Prehistoric Apprearances

It seems that I am the only member of my family willing to eat vegetables these days, so as I was enjoying a wonderfully colorful and delicious salad at dinner tonight, I thought I would take a moment to teach Zachary about good nutrition. He has been in this phase for quite some time now where he will only eat foods that do not belong in any food group. Actually, he does just fine with anything that sits atop the food pyramid...and almost nothing else. Anyway, my point was, after he more than refused the matchstick carrots offered with totally fattening, homemade buttermilk ranch dressing, I decided I'd better say something encouraging. I started out my speech by telling him that eating healthy foods and drinking lots of water helps me to have big muscles. (OK, so he is only three and doesn't know any better, but I had to give it some appeal.) He took a big gulp of chocolate milk and said that he had big muscles, too. His attempt to show me his muscles was pretty much identical to mine. I told him that drinking milk is good, because it helps him to have strong bones and healthy teeth, to which he replied, "You have big dinosaur bones, Mommy!" Maybe I'll start exercising more and stop wearing purple...

"Brother Sniff and the Two Jesuses"

The kids were getting a bit restless toward the end of Sacrament Meeting today, so I took them out to the foyer to wait until it was over. In the meantime, I asked Zachary if he wanted to go to Nursery with his teachers, Brother and Sister Kratzer and Brother Smith. He loves Nursery so, of course, his answer was "Yes!" A few minutes later, he started talking about "Brother Sniff" as if he was sitting across the room. I looked up and saw Brother James, the husband of his former Nursery teacher, Sister James, sitting in a chair across from us with his daughter. As I was trying to correct Zachary and tell him that it was Brother James and NOT Brother Smith, he announced again, "There he is! Brother Sniff...and Jesus...and another Jesus!" Then I suddenly realized that Zachary was noticing a very important detail that I had missed. Above Brother James' head and a little to the right hung a beautiful painting of Joseph Smith's First Vision. Zachary was right all along. It was, indeed, "Brother Sniff"...and Jesus...and someone that looks a heck of a lot like another Jesus, who Zachary now knows is actually "Heavenly Fodder." :)

Home Sweet Home

We made it home safely yesterday after about 14 hours in the car. Except for seeing the huge sunflower farms (cool!) that we'd somehow missed on our way to Omaha, the car trip was unexciting and too long. We are happy to be in our home again, and I am anxious to return to some kind of normal schedule for the kids' sake as well as mine. Chris has been pretty good about recognizing that his schedule needs some adjusting before classes start up again, but I really need to get on the ball.

I spent the day unpacking and doing plenty of housework while Chris had to run to campus early this morning to complete an assignment for the intellectual property journal that he has been writing on this summer. I really have to give him credit for absolutely NEVER complaining about how hard school is or how much work he is asked to do. He just does it! What an inspiration. Not everyone truly loves to be in school the way he does, and I hope our children will inherit that from him, since their mom didn't love being in school that much. I hope they, in turn, will inherit an appreciation for how much work goes into maintaining a household from me, since they probably won't get much of that from their dad. :)

Chris returned home this afternoon, earlier than I expected, and willingly watched the kids so I could take a break. What a guy! I know that, come the end of August, I will not have the same opportunities to lean on him as I do now, so I need to and plan to take advantage of it while I can. Knowing that he had plans to go out and play his Warhammer games tonight, I decided to reward myself (for, you know, all the hard work I did earlier today and for the last year and all the years to come) with a pedicure and an inexpensive trip to Archiver's...which later got a little more expensive when I had to go back and look around some more with the kids in tow. After returning home, Chris left and the kids and I had Taco Bell for a quick dinner since I hadn't been to the grocery store to stock up. We raced back to Archiver's, found a few more things to add to my collection, and stopped by Grandma and Grandpa's house for a short visit. We were all plenty awake at 9:30, so we did the grocery shopping on the way home. The strawberries there looked beautiful, so we're going to do another jam session tomorrow, this time with Grandma.

Day Seven--Packin' Up

What a lazy bum I was today (OK, guess that was Wednesday!)...well, until I started laundry mid-afternoon and began packing our suitcases. We really had no plans until the evening, so I was in no hurry to get up and at 'em. Around 1:00, Chris came in and announced that he and his dad were taking the kids to the mall to play in the kiddie area. That's the excitement of Omaha, Nebraska, I guess. As it turned out, the kiddie area was closed for some remodeling of sorts, and they went to Target and got Icees instead. Chris LOVES Icees, and I'm sure he needed a consolation prize after such a huge disappointment at the mall. Not long after they returned, and after I got to a stopping point in the packing, Chris' mom got home from work and we headed out to their favorite Chinese buffet for dinner. It's a tradition that Chris' dad holds dear. Whenever the kids come home for a visit, we must go out for Chinese. I guess you could say that we are a family that appreciates the simple pleasures in life. We had a nice dinner and came home for more fun and games. One last night to get our fill of Spades and our favorite board games. Then, it was time to call it a night.

