shhhh - don't tell my mom ...

yesterday was a fantabulous day! i got to spend the day with my handsome husband. he had appointments in bellingham and blaine and then we had lunch at red robin - one of our favorite restaurants. our original plan was to be home about the time the girls got out of school. when we left home we were behind schedule ... we were 30 minutes late to the first appt. and 15 minutes late to the second ... but right on time to the third ... we left blaine at 1:30ish and arrived at bellingham red robin about 2:15 (we had to search for an internet connection and send off a file before lunch). we sat down at 2:30 starving - i hadn't thought about needing snacks on this road trip! we ate and talked and at 3:00 realized that we were not going to make it to get the girls. i called my mom (she was with the boys) and asked her to go get them, she said it was no problem and to take our time. as we headed home, andy suggested that we stop at the outlet mall and see if we could find me a birthday present - great idea! i suggested that we pull over at the nearest rest stop ... to ... go potty ... and ... um ... kiss ... a lot. after some kissing, the car was getting warm so i turned the key so i could roll down the window a little. after much making out in our steamy car {it's not illegal when you're married, i did some extensive internet research just now!}, i looked at the clock ... SHOOT! that old adage "time flies when you're having fun" - true business! it was already 4:30!! i turned the key in the ignition ... nothin' not even a try - the battery was TOTALLY dead! the nice guy we asked to give us a jump said he didn't have cables but offered his jump start box and our battery was so dead it took our jumper cables linked to his car battery AND the jump starter to get our car running! there is something wrong with andy's alternator it's a good thing we had jumper cables or we might still be there ... making out! ;)


when we were back on the freeway, i called my mom again to explain and ask for more time ... the conversation went something like this:

me: mom, we had some car trouble.

mom: where are you?

me: back on the freeway now ... but when we stopped at a rest stop to go potty, we couldn't get the car started for a little bit.

mom: but you're on the road now.

me: yes, and i was wondering ... would it be ok for us to stop at the outlets for a little bit?

mom: how long will it take you?

me: not long, i just want to look for a shirt at a couple stores.

mom: ok ... let me know when you're headed here.

me: thanks mom! see you soon.

ok ... so i didn't lie ... we did go potty ... it was more like a 'lie by omission'. don't hate me because i'm embarrassed to tell my own mother that i was making out with my husband!?

after a short stop at the outlets ... we arrived home just as mom was fixing dinner for the kids.

it was a GREAT 32nd birthday!

due also in part to my little big sister and my jennycook and my alicia and all the great people that called and wished me well.

ps. i already called my mom and confessed my sin - i know you wanted to call and snitch on me! neener neener.

church basketball - the bane of my existence

wednesday nights are usually my 'night off' - i get to go out with friends or wander the aisles of Wal-mart or scrapbook unhindered by little people. after dinner is made, eaten and cleaned up and the troops head upstairs to get ready for bed, my night begins! as i have mentioned before, i have a BIG problem with my television obsession ... wednesday nights are hard to miss! so the last few i've been having my 'night off' in front of the tv (sad, i know).


this last wednesday night i had settled in with my scrapbook and remote when andy came back from putting the kids to bed in his basketball clothes. (many of you know that thursday nights are 'game night' for church ball - but this week there were some meetings in the stake center and so the powers-that-be cancelled all games for this thursday.) he had decided that since he wouldn't be playing thursday night ... and i wasn't going anywhere, he'd take this opportunity to 'get in some cardio'.


he left at about 9:00 ... at about 9:45 i got a call from him, "i jammed my finger really bad - it really hurts. do you think i should go to a walk-in clinic?" "how bad is it? do you think you need to?" "i don't have my wallet - i'll be there in a minute."


when he walked in i could tell it was bad ... he was almost in tears - and he has a pretty high pain tolerance. he had gone up for a rebound and another guy's elbow came down on his ring finger ... he thought it was just jammed but when he pulled on his finger he said that it felt like the bones in his hand were moving. he could bend it right after but now it hurt too bad. almost as i watched it, his hand started to swell. we googled everett walk-in clinics and discovered that they all close at 8pm - the emergency room was the only option. he took his jacket and wallet and headed to providence everett.


at 10:45 the phone rang again. "hey what's your social security number? ... how do you spell dr. pautler? ... thomas? ... k - i'm all checked in ... now they'll see me."


