: Everyone Who Wants to do it even though Valentine's Day has passed.

The start of a new posting habit...

I used to do book reviews on my blog, but I haven't done one since last September. I don't like to give away anything about the stories I read. I have found that it diminishes the experience for me. The books I have enjoyed the most have been the ones I picked up not knowing or expecting anything. It has gotten so important to me not to know that I have even stopped reading jacket covers, because for me they reveal too much.

I have made the decision to go from book reviews to posting a book list once a month or every other month to give a list of what I've read and weather or not I recommend the book. I may add my thoughts about the author or something, but I won't say much about the stories if I think it gives too much away. But who am I to judge what is too much to say? I may not say anything...

If you find you have read one of the books on my list please leave a comment for me as I love to hear and read opinions of books after I have read them. Or if you have read a good book feel free to give me recommendations, but please no plot.

This first one will be longer than others because it is several months worth. Here we go:

The Giver by Lois Lowry - I really liked this book even though it was a bit weird. It gave me some interesting insights and freaked me out at parts.

Fablehaven and Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull - I was reluctant to pick these up because I knew they were fantasy and I from what I had heard I felt like the author was riding on the coat tales of Harry Potter, who, you all know, is VERY near and dear to my heart. Then I found that the author is local and I like to support local artists (unless they write romance) so I gave them a try. I fell in love during the first book. They have a completely different tone than the books about Harry. So far, I have found them very enjoyable. I've just started the third book.

Lyddie by Katherine Paterson - LOVED IT!!!

Hot Lunch by Alex Bradley - This was a Utah Beehive nomination so I picked it up and found it a pleasant read. Very entertaining.

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson - I liked this book.

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson - LOVED IT!!!

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - This was the October Book Club Pick. I liked this book, and I really liked discussing it.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - This was a good book, but it's one that someone recommended to me and gave away a key element or two, so I don't feel like I got the full experience of figuring things out for myself.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin - November Book Club Pick. I enjoyed reading this book. It's non fiction which is not really my thing but I really loved this book.

What Became of Her by M.E. Kerr - This book was okay. I feel like it was missing something.

The Sister by Poppy Adams - I loved this book, though it was really, really weird.

Hallelujah by J. Scott Featherstone - December book Club Pick. This was a good book because of the subject matter. I enjoyed reading it though I didn't really care for the authors writing style or his repetition.

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale - LOVED IT! There has been a lot of buzz about this local author in the circles I travel in. I gave her a try and I have been really impressed. Her writing is refreshing and very entertaining. I have been reading a lot of her books lately. All of her books are in demand here, I have to get on the library's waiting list for each of them. If I had daughters I would be purchasing them.

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale - LOVED IT! This is a companion book to the Goose Girl so read the Goose Girl first.

The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho - This book was strange and I'm still not sure if I liked it or not.... I'm leaning toward not.

The Tales of Beedle The Bard by J.K. Rowling - Of course I liked this book. It's a fun little companion to the Harry Potter series and I especially like the format and "contributors". And it was a fund raiser for a charity - it can't get much better than that. I also have two little pamphlet type books that J.K. did about eight years ago for another charity fundraiser, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them. They are fun little reads that, like The Tales of Beedle, give a little extra insight into Harry's wizarding world.

Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary - I read this to Sam at night one chapter at a time. It was fun and we both enjoyed it.

The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis - January Book Club Pick. I really like this book. I recommend it to all women. I liked our book club discussion as well, though I don't feel like we had the time we needed to cover it all (we went on a lot of tangents).

Book of A Thousand Days by Shannon Hale - LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT! So far this has been my favorite Shannon Hale book. It was wonderful!!!

In the last 5 months I have also re-read the Harry Potter 4-7 books and if you haven't read them WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!!!

Yesterday?

There is a Community Presbyterian Church on 100 East in American Fork. See the above photo. It's cute, and pretty at the same time and I like it because it adds to our small town feel. It's also semi-famous. It's the church used in the filming of Footloose starring Kevin Bacon. I'm surprised you didn't recognize it.

One of my favorite things about this building is that it has a bell tower and it chimes the hour. So if I'm lucky enough to be in the general vicinity on the hour or half hour I get to hear it chime. One quiet, summer day I even heard it from my house five or so blocks away. Also at certain times of day it chimes out whole hymns. I love this. I have always felt that music is the path of least resistance for the spirit and have been lucky enough to hear a hymn or two chime through the neighborhood bearing peaceful feelings and stirring thoughts of Christ. I have yet to figure out when or why it plays whole songs. But when I hear it, it's always a nice surprise.

Yesterday, while I was strapping the kids into the car after a quick trip to the post office I heard the bells chiming away. It was sometime between noon and 1pm so I was confused until I realized it was a song coming from the church and not the time. So I listened for a few seconds to try to catch the tune... To my surprise it was the tune of Yesterday by the Beatles. What? I'm a fan of the Beatles, and have been since I was about 13, but come on.

I know the Beatles sometimes hid secret messages in their music. Does this one have some hidden gospel message I never noticed? Since when does a church bear testimony through music of the truthfulness of John, Paul, George and Ringo? I know there were apostles named John and Paul. I think there is a Saint George. Do Presbyterians believe in Saints? Ringo?-- I got nothin'.

I've been thinking about it since I heard the bells toll and I am at a loss. Has anyone heard of this before? Am I over reacting?

Game?.... What game?

We had what Matt would call a Super Bowl Party on Sunday... I call it a food party. We had such yummy food and so I took pictures. I was seriously ill (throwing up, and pooping black water. Too much info?) on Saturday, and I had to postpone my book club, which I was hosting, and postpone dinner plans we had with friends. So I am so thankful that I was able to partake on Sunday of the delicious football food. My mom, Sam, my cousin Andrea, and I went up and watched Mama Mia sing along version instead of watching the game. It was so fun! And we had to put the leaf in the table to hold all the goods. On the menu:

7 layer dip, and bacon wrapped water chestnuts

I made a cheese ball (rolled it in sunflower seeds) and the beautiful green stuff is jalapeno jelly, made by a friend. So delicious together!

Spicy Chicken wings.

Ruffles and onion dip.

Egg rolls with some scrumdilecient homemade sweet and sour sauce.

I had to invite my drug dealer, Dr. Pepper.

Here are some pics of the Party Animals. Luckily they didn't get too unruly.