Day Six--Hanging Out in our Hats

I snapped these pictures of the kids in the morning while we were all enjoying some downtime. I thought they looked so cute!

Tuesday, Grandpa watched the kids so Chris and I could catch a movie. I was excited because it has been a really long time since Chris and I have been to the theater together. I'd been wanting to see Shrek since I'd heard it was coming out. I couldn't believe that I was actually bored during this movie. I wasn't expecting that, since I loved the first Shrek movie and thought the second was OK. But this third one could have put me to sleep and almost did. Chris and I were both disappointed, but at least we got to have some time alone.

Last night, I went with Chris' mom to the temple again. Someone she knows in her ward was going through for the first time. It was a neat experience, as the room was full of people from the ward that were there to support her. It was a peaceful and enjoyable way to spend the evening.

Day Five--Our Day at the Zoo

Grandpa took us to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. We'd been looking forward to this little adventure since we first planned our trip out here. I wish I could say that we enjoyed it immensely, but unfortunately, we will mostly remember how hot it was! We got to the zoo around 10 a.m. and hit the outdoor exhibits first so that we could see the ones indoors during the hottest part of the day. Actually, some of the outdoor attractions are still somewhat indoors, meaning that they are inside enclosures but are not necessarily air-conditioned, so even those really weren't all that bad. We got to see all the coolest animals, like the big cats, the "new" Gorilla Valley habitat (the last time we were there was 3 1/2 years ago when this was not ready to open), the bears, etc., before we got too hot and tired. One thing that I really enjoyed was seeing the new babies that were on display. There was a set of twin tiger cubs that were born just 2 weeks ago as well as a baby gorilla and a baby macacque (it's a type of monkey) that was just the cutest little thing. I have pictures, but of course I am still trying to figure out how to post them on this blog. Anyway, after seeing the main attractions, we had to make a circle around the park to see a lot of the other animals, and it was like walking uphill both ways! Lots and lots of exercise, considering we were pushing both kids in their strollers at a pretty steep incline. We couldn't believe how tiring it was, so we were glad when we'd seen all we wanted to see outdoors so we could hit the stuff indoors. By that point, we were all so worn out (I know, we sound like total wimps!) that we breezed past most of it just so we could feel like we'd seen everything before we left and were just glad to be able to escape the heat.

After leaving the zoo, we stopped at McDonald's for lunch. That is what our kids like best, and we thought that would be a nice way to end the outing for them. After lunch, we headed back to the house, where we spent the rest of the evening relaxing. When Grandma returned home from work, we had dinner and the kids went to bed early (Zachary at 7:30 and Ashley around 8:15). I can't believe they are still asleep, but they've both been staying up later than they should and I guess it has finally caught up with them. Chris and his mom and I played a few games of Settlers and one round of the train game before it was time for her to go to bed. I was in the middle of doing some laundry, so Chris was waiting up for his pajamas to be dry but eventually gave up and went to bed awhile ago. I was working on a card and didn't want to have to save any part of it for later. I like how it turned out, but it just seems like something is missing. I'm not sure what it is, but aside from that, I was pleased with the results. Oh, I also finished up another card that I'd started yesterday. It required a zig-zag stitch, which I asked Chris' mom if she could help me out with since I don't sew. She pulled out her machine and tried her best, but the paper was probably too thick and her machine couldn't do the trick. She ended up removing the thread one last time and just ran the needle over the card to place some holes so I could stitch it by hand with embroidery floss. The results were reminiscent of my earlier days of cross-stitching failures, but I think from the outside of the card, it doesn't look bad. It's a birthday card for my sister, so she has to love me anyway. :) I think I'll need some lessons on paper-sewing before I attempt this type of card again.

Day Four--A Little R&R

It's a little past midnight, but this entry is for Sunday and I'm keeping it short since it's past bedtime and we have a big day ahead of us.

The day was pretty laid back for all of us. Church here starts at 11:00, so we didn't have to get up too early. It's nice to be able to take our time getting ready. I also liked that it wasn't as late as our ward meets (we meet at 1:00). Eleven o'clock is much better on Ashley, who likes her naps. I've been to church with Chris' parents now several times since we've been married, and the people there are very friendly and have known Chris and his family since he was a young teenager. They are always so welcoming, and I feel like part of their ward whenever I am here.

Sacrament Meeting with my kids is always crazy. We always plan ahead for snacks, drinks, books, etc., but it never seems to be enough to keep my kids from fighting over stuff. Chris' dad had to take Ashley out twice, because she was screaming at the top of her lungs because Zachary had something she wanted. Zachary could not sit still, and despite repeated attempts to keep him quiet, he could not stop talking loudly or making sound effects. The talks were on "Our Rising Generation," and I couldn't help but think to myself that this generation has more ADHD than any other generation, I'm guessing.