but not right then - well, they took him to get an x-ray and then he was back in the waiting room for another 45 minutes. at about 11:30 a nurse came out and took him to a room where he waited for another LONG while ... at about 12:45 the doctor came in and woke him (he doesn't know if he was snoring or not - i bet he was...) and let him know that he was, in fact, broken but didn't need surgery. the nurse came back to put it in a brace and gave him a perscription for some pain pills.


when he arrived home i was already in bed half-asleep ... his hand was wrapped from finger tip to elbow. he could bearly pinch his thumb and pointer finger together. he told me what the dr. said and all i could think was 'he's going to have to get a cast and he's going to be zero help for the next 6 weeks ... i have SO much to do before we have company ... my list has 15 things on it - all require the use of hands ... more than just the left!! how am i ever going to get it all done and for that matter he can't change diapers, do dishes, put away the folded piles of clothes or rub my feet!' (forgive me: i didn't have enough presence of mind to take a picture of it.) he got ready for bed - left handed ... and came to bed. i kissed him goodnight, rolled over in my self-pity and cried myself to sleep. [nevermind what he was feeling - it was his RIGHT hand ... and he types for a living ... and he can't even wash his own armpit.]


the next morning he called for an appt. at everett bone and joint - the first available was friday at 4:15pm.


friday couldn't come soon enough, i picked the girls up from school and we headed to grandma shaw's house ... we left the 3 oldest there and took easton with us to his appt. i was andy's scribe and we filled out the necessary paperwork and then waited in our assigned room for the doc. he came in and took us back to look at the x-ray. it was a clean spiral break of the fourth metacarpal bone in his right hand.


the last time he broke a bone it was the fifth metacarpal bone of this same hand and he was an ASL missionary in NYC ... he was fed up with one of the 5 other elders he shared a studio apt. with (not his companion ...) and instead of punching him he took it out on the coffee table. his cast was knuckles to elbow for 6 weeks. he rode his bike and taught the gospel to the deaf with his left hand! when it was removed he asked to keep it - for sentimental reasons ... maybe he was thinking that his future children would want to see it, or that his future wife would want to scrapbook it, or that his posterity would want it for some gosh-awful-reason-i-can't-figure-out!!


anyway ... this most recent cast is much smaller (thank heaven! as well as modern medical knowledge and technology) and blue! he's supposed to go back in next friday for another x-ray to make sure it's healing properly and then we'll know for sure how long he'll be a lefty.

wish us luck!

our heart day

dinner: Alfy's heart-shaped pizza!
dessert: homemade heart-shaped chocolate chip bread (made from a muffin mix)
after making a valentine haul at school we delivered the majority of our valentines to our church friends and teachers ... then met andy and ammon at Alfy's. grandma, grandpa and ann joined us and we had ourselves some yummy all-you-can-eat salad bar and heart-shaped pizza! it was time for bed when we got back home. survivor was good ... csi was a re-run (thank heaven the strike is almost over!)

so much for having christmas put away completely ...

survivor isn't andy's favorite ... so he opted to collect and take out the garbage - the garbage man comes to our neighborhood friday morning. while he was out there he decided to take down my lights - how proactive of him ... reason 15 that i love him: be it dishes, vacuuming, or taking down my lights ... when he sees a job that needs to be done - he does it (most of the time).

it has been tradition that i put them up - i take them down ... that includes all holiday decorations especially christmas! therefore he didn't know where to put them ... once he had removed them from the trees. he came in and said "em, can you come outside for a minute? i, um, took down the lights ... " "what?? - why?" "mostly because it's dry." we made quick work of the bush lights and i couldn't leave up the house lights ... so i donned my wellies and got the step ladder out and finished the job. thanks honey - you know how to jump start the christmas light removal!