Chris' parents are the nursery leaders, so Zachary and Ashley both got to go with Grandpa and Grandma for two hours while Chris and I went to Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society. It was a nice break for us, and I knew the kids were having fun together. Sunday School was interesting, although I can't think for the life of me what the topic was! The teacher is my mother-in-law's visiting teacher, and she is so easy to listen to...very interesting and down-to-earth lady. I'm sure if I think long enough, I will remember what the topic was...I think we talked about stoning the prophets, but I can't imagine that being the overall subject of the lesson. I'm sure there was something else to be gained from it. I was probably a little too distracted by this baby who kept walking over to us and trying to snatch the bag of Froot Loops from our diaper bag. It was actually his dad who kept trying to divert his attention. It was completely fine with me if he wanted our Froot Loops. The funny thing about it was that he had his own bag of Froot Loops (looked exactly the same as ours), but he really could not keep his eyes off of ours. He was entertaining a lot of people around us in the meantime, and though I wasn't bothered by him, I wanted to listen to the lesson and even told his dad to just let him have all those Froot Loops since my kids really didn't need them. The Relief Society lesson today was on reverence. How appropriate! But actually, it was not so much about teaching our children about reverence but was more about how we, as adults, can show reverence or carry a spirit of reverence with us. One comment, in particular, stood out to me. Someone talked about how the sounds of little children should not be considered as irreverent, but if we, as adults, sit there and focus our minds on how irreverent our kids (or others' children) are being, to the point that we are not focusing on keeping the Spirit with us, then we are the ones who are really being irreverent. I will remember that the next time my kids are acting up and I want to take them out in the hall and spank their little bottoms!

After church, while Ashley was napping and Zachary was watching a movie with Daddy and Grandpa, I escaped downstairs to work on cards (again). Last night, I made this really cute one that I liked so much that I decided to make several more of it. After finishing 5 more, my shoulder was starting to hurt a little, so I went upstairs and helped Chris' mom get dinner ready. She made a wonderful Sunday dinner of teriyaki-marinated flank steak, roasted red potatoes, fresh corn-on-the-cob, green beans, and every Mormon's favorite (right?!), green Jell-O squares. Apparently, she is quite fond of Jell-O squares, as they are regularly served in this house and are taken as Nursery treats just about every week. Except for the fact that the kids refused to eat their dinner, which is also becoming a regular occurrence, having dinner together was very nice.

After dinner, Chris and his parents and I played cards. Spades is pretty much the only game that Chris' dad will play when we're together, and I love it when he joins us for games. We let the kids entertain themselves, which is OK to do every now and then, since they are great playmates! Chris and I beat his parents at Spades in one miraculous victory and one that was not quite as unexpected. Once again, the "Chumps", as my father-in-law calls anyone who plays against him, go undefeated against the "Champs" (what he calls himself, whether he wins or loses.)

Tomorrow, we're planning on our much-anticipated trip to the zoo, so I am off to bed now!

Day Three--Just Hangin' Around

I wasn't feeling too well today, and since we had no plans for the first half of the day, it allowed me to relax around the house for the morning. Chris and his mom and I went to the 4:00 session at the temple while Grandpa watched the kids. She stayed afterward to work the next session and is due home anytime now. Chris' sister and her husband visited this evening and we had dinner and played a game with them. It's time to get kids ready for bed, now that they've eaten their weight in sugar. I might be able to escape downstairs and work on a card if I'm lucky.

Day Two--The Park Here Stinks, but Archiver's is Sweet!

Grandma and Grandpa both had to work today, so the rest of us slept in but got up around 9:30. By the way, we are staying in the "basement", which is really more like a cozy suite that is separated from the other bedrooms. I prefer it, actually, and feel better knowing that the kids aren't going to wander out and fall down the stairs. Anyway, when we went upstairs for breakfast, what did we find, but 2 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Twinkies, Ding Dongs, chips, popcorn, M&Ms... I'm not kidding. Just thinking about all that sugar makes me feel like I'm going to have convulsions. Guess Grandma and Grandpa know what kids will eat without complaining! I had plain ol' boring Cheerios, which I found hiding among the other stuff, because I couldn't stand the thought of any more sugar.

We didn't have any plans for today since we were on our own, so I looked online to see if there's an Archiver's store here. I still haven't been to the one back home, but it piqued my curiosity and since Chris didn't mind, why not check it out? It turned out there is one and it's only about 5 minutes from the house. It was right by the Best Buy, so we had to stop there first so we could get a spare rechargeable battery for our camera and so that Chris could look around at what he likes, too. It wasn't as hard finding Archiver's as it was finding my way out. That place is AWESOME--my new favorite store! I really didn't stay for as long as I could have. I did get a few things--some Stickles, some ribbon, and a couple of stamp sets unlike any I already have. Love that place!

Grandpa was home from work when we returned. We visited with him, and later on, while he was holding Ashley (who was trying to nap), I escaped downstairs and made a birthday card for my sister-in-law, Karen. My own personal opinion of the card was that it looked like my first card--it was flawed and unimpressive. Karen will appreciate it, though, because she knows that I never get things done on my own. That is, after all my talking of wanting to make cards and buying a truckload of stuff to get started, I finally did something with it. I used my own stuff, adapted an idea from a book we both have and did it completely independently. That, in itself, was an achievement for me.

Grandma still wasn't home from work by that point, so Chris decided to take Zachary to the park. I wouldn't let him take Zachary and not Ashley, so even though what I REALLY wanted to do was work on more cards, I took Ashley and went out with the boys. Grandpa thought we were crazy, because it was still hotter than 90 degrees outside at 6:00, and he stayed at home. The walk to the park wasn't really long, but as we got closer, I noticed an awful smell permeating around the area. It smelled like a sewer--gross! As we got closer to the playground, the smell, luckily, dissipated. That was a plus, but I still didn't like the park, because it was one of those that is like a giant sandbox and I was wearing my new sandals and couldn't keep the sand from getting inside of them. The kids ended up being covered in sand by the time we got back to the house, and they had to have baths (again) before dinner. Other than that, the kids had a blast. Ashley LOVED her first ride on the merry-go-round, and Zachary favored the curly slide that had to be close to 15 ft. tall. I still can't believe he had the guts to climb all the way up.

After dinner, Chris and his mom and I played some board games...Settlers of Cataan and Ticket to Ride, 2 of our favorites. Chris' mom, especially, loves to play games when we visit, and I love playing with her because she's like me--once she starts, she gets hooked and wants to play game after game after game. Chris' dad isn't into games (unless it's Spades, which we WILL play another night), so he tinkered on the computer and watched Fox and the Hound with the kids. The kids love being here with their Nebraska grandparents, whom they don't get to see very much. I'm sure that they love seeing the kids, too, as they have grown so much since they last got to see them in January.

Day One -- Journey to the Land of "Nod"

I stayed up too late the night before we set out on our trip to Nebraska. Instead of getting caught up on my sleep like I needed to, I realized that I might actually have a chance to work on making some cards on this vacation. So, I was up until 3:30 a.m. sorting through papers, stamps, embellishments, tools, and idea books that I may want to use. I really hope I get some make cards, since I won't have my usual obstacles that keep me from it. I am really excited!

We got up just after 7 a.m. I knew that Chris would be driving the first leg of trip, so I would get to go back to sleep. One great thing about being in the car for such long stretches is that I have no choice but to ignore the children when they don't like having to sit in carseats. We appropriately packed plenty of books, some toys, blankies and LOTS and LOTS of treats! There was nothing else I needed to do, so I reclined my seat back and got some rest. When I woke up a while later, Chris was ready to stop for food. None of us had gotten breakfast before we'd left, as none of us is usually up that early in the morning, so we stopped at Jack in the Box for "brunch". The kids were in such a good mood...being each other's little sidekicks and laughing and enjoying a break from the car. It was good to get out, but I decided that Steak & Cheese Ciabattas at 10:00 a.m. is just not something I want to get used to.

After we got back on the road, I wasn't as tired, but I did nod off a couple of times, making the next leg of the trip go by a little faster. By noontime, I was sufficiently rested and got out my first Cherry Coke of the trip. I knew there wasn't any going back after the caffeine kicked in, but I didn't want to go back to sleep at that point. With the kids being so good in the backseat (just an occasional complaint here and there), Chris and I ended up having a chance to really talk...about the future, our kids, our concerns, our hopes and dreams, our families, and the bottom line, our commitment to each other. It was one of the best conversations I have had with him in a really long time. Being away from the distractions at home was wonderful.

I drove the second leg of the trip, which spanned from Oklahoma City to Salina, Kansas. There really isn't much to see along the way, so that enabled us to talk so much. Eventually Chris needed a nap, but he didn't sleep for long, as he has trouble in the car. I think he worries about my driving. I have a tendency to speed, and there were a lot of cops out on the road. "Do you know what the speed limit is?" he'd quiz me. "Ummm...eighty-two and a half?" I think he just has a hard time sleeping, period. When it was time to stop for gas again, Chris traded off with me and drove the last leg of the trip. We stopped in ... who knows where to grab dinner. I think we may have just been entering Nebraska by then.

I couldn't stay awake for the last part of the trip. The sleep deprivation kicked in around 9 p.m., though I occasionally woke to the kids' happy sounds and I went back to sleep satisfied. I awoke just as we made it into Omaha, and we pulled into Grandma and Grandpa's driveway at 10:30. After unpacking and a short visit, we were all ready for sleep. Actually, the kids were wired, but WE were ready for them to go to sleep so that we could, too. The feeling of crawling under the covers on that big fluffy bed was...heaven!

(A?)Typical Toddler?