i finished watching survivor at about 10:ish (dsl is sent from heaven) and since everything else besides the news is a rerun ... i turned off the tv and finally had a shower - while spending all day in my workout clothes is comfortable, it's not very 'valentine-y' of me. andy was working on his computer when i came back down (smelling MUCH better) he said that he was almost done so i chatted with alicia for a little bit and then andy closed his computer and went up to get ready for bed. i turned out the lights and grabbed the bottle of bubbly (martinelli's) and 2 glasses and headed up the stairs - mid-flight the doorbell rang and my cell started ringing almost in sync. i looked out the peep hole to see andy's dad and sister ... i grabbed my phone and told alicia to hang on. i opened the door to find out that his sister wanted to have some movies that she had accidentally left here a while back when she tended the kids. andy retrieved them from his car while i talked on the phone and then finally at 11:30ish we headed upstairs again. phew! kids tucked in and lights off ... the best part: there was no 'get back in your bed'!!

i got andy a deck of conversation cards and we played a little bit (they are cards that ask questions like: if you could be reincarnated as an animal - which would you be and why? and what is your favorite childhood memory?). it was fun and i anticipate learning a lot about him that i didn't know before. it's amazing - even after 8+ years of marriage there are still things that i don't know about him!

it was a great valentine's day and it's not over yet!

hope yours was romantic and fun!!

ps ... i forgot the best part of all - my gift from andrew ... I LOVE IT!!

day 14 - Happy Valentine's Day!!

his love for me. it's unwavering, unfaltering, unconditional. no matter that i'm fat (right now), cranky, slobby, and can't keep the house clean. he loves me thru it all and then some and he always make me feel beautiful. i love the way he loves me.

o ... and he's a great kisser!

day 13

our weekly date night - it may not always be planned out but he knows that i count on it, so he plans on it.
(shhh ... don't tell anyone that i programmed his phone to remind him on wednesday to call and ask me out! wink!)

day 12

his endurance - whether it's a bag of popcorn (or red vines) and a bottle of pop, or a job that he doesn't want to do, i know that he will stick it out and finish what he starts.

day 11

he is helpful - people know that they can count on him to help them move, fix their brakes, help in the nursery, or just about anything - he's 100% reliable.

(and he's teaching his boys to follow in his footsteps ... "i've been watchin' you dad, ain't that cool? i'm your buckaroo, i wanna be like you! and eat all my food and grow as tall as you are. we like fixin' things and holdin' momma's hand. we're just alike, hey, ain't we dad. i wanna do everything you do ... so i've been watchin' you!")

day 10

his testimony - i know that he has a strong testimony of our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ, he loves his family and knows that he can be with us for eternity, he served a faithful and honorable mission and learned many life lessons as well as the truths about the gospel that have lead him to this point in his life, he also knows that the blessings he has come from our Heavenly Father who loves him. i am so grateful that he honors his priesthood and leads our family so that we can return to our Heavenly Father one day.

i smiled the whole 95 minutes

as you probably know ... i love these 2! Fool's Gold FINALLY opened yesterday, and andy took me to see it! i have been waiting with impatient anticipation for this movie and i literally smiled the entire time. from the opening scene to the final kiss!! i will certainly add it to my collection when it comes out on DVD. matthew is handsome and kate is darling and they are SO cute together!

day 9

he's handy - he fixes (and builds) things ... and if he doesn't know how, he does his best to learn - he's not afraid of reading the instructions! (or telling other people to read them to him!)

it's no coincidence the 'handy' rhymes with andy!!

day 8

his looks - not his 'good looks' (i do love those, as i have already mentioned) but the way he looks at me when he has a secret or when he rubs my feet, the look he gets when he's watching our kids be silly or when they love on him, and the looks that Ammon gives me that remind me of him!

day 7

he's sensitive - it's not a weakness ... it's endearing, charming, cute even. i love that he tears up at just the right part when we watch sappy movies and that he is willing to watch chick flicks with me. some of our faveorites are '13 going on 30' 'how to lose a guy in 10 days' (it's a little embarrassing - she's SO embarrassing in some parts! and have you seen the previews for Fools Gold!? Matthew and Kate back together!!) 'alex and emma' 'hitch' and 'failure to launch'. i think the best part is that we really get into the movies - and that's a whole blog in itself ...

day 6

(while you might have suspected that i only love andrew for his body ... there are other things i love about him ... the rest of my list will not be associated with his fine and fabulous physique.)

his sense of humor - even though sometimes he's just silly ['punchy' even when it gets to be about midnight], he makes me smile on a regular basis. i love that he says funny and witty things and doesn't always know how funny and witty until he's said it. i love that we have inside jokes that i chuckle to myself about every now and then.