The last time I took Zachary to the pediatrician, for his routine 3-year check-up, I'd already begun to question what I was doing wrong in terms of disciplining the child. He and Ashley both were out of control that day. They were running wild around the exam room and probably were just enjoying themselves a little too much as I tried to quiet them and keep them still. There isn't much to play with in one of those rooms, but still, I am not a zookeeper, and I certainly didn't want anyone thinking that I don't know how to keep my kids under control. Chris had been in Houston working for, oh, 5 weeks at that point, and we'd been out of a routine for quite some time. I was frazzled and needed some help.

The doctor walks in and starts questioning me in her usual way about Zachary and his overall health. He's a healthy boy and always has been, and it seemed that that was apparent with his high energy level that day. The kids were still going strong, tearing through the room as I tried to carry on this conversation, having to talk louder and listen harder to hear what questions she was asking me. The doctor didn't seem at all phased. She sees kids all the time and took it all in stride when the kids finally ended up pulling her telephone off the wall right in front of her. (By the way, great idea to put a telephone on the wall so that anything that walks on 2 legs can reach it!) The only thing she cared about was to make sure the kids were OK. What a great doc! She got to the part where she asked what MY concerns were. I basically explained to her that I'd been easy on her, as far as my list of questions were concerned over the past 3 years, and now, I told her, I was about to make up for that. She was ready. I questioned her first about discipline methods (I was desperate--I'd felt I'd tried a lot of things unsuccessfully, and here was the evidence of my failure--2 kids who weren't listening to a single word I said) and wanted to know her stand on preschool (I'd really love for Zachary to start anytime now to work on learning some social skills, but Chris doesn't think it's necessary if mom's at home. Costs too much, and our kid's already a genius...) First, she recommended a great book, 1-2-3 Magic, an easy read even for a busy mom which I raced out and bought. I read it and use the techniques some of time, and it has seemed to help. It also seems to help that Chris is back at home now. As for preschool, she didn't seem to make that optional. "Three years-old and they go to preschool," is what she said. We talked about social skills, and my concern about how Zachary is a very bright child, but when met with situations such as the one we were in, he becomes hyper and non-responsive to questions he normally could answer in a quieter, more familiar setting. He avoided making eye contact with the doctor, just as I predicted he would, and became the Tazmanian Devil when asked his age. She didn't seem overly concerned but referred us to a someone who did developmental assessments in what honestly seemed to be an effort just to ease my frustration. "It'll be interesting to see what they say," is all she said.

I always thought I'd heard about these free studies on toddlers and thought this might be worth signing up for. I made the call to schedule and appointment and realized this was something that wasn't free. And I wasn't sure my crappy student health insurance (that's better than no insurance) would cover a penny of it. I tried to find out but never could reach anyone with an answer. C'est la vie. I went on with life. The day before Zachary's appointment, the hospital called to say that the doctor had to be out that day and we would need to reschedule. I wasn't sure I wanted to bother, as Chris and I both think Zachary's a normal, healthy 3 year-old who was wired on something the day of his well-check. Eventually, though, I did reschedule but still was curious as to what this would cost us if insurance wouldn't pay. It's going to be around $600 for this assessment, and if we have a child who seems normal to just about everyone we know, we really don't want to pay for something just to satisfy the doctor's curiosity. She had seemed so nonchalant about it. I ended up cancelling the appointment for now until I could talk to her some more about what it is, exactly, that he's being tested for. The problem with the insurance is that they only cover illness and injury. There is simply no diagnosis here, and would there ever be?

Fast forward to yesterday, when I took Ashley for her 15-month check-up. I'd left Zachary at home with Chris (need I explain why?) and waited patiently for the doctor arrived. Meanwhile, Ashley was back at it with the phone...probably wondering how it got stuck on the wall again. The first thing the doctor asks when she walks through the door is how Zachary is doing. She told me she'd been wondering what would take place as she walked through the door. She expected a whirlwind. He wasn't there, and it was calm. I explained the situation we were in with the assessment and how our insurance may not cover it and how much did she feel it was necessary. This time she was pretty adamant that this is something we NEED to have done. Whoa! Where did this come from? I so did not get that from our initial talk! After we finished our discussion, I don't know if she felt untrusted or if she was annoyed that this was the second time I'd mentioned money as being an issue (no job, no money tree, no problem, right?), but she abruptly ended the conversation and the visit and that was it. Well, let her be upset with me if she wants to be, but I was glad to hear her finally come out and say that this isn't just something she was just "interested in what they'll have to say." She thinks there may be some real issues...that he may be high-functioning but have some underlying developmental disorder. I still have my doubts, but I will take her expert advice and am going to have him tested sometime after we get back from our visit with the in-laws this week.

There is, however, Chris and HIS expert opinion. He is the expert on our family finances, and it is sometimes difficult to challenge him on that. I did get some information on a program the doctor suggested called Any Baby Can, which operates on a sliding fee scale, to see if we can get this done without having to pay quite as much if we go through our insurance. If not, I still want what's best for my child and I'm not concerned as much about the cost. If it's necessary, I'll do it. I just needed to know that it was, after all, necessary.