day 5

his knees - they kneel to pray with our family, they kneel to pray with me, they carry our kids piggyback, and let's face it - they bend so much better now after his surgery.

day 4

his hands - they hold mine just right, they are strong to open the pickle jar, they are rough like someone that works with his hands, they are gentle to take care of me.

day 3

his fingers - they're short and fat and so cute when he's signing.

day 2

second on my list: his eyes - not just the color of them ... the shape, his eyebrows, the puffy top of them ... (all our kids have the same eyes - see?) they're darling, endearing, even mesmerizing - don't stare too long or you'll be hooked!

blog #100 - love it! & day 1 v-day countdown

happy february - this is my one hundredth post here on blogger. that's quite a feat.

it's the time of year when i start to think more about my heart - what i love, who i love, why i love and how i love. this february i have decided to do a countdown to valentine's day. 14 things i love about my handsome husband.

today being feb. 1 the first on my list is - his arms - they have always been my favorite. biceps, triceps, his guns - mmmm ... my hand fits so nicely there in the crook of his elbow.

daddy's quick wit

easton woke this morning at 6:40 BAH. we tried with all our might to get him to lay down by us for a few minutes ... to no avail - then ammon came in and we had lost the battle. andy got ready to go to work and ammon said,"dad, let's go downstairs." for the 10th time ...
d:"i'm not going downstairs."
a:"you have to - to go to work."
d:"nope, i'm going out the window."
pause - thinking ... thinking ...
a:"out the window?"

i chuckled, snickered and then laughed out loud.
"that was very witty, dear."

learning about myself

after 31 (almost 32) years with a person, you think you'd know them pretty well ...

i recently realized - i am an instant-gratification-kinda-person. and it's not a good thing ... [i need to be is more like this.]

i was telling andy about it last night ...

it's the reason that i don't play the piano - i took lessons for six months, i wanted to just be able to sit down and play. i didn't want to practice!

it's also the reason i hate the laundry - it never stays DONE. there's always more to be washed, dried, folded, put away, washed, dried, ...

and why i don't keep my house organized - it takes too much time!

and why i love brushing my teeth - instant fix for bad breath.

and why my craft projects are so simple.

and why losing weight is so hard for me ... i want to exercise one time and see results.

and why i love the internet, email, instant messaging, cell phone ... i'd die without them. i have NO idea how i survived without a cell phone!

and why i don't have a garden - takes too long and too much work.

and why i take so long undecorating Christmas - putting it away is the opposite of 'gratification'.

and why there are only a few things i can cook - i never took the time to learn. (well that, and my people don't eat anything)

and why it took me YEARS to finish a Christmas quilt for my sister.

and why i don't/don't know how to make bread.

and why potty training is the bane of my existense.

and why i don't crochet [even though i know how ...] or knit [i tried to learn once - and still want to!].

and why i have only read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover 2 or 3 times.

and why i don't read books - that's a lie ... i read all the Harry Potter books. i don't get 'into' books like i used to - it takes too much time.

and why my driving record isn't stellar - i'm a little bit of a 'speeder' ... i got to get there NOW.

and why i go to the chiropractor - he cracks me and i feel better!

and why there are pretzels in a canister on my counter - instant easy snack!

and why i have a digital camera - i have to see how it looks right after i take it!

i could go on ... but i think you get the picture. i can think of only a handful of things that i've done that took me time and patience. 4 of which are my children - does pregnancy count? i want to be more patient and have some stick-to-it-iveness, i get frustrated quickly. i think i need to learn how to learn.

andy hugged me, "there's a lot of things you have done that took time ... "
"like what?"
"our kids ... "
"what else?"
"your scrapbooks ..."
"the scrapbooks that i am SO far behind on that i don't think i'll ever catch up?!"
"your blog ..."
"my blog doesn't take me time ... all i do is sit down and type what i think..." [that's something that took me time and practice ... i type pretty well.]
"um ... there has to be more ..."
"nice ... thanks for trying ..."

so, to those of you that know me: can you help me feel better about this bad habit i have developed?? can you add to andy's meager list?

and to all of you: how does one learn how to learn how to do things?!?

{and one more: it's also the reason that i love comments ... i feel instantly validated! - hint hint}