Some Very Valuable Lessons

Something very scary happened to me last Friday that, luckily, had a happy ending that I want to share. It was a day of learning valuable lessons, so here goes!

After a long playdate-filled morning, I'd planned to take the kids swimming with Grandma at her neighborhood pool. It was a blazing hot day outside, and I was really looking forward to taking the kids in the water. Everything started out great, and the kids were really enjoying themselves, with us, in the special kiddie water park area. Zachary, who has always been more timid than I imagined a little boy to be, seemed to put aside his fears for the day and was showing off some newfound bravery, going down the waterslide on his own over and over and over again. Ashley, who is usually not one to let her brother outdo her, was the timid one, wanting to be held constantly while Zachary couldn't get enough of the action.

After Zachary grew tired of the slide, we all moved to the other side of the kiddie area, toward the "beach", where there is still just over a foot of water. The water was no more than waist-deep on Zachary, and he had never had any trouble maneuvering around in it before. Grandma and I sat down with Ashley and enjoyed watching her play, and even though there was a lifeguard on duty 10 feet or so away from him, I kept my eye on Zachary almost the entire time. I had seen him grab one of those pool "noodles" and didn't think anything of it at the time. Ashley was splashing around to her heart's content when I realized I'd let myself become distracted. Sure that Zachary was having a blast, too, I turned just to check on him. Instead, I found him, chest slightly propped up on the noodle, kicking his legs and paddling his arms just like he'd learned to do in swimming lessons just one month ago. I was amazed at first. "Wow!" I thought. "Is he really doing this all on his own?!" Skeptical, I stood there for several seconds just watching him go. That is when I noticed that he was swallowing mouthfuls of water and fighting to keep his head above the water. He had quite a grip on that noodle, which, I realized later, was probably the only thing (other than a 3 year-old's under-developed problem-solving skills) that was preventing him from just dropping the noodle and picking himself up. Only a few feet away from him, I quickly reached out and pulled him from the water. Just then, the lifeguard walked over and tried to hand me his life preserver...as if that was going to help! "Thanks, man...a little too late," I thought to myself. With Zachary safe in my arms, I carried him over to where Grandma and Ashley were sitting and just held him tight, doing all I could to make sure he knew that I had him and that he was okay, but feeling terribly guilty...like I'd willfully neglected my own son and almost let him drown right there in the kiddie pool with me sitting there thinking, "Wow, he really paid attention during those swimming lessons!"

I was still a little in shock about what had just happened when I smelled something foul. My initial thought, because he was breathing heavily in my face at the time, was that my son had a case of seriously bad breath. (Boy, I've really got to work on my perception, because that was the second time in a matter of only a few minutes that I was more than a little off!) Knowing then that one of my kids had a job for me to do, I checked Zachary first and, sure enough, it was him. In a moment of enlightenment, I realized the literal meaning of the phrase, "to have the crap scared out of you." (Forgive me for being crude, but that is what I thought.) Grandma said she thought Ashley needed a change, too, so we took a break and headed with both kids toward the restroom. It turned out that Ashley really didn't need a change, so Grandma took her back to the shallow end of the main pool, and I set out on what became the worst diaper-changing experience I have ever had. And why? Because I learned exactly how absorbent those Little Swimmer swim pants really are. Or maybe I should rephrase that: I learned exactly how much water those things can hold, turning nature's innocent little call into a few gallons of smelly, polluted water, that turned into a natural disaster right there on the changing table in the ladies' room while I tried to remove the swim pants. What would have been a simple, 30-second task under most circumstances, this diaper change turned into an embarrassing 10-minute undertaking that, luckily, nobody else had to witness...but only because I used my entire body to shield my son from onlookers while trying even harder to shield myself from public humiliation. Quickly, I used up almost my entire stash of baby wipes to mop up the giant mess and tossed all evidence of it into the closest garbage can. After finally putting Zachary in a fresh pair of swim pants, we hightailed it to the sink before anyone had a chance to walk in on us. Zachary and I had some serious decontaminating to do before we went back in the water, but back in the water we did go. I probably should have advised the pool crew to call the fire department and have someone come to do hazardous waste clean-up in the bathroom, but I was too embarrassed to utter a word about it. Now that I think about it, who knows what disgusting stories that changing table would tell if changing tables could talk. I'm sure I would rather change the subject.

So, here's where the happy ending kicks in! After surviving our ordeal, Zachary didn't even act phased by any of it! Even from the moment I pulled him from the water, he reassured me, "I'm okay." Aware that I could have made the situation a whole lot scarier for him if I harped on how afraid I had been, I congratulated him on remembering his swimming skills so well and for doing a great job at kicking and paddling and for being so brave and working so hard. My speech was a moment of brilliance that came from God, because I don't know where else it would have come from at that particular moment. Zachary beamed with pride, just as he did the day he was awarded his certificate of completion after 8 whole days of swimming lessons, which, to me, have already paid off.

Robin 101

Here are 101 things that I bet you didn't know about me. And if you did, then you're ready for Robin 202...and I'm not quite ready for that myself. But it really isn't too hard to come up with 101 things that people may or may not know about you, so go ahead and take the challenge! Don't try to think too hard. The more random, the better.

1. Being a mom is the one thing I always knew for sure that I wanted to be when I grew up, and I know now that raising my kids is far better than any other job I could have chosen instead.

2. I used to tell my parents (until around age 9) that I wanted to work on computers just like my dad, even though I really didn't, because I believed it made him feel special.

3. When I was about 11, I was at a church activity for mothers and daughters where we were playing a game to see how well the moms knew their girls. When it was my mom's turn to tell everyone what she thought I wanted to be when I grew up, she said that I wanted to work on computers just like my dad. Imagine her surprise when my teacher told her that I'd said I aspired to work at 7-11. I didn't really know what else to tell her, and I thought it would be fun to be around all that candy.

4. They say it is good for the heart, so that must be why I like Dove Dark Chocolate so much.

5. I don't like it when my kids are messy or sticky, so I bathe them more often than I should. Once I bathed them 3 times in one day.

6. Ice cream is my #1 best food-friend. It makes me happy, no matter what.

7. My favorite ice cream flavors are the ones with lots of stuff mixed in. I usually stay away from boring flavors like vanilla or chocolate...unless they're covered in toppings. One of my favorite flavors is Blue Bell Chocolate Brownie Overload, though strangely I don't consider myself a chocoholic. You probably don't believe me, do you?

8. I kind of think that colored sprinkles make everything more fun.

9. I like things that are bright and colorful, but I don't really have a favorite color.

10. I read while blow-drying my hair every day, and I have really thick hair which takes awhile to dry.

11. I have a strong preference for non-fiction. I just really like true stories.

12. I have never color-treated my hair, unless you count the time when I had to go to school in the 8th grade with hair the color of the Incredible Hulk. I was on the neighborhood swim team, and the pool was WAY over-chlorinated. I always thought the red highlights I had later on came from the tomato juice I had to use to wash out the green.

13. I wish I was a faster reader. I have a hard time just skimming the pages.

14. I am an excellent speller and won awards in UIL spelling competitions when I was younger.

15. I hate being up in front of people, and I hate public speaking even more.

16. I am pretty easygoing and don't mind letting others pick (restaurants, movies, etc.)

17. I love to play board games and think I'm pretty good at them.

18. I enjoy learning new things and am always trying to improve myself.

19. I secretly like to think that people wish their kids were as cute as mine.

20. I started collecting things for my future kids long before I ever got married, the weirdest of which was the set of bumper pads for a crib. I let my mom buy those for me before the wedding day. (see #29)

21. My husband and I would like to have more children, and our next daughter, should we have another girl, will have 31 letters in her name.

22. I made a deal with him that he could use that name if he let me go with what I liked for our first daughter. I shouldn't have had to do that, since he named our son.

23. I am not afraid of needles, even the huge ones, and I can totally handle the sight of blood with no problem.

24. I am somewhat afraid of heights and am somewhat claustrophobic.

25. When I was 17, my older brother and I went swimming at the lake with some friends and they were jumping off a cliff and talked me into doing it, too, even though I really didn't want to. I hit the water wrong and he had to jump in and save me. He begged me not to tell our mother (which I agreed because I am a really cool sister--I actually was injured pretty badly) but later that day I caught him laughing his head off while he told the story to her himself. That is probably part of the reason why I'm afraid of heights.

26. I'm definitely more of a visual or a hands-on learner. My mind wanders too much to listen to any kind of directions.

27. I have always had excellent health and am fortunate that I never really get sick.

28. I have a collection of old coins (anything before 1960 is considered old to me), including a silver quarter from 1936 that I got as change from a vending machine and a 1929 penny.

29. I am a huge Snoopy fan, but strangely I never cared for the Peanuts comic strip. I remember loving the TV specials and have a pretty vast collection of them on VHS.

30. I am not a movie buff and am usually the last person who knows anything about what movies are coming out.

31. I have the same birthday as Harry Potter, but I couldn't care less.

32. I don't care much at all for fantasy or science-fiction.

33. I like movies set in modern times a whole lot more than historical ones.

34. I hate hearing recordings of my voice, and it doesn't even sound like what I hear when I speak anyway.

35. I like to try new recipes but don't consider myself to be a good cook.

36. I like to look at cookbooks for fun, but I only like cookbooks with color pictures.

37. I am not a picky eater, but cold meat turns me off.

38. I like trying ethnic foods, my personal favorite probably being Thai.

39. I was born and raised in Texas, but I am not a country girl.

40. I am not good with hair or make-up.

41. I have a lead foot when it comes to driving.

42. All the traffic tickets I've gotten were between 2000-2003. There were about 7 of them during that time, including one on my birthday.

43. I enjoy going grocery shopping and don't like to stick to a list.

44. I love going to the zoo.

45. I am a total kid at heart and can't believe I am as old as I am.

46. I played the oboe in the band for 2 years and then switched the to alto saxophone, which I played for 5 years. I let my parents trade it for a used car when I went away to college.

47. I love learning about psychology and my favorite class in college was Abnormal Psych.

48. I volunteered in a mental hospital for a class assignment and thought it was so interesting that I continued doing it for a year after I finished the class.

49. I'm having a craving for a spinach & herb bagel from Einstein's...like I used to eat back in the day when I volunteered at the mental hospital. Weird...

50. I like a lot of different kinds of music, especially the 80's.

51. I love the 80's song "Take On Me" by A-Ha.

52. I had an opera song stuck in my head this morning, but I don't know the words or the name and can only hum parts of it.

53. I'd like to learn to speak Italian someday and have had the CDs to do so for years now.

54. I've never been out of the country except to Canada once.

55. I love traveling and sight-seeing, and I will do more of it when I can afford to.

56. Being able to stay at home with my children is a blessing I am extremely grateful for.

57. I am like the papparazzi when it comes to taking pictures of my kids. They don't smile for their pictures anymore, which only means I have to take even more pictures.

58. Someday I would like to decorate a room with framed jigsaw puzzles, an idea inspired by a doctor's office I once visited.

59. Ranch dressing is my favorite, and I really appreciate a good one.

60. My sister and I once spent a summer pretending we were food critics whenever we went out to restaurants, and we ate a lot of grilled chicken salads that summer.

61. I am better at remembering birthdays than most people are.

62. I once passed out in line at a Mexican restaurant. I think I was about 14 at the time.

63. I think my son looks like my side of the family and my daughter looks like her dad's side. Just about everyone tells me it's the other way around.

64. I have worn contact lenses for 17 years and don't like how I look in glasses.

65. I have always wanted to decorate a gingerbread house but never have.

66. I like to be creative, but I don't think it comes easily for me.

67. I could ruin anything with paint.

68. I love the feeling I get when I open a brand new box of Crayola crayons.

69. When I was in college, I was horsing around in an apartment and hit my arm against the door frame, breaking off the tip of my elbow. I never went to a doctor, so I've always wondered whatever happened to that missing piece. After 12 years, that elbow still feels a little more flat than the other one.

70. I sometimes wish I had more ambition, but since I strongly feel like I'm doing what I am supposed to be doing, I'm totally OK to focus on that.

71. I don't really consider myself a grumpy person in the morning.

72. I appreciate diversity and like taking my kids on new adventures, hoping that will inspire them to want to develop lots of interests...just like me. HA HA

73. I don't like having to get dressed up.

74. One of my favorite movies is Awakenings, with Robin Williams.

75. I love watching the Olympic Games and get emotional watching them sometimes.

76. I have always liked rollercoasters.

77. I love surprises but almost didn't show up to my own baby shower because it was a little TOO much of a surprise.

78. I studied Spanish for 7 years in middle school, high school and college. It was my favorite subject and I did well in it. I still remember quite a bit of it, but just don't ask me to speak it.

79. It totally bugs me if my husband goes to bed without me because I always stay up with him under normal circumstances.

80. Scrapbooking and cardmaking are 2 hobbies I wish I had more time for.

81. I'm a very sentimental person.

82. When I met my in-laws for the first time, I was in tears after having just run over and killed a dog on a freeway exit ramp. That was before I found out that they really don't like dogs anyway.

83. I dread having to go to the post office.

84. I don't really like to eat bananas, but I like most banana-flavored things.

85. My favorite soft drink is Cherry Coke.

86. I often feel guilty about things I shouldn't.

87. I enjoy developing themes for my kids' birthdays and start planning months in advance.

88. I have loved watching game shows for as long as I can remember.

89. I still have memories of my first trip to the circus, and I was 4 years old at the time.

90. I never learned how to do a cartwheel.

91. I still find checking the mail a little exciting.

92. I like city skylines when they are lit up.

93. I love the mountains and wildlife.

94. I don't like reading classical literature, especially when it is written in Old English.

95. I like to sing in the shower and think I'm pretty good at it. LOL

96. I like grilled cheese sandwiches.

97. I once foreshadowed that, despite wanting an easier last name, I would marry someone with a Polish last name, and guess what...

98. I like to be organized and always have a mental list of what I want to organize next, though most of the time it's just a nice thought I had.

99. I love Disneyworld and went there for my honeymoon.

100. I think it would be fun to work in an ice cream store, because they always smell like fresh-baked waffle cones, and people who go there are usually happy. And, hey, there's all that ice cream!

101. I ate a lot of chocolate-dipped strawberries when I was pregnant with my daughter, which might account for her sweet-and-sour personality.